Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Qualifying

  • F2 – Saudi Arabia – Day 1

    Practice-

    Victor Martins made a positive start to Round 3, ending up fastest for ART Grand Prix in Free Practice. A 1:45.671 was the time to beat in a session that got quicker with every lap completed.

    Roman Stanek started positively too for Invicta Racing, finishing second ahead of Dino Beganovic, who made a late improvement to go third for Hitech TGR.

    After the tyre preparation laps, Joshua Duerksen set an early benchmark with a 1:49.034 for AIX Racing.

    The times fell with every subsequent lap as Martins put ART on top with 10 minutes run on a 1:47.735, until Kush Maini pipped him by 0.012s.
    Stanek was next to go quickest, a 1:47.689 by the Invicta driver meant the top three was separated by just 0.046s.

    The trio improved once again but this time it was Maini who led the way, 1:46.437 for the DAMS Lucas Oil driver leaving his 0.3s clear ahead of Stanek and F2’s latest Feature Race winner, Alexander Dunne.

    Jak Crawford put in an improved to cut the deficit to teammate Maini to just 0.013s, but Martins went back to the top shortly afterwards.

    Duerksen returned to P1 with 15 minutes to go of the session as the Paraguayan set a 1:46.387, leaving the top five separated by less than a tenth of a second.

    Stanek then restored Invicta to the top of the pile as he moved onto a 1:46.217. Crawford cut the gap to 0.031s as he improved to second as Martins then went third and 0.087s off the top.

    Gabriele Mini took P1 for PREMA Racing, but only briefly, as a storming lap by Stanek resulted in a 1:45.820 and the fastest time once again.

    Into the final five minutes, and times continued to fall, Martins laid down the marker of a 1:45.671 to go back ahead of Stanek.
    A last minute improvement from Beganovic put him third ahead of Duerksen.

    Qualifying-

    DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford left it to his last lap of the day to take pole position in Jeddah, beating ART Grand Prix rival Victor Martins for the top spot by just 0.022s in a fascinating qualifying session.

    Martins had looked set for pole after completing his first flying lap, but Crawford’s 1:43.579 was enough to take the top spot, as Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli rounded out the top three.

    Martins set the early pace after the first set of laps, the Frenchman completing a 1:44.559 to lead Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne by 0.323s.

    The drivers though were able to push on for a second attempt on their Supersoft tyres, and on this occasion, it was Arvid Lindblad on top thanks to a 1:44.250.
    Martins kept his place in the top two though, albeit 0.073s off the Campos Racing rookie.

    Several drivers, including Lindblad, then set off for a third flying lap. However, they aborted those attempts to head into the pit lane for a new set of tyres.

    With just over 11 minutes to go in the session, the drivers came back out on the track on their new sets of tyres.

    Gabriele Mini used that fresh rubber to rocket up to the top of the timesheets, only for Luke Browning to quickly drop him down in P2.

    As the rest of the field looked to complete their laps though, the red flags were waved following John Bennett’s crash into the barrier at Turn 17.

    Once the car was cleared from the track the session resumed with 5 minutes remaining, which led to a flurry of activity with only enough time for one flying lap.

    Crawford rose to the top with a 1:43.579, beating Martins by just 0.022s to give DAMS their first pole since Melbourne in 2023.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Crawford, P2: Martins, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Browning, P5: Lindblad, P6: Dunne, P7: Marti, P8: Mini, P9: Verschoor and P10: Stanek.

  • R4 – Bahrain Qualifying

    McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position during Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, getting the better of Mercedes rival George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a thrilling conclusion.

    Practice pace-setter McLaren had been in control through the Q1 and Q2 phases but had to work hard to remain at the top of the timesheets in Q3 – Piastri’s final 1m 29.841s lap putting him a couple of tenths up on Russell. Leclerc was another tenth and a half back in third.

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

    What a lovely result from Piastri! Pole for the McLaren man, just what he would’ve wanted as he will be looking to grab his second win of the season.
    As for Norris, a bit of a shocker in 6th, however, he hasn’t lost out too much as he will be lining up next to Verstappen…

    P2 and P4 for the Mercedes boys! A really strong finish from Russell and Antonelli, it is a track both drivers know well. However, they are going to be investigated after qualifying for a potential rule breach.

    P3 for Leclerc, a much better result from the Monegasque and Ferrari, hopefully they can keep up the good result and turn it into a good points haul / a podium.
    As for Hamilton, he qualified, 9th, a semi-decent result for the Brit, could’ve been better for sure, especially as Leclerc qualified third but a decent result.

    A mixed result for Red Bull, Verstappen 7th, he was complaining about brake issues throughout the session. As for Tsunoda he qualified 10th, not too bad, but a position where he can improve and grab some points.

    P8 for Carlos Sainz, a lovely result for the Spanish driver, his best result in the Williams so far! Hopefully he can get some points this weekend.

    One driver I haven’t mentioned is Mr Pierre Gaslyyyy, putting his Alpine in P5! A lovely result from him and the team, they definitely seem to have improved from last season. Hopefully a good points haul from the Frenchman to help in the Constructors.

  • 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 22 – Las Vegas Qualifying

    Mercedes driver George Russell, stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz and the flying Alpine of Pierre Gasly in Friday night’s pulsating qualifying session.

    Having topped final practice and led the way after the first Q3 runs, Russell posted a time of 1m 32.312s on his final lap to secure the top spot and end a run of Ferrari and McLaren poles stretching back to his P1 at Silverstone in July.

    Sainz was a tenth of a second back, while Pierre Gasly and Alpine built on their sensational double podium finish last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to deliver another eye-catching result in third place.

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

    A lovely little result for Russell and Mercedes, especially as they have been having good results all weekend so far in the practice sessions. It’s a shame for Lewis to have a lap time deleted as it looked like he would of been top 3 if he carried on the way the practice sessions went.

    What a result for Mr Pierre Gasly!! They have clearly brought upgrades before Brazil and they clearly work or it’s just their car suiting these last few tracks. Who knows but they may aswell keep enjoying it!

    A good qualifying for Ferrari! P2 for Sainz and P4 for Leclerc. They will be hoping for a good result for both drivers as they have got the Constructors’ fight to think about..

    A not so good result for both Verstappen and Norris, P5 and P6 respectively. It will be an interesting race, as Verstappen can win his fourth world championship this weekend! Norris will need to pull something special out the bag in the race to keep the fight going for another week!

    A good result for Tsunoda! P7, what a lovely result! As well as Hulkenberg who qualified P9 too, they will both be wanting to grab some points this weekend!

    A disappointing result for Perez who has qualified in P16, this isn’t what the team needs unfortunately, they are going to be losing so much ground in the Constructors’ with these awful results… He needs to get in the points this weekend to make it a better weekend.

    Awful qualifying for Aston Martin, P20 for Stroll and P17 for Alonso, I still don’t understand to this day how they done so well last year compared to how bad they’ve done this year, it’s just so strange.

    It feels incredible to be back on pole. We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what’s happened before then. I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing, so there was a moment when I thought we weren’t going to make the flag. I’m just so happy. We’ve got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend because it was a real surprise.
    Russell on pole.

  • New start times for rescheduled Sao Paulo Grand Prix

    The FIA and Formula 1 have confirmed rescheduled timings for both qualifying and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself after Saturday’s qualifying session was postponed due to poor weather conditions.

    The session had been due to run at 1500 local time on Saturday afternoon at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, but the start of Q1 was postponed when torrential rain – along with thunder and lightning – arrived, resulting in pools of water forming on the track.

    With the session unable to take place on Saturday, it has now been confirmed that qualifying will take place today at the new time of 7:30 local time (10:30am GMT) and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix itself brought forwards to 12:30 local time (15:30pm GMT).

    Following the conditions in São Paulo today the decision was taken not to proceed with Qualifying due to poor visibility, standing water on the track and fading light. Safety is always the paramount consideration in such circumstances and while as much time as possible was given to allow conditions to improve they sadly did not. We have huge appreciation for all the fans that stayed at the circuit in hope of seeing cars on track today. Therefore the decision has been taken, after consultation with the stewards, to schedule Qualifying for 07:30 local time on Sunday morning ahead of the Grand Prix at 12:30 local. This will ensure we maximise the chances of providing the fans with a day of racing action, given the ongoing weather forecast for tomorrow afternoon, and both the FIA and Formula 1 believe this time change is necessary and the right thing to do for all our passionate fans. We thank everyone for their patience today including the fans, drivers, teams, marshals, circuit staff and media and hope to give everyone an exciting event on Sunday.
    An FIA and Formula 1 statement.

  • RW 20 – Mexico City Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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.

  • F1 Academy – RND 5 Day 1

    Practice-

    Alpine’s Abbi Pulling started as she means to go around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, ending Free Practice fastest of all.
    The only driver to set a time inside the 2:03s, the standings leader kept building a gap over the pack.

    The 16 drivers made the most out of every second of the 30 minute session as they began acclimatising to both the track and humidity.

    Doriane Pin set the early benchmark with a 2:11.332 whilst Wild Card Ella Lloyd brought out a brief yellow flag after stopping momentarily on track.

    As the track rubbered in, times continued to tumble. Pin went fastest once more, but only momentarily as PREMA Racing teammate Maya Weug utilised the tow to pull out an advantage of over one second.
    The trio traded personal best efforts and Weug responded quickly.

    Drivers were all finding the limit and discovering how the Singaporean streets punish mistakes. A spin from Jessica Edgar saw the American Express driver tap the barrier at Turn 8.

    Inside the final 12 minutes, Pulling became the first driver to go below the 2:04s mark, going over four tenths faster than Weug.

    Track evolution allowed the field to push until the end, as purple and green sectors littered the timing screens. As Pulling went fastest again on a 2:04.648, Marti climbed up into second.

    Pin returned to the top spot in the final minute, but it would be Pulling who’d take the chequered flag first and leapfrog the Mercedes driver into P1, setting a 2:03.993.

    Qualifying-

    Abbi Pulling overcame a three-way fight with Maya Weug and Doriane Pin to seize both pole positions on offer around the Singaporean streets.

    The trio traded personal bests throughout the session, but it was the Alpine driver who emerged triumphant, posting an unbeatable 2:03.631 with five minutes left on the clock.

    Nerea Marti opened qualifying on a 2:06.806 but the Tommy Hilfiger driver’s initial exploration was swiftly beaten by Pulling.

    The Brit’s pace continued to build, as her second flying lap of a 2:04.662 launched her almost five tenths clear.
    Weug and Pin each demoted her in turn, before Pulling responded with a 2:04.335 to go top by 0.040s.

    As the Campos Racing and ART trio led the field peeling into the pits, there was a nervous moment for Amna Al Qubaisi as the RB driver span over the run-off in Sector 1.

    Fining more grip on their second set of tyres, personal bests flooded in inside the final five minutes. Pulling re-emerged out in front posting a 2:03.631, whilst Weug became her nearest competitor.

    Pulling couldn’t improve on her final attempts, but nobody could answer her previous attempt as Weug and Pin had to settle for second and third, 0.238s and 0.256s back, respectively.

    A storming last gasp effort for Lia Block promoted her to fourth, her best qualifying result of the season so far!

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Pulling, P2: Weug, P3: Pin, P4: Block, P5: H Al Qubaisi, P6: Chambers, P7: Marti, P8: Lloyd, P9: Bustamante and P10: Schreiner.

  • 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 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 9 – Canada Qualifying

    Qualifying for Round 9 is complete, and there was a few shock surprises with a couple of early exits in Q1 and Q2 which led to some other drivers making an appearance in Q3!

    George Russell has taken pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix in an impressive session for the Mercedes driver, with the Brit beating Max Verstappen despite the Dutchman setting the exact same lap time!

    Russell had provisionally secured P1 following the initial runs in Q3 with a lap of 1m12.000s and while Verstappen improved on his own effort in the decisive final laps, the Red Bull driver could only equal Russell’s time.

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

    What a result for George Russell! The Mercedes have been showing some strong pace this weekend and that obviously has been shown. Hamilton starts in 7th, as everyone seemed to improve on their laps.

    A very good result for McLaren, P3 and P4, it makes you think what could they do from there? Battle for the win or battle for both podium spots? It will be all to play for!

    A lovely result from VCARB! Both drivers in the top 10 with Daniel Riccairdo in 5th and Tsunoda 8th. The team will be wanting to capitalise on this result in the race and get a decent points haul.

    A tough day for Ferrari as they qualified out of the top 10, Leclerc in 11th and Sainz in 12th. Not the day the Italian team would of wanted, they now have a lot of work to do in the race, as well as staying out of trouble in the midfield…

    A bit of a shock to see Perez out in Q1 again! He will be starting the race in 16th. Which isn’t what the Mexican driver would of been hoping for especially after renewing his contract this week! He has a lot of work to do if he wants to score some points.

    A decent result for both Aston Martins aswell! P6 for Alonso and P9 for Stroll. The team will be wanting to score some big points this weekend as they currently sit 5th in the Constructors and only on 44 points…

  • RW 8 – Monaco Qualifying

    Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc charged his way to a wonderful pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix with a stunning display on home soil.
    He managed to get the better of McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz in the all important grid deciding session.

    Leclerc avoided any slip-ups to safely make it through Q1 and Q2 before he unleashed his full potential in Q3.

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

    A great result for Ferrari! A Pole and a third, they will be looking to grab the win tomorrow, especially as it’s Leclerc’s home race, so they are probably hoping to break the Monaco curse.

    The same goes to McLaren a 2nd and 4th! Qualifying around Monaco is always important, as it pretty much gives the finishing position for the race without strategies coming into play. So McLaren will want to be on their pit-stops and strategies tomorrow to see if they can secure their second win this season.

    A decent result for Mercedes too, the team have definitely made an improvement as George starts 5th and Lewis in 7th. Lewis has pretty much been on the pace all weekend aswell, so it’s looking like a hopeful turn round for the Mercedes team.

    A bit of a shocker for Verstappen and Sergio Perez, the Dutchman starts P6, which means his consecutive 8 poles in a row has stopped at that for now. Perez qualified 18th but will be starting 16th due to both Haas’s getting disqualified. Not a good weekend at all for Perez, it’s very unlikely he will be scoring points tomorrow.

    A good result for both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly both drivers getting into Q3 and hoping to score their first points of the season!

    Both Aston Martins didn’t have the best qualifying, Alonso out in Q1 and Stroll out in Q2, the Silverstone based team have dropped down the order quite a bit compared to last season where Fernando Alonso started 2nd.

  • F3 – RND 3 Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe was the man to beat in Free Practice around Imola, with the German driver’s 1:32.047 the time to beat in the opening session of the weekend.
    Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning finished in P2, 0.3s down on the top time while Mari Boya made it two Campos cars in the top three.

    A very quiet opening 10 minutes gave way to some early laptimes, and it was Joseph Loake that went quickest for Rodin Motorsport. His 1:36.795 put him fastest in the initial stages before the rest of the field ventured out.

    PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad lowered the benchmark to a 1:33.784 on his first lap, with ART Grand Prix driver Christian Mansell slotting into P2, 0.2s down.

    There was a red flag with 24 minutes of the session to go after Campos Racing’s Sebastian Montoya found the barriers at the exit of Turn 15, running resumed with 18 minutes left.

    Wurz’s teammate Max Esterson was next to take over in P1, before Browning put in a 1:32.367 to go comfortably quickest with just over 10 minutes to go.

    Goethe closed the gap down to the leader to just under a tenth of a second before then going to the top of the times on his next effort.
    A 1:32.047 put him 0.3s clear of the pack with five minutes left.

    A second red flag quickly followed after Piotr Wisnicki slid into the barriers at Turn 9, with little time left, the session wasn’t restarted.

    Qualifying-

    Santiago Ramos saved his best for last to lead teammates Leonardo Fornaroli and Sami Meguetounif in an exciting Imola Qualifying session.
    The Mexican’s 1:31.767 put him on pole in the final moments to top a Trident 1-2-3 result!

    With tyre preparation laps completed, PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini led the way on a 1:32.598 ahead of compatriot Fornaroli. ART Grand Prix rookie Laurens van Hoepen filtered through in third, 0.172s down on the top effort.

    There was a red flag with 10 minutes gone after Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin spun into the gravel at Turn 4.
    The session resumed and Oliver Goethe took over at the top. The Campos Racing driver carried on his form from Practice to pip Mini and to take provisional pole by 0.081s.

    Most drivers returned to the pits with just under half of the qualifying session remaining, but Fornaroli stayed on track and put in his personal best to go 0.3s clear in P1 on a 1:32.159. MP Motorsport’s Alex Dunne followed suit and move himself up to second, 0.141s behind with 12 minutes to go.

    Dino Beganovic was the first to improve, just 0.003s quicker than Fornaroli’s earlier time. Teammate Arvid Lindblad then took over with a 1:32.109.

    Into the final two minutes and there were green and purple sectors throughout the field. Fornaroli restored himself onto provisional pole to go 0.2s quicker than Lindblad.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Meguetounif, P4: Lindblad, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Browning and P10: Tramnitz.

  • RW 6 – Miami Qualifying

    Max Verstappen has claimed his seventh consecutive pole position by taking P1 on the grid for the Miami Grand Prix, despite failing to improve during his final flying lap.

    The Dutchman had provisionally put himself into pole in the first runs of Q3 having set a time of 1m 27.241s and this proved to be enough to maintain the position. Charles Leclerc will join the red bull driver on the front row, with his teammate Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.

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

    A good result for Max once again, it was just a copy and paste for him! Perez one position down than compared to sprint qualifying, but it’s not the end of the world for the Mexican.

    A very good result from Ferrari, I can see them challenging for the win as they have had quite good pace this weekend. If not they will want to try their hand at a double podium.

    A good result from McLaren P5 and P6, Lando will be wanting to make up for a disappointing sprint where he DNF’ed. The McLaren’s have brought some upgrades this weekend and they seem to be working, so they have got pace this weekend which could see some potential for a podium…

    A much better result for Mercedes, both cars in the top 10, P7 for Russell and P8 for Hamilton. They will be wanting to capitalise on that as much as they can.

    Hulkenberg and Tsunoda had a good qualifying both in the top 10, both drivers will be wanting to score once again in the race.

    A bit of a shocker qualifying for Aston Martin. Both drivers not in the top 10, Stroll starts P11, which is okay but his in the middle of the pack which isn’t the best place. And Alonso starts P15 which is not good at all.

    Ricciardo had a bit of a bad qualifying, a bit of a different one to the sprint qualifying… He starts P18, he needs to have a really good drive and do some lovely overtakes to make up for the qualifying position.

  • RW 4 – Japan Qualifying

    Qualifying is over for the Japanese Grand Prix and it was Max Verstappen continued his run of pole positions in 2024 as he took P1 on the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.

    The Dutchman was joined by teammate Sergio Perez in 2nd, making it a 1-2 in qualifying for Red Bull, the team will want to do a copy and paste situation tomorrow and make up for last time out in Australia. Joining them in the top tree is McLaren’s Lando Norris!

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

    A lovely result for Red Bull, starting as they mean to go on! It was good to see Perez get closer to Verstappen aswell, only ending up 0.066 away from the champion.

    A nice result for McLaren aswell, Lando starting on the second row! Himself and the team will be aiming for a podium tomorrow but anything could happen… Oscar Piastri in P6 a decent result from him aswell.

    Mercedes had an okay result P7 for Hamilton and P9 for Russell, not the best result for the team, but with the track always improving someone has to be worse off.

    Yuki Tsunodaaaa P10 for the Japanese driver, and infront on his home crowd as well!! He will be aiming for points, but with him going P10 he did knock out his teammate Daniel Ricciardo who will be starting P11.

    Quite a big shock i’d say is Lance Stroll being knocked out in Q1, he will be starting P16 quite a big difference between him and Alonso who starts P5. The Canadian has a lot of work to do in the race to be able to score some points.

  • F2 – RND 3 Day 1

    Practice-

    Dennis Hauger ended practice fastest of all for MP Motorsport, recording a 1:29.654 to hit the ground running in Melbourne. Isack Hadjar followed in P2, the Campos driver just 0.001s down on the fastest laptime while Andrea Kimi Antonelli led the PREMA Racing charge in third.

    Not long after the green light, Amaury Cordeel brought out an early Red Flag after running deep at Turn 1 and becoming beached in the gravel trap.

    Once the Hitech Pulse-Eight car was clear, the top spot changed hands multiple times, but Victor Martin led the way for ART Grand Prix after he set a 1:32.359, 0.074s clear of teammate Zak O’Sullivan.

    That was swiftly beaten by Gabriel Bortoleto as he moved up to P1 on a 1:31.043. Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney went second-quickest until Antonelli closed the gap to the Brazilian to just 0.130s.

    The track continued to improve rapidly as Bortoleto improved on his next lap to lower the time to beat to a 1:30.373.
    Hauger bettered that by 0.070s shortly afterwards, while Martins went third overall a further 0.008s further back from the Norwegian.

    The MP driver then went to the top himself, a 1:29.654 leaving him 0.4s quicker than Antonelli, who moved up to second with over 15 minutes to go.

    Paul Aron suffered a similar spin at Turn 1 as his teammate but was able to recover to the circuit and continue on his way.
    There was a few more improvements in the latter stages of the session, though Hadjar was able to move himself up to second.

    The second red flag of the session came with three minutes remaining, as Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagomez spun and came to a stop at Turn 2 which brought an early end to the session.

    Qualifying-

    Dennis Hauger made it a Friday sweep for MP Motorsport, taking pole position in Melbourne after topping Practice timesheets.

    The Norwegian beat PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the top spot with his final flying lap to record a 1:28.694. Richard Verschoor made a late improvement to end up third overall.

    Before any laps were on the board, the red flags were waved after ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins came to a half at Turn 7 after a spin on corner exit. He managed to avoid the barriers, but his session was over and his car was recovered.

    Once action resumed, Kush Maini set the initial benchmark with a 1:30.359.
    Hitech Pulse Eight’s Paul Aron then took over P1 with a 1:29,984 while Hauger was just 0.031s down on that effort in second.

    With 14 minutes left, cars returned to the pits for fresh supersoft tyres heading into the final runs of the session

    Once back on track, Maloney took to the top spot with a 1:29.374 just prior to the second red flag of the session. Jak Crawford lost his DAMS Lucas Oil car and hit the barriers at Turn 12.

    Qualifying got back underway with 4:14 left on the clock and the top four were separated by less than a tenth of a second.
    Bortoleto was set to make an improvement but ran off the road at Turn 12.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Hauger, P2: Antonelli, P3: Verschoor, P4: Maini, P5: Maloney, P6: Aron, P7: Marti, P8: Hadjar, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Stanek.

  • RW 3 – Australia Qualifying

    Max Verstappen claimed an assured pole position in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz following closely behind in second and Sergio Perez in third.

    After setting a time of 1m 16.048s in the first runs of Q3, the Dutchman improved on his effort in his final laps with a 1,15.915s. This put him 0.270s clear of Sainz, who looked impressive in his first qualifying since returning following surgery for appendicitis two weeks ago.

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

    However, Sergio Perez has been handed a three place grid penalty for impeding Hulkenberg. So he will now be starting from P6, and Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri all move up a place.

    A great result from Carlos Sainz, just what the Spanish driver needed especially after missing the previous race, plus his also on a search for a seat for next season so a great performance from him.

    Yuki Tsunodaaaa, in Q3! Great result from him, him and the team will be wanting to score some points this weekend and that means capitalize on his great qualifying position. However for his teammate, not a great day at all, Daniel Ricciardo qualifying P18 at his home race, he will be wanting to make up as many positions as possible.

    A decent result from George Russell, unfortunately for Lewis Hamilton, he was pushed out of the top 10 in the final moments of Q2 and will be starting P11 tomorrow, which isn’t the worst place but he is in the middle of the pack so he will want to take it easy and not get in any trouble.

    Esteban Ocon got into Q2 and qualified P15, after he brushed the wall in Q1. Another little mention to Valtteri Bottas a keen fan of Australia will be starting from P13.

    The McLaren duo had a good qualifying aswell, they will be looking to score a podium this weekend, especially because of Oscar Piastri a podium at home? Any driver would want that!

  • RW 2 – Saudi Arabia Qualifying

    Red Bull’s Max Verstappen made it two pole positions from two in 2024, as rookie Oliver Bearman impressed on his debut as a stand in for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

    Championship leader Verstappen has looked in complete control so far, with his best lap time being a 1:27.472s which was 0.3s clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With Sergio Perez rounding out the top three.

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

    First of all we have to mention Ollie Bearman, he qualified P11 after only having one practice session. Obviously he would be disappointed himself after being so close to Q3 but I think everyone is really impressed with him, as it’s no easy job filling in the Ferrari seat! Hopefully he could potentially score some points in the race…

    A good result from Alonso, starting on the second row, he will be hoping to turn that into some good points this weekend. However his teammate starting 10th, an improvement from last week but still not very good.

    A decent result from the McLaren boys, and just behind them is both Mercedes’ who failed to improve on their second runs. So with those four drivers that will be an interesting battle when the lights go out.

    A little shoutout to Yuki Tsunoda, P9! Makes up for a frustrating end to the Bahrain Grand Prix last week, the team will be looking to see if they could score some points this weekend.

    Looking a bit further back, Nico Hulkenberg couldn’t replicate what he done last week, due to a power issued which ended his session early, his set to start the race 15th.

    Alpine’s struggled continue as both drivers exited Q1, with no improvement from the week before. The team will be hoping upgrades will soon come…

  • RND 23 – Abu Dhabi Qualifying

    The last qualifying session of the season is done with a few drivers out of place, so let’s take a look at how it went down!

    Max Verstappen claimed another pole position, with Charles Leclerc claiming P2 and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three.

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

    The only team which had both drivers do well i’d say is McLaren both in the top 5, where as Ferrari and Mercedes one driver is outside the top 10 and the other driver inside the top 10.

    Piastriiii, what a result from the Australian driver, a nice way to end the season for him and the team, he will be hoping to grab a podium in the race, and help McLaren in their fight for P4 in the Constructors standings with Aston Martin.

    A lovely result from Leclerc and Russell, just what the teams would want from them, however with both their teammates starting outside the top 10 they have a lot of work to do, and will be wanting to score as many points as available. Hamilton starts 11th and Sainz 16th.

    A really good result from Tsunoda, P6! That equals his best qualifying result in his F1 career. The team will be wanting him to secure points so that they get that P7 in the constructors.

    Nicoooo Hulkenbergggg! A lovely little P8 from the Haas driver, he will have high hopes to score points so Haas don’t finish the season at the bottom of the Constructors.

    A bit of a rough one from Aston Martin, P7 for Alonso which isn’t too bad, but Lance Stroll 13th, quite a bit of work to do from the Canadian driver if he wants to score some decent points.

    Battles to look out for-

    As it’s the last race of the season, there will be a lot to look out for the fight in the constructors, so here are the main ones…

    • Mercedes VS Ferrari for P2
    • McLaren VS Aston Martin for P4
    • Williams VS AlphaTauri for P7
    • Alfa Romeo VS Haas for P9
    • Sainz, Alonso, Norris and Leclerc all fighting for 4th in the Driver standings.

  • F2 – RND 14 – Day 1

    Free Practice-

    Victor Martins left it until the last minute but was the man to beat in the final Free Practice of the 2023 Formula 2 season.
    The ART Grand Prix driver ended the first session of the weekend on top after setting a 1:37.389.

    Zane Maloney put Rodin Carlin second with a late effort of his own while Theo Pourchaire kicked off a potentially title-winning weekend as third quickest. Title rivals Ayumu Iwasa and Frederik Vest finished seventh and ninth respectively.

    Newcomers Paul Aron and Franco Colapinto were on the track early to get some mileage under their belts ahead of their debut. The latter suffered a spin coming through the right-hander of turn 11 in the early running but was able to avoid the barriers and continue on his way.

    After a relatively quiet start to the session, the circuit filled up quickly approaching half an hour remaining as the majority of the field headed onto track. Nissany lowered the time to beat to a 1:38.492 on his next flying lap to lead by 0.6s from Maloney.
    The red flags were out soon after as Arthur Leclerc came to a halt in his DAMS between turns 1 and 2.

    Doohan briefly went to P1 after running resumed, but it was beaten in quick succession. Pourchaire was pipped by teammate Martins by 0.022s with the rookie setting a 1:38.219 to take the spot from the Championship leader.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Martins, P2: Maloney, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Doohan, P5: Verschoor, P6: Boschung, P7: Iwasa, P8: Correa, P9: Vesti and P10: Maini.

    Qualifying-

    Invicta Virtuosi Racing’s Jack Doohan secured the final pole position of the season with a 1:35.567, beating out Alpine Academy drivers Victor Martins and Kush Maini.

    In the title fight, Theo Pourchaire has a difficult weekend ahead of him after missing the top 10 and ending qualifying down in 14th position. Direct rival, Frederik Vesti will start tomorrow’s Sprint Race from the reserve grid front row after ending the session in ninth.

    Trident’s Roman Stanek was the first to get a time on the board with a 1:37.591. His effort didn’t stay top for long as Ayumu Iwasa went quickest with a 1:37.181, three tenths ahead of Amaury Cordeel.

    Martins jumped straight back into things after topping Free Practice, launching himself 0.489s clear of the DAMS’ driver on a 1:36.692. Doohan sliced the ART Grand Prix driver’s advantage to two tenths, as Ralph Boschung and Maini slotted both Campos Racing cars inside the top four.

    After a brief break in the pitlane, the field were back out with 16 minutes remaining. Iwasa regained the fastest time on a 1:36.085, and Martins’ response left him 0.008s adrift of the DAMS driver.

    However, Doohan was on a charge, breaking into the 1:35s and rocketing up into provisional pole, two tenths ahead of Maini. Martins and Iwasa tried to find an answer for the Australian but couldn’t.
    Doohan showed no signs of slowing down, bettering his previous effort to snatch pole by over two tenths.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Doohan, P2: Martins, P3: Maini, P4: Maloney, P5: Iwasa, P6: Hauger, P7: Verschoor, P8: Hadjar, P9: Vesti and P10: Fittipaldi.

  • RND 22 – Las Vegas Qualifying

    Qualifying is done for the day, so let’s take a look at how it went in Sin City!

    Charles Leclerc stormed to pole position for the Las Vegas Grand Prix around the all new Strip Circuit, Carlos Sainz finished second and Max Verstappen third.
    However, Carlos Sainz has a 10 place grid penalty for the chaos from FP1, which forced Ferrari to change parts on his car so he will start 12th…

    The full top 10 after penalties are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Russell, P4: Gasly, P5: Albon, P6: Sargeant, P7: Bottas, P8: Magnussen, P9: Alonso and P10: Hamilton.

    Well, Charles and Ferrari had a feeling they were going to be okay here, so for them to get pole position I think they will be happy with that! Hopefully they can turn it into a win for Charles!

    George had a good result for Mercedes, however Lewis had a bit of a rough time he originally qualified 11th, due to not being able to go any faster and improve on his lap time, so he will have some work to do in the race!

    Gasly had a really good result! P4 and he will be hoping for points tomorrow and to keep out of trouble. Unfortunately his teammate, Esteban Ocon starts 16th which is a bit rough compared to Gasly.

    Now onto Williams! Albon P5 and Logan Sargeant in P6!! Wow, that is the teams best qualifying result in 7 years! Logan will be hoping to score points again this weekend so he can secure his seat for next season, could the points come again?

    A bit of a shocker for McLaren, P15 for Norris and P18 for Piastri, they both seemed to really struggle, i’m not sure whether it’s the track which doesn’t suit them or not being able to heat up tyres who knows? But the team will want to score points this weekend.

    But, we do have some drivers coming through the field including Hamilton 10th, Perez 11th and Sainz 12th and the McLaren’s, so we could have some drama…

  • RND 21 – Sao Paulo Qualifying

    Another qualifying session done, where it ended early due to the weather rapidly changing and causing a red flag with no-one being able to improve their times.

    But Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Sunday’s race, he is joined on the front row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and rounding out the top three is Lance Stroll!

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

    But three drivers have been hit with grid penalties after impeding incidents in the pit lane during qualifying. George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have all been hit with two place grid penalties.

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

    A great result from both Aston Martin’s especially Stroll out qualifying Alonso, which doesn’t happen often but it was nice surprise! The team will be wanting to work on what they did today on Sunday and score some points this weekend.

    Hamilton out-qualifies Perez, which is a big step into their fight in P2 for the Drivers’ Championship. Perez will need to provide some good overtakes on Sunday and stay out of trouble as his in the middle of the pack in P9.

    Daniel Ricciardo struggled in qualifying as he was knocked out in Q1. Quite a shock compared to last weekend where he was in the top 5. He has a bit of work to do if he wants to get more points on the board.

    The Haas duo start 11th and 12th this gives them a good opportunity to score points as they are in that all important fight at the back of the grid where it involves 3 teams including themselves.

    Predictions for Sprint-

    My top five for the Sprint race are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Hamilton, P4: Leclerc and P5: Sainz.

    We may get a crazy race today, it’s not meant to rain so that won’t be a factor but its Interlagos so anything could possibly happen…

  • RND 19 – Austin Qualifying

    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!

  • RND 18 – Qatar Qualifying

    Well, qualifying wasn’t as easy for some drivers, with two drivers from two top teams out in Q2 and lap times being deleted effecting the top 10 results also!

    Max Verstappen took his 10th pole position of the season, with George Russell joining him on the front row and his teammate, Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top three.

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

    Amazing result from both Mercedes, and right next to each other aswell, I can see them wanting to go for a double podium on Sunday, but they have Fernando Alonso right on their tails so they’ve got to be wary.

    Not a very good result for Perez who is starting 13th, unable to get into Q3 again and joining him is Carlos Sainz who starts just ahead in 12th, not a good day for either driver, they’ve both got some work to do tomorrow.

    Both Alpines have done well to get into the top 10, I know they did well here two years ago, but a lot can change in two years as we know. Hopefully they can get some big points in the bag and see if they can bring the fight to the McLaren’s!

    Talking of McLaren’s, not the best qualifying session due to both drivers having lap times deleted, Lando was due to start P2 but now starts P10 and Oscar was due to start 3rd and now starts 6th. Its not that big of a deal, and with the car they’ve got they should hopefully be able to get through the grid easier.

    Also a little shout out to Valtteri Bottas, P9. Just what he needed, and he will be hoping for a points finish as he is only on 6 points so far this season and his team is on 10 points, just two away from Haas in P8.

    Predictions for Sprint-

    My top five for the Sprint race is: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Alonso and P5: Piastri.

    I feel like we will get a little bit of a crazy race this weekend especially in the sprint, as for some drivers this is the perfect place to score some points.

  • RND 17 – Suzuka Qualifying

    We are officially half way through Round 17, as qualifying is over and we get to take a look at how it went.

    It was Max Verstappen who was back on pole position and he was joined by Oscar Piastri on the front row, and Lando Norris made it both McLaren’s in the top three.

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

    It’s great to see Max back on pole, after two races where it’s been Carlos Sainz. The Dutchman has definitely come back with a bit of fire underneath him this week, as he didn’t have the best weekend last time out in Singapore.

    Great result from the McLaren’s wow, this new package they have got is something else clearly! I think the teams above them like Aston Martin and Ferrari and possibly Mercedes are probably going to be in a bit of a bother if McLaren keeps getting good results like this.

    A good result for Yuki Tsunoda in front of his home crowd, especially with his new contract. He starts in the top 10 and will be looking to score more points for the team and boost them up in the constructors championship.
    A mention for his teammate too, Lawson just missing out in P11.

    Another bad result for Logan Sargeant, crashing out in Q1 giving his team a lot of work to do before the race tomorrow… I think his starting to write his own fate unfortunately.

    A bit of a shocker from Alpine too, Ocon starting in 14th and Gasly in 12th. They’ve definitely been pushed down the grid more and more as the season goes on, but they’ve got an opportunity this week to try and get a few more points.

    Not the best result for Aston Martin, Stroll starting 17th, and Alonso 10th, they have had a strong start to the season but the more it goes on it’s not the best, hopefully we will be seeing a big points haul soon!

    My Predictions-

    My top five predictions for the race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Piastri.

    I feel like we may get a little bit of a crazy race, maybe not as much as last weekend but enough for a 4 way fight for the win.

    We could possibly see a safety car appearance and teams will be wanting that as its predicted to be a two stop race so the teams will be wanting that too.

  • RND 16 – Singapore Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    My Predictions-

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

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

  • RND 15 – Monza Qualifying

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Predictions-

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

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

  • F3 – RND 10 – Day 1

    Practice-

    Oliver Goethe was straight back into action at Monza, going fastest of all in Free Practice with a 1:38.677. The Trident driver secured his lap just moments before a second session ending Red Flag, finishing just over a tenth clear of PREMA’s Paul Aron and Gabriele Mini for Hitech.

    Rodin Carlin set the early benchmark with Oliver Gray putting in a 1:41.612 on his initial effort around the Temple of Speed.

    As the 30 minute mark approached, the track got busier as queues of cars formed, all eager to get that all important slipstream.
    Home hero, Leonardo Fornaroli took charge, dipping into the 1:39s before Jenzer’s Taylor Barnard went over two tenths clear of the Trident.

    The first Red Flag was brought out by Nikita Bedrin as the second Jenzer stopped on track. The clock continued to tick down and running resumed with 16 minutes left.

    Gregoire Saucy took ART up into the top spot on the restart, clocking in a 1:39.276 to go eight thousandths faster than Fornaroli. Piecing together a perfect lap was far from easy.

    Mini then broke into the 1:38s but the Hitech driver was immediately beaten by Goethe and Aron. The flurry proved to be the final attempts of the morning, as MP Motorsport’s Mari Boya spun off into the barriers at Turn 11 inside the final six minutes.

    Qualifying-

    Oliver Goethe secured his first pole position of the season at Monza for Trident confirming teammate Gabriel Bortoleto as the 2023 Formula 3 Drivers’ Champion in the process.

    Running in the gap as one of two drivers on track after the second of three red flag appearances, the German driver posted a 1:38.909 to go less than a tenth clear of Van Amersfooort Racing’s Caio Collet and Paul Aron in third.

    It was all about the waiting game in the early phase of running as everyone tried to avoid being the first to jump. Aron led a train of cars out on track at the green light but the field swiftly filtered back into the pits following installation laps.

    Queues immediately formed around the track at the 23 minute mark. Situated right in the middle of a train of cars out of the Lesmo chicane, Ido Cohen was sent spinning after Rodin Carlin teammate Oliver Gray hit the rear of the car bringing out the first Red Flag.

    Once running resumed, there was no time to waste. Hungry to keep his title hopes alive, Aron went fastest of all with a 1:39.043. The PREMA driver’s effort didn’t stay top for long, as Collet leapfrogged him into provisional pole but there was little to separate the top three with 0.054s covering Collet, Aron and Goethe.

    The session was Red Flagged again seconds later, after a spin for Joshua Dufek left the Campos Racing driver stuck in the gravel trap at Variante della Roggia.

    When the session resumed with 15 minutes left, Goethe and Bortoleto were the only two cars to gamble on a run without the benefit of a slipstream. It served well as Goethe managed to improve on his earlier effort to go top.

    Opting for another attempt, the Trident driver went off into the barriers at Turn 7 with a third and final red flag deployed, nobody got an opportunity to improve as the session was not resumed.
    As Championship contenders, Aron and Josep Maria Marti were unable to secure the two points awarded for pole, Bortoleto’s job was done to claim the title.