Mercedes driver George Russell headed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. Russell, who said on Thursday that Mercedes were talking to Verstappen about the possibility of driving for them next year, was 0.065 seconds quicker than the Dutchman. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was third fastest, ahead of an impressive performance...
Norris denied that his issues so far are a concern for him. “There is a very long way in the season, so I’m not worried about anything,” he said. “But of course, I know it’s always never a good thing to lose out on points, no matter what race it is. Obviously, last time out,...
Lewis Hamilton says he is devastated after running over a groundhog during Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver hit the rodent during the 13th lap of the race in Montreal, leaving a hole in the floor of his SF-25 car. The 40-year-old ended up finishing sixth, with his team estimating that the damage cost...
It was a successful day all round for Mercedes with 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli finishing third for his first podium in Formula 1. Antonelli – at 18 years and 294 days old – becomes the third-youngest podium finisher of all time behind Verstappen and Lance Stroll. Starting fourth, he overtook championship leader Piastri at the...
Taking a step back from the immediacy of the drama, the bigger concern may be what it says about Norris and his state of mind – and raise questions as to what to do about it. This has not been an easy season for Norris so far. He was very much McLaren’s leading driver last...
Lando Norris crashed out of the Canadian Grand Prix in a collision with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. Norris hit the back of Piastri’s car as he attempted a passing move on the pit straight with four laps to go as George Russell took Mercedes’ first victory of the season with a controlled drive. The Briton...
The track characteristics have the opposite effect on championship leaders McLaren, whose car is the best in the field at managing tyre temperatures. As a consequence, McLaren have been struggling to make it operate at its best in Montreal. Championship leader Oscar Piastri is third on the grid behind Russell and Verstappen but his team-mate...
Russell had felt on arriving at the track on Saturday morning that he had a good chance of setting pole, and his confidence was well placed. Like Verstappen using the medium tyre for his final lap, Russell said it was “one of the most exhilarating laps of my life”. He added: “I swear, every corner...
Warwick won the Le Mans 24 Hours, is a former president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club and is one of the most senior driver stewards in F1. An ex-F1 driver is always one of the four stewards officiating at every grand prix. Last week Warwick was quoted as saying that a penalty given to...
Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth fastest, from Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris on a track that was obviously slippery and dirty. Championship leaders McLaren appeared to struggle. Norris had a number of moments around the demanding Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and finished up 12th. The Briton’s team-mate Oscar Piastri, the...
The seven-time champion described reports in two Italian newspapers that Ferrari were considering replacing Vasseur as “nonsense”. Ferrari said they were not worth commenting on. “Most people don’t know what’s going on in the background,” Hamilton said. “That’s not part of the discussion.” He added: “I don’t think that’s on the cards as far as...
Asked what he thought Verstappen was trying to achieve in the manoeuvre at Barcelona’s Turn Five, Russell said: “I think he was trying to run me off the road, but I don’t think he was trying to intentionally crash into me. I think he just misjudged it.” If Verstappen receives one more point on his...
Should McLaren be focusing on one driver for the title? We have seen other teams be dominant at the beginning of a season and slip back later on. – Luke This debate is an interesting one. On one side, teams often receive criticism when they impose team orders and favour one driver over another. On...
Every race from Monaco on the first weekend in June to Madrid is then in Europe, before the Azerbaijan event on 25-27 September kicks off the final intercontinental part of the season. The moves are in line with F1’s new rules, in which revised engines run on 100% sustainable fuels. The season starts in Melbourne,...
The incident happened during an extraordinary final five laps after a late safety car. Until then, Verstappen had been on course for a strong third place, after challenging the McLarens on a three-stop strategy, compared to their two. When the safety car was deployed, all the leaders – and most of the rest of the...