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NZ Autocar
16-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Autocar
Lawson to build on Miami momentum as F1 returns to Imola
After a well-earned two-week break, Liam Lawson is back on track this weekend. He heads to the historic Imola Circuit for Round 7 of the 2025 Formula One World Championship — the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Lawson arrives in Italy fresh off his most encouraging weekend of the season in Miami. There he showed real promise despite limited preparation. Despite having never driven a lap around the tricky street circuit before the sole Practice session, the 23-year-old Kiwi adapted quickly. He finished just outside the Top 10 in 11th. Sprint Qualifying didn't quite go to plan. He did well to make it through to SQ2, he couldn't quite piece together a lap good enough for SQ3. Therefore, he lined up 14th for the Sprint. When Saturday's race finally got underway in the wet, he made a lightning start, jumping five spots. Liam Lawson during the Miami Sprint Race. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool From there, he kept charging, climbing to eighth at the flag. He was later promoted to seventh following a penalty for Max Verstappen. That result looked to have sealed Liam's first points of the season. However, a post-race penalty for a tangle with Fernando Alonso cruelly dropped him back to 13th. In Grand Prix Qualifying, he again showed flashes of pace — a strong banker lap in Q1 comfortably saw him through to the next phase, though a single flyer in Q2 left him starting 15th. Sadly, his Sunday didn't last long, with contact from Jack Doohan at Turn 1 causing heavy damage and eventually forcing him to retire. While the ending in Miami was far from ideal, the overall performance marked a real step forward, so there's every reason to be optimistic heading to Imola. Not only is it the home track of the VCARB squad, it's also a place Lawson knows well. He has logged plenty of laps there in Red Bull's testing programme over the past few years. He also raced at Imola in Formula 2 back in 2022, so he'll be returning with a solid base of experience under his belt. Liam Lawson and Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar. Image: Sebastian Nevols / Red Bull Content Pool This weekend also brings a return to the traditional Formula One format — three Practice sessions, followed by Qualifying and Sunday's Grand Prix. That should give him plenty of time to get acclimatised to the VCARB 02 before cracking into Qualifying. Lawson's weekend begins with Free Practice 1 tonight at 11:30 pm NZT. You can catch all the sessions live on Sky Sport or the F1 TV App. And, as always, we'll keep you updated across our socials throughout the weekend. Header Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rally Portugal set to feature record-equaling WRC Rally1 line-up
Rally Portugal will welcome the strongest Rally1 line-up since 2022 when it hosts the next round of the World Rally Championship later this month. Twelve Rally1 cars are set to tackle Portugal's 24 gravel stages for round five of the season from 15-18 May. Advertisement Toyota will once again field five GR Yaris Rally1 cars with the most successful driver in Rally Portugal history, six-time winner Sebastien Ogier, set to make his third start of a partial campaign. The eight-time world champion, who won last year's round in Portugal, will join full-time Toyota drivers, including championship leader Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanpera, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari. The round will also feature the debut of Toyota's recently revealed silver paint scheme that will replace the black livery for the summer events. Hyundai will field its trio of i20 N Rally cars for Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and Adrien Fourmaux, while M-Sport-Ford will be represented by four Pumas. Martins Sesks rejoins the squad for the second of six scheduled starts for the British team, alongside Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean. The fourth Puma will be driven by experienced 55-year-old local privateer Diogo Salvi. The entry marks the largest line-up of Rally1 cars since Rally Spain in 2022. Toyota and M-Sport have already begun preparations for the round, conducting pre-event tests this week. Last time there were 12 Rally1 cars on the entry was Rally Spain in 2022 Last time there were 12 Rally1 cars on the entry was Rally Spain in 2022 Red Bull Content Pool Red Bull Content Pool Advertisement Meanwhile, a record 45 cars have been entered into the WRC2 class, which includes WRC rally winners Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo. Meeke and Sordo are both contesting the Portuguese national championship, which is hosting its fourth round of the season at the WRC event. Former factory Mini, Citroen and Toyota driver Meeke will pilot a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, that has so far edged works Hyundai WRC driver Sordo (i20 N Rally2) to victory in the previous two rounds of the championship. The entry list features several WRC2 title protagonists including Oliver Solberg, current points leader Yohan Rossel, Nikolay Gryazin, Gus Greensmith and Fabrizio Zaldivar. The round will also mark the return of WRC Rally1 driver Pierre-Louis Loubet, having agreed a deal to drive a Ford Fiesta Rally2 for M-Sport, rejoining the team he competed with in Rally1 in 2023. To read more articles visit our website.
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
SA's Ryan Sandes finishes second at Cocodona 250 — after running 402km
The veteran South African is a former winner of one of the world's biggest ultra trail races, the Western States 100. Ultrarunner Ryan Sandes, seen here in action a few years ago, has finished second at the Cocodona 250. Picture: Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool via AFP South African veteran ultra-distance trail runner Ryan Sandes has finished second at the gruelling Cocodona 250 race in the United States. The 43-year-old South African, who won the famous Western States race in 2017, finished the 250 mile race (402km) through the Arizona desert in a time of 61 hours, 21 minutes and four seconds (61:21:04). He finished overnight on Wednesday (SA time). The race was won by American Dan Green (28) in a record time of 58 hours, 47 minutes and 29 seconds. It was Green's first race over 100 miles. Sandes' time was also better than the previous mark. #Cocodona250 ~ Boom! Incredible performance by @RyanSandes to claim 2nd place at the Cocodona 250, crossing the finish in 61:21:04 – 'a steady, calculated race – smart running!' What a legend! 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦 — Daz (@DazMSmith) May 8, 2025 The women's race was won by Rachel Entrekin (33), who defended the title she won last year. She finished in a time of 63:58:15, also a new record. She was fourth overall. The race started on Monday. The elevation gain (or height climbed) is roughly 40,000 feet, which in metres is 12,000 or 12km. This year's race had 307 starters and they have until Saturday to complete the event, that is 125 hours. According to the organisers the Cocodna 250 'takes runners across extremely varied terrain from the Sonoran desert to the 9,301ft summit of Mount Elden and through the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world. The course is 91 percent trail (45 percent of that is single track) and nine percent pavement.' Sandes is said to have slept for only 30 minutes during his run. More to follow…
NZ Autocar
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Piastri triumphs at Saudi GP as Lawson falls to P12 with penalty
Oscar Piastri delivered a career-defining performance at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, claiming victory over Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The McLaren driver now leads the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship for the first time after a fiercely contested 50-lap race under the lights of Jeddah. Tension and Chaos from Turn 1 The action was on as Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen went wheel to wheel into Turn 1. Piastri had the inside line, but Verstappen ran wide and gained the lead by leaving the track. Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri incident on Turn 1. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri incident on Turn 1. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool 'He needs to give that back; I was ahead,' Piastri radioed. 'He was never going to make that corner whether I was there or not.' The stewards noted the incident, and Verstappen was later handed a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage off-track. Further drama unfolded just moments later at Turn 4, where Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly made contact. Gasly's car hit the wall and retired on the spot. Tsunoda suffered damage from the contact but was able to limp back to the pits. Despite efforts from the team, it was a double retirement from the incident, ending Tsunoda's day early. With the safety car deployed, several drivers — including Jack Doohan, Esteban Ocon, and Gabriel Bortoleto — took the opportunity to pit early and switch to hard tyres. Strategic Divergence: Hard vs Medium The strategy began to unfold as the safety car ended on Lap 3. Isack Hadjar, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, and Nico Hülkenberg joined Piastri in starting on the hard compound, while Liam Lawson opted for the medium tyre — signaling an alternate strategy within the Racing Bulls camp. Hadjar made quick gains, jumping two places by Lap 6 to sit 10th, ahead of his teammate Lawson in 12th, who found himself caught in a DRS train with Alonso and Bearman. Isack Hadjar. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool Meanwhile, Piastri pushed to stay within striking distance of Verstappen. The Dutchman led by just 1.1 seconds and was trying to build a cushion to offset his penalty. Piastri responded with the fastest lap as he shadowed Verstappen, the pair pulling away from Russell and Leclerc. By Lap 10, Verstappen had a five-second buffer to Leclerc in fourth, while Piastri stayed close — just four-tenths behind. Norris and Hamilton engaged in a thrilling on-track duel, passing each other twice in a single lap. Norris made it stick on Lap 15 and moved up to sixth. He then set his sights forward, 14 seconds adrift of Verstappen. Lawson overtook Alonso for 11th on Lap 16, sitting 4.5 seconds behind Hadjar as the Racing Bulls found themselves in a tight midfield battle. Verstappen extended his lead over Piastri to 2.2 seconds as pit windows approached, with Russell 7.8 seconds behind in third. Norris continued his charge, moving into the top five with a pass on Kimi Antonelli, making the most of his long-running hard tyres. Pit Stops: Positions Shuffle Piastri was the first of the front-runners to pit on Lap 20. A slightly slow stop at 3.4 seconds cost him valuable time. He rejoined in sixth between Hamilton and Sainz. Antonelli followed him into the pits. Russell boxed the next lap, a clean 2.4-second stop bringing him back out in seventh behind Sainz and ahead of Albon. Verstappen, now with a commanding 11-second lead over Leclerc, came in shortly after to serve his five-second penalty and swap tyres. With a total stop time of 8.3 seconds, he rejoined in fifth — now behind Piastri. Max Verstappen. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool Lawson made his pit stop on Lap 21, switching to hard tyres to go to the end. He dropped to 16th but began his recovery drive by chasing down Bortoleto. The Midfield Battle Brews The midfield pack continued to provide fireworks. Lawson overtook Bortoleto into Turn 1, but the Brazilian had a close call with Alonso and gained an advantage in the aftermath. He was later forced to give the position back to the Spaniard. Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto close call. Image: Formula 1 via X Meanwhile, Hadjar — still on his starting hard tyres — climbed to sixth before his stop. Lawson kept pushing, moving on Doohan and then Ocon to climb to 13th. Race control placed Lawson's pass on Doohan under investigation. Hülkenberg's pit stop allowed Lawson up into 12th place. Liam Lawson. Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool On Lap 30, Leclerc made his stop, swapping to hard tyres and handing the lead to Norris, who still had life in his starting hards. Piastri sat second, 3.6 seconds behind, with Verstappen in third, 4.5 seconds further back. With everyone now on hard tyres, the final stints were underway. Hamilton made a fast 2.1-second pit stop on Lap 24. In contrast, Norris — whose lap times remained just four-tenths off Piastri's — eventually boxed and locked up into pit entry. A 2.6-second stop returned him to the track on fresh mediums in fifth behind Leclerc. Hadjar pitted soon after and returned in 10th on medium tyres, while Lawson passed Stroll for 11th with 5.9 seconds between him and Hadjar. Leclerc passed Russell for third with 12 laps to go, while Verstappen still couldn't make inroads on Piastri. With eight laps left, the Red Bull trailed by four seconds. Lawson's earlier pass on Doohan resulted in a harsh blow. He received a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Despite being the same infraction Verstappen was penalised for, his 10-sec penalty seemed harsh. Liam Lawson's pass on Jack Doohan resulting in a 10-second time penalty. Image: F1TV The penalty effectively ended his chances of a points finish, likely demoting him to 16th despite a strong drive. Closing Laps – Holding the Line With just two laps to go, Verstappen had only managed to shave the gap down to 3.2 seconds. Piastri expertly managed traffic and tyre wear, maintaining the lead as Leclerc defended hard from Norris, who was now just 1.3 seconds behind and pushing to get within DRS range. Race control reviewed Norris's pit exit for crossing the white line but quickly confirmed there would be no further investigation. Piastri crossed the line to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and take the lead in the championship standings. Verstappen settled for second, with Leclerc fending off Norris to secure Ferrari's first podium of the season. Oscar Piastri celebrating his 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix win. Image: Formula 1 via X Norris narrowly missed out on a podium finish from P10 on the grid. Russell finished fifth, 15 seconds behind Norris, with Antonelli, Hamilton, Sainz, Albon, and Hadjar rounding out the top 10. It was a big day for Williams, getting both cars into the points. Top 10 Finishers Oscar Piastri (McLaren) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +2.843s +2.843s Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +8.104s +8.104s Lando Norris (McLaren) +9.196s +9.196s George Russell (Mercedes) +27.236s +27.236s Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +34.688 +34.688 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +39.073 +39.073 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +64.630 +64.630 Alex Albon (Williams) +66.515 +66.515 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +67.091 Liam Lawson crossed the line in 11th but was relegated to 12th due to his time penalty. The team is reviewing the decision. 'I didn't have a great start. I was in the wrong place on the first lap when everything happened,' said Lawson . 'It's a shame. The car was pretty quick. We just spent the whole race in traffic again. 'This weekend's been the most comfortable I've been in the car – I just want some points. 'We're doing all the right things, it just needs to come together.' Despite Verstappen finishing ahead of Norris, the Brit maintains second in the championship, while Verstappen holds third. Post-race, Piastri was asked how he felt. His reply: 'Very happy to have won. It was really tricky to follow out there. I chewed up my tyres trying to keep up with Max in that first stint but took advantage of the clean air out front in the second stint of the race. 'One of the toughest races in my career — glad I could come out on top for it.' Oscar Piastri with McLaren Team Principal Zak Brown. Image: Formula 1 via X Formula 1 will take a break next weekend before returning for the Miami Grand Prix on May 2-4.
