Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • Formula 1 to race in Monaco until 2031

    Formula 1 will continue to race around the streets of Monaco until 2031 inclusive, following a six year extension to the existing agreement.

    Part of the first Formula 1 World Championship calendar back in 1950 and present since 1955, the Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most famous sporting events in the world and the ultimate test for F1 drivers with pure concentration and skill needed,

    Located on the banks of the French Riveria, the field must navigate the scenic streets of Monte Carlo, tackling the slowest corner on the F1 circuit, the Loews Hairpin, and the iconic Casion Square and Swimming Pool sections.

    Five of the current F1 grid sit alongside legends including Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda in having triumphed around the 3.3km circuit.

    As F1 experiences significant growth around the world, the appeal of the Monaco Grand Prix continues to be felt.
    The 2024 weekend, was watched by a cumulative audience of over 70 million fans.

    The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix will be taking place from May 23rd to 25th next year and will mark the 75th anniversary of the race’s official F1 debut, while from 2026, the event will be contested on the first full weekend in June each year.

    I’m delighted that Formula 1 will continue to race in Monaco until 2031. The streets of Monte Carlo are unique and a famous part of Formula 1, and the Monaco Grand Prix remains a race that all drivers dream of winning. I would like to extend a special thanks to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club of Monaco and everyone involved in the extension of this important partnership. This agreement signals a new era of partnership and innovation between Formula 1 and Monaco. It is the future focused leadership of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco which will allow us to create an optimised calendar, which reduces pressure on logistics, and to decrease the environmental impact of our global championship, as we continue the path towards our Net Zero goal by 2030.
    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    I would particularly like to thank H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Stefano Domenicali, and everyone involved in the extension of this contract. The signing of this new agreement with the Formula One Group until 2031 not only confirms the strength of our relationship but reaffirms our commitment to offering all visitors an unrivalled, first-class experience at race weekends. The Monaco Grand Prix is the most important sporting event here and continues to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Principality and millions of global television viewers worldwide.
    Michel Boeri, President of the Automobile Club of Monaco.

  • F1 Race Director, Niels Wittich to step down

    FIA Formula 1 Race Director, Niels Wittich has left his role with immediate effect.

    Wittich has been in the job since 2022, initially sharing it with Eduardo Freitas as dual replacements for Michael Masi before taking on the job full time in 2023.

    But, the FIA announced Wittich had stepped down and will be replaced by Rui Marques he started from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    Marques has significant motorsport experience, having been a track marshall, scrutineer, national and international steward, Deputy Race Director and Race Director in various championships.
    Recently, he was Formula 2 and Formula 3’s Race Director.

    The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities. Niels has fulfilled his numerous responsibilities as Race Director with professionalism and dedication. We thank him for his commitment and we wish him the best for the future.
    The FIA in a statement.

  • Alpine to use Mercedes power unit from 2026

    Alpine have secured a deal with Mercedes to run the German manufacturer’s power unit from 2026 until at least the end of 2030.

    The deal also involves taking a supply of their gearbox from the start of 2026 – though sources say Alpine are planning on producing their own gearbox in-house at Enstone from 2027.

    Last month, Alpine confirmed they will shut down their works engine programme at the end of next season as part of their ‘Hypertech’ transformation project.

    The team had already been in talks with other manufacturers about a customer engine supply, with Mercedes emerging as the team to strike a deal first.

    Alpine will continue to manufacturer their own power units through the 2025 campaign before switching in 2026, when new power unit rules come in to play – that feature a greater focus on the battery and use of 100% sustainable fuels.

    Alpine secured their biggest points haul of the season with a remarkable double podium finish last time out in Brazil. Which catapulted them up three places to sixth in the constructors’ championship with three Grands Prix to go.

    The multi-year agreement will see Mercedes-Benz supply Alpine with Power Units for the duration of the new regulations era, from 2026 until at least 2030. Alongside the Power Unit, Alpine will also be supplied with Mercedes gearboxes from the 2026 season. The team remains focused on performing in the strongest way possible in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
    Alpine’s statement.

  • RW 24 – Abu Dhabi

    Lando Norris has brought the 2024 season to a close in style by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in dominant form, the Brit put in an assured drive to claim victory and also help McLaren to clinch their first constructors’ championship since 1988.

    It was a strong start to the race for pole-sitter Norris amid chaos behind him with Verstappen and Piastri making contact in a battle for second, which saw the four time champion receive a penalty and Piastri drop down the order.

    And while various other fights played out across the field – which saw a solid performance from McLaren’s title rivals Ferrari – Norris kept a cool head up front to triumph, taking the chequered flag by five seconds from former team mate Carlos Sainz, which confirmed that the constructors’ crown has gone to the papaya squad.

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

    WOW, what a result for Mr Lando Norris, a very dominant drive to the chequered flag, and what a way to end the season! It confirmed that McLaren is officially the Constructors’ Champions after a very long wait to be number one again! And I have to say I believe the best team one, the most consistent with BOTH drivers always wanting to score as many points as possible and the strategy has nine times out of ten always been perfect – so in my eyes it’s fully deserved!

    A very good result for Ferrari, a double podium to close out the season, just falling short of the Constructors’ however, they should still be proud of what they’ve achieved this year as it’s not an easy thing to compete for.
    Obviously the race meant it was Carlos Sainz last race in Red and what a few years it’s been with the Spanish driver, 4 wins, 6 poles and 25 podiums all in four years!

    Now onto Mercedes, what a recovery drive for Sir Lewis Hamilton, P4! Now that’s a Champions drive coming from the back to P4, it was a shame he just missed out on a podium however he’d be proud of what he done. It was his last race in Mercedes and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t emotional because I am… It’s sad to see such an iconic partnership part ways after so long however all good things just come to an end and I can’t wait to see Hamilton in red!
    As for George, its been a pretty decent season, he ended the race in 5th – obviously the car has been a bit temperamental this season so I think if they iron out a few problems, next year they will be battling for more wins, podiums, poles etc!

    A bit of a meh result for Verstappen, P6, it definitely could’ve been better but with penalties and faster cars you’ve gotta pick and choose your battles wisely and he had already secured the Drivers’ championship.
    As for his teammate, was this his last race in Red Bull colours? Sergio Perez suffered a spin on lap 1 following contact with Bottas and could no longer continue. It’s definitely been a shocker of a season for the Mexican driver and his had a big part to play in with Red Bull not retaining their Constructors’ crown and finishing third overall!

    A decent result for Gasly, P7! That result secure Alpine P6 in the Constructors’ championship after a long and hard season for the team. Doohan had a decent race with the team, he did finish 15th but he stayed out of trouble and got some mileage under his belt before his first season in F1 next year.

    It feels incredible, not for myself but for the whole team. The team have done an amazing job this year to come from where we were at the beginning. I’m so proud of everyone – it’s been a lovely journey, and to end the season like this is perfect, so just a congrats and big thank you to everyone in McLaren, everyone in papaya, everyone who supported us this year because it’s been a tough one. For us to win a constructors’ after 26 years is pretty special.
    Norris on the win.

    Now the race is over, there’s still cars returning to the Yas Marina Circuit next week for post-season testing on December 10th.

  • RW 24 – Abu Dhabi Qualifying

    Lando Norris will be starting from pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Brit leading teammate Oscar Piastri to secure a McLaren front row lockout on a weekend where the team are hoping to clinch the Constructors’ title.

    After Max Verstappen initially set a time strong enough for provisional pole during the first runs of Q3, it was Norris who surged ahead during the decisive final laps on an effort of 1m 22.595s, putting him 0.209s clear of Piastri.

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

    However, Hulkenberg has received a three place grid drop for failing to follow the race director’s instructions by overtaking two cars on the pit exit road.
    He is now demoted to seventh, meaning Verstappen is fourth, Gasly 5th and Russell 6th. However it’s still a good result for the team and his main target is Gasly and Alpine as there are only 5 points between them in the Constructors.

    What a lovely result for McLaren, Norris on pole and Piastri second, this is what the team would’ve of wanted going into the weekend, having both drivers in those positions will help massively with the Constructors’ all they can hope is that they score enough to win it!

    As for Ferrari, they’ve had a good result with Sainz in P3 so he is their main contender to score points for the team. As Charles Leclerc has got a 10 place grid penalty so will be starting the race from 19th, so the Monegasque driver will have a lot of work to do to grab some points for the team in an all important battle.

    A decent result for Verstappen, even though he has the championship wrapped up he would like to finish the season on a high and grab a decent result! His teammate, Sergio Perez qualified 10th which obviously isn’t the best as it’s middle of the pack but I suppose its not the worst position this year for him.

    A bit of a mixed qualifying for Mercedes, P7 for Russell, not the best result but not the worst he could still get some good points for Mercedes.
    As for Hamilton, it was a bit of a shocker, qualifying 18th, but after some penalties, he starts 16th. This was due to hitting a loose bollard that had been knocked onto the track by Magnussen.

    A perfect day for us. Probably a little bit tougher than we were hoping for – we’ve been very quick all weekend so we’re pleased with a 1-2, but it was just a bit trickier than what we would have liked. My lap in the end was strong, and just how we wanted to end today.
    Norris on pole position.

  • Leclerc hit with 10 place grid penalty

    Charles Leclerc has been hit with a 10 place grid penalty for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after the Ferrari driver took on a new energy store, a big blow to the team’s hopes in the constructors’ battle with McLaren.

    The Monegasque was forced to wait in the pits for the first 20 minutes of FP1 in Abu Dhabi while Ferrari dealt with a suspected battery issue on his car – he did get the opportunity to drive on track with his younger brother, Arthur Leclerc.

    However, in order to fix the problem, he has now exceeded the allocation of two energy stores per season and must serve the grip drop which will force him into a massive recovery drive if Ferrari want to keep their championship hopes alive.

    The Maranello team are just 21 points behind McLaren in the battle to be Constructors’ champions but will need to have a near perfect weekend in order to maximise their hopes with the expected penalty set to be a massive spanner in the works…

    Leclerc demonstrated strong pace in the first practice session despite his delay in getting out on track as he topped the timesheets with a margin of 0.221s to McLaren’s Lando Norris.

  • RW 24 – Tyre Selection

    The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend brings the curtain down on the longest ever Formula 1 season!

    As has been the case at this track, Pirelli have chosen its three softest compounds for the event, which are C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).

    Thanks to significant changes to the track layout introduced in 2021, its a much faster and flowing track, with several overtaking opportunities.
    In general the forces exerted on the tyres are in medium to low range, because of the high speed corners.

    The surface offers little grip and its level of abrasiveness is average for the season. However temperatures will play an important role, with two of three practice session taking place in daylight, FP2 and the race gets underway at sunset and then qualifying at night.
    Therefore track conditions can change quickly as the temperatures drop and they will evolve rapidly as the track rubbers in.

    On a track where graining could have a significant impact and where overtaking is possible, a two stop strategy seems like the most preferable, as was the case last year.
    As well as the undercut is very effective, and in order for a one-stop to work it requires a great deal of tyre management.

    https://twitter.com/pirellisport/status/1863913281880023073

  • Alpine confirm Doohan to race in Abu Dhabi

    Alpine have confirmed that Jack Doohan will be making his F1 race debut earlier than expected in the season closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the team releasing Esteban Ocon in a deal that allows the French driver to participate in the post-season test for new team Haas.

    It was confirmed back in June that Ocon would be departing the Enstone-based team after the 2024 season, bringing his five-year spell at the team to an end.
    News later followed that he would be switching to Haas for 2025, where he will be partnered by rookie Ollie Bearman.

    Alpine, meanwhile went on to confirm that reserve driver Doohan would become part of their line-up next season as teammate to the incumbent Pierre Gasly – but now the Australian is set to get his first taste of a Grand Prix sooner than thought.

    While this means that Ocon will not be a part of the 58 lap finale, he will still get to put in some mileage at the Yas Marina Circuit when he gets behind the wheel for Haas at the end of season test.

    It comes after Ocon faced a difficult weekend in Qatar, having lined up at the back of the grid before seeing his race end at the first corner following a Lap 1 collision with Hulkenberg and Colapinto.

    BWT Alpine Formula One Team announces that Reserve Driver Jack Doohan will race in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon. The change allows Esteban to be released to Haas to drive in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Jack, who has already been announced as an official driver for the 2025 season alongside Pierre Gasly, will race with the #61 as his registered Reserve Driver number and will also participate in the end-of-season test for the team at the Yas Marina Circuit. The team would like to thank Esteban for his time at the team and he will remain part of the team’s history achieving the first win for Alpine in Formula 1. We wish Esteban the best for the future.
    Alpine’s Statement.

    I think it comes from all sides really. I guess you could say it’s good to get Jack in early, I think you could say from Esteban’s side it’s good to move on early. I think it suits everybody, so I think the discussion was quite natural really, and I think Esteban’s been a big part of this team as well and from both sides it suits each other.
    Oakes on whether the move was prompted by the team or Ocon’s camp.

  • Fallows to leave Aston Martin ahead of Newey arrival

    Dan Fallows has stepped down from his role as Aston Martin’s Technical Director – but the team say he will stay within the group.

    Fallows joined Aston Martin from Red Bull in April 2022, and played a key role in their growth and development – which included the team taking eight podiums with Fernando Alonso.

    However, the team’s technical department has swelled in recent times, as billionaire owners, Lawrence Stroll marches on with his bid to make the squad a World Championship-contending team.

    Design guru Adrian Newey and former Ferrari tech chief Enrico Cardile are set to join the team alongside recent appointment Andy Cowell, who took over from Martin Whitmarsh as CEO.

    I would like to thank Dan for his contribution to Aston Martin Aramco in the last two years. Dan led the team to the success of the AMR23 which secured eight podiums last season.
    Cowell on the news.

    In my time at Aston Martin, it has been a joy and a privilege to guide the technical team on their journey towards being race and championship winners. It is time for me to pass on the baton, but I look forward to watching the team’s future success, which I am sure will come soon.
    Fallows on the news.

  • RW 23 – Qatar

    Max Verstappen took a masterful victory in a hugely eventful Qatar Grand Prix, a race which featured three Safety car appearances, numerous incidents and a few penalties…

    Having lost pole position following a one-place grid penalty for an incident in qualifying, Verstappen looked to be in fighting mode from the start, the Dutchman won the battle for the lead against Russell and Norris into Turn 1.

    It was not a straightforward drive from there, with the Safety Car appearing on the first lap after Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon were both casualties in an incident with Nico Hulkenberg.

    This proved to be the first of three Safety Car outings during the 57 lap encounter – and while the second restart saw Norris run close to Verstappen in a fight for the lead, the world champion ultimately held on and remained in the position through to the chequered flag.

    Norris meanwhile, saw what looked to be a certain podium result slip away after being handed a 10 second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags, dropping him down the field and leaving him with a battle on his hands to grab some points.

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

    What a lovely result for Max! Especially after his penalty which saw him loose pole position which he did seem like it was unfair, but he soon stopped people talking with a great drive to the flag.
    However for his teammate, Sergio Perez, found himself out of the running after suffering a spin he done all on his own…

    A really good result for Leclerc, P2! This will help with his battle for second in the Drivers’ championship and 2nd in the Constructors’. Carlos done quite well as well, considering he was one of the drivers who had a puncture due to debris on track. The Constructors’ will be decided next race as Ferrari can still catch up.

    A decent race for Piastri! P3 is good, exactly what the team would’ve wanted from him at the weekend.
    A bit of a downer for Norris, who looked like he was going to bring a really good battle for the win if not the podium at least until he had the stop/go penalty for failing to slow under yellow flags. But he managed to claw it somewhat back for a point.

    A decent result for Russell, he didn’t have the best start as he lost a few positions and then after that he was put on the Hard tyre and it just wasn’t the best tyre for the Mercedes (which we have seen before) however he managed to pull it back to P4.
    Not the best race for Hamilton, a puncture, a penalty and then just a bad strategy with tyres. He will be ready to move on to the last race of the season which is his last race as a Mercedes driver.

    A very good result for Gasly!! P5 wow, this has helped Alpine hop back up the Constructors’ which will make this last race weekend a good one!
    Ocon was in the collision in the first lap, which saw him DNF, which is a shame as it seemed like the track actually suited the Alpine car, so he could’ve been on for some points.

    A little mention for Zhou Guanyu for scoring his first points of the season and Kick Saubers! Which they waited for quite a while to get this season.
    Also a little mention for Alonso back in the points for the Spanish driver, and also points for Magnussen who finished P9!

    Now, we head to the last race of the season which is of course Abu Dhabi where the Constructors will be decided and P2 in the Drivers’ Championship!

  • RW 23 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 now heads to Qatar after Max Verstappen won the Drivers’ title in Las Vegas for a fourth consecutive year, however three teams are still in with a chance to claim the Constructors’ title as there is still 103 points on the table.

    The last back-to-back of the longest ever Formula 1 season gets underway in Qatar, the sixth Grand Prix weekend to run the Sprint format this season.

    An eleven hour time difference separate Doha from Las Vegas. They are both night races, held on the edge of large deserts, but that’s where the similarities end.

    When it comes to the tyres to be used Pirelli have picked C3 (Soft), C2 (Medium), C1 (Hard). With the Lusail track, the tyres are subjected to energy levels comparable to those at Suzuka and Silverstone so the hardest of compounds will be used.

    This is the third edition of the Qatar Grand Prix, the two previous events having been held in 2021 and 2023.
    Last year the weekend was affected by a decision taken by the FIA, imposing a maximum of 18 on the number of laps that one set of tyres could complete in the race, which led to all the driver making three pit stops.

    Over the past few months, the FIA and Pirelli have worked together to prepare for this Grand Prix to ensure that what happened last year will not be repeated.
    The pyramid-shaped kerbs have had their tips rounded off at seven of the track’s 16 corners.

    It’s hard to avoid the high temperature emanating from the Lusail track which was resurfaced in time for last year’s Grand Prix, to the extent that graining could be a feature.
    This could have a significant impact on race strategy with the tyres possibly suffering from significant thermal degradation.

  • RW 22 – Las Vegas

    Max Verstappen became a four-time world champion with an assured drive to fifth place during Saturday night’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, while pole sitter, George Russell and the charging Lewis Hamilton earned a one-two finish for Mercedes!

    Verstappen entered the 50 lap encounter knowing that all he needed to do was keep title rival Lando Norris behind him to secure another title, which the Dutchman achieved by holding position into the first corner and gradually pulled away from the British driver.

    Having held a podium spot after the second round of pit stops, Verstappen opted against a fight when the Ferrari’s arrived at the rear of his Red Bull in the closing laps – both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finding a way past before the chequered flag.

    At the front, Russell expertly managed a tricky race in cool, slippery conditions, keeping a fast-starting Leclerc at bay in the early laps – the latter running into tyre troubles as a result of that aggression – and controlling proceedings thereafter.

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

    What a result for Mercedes, 1-2 for the team!! Coming into the weekend I would’ve been surprised however because they’ve had a very strong weekend it wasn’t too much of a shock.
    George kept his cool and grabbed the win from pole position and Lewis just had a superb drive from P10 to P2, it does make you think if he had qualified well, could he of got this win?
    An overall note though from the race is that the Mercs were just flying and no-one could really challenge them so it will be interesting to see if this happens again in the final two races…

    A very good result for Ferrari especially with the battle of the Constructors’ Championship still to win. Sainz finished 3rd and Leclerc 4th! There was a few words said after the race from Leclerc with the radio message. It will be interesting to see how the team goes forward with two races left.

    P5 for Verstappen, I think in an ideal world he would’ve loved to win the race and claim his fourth Championship. However, he got it done with two races left! A big congratulations to Max and Red Bull for a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship it’s not an easy task!
    His teammate had made some good overtakes in the race to finish 10th so his managed to score a point, but it’s still very dissapointing.

    A not so good weekend for McLaren, they were kind of nowhere, didn’t really do anything amazing as the pace just wasn’t there. Norris finished 6th and Piastri in 7th, so still a decent haul of points but still not good enough.

    A very good result for both Hulkenberg who finished in P8 and Tsunoda who finished P9, it will help the teams massively in the Constructors’ and with two races left they will be trying to grab as many points as they can.

    A disappointing race for Pierre Gasly, as he DNF’ed from starting P3. He had smoke exiting the rear of his pink Alpine, he was forced to pit lane and retire from the race.

    We don’t have too long to wait till the next race as its this week! And it is the return of the Sprint in Qatar…

  • RW 22 – Las Vegas Qualifying

    Mercedes driver George Russell, stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz and the flying Alpine of Pierre Gasly in Friday night’s pulsating qualifying session.

    Having topped final practice and led the way after the first Q3 runs, Russell posted a time of 1m 32.312s on his final lap to secure the top spot and end a run of Ferrari and McLaren poles stretching back to his P1 at Silverstone in July.

    Sainz was a tenth of a second back, while Pierre Gasly and Alpine built on their sensational double podium finish last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to deliver another eye-catching result in third place.

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

    A lovely little result for Russell and Mercedes, especially as they have been having good results all weekend so far in the practice sessions. It’s a shame for Lewis to have a lap time deleted as it looked like he would of been top 3 if he carried on the way the practice sessions went.

    What a result for Mr Pierre Gasly!! They have clearly brought upgrades before Brazil and they clearly work or it’s just their car suiting these last few tracks. Who knows but they may aswell keep enjoying it!

    A good qualifying for Ferrari! P2 for Sainz and P4 for Leclerc. They will be hoping for a good result for both drivers as they have got the Constructors’ fight to think about..

    A not so good result for both Verstappen and Norris, P5 and P6 respectively. It will be an interesting race, as Verstappen can win his fourth world championship this weekend! Norris will need to pull something special out the bag in the race to keep the fight going for another week!

    A good result for Tsunoda! P7, what a lovely result! As well as Hulkenberg who qualified P9 too, they will both be wanting to grab some points this weekend!

    A disappointing result for Perez who has qualified in P16, this isn’t what the team needs unfortunately, they are going to be losing so much ground in the Constructors’ with these awful results… He needs to get in the points this weekend to make it a better weekend.

    Awful qualifying for Aston Martin, P20 for Stroll and P17 for Alonso, I still don’t understand to this day how they done so well last year compared to how bad they’ve done this year, it’s just so strange.

    It feels incredible to be back on pole. We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what’s happened before then. I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing, so there was a moment when I thought we weren’t going to make the flag. I’m just so happy. We’ve got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend because it was a real surprise.
    Russell on pole.

  • Kick Sauber confirm Bortoleto for 2025

    Brazilian racer Gabriel Bortoleto will be making his Formula 1 debut in 2025 after signing a multi-year deal with Sauber / Audi, with the team confirming that they are parting ways with Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.

    Bortoleto fended off competition from 10 time race winner Bottas to secure the seat alongside Nico Hulkenberg in an all new lineup for the Hinwil based team next season and in 2026 when the team become Audi’s work squad.

    The 20 year old reigning F3 Champion from 2023 is currently leading the F2 Championship with two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to go.

    He signed for Fernando Alonso’s driver management company A14 in 2022 and last year joined the McLaren driver programme, which gave him his first taste of F1 machinery with a test at the Red Bull Ring in a 2022 spec McLaren.

    Bortoleto has impressed with his consistency in F2 this year with Invicta Racing, scoring two wins and three further podiums to lead Isack Hadjar by 4.5 points.

    His Sauber/Audi deal will make him the fourth full-time rookie on the 2025 grid, joining Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Haas’ Ollie Bearman.

    He is also the first full time Brazilian Grand Prix driver since Felipe Massa, who retired at the end of 2017. His appearance comes after countryman Pietro Fittipaldi subbed in for Romain Grosjean for two Grands Prix in 2020.

    Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver. We are very pleased that he will become a team member of Sauber and Audi. Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success, and we will evolve into a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport. Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.
    Sauber COO and CTO, Mattia Binotto.

    This is one of the most exciting projects in motorsport, if not in all of sports. Joining a team that combines the rich motorsport history of Sauber and Audi is a true honour. Beyond simply being a member, I aim to grow with this ambitious project and reach the pinnacle of motorsport. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by the team and for the chance to work alongside an experienced driver like Nico. Both programs have a proven track record of nurturing young talent, and I am confident that together, we will write our own success story.
    Bortoleto on the news.

    Led by Mattia, Audi’s Formula 1 project is making great progress in many areas. The signing of the second driver is another milestone. We are currently witnessing a generational shift in Formula One, with young drivers immediately making an impact. By signing Gabriel Bortoleto, we have secured one of these top talents. His signing underscores Audi’s long-term strategy and commitment to Formula 1.
    Chairman of the Board of Sauber Motorsport AG Gernot Dollner.

  • RW 22 – Tyre Selection

    The Las Vegas Grand Prix is the third round this year to be held in the United States, following on from Miami and Austin.

    After the 7.004 kilometre-long Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the Nevadan track is the second longest on the calendar at 6.201 kilometres.
    It features 17 corners, tackled over 50 times in the race. It is a high speed venue, with three straights and top speeds that hit 350 km/h last year.

    Once again this year, track action begins with two free practice sessions getting underway on Thursday, leading up to the race on Saturday night, run entirely under the floodlights.

    As has become the normal for street circuits, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds in the race – C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).

    The main challenge on the tyre front will be the warm up, especially during qualifying and for the front axle in particular. Drivers will have to be careful to bring the tyres up to temperature without overworking them, avoiding any lock-ups at the heaviest braking points.

    Furthermore, low temperatures lead to reduction in grips and that can cause increased graining.
    These factors could lead to a speeding up of the wear process, which suggests a two-stop strategy, which was in fact the most popular choice last year.
    However a one-stop can still be quite competitive, especially if the driver gradually brings the tyres up to temperature, prolonging its life over a long stint.

    As always on a street circuit, red flags and Safety Cars are a strong probability with all the unknowns that can bring, including a restart in terms of tyre temperature management.

  • Fastest lap point to be scrapped in 2025

    The fastest lap point is to be dropped from the 2025 season following a meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council.
    They convened on Thursday before USA Grand Prix with minor changes to the existing Sporting and Technical regulations being approved.

    Chaired by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, with member joining in person at the FIA offices in Paris and via video conference.

    Changes for the 2025 season include the removal of the bonus point awarded for setting the fastest lap in a Grand Prix, along with an increase in the requirement of fielding a ‘young driver’ during free practice from once per season to twice.

    Meanwhile, a “significant update” to the 2026 regulations was presented, including a reorganisation of the way the regulations are laid out, which will be divided into thematic sections for clarity and consistency and is set to be concluded in the next few months.

    The 2026 Technical Regulations, which were originally approved in June, have been subject to “extensive enhancements” in terms of aerodynamics, thanks to effective collaboration between the FIA, F1 and F1 teams.
    These adjustments will lead to higher car performance “while maintaining management of the wake characteristics to promote close and exciting racing”.

    The regulation changes for Formula 1 in 2026 will ensure the sport remains financially robust and has greater road relevance, alongside the introduction of upgraded safety features that do not compromise exciting racing. My thanks to [F1 President & Chief Executive Officer] Stefano Domenicali for our continued partnership as we progress the first joint strategy for the future of Formula 1.
    Ben Sulayem after the meeting.

  • Toyota returns to F1 with Haas

    Toyoto are returning to Formula 1 for the first time since 2009 after signing a technical partnership with the Haas F1 Team that begins immediately.

    The Japanese manufacturer spent eight seasons in Formula 1 as a works team and engine supplier, scoring 13 podiums and achieving a best finish of fourth in the constructors’ championship.

    As part of the multi-year agreement, Haas and Toyota – through their motorsport and R&D division Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) – will share expertise and knowledge as well as resources.

    The deal will also run alongside their arrangement with Ferrari, whom Haas have worked with since they entered the sport in 2016.

    TGR will be providing design, technical and manufacturing services to Haas, while Haas will offer technical expertise and commercial benefits in return.
    The aim is for Haas to improve their development and competitive standing within the sport with Toyota developing their own knowledge and skills through Formula 1.

    I’m hugely excited that MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing have come together to enter into this technical partnership. To have a world leader in the automotive sector support and work alongside our organization, while seeking to develop and accelerate their own technical and engineering expertise – it’s simply a partnership with obvious benefits on both sides. The ability to tap into the resources and knowledge base available at Toyota Gazoo Racing, while benefiting from their technical and manufacturing processes, will be instrumental in our own development and our clear desire to further increase our competitiveness in Formula 1.In return we offer a platform for Toyota Gazoo Racing to fully utilize and subsequently advance their in-house engineering capabilities. I’m naturally pleased that we’ve had the support of the likes of Formula 1 and our long-term partner, Scuderia Ferrari – who we announced our further continuation with earlier in the season, in the formation of this new technical partnership – designed to achieve continued success in our Formula 1 endeavours. Everyone at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team is looking forward to the collaborative results of this new relationship, we can’t wait to get started and fulfil our combined ambitions.
    Ayao Komatsu, Haas boss.

    We are pleased to announce that MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing have concluded a basic agreement to enter a technical partnership such as Haas vehicle development. We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Gene Haas, Mr. Ayao Komatsu, Mr. Stefano Domenicali (CEO – Formula 1), Mr. Fred Vasseur (Team Principal – Scuderia Ferrari), and all our existing partners of the team for their exceptional cooperation and understanding in this collaboration. By competing alongside MoneyGram Haas F1 Team at the pinnacle of motorsports, we aim to cultivate drivers, engineers, and mechanics while strengthening the capabilities of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and Toyota Gazoo Racing, and we desire to contribute to motorsports and the automotive industry.
    Tomoya Takahashi, President of Gazoo Racing Company.

  • RW 21 – Brazil

    Max Verstappen has stormed to a remarkable victory in a frenetic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Dutchman climbed through the field from an original starting position of P17 to score his first race win since June amid changing weather conditions and huge drama along the way – which saw Alpine score a double podium result.

    The chaos started before the event had even got under way after Lance Stroll spun off during the formation lap, leading to some confusion over the aborted start procedure as pole sitter Lando Norris led a number of cars away while others stayed on the grid.

    When the Grand Prix did begin, Russell enjoyed a stronger launch and led from Norris while Verstappen worked his way through the pack in the early stages.
    As the event unfolded amid changing levels of rainfall, a red flag was thrown on Lap 32 following a crash for Franco Colapinto in the Williams – shortly after Russell and Norris had lost out by pitting just as a Virtual Safety Car period ended.

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

    What a drive by Max Verstappen! P17 to First! The best result for the Dutchman, especially in him wanting to retain his title. He capitalised on the red flag whereas Norris and McLaren made the wrong strategy call… It was a proper champion drive from Max and this might be the race which changes it all!
    However, Perez finished P11 – so after all the red flags, yellow flags and safety cars he still didn’t get any points even though he started above Verstappen so he should’ve really got points…

    What a result for Alpine! P2 and P3 a double podium for the team, which is just wow they now have made a jump from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings! They now are in a fight for for P6 in the standings with Haas and RB.

    A good result for Russell, P4 for the Brit, obviously a podium would of been what they were aiming for but with everything which went on during the race they still finished a decent position.
    Not the best race for Hamilton, he finished P10, he really struggled with the car, which is a shame as I think everyone knows he loves the wet weather and Brazil in general.

    A bad result for McLaren, Lando finished sixth and lost a lot of ground to Verstappen in the Championship, he will now have a lot of work to do in these coming races to try and get the championship back in his court, but it’s not looking good…
    His teammate finished 8th after a penalty for causing a collision with Lawson, he crossed the line in 7th. This isn’t good for McLaren at all for the constructors’ they only have a 36 point lead from Ferrari and 49 to Red Bull in third. They need a couple of good races from both drivers to secure it.

    A double points finish for RB! Tsunoda 7th and Lawson 9th! Which is what they expected especially after their amazing qualifying session!

    Sainz and Colapinto both recorded retirements following their separate crashes, while Nico Hulkenberg was given a black flag just prior to the restart after the Haas driver received assistance from marshals when returning to the track following an earlier off.

    Now our next race is in a few weeks and it will be our final triple header of the 2024 season, we start of with Las Vegas on the 21st to 23rd for round 22!

    My emotions today have been a rollercoaster, with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag. Starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race but we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm and we were fine. All of these things together of course made that result possible. I mean, unbelievable to win here from so far back.
    Verstappen on the win.

  • New start times for rescheduled Sao Paulo Grand Prix

    The FIA and Formula 1 have confirmed rescheduled timings for both qualifying and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself after Saturday’s qualifying session was postponed due to poor weather conditions.

    The session had been due to run at 1500 local time on Saturday afternoon at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, but the start of Q1 was postponed when torrential rain – along with thunder and lightning – arrived, resulting in pools of water forming on the track.

    With the session unable to take place on Saturday, it has now been confirmed that qualifying will take place today at the new time of 7:30 local time (10:30am GMT) and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself brought forwards to 12:30 local time (15:30pm GMT).

    Following the conditions in São Paulo today the decision was taken not to proceed with Qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light. Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and while as much time as possible was given to allow conditions to improve they sadly did not. We have huge appreciation for all the fans that stayed at the circuit in hope of seeing cars on track today. Therefore the decision has been taken, after consultation with the stewards, to schedule Qualifying for 07:30 local time on Sunday morning ahead of the Grand Prix at 12:30 local. This will ensure we maximise the chances of providing the fans with a day of racing action, given the ongoing weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon, and both the FIA and Formula 1 believe this time change is necessary and the right thing to do for all our passionate fans. We thank everyone for their patience today including the fans, drivers, teams, marshals, circuit staff and media and hope to give everyone an exciting event on Sunday.
    An FIA and Formula 1 statement.

  • Magnussen out, Bearman in for Sao Paulo

    Haas have announced that Kevin Magnussen will not be returning to action for the rest of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, meaning that Ollie Bearman will again race for the team.

    Prior to today’s action getting underway at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, the news came that Magnussen would not participate in the day’s running after feeling unwell, with Bearman stepping in for free practice, Sprint Qualifying and Saturday’s Sprint.

    However, in the hours after Sprint Qualifying, a further announcement was made that Magnussen would not return to compete in Saturday’s qualifying or Sunday’s Grand Prix.
    Bearman will continue his substitute duties for the remainder of the weekend.

    Despite receiving a call just hours before jumping in the car today, the Brit put in an eye-catching performance as he made his third stand in appearance of the season, having previously raced for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia and then getting behind the wheel for Haas in Azerbaijan after Magnussen was hit was a one-race ban.

    Bearman progressed to SQ3 of Friday’s Sprint Qualifying – outperforming team mate Nico Hulkenberg who qualified in P12.

  • RW 21 – Tyre Selection

    The Sao Paulo Grand Prix brings the curtain down on Formula 1’s long trip in the Americas, as we head to our final stop on the triple header.

    There is a common thread, that links all three of the tracks together, namely new asphalt. However, while in Austin and Mexico City only sections of the tracks had been resurfaced, in Sao Paulo all 4.309 kilometres has been renewed including the pit lane.

    Therefore, the track surface will be a completely unknown factor for drivers and teams this weekend. Complicating the puzzle further is the fact Pirelli have chosen to bring a softer trio of compounds than last year, they are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).

    On top of that it’s a Sprint weekend, so that there is only free practice session for teams to find the best set-up.

    At Interlagos, the lateral and longitudinal forces exerted on the tyres around the 15 corners of this anticlockwise track are medium to low intensity and well distributed across both axles.

    Usually the fastest strategy is a two-stop, favouring the use of the softer compounds. Last year, all bar one of the drivers chose to start on the Softs, but a red flag after the start allowed for a switch to Mediums.

    https://twitter.com/pirellisport/status/1851256011983630551?s=46&t=aXLQ2Py0qaT52rhG6u6Lig

  • RW 20 – Mexico City

    Carlos Sainz has sealed an assured victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver bouncing back after initially losing the lead to Max Verstappen to score a fourth win in Formula 1.

    Verstappen had initially moved into first place during an eventful start, but Sainz snatched the position back on Lap 9. Drama then unfolded in the laps that followed as Verstappen engaged in a scrap with title rival Lando Norris – leading to Verstappen having two 10-second penalties for his move on the Brit.

    That melee allowed Charles Leclerc through into second, and from there the Ferrari duo enjoyed a mostly unchallenged drive at the front – until Norris managed to chase Leclerc down in the latter stages and take second place after a wide moment for the Monegasque.

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

    A great result for Ferrari! Just what the team needed and it now means with their result of 1st and 3rd, they leapfrog Red Bull in the constructors’ and now they are only 29 points away from McLaren!
    A good strategy for the team for both drivers as well, and they managed to snatch the fastest lap point.

    A good result for Norris! P2 which helps in his championship fight, it does make you think what would’ve happened if he didn’t get into that fight with Verstappen at the beginning of the race, possibly of been fighting Sainz for the win? Who knows!
    A bit of work for Piastri he ended up finishing 8th, after climbing through the field after a tough qualifying on Saturday, hopefully he has a better weekend this weekend!

    A very good result for Mercedes, unfortunately not enough pace for a podium, but P4 for Hamilton and P5 for Russell, which is very good for the team.
    Now they will be looking forward to this weekend, Mercedes normally perform very well around Brazil and as you know both drivers love it here.

    An okay result for Verstappen, P6, it could’ve been a lot better for him, don’t get me wrong I don’t think he would’ve won the race but at least a podium was on the cards – however instead his gave 10 points towards Norris’ title fight…
    As for Perez – he had a good start making up quite a few places but he was also given a penalty for being too far in his grid box – he had some tough battles aswell and ended up getting damage he ended up finishing 17th which is last as we had 3 drivers retire! A weekend to majorly forget, but this really isn’t helping his fight for his seat next year…

    A good result for Haas – they have managed to turn it around in the race to convert their qualifying results into points which is really good – I now feel like they will be hopefully like this for the rest of the season, they managed to grab 7th and 9th.

    Gasly was the last of the points scorers, it is nice to see him back in the points – he makes it 6 different teams scoring points!

    Now we don’t have to wait too long for the next race as it is this weekend, and it’s our final stop in this triple header! We are in Brazil for Round 21 where the Sprint returns!

    Gracias Mexico! It’s incredible to see this crowd, I’ve been feeling their support all week. I feel like I have a lot of fanbase here in Mexico and they gave me a lot of strength to do the weekend that I’ve done. Honestly, I really wanted this one, I really needed it also for myself – I wanted to get it done. I’ve been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible. Now, four races left, I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes, I will go for it.
    Sainz after winning.

  • RW 20 – Mexico City Qualifying

    Carlos Sainz has taken a stunning pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver going fastest from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during what had been a dramatic qualifying session featuring a red flag and two shock exits in Q1.

    While Verstappen looked like he initially sealed provisional pole in the first runs of Q3, the time was deleted due to track limits, which promoted Sainz up into the top spot.
    And when it came to the second runs, the Spaniard went even quicker by pumping in an impressive 1m 15.946s.

    Verstappen claimed P2, the Red Bull man’s time 0.255s back from Sainz, while Norris took third after previously setting the pace in Q1 and Q2 for McLaren.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Hamilton, P7: Magnussen, P8: Gasly, P9: Albon, P10: Hulkenberg.

    A lovely result for Ferrari, especially coming off the back of last weekend aswell! It’s Carlos’ best ever qualifying at Mexico and his first pole position of this season, which makes Ferrari the only team with both drivers on pole this season.
    Leclerc starting fourth aswell, which is a good result, he will be hoping to grab a podium at least. As coming into this weekend, Ferrari look like they are the team to win again.

    A good result for Max, he had some struggles over the weekend in practice so to turn it around in qualifying is good, now to just hope that it all goes okay in the race.
    Perez made a bit of a shock Q1 exit at his home grand prix, starting 18th, which is a shame as no one wants to perform badly at home, but this is unfortunately just normal now…

    McLaren have had a bit of a mixed result, Norris qualifying third, which is I believe the best place out of the top three to qualify here, as it is quite a long run down to turn one.
    His teammate qualified in P17, which was a shock, and his run of Q3 appearances comes to an end. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to score some points for the constructors championship.

    A good result for Mercedes, P5 and P6, hopefully they can capitalise on it during the race and score some good points, maybe even score a podium if they are lucky.

    A good result for Haas, P7 and P10, there having really good results at the moment, due to the upgrades they have brought, if they keep having good results and scoring points this is going to help their battle in the Constructor’s championship fight with VCARB…

    I’m very happy. A great couple of laps. A lot of times around Mexico you always have the feeling like you cannot put a lap together and it’s extremely difficult with how much sliding there is, but today honestly my two laps of Q3 were pretty much identical, almost perfect. I just put two really solid laps in Q3, enough for pole, and I’m very happy because that’s not normally the case around Mexico with how tricky it is.
    Carlos Sainz on pole.

  • RW 20 – Tyre Selection

    The second stop of our triple header is Mexico City, where the circuit is named in honour of the brothers, Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez.

    The tyres for this this weekend are C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), which is a step softer than past race weekends, this decision was taken in order to open up more strategic options for the race.

    The first day of track action, Friday, will be slightly different than usual. The second free practice session will be entirely given over to validate the softer compounds in Pirelli’s 2025 race (C4, C5 and C6).
    The session is extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual 60 minutes, and all drivers and teams will have to follow a specific programme established by Pirelli.

    The Hermanos Rodriguez track is 4.304km long, with 17 corners and a surface that is low in terms of its severity on tyres. They have resurfaced the section between turns 12 and 15 in the third sector – the smooth asphalt and the fact the track is hardly used means that grip levels are rather low at the start of the weekend.

    Mexico City is located at over 2000 metres above sea level and the rarified air has an influence on car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars.
    One of the consequences of this is that top speeds reached are very high, despite a configuration that actually looks typical of tracks that require maximum downforce.

    In terms of strategy, this is a usually a one-stop race. Last year, the majority of drivers tried to manage the Medium to lengthen the first stint as much as possible.

  • Antonelli to drive in FP1 session in Mexico

    Mercedes junior, and next year’s replacement for Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, will get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as he takes part in his second FP1 session of the season in Mexico.

    The 18 year old Italian will take over Hamilton’s W15 in Mexico City, having also driven on Friday at Monza in September.
    However, the session in Italy came to an early end as a high-speed crash saw him put his borrowed car into the Monza wall just minutes into his debut.

    The crash had no bearing on Mercedes’ decision to promote the youngster, with Antonelli confirmed as Hamilton’s replacement at the Silver Arrows the very next day.

    Antonelli is currently competing in Formula 2, where so far he has took two wins and 3 podiums, he currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship with two rounds to go!

    FIA regulations state all F1 drivers must sit out one FP1 each season for a rookie who has no more than two Grand Prix starts.

    I’m looking forward to driving in FP1 and playing my part in helping the team make a good start on track this weekend. It is a new circuit for me and one I have been working hard to prepare for. The altitude makes it unique and it’s a challenge I’m excited to experience. I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity to contribute.
    Antonelli on the outing.

  • Drugovich set for FP1 run for Aston in Mexico

    Aston Martin have announced that test and reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich will make another free practice appearance for the team at the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix.

    Brazilian racer Drugovich, is set to driver Fernando Alonso’s car during Friday’s opening session, partially fulfilling the requirement for each team to run a rookie driver in two FP1’s per season.

    It will mark Drugovich’s first outing in the AMR24, which he has helped develop through simulator work at Aston Martin’s factory.
    He add’s to past FP1 runs in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and Italy and Abu Dhabi last season.

    I’m really excited to drive the AMR24 for the first time – I’ve been looking forward to it for a while! I’ve spent a lot of the year working on the development of this car in the team’s simulator, so it will be valuable for me to feel the correlation between the sim and the real thing. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a track I haven’t driven before. It’s a challenging circuit with a mix of long straights and technical corners, so I’ll be spending time on the simulator ahead of the event so that I’m ready to go come FP1.
    Drugovich on the news.

    We’re excited to give Felipe this first opportunity to drive the AMR24 during Free Practice 1 in Mexico City. Felipe is regularly in Silverstone on our simulator, contributing towards the development of this car with his detailed and thoughtful feedback, so it will be a rewarding experience for him to get out on track in Mexico. During the session, Felipe will be working his way through the team’s run plan, collecting vital data to support our decision-making throughout the rest of the weekend and aiding with the set-up of the car.
    Mike Krack, Aston Martin Team Principal.

  • RW 19 – United States

    Charles Leclerc took a flawless victory in the United States Grand Prix, the Monegasque driver lead home team mate Carlos Sainz in a one-two after storming through into the lead on the opening lap.

    Pole-sitter Norris initially looked to have held the lead off the line when the lights went out for the 56 lap race, but the McLaren went side-by-side with Verstappen into the first, which led to the Brit being pushed wide allowing Leclerc to sneak through and grab P1.

    From there, Leclerc enjoyed an unchallenged drive to victory, while team mate Sainz benefitted from an undercut to put himself into second place ahead of Verstappen following his pit stop.

    As the race entered the final stages, Norris overtook Verstappen for P3 following a close duel between the championship rivals – but the nature of the move prompted discussion over the radio, with Verstappen and Red Bull claiming that Norris had overtaken outside of the track limits.
    Norris ended up receiving a five second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. He crossed the line in P3 but as Verstappen was only 4 second behind he grabbed the last podium spot.

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

    What a lovely result for the Ferrari boys, a lovely 1-2 for the Italian team, it has helped massively in the Constructors standings they are only 8 points between them and Red Bull in 2nd.
    Charles drove a fantastic race, the team had the perfect strategy for the team and especially with Carlos aswell performing the undercut.

    A good race for Verstappen – however, he did have a few problems in the race with the car and tyres which tell us they haven’t sorted out all of their problems…
    Perez finished 7th – nothing amazing from him I feel like he wasn’t there much with overtaking. he just seems to be struggling with the car so much in comparison to Max.

    A good result for McLaren, P4 for Norris and P5 for Piastri – unfortunate for Norris with the penalty but it was good to see a nice fight between Norris and Verstappen. Piastri had a pretty okay race, I think he mostly wanted to stay out of trouble and score some decent points.

    A very good day for Russell – he ended up starting in the pitlane due to Mercedes repairing his car out of parc ferme from his crashing in qualifying. He finished P6 which is a lovely recovery drive from the Brit.
    Unfortunately for Hamilton spun out early in the race where he beached his Mercedes in the gravel.

    Hulkenberg finished P8, a double points finish for himself at the teams home Grand Prix which is a lovely result for the team, especially with Magnussen grabbing points in the sprint as well.

    Lawson and Colapinto rounded out of the top 10, points back on debut for Liam Lawson in the VCARB, his performing in a way in which he deserves a full time seat for next season.

    I’m very happy. It hasn’t been an easy weekend, until now I have been struggling a bit with the feeling with the car but I had the confidence that in the race the feeling was better, and it was the case. We’ve seen it yesterday in the Sprint race, we were a bit… not scared, but we thought the others would improve a lot more today but we still had the upper hand so really happy with today. A one-two for the team, we couldn’t have dreamed for better.
    Leclerc on winning the race.

  • RW 19 – United States Qualifying

    Lando Norris has grabbed pole position for the United States Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver’s solid first effort in Q3 ultimately unable to be beaten as the session was brought to an early end following a crash.

    Norris had initially taken P1 during the opening runs with his effort of 1m32.330s, disrupting Max Verstappen’s run at the top through Q1 and Q2.
    And while the Brit’s second lap was slower, nobody was able to improve when the double yellows made an appearance due to Russell who hit the wall at Turn 19.

    That confirmed Norris is on pole, with Verstappen 0.031s back in second and Carlos Sainz for Ferrari rounded out the top three.

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

    A lovely result for Norris, a lot better than Friday’s qualifying. I know Norris said he feels lucky, but luck does play a part in F1, so I think he should be happy about it, as it is the best place for him.
    For his teammate a much better position, Piastri has qualified P5, a decent qualifying for the Australian.

    Obviously a good result for Verstappen, it is definitely one of his better weekends of recently, he will want this win today so it’s just a wait and see what happens tonight…
    Perez had a slightly better qualifying, but still not amazing he will be starting P10, right smack bang in the middle of it all.

    Another good qualifying for the Ferrari duo, P3 for Sainz and P4 Leclerc. I feel like this weekend they are the team which has got it all together, both drivers are qualifying well, and they scored double points in the Sprint. Let’s hope the team’s strategy is good, so they can grab a podium.

    A bit of a 50/50 qualifying for Mercedes, Hamilton was out in Q1 and will be starting 18th, which was a bit of a shocker but I have a feeling he is a man on a mission this race. And for George he qualified P6 which isn’t bad, however he ended qualifying early by crashing out, which isn’t the best.

    A decent result for Gasly, P7 for Alpine, which is a lovely step forward! Now the team needs to have the right strategy for Gasly to score some points.

    Another good result from Magnussen for Haas this weekend, the team will be wanting to score more points for the constructors’ championship.

    It was a beautiful lap. I was not going to go much quicker than what I did. You know when you just do a lap and you think it’s going to be tough to beat that, but I put everything out on the line. It’s all we needed to do. We’ve been on the back foot pretty much the whole weekend. We’ve not had the pace of the Ferraris or the Red Bulls so I had to do something, and today I did that. A cool lap and a nice way to start the race tomorrow.
    Norris on pole position.

  • RW 19 – United States Sprint

    Sprint Qualifying-

    Max Verstappen has clinched pole position for the Sprint at the United States Grand Prix, the Dutchman having beaten Mercedes’ George Russell in Sprint Qualifying by just 0.012s.

    After Russell set the benchmark by going out early on track in SQ3, the likes of Lando Norris and the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – who had been looking strong earlier on – tried to better this. All were unable to do so, but Verstappen left it late to put his Red Bull into P1.

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

    A great result for Verstappen, it’s good to see him back on pole position but it doesn’t surprise me as he loves a sprint race and always excels on them.
    Perez didn’t have the best of days compared to his teammate he will be starting the Sprint from 11th… Obviously the top 8 score points in the Sprint so he has to make some decent moves to get valuable points.

    A lovely result from Russell, P2! The Mercedes so far seems like it has got some pace, which will be good for the Silver Arrows in the fight for moving up in both Championships. Obviously there is still a long way to go this weekend, so we will see how the team gets on…
    Lewis qualified 7th, isn’t the worst place to be, and I expect him to move up the grid a bit.

    Now onto the Ferrari’s, a very good sprint qualifying from both drivers, Leclerc in P3 and Sainz P5, a good opportunity for the team to score some valuable points as they edge closer to Red Bull who are in 2nd in the Constructors.

    A very good result for Haas, both drivers in the top 10! Hulkenberg P6 and Magnussen P8, a great way to start their home race weekend, the next step would be double points, they have two chances for that to happen!

    A very good result from Colapinto getting into the top 10! For Williams its their best Sprint Qualifying of the year so far. But I have to say it seems like Colapinto is pulling all the right moves to keep his name mentioned to be in contention for a seat next year.

    Sprint-

    Max Verstappen has returned to winning ways in the Sprint at the United States Grand Prix, the Dutchman taking an assured win from pole position to add to his points tally as Championship rival Lando Norris lost P2 to Carlos Sainz in the final moments…

    After Verstappen made a strong launch from P1 on the grid, Norris also impressed by getting ahead of both Ferrari cars and George Russell to put himself second.

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

    A good Sprint race for Max, this is what he would’ve set out to achieve after he got pole position for it. His teammate made some moves too, hopefully more points can be scored for the team over the weekend.

    A very good result for Ferrari! A P2 and P4, shame it wasn’t a P2 and P3 but sometimes its the way it is in racing. But points are points at the end of the day and they have scored a few so far…

    Somewhat of a decent result for Norris, P3 for the Brit, however he will be kicking himself for loosing P2 in such a tense title fight, however he can redeem himself.

    A very good result for Haas, they capitalised on their performance in qualifying to score points in the Sprint, now to copy and paste again for a successful home grand prix.

  • RW 19 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 is back and this year’s United States Grand Prix is the first leg of an all-American triple-header also sees changes to the track at COTA as most of it has been resurfaced.

    The abrasiveness of the track could therefore have changed since last year, given that a new layer of bitumen is usually smoother than an old track surface.

    The compounds chosen are the same as those used for the past two editions of the Austin round which are, C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    In terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, the loads at COTA are fairly evenly distributed between the front and rear axles, and are more lateral that vertical.
    Usually, degradation is thermal and is therefore linked to the ambient temperature which in Texas in October can fluctuate considerably from one day to the next.

    In terms of strategy, we will need to wait and see how the new surface may affect it. But with Saturday’s Sprint that should provide plenty of useful data.
    In last year’s short race, the Medium was chosen by the majority of drivers, although some risked the soft.

    Normally a two stop has always been the quickest here, especially as a one-stop involves a lot of careful degradation management.