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.