INDIA in F1

Category: Formula 1

  • Carlos Sainz pole delights Tiffosi; Leclerc P3

    Carlos Sainz pole delights Tiffosi; Leclerc P3

    Monza (Italy), 2 Sept. 2023: Carlos Sainz sent Ferrari’s home fans wild with delight at Monza as he narrowly claimed pole position for tomorrow’s 2023 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, beating championship leader Max Verstappen by just over one hundredth of a second, with Charles Leclerc third in the other Ferrari. 

    Carlos Sainz says: What a Saturday! It’s so special to get pole position here, in front of all the tifosi. I had a very good feeling from the car already on Friday and today we confirmed our pace. Q3 was always on the limit and we all took big risks in the fight for this pole. When I finally crossed the line and I heard the tifosi screaming like crazy and jumping on the grandstands I knew we had it!
    The weekend is not over yet, we want more, and for that we need to stay focused and prepare well for tomorrow. It’s going to be a challenging race but we’ll give it everything to fight for the win and give the tiffosi around the world something to keep cheering us on!

    Sainz took provisional pole in the first runs of Q3 but when Verstappen went quicker than Leclerc to rise to P1 on his final run it looked like the Red Bull driver was on course for his ninth pole of the season. Sainz was the last of the frontrunners on track, however, and after setting the fastest Sector 2 time of all, the Spaniard claimed the fourth pole position of his career, 0.013s ahead of Verstappen. 

    At the start of Q1, run on Hard tyres as the Alternative Tyre Allocation returned, It was Alex Albon who set the early pace, with the Williams driver posting a lap of 1:22.123 to top the timesheet ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. 

    After having his first lap deleted for exceeding track limits, Verstappen then jumped to the top of the order with a lap of 1:21.573, a little over three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Sergio Pérez, with the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in third and fourth places respectively. 

    Both Red Bull drivers sat out the final runs but Verstappen’s earlier lap was good enough to keep him in top spot. 

    It was Albon who came closest to toppling the Dutchman, with the Williams driver taking P2 less than a tenth off the pace. Leclerc claimed P3 a further tenth of a second behind, while AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda took fourth place ahead of Pérez.

    At the other end of the timesheet, there was no place in Q2 for Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu who was eliminated in P16 ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and last-placed Aston Martin man Lance Stroll. 

    Having switched to the mandated Medium tyres for Q2, Verstappen was first on track and the Dutch set the a target time of 1:21.035. Pérez crossed the line just under four tenths off that to claim P2 before Sainz moved ahead of both with a lap of 1:20.991. Leclerc then took third ahead of Albon, with Pérez dropping to P5 at the end of the first runs. 

    Verstappen then seized control in the final runs, posting a lap of 1:20.937 to take P1. Leclerc slotted into P2, four hundredths of a second behind, while Sainz abandoned his final run and finished in third, ahead of Pérez who improved to 1:21.240 on his final flyer. 

    Ruled out at the end of Q2 were Tsunoda in P11 and his AlphaTauri team-mate Liam Lawson who impressed in P12 ahead of Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Williams’ Logan Sargeant. 

    The Red Bulls were once again first on track at the start of Q3, this time on the quickest Soft compound tyres, but it was Ferrari who seized the initiative in the opening runs, with Sainz taking provisional pole thanks to a lap of 1:20.532. That put the Spaniard three hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc, with Verstappen in P3, 0.099s off top spot. 

    Verstappen jumped to P1 with his final flyer but Sainz claimed pole by the narrow margin of 0.013s, with Leclerc in third place ahead of Russell while Pérez took P5 thanks to a lap of 1:20.688. He was followed by Albon who took sixth ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with Hamilton in eighth ahead of Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix – Qualiyfing
    1 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:20.294 – –
    2 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:20.307 0.013 0.016
    3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:20.361 0.067 0.083
    4 George Russell Mercedes 1:20.671 0.377 0.470
    5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:20.688 0.394 0.491
    6 Alexander Albon Williams 1:20.760 0.466 0.580
    7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:20.785 0.491 0.612
    8 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.820 0.526 0.655
    9 Lando Norris McLaren 1:20.979 0.685 0.853
    10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:21.417 1.123 1.399
    11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:21.594 1.300 1.619
    12 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 1:21.758 1.464 1.823
    13 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:21.776 1.482 1.846
    14 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:21.940 1.646 2.050
    15 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:21.944 1.650 2.055
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:22.390 2.096 2.610
    17 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:22.545 2.251 2.803
    18 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:22.548 2.254 2.807
    19 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:22.592 2.298 2.862
    20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:22.860 2.566 3.196

  • Max Verstappen takes ninth consecutive win, equals Vettel’s record

    Max Verstappen takes ninth consecutive win, equals Vettel’s record

    Zandvort, 27 August 2023: Max Verstappen shrugged off downpours, Safety Cars and a red flag to take his third straight win on home soil at the Dutch Grand Prix and to equal Sebastian Vettel’s decade-old record of nine consecutive wins. 

    The Red Bull driver briefly lost the lead as heavy rain midway through the opening lap led to team-mate Sergio Pérez to pit for Intermediate tyres and rise up the order as many drivers, including Verstappen , held off until the end of the second tour. But once equipped with Inters Verstappen rose through the order to retake the lead on lap and then led the race through Safety Cars, more heavy rain and red flags in the closing stages to take his 46th career win ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Alpine’s jubilant Pierre Gasly.

    When the lights went out at the start, Verstappen got away well from pole position and took the lead ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Behind them, Alonso was the major mover, rising from fifth on the grid to third place in the opening three corners. 

    However, halfway around the first lap the heavens opened and Pérez was the first to react. While Verstappen, Norris and Alonso stuck with slick Soft tyres, the Mexican, followed by a stream of cars, pitted for Intermediates.

    Pérez dropped down the order but as the rain intensified it became clear that slick tyres were not suitable and Verstappen pitted at the end of lap two. Pérez, meanwhile, was rocketed through the field  and after passing Mercedes’ George Russell at the start of third lap, he took the lead, 14 seconds clear of Verstappen who was now in fifth place, behind Gasly. 

    Verstappen was soon on the move, however, and when Russell pitted and dropped back Verstappen muscled past Gasly on lap 6 and then passed Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou on the following lap to take second place, 9.5s behind Pérez. 

    The shower was weakening, however, and with the track drying quickly Verstappen was soon back in the pits taking on Soft tyres. Pérez made the same switch a lap later but the undercut worked for Verstappen and the Dutchman as his team-mate made his way to the pit exit, Verstappen swept past to retake the lead, with Alonso in third ahead of Gasly and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

    The chaos of the opening phase then briefly gave way to more settled running, but on lap 16 the shape of the race changed again when Williams’ Logan Sargeant crashed at Turn 8. The Safety Car was released and the field bunched up behind the Bulls until lap 21 when the caution ended. 

    Verstappen held the lead well at the restart, with Pérez hanging on to his team-mate’s RB19 to keep Alonso at bay. Behind the front three, Gasly held fourth place despite heavy pressure from Sainz. 

    After the resumption it was Albon making the most headway, with the Williams driver swiftly passing Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and Zhou to take sixth place. Further back, however, Charles Leclerc was struggling on lap 27 he dropped two places as he was passed by both Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The Ferrari driver, who had suffered floor damage in a tangle with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the start, would later retire from the race. 

    At the front, Verstappen was steadily building a gap to his team-mate and by lap 44 he was 11 seconds ahead. Pérez then made his second stop, for more softs, and he dropped to fourth place behind Gasly. 

    The Frenchman made his pit stop on lap 47, during which he served a five-second penalty for an earlier speeding offence in the pit lane and Peerez moved back to third place, which became second when Alonso pitted at the end of lap 48. The Spaniard’s stop was slow due to the problem with his front left tyre and he lost third place to Sainz. 

    Verstappen made his third pit stop at the end of the following tour and after taking on another set of Soft tyres the Dutchman resumed in the lead, six seconds clear of his team-mate and Alonso and Sainz. 

    Behind them Gasly was driving well in fifth place and beginning to put pressure on Sainz, while at the start of lap 57 Albon moved back to sixth place, using DRS to pass Russell who had risen up the order after his stop for hard tyres early in the race. 

    Gasly then made his way past Sainz at the start of lap 60 but within a lap the rain that had been moving towards Zandvoort for some time began to fall. Pérez was again the first to react and he pitted for Inters. The Mexican was followed by a stream of cars and then on the following lap, Verstappen made his stop and resumed in the lead. 

    Pérez then went off at Turn 1 and clipped the barriers. He was able to continue but lost P2 to Alonso. The rain was now intensifying and when Zhou lost control and went into the barriers at Turn 1, the VSC was deployed. With a sizeable gap in hand, Verstappen headed into the pit lane for full wet tyres and with torrential rain falling, Pérez followed. 

    However, during the Mexican’s stop the race was red flagged and he was forced to stop at the end of the pit lane as the rest of the field tip-toed through the treacherous conditions to join him. The stoppage was also a chance for the team to assess the damage caused to the Mexican’s car in his Turn 1 spin and contact with the barrier and when he clipped the wall at the pit entry on the way into the pit lane, a moment that would later compromise his race. 

    After almost 45 minutes Race Control indicated that the race would get underway again, with a rolling start and with intermediate tyres specified and with Max at the front of the pack ahead of Alonso and Pérez. 

    And when the Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 66, Verstappen controlled the restart well to keep a hard-charging Alonso at bay. Pérez, however, was handed a five-second penalty for his tyre switch in the heavy rain, during which he exceeded the pit lane speed limit. 

    Further back, Russell put a good move on Norris to take P7, but the McLaren driver fought back and in Turn 11 there was contact. Russell sustained a puncture and was forced back to the pit lane. 

    Verstappen, though, was pulling away at the front and after 72 incident-packed laps the Dutchman crossed the line to take his ninth win of 2023.

    Despite pressure from behind, Alonso took P2 with Gasly rising to third as Pérez’s penalty was applied. The Mexican was left with fourth ahead of Sainz, Hamilton and Norris. Albon finished eighth ahead of Piastri and the final point went to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Race
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 72 2:24’04.411 
    2 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 72 2:24’08.155 3.744
    3 Pierre Gasly Alpine 72 2:24’11.469 7.058
    4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 72 2:24’14.479 10.068
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 72 2:24’16.952 12.541
    6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 72 2:24’17.620 13.209
    7 Lando Norris McLaren 72 2:24’17.643 13.232
    8 Alexander Albon Williams 72 2:24’19.566 15.155
    9 Oscar Piastri McLaren 72 2:24’20.991 16.580
    10 Esteban Ocon Alpine 72 2:24’22.757 18.346
    11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 72 2:24’24.498 20.087
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 72 2:24’25.251 20.840
    13 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 72 2:24’30.558 26.147
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 72 2:24’30.821 26.410
    15 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 72 2:24’31.799 27.388
    16 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 72 2:24’34.304 29.893
    17 George Russell Mercedes 72 2:25’00.165 55.754
         Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 62 1:27’01.340 Accident
         Charles Leclerc Ferrari 41 59’41.345 Retirement
         Logan Sargeant Williams 14 21’42.428 Accident
         Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri RBPT 0 – Withdrawn

  • Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Lando Norris

    Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Lando Norris

    Zandvoort (The Netherlands), 26 August 2023: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took pole position for his home race at Zandvoort half a second clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris in a wet/dry qualifying for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix that was twice interrupted by red flags. 

    After separate crashes for Williams’ Logan Sargeant and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc brought the final top-10 shootout to a halt, Verstappen held his nerve in the tight final handful of minutes to post an unbeatable lap of 1:10.567, 0.537s clear of Norris, with Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth ahead of Alex Albon in a much improved Williams. 

    At the start of the session Norris took top spot in the opening stages with a time of 1:22.932, almost four tenths of a second ahead of Verstappen. Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri then took P1 and with a little under seven minutes remaining Sergio Pérez, in the second Red Bull, jumped to P2 with a time of 1:22.296. 

    The track was improving all the time, however, and Verstappen was soon back in P1, posting a lap of 1:21.230 to sit almost two tenths clear of Piastri who had improved to 1:21.254 and third-place Norris who was almost two tenths further back. 

    With three minutes left, Alex Albon stole P1 with a lap of 1:20.939 and light rain beginning to fall in the pit lane there were few improvements during the final laps of Q1, though Charles Leclerc needed a last-ditch attempt to escape the drop zoner and the Ferrari driver’s nervy, sliding final flyer boosted him to P14. 

    Out at the end of the first session were Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, the second Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas and rookie Liam Lawson, taking part in his first Qualifying session for AlphaTauri in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo. 

     At the start of Q2 Verstappen ste that pace with a lap of 1:21.921, while Piastri took P2 with a time of 1:21.399, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. 

    With a little over seven minutes remaining, Verstappen improved to 1:20.282 to take P1 ahead of fellow improver Norris, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in P3. With the sun now shining and with conditions steadily improving, Verstappen took six tenths of a second out of his own P1 time to lower the benchmark at 1:19.652. Pérez, on a new set of intermediates, then jumped from P11 to P2 with a time of 1:20.591. But once again the Red Bull drivers were shuffled back by Albon who took P1 with a lap of 1:19.399. 

    With just over a minute left Piastri moved the top of the timesheet with a time of 1:19.392. The Australian was the first to take the flag, however, and with a host of improvements being made elsewhere he couldn’t hold onto P1. Verstappen duly took top spot at the end of the session with a lap of 1:18.856. Piastri held on to P2 ahead of Albon, with Alonso fourth ahead of Leclerc, with George Russell sixth for Mercedes ahead of Norris, while Pérez went through in P8 ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and the second Williams of Logan Sargeant. Out went Stroll, in P11, ahead of Gasly, Hamilton, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg. 

    At the start of the top 10 shootout it was Albon, on slick tyres, who set the pace, with the Williams driver posting a lap of 1:15.743 a second clear of team-mate Sargeant, Sainz and Russell. There was no time for any other flying laps, however, as the red flags were flown when Sargeant lost control of his Williams and went off hard into the barriers at Turn 2. 

    After a 20-minute delay due to barrier repairs, running resumed, with eight minutes left in the session and with the remaining drivers on slick tyres. 

    Russell was the first to set a flyer and the P1 time immediately dropped to 1:12.578. Norris quickly rose to the top of the order with a lap of 1:12.049 ahead of Piastri, while Verstappen slotted into third place on 1:12.389. However, with four minutes remaining the red flags came out again when Leclerc, on his second flyer, went off at Turn 9, causing extensive damage to the left side of his Ferrari. 

    When the green lights were shown again, Verstappen punched in what proved to be an unbeatable benchmark of 1:10.567 to take his eight pole position of 2023. Norris got closest to the Dutchman, though the McLaren driver took the front row berth a full half second adrift of the champion, while Russell will line up third alongside Albon. Alonso and Sainz are set to start on row three, and Pérez will start the Dutch Grand Prix from P7 on the grid ahead of Piastri and the unfortunate Leclerc and Sargeant. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:10.567  8 217.274
    2 Lando Norris McLaren 1:11.104 0.537 0.761 7 215.633
    3 George Russell Mercedes 1:11.294 0.727 1.030 9 215.058
    4 Alexander Albon Williams 1:11.419 0.852 1.207 10 214.682
    5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:11.506 0.939 1.331 9 214.421
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:11.754 1.187 1.682 9 213.680
    7 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:11.880 1.313 1.861 9 213.305
    8 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:11.938 1.371 1.943 9 213.133
    9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:12.665 2.098 2.973 5 211.001
    10 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:16.748 6.181 8.759 3 199.77
    11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:20.121 1.265 1.604 10 191.365
    12 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:20.128 1.272 1.613 10 191.348
    13 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.151 1.295 1.642 10 191.293
    14 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri  1:20.230 1.374 1.742 10 191.105
    15 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:20.250 1.394 1.768 10 191.057
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:22.067 1.128 1.394 12 186.827
    17 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:22.110 1.171 1.447 12 186.729
    18 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:22.192 1.253 1.548 11 186.543
    19 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:22.260 1.321 1.632 12 186.389
    20 Liam Lawson AlphaTauri 1:23.420 2.481 3.065 12 183.797

  • Max Verstappen double at Spa; Sergio Perez 2nd

    Max Verstappen double at Spa; Sergio Perez 2nd

    Spa Francorchamps, 30 July 2023: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen rose from sixth on the grid to take a comfortable Belgian Grand Prix win, beating team-mate Sergio Pérez by more than 22 seconds, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc held off Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to claim the final podium place at Spa-Francorchamps. 

    At the start, Leclerc made a good start from pole position to take the lead into La Source ahead of Pérez who defended aggressively to keep Hamilton at bay. Behind them, though, there was contact when Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, starting fourth, locked up into Turn 1 and squeezed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri into the wall on the inside. Both cars were damaged in the incident, with Piastri forced into retirement later in the lap, while Sainz was able to limp on. 

    Verstappen , meanwhile, made a good start from P6, and taking a wide line into Turn 1 to stay out of trouble he was able to tuck into P5 on the run through Eau Rouge. 

    As the cars swept up the hill to Raidillon, Pérez closed on Leclerc and the Mexican powered 

    past Leclerc to take the lead, while behind them Verstappen breezed past the wounded Ferrari of Sainz to take P4 behind Hamilton. 

    His stay behind the Briton would be brief, however. On lap six, the Dutchman closed in on the Kemmel straight under DRS and he eased past the Mercedes driver under braking on the inside into Les Combes. The champion was now just a second behind Leclerc, while ahead, Pérez led the Ferrari driver by 2.4 seconds. And three laps later Vertsappen moved to took to P2, passing Leclerc on the outside on the approach to Les Combes. 

    Hamilton was the first of the soft tyre front runners to pit and the Mercedes driver switched to Medium tyres at the end of lap 12. Pérez made his first stop on lap 12, and he moved to medium tyres. The stop was slightly slow, however, at 3.2 seconds with sparks flying from the left rear but he managed to rejoin in second place ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen then pitted at the end of lap 14 and he took on new Medium tyres in a 2.5s second stop that put him back on track just over two seconds behind Pérez. 

    Verstappen quickly erased that gap and on lap 17, aided by DRS on the long Kemmel straight, he shot past his team-mate to take the lead. And immediately afterwards the Dutchman posted a new fastest lap of 1:50.108 to power out of DRS range.

    On lap 18, Sainz, struggling with damage in P19 and soon to retire, reported that rain was falling at Turn 15 and over the following three laps it began to get more steady and on lap 22 there was a nervous moment for Verstappen when the Dutchman suffered snap midway through Eau Rouge and had to quickly correct. “I almost lost it,” he told his pit wall before backing off his lap times in the tricky conditions to manage the gap to Pérez 

    The race leader was told the rain wouldn’t last, however, and despite the slippery track he and the rest of the field hung on to slick tyres. That forecast proved to be correct and soon after half distance the times began to drop once again, leaving the Red Bulls drivers to settle in at the front of the pack. On lap 25 Verstappen led Pérez by six seconds and with the Mexican seven seconds clear of Leclerc. Hamilton was fourth with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in P5. 

    Hamilton made his second stop, for Soft tyres, on lap 28 and Ferrari reacted by pitting Leclerc on the following lap, with the Monegasque driver moving to the same compound as their tight battle for P3 continued. 

    Pérez made his second stop at the end of lap 29 and in a smooth 2.2 second halt he also moved to Soft tyres. Verstappen then made his second stop at the end of the following lap, switching to Soft tyres just a tenth of a second slower than his team-mate. And he immediately used the greater grip of the softest compound on offer to blast to the fastest lap of the race with a lap of 1:48.922 on lap 32. 

    With the bulk of pit stops complete, the order at the top settled, with Verstappen a comfortable 17 seconds ahead of Pérez who was 4.2s clear of Leclerc. And by the end of lap 44 Verstappen had stretched the advantage to take his eight consecutive victory 22.3 seconds clear of Pérez, who scored his seventh podium of the season. 

    Behind the top two, Leclerc held on to second place ahead of Hamilton, who pitted on the penultimate lap for a new set of Medium tyres to take the fastest lap of the race on the final tour with a lap of 1:47.305. 

    Alonso finished in fifth place ahead of George Russell who worked a one-stop race well to take sixth after starting in eighth, while Lando Norris took the flag in P7. Esteban Ocon finished in eight place ahead of Lance Stroll and the final point on offer was taken by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 44 1:22’30.450 
    2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 44 1:22’52.755 22.305
    3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 44 1:23’02.709 32.259
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 44 1:23’20.121 49.671
    5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 44 1:23’26.634 56.184
    6 George Russell Mercedes 44 1:23’33.551 1’03.101
    7 Lando Norris McLaren 44 1:23’44.169 1’13.719
    8 Esteban Ocon Alpine 44 1:23’45.169 1’14.719
    9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 44 1:23’49.790 1’19.340
    10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 44 1:23’50.671 1’20.221
    11 Pierre Gasly Alpine 44 1:23’53.534 1’23.084
    12 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 44 1:23’55.641 1’25.191
    13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 44 1:24’05.891 1’35.441
    14 Alexander Albon Williams 44 1:24’06.634 1’36.184
    15 Kevin Magnussen Haas 44 1:24’12.204 1’41.754
    16 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 44 1:24’13.521 1’43.071
    17 Logan Sargeant Williams 44 1:24’14.926 1’44.476
    18 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 44 1:24’20.900 1’50.450
         Carlos Sainz Ferrari 23 44’53.845 Accident damage
         Oscar Piastri McLaren 0 – Accident damage

  • Max Verstappen storms to sprint victory at Spa

    Max Verstappen storms to sprint victory at Spa

    Spa, 29 July 2023: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won the Sprint at the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in a tricky 11-lap race shortened to heavy rain that required a rolling start behind the Safety Car.

    After a 35-minute delay caused by thunderstorms, Race Control informed teams that the Sprint would get underway with a formation lap followed by four laps behind the SC. That meant starting on full Wet tyres and during the period behind the Safety Car, a number of drivers radioed through to their teams to report that the conditions were good enough for Intermediate tyres. 

    However, when the Safety Car left the track, Verstappen, wary of any potential mishaps in what was likely to be a crowded pit lane, stayed on track to take the race lead. Behind him, Piastri dived into the pits for Inters, followed by a host of drivers including Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez. 

    The early move benefited all, as ahead the cars on full Wets laboured through the opening lap on slower tyres. Verstappen and the rest of the full Wet runners then filed into the pit lane at the end of the first lap to take on the green-banded tyres but when the rejoined the order had changed massively with Piastri now ahead of Verstappen and with Pérez and Gasly owever, the time lost on that lap of full Wets meant that when Max rejoined he was behind Piastri who streamed through to take the lead. 

    Behind the top two, Checo had perfectly worked his pit stop and as the field crossed the line to start the second lap, the Mexican was in P4 behind Gasly with Hamilton in fifth place. On lap four, however, the race was neutralised. Fernando Alonso went off track at the exit of Pouhon and with his car beached in the gravel track, the Safety Car was released. 

    At the end of lap 5 the SC left the track and Verstappen closed in on Piastri as they exited La Source. Aided by a slipstream he powered past the Australian and into the lead as they made their way down the Kemmel straight. 

    Behind them, Pérez was coming under pressure from Hamilton and after a wheel-banging battle at the end of lap 6, during which the Red Bull driver sustained major damage to his sidepod, he could do nothing at the start of the next lap when the Mercedes driver got past at La Source. 

    Complaining that he had “no rear grip” Pérez was then passed by Sainz and Leclerc on the Kemmel straight, and when he slid off and clattered through the gravel at Stavelot and let Norris past, the Mexican’s race was done and he limped back to the pits to retire. 

    At the front, Verstappen was in total control and after 11 laps he took his second Sprint win of the season 6.6s ahead of Piastri. Gasly finished third ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, with Norris in sixth place. Hamilton, after taking his time penalty at the flag finished in seventh place and the final point on offer went to George Russell. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Sprint
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 11 24’58.433 
    2 Oscar Piastri McLaren 11 25’05.110 6.677
    3 Pierre Gasly Alpine 11 25’09.166 10.733
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 11 25’11.081 12.648
    5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 11 25’13.449 15.016
    6 Lando Norris McLaren 11 25’14.485 16.052
    7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11 25’15.190 16.757
    8 George Russell Mercedes 11 25’15.255 16.822
    9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 11 25’20.843 22.410
    10 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 11 25’21.239 22.806
    11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 11 25’23.440 25.007
    12 Alexander Albon Williams 11 25’24.736 26.303
    13 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 11 25’25.439 27.006
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 11 25’31.419 32.986
    15 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 11 25’34.775 36.342
    16 Logan Sargeant Williams 11 25’36.004 37.571
    17 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 11 25’36.260 37.827
    18 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 11 25’37.700 39.267
         Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 8 – Retirement
         Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 2 – Retirement

  • Verstappen tops qualies, but grid penalty promotes Leclerc to Spa pole

    Verstappen tops qualies, but grid penalty promotes Leclerc to Spa pole

    Spa Francorchamps (Belgium) 28 July 2023: Max Verstappen topped Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, delivering an impressive final flying lap in Q3 to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and third-placed Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez by more than eight tenths of a second. But the champion will start the race at Spa-Francorchamps from sixth place on the grid after he takes a gearbox penalty. 

    At the start of Q1, on a damp track, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who set the early benchmark with a lap of 2:01.874 set on Intermediate tyres. Mercedes’ George Russell then bettered that by almost three tenths of a second before Verstappen Max jumped to second place with an opening flyer of 2:01.597. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri then took top spot and he was then eclipsed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who led the way on 2:00.536. 

    With five minutes left in the opening segment Verstappen rose to P1 with a lap of 1:58.932 that put him ahead of Sainz and Pérez who had moved to P3 with a lap of 1:59.911. Hamilton then moved to the top with a lap of 1:58.841 but it was Charles Leclerc who took the Q1 bragging rights at the end of the segment. The Ferrari man was one of the last drivers on track at the end and his final tour of 1:58.300 saw him jump from P16 and the drop zone to the top of the timesheet. 

    Verstappen eased through in second place, two tenths behind Leclerc, while Hamilton progressed in third place. 

    At the other end of the timesheet, Alex Albon was the first man eliminated in P16. The Williams driver was followed to the exit by Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu, Williams’ team-mate Logan Sargeant, Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Ricciardo, who had his final lap deleted for a track limits violation at Raidillon, and Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg. 

    At the start of Q2 Hamilton was first on track on Intermediate tyres. The Mercedes driver stopped the clock at 1:58.024 to take P1 but it was clear that the surface was improving rapidly and when Verstappen vaulted to P1 with a time of 1:55.535, more than two seconds ahead of Hamilton, the change was clear and drivers began to switch to slicks for the final runs. 

    And in the end it was McLaren’s Piastri who made the most of the conditions. The Australian took top spot with a lap of 1:51.534, almost two tenths ahead of Sainz, with Leclerc third ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

    Verstappen, though, was almost caught out by the changing conditions. The Dutchman had a lap deleted for track limits and had to put in a last-ditch flyer. That was also imperfect and his final time of 1:52.784 saw him scrape through in P10. 

    The unpredictable nature of the session continued in the first runs of the top-10 shootout. Verstappen’s first flying lap of 1:48.059 took him to P1. But Leclerc was able to find more time and the Ferrari driver took provisional pole 0.128 ahead of the world champion with Sainz in third. 

    But in the end, Verstappen unlocked the pace of his RB19 and with a new set of Soft tyres on board and with more confidence in the car and the conditions, he string together an impressive lap that left closest rival Leclerc eight tenths of a second adrift. 

    The champion’s grid penalty means Leclerc will start from pole and Pérez will move from P3 in qualifying, just five hundredths of a second off the Ferrari driver, to a front row start. Behind the Mexican Hamilton took fourth place in Qualifying ahead of Sainz, with Piastri sixth. All will move up a place for the race start. Norris finished in P7 ahead of Russell, while Alonso will line up in P9 alongside team-mate Lance Stroll. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:58.515 1:52.784 1:46.168 22
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:58.300 1:52.017 1:46.988 23
    3 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:58.899 1:52.353 1:47.045 22
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:58.563 1:52.345 1:47.087 24
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:58.688 1:51.711 1:47.152 23
    6 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:58.872 1:51.534 1:47.365 23
    7 Lando Norris McLaren 1:59.981 1:52.252 1:47.669 21
    8 George Russell Mercedes 1:59.035 1:52.605 1:47.805 24
    9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:58.834 1:52.751 1:47.843 22
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:59.663 1:52.193 1:48.841 22
    11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:59.044 1:53.148 15
    12 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:59.511 1:53.671 17
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 2:00.020 1:54.160 17
    14 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:59.484 1:54.694 17
    15 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:59.634 1:56.372 13
    16 Alexander Albon Willians 2:00.314 8
    17 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 2:00.832 9
    18 Logan Sargeant Williams 2:01.535 6
    19 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 2:02.159 8
    20 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 2:03.166 5

  • Max Verstappen sets record for Red Bull in Hungary; Lando Norris 2nd ahead of Perez

    Max Verstappen sets record for Red Bull in Hungary; Lando Norris 2nd ahead of Perez

    Max Verstappen made Formula 1 history as he scored a record 12th win in a row for Red Bull, with the Dutch driver taking his ninth win of 2023 ahead at the Hungarian of McLaren’s Lando Norris, while the final podium place went to Sergio Pérez who surged through the third place from P9 on the grid. 

    Starting from the front row, Verstappen beat pole position driver Lewis Hamilton to the punch into Turn 1 at the start and after taking the lead the Dutch strode away from the pack to hand Red Bull a victory that moves the team past the 11 wins in a row scored by McLaren in 1988. 

    “What an unbelievable rocket ship that was today,” said Verstappen on his slow down lap. “That was so enjoyable to drive. Twelve wins in a row, unbelievable. I think everyone can be really proud of that achievement.”

    When the lights went out, Hamilton got away well from pole position, but even though Verstappen was slower away on the dusty side of the track he outdragged the Mercedes on the approach to Turn 1 and took the lead as the pair went through the first corner. 

    Behind the front row starters, third-place starter Lando Norris was held up as Hamilton took a wider line into Turn 1 and that allowed the McLaren driver’s team-mate Oscar Piastri to dive down the inside of Hamilton to steal P2. Norris also then got by the Mercedes driver to demote the pole sitter to P4.

    Further back, Pérez, on Hard tyres, got a good start from P9 and when Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu bogged down on the grid, the Mexican along with a gaggle of rivals swept past. Trying to recover Zhou then became embroiled in a close battle with lower-placed rivals and as the midfield funnelled into Turn 1 there was contact. The incident ruled both Alpine cars out of the race as Esteban Ocon was clipped by an AlphaTauri and bounced into team-mate Pierre Gasly. 

    At the front, Verstappen was quickly into the groove and he quickly built a gap to Piastri with Norris in third ahead of Hamilton and the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. Pérez, meanwhile, was already closing in on Fernando Alonso and at the start of lap eight, aided by DRS, the Mexican powered past the Aston Martin to take P7 place just over 1.5s behind Sainz.

    Sainz had made up places thanks to a start on Soft tyres, but by lap 16 his tyres were beginning to fade and he headed into the pit lane for a set of Hard tyres, promoting Pérez to sixth place. 

    Hamilton made his first stop, for Hard tyres, on lap 17 and a lap later Norris made his first stop. The McLaren driver was followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, but the team struggled with the rear left and after a 9.4s halt Leclerc rejoined in P10. Piastri made his stop on the following lap, but having benefited from an undercut, Norris passed his team-mate as the Australian exited the pit lane. Next into the pit lane was Alonso and when the Spanish driver took on a new set of Hard tyres, Pérez rose to second place, 22.3s behind Verstappen, with both needing to pit. 

    Verstappen headed in on lap 24, and after taking on Hard tyres in a 2.3s stop, the Dutchman resumed in the lead, 2.6s ahead of Pérez with Norris now third ahead of Piastri.

    Pérez’s opening stint on Hard tyres came to an end at the end of lap 24 and the Mexican moved to Medium compound Pirellis in a 2.8s stop before rejoining in P7, again behind Sainz. Pérez was flying, however, and on lap 27 he muscled past the Spanish driver through Turn 1 and then, on the following lap the Red Bull driver powered past Mercedes George Russell, who was still on opening Hard tyres, to take fifth place, five seconds behind Hamilton.

    At the front, at half distance, Verstappen was in total control, with the Dutchman a comfortable 12 seconds ahead of Norris, with Piastri seven seconds further back in third. Hamilton was fourth but just two seconds clear of Pérez who was closing in rapidly. 

    But with Hamilton defending well, the Team reacted by bringing Pérez in for a second stop, behind Piastri. The Australian had a slow stop but the Bulls got Pérez onto a set of Medium tyres in a stunning 1.9s. Piastri rejoined in P5 with Pérez just a second behind. Norris then pitted at the end of lap 44 and he emerged in P3 behind Hamilton who needed another stop. 

    With DRS on his side, Pérez closed up to Piastri and on lap 47 he went round the outside of the McLaren through Turn 1 to take fourth place. And that became a podium place when Hamilton pitted for a second time on lap 50, with the Mercedes driver rejoining in fifth. 

    Verstappen made his final stop of the race at the end of lap 51 and after fitting a used set of Medium tyres, the championship leader emerged in the lead and just shy of 12 seconds in front of Norris, who was 8.6s ahead of Pérez. 

    Over the final 15 laps, Verstappen stretched the gap to Norris to an emphatic 33 seconds as he powered to his seventh win in a row.

    Behind the podium finishers, Hamilton finished fourth ahead of Piastri, while Mercedes’ George Russell inherited sixth place after Leclerc served a five-second penalty at the flag for speeding in the pit lane during his second pit stop. Sainz was eighth for Ferrari and the final points positions were taken by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. 
     

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 70 1:38’08.634 
    2 Lando Norris McLaren 70 1:38’42.365 33.731
    3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 70 1:38’46.237 37.603
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 70 1:38’47.768 39.134
    5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 70 1:39’11.206 1’02.572
    6 George Russell Mercedes 70 1:39’14.459 1’05.825
    7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 70 1:39’18.951 1’10.317
    8 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 70 1:39’19.707 1’11.073
    9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 70 1:39’24.343 1’15.709
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 69 1:38’23.249 1 lap /14.615
    11 Alexander Albon Williams 69 1:38’37.721 1 lap /29.087
    12 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 69 1:38’38.713 1 lap /30.079
    13 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 69 1:38’44.891 1 lap /36.257
    14 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 69 1:38’59.932 1 lap /51.298
    15 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 69 1:39’00.177 1 lap /51.543
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 69 1:39’09.125 1 lap /1’00.491
    17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 69 1:39’30.985 1 lap /1’22.351
    18 Logan Sargeant Williams 67 1:36’29.224 Not running
         Esteban Ocon Alpine 2 3’28.146 Accident damage
         Pierre Gasly Alpine 1 2’04.981 Accident damage

  • F1 gets its mojo back… No, it’s not about Verstappen winning again! Samtani on British GP

    F1 gets its mojo back… No, it’s not about Verstappen winning again! Samtani on British GP

    HIGH OCTANE
    –– By Harish Samtani

    Silverstone (UK) 10 July 2023: What on earth happened here?!! Well, two things. One very predictable aspect was in the form of seeing Max Verstappen on the top step. The other that has rocked the F1 stage like none other is the resurgence of the iconic McLaren that was all but consigned to the dustbin of F1 folklore. And, maybe, an important Number 3. Two British drivers on the podium! Just when we thought that the sun had finally set on the British Empire with Hamilton seemingly struggling with his form.

    It’s good! No. Wait. It’s great! There is finally a hum of activity as F1 gets its mojo back. We were annoyed and tired with the foregone results, thus far in 2023. Whilst it would take nothing short of a miracle or a tragedy, heaven forbid, to knock Verstappen off the perch, the very idea that 2024 maybe the renaissance of motor-racing is truly exciting for petrol heads across all ages, and nationalities.

    I was one of the doubters about Max’s abilities but grudgingly have to admit that regardless of how many world titles he wins he will be remembered as a great. No flukes, no superior engineering and that silly lady called ‘Luck’ can bring about his uncanny ability to win or pole vault like he has done in the very recent past. Whilst he was prone to errors early in his career, he seems to have tripped and fallen into a vat of wisdom of late! Does lineage matter? His dad Jos Verstappen was a talent as well in his heydays. Perhaps, the Apple didn’t fall far from the tree after all. Red Bull Honda may have contributed largely to his success with a reliable and quick car, the fact that Sergio Chico Perez – no slouch by any means – is struggling to make ends meet. Victim of circumstances is he? Nah! Max has become the driver people love to hate but I suspect I see the middle finger sticking out of his driving glove!

    The era may not be conducive anymore for him to pull off seven titles such as Hamilton has achieved due to ever-changing tech regulations etc., but his astounding and clinical performances and the ensuing demolition of the fabled Ferraris and Mercedes, who meanwhile must be winging with the fact that it’s a Honda powered weapon that is giving them the blushes!

    While it is early days to welcome the two young boy wonders into the big league, for the 23-year young Lando Norris and the 22-year Aussie Oscar Piastri this result buoys them immensely for sure. The result in Silverstone may even be a one-hit wonder for McLaren but the gauntlet has been thrown and the other teams have to perform or perish before they become innocent victims in the crossfire. Back to the drawing board it is.

    Welcome back to the real F1 as we knew it over a decade ago. After Max led the charge of the young brigade in a Honda-powered car, and with McLaren refusing to say die, is it ‘out with the old, in with the new’ time? Only time will tell!

  • Max Verstappen wins Austrian GP ahead of Leclerc and Perez

    Max Verstappen wins Austrian GP ahead of Leclerc and Perez

    Spielberg, 2 July 2023: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took an emphatic Austrian Grand Prix victory, carving out a large enough gap to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to pit for new tyres, take the point for fastest lap, and still take the flag five seconds clear of the Monegasque driver. Sergio Pérez delivered a superb recovery in the second Red Bull to claim the final podium position after starting in 15th place. 

    At the start, Verstappen got away well from pole position and took the lead ahead of Leclerc as the grid streamed towards Turn 1. Behind them, Sainz held third but fourth-place starter Lando Norris was beaten off the line by Lewis Hamilton. 

    Further back, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, starting 16th, tangled with one of the Alpines and damaged his front wing and with debris on the track the Safety Car was released and the race was neutralised.

    The hazard was soon cleared and when running resumed Verstappen controlled the restart perfectly ahead of Lelcerc and Sainz, with Hamilton still fourth ahead of Norris and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. 

    In 13th place Pérez went on the attack and he was soon able to get past Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Mercedes’ George Russell and then Williams’ Alex Albon. 

    Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg then pulled over with technical issues and that led to the Virtual Safety Car being deployed. A host of drivers pitted for new tyres. However, Verstappen and Pérez stayed out and when the track went green again Verstappen led Leclerc by 17.7s, with Pérez ion P3. Sainz held fourth ahead of Hamilton, with Norris in sixth ahead of Alonso, Gasly, Tsunoda and Russell. The Red Bulls were now the only cars in the top 10 still on their starting tyres and they began to lose ground to those who had pitted and on lap 21 Sainz passed Pérez to take back third place. 

    Verstappen made his first regulation pit stop of the race on lap 25 and he moved to Hard compound tyres in a 2.3 second halt. That allowed Leclerc to sweep through into the lead and as Verstappen trundled out of the pit lane he was also passed by Sainz to put Ferrari 1-2 in the order. Verstappen soon closed up to the Ferrari and on lap 26, the Dutchman got a better exit out of Turn 3 and used DRS to outdrag the Spaniard on the run to Turn 4. 

    Pérez made his first tyre change on lap 26 and after taking on another set of Medium tyres he rejoined in tenth place. He was soon on the move, however, and he quickly made his way past Albon and Russell to rise to eighth place behind Pierre Gasly. 

    At the front, Verstappen was steadily reeling in Leclerc and on lap 35 he dived down the inside of the Ferrari in Turn 3 to reclaim the lead. He then began to carve out a gap and on lap 41 he was seven seconds clear. 

    Pérez, too, was advancing, and after overtaking Gasly in Turn 3, he chased down Alonso and breezed past the Aston Martin driver in the same corner to rise to fourth place as other drivers pitted. 

    On lap 46 Sainz made his second stop for new tyres and to serve a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits, and that allowed Pérez to sweep past into third place. Leclerc stopped two laps later and Pérez was boosted to P2, though the Mexican would need a final pit stop. 

    Verstappen made his second stop on lap 50 and after fitting a set of medium tyres and he emerged in the lead, six seconds ahead of his team-mate. Pérez then pitted on the following lap and after taking a set of Hard tyres he rejoined in fifth place, four seconds behind Norris and on fresher tyres. The gap was erased in just five laps and on lap 56 he powered past the McLaren on the run to Turn 4. 

    Sainz was now just a second ahead and Pérez went on the attack. And after an epic battle Pérez at last got DRS out of Turn 3 and roared past through Turn 4 to take P3. 

    At the front, Verstappen was in imperious form and in the closing stages he extended his lead over Leclerc to a mammoth 24 seconds. On lap 70, he pitted for Soft tyres and set a blistering final lap of 1:07.012 to take the win and the bonus point. 

    Leclerc crossed the line five seconds adrift and 12 seconds later Pérez took the flag to complete a stellar recovery and to seal a double podium for the team. Fourth place went to Sainz with Norris fifth ahead of Alonso. Hamilton and Russell took seventh and eighth places respectively for Mercedes, while Gasly was ninth for Alpine and the final point went to Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 71 – 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71  5.155
    3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 71  17.188
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 71  21.377
    5 Lando Norris McLaren 71  26.327
    6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 71  30.317
    7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71  39.196
    8 George Russell Mercedes 71  48.403
    9 Pierre Gasly Alpine 71  57.667
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 71  59.043
    11 Alexander Albon Williams 71  1’09.767
    12 Esteban Ocon Alpine 70 – 1 lap
    13 Logan Sargeant Williams 70 – 1 lap
    14 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 70 – 1 lap
    15 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 70 – 1 lap
    16 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 70 – 1 lap
    17 Oscar Piastri McLaren 70 – 1 lap
    18 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 70 – 1 lap
    19 Kevin Magnussen Haas 70 – 1 lap
         Nico Hülkenberg Haas 12 – Retirement

  • Max Verstappen wins Sprint; Perez takes 2nd to lock out front row for Red Bull

    Max Verstappen wins Sprint; Perez takes 2nd to lock out front row for Red Bull

    Spielberg, 1 July 2023: Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez handed Red Bull Racing a front-row lockout for the Sprint at the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, with championship leader Verstappen beating his team-mate by almost half a second as Lando Norris took third place in the Shootout for McLaren. 

    After heavy rain in the morning, the conditions improved in the run-up to the Sprint Shootout, and with the track drying rapidly, Verstappen emerged on a set of Medium tyres. His first attempt was deleted for a track limits infringement and a second banker of 1:08.645 put him comfortably in the top 10.

    He then claimed P1 on 1:07.214 before he was ousted by team-mate Pérez who posted a time of 1:07.085. Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg then split the Red Bull pair before Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took P1 with a lap of 1:06.624. 

    Verstappen switched to soft tyres in the final minutes and jumped back to P1 with a lap of 1:06.223. He was pipped for top spot, however, by Carlos Sainz. The Ferrari driver recovered from early brake issues to take P1 with a lap of 1:06.187. 

    There was no place in the second segment, however, for Alfa Romeo’s p16 driver Zhou Guanyu, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in P17 or for 18th-placed Hamilton, who had a lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 10 and then caught traffic on his final run. Behind him, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Williams’ Logan Sargeant also exited the session. 

    Verstappen was first on track in SQ2 and he took P1 with a lap of 1:05.624. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso slotted into P2 with McLaren’s Lando Norris in third. After a cautious opening lap, Peerez then jumped to P2 on 1:05.836, a little under five hundredths of a second ahead of Sainz who had moved past Alonso. 

    With two minutes left, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon claimed top spot, two hundredths clear of Verstappen, but the Dutchman had pace in hand and he reclaimed P1 with a best lap of 1:05.371. Sainz moved up to second ahead of Ocon, while Charles Leclerc, in the other Ferrari, claimed fourth place with his final flying lap. 

    Eliminated at the end of SQ2 were Williams’ Alex Albon in P11 followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, the AlphaTauri cars of Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries and Mercedes’ George Russell who was sidelined by a hydraulic issue. 

    Verzstappen set the early SQ3 target at 1:04.613. Pérez gthen took P2, just under four tenths off that pace, but the Mexican was soon bumped to P3 by Norris who went just seven hundredths of a second faster. 

    But in the final runs there was no denying the Red Bull pair. Verstappen shaved almost two tenths of a second off his opener to claim top spot on the grid for the Sprint with a lap of 1:04.440, while Pérez leapfrogged Norris to seal a front row lockout for the Bulls with a final flyer of 1:04.933. With Norris third, Hülkenberg claimed a surprise fourth place ahead of Sainz and Leclerc, while Alonso took seventh ahead of Stroll, Ocon and Magnussen.

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix – Sprint Shootout
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:04.440 
    2 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:04.933 0.493
    3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:05.010 0.570
    4 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:05.084 0.644
    5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:05.136 0.696
    6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:05.245 0.805
    7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:05.258 0.818
    8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:05.347 0.907
    9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:05.366 0.926
    10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:05.912 1.472
    11 Alex Albon Williams 1:06.152 1.712
    12 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:06.360 1.920
    13 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:06.369 1.929
    14 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 1:06.593 2.153
    15 George Russell Mercedes 
    16 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:07.062 2.622
    17 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:07.106 2.666
    18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:07.282 2.842
    19 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:07.291 2.851
    20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:07.426 2.986