How F1 strategy “headache” opens up intriguing Japanese GP
Teams all too frequently bin off one of the choices – either because the soft is too aggressive, the medium falls into no-man’s land, or the hard is too conservative – but this weekend’s race in Japan has left what Pirelli’s head of car racing Mario Isola says is aContinue Reading
Hamilton: Mercedes “nicest it’s felt” in three years at perfect F1 test track Suzuka
Hamilton qualified only seventh for the Japanese GP, 0.569s off poleman Max Verstappen but just 0.084s shy of the fourth-placed Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.Despite the disappointing grid position, the seven-time world champion insists the past two days have given him a clearer idea of what direction his team needs toContinue Reading
WRC teams pushing FIA to keep current Rally1 rules for 2025
Multiple sources have confirmed to Autosport that Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport have collectively written a letter to the FIA expressing a need for the current Rally1 technical rules to see out the original window from 2022 to the end of 2026.In February, the FIA’s working group revealed its vision forContinue Reading
Marko: Perez improved F1 form because 2025 contract talks are at stake
Perez missed out on pole position for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix to reigning world champion team-mate Max Verstappen by a slender 0.066 seconds as Red Bull scored a 1-2 result.With Perez out of contract at the end of the year, many believed RB driver Daniel Ricciardo would take hisContinue Reading
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Russell was only ninth fastest in Q3, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton marginally better in seventh – albeit the latter was still 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen.An eventual 0.811s deficit for Russell was partly the result of a final-sector mistake. Otherwise, he reckoned he would have been 0.4s betterContinue Reading
Verstappen not “as comfortable” at Suzuka as in previous F1 races
The Suzuka weekend has unfolded unusually, with FP2 effectively being washed out by drizzle, which meant the teams spent most of FP3 on Saturday morning concentrating on long-run data gathering, rather than the typical qualifying simulation efforts.In these, Verstappen trailed his team-mate Sergio Perez by an average of 0.122 secondsContinue Reading
Alonso: Aston Martin F1 upgrades provided “unexpected” pace in Japan qualifying
The Spaniard ended Q1 second fastest but as the pace sharpened he dropped to fifth place in both Q2 and Q3, but he still felt the pace jump from Aston’s car updates were greater than predicted.Alonso ran the previous AMR24 car package during Friday practice at Suzuka, with team-mate LanceContinue Reading
Leclerc: No answer for “once in a season” Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Leclerc, renowned for his one-lap pace, was only eighth fastest as he lapped 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen while outgoing Scuderia team-mate Carlos Sainz ranked fourth.But the Monegasque was at a loss to explain the disappointing performance on his side of the garage, implying that it was justContinue Reading
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more
The world champion led a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying with a dominant display as he looks to bounce back from retiring from the Australian GP due to a brake issue.McLaren’s Lando Norris was Red Bull’s closest challenger, 0.292s off pole, and he will line up third on the gridContinue Reading
F1 Japanese Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more
The world champion led a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying with a dominant display as he looks to bounce back from retiring from the Australian GP due to a brake issue.McLaren’s Lando Norris was Red Bull’s closest challenger, 0.292s off pole, and he will line up third on the gridContinue Reading