INDIA in F1

Category: Formula 1

  • Second pole for Verstappen at Saudi Arabian GP: F1

    Second pole for Verstappen at Saudi Arabian GP: F1

    Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) 8 March 2024: Max Verstappen took pole for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the second of the 24 races, in the FIA F1 World Championship, three tenths of a second ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Sergio Pérez third in the other Red Bull.

    Verstappen claimed provisional pole with this first of Q3, setting a time of 1:27.472 to sit ahead of Pérez. However, while neither Red Bull improved on their final runs, Leclerc made good time on his final run to beat Pérez by 0.016s and steal a front row spot from the Mexican.  

    Red Bull were to the fore from the start of the session. Pérez jumped to P1 with his flying lap of 1:28.761 but Verstappen edged ahead when he stopped the clock at 1:28.491. There were improvements elsewhere though and when Leclerc slotted into P2 ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Pérez dropped to sixth place. 

    Leclerc took P1 in the closing stages with a lap of 1:38.318, 0.173 ahead of Verstappen, but with his final run in Verstappen reclaimed top spot putting in a lap of 1:28.171. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll put in a strong final flyer to take P2 just eight hundredths of a second behind the Dutchman, while Leclerc took third. Pérez also found time on his final flyer and he climbed to fourth place at the flag, ahead of Alonso. 

    However, there was no place in Q2 for Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas who was ruled out in P16 ahead of the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly and the Williams of Logan Sargeant. Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu made it out on track right at the end of the session following repairs to his car after his FP3 crash, but he failed to set a time and was eliminated in P20. 

    At the start of Q2, Russell was the first to lay down a marker with a lap of 1:28.608, ahead of Norris and Hamilton, but soon after the red flags came out. Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg crossed the line to start a lap but almost immediately he began to lose power and the German was eventually forced to pull over in a run-off area and the session was stopped.  

    After a five-minute delay, running resumed and Pérez, on used tyres, posted a lap of 1:28.539. That was beaten by Verstappen who took P1 with a lap of 1:28.078 on fresh Soft rubber. Alonso, also on fresh tyres, then stole P2, just 0.044s behind Verstappen, while Leclerc took fourth on used tyres. 

    In the final runs Verstappen found a slim improvement of 0.045s to take top spot, just eight hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc, with Alonso a further one hundredth of a second back in third. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fourth ahead of Russell and although Pérez improved to 1:28.467 it was only good enough for P6 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, the second Aston of Stroll and Hamilton, who claimed the last Q3 spot ahead of Ferrari new boy Oliver Bearman, by the tiny margin of 0.036s. Eliminated along with the Ferrari driver were Williams’ Alex Albon in P12 ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, the second RB of Daniel Ricciardo and the unfortunate Hülkenberg. 

    In the opening runs of Q3 Verstappen laid down a strong marker, with the Dutchman posting a lap of 1:27.472 to take provisional pole, an impressive 0.335s ahead of Pérez who took P2 0.181s clear of Alonso, with Leclerc, who complained that his car felt “really weird” on new Soft tyres, in P4. 

    Neither of the Red Bull drivers could improve on the first run, however. Verstappen crossed the line just under two tenths off his opening time and behind him Pérez also had to settle for his first lap time. That left both vulnerable and Leclerc tried to find a way through. The Ferrari driver couldn’t match Verstappen, however, and his 1:27.791 left him 0.319 behind the champion. It was, however, good enough to deny Red Bull a front-row lockout, with Pérez being pushed out to P3 by 0.016s. Behind Pérez, Alonso took fourth, with Piastri in fifth place ahead of Russell and Hamilton. Tsunoda will start in P9 for RB ahead of Hamilton. 

    2024 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:27.472 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.791 0.319
    3 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:27.807 0.335
    4 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:27.846 0.374
    5 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:28.089 0.617
    6 Lando Norris McLaren 1:28.132 0.660
    7 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.316 0.844
    8 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.460 0.988
    9 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:28.547 1.075
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:28.572 1.100
    11 Ollie Bearman Ferrari 1:28.642 1.170
    12 Alexander Albon Williams 1:28.980 1.508
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:29.020 1.548
    14 Daniel Ricciardo RB 1:29.025 1.553
    15 Nico Hulkenberg Haas – –
    16 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 1:29.179 1.707
    17 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:29.475 2.003
    18 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:29.479 2.007
    19 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:29.526 2.054
    20 Zhou Guanyu Sauber No Time

  • Verstappen begins F1 campaign in style; Red Bull 1-2 at Bahrain

    Verstappen begins F1 campaign in style; Red Bull 1-2 at Bahrain

    Bahrain, 2 March 2024: Max Verstappen started his 2024 F1 campaign in the same style as he signed off last year, by taking an emphatic victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening round of the Formula One World championship here on Saturday.

    The three-time champion marched to a comfortable win more than 20 seconds ahead of Sergio Pérez who made it a second consecutive Sakhir 1-2 for Red Bull Racing, while Carlos Sainz took the final podium place, just three seconds behind Pérez and with team-mate Charles Leclerc fourth to give Ferrari hope of taking the fight to Red Bull over the coming weekends.

    Verstappen’s opening win of 2024 was sealed at the start. The Red Bull driver reacted quickest to the lights and he seized the lead into Turn 1 ahead of Leclec who was forced to take an outside line into the corner as Mercedes’ George Russell held his starting third place.

    Behind them, Sainz got away poorly and the Spaniard was mugged off the line by Pérez who grabbed P4 and began to chase down Russell. 

    The Mercedes driver was on a hunt of his own and on the third lap Russell powered past Leclerc to take P2. The Ferrari driver was struggling with his brakes and he was soon being pressured by Pérez. And on lap 7 the Mexican pounced. Leclerc locked up into Turn 10 and Pérez powered past on the short straight to the next corner.

    At the front, Verstappen was building a solid comfort zone and by lap 10 he was almost eight seconds clear of Russell, while the Mercedes driver was just a second ahead of Pérez. 

    The threat from the Red Bull driver prompted Mercedes to pit Russell at the end of lap 11 and the Briton switched to Hard tyres. With Leclerc visibly struggling, Ferrari brought him for Hard tyres on the same lap. Covering Russell, Red Bull brought Pérez in at the end of lap 12 and after his switch to Hard tyres he emerged behind the Mercedes driver in P9. 

    It didn’t take long for the Red Bull man to make his greater pace tell. He quickly put pressure on the Mercedes and in Turn 4 Russell made a mistake, went wide and Pérez swept past to set up a Red Bull 1-2. 

    Verstappen made his first stop at the end of lap 17 and in a 2.9s halt he took on Hard tyres to re-emerge in the lead. But while the champion had everything under control, there were problems elsewhere. Leclerc, now in fifth place, was complaining of continuous front locking and Russell was reporting problems with an overheating power unit, an issue that on lap 18 allowed Sainz to power past to take P3. 

    The order at the top remained largely static during the second stint and Russell was the first of the leaders to make a second pit stop, at the end of lap 31. Over the following laps the bulk of the top 10 drivers cycled through the pit lane and then, at the end of lap 36, Pérez made his second stop, taking on a set of Soft tyres in a 2.7s halt that allowed him to emerge a little under two seconds ahead of Sainz who had pitted for a second set of Hard Tyres. Verstappen then made his final stop a lap later and after also taking on Soft tyres he emerged almost 16s clear of his team-mate. 

    The final major move of the race came on lap 46 with Russell locking up into Turn 10. His slide wide allowed Leclerc through to take fourth place. And there the order settled. 

    Verstappen, who had also sealed fastest lap earlier in the race, could now manage his pace and 11 laps later the World Champion crossed the line to take 22 seconds clear of his team-mate to take his first win of the new campaign. 

    The Red Bulls were followed by the Ferrari cars of Sainz and Leclerc, with Russell in fifth place at the flag. Sixth place went to McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton in seventh place in the second Mercedes. Oscar Piastri was eighth in the second Mercedes and the final two points places were taken by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. 


    2024 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 57 1:31’44.742 
    2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing RBPT 57 1:32’07.199 22.457
    3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 1:32’09.852 25.110
    4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 1:32’24.411 39.669
    5 George Russell Mercedes 57 1:32’31.530 46.788
    6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 57 1:32’33.200 48.458
    7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 1:32’35.066 50.324
    8 Oscar Piastri McLaren 57 1:32’40.824 56.082
    9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 57 1:32’59.629 1’14.887
    10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 57 1:33’17.958 1’33.216
    11 Zhou Guanyu Sauber 56 1:31’51.501 1 lap /6.759
    12 Kevin Magnussen Haas 56 1:31’53.058 1 lap /8.316
    13 Daniel Ricciardo RB 56 1:31’53.700 1 lap /8.958
    14 Yuki Tsunoda RB 56 1:31’54.224 1 lap /9.482
    15 Alexander Albon Williams 56 1:31’56.628 1 lap /11.886
    16 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 56 1:32’02.374 1 lap /17.632
    17 Esteban Ocon Alpine 56 1:32’16.192 1 lap /31.450
    18 Pierre Gasly Alpine 56 1:32’17.159 1 lap /32.417
    19 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 56 1:33’07.972 1 lap /1’23.230
    20 Logan Sargeant Williams 55 1:32’05.537 2 laps /20.795

  • Max Verstappen begins season with a pole after a tough battle with Leclerc

    Max Verstappen begins season with a pole after a tough battle with Leclerc

    Bahrain, 1 March 2024: Defending Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen claimed his first pole position of 2024 in a closely contested Qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Red Bull driver beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.228 seconds with Mercedes’ George Russell in third place. 

    Verstappen had to work hard in the final runs of the session to beat Leclerc, with the Ferrari drivers just six hundredths of a second behind the Dutchman after the opening runs of Q3. Verstappen upped the pace on his final run to post a time of 1:29.179 but Leclerc, who had gone quicker than that in Q2, was clear by a small margin after the second sector of his final. However, the Ferrari driver lost out in the final sector and Verstappen claimed his third career Bahrain Grand Prix pole. 

    At the start of the hour, in Q1, Ferrari were first on track, Carlos Sainz took up early residency in P1 with a lap of 1:31.208 just under six hundredths of a second ahead of team-mate Leclerc. 

    Verstappen initially held fire but after six minutes he left the Red Bull garage and jumped to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:30.031 ahead of McLaren’s improving Lando Norris, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez, who slotted into fourth place with his time of 1:30.221. 

    Sainz though was into his second attempt and the Spaniard was the first to dip below the 1m30s mark, stopping the clock at 1:29.900 and returning to the top of the timesheet a little over a tenth ahead of Verstappen. 

    Verstappen went for a second run at the end of the session but he failed to improve and as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll jumped to P2 with his final flyer, Verstappen went through to the next session in P3. 

    There was no place in Q2 for either Sauber, however, with Valtteri Bottas ruled out in P16 ahead of team-mate Zhou Guanyu. Williams’ Logan Sargeant was also bounced out in P18 ahead of the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. 

    At the start of Q2 Verstappen led the way with an impressive lap of 1:29.374 that put him almost six tenths clear of Pérez and third-placed Norris who was the only other driver below 1m30s. Ahead of the final runs, Leclerc sat in fifth ahead of Alonso, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Sainz. 

    Both Red Bull drivers backed out their final Q2 runs and that left the door open for Leclerc who stole top spot with a strong final flying lap of 1:29.165. Sainz took third place behind Verstappen. 

    RB’s Yuki Tusnoda who was ruled out in P11 ahead of Stroll, Albon, the second RB of Daniel Ricciardo and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. 

    Verstappen was quickly out on track at the start of Q3 and the World Champion put in a good opener of 1:29.421 to take provisional pole. Leclerc was just six hundredths of a second off the Dutchman, however.

    But Verstappen found more pace in the final runs to post a lap of 1:29.179. Leclerc momentarily looked to be powering past that, but despite being marginally clear after the second sector he pushed his tyres too hard and when he crossed the line he was two tenths of a second off Verstappen, and the champion had his first pole of 2024. Russell took third place for Mercedes, with Sainz fourth on 1:29.573. 

    Pérez’s 1:29.932 was good enough for fifth place and the front of row three, alongside Alonso. The McLarens of Norris and Piastri are set to occupy row four and the final top 10 positions were taken by Hamilton and Hülkenberg. 


    2024 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:29.179 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:29.407 0.228 
    3 George Russell Mercedes 1:29.485 0.306
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:29.507 0.328 
    5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:29.537 0.358 
    6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:29.542 0.363 
    7 Lando Norris McLaren 1:29.614 0.435 
    8 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:29.683 0.504 
    9 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.710 0.531 
    10 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:30.502 1.323 
    11 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:30.129 0.950 
    12 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:30.200 1.021 
    13 Alexander Albon Williams 1:30.221 1.042 
    14 Daniel Ricciardo RB 1:30.278 1.099 
    15 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.529 1.350 
    16 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 1:30.756 1.577 
    17 Zhou Guanyu Sauber 1:30.757 1.578 
    18 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:30.770 1.591 
    19 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:30.793 1.614 1.810
    20 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:30.948 1.769 

  • Hamilton leads free practice time sheets in Bahrain: F1

    Hamilton leads free practice time sheets in Bahrain: F1

    Bahrain, 29 February 2024: The opening weekend of the longest season in Formula 1 history saw Mercedes write the first headline. The Toto Wolff-run team had both its drivers at the top of the time sheet come the end of the second free practice session, the one that is most relevant as it was held in similar conditions to those found in tomorrow’s qualifying and Saturday’s race. Quickest was Lewis Hamilton (1:30.374) while team-mate George Russell was just 206 thousandths of a second slower. Behind the Mercedes duo came five drivers from five different teams in the following order: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), all within 286 thousandths, the German’s time 510 thousandths slower than Hamilton’s.

    Quite strong winds were the order of the day, as well as much cooler temperatures than usual for the Bahrain Grand Prix and to a lesser extent to those experienced at last week’s test, with the mercury dropping below 20° for air temperature in FP2. It should be noted that this event is taking place a bit earlier in the year than usual. Hamilton’s time was just under six tenths faster than the best FP2 time from last year, when Alonso posted a 1:30.907 and 666 thousandths off the 2023 pole time set by Verstappen.

    Max, 6th in Free Practice

    Lewis Hamilton set the pace in the second practice session for this weekend’s season-opening FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver finishing two tenths of a second clear of team-mate George and with defending World Champion Max Verstappen in sixth place. 
    At the start of the session, drivers went out on a mix of Soft and medium tyres, with many of the expected frontrunners opting for the red-walled C3 compound. Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez was quicker to the fore with a time of 1:31.629 but that was soon beaten by Charles Leclerc who logged a lap of 131.578 in the Ferrari SF-24. However, both were easily bypassed by Hamilton who posted a lap of 1:30.751 to take top spot. Alonso then split the top two with a 1m31.035s. Hamilton though was improving all the time and the seven-time champion eventually worked his way to 1:30.374 to seal first place for good. 
    Further down the order, Verstappen’s opening lap was half a second down on Hamilton’s P1 time and, although he later improved on the same set of tyres, he failed to make a serious move up the order and eventually had to settle for the sixth place earned by his best time of 1:30.851. 
    Behind Hamilton, Russell slotted in behind to sit second, posting a best time of 1:30.580 on his second set of Softs to finish 0.206 behind his team-mate. Fernando Alonso ended up in third place, eight hundredths of a second behind Russell and fourth place went to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on 1:30.769, a time that put him 0.015s ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and with Verstappen 0.477s off Hamilton in P6.
    These performance runs of the first half hour then gave way to longer running, which meant that Nico Hülkenberg finished in P7 for Haas, just three hundredths of a second off Verstappen, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was eighth, 0.007s behind the German. Leclerc and Pérez rounded out the top 10, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon, with RB’s Daniel Ricciardo in P12 ahead of the second Williams of Logan Sargeant.

    2024 FIA Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
    1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes !:30.374 25 215.584
    2 George Russell Mercedes !:30.580 0.206 23 215.093
    3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes !:30.660 0.286 22 214.904
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari !:30.769 0.395 25 214.645
    5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes !:30.784 0.410 27 214.610
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT !:30.851 0.477 25 214.452
    7 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari !:30.884 0.510 23 214.374
    8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes !:30.891 0.517 26 214.357
    9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari !:31.113 0.739 26 213.835
    10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT !:31.115 0.741 26 213.830
    11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes !:31.333 0.959 26 213.320
    12 Daniel Ricciardo RB/Honda RBPT !:31.516 1.142 26 212.893
    13 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes !:31.715 1.341 27 212.431
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari !:31.764 1.390 27 212.318
    15 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT !:31.881 1.507 29 212.048
    16 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault !:31.951 1.577 25 211.886
    17 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari !:32.001 1.627 24 211.771
    18 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault !:32.027 1.653 25 211.711
    19 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari !:32.048 1.674 28 211.663
    20 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes !:32.608 2.234 25 210.383

  • Part II: Hamilton, the Last Dance

    Part II: Hamilton, the Last Dance

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    New Delhi, 2 February 2024: In the words of famous TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, “And on that Bombshell”, Sir Lewis Hamilton has kickstarted the 2024 Formula 1 season with the announcement that he will be driving for Ferrari from 2025 onwards. This is the biggest driver transfer in Formula 1, since Hamilton himself announced he would leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2013, sending shockwaves throughout the paddock.

    Part II (You can read Part I here)

    The Ferrari Element

    John Elkann, Stellantis and Ferrari Chairman has said to have a key role in persuading Hamilton to join the Scuderia. Vasseur already being the Team Principal means Hamilton already has people at Ferrari that he trusts. Further, a marriage between arguably the greatest driver in Formula 1 and the greatest team in Formula 1 is too enticing. When the opportunity came Ferrari jumped at signing the Briton. Just the magnitude of this announcement is a commercial dream. It also coincides with Sainz’s contract finishing at the end of 2024 and Leclerc signing a multi-year deal to continue with Ferrari.

    Sweeping power unit and technical regulations give a clean sheet where Ferrari could be best placed to capitalise and leap forward of the field. This is what attracted Hamilton to join them. 2025 would be a season where he can bed in and 2026 go all out for the title. Ferrari have not won a drivers’ championship since 2007 and constructors’ championship since 2008. If Hamilton can get one or both, that too with Ferrari his status will undoubtedly be cemented as the greatest.

    One could say it is a match made in heaven as both have the immense hunger to not only win again but get their dominant glory days back, especially for Ferrari as it has been long overdue. Since the Maranello squad last won, it has been plagued by mismanagement, bad strategy calls, dirty politics and mediocre engineering given the facilities they have. This is concurred by the failure of great drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso’s inability to win a title with them. Ferrari’s motivation to bring Hamilton would be to get these processes right. It has already started with Vasseur in charge and bringing positive changes in the technical departments. There is no doubt in Hamilton’s abilities, give him a car and he will deliver. Hamilton is being brought in to push and extract the best out of every single team member. His experience and knowledge will be invaluable to the team. The onus is on Ferrari then to help Hamilton and themselves to reach the summit.

    Lastly, there is Sainz who is out of contract after 2024 and will not continue with Ferrari. For the Italian squad it is a no brainer, if a driver of Hamilton’s stature is available, they will make him a priority. Sainz was able to match Leclerc throughout his time at Ferrari but was never clearly faster than the Monegasque. Leclerc is the Scuderia’s golden boy but remains to be seen how the dynamic will evolve once Hamilton is there in 2025. Make no mistake Sainz is immensely talented and will land a drive for 2025 somewhere, Mercedes being one of the options. The Spaniard has been heavily linked with Stake F1 team Kick Sauber, which will be rebranded as Audi in 2026. Remains to be seen what plans Sainz has.

    The Conundrum facing Mercedes

    Mercedes and specifically Toto Wolff have been caught off guard by this bombshell news. Wolff said that he got to know about the news only a day before and that before going in the winter break Mercedes and Hamilton’s ambitions were aligned. Turns out the contract Hamilton signed was a 1+1 year contract which had an exit clause at the end of the first year, which Hamilton used.

    A week ago, the future at Mercedes looked very different with Hamilton and George Russell embedded to bring Mercedes to the front again. That is all up in the air as Hamilton has decided agree terms with Ferrari for his future. With Hamilton being there, the team had a clear direction for development which now might be out of the window. This might backtrack Mercedes’ plans to get to the front in the short term.

    This agreement between Hamilton and Ferrari has a twofold impact on the German squad. Firstly, Hamilton is still part of Mercedes for 2024. This means that Hamilton will be excluded from certain parts of the team which plan their long-term development. On track strategy and planning will also be affected by this somewhat. Wolff has commented that both drivers will be treated equally throughout the season but clearly Russell is the future for the Silver Arrows. It is a positive situation for Russell as he becomes the de facto leader of the team once Hamilton departs. Secondly, this announcement means Mercedes have to look for a driver to fill their vacant seat. Mercedes is not the formidable team they used tobe; their seat was the most coveted till 2021. Still, they are one of the big names in Formula 1 and a works team so drivers would undoubtedly want to sign for them.

    There are multiple candidates for this seat. Sainz will be out of contract and could technically swap with Hamilton. But Mercedes have already been hurt by their man leaving for Ferrari and hence, they may not want Sainz as he is a former Ferrari man. They may look towards Fernando Alonso, but he may not be the right choice for long term future in the eyes of Mercedes. Alex Albon of Williams is a sound choice considering he gets along with Russell and has shown that he can be consistent. Further vacating the Williams seat means Mercedes young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be placed in the Williams who share a good working relationship with Mercedes. Antonelli will be in F2 for 2024, and depending on his performances could make the jump to F1 in 2025. Esteban Ocon is another name that comes to mind as he is managed Gwen Lagrue, Mercedes’ Driver Development Advisor. Factors against Ocon might be that he was beaten by fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly in their first season as teammates. Daniel Ricciardo is another name linked with Mercedes in the past but there are questions if Mercedes would want him due to his age and whether he would be willing to leave the Red Bull family a second time.Drivers such as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have already signed long term deals with McLaren. Max Verstappen would not move as he is long term contracted to Red Bull and is in the fastest car on the grid currently.

    If Mercedes move in too quickly for a driver, they may end up losing an opportunity to sign a driver of a higher caliber later. Make their move too late and all their targets may be locked down to their respective teams.

    Hamilton and Ferrari will be hoping for a fruitful outcome of their union from 2025 onwards whereas Mercedes will be hoping to get their new driver and development cards right for the future.

  • Lewis Hamilton: The Last Dance!

    Lewis Hamilton: The Last Dance!

    By Malhaar Khaladkar

    New Delhi, 2 February 2024: In the words of famous TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, “And on that Bombshell”, Sir Lewis Hamilton has kickstarted the 2024 Formula 1 season with the announcement that he will be driving for Ferrari from 2025 onwards. This is the biggest driver transfer in Formula 1, since Hamilton himself announced he would leave McLaren for Mercedes in 2013, sending shockwaves throughout the paddock.

    On Thursday February 1, it was announced that Hamilton will be joining Ferrari on a multi-year arrangement starting in 2025. He will partner Charles Leclerc as Carlos Sainz will make way for the 7-time world champion.

    Reports of Hamilton joining Ferrari are not a recent development in Formula 1 paddock. In fact, every time Hamilton’s contract has been up for renewal at Mercedes, rumours of the Briton joining the Prancing Horse have flared up. These rumors had little substance though and looked like a pipe dream, as nothing more than casual talks took place between Hamilton and Ferrari. Possibly, these rumors helped strengthen Hamilton’s contract negotiation with Mercedes. But joining Ferrari never seemed feasible for Hamilton as Mercedes was the place to be. Mercedes produced title winning cars from 2014 till 2021, winning eight Constructors’ Championship. Hamilton himself won six of his seven World Drivers’ Championships with the Silver Arrows.

    This time it was different when the news broke. Specifically, the timing was peculiar as Hamilton had just signed a two-year (1+1 year) contractwith Mercedes in August 2023. Further multiple reports coming out of the Formula 1 paddock indicated that this was a story with substance. So, what convinced Hamilton to join the Maranello squad and leave his long-standing family of Mercedes?

    A Lewis Hamilton Perspective

    Hamilton has been a part of the Mercedes family since he was13 years old. His whole Formula 1 career has been powered by Mercedes engines, first at McLaren as Mercedes supplied them, then at the works team itself. He has achieved some mind-boggling statistics with the Silver Arrows powering him. He has 7 World Drivers’ Championships, 103 wins, 104 pole positions and 197 podiums in 332 grands prix. With Mercedes works team alone he has 6 World Drivers’ Championships, 82 wins, 78 pole positions and 148 podiums in 222 grands prix.

    Hamilton is 39 years old now and is at the twilight of his career. It seemed as if Hamilton would hang up his gloves at Mercedes hoping to be crowned Champion for the 8th time, provided the Silver Arrows gave him a car that could challenge for it. He would be a Mercedes man life long, much like Sir Stirling Moss. It only seemed right that what had propelled him throughout his Formula 1 career would the same when closing it as well. Then what is it that made him join the most coveted team in Formula 1?

    Sebastian Vettel once said, “everyone is a Ferrari fan”. In fact, there is no Ferrari without Formula 1 and no Formula 1 without Ferrari. It is every racers dream since a child to adorn the Scarlet Red overalls and drive for the Prancing Horse. Yes, there is romanticism attached to this move. For so long a Hamilton-Ferrari partnership seemed impossible, but now that Hamilton is nearer to the end of his career, it makes sense to take on a new challenge and go for a last hurrah.

    The Briton must have looked at the development trajectory of Mercedes and thought that they cannot challenge for a title for another couple of seasons, combined with the sweeping technical rule changes for both the power unit and the car coming in 2026. 2021 was brutal ending as the championship was taken out of his hand on the last lap in Abu Dhabi, yet his resolve remained strong. Come 2022, a rules overhaul ushered in ground effect cars where Red Bull came out of the blocks strong and Mercedes considerably missed their mark struggling to third place in the championship. Mercedes’ car philosophy of the zero-pod and long wheelbase did not work for the new regulations. Yet, the team decided to stick with it for the W14, their challenger for the 2023 season. W14 did not fare better as it lagged behind the Red Bull- the title winners- by a big margin, even though Mercedes managed to finish 2nd come the end of the season.The Briton publicly demanded accountability and said that the Mercedes technical team had not listened to him regarding what the car needs to be at the front of the field. Hamilton would have taken into account the development of the W15 and though progress would have been made, it might not be enough to take on the title charge.

    Ferrari on the other hand finished 3rd in the championship but had a better car towards the end of the season, getting narrowly beaten by Mercedes. Plus, Hamilton struggled with his Mercedes at the end of the season to challenge for podiums whereas Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race. Combined that with Frederic ‘Fred’ Vasseur is the Team Principal of Ferrari. The Frenchman happens to be a close friend of Hamilton and he was the Briton’s team manager in GP3 and GP2, before Hamilton entered Formula 1. Since joining Ferrari in 2023, Vasseur has brought in several technical people from Red Bull and Mercedes over to Ferrari, to strengthen their technical and engineering department. One of the names that has gone from the Mercedes camp over to Ferrari is Loic Serra who was the Head of Vehicle Performance at Mercedes. He will join Ferrari from 2025 and is one of the key factors why Hamilton is joining Ferrari.

    Loic Serra was said to be at odds over the zero pod and long wheelbase concept used by then Mercedes Technical Director Mike Elliot. Both Hamilton and Serra seemed to echo the same concerns. Furthermore, changes in the Mercedes structure and significant big-name departures have not only played a role in Mercedes’ downfall but Hamilton leaving as well. It started with departures of Aldo Costa and Mark Ellis in 2018. They were pivotal in design of the Mercedes cars that won them both championships from 2014 to 2018. Mercedes would experience success till 2021 though. Andy Cowell, Head of Mercedes HPP departed the team in 2020. He was regarded as the brains behind the architecture and success of Mercedes’ turbo-hybrid power unit, which used to be the field leader. Mercedes’ Technical Director James Allison moved on to a Chief Technical Officer role in 2021, though he came back as the Technical Director after the team struggled for two consecutive seasons in the ground effect era.Lastly, James Vowles, Chief Strategist and another one of Hamilton’s confidants, left Mercedes to be team principal at Williams F1. Although Allison and Toto Wolff- with whom Hamilton shares a fantastic relationship- have committed their long-term futures with Mercedes, it is reported that Allison wanted Serra alongside him due to the success achieved pre-2022.

    All these factors make it look like a tall order for Mercedes to return to the top in the short to medium future. With Hamilton not getting any younger, he has to see where his chances of winning the coveted 8th title are, and his bets are on Ferrari with Mercedes progression plateauing.

    You can read the second and concluding part here.

  • Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Ferrari’s Leclerc

    Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Ferrari’s Leclerc

    Abu Dhabi, 25 Nov 2023: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took his 12th pole position of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship season, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just over a tenth of a second as both Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton failed to make Q3, here on Saturday.

    At the start of Q1 Verstappen set the pace at 1:245.160 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon, with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda looking swift in P5 ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez. 

    At the other end of the order Williams’s Logan Sargeant, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg had it all to do ahead of the final runs, with all three seeing their  opening laps deleted for track limits infringements. 

    Verstappen had his final time deleted for a track limits infringement in Turn 16, but with no serious threat coming from behind his opening lap kept him in P1 despite improvements elsewhere. 

    One of those who needed to improve was Pérez. The Red Bull driver was one of the last on track for the final runs and as other times came in he plummeted into the drop zone in P16. The Mexican was setting personal bests through each sector, however, and when he crossed the line he jumped up to P2 just 0.049s behind team-mate Verstappen. 

    The Mexican jump up the order meant that Sainz, whose final flyer was hampered by traffic, was bounced out qualifying. Also ruled out at the end of Q1 were Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Zhou, while Sargeant, under pressure, went over the track limits in Turn 1 for a second time and exited in P20.

    For the first runs of Q2, the bulk of the field took to the track on used Softs tyres, but Verstappen emerged on fresh rubber and he used the better grip to take P1 with a lap of 1:23.740. Pérez slotted into P2 a little under four tenths off his team-mate but the Red Bulls were split by Norris, who posted a lap of 1:23.920.

    Verstappen opted to sit out the final runs and again there was no substantial threat from behind and he eased through to Q3 in top spot. Norris held onto P2 ahead of Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly went through in P5 ahead of Pérez, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso ahead of Tusnoda, Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. 

    The Australian driver’s 1:24.278s meant that there was no place in Q3 for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver exited in P11 ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Williams’ Alex Albon and AlpahTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo. 

    At the start of the top-10 shootout Verstappen found three tenths of a second over his Q2 lap, posting a time of 1:23.445 to take provisional pole. Norris pushed to get close and stopped the clock at 1:23.816, a superb lap given that the McLaren driver was on used tyres. 

    In the final runs the McLarens were first on track ahead of Leclerc and with Verstappen fourth on the road. Norris went purple through the first sector and set a personal best through the second sector but in the final corners the McLaren driver slid wide and his hopes of pole position evaporated.

    Piastri was next, but he too failed to beat Verstappen time and as the times flooded in no one managed to topple the three-time champion. Leclerc got closest to take P2 a little over a tenth off P1 but in the end the Dutchman’s opener proved unbeatable and he took his 12th podium of the year and his fourth in a row in Abu Dhabi. 

    Behind Leclerc, Piastri took fourth place ahead of Russell, while Norris was left to rue his error in fifth place. Tsunoda took an excellent sixth for AlphaTauri ahead of Alonso, while Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg put in a super final lap to take P8. 

    Pérez might have ended up fourth on the grid, but the Mexican driver went over the track limits in Turn 1 and his final flyer was deleted. He qualified in P9 ahead of Gasly.

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:23.445 – –
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:23.584 0.139 
    3 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:23.782 0.337 
    4 George Russell Mercedes 1:23.788 0.343 
    5 Lando Norris McLaren 1:23.816 0.371 
    6 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:23.968 0.523 
    7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:24.084 0.639 
    8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:24.108 0.663 
    9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:24.171 0.726 
    10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:24.548 1.103 
    11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:24.359 0.914 
    12 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:24.391 0.946 
    13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:24.422 0.977 
    14 Alexander Albon Williams 1:24.439 0.994
    15 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri RBPT 1:24.442 0.997 
    16 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:24.738 1.293 
    17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:24.764 1.319 
    18 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:24.788 1.343 
    19 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:25.159 1.714 
    20 Logan Sargeant Williams – – 

  • Max Verstappen overcomes time penalty to win at Las Vegas

    Max Verstappen overcomes time penalty to win at Las Vegas

    Las Vegas, 19 Nov. 2023: Max Verstappen overcame a time penalty and car damage to take his 18th win of 2023 in an exciting inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in which Charles Leclerc overtook Sergio Pérez on the last lap to take second place. Pérez’s P3 at the flag sealed the Drivers’ Championship runner-up sport for the Mexican. 

    When the lights went out at the start, polesitter Leclerc got away well to take a narrow lead. However, even though he started on the dirty side of the track, Verstappen also made a good start and he took the inside line on the way to Turn 1. The champion braked late but slide wide, forcing Leclerc off track. When they rejoined, Verstappen was ahead and in the lead. However, the incident was soon put under investigation by the stewards. 

    Further back, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso also spun in Turn 1 and that caused a number of cars around him to take evasive action including Ferrari’s Caros Sainz One of them was Pérez and as the Mexican tried to react he tapped the back of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo, sustaining front wing damage. 

    At the end of the first lap Pérez pitted for a new nose and a set of Hard tyres. He rejoined in 18th place, just as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed to allow marshals to clear debris in Turn 1. However, almost as soon as the VSC ended, the physical Safety Car was deployed when Lando Norris crashed at Turn 12. 

    The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap six and Verstappen controlled the re-start well to hold the lead but on lap eight, the stewards handed down their decision on the start and Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Leclerc off track. The champion, who was now two seconds clear of Leclerc, held position, expecting to serve the penalty in his first stop.  

    Pérez, meanwhile, was on the move and after rising to 16th under the SC as rivals pitted he then breezed past Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the AlphaTauris of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo to take P13. 

    At the front, Verstappen was trying to shake Leclerc but the Ferrari driver was grimly hanging on to the back of the Red Bull and was just a second behind the race leader. And on lap 12, Leclerc attacked. The Ferrari driver closed up on the long run to Turn 14 and he passed the champion on the inside under braking to take the lead. Red Bull pitted Verstappen and after serving his time penalty and taking on a set of Hard tyres he rejoined in ninth place.

    But as others pitted, Pérez vaulted up the order and on lap 18 he was in P2 just 14 seconds behind Leclerc. The Ferrari driver made his first stop on lap 22 and after a 3.9s stop, he rejoined in P3 behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and new race leader, Pérez. The Ferrari driver was now four seconds ahead of Verstappen who was back in P7 but being hampered by Alonso and Russell who were battling over P5.  

    Verstappen was soon past Alonso and after Russell had passed Sainz, the champion followed suit, powering past the Spaniard and tucking in behind the Mercedes. Verstappen went on the attack at the end of lap 25 but Russell was unsighted, turned in and there was contact. Verstappen took third place but was left with a damaged front wing and with debris on the track, the Safety Car was deployed. 

    The Dutch driver pitted for checks and new tyres while behind him a stream of cars filed into the pit lane for new tyres, including Pérez, who took on another set of Hard tyres and rejoined behind Leclerc who stayed out. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was now third ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with both on one stop, and Verstappen was in P5. 

    The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 28 and Leclerc kept the lead ahead of Pérez. He tried to quickly shake off the Red Bull driver but the Mexican clung on and when DRS was enabled he closed up and on lap 32 powered past the Ferrari driver into Turn 14 to take the lead once more. Behind them Verstappen muscled his way past Gasly to take P4 and then on lap 33 he passed Piastri for P3, just 1.6s behind Leclerc and 2.4s off Pérez. 

    On lap 35, Leclerc fought back and the Monegasque surprised Pérez with a late dart down the inside of turn 14 to steal back the lead. Verstappen was now inside DRS range of Pérez and on lap 36 he roared past the Mexican to begin the hunt for the lead. On lap 37 the Dutchman pounced, powering past the Ferrari drive on the run to Turn 14. Leclerc fought back with a late braking lunge but Verstappen was already ahead and into the lead. 

    Now it was Pérez’s turn to reel in the Ferrari and on lap 43 the under pressure Ferrari driver locked up into Turn 12 and the Red Bull driver swept past. 

    Leclerc wasn’t done, though, and though the Mexican tried to break DRS, the Ferrari driver stuck closer and on the final lap he went for broke, diving down the inside into Turn 14 to ambush Pérez and steal P2 just a few hundred metres from the flag. 

    Verstappen, meanwhile, was already there, powering across the line to become the first winner of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Behind Pérez, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon took fourth place ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Sainz was sixth in the second Ferrari, while Hamilton and Russell were seventh and eighth respectively for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso finished ninth in the second Aston and the final point went to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 50 1:29’08.289 
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 1:29’10.359 2.070
    3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 50 1:29’10.530 2.241
    4 Esteban Ocon Alpine 50 1:29’26.954 18.665
    5 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 50 1:29’28.356 20.067
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 50 1:29’29.123 20.834
    7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 50 1:29’30.044 21.755
    8 George Russell Mercedes 50 1:29’31.380 23.091
    9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 50 1:29’34.253 25.964
    10 Oscar Piastri McLaren 50 1:29’37.785 29.496
    11 Pierre Gasly Alpine 50 1:29’42.559 34.270
    12 Alexander Albon Williams 50 1:29’51.687 43.398
    13 Kevin Magnussen Haas 50 1:29’53.114 44.825
    14 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 50 1:29’56.814 48.525
    15 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 50 1:29’58.451 50.162
    16 Logan Sargeant Williams 50 1:29’59.171 50.882
    17 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 50 1:30’33.639 1’25.350
    18 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 46 1:23’38.931 Gearbox
    19 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 45 1:21’43.790 Not running

  • Max Verstappen win Sao Paulo GP ahead of Lando Norris

    Max Verstappen win Sao Paulo GP ahead of Lando Norris

    Sao Paulo, 5 Nov 2023: Max Verstappen took a controlled São Paulo Grand Prix victory, fending off an early challenge from fast starting Lando Norris to power to his 17th win of the season. With Norris a comfortable second, late-race drama was provided by Fernando Alonso who beat Sergio Pérez to the final podium spot by less than a tenth of second at the end of a thrilling drag race to the flag. 

    There was drama ahead of the race start at Interlagos, with front-row starter Charles Leclerc exiting with a hydraulics issue on the formation lap. The Ferrari driver managed to pull into an escape road, allowing the remaining cars to form up on the grid.

    There were more incidents when the lights went out. Verstappen got a good start from pole position to take the lead. Further back, Norris reacted to the lights superbly and passed the of slow-starting Fernando Alonso to jump from sixth on the grid to second as the leaders went into Turn 1. 

    At the rear of the grid through there was contact. Williams’ Alex Albon went to the outside on the run to Turn 1 and he was clipped by the Haas’ of Nico Hülkenberg. The Williams driver was pitched into the side of the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen and both spun into the barriers. In the chaos, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was also hit and sustained rear wing damage, while Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri was hit by a loose wheel from Magnussen’s car and also sustained rear wing damage. 

    The Safety Car was immediately released but with debris all across the track in Turn 1 and with the barriers damaged, the red flags were soon flown. 

    When the lights went out for the second time, Max again got away well to take the lead ahead of Norris. Hamilton, who had taken third ahead of the red flag, tried to go around the outside of the McLaren but locked up and that allowed Alonso to tuck in behind the Mercedes and then use the slipstream to steal P3 from the Mercedes driver on the run to Turn 4. Behind them, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was passed by Mercedes’ George Russell and the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez. 
    Norris then began to close on Verstappen and on lap 8 the McLaren driver went on the attack, attempting a pass on the outside of the first corner. He followed that up with a look at Turn 4, but Verstappen defended well and the McLaren driver then had to back off having used the best of his tyres.

    Pérez was soon on the attack and on lap 14, he powered past Russell into Turn 1. The Mercedes driver then used DRS on the Reta Oposta to try to retake the position, but Pérez position his car well and held position as they exited Turn 4. Freed from the DRS train, Pérez next targeted Hamilton and on lap 18 he powered past the slower Mercedes into Turn 1.  

    That was the cue for Mercedes to pit Hamilton and he was followed on the following tour by Russell, with both switching to Medium tyres. That sparked the first round of stops and Peerez pitted from P4 at the end of lap 20. Hamilton’s undercut was powerful, however, and the Mexican emerged behind the Mercedes once more. Pérez was flying, however, and he soon passed the seven-time champion once more. 

    Verstappen made his first stop at the end of lap 27, with Norris pitting right behind him and the pair held their positions as they too moved to Medium tyres. 

    Behind the top two, Pérez began to edge closer to Alonso and at a little after half distance he was just 1.3s behind the Spaniard. The Mexican’s pace on the Medium tyres wasn’t as good, however, and over the remainder of the second stint he slowly dropped back from the Aston Martin. 

    However, after his final stop for Soft tyres, on lap 47, the Pérez’s found his pace again and he once again began to chase Alonso down. 

    At the front, Verstappen was firmly in control and after briefly surrendering the lead to Norris following his final switch to Softs, on lap 56, he returned to the front three laps later and began to manage his march to the flag. 

    Pérez, though, was deep into a tense cat and mouse battle with Alonso for the final podium place, with the Mexican using DRS to draw close and Alonso deploying battery to defend hard through the final 20 laps. 

    And as the laps ebbed away, it look like Alonso would comfortably hold on. However, on lap 70, Pérez at last got an opportunity. The Red Bull driver closed in at the end of the lap and with aid of DRS dived to the inside of the Aston on the run to Turn 1 to get the move done. Alonso, though, fought back and with DRS on his side on the long straight battled his way through to retake the position. Pérez wasn’t giving up, though, and he tucked in behind the Spaniard for a final-lap lunge. 

    It came right at the end of lap 71. As Verstappen crossed the line to take his 17th win of the season, Pérez got DRS at the exit of Junçao to kick off a stunning drag race to the flag. And though the Mexican drew alongside the Aston Martin, Alonso had just enough pace to nose across the line in third as they took the flag. 

    Behind the top four, Stroll was fifth in the second Aston Martin, with Sainz sixth ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Hamilton slid to eighth at the flag with Yuki Tsunoda taking two points for AlphaTauri in P9. The final point went to Esteban Ocon in the second Alpine. 

    2023 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Race 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 71 1:56’48.894 
    2 Lando Norris McLaren 71 1:56’57.171 8.277
    3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 71 1:57’23.049 34.155
    4 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 71 1:57’23.102 34.208
    5 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 71 1:57’29.739 40.845
    6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 71 1:57’39.082 50.188
    7 Pierre Gasly Alpine 71 1:57’44.987 56.093
    8 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 1:57’51.753 1’02.859
    9 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 71 1:57’58.774 1’09.880
    10 Esteban Ocon Alpine 70 1:56’58.735 1 lap /9.841
    11 Logan Sargeant Williams 70 1:57’15.102 1 lap /26.208
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 70 1:57’18.854 1 lap /29.960
    13 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 70 1:57’58.855 1 lap /1’09.961
    14 Oscar Piastri McLaren 69 1:56’52.530 2 laps /3.636
         George Russell Mercedes 57 1:40’53.898 Retirement
         Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 39 1:17’30.833 Retirement
         Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 22 55’50.383 Retirement
         Kevin Magnussen Haas 0 – Accident
         Alexander Albon Williams 0 – Accident
         Charles Leclerc Ferrari 0 – Not started

  • Charles Leclerc takes US pole; Verstappen crosses track limits, loses pole

    Charles Leclerc takes US pole; Verstappen crosses track limits, loses pole

    Austin, 20 October 2023: Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix after Max Verstappen lost a possible 11th pole position of the season to a track limits violation in the final corner of his final flyer of a close-fought qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

    Leclerc claimed provisional pole with a lap of 1:34.723 but Verstappen beat the Ferrari driver’s pace over the first sector of his final lap. The three champion looked to have done enough as he crossed the line 0.005s ahead of the Ferrari driver, but within seconds Verstappen’s time was deleted for exceeding track limits in Turn 19. He dropped to sixth place at the end of the session. Lecler will be joined on the front row for the race by McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes. 

    At the start of Q1 Verstappen made an instant impression, jumping up to P1 with a lap of 1:36.470, 0.152 clear of Leclerc. With eight minutes remaining Nico Hülkenberg moved to the top of the order in his upgraded Haas, posting a time of 1:36.235 before being quickly outpaced by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who went seven hundredths of a second quicker than the German. 

    However, with five minutes remaining and just ahead of the final runs, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set a new target time of 1:35.824, with three tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc who also improved. 

    Verstappen was back on track, however, and the champion returned to the top of the order with a lap of 1:35.346, 0.478 clear of Sainz. In the final moments, however, Verstappen was edged out of P1, with Hamilton moving to the top ahead of Norris. That left the Red Bull driver with P3 at the end of the session, ahead of Sainz and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. 

    Ruled out at the end of the session were 16th-placed Hülkenberg followed by Aston Martin’s Ferrnando Alonso, Williams’ Alex Albon, the second Aston of Lance Stroll and last-placed Logan Sargeant in the other Williams. 

    Leclerc set the pace at the start of Q2 with a lap of 1:35.888, but the Ferrari driver was swiftly eclipsed by both Mercedes drivers and by McLaren’s Oscar Piatsri who took P1 with a lap of 1:35.576.  Verstappen was just behind the Australian on track, however, and when he crossed the line he was 0.085s ahead and in top spot. Sergio Pérez then moved to P5 in the other Red Bull and just 0.188 covered the closely matched top five. 

    In the final runs, Leclerc managed to hold on to top spot – just. The Ferrari driver was first on track and he set the benchmark at 1:35.004, almost three tenths of a second ahead of team-mate Sainz. Verstappen booked his Q3 spot in P2, just 0.004s off Leclerc and more than two tenths ahead of Hamilton. 

    The drop zone’s first faller was Tsunoda and the 11th-placed Japanese driver was followed to the exit by Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and AlhaTauri’s returning Daniel Ricciardo dropping out in 14th and 15th respectively.

    Verstappen was first on track at the start of the final 12-minute session and the Dutchman stopped the clock at 1:35.081. However, he caught Pérez in the final corner and he ended the first run in P3 with a time of 1:35.081, behind Leclerc and second-placed Hamilton. 

    In the final runs Leclerc set a stern target, posting a lap of 1:34.723. Verstappen looked to have done enough but in the final corner, he slid wide and slid back to sixth. 

    Norris took P2 0.130 off Leclerc with Hamilton just 0.009s further back in third. Carlos Sainz took P4 for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell with Verstappen sixth. Behind the champion Gasly will start in P7 ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon with Pérez in P9 ahead of Piastri.

    2023 FIA United States Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.723 – –
    2 Lando Norris McLaren 1:34.853 0.130 
    3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.862 0.139 
    4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:34.945 0.222 
    5 George Russell Mercedes 1:35.079 0.356 
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:35.081 0.358 
    7 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:35.089 0.366 
    8 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:35.154 0.431 
    9 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:35.173 0.450 
    10 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:35.467 0.744 
    11 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:35.697 0.974 
    12 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:35.698 0.975 
    13 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:35.858 1.135 
    14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:35.880 1.157 
    15 Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri 1:35.974 1.251 
    16 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:36.235 1.512 
    17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:36.268 1.545 
    18 Alexander Albon Williams 1:36.315 1.592 
    19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:36.589 1.866 
    20 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:36.827 2.104