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Norris bins it on lap 1, Hamilton keeps Verstappen behind.
All eyes were on Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the start. With 11 world titles on the front row of the grid, no surprise, but the battle never came to a head. Hamilton had a good start, shut the door on the Dutchman, leaving the Red Bull Racing driver to settle for second place.
22nd March 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com
Lando Norris suffered a major setback after starting the sprint race in China. Entering turn five, Norris veered off the track and touched the grass. Resulting in the Briton dropping from P6 to P9.
Lando Norris had the worst start of the top drivers. The Briton got away well, but at turn five Norris found himself on the outside. The McLaren driver seemed to open up the wheel just a little too much, prompting him to touch the grass, lose control of his McLaren and from P6, dropped back to P9.
‘Norris bins it on lap 1’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33419...oor-start.html
F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – Sprint Race Results
22nd March 2025
Motorsport Week
Position Driver Team Gap
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren 6.889
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 9.804
4 George Russell Mercedes 11.592
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 12.190
6 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls 22.288
7 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 23.038
8 Lando Norris McLaren 23.471
9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 24.916
10 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 38.218
‘Sprint Race Results’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-race-results/
2025 Chinese GP Sprint: Hamilton defends the lead from Verstappen at the start in Shanghai
Lewis Hamilton keeps the lead at the Sprint start at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix.
22nd March 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...62090481359254
Hamilton wins the Sprint, Piastri P2, Verstappen P3, Norris bins it
22nd March 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton capitalises on his first success with Ferrari, and wins the Sprint race in China, from Oscar Piastri in P2 and Max Verstappen in P3. As they lined up on the grid, Max Verstappen pointed his car toward Lewis Hamilton’s path, to try and gain the edg on the Briton and contain any potential overtake attempt on his position.
The lights went off, Hamilton had a good reaction and was able to cover off Piastri. Charles Leclerc managed to defend from Russell, and tried to attack Oscar Piastri into Turn 3, as Lando Norris went into Turn 5 very compromised and lost two places as his MCL39 got bent out of shape.
On lap 14, Piastri felt brave enough to have a look on the inside of Verstappen into Turn 1, as the Dutchman defended with everything he could to force3 Piastri to go around the outside. Shortly after Verstappen complained to engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, that both of his front tyres were dead. Sure enough a couple of laps later, Piastri lined up Verstappen for an overtake into Turn 14, and though the Dutchman didn’t make it easy, the battle between the two was always fair.
‘Lewis Hamilton capitalises’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33421...s-bins-it.html
Hamilton wins “masterclass of tyre management” in Shanghai sprint race
22nd March 2025
RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton scored his first victory as a Ferrari driver in the sprint race at Shanghai. He was never headed over the 19-lap encounter after leading Max Verstappen away from the grid.
Verstappen held second place for much of the race until Oscar Piastri passed him with four laps to go. As the drivers nursed their medium compound tyres to the finish, Verstappen clearly thought better of trying too hard to defend his position, and Piastri gained the place with little difficulty in the extended DRS zone.
“Masterclass of tyre management”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/22/...i-sprint-race/
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Oscar Piastri came alive to beat George Russell and Lando Norris to pole.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri seized the first proper pole position of his Formula One career at the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday with the fastest lap yet around the Shanghai International Circuit.
22 Mar 2025
Alan Baldwin
Evening Standard
The Australian, a two-time race winner who has had sprint poles before, lapped in one minute, 30.641 seconds and was joined on the front row for Sunday's start by George Russell after the Mercedes driver put in a storming final effort of 1:30.723.
McLaren's Lando Norris, the winner of the season-opener in Australia and leader of the championship, abandoned his final lap and will start third with Red Bull's Max Verstappen fourth.
Ferrari filled the third row, with Lewis Hamilton securing fifth after winning the earlier sprint race and teammate Charles Leclerc sixth.
‘Oscar Piastri came alive’;
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/for...-b1218225.html
F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
22 Mar 2025
Motorsport Week
Position Driver Team Laptime Gap
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:30.641
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:30.723 0.082
3 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.793 0.152
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:30.817 0.176
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:30.927 0.286
6 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.021 0.380
7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:31.079 0.438
8 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:31.103 0.462
9 Yuki Tsunoda Racing Bulls 1:31.638 0.997
10 Alex Albon Williams 1:31.706 1.065
‘Qualifying Results’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...fying-results/
Oscar Piastri considered aborting pole-setting Chinese GP lap
22 Mar 2025
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Oscar Piastri has revealed he considered aborting the lap that secured him a maiden pole position in Formula 1 at the Chinese Grand Prix up until a late improvement. “Yeah, my first lap was honestly better than my second lap, but just at the hairpin at the end of the straight, I lost a bit of time and didn’t do the best hairpin,” he said.
“And then the second lap, I was about two-tenths down on myself. So I kind of just went, why not send it into the hairpin? And I gained those two-tenths back and then found a little bit more in the last corner.”
“So yeah, I honestly was, without that hairpin, I was tempted to box before that. So I’m pretty happy now that I didn’t, but I just did a good corner. That was all.”
‘Considered aborting the lap’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...hinese-gp-lap/
George Russell thrilled with ‘rewarding’ P2 in 2025 Chinese GP Qualifying
The British driver did not expect to start so far up the grid in Shanghai
22 Mar 2025
Euan Burns
Total Motorsport
As Russell admitted following Qualifying for the 2025 Chinese GP, the McLaren‘s didn’t make the best of their pace advantage: “When we are able to bring it all together, we can definitely compete right at the front. I’m therefore really pleased that we were able to qualify P2 and will start on the front-row tomorrow.”
“I don’t think anybody expected to be challenging the McLaren‘s, but I don’t think they optimised what they had today. P3 would have been a good result, so P2 is a great result. I’m proud of the whole team and the job they’ve done.”
‘George Russell thrilled’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...gp-qualifying/
Norris making “too many mistakes” and not as comfortable as in Melbourne
22nd March 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
“It’s tight and close but it was a much better job than we did yesterday – and I did yesterday,” he said. “The car was feeling much better and I was feeling definitely more comfortable.” However he admitted there were “still too many mistakes from my side.”
“I’m not as comfortable as I was in Australia,” explained Norris, who won from pole position in Melbourne. “It’s just tricky, but it is for everyone, and I just haven’t done the best job. Oscar has done a very good job.”
I don’t think it was so much run plan,” he said. “I just think we didn’t get as much out of the car yesterday. I obviously locked up and went straight. The car’s easily quick enough for pole, so I just did a terrible job yesterday.”
“Too many mistakes”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/22/...-in-melbourne/
Hamilton reveals Ferrari masterplan to win Chinese GP
Chinese GP Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton will start fifth on the grid for Sunday's race.
22 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
"We made a couple of changes to the car to rectify some of the problems we had, and I don't know if it is the wind, but the car became quite snappy," Hamilton told media including RacingNews365 in Shanghai.
"The changes were to improve race performance, but it was definitely harder on the single lap, so it is going to be interesting. How you use the tyres is going to be key, but I feel optimistic for tomorrow, I'll try to get a good start and jump at least one car and slowly make my way up.”
"Tonight, I am just going to make a masterplan of how to win and I'm going to try and execute it, that's the mindset I have. There are going to be swings and roundabouts, right, there are going to be ups and downs and we didn't expect to be fifth and sixth, or I didn't expect to be where I am, but its what we are going to be faced with through the season.”
‘Masterplan of how to win’;
https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-r...win-chinese-gp
Red Bull prepared to fire Liam Lawson after 2025 Chinese GP woes as Marko drops hint
Lawson says he “needs to get a grip” after qualifying last on the grid in Shanghai.
22 March 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
“It is very, very tough,” Lawson told Sky Sports F1 of trying to drive the 2025 Red Bull car. “And yeah, I can get upset at the traffic issues and things like that, but it shouldn’t be the difference between me getting through or not. I have a whole lot of things to sort out myself before I can look at getting a little bit of traffic and things like that. So, it’s just frustrating.”
“I mean the [working] window is very small in this car, but it’s not an excuse. It’s just something I need to get a grip on. And we have sort of glimpses of it, where it feels good, but it’s just a very small window and I just need to get on top of it.”
“F1 is a competitive sport,” Marko cryptically told Sky Germany in China, as the key Red Bull figure hints the Lawson could be fired if he doesn’t step up his performances as Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar find themselves waiting on the wings.
“Needs to get a grip”;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ko-drops-hint/
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Piastri wins Chinese GP as Norris survives brake scare for McLaren 1-2.
Oscar Piastri converted his first Formula 1 pole position into victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, leading home a McLaren 1-2 as Lando Norris nursed his car home in the closing laps with a brake issue.
Mar 23, 2025
Jack Cozens
The Race
In what was a cagey race at the front as the durability of the hard tyre made a one-stop strategy viable, Piastri ultimately had a comfortable margin throughout over team-mate Norris.
But the final winning margin of 9.748 seconds was flattered by Norris having to manage an increasingly critical brake problem late in the race, one that required him to back off significantly on the final two laps.
Piastri did have to resist a challenge for the lead into the first corner from fellow front-row starter George Russell, but the Mercedes ended up on a compromised inside line and that allowed the second McLaren of Norris to sweep through into second place.
‘Piastri wins Chinese GP’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/o...s-brake-scare/
Chinese GP: Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Chinese GP from Shanghai International Circuit.
23 March 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 56 Laps
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes +9.748s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes +11.097s
4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda +16.656s
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +23.211s
6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +25.381s
7 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari +49.969s
8 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +53.748s
9 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes +56.321s
10 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari +61.303s
‘Full results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...-race-results/
BREAKING NEWSLewis Hamilton clashes with Ferrari engineer AGAIN and is made to swap places with Charles Leclerc in miserable Chinese Grand Prix - as Oscar Piastri wins it
Lewis Hamilton endured another tough afternoon, similar to when in Melbourne.
23 March 2025
JONATHAN MCEVOY
MailOnline
Serenity at the front for Oscar Piastri. Victory from pole in China for the Australian. And another day of turbulence in paradise for Lewis Hamilton. Perhaps it was an improvement on his fortunes in Melbourne a week before, when he finished 10th. But not much. Again, he clashed with his race engineer Riccardo Adami, and had to make way to let his team-mate Charles Leclerc through. This is not the optimum scenario when you are hailed as the GOAT and have been signed on £60million-a-year. We are not talking here about a sophomore but a seven-time world champion.
Having to switch was even more wounding for Hamilton because Leclerc's front wing was flapping about, perhaps even grazing the ground (after the two touched on lap one – Leclerc's fault). In a sport where a millimetre is potentially an aerodynamic eureka moment, this was surely a handicap for the Monegasque. Long before lap 20 of 57 when Hamilton and his pit wall were debating whether their trophy recruit should move aside, it was obvious that Leclerc had the greater pace. Hamilton knew it, saying: 'I think I'm going to let Charles through because I'm struggling.'”
Adami replied: 'We are swapping cars at Turn 14.'
Hamilton: 'I'll let Charles through when he's closer.'
Hamilton, again: 'I'm closing up a little bit (on Russell ahead of him).'
Adami: 'Can we swap this lap.'
Hamilton: 'I'll tell you when we can swap.'
Hamilton let Leclerc through at the start of lap 21. Leclerc, unimpressed by being held up, said: 'This is a shame. The pace is there.'
‘Nhe optimum scenario’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-Prix.html
Lando Norris suffers ‘worst nightmare’ at Chinese GP after ignoring McLaren orders
Lando Norris struggled through the final few laps of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Mar 23, 2025
Charlie Gordon
Daily and Sunday Express
After completing a McLaren one-two behind Piastri, Norris told Sky Sports just how terrifying it was in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. "It was scary," he said. "It's like my worst nightmare. If I have a nightmare it's when the brakes are failing, and I was losing three to four seconds in the last couple of laps. So I was a bit scared, but we survived and got to the end."
On whether he could otherwise have challenged Piastri for the victory, Norris added: "It doesn't matter now, really, does it? It doesn't matter. He deserved the win and he drove very well all weekend, so I'm happy with the second [place]. "It's great points for us as a team with a one-two, so a big thanks to everyone in papaya. It's just how we wanted the race to go, so we're very happy."
"It was scary";
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-prix-mclaren
Lando Norris thinks one Chinese Grand Prix overtake reminded him of Michael Schumacher
23 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Lando Norris compares George Russell move to Michael Schumacher. After Russell emerged ahead of Norris in the pit stops, the McLaren driver would retake the place a couple of laps later with an aggressive move using DRS down the start/finish straight on Russell into Turn 1.
Norris said it reminded him of the ‘horrible’ defensive move Michael Schumacher once pulled on Rubens Barrichello at the 2010 Hungarian Grand Prix when he forced the Brazilian into the pit wall.
Norris: “That reminded me of Schumacher and Barrichello that one.”
Russell: “Was you Barrichello?”
Norris: “Just put me in the wall!”
Oscar Piastri: “Don’t tell Andrea [Stella] that because he’ll never stop talking about it!”
‘Russell: “Was you Barrichello?”’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...nese+GP#search
Yuki Tsunoda could replace Liam Lawson at the Japanese GP
Mar 23, 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports
Red Bull are understood to be considering an immediate swap of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. After another poor showing in China, Lawson’s position at Red Bull is hanging by a thread – and Tsunoda is ready to capitalise. After the Australian GP, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko downplayed Lawson’s struggles.
They argued that limited track time and mixed conditions were the biggest influences on the Kiwi’s results. However, Lawson is very clearly struggling, crossing the Chinese GP in P15. Even after two rounds, the situation is becoming unsustainable for Red Bull, who could turn to Tsunoda for a promotion.
‘Becoming unsustainable’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...e-japanese-gp/
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Three F1 Drivers Disqualified as FIA Shake Up Chinese GP Results.
In a dramatic post-race twist, the FIA disqualified three drivers following the conclusion of the Chinese GP turning the final race order on its head.
Mar 23, 2025
Emma Fisher
Last Word On Sports
Post-Race Drama: Despite this, the real drama only emerged hours after the chequered flag. The FIA confirmed in an announcement that Leclerc, Hamilton, and Gasly had all been disqualified for separate breaches of technical regulations.
Following post-Race technical checks, 3 cars have been disqualified from the #ChineseGP ���� #FIA #F1 pic.twitter.com/C27QHwmJ29
— FIA (@fia) March 23, 2025
The scrutiny began when routine post-race checks revealed both Leclerc’s Ferrari and Gasly’s Alpine were under the minimum weight of 800kg. Consequently, both drivers fell foul of Article 4.1 of the FIA technical regulations, leading to their disqualification from the results. Meanwhile, further investigation into Hamilton’s car revealed another costly error.
According to the FIA, the Briton’s Ferrari failed the skid block wear test, with measurements falling below the mandatory 9mm thickness. This infringement breached Article 3.5.9 e) of the technical rulebook. Soon after, the FIA confirmed Ferrari’s nightmare double disqualification, removing their drivers of their fifth and sixth-place finishes. Gasly’s penalty left Alpine equally empty-handed.
‘Dramatic post-race twist’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...se-gp-results/
Chinese GP: Updated Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Chinese GP from Shanghai International Circuit.
23 Mar 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 56 Laps
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes +9.748s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes +11.097s
4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda +16.656s
5 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari +49.969s
6 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +53.748s
7 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes +56.321s
8 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari +61.303s
9 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin – Mercedes +70.204s
10 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes +76.387s
‘Updated Race Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...-race-results/
Ferrari pair Hamilton + Leclerc both disqualified from Chinese GP.
Here's what doomed both drivers to an embarrassing double disqualification for the team.
Mar 23, 2025
Josh Suttill
The Race
Why Leclerc's been disqualified: Leclerc was referred to the stewards when the FIA's F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer found his Ferrari to be 1kg under the 798kg weight limit (accounting for a required two-litre fuel sample).
This was nothing to do with Leclerc's front wing damage that Ferrari did not replace during the race as teams are required to repair damage before being weighed - and the spare front wing it fitted was actually 0.2kg heavier than the original anyway.
Why Hamilton's been disqualified: Hamilton was referred to the stewards for excessive skid wear (part of the plank assembly underneath the car) and the stewards elected to disqualify him shortly after Leclerc.
‘Doomed’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...chinese-gp-f1/
Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly disqualified: Here are the Chinese GP's results
Mar 23, 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com
After the race, three cars were found illegal by the FIA, and therefore were referred to the stewards. Lewis Hamilton's SF-25 failed because of the rearmost skid's thickness was below the 9 millimetres required after the conclusion of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly were disqualified because their cars did not reach the minimum weight limit after the measurements took place.
‘Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly disqualified’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33484...w-results.html
Ferrari issues statement following brutal Chinese GP disqualifications
Ferrari suffered a double disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix - the first time in its history that has happened.
23 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Ferrari statement in full
"Following the FIA post-race scrutineering both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons," began the statement, supplied to media including RacingNews365.
"Car 16 (Leclerc) was found to be underweight by 1 kg and car 44 (Hamilton)'s rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.
"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight.
"With regard to Lewis’ skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.
"There was no intention to gain any advantage.
"We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.
"Clearly it’s not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves, nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering."
‘Support for us is unwavering’;
https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-is...qualifications
Wolff hands Mercedes driver rare ‘10 out of 10′ for ‘faultless’ Chinese GP drive
23 Mar 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff handed George Russell a rare “10 out of 10” for his drive at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli won the fan-voted Driver of the Day award, but it was Russell who finished on the podium behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
‘10 out of 10′;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/wolff-...inese-gp-drive
Martin Brundle makes subtle Liam Lawson dig after making five-word Red Bull prediction at the Chinese Grand Prix
23 Mar 2025
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer
Liam Lawson struggled the most of any driver throughout the weekend, and qualified 20th for both the sprint and the main race. Lawson is performing nowhere near the expected standard. So much so, that his team may already be picking his replacement.
Whether it’s because he will be racing for another team or because he will continue to struggle, Martin Brundle has taken a subtle dig by suggesting that Oscar Piastri will only have to fight one Red Bull at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
“He’s got every chance but he’s going to have to beat Norris and Mercedes, and Ferrari, and at least one Red Bull,” he said on Sky Sports F1 after the Chinese Grand Prix.
‘Subtle’
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...se-grand-prix/
Max Verstappen shuts down Red Bull exit talk despite tough Chinese GP weekend
23 Mar 2025
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Max Verstappen has dismissed talk that he could lose patience with Red Bull in Formula 1 as the team experienced a challenging weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix. Red Bull’s conspicuous regression since a dominant beginning to the previous campaign has triggered persistent speculation about a possible Verstappen departure.
However, Verstappen has quashed suggestions that the Austrian squad’s continued struggle this season might prompt him to start thinking about a move elsewhere. “I hear this all the time,” he said. “But for me, nothing changes. I’m actually very relaxed, I’m very positive in my mind. I’m enjoying life.”
“Every time I jump in the car, I just try to do the best I can. And I’m not thinking about anything else, to be honest. I feel good in life in general, if that’s in the car or outside the car. And that’s actually what matters the most.”
“I hear this all the time”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...se-gp-weekend/
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‘We are concerned’ – Red Bull boss reveals crisis meeting that could affect Max Verstappen’s future amid Mercedes rumours.
Red Bull are considered by some to have the fourth fastest car this season, and should that order play out, the Dutchman could well be looking for the exit door.
23 Mar 2025
Connor Andrews
talkSPORT
Asked if he’s concerned about that eventuality and the car’s pace by Sky Germany, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted things are getting serious.
“There is a meeting in Milton Keynes this week where it will be discussed when and how we can make up for the deficit we currently have,” he said. “Until then, the goal is to score points wherever possible and as many as we can. We are concerned, but it’s not like we’re throwing in the towel just yet.”
‘Crisis meeting’;
https://talksport.com/motorsport/304...edes-f1-china/
Max Verstappen to join Red Bull crisis talks
Max Verstappen is set to join crisis talks at Red Bull as it looks to fight back to the front of F1.
23 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen is to join an emergency meeting Red Bull has planned for next week after the Chinese Grand Prix. Reflecting on his race, Verstappen was initially stumped as to where time could be found on the car, as the future of Liam Lawson following another poor weekend will be discussed. "It’s difficult to say when you don’t really know where or how to find it at the moment," he told Sky Sports F1.
"We have 10 days, hopefully we can learn a little bit more and be a bit more competitive." As for the meeting, Marko explained that Verstappen will be joining the meetings planned. "Max will visit the factory next week to discuss where the weak spots are," he told Motorsport NL.
"We have to improve the car as quickly as possible, but we know it will take time. We have seen that the picture can differ per circuit and even per compound. McLaren is clearly ahead and we have to find something to counter that."
‘Emergency meeting’;
https://racingnews365.com/max-versta...l-crisis-talks
Red Bull now completely stuck after ill-advised, rushed decision
Sergio Perez may not be Max Verstappen. But it's now obvious that he got a raw deal at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Mar 21, 2025
Asher Fair|
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)
While their future decisions are what really count, one cannot help but wonder if their decision to replace Sergio Perez was premature. During the 2024 season, Perez signed a multi-year contract extension to remain with Red Bull through the 2026 season. But his performance in the second half of the season resulted in him being dropped in favor of Lawson. What many questioned at the time was why Red Bull went with Lawson as opposed to the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda, who has competed for the team now known as Racing Bulls since 2021.
But perhaps the better question is why they needed to replace Perez in the first place. Yes, it's a strange question to ask now, given how eager everybody was at the time to see someone else in Perez's seat. Perez's performance down the stretch in 2024 certainly left a lot to be desired. So was Perez's performance really that terrible, given what he had to work with?
In the season's first five races, of which Verstappen won four, Perez racked up four podium finishes. Beyond that, when Red Bull's decline became evident, he did not finish on the podium, yet he only had three actual Grand Prix finishes outside of the points. It's not ideal, especially when you add in the five retirements. But suffice it to say that Red Bull would happily take P8 with the way things are going for Lawson right now. Even with his struggles, Perez finished with more than twice the number of points as Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in P9. Lawson, on the other hand, can't even beat the backmarkers.
‘But perhaps the better question is why they needed to replace Perez in the first place’;
https://beyondtheflag.com/red-bull-n...ushed-decision
Jacques Villeneuve slams Lawson as ‘worse than Perez’
Jacques Villeneuve questions Red Bull’s decision to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson
22 Mar 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
Red Bull‘s controversial decision to replace Sergio Perez with Liam Lawson for the 2025 Formula 1 season is quickly turning into a nightmare, with Jacques Villeneuve taking aim to slam the rookie and his poor performances. Appearing on F1TV, Villeneuve didn’t mince words: “Right now, it’s worse than it was with Perez.” The Canadian legend emphasised that Lawson was brought in to give Red Bull a dependable second driver, but his results have been dismal.
Villeneuve believes Red Bull’s cutthroat culture under Helmut Marko will not tolerate failure for long. “Red Bull is not a team where you can afford to have a bad weekend,” Villeneuve stated. “Marko places massive pressure on his drivers. He expects mental strength, and if you’re not up to it, he cuts you off.”
‘Jacques Villeneuve questions Red Bull’s decision to replace Sergio Perez’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...erez-red-bull/
Sergio Perez ‘laughing his head off’ over Liam Lawson Q1 exit in Ted Kravitz quip
15 Mar 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
PLEASE NOTE: Ted’s Notebook after the Australian Qualifying.
Appearing on his Ted’s Notebook Sky F1 show, Kravitz quipped that Perez will have been left amused by Lawson’s early exit. He said: “Let’s be fair to him, because he was up against it with no preparation in free practice three after a pneumatic problem on the power unit, so didn’t get any preparation and a couple of mistakes on his last lap meant that he was out in Q1.”
“I’ve written here in my notebook: ‘Somewhere in Guadalajara, Mexico, a man called Sergio is laughing his head off.’ I think that’s unfair, but you will consider that Sergio might feel today that he might have done better than P18.” Breaking into laughter, Kravitz continued: “I think that’s unfair in many ways [as] Liam didn’t have any preparation.”
“But you can only hope – for Lawson’s sake, I guess, and for Red Bull Racing’s designs on a Constructors Championship – that this is not a pattern that is going to be repeated with their other car apart from that driving genius Max Verstappen. [Red Bull won’t want the other car] to be going out in Q1 because that is not what they paid off Sergio Perez for a year ahead of his contract [expiration date]. Liam does have the old [Red Bull RB21] nose, a different nose to Max Verstappen. That might be something to do with it.”
‘PLEASE NOTE: Ted’s Notebook after the Australian Qualifying’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...-australian-gp
‘If you left Ricciardo there...’ Blame game over Red Bull driver fiasco takes turn
Mar 24th, 2025
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)
Liam Lawson is in the gun after just two races in 2025, but the stunning scale of his struggles has seen fingers also pointed at Red Bull, who have been accused of creating an environment that sets others up for failure.
Lawson, who was preferred for the seat over Daniel Ricciardo, Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda, had another shocker — and the team is starting to panic. The Kiwi qualified last on Saturday night, and on Sunday the team started him from pit lane to run some extreme experiments with his set-up in a bid for a more drivable car. The result was deeply uninspiring.
‘The team is starting to panic’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...003db63e0f795a
Should Red Bull drop Lawson now? Our verdict
Mar 24, 2025
The Race
Go back in time or suck it up, Scott Mitchell-Malm: “Yes, this is at the absolute worst end of anyone's expectations. Worse, even. It has been dreadful so far.”
Don't scapegoat Lawson too, Ben Anderson: “It's really not acceptable for Red Bull to continue to hide behind Verstappen's freakish abilities and make yet another scapegoat of its second driver.”
Give the guy a chance, Gary Anderson: “We all know that being Verstappen's team-mate is no walk in the park, but Lawson seems to be just that bit too far off Verstappen's pace for it to be just the fact that Max is a demigod.”
Drop Lawson and start evaluating a new candidate Josh Suttill: “You'd assume Red Bull would swap Tsunoda and Lawson if it was Tsunoda who was picked to replace him before Suzuka…”
Give Lawson a last chance at Suzuka, Jon Noble: “…moving him aside now, putting Tsunoda into an extremely difficult handling car amid the pressure environment of his home race runs the risk of Red Bull jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Dropping Lawson now would be absurd, Edd Straw: “For Red Bull Racing to be considering dropping Lawson this early is absurd. It was only a few months ago he was talked of as the obvious choice, with his robust mentality and supposed driving-style similarities to Verstappen cited as the reason. How flimsy was that judgement if ditching him is already being considered?”
‘Our verdict’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...w-our-verdict/
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Italian media lash out at 'chaotic' Ferrari.
Ferrari's first double disqualification in its 75-year F1 history has unsurprisingly led to a backlash in the Italian media.
24 Mar 2025
Ian Parkes & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
'Red alert already: Ferrari, no more mistakes allowed', screamed the headline in the Gazzetta dello Sport. As for what followed, no punches were pulled - "From Lewis Hamilton's first win in the sprint race to a double disqualification that tastes like a fool's errand. Ferrari, over the weekend in Shanghai, really went from stars to dust. What happened yesterday after the race, when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were excluded from the standings for technical irregularities, was one of the ugliest pages in the history of the Prancing Horse.”
Corriere dello Sport described Ferrari's situation as "a disaster", and that it was "a black day in China". It added: "No less than two disqualifications for the Scuderia. And for two different reasons. That, too, after a mediocre race that hits hard. McLaren won't care, they drove the perfect race. Behind [George] Russell, Verstappen finished fourth, again limiting the damage."
Corriere della Sera said the disqualifications for Ferrari were "an embarrassment" and "a performance to be ashamed of". It claimed that "a big change will have to be made to get close to McLaren again - the team that grabbed its 50th double [one-two], with supremacy."
‘Tastes like a fool's errand’;
https://racingnews365.com/italian-me...haotic-ferrari
“It’s a disgrace”: The real reason Hamilton, Leclerc and Gasly were excluded (and it’s shocking)
March 24, 2025
James-Fiorucci
FormulaNerds
Hamilton Penalized: A Worn Skid Block Costs Dearly: Let’s begin with Lewis Hamilton, a six-time world champion who crossed the finish line in sixth place in Shanghai. During the post-race checks, officials discovered excessive wear on the skid block beneath his Ferrari. According to Article 3.5.9 of the FIA regulations, the skid block’s minimum thickness (9 mm) must be strictly respected. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s car exceeded the allowable wear limit, resulting in immediate disqualification. Ferrari acknowledged the technical oversight, explaining, “We underestimated the wear during the race.”
Leclerc and Gasly: 1 kg Too Light, Instant Disqualification!: For Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, the issue was equally embarrassing. Leclerc finished fifth, while Gasly crossed the line in eleventh position. But to everyone’s astonishment, their cars weighed exactly 799 kg during inspection, falling 1 kg short of the FIA’s minimum required weight of 800 kg (Article 4.1). Ferrari explained their single-stop strategy had excessively worn the tires, resulting in this critical drop in weight. Alpine also recognized their error, stating, “This is a mistake we must take responsibility for,” according to the French team’s management.
“It’s a disgrace”;
https://formulanerds.com/flash/its-a.../?nowprocket=1
Ferrari admit Lewis Hamilton’s Chinese Grand Prix disqualification was due to losing key ‘trait’ from 2024 F1 car
24 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Charles Leclerc was thrown out because his car was 1kg under the 800kg minimum weight limit when his car was weighed after the race with all the fuel drained, even with the FIA fitting a spare front wing after his was damaged in the race. Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese GP because of excessive skid wear, with the skid blocks being 0.5mm under the 9mm minimum. The infractions cost Ferrari 18 points and means they now trail Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship after the first two races of the season.
Discussing their start to the 2025 season on the Formel Schmidt podcast, journalist Michael Schmidt reveals what Ferrari told him that confirms they have made a step back compared to last year’s car. Ferrari made an important change to their suspension for the SF-25, in a bid to open up development opportunities and close in on McLaren after losing out in the Constructors’ Championship. The resulting effect is that the car must now be run lower than they did in 2024, which is why they fell foul of the rules in China according to Schmidt.
“In Melbourne they had raised the car after fears they would come into conflict with the plank. They have admitted to me now that it was a calculation error, which means they’re at the limit with the ground clearance,” said Schmidt. “Last year Ferrari was a very good-natured car that worked with a bit higher ground clearance. Apparently that’s no longer the case this year, you have to drive this Ferrari extremely low, that’s how it looks after two races to keep up with the competition.”
‘Calculation error’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...m-2024-f1-car/
'Disaster, chaos': Ferrari 'incompetence' ripped in ferocious reaction to Shanghai shocker
Mar 24, 2025
Damien McCartney
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports
It was the first Ferrari double disqualification in the 75-year history of Formula 1. Turin sports paper Tuttosport wrote the team had "plunged into an abyss from which it may be difficult to rise again. At least not quickly." Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Ralf Schumacher was far more scathing. "Incompetence," he said.
The skid block on the bottom of Hamilton's car was found to be half a millimetre too thin. The skid blocks must be 10mm thick, but the rules allow for 1mm of wear during a race. Hamilton's skid block was as narrow as 8.5mm. Having already completed the 19-lap sprint race on Saturday, which Hamilton won, Schumacher said the Brit's race engineers should have been able to gauge how much the skid block would wear.
"You can assume that the engineer should know what he's doing," the brother of seven-time world champion Michael said. "The wear on the underbody was already clearly visible there. Saturday was so good, (Sunday) they've been disqualified. Of course that's not on."
'Disaster, chaos';
https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...24-p5lm9h.html
Ferrari face 'painful reading' after double disqualification horror-show
It was F1 history for all the wrong reasons for Ferrari in the Chinese Grand Prix.
24 Mar 2025
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Martin Brundle has no doubt Ferrari will feel the 'pain' from the Italian media following its double disqualification nightmare at the Chinese Grand Prix. It was the first time in Ferrari's 75-year F1 history - 1102 grands prix - it had both its drivers disqualified.
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports expert analyst Brundle said the DSQs -including that of Alpine's Pierre Gasly - were a "sting in the tail" to the weekend. "Leclerc and Gasly were thrown out due to being marginally underweight," wrote Brundle, in his post-race analysis.
"Hamilton's car was thrown out for running too close to the ground and overly wearing away the legality skid block underneath by half a millimetre. "This rule is in place to stop teams running these ground-effect aero cars too low to gain performance but then trashing super expensive floors every day. Especially in the Italian media, it will be painful reading for Ferrari this week despite the sprint victory."
'Painful reading';
https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-fa...on-horror-show
Lewis Hamilton Was Unlucky to be Disqualified at Chinese GP Damning Video Shows
24 Mar 2025
Alp Salfur
Give Me Sport
A clip of Sky Sports presenter Craig Slater trended on social media for his explanation of the Hamilton disqualification. In the clip, Slater picked up the ID card of his fellow presenter, detailing how the margin of thickness of the plank of Hamilton's car was less than the width of the card in his hand, yet concluding that rules must be followed regardless of how small the margin is.
"Less than the width of this [ID card], is the margin by which Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Grand Prix today. But they have to draw the line somewhere, and the team accept that there are no mitigating circumstances."
‘Damning Video’;
https://www.givemesport.com/lewis-ha...chinese-gp-f1/
Did tyre wear really cause Leclerc's Chinese GP disqualification?
Mar 24, 2025
Jon Noble
The Race
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, who is pushing his team to be the very best it can, has been open in the past about the level of aggression that is needed to be successful. Interestingly, speaking to The Race last year, Vasseur said that there was no way any team could be conservative these days in its choices – and that included car weight.
"We have to be at the limit on every single item of the car," he said. "We have to be aggressive. And it's a challenge to be at the limit of the weight, to be at the limit of the plank, to be at the limit of the cooling, to be at the limit of the fuel. It's a challenge because in the end you are taking more and more risk.”
“And so why George was disqualified [in Spa] was because we are all like this [on the edge]. I think that Mercedes, five years ago, carried five kilos of fuel to be safer. But today, nobody can do this kind of exercise. We are all on the edge of being disqualified every single weekend." In China, Ferrari fell on the wrong side of that.
"We have to be at the limit”;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/d...qualification/
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Red Bull to drop Liam Lawson and bring in Yuki Tsunoda as replacement.
Liam Lawson will be demoted to Racing Bulls for the third race of the season in Japan next week, with Yuki Tsunoda moving in the opposite direction to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate at the senior Red Bull team.
26 Mar 2025
Tom Cary
The Irish Independent
Telegraph Sport understands there are still details to sort out so the switch has not yet been finalised, but the decision has now been made. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, admitted in China on Sunday evening that he was weighing up whether to pull Lawson out of the firing line just two races into the new season.
“Liam is obviously confidence-wise struggling with the car at the moment, which is why we made some significant changes today to see if we could find a more confidence-inspiring set-up for him,” Horner said. “I think Liam still has got potential, we’re just not realising that at the moment. I think the problem for him is he’s had a couple of really tough weekends, he’s got all the media on his back.”
“The pressure just naturally grows in this business, and I feel very sorry for him. You can see it’s very tough on him at the moment. He’s a young guy, we’ve got a duty to look after him and we’re going to do the best that we can to support him.”
‘The decision has now been made’;
https://www.independent.ie/sport/oth...644263892.html
Why Red Bull’s Japanese Grand Prix driver swap would benefit Liam Lawson more than Yuki Tsunoda
26 Mar 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer
Tsunoda finished sixth in the Sprint in Shanghai, with the Japanese driver and Isack Hadjar both making Q3 for Sunday’s race. Qualifying an impressive seventh and ninth, the pair could not capitalise and failed to score points. Racing Bulls have been unlucky not to score more than three points so far. A botched strategy call in Melbourne in the tricky conditions and Tsunoda’s front wing breaking in the dirty air of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin in Shanghai cost the team most points.
The reality is that the VCARB 02 is stronger than many would have thought in pre-season. In many ways, it is an easier machine to drive than the RB21. This is by the defending four-time champion’s own admission, who finished off the podium in Shanghai behind the McLarens and George Russell. Astonishingly, Verstappen said Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls as the Red Bull is more difficult to drive.
It would be incredibly harsh for Lawson to lose his seat at the Milton Keynes squad after little to no time in the 2025 car. However, with Racing Bulls’ current trajectory and previous experience with the team, it is a move that could see a dramatic improvement from the Kiwi driver.
‘Astonishingly, Verstappen said Lawson would be better off at Racing Bulls’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/why...-yuki-tsunoda/
Red Bull not confirming reports Tsunoda will replace Lawson at Japanese Grand Prix
25th March 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Red Bull has not confirmed reports in multiple publications claiming it has decided to drop Liam Lawson after just two starts for the team. French Formula 1 broadcaster Canal Plus and Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf are among those declaring the shock change will happen before the next round of the world championship.
Both named Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda as Lawson’s replacement. Tsunoda would therefore start his first race for Red Bull in his home event at Suzuka. However a Red Bull spokesperson would not confirm the reports when contacted by RaceFans.
‘Red Bull not confirming reports’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/03/25/...se-grand-prix/
Why Lawson has paid the price for Perez's failings
Mar 26, 2025
Jon Noble
The Race
That Red Bull is getting ready to drop Liam Lawson in a swap deal with Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the 2025 Formula 1 season is extraordinary - even for a team that loves to make a change. It points to something having gone catastrophically wrong between the high hopes that Red Bull had of Lawson's potential just a few months ago when it paid Sergio Perez off to go for him.
And while on paper the results seem to justify a move - Lawson's dire qualifying performances (18th, 20th and 20th) are the worst run a Red Bull driver has ever had - the fact that they are so bad is quite difficult to understand. Over a 10-day period between first practice in Australia this year and race day in China, Red Bull's view has changed completely - with the squad deciding that there is little point persevering with Lawson.
If it has looked at its data and concluded that there is no point continuing with Lawson then it must feel that he and the RB21 are incompatible. The tricky characteristics of the car, which even Verstappen has described as being confusing and difficult to cope with at times, has certainly contributed a lot to Lawson being all at sea.
‘Extraordinary’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...erez-failings/
How much Honda is willing to pay Red Bull to have Yuki Tsunoda partner Max Verstappen
26 Mar 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Rory Mitchell
Liam Lawson faces the prospect of having the shortest Red Bull career in the team’s history, after a disastrous start to his 2025 campaign. The 23-year-old replaced Sergio Perez but has so far been unable to deliver any improved performance alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Red Bull offered £17 million by Honda for Yuki Tsunoda to partner Max Verstappen in 2025. Tsunoda’s seat at Racing Bulls is already part of an arrangement between power unit manufacturer Honda and Red Bull, having brought him up through the Honda Formula Dreams Project.
The Japanese car maker currently pays at least €10 million (£8 million) a year for his seat at Racing Bulls, but the report in De Limburger stated that Honda was willing to up that to €20 million (£17 million) for Tsunoda to partner Verstappen at Red Bull. The report goes on to say that Christian Horner ignored the offer when it was presented to him at the end of last year, but now they have reopened negotiations in the aftermath of Lawson’s poor start to 2025.
‘Red Bull offered £17 million by Honda for Yuki Tsunoda’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/how...ax-verstappen/
'Red Bull held summit meeting in Dubai over Lawson and Tsunoda swap'
26 Mar 2025
Ewan J Gale
GPblog.com
GPBlog revealed on Tuesday that Red Bull Racing has decided to promote Yuki Tsunoda to become Max Verstappen's teammate, with Liam Lawson dropping back to Racing Bulls after just two races. Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf has reported that a summit was held in Dubai on Tuesday, where Chalerm Yoovidhya - the major Thai shareholder - lives, with the decision to swap the drivers made.
With Tsunoda now expected to be confirmed as Verstappen's teammate, Honda is reported to be involved in the deal, with it suggesting that millions are being paid to help with the swap. This is an intriguing point given the Japanese manufacturer's switch to Aston Martin for next year.
GPBlog also reported that Verstappen is not in favour of the switch. The Dutchman had seemingly indicated to Red Bull management that Lawson should stay in place, though the team opted to do the switch anyway. What that says about the four-time world champion's future with the Milton Keynes-based team is yet to be seen.
‘Summit meeting in Dubai’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33533...d-tsunoda.html
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‘That’s clear’: Ralf Schumacher thinks it is ‘clear’ three-win F1 driver is now ‘fighting for his future’.
Ralf Schumacher thinks George Russell is ‘fighting for his future’ at Mercedes.
26 Mar 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Among the Formula 1 drivers on expiring contracts are both Mercedes stars, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Silver Arrows last handed Russell a new deal in August 2023, while Antonelli only penned a one-year deal to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Brackley crew. Russell has so far stepped up to his new role as Mercedes’ clear team leader with P3 finishes at the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. Thanks also to his fourth-place finish in the Sprint in Shanghai, the 27-year-old ranks third in the F1 drivers’ championship with 35 points, too.
But as Mercedes continue to be linked with a move for Max Verstappen, Schumacher thinks Russell’s results are a sign of the Briton fighting for his place. He even feels Toto Wolff has ‘a luxury problem’ with Verstappen potentially an option along with Mercedes’ current drivers. “For [Wolff], the question is, of course, what to do because he has two drivers who are close to his heart,” Schumacher told Sky Germany. “George Russell, who is currently fighting for his future – that’s clear, you can really tell – and also Kimi Antonelli, who he thinks highly of.”
‘That’s clear’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ral...or-his-future/
George Russell provides perfect response to Mercedes sack threats as Toto Wolff amazed
George Russell is currently without a contract for the 2026 F1 season but has put his best foot forward so far...
Mar 25, 2025
Fasika Zelealem
Daily and Sunday Express
Rumours that Wolff was courting the Dutchman last season to replace Hamilton were rife, but the Austrian has poured cold water on such a move while praising Russell's driving ability. Only nine points behind championship leader Lando Norris, Wolff branded the Brit's drive in China "10 out of 10".
Speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix, he said: "I never give 10 out of 10 because I think there is always better. We haven't seen the perfect race, but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10.
"He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive. All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport leaving to Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential, and little was said about George.
‘Best foot forward’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-toto-wolff-F1
What Russell did not want to tell Mercedes over team radio at Chinese GP
25 Mar 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes driver George Russell has revealed he knew early on in the Chinese Grand Prix that it would become a one-stop race, but did not want to give the game away over team radio. But with doubts having been raised throughout the grid over strategy, with the hard compound tyres not used all weekend up to that point, Russell was one of the drivers in the field to realise only one stop would be necessary on Sunday.
He admitted to being “a bit annoyed” that going for that strategy was “so easy” and wanted more of a “50-50 decision” in the race for strategic variability. That said, he did not want to alert other teams to his feelings around strategy at that time, in case it gave others an advantage – but added he felt it was one of his “strongest” weekends in his Formula 1 career so far.
“It was quite exciting when I saw [Lando Norris]. Today definitely P3 was the maximum and the fair result. I’m very happy with this weekend. It’s been one of the strongest and most solid weekends overall in F1, very consistent lap after lap. Being six, seven seconds ahead of Max in the race and 12 ahead of the Ferraris is a very strong result for us. I’m happy.”
‘Did not want to give the game away over team radio’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...se-gp-revealed
‘That’s not right’: Toto Wolff frustrated with what people are saying about Mercedes driver George Russell, ‘that’s not right…’
25 Mar 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Toto Wolff is frustrated with the little fanfare George Russell gets at Mercedes. Yet despite Russell’s strong start to the season, Mercedes team principal Wolff has hit out at the lack of fanfare the Briton receives. Wolff believes Russell was overlooked by many ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign in favour of focusing on Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli.
Hamilton dominated the headlines with his move to Ferrari, while Mercedes promoted their academy prospect Antonelli to replace the seven-time F1 champion beside Russell. Antonelli even became the third-youngest driver to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix yet in Australia at 18. Russell staying under the radar frustrated Wolff as the Mercedes chief is convinced he is one of the top three drivers on the 2025 F1 grid.
The King’s Lynn native could even be on his way to being the best driver on the grid given how Russell scored P3 in the Chinese GP, for Wolff. “I never give 10/10 because I think there is always better,” Wolff stated, via Sky Sports. “We haven’t seen the perfect race but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10/10. He extracted the maximum of this car, tyres, strategy and it was a brilliant drive.
‘That’s not right’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/tot...ats-not-right/
Analysis: Where Mercedes is missing out to McLaren in F1 2025
Mercedes has the second-fastest F1 car so far in 2025, but where does it lose out to McLaren's pacesetting MCL39?
Mar 25, 2025
Jake Boxall-Legge
Motorsport.com
The 'working window' of the Mercedes seems to be larger and drop-off with tyre wear also appears reduced, although there have been few circuits to entirely test that theory. That said, Russell was among one of the first drivers to predict a transition to the one-stop; evidently, tyre wear looked good on the W16. The car is also benign enough for Andrea Kimi Antonelli to grow into his debut year, with rookie mistakes having largely been kept to a minimum so far.
But the W16 still paled in keeping life in the tyres versus McLaren, and this is the key weakness that Russell has identified from his opening two races with the team.
"I think their strength is probably in tyre management," Russell said. "We saw the one-stop was pretty comfortable. "Let's see when we go to a circuit where it's much more overheating, like we saw in Melbourne on the intermediate tyres or like we saw in Bahrain testing. They were even stronger."
In comparing Russell's China race stints with winner Oscar Piastri's, there's a difference on the medium tyre of around 0.2-0.6s per lap and at around 0.1-0.5s (excluding anomalies) on the hard tyre. Russell's battling with Norris at the start of each stint may also have put a little bit of premature wear into the tyre. Compare that to qualifying, and there really was very little between McLaren and Mercedes.
‘Analysis’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...2025/10706962/
Wolff claims Russell is quicker than Verstappen and Hamilton
The Mercedes star is third in the drivers’ championship after securing two third place finishes.
26 Mar 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
“We haven’t seen the perfect race,” Wolff told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10. He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive.
“All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport leaving to Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential. And little was said about George. I always said that’s not right because he’s one of the top drivers out there.”
“If you want me to name three that I consider to be the top [drivers], he’s absolutely among those three, if not top two, and maybe on his way to top one. George is a Mercedes driver,” Wolff added. “So we love having him in the team. He was a junior driver and a Mercedes grown talent. I have something to be proud of and this is where all my concentration goes to.”
“George is a Mercedes driver”;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ewis-hamilton/
Wolff will not be seen Mercedes' garage during the Japanese Grand Prix
24 Mar 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com
Toto Wolff will not be present at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Mercedes team boss will miss out on the third race weekend of the year. Wolff will be temporarily replaced by Bradley Lord, Mercedes' Chief Communications Officer who will represent the team that weekend.
In the paddock of the Shanghai International Circuit, Wolff indicated that he will not travel to the Suzuka circuit, where the Japanese Grand Prix will be held in a fortnight. "No, it's a coincidence that I'm missing that again. It's not the jet lag," jokes the 53-year-old Austrian.
Last year, Wolff was also initially not supposed to be present at the Japanese GP, but then the Mercedes team boss changed his plans at the last minute because it would feel "wrong" for him not to be with his team at a crucial moment in the season.
‘Wolff will not be seen’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33508...rand-prix.html
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Mercedes' reserve driver, Valtteri Bottas will take to the track in a McLaren on Thursday, driving one of the former cars of the defending constructors' champion on the Barcelona asphalt strip, home to the Spanish Grand Prix.
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Tsunoda confirmed to replace Lawson at Red Bull from Japanese GP.
London – Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from his home Japanese Formula One Grand Prix next week with struggling New Zealander Liam Lawson demoted to sister team Racing Bulls in a straight swap.
Mar 27, 2025
Alan Baldwin
The Japan Times
Tsunoda started the season strongly and has shrugged off an early career reputation for being excitable and erratic. The 24-year-old has been itching for the chance to show what he can do at a top team.
‘Yuki Tsunoda will race for Red Bull from his home Japanese Formula One Grand Prix’;
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/...sunoda-lawson/
Tsunoda bids 'amazing' Racing Bulls farewell after Red Bull promotion
Yuki Tsunoda is finally getting his chance at the senior Red Bull team, bidding goodbye to his Racing Bulls team.
27 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Tsunoda had his first Red Bull test following the 2024 season, and was initially unsure as to why he had been overlooked for promotion, but following a strong start to 2025, albeit only scoring points in the China Sprint race due to team strategy blunders, has been handed the chance he has long craved, taking to social media to say farewell.
"Hey guys, Yuki here, I just wanted to say thank you to the team and the amazing VCARB fans for such an incredible ride, and so many special memories" Tsunoda said, still in his Racing Bulls team kit. "I'm staying in the Red Bull family, so I won't be far and will see you guys around the paddock."
‘Tsunoda bids 'amazing' Racing Bulls farewell’;
https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-bi...bull-promotion
From rookie rage to an ‘outstanding’ all-rounder – Tsunoda’s rollercoaster ride to a Red Bull seat
Mar 27, 2025
Mike Seymour
Formula One - Official Site
Speaking a few weeks earlier about Red Bull’s apparent unwillingness to promote him, and the likelihood of Lawson getting the nod for 2025 instead, Tsunoda commented: “I always say that I definitely deserve that seat. I can’t say more than that. It’s up to them.”
“But this thing, I can’t control. It’s just part of life. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. Whenever they keep sending their driver to me to beat me, I just keep destroying them, so that’s what I’m going to do.” Lawson, with only 11 starts compared to Tsunoda’s 87, was ultimately given the chance.
Tsunoda gets the call – but can he crack the code? Tsunoda does, at least, have a positive outing at last year’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi to take confidence from, an experience that left him feeling “happy more than ever” when I spoke to him in a break between on-track runs. While the RB20 and RB21 are different beasts, Tsunoda enjoyed his time behind the wheel of last year’s challenger, and earned praise from Red Bull for how he conducted himself throughout the test – which included providing “excellent feedback”.
‘Tsunoda’s rollercoaster ride’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ySQf6r8EB9uBv2
Racing Bulls chief shares heartfelt message after Yuki Tsunoda's move to Red Bull
Liam Lawson has been replaced at Red Bull by Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Mar 27, 2025
Lydia Mee
Motorsport.com
Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies has commented on the Japanese driver's exit, stating: "We're incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing! His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational. Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes.”
"Yuki's energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at ORBR. Everyone here at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give him the best environment possible for him to shine in our car and to express the talent we all know he has.”
"He fit in so well last year, and we cannot wait to challenge ourselves and grow as a Team. With Isack having started so strongly with us already, we know we have a young and strong lineup."
"We're incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing!”;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...e-gp/10707447/
The important role Honda played in Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull move
Mar 27, 2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
Honda ‘delighted’ by Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull promotion: “We are delighted that Yuki Tsunoda, a graduate of Honda’s driver development program, has made great progress in his fifth year as an F1 driver and will be racing for Oracle Red Bull Racing, one of the strongest teams in F1,” Watanabe said on Thursday. “We look forward to his future success.”
Whether Tsunoda can thrive where Lawson faltered remains to be seen, given the long-documented struggles of drivers in the second Red Bull seat, but Tsunoda himself is adamant that its the faster car in comparison to the VCARB 02.
As well as this, Tsunoda wasn’t alarmed by his RB20 testing outing in Abu Dhabi, telling the media in Shanghai that “he didn’t feel that” the car was difficult to drive. If that is the case, and Tsunoda can deliver on the task set to him by Red Bull, he could end a 13-year wait for a Japanese driver on an F1 podium.
‘Honda ‘delighted’ by Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull promotion’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...red-bull-move/
WHY RED BULL'S DRIVER SWAP ISN'T JUST ABOUT LAWSON'S FAILURE – BUT TSUNODA'S EXCELLENCE
OPINION: When weighing up the motives that prompted Red Bull to so suddenly abandon Liam Lawson as its second driver, it’s important to remember not just that the New Zealander failed to impress at the start of the season – but also how Yuki Tsunoda has changed the perception of himself within the team over the past months
Mar 27, 2025
Oleg Karpov
Motorsport.com
If they’ve decided to drop him now, it means they don’t hear a single RB21 sensor crying out for them to wait. But it’s not only Lawson’s data they must have studied. It must have also been Tsunoda’s strong start to the year – and more importantly, his reaction to what happened over the winter – that played a massive role in them considering a swap. The decision last December to leave him in Faenza was harsh too. It also wasn’t fair.
Tsunoda had consecutively beaten Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and then Lawson. He could be forgiven for feeling disrespected and unjustly demoralised after outperforming all of his recent team-mates. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he lost all motivation, desperately trying to find an answer to the inevitable question: what more could he possibly have done to deserve that Red Bull seat? He swallowed it. He went back and worked on himself instead of choosing to blame an unfair world. And he came back stronger.
On Friday morning in Shanghai, Laurent Mekies gave Motorsport.com a great insight into how Tsunoda dealt with what he must have felt was an injustice. “When he came back to Europe, honestly, we saw straight away that he was in super strong spirits,” said the Frenchman. “Already in the opening weeks of work in Faenza, in the simulator, he was in very, very strong spirits straight away. High motivation, very focused, down to the details, hard willingness to work even harder than what he was doing. And then we went to the Bahrain test, and after those three days, we looked at each other and we said, ‘We have another Yuki’. That’s what we said to each other internally.
‘We have another Yuki’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...ence/10707326/
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Helmut Marko impressed by what Yuki Tsunoda has just done on Red Bull simulator before Japanese Grand Prix.
It might be a pure coincidence that Tsunoda’s first race will be his home GP. Red Bull decided that they had to make an immediate change after what they saw in China.
28 Mar 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Speaking to ServusTV, Marko offered a verdict on the 24-year-old’s performance. He apparently showed ‘very good’ pace, while also offering the team useful technical feedback. Marko is optimistic that Tsunoda can match his virtual times in the real world, or at least get within a couple of tenths. His familiarity with the circuit should help him. The Austrian is also relieved that the new signing is making his debut in a conventional race weekend.
Lawson perhaps suffered from only having one hour of practice before Sprint qualifying in China, a circuit he hadn’t driven before. “Tsunoda has already been on the simulator with us at Red Bull Racing and has given us some very good results,” Marko said. “He also made technical statements. Yuki is in his fifth year and, yes, it is his home Grand Prix, but Suzuka is one of the most difficult race tracks, which as a Japanese driver he knows very well from the junior formulae. We see that as an advantage.”
He added: “He was on the simulator for two days and simulators like these are so accurate that you can compare the times with reality to within a tenth or two tenths. That’s one thing and the other, thank God, is that it’s a normal Grand Prix, which means he has three practice sessions and then a qualifying session. So the preparation time is relatively good for him.”
‘Helmut Marko impressed’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/hel...se-grand-prix/
Croft has advice for Tsunoda: "Don't qualify last at your home Grand Prix!"
28 Mar 2025
Olly Darcy
GPblog.com
"I suppose the glib remark is don't qualify last for the home Grand Prix," joked Commentator David Croft when asked what advice he would have for the Japanese driver when speaking to Sky Sports News. "He might have a sensational weekend, and I hope he does. We go back to 2012, don't we, for the last time we had a Japanese driver on the podium, and that was Kamui Kobayashi at the Japanese Grand Prix. It will be a fairy tale to see Yuki Tsunoda get on the podium in front of his home fans, and I'm sure that's what Honda, who are Yuki Tsunoda's backers, are wanting and secretly hoping for and why they probably had quite a big part and played quite a big part in getting Yuki Tsunoda that seat for this particular race. There's no coincidence that it is the Japanese Grand Prix coming up next.”
"But, thinking long term, if Yuki gets a long term, he's got to get to within a couple of tenths of a second in qualifying of his teammate Max Verstappen. He's got to score consistent points and be there to take the chances when they come his way. Don't think about beating Max Verstappen yet, although I'm sure Yuki would dearly love to do that. Max is the best driver on the grid, currently," continued the British commentator.
"Forget about who his teammate is, just go out and do the maximum he can each and every session, every qualifying session and every race. And that maybe might ease the pressure that he's now going to be put under because there is a huge pressure difference between racing for Racing Bulls, despite doing very well and being very unlucky not to score points in the first two races, and racing for Red Bull, who are expectants of championship wins, championship points, and championships," concluded Croft.
"He might have a sensational weekend, and I hope he does”;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33553...cing-2025.html
Yuki Tsunoda gets first Red Bull boost after replacing Lawson
28 Mar 2025
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
In the press release announcing the change, Red Bull had explained that, in having access to four seats on the grid, the switch is an exercise in “driver rotation”, suggesting that further changes could be made in the second Red Bull cockpit should Tsunoda also flounder.
But Tsunoda need not worry if he fails to hit the ground running, as Red Bull has no plans to make any further changes, according to advisor Helmut Marko. Speaking to the BBC, Marko said Tsunoda will be given until “the end of the season” at Red Bull to prove himself “because we believe he can do the job”.
This would seem to shut down any possibility of Red Bull rotating their second cockpit any further this season, including the possibility of giving Isack Hadjar a shot if Tsunoda underperforms. The switch means Red Bull will now race with the line-up many felt was the more sensible as the speculation towards the end of last season pitted Lawson and Tsunoda against each other for the seat alongside Verstappen.
“We believe he can do the job”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/yuki-t...season-f1-2025
Christian Horner already sent 10-word warning to Yuki Tsunoda as Red Bull reality sets in
Red Bull chief Christian Horner knows all too well the steep challenge facing any driver who takes up a spot next to Max Vertsappen, with Yuki Tsunoda next up
Mar 28, 2025
Chris Burns
Daily and Sunday Express
“Max is the hardest team-mate in the world to have," the Red Bull chief once said. His warning comes as Tsunoda is set to become Verstappen's SIXTH stablemate at Red Bull. Lawson has now followed Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly Alex Albon and Sergio Perez in failing to make the grade next to Verstappen. Perez, the man who made way for Lawson, also fired a warning shot to any young driver who was about to take up a seat next to the Dutch star.
“Being teammates with Max at Red Bull as a young driver, I wouldn’t like to be in those shoes, if I’m honest," Perez said. "People cannot underestimate the level of challenge that there is in this seat.”
Team principal Horner said: "We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the World Drivers' Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors' title and this is a purely sporting decision. We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car" Tsunoda will now head into the Japanese Grand Prix on April 6 with the eyes of the sport on him.
“Max is the hardest team-mate in the world to have";
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Max-Verstappen
Tsunoda spotted in Red Bull after shock F1 promotion
Yuki Tsunoda is already settling into life as a Red Bull driver ahead of his home race next weekend!
28 Mar 2025
Nick Golding
RacingNews365
Yuki Tsunoda has been spotted in a Red Bull for the first time since his promotion to the Milton Keynes-based team was announced. Ahead of his competitive Red Bull debut, Tsunoda has been busy getting to know the team, with Red Bull having posted a video of the Japanese driver jumping into a car for what appears to be a seat fit.
The timing of the switch is fitting for Tsunoda, with Red Bull also set to run a special livery in Suzuka to thank Honda for a successful relationship.
‘A seat fit’;
https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-sp...k-f1-promotion
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There's a new favorite to beat Lando Norris, and it's not Max Verstappen.
Oscar Piastri now has the best chance to beat teammate Lando Norris to the 2025 Formula 1 world championship.
Mar 27, 2025
Asher Fair|
Beyond The Flag
Verstappen, the four-time reigning world champion, is still second behind Norris in the standings, and only by eight points, an extremely narrow margin given the massive advantage McLaren have had over Red Bull from a performance standpoint so far this year.
Even if Verstappen continues to finish a couple spots higher than the Red Bull should be finishing on pure pace, McLaren's advantage is such that Norris, on paper, should be able to score more points over a 30-race (24 Grands Prix, six sprint races) season than his rival, simply by not making any catastrophic mistakes.
And now Verstappen isn't even the favorite to beat Norris. Now it's Piastri after his Shanghai domination, even as he still sits behind the 27-year-old Dutchman in the standings. Aside from his off-course excursion in Melbourne, Piastri has probably had a stronger start to the 2025 season than Norris, which is exactly what he needed to avoid being placed in the much-feared No. 2 driver role at the Woking-based team.
‘Piastri has probably had a stronger start to the 2025 season than Norris’;
https://beyondtheflag.com/new-favori...max-verstappen
Guenther Steiner has seen ‘upbeat’ Oscar Piastri change which suggests he’s now ‘got the edge’ over Lando Norris
27 Mar 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Steiner was speaking on The Red Flags Podcast after the race in Shanghai and when asked about who he believes is leading the way between the two McLaren drivers, he said: “I think Oscar, at the moment, has got the edge.”
“In China, in my opinion, he showed that he has got the edge. I think all the time he was better, I would say. So I don’t know, maybe Lando didn’t like China, a little bit like me. If I would have to put money now on the world champion, I would put it on Oscar Piastri.”
“And you saw him speaking after the pole position qualifying, in the interview, he seemed to be pretty upbeat because normally he doesn’t speak a lot. You could really see that he’s enjoying it. And I think he wants more of it because he enjoyed that quite a bit. So, I think he’s in a good position now.”
“...money... ...on Oscar Piastri”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gue...-lando-norris/
Norris under fire: "That's how you never become world champion"
26 Mar 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde has criticised an 'asleep' Lando Norris over his performance during the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix... "That's how you never become world champion."
At the first round of pitstops, Mercedes managed to close the gap between George Russell and Norris, with the driver of the #63 car successfully gaining the position on the McLaren driver after a tight tustle between the two. "Russell went in just a little earlier. It was a nice moment, when Russell immediately passed Norris on the outside. I thought that was a super action," says Van der Garde to Viaplay. "Norris was really asleep there, by the way. You know it’s going to be a fight, so you have to make yourself wide and push him out. Nothing happened."
Pointing to Norris' failure to keep Russell behind, Van der Garde: "That's how you never become World Champion. If you keep driving like this, and let things like this happen, you won’t take that title. You have to use every millimetre in a fight," advised the Dutchman who still sees that "Norris is still a bit anxious."
‘Norris under fire’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33539...-champion.html
'Never become world champion' - Lando Norris handed brutal title verdict by ex-F1 driver
27 Mar 2025
Ailsa Cowen
talkSPORT
Lando Norris’ World Championship credentials have been put under scrutiny by a former F1 driver (Giedo van der Garde) after just two races. Russell, who was the first of the two to stop, executed an undercut that erased Norris’ on-track advantage, resulting in them rejoining the circuit side by side. Despite reclaiming the position from Russell and securing a strong second-place finish behind Piastri, van der Garde expressed concern.
“Russell went in just a little earlier,” Van der Garde told Viaplay. “It was a nice moment when Russell immediately passed Norris on the outside. I thought that was a super action. Norris was really asleep there, by the way… …That’s how you never become World Champion.” He added: “If you keep driving like this and let things like this happen, you won’t take that title. You have to use every millimetre in a fight. Norris is still a bit anxious.”
According to the Dutchman, this wasn’t the first signal this season indicating that Norris might not yet be ready to contend for the World title. “We can also remember that Norris got all nervous in the last laps [in Australia] because he had Max behind him,” Van der Garde said. “Come on, man! You know you have a good car and that you are good. Just go for it and make sure you’re there.”
'Never become world champion';
https://talksport.com/motorsport/305...prediction-f1/
McLaren not developing to Norris' taste helped them to become contenders?
29 Mar 2025
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com
While Lando Norris often makes remarks about his McLaren car, the Woking-based squad have the best in terms of performance on the grid this moment in time. Technical Director Neil Houldey explained why they do not develop their car to suit the Briton more. "I think, like [Norris] said, he stopped asking for what he likes and we've produced a faster car. We just try and generate the fastest car that we possibly can, and he is good enough to manage that and change his driving style to suit,"
Houldey explained to media in China how they could get to a point that by the end of pre-season testing, the British team were already considered the favourites. The driver tends to make comments about struggling with the MCL39. After qualifying in China, he said: "Just a couple of mistakes again, kind of been my case this weekend, but the car was feeling a bit better today. I've got a lot more comfortable with the car, so a step in the right direction, especially from yesterday where I was struggling a lot and even this morning I was struggling a lot. A much better direction that we're going in."
Houldey continued in Shanghai: "If we focused on trying to make the car work for his driving style, then we may well end up with a slower car. I think so far it looks like we've taken the right route. And luckily Lando is awesome enough to cope with that and to find a fast way of driving it."
‘Best in terms of performance on the grid’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33574...aster-car.html
What's stopped McLaren from crushing dominance so far
28 Mar 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
The Race
McLaren struggled to extract the same level of performance seen in Australia. The sprint weekend format disrupted preparations, forcing the team to make adjustments on the fly in the three hours before qualifying rather than overnight as on a normal weekend. "On the first day in China, we encountered some issues with tyre behaviour and car balance," Stella explained. "We had to make changes and ask the drivers to adapt their approach."
By Saturday after the sprint race, McLaren had finetuned its set-up, increasing the car’s aerodynamic load while maintaining the same rear wing configuration used in Australia. The beam wing was slightly extended, albeit still in a single-rod format. These adjustments, along with improved tyre management, mitigated the graining issues seen in the sprint race.
The MCL39 continues to struggle in dirty air, a trait carried over from last season. This became evident during the sprint race, where Norris, despite having a quick car, failed to make progress and was stuck in sixth place for the entirety of the race. Meanwhile, Piastri was unable to launch a sustained attack on leader Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari and had to settle for second place.
‘MCL39 continues to struggle in dirty air’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...inance-so-far/
McLaren’s ‘real secret weapon’ revealed amid F1’s flexi-wing saga
27 Mar 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
When speaking to Sky F1 alongside team principal Andrea Stella after that Chinese GP one-two, Zak Brown would reveal what the “secret weapon” for a McLaren team which has started 2025 in imperious form actually is. “Definitely wasn’t what it might look like on paper,” said Brown on the result, a nod to Norris’ brake pedal issue.
“Team did a great job with strategy. Once again, I think we’ve shown we’ve got the best driver line-up. And then our real secret weapon is, to my left, the best team principal in Formula 1. So you put those combos together, and all the great work that the men and women have done at McLaren, back at the MTC [McLaren Technology Centre], and here at the racetracks, we’re getting great results.”
Stella – Michael Schumacher’s former Ferrari performance engineer, who went on to become race engineer to Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso – has held the McLaren team principal role since 2023 and in that time has overseen the team go from one of F1’s slowest to Constructors’ Champions.
“Secret weapon”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/zak-br...-andrea-stella
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‘More concern’: Ted Kravitz noticed ‘something’s not right’ with Carlos Sainz at Williams after listening to his final radio messages.
Williams Racing have gone under the radar with how strong their start to the season has been.
24 Mar 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Alex Albon currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship after scoring points in back-to-back races. Williams secured a double points finish at the Chinese Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz sneaking into P10. Ted Kravitz notices Carlos Sainz’s problem at Williams during the Chinese Grand Prix. Kravitz was reflecting on how each team performed in Shanghai on Ted’s Notebook and when he reached James Vowles’ team, he said: “A good day for Williams because they have scored some points. But the more concern is about Carlos Sainz.”
“Lovely Carlos Sainz is having a really torrid time at the moment because at the end of the race, he was congratulated sort of by his engineer, saying the usual things, we’ll get better next race and I know you’ve got the pace in you. And Carlos’ response was, ‘It’s really difficult, I’m faster than this. There’s lots of work to do still, I’m faster than this,’ and that is true. So, something’s not going right with the Carlos Sainz [to] Williams move at the moment.”
“They weren’t sure if they had done enough to cure the tyre wear but they probably had with Alex Albon.’ Sainz was up one [position] early on, pitted on lap 18, then passed Gasly. Alex Albon held out quite long on the medium tyres, he said, ‘Don’t hold me out too much,’ but delivered two [six] points on his 29th birthday, well done for him.”
‘More concern;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted...adio-messages/
Vowles dismisses Sainz chassis claim
28 Mar 2025
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
Williams boss, James Vowles has spoken out following claims that Carlos Sainz has started the season with an inferior (2024) chassis. Understandably, Vowles is keen to nip this particular little drama in the bud. "So a clear statement on this one, both Alex and Carlos are using exactly the same equipment, the same chassis, the same front wings, the same gearboxes," he declares in the latest Vowles' Verdict video for the Grove outfit.
"Everything is of the same specification and standard," he adds. "More specifically, the question was are we running a '24 chassis with Carlos," says the Briton, in response to questions sent in to the team by fans. "Both drivers are running an evolution of last year's chassis, so it's evolved exactly the same way.”
"We always intended to go through the last year of the regulations making sure that we are effectively evolving our chassis rather than redesign it from scratch," he explains. "That's really important because it allows us to put our eggs in an investment basket of 2026 and beyond, it's not a financial question, it's time resource.
“Using exactly the same equipment, the same chassis, the same front wings, the same gearboxes";
https://www.pitpass.com/79768/Vowles...-chassis-claim
The reasons behind Sainz's struggles and slow Williams start
RacingNews365 takes a look at what is behind Carlos Sainz's slow start to life at Williams, and hears from the man himself.
29 Mar 2025
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Sainz qualified in 10th in Melbourne, but was some 0.325s down on Albon, with this coming down to 0.134s in China, although Albon was 10th and Sainz in 15th, for an average of 0.229s with Albon's average grid position being 8.5 to Sainz's 12.5. It's an inauspicious start for Sainz as Williams is currently above even Ferrari in the constructors' standings having enjoyed its best start to a season since Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas hauled 20 points from the first two races of 2016.
"It is something that obviously puzzles me because ever since I jumped into this car, I've been really quick, in Abu Dhabi and in Bahrain testing," says Sainz to media including RacingNews365. "A Sprint weekend never helps with the learning because you cannot test much, but [China] was also my first race distance which I couldn't do in Melbourne.”
"But my feeling is that there is something fundamental I got wrong and that we need to analyse. I can be very quick in certain corners and in certain scenarios, it is just when you go to push a bit further to find the lap-time as the track ramps up, whatever I seem to be doing doesn't pay off and I seem to be going slower than quicker. It is a bit of a counterintuitive thing going on right now."
"It is something that obviously puzzles me”;
https://racingnews365.com/the-reason...williams-start
Williams make two ‘clear’ Carlos Sainz observations after tricky start
26 Mar 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Williams team principal James Vowles said Carlos Sainz has “room to go” when it comes to adapting to the FW47, and acknowledged the team has “more to do to help him get comfortable.” Sainz scored his first point as a Williams driver at the Chinese Grand Prix, albeit after three drivers were disqualified after the race on Sunday.
Team principal Vowles again heaped praise on his new driver for the work he has helped with behind the scenes at Williams, while acknowledging there is more to do to get him up to speed. “There’s elements that I wanted to make sure the world really realised how great Carlos is under the scene,” Vowles explained on Sky F1.
“Because when a driver has a difficult race, they internalise, they feel responsible for it, and Carlos did the opposite. He came out and wanted to help Alex get a strong result, and I think it’s clear that he still has more room to go to adapt to the car, and we have more to do to help him get comfortable.”
‘Two ‘clear’ Carlos Sainz observations’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...s-tricky-start
David Coulthard absolutely loved what Alex Albon said on the team radio at the Chinese Grand Prix, ‘feisty confidence…’
25 Mar 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
While all the attention was on McLaren’s one-two finish, Ferrari’s double disqualification and Liam Lawson’s struggles at the Chinese Grand Prix, the performance of Alex Albon went under the radar. The chaos unravelling at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season has played straight into the hands of Williams and Alex Albon.
Alex Jacques was commentating alongside David Coulthard and Jolyon Palmer on the race in Shanghai for Channel 4 and watching the midfield battle. Albon’s race engineer spoke on the team radio and said: “We’re happy with tyres for now, but we…” but before he could finish his statement, the Williams driver said: “Yeah, I’m good, I am good. I am better than everyone, let’s relax. I am very comfortable.”
Palmer reacted to his comment and said: “Wow, that is some confidence, isn’t it? Alex Albon in 11th, making big changes to his car, he spoke to us yesterday and said that he wasn’t sure if it was enough. “Nine laps later, and he is breezing it!” Coulthard replied: “I love that! We all know that he’s one of the loveliest guys in the paddock but don’t you just love that feisty confidence? That tells you a lot about a racing driver’s psyche. He feels he’s got it under control, just let the race come to me.”
“Yeah, I’m good, I am good. I am better than everyone, let’s relax. I am very comfortable”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dav...ty-confidence/
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Ocon and Bearman hail ‘amazing’ Haas turnaround after double-points haul in China.
Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman heaped praise on the Haas team for unlocking pace in the VF-25 that enabled both drivers to register points at the Chinese Grand Prix.
24 Mar 2025
Formula One - Official Site
Following a hugely disappointing opening weekend in Australia that saw the Haas duo finish as the final classified finishers, there was a drastic improvement just one week later with both landing spots inside the top 10. Ocon and Bearman had initially claimed P7 and P10 respectively, but the pair were later promoted to P5 and P8 following the disqualifications of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ahead of them, meaning that they bagged a combined 14 points.
Starting in 11th and running the same strategy as most drivers ahead of him, Ocon began with the medium Pirelli compound before switching mid-race to mediums. Despite gaining positions on Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda, who gambled on a two-stop strategy, the Frenchman gained further places over Williams’ Alex Albon and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and looked comfortable managing the threat from behind.
“It was not many days ago that we were dead last in Melbourne and it was looking difficult,” reflected Ocon. “We didn’t sleep much, I couldn’t eat very much – in the words of Ayao [Komatsu – Haas team principal] – but it was all worth it because we discussed everything on where to unlock that performance from the car. We knew there was more performance to be had. Obviously, it’s a good surprise to see that. We still can improve more and that’s where we are, so it’s very good signs.”
‘Amazing Haas turnaround’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...cQPvupbfDqOKAh
Why Haas's 'broken' 2025 F1 car still isn't fixed
25 Mar 2025
Jon Noble
The Race
It's hard to know what the biggest shock of the Formula 1 season has been so far for Haas. Was it that its car proved so bad in Australia that team boss Ayao Komatsu initially thought something must have been broken on it, or that just one week later in China his team produced an instant response to deliver one of the most impressive turnarounds of recent years?
But despite its point tally lifting it to sixth place in the constructors' championship, ahead of Aston Martin and just three points behind Ferrari, Haas is not pretending it is out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination.
Team boss Komatsu in particular thinks that the reality of Haas's situation can be outlined in quite simple terms: Melbourne exposed a major car weakness that still needs sorting, while Shanghai served to mask it.
‘Haas's 'broken' 2025 F1 car’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...-is-not-fixed/
Haas chief wary of ‘big problem’ with VF-25 despite ‘amazing reaction’ in China
24 Mar 2025
Harry Whitfield
Motorsport Week
Haas secured a double points finish at the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, but Team Principal Ayao Komatsu admitted inherent flaws remain with its car. Collecting an impressive haul of 14 points from Sunday’s race, Komatsu hailed the response from his crew. “It was an amazing reaction from the whole team,” he said.
“Australia was a shock to us, not something we were expecting based on Bahrain testing – but, man, what a reaction.” However, the Japanese motorsport executive was quick to point out that the result was probably circuit-specific, as issues with the aerodynamic nature of its car have yet to be fixed.”
“I’m not kidding myself to say we solved the problem – we haven’t,” said Komatsu. “So certain circuits we go to, we’re still gonna have a big problem. But when we can operate the car in the way we want, thanks to the circuit characteristics, this is what we can do.”
‘Big problem with VF-25’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...tion-in-china/
Komatsu lauds Haas team’s ‘amazing reaction’ in China comeback
23 Mar 2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
The Australian debacle had blindsided Haas. Pre-season testing in Bahrain had hinted at a competitive car, but Melbourne’s high-load corners exposed a critical aerodynamic flaw, triggering uncontrollable bouncing that crippled their performance. “Australia was a shock to us, not something we were expecting based on Bahrain testing – but, man, what a reaction,” Komatsu said.
What followed was a masterclass in collaboration. “Everybody – people in Italy, the UK, US, and trackside, working together within the space of several days… Honestly I'm so happy with the way we've been working since that shock to get the result here,” he added. Engineers, mechanics, and strategists rallied across continents, dissecting the VF-25’s weaknesses and devising a plan to maximize its potential in Shanghai. The result? A car that, while still flawed, was wielded with precision to suit the circuit’s demands.
Komatsu remains grounded. The VF-25’s aerodynamic woes haven’t vanished—they have merely been masked by Shanghai’s layout. “I'm not kidding myself to say we solved the problem – we haven't,” he admitted. “So certain circuits we go to, we're still gonna have a big problem – but, when we can operate the car in the way we want, thanks to the circuit characteristics, this is what we can do. We delivered today.”
‘Amazing reaction’;
https://f1i.com/news/533777-komatsu-...-comeback.html
Bearman ‘super happy’ to be in the points in Shanghai
23 Mar 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Rooky driver Oliver Bearman didn’t expect to score points in China but felt ‘ in the groove’ in the Haas car.
‘Super happy’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/be...74598805419701
Oliver Bearman claims F1 ‘messed me around’ with Chinese GP radio broadcast
26 Mar 2025
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week
Oliver Bearman has claimed Formula 1 television coverage “messed me around” when they broadcast a radio message at a misleading moment during the Chinese Grand Prix. “I feel really, really bad for saying that,” he said. “They messed me around, because I didn’t say that to Carlos. They played it at a strange time because I didn’t say that to Carlos.”
“I said it to Lawson and the Alpine because I switched them back. And that’s always the most fun move, I’m sure you can agree, for a racing driver. “I went to the outside, they went deep, so I got them on the exit, and that’s always cool. Yeah, just wanted to clear that one up. It wasn’t against Carlos.”
“But yeah, I had a lot of fun with that, a lot of confidence on the brakes. I had a little lock up trying to overtake Stroll at one point. But then I learned from it, and after that, I was, was really enjoying it.” Bearman had every justification to be cheerful, having come from 17th on the grid to finish ninth – then inheriting seventh after other Ferraris were disqualified – to score his first points of the campaign.
“Messed me around”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...dio-broadcast/
-
Tsunoda targets podium finish in Japan after Red Bull move.
TOKYO: Yuki Tsunoda has targeted a podium finish at his home Japanese Grand Prix this weekend after his "unreal" promotion to the Red Bull team in place of the axed Liam Lawson.
31 Mar 2025
Japan Today
"I don't want to raise expectations too much but I want to finish on the podium at this Japanese Grand Prix," the 24-year-old said at an event with Red Bull partner Honda in Tokyo on Sunday. "It has all fallen into place and now I'm standing here, and that's thanks to the support of everyone," said Tsunoda.
Tsunoda urged Japanese fans to get behind him at Suzuka for his Red Bull grand prix debut. "The thing that I'm looking forward to most is that there couldn't be a more pressurised, challenging situation than this," he said. "It's also my debut, so with all these things added up I think it's going to be an unbelievably exciting race."
‘Targeted a podium finish’;
https://japantoday.com/category/spor...-red-bull-move
Yuki Tsunoda Says Red Bull Handling ‘Right Fit’ For Him
Mar 31, 2025
F1 Chronicle
Marko admits that Tsunoda’s better feeling at the wheel of the 2025 Red Bull compared to Lawson could indicate a change of team strategy. “We are considering using a different setup for the second car,” he said, “so that it is less aggressive and easier to handle.”
Tsunoda commented: “I think my idea of what kind of car I want is different from Max’s. I want to understand Red Bull’s car first and then build a good car for myself.” When the 24-year-old tested Red Bull’s 2024 car late last year, Tsunoda explained that it suited his driving style.
“Well, that was a bit of a sales pitch,” Tsunoda laughed, “but I was able to drive normally then too, so I think it’s the right fit for me.”
‘Right Fit’;
https://f1chronicle.com/yuki-tsunoda.../?nowprocket=1
Yuki Tsunoda makes immediate Red Bull impact with RB21 simulator work
01 Apr 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Helmut Marko confirmed Red Bull gave Yuki Tsunoda several simulator sessions following the Chinese Grand Prix, which offered “very good” feedback to the team. Marko emphasised the team’s point that the Japanese driver has been put in the seat, in part, to offer his experience and feedback, given his additional time in the sport compared to Lawson.
Marko explained to Motorsport.com: “Once again, Yuki is in his fifth year, and experience in such difficult conditions is an enormous factor. Yuki has repeatedly emphasised that he’s actually the right man for Red Bull Racing. We gave him two or three simulator sessions, and those were very good.”
“Also his technical feedback — something he had been criticised for in the past — was very solid. We had to act quickly, and everything was positive. Also the technical feedback — which he had often been accused of lacking, that he didn’t understand the technical side or couldn’t set up a car — that also turned out to be incorrect.”
‘Immediate Red Bull impact’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...first-feedback
'I'm excited': Patient Tsunoda’s Red Bull chance five years in the making
31 Mar 2025
Ben Waterworth
Roar Guru
The Roar
A lot can happen in Formula One in just a short period of time, just ask any driver currently involved in the Red Bull family. Only three weeks ago in Melbourne, then Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda sat down with The Roar to talk about how he was feeling ahead of the 2025 season.
During his chat with me last month, a relaxed Tsunoda said the constant talk around him not getting the second Red Bull seat at the beginning of the season wasn’t phasing him. Instead, he was quick to talk up how good he was feeling in 2025 for a season that will see him reach the 100 race milestone.
“I’m feeling really good,” he said. “I’m feeling refreshed… I’m excited to show myself that I have gained more compared to last year, which I think last year was already a pretty good season. I’m excited to show myself out there to everyone.”
'I'm excited';
https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/04/0...in-the-making/
F1's Yuki Tsunoda Aims High For Red Bull Debut at Home Race In Japan, Hopes For Podium Finish
MAR 30, 2025
JJ STAFF
31 Mar 2025
During an event over the weekend, Yuki opened up about his upcoming first race and how he hopes to place top three, while also acknowledging that he will still need to get comfortable in the car.
“I don’t want to get my expectations too high, but first and foremost, I want to get on the podium at the Japanese GP,” he said, via Motorsport Japan. “However, I don’t think it will go so well from the start, so I need to understand the car first, and gradually check how it compares to the Racing Bulls’ car from FP1. Once I can naturally enjoy driving it, I think the results will follow. If that result is a podium, that would be fantastic.”
“I never thought I’d be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese GP,” Yuki admitted. “I’m happy, but I also feel like the team is changing… I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more pressured and challenging situation in my life, so I think it’s going to be an incredibly exciting race.”
‘F1's Yuki Tsunoda Aims High’;
https://www.justjared.com/2025/03/30...podium-finish/
F1 Today | Tsunoda won't find RB21 'tricky' and Japanese GP livery teased
30 Mar 2025
Toby Nixon
GPblog.com
The final day of the first non-race week of the 2025 season is coming to an end. From tomorrow, F1 fans can start looking forward to the third round of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix at the iconic Suzuka Circuit. Yuki Tsunoda isn't feeling too nervous heading into his Red Bull debut…
"I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start," Tsunoda said at a Honda event at their Aoyama headquarters. Still, he does not want to get carried away either.
"My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB. If I can naturally enjoy driving it as I get familiar with it in FP1, then the results will follow. And if that leads to a podium finish, that would be incredible."
‘Yuki Tsunoda isn't feeling too nervous’;
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/33593...ry-teased.html
Tsunoda recognises 'extreme pressure' as Red Bull debut awaits
Yuki Tsunoda faces a huge task at Red Bull, with the team having put its faith in him to help improve the RB21.
31 Mar 2025
Nick Golding
RacingNews365
"When I first got the call, I thought: 'Wow, this is going to be interesting,'" said Tsunoda, speaking at a Honda event at its Aoyama headquarters. "More than anything, I’m excited about the challenge ahead. "There aren’t many moments in life where you face this kind of extreme pressure and an opportunity as big as this, so I can only imagine that it’s going to be an incredibly thrilling race.”
"At first, I was too busy to even take the time to fully appreciate the excitement. I had to jump straight into the simulator, do seat fittings, and take care of a lot of other preparations. Of course, getting promoted to Red Bull is an amazing opportunity, but before anything else, I wanted to talk to my engineers and the people who had supported me," revealed Tsunoda.
"So, despite all the emotions, I actually felt quite calm. Since I was a reserve driver this year, I had already done a seat fitting before. But back then, I remember thinking: 'Why am I even doing this? I’m not going to be racing anyway.'"
'Extreme pressure';
https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-re...l-debut-awaits
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All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move.
Yuki Tsunoda will be centre of attention at his home Japanese Grand Prix this weekend after joining Max Verstappen at a Red Bull team desperate to reel in McLaren following their ominous start to the season.
02/04/2025
Suzuka (Japan) (AFP)
France 24
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has told the Japanese driver to get as "close as possible" to Verstappen, said Tsunoda, whose highest finish at a race is fourth in 2021 at Abu Dhabi for RB, then called AlphaTauri.
"In the end Red Bull Racing are focused on Max scoring a drivers' championship," Tsunoda told the BBC. "He also promised me, in some situations, that if I'm able to be in front of Max that he wouldn't necessarily ask me to swap positions and make Max win."
Tsunoda said he will be happy if he can finish in the top 10 and score points on his Red Bull debut. Now in his fifth Formula One season, he has shown pace this season.
‘All eyes on Tsunoda’;
https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-red-bull-move
Yuki Tsunoda could adapt at Red Bull faster than Lewis Hamilton has at Ferrari for one crucial reason
1 April 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer
Lawson looked ‘frazzled’ behind the scenes as he could not get to grips with the RB21’s setup – much like his predecessors. Meanwhile, Tsunoda had fared much better in the VCARB 02, reaching Q3 in every qualifying session thus far – but has only managed three points after poor strategy calls. Now, Tsunoda is being thrust into a high-pressure situation as he makes his debut for Red Bull at his home race at Suzuka.
He will have to get to grips with the team’s setup, much like Lewis Hamilton is currently doing at Ferrari – but the 24-year-old could adapt to his environment faster. Naturally, relationships take time to gel, and Tsunoda and Wood will be no different. However, Red Bull’s latest recruit is already used to having a change in this department, as Ernesto Desiderio replaced his long-time engineer Mattia Spini at Racing Bulls last summer.
Despite the change, Tsunoda seemed to be unaffected as he mostly outperformed Lawson at the Faenza-based outfit in 2024 and showed encouraging signs in 2025 with regular Q3 appearances. The Japanese driver has proved he can adapt quickly, which could see him gel faster than Hamilton at Ferrari.
‘Could adapt at Red Bull faster’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...rucial-reason/
Will Tsunoda grab his career-making Red Bull chance? Five Japanese GP talking points
2nd April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
The stakes are sky-high for Yuki Tsunoda as he takes his chance to drive for Red Bull on home ground and potentially secure his future in Formula 1. Even by Red Bull’s standards, booting Liam Lawson out after just two rounds was a brutal call. But his departure hands a precious opportunity to a driver whose chances of staying in Formula 1 beyond the end of this year did not look great beforehand.
He is the third different driver in four races to occupy the garage adjacent to that of world champion Max Verstappen. Lawson and Sergio Perez before him couldn’t make the Red Bull handle to their liking.
Not only must Tsunoda succeed where they failed, he needs to do it at one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar with all the attendant pressure of being the only Japanese representative on the grid. This will be his toughest challenge in F1 by a long way.
‘The stakes are sky-high’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/02/...alking-points/
Yuki Tsunoda made F1 fans ‘erupt with laughter’ after giving one answer about his Red Bull promotion
1 April 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Tsunoda was speaking to fans at Honda’s Aoyama headquarters in Tokyo and answered questions about his career and recent Red Bull promotion. He was asked about his seat fitting with the team and replied: “Once you sit in an F1 cockpit, the view is the same. Sorry, that’s boring. Actually, I did have a seat that was adjusted for me. This year, I was the reserve driver [for Red Bull], so I had a seat fitting before the official Bahrain test.
“At the time, I thought, ‘Why am I making this?’ I thought, ‘I’m not going to race anyway,’ so I made the seat as I pleased. But after sitting on it once, I thought, ‘Ah, this is good enough.’ So when the transfer was decided, I was a little worried, thinking, ‘Am I going to use that seat?!’ but this time I worked seriously and I think I was able to make a good seat. I’m confident in the seat,” Tsunoda said, laughing.
One of the comments Tsunoda made after his post-season test with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi is that the car suits his driving style. When asked about that comment, he admitted: “Well, that’s a bit of a sales pitch. I was able to run normally there too, so I think it’s the right fit.” His ‘sales pitch’ answer saw the room ‘erupt with laughter’ and highlighted just how much support and how popular he is among his fans in Japan.
‘Sales pitch’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...ull-promotion/
Yuki Tsunoda discusses F1 Japanese Grand Prix after Red Bull promotion
01 Apr 2025
Michael Doyle
ABC Online
Speaking at a function hosted by automaker Honda, who has heavily backed Tsunoda's career, the Japanese driver said making his Red Bull debut in his home country "feels like fate". "To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix," Tsunoda said, as reported by publisher Motorsport.
"This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda's partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate. Everything has fallen into place in just the right way for me to be standing here today. There aren't many moments in life where you face this kind of extreme pressure and an opportunity as big as this, so I can only imagine that it's going to be an incredibly thrilling race."
"Feels like fate";
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-...tion/105100782
Sergio Perez gives three reasons why he thinks Yuki Tsunoda will succeed at Red Bull this season
1 April 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Sergio Perez believes Red Bull can still succeed in 2025 despite an early driver swap between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Perez thinks they have made the right decision in the short term, given the experience Tsunoda can bring and help them fix their problems. “I really want the team to do well, as I have a lot of friends at the team. I spent four years with them and I want to see them doing well. It’s just a very hard thing to talk about,” said Perez.
“Right now, I’m on the outside, I’ve been in touch with some team members there – but when you’re not there internally, it’s hard to know [what’s happening]. For me, it was very simple, the car is just quite difficult to get 100% out of it, to get the confidence out of it – and the things I struggled with, even Adrian [Newey, the team’s former design chief] talked about them.”
“But I want to wish them the best. Woody, who is a great friend of mine, is engineering Yuki now so I really hope they do well. Yuki has the talent, has the speed and, more than that, you need the mentality to cope with it. I think he has the right mentality and the right attitude to cope with it. I hope they will succeed.”
‘Red Bull can still succeed in 2025’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ser...l-this-season/
Yuki Tsunoda reveals ‘very direct’ warning he’s received from Christian Horner before Red Bull debut
1 April 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Yuki Tsunoda is looking to do what no F1 driver has since Daniel Ricciardo – beat Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has wiped the floor with each of his last four teammates. In 2017, Ricciardo outscored Verstappen by 32 points as the two Red Bull drivers placed fifth and sixth in the championship. The latter was still a teenager at the start of that season, but Tsunoda goes up against him in his prime.
Speaking to the Japan Times, Tsunoda revealed the ground rules that team principal Christian Horner had set out ahead of his debut at Suzuka this weekend. Horner has made it very clear that Verstappen is the number one driver. He doesn’t necessarily expect Tsunoda to move over if he’s ahead at any point, though that of course depends on the circumstances. Verstappen is currently eight points behind Lando Norris in the championship fight.
Horner wants Tsunoda to take the same approach that was clearly working for him at Racing Bulls. The hope is that he can offer a useful new perspective on car development. “He told me very direct that the first priority is Max, to do whatever they can to score a world championship for Max and also be as high as possible for the team championship,” Tsunoda said. “I’m to support Max but at the same time, he just said to do whatever you’re doing with [Racing Bulls] and just perform and help the development for the car.”
‘Very direct warning’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...ed-bull-debut/
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‘It can’t get crazier than this’ – Tsunoda on his Red Bull promotion, new team mate Verstappen and the ‘complete unknown’ he faces at Suzuka.
Yuki Tsunoda was the star of the show as Red Bull staged a series of demo runs on the streets of Tokyo on Wednesday – the newly promoted racer showing off his fresh colours to a passionate home crowd before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
02 Apr 2025
Formula One Official Site
It’s just past midday when cheers erupt around a specially designed street course in the port area of Japan’s capital. Not only has Tsunoda arrived in town, waving to thousands of delirious fans with a huge grin on his face, but Red Bull are about to let him loose in some rather special cars.
Flanked by the aforementioned Verstappen, as well as the demoted Liam Lawson and continuing Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar, it is the latest development in a remarkable week for Tsunoda, who will finally make his debut for the senior team at Suzuka. “I mean, I feel like I’ve gone back to F2 right now!” the feeder series race winner tells F1.com with a chuckle, when asked to reflect on the day. “I used to wear this nice dark blue kit in F2 and had a lot of success there.”
“Still, [with Red Bull’s special Suzuka livery], apparently I’m going to wear a white suit again, so I can’t get rid of white suits that quickly! But I’m very excited [about the step up] and I’m feeling very motivated. It can’t get crazier than this situation,” he continues, when asked about that apparent confidence, and how good he is feeling after a stellar start to 2025 with Red Bull’s sister team. “I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure from Red Bull, this home Grand Prix, but I think the only thing I can do is enjoy [it] for now.”
‘It can’t get crazier than this’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...msoW9L0aKaVreX
“Can’t wait’’: Yuki Tsunoda ‘can’t wait’ to see two things in Max Verstappen’s data ahead of Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix
2 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1Oversteer
Yuki Tsunoda wants to take advantage of becoming Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull teammate at the Japanese Grand Prix by learning from ‘the best driver on the grid’. Tsunoda is eager to now use his chance as Verstappen’s teammate to learn how he finds the performance from Red Bull’s car.
“We have a good relationship already from the first year [together in the] Red Bull [family],” Tsunoda has told the Formula 1 website. “He’s a really, really nice guy. I can’t wait [to be his teammate]. He’s one of the best drivers – the best driver probably on the current grid. I’ll just learn as much as possible from him [about] how he’s driving [and] how he’s able to extract the performance from the car.”
“Can’t wait’’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...se-grand-prix/
Tsunoda expects his driving style will work at Red Bull “otherwise I wouldn’t be here”
3rd Apr 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Yuki Tsunoda is confident he will be able to cope with the unusual handling characteristics of Red Bull’s car following his sudden promotion to the team after the last race. “First of all, I didn’t feel yet the exact trickiness what the driver is saying,” he said. “I have a bit of an idea from the simulator, but it’s always a bit different from the simulator to the real car. So I’ll see after [first practice] if I have to change set-up, but I don’t think I have to change my driving style because in the end, so far it works well, I guess, with [Racing Bulls], otherwise probably I wouldn’t be here wearing this logo.”
“So I’ll just do whatever I was doing previously and I’ll go step-by-step to build the pace and everything. But let’s see, maybe I don’t have to do that, maybe the car is good straight away. In the last years I think Red Bull had pretty good performance last season, both cars, so I’m quite looking forward to it. If you’re able to push with that car straight away, with more than I guess above 95 [percent] just for the reference, you start to feel a bit of sliding front and rear first thing,” he explained. “You feel sliding once you start turning in, at the front and rear you see the limitation.”
He felt able to push the car and get a feel for its limitations. “In the Abu Dhabi test, fortunately there are a lot of run-off areas, so I was able to push immediately, knowing that even I push and if I go too much I know that there’s a bit of space to be forgiven. That’s why I was able to push it immediately. At the same time, at that point, I felt quite okay with the car. The RB20 had a historically big limitation with instability and I think it was quite clear, visible, that as soon as I turned in, it was always happening with that kind of characteristic. So probably even [though] I was not pushing enough, I already felt those things.”
‘Confident’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/03/...uldnt-be-here/
Tsunoda: Not hearing from Marko on Red Bull F1 promotion is "very unusual"
Apr 3, 2025
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
Tsunoda said he was informed shortly after the Shanghai weekend by team principal Christian Horner that there might be some imminent news on his future. But the Japanese driver says he hasn't yet heard from Red Bull's driver advisor Marko, which he found "very unusual".
"The first call I got was from Christian right after China, that I should maybe be prepared for when things are going to change a little bit," Tsunoda said. "I guess it was Tuesday or something like that.”
"Surprisingly, [Marko] didn't call me yet, very unusual. So, I'm not sure if he was busy with other things. I can't wait to see him, how he's going to react to me [moving]. But yeah, it's very unusual. From F3 to F1, he was always calling me, but this time he didn't call me. So, I'm sure there's not anything from his side. We have still a good relationship, so let's see how he reacts to that."
"Very unusual";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/t...sual/10709258/
Tsunoda aims to "take learnings from" Verstappen
03 Apr 2025
Balazs Szabo
RaceFans
Ahead of his debut race with Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda insists that he aims to take learnings from four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen as he makes his move from Racing Bulls to the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
"I need to be as close to Max as possible to try and compete for the Constructors’ title and benefit the Team strategically in every race. I am aware of the challenges the RB21 has and my job is to try to understand it and develop this car too. My first challenge is to get to grips with this car, I have driven it on the sim but my first time will be in practice, so I have to get up to speed quickly.”
"I’ve been working with my new team in the UK over the last week to prepare as best I can and I will continue that ethic once we get to Suzuka. I will take learnings from Max and try and get the most from this weekend for the Team. My goal is to drive fast, give lots of feedback and make the car better," concluded the Japanese driver.”
"Take learnings from";
https://www.f1technical.net/news/26515
Sergio Perez offers support to Tsunoda after shock Liam Lawson demotion
Sergio Perez supports Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, claiming that he has the right "mentality to cope" with the role.
Apr 3, 2025
Lydia Mee
Motorsport.com
While speaking to the media ahead of his Red Bull F1 debut in Japan, Tsunoda revealed that he had received messages and support from Perez and his former AlphaTauri team-mate Pierre Gasly. He commented:
"I got a message from Pierre that he wanted to call me about the experience he had in Red Bull, the things that he should have done in Red Bull, and he just wanted to share a couple of ideas that could work for the coming races in Red Bull.”
"So it was very nice of him, and it was very useful tips. Also, I got one from Checo as well. All the Red Bull family drivers, very supportive message, and those two are very supportive to me, so I really appreciate it, and one of the drivers I really respect most of all."
‘All the Red Bull family drivers, very supportive message’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...tion/10709288/
Pierre Gasly backs Yuki Tsunoda for Red Bull success: "He's got the speed"
Apr 3, 2025
Lydia MeeMark Mann-Bryans
Motorsport.com
When asked by Motorsport.com if he had spoken to Tsunoda about his new move, the Alpine driver responded: "Yeah, we spoke on the phone. Obviously, the way that I was also given this opportunity in terms of what didn't quite work out and things that could have been different. I think he's got the experience, he's got the speed.”
"I've always backed him up. I've raced against him and with him for two years. I've seen his raw speed. I've seen what he was capable of doing already back at the time. We can look back in 2021, all these years, I've always said he was an extremely fast driver.”
"He's got the speed, I think he's got a strong character. Does it mean he's going to be successful in Red Bull Racing? No. Can he be successful in Red Bull Racing? Yes, but it's slightly more complicated. I just wish him the best. I've shared my thoughts and my experience from my time there. Time will tell, but I think he's definitely a very strong driver.”
"Got the speed";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/p...peed/10709266/
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Japanese GP: Tsunoda closes in on Verstappen as McLaren and Merc vie for top honours in FP1.
All eyes were on Yuki Tsunoda as the Japanese driver made his Red Bull debut in FP1 at Suzuka, and he was only a tenth down on Max Verstappen.
04 Apr 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Lando Norris set the pace ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc, with the Red Bull team-mates fifth and sixth. The drivers ventured out of the pit lane with all eyes on the Red Bull line-ups as Yuki Tsunoda contested his first practice session as a Red Bull Racing driver, with Liam Lawson returning to Racing Bulls. The big question was, could Tsunoda grab a first practice top-ten for the second RB21?
‘Tsunoda closes in’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/japane...025-fp1-report
Japanese GP: Free Practice 1 Results
Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Formula 1 Japanese GP from Suzuka.
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 23 1:28.549s
2 63 George Russell Mercedes 28 0.163s 1:28.712s
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 26 0.416s 1:28.965s
4 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 24 0.502s 1:29.051s
5 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 22 0.516s 1:29.065s
6 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda 24 0.623s 1:29.172s
7 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin – Mercedes 24 0.673s 1:29.222s
8 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 27 0.676s 1:29.225s
9 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 27 0.735s 1:29.284s
10 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 27 0.784s 1:29.333s
‘Free Practice 1 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...times-details/
Tsunoda impresses in Japanese GP practice
Yuki Tsunoda impressed on debut with Red Bull to end the opening practice hour sixth fastest.
Speedcafe
Lando Norris topped the session in a McLaren that looked far from settled with George Russell second and Charles Leclerc third. It was a competitive hour with all four leading teams somewhere in contention, though Tsunoda’s presence in sixth, just a tenth away from Max Verstappen in fifth, caught the eye.
Tsunoda’s initial laps in a Red Bull were hardly electric, some 1.8s down on Verstappen. Red Bull had opted for a different tyre strategy from most, with soft compound tyres on both cars while most of its rivals ran mediums.
According to Tsunoda, the early balance was good, though he admitted he’d hardly begun pushing the RB21. Still, his early laps saw him move to within half a second of Verstappen as the Dutchman complained his car was flexing.
‘Impressed on debut’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...ort-standings/
FP1 Highlights: 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Watch highlights from first practice ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
‘FP1 Highlights’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/fp...47253456408867
Christian Horner reacts to Yuki Tsunoda's first Red Bull FP1 + FULL analysis
Apr 4, 2025
Sky Sports F1
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner speaks to Sky Sports F1 after the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend to discuss Yuki Tsunoda's performance and on the swap with Liam Lawson. Anthony Davidson also joins to give full SkyPad analysis of how Yuki got on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yePBr0mFcQ
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FIA take immediate action after grass fires at Japanese GP.
Two separate grass fires during the second practice at Suzuka have resulted in the FIA taking pre-emptive measures to prevent a repeat.
04 Apr 2025
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
“While we continue to look into the fires that occurred during FP2, our focus before tomorrow will be on taking preemptive measures,” an FIA spokesperson said. “The grass has been cut as short as possible, and loose, dried grass has been removed from affected areas.”
“Prior to tomorrow’s sessions, the grass will be dampened, and specific response teams will be stationed around the track.” Last year, at the Chinese Grand Prix, similar fires prompted the FIA to carry out in-depth investigations into the matter, given that the weather wasn’t as dry and hot as what Suzuka is currently experiencing.
Similar precautions were taken during that Grand Prix weekend, although a firm answer as to the root cause was never established – while sparks from the cars were an ignition source, it wasn’t clear why the fires were catching as easily as they did.
‘FIA take immediate action’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-ta...at-japanese-gp
Japanese GP : Free Practice 2 Results
Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Formula 1 Japanese GP from Suzuka.
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 13 1:28.114s
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 12 0.049s 1:28.163s
3 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 12 0.404s 1:28.518s
4 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 14 0.430s 1:28.544s
5 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls – Honda 13 0.445s 1:28.559s
6 63 George Russell Mercedes 13 0.453s 1:28.567s
7 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 14 0.472s 1:28.586s
8 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 9 0.556s 1:28.670s
9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 13 0.643s 1:28.757s
10 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 9 0.718s 1:28.832s
‘Free Practice 2 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...andings-times/
Four red flags disrupt second Japanese GP practice
Apr 4, 2025
Jack Benyon
The Race
Oscar Piastri topped FP2 at Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix as four red flags effectively halved the session and obscured our view of the Red Bull driver swap everyone is keeping such a close eye on this weekend. With such truncated running - over 37 minutes of the session lost to red flags - taking any major insight from Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull or Liam Lawson at RB was tough.
Especially as Red Bull's Tsunoda was on an out lap and just starting a fast lap when the third red flag emerged, while Verstappen had already got his soft-tyre run in. With just over seven minutes remaining when the green flag emerged, Tsunoda didn’t bother trying a soft tyre run and will seemingly save that for FP3 as he got some medium running in.
Verstappen was eighth and 0.556s behind the fastest time, and lamented “understeer everywhere” as the RBs were ahead of the Red Bulls. Tsunoda was 18th and 2.511s off without a representative effort.
‘Obscured view’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...e-gp-practice/
Fires and horror crash stoke Japanese GP chaos
Apr 4, 2025
RacingNews365
A horror 185 mph crash for Alpine's Jack Doohan and two shock grass fires caused chaos on Friday at Suzuka, as the drivers lost 36 minutes of running in second practice ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
McLaren topped the timesheets ahead of Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, as the sister team again outshone Red Bull; however, Yuki Tsunoda was much closer to Max Verstappen than many expected. Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding, as they dissect a crazy Friday in Japan!
‘Chaos’;
https://racingnews365.com/fires-and-...anese-gp-chaos
'Shocked the pitlane' - Update issued after 180mph crash at Japanese Grand Prix
4 Apr 2025
Connor Andrews
talkSPORT
Jack Doohan is thankfully OK after a shocking 180mph crash in Japanese Grand Prix practice. Speaking over team radio Doohan said: “I’m OK, what happened?” And Sky Sports' pitlane reported Ted Kravitz has since offered a further update. "He is OK. He spent a bit of time at the medical centre and wanted to check his physical body and then his head whether he suffered a concussion,” Kravitz said.
“They have confirmed that the crash was at 300 kilometres an hour, so that is 180 miles an hour, and the other crucial thing the team are doing is checking the data to see if anything was wrong on the car. It’s inconclusive at the moment whether anything broke on the car that they need to know about for the future, not only for Dohaan and the rebuilt car but also his teammate Pierre Gasly and to better understand whether they have some manufacturing or design issue with the car itself.”
“They're going through the data at the moment, it was actually Doohan’s second push lap, he’d done four laps during the day, done an out lap and did an hot lap, he was the beginning of his second hot lap when the accident happened. “We haven’t seen a crash at this speed and this sort of impact certainly in 2025 and I can’t think of one in 2024. 185 miles an hour. It really shocked the whole pitlane.”
'Shocked the pitlane';
https://talksport.com/motorsport/308...grand-prix-f1/
What exactly caused Doohan's massive crash - onboard analysis
Apr 4, 2025
yelistener
F1 Japan Suzuka Onboard Doohan's telemetry obtained through MultiViewer for F1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqgBbZ4UyC8
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Fires again strike Japanese GP practice as Norris finds lap time spark.
Lando Norris edged McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in a final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix that again blighted by two track-side fires.
5 Apr 2025
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
The FIA had vowed to take pre-emptive measures to ensure there would be no repeat of the two fires that took place during FP2. But despite cutting the grass as short as possible, and dampening it throughout, a further two fires took place in FP3.
The second red flag occurred with seven minutes remaining, leading to the FIA opting not to restart the session, denying all the drivers to conduct a practice start afterwards. With the session halted it was Norris who finished with the leading time of 1:27.965s - the fastest lap of the weekend to date - just 0.026s ahead of Piastri, reversing the order from the conclusion of second practice.
Mercedes' George Russell was just over a tenth off the pace to lie third, and seemingly the closest challenger to the McLarens at this stage.
‘Final practice session’;
https://racingnews365.com/fires-agai...lap-time-spark
Japanese GP : Free Practice 3 Results
Full results from Free Practice 3 for the Formula 1 Japanese GP from Suzuka.
5 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 17 1:27.965s
2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 17 0.026s 1:27.991s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes 15 0.112s 1:28.077s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 13 0.449s 1:28.414s
5 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 21 0.532s 1:28.497s
6 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 13 0.559s 1:28.524s
7 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes 19 0.589s 1:28.554s
8 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 15 0.638s 1:28.603s
9 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda 15 0.820s 1:28.785s
10 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 16 0.821s 1:28.786s
‘Free Practice 3 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...mes-standings/
Grass fires blight final hour of Japanese GP practice
Two grass fires interrupted the final hour of practice for tomorrow's Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
5 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
The interruptions came despite efforts by organisers and the FIA to mitigate the problem which had triggered the red flag twice during second practice on Friday. Overnight, the FIA introduced measures designed to mitigate the issue that blighted Free Practice 2 yesterday; the grass verges had been cut short, clippings cleared, water applied, and response crews stationed around the circuit. It clearly proved insufficient as teams lost out on another seven minutes of track time ahead of qualifying.
McLaren showed it is again the team to beat, though Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri only held a slender margin over George Russell’s Mercedes. The early soft tyre runs saw the Ferrari pairing of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton top proceedings ahead of the two McLarens. Both Norris and Piastri had been caught out at Degner 2, bouncing over the kerb and into the gravel.
When they did string a lap together, they proved fastest, comfortably so – over three-tenths clear of Leclerc. Piastri was quickest on a 1:27.768s, a slim 0.05s quicker than Norris. Leclerc closed in with another lap, but McLaren had pace in hand.
‘Grass fires blight final hour’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...claren-norris/
FP3: Norris leads Piastri and Russell during final Japanese GP practice session
5 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
Lando Norris topped the timesheets in the third and final practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, the McLaren man having led the way from team mate Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell.
As the times kept on tumbling – before another red flag was thrown in the closing stages owing to a trackside fire – it was Norris who had set the fastest time on a 1m 27.965s, putting him 0.026 clear of Piastri, while Russell was one-tenth back from Norris in third.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton put their Ferraris in fourth and sixth respectively, while sandwiched between them was Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver – along with Piastri – will be investigated after the session for allegedly failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions.
‘Lando Norris topped the timesheets’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...pbhuKiCx2Abrom
Ted Kravitz says Lewis Hamilton had to suspend ‘activities’ before Japanese Grand Prix after call from Ferrari
5 Apr 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer
Ferrari called Lewis Hamilton to an emergency meeting in Maranello before the Japanese Grand Prix. Ferrari engineers tried to lift Hamilton’s spirits in his garage at Suzuka by giving him a teddy of his pet dog Roscoe. This came before the team had called him to an emergency meeting in Maranello to get their problems ‘figured out.’
Kravitz noted on Sky Sports F1 before FP1 that the team admitted they got it wrong with Hamilton’s plank weat disqualification in China, but only by a ‘tiny amount.’ “The Leclerc underweight disqualification was quite a simple thing. Ferrari say there were quite a few things that contributed to that but they know what that was,” he said.
“But clearly the Lewis Hamilton plank wear and it was only by half a millimetre, was just outside the tolerance. Of course, Lewis wants the most downforce from this Ferrari, you get the most downforce by running the car as low as possible to the ground. Ferrari did call a meeting, called Lewis Hamilton back from his activities in the far east in China and Japan, back to Maranello just for a day on Tuesday to get it all figured out and then Lewis came back out here to Japan, to acclimatise to the time difference.”
‘Teddy of his pet dog Roscoe’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted...-from-ferrari/
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Max Verstappen Snatches 'Insane' Pole For Japan GP In Track Record.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen smashed the track record to snatch pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
• April 05, 2025
• Agence France-Presse
NDTV.com
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen smashed the track record to snatch pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, as Yuki Tsunoda qualified a lowly 15th in his Red Bull debut. Verstappen clocked a blistering lap of 1min 26.983sec in his Red Bull, 0.012sec ahead of championship leader Norris, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri third. Verstappen set a new Suzuka track record with his final lap in Saturday's qualifying, pipping Norris right at the death.
"Each session we kept making little improvements, then the last lap was flat out," said Verstappen, who has won the Japanese GP for the last three years. "In a Formula One car around here is insane. This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here."
'Insane';
https://sports.ndtv.com/formula-1/ma...record-8093001
Japanese GP: Qualifying Results
Full results from Qualifying for the Formula 1 Japanese GP from Suzuka.
5 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Q1 Q2 Q3
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 17 1:27.943s 1:27.502s 1:26.983s
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 15 0.012s 1:27.845s 1:27.146s 1:26.995s
3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 18 0.044s 1:27.687s 1:27.507s 1:27.027s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 21 0.316s 1:27.920s 1:27.555s 1:27.299s
5 63 George Russell Mercedes 17 0.335s 1:27.843s 1:27.400s 1:27.318s
6 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 18 0.572s 1:27.968s 1:27.639s 1:27.555s
7 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 18 0.586s 1:28.278s 1:27.775s 1:27.569s
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 23 0.627s 1:27.942s 1:27.610s 1:27.610s
9 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes 20 0.632s 1:28.218s 1:27.783s 1:27.615s
10 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari 21 0.884s 1:28.228s 1:27.711s 1:27.867s
‘Qualifying Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...gs-times-grid/
‘Incredibly rewarding’ – Verstappen hails ‘insane’ lap in Suzuka as he seals first Grand Prix pole since Austria 2024
5 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
Max Verstappen hailed the "incredibly rewarding" experience around Suzuka as he sealed his first pole position since last year's Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman will start Red Bull’s final Japanese Grand Prix with engine partner Honda from the front of the grid, marking his fourth consecutive Suzuka pole success.
Asked if he was surprised to find himself at the front of the pack, Verstappen said: “Yeah, I am! We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance with the car, but it wasn’t easy even in Qualifying. Every session, we just kept on making little improvements, and I think that’s where we made the difference.”
“The last lap was just flat out. Around here, being on the limit or maybe a bit over in places is incredibly rewarding.” He added: “It’s insane in a Formula 1 car around here. Sector 1 especially is unbelievable. The new Tarmac as well just gives you even more grip so to commit is even harder.”
“Just kept on making little improvements”;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...48MpYnomk02GG6
Max Verstappen makes honest assessment of Red Bull car despite Japanese GP pole position
Max Verstappen knows that keeping the McLaren's behind him in Suzuka will not be easy
5 April 2025
Euan Burns
Total Motorsport
During the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen admitted that Friday’s flexing problem with the car had been fixed, but there were still other issues that needed to be addressed and they will be a factor during the race on Sunday.
“Actually it was a bit better. I think that issue was a lot better today. But at the same time, the through corner balance is still what we need to work on. But yeah, I think on low fuel over one lap, some bits you can mask a little bit. But it’s still not like I go into the lap fully confident and comfortable,” Verstappen told the press, including Total-Motorsport.com.
“So the last lap I was like, well, I’m just going to not try and feel uncomfortable – just send it in and see what we get. It’s very rare, of course, that a lap like that then can stick, but this time it worked well. We know that we have some issues that we want to solve, but it’s clearly not easy to solve them at the moment.”
‘Some issues that we want to solve’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...pole-position/
‘It’s a shame’: Yuki Tsunoda ‘didn’t expect’ one thing on his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix, ‘it’s a shame…’
5 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Yuki Tsunoda could only qualify P15 on his debut for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Liam Lawson even out-pacing the home hero on his return to Racing Bulls. Kanagawa native Tsunoda admits he ‘did not expect’ his first qualifying session with Red Bull would finish in Q2 after feeling confident with his pace from practice at the Japanese GP. He especially felt strong in FP3, when Tsunoda was P9 and only 0.288s from Verstappen in P5.
“Surprisingly, I think I feel OK in terms of pressure,” Tsunoda told Sky Sports F1 (5/4, 08:29). “The last Q2 lap was probably the most pressured time. I had the pace from FP3, so I didn’t expect it to be like this, how I ended up like that today. So, it’s a shame. But at least the positive is that I’m starting to understand the car. It’s quite difficult to operate this car properly, it’s quite narrow [compared to] the Racing Bulls’ car.”
“I didn’t expect it to be like this”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/yuk...x-its-a-shame/
Adjusted starting grid for 2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix after penalty
Check out the full starting grid for the 2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka!
5 Apr 2025
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
It is Verstappen's fourth successive Japanese GP pole, with new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda only 14th on the grid after qualifying 15th fastest.
The reason for the change is due to a three-place grid penalty for Carlos Sainz for impeding Lewis Hamilton in Q2. The Williams driver drops from 12th to 15th, allowing Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson and Tsunoda to shuffle forward one place.
Position Driver Team
1st Max Verstappen Red Bull
2nd Lando Norris McLaren
3rd Oscar Piastri McLaren
4th Charles Leclerc Ferrari
5th George Russell Mercedes
6th Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
7th Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls
8th Lewis Hamilton Ferrari
9th Alex Albon Williams
10th Oliver Bearman Haas
‘Adjusted starting grid’;
https://racingnews365.com/full-start...ese-grand-prix
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Revealed: What Max Verstappen said to Lando Norris after dramatic Japanese GP pit moment.
Max Verstappen quipped that Lando Norris’s McLaren was “quite an expensive lawnmower” after their near miss at the pit exit during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
06 Apr 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
All three drivers discussed the incident in the cooldown room ahead of the podium ceremony, with Piastri first to bring up the subject as Verstappen arrived. Piastri said: “I had a good seat to watch the pit exit. That was close! As I was coming down the straight, I saw grass everywhere. I was like: ‘Oh.'”
Verstappen laughed and replied: “Something happened!” The drivers were then seated before watching a highlights reel of the race with Norris and Verstappen having a brief exchange when their skirmish appeared on screen.
Norris: “I saw that wall coming quite quickly.”
Norris: “Bet I got track limits for that.”
Verstappen: “It’s quite an expensive lawnmower.”
Norris: “Had a floor specially made for it.”
“Quite an expensive lawnmower”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...-gp-pit-moment
Japanese GP: Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Japanese GP from Suzuka.
6 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 53 Laps
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes +1.423s
3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes +2.129s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +16.097s
5 63 George Russell Mercedes +17.362s
6 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +18.671s
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +29.182s
8 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda +37.134s
9 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes +40.367s
10 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari +54.529s
‘Full results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...andings-order/
Verstappen beats McLarens in Japanese GP after Norris pit run-in.
Max Verstappen held off the McLaren duo in the Japanese Grand Prix for his and Red Bull's first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Apr 6, 2025
Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
In what was a largely static first lap all throughout the field, Verstappen covered off Norris right away off the line and consolidated the lead - which he quickly eked out into a solid buffer. It hovered around two seconds for much of that first stint, with Piastri closer to Norris than Norris to Verstappen, but the championship leader did attempt to put some pressure on Verstappen later on, pushing closer up as McLaren made a bluff pitstop call on lap 18.
But George Russell pitting out of fifth the following lap meant the real strategies had to play out then and there, with Piastri stopping to cover off the Mercedes' potential undercut - which meant both Verstappen and Norris were called in the next lap. Verstappen's victory bid nearly went begging then and there - as his tyre change was a second slower than Norris', timed at 3.3s versus 2.3s by McLaren.
It meant Norris drew alongside as he darted out of McLaren's pitbox at the end of pitlane, though Verstappen's front wheels remained well ahead - and as they arrived at pitlane exit, Norris refused to back out and went skipping over the grass towards Turn 1. The stewards felt this was fair game, with the incident 'noted' but quickly dismissed as not requiring further investigation.
‘Verstappen beats McLarens’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/v...itlane-run-in/
Verstappen smashes Suzuka record in dominant Japanese GP victory
Max Verstappen turned in a brilliant display at Suzuka to claim his fourth-consecutive Japanese Grand Prix win, a new record at the circuit.
6 Apr 2025
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen controlled the Japanese Grand Prix from the front to seal victory over the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, his fourth in a row at Suzuka - a new record. Charles Leclerc enjoyed a comfortable and uneventful day to claim fourth, ahead of the Mercedes of George Russell.
Kimi Antonelli had a day for the history books as well, becoming the youngest-ever driver to lead an F1 race, beating Verstappen's record from 2016 by just two days. The 18-year-old also became the youngest driver to clinch the fastest lap in a grand prix.
Fellow rookie Isack Hadjar scored the first points of his career by finishing eighth, with Alex Albon continuing his ever-present top 10 streak in 2025. All 20 drivers finished at Suzuka, something that was achieved four times last season.
‘Max Verstappen turned in a brilliant display’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...ese-gp-victory
2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Verstappen crosses the line to take his first victory of the season
6 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Max Verstappen takes the chequered flag to seal his first win of 2025 – and his fourth victory in a row at Suzuka.
‘Thank you Guys, Wow!”;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...34457620257594
‘Yuki Tsunoda was named Driver of the Day’: Red Bull will be worried by what Ted Kravitz spotted in Yuki Tsunoda’s data at the Japanese Grand Prix
6 Apr 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Yuki Tsunoda had a Red Bull debut to forget after such a promising start to the race weekend. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner sent Liam Lawson a message after he outqualified the Japanese driver at the first opportunity on his return to Racing Bulls when an enforced swap was put in place after his disappointing start to the season.
While Tsunoda finished ahead of Lawson during the race, Ted Kravitz spotted something during his performance that left him worried and will already be concerning Red Bull. “Just a quick one on Yuki Tsunoda, I’ve been following his lap times, they’re not great. He’s about five seconds off a point, which is currently held by Ollie Bearman, and making very little impact on Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin ahead of him.”
So that early promise of Yuki Tsunoda this weekend in the Red Bull has not shown in the race at all.” Tsunoda was named Driver of the Day by fans at Suzuka, despite making up just two places over the 53-lap race. He overtook Lawson during the opening stages, before taking advantage of a slugging Pierre Gasly pit stop to overtake his former teammate.
‘Yuki Tsunoda was named Driver of the Day’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/red...se-grand-prix/
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Villeneuve slams McLaren strategy: 'Trying not to win'.
Jacques Villeneuve tore into McLaren's tame strategy at the Japanese Grand Prix, going as far as to say they were "trying not to win".
06/04/2025
James Fiorucci
F1i.com
The Suzuka International Racing Course proved particularly difficult to overtake on, with very few overtakes witnessed during the 53-lap Grand Prix. This was the case for the top three, who remained in their starting grid positions at the finish line with Verstappen, Norris and Oscar Piastri in first, second and third respectively. This raised the question: why didn't at least one of the McLaren drivers attempt an alternative strategy to try and get past Verstappen?
Sky Sports F1 pundit Jacques Villeneuve was disappointed that McLaren didn't try something different in terms of strategy. He said: "Why would you stop Norris, when your team-mate has already stopped? Why won’t you take a gamble? You have two drivers out there!" exclaimed Villeneuve after the race.
"It’s as if they’re trying to not win. You need a winning attitude when you want to win. You need to want to win. You cannot just be on the defensive. Panicking, being afraid of 'are you doing what might be right?'," added the Canadian former Formula 1 driver.
“Trying not to win”;
https://f1i.com/news/534887-villeneu...ot-to-win.html
Oscar Piastri issues telling statement after Aussie 'robbed' of place at Japanese F1 Grand Prix.
The Aussie driver has spoken out after drama erupted with McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
6 April 2025
Sam Goodwin
Yahoo! Australia
Oscar Piastri has declared he only had himself to blame for McLaren not giving him a shot at chasing down Max Verstappen in the Japanese Grand Prix after many felt he was dudded by his own team. The Aussie driver finished third in Suzuka on Sunday, with Verstappen first and teammate Lando Norris second.
Late in the race, Piastri told his team he felt he had the pace to chase down leader Verstappen and try and snatch victory. But his team ordered him to stay behind Norris and refused to tell his teammate to yield.
Piastri was clearly quicker than Norris, who wasn't making any ground on Verstappen at the front. The situation left F1 fans fuming, with many saying McLaren had robbed Piastri of second place and potentially first, labelling it a "joke" and a "farce".
‘Piastri told his team he felt he had the pace to chase down leader Verstappen’;
https://au.news.yahoo.com/oscar-pias...W06C9EzHigC0Yg
Explained: Why Piastri didn’t attack Norris at the Japanese GP
6 Apr 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Piastri urged McLaren to help him in the closing laps as he sat on Norris’ rear wing, but the team opted not to issue a team order. “If Lando is still saving, I think he should go soon,” Piastri said over the radio. “I think I have the pace to get Max.”
Told that “this is Lando’s pace”, he reiterated: “Okay, like I said, I think I have the pace to get Max.” McLaren didn’t order Norris to move over and although Piastri got within 0.6 seconds of his team-mate, he didn’t attempt a pass either. He eventually crossed the line seven-tenths behind the Briton.
Asked about the radio communication with the team, he downplayed it. “There wasn’t much to be honest,” said the Australian driver. “For me, I felt like I had really strong pace and felt like if I had the track position I could go and get Max. But that’s what happens when you qualify behind, unfortunately.”
‘Explained’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-...is-japanese-gp
Lando Norris downplays Japan F1 pit lane incident with Max Verstappen
6 Apr 2025
Harry Whitfield
Motorsport Week
As the Red Bull driver peeled into the pits, Norris followed him in, and the McLaren team completed a quick turnaround to allow him to rejoin the pitlane alongside Verstappen. Norris attempted to pass his rival before rejoining the track, but he ran out of room and ended up on the grass, as the stewards quickly determined that the incident required no further investigation.
Over the team radio, the McLaren driver suggested that he had been forced onto the grass by Verstappen. However, speaking after the race in parc ferme, Norris went back on his earlier verdict.
“It’s racing, I think,” the 25-year-old said. “I mean, he was still ahead; it kind of squeezes into one. Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space, in a good way and in a racing way, so nothing more than that.”
“It’s racing, I think”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...ax-verstappen/
Verstappen's perfect Japan GP shows McLaren won't get easy ride
Apr 6, 2025
Nate Saunders
ESPN.co.uk
SUZUKA, Japan -- Perfection. Magical. Inspirational. Whatever word you used to frame Max Verstappen's Japanese Grand Prix victory -- and superlatives were in high supply throughout the weekend -- it was something special.
Sunday's race was not a classic by any means, but Verstappen's weekend was a vintage of a different kind. It was a race win built on the bedrock of a scintillating qualifying lap that beat the benchmark McLarens to pole position on Saturday, and then the trademark pace and unshakeable composure which kept both orange cars at arm's length on Sunday, even when the consensus was they have the class-leading car in the F1 field.
Speaking on the radio just after the checkered flag, long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase succinctly summed up Verstappen's performance: "That's perfection. Just perfection, Max. Fantastic." It was hard to disagree. Bar a short period in the pit-stop phase and a close shave with Lando Norris on pit exit, Verstappen had controlled proceedings out in front. Red Bull boss Christian Horner labeled the four-time world champion's performance "inspirational" in his own congratulatory message on the cool-down lap.
‘McLaren won't get easy ride’;
https://www.espn.com/racing/f1/story...-get-easy-ride
NORRIS QUESTIONS MCLAREN STRATEGY, BUT FELT JAPANESE GP WAS LOST IN QUALIFYING
Lando Norris has offered his thoughts on McLaren pitting him on the same lap as Max Verstappen in Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix
Apr 6, 2025
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
Lando Norris says McLaren should have pitted him before Max Verstappen to try to defeat the Red Bull Formula 1 driver, but thinks the Suzuka race was lost in qualifying. While the McLarens were the quicker cars, overtaking at Suzuka proved almost impossible, and Norris and Piastri never found clear air to extract the pace out of the MCL39.
"Maybe we could have tried a bit more with strategy and overcut or undercut," he said. "We just boxed on the same lap for some reason, so there are some things we'll discuss. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
"I probably should have just tried to undercut. The thing is there's always the safety car risk. I don't think I could have gone longer because then I think I would have lost a position, so that wasn't on the cards. But yeah, I think we probably should have just tried to undercut and tried something different."
“Overcut or undercut";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/n...ying/10710458/
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'There's not much more in the car': Lewis Hamilton's admission as Ferrari title dream fades.
Dismal performance from the Ferrari garage will be first on the list to change according the drivers, with glimpses of pace in Japan leaving them hungry for better results in this weekend's race in Bahrain.
Apr 8, 2025
Sophie Wisely
Wide World of Sports
The seven-time world champion admitted he believed the Maranello-based team was sliding down the constructors standings and that to survive the dominant nature of the top three teams, Ferrari need to find pace quickly.
"Yeah, I think it looks like we are third, [or] Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and then us sort of thing, so we've got some improvements to make," said Hamilton.
'There's not much more in the car';
https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...08-p5lq40.html
“I’d really like info where I’m slow”: Hamilton’s struggles with his car at Suzuka
7th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton revealed Ferrari has identified a problem with its car which it intends to fix following his seventh-placed finish at Suzuka. As the first driver on the grid to start the race on the hard rubber, Hamilton pursued an alternative strategy to many of those around him. That gave him the opportunity to spend more of the race in clearer air than his rivals did.
He wasn’t happy with his pace, however, and repeatedly asked his race engineer Riccardo Adami for information on where he was losing time and how to gain it. In his third grand prix for Ferrari, Hamilton’s relationship with his engineer appears to be working more smoothly, but he is still learning how to get the best from the Ferrari and how to tune it to his liking.
‘Hamilton’s struggles’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/07/...car-at-suzuka/
Ferrari have now discovered the same car problem that plagued Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2024
8 Apr 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Ferrari’s 2025 F1 car has a small working window – just like last year’s Mercedes. Ferrari and Hamilton looked like the class of the field in the Sprint sessions in Shanghai, but otherwise, they’ve often seemed to be the fourth-fastest team. How can the performance swing so significantly?
According to Bild, ‘the Ferrari is not a bad car’, but ‘the working window is too small’. That means the car is only a contender within narrow parameters – be it set-up, temperature or track conditions. Hamilton ‘doesn’t like that at all’, having been plagued by a similar issue at Mercedes in 2024. Speaking to Autosport last summer, he described the W15 as ‘peaky’. To demonstrate that point, Hamilton’s average qualifying position last year was 8.5, but he jumped into the top three in Spain, Great Britain and Belgium.
In addition to Bild’s report, AutoRacer add that Ferrari are dealing with an ‘unpredictable rear’ on the SF-25. Leclerc has been able to adapt his driving style to cope. But speaking before the season started, Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher said Hamilton ‘can’t cope’ with a loose back end. It chronically undermines his confidence in the car. Sure enough, Jacques Villeneuve said during the coverage of the Japanese GP that Hamilton’s Ferrari ‘slides a fair amount’. That also has the effect of heating up the tyres, so it can be self-perpetuating.
‘Small working window’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...cedes-in-2024/
On-board Lewis Hamilton camera reveals ‘not a good sign’ for Ferrari
7 Apr 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Watching as Lewis Hamilton fought his SF-25 around the Suzuka circuit, Jacques Villeneuve says the lack of rear-end grip has to be a huge concern for the Scuderia. And it is a problem that does not bode well for future races.
“Looking at the Ferrari, it’s not got the most stable rear end I would have thought,” said David Croft. Jacques Villeneuve, joining him in commentary in Japan, replied: “I was about to say, the Ferrari slides a fair amount. We’re looking at the Ferrari, it’s moving around, sliding around, heating up the tyres. That’s not a good sign for the longer run.”
“You could also tell that [George] Russell had a much tighter line. He would back off a bit so that he could have a tighter exit and get on the gas better.” Hamilton went from eighth to seventh in the Grand Prix, only passing Isack Hadjar, and later confirmed there was an issue with his SF-25.
“It’s moving around, sliding around, heating up the tyres”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/on-boa...gn-for-ferrari
‘Both sides of the garage’: Hamilton’s thinly-veiled dig at Ferrari as honeymoon over
Apr 7th, 2025
Afp
7 Apr 2025
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he “didn’t have the pace to challenge” after finishing seventh at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, with fourth-place Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc saying it was a “lonely” race. “We didn’t have the pace to challenge the top three, and that’s something we’ll be working hard to address ahead of the next rounds,” Hamilton said.
“I went with a set-up that felt good overall but it just didn’t give me everything I needed out there. The team’s been doing an incredible job, and we’ll keep pushing together to find those gains,” Hamilton said. Meanwhile, the British driver insinuated that his side of the garage was performing worse than Leclerc’s, confirming his Ferrari has an “issue” that is in the process of being fixed.
“I’m really hoping in the next race we’ll see hopefully some positive changes,” Hamilton said. “Through the first three races there’s been a bit of a deficit between both sides of the garage on some elements of the car. On my side, underperforming. With what I had, that is the best result I could get.” Pressed further, he continued: “We found something on the car that’s been underperforming the last three races. I’m really hoping that when that’s fixed, I’ll start getting a bit better results.”
‘Hamilton’s thinly-veiled dig’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...3a285ccaf95afa
Lewis Hamilton Hoping New Floor To Solve Ferrari Flaw
Apr 7, 2025
F1 Chronicle
Ferrari is pinning its hopes on a much-needed floor upgrade that will reportedly make its debut this weekend in Bahrain. Team boss Frederic Vasseur admits the 2025 car is lacking pace. “We’re missing two to three-tenths of a second in qualifying,” he told Sky Italia. “In the race, it’s even more. We’re talking about three to four-tenths.”
Ferrari faced some criticism for not fast-forwarding the debut of the new floor – reportedly to fix a clear flaw – to Suzuka. “We don’t have to and won’t change our approach,” Vasseur said. “And you’ll never improve by three to four-tenths in one go.” For his part, Lewis Hamilton can hardly wait for the much-needed upgrade, admitting that at present, the ride-height needs to be set “higher than we would like”.
“We found something that wasn’t delivering the desired performance in the last three races, and I hope we can achieve better results once we get that under control,” said the seven-time world champion. I hope we have this under control by the next race. Hopefully, when the new parts arrive, it shouldn’t be there anymore. The step we need is in rear downforce.”
‘Much-needed floor upgrade’;
https://f1chronicle.com/lewis-hamilt.../?nowprocket=1
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What F1 teams do well at the Bahrain Grand Prix with Ferrari and Mercedes successful.
Ferrari holds the most victories in Bahrain having won the first race in 2004 and separately across different eras including 2008, 2010, 2017, and 2022.
8 Apr 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
WINS TEAM YEARS
7 Ferrari 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2022
6 Mercedes 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021
4 Red Bull 2012, 2013, 2023, 2024
2 Renault 2005, 2006
Fernando Alonso won on his debut with Ferrari in 2010 after a spark plug failure denied Sebastian Vettel a win for Red Bull. They only have four victories at the circuit, having also achieved back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024.
Mercedes first won the race in 2014 after the impressive duel between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for the win, while Renault won back-to-back with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006. Ferrari and Mercedes hold the joint record for most wins for a power unit manufacturer in Bahrain, with Mercedes taking victories for three different teams.
In 2009 they (Mercedes) won with Brawn GP with Jenson Button and their victory in 2020 was Racing Point’s one and only win for the Sakhir GP with Sergio Perez.
‘Ferrari holds the most victories’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wha...es-successful/
How did Verstappen beat Norris at 2025 Japanese GP? Can he do it in Bahrain?
The Red Bull RB21 found itself competitive with McLaren as the Dutchman won for the first time
8 Apr 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
So, hamstringed in Suzuka, the papaya-coloured cars couldn’t opt for a chance to try to over-cut Verstappen when he chose to pit as they called Norris into the box immediately. Piastri, who did the extra lap, didn’t make much headway on the Dutchman either. That allowed the 28-year-old the platform to control the tempo of the race, combined with the impact of dirty air and just the one DRS zone, without much risk from behind as long as he ensured he didn’t mess up.
The Bahrain International Circuit is completely different. With three DRS zones and long straights, there are more opportunities to overtake another car, to create a tyre offset or mix it up when it comes to strategic options. That, combined with the spike in temperatures causing more degradation, leads the pack to expect McLaren to dominate there – an ominous warning after their pace in Australia and China.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the real McLaren yet,” Mercedes‘ George Russell told Sky Sports F1 in Japan. “We raced on three cold weekends. When we go to Bahrain with 35 degrees or even to Saudi Arabia, it will be there that they will be able to really excel, so we have to keep our feet on the ground.”
‘Hamstringed in Suzuka’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/how...it-in-bahrain/
Max looks ahead to Bahrain GP: 'I think it will be a tough race for us'
8 April 2025
Niels Hendrix
Verstappen.nl
Max says: “Bahrain is typically somewhere where we have gone well: the track is very technical and of course it is under night race conditions which is a bit different. It is going to be hot and think it will be a tough race for us.”
“There are still things to improve on the car: we are still working on our tyre management and lacking some pace so we will just need to work hard and constantly push the car to the limit. However, I do always enjoy going there so looking forward to seeing what this week brings and hopefully we can maximise the performance of the car as best we can.”
‘Still things to improve on the car’;
https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5763/
Lewis Hamilton will be delighted to see Ferrari ‘equipped’ with one important upgrade at the Bahrain Grand Prix
9 Apr 2025
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer
Ferrari are heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix with the fourth-fastest Formula 1 car in 2025, after a dramatic fall over the winter. Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in Maranello was meant to help elevate their performance to a new level, but they have just fallen backwards so far.
Ferrari’s winter developments for the SF25 have not worked, and they have fallen back behind Mercedes and maybe Red Bull too. Neither driver sits in the top five of the drivers’ championship and three races have yielded zero podiums. Far more was expected of them before pre-season testing.
‘Ferrari, fourth-fastest Formula 1 car in 2025’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/features...in-grand-prix/
The rumoured new upgrade that could propel Hamilton and Leclerc
8 Apr 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
After Suzuka came and went, Ferrari reportedly will introduce their new floor for the SF-25 at the Bahrain Grand Prix. As Formula 1 quickly moves on to this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, part two of this season’s first triple-header, Ferrari will reportedly introduce a new floor carrying the intention of giving Hamilton and Leclerc a much-needed boost.
With respected Italian publication Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica citing a ‘lack of balance and pure performance’ with the SF-25, it is reported that a new floor is on its way for Bahrain, one designed to trigger better stability and balance in the Ferrari car, opening up its working window.
One caveat to Ferrari’s proposed upgraded floor is that it has been designed to generate more efficient downforce at the ride heights which Ferrari have to work with at present, as it is reported that should the team go lower, then they run the risk of skid block wear becoming an issue once again.
‘Could propel Hamilton and Leclerc’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/rumour...als-bahrain-gp
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli ‘learned’ one thing in Japan he now wants to exploit at the Bahrain Grand Prix
8 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Andrea Kimi Antonelli enjoyed a record-breaking race in the Japanese Grand Prix yet is learning all the time as a Formula 1 driver during the Mercedes star’s rookie campaign. The Italian had never driven around Suzuka prior to heading to the Japanese GP for the third round of his debut F1 season. But Antonelli overcame his early struggles to build confidence to score points in a third straight Grand Prix with the Mercedes driver’s P6 finish last Sunday.
Antonelli was ‘lost’ after practice at the Japanese GP and struggling for confidence at a track he had never raced before last week. But advice from reserve driver Valtteri Bottas ahead of qualifying helped Antonelli work his tyres into the right temperature window for sector one.
Mercedes also changed Antonelli’s set-up before qualifying and those tweaks further helped the Italian build his confidence around Suzuka. So much so, in fact, that Antonelli regrets not being even more aggressive with his set-up in qualifying and aims to change that in Bahrain. Antonelli said, via quotes by Motorsport.com: “The first sector is not easy. You have to find the right timing in all the corners. Also, with the set-up, we started conservatively because I didn’t have confidence.”
‘Learnt to be more aggressive with his set-up in qualifying’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...in-grand-prix/
Aston Martin set to disappoint Fernando Alonso amid ‘difficult’ admission ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix
8 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Aston Martin racer Fernando Alonso is still yet to score a single point after the opening three rounds of the 2025 season and he expects a ‘difficult’ Bahrain Grand Prix next. Alonso will be trying to get off the mark at the Bahrain GP as point-less trips to Australia, China and Japan returned his worst start to a year since 2017.
Their form is unlikely to improve anytime soon as Aston Martin will have effectively the same car in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. That is according to Marca, which reports that Aston Martin do not plan to bring ‘significant’ upgrades to the AMR25 until at least the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on May 16-18. They see the Miami Grand Prix two weeks before the first European race as a ‘lost weekend’.
F1 will enjoy a one-week break following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next weekend before a quick stop in America for the Miami GP ahead of another week off. But as Miami is also an F1 Sprint weekend, only getting one practice session deters Aston Martin from taking upgrades. “With what we learned in the first three races, we’re here now to confront some things we had doubts about in testing,” Alonso said. “So, we’ll use practice for that there and I think it will be a difficult finish again. But in difficult finishes we’re going to keep trying. So, we’re not going to give up, for sure.”
‘In difficult finishes we’re going to keep trying’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ast...in-grand-prix/
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Why McLaren can strike back – What to watch for at Bahrain GP.
Four races into the 2025 F1 season and we’ve had four different winners – will there be a fifth at the Bahrain GP this weekend?
9 Apr 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine
Lando Norris leads Max Verstappen by a single point going into the fourth round of the season in the Bahrain GP following the Red Bull driver's win in Japan. Here's what to look out for at Sakhir
While McLaren has looked imperious on pure pace, a Max Verstappen masterclass saw Red Bull win in Japan, with Lewis Hamilton snatching the sprint spoils in China.
As a result, just one point separates Lando Norris and Verstappen at the top of the table. Will either of the championship’s top two contenders prevail at Sakhir, or there be yet another name at the top of podium?
‘What to watch for’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
How does the F1 championship look heading into the Bahrain GP?
9 Apr 2025
ESPN.co.uk
Max Verstappen has caught up to Lando Norris in the drivers' championship, just one point behind after three races, but Red Bull and Ferrari have work to do to catch up with McLaren. With just one win in three races, Max Verstappen has managed to get himself within one point of leader Lando Norris in the drivers' championship.
McLaren, however, are 36 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors' championship with two performing drivers. The Papaya team were one of two teams not to change their line up coming into 2025, which has boosted the start of their season as the other teams look to catch up.
Times below in BST (British Summer Time).
Friday
Free practice one: 12:30-13:30 BST
Free practice two: 16:00-17:00 BST
Saturday
Free practice three: 13:30-14:30 BST
Qualifying: 17:00-18:00 BST
Sunday
Race starts: 16:00 BST.
‘Just one point behind after three races’;
https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id...dictions-stats
Max Verstappen will be worried by what ‘experts’ are now saying about McLaren ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix
9 Apr 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer
In a report by Auto Motor und Sport, many ‘experts’ believe that McLaren will have the advantage in the hotter temperatures. With the Bahrain Grand Prix and Jeddah next up, it is a perfect opportunity for the Woking squad to capitalise. The opening three races were ‘quite chilly’ in comparison, as was pre-season testing at Sakhir back in February. Now, in April, the track temperature and weather conditions will be significantly warmer in Bahrain – music to McLaren’s ears.
However, this will be a concern for Verstappen, especially considering that Red Bull have struggled to find the right balance for the RB21. Despite winning at Suzuka, the team cannot find the right operating window at the moment. Andrea Stella doubts Verstappen can ‘make the difference’ throughout the season. While he has extracted the most out of the RB21 so far, it is clear the machine is inferior compared to McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.
So far, Verstappen has scored all of Red Bull’s points in 2025. While Yuki Tsunoda improved on Liam Lawson by reaching Q2 at Suzuka – something the New Zealander failed to do in the opening two races – he was still off the pace to his teammate and ex-Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar. The second car is not capable of scoring points, regardless of which driver is piloting it. While Verstappen can still fight at the front, the hotter track conditions in the Middle East could expose Red Bull’s weakness.
‘McLaren will have the advantage in the hotter temperatures’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/max...in-grand-prix/
Four reasons why Max Verstappen won’t win the F1 2025 Bahrain GP
The world champion bids for his second win of the season after victory in Japan.
9 Apr 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
DRS zones Suzuka is very unique by possessing just the one DRS zone… … Bahrain, has three… That means that if Verstappen is being pursued by around a second once again, the cars behind will have three opportunities to close up to the gearbox of the Red Bull car for free, a stark contrast to Suzuka.
Tyre degradation Secondly, Bahrain is a lot hotter than Japan and this holds a critical impact on the temperatures as they are poised to spike in the Middle East. This plays directly into McLaren’s hands.
Strategy options diverse A two-stop strategy also lets teams play around with the specific lap they pit on too. For example, it’s far easier to opt to extend a stint for a tyre advantage later into the race; but conversely teams can also be aggressive by pitting sooner to catch rivals off guard.
Downforce levels The secret to Verstappen’s pole lap and subsequent defence in the F1 2025 Japanese GP was the slimmer rear-wing he ran compared to the downforce levels of the McLaren cars.
‘Four reasons’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/fou...25-bahrain-gp/
‘Very difficult’: Gary Anderson sees a ‘big concern’ for Ferrari after what he’s ‘hearing’ about Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car
9 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Gary Anderson has seen signs in Ferrari’s early-season struggles that hint the SF-25’s problems are at least partly due to the car’s mechanical platform. Ferrari changed the front suspension set-up on their 2025 F1 car in the winter to try to manage its ride height easier. Anderson now feels their suspension could become a ‘big concern’ as Ferrari are unlikely to change their set-up mid-season. The ex-Jordan technical director especially fears for Ferrari if, as he is hearing, the team must raise their ride height to keep the rake of their car stable.
“Making in-season changes on either front or rear suspension geometry is very difficult,” he told The Race. “So, I don’t expect to see much difference between the early Grands Prix and the last race in Abu Dhabi. That could be a big concern for Ferrari… As we seem to be hearing, the Ferrari loses a lot of performance when they need to raise the ride height. And it’s no surprise to me – if they have indeed done as little as it visually appears with the percentage of anti-dive to support the front of the car under braking and reduce its rake change.”
‘Very difficult’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/gar...iltons-f1-car/
Our bold predictions for the Bahrain Grand Prix
10 Apr 2025
PlanetF1.com
A strong return for Liam Lawson By Elizabeth Blackstock
Carlos Sainz scores his first true Williams top 10 By Jamie Woodhouse
Sainz to out-qualify and out-race Albon for the first time By Henry Valantine
Lando Norris to win with a 20-second gap to the first non-McLaren driver By Oliver Harden
‘Bold predictions’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/ba...25-predictions
Formula 1: How to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix on TV and what to know
9 April 2025
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MailOnline
61 - Verstappen has scored all of Red Bull´s 61 points this season. The last time a Red Bull driver other than him scored a point was Sergio Perez in Las Vegas in November.
50 - Piastri is heading into his 50th race in F1, all with McLaren.
0 - Two-time champion Fernando Alonso is among five drivers yet to score a point in 2025 after he placed 11th in Japan. The others are Alpine´s Pierre Gasly and rookies Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto and Jack Doohan.
‘How to watch’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...x-TV-know.html
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Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari boss is now refusing to answer one ‘sensitive’ question before Bahrain Grand Prix.
Privately, Ferrari have set a date when they may give up on 2025. Ferrari are waiting until next month to see if they can unlock more performance, and if they haven’t made real progress, Vasseur could pull the trigger and go all-in on 2026.
10 Apr 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Ferrari are bringing an upgrade to this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in the hope of ending their podium drought. The Scuderia are fourth in the constructors’ championship after a disappointing start. Speaking on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, journalist Laurence Edmondson emphasised the importance of the upgrade. Ferrari may be inclined to ‘cut their losses’ if they can’t find a solution to their ride-height issue.
“In having to lift that [the car], it seems they’ve lost a bit more performance, taken it out of its happy place,” Edmondson said. “If they can’t find a solution to that, you also have to look at this season and, at what point do you just say ‘cut the losses, it’s going to be a bad year, we’re too far off in the championship to do much, it would be great to get a Grand Prix victory at some point, but actually the bigger deal here is 2026 onwards’.”
“If you go into that and you’re off the pace, then that could take years to set right. I wonder if there will be a cutoff point. Fred was asked about this at the start of the year and I think he said ‘we will consider that’. He’s now stopped answering that question. It’s become a little bit more sensitive as to when you actually think ‘right, championship’s not on this year, what are we really going to gain by continuing to develop this car, let’s shift all our focus to next year’.”
‘Sensitive question’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lew...in-grand-prix/
Hamilton expecting “a bit more downforce” from Ferrari’s Bahrain GP upgrade
10th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s race in Bahrain, Hamilton confirmed he is seeking an improvement in his car’s rear-end balance. “We’ve got an upgrade this weekend, so I’m excited,” he told the official F1 channel. “We’re going to hopefully have a bit more downforce.”
“I’m not really feeling a huge amount of issues, it’s just we lack overall performance at the moment pace-wise, which we hopefully will take a step [with] this weekend. On my side, it’s rear end, it’s a little bit, and that’s about it.”
“I’ve done quite a bit of driving since the test that we had here, so I should be a lot more comfortable in the car than I was through testing here,” said Hamilton. “We’ve got an upgrade, got a better understanding of the set-up, so hopefully should bode well for a better weekend.”
“A bit more downforce”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/10/...in-gp-upgrade/
Ferrari debuting new floor that might eradicate Hamilton 'deficit'
Apr 10, 2025
Matt Beer, Edd Straw
The Race
Hamilton caused intrigue in Japan last weekend when he referred to a “deficit” on his car and said “on my side, something is underperforming”, having been behind his team-mate throughout the event. Faced with multiple questions on Thursday about the disparity that he’d suggested, Hamilton always responded with a reference to the new floor Ferrari has for Bahrain - saying “we’ve got new floors this weekend, so it should be gone”.
The Race understands Ferrari will also bring a new rear brake duct and a small new wing on the rear pillar to complement the floor. The prospect of the upgrades left Hamilton very “excited” heading into his fourth weekend as a Ferrari driver.
“The team has worked really hard, as teams do, they work incredibly hard to be able to bring upgrades. So to have that here at the track we tested at, more knowledge about the car and how to extract more from it - I feel really positive going into the weekend,” he said.
‘Hamilton very “excited” ’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...ilton-deficit/
Hamilton warns Ferrari fans at Bahrain GP: Don’t expect anything special
The Brit is chasing his first victory at the Bahrain International Circuit since 2021.
11 April 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Hamilton warns Ferrari fans ahead of F1 2025 Bahrain GP not to expect miracles. “Don’t. Simple as that,” Hamilton warns, as per ESPN. “Don’t wait for anything. Just watch and enjoy. We’re working as hard as we can, and that’s all I can say. I have nothing else to add to that.”
“I’m not really feeling huge amounts of issues,” Hamilton later told Sky Sports F1. “It’s just that we lack overall performance, pace wise, which we’ll hopefully take a step this weekend. We got an upgrade this weekend so I’m excited. We’re going to hopefully, have a bit more downforce. On my side, it’s rear-end a little bit and that’s about it.”
‘Not to expect miracles’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/lew...in-gp-special/
Red Bull set to be at ‘more severe’ disadvantage for Bahrain GP
11 Apr 2025
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com
It wasn’t long ago that Red Bull Racing had mastered the tyre degradation game. Doing so required a multi-faceted approach that took into consideration car design, circuit characteristics, driving style, and strategy, and it gave the Milton-Keynes team a seemingly massive leg-up on the competition.
The RB21, though, is a much different story. In 2025, the drivers at Red Bull are tackling a much more unbalanced car — and a lack of balance between the front and the rear makes it more challenging to master the art of tyre deg. During a press conference ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked about expectations for tyre degradation this weekend.
“It will be more severe,” the reigning champion told media, including PlanetF1.com. “On paper, from what we’ve seen so far this season, that’s not, let’s say, ideal for us compared to McLaren. But it’s up to us to try and find those improvements in the car or in the tyre behavior and just go from there.”
‘Red Bull are tackling a much more unbalanced car’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...antage-bahrain
War of Words: Norris hits back at Verstappen at 2025 Bahrain GP
The Brit responds to the Dutchman’s claims he would perform better in the McLaren.
10 Apr 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Following the race, Verstappen said if he was in the McLaren that “nobody would have seen him”, implying Norris didn’t fully exploit his car, but now the 24-year-old hits back at his rival ahead of the F1 2025 Bahrain GP as they begin their war of words.
“He’s not better at everything,” Norris told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “I don’t mind. He can say what he wants. I don’t care honestly. Everyone can say what they want and believe what they want. I believe that both Oscar and myself are good drivers.”
“He’s maybe better at some things, but he’s not better in every area. I have a lot of respect for Max, but I also know some things are not true. He can come and test our car any day that he wants, and I’ll be excited to see the disappointment on his face after he gets out.”
‘War of Words’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/war...25-bahrain-gp/
Russell expects 'race pace' to be the key to Bahrain GP success
10 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Mercedes driver George Russell says Sakhir is "the least important track in terms of qualifying", and expects race pace to be the major factor during this weekend's Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
'Race pace to be the key’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ru...25213428113103
-
Bahrain GP: Norris edges Gasly in blazing FP1.
The 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix roared into life under a blazing desert sun on Friday, with McLaren’s Lando Norris seizing the spotlight in the day’s opening practice session at Sakhir.
11/04/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Norris set the early pace on medium tyres with a 1m35.249s, a lap that lingered unchallenged but trailed Carlos Sainz’s winter testing benchmark by six seconds. Williams’ Alex Albon briefly nipped at the McLaren driver’s heels, shaving his gap to within a tenth before Sauber’s rookie Gabriel Bortoleto upended the order.
The Brazilian, bold on soft tyres, fired off a 1m34.628s to claim the lead at the halfway mark, signaling his intent as F1’s newest contender. Gasly then joined the soft-tyre surge, but Norris answered emphatically, reclaiming the top spot with a lap that left the field scrambling.
As the clock ticked down, Ferrari and Mercedes held back on soft-tyre runs, focusing instead on setup tweaks. Hamilton, driving a Ferrari sporting a heavily revised floor and diffuser, waited until the final moments to unleash his best effort, slotting into third and bumping Albon to fourth.
‘Blazing FP1’;
https://f1i.com/news/535309-bahrain-...azing-fp1.html
Bahrain GP: Free Practice 1 Results
Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Formula 1 Bahrain GP from Bahrain International Circuit.
11 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 22 1:33.204s
2 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 21 0.238s 1:33.442s
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 21 0.596s 1:33.800s
4 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes 22 0.724s 1:33.928s
5 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari 17 0.980s 1:34.184s
6 27 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber – Ferrari 22 1.058s 1:34.262s
7 7 Jack Doohan Alpine – Renault 22 1.192s 1:34.396s
8 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls – Honda 22 1.193s 1:34.397s
9 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda 22 1.280s 1:34.484s
10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 23 1.304s 1:34.508s
‘Free Practice 1 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-b...dings-details/
Everything that happened in first Bahrain GP practice
Apr 11, 2025
Josh Suttill
The Race
Lando Norris kicked off Friday at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix by topping an opening practice session that featured six FP1-only rookies. McLaren did the most soft tyre running in FP1 of any of the frontrunners, with Norris topping the session on a 1m33.204s.
Hamilton was third fastest with the new Ferrari floor with a late soft tyre run that left him almost six tenths adrift of Norris's benchmark. Albon was fourth for Williams ahead of Ocon and Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, who was an impressive sixth, albeit over one second adrift.
Having reported a "shocking" balance aboard his Racing Bulls car, Liam Lawson later posted the eighth-fastest time just behind Jack Doohan’s Alpine. The top 10 was completed by Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who made a mistake on his soft tyre run and so set his fastest time on the mediums.
‘Everything that happened’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/b...what-happened/
Ted Kravitz delivers ‘serious’ verdict on Ferrari’s Bahrain Grand Prix upgrades after spotting ‘lovely’ part
11 Apr 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Ted Kravitz has realised Ferrari’s upgrades for Bahrain Grand Prix are ‘serious’. Kravitz praised Ferrari’s engineers for their ‘lovely’ new bargeboard as he inspected the SF-25 in the Bahrain Grand Prix pit lane. It occasionally takes teams multiple races to optimise an upgrade, so judgement should be reserved.
Kravitz says Ferrari are hopeful of transforming their season from this weekend onwards. Hamilton won the Sprint in China but the team haven’t had a podium in a Grand Prix yet. “Four big changes to the biggest single generator of downforce on the car – that’s the floor,” said Kravitz. “Let’s have a look.”
“Look how lovely the angle is of this bargeboard. That’s new. The cut-out on here is new. These fences feeding the air down to the underside of the floor, they are new. These floor edges are also new. There’s a new diffuser. You know when a team brings a new diffuser to a race, they’re serious about generating loads of lovely downforce. This is a significant upgrade – an upgrade that Ferrari are hoping is going to transform their season and get them back to winning ways.”
‘Serious’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted...g-lovely-part/
Martin Brundle disappointed in Lando Norris as he falls into Max Verstappen’s ‘clever’ trap at Bahrain Grand Prix
11 Apr 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Martin Brundle says Lando Norris ‘shouldn’t have bitten’ after Max Verstappen McLaren dig. Brundle fears that he suffered a psychological defeat after taking what he saw as bait. “Was he firing it at the team or the McLaren drivers?” host Simon Lazenby asked.
“Both,” Brundle replied. “It was twofold. It was to give his team a hurry-up and to poke the two McLaren drivers. Direct hit, because they both went on the defensive. Risky strategy, because what Max is saying there to the 1,500 people back at base who’ve just given him a race-winning car is ‘your car’s not very good’.”
“That can motivate them, but both McLaren drivers – certainly Lando there – said a bit the same thing about his car, ‘have a go in it, you’ll be disappointed Max’. They shouldn’t have bitten on that one. It was quite clever psychology from Max.”
‘Your car’s not very good’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...in-grand-prix/
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Piastri leads McLaren one-two as Alonso’s steering wheel comes off in practice.
Oscar Piastri led a comfortable one-two for McLaren in the second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
11th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
George Russell, who got closest to the two McLaren drivers, lapped over half a second slower than the Chinese Grand Prix winner. Only the McLaren drivers lapped the Bahrain International Circuit in less than 91 seconds.
However a question mark remained over Red Bull’s form at the end of the session. Not for the first time this year, Max Verstappen’s best time in practice left him behind one of the Racing Bulls, in this case Isack Hadjar.
Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari some encouragement, setting a best time just a hundredth of a second slower than Russell in fourth place. Lewis Hamilton could only manage eighth.
‘McLaren one-two’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/11/...f-in-practice/
Bahrain GP : Free Practice 2 Results
Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Formula 1 Bahrain GP from Bahrain International Circuit.
12 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 27 1:30.505s
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 27 0.154s 1:30.659s
3 63 George Russell Mercedes 23 0.527s 1:31.032s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 25 0.540s 1:31.045s
5 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 26 0.722s 1:31.227s
6 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 23 0.733s 1:31.238s
7 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 25 0.825s 1:31.330s
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 21 1.071s 1:31.576s
9 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari 26 1.079s 1:31.584s
10 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 26 1.118s 1:31.623s
‘Free Practice 2 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/bahrain-gp-fre...e-2-results-2/
Everything you need to know about second Bahrain GP F1 practice
Apr 11, 2025
Jack Cozens
The Race
Oscar Piastri ended Friday at the Bahrain Grand Prix with the fastest time as he and McLaren Formula 1 team-mate Lando Norris set an ominous pace in second practice. George Russell got closest on his qualifying simulation run, setting a 1m31.032s that was 0.527s slower than Piastri's best.
Charles Leclerc gave Ferrari some cause for optimism by improving to fourth, a mere 0.013s behind Russell, but that lap carries the caveat that it was set with just over 20 minutes of the hour-long session remaining - with the three faster times all set more than 10 minutes earlier.
That late Leclerc improvement - he'd been 10th prior to that - meant he ended up splitting the Mercedes cars, with rookie Kimi Antonelli fifth at the head of a tighter pack. Hadjar was faster too than the senior Red Bull team's Max Verstappen, who was seventh and eight tenths slower than the McLarens he beat to victory in Japan last weekend.
‘Everything you need to know’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/e...p-f1-practice/
Piastri leads McLaren one-two in Bahrain FP2 as rivals struggle to keep pace
Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets in second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix as McLaren underlined their early dominance over Mercedes and Ferrari
11 Apr 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
Oscar Piastri delivered a statement of intent for McLaren by leading a commanding one-two in FP2 at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, with teammate Lando Norris close behind under the lights at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Russell best of the rest as Mercedes chase McLaren. Behind the dominant McLaren duo, George Russell placed third for Mercedes, over half a second adrift of Piastri’s pace-setting time. The W16 appeared strong on the straights but lost ground to McLaren in the higher downforce sections of the track.
Charles Leclerc led the charge for Ferrari, placing fourth with a 1:31.054, splitting the two Mercedes drivers as rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli took fifth in a solid showing for the Brackley-based team.
‘RiRals struggle to keep pace’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/osc...hrain-gp-2025/
FP2: Piastri leads Norris as McLaren dominate second practice in Bahrain
11 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri topped the timesheets during Friday evening’s second practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading the way from team mate Lando Norris and Mercedes racer George Russell. After a baking hot first hour of practice, FP2 served up more representative twilight conditions for teams and drivers – the sun setting and the floodlights switching on around the Sakhir venue, as they will ahead of Qualifying and the Grand Prix.
As the minutes ticked by and every driver completed a lap with the red-marked rubber, the McLarens impressively moved to the fore – Piastri pumping in a 1m 30.505s and Norris a 1m 30.659s to put the papaya cars around half a second clear of the field. Russell grabbed the ‘best of the rest’ slot with his own improvement, 0.527s back, with Ferrari’s Leclerc taking fourth over Antonelli, high-flying Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar and Verstappen, who reported further issues relating to his brakes late on.
‘FP2’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Uo5Z8G3IbLiCFL
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Piastri flying in final practice at Bahrain Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri has set a red-hot pace in final practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading the timesheets and setting himself up for a crack at pole position in qualifying.
12 April 2025
AAP
The West Australian
The Australian comfortably outpaced teammate Lando Norris in final practice at the Sakhir circuit on Saturday as McLaren enjoyed a one-two, while Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen was only eighth. Piastri's best lap was timed at one minute 31.646 seconds with championship leader Norris 0.668sec slower.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc ended up third in the session but he was 0.834 off Piastri's time, after losing his left wing mirror earlier in the session. "I can't believe how fast those McLarens are at the moment," said Alpine's Pierre Gasly. Mercedes' George Russell was fourth, 1.181 slower than Piastri, with rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli fifth and Gasly sixth in a session that was run in temperatures of 30 degrees celsius.
‘Piastri flying’;
https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...rix-c-18352561
Bahrain GP : Free Practice 3 Results
Full results from Free Practice 3 for the Formula 1 Bahrain GP from Bahrain International Circuit.
12 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 12 1:31.646s
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 17 0.668s 1:32.314s
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 18 0.834s 1:32.480s
4 63 George Russell Mercedes 12 1.181s 1:32.827s
5 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 11 1.270s 1:32.916s
6 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 17 1.328s 1:32.974s
7 6 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls – Honda 14 1.377s 1:33.023s
8 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 12 1.381s 1:33.027s
9 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 14 1.446s 1:33.092s
10 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 17 1.465s 1:33.111s
‘Free Practice 3 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/bahrain-gp-fre...e-3-results-2/
McLaren dominates third free practice session at Bahrain Grand Prix Formula One
12 Apr 2025
Bahrain News Agency
Manama, Apr. 12 (BNA): McLaren driver Oscar Piastri set the fastest time during the third free practice session of the 2025 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, recording a time of 1 minute 31.646 seconds, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris by 0.668 seconds, reflecting the team's clear dominance in this session.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished in third place, 0.834 seconds behind the leader, while Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The session was interrupted by a technical incident when Nico Hülkenberg's car unexpectedly stopped, which required the activation of the virtual safety car before the session resumed.
‘McLaren dominates’;
https://www.bna.bh/en/news?cms=q8FmF...ziTKnGZTwPk%3d
Piastri dominates final Bahrain GP practice
Apr 12, 2025
Matt Beer
The Race
Oscar Piastri had a huge margin over his Formula 1 rivals in another McLaren-dominated practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Practice three is not the most relevant session at Sakhir, given how much hotter the conditions in it were than what's expected in the evening qualifying session that's coming up.
But that's just as well for everyone not in a McLaren, with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari the only rival car within a second of Piastri's 1m31.646s benchmark. Even Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris was six tenths of a second off that, though Norris had compromised himself by going wide on his first flying lap on his final set of soft tyres and did his time later in that run.
‘Piastri dominates’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/p...n-gp-practice/
Ferrari losing ‘everywhere’ as untelevised team radio message sparks alarm
12 Apr 2025
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
At one point during the session, Leclerc was heard saying: “Piastri did a 31.6?”
Bozzi replied: “Yes”
“Where the hell are we losing the time?” Leclerc asked incredulously.
Bozzi: “A bit everywhere.”
Hamilton fared no better in final practice in Bahrain, lapping 1.465 seconds off the pace in 10th and slower than the Williams of Carlos Sainz, the driver he has replaced at Ferrari for F1 2025.
Leclerc’s worrying team radio message comes after the Ferrari drivers were divided on the impact of the team’s new floor following Friday’s running in Bahrain, with Hamilton convinced that the upgrade represented a clear step forward.
He said: “The upgrades are definitely working.
“And a big, big thank you to everyone back home for working so hard on bringing the upgrades, because it’s never an easy thing.
“It’s a lot of work that goes on in the wind tunnel and a lot of work that goes on in fabricating and putting together these floors.”
‘Ferrari losing everywhere’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...sage-sf-25-fp3
2025 Bahrain GP FP3: Russell spins as the drivers struggle for grip in final practice
12 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
With high temperatures dropping grip to very low levels in final practice in Bahrain, George Russell was one driver who found the limit, spinning his Mercedes late on in the session.
‘Russell spins’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...06637683855660
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Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying results: Piastri dominates Norris as Verstappen in disarray.
Oscar Piastri stormed to pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix as championship rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen could only secure P6 and P7 grid slots respectively.
Apr 12, 2025
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
The nerves were jangling in the Red Bull garage heading into the final Q1 runs. Neither Verstappen nor Yuki Tsunoda managed to extract a representative lap time from the ill-behaving RB21, leaving them in the elimination zone with a minute remaining. Fortunately for Christian Horner, both made it out on their final runs. There was also a redeeming moment for Jack Doohan, who ended the session in P5. The Australian’s performance was under the microscope heading into qualifying after a costly crash during FP2 in Japan last weekend.
Q2 was red-flagged after just a few minutes following a crash for Esteban Ocon at Turn Two. The Haas racer lost control on the outside kerb, sending his VF-25 machine spinning rear-first into the barriers. When action resumed, Red Bull’s drivers found themselves in ninth and tenth. Fortunately for Verstappen and Tsunoda, Doohan and Isack Hadjar were unable to improve enough to drop them into the bottom five.
‘Piastri dominates’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...i-Lando-Norris
F1 Bahrain GP 2025 – Qualifying Results
Oscar Piastri was the class of the field and took pole position for the 2025 Bahrain GP
12 April 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
Pos Driver Team Time
1 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:29.841
2 George Russell Mercedes +0.168
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.334
4 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.372
5 Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.375
6 Lando Norris McLaren +0.426
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.582
8 Carlos Sainz Williams +0.839
9 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.931
10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +1.462
‘Qualifying Results’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...fying-results/
Piastri on pole and Norris only sixth in qualifying for F1's Bahrain Grand Prix
12 Apr 2025
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MailOnline
SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) - Oscar Piastri took pole in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday as his McLaren teammate and standings leader Lando Norris could only manage sixth. George Russell was a surprisingly strong challenger and took second for Mercedes, .168 of a second off Piastri's time. Charles Leclerc qualified third for Ferrari and Norris was .426 off the pace in sixth.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was seventh after reporting a "terrible" problem with his brakes and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was ninth for Ferrari. Esteban Ocon had a heavy crash in his Haas in the second part of qualifying, causing a delay. He signaled to the team he wasn't hurt. Verstappen is one point off standings leader Norris after winning the Japanese Grand Prix last week.
‘Piastri on pole’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...rand-Prix.html
F1 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
12 Apr 2025
Motorsport Week
Oscar Piastri took pole position at the 2025 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday evening, setting a time of 1:29.841s. The Australian racing driver just pipped the Mercedes of George Russell, who set an astonishing lap and matched the pace of the McLarens throughout qualifying.
Charles Leclerc qualified in third for Ferrari ahead of the other Silver Arrows car of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Pierre Gasly shone throughout the sessions and put his Alpine car on the third row by qualifying in fifth place.
Just behind the Frenchman was Lando Norris, who failed to join his team-mate on the front row. Max Verstappen in the Red Bull qualified in seventh, behind the championship leader.
‘Qualifying Results’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...fying-results/
Norris and Verstappen suffer as Piastri stuns under the Bahrain lights
Oscar Piastri claimed an important pole position at the Bahrain International Circuit, whilst championship rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen qualified only sixth and seventh, respectively.
12 Apr 2025
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365
Oscar Piastri soared to pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, beating George Russell by one-and-a-half tenths of a second under the lights in Sakhir.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three, with Kimi Antonelli and Pierre Gasly completing the top five.
‘Piastri stuns’;
https://racingnews365.com/norris-and...bahrain-lights
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Piastri perfect as ‘clueless’ Norris slumps to sixth; Hamilton’s gap to Leclerc grows: Talking Points.
Come Monday morning, Australia’s Oscar Piastri could be leading the Formula 1 world drivers championship for the first time in his young career.
April 13th, 2025
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)
Starting from pole with teammate and title leader Lando Norris down in sixth after an unpredictable hour of qualifying, if the McLaren drivers finish where they’re set to start — or even if Norris rises to fourth — the Australian will move to top spot at his teammate’s expense.
It would be the first time an Australian has topped the title table since Mark Webber’s stretch in the lead between Italy and Japan in 2010. Of course it’s too early in the season to start talking about the championship table. More important, however, is what such a switch — whether it happens this weekend or, as appears almost inevitable, at some other point this season — signifies in the context of this season.
‘Piastri perfect’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...1ddd05a1e8ec69
‘I feel like I’ve never driven an F1 car’ – Norris left searching for answers after disappointing P6 result in Bahrain…
12 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
Lando Norris cut a downbeat figure after Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver having to settle for sixth on the grid while team mate Oscar Piastri charged to pole position. Asked to explain what happened as the session drew to a close, Norris said: “I was just slow. I’ve been slow this whole weekend, to be honest. Nothing too surprising, honestly. I’ve just been off it.”
“I feel like I’ve just never driven an F1 car before. I’m struggling a lot, I don’t know why. I need to try and find some answers.” He added: “The car’s amazing. I have nothing to complain about. The car, the team are doing an amazing job, Oscar’s on pole by a good chunk. I’m thankful for the team, they’re doing an amazing job, just I’m letting them down.”
“I feel like I’ve just never driven an F1 car before”;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...QO4lcA2wmZEJP9
Lando Norris near speechless after disastrous qualifying in Bahrain
12 Apr 2025
Kieran Jackson
The Independent
Lando Norris could not hide his disappointment after a disastrous qualifying on Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The championship leader will start Sunday’s race in sixth place, despite his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri starting on pole position.
Intriguingly, Norris will start a spot ahead of Max Verstappen – who is just one point behind him in the driver standings.
‘Lando Norris near speechless’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/lan...-b2732215.html
Verstappen 1, McLaren 0: F1 Analyst Explains Max’s Psychological Edge Over Norris & Piastri
12 Apr 2025
Samriddhi Jaiswal
Athlon Sports
Macon.com
Speed isn't just about raw horsepower in Formula 1 - it's about mental horsepower, too. And after the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen proved once again why he's the sport's undisputed master of mind games.
A seemingly casual post-race jab at McLaren - "You wouldn't have seen me if I was in that car" - wasn't just banter. According to F1 analyst Karun Chandhok, it was a calculated psychological strike, one that gave the Red Bull star a stealthy 1-0 advantage over rising rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
"I read two things into that statement," Chandhok explained. "One was a message to his own team which was 'I won you this race but I'm going to need a car that's quicker than this if you want me to win the world championship.' But he was also playing a psychological game with Lando and Oscar and, to be honest, they bit. It was 1-0 there for Max in that little needle game."
‘Verstappen 1, McLaren 0’;
https://www.macon.com/sports/article...mainstage_lead
Lando Norris: McLaren driver dejected after Bahrain GP qualifying struggle leaves him sixth as Oscar Piastri takes pole
Championship leader Lando Norris said he had "no idea" why he failed to deliver in Sakhir qualifying; Norris to start five places behind polesitting team-mate Oscar Piastri; watch the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday at 4pm, with build-up from 2.30pm live on Sky Sports F1
12 Apr 2025
Sky Sports
A despondent Lando Norris felt he just wasn't quick enough after qualifying sixth for the Bahrain GP in his McLaren A deflated and frustrated Lando Norris admitted he was "just not quick enough" after slumping to an unexpected sixth place on the Bahrain Grand Prix grid as McLaren team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri surged to pole.
‘Despondent Lando Norris’;
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...iastri-on-pole
‘Watch his hands’: Oscar Piastri reminds Karun Chandhok of Alain Prost with one aspect of Bahrain Grand Prix pole lap
12 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Chandhok lauded Piastri on Sky Sports F1 (12/4, 18:29) after scoring pole for the Bahrain GP with the McLaren driver’s ‘silky smooth’ lap that drew echoes of Prost’s car control. The ex-HRT racer also likened Piastri’s car control to Jenson Button and felt it was like slow motion.
Chandhok said: “Down into Turn 1, watch his hands. Look at how smooth he is. Look at how calm the steering inputs are. That is a driver at one with his car, completely comfortable. It is just like watching a Jenson Button or an Alain Prost lap. Silky smooth.”
He also continued: “Just watch Oscar’s hands into 13. Just see. How smooth is that? It’s like watching it in slow motion but it’s not. That is genuinely a driver so comfortable, he knows exactly where the car is going to be and the car is predictable.”
“It is just like watching a Jenson Button or an Alain Prost lap. Silky smooth”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/osc...prix-pole-lap/
WRITTEN BEFORE OSCAR PIASTRI QUALIFIED ON POLE: Piastri demolishes the pack in final practice
Oscar Piastri was in a class of his own in Free Practice 3 for the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
12 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Piastri was more than six-tenths clear of his nearest rival, teammate Lando Norris, with Charles Leclerc the only other driver within a second of the Australian. It was otherwise uneventful as McLaren and Piastri stamped their authority on the pack.
With strong pace throughout the three practice sessions, it is that combination that heads into Qualifying as favourites for pole.
‘Piastri demolishes the pack’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-b...esults-report/
Oscar Piastri qualifies on pole for F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
12 Apr 2025
ABC Online
Australian Oscar Piastri will start the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position. It is the second grand prix pole of Piastri's career, after qualifying quickest in China earlier this year.
Piastri was a class above on Saturday in Bahrain, having also been the fastest in that day's practice session. The Melbourne-born McLaren ace produced a blistering lap of 1:29.841 to qualify fastest ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
"“[It] felt like I’ve been comfortable all weekend, and there’s no better place to start than on pole,” Piastri said. "[I] can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given me and I’m excited for the race tomorrow."
‘Piastri was a class above on Saturday in Bahrain, having also been the fastest in that day's practice session’;
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-...ain-/105169766
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Dominant Piastri wins action packed Bahrain Grand Prix.
Australia's Oscar Piastri has won the Bahrain Grand Prix for McLaren as if there was nobody else on track. Starting from pole he was never really challenged. Behind him, lots of action that eventually saw Russell battle his own car to finish second as Norris finished third.
13 Apr 2025
Steven De Groote
F1 Technical
When the lights went out, Piastri managed to get into the corner first despite a fierce challenge by Russell who even briefly locked the front left while braking as late as possible. Leclerc didn't really have a poor start but he lost one spot before Turn 1 to Russell and then has Norris in his mirrors who powered out of the Turn 1 - Turn 2 complex to get aside of the Ferrari, eventually overtaking him through the outside of Turn 4.
At the start of the penultimate lap Norris is right behind Russell and it was clear Russell was fighting his heart out, edging on the limit of grip of traction out of the final corner to not fall victim of the McLaren with DRS wide open. Same situation for the final lap though this time Russell had to defend the inside line, which he did perfectly. This left Norris without a chance in Turn 4 as well and despite being very very close, Russell secured a well deserved second place while Norris can be happy with third after the disappointment of qualifying.
The final lap did still provide a position change as after continuing pressure, Verstappen made it past the Alpine of Gasly to take 6th place. A decent comeback, especially if we compare that to Antonelli who essentially got caught out by the safety car after having been on soft tyres for only 5 laps. Bearman ended up being the best rookie today by securing a point for Haas, in addition to 8th place for Ocon. All this happened without worrying race winner Oscar Piastri. The Australian drove an impeccable race after laying the foundations in qualifying on Saturday.
‘Dominant Piast’;
https://www.f1technical.net/news/26611
Bahrain GP: Race Results
Full results from the Formula 1 Bahrain GP from Bahrain International Circuit.
14 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff
1 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 57 Laps
2 63 George Russell Mercedes + 15.499s
3 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes + 16.273s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari + 19.679s
5 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari + 27.993s
6 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda + 34.395s
7 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault + 36.002s
8 31 Esteban Ocon Haas – Ferrari + 44.244s
9 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda + 45.061s
10 87 Oliver Bearman Haas – Ferrari + 47.594s
‘Race Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-b...order-details/
Oscar Piastri converts pole to take assured F1 Bahrain GP victory
14 Apr 2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri was cool, calm and collected as he clinched victory from pole position at the 2025 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix. Mercedes’ George Russell combated late-race technical gremlins to clinch second as Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris recovered from qualifying disappointment to take third.
Piastri gets the job done in Bahrain. With 10 laps to go, Piastri’s lead was 4.9s over Russell, who had a 1.6s buffer to the Leclerc/Norris duo as Hamilton started to endure a period of loneliness in fifth. Norris tried another nibble on Leclerc at Turn 4 on Lap 49, but the Ferrari driver kept the McLaren at bay once more.
The McLaren driver finally got the move done around the outside of Turn 4 on Lap 52 as Russell started experiencing technical issues, from accidentally opening his DRS, complaining of gear issues and having the threat of his dash going off. The accidental DRS opening meant Russell would be investigated post-race, but his immediate worry was Norris closing in.
‘Oscar Piastri converts pole’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...in-gp-victory/
Peerless Piastri dominates Bahrain GP
Oscar Piastri dominated the Bahrain Grand Prix to deliver McLaren's first-ever win in the event.
14 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
The Australian started from pole and commanded the race, only ceding top spot through the pit sequence. He led George Russell, who survived a reliability scare in his Mercedes, with a combative Lando Norris in third.
However, Russell’s second was under a cloud with the Brit facing a post-race investigation for a DRS issue. Jack Doohan ran inside the points for long stretches but fell down to 13th at the flag, while Liam Lawson was 13th.
At the race start, Piastri jumped from pole as George Russell and Charles Leclerc went side by side in the fight for second.
‘Peerless Piastri dominates’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-b...order-details/
Russell under investigation for illegal DRS use during Bahrain Grand Prix
13th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
George Russell is under investigation after finishing second in the Bahrain Grand Prix, for potentially using DRS when it should have been deactivated.. The stewards have summoned him and a Mercedes team member to meet them at 8:45pm local time over his “alleged usage of the DRS system outside the pre-defined activation zones.”
Drivers are only permitted to activate DRS during the race when they are within one second of the car in front at certain pre-defined points on the track. Ordinarily drivers are unable to activate DRS when they are not close enough as it is detected by the timing system. However a problem developed regarding the timing system on Russell’s car during today’s race. This was the reason why Russell’s name periodically dropped down the order on Formula 1’s official timing screens.
‘Russell under investigation’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/13/...in-grand-prix/
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Oscar Piastri celebrates ‘perfect’ Bahrain Grand Prix victory to reach second in F1 championship standings.
“It’s gonna be one hell of a party tonight! Mega weekend everyone, mega! That was pretty damn fun!” Piastri declared over the team radio, although this quiet achiever noted later that, actually, he wouldn’t be joining any celebrations because he had to think of next week’s race in Saudi Arabia.
14 April 2025
Ian Chadband
The West Australian
Australian Oscar Piastri has earned another majestic Formula One triumph from pole position to win the Bahrain Grand Prix and move into second place in the world drivers’ championship. The McLaren driver hailed it as an “incredible weekend” following his 50th grand prix start on Sunday after he held off a challenge on the first corner from Mercedes’ George Russell at the floodlit Sakhir circuit and then utterly dominated, even after a mid-race restart under the safety car.
The man from Melbourne became the first driver this season to win two grands prix, following his China victory, and he claimed the biggest margin of any winner, outpacing Russell by more than 15 seconds while McLaren teammate and championship leader Lando Norris finished third. Team principal Andrea Stella called it a “perfect drive, a perfect weekend by Oscar”.
““It’s gonna be one hell of a party tonight!”;
https://thewest.com.au/sport/f1/osca...ngs-c-18363772
Russell reveals ‘all sorts of failures’ he experienced in tense Bahrain GP as he avoids penalty
13 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
“It felt all under control for a moment, then suddenly we had a brake-by-wire failure, so the pedal was going long, then it was going short… I didn’t know what was going on… the steering wheel wasn’t working properly,” Russell explained. “It was really hard-fought to keep Lando behind; I think one more lap and he would have got me pretty comfortably. Nevertheless, I’m really pleased with P2.”
Pressed on the Drag Reduction System trouble that was discussed with his engineer over the radio, he continued: “We were basically having all sorts of failures. We did an override on the DRS, and on one lap I clicked the radio button and the DRS opened.”
“I straightaway closed it again, backed off, nothing gained, and I lost more than I gained – it was only open for a split second. It kind of goes to show the amount of issues we were having, but as I said, I’m really pleased with P2.”
‘All sorts of failures’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...GY0DxD5RyluSby
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offers George Russell high praise after multiple car issues in Bahrain
Toto Wolff was once again thrilled by George Russell's driving.
13 April 2025
Euan Burns
Total Motorsport
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has been praising Russell a lot this season and when speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, he showed how impressed he was by how the former Williams man dealt with all of the issues. “Him managing the system coming in and out while keeping Norris behind him is just an unbelievable drive. What he did secured a podium,” Wolff said.
“On top of that, taking the soft for such a long time was also great between managing and then attacking when he needed to.” Expanding more on the brake-by-wire issue, Wolff explained why Russell had to work so hard to deliver so many points for the team.
“If you haven’t driven a race car that has a BBW or conventional brake, it’s like when power steering fails and then imagine you have to adjust between one corner having it and the next one not having it. That was just very good skill,” Wolff explained. “We feared we would lose the whole dash which would mean no buttons, no wheels to turn any of the settings, no shift lights and we had it in the back of our mind that it takes concentration away.”
‘High praise’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-bahrain-2025/
Max Verstappen's manager confronts Helmut Marko in Red Bull garage after Bahrain GP chaos
Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen was involved in an angry confrontation with Red Bull chief Helmut Marko
Apr 13, 2025
Daniel Moxon
Daily and Sunday Express
Speaking live on his show, Ted's Notebook, the Sky Sports pit lane reporter recounted the incident: "At the end of the race, I was waiting around here for some team principals and Raymond Vermeulen, Max's manager, came into the Red Bull garage and gave Helmut Marko what can only be described as a piece of his mind," he said. "He was remonstrating with Helmut Marko who was just standing there, taking it, and then Raymond stormed off to the back of the garage sort of taking his pass off as he went. Clearly, they are not happy."
Verstappen struggled throughout the weekend, suffering brake issues during qualifying which saw him start seventh on the grid. Despite an eventful race, he was only able to gain one position by the finish. After a disheartening performance in the latest race, Red Bull's top brass, including Helmut Marko, Christian Horner, Pierre Wache, and Paul Monaghan, urgently gathered to dissect their team's issues.
Post-crisis talks, Marko expressed his concern to journalists: "It's a very difficult day for Red Bull, that's obvious to all of us. We have to get, as soon as possible, performance in the car again and also standards like a pitstop have to work. The car is not the fastest and then the pitstops are not working. That is not acceptable." He further revealed the severity of the situation by stating: "[It is] very alarming. We know that we are not competitive and there will be parts coming in the coming races and hopefully they bring improvement. We have a lot of problems. The main problem is balance and trip."
‘Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen was involved in an angry confrontation’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ain-grand-prix
Marko voices fear over Verstappen Red Bull exit
Following a difficult weekend in Bahrain, Helmut Marko has admitted he fears Max Verstappen could opt to leave the team.
13 Apr 2025
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Marko called on Red Bull to make rapid improvements or risk being eliminated from championship contention. “It is clear: we need to make progress,” he said. “Not progress in points, but on the stopwatch. And with a performance like we are putting in now, unfortunately, nothing will come of the world championship.”
The four-time champion has been linked with a departure from the team across the last 12 months with Mercedes and Aston Martin labelled as potential destinations. When asked how big the worries are that Verstappen could opt to leave, Marko replied: “Those are very big.”
“Improvements have to be made in the near future so that he has a car he can win with. It shouldn't be a fluke, like in the rain in Brazil or in Japan. There the track came to him and he set a magic lap. There has to be a stable base.”
‘Fear over Verstappen Red Bull exit’;
https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-c...ppen-departure
Ted Kravitz reacts to MANIC race and catches up with Oscar Piastri �� Ted's Bahrain GP Notebook
Apr 13, 2025
Sky Sports F1
Sky Sports F1's Ted Kravitz reacts to a nail-biting Bahrain Grand Prix, won by McLaren's Oscar Piastri, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and team-mate Lando Norris. Elsewhere Red Bull and Max Verstappen struggled and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fought through the pack to finish fifth with the Driver of the Day award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9trwrBQleIg
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Luca di Montezemolo has u-turned on Ferrari signing Lewis Hamilton after attending the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“His dream of a world championship title at Ferrari will not come true!” Luca di Montezemolo.
14 Apr 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Luca di Montezemolo is a Ferrari legend, having acted as team principal during the 1970s and overseen Niki Lauda’s two championship wins for the Scuderia. However, the excitement he had around Hamilton signing has dissipated after attending the Bahrain Grand Prix. “Hamilton is a big champion, he will do everything to end his career with a world title. (Charles) Leclerc wants to win his first title, this will be so much fun. With two number ones, it will be even more important to have a car capable of winning, that’s fundamental. Otherwise, this move will be very risky.”
However, when speaking to Blick while attending the race in Bahrain, Di Montezemolo u-turned on his previous positivity around Hamilton and simply said: “His dream of a world championship title at Ferrari will not come true!” When pushed further on the problems Ferrari are facing, he explained: “The team has lacked leadership for years. Yes, it lacks soul. They used to work day and night, and the company used to stand for passion. And now they’re chasing success almost aimlessly!” Not only that, but he questioned another driver’s decision Ferrari have made, and said: “All of Italy is wondering why an Italian like Kimi Antonelli is driving for Mercedes and not Ferrari.”
‘U-turned’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/luc...in-grand-prix/
Fred Vasseur sends Ferrari clear instruction after early Lewis Hamilton struggles
Lewis Hamilton took his best grand prix finish of fifth for Ferrari in the Bahrain Grand Prix after a tricky start.
14 Apr 2025
Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Fred Vasseur has urged Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari to "calm down" after the seven-time F1 champion's early struggles with the team. Vasseur - who worked with Hamilton in the junior categories - feels fine margins are making the difference for the 40-year-old as he urged the team to remain composed.
"After [the sprint race] in China, we were speaking about the prize-giving ceremony, and after the race in China, it was a total disaster," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365. "In terms of management, we have to take it easy, to calm down as the issue is that, probably for us, the ups are a bit higher and the downs are a bit lower.”
"It means that if we want to keep a consistent approach, which we did very well in the last two years, we have to stay calm to improve hundredths of seconds by hundredths of seconds… …with the field we have now, if you miss two or three-tenths in qualifying because you made a mistake, you will lose six or seven positions."
"Calm down";
https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-se...lton-struggles
Max Verstappen's F1 future thrown into doubt as details of ugly bust-up at Red Bull emerge
Verstappen's manager had a fiery run-in with a Red Bull chief after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
15 Apr 2025
Andrew Reid
Yahoo! Australia
Red Bull's F1 adviser Helmut Marko admits he has "great concern" about Max Verstappen's future with the team beyond this season, following the four-time world champion's latest struggles at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen was once again left frustrated by the lack of speed and performance-related issues of the Red Bull car in Bahrain, and it culminated in a fiery post-race incident involving the Dutchman's manager Raymond Vermeulen and Red Bull supremo Marko.
"At the end of the race, Raymond Vermeulen, Max’s manager, came into the Red Bull garage and gave Helmut Marko what can only be described as a piece of his mind," Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz reported.
‘Fiery run-in’;
https://au.news.yahoo.com/max-versta...TOT9SklqQxXbun
Red Bull chief speaks out after bust-up with Max Verstappen’s manager
Apr 14, 2025
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk
Marko has now emerged from the bust-up saying he is ‘greatly concerned’ that the reigning world champion will leave the Formula 1 team at the end of the season.
This incident come just days after the details of Verstappen’s release clause were revealed, with the driver able to leave Red Bull before the end of his contract in 2028 if he drops out of the top three in the championship.
Aston Martin and Mercedes have been closely linked with the 27-year-old and Marko now concedes that an early exit is very much a possibility.
‘Red Bull chief speaks out’;
https://metro.co.uk/2025/04/14/red-b...o=newsnow-feed
“Oh my God that was difficult”: Full radio from Verstappen’s luckless Bahrain GP
14th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Lap: 1/57 VER: 1’43.877
Verstappen: Lando is over his grid box.
Lambiase: Okay, understood, thanks.
Lap: 11/57 VER: 1’59.918
Verstappen is late leaving his pit box as the team’s pit exit lights remain on red
Verstappen:Fuck’s sake, man.
Lap: 27/57 VER: 2’00.045
The team are slow to change Verstappen’s front-right wheel. He shakes his head
Lambiase:And strat five, white line on the exit, strat five, white line on the exit.
Lap: 55/57 VER: 1’38.687
Lambiase: Max, there’ll be two laps remaining next time round. You have six seconds of press-and-hold to use. But it will drain the battery, so I recommend you use that on the last lap and we’ll leave it to you where you want to use it, whether that’s down to turn one or to turn four. So two laps remaining.
Lap: 57/57 VER: 1’37.662
Verstappen passes Gasly at turn four
Lambiase: There is some more available, two seconds.
Lambiase Press and hold, overtake, two seconds now.
Chequered flag
Lambiase: Okay, nice overtake and P6. Plenty of pick up on the way in, please Max. Pick up on the way in.
Verstappen: Yeah, that was at least positive, that last lap. Oh my God, that was difficult. Jesus.
Horner: Good move on the last lap there Max, that was a tough afternoon in the office so plenty to go away and look at but you drove your heart out today, well done.
Verstappen: Yeah, unfortunately a lot of things on our side also went wrong in that race, that doesn’t help.
Lambiase: Yep.
“Oh my God that was difficult”;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/14/...ss-bahrain-gp/
Jacques Villeneuve accuses Lando Norris of ‘cracking under pressure’ after spotting ‘costly’ Bahrain Grand Prix error
14 Apr 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Formula 1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve was analysing the Bahrain Grand Prix race on Instagram and was quick to praise Piastri on his second victory of the year. However, he wasn’t impressed with Norris and explained: “Very different race to Suzuka, well there, they had to do tyre management, today, we had to do lots of pit stops, but surprisingly the soft tyres were the good ones.
“Piastri, master of the weekend, controlled qualifying, controlled the race, mostly with his teammate showing signs of cracking under pressure. It seems to be the story of the season, little mistakes here and there, they’re costly, but he managed to salvage the lead of the championship, but he has to pay attention now because Piastri is not far behind.”
‘Cracking under pressure’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jac...nd-prix-error/
Lando Norris shows familiar signs as Piastri emerges as title contender
14 Apr 2025
Kieran Jackson
The Independent
Lando Norris: “Everyone says I’m leading the championship, I don’t know how at the minute, I’m pretty surprised,” Norris said. It wasn’t his first self-deprecating quote of the weekend – it likely won’t be his last of the season.
It was a theme, starting in Spain last June, which persevered throughout Norris’s inaugural title tilt up against Max Verstappen in 2024. Despite his obvious skill behind the wheel, Norris would often present a figure of self-doubt, constantly questioning his abilities, particularly up against one of the modern greats in the Dutchman.
‘Self-deprecating quotes’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/lan...-b2732625.html
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Which F1 drivers do well at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Max Verstappen successful in Jeddah.
Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
15 Apr 2025
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer
Max Verstappen is the most successful driver at Jeddah, having first triumphed in 2022 after a late race battle with Charles Leclerc, in which he fought back from fourth on the grid. His 2024 win was more straightforward, winning with ease from Sergio Perez and a full 18 seconds clear of Leclerc who finished in third for Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton took victory in 2021, which would put him level on points with Verstappen in the title showdown heading into Abu Dhabi, while Perez won one of three races in 2023 behind the wheel of the RB19.
‘Most successful driver’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/whi...ful-in-jeddah/
Verstappen reveals how Red Bull will fight McLaren in Saudi Arabia
The Dutchman is hopeful Red Bull’s performance will be closer to the Japanese GP, which he won.
15 April 2025
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Max Verstappen is hopeful Red Bull might fight McLaren at the F1 2025 Saudi Arabian GP as he reveals the reasons why the team should perform better than how they did at the Bahrain International Circuit. “Last year we did well in Jeddah,” Verstappen said in a press release. “It’s a semi-street circuit with very high speeds, so that makes it fun to drive on.”
“Normally there is less tire wear on this circuit, so it should be a better race for us. We will have to give everything one more time before this triple header comes to an end. Hopefully we can get a little more pace out of the car, and we will perform like in Japan again.”
‘Red Bull will fight McLaren’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/max...di-arabian-gp/
Verstappen pins hopes on a better race in Jeddah after horrendous Bahrain Grand Prix
14 Apr 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical
Having endured a tough and tricky day in Bahrain, Verstappen has called out for improvements, but he has already set his sights at next weekend's round in Jeddah. “P6 was at least a positive result considering all the things that went wrong today. The start was not good, we struggled with tyre management all race, and I had no grip or pace on the hard tyres.”
"During our pit-stops there was a problem with the lights which cost us a lot of time in the pits and put us back in to traffic. Unfortunately our second pitstop was worse than the first and at one point I was in last place. I enjoyed the fight at the end with Pierre and the overtake on the last lap, I tried to maximise our points until the very end.”
"To finish P6 at the end was the best that we could do, this was not the weekend that we wanted but we have to keep on trying to improve. We are working on finding solutions and solving the issues we have at the moment to hopefully be more competitive in Jeddah."
‘Verstappen pins hopes on a better race’;
https://www.f1technical.net/news/26617
F1 driver was handed incorrect Saudi Arabian GP grid penalty due to 'glitch' in system
15 Apr 2025
Ryan Smart
Yahoo! Sport
The FIA have been forced to rescind a grid penalty for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after it was shown to have been awarded incorrectly. A glitch on the FIA's race control systems meant that the fact Sainz had actually served his penalty didn't register. The system normally flags automatically when penalties have been served during races.
The timing systems went down during the second half of the Grand Prix in Bahrain, with Mercedes' Russell also experiencing faults with his steering wheel dashboard, brake-by-wire system and transponder. The Brit was investigated for a DRS infringement after the race but the stewards decided to take no action against him.
As for Sainz, the FIA later released clarification that they had rescinded his three-place grid penalty, acknowledging the error on their systems. A short statement from F1's governing body read: "Penalty was served and should not be converted to a grid position penalty."
‘The FIA have been forced to rescind a grid penalty’;
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/f1-...170935302.html
How to watch the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, WEC at Imola and more
14th April 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live session times
Event Date Start Time End Time Time Zone Channels
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: First practice Friday 18th April 2:30pm 3:30pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN2
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Second practice Friday 18th April 6:00pm 7:00pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN2
F1 Academy: Jeddah Corniche Circuit race one Saturday 19th April 1:20pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN+
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Third practice Saturday 19th April 2:30pm 3:30pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN2
World Endurance Championship: Six Hours of Imola qualifying Saturday 19th April 2:30pm Europe: London UK: FIAWEC TV, US: FIAWEC TV
Formula 2: Jeddah race one Saturday 19th April 4:15pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN+
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Qualifying Saturday 19th April 6:00pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPNEWS
World Endurance Championship: Six Hours of Imola Sunday 20th April 1:00pm Europe: London UK: FIAWEC TV, US: FIAWEC TV
F1 Academy: Jeddah Corniche Circuit race two Sunday 20th April 1:05pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN+
Formula 2: Jeddah race two Sunday 20th April 2:25pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN+
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Race Sunday 20th April 6:00pm Europe: London UK: Sky Sports F1, US: ESPN2
‘How to watch’;
https://www.racefans.net/2025/04/14/...mola-and-more/
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Max Verstappen brushes off Red Bull exit suggestions.
Max Verstappen refused to entertain suggestions he could walk away from Red Bull at the end of this year, insisting he is only focused on improving his car ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Apr 17, 2025
Laurence Edmondson
ESPN.com
Ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen was asked about his future and the potential to join another of F1's top teams. "A lot of people are talking about it [my future] except me," Verstappen told reporters on Thursday.
"Like I said before, I just want to focus on my car, work with the people in the team -- that is the only thing I am thinking about in Formula 1 at the moment. I am very relaxed."
When asked if he was considering leaving the team by F1 commentator David Croft, Verstappen responded: "You focus on commentating, I'll focus on driving and we don't need to worry about any other scenarios."
"A lot of people are talking about it [my future] except me";
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/4...it-suggestions
LIVE: F1 Saudi Arabian GP media day updates from the paddock.
News from the F1 paddock at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit ahead of this weekend's grand prix
Apr 17, 2025
Live Commentary
Jake Boxall-Legge
Motorsport.com
06:59:10 pm
NORRIS: COMPRESSED START TO 2025 HAS STOPPED OVERTHINKING
Although it was obvious last weekend that Lando Norris wasn't the happiest chappie in the paddock, he's grateful that he has a chance to get another go straight away this weekend to deliver a better performance.
06:53:42 pm
A QUIET NIGHT IN: PIASTRI "KEPT IT SENSIBLE" WITH BAHRAIN WIN CELEBRATIONS
Oscar Piastri described the McLaren celebrations after securing victory last weekend in the most Oscar Piastri way possible. If he was any more level-headed, he'd have a flat-top...
06:49:40 pm
HAMILTON ON JEDDAH: DRIVERS ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO PERFORM
To round out the Ferrari duo, Lewis Hamilton has given the Jeddah circuit his thumbs up - although I feel like the drivers are surprisingly positive about it every year. Nonetheless, here's what he said about Saudi Arabia's high-speed venue.
‘LIVE: F1 Saudi Arabian GP media day updates’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/live-t...a-day/1124388/
‘Seen less’: Lando Norris is losing the ‘launchpad for his superiority’ against Oscar Piastri at McLaren according to Jolyon Palmer
17 Apr 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Jolyon Palmer thinks a key reason why Piastri has recovered 20 of his 23-point deficit in three rounds is that Norris is losing his ‘stronghold’ in qualifying at McLaren. He has had the better of the Australian just twice this year, and could have qualified behind Piastri in Japan.
Norris scored pole for the Australian GP, and it proved decisive in the 25-year-old winning in Melbourne. Yet Piastri got and converted his first F1 pole to win in China before doubling up in Bahrain, and Andrea Stella admits Norris finds McLaren’s 2025 car more difficult to drive.
“Qualifying was a stronghold for Norris last season,” Palmer told the F1 website. “He beat his teammate 20-4 in the head-to-head, and it was the launchpad for his superiority within McLaren and his late title challenge in 2024.”
‘Launchpad for his superiority’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lan...jolyon-palmer/
Lewis Hamilton will love what Ferrari insiders are saying about his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix chances after Bahrain updates
17 Apr 2025
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Lewis Hamilton was in a position to sound far more positive after the Bahrain Grand Prix than in his previous post-race interviews in Japan and China. report from the Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport has shared more details about the changes Ferrari have recently made to their car.
They believe the Ferrari have ‘nearly doubled’ the peak operating window of the SF-25 with their first set of updates this season, and the new floor has undeniably had a ‘positive impact’ for both Hamilton and Leclerc.
The extremely fast street circuit in Saudi Arabia is completely different to the track in Bahrain, and has a much smoother track surface compared to the abrasive asphalt at the previous race. Gazzetta reports that Ferrari staff believe this could create the ‘ideal condition’ for Hamilton and Leclerc, with an ‘increase of about 30%’ compared to the team’s performance in Bahrain expected.
‘Bahrain updates’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lew...hrain-updates/
Our bold predictions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
17 Apr 2025
Editor
PlanetF1.com
Charles Leclerc, not Lewis Hamilton, on the podium. By Michelle Foster
Alex Albon and Isack Hadjar to both finish in the top five. By Oliver Harden
Jack Doohan to score his first point(s) in Jeddah. By Henry Valantine
Fernando Alonso maintains his point-less streak. By Elizabeth Blackstock
‘Bold predictions’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/20...ix-predictions
F1 Fantasy: top picks & predictions for the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP
Apr 17th 2025
James Elson
Motor Sport Magazine
There are several key choices that could help you win big in F1 Fantasy for this weekend's 2025 Saudi Arabian GP. Here are our predictions; tips on drivers to avoid; which chips to play and further analysis
Oscar Piastri’s 2025 Bahrain GP was a masterclass in showing your F1 mettle, while his team-mate and main rival Lando Norris went to pieces.
It paid off for those who took Motor Sport’s Fantasy advice, the points flying in for McLaren’s Melbourne charger and others in our team – giving us crucial information on who to pick for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP.
‘Top picks & predictions’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
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Piastri: ‘Attacking’ key to championship push in 2025.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri believes that staying aggressive, race after race, will ensure his greatest chance of winning the world title at the end of the year.
18/04/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
His early-season misstep at the Australian Grand Prix that tested his resolve, as he slid off in difficult conditions and left Melbourne empty-handed. Yet, the McLaren driver quickly turned the page, showcasing a mental strength that has become a hallmark of his racing persona.
“I think it is a strength of mine, yes. I think one of hopefully a few strengths of mine, but it is something that I have kind of recognised myself as a point of difference and is something that I’ve tried to work on,” he said, speaking in Jeddah ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Even after Melbourne, it was painful in the few days afterwards, but I think the fact that I had such a strong weekend through practice, qualifying and was on the pace in the race, that was more encouragement than disappointment.”
“I feel like the whole season has been going well and I’ve just been trying to get the most out of what we know is a quick car. It’s been a fun first few races and hopefully, more. think it’s just genuinely very early. We’ve still got 20 races to go. I’m under no illusion that I’m trying to fight for a championship, but I knew that from before the season started,” he said.
‘Attacking’;
https://f1i.com/news/536215-piastri-...h-in-2025.html
Lando Norris not expecting instant turnaround to 2025 struggles despite McLaren answers
18/04/2025
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Lando Norris revealed that McLaren has discovered some answers to his struggles with the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car, but he isn’t anticipating an instant turnaround. “A lot of me has been trying to figure out the issues, the struggles, and the reasoning behind it, which is the most difficult thing,” Norris said.
“We have started to figure out some things where I struggle, why I struggle and the reasons for these struggles and trying to implement things for this weekend. I’m trying to improve in those areas, so it is not like I want to come into this weekend and I’m full of confidence and know that things are going to turn around.”
“There are still things I’m going to be struggling with because there are certain things that you cannot change. But there are things I’m able to, from a driving style point of view. It is stuff I’ve never had to think of before, it is just not my normal way of driving or thinking.”
‘Discovered some answers’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...laren-answers/
Montezemolo slams Ferrari: A team ‘without a soul’ in 2025
16/04/2025
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Montezemolo’s visit to the Sakhir paddock – the first since the 2014 Italian Grand Prix – was a moment laced with nostalgia. “How do I feel as a fan? Sad because I see a team without a soul,” he said. “Ferrari is passion, Ferrari is about working day and night, Ferrari is about never giving up. And I am also a little angry because I was hoping that at least this year we would see a truly competitive car from the start.”
‘Without a soul’;
https://f1i.com/news/536088-montezem...l-in-2025.html
Charles Leclerc: Ferrari ‘expects something more’ from F1 upgrade in Saudi Arabia
16/04/2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
“I’m pretty sure that without the floor I wouldn’t be P3,” Leclerc told select media, including Motorsport Week, after qualifying in Sakhir, adding, “it’s probably not the best track to extract the maximum out of this new upgrade, but in the next few weekends we shall see more of it.”
“We are three tenths away from McLaren, our performance is similar to that of Mercedes while Red Bull has been a bit more inconsistent so far, and this makes it more difficult to have a clear picture of their potential,” Leclerc explained.
‘Expects something more’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...-saudi-arabia/
Hamilton hits back at Ferrari criticism with forthright plea
After a mixed start to life at Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton addresses scrutiny, urges patience, and vows to help build something special
18 Apr 2025
John Smith
Total Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton has called for calm amid increased scrutiny and criticism over his early performances with Ferrari in 2025, urging fans and pundits alike to take a long-term view of what he insists is a work in progress.
“On one side it’s to be expected – it [Ferrari] is the greatest team in Formula 1 history, it’s that special,” Hamilton told the press in Jeddah, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Of course there’s more stories that are written about it and people have opinions. And it’s not always been smooth sailing. So, just from my perspective, you can’t work with a team and change things overnight.”
‘Urges patience’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/ham...rthright-plea/
Mercedes' Russell sees Bahrain P2 as 'the validation we needed' for 'more rounded' 2025 car
18 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site (Video)20:05 Thu, 17 Apr
Speaking ahead of this weekend's Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, Mercedes' George Russell reflects on his fine P2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend.
‘Validation’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/video/me...68225454918997
‘If you perform, everything is good’ – Russell responds to speculation over new Mercedes contract
18 Apr 2025
Formula One - Official Site
“The fact is, drivers have had contracts and if they don’t perform they get booted out. For drivers, performance is our currency – that’s what we’ve got, and if you perform everything is good, so I’m just excited to go racing this weekend, focus on performance and the future sorts itself out.”
Pushed further on whether there was any truth to some of the rumours that are circulating, Russell responded: “A few of them are reasonably close I guess, but at the end of the day we’ve never discussed a contract prior to May or June in a season.”
‘If you perform, everything is good’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...fMdQovopYW9e06
Max Verstappen: Red Bull can’t scapegoat old wind tunnel amid development crisis
18 Apr 2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
“Of course, we’re not entirely happy with it and we’re working on a new wind tunnel,” Verstappen told Dutch media and Autosport.
“It just takes time, but we already knew that. It’s not a new thing this season. We saw back in 2023 that you can’t detect certain things in the wind tunnel. But the team has experience with that, so they know which direction they should develop in.”
“The only issue is that they can’t perfect some small details. But it worked in 2022 and 2023, and in 2021 we also had a good car under different regulations. So I wouldn’t just attribute everything to [the wind tunnel].”
“Of course, we’re not entirely happy”;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...opment-crisis/
Yuki Tsunoda sets Max Verstappen target: 'I can beat him'
Many drivers have struggled for form alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull - Yuki Tsunoda is looking to break that trend.
18 Apr 2025
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
“It's my first time driving a completely different car - I only drove with VCARB for the last four years, so it's the first time I drove a completely different team's car,” Yuki Tsunoda said.
“I’m trying to use that, and I know that if I unlock that area, I would be able to probably beat him [Verstappen]. I know myself that I can't beat him straight away, so I'm just trying to build a good baseline and wait for the moment that I can be in the [best] shape.”
'I can beat him';
https://racingnews365.com/yuki-tsuno...i-can-beat-him
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Saudi Arabian GP: Gasly tops FP1 as Verstappen ‘just can’t turn the car’.
Pierre Gasly was the pacesetter as the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekend got underway on Friday.
18 Apr 2025
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Pierre Gasly surprised F1 by posting the fastest time in first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It is the first time Gasly has topped a session since he did so in final practice for last year's Dutch Grand Prix, underlining the pace in his car at present after he qualified sixth for last weekend's race in Bahrain.
Leclerc had an opportunity to swiftly depose Gasly after setting the fastest middle sector, but missed out by 0.070s. On his second attempt, the minor errors which Norris feels have undermined him this season reared again as he made a slight error out of the high-speed Turn 1, forcing him to take to the immediate Turn 2 run-off, compromising his lap.
Norris had to settle for second quickest behind Gasly, with Leclerc and Piastri also within a tenth of a second of the Frenchman. Russell, whose best soft tyre lap was only marginally quicker than that on the medium, finished sixth, and effectively the filling in a Williams sandwich as Alex Albon and Sainz were on either side of him.
‘Gasly tops FP1’;
https://racingnews365.com/charles-le...stuns-f1-field
Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 1 Results
Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian GP from Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
19 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 24 1:29.239s
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 24 0.007s 1:29.246s
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 27 0.070s 1:29.309s
4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 24 0.102s 1:29.341s
5 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes 22 0.367s 1:29.606s
6 63 George Russell Mercedes 20 0.379s 1:29.618s
7 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 25 0.540s 1:29.779s
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 26 0.576s 1:29.815s
9 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 25 0.579s 1:29.818s
10 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda 25 0.582s 1:29.821s
‘Free Practice 1 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...niche-circuit/
Saudi Arabian GP: Gasly steals the show in Jeddah FP1
18/04/2025
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
The Alpine charger’s late flyer on soft tyres shook up the pecking order. Norris, leading the drivers’ championship by three points, admitted pre-session that he’s still grappling with the MCL39’s driveability.
Yet, he and teammate Oscar Piastri – who finished fourth – kept McLaren firmly in the mix, sandwiching Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third. While FP1’s afternoon timing limits its relevance, the session offered a tantalizing glimpse of the pecking order.
Gasly’s pace suggests Alpine could be a dark horse, but McLaren’s consistency and Ferrari’s lurking threat keep them as favorites.
‘Gasly steals the show’;
https://f1i.com/news/536231-saudi-ar...eddah-fp1.html
Charles Leclerc cited for 'dangerous' move as Pierre Gasly stuns F1 field
Pierre Gasly pulled a lap from out of the blue to take the honours at the end of first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
18 Apr 2025
Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Pierre Gasly pulled a lap from out of the blue to take the honours at the end of first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Pierre Gasly surprised F1 by posting the fastest time in first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
With Norris out front with a soft-tyre lap of 1:29.246s, Alpine's Gasly popped in a time 0.007s quicker than the Briton to oust him from top spot. It is the first time Gasly has topped a session since he did so in final practice for last year's Dutch Grand Prix, underlining the pace in his car at present after he qualified sixth for last weekend's race in Bahrain.
Leclerc had an opportunity to swiftly depose Gasly after setting the fastest middle sector, but missed out by 0.070s. On his second attempt, the minor errors which Norris feels have undermined him this season reared again as he made a slight error out of the high-speed Turn 1, forcing him to take to the immediate Turn 2 run-off, compromising his lap.
‘Out of the blue’;
https://racingnews365.com/charles-le...stuns-f1-field
2025 Saudi Arabian GP FP1 results - Gasly quickest from Norris
Apr 18th 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine
Formula 1's 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend kicked off with Pierre Gasly on top of the times in first practice at Jeddah. Pierre Gasly was the surprise pace-setter in first practice for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the fifth round of the season kicked off at Jeddah.
The Alpine driver, who scored the team’s first points of the year in Bahrain last weakened, posted a best time of 1m29.239s to lead the afternoon’s running ahead of Lando Norris‘s McLaren. Gasly set his quickest time on Pirelli’s medium tyres, finishing 0.007s ahead of the championship leader.
‘Surprise pace-setter’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
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2025 Saudi Arabian GP FP2 results - Norris fastest as Tsunoda crashes.
Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in second practice at Jeddah as Red Bull's Tsunoda crashed against the wall.
Apr 18th 2025
Pablo Elizalde
Motor Sport Magazine
Lando Norris led a McLaren 1-2 in second practice for the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, heading Oscar Piastri in the night-time session.
Championship leader Norris outpaced Piastri by 0.163s with a time of 1m28.267s, the duo leading the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, who enjoyed a better session than in the afternoon and wound up over two tenths behind the Briton.
The 60 minutes of running were interrupted by a red flag with little over five minutes to go after Yuki Tsunoda crashed his Red Bull into the wall at the final corner.
‘FP2 results’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 2 Results
Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian GP from Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
19 Apr 2025
Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Diff Best
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren – Mercedes 20 1:28.267s
2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren – Mercedes 21 0.163s 1:28.430s
3 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull – Honda 22 0.280s 1:28.547s
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 21 0.482s 1:28.749s
5 55 Carlos Sainz Williams – Mercedes 23 0.675s 1:28.942s
6 22 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull – Honda 19 0.696s 1:28.963s
7 63 George Russell Mercedes 20 0.706s 1:28.973s
8 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine – Renault 21 0.839s 1:29.106s
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber – Ferrari 20 0.926s 1:29.193s
10 23 Alex Albon Williams – Mercedes 22 0.953s 1:29.220s
‘Free Practice 2 Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/f1-news-2025-s...niche-circuit/
Lando Norris leads McLaren 1-2 in Friday night Saudi Arabian GP practice
19 Apr 2025
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
Lando Norris ended Friday practice on top at the 2025 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as he led a McLaren one-two in FP2. Norris’ benchmark effort, 1:28.267s, was 0.163s clear of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who had a nervy moment brushing the wall at the exit of the final corner at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
And unsurprisingly, McLaren was the team on top, but Max Verstappen could take solace in placing his Red Bull in third, 0.280s off Norris’ benchmark. There were mixed fortunes at Ferrari with Charles Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton languishing in 13th place, seven tenths slower than his team-mate.
‘McLaren 1-2’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/...n-gp-practice/
Lewis Hamilton under investigation after 'dangerous' near-miss
Lewis Hamilton must visit the stewards' office following the most-important practice session ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
18 Apr 2025
Nick Golding
RacingNews365
Lewis Hamilton will be investigated following the conclusion of second practice ahead of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion was driving slowly on the racing-line through turns 17 and 18 of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, ahead of a fast-approaching Alex Albon.
Albon was on a push lap when he suddenly had to take avoiding action to miss colliding with the slow-moving Ferrari driver. The Williams driver quickly complained that Hamilton's driving was "dangerous", with the stewards to determine after the session if Albon was impeded by the 40-year-old.
‘Under investigation’;
https://racingnews365.com/lewis-hami...rous-near-miss
Yuki Tsunoda issues Red Bull apology as Saudi Arabian GP crash explained
18 Apr 2025
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com
The Red Bull Racing crew look set to have a long night thanks to a crash by Yuki Tsunoda late in Free Practice 2 ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Tsunoda issued an apology to the team in the aftermath, but it won’t be the result the Japanese driver was hoping.
“Just turning too much and clipped the inside wall and just had damage,” Tsunoda told F1TV after the session. “After that, just no control. Apologies to the team; pace was looking good, so it’s a shame.” As far as the rest of the session went, Tsunoda noted that “the qualifying [simulation] lap was pretty good. A bit compromised with [tyre] warm up, but so far pretty OK.”
“I had a limited time on the long run which I caused by myself [with the crash] so I can’t really complain. It’s not definitely not how I wanted to end up, that’s for sure. The short runs are okay, I just compromised a bit with the warm-up, so there’s a bit more [lap time] there.”
‘Qualifying [simulation] lap was pretty good’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/yuki-t...rash-explained
