Rob is accosted for his taste in keyboards while Michael contemplates legal action against an old friend of the show.
Mercedes and Ferrari will be hoping to win some pride off freshly minted double world champion Max Verstappen when they return to the modern classic that is the Circuit of the Americas for the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
We give credit to the unsung heroes of Formula 1 that made this championship possible: podium suit man and the TV graphics operators.
Max Verstappen has eventually won the 2022 drivers world championship in a shortened Japanese Grand Prix that featured plenty of controversy. Featuring Chris Medland, Racer.com F1 correspondent.
Pure’s 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 Japanese GP and what it all means for the championship.
Max Verstappen dominated the wet-weather Japanese Grand Prix to win his second world title after Charles Leclerc dropped from second to third with a post-race penalty.
The heavens opened over the track in the hour before the race started, and lights went out as scheduled with the field on intermediate tires.
But the grand prix was neutralized halfway around the lap when Carlos Sainz aquaplaned into the barrier exiting the hairpin, with Gasly collecting an advertising hoarding that tore free from the wall in the impact.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen has put himself in the perfect position to claim his second world championship on Sunday by beating Charles Leclerc to pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix.
But the Dutchman was sweating on a post-session stewards investigation into a bizarre incident with Lando Norris during the top-10 shootout.
Verstappen was preparing for his first flying lap off-line at the rapid 130R when Norris, who was on a much faster out-lap, closed behind him.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen comfortably beat both Ferrari drivers in a busy final practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who can guarantee himself a second championship this weekend if he wins the grand prix with the fastest lap, left his best lap until the final five minutes of the chaotic hour of track running. His best time of 1m 30.671s beat Carlos Sainz, who had previously controlled the top of the time sheet, by 0.294s.
The Dutchman was quickest relative to Ferrari in the more downforce-dependent first sector, but the two cars were more evenly matched for the rest of the lap. He was also quicker at the speed trap.
Continue reading on RACERMercedes teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton dominated wet second practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Russell and Hamilton were among the most prolific lap-setters in what was otherwise — like the first practice earlier in the day –a low-mileage session in conditions not expected to be replicated on Saturday or Sunday. They set 45 laps between them, around two-thirds the number that would be expected to be set in second practice around Suzuka.
The number is particularly low considering the session was extended by 30 minutes to allow for time to test Pirelli’s 2023-spec tires. However, as only the dry compounds were set to be sampled, the test was cancelled, albeit without shortening the track program.
Continue reading on RACERFernando Alonso topped a soaking-wet first practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix that ended with a heavy Mick Schumacher crash at the esses.
Suzuka had been drenched by showers from early in the morning, and less than half the field completed more than 10 laps in the sopping 60-minute session.
Kevin Magnussen was the first out after five minutes along with local favorite Yuki Tsunoda, but drivers were slow to brave the full-wet conditions. Only as the rain began to ease did a gaggle of cars join the circuit, in turn helping to disperse the worst of the standing water.
Continue reading on RACERIt used to be that the Japanese Grand Prix was a Mercedes stronghold. Between 2014 and 2019, the last race at Suzuka before the pandemic, the German marque won six grands prix, including four alone for Lewis Hamilton.
Red Bull’s paying money. The team’s happy. It’s got no money. Verstappen’s got the cost cap off. How good is this!
Sergio Perez absorbs the pressure from Charles Leclerc to win his second race of the season on a scrappy weekend from champion-elect Max Verstappen. Featuring Abhishek Takle, freelance F1 journalist.
After Fernando Alonso started a record-breaking 350th Formula 1 race at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, we chat to his first team principal and former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart about how he reflects on his five-year run at the helm of one the sport’s backmarker teams (04:37), the race to get to the grid for his first race as team boss in Australia in 2001 (09:16), his earliest memories of working with Alonso that season (12:25), the famous 2002 Albert Park race where Mark Webber finished fifth on debut (15:31), his memorable TV interview during the controversial 2005 United States Grand Prix (23:04) and his pride at the growth of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (27:22).
Max Verstappen will attempt to claim his second drivers championship on Honda’s home turf at the returning Japanese Grand Prix, but he’ll need to bounce back from an uncharacteristically scrappy Singapore Grand Prix to seal the deal.
Sergio Perez won the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Charles Leclerc to delay Max Verstappen’s title coronation in an attritional wet-weather race that featured two safety cars, three virtual cautions and six retirements.
After waiting through an hour-long rain delay, Perez jumped poleman Leclerc off the line but had to absorb significant pressure for almost the entire race, which timed out after 59 of the 61 scheduled laps owing to the number of interruptions and the slow pace of the race in slippery conditions.
His mission was hampered by an engine drivability problem under braking and on power, but a lock-up by Leclerc broke the Monegasque’s charge and freed Perez to build some rhythm. In the final nine laps, he was able to grow his 1.5s advantage into 7.5s at the checkered flag.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc has taken his ninth pole position of the season after title leader Max Verstappen was forced to abort his final flying lap by the team
The qualifying hour started wet enough for intermediate tires after heavy rain earlier in the day, but ended will all 10 drivers in the pole shootout on slicks despite some standing water still on track, particularly in the final sector beneath the grandstands.
Rather than plan for two separate runs, most drivers were fueled for one long stint to build tire temperature, meaning provisional pole constantly changed hands as grip ramped up.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc topped the final practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix after heavy rain reduced running to less than 30 minutes.
The session officially started on time, but race control kept pit lane closed for the first 30 minutes given the circuit was waterlogged after two hours of torrential downpour.
The safety car lapped in the first 10 minutes of the suspension, after which marshals entered the track to sweep away some excess standing water.
Continue reading on RACER