INDIA in F1

Author: INDIAinF1 Desk

  • Oscar Piastri takes his second pole of 2025 ahead of George Russell: Bahrain GP

    Oscar Piastri takes his second pole of 2025 ahead of George Russell: Bahrain GP

    Bahrain, 12 April 2025: McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took his second pole position of 2025 with a dominant performance in qualifying for the FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in which he finished almost two tenths tenth of a second ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and three clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc as championship-leading team-mate Lando Norris could only manage sixth and Japanese GP winner Max Verstappen was seventh. 

    At the start of Q1, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso set the early pace with a lap of 1:32.362. Verstappen was on track soon after and looked set to ease past the Spaniard with his first flyer, but he locked up in Turn 15 and immediately abandoned the lap. He headed back to the pits saying, “something wrong with the car”. 

    At the top of the table Norris took over, with the McLaren driver posting a lap of 1:31.107, two tenths of a second ahead of Piastri who was over three tenths ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. 

    With a little under three minutes remaining, and with no time on the board, Verstappen needed a strong final flyer. His 1:31.303 lifted him from P19 to P3, just 0.196 off Norris’s earlier table topper, behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and ahead of Piastri, while a conservative 1:31.751 took Yuki through to Q2 in 14th place. 

    However, there was no way through to Q2 for Williams’ Alex Albon who went out in P16 along with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson who had a DRS problem on his final run, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas’ Oliver Bearman.

    Q2 was disrupted after just four minutes when Esteban Ocon lost control of his Haas in Turn 2 and slid backwards into the barriers in Turn 3. After an eight-minute delay to retrieve the Frenchman’s car the session got underway once more. Piastri quickly set the pace at 1:30.454, a tenth ahead of Norris, but further back Verstappen, still struggling with understeer and brake issues, abandoned his lap. 

    Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was similarly disadvantaged and for the second session in a row the Red Bull drivers were restricted to a single lap to try to get through to the next stage. 

    Once again, they were up to the task, but the pair had to endure nervous moments at the end of the session as they slid to the edge of the top 10. In the end, as Piastri took P12 ahead of Norris with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly taking third ahead of both Mercedes cars, 

    Verstappen made it through in ninth place just one hundredth behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton while Tsunoda scraped through in P10 just two hundredths of a second ahead of Alpine’s Jack Doohan.

    Eliminated along with Doohan were Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and the unfortunate Ocon. 

    At the start of Q3 Piastri took provisional pole with a lap of 1:30.233, two tenths clear of Mercedes’ George Russell and with Norris third. And the Australian McLaren driver made sure of his second pole of the season with a final run of 1:29.84, with Russell a couple of tenths behind and with Leclerc in third. Kimi Antonelli took fourth for Mercedes but both Mercedes drivers could lose out having been summoned for leaving their garages ahead of a confirmed restart time in Q2. 

    Pierre Gasly took fifth place for Alpine ahead of a below par Norris while Verstappen hauled his uncooperative RB21 to seventh with a time of 1:30.423, almost six tenths off pole. Carlos Sainz was eighth for Williams ahead of Hamilton, and Tsunoda took 10th place with his final flyer of 1:31.303.

    2025 Fia Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 11:29.841 – –
    2 George Russell Mercedes 11:30.009 0.168 0.187
    3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 11:30.175 0.334 0.372
    4 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 11:30.213 0.372 0.414
    5 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 11:30.216 0.375 0.417
    6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 11:30.267 0.426 0.474
    7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 11:30.423 0.582 0.648
    8 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 11:30.680 0.839 0.934
    9 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 11:30.772 0.931 1.036
    10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 11:31.303 1.462 1.627
    11 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 11:31.245 1.404 1.563
    12 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 11:31.271 1.430 1.592
    13 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 11:31.783 1.942 2.162
    14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:31.886 2.045 2.276
    15 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari – – –
    16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 11:32.040 2.199 2.448
    17 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 11:32.165 2.324 2.587
    18 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 11:32.186 2.345 2.610
    19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:32.283 2.442 2.718
    20 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 11:32.373 2.532 2.818

  • Oscar Piastri tops FP2 as Lando Norris completes McLaren 1-2 at Bahrain

    Oscar Piastri tops FP2 as Lando Norris completes McLaren 1-2 at Bahrain

    Sakhir (Bahrain), 11 April 2025: Oscar Piastri led a McLaren one-two in the second practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Australian finishing 1500ths of a second clear of team-mate Lando Norris. 

    The pair used the hour-long session to forge a strong advantage over the rest of the field, with Mercedes’ George Russell half a second off the pace in third place and with Japanese Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen in P7 and over eight tenths of a second adrift of top spot. 

    In the session’s opening quarter, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton set the early pace with a lap of 1:32.157 on Mediums. Soft tyre-shod Kimi Antonelli slotted into second, +0.141 off the man he replaced at Mercedes, while George Russel was third on the same tyre, almost four-tenths off his former team-mate. Max Verstappen then moved ahead of Russell with a lap of 1:32.376 on Soft tyres after the Red Bull driver had earlier complained about his car ride, which was bumping around the track. 

    There was a bigger problem, though, for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who had an issue with his steering wheel and returned to the garage to fit a new one. 

    Just after the quarter-hour mark Russell moved in the 1m31s bracket and to the top of the timesheet as he outpaced Hamilton by two-tenths of a second. 

    Hamilton then bolted on a set of Soft tyres and thanks to a purple middle sector he moved back to P1 with a lap of 1:31.915, still almost two seconds off Verstappen’s 2024 pole time. 

    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the next to get a spell in P1 as he also used Soft tyres to move the benchmark to 1:31.729. The Monegasque’s time at the top was all too brief, however, as Williams’ Alex Albon posted a time of 1:31.696 to slip past and then Verstappen found almost four-tenths more to claim P1 with a lap of 1:31.330. 

    The McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had spent much of the opening half of the session running Hard compound Pirelli tyres but as the midpoint approached both moved to Soft tyres and Piastri took top spot on 1:30.505, just 0.0154 ahead of Norris. The Mercedes pair also moved ahead of Verstappen with Russell in third, half a second off Piastri, with Antonelli two-tenths further back. 

    With a little over 20 minutes left in the session, Leclerc split the Mercedes, 0.013s off Russell, but there was no upward movement for Verstappen who complained that he had no brakes in the final corner as he stalled in P7 behind stablemate Isack Hadjar who was the highest placed of the Red Bull-owned cars with a time of 1:31.238 set on Medium tyres. Verstappen, however, was working his way through a longer run on Softs, as was team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who was down on 17th place. 

    With long runs now the order of the evening, the times settled and with the McLarens of Piastri in the top two spots ahead of Russell and Leclerc, with Antonelli in fifth place. Hadjar took sixth for Racing Bulls, with Verstappen in seventh and still complaining of brake issues in the final corner. Hamilton took eighth place for Ferrari, just 0.008s ahead of Haas’ Oliver Bearman who put in a strong performance to finish ahead the Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon. 

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.505 26 215.272
    2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.659 0.154 25 214.906
    3 George Russell Mercedes 1:31.032 0.527 22 214.025
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.045 0.540 24 213.995
    5 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:31.227 0.722 24 213.568
    6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:31.238 0.733 21 213.542
    7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:31.330 0.825 24 213.327
    8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:31.576 1.071 20 212.754
    9 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:31.584 1.079 24 212.735
    10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:31.623 1.118 25 212.645
    11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:31.696 1.191 26 212.476
    12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:31.706 1.201 24 212.452
    13 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:31.772 1.267 22 212.300
    14 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:31.788 1.283 24 212.263
    15 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.825 1.320 16 212.177
    16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:31.870 1.365 23 212.073
    17 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:31.947 1.442 24 211.895
    18 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:32.024 1.519 21 211.718
    19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:32.382 1.877 24 210.898
    20 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.496 1.991 20 210.638

  • Max Verstappen holds off McLarens to take first win of 2025 in Japan: F1

    Max Verstappen holds off McLarens to take first win of 2025 in Japan: F1

    Suzuka (Japan), 6 April 2025: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen held off the McLaren of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to take his first win of 2025 at Suzuka and become the first driver to take four consecutive Japanese Grand Prix victories beating Michael Schumacher’s record.

    After taking the lead from pole, Verstappen managed a slim gap to the hard-charging McLarens across the first stint. And after shrugging off a pit exit challenge from Norris when they made their sole pit stops on the same lap, the defending champion closed out his first win since Qatar last year in style, managing his tyres and his pace to cross the line with 1.4 seconds in hand over Norris, with Piastri another six tenths back in third. 

    “It was tough, just pushing very hard – especially on the second stint,” said Verstappen afterwards. “The two McLarens were pushing me very hard, and it was a lot of fun out there. Not easy, of course, to manage the tyres, but I’m incredibly happy. It started off quite tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up. We kept improving the car and today it was in its best form. And of course, starting on pole, that really made it possible to win the race.”

    After taking the lead ahead of Norris at the start, Verstappen set about trying to build a gap back to the McLarens, and despite complaining of poor upshifts, by lap five he was 1.4 second clear of Norris, with Piastri almost a second further back.

    As the opening stint headed towards the pit window Piastri was the first of the leaders to blink, and at the end of lap 20 the Australian dived into the pit lane for a set of Hard tyres. That prompted Red Bull to pit Verstappen at the end of the following tour and McLaren responded by pitting Norris on the same lap. 

    McLaren were quicker to fit a set of Hard tyres to Norris’ car and as Verstappen reached the end of the pity lane Norris pulled out into the working lane almost alongside the Dutchman. Verstappen held his line in the fast lane and though Norris protest that he had been forced onto the grass at the side of the pit exit, Race Control ruled that there was nothing to investigate, and Verstappen held the lead on the road. 

    With the pit stops out of the way, Verstappen was now 1.4s clear of Norris, with Piastri another two seconds further back in third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc held fourth place, five seconds off the lead with Mercedes George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth places. 

    With 20 laps remaining Verstappen was given free rein to push but he couldn’t shake the McLarens, who continued to exert maximum pressure. Verstappen, though, was flawless and the champion delivered a perfect closing third of race to take his first win since last year’s race in Qatar and the 64th of his career. 

    Behind the top three, Leclerc was fourth ahead of Russell, who got to within 1.3 of the Ferrari in the closing stages but couldn’t quite put pressure on the Monegasque driver. Mercedes rookie Antonelli finished sixth while Hamilton took seventh after racing on a Hard-Medium strategy in opposition to the bulk of the field. Isack Hadjar took an impressive eighth place and his first F1 points for the Racing Bulls ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and the final point went to Haas’ Ollie Bearman. 

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’06.983 
    2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’08.406 1.423
    3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’09.112 2.129
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 1:22’23.080 16.097
    5 George Russell Mercedes 53 1:22’24.345 17.362
    6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 53 1:22’25.654 18.671
    7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 53 1:22’36.165 29.182
    8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’44.117 37.134
    9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 53 1:22’47.350 40.367
    10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’01.512 54.529
    11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 53 1:23’04.316 57.333
    12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’05.384 58.401
    13 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’09.105 1’02.122
    14 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 53 1:23’21.112 1’14.129
    15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’28.297 1’21.314
    16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’28.940 1’21.957
    17 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’29.717 1’22.734
    18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.421 1’23.438
    19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.880 1’23.897
    20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:22’19.912 1 lap /12.929

  • Max Verstappen grabs stunning Suzuka pole ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: F1

    Max Verstappen grabs stunning Suzuka pole ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: F1

    Suzuka (Japan) 5 April 2025: Max Verstappen took a stunning first pole position of 2025 for the Japanese Grand Prix and claimed the outright lap record of Suzuka as he hauled his tricky RB21 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by just one hundredth of a second. Oscar Piastri claimed third for McLaren with the top three covered by just 0.040s. 

    In the final runs of Q3 Norris looked to have done enough to secure pole when he crossed the line in 1:26.995. His main rival looked to be Piastri, who was midway through his lap, but no Verstappen, who had struggled for balance all weekend. 

    The Dutchman had clearly not read the script, however and after “sending it and hoping it would stick” the Red Bull Racing driver secured his first pole since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix and the 41st of his career. 

    “We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance with the car, but it wasn’t easy, even in qualifying,” said the Dutchman afterwards. “But every session we just kept on making little improvements. I think that’s what made the difference. And yeah, the last lap was just flat out. I mean, around here being on the limit – or maybe even a bit over in places – is incredibly rewarding.”

    At the start of Q1, it was Piastri who led the way, with the Australian setting the early benchmark at 1:28.143. Verstappen’s opening flyer, two tenths down on P1, left him fourth on the timesheet. Norris then went for an early second attempt and  dropped the P1 time into 1m27s bracket with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc mirroring the strategy to climb to second place, a tenth behind the McLaren on 1:27.920.  

    In the final runs, Piastri reclaimed top spot, posting a lap of 1:27.687 to beat Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.156s. Norris was third ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen progressed to Q2 in sixth place with a time of 1:27.943, just 0.001s behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. 

    Headed for the exit after Q1, in P16 and P17 respectively, were Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto and the Sauber pair were followed out by Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and in last place Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who had an off in the ‘Esses’ on his final lap. 

    Verstappen was first out of the pit lane at the start of Q2 and the Dutchman upped his pace from Q1 to stop the clock at 1:27.502. It was good enough to split the McLaren’s with Norris taking top sport on 1:27.146, while Piastri could only manage 1:27.613, to sit a tenth off Verstappen. Russell then jumped to P2. Running halted there, however, as a grass fire at 130R brought out the red flags just as the first runs concluded. 

    The session resumed after an eight-minute delay and both Norris and Russell elected to sit out the final runs. Verstappen ventured out but with little threat coming from further behind he abandoned the attempt and headed into the pits. 

    Ruled out at the end of Q2 were Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in P11 with the French driver followed out by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Aston Martins’ Fernando Alonso, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda. 

    In the opening runs of the top-10 shootout it was Piastri who claimed provisional pole, with the McLaren driver setting the target at 1:27.052. Verstappen put in a strong Q3 opener of 1:27.278 to take P2 and keep Leclerc and Russell at bay, while Norris’s opener was four tenths slower than his Q2 best and he slotted into fifth place ahead of the final runs.

    Russell was one of the first out for his final flyer and a mistake in the Esses put paid to his thoughts of pole. Norris was next across the line and with a time of 1:16.995 it looked like the championship leader had done enough. Verstappen had other ideas, however, and in a track record time the four-time champion once again proved why he’d been on pole 40 times. 

    “A lot of happiness when I crossed the line,” he said. “The whole qualifying, we just kept on trying to improve the situation a bit. And the final lap, honestly, it was very good. I had a lot of fun out there, being fully committed everywhere. Some places, not sure if I was actually going to keep it or not, but yeah, it was really nice. And yeah, it was great for the team as well.”

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.983 – –
    2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.995 0.012 
    3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:27.027 0.044 
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.299 0.316 
    5 George Russell Mercedes 1:27.318 0.335 
    6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:27.555 0.572 
    7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:27.569 0.586 
    8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:27.610 0.627 
    9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:27.615 0.632 
    10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:27.867 0.884 
    11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:27.822 0.839 
    12 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:27.836 0.853 
    13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:27.897 0.914 
    14 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:27.906 0.923 
    15 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.000 1.017 
    16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:28.570 1.587 
    17 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:28.622 1.639 
    18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:28.696 1.713
    19 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:28.877 1.894 
    20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:29.271 2.288 

  • Piastri tops disrupted FP2 in Japan as Doohan suffers heavy crash: Japanese GP

    Piastri tops disrupted FP2 in Japan as Doohan suffers heavy crash: Japanese GP

    McLaren’s Oscar Piastri set the quickest time of a heavily disrupted second free practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix that featured four red flags, including one for a huge crash involving Alpine driver Jack Doohan. 

    After sitting out FP1 in favour of reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, Doohan was out on track early in the second session to maximise time on a circuit he last raced at in his time in the Asian F3 Championship in 2019. However, after putting just four laps on the board the Australian lost control of his Alpine on the entry to Turn 1. He immediately spun off at high speed and hit the barriers hard, causing severe damage to left side and rear of his car. He quickly pronounced himself unhurt but with the barriers needing major repairs the session was red flagged for over 20 minutes. 

    When running resumed it did so only briefly. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso beached his car in the gravel at Turn 8 and once again the red flags came out. The session would be halted twice more before the end of the hour as dry areas of grass at the side of the track caught fire, presumably due to sparks from cars bottoming out, and marshals had to attend the incidents with extinguishers.

    It meant that running was heavily disrupted, and it was the McLaren duo of Piastri and Lando Norris that topped the session. Th Australian set a best time of 1:28.114 to take P1 half a tenth clear of Norris with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar in third place, four tenths off Piastri. 

    Lewis Hamilton was fifth for Ferrari ahead of the second Racing Bulls car of Liam Lawson and George Russell was sixth for Mercedes. Many drivers failed to get in a quali sim on Soft tyres, however, leaving the timesheet inconclusive. 

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:28.114 13 237.251
    2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:28.163 0.049 12 237.119
    3 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:28.518 0.404 12 236.168
    4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:28.544 0.430 14 236.099
    5 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:28.559 0.445 13 236.059
    6 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.567 0.453 13 236.038
    7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.586 0.472 14 235.987
    8 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.670 0.556 9 235.764
    9 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:28.757 0.643 13 235.532
    10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:28.832 0.718 9 235.334
    11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:29.023 0.909 11 234.829
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:29.062 0.948 12 234.726
    13 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:29.335 1.221 13 234.009
    14 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:29.507 1.393 13 233.559
    15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:29.654 1.540 10 233.176
    16 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:29.733 1.619 13 232.971
    17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:29.978 1.864 5 232.336
    18 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:30.625 2.511 12 230.678
    19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:30.845 2.731 12 230.119
    20 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:31.659 3.545 4 228.075

  • Bagnaia capitalises on Marc Marquez crash in drama-filled Americas GP

    Bagnaia capitalises on Marc Marquez crash in drama-filled Americas GP

    Rain, a delayed start and an end to the #93’s clean sweep in 2025 – Sunday in Austin had a little bit of everything as Alex Marquez becomes the new title chase leader…

    Austin (USA), 30 March 2025: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is a Grand Prix winner in 2025 after an immensely dramatic Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas unfolded on a Sunday afternoon that saw COTA King, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), crash out of the lead. With another P2 finish, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) becomes the new MotoGP title chase leader, as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) completed the podium in an absolutely unforgettable Round 3.


    RAIN (AND A QUICK-THINKING MM93) CREATES PRE-RACE CHAOS IN AUSTIN

    Talk about amplified drama. Rain before the start saw the riders face incredibly tricky conditions heading to the grid, as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) proved. The Frenchman crashed on his sighting lap but managed to get back round to the grid, as we then saw something we very rarely see.


    Just before the three-minute board was signalled, Marc Marquez dashed off the grid. This led to Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Alex Marquez and more following suit, with riders and team members sprinting down pit lane to grab the spare bikes that were fitted with slick tyres. 


    Some though, including Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), opted to gamble on slick tyres from the get-go and remained on the grid – along with some other riders. However, in the chaos, the red flags were thrown. Below, is the reasoning from Race Director Mike Webb: “We called for a delay and then quick start procedure due to safety concerns. Given the number of riders, bikes and pit staff on the grid and in the pit lane area, it was impossible to start the warm-up lap. A new race start was the safest way to respond to the unprecedented circumstances at the start of the Grand Prix. We will analyse the situation together with the teams and revisit the regulations.”

    After a brief pause in proceedings, the updated information was a 14:10 pit lane green light and a quick start procedure, with original grid positions to be occupied by every rider. Then, it was time to try again – every rider now on slicks. But again, there was drama. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) had to be wheeled off the grid before we finally got the Grand Prix underway.


    LIGHTS OUT: Marc Marquez grabs early lead

    Marc Marquez launched well and grabbed the holeshot, with Alex Marquez holding off Bagnaia into Turn 1. Pecco was trying to wriggle his way past the Gresini rider, first at Turn 11, then at Turn 12, but both attempts failed. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez built a 1.1s lead at the end of Lap 1, with the top four – Marquez, Marquez, Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio – nearly two seconds up the road from Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team), who was enjoying a good battle with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).


    On Lap 4, Marc Marquez’s lead was up to 1.4s over Alex Marquez, who had Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio clinging onto his tailpipes. Then, at Turn 12, Bagnaia’s latest manoeuvre worked. The #63 was now in P2, so with clear air, could he reel in teammate Marquez?

    A 2:02.466 from #93 saw Marquez stretch his lead to 1.6s at the start of Lap 5, and then a 2:02.433 meant the gap was now up to the two-second mark. Meanwhile, further down the pack in the fantastic fight for P6, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 1.


    MORE DRAMA: The #93’s first error of 2025


    Then, fancy another massive slice of drama? Because that’s what we got. Turn 4 was the place, and it was race leader Marc Marquez who was on the floor! The front end washed away as he clipped across the curb too far, hit a wet patch, and with that, the undefeated run was over. Marquez was able to remount in P18, but without a right foot peg, plus more damage to his GP25, there was no way back into the points for the #93 with both Viñales and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) passing the six-time MotoGP Champion.


    BOUNCING BACK: Bagnaia holds on for victory

    So where did that leave us? Bagnaia led Alex Marquez by 1.6s, with the latter 2.2s clear of Di Giannantonio. And on Lap 13, Marc Marquez called time on his 2025 Sunday outing at the Americas GP. The victory streak was officially over.

    On Lap 15 of 19, Bagnaia grew his advantage to three seconds. A lap later, it was a tenth more as Marquez continued to hold Di Giannantonio at arm’s length – 1.3s to be exact. Meanwhile, the fastest rider on track was Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and the rookie, with two laps left, bullied his way past Miller for P5. However, a fantastic ride then ended in the gravel trap at Turn 15, and at a similar time, Zarco’s impressive display ended at Turn 12.

    Last lap time. Bagnaia simply had to bring it home, but 2.5s behind, Alex Marquez couldn’t relax as much. Diggia was prowling, a second split the two, so any slight error from the #73 could prove costly. In the end, it stayed as you were. Bagnaia bagged a massive 25 points to become the 10th rider in history to earn 30 MotoGP wins, as new World Championship leader, Alex Marquez, crossed the line in P2 for the sixth straight outing. Di Giannantonio’s efforts weren’t enough for P2, but nevertheless, a phenomenal P3 was pocketed for the Italian in Austin.

    POINTS SCORERS: Americas GP edition

    Morbidelli came home in P4, with Miller grabbing his best Yamaha result with a very classy P5. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) came from P13 on the grid to finish P6, Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) rose to the occasion on a Sunday once more to fly the KTM flag highest in P7, as Marini, Ogura, and Quartararo completed the top 10.

    Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was P11, Raul Fernandez leaves Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s home race with a P12, as Augusto Fernandez (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), Viñales and Savadori rounded out the points finishers in Texas.

    Well, MotoGP delivers again. Drama, drama and a bit more drama. Marc Marquez’s 100% record vanishes as a new Marquez sits atop the Championship – Alex. And how big will that victory be for Pecco? The double MotoGP World Champion will now be brimming with confidence heading to Qatar for Round 4. See you all there.

  • Marc Marquez clinches gold in blockbuster Austin Sprint

    Marc Marquez clinches gold in blockbuster Austin Sprint

    Marc MThe #93’s 100% win record remains intact, but it didn’t come easy as a brilliant Tissot Sprint unfolds in Texasarquez clinches gold in blockbuster Austin Sprint

    Austin (Texas, US), 29 March 2025: Stateside Tissot Sprint glory went the way of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) – but not without a decent slice of drama and fireworks thrown in along the way. The #93 eventually beat Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by less than a second in Austin to keep up his 100% victory record in 2025, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) – after leading on the first lap – brought home a bronze medal to set us up beautifully for Sunday.

    AN OPENING LAP SHOWDOWN: Marquez vs Bagnaia vs Marquez

    Without any shadow of a doubt, the opening lap of the Sprint was the best lap of the season – and it’ll take some beating too. Bagnaia, from P6, launched away superbly to grab the holeshot up the hill into Turn 1. Marc Marquez bit straight back at Turn 2 to retake the lead from his teammate, but at Turn 3, it was Pecco doing the overtaking again. It didn’t take long before Marquez decided to pounce back though, Turn 7 his chosen spot.So it was Marc Marquez leading Bagnaia and Alex Marquez. But at Turn 17, the #93’s Sprint very nearly came to a premature end. An almighty rear-end slide led to the six-time MotoGP Champion getting thrown out of the saddle, which cost the Championship leader P1 and P2. Thought we were done? Nope. Bagnaia and the Marquez brothers were locked together on the exit of Turn 19 and into Turn 20, the final corner, Marc Marquez passed both to retake the lead, with Alex Marquez slotting into P2. That’s worth several rewatches. 

    HOW THE SPRINT WAS WON

    That was some opening lap. But after hitting the front again and getting into a rhythm, Marc Marquez started to build a gap to Alex Marquez. It was 0.6s on Lap 3, as Bagnaia lost touch with the top two. The Italian had Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) swarming all over his rear tyre before the Frenchman had a huge moment on entry to Turn 15, which allowed Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) to slide through. Now, Quartararo was in a VR46 sandwich, with Fabio Di Giannantonio sitting in P6.

    On Lap 5 of 10, Marc Marquez’s advantage had shrunk from just under a second to 0.4s. That did rise back up to 0.6s on the next lap though, as Pecco found pace. But was it too late to lock onto the rear end of Alex Marquez?

    Meanwhile, a ferocious battle was unfolding between the two VR46 Ducatis and Quartararo. The trio exchanged fourth with four laps to go as the Yamaha star dug deep to try and cling onto a chance of finishing P4 – and what a job he was doing.

    With two laps to go, Marc Marquez’s lead was up to 1.4s, while Alex Marquez was still holding Bagnaia at bay by just over a second. However, heading onto the last lap, Alex had reeled in Marc. It was 0.7s over the line, so could anything be done by the younger Marquez to end his brother’s early season momentum?

    The answer was no. Marc Marquez held firm to pick up his third Tissot Sprint win on the bounce, with Alex Marquez continuing his P2 streak. Bagnaia claimed an important P3, just under two seconds away from his teammate, but the 2022 and 2023 MotoGP World Champion will be wanting more in Sunday’s Grand Prix despite being pleased with the result.

    SATURDAY POINTS SCORERS IN AUSTIN

    After a phenomenal mid-race scrap, Di Giannantonio won the fight for fourth, with Morbidelli keeping Quartararo behind him as the former teammates clinch P5 and P6 respectively – a top effort from the Yamaha star. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) collected seventh and acted as the lead KTM on Saturday, as Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) earned two Sprint points with a hard-earned P8. That was a great ride from the Italian who flew the HRC flag in the points after teammate Joan Mir crashed out from the top nine early doors, with Honda again showing progress – and that was Marini’s first Sprint points with Honda too.

    Meanwhile, the final Sprint point went the way of rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) after a great late battle with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

    If that first lap and subsequent battles didn’t get the juices flowing for Sunday in Austin, then we’re not sure what will. Tune into the MotoGP Americas Grand Prix at 14:00 local time (UTC -5) to see who will collect COTA’s 2025 crown!

  • Marc Marquez takes history-making COTA pole, Diggia pips Alex Marquez to second in Texas

    Marc Marquez takes history-making COTA pole, Diggia pips Alex Marquez to second in Texas

    The #93 becomes the first rider ever to take eight poles at one venue, with Diggia and Alex Marquez denying Acosta the front row
    Austin (Texas), Saturday, 29 March 2025: Qualifying for MotoGP at the Circuit of the Americas was a rollercoaster, with history made and some late shuffles changing the front row once and then again. Having topped Friday afternoon and Saturday morning action, COTA master Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) remains the rider to beat with his eighth pole at the circuit though, and that’s a new record for poles at one track in MotoGP.

    Second it’s Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) after he had a lap scrubbed and reinstated, with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). 
    PRESSURE ON: the battle to ascend into Q2
    First up though, Q1 and the dogfight to get into the shootout of Q2; big names in abundance, there were always going to be headlining acts sidelined from a shot at pole. On his first flying lap, yellow flags were out due to a highside on the exit of Turn 9 for Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) after running marginally off the kerb. He was perfectly OK and after grabbing the nearest scooter, he rushed back to pitlane and hopped on his spare bike. Due to the yellow flags, the first laps were largely cancelled. After that, there was also a red flag due to the air-fence needing to be re-deployed.
    Following a brief stoppage, 08:36 remained on the clock, making for a second half of the session full of activity, including Fernandez’s return to the track. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) was the first rider to set a lap time, with the benchmark of 2:02.001 for everyone else to beat but after the first runs, nobody was able to; Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) found time and went up to P2 before making an impressive save at Turn 1. Despite other efforts, Marini and Quartararo sailed into Q2, leaving Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) as one of the big disappointments, rooted to P13 with Aprilia out of Q2 for the first time since Thailand in 2022.
    POLE BATTLE: Q2 ignites in the USA
    First laps in, Marc Marquez set the benchmark of a 2:01.522, the fastest time of the weekend but on the second flying lap, plenty of riders were on course to better it. At Turn 11, the #93 had a big moment but escaped a fall, although the lap had now gone. With the first half of the session done, Di Giannantonio had moved into P2 ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), whilst in P5, Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) had saved a crash on his elbow at Turn 19 but a forced to be reckoned with inside the top five. He was just behind Alex Marquez who was up in P4.
    FIGHT UNTIL THE END: Marquez brothers in pole scrap
    The final five minutes were the deciding moments, with Marc Marquez leading Mir and thus giving his ex-teammate a good look at his lap at COTA. Just behind, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was trying to latch on but fell at Turn 1; he soon remounted whilst teammate Alex Marquez was on a storming lap and went provisional pole ahead of his brother. But the timing screens were alive with red sectors.

    Marc Marquez managed to respond to grab pole but behind, Di Giannantonio, who originally had his lap cancelled for yellow flags, had it reinstated for P2. Alex Marquez rounded out the front row whilst Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Pecco completed the second row.
    Top Honda honours were swept away by Marini who heads up the third row ahead of teammate Mir, making it the first time in  and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), with the latter two setting identical lap times. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) took his first top ten with KTM, ahead of 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo and late crasher Aldeguer. 

  • Oscar Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix; both Ferraris disqualified

    Oscar Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix; both Ferraris disqualified

    Shanghai, 23 March 2025: Oscar Piastri took a controlled third career victory in Shanghai, managing a tactical tyre-focused race expertly to win the Chinese Grand Prix from pole ahead of team-mate Lando Norris who overcame late-race brake woes to complete the McLaren 1-2 ahead of third-placed George Russell of Mercedes.

    When the lights went out for the start, polesitter Piastri got away well to take the lead ahead of Norris and Russell. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, got away slowly from fourth place on the dusty side of the grid, where earlier in the day oil had been deposited along the pit straight during a support race, and the Dutchman lost two places as he was passed by the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. But both Ferraris were later disqualified for technical infringements.

    Disqualified

    Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have both been disqualified from the final classification of the Chinese Grand Prix, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also excluded after all three were found to have infringed technical regulations. 

    In the case of Hamilton who crossed the line in P6, the thickness of the plank assembly was below the permitted minimum thickness of 9mm, by 0.4mm on the left side and centreline and by 0.5mm on the right side. The Stewards determined that Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations had been breached and “therefore the standard penalty of a disqualification needs to be applied for such an infringement”.

    In the cases of fifth across the line Leclerc and 11th-placed Gasly, both cars were found to be 1kg under the minimum 800kg weight and this time the Stewards determined that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations had been breached, which again comes with a standard penalty of disqualification. 

    On his way through to P5, however, Leclerc was clipped by Hamilton. With the left side of his front wing dropping and the end plate missing, he was told by his team that he had lost 30 points of downforce. Leclerc told his team he could manage the loss and in a superb drive, the Monegasque showed great pace from there on. 

    Ahead of the first pit stop window Piastri managed to build a small two-second gap to team-mate Norris, with Russell a further 2.7s behind. Behind the fourth and fifth-placed, however, Max was losing touch with the leaders and on lap 13 the Dutchman was 5.5s adrift of Leclerc. 

    At the end of lap 13 the Team brought Max in to shed his opening Medium tyres, and the champion bolted on a set of Hards in a 2.2 second halt. He rejoined in P11, behind Hamilton who had pitted on the same lap.  

    Race leader Piastri made his stop at the end of lap 14, along with Russell, while Norris and Leclerc made their switch to Hard tyres at the end of the following tour. And after the first round of stops was complete, Piastri resumed in the lead. Norris was briefly undercut by Russell, but the McLaren driver swiftly closed in and under DRS at the start of lap 18 he swept past to reclaim the position.

    Hamilton though was struggling for pace, and the Briton was told to swap places with Leclerc, who despite holding on to his broken wing in his pit stop, was flying. Max, meanwhile, was still in sixth place, three seconds behind the Ferraris. 

    The Hard tyre proved to be more durable and pacier than anticipated and soon after the second stint had begun, teams began to target a one-stop race, with all of the eventual top 10 opting for a single visit to the pit lane. 

    As the race entered its final third, Verstappen began to close in on Hamilton, and with the Dutchman showing good pace, Ferrari chose to back out of the brewing battle, and pitted Hamilton for a new set of tyres in order to make a late charge. The seven-time champion emerged a little under 19 seconds behind Verstappen who was 4.5s behind Leclerc.

    The Red Bull driver began to slowly reel in the lead Ferrari and on lap 52 he was withing DRS range. Leclerc tried to defend but the champion had too much pace and as they crossed the line to start the following lap, Verstappen passed the Ferrari around the outside of Turn 2 to take a fourth place he held to the flag.

    At the front, Piastri took the third win of his career ahead of Norris who managed an ever-lengthening brake pedal in the closing laps to stay ahead of Russell. Leclerc took fifth ahead of Hamilton. Esteban Ocon put in a good performance to take six points for Haas. Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished eighth for Mercedes, while birthday boy Alex Albon took two points for Williams and Haas earned a double points finish with tenth place. 

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:30’55.026 
    2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:31’04.774 9.748
    3 George Russell Mercedes 56 1:31’06.123 11.097
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 56 1:31’11.682 16.656
    5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 56 1:31’18.237 23.211
    6 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 56 1:31’20.407 25.381     (both disqualified later)

    5 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 56 1:31’44.995 49.969
    6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 56 1:31’48.774 53.748
    7 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 56 1:31’51.347 56.321
    8 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 56 1:31’56.329 1’01.303
    Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 56 1:32’02.221 1’07.195 (disqualified later)
    9. Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 56 1:32’05.230 1’10.204
    10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 56 1:32’11.413 1’16.38
    11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 56 1:32’13.901 1’18.875
    12 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Honda RBPT 56 1:32’16.173 1’21.147
    13 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 56 1:32’23.427 1’28.401
    14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 55 1:31’05.782 1 lap /10.756
    15 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 55 1:31’15.252 1 lap /20.226
    16 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 55 1:31’18.537 1 lap /23.511
         Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 4 7’25.574 Retirement

  • Oscar Piastri take pole for Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of George Russell: F1

    Oscar Piastri take pole for Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of George Russell: F1

    Oscar Piastri set a new track record on his way to his first career prix pole position in a tight qualifying session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. The McLaren driver set a time of 1:30.641 and beat Mercedes’ George Russell by just nine-hundredths of a second, with team-mate Lando Norris another five hundredths back in third.

    Piastri set the pace in the opening runs of Q1, with the McLaren driver stopping the clock at 1:31.591, a tenth ahead of China Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton and almost half a second ahead of third-placed Russell. 

    However, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen was one of the last to leave the pit lane, and his opener flyer, which featured a purple final sector, pushed him past Piastri on 1:31.424. 

    Verstappen opted to sit out the final runs and with the track improving all the time, the door was left open for his time to be challenged. The first to do that was Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda who jumped ahead with a lap of 1:31.238. The Japanese driver’s new team-mate, Isack Hadjar, then found another handful of hundredths to briefly take P1 before McLaren’s Lando Norris jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:30.983. 

    At the other end of the timesheet, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was the first to exit the session in P16, followed by Haas’ Oliver Bearman, the second Alpine of Jack Doohan, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson. 

    Norris was again quickest in the opening runs of Q2. The Briton posted a time of 1:30.787 to sit four-tenths clear of team-mate Piastri, with Verstappen in third place with a lap of 1:31.234. Russell slotted into fourth with Tsunoda again looking pacey in fifth. 

    Norris sat out the final runs, while Piastri went out on a used set of Soft-compound Pirelli tyres. That allowed Verstappen to steal P2 with his final time of 1:31.142, 0.355s off Norris. 

    The impressive Hadjar took fourth place thanks to a lap 1:31.253, just five-hundredths of a second off Piastri, while Tsunoda backed up his team-mate with fifth place, four hundredths ahead of Russell. 

    Eliminated at the end of Q2 were Haas’ Esteban Ocon in P11, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Land Stroll and in 15th place Williams’ Carlos Sainz. 

    Verstappen set the pace early in Q3 with a lap of 1:30.925. That was not quite good enough to hold off the McLarens, however, and Piastri took provisional pole 0.222s ahead of the champion, with Norris nine-hundredths of a second behind his team-mate. 

    And the Australian was one of the few to improve in the final runs, finding another six hundredths to claim his first Grand Prix pole position. Norris backed out of his final flyer and that allowed Russell to claim a front-row berth with a time of 1:30.723. Norris was left with third ahead of Verstappen who couldn’t find any gains on his final flyer.

    Hamilton secured fifth ahead of team-mate Leclerc and Isack Hadjar claimed an excellent seventh place. The French driver was, however, set to be investigated after the session for an unsafe release into the path of Max ahead of the final runs. Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified eighth place for Mercedes ahead of Tsunoda and Alex Albon took tenth place for Williams. 

    2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.641 – –
    2 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.723 0.082 0.090
    3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.793 0.152 0.168
    4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:30.817 0.176 0.194
    5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.927 0.286 0.316
    6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.021 0.380 0.419
    7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:31.079 0.438 0.483
    8 Aandrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:31.103 0.462 0.510
    9 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:31.638 0.997 1.100
    10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:31.706 1.065 1.175
    11 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:31.625 0.984 1.086
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:31.632 0.991 1.093
    13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.688 1.047 1.155
    14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.773 1.132 1.249
    15 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:31.840 1.199 1.323
    16 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:31.992 1.351 1.490
    17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:32.018 1.377 1.519
    18 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:32.092 1.451 1.601
    19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.141 1.500 1.655
    20 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:32.174 1.533 1.691