Latest news with #SaudiGrandPrix
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Max Verstappen's change in approach to Oscar Piastri spotted - 'Max knows'
Max Verstappen is down in third place in the Formula 1 drivers' championship behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with Australian star Piastri leading the way Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris to win last year's title, but this time around it's Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri making the early running in the drivers' championship. However, former F1 star Martin Brundle believes Verstappen has taken a different approach in his dealings with the McLaren pair. Norris won the first grand prix of the season in Australia, with Verstappen claiming his first victory of the season in Japan. Piastri has won the other four, though, and holds a 16-point lead over closest challenger Norris following his win in Miami. Verstappen is a further 16 behind, and Brundle has commented on how he believes the Dutch driver has treated Piastri. "100 per cent. Unquestionably," Brundle told Sky Sports when asked if he felt Verstappen races differently against the two McLarens. "'He knows that there's something a bit more street fighter about Oscar Piastri. He saw it in Jeddah [where Verstappen started on pole but finished second behind the Australian]. "Max knows he got a different animal than Lando when Oscar is in his mirrors - not by much. Just positioning the car, there's a decisiveness about what he did.' Brundle's comments come after former F1 world champion Alan Jones fired a warning to Verstappen. "He sees a gap and goes for it, and Oscar is not going to be put off by that," the 1980 champ said. "There's a lot of other drivers he'll bluff and hold them to ransom a bit, but I believe Oscar has got the mental strength not to put up with that crap. He'll just take it for what is and give it back to him." Back in April, after that Saudi Grand Prix, Verstappen opened up on what has impressed him about Piastri. "Last year was his second year, now he's in his third year and he's very solid," the champ said. "He's very calm in his approach, and I like that. It shows on-track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes - and that's what you need when you want to fight for a championship." Verstappen lost ground on his rivals in Miami after receiving a 10-second penalty to finish out of the points in the Sprint race. He recovered to claim pole for the grand prix proper, but was unable to keep the two McLarens at bay and eventually finished fourth behind Piastri, Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell. Next up is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which will take place in Imola on May 18. Verstappen won the race last year, with Norris second and Piastri coming home fourth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Daily Tribune
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
Antonelli stuns with Miami sprint pole
AFP | Miami Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli powered to a shock pole position in Friday's qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, delivering a sizzling final lap to become the youngest-ever driver to take pole in Formula One. The 18-year-old Antonelli stormed to the front of the grid for yesterday's race with a fastest lap of 1:26.482 to leave the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third. 'It was a very intense qualifying. I felt really good since this morning and I felt good going into qualifying. I put everything together, so really happy to get the first pole,' said the teenager. 'Tomorrow will be nice to start on the front row, will be a bit of a different feeling.' The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1's record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Max Verstappen from 2016 in Japan. Having added another record, he said he felt the weekend off after the Saudi Grand Prix had been important to him in his rookie season. 'Every weekend I learn massively. Last week, having a break really helped me to gather information and process it all and recharging the batteries, it was really good,' he said. 'The whole qualifying I felt I was able to make a step lap by lap. I'm much more aware of how to do a consistent warm up and extract more out of the tyres but there's a lot to improve. 'Every weekend I get more confident with the car, can play with it more and explore the limits. At the same time, I can understand more from the setup and give much better feedback which allows the team to improve the car.' Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was purring in the paddock after the stunning display from the Bologna born driver. 'He's a young man... Hopefully we make a lot of fun in the future, a lot of happiness,' he said. 'It's about the trajectory. It's not whether it's a pole in the sprint, or tomorrow, he has done it and he's quickest.' Antonelli's British teammate George Russell had to settle for fifth place on the grid. 'I've been struggling a little bit today, a little bit off the pace, not been so comfortable,' he said. 'We just wanted to go on the early side because ultimately I didn't quite have that confidence, and we thought maybe if there's a yellow or a red at the end of the session, it will come our way. 'P5 today, not great, more to improve, but amazing for Kimi and the team. Massive congrats to Kimi. Really pleased to see. He did an amazing job. He has been really quick all day. Really impressive.' Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who announced the birth of a daughter on Friday, finished in fourth place. There was more frustration for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc finishing sixth, a place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. 'Bad. The lap was good. But the pace is just not at all there for now, so it's a bit annoying but it's the way it is for now,' said the Monte-Carlo racer. 'I'll try my best tomorrow to try to do something special with the start, but to be honest, there's not much room for improvement today. It was just... that's the pace of the car.' Hamilton said he didn't see much chance to move up in yesterday's sprint. 'Not really. I think all the cars ahead are faster. I don't know what else to say,' he admitted. Earlier, McLaren's championship leader Piastri was fastest in the opening practice session for Sunday's Grand Prix. The Australian's fastest lap of 1:27.18 was 0.56 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with Max Verstappen of Red Bull third quickest. British driver Oliver Bearman of Haas spun and crashed into the barriers on turn 12 with the red flag bringing an end to the only practice session of the weekend.
Daily Express
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Express
Antonelli, 18, takes historic pole position
Published on: Sunday, May 04, 2025 Published on: Sun, May 04, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1's record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Verstappen from 2016 in Japan. MIAMI GARDENS: Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli powered to a shock pole position in Friday's qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, delivering a sizzling final lap to become the youngest-ever driver to take pole in Formula One. The 18-year-old Antonelli stormed to the front of the grid for Saturday's race with a fastest lap of 1:26.482 to leave the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third. 'It was a very intense qualifying. I felt really good since this morning and I felt good going into qualifying. I put everything together, so really happy to get the first pole,' said the teenager. 'Tomorrow will be nice to start on the front row, will be a bit of a different feeling.' The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1's record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Max Verstappen from 2016 in Japan. Having added another record, he said he felt the weekend off after the Saudi Grand Prix had been important to him in his rookie season. 'Every weekend I learn massively. Last week, having a break really helped me to gather information and process it all and recharging the batteries, it was really good,' he said. 'The whole qualifying I felt I was able to make a step lap by lap. I'm much more aware of how to do a consistent warm up and extract more out of the tyres but there's a lot to improve. 'Every weekend I get more confident with the car, can play with it more and explore the limits. At the same time, I can understand more from the set-up and give much better feedback which allows the team to improve the car.' Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was purring in the paddock after the stunning display from the Bologna born driver. 'He's a young man... Hopefully we make a lot of fun in the future, a lot of happiness,' he said. 'It's about the trajectory. It's not whether it's a pole in the sprint, or tomorrow, he has done it and he's quickest.' Antonelli's British teammate George Russell had to settle for fifth place on the grid. 'I've been struggling a little bit today, a little bit off the pace, not been so comfortable,' he said. 'We just wanted to go on the early side because ultimately I didn't quite have that confidence, and we thought maybe if there's a yellow or a red at the end of the session, it will come our way. 'P5 today, not great, more to improve, but amazing for Kimi and the team. Massive congrats to Kimi. Really pleased to see. He did an amazing job. He has been really quick all day. Really impressive.' Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who announced the birth of a daughter on Friday, finished in fourth place. There was more frustration for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc finishing sixth, a place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. 'Bad. The lap was good. But the pace is just not at all there for now, so it's a bit annoying but it's the way it is for now,' said the Monte-Carlo racer. 'I'll try my best tomorrow to try to do something special with the start, but to be honest, there's not much room for improvement today. It was just... that's the pace of the car.' Hamilton said he didn't see much chance to move up in Saturday's sprint. 'Not really. I think all the cars ahead are faster. I don't know what else to say,' he admitted. Earlier, McLaren's championship leader Piastri was fastest in the opening practice session for Sunday's Grand Prix. The Australian's fastest lap of 1:27.18 was 0.56 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with Max Verstappen of Red Bull third quickest. British driver Oliver Bearman of Haas spun and crashed into the barriers on turn 12 with the red flag bringing an end to the only practice session of the weekend. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Kuwait Times
04-05-2025
- Automotive
- Kuwait Times
Antonelli grabs pole for Miami sprint race
MIAMI GARDENS: Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli powered to a shock pole position in Friday's qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, delivering a sizzling final lap to become the youngest-ever driver to take pole in Formula One. The 18-year-old Antonelli stormed to the front of the grid for Saturday's race with a fastest lap of 1:26.482 to leave the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third. 'It was a very intense qualifying. I felt really good since this morning and I felt good going into qualifying. I put everything together, so really happy to get the first pole,' said the teenager. 'Tomorrow will be nice to start on the front row, will be a bit of a different feeling.' The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1's record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Max Verstappen from 2016 in Japan. Having added another record, he said he felt the weekend off after the Saudi Grand Prix had been important to him in his rookie season. 'Every weekend I learn massively. Last week, having a break really helped me to gather information and process it all and recharging the batteries, it was really good,' he said. 'The whole qualifying I felt I was able to make a step lap by lap. I'm much more aware of how to do a consistent warm up and extract more out of the tyres but there's a lot to improve. 'Every weekend I get more confident with the car, can play with it more and explore the limits. At the same time, I can understand more from the set-up and give much better feedback which allows the team to improve the car.' Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was purring in the paddock after the stunning display from the Bologna born driver. 'He's a young man... Hopefully we make a lot of fun in the future, a lot of happiness,' he said. 'It's about the trajectory. It's not whether it's a pole in the sprint, or tomorrow, he has done it and he's quickest.' Antonelli's British teammate George Russell had to settle for fifth place on the grid. 'I've been struggling a little bit today, a little bit off the pace, not been so comfortable,' he said. 'We just wanted to go on the early side because ultimately I didn't quite have that confidence, and we thought maybe if there's a yellow or a red at the end of the session, it will come our way. 'P5 today, not great, more to improve, but amazing for Kimi and the team. Massive congrats to Kimi. Really pleased to see. He did an amazing job. He has been really quick all day. Really impressive.' Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who announced the birth of a daughter on Friday, finished in fourth place. There was more frustration for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc finishing sixth, a place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. 'Bad. The lap was good. But the pace is just not at all there for now, so it's a bit annoying but it's the way it is for now,' said the Monte-Carlo racer. 'I'll try my best tomorrow to try to do something special with the start, but to be honest, there's not much room for improvement today. It was just... that's the pace of the car.' Hamilton said he didn't see much chance to move up in Saturday's sprint. 'Not really. I think all the cars ahead are faster. I don't know what else to say,' he admitted. Earlier, McLaren's championship leader Piastri was fastest in the opening practice session for Sunday's Grand Prix. The Australian's fastest lap of 1:27.18 was 0.56 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with Max Verstappen of Red Bull third quickest. British driver Oliver Bearman of Haas spun and crashed into the barriers on turn 12 with the red flag bringing an end to the only practice session of the weekend. — AFP
IOL News
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Teenager Kimi Antonelli takes sprint pole in Miami, breaking Formula One record
Having added another record, he said he felt the weekend off after the Saudi Grand Prix had been important to him in his rookie season. The rookie, who only passed his driving test in January, entered F1's record books last month when he became the youngest driver to lead a race, breaking a record held by Max Verstappen from 2016 in Japan. "Tomorrow will be nice to start on the front row, will be a bit of a different feeling." "It was a very intense qualifying. I felt really good since this morning and I felt good going into qualifying. I put everything together, so really happy to get the first pole," said the teenager. The 18-year-old Antonelli stormed to the front of the grid for Saturday's race with a fastest lap of 1:26.482 to leave the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third. Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli powered to a shock pole position in Friday's qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, delivering a sizzling final lap to become the youngest-ever driver to take pole in Formula One. "Every weekend I learn massively. Last week, having a break really helped me to gather information and process it all and recharging the batteries, it was really good," he said. "The whole qualifying I felt I was able to make a step lap by lap. I'm much more aware of how to do a consistent warm up and extract more out of the tyres but there's a lot to improve. "Every weekend I get more confident with the car, can play with it more and explore the limits. At the same time, I can understand more from the set-up and give much better feedback which allows the team to improve the car." Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was purring in the paddock after the stunning display from the Bologna born driver. "He's a young man... Hopefully we make a lot of fun in the future, a lot of happiness," he said. "It's about the trajectory. It's not whether it's a pole in the sprint, or tomorrow, he has done it and he's quickest." Antonelli's British teammate George Russell had to settle for fifth place on the grid. "I've been struggling a little bit today, a little bit off the pace, not been so comfortable," he said. "We just wanted to go on the early side because ultimately I didn't quite have that confidence, and we thought maybe if there's a yellow or a red at the end of the session, it will come our way. "P5 today, not great, more to improve, but amazing for Kimi and the team. Massive congrats to Kimi. Really pleased to see. He did an amazing job. He has been really quick all day. Really impressive." Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who announced the birth of a daughter on Friday, finished in fourth place. There was more frustration for Ferrari with Charles Leclerc finishing sixth, a place ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.
