Miami GP Sprint Qualifying Report

There was much more to discuss in the build-up to the Miami event than usual because of the long gap between races.  Firstly, there are changes to the fancy electrics; these were explained but I don't think even if I was interested I wouldn't really understand them.  After that there are personnel changes: Verstappen's long time engineer will be leaving Red Bull for McLaren in...2028.  Leading however, is Allan McNish at Audi.

Failing to make adjustments for the changes was Stroll, who beached himself at the side of the track and a Yellow Flag was brought out for quite a considerable period.  Norris led the first session with Lawson, Ocon, Perez, Bottas, Alonso and Stroll going out.

The second session was uneventful with LeClerc leading this time and Bortoleto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Albon, Sainz and Lindblad going out.  Sainz was very unhappy on the radio with how little progress Williams had made over the month hiatus.

It looked like it could be a McLaren front row for the Sprint but Antonelli split them in the end.   The top ten were Norris, Antonelli, Piastri, LeClerc, Verstappen, Russell, Hamilton, Colapino, Hadjar and Gasly.  It's a fairly predictable top ten, even if the order isn't.  

I don't feel I can many predictions for the Sprint because we just don't know how the regulation changes are going to effect the racing.  What I will predict for Race Qualifying is that it will be unpredictable; some teams will learn a lot from this and improve.  There is lots to find out this weekend.

Japan GP Race Report

The first shock discovery of the Japanese race was that Button has abandoned Williams to be an ambassador for Aston Martin.  Everything to do with Lawrence Stroll's team is started to feel grubbier and grubbier.

It was an exciting line-up on the grid, just for this year, normal for any other season: all twenty-two drivers and cars started.  There was also Honda on the grid which the Japanese like and occasional shots of Tsunoda in the Red Bull garage looking sad but trying to look purposeful.

The drivers wernt for a very wide variety of start strategies, at least by the level of success achieved.  Some had to pop out from behind the cars in front to avoid a sudden collision.  Piastri went into the lead and LeClerc got up to second.  By the first corner, Norris was in third.  Antonelli started sixth but got past Hamilton at the start of the second lap.  That quick, back-and-forth stage is really a feature of the opening laps this season.

Less successful were Bortoleto, Bottas and Hulkenberg but behind those quick changes were starting to happen.  On lap three, Russell got past Norris.  On lap four, Russell got past LeClerc.  On lap eight, Russell got past Piastri for the lead.  Then there was the big switch around.  Over the following laps, Antonelli was quick to come back through the pack and up to Russell.

A lot of drivers, those behind the Mercedes in the lead anyway, pitted around lap 20 and Russell voiced concerns.  Obviously as soon as he did get fresh new tyres, Bearman crashed into the wall and a Safety Car was called which meant his team mate Antonelli would get a cheap stop.  It was his decision though!  

It would also benefit Hamilton and Gasly.  Antonelli got out ahead which left Russell in third between Piastri and Hamilton.

Bearman limped away and fell down at the side of the track, which probably should not have been shown.  He had completely misjudged an overtake on Colapinto and went off on the grass then back across the track, in a scary moment.

At the race start, Hamilton was able to get past his former team mate Russell but Verstappen was not stuck behind one of his, Gasly.  We watched a long train of cars when we would all have rather been watching Pierre beat Max.

LeClerc was able to get past Russell when the Mercedes had some slight mechanical problem.  Antonelli looked cleanly in the lead with Piastri safe behind him.  The Ferraris would be allowed to fight each other.  LeClerc did get past and Hamilton was left to Russell, who took full advantage.

With three laps to go, Russell went to overtake LeClerc but he fought back and it was thrilling racing.  With one lap to go, Norris made a move on Hamilton that finally stuck for fifth place.

Saved from his awful start by Safety Car luck, Antonelli took an easy win.  Piastri never looked like he could challenge him from second place.  A third different team took the third podium place in LeClerc and Ferrari.  Behind them was Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Verstappen, Lawson and Ocon.  The Frenchman will be glad to get points in his Haas and the other Frenchman will be looking over his shoulder with glee at his former team mate Verstappen.  Antonelli has promised to do his homework and practice his clutch starts with the month off over April.

As the youngest person to lead the Driver's Championship, Kimi looked young and wasn't allowed champagne on the podium.  Hamilton wasn't happy that he was third at one point and ended sixth, perhaps it is the end of an era for older drivers.

A lot of people predicted five or more cars would DNF.  Only Stroll and Bearman did retire; with Albon semi-retiring and then doing a bit of a test drive.

With a month off a lot of drivers will have things to think about.  Bearman sparked concerns about the closing distances.  Russell will be wondering how he is losing out to his baby team mate now his big chance has at last arrived.  Hamilton will be wondering if he could get back Mercedes, ever be able to get changes to happen at Ferrari or if he should retire.  Aston Martin need to figure what staffing line up will work for them.  Antonelli will consider which flavour ice-cream he should have for his special treat for leading the championship.

Japan GP Qualifying Report

Had silly season begun already?  Two races in?  Jonathan Wheatley has left Audi (because Switzerland was too much.  I would have thought Switzerland was easier than Christian Horner.) and is strongly rumoured to be heading to Aston Martin.  Aston Martin had made no progress in getting their cars to be racable but Fernando has become a father.  In a surprising twist we are not speculating who is going to be imminently brought in to replace Hadjar in the second Red Bull seat, which usually has a revolving door policy.

There was absolutely no drama at all in the first Qualifying session.  Stroll was last and three seconds behind his team mate.  The Cadillacs of Perez and Bottas were ahead of the Aston Martins.  Bearman was the shock exit in 18th place; he just didn't string a lap together.  Albon was in 17th.  Colapinto nearly went out but got through, which would have meant both Williams were through to Q2.  Unusually, Albon made a strong complaint about the condition of his car compared to Sainz' over the radio.  A few drivers were vocal that it was their car and not them, including Russell and Verstappen.

The drama came in the second Qualifying session.  Linblad in his Racing Bull knocked out Verstappen in his Red Bull.  Antonelli had been fastest in both sessions so far.  The six out were Verstappen, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Colapinto and Sainz.  All the drivers (apart from Ocon and Sainz) had team mates in the top ten.

At last, in the final session, it looked as though Russell might catch Antonelli.  He was nearly three tenths of a second off but was still second.  Piastri was third, LeClerc fourth; then Piastri, LeClerc, Norris, Hamilton, Gasly, Hadjar, Bortoleto and Linblad.

Antonelli was pleased but not surprised.  Russell was disappointed but not surprised.  Piastri was surprised.

We will have to see what sort of starts the drivers and cars can manage on race day as I suspect it might dictate some of the finishing result.  If you're not enjoying the racing on track because it's Japan, you can enjoy the outfits trackside; the spectators have really outdone themselves this year.

China GP Race Report

Before the race a mechanic was face down, bottom up inside Norris's McLaren to try and solve an electric gremlin and they didn't get out of the pit lane before it closed, meaning he would be starting there.  Albon would be starting from the pit lane again, albeit not in his car.

Ted and Bernie did the Grid Walk for Sky and the only celebrity they could find was one Imagine Dragon but they could find cars with faults being fixed including some vigorous work on Verstappen's Red Bull.  By the time we were getting ready to start, Bortoleto and Piastri were both also in their garages.  The Brazilian having been pushed back there from the grid.  Having not got to the grid last week, it wasn't what Piastri needed.

The loss of the McLarens on the grid meant Gasly lost track of where he was meant to be and had to reverse into his grid slot, having overshot it.  I'm glad he wasn't penalised.

Hamilton went straight into the lead and LeClerc to third.  Behind them everyone was going around very tentatively and locking up left, right and centre.  Gasly had dropped a couple of spaces back but before the first lap was over Hadjar had a big spin and Bearman, who he was tussling with, went off behind him in order to avoid him as he sprawled across the track.  This meant the Alpines were fifth and sixth.  Where has this come from?  Is this the Briatore effect?

You must pay close attention at the start because the regulation changes mean it's very close and back and forth at the start.  I don't think this is any more manufactured than other initiatives but the debate is on.  Enjoy the close racing whilst you can.  The Mercedes straight line special boost button kicked in on lap two and Antonelli took Hamilton for the lead and Russell got past LeClerc.  None of the four drivers who started in the pit lane were still in their cars by this point but getting changed into their civvies.  On lap four, Russell got into second place.  Lawson had the best opening laps as he had made up seven places.

With the increase in action at the start of the race, the replay of the start is being shown later and later, so any questions are left unanswered.  Finally we saw how far Verstappen dropped back at the start as he just didn't get underway quick enough.

Verstappen and Lawson came in very early on lap ten for new tyres.  It was terribly timing as Stroll pulled over at the side of the track just as they had come out and the Safety Car was called.  Mercedes and Ferrari double-stacked but Alpine did not.  Not everyone came in for tyres.

At the restart, Antonelli was at least protected from his team mate and the Ferraris with a Colapinto cushion, who was in turn attacked by Ocon, who definitely sniffed an opportunity, which doesn't always end well.  After a while, we stopped watching the front runners.  Temporarily, Colapinto was safe in fourth but behind him both Haas were going for each other and Gasly was watching Verstappen in his mirrors.  The fighting was tight.

Intra-team battles were not restricted to Haas with LeClerc overtaking Hamilton, who fought back hard.  This gave Russell more of a chance behind them.  We would have loved to have heard the team radio.  Once they took a breather, Russell was passed Hamilton.  It took a couple of laps more to get past LeClerc; the only person ahead of him then was Antonelli.

On lap 33, Colapinto finally made his stop and came out ahead of Ocon.  The Haas driver made a foolish move to overtake and they collided.  It didn't look good for either car.  Meanwhile, Alonso had pulled into his garage to retire from the race, as he was losing feeling in his hands.  There might have been a Safety Car, Virtual or otherwise, to clear the debris from the incident but nothing was called.  Then Hamilton radioed to his team that he had no power.  Despite this, he overtook LeClerc and they had another ding-dong.

Ocon admitted that the collision was his fault and received a ten second penalty for it.  I can see why it was good for him that he left Alpine when he did because I don't think Briatore would have a kind word to say to him.

With ten laps to go, Verstappen, who had been trailing about in the bottom of the points, started to go slowly and was called in to retire the car.

As the commentators began to wax lyrical about Antonelli's race and counting down the laps, he locked his tyres, as the spectators gasped, and went off.  His lead to Russell was reduced but everyone was suffering with worn tyres.

It was a Mercedes one-two, with Hamilton behind them.  There were only fifteen finishers.  The most notable for me was Sainz bringing home two points for Williams.

Every car seems to have something different in it's favour.  Gasly got the top speed in the race in his Alpine.  Mercedes are good in some places but not the right places according to Russell.  Ferrari can get off the start.  Haas clearly have something too.

I'm sure Hamilton would have liked the Italian national anthem playing for him as he stood on the podium but everyone seemed cheery enough for Antonelli to take the win.  It bodes well for some sort of championship battle that each Mercedes driver has one win each.  There is just Japan before a very long Spring break, a third race winner would be ideal.

China GP Qualifying Report

Cars were queuing to get out well before the start of the first Qualifying session in Shanghai.  Bottas nudged his Cadillac out in front of the line in a most cheeky manner.   For the first time, in any significant running, LeClerc was at the top of the time sheet at the end.  Obviously followed by Russell and Antonelli but then Verstappen, which might raise a small, very small, smile.   Out went Sainz, Albon, Alonso, Bottas, Stroll and Perez (who only just got running).  The Williams seem have made a significant backwards step over the Winter but at least they're not being beaten by Cadillac unlike Aston Martin (yet).

With half a minute to go on in the second session, Bortoleto crashed out, which meant that a number of quick laps were ruined.  The Audi went skidding across the tarmac, then the gravel and finally into the barrier on a long journey away from the track.  It was only the Alpines who were really going for it and would be able to go through.  Gasly was already in the top ten but jumped to sixth.  Colapinto was only able to get twelfth, which meant Hadjar was safe in tenth.  Antonelli took first place, then LeClerc and then Russell in third, his grip on dominance slipping.  This was explained when he radioed to his team that he was having "major understeer" and asked them to prepare a new front wing.  The drivers departing Qualifying were: Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Ocon, Lawson, Linblad and Bortoleto.

Things went from being somewhat bad to absolutely awful in the final session for Russell as his engine groaned and grunted around and he came to a stop on the track.  He couldn't find the gears but got going again and was able to get back to the pits.  After the first round of quick laps, his team mate Antonelli was the quickest.  McLaren seemed to have found something though and were ahead of the Ferraris.

There was a lot of camera focus on the Mercedes garage but the mechanics all looked very calm as they tried one thing after another.  With a couple of minutes to go, Russell was out of the pit and on his way.  All the drivers were improving their quickest laps, pushing each other lower each time they crossed the line.   Russell put in three green sectors, which meant that Antonelli took pole to be the youngest pole sitter ever and the first Italian for a long time.  Behind the Mercedes' lines up Hamilton, LeClerc, Piastri, Norris, Gasly (who will be pleased to be ahead of...), Verstappen, Hadjar and Bearman.

In the press conference, Hamilton praised "this big lad" Antonelli but is this a careful way of undermining him?  Gasly seems to be riding high and seemed happy.  His former team mate, Verstappen, was not expecting anything better but seemed philosophical.  Once again (although I shouldn't be saying this before the second race of the season) it will be Ferrari who will be bringing the challenge to the Mercedes.  The biggest question hanging over the grid will be reliability.