Tag: Results

McLaren reveal one-off livery for British GP at Silverstone; MCL60 to run in chrome in throwback to McLaren’s livery from 2006-2014 and last championship-winning car in 2008; Watch every session from the British GP live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend

McLaren have unveiled a special chrome livery which their cars will race in at this weekend’s British GP.

The livery is a nod to the iconic McLaren colours used from 2006 to 2014 and in which Lewis Hamilton won his maiden world championship in 2008.

The usual papaya colour McLaren have for 2023 is still visible on the sidepods, nose, top of the roll hoop and rear wing.

The livery will be on both MCL60 cars at Silverstone and drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will wear special race suits.

Norris will also have a special helmet design and bespoke race boots for his home grand prix.

The return to a chrome livery this weekend is part of McLaren’s celebrations for their 60th anniversary season and done in conjunction with team sponsors Google, which launched its Chrome web browser the same year as Hamilton’s first title.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said: “It’s no secret that racing fans love McLaren’s classic chrome livery. Google Chrome wanted to bring back elements of this iconic livery to celebrate our team’s history at the British Grand Prix, and we’re excited to be able to give our fans what they want.

“I’m sure this livery will bring back great memories for many of our fans, and I can’t wait to see it out on track at our home race.”

McLaren also celebrated their history with a ‘Triple Crown’ livery at this year’s Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix.

The Woking-based team arrive at Silverstone after a much-improved weekend at the Austrian GP which saw Norris finish fourth on Sunday and qualify in the top four for both the Sprint and grand prix.

McLaren introduced a big upgrade package to Norris’ car at the Red Bull Ring and are expected to bring further updates to Silverstone, where Piastri will also get to run the upgrades.

McLaren are currently sixth in the Constructors’ Championship on 29 points, 18 points behind fifth-placed Alpine.

Norris is 10th in the Drivers’ Championship while rookie Piastri is 14th.

The chrome is a throwback to the livery that was on the McLaren from 2006-2014, including when Lewis Hamilton won his first world championship in 2008

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule

Thursday July 6
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 7
8:40am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts 12:30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3:40pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts 4pm)

Saturday July 8
9:15am: F3 Sprint
11:15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts 11:30am)
1:10pm: F2 Sprint
2:15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 9
8:10am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

Next on the F1 calendar is the big one, Silverstone. Don’t miss the British GP live on Sky Sports from July 7-9

Red Bull are seeking to continue their dominant start to the F1 season at Silverstone, where they have failed to win for the last 10 years; Watch all sessions live on Sky Sports F1 – with Qualifying on Saturday at 3pm and lights out for the Grand Prix on Sunday at 3pm

Formula 1 returns to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix with the chasing pack seeking to end Max Verstappen’s streak of five successive race wins.

Verstappen produced another sublime display of driving to win both the Sprint and Grand Prix in Austria last weekend, extending his world championship lead over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez to 81 points.

Red Bull have now won all nine races this season, but face a significant challenge to keep that streak going at a Silverstone circuit where they have failed to win for the last 10 years.

A potentially resurgent Ferrari and a Mercedes team looking to bounce back with new upgrades at Silverstone will be giving their all to deny Red Bull, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso continues to chase an elusive 33rd F1 victory.

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A look back at all of Lewis Hamilton’s eight record-breaking British Grand Prix wins at Silverstone.

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will undoubtedly be buoyed by the spectacular home support they’ll receive throughout the weekend, while McLaren’s Lando Norris will also be looking to build on a season-best P4 in Austria.

The atmosphere at Silverstone promises to be as special as ever, with the circuit hosting a launch party on the eve of the event for the first time, which coincides with a special edition of Sky Sports’ The F1 Show on Thursday evening at 6pm.

Every session from Silverstone is live on Sky Sports F1, along with coverage of the F2, F3 and Porsche Supercup events also taking place throughout the weekend.

Qualifying begins at 3pm on Saturday, with build-up from 2:15pm.

Build-up to Sunday’s Grand Prix begins at 1:30pm, ahead of lights out at 3pm.

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule

Thursday July 6
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 7
8:40am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts 12:30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3:40pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts 4pm)

Saturday July 8
9:15am: F3 Sprint
11:15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts 11:30am)
1:10pm: F2 Sprint
2:15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: BRITISH GP QUALIFYING
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday July 9
8:10am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

The 2023 Austrian GP marked the first time Red Bull were racing at their home event since the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz; Max Verstappen won the race and Sergio Perez was third; Watch the British GP live on Sky Sports F1 from July 7-9

Christian Horner says Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz was in the back of his mind when deciding whether to pit Max Verstappen for the fastest lap of the race at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was dominating Red Bull’s home event and had more than a pit stop’s gap to Charles Leclerc in second place.

Initially, Red Bull were reluctant to pit the championship leader but Verstappen came in for soft tyres and set the fastest lap on the final lap to take the bonus point.

“It was an outstanding weekend. Max has had tremendous pace all weekend. The strategy we took was slightly different to our competitors so it meant he had to make the overtakes on track as well,” said Horner. “I think he was waving at Charles as he passed him! So a stunning weekend.

“It’s the first time we have been here since Dietrich’s passing. It felt very poignant that it was a great team performance today. We decided to go for the fastest lap on the last lap, despite the risk involved of fluffing a pit stop – it was at the back of my mind, his mantra was always, ‘No risk, no fun’.

“The mechanics have been in such great form that it seemed a low-risk thing in the end.”

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After winning the Austrian Grand Prix Max Verstappen says he wanted to go for the extra point, while Sergio Perez says that the ‘stupid’ track limits affected everybody

He added: “Coming into the circuit this weekend it was very weird not to have him with us. You feel his presence everywhere – whether it’s the hotels you stay in or the investment he made.

“I remember the delight he had in bringing this Grand Prix back to Austria and the passion he had for racing. Whilst he’s not here in person, his presence you can feel it everywhere and looking back here today it would be one he really enjoyed.”

Verstappen didn’t see extra pit stop as a risk

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner reflected on both of his drivers’ performances this weekend after a great result from the team

Verstappen leads Sergio Perez by 81 points in the championship after picking up every point possible in Spielberg.

The Dutchman says the “car was on fire” and wasn’t worried about Red Bull potentially getting the pit stop wrong.

“To me, it was not a risk but maybe the team were a bit more nervous. I saw the gap and was like, ‘we have to pit. I want to go for the fastest lap’,” he said.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez gave Red Bull their fifth double podium of the 2023 F1 season

“From the outside maybe it looks like a big risk but when in the car for me it didn’t feel like a risk at all.”

Horner confirmed team manager Jonathan Wheatley and Verstappen’s engineer Gianpiero Lambiase were “up for it” after a discussion.

“There was a bit of a discussion of risk versus reward because we thought let’s cool the tyres down and do it the easier way of not taking a pit stop, in which 400 things can go wrong in,” Horner said. “Max was making his opinion quite clear that the tyres were f****d. He was quite focused.

“Then you start looking at your risk, do we take the risk on a below-par set of tyres? Or is it actually less risk to take the pit stop and put on a set of softs? In the end, we said ‘let’s take the risk’ and he still had three seconds margin over Charles when he came out of the pit lane.”

Next on the F1 calendar is the big one, Silverstone. Don’t miss the British GP live on Sky Sports from July 7-9

Max Verstappen leads Sergio Perez in Red Bull one-two following thrilling battle between team-mates on opening lap of Sprint; Carlos Sainz takes third for Ferrari; watch the Austrian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Sunday, with build-up from 12:30pm

Max Verstappen claimed victory in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint after seeing off the bold challenge of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez during a thrilling first-lap battle.

World championship leader Verstappen started ahead of his team-mate on the front row but there was almost embarrassment for Red Bull at their home Grand Prix as the duo twice came close to making contact on the opening lap.

Perez got off the line better than Verstappen and passed the Dutchman into the first corner, before Verstappen hit back at Turn 3, with both coming on team radio to express their dissatisfaction at each other’s driving.

Perez, who has been on a dismal run of form since winning two of the first four races in a strong start to the season, lost a place to Nico Hulkenberg on the exit of Turn 3, but would later regain the position to ensure a Red Bull one-two.

Carlos Sainz advanced from fifth to claim the final podium spot, with Lance Stroll holding off Aston Martin team-mate Fernando Alonso for fourth.

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Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris got into a thrilling battle on lap 15 of the Sprint in the Austria Grand Prix.

Hulkenberg, who was the highest finisher of the cars that chose to switch from intermediate to dry tyres in the closing stages on the drying track, took sixth.

Esteban Ocon held off Mercedes’ George Russell, who benefited from being the first driver to switch to slicks, for seventh in a thrilling battle to the line.

The Brit secured the final point available in the 24-lap contest, with Verstappen taking his world championship lead over Perez to 70 points with victory.

The Dutchman will have the opportunity to further extend his advantage in Sunday’s race, as he starts on pole with Perez only 15th on the grid.

Austrian GP Sprint Result: Top 10
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull (8 points)
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull (7 points)
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari (6 points)
4) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin (5 points)
5) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (4 points)
6) Nico Hulkenberg (3 points)
7) Esteban Ocon, Alpine (2 points)
8) George Russell, Mercedes (1 point)
9) Alexander Albon, Williams
10) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

More to follow…

Lando Norris was demoted from ninth to 13th at the Canadian Grand Prix after being given a five-second penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct”; Watch the Austrian GP Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 11am on Saturday, followed by the Sprint at 3:30pm

McLaren have lodged a petition for a right of review against the five-second penalty Lando Norris was given for “unsportsmanlike conduct” at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Norris finished the June 18 race in ninth, but was demoted to 13th after the controversial penalty was applied following the chequered flag.

The Brit was adjudged by stewards to have driven in an ‘unsporting manner’ when a Safety Car was deployed following George Russell’s crash on lap 12.

Norris was behind team-mate Oscar Piastri on track, and was deemed to have slowed his pace in order to avoid losing time as McLaren pitted them both on the same lap.

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Highlights of the Canadian Grand Prix, the eighth race of the season

With Safety Car conditions prohibiting overtaking, Norris was able to back off the throttle but maintain track position over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Alex Albon, who were stuck behind the McLaren.

The FIA confirmed on Saturday the first part of McLaren’s hearing will take place on Sunday morning at 8:30am at the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, where the stewards are present this weekend.

McLaren will need to provide a “significant and relevant new element which was unavailable to the party seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned” in order to force a second hearing, which would be at a later date.

Williams have taken up the option of “any other concerned party” to join the hearing, with the team understood to feel aggrieved over Albon being held up by Norris’ actions.

Norris said after the race that the stewards’ decision didn’t “make sense”, while McLaren team principal Andrea Stella accused the stewards of attempting to use the incident to “set a new precedent”.

In a statement confirming their appeal on Friday evening, McLaren said: “We are very supportive of the FIA and the Stewards, and we trust them while they carry out what is a difficult job. We appreciate Stewards need to make decisions in a short timeframe, analysing complex scenarios and often with partial information and multiple elements to consider.

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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on the Canadian Grand Prix

“In Canada, we were surprised by the penalty and uncertain as to the rationale behind the decision. We spoke to the Stewards immediately after the race to help understand the reasoning for the penalty.

“The FIA’s regulatory framework has tools and processes which allow them and the sport to deal with the operational complexity of Formula 1, especially for decisions which need to be made during the race. The “right of review” is one of those processes which showcases the strength of the institution in allowing decisions to be reviewed, should that be in the best interest of the sport and this is something McLaren fully embraces and supports.

“Given this provision, the team took the initial explanation onboard and decided to review the case in a calm and considered manner, performing comprehensive due diligence, which included looking at the precedents. After this careful and extensive review, we believe enough evidence exists to a submit a “right to review” to the FIA, which we have done so.

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Norris reflects on a successful qualifying session where he finished in P4 for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix

“We will now continue to work with the FIA closely, in the same constructive and collaborative manner in which we normally do, and will accept the outcome of their deliberations and decision.”

McLaren’s announcement came almost two weeks on from the incident in Canada and just hours after Norris had produced a brilliant performance to qualify fourth for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Watch Austrian GP Sprint Shootout live on Sky Sports F1 at 11am on Saturday, followed by the Sprint at 3:30pm. Lights out for Sunday’s race is at 2pm.

Mick Schumacher is Mercedes’ reserve driver for 2023; Schumacher has limited options to secure a full-time drive for 2024; Toto Wolff says other teams are “missing out” by overlooking German driver; watch the Austrian GP on Sky Sports F1 this weekend

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says other F1 teams are “missing out” on Mick Schumacher as the German driver struggles to find a full-time seat for the 2024 season.

Schumacher is Mercedes’ reserve driver this season after being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg at Haas at the end of 2022 following two difficult seasons with the American team.

Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael, was criticised by Guenther Steiner for a series of expensive crashes last season, with the Haas team boss revealing in his book that Schumacher had cost in excess of £1.6m from big crashes in Saudi Arabia, Monaco and Japan.

Wolff, though, feels Schumacher was not in an environment to thrive at Haas and would expect him to perform well at the next team that signs him.

“I think teams are missing out, to be honest. I think he was burned last year,” Wolff said at the Canadian Grand Prix.

“You need to give and provide an environment and framework that is different to every driver, we are all different human beings.

“And whoever gets him will have a very good pilot.”

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David Croft and Craig Slater head to the pub to discuss when Lewis Hamilton will announce his contract, how long will Fernando Alonso be in F1 and the chances of Mercedes taking a win at Silverstone

Schumacher’s hopes of returning to the grid full-time in 2024 are looking slim with limited openings available.

A promotion at Mercedes will not happen as George Russell has extended his contract and Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of signing his own extension.

As things stand, the only openings in 2024 are at Alfa Romeo/Sauber, Williams, AlphaTauri and Haas – with a return to the latter almost certainly out of the question.

Wolff also says he cannot make a Mercedes customer team – Williams, McLaren and Aston Martin – take on Schumacher.

“I’m not even sure that we can facilitate [a seat], because every time we speak highly of him, somebody feels to say something negative,” Wolff said.

“Wherever I can speak highly and praise Mick, that’s what I’m doing.

“But at the end, it’s every team’s authority to decide on their drivers and I very much respect that.

“Our contracts with the teams, were never ‘you have to take our junior driver’, ‘you have to take our reserve driver’, because when I was at Williams, I also wanted to have my own choice.”

Wolff: Schumacher giving Mercedes tremendous advantage

Wolff also hailed the impact Schumacher is having in his role as reserve driver with Mercedes.

Hamilton and Russell praised the work the 24-year-old had done in the simulator on the Friday night of the Spanish GP which helped the team unlock more pace in the W14 and culminated in a double podium finish on the Sunday.

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Watch all of Mercedes’ overtakes at the Spanish GP as they secured a double podium finish and moved ahead of Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship

Wolff says having Schumacher’s experience to do simulator work on race weekends at European grands prix gives Mercedes a big advantage and reiterated he would have no hesitation in having Schumacher step up to cover should Russell or Hamilton be unavailable for a race.

“It’s great to have a mature, successful and experienced Formula 1 driver supporting us,” Wolff said.

“In the simulator with his feedback, that is a tremendous advantage on some of the European grands prix having him in the sim overnight and providing data for the Saturday is a super advantage for us.

“And on the other side is that, if George or Lewis were to have fish poisoning – well, Lewis can’t have fish poisoning, it would be avocado poisoning – then we know we have a super guy that would drive the car well.

“And as much as I like the situation for the benefit of the team, I would every day of the week prefer that Mick sits in a cockpit and actually races.”

Schumacher to drive dad Michael’s Mercedes at Goodwood

Michael Schumacher drives the Mercedes W02 car during the 2011 F1 season – Mick Schumacher will drive the car at Goodwood Festival of Speed in July

Mercedes confirmed last week that Schumacher will drive his father Michael’s W02 car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.

Schumacher said: “It’s going to be spectacular to run in my dad’s 2011 car, the W02, even if it is only a short run.

“Just experiencing this generation of cars will be mega! Knowing that he raced this car makes it extra special, and there will be many emotions coming with it.

“I have been lucky enough to drive one of his Benetton cars and some of the Ferraris he raced, but this will be the first time behind the wheel of a Mercedes he drove.

“I am sure I will get out of it with a big smile on my face.”

The W02 was the second car designed and built by Mercedes after purchasing Brawn in 2009.

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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Austrian Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule

Thursday June 29
2pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday June 30
8.50am: F3 Practice
10am: F2 Practice
12pm: Austrian GP Practice (session starts 12.30)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.30pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
4pm: Austrian GP Qualifying
6pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Saturday July 1
8.55am: F3 Sprint
10.30am: Austrian GP Sprint Shootout build-up
11am: Austrian GP Sprint Shootout
12.40pm: F2 Sprint
2.30pm: Austrian GP Sprint build-up
3.30pm: Austrian GP Sprint
5pm: Ted’s Sprint Notebook

Sunday July 2
7.20am: F3 Feature Race
8.50am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Austrian GP build-up
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

Red Bull seek to continue their winning run in 2023 as they return to their home track for the Austrian GP – watch live on Sky Sports F1 from June 30-July 2. Get Sky Sports

Lando Norris crossed the line at the Canadian GP in ninth but a five-second time penalty for driving too slowly during the Safety Car period on Sunday in Montreal cost him and McLaren points; F1 returns with the Austrian GP live on Sky Sports F1 from June 30 to July 2

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has suggested Lando Norris’ penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix for “unsportsmanlike conduct” was down to stewards wanting to set a new precedent.

Norris received a five-second time penalty for slowing down too much behind the Safety Car, as he allowed a gap to open up to team-mate Oscar Piastri, therefore backing up cars behind him.

The punishment dropped Norris out of the points as he had crossed the line in ninth after a last-lap battle with Esteban Ocon.

“The driver slowed under the Safety Car to avoid a delay during a ‘double stack’ for his pitstop,” read the stewards’ verdict regarding their decision.

“During the Safety Car period the driver slowed to allow a gap to form between his team-mate in Car 81 [Piastri] and him. In doing so he delayed the cars behind.

“There was a significant difference in speed between Car 4 [Norris] and Car 81 [Piastri] between Turns 10 and 13 (approximately 50 km/h).

“Article 12.2.1.l of the ISC refers to ‘any infringement of the principles of fairness in competition, behaviour in an unsportsmanlike manner or attempt to influence the results of a competition, in a way that is contrary to sporting ethics’.”

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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz reflects on the Canadian Grand Prix.

Stella says there had been no discussions about clamping down on double stacking in F1.

“We spoke to the stewards after the race because we thought this kind of speed under a Safety Car, or even a Virtual Safety Car, should not be a reason for infringement,” said the McLaren boss.

“There’s the possibility the stewards want to set new references. We will discuss with them. Ultimately, we trust their judgement but we are reviewing the behaviour of Lando because we come out of this race very surprised that this has caused a penalty.”

He added: “It’s one of those where you really need to look into a great level of detail before you express too strong opinions. So let me do the due diligence.

“We understand the position of the stewards. We understand that they may want to set a precedent so that there’s a kind of new way of interpreting the way you have to drive under a Safety Car. If that’s the approach, fine. But it’s a bit of a shame that we are involved in this setting of a new precedent.”

Norris: It doesn’t make sense to me

Lando Norris lost ninth place at the Canadian GP due to unsportsmanlike conduct during the safety car period

There have been instances of this incident in the past. In 2017, Lewis Hamilton created a gap to team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the Bahrain Grand Prix during a Safety Car and was given a five-second time penalty as he held up Daniel RIcciardo.

Norris revealed he did not know about his penalty until after the race in Montreal.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. I was three or four seconds behind my delta which everyone quite often is. It was too early to box than what we were planning to do, so I wasn’t planning to box. Then I got a call just before the pit entry. So I’m surprised. The guys didn’t tell me until after the race,” he said.

“You go slow and you speed up. You want to keep the temperature in the tyres, so everyone leaves a gap. It wasn’t like I was 10 seconds behind my delta.

“If it’s because of the delta difference then most people should be given penalties for the last three or four years. So I’m a bit confused. I slowed down to try and warm up the tyres a bit then as soon as they told me to box I pushed and tried to go as fast as I can.”

On the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Ted Kravitz and Claire Cottingham discussed the incident.

“Lando could have argued, if it had gone to a hearing after the race, that he didn’t want to inconvenience Alfa Romeo-Sauber, who are behind McLaren in the pit box. And if they were going to bring in Zhou or Bottas, then he didn’t want to be in their way,” said Kravitz.

Cottingham added: “The excuse doesn’t matter because he slowed down on track, so he had to take a penalty for that. Remember when Guenther Steiner talked about having consistent stewards in Spain after an incident in Monaco, it’s that question again of inconsistency in terms of how some of the penalties come through.”

Listen to the full podcast to hear Kravitz and Cottingham give their reflections on Red Bull’s 100th F1 win and whether Lando Norris was unsportsmanlike in Montreal.

Don’t miss an episode of the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. Subscribe now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Spreaker

Red Bull seek to continue their winning run in 2023 as they return to their home track for the Austrian GP – watch live on Sky Sports F1 from June 30-July 2. Get Sky Sports

Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle delivers his expert verdict on the Canadian GP following a landmark weekend for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, which also delivered an intriguing battle between Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

On the face of it, the Canadian Grand Prix was simply another Max Verstappen and Red Bull domination, his Ayrton Senna-equalling 41st and Red Bull’s 100th F1 victory both remarkable numbers considering their reasonably short participation in the 73-year history of F1.

The podium was peak F1 at the moment because three great champions in Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen were joined by Adrian Newey representing the Red Bull team, on a day when he was celebrating 200 F1 victories for ‘his’ cars at Williams, McLaren, Red Bull and Toro Rosso.

The only real challenge Verstappen faced was collecting an unlucky bird, which sat alongside a brake duct rather than in it or any other cooling duct, and a trip over a nasty kerb – which earlier had spat out George Russell – which he said on the radio with giggles all round that it nearly knocked him out. He’s on top of his game and things are falling well.

Wet qualifying offers tyre warning

The Montreal circuit usually throws up some special challenges, not least because it’s slippery, bumpy, fast in places, and lined with walls and high kerbs. And the weather can be challenging.

A wet, albeit temporarily almost dry, qualifying served up some thrills and surprises for a nicely scrambled grid. There was a two-lap window to fit dry tyres in Q2 which the likes of Alex Albon in his Williams and a few of the other usual suspects anticipated well, but Sergio Perez in his Red Bull and Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari simply did not.

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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez both missed out on Q3 after qualifying in 11th and 12th respectively.

It was a good reminder for those who want to stop tyre warmers and use F1 cars to heat them up instead, that such moments will disappear if they are banned. Nobody will venture out on cold slicks in anything like those conditions, and nor will they in a race either until it’s certain they can stay on the track and generate heat rather than smash the cars to pieces.

There are better ways to be environmentally friendly rather than fuelling an F1 car for a few extra laps to heat the tyres every run rather than directly applying a very efficient blanket system which heats specifically the tyre and wheel.

Norris unfortunate as stewards face tough weekend

All weekend the race stewards were as busy as the drivers reviewing penalties for blocking and other indiscretions. I feel for the drivers in those conditions, keeping your own car out of the wall and trying to find good speed when every braking zone, corner entry and exit, and even gentle kinks on a straight is a new adventure every lap. To then see other drivers in your mirrors through the spray and get out of the way while trying to find a clear lap for yourself is quite the challenge.

There were some very clear blocks which looked unnecessary despite all the above, not least Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, for which he took a three-place grid drop.

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Pierre Gasly was furious with Carlos Sainz for impeding him and contributing to his exit from Q1, while the Ferrari driver criticised the Frenchman for shouting his frustrations over team radio.

The stewards were being firm with the rules. I often speak to them to understand these things and they always have data and rationale to go with their calls, there’s no shooting from the hip involved. But, as with any referee system, there’s a human judgment call.

In the race, Lando Norris took a five-second penalty for backing off under the Safety Car to build a gap to his team-mate Oscar Piastri ready for a double-stacked pit stop. I felt sure there was a clear rule about that so that a driver can’t disadvantage all those behind while making their own pit stop faster, but the stewards had to use an umbrella rule about ‘unsporting behaviour’ to nail him.

Even rival team managers were telling me post-race that it’s been normal and accepted behaviour to build a small gap behind the Safety Car before a double team pit stop for a few years now, which indeed was Lando’s firm view.

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Check out the funniest moments from the 2023 Canada Grand Prix.

Of course like any sport you need rules and a firm referee otherwise you quickly have chaos and anarchy, but I can’t help but feel our constantly evolved and complex rules are ready for a tidy-up and rationalisation.

Nico Hulkenberg would have felt that way after he lost a remarkable front-row starting position in his Haas because he got caught out in ‘mini sectors’ when judging his speed under red flag conditions, which had just helped him secure that second place on the grid when others had to abandon their laps.

When you see his onboard camera he was being very cautious and reasonable, but he did breach the regulations and for precedent and consistency they have to be applied while also considering his mitigating circumstances. Frustrating, but the stewards were doing their job diligently.

Aston Martin, Mercedes progressing in face of Verstappen excellence

The start of Sunday’s race saw Hamilton pass Alonso and they tried to stay with Verstappen as best they could. Russell in the second Mercedes was just about hanging on in fourth and well behind them a queue was forming behind Hulkenberg’s Haas, which was back to reality in race trim on a dry track.

When Russell collected the wall on lap 12 the resultant Safety Car brought 13 of the 19 remaining cars into the pits for fresh tyres. Those fast cars out of position on the grid, being both Ferraris in the hands of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and Perez’s Red Bull elected not to pit and to favour track position instead. This would turn out to be the right decision as they finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively from 10th, 11th and 12th on the grid.

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George Russell collided with the barriers as he was forced to limp back to the pitlane in his Mercedes.

It was a very decent recovery although all three cars really should have been in the fight up front. Ferrari had looked very strong in the long runs on Friday and Perez has the same equipment as Verstappen. Perez impressively won two of the first four races this season, importantly with Verstappen second to him each time, but it has all fallen apart since Max came from ninth on the grid in Miami to comfortably beat pole-sitting Sergio.

Perez will need all his maturity and experience, along with team and family support, to turn his head around and start delivering his speed and potential. I suspect only Alonso and Hamilton would have the head to cope with Verstappen at this moment and I doubt Red Bull would want that volatility in their team. The team’s perfect scenario would be Sergio to finish a close second to Max every race, and win when Max can’t.

The trouble is that, as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon found out, fine young drivers get buried alongside the Dutchman’s speed. At the same time, Red Bull can’t have Perez off form when Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin inevitably home in on them. That’s why they’ll support him all the way.

Russell caught a kerb badly in Turn Eight which directed him into the outside wall with some ferocity, front and rear. He nursed it back to the pits and Mercedes fixed what they could and sent him on his way. That Mercedes rear suspension is mighty strong, as Alonso also proved when whacking the wall in his Aston Martin which uses the same design.

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Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso almost collided in the pitlane as they battled over second place before the Aston Martin driver completed the overtake on lap 22.

Russell would eventually retire having recovered back to eighth position, ironically not for a reason connected with his crash.

The fans’ deserving driver of the day was Albon in the heavily updated Williams. He had pitted only once on lap 12 and so did a stellar job to coax those tyres home after 58 more laps and keep Esteban Ocon, the two McLarens, Valtteri Bottas and a fast-closing Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin behind for seventh place.

Stroll drove a fine race from 19th on the grid to steal ninth away from Bottas literally at the finish line.

The Ile Notre Dame venue is looking rather tired and left behind by today’s F1, but massive and well-informed crowds line the challenging circuit every day and it often delivers a fascinating weekend.

When Alonso says he had to drive 70 qualifying laps to keep Hamilton behind him that’ll do for me. And he was less than 10 seconds behind Verstappen at the finish despite having to manage what turned out to be a phantom fuel issue, which is progress compared to the early races this season.

On to Austria.

MB

Pierre Gasly was angry after being knocked of Q1 having been impeded by Carlos Sainz; Sainz was later given a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix; watch the Canadian GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 7pm on Sunday, with build-up from 5:30pm

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has accused Carlos Sainz of “unacceptable and unfair” driving after being impeded by the Ferrari during Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying.

In a dramatic end to the first part of the wet session, Sainz slowed down approaching the final corner, creating chaos as the cars following him were left at risk of not crossing the start-finish line in time to set a final flying lap.

Gasly, who was coming down the main straight – that precedes the final chicane – at full speed, was forced to run off track and lost the opportunity to set a flying lap, which resulted in him being knocked out in 17th.

Sainz finished eighth, but was given a three-place penalty by the stewards for the incident, demoting him to 11th on the grid for Sunday’s race.

“I don’t think any words can express the disappointment and frustration right now,” Gasly told Sky Sports F1.

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Alpine’s Gasly was furious after taking evasive action to avoid Sainz as he missed out on Q2

“You put so much work into free practice, building your weekend, extracting everything out of Qualy. We did everything right, that lap was good enough for top six. Even if I lost a couple of tenths with a bit of traffic it would have been good enough for top 10.

“Carlos did the worst job possible to stay completely on the racing line. For me that’s completely unacceptable and unfair. I have no words to explain what happened.”

Asked if he held Sainz or the Ferrari pit wall responsible for the incident, Gasly continued: “You rely a lot on the team but the whole team, when they come to Canada know it’s a dangerous one.

“We know that last chicane, everyone is bumping into each other and you have to pay extra attention. The bare minimum is to at least be off line. First this was impeding and second it was extremely dangerous.

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Max Verstappen secured pole once again at the Canadian Grand Prix, while Nico Hulkenberg claimed a surprise second as Haas will start on the front row for the first time

“If I smash him at 300kph it puts him in danger and also myself. It’s completely unfair.

“Today it ruined my entire day. Tomorrow we will start in P17 so it will impact my race.

“Obviously, there should be something [punishment] but, at the end of the day, it won’t give us back what we should have had and this is what I care the most. I’m just really gutted.”

Sainz: It depends how much you shout on the radio

Sainz appeared to dismiss Gasly’s criticism, suggesting the incident was only highlighted because of the Frenchman’s reaction on radio, which initially saw him call for the Spaniard to be “banned”.

“It was very tight with the flag, it was about to fall,” Sainz said.

“I got impeded seven times today and I’m not shouting on the radio at Turn 13. Other drivers choose to use the radio more than others. Today I was impeded many, many times.

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A red flag was issued during final practice after Sainz hit the wall as the rain came down in Canada

“Some incidents are under investigation, some are not. It depends how much you shout on the radio.

“I had to let other cars go and I couldn’t get out of the way. I did my best to get out of the way and tried to go.

“I had to go, if not I would have missed my qualifying lap also. I was getting impeded at the time too.”

Sainz had endured a challenging final practice earlier on Saturday, slamming into the barrier and leaving his team with a repair job that continued right up until just a few minutes before the start of Qualifying.

During that time Sainz had already been to see the stewards, having been summoned for impeding Williams’ Alex Albon on two occasions on the same part of the track.

Sainz escaped punishment as the stewards take a more lenient approach to practice incidents.

He added: “One of the trickiest (Qualifying) by far in my career, especially coming from the incident (in P3).”