Latest news with #Autosport
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Miami Grand Prix practice before sprint qualifying
Tune in BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin, Autosport editor-in-chief Rebecca Clancy and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson are in position and ready to take us through Friday in Miami. Commentary is available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page by clicking the 'listen live' tab. You can also ask BBC Sounds to play Miami Grand Prix practice one via most smart speakers.
News.com.au
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Lando Norris' Oscar Piastri problem ahead of Miami Grand Prix
Lando Norris has an Oscar Piastri problem. Rather than shadowing his championship challenge, as many has predicted after last season, Piastri is overshadowing Norris's title hopes. The Australian has just taken the championship lead from his teammate with a 10-point advantage. He's on a two-race victory streak and has three wins from five races as the only multiple winner of the season to date. Fortunately for the Briton, the Miami Grand Prix is next. The Floridian street-style circuit is the scene of Norris's long-awaited first Formula 1 victory and the beginning of the epic comeback that ended McLaren's long run in the competitive wilderness with an elusive constructors championship. Having needed a weekend off to reset after his bruising fortnight in the Middle East, returning to the happy memories of Miami should be the perfect salve. But Piastri's shadow lingers here too. Had it not been for circumstance, this so easily could have — should have? — been Piastri's first victory. In 2025 he's out to make some happy memories of his own. PIASTRI'S LOST FIRST WIN McLaren's season had started slowly, the team having telegraphed early that the MCL38 would be undercooked on debut but would be revitalised by an in-season upgrade. The first parts of that update arrived in Miami, round 5 of the championship. By then McLaren had a strong development reputation, but like many teams determined to rush performance to the car, upgrades didn't always arrive in sufficient quantity to be applied to both drivers. That was the case in Miami last year, where Norris received the full upgrade package but Piastri, lower in the drivers championship at the time, had to make do with only a partial update. The team calculated the difference between the two specifications was around 0.2 seconds. In other words, all things being equal, Piastri should have been around 0.2 seconds slower than Norris every lap. In sprint qualifying Piastri beat Norris by 0.311 seconds — a net advantage of 0.511 seconds. In qualifying for the grand prix Norris beat Piastri by just 0.081 seconds, putting Piastri a net 0.119 seconds ahead. 'We knew already how fast he is on a single lap,' McLaren boss Andrea Stella said, per Autosport, at the end of the weekend. 'Considering that he didn't have the full package, let me pay proper credit to Oscar. The gap he had to Lando in qualifying is smaller than the difference of the package he had. 'He was really pulling off strong performance over a single lap in very difficult conditions.' Norris and Piastri launched from fourth and fifth on the grid, but by the end of the first lap the Australian had moved ahead, taking third, while Norris had slipped back to sixth. And Piastri didn't stop there. Clearly the quicker McLaren, he dispatched Charles Leclerc easily enough to bring pole-getter Verstappen into his sights. He remained a stubborn 3.5 seconds adrift of the Red Bull Racing car. In response the Dutchman pitted for the hard tyre on lap 23. Piastri inherited the lead of the grand prix. Immediately it was clear Verstappen's RB20 didn't like the new compound. McLaren kept Piastri out for four more laps to build a small tyre offset, pitting him at the end of lap 27. Norris, meanwhile, had been toiling in sixth for much of the first stint. He gained places as drivers ahead of him pitted until suddenly he was in first place without having had to make an overtake. That was the start of lap 28. Later that lap Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant sent each other crashing into the barriers at turn 3, forcing a safety car. By the end of the lap Norris was in the pits. With the safety car holding up the field, he rejoined the race with a lead he would never relinquish. It was a strike of luck for the Briton, who had held the record for most podiums without a victory. But it was bad luck for Piastri. Had he waited just one more lap before pitting, it would've been him, not Norris, who had benefited from the safety car to win the race. He was later punted out of the points by Carlos Sainz, adding insult to injury, but it did nothing to mask the upside of Piastri's performance. 'Lando said something really nice before,' Stella said. 'He said by looking at Oscar overtaking a Ferrari, he felt, 'Wow, we are actually there today', so it was a realisation for Lando himself. 'He comes away from this weekend with this sort of conviction, especially in terms of race pace, which is something we wanted to improve having looked at Japan, having looked at China. 'I think Oscar comes out of this weekend even more conscious of his strengths as a driver. 'For me, he's in a very strong place.' ANATOMY OF AN F1 COMEBACK Miami signified more than Norris's breakthrough victory. It was also a landmark race for McLaren on its journey back to the top of Formula 1. Woking's 2024 season started a little underwhelmingly. Its development trajectory in 2023 had been immense, dragging the car from the back of the grid to being best of the rest behind the all-conquering Red Bull Racing machine in just a few months, with the high point being Piastri's victory in the Qatar sprint late in the season. Anticipation for 2024 had therefore been high, but during the pre-season the team worked hard to play down expectations, revealing that the new challenger would debut needing a major upgrade. So it proved. Though Norris scored a couple of podiums — in Australia and China — it was well off the pace set by Red Bull Racing and behind even Ferrari. But McLaren kept the faith, and by round 5 in Miami it was back on track, with Piastri's pace and Norris's victory signifying the start of a change in the Formula 1 balance of power. Qualifying tells the story. Average 2024 qualifying gap to pole, dry conditions Miami onwards: McLaren 0.028 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing That's an effective 0.478-second turnaround in relative performance between the two frontrunning teams. It's a reversal in fortunes evident on the title table. Despite Norris's win, McLaren's points deficit to Red Bull Racing peaked after the Miami Grand Prix. That's because Sergio Pérez was still in reasonable form, scoring in both the sprint and the feature race along with Verstappen. McLaren, on the other hand, had only car in each race — Norris retired from Saturday with crash damage, while Piastri was punted out of the points by Sainz on Sunday. But from Miami onwards McLaren made gradual and then rapid inroads into Red Bull Racing's points lead. Championship position Before Miami: Red Bull Racing ahead 195-96 Miami onwards: McLaren ahead 570-394 Down 115 points after Miami, McLaren effected a 192-point turnaround to beat Red Bull Racing by 77 points — though it secured the constructors championship by just 14 points from Ferrari in a final-race showdown. In both cases — car speed and score rate — McLaren's trajectory has continued practically unabated into 2025. McLaren leads the constructors championship by a commanding 77 points, and Piastri and Norris are first and second on the drivers title table. Success in Formula 1 is never the result of a single moment or single development, but the multitude of factors that would hoist McLaren from the doldrums to the championship began culminating almost exactly a year ago at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, and that work continues bearing fruit today. PIASTRI IS ENTERING THE STRONGEST PART OF HIS SEASON There's one other important lesson from year-old history worth considering ahead of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Had Piastri won last year's race, it would have been at least as deserved a result as Norris's maiden victory. That's not just because the Australian was McLaren's form driver that weekend. It's because he was to be the team's form man for the entire month of May and in fact for many months to come. He was faster in qualifying for the following Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, qualifying a career-best second, but he was penalised three grid places for a team communication error that had him impede Kevin Magnussen during Q1. Norris proved on Sunday the car was quick enough to challenge pole-getter Verstappen for the entire race, finishing just 0.725 seconds off victory. Piastri improved to finish fourth in a race that featured almost no overtaking, but what might have he managed had he started from the front row? He then proved his potential at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he was pipped to pole by home favourite Charles Leclerc — though had he strung together his three best sectors, he would've started from the all-important P1 position by 0.07 seconds. Overtaking is almost impossible in Monte Carlo, and the first-lap red flag killed the strategy element of the race too by allowing drivers to make their mandatory single tyre changes for free. Piastri finished second, exactly where he started. That was really only the beginning for the Australian, who was the highest scorer in the sport through the 11-race European leg of the campaign. Drivers championship, rounds 7 to 17, 2024 1. Oscar Piastri: 181 points 2. Max Verstappen: 177 points 3. Lando Norris: 171 points 4. Lewis Hamilton: 139 points 5. Charles Leclerc: 137 points 6. George Russell: 106 points 7. Carlos Sainz: 101 points 8. Sergio Pérez: 40 points Now 12 months on, we're coming into what was the strongest part of Piastri's season last year. Having already proved in the opening run of five races this year that he's massively improved his lows by winning at circuits that had delivered him little or no joy in previous seasons, there's anticipation Piastri could find yet more gears as the sport moves into the middle part of the campaign. Every driver will have bad weekends in a 24-event season, but there's no reason to think Piastri has any major structural weaknesses left in his game. It could be bad news for Norris as he arrives in Miami looking for an early reprieve and a chance to bounce back. It might be a track of happy memories for him, but for Piastri this venue signifies unfinished business — and he's in the sort of form that doesn't leave loose ends.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tackling tariffs - James Vowles explains Williams' safeguards against market uncertainty
Williams boss James Vowles has outlined how spreading income and expenditure across different currencies has protected the team from the global financial uncertainty created by the recent tariff announcements from Donald Trump. The United States president doled out higher tariffs on 57 countries on 2 April – ranging from 11% to 50% - before pausing them for all nations except China for at least 90 days, after the financial markets rocked in the wake of the news. There remains uncertainty as to whether the tariffs will be implemented after the delay, if new numbers will be announced or if countries can strike independent deals to avoid the ramifications that would come with the proposed increases. Formula 1 would not be immune from the issues that may arise should the tariffs still be rolled out, as discussed on Autosport when Trump first made the announcement. Vowles, though, was largely unconcerned by potential dangers as he explained how Williams is looking to remain on a firm footing. 'So basically for a team, a lot of your income comes first of all with sponsors or our partners,' he told reporters, including Autosport at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Alexander Trienitz 'The dollar's still low. You try and hedge a little bit. So some of the drivers are paid in dollars, some of them paid in euros, for example. Some of your partner income is in dollars, some of your partner income is in euros or some of it in pounds. 'So you can hedge by doing your contracts in a different way. I'm not sure what other teams do. That's just a clever way of doing it here. 'Probably for us, one of your largest income streams is your FOM income and that is in dollars and that is fixed in dollars. So has that had a hit relative to where we are? Yes - but it's the sort of thing that I don't get particularly hung up on.' Vowles insists Williams does not have to consider tightening the purse-strings in the wake of the Trump administration's announcement and that, similar to how income and expenditure is paid across different currencies, equipment is also sourced from across the world. 'I think one of the advantages to Williams is we are truly independent, and our holding company Dorilton is truly international in terms of its income streams from all over the world. It's not reliant on one particular finance structure, which is very useful to us,' he explained. 'So for us at the moment, we had a talk internally and there's no large impact on either tariffs or on what's going on with the dollar right now. It's small numbers. Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images 'It doesn't help, but it's small numbers. I think for major manufacturers, they are hurt at the moment because there's turmoil, or certainly if I took OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) turmoil in terms of who's buying products, where they're buying them, and what are the costs of them buying them in the world. 'I don't know what the future of that is, but I can only speak in part for ourselves, which is that, yes, it's a pain in the arse, but it hasn't dramatically affected our day-to-day operation. 'It hasn't changed our budget. It hasn't changed our forecast for the next three years or our investment for the next three years. 'The amount of kit that is supplied from the US is not as much as you may think. The raw materials are supplied from all over the world, but you cover yourself purposely in that regard. 'I think COVID taught us one thing, which is make sure you have suppliers based all over as a result of things, because you never know what's going to happen in that regard. 'You stockpile as much as you can, but ultimately you can only sit in the freezer for a certain period of time anyway. But those are pretty much already to the maximum that we would be comfortable doing, because the cost cap prohibits us from buying six years' worth of material. 'You've got to be careful what you're doing in a cost-cap world, so you don't over-index for one year relative to the future. So no, we have enough to keep ourselves going.' Lars Baron - Motorsport Images With Williams looking to be on solid ground despite the current unknowns across the markets, Vowles is concentrating more on delivering on track success, having been clear from the outset that the squad is a long-term project. 'Let's be completely straightforward, we're in a mess because we were short-termist all the way through the last 20 years. Some of it financially driven, some of it driven by other elements,' he said. 'But you can't be in the sport. It has to be investment. And to be clear, investment is about five years forward to get yourself into the right position of leading. 'It wasn't difficult at all because part of the reason why I joined this entity is we had a pretty frank discussion from the very beginning over it, over it will take this long, it will take this amount of investment, and we cannot be driven by short-termism. And it was completely aligned and agreed from the outset.' In terms of partners, Williams has attracted some big names recently – not least its highest-ever figure for a title sponsor in Atlassian – and Vowles insists each new partner brought into his vision. Asked if the team's partners were happy to accept success may take time to arrive, he replied: 'Absolutely, and actually it is really interesting, or perhaps naturally, we ended up attracting what I consider challenger brands, brands that also know that it's about the long-term rather than today in terms of exposure. 'All of them want to be a part of the journey. In many regards, they love the fact that we're very open and honest about what we're doing because for so many companies, you're driven to need performance now. 'When our partners came on board with us, the same message I gave them was 'we're fixing year by year, this is why it will move forward, but this is how long it will take'.' To read more articles visit our website. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
F1 chief gives update on African GP – with South Africa and Rwanda bidding to host race
F1 chief Stefano Domenicali has revealed there are 'still things missing' from current offers on the table as the sport targets a return to Africa in the near future. F1 has not raced in the African continent since 1993, when the Kyalami circuit on the outskirts of Johannesburg hosted the 33rd and final iteration of the South African Grand Prix. Kyalami is one of two potential options for a return to South Africa, with a street circuit in Cape Town the other realistic offer. Rwanda, which hosted December's FIA prize-giving gala, are also bidding to host a race. Domenicali has long made it known his ambition to return F1 to Africa – the only habitable continent that the sport does not race in – and provided an update, admitting 'we're not there yet.' 'That's not the right word," Domenicali told Autosport, when asked if F1's plans to return to Africa were 'on hold.' "Before taking that step, we need guarantees on three fronts: investment that benefits the community beyond F1's presence, infrastructure, not just a circuit, but hotels, roads, airports), and an economic base that can support the event long-term. "We're not on standby – we're working to assess what's still missing before we can say, 'Okay, let's go.' But we're not there yet.' South Africa's minister for sports, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie, has previously insisted a race is 'going to happen' – and could take place as soon as 2027. 'Let me tell you, when I announced that my term would be a failure if we don't bring F1, then everybody laughed because South Africans underestimate themselves,' he told Super Sport. 'I said, 'I'm going to start the work'. My team, we put in the work, made the calls, we met with F1 twice. 'Where we are at the moment, and it's the first time people hear this, we are going to announce a committee next week. The committee will then choose which promoter will promote F1, it's going to happen.' The axing of the Dutch Grand Prix after 2026 means there is a spot open on the schedule for 2027 and beyond. The doubtful long-term futures of Imola and Barcelona could also open up another spot on the schedule, with South Korea, Thailand and Argentina also interested in joining the schedule. F1 has not added a new race to the calendar since Las Vegas in 2023, but Madrid is set to join the calendar next year as the new home of the Spanish Grand Prix. The Madrid race's organisers have this week awarded a tender for the construction of the city's street circuit, which is planned around the IFEMA exhibition centre in the Spanish capital.
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
F1 stewards panel to expand at Australian GP – as FIA make change for 2025 season
The FIA have decided to increase the number of race stewards from three to four at F1 's season-opening race of the 2025 season in Australia next week. F1's governing body, who dropped ex-F1 driver Johnny Herbert as a steward in January, have altered its sporting regulations for grands prix deemed 'high in workload.' A report in Autosport details that four officials will be present in the stewards room in Australia, China, Canada, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil. Usually, stewarding panels consist of three officials – one of whom is a former driver and another who is appointed by the national sporting authority overseeing the weekend's race. The change has been made to aid the decision-making process, with stewards often having to make quick calls and hand out penalties mid-race after incidents on track. Article 15.1 of F1's 2025 sporting rules now states that 'a minimum of three and a maximum of four stewards, one of whom will be appointed chairman' will be appointed each race. Decisions will continue to be agreed by the full panel. McLaren boss Zak Brown has called for F1 teams to jointly fund a full-time team of race officials, but FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has dismissed the willingness of teams to voluntarily contribute. 'The teams can complain, drivers can complain, but then they don't want to pay for it,' Ben Sulayem said last month. 'I'm being very, very honest and straight with you, this takes a lot of investment. It has taken us more than two and a half years to get to what we are achieving now. Do we have the results? We will know the results when the season starts. 'It is very important. What if the race director decides not to go or if he gets sick? It's the same as the FIA. If something happens to me tomorrow, the FIA will continue to function without me, so this has to be a system. It's not about individuals. 'There are a lot of mistakes and then you blame the FIA. It's easy to blame the FIA. Why can't you be productive in your criticism and say: 'How can we find a solution?' 'But where is the solution? The solution is in training, the solution is to bring people in.' Ben Sulayem has also announced there will be more than one F1 race director this season, after Niels Wittich was removed from his role in the latter weeks of last season. The 2025 F1 season starts with the Australian Grand Prix on 14-16 March.
