Charles Leclerc scored a crucial victory over Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix to spark new life in his title campaign.
Ferrari enjoyed a dominant afternoon and was on track for a decisive one-two finish, but Carlos Sainz retired with a spectacularly exploding power unit 11 laps from the finish.
Sainzâs fiery retirement came as he attempted to pass Verstappen for second place and secure the team a much-needed reprieve from a run of bumbling performances. Instead his burnt-out wreckage in the run-off zone at Turn 4 triggered a virtual safety car that enlivened what had looked like a commanding Leclerc victory.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen dominated the Austria sprint race ahead of the squabbling Ferrari drivers to inch open his world championship lead.
Verstappen got away cleanly from the line, while Carlos Sainz followed him into the first corner from third on the grid, jumping teammate Charles Leclerc, who started on the front row.
The Spaniard attempted to challenge the Dutchman into Turn 3 but went deep, and Leclerc took his opportunity to cut down his inside and get the better exit. The Monegasque was later on the brakes on the inside of Turn 4 and took the place back, demoting his teammate to third.
Continue reading on RACERCarlos Sainz narrowly edged Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc to top final practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Spaniardâs fastest lap, a 1m08.610s, was just 0.05s quicker than Leclercâs best effort, both on the soft tires. Pole-getter for todayâs sprint, Max Verstappen was third and 0.168s off the pace.
The Ferrari teammates were among the most prolific lap-setting teams despite the fundamentally dead-rubber nature of the hour run under parc ferme conditions, accumulating 82 laps between them, or more than a race distance in total.
Verstappenâs session was somewhat more subdued, the Dutchman completing only 32 laps mostly on medium tires, on which his quickest time was set. He broke out a used set of softs at the end of the hour but got caught in traffic and opted against pursuing a flying lap.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen will start the Austrian Grand Prix sprint race from pole after pipping Charles Leclerc to top spot by just 0.029s. British Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz qualified third and just 0.082s off the pace.
Verstappen left his best until last. Not only was the Red Bull driver one of the last across the line, but his first two sectors werenât improvements on his previous laps, with the fine difference all coming at the final split.
âAt the end it was a very tight qualifying,â he said. âItâs a very challenging track as well to get everything right.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen led a disrupted first practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix ahead of qualifying later today.
Verstappen looked comfortable at the head of the field for much of the crucial hour and ended his program 0.255s quicker than Charles Leclerc, with a best lap of 1m 6.302s. But no driver squeezed their complete programs into the 60-minute session thanks to two red flags that interrupted running.
The first was for Lando Norris, who parked his McLaren at the side of the road after reporting smoke emanating from beneath his seat, ending his session.
Continue reading on RACERCarlos Sainz wins his first grand prix from his first pole position, but another questionable Ferrari strategy leaves Charles Leclerc cold. Featuring Julien Billiotte, F1 reporter, Autohebdo.
Itâs the second and third round of the Extreme E championship and Off Track previews the Island X Prix. Fraser McConnell gives his analysis of the Sardinia course, and James, Michael and Freya pick their favourites ahead of the double-header.
Grass. Cream. Garboldisham. Crowds. The South Downs. Ovaltine. Cream. Heaps of cream â cream and lawnmowers. Summer holidays in creamy Cromer. Vaulting over a stile in the country lane. Catching sticklebacks in an old tin can. Honestly, nanny, I never touched them. Piano lessons with Mrs Duckworth. Father’s hands on the steering wheel. Sit up straight! Going faster and faster. Locked in the cupboard for being rude to Mrs Howlett. Take the Wolseley for a run. England. Elgar. South Downs. Bath olivers. Oh, play the game. Elbows off the table. Who’s a brave soldier, then? Daddyâs hands all steamy and starchy. England and cream. Creamy old England. Custard creams. Strawberries and cream. English cream. Creamy England. England. Cream. The cream of old England.
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Carlos Sainz won the first Formula 1 race of his career in a sensational British Grand Prix.
Sainz endured a roller-coaster afternoon to claim his maiden win. He started on pole and held the lead with a robust defense on Max Verstappen at the first turn, but he didnât have the Dutchmanâs pace early in the race, and a mistake on lap 10 at Becketts gifted Red Bull Racing first place.
He got the lead back just two laps later when Verstappen dropped deep into the midfield with a puncture and bodywork damage, but now his teammate, Charles Leclerc, was the one applying pressure, with the Monegasque desperate to get past before the charging Lewis Hamilton caught them.
Continue reading on RACERPureâs F1 fanatic, Matt Oostveen, is joined by former F1 driver, Alex Yoong and F1 journalist Michael Lamonato to dissect all the action on the track and in the pits during the British GP and what it all means for the championship.
Ferrariâs Carlos Sainz topped second practice at the British Grand Prix ahead of a resurgent Mercedes in the hands of Lewis Hamilton.
The Spaniard was lucky to keep his best time, however, of 1m28.942s after running wide at Copse thanks to a combination of his bouncing car and a tailwind down the old pit straight, though he arguably lost time in the second sector as a result anyway.
The lap time being allowed to stand, Sainz ended the session 0.163s quicker than home hero Lewis Hamilton in an encouraging result for Mercedes and its latest major update package.
Continue reading on RACERCarlos Sainz beat world championship leader Max Verstappen to claim his first career Formula 1 pole position in a drenched top-10 shootout at the British Grand Prix.
Rain set in just was the grid-setting hour was set to begin and intensified dramatically just before Q3, soaking the circuit to the point where the intermediate tire was at the limit of its capabilities.
It turned the shootout into a lottery, with times improving with every lap as the standing water was cleared from the track and the rain subsided again.
Continue reading on RACERValtteri Bottas topped a very quiet hour of practice at the British Grand Prix in which only 10 drivers set a lap time.
Heavy rain doused the middle sector of the Silverstone circuit just as the hour-long session started, leaving the track unsuitable for either intermediates or slicks. The entire field nonetheless embarked on at least one installation lap on intermediate rubber, but most did no more than another lap or two before returning to their garages.
Hamilton was the lone exception, rejoining the circuit with 10 minutes remaining to entertain the crowd, clocking up a session-high 10 laps and some very limited aero data for Mercedesâs new upgrade package.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc needs to win. It sounds reductive and simplistic, but at 49 points down on Max Verstappen on the championship table, he canât worry about his deficit, his carâs chronic unreliability or anything else. He just has to win one race after another.