Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Lando Norris

  • R24 – Abu Dhabi

    Lando Norris soaked up the pressure of a nervy Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to finish on the podium and in turn secure the F1 Drivers’ Championship for the first time – following rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri home.

    Norris started the title-deciding race from second on the grid, between Red Bull racer Verstappen and McLaren teammate Piastri, knowing that finishing in the top three places would be enough to put the 2025 crown beyond doubt.

    A bold Piastri move demoted Norris to third on the opening lap, before attacks from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, a spell in traffic after his first pit stop and wheel-to-wheel moment with the other Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda put the Brit under pressure.

    Norris, though, dealt with everything that was thrown at him to cross the line in third and clinch the title over Verstappen and Piastri, who both delivered flawless races en route to the win and second position respectively.

    At the end of it all, just two points separated Norris and Verstappen at the top of the World Championship standings, given the 10 point swing at the Yas Marina Circuit, with Piastri finishing further 11 points back.

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

    What a season for Mr Lando Norris aka the new WORLD CHAMPION!!!!! A really good race from the Brit, he kept it all cool, calm and collected exactly when he needed to, and most importantly trusted the process!
    A decent result from Piastri, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get the championship but a really strong season he should be proud of!

    A lovely result from Max, a win to round out the season, which has been a tough one for himself and the team but they really did turn it round, but maybe it was a little too late in the end…
    As for his teammate, Yuki’s last race in F1, the team used him with orders to slow Norris down but they just made themselves look bad with the un-sportsman like behaviour….

    P4 for Leclerc, a good result to round out a difficult season, they seemed to have some pace during the race aswell. As for Hamilton a really good race up in the points again after a difficult starting position. It will be a season of lots of learning and where to go from here for next season for both drivers!

    A decent result for Russell, seems like he dropped off in the race compared to his pace in qualifying, but the points helped solidified P2 in the Constructors.

    P6 for Alonso, a great way to round out the season, especially with their performance over the last couple of races! The sames goes to Lance Stroll as he finished 10th so a double points finish for the team. Is this a sign of things to come in 2026?!

    Oh God! I’ve not cried in a while.  didn’t think I’d cry but I did. It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, everyone at McLaren, my parents… I’m not crying! My mum, my dad, they were the ones who supported me since the beginning. It feels amazing. Now I know what Max feels like a little bit, and I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors all season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them, and I’ve learnt a lot from both of them as well. I’ve enjoyed it, it’s been a long year, but we did it, and I’m so proud of everyone.
    Norris on winning the Drivers’ Championship.

    Now, that was our last race of the year in the world of Formula 1 and we do not have another race now until 6th to 8th of March but keep coming back for more updates!

  • Norris & Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas

    McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after both their cars were found not to comply with the technical regulations.

    Post-race, the rearmost skid wear on both Mclaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness by technical delegates on inspection.

    The matter was referred to the stewards, who subsequently disqualified both cars from the official result, with Norris having finished second and Piastri fourth.

    As a result, race winner Max Verstappen has made a significant gain with regards to the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, as the Red Bull man now sits level on points with Oscar Piastri on 336.
    Lando Norris is 24 points ahead on 390 at the top of the standings with just two rounds of the season to go.

    McLaren are not the first team to fall foul of skid block infringements this season, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg also disqualified from the Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix respectively for similar transgressions.

    With two Grand Prix and one Sprint remaining, there are 58 points on offer over the next two weekends to determine the outcome of the 2025 title.

    Confirming the disqualifications of the McLaren pair, the stewards’ document stated that the skid blocks on both cars were “measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate. It was also confirmed that McLaren had argued “mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Day 1, and shortened practice sessions. While the stewards dismissed this, they added “the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”.
    The Stewards’ document.

  • R21 – Sao Paulo

    Lando Norris has further extended his championship lead after claiming victory in a gripping Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the McLarn driver leading Mercdes’ Kimi Antonelli home while Max Verstappen put in a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium after starting from the pit lane.

    After making a good start from pole position, Norris continued to lead amid a hectic first few laps, with a Safety Car being deployed following a crash into the barriers for Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the Brazilian’s home race.

    A Virtual Safety Car was then deployed after the restart due to another incident in which Oscar Piastri locked up and hit Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire his damaged Ferrari from the race.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Antonelli, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Piastri, P6: Bearman, P7: Lawson, P8: Hadjar, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Gasly.

    What a dominant weekend for Norris, P1 across all the sessions this weekend, no-one came close to challenging him. If he wins this championship it will be down to this weekend, as he excelled, whereas the other contenders had a lot of work to do.
    A bit of a meh result for Piastri, P5 not a great result at all, especially when his teammate done so well.

    What a result for Antonelli, his stepped up this weekend and as a result got his career best finish! He will be happy with this weekend and so will the team in the battle for P2 in the Constructors!
    As for his teammate, Russell finished 4th, a great result again this weekend, lots of points grabbed.

    P3 for Verstappen, what a drive for the Dutchman, from starting in the pitlane to finishing on the podium, a big championship drive and it could make all the difference in where he finishes at the end of the season.

    P6 for Bearman, a lovely drive from the Haas driver, two really good weekends in a row for the Brit. Very good for Haas in the constructors, they are two points away from Aston Martin and 12 points away from Racing Bulls in 6th.

    Talking of Racing Bulls, a double points finish for them! A really good showing from the team after a couple of rough race weekends in a row.

    A weekend to forget for Ferrari… Leclerc DNF as he got the repercussions from the Antonelli/Piastri fumble at the restart. Hamilton was a DNF too as he had some damage from early on in the race and retired in the pitlane.

    Now we only have three races left of the 2025 season and our next stop is Las Vegas! On the 20th to 22nd November…

  • R21 – Sao Paulo Sprint Qualifying

    Lando Norris put in an impressive lap to take pole position during Sprint Qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Brit beating Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri to seal P1.

    After setting a benchmark with his banker lap during SQ3, Norris went even quicker with his final effort of 1m 09.243, a time that proved unbeatable to his rivals. Antonelli was the closest challenger, the Silver Arrows racer 0.097s behind as he took the other spot on the front row.

    Despite showing good pace during Friday, Piastri had to settle for third, while George Russell added to a decent day for Mercedes in fourth.
    The full top 10 are- Pole: Norris, P2: Antonelli, P3: Piastri, P4: Russell, P5: Alonso, P6: Verstappen, P7: Stroll, P8: Leclerc, P9: Hadjar and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A lovely result for Norris! Just what he would’ve wanted going into this weekend and the best place to start considering the ever changing weather at São Paulo. As for Piastri, a decent result in P3 still lots to play for!

    P2 for Antonelli!! Love to see it! The Mercedes is known for being good around this track so it’s not that surprising but a great result for the Italian! George Russell added to their great result with a P4! They will be looking to score big points and a few podiums this weekend.

    P5 for Alonso! I didn’t expect that going into this weekend, but with the past few cars I’ve mentioned, they’ve all got one thing in common… Mercedes Powertrains. So clearly they are doing very well, and have good performance at the minute.

    Not the best result for Verstappen but still in the fight, P6 for the Dutchman a little bit further back than his title contenders but anything can happen at São Paulo!

    Not the best day for the Ferrari’s, Leclerc P8 and Hamilton P11. It was said that they have set their car up differently to more focus on overall performance and not just one lap.

  • R14 – Hungary

    Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix after holding off a thrilling late-race challenge for the lead from McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri, the Briton having made an alternative strategy work in his favour to take the victory.

    Polesitter Charles Leclerc had made a strong start to hold P1 when the race got underway, allowing the Ferrari driver to build up a steady lead over Piastri in P2 during the opening stages of the race – a position he maintained amid the first round of pit stops, despite Piastri’s attempt to undercut his rival.

    However, the picture started to evolve as different strategies played out amongst the frontrunners, with Leclerc and Piastri – both on two-stop plans – finding themselves behind the one-stopping Norris in the final phase of the race.

    While Leclerc’s pace fell away in the latter stages, a fast Piastri set about chasing down Norris for the lead – leading to a gripping conclusion as the Australian was hot on the tail of his team mate in the final laps.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Piastri, P3: Russell, P4: Leclerc, P5: Alonso, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Stroll, P8: Lawson, P9: Verstappen and P10: Antonelli.

    What a result for Norris, he would’ve set out to achieve this, but him taking a charge of his strategy with the one-stop effectively won him the race which resulted in a lovely race for the Brit.
    A good result for Piastri, I think he was annoyed a bit by Norris’ strategy as it worked out perfectly for the Brit. The gap between teammates is now down to 9 points as we head into the summer break.

    A lovely result for Russell, P3 for the Mercedes driver, a good result for him, after a few bad weekends they had a good result and back on the podium since Canada.

    A decent result for Leclerc, unfortunate he didn’t get a podium but Ferrari sometime’s doesn’t have the best strategy in the races… However, still a really positive weekend for Leclerc.
    A weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton, out in Q2 for Qualifying and then finished 12th in the race. Hopefully the summer break will give him some to recover and get back to the Lewis we know!

    A lovely result for Alonso, P5 for the Spanish driver, a really good weekend for Aston Martin overall as Lance Stroll finished P7. A good points haul for the team, they will be wanting to continue on this form back from the summer break.

    P6 for Bortoleto, another good result for the Brazilian, his been lapping up the good results lately and he gets rewarded with decent points.

    A race to forget for Verstappen too, he finished P9. Definitely not the result he would’ve wanted at all.

    Now we are into the summer break officially, the next race is Round 15 and it is the Dutch Grand Prix on the 29th – 31st August!

  • R12 – Silverstone

    Lando Norris has taken victory in an eventful wet-dry British Grand Prix, the McLaren driver leading home team mate Oscar Piastri on an action-packed afternoon that also saw Nico Hulkenberg finally clinch his maiden F1 podium.

    With the race starting in dry conditions, polesitter Max Verstappen initially led away from Piastri- but the Australian soon got ahead just as the rain started to fall heavily.

    While the McLaren quickly built a strong lead, this was neutralised when the Safety Car was deployed, marking the first appearance for the vehicle during the event.

    An action-packed event ensued from there, with Piastri receiving a 10 second time penalty for slowing too much when preparing to lead the pack away following another Safety Car restart, while a spin for Verstappen moments later saw the Dutchman drop back.

    As conditions changed and drivers started to switch to slick tyres on, Piastri served his penalty during his pit stop and Norris took over the lead of the race – and from there Norris maintained his advantage to seal the win in front of a cheering crowd, crossing the line 6.812s ahead of Piastri.

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

    What a result for McLaren! Lando Norris has won his home Grand Prix!!! This is the one he really wanted, and he absolutely smashed it out of the park.
    As for Piastri, a good result for him too, unfortunate for the 10 second time penalty but sometimes it is just racing…

    Nicoooo Hulkenbergggggg!!! P3! He finally got his podium!!! What a result for the Stake driver, he and the team will be ecstatic, and it is fully deserved, they smashed it out of the park with strategy.

    P4 for Lewis Hamilton, a good result for the Ferrari driver! It’s a shame he wasn’t on the podium at his home race, but still a very good result! As for his teammate, Leclerc took the gamble and pitted before lights out (like some of the other drivers) and put the slicks on and it just didn’t work in his favour he ended up a shocking 14th…

    An okay result for Verstappen, obviously not what he would’ve wanted starting on pole, but still in the points which is good, it didn’t help that he had a spin on the safety car restart which did not help at all.
    As for Tsunoda he finished a disappointing 15th, the last of the runners.

    A lovely P6 result for Pierre Gaslyyy! He kept out of trouble and kept it on track and was rewarded with another lovely points finish.

    Double points for Aston Martin at their home Grand Prix! P7 for Stroll and P9 for Alonso, a great result for the team!

    A disappointing result for George Russell who finished in P10, again he took a gamble and pitted and it just didn’t work at all. As for his teammate, Antonelli was one of five DNF’s, a few bad weekends to forget for the young driver.

    Now we have a little break before the next round, it is on the 25th-27th July and we head to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix!

  • R11 – Austria

    Lando Norris returned to winning ways at the Austrian Grand Prix after getting the better of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a head-to-head scrap for victory.

    Norris converted pole position into the lead at Turn 1 but soon came under intense pressure from championship leader Piastri, who launched several attacks and at one point muscled his way past, only for the positions to be swiftly reversed.

    After a particularly close call under braking for Turn 4, which saw Piastri lock up and almost run into the back of Norris, the Australian went slightly longer on his starting set of tyres in attempt to build an advantage for the remainder of the race.

    While Piastri lit up the timesheets in phases across the second and third stints, Norris had just enough pace in hand to hold onto P1 and take the chequered flag – marking his third win of the season and first victory since last month’s Monaco Grand Prix.

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

    What a result for McLaren! P1 for Norris and P2 for Piastri, their pace was unmatched and no-one got anywhere near the two drivers, however, I think they need to set boundaries between the two drivers, as much as we love seeing them battle it out for the lead, one of the moves Oscar done almost ended Lando’s race, just doesn’t seem to be any boundaries set…

    A lovely result for Ferrari, a podium for Leclerc and 4th for Hamilton, a decent amount of points for the Italian team, seems like they had a strong weekend and things are starting to look up for the team.

    P5 for Russell, he was kind of in no mans land, the pace just didn’t seem to be there to battle with the Ferrari’s which is a shame but still a decent points haul for the Brit.
    As for his teammate, Antonelli’s race was over on the first lap as the young driver carried too much speed into Turn 3 and took out Max Verstappen which saw both of the drivers out.

    P6 for Liam Lawson, a lovely result for the New Zealander, his best career finish so far! A very good points haul for the Racing Bulls, this will all help for the midfield battle.

    A double points finish for Kick Sauber, which means first career points for Gabriel Bortoleto! This will be the same as above, and really help in the midfield battle towards the end of the season.

    A weekend to forget for Williams, a DNS for Sainz as his rear brakes were on the fire in the pitlane as he struggled to get started on the grid for the first formation lap. Not only this, Albon retired in the pit lane to an unknown issue at the time.

    Now next up, we have Silverstone this weekend for Round 12 of 24!

  • R11 – Austria Qualifying

    Lando Norris has sealed a commanding pole position in Qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver recording a time that was half a second clear of nearest challenger Charles Leclerc to mark the biggest pole margin of the season so far.

    After setting the pace in Q1 and Q2, Norris continued that theme by claiming provisional pole during the initial runs of Q3 – but the McLaren man went even better on his next effort, pumping in a 1m 03.971s.

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

    What a lovely result for Lando, exactly what the Brit would have wanted! Last time he was on pole, it was the Monaco Grand Prix, which he went on to win… However, the Red Bull Ring is a very different track compared to Monte Carlo, there’s lots of overtaking spots here so McLaren’s strategy has to be perfect.
    As for his teammate, Piastri qualified 3rd, unfortunate for him as his last flying lap got ruined due to a spin from Pierre Gasly, but still a good position for today’s race.

    A lovely result from Ferrari! P2 for Charles Leclerc and P4 for Lewis Hamilton, the whole team will be happy with that result, hopefully they can turn it into a potential win/podiums!

    A decent result for Russell, P5 for the Mercedes driver, it seems like the Silver Arrows have got some pace underneath them this weekend, so it will be interesting to see where they finish. As for Russell’s teammate, Antonelli qualified 9th, not the best result for the rookie driver but he can still make up decent positions.

    A little shout out for Liam Lawson, P6! The best result out of all the Red Bull cars! A lovely result for the Racing Bulls driver, hopefully he can score some points this weekend.

    As for Verstappen, he qualified 7th, not the best result at all for the Dutchman, he also got hindered by the late yellow flag in the session, he has a lot of work to do if he wants to get on the podium at least.

    Another little shout out for Gabriel Bortoleto! P8 for the Kick Sauber driver, his best qualifying result so far, he will be hoping to score some points aswell.

  • R8 – Monaco

    Lando Norris expertly converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, leading home Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

    Norris survived a massive lock-up at the first corner before working through Virtual Safety Car phases, spells of traffic and the mandated two-stop rule to score his second win of the season and slash Piastri’s championship lead.

    Leclerc applied plenty of pressure at various stages of the race, including that initial run to Sainte Devote and late on when Verstappen backed the pack up, but ultimately had to settle for second with Piastri – now just three points clear of Norris in the standings – completing the podium.

    Verstappen ran an off-set tyre strategy that saw the Red Bull driver go much longer across his stints, giving him the race lead into the very closing stages, but he dropped to fourth after completing his required second stop with a lap to go.

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

    What a result for Norris and McLaren!! This is exactly what Norris would’ve wanted this weekend, a win to boost his confidence as he has struggled in past weekends but this was a lovely drive by the Brit! As well, Piastri on the podium too, a big points haul for the Papaya team and boosting their lead in the Constructor’s Championship.

    A lovely result for home hero, Charles Leclerc, P2! His second podium of the year too, it’s a shame he didn’t have that bit extra for the win, but McLaren are just so quick and its Monaco unfortunately there’s not many overtaking places where your not gonna risk it. As for his teammate, Hamilton finished P5, a good points haul for the Italian team which has now brought Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari all within 5 points of each other…

    P4 for the reigning World Champion, he struggled with the car a lot this weekend, however he still managed to grab P4, a shame he didn’t get on the podium but a decent strategy from the team, it just didn’t pay off with the red flag they hoped for.

    P6 for Isack Hadjar, what a lovely drive for the rookie, he stayed out of trouble and was rewarded with a decent amount of points! As for his teammate, Lawson also comes home with points finishing 8th, a decent weekend for the team overall.

    P7 for Ocon in the Haas which we love to see! As for Bearman he made a few places up, finishing just outside the points in P12, but a decent effort from the Brit who started P20.

    Now onto Mercedes, a horrible weekend for the team, both drivers out in Q2, they knew from there that it wasn’t their weekend, Russell finished 11th and Antonelli finished 18th.

    Double point finish for Williams too, Albon 9th and Sainz 10th. The smaller teams have really benefited from both Mercedes not being in the top 10 this weekend, and honestly, this is what is going to matter closer to the end of the season when they’ve grabbed points as and when they can.

    Now we don’t have to wait too long, as the next race is this week! For Round 9 we are headed to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix!

  • R1 – Australia

    Lando Norris converted pole position into a hard-fought win during the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which featured mixed weather conditions, multiple crashes, Safety Cars and a late-race downpour that caused huge drama.

    Norris controlled the early stages of Sunday’s encounter from McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on a sodden track, before improving conditions enabled a switch to slick tyres over the second half.

    However, shortly after the field had ditched their intermediates, another patch of heavier rain soaked the circuit once more, dramatically sending both McLaren’s onto the grass and bringing most drivers immediately back into the pits for suitable rubber.

    While Norris managed to gather his car and head into the pit lane, Piastri spun off at the penultimate corner and lost a heap of time trying to recover the situation – a chain of events that released reigning World Champion Verstappen into the lead.

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

    It all started before the race even started, during the formation lap, Isack Hadjar lost control of his Racing Bulls car at the exit of Turn 1 which saw him go into the barriers and out of the race. It was so disappointing for the rookie and it would’ve been interesting to see if he could’ve grabbed points after qualifying 11th/

    What a lovely result for Norris, the best way to start the season with a race win. A really dominant weekend from Norris and McLaren. It all went wrong when it started raining again and both drivers went off track and over the grass at Turn 12 – which then Piastri ended up rearwards in Turn 13 run off. Gutting for Piastri as it was looking like a 1-2 for the team, but the Australian driver will bounce back.

    A lovely result for Max, P2, first race of the season. He was quite close to Norris, but McLaren just seemed to have that edge over Red Bull. As for Verstappen’s teammate, Liam Lawson, he DNF at Turn 2 when the rain intensified.

    A great result for Mercedes, Russell in P3 and Antonelli P4. The best team from the race, as they had both drivers in the points and the closest team mates. Antonelli is the best rookie of the weekend with a P4 finish and it makes him the second youngest driver to score points on debut!

    A lovely result from Alex Albon, P5! We all had a feeling that Williams would be up there especially because of their qualifying result but a lovely points haul for the team. For his teammate, Carlos Sainz, he had a DNF, during the Safety Car period Sainz crashed through the final corner – he reported a “massive power surge”.

    A great result for Nico Hulkenberg for Stake. They have now got more points in one race compared to last season overall, which they will be thrilled about.

    As for Ferrari, they had a bit of a shocker, they just didn’t seem to have much pace in the wet and they did mess up there strategy when it started raining, they thought they’d stay out which is a big gamble but the rain was just coming down so heavy so they ended up having to pit after everyone, which pushed them down the order.
    They did manage to grab points for both drivers, but both Leclerc and Hamilton would’ve wanted more…

    Now, onto Round 2! We are going to China, which is this week so we don’t have too long to wait for more racing and it is the first sprint race weekend of the year!

  • R1 – Australia Qualifying

    Lando Norris surged to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver having just edged out teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.048s to secure a front row lockout for the reigning Teams’ Champions.

    After Max Verstappen had initially secured provisional pole during the first runs of Q3, Piastri thrilled the crowd at his home event by stunningly beating that effort by four tenths. But the Australian did not keep P1 for long, as Norris went even faster.

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

    What a result from McLaren, starting off where they finished last year! To have both drivers in the top 2 is the best result for the first race weekend of the year.
    Gutting for Piastri to not be on pole position, but I have no doubt he will be in the fight for the race win…

    A good result for Verstappen and Russell! It’s interesting that there lining up on the same row… especially as both of their teammates are further down the grid, so they do not have them to rely on for helping with pit stops etc.

    What a result from Yuki Tsunoda! P5! That was very surprising but it was a welcomed surprise. His teammate Isack Hadjar qualified 11th, the highest rookie position and just slightly missing out on Q3!
    It will be interesting to see how the Racing Bull cars get on in the next few races and keep up the very good results.

    A lovely qualifying for Alex Albon, P6 for the Williams man. Such an improvement compared to last year and to be honest its great to see! Hopefully they can mirror a points finish for the team. As for Albon’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, a decent result in P10, he seems to have got quite comfortable quite quickly which is good to see.

    A decent result for Ferrari, 7th for Leclerc and 8th for Hamilton, it could’ve been better for both drivers. But still a decent result at least they are in the top 10 and you can overtake here in Australia so they could make up some positions in the race.

  • RW 24 – Abu Dhabi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 24 – Abu Dhabi Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 19 – United States Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 16 – Monza Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 15 – Netherlands

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 15 – Netherlands Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 13 – Hungary Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • RW 10 – Spain Qualifying

    Qualifying is done in Barcelona and we now have had four different drivers on pole in the last four races…

    McLaren driver, Lando Norris secured the second pole position of his Formula 1 career after coming out on top in an epic battle with rival Max Verstappen.

    Norris, who was last on pole at the Sochi Autodrom back in 2021, had trailed Verstappen after the opening Q3 rounds, but produced a stunning final lap of 1m 11.383s to outpace the Dutchman by two hundredths of a second.

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

    What a lovely result from McLaren and Lando Norris! Pole position! So far this weekend they have looked really strong so it’s no surprise seeing them up there.
    Piastri starts 10th, obviously it’s not the best place for Aussie. He will be wanting to stay out of trouble at the start of the race and make as many moves as possible as he can.

    Lovely result for Max, I don’t think there was many complaints from him, his teammate finished 8th in qualifying, however he won’t be starting 8th as he has a three place grid penalty from Canada so will be starting 11th.

    A lovely result for both Mercedes! A second row lockout for the team, we saw how they improved last time out in Canada, and it definitely looks like it wasn’t a one-off which is nice to see. Let’s see how well Hamilton and Russell do in the race!

    An okay result for Ferrari, it definitely could’ve been better for the Italian team, it will be all to play for in the race, as Leclerc will be looking to bounce back from an awful Canadian Grand Prix. And Carlos Sainz will be wanting a good home grand prix.

    A decent result for Alpine! Both cars in the top 10 which is good to see, it seems like the improvements they have made to the car recently has helped a little bit.

    Aston Martin are having a bit of trouble at the moment, not the best results for the team lately. Alonso qualified 11th but will be starting 10th and Stroll will be starting 14th…

  • RW 6 – Miami

    WOW… What a race we had in Miami for Round 6 out of 24! We had a first time winner in F1, and some drama along the way, so let’s take a look at it…

    McLaren driver, Lando Norris has now added his name to the list of Formula 1 race WINNERS with a sensational driver for victory in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

    Joining him in the top three is Max Verstappen in 2nd, and in third is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc!

    Norris ran sixth in the early stages of the race, with fast-starting team mate Oscar Piastri the McLaren man who initially looked most likely to cause an upset, however… A safety car at the midway point played perfectly into the Briton’s hands after he extended his opening stint.
    Norris emerged from the pits in the lead, with Verstappen in second after stopping under normal racing conditions, and despite an initial attack from the latter at the restart.
    A cool, calm and collected performance thereafter and balance problems for Verstappen, meant there was no stopping Norris.

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

    What a result for Mr Lando Norris… I honestly can’t believe it and I bet he can’t either!! Lando had a lovely drive, he kept it cool and calm. I’m so happy for him and the team.
    His teammate, was doing so well, he was running in P2 for a while at the beginning of the race, until he had a collision with Carlos Sainz where he needed to pit for a new front wing which saw the Australian drop all the way down to the bottom of the grid.

    A decent result for Red Bull, obviously Max in P2 and Checo in P4, a nice points haul for the team and keeping their lead in the constructors!

    Ferrari had a very good result aswell, P3 for Leclerc and P5 for Sainz the team will be happy with that result aswell.

    Esteban Ocon has scored his first point this season which is also Alpine’s first point this season as well! It’s just what the team needs, which hopefully will set them onto a better path.

    An unlucky driver was Logan Sargeant, Magnussen was attempting a move on Sargeant through the Turn 2 flick, where contact sent the American into the barriers and the Dane back to the pits for repairs, with the American sustaining terminal damage upon impact which was a disappointing end to the first of three home Grand Prix he is set to take part in.
    Magnussen got given a 10 second time penalty for the clash.

    Now we have a little wait till the next race, we head to Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which is round 7, on the weekend of 17th to 19th May.

  • RW 5 – China Sprint Qualifying & Race

    Sprint Qualifying-

    The first sprint qualifying of the year is complete, and it was quite entertaining with both rain and fire, yes FIRE..

    But it was Lando Norris who claimed pole during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, however it wasn’t easy for the Brit as originally he had his lap time deleted but it was reinstated.
    In the top three joining him, is another Brit, Mr Lewis Hamilton flew to P2, looking like he was going to get pole at one point. Finishing the top three is Fernando Alonso.

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

    A great qualifying from Lando Norris, he excelled in the wet and put it on pole when he needed to. His teammate with a decent result aswell starting in P8.

    Verstappen was struggling a little as he skidded off the track a few times too, but with starting P4 his still got plenty to give, and will no doubt make up positions in no time. His teammate also isn’t too far behind him in P6.

    A great result for Kick Sauber! Especially for Zhou as it’s his first ever home grand prix and to have both drivers in the top 10 is a great result, they will want to score points in the Sprint to put towards the constructors championship.

    There was quite a shock for Yuki Tusonda as he was eliminated in SQ1 where he will start down in 19th, his teammate had a decent qualifying in 14th even though he abandoned his final attempt amid the rainfall.

    We also had George Russell who was forced to abort his flying lap in SQ2 with the rain starting to fall during the final moments which means he will be starting P11.

    Sprint Race-

    Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen move back to the top of the pecking order during Saturday’s Sprint race at Shanghai International Circuit as he turned his low-key P4 into a commanding victory.

    Verstappen slowly made moves up the order across the 19 lap race, benefitting from pole-sitter Lando Norris running off the track during the first lap and then set his eyes on Alonso and Hamilton.

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

    A good result from Verstappen to claim the Sprint victory, I think there was no doubt about it from the Dutchman he was going from strength to strength. His teammate has got a good result aswell P3 for Perez.

    A great result for Hamilton in P2, a lovely result from the Mercedes driver, a decent points haul aswell. Russell managed to grab the final points position in P8, a decent recovery drive from him.

    Fernando Alonso was the only DNF in the sprint. Sainz attacked Alonso heading Turn 6, with a strong exit from Ferrari seeing them go through Turn 7, where the two Spaniards made contact.
    Alonso dropped back with a puncture from that contact, losing several places in the last sector.

    A decent result for the Ferrari pair, they also had a very close fight at the final hair pin after the Alonso incident, which caused an angry message from the Monegasque.

    Zhou was close to the points! P9 for the Chinese driver, it’s a shame he couldn’t get any at his home race but sometimes that’s just racing…

  • Norris agrees multi-year contract with McLaren

    Another contract extension is here, and this time it’s Lando Norris and McLaren, with the Brit committed his long-term future agreeing an extended multi-year contract.

    The Brit took six second-place finishes in 2023 on his way to sixth in the drivers’ standings in what was his most competitive season since he made his F1 debut in 2019.

    Norris’s contract was set to expire at the end of 2025 – having signed a four-year agreement in February 2022 – but following another strong campaign, both parties have moved to extend that stay.
    After team mate Oscar Piastri signed a new deal last September, Norris’s new agreement will see McLaren run an unchanged line-up for at least the next three seasons.

    The news came just a day after Charles Leclerc signed a new multi-year deal to extend his stay at Ferrari.

    McLaren hope to bring the fight to Red Bull this season, and with their drivers locked in for the next few seasons they will aim to do so.

    It’s a great feeling to be staying in papaya. I’ve grown up with McLaren and feel at home here, the team are like family to me. The journey so far has been exciting, we’ve had ups and downs, but last season showed our desire to get back to competing at the front of the grid. The work Zak [Brown, McLaren Racing CEO], Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] and the whole team have put in over the last year has been incredible and I’m confident in challenging for wins with McLaren. I’m excited to create more amazing memories and continue working hard with everyone at MTC for the next few years.

    Norris on the news.

    I’m delighted that we’re continuing our relationship with Lando for multiple years to come. It’s been a fantastic journey over the last six years, and he has shown fantastic commitment and desire to push the team forward and get McLaren back to the front of the grid. Last season we saw the fundamental role Lando played with the impressive turnaround in results and I’m looking forward to continuing this push forward together with lots more podiums.

    Brown on the news.

    I’m pleased to confirm the extension of our partnership with Lando on a multi-year contract beyond 2025. This reflects the commitment and confidence we have together, with our shared ambition to ultimately win championships again in the future. Lando has grown as a driver and a person since initially joining McLaren in 2017. He impressed last season, playing an important role in our progress throughout the year, securing seven podiums with many fantastic drives. Alongside Oscar, our exciting driver pairing will play an instrumental part in our objective to move towards the front of the grid. They have impressed in their first season together and I’m looking forward to continuing the hard work with them both on this exciting journey.

    Stella on Lando’s contract.

  • MCL36

    MCL36

    Last night saw McLaren be the fourth team to show their 2022 challenger, which saw a bold new livery come from the team.

    The team hope this car will push them closer towards becoming World Championship contenders, the MCL36 will be driven by Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.

    McLaren finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last year after a campaign that yielded their first win since 2012, the team were the only team which managed a 1-2 finish.

    Their points tally was their highest since 2012 also, while their relative performance demonstrated they had closed the gap to the pace-setters Mercedes and Red Bull and their target is to continue that upward trajectory.

    “Over the last year the team have been hard at work developing the MCL36, seeking to take advantage of any opportunities we might find in the design and production of these new cars,” said Team Principal Andreas Seidl. “Lando’s performance in 2021 was one of the standouts of the season, with four podium finishes and a pole-position. He came agonisingly close to his first race victory, and although we didn’t quite achieve that, he’s proven to the world that he can become a Grand Prix winner. After finding it harder to adapt to the MCL35M than he might have expected, Daniel rallied to a strong finish in the second half of the season and captured McLaren’s first win since 2012. Throughout the season we saw Daniel’s skill, resolve and trademark positive attitude despite difficult moments, and we head into the 2022 better prepared to tackle this new challenge.”

    Norris said: “Last year was my best in Formula 1 so far, and I’m really proud of what I achieved as a driver, and what we achieved as a team. But I know that the best is yet to come, and my aim is to carry the positive momentum we built up over the last year and take that with me into this exciting new era of Formula 1. I’m in a good position heading into this year to build on the successes of 2021. I’ve grown up alongside McLaren and I’m really delighted to have recently confirmed my long-term future with the team.”

    Ricciardo added: “There’s always a nervous excitement around the start of the new season, but that’s turned up to 11 when you enter a new era of regulations. Having been through several regulation changes now, I feel like I’m able to use that energy to help me adapt to new cars, new ways of driving and ultimately new ways of racing. Heading into my second year with McLaren feels great and I feel like we learned a lot as a team in 2021, which will help us as we take on this new challenge.”

    My Opinion-

    I think this may be the best livery so far if not on the same level as Aston Martin. They’ve swapped out the dark blue for light and I think it beats last year, their suits aswell just makes everything put together.

  • Norris signs new four year deal

    Norris signs new four year deal

    Lando Norris and McLaren have signed a new deal together, the huge contract extension keeps the British driver with the British team until the end of 2025!

    Norris signed a long-term deal on the eve of last years Monaco Grand Prix that would keep him at McLaren for 2022 and beyond, but after a strong year together both parties moved to lengthen that arrangement with a new four-year agreement, starting this year.

    Last year was Lando’s best season to date having only been in F1 for 3 seasons so far, he grabbed four podiums, his first pole position and came agonisingly close to his first victory in Russia, he finished the season in 6th which is his career-best.

    This year himself and the team will be going in to a new era together, with their car launch being on Friday, Norris and Ricciardo will be pulling the covers of the MCL36 in Woking.

    “The opportunity to extend our relationship with Lando reflects not only our commitment but our belief and confidence in his talent,” said McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl. “It is also a strong sign of trust and commitment from Lando in us as a team and our journey to World Championship contention. Lando has shown impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver over the past four years and has been an instrumental part of the team’s momentum and performance trajectory,” Seidl added. “We are still on our journey to fight at the front and Lando is a key element of our plan, so to lock him into place, alongside Daniel [Ricciardo] and our senior leadership, gives us stability and continuity as we build towards our ultimate shared goal of World Championships.”

    Norris, who has been part of the McLaren family since 2017, added: “Teams are about people, and I love the people and feel at home at McLaren. I have grown up in this team and I’m part of this journey we’re all on. Last season was another great step, both in my career and the team’s performance, and I see and feel all the work, investment and commitment for the team to be in a position to challenge for wins and titles in the future. This all gives me huge confidence looking forward, so it was a natural decision to extend our relationship for the next few years.”

    My Opinion-

    I think everyone likes this!! Great news for both the driver and the British team. I’ve said it before but I say it again, Lando has a lot of trust in this team and it shows by him signing such a big deal at a young age when he delivers such good results, but with the new era of car which will soon be on track no-one knows what team or driver will place where so he has a lot of faith too.

    I wont be surprised if we see an article come out some time this year saying he has had offers from different teams. But Lando wants his first win with the team and then his first championship, so he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

  • 11.02.22

    McLaren are the third team to announce their 2022 car launch date. They will be revealing the MCL36 on the 11th February.

    Ricciardo and Norris will be piloting the car and be hoping to build of last season. They were the only team to get a 1-2 finish (at Monza) and they finished 4th overall, just behind their rivals Ferrari.

    McLaren isn’t just set to unveil their car on the 11th, they teased on social media that three of their other operations will be present at the launch; Extreme E, IndyCar and Esports teams.

    British driver, Lando Norris will be going into his fourth season with the team, where as it will be Daniel Ricciardo’s second, both drivers will be hoping to finish higher than the Ferrari’s this year whilst bringing the fight to other teams.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CY1oP7MIRtK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

  • Norris announces own karting team

    During the week of last week it saw Lando Norris announce something very special, his own karting team. He has collaborated with the OTK Kart Group to launch his own kart, LN Racing Kart.

    Lando won a world championship on OTK’s FA Racing Kart back in 2014 and he was the youngest to ever do it, OTK and Lando have kept a good relationship since to then have his own kart to be used by them!

    The LN Racing Kart will soon be on track, making its debut in international competitions in 2022, under the direction of Ricky Flynn Motorsport. The drivers, not yet announced, will compete in all the WSK and FIA Karting international events. LN Racing Kart products, available for MINI, Junior/Senior single-speed and shifter categories, will soon be available in the official worldwide sale network.

    Lando took to his social media and said: “Karting is where it all started for me, I won my first world championship on OTK’s FA Racing Kart and I can’t wait for the day when someone wins their first championship on the LN Racing Kart. Bring on the future talent! Let’s do this @LNRacingKart, OTK & RFM.”

    I think this is such a good thing to do, not many F1 drivers can say they have their own kart especially with the people who they kart with when they were younger! It must feel special for him to do this as its going back to a part of his child hood! I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few more things come from Lando in the future and I can’t wait to see what he does!

  • Round 15 – Sochi Quali

    WOW, what a day it has been for F1 today and what a qualifying it was… First up we didn’t even think we would have qualifying today because of the weather and having FP3 cancelled it was all just a waiting game…

    But now it all went in the way of Lando Norris as he is on pole position for tomorrow’s race, his first ever one in his F1 career! Joining him on the front row is his old team-mate Carlos Sainz and 3rd is Mr Saturday, George Russell, his second time getting into the top 3 this season!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Hamilton, P5: Ricciardo, P6: Alonso, P7: Bottas, P8: Stroll, P9: Perez and P10: Ocon. We have Verstappen, Leclerc and Latifi all taking new power units this weekend so they will all be starting at the back of the grid…

    Honestly wow. I am in shock, I was watching with one eye open when George was the first to go onto the slicks but they honestly paid off for everyone apart from the Mercs and Red Bull.

    McLaren are on fire this season. Lando has been on top form and it’s so nice to see his finally getting rewarded for all his efforts. And Daniel qualifying in P5 after his win in Monza two weeks ago, he will definitely be one to watch tomorrow!

    The constructors leader, Mercedes didn’t get it right today, which is a shame but the points are awarded tomorrow and everyone knows how good they are at this track, and Lewis hasn’t got to worry about Max as his starting at the back…

    AlphaTauri had a really bad today, which is awful after what happened in Monza. It’s such a shame because Pierre always delivers week in and week out for the team, but I’m sure he can finish in the points tomorrow and it could go his way as he has free tyre choice.

    Predictions for tomorrow-

    My top five for tomorrow are: P1: Hamilton, P2: Norris, P3: Bottas, P4: Ricciardo and P5: Russell. I think fastest lap will go to Hamilton as-well…

    I do think that it will be very close between Norris and Hamilton, they both could win tomorrow. We all saw how difficult it is to get by the McLaren with their speed but I feel like strategy may come into play!

    Times for tomorrow-

    Race- 13:00pm (BST), 14:00pm (CEST). We also have F2 and F3 feature races tomorrow as-well!

  • Round 14- Monza Race

    WOW… what didn’t happen in that race! Honestly where do I start…

    Daniel Ricciardo is a race winner again for the first time since 2018 and his first with McLaren and joining him is his team-mate, Lando Norris making it his best finish for the team and finally a 1-2 for the papaya team! Joining them on the final step of the podium goes to Bottas after starting P19!

    The rest of the top 10 are: P4: Leclerc, P5: Perez, P6: Sainz, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Russell and P10: Ocon.

    Max and Lewis collided which ended up with Max’s car on top off Lewis’s and Max’s rear tyre was sitting on Lewis’ helmet… So all i’ve got to say is thank god for the halo, because I wouldn’t of liked to seen what happened without it.. I’m very happy both drivers got away safely, it is set to go to the stewards after the race. This collision will be a big talking point for the next few weeks just like it was at Silverstone. *UPDATE* Max Verstappen has been given a 3 grid place penalty for the next race and two penalty points. In my opinion I think this is the right decision, Lewis gave enough space and everyone knows the sausage curbs make you go up in the air. Now Max has got to suffer the consequences which I can imagine he isn’t very happy about it.

    Daniel Ricciardo was on fire today, he took the lead from as soon as the lights went out and honestly he deserves this win so much, he also got the fastest lap too.

    George Russell turned into Mr Sunday today as he finished P9 and score some points! For the third time this season, if people didn’t realise before they do now that George is a very talented driver and serves his Mercedes seat next year!

    Perez, surprised me today, he was running in third position but he got a 5 second penalty due to passing Charles Leclerc off track. He then ended up fifth once the penalty was added on.

    I feel gutted for the AlphaTauri’s, I felt like they both could of been very strong today, Yuki didn’t even start the race due to a mechanical issue which was fount on the way to the grid and wasn’t able to be fixed, and Pierre had to retire due to a problem which is unknown at this time.

    That is the end of our triple header! But I think this break is needed for everyone (including us fans) after the drama of the past 3 race weekends. We will be back racing again in two weekends time and we will be in Sochi, Russia, where we will be joined by F2 and F3! See you all then.

  • Lando signs multi year deal

    So today we had the first contract announcement of the season… and that was Lando Norris resigning for McLaren with a fresh multi year deal🤩

    His been with the McLaren family since 2017 and scored his first podium with them last year- now his onto his second podium and now sitting fourth in the drivers standing whilst also being on a run of nine successive points finishes.

    His new deal now matches his team mates Daniel Ricciardo’s meaning they will both be with the team until at least the end of 2023.

    This is honestly amazing news! I think Lando has definitely got a bright future ahead of him and it will be interesting to see what him and the McLaren team can do together! Also what brilliant timing for the announcement ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend where they are showing off their new livery! I actually didn’t expect a contract announcement so soon but somebody has to get the ball rolling!

    See below to see what Lando put on his social media for the announcement🙌🏻