ReportWire

Tag: Formula One racing

  • Verstappen looks unstoppable as he enters the F1 break with a massive lead

    Verstappen looks unstoppable as he enters the F1 break with a massive lead

    [ad_1]

    SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen enters the mid-season break in unstoppable form, after emphatically winning the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday for an eighth straight win and 10th overall of a crushingly dominant season.

    Despite starting from sixth place he finished 22.3 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez to give Red Bull an easy 1-2. It moved Verstappen ominously closer to a third straight world title and his own F1 record of 15 wins from last year.

    Verstappen is 125 points ahead of Perez after just 12 races, and his next target is matching Sebastian Vettel’s F1 record of nine straight wins with a victory at the Dutch GP when the lopsided season resumes on Aug. 27.

    “I just want to have a nice time now, have a bit of time with family and friends,” Verstappen said.

    Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished in third spot for a third podium of the season, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth for Mercedes ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

    George Russell was sixth for Mercedes, with Lando Norris (McLaren), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) completing the top 10.

    Leclerc started on pole ahead of Perez, with Hamilton and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. behind them. McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri was on the next row alongside Verstappen — who was fastest in Friday’s qualifying but took a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change and had to avoid early traffic.

    “It was just about surviving turn one. I could see it was all getting really tight,” Verstappen said. “I’ve been in that position before myself so I am just going to stay out of that and it worked out. From there onwards I made the right overtakes.”

    Last year Verstappen won from 14th, and once he overtook Perez on Lap 17 of 44 his 45th career win was seemingly inevitable.

    “Really enjoyable to drive once I got in the lead,” Verstappen said. “It was again a great race.“

    Red Bull extended its record to 13 straight wins, including the final race of last season.

    Hamilton came in on the penultimate lap for a tire change and the move paid off as he took the bonus point for fastest lap from Verstappen — a very minor blip for the dominant Dutchman.

    It was yet another stellar weekend for Verstappen, who also won Saturday’s sprint race. The only issue was some more bickering with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase over radio, as they continued their spat from Friday’s qualifying.

    “Don’t forget Max, use your head, please,” Lambiase told Verstappen when he questioned why Perez was making his first tire change on Lap 14.

    Verstappen defused any talk of tension with Lambiase.

    “It’s fine. We know each other very well and we have a very good relationship,” he said. “I think it’s really important.”

    With some rain forecast, Verstappen boxed on the next lap and came out about 2 seconds behind Perez. Just minutes later he cruised past Perez and, as so often this season, the rest was just about control.

    Perez, meanwhile, pledged to stay on the podium for the rest of the season.

    “It’s been a bit of a rough patch,” the 33-year-old Mexican said. “I really need this summer break, it’s been really intense. I’ll come back really strong for Zandvoort.”

    Conditions were dry for the race start, in stark contrast to the two previous days, which were impacted by heavy rain at the 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

    Leclerc, who won his first F1 race here in 2019, made a solid start but Perez’s extra pace soon put him in front.

    “I knew it was quite crucial for my race to get Charles on Lap 1,” Perez said.

    Verstappen rose two places to fourth after Sainz bumped into Piastri on the first corner.

    Piastri had to retire, while Verstappen overtook Hamilton on Lap 6, Leclerc three laps later and made short work of Perez just before some rain fell briefly.

    Some good overtaking from Ocon moved the Frenchman up from 10th to eighth in the closing stages.

    It was an early end for Piastri, who had impressed with a second place in Saturday’s sprint race.

    A bad day for Sainz saw him retiring on Lap 25 and Leclerc moving above him in the standings.

    “Of course the race was good on my side, a shame for Carlos as we had good pace,” Leclerc said. “When you look at the Red Bulls we still have a lot of work to do … This was the best we could achieve today, no doubt.”

    After the F1 break there will be 10 races left, but most of the competition for places will be behind Verstappen.

    Alonso is one point ahead of Hamilton in third overall, with Leclerc and Russell level and Sainz seven points behind them.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Verstappen takes 6th straight F1 win at British GP as Norris, Hamilton in epic fight for 2nd

    Verstappen takes 6th straight F1 win at British GP as Norris, Hamilton in epic fight for 2nd

    [ad_1]

    SILVERSTONE, England — On a day when Brad Pitt joined the Formula One grid to shoot his new movie, defending champion Max Verstappen was reduced to a cameo role in his own win with F1 fans gripped by the fight for second place.

    Apart from losing the lead to Lando Norris at the start — and then taking it back — Verstappen’s cruise on Sunday to yet another win — his sixth in a row — lacked the Hollywood-style drama of Norris’ battle with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for second.

    That fits a pattern this season of dominant wins for the Red Bull driver and increasingly hard-fought battles behind him as Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and now McLaren jostle to be the second-fastest team.

    “It’s very confusing, to be honest, because every single race it’s someone else,” Verstappen said.

    Filming for Pitt’s upcoming F1-themed movie had been taking place all weekend around the F1 sessions, using black-and-gold cars from the fictional APX team. Pitt himself and co-star Damson Idris joined the grid in racing suits before the start.

    Verstappen extended his overall lead to 99 points over teammate Sergio Perez. First place in a race earns 25 points.

    Starting on pole position, Verstappen was overtaken off the line by McLaren’s Norris in what he later admitted was a “terrible” start but swept back into the lead on lap five and held on until the end. Red Bull has won all 10 races this year, 11 in a row including the final race of 2022, matching the record of McLaren with 11 consecutive wins in 1988.

    Norris had been expected to drop back after qualifying a surprise second on the grid, but instead remained Verstappen’s closest challenger throughout the race. After a safety-car restart, he fought wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton, who had what were in theory faster tires, but held on to second for his and McLaren’s best result since 2021. “It was an amazing fight,” Norris said.

    Hamilton had started seventh and credited the crowd for powering him to a 14th career podium finish at Silverstone. “I didn’t do it, the crowd did,” he said. “I felt the energy, I felt the support. This is the reason we got back up there.”

    McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri was a career-best fourth ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell as McLaren’s upgraded car proved far more competitive than even the team had predicted.

    Perez was off the podium for the fourth time in five races, finishing sixth after starting 15th, with seventh for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and an impressive eighth for Alexander Albon of Williams.

    When Kevin Magnussen broke down with flames coming from the back of his Haas on lap 33 of 52, it gave drivers including Verstappen, Norris and Hamilton the chance to pit under the safety car without losing time. Ferrari was among the losers because Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had just pitted. They finished ninth and 10th respectively.

    Race organizers and police were on high alert to prevent a repeat of the protest at last year’s race when environmental activists stormed the track. That included police using a facial recognition system on the entry gates to the circuit, a relatively new and controversial technology in Britain.

    Drivers had warned against a repeat of track protests, arguing it would risk their safety and that of any protesters entering a live track. Last year’s protest took place shortly after a crash had caused a red-flag stoppage, meaning cars were already going more slowly on their way to the pits.

    Before the Grand Prix on Sunday, environmental group Last Generation delayed the start of a DTM sportscar race in Nuremberg, Germany, after pouring oil onto the track.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • FIA not interested in early renegotiations of bedrock Formula One agreement, president tells AP

    FIA not interested in early renegotiations of bedrock Formula One agreement, president tells AP

    [ad_1]

    The head of the FIA says the motorsports governing body has no interest in signing an early renewal of its contract with Liberty Media and the 10 Formula One teams, who have stated their wish to sweeten the deal while the series is basking in global popularity.

    The eighth and current Concorde Agreement — which sets the rules and regulations for F1 as well as how television revenue and prize money is distributed — began in 2021 and runs through the 2025 season. In a May conference call with Wall Street analysts, the CEO of Liberty Media, which holds the commercial rights to F1, indicated a desire for a new agreement much sooner than that.

    “There’s a consensus among the teams and the FIA and ourselves that now might be a good time to try and strike while the iron is hot and renew and extend the Concorde Agreement,” the CEO, Greg Maffei, said on the call. “I hope we have a more positive relationship, and everybody sees the benefit of going early and providing certainty for all involved.”

    But in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he sees no reason to renegotiate now.

    “The Concorde is something that we have to address, but it has to fit all sides. You have the stakeholders, the partners, you have the FIA, you have Liberty Media, and you have the 10 teams, and and we have on top of that 18 months,” Ben Sulayem told AP this week. “So our house is not on fire. We need to talk to each other and get the best for all of us.”

    Ben Sulayem also cautioned against any maneuvers that could potentially weaken the FIA’s governance of F1.

    “If you want a strong FIA, we have to work together and we have to empower the FIA because FIA is the regulator, they are the owners of the championships. They are the judges,” he told AP. “When you go to the United States, speaking for example, you can speak to the big OEMs and the reason we can is because it is an FIA championship. If it’s not an FIA championship, it will end up like the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) with no regulator, no governing body. You need a governing body.

    “You really think that these multinational corporations are going to waste their money on something that they don’t trust?” he asked. “We have the time, we will not be rushing it because we have 18 months. We want a better overall agreement for FIA, for Liberty and for the teams. We are on the right track, but it is a marathon.”

    Ben Sulayem, a former rally racer, was elected to his four-year term as president less than a week after the controversial 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. That race ended with an unprecedented procedural change following a late caution that allowed Max Verstappen to win his first world championship in a race that had been dominated by Lewis Hamilton, who was seeking a record eighth title. Ben Sulayem replaced Jean Todt and is the first Arab president of the FIA.

    Among the topics he discussed with AP was the firestorm he inherited. Not only did he have to spearhead the investigation into the Abu Dhabi race, but he said he was blindsided to learn the FIA and F1 were embroiled in a patent lawsuit over use of the halo device that protects the driver cockpit.

    “I knew nothing. I didn’t know about some of the financials. I honestly didn’t know anything,” he said.

    Ben Sulayem immediately went to work. But there have been bumps — a silly spat with Hamilton last season over the star driver’s wish to wear jewelry while competing — and earlier this season there seemed to be a target on Ben Sulayem throughout the paddock after he publicly cautioned on Twitter against overvaluing the financial worth of F1.

    His tweets led Formula One and Liberty Media’s lawyers to send a warning letter to the FIA World Motor Sport Council that the president had overstepped and “interfered with our (commercial) rights in an unacceptable manner.”

    Ben Sulayem also expressed support for a bid to join F1 from Andretti Global, expansion most F1 teams oppose. He wondered to AP about his acceptance as FIA president, and shared a cautionary tale told to him by former F1 head Bernie Ecclestone.

    “Bernie Ecclestone said it’s amazing how the president, it’s like a ball being thrown to the Italians, and the French and back to the British,” said Ben Sulayem, an Emirati. “And that’s the presidency, it was not allowed to leave that certain area. And you come with my background, and my skin color, it took me 12 years, going nonstop to get here.”

    He took umbrage with the secretive politics of F1 and said “any of the top management could have picked up the phone. I’m accessible. Did anyone do that? No. They went on attack,’ he told AP.

    “I like dignity, and respect and values has to be in any deal. I believe all of this was just unnecessarily counterproductive,” he said. “Was anything achieved by all this? Did it change anything? No. I tell you what I became: stronger.”

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • FIA wonders how it can deny General Motors a spot on Formula One grid, president tells AP

    FIA wonders how it can deny General Motors a spot on Formula One grid, president tells AP

    [ad_1]

    The FIA has received “more than five” expressions of interest from teams interested in joining Formula One, the president of the governing body told The Associated Press on Wednesday, with a decision on expansion expected by the end of the month.

    The bid that stands out most to Mohammed Ben Sulayem is from Andretti Global and General Motors — a supportive sign that Michael Andretti may indeed get the F1 team he’s been chasing for more than two years.

    “People have to understand we are here to promote motorsport and we are here to be fair. The Expressions of Interest process is very robust and there is no circumstance where we can deny any teams if they fulfill the criteria to enter,” Ben Sulayem told AP. “So imagine me saying no to someone like GM? We have in the regulations that we can go up to 12 teams. I’m not breaking (rules). But do we allow anyone to enter? No. But how on earth can we refuse GM?

    “I mean, where’s the common sense in this? GM is a heavyweight and when they come with Andretti, that’s good for all of us.”

    Ben Sulayem’s support of Andretti Global comes two weeks after Greg Maffei, CEO of F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media, reversed course and said grid expansion could be welcomed, particularly if it involved an American manufacturer. Prior to Maffei’s comments on the Walker Webcast, Liberty and the majority of the current 10 existing F1 teams had been against expansion because it would dilute revenue.

    “I think in the right set of circumstances we would work to get the 11th team,” Maffei said on the episode. “Somebody who could bring a lot of value to the sport, a lot of value to the fans, because of their position in technology, their position as an OEM (original engine manufacturer), their position in marketing – some combination of all that – you could imagine coming to some kind of an agreement. But it’s not without controversy, certainly among the 10 teams.”

    Most of F1’s teams oppose expansion because they don’t want to split the prize money with an 11th team. FIA regulations require a $200 million, anti-dilution fee for any new team, but stakeholders are now wondering if that price is too low.

    Alpine last week sold a 24% stake in its team to a group of investors that includes actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for $218 million (200 million euros). The deal put Alpine’s valuation at roughly $900 million.

    Ben Sulayem told AP he was pleased to see that Liberty has softened its stance and said FIA is currently reviewing multiple applications. It is solely up to FIA to decide if F1 will expand. He did not reveal who submitted the required paperwork, but said “not all of them are serious, and not all of them are eligible to be at the pinnacle of the sport.”

    As for taking Andretti seriously?

    “One of the reasons we did was because they were persistent,” Ben Sulayem said. “It’s about serious contenders, and they came and we said ‘OK, we need an OEM.’ and then they provided GM, the biggest car manufacturer in the United States, and then it became stronger.”

    F1 in 2026 is introducing new engine regulations that have secured commitments for participation from Alpine, Audi, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, and Ford in a partnership with Red Bull. Porsche is still looking for a partner after a deal with Red Bull fell apart, and Andretti in January announced he was partnering with General Motors and its Cadillac brand.

    Andretti in 2021 nearly purchased Sauber and when the deal fell through, he petitioned FIA to expand the 20-car grid. His request was met by fierce resistance from most of the existing F1 teams.

    But Andretti continued to move forward and secured the financial backing for the buy-in fee, has a deep-pocketed sponsor in Gainbridge and a new shop being built in Indiana. The addition of GM strengthened his position, and Ben Sulayem soon after created the “Expression of Interest” process for interested teams.

    “I don’t blame some of the teams for being reluctant or refusing or rejecting, let’s say, because people want to sit within their own area, which means that there is no one new coming that will even challenge them,” he told AP. “Challenge them with maybe the performance or the financial benefits. But we believe that the conditions are right for new entrants for F1.”

    Ben Sulayem said he met with GM President Mark Reuss, who assured him the Andretti effort had the backing of the General Motors board of directors and that Cadillac was serious about a long-term effort.

    “So I am happy that Liberty Media are seeing the same as my way of thinking towards the future,” he said.

    In addition to wanting another American team — Haas is owned by American businessman Gene Haas but does not field American drivers — Ben Sulayem would like to see a Chinese automaker enter the series. The Chinese GP is back on the F1 schedule for 2024 for the first time in five years.

    “Maybe in the future we have China in with a manufacturer. We have a Chinese driver ( Zhou Guanyu ), but imagine having a Chinese OEM?” he said. “Then you have sustainability when it comes to sustaining motorsport not just sustainability of the environment. Big teams come and they don’t come because of an adventurous reason. They come because they calculate and they undertake a big study and they have long term plans and clear goals.”

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Red Bull driver Verstappen wins Austrian GP ahead of rejuvenated Ferrari’s Leclerc in 2nd

    Red Bull driver Verstappen wins Austrian GP ahead of rejuvenated Ferrari’s Leclerc in 2nd

    [ad_1]

    SPIELBERG, Austria — Reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen continued his relentless march toward a third straight world title with another dominating win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

    Verstappen started from pole position for the fourth straight race and notched his fifth straight win and seventh in nine races so far this season. He increased his championship lead to 81 points over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

    “I think our stints were perfect so a great day, I enjoyed it a lot,” Verstappen said. “I am just enjoying driving this car and racing for this team.”

    So much so that he even got his way to come in two laps from the end for a shot at the fastest lap, despite his team’s reluctance to take the risk. Typically, he got the bonus point for it on the final lap to complete a perfect weekend after his victory from pole in Saturday’s sprint race.

    “I saw the gap and said ‘We have to pit,’” Verstappen said. “From the outside maybe it looks like a big risk, but when you’re in the car it doesn’t feel like a risk at all.”

    The victory also took the 25-year-old Dutchman onto 42 F1 wins overall, one ahead of the late Ayrton Senna and alone in fifth place on F1’s all-time list of winners.

    Charles Leclerc — last year’s winner here — finished 5.2 seconds behind Verstappen in second place with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez placing third, 17.2 behind.

    But Verstappen’s winning margin was shortened by his late pit stop, and it was another comfortable victory on his team’s home track in Spielberg.

    Making a clean start from pole, he held off Leclerc on Turns 2 and 3 and easily regained the lead from him following a pit stop at the halfway point of the 71-lap race at the Red Bull Ring.

    “Most important to me was lap one, stay in front after that (so) we could do our own race,” Verstappen said.

    It was only Leclerc’s second podium of the season, but put him in optimistic mood.

    “The upgrades we brought made me feel better. It’s looking good for the future,” Leclerc said. “Obviously, there’s still a lot to do, Max and Checo (Sergio) have a lot of pace.”

    Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and several other drivers received five-second time penalties for going off track limits.

    Perez started 15th and passed Sainz with 10 laps left to collect his first podium since his second place at the Miami GP two months ago.

    “It’s a good comeback,” Perez said. “It’s been a bit of a rough patch for me so now hopefully we are back and we can keep that consistency now.”

    Sainz was fourth ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in sixth, Hamilton in seventh and his teammate George Russell in eighth.

    Red Bull has won all nine races, all 11 when including the two sprint races with Verstappen’s victory in Saturday’s sprint following Perez’s success in Azerbaijan.

    Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the top 10.

    After a safety car came out briefly at the end of Lap 1, Verstappen got away cleanly on the restart.

    Hamilton, who had started well and was fourth in the early going, began struggling to control his car and began going off track limits.

    “I can’t keep it on the track, the car won’t turn,” said Hamilton said, who was issued repeated warnings.

    When a virtual safety car came out on Lap 15 after Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg went off the track, most teams opted to make another tire change to take advantage of pit stops costing them less time as cars on the track are forced to reduce speed.

    But Verstappen and teammate Perez stayed out.

    “I could see already a few laps before the (VSC) that we were pulling out quite a gap so I knew I would get it back,” Verstappen said. “Just following our own plan was the best way forward.”

    Drivers kept going wide of track limits on the 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) circuit that is known to be particularly difficult to stay within the white lines.

    “Has he got a penalty yet?” Hamilton asked about Perez, and continued complaining about other drivers going wide after his own penalty, forcing team principal Toto Wolff to intervene.

    “The car is bad, we know, please drive it,” Wolff said.

    Perez was warned by his team with 15 laps left to respect the track limits. He was right behind Sainz at that point and could not afford a time penalty.

    MINUTE’S SILENCE

    Drivers lined up on the grid for a minute’s silence in memory of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van ’t Hoff, who died on Saturday after a crash at the Formula Regional European Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps track in Belgium.

    F1 holds a race in Belgium on July 30.

    ___

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Verstappen wins Spanish GP from pole for 40th career victory

    Verstappen wins Spanish GP from pole for 40th career victory

    [ad_1]

    MONTMELO, Spain — Max Verstappen had warned that his Red Bull team was good enough to win every single race of the Formula One season. On Sunday he took one more step toward that ambitious sweep by easing to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

    The two-time defending champion started from pole position and never was challenged as he breezed to his fifth win in seven races this year.

    Verstappen beat Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari to the first corner and then eased his superior car around the 4.6-kilometer (2.8-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to finish well ahead of Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

    “It is a big pleasure to drive a car like this and it showed on a day like this,” Verstappen said. “Hopefully we can keep it up throughout the year.”

    But Verstappen warned against complacency.

    “We just have to focus on ourselves and try to keep on improving our car,” he said. “Of course right now it all looks great, but you can’t stand still in this world.”

    His dominant race performance came after he secured pole position with intimidating ease on Saturday. Verstappen set an untouchable top lap time and then watched the rest of the pack scramble for the other spots on the grid from his garage.

    The Dutchman had said before practice for the Barcelona race that while the Red Bull cars were fast and reliable enough to win every single race, he figured that “We will always have tracks where it doesn’t work out exactly, bad luck in qualifying, mistakes, whatever.”

    Nothing went wrong, at least not for Verstappen, this weekend.

    As expected given the pace of the Red Bull, the 66-lap race was largely decided in the 595-meter run from the starting line to Turn One.

    Sainz tried to get the jump on Verstappen from the off by starting on a faster, although less durable, tire than the polesitter. Sainz was side-by-side with Verstappen after the long opening straightway going into the first turn, but the Red Bull fended off the Ferrari to stay in front.

    His 40th career win, including his third in Barcelona, leaves Verstappen one win behind the late Ayrton Senna’s total of 41. He also seems well on course to matching Senna’s three world titles. Verstappen set a Red Bull record with 39 wins last weekend at Monaco, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38.

    Red Bull’s other driver, Sergio Pérez, finished fourth after fighting his way up from 11th at the start. Pérez won the two races Verstappen didn’t win this year.

    Verstappen grew his lead over Pérez to 53 points after he also grabbed an extra point for the fastest lap.

    After seeing off Sainz, the biggest challenge that Verstappen faced was staying within the track lines: he was warned three times by race officials that he had driven out of bounds.

    Sainz had to settle for fifth after being passed by the Mercedes cars and Pérez’s Red Bull.

    Home favorite Fernando Alonso disappointed the legion of Spanish fans by finishing a season-worst seventh place, right behind teammate Lance Stroll.

    Esteban Ocon was eighth in an Alpine ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and Pierre Gasly in the other Alpine to round out the top 10.

    As Verstappen sailed off into the distance, the competitive racing came for the other podium spots and the points positions of the top 10.

    Mercedes got the better of Ferrari and Aston Martin with its new upgrade in the battle for a likely second-place finish in the constructors championship.

    Hamilton, a six-time winner in Spain, got past Sainz early on and never let go of the runner-up spot.

    Russell, meanwhile, produced the most impressive driving of the day by overtaking car after car to make up for his 12th-place start.

    Russell also provided some humor when at one point he told his team radio that he thought rain was falling, only to realize that it was sweat inside his helmet.

    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was 11th after starting the race from the pitlane following a change to the rear of his car after a disastrous qualifying session left him 19th.

    The season now heads to Canada in two weeks.

    Hamilton is fourth in the standings, behind Alonso in third.

    “The Bulls are still a bit ahead but we will keep chasing them down,” said an exuberant Hamilton, who saw Verstappen snatch the world title from him in the final race of the 2021 season.

    “I think they are still a bit too quick at the moment. If we can close on them by the end of the year then that will be great. If not, then next year.”

    ___

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Verstappen takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Alonso as Perez crashes

    Verstappen takes pole for Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Alonso as Perez crashes

    [ad_1]

    MONACO — Defending Formula One champion Max Verstappen produced a superb final lap to take pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday and deny Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso his first pole in 11 years.

    Verstappen called his first pole at Monaco “very lovely” but there was nothing to cheer for his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez as last year’s race winner crashed early in qualifying.

    Alpine’s Esteban Ocon surprisingly led near the end of the session before the 41-year-old Alonso moved back to the top as he chased a first pole since the German GP in 2012, when he was with Ferrari.

    But Verstappen had other ideas as he brushed the walls of the sinewy street circuit to beat Alonso’s time by just 0.084 seconds and clinch his fourth pole of the season and 23rd of his career.

    “I knew this weekend it was going to be tight,” the 25-year-old Verstappen said. “I definitely pushed a bit harder.”

    Alonso walked over to Verstappen and shook his hand after a tight tussle between the two-time F1 champions.

    “Feels great, I always had confidence in what I could do,” Alonso said. “We’re starting on the front row in Monaco, so job done.”

    Alonso has four third-place finishes in five races, so Verstappen joked that he’d try to help him finally win again.

    “I’ll think about it. I’d like to see Fernando win, but I’d like to win myself,” Verstappen said. “I love watching his style.”

    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was chasing a third straight pole on his home circuit but qualified in third, 0.106 behind Verstappen.

    But Leclerc was then handed a three-place grid penalty by race stewards for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris. Stewards ruled that Norris was on a fast lap and caught up with Leclerc in the middle of the tunnel, where he was clearly impeded.

    Stewards reviewed team radio and found that Ferrari failed to give Leclerc any warning about Norris’ approach until the other driver was already directly behind him.

    Last year, Ferrari made a series of blunders with strategy calls and team orders — including at the Monaco GP, where Leclerc missed out on a possible victory when he was called into the pits at the wrong time and ended up finishing fourth.

    Saturday’s grid penalty move moved Ocon up from fourth to third, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. improves to fourth ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in fifth.

    Pierre Gasly (Alpine), George Russell (Mercedes), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Norris rounded out the top 10.

    Perez will start from the back.

    Regarded as one of F1’s best drivers on street circuits, the Mexican driver lost control of the rear when entering Sainte-Devote too quickly, thudded into the barriers and bust his left tire to bring out a red flag.

    “He’ll be kicking himself for that,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said, adding that Verstappen’s lap was “one of the best laps he’s ever driven in quali.”

    Hamilton, who had crashed near the end of the third practice, left it late to make it into Q2 on a new set of soft tires and then also squeezed into Q3 on his last lap.

    “It was so tough. This car is a son of a gun. I was pushing so hard,” the seven-time F1 champion Hamilton said. “When you are overdriving, it is the worst place to be because the car doesn’t do what you want.”

    Alonso started Q3 with the fastest time and set the tone for a thrilling ending.

    “I’m pushing like an animal,” Alonso said on team radio.

    He came close, but the Spanish veteran is well placed on Sunday to push for his first win since 2013.

    Monaco is arguably the toughest track for overtaking but its claustrophobic nature leads to tension and crashes.

    “If an opportunity comes we will take it,” Alonso said. “We cannot take it for granted that all three cars will finish.”

    Verstappen has won three races this season and leads the championship by 16 points ahead of Perez — a gap that could significantly increase.

    All of Verstappen’s 38 career wins have been with Red Bull and he needs one more to beat Sebastian Vettel’s tally when he won his four F1 titles with the team from 2010-13.

    Earlier Saturday, Verstappen led an eventful final practice ahead of Perez and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

    A red flag ended the session with a few minutes left after Hamilton made an uncharacteristic error, oversteering and slamming the crash barrier with his front left tire.

    Verstappen’s rear left almost hit the barrier coming out of Sainte-Devote, a near-miss which is not unusual in Monaco given the nature of the sinewy street circuit.

    Leclerc complained that he was having trouble heading into the “S” section next to the swimming pool —where Sainz crashed late in Friday’s second practice.

    American actor Michael Douglas had a prime view of it all as he watched from a balcony overlooking the track.

    Haas driver Kevin Magnussen’s car stalled on the track near the end of P3, prompting a virtual safety car. Moments later, with tires cooler, Hamilton locked up as he snaked past Fairmont Hotel and wedged into the barriers at Mirabeau.

    Hamilton climbed out and slid under a barrier before walking back pensively with his hands behind his back as the car was hoisted high in the blue sky air by a crane.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_S

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Honda to supply engines for Aston Martin starting with 2026 F1 regulations

    Honda to supply engines for Aston Martin starting with 2026 F1 regulations

    [ad_1]

    Honda will return as a factory Formula One supplier in partnership with Aston Martin in 2026 when F1 introduces new engine regulations.

    Even if Fernando Alonso is still with the team.

    Alonso and the engine maker had a nasty split in 2015 when the Spaniard was highly critical of Honda’s F1 efforts. He drives for Aston Martin now, and the team announced on Wednesday in Tokyo that it will have a works partnership with Honda beginning with the 2026 season.

    Honda was lured back into a more prominent engine role in F1 with the upcoming new regulations, which are part of F1’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The engines beginning in 2026 will have an engine/electric motor maximum power output ratio of 50/50 and use 100% sustainable fuel.

    Ford has said it plans to return to F1 in 2026 under the new regulations with Red Bull, while General Motors under its Cadillac banner wants in if Michael Andretti is granted a team.

    Honda officially pulled out as a works program with Red Bull after the 2021 season — Max Verstappen’s first championship year — and it has only aided as a technical partner for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri since. Aston Martin gets its engines from Mercedes.

    The FIA has so far approved for 2026 engines from Alpine, Audi, Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes and Red Bull with Ford. Audi will also be a new entrant.

    As Honda announced its return, the very first question asked to the president of Honda Racing Corp. was if the engine maker is willing to work with Alonso. He’s having a career resurgence at 41 years old in his first season with Aston Martin, but he had a bitter split with Honda when Alonso drove for McLaren.

    Alonso so badly angered Honda that it refused to work with him as a McLaren entrant in the Indianapolis 500. But if Alonso is still driving three seasons from now, Koji Watanabe said Honda would work with the driver.

    “When it comes to Alonso, there were times in the past where we did have difficulties,” Watanabe said through a translator. “Since then, we have teamed up with Red Bull and we were able to win the world championship title. Alonso is a very outstanding driver and as far as Honda, we respect him. And of course it is up to the team to decide the drivers. But should he be selected, we will work with him.”

    Martin Whitmarsh, group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, quickly noted that Alonso’s criticism eight years ago was during a race and should be long forgotten.

    “I think this stems from something Fernando said in the heat of the battle a few years ago, which was regrettable,” Whitmarsh said. “He is a truly great driver. I think he’s developed not only as a driver, but in his thinking about being a team member, since that time.

    “I am sure if he was driving with the same energy and commitment and skill and speed in 2026, we’d be delighted to have it in the team. However, 2026 is a few years away yet. We haven’t decided our driver lineup.”

    Alonso is teammates with Lance Stroll, the son of team owner Lawrence Stroll. Both are having fantastic seasons; Alonso has four podium finishes through five races and ranks third in the F1 standings, while Stroll is a career-high eighth in the standings.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Formula One’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix canceled because of deadly floods in Italy

    Formula One’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix canceled because of deadly floods in Italy

    [ad_1]

    IMOLA, Italy — This weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in northern Italy was canceled Wednesday because of deadly floods in the region.

    Formula One said it made the decision for safety reasons and to avoid any extra burden on the emergency services, after consulting with Italian political figures.

    “It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

    At least five people have died in the flooding and 5,000 more have been evacuated, while electricity supplies and cell phone networks have been severely affected. Thousands of fans were expected at the circuit from Friday for practice sessions ahead of the race, adding more load to an already stretched transport system.

    “I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation — they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them,” Domenicali said. “The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.”

    Formula One personnel had earlier been told to stay away from the track after floods affected large parts of the Emilia-Romagna region. Some residents of Imola, where the track is located, were warned to move to higher floors of their homes. The Santerno River runs right next to the track.

    Matteo Salvini, the infrastructure minister in Italy’s government, had requested that the race be canceled to favor the flow of resources and aid to the hardest hit areas of the flooding.

    “I love racing, but the safety of everyone else is more important. Sorry to all the fans, we’ll be back Imola, stay safe,” McLaren driver Lando Norris wrote on Twitter, adding emojis of an Italian flag and a heart.

    It is the second race on the 2023 calendar to be canceled. The Chinese Grand Prix was scheduled for April but was canceled in December amid concerns about pandemic-related restrictions.

    If the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is not rescheduled — something which appears unlikely given F1’s packed calendar — the season will have 22 races, the same as last year, rather than setting a record for most F1 races in a year with 23.

    The AlphaTauri team, which is based in nearby Faenza and is the closest team to the circuit, issued an appeal for donations to help local people Wednesday.

    “Unfortunately, our town of Faenza has once again experienced significant rainfall and subsequent flooding,” the team said on Twitter.

    The Emilia-Romagna GP was meant to be the start of three weeks of back-to-back-to-back races. The Monaco Grand Prix is on May 28 and the Spanish GP is a week later.

    ___

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Verstappen wins in wild finish to F1 Australian Grand Prix

    Verstappen wins in wild finish to F1 Australian Grand Prix

    [ad_1]

    Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has claimed his first Australian Grand Prix in remarkable circumstances in a chaotic Formula 1 race filled with drama from the green light to the checkered flag

    ByCOURTNEY WALSH Associated Press

    MELBOURNE, Australia — Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has claimed his first Australian Grand Prix in remarkable circumstances in a chaotic Formula 1 race filled with drama from the green light to the checkered flag.

    Although Red Bull’s first triumph in Melbourne since 2011 was expected, the carnage that unfolded in the latter stages of the race at Albert Park made it an extremely hard-fought triumph.

    Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who drove superbly in his Mercedes, finished second, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso filled third spot on the podium.

    “That is a really good weekend for us. I am happy with that,” Verstappen said to his team on radio.

    Verstappen had appeared to be coasting to victory with an eight-second lead when debris from Kevin Magnussen’s Haas forced the second of three red flags issued in the race with three laps remaining.

    On the restart, Verstappen was able to hold Hamilton to the first turn as bedlam unfolded behind his RB19, sparking a massive reshuffle of the finishing order in the 58-lap race.

    Alonso, who had challenged Hamilton for second position throughout much of the race, was hit by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on the first corner of the restart. Sainz, whose Ferrari showed good speed throughout the race, was issued with a five-second penalty which relegated him to 12th.

    Williams driver Logan Sargeant also drove into the back of Nyck DeVries and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly also crashed.

    Earlier, Ferrari’s defending champion Charles LeClerc exited after crashing on the opening lap, while the Mercedes of one-time leader George Russell caught fire on Lap 18.

    Australian Oscar Piastri claimed his first championship points when finishing eighth in his McLaren.

    ___

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Drivers given assurances about safety at Saudi Arabian GP

    Drivers given assurances about safety at Saudi Arabian GP

    [ad_1]

    Formula One is back in Saudi Arabia this weekend, one year after a missile strike hit an oil depot near the track during race week.

    And while the drivers expressed confidence in their safety ahead of Sunday’s race, seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton again broached the subject of human rights issues in the kingdom.

    Drivers have been given assurances by F1 that increased safety measures will prevent the race from being impacted like last year, when Houthi rebels from Yemen hit a depot only 11 kilometers (7 miles) away during the first practice session. The attack led to hours of talks between drivers, organizers and stakeholders but the race went ahead.

    The missile strike came two weeks after 81 people were put to death in Saudi Arabia in a mass execution — the largest in the kingdom’s modern history. According to Reprieve, a non-profit organization defending people facing human rights abuses, a further 16 executions were then carried out.

    Saudi Arabia is one of several countries accused of “sportswashing” human rights abuses by using high-profile sporting events to project a favorable image. Others include Bahrain, which held the season-opening F1 race two weeks ago, and Qatar, which hosted soccer’s World Cup last year and also has an F1 race.

    Drivers were asked about returning to Jeddah given last year’s missile strike.

    “We trust FOM (Formula One Management) and the organization to keep us safe,” French driver Esteban Ocon said. “Obviously, it was scary what happened last year and none of us wants to ever experience something like that.”

    Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll echoed that, saying he was “confident that Formula One and the organization is going to look after us,” while Red Bull rival Sergio Perez said he trusts “the organizations that bring us here to compete in a safe place.”

    They spoke Thursday at a scheduled pre-race news conference. But when it came to Hamilton’s turn to speak, he said his view was “all the opposite to everything they said.”

    The Mercedes driver was then asked if he’s happy to race in Saudi Arabia.

    “It’s open to interpretation,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully everyone has a safe weekend and hopefully everyone gets home safe afterwards.”

    Pressed again, Hamilton was asked whether he had considered not racing in Saudi Arabia because of human rights concerns.

    “Well, the thing is, if I’m not here, Formula One will continue without me. When I’m going to these different places, I still feel that as a sport go(ing) into places with human rights issues, such as this one, I feel that the sport is duty bound to raise awareness,” Hamilton said. “I feel like it needs to do more. What that is, I don’t have all the answers, but I think we always need to try and do more to raise awareness.”

    The family of Abdullah al-Howaiti, who is facing the death penalty after being arrested in 2017 when he was 14, wrote to Hamilton this week thanking him for speaking about their son during last year’s race.

    “You publicly brought attention to Abdullah’s case, and we are immensely grateful to you for using your for platform to shine a light on the injustice he faces,” the family wrote in the letter, which Reprieve shared with The Associated Press. “We cannot put into words how much it meant to our family to know that Abdullah is not forgotten.”

    CULLEN’S DEPARTURE

    Hamilton parted ways Friday with long-term performance coach Angela Cullen after seven years working together.

    Hamilton announced the split on his Instagram page.

    “I am a stronger athlete and a better person because of her,” Hamilton wrote. “Thank you for everything Ang, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you.”

    Just like two weeks ago at the Bahrain GP, Hamilton was cleared by stewards to take part in the two practice sessions on Friday after a jewelry inspection.

    Hamilton clashed with governing body FIA last year over a jewelry ban and received an exception for his nose stud.

    FERRARI QUESTIONS

    Ferrari is already fielding questions about the car’s reliability after Charles Leclerc retired near the end of the Bahrain GP because of engine failure when he was in third place.

    Leclerc will start Sunday’s race with a 10-place grid penalty after Ferrari used a third electronics control unit on the car’s engine.

    Last year, engine reliability problems forced Leclerc to retire when leading the Azerbaijan GP and the Spanish GP.

    Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. finished fourth at the Bahrain GP and was 48 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car.

    “We are the first ones that are not happy,” Sainz said. “We’ve faced issues with race pace and reliability that we honestly didn’t expect to face.”

    Ferrari changed the power units on both cars Friday as a further precaution.

    Kimi Raikkonen won Ferrari’s last drivers’ title in 2007.

    ___

    More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Hamilton on FIA rule: ‘Nothing will stop me from speaking’

    Hamilton on FIA rule: ‘Nothing will stop me from speaking’

    [ad_1]

    Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton insisted he will not be silenced by offseason rules that prohibit drivers from speaking out on political issues.

    Hamilton said Wednesday he will continue to use his global platform to promote his wide-ranging interests, which include social justice and race, human rights and protection of the LBGTQ community.

    The FIA in December updated its International Sporting Code to require prior written permission for drivers to make or display “political, religious and personal statements or comments” during race weekends. The FIA is the governing body for Formula One.

    The crackdown on free speech has been condemned by most drivers but Hamilton only weighed in for the first time Wednesday, when Mercedes revealed its 2023 car.

    Hamilton said the FIA crackdown “doesn’t surprise me” but he quickly dismissed it when he learned about it over the offseason.

    “Nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I feel that I’m passionate about and issues there are,” Hamilton said. “I feel the sport does have a responsibility, still, always, to speak out as a means to create awareness on important topics, particularly as we are traveling to all these different places, so nothing changes.”

    Asked if he was prepared to be penalized by the FIA for violating the new rule, Hamilton said “it would be silly to say I would want to take extra penalty points” but remained steadfast in that he won’t be silenced.

    “I’m still going to be speaking on my end,” Hamilton said. “We still have this platform. There’s a lot of things we need to tackle.”

    Most of the drivers have spoken out against the new rule and most recently by F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, who recently told The Guardian newspaper the series would not be imposing any sort of gag. Domenicali said he expected the FIA to soon clarify its position.

    Hamilton is the most vocal driver in F1 and remains the same change agent 17 years into his career as when he became the first Black winner in F1 in 2008. The British racer is now 38 years old, the winningest driver in series history and is tied with Michael Schumacher with a record seven titles.

    Hamilton remains the only Black driver at the most elite level of motorsports.

    Hamilton often speaks out while racing in countries with questionable human rights records, or when an issue arises in which he feels his voice can lend support, which would be banned under the new FIA rule.

    Hamilton last year sparred with the FIA over its crackdown of drivers wearing jewelry in the car and mocked the rule by arriving at a news conference wearing three watches, eight rings and multiple necklaces. Hamilton and the FIA had a protracted back-and-forth over the jewelry ban in which he received an extension on a deadline to remove some piercings; the two sides eventually came to an agreement.

    ___

    AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    [ad_2]

    Source link