Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • RW 16 – Monza Qualifying

    Lando Norris has continued his promising run of form by taking a stunning pole position for the Italian Grand Prix with the Brit and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri locking out the front row.

    After initially claiming P1 during the first runs of Q3, Norris secured his place by pumping in a time of 1m19.327s just 0.109s ahead of Piastri.

    While the Woking team came out on top, the first six cars were all covered by less than two tenths of a second, with George Russell the closest in P3.

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

    A lovely result for the McLaren team a 1-2 in qualifying, which is just what they wanted but now its all eyes to the race as they will want to copy and paste and take another victory this season.

    A good result from George, it was so close to pole but not close enough unfortunately, however he will be looking to fight for the win against Norris and Piastri and its not going to be easy.
    Lewis qualified 6th, it could’ve been better but he wasn’t that far away from pole, the top 6 are just so bunched up. He will be looking to

    A very good result for Ferrari at their home grand prix, P4 and P5 for Leclerc and Sainz, I know their not overly happy with it but when you’ve got six drivers fighting for pole you would be disappointed with 4th and 5th. Their aim today will be to get a podium at home, maybe fight for the win depending on their set ups against the other teams.

    Now onto Red Bull, it’s not looking good for the team this weekend. Verstappen qualified 7th and Perez 8th. There is something just not right, Verstappen is saying it, Horner is saying it and no one knows really where to go from here.
    It’s going to get to the point if they carry on like this and Norris / McLaren keeps on being consistent there championships will be under threat…

    A good result for Alex P9! He will be looking for some points this weekend. As well as Nico Hulkenberg who qualified P10, so far the Haas driver has been on fire this weekend his got so much pace!

    Fernando Alonso just missed out on Q3 by one hundredth of a second, which would be quite frustrating for the Spanish driver he will be starting 11th. His teammate Lance Stroll had a bit of shocker being out in Q1 where he will start P17.

    Now to talk about our newest F1 driver, Franco Colapinto, he will be starting his first F1 race 18th, but he did make a slight mistake which could of possibly seen him higher up but his done well so far, it will be interesting to see how he goes in the race!

  • RW 16 – Tyre Selection

    The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is known as the Temple of Speed, an appropriate moniker given that, at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher and his Ferrari set a record for the highest ever average speed over a race distance of 247.585km/h.

    One of the most important change for this year’s Italian Grand Prix concerns the asphalt. The circuit has embarked on a process of renovation and modernisation of its facility, aimed at ensuring its future and part of the first phase of this work has been the complete resurfacing of the entire track.

    As is usually the case with newly-laid asphalt, the surface is smoother than its predecessor and darker in colour. This latter factor will have an impact on track temperature, which if the sun is shining could see it get hotter than in the past. In theory the new surface should offer more grip, which will impact tyre performance and their operating temperature range.

    At Monza, cars usually run in the lowest aerodynamic configuration of the season to reduce drag, in order to favour top speed. Stability under braking and traction coming out of the two chicanes are the factors that most test the tyres.
    For this year’s event, the three dry compounds selected are the same as in 2023: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).

    This is a track where the time needed for a pit stop is one of the longest of the year so, on paper, a one-stop strategy is quickest.
    In free practice, it will be important to evaluate what effect the new surface might have on tyre behaviour over a long run, both in terms of performance and of degradation.

    Last year, the race was very linear, with the two hardest compounds being the clear choice. 17 of the 20 drivers chose to start on the C4, while only three – Hamilton, Bottas and Magnussen – preferred the C3.
    14 drivers pitted just the once, six pitted twice.

  • Antonelli to make F1 debut with FP1 outing

    Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that protege Kimi Antonelli will be making his Formula 1 weekend debut on home soil at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, with the youngster being handed a practice run.

    Formula 2 racer Antonelli, who turned 18 on Sunday, has been widely tipped to replace Lewis Hamilton as George Russell’s team mate from the 2025 campaign, though Mercedes are yet to formally announce their plans.

    What Wolff has now confirmed, however, is that their junior driver will be given a chance to appear for Mercedes during Friday’s first practice session at Monza next weekend, as one of the two outings teams are required to fulfil each season.

    It comes amid a rapid rise for Antonelli, who has impressed on the junior scene via successive titles in Italian F4, ADAC F4, Formula Regional Middle East and Formula Regional European over the last two years.

    He is currently competing in F2, where with a solid run of early-season points finishes paved the way for breakthrough Sprint and Feature Race victories at the recent Silverstone and Hungaroring rounds.

  • Colapinto replaces Sargeant for the rest of 2024

    Williams have announced that academy driver and F2 racer Franco Colapinto will contest the remainder of the season with the squad, replacing Logan Sargeant as Alex Albon’s team mate from the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.

    Colapinto joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy early in 2023 and made his FP1 debut with the F1 team at this year’s British Grand Prix – giving him an initial taste of the FW46.

    A race winner in an array of categories on the junior single-seater scene, the 21 year old had been contesting his second season in the F2 feeder championship, holding sixth in the 2024 standings with a race win and two second-place finishes to his name.

    He will become the first Argentine driver in F1 for 23 years, after Gaston Mazzacane’s last appearances for Prost back in 2001, and only the second Argentine to drive for Williams, following on from his countryman Carlos Reutemann.

    In their press release, Williams took the opportunity “to thank Logan Sargeant for his hard work and contribution over the past two seasons” adding he “will remain in the Williams family and we will support him to continue his racing career.”

    It comes after a particularly challenging run for the American, who crashed his updated Williams at last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, a few weeks on from confirmation that he will be replaced by Carlos Sainz next year.

    It is an honour to be making my Formula 1 debut with Williams – this is what dreams are made of. The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of. The team has such amazing history and a mission to get back to the front which I can’t wait to be part of.
    Colapinto on the news.

    To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season. We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle.We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle. We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy, and Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season. This is undoubtedly incredibly tough on Logan, who has given his all throughout his time with Williams, and we want to thank him for all his hard work and positive attitude. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future. I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1.
    Williams Team Principal, James Vowles.

  • RW 15 – Netherlands

    Round 15 is officially complete, and it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who charged to a statement victory during the Dutch Grand Prix, overhauling Max Verstappen denying the Dutchman what would have been a fourth-straight home triumph.

    Norris lined up on pole position for Sunday’s race but his hopes of converting it into the win took a hit when Verstappen jumped off the line and slotted ahead at the first corner, before moving clear and breaking free of the DRS window.

    However, Norris gathered himself to mount a fight back as the race developed, finding another level of pace to close back in on the three time world champion and reclaim a lead he would not relinquish.

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

    A lovely result for McLaren, P1 for Lando, another win for the Brit! The upgrades McLaren brought to Zandvoort clearly worked as they dominated that race.
    Piastri finished P4, he will probably be a little disappointed with it as he could’ve got on the podium, but he was close, and gave a good fight to Charles Leclerc during the race.

    A good result for Max, P2, I think he was slightly gutted he couldn’t win his own Grand Prix (like anyone would be), but I think from the beginning of the weekend and how they struggled to how they finished it they need to be walking away happy, and look at what is needed to improve on.
    Perez finished in P6, an okay result from the Mexican, I think it could’ve been better but still a good amount of points.

    What a result for Leclerc! Another podium to add to his tally, apparently for the team it was quite unexpected but sometimes that is the best podiums as you know you’ve put a lot of hard work into it.
    Sainz finished P5 which is a very good result for the whole team.

    Now onto Mercedes, a decent drive from Lewis Hamilton after he started P14 and then went onto finish P8, so for him it was probably damage limitation, get into the points and see how many he can get.
    As for Russell, I feel like he kind of got swallowed up by the field, he had a great start to the race getting into P3 but by the time pit stops went around etc he ended up finishing the race in P7…

    A good result for our final points positions, P9 for Gasly which is good to see and P10 for Alonso, probably not the points he wanted after his qualifying position but being realistic with the cars around him it was probably going to end up this way anyway!

    Now, we don’t have to wait too long until the next race as it is this week! We head to Italy for Round 16 where it is the Italian Grand Prix – Ferrari’s home race.

  • RW 15 – Netherlands Qualifying

    Lando Norris has secured pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix in triumphant style, with the Briton pumping in a time over three tenths of a second clear of nearest challenger Max Verstappen.

    After he put himself on provisional pole during the initial runs in Q3, Norris bettered that effort by setting a sensational lap of 1m09.673s in the McLaren.

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

    A good result for McLaren, pole for Lando and P3 for Piastri, just what the team would of wanted coming back from the summer break, they will be wanting to go for the win today.

    A good result for Max Verstappen, he would of wanted to get pole position as it is his home race this weekend, but Norris has now broken that chain. Perez has had a good qualifying too! P5 for the Mexican will be interesting if he can improve on that position.

    A very good result for Aston Martin, P7 and P8 for the team, which is very good as before the summer break they were struggling or pretty much all season have been struggling compared to last season…

    A somewhat of a decent result for Ferrari, P6 for Leclerc, however for Sainz he failed to get into Q3 and ended up in 11th but he will start 10th due to a disqualification.

    A good result for George Russell, P4! He will be wanting to get on the podium today, so watch out for that battle. Hamilton didn’t have a very good qualifying, out in Q2 in 12th and to makes matters worse, he has been given a three place grid penalty for impeding Perez.

    Alex Albon has been disqualified from qualifying after being P8, due to a breach of the technical regulations, the stewards’ conclusion read: The floor body of Car 23 was found to lie outside the regulatory volume mentioned in Article 3.5.1 a) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations. The team did not dispute the calibration of the FIA measuring system and the measurement of the car, but stated that their own measurements have produced different results. The Stewards determine that the result of the measurement conducted with the FIA system in Parc Ferme is the relevant one and the due process prescribed by the regulations has been followed. Therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement is applied.

    And to makes matters worse, Logan Sargeant didn’t participate in the qualifying session at all, due to a heavy crash in FP3, despite the best efforts of the crew trying to fix the car.

    An amazing day. It’s nice to be back and start with a pole. It was a nice lap, honestly. The qualifying was always pretty smooth and I put in some good laps, especially the one at the end, which is always the most important. A great job by the team and I’m happy with today. I’m excited for tomorrow. I’m sure it’s going to be tough. Max has been quick all weekend. I know we got him today, but he’s still second and he’s going to be putting up a good fight, specially at his home race. I’m looking forward to it.
    Norris on claiming pole position.

  • Doohan promoted to F1 with Alpine

    Alpine have announced that current reserve driver, Jack Doohan, will complete their line-up for the 2025 season – who is replacing Esteban Ocon as Pierre Gasly’s team mate.

    Australian racer Doohan, 21, has been part of Alpine’s dedicated academy since 2022, moving over to the operation after parting ways with the Red Bull junior set-up.

    Son of former 500cc motorcycle world champion, Mick, he placed third in last year’s F2 championship with three race wins, adding to a runner-up classification in the 2021 F3 standings.

    Doohan has been linked to a potential promotion with Alpine throughout the 2024 season, with those rumours stepping up a gear in the wake of the news that Ocon is moving to Haas.

    The Australian has racked up plenty of mileage in F1 machinery with Alpine over the last couple of years to prepare for an opening, completing a host of private tests and appearing in six FP1 sessions to date – Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2022 and 2023, and Canada and Britain earlier this year.

    Alpine added that Doohan will continue his role as reserve driver for the remaining of the season, taking part in regular tests with the 2022-spec A522 F1 car, as well as duties in the team’s simulator on select race weekends.

    I am so happy to secure promotion into a full-time race seat in 2025 with BWT Alpine F1 Team. I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up. It’s exceptionally satisfying to be the first graduate of the Alpine Academy to be in a race seat with the team and I’m extremely thankful to those who supported me along the way to make this a reality. It’s an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.
    Doohan on the news.

    We are very excited to promote Jack into the race seat from next season and, in doing so, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skill and talent in Formula 1. Jack will become the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy into a race driver position with the team, so that is exceptionally pleasing for the team and its young driver pathway. Personally, I have worked with Jack back in 2019 and I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential. He is a very hard worker behind the scenes and his commitment is hugely valued by the entire team. Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver line-up with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed. We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid.
    Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s Team Principal.

  • RW 15 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 is back in action at a track that presents one of the most complicated challenges of the season.
    The Dutch Grand Prix takes place at the classic Zandvoort circuit, nestled in the dunes on the North Sea coast.

    Banked corners are not that common in Formula 1 and therefore present an unusual challenge for both car and driver. It has an effect on the tyres, because the higher speeds of the banked turns compared to the normal ones subjects them to even greater forces.

    That explains why the dry weather compounds chosen for Zandvoort are the three hardest in the 2024 race: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft).

    On paper, thermal degradation is a very significant factor, but it will depend on the weather in late August. The Netherlands borders Belgium and we saw before the break how climatic conditions at these latitudes can change from one day to the next and even within the space of a day.

    Conditions changed so much during last year’s race that all five types of available tyre were used. The most popular slick was the Soft, chosen for the start by 19 of 20 drivers, with Hamilton being the only driver to opt for the Mediums.

    In stable dry conditions, pre-event simulations point to a one-stop as the quickest strategy, especially in theory, overtaking is a rare event, because the track is very narrow and there are few straights.

  • Perez set for race engineer switch

    Red Bull have confirmed that there will be a change on Sergio Perez’s side of the garage for the foreseeable future, with long-time Race Engineer Hugh Bird going on paternity leave.

    Bird has been Perez’s Race Engineer since the Mexican’s first season with Red Bull in 2021 but that responsibility will move to performance engineer Richard Wood from this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.

    In Red Bull’s official pre-event preview, Perez commented that “everyone will notice a change on the radio” when the action gets underway at Zandvoort.

    Hugh my Race Engineer is expecting a baby very soon so will be spending some time at home and I wish him and his family the best of luck with their new arrival! Woody, my Performance Engineer, will step up in the meantime.
    Perez said.

    Perez also added that he is returning from the summer break feeling “refreshed and ready to go” after a challenging runs of Grands Prix – featuring Q1 and Q2 exits and minor points finishes – led to plenty of speculation over his Red Bull future.

    Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently described Perez’s form as unsustainable with the squad looking to fend off the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

    However, fresh from Red Bull stating that they are standing by the six-time Grand Prix winner.
    Perez commented “I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. The summer break was very important for everyone in the team and the whole sport, with so many races now everyone needs the rest and reset time more than ever. I spent my time in Mexico with family and I feel refreshed and ready to go for the second half of the season. I know all my team feel the same, I have been in Milton Keynes this week with them. I know what we can extract from the car in the coming weeks and we will do our best to maximise the second half of 2024.”

  • Shwartzman in for FP1 at the Dutch GP

    Kick Sauber have confirmed that Robert Shwartzman will get behind the wheel of Valtteri Bottas’ car to participate in Free Practice 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Shwartzman – who acts as a reserve driver for Ferrari – is set to jump in the C44 when the second half of the 2024 season kicks off at Zandvoort on August 23rd.

    This isn’t Shwartzman’s first FP1 appearance, with the 24 year old previously taking part in sessions for Ferrari during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

    After winning the Formula 3 championship with PREMA Racing in 2019, Shwartzman went on to drive for the squad in Formula 2 from 2020 to 2021, finishing in fourth and second place of the drivers’ standings respectively.

    Since then the Russo-Israeli driver has competed in sports cars as well as racing in the World Endurance Championship with Ferrari.

    Under Formula 1’s current regulations, each team must run a rookie in two FP1 sessions each campaign, and Shwartzman’s appearance will mark Kick Sauber’s first young driver outing of 2024.

    After announcing the news, Kick Sauber stated: “As in previous occasions, we work in partnership with Scuderia Ferrari to give young talent an opportunity in practice sessions. Good Luck, Robert!”

  • 2025 Drivers Confirmed so far

    The driver market kicked in early this year, all thanks to Lewis Hamilton making his way to Ferrari which was a shock no-one really saw coming, and it has shaken the drivers market up quite a bit.

    Summer break is normally where everything seems quiet, but rumours are flying everywhere, however it was quite a quiet one this year. But now we’re back racing for the second half of the season this seats will soon be announced!

    So let’s see what drivers are confirmed for 2025!

    Red Bull-

    Max Verstappen
    Sergio Perez

    Red Bull is sticking with the same driver line-up for a fifth-successive season for 2025, having announced Sergio Perez will continue to partner three-time champion Max Verstappen, whose contract runs until 2028.

    Ferrari-

    Charles Leclerc
    Lewis Hamilton

    Ferrari’s audacious and successful move to lure Hamilton away from Mercedes kicked the 2025 F1 driver market into gear before the 2024 campaign had even begun.

    Seven time world champion, Hamilton joins Charles Leclerc at the team, with Leclerc having been announced on a deal covering “several more seasons” in January.

    Mercedes-

    George Russell

    With Hamilton’s departure means George Russell is at present the only confirmed Mercedes drivers for 2025, after which his contract expires.

    The team is keen to promote Kimi Antonelli – who is currently competing for Prema in Formula 2.

    McLaren-

    Lando Norris
    Oscar Piastri

    McLaren was the first team to have its 2025 line-up locked in.
    Lando Norris is contracted at the team he’s spent his entire top-level career with until at least the end of 2026.
    As is his team-mate Oscar Piastri who will be part of an unchanged line-up for a third year in a row in 2025.

    Aston Martin-

    Fernando Alonso
    Lance Stroll

    Aston Martin is one of three teams that will boast an F1 champion in its 2025 line-up, as 42 year old Fernando Alonso ruled himself out of the silly season early by committing his future to the team with which he scored eight podiums last season.

    At the end of June, the team confirmed a new deal for Lance Stroll that will keep him at the team through the first year of F1’s next rules in 2026.

    Alpine-

    Pierre Gasly

    Alpine confirmed a “new multi-year” deal for Gasly that should extend beyond the end of 2025 just before the Austrian Grand Prix.

    Esteban Ocon is obviously leaving the team, that means there is one seat remaining at Alpine, which is yet to be confirmed.

    Williams-

    Alex Albon
    Carlos Sainz

    Williams has tied down Alex Albon – who’s scored all but five of the teams 38 points in the ground effect era.
    That vision has clearly impressed Carlos Sainz, who eventually picked Williams as his post-Ferrari destination.

    RB-

    Yuki Tsunoda

    Red Bull officially exercised its option to keep Yuki Tsunoda at RB for 2025 ahead of the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, but there is still a question mark over his team-mate.

    Perez’s new deal marked the official end of Daniel Ricciardo’s chance of returning to the main team, though his hopes have gradually faded during what has been a flat start to 2024.

    Red Bull also has to find Liam Lawson a driver otherwise he is contractually free to race for another team if he doesn’t get a seat with them in 2025.

    Sauber-

    Nico Hulkenberg

    Nico Hulkenberg’s career revival at Haas has been impressive enough to catch the eye of Sauber for the 2025 season ahead of the team’s rebirth as the factory Audi team for 2026.

    The identity of his team-mate isn’t yet known, but it seems all but certain it won’t be either of Sauber’s current driver, Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu.

    Haas-

    Ollie Bearman
    Esteban Ocon

    Hulkenberg’s exit left Haas with two vacancies for 2025 as his team-mate Kevin Magnussen is also out of contract at the end of the year.

    But it was announced on the eve of the British GP weekend that Ferrari protege Ollie Bearman will make his F1 graduation in 2025.

    Hass then confirmed prior to the Hungarian GP that Magnussen would not be retained, with one week later it confirmed Ocon will replace him on a multi-year deal with the team.

  • Who is Andrea Kimi Antonelli?

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been brought into a lot of conversations the past couple of months, so shall we spread some light on who he is?

    Mercedes protege, Kimi Antonelli has been the talk of the Formula 1 paddock since the Miami GP – with some suggesting his arrival in the sport is imminent while others say there’s no rush.

    The Italian driver is the reigning Formula Regional European champion, backed by Mercedes, who has performed so strongly that he has skipped F3 and gone straight to F2 this season with Prema.

    Alongside his F2 duties, Mercedes have carefully crafted a Formula 1 acclimatisation programme for Antonelli, which began with a run in a 2021-spec Mercedes in Austria and was then followed up with a run in the 2022 Mercedes at Imola.

    Several more tests are planned across the year, with the focus on getting the 17 year old plenty of mileage in F1 machinery to prepare him as best as they can for a step up to F1 at some point.

    Mercedes do not want to rush Antonelli into Formula 1 and risk damaging a talent so good, he has been likened to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at this stage of his career.

    However, things have changed since Hamilton told Mercedes he was leaving a year earlier than planned to join Ferrari.
    This then forced the Silver Arrows to consider the possibility of bringing Antonelli into F1 at least a year earlier than they had ever contemplated.

    Then in Miami, the prospect of Antonelli making his debut in Formula 1 this season was raised when it emerged that governing body the FIA had received a request to give the Italian – who already has the 40 Super Licence points to race in F1 – dispensation to race in the championship before he turns 18 which he will do on August 25th of this year.

    There was rumours for the Italian to be brought in halfway through this season but for Williams and Logan Sargeant if he isn’t performing.
    But Mercedes priority will be to stick to the plan with Antonelli and prepare him properly and then guide him into Formula 1 and nurture what could be an incredible talent.

    How do you think Antonelli will get on for his first possible year in F1?

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and PREMA Racing walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of Round 9 Budapest of the Formula 2 Championship at...

  • Andrea Stella signs multi-year extension

    McLaren have handed Team Principal Andrea Stella a multi-year contract extension following a strong first-half of the season that has seen the iconic British team become genuine world championship contenders.

    Stella joined McLaren in 2015, working as Head of Race Operations and Performance Director before earning promotion to Executive Director of Racing in 2019.

    Since becoming Team Principal in 2022, the team has progressed rapidly – earning two Grand Prix wins, 18 further podiums and a Sprint victory.

    McLaren are currently on a run of 10 successive podiums and sit just 42 points (less than the number of points you can earn in a single Grand Prix weekend) behind championship leaders Red Bull.

    Within the last year, McLaren have agreed multi-year extensions with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the team focuses on stability on their quest to return a first World Championship since 2008.

    It’s a privilege to be part of the McLaren Formula 1 team, and I am honoured to continue in my role as Team Principal. We’ve made great strides forward in the past year and a half and we still have a lot more work to do to consistently fight at the front of the grid, which poses an exciting challenge. Success comes through the team working in synergy, and I am enjoying my role, which has allowed me to help unlock individual talent and empower people to work together towards our Team’s objectives. My thanks go to Zak for his confidence in me as a leader, to my entire leadership team and all my colleagues in the Team, for their continued collaboration and support. I am excited for what we can continue to achieve together.
    Stella on the news.

    I am delighted to confirm we’ve extended Andrea’s contract as our F1 Team Principal for multiple years. His excellent leadership, expertise and the respect he holds within the team and Formula 1 means we could not have a better person in place to continue the pursuit of consistently fighting at the front of the grid. His impact on McLaren F1 in his role as Team Principal has been profound, not only through our results on track and the trajectory of the team but also in his development of our culture and mindset. With multi-year extensions already agreed with Lando, Oscar, and now Andrea, we can confidently continue on our quest to become World Champions. We’re all looking forward to the years to come under Andrea’s leadership.
    Zak Brown on the news.

  • Jonathan Wheatley to leave Red Bull & become Audi TP

    Jonathan Wheatley will be leaving his role as Red Bull’s Sporting Director to become Team Principal of the Audi F1 Team.

    Wheatley has become a significant senior figure during nearly two decades with the organisation and played a major key role in winning 13 World Championships.

    Red Bull say Wheatley will remain in his position until the end of the 2024 season, before entering a period of gardening leave in 2025.

    The news comes just after it was announced Audi CEO Andreas Seidl and Audi executive Oliver Hoffman were leaving the project with ex-Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto arriving to head it up.

    Binotto’s official title is Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer with Audi saying he and Wheatley will together head the new management team at Sauber Motorsport AG.
    In their new positions, both will report directly to Dollner.

    Wheatley is now the second major player to this year announce their departure from Red Bull, with design guru Adrian Newey set to leave after almost 20 years with the team.

    It has been a long and successful relationship with Jonathan, over 18 years. His contribution to six World Constructors’ Titles and seven World Drivers’ Championship, first as Team Manager and latterly Sporting Director will forever be a marker in our Team history.
    Horner on the news.

    I am delighted that we have been able to gain Jonathan Wheatley as Team Principal for our future Formula 1 team. Jonathan has played a major part in many Formula 1 race victories and World Championship titles in his Formula 1 career so far, and has extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable addition to our team.
    Gernot Dollner, CEO of Audi AG.

    I am extremely proud to have been a part of the Red Bull Racing journey over the last 18 years and will leave with many fond memories. However, the opportunity to play an active part in Audi’s entry into Formula 1 as head of a factory team is a uniquely exciting prospect, and I am looking forward to the challenge. Also I am glad to be working together with Mattia, whom I have known for many years and who is the right person to collaborate with in this exciting project.
    Wheatley on leaving Red Bull for Audi.

    I have known Jonathan for many years and rate him highly as an experienced and committed motorsport expert. 2026 is not a long time away now, and I’m looking forward to setting up the new racing team for Audi along with Jonathan and leading it to success.
    Binotto on joining forces with Wheatley.

  • Alpine announce Oliver Oakes as Team Principal

    Alpine have confirmed that Oliver Oakes is joining the team as their new Team Principal, following the news during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend that Bruno Famin would step down from the role.

    Famin stated at Spa-Francorchamps that he will depart the position at the end of August in order to focus on all other motorsport related activities for the Renault Group at Viry-Chatillon.

    It has now been announced that Oakes – a former racing driver who was once a member of the Red Bull Young Driver Programme – will fill the role.

    After competing in karting and single seater racing in the 2000s, Oakes moved into management and founded Hitech Grand Prix – a team that competes in both Formula 2 and Formula 3 – in 2015.

    Oakes will start in his new role after the summer break and will report to Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.
    At 36 years old, the Brit becomes the second youngest Team Principal in Formula 1 history.

    I am extremely grateful to Luca de Meo and Flavio Briatore for this opportunity to lead BWT Alpine F1 Team back to competitiveness. The team has talented people and excellent resources at its core, and I am confident that we can accomplish a great deal together during the remainder of this season and the longer term. I look forward to getting started after the summer break.
    Oakes on the news.

    It is a pleasure to welcome Oli to the team and for him to become one of the youngest Team Principals that this sport has ever seen. This team is being built for future success and this is highlighted by Oli’s appointment in a senior role. We look forward to harnessing his enthusiasm, energy and passion for racing and realising that mindset across the entire team.
    De Meo added.

    I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Oli Oakes for our Formula 1 project. Oli is highly talented with a great record of leadership and success in racing. His move into this role is a great example of the strength and belief we have in our team and by young, upcoming people, and I’m excited to work closely with him with a joint focus on moving up the grid and winning races.
    Briatore also commented.

  • Sainz signs for Williams

    Carlos Sainz has committed his future to Williams with the Spaniard agreeing a multi-year deal to race alongside Alex Albon.

    The 29 year old has been on the look out for a seat for next season since he lost his Ferrari drive to Lewis Hamilton.

    However, Sainz has had no shortage of teams, with Williams, Sauber/Audi and Alpine all keen to get his signature – but it was James Vowles’ Williams project that ultimately got the Spaniard’s seal of approval.

    He will race for the British team for 2025 and 2026, giving Williams continuity across a major regulation change that will see a new aerodynamic profile and sweeping new power unit rules that include the use of 100% sustainable fuel.

    With the confirmation that Sainz will be joining the Grove outfit, it also means that Logan Sargeant will be vacating the Williams seat for next year with the team saying they “will give Logan every support as he looks to continue his racing career for 2025 and into the future.”

    I am very happy to announce that I will be joining Williams Racing from 2025 onwards. It is no secret that this year’s driver market has been exceptionally complex for various reasons and that it has taken me some time to announce my decision. However, I am fully confident that Williams is the right place for me to continue my F1 journey and I am extremely proud of joining such a historic and successful team, where many of my childhood heroes drove in the past and made their mark on our sport. The ultimate goal of bringing Williams back to where it belongs, at the front of the grid, is a challenge that I embrace with excitement and positivity. I am convinced that this team has all the right ingredients to make history again and, starting on January 1, I will give my absolute best to drive Williams forward alongside every single member of the team. I want to thank James Vowles and the entire Board of Williams for their trust and determination. Their solid leadership and convictions have played an important role in my decision-making. I truly believe that the core of every successful team lies amongst their people and their culture. Williams is synonymous with heritage and pure racing, the foundations of the project that lies ahead of us are very strong and I am really looking forward to being part of it starting next year.
    Sainz on the news.

    Carlos joining Williams is a strong statement of intent from both parties. Carlos has demonstrated time and again that he is one of the most talented drivers on the grid, with race-winning pedigree, and this underlines the upwards trajectory we are on. Carlos brings not just experience and performance, but also a fierce drive to extract every millisecond out of the team and car; the fit is perfect. In Alex and Carlos we will have one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid and with huge experience to guide us into the new regulations in 2026. Their belief in this organisation’s mission demonstrates the magnitude of the work going on behind the scenes. People should be in no doubt about our ambition and momentum as we continue our journey back to competitiveness – we are here, we are serious and with Dorilton’s backing we are investing in what it takes to return to the front of the grid.I also want to thank Logan for everything he has done for the team and know he will continue to fight hard for us in the races ahead.
    Vowles on Carlos signing for the team.

  • Alpine confirm Famin to leave his role as Team Principal

    Bruno Famin will move away from his role as Alpine Team Principal, the team have announced.

    The Frenchman had been confirmed as the Enstone-based outfit’s Team Principal before the start of the current F1 season, following an interim period in charge after the departure of previous team boss Otmar Szafnauer at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.

    Just before last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix weekend, it had been announced that Famin will move away from his role by the end of August and will be in charge of all other Motorsport activities of the Renault Group at Viry-Chatillon.

    The news comes after several changes at Alpine across recent months, with the squad undergoing a technical restructure that saw Technical Director Matt Harman and head of Aerodynamics Dirk de Beer leave earlier in the year.

    David Sanchez was then appointed as Executive Director in May, having previously worked for the outfit earlier in his career. He was later joined by Michael Broadhurst and Vin Dhanani as Chief Aerodynamicist and Head of Vehicle Performance respectively.

    In June, Flavio Briatore became Executive Advisor at Alpine, with the remit of his role being “predominantly focus on top level areas of the team” it was stated at the time.

    On the driver front, charges are being made for 2025, with Esteban Ocon departing the team at the end of the season which was confirmed in June.
    While Pierre Gasly has singed a multi-year extension to remain with the squad, his team mate has not yet been revealed.

    The background is there are many things together. The main one is we are at a very interesting moment for the Alpine brand, where we have a project that is even stronger than one year ago. Then there is a project of reallocating the resources within the brand from the Formula 1 power unit, where we have equally skilled people, to the brand itself in developing these high-end technologies. On the other hand, we have our new Executive Advisor [Briatore] who has arrived a few weeks ago – I work well [with him], I’m fine with him, I work well since he has arrived. But I think he has seen things with his own eyes, and on one hand I need to dedicate my time to the Viry-Chatillon people, who are doing an amazing job, and we need to be together to be able to deliver this transformation if it’s confirmed, and on the other hand I think the global governance of the F1 team will be clear.
    Famin on his exit as Team Principal.

  • RW 14 – Belgium

    Lewis Hamilton has won the Belgian Grand Prix after team mate George Russell, who had originally come home in first, was disqualified following the race for an underweight car.

    The Mercedes duo had engaged in a thrilling late chase, with two-stopper Hamilton charging down his one-stopping team mate, but he was unable to pass on track for the victory, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finishing third.

    However, following the conclusion of the Grand Prix, a technical delegate’s report stated that Russell’s car had been found to be underweight, with the matter referred to the stewards.
    The Brit was subsequently disqualified from the results with Mercedes acknowledging a “genuine error” by the team.

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

    Obviously gutting for George Russell, he did a wonderful drive and made a very good call for the one-stop. But sometimes this is racing… So Lewis now inherits the win, which he did somewhat deserve, he led quite a bit of the race, it makes the Brit the second driver to win two races so far this season!

    A very good race for Piastri, he stuck with the Mercedes duo quite a bit during the race. He did overshoot his pitbox, which meant he lost a couple of seconds doing so, so it makes you think, what if he didn’t would the Australian be celebrating his second win?

    And Leclerc, a very good race for him, unlucky for the Monegasque not to get the win, but he and the team should be very happy with the 3rd place. Sainz, didn’t have the best race he finished 6th but he seemed like he lost time if anything as Leclerc had pace?

    An okay race for Verstappen, again he didn’t really make any massive steps forward apart from the start where he climbed a couple of places. The same also goes for his teammate, he finished P7 after starting P2, this isn’t good for the Mexican as he really needed to be on the podium this race to prove he should be in the Red Bull, so time will only tell what happens next…

    A decent race for Alonso, back in the points again, which is probably is exactly what the Spanish driver would want going into the summer break.

    Now, we have a bit of a wait for the next race, as it is the summer break which means we are not racing for quite a few weeks. But we are back on the 23rd to 25th August for Round 15 of 24 which is the Dutch Grand Prix.

  • RW 14 – Belgium Qualifying

    Max Verstappen set the fastest time in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, but the Dutchman has a 10 place grid penalty for making a power unit change, so Charles Leclerc will inherit pole position.

    Verstappen looked impressively quick as the qualifying session progressed and set an unbeatable lap of 1m53.159s in the Red Bull, half a second clear of Ferrari’s Leclerc.

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

    A good result for both Red Bull cars! A pole is always what you want when you have a 10 place grid penalty looming over your head. Verstappen could quite easily get on the podium here, but I don’t think its going to be easy. His teammate Sergio Perez will be there to help him out if it comes to it, as he starts on second, which is a great qualifying from him!

    A really good qualifying result for Charles Leclerc, I even think he was surprised himself, he will want to win this race, he will now have the confidence with the car, the only trouble is the drivers behind him have also got very quick cars…

    Hamilton in P3! Again a good result for the 7 time world champion, he will be pushing everything to win here. It is going to be an interesting race as so many drivers will be wanting to go for the win.

    A good result for McLaren, P4 for Norris and P5 for Piastri, hopefully this race we see a bit more team work from the drivers and work together to get further up the grid and onto those podium places.

    A decent result for Esteban Ocon he will be starting 9th! The French driver will be wanting to score some valuable points, as Williams are only 5 behind them, and there’s still a long way to go this year.
    Gasly done quite well, he will be starting 12th, so improvements have been made with the car!

    Lance Stroll is starting in 15th, not the best result for the Canadian driver, especially when his teammate is starting in 8th. But Stroll was lucky to be in this qualifying session as he had quite a crash in Free Practice 3.

    That was a nice qualifying. Luckily the weather was ok – it was raining a little bit but at least we could do a decent qualifying. Everything worked well, every tyre set that we were on we could do good lap times and I was also of course thinking about Q3, not knowing if it was going to dry out so was trying to keep two new sets for Q3 and luckily we escaped Q1 and Q2. So, yeah, very happy. The car was working quite well in the wet so I could just do my laps and try to do clean lap times in the wet which is always quite tricky. But tomorrow I know it’s going to be quite a different day. It’s going to be warmer, normally no rain, so it’s all about tyre degradation and we just need to make sure we’re good on that. But of course I have to start 10 places back so this is the best I could do today and then go from there. I don’t know how quick we’re going to be, I hope we can be in the mix to try and move forward.
    Verstappen on going fastest in qualifying.

  • Haas confirm Ocon for 2025

    Haas have signed Alpine’s Esteban Ocon on a multi-year contract to partner rookie Ollie Bearman in 2025.

    The team announced last week that Kevin Magnussen would be leaving at the end of the season, leaving a vacant seat that was widely believed to have been allocated to 27 year old Ocon.

    On Thursday in Belgium, ahead of the final race before the break and at the track where Ocon first made his F1 debut in 2016.
    Haas announced Ocon would become the first Grand Prix winner to race one of their cars since they entered the sport in 2016.

    Ocon has 146 career starts under his belt and has driven for Manor, Force India, Renault and Alpine – scoring 425 points in that period including three podiums, one of which was his maiden win in Hungary in 2021.

    The Frenchman has know Haas Team Principal, Ayao Komatsu a while, as the Japanese boss engineered Ocon in his first F1 test back in 2014, with Lotus (which now operates under the Alpine banner) at Valencia.

    I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for Haas. I’ve obviously been aware of his talents for a long time and our personal history dates back to Esteban’s maiden run in a Formula 1 car – I was his race engineer that day with Lotus. He displayed his talents back then coming off the back of strong performances in the junior categories – he’d just won the 2014 European Formula 3 Championship. Esteban’s gone on to become an established talent in Formula 1 and of course a Grand Prix winner. The experience he brings, not just from his own talent base but also from working for a manufacturer team, will be advantageous to us in our growth as an organisation. It was vital we had a driver with experience in beside Oliver Bearman next year, but Esteban’s only 27 – he’s still young with a lot to prove as well. I think we have a hungry, dynamic driver pairing and I look forward to welcoming Esteban into Haas for 2025.
    Ayao Komatsu on the news.

    It was important to me that we have a driver with a known pedigree in Formula 1, and as a Grand Prix winner, Esteban undoubtedly fits that brief. Esteban’s proved himself in the teams he’s raced for as someone who’s continually in the mix and scoring points – it’s that continuity we’re keen to capitalise on as we look for increased performance gains on-track. We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver line-up and I’m excited to see the results.
    Owner, Gene Haas on the news.

    I’ll be joining a very ambitious racing team, whose spirit, work ethic, and undeniable upward trajectory has really impressed me. I’d like to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support, and for our honest and fruitful discussions these last few months. On a more personal note, I’m very happy to be working with Ayao again, as he’s been a part of my debut when I first stepped into a Formula 1 car during my Lotus Junior days more than 10 years ago. Haas has exciting plans and clear targets for the future, and I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello, and being part of this great project.
    Ocon on the news.

  • Alpine to run Deadpool & Wolverine livery

    Alpine will be racing with a special red and black livery for this weekend’s Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix to celebrate the release of Deadpool & Wolverine.

    Alpine will drop its usual black, pink and blue livery for a one-off Deadpool vs Wolverine – inspired livery.

    The livery features the red and black of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character as well as yellow slashes as a nod to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. The team’s mechanics will also wear Deadpool red at Spa.

    Esteban Ocon will recreate the red Deadpool mask with his helmet, while Gasly will sport a yellow and black Wolverine design.
    Ocon first used a similar design as one-off at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year.

    Reynolds was a part of the investment group that acquired a 24% stake in Alpine’s F1 team in June last year.

    This is far from the first film-inspired F1 livery and its fair to say there’s been mixed results over the years.
    The fact it was Red Bull’s first podium made its one-off Superman Returns livery at the 2006 Monaco Grand Prix and driver capes all the more iconic.

    But there hasn’t been a properly good film tie-up that’s fully committed to it in the way that Alpine has.
    To ditch its traditional Renault colours and go with red – about as un-Renault-like as you can get.

  • RW 14 – Tyre Selection

    The last Grand Prix before the summer break takes place at Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most awe-inspiring race tracks in the world.

    Eau Rouge, Raidilon, La Source, Kemmel, Stavelot and Malmedy are just some of the names that have made the venue for the Belgian Grand Prix famous around the world.

    There’s been racing in the Ardennes for over a century with the first race, for motorcycles, taking place in 1921. The first Belgian Grand Prix was held the following year on a road circuit making use of three sides of a triangle which joined the towns of Spa-Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot.

    Pirelli has already been able to assess the new asphalt, a month ago during the 24 Hours of Spa, the classic GTWC race for which the Italian company is the sole tyre supplier.

    For this, the 14th round of the season, Pirelli has chosen the same trio of compounds as used for the last two years, C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft).

    In terms of stress on the tyres, it is one of the tracks with the highest average levels, even if it does not reach the peaks seen at Silverstone and Suzuka.

    The track features all corner types, linked by very fast sections, which makes it difficult for the teams to identify the ideal aerodynamic compromise.
    In fact, it is not unusual to see cars that are very strong in the fastest first and third sectors, struggling in the second slower one or vice versa.

    If there is a single venue on the motor racing calendar, not just F1, where variable weather can play a role, it is this one.
    not only can conditions change from one day to the next, but also grip levels can be dramatically different at various points on the track at the same time.
    Furthermore, because it is such a long lap, the slightest little mistake in judging the right moment to switch from dry to wet tyres or vice versa can carry a severe penalty in the race and even more so in qualifying.

  • Audi announce Binotto as new F1 boss as Seidl departs

    Audi have announced former Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto is returning to Grand Prix racing as the new leader of their Formula 1 project.

    Earlier this year German car maker Audi took full ownership of the Sauber team, which will be run under the Audi banner from 2026, with an all-new power unit currently being developed in-house in Germany.

    Binotto, 54, will assume leadership of the operation on August 1st, as Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer based at the Sauber factory in Hinwil, Switzerland and will report directly to the board of directors.

    As part of a restructure, former McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl – who joined Sauber in January 2023 and was CEO of the Audi team – is leaving alongside Audi executive Oliver Hoffmann, who was overseeing the project.

    Binotto was Chief Technical Officer at Ferrari until being promoted to Team Principal in 2019. He left Maranello in 2022 after three years in the job, and having been with the Scuderia since the mid-1990s.

    The first driver confirmed to be part of Audi’s new F1 project is Nico Hulkenberg, who will make the switch to Kick Sauber from Haas at the end of the season in what the German described as an “interesting” and “very exciting” move.

    Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu have represented the Hinwil team since 2022, but the futures of both drivers are unknown beyond the end of the current campaign.

    I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Mattia Binotto for our ambitious Formula 1 project. With his extensive experience of more than 25 years in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly be able to make a decisive contribution for Audi. Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes. For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly. I would like to thank Oliver and Andreas for their important work in establishing our entry into Formula 1 and their commitment in preparing it.
    Audi CEO, Gernot Dollner.

  • RW 13 – Hungary

    Oscar Piastri has taken his debut Grand Prix victory in Hungary after team drama played out, with Norris belatedly responding to an order to hand back the lead to the Australian…

    After the duo went three wide with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen off the line, it was Piastri who emerged as the leader into Turn 1 and from there led much of the Grand Prix.
    However, when Norris was pitted first during the second round of stops – seemingly to cover off Hamilton – the Brit was the one to emerge ahead.

    This then prompted the team to make several calls to Norris to give the position back but it took until lap 68 of 70 for Norris to comply.

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

    Obviously a great result for Piastri, his first win in F1! And it was well deserved in my opinion, and a good result for Norris too, with a 1-2 finish which obviously helps with the constructors. But I do think Piastri’s win has been downplayed a little just because of the situation on the radio with Norris and not wanting to let his teammate pass etc.
    As everyone knows if it was roles reversed Piastri would do it for Norris, so I have no doubt it will be an awkward debrief for the team.

    A very good result for Hamilton, another podium which makes it 200 career podiums for the seven time world champion. He had a bit of drama with Verstappen in the closing stages of the race where they collided and the Dutchman went up in the air and leaving the track which then dropped him down to fifth.
    Hamilton will be looking towards the next race now, seeing what they can improve on in qualifying to get closer to the McLaren’s and Verstappen and then the race too.

    Charles Leclerc had a good race, finished in P4, a step in the right direction for the team, hopefully they will get back on the podium some time soon… His teammate Carlos Sainz finished 6th which isn’t too bad but from starting P4 he would’ve preferred to finish higher but sometimes it doesn’t always go your way.

    Obviously we have spoke about Verstappen, but I want to touch on him a little bit more. He was having a good race, not the best but he was struggling a little before the collision with Hamilton, he couldn’t quite catch up to the McLaren’s, so those upgrades Red Bull brought so far aren’t working… And the radio fights with his team, they were quite shocking and he just didn’t want to drop it.
    Whilst we are talking about Red Bull, Sergio Perez, obviously started 16th but he finished 7th which is a decent recovery drive from him, but the Mexican still has a lot of work to do if he wants to keep his seat for the remainder of this season and next…

    Things keep going from bad to worse for Alpine, Pierre Gasly retired after suffering a hydraulic leak, his 2nd retirement in two races and Ocon finished P18…

    Not long to wait until the next race as we head to Spa-Francorchamps this weekend!

  • RW 13 – Hungary Qualifying

    Lando Norris has taken pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a bit of a dramatic qualifying which featured wet-dry conditions, two red flags and a frantic dash to the line.

    After the McLaren driver set an impressive provisional pole time of 1m 15.227s during the opening runs of Q3, the on track action was brought to a halt when Yuki Tsunoda suffered a heavy crash in the RB. As such, the session resumed with just over two minutes remaining.

    Given the changing weather, most of the field were unable to improve and Norris retained P1, ahead of team mate Oscar Piastri by just 0.22s. Max Verstappen who opted not to go for another lap in the final moments finished P3.

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

    A lovely result for McLaren, really can’t get better than a 1-2! Both Norris and Piastri will be wanting to go for the win tomorrow, and for the Australian will be wanting to grab his first win in Formula 1, but will Norris allow him to pass?

    A decent result for Verstappen P3, not the worst position to be in for the Dutchman, no doubt he will enjoy himself doing some overtakes.
    However for his teammate, again it wasn’t the best qualifying session where he was out in Q1 where he crashed out and hit the barriers and was unable to continue…

    A good result for Sainz! I feel like he has slipped under the radar in P4, the Spaniard will be aiming for the podium or even try and challenge for the win. His teammate Charles Leclerc had a decent qualifying session to in P6.

    Lewis Hamilton will be starting 5th, and he will be wanting to go for that win again wanting to make it two in a row, will it be in his favour? He won’t have his team mate near him to help out as Russell qualified in P17, who has a lot of work to do to get into the points…

    A decent result for Aston Martin and VCARB, both drivers in the top 10, Ricciardo will be wanting to grab some points this weekend, as he is yet to have a contract for next season…

    I’m very, very happy. Not an easy qualifying, difficult conditions like you said, but always ending up on top is the best part of it also. Happy, especially for the team, a one-two is even better to see, so congrats to the team. It does give us confidence, but we’ve already got confidence so it’s not like we need a lot more of it, or we’re searching for it. We’ve come into this weekend and the last few happy and confident we can do a good job, and we’ve got a good car to fight for pole and that’s exactly what we did today, so like I said a great job by the team; we’ve been improving every weekend, so to end up on pole today is sweet.
    Pole-sitter Norris.

  • Magnussen to leave Haas at the end of 2024 season

    Kevin Magnussen will vacate his race seat with Haas when the Dane’s contract expires at the end of the season – although boss Ayao Komatsu says he hopes they can “find a way to keep working together in some capacity.”

    Magnussen is currently in his seventh season with Haas, split across two spells 2017 – 2020 and 2022 – 2024 and has scored five points to team mate Nico Hulkenberg’s 22 this season.

    The former McLaren and Renault driver secured a career-high ninth in the standings for Haas back in 2018 when he scored points in 11 of the 21 races that season, as the American team finished a best-ever fifth in the constructors’ championship.

    Just weeks after Haas announced Ollie Bearman would make his full-time racing debut with the team in 2025, and on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest they have revealed Magnussen will not be partnering him.

    Some sources say that Esteban Ocon is favourite to join the team – though Haas have made no reference to their plans for the second seat.

    I’d like to thank Kevin for everything he’s given us as a team – both on and off the track. He’s truly been a bedrock of our driver line-up over the years. Nobody’s driven more races for us and we’ve had some memorable highlights together – not least a remarkable fifth place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2022 when Kevin returned to start his second spell with the team. He wasn’t expecting to be driving a Formula 1 car that weekend, but he put in a remarkable performance that was a tremendous boost to the entire organization and once again showcased his own talents behind the wheel. There’s plenty of racing to go this year so I’m looking forward to seeing what else we can achieve with Kevin as we push together in the championship. Beyond that, and with Kevin’s special relationship with the team, I’m hoping we can find a way to keep working together in some capacity. We can hopefully define that in the near future, but his extensive experience in Formula 1 and knowledge of our working operations are undoubtedly of value in our on-going growth and development.
    Komatsu on the news.

    I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – I’m proud to have raced for such a great team of people these last few years. In particular I’d like to thank Gene Haas for his commitment to me, notably in bringing me back once again in 2022 when I thought, at that time at least, my time in Formula 1 had ended. I’ve enjoyed some great moments with this team – memories I’ll never forget. While I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my racing career, I remain fully focused on giving everything I’ve got for the rest of 2024 with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
    Magnussen on leaving Haas.

  • RW 13 – Tyre Selection

    It’s one last push before Formula 1’s summer break, with a double-header on two tracks that could not be more different from one another, the Hungaroring and Spa-Francorchamps.

    Cars must run with a high level of aerodynamic downforce this weekend, which is almost on par with Monaco.
    The Hungaroring is very twisty with only one real straight that includes the start-finish line. It provides the most likely if not the only overtaking opportunity.

    There are 14 corners, six to the left and eight to the right, some of them being 180 degree turns. The track climbs and drops its 4.381 kilometres make it one of the shortest on the calendar.

    In terms of the forces exerted on the tyres, the Hungaroring is not particularly severe. Pirelli has chosen the same three softest compounds as last year, with them picking the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft).

    Traction is one of the most important factors, especially across the rear axle. Degradation can be high, especially when it is very hot and the forecast for this weekend is definitely not favourable in this regard.

    The Hungaroring is a permanent race track, but it does not get that much use, which is why grip levels increase significantly the more it gets rubbered-in. That will be even more likely this year as there was no track activity for a longer time than usual while the facility was modernised.

    Max Verstappen won here last year at the end of the race when the entire field opted for a two-stop strategy.
    Medium and Hard were the most popular choices for the start, although four drivers opted for the soft, intending to make use of the extra grip off the line.

  • Haas extend technical partnership with Ferrari

    Haas F1 Team have confirmed the extension of their technical partnership with Ferrari through 2028, meaning they will be powered by the Italian manufacturer into the sport’s next era of engine regulations.

    Haas’s relationship with Ferrari dates back to their debut F1 season in 2016, with the two parties contesting 178 Grands Prix together since then.

    F1’s new for 2026 power unit will see the current 1.6-litre, V6 turbocharged hybrid Internal Combustion Engine complemented by increased electrical power and fully sustainable fuels.

    Haas rose to a person best of fifth in the F1 constructors’ standings in 2018, and hold seventh at the halfway stage of the 2024 campaign.

    The team also recently announced that they will be giving Oliver Bearman his full-time F1 debut in 2025, with Nico Hulkenberg heading to Kick Sauber and Kevin Magnussen’s future yet to be confirmed.

    I’m thrilled to extend our relationship with Scuderia Ferrari until 2028. As an organisation we’ve only ever raced with Ferrari power units and to have that continued stability moving into the next set of power unit regulations is a key part of our on-going development. The relationship with Scuderia Ferrari has always been a special one to us – they were instrumental in the genesis of the program back in the early days and have continued to be a valuable technical partner to us throughout the past nine seasons. I’m delighted we now have more seasons ahead and my thanks go to [Ferrari team boss] Fred Vasseur and many others at Scuderia Ferrari for continuing to show faith in our project. This announcement is just another example of the long-term ambition of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team – our investment and growth in the sport continues.
    Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas F1 Team.

  • Lawson vs Ricciardo

    Red Bull’s Formula 1 advisor, Helmut Marko has hinted that Liam Lawson could replace Daniel Ricciardo at RB in 2025.

    RB’s announcement early last month that Yuki Tsunoda will be remaining with the team next season which has guaranteed that either Ricciardo or Lawson will miss out on a seat.

    While Ricciardo currently races for the team, the Australian driver has failed to extract consistent results and lies 9 points behind his teammate this season.
    So his struggles this year have dashed his chances of a dream return to the senior Red Bull team as Sergio Perez has been handed a multi-year contract extension.

    RB has admitted that retaining Ricciardo with Tsunoda would be its preference, but Marko has revealed that Red Bull shareholders are angling to see youth integrated.

    Lawson has completed several F1 outings as he deputised at five rounds last season when Ricciardo was sidelined with a broken metacarpal from a crash at Zandvoort.

    The New Zealander, who has been linked to Sauber, will be allowed to chase a move elsewhere should Red Bull not promote him, indicating Marko is referencing 2025.

    So, who will it be? Liam Lawson or Daniel Ricciardo in the VCARB… time will only tell.

    Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB looks on from the pitwall prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 30, 2024 in...

  • FIA & F1 announce 2025 Sprint Calendar

    Formula 1 and the FIA have today announced the venues that will be hosting F1 Sprint events during the 2025 season, with six circuits set to play host to the 100km dash.

    In 2025 – a year that will mark the 75th anniversary of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the fifth season of the Sprint – Sao Paulo will keep up its run of hosting the Sprint every year since 2021, while Belgium returns for the first time since 2023.

    Shanghai and Miami are set to host the Sprint for the second consecutive year, and Austin and Qatar return to the calendar for a third time.

    The format has sometimes delivered excellent racing in the past four season and multiple winners from across the grid including Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, George Russell, Sergio Perez and Oscar Piastri.

    The F1 Sprint has consistently proven its popularity since its introduction in 2021, with the format delivering some strong numbers across all traditional broadcast, digital and social platforms, as well as providing extra and exciting racing that promoters can offer to the fans and bringing large attendances on the Friday of a Sprint weekend.

    DateCountryVenue
    March 21st – 23rdChinaShanghai
    May 2nd – 4thUSAMiami
    July 25th – 27thBelgiumSpa-Francorchamps
    October 17th – 19thUSAAustin
    November 7th – 9thBrazilSao Paulo
    November 28th – 30thQatarLusail

    The Sprint has been a great success for Formula 1, bringing all our fans more action and racing on the track. We are seeing the proof of this in our audience data, fan attendance on Fridays and from the promoters and partners. As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2025 we will always celebrate our incredible history, but we must always be looking ahead, innovating, and improving to deliver the best for our growing and diverse fanbase. The Sprint is a great example of bringing new elements to our sport in a way that is respectful of the Championship, and I want to thank the six venues that will host the Sprint in 2025 and look forward to those incredible events throughout the season.
    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    As the FIA Formula One World Championship celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, the Sprint will also enter its fifth year as part of the competition. Over that time, and through our strong collaboration with Formula 1 and with the input of all the teams, it has been through several different iterations and the regulations and format have evolved to give us the exciting and popular Sprints we have today. The six events for 2025 once again take in an interesting range of circuits and are sure to provide fans with plenty of additional action across the season.
    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA.