Mexico GP Race Report

The question that plays on my mind as we enter this race is why are we all suddenly rooting for Verstappen to win the Driver's Championship?  Surely, we want anyone else but him to win...to prove that it is possible?

The circuit was showing itself to be tricky over the weekend, there were various directives about which way you should go if you happened to veer outside the white lines and it was also a little slippery, not to mention the high altitude (please no one mention the high altitude anymore).  There were lock-ups going to the grid and Verstappen's drinks bottle was leaking unless he clamped his teeth down on the straw.  I think this is just the kind of racing impediment that Ecclestone was looking to bring in to spice up the racing.

The start was both absolute chaos and not really chaotic at all.  Verstappen went wide and cut back in, then giving places gained back.  But not to Russell.  Stroll Strolled at the back.  Norris had a gap big enough to avoid DRS by the end of the first lap, out in the lead.  Bearman made up three places and Piastri dropped two.  

On lap two, Lawson pitted for a new front wing but it wasn't long before he had to retire the car.

Then something happened as we were watching the replays of the start.  It was hard to tell what because it was hard to tell if we were still watching the replays or live racing.  Verstappen went off, Bearman got to fourth, Russell dropped to seventh and Hamilton went off over the grass (BBC Five Live kept saying that drivers were "cutting the grass", this irked me because they are racing highly-sophisticated pieces of tech not ride-on mowers).  Then drivers seemed to go off again, or was this a replay, with Bearman getting past.  The coverage was very confused, at no point did they show a long enough shot of one continuous piece of action for you to get the full picture of what happened but cut to other angles or what was happening elsewhere.  They couldn't have known it was too soon to go back to replay the start but actually, they could see that the drivers were still going three or four wide into corners.  Ultimately, I still have no real idea what happened in these two early incidents, one of which resulted in Hamilton getting a ten second penalty and his promising race ruined.

Tsunoda did a good enough job of holding up Piastri for his team mate but by lap eleven, he was passed.  Meanwhile Norris was setting fastest lap after fastest lap but Antonelli and Russell seemed to be in freefall.

Williams gave Sainz a five second pit stop but the limiter was broken on his car so he received a five second penalty for speeding in the pit lane too, which happened again towards the end of the race.  As he was out of the points anyway, he came in and took it with no work happening on the car so that it wouldn't be carried over to the next event.

And now we get to half way through the race, phew!  Russell was getting angrier and angrier on the radio that he was not being assisted to get past his team mate ahead of him.  Contender for radio comment of the season is his engineer who, when told that Russell felt he was quicker than Antonelli, told him he was free to race.  This went on and on until Mercedes capitulated and they switched places, which was tricky going because Piastri was right behind the pair.  It was then clearly pointlessly risky as they pitted Antonelli and McLaren also bought in Piastri.  This seemed like madness as it had been labelled a one stop race with no need to change for fresh soft tyres.  Russell and Bearman also went for it, with Bearman giving up his third place to Verstappen.  The question is whether Bearman secured fourth place or lost third?

At this point Aston Martin retired Alonso, with Hulkenberg having stopped in his garage earlier in the race.

We were nearly at the end now when Sainz stopped in the baseball stadium section, there were two laps to go when it was decided that a Virtual Safety Car was needed, which halted a fierce battle between LeClerc (who had held second for the whole race) and Verstappen.  By now Norris had a thirty-five second lead.  Even though Verstappen might think he was denied a short time to try and get past LeClerc, I would contend that it also game him time not to make a stupid mistake.  He is starting to look hot-headed again as the championship is now in his sight.  Unfortunately, Bearman was fifteen seconds behind, so even if he did something stupid and was given a ten second penalty, it wouldn't promote the Haas driver.  He would be voted Driver of the Day though.  It makes me want to check whether Ocon's contract is secure for next season as he has been so thoroughly trounced by his rookie team mate.

Norris finished the Mexican event as championship leader again and he looked calm, despite the booing.

Mexico GP Qualifying Report

Back to racing straight away on the other side of the pond, Sainz was going to be using his five place grid penalty straight away after he caused a collision last weekend.  The much-discussed repercussions had also been dropped at McLaren, which now seems like a very good way to get everyone talking about you.

All-in-all it was a very standard Qualifying event.  Colapinto seemed to go rallying at the end of the first session and Hadjar shocked everyone by putting in the quickest lap.  He was ahead of Hamilton and Russell; in fact, there were six different teams in the top ten.  Out went Bortoleto, Albon, Gasly, Stroll and Colapinto.  The Williams was having an ongoing problem with it's brakes, which they really need to fix before the race.  This position would have been a big disappointment.

In the second session, there was very heavy traffic in the pit lane with four minutes to go but it didn't lead to any drama.  The drivers leaving Qualifying were: Tsunoda, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Lawson.  This time Hadjar only scraped through in tenth.

With less than three minutes until the end of the final session, the drivers were all queued up again but no one missed out on putting in their fastest effort.  No driver really put a foot wrong so it was all down to inherent pace, set up and skill.  Norris was fastest, which looked like a shoe-in, followed by LeClerc, Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Sainz, Piastri, Hadjar and Bearman.

LeClerc will have been pleased to pip his team mate to second at the last gasp as Hamilton had been second in both the other sessions.  I can't believe that Hamilton is still chasing his first podium for Ferrari and I expect he has his eye on the win.  He said he was going to be aggressive and I think he will be, not minding getting in trouble with Fred if anything happens with LeClerc and knowing Norris needs to be cautious.

Verstappen said he had no pace and needs other drivers ahead of him to retire if he is going to make up any places (could Hamilton's plan to be aggressive help him out?).  Piastri is still two places behind him on the grid and seems to have lost all confidence in his capabilities.  I wonder if this will be play out in the same way as when Button won his championship with Brawn, in that it was a strong start and then the gap closed and closed until there just wasn't any more races left to lose points at.

US GP Race Report

Before we got racing, Austin provided us with the added excitement of monster trucks to take the drivers around on their parade.  Not all trucks were created equal and some drivers seemed to be going around in glorified golf buggies.  

Qualifying had been a mixed bag: Albon's position of 17th makes me start to be disappointed in him.  However, it was looking as spicy as a hot wing at the front of the grid and there would definitely be some elbows out and other drivers holding their breath and just hoping to get through the start safely.  All the discussion immediately after the first turn incident in the Sprint was that it had been a racing incident, that seemed to have changed to the blame being assigned to Hulkenberg and by the time the race had come around there were digs at Piastri.

Brundle's grid walk was unusual, if you caught it.  He was made to do the first part with actor Glen Powell, who asked questions like: "What is a tyre?" and the straight was packed with people who all seemed to be paying punters rather than slebs.  Apart from Shaboozey, who seemed, like Powell, to be omnipresent.  

Disappointingly, it was a clean start, with Verstappen driving off into the distance.  LeClerc overtook Norris, who had more reason to be cautious, on softer tyres, a Ferrari strategy that was well-thought out for a change.  The pair battled hard for half of the race.  Albon, at the back, collided with Bortoleto, Stroll was in the mix too.  Hamilton and Piastri got past Russell and Bearman fell back.

The calm was short-lived and on lap seven, Antonelli and Sainz came together, putting the Williams out of the race; he was to be the only retiree.  A Virtual Safety Car was put in place and Albon was the only driver to pit during it.  If the whole Williams weekend wasn't such a shambles you might think it had been planned.

The thrilling prospect of track limits came into play fairly quickly (almost exciting as tyre strategy talk); Hadjar was shown the dreaded black and white flag (although I have never sighted it) for exceeding track limits sufficiently that if he did it again, he would get a five second penalty.  He would be followed during the race by Norris, Albon and Bortoleto.  No one actually was penalised though, which just goes to show that it is possible to stay within the white lines.

Ferrari fought hard to try and get LeClerc second place, boxing him ahead of Norris but in the end they had to settle for third.  Bearman tried to bring in more interest by going wide and spewing up a plume of dust as he tried to overtake Tsunoda and spun himself.

With sixteen laps to go Norris's tyres started to go and it looked like the one battle on track was off but they came back to him and it was reignited.  There was six laps to go and he got passed LeClerc with five to spare.

The race finished Verstappen (who we barely saw), Norris, LeClerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Russell, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Bearman and Alonso in the points positions.  The fastest lap however went to Antonelli.  Obviously all the talk now is of Verstappen winning the championship and whether McLaren will have to choose to back just one of their drivers.  This will rumble, boringly, on.

US GP Qualifying Report

With some mechanics having worked through their lunch break, all the cars that were damaged in the Sprint in the morning were now fixed up and ready to go for Qualifying at COTA.  Excitingly, the winds had changed a bit.

Before we had a second to take in the first session, Hadjar

US GP Sprint Report

Despite securing the Constructor's Championship, all eyes remain on McLaren: how they treat their drivers and what role "Papaya Rules" will play in the final six races.  On press day, Norris commented that there would be "repercussions" following his collision with his team mate at the last race.  Cue speculation about what form this punishment might take.  The team seemed to be finding it harder to provide a car that would stay out front of all the competition to allow their own brand of racing to play out.

The Sprint Qualifying had led to a promising line up for the Sprint (must keep reminding myself not to call it a race and slap my wrist when I do).  Verstappen made a good start which meant he was well ahead of the carnage behind him.  It was a Turn 1 racing incident but Piastri was definitely making a move to push at Norris and Hulkenberg had got himself into the thick of things without considering an exit plan.  Norris and Piastri were immediately parked up at the side of the track, with the Brit securing quite a lot of damage, his wheel lying a long way from his car.  Alonso was also out but somehow Hulkenberg carried on but didn't get back into a points paying position.  The Safety Car was out for four of the nineteen laps.

The Stewards rightly judged it to be a racing incident but little was made that both Williams had managed to keep out of the mess, which was highly surprising for the team who seem to find a loss in even the most promising of situations.  The question at the restart was whether Sainz could hold of his old team mate LeClerc to keep third position.  It turned out the bigger question was whether LeClerc could stay in front of his current team mate and Hamilton took the position from him when he made a silly mistake.  All of which benefitted Sainz. 

Also largely unmentioned was Tsunoda's rise from the back of the grid to 7th after seven laps, a position he held until the end.

Halfway through the Sprint, Russell had one opportunity to overtake Verstappen for the win but it wasn't really there and didn't happen.  They both went wide and off the track but nobody suffered for it.  There were lots of incidents noted but not much followed up on; we shall see if this is the same during the race.  The potential for drivers being penalised for leaving the track limits too often seems high.

With three laps to go, Stroll locked up at a corner and went straight into Ocon.  He was waving an apology to the Haas driver before his car had even come to standstill.  This meant that the Sprint finished under the Safety Car and Stroll was awarded a five place grid penalty for the Race (the actual race not the sprint race which is not a race but a sprint).  Bearman did something or other to Antonelli (pushed him off the track or gained an advantage by leaving the track...) and was given a ten second penalty.  As the cars were so bunched up in the finishing conditions, this meant that not only did Bearman fall back from his one point position but his classification was right at the end.  Verstappen held his lead from start to finish, with Russell feeling he had done well to get second.  Sainz was happy with third but we didn't get to hear about it.  Off the podium (no, not a podium, a kind of standing hug) but in the points were Hamilton, LeClerc (who comes up as Charlotte Flair on subtitles, a merry distraction but it does mean you can't see what the Stewards are up to), Albon, Tsunoda and Antonelli.

Qualifying later in the day could not possibly be as interesting as the Sprint and lots of engineers and mechanics would be very busy fixing cars over their lunch break to ensure all drivers could get out. 

US GP Sprint Qualifying Report

 As usual there was a lot of talk about how everyone involved in F1 loves going to Austin; so we're all very pleased for them.  The most there was to say about the track on the first competitive event of the weekend was that there was gusty wind but enough about the barbeque beans.

I feel like the last time there was a disaster with traffic it was in America too.  The cars that desperately needed to improve their times all came out of the pits together in a traffic jam, which didn't do anyone any favours as they couldn't get going on a quick lap whilst blocking each other.  Out went Bearman, Colapinto, Tsunoda, Ocon and Bortoleto in last, whose lap time was deleted and therefore failed to set any time at all.  Norris, Piastri and Verstappen were quickest.

Racing Bull have a new livery for the weekend, which appeared to be flames as viewed when the cars were travelling at speed.  This seems to be in poor taste and I hoped poor Grosjean didn't see it.  When I did some research though, it is not flames but a tortoiseshell pattern in honour of a new prepaid Tortoise card from VCarb, their sponsor.  This is being fronted by Shaboozey, whose most famous (or only?) song is A Bar Song (Tipsey).  This seems in poor taste and I hope it doesn't mean that Hadjar and Lawson will be as slow as the animal they are representing.

In SQ2, Ferrari were putting in desperate last laps to try and stay in Qualifying and knocked out Antonelli.  He was followed by Hadjar, Gasly, Stroll and Lawson (who also didn't get a lap time in as his was deleted for track limits).  Norris was the fastest again and it seemed like pole was his for the losing.  (We all know how it will go if something is Norris's for th losing).

For the pundits the big story seemed to be that Hulkenberg was flying and that Antonelli was not in the top ten.  I would argue the bigger story is Tsunoda finishing in 17th.  Is this the Jonathan Wheatly effect, leaving Red Bull for Sauber?  Both Williams were also through to the final session.

All the top drivers waited until the end to put in one quick lap, a risky strategy but as the weekend had not been filled with crashes, Safety Cars and Yellow Flags, it seemed a managable risk.  Norris looked like he had pole, but then, as always, Verstappen took it from him.  They finished Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Hulkenberg (!), Russell, Alonso (again, no mention of this great performance), Sainz, Hamilton, Albon and LeClerc.  The Williams had beat the Ferraris.

With a Sprint it is all down to the start as there are few laps after it to make up places.  It will be interesting to see how punchy Piastri is, I assume he will not want to risk sustaining damage to his car but is he slowly becoming more hot-headed?  I feel this is a big opportunity for Hulkenberg and Alonso to make a splash this season, with nothing to lose.  How safe Verstappen plays it should be a indicator of how much he believes he is in with a shot at the Drivers' Championship.

Singapore GP Race Report

The biggest disappointment coming out of Qualifying the previous day was that Williams had been disqualified and would be starting from the back of the grid, after the triumph of the podium at the last race weekend.  Sparkles/Sprinkles the Unicorn was back on Sainz' helmet to continue to bring good luck.  Albon was going to be starting from the pit lane.

It had rained during the day and the track was wet, the rubber had been washed away and there was no sun to dry up all the rain (poor Incy Wincy).  Then, more rain!  Then it was drying out.  Lots of stars were out on the grid as well as in the sky for this race.  Lewis Capaldi very much looked like a Scot struggling in foreign heat.

Also looking to the stars were McLaren, wishing on one to seal the Constructor's Championship on their second attempt this year.  The top four on the grid had not won this race before.; it was anyone's at this point.  Russell was able to hold his lead over Verstappen, which looked unlikely because of the Red Bull's choice of soft tyres.  Norris made up two places to get past his team mate for third but did make contact with someone, turned out it was Piastri.  Sparks were flying as they got underway and several drivers had made up places with Antonelli falling back.

Piastri was on the radio asking about the contact and calling into question the Papaya Rules.  He got grumpier and angrier with each interaction.

Suddenly, Bortoleto was in the pits for a new front wing, his was heavily broken; we had a mystery Yellow Flag earlier, perhaps this was it?  At the same time, Norris hit the wall but it looked okay.

A third of the way through, Tsunoda was running in 19th for no apparent reason.  And McLaren did a full dummy stop for Norris to try and trick Red Bull into stopping Verstappen.  Two laps later, stops started happening and Verstappen was in first but it was a slowish one.

Finally, most of the pitstops were done bar a few long runners and Piastri.  There had been no Safety Cars yet.  It was a very long one, five seconds for Piastri, so it was a good call from Norris who, when invited, chose not to go in second.  McLaren really need to practice doing two good stops in a row.  Aston Martin also had a really slow one with Alonso, who had been running really well.  When given a call about how many laps were left, the spirit of Raikonnen appeared in his old Ferrari teammate, as he said that if his engineer was going to speak to him every lap he would disconnect the radio.

Gasly gave the wall it's biggest bump so far on lap 34.  Verstappen was really struggling, genuinely asking for help on the radio and locking up his tyres.  Hulkenberg slid into a spin on lap 45 (of 62), sending out a lot of smoke from his tyres but not causing a Safety Car.

We barely saw Russell all race and then we got a glimpse of him for his celebratory radio call as he won the thing.  It wasn't dwelt on for long because we had to cut to the McLaren drivers being thanked for playing their part in securing the Constructor's Championship.  Piastri insisted in the press pen that he would not comment on the incident with Norris until he had seen the footage, he was surprisingly unmoody and unupset.

The drivers were sat on the floor, trying to recover, smiling but sweaty and exhausted.  The three of them looked very unwell, not fit to be interviewed.  There was no Safety Car for two years running to give them a breather.

All around, the drivers were sporting shiny, glittery, sparkly helmets. which twinkled under the lights.  Most importantly the sticker of Sparkles sent Sainz from 19th on the grid to a 10th place points finish.

Behind Russell, Verstappen seemed happy to take second and Norris had worked hard for third.  Then came Piastri, Antonelli, LeClerc, Hamilton (who nearly lost the place), Alonso and Bearman (who had a strong race).

Singapore GP Qualifying Report

How were things in Singapore?  Very hot, yet it had also rained very heavily in the days leading up to the event.

It continued to all be very leisurely first session until Gasly had to pull over as his car had stopped.  This was in the last minute, so out went Bortoleto, Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon and Gasly.  No shocks there.  Hamilton and Russell were the two fastest cars.  Stroll's lap wasn't great; I wonder when they will announce if he has signed his contract for next year?

There were quite a few drivers either all having a bad day or too tightly packed together in the second session and they all jostled for positions 7-15.  The McLarens did not look strong on the track, whereas the works team, Mercedes, were doing well.  Out went Hulkenberg, Albon, Sainz, Lawson and Tsunoda (back to regular form in the second Red Bull).  Russell, Verstappen and Antonelli were the top three.

Again, they were close and they were pushing in the third session and drivers were routinely brushing the wall.   Several drivers were pushing for pole: Russell, Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri.  It was George who got it though followed by Verstappen, Piastri, Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, LeClerc, Hadjar, Bearman and Alonso.  It was a good job from those last three drivers but they weren't mentioned at all.

The Williams' rear wing was investigated after the session and it was too tall somewhere, so both drivers were disqualified and will start from the back of the grid. 

Everyone was sweating once Qualifying was finished, it must have been gruelling and Norris admitted that he was ill too.  Unless there is a dramatic change of conditions, the race was going to be tough.  I wonder if there will be any in-helmet vomiting?

All the words at Baku were still "wind"; either how it affected Qualifying or how much there was for the race.  Ocon was disqualified from Qualifying, as his car failed a rear wing flexi test, so he would be starting from the back of the grid.

On the way to the starting grid, Hadjar had a hydraulics failure and Racing Bull had to work on the car to fix it on the pit straight.

The Azerbaijani anthem is really quite something and there was quite a dramatic version of it.  Sainz managed to contain his laughter whilst Antonelli openly had the giggles.  Hadjar could crack a smile too as his car had been righted.  Causing tears, was the prediction by James Vowles of Williams that rain was coming.

Continuing an awful weekend for the Driver's Championship leader, Piastri was into the wall on the first lap, bringing out the Safety Car.  He locked up and just went straight forwards.  This followed him jumping the start and then stopping, so he was late off the grid to start with.  Otherwise, the top six had remained as they were.  Luckily for Oscar, the lull for the Safety Car meant that we could watch many many replays of the events, from every possible angle and from every possible car.  

In the replays we saw what looked like Alonso also jumping the start, then the stewards looked at it.  He was given a five second penalty.  Piastri got one too and he will have to serve it at Singapore possibly.

Verstappen did a great restart as always.  Antonelli got a good one and Russell fell a couple of places back.  Norris also fell back a place, losing it to LeClerc.  The cars at the back were playing an interesting game with the tyre strategy and pitting at odd times.  Albon was stuck at the back.  Having taken another stop, he came together with Colapinto and tipped him nearly out of the race.  I'm not sure why there wasn't a Safety Car.  Albon was given a ten second penalty.

The first round of proper stops arrived and there was no sign of this rain.  What Williams needed to do was sacrifice Albon, who was running in 16th, to get the Safety Car out for Sainz to get a free pit stop to get him to the end of the race.  On lap 28, Sainz came in.

On Lap 37, I noticed that nothing much had happened for a long time.  There was still only one retiree as well.  Norris did come in for his stop and it was another slow one from his team; there was nothing they could do to make amends for it this weekend.

Russell was the last driver to pit and was the only person who really made a jump through strategy; he overtook Sainz for second place.  Heartbreaking for Williams.  Then Albon reported light rain.  It never came or no one else noticed it.

Verstappen and his pit wall team were delighted with the win.  Russell was relieved.  Sainz was the happiest: "best podium in my career guys, you cannot imagine how this feels, thank you so much."  He was voted driver of the day.  All the staff from the team were there at Parc Ferme to celebrate.

If Carlos was the best, who was the worst?  Albon for being the first crasher in Qualifying meaning he started at the back and got into a lot of bother?  Norris for failing to make up a single place from 7th despite driving the best car?  Piastri?  Well, yes, him.

It was expected that the Constructors' Championship would be McLaren's this weekend and neither of their drivers delivered.  Still, we roll on to Singapore.

Russell looked appalling as he was interviewed before the podium, an awful grey shade of pale but he did congratulate Williams first.  LeClerc had been quick over the radio to check if Sainz was on the podium.  Verstappen didn't manage such manners.

Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Report

Russell came into this race weekend ill, which is something that seems to happen to him as a long season goes on.  The McLarens were the quickest cars bar driver errors, which did happen in practice.  This is the first event that they could win the Constructors' Championship at.

The first session started going well and then Albon hit the wall as he turned around the corner and came to a stop on the track, bringing out a Red Flag and stopping the session.  This was a shame for Williams as they were looking strong.  They were only out for five minutes when Hulkenberg went straight into a wall and shattered the front of his car all over the place.  He got going again though.  Off they went again and finally, they just about got to 0:00 when Gasly went off and the session finished on a Red Flag.  Out went Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Gasly and Albon.  It turned out the Red Flag was for Colapinto, who should have been driving slower under the Yellow Flag for Gasly and ran into the wall and smashed up his car.  He got out and gave the wall a kick in frustration.

In the second session, we got three minutes in before Bearman hit the wall sideways and broke his suspension for another Red Flag.  The session had already been delayed for the walls around the circuit to be checked and fixed.  It looked like it wouldn't be who put in the fastest lap who got pole but the only driver left standing.  LeClerc had two iffy moments and Piastri another.  The wind was catching drivers out and even Stroll couldn't get daddy to pay for it to go away.  In the end it was a shocker for Hamilton, who thought he could be on for pole, who went out in 12th, with Alonso ahead of him and Bortoleto, Stroll and Bearman behind.

In the third session we had rain!  Russell spun around and Verstappen said it was too wet to be on track, certainly on the dry tyres.  It was another three minutes until the Red Flag was waved again, this time for LeClerc who went nose-first into the wall.  Antonelli said that going on the white lines was like driving on ice.  After another three minutes, Piastri went into the wall for a sixth Red Flag; he carried too much speed and went into the wall.

At the final shoot out, it looked a little wet on track so there was hope that Sainz could keep his pole (having put in the first quickest lap before the two Red Flags).  Norris was the first to try but brushed the wall.  Russell was nearly half a second slower.  Verstappen was able to do it though, putting in a purple first sector.  Was it all down to the timing a driver was sent to the track?  The top ten was Verstappen, Sainz, Lawson, Antonelli, Russell (interesting order for the Mercedes), Tsunoda (much needed), Norris, Hadjar, Piastri and LeClerc.

Italy GP Race Report

It was still hot and sunny in Monza on race day.  Verstappen's pole had earnt him an hour in the glow of the public but all attention was now back on the Ferrari drivers.  Hadjar and Gasly would be starting from the pit lane after changing their power units; I miss them being called engines.  Alonso and Stroll would both be investigated after the race for pit lane practice start infringements.

Apparently, the shade of red on the Ferrari for this race was different as it was commemorating Lauda's championship win.  I would not have known had I been told.  From the helicopter shots, it looked like the old pink Force Indias.

A couple of drivers were promoted on the grid as Hulkenberg was called to bring in his Sauber to the pits to retire.  Off the start, Verstappen got away well as did Norris but of course the McLaren driver put it on to the grass and slowed himself right down.  Verstappen cut the corner.  Norris maintained that Verstappen pushed him off.  LeClerc was in everyone's slipstream and Piastri managed to stay out of trouble.  In third and fourth place the two drivers battled.

Bortoleto and Tsunoda also went off the track.  To avoid the stewards intervening at the front, Verstappen moved over for his friend.  Third and fourth positions went back and forth.  On lap four, Verstappen took Norris for the lead again into that first corner, having DRS down the starting straight.  Norris couldn't fight too hard as he was fighting for the championship.

On lap six, Piastri overtook LeClerc for third and was able to go after Norris.  Further down the running order, by lap twelve Ocon had been awarded two penalties for forcing other drivers off the track.  Drivers were going off the track left, right and centre.  Sainz went the wrong way around the bollards and Norris went over the harsh curb and into the gravel.

Half way through, the Williams were asked to swap places.  A bad race for Sainz.  And for his fellow Spaniard, Alonso broke his own suspension on the car going over the curb.  It seemed like drivers were going to push how long they could stay out on their initial set of tyres.  Verstappen's were blistering and could potentially be dangerous.

Things went from bad to worse for Sainz as Bearman tagged him into a corner.  It looked dicey for a second as both drivers were stopped across the track but got going just in time to pull off.  The Haas was given a time penalty.

Meanwhile, Norris chose to have the second stop but the front left gun wasn't working by the time he came in so McLaren handed second place to his main championship competitor.  Piastri was asked to give the place back.

On the last lap, Antonelli was given a time penalty for driving erratically which must be the vaguest to be given yet.  This wasn't enough to give Sainz 10th place though.  In the end it was a clear win for Verstappen, with Norris taking second and the fastest lap and Piastri in third.  Behind them was LeClerc, Russell, Hamilton, Albon, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Hadjar.  It was a good recovery drive for the Racing Bull and disappointing for Red Bull for Tsunoda to finish outside the points in 13th.  There was no podium for Ferrari, as the cars drove side-by-side back to parc ferme.  LeClerc put in a big speech in Italian over the radio, which he must have known Hamilton couldn't match.

It was hard to tell if the Tifosi were booing the McLaren drivers on the podium.  Nobody seemed to mind much Verstappen returning to form.  If he can break things up between the McLarens, it gives Norris more of a chance and makes the weekends more interesting.

Italy GP Qualifying Report

We were in for a Qualifying full of drivers running wide and bringing gravel onto the track and traffic.  Antonelli had already got beached in the gravel during Free Practice.  The first driver to do this in Qualiyfing was Albon in his Williams, closely followed by Verstappen and there were only ten minutes to go.  The track was getting quicker and quicker as the minutes ticked down on the hot circuit.

From hero to zero, Hadjar went from the podium last weekend to being knocked out by Albon this event.  Russell was quickest, setting his time uniquely on Medium tyres.  Piastri was far back in 10th.  After Hadjar was Stroll (team mate in 6th), Colapinto, Gasly and Lawson.

Immediately in the second session, Albon was back in the gravel, then locked a tyre on his next attempt.  Norris was in the bottom five and had to drive a clean lap with no traffic, which he did and went 5th,  Out went Bearman, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Albon and Ocon.  Verstappen was fastest, then Antonelli and Piastri; it looked like pole could be anybody's.  However, Ferrari usually turn the wick up and throw everything at pole at Monza and they had Hamilton with a grid penalty to sacrifice on track to give LeClerc a tow.

In the final session, Russell was miffed because he wanted the Medium tyres again but had Softs put on his car.  All the pressure was on LeClerc though to perform for the fans, for once, no one was worried too much about the McLarens.  The Ferrari driver was one of the first to cross the line and stayed in second, until other drivers went quicker.  Norris got a tow to go quicker than Piastri but Verstappen was quickest again and set a new lap record for the circuit.  No one was watching the Red Bull.  Behind him officially were Norris, Piastri, LeClerc, Hamilton (who will start 10th), Russell, Antonelli, Bortoleto, Alonso and Tsunoda.

We have to wait and see if there will be a pile up into the first corner and whether Piastri's race will be damaged by his qualifying position.

Netherlands GP Race Report

The nearest thing to news ahead of the Grand Prix at Zandvoort was that Bearman would be starting from the pits having taken onboard some new parts and there might be rain (but possibly not).  The only thing to discuss was the potential fight between Norris and Piastri, who McLaren claimed were free to race.

Four drivers were making a punchy start on soft tyres, most notably both Red Bulls, so Verstappen was looking to get ahead off the start.  The tyres were a big help, as was Norris putting in a trademark poor start.  He got up to second, despite a wobble on dirt on the track.  If Piastri hadn't been so quick to pull over and cut off Norris, Verstappen would not have got past.

Albon had an amazing start and made up five places, whilst Bortoleto's car just wouldn't get going and he fell back six places.

The McLarens showed their dominant speed and on lap 9, Norris was past Verstappen and chasing Piastri.  The rain came on lap 21 and several drivers had just put in an early first stop.  No one was looking to put on wet tyres though.  We all thought that it would be Stroll who crashed out of the race first but it was Hamilton caught out by the wet track and smashed into the barrier.  A Safety Car was immediately brought out and most of the drivers pitted.  The McLarens double-stacked but the jack didn't release quick enough and Norris lost out.  Hamilton was left on track picking up pieces of his car and putting them all together.

Norris enquired whether Hamilton had slid off by going on the paint and then told off his engineer for not telling him first.  The drivers would be keen to avoid it.

In the restart though, Lawson drove into Sainz and the pack overtook them.  The Red Bull needed a new set of tyres but the Williams had to have a new wing too.  For some reason it was Sainz who got a ten second penalty not Lawson, who was at fault.  Ahead, the top three had remained in the same places and Hadjar was still holding onto 4th as well.  Halfway through the race was a strong yet risky overtake on Russell by LeClerc.  They got battling fiercely.  It might be the move of the season.  To make matters worse for Russell, he was asked to move over for his team mate a few laps later.

There was a mix of strategies in play throughout the grid and when Antonelli made an unexpected second stop, LeClerc was bought in to cover off the undercut.  He was out just ahead of the Mercedes.  Corners later though, Antonelli nudged him on the banking, spinning LeClerc onto the paint, then into the barrier and finally through the dirt.  Presumably shocked by the turn of events, LeClerc spun the car around to keep it going and get it back to the pits but immediately realised there was no hope.  Both the Ferraris were out.  If they were following form, the stewards would give him a ten second penalty for the incident too.

A Safety Car was called and the McLarens double-stacked again for slow stops.  When the race restarted there were some overtakes further back but the top six remained the same.  LeClerc remained out on the dunes, posing on top and in a deckchair, Alonso-style.

Antonelli was given a ten second penalty for his collision and then another five seconds for speeding in the pits.

Verstappen had to give up the chase after a couple of laps; he called in to his engineer to say that he couldn't get any more out of the car.  With seven laps to go though, Norris reported smelling smoke and the cockpit was filling with it.  Then it really went and the car stopped on track.  This was really not what he wanted.  Lando was sat on the barrier and his engineer had his head in his hands then he moved to sit with his head down in the dunes.

There was a third Safety Car to remove the McLaren, which meant that Antonelli would fall far down the field once his time penalties were applied (ten places in the end).  For the next restart, there was also drizzle lightly falling.  

Piastri finished first, followed by Verstappen, then Hadjar for a first career podium in F1.  He was also voted Driver of the Day; heaven help him if he is suddenly moved to replace Tsunoda in Red Bull.  Piastri gave a little whoop, nothing much, nothing too celebratory.

Netherlands GP Qualifying Report

McLaren were dominant in the practice sessions for the Dutch Grand Prix but not everyone was finding it easy.  Most drivers were caught out by the gusts of wind off the sea, with Hamilton spinning.  Antonelli beached the car but his colleague Russell managed to get through the gravel and back onto track.  Stroll sent it into the wall and cost his father even more pennies to get his Aston Martin fixed for Qualifying.

Six minutes into the first Qualifying session though and Stroll put the car back into the wall.  He went back through the gravel and onto the track to take it back to the pits.  He was lucky the gravel was banked and he just slid back down it.  From then on it was more straightforward.  The McLarens were quickest with Piastri ahead of Norris for the first time this weekend.  Out went Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Bearman, with Stroll last.

McLaren were still looking strong in the second session, with Ferrari right behind them.  The bottom five changed quickly as the clock ticked down to zero.  Racing Bull driver Lawson pushed out Tsunoda who replaced him at Red Bull.  Alonso put in the last quick lap to knock out Anontelli.  Not joining the shoot out were Antonelli, Tsunoda, Bortoleto, Gasly and Albon.  The Williams of Sainz was clinging on.  Verstappen was able to split the McLarens from the Ferraris, opening up the last session a little.

Again, the final session was very straightforward.  It was only ever between the McLarens and Piastri put in two quicker laps than Norris.  There was a brief moment of wonder to see if Verstappen could steal it at the end but it was never really in question.  He came in in third.  Hadjar did a belter of a lap to take 4th, with Russell behind him.  The Ferraris ended up in 6th (LeClerc) and 7th, ahead of Lawson, Sainz and Alonso.  The Racing Bulls really should have shared their homework with Red Bull over the summer break.

Hungary GP Race Report

Hamilton was particularly hard on himself following Qualifying; he said that Ferrari should replace him as the driver.  We would hear almost nothing from him during the race, then afterwards, he said that there was stuff going on in the background and that he still loved racing.  It was two downbeat interviews on the trot and it made me wonder if he would even see out the season.  Perhaps if Russell is booted out of Mercedes, he can follow him there.

As Brundle finished interviewing Jamie Dornan and Axl Rose, the Sky team got more excited as a little rain was now forecast for the race.  Tsunoda would be starting from the pit lane as he qualified so far down the grid, he would have the chance to make changes for this if needed.  In the event, there was no inclement weather.

LeClerc got away from pole very well and Norris's launch was great off the grid but then he fell back, losing two places to Russell and Alonso.  With the cooler temperatures, Russell was able to push towards Piastri as his Mercedes preferred the conditions.   Sparks flying, Norris used DRS to get fourth place from Alonso.  It turned out that Hulkenberg jumped the start and was awarded a five second penalty.

Norris was under pressure to overtake Russell and the engineers on the other side of the garage were looking for a way for Piastri to get past LeClerc.  Now there was discussion about whether tyres could be stretched to a one stop strategy.  If we couldn't discuss rain, we were sure as hell going to be discussing tyre strategy.

There were some early pit stops from teams like Williams then Verstappen made one.  Suddenly, Norris was radioed with a change of strategy but McLaren brought Piastri in quickly to undercut LeClerc.  Ferrari responded immediately and Mercedes too.  It was a great call by the Italian team as he was in the front already and they put in a two second stop.  He held the lead.

When the second stops came around, Piastri had checked out, all he wanted was to do was stay ahead of Norris.  Disappointingly, he didn't seem fussed about winning the race.  LeClerc, then Russell, pitted first and Piastri came in in response.  This left Norris, on a one stop strategy, in the lead.  It took until lap 51 of 70 for LeClerc to fully lose his grip on the race.  The McLarens' strategy had pushed them forwards but Ferrari hadn't been that shoddy.  Piastri overtook LeClerc for second place.  It would be a chase between the boys in papaya from that point on.

There was more anger from a Ferrari driver, this time directed at the team, as LeClerc was so insistent he could have done a better job than his engineers.  Russell was able, after a couple of goes, to get past him with eight laps to go.

With three laps to go, Piastri was chasing Norris down for the win.  There was a half second gap.  As we were watching to see what would happen, Gasly was awarded a five second penalty for an incident we didn't see with Sainz.  The world is fixated with the battle between Norris, who has waited patiently for his shot at the Driver's Championship and  Piastri, who has strode into F1 and clasped it.  

With one lap to go, Piastri, went for it into the corner at the end of the straight and locked up his tyres.  It was very close to contact; Russell would comment in the cool down room, he wished they would have T-boned.  He was reminded how the team go racing (i.e. without taking each other off).  The stewards weren't watching the race, they were busy handing out penalties, this time to LeClerc for driving erratically in front of Russell.

Overall, it was a good strategy call for Norris and he managed to make it work to claim victory ahead of his team mate and championship rival.

Russell in third had the fastest lap and  LeClerc remained in fourth despite the time deducted.  (He was told after the race that there was a problem with his chassis.  He was still angry).  After them there was Alonso, Bortoleto (highest finishing place of his career), Stroll, Lawson, Verstappen (barely mentioned apart from his little fracas with Hamilton) and Antonelli.  It was definitely a race where one driver in a team did very well and the other was struggling more.  Still they have the summer holiday now to dust themselves off and prepare for the second half of the season.  See you soon.

Old man Alonso, muscle problem with his back, special seat

Hungary GP Qualifying Report

The questions over Vasseur's future in F1 seem to be in the distant past; Ferrari think so as well, as they made a big song and dance about renewing his contract.  As he pointed out, they are second in the championship and couldn't do too much better.  No one mentioned Horner at all.

There was a little chance of rain for Qualifying; there were some grey clouds nearby.  A few drivers dropped their wheels into the gravel, bringing it onto the track.  So it was slippy for one reason or another.  At least gravel can be swept off the track.  It was Piastri who sent the most debris onto the track but was able to put together good enough lap times to finish the first session in first.  Alonso was in second, then Hadjar, Norris in fourth.  It wasn't looking good for his championship hopes.  Out went Tsunoda (last of the Bulls team), Gasly, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Albon.  The Williams put in three runs and Sainz was able to get up to 8th; not a strong track for the team.

In the second session, there was a tiny drizzle over Turn 6 and possibly Turn 1 too.  There was a mini panic by the teams but much more excitement in the commentary cabin.  This time, Norris was fastest and impressively so but Piastri was hot on his heels.  Stroll was third and the Newey effect was clearly at play with the Aston Martins.  Out went Antonelli, Bearman, Hamilton, Sainz and Colapinto.  Both Racing Bulls and a Sauber were through.

In the final push, pole could have been anybody's.  The McLarens no longer had the lead; the Aston Martins were gunning for them.  LeClerc came out of nowhere to put in the quickest time and then had to wait and see if anyone would beat him.  No one could manage it.  They finished LeClerc, Piastri, Norris, Russell (whose car worked it's tyres better on the cooling track), Alonso, Stroll, Bortoleto, Verstappen, Lawson and Hadjar (who didn't set a time).  The Ferrari driver couldn't believe it but his team mate out in 13th would be even more bewildered.

All in all, it set up a great race with several drivers looking punchy.

Belgium GP Race Report

The drivers looked pretty unhappy to be put on the back of a truck and toured around the track in the cold, wet Belgian weather.  They should also have been down in the dumps about McLaren now having twice as many points as their nearest competitor (Ferrari) half way through the season.  

Then, as they drove their own cars around to get to the grid, it started to rain and the crowd put on their ponchos.

Brundle and Rosberg cornered Jos Verstappen on the grid, who was very uncomfortable answering questions about Horner's sacking and also uncomfortable answering questions about the weather, which should have been a safe topic for conversation.

Alonso, Antonelli, Hamilton and Sainz, the bottom four apart from Stroll in Qualifying, would be starting from the pit lane.  This could have been a very good choice given the conditions.

There was a long, long delay whilst we watched a tractor clearing water from the track; with shots of amusing signs created by the crowd and scenes from inside the pits.  Eventually, they went out on intermediate tyres behind the Safety Car for two trial laps.  

A rolling start was soon underway and it wasn't long until Piastri got past Norris.  There was a problem with his electrical system.  LeClerc did well to hold Verstappen off despite tyres that fell off quickly.  On Lap 12, Hamilton (then Gasly and Hulkenberg) came in for the first sets of slick tyres.  Piastri followed suit, just as DRS was enabled, and they couldn't double stack as they were so close.  A stream of drivers (pretty much everyone) followed them in on the following lap.  In the pits LeClerc pulled out of his box in front of his friend Albon (nothing came of it).

It was clear immediately how much of an advantage the dry tyres gave.  Hamilton was putting in quickest laps and had jumped into the points.  The racing started in earnest.  The Saubers were in 9th and 10th and they moved Bortoleto in front of newly-podiumed Hulkenberg to try and attack Lawson.

Despite Norris trying a bit, he never looked to have a shot of getting the lead back.  Still, at least he had it for a few hundred metres.  LeClerc did an outstanding job of holding back Verstappen to finish third, despite shouting at his colleagues who were providing an inconsistent level of support over the radio.  Hamilton did well coming from the pit lane to finish 7th but couldn't overtake Albon.

You have to wonder whether McLaren have learnt their lesson from last year, when Norris lost the drivers championship.  Will they ask Lando to support Oscar to secure it this year?  It was a real grimace of a smile as he congratulated his team mate.

Off the podium but in the points was Verstappen, Russell, Albon, Hamilton, Lawson, Bortoleto and Gasly.  It was a very quiet day for the stewards.  When was the last race with no penalties awarded?

There is only a week off until the last race before the summer holiday.  How hot will it be in Hungary?  Will things reach boiling point between the McLaren drivers?  Will Bottas announce that he is driving for Cadillac?

Belgium GP Qualifying Report

Fresh information about the track and how cars were running on it had been gained by the teams during the Sprint Race in the morning.  Skinny wings were the way forward.  However, rain was predicted for the Race the next day.  Some drivers made adaptions for this; others didn't.  Some teams split the strategy across their pair of cars.

In the rush to get out into the pit lane to get going for Qualifying, Hulkenberg nudged his way out and Stroll ran over his front wing and broke it.  There were some quick laps, nothing to mention.  Norris won the head to head with his team mate to take the fastest lap.    It looked like it might be between Hamilton and Gasly to see who would be out in 16th.  Out went three rookies and both Aston Martins in their worst outing for a long long time (possibly ever): Bortoleto, Colapinto, Antonelli, Alonso, Stroll.

Between sessions, Hamilton had his lap time deleted and this gave a reprieve to Bortoleto and he was 16 and out after all.  He said it was unacceptable to be out in the first session for both qualifying sessions at this track and took the blame, saying he would apologise to the team.

The second session proceeded much as the first only Verstappen was confident with his time and saved some tyres, not going out for a second fast lap.  It looked like Ocon might knock Albon out but, even with a purple first sector, couldn't manage it.  Out went Ocon, Bearman, Gasly, Hulkenberg and Sainz.  Williams' performance is improving under Vowle's leadership but they can't seem to get both cars in on it at the same time.

In the final shoot out, LeClerc did manage a faster lap but it was between Verstappen, Norris and Piastri, who traded quickest laps.  Russell put in a couple of purple (best time set so far) sectors but overall it wasn't quick enough.  Albon was the last person across the line and even beat Russell to get 5th.  Verstappen was lacking grip in his Red Bull and it was enough to cost him pole and even third place as LeClerc did have more in himself.  Out of the two McLarens, it was Norris who put in the fastest lap to take pole.  It was needed as Piastri had it yesterday.  The top ten finishing order was Norris, Piastri, LeClerc, Verstappen, Albon, Russell,  Tsunoda, Hadjar, Lawson and Bortoleto.

Belgium GP Sprint Report

With Antonelli and Hamilton both taking their top tier cars out of Sprint Qualifying in the first session, the Sprint Race could have been very spicy with the grid jumbled up and drivers wishing to advance.  Colapinto would be starting from the pit lane and took the chance to reduce his wing size.  Piastri would be keen to maintain his position at the front and further stake his claim to the world championship.

There was drama on the way to the grid as Gasly was told to bring his car in to box but he went to his slot and had to be wheeled off with a water leak.

It was Piastri versus Verstappen off the grid with only 15 laps to battle it out.  Neither will have wanted to damage their car ahead of Qualifying that afternoon.  Verstappen waited a couple of corners and took the lead, with LeClerc getting past Norris.  It was all down to the skinny wings.  

Three laps later, Norris was able to retake the position.  The long Spa laps took an age to play out.  And then, all of a sudden, they had passed.  The McLarens had been unable to challenge the Red Bull.  Apart from those two early overtakes there was only one other, which made the event slightly pointless, more of a tyre test than a race.  Obviously it was Hamilton and Albon past Alonso at the back for no points on the last lap.

So it was Verstappen ahead of Piastri, Norris, LeClerc, Ocon, Sainz, Bearman and Hadjar, in that order, in the points.  Lawson, in his Racing Bull, finished one place ahead of "promoted" Tsunoda in his Red Bull.  Can Mekies make a difference to the team?  Will we discover as the season drives slowly downhill to it's end how much Horner had been Ferrariing things up?

GB GP Race Report

With it being Wimbledon as well, it was raining in Silverstone ahead of the race.  Norris braved the weather to go out and visit his dedicated grand stands, Pinkham took him out, and like a mother, emphasised the positives of it and they enjoyed some special pyrotechnics (or a smoke display?) together.

The theatrics continued with a line-up of minor celebrities on the grid and then a truly awful rendition of the national anthem by Becky Hill.  Bring back Damian Lewis I say.

It was not expected that the Race Director would start the race under the Safety Car for a rolling start, especially as it was now dry and sunny.  LeClerc, Bearman, Bortoleto, Hadjar and Russell decided to come in at the end of the Formation Lap for dry tyres, which meant they would start from the pit lane.  Piastri though thought that the last sector was too wet for slick tyres.  The Safety Car was recalled in the event.

It seemed like a clean start with Verstappen, Piastri and Norris holding their places.  Unseen by the cameras, Lawson went off the track and brought out the Yellow Flags.  There were great plumes of water coming from the back of the cars.  Hamilton fought Norris for third place and they were wobbling around on the tricky track and the drivers that chose slick tyres would be in trouble.  However the Virtual Safety Car was needed to clear Lawson's Racing Bull.  This would help those dry-tyred cars.  It turned out that Lawson and Ocon had come together; apparently all started by Tsunoda, who was later awarded a penalty.

Colapinto had retired in the pit lane with a faulty car before he'd even started, no one really noticed.  

There was an opportunity to pit for new tyres but only Antonelli took it, they would have had information from Russell, who was struggling on his slick tyres, so it seemed an odd choice.

Verstappen got the race going again but Bortoleto couldn't keep his slick tyre car on the track and spun as soon as he tried to speed up.  He was able to get out of the gravel and tried to bring his broken car back to the pits but at least we didn't need a Safety Car and was able to keep racing.  Until he didn't make it and retired it somewhere it could be easily taken off the track side.  A Virtual Safety Car was enacted again.  Stroll pitted for soft, slick tyres.

After a very long time, only eight laps had happened, Piastri was able, with slightly more grip, to get past a shaky Verstappen for the lead, and quickly pulled out a larger-than-DRS gap.  The drivers started racing properly.

Antonelli lost a place to LeClerc down in 13th but Mercedes brought him in for a second stop and onto wet tyres.  The rain did come down and Norris was on the back of Verstappen, whose tyres were so bad he went off the track.  The top three all came into the pit lane, stacking the McLarens, so Norris came out behind Verstappen.

As the rain got heavier, into proper Scottish territory, the Race Director sent out the Safety Car to keep things, well, safe.  LeClerc had a big off, going straight across the grass just before.

There were several laps before we went racing again.  It was Hamilton and Russell who really fought for places immediately.  The spray was still heavy and Hadjar ran into the car in front of him, Antonelli.  And the Safety Car came out again.

Verstappen was too aggressive as the race got underway again but Piastri had braked too hard before him.  He was too confident and the Red Bull spun and was put to the end of the top ten, scooting about, he fought with the Williams'.  Bearman had a big off across the grass even further back.  Piastri received a ten second penalty for his actions.  This could give the race win to Norris after all.

Antontelli had to retire from the damage he sustained during the incident with Hadjar.

A number of dry laps passed by and then, on lap 35, DRS was enabled and drivers were thinking about dry tyres.  Somehow Stroll was in third place, until Hulkenberg and then Hamilton got passed him.  Alonso was the first driver to take dry tyres and came out in last place; Russell was the next and he was in 13th, which by this point, was three places up from last.  You had to go carefully on those slick tyres as Russell went for a fast, uncontrollable spin off across the grass and gravel.   The track was not ready.

Sainz and LeClerc, old team mates had a battle.  Norris ahead was putting in the fastest laps on his intermediate tyres.

Despite all the knowledge gained from watching Russell and Alonso, Stroll, Verstappen, Gasly, Hamilton and Sainz all came in for dry tyres which seemed like madness.  Hamilton was overtaken by his team mate and the Haas cars came together.  

With seven laps to go, Alonso overtook Albon for 8th.  Hulkenberg was somehow back in third with Hamilton behind him.  Norris was in the lead.  Piastri was struggling, going off the track but asking the team to swap the drivers positions if the team felt his penalty wasn't fair.  LeClerc had another off through the gravel and only just made it back onto the track.

The sun stayed out until the end of the race.  It was an emotional victory for Norris, even more so for Hulkenberg as he took his first podium in third place.  Jenson Button had a difficult interview with Piastri, who initially congratulated Hulkenberg if not Norris and refused to speak much about his incident behind the Safety Car.

Norris held it together very well on the podium, receiving two identical trophies, one made from Lego.  What happened afterwards was a shame as the focus was much more on Piastri being upset than Norris winning.  McLaren's PR will not be happy.

Sauber however had much to celebrate.  Hulkenberg won the popular vote of Driver of the Day and the team went wilder than McLaren.  With Binotto and Wheatley now in charge, it seems like Sauber might be a force to contend with in the future and the seats in that team may be more hotly pursued following the last two races.  Could this be where Verstappen chooses in the end?

GB GP Qualifying Report

It was inevitable that, with Oasis playing their first concert in many years the previous night, a best of British feeling would be played to the full at Silverstone.  There were lots of Brits to be supported but Bearman might not be getting much.  He would start the race with a ten place grid penalty for crashing in the pit lane entry as he accelerated past Red Flags.

The first Qualifying session went well for eight minutes, with drivers dutifully setting times.  Then Colapinto touched the paint with a tyre and went for a gentle trip through the gravel and into the wall.  Yellow flags came out and it seemed that the session would need to be stopped (it was eventually) but he was able to keep going, dropping gravel as he went along the straight before pulling over.  His car was dusty and the wheels were so chiselled that he bumped along on square tyres.

When they got going again, the track had changed: the wind direction and the spots of rain affected it.  Some drivers chose not to go out for an early push with five minutes to go but most did.  To his annoyance, Hamilton wasn't fuelled to put in a few laps in a row, which put him under pressure and he finished 14th.  Verstappen was fastest followed by Piastri then Bearman (for the Brits).  Out went Lawson (who did so well last race), Bortoleto (who did so well last race), Stroll (never done well at any race since he left Williams), Hulkenberg (who did so well last race) and Colapinto.

It was a fairly standard second session.  The big surprise was that Hamilton was first with LeClerc second.  Both Williams went out in 11th (Sainz) and 14th (Albon, having made a poor choice to change his set-up).  Tsunoda was in 12th, Hadjar 13th and Ocon in 15th.

Again, the final session was nothing spectacular but did go to down to a final quick lap shoot out.  Having found it difficult to get a good set up and handle his car throughout the first two sessions, Verstappen took pole, setting the sectors purple.  He was ahead of Piastri and Norris, the McLarens behind him.  Max was very pleased with that result: "simply lovely".  Piastri had slipped and swerved about and Norris had taken too much kerb, neither driver was in contention in the end.  Behind them was Russell, Hamilton, LeClerc, Antonelli, Bearman, Alonso and Gasly.

All eyes would now be on the weather forecast for the race.  As ever, there was a sense that Verstappen would hold the lead from the start to the end and all those Brits lining up would not get a look in.

Austria GP Race Report

All talk before the race started was how this Austrian GP was Norris's to lose.  At least he made it off on the formation lap; Sainz was stuck in first gear and something (the hand brake?) was stopping it from moving altogether.  The start was abhorted.  The Williams made it to the end of the pit lane and then his brakes caught fire.  And his race was over before it had even begun.

Everyone got a great start but the supeior pace of the McLaren meant that Piastri got past LeClerc for second and immediately started to go for Norris.  Further back, Verstappen was clipped by Antontelli who locked up in the middle of the pack.  The vet went to see if the rookie was okay with a smile.  The Safety Car was out, we were three drivers down and it was only the second lap,

On Lap 11, Piastri briefly held the lead but Norris came back through the following corners.  How long would they be allowed to race?  Had there been a protocol set before the race?  Whoever was ahead by the first pitstop? Etc.

The battle continued, with Norris positioning his car perfectly.   There was less luck down the track, as Albon pitted and retired his Williams for a double DNF for the team.  Even further back, Tsunoda hit Stroll.

Both McLarens made small mistakes as they pushed each other and then Norris pitted first.  Nearly halfway through, when pit stops were complete and everything was back to level-pegging, Piastri was given a not-very-subtle warning not to get as close to Norris again.

Tsunoda and Colapinto came together again.  He got a ten second penalty.   

And then Norris began to lose confidence in himself, he probably is his own worst enemy.   He held the lead through passing the back-markers.

Hamilton was made to pit against his will. He didn’t want a second stop believing position is king.  This driver versus team strategists is going to run and run.

For the McLarens it was all down to the last set of pit stops.  There were 16 laps to go.  Tsunoda and Colapinto came together for a third time with Piastri in the middle.  He was off and across the grass.  There were more time penalties.  

There were 6 laps at the end of the race for the McLarens to go head-to-head.  Instead we watched Alonso and Bortoleto battling.  The back-markers basically neutralised the McLaren race, much to the management's relief I imagine.

It finished Norris, Piastri (still ahead in the championship, by 15 points), LeClerc,  Hamilton,  Russell and Lawson.  The Ferraris managed an almost secret race to get excellent points and a real in-road towards beating Mercedes and Red Bull.  Piastri didn't look thrilled on the podium with his second place trophy.

Bortoleto was awarrded Driver of the Day as both Saubers were well within the points.  Was it the Wheatley-effect on Sauber?  The loss of both Williams' cars? Or some Austrian magic?

There is a quick turnover between Red Bull territory and Silverstone,  where almost everyone claims a home race.  It would be predictably disappointing for Norris to lose to Piastri there.

Austria GP Qualifying Report

For some reason, the talk of the pit lane was whether Russell would keep his Mercedes seat if Verstappen should want it next season.  Nobody let it affect their performance in Qualifying though. 

Piastri swept through some gravel in the first session. Sainz also struggled in his Williams to keep it on the tarmac.  The five slowest and out drivers were Stroll, Ocon, Tsunoda (another poor showing, just how bad is that Red Bull?), Sainz and Hulkenberg.  One driver each from five different teams...this says a lot about the current state of competition in the sport.  Sainz complained that the car was undrivable but his driving also looked pretty shoddy.

Verstappen also thought his car was undrivable in the second session.   The McLarens and Ferraris were looking strong.   Then Hamilton ran wide and set the grass on fire so the session was red flagged.  This led to a sprint to the end, with time for one fast lap only.  Bortoleto crossed the line first in his Sauber and was very quick, third for a moment.  He did get through to the final shoot out for the first time.  Out went Alonso, Albon, Hadjar, Colapinto and Bearman.  The McLarens were a dominant first and second with LeClerc behind them and Hamilton dropping back. 

After the first set of laps in Q3, Norris was on pole, then LeClerc then Piastri.  Russell was noted for an unsafe release in the pit lane.   But Russell couldn't improve his place in the end.  There was a half second gap between Norris on pole and LeClerc behind him.  Then it was Piastri,  Hamilton,  Russell,  Lawson (doing better in the junior team than the lead driver of the main outfit), Verstappen,  Bortoleto, Antontelli and Gasly.   The Alpine driver did two full rotations as he went off through the gravel at the end of the session.

I think Norris will be quick in the race and Ferrari likely to give a McLaren the win through choosing a poor strategy.  The question is whether McLaren will give a fair and equitable strategy call to both drivers and whether they will end up hot on each others' heels?  I don't put it passed Norris to make a hot-headed driver error again and LeClerc will be there to pick up the spills.

Canada GP Race Report

Even though Russell was on pole, it still felt like it might be Verstappen's race, possibly Piastri's, probably not Norris's.  The British press were trying to put the Red Bull driver off by continually referencing his 11 licence points, perilously close to a race ban.  Having apologised two weeks ago for his misdemeanour, he was getting more and more annoyed by the questions.

Following Qualifying, Lawson and Gasly fitted new engines (not themselves, personally), which meant that they would start from the pit lane.  Tsunoda was in 18th after his 10 place penalty.  Hadjar was 12th after a three place drop for impeding Sainz, as he started 16th this would be no consolation for the Williams driver.

It was a clean start.  Albon was both under pressure and pressuring others but went across a chicane and through the grass, dropping back places.  Antonelli got past a risk-averse Piastri for third place.  Then there was a quiet ten laps until Norris overtook Hamilton and Alonso, and Antonelli started to really challenge Verstappen.  He avoided it by pitting very early.  The race leader, Russell, followed him in on the next lap, which put Antonelli out front.  Then he pitted.  There was confusion brought on my the Red Bull strategy, so many drivers having taken a stop, it was hard to see who would be where.

By lap 21 everyone had pitted apart from Norris and LeClerc, who were in front, a cluster of Ocon, Sainz, Albon (one team mate having gotten past the other, who was very irate with the team for not listening to him), Tsunoda, Bortoleto and Stroll, then Lawson and Gasly, who would be returned to the back of the pack when they did.

Albon refused to box and a numbers of cars overtook him in quick succession.  When he did pit he was last.

LeClerc pitted just before the halfway point and immediately questioned the choice of tyre Ferrari had given him.  LeClerc had asked for Plan C as he felt the tyres were okay.  Ferrari thought Plan B would be better but failed to communicate this with him.  Norris pitted from the lead and came out in 5th and could do a one stop race.

Aston Martin gave Alonso some gentle guidance and he told them he was racing not testing.  He really was.

By halfway through, not a lot had changed in the top 9.  Verstappen was still setting the pace, even from fourth.  Everyone responded when he pitted again.  When Russell stopped it went wrong and cost him valuable seconds.

Having done 49 laps, Albon pulled off the track and down an escape road.  It was a terrible day for him.  Then Stroll was awarded a ten second penalty for forcing another car off the track, we don't know who, we didn't see it, it wasn't replayed.  The Canadian driver was really bringing the show for his home fans.

The top five were covered by less than eight seconds with 16 laps to go.  Lawson was also retired due his Power Unit, they wanted to look after it.  It hadn't taken long to wear it down, given that they fitted it overnight.  Then, with eight laps to go, the McLarens were battling each other hard for fourth and fifth.  With Antonelli right ahead of them, they could have been making a play for a podium finish, it's seemed short-sighted by their leadership.  It proved to be true, Norris got down the inside and was ahead but Piastri fought back hard.  It looked like he clearly had the lead but he backed out heading onto the straight.  For some reason, Norris thought he could overtake then and took the slipstream, pulling out at the last minute.  He hadn't pulled out quite enough though, as he hit the go pedal to move ahead, he was not alongside but slightly behind.  He tagged his team mate, which sent him on to the narrow slip of grass next to the wall where his car was basically shredded between rock (teammate) and hard place (wall).  We rewound twice to watch despite knowing it would be replayed from different angles.  Here was the Safety Car that Norris had been counting on.  Piastri appeared to have been unharmed, lucky not to have a puncture.  He had been looking in his other mirror to see where Lando was.  There was basically not a car width's gap for him to put his car through.  It was such an error of judgement.  When asked on the radio if he was okay, Norris laid the blame calmly at his own feet: "It's all my bad.  All my fault.  Unlucky.  Sorry.  Stupid from me."  No one could disagree with that.  If it was Latifi or Sargeant who had made the move...  I had written that opening comment about it not being Norris's race two hours before this incident.  It speaks volumes. Stella would be getting it in the neck.  Piastri looked very pale when he got out of the car but was given an immediate briefing by the team about what he should say.

Russell and Verstappen were still playing silly games with each other under the Safety Car, Verstappen radioed that he had to overtake Russell because his driving was erratic and the other saying that he overtook him.  Each hoping the other would get a penalty because that was the only way to move their positions, as the race would end under the Safety Car.  They went on to have a very civilised conversation in the cool-down room.  The camera operator clearly knew to capture their faces as the McLaren incident was replayed.  "There just wasn't a space there," Russell declared.

The Top 10 was Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli (very well deserved), Piastri, LeClerc, Hamilton, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Ocon and Sainz.  It was Alonso's first points of the season and he had told Brundle before the race that Canada was good to him.  There was a lot of celebratory hugging in the Mercedes huddle in front of the podium.

There was so much chat about tyre choice (until the drama at the end) and having to run two different compounds.  The whole thing is so contrived and should be stopped; there must be other ways to make races interesting.  Perhaps if the only people who could choose tyre strategy were the drivers, that would make it spicy.

Canada GP Qualifying Report

This event in Canada felt like it could be another Monaco.  The track is narrow and the walls are punishing.  Norris was fastest in practice and his team mate and main championship rival, Piastri, hit the wall.  LeClerc also had a pretty big crash in the first session, which meant he didn't get out for the second one.  Stroll was back for his home race having had an operation on his wrist and recovered in a fortnight.

There was drama as we went into the first session.  Tsunoda was given a ten place grid penalty for overtaking under a red flag during practice.  I wonder what his excuse will be, it seems like it might be a valid mistake.  With everyone having set a lap, Albon lost the engine cover on his Williams, leaving debris all over the track and the session had to be red flagged for some tidying up.

The session continued.  Alonso had been in the lead when the flags were waved but Norris led his team mate when it ended.  Albon, with a fresh engine cover, made it through but his team mate, Sainz went off and through the dust as he had a moment with Hadjar, who impeded him.  Hadjar was through (but possibly heading for a three place grid penalty) and Sainz was out.  It was Bortoleto in 16th, Sainz in 17th, Stroll in 18th, Lawson in 19th and Gasly in 20th.  I don't know why Gasly was so low, other than Alpine are having an awful year and are last in the constructors championship.

The second session passed calmly.  Russell was fastest, followed by Norris.  Out went Tsunoda, Colapinto (8 places ahead of his team mate), Hulkenberg, Bearman and Ocon.  We should have paid more attention to the performance of the Mercedes.

It was all down to the last laps in the final session.  Norris could not put a lap together and will be incredibly disappointed with all the promise he'd shown earlier in the week when it didn't count.  Verstappen looked like he would take pole, then Piastri put in the quickest lap, then Verstappen took it back.  Behind him,

 Russell had put in a purple, fastest sector and took pole.  All he has been asked about this year is what he thinks of Verstappen's behaviour, surely now it is time for him to be questioned on his amazing season.  Villeneuve, who did the interviews, went down this avenue.  Initially, George deflected them and then joked that he had "more points on his licence to play with".  The starting top ten was provisionally Russell, Verstappen, Piastri, Antonelli, Hamilton, Alonso, Norris, LeClerc (who couldn't seem to find a good place to be on track all afternoon), Hadjar and Albon.

It feels like it will be a strongly contested race tomorrow.  Russell and Verstappen must be in contention with at least one McLaren.  We can't rule out Antonelli or Hamilton.  LeClerc always seems to be in the right place if there are any lucky breaks.

Spain GP Race Report

Following Qualifying, Norris must have taken a knock on his confidence gained at Monaco last weekend.  His team mate Piastri secured pole with the largest margain of the season.  Would he be aggressive in this race?  He needed to be.

Stroll decided that the recurring pain in his wrist (from a pre-season training accident quite a while ago) required him to travel somewhere else to have a "procedure".  Strange that he couldn't have waited twenty-four hours.  And let Drugovich have a drive, a long-waited for F1 start.

Colapinto was penalised for his break-down in the pit lane during Qualifying and would start last on the grid, with Tsunoda starting from the pit lane, having qualified there anyway and changing his suspension.

Much had been made of the race down to turn one but Piastri made an amazing start and held his position.  Other drivers were three abreast and there was some argy-bargy at the back.  Somehow Albon lost three places and sustained damage to his front wing, Alonso lost his points-finishing place and Sainz remained in 17th.  Verstappen got past Norris and both Ferraris got past Russell.

Lots of drivers tried an early stop strategy (by lap 10) including Albon (forced to get a new front wing), Sainz, Tsunoda, Bearman and Hulkenberg.  Norris got past Verstappen and he didn't do much to defend it, coming in immediately after for his new tyres.  Alonso had a big old trip over the gravel, perhaps getting some practice in for the next series he will drive.

A third of the way through the race, Piastri had pulled out five seconds ahead of his team mate and it was looking critical between Norris, who had not taken a pit stop, and Verstappen, who had.  The Red Bull undercut both McLarens for the lead.

Albon was the first retirement, shunted, bumped, damaged and demoralised.

Having so many stops in the race, some were bound to be duds.  Ferrari did a slow one for Hamilton.

With eleven laps to go, Antonelli ended up in the gravel, which he needed to stop the car as the engine failed and there was a Safety Car.   Taking a pit stop seemed a good idea.  The McLarens were double stacked and both came out in front of Verstappen's Red Bull.  Behind them LeClerc, Russell and Hamilton also came in.  Verstappen put on the hard tyre because it was the only option and it wasn't ideal.  This didn't put him in a positive mindset.

There were only six laps to go when the Safety Car was due to end and Piastri slammed his brakes on to control the pack.  It looked like Verstappen might take Norris but LeClerc overtook him instead, even Russell looked like he might have a chance to pass him.  Max would be a grumpy goose after the race.  In fact, he lost his rear end and had a little tap, each blaming the other.  Verstappen was asked to let Russell through and thought he had permission but Versappen cut him off with a bump.  Rosberg thought he should get a black flag.  

With one lap to go, Hulkenberg overtook Hamilton for 6th place, the Sauber driver having a great race and we heard the cheer from the fans as Alonso overtook Lawson for a one point finish.  It finished with a McLaren one-two with the Ferrari of LeClerc behind.

In the end, Verstappen was given a ten second penalty, which dropped him down to 10th place.  He said it was a "misjudgement" but was very critical of Russell's response and said he would bring him tissues for the next time.

I'm sure Piastri celebrated with a small sangria (hold the red wine and brandy).  LeClerc was surprised and somewhat bewildered to find himself being interviewed.

Will Stroll return for his home race in Canada?  Can Piastri extend his championship lead there?  Let's hope Williams find their pace again as we cross the Atlantic.

Spain GP Qualifying Report

Going into Qualifying in Barcelona, Piastri had won Free Practice.  After the first round of quick laps in the first session, he was the quickest, ahead of Verstappen and Norris.  Then the drivers queued up in the pit lane for the shoot out at the end.  Colapinto had a problem at the front and couldn't get going; finally Sainz decided to undertake him, which was permitted and it took the other drivers behind them a while to get round and going.  Sainz was knocked out by Ocon in the Haas in the last few seconds, he in turn was knocked out by his rookie team mate who went through in 11th.  Piastri remained quickest.  His old team mate Hulkenberg was also knocked out by his rookie team mate Bortoleto.   So it was Hulkenberg, Ocon, Sainz, Colapinto and Tsunoda out.  For the Red Bull to be last in Qualifying will raise huge questions.

The track did not seem to be improving as the second session progressed.  Williams did not seem to have the same speed as they showed as the last couple of races.  Out went Albon, Bortoleto, Lawson, Stroll and Bearman.  Hadjar put in another great lap for 6th.  Piastri was fastest, with Norris ahead of Verstappen this time.

It looked briefly like Norris might take pole position.  He set the fastest time after the first round of laps, stealing a tow from his team mate.  Positions were reversed for the final laps and Norris pushed hard, perhaps too hard and behind him Piastri put in purple sectors every time he crossed the timing lines.  It finished Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Russell, Hamilton, Antonelli, LeClerc, Gasly, Hadjar and Alonso.  The Spaniard was very pleased with his lap and whooped as he came in, waving to the crowd.

The most annoying thing about this part of the event?  The contact talk of the "TD" or Technical Directive - I don't think this needs an abb.

Monaco GP Race Report

There were a few shifts about on the grid due to penalties and whatnot but no one really cared as all concern was directed to how the teams would cope with having to stop twice.  

The first few corners would be crucial as well.  In F2 and the Porsche Supercup races earlier in the day, there were big crashes.  In F2, there was an 11 car pile up (which was not replayed despite no one being hurt) and the Porsche that spun meant all the cars behind them had to stop, like a massive Monegasque traffic jam.

Everyone was away clearly and in grid order, at the end of the first lap though, Bortoleto was into the wall, as he was caught out by Antonelli overtaking him.  It was a heart-stopping moment: was this the early Safety Car that had been predicted?  A green flag replaced the yellow as Bortoleto reversed his Sauber to keep going.  Those who were ready to pit immediately stood down.  The barrier needed to be inspected though, so a Virtual Safety Car was instigated.  Tsunoda, Gasly, Bearman and Bortoleto pitted with the Haas experiencing problems.

The race went on for a further eight laps, until Gasly went into the back of his old chum Tsunoda and lost a front wheel.  Piastri slowed as there were waved yellow flags for the debris on the track but Verstappen right behind him did not.  Gasly had no brakes and could not stop; he couldn't park the car at the side and he couldn't stop when he got into the pit lane either.  Eventually he stopped but pretty much in the Williams garage, the pit lane was closed.  However, Gasly could have gone down an escape road much earlier but chose to keep going and nearly took off his team mate as he careered across the corner.

Hulkenberg was the first driver to take a proper stop.  This triggered others.  Hadjar had been running well and pitted from fifth, exiting ahead of his team mate in eighth, a good result for the Racing Bulls.  Norris pitted on lap 20 of 78 and came out in fourth behind LeClerc, Piastri and Verstappen.  Bearman and Hadjar did a quick change of tyres so that they had their stops all done.  Piastri's stop was very slow but would not be able to jump LeClerc.  Despite putting in the fastest lap of the race, he didn't.

It seemed everything had calmed down.  The front runners were complaining that the marshals were not waving blue flags to tell the backmarkers to let them through.  It felt like there should have been ten laps to go but, remarkably, there were forty laps to go and Alonso's engine gave out with a puff of smoke from sixth position.  He would have scored some good points.  The Aston Martin was parked neatly off the track by the ever-professional Spaniard.

With two thirds of the race gone, neither Mercedes had taken any of their mandatory pit stops.  Russell got more and more frustrated behind Albon, who was deliberately holding up the pack for his team mate Sainz.  Following closely, he cut the corner and refused to give the place back.  The team asked him to again and he told them that he would take the five second penalty rather than concede.  The stewards didn't like that and gave him a drive through penalty instead, which meant he would have to go slowly through the pit lane rather than take the pit straight on track as normal.  This was very costly.

Then we waited for drivers to make their stops.  Verstappen made his final one on the last lap, giving Norris the lead back.  His finished there with LeClerc and Piastri behind him.  Also in the points positions were Verstappen, Hamilton, Hadjar, Ocon (an excellent finish for the Haas), Lawson, Albon and Sainz.  The Racing Bulls and Williams' did well to get some points and will keep their battle going.

There was general agreement that the two stop rule did not work. There's little time to party before heading to Barcelona.  Piastri was still leading the championship and there's still plenty of time in his career to win at Monte Carlo.