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British GP predictions: Sky Sports F1 pick Silverstone winner from George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen | F1 News

On: July 6, 2024 By: admin

Ahead of the British Grand Prix, the Sky Sports F1 team predict who will come out on top in Sunday’s race at Silverstone.

For the first time at Silverstone, three Brits occupy the first three slots on the grid after George Russell beat Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole.

While the crowd will rightly show up hopeful of a British victory, it’s far from guaranteed with world championship leader Max Verstappen waiting to pounce on any opportunity from fourth place, while Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri cannot be discounted from fifth.

With which team has the fastest car not completely clear following interchangeable conditions through the weekend, the race will begin as one of F1’s most difficult to predict for a long time.

Throw into the mix that the unseasonable weather is set to continue, and an absolute classic could be on the cards at the famous circuit.

With such an enticing prospect in store, the Sky Sports F1 team shared their predictions for Sunday’s race following qualifying:

Karun Chandhok, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Winner: George Russell

I think that he’s really on a good run of form and I think the Mercedes is really suited to this circuit. He’s just driving really well and I have this gut feeling he can hold off the other three. But I would say that Verstappen in fourth is probably the biggest threat.

Ted Kravitz, Sky Sports F1 pit lane reporter

Winner: Max Verstappen

I think George is going to lead away at the start. Max is going to come through in his repaired car and fight with Lando and Lewis. I’d expect the rain will hold off and it will come down to a fight between Russell and Verstappen, with Max getting it in the end. At the finish: Max, Lando, George.

Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

The good news is all the Brits have a chance to win. But if I had to put my money on anyone, it would be Lewis Hamilton. I think what we would really like to see is a sixth different winner this season, and he can be the driver to deliver that.

Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports F1 presenter

Winner: Max Verstappen

I think Verstappen will win because he had a damaged floor in qualifying. Whilst I hope for the fans that they get a British winner, I feel that Max is on a mission and will be very quick with a repaired floor. We haven’t seen his true pace yet.

Craig Slater, Sky Sports News reporter

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando and Verstappen are the two best right now in terms of form, and in terms of car speed over race distance, and they will emerge eventually at the front. The Mercedes cars might lead for a while but over race distance the Mercedes is not yet able to compete even in these more favourable conditions. I take Lewis to win the battle with George for the final podium spot.

Nigel Chiu, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando Norris was great throughout Friday and I think McLaren will have a pace advantage over Mercedes. Norris must keep Verstappen behind at the start, then he can use pace and strategy to overcome the two Mercedes cars. If it’s wet, I also think Norris will show his class and make up for coming close in Canada.

James Galloway, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

If there’s going to be at least one more big day in the glittering Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes story, then perhaps this Silverstone Sunday is going to be it. While he missed out on what would have been a record-extending eighth home pole to his team-mate, a front-row start still leaves Hamilton very handily placed.

His qualifying may have underwhelmed for much of his final Mercedes campaign so far, but race days have still usually proved a little more fruitful. Of course, no one knows better than Hamilton how to win around Silverstone and as his ongoing run of 10 consecutive podiums show, he tends to find a way on home ground.

Sam Johnston, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Winner: Lando Norris

Lando Norris and his McLaren team have been oozing confidence throughout the weekend, even after an error in qualifying cost him a shot at pole on Saturday. He and the team will need to show they have learnt from moments in recent races that have cost them victory, but with a clean race I suspect the papaya car has the pace to get past both of the Silver Arrows.

Have your say!

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Sunday July 7
8:15am: F3 Feature Race
9:50am: F2 Feature Race
11:50am: Porsche Supercup
1:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – British GP build-up
3pm: The BRITISH GRAND PRIX
5pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
6pm: Ted’s Notebook

F1’s summer triple-header concludes with the big one, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase, with Sunday’s race at 3pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

British GP preview: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris in battle for home victory with Max Verstappen lurking | F1 News

On: July 6, 2024 By: admin

After a dream qualifying result for the fans at Silverstone, Sunday’s British Grand Prix could hardly be better set up to provide further drama.

George Russell beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to pole, with Lando Norris taking third for McLaren to create a British front three on the grid for the first time in Formula 1 at Silverstone, and the first time at any track since 1968.

If the prospect of an all-British battle for victory didn’t provide enough tension, there’s also the lurking threat posed by world championship leader Max Verstappen, starting from fourth.

Interchangeable conditions throughout the weekend so far, with the extremes of the July weather extreme even for Britain, have made it very tricky to work out who will have the strongest race pace.

Norris and his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who starts fifth, appeared strongest in the dry on Friday, while Russell and Hamilton excelled in wet conditions on Saturday, before taking pole on a cool, drying circuit.

Verstappen, meanwhile, has so far failed to get the best out of his upgraded Red Bull, but was handicapped in the latter stages of qualifying after a trip onto the gravel in the opening part of the session damaged his car.

With the forecast promising a mixture of showers and sunshine once more on Sunday, it is almost impossible to work out who is most likely to end the day on the top step of the podium, creating a marvellous spectacle for F1 fans.

Who has the fastest car?

It’s an almost impossible question to answer, but we’ll try.

The consensus among those involved seems to be that, as has been the case over recent weeks, Verstappen and Norris would likely have a slight edge over Mercedes in dry conditions.

The pair were on course last weekend in Austria to finish as the top two for a third successive race, before their controversial collision gifted victory to Russell.

“Realistically we know we’re probably a tenth or two behind Lando and Max, but I think we’ve got a good fight on our hands,” Russell said.

“But the weather’s going to play a huge part in that. You know, it’s been raining and drying up throughout the last couple of days. There’s a bit of rain on the forecast tomorrow.”

Norris, who isn’t usually one for overly optimistic assessments of his chances, appeared to remain in a positive frame of mind after blowing his chances of pole with a mistake in the early stages of his final flying lap in qualifying.

“We’ve been very quick in the races over the last two months,” Norris said. “It’s probably been one of our strengths.

“It’s been actually race pace over qualifying pace. But this is a very different type of circuit. It’s a very different layout. But it’s still a strength. And hopefully it comes back towards us a little bit tomorrow.”

As for Verstappen, who before his collision with Norris last week had been on a brilliant run of form that saw him snatch victories away from the seemingly faster McLaren, there was a hint that the RB20 has more performance to unleash.

“It hurts because to let your team down that way,” he said after his Q1 error, “it hurts a lot because I think the weekend was strong up to now. We were just not able to show the pace.”

Will Russell and Hamilton work together?

It must be said that to begin with, at least, this is largely a question for Hamilton.

It’s quite safe to say that with the seven-time world champion seeking a first victory since December 2021, he will be giving everything to beat Russell off the line and take the lead.

In the event that the starting order remains after the first corner, it’s fair to assume that Hamilton may be under some pressure from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to take a sensible approach to racing his team-mate.

Given Hamilton is heading to Ferrari next season, he might not care too much about what Wolff wants, but in theory Mercedes will have a major advantage if they can keep their two cars at the front of the pack.

While confirming that he’ll be attempting to implement some sort of plan for his drivers to work together, Wolff appeared somewhat resigned to the reality that there may be moments where the Silver Arrows are fighting each other.

“I think we’re talking about it every Sunday,” he told Sky Sports F1. “And we’re not trying to be a broken record, but we have an opportunity tomorrow, be it only for a podium.

“But we’re starting first and second and as long as we can hold that for a while, that would be good and gives us a better position.”

For the Hamilton fans hoping to see the 39-year-old cap his historic time at Mercedes with at least one more victory, he did provide a subtle note of encouragement.

“I think I was cautious with my set-up, more thinking to have a nice balance in the race rather than all for one particular lap,” Hamilton said. “So I do think that the car will be good tomorrow.”

Extra tension on the second row

Verstappen and Norris have recently got quite used to battling for the lead off the start line, but this time their duel will resume from behind the Mercedes.

Their collision in Austria was very clearly the headline news coming into the weekend, but Norris somewhat diffused the situation by withdrawing his post-race demand for an apology from Verstappen.

The softening of the Brit’s stance led some to suggest that Verstappen, who finished fifth in Austria as Norris retired as a result of damage from the incident, has established a psychological advantage over his closest title challenger.

Norris once more seemed keen to play down the significance of his battle with Verstappen.

“I’m sure Max is going to be racing us tomorrow, but I’ve still got two other guys I’ve got to worry about, so I don’t care just about Red Bull,” he said.

“I think our strategy has been very good over the last two months, so I’m happy. The team are doing a good job and therefore I’m confident we can execute a good race. We need good pace. We need to be able to race well. I need to pass two guys if that’s going to be on the cards.”

The idea of looking ahead rather than behind was not just presented by Norris, with McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also appearing quietly confident.

“We could have done a little bit better,” he said. “But we are there and certainly we will play our cards tomorrow.”

Who has the best weather person?

For all the talk of potential performance, there’s a high chance that speed and skill – at least from the drivers – will not turn out to be the most crucial factor on Sunday.

Changing weather conditions during the race mean that strategy could be decisive, with huge gains possible from switching to the right tyre at the right moment.

The drivers will get their instructions from their engineers, but the process stretches beyond each team’s pit wall and garage.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, who is part of Sky Sports F1’s coverage this weekend from his team’s pit wall, explained during qualifying that the Woking squad have spotters out on different parts of the track and even in the air keeping a close eye on conditions.

Given Mercedes apparent advantage in the wet and the fact it’s always easier to drive from the front in the rain due to the lack of spray coming from a car in front, Russell could benefit from more showers, but is also wary of their danger.

“We will need a good weather person! It literally takes one small mistake and it can all go wrong,” he said. “Everyone’s in the same boat.”

Like Russell, Norris is attempting to win his home race for the first time, and is confident of taking on his compatriots regardless of the conditions.

“It’s going to rain again tomorrow, so I’m excited,” he said. “It’s going to be a good race. We’re quick. I can bring the fight to George and I can bring the fight to Lewis, so excited to put on a good show tomorrow.”

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

British GP Qualifying: George Russell beats Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris to Silverstone pole as Red Bull hit trouble | F1 News

On: July 6, 2024 By: admin

George Russell edged out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris to pole position for the British GP as the race’s three home drivers waged an intense fight to head Sunday’s Silverstone grid.

For the first-time ever in the history of the British GP, and the first time anywhere in F1 since 1968, the front three positions on the grid will be taken up by a trio of British drivers.

Russell, who won last week’s Austrian GP after profiting from the collision between Norris and Max Verstappen, took his second pole in four races by a 0.171s margin from Hamilton after a final lap of 1:25.819.

On a difficult and disappointing day world championship leaders Red Bull, Verstappen qualified only fourth after his pace was compromised by floor damage sustained when an error sent him through the gravel at Copse corner amid on-off rain during a frantic Q1 session.

But qualifying was again far worse for team-mate Sergio Perez whose recent woes deepened after he spun out at the same turn, beached his car in the gravel and qualified on the back row in 19th place.

With the Red Bulls out of the pole picture, Russell, Hamilton and Norris took centre stage in front of the passionate home Silverstone crowd and turned the battle for pole in to an exclusive all-British fight.

Oscar Piastri was fifth in the second McLaren with Nico Hulkenberg again impressing in qualifying to take sixth, ahead of both Ferraris as the Scuderia suffered fresh disappointment.

Carlos Sainz was only seventh while Charles Leclerc was knocked out in Q2 and will start from 11th.

More to follow…

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

British GP: George Russell tops wet Silverstone practice from Lewis Hamilton ahead of qualifying | F1 News

On: July 6, 2024 By: admin

George Russell set the pace from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a wet final practice for the British Grand Prix.

Heavy rain fell in the morning at Silverstone but stopped in time for practice, where Mercedes immediately looked strong in the cold, wet conditions.

Russell was just 0.035s quicker than Hamilton, with Friday’s fastest driver Lando Norris 0.185s off the 1:37.529 benchmark time ahead of qualifying, which is live at 3pm on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Showcase.

After the three Brits there was a gap of six tenths to Carlos Sainz in fourth and championship leader Max Verstappen was 0.864s behind Russell.

Verstappen had a spin early in the session, while Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also lost control of his car but beached it in the gravel and caused a short red flag.

Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso made up the top eight.

Rain mixes up pecking order

For the first half of the session, there was no rain and the track continued to get faster with the drivers electing to use just one set of intermediates for the practice hour.

Several drivers traded top spot but Russell pipped Hamilton as the Mercedes pair were told where to find lap time on the radio, with different lines being used.

Mercedes have traditionally been strong in the rain, so will be hoping the wet weather continues into qualifying later on.

The only fully wet competitive qualifying this year was Sprint Qualifying in China, where Norris beat Hamilton to pole.

After topping both of Friday’s practice sessions, Norris said he was open to rain and he also looks strong in the wet.

Verstappen has often delivered when it mattered most, so cannot be ruled out. However, Red Bull look to be on the back foot compared to McLaren in all conditions, and Mercedes in the rain.

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Saturday July 6
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Martin Brundle on Austrian GP: Verdict on Max Verstappen’s crash with Lando Norris as George Russell won | F1 News

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

It was a wild race in Austria with a real sting in the tail.

George Russell had his wicket-keeper gloves on, by dint of a fine drive running in a hard-won if lonely third place, to scoop up the ball and take victory after clumsy combat cost both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris a shot at victory.

Russell was the fifth winning driver in 11 races so far this season, and Mercedes were the fourth different constructor to take victory. It was a thrilling and unpredictable race, but I left the venue disappointed in one aspect.

It was another hectic Sprint weekend with just one 60-minute practice session before heading into Sprint Qualifying on Friday, then the Sprint and main race Qualifying on Saturday, with the Grand Prix on Sunday.

To spice it up, each driver has one less set of tyres than normal, meaning 12 sets of slick dry tyres to eke out through five key sessions including two qualifying formats, on a track with high degradation.

‘Sprint battle provides appetiser’

Verstappen led the 24-lap Sprint from an initially charging Norris before his lunge into turn three forced Max into a successful counter-attack into turn four, which Lando should have covered off. Indeed, Norris lost two places there as Oscar Piastri skilfully slotted his sister McLaren into second place for good.

It was an appetiser for what would follow on race day. Sadly for Piastri, in qualifying he had a harsh track limits call and lost his best lap demoting him from third to seventh. This may well have cost him his first GP victory.

New gravel strips and realigned track-defining white lines did a great job of sorting out the track limits mess over the weekend. Compared to last year’s ridiculous 1200 offences, we had just 16 in this year’s race, five of which were Norris.

To all intents and purposes, the proximity of the gravel, and the existing nasty yellow-painted sausage kerbs in turns one and three, should have been self-policing in that respect, given that you are sure to lose time if you visit any of them.

However, the track limit lines were still being closely monitored. McLaren were livid, claiming that images used were blurred and protocol was inconsistent with other incidents that day, and on previous occasions. But the Piastri decision stood.

The performance pecking order, as we like to call it, was clearly Verstappen, McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and then a roll of the dice between Alpine and Haas with RB watching closely. Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull struggled, Aston Martin didn’t turn up to the races, and Charles Leclerc managed to overdrive his fast Ferrari, not for the first time.

It was blazing sunshine all weekend and as the fans cooked in the grandstands so nearly did many brake systems, and degradation of the tyres would be high on longer runs. Also overheating would be some of the drivers’ tempers in the closing stages.

Verstappen led comfortably and pulled out an eight-second advantage, but even in the first stint it was clear that McLaren were faster toward the end of tyre life.

The out-of-position Leclerc and Piastri managed to connect in the first corner which forced the Ferrari into the pits for a new front wing, and effectively out of any sensible race finish without a safety car to close the pack, which never happened. It was one of those unfortunate first-corner shunts.

Piastri continued on his way towards Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes and Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari. When Hamilton attracted a five-second penalty for breaching the pit-entry lane, that effectively put Piastri ahead of Hamilton and hunting down Sainz.

This would all play out more importantly than we could have imagined.

‘Max’s default driving tactics resurface’

Up front, Verstappen was struggling for grip and then had a six-second pit stop with a sticky left-rear wheel. This reignited the race with Norris on his tail and gunning for him. Quickly into the one-second DRS zone, Norris relentlessly closed and, just as he had done the day before in the Sprint, lunged towards the inside into turn three.

Verstappen was more ready this time and covered it off. Clearly angsty in the cockpit especially after the slow stop, Max was getting ever more aggressive in his defence, really pushing the limits of acceptable driving in close combat with late moves in the braking zones, but just about getting away with it.

Lando lunged again, this time arriving too fast and locking his front tyres and running wide. It was his fourth track limits violation, and he would get a five-second penalty, which sadly he would never serve. Max didn’t appear to be aware of this impending penalty for his friend and rival, and when shortly after – on lap 64 – Norris went down the outside of the Red Bull into turn three for a change, Verstappen veered left and there was contact.

Did he know he was there? He confirmed post-race that he did, he’s on top of it all well enough. They touched and it finished Norris’s race and left Verstappen limping home for three quarters of a lap with a puncture.

What I found alarming is that after the contact and as they were both limping along, Verstappen clearly tried to impede and collect Norris if he could. Verstappen would get a 10-second penalty for the turn three contact, but such was his pace thereafter on fresh tyres it mattered not, as he recovered to fifth place, actually increasing his championship lead to the angst of many.

In commentary, and in these columns, I’ve waxed lyrical about Max’s talent, and I stand by that, he’s one of the very best I’ve ever witnessed in 40 years. I’ve also said that he’s calmed down, matured, and plays more the percentage game with three championships in his pocket. But that appears to have been a thin veneer as this race was very much Max 1.0, with his default driving tactics and denials resurfacing.

I’m making no excuses for him, but I do wonder if the ridiculous spat between his father Jos and team boss Christian Horner has finally surfaced on track for him.

And to hear the Red Bull team on the radio after the race telling him it was all Norris’s fault was a difficult listen, it damages their credibility all round.

It was clear Norris would get a five-second penalty for track limits and the whole thing was totally unnecessary for Red Bull. It must also be said that Lando’s race craft was rather gung-ho. He’ll need more finesse, patience, and cunning than that if he wants to start beating Max regularly to win a championship.

‘Perez form alarming as Haas benefit from chaos’

Another alarming thing for Red Bull is that Max still beat team-mate Sergio Perez by 17 seconds despite the contact, slow lap, penalty, and extra pit stop. Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas also beat Perez, who also had a five-second penalty for pit lane speeding and bodywork damage, but it was another awful weekend for him.

In fact, it was a great day for Haas as Kevin Magnussen finished eighth for more championship points for the relatively tiny team.

Daniel Ricciardo had a necessarily strong day in ninth and two world championship points for RB. Pierre Gasly nicked the final point for Alpine after a ferocious battle with his team-mate Esteban Ocon. It was one of those days when the top teams were leaving points on the table and they were there for the taking for the desperate midfield.

After Piastri put a great move on Sainz to seize second, he set off after Russell but there weren’t enough laps left and the King’s Lynn boy had it all under control up front.

Hamilton would finish a distant fourth after the pit-entry penalty and bodywork damage to his Mercedes.

Congratulations to George and Mercedes for their first win since Brazil 2022, 33 races ago, which should go down well with the British crowd at Silverstone this coming weekend. I suspect Lando will get plenty of support too.

This is turning into a classic season, bring on round 12.

Sky Sports F1’s live British GP schedule (all F1 sessions on Sky Showcase)

Thursday July 4
1.30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
6pm: The F1 Show

Friday July 5
8.35am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: British GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm)
2.05pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: British GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)

Saturday July 6
9.15am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: British GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: British GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: British GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

George Russell: Toto Wolff says radio message to Austrian GP winning driver was ‘dumbest’ moment of his F1 career | F1 News

On: June 30, 2024 By: admin

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted a mistimed radio message to George Russell during the closing stages of his Austrian Grand Prix victory was “the dumbest thing” he has ever done in Formula 1.

Russell was running in third when leader Max Verstappen collided with second-placed Lando Norris, with the Red Bull driver forced to pit with a puncture and the McLaren sustaining damage that put him out of the race.

In his excitement at seeing the collision between Verstappen and Norris, Wolff immediately spoke to Russell over the Mercedes team radio, forgetting to go through the usual protocol of checking that his driver was at an appropriate point of the circuit to receive a message.

Russell curtly responded to Wolff telling his boss to “let him drive” in a message that included an expletive.

“I think I know the drivers pretty well and what they need at times to encourage or to refocus, because I spend so much time with them, so I think I know their psychology,” Wolff said.

“But this one is the single dumbest thing I’ve done in 20 years at Mercedes. I will be forever ashamed of this. Because you look at where you message the driver, you don’t do it on braking or in high-speed corners.

“And I didn’t look on the GPS where he was. I just saw these two taking each other out and we anticipated it and then just emotionally pushed the button and said, ‘we can win this’.

“And I could have taken him out with that message. Imagine how that would have felt.

“I’m emotional, I enjoy us doing well and I enjoy seeing Lewis (Hamilton) and George doing well and I was just carried away with that situation. And I think that’s what he said afterwards, but seriously, (it was) embarrassing.”

After claiming just the second grand prix victory of his F1 career, Russell said that he was nearly put off by Wolff’s message, but understood his boss was coming from a good place.

“He just screamed in my ear,” Russell told Sky Sports F1. “I almost crashed when it happened.

“It goes to show the passion that we all have. The team put so much effort in recently. Everyone in the factory has been working overtime to bring upgrades to the car earlier. Sometimes you don’t feel like you get a reward for this effort, and today we did.”

Russell: I thought Piastri was going to catch me

Despite being gifted the lead with just eight laps to go, Russell appeared far from assured of victory, with Norris’ McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri showing strong pace behind him.

Ultimately, a virtual safety car, called by the race director to allow the debris resulting from the Verstappen-Norris collision to be cleared, provided crucial relief for Russell.

“I thought he (Piastri) was going to catch me, to be honest, but I think catching is one thing, overtaking is another,” Russell said.

“So I had Carlos behind me for 10 laps yesterday in my DRS, and I was also behind Carlos for about eight laps in his DRS, and overtaking wasn’t straightforward. So I knew, I just sort of said to myself, ‘do what you do best, no heroics, and you’ll win this race.’

“That VSC helped marginally because my tyres were overheating. And that just allowed me to cool them down.”

Russell ultimately came home just short of two seconds clear of Piastri, who continues to search for his maiden grand prix victory.

The 25 points Russell earned didn’t alter the seventh place he holds in the drivers’ standings, but did enable him to close to within a point of Piastri above him.

Austrian GP: Max Verstappen beats Lando Norris and George Russell to pole at Red Bull Ring | F1 News

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

Max Verstappen claimed his 40th F1 pole position by beating Lando Norris in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who won the Sprint earlier on Saturday, has been on top form all weekend and took pole by 0.404s from Norris on the shortest track on the calendar in terms of lap time.

Oscar Piastri had gone third fastest in qualifying but had his lap time deleted for track limits at Turn Six, so George Russell was promoted to third, with Carlos Sainz in fourth.

Piastri dropped four places to seventh, behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who nearly crashed at the end of Q3 at the penultimate corner.

Sergio Perez qualified eighth, with Nico Hulkenberg in ninth but under investigation for two pit lane infringements, and Esteban Ocon was 10th.

More to follow…

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Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule

Saturday June 29
12.25pm: F2 Sprint
2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s triple-header continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Canadian GP: Max Verstappen overcomes wet-race chaos to beat rueful Lando Norris, George Russell to win | F1 News

On: June 9, 2024 By: admin

Max Verstappen won a chaotic and gripping Canadian Grand Prix with Lando Norris and George Russell left to reflect on what might have been after a Montreal race of high drama amid on-off rain.

In an unpredictable 70-lap race that featured four changes of lead and two Safety Car periods triggered by crashes, Verstappen returned to winning ways a fortnight after Red Bull’s miserable Monaco for his fifth win of the season to re-establish a more comfortable world-championship lead, of 56 points.

McLaren’s Norris twice led the race – the first time after overtaking both Verstappen and Russell – but had to settle for second after the cards did not fall in his favour, particularly under the first Safety Car.

Polesitter Russell ended up third and looked particularly crestfallen after a topsy-turvy race in which he made several mistakes and collided with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Dropping as low as fifth after that latter incident following the race’s second Safety Car period, Russell was then overtaken by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who went on to overtake Piastri soon afterwards and move into the final podium place.

But Russell rallied late on and repassed Hamilton on the penultimate lap to ensure he was the drive who sealed Mercedes’ first Grand Prix podium of 2024.

Fourth still represented Hamilton’s best result on a Sunday so far this year, although the seven-time Monaco victor, who qualified six places behind Russell in seventh, described it as “one of the worst races I’ve driven”.

Overtaken by both Mercedes cars, who had been the only leading cars to pit for a second set of dry tyres, Oscar Piastri ended up fifth in the second McLaren.

Aston Martin took sixth and seventh with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, Canada’s home driver, respectively.

In a fraught race-long fight for the final points positions, Daniel Ricciardo overcome a five-second time penalty for a jump start to fight back and cap the best weekend of his disapoointing season so far in eighth. Alpine also scored crucial points with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ninth and 10th.

Ferrari though endured a total nightmare with their hopes of building momentum from their Monaco win undone by retirements for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who caused a second Safety Car by spinning and collecting Williams’ Alex Albon.

Sergio Perez’s miserable weekend ended in a DNF too after the Mexican, who had dropped out in Q1 on Saturday, crashed and broke his Red Bull’s rear wing against the barriers.

More to follow…

Formula 1 heads back to Europe as the championship moves on to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. Watch every session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from June 21-23 live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Canadian GP: Mercedes back on F1 pole position as George Russell says result ‘start of something’ for 2024 season | F1 News

On: June 9, 2024 By: admin

George Russell believes his superb pole position for Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix is the “start of something for our season” while Toto Wolff is optimistic the team are finally “going in the right direction” in F1’s current era of rules.

For just the third time since the end of the 2021 season that yielded their record-extending eighth consecutive constructors’ title, Mercedes will start a race on pole position, having unexpectedly proved the car to beat around the demanding Circuit Gilles Villeneuve so far.

Russell set the same best Q3 lap of 1:12.000 as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the end of a dramatic qualifying hour but the Mercedes driver will start Sunday’s 7pm race on pole as he set the time first.

Russell’s pole is just his second in F1 and Mercedes’ first since Lewis Hamilton’s in Hungary last July.

“We said it in Monaco that we hope this is the start of something for our season, and I think it is,” said Russell, in reference to the encouragement Mercedes felt about their latest upgrade package – including a new front wing – introduced at the last race, which is running again on the W15 in Canada.

“I’ve missed this feeling.”

Team-mate Hamilton had also looked set to join Russell in making a return to the grid’s leading positions but dropped from second to a disappointing seventh on the final run of qualifying.

F1’s teams and drivers have experienced a challenging weekend amid changeable weather conditions in Montreal.

Friday’s practice running was compromised by rain and on Saturday, although drivers were able to run the sessions on slick dry tyres throughout, there was light drizzle at points during qualifying on a newly-re-laid track surface that has proved tough for teams to master.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez dropped out in Q1, while Monaco victors Ferrari shockingly failed to get either of their cars out of Q2, yet Mercedes barely appeared troubled at any stage of qualifying.

“The car has been so quick this weekend,” acknowledged Russell to Sky Sports F1.

“The team have done an amazing job bringing all these upgrades to the car and finally this hard work is translating into results.

“We have been zig-zagging for quite a while now and slowly those zig-zags have narrowed down and we have really honed in to what we need from this car.

“This last upgrade we brought, it was a small change but it’s bringing more performance than we initially expected. So we’re pursuing that direction now. It’s only been two races and definitely unique circuits, but the performance this weekend has just been unreal.”

Wolff explains how Mercedes have finally balanced out their car

Mercedes’ ‘zig-zagging’ has included the adoption of different design concepts since the introduction of the current ground-effect technical regulations in 2022 in the search of an elusive breakthrough.

The team’s third car for the current era, this year’s W15, featured yet more wholesale changes but the team started the year clearly behind Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.

They are still yet to finish on the podium in eight races but had already felt before Canada that momentum was belatedly building.

“We’re on pole position and that was amazing. His lap was great,” said a delighted Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.

“As we’ve said for a while, we’re going in the right direction. We’ve brought lots of little bits over the last few races, some more visible than others, but definitely heading to a more performant car.

“I think we have a grip now on the car. One swallow doesn’t make a summer. The lap was great but we need to keep both feet on the ground.

“Three races ago we were really not good enough and now we have a pole position and a good result. Hopefully we can materialise that tomorrow in a race. I think if we’re able to be good on the long runs, you can count more on us on the next few races as well.”

Asked what specifically had improved, Wolff replied: “I think more downforce, more downforce in the right places. We were either fast in the low speed and slow in the high-speed or the other way around.

“We kind of never got the right balance in there. Now the drivers say the car is well balanced.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Canadian GP schedule

Sunday June 9
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – Canadian GP build-up
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
9pm: Chequered Flag – Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted’s Notebook

Formula 1 is on Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix and you can watch every session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race at 7pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime

Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver bemused by continued qualifying struggles as George Russell takes Canadian GP pole | F1 News

On: June 8, 2024 By: admin

Lewis Hamilton was at a loss to explain why the strong pace he had shown during Canadian Grand Prix practice fell away in qualifying as his Mercedes team-mate George Russell took pole.

The seven-time world champion set a stunning pace to top final practice at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve earlier on Saturday and appeared to be joint-favourite with Russell for pole going into the final part of qualifying.

However, after sitting second on the timesheet behind Russell after the first runs in Q3, Hamilton was unable to improve and ended up a hugely disappointing seventh.

“The car was feeling great all weekend and as soon as we got to qualifying, that kind of vanished for me,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

“The grip just disappears for me. P3, I had plenty of pace in me, and then get to qualifying and the tyres won’t work.

“Nothing had changed on the car.”

Russell now holds an 8-1 advantage over Hamilton in qualifying this season, which is the 39-year-old’s last with the team before he joins Ferrari next year.

Mercedes have been off the pace of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren during the opening eight rounds of the seasons, but upgrades have finally put them in a position to challenge the leading trio, at least at certain circuits.

Hamilton added: “Congratulations to George for a great job. It’s really great for the team.

“Obviously, everyone has worked so hard to bring upgrades back at the factory, so this will be a real huge boost for everyone back at the factory.”

Wolff: We can’t comprehend it

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted that he was also confused as to why Hamilton struggled at the end of the session.

While Russell also failed to improve on his first Q3 time, hanging on to pole by virtue of having set an identical time to Verstappen before the Dutchman, Hamilton’s drop-off on the second run was far more significant.

“It seemed that Lewis was actually having the upper hand and both cars comfortably beating everyone,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1.

“And then at the end, it got so tight, also for George, and Lewis – the time didn’t show up.

“We can’t comprehend at the moment why it wasn’t a little bit more in our favour.”

Hamilton will start behind the all-McLaren second row of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, along with RB’s Daniel Ricciardo in fifth and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in sixth.

Sky Sports F1’s live Canadian GP schedule

Sunday June 9
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday – Canadian GP build-up
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
9pm: Chequered Flag – Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted’s Notebook

Karun Chandhok, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Ted Kravitz, Sky Sports F1 pit lane reporter

Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports F1 pundit

Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports F1 presenter

Craig Slater, Sky Sports News reporter

Nigel Chiu, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

James Galloway, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

Sam Johnston, Sky Sports F1 digital journalist

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