Latest news with #Zandvoort
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
McLaughlin wins at Zandvoort to extend F4 lead
Red Bull Junior driver Fionn McLaughlin boosted his British F4 title hopes after a strong weekend at Zandvoort. McLaughlin claimed pole position and won the final race of the weekend in the Netherlands. The 17-year-old controlled the final race of the weekend despite a number of stoppages and interruptions for crashes behind and he took the chequered flag for his third victory of the season. The Northern Ireland driver also finished second in the opening race behind title, rival Martin Molnar, and was seventh in the reverse grid race. He now leads Hungarian driver Molnar, who crashed out of the third race, by 28.5 points in the championship and also holds a commanding lead in the rookie standings. The next round of the season takes place at Knockhill in Scotland from 16-17 August. The next Vettel or Verstappen? Meet Fionn McLaughlin
BBC News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
McLaughlin wins at Zandvoort to extend F4 lead
Red Bull Junior driver Fionn McLaughlin boosted his British F4 title hopes after a strong weekend at claimed pole position and won the final race of the weekend in the 17-year-old controlled the final race of the weekend despite a number of stoppages and interruptions for crashes behind and he took the chequered flag for his third victory of the Northern Ireland driver also finished second in the opening race behind title, rival Martin Molnar, and was seventh in the reverse grid now leads Hungarian driver Molnar, who crashed out of the third race, by 28.5 points in the championship and also holds a commanding lead in the rookie next round of the season takes place at Knockhill in Scotland from 16-17 August.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Fears for F1 race with circuit DAMAGED by raging storms as floodwater appears to rip up part of the track
DUTCH Grand Prix chiefs have released a statement after a viral image on social media appeared to show the Circuit Zandvoort badly damaged by recent storms. Earlier this week, a Formula One fan shared a worrying video of what appeared to be a gaping hole in the track and a river of floodwater running through it. 3 3 Supporters were left fearing the worst, with the 2025 Dutch GP set to take place next month, with the race itself on Sunday August 31. However, chiefs at Max Verstappen 's home track have quickly scoffed at reports and claimed the track has already been used since the picture went viral. And another fan who shared the picture of the damanged track even suggested it may have been an "optical illusion". An official statement from Zandvoort read: "Yesterday's heavy rain sparked some fake news about damage to the circuit. "Early this morning our team inspected the entire layout and found no damage, no delays. "The surface is dry, clean, and 100 percent race-ready. "In fact, since this morning, the F1 Academy has been out on track for their scheduled practice sessions without any issues. "All sessions are running exactly as planned. See you at the circuit!" The fan who shared the worrying picture later posted another of the track looking in great condition - and hit back at claims the image she posted was "fake". She captioned the post: "The [original] picture is NOT fake I promise. Infamous abandoned F1 track that left icon blind in one eye used for completely different sport "Zandvoort is okay, you guys. "The picture made it look worse than it was. The water and sand created an illusion. "Good work to the people at Zandvoort." Before heading to the Netherlands, F1 stars will take on Belgium's famous Spa circuit this weekend, before a trip to Hungary a week later as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris look to continue their dominance in their McLarens. Drivers will then enjoy a four-week, mid-season break before tackling Zandvoort for the penultimate time. Earlier this summer, it was confirmed the circuit would only host two more races, in 2025 and 2026, before disappearing from the calendar. 3
France 24
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- France 24
Verstappen shades Piastri for pole at Silverstone
McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri will start alongside the Dutchman on the front row of Sunday's race. Piastri's teammate Lando Norris starts on the second row with the Mercedes of George Russell for company. Piastri took provisional pole until Verstappen produced a perfect final flying lap to front the grid by only a tenth of a second from the Australian. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made it an all Ferrari third row. "It was tricky out there with the wind, it was all shifting around a bit and around here with these cars, it is extremely sensitive to it," said four-time former world champion Verstappen. "This is a proper track, when you have to go flat out you have to be super committed. "We are quite quick on the straight, we have to wait and see what tomorrow will do but I am happy -- it is a big boost for the team and excited to go racing tomorrow," the 27-year-old added.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
'I've always wanted to reach F1. Now it's a step closer'
"I said to myself at the start of the year, 'what if I never get to drive a Formula 1 car?'."Alex Dunne didn't need to worry. After stepping into Formula 2 this year - the category below F1 - the 19-year-old McLaren development driver has impressed with his speed and leads the standings with two victories to his form led to a first Formula 1 outing in a private event at Zandvoort in the Netherlands in now he will become the first Irish driver to participate on a Formula 1 weekend in 22 years when he deputises for Lando Norris in the opening practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix. "When me and my dad got told we would be able to drive a F1 car this year, my dad got a little bit emotional and I laughed at him," joked Dunne."Nah, I got emotional as well. It's a big thing."We have always wanted to make it for Formula 1 and it's one step closer." Driving a Formula 1 car at any time is a big deal, and doing it on a Grand Prix weekend in a championship-leading car is a huge says it is not only a reward for his form, but a development opportunity for the has a bigger picture to focus on too. When he pulls back into the garage, he will swap the McLaren MCL39 for his Formula 2 car and it's back to the day job as he tries to win the currently leads the standings after six rounds, largely thanks two victories in Bahrain and Imola, a pole position in Monaco and an impressive recovery drive from 19th to second in Barcelona. Dunne may only be 19, but he recognised the bigger picture in front of him."It's important not to focus too much on F1, it's important to focus on F2 and trying to do as well as I can. "If I get too wrapped up in it I can quickly forget about what I need to do this year."The whole point of focusing on F2 and making sure I have good results this year, is so hopefully then at the end of the year there is an opportunity to be a F1 driver. "There are no guarantees, but that's what I'm working towards and that's what I want." 'It was amazing' Wednesday, 7 May is a day that Dunne will never forget as he stepped into a Formula 1 car for the first time at watching the team's regular drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are first and second in the F1 standings, it was Dunne's turn to hit the circuit."To have that opportunity was pretty amazing."McLaren have made it pretty clear that they believe in me to do well and they have been really pushing me and supporting me."I got to watch Lando and Oscar drive and speak to them in detail to see what I could learn."There's a lot to learn from both of them and I can take that forward with me."Dunne accepts "there's no guarantee I'll make it to F1" despite his upwards career trajectory."It was slightly easier to adapt to than I expected. The car was unbelievable. The grip, the brakes, everything," Dunne said on his Zandvoort experience."Even in a straight line it feels fast. When you are racing in F2 or F3, it doesn't necessarily feel that quick when you put your foot down. "But when I put my foot down in the F1 car, I was like 'wow, this is pretty quick'. "Even the G-forces you pull through the corners, at the end of the day my neck was a little bit sore. "Some of the stuff you can do in the car, you wonder how it's even possible." 'Wow, this is actually going to happen' Dunne's racing CV is impressive. He dominated the British F4 championship in 2022 and in the same year he finished second in Italian F4, finishing second to Mercedes F1 driver Kimi then finished second in the British GB3 championship in his rookie year, and impressed on his debut at the Macau Grand Prix before he stepped up to the F1 support series in 2024 with MP Motorsport in Formula 3. He claimed two podiums, including one at the final round in Monza, but was 14th in the standings in an up-and-down campaign."It's nice this year to be back to where I think I should be. I think it proves what was happening last year wasn't because of me."At only the second round in Bahrain, Dunne dominated the feature race to become the first Irish driver to win in Formula 2. It was normal service resumed."I always expected it to be good, I maybe didn't expect it to be this good."It was over the last couple of laps where it was like, 'this is actually going to happen pretty early'."When I pulled in at the end of the race and seen the team, my dad, Zak Brown [McLaren CEO] and all of McLaren standing there, it was very nice. "A cool moment for me was on the podium, on the other side of the track there was some people holding an Irish flag with my name on it. It's something I'm very proud of." Another impressive victory followed at Imola, as Dunne carved his way through the order to win his second race of the year. At the following round, Dunne set a stunning lap to take pole position around the famous streets of Monaco. However, he was penalised for a first-lap collision and handed a 10-place grid penalty for the next race in Barcelona. Starting in 19th, Dunne capitalised on a late pit stop for fresh tyres to finish second and regain the championship lead he lost in Monaco. In Dunne's words, that type of recovery shows the "mental resilience" required to fight for the title - both as a driver and his Rodin Motorsport team. "That's something I can be proud of, each time we have had something difficult or go wrong, we have come back and done something pretty special. "The fact we are able to forget about the little things that have happened and bounce back straight away is a very good quality to have."Dunne acknowledges he is in a good place in both his career and the Formula 2 standings, "but it's important that it's after 14 rounds and not six"."It's important to stay consistent, not try and do anything crazy, have good qualifying and score good points in the sprint race and the feature. "If I keep doing what I'm doing, and keep chipping away at it, then hopefully the opportunities will come."You can follow Alex Dunne's first Formula 1 session at the Austrian Grand Prix on the BBC Sport website and app from Friday at 12:30 BST.
