Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • Ocon to leave Alpine

    Esteban Ocon and Alpine will be parting ways at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, ending a five-year relationship.

    Ocon first joined the Enstone-based team in 2020 where he went on to achieve his and Alpine’s first Grand Prix win when he triumphed in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix..

    He picked up two further podiums – at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and 2023 Monaco Grand Prix – and achieved a best year-end finish of eighth in 2022.

    However, Alpine boss Bruno Famin has been considering the options for his 2025 driver line-up in recent months and the French manufacturer has decided not to renew Ocon’s contract.

    Alpine have said they will announce their 2025 line-up in “due course” while Ocon who will be racing for Alpine for the remainder of the season – said he would confirm his future “soon”.

    The news comes after a difficult race weekend for Alpine in Monaco, when Ocon collided with Pierre Gasly on the first lap, earning him a five-place grid penalty for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
    But sources say that the decision to part ways with Ocon was not a response to the Monaco clash as his future had been under discussion for a while, however naturally, such an incident did not help the situation.

    It’s been a significant period of my life to be racing at this team in Formula 1. While I’ve been here for five years as a full-time racing driver, my professional career started at Enstone back when I was a teenager, so it will always be a special place for me. We have had some great moments together, some tough moments as well, and I am certainly grateful to everyone at the team for these memorable times. I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my full focus is on delivering on track for this team and having a successful remainder of the season.
    Ocon on the news.

    We would like to firstly thank Esteban for his commitment to the team for the past five years. During his time, we have celebrated some fantastic moments together, the best of which coming at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a memorable race win. We still have 16 races to complete in 2024 together with a clear objective: to continue to work tirelessly as a team to push for the best on-track results. We wish Esteban the very best for the next chapter of his driving career when that moment comes.
    Bruno Famin, Team Principal.

  • RW 8 – Monaco

    Round 8 out of 24 is complete, and we had a different winner this season!

    Charles Leclerc has finally taken his victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, having enjoyed a mostly serene drive to P1 in front of his home crowd. He led home McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in P2 and his teammate Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.

    The red flags were thrown before the first lap of the iconic event had even been completed after a huge collision which involved 3 cars!

    But before we get into that the full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Piastri, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris, P5: Russell, P6: Verstappen, P7: Hamilton, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Albon and P10: Gasly.

    A VERY good result for Ferrari, Charles finally done it! He kept it cool calm and collected to secure this very needed win! A fab result for Ferrari in general as Sainz finished 3rd, a really good points haul for the team, they will be looking to do the same quite a few more times this year.

    The same goes to McLaren a very good result, Oscar getting his first podium this year in P2, and Norris in P4, a good points haul again for the team.

    Max Verstappen finished 6th, not a thrilling race from the world champion, but then again what else did we expect from Monaco… The Dutchman will be looking forward to the next race after this horrible weekend.
    Now onto his teammate, Perez had a shocker in qualifying so would of wanted to at least have a decent race… well he didn’t, he was involved on the lap 1 incident which saw him being tagged by Magnussen up the inside, before he ricochet across the track and then collecting Hulkenberg back past.
    This put all three drivers out of the race immediately, all drivers were okay thankfully. But Perez will also be looking forwards to the next race weekend as well.

    A decent result for Mercedes, both cars in the top 10 and finishing where they started so not a bad result at all for the team.

    First points of the season for Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly! It was touch and go with the Alpine at the beginning of the race due to have a dramatic collision with his teammate, as Ocon tried to overtake him, which caused the driver to bounce into the air following contact, who then later retired.

    Now we have a little wait till the next race, the next grand prix weekend is the 7th – 9th June and it’s the Canadian Grand Prix!

  • RW 8 – Monaco Qualifying

    Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc charged his way to a wonderful pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix with a stunning display on home soil.
    He managed to get the better of McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in the all important grid deciding session.

    Leclerc avoided any slip-ups to safely make it through Q1 and Q2 before he unleashed his full potential in Q3.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Piastri, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris, P5: Russell, P6: Verstappen, P7: Hamilton, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Albon and P10: Gasly.

    A great result for Ferrari! A Pole and a third, they will be looking to grab the win tomorrow, especially as it’s Leclerc’s home race, so they are probably hoping to break the Monaco curse.

    The same goes to McLaren a 2nd and 4th! Qualifying around Monaco is always important, as it pretty much gives the finishing position for the race without strategies coming into play. So McLaren will want to be on their pit-stops and strategies tomorrow to see if they can secure their second win this season.

    A decent result for Mercedes too, the team have definitely made an improvement as George starts 5th and Lewis in 7th. Lewis has pretty much been on the pace all weekend aswell, so it’s looking like a hopeful turn round for the Mercedes team.

    A bit of a shocker for Verstappen and Sergio Perez, the Dutchman starts P6, which means his consecutive 8 poles in a row has stopped at that for now. Perez qualified 18th but will be starting 16th due to both Haas’s getting disqualified. Not a good weekend at all for Perez, it’s very unlikely he will be scoring points tomorrow.

    A good result for both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both drivers getting into Q3 and hoping to score their first points of the season!

    Both Aston Martins didn’t have the best qualifying, Alonso out in Q1 and Stroll out in Q2, the Silverstone based team have dropped down the order quite a bit compared to last season where Fernando Alonso started 2nd.

  • F3 drivers join McLaren Driver Development programme

    McLaren have announced that two more drivers are joining their development programme – Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne.
    Both currently race in Formula 3, Dunne for MP Motorsport and Stenshorne for Hitech Pulse-Eight.

    Dunne impressed McLaren when he won the 2022 British F4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, with the 18 year old from Ireland also put in an eye-catching performance in Bahrain earlier this year securing his first F3 points.

    Norwegian Stenshorne comes for a rallying background and was a prolific karter in his junior days, and has already tasted victory in F3 with a Sprint race win in Australia.

    McLaren’s Driver Development programme was established in 2022, and funnels young talent towards F1, Formula E and IndyCar.

    McLaren have a history of developing and promoting young talent – notably very happy to advance both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to F1, with both drivers going straight into the sharp end of the grid.

    We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline.
    Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business Operations – who runs the junior programme.

    It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’m looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I’m grateful for Zak [Brown] and Stephanie’s support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC.
    Dunne on the news.

    I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can’t wait to get started.
    Stenshorne adding to the news.

  • RW 8 – Tyre Selection

    The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the classics on the Formula 1 calendar and this year it reaches am impressive milestones as its the 70th edition of the race!

    As usual, Pirelli choice of slick tyre compounds falls to the three softest available this year, which means the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft),
    As is generally the case on street circuits the track has a particularly smooth surface, given it is in daily use for road cars so the tyres must provide as much grip as possible.

    In Monaco, the tyres are subjected to some of the lowest forces of the whole season as the average speed over the 3.337 kilometre-long track is very slow with some corners taken at less than 50 km/h, while the cars are only at full throttle for 30% of the lap.

    On a track where the margin for error is pretty much non-existent, one factor which affects how quickly a driver’s lap times come down is the confidence they gradually gain, regardless of how well they know the track, as they tackle its 19 corners and all the other hazards it harbours.

    The driver must work towards finding the best lines, getting ever close to the barriers, often brushing them with the shoulder of the tyres. The skill is in doing this without breaking anything on the car and it is the key to securing a good grid position. Which is essential in a race where overtaking is pretty much impossible, even when there is a performance gap between cars that can run into seconds.

    On a track like this, an appearance from the Safety Car is almost inevitable with past experience rating it at 77% probable, on average almost twice per races. Although curiously, last year’s race ran smoothly with no neutralisation periods.

  • McLaren unveil Senna inspired livery

    McLaren will run a vibrant one-off Ayrton Senna-inspired yellow, green and blue full wrap livery at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

    The livery takes inspiration from Senna’s iconic helmet and is designed to celebrate the Brazilian’s “incredible racing legacy”.

    Three-time world champion Senna is McLaren’s most successful driver, racing for the British operation between 1988 and 1993 – during which time, he secured 35 of his 41 Grand Prix wins, plus three drivers’ titles and four constructors’ championships.

    McLaren chose Monaco as the Monte Carlo track has become synonymous with Senna, the Brazilian – who passed away 30 years ago – winning six times in the Principality, including five times in a row from 1989.
    The race will come a week after a weekend at Imola that saw Senna, and Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger’s lives celebrated three decades on from their fatal accidents at the track.

    In Monaco, the McLaren team will also wear Senna-inspired team kit for the weekend, with race drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri wearing bespoke overalls.

    The livery is a collaboration with Senna Global and McLaren’s partner OKX.

    The team is proud to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary life and racing legacy of Ayrton Senna through this McLaren livery. Senna remains revered and respected as Formula 1’s greatest icon, and McLaren’s most decorated driver. His impact on McLaren is enormous, not only through his racing record but also presence within the team, and now his legacy, so it’s an honour to race for him at his most successful circuit in his green, yellow and blue colours. With it being the 30th anniversary of his passing, the team are choosing to recognise and celebrate his life at one of his favourite and most successful places to race, Monaco. We look forward to racing in this vibrant and beautiful livery this weekend.
    Zak Brown, McLaren CEO.

    It’s an honour to recognise Ayrton through these liveries in collaboration with both McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate his life and legacy through his iconic colours on both cars. McLaren meant a lot to him, and together they achieved a lot of success, much of which he is still remembered for today by so many. It will be special to see it race the streets of Monaco, a circuit which gave him so much joy and many triumphs.
    Senna’s niece Bianca Senna of Senna Global.

  • Ferrari sign former Mercedes duo

    Jerome d’Ambrosio will be joining Ferrari as their Deputy Team Principal after departing his role as head of Mercedes’ young driver programme.

    Reporting directly into team boss Fred Vasseur, D’Ambrosio will make the same move that Lewis Hamilton is set to make next year – from Brackley to Maranello – while D’Ambrosio will also take on the role of Head of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy.

    Born in Belgium in 1985, D’Ambrosio was a successful racing driver up until 2020, as he notched up a win in GP2 and three in Formula E, along with 20 F1 Grands Prix appearances from 2011 to 2012 for Virgin Racing and Lotus.

    Before he joined Mercedes in 2023 as their Driver Development Director, D’Ambrosio had also been Team Principal for Venturi Racing in Formula E.

    Joining him in swapping Mercedes for Ferrari is the Silver Arrows’ performance director Loic Serra, who will take on the role of Head of Chassis Performance Engineering for the Scuderia. Both are due to take on their new roles at Ferrari on October 1st this year.

    Serra, who will be reporting to Ferrari’s Technical Director Enrioc Cardile, will oversee various areas in his role at Maranello, including Track Engineering, Aero Development, Aero Operations and Vehicle Performance.
    As well as his experience at Mercedes, he has also worked for Michelin and the former BMW-Sauber team.

  • RW 7 – Emilia-Romagna

    Max Verstappen has returned to winning ways by taking victory in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the Dutchman holding off a late charge from McLaren’s Lando Norris.

    A thrilling end to the event ensued as Norris continued to cut into Verstappen’s advantage, but a snap of oversteer seemed to take further life out of the McLaren’s tyres, allowing the Red Bull to hold onto P1 by just 0.725s as the chequered flag was waved.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Piastri, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Russell, P8: Perez, P9: Stroll and P10: Tsunoda.

    What a result for McLaren, off the back of Lando’s win the other week in Miami, to then be challenging for another win and coming home with P2 is not bad at all! It makes you think if Piastri didn’t have the 3 place grid drop would he of got McLaren’s first double podium of the year?

    Obviously a very good result for Max after a tough weekend, even after qualifying the car wasn’t 100% where he would like it but he made the most of it.
    A bit of a poor race from Perez, obviously he started P11, and finished P8, it’s a hard track to over take on so he knew from the beginning of the race it wasn’t going to be easy.

    A good result for Ferrari on home turf, P3 and P5, I think we all expected much more from them in the race, but they didn’t have a terrible day so they will take it as a win two very good points positions with decent strategies aswell.

    A decent result for Mercedes! P6 for Lewis and P7 for Russell, as well as an extra point for fastest lap. Obviously the upgrades they’ve brought this weekend have improved the car a little bit but we will have to wait and see fully at another track!

    Points for Tsunoda!! His fourth time scoring points this season, the Japanese driver sits 10th in the Drivers’ standings so far.

    Not a good result for Aston Martin at all, especially for Fernando Alonso. He spent pretty much all afternoon at the back of the pack after a challenging qualifying. He then retired his Aston Martin in the latter stages of the race.

    Now we don’t have to wait too long for the next race, as it’s only next week and we head to one of the classics! The Monaco Grand Prix is Round 8, will it be Max Verstappen or can McLaren and Ferrari take home another win?

  • RW 7 – Emilia-Romagna Qualifying

    Max Vertappen added to his run of pole positions by claiming P1 on the grid for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the Dutchman narrowly triumphing over his rivals with an unbeatable lap in Imola.

    Verstappen first set a strong benchmark during the initial runs of Q3 and then improved even further during his final effort, pumping in a time of 1m14.746s in the Red Bull.
    This put him 0.074s clear of Australian driver, Oscar Piastri – who has now been penalised with a 3 place grid drop for impeding the Haas of Kevin Magnussen – and McLaren teammate Lando Norris in third.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Russell, P7: Tsunoda, P8: Hamilton, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A very good result for McLaren P2 and P3 effectively, but even with Oscar’s penalty it is still a very good result, and they will want this going into the race, and challenge for the win again and maybe get a podium too.

    Ferrari have some pace too, P4 and P5 for Leclerc and Sainz, all they need now is a good strategy in the race and they could be fighting for podiums.

    A decent result for Mercedes! P6 for Russell and P8 for Hamilton, which is roughly where they thought they would be. The team will be wanting to score some points today as they are trailing behind in the constructors compared to last year.

    A very good result for RB! Both Tsunoda and Ricciardo in the top 10 with there upgrades clearly working, now they will be wanting to capitalise on their performance and grab some all important points!

    A shock in qualifying was Sergio Perez, not making Q3! He didn’t manage to improve on his final lap in Q2, which means the Red Bull driver has a lot of work to do in the race…

    Another shock I’d say is Fernando Alonso out in Q1! He will be lining up P19, so far this weekend the Spaniard has had a shocker of a weekend! It will be interesting to see what he can do in the race.

  • Albon signs multi-year contract with Williams

    Alex Albon has signed a multi-year contract extension with Williams, which will keep him at the team into Formula 1’s new regulation era when it kicks off in 2026.

    The London-born Thai driver was handed a race seat opportunity by Williams for the start of the 2022 season having lost his drive with Red Bull at the end of 2020 and then spent a year as the team’s test and reserve driver.

    Upon his return to front-line racing, Albon quickly showed his class with a series of assured drivers, using his prowess in the improved 2023 Williams FW45 to net 27 of the team’s eventual 28 points that season, a feat that earned them P7 in the constructors’ standings – their best finish since 2017.

    And despite Williams being one of two squad in 2024 – along with Kick Sauber – yet to get off the mark, Albon put his faith in the Dorilton Capital-backed team heading into Formula 1’s new regulation cycle in 2026, signing a multi-year extension to remain at Williams.

    With Albon’s future confirmed, attention now switches to who will be racing next to him in 2025, with team having recently admitted that they’re speaking to “four or five Drivers” as they weigh up whether to continue with Logan Sargeant for a third season.

    The team are believed to be one of several considering employing the services of Mercedes junior and F2 racer, Kimi Antonelli.

    I am incredibly happy to be remaining with Williams Racing and to continue working with such a talented and dedicated team of people. 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. 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. 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.
    Albon on the news.

    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.
    James Vowles, Williams Team Principal.

  • RW 7 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 returns to Europe after eight months on from the previous Grand Prix to be held on the old continent and in the same country, Italy.

    This weekend’s race is only the fourth edition of the Gran Premio Del Made in Italy E dell’Emilia Romagna, previously held from 2020 to 2022 as last year’s event had to be cancelled because of floods that hit large parts of the region.

    For the seventh round of the season, Pirelli has decided to go with the softest trio of tyre compounds: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).
    It will be the first time this trio will be put to the test at the Emilian track, although it was to have been the choice for last year’s cancelled event.

    Imola is one of the oldest fixtures on the championship calendar, known for being a technical track which highlights the skills of the drivers who have to tackle quite complex combinations of corners and braking zones.

    The track is not particularly hard in terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, even if the asphalt is still relatively abrasive, despite the fact that the last time resurfacing work was carried out on 70% of its almost five kilometre length dates back to 2011.

    With 19 corners and a significant 30 metre elevation change from the highest point to the lowest, the track is rather narrow and there is only one DRS zone, making overtaking far from easy.

    On paper, having the three softest compounds could produce more options in terms of pit stop strategy in a race that usually would require just on tyre change, especially as time lost in the pit lane is one of the highest of the year.
    There is also the strong possibility of the race being neutralised at some point, something that has happened in over 70% of races run at Imola to date.

  • Alpine sign Sanchez

    Alpine have announced the appointment of David Sanchez in the newly-created role of Executive Technical Director.
    It marks a return for Sanchez, who left McLaren just last month.

    Sanchez, who joins Alpine immediately, will be overseeing the team’s recent restructured technical department, with Ciaron Pilbeam (Performance), Joe Burnell (Engineering) and David Wheater (Aerodynamics) all reporting to him.

    French engineer Sanchez started his F1 career at Enstone in 2005 as a junior aerodynamicist for the then Renault team, and later spent over 10 years with Ferrari, where he headed their aerodynamics department and later working as Head of Vehicle Concept, before signing with McLaren last winter.

    Alpine have experienced a difficult start to their 2024 campaign, with drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. With Ocon scoring their first point of the season last time out in Miami.

    I’m excited by this challenge at Alpine. I’m looking forward to working at Enstone again, the place where I started my Formula 1 career. This team has always had so many fantastic people involved and there is clearly so much potential to unlock. We have a big task ahead to improve on-track performance and it is this type of challenge that motivates me. I’m very much ready to begin and look forward to working with the Enstone-Viry technical teams again with the sole aim of bringing regular success back to this great team.
    Sanchez on the news.

    This is a key appointment to ensure we are optimising everything we do as a team and focusing on the right performance areas. It is clear that the performance of the car and development path has not moved at a sufficient pace relative to our ambitions as a team. We look forward to welcoming David and working hard together to achieve the ultimate success.
    Famin on the news.

  • RW 6 – Miami

    WOW… What a race we had in Miami for Round 6 out of 24! We had a first time winner in F1, and some drama along the way, so let’s take a look at it…

    McLaren driver, Lando Norris has now added his name to the list of Formula 1 race WINNERS with a sensational driver for victory in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

    Joining him in the top three is Max Verstappen in 2nd, and in third is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc!

    Norris ran sixth in the early stages of the race, with fast-starting team mate Oscar Piastri the McLaren man who initially looked most likely to cause an upset, however… A safety car at the midway point played perfectly into the Briton’s hands after he extended his opening stint.
    Norris emerged from the pits in the lead, with Verstappen in second after stopping under normal racing conditions, and despite an initial attack from the latter at the restart.
    A cool, calm and collected performance thereafter and balance problems for Verstappen, meant there was no stopping Norris.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Tsunoda, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Ocon.

    What a result for Mr Lando Norris… I honestly can’t believe it and I bet he can’t either!! Lando had a lovely drive, he kept it cool and calm. I’m so happy for him and the team.
    His teammate, was doing so well, he was running in P2 for a while at the beginning of the race, until he had a collision with Carlos Sainz where he needed to pit for a new front wing which saw the Australian drop all the way down to the bottom of the grid.

    A decent result for Red Bull, obviously Max in P2 and Checo in P4, a nice points haul for the team and keeping their lead in the constructors!

    Ferrari had a very good result aswell, P3 for Leclerc and P5 for Sainz the team will be happy with that result aswell.

    Esteban Ocon has scored his first point this season which is also Alpine’s first point this season as well! It’s just what the team needs, which hopefully will set them onto a better path.

    An unlucky driver was Logan Sargeant, Magnussen was attempting a move on Sargeant through the Turn 2 flick, where contact sent the American into the barriers and the Dane back to the pits for repairs, with the American sustaining terminal damage upon impact which was a disappointing end to the first of three home Grand Prix he is set to take part in.
    Magnussen got given a 10 second time penalty for the clash.

    Now we have a little wait till the next race, we head to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which is round 7, on the weekend of 17th to 19th May.

  • RW 6 – Miami Qualifying

    Max Verstappen has claimed his seventh consecutive pole position by taking P1 on the grid for the Miami Grand Prix, despite failing to improve during his final flying lap.

    The Dutchman had provisionally put himself into pole in the first runs of Q3 having set a time of 1m 27.241s and this proved to be enough to maintain the position. Charles Leclerc will join the red bull driver on the front row, with his teammate Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.

    The full top 10 is – P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Norris, P6: Piastri, P7: Russell, P8: Hamilton, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Tsunoda.

    A good result for Max once again, it was just a copy and paste for him! Perez one position down than compared to sprint qualifying, but it’s not the end of the world for the Mexican.

    A very good result from Ferrari, I can see them challenging for the win as they have had quite good pace this weekend. If not they will want to try their hand at a double podium.

    A good result from McLaren P5 and P6, Lando will be wanting to make up for a disappointing sprint where he DNF’ed. The McLaren’s have brought some upgrades this weekend and they seem to be working, so they have got pace this weekend which could see some potential for a podium…

    A much better result for Mercedes, both cars in the top 10, P7 for Russell and P8 for Hamilton. They will be wanting to capitalise on that as much as they can.

    Hulkenberg and Tsunoda had a good qualifying both in the top 10, both drivers will be wanting to score once again in the race.

    A bit of a shocker qualifying for Aston Martin. Both drivers not in the top 10, Stroll starts P11, which is okay but his in the middle of the pack which isn’t the best place. And Alonso starts P15 which is not good at all.

    Ricciardo had a bit of a bad qualifying, a bit of a different one to the sprint qualifying… He starts P18, he needs to have a really good drive and do some lovely overtakes to make up for the qualifying position.

  • RW 6 – Miami Sprint Race

    Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, leading home Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez at the end of an action packed encounter.

    The Dutchman defended his lead at the start and overcame an early Safety Car before building up a comfortable advantage at the head of the field.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ricciardo, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Hulkenberg, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Gasly and P10: Sargeant.

    A great result for Red Bull as usual! It’s not surprising at all, especially Perez he is being really consistent at the moment.

    A nice result from Ferrari, P2 and P5, some more points on the board which will mean everything when it comes to the closing stages of the season!

    Now, we are talking about him again. Mr Daniel Ricciardo, P4! It was looking like P3 at one point during the Sprint but P4 is a very good result for the Aussie and the team. And for his teammate got in the points aswell, so double points!

    A nice result from Piastri, a few points on the board for the team. Not a very good race for Norris, he was involved in a lap one incident where he was tipped into a spin at the first corner, where he had terminal damage after contact between Hamilton, Alonso and Stroll.

    Not a very good sprint for both Mercedes, which was partly due to a bad qualifying but the race wasn’t much better. Hamilton was obviously involved in the lap 1 incident. And Russell ended up dropping back at the start and then had a few troubles getting past other drivers.

    Hulkenberg in P7 aswell, a great result for Haas and a couple points for the team in their home grand prix. His teammate, Kevin Magnussen played a big part in this, helping to stop other drivers come past so his teammate can score some points.

  • RW 6 – Miami Sprint Qualifying

    Max Verstappen will be starting from pole for the Sprint in Miami after storming to P1, while an earlier challenge from McLaren seemed to fall away.

    With every driver opting for just one flying lap in SQ3, Verstappen went quickest of all with a 1m 27.641s. The Red Bull driver will be joined on the front row by Leclerc, who was only 0.108s away. Rounding out the top three is Sergio Perez.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Ricciardo, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Norris and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A great result from Red Bull both drivers, Max on pole, even though he didn’t have a very good lap… and also a very good performance from Perez aswell.

    A very good result from Leclerc, P2 especially after him not running in FP1 as he caused a red flag to recover his Ferrari after getting stuck on the track. So considering not much running for the Monegasque its a decent result.

    Now the standout for me, Mr Daniel Ricciardo, P4!! In an RB aswell, he will be wanting to capitalise on this result as much as he can. And the team will be wanting him to do that aswell. But this is what the Australian driver needed to prove he deserves a seat next season whether its in the Red Bull or the RB car…

    A decent result for Aston Martin both cars in the top 10, just what the team wants, but especially for Lance Stroll, whose had some up and down performances.

    A shock in sprint qualifying was both Mercedes out in SQ2, not at all what the team wants. They had some decent pace in free practice and made a few little changes but they were not the right ones clearly. They have three more chances this weekend so hopefully something will go right.

  • Red Bull confirm Newey to leave the team

    Red Bull have announced that Adrian Newey is to leave the team, with the esteemed F1 designer departing after almost 20 years at Milton Keynes.

    Newey first joined Red Bull ahead of their second season in 2006 and has been instrumental in the squad’s success over the years, helping to turn the operation from midfield runners and point scorers into Grand Prix winners and world champions.

    Which has led Red Bull to claim six constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ titles – between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen respectively – with Newey designed cars to date, and they are currently on course to do the double again in 2024.

    However, it has now been confirmed just before the Miami Grand Prix that Newey will be departing from his Chief Technical Officer role in the first quarter of 2025.

    A Red Bull statement also confirmed that Newey would be stepping back from Formula 1 design duties to “focus on final development and delivery of Red Bull’s first hypercar, the hugely anticipated RB17.” He will see out this project until its completion and will continue to attend specific race to support the F1 team trackside to the end of 2024.

    Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula 1, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality. 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. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the team my focus will lie there. I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work. It has been a real privilege, and I am confident that the engineering team are well prepared for the work going into the final evolution of the car under the four-year period of this regulation set. On a personal note, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya for their unwavering support during my time at Red Bull, and Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend of our respective families. Also, thanks to Oliver Mintzlaff for his stewardship and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.
    Newey on leaving the team.

    All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller. His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualise beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, 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 Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined. More than that, the past 19 years with Adrian have been enormous fun. For me, when Adrian joined Red Bull, he was already a superstar designer. Two decades and 13 Championships later he leaves as a true legend. He is also my friend and someone I will be eternally grateful to for everything he brought to our partnership. The legacy he leaves behind will echo through the halls of Milton Keynes and RB17 Track Car will be a fitting testament and legacy to his time with us.
    Christian Horner on the news.

  • RW 6 – Tyre Selection

    The Miami Grand Prix is the sixth round of the season and the first of three to be held in the United States of America.
    The temporary street circuit flows around the Hard Rock Stadium, a multipurpose venue which is home to the Miami Dolphins.

    The 5.412 kilometre long track, which the drivers will tackle 57 times on Sunday, which features 19 corners, three straights, three DRS zones and top speeds can exceed 340 km/h.
    There are some elevation changes, the main one being between turns 13 and 16, with the track rising and falling as it goes over an exit ramp and under various overpasses.

    The three sectors are each different in character, making for a lap which has a bit of everything. The first boasts a run of eight high speed corners, while the second sector has a long straight and a few low speed turns. The final run to the finish line consists of a straight and three flowing corners.

    The three dry tyre compounds chosen by Pirelli are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft). The track was resurfaced before last year’s race and is very smooth, therefore offering quite low grip.
    This leads to a very significant track evolution and graining could put in appearance, particularly with the medium and soft tyres.

    In terms of strategy, the Miami Grand Prixx is a classic one-stop race, with hard and medium compounds the outright favourites. Last year, Verstappen started from ninth on the grid on Hard tyres before switching ti Mediums, while the other two drivers who made it to the podium, Perez and Alonso, went the other way (medium then hard).

    This is also the second sprint of the year, therefore with only one hour of free practice the teams and drivers have to find the best set-up as well as evaluating tyre behaviour.

  • Kick Sauber sign Hulkenberg for 2025

    Nico Hulkenberg will be leaving Haas at the conclusion of the 2024 season, with Sauber securing him for the 2025 season and beyond.

    Hulkenberg joined forces with Haas in 2023, in a move that saw the German driver return to the sport after three-year absence from a full-time F1 driver.
    But now it’s been confirmed that the 36 year old will depart the American squad and make his way to Sauber at the end of the campaign.

    Hulkenberg’s switch will trigger a return to the Sauber team he previously represented in 2013, with the Hinwil operation – who have fielded Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu for the past three seasons – soon to be officially taken over by German manufacturer Audi.

    For Haas, they will be taking their time to fill the vacant seat as we are not even half way through the season yet… But there is one driver who is the favourite which is Ferrari’s Ollie Bearman!

    And for Sauber, it hasn’t been confirmed yet, who is leaving whether it’s Bottas or Zhou Guanyu…

    I’d like to extend my thanks to Nico for his contributions to the team in the time that he’s been here with us – he’s been a great team player and someone we very much enjoy working with. His experience and feedback have proved invaluable to us in terms of improving our overall performance – a fact that’s clearly evident in both his qualifying and race performances in the VF-24 this season. There’s lots more racing to go this year so we look forward to continuing to benefit from his inputs throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.
    Ayao Komatsu, on Hulkenberg’s departure.

    We are very pleased to welcome Nico back here in Hinwil from 2025 and to compete with him in Formula 1. With his speed, his experience and his commitment to teamwork, he will be an important part of the transformation of our team – and of Audi’s F1 project. Right from the start, there was great mutual interest in building something long-term together. Nico is a strong personality, and his input, on a professional and personal level, will help us to make progress both in the development of the car and in building up the team.
    Andreas Siedl, CEO of Sauber Motorsport AG and also CEO of the future Audi F1 factory team.

    I’m returning to the team I worked with back in 2013 and have fond memories of the strong team spirit in Switzerland. The prospect of competing for Audi is something very special. When a German manufacturer enters Formula 1 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 on the news.

  • Formula 1 announce 2025 calendar

    The FIA and Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, with another 24-round season in store for fans, drivers and team as the championship marks it 75th Anniversary.

    Starting off with Australian Grand Prix from March 14th-16th and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from December 5th to 7th, with the paddock visiting five of the world’s seven continents.

    The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix are normally held in March but due to Ramadan they are now being held in April.

    The traditional summer break remains in August, with three weekends off separating the pre-holiday Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring and the post-holiday Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

    Changes made to the calendar in 2024 to create a better geographical flow of races have been carried over to 2025, with Japan in April following Australia and Chine, followed predominantly by the European races over the summer and the Americas during the Autumn, before Qatar and Abu Dhabi finish the season back to back.

    2025 will be a special year as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the FIA Formula One World Championship, and it’s that legacy and experience that allows us to deliver such a strong calendar. Once again, we’ll visit 24 incredible venues around the world, delivering top class racing, hospitality, and entertainment, which will be enjoyed by millions of fans worldwide. We’re grateful to the FIA, our promoters, host city partners, and all the related ASNs for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule and securing what promises to be another fantastic year for Formula 1. I would also like to pay tribute to our F1 teams and drivers, the heroes of our sport, and our fans around the world for continuing to follow Formula 1 with such incredible enthusiasm.
    Stefano Domenicali on the new calendar.

    The 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, approved by the World Motor Sport Council, is a further illustration of our collective mission of meeting sustainability objectives through the regionalisation of events. While our focus is on the overall stability of Formula 1, we also have a shared duty to the environment and to the health and well-being of travelling staff. Formula One Management, under the direction of Stefano Domenicali, have produced a calendar which strikes a good blend of traditional circuits and modern venues. We thank the host ASNs, the local organisers and the many thousands of FIA volunteers for their tireless efforts in making Formula 1 a truly global, mass audience spectacle as we prepare to celebrate the sport’s 75th year.
    FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem on the new calendar.

    RoundCountryDate
    1AustraliaMarch 14th – 16th
    2ChinaMarch 21st – 23rd
    3JapanApril 4th – 6th
    4BahrainApril 11th – 13th
    5Saudi ArabiaApril 18th – 20th
    6USA (Miami)May 2nd – 4th
    7Italy (Imola)May 16th – 18th
    8Monaco May 23rd – 25th
    9SpainMay 30th – June 1st
    10CanadaJune 13th – 15th
    11AustriaJune 27th – 29th
    12United KingdomJuly 4th – 6th
    13BelgiumJuly 25th – 27th
    14HungaryAugust 1st – 3rd
    15NetherlandsAugust 29th – 31st
    16Italy (Monza)September 5th – 7th
    17AzerbaijanSeptember 19th – 21st
    18SingaporeOctober 3rd – 5th
    19USA (Austin)October 17th – 19th
    20MexicoOctober 24th – 26th
    21BrazilNovember 7th – 9th
    22USA (Las Vegas)November 20th – 22nd
    23QatarNovember 28th – 30th
    24Abu DhabiDecember 5th – 7th

  • Alonso signs new contract with Aston Martin

    Fernando Alonso will continue to race in Formula 1 with Aston Martin next season after the team announced that he has signed a fresh deal to keep him onboard into 2026 and the sport’s next regulatory cycle.

    Alonso made the move to Aston Martin from Alpine for the 2023 season and the two parties enjoyed a strong start to their partnership by bagging six podium finishes across the first eight races of last year’s campaign.

    Highlights included P2 finishes in Monaco, Canada and the Netherlands, as the Spanish driver helped the team rise from seventh to fifth in the constructors’ standings under team owner Lawrence Stroll’s push to turn Aston Martin into a title-contending team.

    Amid relatively stable regulations and a converging field, Aston Martin have experienced a solid but unspectacular start to the 2024 season, remaining in fifth position behind Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes with a series of top 10 finishes.

    Following on from Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to Ferrari, there was speculation over Alonso’s future, initially regarding whether or not he would commit to another stint in F1 and if he did, would it be with Aston Martin?
    But the team was quick to confirm that, and lock down the world champion!

    Securing Fernando’s long-term future with Aston Martin Aramco is fantastic news. We have built a strong working relationship over the last 18 months and we share the same determination to see this project succeed. We have been in constant dialogue over the last few months and Fernando has been true to his word: when he decided he wanted to continue racing, he talked to us first. Fernando has shown he believes in us, and we believe in him. Fernando is hungry for success, driving better than ever, is fitter than ever, and is completely dedicated to making Aston Martin Aramco a competitive force. This multi-year agreement with Fernando takes us into 2026 when we begin our works power unit partnership with Honda. We look forward to creating more incredible memories and achieving further success together.

  • RW 5 – China

    Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory in a Chinese Grand Prix which was full of incidents and overtakes. Joining him in the top three is McLaren’s Lando Norris in P2 and teammate Sergio Perez in P3.

    Verstappen led the vast majority of a strategic race at the Shanghai International Circuit which featured a Virtual Safety Car and two Safety Car periods, with the Dutchman sailing off into the sunset, leaving the drama behind him.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Perez, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Piastri, P9: Hamilton and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A great race for Red Bull P1 for Max and P3 for Perez, which extends their lead in the constructors, and they had four very good pitstops which they nailed perfectly.

    Mr Lando Norris, bringing home a P2! And defending from Perez in P3, a great points haul for the Brit, his teammate grabbed P8 with damage aswell, so a decent race for him!

    P4 and P5 for Ferrari, I don’t think they could’ve done much more to be honest, and it’s not a bad position. Hopefully next time out in Miami they can get back to being on the podium etc.

    A decent result for Mercedes, could’ve been better if Hamilton placed higher in qualifying but he came through the pack to grab some points.

    Valtteri Bottas was one of the retirements, as his Stake car ground to a halt at the exit of Turn 11, reporting that the “engine is gone” with yellow flags initially flown to cover the incident before the Virtual Safety Car was required.
    The VSC then turned into a full Safety Car due to Bottas’ car stuck in gear.

    There was then drama a few moments later at the restart, as Tsunoda got tipped into a spin by Magnussen exiting Turn 6, leaving the RB with terminal rear-right damage and sending the Haas limping back to the pits with a puncture.
    Replays then showed a dramatic concertina effect as cars bunched up at the final hairpin just before the restart, with Stroll running into the back of Ricciardo and briefly sending the RB airborne while littering debris all over the track in the process, which then led the Safety Car to come out again.

    We don’t have to wait too long till the next race, as we head to the US for the first of three Grand Prix this year, and its the Miami Grand Prix on the weekend of 3rd to 5th May!

  • RW 5 – China Sprint Qualifying & Race

    Sprint Qualifying-

    The first sprint qualifying of the year is complete, and it was quite entertaining with both rain and fire, yes FIRE..

    But it was Lando Norris who claimed pole during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, however it wasn’t easy for the Brit as originally he had his lap time deleted but it was reinstated.
    In the top three joining him, is another Brit, Mr Lewis Hamilton flew to P2, looking like he was going to get pole at one point. Finishing the top three is Fernando Alonso.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Hamilton, P3: Alonso, P4: Verstappen, P5: Sainz, P6: Perez, P7: Leclerc, P8: Piastri, P9: Bottas and P10: Zhou.

    A great qualifying from Lando Norris, he excelled in the wet and put it on pole when he needed to. His teammate with a decent result aswell starting in P8.

    Verstappen was struggling a little as he skidded off the track a few times too, but with starting P4 his still got plenty to give, and will no doubt make up positions in no time. His teammate also isn’t too far behind him in P6.

    A great result for Kick Sauber! Especially for Zhou as it’s his first ever home grand prix and to have both drivers in the top 10 is a great result, they will want to score points in the Sprint to put towards the constructors championship.

    There was quite a shock for Yuki Tusonda as he was eliminated in SQ1 where he will start down in 19th, his teammate had a decent qualifying in 14th even though he abandoned his final attempt amid the rainfall.

    We also had George Russell who was forced to abort his flying lap in SQ2 with the rain starting to fall during the final moments which means he will be starting P11.

    Sprint Race-

    Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen move back to the top of the pecking order during Saturday’s Sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit as he turned his low-key P4 into a commanding victory.

    Verstappen slowly made moves up the order across the 19 lap race, benefitting from pole-sitter Lando Norris running off the track during the first lap and then set his eyes on Alonso and Hamilton.

    The full top 10 are – P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Perez, P4: Leclerc, P5: Sainz, P6: Norris, P7: Piastri, P8: Russell, P9: Zhou and P10: Magnussen.

    A good result from Verstappen to claim the Sprint victory, I think there was no doubt about it from the Dutchman he was going from strength to strength. His teammate has got a good result aswell P3 for Perez.

    A great result for Hamilton in P2, a lovely result from the Mercedes driver, a decent points haul aswell. Russell managed to grab the final points position in P8, a decent recovery drive from him.

    Fernando Alonso was the only DNF in the sprint. Sainz attacked Alonso heading Turn 6, with a strong exit from Ferrari seeing them go through Turn 7, where the two Spaniards made contact.
    Alonso dropped back with a puncture from that contact, losing several places in the last sector.

    A decent result for the Ferrari pair, they also had a very close fight at the final hair pin after the Alonso incident, which caused an angry message from the Monegasque.

    Zhou was close to the points! P9 for the Chinese driver, it’s a shame he couldn’t get any at his home race but sometimes that’s just racing…

  • RW 5 – Tyre Selection

    The Chinese Grand Prix is back on the calendar after a five year break, meaning that 2019 was the last year Formula 1 raced in Shanghai on that occasion hosting celebrations to mark the 1000th event in the history of motorsport’s most prestigious world championship.

    All 16 editions have been run on the Shanghai International Circuit, designed by Hermann Tikle, with its outline loosely based on the Chinese “shang” character.
    The 5.451 kilometre-long track boasts 16 corners, many of them very slow for example section through turns 1 to 3 and 6 to 14, while others are high speed such as the esses through turns 7 and 8. There are two long straights, both used as a DRS zone.

    Based on simulations and past data, the tyres are subjected to lateral and longitudinal forces here that fall into the medium category, with the outside of the tyre, especially on the left hand side of the car, wearing the most.
    The trio of tyres chosen back in the winter for Shanghai is in the midrange with the C2 as hard, C3 medium and C4 as soft.
    Nominally, that’s the same selection as in 2019 but the scenario is very different. Five years ago, the 13 inch tyres were in use and were fitted to the previous generation of car.

    Complicating it further is the fact that the Chinese Grand Prix is the first of six events this season running to the Sprint format, which itself has been slightly modified for this year in terms of running order of the sessions.
    This now means there is only one practice session to find the right set-up for the cars, as well as figuring out the tyres.

    Usually the Chinese Grand Prix is a two-stop race race, partly because there are several places to overtake such as braking into Turn 14 and then on the main straight as well as into turn 6. Just as Suzuka, the undercut is usually very effective on this track.

  • RW 4 – Japan

    Round 4 is complete, with a lot of different strategies going on and it all started because of a red flag early on in the race.

    But it was Max Verstappen who took the chequered flag first and bounced back after retirement in Australia! His teammate followed behind in 2nd, making it another 1-2 for Red Bull and rounding out the podium is Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Norris, P6: Alonso, P7: Russell, P8: Piastri, P9: Hamilton and P10: Tsunoda.

    A dominating display by Red Bull for both drivers, a third successive pole-to-victory conversion for the Dutchman, while also marking a third win from four races in 2024, boosting his lead in the drivers’ championship.

    A very good result for Ferrari aswell, P3 and P4 for Sainz and Leclerc. A good team effort, especially with Leclerc’s strategy as him and Sainz were on alternate strategies to get the best situation.

    A good result for Fernando Alonso, I don’t think anyone doubts he wont be in the points each race unless it’s something which isn’t his fault. I think people need to start looking at his teammate a bit more aswell, finishing 12th and then moaning about the car, when his teammate scored points? Doesn’t make sense really.

    For Mercedes it was a better weekend than Australia, they at least had both cars finish and both cars in the points. But they really are struggling at the moment, whether it’s strategy or just the car they need to make some improvements as soon as possible.

    A point for Yuki Tsunoda on his home turf. His doing the right thing to get a seat for next year, and making himself look more like a number one driver which is interesting…
    However for his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon had a little coming together, which sent both cars across the gravel and into the barriers at speed, which cause the red flag due to the damage of the tyre barriers. Luckily both drivers were okay, but it’s not what Daniel needed as he knows he needs to prove himself at the moment.

    Haas had a strong showing, just missing out on points with Hulkenberg in P11 and Magnussen in P13. I think the team is just taking every race as it comes at the moment, and will try and capitalise on others misfortune.

    We don’t have long to wait till round 5, as we finally make a return to China, for the Chinese Grand Prix, in two weeks time on the 19th to 21st April.

  • RW 4 – Japan Qualifying

    Qualifying is over for the Japanese Grand Prix and it was Max Verstappen continued his run of pole positions in 2024 as he took P1 on the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.

    The Dutchman was joined by teammate Sergio Perez in 2nd, making it a 1-2 in qualifying for Red Bull, the team will want to do a copy and paste situation tomorrow and make up for last time out in Australia. Joining them in the top tree is McLaren’s Lando Norris!

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Norris, P4: Sainz, P5: Alonso, P6: Piastri, P7: Hamilton, P8: Leclerc, P9: Russell and P10: Tsunoda.

    A lovely result for Red Bull, starting as they mean to go on! It was good to see Perez get closer to Verstappen aswell, only ending up 0.066 away from the champion.

    A nice result for McLaren aswell, Lando starting on the second row! Himself and the team will be aiming for a podium tomorrow but anything could happen… Oscar Piastri in P6 a decent result from him aswell.

    Mercedes had an okay result P7 for Hamilton and P9 for Russell, not the best result for the team, but with the track always improving someone has to be worse off.

    Yuki Tsunodaaaa P10 for the Japanese driver, and infront on his home crowd as well!! He will be aiming for points, but with him going P10 he did knock out his teammate Daniel Ricciardo who will be starting P11.

    Quite a big shock i’d say is Lance Stroll being knocked out in Q1, he will be starting P16 quite a big difference between him and Alonso who starts P5. The Canadian has a lot of work to do in the race to be able to score some points.

  • McLaren unveil bespoke livery

    McLaren have unveiled a bespoke livery that will adorn Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s car across the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

    Designed by Japanese artist MILTZ, the livery highlights the Driven by Change campaign, which returns for its fourth F1 season. The campaign celebrates emerging creatives through the global motorsport platform, providing opportunities to showcase their innovative artwork to the world.

    For McLaren’s special design, MILTZ’s artwork is inspired by Edomoji, a traditional Japanese calligraphy, which he fuses with modern art and culture.
    On the McLaren MCL38 he has used this to represent the speed of a Formula 1 car in the form of a dragon racing through the clouds.

    When I first became a freelance artist, I never thought an opportunity like this was possible – this is the biggest international project I have ever done! As I continue to build my profile as an artist, I want my artwork to champion the rich traditions of Japanese writing culture, such as Edomoji, but with a modern twist. From my work with local businesses in Japan to the McLaren Formula 1 Team, there are so many beautiful stories to tell through art.

    MILTZ on the livery.

  • McLaren announce several organisational changes

    McLaren have made another raft of changes to their technical department following the first three rounds of the 2024 season, with David Sanchez departing the organisation just a few months on from starting in his new role.

    Former Ferrari aerodynamic specialist Sanchez was one of two key winter signings by McLaren, alongside ex-Red Bull technical wizard Rob Marshall, as the team look to build on their initial reshuffle last year.

    However, “following a number of discussions” over the job responsibilities, Sanchez has vacated his position as Technical Director, Car Concept and Performance, leading to a series of updates across his department.

    Following Sanchez’s exit, Marshall will assume the role of Chief Designer, Neil Houldley moves over to become Technical Director of Engineering, while Peter Prodomou will continue in his role as Technical Director of Aerodynamics.

    McLaren added that the Concept and Performance department will be streamlined to focus on performance and will be led by the Technical Director of Performance – team boss Andrea Stella will assume this role in the interim until a permanent appointment is confirmed.

    This further step in the evolution of the structure of the Technical Department and of the working model within the team signify our commitment to constantly enhancing our technical capabilities and workflows for greater efficiency and effectiveness. 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 endeavours.

    Stella on the news.

    I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this team. While the role we envisioned and had agreed to was not aligned with the reality of the position I found, I leave with respect for the leadership, admiration for the dedication of my colleagues, and appreciation for the openness and honesty in which we discussed and arrived at this decision. I wish this team continued success as it continues its journey to the front of the grid where it belongs. I look forward to my next challenge within F1.

    Sanchez added.

  • RW 4 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 returns to Japan just over six months after its last visit to the country, with this years Japanese Grand Prix takes place in April for the first time in history.
    Normally, Suzuka has frequently crowned world champions – both drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings. The last two years have been no exceptions, in 2022 Max Verstappen sealed his second title at the venue and last year Red Bull were crowned constructors’ champions.

    Suzuka is a true classic with the 5.807 kilometre track testing every driver’s talent with a demanding layout characterised by a figure-eight layout which is unique in Formula 1.

    The track also tests the tyres both in terms of wear as well as the forces and loads to which they are subjected throughout the variety of corners that make the lap.
    As usual Pirelli has selected the hardest trio of compounds: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft).

    A two-stopper is the most common strategy due to the energy gong through the tyres and the stress to which they are subjected. However, lower temperatures might mean a one-stop strategy become possible.
    Not only this, a one-stopper also decreases the effectiveness of the undercut, which is usually very useful at Suzuka.

  • Ayumu Iwasa to make F1 Debut at Japanese GP

    RB have announced that Super Formula racer Ayumu Iwasa will make his Formula 1 weekend debut at the Japanese Grand Prix by appearing in free practice with the team.

    Iwasa, 22, is set to drive Daniel Ricciardo’s car during FP1 at Suzuka next week, meaning an all-Japanese RB line-up alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the opening session.

    Iwasa finished fourth in last year’s F2 standings, where he took three race victories and three further podiums across the season, along with one pole position.
    He made the move to the Japan-based Super Formula championship for 2024, scoring points on debut at the Suzuka opener earlier this month.

    While the outing will mark Iwasa’s practice debut, it will not be his first time in an F1 car, having driven for the then-named Alpha Tauri at last year’s F1 post-season test in Abu Dhabi.

    Under F1’s current regulations, each team must run a rookie – by definition a driver who has started two or fewer Grand Prix – in two FP1 sessions over the course of each campaign.