Latest news with #Emilia-RomagnaGrandPrix
New Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Max Verstappen flirting with race ban after latest penalty
BERCELONA: Max Verstappen had plenty to be upset about by the time the Spanish Grand Prix was in the books Sunday, but the long-term implications of the outcome could be particularly problematic for the 65-time Grand Prix winner. The Red Bull racer experienced poor luck when his team's decision to go for a third pit stop was interrupted by a caution situation, allowing his competitors to make an unscheduled stop of their own. Verstappen was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the restart, and the Dutch racer then battled with Mercedes' George Russell, with the pair colliding twice. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds, plummeting him to 10th place. The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris managed to parlay that situation into a 1-2 finish. But the situation could have longer lasting consequences, as Verstappen was assessed three penalty points in the wake of the race, putting him at 11 points over the last 12 months. A race ban is instituted if a racer collects 12 points over a year-long period. Verstappen, who captured the checkered flag at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18, did not want to address the penalty situation after the race. "Does it matter?" he asked. "Yeah, okay, that's great. I prefer to speak about the race, not just one single moment." Being assessed a penalty point at the next race in Canada on June 15 would kickstart the ban, which would keep Verstappen from racing June 29 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Two of his penalty points, from last year's Austria race, are set to expire on June 30. Russell called into question Verstappen's maneuvers following the outcome Sunday. "It's down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not, Max is such an amazing driver, so many people look up to him, it seems completely unnecessary," Russell said. "I don't know what's going through his mind, it felt deliberate in the moment, it felt surprising." Verstappen currently sits in third place in the F1 standings with 137 points, 49 points behind leader Piastri. Norris (176) is in second place. - Reuters
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Automotive
- Canada Standard
Max Verstappen flirting with race ban after latest penalty
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) Max Verstappen had plenty to be upset about by the time the Spanish Grand Prix was in the books Sunday, but the long-term implications of the outcome could be particularly problematic for the 65-time Grand Prix winner. The Red Bull racer experienced poor luck when his team's decision to go for a third pit stop was interrupted by a caution situation, allowing his competitors to make an unscheduled stop of their own. Verstappen was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the restart, and the Dutch racer then battled with Mercedes' George Russell, with the pair colliding twice. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds, plummeting him to 10th place. The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris managed to parlay that situation into a 1-2 finish. But the situation could have longer lasting consequences, as Verstappen was assessed three penalty points in the wake of the race, putting him at 11 points over the last 12 months. A race ban is instituted if a racer collects 12 points over a year-long period. Verstappen, who captured the checkered flag at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18, did not want to address the penalty situation after the race. 'Does it matter?' he asked. 'Yeah, okay, that's great. I prefer to speak about the race, not just one single moment.' Being assessed a penalty point at the next race in Canada on June 15 would kickstart the ban, which would keep Verstappen from racing June 29 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Two of his penalty points, from last year's Austria race, are set to expire on June 30. Russell called into question Verstappen's maneuvers following the outcome Sunday. 'It's down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not, Max is such an amazing driver, so many people look up to him, it seems completely unnecessary,' Russell said. 'I don't know what's going through his mind, it felt deliberate in the moment, it felt surprising.' Verstappen currently sits in third place in the F1 standings with 137 points, 49 points behind leader Piastri. Norris (176) is in second place. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
McLaren trialled Spanish GP stiffer F1 front wing in Imola, shrugs off flexi-wing impact
McLaren is shrugging off suggestions it will be affected by the Spanish Grand Prix's flexi-wing clampdown, as can reveal the team has already trialled its stiffer wing to good effect in Imola. After imposing stricter limits on rear wing flexing in the off-season, and tightening them further in China and Japan, F1's governing body has also implemented harsher tests from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona as well. Advertisement Originally the FIA's technical regulations stated that when 100kg of load is applied symmetrically to both sides of the car, the wing's vertical deflection must be no greater than 15mm. When the load is applied to only one side, the vertical deflection must be no more than 20mm. From Spain onwards those tolerances have been brought down to 10mm and 15mm respectively. The FIA has also reduced the tolerance for flexing of the front wing flap from 5mm to 3mm under 6kg of load. It was widely believed that McLaren has been the most advanced in exploiting front wing flexing to its benefit, by being able to run more front wing to help its car balance in slow-speed corners and then using the flexing phenomenon to help out in high speed corners and the straights. Speaking after last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said the clampdown "can be a game-changer for everybody because we don't know the impact on every single team of the new regulation." Advertisement Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Christian Horner have sounded less convinced that the rules from Barcelona will change the 2025 pecking order significantly. Lando Norris, McLaren Lando Norris, McLaren Steven Tee / Motorsport Images Steven Tee / Motorsport Images McLaren has always been bemused at suggestions the FIA's technical directive will peg it back, and it has now become apparent the team has already sampled its reinforced, Barcelona specification front wing in Imola free practice. At the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend Lando Norris sampled the new front wing specification on his first run in FP1, with the corresponding data appeare to dispel any further doubts that this weekend's rule change will impact it. Advertisement 'We head into the Barcelona weekend conscious that the competition is likely to be much tighter this weekend," Stella mentioned ahead of this weekend's running. "As I briefly mentioned in Monaco, this is a circuit with track characteristics which may suit our competitors very well, which in turn could make the field particularly tight. With this in mind, we expect a race more in line with Imola and Suzuka. 'We also see the introduction of a new front wing TD this weekend, which is an entirely separate conversation. It may appear that this TD has created this tightening of the field, but this would be an incorrect assumption. In fact, we previously ran this new front wing as a test item in Imola with Lando and saw a negligible performance impact, in line with our simulations. "Therefore, it's clear that the answer to why the field may tighten up this weekend lies away from the reductive assessment that the new TD has slowed the MCL39 down.' As strengthening the carbon fibre composite in the front wing is a structural change and not an aerodynamic one - given that the actual shape remains the same - the front wing wasn't featured on the FIA document where teams have to declare their upgrades. Lando Norris, McLaren Lando Norris, McLaren Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images Advertisement The reason why McLaren is so sceptical of its Barcelona form is because it fears the circuit's high-downforce layout will align closer with Imola and Jeddah, where Verstappen's Red Bull was extremely strong. In Imola and Monaco Stella said it would be wrong to compare apples and pears [oranges - sic], and lower-speed circuits like Bahrain and Miami with the aforementioned high-speed layouts. But its Imola trial could be the latest example that there doesn't appear to be a silver bullet that has propelled the papaya squad to the front of the field, but a series of smaller engineering solutions that all contribute to its pace and tyre management. Expecting the 2025 season to go pear-shaped for the world champions might be fanciful. Read Also: Lando Norris: "Silly" to count out Max Verstappen from 2025 F1 title fight To read more articles visit our website.
23-05-2025
- Automotive
F1 hopes extra pit stops bring more excitement in the glamorous but dull Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix may be 'the jewel in Formula 1's crown' but the race itself is rarely must-see TV. Sometimes, it's downright dull. F1 and its governing body, the FIA, hope a rule change for Sunday's race will change that. Drivers will be forced to change tires at least twice in the hope that more pit stop strategy could shake up an event where Saturday qualifying — and the resulting grid position — is often more important than race day. 'I guess it can go both ways," champion Max Verstappen said Thursday. "It can be quite straightforward, or it can go completely crazy because of safety cars coming into play or not making the right calls. I think it will spice it up probably a bit more.' The change is designed to stop a repeat of last year, when a first-lap crash brought out the red flag, allowing everyone to make their one mandatory tire change. With overtaking all but impossible on the twisty Monaco streets, the rest of the race was a procession. Home driver Charles Leclerc took the win for Ferrari and all of the top 10 finished in grid order. How Sunday's race shakes out could depend on whether teams get creative with their strategies. 'Normally, with one stop, once you have a good pit stop and everything is fine, then you drive to the end and just stay focused and not hit the barrier," Verstappen said. "But maybe with a two-stop it can create something different, people gambling, guessing when the right time is to box.' Monaco was once McLaren territory. It could be again. It's the most successful team with 15 wins in Monaco, but none since Lewis Hamilton took the victory in 2008 on his way to his first championship. Verstappen's win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last week tightened up a title race which was increasingly dominated by McLaren. Oscar Piastri leads the standings, but now only by 13 points ahead of his teammate Lando Norris and 22 from Verstappen. Monaco could favor McLaren because its car tends to be easier on its tires and, as Verstappen said last week, because his Red Bull dislikes low-speed corners. Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, all but two of the 20 F1 drivers were pictured at a private screening Wednesday of the upcoming movie 'F1,' starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton. Not Verstappen, though, who became a father for the first time a few weeks ago. 'I wanted to spend more private time,' said Verstappen. 'There was the opportunity to watch it, but if I watch it now or in three or four weeks, that's fine as well.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1 hopes extra pit stops bring more excitement in the glamorous but dull Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Grand Prix may be 'the jewel in Formula 1's crown' but the race itself is rarely must-see TV. Sometimes, it's downright dull. F1 and its governing body, the FIA, hope a rule change for Sunday's race will change that. Drivers will be forced to change tires at least twice in the hope that more pit stop strategy could shake up an event where Saturday qualifying — and the resulting grid position — is often more important than race day. 'I guess it can go both ways," champion Max Verstappen said Thursday. "It can be quite straightforward, or it can go completely crazy because of safety cars coming into play or not making the right calls. I think it will spice it up probably a bit more.' The change is designed to stop a repeat of last year, when a first-lap crash brought out the red flag, allowing everyone to make their one mandatory tire change. With overtaking all but impossible on the twisty Monaco streets, the rest of the race was a procession. Home driver Charles Leclerc took the win for Ferrari and all of the top 10 finished in grid order. How Sunday's race shakes out could depend on whether teams get creative with their strategies. 'Normally, with one stop, once you have a good pit stop and everything is fine, then you drive to the end and just stay focused and not hit the barrier," Verstappen said. "But maybe with a two-stop it can create something different, people gambling, guessing when the right time is to box.' McLaren's Monaco pedigree Monaco was once McLaren territory. It could be again. It's the most successful team with 15 wins in Monaco, but none since Lewis Hamilton took the victory in 2008 on his way to his first championship. Verstappen's win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last week tightened up a title race which was increasingly dominated by McLaren. Oscar Piastri leads the standings, but now only by 13 points ahead of his teammate Lando Norris and 22 from Verstappen. Monaco could favor McLaren because its car tends to be easier on its tires and, as Verstappen said last week, because his Red Bull dislikes low-speed corners. Verstappen skips movie night Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, all but two of the 20 F1 drivers were pictured at a private screening Wednesday of the upcoming movie 'F1,' starring Brad Pitt and produced by Lewis Hamilton. Not Verstappen, though, who became a father for the first time a few weeks ago. 'I wanted to spend more private time,' said Verstappen. 'There was the opportunity to watch it, but if I watch it now or in three or four weeks, that's fine as well.' ___ AP auto racing:
