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.
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.
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.
The second stop on #F1 long trip to the Americas will be the @mexicogp . The tyres are the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. The first day of track action,will be slightly different to usual: you can find out more here 👇#F1ESTAhttps://t.co/3ULl81eI0Npic.twitter.com/JyafJ5ERgN
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
McLaren are the third Formula 1 team to present a special livery for the United States Grand Prix weekend, following on from reveals by fellow teams Haas and Alpine.
In collaboration with team partner Google, McLaren have created a second edition of their striking chrome-inspired livery, which was first re-imagined at Silverstone last year.
Featuring in their ‘Chrome Shines Again’ campaign, the livery is a nod to some of McLaren’s former cars, including a modern twist to represent the team’s enduring legacy, with the enhanced chrome representing the two brands’ pursuit of innovative design.
In addition to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s cars, touches of chrome will be present on their race suits for this weekend.
McLaren approach the 19th race weekend with a 41 point lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, while Norris is 52 points behind Max Verstappen as they battle for the drivers’ championship heats up.
Alpine have joined Haas in showing off a special car livery for the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin, with their striking design celebrating the return of legendary adventure character Indiana Jones in an upcoming video game.
Via a collaboration with team partner Xbox, Alpine are building up to the release of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – which is scheduled for Spring 2025 – with a ‘sunset orange’ colour scheme and themed driver suits inspired by the franchise logo.
Diving into the car livery, it features an ancient map and red travel routes as showcased in the iconic film series, with the title of the game also emblazoned on the vehicle, while the suits include a world map with golden notes.
This is not the first time that Alpine have produced a film-inspired livery and race suits in 2024, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon sporting another bold look inspired by the Deadpool & Wolverine movie at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Working with the Xbox team to bring alive the incredible Indiana Jones and the Great Circle livery for the United States Grand Prix has been fantastic. The new look will be right at home in the Austin setting this weekend. Oliver Oakes, Alpine Team Boss.
Haas have revealed a special car livery for the United States Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, celebrating their second of three of home races during the 2024 season.
Complementing the usual black, red and white colour scheme are some additional blue highlights and features such as white and black stars – a nod to the United States flag.
Haas have raced under the American flag since debuting in 2016, with their headquarters located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, alongside a European base in Banbury, Oxfordshire.
The team have not only made a change to the liveries on Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen’s cars, though, with a range of upgrades set to be unleashed at the Austin round as the team aim to overhaul RB for sixth in the constructors’ standings.
Haas have 31 points to their name so far ahead of the final six rounds, they are only three points away from RB.
In Austin we’re bringing our main update for the final part of the season which will mainly involve another step of development in the floor and bodywork. The target, as always, will be to improve aero load in order to make the car faster. It’s difficult to be making a big step in lap time, so we’re speaking about small numbers, but in the tight midfield fight everything is an important step, and we hope to deliver. This is a development and further evolution of our package, not something new, although the car will look a bit different. We’re fighting for P6 and that’s a very nice feeling. We really need to put everything in we can to achieve that because it would be amazing for everyone at this team who’s put so much work into making this season a success. Technical Director, Andrea De Zordo.
Renault have confirmed the cancellation of their plans to supply engines for the 2026 Formula 1 season and beyond.
The French manufacturer announced that its engine factory at Viry-Chatillon would be transformed into an “engineering centre of excellence” by the end of 2024.
The decision comes ahead of the introduction of new engine regulations to F1 in 2026, with the Renault Group-owned Alpine team is now expected to agree a deal to have their power units supplied by Mercedes.
This announcement follows months of speculation and unrest at the company, which saw Viry staff members travel to the Italian Grand Prix during the summer to protest then-developing plans to close the factory.
Alpine’s F1 operations are currently split across two factories, the engine-focused division in France and the chassis focused is in the UK.
Alpine will continue running their current Renault engine for the remainder of this season and all of 2025.
The engine’s poor performance has been a factor in the team’s struggles this season, with the team sitting ninth out of 10 in the Constructors’ Championship with just six rounds remaining.
As a result of the consultation process with the employee representatives, during which discussions were constructive and an independent assessment was conducted, Alpine’s management confirms its project to transform the site into a centre of engineering and high-tech excellence by late 2024. Formula 1 activities at Viry, excluding the development of a new engine, will continue until the end of the 2025 season. Each employee affected by this transformation project will be proposed a new position within Alpine Hypertech. The statement.
New Zealander Liam Lawson will be replacing Daniel Ricciardo at RB alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the remainder of the season.
Red Bull and RB confirmed Ricciardo would be leaving the team and expressed their gratitude for his efforts across two stints with the Red Bull family.
Ricciardo returned to a Formula 1 race seat last year in Hungary with AlphaTauri and stayed on when they became RB for this season. Ricciardo scored points on five occasions, including a superb fourth in the Sprint in Miami, and sits 14th in the drivers’ standings, 10 points behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
However, his form hasn’t been enough to convince the Red Bull family to keep him on. It remains unclear what the future holds for Ricciardo but it’s very unlikely to involve a race seat on the 2025 Formula 1 grid.
RB then announced Lawson would step up from his reserve role, which he’s held since 2022 starting with the upcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Lawson first made his Grand Prix debut at Zandvoort last year as a super sub for injured Ricciardo. The 22 year old delivered an impressive set of results across a five race period, including his first points with ninth at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit. Daniel has been a true gentleman both on and off the track and never without that smile. He will be missed, but will always hold a special place within the Red Bull family. I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition. It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together. Laurent Mekies on the news.
McLaren have announced the signing of Red Bull’s Head of Strategy, Will Courtenay as their new Sporting Director.
Courtenay will be leaving Red Bull after two decades with the team, having joined them when they raced as Jaguar before the operation was brought by the energy drinks firm.
His signing is part of McLaren’s strengthening of their senior leadership team, with Courtenay set to report into Racing Director Randeep Singh.
But McLaren will have to wait a little under two years for Courtenay to join, though with Red Bull saying he “continues to be part of their team seeing out his contract until mid-2026”.
Courtenay is the third senior member of staff to choose to leave Red Bull in the last six months. Design guru Adrian Newey is set to leave to become Managing Technical Partner at Aston Martin while Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley is to become Team Principal at Audi next season.
Red Bull has since restructured the team following Wheatley’s departure, with a series of changes headlined by Verstappen’s race engineer Giapiero Lambiase becoming Head of Racing.
Courtenay will now team up with former Red Bull colleague Rob Marshall at McLaren, with Marshall as chief designer.
We are delighted to welcome Will to McLaren. His experience, professionalism and passion for motorsport make him the ideal candidate to lead our F1 sporting function. We are now entering a key phase in our journey as a team, and we are confident that he will be a great addition to our strong leadership team as we strive to continue challenging for wins and championships. Andrea Stella, Team Principal on the news.
Will Courtenay to join McLaren Formula 1 Team as Sporting Director.
Formula 1 and governing body the FIA have announced that the Bahrain International Circuit will be hosting three days of pre-season testing in 2025 on February 26th – 28th.
The track has hosted pre-season testing on six separate occasions since 2009, with its consistent weather conditions, mixture of high and low speed corners, and two long straights enabling F1 teams to gather maximum data for the campaign ahead.
Arriving on the calendar back in 2004, Bahrain was the Middle Eastern venue to host an F1 race and celebrated its 20th anniversary with the 2024 edition of the event.
In the 20 years since the first Grand Prix the 5.41km circuit has delivered nine winners from five different teams, with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc all claiming victory from the current grid.
The 24 round 2025 F1 season – which will mark 75 years of Formula 1 – is set to kick off with the Australian Grand Prix from March 14th – 16th and conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the weekend of December 5th – 7th, taking in trips to five of the world’s seven continents.
McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward will be getting behind the wheel of the MCL38 in front of his home crowd during FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Mexican driver – who has been dovetailing his role as reserve with his driving duties for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar – will be getting the opportunity due to F1 teams being required to run a young driver in two FP1 sessions per season.
O’Ward, who earned promotion to McLaren’s reserve driver pool for the 2024 season, has had experience of F1 machinery before having taken part in several development tests in the team’s 2021 car.
The 25 year old has also driven in the 2021 young driver test in Abu Dhabi and also drove in FP1 at both the 2022 and 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekends.
The Mexican finished 5th in Indy Car this year with 3 wins to his name and 460 points aswell.
The Mexico City Grand Prix weekend takes place from October 25th – 27th with McLaren currently leading the constructors’ championship as well as battling Red Bull in the drivers’ championship too.
I’ve got some pretty exciting news to tell you all today. I will be joining McLaren Formula 1 at the Mexican Grand Prix but this time around I will be jumping in the car for FP1. I cannot wait, this really is a dream come true for me – being able to jump into an F1 car in front of my home crowd. I can’t thank Andrea [Stella], Zak [Brown] – the whole team – enough for this amazing opportunity. The car’s been a rocket this year so [I’ll be] trying to do my part and help them as much as I can for the rest of the year. Can’t wait to get going and I’m actually flying over to Europe at the end of this week to start all my Formula 1 duties. I can’t wait. O’Ward on the news.
Aston Martin have announced they have signed Adrian Newey, with the Formula 1 design guru joining the team on a multi year deal as Managing Technical Partner.
Back in May, Red Bull announced Newey was leaving the reigning champions after almost 20 years which meant the British designer was officially on the market.
It triggered a flurry of conversations with rival teams – which include Aston Martin, Ferrari and Williams and ahead of the Azerbaijan Aston Martin announced they’d won the fight.
Newey will be joining on March 1st 2025, which will be in time to have an impact on the 2026 car that will be built to new regulations including a new power unit formula.
He will have access to a brand new factory, including a new wind tunnel and in loop simulator. With also integrating a new works power unit supplier in the shape of Honda.
I am thrilled to be joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. I have been hugely inspired and impressed by the passion and commitment that Lawrence brings to everything he is involved with. Lawrence is determined to create a world-beating team. He is the only majority team owner who is actively engaged in the sport. His commitment is demonstrated in the development of the new AMR Technology Campus and wind tunnel at Silverstone, which are not only state of the art but have a layout that creates a great environment to work in. Together with great partners like Honda and Aramco, they have all the key pieces of infrastructure needed to make Aston Martin a world championship-winning team and I am very much looking forward to helping reach that goal.
Newey on the news.
This is huge news. Adrian is the best in the world at what he does – he is at the top of his game – and I am incredibly proud that he is joining the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. It’s the biggest story since the Aston Martin name returned to the sport and another demonstration of our ambition to build a Formula One team capable of fighting for world championships. As soon as Adrian became available, we knew we had to make it happen. Our initial conversations confirmed that there was a shared desire to collaborate in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Adrian is a racer and one of the most competitive people I have ever met. When he saw what we have built at Silverstone – our incredible AMR Technology Campus, the talented group of people we have assembled and the latest wind tunnel in the sport – he quickly understood what we are trying to achieve. We mean business – and so does he. Adrian shares our hunger and ambition, he believes in this project, and he will help us write the next chapter in Aston Martin Aramco’s Formula One story.
There are around seven thousand kilometres separating Baku and Singapore and the entire Formula 1 circus has just tackled it. This is the first time these two races have been run back-to-back.
The dry weather compounds chosen for 15th running of the Singapore Grand Prix of the Singapore Grand Prix are the same as last year’s and in face the same as at the past two races at Monza and Baku, C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).
The circuit was modified last year with the aim of making it flow better, but it is still one of the twistiest of the season. Its length is now down to 4.940 kilometres so that the number of laps has been increased to 62.
In the final sector, between what used to include turns 16 to 19, a 400 metre straight has replaced them so that the number of corners has been reduced from 23 to 19.
As with all street circuits, the slightest mistake in Singapore comes at a high price, given there are very few run-off areas and running a fraction off-line can see you in the barriers. Therefore the Safety Car is a common sight here especially as it takes quite a while to remove a stricken car from the track.
There are a few factors that make the one-stop is the only valid strategy: firstly the time lost for a tyre change pit stop is around 28 seconds, secondly overtaking on this track is complicated. A two-stop could only be considered in the event of the race being neutralised.
The dry weather compounds chosen for the 15th running of the Singapore GP are the same as last year’s and in fact the same as at the past two races at Monza and Baku: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft. https://t.co/My1nD3sjAh#SingaporeGPpic.twitter.com/ZG7GIO5VGk
McLaren will be joining Mercedes and RB in running a one-off livery at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, having presented a Legend Reborn design with partner OKX.
Co-designed by McLaren and OKX, the livery celebrates the MP4 era of McLaren from 1981 to 1996, blending the classic stripe design with McLaren’s papaya colour scheme “as a way of honouring the heritage of the team”.
It was officially unveiled at an on track event in Singapore, prior to the race weekend getting under way, with McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown and drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in attendance.
The livery also honours legendary McLaren racers such as Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Niki Lauda, with the names of 13 iconic drivers from the era integrated into the livery on the cockpit.
The new livery drops a week after McLaren took the lead of the F1 constructors’ championship for the first time in a decade, with the Woking-based team jumping ahead of Red Bull after Piastri’s win on the streets of Azerbaijan.
It is fantastic to bring back our third bespoke livery in Singapore with OKX. Legend Reborn is a great way to celebrate and honour our iconic history, in a way that unites fans old and new. Following on from this year’s Senna campaign, this livery further embodies our partnership with OKX as we continue to deliver unique story telling campaigns for McLaren fans and OKX customers globally. Louise McEwen, Chief Marketing Officer, McLaren Racing.
Mercedes have unveiled a special livery that will adorn the W15 during the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, featuring shades of green in place of the team’s traditional silver colours.
It is to mark the 50th anniversary of the squad’s technical and title partner PETRONAS, the company’s emerald green will replace most of the silver on the car’s front wing and sidepods.
With the PETRONAS headquarters based in Kuala Lumpur in the neighbouring Malaysia, Mercedes opted to mark the milestone as F1 heads to the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The new look has earned praise from lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with both drivers looking forward to racing with the one-off livery under the lights.
After the race weekend, Wolff, Hamilton and Russell will travel to Kuala Lumpur to continue the celebrations.
Our partnership with PETRONAS is our longest standing and still going strong, and for any company to reach its 50th anniversary is an incredible milestone. Our partnership with PETRONAS is our longest standing and still going strong, and for any company to reach its 50th anniversary is an incredible milestone, Wolff on the livery.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc made it four successive poles in a row at the Baku City Circuit.
Leclerc produced a blistering lap of 1m 41.365s to finish some three-tenths clear of Piastri in the final Q3 phase, adding to his 2021, 2022 and 2023 poles. He also had teammate Carlos Sainz round out the top three.
The full top 10 are – Pole: Leclerc, P2: Piastri, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Russell, P6: Verstappen, P7: Hamilton, P8: Alonso, P9: Colapinto and P10: Albon.
What a result for Ferrari! Especially Leclerc taking pole, he loves this circuit so much so he will be wanting to grab the win today! It helps Sainz is in third, so hopefully the strategy will be good enough to get a double podium.
A semi decent day for McLaren’s drivers, a lovely result for Piastri P2, he will be looking for that win today aswell – so it will be an interesting fight between the two teams. However, Lando Norris was a shock Q1 exit he will be starting 17th which isn’t what the championship contender would have wanted. He has a lot of work to do in the race…
A decent result for Red Bull! Perez starts P4 which is a lovely result from the Mexican! He does love these streets, so don’t count him out in the race. Verstappen starts 6th – it could’ve been better but it also could’ve been worse.
Now onto the Silver Arrows, a decent qualifying for them! P5 for George and P7 for Hamilton, they will be looking to get a good haul of points this weekend.
Now onto Williams, what a performance!! Colapinto outperforms Albon and will be starting 9th and 10th respectively. Both drivers in Q3 for the first time this season. It will be interesting to see how Colapinto does this weekend with it being his second F1 race.
Bearman who is in for Haas this weekend was close to the top 10, the Brit will be starting P11 and will be looking to score more points aswell…
Round 17 is here and we are officially in the final third of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
For the first time ever, the race takes place in September rather than the usual April or June and that will be the case next year aswell due to wanting to achieve a more logistically coherent calendar.
Pirelli has chosen the three softest compounds in the range C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).
The track is 6.003 kilometres in length and has pretty much unchanged since 2016, it features 20 corners.
Some of these, such as the first seven are practically right angle turns while others through the city are slow and some flat out.
The track also varies in width, going from seven metres at turn 8 to being wide enough to accommodate three cars abreast down the main straight.
The track evolution is an important factor as the circuit is normally open to city traffic not only that but the weather can also play a part. Usually it’s hotter in September, than the usual race in April. With track temperature varying around the race track depending on which parts are in sunlight or the shade from surrounding buildings.
Baku is a typically one-stop race, with the hardest tyre doing the majority of the work. Although a glance at the circuit layout may seem like overtaking is straightforward, but that is not always the way.
The final third of the season gets underway in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. As usual for a street circuit Pirelli has chosen the three softest dry compounds in the range, namely the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. https://t.co/RMCKwgj04Dpic.twitter.com/UUi0Yj0zCu
Ollie Bearman will be standing in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix following the Dane’s race ban for reaching the maximum 12 penalty points on his super licence.
Magnussen was handed a 10-second penalty and two penalty points when the stewards deemed he was “wholly to blame” for banging wheels with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly when trying a pass at the Italian Grand Prix.
With Bearman set to race full-time for Haas in 2025 alongside Esteban Ocon, the team decided to promote Bearman – who is dovetailing his role as reserve for both Haas and Ferrari aswell as his campaign in F2 this year – for the race in Baku.
It made the most sense for Haas to give Bearman the weekend in the Haas so he can familiarise himself with the team for a full weekend before he makes his debut.
It means Bearman who won his second F2 race of the season in Monza will be missing the F2 Sprint and Feature races in Baku.
The young Brit has been building up his F1 preparations with runs in FP1 for Haas this year, the fourth of six taking place in Hungary just before the summer break.
Magnussen can return back to his Haas for the following race in Singapore, as his Super Licence will be wiped clean of points.
It’s definitely more of a challenge stepping in to race as a reserve driver, with limited prep-time and so on, but I’m in the fortunate position of having done it earlier in the year with Scuderia Ferrari, so I can at least call on that experience. I’ve also had four FP1 sessions with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in the VF-24 already this season, so undoubtedly that will also prove to be valuable in tackling the full race weekend in Baku. The team is in good form at the moment and I’ll do my best to be prepared with the time we have available. The aim is to get out there and have a solid weekend in Azerbaijan. Bearman on his reserve duties.
I’m excited that Ollie will be driving the VF-24 alongside Nico in Baku. He’s already shown great promise in his FP1 outings and post-season test, and he performed very well when he drove for Scuderia Ferrari in Saudi Arabia, picking up points in the process. This is another excellent opportunity for both Ollie and the team to work together, this time throughout an entire race weekend, and he couldn’t ask for better teammate than Nico to provide him with a reference. Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal.
Ferrari have confirmed that Loic Serra will assume the role of Technical Director Chassis when he officially joins the team on October 1st.
It was announced earlier this year that Serra and ex-F1 driver Jerome d’Ambrosio – both who previously worked for Mercedes – had been signed by the Scuderia to bolster their work force.
Experienced engineer Serra was initially set to report to Technical Director Enrico Cardile, but the latter’s exit and move to Aston Martin means that will now be Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.
D’Ambrosio meanwhile is still set to join Ferrari at the start of next month as their Deputy Team Principal after departing his role as head of Mercedes young driver programme.
Serra will be responsible for a host of different departments in his new position. This includes, Chassis Project Engineering, Vehicle Performance, Aerodynamics, Track Engineering and Chassis Operations.
The Italian team also highlighted that the position of Technical Director Power Unit continues to be assigned to Enrico Gualtieri.
Aston Martin has announced a significant milestone in its preparation for the new 2026 F1 regulations – with a technical collaboration agreement signed by the representatives of the team, Aramco, Honda and Valvoline Global Operations (VGO).
The dynamic partnership is united in the aim to drive forward the development of the 2026 Formula One car under new FIA regulations for on-track success.
As part of this strategic partnership, Aramco will deliver advanced fuels, with Honda developing a new works power unit that incorporates a 50/50 spilt between electric and combustion power.
Additionally, Valvoline will provide leading-edge lubricants for the power-unit and expertise from its 150 years in automotive and industrial solutions. All parties will work together with aim of placing the team at the forefront of performance, reliability and sustainability.
The partnership’s technical development builds on Aramco’s existing sponsorship agreement with the team, which has enabled close collaboration on a range of technologies that could potentially be deployed in road vehicles – from light-weighting of cars to safety enhancements.
This milestone marks a significant step forward in our journey towards the 2026 F1 season – with the aim of pushing the limits of what is possible. The collaboration with Aramco, Valvoline Global, and Honda is now moving at pace, and we are on track to achieve our ambitious goals. The joint-efforts in developing advanced fuels and lubricants, along with our new Honda power unit, are set to elevate our on-track performance and we are confident that this partnership will bring substantial success to everyone involved. Lawrence Stroll on the news.
We are incredibly excited about our collaboration with Aston Martin Aramco, Honda Racing Corporation, and Valvoline Global. This partnership not only underscores our work with the team, but also highlights our dedication to developing advanced technologies for use in motorsport and the wider automotive industry. Yasser Mufti, Aramco Executive Vice President of Products & Customers.
Working together with Aston Martin, Valvoline Global, and Aramco is a unique collaborative experience. We are excited to power the Aston Martin Aramco race car into the new era of Formula One regulations and are proud to be part of this unique partnership with four incredible brands. Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation.
Our collaboration with Aston Martin Aramco is a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of what is possible in motorsport. Valvoline’s advanced lubricant technologies are playing a mission-critical role in this partnership, and we are excited to see the results of our combined efforts on the track in 2026. Jamal Muashsher, CEO of Valvoline Global.
Kevin Magnussen has been hit with a one-race ban after being penalised for clashing with Alpine rival Pierre Gasly during the Italian Grand Prix, with the penalty points received tipping him over the limit for the season.
It was an eventful race for Haas at Monza as Nico Hulkenberg was handed a 10 second time penalty earlier on in the race following a collision with the RB of Yuki Tsunoda, before Magnussen later received the same punishment but with Gasly.
The Dane tried to overtake the Alpine down the inside of Turn 4 but locked up and subsequently made contact. In their verdict, the stewards felt that Magnussen was “wholly to blame for” this, having deemed that he did not drive in a “safe and controlled manner through the manoeuvre”.
Despite scoring a point by crossing the line in P10, Magnussen’s penalty means that he has received an additional two penalty points on his licence. This takes his total to 12 and should a driver reach this total over a 12 month period, they will be issued a one-race ban.
As such, Magnussen will now be forced to miss the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, with an official document from the FIA confirming the punishment.
Stating a breach of Article 4.2 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations, the note reads: “The Super Licence of the driver of Car 20 is suspended for the next Competition of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. Following this suspension, 12 penalty points will be removed.”
The last F1 driver to receive a race ban was Romain Grosjean back in 2012, when he was racing for Lotus, after he caused a multi-car crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes have officially announced that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be George Russell’s team mate for 2025, with the Italian stepping up from F2 to replace Ferrari bound Lewis Hamilton.
The Silver Arrows have been mulling the identity of who would race for them next season after Hamilton told them he was leaving at the end of the season to join Ferrari.
But on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix and just a day after Antonelli, 18, made his FP1 debut with the team at his home event in Monza, they announced the news.
Antonelli has had a stellar junior career, as he rapidly climbed through the ranks. After winning the ADAC and Italian F4 titles in 2022 and Formula Regional European Championship in 2023, the Mercedes junior skipped F3 and entered Formula 2 with PREMA this season.
He has won two races and currently lies 6th in the championship. The 18 year old has dovetailed competing in F2 with a testing programme in old-spec F1 machinery with Mercedes.
In stepping up to F1, it now means both drivers in Mercedes’ 2025 line-up have graduated from their junior programme – with Russell set for his fourth season with the Silver Arrows having joined the junior squad in 2017.
The Italian is expected to get another run for Mercedes in FP1 this year, with the team considering doing it in Mexico.
It is an amazing feeling to be announced as a Mercedes works driver alongside George for 2025. Reaching F1 is a dream I’ve had since I was a small boy; I want to thank the team for the support they’ve given me in my career so far and the faith they’ve shown in me. I am still learning a lot, but I feel ready for the opportunity. I will be focused on getting better and delivering the best possible results for the team. I’m also really excited to become George’s team-mate. He came through the team’s junior programme just like myself and is someone I have a huge amount of respect for. He is super-fast, a multiple Grand Prix winner, and has already helped me improve as a driver. I am looking forward to learning from him and working together to deliver on track. Antonelli on the news.
Our 2025 driver line-up combines experience, talent, youth and out-and-out raw speed. We are excited about what George and Kimi bring to the team both as individual drivers, but also as a partnership. Our new line-up is perfect to open the next chapter in our story. It is also a testament to the strength of our junior programme and our belief in home-grown talent. George has proved that he is one of the very best drivers in the world. He is not only fast, consistent, and determined, but has also developed into a strong leader within the team. Kimi has consistently shown the talent and speed needed to compete at the very top of our sport. We know it will be another big step up, but he has impressed us in his F1 testing this year and we will be supporting him every step of the way in the learning process. In George, he has an experienced team-mate from which he can learn and hone his craft. I am confident that both will contribute greatly as we continue to build momentum and fight at the front of the field. Toto Wolff on the junior driver stepping up.
I’m really excited to be partnering with Kimi for 2025. His record in junior formula has been formidable and his promotion is truly deserved. He’s a fantastic young talent and a fellow graduate of our junior programme. I look forward to using the experience I’ve gained from my own journey to provide guidance to Kimi as he makes the step up to F1. I know how much of a support Lewis was for me throughout my time as a junior driver and since I’ve been his team-mate. I’ve learned so much from him and I hope to play a similar role for Kimi. As a team, we’re building a lot of positive momentum heading into next year. We continue to make progress on track and are working hard to put all the pieces in place to fight for world championships. It is a really exciting journey we are on; I am confident Kimi and I can continue to push the team forward and help deliver on the promise we are showing. Russell on the news.
Campos Racing’s Mari Boya started the Monza weekend on top, setting a 1:38.172 to lead the pack in Free Practice.
The Spaniard saved his best time for last, able to pip Christian Mansell and Callum Voisin who wound up second and third for ART Grand Prix and Rodin Motorsport respectively.
Gabriele Mini was the first driver to put down a laptime, setting a 1:41.324 to lead early on. The Italian lowered his personal best shortly afterwards to a 1:40.583 with the opening 10 minutes gone.
Teammate and title rival Arvid Lindblad had a minor off track excursion at Lesmo 2 as the PREMA driver ran wide and through the gravel but was able to rejoin.
A Virtual Safety Car was deployed with just over half an hour to go after Kacper Sztuka came to a halt ahead of the Parabolica.
With the car cleared, green flag running resumed but a Red Flag followed with 25 minutes remaining. Several drivers ran through the gravel at the Variante della Roggia chicane to leave the track covered in gravel.
Into the final 15 minutes and the times rolled in, with Boya putting his Campos car at the head of the field on a 1:39.998 before Noel Leon beat that for Van Amersfoort Racing by 0.139s.
Luke Browning then put his first time on the board to go quickest of all by almost three-tenths of a second on a 1:39.574. Leon returned to P1 on his next lap to lower the benchmark time to a 1:39.470 heading into the final 10 minutes of running.
Mini then restored himself to the top spot with a 1:38.998, 0.4s quicker than Leon’s effort and comfortably fastest of the title contenders. Mansell lifted himself up the order with a 1:39.153 to go second-fastest for ART Grand Prix inside the final five minutes.
Boya then displaced the Australian to go within 0.031s of Mini’s time until the Italian finished off his final effort to improve one last time.
Qualifying-
Group A- The even-numbered cars lined up to get on track first, including the top three in the Drivers’ Championship.
There was just one time on the board with just over five minutes to go, though Max Esterson’s 2:10.419 was not a push lap as everyone began to play for track position.
Contact between Laurens van Hoepen and Kacper Sztuka out of Lesmo 1 left debris on the track and both with damage, leading to a red flag.
The first segment resumed with five minutes to go and everyone else was straight back out onto the circuit.
Esterson headed out the queue without a tow and recorded the first proper lap to beat with a 1:40.558 but that was beaten immediately.
Luke Browning went quicker but his time was bettered by Mari Boya and Joshua Dufek, with the latter taking provisional top spot with a 1:38.287
Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli wound up seventh on his first attempt, seven-tenths down on the time to beat. The Italian reset and on his second and final effort, he recorded a 1:38.287 to go quickest of all while title rival Gabriele Mini moved himself up to second at the chequered flag.
Group B-
The odd-numbered half of the grid followed suit in waiting before getting out on track for their first attempts.
ART Grand Prix were the first to blink and sent Nikola Tsolov and Christian Mansell out in front, with the rest of the pack trailing the pair out of the pitlane.
Mansell had overtaken his teammate but then backed off in hopes of gaining a tow as the clock ticked to three minutes remaining. With nobody obliging, the Australian headed up the train for the first attempts but backed off before he completed the lap as others followed suit.
Martinius Stenshorne wasn’t one of them though and recorded the first time to beat on a 1:39.273. That was beaten by fellow McLarn Driver Alex Dunne, who went provisionally quickest in Group B with a 1:38.818.
Everyone had time for one final attempt but nobody could beat the MP driver’s effort, though no one was close to Fornaroli’s time from Group A.
With the results aggregated together, Fornaroli will line up on Pole for Sunday’s Feature Race ahead of Dunne on the front row in P2. Mini will go from third with Meguetounif in P4. Ramos rounded out the top five.
Day 2 Sprint Race-
Before the lights could go out, title contender Christian Mansell radioed into his ART Grand Prix that he was stuck in third gear. A second formation lap was required but the Australian was able to get off the grid, though he had to start from the pitlane for causing the delay.
At the race start, reverse grid pole sitter Tramnitz covered off Dino Beganovic on the run to Turn 1 before going wheel to wheel with Montoya, who had to skip over Turn 2 but settled into second after passing the PREMA driver.
A Safety Car was deployed on lap 2 after Noel Leon and Nikita Bedrin wound up in the gravel after contact at Turn 2 with Tommy Smith, requiring the former cars to be cleared away/
Racing got back underway entering lap 6 but a big snap through Parabolica put Montoya under immediate pressure from Beganovic. However, the Colombian held onto the second into the first chicane.
Joseph Loake and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak ran through the gravel at Turn 4, allowing Lindblad and Fornaroli to move up into the points in ninth and 10th places respectively, with Browning and Mini followed directly behind.
With DRS on the run to Ascari, Fornaroli battled by Lindblad on lap 7 to secure ninth position from the PREMA driver. Teammate Ramos meanwhile was able to move ahead of Beganovic to take third place, and he was quickly onto the rear wing of Campos’ Montoya.
Lap 10 and after two previous unsuccessful attempts, Browning passed Lindblad for 10th position to move into the points. Meanwhile Fornaroli’s charge continued as he passed Mari Boya for seventh.
Montoya stuck with Ramos after being passed and re-took second into the first corner on Lap 12, while teammate Sami Meguetounif was able to move ahead of Beganovic at the same spot. Alex Dunne meanwhile relegated Beganovic to sixth just before the second Safety Car of the race.
Max Esterson and Piotr Wisnicki had collided at the first chicane and were out of the running. Both drivers were OK, but their cars needed clearing away.
Tramnitz retained the lead but further back, Browning cleared Fornaroli into Turn 1 to take eighth place. The leader held on from Montoya and Ramos, while Dunne and Beganovic rounded out the top five.
Meguetounif cleared Boya after the Campos driver ran through the gravel at Ascari, a mistake that allowed Browning to move up one place further to earn seventh.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tramnitz, P2: Ramos, P3: Dunne, P4: Beganovic, P5: Meguetounif, P6: Browning, P7: Boya, P8: Fornaroli, P9: Mini and P10: Stenshorne.
Day 3 Feature Race-
Fornaroli covered off Alex Dunne immediately at lights out and retained his lead into the first chicane, with MP Motorsport following ahead of Mini in third.
Into Parabolica the Irish driver was down the inside of the Championship leader to take first. Just behind, teammate Sami Meguetounif took third from Mini with a slipstream into the first corner going into Lap 2.
Further back, Luke Browning was up to 11th from 13th on the grid after the opening lap, but dropped to 12th after compatriot Joseph Loake was able to get the tow on Lap 3.
Battling into Ascari, Browning was side-by-side with Nikola Tsolov but spun on corner entry, Several drivers then made contact in a separate incident further on in the corner to bring out a Safety Car with Shields, Floersch and Zagazeta left out of the running with damage. Browning was able to continue but was down in 26th position.
Back to racing conditions entering Lap 7, Dunne kept hold of the lead ahead of Fornaroli, but Mini dropped down to fifth after Christian Mansell got ahead into the first corner.
Fighting for the lead into Ascari, Fornaroli went wide mid-corner and took a trip through the gravel, dropping him down to fifth position and crucially behind Mini.
Up ahead, Meguetounif moved ahead of Dunne at Turn 1 under braking to take the lead on Lap 10. Mansell was on the move on the following lap, rounding Dunne at the Roggia chicane to take second place in ART.
Onto Lap 15 and Fornaroli was in the DRS of Dunne and through for third position at Turn 1 to put a car between himself and Mini. The PREMA driver put a pass on Dunne himself on the following lap to move into fourth position and keep Fornaroli in his sights.
Lap 18 and Fornaroli was on the move again, this time taking second position from Mansell at the first corner despite a sizeable lock-up. Mini followed through later on in the lap at Ascari to remain within a second of the championship leader.
Another lock-up on Lap 20 at Turn 1 for Fornaroli allowed Mini to close right onto the back of the Trident.
Onto the penultimate lap and Mini got the move down to pass his title rival who then had Mansell attacking into the Roggia chicane and the ART driver got ahead, tipping the title battle in favour of the PREMA driver.
Onto the final lap and Mini was desperate to keep Mansell behind and worked hard to break the tow. Fornaroli was in the wheel tracks of the ART out of the first chicane and tried to get a late-braking move done but had to skip across the second chicane, forcing him to hand the place back.
Meguetounif was clear to take his second win in F3 ahead of Mini, but with a final corner lunge on Mansell, Fornaroli cleared the Australian taking P3 and sealing the title.
The full top 10 are- P1: Meguetounif, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Stenshorne, P6: Tramnitz, P7: Leon, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Beganovic and P10: Dufek.
After the conclusion of the Feature Race, several drivers have been given post-race penalties, while Gabriele Mini has been disqualified as the car had not met the minimum requirement with regards to its tyre pressures.
Consequently this promotes Leonardo Fornaroli to second and Christian Mansell to third.
Round 16 is officially complete, and it was Charles Leclerc who took a stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix after utilising a bold one-stop strategy to hold onto the lead.
The Monegasque thrilled the Tifosi at their home grand prix as he clinched P1 ahead of the McLaren drivers.
After making a decent start off the line from pole position, Lando Norris initially stayed in P1 before Oscar Piastri swept past into the second chicane later in the lap. From there, the Australian driver stayed out in front for much of the race.
However, with much of the field opting for a two-stop strategy, Ferrari made the risky decision to try a one-stop for Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, resulting in the pair running at the front of the field in the latter stages of the race.
Sainz was unable to hold on given his ageing tyres, with both Piastri and Norris overtaking him to move into second and third. But Leclerc held out to grab an emotional win on Ferrari’s home soil, crossing the line 2.6s ahead of Piastri.
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Piastri, P3: Norris, P4: Sainz, P5: Hamilton, P6: Verstappen, P7: Russell, P8: Perez, P9: Albon and P10: Magnussen.
The best result ever for Charles Leclerc! P1 at Ferrari’s home Grand Prix. Going into the weekend they would’ve wanted this to happen but at some points it didn’t seem like it would. But their strategy this weekend was on point. Obviously unfortunate for Carlos Sainz as if he didn’t have his tyres go off it would’ve been an easy 1-2 for the Ferrari team.
A good result for McLaren, 2nd and 3rd. Obviously its not what the team wanted as they are their to win but sometimes its the way it goes. But going home with two podiums is a good result either way. It does makes me think when will they bring team orders into play as Norris is obviously battling for the championship…
A semi decent result for Mercedes, Lewis in P5 and George in 7th, unfortunate for George with the damage early on in the race, but he managed to achieve damage limitation and still scored points.
Not the best result for Red Bull, they will be walking away from this weekend wanting to forget about it as a whole. Max finished 6th and Perez 8th so not too bad but it should’ve been better. I think the team will use this week off in the simulator seeing where to go from here and why it isn’t working, as if they carry on like this then it’s not going to end well with the championship…
Albon back in the points! It’s what we like to see, fully deserved aswell as he got in the top 10 for qualifying. As for his new team mate, Franco Colapinto a very good first race finishing 12th, he stayed out of trouble which is a good sign of things to come.
Now onto Magnussen finished P10, a point for Haas, which is really good for the team, but its unfortunate for both drivers as they both got time penalties for separate incidents, so it’s a what could of been for the team.
Yuki Tsunoda was the sole retiree from the race, having retired his RB following a collision with Hukenberg.
Now, next up is Round 17 and its the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which isn’t too far away its the 13th to 15th September!
Jordan's Track Talk 