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Tag: Lando Norris
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Max Verstappen holds off McLarens to take first win of 2025 in Japan: F1
Suzuka (Japan), 6 April 2025: Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen held off the McLaren of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to take his first win of 2025 at Suzuka and become the first driver to take four consecutive Japanese Grand Prix victories beating Michael Schumacher’s record.
After taking the lead from pole, Verstappen managed a slim gap to the hard-charging McLarens across the first stint. And after shrugging off a pit exit challenge from Norris when they made their sole pit stops on the same lap, the defending champion closed out his first win since Qatar last year in style, managing his tyres and his pace to cross the line with 1.4 seconds in hand over Norris, with Piastri another six tenths back in third.
“It was tough, just pushing very hard – especially on the second stint,” said Verstappen afterwards. “The two McLarens were pushing me very hard, and it was a lot of fun out there. Not easy, of course, to manage the tyres, but I’m incredibly happy. It started off quite tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up. We kept improving the car and today it was in its best form. And of course, starting on pole, that really made it possible to win the race.”
After taking the lead ahead of Norris at the start, Verstappen set about trying to build a gap back to the McLarens, and despite complaining of poor upshifts, by lap five he was 1.4 second clear of Norris, with Piastri almost a second further back.
As the opening stint headed towards the pit window Piastri was the first of the leaders to blink, and at the end of lap 20 the Australian dived into the pit lane for a set of Hard tyres. That prompted Red Bull to pit Verstappen at the end of the following tour and McLaren responded by pitting Norris on the same lap.
McLaren were quicker to fit a set of Hard tyres to Norris’ car and as Verstappen reached the end of the pity lane Norris pulled out into the working lane almost alongside the Dutchman. Verstappen held his line in the fast lane and though Norris protest that he had been forced onto the grass at the side of the pit exit, Race Control ruled that there was nothing to investigate, and Verstappen held the lead on the road.
With the pit stops out of the way, Verstappen was now 1.4s clear of Norris, with Piastri another two seconds further back in third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc held fourth place, five seconds off the lead with Mercedes George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth places.
With 20 laps remaining Verstappen was given free rein to push but he couldn’t shake the McLarens, who continued to exert maximum pressure. Verstappen, though, was flawless and the champion delivered a perfect closing third of race to take his first win since last year’s race in Qatar and the 64th of his career.
Behind the top three, Leclerc was fourth ahead of Russell, who got to within 1.3 of the Ferrari in the closing stages but couldn’t quite put pressure on the Monegasque driver. Mercedes rookie Antonelli finished sixth while Hamilton took seventh after racing on a Hard-Medium strategy in opposition to the bulk of the field. Isack Hadjar took an impressive eighth place and his first F1 points for the Racing Bulls ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and the final point went to Haas’ Ollie Bearman.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’06.983
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’08.406 1.423
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’09.112 2.129
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 1:22’23.080 16.097
5 George Russell Mercedes 53 1:22’24.345 17.362
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 53 1:22’25.654 18.671
7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 53 1:22’36.165 29.182
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’44.117 37.134
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 53 1:22’47.350 40.367
10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’01.512 54.529
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 53 1:23’04.316 57.333
12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’05.384 58.401
13 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’09.105 1’02.122
14 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 53 1:23’21.112 1’14.129
15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’28.297 1’21.314
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’28.940 1’21.957
17 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’29.717 1’22.734
18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.421 1’23.438
19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.880 1’23.897
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:22’19.912 1 lap /12.929 -
Max Verstappen grabs stunning Suzuka pole ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri: F1
Suzuka (Japan) 5 April 2025: Max Verstappen took a stunning first pole position of 2025 for the Japanese Grand Prix and claimed the outright lap record of Suzuka as he hauled his tricky RB21 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by just one hundredth of a second. Oscar Piastri claimed third for McLaren with the top three covered by just 0.040s.
In the final runs of Q3 Norris looked to have done enough to secure pole when he crossed the line in 1:26.995. His main rival looked to be Piastri, who was midway through his lap, but no Verstappen, who had struggled for balance all weekend.
The Dutchman had clearly not read the script, however and after “sending it and hoping it would stick” the Red Bull Racing driver secured his first pole since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix and the 41st of his career.
“We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance with the car, but it wasn’t easy, even in qualifying,” said the Dutchman afterwards. “But every session we just kept on making little improvements. I think that’s what made the difference. And yeah, the last lap was just flat out. I mean, around here being on the limit – or maybe even a bit over in places – is incredibly rewarding.”
At the start of Q1, it was Piastri who led the way, with the Australian setting the early benchmark at 1:28.143. Verstappen’s opening flyer, two tenths down on P1, left him fourth on the timesheet. Norris then went for an early second attempt and dropped the P1 time into 1m27s bracket with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc mirroring the strategy to climb to second place, a tenth behind the McLaren on 1:27.920.
In the final runs, Piastri reclaimed top spot, posting a lap of 1:27.687 to beat Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.156s. Norris was third ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen progressed to Q2 in sixth place with a time of 1:27.943, just 0.001s behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Headed for the exit after Q1, in P16 and P17 respectively, were Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto and the Sauber pair were followed out by Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and in last place Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who had an off in the ‘Esses’ on his final lap.
Verstappen was first out of the pit lane at the start of Q2 and the Dutchman upped his pace from Q1 to stop the clock at 1:27.502. It was good enough to split the McLaren’s with Norris taking top sport on 1:27.146, while Piastri could only manage 1:27.613, to sit a tenth off Verstappen. Russell then jumped to P2. Running halted there, however, as a grass fire at 130R brought out the red flags just as the first runs concluded.
The session resumed after an eight-minute delay and both Norris and Russell elected to sit out the final runs. Verstappen ventured out but with little threat coming from further behind he abandoned the attempt and headed into the pits.
Ruled out at the end of Q2 were Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in P11 with the French driver followed out by Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Aston Martins’ Fernando Alonso, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda.
In the opening runs of the top-10 shootout it was Piastri who claimed provisional pole, with the McLaren driver setting the target at 1:27.052. Verstappen put in a strong Q3 opener of 1:27.278 to take P2 and keep Leclerc and Russell at bay, while Norris’s opener was four tenths slower than his Q2 best and he slotted into fifth place ahead of the final runs.
Russell was one of the first out for his final flyer and a mistake in the Esses put paid to his thoughts of pole. Norris was next across the line and with a time of 1:16.995 it looked like the championship leader had done enough. Verstappen had other ideas, however, and in a track record time the four-time champion once again proved why he’d been on pole 40 times.
“A lot of happiness when I crossed the line,” he said. “The whole qualifying, we just kept on trying to improve the situation a bit. And the final lap, honestly, it was very good. I had a lot of fun out there, being fully committed everywhere. Some places, not sure if I was actually going to keep it or not, but yeah, it was really nice. And yeah, it was great for the team as well.”
2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.983 – –
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.995 0.012
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:27.027 0.044
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.299 0.316
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:27.318 0.335
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:27.555 0.572
7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:27.569 0.586
8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:27.610 0.627
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:27.615 0.632
10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:27.867 0.884
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:27.822 0.839
12 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:27.836 0.853
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:27.897 0.914
14 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:27.906 0.923
15 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.000 1.017
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:28.570 1.587
17 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:28.622 1.639
18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:28.696 1.713
19 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:28.877 1.894
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:29.271 2.288 -
Lando Norris on pole as McLaren lock out front row: Aussie Grand Prix
Albert Park (Melbourne), 15 March 2025: Lando Norris stormed to pole position just under a tenth of a second ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri as McLaren locked out the front row in qualifying for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. Defending world champion Max Verstappen qualified third for Red Bull.
At the start of Q1 Haas’ Oliver Bearman was one of the first on track. The Briton had missed FP3 due to a second crash of the weekend and was seeking to make up for lost time. However, soon after leaving the pit lane the rookie driver informed his team that he had a gearbox problem. He was forced back to the pit lane and took no part in the session.
Liam Lawson also endured a tough Saturday. The new Red Bull Racing recruit was forced to sit out FP3 due to a PU problem and on an unfamiliar track in a tricky car the Kiwi struggled. After two unproductive runs, a final crucial flyer began well but mistakes in Sector 2 and an off in the penultimate corner left him in P18 and out of the session. Also ruled out in Q1 were Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli who damaged the front bib on his W16 E and exited in P16, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, 19th placed Esteban Ocon in the other Haas and team-mate Bearman.
At the top of the Q1 timesheet, Norris took top spot, six hundredths of a second ahead of Mercedes George Russell with Verstappen in third.
Verstappen led the field out in the middle session and the Dutchman posted a strong opening flying lap of 1:15.688. The Red Bull driver suffered several moments of oversteer on his lap, however, and that allowed the McLaren drivers to annex the top two places, with Oscar Piastri taking top spot a little over two tenths clear or Lando Norris. Behind Verstappen after the first flyers were Russell, Leclerc and Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda.
In the second runs Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto had a nervous moment when he clattered over the kerbs in Turn 4 and almost lost control, while Lewis Hamilton did lose control, spinning his Ferrari in Turn 11.
The resulting yellow flags disadvantaged several drivers but top spot was again taken by Norris who posted a time of 1:15.415 to beat Piastri. Verstappen was again third with a lap of 1:15.565.
Knocked out at the end of Q2 were Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who ended up as the best-placed rookie in P11, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll out in P12 and P13. Alpine’s Jack Doohan exited in P14 and Bortoleto qualified in 15th.
In the opening runs of Q3 Piastri pushed too hard in the penultimate corner and went wide into the dirt on his opening lap. Behind him, team-mate Norris went too hard into Turn 4 and bounced over the kerb that caught out Bortoleto and the Briton’s lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Verstappen flirted with the same boundary but managed to stay on the right said of the kerb and took provisional pole with a lap of 1:15.671.
The champion pushed to seal the opening pole of the season, but ultimately the McLarens were marginally quicker and Norris took top spot in qualifying with a lap of 1:15.096, with Piastri second. Verstappen’s final flyer of 1:15.481 handed him third ahead of Russell, the impressive Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1’15.096 – –
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’15.180 0.084 0.112
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’15.481 0.385 0.513
4 George Russell Mercedes 1’15.546 0.450 0.599
5 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’15.670 0.574 0.764
6 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’15.737 0.641 0.854
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’15.755 0.659 0.878
8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1’15.973 0.877 1.168
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’15.980 0.884 1.177
10 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1’16.062 0.966 1.286
11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’16.175 1.079 1.437
12 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’16.453 1.357 1.807
13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’16.483 1.387 1.847
14 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1’16.863 1.767 2.353
15 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1’17.520 2.424 3.228
16 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1’16.525 1.429 1.903
17 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1’16.579 1.483 1.975
18 Liam Lawson Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’17.094 1.998 2.661
19 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1’17.147 2.051 2.731
20 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari – – – -
Norris takes Abu Dhabi win ahead of Ferraris to seal Constructors’ title for McLaren
Abu Dhabi, 8 Dec 2024: Lando Norris took a controlled lights Abu Dhabi Grand victory to seal the 2024 FIA Formula One Constructors’ Championship title for McLaren as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took second place and Charles Leclerc stormed through the field to ensure the contest remained tense right to the chequered flag.
When the lights went out at the start, Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri got away well, but from fourth on the grid, Max Vestappen reacted even better. The Red Bull driver passed Sainz and as the McLarens went into Turn 1 the four-time champion dived down the inside to attack Piastri.
The move was foolhardy, however, and as the corner tightened the Dutchman collided with his Australian rival. Both spun but while Verstappen was somehow able to slot straight back into the pack in P11, Piastri went off track and dropped to the back of the field. Verstappen’s over-ambitious move would quickly result in a 10-second time penalty from the Stewards for causing the collision.
Moments later, there was another incident. Sergio Pérez was hit by Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and though the Red Bull driver was able to rejoin in last place behind Piastri he was soon forced to pull over at the side f the track and retire from what could be his final race with the team.
The incidents led to the Virtual Safety Car being deployed, and under the caution Norris led ahead of Sainz, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Mercedes’ George Russell and Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg. Behind them, Leclerc had profited greatly most from the incidents, and by the end of lap one the Ferrari driver had climbed from 19th to eighth place.
When the VSC was withdrawn, Leclerc made his way past Magnussen and Fernando Alonso to claim sixth, and Verstappen followed suit, climbing to eighth place by lap 12. There were more woes for Piastri, however, as the McLaren driver clipped the rear of Franco Colapinto’s Williams at the restart and like Max, the Australian was handed a 10-second time penalty. As the first stint elapsed, Leclerc and Verstappen continued their progress and by lap 15 the Ferrari driver had moved up to fifth, with the Red Bull drive just four seconds behind in sixth place.
With Norris four seconds clear of Sainz at the front and 15 ahead of Russell, fourth-placed Gasly was the first of the frontrunner to make a pit stop and the Frenchman shed his starting Mediums for a set of Hard tyres on lap 15. He rejoined in ninth ahead of new team-mate Jack Doohan.
Gasly’s rivals didn’t immediately respond, but on lap 21 Leclerc attempted to undercut Russell and after taking Hard tyres the Monegasque driver rejoined behind Gasly before clawing his way past the Alpine driver to claim P6.
Sainz was next in, on lap 26 and McLaren covered the Spaniard by pitting Norris on the following lap, with Russell also making his way in from third place. Verstappen climbed to P3 but despite complaining that his tyres were fading, he stayed out on his ageing Medium tyres, hoping for a Safety Car.
It didn’t materialise, however, and he pitted on lap 30 to bolt Hard tyres and serve his 10-second penalty. After emerging in 11th place he swiftly cleared the Williams of Alex Albon and when Piastri pitted on lap 33 to serve his penalty and fit fresh tyres, Verstappen powered past Fernando Alonso to grab eighth behind Hamilton who had just pitted for a set of Medium tyres and a rapid final stint.
The seven-time champion was soon on the move and he was quickly past Hülkenberg and Gasly. Verstappen then closed in on the Haas and with 15 laps left he powered past the German. He then reeled in Gasly and on lap 46 he swooped past the Frenchman in Turn 9 to rise to sixth place behind Hamilton.
That as far as Verstappen would rise. With Hamilton on fresher Medium tyres there was no chance of closing in on the Briton and as Norris took his fourth win of the season to earn McLaren its first Constructors’ crown since 1998. Sainz and Leclerc followed while Hamilton ended his Mercedes career by passing team-mate Russell to take fourth place. Behind Verstaoppen, Gasly’s seventh place ahead of Hülkenberg meant that Alpine beat Haas to sixth place in Constructors’ standings. Alonso crossed the line in P9 and the final points went to Piastri.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Race
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 58 1:26’33.291
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 58 1:26’39.123 5.832
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 1:27’05.219 31.928
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 58 1:27’09.774 36.483
5 George Russell Mercedes 58 1:27’10.829 37.538
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 58 1:27’23.138 49.847
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 58 1:27’45.851 1’12.560
8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 58 1:27’48.845 1’15.554
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 58 1:27’55.664 1’22.373
10 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 58 1:27’57.112 1’23.821
11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 57 1:26’44.542 1 lap /11.251
12 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 57 1:26’48.029 1 lap /14.738
13 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 57 1:26’50.595 1 lap /17.304
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 1:26’51.764 1 lap /18.473
15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 57 1:26’59.846 1 lap /26.555
16 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 1:27’50.888 1 lap /1’17.597
17 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 55 1:24’36.949 Not running
Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 30 47’27.280 Accident damage
Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 26 41’10.430 Retirement
Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 0 – Retirement -
Norris takes pole in Abu Dhabi as McLaren lock out front row ahead of Sainz
McLaren edged a step close to the F1 Constructors’ title as Lando Norris took pole position ahead of Oscar Piastro to complete a front-row lock out for the team. Carlos Sainz took third place for Ferrari but the Scuderia’s hopes of challenging for a first title in 16 years were dealt a blow when Charles Leclerc qualified 14th.
In the final top-10 shootout, 2024 Drivers’ champion Max Verstappen claimed provisional pole with a strong first run that was hampered by a slide in the final corner, but while the Red Bull driver had run with new Soft tyres, Norris, just 0.004s off, and Piastri, had run with used tyres on their opening runs.
And with new rubber on board for the final runs, the McLaren pair showed a clean pair of heels to their rivals with Norris taking his eighth pole of the year thanks to a time of 1:22.595, two tenths ahead of Piastri and Sainz.
Nico Hülkenberg grabbed a shock fourth place on the grid for Haas with a superb lap of 1:22.886, while Verstappen failed to improve on his first time of Q3 and was forced to settle for fifth place and the front of row three.
Behind the top five Pierre Gasly kept Alpine’s hopes of staying ahead of Haas in the battle for P6 in the Constructors’ Championship alive as he took sixth place, while George Russell was seventh for Mercedes ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, surprised ninth-place qualifier Valterri Bottas of Kick Sauber, and the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.
The major absence from Q3 was Leclerc. The Monegasque driver looked to have comfortably secured his spot in Q2 by posting a time that took him to the top of the timesheet in the closing stages of Q2. But within moments of crossing the line the Ferrari man’s time was deleted for exceeding track limits in Turn 1 at the start of his final flyer. And as the order shook out following the chequered flag, Leclerc dropped to 14th. The Ferrari driver is already facing a 10-place grid drop for taking a third Energy Store of the season, so is set to start from the rear of the field.
Also eliminated at the end of Q2 were RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in 11th and 12th respectively, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in P13 and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in 15h place.
The major faller as the first hurdle was Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion, taking part in his last qualifying session with Mercedes, looked to be improving on his final flying lap. However, he managed to run over a bollard dislodged by Magnussen and with the debris trapped under this car, Hamilton’s pace dropped and he was eliminated in P18 behind Williams’ Alex Albon and Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and ahead of the second Williams of Franco Colapinto and Alpine’s Jack Doohan.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1’22.595
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’22.804 0.209
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1’22.824 0.229
4 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1’22.886 0.291
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’22.945 0.350
6 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’22.984 0.389
7 George Russell Mercedes 1’23.132 0.537
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’23.196 0.601
9 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1’23.204 0.609
10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’23.264 0.669
11 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1’23.419 0.824
12 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 1’23.472 0.877
13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’23.784 1.189
14 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’23.833 1.238
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1’23.877 1.282
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’23.821 1.226
17 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1’23.880 1.285 1.556
18 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’23.887 1.292
19 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 1’23.912 1.317
20 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1’24.105 1.510 -
Norris on pole for Sprint ahead of Russell and Piastri: F1 Qatar GP
Qatar, 29 Nov. 2024: McLaren’s Lando Norris will start the Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix from the front of the grid with the McLaren driver beating Mercedes’ George Russell to top spot by just 0.063s in a tight Sprint qualifying session at Lusail Circuit. Oscar Piastri took third in the other McLaren as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished fourth and fifth respectively.
At the start of the session, in SQ1, Norris topped the timesheet, posting a lap of 1:21.356 to beat Sainz by almost half a second, with Russell third ahead of Verstappen.
At the wrong end of the order, Sergio Pérez once again failed to match the pace of his Red Bull team-mate and he exited the session in P16, just over a hundredth of a second behind Williams’ Alexz Albon. Pérez Red Bull stablemate Yuki Tsunoda was another surprise faller and the RB driver, who complained of a “rushed” final run finished in P17, 0.04s behind the Mexican. Esteban Ocon was eliminated in 18th place ahead of Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and last place Williams driver Franco Colapinto.
Verstappen set the opening pace of S2 with a time of 1:22.188, but that was quickly eclipsed by Leclerc who went five hundredths of a second quicker to take P1 and by Norris who slotted into second place 0.015s ahead of the Dutchman. Piastri was going quicker than all three, however, and he claimed top sport with a lap of 1:22.050.
Norris’s second run was even quicker and the Briton moved to the top of the order with a lap of 1:21.231 that put him ahead of Russell who climbed to second thanks to a lap of 1:21.4988. Piastri went again but time lose when he went wide late in the lap saw him take third place just over three tenths off his team-mate. Hamilton took fourth ahead of Verstappen and Sainz, with Leclerc in P7 ahead Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and RB’s Liam Lawson.
However, there was no place in the top-10 shootout for Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who exited in P11, just four hundredths of a second off Lawson’s time. Also eliminated at the end of SQ2 were Williams’ 12th-placed Alex Albon who went out ahead of Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
Norris was in imperious form in the opening runs of SQ3. The McLaren driver set a blistering lap of 1:21.012 on his first attempt on Soft tyres, more than 0.015s clear of team-mate Piastri and almost three tenths ahead Russell.
Norris pushed more on his second run but the Briton clipped the gravel at Turn 2 and he backed out the attempt. That left the door slightly but while no one could go quicker, Russell close to within a tenths and Piastri ended the session just 0.159s off his team-mate.
Sainz will start the Sprint from fourth ahead of Leclerc, with Verstappen in sixth place. Hamilton was seventh fastest, half-a-second clear of Gasly. Hülkenberg was ninth ahead of Liam Lawson, who had a better lap deleted for a track limits violation.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix – Sprint Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:21.012 – –
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:21.075 0.063 0.078
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:21.171 0.159 0.196
4 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:21.281 0.269 0.332
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:21.308 0.296 0.365
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:21.315 0.303 0.374
7 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:21.474 0.462 0.570
8 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:21.978 0.966 1.192
9 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1:22.088 1.076 1.328
10 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 1:22.577 1.565 1.932
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:22.433 1.421 1.754
12 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:22.526 1.514 1.869
13 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1:22.538 1.526 1.884
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:22.599 1.587 1.959
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:22.738 1.726 2.131
16 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:22.718 1.706 2.106
17 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1:22.722 1.710 2.111
18 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:22.906 1.894 2.338
19 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1:22.948 1.936 2.390
20 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 1:23.423 2.411 2.976 -
Starting from P17, Verstappen takes stunning win; enhances title chances
Sao Paulo, 3 Nov 2024: Max Verstappen took a stunning win at the São Paulo Grand Prix, climbing from 17th place on the grid to take his eighth victory of the season almost 20 seconds clear of the chasing pack. Behind the three-time champion, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took a surprise double podium for Alpine.
On the formation lap ahead of the start, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll crashed and Race Control indicated an aborted start. That should have signalled the drivers to remains on the grid after the formation lap to await further instructions. Norris, however, pulled away and a number of other drivers followed the pole sitter. Another formation lap was the result and Norris and several others were informed that the incident would be investigated agfter the race.
When the light eventually went out, front row starter Russell reacted best and he stole the lead on the run to Turn 1 ahead of Norris. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda held his starting third place ahead of Ocon, while Ferrrari’s Charles Lecler moved ahead of RB’s Liam Lawson to take fifth.
Further back, Verstappen made a brilliant start from P17, and as the field exited the Senna S, the Dutchman charged around the outside to climb to P11 behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. And at the start of lap 2 the Dutchman dived down the inside of the Mercedes to climb into a points-paying position.
Verstappen wasn’t done, though, and after picking off Alpine’s Pierre Gasly’s Alpine at the start of lap 3, he muscled his way past Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on the following lap. He then chased down Oscar Piastri and Lawson and by the end of lap 11 he was a remarkable sixth.
At the front, on lap 20, Russell still led, just under a second ahead of Norris. Eight seconds behind the top two, Tsunoda headed a DRS train consisting of Ocon, Leclerc and Verstappen.
On lap the shape of the race changed. In worsening rain, Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg went wide in Turn 1 and stopped at the edge of the track. The VSC was deployed, sparking a flurry of pit stops.
With the aid of marshals, Hülkenberg was able to rejopin – a move that ultimately led to him being black-flagged – and just as the VSC ended, the top three of Russell, Norris and Tsunoda dived into the pits for more Inters. That promoted Ocon into the lead, with Verstappen in P2 ahead of Gasly.
With the VSC spell complete, Norris eased past Russell to claim fourth place but with the conditions worsening badly, the Safety Car was eventually deployed. And when Williams’ Franco Colapinto lost control in Turn 12 and hit the barriers, the red flags came out and the race was halted.
At the restart, Ocon held his lead over Verstappen and Gasly, but behind them Norris went wide and Russell was able to sneak through to P4. On lap 40, though, Sainz, who had been trying to catch Pérez, crashed at Turn 8 and the Safety Car took to the track for the second time.
The restart took place at the end of lap 42 and this time Verstappen judged it perfectly. He stuck with Ocon and when the Frenchman tried to pull away, Verstappen stayed close enough to dive down the inside into Turn 1 and steal the lead.
Behind them Gasly managed to hold onto third but Russell, Leclerc and Norris were all jockeying for position. Desperate to avoid a collision, Norris locked up behind Russell and dropped back to P7 behind team-mate Piastri. The Australian, facing a time penalty for a collision, would later wave the Briton through to P6.
At the front, Verstappen began to stretch away from the pack and with 20 laps remaining the Dutchman had pulled out a five-second gap to Ocon, with Gasly three seconds further back in third.
In the closing stages, Verstappen took complete control and after posting a staggering 17 fastest laps that earned him a bonus point the Dutchman crossed the line to take his eighth win of the season and his first the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
Behind the champion Ocon and Gasly completed a shock double podium for Alpine, while Russell took fourth ahead of Leclerc. Norris, facing an investigation for breaching starting regulations when the original start was aborted, finished sixth ahead of Tsunoda and Piastri while Liam Lawson made it a double points finish ahead of Hamilton.
2024 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 69 2:06’54.430
2 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 69 2:07’13.907 19.477
3 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 69 2:07’16.962 22.532
4 George Russell Mercedes 69 2:07’17.695 23.265
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 69 2:07’24.607 30.177
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 69 2:07’25.802 31.372
7 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 69 2:07’36.486 42.056
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 69 2:07’39.373 44.943
9 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 69 2:07’44.882 50.452
10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 69 2:07’45.183 50.753
11 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 69 2:07’45.961 51.531
12 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 69 2:07’51.515 57.085
13 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 69 2:07’58.018 1’03.588
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 69 2:08’12.479 1’18.049
15 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 69 2:08’14.079 1’19.649
Carlos Sainz Ferrari 38 – 31 laps
Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 30 – Retirement
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 0 – Not started
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 0 – Not started
Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 30 – DSQ -
Lando Norris claims pole in dramatic wet qualifying at Sao Paulo GP: F1
Inter Lagos, 2 Nov 2024: Lando Norris claimed a potentially crucial pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix at the end of a chaotic, rain-hit qualifying at Interlagos that was red-flagged five times and which left the McLaren driver’s title rival Max Verstappen in P12 and facing a P17 start after he takes a grid penalty for PU changes.
In soaking wet conditions a long queue formed at the end of the pit lane ahead of the session and when the green lights came on it was Alpine’s Esteban Ocon who set the early pace with a lap of 1:29.916. Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez slotted into P2 a tenth further back but RB’s Yuki Tsunoda then bypassed both with a lap of 1:29.172.
The first red flag of the session then came out. Franco Colapinto lost control of his Williams in the middle of Turn 3 and spun off into the barriers. The Argentinian was unhurt but the session was suspended.
After an eight-minute delay, the action got underway again, and with a couple of minutes left, Verstappen moved out of potential danger by claiming P5. His lap was deleted, however, as double waved yellow flags were being shown for an off for Nico Hülkenberg and the champion plummeted down to P12. However, in the final seconds he posted a lap 1:28.522 to jump to the top of the order ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Further back there was no place in Q2 for Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver dropped out in P16 ahead the Haas of Ollie Bearman, the unfortunate Colapinto, the second Haas of Hülkenberg and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu.
Verstappen was to the fore again at the start of Q2. After Pérez got the ball rolling with a lap of 1:28.158, Verstappen powered past that, clearing his team-mate by 0.387s to set a time of 1:27.771.
However, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had made the switch to Intermediate tyres and the Australian jumped to P1 six tenths of a second ahead of Verstappen, before improving again by almost a second to set the pace at 1:25.179.
That sparked a mass move to Intermediates but while Russell and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll were able to exploit the green-banded tyres to climb to second and third respectively, there was no chance for anyone else to improve before the session was red-flagged for a second time. Carlos Sainz spun in Turn 2 and the Ferrari driver went backwards into the barriers, causing heavy damage to the back of the car.
After another eight-minute halt, the session was restarted and once again, on a drying track, the lottery kicked into gear.
Norris was first out on track and the Briton jumped to top spot with a lap of 1:24.844. However, further back on track, Stroll crashed in Turn 3. The red flags came out again and the stoppage denied both Red Bull drivers the chance to improve. With just 45 seconds left on the clock, there would be no resumption and Verstappen exited in P12, immediately ahead of team-mate Pérez. Also eliminated at the end of the middle segment were Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas in P11, Sainz in 14th place and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in P15.
At the start of Q3, it was Norris who made the most of the conditions and the McLaren driver took top spot with a lap of 1:24.158, half a second clear of Albon, with Piastri in third place.
However, almost immediately after Norris crossed the line the red flags were flown for a fourth time. Fernando Alonso lost control in Turn 11 and he went off into the barriers at high speed.
After a 12-minute delay to repair the barriers, and with seven minutes left, the session resumed. But once again the action was brief. With three minutes remaining Albon’s Williams stepped out under braking into Turn 1 and he slammed hard into the barriers, doing severe damage to the rear and front left of his car. The red flags appeared for the fifth time.
And when the session resumed for the final time there was no stopping Norris. The Briton improved again to take pole with a time of 1:23.406 ahead of Russell with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in third place. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was fourth ahead of the second RB of Liam Lawson. Leclerc qualified sixth ahead of Alnon and Piastri with the Astons of Alonso and Stroll in ninth and tenth.
Lando Norris Quote:
“A positive job as a team today. The car has great pace this weekend and I felt good out there. I think we were strong but it’s difficult to judge in a Sprint when everyone is looking at how much to manage and how much to push. Oscar deserved it today, but we’ve done what we had to do with our pursuit of the two Championships. We executed it very well and I’m thankful for his support. It’s a disappointing afternoon for the fans with Qualifying not going ahead but I’m looking forward to a strong performance tomorrow.”
2024 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:23.405 – –
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:23.578 0.173
3 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1:24.111 0.706
4 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1:24.475 1.070
5 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 1:24.484 1.079
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:24.525 1.120
7 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:24.657 1.252
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:24.686 1.281
9 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:28.998 5.593
10 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes – – –
11 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1:26.472 3.067
12 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:27.771 4.366
13 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:28.158 4.753
14 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:29.406 6.001
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:29.614 6.209
16 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:31.150 7.745
17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:31.229 7.824
18 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 1:31.270 7.865
19 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1:31.623 8.218
20 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1:32.263 8.858 -
Lando Norris handed Sprint win by Oscar Piastri; Verstappen third
Sau Paulo, 2 Nov. 2024: Lando Norris took his first F1 Sprint win after being waved through by McLaren team-mate and long-time leader Oscar Piastri in the closing stages of the 24-lap race at the Autódromo Carlos Pace. Red Bull’s Championship leader Max Verstappen crossed the line in third but was handed a five-second time after the race for a VSC infringment dropping him to fourth behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the final classification.
At the race start, both McLarens got away well and polesitter Piastri moved across the track successful defend the inside line against front-row starter Norris who held second. Leclerc also defended well into the Senna S to keep Verstappen at bay.
Across the opening laps Verstappen pressed hard to provoke a mistake from Leclerc and initially that allowed the McLarens to open a gap. But Norris, in his team-mate’s dirty air, then fell back from Piastri who was subsequently asked to drop back and provide DRS to his team-mate.
As the race reached half distance, Verstappen began to get some reward for his efforts, as Leclerc began to struggle more on his Medium tyres. And on lap 18 the Ferrari driver made a small mistake in the Senna S. Verstappen closed in through Turn 3 and with DRS engaged muscles his way around the outside through Turn 4 to claim third place,
The Dutchman then began to eat into the gap to Norris, narrowing McLaren’s chances of pulling off a positional swap between Piastri and Norris.
However, both McLarens were able to build a healthier two-second gap to the Red Bull and when Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg stopped at the edge of the track at Turn 8 and the threat of a Safety Car appeared, the McLaren pitwall pulled the trigger.
Piastri moved across on the run to Turn 4 and Norris slipped past to take the lead. The time lost meant that Piastri was now under threat from Verstappen but just before the start of the penultimate lap, race officials imposed a VSC to deal with Hülkenberg’s stranded car and the gaps froze.
The VSC ended midway through the final lap and Verstappen closed right up to Piastri in Turn 4 just as the caution was coming to an end. The Dutch driver’s proximity to the Australian was noted and then was investigated after the Sprint.
The Stewards handed Verstappen a five-second penalty, saying that “Article 56.5 states in part ‘All cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels change to green.’ The driver was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at VSC End when the FIA light panels changed to green. This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC.’
Verstappen crossed the line third but the time penalty dropped him to fourth behind Leclerc and ahead of the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, with Mercedes’ George Russell in sixth,. Pierre Gasly held on to seventh place for Alpine, just ahead of the hard-charging Sergio Pérez who battled through from P13 to take the final point on offer.
2024 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Sprint
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 24 –
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 24 0.593
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 24 1.497
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 24 5.656
5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 24 7.224
6 George Russell Mercedes 24 12.475
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 24 18.161
8 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 24 18.717
9 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 24 20.773
10 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 24 24.606
11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 24 29.764
12 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 24 33.233
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 24 34.128
14 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 24 35.507
15 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 24 41.374
16 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 24 43.231
17 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 24 54.139
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 24 56.537
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 24 57.983
Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 19 – Retirement -
Lando Norris takes pole at Austin GP: Formula 1
Austin, 19 October 2024: McLaren’s Lando Norris took his sixth pole of 2024 in a US Grand Prix qualifying session that was disrupted by a late crash for Mercedes’ George Russell that prevented many drivers, including second-placed Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, from finding an improvement on their final runs of Q3. Carlos Sainz took third place for Ferrari.
In the first runs of the final top-10 shootout Norris set the pace with a standout lap of 1:32.330 that he later branded “the best of my career”. Verstappen, meanwhile, had overcooked his entry to Turn 19 and as the final runs approached lay in second place 0.031s behind the McLaren driver.
Verstappen responded by going clear of Norris in the first part of his final flyer but the Dutchman’s hopes of a first pole since the Austrian Grand Prix were dashed when Russell lost control of his Mercedes in Turn 19 and crashed, bringing out yellow flags. Verstappen and a number of others were forced to back out of their final laps leaving Norris with pole thanks to this first run.
“It was probably the best lap of my career,” said Norris afterwards. “It was just a very nice lap. I kind of set the bar too high because on my second lap, I was like, ‘guys, I don’t think I’m going to improve much here’. I got everything out of the car.”
Verstappen, who gelt that he had “had a really good shot” was left with P2 ahead of Sainz, with Charles Leclerc in fourth in the other Ferrari. Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri will line up in fifth place, while the unfortunate Russell will start sixth. Pierre Gasly put in a strong performance in the upgraded Alpine A524 to take seventh place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, while Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez, who had his opening run of Q3 deleted for a track limits infringement.
In Q2, Yuki Tsunoda was the first driver eliminated in P11, with the Japanese driver being joined at the exit by Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg, the second Alpine of Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and in 15th place, RB’s Liam Lawson.
The major faller in the opening segment of qualifying was Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes driver lost a significant amount of time in the middle sector of his final flyer and as better times from rivals flowed in the seven-time champion dropped to P19 just ahead of Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu. The Williams pairing of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in P16 and P17 respectively ahead of Valtteri Bottas in the other Kick Sauber.
2024 FIA Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1’32.330 – –
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’32.361 0.031 0.034
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1’32.652 0.322 0.349
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’32.740 0.410 0.444
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’32.950 0.620 0.672
6 George Russell Mercedes 1’32.974 0.644 0.697
7 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’33.018 0.688 0.745
8 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’33.309 0.979 1.060
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1’33.481 1.151 1.247
10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT – – –
11 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 1’33.506 1.176 1.274
12 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 1’33.544 1.214 1.315
13 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 1’33.597 1.267 1.372
14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’33.759 1.429 1.548
15 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT –
16 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’34.051 1.721 1.864
17 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 1’34.062 1.732 1.876
18 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 1’34.152 1.822 1.973
19 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’34.154 1.824 1.976
20 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 1’34.228 1.898 2.056
