Will Max Verstappen modify his driving as a result of the decision to give him a five-second penalty in Saudi Arabia? – Kate Max Verstappen was given a five-second penalty in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because the stewards adjudged him to have gained an advantage by leaving the track while contesting the lead with...
Verstappen’s radio messages during the race clearly indicated he did not approve of the penalty he was given, but he was warned to keep his thoughts to himself. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he felt the penalty was “very harsh” and asked rhetorically: “Whatever happened to ‘let them race on the first lap?’...
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took his third win of the year and with it the world championship lead at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Piastri benefited from a penalty for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take control of the race and score his second win in a week. Verstappen was given a five-second penalty for illegally...
Norris’ crash interrupted the first runs of all his rivals in Q3 apart from Piastri, who laid down a marker just before his team-mate lost control over the kerb at Turn Five and slid sideways into the wall. When the session resumed, Verstappen went out on his semi-used tyres and took over top spot in...
Verstappen moved to within one point of Norris in the standings with a brilliant win at the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position two weeks ago. His weekend in Sakhir was a stark contrast to the highs of Suzuka as he qualified in seventh and finished the race three places lower than Briton Norris, who...
Verstappen had a difficult race in Bahrain including delays at both pit stops, one with the pit-lane traffic light system and one with fitting a front wheel. At one stage he was running last, and he managed to snatch sixth place from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly only on the last lap. Verstappen said that the hot...
McLaren’s one chink of light in the race was the pit stops. Norris was about 1.5 seconds behind Verstappen as they neared, just about within theoretical range of the ‘undercut’, where a driver gains a position by stopping first and using the time gained on fresh tyres to be ahead by the time his rival...
Verstappen led the two McLarens for the entire first stint, the three lapping closely together. There may be questions as to why McLaren pitted Piastri first, when it might have made sense to attack Verstappen with Norris with an earlier pit stop. Verstappen and Norris stopped on the same lap, one later than Piastri, and...
Was the lap that put Max Verstappen on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix the best of his career? The Red Bull driver himself certainly thought it was up there. “It’s difficult,” Verstappen said. “I mean, I’ve had some really nice ones also in other places. But I think if you look at how...
Lawson struggled to come to terms with the wayward handling of the Red Bull car. He qualified 18th for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, and last for both the sprint and main grand prix in China, and failed to make significant progress in any of the races. Red Bull demoted him because they felt he...
“He has proven himself to have good potential to be a world champion – even though Red Bull seems to be struggling a little now. “Performance-wise he (Horner) wants me to be as close to Max as possible. “In some races I can help with the strategy but he also promised me in some situations...