Latest news with #McLarenMCL39
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1 Belgian GP: Oscar Piastri tops only Spa practice
McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri has set the fastest time in Friday's sole free practice session for Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix. Piastri set his fastest lap of 1m42.022s in the closing stages of a one-hour session dominated by set-up work dialling in car upgrades rather than fast times. No less than eight out of 10 teams brought some sort of aerodynamic developments to the Belgian Ardennes, with a mixture of track-specific low-downforce wings and general upgrades as the in-season development race edges towards the finish line. It meant the first 40 minutes featured limited one-lap action, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc leading the way on Pirelli's hardest C1 compound. Most notably there were offs for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Franco Colapinto in La Source, while Lewis Hamilton went wide through Les Combes, before drawing the ire of Gabriel Bortoleto for an impeding incident through Eau Rouge. The tempo was finally upped inside the final 15 minutes when drivers tried on the soft C4 compound, with Lance Stroll briefly taking top spot. Sporting a new low-downforce rear wing on the McLaren MCL39, Piastri went another second quicker than the Aston Martin driver to establish a 1m42.123s lap, which nobody got near to. Piastri then shaved off another tenth in the final minutes to set a 1m42.022s. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Under the watchful eye of new Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, world champion Max Verstappen was second after conducting back-to-back tests of Red Bull's new and previous front wings, reporting that his new set-up still felt "weird" with mid-corner understeer. His time of 1m42.426s was four tenths slower than Piastri's benchmark. Team-mate Lando Norris initially had to abandon his corresponding qualifying sim after dipping his left-hand side on the gravel, but then went second with his next effort before being demoted by Verstappen, albeit half a second adrift of Piastri. George Russell was dropped to fourth aboard the Mercedes, followed by long-time session leader Leclerc, with the pair shadowed by their respective team-mates Antonelli and Hamilton. Stroll and Fernando Alonso, who sampled Aston Martin's new front wing assembly, finished in eighth and ninth, with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounding out the top 10 ahead of Williams' Carlos Sainz, who had to sit out the early running due to a fuel system issue on his Williams. Qualifying for Saturday's sprint race follows at 16:30 local Belgian time. FP1 result: To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
F1 Belgian GP: Oscar Piastri tops only Spa practice
McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri has set the fastest time in Friday's sole free practice session for Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix. Piastri set his fastest lap of 1m42.022s in the closing stages of a one-hour session dominated by set-up work dialling in car upgrades rather than fast times. No less than eight out of 10 teams brought some sort of aerodynamic developments to the Belgian Ardennes, with a mixture of track-specific low-downforce wings and general upgrades as the in-season development race edges towards the finish line. It meant the first 40 minutes featured limited one-lap action, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc leading the way on Pirelli's hardest C1 compound. Most notably there were offs for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Franco Colapinto in La Source, while Lewis Hamilton went wide through Les Combes, before drawing the ire of Gabriel Bortoleto for an impeding incident through Eau Rouge. The tempo was finally upped inside the final 15 minutes when drivers tried on the soft C4 compound, with Lance Stroll briefly taking top spot. Sporting a new low-downforce rear wing on the McLaren MCL39, Piastri went another second quicker than the Aston Martin driver to establish a 1m42.123s lap, which nobody got near to. Piastri then shaved off another tenth in the final minutes to set a 1m42.022s. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Under the watchful eye of new Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, world champion Max Verstappen was second after conducting back-to-back tests of Red Bull's new and previous front wings, reporting that his new set-up still felt "weird" with mid-corner understeer. His time of 1m42.426s was four tenths slower than Piastri's benchmark. Team-mate Lando Norris initially had to abandon his corresponding qualifying sim after dipping his left-hand side on the gravel, but then went second with his next effort before being demoted by Verstappen, albeit half a second adrift of Piastri. George Russell was dropped to fourth aboard the Mercedes, followed by long-time session leader Leclerc, with the pair shadowed by their respective team-mates Antonelli and Hamilton. Stroll and Fernando Alonso, who sampled Aston Martin's new front wing assembly, finished in eighth and ninth, with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar rounding out the top 10 ahead of Williams' Carlos Sainz, who had to sit out the early running due to a fuel system issue on his Williams. Qualifying for Saturday's sprint race follows at 16:30 local Belgian time. FP1 result: To read more articles visit our website.
Newsweek
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Ferrari Insider Pushing for Lewis Hamilton's Influence on Car Development
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. Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby has stated that Ferrari's senior performance engineer, Jock Clear, who also worked with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, must be urging Ferrari to take Lewis Hamilton's feedback seriously for a performance turnaround. Hamilton's journey at Ferrari since his debut this season has been full of ups and downs. The seven-time world champion has been struggling to adapt to the SF-25 F1 car, which is a few tenths off the dominant McLaren MCL39. Ferrari needs to act fast if it has to make up points in the championship. Recent races suggest an improvement, but the tweaks on the car haven't been significant enough to secure a race win. Ferrari's only victory thus far was in the sprint race in China, and the team has yet to win a Grand Prix. Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren drivers have secured race wins this season so far, but Ferrari has yet to catch up with performance. Charles Leclerc, who reportedly contributed to the SF-25's development, registered a best finish of P2 at Monaco, an iconic Grand Prix venue where he secured a win last year. Unfortunately for Hamilton, he is yet to secure a podium finish. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari speaks in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari speaks in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2025 in Spielberg, suggest Ferrari is testing a new rear suspension design with both drivers at Mugello today during the filming day session. The upgraded component is expected to help Ferrari resolve the ride height problems that reportedly caused a double disqualification in Shanghai. There has been much talk about the positive effects of the new suspension, and simulation results have also been promising. However, the effectiveness of the new suspension can only be assessed during the test. Hamilton's feedback during his 12 years at Mercedes played a crucial role in uplifting the team to its championship-winning form. However, reports suggest Ferrari hasn't been making full use of Hamilton's knowledge, prompting Lazenby to reveal how eager Clear must be in pushing Ferrari to listen to Hamilton. Speaking on the F1 Show Podcast, he said: "Lewis, who since 2008 has won seven world championships while Ferrari in the meantime brought home zero, means accepting and therefore marrying his vision of work in the car. So you know there's a growing body of people saying listen to Lewis. I spoke to Jock Clear, [who] has worked with Lewis with both [teams]. "He's worked with him at Mercedes and he's worked with him at Ferrari on the performance side and getting the best out of things. "If there's anyone definitely shouting from the rooftops [saying], 'Listen to what Lewis has to say', it's him, because apparently his [Hamilton's] feedback is second to none. "There's a reason he's won seven World Championships. His feedback is amazing." Adding to Lazenby's point, 1996 champion Damon Hill said: "I do think that they've got a chance of doing something with Lewis when I don't think they would have a chance of developing with Charles, because Charles has never been anywhere else. "That's the problem. Going from one team to another, it takes a few years."
Newsweek
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
McLaren F1 Condemns 'Harsh' FIA Penalty That Derailed Oscar Piastri's Victory
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was happy about Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's 1-2 finish at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. However, he described Piastri's 10-second penalty as being "harsh." The Australian driver lost his lead to Norris after serving the penalty while pitting. The British Grand Prix saw several twists and turns due to a damp track race start and a mid-race rain spell. But given the dominant performance of the McLaren MCL39, Piastri snatched the lead from Verstappen on the initial laps. However, the race momentum was affected on several instances due to yellow flags. Just as a safety car was ending, Piastri hit the brakes hard, prompting Verstappen to go past him. Just as the Red Bull driver made it back to his spot behind, Piastri accelerated instantly. Verstappen reacted immediately, only to spin out in the next corner. The costly error dropped him from P2 to P10. However, Piastri's brake test came under the stewards' scanner, who then handed him a ten-second penalty for a safety car infringement. Stella was happy about Norris' home win but frustrated by Piastri's penalty. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, he said: McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella speaks to the media in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella speaks to the media in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 28, 2025 in Spielberg, Austria."Well, we certainly gave our input to the race direction, especially related to the fact that we thought that the safety car was called in relatively late. This didn't give much space for the driver — the leading driver — to take control of the group and go with the restarting procedure. "So we think overall the penalty has been harsh, but we will review the data like usual. We will see if there's any learning from that. At the moment there's not much we can do. We just have to take it on the chin. "A tough one for Oscar because he drove very well today. He drove very well, but it's just midseason — many more opportunities. I think this will give Oscar even more motivation." Addressing the way both McLarens performed and congratulating the team and Norris on a dominant race finish, Stella said: "First of all, I would like to extend the congratulations to the entire team. To the people that today operated really very, very well under the direction of Randi, the race engineers, and together with the drivers — all good calls in difficult circumstances. "Both drivers drove very well, pretty much with no issues at all. Oscar was very aggressive at the start. He gained the lead quite deservedly, and then the penalty unfortunately meant that he couldn't capitalise on a victory. "This went to Lando. I'm sure for Lando this is a very, very, very special day — winning the home Grand Prix. P1, P2 for McLaren. So overall a very strong day. We're very happy, something to celebrate."
The 42
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- The 42
'The best day of my life' - Irish teenager Alex Dunne makes superb F1 debut for McLaren
IRELAND'S ALEX DUNNE was the story of the first free practice (FP1) at the Austrian Grand Prix, turning heads on his Formula 1 debut. Offaly teenager Dunne, a McLaren junior and the current Formula 2 Championship leader, finished fourth in his first ever F1 session as he temporarily deputised for Lando Norris. Racing for the first time in the McLaren MCL39, Dunne finished within a tenth of team-mate and F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri, with George Russell setting the FP1 pace just two tenths up the track. Russell saw off second-placed Max Verstappen by 0.065 seconds. Dunne's joy was immediately apparent upon his finish, with the 19-year-old telling his McLaren team over the radio: 'I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy's dream came true and it's definitely the best day of my life. 'So, thank you, everyone, for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando, as well, for trusting me with his car,' Dunne added. Advertisement 'It means a lot.' Speaking post-race, Dunne said he was 'super, super happy'. 'I think it's fair to say it went pretty well,' he added. 'I think we knew going through the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando, and kind of just help the team to improve as much as they can through FP2, FP3, and then onwards into the weekend. 'So, to have the pace that I had and show what I'm capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special. A massive thank you to McLaren for the opportunity. I'm extremely grateful.' McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was impressed by Dunne's performance, but particularly with how he achieved his team's objectives on his first run-out. 'Before we look at the time, we have to acknowledge that he has gone through quite an extensive plan of testing with some new parts,' Stella said. 'There was some work that won't be seen on TV but keeps the drivers very busy and you have to be very precise, very much on time. 'In all of this, Alex has been quite diligent and impressive. 'He had also a chance to show us his pace. It's no surprise he is a fast driver. 'We have to be careful looking at the lap times because his lap time came later in the stint when the fuel was down. But I think it's encouraging and impressive for Alex himself, and a good session for McLaren.'
