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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Track rage? Verstappen penalized for collision with Russell at Spanish GP
MONTMELO, Spain — Max Verstappen dealt his Formula 1 title defense a self-inflicted blow at Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix when he collided with George Russell's Mercedes, in a move which Russell later said appeared to be 'deliberate.' Verstappen had been ordered by his Red Bull team to cede position to Russell — in hopes of avoiding a minor penalty — after he had driven beyond the track limits so he could defend his position late in the race. The Dutchman slowed to let Russell pass, but as Russell did so Verstappen's car collided with the side of the Silver Arrow. Race stewards ruled that the 'collision was undoubtedly caused by the actions' of Verstappen and slapped him with a 10-second penalty. That sent him tumbling down the race standings to 10th place, after he crossed the finish line fifth. 'It felt very deliberate, to be honest,' Russell told reporters. 'It is something I have … never (seen) before in a Formula 1 race. 'It is a bit of a shame because Max is clearly one of the best in the world, but maneuvers like that are totally unnecessary and let him down. And it is shame for the kids looking up and aspiring to be Formula One drivers.' Verstappen was unrepentant. 'Next time I will bring a tissue,' Verstappen replied when told about Russell's comment on him not being a good example for aspiring drivers. The four-time defending champion wouldn't go into what he thought happened, adding that Russell 'has his view, I have my view.' Other drivers commented on the incident. Lando Norris, who finished second behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, was taken back by the move when he watched it on a video monitor while cooling down. 'I've done that before ... on Mario Kart,' Norris quipped, comparing the collision to the popular video game of zany, action-packed racing. Verstappen was running third and looked to be in a strong position to at least challenge Norris for second place until Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes slid into the gravel and caused a safety car to come out. The McLarens went in quickly to get new, faster tires, but Verstappen had already made an extra pit stop and so didn't have any soft- or medium-compound tires left. So his team slapped on some hard-compound tires, which are slower and better for long runs, not the five laps remaining after the restart. Verstappen said he felt like a sitting duck and was quickly overtaken by Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari and then Russell. 'I think up until then it was looking quite good for us,' Verstappen said. 'We didn't have, of course, the pace of the McLarens, but with that three stop, it still looked quite racy out there, putting them at least a little bit on the pressure in a way that they had to push.' After taking just one point from the race, Verstappen was left 49 points adrift of Piastri in the overall standings. ___ AP auto racing:
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Track rage? Verstappen penalized for collision with Russell at Spanish GP
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Max Verstappen dealt his Formula 1 title defense a self-inflicted blow at Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix when he collided with George Russell's Mercedes, in a move which Russell later said appeared to be 'deliberate.' Verstappen had been ordered by his Red Bull team to cede position to Russell — in hopes of avoiding a minor penalty — after he had driven beyond the track limits so he could defend his position late in the race. The Dutchman slowed to let Russell pass, but as Russell did so Verstappen's car collided with the side of the Silver Arrow. Race stewards ruled that the 'collision was undoubtedly caused by the actions' of Verstappen and slapped him with a 10-second penalty. That sent him tumbling down the race standings to 10th place, after he crossed the finish line fifth. 'It felt very deliberate, to be honest,' Russell told reporters. 'It is something I have … never (seen) before in a Formula 1 race. 'It is a bit of a shame because Max is clearly one of the best in the world, but maneuvers like that are totally unnecessary and let him down. And it is shame for the kids looking up and aspiring to be Formula One drivers.' Tissue time Verstappen was unrepentant. 'Next time I will bring a tissue,' Verstappen replied when told about Russell's comment on him not being a good example for aspiring drivers. The four-time defending champion wouldn't go into what he thought happened, adding that Russell 'has his view, I have my view.' Other drivers commented on the incident. Lando Norris, who finished second behind McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, was taken back by the move when he watched it on a video monitor while cooling down. 'I've done that before ... on Mario Kart,' Norris quipped, comparing the collision to the popular video game of zany, action-packed racing. Verstappen undone by late safety car Verstappen was running third and looked to be in a strong position to at least challenge Norris for second place until Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes slid into the gravel and caused a safety car to come out. The McLarens went in quickly to get new, faster tires, but Verstappen had already made an extra pit stop and so didn't have any soft- or medium-compound tires left. So his team slapped on some hard-compound tires, which are slower and better for long runs, not the five laps remaining after the restart. Verstappen said he felt like a sitting duck and was quickly overtaken by Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari and then Russell. 'I think up until then it was looking quite good for us,' Verstappen said. 'We didn't have, of course, the pace of the McLarens, but with that three stop, it still looked quite racy out there, putting them at least a little bit on the pressure in a way that they had to push.' After taking just one point from the race, Verstappen was left 49 points adrift of Piastri in the overall standings. ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From yachts to pit stops: Monaco GP in pictures
The Monaco Grand Prix, arguably the most anticipated race on the Formula 1 calendar, provided the usual mix of glamour, celebrities and spectacular sights. Here are a selection of some of the best images from the grand prix weekend. Norris' win 'incredible' but pole 'more emotional' Drivers give mixed reviews to Monaco two-stop rule How to follow Spanish Grand Prix on the BBC Get to know maybe the coolest, calmest F1 driver in history F1's goodbye to Imola? Images from classic track over the years Incredible images from 75 years of F1
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Get to know the man who might be the coolest, calmest F1 driver in history
Oscar Piastri might just be the coolest Formula 1 driver there has ever Australian exudes a sense of calmness that seems to permeate his entire doesn't criticise his rivals. He doesn't shout on the team radio. He doesn't really do quality has been notable since he made his debut in F1, just over two years ago. Now, seven races into a season that he could end by achieving his life's dream at the age of 24, it is proving to be one of his killer strengths as he navigates his first title says that this "comes quite naturally", but as in many cases in elite sport, it's the work that's done to hone the talent that makes the difference."Whether that's from my genes, I don't know," Piastri says. "But there is a lot of conscious effort on maintaining that. Maybe it comes a bit more naturally, but (it's) trying to sit in that nice zone where you can be calm and know what works for you."I'm still a human and I still have emotions, so I still have to control it. And that is a strength of mine."Ninety-nine per cent of the time I'm probably as calm as it looks. There's definitely moments in the car where it puts my emotions to the test. But it kind of goes back to the work you do, kind of putting things in perspective." 'There's not that much shell. It's just how I am' Piastri's Zen-like personality, and the desert-dry humour that comes with it, is beginning to create him quite the following. But Piastri is a simple soul, and it comes as no surprise at all to hear that he cares not at all about the trappings of F1."I don't get bothered that much by kind of all the fanfare that goes on," Piastri says. "And I appreciate all the support that I get. But I'm here to drive race cars. I like driving race cars. I like going fast. I like trying to beat other people. That's what I'm here for."I feel like I'm a pretty simple person. And, yeah, my sense of humour is pretty dry, and I don't give much. But that's just me being me."In this sport, it's very easy to kind of get lost trying to be something you're not, and kind of fit to a mould."I feel like I can just be myself. And I think with more experience and once you have some good results and you become more comfortable, then you can come out of your shell a bit more. But for me there's not that much shell. It's just how I am."Piastri credits some of his mentality on having to make it to F1 from so far moved to Europe as a 14-year-old. His father, Chris, stayed with him for the first six months, but then he returned to Australia and Piastri went to boarding school in says this made him "grow up quite quickly - you get a lot of life experience very early on"."It was definitely a big decision, but I never had to question it too much," he adds."My kind of way of looking at that was, 'OK, I want to become a professional racing driver. If I can do it in Formula 1, then that's even better. And the way of getting there is by going to Europe.'"So, again, removing the emotion from it to an extent, I kind of went, 'I want to achieve this dream of mine. This is how I get there.'" The similarities with Verstappen Piastri is leading the championship by 13 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris heading into this weekend's Monaco Grand breakthrough year came in 2024, when he took his maiden grand prix victory in Hungary, and followed it up with a second in Azerbaijan, founded on the sort of brave, clinical, decisive overtaking manoeuvre that has become his incisive racing skills have paid off this year. He already has two of the best overtaking moves of the year to his name.A brave pass on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari in the wet around the outside of the fastest corner on the track in Melbourne and - even better - on Hamilton again in the dust around the outside of the kink approaching the high-speed chicane in Saudi Arabia, a move that was critical in ensuring he took the lead from Verstappen around the pit stops in there a parallel between his unruffled personality and his decisiveness on track?"I don't know if it's a parallel," he says, "but they're certainly linked."In some ways, they're kind of opposites, right? My calm personality and some of my moves are on the aggressive side. But I do think that those moves come from being able to be calm and think clearly."Although Verstappen caught him unawares with his stunning pass into the first chicane in Imola on Sunday, Piastri has already shown he is not intimidated by the four-time champion's uncompromising approach to year, in a BBC Sport interview, Verstappen gave a rare insight into his philosophy of racing, including saying: "When I race with someone, he will not be able to overtake me around the outside." But Piastri has already proved he has what it takes. He took the lead from Verstappen at the start in Jeddah, and did so again in Miami - with a move that started by going around the outside, and which provoked the Dutchman into braking too late, allowing Piastri to cut back to the inside."Even without Max saying that, just from watching him through the years and now racing against him, I already knew that," Piastri says. "And I feel like in all honesty, I have - maybe it's a slightly less brutal approach - but it's certainly not dissimilar."Max and I race each other in quite a similar way. Very robust, uncompromising, and I think we both push the limits to an extent."I always try to be fair, but it's a very fine line between good, hard racing and just overstepping the mark, and it's always difficult to find that balance. But I feel like the both of us have a lot of respect for racing each other. We know what to expect, especially after a few battles this year." What's different this year? What impresses about Piastri in battle is the preciseness. He doesn't waste energy. He doesn't go for a move that's not on, or try a half move that is not going to come off. He waits, and pounces when the moment is just right."I learned pretty early on in my career that normally when you do things half-heartedly in a race car, that's normally when things go wrong," he says."Whether that's pushing on a qualifying lap or especially overtaking someone, normally actually the best way to not get yourself in trouble is by just committing to things."That's obviously a bit of a mental hurdle to get over, but I feel like once I got over that in my karting days, then it's been more or less a strength of mine ever since."The racing skills have been apparent in Piastri from the start in F1. Where he has stepped it up this season is in his outright year, Norris was unquestionably McLaren's lead driver, the one usually taking the fight to Verstappen. Piastri beat the Briton only four times in qualifying in the whole season, and his average lap-time deficit to the Briton was 0.147 season, the score is 6-3 in Piastri's favour over all qualifying sessions, including the sprints, and now the average time advantage is 0.146secs for is the foundation for his four wins, to Verstappen's two and Norris' has he turned things around so effectively?"The team's done a great job with the car," Piastri says. "And the team's also done a great job with myself. That part goes both ways. We've found gains in every area. The driver being one of them."Just trying to chase performance in every category, basically. Last year what was hampering me was my qualifying performances, which I think ultimately came down to a slight lack of pace overall. And going about trying to find that pace has been definitely a challenging exercise, but obviously a very worthwhile one."The answer, he says, has been "trying to just find the last couple of hundredths (of a second) in every category you can. And they all add up."The first place you look at is obviously the driving and the data, and no two people will drive in an identical way. But normally there's some traits from one driver that are better than the other. And some from another that are better than your team-mate's."So Lando has obviously been a great reference for that, being very, very quick the whole time we've been together."I am maybe a faster driver. But I don't think it's because I can now do things that I couldn't do before. It's just that I'm able to tie it together a lot more."You work on the technical aspects of driving. Whether it's how you brake and turn, how you apply your steering lock. It's quite hard to teach yourself to drive uninstinctively, but it is possible." Could a McLaren battle allow Verstappen in? The contrast with Norris - who has spent much of the year so far explaining how the car does not behave in the way he wants, and how that has been holding him back - is both McLaren drivers are in the title fight - Verstappen is currently third, 22 points behind Piastri. Does Piastri have any concern that Verstappen could sneak through the middle as he and Norris take points off each other?"It is a possibility, yes," he says. "But, on both sides of the garage here, we want to win because we've been the best driver, the best team, including against the other car in the team. You always want to earn things on merit and you want to be able to beat everyone, including your team-mates."So that gives Lando and I the best chance of our personal goals of trying to become drivers' world champion, while also achieving the main result for the team, which is the constructors' championship."If we do get beaten by Max, of course that would hurt, but we would know that we both had the same opportunity, we were racing everybody out there and that's just how it panned out."For us it's the most straightforward, the fairest way of going racing and that's what we've asked for."And does he think about the fact he can end the year as world champion?"A bit, yes," he says. "But I've also thought about it before this year as well."It's very easy to kind of just go: 'Yeah, that's the situation I'm in', but what I've been doing in the past 10 years, especially the past two years, has all been building to try and prepare for when I'm in this situation."And it's very easy for me to just go: 'Well, if I execute this practice session, execute this qualifying session, execute this race, naturally my championship's going to start to look pretty rosy.'"It's obviously still very early in the year, and once you get later in the season, the pressure ramps up."Potentially some of the decisions you make on the track start to change a bit. But for now, it's just about trying to score the most points I can and go out there and try and win every race."
Times
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Times
New regulations miss the point — F1 needs closer racing, not faster
Formula 1 drivers can sometimes appear rather jaded, traipsing from media commitments to sponsor events and the plethora of other drains on their time in a gruelling 24-race season. So when it was announced that they would be asked to drive around the track in life-sized Lego cars as part of the Miami Grand Prix weekend, they would have been more than within their rights to complain of another additional request. Instead, as they completed the drivers' parade, wheel to wheel, tiny bricks falling off their cars as they crawled at the sedate pace of 20 km/h, they laughed and joked in glee. It was by far the happiest many of the drivers have appeared for months. 'Lego racing is the future,' was how George
