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Tag: Ferrari
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Lewis Hamilton takes Sprint pole at Shanghai: F1 Round 2
Shanghai, 21 March 2025: Lewis Hamilton took a stunning first pole position with Ferrari in qualifying for the Sprint at the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, narrowly beating Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, as early championship leader Lando Norris qualified in sixth place. Hamilton’s pole of 1:30.849 also sets a new lap record for the Shanghai International Circuit, beating Sebastian Vette’s 2018 Q3 time by almost a quarter of a second.
Verstappen set the early benchmark in SQ1 with a 1:32.329 that put him in half a second clear of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar. Lewis Hamilton then took over at the top, exactly a tenth clear of Verstappen as Leclerc moved to second a hundredth off his team-mate.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was going much quicker, however, and the Australian took over in P1 with a time of 1:31.723, half a second clear of Hamilton. The free practice session’s quickest man Lando Norris put in a scruffy opening flyer, however and his 1:32.248 left him in fifth as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso went second, just under four tenths off Piastri.
In the final runs of the segment, Norris corrected his earlier errors, and the championship leader vaulted to the top of the order with a lap of 1:31.396, but Hamilton was finding more pace, and the Ferrari drive topped the session with a time of 1:31.212. Leclerc took third in the other Ferrari ahead of Piastri, while defending champion Max Verstappen eased through in fifth.
There was disappointment for Verstappen’s new Red Bull team-mate Liam Lawson, however. The New Zealander had his final lap deleted for a track limits infringement at Turn 9 and he exited the session in last place.
Also ruled out at the end of SQ1 were Alpine’s Jack Doohan who had his final time deleted and dropped out in P16 ahead of team-mate Pierre Gasly, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg and the unfortunate Lawson.
In the middle segment it was Norris who led the way, with the Briton setting the pace at 1:31.174, 0.188s ahead of team-mate Piastri and a little under four tenths ahead of Verstappen.
The top three sat out the final minutes of the session and that allowed Mercedes’s George Russell to sneak ahead of Piastri 0.172 off Norris. Hamilton also improved, taking fourth ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli who relegated Verstappen to sixth ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Leclerc.
The last two through to top 10 shootout were Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Racing Bulls’ Yiuki Tsunoda, which meant there was no place in SQ3 for Alonso who slipped out in P11, two hundredths of a second off Tsunoda. Haas’ Oliver Bearman went out in P12, and the Briton was followed to the exit by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar.
After Norris’ pacesetting efforts in the middle segment, it was Piastri who grabbed provisional pole in their first runs of SQ3, ahead of Russell, while Norris had a snap heading onto the back straight and lost time all the way down the straight to slip to third.
But while the McLarens would go again, it was Hamilton who found the most time on the Shanghai track and the seven-time champion took his first Sprint pole for Ferrari with a time of 1:30.849.
Verstappen almost pipped the Ferrari driver but lost fractions of time in the final sector to cross the line in P2 just 0.018s behind. Piastri was left with third on 1:30.929 and Leclerc took fourth place ahead of Russell. Norris, meanwhile, finished sixth after locking up into Turn 14 on his final flyer. Antonelli took a solid seventh in his second qualifying session with Mercedes ahead of Tsunoda, Albon and Stroll.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.849 – –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:30.867 0.018
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:30.929 0.080
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.057 0.208
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:31.169 0.320
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:31.393 0.544
7 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:31.738 0.889
8 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:31.773 0.924
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:31.852 1.003
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.982 1.133
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:31.815 0.966
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:31.978 1.129
13 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:32.325 1.476
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.564 1.715
15 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT – – –
16 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:32.575 1.726
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:32.640 1.791
18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:32.651 1.802
19 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.675 1.826
20 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:32.729 1.880 -
Leclerc quickest in FP2 ahead of Piastri and Norris: Aussie GP
Melbourne, 14 March 2025: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the second practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, beating McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda was fourth ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari, as defending champion Max Verstappen finished seventh.
Leclerc was at the top of the times early in the session, with his time of 1:16.794 on Medium tyres setting the initial benchmark, a little under half a second clear of team-mate Hamilton.
The field then began to make the move to Soft tyres for qualifying simulations and Leclerc was demoted by the quick-looking Racing Bull car of Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver set a time of 1:16.784 to claim top spot.
Verstappen then went out on the red-banded tyres but struggling with his RB21 the Dutchman abandoned the lap. Norris then moved ahead with a lap of 1:16.580, as Piastri’s first flier on Softs put him third.
Leclerc was out on the red rubber, however, and with a little under 30 minutes remaining, the Monegasque racer logged a time of 1:16.439 to take P1, which he would go on to hold for the remainder of the session.
Piastri made gains with a second run to take P2 with a lap of 1:16.563 that left him 0.124 behind Leclerc and 0.017s ahead of McLaren team-mate Norris. Tsunoda’s best time of 1:16.784 kept ahead of Hamilton who finished a little over four tenths of a second off his team-mate.
Verstappen also improved late on, but he couldn’t go quicker than stablemate Isack Hadjar. The French/Algerian rookie delivered a good lap of 1:17.019 to end the session 0.580 off Leclerc and a little over two tenths off team-mate Tsunoda.
Nico Hulkenberg finished eighth for Sauber, ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and lead Mercedes driver George Russell.
Elsewhere, Oliver Bearman missed the entire session as his Haas crew repaired his car following a heavy crash in the opening session.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.439 32 248.574
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:16.563 0.124 30 248.172
3 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:16.580 0.141 30 248.117
4 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:16.784 0.345 29 247.457
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:16.859 0.420 31 247.216
6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:17.019 0.580 30 246.702
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:17.063 0.624 22 246.561
8 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:17.161 0.722 24 246.248
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:17.279 0.840 28 245.872
10 George Russell Mercedes 1:17.282 0.843 30 245.863
11 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:17.302 0.863 30 245.799
12 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:17.302 0.863 28 245.799
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:17.330 0.891 27 245.710
14 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:17.394 0.955 30 245.507
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:17.493 1.054 30 245.193
16 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:17.634 1.195 31 244.748
17 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:17.640 1.201 30 244.729
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:17.847 1.408 29 244.078
19 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:18.034 1.595 31 243.493 -
Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 at US GP: Formula 1
Austin, 20 October 2024: Charles Leclerc took a dominant US Grand Prix win as Carlos Sainz followed the Monegasque driver to the flag to hand Ferrari a 1-2 finish at the Circuit of the Americas. Behind them Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took third place after a thrilling battle with title rival Lando Norris that ended with the McLaren driver getting a five-second penalty for passing Verstappen off the track.
At the start, polesitter Norris got away well but on the approach to Turn 1 Verstappen attacked on the inside and when both he and Norris went wide on exit, Leclerc slipped through to claim the lead ahead of Verstappen Sainz and Norris.
On lap 3 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton spun off and with his car beached in a gravel trap, the Safety Car was released. Hamilton’s Mercedes was quickly recovered and the action resumed at the start of lap six. And though Verstappen stuck with the Ferrari driver on the restart, Leclerc was comfortably able to keep the Dutchman behind and once the initial threat was nullified, he was able to pull away across the remainder of an impressive first stint on Medium tyres.
Leclerc made his sole pit stop of the race on lap 26. He emerged behind the McLarens of Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri, but after passing Piastri and then waiting for Norris to make his stop for Hard tyres, the Monegasque driver stretched his legs in the second stint to take a comfortable win.
Sainz, meanwhile, used his sole pit stop to undercut Verstappen and though stayed in touch with Leclerc, the Spanish driver settled for second and his 24th career podium finish.
While the Ferrari drivers’ drive to the podium was smooth, behind them a more turbulent contest was developing.
Verstappen was unhappy with his Hard tyres in his second stint, telling the Red Bull pit wall that he couldn’t “brake” or “attacke the corners”. And with Norris more comfortable on six-lap younger Hard tyres behind him it was only a matter of time before the McLaren driver reeled in the Dutchman.
After the pit stops, Norris rapidly chewed through a six-second deficit to Verstappen and hauled himself within DRS range of Verstappen by lap 45. He then began a relentless series of attacks, always pressing in Turns 1 and 12 to see if he could provoke a mistake.
Verstappen defended expertly, however, to keep Norris at bay with the result that on lap 52 Norris went for broke.
The McLaren driver tried to attack on the outside of Turn 12 but both drivers went wide and Norris overtook his rival off track to steal P3. Expecting a sanction he tried to press ahead and gain a five-second advantage over the Red Bull driver, but Verstappen was resolute and when they crossed the line he was just four seconds in arrears. The race Stewards had already delivered their verdict of a five-second for passing off-track and Verstappen made it onto the podium by just 0.9s.
Oscar Piastri took fifth place in the second McLaren, 34 seconds clear of George Russell. The Mercedes driver put in a strong performance, starting from the pit lane and recovering from a five-second penalty in the race to power through to P6, passing Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez in the closing stages.
Nico Hulkenberg took eighth for Haas, while Liam Lawson delivered an equally strong race rising from 19that the start to claim P9 and two points on his return to F1. Franco Colapinto collected the final point for Williams.
2024 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – Race
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 56 1:35’09.639
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 56 1:35’18.201 8.562
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 56 1:35’29.051 19.412
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:35’29.993 20.354
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 56 1:35’31.560 21.921
6 George Russell Mercedes 56 1:36’05.934 56.295
7 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 56 1:36’08.711 59.072
8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 56 1:36’12.596 1’02.957
9 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 56 1:36’20.202 1’10.563
10 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 56 1:36’21.618 1’11.979
11 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 56 1:36’29.421 1’19.782
12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 56 1:36’40.197 1’30.558
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 55 1:35’11.365 1 lap /1.726
14 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 55 1:35’17.851 1 lap /8.212
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 55 1:35’26.622 1 lap /16.983
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 55 1:35’27.731 1 lap /18.092
17 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 55 1:35’43.972 1 lap /34.333
18 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 55 1:35’51.751 1 lap /42.112
19 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 55 1:35’58.879 1 lap /49.240 -
Carlos Sainz leads Ferrari 1-2 in Australia: Max logs a rare DNF
Albert Park (Melbourne), 24 March 2024: Carlos Sainz claimed an emotional first victory of the season at the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, coming back from illness to lead a Ferrari 1-2 finish as Charles Leclerc took second place, with Lando Norris third for McLaren on an afternoon on which championship leader Max Verstappen failed to finish.
Just two weeks ago, Sainz was forced to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he had to undergo surgery to remove his appendix, but in Melbourne a sensational recovery to victory was sealed within a few laps of the start.
When the lights went, pole position man Verstappen got away well ahead of front row starter Sainz and took the lead into Turn 1 with Norris third ahead Norri. By the end of lap one the Dutchman was almost out of DRS range of the lead Ferrari and it looked like the three-time champion was settling into his customary dominance.
However, in Turn 7, Verstappen suddenly slid wide and though he recovered Sainz was able to use the following DRS zone to power past the Dutchman and steal the lead.
Verstappen was quickly on the radio telling his team his car felt “loose”, but his issues escalated moments later when smoke began to pour from the rear right of his car.
With his brakes on fire, Verstappen was forced to slow and though he managed to limp back to the pits, it was clear his race was over – the first time the Red Bull driver has failed to finish since the same event in 2022.
Released into clean air, Sainz now began to pull out a gap and by lap 7 he was two-seconds clear of Norris and Leclerc. The Spaniard was then able to manage his tyres through the opening stint and the first round of pit stops.
Behind him Norris was being put under pressure by Leclerc, but the Ferrari driver dived to the pits at the end of lap nine giving the McLaren driver brief respite. Norris tried to go longer on his starting Medium tyres but Leclerc’s undercut worked well and when Norris pitted he’d not only been bypassed by Leclerc but also by his team-mate Oscar Piastri, who had also stopped for new tyres. Then Sainz pitted at the end of lap 16 and that
Bumped Hard-tyre starter Fernando Alonso into the lead, but within seconds, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton suddenly slowed and pulled over at the side of the track, his race ended by a power unit failure. The VSC was deployed and Alonso took advantage, pitting for Medium tyres, and gaining time as the field slowed around him.
That put Sainz back in the lead, with Leclerc in P2 ahead of Piastri and Norris. Alonso dropped to fifth place after his tyre change, ahead of Sergio Pérez who was gaining ground on fresh Hard tyres. On lap 27 the Mexican dispatched Alonso with ease, powering past the Aston Martin driver under DRS on the run to Turn 9.
At half distance, Sainz was six seconds clear of Leclerc who had dropped out of his team-mate’s dirty air. With Norris on fresher tyres than his team-mate, McLaren switched its drivers, a swap that left Pérez in P5, 11 seconds off Piastri.
The final round of pit stops left the order at the top unchanged and as the final stint unfolded it became clear that the gaps were solidifying. While the top five order held to the flag, there was late drama behind them when, a lap from home, a tight battle for P6 between Alonso and Russell went wrong. Russell appeared to lose downforce behind the slower Alonso into Turn 6 and slid hard into the barriers on the left side of the track. Though Russell was unhurt, his wrecked Mercedes ended up on its side in the middle of the track.
A Virtual Safety Car slowed the pack through the final lap, leaving Sainz to score a remarkable win on his return from surgery, with Leclerc taking P2 to seal as Ferrari 1—2. Norris claimed the final podium place ahead of team-mate Piastri and Pérez. Alonso came home in sixth place but was placed under by the Steward for the incident with Russell, while Lance Stroll finished seventh in the second Aston. Yuki Tsunoda delivered a good result for RB with P8 and the final points places were taken by the Haas cars of Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen.
“It’s not only the last two weeks. It’s the whole start to the year in general, how the year started with the news of the non-renewal,” said Sainz afterwards. “Then you get yourself fit. You get yourself ready for the start of the season, pushing flat out. And then you get to Bahrain. You do a good podium. You say, ‘OK, now the season is starting well and I can keep the momentum going’. And suddenly, boom, you’re missing a race in Jeddah and the operation. Long days in bed, not knowing if I was going to be back in time. Obviously, a lot of unknowns. Am I going to be back fit? Am I going to be back feeling still good with the car? And then suddenly you come back and win. So, yes, what I said on the radio: life is a roller coaster sometimes, but it can be really nice and good to you sometimes. Just letting it sink in and enjoying the moment.”
2024 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Race
1 Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 58 1:20’26.843
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 1:20’29.209 2.366
3 Lando Norris McLaren 58 1:20’32.747 5.904
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren 58 1:21’02.613 35.770
5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing 1:21’23.152 56.309
6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 58 1:21’47.835 1’20.992
7 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 58 1:22’00.065 1’33.222
8 Yuki Tsunoda RB 58 1:22’02.444 1’35.601
9 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 58 1:22’11.396 1’44.553
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 57 1:20’30.924 1 lap /4.081
11 Alexander Albon Williams 57 1:20’31.852 1 lap /5.009
12 Daniel Ricciardo RB 57 1:20’38.351 1 lap /11.508
13 Pierre Gasly Alpine 57 1:21’07.796 1 lap /40.953
14 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 57 1:21’09.169 1 lap /42.326
15 Zhou Guanyu Sauber 57 1:21’11.136 1 lap /44.293
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine 57 1:21’20.822 1 lap /53.979
17 George Russell Mercedes 56 1:18’04.734 Accident
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 15 21’18.426 Power Unit
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 3 4’14.672 Brakes
Logan Sargeant Williams 0 – Withdrawn -
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 -
Part II: Hamilton, the Last Dance
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.
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Lewis Hamilton: The Last Dance!
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.
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Max Verstappen quickest in FP2 after Russel top FP1:
Max Verstappen set the fastest time of the second free practice session for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc brought running to a halt when he crash late in the session.
Ferrari driver Leclerc and team-mate set the early pace, but the first really representative time came from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who set a time of 1:30.757 and then by his team-mate Max Verstappen who stopped the clock at 1:30.146.
Sainz then posted a lap of 1m30.128s, and Leclerc became the first driver to get under 1m30s with a lap of 1:29.497.
Verstappen put in another quick lap that edged him close to the Monegasque driver and then with his next attempt he finally pushed through to the top of the order with a 1:29.380.
All of the early P1 times had been set on medium compound Pirelli tyres but McLaren’s Lando Norris then emerged on soft tyres and the Briton jumped to top spot with a lap of
1:28.741. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso moved to P2 before being supplanted by Sainz, but Norris’ time proved good enough to stand for some time.
It was Verstappen who eventually toppled the McLaren driver, the Dutchman posting a 1:28.255. The champion then lowered the benchmark to 1:27.930 as drivers began to switch to longer runs.
Ten minutes from the end of the session the red flags came out when Leclerc crashed at Turn 7. The incident resulted in a five-minute stoppage as the damaged Ferrari was rescued. When running resumed it was solely to get more running on the harder compounds and there were no significant improvements in lap time.
Behind Verstappen. Sainz finished second with Leclerc third. Pérez ended the session in fourth, almost half a second behind his team-mate.
Alonso was left with fifth place with the Spaniard having moved past Norris just before Leclerc’s crash. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh ahead of Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, as Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon completed the top 10.
2023 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 23 1:27.930
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 26 1:28.315 0.385
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 20 1:28.398 0.468
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 24 1:28.419 0.489
5 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 25 1:28.660 0.730
6 Lando Norris McLaren 24 1:28.741 0.811
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 23 1:28.858 0.928
8 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 23 1:28.930 1.000
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 25 1:28.937 1.007
10 Alex Albon Williams 26 1:29.046 1.116
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine 22 1:29.098 1.168
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas 22 1:29.171 1.241
13 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 27 1:29.181 1.251
14 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 26 1:29.189 1.259
15 George Russell Mercedes 21 1:29.216 1.286
16 Oscar Piastri McLaren MCL60 McLaren 24 1:29.339 1.409
17 Nico Hulkenberg Haas VF-23 Haas 22 1:29.393 1.463
18 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri AT04 AlphaTauri 25 1:29.613 1.683
19 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri AT04 AlphaTauri 25 1:29.928 1.998
20 Logan Sargeant Williams FW45 Williams 27 1:30.038 2.108 -
Spanish GP: Leclerc takes pole despite spin; Verstappen faces issues
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took pole in F1 Spanish GP despite a spin with teammate Carlos Sainz third behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Q1:
The first part in F1 Spanish GP qualifying saw an unsafe release at the start between McLaren’s Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll which will be investigated after the session. On track, it was Ferrari 1-2 with Charles Leclerc leading Carlos Sainz.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third but teammate Sergio Perez was eighth after an off moment in the gravel. The knockout zone saw a big casualty in Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m21.043s) who was only 17th behind Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m20.954s).
The German was not happy to miss out on a Q2 spot, while replays showed a possible impeding between Norris and Alonso which was cleared by the stewards. The other Aston Martin of Stroll slotted in 18th after a 1m21.418s lap.
The final row on the grid saw Williams pair of Alexander Albon (1m21.645s) and Nicholas Latifi (1m21.915s) in 19th and 20th.
Q2:
The second part in F1 Spanish GP went smoothly mostly with no incidents as a late lap from Red Bull’s Verstappen put him on top from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ George Russell with both the Haas drivers in the Top 10.
McLaren’s Norris (1m20.471s) initially finished inside the Top 10 but his lap time was deleted due to track limits which helped Mick Schumacher to make it inside. The Brit eventually finished 11th with Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m20.638s) in 12th.
The two AlphaTauri pair followed with Yuki Tsunoda (1m20.639s) ahead of Pierre Gasly (1m20.861s) in 13th and 14th, while Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu (1m21.094s) was 15th.
Q3:
The third part in F1 Spanish GP saw a bit of shock start for Ferrari’s Leclerc who had a spin at Turn 14 which ruined his first flying lap as he dived into the pitlane. Red Bull’s Verstappen took provisional pole with a 1m19.073s lap.
Ferrari’s Sainz slotted in second with Red Bull’s Perez in third. The game changed in the second run where Leclerc smashed the standings with a 1m18.750s lap to take pole in F1 Spanish GP with Verstappen ending up second due to power issues (which was later clarified to be a DRS issue).
He couldn’t improve his lap time but remained second, with Sainz (1m19.166s) in third from Mercedes’ Russell (1m19.393s) as he demoted Red Bull’s Perez (1m19.420s) to fifth and Mercedes’ Hamilton (1m19.512s) to sixth.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (1m19.608s) was seventh where he beat the Haas pair with Kevin Magnussen (1m19.682s) in eighth and Schumacher (1m20.386s) 10th behind McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m20.297s).
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Spanish GP: Leclerc remains on top in FP2 from Mercedes duo
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc stayed on top in FP2 of F1 Spanish GP with Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton doing a better job in second and third.
Much like how FP1 was, the FP2 session in F1 Spanish GP was sedate as well with Ferrari’s Leclerc leading the standings after setting a 1m19.670s lap. He led the two Mercedes duo in a surprise finish with Russell (1m19.787s) second and Hamilton (1m19.874s) third.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz (1m19.990s) slotted in fourth with the first of Red Bull of Max Verstappen (1m20.006s) in fifth whereas his teammate Sergio Perez (1m20.632s) was seventh behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso (1m20.203s).
The Mexican had his first chance this weekend after Juri Vips got his chance in FP1. After a difficult first part Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel (1m20.703s) was eighth from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m20.745s) and Haas’ Mick Schumacher (1m20.757s) in the Top 10.
The German’s teammate Kevin Magnussen was 12th behind AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly with his teammate Yuki Tsunoda in 14th behind Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo slotted in 15th with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in 16th.
The Finn though couldn’t see-through the season due to engine issue as he stopped on track causing a Virtual Safety Car. He was ahead of his teammate Guanyu Zhou as he led Williams pair of Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi.
The Thai racer is under investigation for impeding Sainz earlier in the session. The standings was rounded out by McLaren’s Lando Norris whose off moment damaged his floor and for that he couldn’t do more than three laps in the session.
