Formula E quietly powers up as a serious rival to F1
TOKYO -- The scream of engines was absent, but the electricity in the air was unmistakable.
Formula E may lack the thunderous roar of traditional motorsport, but it's no less gripping. With ultra-close racing, constant overtaking and complex strategy, fans say the experience can rival -- or even surpass -- Formula One.
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Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Piastri wins Spanish Grand Prix ahead of McLaren teammate Norris to extend F1 lead
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates after winning the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) auto racing By JOSEPH WILSON Oscar Piastri won the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris as McLaren continued its early dominance of the Formula 1 championship on Sunday. Piastri flew away from his pole position and executed a flawless race to extend his lead in the driver standings. Norris crossed behind him after he recovered from a bad start. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was third. Max Verstappen crossed fifth but was dropped to 10th after he was given a 10-second penalty for colliding with fourth-placed finisher George Russell late after he had been ordered to give back a place when he had overtaken the Mercedes by driving off course. It was the third McLaren one-two of the season and the team's seventh win in nine races, with Piastri taking five of those victories. 'It has been a great year and this weekend has been exactly the kind of weekend I've been looking for,' said Piastri, who has already developed a reputation for being a cool customer. "It is a lot of fun winning races at the moment.' Piastri has 186 points, ten more than Norris. Verstappen dropped to 49 points behind the leader. 'I never said that I was in a championship fight,' Verstappen said. 'First of all, I think every race so far it's been tough. You know when they get their things right, they're unbeatable. And I think that's quite clear this season.' Verstappen's run of three consecutive wins at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ended after he saw his Red Bull slowed on hard-compound tires that his team put on after a fourth pit stop following a late safety car. Before the safety car he was third, but after the restart couldn't stop Leclerc and Russell, who both passed him. The collision that cost him another five spots occurred when he appeared to be letting Russell pass on orders from stewards only to seem to steer into the Mercedes when the cars were side by side. This was the first time in a decade that a driver other than Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton won the event held near Barcelona, whose future is in question with the addition of a race in Madrid next year. Last year in Spain, Norris had started from pole only for Verstappen to jump past him on his way to winning. This time, Verstappen slipped past Norris to move from third to second after Turn 1. But Norris only had to wait 12 laps before he closed down on Verstappen who told his team that he had 'no grip' as he was sliding on his tires. Norris screamed past with the DRS boost on the straightaway to again put the orange cars in front. 'Oscar drove a very good race today, (I) didn't quite have the pace to match him but we gave it our best shot,' Norris said about finishing second. While McLaren is cruising to a second straight constructors championship based on the results earned by both cars, Verstappen can only hope that the two papaya-colored cars will take enough points off one another to let the four-time defending champion get back in it. Lewis Hamilton had another difficult day in his new Ferrari, being told to pull over for a faster Leclerc early on and then being passed by Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber on the final laps. The seven-time world champion has yet to reach the podium in a grand prix since leaving Mercedes for the Italian team. Hulkenberg had the drive of the day as he moved up from a 15th-spot start to finish a season-best fifth, right ahead of Hamilton. "I saw Hulkenberg finished fifth, which is pretty impressive so well done to him,' Piastri said. Rookie Isack Hadjar was seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by Pierre Gasly of Alpine. Fernando Alonso finally got in the points this season to thrill home fans with a ninth-placed finish for Aston Martin. Alonso's teammate Lance Stroll withdrew due to pain in his hand and wrist. Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda started from last place after a disastrous qualifying session for Red Bull's second driver and managed to finish 13th. Kimi Antonelli was in the points when his Mercedes appeared to have trouble and he ended up in the gravel, causing the late yellow flag and safety car. The race attracted several soccer celebrities including members of England's soccer squad along with coach Thomas Tuchel. Among those in attendance, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka and others toured the paddock shortly after they arrived in Barcelona to prepare for a World Cup qualifier against Andorra next weekend. FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Brazil soccer great Roberto Carlos were also there, along with Barcelona players Ferran Torres and Éric García. Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was in Red Bull's garage on Saturday for qualifying. Next up is the Canadian GP in two weeks. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
Piastri earns pole position at Spanish GP ahead of McLaren teammate Norris
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia celebrates his pole position after the qualifying session ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix Formula One race at the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack in Montmelo, near Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) auto racing By JOSEPH WILSON Formula 1 leader Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris on Saturday. Piastri used one last flying lap to knock Norris off the top spot and get the edge on the starting grid. Sunday's race promises to be a scintillating fight between the papaya-colored cars which have won six of the first eight races of the season and put Max Verstappen's grip on F1 in jeopardy. Piastri leads Norris by three points in the standings through the first third of the season. It was the Australian's fourth pole of the season. He leads the field with four race victories, although Verstappen and Norris have topped the last two grands prix. Verstappen's Red Bull will start on Sunday from third. Verstappen, who is 25 points off Piastri's lead, has won at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the past three years. Piastri won from pole position in China and Bahrain, while he also pipped a pole-sitting Verstappen to win in Saudi Arabia and Miami. His only blemish was losing to Verstappen after taking pole in Imola two rounds ago. The sensation of the F1 season blazed to a pace-setting lap in Spain that was two-tenths faster than Norris. Now he must make good on that by protecting his advantage on the long run from the starting grid to the first right-hand corner. 'It has been a good weekend so far. The car has been mega, and glad to put in some good laps as well,' Piastri said. 'It is going be interesting tomorrow. It is a long way to Turn 1 so I got to make sure I make a good start.' Norris knows how difficult that can be. He took the pole last year, only for Verstappen to sweep past him at the start and hold on to win the race for a fourth time overall. 'It is normally interesting, and we have a lot of quick guys behind us," Norris. Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton start from fourth and fifth. When asked if he hoped to be closer to his McLaren rivals, Verstappen responded with a terse 'No.' 'We were lacking all weekend compared to them,' Verstappen said. 'I'm here, squeezing everything out of the car. We had a decent Friday, made some final changes to the car but it wasn't enough to challenge for the pole.' Verstappen had pointed to Barcelona as another race in which he hoped to challenge the McLarens following his win in Italy two rounds ago, and Red Bull boss Christian Horner said his team needed to stay close to the front-runners to have a chance to make gains later in the season. But the four-time world champion now has to get by both McLarens and hold them off if he wants to cut into their leads. 'It is going to be tough tomorrow,' Verstappen said. 'That doesn't mean we are not going to try.' Yuki Tsunoda bottomed out for Red Bull and had the slowest time in the opening segment of qualifying. The Japanese driver will start from last place in a big blow for Verstappen's new teammate. Carlos Sainz also got culled early and will start from 18th in his Williams. That was the Spaniard's worst qualifying result of the season. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli clocked the sixth best time, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Alpine's Pierre Gasly, and Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar. Home favorite Fernando Alonso closed out the top 10 for Aston Martin. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Formula E quietly powers up as a serious rival to F1
TOKYO -- The scream of engines was absent, but the electricity in the air was unmistakable. Formula E may lack the thunderous roar of traditional motorsport, but it's no less gripping. With ultra-close racing, constant overtaking and complex strategy, fans say the experience can rival -- or even surpass -- Formula One.
