Ferrari have unveiled a special livery for the Las Vegas Grand Prix with the traditional red of the SF-23 cars featuring a hint of white. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s race suits and helmets have also been given the same treatment to celebrate Ferrari’s look from the 70s.
With Formula 1’s highly anticipated return to Las Vegas fast approaching, the Italian team’s design is a nod to the first golden age of the sport in the USA where Ferrari enjoyed some of the most memorable moments in its history.
The great Niki Lauda won two world titles in that era – in 975 and 1977 with victory at Watkins Glen in 1975. Clay Regazzoni also won at Long Beach in 1976 while Carlos Reutemann triumphed at Watkins Glen in 1978. More success followed in 1979 when Gilles Villeneuve scored an American double with wins in Long Beach and Watkins Glen.
Throughout that decade there was plenty of white alongside the Ferrari red on the livery, with the team deciding to reprise it for the unique spectacle that is this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Qualifying is done, lets take a look at how it went down in the States, as there were laps being deleted due to track limits with the World Champion being affected also.
Charles Leclerc came out on top as he flew to pole position, Lando Norris put in a late effort to make it P2 and rounding out the top three is Lewis Hamilton.
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Norris, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz, P5: Russell, P6: Verstappen, P7: Gasly, P8: Ocon, P9: Perez and P10: Piastri.
A great result for Ferrari! They have some pace here so they will be looking to go for the win on Sunday and get as many points as possible to close in on Mercedes in P2.
Another great result for Lando, he predicted the McLaren wouldn’t be as good round COTA so I’m sure he will be happy with second position and look to grab big points again.
Mercedes, P3 and P5, love to see it! Lewis was flying, so I think Leclerc and Norris may have to watch their back as the Mercedes man loves this track and will want to go for that win.
Now onto Red Bull, Max Verstappen normally we are use to seeing him in P1 or P2 but his starting P6 on Sunday due to going over the white lines and having a lap time deleted but this means we get to see him coming through the field a little bit and give us some excitement for the race. Perez starts P9 for the Bulls, a bit of work to do on Sunday but I’m sure he will make up some places if he keeps out of trouble.
Now one of the biggest shocks was Aston Martin, both cars out in Q1 which is definitely disappointing especially as they brought upgrades to the race this weekend, which at the moment hasn’t worked, a lot of work for them to do in the race but they have a second opportunity today in the Sprint.
A decent result for Ricciardo, P15, it’s his first race weekend back, hopefully he can make up some positions in the race and maybe look at scoring some points.
Predictions for the Sprint-
My top five prediction for the Sprint race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc and P5: Russell.
I have a feeling we may get a bit of a crazy sprint race, there are normally a few lap 1 clashes here so we could see some drama occur!
WHAT A RACE!!!! My lord we was treated with a blinder, and I can tell you Red Bull’s streak has now ended and we have a different winner this season!
Carlos Sainz manages to hold off a McLaren and both Mercedes to win the Singapore Grand Prix!! Lando Norris comes home in P2! And Lewis Hamilton is back on the podium for Mercedes in P3!
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Norris, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc, P5: Verstappen, P6: Gasly, P7: Piastri, P8: Perez, P9: Lawson and P10: Magnussen.
What a drive from Carlos! WOW, what a result for Ferrari aswell, and he had quite a bit of pressure put on him too, whilst also being very clever and keeping Norris in DRS at the end too.
Verstappen done well to get in the top 5 obviously good points, but it doesn’t mean he get’s the championship just yet, the same with the team also! A good drive aswell for Perez, I do believe he is under investigation for causing a collision with Albon and I have a feeling it will be a penalty but I don’t think it’s going to affect the point scorers…
A bit of a heartbreak for George, being P3 on the last lap and trying to push for the win, and he clipped the wall quite hard and it just meant he went straight on which saw him not score any points after having amazing pace! Obviously Lewis got on the podium due to that, but I think the team can be proud of that drive by both drivers due to strategy going for the second pit stop and the car has got faster!
Now, Liam Lawson, what a drive from the New Zealander his first points in F1, got into Q3 yesterday… I believe this man is owed a seat, someone please…
Our last point goes to Mr Kevin Magnussen. POINTS!! For Haas finally! A good drive for K-Mag he stayed out of trouble and just got his head down with some overtakes aswell.
Ocon got unlucky, he was driving so well in the points, but he unfortunately suffered with a suspected gearbox problem and had to retire on track. Tsunoda was out on lap 1 due to being hit by Perez, so he went off into a run off area.
Now, we don’t have long to wait till the next race, as it is infact next week! And we head to Japan for Round 17! Will Red Bull and Max come back fighting? Or could we see another entertaining race? Find out next week!
What a qualifying session it was last night! We definitely had a few shock surprises last night, and we have a bit of a mixed starting grid…
It was Carlos Sainz who took back to back pole positions, with George Russell joining in P2 and then the final spot was claimed by Charles Leclerc!
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Russell, P3: Leclerc, P4: Norris, P5: Hamilton, P6: Magnussen, P7: Alonso, P8: Ocon, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Lawson.
What a result for Ferrari! They will be wanting to replicate these positions later on in the race!
Not a good result for the Bulls, Max starts P11 and Perez P13 – not good at all, Max has struggled all weekend here and I think Perez was the same in Q2. I don’t think they will make massive positions up in the race due to just the track and not many overtaking spots.
Liam Lawson, what a man! Third qualifying in F1 and his first time driving at this circuit, and he gets himself into the top 10 and out qualifies his teammate too! If that doesn’t get him a seat for next year, I don’t know what will!
Not the best result for Piastri, but it wasn’t his fault. The track evolution was something else, so everyone was improving but the Australian got caught out by the red flag caused by Lance Stroll, meaning he couldn’t improve.
Haas! Both drivers in the top 10!! What a result for them, considering they haven’t got the updated car yet, this will be good if they can turn it into a points finish!
My Predictions-
My top five predictions are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Leclerc, P3: Sainz, P4: Norris and P5: Alonso.
I think we may have a crazy race today and hopefully a different winner! Maybe an appearance from a safety car and so!
Qualifying is done, and we take a look to see who took pole around the Temple of Speed!
Carlos Sainz came out on top at the end of a thrilling qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix as the Ferrari driver narrowly got the better of Max Verstappen and teammate Charles Leclerc to secure his first pole position of the season.
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Russell, P5: Perez, P6: Albon, P7: Piastri, P8: Hamilton, P9: Norris and P10: Alonso.
What a lovely result for Ferrari! Pole in-front of the Tifosi after being strong all weekend! Could we possibly see Max’s streak end? Can Ferrari take their first win of the season? It’s all to play for on the Italian circuit.
A great result from Russell, best of the rest in P4, he will be hoping to get back on the podium today and earn some big points for the team. A decent result for Hamilton, but he will be wanting more and finishing in top 3 or 5 aswell.
Alex Albonnnn, what a driver! P6!! He honestly never surprises me anymore, a top 10 finish in qualifying is what we kind of expect and want from the Williams driver.
Liam Lawson! His first full F1 weekend, and wow, I think he may be getting a few team bosses talking… He qualified 12th, just one position behind his teammate who sits in 11th. Great to see how quick the New Zealander has got up to speed with the car.
A rubbish qualifying for Alpine, P17 for Gasly and P18 for Ocon, what an earth is going on with them? They had a great weekend last week with Gasly’s podium and then to be down the bottom of the grid for qualifying less than a week later is a bit shocking…
Predictions-
My top five for the race are- P1: Sainz, P2: Leclerc, P3: Russell, P4: Perez and P5: Hamilton.
I think I’m being a bit hopeful and wanting Ferrari to win this weekend, especially because their on pole, but will it happen? It’d be a dream if they did win! I feel like we are going to have an interesting race, with different strategies and so.
Ferrari have revealed a special, tweaked livery that will be on the cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix – the team’s home race.
While the usual red colour scheme remains front and centre, it has been joined with flashes of yellow and black as seen on Ferrari’s 499P Hypercar which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
Ex-F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi, driving the #51 machine alongside Alessandro Pier Guodo and James Calado, emerged victorious in the June race after a scrap with the #8 Toyota driver by former Toro Rosso racers, Sebasiten Buemi and Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa.
Ferrari doesn’t stop there as Leclerc and Sainz will wear special driver race suits with the red, yellow and black theme continuing in posts shared by Ferrari. Not only this, the drivers will also be having special helmets for the race too.
But for the fans, there will be special caps and t-shirts on display, which the thousands of tifosi who make the annual trip to the ‘Temple of Speed’ are no doubt set to wear with pride.
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal has revealed that reserve driver Robert Shwartzman will get behind the wheel of the SF23 in both the team’s allocated rookie FP1 sessions this year – starting with the Dutch GP this weekend.
Shwartzman has been a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2017, and since leaving Formula 2 at the end of 2021 – where he finished runner-up to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – he has been serving as Scuderia’s reserve driver.
Ferrari’s decision comes of the back of the rule that was introduced at the start of 2022 that requires all 10 teams to give a minimum of two FP1 sessions to a young driver throughout the season.
Shwartzman has plenty of experience in F1 machinery, having taken part in both FP1 sessions for Ferrari last year, as well as having driven in the post-season young test for the team in 2022 and 2021 – where he also drove for Haas.
And with Ferrari having two academy drivers in Formula 2 – Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc – Vasseur explained why the decision was made not to give either a run out in F1 machinery this year instead of Shwartzman, due to wanting the drivers to focus on the championship.
Robert will do Zandvoort in Carlos’ car, and he will do another one – probably Abu Dhabi in Charles’ car. Because (Zandvoort) was the choice of the driver. I gave them the choice to do it, where they want to do it. I know that it is not an easy situation but Carlos… it’s not so easy to decide. Because for sure you can’t do it in Singapore, in Japan, in Las Vegas. Also, you have some Sprint events in Austin, Qatar, also that you can’t do it. Then you have the races with tyre allocation, a bit different, so it is also tricky to do it, meaning at the end of the day you don’t have so many options.
Day one of the weekend is complete, let’s take a look at how qualifying went yesterday ahead of the Sprint today!
Max Verstappen claimed pole position in a thrilling session, however he won’t be starting from pole due to having a five place grid penalty, which means Charles Leclerc is set to start from P1 tomorrow.
The full top 10 from qualifying are – P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Norris, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Stroll.
A good result for both Ferrari’s, Charles starting P1 and Carlos P4, they haven’t had the best result recently so they will be wanting to capitalise on other’s misfortune during the race.
Finally a good result from Perez where he starts in the top 3! With his teammate starting 6th, Perez will be relied on to take the lead at the start, will he be able to do it? Or will Max breeze his way through the field again?
A great result from Piastri, out-qualifying Norris, and starting 5th on the grid. So far the rookie is having a great season, from being towards the back of the grid, to scoring big points almost every weekend as well as showing off his skills we all know he has. The Aussie will be hoping to get his first podium this season.
Alpine is still having a rough time at the moment, they would of been hoping for a clean weekend, but that disappeared when Ocon damaged his front wing after crashing into the barrier at Turn 9.
Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after getting the better of reigning world champion, Max Verstappen in a thrilling qualifying session, with the Monegasque making it three poles on the bounce at the Baku City Circuit.
Incredibly, Verstappen and Leclerc posted identical 1m 40.445s lap times during their first Q3 runs, only for Leclerc to step forward with a 1m 40.203s on the decisive final laps.
The full top 10 for the race are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz, P5: Hamilton, P6: Alonso, P7: Norris, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Stroll and P10: Piastri.
Finally! The Ferrari’s are back fully (hopefully) a good result for Charles him taking pole position, which hopefully can be turned into a win on Sunday, not only this Carlos Sainz starts fourth aswell, so there’s a big opportunity for the entire team to score wekk.
Shout out to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both in the top 10! A really good result for the McLaren team, hopefully they’ve turned things now and can continuously score points or be close to the points.
A good result for Tsunoda aswell, starting P8 in the thick of it all, as we all know there’s always a bit of drama at Baku so some drivers like Tsunoda, Piastri etc they will be hoping to benefit of others downfall.
Was a shock to see George Russell out of the top 10, but its all to play for on Sunday, and if he wants to score big points tomorrow then he will need to put in the work.
Predictions-
The top 5 predictions for the race on Sunday are: P1: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz and P5: Norris.
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.
Charles Leclerc will be having his work cut out in this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after his Ferrari team were forced to fit another control electronics power unit component which in turn triggers a grid penalty.
Ferrari replaced the Energy Store and Control Electronics on Leclerc’s engine before the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Monegasque then retired when in contention for a podium behind the two Red Bulls.
As teams are only permitted to use two control electronics components per season without penalty, Leclerc’s move to a third for race two in Jeddah ensures he will have at least a 10 place grid drop this Sunday. And potentially more if they replace any other parts and increases the chances of him taking a further penalty later in the season.
After Baku, last year Ferrari were forced to run their engine at a lower power to reduce the risk of failure. However a lot of work went into durability over the winter and while they encountered problems in Bahrain.
Leclerc heads into the weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 25 points adrift of championship leader Max Verstappen – and while he was understandably down after failing to score in the season opener, Vasseur said he has no worries about the Monegasque’s mindset and motivation.
On Sunday, we had two different issues. The first one was on the Sunday morning, when we did the fire up, and the second one was in the race. Unfortunately, it was two times the control unit, the ECU. It’s something that we never experienced in the past. I hope now it’s under control, but we have a deep analysis on this. Unfortunately, we’ll have to take the penalty in Jeddah, because we have only a pool of two control units for the season. Charles was with us after the tyre test day on Tuesday, was at the factory on Wednesday morning. We had a speech with the employees, where we were all together on stage. It’s obvious Charles is motivated, we have done one race of 23. He’s full push with the team, trying to get the best for everyone. The penalty is not good news, but it’s not the end of the season. Let’s see what happens in Jeddah, and what could be the outcome, even with the penalty, but don’t imagine for half a second he could be demotivated. He’s fully convinced, he’s working with us, pushing the team, pushing everybody in a positive way. And nothing else.
Ferrari kept the launch season moving at speed as they unveiled their latest challenger, the SF-23 during a special presentation from the team’s Maranello headquarters.
Following Monday’s reveals from McLaren and Aston Martin, it was Ferrari’s turn to show off their 2023 creation, which unsurprisingly sports another red-dominated livery.
Present to oversee launch proceedings was new Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, who arrived at Ferrari from Alfa Romeo over the winter – replacement for Mattia Binotto.
The new season is fast approaching, Vasseur is working to address the problems that ended the Italian’s team hopes of beating rivals Red Bull to title glory in 2022, with unreliability, strategic blunders and driver errors all playing a part to their downfall.
Ferrari last won an F1 title back in 2008, when they claimed the constructors’ crown, whilst their last drivers’ championship was achieved with Kimi Raikkonen during the previous season.
It’s always emotional for a team to do the launch. My contribution is very small on this one, but I can perfectly feel the work done on the car. Now it will be a new journey for the project, because the car will move to the race team. It’s a great feeling; when you are back on track, it’s like when you are back at school. I can feel that everybody is very proud of the job done and this feeling is very important for the motivation of everybody and for the season. It will be a quite long season, but the motivation is there and it’s crucial in terms of performance.
Ferrari have named a group of four F1 reserve and development drivers who will be providing support to full-time races, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz during the 2023 season.
Former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and 2021 F2 runner-up Robert Shwartzman who have both made several F1 test outings with Ferrari – will be sharing the role of reserve driver, whilst making the most of a new simulator.
Giovinazzi has 62 F1 starts to his name, initially making two substitute appearances for Sauber in early 2017 before competing the full 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons alongside Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo.
Shwartzman finished second to new McLaren F1 racer Oscar Piastri in F2, as well as making FP1 appearances for Ferrari in the United States and Abu Dhabi towards the end of the 2022 F1 season.
Alongside them, GP3 and F2 race winner Antonio Fuoco and GT star Davide Rigon will act as development drivers, with Ferrari noting that the pair have proved their worth in terms of providing the engineers with precise and reliable feedback through their simulator duties.
All four drivers will be taking on racing programmes in 2023 alongside their F1 roles, with Giovinazzi and Fuoco recently confirmed to be taking on the World Endurance Championship in the 499P Hypercar.
Meanwhile, Shwartzman and Rigon will be racing the new 296 GT3; Shwartzman in the SRO GT World Challenge Europe and Rigon in the SRO series as well as WEC and the IMSA Endurance Cup.
Ferrari have became the second team to announce the launch date for their 2023 Formula 1 car.
Aston Martin was the first F1 squad to confirm when the covers would be coming off their new car, and now have revealed their 2023 challenger will be unveiled to the world on February 14th.
The car currently goes by project number 675 but has no official name yet.
Ferrari’s last car the F1-75 returned the team to winning ways after a fallow couple of the season for the team. The Scuderia had not won a race since 2019 but Charles Leclerc took two victories from the first three races in 2022 to put himself and the team right back in title contention.
Ultimately, that challenge fell short as Max Verstappen and Red Bull swept to victory in the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will continue as team mates at Ferrari for the third consecutive season, but it’s all change at the top after Scuderia recently appointed ex-Sauber head, Frederic Vasseur as Team Principal.
The Scuderia last won the constructors’ championship in 2008 and have since finished runners up six times.
Fred Vasseur will be leaving his role as Alfa Romeo Team Principal and Sauber Motorsport CEO in January 2023, after six years with the Swiss operation.
Vasseur first joined Sauber in 2017 with the team 10th and last in the constructors’ championship, and set about rebuilding and growing the famous marque.
They’ve taken on Alfa Romeo as a title sponsor and secured the team’s best constructors’ championship finish in a decade with sixth this season.
The Frenchman, also played a key role in the deal that will see Audi enter Formula 1 in 2026 by making Sauber their factory team.
As I prepare to bring my adventure at Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN to an end, I can look back fondly at these six years together. I owe a debt of gratitude to every single employee of the team, as they are the ones who got this team back on their feet and climbing the ladder of our sport. I am proud of the job we collectively have done as a team and a company, and even more so of the strong foundations we have laid for what’s to come next: but what I am the proudest of is the people that made this all possible, which in time have become friends. This team will always feel like home and I’ll be rooting for it wherever I go. I have learnt so much during my stint as a CEO and Team Principal and I feel each day has equipped me for what is to come. I know Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN will keep going from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete at the business end of the grid in the next few years.
Fred Vasseur on leaving the team.
Ferrari have appointed Fred Vasseur as Team Principle with the Alfa Romeo boss and Sauber Motorsport CEO replacing Mattia Binotto from January 2023.
Following weeks of discussions, Vasseur decided to end his six year tenure at Sauber and join Ferrari in what is one of the biggest – if not the biggest job in motorsport.
Vasseur brings with him more than two decades’ worth of motorsport experience, including a stint as team boss at Renault during the 2016 campaign.
We are delighted to welcome Fred Vasseur to Ferrari as our Team Principal. Throughout his career he has successfully combined his technical strengths as a trained engineer with a consistent ability to bring out the best in his drivers and teams. This approach and his leadership are what we need to push Ferrari forward with renewed energy.
Ferrari CEO, Benedetto Vigna.
I am truly delighted and honoured to take over the leadership of Scuderia Ferrari as Team Principal. As someone who has always held a lifelong passion for motorsport, Ferrari has always represented the very pinnacle of the racing world to me. I look forward to working with the talented and truly passionate team in Maranello to honour the history and heritage of the Scuderia and deliver for our Tifosi around the world.
Ferrari have announced that Mattia Binotto is to leave his position as Ferrari Team Principal at the end of the year, putting an end to weeks of speculation.
Binotto, who originally joined the team as an engine engineer back in 1995 took his current role – encompassing the Gestione Sportiva department – ahead of the 2019 campaign.
After challenging 2020 and 2021 seasons, Ferrari exploited the arrival of F1’s new regulations to emerge as a front running force claiming a one-two result with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the 2022 opener in Bahrain.
However, after some more early season success, Leclerc and Ferrari’s title challenges were derailed through a combination of unreliability, strategy mix ups as well as drivers mistakes – and with rival, Red Bull’s relentlessness.
Initial reports of a structural change in the Italian media were denied by Ferrari, but further speculation emerged in the wake of the Abu Dhabi season finale and the Scuderia released a statement on Tuesday morning to confirm that Binotto had resigned.
With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari. I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set. I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I’m sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future. I think it is right to take this step at this time as hard as this decision has been for me. I would like to thank all the people at the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfaction.
Binotto on the news.
I would like to thank Mattia for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year. As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport. Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future.
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.
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.
Qualifying is now complete in Singapore and what a qualifying it was! A shock exit from Q2 from one of the top three teams, and pole swapping between 5 different drivers in the final few minutes of Q3.
But, it was Charles Leclerc and Ferrari who got pole position for the Singapore GP, with it being Charles’ second in a row at Singapore. Sergio Perez joins him on the front row for the first time in Singapore aswell. And rounding out the top 3 is Hamilton, first top 3 in qualifying of the season.
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz, P5: Alonso, P6: Norris, P7: Gasly, P8: Verstappen, P9: Magnussen and P10: Tsunoda.
Great qualifying for Ferrari, both cars in top 4, that now gives them an advantage over Mercedes and RB. Can they turn it into a win and a podium? If not will a double podium be possible?
Not the best qualifying for Russell, starting P11 just outside the top 10 hopefully the Mercedes driver can get back into the top 10 and grab some points.
Now Max Verstappen was an absolute flyer of a lap, and looked like he was going to take pole from Leclerc but before he reached the finish line, Verstappen got told to pit for possibly not having enough fuel for when they do the scruiteneering later on.
Predictions-
My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Sainz and P5: Alonso.
I feel were going to get an exciting race today, Russell is starting from the back of the grid due to engine penalty, it will be interesting to see how he does, coming through the field. As well as Max, the dutchman starting 8th, and its not the easiest to overtake here.
Robert Shwartzman, Ferrari test driver will be taking part in FP1 for the Scuderia at the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
Shwartzman will be getting his first stint at the wheel of the 2022 Ferrari F1-75, having drive the 2021 car this season at Mugello in July and at Fiorano in September alongside reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi.
The 22 year old, finished runner-up in the 2021 FIA Formula 2 Championship and will be taking part in two FP1 sessions for Ferrari, the first one being at the Circuit of the Americas on October 21st.
In 2022, teams must run a driver who has taken part in two Grands Prix or fewer in at least two FP1 sessions.
For us, it’s Robert Shwartzman that will do our two FP1s. You are right in saying that you would not pick races like Singapore or races where the race drivers need more running. I don’t think we have an issue in doing it during one of the weekends where we have Pirelli testing.
Once again we have another weekend where penalties take a part in setting the grid for the race on Sunday, those being: VER 5 places, OCO 5 places, PER 10 places, BOT 15 places, MAG 15 places, SCH 15 places, SAI back of the grid, HAM back of the grid, TSU back of grid.
But it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position! Max Verstappen managed 2nd with Carlos Sainz in third, making it a wonderful weekend so far for Ferrari at home turf!
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Perez, P5: Hamilton, P6: Russell, P7: Norris, P8: Ricciardo, P9: Gasly and P10: Alonso.
The top three for the starting grid though is Leclerc, Russell and Norris, anything else we are unsure about until 14th!!!
Let’s take a moment for Nyck de Vries, 45 minute warning before FP3 that his driving this weekend, gets into Q2 on his debut and will hopefully be starting in the top 10 due to the penalties! Very much looking forward to seeing how he does, could this be his chance to get an F1 seat?…
Alpine aren’t where I thought they would be, Alonso 10th and Ocon 11th but does have a penalty. Their pace just doesn’t seem to be their in qualifying today, so maybe they’ve set up the car for the race?
Predictions-
My top five are- P1: Russell, P2: Leclerc, P3: Verstappen, P4: Norris and P5: Hamilton.
I’d love nothing more to see Leclerc win at Monza again but I just have a gut feeling something is going to go wrong whether that be there strategy or their pitstops…
But to see the likes of Hamilton, Perez and Sainz all come through the field and battle it out is going to be an interesting one!
Mick Schumacher’s relationship with Ferrari is to conclude in December, meaning that the German driver will be a free agent as he searches for a seat for 2023.
Schumacher’s original Ferrari Driver Academy contract will come to what one source called a ‘natural end’ after this season.
Although there has been no confirmation from Haas, its accepted in the paddock that Schumacher won’t be retained by the US-owned team for a third season in 2023, with Antonio Giovinazzi currently a favourite to land the seat.
The remaining open drives on the grid include, Alpine, Williams, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri. The latter being associated with IndyCar driver, Colton Herta.
Schumacher first became associated with Ferrari at the start of 2019, when he was announced as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, having won the previous year’s European F3 championship.
He was given his first F1 test in the SF90 in Bahrain, in Aprin 2019, before having a second outing for Alfa Romeo the following day. He then raced with Ferrari’s support for the Prema F2 team in 2019 and 2020, winning the title in his second season.
With Charles Leclerc, and then more recently Carlos Sainz locked into long-term deals with the Italian team, it has become obvious there is no race seat on the horizon for Schumacher.
Qualifying at Circuit Paul Ricard is now complete, and it was confirmed that Carlos Sainz and Kevin Magnussen will be both starting at the back of the grid due to taking extra power unit components.
But it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position at Circuit Paul Ricard! Max Verstappen lines up on the front row with him in P2 and Sergio Perez rounds out the top 3 in P3.
The full top 10 are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Sainz and P10: Magnussen. But with the last two and them starting at the back Ricciardo and Ocon move up into the top 10.
What a day for Leclerc! This is what he needed, and his teammate played the team game and gave Charles a tow and ensured him that he got pole position! But for Carlos he has a lot of work to do and I’m looking forward to seeing himself and Magnussen make their way up the field!
Lando Norris, what a lap!! McLaren brought a lot of upgrades for this weekend and they are clearly paying off so far. It will be interesting to see if the car has the race pace tomorrow as if he wants to fight for a good amount of points he will be up against the Mercedes pair.
Ahh so nice to see an Alpha Tauri in Q3, again they brought a few upgrades this weekend, not as many as McLaren but enough to get them further up the grid. Definitley be interesting to see how Tsunoda does and if he can capitalize on his qualifying position and score points tomorrow.
Gutted for Mick, he was set for Q2, but he got his laptime deleted by the slightest of margins and he could of easily been in the top 10 with the pace he had. Be interesting to see how far he can get up the grid.
Predictions-
My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Russell.
I don’t think there is going to be much change from the starting grid, but I feel like it will be a crazy and close race. If RB and Mercedes perfect their strategy Leclerc is going to struggle, especially being on his own and his teammate being no where near him…
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.
What a race. I honestly have no idea where to start… But one thing to say is the Orange Army did not disappoint and was great to see the sea of orange in the grandstands!
But it was Charles Leclerc who won the Austrian Grand Prix, his first win since Australia! Max Verstappen joined him on the podium in P2 and Lewis Hamilton rounds out the podium in P3!
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hamilton, P4: Russell, P5: Ocon, P6: Schumacher, P7: Norris, P8: Magnussen, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Alonso.
What a race for Charles! His been saying he needs a win and he finally got one and it was very well deserved, he done lovely overtakes on Max and caught him out a few times. But the same couldn’t be said for his teammate… Carlos ended up retiring due to an power unit failure which saw quite a big fire when he pulled over to the side of the track.
A decent day for Max, he just didn’t have the pace compared to Leclerc and you could tell by the second overtake Leclerc done on him, as normally Max doesn’t let it happen and fights back straight away. Again, the same couldn’t be said for Perez as he retired aswell, which saw Leclerc now jump him in the constructors.
One team out of the top 3, had a brilliant day! Mercedes, wow… Lewis started P8 and finished on the podium, Russell started 4th, had a first lap tangle with Perez, which saw the Brit get a 5 second time penalty and then he pitted to serve his penalty and change his front wing. Naturally he dropped down the order, he then thought back to finish 4th, which I must say is very impressive!
I said Ocon could score big points, and he did, the Frenchman finished 5th and it really helps his championship out as he moves further up. Another team, who I said could score big, were Haas and they did! Mick finished 6th – his best ever finish and Magnussen finished 8th, double points finish two weekends in a row for the American team!
Finally McLaren!! Double points finish, Lando 7th and Daniel 9th. It’s no secret that Danny’s had some problems, but if your patient then the points do come eventually, hopefully this is the start of the continuous points finish…
We are back in two weeks! And for another double header before the summer break… First up we have the French GP on the 22nd to 24th July, who will come out on top the next race weekend, as we now have completed 11 rounds out of 22?
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!
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…
After much speculation, it has been confirmed that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will drop 10 places on the Canadian Grand Prix grid for taking new control electronics.
With the Ferrari power unit that let go in Baku last week whilst Leclerc was leading got deemed ‘beyond repair’ the team and driver arrived this weekend and was surrounded by talk of potential grid penalities.
Initially it appeared that this would not be the case, Leclerc having received a new Internal Combustion Engine, MGU-K, MGU-H and Control Electronics, though none of those components took him over the imits for the season.
Obviously, we are not in the best situation possible. For the power unit change I think there are still ongoing discussions, we’ll try to push (back) as much as possible the decision. For now, no decisions are taken. But it’s not the best situation for me. It’s up to us to choose the best track where you want to get a penalty – if you get a penalty. And this is one of the tracks where it’s actually quite easy to overtake. But there are also some of the tracks in the next three or four races where it’s easier to overtake too. We’ll discuss and try and take the best decision from there.
Charles Leclerc on the possible penalty
But, the FIA confirmed another new Control Electronics for Leclerc, taking him to three for the season and thus pushing him over the permitted number of components. As such, he drops 10 places on the grid for the first Canadian GP to be held since 2019.
A new Control Electronic has been fitted to Charles’ car prior to FP2. It is the third of these elements used so far this season – only two are permitted – therefore Charles takes a grid penalty.
Ferrair’s statement.
This now gives Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a major boost in the race for the 2022 Drivers title, the reigning world champ comes into this weekend with a 34 point buffer over Leclerc.
The grid is all set for tomorrow’s Azerbaijan GP! With a mixed qualifying which saw a red flag, a stunning lap for a Ferrari driver and an Aston Martin driver in the top 10…
But it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position once again, his 6th this year. He is joined by Sergio Perez who out qualifies his teammate for the second weekend in a row. Max rounds out the top 3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Perez, P3: Verstappen, P4: Sainz, P5: Russell, P6: Gasly, P7: Hamilton, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Vettel and P10: Alonso.
I am actually quite surprised at the McLaren’s it looked like both drivers had pace to be in the top 10 but things don’t always work out that way – they are in the middle of the pack which isn’t always the best but they could benefit by any first lap incidents and starting from 11th and 12th you can still get into the points, especially because it’s Baku and anything can happen!
The Alpha Tauri’s WOW! They needed a good result and they got it, Gasly starting P6 which we love to see and takes us back to his great qualifying form from last year. And Yuki Tsunoda starting 8th is like a dream for the team. Hopefully both drivers can keep out of trouble and score a good amount of points and make up for this season!
A driver who I expected to be in the top 10 was Bottas, his starting P15, behind his teammate so it will be interesting to see how both Alfa Romeo’s can get through the field…
It feels good, this one. Obviously all pole positions feels good, but this one I probably did not expect it, because I thought Red Bull were stronger, especially in Q1 and Q2, I really struggled to see that we were faster, but then in the last lap, everything came together and I managed to do a good lap, so extremely happy… I’m really excited for tomorrow.
Charles Leclerc on pole position in Baku!
Predictions-
My top fie for the race tomorrow is – P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz and P5: Russell.
I feel like we will have a crazy race tomorrow, no doubt that there will be a safety car which the teams will have a strategy for as they know how this circuit can be, but who will get that strategy right and will we see a surprise podium? Or something we didn’t expect…
Well, another crazy qualifying in Monaco is complete, which saw a few surprise exits as well as a crash in Q3 which saw people not being able to complete their final laps.
But it’s home boy hero, Charles Leclerc on pole position, with no-one being able to get close to him! Carlos Sainz makes it an all Ferrari front row. Sergio Perez, rounds out the top 3!
The full top 10 are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Sainz, P3: Perez, P4: Verstappen, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Alonso, P8: Hamilton, P9: Vettel and P10: Ocon.
A crash from Sergio Perez brought the final qualifying session to an end, as he lost the rear and went into the barrier, with Carlos Sainz doing the same- at the exact time aswell which caused there to be a traffic jam as drivers couldn’t get through.
Gasly got knocked out in Q1 as he wasn’t able to get to the flag in time, he starts the race in P17, a what could’ve been today as it looked like he had really good pace so far but now onto tomorrow, what can he do from P17?
Danny Ric out in Q2, and is starting P14- sandwiched between both Haas’ not a good day at all, which is a bit confusing as Lando Norris is starting P5!
Someone I have to mention though, is Sebastian Vettel, starting P9! He done a mega lap in Q2 so he wouldn’t get knocked out, and he managed to get his Aston Martin into P9.
A mixed day for Ferrari and Red Bull, for Ferrari its more of a good day obviously the pole for Leclerc, but the crash for Sainz once again has got to be hurting the team… Where as Red Bull more of a down day, Perez crashing which ruined his and his teammates lap, but as well as this it looks like Max isn’t comfortable in the car this weekend.
Predictions-
Well, these predictions I done before qualifying as I recorded my podcast- so I won’t change them (even though I want too!).
My top five are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Sainz, P3: Hamilton, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.
There is an 80% chance of rain during the race tomorrow, so this may add some chaos to the Monaco race. Strategy is key here, the teams will be wanting to get the pit stops right * Flashback to last years Monaco GP, VB *
What a qualifying we have just witnessed, from a Ferrari spinning, to a home town hero being knocked out in Q1, a lap time deleted which promoted a Haas into Q3 and a Red Bull loosing power on the final flying lap!
But, it was Charles Leclerc who took pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, with a spin on his first flying lap in Q3 he only had the chance to do one lap which he made count, we then have Max Verstappen joining him on the front row, as he wasn’t able to improve his final lap as he lost power before he even started it. Carlos Sainz makes it a 1-3 for Ferrari on his home turf, hoping to get the jump on the Red Bull at the start of the race.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Russell, P5: Perez, P6: Hamilton, P7: Bottas, P8: Magnussen, P9: Ricciardo and P10: Schumacher.
A big well done to Haas, not only have they got both cars into Q3, but they had to take apart Micks cars in FP3 due to a fire, and they managed to get it ready for qualifying! Big day tomorrow for both cars, as they have brought no upgrades and will be hoping both cars can score points.
McLaren, mixed day for the Woking based team, good to see Danny Ric starting in the top 10, hopefully with the right strategy he can score a good amount of points, but for Lando, he got into the top 10 for Q3, but got his laptime deleted which sees him start P11. Which is not that bad considering his just outside the top 10, he will be hoping to stay out of trouble at the start tomorrow.
Not the day for Fernando Alonso, and Alpine as a whole, we didn’t really see that pace their like we have done in recent rounds. The Spaniard is starting 17th, a lot of work to do at a track where overtaking isn’t major.
A good day for Bottas, in the top 10 once again, he will be hoping to score points in tomorrows race. His teammate, Guanyu Zhou starts P15.
Predictions-
My top five are- P1: Leclerc, P2: Sainz, P3: Verstappen, P4: Hamilton and P5: Russell. If Leclerc and Sainz can look after their tyres in the race and the Ferrari team perfect the strategy and pit stops then I don’t see why they won’t get a double podium.
Bottas, Magnussen and Ricciardo could all be battling for that 6th position in the race, if things go their way and they stay out of trouble in the opening laps.
Jordan's Track Talk 