McLaren has handed IndyCar driver, Pato O’Ward his second Formula 1 free practice run in Abu Dhabi as well as the post-race tyre test that takes place the week after the F1 season finale.
All teams have to get a rookie to take part in two FP1 sessions over the season, but as Oscar Piastri is a rookie he done his on the first race weekend in Bahrain.
Originally the second free practice session was going to Alex Palou – who had been expected to become one of its reserves from this weekend’s race in Singapore.
However, with Palou having gone back on plans to join McLaren in IndyCar, the Woking quad has had to re-evaluate things.
Abu Dhabi will be Pato’s first appearance at an F1 weekend since he had his debut free practice run at last year’s Abu Dhabi event. McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella explained that they believe O’Ward was now eligible for an F1 superlicence after finishing fourth in this year’s IndyCar championship so hopefully the Mexican could join its roster of reserves.
We are actually checking with the FIA, and we think he’s eligible now for the superlicence. So he’s qualified to drive an F1 car and be in a position to be one of the reserve drivers. In terms of the two main [free practice] events that would have involved either Alex or Pato, we had to do one more session of free practice one, where we have to have a so-called young driver, so a driver that hasn’t participated in more than two races. And then we have the post-Abu Dhabi test. Initially, these kind of events would have been split between the two, but obviously now in this situation, we will have Pato at the wheel in FP1 in Abu Dhabi and then I can confirm that he will also be driving the Tuesday after the race in Abu Dhabi.
WHAT A RACE!!!! My lord we was treated with a blinder, and I can tell you Red Bull’s streak has now ended and we have a different winner this season!
Carlos Sainz manages to hold off a McLaren and both Mercedes to win the Singapore Grand Prix!! Lando Norris comes home in P2! And Lewis Hamilton is back on the podium for Mercedes in P3!
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Norris, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Verstappen, P6: Gasly, P7: Piastri, P8: Perez, P9: Lawson and P10: Magnussen.
What a drive from Carlos! WOW, what a result for Ferrari aswell, and he had quite a bit of pressure put on him too, whilst also being very clever and keeping Norris in DRS at the end too.
Verstappen done well to get in the top 5 obviously good points, but it doesn’t mean he get’s the championship just yet, the same with the team also! A good drive aswell for Perez, I do believe he is under investigation for causing a collision with Albon and I have a feeling it will be a penalty but I don’t think it’s going to affect the point scorers…
A bit of a heartbreak for George, being P3 on the last lap and trying to push for the win, and he clipped the wall quite hard and it just meant he went straight on which saw him not score any points after having amazing pace! Obviously Lewis got on the podium due to that, but I think the team can be proud of that drive by both drivers due to strategy going for the second pit stop and the car has got faster!
Now, Liam Lawson, what a drive from the New Zealander his first points in F1, got into Q3 yesterday… I believe this man is owed a seat, someone please…
Our last point goes to Mr Kevin Magnussen. POINTS!! For Haas finally! A good drive for K-Mag he stayed out of trouble and just got his head down with some overtakes aswell.
Ocon got unlucky, he was driving so well in the points, but he unfortunately suffered with a suspected gearbox problem and had to retire on track. Tsunoda was out on lap 1 due to being hit by Perez, so he went off into a run off area.
Now, we don’t have long to wait till the next race, as it is infact next week! And we head to Japan for Round 17! Will Red Bull and Max come back fighting? Or could we see another entertaining race? Find out next week!
What a qualifying session it was last night! We definitely had a few shock surprises last night, and we have a bit of a mixed starting grid…
It was Carlos Sainz who took back to back pole positions, with George Russell joining in P2 and then the final spot was claimed by Charles Leclerc!
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Russell, P3: Leclerc, P4: Norris, P5: Hamilton, P6: Magnussen, P7: Alonso, P8: Ocon, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Lawson.
What a result for Ferrari! They will be wanting to replicate these positions later on in the race!
Not a good result for the Bulls, Max starts P11 and Perez P13 – not good at all, Max has struggled all weekend here and I think Perez was the same in Q2. I don’t think they will make massive positions up in the race due to just the track and not many overtaking spots.
Liam Lawson, what a man! Third qualifying in F1 and his first time driving at this circuit, and he gets himself into the top 10 and out qualifies his teammate too! If that doesn’t get him a seat for next year, I don’t know what will!
Not the best result for Piastri, but it wasn’t his fault. The track evolution was something else, so everyone was improving but the Australian got caught out by the red flag caused by Lance Stroll, meaning he couldn’t improve.
Haas! Both drivers in the top 10!! What a result for them, considering they haven’t got the updated car yet, this will be good if they can turn it into a points finish!
My Predictions-
My top five predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris and P5: Alonso.
I think we may have a crazy race today and hopefully a different winner! Maybe an appearance from a safety car and so!
The Singapore Grand Prix is here where we are under the lights as we start another double header, is this another weekend where we see Max take another win?
Most importantly, the track has changed, turns 16, 17, 18 and 19 have been removed from the final sector, so the track will no longer go under the grandstand towards the end of the lap. Instead there will be a straight from Turn 15 to the old Turn 20 and 21 chicane, which will now be the Turn 16 and 17 chicane. The approach to the new Turn 16 now offers up an additional overtaking opportunity as drivers now believe the races in Singapore will be enhanced.
Who needs to shine?
The rookies, Logan Sargeant, Oscar Piastri and Liam Lawson wouldn’t of driven on this track before, so they will be looking to impress, especially Logan and Liam, the former looking to re-sign with Williams and Liam looking to get into the sport on a full time basis.
Alpine had a shocker last time out in Italy, Ocon with a DNF which no one knew about… And Gasly in P15. They need to get a wiggle on as McLaren have flown away in P5 and yes they have a gap to Williams in P7 but they won’t want to just stay in 6th.
Stroll… oh my oh my, again last time out in Italy he got 16th, his had 8 races where his finished in the points this season, but there not big point finishes really compared to his teammate whose been a regular appearance on the podium and has scored points in every race weekend this season!
Looking at the constructors, Mercedes is on 273 points in 2nd, Ferrari 228 in third, and Aston in fourth on 217, so the rest of the races, it will be interesting to see how many drivers score points as a team.
China’s first full-time F1 driver, Zhou Guanyu has signed a new deal to extend his stay with Alfa Romeo into the 2024 season with Valtteri Bottas.
Zhou first made his debut with the Sauber-run Swiss team in 2022, scoring a point on debut in Bahrain and has then shown strong progress since.
This contract extension means, that the Zhou will have the opportunity to race on home soil for the first time in F1, with the Chinese Grand Prix returning to the calendar next year.
This move gives the team stability as the 24 year old’s teammate, Bottas has already got a contract for 2024, which he signed a multi-year deal that comes to a conclusion at the end of next season.
The team has also announced F2 Championship leader, Theo Pourchaire will continue in his role as the reserve driver in 2024.
Signing again with the team is always a great feeling, especially when we know how things are shaping up. I am proud to be part of Alfa Romeo and grateful for their trust. I have been working extremely hard since day one and there is an incredible level of motivation to keep doing so every day forward. My relationship with Valtteri is really good, and we are working closely together and with the team to push everyone forward. I am also very excited about the opportunity to finally race with my team in China, in front of my home crowd. It will be a great moment and I’m proud to be able to share it with all those who have supported me.
Zhou on the announcement.
The decision to continue our journey with our driver line-up unchanged is testament to the investment we have made in our project. Nothing in Formula 1 changes overnight, and we have taken a conscious decision to focus on stability and to keep building our team up together as we embark on an important period of transition. Valtteri and Zhou are drivers of known talent and skill and they work really well together: they are well-matched and can push each other. Valtteri has taken a real leader’s role within the team, pushing us all to give our best; Zhou has made impressive steps forward in the last two years and we expect him to continue on this trajectory in 2024. Now the baton is back to us – we have to give both drivers a good car and put them in the best conditions to perform.
Team Representative, Alessandro Alunni Bravi.
Over the years, the team has become a family to me and, therefore, I am really happy and grateful to continue my journey with Alfa Romeo and the Sauber Academy. The support I have received from everyone in the team has been outstanding, and I’m proud to be able to contribute to the growth of the whole operation.
McLaren will be using a new livery design at the upcoming back to back Grand Prix weekends in Singapore and Japan as the team continue to celebrate their 60th Birthday.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will contest the two races with what has been described as ‘Stealth Mode’ Scheme, switching McLaren’s usual colourway and augmenting black against their classic papaya trim.
The livery has been co-designed by McLaren and OKX, a Web3 technology company and official partner of the Woking squad, representing how both brands “strive for excellence, while embracing change and innovation”.
Alongside the livery, a limited edition t-shirt will be made available through the McLaren store, and a limited giveaway for attendees of Token2049, the Web3 conference taking place in Singapore prior to the race.
OKX will also host a McLaren themed fan zone, OKX Race Club at Chijmes, Singapore from Thursday 14th September to Sunday 17th September, featuring a Stealth Mode show car, racing simulators, giveaways and special guests over the weekend.
Our partnership with OKX goes from strength to strength, and it’s fantastic to celebrate it with this incredible livery. Stealth Mode flips our race car’s colours, bringing something exciting and different to these two great races in Singapore and Japan. We hope fans will love it as much as we do and get a chance to enjoy the fan zone to connect with our team.
We are back racing this weekend after a little break and we have a double header upon us, but our first stop is the Singapore Grand Prix!
The tyres have been chosen for this weekend, which are the softest of all the compounds C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place at night, where it starts at 8pm local time. There are a number of aspects which make this a physically demanding race for the drivers which include, the intense humidity, high temperature and head retention due to the walls lining the track.
The layout has been modified this year, with the section of the track between turn 16 and 19 now becoming a straight that is around 397 metres long. That means that the number of corners goes down from 23 to 10, while the total lap length is 4.940 kilometres.
A one-stop strategy is the clear way to go, also because the pit stop loss time of around 28 seconds is the highest of the season, together with Imola.
As with other street tracks, grid position is always crucial to get a good finish, given the limited overtaking opportunities.
Last year, the race start was postponed by an hour due to a storm that hit Marina Bay just a few minutes before the grid formed. The cats began the race on intermediate tyres and then switched to Medium and Soft – with a Virtual Safety Car also influencing strategy.
The closing stages of this long season, taking Formula 1 to three continents and 16 different time zones, kicks off in Singapore this weekend. This was the first race to take place under artificial light: an idea that was later followed, in varying degrees, by other venues. From a technical point of view, Marina Bay is a typical street circuit: very twisty (with 19 corners, many of them 90-degree) and little run off. As a result, even a small mistake can be costly, while the track layout also means that the cars run a high level of downforce. This year, the lap takes on a new look due to some building work in the Marina Bay area: the part of the track that was previously turns 16 to 19 is now just a single straight, which is nearly 400 metres long. This change will make the track faster; firstly because the total lap length is now less than five kilometres and secondly because the layout has become a lot more flowing. We’ll wait to see if this change has an effect on strategies, because in theory at least it could create an overtaking opportunity – with passing notoriously difficult unless you have a much faster car.
This track doesn’t place particular stress on the tyres in terms of loading, but the rear tyres need to be carefully managed during the traction phase when exiting slow corners. Temperatures are usually consistently high, as Singapore is only about 150 kilometres from the equator. This increases the risk of overheating: not just for tyres but also everything else, including the mechanicals and of course the driver!
All 10 Formula 1 teams have successfully stayed within the Cost Cap, which for 2022 was set at $140m, the FIA announced.
The Financial Regulations were introduced from the start of the 2021 season in a bit to limit spending and ensure the long-term viability of the championship.
Teams are required to submit accounts of their annual spending against the Cost Caps for the year by the following March.
Last year, Williams and Aston Martin were found to be in a ‘procedural breach’ while Red Bull were deemed to have commited a ‘procedural breach and a minor financial overspend (less than 5% of the Cost Cap)’.
Williams and Aston Martin received financial penalties. Red Bull were handed a more significant fine alongside a reduction in their wind tunnel testing allowance.
Following the submissions for 2022, the FIA reviewed all reporting documentation submitted by each of the 10 teams and has subsequently issued certificates of compliance to all.
The review has been an intensive and thorough process, beginning with a detailed analysis of the documentation submitted by the competitors. Additionally, there has been an extensive check of any non-F1 activities undertaken by the teams, which comprised multiple on-site visits to team facilities and careful auditing procedures to assess compliance with the Financial Regulations. The FIA Cost Cap Administration notes that all Competitors acted at all times in a spirit of good faith and cooperation throughout the process. The FIA also notes that the Financial Regulations are essential to the long-term financial stability of the sport, and that they will continue to be developed and refined based on the findings of each review process both in terms of the regulations themselves, which are written and approved under the FIA Formula 1 governance process, and the way in which they are enforced and policed. The FIA has made and will continue to make significant investments in this department for the collective benefit of the sport.
Lewis Hamilton has put pen to paper on a new Mercedes contract that will keep the seven-time world champion onboard through the 2025 season, with George Russell also retained for the same period.
Hamilton, was in his final year of his existing Silver Arrows deal and has been in talks with team boss Toto Wolff for several months, with those discussions eventually resulting in fresh terms.
It comes halfway through Hamilton’s 11th season for Mercedes having joined the Brackley team back in 2013 and gone on to set a host of record, from championship wins to pole positions, race wins and so much more!
Hamilton and Mercedes are currently working hard to return to the front of the F1 grid, their respective title winning runs having come to an end in 2021, but both sides are confident that the renewed partnership will yield further success.
We dream every day of being the best and we have dedicated the past decade together to achieving that goal. Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team. We have never been hungrier to win. We have learnt from every success but also every setback. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.
Hamilton on the new contract.
I have grown up with this team ever since joining as part of the junior programme back in 2017. It’s my home and it feels fantastic to extend our special relationship through 2025. After stepping up to the Mercedes race seat last year, I wanted to reward the trust and belief that Toto and the rest of the team placed in me. Taking my first pole position and race win last year was an unforgettable feeling. More importantly though, it’s been great to work with everybody at Brackley and Brixworth to make progress with our car and push forward our development. Their loyalty, vision and hard work is inspiring. We have made some significant steps over the last 18 months and are only getting stronger as a team. I’m excited to help continue to build on that momentum as we progress into 2024 and 2025 as we continue to focus on returning to the very front of the pack
Russell on extending his contract.
Continuing with our current driver line-up was a straightforward decision. We have the strongest pairing on the grid and both drivers are playing a crucial role in the team to move us forward. The strength and stability they provide will be key building blocks for our future success. Our partnership with Lewis is one of the most successful in the sport’s history. It was always a formality that we would continue together – and it’s energising for us all to be confirming that publicly. His qualities as a pure racing driver are illustrated by his remarkable track record; but over our years together, he has grown to become a pillar and leader of our team. Those leadership qualities are crucial as we focus on fighting for world championships again. As F1’s biggest global star, he has also played a key role in shaping our commitments to diversity, inclusion and sustainability, that will be foundations for our success in the years ahead. George is a leading light of his generation. He has repaid the faith we showed in him when promoting him to a race seat in 2022. His maiden pole position in Hungary and first Grand Prix victory in São Paulo were standout moments last season. As a driver, he combines razor-sharp speed with the tenacity of a true fighter. But he brings, too, an intelligence and attention to detail that will help him to continue to grow, develop and improve further. He is a natural fit to the team and we are delighted to have extended the relationship for the coming years.
Round 15 is now over and so is the Italian Grand Prix so let’s take a look at how it went!
Max Verstappen and Red Bull came out on top in a battle against the Italian team as they secured victory and make more F1 history – the Dutchman moving ahead of Sebastian Vettel with 10 wins in a row and the team stretching their winning run to 15 races.
Sergio Perez came home to make it a 1-2 for the team and rounding on the podium is pole sitter, Carlos Sainz making the Tifosi proud!
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Hamilton, P7: Albon, P8: Norris, P9: Alonso and P10: Bottas.
A great result for Ferrari, and a good haul of points aswell which makes them leap frog Aston Martin in the Constructors. It was great to see them battling together aswell, as teammates fighting each other doesn’t happen often.
Alex Albon holding off the McLaren’s for the majority of the race and scoring some valuable points in P7, he is quite literally carrying Williams all by himself!
Valtteri Bottas, back in the points! What we love to see, he will be wanting to score a few more points in the next coming races, which will help the team as they are now only one point away from Haas in 8th.
We had a bit of drama before the race even started, Yuki Tsunoda reported an engine failure on the formation lap and had to pull over to the side, which resulted in a delayed start due to recovering the Alpha Tauri car.
Now we only have less than two weeks until were back and it will be another double header, and our first stop will be Singapore from the 15th to 17th!
Qualifying is done, and we take a look to see who took pole around the Temple of Speed!
Carlos Sainz came out on top at the end of a thrilling qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix as the Ferrari driver narrowly got the better of Max Verstappen and teammate Charles Leclerc to secure his first pole position of the season.
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Russell, P5: Perez, P6: Albon, P7: Piastri, P8: Hamilton, P9: Norris and P10: Alonso.
What a lovely result for Ferrari! Pole in-front of the Tifosi after being strong all weekend! Could we possibly see Max’s streak end? Can Ferrari take their first win of the season? It’s all to play for on the Italian circuit.
A great result from Russell, best of the rest in P4, he will be hoping to get back on the podium today and earn some big points for the team. A decent result for Hamilton, but he will be wanting more and finishing in top 3 or 5 aswell.
Alex Albonnnn, what a driver! P6!! He honestly never surprises me anymore, a top 10 finish in qualifying is what we kind of expect and want from the Williams driver.
Liam Lawson! His first full F1 weekend, and wow, I think he may be getting a few team bosses talking… He qualified 12th, just one position behind his teammate who sits in 11th. Great to see how quick the New Zealander has got up to speed with the car.
A rubbish qualifying for Alpine, P17 for Gasly and P18 for Ocon, what an earth is going on with them? They had a great weekend last week with Gasly’s podium and then to be down the bottom of the grid for qualifying less than a week later is a bit shocking…
Predictions-
My top five for the race are- P1: Sainz, P2: Leclerc, P3: Russell, P4: Perez and P5: Hamilton.
I think I’m being a bit hopeful and wanting Ferrari to win this weekend, especially because their on pole, but will it happen? It’d be a dream if they did win! I feel like we are going to have an interesting race, with different strategies and so.
Ferrari have revealed a special, tweaked livery that will be on the cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix – the team’s home race.
While the usual red colour scheme remains front and centre, it has been joined with flashes of yellow and black as seen on Ferrari’s 499P Hypercar which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
Ex-F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, driving the #51 machine alongside Alessandro Pier Guodo and James Calado, emerged victorious in the June race after a scrap with the #8 Toyota driver by former Toro Rosso racers, Sebasiten Buemi and Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa.
Ferrari doesn’t stop there as Leclerc and Sainz will wear special driver race suits with the red, yellow and black theme continuing in posts shared by Ferrari. Not only this, the drivers will also be having special helmets for the race too.
But for the fans, there will be special caps and t-shirts on display, which the thousands of tifosi who make the annual trip to the ‘Temple of Speed’ are no doubt set to wear with pride.
We are in Italy for Round 15 and our second race of the double header as we arrive at the Temple of Speed to see if the Monza curse continues…
The Monza curse has continued every year, but seeing as Max won last year, will he be the driver to break it? Or could we potentially see a different team other than Red Bull win on Sunday?
This weekend’s race is the home race of a couple of teams, Ferrari obviously, and AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo!
This weekend we also have Formula 2 and Formula 3 joining us on the Italian circuit, and not only that it is also the finale for F3 aswell!
Who needs to shine?
Charles Leclerc will be wanting a good weekend as it’s Ferrari’s home race, and after having a DNF last weekend he will be looking to score some big points in front of the home crowd.
George Russell obviously he finished 17th last weekend, but this weekend he will be wanting to get back on the podium or even top 5.
Going back to Ferrari they are only 14 points behind Aston Martin in the Constructors so this is a big opportunity for both drivers to close in on the Silverstone based team.
With Williams scoring some more points last weekend they’ve managed to build a 4 point gap between themselves and Haas. But they will need a bigger gap to feel safe.
Also, Liam Lawson! His back again this weekend subbing in for Ricciardo. He will be wanting to have another good race and hopefully with a bit more time in the car in the practice sessions he may get a better qualifying result also.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.
I think we may have a few shock surprises in qualifying again. Maybe someone from a top team out in Q1/Q2 and having to see them come through the field on Sunday!
Aston Martin have confirmed that test and reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich will make another appearance for the team this weekend as he will be behind the wheel for free practice 1.
Drugovich, who secured the 2022 Formula 2 title at Monza 12 months ago, will replace Lance Stroll and line up with Alonso for the opening 60 minute session.
It comes after the 23 year old stood in for the injured Stroll during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, where he got his first taste of Aston Martin’s 2023 challenger.
Drugovich made his practice debut with Aston Martin at last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi and has been driving the 2021-spec AMR21 at circuits around Europe- Silverstone, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Red Bull Ring.
I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the AMR23. The car felt great when I drove it in pre-season testing and it will be fascinating to feel how it has improved since then. I’ve spent a lot of time in the simulator helping to develop the car, so understanding how that correlates to the real thing will be super valuable for me too. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for me to demonstrate what I’ve learnt through my testing programme. Since Bahrain I’ve done many more miles in an F1 car so I have an even better understanding of how I can deliver valuable feedback for the team.
Drugovich on the opportunity.
We are delighted to be able to provide Felipe with another opportunity to drive the AMR23. He demonstrated his capabilities in pre-season testing, with a vital contribution to the team’s initial development of the car. Monza will offer another chance for Felipe to work closely with the engineers and mechanics and build his confidence in a critical session for the team. We look forward to maximising this session together.
The tyres have been selected for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
The chosen tyres are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft). They are the softest compounds in the Pirelli range.
The Alternative Tyre Allocation will be tried again at Monza, after the first test in Hungary. Each driver will have just 11 sets of slick tyres (three hard, four medium and four softs) at their disposal this weekend. In qualifying, drivers can use only one type of compound per session.
Last year, there were no fewer than eight different strategies deployed by the top 10 finishers. Max Verstappen and George Russell first and third respectively opted for a single stop, while Charles Leclerc who finished second had already made two stops before a safety car at the end of the race allowed all three drivers to stop again.
Monza has produced different winners over the past five years. Lewis Hamilton in 2018, Charles Leclerc in 2019, Pierre Gasly in 2020, Daniel Ricciardo in 2021 and Max Verstappen in 2022.
As usual, the European Formula 1 season draws to a close in Monza: which is also Pirelli’s home event as our headquarters are just a few kilometres away from this iconic circuit. Monza is synonymous with speed, as its nickname of the ‘Temple of Speed’ capably demonstrates. To this day, it’s where the fastest race in the history of Formula 1 was held, with Michael Schumacher setting an unbeaten average race speed of 247.585 kph back in 2003.As a result, teams use the lowest possible aerodynamic downforce levels to favour top speed by reducing drag. Stability under braking and traction coming out of the two chicanes are the two key factors that challenge tyres most on this track, as well as the lateral loads exerted in the fast corners such as Parabolica (named after Michele Alboreto) and Curva Grande.After Hungary, Monza will be the second time that the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) is trialled, which uses two fewer sets of tyres than the standard format. This offers a benefit in terms of CO2 saved both during production and transport, as well as giving teams and drivers a wider range of strategic option. For this reason as well, we have chosen the trio of softest compounds for Monza – C3, C4, and C5 – which has already been nominated five times this season.
Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of Motorsport.
Everything you need to know about tyres for the #ItalianGP 🇮🇹
AlphaTauri have confirmed that Liam Lawson will continue to race for the team until Daniel Ricciardo is ready to race again.
Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash during second practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday, with Red Bull junior, Liam Lawson drafted in as a last minute replacement.
Lawson qualified 20th, but acquitted himself well in the Grand Prix, as he managed to stay out of trouble and finish 13th, despite wet weather, red flags, Safety Car restarts and a penalty making his F1 debut harder than others.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo flew to Spain on Sunday to have surgery on his hand. Red Bull boss, Christian Horner confirmed after the race that the eight-time race winner would be out of action at least after this weekend.
We are delighted that Daniel’s surgery went well and that he is now on the road to recovery. We hope to see him at the track again very soon, but until he is fully fit, we can confirm that Liam, who did a good job in difficult circumstances in Zandvoort, will continue to drive alongside Yuki, starting from our home race this weekend in Monza.
The team on the news.
It was good, it was a lot going on. When I was rolling up to the grid and it was starting to rain, it wasn’t the best feeling but the race was okay. I think the second half of the race was not so bad, once we got clean air and also on the inters at the end was not too bad. Just happy to survive.
Round 14 is over, as we now take a look at a very action-packed and rain hit race.
Max Verstappen stormed to victory for a third year in a row at the Dutch GP, making it 9 victories in a row, equalling Vettel’s. Fernando Alonso was back on the podium in P2 and Pierre Gasly, yes that’s right brought it home in P3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Gasly, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Norris, P8: Albon, P9: Piastri and P10: Ocon.
Fernando Alonso, back on the podium? We love to see it! He also bagged driver of the day, so hopefully himself and the team are recharged and ready to fight for some more podiums!
Piereeeee Gaslyyyyy, P3! Wow, if you asked me if I thought he’d be on the podium I’d say no, but I wasn’t expecting an overly crazy race. His first podium with Alpine, and Alpine’s second one this year. The team will be hoping for one or two more so they can bring the fight to McLaren in the Standings.
Now a mixed day for the Ferrari boys, Carlos finishing 5th so a decent amount of points. But Charles… first was the pit stop where there were no tyres ready for him? (Are we surprised? No.) And then he had to retire the car due to floor damage. When will they get a break?
Not a good day for Sargeant, started in the top 10 which is good! However… it didn’t stay that way, the American lost control of his Williams at the exit of Turn 8 and slammed into the barriers which prompted a VSC and then a full Safety Car.
Now looking at a certain New Zealanders Debut… what a brilliant drive from Liam Lawson! He finished 13th, ahead of Tsunoda, which say’s a lot.
We don’t have long to wait, as it’s race week again, and we head to Monza!
Qualifying is now over and we most definitely had a few surprises along the way, lets take a look at how it went…
Max Verstappen made it three pole positions in a row at the Dutch Grand Prix with another dominating display. The Dutchman managed to pull a stupendous final lap to beat Lando Norris and George Russell at the end of a crash-filled session.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Albon, P5: Alonso, P6: Sainz, P7: Perez, P8: Piastri, P9: Leclerc and P10: Sargeant.
Just the result Max wanted, however I think it would of been better having his teammate with him in the top three, rather than 7th…
A great result for Williams! Albon has his best qualifying result in F1 so far joining Russell on the 2nd row. Not only this, but Logan Sargeant got into his first Q3 session! Unfortunately he crashed which meant he couldn’t get no better than 10th.
Not the best result for Lewis, qualifying 13th. Everyone was improving each lap and with Yuki impeding Lewis so he couldn’t get a decent lap in before the chequered flag so he was just a sitting duck waiting to be pushed down.
A mixed result for Ferrari, both drivers in the top 10, but they would have been hoping to get a bit of a better result. Sainz starts 6th, and Leclerc 9th due to crashing out aswell, which put his session to an end aswell.
Predictions-
My top five predictions for the race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Russell, P3: Alonso, P4: Norris and P5: Sainz.
I feel like the race win we know who is going to grab it unless there’s a costly mistake which will never really happen. But the chaos behind him? Now that’s what is going to be entertaining.
Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix due to a broken hand sustained in a crash during Free Practice 2, which hands his spot to Liam Lawson as he has his F1 Debut with Alpha Tauri.
Ricciardo followed Oscar Piastri into the barriers at Zandvoort’s Turn 3 in the early stages of FP2, which automatically put him out of the session.
Replays later showed Ricciardo’s hands being thrown around in the cockpit due to him still holding the steering wheel when he impacted the wall, with the Australian visibly in discomfort when he stepped out of the car.
Having been taken to the medical centre and then a local hospital, news then came from AlphaTauri that Ricciardo broke a metacarpal on his left hand, and will not be able to take part in what would have been the third race since his F1 comeback.
In his place steps Lawson, the 21 year old reserve driver for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri who has been competing in the Japan-based Super Formula championship this year.
Lawson sits second in the Super Formula standings ahead of October’s season finale double header at Suzuka, with the break in the calendar leaving him free to substitute for the Australian driver.
He is set to become the 10th New Zealander to contest a Grand Prix, with the most recent being Brendon Hartley raced for Torro Rosso.
With the Italian Grand Prix directly following this weelend’s round at Zandvoort, it also casts doubt over Ricciardo’s ability to contest the Monza event.
The summer break is officially over and we are headed for Round 14, where it is the home Grand Prix of Max Verstappen so be prepared for lots of orange this weekend!
Will it be another Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated weekend? Or will Mercedes and Aston Martin or even McLaren bring the fight this weekend?
Who needs to shine?
Sergio Perez has a lot to prove this second half of the season. He has had a rough season so far, and with rumours always going round about the Red Bull seat he will be wanting to have a impressive second half to show he should keep the seat.
Ferrari as a whole need a good weekend with some big points there fourth in the constructors and Aston Martin are only ahead by 5 points, so the fight will be on between the two teams.
Another interesting fight is between Williams and Haas as they are currently tied on points in 7th and 8th respectively, not only this but Alfa Romeo are in 9th with just only 9 points, two points away from the teams above.
Predictions for qualifying-
My top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Russell and P5: Piastri.
I still think McLaren are still going to be on form, hence why both drivers are in my top five. At the time of writing this aswell, it is meant to rain tomorrow so we all know how Lando likes the rain!
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal has revealed that reserve driver Robert Shwartzman will get behind the wheel of the SF23 in both the team’s allocated rookie FP1 sessions this year – starting with the Dutch GP this weekend.
Shwartzman has been a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2017, and since leaving Formula 2 at the end of 2021 – where he finished runner-up to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – he has been serving as Scuderia’s reserve driver.
Ferrari’s decision comes of the back of the rule that was introduced at the start of 2022 that requires all 10 teams to give a minimum of two FP1 sessions to a young driver throughout the season.
Shwartzman has plenty of experience in F1 machinery, having taken part in both FP1 sessions for Ferrari last year, as well as having driven in the post-season young test for the team in 2022 and 2021 – where he also drove for Haas.
And with Ferrari having two academy drivers in Formula 2 – Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc – Vasseur explained why the decision was made not to give either a run out in F1 machinery this year instead of Shwartzman, due to wanting the drivers to focus on the championship.
Robert will do Zandvoort in Carlos’ car, and he will do another one – probably Abu Dhabi in Charles’ car. Because (Zandvoort) was the choice of the driver. I gave them the choice to do it, where they want to do it. I know that it is not an easy situation but Carlos… it’s not so easy to decide. Because for sure you can’t do it in Singapore, in Japan, in Las Vegas. Also, you have some Sprint events in Austin, Qatar, also that you can’t do it. Then you have the races with tyre allocation, a bit different, so it is also tricky to do it, meaning at the end of the day you don’t have so many options.
Haas have opted for continuity next season, as they have announced that Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will continue to race for them for a second successive season in 2024.
Hulkenberg has been impressive on his full-time racing return to Formula 1 this season, the German driver had reached Q3 six times in 12 races and scoring the team’s best finish of seventh in the Australian Grand Prix.
Magnussen has scored two of the team’s three points finishes – a brace of 10th places in Saudi Arabia and Miami – in his sixth season with Haas.
Between the two drivers, they have 346 Grand Prix starts, and it is that experience Haas will hope can help take the team to the next level. The American team currently sit eighth in the constructors’ championship, the same position they ended in 2022 season.
I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward. Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too.On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula 1 and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel. We’ve had to tackle our issues this season with regards to the VF-23, we don’t hide from that, but we’ve been extremely fortunate to have had two drivers whose feedback is invaluable in assisting our engineering objectives. Kevin and Nico gelled well right from the get-go and together they’ve both scored points, and in particular, Nico has excelled in qualifying – getting into Q3 on six occasions. In turn, now it’s down to us as a team to look ahead to 2024 and ensure we have a car that’s capable of scoring points consistently.
Team Principal, Guenther Steiner.
I’m obviously very happy to see my relationship with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team extended once again. My return in 2022 had been unexpected but was filled with numerous highlights, and although this season hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped, we’ve still managed to get into the points and shown potential in the package we have. There’s plenty of racing remaining in 2023 and we’ve got a lot of work to do to continue to understand the VF-23 – that learning can be applied into the 2024 car. My thanks, as always, go to Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for giving me the opportunity to keep racing in the sport I love.
Magnussen on the news.
It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance. I enjoy being part of the team and share Gene and Guenther’s passion for it. We’re competing in a very tight midfield and I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve done together so far and taking that forward into 2024.
We are back racing this week and we head to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix and the tyres have been selected!
The chosen compounds are: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft). This is the same choice as the last two years (since it returned) with the difference being that the current C1 compound is softer than its predecessors.
There has been 32 Formula 1 Grands Prix held at Zandvoort since 1952, with F1 returning to the track in 2021 after a 35 year absence. With the most successful team at the track being Ferrari with eight wins while the driver with the most is Jim Clark with four.
Most drivers made three pit stops last year. On paper, the best and fastest strategy is a two-stopper, but it’s possible to stop just once with careful tyre management.
Overtaking is quite tricky because of the narrow track and constant sequence of corners. This makes qualifying even more important in terms of the end result.
The second half of the season gets underway with a unique race. The Dutch Grand Prix takes place in Zandvoort: one of the most traditionally demanding tracks on the calendar that returned to the Formula 1 schedule three years ago on the wave of all the local support for Max Verstappen, who repaid his fans amply with a pair of victories from the last two races. It’s a very twisty track with two banked corners – Turn 3 and Turn 14 – that are steeper than Indianapolis, by way of comparison. On corners like this the stress on the tyres is greater than it would be through normal corners, as the vertical forces increase with the much higher speeds due to the banking. We’ve brought the same tyres as 2022, at least as far as the names are concerned: C1, C2, and C3. However, the current C1 is actually a new compound for this year, positioned between the C2 and the previous C1, which is now called the C0. Last year, in a race that was characterised by two neutralisations, no fewer than 14 drivers – including the top three – used all three compounds, underlining the wide variety of options available to the strategists on the pit wall.
Mick Schumacher has been named as the ‘obvious contender’ for replacing Williams driver, Logan Sargeant if there is no improvement in his performances.
Williams, currently hold seventh place in the Constructors Standings with Alex Albon accounting for all 11 points being scored this season.
Sargeant hasn’t had the best start to his rookie season, and has failed to score points 10 races in, and struggled to match his teammates performances. This has now led to speculation of where his future lies.
Earlier on in the season, there was speculation of a mid-season swap with Schumacher replacing Sargeant, however Williams chose to support their drivers development and provide him with an opportunity to improve his performance first.
Schumacher, currently holds the position of Mercedes’ reserve driver, also recently testing for the team. Not only this he is also an active presence in the garage during grand prix weekends.
With the strong partnership and share engine between Williams and Mercedes, the possibility of Schumacher taking over Sargeant’s seat for the 2024 season is certainly credible if the current conditions persist.
Rookie Logan Sargeant has had a solid but unspectacular start to life in Formula 1, and knows he needs to up his game to stick around for another season. Williams have thrown their collective arm around the American’s shoulders and tried to keep the pressure off him in a bid to help him find a rhythm. They are backing him to succeed and earn a second campaign in blue – but he needs to not only find consistency but also close the gap to Albon, particularly in qualifying, and get himself on the scoreboard. If he doesn’t, his seat is under threat. Mick Schumacher would be an obvious contender, having briefly had talks with the team last year and having kept his hand in through his Mercedes reserve role, where he has earned public praise for his efforts from [Lewis] Hamilton and [George] Russell.
Lawrence Barretto, F1 Correspondent in an article for Formula 1.
Photo by Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali wants the FIA to be handing out sporting sanctions, not financial ones to any team found to be in the breach of the cost cap, amidst rumours of further transgression’s.
Last season (2022), the FIA handing out certificates of 2021 cost compliance for the 10 Formula 1 teams. Seven passed with flying colours, Aston Martin and Williams were called out on procedural breaches, while Red Bull were found guilty of an overspend breach and fined $7 million as well as being docked 10% of their allotted wind tunnel time.
Should the FIA find any fresh breaches this time around in the 2022 figures, which could reportedly come to pass with three teams said to be heading for a breach, then sporting penalties, like the wind tunnel time portion of Red Bull’s punishment is the route which he wants the FIA to go down.
The range of penalties on the sporting side available to the FIA is rather broad, including a reprimand all the way up to points deductions or a reduction in the cap ceiling for the offending team.
And while it claimed at the time Red Bull would feel the pinch of their 10% reduction in wind tunnel time, that has certainly not yet manifested on track. But the impact is expected to show up towards the end of the season.
If the FIA then is to set a proper deterrent for breaking the boundaries of the cap, then it seems like they made need to dig deeper into penalties to make sure that happens.
Do you think the FIA needs to hand out sporting sanctions? Let me know!
I would like the penalty to be sporting in case of infringement, it is something we asked for very clearly. There are three regulations to be respected: sporting, technical and financial. Any infractions must be punished with sporting measures. You can’t go in other directions. Control is in the hands of the FIA. Personally what I have asked is to anticipate as soon as possible the publication of the investigations made by the staff of the FIA.
Mercedes junior driver and F2 championship contender Frederik Vesti will take part in an official F1 session for the first time later this year, during Free Practice 1 in Mexico.
Vesti, 21, sits second in the F2 standings – 12 points behind Sauber-backed Theo Pourchaire with three rounds remaining, having claimed four wins and seven podium finishes so far this season.
Having made his F1 test debut with Mercedes at the end of 2022 season in Abu Dhabi, the Danish driver’s next step will be the opening 60 minute session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Each Formula 1 team is required to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions across the season, defined as a racer with less than two grand prix of experience.
Toto Wolff believes that with Vesti impressing in Formula 2, this FP1 outing will now serve as the next key step in his progression.
I’m incredibly proud to be doing the FP1 session in Mexico City with the team – it’s a dream come true. To think in less than two months that I’ll be doing my first official Formula 1 session with Mercedes, who have won eight consecutive constructors’ championships, is amazing. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. I want to thank Mercedes for this incredible opportunity, as well as my sponsors and manager for always believing in me. I can’t wait to be driving W14 for the first time.
Vesti on the test.
Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity. Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity.
Alpine have made some changes as team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane leave the team, whilst chief technical officer Pat Fry has left to join Formula 1 rivals, Williams.
The exits are confirmed with the French team who currently sit sixth in the constructors’ championship after 11 rounds of the 2023 season, following successive double DNFs for both drivers at the British and Hungarian Grand Prix.
Alpine Motorsports vice president, Bruno Famin will take over from Szafnauer as interim team principal, while Alpine academy director, Julian Rouse is named interim sporting director and technical director Matt Harman takes leadership of the “technical team”.
Fry, the only member of the trio who appears to have chosen to exit, will be able to work at Williams in November after taking up the same role with the British team. He replaces, Francois-Xavier Demaison, who left Williams in December amid a shake-up that also saw James Vowles replaces Jost Capito as team principal.
The Alpine exits come little more than a week after Laurent Rossi was replaced as brand chief executive by Philippe Krieft, amid apparent infighting at the Enstone-based team.
Szafnauer, has paid the price for Alpine’s disappointing first half of the 2023 season, which sees them sit 134 points adrift of Ferrari, who currently hold the fourth position in which the French team finished last year.
BWT Alpine F1 Team announces today it will part ways with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer by mutual agreement following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. Otmar will continue his duties as normal for last weekend’s race in Belgium, before leaving the team ahead of the summer break. The team would like to thank Otmar for his hard work over the past 18 months and for leading the team in achieving fourth place in the 2022 Constructors’ Championship. The team wishes him the best for the future. The team can also confirm it will part ways with Sporting Director Alan Permane by mutual agreement. Alan will also continue his role last weekend in Belgium before departing ahead of the summer break. After 34 distinguished years at Enstone, the team extends its thanks to Alan and wishes him the best in his future endeavours. The team also announces that Pat Fry will leave the team to continue his career in Formula 1 elsewhere.
The last race before summer break is officially over and we had a mid race shower with a few different strategies going on.
Max Verstappen recovered from a five place grid penalty to claim his eighth successive victory in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix with teammate Sergio Perez adding to the celebration as he completed a one-two result. Charles Leclerc held on to the final podium spot, denying seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Alonso, P6: Russell, P7: Norris, P8: Ocon, P9: Stroll and P10: Tsunoda.
Lando Norris had an up and down race, as initially he lost a host of positions after starting on medium tyres and then switched to hards, but a move to softs as spits of rain began to fall proved inspired and he gobbled up the competition and eventually managed seventh.
A clash between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz led to both drivers retiring – the McLaren driver clipping the inside wall at La Source as he had no where to go and Carlos went into him, which led to him having damage to his sidepod.
Aston Martin secured another double points finish, with P5 for Alonso and P9 for Stroll, I think Aston would be happy with that considering past couple of races.
Finally a good result for Perez, a podium! And it’s about time too, the last time he was on there was back in Miami, so he will be hoping to keep this good form going after we come back after summer break.
Mercedes, had a pretty good race, double points again and George had to work his way through the field after dropping a few positions. They go into the break on a high and will be hoping for more good results next month.
Round 14 isn’t until 25th to 27th August where we return to the Netherlands for Max’s home race, can he make it nine in a row?
Max Verstappen was at his best again, as the Red Bull driver narrowly beat the McLaren of Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to take pole for the Sprint Race.
Verstappen left it late to put a time down as he took the chequered flag with four seconds to go, but he went straight to the top of the timesheet’s with a 1m 49.056s.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Norris, P6: Gasly, P7: Hamilton, P8: Perez, P9: Ocon and P10: Russell.
The drivers were met with worse conditions yesterday, than the day before as the Shootout got postponed by 35 minutes. Once it got started, with each lap the times were beginning to drop as track conditions continued to improve.
Aston Martin made a bold call during SQ2, as they put Lance Stroll on a set of medium tyres. However, the decision proved costly as Stroll ended up in the barrier at Turn 9 which saw a red flag. The session was unable to be restarted, Ricciardo narrowly missed out on a place in SQ3 along with the Williams duo and Aston Martin duo.
It was good enough. Just tricky conditions, you don’t want to make big mistakes so I think the lap was okay – I just didn’t risk too much in the second sector where it was still a bit damp, and it was just enough for first so that’s good. If it’s going to be wet, dry, also if it’s wet, how you’re going to survive with the wet tyres or the intermediates. So a lot of question marks still but we’ll figure it out along the way.
Verstappen on getting pole.
Sprint Race-
Red Bull’s, Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, as he claimed back the lead from McLaren rival, Oscar Piastri after the two opted for different strategies.
Amid plenty of action at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly made the most of the conditions to round out the podium. Lewis Hamilton was demoted from fourth to seventh after the Mercedes man clashed with Sergio Perez and picked up a penalty.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Gasly, P4: Sainz, P5: Leclerc, P6: Norris, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Ocon and P10: Ricciardo.
With a rain theme of the weekend so far, the heavens opened up again just before the 17:05pm time scheduled start of the Sprint – officials decided to push it back by 30 minutes to allow the latest downpour to pass by.
By the time the formation lap began on mandated full wet tyres and behind the Safety Car which became several laps.
After a lot of near misses in the pit lane as drivers squabble for position after changing tyres to intermediates. Gasly found himself running third behind Piastri and Verstappen, with Perez up to fourth, Hamilton in fifth and Sainz rounding out the top six from Leclerc and Norris.
As the race started to settle down, Verstappen took his chance to gain into Piastri’s lead which stood at just under two seconds after their stops.
But on Lap 4, Fernando Alonso lost control of his Aston Martin at Pouhon and spun into the gravel which then triggered a Safety Car just before Verstappen was about to make a move on Piastri.
Hamilton and Perez dramatically banged wheels through Blanchimont as they battled over fourth position the seven time world champion managing to work his way through around the outside of La Source a few moments later.
I think [staying out on wets at the start] was just a safer call. I could come in first, but then I might be blocked by other cars. There might be a Safety Car and then you lose out massively. I didn’t to stay out, we lost one position, but we know that we are quick. I think you could see that when we put the inter tyres on we were flying, so it was OK!
Day one of the weekend is complete, let’s take a look at how qualifying went yesterday ahead of the Sprint today!
Max Verstappen claimed pole position in a thrilling session, however he won’t be starting from pole due to having a five place grid penalty, which means Charles Leclerc is set to start from P1 tomorrow.
The full top 10 from qualifying are – P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Norris, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Stroll.
A good result for both Ferrari’s, Charles starting P1 and Carlos P4, they haven’t had the best result recently so they will be wanting to capitalise on other’s misfortune during the race.
Finally a good result from Perez where he starts in the top 3! With his teammate starting 6th, Perez will be relied on to take the lead at the start, will he be able to do it? Or will Max breeze his way through the field again?
A great result from Piastri, out-qualifying Norris, and starting 5th on the grid. So far the rookie is having a great season, from being towards the back of the grid, to scoring big points almost every weekend as well as showing off his skills we all know he has. The Aussie will be hoping to get his first podium this season.
Alpine is still having a rough time at the moment, they would of been hoping for a clean weekend, but that disappeared when Ocon damaged his front wing after crashing into the barrier at Turn 9.
Jordan's Track Talk 