Latest news with #poleposition
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Supercars Ipswich Super 440: Broc Feeney confirms status as qualifying king
Broc Feeney has ensured a bumper Triple Eight Christmas party with a $50,000 pay day after sealing the season's pole position award with nine races still to run this year. Confirming his status as the series' new qualifying king, the championship leader claimed his 13th pole for the year in 25 races after blitzing the field with a blistering top-10 shootout lap. Feeney put his car at the front of the grid for Sunday's finale at Queensland Raceway to sweep all three poles for the Ipswich round. The 22-year-old finished almost half a second clear of Walkinshaw Andretti United's Ryan Wood with his brilliant 1:08.349 lap to bounce back after his false start penalty in Saturday's second sprint race when he finished to teammate Will Brown. Feeney indicated on Saturday night the prize money would go into the kitty for the team's Christmas party at the end of the year if he sewed up the award on Sunday. 'I'm pretty pumped. I knew we've had a fast car all weekend and I always love these shootout, I think that's four in a row now this year,' Feeney said. 'It's bloody awesome and to do it by nearly half a second around here at QR is fantastic in front of all my friends and family, I've got my Nan upstairs watching and everyone here. 'It's fantastic to wrap up the Boost pole award already this year, 50 grand is pretty awesome. 'I was obviously a little bit gutted yesterday, throwing away that race win, I just wanted to really execute and do a really good job today and I know how important it is to qualify up front. 'I've just got so much confidence in the car and also myself, I can really back myself in qualifyings. It's something I'm really thriving on. 'To think that I've got 13 poles this year is absolute insanity.' The Pole King ðŸ'' @brocfeeney93 secures @BoostAus Pole for Race 25 as well as clinching the 2025 @BoostAus Pole Award! #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) August 10, 2025 Brown will start third on the grid for the 63-lap finale with Team 18's Anton De Pasquale and Triple Eight wildcard Zach Bates, who has impressed in his first Supercars hitout this weekend, rounding out the top five. Brodie Kostecki, James Golding, Cameron Hill, Chaz Mostert and David Reynolds completed the top 10. Reynolds was the first driver out in the top-10 shootout and received a nice present on his windscreen. 'You wouldn't believe it, something happened like a bird shat on my window at the last corner as I was coming up to start my lap and it put me off,' Reynolds told the broadcast after his lap. It started off as a miserable day for Tickford star Cam Waters ahead of his 300th race after he struggled in qualifying and missed the top-10 shootout. The Ford ace, who was 17th and fifth in Saturday's two sprint races, will start from 19th on the grid for Sunday's Ipswich finale. Waters started off the year as the qualifying pacesetter with three straight poles - and three straight victories - in Sydney, but has not had a pole since then. His Tickford teammate Thomas Randle didn't fare much better and will start 23rd. Brown upstages Feeney after Sprint Cup success Championship leader Broc Feeney became the first driver to book his ticket to the Supercars finals with a Sprint Cup win before he was later upstaged by his teammate Will Brown in a Triple Eight one-two after being hit with a costly penalty at Queensland Raceway. After Feeney continued his hot streak to claim his 11th win of the year in Saturday's opening sprint battle at the Ipswich circuit to clinch the inaugural Sprint Cup, it was Brown who took the honours in the second race as he secured a drought-breaking victory. The defending Supercars champion claimed his first win since the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in March and his second for the year as he capitalised on a rare Feeney error. Pole sitter Feeney looked to have made a blistering start to the race, but it proved to be a little too good and he was soon under investigation by the stewards. The stewards ruled Feeney had jumped the gun off the start line and he was hit with a five-second time penalty for a false start. The changing of the guard ðŸ'° @brocfeeney93 is your @RepcoAustralia Race 23 winner at the Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440! #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) August 9, 2025 After both Triple Eight drivers had pitted and Feeney had served his time penalty, there was little separating the pair, but Brown held off his teammate for a confidence-boosting win. Brown and Feeney finished ahead of Walkinshaw Andretti United's Ryan Wood, who claimed his second podium of the day. 'It's great to get a win finally, it's been a fair while now,' Brown said after the race. 'To be honest, it's not really the way we want to do it, but unfortunately Broc got a jump-start there. 'But I'm a race car driver and I'm selfish, so I'll take that win. 'Stoked for our side of the garage to get a win, everyone in the team did a fantastic job. The cars were super fast and we were able to gap a lot of the field and work with our strategy. 'We knew Broc had a five-second penalty, but he's super fast and he's hard to beat this weekend and he's been hard to beat all year but he's doing a fantastic job. 'I wasn't going to let him pass, that's for sure. He's had enough wins this year.' Brown sits 232 points behind Feeney in the championship standings with one more 63-lap race at Ipswich on Sunday before Supercars moves into the Enduro Cup. Feeney had been targeting a pair of sprint wins after grabbing back-to-back poles amid wild weather earlier in the day and said he was 'gutted' he cost himself the win in the second race. 'I obviously didn't do anything different, just hence the question at the start, but they said I was moving at the start,' Feeney. 'Fair enough, if you're moving, you get a penalty. We'll go back and have a look at why. I didn't feel like I was moving as such. 'But obviously a great job for a one-two and obviously gutted I slipped up there and cost us a win, but overall we still had a really fast car.' An Ipswich victory on his 150th race! @will_brown87 is your @RepcoAustralia Race 24 winner ðŸ�† #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) August 9, 2025 It was a dramatic start to the second sprint race when a safety car was deployed on the opening lap after multiple cars got caught up in a turn-one skirmish. Brodie Kostecki, Jack Le Brocq and Jaxon Evans were among those to come off second-best and were forced back to the pits for repairs. Kostecki was able to rejoin the race after his car was patched up, while Le Brocq and Evans' races were over. Earlier, Feeney became the first driver to book his place in the Supercars finals after he clinched the Sprint Cup when he converted from pole in the opening sprint race. After the Triple Eight star enhanced his status as this year's qualifying king with two more poles, Feeney claimed his 10th win from the past 13 races to win ahead of Grove Racing rookie Kai Allen and Kiwi Wood. Last year's championship runner-up was surging to the victory in his Red Bull 'rocket ship' before a late safety car, which was deployed after David Reynolds skidded off the track, saw the race finish under the yellow flags. The Sprint Cup gives Feeney a ticket straight to Supercars' end-of-season finals, which start at the Gold Coast 500 in late October, and 25 bonus points for the start of the three-round play-offs. In a sign of the changing Supercars guard, the Feeney (22) Allen (20) and Wood (21) podium was the youngest ever.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Inside the Lando Norris v Oscar Piastri rivalry: McLaren team-mates have defied F1 history with their behaviour when only ONE can be champion, writes JONATHAN McEVOY
Lando Norris looks at me as if I am mad. 'Shut up!' he says, screwing up his face in mock horror. 'Shut up!' I have just asked him whether he thinks his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri deliberately gave up pole position a couple of weekends ago in Spa so he (Piastri) could launch a decisive mugging on him through Eau Rouge from second on the grid, as the Australian did.
Forbes
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Can Leclerc Hold Pole? What To Watch At The Hungarian GP
Changing conditions and a qualifying session that surprised even its pole-sitter. Charles Leclerc took top spot on Saturday, displacing McLaren's expectations of front-row dominance with a lap that stunned even him. 'I definitely did not expect that,' said Leclerc. Earlier in the week, he called the Hungaroring 'by far the worst track of the season' for him, a place where he struggles to adapt his natural driving style. Yet when it mattered, he delivered. 'Honestly, I have no words,' he said. 'It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had because it's the most unexpected, for sure.' When the conditions changed in Q3, windier, with a noticeable drop in track temperature, grip levels shifted dramatically. Drivers who had looked dominant earlier suddenly found themselves chasing the car. It was in that window that the McLarens struggled and Leclerc struck. If similar conditions arise during the race, there will definitely be a shakeup in the regular race order and if Leclerc can hang on to his position after the first corner, he's in with a shot to take victory. Can Piastri Hold Off Norris? Championship-leader Oscar Piastri starts on the front row behind the Monegasque. Despite this being his first real title fight at the top tier of motorsport, the Australian has remained remarkably composed under pressure. For the championship battle as a whole, Hungary could be a turning point. Piastri is a mere 16 points ahead of Norris in the standings. If Piastri gets the better launch off the line and clears Leclerc into Turn 1, he becomes the clear favorite. With the race pace they've shown in long runs, Piastri has every chance of controlling the tempo from the front. But breathing right in his mirrors is Lando Norris. The Hungaroring is often referred to as a 'Monaco without walls,' referring to its tight layout and the rhythm it demands. The Briton's performance in Monte-Carlo could be a reflection of what's to come today as he seems to have the upper hand on his teammate when it comes to the slow-speed corners. George Russell–Quiet Threat Mercedes have struggled in recent weekends, with both drivers appearing uneasy through corner entry, a telltale sign of a car not responding. But one pattern has emerged this season: when the track temperature drops, the Silver Arrows seem to sharpen. Sunday's conditions are expected to mirror what we saw in Q3, where cooler air helped unlock a better balance. If that trend holds, George Russell could be a quiet threat, from P4 to perhaps for a late podium charge if the frontrunners trip up. Aston Martin From Back Row To Front Fight At Spa, Aston Martin were buried at the back with both cars starting on the last row of the grid. Just one week later in Hungary, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will line up P5 and P6 respectively. It's a remarkable turnaround, and while recent upgrades, particularly to the rear wing for added downforce, are part of the story, there may be more at play. "The car didn't change much for anybody and it seemed that this layout and these characteristics are better for our package, so we need to maximise these kinds of weekends,' said Alonso. The Hungaroring's twisty nature may be masking the car's high-speed weaknesses, a window of opportunity the team will be eager to capitalise on. Alonso, nursing a muscular back injury, remains as relentless as ever so expect the two-time champion to wring every tenth from the car on Sunday. Verstappen In The Wilderness For Max Verstappen, it's been another uphill weekend. The Dutchman spent most of practice wrestling with a lack of grip and a car that seemed unwilling to rotate the way he likes. He qualified eighth; not disastrous but well below where Red Bull was last year. What's more concerning is how he's struggled to assert dominance over the Aston Martins, who seem more planted in the mixed conditions. Still, if rain arrives on Sunday, it could swing momentum his way. In the wet, Verstappen seems to thrive, especially when the car stops being the difference and instinct becomes the great equalizer. Hamilton's History Says Don't Count Him Out While teammate Leclerc snatched pole, Lewis Hamilton struggled — at least on paper. But is it really as bad as it looks? Throughout practice, Hamilton seemed to wrestle with the car's balance, yet his lap times weren't far off Leclerc's. Missing out on Q3 denied him the opportunity to make the most of the mixed conditions, where he typically shines. It's not the first time either. At Spa, he qualified poorly but turned it around with an early pit stop and clinical overtakes to climb back into the points. The Hungarian GP could follow a similar script. He's won eight times at the Hungaroring, more than anyone in history, and taken nine pole positions. Sunday may be less about glory and more about damage limitation, and he's done that dance before. Six drivers, within one tenth in Qx3. Weather that won't make up its mind. Like in Spa, the track might start off wet and then begin to dry, but visibility might allow more wet-weather running. Title rivals side-by-side on the grid. And a pack of experienced rain-dancers waiting to pounce. Hungary may be the last race before summer break but it could be the one that sets the tone for the rest of the season. Expect tension. Expect surprises. And maybe expect chaos. Starting Grid: P1: Charles Leclerc / Ferrari P2: Oscar Piastri / McLaren P3: Lando Norris / McLaren P4: George Russell / Mercedes P5: Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin P6: Lance Stroll / Aston Martin P7: Gabriel Bortoleto / Kick Sauber P8: Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing P9: Liam Lawson / Racing Bulls P10: Isack Hadjar / Racing Bulls P11: Oliver Bearman / Haas P12: Lewis Hamilton / Ferrari P13: Carlos Sainz / Williams P14: Franco Colapinto / Alpine P15: Kimi Antonelli / Mercedes P16: Yuki Tsunoda / Red Bull Racing P17: Pierre Gasly / Alpine P18: Esteban Ocon / Haas P19: Nico Hulkenberg / Kick Sauber P20: Alexander Albon / Williams
Washington Post
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Leclerc targets Ferrari's first F1 win of the year from pole at Hungarian Grand Prix
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Charles Leclerc will be chasing Ferrari's first win in Formula 1 this year after taking a surprise pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Pole position is usually a big advantage in Hungary, where it's tough to overtake, but the chance of rain gives the drivers and teams an extra factor to consider. Leclerc surprised the two McLaren drivers — and himself, too — when he took the first pole position for Ferrari since October in qualifying on Saturday. Standings leader Piastri starts second and his teammate Norris is third after both were within a tenth of a second of Leclerc's time. Defending champion Max Verstappen said 'nothing has really worked' for him and Red Bull in Hungary after he qualified eighth following complaints his car felt unbalanced. Lewis Hamilton said he felt 'absolutely useless' after he placed 12th in qualifying for Ferrari, a stark contrast to his teammate on pole. Hamilton even suggested the team might 'need to change driver' after his performance. ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Leclerc targets Ferrari's first F1 win of the year from pole at Hungarian Grand Prix
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Charles Leclerc will be chasing Ferrari's first win in Formula 1 this year after taking a surprise pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of title contenders Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Pole position is usually a big advantage in Hungary, where it's tough to overtake, but the chance of rain gives the drivers and teams an extra factor to consider. Leclerc surprised the two McLaren drivers — and himself, too — when he took the first pole position for Ferrari since October in qualifying on Saturday. Standings leader Piastri starts second and his teammate Norris is third after both were within a tenth of a second of Leclerc's time. Defending champion Max Verstappen said 'nothing has really worked' for him and Red Bull in Hungary after he qualified eighth following complaints his car felt unbalanced. Lewis Hamilton said he felt 'absolutely useless' after he placed 12th in qualifying for Ferrari, a stark contrast to his teammate on pole. Hamilton even suggested the team might 'need to change driver' after his performance. ___ AP auto racing: The Associated Press
