Max Verstappen will start from pole position as Red Bull stand on the brink of a sixth constructors' championship. Should the Dutchman and team-mate Sergio Perez combine to outscore Mercedes , the title will be secured at Suzuka. Oscar Piastri became the first rookie to qualify on the front row since Nico Hulkenberg in 2010, and he is followed by his McLaren counterpart Lando Norris in third. The Ferrari paring of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sandwich Segio Perez to round out the top six, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton just behind. The Japanese Grand Prix will get under way at 6am BST. … [Read more...] about F1 live: The Japanese GP as it happens
Carson wentz what happened
Verstappen sitting pretty but unexpectedly hot track could cook up drama
Reports of Red Bull’s reign of dominance over the 2023 season coming to an end have been greatly exaggerated. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In a year when competition between their rivals behind has been as unpredictable as it has been gripping, Red Bull have routinely rocked up to paddocks across the globe only to crush all opposition with near-militaristic execution. Then, in Singapore, a rare stumble from the world champions offered hope that the Red Bull giant could indeed be toppled. Yet six days later, Red Bull and Max Verstappen reminded everyone just how powerful a combination they are when they stormed to pole position in Suzuka by one of the biggest margins of the season – and the largest for nearly 20 years at the famous Japanese circuit. Not that it was of any surprise to their opposition. “Our internal messaging was ‘expect them to be back out front when we get back to Suzuka’,” admitted Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew … [Read more...] about Verstappen sitting pretty but unexpectedly hot track could cook up drama
“Strong penalties” only way to stop constant MotoGP Turn 1 pile-ups
At the start of Saturday’s delayed 11-lap sprint at the Buddh International Circuit, five riders ended up tangling into Turn 1. VR46 Ducati duo Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini collided into Turn 1, with the latter suffering a broken collarbone while his polesitting team-mate dropped down the back before recovering to fifth. At the same time as this incident, LCR Honda’s Stefan Bradl touched the back of Tech3’s Augusto Fernandez , which sent the former crashing into the sister Tech3 GasGas of Pol Espargaro . This is the third time in four races that there has been a pile-up into Turn 1 in a race, after similar wrecks at the start of the Catalan GP and the Austrian GP sprint. Marini has since been handed a long lap penalty for his collision with Bezzecchi, which he will serve at the next grand prix in which he is fit enough to participate in, having been ruled out of the Indian GP. However, this punishment is the standard one for causing such an incident, with … [Read more...] about “Strong penalties” only way to stop constant MotoGP Turn 1 pile-ups
Sargeant handed penalty for third car rules breach ahead of F1 Japanese GP
The American badly damaged his car during a high-speed crash in qualifying on Saturday, which has forced a change of chassis. The FIA discovered, however, that the team had assembled its spare car far more than was normally allowed according to the rules – so it was in effect judged to be a third car. Williams was summoned to the stewards on Sunday morning and explained that the problem was triggered by its mechanics beginning work on making up its spare chassis as soon as it became clear it had to be done. This was in theory done before teams are allowed to start such work. Following the stewards’ hearing, the FIA accepted the explanation from Williams about what happened, but said that it was mandated for it to hand down a penalty. With the change of chassis already automatically meaning Sargeant must start from the pitlane, it was decided that a further 10-second penalty would be given. A statement from the FIA said that it was aware of there being an issue in the … [Read more...] about Sargeant handed penalty for third car rules breach ahead of F1 Japanese GP