2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Alonso aiming for ‘revenge’ in Qatar after just missing out on points in Las Vegas.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso says he and his team “deserved” points in Las Vegas, after he came home in P11.
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Revenge’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/al...93642466150177


Alonso expects more “pain” in final races as Aston Martin are slowest in Las Vegas
23rd Nov 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Aston Martin’s downward spiral is continuing at the Las Vegas Grand Prix where they are Formula 1’s slowest team for the first time this year. “It was tough, but no surprise,” Alonso admitted. “We’ve been struggling the last four or five months with the performance of the car and sometimes we managed to make some progress in Q1, sometimes we don’t. Today, unfortunately, we didn’t.”

Aston Martin began last season in great shape, Alonso taking six podium finishes from the first eight grands prix. However they have slipped back since then, and prior to this weekend’s race announced technical director Dan Fallows had parted company with the team.

Alonso sees little prospect for any improvement in the team’s performance tomorrow or over the remaining rounds at Losail and Yas Marina. “It’s a tough race in front of us,” he said. “We are 17th and 20th and we want to improve, but I think this year it’s unlikely.”

“Pain”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/11/23/...-in-las-vegas/


Stroll reveals he lost team radio on Lap 1
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Lance Stroll finished 15th in Las Vegas for Aston Martin, but explained after the race that he’d run the entire Grand Prix without a working radio.

‘Lost team radio on Lap 1’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/st...90864252510388


Alonso makes 'gold' claim as Aston Martin struggles continue
Fernando Alonso has failed to score a point in the last four Formula 1 races.
26 Nov 2024
Nick Golding & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso has claimed that "every point is gold" for Aston Martin currently, with the team continuing to struggle on a consistent basis.

Aston Martin have endured a challenging campaign, with Alonso wanting to reward the team for its efforts by scoring points. When asked by select media including RacingNews365 whether his frustration to lose a point summarised Aston Martin's season, Alonso answered: "Yeah, definitely.”

"I think every point is gold for us at the moment, even if we are not fighting for many important things, I think it's good to give something back to the mechanics and to everyone in the team, after all the struggles. Only two races left this year, but there is a lot of trust in the team, and a lot of new people and new ideas that will come in the future. So, yeah, looking forward."

"Every point is gold";

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-mak...ggles-continue


Adrian Newey Can Help Fix Aston Martin ‘Mistakes’ In 2025
Nov 26, 2024
F1 Chronicle

Aston Martin is eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Adrian Newey early next year, team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa admits. Although the team’s performance has utterly collapsed since a strong early start to 2023, Lawrence Stroll is still investing heavily in Aston Martin.

“That’s what we’re here for,” team ambassador Pedro de la Rosa, a former F1 driver, told DAZN, “to change the future a little, to improve with the 2025 car, to improve many of the mistakes that have been made in the design of this car. Above all, we are looking forward to the addition of Enrico Cardile and Adrian Newey,” he added.

‘Arrival of Adrian Newey’;

https://f1chronicle.com/adrian-newey.../?nowprocket=1


Alonso vows to learn from Verstappen: 'He was the best'
25 Nov 2024
Estéban den Toom
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen has become Formula 1 world champion for the fourth time in a row. The Dutchman is receiving congratulations from his rivals for his achievement, including from Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso. The Spaniards speak highly of the Red Bull driver's performance in a car that often wasn't the fastest.

"Congrats. I think he's driven for four years now at an incredibly high level. I think this year he just dominated whenever he had a dominant car, and then he didn’t do mistakes and maximised the points that he could get with a less performing car and just did whatever he had to do in every race and congrats because he clearly deserves it," Sainz said.

Alonso also complimented the number-one driver. "Big congratulations. This one has to feel very special to him, I imagine, because the car is not maybe as dominant as last year. I think he did an incredible performance this year to put the car in a position that it was not maybe realistic. The best example is Brazil one weekend. This is all down to him, I think this year and he was the best. Always things to learn from a driver like him in this kind of performance this year," Alonso said.

‘Alonso vows to learn from Verstappen’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/31481...erstappen.html

[Fortitude]

Hulkenberg ‘very pleased’ as Haas reclaim P6 while Magnussen left to regret Las Vegas strategy calls.
Nico Hulkenberg’s eighth place finish in Las Vegas was all Haas needed to take P6 back from Alpine in the constructors’ standings, but it was a “very challenging” race for the American team as they struggled to maximise their tyre performance.26 November 2024
26 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Pierre Gasly’s devastating retirement after qualifying in P3 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix helped Haas to eke out a one-point advantage over Alpine as Hulkenberg finished in the top 10, with Kevin Magnussen down in P12.

Like most of the grid, the pair struggled with tyre degradation affecting their race pace, but nevertheless now have 50 points compared to their French rival’s 49 points in the increasingly tight battle for sixth.

Although Hulkenberg managed to pass Yuki Tsunoda in the latter stages of the 50-lap race, RB are still firmly in the mix, just four points behind Haas – with every point crucial for the three teams in the remaining races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

‘Very pleased’;

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


Hulkenberg hails Haas’ Las Vegas GP performance
The German driver finished in the point scoring positions for the fourth time in five races on Sunday
Nov 27, 2024
Freddie Cotton
FormulaNerds

Ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month, Haas sat sixth in the World Constructors’ Championship Standings, ten points ahead of seventh place RB. However, astonishing podium finishes from both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in Interlagos meant that the American outfit were leapfrogged in the standings by Alpine who claimed an impressive 35 points over the course of the weekend.

To make matters worse for Haas, it looked as though the French team were on course to put further daylight between the rivals in Nevada as Gasly qualified P3 for Sunday’s grand prix. On the contrary, Hulkenberg and teammate Kevin Magnussen had only set the ninth and 12th quickest times respectively in Saturday’s session. However, following Gasly’s race retirement on lap 16 due to an engine failure, fortunes quickly changed for the American team.

“I’m very pleased. P8 I think was the best we could achieve today – fifth best team so very happy about that. Clean race, good execution. As expected, it was very challenging on the tyre side with graining on the front axle especially, so I think that kept everyone occupied and busy. We came through that well and offset ourselves a little bit to our main competition. I think that worked well and the pace was also decent.”

“P8 I think was the best we could achieve today”;

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


‘It was good and fair racing’ – Hulkenberg relished fight with Tsunoda for P8
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Nico Hulkenberg ultimately got the better of Yuki Tsunoda to seal a P8 finish for Haas in Las Vegas.

‘Good and fair’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/it...93063826261792


Magnussen rues one stop strategy after missing out on points
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Kevin Magnussen said it “didn’t feel like we got the best out of it” after finishing 12th for Haas in Las Vegas.

‘Missing out on points’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ma...89930909792798


Las Vegas Grand Prix: Race Recap
Nov 24, 2024
Haas F1 Team - Official Site

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: “I think that’s the best P8 we’ve ever achieved. It wasn’t an easy race to manage, but what I’m so happy about is that nobody panicked, and everyone stayed calm. Everyone, including the team back at the factory, did their bit, and to have that strong two-stop race with Nico to get P8 is great.”

“With Kevin, after the first lap was losing position etc. the only way we could get him back into the game was one-stop. His team did as well as they could in that scenario, nearly getting back to P10. I think it was a huge team effort, and back up into P6 in the Constructors’. After that terrible result in Brazil, it’s been an amazing reaction, and it gives people confidence, so I couldn’t be happier.”

‘Race Recap’;

https://www.haasf1team.com/news/las-...x-race-recap-0


Hulkenberg praises Verstappen: 'What a guy, huge respect for that'
26 Nov 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

While Max Verstappen somewhat stole the show in Las Vegas with winning the drivers' championship. Nico Hulkenberg also scored important points for Haas in the battle for P6 in the constructors' championship. With the German finishing in P8, they have now overtaken Alpine in the standings. Hulkenberg also congratulated Verstappen in the 'Sin City'.

"Incredible. What a guy!", Hulkenberg first reacted to Verstappen winning his fourth title. "He's just so strong, so quick all the time regardless of the temperature, the conditions. Hardly makes any mistakes and always just maximises what he can, even if he doesn't have the winning car or the best car. Huge respect for that, and many congratulations to him. He did incredibly well again," he told GPblog among others.

"You never know, but every point is important," Hulkenberg said of how important that overtaking move on Tsunoda could be at the end. "You never know, but every point matters for sure. For now, just happy that we maximised the opportunity today. We had the pace, but it was certainly a tough and challenging race with the tyres and with graining."

“Always just maximises what he can”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/31493...rld-title.html

[Fortitude]

Gasly says Las Vegas retirement after stunning P3 in qualifying ‘a tough one to take’.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly lamented a disastrous Saturday evening at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with the Frenchman retiring from the race after qualifying a stunning third 24 hours previously.
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site

“It’s a very tough one to take because we had such a high yesterday,” said Gasly, “and obviously today it was the [worst] outcome possible. I think we did well, we knew the cars around us at the start were faster, so Max [Verstappen] and the McLarens, Norris and Hamilton got past us.”

“But then I think we were on for a good fight with Yuki [Tsunoda] for best of the rest, to fight for some important points for the championship. It’s just very disappointing from one day to another to have this happen.”

Asked if there were positives he could take from his strong pace at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Gasly replied: “I’m pretty pleased with the performance. Right now it’s more frustrating, but obviously it’s been very, very positive yesterday. “Today as I mentioned, we were in the fight with Haas and [RB] and hopefully we can carry that on into Qatar.”

‘A tough one to take’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KlgA6AQfJbbyGa


2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Gasly forced to retire after losing power
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Pierre Gasly was one of the heroes of qualifying after he took P3 on the grid, but his race was over on Lap 16 when his Alpine lost power and he was forced to retire.

‘Alpine lost power’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...91771599018802


Gasly: Vegas DNF ‘a tough one to take’ after career-best qualifying
26/11/2024
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Pierre Gasly’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions, beginning with a career-best qualifying performance with Alpine and ending in frustration and disappointment after an early race retirement due to an engine failure.

“It’s a very tough one to take because we had such a high yesterday,” commented Gasly. “And obviously today it was the [worst] outcome possible. I think we did well, we knew the cars around us at the start were faster, so Max [Verstappen] and the McLarens, Norris and Hamilton got past us.

“I’m pretty pleased with the performance,” he said. “Right now it’s more frustrating, but obviously it’s been very, very positive yesterday.” He expressed hope that Alpine could build on their current pace and carry it forward. “Today, as I mentioned, we were in the fight with Haas and [RB], and hopefully we can carry that on into Qatar. Now we just need to get out of this place, and we’re already focused on next week.”

‘A tough one to take’;

https://f1i.com/news/525699-gasly-ve...ualifying.html


Gasly: Las Vegas retirement “a slap in the face” for Alpine
26 Nov 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Gasly had to retire early after a PU issue: Pierre Gasly says his retirement from the Las Vegas GP was “a slap in the face” for his Alpine Formula 1 team after he stunned the pitlane by qualifying third. The Frenchman lost places to quicker cars in the early laps, but he was still set for a healthy haul of points.

The team is still investigating the cause of the PU issue. “We need to review exactly,” said Gasly. “But for me, it was pretty clear when it happened. I just lost all the power, I could not achieve downshift. I don’t want to go into too much detail because I’m not too sure, but when we know how important these points are, especially in the championship, it’s going to cost us big time today.”

“A slap in the face”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/11/26/...ce-for-alpine/


'Didn't issue': The ‘particular scenario’ that led to Esteban Ocon’s bizarre extra Las Vegas Grand Prix pit stop
25 Nov 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

How it played out on Esteban Ocon’s team radio. Team radio transcripts from the incident appear to show Ocon was suffering from tyre degradation towards the end of the stint and wanted to pit. His engineer, Josh Peckett, appeared to confirm they were ready for him in any scenario on the lap that he initially came in (Lap 11) but Ocon was left to drive through the pits.

Driver Engineer
Peckett: “Okay, Esteban, how are the tyres, please?”
Ocon: “Degrading. A little more each lap.” Peckett: “Copy that. Esteban, box this lap. Opposite Hulkenberg in front. Box this lap, opposite Hulkenberg in front.”
*Ocon pits but no mechanics waiting for him*

Peckett: “Okay, Esteban, I need you to clear errors, please. double-press ‘OK’.”
Ocon: “F—… what happened? I didn’t see the board?”
Peckett: “It’s okay, mate. Just drive through. Drive through.”
Ocon: “F—— hell…” Peckett: “Okay mate. Okay. It’s alright. Settle down. So car behind Tsunoda, at the moment.”

It was a disappointing end to Alpine’s weekend after a strong Sao Paulo GP, as the double non-points finish put him behind Haas in the Constructors’ standings. Each spot can be worth approximately £8 million, meaning that could impact them at the end of the season in the prize money distribution.

‘Bizarre extra Las Vegas Grand Prix pit stop’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/the...prix-pit-stop/


‘It’s a shame’ – Ocon frustrated after pitstop mix-up rules him out of points contention
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Esteban Ocon finished 17th in Las Vegas – but reckoned he could have been in the fight for points had there not been a mix-up with his Alpine crew around his first pit stop.

‘It’s a shame’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/it...92097910649453

[Fortitude]

'There is no point': RB boss admits what’s ‘frustrating’ about Yuki Tsunoda’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Yuki Tsunoda scored Visa Cash App RB two crucial points in the Las Vegas Grand Prix but team principal Laurent Mekies found one part of his race in Sin City ‘frustrating’.
26 Nov 2024
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

The Las Vegas GP could have gone even better for RB as well had Hulkenberg not overtaken Tsunoda in the closing stages. Mekies admits it was ‘frustrating’ to lose P8 to Haas with five laps left as two extra points in the constructors’ championship slipped through their fingers.

Tsunoda went defensive into Turn 14 to try and hold Hulkenberg back on Lap 45 of 50 in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. But the German had too much pace with the aid of DRS for the Honda junior star to retain eighth place. Hulkenberg went on to finish the race three seconds clear.

Mekies noted after the Las Vegas GP: “After a very solid qualifying performance to start P7, Yuki had a busy race with some great overtaking moves, battling with our rivals all race long. “Of course, it is frustrating to lose a place with just five laps to go. But, overall, he showed a good race pace in bringing home two very important championship points.”

‘Frustrating’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/rb-...as-grand-prix/


Tsunoda left ‘pretty annoyed’ despite points finish in Las Vegas
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth in the Grand Prix – but was frustrated to have been passed for P8 by Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas.

‘Pretty annoyed’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/ts...90821420379090


Tsunoda left frustrated at ‘annoying’ Las Vegas race that saw Haas extend constructors’ advantage over RB
26 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Yuki Tsunoda drove well in Las Vegas to score two points for his team with a ninth place finish, but it wasn’t enough to prevent RB slipping further behind Haas in the constructors’ championship. Despite starting ahead of rival Nico Hulkenberg, Tsunoda finished one place behind the German in Vegas as Haas climbed up to sixth in the standings.

“It wasn’t an easy race today but we maximised all that we could, and I think as a team we made such a good step forward throughout the weekend,” said Tsunoda. “Obviously, I’m happy with finishing in the points today, but at the same time, it is pretty annoying as we lost a few points for the constructors’ championship. I was feeling good and confident in the car, which is important, especially in a circuit like this, so I’m definitely happy with that and with the strong race pace we showed.”

‘Tsunoda left frustrated’;

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


The potential role Yuki Tsunoda played in Pierre Gasly’s Las Vegas Grand Prix engine failure
26 Nov 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

How Yuki Tsunoda may have played a role in Pierre Gasly’s retirement. Gasly was running directly behind Tsunoda’s Visa CashApp RB fighting for P15 having made his first pit stop of the day. The Alpine driver was entering the slipstream of the Japanese driver, when he reached speeds of up to 224mph in the DRS zone.

According to the data, Gasly’s power unit reached 12,937rpm in eighth gear and then lost all power. Cut to the camera shots of smoke coming out of the back of his Alpine just moments before he retired. While it’s not a definitive answer, it gives some insight into what might have happened given teams were close on cooling due to the long straights and not wanting to sacrifice straight-line speed.

‘12,937rpm’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/the...ngine-failure/


Formula 1: Liam Lawson has near-miss with teammate Yuki Tsunoda during practice session in Las Vegas
23 Nov, 2024
NZ Herald
New Zealand Herald

During the final practice session ahead of qualifying this afternoon, Lawson was heard complaining about Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda getting a little too close for comfort during the session – in which the pair were among the five slowest times posted.

“Mate, Yuki just about rear-ended me,” the Kiwi could be heard telling his race engineer over the team comms. Addressing the moment on the broadcast, former Formula 1 driver Karun Chandok said Lawson had to take some of the blame, but suggested the team itself was at fault.

“You were dawdling on the racing line,” Chandok said after Lawson’s complaint. Actually, I blame the team. You should never have that situation between your two cars.”

‘Near-miss’;

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/mot...P5G5Q6IN4575I/


Formula 1: Liam Lawson’s Red Bull hopes take a hit – what we learned from Las Vegas Grand Prix – Alex Powell
24 Nov, 2024
Alex Powell
Online Sports Editor·NZ Herald·
New Zealand Herald

When Red Bull do make their decision as to who partners newly-crowned world champion Max Verstappen next year, Kiwi motorsport fans should hope the Las Vegas Grand Prix doesn’t hold too much weight.

While Liam Lawson has impressed on his return to Formula One in , Nevada wasn’t as kind. A 16th placed finish aside, Lawson struggled for pace all weekend…

‘Red Bull hopes take a hit’;

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/mot...AA4CWBBK3JFTY/


Lawson nonplussed after ‘tough’ run to P16 in Las Vegas
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Liam Lawson finished 16th in Las Vegas in a race that he said was always going to be difficult given he started well out of the points in P14.

‘Lawson nonplussed’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/la...92699140024595

[Fortitude]

Williams Could Be Down To One Car In Qatar, Abu Dhabi.
“The team has suffered eleven total car write-offs this season,” reported Auto Motor und Sport. “Four each for Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto, and three for Logan Sargeant.”
Nov 24, 2024
F1 Chronicle

Williams is at risk of not being able to field two race cars at the final two grands prix of 2024 in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Even before Franco Colapinto’s huge Q2 crash in Las Vegas, initially putting in doubt his health for the race on Saturday, the team struggled to put two complete cars together for this weekend.

Team boss James Vowles admits that one more crash could limit Williams to a single-car operation. “We can’t rebuild another car this late in the season,” he said. “We are already fully focused on the 2025 car.” He also confirmed that another problem is that Williams simply doesn’t have any money left in the budget cap for more serious repair damage.

“The situation is a real problem for us,” said Vowles. “There are other teams that have also had more accidents than expected this year and are perhaps in a similar situation to us,” he added. “To cushion something like this, I think every team should be allowed two major accidents within the cost cap. I think everyone would agree with that.”

‘Williams is at risk’;

https://f1chronicle.com/williams-cou.../?nowprocket=1


Colapinto: Vowles “wasn’t very happy” after huge Vegas Q2 crash.
“He wasn’t very happy, but he has been always very, very supportive,” he said.
NOV 28, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Franco Colapinto admits that James Vowles “wasn’t very happy” after his huge crash in Q2 in Las Vegas – but says that the support of the Williams boss helped him to bounce back on race day. Colapinto had his third crash in two race weekends when he went off in Q2 while trying to break into the top 10. He was able to start the race from the pitlane in the spare chassis, and had a solid race to 13th place at the flag.

The crash added to the strain on resources that the team has experienced with the high level of crash damage this season, and Colapinto concedes that it wasn’t easy to face Vowles afterwards. “I always take out of every bad moment very positive things, and it’s every time because of James, his thinking and his mentality and his way of moving forward as a team leader and as a team.”

“Wasn’t very happy”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/11/28/...egas-q2-crash/


Colapinto admits Vowles ‘wasn’t very happy’ after Vegas Q2 crash
28/11/2024
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Franco Colapinto’s young career in Formula 1 hit another rough patch during last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the young Williams driver endured his third brutal crash in two race weekends.

Starting from the pitlane in a spare chassis on Saturday evening, Colapinto prioritized a clean race, focusing on recovery rather than outright performance. However, his struggles were evident early on. “The idea was to have a clean race,” he said. “I think it was not ideal after such a big crash to go straight in the race. And I wasn’t feeling so comfortable in the first stint there."

Colapinto detailed his struggles with car balance and tyre management during the opening stint. “I was really, really struggling with the balance. I had a lot of oversteer, very difficult to manage the tyres. And just not in a good window. I think as the car kept running and the track also kept getting a bit better, it came a bit more towards us."

‘Another rough patch’;

https://f1i.com/news/525798-colapint...-q2-crash.html


Colapinto reveals Vowles' reaction to latest Williams smash
Franco Colapinto has detailed James Vowles' reaction to his latest smash at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
27 Nov 2024
Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

After a strong effort to rebuild both cars for Vegas, Colapinto accident was the 15th big accident suffered by Williams this season as crash damage repairs sky-rocket for the team. After admitting that facing his Williams mechanics was "the hardest part" of the accident, Colapinto detailed Vowles' reaction.

"Well, he wasn't very happy, but he has always been very, very supportive, and I take out of every bad moment some very positive things," Colapinto told media including RacingNews365. "And this is every time because of James and his thinking, his mentality and his way of moving forward as a team leader and as a team, and I think I learned a lot from him.”

‘Vowles' reaction’;

https://racingnews365.com/colapinto-...williams-smash


Alex Albon left Vegas frustrated after another point-less weekend
Williams suffered through another difficult weekend with Colapinto's qualifying crash and Albon's DNF.
Nov 27, 2024
Fleur Rogerson
FormulaNerds

Alex Albon expressed his frustration with the results of the weekend, telling F1TV: “I feel like we’ve had a terrible, terrible time of it as of late. It’s just frustrating. I was excited about the race, I felt like [we could score] great points hopefully.”

Although Albon was disappointed with the result, he admitted that the pace had been good across the weekend. He noted, “I was kind of – not cruising, [that] would be the wrong word – but I was a little bit and had a strong pace advantage to the cars around me. We were fighting through the field, we made a lot of positions up but, yeah, anyway.”

‘Frustrated’;

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


Unseen Zhou Guanyu overtake on Franco Colapinto leads to expletive radio message
Zhou Guanyu made his feelings clear over team radio at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Connor McDonagh
27 Nov 2024
Crash.Net

Zhou Guanyu pulled off an impressive overtake on Franco Colapinto in the closing laps of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Unsurprisingly, given it was P13, the battle wasn’t picked up by the TV cameras as Max Verstappen clinched his fourth F1 drivers’ championship.

The Sauber driver was pumped up by the overtake, saying over team radio: “See you fucking later Colapinto”. It’s unclear whether Zhou was simply feeling the adrenaline of his awesome last lap pass or Colapinto’s comments in the media caught the attention of the Chinese driver.

In an interview with his sponsor Quilmes, Colapinto insinuated that Zhou is perhaps the worst driver on the grid. Colapinto said: “I don't care who I have next to me [as a teammate], whether it's Verstappen or Zhou, I want to beat them and be ahead of them.” Both drivers are without a seat for next year.

‘Expletive radio messa’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/106078...-radio-message

[Fortitude]

‘I was able to fight’ – Zhou pleased with improved Sauber speed in Vegas.
Zhou Guanyu wasn’t able to break Sauber’s points duck in Las Vegas, but he was encouraged by the team’s improved pace as he finished P13.
24 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘I was able to fight’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/i-...90763496015030


‘It’s been a while’ – Zhou praises encouraging signs for Kick Sauber after upturn in Las Vegas
27 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Zhou Guanyu was left feeling more positive after delivering one of his best drives of the season in Las Vegas, though Kick Sauber are still yet to score in 2024.

“Today was a good race for me,” Zhou said post-race. “It’s been a while since we fought in the mid-pack near the top 10, and today, I feel we finally had a real chance. I believe we maximised the result we could have had with our pace, especially considering there was not a lot of drama happening ahead.”

“It's encouraging to be back where we were this weekend. It’s a step forward and it gives us confidence; things are looking more promising as we head to Qatar for the next round.”

‘Encouraging signs’;

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


Valtteri Bottas confirms 2025 drive after being axed by Sauber
Valtteri Bottas was not offered a contract extension by Sauber
Nov 27, 2024
Daniel Moxon

Valtteri Bottas, who recently lost his spot on the Formula 1 grid, has signed up for next March's Race of Champions. Sauber has replaced the Finnish driver with an entirely new line-up for 2025, featuring rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and veteran racer Nico Hulkenberg.

Despite losing his seat, Bottas will still be seen in racing action next March in Australia. A week before the F1 season kicks off in Melbourne, he will be competing at the Race of Champions in Sydney, approximately 500 miles to the north-east.

The team event is scheduled for Friday, March 7, followed by the individual competition the next day. The 35-year-old won't be the only big name vying for the 'Champion of Champions' title. Retired four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, who will once again represent Germany alongside Mick Schumacher, has also been confirmed for the competition. Schumacher, like Bottas, missed out on a seat on the 2025 grid.

‘2025 drive’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...5-drive-Sauber


Valtteri Bottas nears a return to Mercedes as F1 reserve after Mick Schumacher leaves
28 Nov 2024
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MailOnline

Valtteri Bottas says he is nearing an agreement to return to Mercedes as its reserve driver for next year after Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, announced he was leaving. "We're talking and it's going well. Still a bit of work to do but we're talking," Bottas said ahead of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.

"If I end up there, I think I would have a lot to give for a rookie driver who has not raced in Formula 1 yet," Bottas said. "That would be, for sure, one part of my role, to give my input and try to share my knowledge as much as I can."

‘Return to Mercedes as F1 reserve’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...er-leaves.html


Bottas set for homecoming as Mercedes reserve in 2025
25/11/2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

F1 veteran Valtteri Bottas, who heads into his final races with Sauber, looks set to rejoin Mercedes as the Brackley squad's reserve driver for 2025. While no deal has yet been finalized, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff clearly cast a positive view on Bottas' potential homecoming.

“Nothing is signed, nothing is done, but if we were to have him back in the family, we would all be full of joy,” the Austrian told Viaplay last weekend in Las Vega. “I mean, what you can say is that if you have the opportunity in having a driver like Valtteri back in the Mercedes family, with his ability, with his most recent experience of these modern cars, you can call yourself super lucky.”

‘Homecoming’;

https://f1i.com/news/525660-bottas-s...e-in-2025.html


'First and foremost': Nico Hulkenberg gives main ‘benefit’ he can bring to Audi over rookie driver
27 Nov 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Nico Hulkenberg will be joining Sauber next season in anticipation of their switch to Audi for the big regulation changes that will hit F1 in 2026. The German driver will be entering his 13th full-time season in F1 having spent the last two with Haas, in which he stands a chance of achieving a highest place of 10th in the Drivers’ Championship this season.

Nico Hulkenberg says experience most important factor in Sauber drive. The German is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid along with Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, which means he will have a lot to offer Audi when they take over the Sauber project and become a full works team.

Hulkenberg will also be paired with F2 rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who will be making the step up following a strong season in the feeder series. His experience will no doubt be an important asset to the Brazilian among other factors. “But I think experience brings a whole range of benefits, when you talk about team building, car development, setup work, and it’s just something I have. That’s certainly a benefit over some rookies.”

'First and foremost':;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/nic...rookie-driver/

[Fortitude]

The ‘sick’ Max Verstappen prediction that’s now been proven right as Nico Hulkenberg misses Qatar GP media day.
Max Verstappen deserves an apology after being told to ‘stop whining’.
28 Nov 2024
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Nico Hulkenberg has had to withdraw from his media day duties ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. The Haas team say their driver is nursing a cold ahead of the race. They have called it a preventative measure, indicating that they still expect him to race. Oliver Bearman will be on hand if needed.

Max Verstappen predicted F1 drivers would get ‘sick’ before Nico Hulkenberg Qatar Grand Prix illness. While Hulkenberg’s illness doesn’t sound like anything serious, it justifies Max Verstappen’s concerns. The world champion was critical of the decision to run Las Vegas and Qatar as back-to-back races. It takes around 18 hours to travel from Nevada to Lusail. Verstappen was worried drivers would get ‘sick’ due to the resulting fatigue.

‘Deserves an apology’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/the...-gp-media-day/


FIA's embarrassing crisis deepens ahead of F1 Qatar GP
Nov 28, 2024
Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

The embarrassing saga engulfing Formula 1 regulator the FIA has deepened with fresh significant exits adding to an exodus of senior personnel from the FIA, tied to president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. FIA F1 race director Rui Marques, who only replaced Niels Wittich in the role for last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, will have to manage Formula 2 sessions in Qatar alongside his F1 responsibilities.

The high-pressure double-up is a result of Marques’ successor, Janette Tan, being stood down before she even performed the F2 race director role. The Race has been told this relates to Tan’s role as director (race operations) for the Singapore Grand Prix. It has emerged at the same time Tim Mayer, a long-serving FIA contributor as an unpaid steward and delegated in the US, was told by text message his services were no longer required.

A drivers meeting is due to take place on Thursday evening in Qatar with FIA race control and stewards, for an annual review that will also include a follow-up conversation to the discussion in Mexico regarding adapting F1’s controversial racing guidelines. The news of further turnover in the FIA ranks is an escalation in a concerning public narrative for the organisation and its president. It is exacerbated by Mayer’s decision to go on the record with a candid interview with the BBC.

‘Crisis’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...f-f1-qatar-gp/


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

Fresh from the lights of Las Vegas, it’s time to switch continents for two more night races in the Middle East. Off the back of another thrilling race on Saturday night, there are plenty of talking points that are likely to come up as the paddock arrives in Qatar.

Max Verstappen might have tied up the drivers’ championship with his fifth place in Las Vegas, but the battle to be constructors’ champions remains as close as ever.

Three teams enter the penultimate round of the season separated by just 53 points, and with it being a Sprint weekend in Qatar there is a maximum of 59 on offer across the two races. That means any one of McLaren, Ferrari or Red Bull could be leading by the time the chequered flag falls on Sunday.

‘5 storylines’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...vF4N9TkI3C2YPS


Perez gives big compliments to Verstappen: 'Made a huge step'
28 Nov 2024
Estéban den Toom
GPblog.com

"This is the best Max I have seen, the way he pushed the team and how hard he worked during this year. There were a lot of periods during the year where we looked really far [away] and he would push the team in all the areas, in all the aspects. I think Max has made very big steps out of the car. I think his talent and his speed has been there since day one, but how he reads the races, how he works with the team, how he pushes the team, I think that's the biggest step that he has done in these past years," Perez told the press conference before the Qatar Grand Prix.

"We’re working as a team, especially the last few months we've had similar issues with the car, so we're pushing in similar directions to try and improve the car, and at the end of the day, we are working as a team. The team knows exactly what we've done, where we are, and I think we're working well together," he concluded.

‘Big compliments’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/31534...erstappen.html


Vasseur hands Ferrari unusual instruction ahead of key Qatar GP
Ferrari is in the mix to win the constructors' championship - and Fred Vasseur has a rather unusual instruction for his team.
28 Nov 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Looking ahead to the weekend, Vasseur just wants Ferrari to fully focus on delivering performance at the sprint weekend instead of using its abacuses to evaluate the points situation.

"The Qatar GP is the last Sprint weekend of the year which, as always means the work the teams carry out back at base takes on greater importance than usual, as there is only one free practice session," Vasseur explained. "There are 59 points up for grabs, but this isn’t the time to start doing the maths. All we can do is execute everything perfectly to ensure that Charles and Carlos can squeeze every last drop of performance out of the SF-24.”

"We have seen, especially in recent races, that Formula 1 as a whole is operating at a very high level right now, with the slightest detail often making the difference, turning the accepted status quo on its head. It’s time for one last push over these next two weekends and our drivers, engineers and everyone in the team, both at the track and in Maranello are ready to give it our best shot."

“It’s time for one last push”;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-ha...f-key-qatar-gp


Mercedes are 'cautiously optimistic' for another victory in Qatar
28 Nov 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Mercedes technical director James Allision believes a second win in a row is possible at the Qatar Grand Prix. After last week's dominant Las Vegas one-two, the Brackley-based team has touched down in Qatar, where the penultimate Grand Prix of the season is taking place. A great result wouldn't be turned down by Mercedes this weekend, but Allison highlights that his team have instead been focusing future for a while.

Mercedes' technical director, Allison, says his team has been focused on next season 'for ages'. The last update for the current car was introduced in Austin at round 19 in October. "The lion's share of our efforts have been on next year for some time. A growing amount of our efforts are even looking further afield to 2026. But these last two races are important, nevertheless, because they teach you things," stated Allison, who's using these last races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to learn for 2024.

'Cautiously optimistic';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/31522...-qatar-gp.html


FIA and Pirelli make changes to avoid repeat F1 Qatar GP fiasco
28 Nov 2024
Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

The FIA and Pirelli have collaborated to avoid a repeat of the tyre fiasco that plagued the 2023 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix.
Last year’s F1 return to Qatar brought with it a tricky tyre conundrum. A series of sharp 50mm raised surfaces on kerbs, colloquially referred to as pyramid kerbs caused microscopic separations on the sidewalls of the F1 Pirelli tyres.

The high-speed corner configuration of the layout meant F1 drivers were attacking kerbs more than usual, and an 18-lap maximum stint length was brought in to ensure the safety of all involved. While this did introduce an intriguing three-stop GP, it is a situation that F1’s governing body has sought to avoid.

What makes things tricky is the fact that the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar is homologated by the FIA and FIM for both four and two-wheeled racing, so any changes must be a compromise to suit all series. Pirelli has revealed that the 50mm raised edges of the pyramid kerbs have been rounded off at Turns 4 and 10 as well as Turns 12 through 14.

‘FIA and Pirelli make changes’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...tar-gp-fiasco/


What time is the Formula 1 2024 Qatar Grand Prix and how can I watch it?
27 Nov 2024
Formula One - Official Site

It's almost time for the final Sprint weekend of the season, as the F1 circus heads to Qatar for the penultimate race of 2024.

The event will begin with FP1 and Sprint Qualifying on Friday, November 29, followed by the Sprint itself and qualifying on Saturday, November 30, and then the 57-lap Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, December 01.

‘What time’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...OivIvAv0Ns22xH

[Fortitude]

F1 - 2024 Qatar Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript.
PART ONE – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari), Pierre GASLY (Alpine), Fernando ALONSO (Aston Martin).
PART TWO – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing), Zhou GUANYU (Kick Sauber), Alex ALBON (Williams).
28.11.24
FIA (Press Release)

Q: Charles, perhaps we could start with you. Very good to see you. Now, you cut a frustrated figure after the race in Las Vegas at the weekend. What were your main frustrations? Charles LECLERC: I don't want to go back to what happened in Vegas. Yeah, I mean, last two races of the season and we need to do absolutely everything in order to get that Constructors' Championship. That's all that matters. And whatever happened in Vegas, we discussed about it and we are all good, which is the most important thing. I had no doubts about that because we've always had a really good relationship with Carlos and we've had races where sometimes things don't go exactly the way we want, but the most important thing is that we discuss about it and we go forward.

Q: Alright. Charles, thank you for that. Pierre, let's come to you now. Disappointing end in Vegas, but let's look at the positives, that brilliant P3 on the grid. Do you and the team understand where that performance came from now? Pierre GASLY: Yeah, it was a pretty nice qualifying. I think, overall, the last few weekends have been… We've been in a better shape since Austin. We brought some new parts, we've managed to get to Q3 the last four weekends and it seems like we found quite a nice flow. I think in Vegas we just made the best out of the conditions. It was quite tricky, street track, very cold. Got in a nice place with the car. And when we got to Q3, we had a single lap, but we really managed to put everything to it. And yeah, it put us in a great place. So it was a great achievement, especially looking back at Bahrain, first race of the year, I lined up in 20th, you know. We were absolutely nowhere. So when you look at all the evolution and development, it definitely shows we're heading in the right direction and it's definitely positive.

Q: Fernando, let's come to you. Talking of building foundations, something you said before the summer break was that you wanted to use the second half of 2024 to put the foundations in place for a better ‘25. Do you feel you've done that? Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it goes up and down for everybody. Difficult to be sure of that, but I think we didn’t manage to improve the car much throughout the season. So we started quite strong, but we are now in a position that we're struggling to be in Q3 on some occasions. But yeah, at the same time, all those difficulties, I think, probably are teaching us a lot of lessons, which we will apply into next year's car. And that will be probably the biggest positive aspect of the second part of the year, you know, that even if we didn't succeed in putting much performance on the car, I think it's well understood what we are struggling with at the moment. So that will be applying in 2025.

Q: Alex, you're closest. Now, it's been a tough couple of races for Williams. Just how tough? Alex ALBON: Yeah, not smooth for sure. I think being especially tough more for the mechanics and for the people at the factory. Obviously, we had a few crashes, not always our fault, but in the end, they add up. And testament to everyone who's worked so hard to get them back, we still got two cars that are at the track that are more than capable to score points and back to fighting fit, at least the cars are. It's been tough, but everyone's been very strong, very optimistic, and I think that's Williams. I think everyone's very optimistic.

Q: Zhou, let's come to you. Great to see you back in Q2 at the weekend. Was it track specific or do you think the upgrades are really making a difference? Zhou GUANYU: For me, I think it's more about the upgrades. These upgrades, I think, we wanted for a while now. And, obviously, finally to have that for both cars for the first time in a while as well in Vegas, that was a pretty good step on the team. And, yeah, it's clearly, we saw in terms of numbers, it's probably the biggest one we had this season for all this new stuff we had. And it's clearly worked like we hoped. Is it enough or not? We will find out a little bit more this weekend and also Abu Dhabi. But I think it's clearly a very positive step in the right direction. Tried them in FP2 had a good comparison from P1 and everything just seems to be working in the right direction. and yeah had a good weekend I think after a very difficult last couple of weeks.

Q: Checo let's come to you. Now, you said after the race in Vegas that you feel close to turning things around. Vegas in particular, where do you feel the car made improvement? Sergio PÉREZ: I think in Vegas mainly the main issue we had was qualifying. We were out in Q1. Straight away after qualifying we understood why. We saw it, it was very clear in the data. But then we were on the back foot and then going on to the race, with the degradation that we had, we were not expecting it to be so severe, especially in the beginning. So we went for the Hard tyre. which I also degraded the Hard tyre and that meant that I had to spend quite a lot of the race on the Medium, so it compromised the race a lot, but we did have some good pace during the race.

‘Press Conference Transcript’;

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


Start time for the F1 Qatar GP sprint qualifying 2024 today
Today, the sprint qualifying for the F1 Qatar Grand Prix will take place, determining the starting grid for the sprint. Check here for the start time of the sprint qualifying session.
29 Nov 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

The schedule of the F1 GP in Qatar is automatically adjusted to your time zone.
Timetable Lusail GP

Session
Date Time
Free practice 1 Friday 29 November 14:30 - 15:30
Sprint qualifying Friday 29 November 18:30 - 19:14
Sprintrace Saturday 30 November 15:00 - 16:00
Qualification Saturday 30 November 19:00 - 20:00
Race Sunday 1 December 17:00 - 19:00

‘When is the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix’;

https://racingnews365.com/start-time...ing-2024-today


Piastri reveals major threat for Qatar GP
Oscar Piastri expects McLaren’s greatest challenge to come from Mercedes at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
29 Nov 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

McLaren heads the constructors’ championship from Ferrari with two rounds remaining, the two operations split by just 24 points. And while they’re both expected to feature towards the top of the timesheets, Mercedes has emerged as a renewed threat.

“Definitely a good one,” Piastri began when asked how great an opportunity Qatar will be to put some points on Ferrari ahead of Abu Dhabi next week. “I think it’s a circuit that we were strung out last season. It’ll be interesting to see who’s quick this weekend. I think Mercedes will definitely be in the picture, for sure.”

‘Major threat: Mercedes’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-reveal...-for-qatar-gp/


Mercedes chief optimistic for Qatar Grand Prix after what he saw in Lewis Hamilton and George Russell data
28 Nov 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Can Mercedes repeat their Las Vegas feat in final two races? The final two races of the 2024 F1 season see the championship jetting off to the Middle East for the Qatar Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuits shouldn’t really favour the W15 as the Mercedes prefers higher tyre temperatures in much cooler conditions, but track temperatures will likely reach season highs this weekend.

Allison is hoping that the high-speed nature of the Lusail circuit, which features several sweeping corners that run into each other, will play to Mercedes’s strengths. “The corner we were mighty in Las Vegas was Turn 3. There is a lot of Turn 3-type corners in Qatar and there isn’t a huge amount of slow stuff so we should be able to get the car in its window. But we’ve been wrong before, so we’re going there cautiously optimistic,” said Allison.

McLaren and Red Bull are likely to be strong while Ferrari was unexpectedly off the pace in Las Vegas due to the tyre graining, they should bounce back in the final two rounds. A lot is at stake for the top teams as they are fighting for the Constructors’ Championship, with McLaren leading the way from Ferrari by 24 points.

‘Optimistic’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...-russell-data/


Max reflects in Doha: 'So many people have meant something to me in my career'
28 Nov 2024
Stefan Meens
Verstappen.nl

“Last week was incredible”, beamed the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver. “It was a great season with a lot of difficult moments, so it was great to win the title in Las Vegas. I’m really proud of what we achieved, and I never thought I would win four championships. It was always the aim to be world champion, but to win it four times is something I’m really happy with.”

The Dutchman received a lot of plaudits and congratulations from not only those in Red Bull, but also from the rest of the Formula 1 paddock and further afield. “It’s incredible, so many people have meant something and contributed to my career. To receive messages from them, other drivers, team mates, team bosses, families and friends is all special in their own ways.”

“Last week was incredible”;

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5673/

[Fortitude]

Leclerc strikes the first blow against McLaren by topping FP1 in Qatar.
Charles Leclerc has topped the first and only free practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both threatened to trouble Leclerc's time but couldn't beat it.
29 Nov 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

A few drivers dipped tyres in the gravel and runoff areas, with turn five being a common place for an adventure. But it never caused any serious problems for the drivers, as they experienced clear running in the first 30 minutes. Leclerc topped the timesheets but used harder tyres than the rest of the field, which indicated an unrealistic pace picture. He was nearly two-tenths faster than second-placed Verstappen.

Leclerc and Sainz continued to push on the hard tyres, while others were happy to continue using mediums. The Spanish driver moved up to P2 with 25 minutes left on the clock and soon after took P1 from his teammate. Norris moved up to P3, and Sergio Perez was impressed. The Red Bull driver stated over the radio: "That McLaren is flying". Red Bull are trying to hunt down McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, but face an uphill battle with Ferrari also in the fight during the final two weekends of the season.

‘The first blow’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/31551...-in-qatar.html


Qatar GP: Free Practice 1 Results
30 Nov 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 1 from the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff
1 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 29 1:21.953
2 4 Lando Norris McLaren 23 1:22.378 0.425
3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 25 1:22.425 0.472
4 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 29 1:22.535 0.582
5 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 26 1:23.045 1.092
6 77 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 28 1:23.064 1.111
7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 23 1:23.099 1.146
8 63 George Russell Mercedes 26 1:23.160 1.207
9 23 Alex Albon Williams 27 1:23.161 1.208
10 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 25 1:23.188 1.235

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/qatar-gp-free-practice-1-results/


Qatar Grand Prix: F1 Free Practice 1 Results
Nov 29, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Verstappen quickly snatched the top spot, setting a 1:26.338 on th medium tyre also. The Dutchman’s team-mate Sergio Perez set a time 1.117 seconds behind him on the same compound. However, the four-time world champion was not happy with his helmet, saying “a lot of air was coming in”. The Dutchman suggested that a helmet change was necessary.

Tsunoda responded to Verstappen’s time. The Japanese driver set a 1:25.970 with the medium compound – the first driver into the 1:25’s. Back-and-forth time was occurring between Verstappen and Tsunoda. The Red Bull driver went quickest, setting a 1:25.612.

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc then went to the top. The Monegasque set a 1:25.486 on the hard compound tyre. Mercedes driver George Russell then beat the Ferrari driver’s time, setting a 1:24.901 on the medium compound – Norris slotted into second, only 0.076 seconds behind the Mercedes driver on the same compound of tyre.

‘F1 Free Practice 1 Results’;

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


Qatar GP: Charles Leclerc P1 as Ferrari take first blood in McLaren Constructors’ clash
29 Nov 2024
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari put down the first marker in Qatar on a crucial weekend in the Constructors’ title race. Leclerc’s 1:21.953 blitzed the McLaren competition in FP1, giving Ferrari the advantage as they continue their bid to deny McLaren the Constructors’ title.

On his first flying lap since becoming a four-time World Champion, Verstappen put down a 1:26.3 as the early benchmark for rivals to chase as the sun set in Doha, though the Dutchman promptly requested a change of helmet with too much air getting in, while Valtteri Bottas found himself stuck in “traffic paradise”.

The pace continued to ramp up and with 20 minutes gone, Leclerc was out front, his 1:23.702 putting him a shade under two-tenths up on Verstappen with Pierre Gasly continuing to impress in P3. After the opening runs mostly took place on the Pirelli medium tyres, that compound remained the go-to as the next push laps began with the session at its halfway point. Leclerc’s P1 time withstood the test, Norris settling into P2 and Piastri P3, before the Monegasque made a statement by increasing his buffer to four-and-a-half tenths.

‘Ferrari take first blood’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/qatar-...024-fp1-report


Why Ferrari suspects Qatar GP will be ‘biggest challenge’ to late-season F1 charge
29 Nov 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

“On paper the biggest challenge that we’re going to face since I think we’ve introduced these upgrades to the car that have made us perform better,” Sainz told media including Motorsport Week.

“Look at Mexico Sector 2, Austin Sector 1, Vegas Sector 1: whenever there’s been high-speed corners in a sector we haven’t been, out of the top 4 cars, we’ve never been fast. So if you join the fact that this track is smooth, it’s cold and it’s only those kind of corners then on paper we should struggle.”

“At the same time, one thing is to struggle on performance one thing is the amount of points that you come out of the weekend and we need to make sure we maximise that. It could still be a tough weekend in terms of performance but then it could be a good weekend in terms of points.”

‘Biggest challenge’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...son-f1-charge/


'Got quite emotional': Ted Kravitz explains why Lewis Hamilton got ‘teary’ in interviews before Qatar Grand Prix
29 Nov 2024
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Lewis Hamilton became emotional as he recapped conversation with Mercedes engineer Peter Bonnington. According to Sky Sports F1 presenter Ted Kravitz, Hamilton became ‘teary’ during his media duties on Thursday. It’s just over a week until he bids farewell to Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi GP.

Hamilton lifted the lid on a conversation with engineer Peter Bonnington where it dawned on him that the end was near. He got ’emotional’ as he recounted this conversation to the press. “Lewis getting quite teary actually talking about how it’s his last two races with Mercedes,” Kravitz said on Ted’s Podbook. “He sat down with Peter Bonnington, his engineer, today and said ‘oh this is it Bono, last two together’, and actually got quite emotional when he was recounting it to the media.”

'Got quite emotional';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted...ar-grand-prix/

[Fortitude]

2024 F1 Qatar Grand Prix - Sprint qualifying results.
Lando Norris secured pole position for the Qatar sprint, at the Lusail International Circuit. The Briton set a mighty 1:21.012, to top a McLaren one-three.
29 Nov 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

Oscar Piastri was just under two tenths adrift in third, behind George Russell who completed the front row in second.

It was a disappointing sprint qualifying for Ferrari, as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc secured fourth and fifth, respectively. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen claimed sixth.

Sergio Perez will start the Qatar sprint from 16th, following yet another exit in the first part of a qualifying session.

‘Sprint qualifying results’;

https://racingnews365.com/2024-f1-qa...ifying-results


Qatar GP: Sprint Qualifying Results
Full results from Sprint Qualifying from the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail.
30 Nov 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Sprint Qualifying from the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail.

Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff
1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:21.356 1:21.231 1:21.012
2 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:22.021 1:21.488 1:21.075 0.063
3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:22.218 1:21.548 1:21.171 0.159
4 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:21.838 1:21.809 1:21.281 0.269
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:22.156 1:21.818 1:21.308 0.296
6 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:22.033 1:21.784 1:21.315 0.303
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:22.151 1:21.734 1:21.474 0.462
8 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:22.586 1:22.352 1:21.978 0.966
9 30 Liam Lawson RB 1:22.705 1:22.393 1:22.082 1.070
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:22.569 1:22.318 1:22.088 1.076

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/qatar-gp-sprin...fying-results/


Qatar Grand Prix: F1 sprint qualifying results
Nov 29, 2024
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

Final classification of sprint qualifying: Norris secures P1 for the sprint race tomorrow, with Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Gasly, Hulkenberg, and Lawson rounding out the top 10. The RB driver had his lap time deleted at the end of the session, which dropped him to the end of the top 10. With the constructors’ championship on the line, its advantage McLaren going into Saturday, but the two Ferraris aren’t too far behind. Red Bull will be fighting with one hand tied behind their back with Perez down in P16.

‘F1 sprint qualifying results’;

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


Impressive Lando Norris pips George Russell to Qatar sprint pole
Lando Norris dominates Qatar GP sprint qualifying to take pole ahead of George Russell.
29 Nov 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

McLaren’s Lando Norris pipped Mercedes’ George Russell to claim pole position for the F1 Qatar Grand Prix sprint race. Norris, who saw his title hopes end last time out in Las Vegas, was in peerless form in sprint qualifying as he topped all three sessions on his way to edging Russell to pole by just 0.063 seconds.

McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third, 0.159s slower than Norris. "It’s tough, because it’s so quick around here," Norris said. "It feels like the quickest circuit of the year. I mean, the final sector just feels like you’re hanging on.”

"Great qualifying today, especially to bounce back from where we were last time out in Vegas, it’s a nice thing to do. Happy, it was a decent lap, I made too many mistakes on my second. But we were coming here to get pole, and we did that, so job done for today."

‘Lando Norris dominates Qatar GP sprint qualifying’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/106091...ar-sprint-pole


F1 team-mates' qualifying battles: Qatar GP
Here's how things stand in 2024 team-mate duels following sprint qualifying at Formula 1's Qatar Grand Prix.
Nov 29, 2024
Ben Vinel
Motorsport.com

‘Qualifying battles’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...r-gp/10677506/

FYI: Due to other commitments, both the Sprint Race Results and the Qualifying Results will be posted LATE on Saturday.