The Dutchman saw off an early assault from the two McLarens at the start of the race and lived up to Lando Norris' pre-race prediction that the Woking team would have little answer to the Dutchman if he led beyond Turn 2. Verstappen crossed the line 19.3s clear of Norris, having been considerably out of reach across the 53-lap race at Suzuka beyond the opening laps. The only moments of close action that the championship leader faced were in his defence of the lead into the first corner, as he pulled across to the inside of the corner to ward off any threat from fellow front-row starter Oscar Piastri. Norris then placed his car on the outside, but could not get enough purchase into the second corner to come up for air with the lead, but displaced Piastri nonetheless in the process. The Briton then attempted to challenge Verstappen on a subsequent restart after a lap 1 safety car was produced to clear debris resulting from a clash between Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon - … [Read more...] about F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen on verge of title after win as Red Bull secures crown
Titled tuesday most wins
How Verstappen can win his third F1 title in Qatar sprint
The Red Bull driver's Suzuka victory, which put him two away from equalling his record for most wins in a single season, moved Verstappen 177 points away from team-mate Sergio Perez in the standings. The Mexican driver last outscored his team-mate in the fourth round of the campaign in Azerbaijan, where Perez clinched the second of his two wins so far in 2023. Since then, Verstappen has done nothing but increase his championship lead, taking a record-breaking 10 victories in a row, a streak that only ended in Singapore earlier this month, when Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari . Verstappen's win in Japan, where Perez had a nightmare race and retired, left the Dutchman with 400 points scored to his team-mate's 223. With 180 points available in the remaining six races, Verstappen's 177-point advantage means he needs to score just three more points before the season ends to wrap up his third consecutive title. The next race, the Qatar Grand Prix, is the first of two … [Read more...] about How Verstappen can win his third F1 title in Qatar sprint
A new ELMS title for the ORECA LM P2 chassis !
New successes were added onto the already impressive prize list of the ORECA LM P2 chassis, last weekend, at the European Le Mans Series’s final race. With Vincent Capillaire and Jimmy Eriksson at the wheel of the ORECA 03R, the Sébastien Loeb Racing clinched victory at the 4 Hours of Estoril, also claiming ORECA chassis’s 21st win in the LM P2 category ! Moreover, with drivers Nelson Panciatici, Paul-Loup Chatin and Oliver Webb racing with the Alpine A450b, a car designed and built by ORECA, Signatech-Alpine won the title again on the Teams rankings. It is the third consecutive year that a team racing with an ORECA chassis achieves a title in the ELMS. Those successes are also shared with the engine department, based in Magny-Cours, and in charge of the preparation of the Sébastien Loeb Racing’s and the Signatech-Alpine’s V8 Nissans. Signatech-Alpine back-to-back ELMS Champion ! In March 2011, Signatech’s team was the first one to shine with the ORECA 03. That took … [Read more...] about A new ELMS title for the ORECA LM P2 chassis !
Red Bull break record with sixth constructors’ championship win
Red Bull have clinched the 2023 Formula 1 constructors’ championship after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Max Verstappen’s victory in today’s race ensures they can no longer be overhauled by their rivals in the standings. Red Bull have secured the title for the sixth time since they entered the series in 2005. Having dominated the 2023 championship, they have ended the title fight with six races remaining. This is earlier than any team has ever won the title. McLaren and Ferrari won the constructors’ title with five races to spare in 1988 and 2004 respectively. “For us the most amazing year,” said team boss Christian Horner. “It’s all testimony to these guys and all the men and women back in the factory in Milton Keynes. “To Red Bull, to all our partners, it’s the collection of an incredible effort of everybody doing their bit to achieve results like we’ve done and of course Max is just on another level at the … [Read more...] about Red Bull break record with sixth constructors’ championship win
How Verstappen can clinch third championship title in Qatar sprint race
Max Verstappen can score his third drivers’ championship victory before the Qatar Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Red Bull driver’s points lead following his 13th victory of the season today means he can clinch the title in the sprint race at the Losail International Circuit in two weeks’ time. While Verstappen romped to victory from pole position his only remaining championship rival, team mate Sergio Perez , suffered a terrible race. Already on the back foot after breaking his front wing in a first-lap collision with Lewis Hamilton, Perez then crashed into Kevin Magnussen, damaging his front wing again, and subsequently retired from the race. Verstappen therefore leads the drivers’ championship by 177 points with 180 available over the remaining six rounds. Three of those rounds include sprint races and therefore offer an extra eight points on top of the 25 for a grand prix win and bonus point for fastest lap. As Verstappen has … [Read more...] about How Verstappen can clinch third championship title in Qatar sprint race
Against all odds, Alpine secures the European title once again!
Signatech-Alpine had vowed to fight for victory in the 2014 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) season finale at Estoril in Portugal. Although second place would have sufficed to secure another crown regardless of the results of its rivals, the French outfit nonetheless approached this decisive outing just like any other. Similarly, as it has done on every occasion since May, the Alpine A450b underlined its ability to compete right up at the sharp end. From third on the starting grid, Nelson Panciatici had already moved up to second by the time the cars reached the first straight. The Frenchman kept in touch with the leading Zytek all the way through to the first driver change. Celebrating his 23rd birthday today, Paul-Loup Chatin took over at the wheel and had advanced to the front of the field by the end of the race’s opening hour. I’m thrilled to be the first driver to successfully defend the LMP2 class crown. Nelson Panciatici The battle for the lead intensified as … [Read more...] about Against all odds, Alpine secures the European title once again!
De Vries ready to fight for Formula E titles again after “hurt” of losing F1 drive
Nyck de Vries’ exit from Formula 1 was watched by those around him with anguish. His childhood dream, which he spent his career working towards, ended far more quickly than he must have expected after starting what was supposed to be his first full season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull made the tough decision to replace him after less than half a season, placing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri before the Hungarian Grand Prix. On paper it made sense: Despite his team mate Yuki Tsunoda having just two points on the board at the time, De Vries was yet to get off the mark and had made some costly errors on-track. The axe fell after three tough races finishing near the back in Canada, Austria and Great Britain. Losing his seat before the halfway mark in the championship, shortly before his home race, seemed particularly tough even for the cutthroat world of Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton , Charles Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon all spoke out … [Read more...] about De Vries ready to fight for Formula E titles again after “hurt” of losing F1 drive
Bernie Ecclestone snubs Lewis Hamilton to hand F1 GOAT title to former title rival
Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is convinced that Max Verstappen has already established himself as the greatest driver in the history of the series. Statistically Lewis Hamilton sits atop the Formula 1 mountain with most race wins, podiums and pole positions among his records, while he and Michael Schumacher are the only seven-time World Champions, though these days it is Verstappen schooling the field. After defeating Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi 2021 World Championship decider, Verstappen went on to comfortably retain his title, while his level of domination in F1 2023 has re-written the record books as the Red Bull driver homes in on World title number three. Bernie Ecclestone crowns Max Verstappen F1 GOAT Verstappen embarked on a record-breaking 10 race winning streak between the 2023 Miami and Italian GPs, while Red Bull overall were on a run of 15 in a row, both streaks snapped by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Singapore. Verstappen though has returned to form in … [Read more...] about Bernie Ecclestone snubs Lewis Hamilton to hand F1 GOAT title to former title rival
Japanese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins the race and the teams’ title, Perez implodes
It was business as usual for Max Verstappen as the reigning World Champion wrapped up the Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull with his 13th win of this season at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman was matchless at the Suzuka circuit as he romped to the victory by almost 20 seconds ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris with Oscar Piastri third. His 26 points meant Red Bull won the Constructors’ Championship as they took an unassailable lead in the standings. However, it was a tale of two Red Bulls as Sergio Perez, twice pitting for a new front wing after hitting rivals, retired his RB19 from last place on lap 15 due to crash damage. The story of his race included two new front wings, two penalties, and a strange retired-unretired-retired situation. The Max Verstappen show resumes at Suzuka On a sweltering hot and windy Sunday at the Suzuka circuit, Max Verstappen lined up on pole position while Logan Sargeant, facing a 10-second penalty for Williams breaching the third … [Read more...] about Japanese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins the race and the teams’ title, Perez implodes