Grand prix f1

Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix produced the closest fight for pole position involving three different teams for almost two decades. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free When Max Verstappen backed off his final flying lap because his Red Bull team had realised he was going to run too low on fuel, it secured Charles Leclerc’s ninth pole position of the season – and ensured no one will end the year with more of them than the Ferrari driver. Leclerc beat Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by 0.022 seconds and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by 0.054s. That’s the smallest gap which has covered three different teams at the front of a grid for nearly 20 years. You have to go back to the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix to find a closer top three involving a trio of different teams. Rubens Barrichello – also in a Ferrari – took pole position for that race by 0.011 seconds from David Coulthard (McLaren) and 0.044s from Mark Webber (Jaguar, which became Red Bull two years later). … [Read more...] about F1 stats: Closest three-team pole fight since 2003 in Singapore · RaceFans

The FIA’s decision to postpone the start of the Singapore Grand Prix and its delayed call to activate DRS in the rain-hit race were supported by paddock figures. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Torrential rain fell on downtown Singapore, where the Marina Bay street circuit is located, in the hours preceding the scheduled race start. As a result FIA Formula 1 race director Eduardo Freitas chose to delay the start of the grand prix by 65 minutes as they waited for the weather to improve. McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said this was “absolutely the right thing to do” under the circumstances. It enabled F1 to use track-cleaning techniques to remove some of the standing water on the recently resurfaced street circuit before the race got underway. “That obviously helped to get rid of any standing water which then allowed [us] straightaway to go on intermediate [tyres].” he said. “I think without that, we wouldn’t have been in a position to start the … [Read more...] about F1 teams back race control’s decisions on delayed start and DRS activation · RaceFans

Listen to this article The Spaniard looked set for another decent haul of points at the Marina Bay circuit on Sunday as he ran sixth in the early stages before an engine failure put him out. That stoppage, with teammate Esteban Ocon also suffering an engine failure later on in the race, opened the door for McLaren to overhaul Alpine in their battle for fourth in the constructors' championship. Alonso says that the number of points he has lost this year has been too much. "I think it was around minus 50 [points], so now we have another eight," he explained. "So it's minus 58 points or minus 60 in a year, which is really unacceptable on my car. "If you put me 60 points more in the standings, and you reduce 10 or something to the others, because you would take points from those as well, my championship will look much better and close even to Mercedes . "So that is probably more accurate of the performance that we are putting this year, which I'm very proud … [Read more...] about Alpine’s F1 finishing rate “really unacceptable”, says Alonso

Listen to this article Perez pulled off a brilliant victory at the Marina Bay circuit on Sunday, holding off race-long pressure from Charles Leclerc to grab his first win since the Monaco GP in May. He also managed to keep hold of the win despite being found guilty of two separate safety car rule infringements, having dropped back too far ahead of the restarts. Perez’s win comes off the back of a barren spell for the Mexican, where he has recently struggled to get as much out of the Red Bull RB18 as teammate Max Verstappen . He has had just one other podium finish since the summer break with a second place in Belgium. But having produced a well-earned victory in Singapore, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner hoped Perez could now hit his stride over the remainder of the campaign. “Checo has always been phenomenal at streets circuits,” said Horner. “He seems to like slippery street tracks. And we've been working hard with him on setu-ps and so on. "I think that … [Read more...] about Red Bull hopes Singapore F1 win gives Perez confidence after rough patch

Listen to this article F1 teams are bracing themselves for the FIA’s announcement on Wednesday on which teams were under last year’s cost cap limit and which went over. There was rampant speculation over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend that one team had had a minor procedural overspend, while another was well over the limits. Aston Martin and Red Bull faced suggestions that they were the squads that could have broken the rules, but both teams moved to play down such talk – as they insisted the FIA had not informed them of any problems . Rival teams are hugely interested in the outcome of the FIA’s audits, and especially how seriously the governing body will take any outfit that has gone over the limit. While a 5% overspend of the circa $145 million limit is officially classified as a ‘minor’ breach, Ferrari is clear that the gains from being able to spend a few million more are huge. Team principal Mattia Binotto admitted that it was not ideal that the 2021 … [Read more...] about Ferrari: Even minor F1 cost cap breach worth 0.5s per lap

Listen to this article The second round of the 2022 championship was overshadowed by a missile strike on an oil facility near the track on the Friday. Yemen's Houthis rebels claimed responsibility for the attack. It prompted talks between F1 bosses, teams and drivers on Friday night in Jeddah to discuss whether or not it was safe for the Saudi Arabian GP to ahead. In the end, it was agreed that the grand prix should carry on, with no further incidents taking place. The situation in Jeddah prompted a wide-scale review of what happened by race bosses, as they set about a plan to ensure there could be no repeat in the future. Race chiefs have now met individually with all teams and drivers over recent races to discuss matters, and ensure competitors are comfortable with Saudi Arabia's response as preparations gear up for 2023. As part of the ongoing discussions, Saudi Arabia's sport minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal briefly attended last weekend's Singapore … [Read more...] about Saudi GP chiefs meet F1 teams and drivers over security

Two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen thought an uncharacteristic error by Red Bull in Singapore became an “embarrassing” one, as Max Verstappen’s chances were scuppered in qualifying. The reigning champion was left furious on his final qualifying run after being told to back off at the end of a flying lap, with the idea of taking advantage of the drying track to have a better chance at pole with one more run at the end of Q3. And the Red Bull driver had been almost a second up on Charles Leclerc’s best effort through the first two sectors, but was told to back off by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase towards the end of his lap – as his car had been under-fuelled for the lap he was on. This left Verstappen furious on team radio and after qualifying, criticising his team for mishandling his qualifying session in a move which ultimately saw him start eighth on Sunday. The ‘Flying Finn’ said that the conditions in Singapore at the weekend made it tough going for the drivers, but … [Read more...] about Mika Hakkinen surprised to see an ‘embarrassing’ mistake from Red Bull