2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Piastri ignored his race engineer to pull off race-winning pass on Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri revealed he disregarded an instruction from his race engineer to pull off the overtaking move which won him the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
15 Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Piastri said his race engineer Tom Stallard urged him to treat his tyres gently at the beginning of both stints, but ignored him both times, and on the second occasion pulled off the pass which got him into the lead. Getting into clean air at that stage “won me the race,” said Piastri.

“I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that [pass] in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres. So my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘let’s not do that again’, basically. And I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside. At that point, I felt [that] trying to stay back and wait for Charles to deg[rade his tyres] was never going to happen. I thought we was just going to secure us P2.”

“I had a similar opportunity in the first stint. I felt like on lap two or three, I was just within DRS, but didn’t fully capitalise on that opportunity. And I got to the end of the straight thinking ‘if I had have done a couple of things a bit differently here, I maybe had a chance’. So when I had a similar opportunity after the pit stop, I had to take it. And I wouldn’t be sat here without that.”

‘Ignored his race engineer’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/15/...ss-on-leclerc/


‘He was perfect’: Jacques Villeneuve shares why Oscar Piastri’s Baku win was better than his maiden F1 victory
15 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Oscar Piastri’s second win better because he ‘didn’t crack under pressure’. Jacques Villeneuve is a man who knows a lot about having the bottle to claim race victories and world championship in Formula 1. He claimed the title in his sophomore season back in 1997, and had 11 race victories across his decade-long career.

Speaking about Piastri’s performance on Sky Sports F1, he admitted that it was about as faultless as you could expect. “Piastri’s win in Hungary is in the books, but this [Azerbaijan] is the one that he just mastered himself,” he said. “He did the overtaking, he was quick after, he didn’t crack under pressure. He was perfect.”

‘He was perfect’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jac...en-f1-victory/


Oscar Piastri makes typical remark as McLaren driver admits he had "50-50" chance of crashing
Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri got away with a risky move as he overtook pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and proceeded to hold on for his second victory of 2024
15 Sep 2024
By Tom Victor Sport Trends Writer
The Mirror

"To be honest, when I hit the brakes I was like 'There's a 50-50 chance whether I make this corner or not'," Piastri said. Leclerc put on a brave face as he attempted to explain why the recovery never came.

"Yeah I just broke the way I was breaking normally," the Ferrari driver admitted. "I saw you go in so I was like 'He's not going to release the brakes... okay, I'll just let him go and take the DRS and try to overtake you', and that never happened."

"To be honest there were about 10 laps where I thought it was going to happen," Piastri replied. "But once I got clean air I thought 'Okay, maybe my life will be a bit easier now'."

"50-50";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-prix-33673619


How Oscar Piastri won the 2024 Azerbaijan GP
Piastri produced a thrilling overtake on Lap 20 to take the lead from Charles Leclerc
15 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Oscar Piastri’s expert race-reading ability. The 23-year-old Australian is known for his very cool head behind the wheel and his exceptional ability to decisively read the race picture and make the bold decisions... The moment came on Lap 20 when he made an audacious lunge on Leclerc into Turn 1 from far back, managing to scoop the car up on the exit before slamming the door firmly shut in the face of his rival through Turn 2.

It wasn’t something anyone, including Ferrari, were expecting him to do at that moment but it turned out to be a race-winning brave move by earning him the crucial free air he described as “king” at the 2024 Belgian GP. “I went for a pretty big lunge but I managed and then hung on for dear life for the next laps. Once he dropped out of DRS it was a little bit more relaxing but there’s no relaxing lap around here.” Oscar Piastri.

‘Thrilling overtake’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/how...azerbaijan-gp/


Oscar Piastri’s win adds further complications to McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ enforcement
15 Sep 2024
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

The driver that launched his team ahead of Red Bull in the WCC was Oscar Piastri – mere days after McLaren admitted its so-called “papaya rules” would now begin favouring teammate Lando Norris.

In effect, “papaya rules” refer to McLaren’s rules of engagement between drivers. Now, even the decision to implement Norris-biased papaya rules has fallen flat.

With seven Grands Prix remaining in 2024, there will be plenty of opportunities for Norris to reestablish his place at the head of the McLaren team, and perhaps to usurp Max Verstappen in the championship standings. But if McLaren wants that to happen, it’s high time to get definitive.

‘Further complications to McLaren’s ‘papaya rules’ enforcement’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/mc...orris-baku-win


McLaren answer: Do team orders change after Piastri's victory?
15 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Oscar Piastri has won his second ever Grand Prix in Azerbaijan, after overtaking Charles Leclerc on the second stint. The Australian has now equalled Lando Norris' number of victories as well. Following the race, team principal Andrea Stella explained whether this changes the team orders declared ahead of the weekend in Baku.

"I think I said already that we have two number one drivers, effectively. And having two number one drivers means that we approach things, first of all, in the interest of the team. The interest of the team is to win the Constructors' Championship. And yes, it's to win also the Drivers' Championship," the Italian team principal began to explain to GPblog and others following the Azerbaijan GP. "Lando was in the most favourable position before his race. I think he still is in the most favourable position. So more naturally, we would have supported Lando."

Stella continued by saying that, on the other hand, Norris could also help Piastri out today, even as he is the favoured driver. "I think we have evidence today that actually, interestingly, it was Lando supporting Oscar and enabling Oscar's victory thanks to driving for the team and driving to support his teammates. So I think that remains our approach. We always intended to review after every event with each driver, with the driver together, what was going to be the best approach for the next races. We will do it and set the plan for Singapore," he concluded.

‘Team order changes’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30148...do-norris.html


Lando Norris satisfied to play ‘small part’ in Oscar Piastri’s F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix win
15 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Lando Norris has expressed that he was satisfied to have managed a “small part” in helping McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri win Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Perez’s progress being disrupted behind Norris enabled Piastri to box two laps later and retain the place, where he then proceeded to pass Charles Leclerc to triumph.

“At that point I was still kind of stuck behind Alex [Albon], so I couldn’t do a lot,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “I didn’t slow down, I just saved my tyres a little bit more as they were overheating a little bit.”

“It allowed Oscar to stay ahead and potentially get the win today, so I’m happy to know I played a small part in that, and for us as a team, that’s what we need to do.”

‘Perez’s progress being disrupted behind Norris’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...rand-prix-win/


Lando Norris' F1 world title bid back from the dead as bold Brit cuts through the field to take down Max Verstappen and narrow gap by three points, writes JONATHAN McEVOY
15 Sep 2024
Jonathan McEvoy and Dmcontent
MailOnline

It looked all over, and then the body twitched. That is how Lando Norris’s world championship hopes refused to die in the space of a topsy-turvy 24 hours. On Saturday night, he qualified 17th for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the third-last place you want to be when you stand 62 points behind Max Verstappen with eight races remaining.

Last night, he could look back on a fine day’s work. One touched by a little luck, but at the centre of his fourth-place finish was a mighty drive in a lickety-split McLaren. Verstappen, who started sixth, finished fifth, his lead trimmed to 59 points.

‘Back from the dead’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...AN-McEVOY.html

[Fortitude]

Vasseur frustrated after Leclerc displayed 'mega' pace in Baku.
Speaking of the race, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said that the Scuderia will need to find out what has caused the issues during the hard-tyre stint after Leclerc dominated the opening stages of the race on the mediums.
16 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Despite having displayed dominant qualifying and race pace in Baku, Charles Leclerc lost another opportunity to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ferrari's team boss Fred Vasseur was understandably disheartened after the race, and stressed that the Scuderia need to clear several questions regarding its tyre management on the hard compound.

"The first part of the race went very well for Charles and his pace was mega. Then we need to analyse the laps immediately after his pit stop as the pace proved to be too slow and in the end he had no tyres left anyway. Probably we were a bit too conservative at the start of the second stint but having to drive in dirty air was difficult for Charles and the result was it damaged the tyres. We will review everything carefully.”

‘What has caused the issues?;’

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25484


Vasseur laments Ferrari tyre approach after Baku disappointment
Despite claiming pole position, Charles Leclerc was beaten to victory in Baku by McLaren's Oscar Piastri
15 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

Fred Vasseur believes the 2024 Azerbaijan GP was a missed opportunity for Ferrari, as Charles Leclerc‘s hopes of victory failed to materialise despite starting on pole position with the team principal pointing to Ferrari’s tyre approach. Vasseur noted that Ferrari‘s pace during the first stint may have actually worked against them as it resulted in a false sense of optimism.

Vasseur indicated that Ferrari took a conservative tyre approach after switching to the hard tyres, which gave Piastri the opening to pass Leclerc and take the win. “In the first stint we felt very comfortable, especially with Charles. We dominated that part of the race. Perhaps, however, we were also far too optimistic then,” Vasseur told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com.

“The pit stop was okay, but we lost in both inlap and outlap. The first few laps with the tyre was important for the second stint, but it was probably not the right approach. We were immediately overtaken, and it was difficult to try to pass Piastri. And staying so long in dirty air damaged Charles’ tires.

‘Missed opportunity for Ferrari’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/vas...isappointment/


Leclerc pinpoints two errors that cost him victory at Azerbaijan GP
Leclerc had a six-second lead on Oscar Piastri going into the pit-stop phase of the 2024 Azerbaijan GP
15 Sep 2024
Adriano Boin
Total Motorsport

After the race Leclerc admitted he should have given Piastri a harder time when fighting for top spot, and revealed he and Ferrari were at a bit of a loss as to how McLaren were able to make the undercut so powerful.

“I think today we lost the race based on two misjudgments,” Leclerc told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com. “The first one I explained earlier: not fighting Oscar more was a mistake from my side, because then, with the different configurations, we were struggling to actually overtake back on the straight.”

“The second one is exactly this. We expected the undercut today to be a very difficult thing to do, just because we thought that the warm up on the hard will be extremely difficult. For some reason, I don’t really have the explanation yet, but we’ve got to look into how the gap went from six seconds to one and a half, because that is definitely not what we expected and that is a lot, even on a track where undercut are big.”

‘Two errors that cost him victory’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/cha...azerbaijan-gp/


Leclerc: ‘I didn’t quite defend as well as I should have’ in Azerbaijan GP
There was plenty of action on the streets of Baku, including a dramatic late collision
Sept 16, 2024
Freddie Cotton
FormulaNerds

Small Margins: After the race, Leclerc was asked by F1 media to pinpoint the moment that the race started to fall away from him: “I think as soon as we put the hard tyres on. The mediums were very competitive and the car felt good”, he said in response.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t do any high fuel running on my side in FP1/FP2 and we went for a set-up direction that maybe in the race was a bit more difficult to manage. Especially on the hard tyres, I was really struggling to just keep those rear tyres.”

“Towards the end I really thought that… in one corner or two I thought that I would put it in the wall. It was very close, but [we ended up] second today.”

‘Plenty of action’;

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


Charles Leclerc: Ferrari must review lost pit stop time to McLaren in F1 Azerbaijan GP
Sept 16, 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc has insisted that Ferrari must review the circumstances which saw him lose vital time to Oscar Piastri in the pits in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

“We expected the undercut today to be a very difficult thing to do, because we thought that the warm-up on the Hard would be extremely difficult,” Leclerc explained. I don’t really have the explanation yet because I haven’t gone into details.”

“But we’ve got to look into how the gap went from six seconds to one and a half, because that is definitely not what we expected. And that is a lot. Even on a track where undercuts are big, it’s still four seconds and a half or four seconds – a lot of lap time loss, which I don’t exactly know why and where we’ve lost this lap time.”

‘Gap went from six seconds to one and a half’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...azerbaijan-gp/


‘Cocky’ Carlos Sainz ‘got into trouble’ in Baku with ‘beginners’ crash verdict issued
16 Sep 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Ralf Schumacher says Carlos Sainz got “cocky” in his late charge in Baku while Helmut Marko has dubbed it a “beginners” crash that shouldn’t happen with drivers of Sainz and Sergio Perez’s experience. Perez called Sainz a “f**king idiot” as he made it clear he felt the Ferrari driver was to blame while Sainz questioned “what happened”.

Schumacher answered that, telling Sky Deutschland: “Sainz came along, [then] Sainz got really cocky and wanted his own team-mate too. “He didn’t know where to go and got into trouble. For whatever reason, he moved over, but Perez didn’t move to the side either. They touched each other and I say misery against misery.”

The German added: “Both have so much experience, that doesn’t have to happen so close to the end. You have to take the points.” Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko agreed with Schumacher’s take on the collision that Sainz was the one who caused it by moving over. “I see a rather abrupt movement to the left by Sainz, which ultimately caused this crash,” he said. “I completely agree with Ralf.”

‘Cocky’ Carlos Sainz ‘got into trouble’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/cocky-...-crash-verdict


Sainz explains 'drift' that led to Perez crash in Azerbaijan GP
Carlos Sainz saw a potential podium in Baku end in tears following a late-race incident with Sergio Perez.
15 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Carlos Sainz has explained the "drift" that resulted in his race-ending crash with Sergio Perez at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. When asked to detail what he would tell the stewards, Sainz told media, including RacingNews365: “That I did my normal racing line and the line that we all do on every lap of this track. Exiting Turn 2, we always drift a bit towards the left, but without doing any weird or erratic manoeuvre.”

‘We always drift a bit towards the left…’;

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-expl...-azerbaijan-gp


Carlos Sainz denies he was “aggressive” in race-ending Sergio Perez crash
Carlos Sainz doesn't think he was "aggressive" during his race-ending clash with Sergio Perez.
15 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

“I didn’t do any erratic manoeuvres or aggressive moves on Checo. For some reason, which I still don’t understand, we collided. That was the end.”

“I still don’t understand…’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...io-perez-crash

[Fortitude]

Mercedes “not fooling ourselves” over Baku performance after Russell’s podium.
“Inheriting a podium and finishing third is better than we expected, but we are not fooling ourselves that, on pace today, we were P5,” said Wolff.
16th September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

George Russell was promoted from fifth to third by the collision between Carlos Sainz Jnr and Sergio Perez at the end of the race. Wolff said the team know that flattered their performance in Baku. “We will analyse the race and weekend as a whole. The second half of our grand prix on the hard tyre was encouraging. George was able to keep the temperatures under control and, having driven within himself early in the stint, was able to deliver strong pace in the closing stages.” Toto Wolff.

“Not fooling ourselves”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/16/...nd-up-16-09-7/


Why Russell is 'infuriated' despite inheriting Baku podium
Sep 15, 2024
Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race

An Azerbaijan Grand Prix podium fell into George Russell's lap in the final laps - yet the Mercedes Formula 1 man found the Baku race "pretty infuriating" and struggled to hide his frustrations in the aftermath.

"We'll definitely take the podium but it was such an odd race," Russell remarked post-race to F1TV, before launching into something of an unprompted tirade. "The first half of the race, we were 1.5s off the pace. The last 20 laps, I was a second quicker than Oscar [Piastri] and Charles [Leclerc] and three tenths quicker than Max, Checo and Carlos.”

"It's the same circuit, same driver, same car. We just went from a yellow tyre [medium] to a white tyre [hard]. Honestly, it's actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much."

'Infuriated';

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...aku-f1-podium/


George Russell demands 'serious conversations' as Mercedes ace fuming at Azerbaijan GP
George Russell scored an impressive result in Baku but was furious when he stepped out of the cockpit.
Sep 15, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

George Russell has demanded 'serious conversations' about the performance of F1's Pirelli tyres after labelling his experience on the Italian manufacturer's rubber as 'infuriating' in Baku.

“It’s the same circuit, same driver, same car – we just went from a yellow tyre to a white tyre. Honestly, it is actually pretty infuriating that it changes this much. It’s not just the Mercedes, it’s every team and every driver. One session, you’re fast, the next you’re not. And there’s only one thing that changes.”

Russell continued his rant, pointing fingers at Pirelli. He fumed: "I think even the people who make the tyres don’t understand the tyre. I think we all need probably serious conversations again about what’s going on, because we’ve got 2,000 people working their butts off to deliver the fastest car.”

‘People who make the tyres don’t understand the tyre’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...jan-Grand-Prix


Russell “shocked” by minute-long VSC delay after Sainz-Perez crash
15th September 2024
Will Wood
RacingNews365

George Russell was “shocked” by how long race control took to deploy the Virtual Safety Car after the crash on the penultimate lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Speaking after the race, Russell said the most difficult part of the race was “driving full gas into a wall of carbon fibre on the penultimate lap.”

“That was pretty crazy,” Russell continued. “The sun was coming down. You couldn’t see anything. I was shocked the Safety Car or VSC obviously didn’t come out sooner. The car could have been anywhere. Glad to see everybody was okay. It was a long old race and glad to be on the podium.”

‘Minute-long VSC delay’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/15/...z-perez-crash/


Russell reveals 'shock' after Sainz-Perez collision
15 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

George Russell has highlighted his “shock” that a safety car intervention was not called sooner following the penultimate lap crash between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. The duo came together on the straight between Turns 2 and 3 as they battled for the final spot on the podium.

Mercedes driver Russell benefited from the coming together as he leapt from fifth to third to secure his third podium of the year. But when asked to pinpoint his most difficult moment of the grand prix, Russell replied: “Driving full gas into a wall of carbon fibre on the penultimate lap. That was pretty crazy.”

'Shock';

https://racingnews365.com/russell-re...erez-collision


Lewis Hamilton reveals component on Mercedes F1 car “wasn’t correctly built”
"One of the components wasn’t correctly built. That led us the wrong way then on Saturday."
15 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Speaking to media including Crash.net after the race in Baku, Hamilton said: “We had a great car on Friday. We made the tiniest changes into Saturday. One of the components wasn’t correctly built. That led us the wrong way then on Saturday.

“We didn’t find out until the end of the day. Being this race was the best race they said at least to make the change. “We need one engine as I lost one earlier. We knew it was going to be a tough day.” Crash.net asked Hamilton what the component was but he refused to comment.

“Wasn’t correctly built”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...orrectly-built


Hamilton makes remarkable Mercedes 'yank' revelation
Lewis Hamilton salvaged two points after a recovery drive in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
16 Sep 2024
Nick Golding & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he had to "yank" his steering wheel throughout the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in an attempt to turn his Mercedes W15. Hamilton was forced to use an unusual driving-style in a bid to "slide" his W15 through all the corners, caused by the 39-year-old having too much front-end and no rear-end.

He made multiple remarks over the radio during the race, in a bid for the Brackley-based outfit to see how he was having to drive. The steering difficulties for Hamilton were triggered by a poor car balance, which the 105-time race winner made a staggering revelation over.

"It was the worst balance I probably ever had, one of the worst balances," Hamilton told select media including RacingNews365. "Basically I had so much front-end and no rear. [To turn] I had to yank the steering to break the traction from the front, slide the front through every corner. It's the weirdest way to drive."

‘Had to "yank" his steering wheel’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-m...ank-revelation


Toto Wolff responds to Lewis Hamilton’s ‘you see how I’m driving this thing’ W15 comment
17 Sep 2024
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Team boss Toto Wolff took to team radio afterward to tell Hamilton: “Lewis, good to make it to the end, that was a horror race. I can so relate to it, we can all relate to it. At least we have taken the penalty now. Let’s move forward, look forward.”

Hamilton didn’t respond to Wolff’s radio call, with race engineer Pete Bonnington telling his driver “Well done” as Hamilton returned to the pits.

‘You see how I’m driving this thing W15’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-azerbaijan-gp


Lewis Hamilton's response to Toto Wolff's radio message sums up Mercedes 'disaster'
Lewis Hamilton finished ninth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having started from the pit lane after being penalised for exceeding his power unit allowance this season
16 Sep 2024
Nathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter
The Mirror

A disgruntled Lewis Hamilton stayed silent after boss Toto Wolff admitted that Mercedes had a 'horror race' at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton was silent, though, continuing to drive before his engineer, Peter Bonnington, resumed communication to guide the Brit back to the garage. With just seven Grands Prix remaining before he moves to Ferrari, Hamilton is desperate to finish his final season with the Silver Arrows on a high after 11 stellar years.

‘Hamilton was silent’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...cedes-33677469

[Fortitude]

Gutted Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez could have won F1 Azerbaijan GP.
Red Bull’s gutted team principal Horner told Sky Sports about Perez: “He deserved a lot more. Carlos drifts across the circuit.”
15 Sep 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Christian Horner insisted that Sergio Perez could have won the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix without the misfortune that hindered him. “Very disappointing. He should have, at least, been on the podium. It destroyed the race for Checo, it did a lot of damage, and cost us vital points in the constructors’ championship.”

Horner was asked if Perez could have caught Piastri before his crash with Sainz. “Difficult,” he responded. “Unfortunately he lost quite a bit of time on his out-laps after Alex Albon. “Then Lando cost him dearly which gave Oscar the track position.”

“Without that, he would have won the race today. It’s one of those things that is heartbreaking for the team, to lose a podium in the dying laps of the race.”

‘Deserved a lot more’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105560...-azerbaijan-gp


Anatomy of Azerbaijan F1 chaos as Sergio Perez labels Carlos Sainz ‘F------ idiot’ – plus who was at fault
Rivals’ collision on dramatic penultimate lap sparks fury with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claiming victory
15 Sep 2024
Luke Slater
The Telegraph

Telegraph Sport’s verdict: This was a pretty amateurish crash but the blame should fall more on Sainz’s shoulders. As the stewards noted, it is always the case that both drivers can almost always do more to avoid a collision, but that does not mean liability should be apportioned equally.

The comments about normal racing lines are one thing – and go some way to exonerating Sainz – but should they really be applicable when cars are battling in close quarters? At that point, “normal” racing lines tend to overlap significantly.

In the replays you can see Sainz checks his mirrors just before he moves over, however slightly, on Pérez. The sun, which was low in the sky at this point in the day, could have decreased Sainz’s visibility too. Still, he was the one who moved on to Pérez and said he knew he was there.

‘F1 chaos’;

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-...verdict-fault/


Perez left “super frustrated” as Sainz collision costs podium shot
SEPTEMBER 15, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

“I’m super frustrated that we both ended up our weekends like that for our teams,” he said when asked by this writer about the incident. And it’s just a shame, because when we exited Turn 2, there was a metre between the cars, and then within a metre or two, we ended up making contact.” Sergio Perez.

“Obviously I understand what Carlos was trying to do, to follow Charles’s tow, but I was there, and it all happened very quickly. As he was having more speed the way he moved meant that he touched my front right tyre quite quickly.”

“Super frustrated”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/15/...s-podium-shot/


Sergio Perez fumes at Carlos Sainz in team radio spray after 'disastrous' crash
Sep 15, 2024
Damien McCartney
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports

Sainz looked to make a move around the outside of his teammate into the corner, which then compromised his exit and allowed Perez to come back at him on the long run to turn three.

It was here that Sainz' left-rear tyre made light contact with Perez' front-right, which turfed them both into the concrete wall on the left hand side of the Baku street circuit. "What the f---, is he an idiot or what? Is he crazy or what? F---ing idiot!" Perez raged on team radio as the two cars came to a grinding halt.

“Is he crazy or what?”;

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...16-p5kau8.html


Unseen Footage Shows Sergio Perez Confront Carlos Sainz After Crash
16 Sep 2024
Alp Salfur
Give Me Sport

The Mexican Red Bull driver had made his immediate thoughts post-accident clear with a tirade of expletives on the team radio. All the while, Sainz just couldn't believe what had happened.

In the footage shared by Sky Sports, it can be seen from Perez's onboard camera that he approached the Spaniard, who was still in his Ferrari, before seemingly tapping on the latter's helmet and showing clear frustration towards his rival.

‘Unseen Footage’;

https://www.givemesport.com/unseen-f...ainz-crash-f1/


Perez’s father rushed to hospital after late Baku crash
Sergio Perez's father, Antonio Perez Garibay, was hospitalised on Sunday after suffering a pre-infarction.
17 Sep 2024
Roy Stroot & Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Antonio Perez Garibay, the father of F1 driver Sergio Perez, was hospitalised on Sunday following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The 65-year-old former politician was found unconscious in his bathroom and rushed to a hospital in Mexico City. When in hospital, it was revealed that Perez Senior suffered a pre-infarction.

The incident, according to the PR department, reportedly occurred right after his son's crash in Baku, after which the Mexican Red Cross treated him. However, it has not been confirmed whether Perez is still in the hospital or has since returned home, but Mediotiempo reports that while he remains under care, he should be permitted to leave the hospital on Tuesday.

Antonio Perez himself, from the hospital, commented on the incident to Mediotiempo: “Everything happened after the [Baku] accident. “The shock of the accident may have caused this. They are already checking my heart to see why I fainted.”

‘The incident... ...reportedly occurred right after his son's crash’;

https://racingnews365.com/perezs-fat...ate-baku-crash


Horner refuses to give up in championship battle: 'We took a big hit'
16 Sep 2024
Jenny Garnett
GPblog.com

Christian Horner has not put the possibility of conquering both the Driver and Consturctor Championships out of his mind, he explained to GPblog and other media. "We took a big hit in the constructors today, but we've got 20 points deficit now. So we've got to attack. We've still got seven races to go, two sprint races to go. But there's a lot of points up for grabs and a lot of different circuits coming up. So it's far from over."

Meanwhile, it is clear that the upcoming race in Singapore will not see any updates on Verstappen's and Perez's cars. After the race in Asia, there will be a three-week break before the US Grand Prix in Austin. There, Red Bull plans to use an improved version of the RB20. "We're pushing hard," Horner said. "We're now not defending, we're chasing, so it changes the dynamic again. And we're just going to throw everything at it."

"We're pushing hard";

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30168...t-give-up.html


Verstappen warns McLaren: 'Then they need a perfect season ending'
16 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Max Verstappen thinks Red Bull Racing has taken a clear step in the right direction in Baku. Verstappen may have had a disappointing result in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he said earlier this weekend that his team had made clear progress. Thefore, the his previous description of calling the car a 'monster' no longer applies to the RB20.

All in all, Verstappen remained positive after the weekend in Azerbaijan. "Of course, I would have liked to extend the gap. But, yeah, with our race today, I'm still happy that it was only that," said the Red Bull driver. He also added: "I think if we do a better job ourselves, they [McLaren] need to have a perfect end to the year."

‘Verstappen warns McLaren’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30160...ents-baku.html


Horner has one clear goal for Red Bull: 'Help Verstappen against Norris'
15 Sep 2024
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Christian Horner remained clear about team orders at Red Bull Racing. Now, the British team principal has once again declared that the team's focus is helping Max Verstappen to win his fourth drivers' title. '' We've got a driver that's fighting for a world championship. It's a team sport, so it's very clear that Checo’s job is there to support Max to the end of the year.''

'Help Verstappen against Norris';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30145...roach-odd.html


Horner finds saving grace in Azerbaijan after difficult day for Red Bull
15 September at 20:00
Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez looked to be on course to finish on the podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but his hopes of finishing in the top 3 in Grand Prix for the first time since China ended after he crashed out with Carlos Sainz. Moreover, Max Verstappen finished in P5, and McLaren now leads the constructors' standings as well. Christian Horner referred to the Azerbaijan weekend as a "frustrating" one, but he still found some positives.

"It's frustrating, particularly after where Lando qualified, that we didn't beat him today. But thankfully, he hasn't scored big points. But we've got to build on what we've learned already and there's still a lot of racing to do," Horner remained confident.

‘Still found some positives’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30151...ris-title.html

[Fortitude]

Rookie Colapinto impresses at Williams: Was Sainz the right choice for '25?
Franco Colapinto has only two Grands Prix to his name, but the Argentine has demonstrated he is an asset to Formula 1.
16 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

His eighth-place finish in Baku—even ahead of Lewis Hamilton—is proof that Williams made the right decision to bring him in as a replacement for the dismissed Logan Sargeant. But is it also a wise move that Colapinto has to make way for Carlos Sainz after this F1 season?

Williams deliberately chose not to have a rookie. A few weeks ago, Williams was overjoyed to have secured Carlos Sainz for 2025 and beyond. Sainz is a proven Grand Prix winner who has worked at Ferrari at the top level. Team boss James Vowles even ranked him among the top three drivers on the grid. Williams is convinced that the Spaniard can reach a fairly consistent level and should be able to score points regularly.

It's easy to talk in hindsight. And yes, Colapinto, too, will probably make a stupid mistake somewhere in the remaining races, thus throwing away important points. But in retrospect, signing Sainz does not seem to have been necessary at all, as I am sure the Spaniard would not get much more - if any at all - out of the Williams. Moreover, Colapinto would have been a cheaper option, and he appears to be a huge magnet for sponsors from Argentina. The main argument: Colapinto is only 21 years old, and Williams could enjoy him for many years to come.

‘Rookie Colapinto impresses’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30167...colapinto.html


Colapinto: Williams made a “difficult bet” giving me race seat
SEPT 17, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Franco Colapinto admits that his Williams Formula 1 team and its boss James Vowles made a “difficult bet” by promoting him to a race seat and ousting Logan Sargeant. “They showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat,” he said of the Williams decision.
“It was a very difficult bet, and a bet that many people didn’t understand. But I hope I come to be showing what I’m capable of, that I deserve a seat in F1. The opportunity that James gave me is helping me to show that. I am just doing a lot of work to try to learn quick I have very little mileage in an F1 car.”

“It’s only two races, and FP1, and a few laps in Abu Dhabi last year. But I think with the little mileage I got to be in the points in the second race, is something really positive, and really good.”

“Difficult bet”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/17/...-me-race-seat/


‘Didn’t understand’: Franco Colapinto reveals ‘very difficult bet’ Williams made which he has already proven right
16 Sep 2024
Shay Rogers
F1 Oversteer

Franco Colapinto proving that Williams made correct call in ‘very difficult bet’. It’s a shame that Williams have already confirmed Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon as their drivers for 2025 because things might have changed if they had seen Colapinto in their car sooner. With incredibly limited running, he has taken to the faster cars like a duck to water and is deservedly earning plaudits for the feat.

Speaking to Motorsport.com after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Argentine discussed the bet that Williams made on him. “They showed so much confidence and trust in putting me in a seat,” he said. “It was a very difficult bet, and a bet that many people didn’t understand. But I hope to be showing what I’m capable of and that I deserve a seat in Formula 1. The idea and the opportunity that James gave me are helping me to show that.”

‘Didn’t understand’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fra...-proven-right/


Colapinto had “big confidence boost” after Williams crew fixed crashed FW46
14 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

Franco Colapinto says that his crash in FP1 in Baku had a positive outcome as the Williams Formula 1 crew gave him a “big confidence boost” and “energy” after repairing his FW46. “Yeah, it was difficult,” he said when asked by the writer about the setback of the early crash.

“But more difficult it was going to be if I couldn’t do FP2. And luckily, the boys in the garage did an amazing job to put the car back out. They didn’t even have lunch, but they were working flat out to put my car out in FP2.”

“And after they did that, they gave me a big confidence boost and a lot of energy to try and achieve a good result for them, for the effort that they have been doing this year, and it was nice today to give them back a little bit of what they gave me.

‘Didn’t even have lunch, but they were working flat out’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/14/...-crashed-fw46/


'The situation': Journalist gives main reason why Franco Colapinto can't race with Sauber next, due to reason out of his control
17 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Franco Colapinto does not have the budget to race for Sauber. With RB likely to look in-house for any driver to pair Yuki Tsunoda in 2025, it means Colapinto would only stand a chance at the opening in Sauber alongside Nico Hulkenberg. There are questions over whether Colapinto is in the running for a seat in 2025, given there are two seats still left at RB and Sauber. According to journalist Julianne Cerasoli on YouTube, there could be a major barrier to Colapinto’s chances.

“Does Colapinto stand a chance at taking Bortoleto’s seat at Sauber? I went to talk to people who are closest to Colapinto to understand the situation and the question whether he was in talks with Sauber and they looked at me and said ‘no’ as if it was the most absurd question,” said Cerasoli.

“Then I understood the situation a little bit more and he doesn’t have the budget to do F1 as a starter next year. He’s talking about a budget of around 15 million, 10, 12, 15 million dollars to do F1 next year to take up the place at Sauber and he doesn’t have that kind of money. He would also be tied to his contract at Williams.”

'The situation';

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fra...f-his-control/


Uncovered: The huge Williams upgrade package unlocking big FW46 gains
17 Sep 2024
Uros Radovanovic
PlanetF1.com

Williams is looking better than ever this season, scoring an impressive 10 points with both drivers finishing in the top 10 – a feat we haven’t seen from the team in quite some time.

Their first major aerodynamic upgrade package was introduced two weekends ago in the Netherlands, and the improvements are already very noticeable in Azerbaijan. Let’s dive into how the upgraded FW46 has evolved and which key changes have made a real difference on the track.

By Saturday, it was clear that the positive changes were making an impact, with the FW46 looking sharp on the circuit. The last time Williams had both drivers in Q3 was at Las Vegas last year – a track bearing some similarities to the Azerbaijan circuit.

‘Huge Williams upgrade package’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/un...big-fw46-gains


“Plenty of opportunity” left for Williams after passing Alpine in championship
17th Sep 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Vowles praised Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto for delivering the team’s biggest points haul since he took charge last year. “It’s not easy doing a one-stop here, pushing the tyres to the absolute limits of life and not making a single mistake and they both did that today admirably,” he said in a video released by the team. “Off to Singapore next, I’m excited to see what we can deliver there and beyond. There is plenty of opportunity left in this championship.”

Vowles said the last three races have shown the progress the team has made with its latest upgrade. “You can now see across Zandvoort, Monza and here we were able to get the car into qualifying three, except this weekend both cars were there. In terms of the race itself, we try two different strategies, really, to race Fernando.”

They are very, very strong, he’s a very clever driver and it was difficult to get ahead of him. I think they had just slightly better degradation than we did relative to Alex, and that’s something we need to look into. But the car pace is there or thereabouts. Then towards the end of the race, Franco just doing a brilliant job, staying within just a few seconds of Alex, ready to pick up anything that came our way and, it did in a big way.”

“Plenty of opportunity”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/17/...nd-up-17-09-7/


Albon explains how Williams pace put him in an ‘awkward position’ in Baku
15 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Alex Albon raced to a very solid P7 in Azerbaijan, but was mixing it with the leaders in the first half of the race.

‘Awkward position’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/al...67519672229576

[Fortitude]

‘I was a little bit cautious’ – Bearman assesses his performance after points on Haas debut.
Ollie Bearman finished 10th in Baku to grab a point on his debut for the Haas team, ahead of his first full season with the American squad next year.
15 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘10th in Baku to grab a point on his debut for the Haas’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/i-...68398795347936


Exclusive - Behind the scenes of Bearman's Haas F1 debut
16 Sep 2024
Alex Kalinauckas
Motorsport.com

The day before Motorsport.com sidled into the back of Haas's garage at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oliver Bearman had already made a point of getting to know all his mechanics working in this critical spot.

He’d gone around the whole Haas squad and said hello on Thursday – a new bundle of energy after the American team had gotten used to the laid-back unruffledness of two season pros in Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg for the last two seasons.

We watch as he gets his helmet strapped on, takes in last words from his personal support team (Enzo Mucci and Jamie Smith) and climbs aboard. Experienced F1 race engineer Mark Slade runs him through switch and systems settings on the steering wheel, then it’s off for the first of three runs – two medium stints either side of a soft run.

‘Exclusive - Behind the scenes’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/-...ebut/10654863/


Report: What Oliver Bearman did behind the scenes that was ‘impressive’ to Haas staff during Azerbaijan Grand Prix
16 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Haas impressed by Oliver Bearman’s quick-learning attitude. After finishing in 10th place at the end of the Azerbaijan GP, Bearman made an impression within the Haas team including team principal Ayao Komatsu. “Not perfect, but pretty impressive,” said Komatsu, referencing Bearmans weekend.

According to the report, other Haas members felt he made a greater impression off the track rather than with his performances in the Grand Prix. Bearman’s ‘quick learning attitude’ was highlighted as a reason why he received high praise, having also impressed Hulkenberg with his ability to stay calm under pressure.

‘Quick learning attitude’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wha...an-grand-prix/


Oliver Bearman did something no F1 racer has ever done in Azerbaijan GP drive
Ferrari-backed Oliver Bearman stepped in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Brit crossing the line 10th to score points for the second time this year
17 Sep 2024
Nathan Ridley Senior Sports Reporter
The Mirror

British wonderkid Oliver Bearman has become the first ever Formula 1 driver to score points on his debut for two different teams within the same season.

Bearman, who's just 19, drove for Haas on Sunday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, impressively finishing 10th. The Ferrari-backed teenager tussled with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Haas team-mate Nico Hulkenberg to secure a point, marking the second time that he's finished inside the top 10 this year.

In March, at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman was handed a late call-up by Ferrari and stepped in for the injured Carlos Sainz. The Chelmsford-born sensation drove superbly to clinch P7 and was hailed for his incredible debut.

‘British wonderkid’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-haas-33684030


The hidden winner of Bearman's and Colapinto's Baku heroics
Bearman and Colapinto have adapted well to life in F1 after stepping up from F2
Sep 18, 2024
Ewan Gale
Motorsport.com

The performances of Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix left Haas and Williams with plenty to mull over.

For Haas, Bearman's pace out of the box in Baku was impressive – matching team-mate Nico Hulkenberg and securing a point for finishing 10th, becoming the first driver in F1 history to score for two different teams in his first two appearances.

His recovery from a practice crash was far from rookie-like and the smiles in the garage across the weekend showed a synergy that has already been developed through his development with the team ahead of his full-time drive next season.

‘Hidden winner’;

https://www.motorsport.com/fia-f2/ne...oics/10655204/


Bearman reveals Hamilton edge over F1 rivals after ‘yo-yo’ Baku battle
Ollie Bearman finished 10th on his Haas debut, after duelling with Lewis Hamilton in Azerbaijan.
16 Sep 2024
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers

Detailing his first on-track battle with the seven-time world champion, Bearman expressed his frustration at a minor mistake. "We were going like a yo-yo quite a lot," Bearman told media including RacingNews365 of his battle with Hamilton.

"I was pushing hard some laps to overtake Franco, and my tyres were really quite hot - and it was exactly at that point he popped up on [the back of] me. He overtook quite easily, and then I needed a few laps but caught him back up, so yeah, it is annoying that I let him overtake, but you know, with a guy like that, you can't make little mistakes.”

"You know when you go around the outside, he is going to leave you space, which is a nice feeling. I knew he wasn't going to put me in the wall, which is a bit less sure with some other drivers, and it is always very clean, but hard when you race him."

‘Hamilton edge’;

https://racingnews365.com/bearman-re...yo-baku-battle


Oliver Bearman's lie-in: Haas recruit reaps benefit of F1 schedule in Baku
Sep 16th 2024
Chris Medland
Motor Sport Magazine

Perks of being an F1 driver? There must be a number of upsides to being a Formula 1 driver, but it’s funny what really stands out for those who are just making their way into the sport. Ollie Bearman didn’t really get a flavour of the full race weekend in Jeddah because his call-up to race for Ferrari came on Saturday morning ahead of FP3, so Baku was his first experience of a normal build-up and the entire weekend schedule as he substituted for Kevin Magnussen at Haas.

And what was one of the perks that he found himself really enjoying on Friday? Being able to have a lie in. Bearman was only just walking into the paddock for the first time — and dealing with plenty of fans even at a quiet race — just 15 minutes before Formula 2’s practice session got underway at 11am.

That would have meant an earlier start had he still been racing for Prema this weekend, but it’s on a race weekend that includes F3 that the F2 drivers really feel it as they go through a briefing that has to be held before F3’s early-morning running due to the crossover in FIA personnel. So while he has often needed to be at track not long after sunrise and then waiting a number of hours before driving the F2 car, Bearman was enjoying his more relaxed start to each day in the F1 paddock.

‘Perks: Being able to have a lie in’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


In the footsteps of Antonelli and Bearman: 'F2 and F3 are booming'
16 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

With Franco Colapinto, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, drivers advancing from the step-up classes to Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 are currently more than demonstrating their worth. CEO Bruno Michel can be satisfied: The junior series is thriving like never before, both financially and sportingly. "At the moment, the business is booming. There is money, there are drivers. But we always need to be very careful," states the Frenchman.

Bruno also believes that a driver who is really good enough will eventually find their way to the top in motorsport. "I've never seen a driver at this kind of level not being able to progress because of money issues. Because now, the good thing is that most of the F1 teams have academies. They're looking for drivers. And when the driver has talent, they're picking him up and they're helping him. It doesn't mean that they put their whole budget on, but they're really helping him quite a lot."

'F2 and F3 are booming';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29995...s-booming.html

[Fortitude]

Alonso lands sixth for Aston on “opportunistic Sunday”.
Fernando Alonso earned a valuable sixth place for his Aston Martin Formula 1 team on an “opportunistic Sunday” in Baku having taking advantage of the late collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. It was Aston’s best result since Alonso finished sixth at Montreal in June.
16 Sep 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

“Yeah, definitely quite happy,” he said when asked by this writer about his race. “Obviously, on a normal weekend, only ninth and 10th is available for the midfield teams.”

“And today, thanks to some action in front of us, sixth was available, and we were there to take it. So yeah, an opportunistic Sunday for us, a lot of points. So happy for the team.”

“Yeah, definitely quite happy”;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/09/16/...nistic-sunday/


Alonso left impressed by Azerbaijan 'outstanding risk'
Fernando Alonso bagged his best result since Canada earlier this year following a run to sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
16 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso has hailed the “outstanding risk” on display from the entire F1 field during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “I think the level of risk and precision that you have to apply in a race like today is outstanding, for everybody, all 20 drivers,” Alonso told media including RacingNews365.

“With a low level of grip, I think we were driving close to 100% every lap. It was very impressive that there was no safety car or no accident happened in the race. “It was no different for us, obviously, Monza P11, not really any prize from that race, and here a lot of points, so one compensated the other.”

'Outstanding risk';

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-lef...tstanding-risk


Alonso happy with ‘opportunistic Sunday’ as Stroll reflects on ‘frustrating weekend’ after contact with Tsunoda
17 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

That was Alonso’s best finish since he also finished sixth in Canada, eight races ago. “The pace today was better than expected, degradation was better than expected,” the Spaniard said. “We stopped on Lap 13 and carried to the end with one set of hards with good pace. It was a little bit of a lonely race for me with nobody ahead to fight with. We were able to follow the trend around us on a one-stop strategy and we maintained the position to those chasing us behind. It was still a tough race with no time to relax.”

Lance Stroll’s race was compromised from the very first lap in Baku, as contact with Yuki Tsunoda’s RB gave him a puncture, the resulting pit stop dropping him to last place. “My race was pretty much over on the first lap when [Yuki] Tsunoda and I made contact. I dived down the inside – I'm not sure if he saw me or not – but he closed the door and I had to pit with a puncture,” Stroll said.

‘Opportunistic Sunday’ vs. ‘Frustrating weekend’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...RyK7Vwd0OhDLyw


Fernando Alonso reveals secret Adrian Newey meeting to land Aston Martin signature
Fernando Alonso was determined for Aston Martin to get their man
16 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Fernando Alonso revealed he had a secret chat with Adrian Newey around the time of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix in a successful bid to coax the legendary designer to Aston Martin for the 2025 Formula 1 season. “I texted him for sure,” Alonso told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Like everybody did that I wanted to work with him.”

“And I saw him also at the Monaco Historic GP that he was racing that week as well and we spent half an hour chatting. We all tried to persuade him. I think, ultimately, Lawrence [Stroll] and his vision the new factory and what Aston Martin wants for the future to work with Honda as well were probably key factors. Listening to what Adrian said yesterday.”

‘Fernando Alonso was determined for Aston Martin to get their man’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/fer...tin-signature/


‘Have to question’: Ralf Schumacher wonders if 22-pole driver has ‘lost his interest’ in F1 after what he’s seen lately
13 Sep 2024
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Excitement is building about the future of Aston Martin in Formula 1 after the team acquired the services of Adrian Newey. The Silverstone team are making huge strides off the track with Lawrence Stroll bringing serious investment in his effort to win the championship. But according to Schumacher, Alonso has ‘lost his interest’ in F1 and no longer has the ability to challenge for the top.

Speaking with Formel1.de, Ralf Schumacher cast doubt over Alonso about his future in F1. He said: “If he wants to become world champion then of course he also has to have two top drivers, and I do not want to offend his son, he has certainly become good now. But you still have to ask the question of how good Fernando Alonso is, that is also a question to be honest.”

“If you look at the last races now, you can say that Lance has gotten better, or that Fernando has also lost his interest a bit. At the moment, you do not know for sure.” Even Martin Brundle has noticed how unhappy Alonso has been as the team look nowhere near the top four in terms of performance as they sit fifth in the constructors’ standings, 218 points behind Mercedes.

‘Have to question’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ral...s-seen-lately/


Mansell critical of Ferrari missing out on Newey: 'Lost an opportunity'
18 September at 19:30
Last update 18 September at 19:30
18 Sep 2024
Jenny Garnett
GPblog.com

Last week, it was announced that Adrian Newey will join Aston Martin and design their Formula 1 car from 2025. The highly regarded designer comes over from Red Bull Racing, where he enjoyed years of success. Former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell thinks Ferrari have missed out on a game-changing opportunity.

According to Mansell, Ferrari have made a mistake in not doing more to tempt Newey to their team. "Ferrari, I love them. I love them. I really do, but they lost an opportunity because whoever gets Adrian Newey is almost assured of having a fantastic few years. And I think Aston Martin have done something very special in securing his services," the Briton reveals to Crash.net.

By signing the designer, Mansell thinks Aston Martin have struck gold. The former Ferrari and Williams driver thinks Newey will make a big impact at his new team. "I think people have underestimated as well that I don't think Adrian was totally happy in the last few years with Red Bull and what a fantastic job he's done and I think now being in the UK, being with Aston Martin, I think Adrian will find a little bit more energy and a bit more direction," Mansell said.

'Lost an opportunity';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30198...ian-newey.html


Ferrari accused of being “short-sighted” for not meeting Adrian Newey’s demands
"Ferrari, I love them. I love them. I really do, but they lost an opportunity because whoever gets Adrian Newey is almost assured of having a fantastic few years."
18 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Mansell exclusively told Crash.net and Sportscasting: “As soon as I heard that Ferrari were baulking at possibly the wage bill that Adrian wanted. I think that was short sighted of them.” Mansell is adamant Newey’s move to Aston Martin will give him “a little more energy”, predicting that he could “do something very special” when he joins next year.

“And I mean, I'll be fascinated to watch with all the sporting fans around the world, just how quickly it comes to the fore. I think now being in the UK, being with Aston Martin, I think Adrian will find a little bit more energy and a bit more direction,” he added.

“And that's frightening for everybody to maybe listen to those words because he does such a fantastic job. And if he feels comfortable, which I'm sure he does with Aston Martin, I think watch this space. I think he could do something very special.”

‘Watch this space’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105566...neweys-demands


Jeremy Clarkson makes next F1 prediction after revealing Newey's secret
18 Sept 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Jeremy Clarkson has made his next Formula 1 prediction after correctly revealing Adrian Newey's move to Aston Martin. The British presenter revealed that Newey was househunting in Oxfordshire while Ferrari was still the favourite to sign the chief design engineer. The two friends went to school together.

In the wake of Aston Martin's announcement, Clarkson revealed how he knew he was going to the British team. "I broke that story about six weeks ago. Everyone said he was going to Ferrari, and I just met him, and he said, 'Oh, I'm looking for a house around you'. And I thought, 'If you're going to Ferrari, why are you buying a house in Oxfordshire?" Clarkson said on Heart Radio before suggesting the team will become successful.

"Aston? Well, they'll win. He's very good, and they seem to have a limitless supply of money, and I think Aston are going to be a force to be reckoned with," Clarkson added.

"Aston? Well, they'll win”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30198...rediction.html

[Fortitude]

F1 - 2024 Singapore Grand Prix - Thursday Press Conference Transcript.
PART ONE – Valtteri BOTTAS (Kick Sauber), George RUSSELL (Mercedes), Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren).
PART TWO – Lance STROLL (Aston Martin), Max VERSTAPPEN (Red Bull Racing), Yuki TSUNODA (RB)
19.09.24
FIA (Press Release)

Oscar PIASTRI: (Phenomenal victory) No, I got humbled very quickly the next day by George actually playing an UNO World Championship on the plane. So I got brought back down to earth very quickly. No, I mean, it was, it has been a fun few days, you know, I think for myself, it's always nice when you can reflect on a race where you feel like you've done a, you know, a very good job and a job you can be proud of. So yeah, Not too much celebrating, but a lot of happy memories. So, yeah, I'm ready to try and go again this weekend.

George RUSSELL: Yeah, first of all, every race we go to at the moment, it's quite a unique circuit. Obviously, Azerbaijan was very unique in its own way. Singapore is unique in its own way. And there's a lot of these types of tracks on the calendar. And as Oscar said, it's so competitive now at the front. And a tenth or two can be the difference between a front row star or P6 or 7 on the grid, which is very exciting. We went really strong here last year. The pace was really good in Singapore. So hopefully we can continue that good performance we had here last year and see where it takes us.

Valtteri BOTTAS: It definitely has been tough. A few races, not just a couple. Expectations, realistically, I don't think it's going to be an easy weekend as we don't really have any upgrades. It is a bit of a different track to Baku, different downforce level. If we can get things right, we can be in a better shape, but not expecting any magic, to be honest.

Max VERSTAPPEN: All good. I know that it's not going to be our easiest weekend, just straight up. But, of course, you know, you analyse the race that you did last year. A few things that could have, you know, been done better. That's what we'll try to do this weekend. But, yeah, I don't expect it, of course, suddenly to be one of our strongest weekends. But, yeah. I just hope that what we did in Baku already, it stabilised the car a bit more. That was positive. And hopefully we can just build on that and see around here. I mean, of course, around here normally it's a bit more bumpy than Baku, but hopefully the car can take it.

Yuki TSUNODA: Yeah, I think anyway, the races, even if I have good races, I'm still able to reset. So, yeah, I mean, the last two races are the things that I want to, you know, it's not the way I wanted to finish, obviously. But, yeah, I like the Singapore track, so I'm trying to think in a positive way. You know, there's nice food here, exciting track. It's going to be anyway a very tough race, a physically demanding race ahead of us, so yeah, i'm still motivated and aiming for high.

Lance STROLL: I mean, compared to the beginning of the season, yes. I think we were comfortably the best of the rest at the beginning of the year, I think the last few weekends we've been on the back foot but looking forward to Singapore this weekend and we’ll see what we can do.

‘Press Conference Transcript’;

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


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

After a thrilling race in Azerbaijan, we don’t have long to wait for our next installment of the drama that is the 2024 Formula 1 season, with Singapore closing this pair of races. With a new leader in the constructors’ championship, and after some eye-catching recent results, here are a few talking points heading into this weekend’s race at Marina Bay.

McLaren and Ferrari – round three?
Perez’s strong performance and Verstappen’s lead
Magnussen returns as Haas and Williams fight
RB’s poor form and driver uncertainty
A spectacular setting that’s a physical test for the drivers

‘5 storylines’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...mh0Mnexop2RTwh


F1 start time for the 2024 Singapore GP
From Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 22, the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix will take place. Check here for all the F1 start times at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
19 Sep 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

The schedule of the F1 Singapore GP is automatically adjusted to your time zone.

Timetable Singapore GP

Session Date Time
Free practice 1 Friday 20 September 11:30 - 12:30
Free practice 2 Friday 20 September 15:00 - 16:00
Free practice 3 Saturday 21 September 11:30 - 12:30
Qualification Saturday 21 September 15:00 - 16:00
Race Sunday 22 September 14:00 - 16:00

‘The schedule’;

https://racingnews365.com/f1-start-t...4-singapore-gp


NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix
19 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Vital statistics
• First Grand Prix – 2008
• Track Length – 4.940km
• Lap record – 1m 35.867s, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 2023
• Most pole positions – Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton (4)
• Most wins – Sebastian Vettel (5)
• Trivia – Due to the physical demands of the climate and circuit, drivers can lose as much as 3kg in body weight over the course of a race in Singapore
• Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 178 metres
• Overtakes completed in 2023 – 85
• Safety Car probability – 100%*
• Virtual Safety Car probability – 33%*
• Pit stop time loss – 29.02 seconds
*From the last six races in Singapore

‘NEED TO KNOW’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Ey1FUuQnlGkoJF


Under-pressure Red Bull and Max Verstappen face their toughest challenge of 2024 F1 season at Singapore Grand Prix
Sep 19, 2024
FP Sports
Firstpost

“We have learnt from what we did wrong last week in Baku and can try a few things differently,” said the Dutch driver, who has yet to win in the city state where tropical storms and safety cars pose an additional hazard. Marina Bay is a cool circuit but we do expect this to be a bit more of a challenge,” he added.

“We think we know what we can do better and of course need to make sure that we are optimising the set up. It will be important to keep the car in control a bit more in the slow speed so it doesn’t jump around and this should hopefully help us a lot. We are continuing to fight for the Championship: we win and lose as a team and are going to keep pushing and try and come back stronger.”

‘Toughest challenge of 2024 F1 season’;

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/sin...-13817071.html


Perez lifts Red Bull expectations in Singapore: 'Can handle this package'
18 Sep 2024
Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez is confident Red Bull Racing has the pace for podium in the Singapore Grand Prix. After beating teammate Max Verstappen in Baku - until he crashed towards the end - Perez is confident the car can handle the package currently being used. The Mexican wants to do everything possible to win again in Singapore.

Perez is encouraged by his speed in Baku and hopes to take that momentum to the Marina Bay Street Circuit. "We had the pace all weekend and now it’s about converting that pace into a podium in Singapore. The car has shown it’s capable with this package, so we need to get the set-up right across the weekend and execute our qualifying and race plan perfectly," he added.

Perez is known for being strong at the street circuits, and the F1 circus heads to another one this weekend. "I’ve won in Singapore before, in tricky conditions and, as everyone knows, I love a street circuit, there’s something special about a night race and this one is probably the best there is. On Sunday night I want us to be able to say we did the best we could to win this race and that’s what our full focus will be on from the moment we start work in Singapore," Perez said.

‘Perez lifts Red Bull expectations’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30193...gapore-gp.html


Report: Ferrari have ‘accelerated’ plans to deliver ‘most important’ car update for the Singapore Grand Prix
18 Sep 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari rushing through new front wing update to try and be ready for the Singapore Grand Prix. The report from Formu1a.uno admits that the majority of Ferrari’s main updates for the second half of the season were added to the car in Monza. Ferrari have taken a step forward in the last two races as Leclerc’s victory in front of the Tifosi demonstrated.

However, they now believes that plans to introduce a new front wing have been ‘accelerated’ so that it arrives in time for the race in Singapore, rather than after the impromptu three-week break in Austin. These upgrades are also expected to determine what the team prioritise as they continue development of the 2025 car with even more flexible front and rear wings in the pipeline given the current interpretation of the rules.

‘Accelerated’ plans to deliver ‘most important’ car update’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...re-grand-prix/

[Fortitude]

McLaren are ‘ones to watch’ at Marina Bay.
MCLAREN Racing heads into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix as F1’s ones to watch, the papaya-drenched team that just may be the ones to finally dethrone Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
19 Sep 2024
Morning Star

Red Bull and its Dutch driver have had ironclad grips on both the drivers championship and the constructors title for best car since Verstappen won his first title in 2021. Verstappen now has three consecutive titles and currently leads the driver standings; Red Bull has back-to-back constructors titles but, headed into the weekend, no longer leads the standings.

McLaren took the top spot with Oscar Piastri’s win last Sunday. Coupled with Lando Norris’s fourth-place finish, McLaren is now the constructors leader for the first time since 2014. McLaren last won the constructors’ championship in 1998.

McLaren starts the weekend in Singapore with a 20-point lead over Red Bull, which had led the carmaker competition since 2022. “I think we’ve got as good a shot as anyone,” Zak Brown, the chief executive of McLaren, boldly declared last weekend at IndyCar's season-ending race. He’d watched Piastri win and McLaren move to the top from Nashville, Tennessee, and even with the big-talking American half a world away, McLaren still managed to make tongues wag at the the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

‘Ones to watch’;

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/arti...%99-marina-bay


Lando Norris heaps pressure on Verstappen in F1 title race: Still Max’s championship to lose
Norris dismissed suggestions McLaren’s pace means he’s now the favourite to win the title
19 Sep 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Lando Norris rubbished suggestions he’s favourite to win the 2024 F1 title by piling the pressure onto Max Verstappen, by declaring the Red Bull driver has it all to lose ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. “We’ve turned things around,” Norris told members of the media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But I still strongly believe that they can turn things around quickly too.”

“It’s really only been the last two races where they’ve been off the pace a little in qualifying, but more so in the race itself. If you look at last weekend, Max said he didn’t get the setup right, and Checo [Perez] was one of the quickest and should have won the race.”

“So that was Max having a bad weekend, not Red Bull. People need to focus on the specific issues in front of them instead of making sweeping judgments. It’s still Max’s championship to lose, not mine. I’m the one with nothing to lose at the moment.”

‘Piling on the pressure’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/lan...tle-race-2024/


‘A mess’: Jacques Villeneuve shares the moment he thought McLaren showed ‘real weakness’ this season
20 Sep 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Jacques Villeneuve says Max Verstappen shows more maturity than Lando Norris. Norris has remarkably only won two races this season but let a lot of points slip in the title battle, owing to a series of strategic mishaps and unforced errors on track. The last two races he has missed big opportunities to close the gap to Verstappen. In Monza, he was overtaken by his teammate in a forceful move which relegated him to third from pole, then at Azerbaijan a poor qualifying strategy led to a back-of-the-grid start.

Villeneuve believes these errors, largely owed to McLaren, will ultimately be the cause of Norris’ failure to win the title this season. “It will be very close between Max and Lando. Max has changed his approach. He is not trying to win races, but just to rack up points. That shows maturity,” said Villeneuve.

“The championship is more important than winning individual races. He knows that McLaren is not making the tough decisions that it should, and that will be in his favour. If Lando is not champion it will be McLaren’s fault, not his. McLaren have made a mess of things and it’s too late now. It started in Hungary, they have shown real weakness by not giving priority to Norris over Piastri, but we don’t know what Oscar’s contract says. We don’t know what Mark Webber, his manager, managed to get into his contract. He’s a smart guy.”

‘A mess’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/jac...s-this-season/


Max ahead of Singapore GP: 'Progress in Baku'
19 Sep 2024
Stefan Meens
Verstappen.nl

Max Verstappen: “Usually, I rewatch my races to see what I could’ve done better. Sometimes you have a bit more time for this and you can do a deep dive. But the race in Baku is still fresh in my mind, so I’ve not fully rewatched it. It wasn’t my most exciting race either.”

“Of course, we want to keep improving and we’ll have to see when and where this will happen. We want to get the balance right again and Baku was a step in the right direction, so we need to build on that. After Singapore, we have a few weeks until the next round so hopefully we can bring some improvements. There are still a bunch of races that allow us to improve the car, which will also helpful for next year.”

The reigning champion added: “I really want to make the car faster with the team and get a better balance. If we are able to do that, I know we’ll be competitive again. That’s the only thing we can do. If we’re able to perform better, it’ll make our lives a lot easier.”

‘Hopefully we can bring some improvements’;

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5597/


Red Bull apology suggests Perez is finally being listened to
Sep 19, 2024
Edd Straw
The Race

Sergio Perez has revealed some of Red Bull’s Formula 1 engineers apologised to him after the recent Italian Grand Prix because the team now better understood the nature of the car problems that had been limiting his performance earlier in the season but were only fully recognised once team-mate Max Verstappen started to struggle too.

While Verstappen’s performance advantage during the middle stages of the season showed Perez was still not getting the most out of the car, he was effectively the ‘canary in the coal mine’ whose struggles potentially should have been taken more seriously. Asked by The Race if Red Bull was now seeing his value more in terms of feedback, Perez replied: “In a way, yes. To be fair, some of the engineers after Monza came to me and apologise, in a way, because now it’s a lot clearer [what] the issues I was talking about [were].”

“It was always the speculation around it and people saying the problem was I was not focused enough or other things. But at the end of the day, I’m just happy that we found out the problem and that we can focus on that and improve it.”

‘Canary in the coal mine’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/r...g-listened-to/


Sergio Perez’s Family Reveal Health Update After F1 Driver’s Father Was Rushed To Hospital
Lydia Mee
Sep 19, 2024
Newsweek
Rock Hill Herald

Antonio Perez Garibay, the father of well-known Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, recently experienced a severe health scare. Following his son's crash with Carlos Sainz in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Antonio was discovered unconscious in his bathroom, suffering from a pre-infarction - a serious precursor to a heart attack. The ordeal took place shortly after Perez was involved in a high-speed collision with Carlos Sainz in the latter stages of the race. Fortunately, the Perez family provided a positive health update, as reported by Mirror, announcing Antonio Perez Garibay's discharge from the hospital.

The statement read: "After spending several days in hospital, Mr Antonio Perez Garibay has been discharged and is now at home, where he will continue his recovery process in the company of his loved ones. Through this statement, Mr Perez Garibay and Scuderia Perez would like to express their most sincere gratitude to friends, family and the media for the countless displays of affection, support and solidarity during this time.”

"Don Antonio will continue his recovery under medical instructions. We thank you again for your understanding and support, and we will be attentive to any relevant updates regarding his health status. Antonio himself speculated that the stress from his son's crash might have been a contributing factor to his medical condition. “Everything happened after the accident. The shock of the accident may have caused it. They are already checking my heart to see why I fainted."

‘Most sincere gratitude to friends, family and the media’;

https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/...mainstage_card


Vasseur eyeing Singapore glory repeat for Ferrari redemption
Ferrari narrowly missed out on a race win last time out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri besting Charles Leclerc to the chequered flag.
18 Sep 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has outlined his goal of prevailing around the streets of Singapore once again this weekend. When asked if Ferrari's strong pace at Baku was track specific, Vasseur told media including RacingNews365: “If it’s track specific, then it’s good because next weekend it’s the same [type of] corners.”

“The race after Singapore, we have a break between Singapore and Austin. We’ll have time to discuss about Austin, but first it’s Singapore, and I want to have a good result in Singapore, as we did last year to fight our opposition.”

‘Ferrari redemption’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-ey...ari-redemption

[Fortitude]

Leclerc pips Norris in Singapore GP practice.
Charles Leclerc has narrowly beaten Lando Norris to end opening practice for the Singapore Grand Prix fastest. Ferrari continued its strong form in Marina Bay with Carlos Sainz third in the sister car, the top three split by less than two-tenths.
20 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The first and third practice sessions in Singapore are curious affairs. The meaningful running takes place under lights, while opening practice begins in the late afternoon sun. Not that there was much of it, overcast conditions helped keep a lid on temperatures, which were already above 30 degrees.

The focus was therefore on the basics; confirming right height, wing levels, and other elements of set-up with less focus on specifics such as tyre wear, which were more difficult to extrapolate meaningful data from. That prompted a split approach from the field, with half on hard compound tyres, and the other half on mediums.

Not among them as the session began, however, was Oscar Piastri, whose car had suffered a problem during pit stop practice earlier in the day. “During this morning’s pit stop practice we encountered an issue on the rear-left corner of Oscar’s car, which we are currently replacing,” a McLaren spokesperson confirmed in the minutes before practice began.

‘Leclerc pips Norris’;

https://speedcafe.com/leclerc-pips-n...e-gp-practice/


Singapore GP: Free Practice 1 Results
20 Sep 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 1 from the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 25 1:31.763

2 4 Lando Norris McLaren 24 1:31.839 0.076

3 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 26 1:31.952 0.189

4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 21 1:32.097 0.334

5 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 25 1:32.263 0.500

6 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 24 1:32.369 0.606

7 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB 20 1:32.375 0.612

8 23 Alex Albon Williams 24 1:32.451 0.688

9 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 25 1:32.610 0.847

10 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 26 1:32.615 0.852

‘Full results from Free Practice 1’;

https://speedcafe.com/singapore-gp-f...ice-1-results/


Singapore Grand Prix: F1 Free Practice 1 Results
Sep 20, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Tsunoda went up to second, going only 0.098 seconds slower than Norris. Sainz quickly took the spot off the Japanese driver, going 0.001 seconds slower than the McLaren driver at the top. However, Norris further improved his time at the top. The McLaren driver set a 1:31.839, going over three tenths clear of Sainz. Leclerc went close to Norris’ time – only 0.037 seconds off the Briton’s time.

Verstappen jumped up to third, going two-and-a-half tenths slower than Norris. However, Sainz quickly reclaimed the third spot, going just over a tenth slower than the McLaren driver. With 15 minutes to go, Leclerc went quickest, setting a 1:31.763 on the soft compound. The Monegasque went 0.076 seconds quicker than Norris.

Mercedes have been struggling in this session, with Hamilton complaining of “too much understeer” with his W15. The seven-time world champion was also struggling with traction. Piastri brushed the wall in the middle sector. The Australian finds himself in sixth. Leclerc ended the session quickest ahead of Norris and his teammate Sainz – all within two tenths.

‘Free Practice 1 Results’;

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


2024 F1 Singapore Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 results
20 Sep 2024
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

It proved to be a ding-dong battle between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris for top honours in first practice for the Singapore Grand Prix. Around a revised Marina Bay Street Circuit now containing four DRS zones following the removal of a fiddly section in the final sector, it was Ferrari driver Leclerc who posted the fastest time with a lap of 1:31.763s, just 0.076s ahead of McLaren's Norris.

Three-time F1 champion and current standings leader Max Verstappen, who has never won at this track, had to settle for the fourth-quickest time, 0.334s off the pace in his Red Bull. As for last week's Azerbaijan GP winner, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who brushed a wall at one stage during the session, he had to settle for sixth, over six-tenths of a second adrift.

‘Free Practice 1 results’;

https://racingnews365.com/2024-f1-si...tice-1-results


The early clues about Singapore GP order from FP1
Sep 20, 2024
Josh Suttill
The Race

Charles Leclerc pipped Lando Norris to top the opening Formula 1 practice session at the Singapore Grand Prix. Early indications suggest it will be another McLaren vs Ferrari fight at the front, as it was at Monza and in Baku.

Norris spent a healthy portion of the session at the top of the timesheets on a 1m31.763s but Leclerc displaced him with just over 10 minutes to go. The Ferrari driver's 1m31.763s was 0.076 seconds quicker than Norris's best effort set earlier in FP1. But Leclerc's time was set on a second push lap on his soft tyres, suggesting there's plenty of performance to come.

His Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz was third fastest, just under two tenths adrift of Leclerc. Max Verstappen appears to have quickly reestablished himself as the stronger Red Bull driver, based on FP1 in Singapore at least. He was fourth fastest, three tenths adrift of Leclerc.

‘Early clues’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...1-early-clues/


Ferrari head Singapore Grand Prix upgrades with new front wing
These are the upgrades that each team has brought to the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.
20 Sep 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

The F1 teams have introduced minimal upgrades for this weekend’s race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. With a three-week gap until USA, teams are expected to introduce their final significant upgrade packages for COTA.

However, for this weekend in Singapore, Ferrari have a brand new front wing for this weekend as they look to find more performance.

‘Upgrades’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105577...new-front-wing


Now or never for Lando Norris: Will Singapore GP mark the turning point in the F1 title fight?
Lando Norris trails Max Verstappen by 59 points in the F1 drivers' standings ahead of a make-or-break Singapore GP
20 Sep 2024
Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

The next two F1 Grand Prix will likely be pivotal in deciding the fate of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Norris lands in Singapore knowing he’s not taken full advantage against Verstappen since the summer break across three races where McLaren have enjoyed a clearly superior car, and needs to add a hefty amount to the 19 points he’s chiselled away from the Dutchman’s lead.

Meanwhile Verstappen knows the United States GP is the first chance Red Bull has to fight McLaren and Norris on an equal footing once again, after Helmut Marko confirmed their F1 upgrade schedule. However, the gap could be down to 34 points in the title battle by the time the F1 circus reaches Austin – it all depends on how Verstappen can limit the damage in Singapore or whether Norris can truly stick his boot in.

‘Now or never’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/now...ht-verstappen/