Piastri hits Wall of Champions

The Age11 hours ago

Oscar Piastri hits the infamous Wall of Champions at the exit of the last corner in final practice for the Canadian Grand Prix.

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‘P***ing me off': Verstappen blows up at ‘childish' question about spicy F1 showdown

News.com.au

8 hours ago

News.com.au

‘P***ing me off': Verstappen blows up at ‘childish' question about spicy F1 showdown

Max Verstappen was not in the mood to discuss the potential of his penalty-point ban after qualifying alongside George Russell on the front row of the Canadian Grand Prix. Fireworks are expected for Monday morning's race after Russell took pole position ahead of Verstappen, setting the stage for a blockbuster showdown at the start in Montreal. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. This season Verstappen has known he isn't afraid to make a bold Turn 1 move and Russell could well find himself in the firing line as the Dutchman makes a dash for the lead. Verstappen has been asked several times this weekend about whether he will change his driving style given the potential of a race ban following his clash with Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. The four-time world champion was given three penalty points for making contact with Russell in the closing stages of the last race in Barcelona. Verstappen has a total of 11 penalty points, with drivers handed a one-race ban if they rack up 12 penalty points on their Super Licence in a 12-month period. Two of those points expire at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, so he has two races to get through without a major incident before he's in the clear. After qualifying second in Canada, Verstappen was not happy when he was again asked about the possibility of clashing with Russell and getting banned. Verstappen cut off the moderator in the press conference with Russell and Oscar Piastri after qualifying before he could even finish his question about penalty points. 'I don't need to hear it again,' a frustrated Verstappen said. 'It's really p***ing me off. I mean, you speaking about it on Thursday, it's such a waste of time. It's very childish. 'That why I also don't want to say too much, because it's really annoying, this world that we live in.' Verstappen not impressed with penalty points picture coming up in the post-qualy presser: "I donâ€™t need to hear it again. Itâ€™s really pissing me off. You speaking about it, on Thursday, itâ€™s such a waste of time. Itâ€™s childish. Itâ€™s really annoying." #F1 #CanadianGP — Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) June 14, 2025 Verstappen visibly ticked off at the first question about penalty points and how he will race Russell. â€œItâ€™s already pissing me off. Very childish. Really annoyingâ€�. — Nate Saunders (@natesaundersF1) June 14, 2025 Verstappen was not exactly expansive in his other answers to questions in the press conference about his qualifying performance. Russell joked after he secured pole position: 'We're mates, it's all good. I've got a few more points on my license to play with.' The Brit later spoke in support of Verstappen: 'I don't think any driver goes out looking to crash into somebody and get penalty points on your license. 'Max is one of the best drivers. There's no reason for him to race any differently, and I'm not sitting here thinking he's going to give us more room.' Russell is aiming for his first victory of the season after a solid start to the year that has seen the Mercedes driver finish on the podium four times. The Canadian Grand Prix shapes as a thrilling race given the McLarens will have some work to do following a difficult qualifying session. Australia's Oscar Piastri was pleased to have qualified third as he looks to extend his 10-point lead over teammate Lando Norris in the championship. Piastri earned a public apology from former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg after the German earlier wrote him off. 'The driver with the most confidence out there is definitely Lando Norris,' Rosberg said on Sky Sports on Sunday morning. 'Oscar Piastri is completely away from it at the moment.' Rosberg put his hand up and apologised as the dust was settling on the dramatic day. 'I apologise to him personally,' he said. 'I underestimated him. I made a mistake. He was definitely in the hunt for pole position.' Piastri said after the session he was satisfied with a spot on the second row — but it was a complete disaster for teammate Norris. Eyebrows were raised earlier in the day with Norris running with a new McLaren suspension system while Piastri remained on the previous system. It didn't seem to make any difference for the English driver, who touched the wall in his final lap to finish Q3 down in seventh. Leading F1 journalist Nate Saunders called Norris' qualifying failure a 'shocker'. To add insult to injury, Norris was given a humiliating lesson by his race engineer during the session when things seemed to be unravelling for the 25-year-old. 'Concentrate on the braking points,' his race engineer said during Q3. 'Concentrating on the lines. Too much time in braking.' After another lap he was also told: 'So Lando, let's just re-set and remember your braking references. 'Lando, primary focus this lap is line. Remember line. Don't overpush the brake.' Norris was a downcast figure when interviewed after the session. 'Just too many mistakes,' he told Sky Sports. 'I hit the wall in the last lap. I had confidence, the car felt good today, I just made too many mistakes.'