Tag Archives: Max Verstappen

May 21, 2024 · 8:13 am

Horner: Perez Imola struggles “just a blip”

A tricky Imola race for Sergio Perez included a trip through the gravel

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says that Sergio Perez’s struggles in the Emilia Romagna GP were “just a blip” and that the Mexican will return to form in Monaco.

Perez has had a generally stronger season thus far in 2024 than last year, but at Imola – where even Max Verstappen struggled to find the right set-up – he could manage only 11th place in qualifying.

The team took a gamble and he started on hard tyres and ran a long first stint that saw him re-passed by quicker cars that had pitted. 

He eventually claimed eighth place after surviving a trip through a gravel trap.

“Our simulations today were saying before the race that P7 was potentially optimal,” said Horner when asked by this writer about Perez’s race.

“Nothing happened, no safety cars or anything like that. He had one trip through the gravel that cost him about six seconds. But I think that was about the maximum that he could get from that grid position today.

“I think it’s just a blip. He’s always gone well at Monaco. So we’ll see. It’s a 24-race calendar. He’s had a great start to the year, his approach has been very strong.

“He’s changed his approach a bit this year. And today’s result was dictated by yesterday’s qualifying.”

Perez admitted that it had been a tough afternoon on the harder tyre.

“I think we sort of knew that that was the best we could get,” he said. “We obviously knew that the hard was going to be very difficult initially. But we were hoping for a safety car at the right point, to potentially put us back in the fight.

“It was very difficult first stint, I think it was compromised a lot with the traffic initially, the traffic at the end, people coming through.

“And I also had a lock-up going into Turn 16 so I went straight, and lost quite a bit of time. I also picked up some damage. So yeah, just a very, very tough race.”

Perez admitted it wasn’t easy not to get caught up in fights with drivers coming back past him on fresher tyres.

“I wanted to lose as little time as possible,” he said. “And unfortunately, at the same time you are at the end of your stint, temperatures are dropping, and the grip is just very miserable at that point.”

Perez believes that his Imola struggles were related to the characteristics of the venue.

“I think it’s a bit circuit specific,” he said. “I think we’ve got to keep our heads down, and keep working. I’m happy that Max got the victory for the team.

“We see that the McLaren and Ferrari have done a step forward, so we just have to keep our heads down. The season is long, we need to keep maximising the opportunities.”

Regarding Monaco he said: “I think we expect a very strong McLaren and Ferrari. So it will be a strong challenge there.”

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May 21, 2024 · 7:17 am

Piastri: Imola F1 race “pretty painful” after grid penalty

Oscar Piastri lost a brilliant P2 in Imola qualifying to a grid penalty

Oscar Piastri admits that he knew the Formula 1 Emilia Romagna GP would be “pretty painful” after he lost his front row grid spot to a penalty.

The Australian qualified second but was then demoted to fifth for impeding Kevin Magnussen during qualifying.

While his team mate Lando Norris inherited second spot and was able to chase winner Max Verstappen to the flag Piastri had to settle for fourth place, having got ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the pit stops.

“There’s always going to be ifs and buts,” he said when asked by this writer about the missed opportunity. “Yes, I knew after qualifying that it was going to be pretty painful. And today definitely proved it.

“There’s a lot of positive things and encouragement to take from this weekend. I think as a team clearly we’re there. And I think personally, the last two weekends, I feel like I’ve been really strong as well. Miami felt like a really strong weekend, here has felt really strong.

“And I think that was the most we could have got out of the race. For me personally, I’m very happy, I feel like I’ve built a bit of good momentum in the last two weekends, which is something I’ve been trying to aim for a bit more.

“And I think as a team we’re proving in different tracks, different conditions, which are generally conditions that we’ve struggled in in the past, that we’re in the fight for wins.”

Piastri said he had good pace during the race. and that the grid position was the key factor in the outcome.

“Starting further back, I think that was the biggest thing today,” he said. “I think the pace was honestly really good. I think in the first stint we were strong, just stuck behind Carlos. And then the second stint, pushed very hard at the start to undercut him, and then also try and get [Charles] Leclerc.

“And I think just with the tyres, they just don’t like being pushed. I just struggled a bit after that. It looked like Charles had a very similar thing, when he caught the back of Lando and then dropped off. Honestly, I was pretty happy with my race. I don’t think there was much more I could have done.”

Imola was Piastri’s first weekend with the full upgrade package used by Norris in Miami,

“It doesn’t feel that much different, just faster,” he said. “It’s definitely making the car a bit nicer to drive. But I think whenever the car is quicker, it’s always a bit nicer to drive.

“But we’re definitely tackling some of the things that we were trying to. Our strengths and weaknesses seem to be a little bit different now. Our high-speed is not as strong as it once was.

“But our low-speed is a lot stronger than it has been. I think we understand the majority of why that is. So I think we can be pretty confident where we go now.”

Asked to elaborate on how the car felt better he said: “”It just sticks a bit more. And the balance is a little bit nicer. I think with these regs and these tyres, there’s only a certain amount of niceness that you’re going to have. I think if you ask everyone, they probably have a similar balance, just some areas are a bit more exacerbated than others.

“So I feel like we’re making improvements. And most importantly, we’re making the car faster. And when you make the car faster, especially in race trim, it just makes your life so much easier. So I think that’s a really encouraging sign.

“And we’ve come close over one lap in the past last year, but struggled a little bit more in the race, and this year we’re just as strong in the race, if not even stronger, which is really encouraging.”

Given the improved low-speed performance Piastri is upbeat about prospects for the Monaco GP.

“I think we can definitely be confident going there. Obviously Red Bull had a difficult start to the weekend. But, that’s two weekends in a row where they’ve looked not quite as strong as they once were, Miami and here. I think we’re definitely closing in, us and Ferrari are putting on the pressure.

“And I think as a team McLaren we can be very confident wherever we go. And I think Monaco will be hopefully a good weekend.”

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May 21, 2024 · 6:25 am

Alonso frustrated after Imola race turns into test

Fernando Alonso admits that the Emilia Romagna GP turned into a test session for his Aston Martin Formula 1 team after any chance of making progress failed to materialise.

Following a crash in FP3 and a difficult Q1 session Alonso qualified only 19th at Imola.

With little to lose the team then decided to drop him out of parc ferme and change his set-up, obliging him to start from the pitlane.

In a further gamble he started on the unfavourable soft tyre in the anticipation that he might benefit from an early safety car.

In fact the race ran uninterrupted and after an early stop to ditch the soft Alonso finished 19th and last of the cars that were still running.

“Our only hope to be honest was just a safety car, or a few safety cars, red flags or those kinds of things,” he said.

“That’s why we started with the red tyre, in case there is something going on. We still had the yellow and the hard tyre, the best race tyres for the race conditions. But we started at the back, nothing happened the whole race, so we just used the race as a test.”

He added: “It was as predicted. Unfortunately in this race, you only hope for a safety car or red flag or something that can mix a little bit the race.

“It didn’t happen, so it was a little bit boring from behind, always in traffic, trying different strategies, multiple pitstops, all these kinds of things, to get some data for the team. But for the driver himself, there’s not much you can do.”

He also had an interesting moment when his front left brake caught fire as he left the pits.

“I was convinced that the fire will stop as soon as I pick up the speed, and the ventilation plays its part,” he said. “But this is the longest pitlane until you release the pit limiter! So it felt long in the car, but I think everything was fine.”

Alonso reserved judgement about the upgrade package that the team ran for the first time at Imola.

“I think we experimented a lot in FP1, in FP2 with Lance’s car with different packages. FP3 was another experiment.

“Another one now in the race, taking the opportunity on my car to start from the pit lane. So I think it’s early days to make conclusions. And I think it’s a question for the team, with all the data they have they will give more precise information.”

He also said it was hard to judge if the set-up changes made for Sunday had actually improved the car.

“I’ve felt the car similar, to be honest, compared to the rest of the weekend,” he said. “But obviously, the team has all the sensors, all the all the tools to analyse better the car performance, so we have to wait and see what the numbers say, and if we find a direction for the next few races.”

Alonso admitted that recent weeks have been difficult for Aston Martin as rivals continue to improve.

“We are aware of the situation, and we see that the top three teams they are little bit far away at the moment,” he said. “And even VCARB, Daniel [Ricciardo] was P4 in the sprint race in Miami, Yuki [Tsunoda] was very fast this weekend.

“So we need to keep on working, because everything is so tight if you don’t improve those two or three tenths that you naturally have to improve every two or three Grands Prix when you are in the midfield.”

Regarding prospects for the next race he said: “It depends on the car. If the car doesn’t handle well in Monaco, it’s a torture going fast in that track. So I think first of all, we need to set up the car properly.

“We need to find the maximum performance, and we need to concentrate on Saturday. I think on Sunday it’s like here, no one will overtake. So all the effort will be on Saturday like everyone else, and yeah, hopefully that perfect lap comes next weekend.”

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May 14, 2024 · 10:08 am

Gasly: Alpine F1 upgrades allow drivers to be “more pushy”

Pierre Gasly says that Alpine Formula 1 team’s latest upgrade package allows its drivers to be a “more pushy” as they fight in the midfield pack.

The new parts were used by Esteban Ocon in China before Gasly received them in Miami, where the A524s finished 10th and 12th, with Ocon logging the team’s first point of the season.

As well as aero benefits the package created a valuable weight saving, the cars having been over the limit since the start of the season.

“I think weight is true lap time, you can quantify like roughly 10 kilos is three-tenths per lap,” said Gasly. “So it’s quite easy to quantify. But then even when you’re talking about a few kilos over a full race distance in terms of energy you put in the tyre, it does affect it.

“So it helps you in performance, degradation, all around. In terms of car balance, not a huge difference. You see with the floor, it’s a bit more downforce as well.

“It’s just like a tiny bit, but at the moment in that midfield just a tiny bit allows us to race a bit more, be a bit more pushy sometimes, be able to overtake or defend.

“And I think that was the whole point of the race. We had some great battles, I managed to even pass [Fernando] Alonso at some point when I didn’t really expect to fight with him. We just seem to be a bit more in the mix.”

Gasly conceded that Ocon’s point was a boost for the whole team.

“I think we are just showing we’re making a lot of progress,” he said. “Very positive for the team to open the account and get a get a point out of that race. The whole weekend was positive, I finished ninth in the sprint, as well.

“So yeah, a lot of positives, and great motivation for the guys now, I hope we can keep pushing that direction, and hopefully things can start coming a bit more our way on our side of the garage.”

He added: “We keep trying things, and it feels like at the moment the car is not really quite giving me the stuff that I like. But we’re slowly getting in the right direction. So yeah, it’s slowly coming, but hopefully we can see us fighting for top 10s a bit more consistently now.”

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May 9, 2024 · 2:39 pm

Piastri: McLaren’s Miami F1 race form was “unexpected”

Oscar Piastri showed great pace in Miami before his race “unravelled”

Oscar Piastri admits that his McLaren Formula 1 team’s impressive pace in the Miami GP was “unexpected” after the cars showed mixed form over the previous two days.

While team mate and race winner Lando Norris had the full update package Piastri had what Andrea Stella called only 50% of it, and was notably missing the revised floor and sidepods.

Despite not having all of the new kit Piastri ran third in the early laps of the race after jumping up from sixth on the grid, before passing Charles Leclerc for second.

However his afternoon was spoiled when he was hit by Carlos Sainz while battling with the Ferrari driver, and he had to pit for a new front wing. He eventually finished 13th.

“I think in these conditions on this track, the pace we had today was unexpected,” he said when asked by this writer about the value of the upgrades.

“I think we don’t fully understand why, we were a bit up and down on different days. But I think the fact that we can win a race on pace is a very, very encouraging sign for the rest of the year.”

Although obviously disappointed by the outcome of his own race Piastri was encouraged by Norris’s win.

“I think definitely a lot of positives to come from today,” he said. “I think, for both of us the car was really strong. I think for Lando to win the race on pace, and to pull away from Max [Verstappen] after the safety car, I think that’s a very, very encouraging sign.

“So very happy for him, and for the whole team. I think we deserve it. Our trajectory in the last 12 months has been towards this moment. And yeah, also for Lando, I think it’s been a long time coming. So I’m happy for him.”

Regarding his own race he noted: “I was happy with the start. And then the fact that I could get past Leclerc as well was unexpected coming into the race.

“So from that point, I was quite happy and was reasonably comfortable with him behind me there. Just the timing of the safety car wasn’t ideal, and it unravelled from there.”

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May 8, 2024 · 7:09 pm

Alonso: “Nice kid” Norris deserved Miami debut F1 win

Fernando Alonso says that “nice kid” Lando Norris deserved his debut Formula 1 win in Miami, especially after logging a string of podium finishes.

Alonso got to know Norris when the Englishman was a McLaren junior, and especially when he ran some Friday FP1 sessions at the end of 2018.

The following year they shared a car for Zak Brown’s United Autosports team at the Daytona 24 Hours.

Norris’s victory came 21 years after Alonso’s own debut win with Renault in the 2003 Hungarian GP.

“The first win after so many podiums,” said Alonso. “I’m really happy for him. Hopefully he remembers this day. The first of many wins.

“He’s a nice kid, he’s a nice man and a very talented driver. I know him very well. We did the Daytona 24 Hours in 2019 together. He started in McLaren as a test driver when I was there. We both live in Monaco, we see each other sometimes there in the city, travel together sometimes as well.

“And after so many podiums, I think he deserved his win. As I said, hopefully he enjoys this day, because sometimes you forget quickly, because you’re so focused on the next event. But yeah, I’m very happy for him. And for McLaren as well.”

Regarding the Woking team’s Miami form he said: “Well, they were close, and I think they were second in China.

“And they were again fast here, especially on the sprint qualifying, they were very fast. They brought a lot of updates here. Let’s see what will happen in the next few races in the championship.”

After a disappointing qualifying session Alonso enjoyed a charging race in Miami for Aston Martin, starting on the hard tyre and eventually working his way from 15th on the grid to ninth at the flag.

“I think we were lucky with the [virtual] safety car today, that really helped our race,” he said when asked by this writer about his afternoon.

“Starting on the hard, maybe we were thinking to stop a little bit later, but the safety car came in that lap, and we took the opportunity.

“And then the full safety car bunched everyone else. And we were with the mediums, the others were with hards. So we had a little advantage there.

“So all-in-all, we were lucky with the strategy and with the safety car, a little bit better on the race, compared to quali but we still need to improve and find more pace.”

Alonso enjoyed his fights on the way through the field, notably the one with former Alpine team mate Esteban Ocon for ninth place.

“Good battles, Esteban very hard fighting, as well,” he said. “As always, he’s a racer, but always with respect. I really enjoyed today the fight with him. It’s the first point for Alpine, I’m happy as well for them. But I think Esteban drove really well to take that point. So well done to them.”

Alonso created a stir in Miami by suggesting that nationality sometimes played a part in penalties. He subsequently had a conversation with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“He’s always on board on every opinion that the drivers have, he knows that we are the ones driving the cars, and that we can have some suggestions on things.

“There are a couple of points that we need to address as a sport. And yeah, he always listens to us. Let’s see between if we make F1 a better sport, and a little bit more consistent.”

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May 8, 2024 · 5:34 pm

Russell: Mercedes can only target P5 “on a good day”

George Russell admits that his Mercedes Formula 1 team can currently only target P5 “on a good day” and is generally only the fourth best team in the field.

Russell finished the Miami GP in eighth place, losing out to the VCARB of Yuki Tsunoda, having complained about a lack of grip at various stages during the race.

His team mate Lewis Hamilton only fared a little better, earning sixth place after starting on the hard tyres.

“Something didn’t quite feel right with the car,” said Russell when asked about his race by this writer. “I just had no grip, no pace. I was slower than Yuki for the whole last stint. So just need to go and see what was going on.

“I don’t really know to be honest, it’s swings and roundabouts for us at the moment. On a good day we’re P5 and on a bad day we’re P8. Today was a bad day, and we finished P8.”

Russell insisted that Lando Norris’s victory indicated that teams can make progress through upgrades.

“McLaren qualified P17 and 18 12 months ago in Miami, and today they won,” he said. “So it shows what’s possible when you get things right. But right now we don’t have things right, and we need to make changes quick.”

Asked if there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Mercedes he said: “There’s definitely direction.

“And we do have a few things coming in the short term, but nothing that’s going to transform us into race winners right now.

“I think we have to accept that we are the fourth fastest team at the moment, the lap times don’t lie, the championship doesn’t lie. This is where we are.

“And as I said, I think we’re fighting for the P5 to P8 region, week-in, week-out now.”

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May 7, 2024 · 2:56 pm

Perez admits he “nearly took Max out” at Miami F1 start

Sergio Perez locks up on the inside line at the start in Miami

Sergio Perez admits he was fortunate not to take out team mate Max Verstappen after what Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called an “optimistic start” in the Miami GP.

Perez took the inside line on the way into the first corner as he battled with Charles Leclerc and then locked up and went straight on, just missing the rear of Verstappen’s car.

He then ran wide and had to find his way back onto the racing line without making contact or losing too many places.

“I had a good start, Charles had a really bad start,” he said. “But as soon as I braked there was no grip, like with Lewis [Hamilton] yesterday. Offline there was no grip and I ended up locking. I nearly took Max out, so I had to come off the brakes.

“It was quite close. But as soon as I saw he was so close I came off the brakes, and I ended up going straight, and I couldn’t keep the position.”

Horner admitted that it was a tricky moment for the team.

“His start was optimistic,” he said when asked by this writer about Perez’s start. “I think that obviously Charles didn’t have a great start ahead, I think that caused Checo to lift for Charles.

“And then [Leclerc] left him a window into the first corner, he went for it, and then obviously got in very deep and was lucky not to collect Max at the first turn, and then collect the Ferrari coming back onto the track after the first turn. So I was pleased to see both cars survive that.”

The Mexican eventually finished fifth on the road, but he then gained a spot from a time penalty for Carlos Sainz.

“I think we were struggling for some pace today,” he said. “We just couldn’t manage to get the pace when we needed it. It’s something that we’ve got to work on to try and understand why.

“I was a bit too much front limited in the high speed, and then rear limited in the low speed, so there was such a big trade-off between low and high speed.”

He also lost time when stuck behind Esteban Ocon after his pit stop: “Yeah, on the hard it took me a few laps to warm up the tyre.”

Perez conceded that McLaren showed impressive pace over the Miami weekend.

“They were very strong already in qualifying,” he said. “I think they just messed up a bit their qualifying, they couldn’t make the soft tyre work. But I think they’ve been the fastest this weekend. And we were probably a little bit behind them. Lando [Norris] put me on a lot of pressure on that first stint towards the end.”

Regarding the future threat from McLaren he added: “It would be track dependent, in some places we will be a bit stronger, in others not so strong.  But yeah, certainly I think it will be a very close fight with them.”

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May 6, 2024 · 1:17 pm

Horner: Verstappen slowed by bollard strike damage

Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner says that Max Verstappen’s pace in the Miami GP was hampered by floor damage sustained when the Dutchman hit a bollard at the chicane.

Later in the race after a safety car period gave Lando Norris a free stop and the lead Verstappen was unable to challenge the McLaren driver, and gradually fell back.

Horner insisted that the consequences of the earlier incident played a role in allowing Norris to make his escape and consign Verstappen to second place.

“I don’t think we had a great balance all weekend, and then obviously he hit the bollard around lap 20,” he said. “And that’s actually done quite a lot of damage to the underside of the car. So we’d have to look at exactly what the effect of that was.

“He had enough pace at that point, he was he was pulling clear of Oscar [Piastri] behind, and Lando, before we picked up that damage. And then obviously thereafter we then pitted. And the safety car came out at the best time for Lando, it gave him essentially a free stop.

“But obviously not great for us, because then you’re on tyres that are six laps, seven laps older. And with the damage, I think that actually second place was actually still a pretty decent result.”

Expanding on the extent of the damage he said: “It’s a reasonable amount – the area around the left rear floor, there’s a reasonable amount that’s missing, and you can see it will be flexing as well. So it certainly wouldn’t be helpful.”

Asked if Norris had the pace to win without the aid of a safety car intervention giving him track position Horner said it was impossible to know.

“I think what we saw today was it was very difficult to come through the traffic,” he noted. “Who knows? That’s something that we won’t be able to answer, because there wasn’t a huge amount of overtaking in the top 10.

“So it would have all depended on where he came out after his pitstop, which would probably have been third or fourth.”

Horner insisted that with Verstappen’s Saturday sprint win taking into account it had still been a successful weekend for Red Bull.

“I think we have to congratulate Lando on his first victory,” he said. “It’s always a big moment for any grand prix driver to win their first race.

“So congrats to him and to McLaren. But we’ve still managed to score the most points in the drivers’ this weekend with the sprint race yesterday, and the most in the constructors’ as well. So it’s still been a very strong weekend.”

Regarding McLaren’s form he added: “They had good pace in the second half of the race. They were quick on the medium in the sprint race quali.

“We still managed well two poles here this weekend, a sprint victory and we were leading the race had it not been for the safety car. But you can see they’ve definitely made a step forward. So it will be then interesting to see what happens over the next few races once we head back to Europe.”

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May 6, 2024 · 12:44 pm

Stella: Miami F1 win a weight off shoulders for Norris and McLaren

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says that Lando Norris’s first GP win in Miami is a weight off the shoulders of both the Englishman and his team.

Norris scored his first victory early in his sixth season in F1, and in his 110th start at the top level, having previously earned 14 podium finishes.

Stella admits that there’s a collective relief at the team team now that it has provided him with a truly competitive car, helped by an upgrade package introduced in Florida.

“Realistically, I think it was a bit of a weight on his shoulders,” said Stella. “But it was some weight on our shoulders as well. Because we knew that as soon as we had made winning material available to Lando, he would have delivered, so we felt the responsibility.

“And I think I said that many times. We feel like it’s up to us, it’s not up to Lando. But credit to Lando that he kept developing. I think we already talked about how he developed over the winter, especially looking at for instance improving in qualifying, delivering laps that sometimes don’t have to be 100%.

“When you have a fast car, just be there. And I think he’s doing that. And also I have to say his race management is now very mature. As soon as he saw that there wasn’t much to do after the first lap, he started had to save tyres, because he knew his race would come at some stage.

“And then the pace he was able to pull off once the cars ahead of him pitted, then that was quite incredible. So fast in qualifying, even sometimes pacing himself, and very mature in the race in terms of getting the most out of the material he has.”

While a safety car period gave Norris a break in terms of track position Stella insisted that he was competitive in his own right.

“I already had early on some important clues, like when we saw Oscar [Piastri] overtaking a Ferrari,” said the Italian.

“Max was opening a gap, but he wasn’t as fast as usual, let’s say. And then when the cars ahead of Lando pitted and we saw what kind of lap times Lando was able to do, then even without the safety car, we thought like, if we keep Lando out, and we build a good gap, then we’re going be fast at the end with a fresh set of hard tyres.

“I think the victory sort of came with a little bit of help from the safety car. But I think we were in a strong position even independently, because the pace of the car was strong.

“We couldn’t necessarily see it in the other sessions, but we had spells of very strong performance at times. But we were uncertain whether the truth was the strong performance, or some of the disappointment like we had in the sprint qualifying three, for instance.”

Stella admitted that while Norris built up a handy lead in the closing laps the fear was that a safety car would allow rivals to switch to fresher tyres for the restart.

“The last laps, the main concern for me was the safety car,” he said. “Because it would have been difficult to make a decision when you leave the race as to like, do we stop or not to put some new rubber?

“And also you don’t know how long there’s going to be the race after the restart. So that was the main reason of concern over the final laps, and there were many battles. So anytime you see an overtaking, please don’t crash! So those were the thoughts at the end of the race.”

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