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Eyewitness News
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Eyewitness News
Piastri in control, Ferrari floundering as F1 arrives in Europe
IMOLA - Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the momentum of three successive wins behind him as he seeks to consolidate his bid for the Formula One drivers' world title. But with the F1 circus pitching its Big Top in Europe for the first time this season with a 'triple-header' of races, as much attention will be focused on Ferrari's struggles as on dominant leaders McLaren or Red Bull's defending four-time champion Max Verstappen. After six unimpressive outings in the first six races, the Italian team and their marquee signing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton appear in front of the 'tifosi' for the first time on home soil at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc, it has been a disappointing opening spell with the Briton, in particular, struggling to find any real pace and performance in his Ferrari – and the team promising a series of upgrades to tackle the SF25's problems. Hamilton did win the Sprint in Shanghai but has yet to secure a podium finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix and the team are already 152 points adrift of Piastri's McLaren outfit. In Miami, he and Leclerc were left scrapping over seventh place. "On my side, this year, we have gone in quite extreme directions in terms of set-up to extract a bit more from the car," said Leclerc, who is in his seventh year with Ferrari. "And it is always very difficult to compare drivers' settings to explain things." 'SPECIAL OCCASION' For Hamilton, it has been a tough experience and this week he abandoned the distractions of social media by unfollowing everyone on Instagram where he has nearly 40 million followers. That cancellation included Ferrari and his own dog Roscoe. As Hamilton debuts in red in Italy, his successor at Mercedes, 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, makes his first home appearance with the 'Silver Arrows' who, like most teams, will bring an upgraded package to the cramped and classic track squeezed between town, river and rolling vineyards. "He grew up in Bologna, nearby, and this will be a special occasion for him," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "But it's also a race like any other that is worth 25 points and that's all that counts at the end." As the youngest driver to take an F1 pole position, for a sprint race, to set a fastest lap and to lead a race, Antonelli has made a sensational start alongside George Russell. But it is Piastri who has impressed the most with his poise and consistency to move 16 points clear of Lando Norris and 32 ahead of third-placed Verstappen who has been out-driving his car to stay in contention. "We're back in Europe with different types of circuit, different natures of circuit," said Red Bull team chief Christian Horner. "McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment. That's quite clear and they're going to be tough to beat over the next few races." After Imola's fast, flowing and technically-challenging circuit, where it is difficult to overtake, the roadshow moves on to the streets of Monaco where a new regulation demanding a mandatory second pit stop is being introduced, and then Spain. This weekend will also see the return of Argentine driver Franco Colapinto to F1 as he replaces Australian Jack Doohan at Alpine whose team boss Oliver Oakes resigned unexpectedly last week. Colapinto raced in nine races for Williams last season.
Daily Tribune
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
Piastri leads pack into Europe
Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the momentum of three successive wins behind him as he seeks to consolidate his bid for the Formula One drivers' world title. But with the F1 circus pitching its Big Top in Europe for the first time this season with a 'triple-header' of races, as much attention will be focused on Ferrari's struggles as on dominant leaders McLaren or Red Bull's defending four-time champion Max Verstappen. After six unimpressive outings in the first six races, the Italian team and their marquee signing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton appear in front of the 'tifosi' for the first time on home soil at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc, it has been a disappointing opening spell with the Briton, in particular, struggling to find any real pace and performance in his Ferrari – and the team promising a series of upgrades to tackle the SF25's problems. Hamilton did win the Sprint in Shanghai but has yet to secure a podium finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix and the team are already 152 points adrift of Piastri's McLaren outfit. In Miami, he and Leclerc were left scrapping over seventh place. 'On my side, this year, we have gone in quite extreme directions in terms of set-up to extract a bit more from the car,' said Leclerc, who is in his seventh year with Ferrari. 'And it is always very difficult to compare drivers' settings to explain things.' 'Special occasion' For Hamilton, it has been a tough experience and this week he abandoned the distractions of social media by unfollowing everyone on Instagram where he has nearly 40 million followers. That cancellation included Ferrari and his own dog Roscoe. As Hamilton debuts in red in Italy, his successor at Mercedes, 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, makes his first home appearance with the 'Silver Arrows' who, like most teams, will bring an upgraded package to the cramped and classic track squeezed between town, river and rolling vineyards. 'He grew up in Bologna, nearby, and this will be a special occasion for him,' said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. 'But it's also a race like any other that is worth 25 points and that's all that counts at the end.' As the youngest driver to take an F1 pole position, for a sprint race, to set a fastest lap and to lead a race, Antonelli has made a sensational start alongside George Russell. But it is Piastri who has impressed the most with his poise and consistency to move 16 points clear of Lando Norris and 32 ahead of third-placed Verstappen who has been out-driving his car to stay in contention. 'We're back in Europe with different types of circuit, different natures of circuit,' said Red Bull team chief Christian Horner. 'McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment. That's quite clear and they're going to be tough to beat over the next few races.' After Imola's fast, flowing and technically-challenging circuit, where it is difficult to overtake, the roadshow moves on to the streets of Monaco where a new regulation demanding a mandatory second pit stop is being introduced, and then Spain. This weekend will also see the return of Argentine driver Franco Colapinto to F1 as he replaces Australian Jack Doohan at Alpine whose team boss Oliver Oakes resigned unexpectedly last week.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Ferrari make late call on Charles Leclerc fitness at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Ferrari have confirmed that Charles Leclerc will participate in Friday practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix despite a bout of illness. The Monegasque driver was absent from media duties on Thursday, putting his participation in the first two practice sessions on Friday in some doubt. Yet a Ferrari source confirmed that the 27-year-old was 'fine' and would be in the cockpit for practice in Imola. Reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi was in line to replace Leclerc had he not been declared fit to drive. Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton will be eyeing an improvement in performance with the SF-25 car heavily updated for this first European race of the season. Ferrari have only managed one podium in six races so far this season and have been the fourth-quickest team following a disappointing start. They currenty trail leaders McLaren by 152 points. Hamilton, who trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 90 points in the drivers' standings after only six rounds, admitted on Thursday that he did not realise how 'tough' his opening stint at the team would be. "I anticipated it would be very tough, because I've joined a team before,' Hamilton said, referencing his move from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, in his session with the written press at Imola on Thursday. "I came in with a really open mind. I didn't know how tough it was going to be. I knew it was going to be challenging. 'It's as challenging as it could ever be. On all fronts." However, the 40-year-old urged fans to be patient as he eyes a historic eighth world title in a final swansong to his career. "For me, I'm not judging our success by a short amount of racing, half a season, one season. "Let's talk at the end of my career here at Ferrari, at the end of a few years here at Ferrari, then let's talk about what we've done. That's when we can look back and say whether or not we were successful. "These few months are paving stones towards where we're going, and that's that."
Kuwait Times
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Kuwait Times
Oscar Piastri in control, Ferrari floundering as F1 arrives in Europe
F1 circus pitching its Big Top in Europe for the first time this season IMOLA: Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the momentum of three successive wins behind him as he seeks to consolidate his bid for the Formula One drivers' world title. But with the F1 circus pitching its Big Top in Europe for the first time this season with a 'triple-header' of races, as much attention will be focused on Ferrari's struggles as on dominant leaders McLaren or Red Bull's defending four-time champion Max Verstappen. After six unimpressive outings in the first six races, the Italian team and their marquee signing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton appear in front of the 'tifosi' for the first time on home soil at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc, it has been a disappointing opening spell with the Briton, in particular, struggling to find any real pace and performance in his Ferrari – and the team promising a series of upgrades to tackle the SF25's problems. Hamilton did win the Sprint in Shanghai but has yet to secure a podium finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix and the team are already 152 points adrift of Piastri's McLaren outfit. In Miami, he and Leclerc were left scrapping over seventh place. 'On my side, this year, we have gone in quite extreme directions in terms of set-up to extract a bit more from the car,' said Leclerc, who is in his seventh year with Ferrari. 'And it is always very difficult to compare drivers' settings to explain things.' 'Special occasion' For Hamilton, it has been a tough experience and this week he abandoned the distractions of social media by unfollowing everyone on Instagram where he has nearly 40 million followers. That cancellation included Ferrari and his own dog Roscoe. As Hamilton debuts in red in Italy, his successor at Mercedes, 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, makes his first home appearance with the 'Silver Arrows' who, like most teams, will bring an upgraded package to the cramped and classic track squeezed between town, river and rolling vineyards. 'He grew up in Bologna, nearby, and this will be a special occasion for him,' said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. 'But it's also a race like any other that is worth 25 points and that's all that counts at the end.' As the youngest driver to take an F1 pole position, for a sprint race, to set a fastest lap and to lead a race, Antonelli has made a sensational start alongside George Russell. But it is Piastri who has impressed the most with his poise and consistency to move 16 points clear of Lando Norris and 32 ahead of third-placed Verstappen who has been out-driving his car to stay in contention. 'We're back in Europe with different types of circuit, different natures of circuit,' said Red Bull team chief Christian Horner. 'McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment. That's quite clear and they're going to be tough to beat over the next few races.' After Imola's fast, flowing and technically-challenging circuit, where it is difficult to overtake, the roadshow moves on to the streets of Monaco where a new regulation demanding a mandatory second pit stop is being introduced, and then Spain. This weekend will also see the return of Argentine driver Franco Colapinto to F1 as he replaces Australian Jack Doohan at Alpine whose team boss Oliver Oakes resigned unexpectedly last week. Colapinto raced in nine races for Williams last season. – AFP
Japan Today
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
Piastri in control, Ferrari floundering as F1 arrives in Europe
auto racing Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy with the momentum of three successive wins behind him as he seeks to consolidate his bid for the Formula One drivers' world title. But with the F1 circus pitching its Big Top in Europe for the first time this season with a triple-header of races, as much attention will be focused on Ferrari's struggles as on dominant leaders McLaren or Red Bull's defending four-time champion Max Verstappen. After six unimpressive outings in the first six races, the Italian team and their marquee signing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton appear in front of the tifosi for the first time on home soil at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. For Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc, it has been a disappointing opening spell with the Briton, in particular, struggling to find any real pace and performance in his Ferrari – and the team promising a series of upgrades to tackle the SF25's problems. Hamilton did win the Sprint in Shanghai but has yet to secure a podium finish with Ferrari in a Grand Prix and the team are already 152 points adrift of Piastri's McLaren outfit. In Miami, he and Leclerc were left scrapping over seventh place. "On my side, this year, we have gone in quite extreme directions in terms of set-up to extract a bit more from the car," said Leclerc, who is in his seventh year with Ferrari. "And it is always very difficult to compare drivers' settings to explain things." For Hamilton, it has been a tough experience and this week he abandoned the distractions of social media by unfollowing everyone on Instagram where he has nearly 40 million followers. That cancellation included Ferrari and his own dog Roscoe. As Hamilton debuts in red in Italy, his successor at Mercedes, 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, makes his first home appearance with the 'Silver Arrows' who, like most teams, will bring an upgraded package to the cramped and classic track squeezed between town, river and rolling vineyards. "He grew up in Bologna, nearby, and this will be a special occasion for him," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "But it's also a race like any other that is worth 25 points and that's all that counts at the end." As the youngest driver to take an F1 pole position, for a sprint race, to set a fastest lap and to lead a race, Antonelli has made a sensational start alongside George Russell. But it is Piastri who has impressed the most with his poise and consistency to move 16 points clear of Lando Norris and 32 ahead of third-placed Verstappen who has been out-driving his car to stay in contention. "We're back in Europe with different types of circuit, different natures of circuit," said Red Bull team chief Christian Horner. "McLaren have got the car to beat at the moment. That's quite clear and they're going to be tough to beat over the next few races." After Imola's fast, flowing and technically-challenging circuit, where it is difficult to overtake, the roadshow moves on to the streets of Monaco where a new regulation demanding a mandatory second pit stop is being introduced, and then Spain. This weekend will also see the return of Argentine driver Franco Colapinto to F1 as he replaces Australian Jack Doohan at Alpine whose team boss Oliver Oakes resigned unexpectedly last week. Colapinto raced in nine races for Williams last season. © 2025 AFP
