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 pit during the Spanish GP and what it all means for the championship.
Max Verstappen has taken the lead of the Formula 1 world championship by six points with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc retired with a power unit problem.
Polesitter Leclerc was cruising with a comfortable 13-second lead when an “unidentified PU issue” forced him to limp back to the pits for his first DNF since last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
But it was George Russell, not Verstappen, who inherited the lead when Leclerc abandoned the field.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc swept the first two practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of George Russell on another potentially promising practice day for Mercedes.
Leclerc’s soft-tire run came in at 1m19.670s, which was just 0.117s quicker than Russell’s best effort and 0.2s quicker than Lewis Hamilton. It’s the second consecutive round Mercedes has looked competitive during Friday practice, after Russell topped FP2 in Miami two weeks ago, albeit before the car mysteriously fell away from Saturday onwards.
More promising this weekend at least is that the W13 was fastest in the speed trap, the team having struggled with straight-line performance for much of the year to date. Russell also said the car felt improved compared to Miami, another sign of potential light at the end of the tunnel.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc led Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz to the top of the time sheet in first practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Title leader Leclerc’s best time of 1m19.828s was 0.079s quicker than his teammate’s fastest attempt despite the Monegasque complaining of light traffic on his flying lap on softs.
Both Ferrari cars are running in heavily upgraded configuration for the first time this season, with the floor being the principal area of focus as the team seeks to close its estimated 0.2s gap to Red Bull Racing.
Continue reading on RACERThe pressure is building on Ferrari ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
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They say the Spanish Grand Prix is where a Formula 1 season really starts, and with Ferrari in the lead but Red Bull Racing closing fast, both teams will hope to leave Barcelona with the campaign reset in their favour.
Max Verstappen has skills and the machinery to contend for the championship but lacks the on-track backup to seal the deal.
Featuring GP Racing executive editor Stuart Codling. Lewis Hamilton had to work to turn his 100th pole to victory in Spain, and momentum is with the defending champion after three wins in four rounds. But could Max Verstappen have stopped him from claiming yet another Barcelona win?
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Unknown F1 driver Paul de la Rosa interviews disappointing wingman Valtteri Botarse. The Temple of Robstradramus registers as a religious organisation. Ex-Mercedes staff reserve all the good chairs at Red Bull Racing.
Lewis Hamilton has pulled off a daring dash to pinch victory from Max Verstappen and extend his championship lead.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes-Benz beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull to victory at the Spanish Grand Prix with a strategic masterstroke after losing the lead on the first lap.
Pole winner Hamilton started alongside Verstappen on the front row of the grid, but the Dutchman got the better start to go side by side into the first turn. He had the inside line and used the full width of the track to force Hamilton to yield or risk damage to his front wing to seize first place.
The news got worse for Mercedes. Valtteri Bottas, starting from third, slipped to fourth behind Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver sweeping around the Finn’s outside through the long Turn 3 in a beautiful first-lap move to split him from the front-runners.
Continue reading on RACERPole centurion Lewis Hamilton will lead Max Verstappen away from the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix, but picking a favourite for the race is as difficult as ever.
Lewis Hamilton has pipped Max Verstappen to claim his 100th pole position in Formula 1 in a tight qualifying hour at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton scored his 100th Formula 1 pole position with a fine-margins victory over Max Verstappen ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton needed only one lap in Q3 to claim his record-extending pole. His first time of 1m16.741s put him at the head of the grid and ahead of title rival Max Verstappen by just 0.036s, and neither he nor the Dutchman was able to improve with their second attempts.
The Briton paid tribute to Mercedes, with which he’s scored 74 of his pole ton of poles since joining the team from McLaren.
Continue reading on RACERMax Verstappen will start what promises to be a hotly contested qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix as Barcelona’s fastest man after topping final practice ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen’s best time of 1m17.835s was built largely on a purple middle sector, after which he was almost half a second up on Hamilton, before a fumbled exit from the chicane brought his advantage back down to 0.235s.
Hamilton’s best lap also left time on the table, similarly through the chicane. The Briton should have gained with his final flying lap on the soft tire but took too much of the tall yellow curb to improve his time.
Continue reading on RACERLewis Hamilton turned the tables on Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to end Friday practice on top of the time sheet, while their title rivals at Red Bull Racing failed to show competitive pace.
Hamilton trailed Bottas in morning practice but the Briton was best in the afternoon, setting a time of 1m18.170s to go 0.139s at the head of the field.
Neither Red Bull Racing driver was in the vicinity of the Mercedes teammates. Max Verstappen was 0.615s off the pace in ninth after abandoning his first flying lap on the soft tire when he ran wide at the new Turn 10, while poor first and third sectors left Sergio Perez 0.748 off the pace in 10th. Verstappen in particular seemed out of sorts, and the Dutchman damaged his wing for the second session in a row riding on the curbs through Turns 7 and 8.
Continue reading on RACER