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Tag: Max Verstappen
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Max Verstappen takes fourth win at Imola; Oscar Piastri finishes P3 behind Norris to keep title lead
Imola (Italy), 18 May 2025: Max Verstappen took a superb fourth straight win in Imola, overtaking Oscar Piastri with a brilliant move at the start to take the lead and then controlling the race from the front despite a Safety Car narrowing the gap at the front. Second place went to Lando Norris who used fresher tyres to pass McLaren team-mate Piastri in the closing stages of the race.
When the lights went out, Piastri made the best getaway, and it looked like the Australian would comfortably hold his advantage. But as they went into Tamburello, the McLaren driver braked slightly early, Verstappen held his line on the outside and in a super move he squeezed past the McLaren to steal the lead.
Behind them, Mercedes’ George Russell held third ahead of Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Meanwhile, at the edge of the top 10, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was pressuring Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and when the Frenchman went wide under braking, Leclerc swept through to move into the points.
At the front, Verstappen began to build a gap and by lap 10 the Red Bull driver was almost two seconds clear of Piastri. Behind them Russell was coming under heavy pressure from Norris, and on lap 11, the McLaren driver barged past in the Villeneuve chicane.
Russell then took the decision to shed his starting Mediums and moved to the Hard tyre. Leclerc also made the switch and when Williams Carlos Sainz also pitted, it seemed to push McLaren into action and on lap 14, they brough Piastri in for the undercut. However, the Australian had a slow stop and rejoined in in P12. Verstappen chose to stay out, however, and on lap 15 he had 10 seconds in hand over Norris who also held firm.
Piastri began to claw his way back through the field and lap 21 the Australian was up to P8. However, he was now 33s behind Verstappen, who was looking more and more comfortable on his starting Mediums.
Norris made his stop for Hards on lap 29, but seconds later Haas’ Esteban Ocon pulled over and halted at the side of the track just after Tosa. The VSC was deployed and that sparked a rush towards the pit lane. Verstappen took on Hards and when the order shook out, he led Norris by 20 seconds, with Williams’ Alex Albon in third place. Meanwhile, Piastri, who made a second stop under the caution, was in fourth ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
On lap 46, however, Antonelli suddenly slowed and like Ocon he ground to a halt just after Tosa. This time the physical Safety Car was deployed and with his lead erased, Verstappen pitted for another set of Hard tyres. Norris mirrored the move, but Piastri stayed out, rising to second place, ahead of his team-mate. Leclerc also stayed out and took fourth ahead of Albon and Russell.
The Safety Car peeled off track at the end of lap 53 and Verstappen controlled the restart well to hold his lead. Behind him the McLarens squabbled for second place, and they settled the battle with Norris, on fresher tyres, muscling his way past his team-mate to take second place, Verstappen was too far ahead and after 63 laps the Dutchman crossed the line to take his fourth straight Imola win and to Red Bull’s 400th race in F1.
With Norris and Piastri taking the remaining podium places, fourth place went to Lewis Hamilton. The Ferrari driver made the most of new tyres after the Safety Car and passed both Albon and team-mate Leclerc to grab 10 points. Albon took fifth, passing Leclerc, who had stuck with old tyres during the SC. The Monegasque driver was left with sixth place ahead of Russell, Sainz and Hadjar, while Yuki Tsunoda took 10thplace and the final point after a pit lane start.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 63 1:31’33.199
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 63 1:31’39.308 6.109
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 63 1:31’46.155 12.956
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 63 1:31’47.555 14.356
5 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 63 1:31’51.144 17.945
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 63 1:31’53.973 20.774
7 George Russell Mercedes 63 1:31’55.233 22.034
8 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 63 1:31’56.097 22.898
9 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 63 1:31’56.785 23.586
10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 63 1:31’59.645 26.446
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 63 1:32’00.449 27.250
12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 63 1:32’03.495 30.296
13 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 63 1:32’04.623 31.424
14 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 63 1:32’05.710 32.511
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 63 1:32’06.192 32.993
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 63 1:32’06.610 33.411
17 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 63 1:32’07.007 33.808
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 63 1:32’11.771 38.572
Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 44 1:01’29.744 Retirement
Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 27 37’42.335 Retirement -
Max Verstappen beats Lando Norris to Miami pole: F1
Miami (US), 3 May 2025: Max Verstappen took his third pole of 2025 with a superb final lap of Q3 that saw him beat pre-session favourites McLaren, with Lando Norris second and championship leader Oscar Piastri only fourth behind Mercedes’ teen sensation Kimi Antonelli.
At the start of Q1 Verstappen was one of the first on track and he posted an opening flyer of 1:27.573 to take P1. That time was soon beaten by Piastri who went 0.266s quicker, with Norris’s slotting into P3.
Antonelli then lowered the benchmark to 1:27.077. Verstappen, though, was powering through a purple first sector and after setting personal best times across the rest of the lap, the champion once again jumped to the top of the order with a time of 1:26.870, 0.136 clear of Piastri with Mercedes’ George Russell in third, 0.008s off the Australian. Verstappen headed back to the pits leaving Norris to edge ahead of team-mate Piastri to take P2.
Ruled out of the second session were Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg in P16 followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, the second Aston of Lance Stroll and Haas’ Ollie Bearman exited in 20th place.
Verstappen was first out on track at the start of the second session and the Dutchman posted an opener of 1:26.643 to take an early P1. Once again, his time was eclipsed by the McLarens, however, as Piastri took P1 with a time of 1:26.269 and Norris made his way to second place. Antonelli also managed to find a little over three hundredths over the Red Bull driver to steal third place.
Piastri elected to stay in the pit lane for the final runs and when none of his close rivals delivered a significant improvement, including Verstappen, who was marginally slower on his second run than this first, the Australian held on to top spot. Russell, languishing in 11th after the first run, did make a leap forward, however, and he climbed to P3 ahead of Antonelli, leaving Verstappen in fifth.
There was no place in Q3, however, for Isack Hadjar who went out in P11 ahead of Hamilton, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Alpine’s Jack Doohan and the second Racing Bull of Lawson.
After two sessions in which he’d set the pace only to be bounced out of P1, Verstappen upped the ante at the start of Q3 it. The Dutchman took provisional pole with a time of 1:26.492, just 0.003s ahead of Norris and 0.017s clear of Piastri.
However, with Piastri having already gone two tenths quicker than Max’s time in Q2 the final runs began with the expectation that the McLarens would find more time. And when Max suffered a snap on entry to Turn 1 that suspicion appeared to be confirmed.
The champion was in no mood to let a “tiny moment” derail his quest for pole, however and over the remainder of the lap he dragged back the deficit and eventually crossed the liner in
1:26.204. And when Norris locked up in Turn 17 Verstappen’s 43rd career pole was as good as sealed. The Briton took P2 0.065s off the Dutchman with Antonelli taking third ahead of Piastri and Russell. Carlos Sainz took sixth for Williams ahead of team-mate Alex Albon, with Charles Leclerc in P8 for Ferrari. Esteban Ocon finished ninth for Ferrari and the final top 10 spot went to Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.204 – –
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.269 0.065 0.075
3 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:26.271 0.067 0.078
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:26.375 0.171 0.198
5 George Russell Mercedes 1:26.385 0.181 0.210
6 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:26.569 0.365 0.423
7 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:26.682 0.478 0.554
8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:26.754 0.550 0.638
9 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:26.824 0.620 0.719
10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:26.943 0.739 0.857
11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:26.987 0.783 0.908
12 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:27.006 0.802 0.930
13 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:27.151 0.947 1.099
14 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1:27.186 0.982 1.139
15 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:27.363 1.159 1.344
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:27.473 1.269 1.472
17 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:27.604 1.400 1.624
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:27.710 1.506 1.747
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:27.830 1.626 1.886
20 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:27.999 1.795 2.08 -
Oscar Piastri wins in Jeddah to take title lead as Verstappen penalised: F1
Jeddah, 20 April 2025: McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took a composed Saudi Arabian Grand Prix win to take the lead of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship after a first corner tussle with Max Verstappen resulted in the Red Bull driver being handed a time penalty that eventually dropped him to second behind the Australian.
At the start of the race, Verstappen got away well from pole, but on the other side of the front row Piastri’s reactions were marginally quicker. On the run to Turn 1 the McLaren driver nosed ahead of the Red Bull driver on the inside and in Turn Verstappen was forced to cut the corner. The Dutchman continued in the lead, however.
Further back in the pack, Yuki Tusnoda, in the other Red Bull, had Pierre Gasly on his right-hand side and as the pair went into a corner there was contact. Both drivers spun into the wall and while Gasly sustained heavy damage Tsunoda was able to limp back to the pits where the damage was judged to be too great and get retired.
The Safety Car was deployed and during the caution, the Race Stewards ruled that Verstappen had left the track and gained an advantage at the start and he was handed a five-second time penalty.
The Dutchman controlled the lap 8 restart well and he quickly built a one-second lead over Piastri, with Russell third ahead of Leclerc and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was sixth. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who had started in tenth on Hard tyres, had risen to eighth after the lap one incident and after the restart muscled his way past Williams’ Carlos Sainz to take P7.
He then set about was tussling with Hamilton and after twice getting past the Ferrari driver only to be passed again on the pit straight, the Briton at last chose to bide his time and on Lap 15 he held back ahead of the final corner, got DRS, and finally dismissed the seven-time champion. The McLaren driver then began to close up to Antonelli and on lap 18 he powered past the Italian to claim fifth place.
At the front, Verstappen began to pull away from Piastri and by lap 19 he had carved out a three-second gap to the Australian as the pit window opened. On lap 20 Piastri blinked. He dived into the pits to take on Hard tyres and emerged behind Hamilton. Verstappen though stayed out, with his race engineer urging him to keep his good pace going.
At the end of lap 21, the Dutchman made his stop. But after serving his time penalty and bolting on a set of Hard tyres he exited the pit lane three seconds behind Piastri. The Australian then began to post fastest laps to build the gap to over four seconds. At the front, Leclerc, on aged Mediums, now led the race, with Norris, on starting Hard tyres and still setting competitive times, in P2.
Leclerc finally decided he’d had enough of his tyres at the end of lap 29 and after switching to Hard tyres he rejoined in fifth place, behind Russell. Norris finally made his pit stop at the end of lap 34 and after fitting a set of Mediums, he dropped into fifth place, behind Leclerc.
Their stops propelled Piastri back to the lead, 4.5s ahead of Verstappen who was 6.5s clear of Russell. Leclerc was on the move, though, and with fresh Hard tyres on board he quickly reeled in Russell. On lap 38 he closed right up to the Mercedes and powered past on the pit straight to claim the final podium place. Russell, struggling for pace, was then reeled in by Norris who eased past under DRS to take fourth place.
And though the McLaren driver tried to close on Leclerc, the order at the top stabilised and after 50 laps Piastri took victory just 2.8s ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc hung on to third ahead of Norris with Russell in fifth. Antonelli took sixth in the second Mercedes with Hamilton in P7 ahead of Sainz and Alex Albon who handed Williams a double points finish. Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar took the final point with tenth place
2025 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Race
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 50 1:21’06.758
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 50 1:21’09.601 2.843
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 1:21’14.862 8.104
4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 50 1:21’15.954 9.196
5 George Russell Mercedes 50 1:21’33.994 27.236
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 50 1:21’41.446 34.688
7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 50 1:21’45.831 39.073
8 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 50 1:22’11.388 1’04.630
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 50 1:22’13.273 1’06.515
10 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 50 1:22’13.849 1’07.091
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 50 1:22’22.675 1’15.917
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 50 1:22’25.209 1’18.451
13 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 50 1:22’25.952 1’19.194
14 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 50 1:22’46.481 1’39.723
15 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 49 1:21’11.367 1 lap /4.609
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 49 1:21’12.285 1 lap /5.527
17 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 49 1:21’26.022 1 lap /19.264
18 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 49 1:21’26.064 1 lap /19.306
Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1 2’45.662 Accident damage
Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 0 – Accident. -
Max Verstappen takes Jeddah pole ahead of Oscar Pisastri: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Jeddah, 19 April 2025: Max Verstappen turned around a slow start to his weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit by beating Oscar Piastri to pole position for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as championship leader Lando Norris crashed in Q3 and will start 10th.
In the first runs of Q1, Piastri set the pace as he posted a lap of 1:28.019, seven thousandths of a second ahead of McLaren team-mate Norris. Verstappen slotted into third, 0.129s off top spot and ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda. Norris then went for another attempt, and his 1:27.805 lifted him two tenths of a second above his team-mate.
Piastri improved on his final run, but only by a tenth of a second and he failed to climb back to P1. With Norris staying put in the McLaren garage that left the door open, and Verstappen strode through, posting a final time of 1:27.778 to take top spot ahead of the McLaren pair. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli took fourth at the end of the session ahead of Tsunoda, Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ George Russell.
There was no place in the second session, though, for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll who exited in P16, behind Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, who progressed seven hundredths of a second ahead of the Canadian. Also ruled out at the end of Q1 were Alpine’s Jack Doohan, Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, Haas’ Esteban Ocon and second Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto.
In Q2, Piastri again set the initial pace at 1:27.690 but almost as soon as the Australian crossed the line, Verstappen bounced him out of P1 with a lap of 1:27.529. Norris, though, found enough to go top once more, five hundredths of a second ahead of the Dutchman. Norris stayed in the pit lane for the final runs but this time, with used tyres on board, Verstappen couldn’t haul his way past the McLaren, and he went through to the top 10 shootout in P2 and with two new sets of Softs to play with.
Eliminated at the end of Q2 were Albon in P11, followed by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the second Racing Bulls car of Isack Hadjar and Haas’ Ollie Bearman.
At the start of the final top 10 shootout, Piastri took provisional pole with a lap of 1:27.560. No one else was able to get across the line, however, as Norris took too much kerb in Turn 4 and slid into the barriers on exit. The McLaren driver was unhurt, but the red flags came out.
While Norris’ crash had wrecked the flying laps of some drivers, Verstappen wasn’t one of them. The Dutchman had been on an out lap when Norris crashed and when the session resumed the Red Bull driver was quickly out on track on scrubbed tyres and a two-run fuel load, as he attempted to get two runs in. And with his first run he stole provisional pole from Piastri by the narrowest of margins – 0.001s.
In the final runs, Russell laid down the gauntlet with a lap of 1:27.407. Piastri followed and the Australian found 0.256s over his first run to bounce Russell out of top spot.
However, Verstappen now with less fuel on board and with his RB21 “coming alive” as he later put it roared to his second pole of the season and the 42nd of his career.
Behind Piastri and Russell, Leclerc took P4 for Ferrari ahead of Antonelli, while Carlos Sainz took sixth for Williams ahead of the second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton. Tsunoda qualified in P8, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and the unfortunate Norris.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’27.294 – –
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1’27.304 0.010 0.011
3 George Russell Mercedes 1’27.407 0.113 0.129
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1’27.670 0.376 0.431
5 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1’27.866 0.572 0.655
6 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1’28.164 0.870 0.997
7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1’28.201 0.907 1.039
8 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1’28.204 0.910 1.042
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1’28.367 1.073 1.229
10 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes – – –
11 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1’28.109 0.815 0.934
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’28.191 0.897 1.028
13 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’28.303 1.009 1.156
14 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1’28.418 1.124 1.288
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1’28.648 1.354 1.551
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1’28.645 1.351 1.548
17 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 1’28.739 1.445 1.655
18 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1’28.782 1.488 1.705
19 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1’29.092 1.798 2.060
20 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1’29.462 2.168 2.484 -
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 -
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 -
Verstappen takes controlled Qatar Grand Prix win after Norris was penalised: F1
Lusail (Qatar), 1 Dec. 2024: Max Verstappen took a controlled Qatar Grand Prix after chief race rival Lando Norris dropped to last place and recovered to 10th following a penalty for failing to heed yellow flags. Second place for Charles Leclerc ahead of Oscar Piastri means that Ferrari clawed points back against McLaren to take the fight for the Constructors’ Championship to the final round in Abu Dhabi next week.
When the lights went out, Mercedes’ polesitter George Russell made a good start from pole, but Verstappen swiftly drew alongside and then outdragged the Mercedes driver into Turn 1. As the battling pair edged towards the outside of the corner, Norris, starting from third, tried to sneak through on the inside. The McLaren driver was briefly ahead as he and Verstappen went towards Turn 2 but the Red Bull driver resisted to held the lead.
However, at the rear of the field, Haas’ Nico Hülkenberg lost control in Turn 1 and hit the Alpine of Esteban Ocon and the Williams of Franco Colaptino. The latter two ended up beached and the Safety Car was deployed.
Verstappen controlled the lap 4 restart perfectly to hold the lead ahead of Norris and Russell and Piastri, who made his way back past Leclerc after losing the position at the start. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was in sixth place ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Pérez.
Verstappen then settled into his first stint, though the champion was never truly comfortable as Norris repeatedly nibbled away at a gap that hovered around 1.6 seconds for the first 20 laps.
Russell was the first of the front runners to make a pit stop, on lap 24, but a stuck right rear wheel mean that after spending seven seconds in his pit box, the Mercedes driver dropped down to 11th place.
Tyre changes for the other front runners should have followed, but before any other pit stops could take place there was drama. On lap 32 Alex Albon’s Williams shed a mirror on the pit straight and while there were yellow flags in place Verstappen noted that Norris had closed the gap. He asked his team to check whether the McLaren driver had reduced speed for the flags.
Two laps later, though, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas ran over the mirror, and debris was strewn across the track. Both Sainz and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton picked up punctures and the Safety car was deployed.
Verstappen pitted for Hard tyres and emerged in the lead behind the SC. His rivals also made their pit stops and Norris slotted back into second. Leclerc, however, managed to jump in front of Piastri, while Pérez also profited from the timing of the SC and he made his way to P5 ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Russell and Sainz.
The Safety Car left the track at the end of lap 39 and Verstappen was almost caught out by Norris. The McLaren driver stuck with the leader and aided by a slipstream on the straight he attacked around the outside. Verstappen defended hard and he was able to hold the lead as they went through the opening corners. Behind them Leclerc fought off the hard-charging Piastri but Gasly was passed by Russell.
There was disaster for Pérez though. Just ahead of the SC leaving the track the Mexican seemed to lose power and then suddenly spun in the final corner. He was forced to retire from the race.
At the back of the field, Hülkenberg spun off and the SC was released yet again. This time Verstappen’s getaway was flawless and he his lead comfortably as Norris was forced to resist pressure from Leclerc.
Norris’ challenge then evaporated. The Briton was hit with a 10 second stop/go penalty for failing to slow for the yellow flags ahead of the first SC period and after pitting on lap 45 he dropped to last place. He would recover to 10th place at the flag.
At the front, Verstappen was comfortable and with no further incidents he was able to cruise home six seconds ahead of Leclerc and Piastri, who were separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Fourth place went to Russell, while Gasly took a well worked fifth place. Sainz crossed the line in sixth ahead of Alonso, Guanyu Zhou took Sauber’s first points of the season with eighth place and Kevin Magnussen finished in ninth place ahead of Norris.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 57 –
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 57 6.031
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 57 6.819
4 George Russell Mercedes 57 14.104
5 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 57 16.782
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 57 17.476
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 57 19.867
8 Zhou Guanyu Sauber/Ferrari 57 25.360
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 57 32.177
10 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 57 35.762
11 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 57 50.243
12 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 57 56.122
13 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 57 –
14 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 57 –
15 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 56 – 1 lap
Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 39 – Retirement
Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 38 – Retirement
Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 8 – Retirement
Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 0 – Retirement
Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 0 – Retirement -
Max Verstappen Clinches Fourth Consecutive F1 Title in Las Vegas
Las Vegas (US), 24 Nov. 2024: Max Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive Formula One Drivers’ Championship with a fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Dutchman now joins legends Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel with four titles, trailing only Juan Manuel Fangio (5), Lewis Hamilton (7), and Michael Schumacher (7).
Mercedes’ George Russell won the Las Vegas Grand Prix, having led the race from pole position, with teammate Lewis Hamilton coming home second. Ferrari’s Carlo Sainz Jr rounded out the podium, edging out teammate Charles Leclerc who finished in fourth.
Verstappen arrived in Nevada following a remarkable comeback win at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he charged from 17th on the grid to victory. In Las Vegas, his task was clear: finish ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to clinch the championship. Starting fifth, one position ahead of Norris, Verstappen expertly managed his race, crossing the finish line in fifth, while Norris placed sixth.
With this milestone, Verstappen becomes only the fifth driver in F1 history to win four consecutive titles—an achievement surpassed only by Schumacher’s unprecedented five.
Christian Horner, CEO and Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, praised Verstappen’s dominance:
“Max has been in a league of his own this year. With eight Grand Prix wins—more than double anyone else—his consistency, teamwork, and sheer determination have been extraordinary. He’s handled the pressure with the poise of a true champion.”
Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez delivered a gritty performance, climbing from 16th on the grid to 10th, securing a vital championship point.
Meanwhile, in a strong showing for Visa Cash App RB, Yuki Tsunoda impressed with a ninth-place finish, securing vital points for the team, with Liam Lawson finishing 16th.
With two races remaining in the season, Verstappen has cemented his status as one of Formula One’s greatest drivers. The spotlight now shifts to the remaining battles on the grid, where teams and drivers fight for crucial points to close out the 2024 season.
Find out more about Max Verstappen’s winning mentality by listening to the world champion speak in the Mind Set Win podcast HERE.
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Max seals 4th F1 title; Russell wins at Las Vegas, Hami makes it 1-2 for Mercedes
Las Vegas (US) 24 Nov. 2024: Max Verstappen coolly sealed his fourth consecutive FIA Formula One World Drivers’ Championship title with a measured drive to fifth at the end of a Las Vegas Grand Prix won in commanding style by George Russell. Lewis Hamilton made it a 1-2 for Mercedes, while the final podium place went to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Red Bull driver Verstappen only needed to finish ahead of sole remaining title rival Lando Norris to take the crown and after fending off a challenge from the McLaren driver at the start of the race, the Dutchman stretched away to rise as high as second in the race. And with Norris lodged in sixth for the bulk of the race Verstappen was comfortable enough to drop behind Hamilton, Sainz and the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in the closing stages.
“What a season. Four times. Thank you, guys,” Verstappen said on the radio after crossing the line. “Thank you to everyone. I mean, it was a little bit more difficult than last year, but we pulled through and we gave it all.”
At the start, polesitter Russell got away well to take the lead but it was Leclerc who best reacted to the lights and as the field went through Turn 1 the Ferrari driver slipped past third-place starter Pierre Gasly and Sainz to take P2.
Behind the top four, Verstappen and Norris got away well from fifth and sixth, but going into Turn 1, Norris drew alongside on the inside. Verstappen held a wide line, however, and emerged from Turn 2 ahead.
On lap four Verstappen closed right up to Gasly and on the way into Turn 14 the Dutchman muscled his way past the Frenchman to take fourth place. Further ahead, Leclerc, who had been pushing hard to get past Russell, began to struggle for grip and after being passed by team-mate Sainz, the Monegasque fell back towards Verstappen who wasted no time in dispatching the Ferrari driver on lap 8 to claim a podium position. Behind him Norris made his way past Gasly to take fifth place but the gap to Verstappen was growing.
On lap 10 both Leclerc and Norris were called to the pits for fresh tyres and both took on Hard tyres. On the following lap Sainz was also called in but Verstappen was already past and into second place.
The Red Bull driver then made his own pit stop on lap 12 and after bolting on a set of Hard tyres I just two seconds he rejoined in sixth place, in backmarking traffic, but crucially ahead of both Ferraris and ahead of Norris.
As the Medium-tyre starters began to flood into pit lane, Verstappen again rose to third place, behind Hard-tyre starting team-mate Sergio Pérez. At the front, Russell was now stretching away and in such control that he was comfortably able to put and emerge in the lead.
Verstappen was soon past Pérez who then began to drop back before his own stop. Verstappen then made his second stop on lap 28, taking on another set of Hard tyres. Behind him, Sainz went to pit ahead of Hamilton, but at the last second Ferrari told him to stay out. The Spaniard was already across the white line of the pit entry and he had to swerve right to stay on track.
The second round of stops then began to play out and when the order shook out once again Russell still led, 11 seconds clear of hard-charging team-mate Lewis Hamilton with Max in third ahead of Sainz, Leclerc and Norris.
At the front, Hamilton, showing dazzling pace, began to reel in Verstappen and after easily passing the Dutchman, who offered little resistance, the seven-time champion set off in pursuit of Russell.
The younger Mercedes driver was now in management mode, however, and though Hamilton closed the gap to five seconds at one point, Russell was always in control and after 50 laps crossed the line with seven seconds in hand over Hamilton to seal his third career win.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Verstappen was also playing a sensible game. With a dozen seconds in hand over sixth-placed Norris, the Dutchman didn’t resist when Sainz and Leclerc closed in. On lap 42 he allowed Sainz to ease through and five laps later, Leclerc made his way past to drop the champion elect to fifth place.
He crossed the line more than 24 seconds clear of Norris, who had made a late stop for fresh tyres and to seal the point for fastest lap, and claimed his fourth title.
“It’s been a long season,” Max reflected afterwards. “Of course, we started off amazing. It was almost like cruising, but then we had a tough run. But as a team, we kept it together. We kept working on improvements. And yeah, we pulled over the line. I’m incredibly proud of everyone, what they have done for me. And to stand here as a four-time world champion is of course something that I never thought was possible. So yeah, at the moment, just feeling relieved in a way, but also very proud”.
2024 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix – Race
1 George Russell Mercedes 50 1:22’05.969
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 50 1:22’13.282 7.313
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 50 1:22’17.875 11.906
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 50 1:22’20.252 14.283
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 50 1:22’22.551 16.582
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 50 1:22’49.354 43.385
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 50 1:22’57.334 51.365
8 Nico Hülkenberg Haas/Ferrari 50 1:23’05.777 59.808
9 Yuki Tsunoda RB/Honda RBPT 50 1:23’08.777 1’02.808
10 Sergio Pérez Red Bull/Honda RBPT 50 1:23’09.083 1’03.114
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 50 1:23’15.164 1’09.195
12 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 50 1:23’15.772 1’09.803
13 Zhou Guan Yu Sauber/Ferrari 50 1:23’20.054 1’14.085
14 Franco Colapinto Williams/Mercedes 50 1:23’21.141 1’15.172
15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 50 1:23’30.071 1’24.102
16 Liam Lawson RB/Honda RBPT 50 1:23’36.974 1’31.00
17 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 49 1:22’08.029 1 lap /2.060
18 Valtteri Bottas Sauber/Ferrari 49 1:22’17.254 1 lap /11.285
Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 25 42’12.021 Power Unit
Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 15 25’36.973 Power Unit
