2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

Piastri ignored his race engineer to pull off race-winning pass on Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri revealed he disregarded an instruction from his race engineer to pull off the overtaking move which won him the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
15 Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Piastri said his race engineer Tom Stallard urged him to treat his tyres gently at the beginning of both stints, but ignored him both times, and on the second occasion pulled off the pass which got him into the lead. Getting into clean air at that stage “won me the race,” said Piastri.

“I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that [pass] in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres. So my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘let’s not do that again’, basically. And I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside. At that point, I felt [that] trying to stay back and wait for Charles to deg[rade his tyres] was never going to happen. I thought we was just going to secure us P2.”

“I had a similar opportunity in the first stint. I felt like on lap two or three, I was just within DRS, but didn’t fully capitalise on that opportunity. And I got to the end of the straight thinking ‘if I had have done a couple of things a bit differently here, I maybe had a chance’. So when I had a similar opportunity after the pit stop, I had to take it. And I wouldn’t be sat here without that.”

‘Ignored his race engineer’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/15/...ss-on-leclerc/


‘He was perfect’: Jacques Villeneuve shares why Oscar Piastri’s Baku win was better than his maiden F1 victory
15 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Oscar Piastri’s second win better because he ‘didn’t crack under pressure’. Jacques Villeneuve is a man who knows a lot about having the bottle to claim race victories and world championship in Formula 1. He claimed the title in his sophomore season back in 1997, and had 11 race victories across his decade-long career.

Speaking about Piastri’s performance on Sky Sports F1, he admitted that it was about as faultless as you could expect. “Piastri’s win in Hungary is in the books, but this [Azerbaijan] is the one that he just mastered himself,” he said. “He did the overtaking, he was quick after, he didn’t crack under pressure. He was perfect.”

‘He was perfect’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jac...en-f1-victory/


Oscar Piastri makes typical remark as McLaren driver admits he had "50-50" chance of crashing
Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri got away with a risky move as he overtook pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and proceeded to hold on for his second victory of 2024
15 Sep 2024
By Tom Victor Sport Trends Writer
The Mirror

"To be honest, when I hit the brakes I was like 'There's a 50-50 chance whether I make this corner or not'," Piastri said. Leclerc put on a brave face as he attempted to explain why the recovery never came.

"Yeah I just broke the way I was breaking normally," the Ferrari driver admitted. "I saw you go in so I was like 'He's not going to release the brakes... okay, I'll just let him go and take the DRS and try to overtake you', and that never happened."

"To be honest there were about 10 laps where I thought it was going to happen," Piastri replied. "But once I got clean air I thought 'Okay, maybe my life will be a bit easier now'."

"50-50";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-prix-33673619


How Oscar Piastri won the 2024 Azerbaijan GP
Piastri produced a thrilling overtake on Lap 20 to take the lead from Charles Leclerc
15 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Oscar Piastri’s expert race-reading ability. The 23-year-old Australian is known for his very cool head behind the wheel and his exceptional ability to decisively read the race picture and make the bold decisions... The moment came on Lap 20 when he made an audacious lunge on Leclerc into Turn 1 from far back, managing to scoop the car up on the exit before slamming the door firmly shut in the face of his rival through Turn 2.

It wasn’t something anyone, including Ferrari, were expecting him to do at that moment but it turned out to be a race-winning brave move by earning him the crucial free air he described as “king” at the 2024 Belgian GP. “I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed and then hung on for dear life for the next laps. Once he dropped out of DRS it was a little bit more relaxing but there’s no relaxing lap around here.” Oscar Piastri.

‘Thrilling overtake’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/how...azerbaijan-gp/


Oscar Piastri’s win adds further complications to McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ enforcement
15 Sep 2024
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

The driver that launched his team ahead of Red Bull in the WCC was Oscar Piastri – mere days after McLaren admitted its so-called “papaya rules” would now begin favouring teammate Lando Norris.

In effect, “papaya rules” refer to McLaren’s rules of engagement between drivers. Now, even the decision to implement Norris-biased papaya rules has fallen flat.

With seven Grands Prix remaining in 2024, there will be plenty of opportunities for Norris to reestablish his place at the head of the McLaren team, and perhaps to usurp Max Verstappen in the championship standings. But if McLaren wants that to happen, it’s high time to get definitive.

‘Further complications to McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ enforcement’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/mc...orris-baku-win


McLaren answer: Do team orders change after Piastri's victory?
15 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Oscar Piastri has won his second ever Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, after overtaking Charles Leclerc on the second stint. The Australian has now equalled Lando Norris' number of victories as well. Following the race, team principal Andrea Stella explained whether this changes the team orders declared ahead of the weekend in Baku.

"I think I said already that we have two number one drivers, effectively. And having two number one drivers means that we approach things, first of all, in the interest of the team. The interest of the team is to win the Constructors' Championship. And yes, it's to win also the Drivers' Championship," the Italian team principal began to explain to GPblog and others following the Azerbaijan GP. "Lando was in the most favourable position before his race. I think he still is in the most favourable position. So more naturally, we would have supported Lando."

Stella continued by saying that, on the other hand, Norris could also help Piastri out today, even as he is the favoured driver. "I think we have evidence today that actually, interestingly, it was Lando supporting Oscar and enabling Oscar's victory thanks to driving for the team and driving to support his teammates. So I think that remains our approach. We always intended to review after every event with each driver, with the driver together, what was going to be the best approach for the next races. We will do it and set the plan for Singapore," he concluded.

‘Team order changes’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30148...do-norris.html


Lando Norris satisfied to play ‘small part’ in Oscar Piastri’s F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix win
15 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Lando Norris has expressed that he was satisfied to have managed a “small part” in helping McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri win Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Perez’s progress being disrupted behind Norris enabled Piastri to box two laps later and retain the place, where he then proceeded to pass Charles Leclerc to triumph.

“At that point I was still kind of stuck behind Alex [Albon], so I couldn’t do a lot,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “I didn’t slow down, I just saved my tyres a little bit more as they were overheating a little bit.”

“It allowed Oscar to stay ahead and potentially get the win today, so I’m happy to know I played a small part in that, and for us as a team, that’s what we need to do.”

‘Perez’s progress being disrupted behind Norris’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...rand-prix-win/


Lando Norris' F1 world title bid back from the dead as bold Brit cuts through the field to take down Max Verstappen and narrow gap by three points, writes JONATHAN McEVOY
15 Sep 2024
Jonathan McEvoy and Dmcontent
MailOnline

It looked all over, and then the body twitched. That is how Lando Norris’s world championship hopes refused to die in the space of a topsy-turvy 24 hours. On Saturday night, he qualified 17th for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the third-last place you want to be when you stand 62 points behind Max Verstappen with eight races remaining.

Last night, he could look back on a fine day’s work. One touched by a little luck, but at the centre of his fourth-place finish was a mighty drive in a lickety-split McLaren. Verstappen, who started sixth, finished fifth, his lead trimmed to 59 points.

‘Back from the dead’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...AN-McEVOY.html

Vasseur frustrated after Leclerc displayed 'mega' pace in Baku.
Speaking of the race, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said that the Scuderia will need to find out what has caused the issues during the hard-tyre stint after Leclerc dominated the opening stages of the race on the mediums.
16 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Despite having displayed dominant qualifying and race pace in Baku, Charles Leclerc lost another opportunity to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ferrari's team boss Fred Vasseur was understandably disheartened after the race, and stressed that the Scuderia need to clear several questions regarding its tyre management on the hard compound.

"The first part of the race went very well for Charles and his pace was mega. Then we need to analyse the laps immediately after his pit stop as the pace proved to be too slow and in the end he had no tyres left anyway. Probably we were a bit too conservative at the start of the second stint but having to drive in dirty air was difficult for Charles and the result was it damaged the tyres. We will review everything carefully.”

‘What has caused the issues?;’

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25484


Vasseur laments Ferrari tyre approach after Baku disappointment
Despite claiming pole position, Charles Leclerc was beaten to victory in Baku by McLaren's Oscar Piastri
15 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

Fred Vasseur believes the 2024 Azerbaijan GP was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc‘s hopes of victory failed to materialise despite starting on pole position with the team principal pointing to Ferrari’s tyre approach. Vasseur noted that Ferrari‘s pace during the first stint may have actually worked against them as it resulted in a false sense of optimism.

Vasseur indicated that Ferrari took a conservative tyre approach after switching to the hard tyres, which gave Piastri the opening to pass Leclerc and take the win. “In the first stint we felt very comfortable, especially with Charles. We dominated that part of the race. Perhaps, however, we were also far too optimistic then,” Vasseur told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com.

“The pit stop was okay, but we lost in both inlap and outlap. The first few laps with the tyre was important for the second stint, but it was probably not the right approach. We were immediately overtaken, and it was difficult to try to pass Piastri. And staying so long in dirty air damaged Charles’ tires.

‘Missed opportunity for Ferrari’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/vas...isappointment/


Leclerc pinpoints two errors that cost him victory at Azerbaijan GP
Leclerc had a six-second lead on Oscar Piastri going into the pit-stop phase of the 2024 Azerbaijan GP
15 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

After the race Leclerc admitted he should have given Piastri a harder time when fighting for top spot, and revealed he and Ferrari were at a bit of a loss as to how McLaren were able to make the undercut so powerful.

“I think today we lost the race based on two misjudgments,” Leclerc told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com. “The first one I explained earlier: not fighting Oscar more was a mistake from my side, because then, with the different configurations, we were struggling to actually overtake back on the straight.”

“The second one is exactly this. We expected the undercut today to be a very difficult thing to do, just because we thought that the warm up on the hard will be extremely difficult. For some reason, I don’t really have the explanation yet, but we’ve got to look into how the gap went from six seconds to one and a half, because that is definitely not what we expected and that is a lot, even on a track where undercut are big.”

‘Two errors that cost him victory’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...azerbaijan-gp/


Leclerc: ‘I didn’t quite defend as well as I should have’ in Azerbaijan GP
There was plenty of action on the streets of Baku, including a dramatic late collision
Sept 16, 2024
Freddie Cotton
FormulaNerds

Small Margins: After the race, Leclerc was asked by F1 media to pinpoint the moment that the race started to fall away from him: “I think as soon as we put the hard tyres on. The mediums were very competitive and the car felt good”, he said in response.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t do any high fuel running on my side in FP1/FP2 and we went for a set-up direction that maybe in the race was a bit more difficult to manage. Especially on the hard tyres, I was really struggling to just keep those rear tyres.”

“Towards the end I really thought that… in one corner or two I thought that I would put it in the wall. It was very close, but [we ended up] second today.”

‘Plenty of action’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/le.../?nowprocket=1


Charles Leclerc: Ferrari must review lost pit stop time to McLaren in F1 Azerbaijan GP
Sept 16, 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc has insisted that Ferrari must review the circumstances which saw him lose vital time to Oscar Piastri in the pits in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

“We expected the undercut today to be a very difficult thing to do, because we thought that the warm-up on the Hard would be extremely difficult,” Leclerc explained. I don’t really have the explanation yet because I haven’t gone into details.”

“But we’ve got to look into how the gap went from six seconds to one and a half, because that is definitely not what we expected. And that is a lot. Even on a track where undercuts are big, it’s still four seconds and a half or four seconds – a lot of lap time loss, which I don’t exactly know why and where we’ve lost this lap time.”

‘Gap went from six seconds to one and a half’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...azerbaijan-gp/


‘Cocky’ Carlos Sainz ‘got into trouble’ in Baku with ‘beginners’ crash verdict issued
16 Sep 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Ralf Schumacher says Carlos Sainz got “cocky” in his late charge in Baku while Helmut Marko has dubbed it a “beginners” crash that shouldn’t happen with drivers of Sainz and Sergio Perez’s experience. Perez called Sainz a “f**king idiot” as he made it clear he felt the Ferrari driver was to blame while Sainz questioned “what happened”.

Schumacher answered that, telling Sky Deutschland: “Sainz came along, [then] Sainz got really cocky and wanted his own team-mate too. “He didn’t know where to go and got into trouble. For whatever reason, he moved over, but Perez didn’t move to the side either. They touched each other and I say misery against misery.”

The German added: “Both have so much experience, that doesn’t have to happen so close to the end. You have to take the points.” Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko agreed with Schumacher’s take on the collision that Sainz was the one who caused it by moving over. “I see a rather abrupt movement to the left by Sainz, which ultimately caused this crash,” he said. “I completely agree with Ralf.”

‘Cocky’ Carlos Sainz ‘got into trouble’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/cocky-...-crash-verdict


Sainz explains 'drift' that led to Perez crash in Azerbaijan GP
Carlos Sainz saw a potential podium in Baku end in tears following a late-race incident with Sergio Perez.
15 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Carlos Sainz has explained the "drift" that resulted in his race-ending crash with Sergio Perez at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. When asked to detail what he would tell the stewards, Sainz told media, including RacingNews365: “That I did my normal racing line and the line that we all do on every lap of this track. Exiting Turn 2, we always drift a bit towards the left, but without doing any weird or erratic manoeuvre.”

‘We always drift a bit towards the left…’;

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-expl...-azerbaijan-gp


Carlos Sainz denies he was “aggressive” in race-ending Sergio Perez crash
Carlos Sainz doesn't think he was "aggressive" during his race-ending clash with Sergio Perez.
15 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

“I didn’t do any erratic manoeuvres or aggressive moves on Checo. For some reason, which I still don’t understand, we collided. That was the end.”

“I still don’t understand…’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...io-perez-crash

Mercedes “not fooling ourselves” over Baku performance after Russell’s podium.
“Inheriting a podium and finishing third is better than we expected, but we are not fooling ourselves that, on pace today, we were P5,” said Wolff.
16th September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

George Russell was promoted from fifth to third by the collision between Carlos Sainz Jnr and Sergio Perez at the end of the race. Wolff said the team know that flattered their performance in Baku. “We will analyse the race and weekend as a whole. The second half of our grand prix on the hard tyre was encouraging. George was able to keep the temperatures under control and, having driven within himself early in the stint, was able to deliver strong pace in the closing stages.” Toto Wolff.

“Not fooling ourselves”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/16/...nd-up-16-09-7/


Why Russell is 'infuriated' despite inheriting Baku podium
Sep 15, 2024
Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race

An Azerbaijan Grand Prix podium fell into George Russell's lap in the final laps - yet the Mercedes Formula 1 man found the Baku race "pretty infuriating" and struggled to hide his frustrations in the aftermath.

"We'll definitely take the podium but it was such an odd race," Russell remarked post-race to F1TV, before launching into something of an unprompted tirade. "The first half of the race, we were 1.5s off the pace. The last 20 laps, I was a second quicker than Oscar [Piastri] and Charles [Leclerc] and three tenths quicker than Max, Checo and Carlos.”

"It's the same circuit, same driver, same car. We just went from a yellow tyre [medium] to a white tyre [hard]. Honestly, it's actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much."

'Infuriated';

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...aku-f1-podium/


George Russell demands 'serious conversations' as Mercedes ace fuming at Azerbaijan GP
George Russell scored an impressive result in Baku but was furious when he stepped out of the cockpit.
Sep 15, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

George Russell has demanded 'serious conversations' about the performance of F1's Pirelli tyres after labelling his experience on the Italian manufacturer's rubber as 'infuriating' in Baku.

“It’s the same circuit, same driver, same car – we just went from a yellow tyre to a white tyre. Honestly, it is actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much. It’s not just the Mercedes, it’s every team and every driver. One session, you’re fast, the next you’re not. And there’s only one thing that changes.”

Russell continued his rant, pointing fingers at Pirelli. He fumed: "I think even the people who make the tyres don’t understand the tyre. I think we all need probably serious conversations again about what’s going on, because we’ve got 2,000 people working their butts off to deliver the fastest car.”

‘People who make the tyres don’t understand the tyre’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...jan-Grand-Prix


Russell “shocked” by minute-long VSC delay after Sainz-Perez crash
15th September 2024
Will Wood
RacingNews365

George Russell was “shocked” by how long race control took to deploy the Virtual Safety Car after the crash on the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Speaking after the race, Russell said the most difficult part of the race was “driving full gas into a wall of carbon fibre on the penultimate lap.”

“That was pretty crazy,” Russell continued. “The sun was coming down. You couldn’t see anything. I was shocked the Safety Car or VSC obviously didn’t come out sooner. The car could have been anywhere. Glad to see everybody was okay. It was a long old race and glad to be on the podium.”

‘Minute-long VSC delay’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/15/...z-perez-crash/


Russell reveals 'shock' after Sainz-Perez collision
15 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

George Russell has highlighted his “shock” that a safety car intervention was not called sooner following the penultimate lap crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. The duo came together on the straight between Turns 2 and 3 as they battled for the final spot on the podium.

Mercedes driver Russell benefited from the coming together as he leapt from fifth to third to secure his third podium of the year. But when asked to pinpoint his most difficult moment of the grand prix, Russell replied: “Driving full gas into a wall of carbon fibre on the penultimate lap. That was pretty crazy.”

'Shock';

https://racingnews365.com/russell-re...erez-collision


Lewis Hamilton reveals component on Mercedes F1 car “wasn’t correctly built”
"One of the components wasn’t correctly built. That led us the wrong way then on Saturday."
15 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Speaking to media including Crash.net after the race in Baku, Hamilton said: “We had a great car on Friday. We made the tiniest changes into Saturday. One of the components wasn’t correctly built. That led us the wrong way then on Saturday.

“We didn’t find out until the end of the day. Being this race was the best race they said at least to make the change. “We need one engine as I lost one earlier. We knew it was going to be a tough day.” Crash.net asked Hamilton what the component was but he refused to comment.

“Wasn’t correctly built”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...orrectly-built


Hamilton makes remarkable Mercedes 'yank' revelation
Lewis Hamilton salvaged two points after a recovery drive in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
16 Sep 2024
Nick Golding & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he had to "yank" his steering wheel throughout the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in an attempt to turn his Mercedes W15. Hamilton was forced to use an unusual driving-style in a bid to "slide" his W15 through all the corners, caused by the 39-year-old having too much front-end and no rear-end.

He made multiple remarks over the radio during the race, in a bid for the Brackley-based outfit to see how he was having to drive. The steering difficulties for Hamilton were triggered by a poor car balance, which the 105-time race winner made a staggering revelation over.

"It was the worst balance I probably ever had, one of the worst balances," Hamilton told select media including RacingNews365. "Basically I had so much front-end and no rear. [To turn] I had to yank the steering to break the traction from the front, slide the front through every corner. It's the weirdest way to drive."

‘Had to "yank" his steering wheel’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-m...ank-revelation


Toto Wolff responds to Lewis Hamilton’s ‘you see how I’m driving this thing’ W15 comment
17 Sep 2024
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Team boss Toto Wolff took to team radio afterward to tell Hamilton: “Lewis, good to make it to the end, that was a horror race. I can so relate to it, we can all relate to it. At least we have taken the penalty now. Let’s move forward, look forward.”

Hamilton didn’t respond to Wolff’s radio call, with race engineer Pete Bonnington telling his driver “Well done” as Hamilton returned to the pits.

‘You see how I’m driving this thing W15’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-azerbaijan-gp


Lewis Hamilton's response to Toto Wolff's radio message sums up Mercedes 'disaster'
Lewis Hamilton finished ninth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having started from the pit lane after being penalised for exceeding his power unit allowance this season
16 Sep 2024
Nathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter
The Mirror

A disgruntled Lewis Hamilton stayed silent after boss Toto Wolff admitted that Mercedes had a 'horror race' at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton was silent, though, continuing to drive before his engineer, Peter Bonnington, resumed communication to guide the Brit back to the garage. With just seven Grands Prix remaining before he moves to Ferrari, Hamilton is desperate to finish his final season with the Silver Arrows on a high after 11 stellar years.

‘Hamilton was silent’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...cedes-33677469

Gutted Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez could have won F1 Azerbaijan GP.
Red Bull’s gutted team principal Horner told Sky Sports about Perez: “He deserved a lot more. Carlos drifts across the circuit.”
15 Sep 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Christian Horner insisted that Sergio Perez could have won the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix without the misfortune that hindered him. “Very disappointing. He should have, at least, been on the podium. It destroyed the race for Checo, it did a lot of damage, and cost us vital points in the constructors’ championship.”

Horner was asked if Perez could have caught Piastri before his crash with Sainz. “Difficult,” he responded. “Unfortunately he lost quite a bit of time on his out-laps after Alex Albon. “Then Lando cost him dearly which gave Oscar the track position.”

“Without that, he would have won the race today. It’s one of those things that is heartbreaking for the team, to lose a podium in the dying laps of the race.”

‘Deserved a lot more’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...-azerbaijan-gp


Anatomy of Azerbaijan F1 chaos as Sergio Perez labels Carlos Sainz ‘F------ idiot’ – plus who was at fault
Rivals’ collision on dramatic penultimate lap sparks fury with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claiming victory
15 Sep 2024
Luke Slater
The Telegraph

Telegraph Sport’s verdict: This was a pretty amateurish crash but the blame should fall more on Sainz’s shoulders. As the stewards noted, it is always the case that both drivers can almost always do more to avoid a collision, but that does not mean liability should be apportioned equally.

The comments about normal racing lines are one thing – and go some way to exonerating Sainz – but should they really be applicable when cars are battling in close quarters? At that point, “normal” racing lines tend to overlap significantly.

In the replays you can see Sainz checks his mirrors just before he moves over, however slightly, on Pérez. The sun, which was low in the sky at this point in the day, could have decreased Sainz’s visibility too. Still, he was the one who moved on to Pérez and said he knew he was there.

‘F1 chaos’;

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-...verdict-fault/


Perez left “super frustrated” as Sainz collision costs podium shot
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

“I’m super frustrated that we both ended up our weekends like that for our teams,” he said when asked by this writer about the incident. And it’s just a shame, because when we exited Turn 2, there was a metre between the cars, and then within a metre or two, we ended up making contact.” Sergio Perez.

“Obviously I understand what Carlos was trying to do, to follow Charles’s tow, but I was there, and it all happened very quickly. As he was having more speed the way he moved meant that he touched my front right tyre quite quickly.”

“Super frustrated”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/15/...s-podium-shot/


Sergio Perez fumes at Carlos Sainz in team radio spray after 'disastrous' crash
Sep 15, 2024
Damien McCartney
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports

Sainz looked to make a move around the outside of his teammate into the corner, which then compromised his exit and allowed Perez to come back at him on the long run to turn three.

It was here that Sainz' left-rear tyre made light contact with Perez' front-right, which turfed them both into the concrete wall on the left hand side of the Baku street circuit. "What the f---, is he an idiot or what? Is he crazy or what? F---ing idiot!" Perez raged on team radio as the two cars came to a grinding halt.

“Is he crazy or what?”;

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...16-p5kau8.html


Unseen Footage Shows Sergio Perez Confront Carlos Sainz After Crash
16 Sep 2024
Alp Salfur
Give Me Sport

The Mexican Red Bull driver had made his immediate thoughts post-accident clear with a tirade of expletives on the team radio. All the while, Sainz just couldn't believe what had happened.

In the footage shared by Sky Sports, it can be seen from Perez's onboard camera that he approached the Spaniard, who was still in his Ferrari, before seemingly tapping on the latter's helmet and showing clear frustration towards his rival.

‘Unseen Footage’;

https://www.givemesport.com/unseen-f...ainz-crash-f1/


Perez’s father rushed to hospital after late Baku crash
Sergio Perez's father, Antonio Perez Garibay, was hospitalised on Sunday after suffering a pre-infarction.
17 Sep 2024
Roy Stroot & Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Antonio Perez Garibay, the father of F1 driver Sergio Perez, was hospitalised on Sunday following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The 65-year-old former politician was found unconscious in his bathroom and rushed to a hospital in Mexico City. When in hospital, it was revealed that Perez Senior suffered a pre-infarction.

The incident, according to the PR department, reportedly occurred right after his son's crash in Baku, after which the Mexican Red Cross treated him. However, it has not been confirmed whether Perez is still in the hospital or has since returned home, but Mediotiempo reports that while he remains under care, he should be permitted to leave the hospital on Tuesday.

Antonio Perez himself, from the hospital, commented on the incident to Mediotiempo: “Everything happened after the [Baku] accident. “The shock of the accident may have caused this. They are already checking my heart to see why I fainted.”

‘The incident... ...reportedly occurred right after his son's crash’;

https://racingnews365.com/perezs-fat...ate-baku-crash


Horner refuses to give up in championship battle: 'We took a big hit'
16 Sep 2024
Jenny Garnett
GPblog.com

Christian Horner has not put the possibility of conquering both the Driver and Consturctor Championships out of his mind, he explained to GPblog and other media. "We took a big hit in the constructors today, but we've got 20 points deficit now. So we've got to attack. We've still got seven races to go, two sprint races to go. But there's a lot of points up for grabs and a lot of different circuits coming up. So it's far from over."

Meanwhile, it is clear that the upcoming race in Singapore will not see any updates on Verstappen's and Perez's cars. After the race in Asia, there will be a three-week break before the US Grand Prix in Austin. There, Red Bull plans to use an improved version of the RB20. "We're pushing hard," Horner said. "We're now not defending, we're chasing, so it changes the dynamic again. And we're just going to throw everything at it."

"We're pushing hard";

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30168...t-give-up.html


Verstappen warns McLaren: 'Then they need a perfect season ending'
16 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen thinks Red Bull Racing has taken a clear step in the right direction in Baku. Verstappen may have had a disappointing result in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he said earlier this weekend that his team had made clear progress. Thefore, the his previous description of calling the car a 'monster' no longer applies to the RB20.

All in all, Verstappen remained positive after the weekend in Azerbaijan. "Of course, I would have liked to extend the gap. But, yeah, with our race today, I'm still happy that it was only that," said the Red Bull driver. He also added: "I think if we do a better job ourselves, they [McLaren] need to have a perfect end to the year."

‘Verstappen warns McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30160...ents-baku.html


Horner has one clear goal for Red Bull: 'Help Verstappen against Norris'
15 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Christian Horner remained clear about team orders at Red Bull Racing. Now, the British team principal has once again declared that the team's focus is helping Max Verstappen to win his fourth drivers' title. '' We've got a driver that's fighting for a world championship. It's a team sport, so it's very clear that Checo’s job is there to support Max to the end of the year.''

'Help Verstappen against Norris';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30145...roach-odd.html


Horner finds saving grace in Azerbaijan after difficult day for Red Bull
15 September at 20:00
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez looked to be on course to finish on the podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but his hopes of finishing in the top 3 in Grand Prix for the first time since China ended after he crashed out with Carlos Sainz. Moreover, Max Verstappen finished in P5, and McLaren now leads the constructors' standings as well. Christian Horner referred to the Azerbaijan weekend as a "frustrating" one, but he still found some positives.

"It's frustrating, particularly after where Lando qualified, that we didn't beat him today. But thankfully, he hasn't scored big points. But we've got to build on what we've learned already and there's still a lot of racing to do," Horner remained confident.

‘Still found some positives’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30151...ris-title.html

Rookie Colapinto impresses at Williams: Was Sainz the right choice for '25?
Franco Colapinto has only two Grands Prix to his name, but the Argentine has demonstrated he is an asset to Formula 1.
16 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

His eighth-place finish in Baku—even ahead of Lewis Hamilton—is proof that Williams made the right decision to bring him in as a replacement for the dismissed Logan Sargeant. But is it also a wise move that Colapinto has to make way for Carlos Sainz after this F1 season?

Williams deliberately chose not to have a rookie. A few weeks ago, Williams was overjoyed to have secured Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond. Sainz is a proven Grand Prix winner who has worked at Ferrari at the top level. Team boss James Vowles even ranked him among the top three drivers on the grid. Williams is convinced that the Spaniard can reach a fairly consistent level and should be able to score points regularly.

It's easy to talk in hindsight. And yes, Colapinto, too, will probably make a stupid mistake somewhere in the remaining races, thus throwing away important points. But in retrospect, signing Sainz does not seem to have been necessary at all, as I am sure the Spaniard would not get much more - if any at all - out of the Williams. Moreover, Colapinto would have been a cheaper option, and he appears to be a huge magnet for sponsors from Argentina. The main argument: Colapinto is only 21 years old, and Williams could enjoy him for many years to come.

‘Rookie Colapinto impresses’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30167...colapinto.html


Colapinto: Williams made a “difficult bet” giving me race seat
SEPT 17, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Franco Colapinto admits that his Williams Formula 1 team and its boss James Vowles made a “difficult bet” by promoting him to a race seat and ousting Logan Sargeant. “They showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat,” he said of the Williams decision.
“It was a very difficult bet, and a bet that many people didn’t understand. But I hope I come to be showing what I’m capable of, that I deserve a seat in F1. The opportunity that James gave me is helping me to show that. I am just doing a lot of work to try to learn quick I have very little mileage in an F1 car.”

“It’s only two races, and FP1, and a few laps in Abu Dhabi last year. But I think with the little mileage I got to be in the points in the second race, is something really positive, and really good.”

“Difficult bet”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/17/...-me-race-seat/


‘Didn’t understand’: Franco Colapinto reveals ‘very difficult bet’ Williams made which he has already proven right
16 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Franco Colapinto proving that Williams made correct call in ‘very difficult bet’. It’s a shame that Williams have already confirmed Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as their drivers for 2025 because things might have changed if they had seen Colapinto in their car sooner. With incredibly limited running, he has taken to the faster cars like a duck to water and is deservedly earning plaudits for the feat.

Speaking to Motorsport.com after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Argentine discussed the bet that Williams made on him. “They showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat,” he said. “It was a very difficult bet, and a bet that many people didn’t understand. But I hope to be showing what I’m capable of and that I deserve a seat in Formula 1. The idea and the opportunity that James gave me are helping me to show that.”

‘Didn’t understand’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fra...-proven-right/


Colapinto had “big confidence boost” after Williams crew fixed crashed FW46
14 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Franco Colapinto says that his crash in FP1 in Baku had a positive outcome as the Williams Formula 1 crew gave him a “big confidence boost” and “energy” after repairing his FW46. “Yeah, it was difficult,” he said when asked by the writer about the setback of the early crash.

“But more difficult it was going to be if I couldn’t do FP2. And luckily, the boys in the garage did an amazing job to put the car back out. They didn’t even have lunch, but they were working flat out to put my car out in FP2.”

“And after they did that, they gave me a big confidence boost and a lot of energy to try and achieve a good result for them, for the effort that they have been doing this year, and it was nice today to give them back a little bit of what they gave me.

‘Didn’t even have lunch, but they were working flat out’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/14/...-crashed-fw46/


'The situation': Journalist gives main reason why Franco Colapinto can't race with Sauber next, due to reason out of his control
17 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Franco Colapinto does not have the budget to race for Sauber. With RB likely to look in-house for any driver to pair Yuki Tsunoda in 2025, it means Colapinto would only stand a chance at the opening in Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg. There are questions over whether Colapinto is in the running for a seat in 2025, given there are two seats still left at RB and Sauber. According to journalist Julianne Cerasoli on YouTube, there could be a major barrier to Colapinto’s chances.

“Does Colapinto stand a chance at taking Bortoleto’s seat at Sauber? I went to talk to people who are closest to Colapinto to understand the situation and the question whether he was in talks with Sauber and they looked at me and said ‘no’ as if it was the most absurd question,” said Cerasoli.

“Then I understood the situation a little bit more and he doesn’t have the budget to do F1 as a starter next year. He’s talking about a budget of around 15 million, 10, 12, 15 million dollars to do F1 next year to take up the place at Sauber and he doesn’t have that kind of money. He would also be tied to his contract at Williams.”

'The situation';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fra...f-his-control/


Uncovered: The huge Williams upgrade package unlocking big FW46 gains
17 Sep 2024
Uros Radovanovic
PlanetF1.com

Williams is looking better than ever this season, scoring an impressive 10 points with both drivers finishing in the top 10 – a feat we haven’t seen from the team in quite some time.

Their first major aerodynamic upgrade package was introduced two weekends ago in the Netherlands, and the improvements are already very noticeable in Azerbaijan. Let’s dive into how the upgraded FW46 has evolved and which key changes have made a real difference on the track.

By Saturday, it was clear that the positive changes were making an impact, with the FW46 looking sharp on the circuit. The last time Williams had both drivers in Q3 was at Las Vegas last year – a track bearing some similarities to the Azerbaijan circuit.

‘Huge Williams upgrade package’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/un...big-fw46-gains


“Plenty of opportunity” left for Williams after passing Alpine in championship
17th Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Vowles praised Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto for delivering the team’s biggest points haul since he took charge last year. “It’s not easy doing a one-stop here, pushing the tyres to the absolute limits of life and not making a single mistake and they both did that today admirably,” he said in a video released by the team. “Off to Singapore next, I’m excited to see what we can deliver there and beyond. There is plenty of opportunity left in this championship.”

Vowles said the last three races have shown the progress the team has made with its latest upgrade. “You can now see across Zandvoort, Monza and here we were able to get the car into qualifying three, except this weekend both cars were there. In terms of the race itself, we try two different strategies, really, to race Fernando.”

They are very, very strong, he’s a very clever driver and it was difficult to get ahead of him. I think they had just slightly better degradation than we did relative to Alex, and that’s something we need to look into. But the car pace is there or thereabouts. Then towards the end of the race, Franco just doing a brilliant job, staying within just a few seconds of Alex, ready to pick up anything that came our way and, it did in a big way.”

“Plenty of opportunity”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/17/...nd-up-17-09-7/


Albon explains how Williams pace put him in an ‘awkward position’ in Baku
15 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Alex Albon raced to a very solid P7 in Azerbaijan, but was mixing it with the leaders in the first half of the race.

‘Awkward position’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/al...67519672229576

‘I was a little bit cautious’ – Bearman assesses his performance after points on Haas debut.
Ollie Bearman finished 10th in Baku to grab a point on his debut for the Haas team, ahead of his first full season with the American squad next year.
15 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘10th in Baku to grab a point on his debut for the Haas’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/i-...68398795347936


Exclusive - Behind the scenes of Bearman's Haas F1 debut
16 Sep 2024
Alex Kalinauckas
Motorsport.com

The day before Motorsport.com sidled into the back of Haas's garage at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oliver Bearman had already made a point of getting to know all his mechanics working in this critical spot.

He’d gone around the whole Haas squad and said hello on Thursday – a new bundle of energy after the American team had gotten used to the laid-back unruffledness of two season pros in Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg for the last two seasons.

We watch as he gets his helmet strapped on, takes in last words from his personal support team (Enzo Mucci and Jamie Smith) and climbs aboard. Experienced F1 race engineer Mark Slade runs him through switch and systems settings on the steering wheel, then it’s off for the first of three runs – two medium stints either side of a soft run.

‘Exclusive - Behind the scenes’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/-...ebut/10654863/


Report: What Oliver Bearman did behind the scenes that was ‘impressive’ to Haas staff during Azerbaijan Grand Prix
16 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Haas impressed by Oliver Bearman’s quick-learning attitude. After finishing in 10th place at the end of the Azerbaijan GP, Bearman made an impression within the Haas team including team principal Ayao Komatsu. “Not perfect, but pretty impressive,” said Komatsu, referencing Bearmans weekend.

According to the report, other Haas members felt he made a greater impression off the track rather than with his performances in the Grand Prix. Bearman’s ‘quick learning attitude’ was highlighted as a reason why he received high praise, having also impressed Hulkenberg with his ability to stay calm under pressure.

‘Quick learning attitude’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wha...an-grand-prix/


Oliver Bearman did something no F1 racer has ever done in Azerbaijan GP drive
Ferrari-backed Oliver Bearman stepped in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Brit crossing the line 10th to score points for the second time this year
17 Sep 2024
Nathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter
The Mirror

British wonderkid Oliver Bearman has become the first ever Formula 1 driver to score points on his debut for two different teams within the same season.

Bearman, who's just 19, drove for Haas on Sunday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, impressively finishing 10th. The Ferrari-backed teenager tussled with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg to secure a point, marking the second time that he's finished inside the top 10 this year.

In March, at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman was handed a late call-up by Ferrari and stepped in for the injured Carlos Sainz. The Chelmsford-born sensation drove superbly to clinch P7 and was hailed for his incredible debut.

‘British wonderkid’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-haas-33684030


The hidden winner of Bearman's and Colapinto's Baku heroics
Bearman and Colapinto have adapted well to life in F1 after stepping up from F2
Sep 18, 2024
Ewan Gale
Motorsport.com

The performances of Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix left Haas and Williams with plenty to mull over.

For Haas, Bearman's pace out of the box in Baku was impressive – matching team-mate Nico Hulkenberg and securing a point for finishing 10th, becoming the first driver in F1 history to score for two different teams in his first two appearances.

His recovery from a practice crash was far from rookie-like and the smiles in the garage across the weekend showed a synergy that has already been developed through his development with the team ahead of his full-time drive next season.

‘Hidden winner’;

https://www.motorsport.com/fia-f2/ne...oics/10655204/


Bearman reveals Hamilton edge over F1 rivals after ‘yo-yo’ Baku battle
Ollie Bearman finished 10th on his Haas debut, after duelling with Lewis Hamilton in Azerbaijan.
16 Sep 2024
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers

Detailing his first on-track battle with the seven-time world champion, Bearman expressed his frustration at a minor mistake. "We were going like a yo-yo quite a lot," Bearman told media including RacingNews365 of his battle with Hamilton.

"I was pushing hard some laps to overtake Franco, and my tyres were really quite hot - and it was exactly at that point he popped up on [the back of] me. He overtook quite easily, and then I needed a few laps but caught him back up, so yeah, it is annoying that I let him overtake, but you know, with a guy like that, you can't make little mistakes.”

"You know when you go around the outside, he is going to leave you space, which is a nice feeling. I knew he wasn't going to put me in the wall, which is a bit less sure with some other drivers, and it is always very clean, but hard when you race him."

‘Hamilton edge’;

https://racingnews365.com/bearman-re...yo-baku-battle


Oliver Bearman's lie-in: Haas recruit reaps benefit of F1 schedule in Baku
Sep 16th 2024
Chris Medland
Motor Sport Magazine

Perks of being an F1 driver? There must be a number of upsides to being a Formula 1 driver, but it’s funny what really stands out for those who are just making their way into the sport. Ollie Bearman didn’t really get a flavour of the full race weekend in Jeddah because his call-up to race for Ferrari came on Saturday morning ahead of FP3, so Baku was his first experience of a normal build-up and the entire weekend schedule as he substituted for Kevin Magnussen at Haas.

And what was one of the perks that he found himself really enjoying on Friday? Being able to have a lie in. Bearman was only just walking into the paddock for the first time — and dealing with plenty of fans even at a quiet race — just 15 minutes before Formula 2’s practice session got underway at 11am.

That would have meant an earlier start had he still been racing for Prema this weekend, but it’s on a race weekend that includes F3 that the F2 drivers really feel it as they go through a briefing that has to be held before F3’s early-morning running due to the crossover in FIA personnel. So while he has often needed to be at track not long after sunrise and then waiting a number of hours before driving the F2 car, Bearman was enjoying his more relaxed start to each day in the F1 paddock.

‘Perks: Being able to have a lie in’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


In the footsteps of Antonelli and Bearman: 'F2 and F3 are booming'
16 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

With Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, drivers advancing from the step-up classes to Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 are currently more than demonstrating their worth. CEO Bruno Michel can be satisfied: The junior series is thriving like never before, both financially and sportingly. "At the moment, the business is booming. There is money, there are drivers. But we always need to be very careful," states the Frenchman.

Bruno also believes that a driver who is really good enough will eventually find their way to the top in motorsport. "I've never seen a driver at this kind of level not being able to progress because of money issues. Because now, the good thing is that most of the F1 teams have academies. They're looking for drivers. And when the driver has talent, they're picking him up and they're helping him. It doesn't mean that they put their whole budget on, but they're really helping him quite a lot."

'F2 and F3 are booming';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29995...s-booming.html

Alonso lands sixth for Aston on “opportunistic Sunday”.
Fernando Alonso earned a valuable sixth place for his Aston Martin Formula 1 team on an “opportunistic Sunday” in Baku having taking advantage of the late collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. It was Aston’s best result since Alonso finished sixth at Montreal in June.
16 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

“Yeah, definitely quite happy,” he said when asked by this writer about his race. “Obviously, on a normal weekend, only ninth and 10th is available for the midfield teams.”

“And today, thanks to some action in front of us, sixth was available, and we were there to take it. So yeah, an opportunistic Sunday for us, a lot of points. So happy for the team.”

“Yeah, definitely quite happy”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/16/...nistic-sunday/


Alonso left impressed by Azerbaijan 'outstanding risk'
Fernando Alonso bagged his best result since Canada earlier this year following a run to sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
16 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso has hailed the “outstanding risk” on display from the entire F1 field during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I think the level of risk and precision that you have to apply in a race like today is outstanding, for everybody, all 20 drivers,” Alonso told media including RacingNews365.

“With a low level of grip, I think we were driving close to 100% every lap. It was very impressive that there was no safety car or no accident happened in the race. “It was no different for us, obviously, Monza P11, not really any prize from that race, and here a lot of points, so one compensated the other.”

'Outstanding risk';

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-lef...tstanding-risk


Alonso happy with ‘opportunistic Sunday’ as Stroll reflects on ‘frustrating weekend’ after contact with Tsunoda
17 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

That was Alonso’s best finish since he also finished sixth in Canada, eight races ago. “The pace today was better than expected, degradation was better than expected,” the Spaniard said. “We stopped on Lap 13 and carried to the end with one set of hards with good pace. It was a little bit of a lonely race for me with nobody ahead to fight with. We were able to follow the trend around us on a one-stop strategy and we maintained the position to those chasing us behind. It was still a tough race with no time to relax.”

Lance Stroll’s race was compromised from the very first lap in Baku, as contact with Yuki Tsunoda’s RB gave him a puncture, the resulting pit stop dropping him to last place. “My race was pretty much over on the first lap when [Yuki] Tsunoda and I made contact. I dived down the inside – I'm not sure if he saw me or not – but he closed the door and I had to pit with a puncture,” Stroll said.

‘Opportunistic Sunday’ vs. ‘Frustrating weekend’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...RyK7Vwd0OhDLyw


Fernando Alonso reveals secret Adrian Newey meeting to land Aston Martin signature
Fernando Alonso was determined for Aston Martin to get their man
16 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Fernando Alonso revealed he had a secret chat with Adrian Newey around the time of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix in a successful bid to coax the legendary designer to Aston Martin for the 2025 Formula 1 season. “I texted him for sure,” Alonso told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Like everybody did that I wanted to work with him.”

“And I saw him also at the Monaco Historic GP that he was racing that week as well and we spent half an hour chatting. We all tried to persuade him. I think, ultimately, Lawrence [Stroll] and his vision the new factory and what Aston Martin wants for the future to work with Honda as well were probably key factors. Listening to what Adrian said yesterday.”

‘Fernando Alonso was determined for Aston Martin to get their man’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/fer...tin-signature/


‘Have to question’: Ralf Schumacher wonders if 22-pole driver has ‘lost his interest’ in F1 after what he’s seen lately
13 Sep 2024
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Excitement is building about the future of Aston Martin in Formula 1 after the team acquired the services of Adrian Newey. The Silverstone team are making huge strides off the track with Lawrence Stroll bringing serious investment in his effort to win the championship. But according to Schumacher, Alonso has ‘lost his interest’ in F1 and no longer has the ability to challenge for the top.

Speaking with Formel1.de, Ralf Schumacher cast doubt over Alonso about his future in F1. He said: “If he wants to become world champion then of course he also has to have two top drivers, and I do not want to offend his son, he has certainly become good now. But you still have to ask the question of how good Fernando Alonso is, that is also a question to be honest.”

“If you look at the last races now, you can say that Lance has gotten better, or that Fernando has also lost his interest a bit. At the moment, you do not know for sure.” Even Martin Brundle has noticed how unhappy Alonso has been as the team look nowhere near the top four in terms of performance as they sit fifth in the constructors’ standings, 218 points behind Mercedes.

‘Have to question’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ral...s-seen-lately/


Mansell critical of Ferrari missing out on Newey: 'Lost an opportunity'
18 September at 19:30
Last update 18 September at 19:30
18 Sep 2024
Jenny Garnett
GPblog.com

Last week, it was announced that Adrian Newey will join Aston Martin and design their Formula 1 car from 2025. The highly regarded designer comes over from Red Bull Racing, where he enjoyed years of success. Former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell thinks Ferrari have missed out on a game-changing opportunity.

According to Mansell, Ferrari have made a mistake in not doing more to tempt Newey to their team. "Ferrari, I love them. I love them. I really do, but they lost an opportunity because whoever gets Adrian Newey is almost assured of having a fantastic few years. And I think Aston Martin have done something very special in securing his services," the Briton reveals to Crash.net.

By signing the designer, Mansell thinks Aston Martin have struck gold. The former Ferrari and Williams driver thinks Newey will make a big impact at his new team. "I think people have underestimated as well that I don't think Adrian was totally happy in the last few years with Red Bull and what a fantastic job he's done and I think now being in the UK, being with Aston Martin, I think Adrian will find a little bit more energy and a bit more direction," Mansell said.

'Lost an opportunity';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30198...ian-newey.html


Ferrari accused of being “short-sighted” for not meeting Adrian Newey’s demands
"Ferrari, I love them. I love them. I really do, but they lost an opportunity because whoever gets Adrian Newey is almost assured of having a fantastic few years."
18 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Mansell exclusively told Crash.net and Sportscasting: “As soon as I heard that Ferrari were baulking at possibly the wage bill that Adrian wanted. I think that was short sighted of them.” Mansell is adamant Newey’s move to Aston Martin will give him “a little more energy”, predicting that he could “do something very special” when he joins next year.

“And I mean, I'll be fascinated to watch with all the sporting fans around the world, just how quickly it comes to the fore. I think now being in the UK, being with Aston Martin, I think Adrian will find a little bit more energy and a bit more direction,” he added.

“And that's frightening for everybody to maybe listen to those words because he does such a fantastic job. And if he feels comfortable, which I'm sure he does with Aston Martin, I think watch this space. I think he could do something very special.”

‘Watch this space’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105566...neweys-demands


Jeremy Clarkson makes next F1 prediction after revealing Newey's secret
18 Sept 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Jeremy Clarkson has made his next Formula 1 prediction after correctly revealing Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin. The British presenter revealed that Newey was househunting in Oxfordshire while Ferrari was still the favourite to sign the chief design engineer. The two friends went to school together.

In the wake of Aston Martin's announcement, Clarkson revealed how he knew he was going to the British team. "I broke that story about six weeks ago. Everyone said he was going to Ferrari, and I just met him, and he said, 'Oh, I'm looking for a house around you'. And I thought, 'If you're going to Ferrari, why are you buying a house in Oxfordshire?" Clarkson said on Heart Radio before suggesting the team will become successful.

"Aston? Well, they'll win. He's very good, and they seem to have a limitless supply of money, and I think Aston are going to be a force to be reckoned with," Clarkson added.

"Aston? Well, they'll win”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30198...rediction.html

F1 - 2024 Singapore Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript.
PART ONE – Valtteri BOTTAS (Kick Sauber), George RUSSELL (Mercedes), Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren).
PART TWO – Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Yuki TSUNODA (RB)
19.09.24
FIA (Press Release)

Oscar PIASTRI: (Phenomenal victory) No, I got humbled very quickly the next day by George actually playing an UNO World Championship on the plane. So I got brought back down to earth very quickly. No, I mean, it was, it has been a fun few days, you know, I think for myself, it's always nice when you can reflect on a race where you feel like you've done a, you know, a very good job and a job you can be proud of. So yeah, Not too much celebrating, but a lot of happy memories. So, yeah, I'm ready to try and go again this weekend.

George RUSSELL: Yeah, first of all, every race we go to at the moment, it's quite a unique circuit. Obviously, Azerbaijan was very unique in its own way. Singapore is unique in its own way. And there's a lot of these types of tracks on the calendar. And as Oscar said, it's so competitive now at the front. And a tenth or two can be the difference between a front row star or P6 or 7 on the grid, which is very exciting. We went really strong here last year. The pace was really good in Singapore. So hopefully we can continue that good performance we had here last year and see where it takes us.

Valtteri BOTTAS: It definitely has been tough. A few races, not just a couple. Expectations, realistically, I don't think it's going to be an easy weekend as we don't really have any upgrades. It is a bit of a different track to Baku, different downforce level. If we can get things right, we can be in a better shape, but not expecting any magic, to be honest.

Max VERSTAPPEN: All good. I know that it's not going to be our easiest weekend, just straight up. But, of course, you know, you analyse the race that you did last year. A few things that could have, you know, been done better. That's what we'll try to do this weekend. But, yeah, I don't expect it, of course, suddenly to be one of our strongest weekends. But, yeah. I just hope that what we did in Baku already, it stabilised the car a bit more. That was positive. And hopefully we can just build on that and see around here. I mean, of course, around here normally it's a bit more bumpy than Baku, but hopefully the car can take it.

Yuki TSUNODA: Yeah, I think anyway, the races, even if I have good races, I'm still able to reset. So, yeah, I mean, the last two races are the things that I want to, you know, it's not the way I wanted to finish, obviously. But, yeah, I like the Singapore track, so I'm trying to think in a positive way. You know, there's nice food here, exciting track. It's going to be anyway a very tough race, a physically demanding race ahead of us, so yeah, i'm still motivated and aiming for high.

Lance STROLL: I mean, compared to the beginning of the season, yes. I think we were comfortably the best of the rest at the beginning of the year, I think the last few weekends we've been on the back foot but looking forward to Singapore this weekend and we’ll see what we can do.

‘Press Conference Transcript’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2024-sin...nce-transcript


IT’S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we’re excited about ahead of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix
18 Sep 2024
Chris Medland
Formula One - Official Site

After a thrilling race in Azerbaijan, we don’t have long to wait for our next installment of the drama that is the 2024 Formula 1 season, with Singapore closing this pair of races. With a new leader in the constructors’ championship, and after some eye-catching recent results, here are a few talking points heading into this weekend’s race at Marina Bay.

McLaren and Ferrari – round three?
Perez’s strong performance and Verstappen’s lead
Magnussen returns as Haas and Williams fight
RB’s poor form and driver uncertainty
A spectacular setting that’s a physical test for the drivers

‘5 storylines’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...mh0Mnexop2RTwh


F1 start time for the 2024 Singapore GP
From Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 22, the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix will take place. Check here for all the F1 start times at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
19 Sep 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

The schedule of the F1 Singapore GP is automatically adjusted to your time zone.

Timetable Singapore GP

Session Date Time
Free practice 1 Friday 20 September 11:30 - 12:30
Free practice 2 Friday 20 September 15:00 - 16:00
Free practice 3 Saturday 21 September 11:30 - 12:30
Qualification Saturday 21 September 15:00 - 16:00
Race Sunday 22 September 14:00 - 16:00

‘The schedule’;

https://racingnews365.com/f1-start-t...4-singapore-gp


NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix
19 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Vital statistics
• First Grand Prix – 2008
• Track Length – 4.940km
• Lap record – 1m 35.867s, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2023
• Most pole positions – Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (4)
• Most wins – Sebastian Vettel (5)
• Trivia – Due to the physical demands of the climate and circuit, drivers can lose as much as 3kg in body weight over the course of a race in Singapore
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 178 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2023 – 85
• Safety Car probability – 100%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 33%*
• Pit stop time loss – 29.02 seconds
*From the last six races in Singapore

‘NEED TO KNOW’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Ey1FUuQnlGkoJF


Under-pressure Red Bull and Max Verstappen face their toughest challenge of 2024 F1 season at Singapore Grand Prix
Sep 19, 2024
FP Sports
Firstpost

“We have learnt from what we did wrong last week in Baku and can try a few things differently,” said the Dutch driver, who has yet to win in the city state where tropical storms and safety cars pose an additional hazard. Marina Bay is a cool circuit but we do expect this to be a bit more of a challenge,” he added.

“We think we know what we can do better and of course need to make sure that we are optimising the set up. It will be important to keep the car in control a bit more in the slow speed so it doesn’t jump around and this should hopefully help us a lot. We are continuing to fight for the Championship: we win and lose as a team and are going to keep pushing and try and come back stronger.”

‘Toughest challenge of 2024 F1 season’;

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/sin...-13817071.html


Perez lifts Red Bull expectations in Singapore: 'Can handle this package'
18 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez is confident Red Bull Racing has the pace for podium in the Singapore Grand Prix. After beating teammate Max Verstappen in Baku - until he crashed towards the end - Perez is confident the car can handle the package currently being used. The Mexican wants to do everything possible to win again in Singapore.

Perez is encouraged by his speed in Baku and hopes to take that momentum to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. "We had the pace all weekend and now it’s about converting that pace into a podium in Singapore. The car has shown it’s capable with this package, so we need to get the set-up right across the weekend and execute our qualifying and race plan perfectly," he added.

Perez is known for being strong at the street circuits, and the F1 circus heads to another one this weekend. "I’ve won in Singapore before, in tricky conditions and, as everyone knows, I love a street circuit, there’s something special about a night race and this one is probably the best there is. On Sunday night I want us to be able to say we did the best we could to win this race and that’s what our full focus will be on from the moment we start work in Singapore," Perez said.

‘Perez lifts Red Bull expectations’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30193...gapore-gp.html


Report: Ferrari have ‘accelerated’ plans to deliver ‘most important’ car update for the Singapore Grand Prix
18 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari rushing through new front wing update to try and be ready for the Singapore Grand Prix. The report from Formu1a.uno admits that the majority of Ferrari’s main updates for the second half of the season were added to the car in Monza. Ferrari have taken a step forward in the last two races as Leclerc’s victory in front of the Tifosi demonstrated.

However, they now believes that plans to introduce a new front wing have been ‘accelerated’ so that it arrives in time for the race in Singapore, rather than after the impromptu three-week break in Austin. These upgrades are also expected to determine what the team prioritise as they continue development of the 2025 car with even more flexible front and rear wings in the pipeline given the current interpretation of the rules.

‘Accelerated’ plans to deliver ‘most important’ car update’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...re-grand-prix/

McLaren are ‘ones to watch’ at Marina Bay.
MCLAREN Racing heads into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix as F1’s ones to watch, the papaya-drenched team that just may be the ones to finally dethrone Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
19 Sep 2024
Morning Star

Red Bull and its Dutch driver have had ironclad grips on both the drivers championship and the constructors title for best car since Verstappen won his first title in 2021. Verstappen now has three consecutive titles and currently leads the driver standings; Red Bull has back-to-back constructors titles but, headed into the weekend, no longer leads the standings.

McLaren took the top spot with Oscar Piastri’s win last Sunday. Coupled with Lando Norris’s fourth-place finish, McLaren is now the constructors leader for the first time since 2014. McLaren last won the constructors’ championship in 1998.

McLaren starts the weekend in Singapore with a 20-point lead over Red Bull, which had led the carmaker competition since 2022. “I think we’ve got as good a shot as anyone,” Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren, boldly declared last weekend at IndyCar's season-ending race. He’d watched Piastri win and McLaren move to the top from Nashville, Tennessee, and even with the big-talking American half a world away, McLaren still managed to make tongues wag at the the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

‘Ones to watch’;

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/arti...%99-marina-bay


Lando Norris heaps pressure on Verstappen in F1 title race: Still Max’s championship to lose
Norris dismissed suggestions McLaren’s pace means he’s now the favourite to win the title
19 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Lando Norris rubbished suggestions he’s favourite to win the 2024 F1 title by piling the pressure onto Max Verstappen, by declaring the Red Bull driver has it all to lose ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. “We’ve turned things around,” Norris told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But I still strongly believe that they can turn things around quickly too.”

“It’s really only been the last two races where they’ve been off the pace a little in qualifying, but more so in the race itself. If you look at last weekend, Max said he didn’t get the setup right, and Checo [Perez] was one of the quickest and should have won the race.”

“So that was Max having a bad weekend, not Red Bull. People need to focus on the specific issues in front of them instead of making sweeping judgments. It’s still Max’s championship to lose, not mine. I’m the one with nothing to lose at the moment.”

‘Piling on the pressure’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/lan...tle-race-2024/


‘A mess’: Jacques Villeneuve shares the moment he thought McLaren showed ‘real weakness’ this season
20 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Jacques Villeneuve says Max Verstappen shows more maturity than Lando Norris. Norris has remarkably only won two races this season but let a lot of points slip in the title battle, owing to a series of strategic mishaps and unforced errors on track. The last two races he has missed big opportunities to close the gap to Verstappen. In Monza, he was overtaken by his teammate in a forceful move which relegated him to third from pole, then at Azerbaijan a poor qualifying strategy led to a back-of-the-grid start.

Villeneuve believes these errors, largely owed to McLaren, will ultimately be the cause of Norris’ failure to win the title this season. “It will be very close between Max and Lando. Max has changed his approach. He is not trying to win races, but just to rack up points. That shows maturity,” said Villeneuve.

“The championship is more important than winning individual races. He knows that McLaren is not making the tough decisions that it should, and that will be in his favour. If Lando is not champion it will be McLaren’s fault, not his. McLaren have made a mess of things and it’s too late now. It started in Hungary, they have shown real weakness by not giving priority to Norris over Piastri, but we don’t know what Oscar’s contract says. We don’t know what Mark Webber, his manager, managed to get into his contract. He’s a smart guy.”

‘A mess’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jac...s-this-season/


Max ahead of Singapore GP: 'Progress in Baku'
19 Sep 2024
Stefan Meens
Verstappen.nl

Max Verstappen: “Usually, I rewatch my races to see what I could’ve done better. Sometimes you have a bit more time for this and you can do a deep dive. But the race in Baku is still fresh in my mind, so I’ve not fully rewatched it. It wasn’t my most exciting race either.”

“Of course, we want to keep improving and we’ll have to see when and where this will happen. We want to get the balance right again and Baku was a step in the right direction, so we need to build on that. After Singapore, we have a few weeks until the next round so hopefully we can bring some improvements. There are still a bunch of races that allow us to improve the car, which will also helpful for next year.”

The reigning champion added: “I really want to make the car faster with the team and get a better balance. If we are able to do that, I know we’ll be competitive again. That’s the only thing we can do. If we’re able to perform better, it’ll make our lives a lot easier.”

‘Hopefully we can bring some improvements’;

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5597/


Red Bull apology suggests Perez is finally being listened to
Sep 19, 2024
Edd Straw
The Race

Sergio Perez has revealed some of Red Bull’s Formula 1 engineers apologised to him after the recent Italian Grand Prix because the team now better understood the nature of the car problems that had been limiting his performance earlier in the season but were only fully recognised once team-mate Max Verstappen started to struggle too.

While Verstappen’s performance advantage during the middle stages of the season showed Perez was still not getting the most out of the car, he was effectively the ‘canary in the coal mine’ whose struggles potentially should have been taken more seriously. Asked by The Race if Red Bull was now seeing his value more in terms of feedback, Perez replied: “In a way, yes. To be fair, some of the engineers after Monza came to me and apologise, in a way, because now it’s a lot clearer [what] the issues I was talking about [were].”

“It was always the speculation around it and people saying the problem was I was not focused enough or other things. But at the end of the day, I’m just happy that we found out the problem and that we can focus on that and improve it.”

‘Canary in the coal mine’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/r...g-listened-to/


Sergio Perez’s Family Reveal Health Update After F1 Driver’s Father Was Rushed To Hospital
Lydia Mee
Sep 19, 2024
Newsweek
Rock Hill Herald

Antonio Perez Garibay, the father of well-known Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, recently experienced a severe health scare. Following his son's crash with Carlos Sainz in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Antonio was discovered unconscious in his bathroom, suffering from a pre-infarction - a serious precursor to a heart attack. The ordeal took place shortly after Perez was involved in a high-speed collision with Carlos Sainz in the latter stages of the race. Fortunately, the Perez family provided a positive health update, as reported by Mirror, announcing Antonio Perez Garibay's discharge from the hospital.

The statement read: "After spending several days in hospital, Mr Antonio Perez Garibay has been discharged and is now at home, where he will continue his recovery process in the company of his loved ones. Through this statement, Mr Perez Garibay and Scuderia Perez would like to express their most sincere gratitude to friends, family and the media for the countless displays of affection, support and solidarity during this time.”

"Don Antonio will continue his recovery under medical instructions. We thank you again for your understanding and support, and we will be attentive to any relevant updates regarding his health status. Antonio himself speculated that the stress from his son's crash might have been a contributing factor to his medical condition. “Everything happened after the accident. The shock of the accident may have caused it. They are already checking my heart to see why I fainted."

‘Most sincere gratitude to friends, family and the media’;

https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/...mainstage_card


Vasseur eyeing Singapore glory repeat for Ferrari redemption
Ferrari narrowly missed out on a race win last time out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri besting Charles Leclerc to the chequered flag.
18 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has outlined his goal of prevailing around the streets of Singapore once again this weekend. When asked if Ferrari's strong pace at Baku was track specific, Vasseur told media including RacingNews365: “If it’s track specific, then it’s good because next weekend it’s the same [type of] corners.”

“The race after Singapore, we have a break between Singapore and Austin. We’ll have time to discuss about Austin, but first it’s Singapore, and I want to have a good result in Singapore, as we did last year to fight our opposition.”

‘Ferrari redemption’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-ey...ari-redemption

Leclerc pips Norris in Singapore GP practice.
Charles Leclerc has narrowly beaten Lando Norris to end opening practice for the Singapore Grand Prix fastest. Ferrari continued its strong form in Marina Bay with Carlos Sainz third in the sister car, the top three split by less than two-tenths.
20 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The first and third practice sessions in Singapore are curious affairs. The meaningful running takes place under lights, while opening practice begins in the late afternoon sun. Not that there was much of it, overcast conditions helped keep a lid on temperatures, which were already above 30 degrees.

The focus was therefore on the basics; confirming right height, wing levels, and other elements of set-up with less focus on specifics such as tyre wear, which were more difficult to extrapolate meaningful data from. That prompted a split approach from the field, with half on hard compound tyres, and the other half on mediums.

Not among them as the session began, however, was Oscar Piastri, whose car had suffered a problem during pit stop practice earlier in the day. “During this morning’s pit stop practice we encountered an issue on the rear-left corner of Oscar’s car, which we are currently replacing,” a McLaren spokesperson confirmed in the minutes before practice began.

‘Leclerc pips Norris’;

https://speedcafe.com/leclerc-pips-n...e-gp-practice/


Singapore GP: Free Practice 1 Results
20 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 1 from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 25 1:31.763

2 4 Lando Norris McLaren 24 1:31.839 0.076

3 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 26 1:31.952 0.189

4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 21 1:32.097 0.334

5 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 25 1:32.263 0.500

6 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 24 1:32.369 0.606

7 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB 20 1:32.375 0.612

8 23 Alex Albon Williams 24 1:32.451 0.688

9 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 25 1:32.610 0.847

10 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 26 1:32.615 0.852

‘Full results from Free Practice 1’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-f...ice-1-results/


Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Free Practice 1 Results
Sep 20, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Tsunoda went up to second, going only 0.098 seconds slower than Norris. Sainz quickly took the spot off the Japanese driver, going 0.001 seconds slower than the McLaren driver at the top. However, Norris further improved his time at the top. The McLaren driver set a 1:31.839, going over three tenths clear of Sainz. Leclerc went close to Norris’ time – only 0.037 seconds off the Briton’s time.

Verstappen jumped up to third, going two-and-a-half tenths slower than Norris. However, Sainz quickly reclaimed the third spot, going just over a tenth slower than the McLaren driver. With 15 minutes to go, Leclerc went quickest, setting a 1:31.763 on the soft compound. The Monegasque went 0.076 seconds quicker than Norris.

Mercedes have been struggling in this session, with Hamilton complaining of “too much understeer” with his W15. The seven-time world champion was also struggling with traction. Piastri brushed the wall in the middle sector. The Australian finds himself in sixth. Leclerc ended the session quickest ahead of Norris and his teammate Sainz – all within two tenths.

‘Free Practice 1 Results’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/si.../?nowprocket=1


2024 F1 Singapore Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 results
20 Sep 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

It proved to be a ding-dong battle between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris for top honours in first practice for the Singapore Grand Prix. Around a revised Marina Bay Street Circuit now containing four DRS zones following the removal of a fiddly section in the final sector, it was Ferrari driver Leclerc who posted the fastest time with a lap of 1:31.763s, just 0.076s ahead of McLaren's Norris.

Three-time F1 champion and current standings leader Max Verstappen, who has never won at this track, had to settle for the fourth-quickest time, 0.334s off the pace in his Red Bull. As for last week's Azerbaijan GP winner, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who brushed a wall at one stage during the session, he had to settle for sixth, over six-tenths of a second adrift.

‘Free Practice 1 results’;

https://racingnews365.com/2024-f1-si...tice-1-results


The early clues about Singapore GP order from FP1
Sep 20, 2024
Josh Suttill
The Race

Charles Leclerc pipped Lando Norris to top the opening Formula 1 practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix. Early indications suggest it will be another McLaren vs Ferrari fight at the front, as it was at Monza and in Baku.

Norris spent a healthy portion of the session at the top of the timesheets on a 1m31.763s but Leclerc displaced him with just over 10 minutes to go. The Ferrari driver's 1m31.763s was 0.076 seconds quicker than Norris's best effort set earlier in FP1. But Leclerc's time was set on a second push lap on his soft tyres, suggesting there's plenty of performance to come.

His Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz was third fastest, just under two tenths adrift of Leclerc. Max Verstappen appears to have quickly reestablished himself as the stronger Red Bull driver, based on FP1 in Singapore at least. He was fourth fastest, three tenths adrift of Leclerc.

‘Early clues’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...1-early-clues/


Ferrari head Singapore Grand Prix upgrades with new front wing
These are the upgrades that each team has brought to the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.
20 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

The F1 teams have introduced minimal upgrades for this weekend’s race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. With a three-week gap until USA, teams are expected to introduce their final significant upgrade packages for COTA.

However, for this weekend in Singapore, Ferrari have a brand new front wing for this weekend as they look to find more performance.

‘Upgrades’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105577...new-front-wing


Now or never for Lando Norris: Will Singapore GP mark the turning point in the F1 title fight?
Lando Norris trails Max Verstappen by 59 points in the F1 drivers' standings ahead of a make-or-break Singapore GP
20 Sep 2024
Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

The next two F1 Grand Prix will likely be pivotal in deciding the fate of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Norris lands in Singapore knowing he’s not taken full advantage against Verstappen since the summer break across three races where McLaren have enjoyed a clearly superior car, and needs to add a hefty amount to the 19 points he’s chiselled away from the Dutchman’s lead.

Meanwhile Verstappen knows the United States GP is the first chance Red Bull has to fight McLaren and Norris on an equal footing once again, after Helmut Marko confirmed their F1 upgrade schedule. However, the gap could be down to 34 points in the title battle by the time the F1 circus reaches Austin – it all depends on how Verstappen can limit the damage in Singapore or whether Norris can truly stick his boot in.

‘Now or never’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/now...ht-verstappen/

High tension in Singapore Norris pips Leclerc to P1 in FP2: Verstappen P15.
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc look set for an intense duel during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend. After Leclerc topped FP1, Norris reacted by going fastest in FP2.
Today at 15:02
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing anticipates that their upgrades will work well in the next Grand Prix weekend in Austin, but for now, they seem to be off the pace in Singapore again. Sergio Perez recorded the 8th fastest time in the session, and the Dutchman was in P15. Verstappen's full pace wasn't shown, but the RB19 is not yet fully optimised as Verstappen ran over the kerbs, and Perez used the run-off area. Full loads and engine modes remain unknown. Red Bull was not alone with their issues, as Norris also used the run-off zone, and both drivers clipped the wall.

Therefore, Norris and McLaren will want to maximise the weekend. Norris needs to take as many points as possible to cut his 59-point gap to Verstappen in the World Championship. To do that in Singapore, he will have to survive another battle from Ferrari. Yuki Tsunoda had another positive session with a P4 finish. Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five.

‘High tension’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30244...s-session.html


Singapore GP: Free Practice 2 Results
21 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 2 from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 26 1:30.727

2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 27 1:30.785 0.058

3 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 26 1:31.356 0.629

4 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 27 1:31.468 0.741

5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 26 1:31.474 0.747

6 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB 25 1:31.478 0.751

7 63 George Russell Mercedes 25 1:31.488 0.761

8 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 24 1:31.598 0.871

9 23 Alex Albon Williams 25 1:31.650 0.923

10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 25 1:31.667 0.940

‘Full results from Free Practice 2’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-f...ice-2-results/


Norris and Leclerc in Singapore shoot-out as Verstappen flounders
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc went head-to-head to top FP2 at the Singapore Grand Prix as their two teams continued to dominate under the Marina Bay lights.
20 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Closing stages: Sainz would provide further clarity as to what caused his lock-up, complaining of an issue with the brakes on his Ferrari. The majority of the field would be back on medium or hard tyres as the session approached the final 10 minutes.

The session calmed considerably in the closing stages, with long-run plans the order of the day. However, there was still enough time for some action. Norris went sideways, dirtying his tyres prior to a trip to a side road. The 24-year-old managed to get his McLaren facing the right direction, but compatriot Russell would end the session without a front wing.

The Mercedes driver found the wall with only a couple of minutes to run, meaning the session ended under the yellow flag. He was ultimate able to remove himself from the barriers, returning his damaged W15 back to the pits.

‘Head-to-head to top FP2’;

https://racingnews365.com/norris-lec...ppen-flounders


Norris edges Leclerc in Singapore GP FP2 with Verstappen nowhere near contention
Lando Norris in the McLaren was fighting it out with Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in Singapore
20 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Lando Norris was fastest in FP2 at the 2024 Singapore GP ahead of Charles Leclerc by just 0.058, with Max Verstappen a shocking 15th quickest in a poor session for the world champion at the Marina Bay Circuit on September 20.

The world champion found himself stuck well outside of the Top 10, and a worrying half a second behind Sergio Perez as his poor form from the Baku City Circuit seems poised to rage on, with the 26-year-old struggling to get to grips with his underwhelming Red Bull.

‘Verstappen nowhere near contention’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/nor...ar-contention/


Singapore GP: McLaren asked by FIA to change controversial rear wing after rivals question legality
20 Sep 2024
Sky Sports

McLaren have been asked to change their rear wing following questions over its legality from their rivals at the Singapore Grand Prix. An on-board shot from the car of Oscar Piastri, during his victory at last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, appeared to show a part of McLaren's rear wing flexing upwards on the main straight, and subsequently attracted significant attention on social media.

Only a certain amount of flexing is allowed on bodywork parts of an F1 car and McLaren's rear wing received a query from at least one team, including Red Bull. Sky Sports News understands that the sport's governing body, the FIA, has asked McLaren to change their rear wing from this weekend's race in Singapore, with seven events remaining this season.

‘Rivals question legality’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...stion-legality


Helmut Marko calls for second FIA investigation into McLaren at Singapore Grand Prix
McLaren were dealt a significant blow at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Sep 20, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull will turn their attention to McLaren’s front wing after ‘three complaints’ led to the FIA outlawing the current Constructors’ Championship leaders’ rear wing at the Singapore Grand Prix.

In the aftermath of Oscar Piastri’s impressive Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory last weekend, onboard footage circulated around social media showing the rear wing of the MCL38 flexing towards the endplate area. This created a ‘mini-DRS’ effect, allegedly giving McLaren a significant speed advantage.

As a result of the clear evidence, Red Bull lodged a protest and according to an Autosport report, Zak Brown’s outfit have now been instructed by the FIA that they are no longer allowed to run their current rear-wing design.

‘Dealt a significant blow’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ore-Grand-Prix


2024 Singapore GP FP2: Colapinto mistakenly stops his Williams in Alpine pit box
Sep 20, 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Franco Colapinto is on just his third race weekend for Williams, so it’s perhaps understandable he accidentally drove into the Alpine pit box in second practice in Singapore…

‘Williams in Alpine pit box’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...x/Singapore+GP


F1 - 2024 Singapore Grand Prix - Friday Press Conference Transcript
20.09.24
FIA (Press Release)

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES: James VOWLES (Williams), Frédéric VASSEUR (Ferrari), Mario ISOLA (Pirelli)

Mario ISOLA: Yeah, obviously it was the first test, a bit difficult. Our main job was to try to correlate simulations with mule car. We know that mule cars cannot be representative considering that 2026 cars are completely different, but I believe we did a good job and thanks to Aston Martin, that was the first team running the test, [we got] valuable information and probably also a good starting point as a baseline for future development.

James VOWLES: Yeah, (Franco Colapinto) he's done an absolutely outstanding job. Just really jumped straight into it, two feet first, and has been swimming ever since. But he's doing brilliantly well. And to score points in your second ever Grand Prix, to be a few seconds behind Alex, is extraordinary. And again this morning, brilliant job.

Frédéric VASSEUR: Well, from the beginning, we are not focused on the championship. We are taking it race after race, and I think it's the right approach. James said it before, that the championship is really difficult to read, because it doesn't matter if it's the first group or the second one, it's so tight that you can move from a good weekend, you are doing a 1-2 and the weekend after you are 7-8. Have a look on Mercedes what they did before the break and after the break. And I think this is true for everybody. And I think it makes no sense to imagine how could be the picture in two or three months. We have still something like 400 points on the table, I think, for the team championship. And it's a lot. It means, let's be focused on Baku, on Singapore, and then on the next one and try to do a good job. And we'll see at the end.

‘Friday Press Conference Transcript’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2024-sin...nce-transcript

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
If Friday practice is anything to go by, then the Singapore Grand Prix promises to develop into a closely fought weekend between Ferrari and McLaren. Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris were astoundingly close, separated by less than a tenth across two practice sessions.
20 Sep 2024
Jake Boxall-Legge
Motorsport.com

In Singapore, there is only one truly representative session for the GP: the night-time FP2 is the closest of the three practice hours in terms of track conditions and temperature, giving its equivalent timing to the qualifying and race phases of the weekend. Naturally, the teams wanted to use that opportunity to get some running in — and hoped that none of their drivers suffered an ignominious tangle with the barriers.

The likes of Red Bull and Mercedes dealt with two hours of set-up struggles, while RB surprised with its consistent one-lap pace among the top half of the field. As ever, it's shaping up to be an intriguing weekend at Marina Bay.

‘What we learned’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...prix/10656330/


Two-horse race as Red Bull struggles; McLaren loses trick part after protest: F1 talking points
Sep 21st, 2024
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)

The Singapore Grand Prix has looked like a two-horse race from the very first moments of practice. Charles Leclerc topped first practice ahead of Lando Norris by 0.076 seconds. Norris reversed the order in FP2 to lead Leclerc by 0.058 seconds. But it was what happened to the rest of the field in FP2 that was most notable. George Russell was the fastest Mercedes at 0.761 seconds adrift, while Sergio Pérez again led the way for Red Bull Racing 0.871s down. No-one was within half a second of the leading two.

Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri will surely close the gap to their teammates on Friday. Sainz suffered a brake imbalance all day, the absence of which would surely move him up. Piastri admitted he was simply uncomfortable in the car, but the Australian has a reputation for making massive steps forward between Friday and Saturday.

‘Two-horse race’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...97a6f219c87336


Gary Anderson: McLaren's flexible rear wing is misguided
Sep 20, 2024
Gary Anderson
The Race

Although the FIA said McLaren's rear wing is legal, that didn't stop rival Formula 1 teams from complaining about it. These complaints seem to have propelled the FIA into demanding - or McLaren offering, depending who you listen to - adjustments be made to better control the flexibility in future.

‘Misguided’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...ble-rear-wing/


Ferrari remain cautious after strong run of form as 'good sequence' can end
20 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Even as Ferrari were able to gather some momentum over the past couple of weekends, Frederic Vasseur prefered to remain cautious in Singapore. "We are in a good sequence, but again, it was like this for everybody from the beginning of the season, that if you remember the first four races that Red Bull was flying, then we had a good sequence."

"Then it was Mercedes, then McLaren, then we are really in a pack and I don't remember when it was so tight in F1 with four teams able to win, eight drivers able to win. And you really never know when you are going somewhere, if you will fight for P1, P2, or P7, P8," the team principal continued.

‘Cautious’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30253...aps-in-f1.html


Leclerc warns Ferrari ‘cannot rely on a good Friday’ with ‘work to be done’ despite strong start in Singapore
20 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari still have work to do... “It felt good, but there is still some work to be done,” the 26-year-old explained. “The car didn’t exactly feel like I wanted so, yeah, we still have to try and improve it. And of course with the forecast for the rest of the weekend, it’s a little bit up and down so we will have to adapt very quickly, so we cannot rely on a good Friday."

"But it’s been a good Friday and it’s better to have a good one than a bad one. It’s a good starting point, but we still have to push forward.” In terms of what he would like to work on, Leclerc said: “Just a bit more balance in the car, putting everything together in terms of driving and then we should be in a good place for tomorrow.”

‘Work to be done’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...tSW9s30xgbwZYY


Do long runs offer hope for Verstappen and Mercedes in Singapore?
20 Sep 2024
Cas van de Kleut
GPblog.com

While McLaren and Ferrari had a rather positive Friday in Singapore, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes were struggling more in the Asian country, as the time sheets show over a single lap. Is there any hope for these two teams based on their long runs, or do they have to hope for a radical change come Saturday?

Red Bull to rely on long runs? Verstappen completed his long run on the hards in Singapore. He started with a 1:37.215, and his average lap time was a 1:37.868 over six laps, but it is clearly unknown how much his RB20 fuelled up.

Similarly to the Dutchman, Sergio Perez also did his race simulation on the hardest tyre compound, however, he had slower place than his teammate. The Mexican's fastest lap was 1:38.408, and his average lap time was a 1:39.441.

‘Do long runs offer hope?’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30252...erstappen.html


‘Nothing seems to work’ – Hamilton predicts he ‘won’t be going into Q3’ after ‘difficult’ Singapore practice
20 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Hamilton summarised the day as “very difficult” after he was outpaced by teams expected to be in the midfield, such as RB, Haas and Williams to finish in P12 and P11 across FP1 and FP2. “We’ve tried everything set-up wise and nothing seems to work with the set-up, so definitely very challenging,” he said. “We’re really giving it everything and then you find out you’re a second off.”

“I think ultimately [we’re] just a little bit lost and we’re not really sure where to put the car. At the moment, I won’t be going into Q3.” Russell has generally appeared more confident than his 39-year-old team mate with qualifying in the W15, beating his team mate 13 times on Saturdays this season, but he had a disappointing end to his second practice session in Singapore.

‘Nothing seems to work’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...lJahu7m5lOuB0t


Perez demands 'big change' after Red Bull 'surprise'
Sergio Perez completed the opening day of the Singapore Grand Prix one-second off the leading pace.
20 Sep 2024
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Despite its poor recent history at the Marina Bay Circuit and expectations having not been high ahead of this weekend, the team has been caught by surprise at just how far off the pace the RB20 is. "No, I think it took us a surprise," revealed Perez. "And yeah, definitely, we got some work to do overnight, because we are very far."

Red Bull – not for the first time in recent races – now has a long night ahead to try and find a temporary solution to its problems. Perez pointed out after second practice that a very significant change is required for Red Bull to move closer to the front. "We are nearly a second off the pace, so we need quite a big change to be able to come through," assessed Perez. "And yeah, we see what we are able to do."

‘Got some work to do overnight’;

https://racingnews365.com/perez-dema...-bull-surprise


Marko shows signs of frustration with Red Bull's car: 'Nothing works!'
20 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

According to Marko, the team needs to come up with drastic adjustments to improve things before qualifying. "At the moment I would say it is very worrying." The Austrian is negatively surprised with the performance of the cars. Marko made a brutual observation. "I just looked and our pace was the same as Colapinto..."

'Nothing works!';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30248...singapore.html


‘Difficult’ – Verstappen’s verdict on Red Bull’s first day in Singapore
20 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Max Verstappen was fourth quickest in FP1 but only P15 in second practice as Red Bull struggle to get to grips with the Singapore circuit.

‘Difficult’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/di...26954168364431

Lando Norris sets track record to head FP3 at F1 Singapore GP.
McLaren‘s Lando Norris delivered a lap record to lead the timesheets over George Russell’s Mercedes in the last practice session at Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix.
21 Sep 2024
Motorsport Week

The Briton delivered a blistering 1:29.646s on the Soft tyre to emerge 0.479 seconds quicker than Russell, who split the McLarens as Oscar Piastri propped up in third.

Piastri commended the improved balance on his McLaren MCL38 compared to the opening practice sessions, but he was almost eight-tenths back on his team-mate. Red Bull also improved as Max Verstappen managed to sneak his RB20 into fourth place as Ferrari’s encouraging earlier pace dissipated on the red-walled compound.

‘Lap record to lead the timesheets’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


Singapore GP: Free Practice 3 Results
Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.
21 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 14 1:29.646

2 63 George Russell Mercedes 17 1:30.125 0.479

3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 15 1:30.431 0.785

4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 15 1:30.540 0.894

5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 19 1:30.559 0.913

6 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 19 1:30.807 1.161

7 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 17 1:30.864 1.218

8 23 Alex Albon Williams 12 1:30.949 1.303

9 43 Franco Colapinto Williams 13 1:30.989 1.343

10 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 22 1:31.082 1.436

‘Full results from Free Practice 3’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-f...ice-3-results/


Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Free Practice 3 Results
Which teams will find the right set-ups before qualifying later on?
Sep 21, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Qualifying runs. Russell was the first driver to set a meaningful lap on the soft compound tyre. The Mercedes driver set a 1:30.125 on the soft compound. Piastri’s time was only good enough for second – three tenths behind Russell. Verstappen set his time on his soft tyre run. The Dutchman set a time only good enough for third – four tenths beind Russell. The Red Bull driver went wide at the final corner.

Norris set all three purple sectors to go right to the top of the timesheet. The Briton set a 1:29.646 – 0.479 seconds quikcer than Russell’s time. FP1’s pace setter Leclerc could only manage to go fifth on his soft tyre run. Ferrari don’t look as comfortable as yesterday. The Monegasque reported that he had “no grip”. Norris ended the session just under five tenths clear of Russell with his teammate Piastri in third.

‘Qualifying runs’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/si.../?nowprocket=1


Advantage Norris heading into Singapore GP qualifying
Lando Norris heads into qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix favourite after a strong showing in final practice.
21 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The McLaren driver was almost half a second clear of the pack after the final practice hour, which proved positive for some and disastrous for others. George Russell was second best in a good result for Mercedes after a tough start to the weekend in Marina Bay, with Oscar Piastri third best in the second McLaren.

Things weren’t so rosy at Ferrari though, with Charles Leclerc almost a second off the pace in fifth. Heavy rain late on Friday evening washed much of the grip from the Marina Bay circuit. Though F1 Academy and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia had been out, the track remained green.

‘Advantage Norris’;

https://speedcafe.com/advantage-norr...gp-qualifying/


Singapore Grand Prix practice red-flagged as marshals forced to chase lizard away
FP3 was red-flagged on Saturday after an unlikely visitor was spotted on the race track.
Sep 21, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

The Singapore Grand Prix produced a hilarious moment on Saturday as a lizard appeared on the track at the start of FP3. The session was then red-flagged as marshals chased the animal off the race track.

"We are told the track is clear, but just have a look for the lizard," said Alonso's race engineer, before the Spaniard hit back: "No it's in the middle of the track.”

‘Red-flagged’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...izard-red-flag


2024 Singapore GP FP3: Final practice red flagged after lizard is spotted on track
Sep 21, 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

The running in FP3 was halted momentarily after a lizard was seen on track with the marshals deployed to remove it from the danger zone.

‘Lizard is spotted’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...01260596529235


Singapore GP: Godzilla stars in early FP3 running before Lando Norris comes to the fore
21 Sep 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

On a slow start to Saturday’s action, Aston Martin were the first to brave the conditions including a head-to-head battle with a monitor lizard that was heading down to Turn 16. “He’s living his best life,” declared Charles Leclerc while Fernando Alonso had to change his line to avoid hitting it.

Lando Norris destroyed his rivals in the final practice hour for the Singapore Grand Prix, up by almost half a second. The McLaren driver laid down a 1:29.646, a new lap record, to sit 0.479s up on George Russell with Oscar Piastri P3.

‘Godzilla stars’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/singap...024-fp3-report


F1 – Norris powers ahead in final practice at Marina Bay Circuit
21.09.24
FIA (Press Release)

McLaren’s Lando Norris set the pace in the final practice session ahead of the qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, beating Mercedes George Russell by almost half a second, with Oscar Piastri taking third place in the other McLaren.

‘Norris powers ahead’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-norris-p...na-bay-circuit


Toto Wolff responds to McLaren's rear wing "game"
21 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

How did Wolff react to McLaren's wing? "We're so [focused on our] own issues to solve them that we didn't have it on the radar. You can say that's naive or not," Wolff told Sky Sports, but did admit he believes he McLaren could've got a sporting advantage from it.

"But for sure, in Monza and in Baku, it might have had an effect, especially when you see the close racing in the front. That happened, but we weren't part of this game, so it was a second priority to us," Wolff concluded on the topic.

'Didn't have it on the radar';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30265...ear-wings.html

Norris takes pole, Verstappen P2.
Lando Norris secured pole position, setting a time of 1:29.525. Max Verstappen will join the McLaren driver on the front row at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
22 Sep 2024
Sophia Crothall
GPblog.com

Lando Norris finished fastest during Q1 whilst, Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu were all eliminated. George Russell also complained on the radio during the session that he had no grip, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton also having issues with the rear.

In Q2, Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Ocon were all eliminated. Oscar Piastri finished the session as the fastest driver. The final ten drivers then battled it out in Q3 to secure their slot on the grid. A red flag was brought out after Carlos Sainz crashed into the wall, and the session got underway again with eight minutes on the clock.

‘Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on the front row’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30270...ults-2024.html


Singapore GP: Qualifying Results
22 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.002 1:30.007 1:29.525

2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:30.157 1:29.680 1:29.728 0.203

3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.393 1:29.929 1:29.841 0.316

4 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.811 1:30.153 1:29.867 0.342

5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30.258 1:29.640 1:29.953 0.428

6 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:30.724 1:30.150 1:30.115 0.590

7 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:30.684 1:30.450 1:30.214 0.689

8 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:30.716 1:30.289 1:30.354 0.829

9 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.786 1:29.747

10 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:30.670 1:30.108

‘Full results from Qualifying’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-qualifying-results/


Lando Norris clinches pole at Singapore Grand Prix to boost title chances
Sep 21, 2024
Deepanraj Ganesan
The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – McLaren’s title-chasing Lando Norris will get a chance to cut Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s lead further in the drivers’ championship race after the Briton secured pole position at the Marina Bay Circuit on Sept 21 ahead of the Dutchman.

With only seven races including the 2024 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix left and a 59-point deficit to Verstappen, Norris arrived in Singapore as a man on a mission, focused on narrowing the gap.

Securing pole is vital on the tight 4.94km street circuit, where overtaking is notoriously tricky; historically, nine of the 14 races here have been won from pole. In 2023, Carlos Sainz’s pole position translated into a victory here.

‘Boost title chances’;

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...-title-chances


Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Qualifying Results
Find out what happened in Formula 1 Qualifying for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix
Sep 21, 2024
Morgan Holiday
FormulaNerds

Q3: The final part of Qualifying had barely begun before it was red flagged, as Sainz was at the end of his first flying lap when he went into the barriers. After the red flag was ended and Sainz’s car was cleared away, there were only seven minutes left on the clock. Instead of attempting multiple laps, everyone opted to wait in the pits and just do one flying lap to decide who would get pole position.

The McLarens were the first out to make their final attempt. Piastri, on provisional pole, was the first driver across the line. Piastri didn’t see much of an improvement, which allowed Norris to take provisional pole from him with a lap time of 1:29.525. Leclerc only managed fourth place, before losing his lap time and being dropped down to ninth ahead of Sainz.

Then Hamilton jumped up to second, before getting beat out by Verstappen, as Russell went right behind his teammate. But no one could improve on Norris’ time, putting the British driver on pole for the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix ahead of Verstappen and Hamilton.

‘Formula 1 Qualifying’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/si.../?nowprocket=1


Norris beats Verstappen to Singapore pole after Sainz crashes out
21 Sep 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

After a delay, the session resumed with eight minutes remaining. The nine remaining drivers waited until the closing minutes to emerge on their final runs. Piastri improved on his own provisional pole with before Norris went four tenths faster to go to the top of the times by four tenths of a second.

That would prove to be the pole-winning lap for the McLaren driver as no one could get within two tenths of his time. Verstappen was closest, securing the other front row position in second, with the two Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell in third and fourth. Piastri will start fifth ahead of Hulkenberg a surprise sixth, with Alonso and Tsunoda behind them.

The two Ferraris will start ninth and tenth with neither registering a lap time in Q3. Leclerc’s only timed lap of the session was deleted for exceeding track limits at turn two, with Sainz failing to set a time after crashing on his out-lap.

‘Norris beats Verstappen’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/21/...z-crashes-out/

Lando Norris Claims Fifth Pole Of 2024 In Singapore.
Lando Norris will start the 15th edition of the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position. It’s the McLaren driver’s sixth pole, the fifth this season. His time of 1’29”525 is over 1”4 faster than the 2023 pole time of 1’30”984 set by Carlos Sainz. It’s the British team’s 161st pole, the last six all coming courtesy of Norris.
Sep 22, 2024
F1 Chronicle

Max Verstappen, lapped in 1’29”728 and will line up alongside Norris, having yet again missed out on pole at the Marina Bay circuit. The second row is an all-Mercedes affair, with Lewis Hamilton (1’29”841) ahead of team-mate George Russell by just 26 thousandths of a second.

Lando Norris – P1 “It was tough in Qualifying today, I was finding it difficult to go quicker and it put me under a little bit of pressure, especially with just one lap to get it right. The car felt good though, it’s been strong all weekend and when you have that, you’re confident, you can go out and push to get the lap time you need. So, I did the job I had to do to thank the team for their hard work and I’m excited to see what we can do tomorrow.”

‘Fifth Pole Of 2024’;

https://f1chronicle.com/lando-norris.../?nowprocket=1


Singapore GP: Lando Norris excited by Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton challenge as he seeks crucial F1 win
Will title-chasing Lando Norris overcome the challenge of both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton from the head of the Singapore grid?;
21 Sep 2024
Sky Sports

Lando Norris is relishing the "pretty awesome" challenge of battling Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for Singapore GP victory. He also expects the world champion pair to "probably try to play more tricks" each attempting to win a race pivotal to the McLaren's driver's own first-time title hopes.

For the first time since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, the Briton shares the front row with defending three-time champion and 59-point title leader Verstappen, who returned to qualifying form after a series of disappointing races that has allowed Norris and McLaren to put the Dutchman and Red Bull under serious championship pressure.

‘Relishing the "pretty awesome" challenge’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...crucial-f1-win


Damon Hill issues nine-word reaction as Lando Norris secures Singapore Grand Prix pole
21 Sep 2024
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Norris was the first to beat Piastri and shattered his teammate’s benchmark as the McLaren star shot into P1 by 0.428s. It proved enough for the Bristol-born pilot to post the pole time, with Verstappen snatching second in front of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

It is the sixth pole position of Norris’ Formula 1 career and fifth of the 2024 campaign alone. But the McLaren ace is still yet to directly convert any into a win, having lost the lead of the Dutch Grand Prix to Verstappen at the start but re-passed the home hero to win by 22.896s.

Norris will hope to hold off Verstappen into Turn 1 at the Singapore GP. But having the field close together in qualifying excites Hill for how the race will unfold on Sunday. The 1996 F1 champion thinks Marina Bay should stage another spectacle after Norris’ superb qualifying. “Great lap from Lando,” Hill posted on X. “Great set-up for tomorrow!”

‘Nine-word reaction’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...and-prix-pole/


Verstappen 'didn't expect to be on the front row' for Singapore GP
21 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Drivers' championship leader Max Verstappen says he was a lot happier driving the Red Bull RB20 during qualifying for Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, feeling that he could "attack corners a bit better" than in the practice sessions.

'Didn't expect to be on the front row';

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ve...18826131942361


Red Bull are back at their best as team slashes its lap time deficit in Singapore
21st Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Red Bull arrived in Singapore following their worst run of form in years. On average, they were 0.46% off the pace over the previous three races. This from the team which began the season with seven consecutive pole positions. More worryingly for them, Singapore had been their sole weak track for their all-conquering RB19 last year. But if they could show a better turn of pace at Marina Bay, it would surely bode well for the rest of the season.

A week ago in Baku, Red Bull claimed they’d made some improvements to their car’s handling on Friday, before set-up changes on Max Verstappen moved it out of its comfort zone, consigning him to a fifth-place finish. In Singapore, the team look very much their old selves. Verstappen didn’t look comfortable at any time during practice, but in qualifying the car came to life. On top of which, in a challenging Q3 where most drivers only got a single flying lap in, he got closer to his potential than several of his rivals, and his reward was a better qualifying position than his car arguably deserved.

‘Back at their best’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/21/...-in-singapore/


Verstappen's F1 press conference protest after swearing penalty
Sep 21, 2024
Josh Suttill
The Race

Bizarre exchange:
Tom Clarkson: What did you change overnight?
Max Verstappen: A lot.
TC: Can you elaborate?
MV: No I might get fined or get an extra day [of community service].
TC: Well look Max, are you confident of the race pace?
MV: Maybe.
TC: How much of the race is a step into the unknown given the problems you had in practice?
MV: It's an unknown.
TC: Tell us about lining up on the...
MV: This is not about you, don't worry. I don't want to upset you.
TC: We're fine but can you just tell us about lining up alongside Lando in terms of the championship battle and your tactics in the race?
MV: We'll find out tomorrow.

As usual, following Clarkson's questions to the top three qualifiers, the session was then opened up to questions from the media attending the race. Verstappen received the first question on how much of Red Bull's turnaround was down to the team getting the car balance right versus the driver getting more out of the car. "I would prefer if you asked these questions outside the room," Verstappen replied.

‘Verstappen's F1 press conference protest’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/m...aring-penalty/


Hamilton shocked at scale of Mercedes Singapore revival
After a troubled practice, Lewis Hamilton banked third on the grid at Marina Bay.
21 Sep 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

"Qualifying has been a disaster for me all year long, and I've been working and working and working trying to get myself back up there - and all of a sudden, the car came alive in qualifying for the first time in a long time," he told media including RacingNews365. "Through the weekend so far, we were looking, well, I was looking particularly very poor.”

"I mean, this morning and all of yesterday, we were 1.2 seconds off [Norris], so we arrived with a car that was massively understeery, and we just couldn't dial anything in, no matter what we did. Nothing changed. We made changes overnight, came here today, pretty much the same thing, and I was definitely shocked to see that we were still 1.2 seconds behind Lando again.”

"We just kept our heads down, made some more changes and got into qualifying and it was like night and day, there was such a big difference. It was such a nightmare the past day and a half. The car was all of a sudden alive, and I was able to go where I wanted to go. It was looking really strong throughout qualifying and I think obviously with the crash in Q3 it made it difficult for all of us to put that final lap together.”

‘The car came alive’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-r...oming-disaster


Hamilton relieved to qualify third after “very poor” start to weekend
21 Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton said his car came alive in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix as he qualified third after a poor start to practice. “I’m not saying it’s a surprise, but through the weekend so far we were looking – well, I was looking, particularly – very poor,” he said. “This morning and all of yesterday, we were 1.2 seconds off. We arrived with a car that was massively understeery and we just couldn’t dial any [grip] in, no matter what we did. Nothing changed.”

However Hamilton said his car came alive in the cooler conditions of qualifying. “We just kept our heads down, kept not giving up, we made some more changes and got into this session and it was like night and day,” he said. “It was such a big difference. The car was all of a sudden alive and I was able to go where I wanted to go. It was looking really strong throughout qualifying.”

‘Relieved to qualify third’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/21/...rt-to-weekend/

Norris destroys F1 rivals in sensational Singapore GP victory.
Lando Norris took a dominant lights-to-flag victory in the Singapore Grand Prix, further reducing Max Verstappen's drivers' championship lead after of the new Autumn calendar break.
22 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Lando Norris took his first F1 career grand chelem in the Singapore Grand Prix, to reduce the drivers' championship deficit to 52 points with a superb victory. It is McLaren's first grand slam since the 2008 Chinese Grand Prix - the same year F1's inaugural trip to the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Max Verstappen came home in second place, over 20 seconds behind his title rival, with Oscar Piastri finishing in third place, after making easy work of the Mercedes' pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Ferrari worked through the pack well, but the cost of their difficult qualifying in Singapore proved a heavy price to pay.

Further back, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg completed their strong weekends, to score points in eighth and ninth, respectively. Sergio Perez held off an impressive Franco Colapinto for the final point.

‘Sensational’;

https://racingnews365.com/norris-des...ore-gp-victory


Singapore GP: Race Results
22 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 62

2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 20.945

3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 41.823

4 63 George Russell Mercedes 60.807

5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 61.626

6 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 83.477

7 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 94.19

8 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1L

9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1L

10 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1L

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-race-results/


F1 LIVE - Singapore GP RACE - Commentary + Live Timing
22 Sep 2024
F1 Gamer

This is a Formula One (F1) live stream which has full live commentary and live timing data alongside a track map. It is the first F1 (Formula 1) Grand Prix this season in Singapore, held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIa2d63B54g


Lando Norris dominates Singapore Grand Prix but Max Verstappen springs F1 title surprise
Lando Norris started on pole with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck while Daniel Ricciardo began what may be his final F1 race from 16th on the grid
22 Sep 2024
Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
Daily and Sunday Express

Max Verstappen limited the damage done to his Formula 1 title defence on a night that belonged to Lando Norris. But, for all his supremacy, Norris' title bid wasn't set alight as Verstappen crossed the line second to ensure just a single-figure points gain for his closest challenger. And he will be delighted to have achieved that given how worried he was that Red Bull would struggle once again on the Singapore streets.

It will have made Red Bull feel better after Sergio Perez struggled to make progress and crossed the line 10th to secure just one single points. And Daniel Ricciardo's F1 career may have ended on a whimper, crossing the line down in 18th as rumours swirl he will be replaced ahead of the next race in Austin. But he did at least steal the fastest lap from Norris after stopping late to put on a fresh set of softs.

‘Norris' title bid wasn't set alight’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...esult-33725017


Lando Norris dominates Max Verstappen as Lewis Hamilton fumes at Singapore Grand Prix
Lando Norris made a clear statement with a dominant win at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Hamilton's evening in Marina Bay was nothing short of infuriating for the seven-time world champion. The Brit accused his strategists of "killing him" with an unfavourable soft-to-hard strategy. He took the chequered flag in P6 after starting third on the grid.
Sep 22, 2024
Harry Smith
The Mirror

Lando Norris produced a statement victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing nearly 22 seconds clear of title rival Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri rounded off the podium to cap off a strong weekend for McLaren. Norris headed into the Grand Prix knowing full well that his pole position conversion rate was under scrutiny. The Brit didn’t let the pressure get to him though, and he led Verstappen across the line at the end of lap one following a slick getaway from the grid.

With nine laps in the bank, race engineer Will Joseph asked his driver to open up a five-second lead over Verstappen. Seven laps later, Norris had obliterated that target, moving 13 seconds ahead of his championship rival. Norris was turning the screw and inflicting more pain on Verstappen. On lap 30, the reigning champion came in for his stop, although his title rival nearly had a disastrous moment, clipping the wall after a lock-up.

‘Clear statement with a dominant win’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ore-Grand-Prix


Blisteringly quick Norris dominates Verstappen to win Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Lando Norris has dominated the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen at the Marina Bay Circuit. At one point, Norris had a half-a-minute lead, and he wasn't challenged. The McLaren driver did have two lucky escapes after contact with the wall. Verstappen limited his title damage by finishing second. Oscar Piastri took home important points for McLaren with his third-place finish.

‘Blisteringly quick Norris’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30297...rand-prix.html


Norris survives two wall strikes to dominate Singapore GP
Sep 22, 2024
Ben Anderson
The Race

When McLaren asked Norris how comfortable he felt running at that pace, Norris replied he was at “pace 6 or something”. McLaren asked him to open the gap out to five seconds to protect from a potentially powerful Red Bull undercut at the pitstops, but Norris was so comfortable as he upped his pace that he was sometimes lapping a second or more per lap quicker than his rival.

Norris was so fast in fact that he was never in danger of being overtaken in the pits even though he locked up and almost crashed at Turn 14 towards the end of that first stint. He feared front wing damage but the team could spot nothing. It was a lucky escape for Norris, who clouted the wall again towards the end of the race and was told to take a drink, refocus, “chill out” and bring it home safely.

Once again Norris narrowly escaped unscathed, before racing on to victory by a massive 20.9s, despite also running wide late-on while lapping Franco Colapinto’s Williams, as Norris continued to flirt with disaster.

‘Two wall strikes’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...all-dominates/


Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Race Results
Sep 22, 2024
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds

The closing stages: As we entered the closing stages of the race, Magnussen had a puncture on lap but managed to limp his way back round to the pits a lap later. Despite Magnussen setting the fastest lap on new soft tyres, his time was deleted meaning Norris still had the extra point intact.

Norris’ lead with five laps to go was at nearly 29 seconds. On the penultimate lap, Ricciardo who was down in P19 pitted once again in an attempt to go for the fastest lap, which he would get in the end on what could be his last F1 race.

Despite Verstappen cutting the gap down to 21 seconds in the final few laps, he could not do anything to change the inevitable in this race as a dominant Norris would cross the line to win the Singapore Grand Prix. Verstappen would claim an important P2 finish and Piastri rounded off the podium places in third.

‘Five laps to go was at nearly 29 seconds’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/si.../?nowprocket=1


Lando Norris wins Singapore Grand Prix in drama-free race at Marina Bay
Sep 22, 2024
Deepanraj Ganesan
The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – McLaren reigned supreme in Singapore for the first time since 2009, as Lando Norris won the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix on Sept 22. The papaya-clad McLaren driver turned his pole position into victory, marking the British team’s first win here in over a decade.

‘Drama-free race’;

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...-at-marina-bay

What Lando Norris said to Max Verstappen in Singapore cooldown room as Piastri lands FIA quip.
Lando Norris: ‘I actually s*** myself’ in brush with wall!
22 Sep 2024
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Lando Norris admitted his brush with the wall during the Singapore Grand Prix led to a very nervous moment from within his McLaren cockpit.

McLaren driver locked up into the Turn 14 hairpin midway through the race, forcing him to run wide of the apex, and he brushed the wall on the exit – with only minor front wing damage reported. With Verstappen seeing that footage for the first time, the surprised Red Bull driver responded to that moment by exclaiming: “No way!”

Norris then turned to his title rival and admitted with a smile: “I actually s*** myself.” Piastri, sat with the pair of them, joked about the FIA’s clampdown on drivers swearing, quipping immediately to Norris: “So, without using swear words, how did you feel when you did that moment?” – which drew a laugh from his McLaren team-mate in return.

‘I actually s*** myself’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...-cooldown-room


Norris showcases his brutal side: 'Wanted the biggest lead possible'
22 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Lando Norris dominated the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix but had to survive two heart-in-the-mouth moments. At one point, Norris hit the barrier while cruising with a nearly half-a-minute advantage over Max Verstappen.

He also panicked about the front wing being damaged when he brushed the wall earlier in the race. "It was an amazing race. A few two many close calls. It was well controlled otherwise. The car was mega. We were flying the whole race," Norris said in his first reaction after the race.

At several moments, Norris nearly threw away the win. He was unsure whether he was over pushing or chilling too much. "It's not that you're over pushing. Sometimes, you can be chilling too much. Maybe it was both. Easy to lock the tyres," he added before showcasing his brutal side. "I didn't want to have a one second lead, I wanted to have the biggest lead possible," Norris concluded.

‘Brutal side: 'Wanted the biggest lead possible'!’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30300...rand-prix.html


Lando Norris lit up a dull Singapore GP with his brilliance but it may not be enough
Lando Norris touched the wall a couple of times but he still completely dominated the Singapore Grand Prix, even if it only brought him eight points closer to title rival Max Verstappen
22 Sep 2024
Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

For one evening, it felt like we had time travelled back to 2023 with one car miles up the road from everyone else. Except this time, the Red Bull of Max Verstappen was the one doing the chasing. Entirely in vain. This was Lando Norris at his imperious best, producing the most dominant performance of his Formula 1 career.

The only disappointment for Norris was that, for his dominance, it didn't have as much of an impact on his title challenge as he would have liked. He remains 51 points behind Verstappen with six rounds to go, having only gained eight despite finishing 22 seconds ahead.

‘It may not be enough’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...appen-33725883


I am working my butt off – Lando Norris looking to reel in Max Verstappen
22 Sept 2024
philip duncan
Yahoo! Sport

Asked if he now expects the title race to go to the wire, Norris said: “I am working my butt off to try and make sure it happens, but he (Verstappen) is doing the same to make sure it doesn’t. There will be plenty of competition until the end of the year. All I can do is score as many points as possible.”

“There are still a lot of points to catch up and that will not be easy to do. Max and Red Bull are one of the most dominant pairings ever seen in Formula One. And that hasn’t changed. It is the same team and same driver combination so I have some tough competition. Our car is quicker than theirs, and that is down to the team being smart. But that is the game.”

After the chequered flag fell, Horner was quick to tell Verstappen that Norris had enjoyed two fortunate escapes en route to victory. Explaining the radio message, Horner said with a smile: “It was to show that he (Norris) was a lucky b******. Hitting the wall once is usually a wake-up call and to hit it twice, somebody is smiling on you.”

“Working my butt off”;

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/am-...172337432.html


Norris had “a few too many close calls” on course to victory
22 Sep 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

Singapore Grand Prix winner Lando Norris admitted he had too many “close calls” with the barriers on his way to win by more than 20 seconds from Max Verstappen. Norris led every lap of the race from pole position to secure his third victory of the season ahead of the championship leader.

“It was an amazing race,” Norris said. “A few too many close calls. I had a couple of little moments in the middle, but it was well controlled, I think, otherwise. The car was mega, so I could push. We were flying the whole race and at the end I could just chill. So it was nice race, still tough – I’m a bit out of breath – but a very fine one.”

“A few too many close calls”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/22/...se-to-victory/


Lando Norris’ pace “going to have Red Bull scared” as crucial stat emerges
Nico Rosberg analyses F1 Singapore Grand Prix
22 Sep 2024
James Dielhenn

Max Verstappen will mathematically win the F1 title if he finishes as runner-up, behind Lando Norris, at every race for the rest of the season. Verstappen has a 52-point lead at the summit of the championship despite Norris dominating the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

“More than the win, it was the performance and the speed today,” Nico Rosberg analysed on Sky Sports. “That is going to have Red Bull scared. With this speed until the end of the year, it’s realistic that “Lando can win the remaining races. For Max to come second is so difficult.”

Questions remain about whether they should have treated Norris as their No1 driver earlier in the season to boost his title hopes. Rosberg disagrees: “It was too premature to compromise Oscar Piastri. He is still in the championship hunt, he can mathematically do it if things go his way. They will, at some point, apply team orders.”

“Going to have Red Bull scared”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105638...l-stat-emerges


‘We were flying the whole race’ – Norris hails ‘amazing’ Singapore win despite ‘too many close calls’
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Lando Norris was thrilled with his dominant drive to victory in the Singapore Grand Prix, with the McLaren man feeling that he was “flying” throughout the 62-lap encounter despite some close calls with the barriers along the way.

Having struggled with his starts at times during the 2024 season, Norris ensured that this was not the case this weekend by making a strong launch off the line to hold the lead into Turn 1.

Those “close calls” perhaps left the McLaren team’s hearts in their mouths as Norris made a couple of brushes with the walls of the Marina Bay Street Circuit. One of those incidents prompted the 24-year-old’s race engineer to remind him to apply “full concentration” and “take a drink” amid Singapore’s humid conditions.

‘We were flying the whole race’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Kvc7ochsxlfhug


Mark Hughes: McLaren's other wing trick behind its Singapore superiority
Sep 22, 2024
Mark Hughes
The Race

McLaren’s high downforce superiority is derived from its great balance when running those bigger wings, an advantage which multiplies with its effect on tyre degradation. This is with a generation of car inherently difficult to balance, a generation which Red Bull has found can fall badly out of balance as it’s developed to produce more total downforce.

Mastery of aero elasticity gave McLaren its rear wing ‘mini DRS’ advantage on the low-downforce tracks. But on the high-downforce tracks that same mastery has given it a front wing which deforms perfectly to be powerful on slow corners with an aggressive flap angle, without it then being too powerful on high-speed corners as the flap bends, reducing the downforce of the wing to give the centre of pressure appropriate to the speed of the corner.

‘McLaren's other wing trick’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/m...e-superiority/


McLaren's F1 wing trick beat Red Bull at its own game
Sep 20, 2024
Edd Straw
The Race

McLaren’s rear wing gambit is pure Formula 1. It couldn’t have been executed more beautifully, allowing it to run a rear wing that was particularly beneficial for Spa, Monza and Baku before it was asked to modify it thereafter.

Red Bull is a past master when it comes to the dark art of aeroelasticity, but this time it’s McLaren that has played a blinder. Remember, McLaren’s Rob Marshall made it clear that it worked with the FIA to establish the legality of its rear wing – and that includes access to designs. That, combined with passing the load tests means that the wing therefore was indeed absolutely legal until it wasn’t.

‘McLaren’s rear wing gambit is pure Formula 1’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/m...-its-own-game/

Verstappen Bluntly States: 'I Knew the Car Was F*cked'.
In Thursday's press conference, Verstappen responded to the question about the difference between the two teammates, given he is the top driver in the team. "I don't know? A different set up".
19 Sep 2024
Sophia Crothall
GPblog.com

Why was Verstappen slower than Perez in Baku? "So as soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f*cked. I tried to optimize the car all the time and this time it didn't work out. So I knew that I was stuck with it and then, you tried to optimize it. Of course, my run one and then Q3 that would have been enough for P3 in qualifying hurt me and you start in the back of the top group."

"The balance was of course not there in the race. Then you get stuck behind two cars in the middle of the race so you kill your tyres. Everything just went wrong from qualifying. The rules of course, don't allow you to, to change anything on the car you're stuck with it and that's what happened," he concluded.

‘Bluntly Stated’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30212...onference.html


Max Verstappen walks out of interview after giving two-word answer to FIA question
Sep 20, 2024
Joe Krishnan
Daily and Sunday Express

But Verstappen appeared to take a dim view of the new strict rules, giving just two words in his post-FP2 interview before walking off in footage that surfaced on social media.

The interviewer for F1 TV said: "Can we also just have a word about this FIA situation today, we've got some-", at which point Verstappen cut her short and replied: "No words" before then walking out of the media pen.

"No words";

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-FIA-Singapore


International media rally behind Verstappen: 'FIA penalty is absurd'
Sep 23, 2024
Nicole Mulder
GPblog.com

Corriere dello Sport: "While it is true they have overhauled the RB20 at Red Bull, Max interpreted the changes as best he could and took a hugely valuable second place. However, the curse of Singapore persists, where he has never won," wrote the Italian newspaper, which gives Verstappen great credit for his protest at the FIA press conference. "He deserves high marks for his protest to the FIA - in which he gave answers of one syllable - for the absurd punishment he received."

The Guardian: The British newspaper saw a lacklustre race in a weekend where most of the talk was about the penalty imposed on Verstappen by the FIA. Noting that Norris, too, could just as easily have a community service penalty hanging over his head. In the cooldown room, Norris said "I actually s**t myself" while looking back at his near-crash with Verstappen and Oscar Piastri. "On the precedent set this weekend, Norris can expect at least a fine, if not possibly some community service to match Verstappen’s, in a pointless and vapid distraction to what is the most exciting season since 2021."

'FIA penalty is absurd';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30316...a-protest.html


F1 drivers united before FIA talks on Max Verstappen swearing row
23 Sept 2024
giles richards
Yahoo! Sport

Formula One drivers are united ahead of talks with the FIA over the Max Verstappen swearing row that engulfed the Singapore Grand Prix, amid widespread dissatisfaction with the sport’s governing body. The chair of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), Alex Wurz, believes the penalty Verstappen received was too severe and that the organisation would reach a consensus before presenting a response to the FIA.

Wurz cited the case of the former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who became one of the most well-known and popular personalities in the sport partly because of his liberal and entertaining use of expletives. The Netflix series Drive to Survive, responsible in part for the enormous growth in F1’s popularity, recognised Steiner’s draw and made extensive use of his colourful language in the show.

“How many lifetime community services would Guenther Steiner have to serve for using the F word?” Wurz told Formel1.de. “He was glorified for using the F word. Netflix broadcast this worldwide, no problem. But then to suddenly change like that?”

'Guenther Steiner glorified for using the F word';

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/f1-...102105930.html


Horner backs Verstappen after FIA swearing row: 'Royal family swears too!'
22 Sep 2024
Toby Nixon
GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner believes the punishment is relatively harsh and used an example of the royal family swearing to support the Dutchman after the conclusion of the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

According to Christian Horner, swearing is a common way to express emotion. "I think that Max has made his feelings clear on it. Of course, all these drivers are role models. But, language is used in everyday life, it perhaps could have been dealt with slightly differently, which would have avoided any awkwardness. I’m not sure how much he’s talking in the FIA press conference now, but I assume it's relatively little," Horner began.

The Red Bull team boss was asked if the team has asked their start driver not to swear, to which Horner responded with: "No, no. Look, I suppose the difference was between a press conference and in the car. But for a driver whose native language is not English… I mean, we’ve seen Royal Family members telling photographers to take a fucking photo. So reactions need to be relative." Horner concluded. Hopefully, the situation can be resolved swiftly before Formula 1 returns on October 20 in Texas.

'Royal family swears too!';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30310...ntroversy.html


Wolff backs Verstappen: 'We all know each other, it's not the worst thing'
22 Sep 2024
Estéban den Toom
GPblog.com

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff stands by Max Verstappen... Wolff and Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team boss, also had to visit the stewards last year for foul language. "He was a bit more worried. I said to them it's the first time since school that I was called to the headmaster and I promise it's going to be the last time. Now having said that, I think there is an argument that big swearing and being rude on the radio is not something that should happen. "I think it's always the context in the way you say it, but we want to have emotions, we want to have raw moments, we understand that the drivers are in a state of extremes.”

“If we can dim it down a little bit, I think that's good for all of us, but I wouldn't necessarily ban the F word," Wolff said. Asked if Verstappen's community service is too severe, Wolff wondered who listens to the FIA during the press conference. "I don't think anybody listens to the FIA president at a press conference anyway. I mean, you listen, but it's not written about, rarely."

‘Wolff backs Verstappen’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30312...ppen-fuss.html


Max Verstappen hails Red Bull turnaround in F1 Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Despite the dominance of Lando Norris in the Grand Prix, Verstappen was positive after finishing second, 20 seconds behind his McLaren rival. “Compared to the start of the weekend, we improved quite nicely,” Verstappen said. “I think that’s been great for us as a team on a track that we know we’re not performing normally the best. So I’m happy with second today.”

“The last few laps, I think it was feeling a little bit better,” Verstappen explained. “But overall, [it was] quite a lonely race for me.” Although unable to catch Norris, Verstappen successfully saw off a late challenge from the second McLaren of Piastri. With 12 laps remaining, Verstappen had a comfortable 17-second lead over the McLaren. This increased to 21 seconds by the chequered flag.

“We improved quite nicely”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


‘No way’: Max Verstappen stunned after watching terrifying Lando Norris moment during Singapore Grand Prix win
Sun 22 September 2024 17:30
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Norris, Verstappen and Oscar Piastri watched the highlights of the race and as the Brit entered the room, Verstappen said: “At one stage I thought you were going to lap me!” Watching one of the Mercedes cars run wide, Norris remarked: “I did exactly the same.”

The trio then saw the clip of Norris locking his tyres going into turn 10 and all three drivers couldn’t believe how close he was to losing his front wing, with Verstappen simply saying, “No way!” “You should have released the brake a little bit there,” Verstappen concluded.

‘Scraping the barrier’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/max...rand-prix-win/


Verstappen admits Red Bull ‘need to bring more performance’ after being beaten by McLaren again
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Max Verstappen finished second to Lando Norris in Singapore and called on his team to close the performance gap to McLaren for the final six races of the year.

‘Bring more performance’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ve...10130709889171

Piastri: Difficult to “work some magic” in Singapore race.
Oscar Piastri admits that it will be difficult to “work some magic” and come through the field in the Singapore GP after a crucial mistake in qualifying left the McLaren Formula 1 driver fifth on the grid.
SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

The Australian was not as comfortable on Friday as team mate Lando Norris, but he reported that the car felt better from the start of FP3. He topped Q2, but when it mattered in Q3 he had wheelspin late in his last lap, and it was enough to send the tyre temperatures up and make the final corners difficult.

“I think through practice it was a big struggle, to be honest,” he said when asked by this writer about his session. I just had no pace. Through qualifying, I felt quite comfortable. I was feeling much better with the car, and in Q2 I was strong, even Q3. But just both my laps were terrible.”

“The last one was looking good, and a little bit quicker than what I managed in Q2, which would have put me well in the fight for pole. But I just had a bit of a moment towards the end of the lap. And with these tyres this weekend, if you have one little moment, it destroys your lap. So just very frustrating.”

“Work some magic”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/22/...ingapore-race/


Piastri: P3 ‘the most we could have hoped for’
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Oscar Piastri finished third from fifth on the grid on a night when McLaren sealed a 1-3 finish with Lando Norris taking victory under the lights in Singapore.

‘1-3 finish’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/pi...09695878092783


Damage limitation for Piastri in Singapore GP
Oscar Piastri admitted his drive to third in the Singapore Grand Prix was a case of damage limitation.
23 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

“[Qualifying] obviously wasn’t ideal, but today the aim was to get onto the podium,” Piastri said. “I think losing so much time behind the Mercedes in the first stint meant that that [third] was definitely the most we could have done, so walking away reasonably happy. I think it was a good damage limitation day today.”

“It was difficult for the last few laps of the stint, but until then I could tell that we had a good pace advantage over Mercedes,” Piastri explained. “And Lewis starting on the soft meant that I was never really going to try and push to get him early on. I knew that the race was going to come to me much later on, and that’s basically what we did.”

“When I was in the dirty air behind them, it was tough, as it always is, but I knew that we had a good pace advantage and that the longer we kept going the more opportunities we opened up for ourselves the bigger tyre difference we had. If there was a Safety Car then we could have capitalised on it, so I think we executed it very well.”

‘Damage limitation’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-mclare...ge-limitation/


Piastri highlights key McLaren call in Singapore ‘recovery’
Oscar Piastri ran an assured and risk-free race from fifth on the grid to third in the Singapore Grand Prix, thanking McLaren for the strategy that allowed him to pass both Mercedes' drivers en route to the podium.
23 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

Oscar Piastri has praised McLaren for employing the race strategy that allowed him to finish in the Singapore Grand Prix podium after a difficult qualifying session. The Australian started the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in fifth and ran long into the race. When he ultimately stopped for fresh rubber, he emerged behind the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who had both out-qualified him.

Whilst his team-mate had two scary moments en route to victory, Piastri kept it clean, opting for a low-risk approach after dispatching of the two Mercedes cars. "No, I kept it off them [the walls] this time, I don't think I hit anything," he explained after the 62-lap race. It was a bit close with George [Russell] at Turn 1, but once I got into third, I had a massive gap to try and close up, so I didn't wanna take too many risks. I feel like I've brushed enough walls in the last two weeks, so hopefully the mechanics don't have to change too many bits before next race."

‘Key McLaren call’;

https://racingnews365.com/piastri-hi...apore-recovery


Piastri pleased with podium recovery in Singapore as he helps McLaren strengthen constructors’ lead
23 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Oscar Piastri expressed his satisfaction at the “great result” of rising to the podium at the Singapore Grand Prix, after the McLaren driver started Sunday’s race down in fifth position via a difficult qualifying session. “I felt like we had a really quick car underneath us and a good strategy to get past the Mercedes. A big thank you to the team, the car was exceptional this weekend, and some great points for the whole team.”

‘Strengthen constructors’ lead’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...cMKNROeJgtx0u9


‘Getting old’: Sam Bird left amazed by ‘stunning’ Oscar Piastri moment during the Singapore Grand Prix
22 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Oscar Piastri puts a ‘stunning’ move on Lewis Hamilton. After dragging out his first stint on the medium tyres, Piastri stopped halfway through the race and re-joined in a net fifth place. Behind both Mercedes drivers, albeit with a considerable tyre life advantage on the hard compound, he closed seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton down almost immediately.

Launching an attack on the Brit around the outside of seven, he placed his car in the perfect position to claim fourth. Formula E race winner Sam Bird reserved high praise for the Australian driver. “The hard tyres of Lewis Hamilton are getting old now, that’s a stunning move from Oscar Piastri,” he said.

‘Stunning move’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/sam...re-grand-prix/


Oscar Piastri took ‘good lessons’ from Singapore F1 ‘damage limitation’
23 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Asked whether the third step on the rostrum was the maximum he could have achieved, Piastri, who was 20 seconds behind Verstappen, responded: “Yeah, I think so. Yeah, you know, yesterday obviously wasn’t ideal, but today the aim was to get onto the podium. I think losing so much time behind the Mercedes in the first stint meant that that was definitely the most we could have done.”

“So walking away reasonably happy. Of course, I’d prefer to be sat in the middle. But I think it was a good damage limitation day today. Even through the weekend, I was struggling quite a lot in practice and felt like I made a good step into qualifying. Didn’t execute as well as I needed to, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot through the weekend as well.”

“So even if the end result wasn’t exactly what I hoped, I think we’ve done a good job of maximising the points, especially for the team. It’s a massive points haul for us, and I feel like I’ve learned some good lessons for next year as well. All in all, reasonably happy.”

‘maximum he could have achieved’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...ge-limitation/


Piastri labels his Singapore race as “good damage limitation“
23 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Having secured a third place finish at the Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri went on to label his latest podium finish as a “good damage limitation.”

"Once I got past the Mercedes, Max was, I think, 20 seconds ahead, and I knew I was a lot quicker than the Mercedes, so the last 15 laps felt longer than the first 45. So yeah, it was a tough race, definitely. It always is here. But in some ways having the air blowing in your face and stuff like that is almost quite nice.”

"You know, the in-lap was actually probably... You know, when you stop concentrating so much and you don't have as much air in your face, it actually can feel worse. So definitely a tough evening, but that's what we're paid for.”

‘Having the air blowing in your face’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25535

Shaky George Russell moment emerges in untelevised footage after ‘borderline heatstroke’ in Singapore.
Untelevised footage from the Singapore Grand Prix has uncovered the moment Mercedes driver George Russell staggered as he made his way through parc ferme at the end of the race.
24 Sep 2024
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Footage captured by the onboard camera of Valtteri Bottas’s Sauber at the end of the gruelling 62-lap race has revealed the moment Russell staggered through parc ferme at the end of the race, at one stage pausing to rest his hands on the tyres of Bottas’s car and the car parked to its left.

Russell then shuffled forward a few yards before again resting his hand on the rear-left tyre of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, parked just ahead. The Singapore Grand Prix is widely regarded as one of the most physically demanding events on the F1 calendar, with the race held in stifling conditions.

Hamilton and Russell have both previously complained over team radio about a warm sensation emanating from their seats in the cockpit at various points during the F1 2024 season. The team later posted a clip to social media of a Mercedes staff member delivering a plate of food to a smiling Russell and Hamilton in the team’s hospitality unit in the Marina Bay paddock.

‘Borderline heatstroke’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...ore-grand-prix


Hamilton and Russell taken ill after Singapore GP
A physically tough Singapore Grand Prix took its toll on Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Singapore!
22 Sep 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell failed to appear for media duties following the Singapore Grand Prix due to falling ill after the race. Singapore's climate makes the grand prix around the Marina Bay Circuit one of the physically toughest of the year. Race-winner Lando Norris admitted that he was feeling “dizzy” while standing in parc ferme after jumping out of his car.

Drivers normally report to the TV and written media after the race - however the Mercedes duo skipped the commitments on medical grounds. “Unfortunately neither George or Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions of this evening’s race,” Mercedes confirmed.

‘Taken ill’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-a...r-singapore-gp


Wolff issues health update on Hamilton and Russell
Toto Wolff has provided further clarity on why Lewis Hamilton and George Russell missed their media duties after the Singapore Grand Prix.
22 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are both "fine" after the pair had to skip their post-Singapore Grand Prix media obligations. The Brackley-based team informed media including RacingNews365 that "unfortunately neither George or Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions of this evening’s race."

The message added: "We will however offer a quote from both of them in due course." After their efforts, Wolff explained to media including RacingNews365 that it was "overheating" that caused them to miss their duties. “they’re both suffering from the overheating, but they’re fine now, the Austrian said. "They put themselves in an ice bath, and I think that helped a bit”

‘Ice bath’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-issu...on-and-russell


Russell admits Mercedes was sold Singapore dream
George Russell has stated that a promising Saturday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit left Mercedes with the impression he could have achieved more than what was ultimately possible in the Singapore Grand Prix.
23 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

George Russell has claimed Mercedes' pace in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix made the team believe it could do better than the fourth-place finish he achieved. The 26-year-old started and ended the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in that position, after benefitting from Lewis Hamilton's alternate tyre strategy, but losing out to the pace of Oscar Piastri's McLaren.

"After a very difficult Friday, we would have likely taken P4 in the Grand Prix," Russell explained in a statement after missing his media duties. "Our pace in Qualifying, however, made us believe we could achieve more. "Today was no doubt a difficult race for us, both challenging in terms of our pace but also physically."

‘Could have achieved more’;

https://racingnews365.com/russell-ad...ingapore-dream


Wolff brands Singapore Grand Prix ‘a really painful, painful evening’ as he admits Mercedes just ‘too slow’
24 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Toto Wolff watched his drivers slog their way round the Marina Bay Street Circuit on a hot and humid evening in Singapore, with George Russell finishing where he started in fourth and Lewis Hamilton dropping three places to come home sixth.

“I think we’ve read the race wrong,” Wolff admitted. “We took a decision based on historic [data] that this race was basically a procession, Monaco-like and that the soft tyre would give [Hamilton] an opportunity at the start, basically the only overtaking opportunity.”

“And that was a decision that we all took together jointly, it felt like a good offset. But with the rear tyre deg we had, there was only one way and that was backwards. So, I think there was a logic behind it, but it was contrary to what we should have decided. But it doesn’t hide away from the fact that when the car is slow, you’re just slow.”

‘Painful, painful evening’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...MTNdO1ohnLcZER


Pirelli had talks with Russell after criticism
SEP 23, 2024
GrandPrix.com

Pirelli's F1 boss sought out George Russell for a chat over the Singapore GP weekend. A week ago, the Mercedes driver slammed the inconsistency of the tyres in Formula 1 today, claiming even Pirelli “don't understand them” and denouncing the product as not good enough.

“I always talk to the drivers because it's useful to understand better”, Mario Isola, Pirelli's F1 chief, is quoted by France's Auto Hebdo. “Obviously, in the heat of the moment after the (Baku) race, George had some things to say and we talked together.”

“But looking at the data from all the cars in Baku, we didn't find anything strange in terms of tyre performance.” The Italian said he thinks Russell might be misunderstanding why the performance of his car was so different from one set of tyres to the next.

‘Pirelli had talks with Russell’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/pirel...criticism.html


George Russell on Red Bull F1 2026 radar as Christian Horner faces Martin Brundle grilling
23 Sep 2024
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Christian Horner: “We’re having to look further down the road. We’ve got some great talent. We’ve got Liam Lawson on the bench. “Looking at the likes of [Franco] Colapinto, [Oliver] Bearman and Antonelli, is he at that level? Only time will tell. We’ve got Isack Hadjar in Formula 2, who’s been, until recently, leading that championship.”

“We’ve got a very exciting young talent that I’m particularly excited about in F3, Arvid Lindblad, so we’ve got depth in our junior program and that’s why there’s a natural gap now.” Horner added: “We just want to take time to consider what those options look like for the future – and we’re not afraid to go out of the pool.

“George Russell is out of contract at the end of the next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration. There are other drivers – talented drivers – that could well be out of contract as well.”

‘Red Bull F1 2026 radar’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...martin-brundle


Toto Wolff hits back at Christian Horner with brutal response after George Russell comment
Toto Wolff didn't mince his words when responding to Christian Horner's comments in Singapore.
Sep 23, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Toto Wolff has accused Christian Horner of "stirring s*** up" after the Red Bull team principal brought up George Russell’s name in a list of potential options for his team in the 2025 driver market.

Christian Horner: "George Russell is out of contract at the end of the next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration. There are other - talented drivers - that could well be out of contract as well."

When these comments were posed to Mercedes boss Wolff, the Austrian didn’t pull any punches. "Christian is always trying to stir s*** up. It’s part of the game. George is a Mercedes driver, has been forever and hopefully will be forever. We have a long contract with him."

"Stirring s*** up";

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ssell-Red-Bull

Leclerc hails Ferrari fightback from torrid Singapore GP qualifying.
Charles Leclerc hailed Ferrari's "really good race execution" that enabled him to claw his way up to fifth in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday after a disastrous qualifying session 24 hours earlier.
22/09/2024
France 24

"We maximised our potential today and our race execution was really good," said Leclerc, who still has an outside shot at the drivers' title. He is third in the standings, 34 points behind second-placed Norris and 85 adrift of leader Max Verstappen with six races and three sprints to go.

"Overall, it isn't the most satisfying weekend for us, but as a team, we can be proud of turning things around and bringing home this P5 today."

‘Leclerc hails Ferrari fightback’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-gp-qualifying


Leclerc’s race “all about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting”
23rd September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Leclerc spent the first 28 laps of his race trying to find a way past Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso. Once he finally broke free of them, he was able to secure a fifth-place finish. “It was very, very frustrating because I wished Nico and Fernando would pit earlier, but obviously they were doing their race and they have all the right to do so,” he told Viaplay.

“But that compromised ours because we were just stuck for 35 laps behind them and then it’s all about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and hoping that they don’t go too long on their stint, in order to then push on my tyres and come back towards the end. And that’s what we did. But we weren’t in a great position to do anything better.”

“All about waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/23/...nd-up-23-09-7/


Leclerc “loved” Singapore GP charge after early nightmare in traffic
23 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Charles Leclerc says he “loved” the second part of a Singapore GP that saw him charge to fifth place from ninth on the grid after his frustrating Q3 session. “Yeah, I did,” he said when asked by this writer if he’d enjoyed the race. “From the end of the first stint to the last laps, I loved it. The first 25 laps were a nightmare, because I was just a sitting duck behind Fernando and Nico.”

“And I was just hoping that they had to box very soon because of [the cars] behind, but it never really happened, and they went very long. And I just had to wait. But overall, it’s been a good race from that moment onwards. As soon as they pitted, we maximised our points. We just paid a little bit price of a bad quali yesterday.”

‘Charles Leclerc says he “loved” the second part of a Singapore GP’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/23/...re-in-traffic/


Leclerc looks to positives but Ferrari paid the price in Singapore
Leclerc managed to recover from P9 on the grid to finish fifth in Singapore
23 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

Charles Leclerc managed to find the positives and believes Ferrari maximised their performance in the 2024 Singapore GP, with a fifth-place finish all they could have asked for after a disastrous showing in qualifying.

“The last laps I loved it. The first 25 laps were a nightmare because I was just a sitting duck behind Fernando and Nico,” Leclerc told accredited members of the press, including Total-Motosport.com.

“I was just hoping that they had to pit very soon because I was behind, but it never really happened. They went very long so I just had to wait. Overall, it was a good race from that moment onwards. As soon as they pit we maximised our points, we just paid a little bit of the price for our qualifying yesterday.”

‘Looks to positives’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...-singapore-gp/


Charles Leclerc: Ferrari ‘paid the price’ for Singapore F1 qualifying setback
23 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc has conceded that he “paid the price” in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix for the qualifying setback which spoiled his and Ferrari‘s race prospects.

However, the marque’s hopes unravelled once the all-important Q3 session that determines the grid arrived as Carlos Sainz crashed while Leclerc propped up in ninth. Leclerc’s one attempt was deleted as he exceeded track limits at Turn 2, with the Ferrari driver incensed that low tyre temperatures had compromised his endeavours.

“Paid the price”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...fying-setback/


Ferrari rue qualifying disaster in F1 Singapore GP
23 Sep 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur rued a costly qualifying session that hurt Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s chances in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. “Friday we were in a better shape than fifth and seventh, so it means that we missed something during the weekend, it’s clear,” said Vasseur.

“But when you start in Singapore ninth and 10th, you know did something wrong on Saturday. It’s not the Sunday that we have to learn something. It’s more than to do a better job on Saturday.” Vasseur said that “the result of the weekend is not the one expected,” no doubt disappointed given Ferrari took victory in Singapore last year.

‘Ferrari rue qualifying disaster’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


Leclerc pinpoints key failing in Singapore ‘missed opportunity’
Charles Leclerc walked away from the Singapore Grand Prix with a fifth place result in a “missed opportunity” for Ferrari.
23 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

When asked if Singapore was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365: “I would say yes. But looking back at the pace of the McLaren, and of Max, I’m not sure how many points have we missed today.”

“George definitely, I think we had the car in order to finish in front. I didn’t check again the pace of everybody, but what I’ve heard about Lando’s pace, I don’t think we quite had that in the car, and I don’t know where the others were behind him.”

‘Missed opportunity’;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-pi...ed-opportunity


Singapore GP data: How the power of the overcut was used against Mercedes at Marina Bay
23 Sep 2024
Pablo Hidalgo
PlanetF1.com

Still to make the epic comeback was Leclerc. On lap 42, after being blocked by Alonso for three laps, the Ferrari driver finally managed to overtake the Spaniard. Ahead, Carlos Sainz in P6 was in a very different race situation to the Monégasque driver.

Ferrari ordered Sainz to swap positions with Leclerc on lap 43 and the Spaniard put up no opposition. Leclerc then had almost 20 laps to catch Hamilton who was 15 seconds ahead on tyres 19 laps older. And just as in the case of McLaren, with a car also superior to Mercedes in race pace. In just eight laps, Leclerc hunted Hamilton down to reach P5. The Ferrari driver then had another 11 laps to try and catch Russell who was eight seconds ahead.

Leclerc pushed as hard as he could with the hard tyre which started to degrade quickly from lap 55 onwards. The Monégasque reached Russell’s DRS zone on lap 58, but due to the high tyre wear and the difficulty to overtake on track in Singapore, he didn’t make it to P4.

‘The power of the overcut’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...harles+Leclerc

“Sometimes I wonder why I do this”: How Hamilton endured a slog to sixth in Singapore.
Toto Wolff: “Yeah Lewis sorry we gave the two of you a car that was just not good enough for you. And obviously we read the race wrong but I don’t think it would have made a difference, we were just too slow today.”
24th Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton’s frustration with his strategy in the Singapore Grand Prix became clear shortly after he was overtaken by his team mate George Russell. The pair shared the second row of the grid at the start. But Mercedes opted to put Hamilton on soft tyres, which led him to pit earlier than most of his rivals, three of whom passed him before the end of the race. He later said he was “so angry” with the decision. Here’s how his race unfolded on his radio.

“It’s going to be a tough afternoon…”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/24/...-in-singapore/


‘Perplexed, angry’ Lewis Hamilton reveals strategy 'battle' with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton was left "perplexed" by Mercedes' decision to split strategies at the Singapore Grand Prix.
24 Sep 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

But speaking at a Petronas sponsor event in Kuala Lumpur, Hamilton admitted Mercedes’ decision to start on softs “didn’t make sense to me”. “It wasn’t fun,” Hamilton said of the race. “We sat in our meeting in the morning ahead of the race and the night before they had already mentioned that they would like to split the cars.”

“I was a bit perplexed by it, because in the past when we’ve ever been in that position, if George has qualified well, like he normally does and I’m out of the top 10 or something, then we would split the strategies.”

“But when we were so close it didn’t make sense to me and so I battled as hard as I could to fight to go onto the medium tyre but the team continued to suggest that I start on the soft. When they took the tyre blankets off and everyone was on mediums…”

‘Perplexed, angry’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105644...attle-mercedes


Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes overruled plea to avoid Soft tyre in F1 Singapore GP
24 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Mercedes ignored his desperate plea to avoid starting the race on the Soft tyre at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton has divulged that he argued against the pre-race discussion to split strategies between the two Mercedes cars, but the team opted to overrule his concerns.

“We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race – actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars – and for me, I was a bit perplexed by it,” Hamilton said at an event in Kuala Lumpur with Mercedes sponsor Petronas.

‘Mercedes overruled plea’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-singapore-gp/


Lewis Hamilton tells Mercedes they are 'killing him' after bold Singapore GP tactic
Lewis Hamilton was unhappy with his Mercedes team at the Singapore Grand Prix.
Sep 22, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton complained that his Mercedes team were 'killing him' with a bold Singapore Grand Prix tyre strategy. The seven-time world champion improved his qualifying form to set up a P3 start for the race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and Mercedes went extra aggressive with their tyre selection.

Starting on the soft compound tyres with almost all of their rivals beginning on mediums, Hamilton was handed an excellent opportunity to overtake second-placed Max Verstappen at the race start. Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, he got a lot of wheelspin off the line and when he arrived at Turn One, he could only launch a half-hearted move on Verstappen, who held position.

‘Lewis Hamilton tells Mercedes they are 'killing him'!’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ore-Grand-Prix


Lewis Hamilton slams Mercedes decision that left him ‘perplexed’ in extremely awkward new interview after Singapore GP
The seven-time world champion was unimpressed...
24 Sep 2024
Tom Jenkins
SPORTbible

Lewis Hamilton has been left 'angry' and 'perplexed' by one decision Mercedes made during the Singapore GP where Hamilton saw himself slip from third on the grid to a sixth-placed finish. It was a disastrous grand prix for the man who lined up behind the leading two, as Hamilton saw Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, and his teammate George Russell come past him in the race.

Hamilton was the outlier at the front of the grid as he started the race on the soft tires while those around him opted for the medium. This decision meant Hamilton had to pit significantly earlier than his competitors, meaning he was essentially hung out to dry in the later stages of the race against cars with much faster tires.

Speaking at a Petronas event following the race, Hamilton pulled no punches as he slammed Mercedes' strategy all while sitting next to Russell.

“The night before they had already mentioned they would like to split the cars, I was a bit perplexed by it," he explained. Hamilton has been convincingly beaten 13-5 by Russell in qualifying so far in 2024, so the fact the 39-year-old was actually ahead of his teammate on the grid made the decision even more baffling.

‘Lewis Hamilton slams Mercedes decision’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/lewis-...54106-20240924


Mercedes got Hamilton’s Singapore GP strategy wrong, Wolff admits
24 Sep 2024
Keith Collantine

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described his team’s Singapore Grand Prix performance as “really painful” after they failed to capitalise on their second row lock-out. “Our strategy decisions in the race were determined by our experiences in the past here where track position is crucial,” Wolff explained. “We thought that the soft tyre would give Lewis an advantage at the start but that turned out to be the wrong decision.”

“With our challenges managing the rear surfaces, we went backwards. Overtaking proved possible, contrary to previous races here where it has been more processional, and in hindsight we should have started him on the medium.” However Wolff said the team’s core problem was its W15’s poor race pace. “We were too slow today,” he admitted.

“We are struggling at the moment with tracks that are hot and demanding on traction, like here and Baku, but that is no excuse. It is difficult for us to accept but we must do and find a way to improve.” Neither Mercedes driver spoke to the media after taking the chequered flag as the team said they needed time to “recover from the exertions of this evening’s race,” which is regularly one of the most punishing on the calendar.

‘Mercedes got Hamilton’s Singapore GP strategy wrong’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/22/...-wolff-admits/


Toto Wolff reveals race-destroying Mercedes mistakes at Singapore GP
Mercedes started third and fourth but converted that to fourth and sixth at the 2024 Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

“That was a really painful evening for us,” Wolff told Mercedes in a press release of their mistakes in Singapore. “P4 and P6 is not a good result after starting P3 and P4.

‘Race-destroying Mercedes mistakes’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/tot...-singapore-gp/


‘We had the doctors with them’ – Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffer ‘borderline heatstroke’ at Singapore GP
22 Sep 2024
Philip Duncan
The Irish Independent

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were both pulled from their planned media commitments following the Singapore Grand Prix with “borderline heatstroke”. “They would not have been able to go to the [television/print] pen. There were no bad feelings or any annoyance. It is just that we had the doctors with them. But they are all good.”

A Mercedes spokesperson added: “Unfortunately neither George or Lewis will be attending the media pen this evening as they recover from the exertions of this evening’s race.” Hamilton was later quoted in a Mercedes press release. “It is hard to describe the range of emotions you feel when we have a difficult race like that,” he said.

“This year continues to be a testing one for everyone, but we are all pushing as hard as we can. We don’t always get things right and that was the case today with our strategy. We all head into the weekend, and every decision we take, with the right intentions and sometimes it doesn’t work out. It can be frustrating, but we are all in this together.”

‘We had the doctors with them’;

https://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...900751253.html

Sainz: Singapore GP another “wasted opportunity” for Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz says that the Azerbaijan and Singapore GPs represented “a wasted opportunity” after he failed to capitalise on Ferrari’s strong form on street venues.
23 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

The Spaniard crashed while battling for the podium in Baku, and then went off again on cold tyres at the start of Q3 in Singapore. “I think in general, the last couple of races have been a bit of a wasted opportunity,” he said when asked by this writer about the outcome in Singapore.

“And I’m not happy with how the things have gone on these last two weekends. At the same time, you never know what there’s around the corner, and we might be surprised with how we can perform in Austin, Mexico, Vegas and these tracks.”

“So I’m going to keep myself optimistic six races left in this long year, but yeah, going to work on my weaknesses, and put myself in a better position for the last six races. So I’m hopeful that we can qualify a bit further up, like we were doing at the beginning of the year. And that makes the whole weekend a lot easier.”

“Wasted opportunity”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/23/...y-for-ferrari/


Carlos Sainz gives Red Bull ‘in our sights’ warning as Constructors’ battle tightens
23 Sep 2024
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Carlos Sainz said Ferrari have Red Bull “in our sights” as the team look to hunt down the reigning champions for second place in the table. With McLaren looking likely to extend their lead at the top, Sainz reckons their best shot is to go after Red Bull.

“McLaren definitely have the upper hand,” Sainz said. “They are the favourites for winning it. We still have Red Bull in our sights, and obviously McLaren, if they start going south or they start having problems we need to keep ourselves in.”

“I think it would show good resilience by the team,” Sainz said of a possible P2 finish. “After a tough part of the year where we gave up a lot of points and a lot of development curve. But Red Bull are going to come back strong with the upgrades, I think at the end of the season once they’ve understood what they got wrong. Also with their car it’s not going to be easy to beat them either.”

‘In our sights’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...ructors-battle


Sainz has regrets after another "wasted opportunity" for Ferrari
24 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

los Sainz is left rueing wasted chances for Ferrari after a worse-than-expected result in Azerbaijan and Singapore. In 2023, Red Bull won 21 out of 22 Grands Prix. Sainz was the driver to end that streak of wins at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, holding off McLaren and Mercedes in the final few laps of the race. In 2024, Ferrari looked strong during Friday practice in Singapore by competing with Norris' best times. The Italian team was leapfrogged overnight by Max Verstappen…

Sainz knows what he wants to improve on going into those final six events. "Just try and feel a bit more confident going into Turn 1 and qualifying, because clearly, these last few weekends haven't been the best approach. I'm hopeful that we can qualify a bit further up, like we were doing at the beginning of the year, and that makes the whole weekend a lot easier," he added.

"Wasted opportunity";

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30334...singapore.html


Carlos Sainz reveals scale of Ferrari tyre ‘homework’ amid Singapore F1 struggles
25 Sep 2024
James Phillips
Motorsport Week

Carlos Sainz has admitted that Ferrari has a lot of “homework” to do to get on top of the tyre problems that blighted its weekend at Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix. Sainz has admitted that the narrow operating window of the current Pirelli compound is something that Ferrari must aim to get a handle on to avoid similar setbacks.

“I think what keeps being a bit of a trend this year is that we have a very narrow window for the tyres to perform in our car this year,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week. “I think last year our car switched on the tyres whenever we wanted. This year seems to be a very fine line between getting them in the right window or not.”

“So, yeah, we’re trying to figure that out from my side. I’m gonna focus during these next few weeks to see what I can do for the last six races to make that less of a limitation or less of a weakness and put ourselves further up, because then the race pace is always strong. So some homework to do on that side.”

‘Lot of “homework” to do’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-f1-struggles/


FIGHTING BACK
22 Sep 2024
Ferrari - Official Site

Singapore 22 September 2024: The Scuderia Ferrari HP team and its drivers ran another perfectly executed race in Singapore. Charles managed to make up four places to finish fifth and Carlos Sainz, taking part today in his 200th Grand Prix, finished five places higher than he started, seventh after dropping down to 12th off the line.

Carlos Sainz #55 : “It was a challenging race. We took a risk by pitting very early, but we made it work to the end, gaining some positions. We knew our pace was solid and I enjoyed some good overtakes on track. Today was about damage limitation, but we leave Singapore with a sense of disappointment. Now there is a gap to reset and come back stronger for the last races of the season. There are still a lot of points in play and we need to maximise every weekend.”

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari HP: “I’m very pleased with how we performed today, less so with Saturday. We had a good strategy, good race management and we ran a very strong race on both sides of the garage. Carlos had a difficult start after which he showed good pace and in the closing stages.”

‘Ran another perfectly executed race’;

https://www.ferrari.com/en-GB/formul...ractice-report

Alonso smashes expectations again: 'Nothing showed it was possible'.
Fernando Alonso: "Today, finishing eighth is a bit better than our best dreams. We are just lucky we got points but it was possible to be P15. I think we should be 15th and 16th. We are eight, two seconds behind the Ferrari. I don't know if I can do more,"
25 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

A regular issue in the 2024 season is also present at Aston Martin. The team have brought upgrades to tracks, but sometimes, it was for the better to take them off their car. "I think apart from one team, everybody's putting upgrades on, removing part of them or removing them all, going back to a previous pack. The subject is not an easy one. I wish we would be in a different position. But we are not. Maybe the others have also understood quicker than we did? We have to be self-critical. We cannot, these results that we have here should not hide the fact we are not where we want to be."

According to Krack, his Spanish driver was indeed correct, as he outperformed the numbers at the Asian circuit. "Yes, at the end of the day we have our numbers and we do our pre-race estimations. Now in Baku obviously he finished higher up because there was attrition. But today, and again, full transparency, none of our estimations were predicting that we could finish where we finished," he declared, praising the driver.

‘Alonso smashes expectations again’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30347...e-gp-2024.html


Alonso: ‘Eighth is better than we expected’
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Fernando Alonso finished P8 for Aston Martin in Singapore – but called on the team to find performance quickly to get them closer to the front runners.

‘Find performance quickly’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/al...09194385066065


Alonso: Singapore P8 finish “better than our best dreams”
24 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Fernando Alonso says his eighth place for Aston Martin in the Singapore GP was “better than our best dreams,” while stressing that the Silverstone team has to “raise the level.” The Spaniard agreed that he couldn’t have done any better with the car he had. “Absolutely, I think behind the top four teams, just in front of Checo,” he said. “So normally it’s ninth and 10th available today.”

He added: “I just tried to follow Nico and tried to undercut him at one point. But the Ferraris should have won this race probably, they were the fastest car this weekend. So it wasn’t my race. I think now we need to raise the level,” he said. “We have some new parts coming in the next few races, hopefully they help us to come back to a stronger performance.”

“Better than our best dreams”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/24/...r-best-dreams/


Fernando Alonso did something none of Aston Martin’s ‘simulations’ predicted during Singapore Grand Prix
23 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Aston Martin admitted that reaching Q3 might be a challenge, but Fernando Alonso took advantage of poor sessions for Mercedes and Ferrari to reach P7 on the grid. Alonso managed to hold off Charles Leclerc in the opening stages of the race, but the Ferrari driver passed him just before Aston Martin decided to pit him for his first stop.

The Spaniard would go on to lose positions to Carlos Sainz but managed to stay ahead of Sergio Perez and finish a few seconds off the Ferrari in P8. Team principal Mike Krack said he exceeded their expectations when speaking to Motorsport-Total. Aston Martin expected they would tumble down the order and outside of the points-paying positions, based on their simulations showing they were only the eighth fastest car over the weekend.

“We should have finished in P15 and P16. That’s what the simulations tell us, because we are passed out as the seventh or eighth team. But we are eight, two seconds behind a Ferrari,” said Alonso. Alonso took his team by surprise by holding off Leclerc in the early stages after overtaking Nico Hulkenberg at the start, which ultimately enabled him to stay inside the top ten and exceed their expectations.

‘Based on simulations, only the eighth fastest car’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...re-grand-prix/


Street circuits ‘cannot hide lack of performance’ says Alonso as Aston Martin lose ground to rivals
24 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

“Eighth is better than we expected coming here to Singapore,” the former world champion said. “Obviously the qualifying yesterday was very encouraging and starting P7, we were dreaming that P8/P9 was possible and at the end we achieved it.”

“Good strategy from the team – we were behind Nico, we undercut on Lap 23 and we managed to overtake him, so overall I think eighth was the maximum. Now we have a little break before Austin and we have to find some performance in the car. We’ve been losing a little bit of ground compared to the top teams and we are in the middle of the midfield. We want to change this situation.”

“Good strategy from the team”;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...z0I1VzDuj9NUdf


Aston Martin must improve before Newey arrives says Alonso
25 Sep 2024
GrandPrix.com

Newey's first Aston Martin will be the 2026 car for the all-new regulations. “I think 2026 is in our heads for everyone at Aston”, Alonso, 43, told DAZN. "The biggest hope is the arrival of Adrian Newey, Enrico Cardile and a few other names.”

“This is going to be great and the future looks bright, but what we are doing now is not good enough. We have to change the pace in 2025”, he insisted. “I'm currently putting all my effort in to overcome the lack of pace we have”, said Alonso.

"A lot of work was done between Baku and Singapore. After practice we left the computers at two in the morning. We have increased the workload to find answers more than ever before.”

‘Putting all my effort in’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/aston...ys-alonso.html


Alonso hoping for 'nice surprise' with Newey influence
Adrian Newey will start working for Aston Martin at the start of March next year.
25 Sep 2024
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

When asked if Newey can influence next season's Aston Martin, Alonso told select media including RacingNews365: "I would like to say yes, but honestly, I don't think so. March ‘25, I think the focus for most of the teams will be the ‘26 projects and the change of regulations. You start in March, and until you know everybody, you take your place in the factories, it’s April or May.”

"And I don't think that it's worth spending too much [time] on the ‘25 campaign unless you are fighting for the championship. I hope we have a nice surprise, but I doubt it. So I think the ‘26 project should be the first car that he has an influence."

‘March ‘25, I think the focus for most of the teams will be the ‘26 projects’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-hop...ewey-influence


‘Time’ A Factor For Elusive Third Title Claims Alonso
Sep 26, 2024
F1 Chronicle

The Spaniard said he was so keen for Adrian Newey to sign for Aston Martin that he texted the 65-year-old, met with him, and even offered a chunk of his sizeable salary to potentially increase team owner Lawrence Stroll’s financial offer.

According to the team’s commercial and marketing director Jefferson Slack, 2026 will probably be too early for a championship challenge from Aston Martin. “Newey will certainly be a big help for 2026 to be fighting for wins, and I think in 2027 we will be fighting for world championships,” he is quoted as saying by Diario Sport newspaper.

Alonso, currently 43, will turn 46 in the middle of 2027. “Step by step,” he said, “we have all we need to have that first race win and hopefully fighting for championships in the future. But I’m aware that this takes time and I don’t have that time in a way.”

‘So keen for Adrian Newey to sign… … even offered a chunk of his sizeable salary’;

https://f1chronicle.com/time-a-facto.../?nowprocket=1

Lawson: RB told me two weeks ago I would replace Ricciardo.
Liam Lawson says he has known for the past two weeks he would make his return to Formula 1 in the next race in Austin.
26th Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

“It now finally does feel real, obviously I knew about it for the last, probably, two weeks, but until it’s out there to the world, it obviously doesn’t ever really feel set in stone,” he told the New Zealand Herald. “I couldn’t tell anybody.”

“It had been the plan for a long time now, where this was where I was leading,” he added. “Obviously I had a contract date that needed to be fulfilled so basically it was going towards this way, and then a couple of weeks ago they told me this is what was going to happen. And then basically not long after that, it was set in stone.”

“Singapore was definitely not an enjoyable weekend for me just because obviously we all knew what was coming,” he said. “At the same time, Daniel has always been very good to me in a lot of ways when I drove last year. Even this season, he’s always been somebody that I’ve never felt in competition with him or anything like that. He never made it feel like that.”

‘Known for the past two weeks’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/26/...ace-ricciardo/


The rise and fall of Daniel Ricciardo: F1 title contender turned struggling star
26 Sep 2024
Cambridge Kisby
Motor Sport Magazine

For several years, Ricciardo was seen as a potential F1 world champion, with pace complemented by an uncanny sense of the braking limit, which enabled him to pull off impossible-looking banzai overtaking manoeuvres. The contrast between his cheery personality and aggressive on-track moves earned him the nickname ‘Honey Badger’

But after leaving Red Bull, where he gave Max Verstappen a run for his money, Ricciardo never again hit the same career highs, as he struggled with inferior cars and ultimately with questions over his competitiveness.

Eight race wins, three pole positions and 32 podium finishes to his name illustrate Ricciardo’s underlying ability, and close friendships with former team-mates, fellow drivers and team bosses demonstrate his unique likability. But now the 35 year old expected to be replaced by Liam Lawson at RB with six races remaining in the 2024 season. With little chance at a seat elsewhere, this looks to be Ricciardo’s final farewell.

‘Rise and fall’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Crucial reason pinpointed for Daniel Ricciardo’s cruel F1 decline
New theory may explain Daniel Ricciardo's downfall in competitiveness
26 Sep 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Daniel Ricciardo’s inability to cope with the latest generation of Formula 1 car has been cited as a major reason for his downfall. “The cars that he drove so unbelievably well were a different philosophy of car,” said journalist Sam Power from Australia’s Channel 10 on the F1 Nation podcast.

“The 2022 regs that came in are incredibly stiffly sprung, a very flat floor. Previously he was used to an Adrian Newey car which was high rake, quite a lot of roll. Very different. We have often heard about him trying to adapt his driving style. I’d hazard a guess that it’s a mismatch to the 2022 cars and their general philosophy, more than anything.”

Ricciardo’s pomp at Red Bull was never relived in stints at Renault, McLaren and AlphaTauri/RB. He originally lost his F1 drive when McLaren ditched him but missed only half-a-season before Red Bull rescued his career and threw him into their AlphaTauri seat. Ricciardo initially impressed but an injury allowed Lawson to briefly deputise - and show the world his obvious potential.

‘Crucial reason’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105643...uel-f1-decline


Marko reflects on Ricciardo's 'prodigal son' failure
Daniel Ricciardo had a Red Bull return in his sights but the "killer instinct" was gone, according to Helmut Marko.
26 Sep 2024
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has accused Daniel Ricciardo of losing his "killer instinct" that resulted in the return of "the prodigal son" turning into a failure. Speaking to Motorsport-Total, Marko said. "Then he didn't have a winning car at either Renault or McLaren. He did win at Monza [2021 Italian GP], but those were special circumstances.”

"I don't know what exactly happened, because if we knew, we would have helped him. But the speed and, above all, this late braking, and then he goes left or right... in these last few years he tried but it was no longer there, the killer instinct was gone."

Explaining that the timing of Ricciardo's departure announcement was "related to a variety of factors and obligations," he added: "He was informed, and the worthy farewell performance was, I think, the fastest lap. "That still showed what potential he has, not continuously and not at the level that would have justified him coming to Red Bull Racing, but that was an impeccable performance.”

‘Ricciardo's 'prodigal son' failure’;

https://racingnews365.com/marko-refl...al-son-failure


‘We all have bad times’: Why Guenther Steiner wasn’t ‘happy’ after watching one of Daniel Ricciardo’s last interviews
26 Sep 2024
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Guenther Steiner was saddened by one Daniel Ricciardo interview at Singapore Grand Prix. Ricciardo saw any realistic hope of scoring points dashed in qualifying. He suffered a Q1 exit for the sixth time this season, taking P16 on the grid. Watching on from the garage, Liam Lawson knew Ricciardo would be knocked out. The car was quick enough for Q3, with Tsunoda qualifying eighth.

Ricciardo is an eight-time Grand Prix winner who has racked up 32 podiums. He’s also an immensely popular figure in the paddock, but it was clear to Steiner that he’d reached a low point. He told Champ1: “I saw the interview with him after qualifying on TV in Singapore and I wasn’t really happy anymore. We all have good times, we all have bad times, we’re all just human. You have to respect that he won races. I like him. Danny is a great guy. He’s done a lot.”

‘Saddened’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...st-interviews/


Christian Horner speaks out on Daniel Ricciardo as VCARB exit confirmed
26 Sep 2024
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Christian Horner paid tribute to Daniel Ricciardo following the announcement he will be replaced at VCARB for the remainder of the season. “From the moment you arrived at Red Bull it was obvious you were so much more than just a driver,” Horner wrote on Instagram. “Your constant enthusiasm, sense of humour and attitude will leave an indelible legacy on the Team here in Milton Keynes and F1 as a whole.

“Thank you for the wins, smiles, songs (and I wish I could say the shoeys), you will always be a special part of the Red Bull Family. 8 wins, 32 podiums, 1329 points. These statistics and accolades are not the only measure of who you are and what you have achieved. Thank you Daniel.”

‘Tribute’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...-exit-reaction


Daniel Ricciardo pens emotional F1 farewell message after brutal Red Bull axe
Daniel Ricciardo's F1 career is all but over after he was let go by Red Bull's junior team RB, with the Australian understandably emotional in the wake of his exit
26 Sep 2024
Jacob Leeks Senior Sports Reporter
The Mirror

"I’ve loved this sport my whole life. It’s wild and wonderful and been a journey. To the teams and individuals that have played their part, thank you," Ricciardo wrote in an Instagram post of himself in his racing overalls with his back to the camera.

"To the fans who love the sport sometimes more than me haha thank you. It’ll always have its highs and lows but it’s been fun and truth be told I wouldn’t change it. Until the next adventure.”

RB Team Principal, Laurent Mekies thanked the driver for his efforts. “Everyone here at VCARB would like to thank Daniel for his hard work across the last two seasons with us. He has brought a lot of experience and talent to the Team with a fantastic attitude, which has helped everyone to develop and foster a tight team spirit," Mekies said.

‘Farewell message’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-exit-33762775


VCARB welcome Lawson after saying goodbye to 'gentleman Ricciardo'
26 Sep 2024
Jeroen Immink
GPblog.com

VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies reacted Daniel Ricciardo's departure and the arrival of Liam Lawson to his team, after the driver change was announced on Thursday afternoon, the team report. The Frenchman sympathises with Ricciardo, and welcomed Lawson's at the Faenza-based formation.

Mekies is delighted at the arrival of Lawson. The New Zealander will be Yuki Tsunoda 's teammate and will once again drive Formula One in Austin. " I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Liam. He already knows the Team well. He drove for us last season, and coped well under difficult circumstances, so it’ll be a natural transition."

"It’s great to see young talent from within the Red Bull family make the next step. We’re looking forward to getting our heads down and focusing on the rest of the season together," Mekies concluded.

‘VCARB welcome Lawson’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30370...am-lawson.html

Hulkenberg happy to score points for Haas after ‘stressful’ race in Singapore.
Nico Hulkenberg finished P9 to grab two vital points for Haas, after keeping Red Bull’s Sergio Perez behind him for the second half of the race.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Happy to score points’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/hu...06498526547347


Singapore Grand Prix: Race Recap
September 22, 2024
Haas F1 Team - Official Site

Hulkenberg took the start from sixth place on Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires and maintained position after battling against McLaren’s Oscar Piastri through the opening sector. The German came in on lap 29 for White hard tires and ceded positions to the recovering Scuderia Ferrari drivers, as well as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Hulkenberg took the checkered flag in ninth position to add two valuable points to MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s 2024 tally, marking the third successive race in the points for the team. Nico Hulkenberg: “I’m happy to get points. There are a few things to look into and review from our side, but otherwise a clean race. It wasn’t very eventful but it was very stressful keeping the Red Bull behind for the whole of the second stint, it was tough to bring it home.”

“We managed to do so, and I’m happy, this is a bit of redemption for last week. We’ve been there or thereabouts many times this season, and it’s not the first time we’ve pulled it off. We put ourselves in a good position yesterday with quali which was another key point. I had a clean start, a clean race, and it’s important that we got those points.”

‘Race Recap’;

https://www.haasf1team.com/news/sing...x-race-recap-5


2024 Singapore Grand Prix: Brilliant rear angle view as Hulkenberg passes Piastri on the race start
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

The rear angle camera from George Russell’s car captured the race start as Nico Hulkenberg managed to pass Oscar Piastri while several other cars ran off track in the midfield scuffle for places.

‘Hulkenberg passes Piastri on the race start’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...99430201560478


‘I don’t care if it’s a Red Bull’ – Hulkenberg reflects on defensive Singapore drive as he bags more Haas points
25 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Nico Hulkenberg explained that securing points is his main priority no matter which cars are around him, after he added two more to Haas’s 2024 tally in the tight midfield battle. Whilst the quicker McLaren got back past, Hulkenberg did well to keep Fernando Alonso at bay until the Aston Martin got the better of him in the pit stops.

As the physically demanding race neared its close, he was forced to relentlessly defend from the threat of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull to secure some incredibly valuable points for the team. “Obviously happy to get points, that’s what matters,” he said after the race. “From that point of view, it was good. There’s a few things to look into and review in terms of strategy but otherwise, clean race.”

“[It was] not very eventful, but stressful keeping the Red Bull at bay for the whole second stint. It was tough to bring it home with the tyres and everything but we managed, so happy and a bit of a redemption from last week.”

‘I don’t care if it’s a Red Bull’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...YwEJLSm48iTxzj


Hulkenberg: Singapore points “redemption” for Baku mistake
25 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Hulkenberg did a good job to keep Perez at bay. Nico Hulkenberg says his ninth place in Singapore for the Haas Formula 1 team was a form of “redemption” after his mistake late in the previous race in Azerbaijan. In Singapore Hulkenberg made amends by qualifying sixth and finishing ninth, having held off Perez for many laps.

Hulkenberg played down the fact that he’d beaten Perez’s Red Bull. “I think we’ve been there thereabouts many times this season,” he said. “It’s not the first time we pulled it off. I think obviously, we put ourselves in a really good position already yesterday with quali. That was also one of the key points. I had a good start and a clean race. So I don’t care if it’s a Red Bull or who it is, it’s important that we get those points.”

“Redemption”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/25/...-baku-mistake/

‘Elbows out’: Christian Horner shares what Sergio Perez did in Singapore that was ‘hugely important’ for Red Bull.
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner knows that the autumn break ahead of the final six race weekends of the season are going to be vital for his team.
24 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Christian Horner lauds ‘hugely important’ Sergio Perez moment during the Singapore Grand Prix. Channel 4 co-host David Coulthard mentioned to Horner that Perez seemed to be held up in the midfield after a difficult qualifying session and asked him about his feedback, to which the Red Bull team principal replied:

“Well, he had a good first lap. He got his elbows out, made a couple of decent passes, but then he just got stuck. He struggled with traction; he couldn’t get off the corners where he needed to get into an overtaking position so that was frustrating for him. He got a point out of it; they’re all going to add up at the end of the year, so that’s hugely important.”

‘Elbows out’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/chr...-for-red-bull/


Sergio Perez highlights reasons behind F1 Singapore GP Q2 exit
21 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Sergio Perez has attributed his Q2 elimination in qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix to set-up changes that took his Red Bull Formula 1 car in the “wrong direction”. Perez was endeavouring to build on an encouraging weekend in Azerbaijan last time out that had him on track to take a podium until a late collision with Carlos Sainz.

“I don’t know, Q1 was looking really nice and smooth, I actually had a mistake on my lap into Turn 1 where I lost around two-three tenths. But I just went slower in Q2, I felt I was sliding a lot more, couldn’t get the tyre up to temperature. It was just very, very tricky, very tricky afternoon.”

“Yeah, to me in Q2 I had issues with the brakes and the tyres, I think the brakes were running too hot and I was lacking quite a lot of bite from them,” he explained. “And the tyres were absolutely nowhere in Q2, the two laps I did I just had no grip at all, was super tricky.” However, the Mexican believes the greatest aspect behind his premature exit was alterations to the set-up on his RB20 overnight which made the car’s balance worse.

“No grip at all, was super tricky”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...re-gp-q2-exit/


F1 News: Red Bull Engineers Acknowledge Oversight as Perez Faces Performance Woes
Sep 21, 2024
William Frost Athlon Sports
The Fresno Bee

Moving Forward: Optimism for the Future. As the season unfolds, Perez holds onto optimism regarding a potential turnaround. After nearly clinching a podium finish in Baku-only to collide with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz-he candidly remarked, "We had the pace to win... I think we definitely were in the mix for the win." He firmly believes that ongoing enhancements and adjustments within the team can bring them back on track for better performances.

The upcoming races will be crucial for Perez, racing with updated specifications on his car that reflect the team's commitment to mending past issues. When asked about the outlook for overcoming the season's challenges, he shared a hopeful sentiment: "If we're able to confirm what we've done in Baku… our season can take a U-turn, a massive U-turn and still finish strongly."

‘Red Bull Engineers Acknowledge Oversight’;

https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/art...mainstage_card


Perez blames “something funny with the tyres” after “nightmare” qualifying
21st Sep 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

“I think we had good preparation through Q1, but in Q2 there was something going funny with the tyres,” he told the official F1 channel. I just couldn’t get them in the window, the rear axle. “I was struggling quite a lot with it. It was just so peaky, that just a little tickle on the car on the balance will make a huge difference. Unfortunately, we are knocked out. It hasn’t been a straightforward weekend. I think we lost some potential from yesterday, so there plenty of stuff to analyse.”

Perez went on to finish eighth last year, but he suspects rising through the field will be a challenge on Sunday. “It’s very difficult to overtake out there,” he said. “So it’s going to be a tricky, tricky race tomorrow. Once again, I think trying to score some points, minimise the damage, will be the target.”

“Something funny with the tyres”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/21/...re-qualifying/


Perez brands his Singapore Grand Prix ‘a complete disaster’ as he comes home P10
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was brutally honest about his weekend in Singapore as he picks up the final point on offer.

‘Complete disaster’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/pe...07884280478225


Sergio Perez calls for Red Bull upgrades after “total nightmare”
Sergio Perez says Red Bull need to bring further upgrades to their car to compete with McLaren.
22 Sep 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

“Unfortunately we were just not able to maximise the result today,” Perez told Sky Sports F1. "It was a shame. “It’s now time to look forward to the next races of the season because today was a total nightmare, a disaster with the balance. I struggled a lot.” Perez felt Red Bull kept him out too long before pitting him in the hope they might capitalise on a potential Safety Car which never arrived. “In hindsight we probably went on too long, unfortunately, and that meant we lost out,” he added.

“I think we need a good upgrade,” Perez admitted. “The coming tracks should be better for us, so hopefully we are able to have a better package coming up.” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Max drove a strong race today and P2 was what we had. If you consider where we were a few weeks ago the progress is visible, and we have the better part of a month to put our heads down and make some progress before we head to Austin. There will be a lot of late nights in Milton Keynes.”

‘Late nights’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105640...otal-nightmare


Perez brands his Singapore GP a ‘complete disaster’ after struggling to progress beyond P10
23 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Come race day, Perez’s prospects initially looked promising after gaining three positions on the opening lap. However, he was unable to make much further ground from there and ended the day in 10th place, taking just one point in the process.

Asked later on if he was disappointed to not make faster progress during the Grand Prix, Perez answered: “Yes, I think also the strategy, looking at it, when you see where Carlos [Sainz] finished [in P7 from P10 on the grid], probably we lost an opportunity to make more progress and undercut more people. Once we were on a similar tyre age behind Nico [Hulkenberg], it was… that was pretty much it.”

Pushed on how frustrating it had been to spend much of the race stuck behind the Williams of Franco Colapinto, the 34-year-old said: “It was a very… it was a disaster, complete disaster. We had a good Lap 1, we were up to P10 and that’s basically where we finished, so a bit of a shame in that regard.”

“Once we were on a similar tyre age… … that was pretty much it”;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...eiL8fieWj61DWU


Christian Horner urges Sergio Perez: "We need two drivers firing on all cylinders"
"I think that we need to have two drivers firing on all cylinders."
25 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Reflecting on Perez’s race, Horner told media in Singapore: “Checo, he was stuck around Hulkenberg for basically 30 laps. Yeah, I mean, Checo had a good first lap. He qualified out of position, and then he just really struggled to overtake.”

“He was struggling a little for traction in the areas where you want the traction out of Turn 3 and onto the back straight. But, yeah, you know, that was what he could manage today.” Horner wants more from Perez. “I think that we need to have two drivers firing on all cylinders,” he added.

“Checo had a good weekend last weekend. He had a tough weekend this weekend. We need to put some weekends together where you can see where McLaren are putting two drivers on the podium. It’s those big points that really make a difference. So, you know, we need to make sure that Checo goes as far off the field as we can get it, in terms of finding the right direction.”

‘Struggling a little for traction’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105646...-all-cylinders

Damon Hill sends five-word message to Franco Colapinto after ‘impressive’ Singapore Grand Prix.
Damon Hill: “Another impressive weekend from Franco.”
22 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers

Damon Hill happy to see ‘another impressive weekend’ from Franco Colapinto. The most impressive aspect about Colapinto in Singapore was his performance against teammate Alex Albon.

He has been very close to him in pace since joining the team and was finally able to get the better of him at the Singapore Grand Prix before Albon retired. Former Formula 1 champion Damon Hill knows a thing or two about extracting good results from Williams cars having claimed a championship with them in 1996.

“Another impressive weekend from Franco”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...re-grand-prix/


Franco Colapinto reacts to Sergio Perez F1 praise in Singapore
26 Sep2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Perez, stuck behind Colapinto until he a pitted on Lap 28, lauded the Argentine’s defensive abilities mid-race over team radio. “He’s very good, difficult to pass” said the Mexican.

High praise indeed from F1‘s minister of defence, to which Colapinto told media including Motorsport Week: “Checo [Perez] is a super nice guy.”

“I grew up watching him racing in F1. Waking up early in Argentina and supporting him as a driver from Mexico, closest to us. It was really nice supporting him and it’s even better racing him.”

‘High praise’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-in-singapore/


PALMER: After his first three races Franco Colapinto is looking right at home in F1, so is he the real deal?
Former F1 Driver
25 Sep 2024
Jolyon Palmer
Formula One - Official Site

I said after Franco Colapinto’s impressive debut in Monza that Baku and Singapore would be tougher challenges and better tests for the rookie driver – and my word how he has excelled.

Baku is a fast street circuit with overtaking opportunities on a low downforce track, while Singapore is arguably the most gruelling track on the calendar, as the drivers battle heat and humidity on a more bumpy and twisty street circuit. Through three very different races now Colapinto has shown his Formula 1 performance in Monza was no flash in the pan.

‘Looking right at home in F1’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...YPYGSWNQ1f1u2L


'Can't stress': Jolyon Palmer highlights most ‘impressive’ thing Franco Colapinto did in Singapore Grand Prix
27 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Colapinto criticised Williams for their strategy in Singapore after dropping behind Sergio Perez and finishing 1.6s off the Red Bull at the finish line. Feeling he clearly had the pace, the Argentine said the team should have anticipated the undercut strategy. Palmer highlighted that while Red Bull had a superior pit stop, Colapinto made an error that cost him time. “The fact he was actually dropping Perez before his pit stop speaks volumes as well of his race pace,” said Palmer.

“The only thing that let him down was the Mexican’s undercut, which came partly by Red Bull having a superior pit stop to Williams, but also partly by a small mistake on Colapinto’s in lap which cost him some critical time, so clearly there are still some details for the Argentine to learn.” Despite missing out on another points finish, Colapinto earned further praise from Palmer for his heroics in the last three races.

“But overall I can’t stress how impressive this three-race start has been for a driver nobody expected to be in Formula 1 at all this year. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone surprise me with the level of their early performances as much as Colapinto has and logic says it must be securing his future in the sport,” said Palmer.

'Can't stress';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jol...re-grand-prix/


Sainz questions 'banzai' Colapinto overtake
Franco Colpainto gained several positions at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix by moving up the inside of a number of cars into the first corner.
24 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Sainz stated he enjoyed a strong starting from 10th on the grid but was demoted one spot in the opening corners as he hit out at Colapinto's overtaking manoeuvre. “Honestly, starting from the dirty side, I actually got a decent start,” Sainz told media including RacingNews365.

“But going into Turn 1, I think there was a Williams doing a bit of a banzai move. Obviously, with how much we have to play in the championship, I had to take avoiding action. And if not, I would have probably had a big contact from the Williams.”

'Banzai';

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-ques...pinto-overtake


Alex Albon retracts view on Franco Colapinto F1 Singapore GP incident
24 Sep 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Alex Albon has retracted his initial view on the “divebomb” manoeuvre that Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto made in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Indeed, at the start of the Singapore GP, Colapinto surged up the inside of Turn 1, going from 12th to ninth as Albon was caught on the outside, dropping to 15th. “I don’t know how it looked on the outside, but I think it was more just that no one could turn into the corner,” Albon said post-race.

“So, everyone concertinaed and basically had to go straight at turn one. I was on the outside and I paid the price. I mean nothing really to criticise. It was just a bit unfortunate I was the one on the other side of the corner.”

‘Alex Albon has retracted his initial view on the “divebomb” manoeuvre’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...e-gp-incident/


Vowles defends Colapinto on “divebomb” Singapore GP start
26 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

The Argentine rookie made a move down the inside that led to several drivers running wide and losing places in the scramble round the first couple of corners. His own team mate Alex Albon claimed on team radio that he had been “divebombed” by the youngster, although he was less critical after the race. However Carlos Sainz called it a “Banzai move”.

“We have Alex at the front of the field dropping back as a result of the start,” said Vowles of the incident. “He wasn’t sure what was happening with both Ferraris and Franco, and took evasive action. Franco stayed on his line, but I understand entirely why Alex did that, and he lost too many positions at that point.”

Vowles insisted that Colapinto was in control at the first corner. “The start of the race is nothing that you plan in advance,” he said. “You have to react to conditions around you. In that both Ferrari and Alex were reacting, really, to what they thought was a lock-up from Franco. It wasn’t. It was dust being kicked up on the way in. He was actually in control of the car, left space at the apex, and could put the car where he needed to.”

‘Franco Colapinto was in control’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/26/...pore-gp-start/

Tsunoda admits he ‘definitely has to do better in the future’ after frustrating start.
Yuki Tsunoda started the race in P8, but finished outside the points in P12 – and cited his poor start as the culprit.
22 September 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Frustrating start’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ts...05479913527698


Exclusive: RB ready for Yuki Tsunoda to be F1 team leader amid Daniel Ricciardo exit
27 Sep 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

RB CEO Peter Bayer revealed to Motorsport Week that Yuki Tsunoda is ready to step up as team leader, with the torch passed on from the recently departed Daniel Ricciardo.

“I strongly believe that you need to have one experienced driver and experienced meaning somebody like Yuki, who has now done a couple of years,” said Bayer.

“Daniel helped us to fine-tune Yuki and sort of polish the edges and certainly Yuki is somebody who is able to do that in the future. I see the pairing of taking somebody under your wings, goes quite well with the Red Bull philosophy actually.”

‘Yuki Tsunoda to be F1 team lea’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...icciardo-exit/


‘Need to bother’: Martin Brundle unimpressed with RB radio message to Yuki Tsunoda during Singapore Grand Prix
24 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Martin Brundle was commentating on the race for Sky Sports F1 and noticed one moment in particular on the 24-year-old’s team radio that left him very confused. Over the RB team radio, Tsunoda was told: “Perez and Colapinto are fighting, there could be something coming to us. Let’s be on it.”

Tsunoda was far from impressed with this message and replied: “Too much information.” Hearing that exchange, Brundle explained: “Yeah, I mean that’s a bit speculative isn’t it? And I don’t know if you really need to bother your driver with that do you?”

“I mean, he’ll dive around the cloud or the confetti of carbon fibre pieces should something happen, I’m sure.” Croft: “I’m sure he’s watching it very closely given he’s a second-and-a-half behind that particular battle out on track.”

“Too much information”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...re-grand-prix/


F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda talks to Macao News about his meteoric rise in motorsport
Currently at 12th place in the F1 driver standings, the 24-year-old Japanese racer was recently in Macao
He took part in the Macau Grand Prix in 2019 and recalls the event as ‘fun’ but ‘quite a tricky race overall’
26 Sep 2024
Erico Dias
Macao News

Tsunoda’s passion for racing ignited when he was just four, inspired by his father, amateur racer Nobuaki Tsunoda. In 2016, the younger Tsunoda joined the FIA F4 Championship as part of Honda’s Formula Dream Project (HFDP), a driver development program and finished third in his debut season.

The following year, he became the first Honda apprentice to win the Japanese Formula 4 title. That success pushed him into Formula 3 in 2019 with Jenzer Motorsport, where he finished 9th in the standings. In 2020, Tsunoda took on Formula 2 with Carlin and came third in the championship. He also became the first Japanese driver to win the FIA Rookie of the Year award.

His F1 debut came in 2021 with AlphaTauri, now VISA Cash App RB, where he made an immediate impact by finishing 9th and becoming the first Japanese driver to score points in his debut race. Tsunoda capped off his rookie season with a standout performance, finishing 4th in the final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

‘Tsunoda’s passion for racing ignited’;

https://macaonews.org/life/sports/yu...-formula-1-rb/


‘Beyond this year’: Why Yuki Tsunoda ‘will go’ from RB at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season
26 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Yuki Tsunoda is the driver caught in the crossfire as he prepares for a fifth consecutive season at RB in 2025. However, journalist Mat Coch was speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast about the Japanese driver’s future. He believes that his time with RB will come to an end after next season. Tsunoda has out-performed Ricciardo this season but has failed to pull up any trees, and the conclusion of Red Bull’s engine deal with Honda is likely to see the 24-year-old’s time with the team come to an end.

“As soon as you start looking to the future, what’s the value in the now? You either throw all of your eggs in that basket, or you focus on today. And given where Red Bull is, that’s why it makes a little bit more sense – it doesn’t make it any easier to digest or accept – but that’s why it makes more sense because behind Liam Lawson you’ve got Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad and a couple of other kids that are on the radar as well.”

“So, there is that production line that starts to come through once more. Then, when you start to think a little bit beyond this year, Yuki Tsunoda will go when the Honda deal ends so there’s another seat. You want Liam well out of the way so you can begin to groom the next driver in to replace Yuki.”

‘Beyond this year’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...mula-1-season/


Yuki Tsunoda ‘expected’ to follow Daniel Ricciardo out of Red Bull and join nine-podium team for 2026
27 Sep 2024
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Yuki Tsunoda set to join Aston Martin in 2026. According to Speedcafe, Lawson ‘could find himself alongside Verstappen’ if he ‘impresses’ Red Bull bosses in the next couple of months. That, in turn, would mean F2 championship contender Isack Hadjar graduating to RB for 2025. When Red Bull considered sacking Sergio Perez earlier this season, Ricciardo and Lawson were the only genuine contenders. Despite being the standout option on paper, Tsunoda was overlooked.

The 24-year-old is preparing to leave in just over a year’s time. After seeing out his contract, he’s expected to join Aston Martin, who will partner with his backers Honda. Arvid Lindblad, the 17-year-old who’s currently fourth in the F3 championship, could succeed him for 2026. Lindblad will race in F2 next year as he tries to build up the necessary superlicence points to enter the top tier.

‘Set to join Aston Martin in 2026’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...team-for-2026/

Ocon: P13 ‘the maximum we could have done’.
Esteban Ocon finished 13th for Alpine in Singapore, and said that was the best result possible given the pace in the car.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘P13: The maximum’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/oc...07434047196510


2024 Singapore Grand Prix: Ricciardo drops down the order as Ocon and Magnussen pass in quick succession
23 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Daniel Ricciardo didn’t look happy on his current set of tyres when Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen managed to squeeze past the RB car in quick succession in the latter stages of the race.

‘Ricciardo drops down the order’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...16443803291500


‘It’s great for the team’ – Ocon hails future Haas team mate Bearman as a 'remarkable talent'
26 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Ocon – who ended the race in P15 for Alpine – went on to share words of praise for Bearman when he was asked during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend if he was looking forward to partnering the 19-year-old next season, as well as being quizzed on whether he expected his new team mate to push him.

“Yeah, for sure!” said Ocon. “What he's done in Baku was really remarkable and I knew it. I think everyone in the paddock knew that he’s a remarkable talent and what he’s done was very impressive, to be on pace straightaway at such a technical track.”

“I’ve been looking at his lap in F2 when he had the steering bent and he was on pole, and that tells you everything. It tells you that he’s at ease straightaway whatever car he’s driving.”

‘It’s great for the team’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...5vI91fr4TVecnc


Esteban Ocon labels 2025 Haas F1 teammate Ollie Bearman “a remarkable talent”
"I think everyone in the paddock knew that he’s a remarkable talent and what he’s done was very impressive..."
26 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Ocon will become Haas’ de facto team leader - something he’s not experienced previously in his career. At Force India and Alpine, he had more experienced teammates in Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso.

While more recently, he’s been alongside Pierre Gasly. Opening up about his relationship with Bearman, Ocon added: “We’ve chatted a little bit but we’ve been so busy that unfortunately not enough.”

‘Ocon will become Haas’ de facto team leader’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105649...arkable-talent


What makes the Singapore Grand Prix one of the toughest races physically?
26 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

The Singapore Grand Prix is considered as the toughest race on the F1 schedule alongside the Qatar Grand Prix, posing a huge challenge to drivers. Esteban Ocon's Performance Coach Tom Clark reveals what makes the Singapore race even more challenging than similarly hot rounds such as the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Explaining the physical challenges at the Marina Bay Circuit, Esteban Ocon's Performance Coach Tom Clark noted: “So driving in the heat, so in Singapore, it’s very hot and humid. "The main difference for the drivers is generally there is more of a cardiovascular strain which means generally speaking the racing is about 10 to 20 per cent more intense and more difficult for them, with heart rates being higher and the general heat contributing to more loads and fatigue.”

"Combines with the fact that this is a very long race typically, we reach the time limit here with two hours or close to it. The combination of the high heat, the street circuit which is very mentally challenging means this is one of the hardest circuits of the calendar.”

‘Esteban Ocon's Performance Coach Tom Clark’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25545


'A bittersweet taste' – Ocon reflects on ‘emotional’ milestone and Alpine career as he marks 150 F1 races
15 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Esteban Ocon will take part in his 150th Formula 1 race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he looks to end his final few races with Alpine on a high, but the Frenchman will have his work cut out after a troublesome weekend in Baku thus far.

“It’s a big number for sure,” Ocon told the media ahead of the weekend. “I didn’t see the time going, time flies when you have fun, that’s what people say! I didn’t know [the milestone] before I came to this event – I just saw that the team did a special post for it and it’s pretty cool to achieve such a milestone.”

“There’s a lot of races now a year and that’s why the time flew so quickly. I guess you just go race by race and travel all around the world one after another and think about the present moment, but it is quite emotional.”

'A bittersweet taste';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...1qswlWlERVU2Wm

Stroll sums up his P14 in Singapore: ‘Difficult day, difficult weekend’.
Lance Stroll came home in 14th place for Aston Martin and said he was struggling for balance and grip all weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Difficult day, difficult weekend’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/st...08322728887689


Stroll: Tricky qualifying ‘the story of my weekend’ in Singapore
21 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Lance Stroll qualified down in P17 for Sunday’s Grand Prix, and branded his Aston Martin AMR24 as “a very difficult car to drive”.

‘Tricky qualifying’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/st...14642585207899


'Difficult day' for Stroll with P14 in Friday practice
20 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Lance Stroll concedes there is a "a lot of work to do tonight" for Aston Martin after both cars finish outside the top ten in Friday's second practice session in Singapore.

'Difficult day';

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/di...28828981406586


INSIDE: How did sliders save Lance Stroll's life?
26 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Sliders: "The sliders! These actually saved my life in Bahrain that weekend [in 2023], man! I couldn't put my shoes on. I was in a lot of pain. At first, it was just like, 'How am I going to be comfortable walking up and down the paddock?' And then it was like, 'Boom, some big BOSS sliders!' Actually, then I thought it was kind of swaggy, the socks and the sliders. It had a good look to it.

"Recovering from the pre-season cycling accident is one of my biggest life achievements. It was, in my mind, not really a possibility when I was lying on the ground with my broken wrists, hand, toe… I was just kind of thinking, 'This isn't good, this is really not good,' but it was an incredible recovery. I had a great team around me, doctors, physios that helped me get to Bahrain, and to come away in sixth with some points was a great achievement.”

"I showed a lot to myself more than anything else. My tolerance for pain got much higher after Bahrain and some of my ideas of what I think is possible have changed. It was incredible adversity and a very challenging moment in my life that I overcame. It was a big life lesson for me. Courage is part of what we do. To drive these cars on the limit, to face adversity and go out there and compete every weekend takes a lot of courage and that's one of the reasons why the sport is so appealing."

"The sliders!”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/24724


Stroll cities confidence in the car as main factor to performance
28 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Stroll insists that the most vital thing is to build up confidence behind the wheel as it allows a driver to push the car to the limit. "I think it's always important to have confidence when you're in the car. When you're not confident in the car, that's when you just can't like really push it and lean on it, they're not comfortable to drive."

He added that confidence allows a driver "to lean on it, to come off the brake, carry speed, get back on the power as early as possible. I think that definitely is a factor for sure when you're driving and you're talking about that confidence thing," it's still crucial to find that confidence.” Stroll claims that Aston Martin clearly faces a big challenge to improve many aspects, but he is delighted that the team has been able to capitalize on some opportunities to score points in several races.

"I think I'm happy that we've been able to score points as a team, we capitalized throughout the year and we scored some points. A lot of racing to go and, always trying to just improve in every area. Improve setting up the car to be as good as it can be, improve qualifying, improve the race, it's a never-ending evolution."

‘Confidence in the car as main factor to performance’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25282


Guenther Steiner takes aim at ‘non-existent’ Lance Stroll with ‘weird’ trend identified
29 Sep 2024
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Lance Stroll is “just non-existent” with the Aston Martin driver passing “completely under the radar” in F1 2024. And he suggested that the youngster simply goes through the motions when he does not have a competitive car at his disposal, with Stroll waiting to see if F1 2025 brings an improvement for Aston Martin.

He said: “Lance passes completely under the radar. It’s weird. You never speak good or bad about him, he’s just non-existent.” Put to him that F1 fans have just accepted Stroll being around, he added: “Exactly. I don’t think he’s a bad race car driver. I don’t know what it is. Obviously, we all know that he doesn’t need to drive a race car. He alright [financially], so maybe that’s what it is.”

“If the car is not [good enough] to [reach] the podium or something, he’s just like: ‘Yeah, I just get by. Who cares? I wait until next year’s car comes and see if that is better.’ I don’t know. I don’t know the guy, never spoke with him, so I have no idea. But he’s one of these guys who is rarely spoken about when he’s in the points. It’s less spoken about when he’s not in the points. He’s just there.”

‘Non-existent’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...d-non-existent


Former Williams team boss admits missed opportunity with Stroll “drives me nuts”
25th September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Williams admitted she regrets missing the opportunity to keep Stroll within the Williams fold when she ran the team. “It drives me nuts because Lawrence was with us,” she told Business of Sport. Lance Stroll made his Formula 1 debut at Williams in 2017, through the financial support of his father. However Williams struggled the following year and Lawrence Stroll took the opportunity to buy Force India, moving his son there in 2019.

He has since spent heavily on the team, funding a massive upgrade of its facilities and hiring a raft of senior staff from rivals including star designer Adrian Newey. Stroll rebranded his team as Aston Martin in 2021, the year after the Williams family sold its team. “There is not one day when I ever, ever have the emotion that I’m pleased that we sold Williams,” she admitted. “No, never. I never, ever think that.”

“Everyone will probably go ‘oh, she’s so dramatic’ and whatever, but I will live with the heartbreak of losing it every single day. Because it wasn’t a decision that we made as a family to sell because we’d had enough of Formula 1 or wanted to cash out. We all wanted to stay in it. It was our life for ever, that was the plan. I wanted to run the team for my son or my nephews.”

‘Missed opportunity with Stroll “drives me nuts”.’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/25/...rives-me-nuts/

No Formula 1 for Zhou and he can no longer enter this class either!
For weeks, Guanyu Zhou said the same story. In short, his entire focus was on finding an F1 seat for 2025, and he was not looking at options in other classes.
30 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

It is now fairly clear that there is no place for the Chinese driver in Formula 1, as almost certainly Valtteri Bottas will get the seat Zhou was aiming for at Sauber. Meanwhile, Zhou has realised that his F1 adventure is coming to an end for the time being and so he is now looking around. Formula E - long seen as the most logical next step, as China's electric car market is the largest in the world - is also no longer an option for Zhou, according to GPblog.

All seats for next season have been filled, apart from the two seats at ERT. However, this Chinese team plans to extend the contracts of Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum for another season. Time is slowly running out for Zhou anyway, as top seats are currently being filled in most classes. "Wherever I go, I need to make sure that the door in F1 doesn't close at that time because I think a lot of drivers still make their comeback," said Zhou, who realises a decision has to be made.

"I am not worried about my racing career. I'm thinking about my Formula 1 career more than that, which is really nice to have. As a kid growing up, to get other very top teams in other series poaching, I think was a good thing," Zhou added before saying living the dream changed that view. "I want to stay here many more years."

‘F1 adventure is coming to an end for the time being’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30415...formula-1.html


Zhou fielding 'several very good' offers outside F1
Zhou Guanyu has said he has "several very good" opportunities outside F1 if he cannot secure the seat at Stake alongside Nico Hulkenberg for 2025.
29 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Regardless of what subsequently lies in store for Zhou, he claims to have a variety of options to draw upon if he cannot secure his desired contract renewal at Stake.

"At the moment, all I can say is that there's already several very good chances, teams in other series [that have] approached me for a drive for next year," the Chinese driver told media including RacingNews365.

"But, at the moment, of course, I want to still get the Sauber seat, and if by any chance, I don't have that, we have to think about the rest [of the options available]."

'Several very good';

https://racingnews365.com/zhou-expre...ultiple-offers


Sauber seat speculation: Which driver will secure the 2025 spot?
There is one spot open at Sauber for their final full season next year before becoming Audi for 2026
September 26, 2024
Hannah May
FormulaNerds

Current drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas have yet to secure contracts for 2025. The team and drivers have had a difficult season, yet to score any points and experiencing issues with pit stops at the beginning of 2024. According to F1 Oversteer, it is rumoured that Zhou may be offered the role of reserve driver.

Bottas joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season. He signed a multi-year deal and drove alongside Zhou, who was a rookie driver in 2022. Both drivers remained with the team when they rebranded to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. If the team choose to part ways with Zhou at the end of 2024, will they keep one of their drivers to partner with Hulkenberg for 2025?

‘Zhou may be offered the role of reserve driver’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/opinion.../?nowprocket=1


Sauber's reserve driver quits Formula 2 season early for new challenge
28 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Zane Maloney will not finish the current Formula 2 season, after the Sauber reserve driver signed a contract with the new Lola Yamaha ABT team that will compete in Formula E. As the latter class will begin their new season in Mexico on 7 December, Maloney will be present there and therefore will not compete at the Abu Dhabi event in F2.

‘Sauber's reserve driver’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30383...formula-2.html


Mattia Binotto: Audi will have a ‘gap to recover’ with F1 engine
30 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Sauber Motorsport boss Mattia Binotto has admitted Audi is braced to have an initial “gap to recover” once it debuts as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer in 2026. “I’ve been visiting Neuberg in the last days and weeks” Binotto said.

“The engine is progressing well, running on the dyno, some long distances so far already performed. I think here as well, it’s a learning process. We are competing with other organisations where manufacturers are settled down,” he accepted. “Certainly, all the experience is pretty important and valid.”

“So while I think the organisation there [at Audi] is great, the facilities are great, the programs are going ahead, still there is a learning curve, which needs to be done. So I’m expecting initially to have a gap to recover. How big it will be, I think that you can never know.”

‘Gap to recover’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...ith-f1-engine/

Sorting out his Sauber future ‘high on the priority list’ for Bottas after P16 finish in Singapore.
Sauber’s point-less run continued in Singapore, but Valtteri Bottas is now focussed on confirming his plans for next year with the team yet to decide who will partner new signing Nico Hulkenberg in 2025.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

‘Sorting out his Sauber future’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/so...06982251440405


Valtteri Bottas sends ‘high priority’ message to Audi with F1 future still unclear
Valtteri Bottas is keen for his F1 future to be sorted during the upcoming break.
25 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Speaking to F1TV after the race in Singapore, Bottas outlined his hopes for the upcoming break. “First of all, try to find performance, evaluating what exactly is going to be the upgrade for Austin, which is very much needed,” Bottas said.

“And sorting things out for the future, that’s obviously high on my priority list because it’s starting to feel almost like Christmas time, you know it’s getting close so better get it sorted.”

‘High priority’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105646...-still-unclear


Bottas keen to get his future ‘sorted’ after ‘slightly better’ weekend for Sauber in Singapore
25 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

The second seat at Sauber, alongside Nico Hulkenberg for next season, is still unoccupied, but an announcement is thought to be made sooner rather than later with multiple candidates on the table. Whether Bottas or Zhou sign a contract extension, or new boss Mattia Binotto takes a chance on a younger driver like Franco Colapinto, still remains to be seen.

Reflecting on their P15 and P16 finish in Singapore, Bottas said it was “still not an easy day like expected, and also no help from safety cars”. “I just had an issue with my brakes at the beginning of the race,” he added. “They overheated and I started locking up, so lost some time there. If I look at the race, I don’t think we would actually do much different.”

“We could also work together as a team at the end of the race to keep Gasly behind and that was good, so I think we maximised today.” With an “important” three-week break ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Bottas outlined his aims as the sport heads into the final part of the season.

‘The second seat at Sauber’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...26CFL9ZBIAY0u0


‘My understanding’: When Sauber are expected to announce Valtteri Bottas as their second driver for 2025
25 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber to give them their full name, appear to have chosen Hulkenberg’s teammate and speaking on the Pit Talk Podcast, journalist Mat Coch gave more details about their decision. Bottas has been waiting for a long time to see if he would be handed another Formula 1 contract.

It appears as though Sauber are going to stick with the Finn and are expected to confirm that he’ll stay with the team before the United States Grand Prix. Providing an update on the Formula 1 driver’s market, Mat Coch said: “Yeah, Franco Colapinto, or as I’ve dubbed Ayrton Colapinto because he looks so much like Ayrton Senna, it’s frightening, kind of similar in pace too, the kid is rapid.”

“I think he’s going to miss out; it’s just too late in the day. It’s a little bit like Liam Lawson last year. He came in and shone, but it was just too late in the day to seal the deal for next year but watch for Colapinto I think he’ll certainly feature for 2026 conversations. My understanding is that Valtteri Bottas, if he has not signed the contract as we’re recording this, it’s pretty much done and the announcement will be made before COTA [Circuit of the Americas in Austin].”

‘Ayrton Colapinto’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/whe...iver-for-2025/


Bottas backs himself to remain in F1: 'Better than at Mercedes'
28 Sept 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Valtteri Bottas is yet to sign a contract for the 2025 Formula One season, but the driver from Finland hopes to remain at Stake F1, the team that is owned by Audi. He has also declared that he is performing better than he did at his previous team.

The Finn believes based on performance, he is driving better than he did at his last employer as he hopes to secure a seat for 2025. "I feel like, yes, especially in qualifyings this year, I haven't felt any signs of being worse. If anything, you keep getting better with experience. You gain more consistency, more confidence”

“You can solve different issues in a different way. You can adapt to the car the more time you spend in the sport. I feel actually I'm driving better than what I did at Mercedes, but obviously it's not that visible," Bottas revealed.

'Better than at Mercedes';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30381...-mercedes.html


'Didn't want': Valtteri Bottas has now ‘given up’ on key Sauber contract demand ahead of re-signing for 2025
27 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Bottas is expected to be announced by Sauber sooner rather than later and journalist Julianne Cerasoli, speaking on her YouTube channel, explained more details about the Finn’s situation. Valtteri Bottas is the most experienced option available to Sauber but that hasn’t helped him in his quest to score a championship point this year. He’s no longer in a particularly strong bargaining position either, meaning he’s had to give up one of his key demands in order to stay on the grid in 2025.”

Talking about the driver predicament at Sauber, Cerasoli said: “With the information that we have, the Bottas contract is not signed, but it is written and is in the phase of going back to the lawyers. These Formula 1 contracts are quite complex, so, that’s one thing if something goes back now. There was also the thing where Bottas didn’t want to sign for just one year. He has now given up putting his foot down about it”

“From Sauber’s perspective, having Bottas for a year instead of Gabriel Bortoleto, it was really between the two, Franco Colapinto wasn’t talking to Sauber. In their optics, it makes more sense that. This will make more sense to McLaren, as they would not release him from the contract and what Bortoleto’s own management imagine is the best thing for him is to stay in the McLaren academy, perhaps become a McLaren reserve driver next year.”

“Bottas didn’t want to sign for just one year”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/val...ning-for-2025/


Valtteri Bottas wary of potential Ricciardo-style F1 exit
Valtteri Bottas has admitted that he’s had to learn to live with uncertainty surrounding the end of his F1 career.
1 October 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Bottas is out of contract at year end, though expected to remain with Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg for next season. The potential however remains that his contract isn’t extended, and the coming six races mark the end of his F1 career.

“I think that the ideal scenario would be that you decide when it’s time,” Bottas told Speedcafe when asked about not necessarily being able to end his career on his own terms. That’s ideal, but it’s not how the sport sometimes works.”

“There’s many elements. There’s a lot of politics, you name it. It’s a difficult sport on that, but I just hope that eventually I can pull the trigger, let’s say, not the other way around. But you never know.”

‘Learnt to live with uncertainty surrounding the end of his F1 career’;

https://speedcafe.com/bottas-ricciardo-style-f1-exit/

Dejected Gasly admits ‘fundamentally we’re just too slow’.
Pierre Gasly cut a downbeat figure after he finished 16th in Singapore – and said Alpine need to make “huge steps” to catch back up to the top 10 runners.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Fundamentally we’re just too slow’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/de...07095707363606


‘We are not quick or competitive’ – Gasly offers grim assessment as Alpine fail to score for third straight race
25 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Alpine might have had a more straightforward race in Singapore than the one they managed in Azerbaijan, but both drivers come home outside the points for the third straight race weekend.

He started on the mediums like most of the field, but ran an exceptionally long first stint before bolting on the softs late on – too late to make much of an impression and climb back through the order. “A very difficult and frustrating race for us in the end,” Gasly said afterwards. “We are just not quick or competitive enough at the moment.”

“The lack of pace forced us to try some different strategies in the hope of improving our end result. We stayed out long on the Mediums on the first stint and lost a lot of time to cars we were racing at the start. The plan then was to disrupt some cars behind in the hope to benefit Esteban to get something from the race.” That plan didn’t work out, although Esteban Ocon managed to finish two places higher than he started, coming home in 13th.

‘Grim assessment’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...BNOYIiE9sac7ei


Gasly frustrated at being “sacrificed” to help Ocon
25 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Pierre Gasly was left frustrated at the Singapore GP after being “sacrificed” to help the race of Alpine Formula 1 team mate Esteban Ocon. “Today, I got sacrificed, left out on track to block the others and try to help Esteban to catch up,” he said when asked by this writer about his race.

“Fundamentally, we are just too slow, and it forces us to try some interesting strategies. When you’re lapping five second off the pace the last 10 laps, not much point. But I understand we try to help one car in a way, because we are obviously not able to fight on pure pace for the top 10.”

Asked if he was surprised to be given soft tyres at his stop he said: “I was just surprised to be in the first place to be left out like that. I think, obviously I started out of position, made my way back, I think we were running three or four seconds behind Esteban.”

“Sacrificed”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/25/...-to-help-ocon/


Gasly fires blow at Alpine’s recent woes
The French team have endured an underwhelming 2024 season
September 26, 2024
Freddie Cotton
FormulaNerds

Following last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Gasly cut a frustrated figure in the media pen. The French driver was on an alternate strategy at the Marina Bay Circuit, which failed to reap him any rewards as he sank to a 17th place finish in Sunday’s race. Since his P9 finish in Zandvoort, the 28-year-old has not only failed to score any points, but has also struggled to get anywhere near the top ten finishers.

“The lack of pace forced us to try some different strategies in the hope of improving our end result. We stayed out long on the Mediums on the first stint and lost a lot of time to cars we were racing at the start. The plan then was to disrupt some cars behind in the hope to benefit Esteban to get something from the race.”

“The reality is three races ago [in Zandvoort] we were ninth place and at the last three races we have been far away from the top 10. We have to find some performance and there is a lot of work ahead of us to improve our current level.”

‘Gasly fires blow’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ga.../?nowprocket=1


Gasly jealous of Norris and Verstappen but delighted for F1: 'I'm enjoying’
30 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Pierre Gasly has voiced his opinion on Formula 1's current status. Despite not being in the battle himself, he believes it is "great" that the sport has a four-team fight at most race weekends. The Frenchman also highlighted the gap to the midfield.

The French team had aspired to be at the top of Formula 1 but instead have to watch on from afar. Still, the Frenchman enjoys watching and is glad an intense battle can happen in Formula 1. "Well, first of all, I wish I'd be part of it," Gasly laughed. "But then, as a fan of the sport, I think it's great. I think F1 is in a very good spot at the minute," believes the Frenchman, who has only scored eight points this season.

His former team, Red Bull Racing, are fighting with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. "I'm really enjoying the four-team battle because that's how I think the sport should be. Having three, four-teams fighting for race wins every weekend, everybody enjoys that. As a sport, I think it's great," Gasly reiterated.

'I'm enjoying’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30414...f1-battle.html

Magnussen confirms puncture caused his late DNF in Singapore.
Kevin Magnussen failed to finish the race in Singapore with a puncture forcing him to retire his Haas four laps before the end.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Puncture caused his late DNF’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ma...07251164043243


'Fresh start' - Peter Windsor shares where he thinks Kevin Magnussen would have expected to finish in Baku
18 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Kevin Magnussen would’ve expected to finish fourth in Baku according to Peter Windsor. Magnussen will return to his Haas cockpit for the Singapore Grand Prix, one of just seven races left before it appears he will wave goodbye to Formula 1 for good. His penalty point total has reset, so expect a nothing-to-lose approach from the Dane, who is well-known for sending it on his rivals.

He will need to combine with teammate Nico Hulkenberg to ensure that Haas receive their biggest payday since 2018, with a potential sixth-place finish up for grabs in the constructors’ championship. Renowned Formula 1 journalist Peter Windsor was impressed by Bearman, but believes that Magnussen would have expected to finish higher than the Brit if he was in the car.

“I’d say Ollie Bearman probably second in that [driver of the day vote],” he told The F1 Hour podcast. “I think that was outstanding as well. I wonder what Kevin Magnussen thought about that. For sure, knowing KMag, he was thinking ‘ah yeah, well I would’ve been fourth’ in that race.”

‘Expected to finish fourth’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/pet...inish-in-baku/


'Fresh start' - Magnussen glad to be back with 'stuff to look forward to' for Haas
After serving his one race ban, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen is looking forward to this weekend's Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit, where he hopes the team can be fighting for points again.
19 Sept 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Glad to be back’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/fr...20976668176029


Kevin Magnussen’s first words after serving rare one-race ban from FIA
17 Sep 2024
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Kevin Magnussen is looking forward to taking on “one of my favourite tracks” upon his return to Formula 1, after serving his one-race suspension by the FIA. “It’s one of my favourite tracks,” Magnussen said of Singapore. “Street circuits are my favourite category of tracks and Singapore is a special one, the original night race.”

“With the heat and the humidity and the length of the race, and just because you never really get a break throughout the lap, it’s a constant sequence of corners over the whole lap pretty much. I feel like we have a good car for Singapore, it’s a low-speed track and we should be in a decent position to be competitive.”

“There’s been some interesting races in the past, we scored in Singapore last year, so am hoping to do that again.”

“One of my favourite tracks”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/kevin-...ore-grand-prix


Kevin Magnussen makes foul-mouthed Singapore GP claim after serving F1 ban
Kevin Magnussen missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix having picked up enough F1 penalty points to trigger a one-race ban, but is back for the Singapore race after Oliver Bearman filled in at Haas
19 Sep 2024
Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Kevin Magnussen has asked the FIA to stop "punishing ridiculous things" upon his return to the Formula 1 paddock. He told reporters in Singapore: "A little extra bonus weekend off with the family. So, in many ways, nice to have that little surprise holiday.”

"I let [Haas] know before the race that if there's anything, I'm here ready to help out with advice or input or whatever. I switched off completely. It was a nice weekend off for me. You get punished, and then you come back, and you're like all ready to... f**k s**t up now!" He insists he won't be changing the way he drives upon his return. Magnussen added: "It's funny how that works. In a way, it hasn't really affected me.”

"I think with those points, it was annoying to have the knowledge that the next time anything happens, there's a race ban. It's nice to know that's not a factor any more. But I actually don't think it has affected me in how I've driven. I've really tried to say look, I need to crack on here, and whatever happens happens."

“All ready to... f**k s**t up now!"

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...apore-33705409


Singapore Grand Prix: Race Recap
Sep 22, 2024
Haas F1 Team - Official Site

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team finished with Nico Hulkenberg ninth and Kevin Magnussen 19th, at the Singapore Grand Prix, Round 18 of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, held Sunday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Magnussen started from 14th on the grid on hard tires and maintained position through the opening stint, pitting on lap 28 to take on a set of medium rubber. Magnussen sustained a left-rear puncture after lightly brushing the wall at turn 5 on lap 50, and had to complete almost a full lap before pitting. The Dane re-emerged on Red soft tires but, two laps down, pulled into the pits on lap 58 to retire the car, officially classifying in 19th place.

Kevin Magnussen: “I got a puncture - sometimes you hit a rough spot and it cuts the tire. We weren’t quick on the hard tire, we tried to do the opposite strategy and go long and hope for a safety car in the middle window, which didn’t happen. We had to cut it short on the hard compound, and then I got the puncture at the end. We’ve had good pace at recent races and we’re in a good spot with the car. We have an upgrade coming in Austin and we have every race to look forward to for the rest of the season.”

‘Race Recap’;

https://www.haasf1team.com/news/sing...x-race-recap-5


‘Think about it’: Guenther Steiner tells Haas what they should say to Kevin Magnussen about his immediate F1 future
27 Sep 2024
Tyler Rowlinson
Oversteer

Guenther Steiner thinks taking Kevin Magnussen out of the car now is ‘worth considering’ In Baku, Bearman recovered from a crash in FP2 to finish the race in 10th, becoming the first driver in F1 history to score points for two different teams after two race starts. Fans were left in disbelief by Bearman’s Baku performance as he managed to beat his more experienced teammate Hulkenberg. Many have speculated since that the Brit could step into Haas early than anticipated and replace Magnussen for the rest of the season.

Speaking on the Champ1 YouTube channel, former Haas boss Guenther Steiner reckons taking Magnussen out of the car now is ‘worth considering.’ Asked whether Bearman could join Haas now, he said: “I honestly don’t know, I don’t even know the contract. I do not know whether you can get out it somehow, [but] you can get out of every contract, you know that. You can get out of every one, and otherwise you just get out of it with money. That is also possible. But there are also ethical reasons.”

“I would say Kevin was a big part of the team when the team wasn’t doing so well and that’s why you stay loyal. You also have to stay human. Maybe talk to Kevin and say: ‘hey Kevin, at the moment it looks like Ollie [Bearman] is stronger than you, what do you say to that?’ We don’t know that these conversations took place, or at least I don’t know, but it could be. But you have to think about it. What you said is certainly worth considering, it is worth considering even now.”

‘Guenther Steiner: “Hey Kevin, at the moment it looks like Ollie [Bearman] is stronger than you, what do you say to that?” ’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gue...ate-f1-future/

Albon addresses 'paying the price' after Colapinto divebomb.
Alexander Albon has said there is "nothing really to criticise" about Franco Colapinto's lap 1 lunge at the Singapore Grand Prix, despite "paying the price" for the move.
23 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Alexander Albon has said he "paid the price" for Franco Colapinto's dive-bomb up the inside of Turn 1 at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix. In the opening metres of the race, the young Argentine, who started P12, threw his Williams up the inside of the first corner, moving him up into ninth position.

It was a move that immediately caught the ire of his team-mate, who jumped onto his radio, exclaiming: "Franco just divebombed! What is he doing?!" Carlos Sainz called it "banzai" and in the melee Albon had to take to the run-off area, dropping down the order to P15, having started ahead of Colapinto in P11.

However, Albon insisted there was not anything to criticise in hindsight, as he walked back his lap 1 radio message. "Everyone kind of concertinaed, basically everyone had to go straight into Turn 1, and obviously I was on the outside, so I paid the price," he explained to media including RacingNews365 after retiring from the race with a power unit issue on lap 15 of 62. I mean, nothing really to criticise. I think in the end, it was unfortunate that I was the one on the other side of the corner."

'Paying the price';

https://racingnews365.com/albon-addr...pinto-divebomb


Albon on Colapinto’s Singapore Turn 1 move: ‘It’s something to review’
Alex Albon speaks on his teammate's risky move at the Singapore Grand Prix
Sep 24, 2024
Alejandra Guajardo Lozano
FormulaNerds

Alex Albon didn’t appreciate his teammate’s move on the opening lap in Singapore, a race that saw both Williams drivers leave empty-handed. While Albon was not happy with Colapinto’s move, the Argentinian driver was praised for such an amazing masterclass move. Colapinto himself was also pretty pleased by his move during the post-race interviews. He said:

“There was a pretty nice gap and I went for it and it worked out. Here, you know, the start is very important and to leave Turn 3 in front of some cars is always nice. You are in a match for a position later in the race. I was in a position to finish in the points.”

“Unfortunately it didn’t happen, but it’s still a decent three first races of my life and I’m close to the points again. We need to focus a little bit more, focus a bit more on quali. We should have been in Q3 and today we should have been able to finish P10, but just need to keep nailing it and we’ll be better for the next race.”

‘It’s something to review’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al.../?nowprocket=1


Albon's facing his career-defining test six months early
Sep 24, 2024
Josh Suttill
The Race

Alex Albon knows as well as any other Formula 1 driver what having a tough team-mate in the same car is like. In fact doing so almost destroyed his F1 dream. He was sidelined by Red Bull for not measuring up well enough against Max Verstappen and almost couldn't find a way back onto the grid before Williams signed him up for 2022.

An unexpected challenge: Colapinto has put more pressure on Albon in three weekends than Sargeant did in 37. He was on Albon's pace at Monza but buckled under the pressure of his first qualifying session and was knocked out in Q1.

That decided the weekend but Colapinto didn't make the same mistake in Baku as he got through into Q3 and beat Albon, who was denied a final run by an airbox fan mishap. Given how close they were prior to Q3, it's debatable who'd have come out on top. He'd also recovered from the kind of FP1 crash that would have obliterated Sargeant's confidence all weekend.

‘Career-defining test six months early’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/a...nco-colapinto/


Why front-running F1 teams overlooked Alex Albon in this season’s driver market
25 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Williams team principal James Vowles is absolutely delighted with the business his team has done this season. Although Williams currently sit eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, hopes are high for next year and beyond. Carlos Sainz has been recruited from Ferrari to race alongside Alex Albon and the staff numbers behind the scenes are growing every week.

A report from The Race has shared more details about why Albon wasn’t considered a serious option by some front-running teams in the paddock. Red Bull were reportedly interested in Albon before the start of the season as a replacement for Sergio Perez next year.

Vowles made it clear that his driver wasn’t available, but it says a lot considering how concerning Perez’s form was at times last year – and how he has proceeded to perform this season – that Red Bull didn’t push harder to bring him back. Mercedes also tentatively held talks with Albon but have decided to replace Lewis Hamilton with rookie Kimi Antonelli instead.

‘Overlooked’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...driver-market/


Williams suspect cracked radiator duct to blame for Albon’s Singapore retirement
28th Sep 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

Albon’s overheating blamed on duct: After Alexander Albon was forced to retire from the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend with an overheating car, Williams team principal James Vowles says his team believes they know the culprit but are not sure. “Alex’s car was running hot. We could see that from the beginning of the race, but then it started stepping up quite considerably,” Vowles explained in a video on Williams’ website.

“The actual reason is not fully known yet. What I can tell you is there’s a carbon duct that links to one of the radiators and that was cracked. Whether that was enough to be able to cause this issue is what we’re still going through the question of. What we will know though is once we have that, that there are effectively measures in place to make sure we both understand the fault and have systems in place to rectify not just that, but others that could occur as a result of the learning that we’ve had.”

‘Cracked radiator duct suspected’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/28/...nd-up-28-09-7/


Williams investigating cause behind Alex Albon F1 Singapore GP DNF
29 Sep 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

“Alex’s car was running hot. We could see that from the beginning of the race, but then it started stepping up quite considerably,” Williams’ Team Principal explained in the latest edition of The Vowles Verdict.

“The actual reason is not fully known yet. What I can tell you is there’s a carbon duct that links to one of the radiators and that was cracked. Whether that was enough to be able to cause this issue is what we’re still going through the question of.”

“What we will know though is once we have that, that there are effectively measures in place to make sure we both understand the fault and have systems in place to rectify not just that, but others that could occur as a result of the learning that we’ve had.”

‘The Vowles Verdict’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...gapore-gp-dnf/


Williams still don’t know what caused Alex Albon’s Singapore GP retirement
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Mon 30 September 2024 13:00
Rory Mitchell
Williams team principal James Vowles has said the team is still investigating what caused Alex Albon’s retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix. Alex Albon had lost places at the start following a bold move by teammate Franco Colapinto at the first corner, before losing speed 15 laps into the race with a suspected power unit temperature issue.

He was told to pit by the team to avoid any further damage to the power unit, which quashed any hopes that he would score more points for Williams at what looked like another promising race for Albon. The exact reason for the retirement is currently unknown, but Vowles said the team is investigating a potential issue that could lead to answers when speaking on his Vowles Verdict debrief.

Alex Albon seat at risk for 2026 according to Guenther Steiner. Colapinto has matched Albon over single-lap pace and outscored Sargeant in just two races, having finished in eighth at Azerbaijan after a late pass on Nico Hulkenberg. Former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes if Albon can’t outperform Sainz next season, Vowles could be tempted to with another long-term prospect that could command a lower wage.

‘Still investigating’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wil...gp-retirement/


Singapore GP: Zero points for Williams Racing
Sep 25 2024
Williams Racing
WilliamsF1 Supporters

‘Zero’;

https://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s107/st206404.htm

Horner highlights pressure on Red Bull updates: 'Need bang for the buck'.
Crucial weeks await Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing. Besides an improved floor, Red Bull is likely to modify the RB20's front wing in Austin. All in all, these updates should allow Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez to immediately get more performance out of their cars.
2 Oct 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

"We want to build on the understanding since Monza and take a car that is well balanced between both of its axels. That inspires the confidence of the driver," Horner stated in the F1 Nation podcast, who also pointed out that the track has been resurfaced and there is a sprint weekend. "We have to hit the ground running. But the team has been working incredibly hard on understanding the issues and hopefully getting remedies on the car for Austin."

Red Bull has a handicap: Another disadvantage for Red Bull is that the team won the world title in the constructors last season and remained on top when the latest wind tunnel hours were locked in. As a result, Red Bull have the least amount of development time. "There is a handicap system. And cost cap, you have to think very carefully about where you are going to apply your money. You need to have bang for buck. Gone are the days when you keep throwing different solutions at things. You cannot afford to do that. You have to be selective in what you hit the production button on," Horner said.

'Bang for the buck';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30440...-handicap.html


Why Red Bull is taking a huge gamble with its Austin update
1 Oct 2024
Roy Stroot & Ian Parkes

Red Bull, in particular, will be pulling out all the stops to get the RB20 back to the front and inject new life into the fight for this year's F1 championships. So Red Bull is going all out with a final big update in Austin. It has been suggested it could fix the dysfunctional balance problems of the car and decide the title fight in Red Bull's favour. Red Bull, though, is taking a huge gamble for several reasons.

Let’s start by stating the obvious - an update does not always mean progress. Just ask Ferrari. The Scuderia was in great shape at the start of the European part of the season following the introduction of a major update for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola. And at Red Bull, an update has not always worked. The new floor for the car at the British GP was meant to solve problems but only served to create more. Generally, an update generally needs time to bed itself in, and that is where the next hurdle comes in.

‘Huge gamble’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-red-bu...-austin-update


What Red Bull ‘must’ do in the final six races to keep Max Verstappen beyond 2025
1 Oct 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Red Bull is facing a development race in the final six races of the 2024 season. Red Bull must fix top speed issues on RB20: According to Bild, the team has largely got on top of their problems with the car balance but must work on extracting more straight-line speed from the RB20.

Austin is more likely to play to the strengths of their chassis, while Mexico could throw up some unwanted issues due to its stop-start nature. Red Bull is pinning a lot of its hopes of retaining the Constructors’ crown on its Austin upgrade, while Verstappen will be hoping it will make life easier to defend his Drivers’ crown from Norris.

‘Development race’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wha...n-beyond-2025/


Hill predicts an 'anxious time' ahead for Max Verstappen
2 Oct 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Damon Hill believes that Max Verstappen will start to feel "anxious" as his World Championship lead shrinks. Though the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion would prefer to be in the Dutchman's shoes rather than the chasing position Lando Norris finds himself in. "Max has got it all to lose. It was a similar thing in ‘96 for me because the gap closed up towards the end of the season, and that can be an anxious time.”

“In motorsport, there’s tension. You can't avoid it. So it's the ability to cope with tension, to cope with pressure, but I think I'd rather have the lead than be trying to get it," Hill said on the F1 explains podcast. "I think that it's better to have the advantage and protect it. You've got nothing to lose if you're chasing, but at the same time you're behind. So it's always a better position to be in, to have those points," he added.

'Anxious time';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30441...le-battle.html


Horner compares Verstappen to Schumacher: 'He drives around the problems'
2 Oct 2024
Ben Stevens
GPblog.com

Christian Horner sees in Max Verstappen certain qualities that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher also showed. "I think because of his unprecedented ability to drive around problems, Max has been able to deal with them," Horner said in the F1 Nation podcast. "It's reminiscent of how Michael Schumacher drove in the 1990s, he could also handle that car better than anyone else, while others struggled with it."

"Max has that ability to just drive around those problems. So I think it was already more or less built in, but at Monza we only really saw the extent of it. There we saw to what extent the contact between the front and rear axles was broken. And the figures we expected to see on the track were miles away from our simulations," Horner said.

'Drives around the problems';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30448...chumacher.html


Christian Horner: Red Bull bolstered by 200 signings from F1 rivals Mercedes
02 Oct 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

“We’ve recruited, I think, close to 250 people during the last 12 months, across the project, into powertrains, into the brand new engine shop that we’re building,” Horner told British broadcaster Channel 4.

“We don’t talk about the over 200 people we brought from Mercedes. There’s a lot of focus on the two people that are leaving, because they’re slightly more public facing.” The two key figures departing Red Bull are none other than Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley.

Christian Horner: “Adrian has been on the brink of retiring for 10 years, and so we had to be prepared for that, and I believe we have got strength in depth. He’s chosen to continue and continue elsewhere. And of course, Jonathan likewise, a long-term team member. But they’re two higher profile names. The reality is that’s just two people out of 2000 people that we have within the group.”

“We’ve recruited”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...vals-mercedes/


Horner hands Perez rallying cry with Red Bull title under threat
Christian Horner has called on Sergio Perez to up his game as Red Bull's constructors' crown looks to be at threat.
28 Sep 2024
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

With the RB20's form fluctuating, Horner has urged Perez, whose long-term future is not secure despite his 2025 contract, to up his game. "We need to have two drivers firing on all cylinders," Horner told media including RacingNews365. "Checo had a good weekend [in Azerbaijan] and a tough weekend [in Singapore].”

"We need to put some weekends together where we're putting two drivers on the podiums. It is those big points that really make a difference. We need to make sure that Checo is as far up the field as we can get him."

With tracks on the horizon that should ordinarily suit Red Bull, Horner added: "Everybody is still massively motivated in the team, and we're still fighting for both championships. We took a hit in the constructors' (in Singapore with McLaren scoring 41 points to Red Bull's 19), but there are still a lot of races to go. There are some circuits where we've performed very well in the past."

"Massively motivated”;

https://racingnews365.com/horner-han...e-under-threat


Why Now is Not the Time for Sergio Pérez to Retire
Oct 2, 2024
Emma Fisher
Last Word On Sports

For Pérez, these challenges stem from what he has faced over the past 15 months due to “the car development, the direction, and the trajectory we’ve been taking,” according to F1 media. While Verstappen was able to manage, recent races have shown the Dutchman’s struggle also. “Some people don’t understand it, especially from the media side, that different driver styles can come to different conclusions.”

“The problem was… Well, not the problem – the good thing was that Max was less sensitive to it than I was. Ten, 12 races ago, I was complaining about these issues, but now they are so big that even Max is feeling them. I think the solution will benefit me even more with my style. It’s very clear in the data, the team is fully aware of it and hopefully we can fix the issues soon going forwards. Then we can unlock a lot of performance from the car.”

With Pérez’s car issues now understood – and similarly experienced by his teammate, who risks losing his fourth World Championship to McLaren’s Lando Norris – Red Bull is actively working to improve the RB20. While they do not seem to be an easy fix, this could buy Sergio Pérez further time to prove his abilities this season so that his desire to retire on his terms is fulfilled.

“Unlock a lot of performance”;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...rez-to-retire/

Lando Norris insists McLaren are doing ‘a better job’ than Red Bull in title fight.
Lando Norris is in the middle of a fight for the Formula 1 championship for the first time in his career with McLaren.
30 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

McLaren do have a faster car than Red Bull though, and that could prove to be a problem for Verstappen, which is something Norris praised while speaking to RacingNews365. “We are doing a better job as a team right now because my car, our car, is quicker than theirs [Red Bull],” he said.

“But that’s just credit to the team for doing an amazing job, for being smarter and doing cooler things, creating mini-DRS flaps and stuff. I’m working my heart out, I’m working my butt off, to try and make sure that happens [winning the drivers’ championship]. He’s [Verstappen] trying to make sure it doesn’t happen. So, we’ll have to wait and find out.”

‘Creating mini-DRS flaps and stuff’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lan...n-title-fight/


‘I couldn’t ask for a better boss’ – Norris opens up on how ‘integral’ Stella dealt with McLaren team orders talks
02 Oct 2024
Formula One - Official Site

When asked during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend how Stella is at managing conversations around team orders, Norris responded: “Very, very good, and I probably wouldn’t ask for anyone else to have his job and make these kinds of decisions.”

“From all the people that I’ve known and worked with, I think Andrea is one of the most integral parts of keeping a team together, motivating the team, pushing the team, making the team what it is today, which is close to being the best team in Formula 1 at the minute.”

“I have a lot of confidence in him and we just work well. There’s always good points, constructive points, criticism points, but that all just makes us work better as a team. I think the most important thing that we have is just honesty between one another.”

““Very, very good”;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...eazvnonnsZoEuS


Oscar Piastri sends ‘no blank cheque’ message to Lando Norris amid McLaren team orders debate
02 Oct 2024
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Piastri has reiterated his willingness to support Norris’s title charge, but insists his team-mate will not have “a blank cheque” across the final six races as McLaren aim to seal the Constructors’ crown. He told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport: “The team wants to win both championships. If you have the opportunity to do so, you can’t let it pass you by.”

“If I’m only thinking about myself, I don’t like team orders against me. No driver likes that. For your own pride, you want to show that you are the fastest driver on the track. Nevertheless, I will help Lando in the final races if I am asked. He has the more realistic chance of winning the title. But that’s not a blank cheque. It has to make sense for me to let him by.”

“We also want to win the constructors’ championship and sacrificing my race to help Lando won’t help us achieve that goal. We will decide on a case-by-case basis. Baku showed how we do things at McLaren. If Lando hadn’t stopped Perez after the first pit stop, I might not have won. He has a share in my victory.”

‘No blank cheque’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-...o-blank-cheque


Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur should be ‘alarmed’ after what he’s seen at McLaren
2 Oct 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari should be concerned about McLaren development. The standout team this year has been McLaren, having produced a car that went from finishing second and 20 seconds off the pace to one that is now capable of winning by the same margin as Verstappen at the recent Singapore GP.

Ferrari has managed to produce a faster car this year and overtaken Red Bull in the development race but has not been able to replicate the gains made by McLaren. “Fundamentally there is something lacking at Ferrari this season. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, I’ve been impressed by the leadership of Vasseur, but they have been lost this year. The same with Mercedes,” said journalist Nate Saunders.

“Those two teams came into the year and you thought if either team is going to come close to Red Bull, it will be them. But McLaren has just leaped pass both of them. Ferrari has been left in the dust and you have to ask yourself why that is? Because Ferrari have the same if not better resources than McLaren, so that should be a bit alarming.”

‘Ferrari has been left in the dust’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...en-at-mclaren/


'That was taking the p***' – Horner shocked by Norris's pace in Singapore
26 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Christian Horner has admitted that he was taken aback by how much pace Lando Norris had in the Singapore Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver crossing the line to take victory 20 seconds clear of Max Verstappen despite a couple of brushes with the wall along the way.

Asked if he was surprised by just how much Norris had in hand at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Horner responded: “Yeah, that was taking the p***! I shouldn’t say that in an official capacity. I mean, the pace he had in hand on that tyre, at that point in time…”

“At that point we’ve conceded the race on pace. He touched the wall for the first time and then touched it for the second time, but obviously got away with it.” Horner offered his congratulations to Norris and McLaren for their success in Singapore, adding: “They had a very strong car this weekend and particularly on the first stint they were very quick.”

‘Congratulations to Norris and McLaren’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...FTXvhvGc42e0xw


Steiner brands Norris 'lucky' after 'weird' blunder
Lando Norris brushed multiple walls on his way to victory in the Singapore Grand Prix.
1 Oct 2024
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Lando Norris has been judged as "lucky" by former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner after surviving multiple "weird" wall brushes during the Singapore Grand Prix. Steiner highlighted how lucky the title contender was, by pointing out that Kevin Magnussen sustained a puncture after his first strike with the wall on the outside of Turn 5. "I could say that maybe he was managing the race," Steiner said on the Red Flags Podcast. "Did he lose concentration? Did he try to do something? I don't know, but it's weird.”

'Lucky';

https://racingnews365.com/steiner-br...-weird-blunder


Aston Martin set to investigate McLaren’s F1 upgrade blueprint
2 Oct 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Having since slipped into the midfield’s clutches, Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has conceded it would be “foolish” not to review the methods behind McLaren’s climb. “We are looking at this a lot,” Krack told Autosport.

“If you compare the pace, and you see when have they [McLaren] made a step, and you can correlate that with some upgrades that are declared as we never have the full picture, there is some correlation where you can say, ‘okay, this is what it has been changed, and what has it potentially done’.”

“When you see, for example, the Zandvoort upgrade, it’s a bit here, a bit there, a bit there. You see how fine and complex these cars have become, so I think it would be foolish not to look at it.”

‘Investigate McLaren’s F1 upgrade blueprint’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...ade-blueprint/


McLaren detail why 'red herring' scrutiny is ‘good news’
McLaren faced questions from rival teams after the Azerbaijan GP when the legality of its rear wing was called into question.
3 Oct 2024
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted it is “good news” that rival F1 teams have taken issue with its rear wing. “I find that so much attention on our rear wing is just good news because it means that opponents are not focusing on themselves,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

'Red herring' scrutiny is ‘good news’;

https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-de...y-is-good-news

Gary Anderson: Ferrari's F1 upgrade risks cancelling itself out.
It's difficult to say if this has been a step forward or not, but to me the endplate treatment is a positive and the flap trailing edge treatment could very easily lead to a bit of head scratching at Maranello.
Sep 25, 2024
Gary Anderson
The Race

Ferrari's new Formula 1 front wing, introduced at the Singapore Grand Prix, is both a general front wing upgrade and one focused on the demands of the high-downforce Marina Bay circuit. You need to consider the effect of all of the components and the various interacting airflows. It all needs to work together for the best and most consistent flow going between the front wheels and the side and bottom of the chassis.

This new front wing has some positives and potentially some negatives. If we look at how competitive things are at the front of the grid, it shows that a small step in either direction can have major consequences for your performance in terms of grid position. And as qualifying in Singapore showed, the same can be said for whether the team and drivers get it right.

‘Head scratching’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...ng-itself-out/


Leclerc demands Ferrari realism over late F1 title push
30 Sep 2024
Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Despite the upturn in form, the Monegasque believes this to simply be track-specific as he warned against getting too carried away. "There needs to be a little bit of luck involved on our side, because even if we do really well until the end of the season, it is going to be difficult to go and take the drivers' title," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365.

"But I am not really thinking about it now, I'm just trying to focus race-by-race and the worst thing we can do at this moment is to have wrong expectations going forward. We have gone through some very specific tracks since Monza, which has made us look particularly good, and I hope that picture remains [after Singapore].”

"However, I expect McLaren and Red Bull to get back to their normal level of performance, McLaren never left it, but it is still the car to beat and Red Bull will come back and it will make our life a bit more difficult. We need to be good at having the right expectations going into weekends because otherwise it can push you to try and find performance that is not in the car, but we are working well and the development is going well."

‘Warned against getting too carried away’;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-de...-f1-title-push


Ferrari got it wrong in Singapore. But its F1 gamble has worked before...
25 Sep 2024
Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine

Ferrari was 'scratching' in Singapore as it gambled on a late qualifying run to beat the faster McLarens. But while it ended disastrously, there was nothing wrong with its approach, writes Mark Hughes — as Mercedes showed in 2019

Sometimes in a grand prix weekend it will become obvious to a team when it is competitive, but not quite the fastest. Quick enough that if everything goes in your favour and you really squeeze every last drop of performance from the car, you might set pole and you might thereafter have a chance of winning.

But not fast enough that you can control your own destiny. There is another car inherently faster than you and if they nail it they’re going to beat you. But they might not nail it, so you are looking for every tiny opportunity to make the difference. You are what is commonly referred to as ‘scratching’.

‘Got it wrong’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Vasseur defends Ferrari decision after Singapore woe
Ferrari did not enjoy the most successful weekend in Singapore but was able to move forward following a difficult qualifying session.
25 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

When asked if Ferrari considered being more aggressive with its strategy, Vasseur told media including RacingNews365: “To start soft, you can make one position perhaps. But at the end of the day, if you want to be aggressive, you will pit lap 12 or 15 like Lewis [Hamilton] did, but you don’t have another choice because you have to pit lap 12 because you are stuck.”

Despite the difficult weekend in Singapore, Vasseur at least commended the strategy call to bring home points following a difficult qualifying session. “At least to start with medium, we had the opportunity to extend, and the scenario of the race was a bit different. I think it was a good strategy,” he added. “The fact that we split the cars to do one early stop and another one we extended was also a good call. It went pretty well due to the track position at this stage.”

‘Ferrari decision defended’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-de...-singapore-woe


Vasseur: Ferrari must do “a better job” over whole race weekend
25 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur admits that his team must do a “better job” and be consistent through a whole race weekend in the wake of a frustrating Singapore GP. “It’s always good to finish the weekend on a positive tone, and honestly today, it was a very good race,” said Vasseur.

“It’s true that on the other hand you increase a little bit the frustration after a poor Saturday, when you have this kind of race. But I prefer to have a frustration on Sunday evening, after Saturday, with a good race, than a poor race. And you say, ‘Okay it was like this.’ I think it’s good to finish and to attack the three or four weeks break with a positive tone.”

“On Friday we were in better shape, and it means that we missed something during the weekend, it’s clear,” he said. “When you start in Singapore ninth and 10th, you know that we made something wrong on Saturday. But it’s not the Sunday that we have to blame something or someone. It’s more to do a better job on Saturday.”

“Something wrong on Saturday”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/25/...-race-weekend/


‘The goal’: Charles Leclerc gives one-word answer on whether Ferrari can win the 2025 championship
2 Oct 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Charles Leclerc confident Ferrari can challenge for 2025 title. Ferrari brought a floor upgrade to the Italian GP which is intended to be the key part that will make their car a better all-rounder and less ‘peaky’ like they experienced last season.

“We are seeing quite a lot of gains. We just need time to bring those upgrades on the car,” said Leclerc. When asked if he thinks it means Ferrari can challenge for titles, Leclerc said: “Yes. It is. Obviously it is a constant process that keeps evolving and the goal is to always make it better.”

‘The goal’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...-championship/


Ex-Ferrari engineer gives Hamilton instructions: 'Then he'll walk on water'
26 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

"When a seven-times world champion chooses your team to come and work at your team. I don't think he needs to bring an entourage with him. And I always spoke about this, this publicly, both for Lewis himself and for people like Bono [Peter Bonnington]. I think that it's quite a dangerous game to play to follow the driver around because if the driver falls out of favour or the driver decides that after one year this is not for him, he can't take the entourage with him. So I think that Lewis has done the right thing," Smedley said on the Formula for Success podcast.

"They'll [Ferrari] just be able to raise their game by another 1%, 2%, because they'll feel that confidence. This is a seven-time world champion coming into your team, having chosen your team over effectively a team he's been at for, let's call it all of his life, if you take the engine part of it, suddenly he's walking away from all of that and all of that legacy, and he's choosing you guys. So that gives you a massive boost of confidence. If everybody works that half/one percent harder or smarter, then great things can happen," he concluded.

'Then he'll walk on water';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30359...o-ferrari.html


Rob Smedley lauds ‘really encouraging’ Ferrari steps in area they were ‘dreadful’ at before
26 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell

Rob Smedley lauds ‘encouraging’ improvements to Ferrari’s strategy. Smedley worked with Ferrari for 10 years between 2004 and 2014 where he was race engineer to Felipe Massa and was known for his humorous exchanges over team radio. When discussing the areas where Ferrari has improved, Smedley said it was ‘encouraging’ to see the team improve their trackside operations compared to when he was at the Italian outfit.

‘Rookie mistakes’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/rob...ful-at-before/


Remarkable rumour: 'Lewis Hamilton is going to sponsor himself at Ferrari'
26 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Hamilton's Tequila brand to sponsor Ferrari? In a roundabout way, Lewis Hamilton will sponsor himself in his new F1 adventure after he leaves Mercedes.

‘Remarkable rumour’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30359...i-in-2025.html

Mercedes admit to Lewis Hamilton strategy ‘mistake’ after Singapore issues.
Hamilton was the only driver in the top 13 to begin the Singapore Grand Prix on softs but stopped far earlier than he would have hoped, losing any advantage he may have gained from the tactical choice.
30 Sep 2024
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes have admitted they made a “mistake” in bringing Lewis Hamilton in earlier after the seven-time World Champion voiced his displeasure at the Singapore strategy call. Hamilton bemoaned the decision, suggesting that it made “no sense”, after he finished sixth and behind team-mate George Russell.

“We sat in our meeting in the morning of the race – actually the night before they already mentioned that they would like to split the cars – and for me, I was a bit perplexed by it,” Hamilton said at an event in Kuala Lumpur for Mercedes sponsor Petronas.

Mercedes technical director James Allison admitted that it was a “mistake” and that a different call would be made could if they turn back time. “Before I give the explanation, I’ll just start off by saying we shouldn’t have started on the softs. That was a mistake. If we could turn back time, we would do what those around us did and select the mediums.”

‘Perplexed’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...ngapore-issues


Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver insists 'things are cool' with his team after Singapore GP strategy error
Lewis Hamilton dropped from third on the grid to finish sixth at the Singapore GP after a poor strategy call
1 Oct 2024
Sky Sports

"When that happens it's natural to be frustrated and easy for me to speak out in that frustration. We knew starting on soft tyres was a bold and risky move but one that could give us an advantage at the start and I ultimately agreed with that recommendation.”

He added: "Make no mistake though, things are cool with the team. As with all successful partnerships, you have to have some lows to have the highs. We're not afraid of those tricky conversations and challenging moments which is why we have achieved so much together. We will support each other to the very end. It's all love."

'Things are cool';

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...strategy-error


James Allison says Mercedes issue they 'couldn't control' in Singapore affected them all year
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

James Allison says ‘weakness’ in W15 has impacted Mercedes throughout the year. Mercedes entered the summer break with three wins between Hamilton and Russell, but things began to take a downturn at Zandvoort. Russell blamed the car setup while Hamilton was limited due to a grid penalty, but at the following race in Monza they still struggled to break into the top three.

While Mercedes has produced a car that is fast over one lap, this pace is impacting them during the races according to Allison. “We found a very good setup for a lap, which did us no favours in the race,” said Allison. “A weakness became visible again, which has been impacting us all year round. We couldn’t control the temperatures of the rear tyres.”

‘Couldn’t control the temperatures of the rear tyres’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...them-all-year/


'Dig deep': Rob Smedley shares how Toto Wolff’s media interviews show Mercedes downfall ‘hurts them’
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

A winless 2023 confirmed that Mercedes was entering a period of decline, all while several senior members associated with their title success also left for new opportunities on the grid. Toto Wolff visibly affected by Mercedes’ downfall according to Rob Smedley. Wolff is one of the few experienced heads still in the team alongside technical director James Allison, and the impact of their current frustrations is clear when he speaks to the media.

“They deserve to win and get those seven years of World Championships on the bounce because they were doing the best job. Then the car simply wasn’t good enough at the start of this new era of regulations and they really had to dig deep,” said Smedley. “You can see that and you can see how much it hurts them. You see it, even if you don’t know these guys, in their media interviews. You see it in Toto’s media interviews.”

“If you know these guys personally, you can see how much it hurts them. You know, they just want to win and they just want to do everything they can to get back. So they’ve really like knuckled down, doubled down on what they needed to do.”

‘Toto Wolff visibly affected by Mercedes’ downfall’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/rob...ll-hurts-them/


Lewis Hamilton drops girlfriend update and admits he was 'terrified' of Toto Wolff chat
Lewis Hamilton opened up about his personal life and family plans in an interview where the topic of Toto Wolff was also discussed.
Sep 29, 2024
Fasika Zelealem
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton has confessed his desire to start a family but insists he still has unfinished business in Formula One in a clear hint he's not ready to start dating yet. The racing superstar is notoriously private about his personal life, with his on-off relationship with former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger being the only one widely known.

Hamilton is in his final year with Mercedes and is set to join Ferrari in 2025 after announcing the major move earlier this year. Despite being a seven-time champion and one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, Hamilton admitted it was "terrifying" to tell Mercedes boss Toto Wolff about his decision to leave the Silver Arrows, reports the Mirror. "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions from the moment I signed the contract - telling my boss, that was terrifying," remarked Hamilton.

‘Opened up’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...wolff-Mercedes


Peter Windsor questions Lewis Hamilton criticism of Mercedes after strategy mistake
30 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Peter Windsor questions Mercedes’ strategy for Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes was ‘in the woods’ for most of the weekend on tyres, having found they suffered from overheating on all compounds including the hard tyre. Russell said he knew as soon as he saw the tyres for Hamilton that his teammate would disprove of the strategy, which ultimately played into the Briton’s hands later in the race.

“It’s a moot point whether Lewis suggested it to the team or the team suggested it to Lewis and he endorsed it,” said Windsor. “The point is they did it and why? Only to get an advantage off the line in a relatively short run into Turn 1 at Singapore, and he’s trying to overtake one of the hardest guys in F1 in Max Verstappen. If he hasn’t got past him or Lando Norris, then the whole point of him running the soft goes out the window.”

‘Soft tyre strategy out the window’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/pet...ategy-mistake/


'Hamilton would have been an eight-time F1 champion had Whiting not died'
30 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Charlie Whiting, who had been in the role for a long time, died suddenly just prior to the 2019 Australian Grand Prix weekend at the age of 66. Hamilton, the lead car, was on used tyres, with Verstappen on fresh tyres. The Dutchman made the move early in the lap and held on to win the World Championship for the first time. Steiner has expressed his thoughts on that moment.

"Wherever your loyalties lie with that one (and yes, I agree, it was amazing entertainment), from a regulations point of view it was a s**t show of biblical proportions, and regardless of what decision Charlie Whiting might have made in Michael Masi’s position there would have been far less controversy and embarrassment," Steiner said.

Still, the former team boss concludes: "Oh, f**k it. We all know what Charlie would have done. Had he been at the helm Lewis would now be an eight-time world champion."

‘A s**t show of biblical proportions’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30414...abu-dhabi.html


Mick Schumacher makes telling Mercedes comments and puts pressure on Toto Wolff
Sep 30, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Schumacher’s journey back to the F1 grid has been a sorry tale so far. Since being axed by Haas at the end of the 2022 campaign, the German racer has been linked with a host of vacancies… That isn’t to say that Schumacher hasn’t found success. He has made a strong impact as Mercedes’ test driver, and in a conversation with Motorsport-Total he sent a clear message to Toto Wolff as he hunts a new contract with the Silver Arrows.

“You don't really see what's going on there, but it's going well there too," he explained. "So we're all pretty optimistic that I'll keep doing it." Despite his desire to continue with Mercedes, a full-time F1 return is his primary goal. Asked about his ‘Plan B’, Schumacher added: “I think I will deal with it when the time comes and Plan A doesn't work.”

"So, as I said, we stand by the fact that Plan A works and we're trying our best to make it happen. But, as I said, yes, Plan B has to be in the back of our minds. I don't know where that will lead yet."

‘Journey back to the F1 grid, sorry tale so far’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Wolff-Mercedes