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Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Japanese Grand Prix to stay on MotoGP calendar until 2030
Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen leads into the first corner at the start of the race ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren's Oscar Piastri REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo The Japanese Grand Prix will remain on the MotoGP calendar until 2030 after a new contract was signed to continue holding races in Motegi, the motorcycling organisation said on Wednesday. The Japanese GP has been a part of the world championship since 1990, with Motegi staging the race since 2004. Media reports said 229,000 spectators attended the event last year over three days, as Francesco Bagnaia won the Grand Prix. "Japan is important for MotoGP. Motegi always puts on a fantastic show and is a point of reference on the calendar for its event organisation," said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports. The 2025 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix is scheduled for September. REUTERS
Associated Press
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Formula 1: How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on TV and what to know
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about the Belgian Grand Prix. It's the 13th round of the 2025 Formula 1 season. How to watch the Belgian Grand Prix on TV — In the U.S., on ESPN. — Other countries are listed here. The Belgian Grand Prix schedule— Friday: Practice and qualifying for the sprint race. — Saturday: Sprint and qualifying. — Sunday: Belgian Grand Prix, 44 laps of the 7-kilometer (4.35-mile) circuit. It starts at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET / 1300 GMT). Belgian Grand Prix venue Spa is a drivers' favorite for its spectacular route through the hills and forests of eastern Belgium. The uphill, high-speed Eau Rouge is one of the most famed corners in all of motorsport. Originally laid out on public roads, Spa is the longest circuit on the calendar and one where rain often plays a big role. Last time out Lando Norris beat his McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri to the win the British Grand Prix in a thrilling and controversial race in the rain. Piastri lost the lead after a 10-second penalty for sharp braking under the safety car. Sauber's Nico Hülkenberg took his first career podium after placing third — it was his 239th GP. Max Verstappen was fifth after a spin in what turned out to be Christian Horner's last race as Red Bull team principal. He was fired three days later. Catch up on F1— Lando Norris wins thrilling British Grand Prix in the rain to cut Oscar Piastri's F1 lead — Red Bull fires F1 team principal Christian Horner after 20 title-filled years — Red Bull signals it will keep up title fight after Horner was fired. It faces many other challenges — Oscar Piastri says he'll fuel his F1 title charge with 'frustration' at race-deciding penalty — Sauber's success is an F1 anomaly as teams switch focus to 2026 Key stats 20 — It's the first race in Red Bull's 20-year history without Christian Horner as team principal, after he was fired earlier this month. 100 — Yuki Tsunoda enters his 100th race in F1 with an unwanted record. Nico Hülkenberg's surprise third place in Britain means Verstappen's Red Bull teammate becomes the driver with most F1 starts without a podium finish. 139 — Charles Leclerc will mark his 139th race for Ferrari in Belgium, ranking him joint-third all-time with Felipe Massa for most F1 races for the Italian team. Only Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen have more. What they're saying 'Yesterday, I was informed by Red Bull that operationally I would no longer be involved with the business or the team moving forward... It came as a shock.' — Christian Horner tells Red Bull staff he's leaving. 'It still feels a bit unreal to be here and not to see him.' — New Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies on taking Christian Horner's place. 'I will use the frustration to make sure I win some more races later.' — Oscar Piastri looks back on his penalty at the British Grand Prix. ___ AP auto racing:
Indian Express
a day ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Formula 1: What has gone right for McLaren as they head to Belgian GP on top of drivers' and constructors' races?
By Amrit Prakash The 2025 season has come up like a reward for long years of sweat and toil for McLaren. Ahead of the Belgian GP this weekend, the McLaren team is leading both the drivers' and constructors' standings. With both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the top and both commanding over a 60-point lead over the dominant champion Max Verstappen, McLaren is starting to dream about its first champion since they had the modern-day great Lewis Hamilton in their stables in 2008. With a commanding lead of over 200 points over Ferrari, which is placed a distant second in the constructors chart, McLaren looks well within reach to repeat the 2024 constructor's title win, which it won after a long two decades in 1998 when Mika Hakkinen successfully won the championship with active support from David Coulthard. McLaren's dream run of 2025 isn't due to luck or a single innovation. It's the result of an amalgamation of a sweeping technical overhaul supported by strong leadership and trust in the sustained efforts of various team members. As former team owner Ron Dennis once said, 'You don't expect to be at the top of the mountain the day you start climbing.' The team has been charting its way back to the top gradually since the fall from the top in the 2013 season. Andrea Stella, who took over from Andreas Seidl as team principal in the 2023 season, has been with McLaren since 2015, prior to which he had worked with Ferrari and F1 legend Michael Schumacher. He has overhauled the team by bringing in Rob Marshall, ex-Red Bull honcho, who revamped the car architecture. Peter Prodromou, the veteran aerodynamicist, made improvements in the chassis and aerodynamics of the car. This gave the winning combination of the MCL39 car of 2025 with active support from the pool of young talent. 'It's not about shortcuts. It's about culture, science, and belief,' Stella once said. The belief is visible in the MCL39 car. There have been changes in the chassis design with reoriented suspension. Front and rear suspension redesign has also helped the MCL39 reduce wearing down of tires and helped stabilised the aerodynamic platform. Rob Marshall's architectural innovations have overhauled the diffuser and the cooling package of the car. Work was also done on the thermal management of the car with improvement on the airflow in the sidepods and engine cover. The McLaren team has also introduced advanced use of telemetry with AWS and Splunk, providing them with real-time simulation for tire prediction and aero modelling. Behind the wheel, UK-born Lando Norris has been McLaren's consistent driver for the last seven years, while the Australian Piastri has been with the team since 2023 when he replaced fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo. Both Norris and Piastri are technical, adaptable, and collaborative, which was absent in previous pairings of MCL39 initially suited Piastri's braking style, but Norris adapted to it by tweaking his technique, contributing to a stronger mid-season surge in performance. What's also important is that Piastri and Norris don't just coexist—they push each other to their limits, giving McLaren its desired results. With nine constructors' titles, McLaren is only behind Ferrari in the all-time list, making it one of the most consistent teams. But the last decades have just seen the downfall of this glorious team. After Mika Häkkinen's retirement in 2001, McLaren struggled to maintain title-contending form with the Mercedes chassis issue of 2004. Then came the 2007 Stepneygate Scandal, where McLaren was fined $100 million for possessing Ferrari technical data, and banned from the championship race. 2008 gave them a winner in Hamilton, but they lost to Ferrari in the Constructors race. Their real downfall started when the new chassis policy in the Mercedes engine was adopted, which resulted in the disastrous season of 2013-14. But things turned worse from there, with the Honda Gp2 engine also facing public criticism from the drivers. The seasons of 2015-17 gave McLaren its worst finish since its origin. With another transition to Renault for three years, McLaren again returned to Mercedes in 2021 which has laid the foundation for the team to regain its long-lost glory. McLaren is one of those teams that has supported raw talent, be it in the case of 1976 champion James Hunt or Niki Lauda, who later won with McLaren in 1984. Hamilton, who won the 2008 F1 title, was also a raw talent. Jenson Button, who won the F1 title with Brawn, was a McLaren find too. Same is the case of current drivers, Piastri and Norris, who helped McLaren win the 2024 constructors title, the first since 1998. After the British Grand Prix 2025, the point difference between Piastri and Norris is eight points, and the intra-team rivalry is starting to emerge. Will this lead to a split between the winning pair, like we have seen throughout the history of McLaren in famous rivalries between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna or the British pair of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton? The performance of Norris and Piastri is getting compared with three-time Champion Senna and four-time champion Prost, who dominated the F1 for the decade with the McLaren team. With 12 races to go in the season, it is for these drivers to prove that they are worthy of this comparison.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
Where is the next F1 race? Belgian GP 2025 schedule at Spa and how to watch
F1 returns after a three-week mid-season break for the Belgian Grand Prix at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit - and the third sprint weekend of the 2025 season. Lando Norris won his home race last time out at the British Grand Prix, capitalising on teammate Oscar Piastri 's penalty to claim his second victory in a row. Piastri's lead in the world championship is now just eight points at the halfway stage of the season. Nico Hulkenberg secured his first-ever podium in F1 at Silverstone, while Lewis Hamilton once again finished fourth as he continues to chase a first podium in Ferrari red. Hamilton won last year's race at Spa-Francorchamps after George Russell was disqualified. This weekend's race will also be the first since Christian Horner's dismissal at Red Bull, with Laurent Mekies taking charge for the first time. When is the Belgian Grand Prix? All times BST Friday 25 July Free practice 1: 11:30 am Sprint qualifying: 3:30pm Saturday 26 July Sprint race: 11am Qualifying: 3pm Sunday 27 July Race: 2pm How can I watch it online and on TV? The Belgian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky's coverage of Sunday's race starts at 12:30pm (BST). Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action at Spa-Francorchamps on the Sky Go app. If you're not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. If you're travelling abroad and want to watch the Belgian Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help. F1 driver standings 1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 234 points 2. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 226 points 3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 165 points 4. George Russell (Mercedes) – 147 points 5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 119 points 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 103 points 7. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 63 points 8. Alex Albon (Williams) – 46 points 9. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) - 37 points 10. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 23 points 12. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – 21 points 12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 20 points 13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 19 points 14. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 16 points 15. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 13 points 16. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 12 points 17. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) – 10 points 18. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 6 points 19. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) – 4 points 20. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points 21. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 0 points F1 constructor standings 1. McLaren - 460 points 2. Ferrari - 222 points 3. Mercedes - 210 points 4. Red Bull - 172 points 5. Williams - 59 points 6. Sauber - 41 points 7. Racing Bulls - 36 points 8. Aston Martin - 36 points 9. Haas - 29 points 10. Alpine - 19 points 2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL: ROUND 13 - BELGIUM (sprint weekend) Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 25-27 July ROUND 14 - HUNGARY Hungaroring, Budapest - 1-3 August ROUND 15 - NETHERLANDS Circuit Zandvoort - 29-31 August ROUND 16 - ITALY Monza Circuit - 5-7 September ROUND 17 - AZERBAIJAN Baku City Circuit - 19-21 September ROUND 18 - SINGAPORE Marina Bay Street Circuit - 3-5 October ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES (sprint weekend) Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 17-19 October ROUND 20 - MEXICO Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 24-26 October ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend) Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 7-9 November ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS Las Vegas Street Circuit - 20-22 November ROUND 23 - QATAR (sprint weekend)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How to follow Belgian Grand Prix on the BBC
Formula 1 moves into the second half of the season with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps from 25-27 July. It's also a sprint weekend so extra points are on offer in Saturday's 15-lap race. After winning the past two grands prix, Lando Norris has narrowed the gap in the drivers' championship to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to eight points. Sunday's main grand prix, over 44 laps, starts at 14:00 BST. Session start times and BBC coverage Commentary of the race will be on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app and most smart speakers. Make sure to download the Chequered Flag podcast, which previews and reviews every race of the season. All times BST Friday, 25 July Practice session: 11:30-12:30 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers) Sprint qualifying: 15:30-16:14 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers) Saturday, 26 July Sprint race: 11:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers) Qualifying: 15:00-16:00 (BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Sounds and smart speakers) Sunday, 27 July Race: 14:00 (BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and smart speakers) What is the weather forecast in Spa? The weather at Spa, located in the Ardennes Forest, is notoriously unpredictable and the early forecast suggests this year will be no exception. A high of 23C is predicted for all three days with light showers expected on the Friday and Saturday. Sunday is looking sunnier but the possibility of rain remains. A new boss at Red Bull Following Christian Horner's sacking as Red Bull team principal and chief executive, Laurent Mekies takes charge for the first time after his promotion from second team Racing Bulls. The 48-year-old Frenchman had been at Racing Bulls since the start of the 2024 season and was previously racing director for Ferrari. It is the first time anyone other than Horner has been in charge of Red Bull's main F1 team since their debut in 2005. Englishman Alan Permane, 58, has been promoted to team principal of Racing Bulls from his position as racing director. Could Horner end up at another F1 team? Chequered Flag Extra: What next for Max Verstappen?
