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Formula 1 - 2024 Season

'Max Verstappen victorious again but Red Bull power struggle continues and questions remain'​

Max Verstappen cruised to the latest in a long line of composed and imperious victories at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday. Behind the scenes at Red Bull, though, things are anything but serene.

Verstappen's run of wins looks to have no obvious end - this was the ninth in a row, dating back to last year's Japanese Grand Prix, and his 29th out of the past 34 races since mid-2022.

But it took place against the backdrop of the continuing controversy following allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against team principal Christian Horner by a female employee, which the 50-year-old denies.

The latest development is evidence of a power struggle at Red Bull - some have said it's between Horner and their motorsport adviser Helmut Marko; and others say it's between the Thai majority shareholders and Austrian minority shareholders - into which Verstappen and his father Jos have now been drawn.

For 24 hours this weekend, Marko was in danger of being suspended by Red Bull. In the end, it seems to have taken an intervention from Verstappen to keep him in his position.

This revelation about Marko came a day after the female employee who reported Horner's behaviour to Red Bull's human resources department was herself suspended.

Red Bull has always been a secretive organisation that tightly controlled the flow of information to the outside world. That applies to the parent company Red Bull GmbH in Fuchsl Am See in Austria as much as it does to the Red Bull Racing F1 team.

Giving an insight into what happens inside the two companies is anathema.

As this off-track drama played out this weekend, some F1 insiders claimed that Horner, having won the backing of the Thai owner Chalerm Yoovidhya, was trying to dispense with all his rivals, to secure not only his own survival within Red Bull, but his position as the unchallenged authority in the team, and perhaps beyond.

Horner said: "The rumours about suspension were news to the team as to anybody else. We were quite surprised to hear that.

"Helmut is a contractor to Red Bull GmbH so it was an issue between them and we weren't part of that discussion. I have known Helmut since 1996 and he has played an important role over the years. Coming up to 81 years of age, he is still motivated about F1, which is a positive thing."

And he insisted: "My relationship with Helmut is no issue. He is always outspoken but that's Helmut. I am not quite sure where the rumours permeated from. It is not something I have been involved in."

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'Max Verstappen victorious again but Red Bull power struggle continues and questions remain'

Max Verstappen cruised to the latest in a long line of victories at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but Red Bull are still embroiled in controversy, writes Andrew Benson.
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Oliver Bearman wants to fulfil a "childhood dream" by earning a Formula 1 seat next year after making his debut at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old became the youngest Briton to start a grand prix when he was called up by Ferrari to replace Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis.

Bearman finished ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

"Getting a taste of this amazing world... I know what I'm missing out on up there in F1," Bearman said.

Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc said "it is just a matter of time before he is in F1", while British 1996 world champion Damon Hill wrote on X: "Star is born now!"

'Bearman already marked out as potentially a special one'

Bearman had 'great fun' in 'good show' on F1 debut

Asked if he could be a regular on the grid as soon as 2025, Bearman told BBC East: "I think so. It depends on how I get on.

"That's a childhood dream that I would love to realise. I need to keep pushing in F2 to make sure that I can get that F1 seat - that's my main goal for this year.

"I need to keep up the good work and not let any of this faze me because you're only as good as your last race."

Chelmsford-born Bearman has been a member of the Ferrari driver academy since 2021, but Hamilton will join Leclerc at Ferrari next season.

After a "whirlwind" weekend in Jeddah, Bearman is keen to race for Ferrari on a permanent basis.

"This is my third year living in Italy," he said. "It was a very daunting prospect. I started at 15, 16 years old and I was living out here by myself, but now I've gained a lot freedom and friends.

"Especially after this race, I seem to know everyone in the factory. They've all congratulated me, which is a really special feeling, and I feel motivated by that as well. It's great to have recognition.

"It just makes you want to keep pushing and it would be amazing to race here full-time one day."

Source: BBC News
 

Oliver Bearman 'proud' of Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso praise​


Oliver Bearman says it was "really fulfilling" to have Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso praise him after his Formula 1 debut.

The 18-year-old Briton finished seventh at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after replacing Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

Bearman told BBC Sport: "It was a proud day for me. For them to say these kind words was really nice - especially the older guys like Fernando and Lewis.

"I grew up watching them. To share the track with them was an honour."

Seven-time world champion Hamilton called Bearman "a really bright future star", two-time champion Alonso said he drove "fantastically well" and three-time champion Max Verstappen, who won in Jeddah, said he did "an incredible job".

Bearman, who is a member of the Ferrari driver academy, was needed last-minute after Sainz was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed surgery.

Bearman qualified on pole for the Formula 2 race and found out he would be driving only two hours before the final practice session. He qualified 11th and went on to score six points on his debut.

A perfectionist, he said not making it into the top 10 shootout in qualifying after a "scrappy" session was "a big regret", and described becoming stuck behind Nico Hulkenberg's Haas for six laps early in the race as "bad decision or bad execution" and "a bit longer than necessary to overtake the guys ahead".

He said his remark after the race that Hamilton had had to help him from his car because her was so exhausted was a "joking comment". The race, he said, "wasn't that tough" physically. But he admitted it had been "difficult".

Bearman said: "When I was driving I didn't really feel too tired, but it's when the adrenaline wears off after the flag and especially when you get out of the car and there is no more fresh air coming to you - that's when I felt the heat and I needed to get my helmet off quite quickly to cool me down."

Jeddah is renowned as one of the toughest tracks physically for drivers because of its high-speed nature, the walls lining the track and the heat in Saudi Arabia.

"Especially for me who wasn't used to it, it's the G-force you pull, especially in sector one in Jeddah," said Bearman.

"You go from 3G in one direction straight to the other one and then the other one again. Plus the longitudinal forces in braking - it's like five times your bodyweight.

"So you're pretty much getting thrown around in there and of course you need to stabilise your body with your core and neck to make sure your vision is correct because you need to be centimetres away from the wall to maximise the lap time.

"So all of that coupled with thick layers of fireproofs to keep you safe - it boils up. It gets really hot in there. You have an engine behind you; a lot of electronics boxes.

"That's actually one thing that surprised me in F1, how hot the cockpit is compared to F2 and F3 - because of the complexity of the systems and the packaging is very tight - so there's no rest out there."

Bearman will travel to Australia this weekend in preparation for the next race on 22-24 March, where F2 again accompanies F1. It has not yet been confirmed whether Sainz will be fit to return at Ferrari, although that is the plan.

Bearman, who is from Essex and started racing karts when he was eight, joined Ferrari not long after he had turned 16 and moved to Italy to begin his racing education with them.

"I was pretty young," he said. "It was tough at first, like moving to university a couple of years early, and home wasn't as close as your average university student, so it was difficult.

"I did miss my family a lot and I tried to come back home as often as possible on the weekends to spend time with them.

"The thing is there is a lot of us the same age here in the academy, which meant on the weekdays we would always go out for dinner and have fun.

"But now I have kind of changed my roles I am very busy on the simulator. I have a bit more freedom now I have my driving licence, so I don't mind staying here a bit more often.

"I see my parents at the race weekend and sometimes I come home, but much less often than in the beginning."

Many observers, including his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, have said it is only a matter of time before Bearman is in F1. But Bearman himself said his aim for the time being is to maximise his second season in F2.

He points out that after a difficult first race of the season in Bahrain for his Prema team, then missing Saudi Arabia to race in F1, he is "currently last" in a championship he started as one of the favourites.

"The thing is you are only as good as your last race," Bearman said. "So in a week's time or two weeks' time, all this will be forgotten and I will be judged on my previous F2 race. That is my main focus.

"I want to do as good as I can in F2 championship and see where we are at the end of that."

But he must feel that a full-time F1 seat is tangible after his performance in Jeddah?

"I do hope so," he said. "In the end, it all depends on my performance, so I have nail down race by race and do as well as I can and hopefully that will be enough."

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Oliver Bearman 'proud' of Lewis Hamilton & Fernando Alonso praise

Teenager Oliver Bearman says it was "really fulfilling" to have Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso praise him after his F1 debut.
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BREAKING 🚨

Woman at centre of Christian Horner 'sex texts' scandal launches appeal against Red Bull's investigation that cleared Geri Halliwell's husband of 'inappropriate behaviour'
 
Christian Horner’s accuser has been left feeling ‘angry and upset’ after the Red Bull team principal was cleared of inappropriate behavior earlier this month. An internal Red Bull investigation saw the claims made against Horner dismissed, but the accuser has now lodged a complaint with the sport’s governing body.

It’s been a mixed start to the F1 season for Red Bull. On the track, they’ve been up to their usual lofty standards, with Max Verstappen having won both races of the season so far. On top of that, the Austrian constructor have also recorded consecutive one-two finishes, with Verstappen’s team-mate, Sergio Perez, finishing second in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs.

Off the track though, it’s been a different story. The team’s build-up to the campaign was shrouded in controversy surrounding Horner, who had been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a Red Bull employee. The claims were eventually dismissed following an investigation, with the accuser having been suspended on full pay.

As a result, the accuser remains unimpressed by the outcome of the Red Bull probe and has now reportedly filed a complaint against Horner to the FIA. According to The Sun, the woman is hoping the case is taken up by the FIA’s ethics committee, but the F1 governing body hasn’t yet decided whether to investigate Horner any further.

Horner had spoken out about the claims last month, saying: “Obviously there has been a lot of coverage surrounding this, but one has to go back to the basis of a grievance was raised, it was fully investigated, and it was dismissed. From there we move onwards.

"I think an awful lot has been made out of this. Obviously it has been of great interest in different elements of the media for different reasons. I think the time now is to look forward and draw a line under it.”

But given the latest development, it appears Horner and co. will have to wait a little longer for a line to be drawn underneath, should the FIA take up the accuser’s complaint. In the meantime though, Red Bull’s attention will soon switch to the Australian GP, which is scheduled for next weekend.

And while things behind the scenes may be rocky for Red Bull, given their start to the season on the track, the constructor will remain confident of picking up two more podium finishes in Melbourne. Verstappen registered his first victory at Albert Park last year, with the Dutch driver heavy favourite to go back-to-back next weekend.

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Accuser left 'angry and upset' after Red Bull dossier clears Christian Horner

Christian Horner's accuser has been left frustrated by the process that saw the Red Bull boss cleared of any wrongdoing.
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Formula 1's governing body has cleared its president of claims he interfered with races in Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas last season.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem was alleged to have intervened to overturn a penalty for Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

A whistleblower claimed the president told officials not to certify the Las Vegas circuit for last year's race.

The FIA said there was no evidence to support the claims.

"After reviewing the results of the inquiries, the Ethics Committee were unanimous in their determination that there was no evidence to substantiate allegations of interference of any kind involving the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem," said the FIA in a statement.

It added its compliance department, supported by external advisors, had conducted thorough investigations into the claims.

Source: BBC
 
Susie Wolff takes legal action after controversial conflict of interest inquiry

Susie Wolff has taken legal action against motorsport's governing body the FIA following its controversial conflict of interest inquiry into her last year.

Wolff is the director of the F1 Academy series for aspiring female drivers and wife of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Wolff said she had filed "a criminal complaint in the French courts in relation to the statements made about me by the FIA last December".

"There has still not been any transparency or accountability in the relation to the conduct of the FIA and its personnel in this matter," she said.

Wolff added: "I feel more than ever it is important to stand up, call out improper behaviour and make sure people are held to account. While some may think silence absolves them from responsibility - it does not."

Wolff said she had lodged the case in France on 4 March.

The FIA has been approached for a comment.

What is this about?

Wolff's legal case revolves around an inquiry launched by the FIA into a magazine's claims that rivals believed her relationship with her husband presented a conflict of interest in the sport.

Two days after announcing its compliance department was looking into the matter, the FIA ended its investigation, saying it was "satisfied" F1 had measures in place to protect against such issues.

The withdrawal of the inquiry came after an extraordinary sequence of events which left senior figures in F1 questioning the judgement of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Neither Mercedes, the Wolffs nor F1 were contacted before the FIA announced it had referred an "allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed to an F1 team principal from a member of FOM [Formula One Management] personnel" to its compliance unit.

The statement followed an article in Business F1 magazine claiming a number of team principals had raised concerns with the FIA about the potential for confidential information passing between Mercedes and F1 through the Wolffs.

In her position as head of F1's junior category for aspiring female drivers, Susie Wolff reports directly to F1 president Stefano Domenicali.

The FIA's decision to launch the compliance inquiry led to robust statements from F1 and Mercedes rejecting the accusations and making clear their frustration with the FIA's handling of the matter.

Susie Wolff said she was "deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised" by the claims, and described the allegations as "intimidatory and misogynistic" in a social media post.

The following day, all nine other F1 teams issued co-ordinated, identically worded statements clarifying they had made no complaints to the FIA about the Wolffs' relationship and were "pleased and proud to support F1 Academy and its managing director".

The F1 team statements seemed to undermine the basis for both the article and the FIA's investigation.

Concerns about consistency

The FIA's actions in the Wolff case contrast with its behaviour regarding the controversy over allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner by a female employee.

Horner, 50, has always denied the claims. Red Bull dismissed the complaint after an internal investigation and have since suspended the employee who made them.

When the FIA learned about claims regarding Toto and Susie Wolff, it put out a statement saying that it was "aware of media speculation centred on the allegation".

In contrast, with regard to Horner, despite two whistleblower complaints and an official complaint by the Red Bull female employee, the FIA has refused to say whether it is looking into his behaviour.

The FIA said in a statement last week: "Enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the Compliance Officer, and the Ethics Committee where appropriate. Both bodies operate autonomously, guaranteeing strict confidentiality throughout the process.

"As a consequence, and in general, we are unable to confirm the receipt of any specific complaint and it is unlikely that we will be able to provide further comment on the complaints that we may receive from any parties."

Prior to issuing that statement, the FIA had failed to respond to a series of emails, messages and calls from BBC Sport on the matter over a period of eight days.

Meanwhile, over the course of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Ben Sulayem approached Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and said he should make a public statement supporting Horner.

Verstappen responded, sources close to the world champion have told BBC Sport, by telling Ben Sulayem he should launch his own investigation into the matter.

Ben Sulayem took this action after Verstappen gave equivocal answers to questions in a news conference as to whether Horner had his full faith and confidence as Red Bull team owner.

BBC​
 
Charles Leclerc tops Australian GP second practice as Alex Albon crashes in first session

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc led Red Bull's Max Verstappen in Friday practice at the Australian Grand Prix.

Leclerc was 0.381 seconds faster than the man who has dominated the first two races on a difficult day for Red Bull.

Verstappen missed the first 20 minutes after damaging his floor in an off-track incident in the first session.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was third, from Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and George Russell's Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes was 18th fastest, struggling for pace on both qualifying-style runs and race simulations. He said over the radio that "something's wrong".

Red Bull were not their usual imperious selves. Verstappen ran later than his rivals because of the enforced delay to his programme, and should have had the better of the track conditions when he set his fastest lap.

But he was not able to match Leclerc's pace, set earlier in the session, and his high-fuel run was not especially strong either, although affected by traffic and only three laps long.

As in the first session, a number of drivers had off-track moments, especially through the high speed chicane at Turns 10 and 11.

None, though, crashed, unlike in the first session when Williams driver Alex Albon lost control on the exit of Turn Six and smashed into the wall at Turn Eight, which follows shortly afterwards.

Albon missed the second session, with Williams saying they were assessing the damage to his car.

Mercedes appeared to be struggling. Both drivers had a number of 'moments' through the day, Russell catching the car through when he lost the rear in Turn Nine in the first session and then having a grassy moment through Turn One in the second. And Hamilton ran wide in Turn 10 in the second.

It was worrying for Mercedes, whose struggles with rear-end instability in Saudi Arabia caught them by surprise - they thought they had ironed out that characteristic in this year's redesigned car.

Ferrari, by contrast, looked fast on single laps or longer runs, an encouraging start to the weekend for the Italian team.

BBC
 
Toto Wolff said wife Susie "has always followed through on her convictions and values" after she began legal action against motorsport's governing body.

Susie Wolff, the F1 Academy series director, has lodged a case against the FIA following its conflict of interest inquiry into her last year.

The inquiry was launched in December but ended two days later.

"Susie is a strong woman and she doesn't take anything from anyone," said Wolff.

The Mercedes team principal added: "She has always followed through on her convictions and values, and that is the case here.

"She is very unemotional about it, and pragmatic, and she feels wrong was done and the court needs to hear that. Nothing is going to bring her off that path, that is how her character is.

"Susie started that process many months ago and has done it very diligently as far as I am concerned. She will go all the way."

Wolff's legal case revolves around an inquiry launched by the FIA into a magazine's claims that rivals believed her relationship with her husband presented a conflict of interest in the sport.

The article in Business F1 magazine claimed a number of team principals had raised concerns with the FIA about the potential for confidential information passing between Mercedes and F1 through the Wolffs.

In her position as head of F1's junior category for aspiring female drivers, Susie Wolff reports directly to F1 president Stefano Domenicali.

Mercedes and F1 both denied the claims. Susie Wolff said she was "deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised" by the allegations and described them as "intimidatory and misogynistic" in a social media post at the time.

Two days after announcing its compliance department was looking into the matter, the FIA ended its investigation, saying it was "satisfied" F1 had measures in place to protect against such issues.

Toto Wolff says it is important for Susie that the circumstances surrounding the issue is thoroughly investigated.

"It matters for her most to find out what happened and people take accountability and responsibility and things are not brushed under the carpet - and we, as a sport, need to do that in all areas whether that is Susie's case or some cases with the other teams," he said.

Wolff announced her legal case on the same day as the organisation's ethics committee cleared its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem of claims he interfered with races in Saudi Arabia and Las Vegas last year.

Last month, Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner was cleared following an internal investigation into allegations of "inappropriate and controlling behaviour" towards a female colleague.

Horner, who has led Red Bull since 2005, has repeatedly denied the allegations.

The woman who made the allegations against the 50-year-old was suspended by Red Bull earlier this month.

Source: BBC
 

Bahrain takes full control of supercar brand McLaren​


Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund has taken full ownership of the McLaren Group, which builds high-end sportscars and owns a majority stake in the McLaren F1 team.

The Bahraini fund, Mumtalakat, was already McLaren's biggest shareholder.

The deal follows a period of deep financial uncertainty for the British company, which has been making heavy losses.

McLaren hailed it as a "major milestone".

The company is now understood to be looking at technical partnerships with other businesses, to help it develop electric vehicle technology.

"We are delighted at Mumtalakat's continued commitment to McLaren through this deal," McLaren Group's executive chairman Paul Walsh said in a statement.

"This will further enable us to focus on delivering our long-term business plan, including investment in new products and technologies, while continuing to explore potential technical partnerships with industry partners."

The McLaren Group has its headquarters in the Surrey town of Woking.

It owns McLaren Automotive, which over the past 14 years has become a major player in the market for prestige sportscars.

Its products compete with models from the likes of Ferrari and Porsche.

The group also has a majority stake in McLaren Racing, which owns the McLaren Formula 1 team, and also competes in the US IndyCar series, and the electric series Formula E and Extreme E.

The business has been under financial strain since the Covid pandemic, which initially forced it to suspend production of cars, and also led to the cancellation of racing activities around the world.

It underwent a major restructuring in 2020, which included the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.

It was then affected by the widespread disruption to supply chains that occurred as economies got back into gear following the pandemic, in particular a shortage of computer chips.

There were also problems with its new Artura hybrid sportscar, which caused it to suspend production, and led to delays in deliveries.

In the first nine months of last year - the most recent period for which figures are available - it made a pre-tax loss of £276m.

Mumtalakat has been an investor in McLaren Group since 2007, when it bought a 30% stake from founding shareholders Ron Dennis and Mansour Ojjeh.

Over time it increased that stake to 60%, while injecting hundreds of millions of pounds into the business.

Its decision to take full control, which was initially agreed last year, bolsters McLaren's finances in the short term.

Also, sources within the group say that getting rid of what was seen as an overly complex shareholder structure will make future partnerships easier.

McLaren is known to be looking for new technical link-ups to help it expand its range and in particular work on developing electric vehicles.

The BBC understands the Swedish firm Polestar, owned by the Chinese group Geely, is among those to have held talks with McLaren.

According to the Financial Times, discussions have also been held with Hyundai, BMW and Californian electric brand Lucid Motors.

Any deal could involve Mumtalakat selling a minority stake in McLaren group to its chosen partner.

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Bahrain takes full control of supercar brand McLaren

Sovereign wealth fund takes full control following deep financial uncertainty for the British firm.
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Max Verstappen takes Australian Grand Prix pole position; Lewis Hamilton 11th

Red Bull's Max Verstappen fought off a challenge from Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to take pole position for the Australian Grand Prix.

Sainz was quickest in the first two parts of qualifying but the world champion bounced back in the top 10 shoot-out to take pole by 0.27 seconds.

Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez was third with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fifth behind McLaren's Lando Norris.

Mercedes' George Russell was seventh while Lewis Hamilton only 11th.

BBC
 
Sergio Perez will start the Australian Grand Prix from P6 after receiving a three-place grid penalty for impeding Nico Hulkenberg
 
Lewis Hamilton was unable to explain his Mercedes team's lack of pace in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix after failing to make it into the top 10.

The seven-time champion qualified 11th in Melbourne with team-mate George Russell seventh - Hamilton has now been out-paced at all three races so far this year.

Hamilton said he had been "optimistic" of a strong showing after being fourth fastest in final practice, less than 0.1 seconds off the pace-setting Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

But after qualifying he said: "I don't know if it's the wind picking up - it picked up quite a bit, same as yesterday - and then the car is just so much more on a knife edge. That's it."

Hamilton has qualified ninth, eighth and 11th so far this year, with Russell third at the first race in Bahrain and seventh in Saudi Arabia and Melbourne.

No transparency and accountability in F1 - Hamilton

Wolff takes legal action after conflict of interest inquiry

How to follow the Australian Grand Prix on the BBC

"It's just a flat feeling," Hamilton said. "It's not great.

"[I'm] less consistent than George. He is doing a better job with the car. Three qualifyings in a row he has out-qualified me. He's just seems to get on a lot better than I do.

"Just trying to keep my head above water and continue to realise it could be way worse."

Mercedes entered the season believing that they had a car with which they could make progress after two seasons struggling with an aerodynamic concept different from the rest of the field.

But the team have discovered that the car lacks pace in high-speed corners - and that it does not generate the downforce on track that its simulations suggest it should.

The team are essentially still failing to understand the airflow under the car, where ground-effect 'venturi' tunnels develop most of the downforce.

Hamilton said: "It's three years in a row, similar feeling. Then there's these spikes of 'it could be good' like this morning. Then it disappears.

"If we can find a way of [keeping] that goodness in the car, making it more consistent and holding onto that, maybe we can be more competitive. There's lots of work we need to do but everyone's working as hard as they can."

Russell was optimistic Mercedes would be more competitive in the race.

"It's so tight out there between the top five teams bar Red Bull," he said. "I definitely think we are going to have a better race car than qualifying car, but we know where we need to improve and that's the high-speed corners and this circuit there are quite a few around here.

"But all to play for. The fight is on, with the Ferraris and McLarens in touching distance.

"So I think we could be seeing a two-stop race potentially, not one single driver has used the hard [tyre] and everyone will be using it tomorrow so there are a lot of unknowns for everyone."

Source: BBC
 
Carlos Sainz wins Australian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen retires

Carlos Sainz led Charles Leclerc to a Ferrari one-two in the Australian Grand Prix as Max Verstappen's domination of Formula 1 stalled.

Sainz swept by the world champion's Red Bull into the lead on the second lap before the Dutchman retired with a brake failure after just four laps.

The Spaniard then controlled the race as Leclerc passed McLaren's Lando Norris in the first pit-stop period.

The race ended under a virtual safety car after a crash for George Russell.

Chasing Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin for sixth place, the Mercedes driver lost control at Turn Six on the final lap and suffered a crash, the car coming to rest on its side, held up in the air by landing on its left-front wheel. Russell was unhurt.

Alonso and Russell were called to the stewards after the race amid suggestions the Spaniard had braked twice before the corner, going back on to the throttle in between.

It was a difficult end to a sobering day for Mercedes, on which their status as also-rans was apparently confirmed - Lewis Hamilton retired after 16 laps with an engine failure.

Norris led Oscar Piastri to a McLaren three-four ahead of Red Bull's Sergio Perez, anonymous on a day on which he was unable to capitalise on Verstappen's retirement.

Sainz in total control

In front of a record Melbourne crowd of 132,106 - and a weekend high of 452,055 - Sainz was in imperious form, just 16 days after having surgery to remove his appendix that forced him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old - who has been describing the "weird" feeling of "everything in the inside just feels like it's moving more than normal" after his operation - tracked Verstappen around the opening lap. And after Verstappen made a mistake at Turn Three on the second lap, Sainz was able to pass the Red Bull down the curving 'straight' to Turns Nine and 10.

Verstappen immediately came on the radio to say he had "lost the rear - weird", and before long it was apparent why.

A lap later, he swore over the radio and said: "The car is loose." And a lap after that smoke started to pour from his right rear wheel.

Verstappen slowed down and as he entered the pit lane, with his brakes now on fire, a clump of material flew out of his wheel on to the grass.

Underlining the strength of Red Bull in the last two years, it was his first retirement since this race two years ago.

It left Sainz in control and he never showed any indication he would let the grand prix out of his grasp.

Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win last year, when he triumphed in Singapore in a race that ended with him holding off a train of cars featuring Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Russell.

Now he has become the man to end Verstappen's chances of equalling his own record of winning 10 races in a row - and just three races into a season he started knowing he would lose his seat at Ferrari at the end of it to Hamilton.

Sainz had Leclerc's measure from the start of qualifying and was never under threat in the race.

He took advantage of Leclerc being stuck behind Norris in the first stint to build an advantage.

Ferrari brought Leclerc in for a relatively early stop on lap nine to undercut him past Norris, a strategy that succeeded when the McLaren stopped five laps later and emerged behind the Ferrari.

Sainz stopped on lap 16 and emerged just a second ahead of his team-mate, slowly building an advantage that extended to nearly nine seconds before Leclerc made his second stop.

A good day for McLaren but not for Perez

Norris was unable to do anything about the Ferraris, but it was nonetheless a strong weekend for McLaren.

The same could not be said for Perez, who complained about Red Bull's decision to run him long on the first stint.

Perez was able to pass Russell and Alonso but once in front of the Spaniard, a tear-off strip from another driver's visor became caught in his floor, in a position Red Bull said disrupted the airflow sufficiently to cost him a significant amount of downforce. After that, he could do nothing about the McLarens ahead.

Russell's crash meant Mercedes leave Australia pointless and promoted Aston Martin's Lance Stroll to seventh, ahead of RB's Yuki Tsunoda and the Haas drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.

Alex Albon, given team-mate Logan Sargent's Williams for the weekend after a heavy crash on Friday, was 11th, the Haas drivers just too strong in his quest for a point.

BBC
 
This was a great race. Congratulations to Sainz for a well-deserved win. Couldn't have been easy coming out of that surgery. He was a little lucky that Max retired but full credit to him nonetheless. Ferrari looking really good this season.
 

Fear, faith, friendship: Inside F1’s most precious relationship​


Eyes blinded by a blend of floodlights and blurry bodywork. Eardrums drenched in the whirring neighs of 1,000 mechanical horses. Nostrils stained with the stench of burning brake ducts. Spine rattling to-and-fro against the rhythms of the road. Limbs and neck wrestling relentlessly with immense gravitational force.

Firing a Formula 1 car around a racetrack at top speed is one of the most intense sensory experiences a human can undergo.

During races, drivers can suffer motion sickness, light-headedness and vision glitches. They can lose up to 3kg in under two hours while at the wheel.

With the success and failure of their split-second decisions laid bare for the world to witness, a driver's existence can be isolating as well as physically draining.

But an F1 driver is never racing entirely alone.

They are accompanied, always, by the guidance of a softly-spoken ally at the other end of the team radio system, aiming to maximise the driver's result at race end.

That voice belongs to the race engineer.

line
Weather changes, tyre wear, gear shift advice and details about rivals' weaknesses are among the technical information passed from the race engineer to the driver. But the engineer must also harness their more human-centred skills, suppressing the driver's concerns and emotions so they are free to operate entirely in the present.

Given the amount of time the driver and race engineer spend in each other's company, and the faith they must collectively construct, their relationship is one of the most intimate in elite sport.

"What you are trying to do is to take a lot of cerebral thinking away from the driver so that he can just be in the moment, focusing on the next corner and maximising the potential of the car," says McLaren's Tom Stallard, a race engineer who first joined the team in 2008 and currently works with Australian hot prospect Oscar Piastri.

"We are the translator that bridges that gap between the technical department and the driver - we find the best way to get the information between those two parties."

In turn, the driver must have total confidence in the competence and character of his pit wall connection.

There is almost always at least one generation between a driver and his race engineer. They often come from completely different parts of the world and do not share a first language. A big effort to understand each other's backgrounds, personalities and motivations is key to building a successful relationship.

"I always try to meet a new driver in a non-professional environment - at a restaurant or wherever else we are disconnected from Formula 1, to understand his personal side," says Jorn Becker, who spent eight years as a race engineer for Sauber until a recent change of roles with the team.

"We spend a couple of hours together, just talking about normal things in life - hobbies, his family, his education - to understand his culture.

"At the same time I am observing his reactions on a human level.

Source: BBC
 

Aston Martin will not appeal Fernando Alonso penalty for incident with George Russell at Australian Grand Prix​

Aston Martin will not appeal Fernando Alonso's penalty at the Australian Grand Prix after the Spaniard was deemed to drive in a "potentially dangerous" manner in front of George Russell.

Alonso was handed a 20-second time penalty for the way in which he approached Turn Six on the penultimate lap of the race, dropping him from sixth to eighth in the final classification - a decision issued by stewards more than three hours after the end of the race.

Following the post-race investigation, which included the study of data, replays and interviews with both drivers, stewards said telemetry from Alonso's car showed that the Aston Martin had "lifted slightly more than 100m earlier than he ever had going into" Turn Six on the penultimate lap of the race as Russell chased him down.

Alonso claimed that he was simply trying to ensure a better exit from the upcoming corner, with Russell applying heavy pressure as the pair approached the DRS zones in which the Mercedes driver, on fresher tyres, would likely have had his best chance of overtaking.

Aston Martin had the right to appeal but have decided to not do so, two days after the race.

"To receive a 20-second time penalty when there was no contact with the following car has been a bitter pill to swallow, but we have to accept the decision," said Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack.

"We made our best case but without new evidence we are unable to request a right of review."

Source: SKY
 
Good to see Ferrari back on the top step, that too early in the season!

Hope Sainz keeps up his form throughout the season, being replaced like that for next season must have been a real bummer. I just don't see him getting into a race winning car again unless he lands into Red Bull, which is a shame, as he's a talent.
 

Formula One owner Liberty Media announces MotoGP takeover​


Formula One's United States-based owner Liberty Media have announced a takeover of MotoGP's parent company Dorna, valuing the world's leading motorcycle racing championship at €4.2 billion ($4.53bn), MotoGP said in a statement on Monday.

Dorna will remain an independently run company attributed to Liberty Media's Formula One Group tracking stock and continue to be based in Madrid, with long-serving Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta remaining in his position, the statement added.

"This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP, and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna, the MotoGP paddock and racing fans," Ezpeleta said.

The deal will see Liberty Media acquiring approximately 86% of Dorna, with Dorna management retaining the other 14% of its equity. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

The transaction reflects an enterprise value of €4.2bn for Dorna/MotoGP and an equity value of €3.5bn, the statement said.

Dorna Sports, which was roughly 40% owned by British private investment company Bridgepoint Group, also promotes the World Superbike Championship and all-electric MotoE.

"We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of leading live sports and entertainment assets with the acquisition of MotoGP," Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei said.

"The business has significant upside, and we intend to grow the sport for MotoGP fans, teams, commercial partners and our shareholders."

The takeover could attract regulatory scrutiny. CVC Capital Partners, who sold Formula One to Liberty in 2017, were cleared by the European Commission to buy F1 in 2006 on condition they sold Dorna.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) bought a 39% stake in Dorna from Bridgepoint in 2012. The remaining shares were owned by Dorna management, whose stake has dropped to 14% following the takeover.

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F1 owner Liberty announces MotoGP takeover

Formula One's United States-based owner Liberty Media have announced a takeover of MotoGP's parent company Dorna, valuing the world's leading motorcycle racing championship at €4.2 billion euros ($4.53bn).
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Leading engineer David Sanchez has left McLaren just three months after joining the team from Ferrari.

The Frenchman was recruited as part of a restructure of McLaren's technical department.

Team principal Andrea Stella will fulfil Sanchez's role until a permanent appointment is made.

"The role, responsibilities, and ambitions associated with David's position did not align with our original expectations," said Stella.

As part of the changes, Rob Marshall, who signed from Red Bull earlier this year, has become chief designer. He had previously been technical director, engineering and design.

Sanchez, 44, has not been put on gardening leave and will be free to join another team as soon as he can find a suitable position.

The change was precipitated because Sanchez did not feel stretched in his new role because its remit was smaller than he expected when he agreed to join.

The reshuffle, masterminded by Stella, was aimed at putting senior leaders in the three areas which define F1 car performance - aerodynamics, performance and engineering.

Following Sanchez's departure, Neil Houldley, who had been made a deputy technical director for engineering, has been made technical director.

Peter Prodromou remains as technical director for aerodynamics.

Stella said: "Following thoughtful discussions between David Sanchez and the team leadership, the mutual decision has been taken for David to leave the team.

"Upon our joint reflection, it became apparent that the role, responsibilities, and ambitions associated with David's position did not align with our original expectations when he agreed to join us in February 2023.

"Recognising this misalignment, both David and I agreed that it would be best to part ways now, so to enable him to pursue other opportunities that will better leverage the full scale and breadth of his remarkable skillset.

"We greatly and gratefully value the contributions that David has made during his relatively short time with us, and we wish him the best in his future endeavour."

Source: BBC
 

Toto Wolff: Mercedes boss cancels plan to skip Japanese GP amid team's poor start to 2024 F1 season​

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will attend this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix after altering his plans to miss the event.

It was widely reported after last month's Australian Grand Prix that Wolff would be absent in Suzuka as part of a planned schedule established before the start of the 24-race season.

SKY
 

Vettel thinking about F1 return, speaking to Wolff​


Four times world champion Sebastian Vettel said he is thinking about a Formula One comeback and talking to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and others.

The retired German driver, now 36, told Sky Sports television on Wednesday that he was "potentially" in the market for a 2025 seat.

"Potentially I am because I haven't got a drive, but the question is, am I looking for one? I think it depends on the package," he said.

"I retired from Formula One not to come back, but I also did say that you never know. So I think it still stands."

Vettel won his four titles with Red Bull and retired at the end of 2022 after a final season with Aston Martin, following a six-year stint at Ferrari.

Mercedes have a vacancy for 2025 with seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, now 39 but still younger than 42-year-old Fernando Alonso, departing for Ferrari at the end of this year.

The German manufacturer last had a German driver with Nico Rosberg, who retired suddenly after winning the 2016 world championship.

"You never know where life is taking you, so maybe it takes me back behind the wheel, maybe it doesn't," said Vettel, who recently tested a Porsche Penske Le Mans hypercar and could debut in that 24 hour race.

Vettel was asked by Sky whether he would be able to resist an opportunity with Mercedes should it be offered.

"I've had conversations with him (Wolff), not really about the seat. We did speak about the whole situation in short as well," he said.

"But I did speak to others as well because I'm still keeping in touch every now and then. I have some projects and ideas together with F1. We'll see if they will turn out or not.

"So I am staying in touch. I don't know. It has to be a couple more phone calls and conversations, I guess, to really find out a little bit more. But for sure it's one of the best seats on the grid."

 
Sainz win is mounting pressure on Charles. While his long-term contract is in place, he can’t let Sainz gain further momentum. Suzuka is a great place for Charles to show why he’s elite like Lewis and Max.
 
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix as the second session was rendered useless by the weather.

Intermittent light rain at Suzuka meant the track was too wet for dry-weather tyres and too dry for wets, and only three drivers set lap times.

Verstappen topped the first session, leading Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri topped the second from Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
 
Should be an interesting race with the weather and all.

I just hope Max doesn't win. But the only way I can see that happening is if something happens to his car.
 
Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen on pole position for Red Bull

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix with McLaren's Lando Norris best of the rest.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was fourth, his team-mate Charles Leclerc eighth, and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso fifth.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri was sixth ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, whose team-mate George Russell was ninth.

Japanese Yuki Tsunoda delighted home fans packed into the glorious Suzuka circuit with 10th place.

The race now boasts views of Japan's legendary blossoms with its new April date

But fans at Suzuka seem more interested in their unique way of celebrating the sport, dressing as cars, horses and even koalas, depending on who they are supporting

Qualifying was fairly straightforward, but there was a crash for Logan Sargeant during Friday practice a Suzuka - crashing after the Esses in what is a famously demanding track

SOURCE: BBC
 
Japanese Grand Prix 2024 result: Max Verstappen wins after crash delay

Max Verstappen cruised to a comfortable victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, leading team-mate Sergio Perez to a Red Bull one-two.

Verstappen took an early race stoppage at Suzuka in his stride as he secured his third victory in four races this season.

Red Bull were in a league of their own in a race dominated by tyre strategy.

Carlos Sainz passed team-mate Charles Leclerc late on to secure third as Ferrari used differing strategies.

Early drama

The race was red flagged on the first lap when RB's Daniel Ricciardo moved over on Alex Albon's Williams on the run between Turns Two and Three and the two touched and crashed at high speed.

Both were unhurt but the barriers needed repairing and the race was stopped for 20 minutes.

Verstappen had converted pole position into the lead at the first start and he did so again on the second, and took immediate control of the race on his way to his 57th career victory and an 11-point championship lead despite retiring from the last race in Australia.

Perez was less serene but still comfortable compared to the rest of the field as Red Bull underlined their overwhelming superiority.

Why did Norris lose out?

McLaren's Lando Norris had qualified third behind the Red Bulls but he could do nothing about the superior race pace of the Ferraris.

Norris held off Sainz for the first stint until making a relatively early first stop on lap 11. As the race developed and strategies played out, Sainz made his second stop 10 laps later than Norris.

It brought him out behind Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, Norris and Leclerc but his better tyres allowed him to pass all of them on the way to a third podium in four races, including a win in Australia and the Saudi race which he missed with appendicitis.

Strong as Sainz's drive was, it was arguably surpassed by that of Leclerc, who moved up from eighth on the grid and deployed a one-stop strategy on the medium and hard tyres, to take fourth.

Leclerc ran a 27-lap stint on his medium tyres from the start of the race to bring himself into play after a frustrating qualifying where a 0.1-second deficit to Sainz cost him four places on the grid.

He displayed impressive tyre management to run so long on the mediums, being the only driver in the top 10 to do a one-stop.

But although he was nearly 10 seconds in front of Sainz when the Spaniard stopped with 17 laps to go, that extra tyre life was decisive.

Ferrari warned Leclerc "not to lose time" fighting Sainz for third and that his fight was with Norris behind, knowing that the extra grip from the fresher tyres would leave him helpless.

Norris in fifth was comfortably clear of a close fight in the final laps between Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Mercedes' George Russell and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Alonso was holding off Piastri as Russell closed in on both, the Mercedes driver using medium tyres for this final stint rather than the hards on the other two cars.

Russell dived for the inside at the chicane with three laps to go but Piastri managed to hang on despite running wide.

Russell kept the pressure on and finally passed the McLaren down the pit straight at the start of the final lap.

Hamilton took ninth in another dispiriting race for Mercedes, despite professing himself happier with his car this weekend than at any point before this season, and Yuki Tsunoda was again impressive in securing the final point for RB.

His race was made when his team jumped a bunch of cars who all came in together for their first pit stops.

BBC
 

AUSTRALIA TO HOST 2025 F1 OPENER AS 24-ROUND CALENDAR REVEALED​


With Ramadan estimated to take place from 1 March 1 to 30 March next year, that has ruled out F1 from starting the season with the Middle Eastern events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia that have hosted early rounds recently.

Instead, Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit will begin the F1 campaign on 16 March, with a back-to-back scheduled with China on 23 March.

There will then be a two-week gap before the season resumes at Suzuka for the Japanese GP on 6 April, which will continue to have the spring date that it shifted to this year.

Bahrain (13 April) and Saudi Arabia (20 April) will then follow as back-to-backs before a short gap to the Miami Grand Prix on 4 May.

F1’s European season will then kick off 18 May, for the start of a triple header that include Monaco (25 May) and Spain (1 June).

Following the Canadian Grand Prix on 15 June, there will be a back-to-back in Austria (29 June) and Britain (6 July), before another double header in Belgium (27 July) and Hungary (3 August) marks the final races before the summer break.

F1 will return to action with the Dutch GP on 31 August, with the season being rounded off with a similar schedule to this year.

The final run of races will feature two triple headers in USA, Mexico and Brazil, before Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi bring the 2025 season to a close on December 7.

2025 F1 calendar:​


Date​
Country​
Venue​
14-16 March​
Australia​
Melbourne​
21-23 March​
China​
Shanghai​
4-6 April​
Japan​
Suzuka​
11-13 April​
Bahrain​
Sakhir​
18-20 April​
Saudi Arabia​
Jeddah​
2-4 May​
USA​
Miami​
16-18 May​
Italy​
Imola​
23-25 May​
Monaco​
Monaco​
30 May – 1 June​
Spain​
Barcelona​
13-15 June​
Canada​
Montreal​
27-29 June​
Austria​
Spielberg​
4-6 July​
United Kingdom​
Silverstone​
25-27 July​
Belgium​
Spa​
1-3 August​
Hungary​
Budapest​
29-31 August​
Netherlands​
Zandvoort​
5-7 September​
Italy​
Monza​
19-21 September​
Azerbaijan​
Baku​
3-5 October​
Singapore​
Singapore​
17-19 October​
USA​
Austin​
24-26 October​
Mexico​
Mexico City​
7-9 November​
Brazil​
São Paulo​
20-22 November​
USA​
Las Vegas​
28-30 November​
Qatar​
Lusail​
5-7 December​
Abu Dhabi​
Yas Marina​

www.motorsport.com

Australia to host 2025 F1 opener as 24-round calendar revealed

www.motorsport.com www.motorsport.com
 
As per media reports, Carlos Sainz has agreed to a 1+1 year deal with Mercedes for 2025 to replace Lewis Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari.
 
Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Lando Norris on sprint pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton

Lando Norris beat Lewis Hamilton to take pole position for the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix in a hectic wet session.

The McLaren driver had his fastest lap time deleted and then reinstated in the final minutes of the session as he beat Hamilton by 1.261 seconds.

Hamilton's Mercedes headed Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin by 0.714 seconds as Max Verstappen managed only fourth.

The Red Bull driver made errors on two laps before sneaking in at the end.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez in sixth split the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who took seventh despite a crash on his first lap that required a pit stop to replace a damaged front wing and left him with bent steering.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri was eighth ahead of the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas and, delighting his home fans, Zhou Guanyu.

Norris said: "I got a bit nervous. They were conditions where you have to risk a lot and push. I was quick but I kept catching the Ferrari and had to keep backing off.

"I got a good final lap and it was enough for pole. Sad it's not a proper qualifying but good enough.

"To end up on top is exactly what we wanted and it's a nice surprise.

"Good day, tricky conditions, always nice to do it like this. Tough, especially with the rain in Q3. Conditions I've always loved and always done relatively well in."

The sprint race will take place at 04:00 UK time on Saturday in a tweak to the scheduling of these weekends for this season.

Norris added: "The pace is good whether it's wet or dry. The car is feeling good and so am I, and it's paying off.

"Even in the dry we were pretty good. I don't think we maybe have the pace of the Red Bull in outright conditions, especially in the dry, but in the wet surprisingly very quick. I could get good tyre temps and push hard."

Hamilton's lap was a pleasant surprise for Mercedes, who were struggling for pace in dry conditions.

The seven-time champion managed to just sneak through into the top 10 shootout in ninth place before the rain started and team-mate George Russell failed to do so in 11th place.

"Tricky conditions," Hamilton said. "Not a lot of grip as you saw for everyone.

"But so happy. As soon as I saw the rain coming, I was getting excited because in the dry conditions we're not quick enough, so when the rain came I thought I would have a better opportunity and that's when it all came alive."

The conditions made for a helter-skelter session with drivers clearly struggling for grip on a track where F1 has not held a race for five years.

Verstappen would have been expected to be on pole - the Red Bull is the fastest car and he is usually so impressive in the wet.

But he mad errors on his first two laps, which led to his times being deleted, and he had to string one together just as the session was ending.

Even so, 2.088secs off pole position is unfamiliar territory for the man who has dominated F1 for the past two years.

Starting fourth, though, Verstappen may still be tough to beat over 19 laps in the sprint.

"It was incredibly slippery," the world champion said. "I struggled a lot to get the temperature in the tyres. That's why it was just very difficult to keep the car on track and it never really switched on for me.

"It was like driving on ice and that's why it's deserved, where we are in qualifying. It was not really working for me in the wet even though in the dry it looked quite good."

BBC
 
Max Verstappen fought past Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to win the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race.

Pole-sitter Lando Norris slid wide at the first corner trying to fend off Hamilton's Mercedes.

Verstappen took a few laps to find his feet in the Red Bull but soon homed in on his rivals ahead.
 

Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen on pole with Lewis Hamilton 18th​


Max Verstappen was in imperious form as he took pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, leading Sergio Perez to a Red Bull one-two.

Fresh from winning the first sprint race of the season earlier, Verstappen was 0.322 seconds clear of Perez.

The Mexican pipped Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin by 0.166secs with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri next.

Lewis Hamilton had a dire day, qualifying 18th.

His Mercedes team-mate George Russell was eighth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton - who made a mistake in the hairpin, running wide and costing himself some time - said he had made "massive" set-up changes to his Mercedes after finishing second to Verstappen in the sprint race.

"I'll give it my best shot - 18th is pretty bad," Hamilton said. "When I was making the set-up changes, I was like: 'It can't get any worse, surely.' And it did!"

Red Bull looked in a world of their own all day, even though Perez came close to being knocked out at the end of the first session after being caught up with traffic.

The surprise was Alonso, whose Aston Martin has not looked a match for Ferrari or McLaren generally this season, but third was an impressive outcome for the veteran Spaniard.

Alonso had run third for much of the sprint before damage from a collision with Sainz forced his retirement, but he made amends with a strong performance in qualifying for the grand prix.

Alonso said: "I had a moment in Turns One and Two and I was thinking about whether to abort or not, but we kept going and I set a good lap time. The car improved since this morning and we made a few changes."

Sainz crashed at the end of his first lap in second qualifying but managed to get the Ferrari back to the pits minus its front wing, where Ferrari discovered it was otherwise undamaged.

He and Leclerc were Red Bull's closest challengers in the second session, albeit more than 0.3secs off their pace, but they fell away in the final session allowing Alonso and the McLarens to start ahead.

Leclerc said: "We set up the car on my side mostly for the race, however we did not expect McLaren and Fernando to jump us.

"It is a bit further back than we would have liked but we have good race pace and tyre management which gives me confidence we can come back to third."

Behind Russell, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Sauber's Valtteri Bottas completed the top 10.

At RB, Daniel Ricciardo had his best performance of the season in 12th, on the race the team changed his chassis in an attempt to find a solution to the Australian's struggles so far this season.

Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was a mystified 19th, unable to explain his sudden lack of pace.

www.bbc.com

Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen on pole with Lewis Hamilton 18th

Max Verstappen is in imperious form as he takes pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, leading Sergio Perez to a Red Bull one-two.
www.bbc.com
 
Max Verstappen wins the Chinese Grand Prix!
 
MenInG said:
Max Verstappen wins the Chinese Grand Prix!
Click to expand...

Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen wins with Lando Norris second​


Max Verstappen annihilated the competition to win the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was in a league of his own again - even over his team-mate Sergio Perez - in a race punctuated by two mid-race safety cars in quick succession.

Safety cars broke up Red Bull's cruise to a one-two finish, shuffling Perez behind McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

The Mexican soon picked off Leclerc but Norris drove an exceptional final stint to hold on to second ahead of Perez.

Verstappen underlined his superiority over everyone, including Perez, with a crushing first stint of the race.

The world champion converted his pole position into a lead at the first corner while Perez was passed around the outside by Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, which started third.

It took Perez until lap five to pass Alonso, by which time Verstappen was five seconds up the road.

And over the eight laps before his pit stop, Verstappen lapped at least 0.5 seconds faster than Perez to extend his lead to 10 seconds by the time he stopped for tyres for the first time on lap 13, a gap large enough for Red Bull to pit both cars on the same lap without losing any time.

The next demonstration of Verstappen's superiority came three laps later when he caught and passed Leclerc - he had made up a pit stop's worth of race time over a man battling for the final podium place in just 16 laps.

After that, he calmly navigated the rest of the race, well clear of the rest of the field, to take his fourth win in five races this year - victorious in all the events he has finished.

Safety-car drama and chaos​

Perez looked to be cruising to a comfortable second place behind Verstappen, but the safety cars, which came in quick succession, changed the complexion of the race for the remaining podium places.

First, Valtteri Bottas pulled off with an engine failure at Turn 11 on lap 20, and there will be questions as to how long it took the race director to deploy first the virtual safety car and then the safety car with marshals on the track trying to remove the car.

Leclerc had dropped to eighth on the first lap after a jink to hold off an attack by team-mate Carlos Sainz at the first corner allowed Mercedes' George Russell and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg both past.

But as the first stint developed, and Leclerc found his tyres in good shape but his pace not special, Ferrari began to think about a one-stop strategy in an attempt to beat Norris, who was initially planning two.

The Bottas incident allowed first Leclerc and then Norris to pit and save time compared to Perez, leap-frogging them in front of the Red Bull.

And when a second safety car immediately followed the first because of two incidents on the restart on lap 27, Norris also switched to a one-stop, and the race came down to whether Perez could catch and pass both Leclerc and Norris to reclaim the one-two.

Leclerc succumbed relatively quickly, but Norris was more than able to match the Red Bull's pace, and he held on to take an excellent second place ahead of Perez.

A late cameo from Alonso​

Behind Leclerc, Sainz nursed older tyres to make it a Ferrari four-five ahead of Russell, while behind them Alonso provided some late entertainment.

Unusually, Aston Martin chose soft tyres for the veteran Spaniard when they stopped under the safety car, which meant another pit stop on lap 44, with 12 to go.

The stop dropped Alonso to 11th place, but he used his fresh medium tyres to carve through the field, passing Esteban Ocon's Alpine, Hulkenberg, Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes and McLaren's Oscar Piastri to take seventh.

In the course of it, he rescued a wild moment at the final corner while chasing Hamilton, dipping his right rear wheel onto the gravel in exactly the same way as Sainz had when crashing in qualifying on Saturday, but saving the huge slide with remarkable skills and reactions.

Piastri's car had been damaged in a concertina effect at the hairpin at the first restart, when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin cannoned into Daniel Ricciardo's RB, which then rammed Piastri.

On the first restart lap, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen collided with Ricciardo's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and the two incidents led to the safety car being deployed again.

Magnussen and Stroll were both penalised 10 seconds for the incidents.

It was a low-key day for Hamilton, who spent the first part complaining about lacking pace, but with the help of the safety cars managed to haul himself up into the points in ninth, even if sixth and ninth amounted to another chastening day for Mercedes.

www.bbc.com

Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen wins with Lando Norris second

Max Verstappen was in a league of his own in a Chinese Grand Prix punctuated by two mid-race safety cars.
www.bbc.com
 

Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Christian Horner criticises Toto Wolff over Max Verstappen comments​

Toto Wolff has again discussed the prospect of signing Max Verstappen for next season, saying "everyone is waiting to see what he is going to do".

But Red Bull team principal Christian Horner criticised Wolff, asking why the Dutch driver would leave his team to drive for struggling Mercedes.

Wolff said: "There are so many factors that play a role for a driver joining.

"Clearly, from the most rational point of view, that's the quickest car in the hands of the quickest driver," he said.

"But I don't think this is the only reason you stay where you are."

Wolff alluded to the ongoing controversy around allegations involving Horner, who a female employee has accused of sexual harassment and controlling behaviour.

Horner has always denied the allegations. An internal Red Bull inquiry cleared the 50-year-old in February, but the woman has appealed and a second internal inquiry is under way. She has also lodged her case with a UK employment tribunal, which is expected to hear her complaint next year.

Wolff said: "For simple minds, [performance] might be the only reason you stay in a car. But maybe there is more depth to some people that considers other factors, too, and Max has more depth.

"In that respect, are we able to convince him? It is not a matter of convincing.

"Max knows motor racing better than anyone and he will take decisions that he feels are good for him. A few factors play a role but he's the one who is going to trigger some more domino stones to fall afterwards, but everyone is waiting to see what he is going to do."

Wolff said Verstappen and his management team - comprising his father, the ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen and manager Raymond Vermeulen - would decide on his future based on a holistic view of the situation, and said the chassis and engine regulation changes for 2026 would also be a factor.

"It is a question of how they feel the future, how they feel where the future is best for them, considering a lot of factors," Wolff said.

"We are in a very good position for 2026. We are ambitious with the targets we set ourselves for the power units, batteries and fuel and if we are able to produce a decent chassis, we are a good-value proposition, but who knows."

But after another difficult race for Mercedes, in which George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth and ninth, Horner was dismissive of Wolff's comments.

He said Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull to the end of 2028, was unavailable, adding: "Why would you want to leave this team? Mercedes are third team behind their customers [McLaren and Aston Martin]. His time would be better spent perhaps focusing on the team rather than the driver market.

"I can assure you that there is no ambiguity about where Max Verstappen will be next year."

Asked about his future in Shanghai on Thursday, Verstappen said: "I signed a long-term deal with the team. The only thing I said from the beginning is we want to have a peaceful environment. Lately we have been talking about the car. I am happy about that. I am happy with the team and there has never been a reason to leave."

Source: BBC
 
Newey to leave Red Bull over Horner allegations

Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey is to leave the team in the wake of the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.

Newey, regarded as the greatest Formula 1 designer in history, has told Red Bull he wants to move on, BBC Sport has learned.

The 65-year-old has been unsettled by the situation at Red Bull since Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive, abusive behaviour by a female employee, which Horner denies.

Red Bull and Newey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The British design chief has been strongly linked with Ferrari and is known to have been made an offer by Aston Martin, but he is likely to be of interest to all leading teams now his availability is known.

Newey’s contract with Red Bull lasts until the end of 2025 but he is said to believe he can negotiate an exit that allows him to work with another team from next season.


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Adrian Newey: Red Bull design chief to leave over Christian Horner allegations

Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey is to leave the team in the wake of the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.
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Cricket Warrior said:
Newey to leave Red Bull over Horner allegations

Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey is to leave the team in the wake of the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.

Newey, regarded as the greatest Formula 1 designer in history, has told Red Bull he wants to move on, BBC Sport has learned.

The 65-year-old has been unsettled by the situation at Red Bull since Horner was accused of sexual harassment and coercive, abusive behaviour by a female employee, which Horner denies.

Red Bull and Newey did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The British design chief has been strongly linked with Ferrari and is known to have been made an offer by Aston Martin, but he is likely to be of interest to all leading teams now his availability is known.

Newey’s contract with Red Bull lasts until the end of 2025 but he is said to believe he can negotiate an exit that allows him to work with another team from next season.


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Adrian Newey: Red Bull design chief to leave over Christian Horner allegations

Red Bull design chief Adrian Newey is to leave the team in the wake of the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.
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Click to expand...
Damn, he needs to go to Ferrari like right now!
 

Hulkenberg to join Sauber from Haas in 2025​


Nico Hulkenberg will join the Sauber team for the 2025 season before their transformation into the factory Audi team in 2026.

The 36-year-old German is the first driver to sign for Audi as they build up to their debut season in Formula 1. Their other prime target is Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Andreas Seidl, chief executive officer of Sauber and the Audi F1 project, said: “With his speed, experience and commitment to teamwork, Nico will be an important part of the transformation of our team.”

Hulkenberg, who previously worked with Seidl when he won Le Mans for Porsche in 2015, said: “The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special.

“When a German manufacturer enters F1 with such determination, it is a unique opportunity. To represent the factory team of such a car brand with a power unit made in Germany is a great honour for me.”

Hulkenberg's decision leaves a vacancy at the United States-based Haas team, where he currently drives alongside Dane Kevin Magnussen.

A leading candidate for that seat in 2025 is Briton Oliver Bearman, who races in Formula 2 and impressed at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he substituted for Sainz, who was undergoing an operation for appendicitis.

Bearman is a member of the Ferrari driver academy and the Italian team, who have close links with Haas, are keen for him to move up into F1 next season.

Hulkenberg made his debut in F1 in 2010 and has raced for the Williams, Force India, Sauber and Renault teams.

He was dropped by Renault at the end of 2019 and did a handful of substitute appearances from 2020-22 for the Racing Point/Aston Martin team before returning to F1 full-time with Haas for 2023.

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Nico Hulkenberg to join Sauber from Haas in 2025

Nico Hulkenberg has agreed a deal to join Sauber from Haas for the 2025 season.
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Miami GP: Mercedes reveal focus of upgrades ahead of second F1 Sprint weekend in 2024 season​

Mercedes have revealed their upgrades for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix intend to cure an "underlying balance" that is "causing difficulty" with the car.

Going into Miami, Lewis Hamilton is enduring his worst ever start to an F1 season and Mercedes team-mate George Russell has just one top five result so far as the team sit fourth in the constructors' championship.

Hamilton, who is leaving the team at the end of this year, was clearly frustrated during the Chinese Grand Prix after being knocked out in Q1 and fought hard to finish ninth in the race.

The seven-time world champion came on the radio several times about the car's lack of pace when trying to come through the field as the Shanghai International Circuit highlighted Mercedes' struggles in the long and high-speed corners, where they are "haemorrhaging" lap time according to technical director James Allison.

"The challenge that we face in the coming races is to try and move both the set up of the car and also the pieces that we bring to the car so that [the balance] is improved," said Allison in Mercedes' latest debrief video.

"We've got upgrade packages coming to the car but also components that we hope will rectify the underlying balance that is causing us difficulty.

"Much as it's painful to talk in this way after a weekend like China, I just have to remember that there'll be races in the future when we've executed those things, when we're back more on the front foot and when we're progressing where the pleasure of talking about it will be massive and that day can't come soon enough."

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Miami GP: Mercedes reveal focus of upgrades ahead of second F1 Sprint weekend in 2024 season

Mercedes will introduce their first significant updates to the car in Miami, which is another Sprint weekend; watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with the first competitive action coming in Sprint Qualifying at 9.30pm on Friday; the race itself is at 9pm on Sunday
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Newey lawyers negotiating early exit from Red Bull

Leading designer Adrian Newey is negotiating an exit from Red Bull that would leave him free to join another team in early 2025, BBC Sport has learned.

The early departure of the man regarded as F1's greatest ever designer from the world champions is to be announced within days following negotiations over his contract.

A spokesperson for Red Bull said: “We don’t have any comment at this time.”

Newey’s next team is not yet decided but Ferrari are hot favourites to sign him.

The 65-year-old’s contract as Red Bull’s chief technical officer runs to the end of 2025 and is said to include a 12-month “non-compete clause” that theoretically should have precluded him starting work for another team until 2027.

But his lawyers are securing an early exit and he will be free to start work from next year, high-level sources close to Red Bull and Newey have said.

The early exit from his Red Bull contract allows Newey to be in place at any team for which he signs in time to start work on their 2026 car - a crucial step.



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Adrian Newey: Red Bull designer's lawyers negotiating early exit from team

Leading designer Adrian Newey is negotiating an exit from Red Bull that would leave him free to join another team in early 2025, BBC Sport learns.
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Cricket Warrior said:
Newey lawyers negotiating early exit from Red Bull

Leading designer Adrian Newey is negotiating an exit from Red Bull that would leave him free to join another team in early 2025, BBC Sport has learned.

The early departure of the man regarded as F1's greatest ever designer from the world champions is to be announced within days following negotiations over his contract.

A spokesperson for Red Bull said: “We don’t have any comment at this time.”

Newey’s next team is not yet decided but Ferrari are hot favourites to sign him.

The 65-year-old’s contract as Red Bull’s chief technical officer runs to the end of 2025 and is said to include a 12-month “non-compete clause” that theoretically should have precluded him starting work for another team until 2027.

But his lawyers are securing an early exit and he will be free to start work from next year, high-level sources close to Red Bull and Newey have said.

The early exit from his Red Bull contract allows Newey to be in place at any team for which he signs in time to start work on their 2026 car - a crucial step.



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Adrian Newey: Red Bull designer's lawyers negotiating early exit from team

Leading designer Adrian Newey is negotiating an exit from Red Bull that would leave him free to join another team in early 2025, BBC Sport learns.
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Red Bull confirm exit of design chief Newey​


Red Bull have confirmed their design chief Adrian Newey will leave the team in early 2025.

Newey, regarded as the greatest designer in the history of Formula 1, told Red Bull last week he wanted to leave in the wake of the controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.

The 65-year-old’s next team has not been decided but Ferrari are hot favourites to sign him.

Horner said Newey leaves Red Bull "a true legend" and credits him for "all of our greatest moments from the past 20 years".

"His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull become a greater force than even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined," Horner said.

Sources close to the situation have told BBC Sport there will be time for Newey to have a major impact on the gestation of a 2026 car design for whichever team he decides to join.

Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday that Newey had met Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur in London to discuss a potential deal.

Newey has been at Red Bull since 2005 and has overseen two dominant eras with the team - from 2010-14 when they won four consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ titles with Sebastian Vettel, and the current era with Max Verstappen.

Last year, Verstappen and Red Bull produced the most dominant season in F1 history, the Dutchman winning 19 of the 22 races and the team all but one.

They look on course for a similar performance after winning four of the first five races this season.

Newey previously had multiple championship-winning success at both Williams and McLaren.

The official announcement of Newey’s departure was not expected to happen on Wednesday out of respect to the memory of Ayrton Senna - it is the 30th anniversary of the death of the great Brazilian while driving a Williams that Newey designed in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

But events moved quickly overnight after news of Newey’s departure was reported by BBC Sport on Tuesday, insiders say.

Newey said: “For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning team.

“However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself.”

Will Newey go to races this year?​

Red Bull’s statement said Newey would “continue to attend specific races to support the team trackside to the end of the 2024 season”. The first of these will be the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.

Newey said he would spend the rest of his remaining time with Red Bull focusing on completing the forthcoming RB17 super-car.

He also revealed that his departure had been handled by former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan, who Newey described as his “close friend and manager”.

Jordan and Newey have succeeded in pulling off a major coup in extricating the designer from a contract that ran to the end of 2025 and included a 12-month “non-compete” clause which should have meant he was not available to any other team until 2027 at the earliest.

Newey had become unsettled at Red Bull following allegations by a female employee that team principal Christian Horner was guilty of sexual harassment and controlling, coercive behaviour.

Horner has always denied the charges and was cleared by an internal Red Bull investigation in February. A second investigation is under way after the complainant appealed.

The allegations unearthed a power struggle at Red Bull between Horner and the motorsport director Helmut Marko as well as between the Thai controlling shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya and minority shareholders Red Bull Gmbh in Austria.

There has also been growing tension in recent times between Horner and Newey over the designer’s importance to the team.

Horner has seemed to diminish Newey’s input in some interviews, and emphasise the role of the rest of the design group under technical director Pierre Wache.

Newey, who eschews the public eye, has privately pushed back against this inside the team.

Why is the date of Newey’s exit important?​

F1 is introducing new engine and chassis regulations in 2026 and Newey has become famous for his ability to spot the secrets of new rules and steal a march on his rivals as a result.

This happened in 1998 when he was at McLaren and in 2009 and 2022 at Red Bull.

So getting him a release from his Red Bull contract early enough to work on a team’s new car will be critical in his attractiveness to a new employer.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown said: “Adrian is a good friend and clearly the most successful designer of all time.

“However, we have a plan in place at McLaren and I am extremely happy with our technical leadership team and the progress we’re making to get back to the front of the grid.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has indicated he is not interested in pursuing Newey.

He said at an event in New York on Monday: “Adrian Newey is an iconic engineer in F1 with a great track record. I’m just looking at it like a fan and watching that space.”

Will it have further ramifications?​

Newey’s departure will be regarded as a seismic blow to Red Bull, despite their domination of the sport since 2022.
And it will raise further questions about the future of world champion Verstappen.

The Dutchman is known to have been unsettled by the fall-out from the Horner saga and has repeatedly ducked the question when asked to give his team boss his full backing.

But Verstappen, who is under contract to the team until the end of 2028, has expressed his desire for the senior team at Red Bull to stay in place.

As a result, Newey’s departure will increase optimism at Mercedes that they will be able to tempt Verstappen away.
Mercedes are pursuing Verstappen and hope to secure his signature for the 2025 season or, more likely, the one after that.

The Horner controversy may yet have further ramifications within Red Bull. Insiders say other senior figures in the team are also considering leaving as a consequence of it.

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Red Bull confirm designer Adrian Newey exit

Red Bull confirm their design chief Adrian Newey will leave the team in 2025.
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To work with Newey would be a privilege - Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says it would be a “privilege to work with” Adrian Newey if the designer joins Ferrari following his departure from Red Bull.

Newey can start work for another team as soon as he leaves Red Bull in early 2025. Ferrari, who Hamilton joins next season, are keen to sign him.

The seven-time champion said: “If I was to do a list of people I would love to work with, he would absolutely be at the top of it.”

“Any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Newey, 65, is regarded as the greatest designer in the history of Formula 1, and has won 13 drivers’ championships and 12 constructors’ titles with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull.

Hamilton refused to say whether the idea of attracting Newey to Ferrari had come up in his negotiations with the team last winter.

But asked how much he would like to work with him, Hamilton said: “Very much. He’s got such a great history, track record. Just done such an amazing job through his career. I think he’d be an amazing addition. [Ferrari] have a great team already, but it would be a privilege to work with him.”

Hamilton has raced against Newey cars for his entire career and has faced two periods of domination by Red Bull - from 2010-13 and since 2022. They sandwich the Mercedes era in which Hamilton broke records to become the most successful F1 driver in history.

“Racing against a team he has been so heavily a part of over the years has been a massive challenge,” Hamilton said. “But we have to remember there is a lot of people in the background - it is not one person, it is a whole team of people who do the job.

“Of all the amazing experience he brings, the people he works with will continue to do an amazing job. I don’t anticipate Red Bull not continuing to build great cars moving forwards. But any team would be fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez said Newey’s departure was “not ideal” but emphasised that the team had a “strong organisation” and had been focusing on preparing for the future.


BBC
 
Verstappen fastest in Miami practice

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace in practice at the Miami Grand Prix despite a tricky session punctuated by errors.

The world champion, who ran wide at least three times and complained of braking issues, ended up 0.105 seconds clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third fastest, 0.116secs off the pace.

The Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in fourth and sixth places sandwiched Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.


BBC
 
Verstappen beats Leclerc to Miami sprint pole

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to take pole position for the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was 0.108 seconds quicker than Leclerc, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez third ahead of Daniel Ricciardo’s RB in a surprise fourth place.

McLaren’s Lando Norris appeared to miss an opportunity to compete with Verstappen for pole with a slow first sector of his final lap.

Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton could manage only 11th and 12th places.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fifth, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri heading the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, Norris and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg.

Norris had been fastest in both the first and second parts of qualifying and was quickest in both the second and third sectors of his final lap in the last session, but 0.8secs off the pace in the first sector.

McLaren have a major upgrade on their car, which Norris has all of and Piastri only about half, but the Briton said he had made too many errors.

“I just pushed too hard, simple as that,” Norris said. "Car was feeling very good. Just silly, to be honest - a couple of mistakes in Turn One and then a big spiral from there.

“A shame because the team have done a good job. The upgrades are working, happy with everything but not with one thing.”

Verstappen was surprised to be on pole, saying the car had felt quick in race trim but not in low-fuel specification.

The Dutchman said: “To be honest, it felt really terrible. Maybe that last session was just incredibly difficult to get the tyres to work. I didn’t really improve a lot on the soft but somehow we were first.

“Practice felt really nice, it felt like the car was in a really good window but in qualifying it didn’t feel like that any more. I was really not happy.

“In Q3 I saw I was only going 0.2secs faster and I was sliding around, no grip and they told me it was P1 and I thought it must be a joke but we’ll take it.”

Leclerc recovers but Mercedes face 'qualifying woes'

For Leclerc, it was an impressive performance after the Ferrari driver went into qualifying cold because he had missed all but one lap of practice following a spin out of Turn 16, which left him stranded in the middle of the track and brought out a red flag.

“I am pleased,” he said. “It was very tricky but straight away I felt the feeling and the hard work I have done to put the tyres in the right window has paid off.”

He said he felt he had answered criticisms he had received after a couple of poor qualifying sessions in recent races.

“I'm happy,” Leclerc said, “because there are so many talks now and you are as good as your last race in this sport and you have two races in a row when you are bad in qualifying - and I haven’t done a great job - people start to talk. But now we have to work on the consistency and try to stay at that level.”

Mercedes also have an upgrade - albeit not as significant as McLaren’s - but it appeared to do little to improve their car’s pace.

Hamilton hit the wall lightly on his final run in the second session but the car simply lacked pace.

Russell said: “In practice the soft tyre was feeling really good but on the medium couldn’t find the sweet spot and found ourselves on the wrong side of it. We need to work hard and find some improvements for the main qualifying. We need to try and get on top of our qualifying woes.”

Hamilton said: "It didn’t feel terrible but we’re just 0.7secs. That’s just the pace of our car, I think. We just have to accept it for the moment.

BBC
 

Verstappen wins Miami sprint from Leclerc​

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took a controlled victory ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen was in control after fending off an attack from Leclerc at the first corner.

Sergio Perez dropped behind RB’s Daniel Ricciardo at the first corner, after trying to pass Leclerc, but recovered to take third.

Ricciardo drove an exceptional race, fighting a rearguard battle, to hold off Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren to take fourth.

Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated by some over-aggressive defence from Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in eighth place, taking the final point on the track.

But Hamilton was penalised for speeding in the pit lane and given a drive-through penalty, which added 20 seconds to his race time and dropped him to 16th.

Magnussen earned himself two 10-second penalties - one for leaving the track and gaining an advantage and one for forcing Hamilton off the track.

The second incident was especially annoying for the seven-time champion because it allowed RB’s Yuki Tsunoda to slip by for eighth place after Hamilton had spent 14 laps trying to pass the Haas.

Hamilton, though, managed to reclaim the place on the final lap, only to be hit with the penalty.

Magnussen told Sky Sports that his penalties were "well deserved, no doubt about it, but I had to play the game again".

He added: "I was fighting like crazy and I had to create the gap like in Jeddah and I started using this stupid tactics which I don't like doing, but at the end of the day I did my job as a team player and Nico [Hulkenberg] scored his points [for seventh] because I got that gap for him so Lewis and Tsunoda couldn't catch him. Not the way I like to go racing at all but it's what I had to do today."

Hamilton was also involved in a first-corner incident that led to the retirement of McLaren’s Lando Norris that will be investigated by stewards.

Source: BBC
 

McLaren's Norris wins Miami Grand Prix for first F1 win​


McLaren's Lando Norris capitalised on a bit of good fortune to win the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen for his first Formula One victory.

It was a long overdue win for the Briton who held the record for most podiums without a win (15), having finished runner-up an agonising eight times in 110 grand prix.

Verstappen had seemed well placed to claim a fifth win in six races until a midway crash allowed McLaren to cash in on a safety car period, with Norris pitting and coming out with the lead.

Dutchman Verstappen, seeking a Miami hat-trick of wins, filled Norris's mirrors on the restart but his Red Bull could offer no challenge as the McLaren pulled clear.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium, coming home third ahead of team mate Carlos Sainz.
 

Kevin Magnussen runs risk of F1 race ban after penalty-filled Miami GP takes him to brink of limit​

Kevin Magnussen is potentially one more incident away from a Formula 1 race ban after a series of controversial moves on track by the Haas driver during the Miami GP weekend.

Race stewards in Miami imposed five penalty points on Magnussen's superlicence during the course of the event in Florida - doubling his existing total to 10.

Drivers face an automatic one-race suspension if they accrue 12 penalty points across a rolling 12-month period.

Problematically for Magnussen, all 10 of his existing points have been earned in the first six races of this season, which began in March.

He gained the first three of his points for a collision with Williams' Alex Albon at the Saudi Arabian GP on March 9.

Those three points will not expire until March 9 next year - the week before the start of the 2025 season.

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Kevin Magnussen runs risk of F1 race ban after penalty-filled Miami GP takes him to brink of limit

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen now has to navigate the final 18 races of the 2024 season without picking up two further penalty points on his superlicence; Stewards imposed five points on the Dane across Miamis Sprint weekend; F1 2024 continues at Imola on May 17-19
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Ferrari recruit D’Ambrosio and Serra from Mercedes​

Ferrari have made two high-profile recruitments from Mercedes.

Ex-Formula 1 driver Jerome d’Ambrosio has become Ferrari’s deputy team principal, while engineer Loic Serra becomes head of chassis performance engineering.

D’Ambrosio had been an adviser for Mercedes last year working under team principal Toto Wolff, who was grooming him for a senior role by giving him experience of all aspects of the business.

Serra had been Mercedes’ performance director. The 52-year-old Frenchman will now report to technical director Enrico Cardile and take on responsibility for track engineering, aerodynamic development and operations, and vehicle performance.

They are the latest additions to a team being restructured by team principal Frederic Vasseur as the Frenchman attempts to turn Ferrari back into title contenders.

Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari for 2025, having been signed in the winter, while Ferrari are also trying to lure design legend Adrian Newey, whose departure from his role as Red Bull chief technical officer was revealed earlier this month.

D’Ambrosio, a three-time race-winner in the all-electric Formula E series after competing in 20 grands prix from 2011-12, will also take over responsibility for Ferrari’s driver academy.

Both men will start work at Maranello on 1 October.

Source: BBC
 

Albon signs new long-term deal with Williams​


Alex Albon has signed a new contract with Williams at least until the end of 2026.

The 28-year-old British-born Thai driver has been with the team since 2022, and previously had a contract that expired at the end of next season.

Williams have not confirmed the length of the new deal but say it is “multi-year contract extension” that takes Albon into Formula 1’s new regulation period, which starts in 2026.

“This is a long-term project that I really believe in and want to play a key role in which is why I have signed a multi-year contract," said Albon.

“The journey will take time but I am confident we are building the right team to move forward and achieve great things in the years to come.”

Williams finished seventh last season in new team principal James Vowles’ first term. This season they are ninth in the standings after the first six races following a tricky winter in which Vowles has been trying to modernise the way the team works.

This led to delays in the car-build process, and a series of crashes have left Williams under pressure so far in 2024.

“It has been a difficult start to the year, but since joining Williams we have made significant progress together and I have seen the huge changes happening behind the scenes to take us back to the front of the grid," added Albon.

Williams said the new deal “underscores our commitment to building a competitive team capable of challenging for podiums and championships in F1”.

Vowles said: “We are delighted to secure Alex's long-term future with Williams Racing. He has exceptional talent, technical input and dedication to the cause and this is a huge vote of confidence in Williams and the journey back to competitiveness that we are on.

“Since joining, Alex has consistently demonstrated his ability to perform under pressure, and signing him for the long-term is a big piece of the puzzle of moving us up the grid.”

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Alex Albon signs new long-term deal with Williams

Williams driver Alex Albon signs a new contract with the team until the end of 2026.
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Adrian Newey has said for the first time that he expects to join another Formula 1 team following his decision to leave Red Bull.

The 65-year-old design legend said that he was “seriously considering changing teams, going somewhere else and doing another four or five years or whatever”.

Newey added: “I feel a little bit tired at the moment, but at some point I’ll probably go again.”

Newey’s decision to leave his role as Red Bull chief technical officer after 19 years was announced earlier this month.

His latest comments come in an interview with his manager Eddie Jordan, the former F1 team boss, in a marketing video for a yacht company that has been released on YouTube.

Newey, regarded as the greatest F1 designer in history, does not reveal where he might go, but he is known to have had conversations with Ferrari about moving there. Ferrari, who are regarded as the strong favourites to land Newey, have refused to comment.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown has said “never say never” about recruiting Newey. Williams team principal James Vowles said he approached him and had a “light conversation”. And Aston Martin are believed to have made him an offer, although the team officially deny that.

Newey negotiated an early release from his Red Bull contract that allows him to start working for another team in early 2025, in time for him to have a major influence on the design of that team’s car for the new F1 technical regulations that are being introduced in 2026.

Lewis Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari next season, has said he is keen for Newey to join him in Maranello. Newey said that made him feel good, but added that it was “not why I get up”.

Newey's decision to leave Red Bull was partly influenced by the controversy surrounding team principal Christian Horner, who has been accused of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour by a female employee.

Source: BBC
 

Ferrari's Leclerc fastest in Imola first practice​


Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fastest at the end of an incident-packed first practice session at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Leclerc, using Ferrari’s first big upgrade of the season, was 0.104 seconds quicker than George Russell’s Mercedes, with the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz third in Imola.

Championship leader Max Verstappen was fifth in the Red Bull, complaining of a lack of grip, behind team-mate Sergio Perez.

Lando Norris, winner of the last race in Miami for McLaren, was 12th fastest, his team-mate Oscar Piastri in eighth.

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was sixth, ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc had a smooth session but many of his rivals had incidents to varying degrees.

Sainz ran over the grass after locking a front wheel at the Variante Alta chicane, Hamilton had a spin at Acque Minerali and another off-track moment later on, and Russell rescued a wild moment at Tamburello.

Verstappen, meanwhile, complained that he was struggling in Turns 11 and 12, Acque Minerali, saying he had no grip at that corner because the car was bottoming when he hit the brakes and then lacking front grip on turn-in.

Trying to improve his time later in the session, he was slightly up on Leclerc’s fastest time only to lock his brakes and have a wild trip across the grass at Variante Alta.

Having one last attempt to improve his time, he then ran straight on into the gravel at Acque Minerali.

The Imola track that hosts the race is known as an old-school track - narrow with limited run-off areas - and has also had extra gravel traps added to increase the jeopardy for the drivers.

Many of the leading teams have upgrades for this race.

Ferrari have their first major aerodynamic development of the season, with new bodywork and floor. Red Bull have a new floor and Mercedes and Aston Martin have also brought new parts, while McLaren are continuing the major upgrade they introduced in Miami.

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Imola Grand Prix 2024: Charles Leclerc fastest in first practice for Ferrari

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is fastest at the end of an incident-packed first practice session at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace in both Friday practice sessions at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Leclerc, using Ferrari’s first big upgrade of the season, was 0.192 seconds quicker than McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda a surprise third.

Lando Norris was on course to do a time similar to Leclerc’s but ran wide at the final corner and aborted his lap. The McLaren driver ended up 12th fastest.

Championship leader Max Verstappen was seventh, struggling with his car in the fast corners in the middle sector of the lap.

Lewis Hamilton took fourth fastest time for Mercedes, 0.391secs behind, just ahead of team-mate George Russell.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was sixth and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez eighth, with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso 10th.


BBC
 

Verstappen beats McLarens to take Imola pole​


Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beat McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in a tight battle for pole position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Verstappen was just 0.074 seconds quicker than Piastri, who pipped Norris by 0.017secs with the final lap of the session.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth, 0.224secs behind Verstappen, but 0.263secs quicker than team-mate Carlos Sainz who is right behind him.

Mercedes’ George Russell took sixth ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

It was Verstappen’s eighth pole position in a row, matching the all-time record set by Ayrton Senna across the 1988 and 1989 seasons, 30 years after the great Brazilian was killed on this circuit at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

But it came as a surprise, because Red Bull had appeared to be struggling all weekend - and his team-mate Sergio Perez could qualify only 11th.

Verstappen said: “Really difficult weekend so far, even this morning, so incredibly happy to be on pole. I didn’t expect that. We made some changes before qualifying and it seemed to feel a bit better and this track is unbelievable.

“To be so fast, so close to the gravel. I touched the gravel a little on my final lap. I’m still pumping. The adrenaline is incredible.”

Norris, who took his maiden grand prix victory in Miami last time out, said: “Tiny margins, but as a team we have done a great job so far. Exciting we’re close and I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Piasti faces an investigation for impeding Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in the first part of qualifying.

Sixth and eighth is around the new normal for Mercedes, but Hamilton was unhappy to be 0.270secs slower than Russell when the two had been almost impossible to separate for most of the weekend.

At the back, Fernando Alonso paid the price for an unusually error-strewn day in his Aston Martin.

His team had a race against time to prepare the car for qualifying after the two-time champion crashed at Rivazza in final practice.

Alonso then went off again early in the first qualifying session, this time at the Tamburello chicane, and qualified down in 19th place.

He said that he had been caught out because the distance boards approaching the first chicane had been wiped out by a crash at the start of the Formula 2 race which preceded the F1 qualifying.

“I was lacking laps today and we put fuel in the car for qualifying and just to be able to do some pit stops. Eventually I did my best lap on the very first lap with a lot of fuel in the car so I think there is more pace, but one of those days.”

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Imola Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen beats Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to pole

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen beats McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in a tight battle for pole position at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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Verstappen holds off Norris charge for Imola win​


Red Bull’s Max Verstappen held off a late charge from McLaren’s Lando Norris to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Dutchman, despite struggling with his tyres in the final part of the race, took his fifth victory in seven races this year to tighten his stranglehold on a fourth world title.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc comfortably beat McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the final podium place to move into second in the championship, ahead of Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez.

Norris went into the final three laps just 1.3 seconds behind Verstappen, but he was not quite close enough to have the DRS overtaking aid on the final lap, and the world champion hung on.

The Briton's efforts enlivened the final laps of what had been a largely soporific race, in which the only position change in the top five was Piastri moving past the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz with an earlier pit stop, after challenging the Spaniard closely throughout the first stint.

McLaren, for whom Norris won the previous event in Miami, had entered the race with hopes that they might challenge Verstappen, if the pace the two cars had shown in Friday practice was repeated.

But in the early laps it appeared as if Verstappen would dominate.

He retained the lead at the start while Norris fended off an attack from Leclerc into the first chicane, and it soon became clear that the improvements Red Bull had made to the car to enable Verstappen to take pole position had also been effective in race trim.

Verstappen eased gently away from Norris at about 0.2secs or so a lap until he was eight seconds in front when he made his pit stop on lap 23 of 63.

Verstappen looked comfortable in the first stint, but there was an indication that his day was not as easy in the car as it appeared to be from outside when he was given the black and white flag for exceeding track limits too many times shortly after his pit stop.

He appeared to be charging to victory. But, as the race entered its final third, the pattern changed.

Initially, Norris was under pressure himself, from Leclerc, who was within a second of the McLaren and in range to use the DRS overtaking aid with 20 laps to go.

McLaren came on the radio to warn Norris that Leclerc was speeding up and “trying”. “Me, too,” Norris replied. “I’m trying, but he’s just a lot quicker.”

But then Norris began to ease away from the Ferrari and close Verstappen down.

Initially eight seconds back, Norris had the gap down to five seconds with 10 laps to go, while Verstappen was complaining that “my tyres don’t work”.

Norris closed in consistently but Verstappen had just enough pace to keep him at arm’s length.

“The whole race I had to push to the limit,” Verstappen said. “On the medium tyre we were quite strong, but on the hard tyre we struggled and it's very difficult when you have to push flat out and the tyres are not working any more.”

Norris said: “It hurts me to say it, but one or two more laps and I think I would have had him. Tough. Just lost out too much to Max in the beginning. He was stronger in the first stint.

“We are at a point now where we can say we are in the position with Ferrari and Red Bull. We have to get used to it. We are fighting for first and second now.

“It is still a surprise to say we are disappointed not to win, but it is what we should start to expect.”

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Imola Grand Prix 2024 results: Max Verstappen wins from Lando Norris

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen holds off a late charge from McLaren’s Lando Norris to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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McLaren driver Lando Norris says he is "excited" about the rest of the Formula 1 season after challenging Max Verstappen’s Red Bull hard for victory at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Briton finished just 0.7 seconds behind Verstappen, two weeks after taking his maiden F1 victory in the Miami Grand Prix.

Norris believes his performance at Imola demonstrates that he and McLaren have now established themselves as consistent challengers right at the front of the field.

The 24-year-old Briton said: "Hopefully, it continues like that because it's exciting, it's tough, and it gets you excited every weekend, so I'm looking forward to the next few."

Norris said there was "no reason to deny" that he and McLaren should be able to take the fight to Verstappen at most circuits from now on.

"We also had a second in China (the race before Miami), so we've had second, first, second, you know, and I think that’s a good sign," he said.

Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri added that McLaren should be "confident enough to say wherever we go, we can fight for a win".


BBC
 
Veteran engineer Symonds to join Andretti Cadillac F1

Veteran engineer Pat Symonds has left his role as Formula 1's chief technical officer to join the Andretti Cadillac F1 programme.

The 70-year-old, a former technical boss of the Renault and Williams teams, will become Andretti's executive engineering consultant once he has completed his garden leave from F1.

No date has been made public.

Andretti's bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026 was rejected by F1 in January.

F1 said it would reconsider the US-based company's bid once backers Cadillac, part of car giant General Motors, had completed its promised F1 power unit in time for the 2028 season.

F1, the sport's commercial rights holder, has declined to comment on the move.

Andretti Global chief executive officer Michael Andretti said: "We couldn't be more excited to welcome Pat to the Andretti family.

"Pat's keen understanding of aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and F1 power units will be instrumental as we continue to build a competitive team.

"I believe his expertise has been pivotal in shaping the narrative of F1 and his vote of confidence in joining our effort speaks volumes."

Andretti's F1 technical director Nick Chester said: "I have had the pleasure to work with Pat in the past and he has a wealth of knowledge we can draw upon. He will bring expertise across technical areas and team operations that will help us develop the team."

Symonds has been F1's chief technical officer since 2017, and was instrumental along with former managing director Ross Brawn in the creation of the latest technical regulations, which were introduced in 2022.

The aim of these rules was to make the field more competitive and the racing closer. It is questionable whether they have succeeded - Red Bull have achieved unprecedented levels of domination since their introduction.

In recent times, Symonds has been working alongside F1's governing body the FIA on the new technical rules that will be introduced in 2026. These are set to be published at the end of June.

It had been agreed within F1 some time ago that Symonds would step down from his role once his work on the 2026 rules was complete.

Symonds' F1 career started with the Toleman team in 1981. He stayed with the company as it morphed first into Benetton in 1986 and then was taken over by Renault in 2001.

He won world titles there with Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 1995, and Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006.

Symonds, along with then Renault team principal Flavio Briatore, was banned from the sport for five years for his involvement in the Singapore Grand Prix scandal of 2008, known as Crashgate.

Nelson Piquet Jr crashed his car deliberately with the agreement of the team with the aim of helping his team-mate Alonso, who went on to win the race.

But a French tribunal overturned the ban in 2010 and Symonds and Briatore reached a settlement with the FIA whereby he could return to F1 in 2013.

He worked initially as a consultant of the Virgin team before joining Williams as chief technical officer in 2013, and then moving on to his role with F1.

Andretti is pushing on with his F1 programme despite his rejection, both in terms of designing an F1 car and I pursuing all avenues to secure an entry.

Meanwhile, six US senators have asked, external the country’s department of justice and federal trade commission to look into F1 Management's decision to reject Andretti’s bid for entry.

F1 Management is owned by a US company, Liberty Media.


BBC
 
Monaco GP could be tough for Red Bull - Verstappen

Max Verstappen says this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix will be “one of the more difficult races” for his Red Bull team.

McLaren’s Lando Norris has emerged as a major threat to the world champion in the past two events, the Briton taking his maiden win in Miami and finishing a close second in Imola on Sunday.

Verstappen said: “Looking at the track layout it’s probably not going to be our best track, just because our car normally struggles a bit over bumps and kerbs.

“We did work on it a bit compared to last year. So far on most of the tracks that we’ve been to our low-speed performance has improved a little bit, but I don’t think this is going to be a very easy weekend.”

Verstappen won in Monaco last year but picked out Ferrari and McLaren as two teams to watch out for.

“After Miami, it was quite clear when we went into Imola that [the gap between teams] had all closed up a bit, even though Imola was probably also not our easiest weekend. For sure, Monaco is always like that anyway.”


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Max Verstappen: Monaco Grand Prix could be more difficult race for Red Bull

Max Verstappen says this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix will be “one of the more difficult races” for his Red Bull team.
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Leclerc fastest in Monaco second practice

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace ahead of Lewis Hamilton in Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Leclerc was fast throughout both sessions on Friday and ended the day 0.188 seconds clear of Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was third, 0.475secs off the pace, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was an unhappy fourth.

The world champion, who complained his car was “bouncing like a kangaroo”, was 0.535secs off the pace and even hit the barriers lightly at Portier.

The incident did not apparently damage his car but for the second race in a row Red Bull appeared to be struggling for pace.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, who pushed Verstappen hard for victory in Imola last weekend and won in Miami the race before that, was fifth fastest, 0.675secs off the pace, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz sixth.

The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll was seventh, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Williams’ Alex Albon and the Mercedes of George Russell.

Verstappen was one of a number of drivers who clipped the barriers - including his team-mate Sergio Perez at Massenet, Stroll and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine at the Swimming Pool - without major damage, although Stroll took no further part in the session after returning to the pits.

Verstappen sounded uncomfortable when talking to the team on the radio - in addition to his complaints in the second, he was talking about the car feeling “loose over the bumps” in the first session.

But the Dutchman showed glimpses of being as fast on the hard tyre on his race simulation run as Leclerc was on the medium on his.

Hamilton topped the first session earlier on Friday, with Verstappen down in 11th.



BBC
 

Leclerc takes Monaco GP pole​

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Leclerc, the form driver all weekend and looking at one with the circuit in his Ferrari, beat the Australian by 0.154 seconds.

World champion Max Verstappen, struggling all weekend in his Red Bull, could manage only sixth place after hitting the wall at the first corner on his final lap.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was third, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes George Russell, whose team-mate Lewis Hamilton was seventh.

The scale of Leclerc’s achievement was apparent from the lap times - his margin over Piastri was bigger than the gap separating the McLaren driver from Verstappen in sixth.

Both Piastri and Sainz paid tribute to the level of Leclerc’s performance through the weekend, saying they recognised going into qualifying that he would be difficult to beat. Sainz said: “Charles has been amazing all weekend.”

It was Leclerc’s third pole in the last four races in Monaco, but despite the importance of starting at the front on a track where overtaking is the most difficult on the calendar, he and Ferrari have not managed to convert the previous two.

Leclerc said: “It was nice. The feeling after a qualifying lap is always very special here. Really, really happy about the lap, the excitement is so high but it feels really good.

“But now I know more often than not in there past qualifying is not everything, as much as it counts, we need to put everything together coming the Sunday, and in the past years we did not manage to do it, but we are a stronger team now and I am sure we can achieve the target.”

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Charles Leclerc takes Monaco Grand Prix pole

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
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Leclerc finally conquers Monaco after opening-lap carnage​


Charles Leclerc has secured his first race win of the 2024 Formula 1 season, prevailing at his home Monaco Grand Prix.

Leclerc started the race from pole position, with the race red-flagged on the opening lap after a seismic incident involving three cars at Turn 2.

Following the restart, the Monegasque driver was unchallenged en route to the chequered flag.

Oscar Piastri scored his first podium of the season in a Senna-themed McLaren car while the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz took the final spot on the podium.

Leclerc held off a challenge from Piastri into Turn 1 when the lights went out as team-mate Sainz attacked the McLaren driver, resulting in slight contact between the pair.

Sainz suffered a puncture as a result of the incident, while behind, an even bigger incident occurred.

At the back of the field, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen made contact with Sergio Perez as they ran up the hill after the opening corner.

Perez was sent into a spin and suffered a high-speed collision with the barrier before collecting the second Haas of Nico Hulkenberg.

The damage to the barriers and the vast spread of debris on the track resulted in a red flag, which brought a halt to the race for almost 45 minutes.

The stewards opted to take no further action with the incident - allowing Magnussen to escape a race ban as he entered the event with 10 penalty points to his name.

Esteban Ocon also retired from the race after colliding with team-mate Pierre Gasly moments before the red flag was deployed, receiving a five-place grid drop for Canada in two weeks.

Race Control’s restart order offered Sainz a second chance as it placed him back in third place despite the opening lap puncture that sent him to the rear.

On the second time of asking, the grid kept it clean with Leclerc leading from Piastri, while Sainz avoided picking up damage during his fight at the front.

For the remainder of the race, Leclerc held the lead with pit stops not mandatory as the drivers changed tyres under the red flag.

The top four of Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz and Norris managed their pace and built a gap to the field behind, with Russell occupying fifth.

The final laps saw Piastri's pace drop off as he struggled with his tyres, however the narrow Monaco track presented no opportunities to his rivals behind.

Max Verstappen made a pit stop on lap 53 to put pressure on Russell as the race entered its final stages.

Try as he might, the three-time world champion couldn't make a move on Russell and had to settle for sixth at the chequered flag.

Lewis Hamilton was seventh, having also made a pit stop that prompted Red Bull's call to bring Verstappen into the pit lane.

Yuki Tsunoda scored more points for RB in ninth, while Alex Albon and Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Williams and Alpine respectively.

racingnews365.com

Leclerc finally conquers Monaco after opening-lap carnage

Charles Leclerc has prevailed at his home grand prix from Monaco, dominating from lights out to the chequered flag!
racingnews365.com racingnews365.com
 
The delayed start because of a stupid move by Magnusson made an already boring race even worse. Monaco is a terrible race to watch, low speeds, and no chance to pass.
 
Really happy for Leclerc. First home race win for after some heartbreaks in previous years. Thoroughly well deserved and great to see both Ferraris on the podium too.

Forza Ferrari!
 

Lewis Hamilton urges a major revamp to Monaco Grand Prix as the Mercedes star claims 'people were falling asleep' watching race in the principality​


Lewis Hamilton has led calls for a major revamp of the rules specifically for Monaco – possibly with three mandatory pit stops.

The seven-time world champion, who partly lives in the principality, spoke for a disappointed cadre of drivers – and television viewers worldwide – when he said ‘people were falling asleep’ watching Sunday's race won through tears at a tortoise’s pace by home hero Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton agreed with the sentiments of Max Verstappen, who said he should have taken a pillow with him. ‘It was non-eventful,’ said the British star, who finished seventh.

‘Everyone drove so slowly. So it didn’t matter what tyre you were on. We were driving seconds off the pace.

‘I don’t know what to say. That is for you to report. I am sure people were falling asleep.

‘Our tyres can do a whole race. We have too hard tyre compounds here, so we have to find ways of spicing it up, maybe a mandatory three stops.’

The grand prix was sterilised by a first-lap crash. All drivers immediately switched tyres – the regulations demand two compounds be used in a race – and then limped half-speed to the finish an hour-and-three-quarters later, knowing overtaking was nigh-on impossible on the narrow roads.

This allowed Ferrari’s Leclerc to covert pole to his first win since 2022, in Austria.

Of the few passing chances, Verstappen said: ‘We all know what it is like in Monaco. In the last few years it has become even more difficult with the width of the cars, but it is nothing new.’

Asked if he thought the event should be ditched, the Dutchman said: ‘First, I would like to make a few little changes to Monaco because that would make it even more exciting.

'Overall, the weekend is really cool; it’s the Sundays that are little boring. The scenery is still great but if we could find a way to race a bit more, why not? That would be my preferred solution.’

The race is up for renewal after next year’s edition and is expected to stay on the calendar, with organisers, the Automobile Club de Monaco, and Formula One edging towards a new agreement for close to £20million.

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Lewis Hamilton urges for a major revamp to Monaco Grand Prix

JONATHAN McEVOY, MONACO: Hamilton spoke for a disappointed cadre of drivers when he said 'people were falling asleep' watching the race won through tears at a tortoise's pace by Leclerc.
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FIA president tells Andretti to buy a F1 team

Andretti should buy an existing team rather than try to set up their own to enter Formula 1, the president of the sport’s governing body has said.

Andretti's bid to enter F1 in 2025 or 2026 has been rejected by commercial rights holders Liberty Media, although the door has been left open for an entry in 2028.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who previously backed Andretti’s bid, said he remained supportive of the idea of more teams but said quality was more important than quantity.

Ben Sulayem said: "I would advise them to go and buy another team, not to come as the 11th team.

"I feel that some teams need to be refreshed. What is better? To have 11 teams as a number or 10 and they are strong?

"I still believe we should have more teams. But not any teams. The right teams."

Ben Sulayem did not say which teams he was referring to, but the obvious candidates for a sale are Alpine and Haas.

However, senior F1 sources say that Alpine owners Renault and US industrialist Gene Haas are not interested in selling.

Andretti’s bid has long been contentious.

Owner Michael Andretti, the former IndyCar and F1 driver and son of US racing legend Mario Andretti, has aggressively pursued an entry and his actions have upset many senior figures in F1.

The latest controversy revolves around a request by six US senators to set up an anti-trust inquiry against F1 because of its decision to reject Andretti’s bid.

US car company General Motors is backing Andretti’s bid and has said it wants to build its own engine to ensure it can enter in 2028.

Ben Sulayem said he had "no doubt" that Formula 1 Management and Liberty would "love" to see new teams on the grid "as long as they are OEMs [car manufacturers]".


BBC
 

Alpine sack veteran operations director White​

Alpine have sacked veteran operations director Rob White in the latest example of the management turmoil at the struggling French team.

The 58-year-old had been at Alpine's parent company Renault in Formula 1 for 20 years, and in the role of director of operations at their Enstone factory since 2016.

He was sacked by team principal Bruno Famin, with the factory told of the decision on Wednesday.

White is a widely respected engineer who joined Renault in 2004 as deputy managing director of engines at their F1 facility at Viry-Chatillon in Paris. He had previously been head of F1 engine operations at UK motorsport engine-builder Cosworth.

An Alpine spokesperson said: "As part of the team's wider operational restructure, we can confirm the departure of Rob White.

"The team is thankful for Rob's efforts during his long career both at Enstone and at Viry-Chatillon, where he led the championship-winning engine project in 2005 and 2006. We wish him the best in his future endeavours."

The change comes in the wake of the appointment in February of a new chief operations officer, former McLaren Automotive and Lotus Cars manager John Woods.

And it is part of an ongoing restructure led by Famin in an attempt to improve the team's performance, which has been declining in recent years.

White is the latest in a series of management departures at Alpine since Famin was put in charge by Renault chief executive officer Luca de Meo last July.

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane were the first to go - sacked in the middle of last year's Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Chief technical officer Pat Fry also left that weekend, choosing to join Williams.

Following the team's disappointing start to the 2024 season, technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer resigned in March.

Days later, the highly regarded design engineer Bob Bell - who has had successful spells at many teams in F1, including McLaren and Mercedes in addition to Renault - left and joined Aston Martin.

These departures were initially covered by an internal reshuffle, but in May the team signed former Ferrari and McLaren engineer David Sanchez as executive technical director to lead their design facility.

Renault's F1 team were rebranded as Alpine in 2021, when they finished fifth in the constructors' championship.

They climbed to fourth in 2022, during which they lost both Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri as a result of mismanagement - Alonso went to Aston Martin for 2023 and Piastri, then Alpine’s reserve driver, moved to McLaren.

Fortunes dipped in 2023, and Alpine slipped to sixth. This year, they are ninth in the constructors’ championship after the first eight races and their car is the second slowest in the field on average qualifying pace.

A recent floor upgrade has produced disappointing results in terms of performance, and in Monaco last weekend their drivers crashed together on the opening lap.

As a result Esteban Ocon, who had tried to pass team-mate Pierre Gasly at Portier despite being told by the team before the race to hold station, was given a five-place grid penalty for the next race in Canada.

Famin told French television after the race there would be "consequences" as a result of the incident but has not elaborated on what these might be.

Ocon is tipped to leave Alpine at the end of the season.

Source: BBC
 

Esteban Ocon: Alpine driver to leave team at end of 2024 Formula 1 season​

Esteban Ocon will leave Alpine at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the team have confirmed.

The announcement comes after Ocon's controversial collision with Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix, where team principal Bruno Famin warned "there would be consequences". Sky Sports News understands the incident had no impact on Alpine's decision to part ways with Ocon.

Ocon, whose Alpine contract expires at the end of this season, joined the French outfit in 2020 and won his maiden F1 race with the team at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old is yet to announce if he will join another F1 team in 2025 but Sky Sports News understands Haas is his most likely destination, depending on Carlos Sainz's future in the sport, as he will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari.

Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan is a candidate to replace Ocon next year and is expected to be given outings in free practice on Grand Prix weekends in the second half of the season.

www.skysports.com

Esteban Ocon: Alpine driver to leave team at end of 2024 Formula 1 season

Esteban Ocon and Alpine will part ways at the end of this season; Ocon has scored three podiums with the team, including his maiden F1 win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix; watch the Canadian GP with every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sundays race at 7pm
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Sergio Perez has secured a two-year contract extension at Red Bull that will see him continue to race for F1's world champions until the end of the 2026 season.

The 34-year-old Mexican has been Max Verstappen's team-mate since joining in 2021.

Perez's renewal ends the hopes several drivers - including Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo - had of joining the team that has dominated F1 over the past two years and continues to lead both world championships in 2024 despite a growing challenge from rivals.

Source: SKY
 
Alonso fastest as practice disrupted by rain

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso was fastest in Friday practice at the Canadian Grand Prix on a day disrupted by intermittent rain.

Alonso’s best time, which put him 0.463 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in second, came at the driest point of the second session before more rain fell in Montreal.

The first session, in which McLaren’s Lando Norris was fastest, was also rain-affected, so the headline lap times of the day were almost entirely meaningless.

But there were obvious problems for championship leader Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver, who was 18th fastest in the second session, pitted after just four laps with smoke pouring from the back of his car.

Red Bull said his car had suffered a problem with the energy recovery system.

Verstappen said: “It’s not ideal, I would have liked to drive more laps. So it’s definitely not how I would have liked to get on in P2.

“But it is more important to figure out what happened and what implications it will have on the weekend and the rest of the year.”

Wet weather was the theme of the day. At one stage, before practice started, organisers closed the Ile-Notre Dame, the man-made island in the St Lawrence Seaway that hosts the track, because of a heavy storm.

The first session started on time but the cars were unable to go out as the pit lane was not opened while marshals tried to dry the track.

When it did get under way, it progressively dried to the point that the drivers were able to run slick tyres for the final five minutes of the session.

Norris set the pace by 0.328secs from the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

In the second session, Alonso ran consistently at the front as the track had a brief dry period for 15 minutes or so at the start before rain started again.

The two-time champion said: “A tricky Friday for everyone. Not many laps in either session.

“No proper laps in dry conditions or in wet conditions, but it could be like this in qualifying and race. We need to be sharp tomorrow.”

Behind Alonso and Russell, the Spaniard’s team-mate Lance Stroll was third fastest, from Leclerc, RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Hamilton, who with Michael Schumacher is the equal most successful driver in Montreal with seven wins, said: “It felt great. I was just raring to go every second. This is a track where it’s building blocks, about getting as much time in the car and understanding both conditions and the changes they have made to the surface and the run-off areas.

“The car was feeling strong. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“The circuit is amazing. It is one of the best circuits but this was an odd day, like a summer’s day in the UK. It was summer this morning then it rains with huge hailstones, then sunny and hot and humid and then rain again.

"I feel really confident out there but we won’t know until we get out there on Saturday but on either conditions I felt really strong today.”

Despite the conditions, only one driver crashed all day - Sauber’s Zhou Gunayu lost control through Turn Five in the first session and broke his front suspension.

Leclerc won a cheer from the crowd at the hairpin when he did a 360-degree spin in the second session, to no harm.

BBC
 

Lewis Hamilton set the pace for Mercedes in final practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.​

The seven-time champion, using for the first time the new front wing team-mate George Russell had in Monaco last time out, was 0.374 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

George Russell, in the second Mercedes, was third fastest ahead of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and the McLaren of Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari were nowhere - Charles Leclerc, winner in Monaco two weeks ago, was only 10th fastest and complaining that the team were “extremely slow”. Team-mate Carlos Sainz was two places and 0.2secs further back.

Two drivers crashed. Alex Albon fell foul of the fabled ‘wall of champions’ on the exit of the final chicane late in the session and broke the rear suspension on his Williams. And Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu lost control at the first corner after just four laps and ended his session early.

It was an unusual order at the end of the only dry session of the weekend so far, after Friday was affected by rain throughout.

Source: BBC
 

Verstappen wins gripping wet-dry race in Canada​


Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won a gripping wet-dry Canadian Grand Prix that developed into a five-car battle for the lead over the final 10 laps.

Verstappen expertly managed a restart after a safety-car period with 11 laps to go to bolt into a decisive lead while McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri fought with the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton behind him.

Verstappen pulled out nearly two seconds in one lap and controlled the race to the end from there.

Norris had twice led the race earlier on as conditions fluctuated between wet and dry but lost it each time by stopping later than Verstappen.

And in the closing laps he could not do anything about the world champion when it mattered and had to settle for second.

Russell, who had led the early laps before the race's various dramas began to unfold, passed Hamilton with three laps to go to take the final podium place but was left ruing a couple of key errors during a race that he started from his first pole position for nearly two years.

Hamilton took fourth place ahead of Piastri with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso sixth.

It was Verstappen’s sixth win in nine races this year, and extended his championship lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to 56 points after a terrible race and double retirement for the Italian team.

Although Verstappen won again, it was far from the foregone conclusion of grands prix at the start of the season.

The last 11 laps started finely poised, after Mercedes pitted Russell and Hamilton for fresh tyres under the safety car, giving both drivers a 10-lap advantage on their tyre wear over Verstappen and the McLarens in front.

But just as Russell was beginning to mount a challenge on the McLarens, with Norris and Piastri running nose to tail behind the escaping Verstappen, the Mercedes driver was a touch ambitious in trying to pass Piastri on the outside of the final chicane and was forced on to the run-off area.

That dropped him behind Hamilton, who soon passed Piastri and himself looked briefly set for a charge towards the front.

But Russell fought back to pass Piastri and then Hamilton, who was given hard tyres rather than the mediums on Russell’s car.

Norris also had cause to rue misfortune.

As the track dried through the first stint, he closed in on Verstappen in second place and passed him and then took the lead from Russell into the final chicane.

Russell was forced to cut the chicane as Norris passed, and Verstappen demoted him to third on the exit.

Five laps later, after Norris had built a substantial lead, Logan Sargeant crashed his Williams as more rain began to fall and the safety car was deployed.

But the call was too late for Norris to pit - he had passed the pit exit already - while everyone behind him could. The safety car then picked Norris up, slowing him down, and he came out in third place behind Verstappen and Russell.

At the restart, Verstappen began to slowly edge away from Russell, and the race seemed to have fallen under his control.

But the track dried, and Russell and Norris began to come back at the Red Bull, only for each to make mistakes.

First, Norris went off the track at Turns One and Two, also delaying Russell, who lost 1.5secs to Verstappen in one lap.

Three laps later, on lap 45, Verstappen and Russell stopped for slick tyres, while Norris stayed out for two more laps.

He was trying to build a sufficient advantage to come out in the lead, and it was close - he looked to be set to race wheel to wheel with Verstappen as the McLaren exited the pits.

But Norris lost grip on the damp area off-line on the pit-lane exit, and Verstappen was able not only to retain the lead but finish the lap nearly four seconds ahead.

The race for the win seemed all but over, only for a safety car, triggered when Carlos Sainz lost his Ferrari at Turn Six and collected Alex Albon's Williams, to close up the field again, and Mercedes to take their chance with fresh tyres.

It was worth a gamble, but in the end the race was won by the driver and team who kept things under control best in tough conditions and made fewest mistakes - even if Verstappen himself had a couple of off-track moments.

Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez had a poor race, failing to make significant progress from his 16th grid position and then crashing late in the race.

Perez was given a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Spain for returning to the track with a damaged car after his accident, leaving carbon-fibre debris strewn around the circuit.

It's back to Europe and the start of a triple-header with the next race the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona two weeks from now.

That is followed by a trip to Austria and then the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, from 5-7 July.

www.bbc.com

Canadian Grand Prix 2024 result: Max Verstappen wins from Lando Norris

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins a gripping wet-dry Canadian Grand Prix that developed into a five-car battle for the lead over the final 10 laps.
www.bbc.com
 

F1 News: Ollie Bearman Takes Haas Seat For Spanish Grand Prix As Team Chief Admits Interest​


The Haas Formula 1 Team has confirmed that Oliver Bearman will take the wheel during the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, marking another significant step in the young driver's burgeoning career. Ayao Komatsu, the team's boss, revealed this as part of a broader strategy to assess Bearman's potential for a full-time seat in the 2025 season. This upcoming appearance follows his recent outing at Imola, showcasing the team's growing confidence in his capabilities.

Oliver Bearman, at just 19, has quickly ascended the motorsport ranks, backed by Ferrari, and even filled in for an unwell Carlos Sainz at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His performance there and his track record, including championship titles in Italian and ADAC Formula 4 and a commendable third place in Formula 3, have made him a notable figure in racing circles. Currently juggling a Formula 2 campaign where he stands 13th after five rounds, Bearman is slated for four more FP1 sessions with Haas this season, highlighting his critical role as a reserve driver and as, potentially, a part of the next generation of drivers in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Amidst the evolving dynamics within Haas, with Nico Hulkenberg's move to Kick Sauber/Audi and Kevin Magnussen aiming to extend his tenure, Bearman's integration into the team could be timely. Komatsu highlighted the team's open strategy regarding driver selection for 2025, stressing the necessity of aligning with the team's culture and aspirations with Formula 1.

"Of course, we are evaluating him. If he was not [under] consideration, we wouldn't be running him in FP1, and the next time he’s going to be in the car is in Barcelona," Komatsu stated, confirming Bearman's critical evaluation phase.

With a strong start to the season, including top-10 finishes in Saudi Arabia, Australia, and China, Haas is positioned seventh in the constructor’s standings. The team's performance this season shows a promising trajectory, with Bearman's contributions during practice sessions adding valuable insights into the vehicle's capabilities and adaptations.

As Bearman gears up for his Barcelona outing, replacing Nico Hulkenberg for the initial session, all eyes will be on his ability to leverage this opportunity. Komatsu's remarks underline a strategic patience and thoroughness in their driver selection process:

"I don’t particularly have a timeframe, it’s more about getting the right driver for our team. We are still a pretty small team. To have somebody experienced, somebody who’s got a really good work ethic, to integrate with the band well and really push the team forward… that’s what we’re looking for, so we’re talking with several different drivers."

This moment represents not only a significant milestone for Bearman but also a critical juncture for Haas, as they continue to shape their future in Formula 1. As the season progresses, the decisions made now will undoubtedly influence the team's trajectory and its competitive stance within the next few years.

www.si.com

F1 News: Ollie Bearman Takes Haas Seat For Spanish Grand Prix As Team Chief Admits Interest

The Haas Formula 1 Team has confirmed that Oliver Bearman will take the wheel during the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, marking another signi
www.si.com www.si.com
 
More chance now of catching Verstappen - Norris

McLaren’s Lando Norris says the hopes of catching Max Verstappen in the World Championship this year have grown in recent races.

Norris acknowledged that beating the Red Bull driver would be “tough” because Verstappen “doesn’t have a weakness”.

But he added: “There is more chance and possibilities now, especially if Mercedes are in the fight; more chance of having a bigger swing of points.

“A bad weekend for Max was third but it could be fifth or sixth (now). And if you can be the guy who wins, within one weekend you can turn quite a lot of points around fairly quickly. If it goes like that, there is a higher chance.”

Verstappen’s dominance of Formula 1, which started in mid-2022, has ended in the past two months. McLaren and Ferrari have taken a win apiece in the past four events and Mercedes also fought for the win in the last race in Canada.

Norris, who has had a victory in Miami followed by two second places at Imola and Canada and a fourth in Monaco in the past four races, said: “Max’s bad weekend is never going to be a bad weekend. It’s still going to be a good amount of points.

“He is just strong in all areas. It is rare he makes mistakes or messes up qualifying.

“But with more pressure you never know how that changes, and always with pressure it is always easier to make mistakes.”

Norris lies in third place in the championship, 63 points behind Verstappen and seven behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the other driver to beat Verstappen in the past four races with his victory in Monaco.

The Briton said: “You can’t doubt Max in any area. He doesn’t have a weakness outright. It is possible (to beat him to the title) but it is going to need a very good car performance and a very consistent performance throughout the season.

“They have been a little bit more up and down than what we have so we just need to capitalise on when they’re down and try and be the one car that is on the up.”


www.bbc.com

Spanish Grand Prix: Lando Norris says there is now more chance of catching Max Verstappen

McLaren’s Lando Norris says the hope of catching Max Verstappen in the World Championship this year has grown in recent races.
www.bbc.com
 

Spanish GP Qualifying: Lando Norris produces last-gasp pole lap to beat Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton​

Lando Norris produced a sensational final lap to defeat Max Verstappen and secure just his second Formula 1 pole position in a thrillingly competitive Spanish GP qualifying.

In a session that underlined McLaren's growing strength and the ever-increasing competition at the front of F1 after two seasons of sustained Verstappen-Red Bull dominance, Norris delivered under pressure when it mattered around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with what he described as a "perfect" final lap of 1:11.383.

Verstappen held provisional pole after the first Q3 laps and improved by two tenths more on his final attempt, but Norris made the difference moments later to claim his second career grand prix pole - three years on from his first at the 2021 Russian GP - by a mere 0.020s.

Mercedes, meanwhile, will start from a second-row lockout after their own improvement continued in a competitive hour when they were a factor throughout. They finished three tenths off pole.

For just the second time in 10 races this season, Lewis Hamilton out-qualified team-mate George Russell and will start from a season-best third.

Mercedes narrowly outpaced Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and home favourite Carlos Sainz to start fifth and sixth respectively. Despite showing flashes of promise in their upgraded cars, neither Ferrari driver was ultimately a genuine pole contender.

Incredibly, just 0.035s separated those four cars.

Pierre Gasly was a stunning seventh on a morale-boosting weekend for improving Alpine, which also saw Esteban Ocon make Q3 in ninth.

But Sergio Perez, who gave Verstappen a tow on his final lap down the track's main straight in an attempt to aid his team-mate's bid for pole, was only eighth in the second Red Bull and will drop to 11th on Sunday's grid owing to a three-place penalty carried over from Canada.

That will promote Ocon into eighth to form all-Alpine fourth row, Piastri - who finished without a time in Q3 after a disappointing qualifying in the second McLaren - to ninth and Fernando Alonso into 10th on what has proved a difficult home grand prix in his Aston Martin.

Source: SKY
 

Verstappen holds off Norris to win in Spain​


Red Bull’s Max Verstappen prevailed in a tense, strategic battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris to win the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s seventh victory in 10 races this year hinged on a decisive opening phase of the race from the Dutchman.

Verstappen was in the lead by lap three while Norris stayed stuck behind Mercedes’ George Russell for 15 laps.

It left Norris too much to do and Verstappen was able to measure his pace to control the McLaren behind.

Lewis Hamilton took his first podium finish of the year for Mercedes in third, ahead of Russell, as Britons finished second, third and fourth. Charles Leclerc was fifth, leading home Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz.

The race underlined the fact that Red Bull have lost the massive advantage they held over the first five races of the season, but also that Verstappen is operating at a level of consistent excellence in the cockpit and will be tough to beat - not only for the championship, on which he has a stranglehold, but also on individual race weekends.

McLaren have been on Red Bull’s pace since the Miami Grand Prix in early May, and Verstappen has not taken a pole position since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.

Even so, Verstappen has won three of the past five races and consolidated his championship advantage.

Norris has moved ahead of Leclerc into second place but is 69 points behind Verstappen after 10 of 24 races.

Verstappen grabbed the race by the throat with a brilliant opening few laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

He made a slightly better start than Norris and was able to get his front wing inside the McLaren on the run to the first corner.

Norris defended robustly, even forcing Verstappen on to the grass, but was able to fend off the Red Bull.

Verstappen passed Norris on the inside as Russell took advantage of their tussle to pass both to grab the lead from fourth on the grid.

Verstappen then passed Russell at the start of lap three in a decisive and committed move around the outside of Turn One, while Norris was stuck behind the Mercedes for a further 12 laps.

It forced Norris and McLaren into an off-set strategy, trying to run longer and then come back at Verstappen on fresher tyres.

But it left him too much to do and he had to settle for second behind the Red Bull driver, who yet again proved himself the class of the field.

Verstappen had a four-second advantage when he made his first stop on lap 17, and McLaren decided to leave Norris out, waiting a further seven laps before his stop.

He had to fight his way back past first the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and then the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton before closing in on Verstappen.

Norris got to within 4.7 seconds of the Red Bull before Verstappen peeled in for his final stop on lap 44, and was 6.8secs adrift after emerging from his own final stop three laps later.

Norris edged closer to Verstappen over the final stint but he had been left with too much to do and crossed the line two seconds behind.

Hamilton’s third place - thanks to some decisive overtaking moves, including a very aggressive one on Sainz - confirmed Mercedes’ emergence as contenders after a series of upgrades, while fifth and sixth on the grid and in the race was a disappointing result for a Ferrari team who had a major upgrade for this race.

Leclerc was on Russell’s tail on the final lap but the Mercedes managed to hold him off.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri moved up from 10th on the gird to finish seventh, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez passed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine late on to take eighth.

The second Alpine of Esteban Ocon took the final point in 10th place.

www.bbc.com

Max Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix from Lando Norris to extend championship lead

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen prevails in a tense, strategic battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris to win the Spanish Grand Prix.
www.bbc.com
 
Norris eyes perfection in bid to beat Verstappen

McLaren’s Lando Norris says he is searching for perfection in his quest to consistently beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Formula 1.

Norris has been a close second behind Verstappen in the last two races in Canada and Spain and feels he and McLaren need to tidy up "just tiny things" to beat the world champion.

"Everything needs to be executed perfectly well and last weekend everything was not executed perfectly well," Norris said. "And that’s where it cost us.

"I’m very happy and 99.5% I’m probably happy with."

Norris said he felt he had been "over-critical" of his race in Spain last weekend, when being passed by Verstappen and George Russell’s Mercedes at the start cost him victory.

Verstappen was able to pass Russell at the start of the third lap, while Norris was stuck behind for the entire first stint. Norris closed to within two seconds of Verstappen by the end, but his victory in Miami in May remains his only F1 win so far.

Asked if he felt he and McLaren could strain together a series of wins, Norris said: "A run of wins... I don’t want to be over-confident and say that at all."

But he added: "We could go on and win races. I definitely think that’s possible with how the team are performing and how I’m performing.

"But we’re against one of the best drivers ever in F1 and one of the best performing teams in F1 and then you have everyone else apart from that who can easily get in the mix too."

The 24-year-old Briton moved into second place in the championship with his result in Spain. He is 69 points behind Verstappen with 14 races still to go, starting in Austria this weekend.

Norris said that now he had a competitive car, the frustrations are bigger any time he does not quite do the very best he can.

"I’ve only won one race," Norris said. "That is still amazing but everything becomes relative to what you know you are able to achieve and the reason I was frustrated was that small thing cost me.

"Being in this position you are just more hungry to win and therefore you are more disappointed when you don't. I think it's as simple as that. And a win in F1 means an incredible amount because it's what I've dreamt about since I was a kid."


www.bbc.com

Austrian Grand Prix 2024: McLaren's Lando Norris searching for perfection in quest to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen

McLaren’s Lando Norris says he is searching for perfection in his quest to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen consistently in Formula 1.
www.bbc.com
 
Now I hope Max will get the respect he deserves, He is still dominating despite having almost the 3rd fastest car on track.
He is a machine, THE GOAT
 
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