Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Carlos Sainz

  • RW 20 – Mexico City

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 20 – Mexico City Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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.

  • Where will Carlos Sainz go?

    Since the announcement of Lewis Hamilton going to Ferrari before the season started there’s been a popular question flying around, where will Carlos Sainz go?

    The Spanish drivers choice is wearing thin even though most of the grid has not been confirmed.
    10 drivers have been confirmed but some team’s have recently been making regards to who would potentially be available for those second seats, which rules Sainz out.

    Mercedes and Red Bull were somewhat interested but have decided against it, especially with the latter looking like they might re-sign Perez.

    Which now they have so Red Bull is out of the equation entirely.

    The two teams which seem on the cards for the Spanish driver is Sauber and Williams… neither are current winning teams which is what he wanted.

    His two main options are teams which both largely depend on hypothetical progress. The potential trajectories are encouraging – and Audi’s ceiling as a works team is higher than Williams.

    Williams is fractionally less worse off, with the British team scoring their first point this season in Monaco.
    The team seem to be giving Sainz a choice to make between two projects with big question marks and a long list of slightly different pros and cons.

    Audi has enough of the latter as a new engine manufacturer and a company taking over a struggling existing team for the door to at least be open to Williams swooping in.

    And James Vowles is a big reason for that. He’s already re-signed Alex Albon on a multi year deal and is why Williams team that is performing slightly worse than 12 months ago is escaping with relatively little scrutiny.
    But for now, Vowles is getting the benefit of the doubt because of the long-term malaise he is try to permanently rescue Williams form, and the many problems the team is known to have from its facilities through to its culture.

    So now the decision is on Carlos, what team would he prefer?…

    Third placed Carlos Sainz of Spain and Ferrari attends the press conference after the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 26, 2024 in...

  • RW 3 – Australia

    Well Australia always provides some drama in the race and we certainly got some of that!

    Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz took his and the team’s first win of the season, taking advantage of Max Verstappen’s technical trouble which resulted in the first non-Red Bull win of the season.

    Bidding for a record-equalling 10th victory in a row, Verstappen converted his pole position advantage as the race got under way but soon reported issues, with a compromised second lap which opened the door for Sainz to take the lead.
    From there, Verstappen’s brake-related woes got worse and with plumes of smoke exiting the rear of his RB20 he then returned to the pits and retired for the first time in two years.

    Carlos Sainz was followed closely by his teammate, Charles Leclerc making it a 1-2 for the Italian team! And rounding out the podium places is Mr Lando Norris, his first of the season.

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

    What a drive from Carlos Sainz, who is still not feeling 100% performed a drive which should really secure him a seat next year!

    Obviously very gutting for Max Verstappen, it’s very rare for him to have a DNF due to something wrong on the car, I had no doubt he would of been fighting for the win if it didn’t happen, but it’s racing that is just the way it goes sometimes.

    Points for Tsunoda!! He pretty much stayed in the top 10 all race unless he pitted, the team and Japanese driver will be happy with that after their start to the season.

    Double points for Haas aswell! They had a really good race today, good pit stops and it benefited them as they were there incase anything happened within the top teams which it did.

    A disappointing day for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton had a mechanical issue which saw him pull over to the side and then on the last lap George Russell was chasing Fernando Alonso down for P6 and ended up spinning and crashing which was a nasty crash but luckily he is all okay.
    Mercedes will be wanting to forget this weekend and just move onto the next race.

    However due to the crash with Russell, Fernando Alonso has been given a 20 second time penalty ( drive through) as the stewards determined the Spanish drivers driving was “potentially dangerous” which has dropped the driver down to P8.

    Now looking onto Round 4, we head to Japan for the Japanese Grand Prix from the 5th to 7th of April!

  • Ferrari provide update on Carlos Sainz

    Ferrari have provided an update on Carlos Sainz’s health ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, after the Spanish driver was forced to miss the previous race in Jeddah.

    Sainz was withdrawn from the F1 weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the two-time race winner forced to undergo surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

    Ollie Bearman stepped into his place as Ferrari’s reserve driver, who caused a sensation with a P7 in the race.

    However, ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari confirmed that Sainz was looking likely to return to the cockpit of the SF-24 with Bearman remaining on call as reserve driver, alongside his Formula 2 duties with PREMA racing in Melbourne this weekend.

    Should he not be required to step in for Sainz, Bearman will be keen to kick-start his F2 campaign, with the Brit currently on zero points after failing to score in Bahrain, before being withdrawn from the event in Jeddah.

    Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, predicted that Ferrari would be “front runners” at the Australian circuit, with the team having provided the sternest challenge so far to Red Bull having been able to grab two podiums in the first two races.

    Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis. He and team mate Charles Leclerc will most likely be fighting at the front of the field, as they have done in the first two rounds.

    The team in a pre-race statement.

    I’ll let you know tomorrow when I get back in the car and the G-forces throw me around a bit. But I feel ready. I’ve done as much as possible to recover and you cannot imagine the effort and logistics that I have done to be fit for this race. Progress, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and now, as I said, it’s time to jump in the car and see how I feel.

    Sainz on how much of a challenge it would be to get back in the car.

  • Hamilton makes shock move from Mercedes to Ferrari for 2025

    Lewis Hamilton, seven-time F1 World Champion will be making a sensational switch from Mercedes to Ferrari next year on a multi-year contract.

    Hamilton has raced for the Silver Arrows since the 2013 season and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, adding to the crown he achieved at McLaren earlier in his career.

    Not only this, but he re-committed to Mercedes last summer, signing a new deal to keep him aboard through 2025, but he used the release clause which has allowed him to move to the Italian team.

    Hamilton’s decision comes after two challenging seasons for the Brackley squad, who have struggled to adapt to F1’s latest ground effect era and have dropped behind Red Bull in the pecking order.

    It means Hamilton will link up with Charles Leclerc, who recently agreed an extension with the Scuderia “beyond 2024” while Carlos Sainz will have to make way at the end of this year.

    I have had an amazing 11 years with this team [Mercedes] and I’m so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.

    Lewis Hamilton on the news.

    In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.

    Toto Wolff, Mercedes Team Principal and CEO.

    Following today’s news, Scuderia Ferrari and myself will part ways at the end of 2024. We still have a long season ahead of us and, like always, I will give my absolute best for the team and for the Tifosi all around the world. News about my future will be announced in due course.

    Carlos Sainz on leaving Ferrari.

  • 13-02-24

    Ferrari will unveil their Formula 1 car that they hope can help them challenge world champions Red Bull in 2024 on Tuesday, February 13th.

    The Italian team are the first to reveal their 2024 launch date, but they have chosen not to release any specific details about their launch plans.

    The launch is set to take place eight days before the start of pre-season testing, which runs across three days in Bahrain from February 21st to 23rd.

    Team Principal, Fred Vasseur says Ferrari are changing 95% of the components of the car, which finished third in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull and Mercedes.

    The 2024 season will be Vasseur’s second season at the helm of the Prancing Horse, and the third car built in Maranello to sweeping new regulation introduced in 2022.

    Ferrari, field Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for a fourth straight season. Both drivers are out of contract at the end of the season, with supposed talks ongoing with both parties regarding an extension into 2025 and beyond.

  • RND 16 – Singapore Grand Prix

    WHAT A RACE!!!!
    My lord we was treated with a blinder, and I can tell you Red Bull’s streak has now ended and we have a different winner this season!

    Carlos Sainz manages to hold off a McLaren and both Mercedes to win the Singapore Grand Prix!! Lando Norris comes home in P2! And Lewis Hamilton is back on the podium for Mercedes in P3!

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

    What a drive from Carlos! WOW, what a result for Ferrari aswell, and he had quite a bit of pressure put on him too, whilst also being very clever and keeping Norris in DRS at the end too.

    Verstappen done well to get in the top 5 obviously good points, but it doesn’t mean he get’s the championship just yet, the same with the team also!
    A good drive aswell for Perez, I do believe he is under investigation for causing a collision with Albon and I have a feeling it will be a penalty but I don’t think it’s going to affect the point scorers…

    A bit of a heartbreak for George, being P3 on the last lap and trying to push for the win, and he clipped the wall quite hard and it just meant he went straight on which saw him not score any points after having amazing pace!
    Obviously Lewis got on the podium due to that, but I think the team can be proud of that drive by both drivers due to strategy going for the second pit stop and the car has got faster!

    Now, Liam Lawson, what a drive from the New Zealander his first points in F1, got into Q3 yesterday… I believe this man is owed a seat, someone please…

    Our last point goes to Mr Kevin Magnussen. POINTS!! For Haas finally! A good drive for K-Mag he stayed out of trouble and just got his head down with some overtakes aswell.

    Ocon got unlucky, he was driving so well in the points, but he unfortunately suffered with a suspected gearbox problem and had to retire on track.
    Tsunoda was out on lap 1 due to being hit by Perez, so he went off into a run off area.

    Now, we don’t have long to wait till the next race, as it is infact next week! And we head to Japan for Round 17!
    Will Red Bull and Max come back fighting? Or could we see another entertaining race? Find out next week!

  • RND 16 – Singapore Qualifying

    What a qualifying session it was last night! We definitely had a few shock surprises last night, and we have a bit of a mixed starting grid…

    It was Carlos Sainz who took back to back pole positions, with George Russell joining in P2 and then the final spot was claimed by Charles Leclerc!

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

    What a result for Ferrari! They will be wanting to replicate these positions later on in the race!

    Not a good result for the Bulls, Max starts P11 and Perez P13 – not good at all, Max has struggled all weekend here and I think Perez was the same in Q2. I don’t think they will make massive positions up in the race due to just the track and not many overtaking spots.

    Liam Lawson, what a man! Third qualifying in F1 and his first time driving at this circuit, and he gets himself into the top 10 and out qualifies his teammate too! If that doesn’t get him a seat for next year, I don’t know what will!

    Not the best result for Piastri, but it wasn’t his fault. The track evolution was something else, so everyone was improving but the Australian got caught out by the red flag caused by Lance Stroll, meaning he couldn’t improve.

    Haas! Both drivers in the top 10!! What a result for them, considering they haven’t got the updated car yet, this will be good if they can turn it into a points finish!

    My Predictions-

    My top five predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris and P5: Alonso.

    I think we may have a crazy race today and hopefully a different winner! Maybe an appearance from a safety car and so!

  • RND 15 – Monza Qualifying

    Qualifying is done, and we take a look to see who took pole around the Temple of Speed!

    Carlos Sainz came out on top at the end of a thrilling qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix as the Ferrari driver narrowly got the better of Max Verstappen and teammate Charles Leclerc to secure his first pole position of the season.

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

    What a lovely result for Ferrari! Pole in-front of the Tifosi after being strong all weekend! Could we possibly see Max’s streak end? Can Ferrari take their first win of the season? It’s all to play for on the Italian circuit.

    A great result from Russell, best of the rest in P4, he will be hoping to get back on the podium today and earn some big points for the team. A decent result for Hamilton, but he will be wanting more and finishing in top 3 or 5 aswell.

    Alex Albonnnn, what a driver! P6!! He honestly never surprises me anymore, a top 10 finish in qualifying is what we kind of expect and want from the Williams driver.

    Liam Lawson! His first full F1 weekend, and wow, I think he may be getting a few team bosses talking… He qualified 12th, just one position behind his teammate who sits in 11th. Great to see how quick the New Zealander has got up to speed with the car.

    A rubbish qualifying for Alpine, P17 for Gasly and P18 for Ocon, what an earth is going on with them? They had a great weekend last week with Gasly’s podium and then to be down the bottom of the grid for qualifying less than a week later is a bit shocking…

    Predictions-

    My top five for the race are- P1: Sainz, P2: Leclerc, P3: Russell, P4: Perez and P5: Hamilton.

    I think I’m being a bit hopeful and wanting Ferrari to win this weekend, especially because their on pole, but will it happen? It’d be a dream if they did win!
    I feel like we are going to have an interesting race, with different strategies and so.

  • Ferrari have petitioned for a right of review from Australia

    Ferrari have sent a petition to the FIA with the hope of securing a right of review regarding the penalty handed out to Carlos Sainz during the Australian Grand Prix, team boss Frederic Vasseur has revealed.

    Sainz tipped Aston Martin rival, Fernando Alonso into a spin during a dramatic late restart at Albert Park, which also saw Logan Sargeant run into the back of Nyck de Vries and the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon come to blows.

    While the order was reset to the previous restart ahead of a final lap to the chequered flag behind the Safety Car, news of a five-second time penalty came through for Sainz, prompting a string of frustrated messages from the Spaniard over the radio.

    Sainz initially crossed the line 4th, but with the 5 second time penalty he dropped down to 12th.

    We did a petition for a review of the case – we sent it to the FIA. As we are discussing with the FIA… I don’t want to discuss any details of this discussion. The only thing is [the] Gasly/Ocon [collision], for sure we had also Sargeant/De Vries [colliding] into Turn 1, and the reaction of the stewards was not the same. The process is that first they will have a look on our petition to see if they can re-open the case, then we’ll have a second hearing a bit later with the same stewards for the next meeting, about the decision itself. What we can expect is at least to have an open discussion with them, also for the good of the sport to avoid to have these kind of decisions when you have three cases on the same corner and not the same decision.

    Vasseur on Thursday.

    As per Article 14 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code, the competitors can request a right of review up to 14 days after a ruling from the stewards if “a significant and relevant new element is discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned”.

    It could be [at the next race] in Baku or it could be before, but [we] prefer to do it before. You have 14 days to do the petition, the request for review, then it’s up to them to decide. They have to do it in a short period, [but] it’s true for once that we have four weeks between the two races [in Australia and Azerbaijan] and it’s a bit more flexible. We have our argumentation, for sure, and I will keep the argumentation for the FIA, as a first step. For sure, we are expecting [a] review of the situation, because it’s a petition for a review. We are not going there to get the same decision.

    Vasseur continued.

  • Round 19- Austin Qualifying

    Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix is complete, but penalties once again shake up the grid a bit, however its all about what happens during the race…

    It was Carlos Sainz who took pole position, with Charles Leclerc in 2nd making it at 1-2 for the Italian team and Max Verstappen in 3rd.

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

    However the starting grid is: P1: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell, P5: Stroll, P6: Norris, P7: Bottas, P8: Albon, P9: Perez, P10: Vettel, P11: Gasly, P12: Leclerc, P13: Tsunoda, P14: Alonso, P15: Magnussen, P16: Ricciardo, P17: Ocon, P18: Schumacher, P19: Zhou and P20: Latifi.

    A good result for Mercedes, its what they’ve needed after a few tough qualifying’s as well as weekends so the Silver Arrows will be hoping to get a good result on the board.

    What a day for Carlos Sainz, his second pole position and he will be wanting to take the win and hope for his teammate to get further up the grid so they can carry on with the Constructors fight.

    A stand-out qualifying from Stroll, originally qualifying P7 but starting P5 due to others penalties, it will be interesting to see how he does during the race and to hope that Aston have a good strategy and capitalise on the points.

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Sainz, P3: Hamilton, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.

    It is most definitely going to be an interesting race with Perez and Leclerc coming through the field. There will be some drivers hoping to capitalize on there starting positions and hopefully score as many points as possible with four races left.

  • Sainz, 10 place grid penalty

    Carlos Sainz is set to take a 10 place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix as he has exceeded his allocation of control electronics.

    Sainz’s Ferrari came to a fiery halt in Austria, as the Ferrari driver was challenging Max Verstappen for P2 and ahead of this weekend’s action in France he said that Ferrari were considering changing his power unit.

    Taking a 10-place grid penalty as the Scuderia have fitted a third control electronics (CE), exceeding his allocation of two for the season. He has also taken his second of two allowed energy stores.

    But speaking after heading FP2 at a baking-hot Paul Ricard track, Sainz strongly hinted that the 10 place drop was unlikely to be the end of his penalties this weekend, with more power unit changes seemingly coming his way.

    It was definitely a positive Friday. I didn’t do many laps on the short run on low fuel, but every lap that I did was very competitive, which shows the steps that we’re taking and the direction we’re taking is going in the right direction. I’m focusing more in the long run because I’m not going to be in that fight for pole position given the amount of penalties [I have]. We will see. I mean I took 10, so you can expect what’s coming next.

    Carlos Sainz on his penalty.
  • Round 10- British GP

    Round 10- British GP

    It is safe to say, the British GP did not disappoint, once again! So much chaos happened I have no clue where to start, but one main thing is that the halo is once again doing the job it’s meant to do, very glad to see Zhou Guanyu okay after the first lap crash!

    A first lap incident which saw Gasly touch Russell on the start saw him spin and hit Zhou when then saw Zhou flip round and then get flipped round again and hit the barrier, getting his car stuck between the two. Another incident on the same lap, was Alex Albon getting hit from behind by Vettel and going head on into the pit wall. Alex has since sent to the hospital for precautionary checks but is okay.

    However, Carlos Sainz is an F1 WINNER!!!! Finally!! Sergio Perez comes home to make it P2, and Lewis Hamilton takes P3 on home turf!

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

    Carlos Sainz, what a man, what a driver, he lost a position to Max at the start but got it back for the re-start and then his teammate was faster so they switched round. But Carlos got an opportunity with the safety car and got new softs, and it all just went right for him there, he overtook his teammate and just went into the lead and didn’t look back.

    Sergio Perez aswell, getting hit on the first lap and had front wing damage which then saw him have to pit for a new front wing – which saw him drop down the order and then he fought his way back up, and then managed to grab a podium after it looked like it was going to Ferrari and Lewis.

    What a day for the Haas pair, I didn’t think they would get points today because of where they qualified yesterday but, good things come to those who wait and boy was Mick Schumacher patient… His first points in F1 and it comes witha double points finish for Haas.

    I kind of expected Daniel Ricciardo to do a bit more, he ended up finishing 13th… we only had 14 drivers finish the race… I really don’t know what to say about it, there was drivers who had damage and quite a bit of it who managed to score points so where was Daniel in all of this?

    A really strong day for Lewis, the Mercedes definitely has some race pace so they just need to work on a few bits and straight line speed a bit more than they should consistently be fighting with Ferrari and Red Bull for the wins.

    The Championship-

    Max still leads, and he still has a decent gap between him and Perez who is in 2nd. Charles remains in third and only 9 points of Perez. Sainz now goes ahead of Russell after the Brit didn’t score, Sainz is only 11 points away from his teammate now. Hamilton has now also closed down the gap a little to his teammate, he sits on 93 and Russell 111.

    Red Bull still have a comfortable lead with 328 points, Ferrari with a strong day today have closed it down a little but more points are need for the Italian team. Mercedes are now starting to get into the fight aswell, they remain in third on 204 points. McLaren remain fourth on 73 points and Alpine are starting to close on them with 67 points and in fifth.

    Not long to wait until the next race week, as we return to Austria for Round 11 out of 22, we are almost at our halfway mark!

  • Round 10- Silverstone Qualifying

    Round 10- Silverstone Qualifying

    The UK is always unpredictable with weather, but you think July would be different? Well how wrong we are! We had a wet qualifying in Silverstone and it definitely brought out a few surprises, especially with a driver getting their first pole position!

    Going into qualifying and even during qualifying it looked like it was a six way battle for pole position with the Mercs joining in on the fun here at Silverstone, it didn’t end up that way in Q3…

    It was Carlos Sainz who finally took pole position, with it being his first one of his Formula 1 career! With Max Verstappen joining him on the front row, and Charles Leclerc making it a 1-3 for Ferrari.

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

    Can we just take a second, to appreciate, that Nicholas Latifi has got into the top 10 for the first time this year! The Williams driver was just putting in the lap times when it mattered and he finally got into Q3 let alone Q2!

    Carlos Sainz FINALLY gets pole position, his been close before and its been taken away in the last moment, but today was unexpected for the Spaniard but he deserved it!

    A good day for one of the McLaren’s this week its Lando in the top 10, throughout the weekend he has had lots of pace which has been good to see, especially in front of the home crowd.

    Another Q3 appearance for Zhou Guanyu, he seems to like this track and it looks like he keeps on putting it all together when it matters, I can’t wait to see what he does tomorrow.

    The Aston Martin struggles continue, both drivers out in Q1, Stroll P20 and Vettel P18. They’ve brought upgrades and at points during the past few weekends they look quite strong but when it matters they just don’t have it there as a package.

    Esteban Ocon, what went wrong there? P15… A lot of work to do in the race tomorrow, and its looking like it should be an entertaining one!

    Predictions-

    My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell and P5: Norris. I definitely feel like the Mercs have got something, especially with race pace as they looked strong yesterday.

    There’s a few cars out of position for the start tomorrow, so will be interesting to see how they get through the field, and at the time of writing this there’s a 40% chance of rain at the start of tomorrow’s race aswell, so that could make for an interesting start…

    Timings-

    Feature Race F3- 08:35am (BST)
    Feature Race F2- 10:05am
    Race- 15:00pm

  • Sainz signs till 2024!

    Sainz signs till 2024!

    Ferrari and Carlos Sainz have made an agreement (finally), and it will now see Carlos stay with the team for another two years, until the end of 2024.

    Sainz had an excellent debut season with the Italian team last season, scoring points in all but two races and managing to grab four podiums on his way to a career best fifth place in the standings, two places above his teammate.

    Last month, former Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren driver Sainz said he was “extremely close” to signing the new deal with Ferrari and in the days leading up to Ferrari’s first home race of the season an agreement was reached.

    Carlos’ new deal brings him in line with Leclerc, both drivers now being contracted to Ferrari until at least the end of 2024.

    Sainz currently sits in third in the drivers’ standings on 33 points, having finished second and third respectively in the opening two races, before having to retire last time out in Australia. The team will be hoping to have another good weekend this week as they come into the weekend leading both championships.

    I am very happy to have renewed my contract with Scuderia Ferrari. I have always said that there is no better Formula 1 team to race for and after over a year with them, I can confirm that putting on this race suit and representing this team is unique and incomparable. My first season at Maranello was solid and constructive, with the whole group progressing together. The result of all that work has been clear to see so far season. I feel strengthened by this renewed show of confidence in me and now I can’t wait to get in the car, to do my best for Ferrari and to give its fans plenty to cheer about. The F1-75 is proving to be a front-runner, which can allow me to chase my goals on track, starting with taking my first Formula 1 win.

    Carlos Sainz on his new contract.

    I have said several times that I believe we have the best driver pairing in Formula 1 and so, with every passing race, it seemed a completely natural step to extend Carlos’s contract, thus ensuring stability and continuity. In his time so far with the team, he has proved to have the talent we expected from him, delivering impressive results and making the most of all opportunities. Outside the car, he is a hard worker with an eye for the smallest detail, which has helped the whole group to improve and progress. Together, we can aim for ambitious targets and I’m sure that, along with Charles, he can play a significant part in fuelling the Ferrari legend and will write new chapters in the history of our team

    Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Team Principle on Carlos Sainz.

    My Opinion-

    I don’t think anyone expected anything different! I wasn’t sure on how long the contract would be, as Ferrari do have Mick Schumacher to think about. But it was the right decision by the Italian team, after Carlos’ great debut season.

  • F175

    F175

    Ferrari have shown the world the F1-75 for the first time with a digital launch. They are the seventh team to launch their car, with world champions Mercedes on Friday and Alpine on Monday.

    Last year, saw Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finish fifth and seventh in the drivers standings, with the pair making up this years driver line up.

    The Italian team, rebounded from their worst season for 40 years with a competitive campaign in 2021 that they managed to grab 3rd place in constructors of their rivals, McLaren.

    Ferrari switched their attention early to 2022, in which they introduced a hybrid system late last year that was originally embarked for its debut this season.

    The new livery features black front and rear wings, as well as a black halo and black numbering on both the nose and engine cover, the car also features a logo celebrating 75 years since the first Ferrari production car was released.

    My Opinion-

    What a car!! I love the darker red than last year, it looks a lot better especially with the black mixed in with it too. The race suits just top it off, with the black added into it to as well, it looks really good.

  • 17.02.22

    Another day, another car launch date! But this time its Ferrari who have announced they will be revealing their car on the 17th February.

    The Italian team had their worst season in 2020, but last year saw them place three places higher in third in the constructors championship.

    2021 saw Carlos Sainz finish higher than his team-mate in fifth as he ended the season with a podium, Charles finished 7th just 5.5 points behind.

    The same duo will be paired up again this year, with Sainz expected to get a contract extension – Leclerc is at the Italian team until the end of 2024 at the moment.

    Ferrari are still yet to announce the name of their new car, which will be the first under revolutionary technical rules which are introduced for this season. They are the second team to announce a date.