Max Verstappen has unveiled his own racing team ‘Verstappen.com Racing’ which he has launched with full support from Red Bull.
The World Champion, is well known to be a fan of racing in both the virtual and real worlds and his new team will bring the two together, with the drivers running under the moniker in real life and on screen.
His father, Jos Verstappen will compete with the Verstappen.com Racing team when he takes part in the Belgian Rally Championship, whilst young Dutchman Thierry Vermeulen will race with the team’s support in the ADAC GT Masters series this year.
Looking at the virtual aspect of it, Verstappen.com Racing is going to be represented by Team Redline- the team in which Verstappen has won races with in the Virtual Le Mans 24 Hours in the past.
Racing has always been my biggest passion in life, from the moment I first stepped into a go-kart until today. Besides my own Formula 1 career, racing is what I dedicate most of my time to. I am truly happy that, with the Verstappen.com Racing team, I can share the love for racing with drivers and teams I feel closely connected to. Apart from the fun it brings me, I can also share my racing knowledge with them, which hopefully helps everybody to improve themselves. After agreeing upon a long-term deal with Red Bull Racing earlier this year, I am very happy to be part of the Red Bull family for many years to come. T he close partnership with Red Bull as a company is also reflected in the fact that they are supporting the Verstappen.com Racing team for the coming years, which makes me very proud. I can’t wait to get started and keep pushing flat out.
Powered by Red Bull, this initiative will fuel my passion in the virtual & real world of racing together with the teams & drivers I feel closely connected to 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Z4fWPw7N0b
Nissan has announced the acquisition of the Le Mans based e.dams race team, with the Japanese manufacturer taking full ownership of its involvement in Formula E.
Nissan’s competition in Formula E supports its long-term commitment to electrification and sustainability laid out in Nissan’s Ambition 2030 plan. The Japanese company outlines the acquisition and taking full control of its Formula E project as the natural next step.
Nissan first entered Formula E back in 2018, in partnership with e.dams with both companies racing together in the all electric championship as the Nissan e.dams Formula E Team. In March 2021, the Japanese automaker announced its commitment to the Formula E Gen3 era, which runs from Season 9.
In partnership with Renault, e.dams took the first three Formula E Team’s titles and helped Sebastien Buemi to the 2015/16 Drivers’ Championship, with a best of second spot overall since combining forces with Nissan.
The change in ownership and new management structure will take place with immediate effect. Tommaso Volpe, General Manager of Nissan Formula E, will also become managing director at e.dams.
I am delighted that Nissan is taking over e.dams and today we are thinking of Jean-Paul Driot who, together with Nissan, had the vision for the team and helped to develop our partnership. Since his passing in 2019, Olivier and Gregory Driot took over and made sure the legacy of their father’s success would continue. It has been a pleasure working together and I would like to thank them for their commitment and support. This is an important step in our Formula E project. As the pinnacle of all-electric racing, Formula E gives us an engaging global platform from which we can show customers that EVs are not only fun and thrilling, but also that Nissan continues to be at the cutting edge of EV technology. We were happy to enter the sport in 2018 in partnership with e.dams. We have had a strong and successful collaboration, and we have learnt a great deal from their long-term experience in the series.We have a fantastic team in place, and we are looking forward to building on our success and experience together as a team, and to beginning this new chapter in our Formula E involvement.
Volpe said speaking of the news.
These are exciting times for all of us at Nissan, our fans and customers everywhere. We have been on the grid for over 85 years, and our desire to win continuously accelerates us forward. We learn as we race, and the relentless pace of technological progression that drives the Formula E championship will provide us with many opportunities to inform and develop even better cars for customers. The acquisition of the e.dams team not only reconfirms our long-term commitment to Formula E, but also to the exciting, high-performance world of motorsports competition as a whole. But we don’t only love to compete. We’re also passionate about delivering innovative and exciting driving experiences while demonstrating our commitment to zero emission and sustainable solutions. This acquisition will further empower us in the strategic electrification objectives of our business.
Juan Manuel Correa, will not be taking part in the Formula 3 test in Barcelona this week after a metatarsal fracture on his left foot, his participation in Imola for Round 2 is also at risk.
Correa, was in pain during the whole two day F3 testing at Jerez last week, even being forced to cut short his running on the second day as the pain became unbearable.
His ability to brake was unsurprisingly impaired, particularly in the dry conditions of the test’s second day when he could only manage 47 laps in total.
Entering his second season in F3 with ART Grand Prix after his comeback after he sustain injuries whilst racing in Formula 2 at Spain in 2019, Correa qualified and finished in fourth position in the feature race in Bahrain, despite the pain that he was in.
After the Barcelona test, Correa was due to make his European Le Mans Series debut at Paul Ricard this weekend for Prema’s new LMP2 team alongside Louis Deletraz and Ferdinand Habsburg, which he will also have to miss.
I couldn’t drive too much unfortunately because I have still a bit of an issue with the leg from the race in Bahrain. In the last race of the weekend, I got some inflammation in the tendons in the left foot and it still hasn’t recovered so I’m in quite a bit of pain when I drive.I was actually lucky that it rained all day yesterday because it’s softer on the brake. Ever since Bahrain, we’ve been working mainly on trying to reduce that but it’s still not perfect. The whole left foot has a lot of inflammation. And the nerves have gotten inflammated. Everything at the end goes back to that [the Spa crash] and both to my physical limitations, especially the ones I had last year, and that I’m having now which I was not expecting to have this year. It is a very frustrating to be in that position right now.
Juan Manuel Correa, talking at Testing in Jerez.
We did an MRI scan yesterday night (Thursday), got the results today (Friday) and there is indeed a stress fracture there. The doctors have recommended a couple of weeks rest. Lets see how it heals itself, how the pain improves. We are going to try to push the recovery to be able to do the Imola race but nothing is guaranteed.
Correa took to social media at the weekend, with a video message.
Absolutely gutted for him, it seems like just as things were getting good for him something like this happens! But health always comes first, so its the right decision for him to sit out of testing in Barcelona. Hopefully we see Correa back on track in Imola!
We were back on track for the final day of the Rome double header is here. Lets take a look at what went down.
FP3-
All 22 cars made it out for the final practice session of the double-header. Leading the way was former two-time champion DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne, who set the pace with 1m 38.608s, followed by standings leader Edoardo Mortara and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird.
Finishing fourth fastest, Dan Ticktum who posted a 1m 39.257s in his Nio 333. The rookie compared the Rome street circuit to the Macau Grand Prix circuit, of which his win twice in his career.
With 22 minutes left of practice, Andretti’s Oliver Askew clipped the chicane on Turns 12 and 14, resulting in a red flag whilst his stricken car was collected from track.
With rain overnight, the track was damp in some places, especially under the trees that line some of the circuit. The cooler conditions this morning caught out Nick Cassidy who spun going into Turn 4.
The top 10 were: P1: Vergne, P2: Mortara, P3: Bird, P4: Ticktum, P5: Wehrlein, P6: Lotterer, P7: Evans, P8: Da Costa, P9: Frijns and P10: Di Grassi.
Qualifying-
DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne, leads the way into the final race of the Rome E-Pric as he defeated Andretti’s Jake Dennis in a blistering head to head on the streets of the Eternal City.
Vergne claimed his 14th pole in Rome ahead of Round 5 as the former champion posted a 1m 38.268. O.221s faster than Dennis. Both Mercedes-EQ drivers didn’t get into the Semi’s, Nycks qualifying ended in the groups not progressing onto the quarters. Where as Vandoorne got into the quarters and it stopped there not the best qualifying from the team.
The top 10 were: P1: Vergne, P2: Dennis, P3: Lotterer, P4: Evans, P5: Bird, P6: Frijns, P7: Wehrlein, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Da Costa and P10: de Vries.
Round 5 – Rome E-Prix
Jaguar TCS Racing’s, Mitch Evans stormed to victory once again in Rome, matching his win yesterday with another superb victory. Marking his third Rome victory, the driver led Poleman Vergne in 2nd and Robin Frijns in 3rd.
The action started, and Dennis lost second but at the top of the hill and Turn 7, Dennis managed to reclaim it with Lotterer back to third. There was a collision between Mahindra’s Alex Sims and Max Guenther, the German driver retired to the pits. For the home race hero, it wasn’t meant to be as he stopped on track between Turn 8 and 9.
After a short Safety car period after recovering Mahindra’s Sims car was recovered as he spun at Turn 14. There was 5 minutes and 15s of extra time added on to extend the race. Saving his Attack Mode until the end of the race, Evans took the boost with less than eight minutes of the race remaining, he went for Lotterer in front of him before taking the lead on the hill up Turn 7.
The top 10 were: P1: Evans, P2: Vergne, P3: Frijns, P4: Lotterer, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Wehrlein, P7: Turvey, P8: Di Grassi, P9: Buemi and P10: Ticktum.
We are back with Formula E in a few weeks time for the Monaco E-Prix on the 30th April.
What a race we have all just seen, this season is truly unknown but it is looking more unknown for Red Bull… Before the race started it looked like another Charles and Max battle, and it was during the race until just over half way through.
Charles Leclerc wins the Australian Grand Prix, his second win this season and extends his championship lead! Sergio Perez takes P2 and makes the day a bit better for RB. And Mr Saturday is now Mr Sunday, George Russell takes P3!
The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Russell, P4: Hamilton, P5: Norris, P6: Ricciardo, P7: Ocon, P8: Bottas, P9: Gasly and P10: Albon.
Well reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen looked like he was going to take P2 after Charles ran away with the lead of the race, but it wasn’t meant to be. He had to retire the car after being asked by his engineer to stop at Turn 2, so Max’s 2nd DNF in 3 races. In that aspect it does not look good for Red Bull with their reliability, if this continues its going to damage their season massively. But Red Bull have to look at the positive with Perez scoring some good points especially after their first round.
Carlos Sainz, you have to feel sorry for… It didn’t go his way yesterday in qualifying with the Red flag and then his engine not turning on. He started the race in P9, but his race only lasted for 3 laps, as the Spanish driver spun and got stuck in the gravel in which he couldn’t get his car out of.
McLaren, are they back? Both drivers scoring good points which is good to see especially Daniel at his home race. I don’t think it could’ve gone better for the team. It will be interesting to see where the car will be after they bring upgrades.
Another good weekend for Mercedes, a second podium for the team this year and a first podium for George with Merc. It looks like the Silver Arrows have a very reliable car, but they still have a few problems, but once those problems are unlocked, could it be a three team constructor fight?
One person I have to mention is Alex Albon, what a drive! Starting P20 after being disqualified from qualifying- the driver finished P10, his first point for Williams and the first for the team this year. Albon lasted 56 laps on the hard tyre!
More problems for Aston Martin again, they didn’t have the best weekend and it got worse when Seb crashed into the wall and pulled over to the side to a stop, on lap 24. Will it get any better for the team?
The Championship-
Charles extends his championship lead to 34 points, he is sitting top with 71 points. George Russell is in 2nd with 37 after his podium today. Even though he didn’t finish today, Sainz is in P3 with 33 points. Max drops to 6th still with 25 points, with Ocon behind him with a gap of 5 points.
Looking at the Constructors, Ferrari is in the top spot with 105 points and Mercedes are sitting in 2nd with 65 points, so quite a gap between the two. Red Bull are in 3rd which is quite good considering the races so far. McLaren have done a big leap and now in 4th, where they finished last year.
We now have a break before our next round, we will be returning to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on the 22nd to 24th April, it’s a home race for the Scuderia team and the Sprint race returns also, for the first time this year! Formula 2 and 3 return in Imola also.
Round 4 of the Formula E season has took place today, so lets take a look at how it is gone.
FP1-
Championship leader, Edoardo Mortara led the way in the first practice session with a time of 1m 40.022s, whilst Jaguar’s Mitch Evans came close behind in second followed by reigning champion, Nyck de Vries in third.
All 22 cars made it out for the session, while Nick Cassidy spent time in the pits after only competing two laps with a suspected driveshaft issue, the Brit made it out towards the end to complete 6 laps in total.
With the cool morning temperatures impacting breaking, a lockup from Jake Dennis saw the Brit avoid a narrow miss through the chicane. With seconds to go, Rowland suffered damage after contact was made with Jean-Eric Vergne, sent him into the wall on the chicane through Turns 12 and 13.
The top 10 were: P1: Mortara, P2: Evans, P3: de Vries, P4: Da Costa, P5: Frijns, P6: Vandoorne, P7: Lotterer, P8: Sims, P9: Bird, P10: Sette Camara.
FP2-
The DS Techeetah and former Rome winner, Jean-Eric Vergne topped the timesheets in the final practice ahead of qualifying with a 1m 39.082s. Ahead of Pascal Wehrlein in second and Sam Bird who went third fastest.
More problems for Mahindra’s Oliver Rowland, as he wrestled with his car sliding through Turns 12 and 13- the same spot he crashed earlier on. That same chicane stopped the running of Andre Lotterer as he clipped the inside of Turn 13 causing him to stop on track before a red flag came out.
The top 10 were: P1: Vergne, P2: Wehrlein, P3: Bird, P4: Dennis, P5: de Vries, P6: Evans, P7: Da Costa, P8: Mortara, P9: Vandoorne and P10: Frijns.
Qualifying-
Stoffel Vandoorne claimed his 7th Formula E pole, as he lined up against Robin Frijns. Heading down in Turn 3, Frijns lost time in the final, handing the lead to the Mercedes-EQ driver. Despite his best effort to catch him, Frijns failed to make up for lost time.
The pole marks Mercedes-EQ third Pole in four rounds, as the Mercedes power train continues to prove its dominance in the electric series. Could Stoffel turn the pole into a win? He already has a win here in the Eternal City last year, so it could very much be possible.
The top 10 are: P1: Vandoorne, P2: Frijns, P3: de Vries, P4: Da Costa, P5: Vergne, P6: Dennis, P7: Wehrlein, P8: Lotterer, P9: Evans and P10: Rowland.
Round 4-
Jaguar TCS Racing, Mitch Evans takes victory on the streets of Rome for the second time in his career. Evans dominated, pulling away from the field to lead Envision’s Robin Frijns in 2nd and Mercedes EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne in third.
Despite starting on pole, Vandoorne let his lead slip on the streets, giving way to a determined Mitch who stormed to victory after starting ninth. For the reigning champ, it wasn’t all good though, the Mercedes driver failed to finish the race, retiring after slowing on track and slipping down the order.
Home here, Antonio Giovinazzi, finished 18th after a steady race at the back of the grid- still adjusting to the challenging nature of driving on street circuits, Giovinazzi will be looking to make more of an impact in tomorrows race.
Nudged from behind early on in the race, Edoardo Mortara behind, Oliver Rowland hit the barrier on Turn 7, with the cars behind being backed up. Shortly after this, Max Guenther crashed into the barrier on Turn 11- the safety car was brought out whilst his car was recovered.
Alex Albon has been disqualified from the qualifying result, after his team were unable to provide the FIA with a sufficient fuel sample from the FW44.
Albon qualified P16 in Melbourne, faring better than his teammate Nicholas Latifi, who was swiped by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll into a heavy crash in Q1, for which Stroll received a three place grid penalty.
Already with his own three place grid drop (ironically for his crash with Stroll), Albon had a lot of work to do coming into the weekend. Albon stopped on track after dropping out of Q1- with Williams later unable to provide the required 1.0 litre fuel sample to the FIA, as dictated by Artivle 6.5.2 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. The driver was then disqualified from the results by the stewards.
After qualifying, Car 23 had insufficient fuel to yield the required one litre sample.Given this situation, Car 23 is not in compliance with the requirements of Article 6.5 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. According to Art. 6.5.2 competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time. The procedure was followed however the one litre sample of fuel was unable to be taken. The stewards determine to apply the standard penalty for technical infringements. Therefore they took into account, that it shall be no defence to claim that no performance advantage was obtained. The stewards have received a request from Williams Racing to allow Car 23 to start the race. The stewards therefore grant permission for Car 23, Alex Albon to start the race.
The Stewards statement.
The late red flag in qualifying only gave drivers two minutes to cross the line from leaving the pitlane. That meant Albon had to queue at the end of the pitlane to gain track position ahead of the green light, and Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson believes that extended period out in the pitlane and the outlap “race” with fellow competitors may have contributed to Albon’s lack of fuel.
We could see a problem as he came towards the pitlane at the end of that lap where something wasn’t quite right, so we opted to stop the car just to make sure we didn’t damage anything. I think the fact that we had to go and queue at the end of the pitlane after the red flag to get that lap in meant that the outlap was then a lot more aggressive than we had planned. So, I think that’s why we were a bit lower than we would’ve liked.
Well, qualifying in Australia is now complete and what an interesting one it was with two red flags disrupting the sessions.
But through all of it, Charles Leclerc takes his second pole position of the season, and Ferrari’s first pole in Australia in 15 years! With Max Verstappen in 2nd with his teammate, Sergio Perez joining him in 3rd. Just a note in case anything changes, Perez has to go to the Stewards on an alleged breach of not respect single waved yellow flags.
The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Norris, P5: Hamilton, P6: Russell, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Ocon, P9: Sainz and P10: Alonso.
Shall we start off on something good? Both McLaren’s in the top 10!! What an improvement they have made since the first race and its nice to see them back where they should be! Let’s hope tomorrow will be even better for the team.
Moving on, Stroll and Latifi touched in Q1 after Latifi let him through and then decided to overtake him a few seconds which saw the pair touch and their qualifying come to an end, as Latifi hit the wall in which will cost Williams a lot of money. Strolls qualifying also came to an end there aswell, both starting at the back of the grid.
Magnussen got out qualified by his teammate for the first time this year so far. Magnussen starting P17 and Schumacher p15. Both Haas cars have got a lot of work to do tomorrow if they want to get into the points.
Fernando Alonso looked like he was on a flyer and potentially be up in the top 3 until he crashed in Q3 at Turn 11 putting his qualifying to an end.
Valtteri Bottas run of 103 consecutive Q3 appearances came to an end today as he only managed to go P12 in Q2.
Predictions-
Top 5 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Norris and P5: Russell. I feel like this is quite mixed up, especially if Leclerc won as recent years in the Australian Grand Prix the pole sitter does not win from pole.
Sainz has a lot of work to do, starting 9th whilst his teammate is up in 1st. It will be interesting to see the way the Ferrari works its way through the field.
Formula E is back this weekend and we are in Rome for Round 4 and 5 after a two month break! It’s also Antonio Giovinazzi’s home race too.
Last time we were in Rome, Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH), picked his moments perfectly to drive from fifth to victory in the opening race of the Rome E-Prix double-header last season.
We have had 3 different winners, in the past 3 rounds, will we see a 4th different winner or will one of our 3 be victorious again? Mortara sits at the top of the standings with 43 points, Nyck de Vries in second with 38 and Wehrlein in 3rd with 30.
The Teams battle is very close with ROKiT Venturi Racing claiming the top spot with 68 points, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team with 66 points and TAG Heuer Porsche has 60. There is then quite a big gap down to 4th is DS Techeetah with 39 points and Envision Racing with 39 and then Avalanche Andretti 3 points behind them.
Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR-
As one of the longest tracks on the calendar, the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR races around the Obelisco di Marconi, against the backdrop of the iconic Colosseo Quadrato.
The Rome circuit features plenty of challenges for the drivers with undulations, lots of elevation changes, uneven surface and that jump – it’s a technically and fast track with long straights and a host of passing opportunities in the Eternal City.
The fastest lap of the circuit goes to Stoffel Vandoorne, Mercedes-EQ (2021)- 1:41.820.
Maserati and ROKiT Venturi Racing have announced a multi year partnership, ahead of this weekends Rome double-header, which will see the Italian manufacturer and Monegasque Formula E team link up from Season 9 of the Formula E World Championship.
When it joins the Gen3 era, Maserati will become the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E, as it ends a 60 year hiatus from single-seater motorsport.
The marque will unite with ROKiT Venturi Racing for the series’ next generation, with the Gen3 set to be the fastest, lightest and most powerful but yet the most sustainable electric single-seat race car yet.
ROKiT Venturi, have been in a partnership with Mercedes EQ since the 2019-20 season. Mercedes are leaving Formula E after this season, as they are going to concentrate on its works on motorsport activities in Formula 1.
Uniting with Maserati marks the start of a new chapter and represents the best possible outcome for the team following our successful partnership with Mercedes-EQ. Being entrusted with the return of one of motorsport’s most recognisable brands to international single-seater competition underlines our success in recent seasons in which we have firmly established ourselves as a commercially viable, race-winning team that can seriously contend for championships.With this commitment, the team is now in a fantastic position to contest Formula E’s next generation of competition which will commence in 2023.
Susie Wolff, CEO & Managing Partner, ROKiT Venturi Racing.
Returning to motorsport with Formula E was a natural choice for Maserati. We are driven by our passion and innovation and we’re happy to share this adventure with a partner that abides by the same values as we do and is looking ahead to the future, just like us. We share with the ROKiT Venturi Racing team the same determination and desire to compete and win on circuits all over the world
Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO.
Partnering with Maserati for Gen3 is brilliant news. It’s excellent for the team, for Maserati and Formula E, but above all else, it’s fantastic news for the fans who will witness the return of an iconic marque to top-tier motorsport. Not only does this establish strong foundations for our long-term future in Formula E, but it also marks one of the most exciting stories in international sport in which a prestigious brand is returning to its roots by joining the most progressive and fastest-growing form of motorsport.
Scott Swid, Chairman & Managing Partner, ROKiT Venturi Racing.
My Opinion-
Great move from Venturi! They knew they were going to be looking for a new partnership, as Mercedes were leaving. But it was also a great choice from Maserati too, Venturi have developed themselves into a race winning team, in which they can now fight to be championship contenders.
We are back in Australia after a long awaited return! Round 3 and it is Danny Ric’s home Grand Prix, but since we was last here in 2019, the track has changed quite a bit with it now having four DRS zones…
Will it be a good weekend for the home hero? Can Mick finally get those all important points his been waiting for? Seb is back, what can he now do in the Aston? So many unanswered questions, and I can’t wait till we get some answers for them!
The newbies who have come into F1 will be racing in Australia for the first ever time! Those being, Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu.
Who needs a good weekend?
I would say the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll needs a good weekend, he has finished outside of the points in both races this year and it seems like the Aston has better race pace, rather than one lap pace. With Sebastian being back its now Stroll’s time to shine, but the question is, can he?
Yuki needs a good weekend, after not even being able to race last time out, he will want to do the best he can, even more so because of the track, he has a fresh start here as none of the drivers have drove on this track with the new cars and since its changed.
Perez, will be wanting to be on that podium this weekend, first race was a DNF, and finishing 4th in Saudi Arabia was a good comeback but with Ferrari having both drivers on the podium in the first two rounds, and with the Mexican having a good car underneath him, he knows he can get on their, its just a matter of if he can.
Predictions for qualifying-
My top 5 are: Pole- Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Carlos, P4: Perez, P5: Hamilton. If Red Bull have brought upgrades to Aus, then I could see them running away with it all this weekend.
It would be nice to see if McLaren can get at least one car in the top 10 for qualifying. Someone else who will be hoping to get into the top 10, is Mr Mick Schumacher, he has seen what this car can do, finishing in the points in both races for his teammate, so the German will be wanting to qualify in that top 10, to hopefully get those points!
Times for the weekend-
Friday 8th-
Free Practice 1: 04:00am – 05:00am (BST), Free Practice 2: 07:00am – 08:00am (BST).
Formula 3 was back for the past two days as they were testing in Jerez. Let’s take a look at how it went down.
Day 1-
A few drivers, braved the wet and windy conditions at Jerez when the lights went green, with the majority of the field just doing an installation lap. As the rain began to ease, the field headed out for some flying laps and HiTech Grand Prix’s Isack Hadjar set the baseline time.
With the people below him chopping and changing times, Hadjar was the only red flag, with his car coming to a stop on the gravel. This allowed Collet to take his place at the top of the leaderboard, with the MP Motorsport driver dipping below 1m 42s. But it was PREMA’s Arthur Leclerc who finished on top at the end of the morning session.
Moving onto the second session of Day 1, Arthur Leclerc dropped a 1:43.790 once things started up again. Collet didn’t get the chance to improve as he brought out a red flag at Turn 4.
Martins, Stanek, Rasmussen, Leclerc and Bearman all shared P1 between them as the times started to drop once the track was drying out. But it was Bearman who come out on top in the afternnon!
Position
Driver
Team
Laptime
1
Oliver Bearman
PREMA Racing
1:33.009
2
Josep Maria Marti
Campos Racing
1:33.666
3
Zane Maloney
Trident
1:33.736
4
Victor Martins
ART Grand Prix
1:33.751
5
Arthur Leclerc
PREMA Racing
1:33.998
Top 5 Afternoon Session.
Day 2-
The track remained damp on the final and second morning, Josep Maria Marti set the pace for Campos before the field switched to dry weather tyres.
Martins broke the 1m 31s barrier for the first time, and several others joined him, he was bumped down to fourth with Leclerc replacing him at the top with a 1:30.628.
Leclerc’s time was only marginally better than Carlin’s rookie O’Sullivan who dropped a 1:30.634.
Onto the afternoon, the sun decided to make an appearance with a completely dry track, Caio Collet produced a benchmark time of 1:30.359.
Yeany’s Campos caused a red flag and interrupted the action around the halfway point, but once it got underway the quickest time fell. Leclerc took the biggest chunk out of it, posting a 1:29.556 to go quickest for the third session out of four.
The session came to a slightly premature end as Juan Manuel Correa stopped at Turn 6 and brought out a red flag in the final seconds. Ushijima posted the most laps of the afternoon stint, completing an impressive 65 laps of the Jerez Circuit.
Position
Driver
Team
Laptime
1
Arthur Leclerc
PREMA Racing
1:29.366
2
Victor Martins
ART Grand Prix
1:29.380
3
Isack Hadjar
HiTech Grand Prix
1:29.611
4
Franco Colapinto
Van Amersfoort Racing
1:29.614
5
Oliver Rasmussen
Trident
1:29.634
Top 5 Afternoon Session.
Formula 3 will be back next week, on the 15th April for two more days of in-season testing at Barcelona.
It’s race week once again which means looking at the tyres for the third round of the 2022 season.
The nomination for the tyres is rather unusual for Melbourne’s track, with a bigger than normal between the medium and softest compounds. C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C5 (Soft). This will be the race, the softest tyre debuts in 2022 Pirelli range, marking a change from the aborted 2020 race and the 2019 Australian Grand Prix when the C2, C3 and C4 tyres were selected.
As a temporary facility, Albert Park used to be quite bumpy but the new asphalt may reduce this. The new surface should offer low grip and reasonably contained levels of asphalt abrasion, which is set to result in moderate wear.
The track-
The track underwent significant modifications for the first time since 1996 when it made its championship debut.
Seven corners have been modified with two removed entirely, bringing the total of turns down to just 14 and shortening the track by 28 metres. The most significant modification is the removal of the Turn 9-10 chicane, which is been replaced by a long sweeping bend.
Turns 1 and 3 have been widened on the inside as has Turn 6, which is now significantly faster. Later in the lap, what was Turn 13 (now turn 11) has been realigned to tighten the angle. The penultimate corner (now Turn 13) is another to have been widened and also one of several to have its camber adjusted to allow for different lines to be taken.
Compared to previous occasions, and with the drivers not having raced there for two seasons, this year there are a few unknowns to the Australian Grand Prix: first of all the circuit layout has been heavily revised to improve overtaking and, as a result, there’s also new asphalt that should be quite smooth. This means the track is likely to offer very low levels of grip at the start, with a high degree of evolution expected over the weekend and an extremely slippery surface if it rains. We will also head to Melbourne a couple of weeks later compared to previous seasons, when autumn has already started in the southern hemisphere, so conditions could be more variable. Last but not least, there is a completely new generation of cars and tyres that the drivers are still trying to learn about. All these factors mean that there will be a lot of work to do for teams and drivers in the free practice sessions. We decided to opt for the step in the compound nominations because we noticed that there was a relatively small performance gap between the C3 and C4 compounds during development testing, and we believe that Albert Park – with its new asphalt and layout – is a good place to try out this option.
British driver, Jonny Edgar will not continue his FIA Formula 3 Championship season due to health reasons. The decision was made by himself, his family, management, Red Bull and Trident motorsport. They all believe that recovery is the absolute priority for him.
The 18 year old will be replaced by Oliver Rasmussen. Rasmussen will be making his Trident debut at the upcoming test in Jerez. It will be Rasmussen’s second season in F3, having spent his last year with HWA Racelab.
The Danish driver stepped up in 2021 after finishing third in the 2020 Formula Regional European Championship, in which he won six times and took a further seven podiums- finishing inside of the points in every race he started.
The 21 year old, had stepped up to single-seaters with Jenzer Motorsport in the 2018 Italian Formula 4 Championship, before switching to PREMA for a second season. He also has experience in ADAC F4 and the Toyota Racing Series.
It is with great regret that we say goodbye to Jonny Edgar, and we wish him the quickest possible recovery. Since the start of the season, he was weakened by physical issues, but he fought like a lion. He did not back down and continued to race. However, his conditions necessitate a break from his competitive activity to support his recovery. Jonny always gave his maximum to the team, he has a fantastic family and is a wonderful guy. Oliver Rasmussen will be replacing Edgar. He is a quick and experienced driver, and we are proud to welcome him to the Trident Motorsport family. I am sure that he will quickly gain the chemistry needed to gel with the team, making the most of the four days of testing between Jerez and Barcelona, which will be followed by the round at Imola. We will put up our best effort to help Oliver and we are sure that he will provide a great contribution to the team.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager.
I am delighted to line up for the upcoming events of the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Trident Motorsport. Joining the line-up of the reigning champion team is something that only happens a handful of times in a driver’s career, and I want to make the most out of this chance.I want to thank Trident Motorsport for the opportunity and Jota Sport for their continued support. I will give my 100 per cent on track to reward the trust that Trident Motorsport has placed in me, and I cannot wait to wear the team’s colours.
Oliver Rasmussen.
My Opinion-
Gutting for Jonny, but it was the right decision health always comes first! Wishing him well and hope to see him back on track soon!
But moving on to Rasmussen, this is a big opportunity for him now, being in the reigning teams champion car it will be interesting to see what he can do. He has testing to catch up with the car which is the perfect window for him to join the team really.
As the season has started let’s take a look at the reserve drivers each team has.
Since the pandemic started a few teams have had to call on their reserves and some have changed in the past few years.
Mercedes-
Stoffel Vandoorne- Vandoorne, currently competing in Formula E with Mercedes. He has been an official reserve driver for the constructors’ champions since 2020. Stoffel already has experience in F1, with 41 starts to his name from 2016-2018 with McLaren.
Nyck de Vries- Partnering Vandoorne with the reserve role for Mercedes, he also partners with Stoffel Vandoorne for Mercedes in the Formula E Championship. De Vries is the 2019 Formula 2 Champion and reigning Formula E Champion. He was promoted to Mercedes Test and Reserve driver in 2021.
Red Bull-
Liam Lawson- Red Bull junior and current F2 driver is added as Red Bulls reserve driver in 2022. Lawson has been apart of the RB juniors since February 2019.
Sebastian Buemi- Buemi is Test and Reserve driver at Red Bull this year, after Alex Albon’s departure from the team. Buemi has lots of experience in F1 and other FIA Championships. The Swiss driver has 55 F1 starts to his name from 09-11 with Toro Rosso and has also won the World Endurance Championship twice and the Formula E Championship.
Ferrari-
Antonio Giovinazzi- Giovinazzi, has been a Ferrari reserve since 2017. After loosing his Alfa Romeo seat for this year, he went on to race in the 2022 Formula E Championship with Dragon Penske Autosport.
Mick Schumacher- New to being a Ferrari reserve this year, the Italian team doesn’t have to look far as he takes on this role as well as driving for Haas.
McLaren-
Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries- The Mercedes reserve duo are also available to McLaren as part of an agreement between the two teams.
Paul Di Resta- Di Resta was confirmed as a third reserve driver last year in case both Stoffel and Nyck were occupied during a Formula E race weekend, it is understood that this agreement is still in place for this year.
Oscar Piastri- The reigning Formula 2 Champion, is a McLaren reserve as well as Alpines. Alpine made an agreement with the British team, to share Oscar.
Alpine-
Oscar Piastri- Oscar has been apart of the Alpine/ Renault academy since January 2020 and now moves to the Reserve role after winning Formula 2 last year and not being able to get an F1 seat.
Alpha Tauri-
Liam Lawson- Lawson shares both Red Bull Reserve Driver and Alpha Tauri’s Reserve- being a RB junior he has been given a big opportunity.
Aston Martin-
Nico Hulkenberg- The super-sub, has been called up for two rounds already this year, and three times in 2020 since loosing his seat for the 2020 season.
Williams-
Jack Aitken- Aitken got his F1 debut during the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when he replace Russell as he got promoted to Mercedes due to Hamilton testing positive for Covid-19.
Alfa Romeo-
Robert Kubica- Kubica is a well known name in the F1 paddock. After making a remarkable comeback since his rallying accident, he raced for Williams in 2019 before joining the Alfa Romeo team as a reserve driver. He covered for Kimi last year at Monza and Zandvoort.
Haas-
Pietro Fittipaldi- Fittipaldi made his F1 debut in 2020 whilst replacing injured Romain Grosjean for the final two races. He was a favourite for the seat after Mazepin was removed but it went to Magnussen. He still has his reserve role for 2022.
Seven of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers have registered with the Federation Internationale de l’Automovile (FIA) to race the next Gen3 car, which debuts in the next season of the FIA Formula E World Championshp.
The Gen3 race car is set to be officially unveiled to the public at the Yacht Club de Monaco on 28th April, ahead of the Monaco E-Prix on 30th April.
The manufacturers currently confirmed for the Gen3 era of Formula E are the following:
DS Automobiles, France
Jaguar, UK
Mahindra Racing, India
Maserati, Italy
NIO 333, UK and China
Nissan, Japan
Porsche AG, Germany
The full list of teams set for Formula E’s Gen3 era will be released later in 2022.
We are delighted to confirm the commitment of seven of the world’s leading car manufacturers to the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and we look forward to seeing them battle against each other. As a proving ground for future mobility, Formula E has always been at the cutting-edge of technology – as exemplified by the Gen3 single-seater – and we are confident that the forthcoming era will mark an exciting chapter in the series’ electrifying story.
FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
We are excited to welcome many of the world’s most innovative and competitive automotive manufacturers into the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The Gen3 race car will take Formula E’s iconic city centre racing to a new level, creating more intense action and drama on the track while delivering a leap forward in electric mobility off it. It will set the standard for performance and efficiency and serve as further tangible evidence of the innovative developments in electric vehicles achieved by manufacturers in the championship.
Sebastian Vettel will return to the grid for the third round of the season in Australia after Covid-19 saw him miss the first two rounds.
Whilst the four time world champion was recovering at home, Aston Martin brought in their super-sub Nico Hulkenberg to fill the spot for Bahrain, and then waited round until confirmation came through that Seb wasn’t racing in Saudi Arabia either.
“TEAM UPDATE: We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside @lance_stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 @F1 season at the @ausgrandprix,” tweeted Aston Martin on Thursday after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The team are still awaiting a points finish along with Williams- Could the Australian Grand Prix be the one?
Ahead of Sebastian’s positive covid result- which came after Official Pre-Season Testing- Vettel spoke about the AMR22 and driving it: “The car wants to be driven in a different way. I am playing with driving styles and what I can do. Equally we are playing with the car, we are trying to sort some problems that we have, some of the challenges that we’ve faced, find solutions.here is still a lot to do, everybody is flat-out and there is still a very, very steep and high mountain to climb… but it’s fun, I think the challenge is fun and the belief is there that one day we will reach that peak.”
Great to see that Seb will be back! He can finally start his 2022 season.
The worst kept secret of 2022 has been confirmed, we will be racing in Las Vegas from 2023.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix, will be taking place on a Saturday next November, and be joining the one of three races for the United States.
Las Vegas, hosted a Grand Prix back in 1981 and 82, but this will be the first time F1 cars are going to race on the iconic Vegas strip, with the circuit passing famous hotels and casinos.
The track itself-
There are 14 turns, the track will run for 3,8 miles (6.12km), with top speeds expected to hit around 212mph (342km/h).
The design of the track features three straights, a high speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section, with the Grand Prix set to be run over 50 laps.
The news was announced at a glittering event in Las Vegas on Wednesday evening with Liberty Media President and CEO Greg Maffei and F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali in attendance.
They were joined by local stakeholders including Nevada Governor, Steve Sisolak, CEO and President of the LVCVA, Steve Hill and President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, Michael Rapino.
Iconic Las Vegas and Formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsport, is the perfect marriage of speed and glamour. Our confidence in this unique opportunity is evident in our decision to assume the promoter role for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Live Nation. We could not be more excited to work with our local partners to create a marquee event. The potential of Formula 1 has been well demonstrated over the last several seasons and the Las Vegas GP will only take it to the next level.
Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO.
This is an incredible moment for Formula 1 that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US. Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.There is no better place for Formula 1 to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year. I want to thank everyone who helped deliver this event, especially Governor Sisolak, the Clark County Commission, Steve Hill at the LVCVA, and our local partners.
Formula E, FIA and the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) has revealed the track layout for the 2022 Monaco E-Prix, which is Round 6 of the World Championship.
The 19 turn, 3.337 km track will see the cars climb the hill at Sainte Devote and travel through the iconic Place du Casino, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel Hairpin and Portier.
DS TECHEETAH’s Antonio Felix Da Costa claimed victory last season in one of the most exciting races in the history of Formula E with a overtake at the exit of the tunnel on the final lap of the race- the series’ first on the full Monaco circuit.
Between the top six runners, there were 28 overtakes during the race. The circuit last year incorporated a modified chicane at Turn 11, which will disappear this year to make way for the traditional track.
The change of layout is to align with the highest standards of motorsport, it shows once again how Formula E continues to progress.
The 2021 Monaco E-Prix remains one of the finest races in Formula E history with an unprecedented number of overtakes. Our drivers are used to driving in street circuits which is why Monaco, one of the most iconic circuits in the world that all drivers know inside out, is particularly suitable for showcasing the unique style of Formula E motorsport. We can’t wait to see what the 2022 race and the drama that awaits.
Frederic Espinos, Sporting Director, Formula E.
Using the full Monaco track layout successfully last year was a major step forward for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. This year, we are taking the final step, removing the minor modifications that were made for Formula E, so that we can to see our drivers and cars performing on the historical layout. This is another major achievement for our discipline and we look forward to another exciting race on the streets of Monaco.
Javier Maffioli, Formula E Head of Even Operations at the FIA.
Formula 1 seems to be looking at adding a third US race next season as F1 is getting closer to cracking America, with Austin already a staple on the calendar after the attendance last year, and Miami is set to make its debut in May.
Liberty Media, F1 owners have been looking at ways to increase the sports popularity across the pond. Netflix’s Drive To Survive and more TV coverage there has been a boom in American fans, and the bosses are set to capitalise on this.
According to the Sports Buisness Journal, talks are ongoing between F1 and the cities officals to bring the sport to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. These talks are apparently well underway, with F1 executives having visited the city several times in recent months to assess how suitable it would be to host a race.
It’s suggested that the track could pass by the iconic dancing fountains as the drivers would battle their way down a mile of the strip.
F1 is still yet to comment/confirm anything on this but it is to be suggested the first race could be next year or the year after depending on when it gets confirmed etc.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Caesars Palace Grand Prix will be featured on the calendar as it did back in 1981 and 1982, before being abandoned due to low popularity.
But should it be in Las Vegas if they were to have a third? America has a lot of different tracks but could we possibly go to a different track which is already built?
What a great race, these new cars are definitely providing such closer racing which we have been waiting to see!
The battle between Leclerc and Verstappen does not seem to be slowing down any time soon and I think we are all looking forward to seeing how it goes between the two great drivers.
But it was Max Verstappen who took the win in Saudi Arabia, with Charles Leclerc finishing 2nd and Ferrari having another great weekend with Carlos Sainz taking the final podium spot.
The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Russell, P6: Ocon, P7: Norris, P8: Gasly, P9: Magnussen and P10: Hamilton.
An okay weekend for Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly managed to get some points after his disapointing race last weekend, but unfortunatley it was Yuki Tsunoda who had the bad luck this week as he didn’t even start the race as he stopped on track on the way to the grid.
Not a good weekend for Williams, as Nicholas Latifi crashed during the early stages of the race which brought out safety car. Towards the end of the race, Stroll and Albon made contact which brought Alex’s race to an end.
Ricciardo looked like he had an engine problem at the end as he stopped at the pit entry, the same with Alonso but it looking like an overheating issue instead.
Another good race for Russell, another good amount of points helping the Mercedes team, great way to start the season. Also a great race for Norris too, starting P11 and finishing 7th, which makes it the first points for McLaren this year.
The Championship-
Leclerc leads from his teammate by 12 points, with Max 8 points behind Sainz and George in 4th with 22 points. Ferrari leads the constructors by 40 points from Mercedes with Red Bull just 1 point behind them.
We are back in less than two weeks and we are returning to Australia for the first time since 2019, for round 3!
Dennis Hauger had been promoted to reverse grid pole as Jack Doohan was disqualified from Qualifying and the PREMA of Hauger took full advantage of being on pole.
Hughes reaction wasn’t as quick as Hauger’s but an early Safety Car brought action to a stop as Amaury Cordeel lost control of his Van Amersfoort and collided with the wall.
Fourteen laps remained when action resumed, with Hauger still in the lead with Williams and Hughes behind him. Lawson managed to over take Iwasa before a second safety car. This time because of a collision at the back between Doohan and Sargeant.
It was Lawson who took the win with his old team Juri Vips in 2nd and Drugovich finishing 3rd. It looked like Hauger was going to take the win until he went into the pit Lane whilst it was closed and got a 10 second stop-go penalty. Jake Hughes finished in 3rd but got disqualified due to a technical infringement.
Day 3-
Drugovich chopped across to get Verschoor covered, and the move worked as the top five maintained position at the end of Turn 1.
This didn’t last though as Liam Lawson made a move on Ralph Boschung for P4, before making a move on Armstrong down the main straight.
Drugovich went into the pits on Lap 9 to ditch the softs, handing the lead to Verschoor who was hoping the over-cut would work but it wasn’t meant to be as the driver dove into the pits a lap later and came out behind Drugovich.
Disaster struck for the title contenders, Pourchaire was forced to retire from the pits, before Lawson pulled to a stop at the exit of the pit lane due to his tyres not being fitted properly.
It was P1 for Drugovich, P2 for Verschoor and P3 for Daruvala.
We are back for F2 for testing from 12th to 14th April in Barcelona with our next race weekend being from the 22nd to 24th April in Imola!
Haas driver, Mick Schumacher “physically well” after his high-impact crash in qualifying yesterday. Despite that Haas, confirmed that Mick will not be taking any further part of the Grand Prix.
The German driver was circulating in Q2 when he lost his car through the back end after riding over the kerbs, the driver spinning heavily into the wall and the impact causing massive damage to his car.
Schumacher was taken to the circuits medical centre and from there by helicopter to a hospital for a precautionary check.
But ahead of today’s race, Haas confirmed that Schumacher would not take the race start, writing on Twitter: “In light of today’s qualifying incident, Mick Schumacher will not participate in tomorrow’s #SaudiArabianGP.”
The team provided an update later on: “We can confirm that Mick has been released from hospital and has returned to his hotel.”
Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner, meanwhile, confirmed that he’d been in contact with Schumacher following the crash, saying: “I spoke with him directly. He spoke to his mum, I spoke to his mum a few times and kept her updated. He has no injuries which you can see – they just wanted to check on him, doing some scans to see that there is no damage from the impact of the forces. Taking any risks tomorrow, it’s not on,” added Steiner. “We are in Melbourne in two weeks and it’s better to focus on that one to make sure that we are in a good state there.”
Hi everyone, I just wanted to say that I’m ok🙏 Thank you for the kind messages. The car felt great @haasf1team, we’ll come back stronger❤️ pic.twitter.com/Mwpy0767kN
What on earth happened today in qualifying! But it’s Sergio Perez taking his first ever pole position in F1! With Leclerc in second and Carlos Sainz on third.
The full top 10 are: P1: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Verstappen, P5: Ocon, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Bottas, P9: Gasly and P10: Magnuessen.
You’ve probably noticed Hamilton who isn’t in the top 10, well, he got knocked out in Q1 and qualified 16th. His first time since 2017.
Mick had a nasty crash in Q2, which stopped the running for a while whilst checking he is okay and clearing up the track. Thankfully he got out of the car okay and is going to hospital for check ups to make sure!
McLaren had a better weekend than last weeks already, both drivers making Q2 and starting P11 and P12. Hopefully some points for the team tomorrow!
So far a good weekend for Alpine, both drivers starting in the top 10. They had a good weekend last weekend so let’s see what they can do!
Predictions for tomorrow-
P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Verstappen, P4: Sainz and P5: Russell. I think the Ferrari’s are that just bit in front of the Red Bull’s and if the pit stops go okay for the Italian team, I can see them winning the race.
Hopefully McLaren in the points, that will boost the team massively before a break, and they have clearly made a step forward too!
Times for tomorrow-
Feature Race F2: 13:35pm (GMT). Saudi Arabian GP: 18:00pm (GMT).
Cem Bolukbasi will be not racing this weekend as he has been declared unfit after his crash yesterday.
During free practice yesterday, Cem Bolukbasi crashed. It was a lengthy red flag and we saw Cem getting out of the car himself, after a little while.
A statement then was released by the FIA after Free Practice as the driver had been transferred to a local hospital.
A new statement which was released this morning declares that Cem is unfit and will not be racing:
Following medical examination, the driver of car #23 was found to have suffered a concussion and remained in hospital overnight for further precautionary checks. He has been declared unfit to race and has therefore been withdrawn from the event by the team.
Hopefully we see Cem back in the car at testing in a few weeks!
This weekend is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as-well F2’s second round, but should we even be racing their this weekend?
An oil depot- around 7 miles from the track and owned by F1 sponsor, Aramco- was set ablaze during the first free practice in Saudi and a large black smoke cloud could be seen from the circuit…
F1 drivers met for four hours yesterday, after practice on Friday- which included team bosses and F1 chiefs, it continued till 2.30am Saudi Arabia time.
It is to be understood that the drivers raised concerns over the safety of the event in the wake of the attacks. But while the lengthy meetings suggested some drivers may have wanted to boycott.
But the Saudi Arabian GP is still set to go ahead as planned and team bosses have insisted they will be racing this weekend.
The fire at the North Jeddah Bulk plant.
My Opinion-
Plain and simply I think no. Putting drivers and team members at risk for what? And marshals too, people who are offering their time to make sure the race goes ahead. It’s quite unbelievable we are going to see a race happen.
Round 2 in Saudi Arabia has started, let’s take a look at the first day.
Free Practice-
Felipe Drugovich set the pace in a disrupted practice session, he posted a 1:44.100 with Liam Lawson and Marcus Armstrong following the Brazilian driver.
It was Van Amersfoort first appearance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and they was the first team to get on track.
There was a lengthy stoppage due to Cem Bolukbasi went into the barriers, once it was cleared their was 13 minutes on the clock.
Lawson came close to taking the top spot but was still 0.150 of the benchmark.
The second red flag of the session stopped the running completely as there was 8 minutes to go. Theo Pourchaire lost control of his car at the exit of 22 and collided with the wall.
Qualifying-
A late showing from the fastest man from this morning, Felipe Drugovich, snatched pole position in the final minute of qualifying with a 1:40.422. The Brazilian finished ahead of Richard Verschoor and last weeks pole sitter, Jack Doohan.
Hughes broke the 1m 42s barrier for the first time, Hughes sat in P1 before Theo Pourchaire pulled to a stop on track and made the first red flag of the session as he had smoke coming from his ART Grand Prix.
The time to beat when the session resumed when 1:41.538, the resumption was short-lived though as Logan Sargeant crashed bringing out the second red flag.
It’s Jake Hughes who is on pole position for tomorrow’s Sprint Race as the top 10 switch round. Where as for Sunday it’s Felipe Drugovich!
Sebastian Vettel will miss the second race, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the German is still recovering from contracting Covid-19 before the season opener in Bahrain.
The news means that, as in Bahrain, Nico Hulkenberg has been called up to jump in the AMR22 again.
Hulkenberg will now get to experience the dramatic Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the very first time, following a difficult opening for Aston Martin as both drivers didn’t manage to score points.
The team have confirmed they expect Vettel who is currently recovering in Europe, having flown home after the Official Pre-Season Test in Bahrain to be fit for the Australian Grand Prix weekend taking place from the 8th to 10th of April.
“It was interesting,” said Hulkenberg after the race. “It was difficult, very difficult to be honest – first time [racing] obviously in a long, long time. There’s so many things happening in the race, it’s so dynamic, the car balance is changing, the fuel load is changing, so it’s difficult to keep up with all these changes and stay on top of things.”
After our first visit in December, we are back in Saudi Arabia for Round 2 of the F1 2022 Championship with Formula 2 also joining us.
After a double DNF for Red Bull can they have a good weekend or will problems strike again? Can Mercedes sort out their porpoising? How are Ferrari going to go into this weekend after securing pole position, and a 1-2. Well all eyes are onto the weekend…
Who needs a good weekend?
Red Bull, straight up. Scoring no points in the opening round isn’t a good start for the team as well as for Max if he is going to defend his title. Perez hasn’t finished the last 3 Grand Prix’s and one of them including Saudi Arabia last year.
Pierre needs a good weekend, it looked like he was set for points until his car caught fire last week and we all saw how consistent he can be with qualifying/scoring points, hopefully he can turn things around.
I feel like the Aston Martin’s need a good weekend- I feel like we haven’t seen much of them during testing and last weeks race, I wanna see if they can at least get one car into Q3 or even the points as they were quite clsoe last week.
Predictions for qualifying-
My top five are: Pole- Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz and P5: Hamilton.
This track is very unforgiving, one tiny mistake and your qualifying could be over- like we saw with Max Verstappen last year- could it happen again on Saturday?
If teams can’t sort out the porpoising by qualifying and if it is worse here, then it could ruin some qualifying laps which could lead to some shock exits from Q2.
Times for this weekend-
Friday 25th-
Free Practice F2: 11:25am – 12:10pm (GMT). Free Practice 1: 14:00pm – 15:00pm. Qualifying F2: 15:30pm – 16:00pm (GMT) Free Practice 2: 17:00pm – 18:00pm (GMT).
Saturday 26th-
Sprint Race F2: 12:30pm – 13:15pm (GMT). Free Practice 3: 14:00pm – 15:00pm (GMT). Qualifying 17:00pm – 18:00pm.
Sunday 27th-
Feature Race F2: 13:35pm (GMT). Saudi Arabian GP: 18:00pm (GMT).
As always, a new season in F1 means potentially some new records being broken, lets take a look at which ones.
Most drivers’ championships
I think this is the most obvious one, but its probably the biggest out of all the records. Lewis is still tied with Michael Schumacher on 7 titles, but if the Briton wins the championship this year he will set a new record.
Longest gap between wins
Current Record: Ricardo Patrese- 6 years, 211 days. This record is ongoing, in a sense, as Fernando Alonso has waited since the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix for a victory. A triumph for the Alpine driver this season and it will have been at least eight years since his last.
Most Grand Prix appearances/most raced laps/most GP finishes.
Current Record: Kimi Raikkonen- 349 GPs/18,621 laps/278 finishes. Three of Kimi Riakkonen’s records are up for grabs this year. Firstly Alonso could grab the most Grand Prix appearances: he is currently on 334 to Kimi’s 349.
Next up, Alonso could complete the most F1 race laps as he just 529 behind Raikkonen. The Spanish driver could break that record by the 10th round this season.
Both Alonso and Hamilton are in contention when it comes to Grand Prix finishes, however Hamilton is just five behind Alonso, who in turn is 13 behind Raikkonen.
Most races with a single constructor.
Current Record: Michael Schumacher- 179. This could be broken this weekend, as Lewis Hamilton only needs one more Grand Prix start with Mercedes to beat Michael Schumacher’s tally with Ferrari.
Most wins at the same Grand Prix.
Current Record: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 8. The German driver won eight French Grand Prix over his career, whilst the Brtion has had eight wins in Hungary and eight in Great Britian, one more at either venue and its another record.
Most podiums in a season.
Current Record: Max Verstappen – 18. This happened last year as Max stepped on the F1 podium 18 times out of 22 races. This year there is 23 races, so it could easily be possible if a driver does not have any mechanical issue or be involved in any incidents.
Most consecutive seasons with at least one win.
Current Record: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 15. Hamilton has enjoyed 15 consecutive seasons with at least one Grand Prix victory, Michael Schumacher also has this record with 15 years from 1992-06.
Most podiums from outside the front row.
Current Record: Kimi Raikkonen – 72. This record requires some work Alonso needs 5 more podiums which were achieved to grab this record.
Most frequent pairing on the podium.
Current Record: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel- 56. If Verstappen joins Hamilton on the podium 10 times this season, Max will take over from the former Red Bull driver.
Most consecutive race finishes.
Current Record: Lewis Hamilton- 48. Carlos Sainz is currently on a streak of 30 consecutive Grand Prix finishes- if Carlos manages to finish 19 more races in a row he will be the new holder of this achievement.
Most pole positions at the same GP.
Current Record: Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – 8. Ayrton Senna took eight poles in the San Marino GP, Schumacher took eight in Japan and Hamilton has eight in both Australia and Hungary, one more at either and he’ll have the most pole positions at the same Grand Prix.
Most consecutive wins at the same GP.
Current Record: Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton – 5. The Brazilian has won five Monaco Grand Prix in a row whilst Hamilton has a streak of five consecutive Spanish GP wins.
Most laps led without a win.
Current Record: Chris Amon – 183. New Zealander Chris Amon, dubbed my many as the ‘unluckiest’ F1 racer of all time, led 183 laps without winning a Grand Prix. But George Russell has led 59 laps, if leads 125 more laps without winning this achievement will be this… Surely not though?
Most home podiums.
Current Record: Alain Prost and Lewis Hamilton – 11. Prost took 11 French Grand Prix podiums over his career and is matched by Hamilton on 11 British GP podiums, only one more until its another record for Hamilton.
Most pole positions for an engine manufacturer.
Current Record: Ferrari – 232. Ferrari have the chance to extend their records as the most successful F1 engine manufacturer in terms of wins (240), pole positions (232), fastest laps (260) and podiums (784) this season. Mercedes is second in the charts in all but the championships stakes (where they sit behind Ferrari, Williams and McLaren), can only break the Scuderia’s record of pole positions this season; the Silver Arrows having 220 to their name.
Jordan's Track Talk 