Latest news with #LandoNorris
CNA
11 minutes ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Piastri returns as leader to scene of first F1 win
BUDAPEST :Oscar Piastri has got used to winning since his first in Hungary last year and returns as Formula One leader looking to take a tidy advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris into the August break. The 24-year-old has won six of 13 grands prix so far this season, already more than any Australian driver has ever managed in a single year, and leads his British rival by 16 points with 11 races remaining. "I'm really excited to go back. It's always a fun weekend. It's a great city, a cool track as well," said Piastri after winning a rain-delayed race in Belgium last Sunday in McLaren's sixth one-two of the season. "I'm sure Thursday will be nice to go back to where I had my first win. But as soon as we get on track, you forget about that immediately." Hungary - hot and twisty and with a layout more like an overgrown go-kart track that makes overtaking tricky - puts a premium on qualifying. Norris took pole last time in Hungary but lost out to Piastri at the start, recovered the lead when the Australian suffered a slower pitstop and was then ordered by the team to hand back the place. The Briton eventually complied but it rankled at the time and he will be looking to win on Sunday without any such controversy. With McLaren dominant, and historically the most successful team in Hungary, the stage is set for another duel between the teammates. Who joins them on the podium remains an open question but this could be the moment Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for with Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc has had five podiums already this season. Hamilton has an unrivalled record at the Hungaroring with eight wins and was third last year, admittedly in a Mercedes, behind the McLarens. He also has nine poles at the circuit outside Budapest. "In the last few races, we've made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to a lot of hard work back in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance," said team boss Fred Vasseur. "It will be interesting to see how the updated SF-25 performs on a completely different track, twisty, with plenty of medium and low-speed corners. Charles and Lewis are both in good form, and the team is also performing well." George Russell set the fastest lap last year for Mercedes but his team have made some wrong turns in development and have work to do, with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli also keen to get back in the points. "After a tough weekend in Belgium, we are looking to put in a more competitive showing," said team boss Toto Wolff. "Our performances in recent races have not been up to our standards, and we have work planned to both understand why that has been and get on top of it this weekend." Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull. The race is the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who took his first win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, has raced in more than half of them - this being his record 22nd.
Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Piastri returns as leader to scene of first F1 win
BUDAPEST, July 30 (Reuters) - Oscar Piastri has got used to winning since his first in Hungary last year and returns as Formula One leader looking to take a tidy advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris into the August break. The 24-year-old has won six of 13 grands prix so far this season, already more than any Australian driver has ever managed in a single year, and leads his British rival by 16 points with 11 races remaining. "I'm really excited to go back. It's always a fun weekend. It's a great city, a cool track as well," said Piastri after winning a rain-delayed race in Belgium last Sunday in McLaren's sixth one-two of the season. "I'm sure Thursday will be nice to go back to where I had my first win. But as soon as we get on track, you forget about that immediately." Hungary -- hot and twisty and with a layout more like an overgrown go-kart track that makes overtaking tricky -- puts a premium on qualifying. Norris took pole last time in Hungary but lost out to Piastri at the start, recovered the lead when the Australian suffered a slower pitstop and was then ordered by the team to hand back the place. The Briton eventually complied but it rankled at the time and he will be looking to win on Sunday without any such controversy. With McLaren dominant, and historically the most successful team in Hungary, the stage is set for another duel between the teammates. Who joins them on the podium remains an open question but this could be the moment Lewis Hamilton has been waiting for with Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc has had five podiums already this season. Hamilton has an unrivalled record at the Hungaroring with eight wins and was third last year, admittedly in a Mercedes, behind the McLarens. He also has nine poles at the circuit outside Budapest. "In the last few races, we've made progress in terms of competitiveness, and in Belgium, thanks to a lot of hard work back in Maranello, we introduced an upgrade package that further improved our performance," said team boss Fred Vasseur. "It will be interesting to see how the updated SF-25 performs on a completely different track, twisty, with plenty of medium and low-speed corners. Charles and Lewis are both in good form, and the team is also performing well." George Russell set the fastest lap last year for Mercedes but his team have made some wrong turns in development and have work to do, with Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli also keen to get back in the points. "After a tough weekend in Belgium, we are looking to put in a more competitive showing," said team boss Toto Wolff. "Our performances in recent races have not been up to our standards, and we have work planned to both understand why that has been and get on top of it this weekend." Four-times world champion Max Verstappen, winner in Hungary in 2022 and 2023, will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull. The race is the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who took his first win at the circuit with Renault in 2003, has raced in more than half of them -- this being his record 22nd.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Andrea Stella: McLaren's F1 dominance shouldn't be 'comfortable'
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says his team won't take its foot off the throttle after another dominant 1-2 at the Belgian Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri won his sixth grand prix of the season ahead of Lando Norris after passing his team-mate at the start of a mixed weather race. The Australian eventually led Norris home for the team's third consecutive 1-2 victory. McLaren introduced its latest upgrades in Spa, a new low-downforce rear wing assembly that made its 2025 car more efficient and should also be used at other suitable circuits like Monza, Baku and Las Vegas. McLaren's dominance has shifted focus from any outside challenge by the likes of Max Verstappen, who left Belgium 81 points in arrears, to the papaya squad's intra-team battle between Piastri and Norris picking up steam as they attack the second half of the season. With just 16 points between them, McLaren is adamant it will let the title fight play out naturally between leader Piastri and challenger Norris. Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren "If I want it to be comfortable, then I'm not doing the right job," Stella said. "I'm not really interested in being comfortable, I'm interested in putting McLaren in the best possible position to succeed, which means competing for the constructors' world championship and, if possible, making sure that the drivers' world championship is a matter between the two McLaren drivers. "In addition to that, even if this doesn't make my life or Zak [Brown, CEO]'s life any simpler, we are also racing in a certain way, which is open, which may give our drivers the opportunity to express their talents, their aspirations, their quality, their constant development. "That's what we are here for, and we are very privileged to be in this position. Not only with the team we have, but with Oscar and Lando, who are two great drivers, but above all, two great individuals." McLaren's latest 1-2 lockout came at a historically difficult Spa-Francorchamps circuit as well, which Stella felt was "particularly important" as it showed just how much McLaren has improved its weaknesses over the past two years, with aerodynamic efficiency one key topic that has been completely turned around. Stella echoed Norris' recent comments that race weekend execution will be the deciding factor in the championship, with Norris and Piastri evenly trading blows but Norris having made more errors this year than his Australian team-mate. Read Also: F1 Belgian GP: Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris after lengthy rain delay Why McLaren introduces F1 upgrades without racing them immediately "I think the execution is what is going to make the main difference," he agreed. "We will try and make sure that from a reliability point of view, from a team operation point of view, we are as good as possible, such that it will be the drivers deciding their own outcome in terms of competing for the drivers' world championship." To read more articles visit our website.
Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Jeremy Clarkson Slams the FIA Over Belgian Grand Prix Delayed Start
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson ripped the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix race director after fans were denied wet-weather racing. The forecast for Sunday's race at Spa called for a good amount of rain to fall throughout the day. The race director delayed the start of the race due to rain, opting to wait and see if the rain stopped. After more than an hour, they finally got the race underway, though it was via a rolling start. The FIA Safety Car leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes and Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix... The FIA Safety Car leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes and Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 27, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. More Photo byThe safety car did four laps as the cars swept the water off the track. Then it came in, and the pole-sitter, McLaren's Lando Norris, got the race underway. The cars used intermediate tires for the first part of the race and then switched to slick tires for the second portion. The wet tires were never used despite the amount of rain that poured on the track, with the FIA arguing that it was in fact the lack of visibility that was the issue, not the lack of grip. After the race, drivers and fans alike were left questioning the purpose of the blue-stripped tire and whether wet conditions would feature in any future race. Clarkson offered his thoughts on the delay of the race and called out the race directors. "Dear God in heaven. What is the race director at Spa doing?" Clarkson posted to X. Dear God in heaven. What is the race director at Spa doing? — Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) July 27, 2025 Clarkson is a well-known critic of the FIA and its decision-making processes. He is fond of the old-school racing approach when cars raced under intense conditions. The reality TV star wasn't the only one left wondering why the race was handled in such a way. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen also wondered why the drivers weren't allowed to race at the original start time. "It's a bit disappointing, because we spoke after Silverstone to be a little bit more cautious with the decisions," the four-time champion said. "But this was then the other extreme for me. Of course, between Turn 1 [La Source] and 5 [Les Combes] was quite a bit of water, but if you do two or three laps behind the safety car, then it would have been a lot more clear, and the rest of the track was, anyway, ready to go. "It's a bit of a shame. Of course. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious after Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense. "Then it's better to say: 'You know what? Let's wait until it's completely dry and then we just start on slicks.' Because this is not really wet-weather racing for me." Belgian Grand Prix Results
IOL News
a day ago
- Automotive
- IOL News
Is McLaren too far gone in the title race?
McLaren dominant McLAREN's dominance this season is undeniable with as seen Lando Norris on the podium next to teammate Oscar Piastri, a technician, and third placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. | AFP OVER the past two decades, there's never really been any real rivalry at the top of Formula 1. It's mainly been one team dominating and the rest of the top four trying to catch up as closely as possible. Since the second half of last season, and all of this season, McLaren have been the team everyone is trying to catch up with. But mid-way through the season it looks as though it's already over for everyone else. Be it the Constructors or the Drivers World Title, the chances of any other team but papaya lifting the silverware at the end of the season are slim to none. The double podium in Belgium put them over 250 points clear in the Constructors race. Oscar Piastri is around 80 points clear of Max Verstappen in third place with the battle for World Champion seemingly fixed between the young Aussie and his teammate Lando Norris. Long term pace setting McLaren apart What has been evident this season is McLaren's pace, not just over the short term but the long term main race as well. Verstappen has only managed to post quick times during the shorter format qualifying and sprint rounds but the RB21 cannot seem to go the distance on all flat out tracks and wet conditions. Once in the lead on a Sunday, both of the McLarens' have been extremely difficult to catch for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes. Balance and downforce has been the bane of existence for many teams in the paddock this season, not just the bottom three of the top -four. The Ferrari's have shown greater potential of putting up a fight against Zak Brown's team compared to Red Bull, but even the great Lewis Hamilton cannot seem to catch the orange zap. Hamilton gave an exhilarating performance in a soaking wet Spa on Sunday, fighting up nine places from P16 to P7. Charles Leclerc finished P3, his second podium of the year, but was 20 seconds behind Piastri and around 17 seconds behind Norris - painting a clear picture of the McLaren pace in hell or high water. McLaren's keen tyre management One stand out feature so far this season has been McLaren's ability to efficiently manage its tyres when compared to the other top four teams. Tyre management has been an area of excellence for McLaren, especially in hot conditions - where the rubber is eaten much faster. Speculation in the paddock and world of F1 has suggested that McLaren tyre secret could revolve around phase change materials. Aero Design Engineer Martin Bhunchan, a former F1 engineer who wrote his thesis at McLaren 8 years ago, suspects McLaren could be using the technology to get better tyre management. But this process only helps cool the tyres by the use of air alone and cannot be entirely responsible for their stellar rubber management. The answer may also lie in the materials themselves, the reaction to heat and how high a melting point they have compared to the ones other teams are using.
