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The Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Three things we learned from the Spanish Grand Prix
OSCAR Piastri has the composure and the talent, not to mention the car, to land Australia's first Formula One drivers' world championship in 45 years – leaving his rivals floundering in pursuit. Only McLaren team-mate Lando Norris appears to have the package to deliver a sustained challenge, but he, like four-time champion Max Vestappen, cannot match the 24-year-old Melburnian's consistency or cool under pressure. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's incident-filled race at a sizzling Circuit de Catalunya: Piastri leads McLaren surge After being beaten by Norris in Monaco, Piastri returned to his best with a demonstration of concentration, composure and technical excellence. His fifth win of the season, in nine races, lifted him 10 points ahead of the 25-year-old Briton, who has won twice, and meant he had scored as many wins already this season as Alan Jones did for Williams on his way to the title in 1980. His fellow Melburnian, now 78, was 34 when he won the championship with a tough, no-nonsense and hard-fighting approach to his racing – not unlike aspects of Red Bull's Vestappen – and total commitment. Jones, an admirer of Piastri's 'old head on young shoulders', last month suggested Norris lacked the mental toughness required to beat his team-mate and Verstappen's aggression, praising his compatriot as having 'the mental strength not to put up with that crap'. It seemed Norris's perfect weekend in Monte Carlo had rebuffed Jones' comments and restored his mojo, but in Spain the studious Piastri was on top again in a tight contest, overshadowed by Verstappen's red mist racing in the final laps. 'This weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for,' said Piastri, whose two-tenths advantage for pole was the biggest this year. 'I don't know if it's my best, but certainly it's been a strong one.' Verstappen boils over While Piastri studied and progressed, Verstappen fell into old habits that revealed he struggles with a temper as quick as his car. His clashes with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and George Russell's Mercedes came as a red mist engulfed him in the final laps after a Safety Car intervention. His frustration with Red Bull's decision to put him on hard tyres for the final five-laps sprint led to both collisions, but only the ramming of Russell on lap 64 of 66 was intentional. He was universally condemned with 2016 champion Nico Rosberg suggesting he should have been 'black flagged' and disqualified. His Red Bull team chief Christian Horner labelled Rosberg a 'sensationalist' but Verstappen's 'mea culpa' on Instagram on Monday, having declined to comment after the race, was more honest. 'Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened,' he conceded. However, as Russell pointed out, he lost points for Red Bull and added three to the eight on his superlicence, to leave him within one point of a ban. Toothless front wing ruling The weekend began amid speculation that a new rule restricting flexibility of the cars' front wings might be a 'game-changer' but it had little or no effect. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished a disgruntled sixth for Ferrari, extending a run of poor races, summed up when he said it was 'a waste of everyone's money – it's changed nothing. Everyone's wings still bend... They should have given it to charity.'
France 24
3 days ago
- Automotive
- France 24
Three things we learned from the Spanish Grand Prix
Only McLaren team-mate Lando Norris appears to have the package to deliver a sustained challenge, but he, like four-time champion Max Vestappen, cannot match the 24-year-old Melburnian's consistency or cool under pressure. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's incident-filled race at a sizzling Circuit de Catalunya: Piastri leads McLaren surge After being beaten by Norris in Monaco, Piastri returned to his best with a demonstration of concentration, composure and technical excellence. His fifth win of the season, in nine races, lifted him 10 points ahead of the 25-year-old Briton, who has won twice, and meant he had scored as many wins already this season as Alan Jones did for Williams on his way to the title in 1980. His fellow Melburnian, now 78, was 34 when he won the championship with a tough, no-nonsense and hard-fighting approach to his racing – not unlike aspects of Red Bull's Vestappen – and total commitment. Jones, an admirer of Piastri's "old head on young shoulders", last month suggested Norris lacked the mental toughness required to beat his team-mate and Verstappen's aggression, praising his compatriot as having "the mental strength not to put up with that crap". It seemed Norris's perfect weekend in Monte Carlo had rebuffed Jones' comments and restored his mojo, but in Spain the studious Piastri was on top again in a tight contest, overshadowed by Verstappen's red mist racing in the final laps. "This weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," said Piastri, whose two-tenths advantage for pole was the biggest this year. "I don't know if it's my best, but certainly it's been a strong one.' Verstappen boils over While Piastri studied and progressed, Verstappen fell into old habits that revealed he struggles with a temper as quick as his car. His clashes with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari and George Russell's Mercedes came as a red mist engulfed him in the final laps after a Safety Car intervention. His frustration with Red Bull's decision to put him on hard tyres for the final five-laps sprint led to both collisions, but only the ramming of Russell on lap 64 of 66 was intentional. He was universally condemned with 2016 champion Nico Rosberg suggesting he should have been 'black flagged' and disqualified. His Red Bull team chief Christian Horner labelled Rosberg a "sensationalist" but Verstappen's 'mea culpa' on Instagram on Monday, having declined to comment after the race, was more honest. "Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened," he conceded. However, as Russell pointed out, he lost points for Red Bull and added three to the eight on his superlicence, to leave him within one point of a ban. Toothless front wing ruling The weekend began amid speculation that a new rule restricting flexibility of the cars' front wings might be a 'game-changer' but it had little or no effect. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished a disgruntled sixth for Ferrari, extending a run of poor races, summed up when he said it was "a waste of everyone's money – it's changed nothing. Everyone's wings still bend... They should have given it to charity." © 2025 AFP
The South African
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The South African
Opinion: Max Verstappen's era of dominance coming to an end
It's becoming increasingly clear that Red Bull Racing star driver Max Verstappen won't be winning his fifth championship. During the ground effect era, the 27-year-old Dutch driver has dominated Formula One for the past three years. Verstappen began his F1 career at the age of 17 with Toro Rosso, which is a sister team to Red Bull. Even from a young age, he displayed immense talent, and his raw speed caught the attention of many. In 2016, he was promoted to Red Bull Racing and won his first race after Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were involved in a collision. By winning the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen became the youngest driver (at 18) to win a race. During Mercedes' dominance, Verstappen won a total of 10 races, which was impressive considering that Red Bull was either the second or third fastest team at the time. In the 2021 season, Red Bull Racing mounted a significant challenge to Mercedes. The Mercedes W12 was somewhat slower than its predecessor, allowing Red Bull to be competitive. The championship kept changing hands, with both Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen racing each other hard, leading to multiple collisions throughout the season. Towards the end of the season, Verstappen appeared to have a healthy lead after winning the US and Mexico races, but a late surge from Hamilton meant that both drivers entered the final race equal on points. Lewis Hamilton passed Max Verstappen on the first lap and controlled the race from there. However, a late Safety Car introduced a twist when race director Michael Masi incorrectly applied the rules. With the race set to end under the Safety Car, Masi was influenced by the Red Bull garage to allow for one more lap of racing. He permitted four lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves before restarting the race. Verstappen, on soft tires, managed to pass Hamilton, securing his first title. After winning his first title, Verstappen went on to dominate the 2022 season, winning 15 of the 22 races. Entering his peak, the Dutch driver was in sync with the Red Bull machine, often winning races that seemed impossible to clinch. In 2023, the Red Bull RB19 won 21 out of 22 races, with Max Verstappen winning 19 of them. The Dutchman had the most dominating season in the history of the sport, making little to no mistakes on his way to being crowned a three-time world champion. It seemed that 2024 would follow a similar path of dominance, but the departure of aerodynamicist Adrian Newey caused a drop in performance after eight races. Nonetheless, Verstappen managed to hold off McLaren's Lando Norris to earn his fourth consecutive title. With the ground effect era coming to an end in 2025, many consider this Verstappen's final chance to secure his fifth title. New regulations are set to come in 2026, along with Ford supplying engines for Red Bull, making it less likely that Max Verstappen will enjoy another period of dominance. The 2025 season has seen nine races so far, with McLaren winning seven of them. The Papaya team has by far the most dominant car this season, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri vying for the title. Verstappen appeared to be in the mix, but after his poor performance at the Spanish Grand Prix, his chances of winning the fifth title seem almost over. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
'Proud' Piastri extends championship lead with Spanish GP victory
BARCELONA: Oscar Piastri drove with exemplary calm and control in a torrid race on Sunday to beat rival and team-mate Lando Norris as McLaren claimed a first Spanish Grand Prix victory since 2005 with a resounding 1-2 triumph. The 24-year-old Australian came home 2.4 seconds clear of Norris to extend his lead in the drivers' championship to 10 points with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third after a dramatic finale. Four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull went for a three-stop strategy that resulted in him losing third place in the final laps before being handed a 10-second penalty for crashing into Mercedes' George Russell who finished fourth. It was Piastri's fifth win of the season and the seventh win of his career - and his eighth consecutive podium finish for McLaren, a feat that had only been achieved before by three-time champion Ayrton Senna and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Nico Hulkenberg was fifth, from 15th on the grid, for Sauber ahead of Hamilton in a Ferrari, Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly of Alpine. Two-time champion and local hero Fernando Alonso finished ninth for Aston Martin with Verstappen classified 10th after his bruising late incidents which prompted 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg to suggest he deserved to be black-flagged and disqualified. "It was a bit of a surprise to see Max try a three-stop and it nearly worked for him," said Piastri. "But it's been a great weekend overall. The overall pace was really good and we could turn it on when we needed to - and I am just very proud of the work we've done this weekend. "It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. It's been a superb weekend." Monaco winner Norris started second but ceded his position to Verstappen on the first lap before battling back to follow his teammate home. "Oscar drove a very good race today," said Norris. "I didn't quite have the pace to match him. We gave it our best shot. It's a long race and anything could have happened at the end of the race. "We both got pretty sideways with the safety car restart. It was a good, fun race and for us as a team to finish one-two is even better." Leclerc said he was encouraged to attack Verstappen when he realised he had been given hards for the late re-start that followed a Safety Car intervention, while he was on softs. "When the engineers told me that Max was going on a hard tyre for the last stint, I was very optimistic because I knew how bad the hard was," he said. "That's when I knew I needed to have a good restart. Luckily, there was an opportunity. "It was a battle for track position to get the slipstream from the guys in front. Max wanted to bring me towards the inside where there was all the rubber, so I didn't want to go there.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
'Proud' Piastri extends championship lead with Spanish GP victory
OSCAR PIASTRI drove with exemplary calm and control in a torrid race on Sunday to beat rival and team-mate Lando Norris as McLaren claimed a first Spanish Grand Prix victory since 2005 with a resounding 1-2 triumph. The 24-year-old Australian came home 2.4 seconds clear of Norris to extend his lead in the drivers' championship to 10 points with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finishing third after a dramatic finale. Four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull went for a three-stop strategy that resulted in him losing third place in the final laps before being handed a 10-second penalty for crashing into Mercedes' George Russell who finished fourth. It was Piastri's fifth win of the season and the seventh win of his career - and his eighth consecutive podium finish for McLaren, a feat that had only been achieved before by three-time champion Ayrton Senna and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Nico Hulkenberg was fifth, from 15th on the grid, for Sauber ahead of Hamilton in a Ferrari, Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly of Alpine. Two-time champion and local hero Fernando Alonso finished ninth for Aston Martin with Verstappen classified 10th after his bruising late incidents which prompted 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg to suggest he deserved to be black-flagged and disqualified. - 'Great weekend' - 'It was a bit of a surprise to see Max try a three-stop and it nearly worked for him,' said Piastri. 'But it's been a great weekend overall. The overall pace was really good and we could turn it on when we needed to - and I am just very proud of the work we've done this weekend. 'It's a nice way to bounce back from Monaco. It's been a superb weekend.' Monaco winner Norris started second but ceded his position to Verstappen on the first lap before battling back to follow his teammate home. 'Oscar drove a very good race today,' said Norris. 'I didn't quite have the pace to match him. We gave it our best shot. It's a long race and anything could have happened at the end of the race. 'We both got pretty sideways with the safety car restart. It was a good, fun race and for us as a team to finish one-two is even better.' Leclerc said he was encouraged to attack Verstappen when he realised he had been given hards for the late re-start that followed a Safety Car intervention, while he was on softs. 'When the engineers told me that Max was going on a hard tyre for the last stint, I was very optimistic because I knew how bad the hard was,' he said. 'That's when I knew I needed to have a good restart. Luckily, there was an opportunity. 'It was a battle for track position to get the slipstream from the guys in front. Max wanted to bring me towards the inside where there was all the rubber, so I didn't want to go there. 'I was trying to push him to the left, there was a little bit of contact. Fortunately, for us there were no consequences.'
