McLaren Makes Statement at Imola Bringing the Fight to Verstappen

While Max Verstappen won yet another race this past weekend at Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The story really sits with McLaren and Lando Norris and their late charge in the Grand Prix. McLaren has shown clear signs of progress over the last few rounds after having emerged from the ashes of a program heading for the bottom of the table just a few years ago. Lando Norris led the way for McLaren in a sensational race that almost saw him best Max Verstappen in the closing laps of the race.

It was clear that Norris had the tire advantage leading into the closing stages of the race. Norris was cutting 3 tenths a lap with just 10 laps to go. Mathematically he should have passed Verstappen by Verstappen had other plans. Verstappen put on a master class in defense never allowing Norris the opportunity to strike. Despite falling short Norris was very happy with the finish. “Another great weekend for the team,” Norris said. “I fought hard right until the very last lap but we just lost out a little bit too much to Max in the beginning. One or two more laps and it would have been beautiful – but just wasn’t meant to be today.

We’ve been competitive all weekend and I think we’re at the point where we’re able to fight Ferrari and Red Bull consistently. We must get used to that – the team is doing a very good job so it’s great that fighting at the front is now business-as-usual. We just need to keep focused on improving. It’s still a surprise to say it’s frustrating to not win, but after last weekend and the improvements we made, it’s what we should start to expect.”

Piastri Also Find Success

Oscar Piastri finished P4 in todays race which means McLaren have solidified themselves as a front runner in the battle for the teams that can bring the battler to Red Bull. McLaren has secured almost double the points of Mercedes this year in what has been a statement and testament to the teams willingness to take a gamble on upgrades which can make or break a car. Andrea Stella, Team principal at McLaren said, “A positive day at Imola and the first time in 2024 McLaren have emerged as the highest-scoring team. P4 for Oscar came from good strategy and good pace, allowing him to gain a place on a day when it was not easy to. P2 for Lando was a very strong result. It was a surprise to be in contention for the victory at the end of the race. It came about as a consequence of how sensitive the tires were today. In the first stint, Max did a better job of managing the Medium and after the stops, Lando did a very good job of managing the Hard, resisting the temptation to overdo it when Leclerc was catching up. It paid off at the end with strong pace and being in the hunt for the victory.

“Everyone at McLaren has worked very hard to make these results possible, and they have my thanks for the upgrades that have arrived over the last few weeks, but also for the commitment, the hard work, and the quality of that work. We need to keep improving the car. If we can do that, we’re going to be in a good position for the future.”

In qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Max Verstappen claimed yet another pole position in what seemingly was a session that would not go his way. Beating out Oscar Piastri who finish FP3 fastest Verstappen edges out pole position by a 0.074s margin. To make matters worse for Piastri, he also received a 3 grid place penalty for impeding earlier in qualifying; negatively impacting Kevin Magnussen. regardless it was a generally successful day for McLaren finishing 2-3 before the penalty.

Paistri had the following words after the penalty. “I’m really happy with the performance today. We were so close to pole on track. I’ve been really comfortable with the car from the moment we put it on track yesterday and I am enjoying my first GP weekend here. We’ve definitely been on the pace all weekend and the confidence is high. It is a shame to lose the front row and having to start from P5 as it’s not the easiest track to overtake on. However, we will try our best to recover some positions and fight to finish on the podium.”

His Teammate Lando Norris stated, “As a team we’ve had a very good day – and a good weekend so far. P3 is not a bad job at all and both of us are within a tenth of pole – tiny, tiny margins. Oscar’s done a great job, and so did Max. It’s going to be a good race tomorrow. It’ll be exciting in the car and hopefully exciting to watch. A lot of it will be down to Turn 1, Lap 1, getting the right strategy, and having good pit stops. We’re close, it’s very exciting and I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Mercedes Continues to Struggle

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton failed to make it into the top 5 in Q3. It’s clear that the McLarens have leapfrogged Mercedes in 2024 performance. Team principal Toto Wolf Had the Following comments, “When you look at the gap to the front, and our closest competitors around us, you can see progress. P6 and P8 are not the positions we want to be. We’ve been saying that for a while, but we can see the advantage others have closing. It takes time to do that, so we must be patient and that’s the reality at the moment.
 
We know we have developments in the pipeline that will improve the balance of the car. Even though our positions today are not good enough, we are pointing in the right direction. Tomorrow, we will be focused on maximizing the package we currently have and aiming to score some decent points.”

Full Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying

This weekend Formula 1 returns for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari or Imola. The 2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix takes place over 63 laps of the 4.909-kilometre long circuit. Lewis Hamilton still holds the lap record, a 1:15.484 which he set back in 2020. Below is the weekend schedule.

Lando Norris broke Max Verstappen’s grasp on grand prix wins in 2024 by making the best of tire strategy in the Miami Grand Prix this afternoon. It all came down to the single pit stop made by Lando that allowed him to pull far enough away that Verstappen couldn’t regain the lead with the number of laps left in the race. The race was largely uneventful with many of the driver complaining about tire choices and surface grip. The drivers all struggled with car setups early in the weekend. They had one advantage with the sprint race to get actual race pace data to fine tune the cars for today’s Grand Prix.

Lando Norris Secures First F1 Win

Lando Norris has finally joined the record books as a Formula 1 race winner. “About time!” Norris said. “What a race. It’s been a long time coming, but finally I’ve managed to do it. I’m so happy for my whole team, I finally delivered for them. A long day, tough race, but finally on top so I’m over the moon. What do I say to them? I’m just proud really. A lot of people doubted me along the way. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over my last five years, my short career, but today we put it all together so this is all for the team. I stuck with McLaren because I could believe in them and I did believe in them. Today proved exactly that.”

Norris benefitted from the safety car that came out when Logan Sargeant crashed out of the Miami Grand Prix. Under the safety car Norris was able to save tire life which played into his hands at the end of the race. By the time the green flag flew there weren’t enough laps left in the race for Verstappen to catch Norris. Verstappen struggled with turning the car; a complaint he had all weekend despite winning the sprint race yesterday. Verstappen still is well in the drivers championship lead after the weekend with Sergio Perez retaining second place after his 4th place finish. He finished behind Charles Leclerc.

Full Miami Grand Prix Results

Magnussen received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision and a 20-second time penalty for entering the pits during a Safety Car period and not changing tires. Stroll received a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Sainz received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision.

Max Verstappen continued his win streak this morning after winning the Miami Grand Prix Sprint race. However, the story of the day sits with Daniel Ricciardo and his performance in the race. Ricciardo has struggled to find points finishes this season and that drought finally came to an end today. He started the race P4 maintaining his position from the start. Ricciardo had moments of brilliance at the start of the race when he got passed Sergio Perez briefly. Perez was ultimately able to take the place back but Ricciardo will be hailed for his defense in this race.

Ricciardo held off a surging Carlos Sainz who was in DRS striking range for the entire race. Sainz however couldn’t make it stick in terms of a move for a pass. He settled for P5 in the race. His teammate Charles Leclerc had the pace to split the Red Bulls finishing P2. It was a great points finish for Ferrari who beat out Aston Martin and Mercedes in the sprint. To make matters worse for Mercedes, the German side thought they were going to secure a point with Hamilton’s P8 finish however it was announced at the end of the sprint that Hamilton would receive a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The penalty dropped Hamilton to P16 and out of the points. Yuki Tsunoda inherited the position which meant a double points finish for RB.

Norris Discusses Turn 1 Crash

By Turn one of the race Norri’s race was over after an over zealous mistake that cost him a chance at points. “I just pushed too hard, as simple as that,” said Norris with a rueful smile after Sprint Qualifying. “The car was feeling very good. Just silly, to be honest. A couple of mistakes in Turn 1 and just a big spiral from there. A shame because the team have done a good job, the upgrades are working, so I’m happy with everything. Just not with one thing!”

Grand Prix qualifying will take place later this afternoon.

Full Sprint Race Results

Sprint qualifying in Miami presented a number of issues for all of the drivers. The entire field was struggling with lap times. The most surprising situation was the elimination of both Mercedes cars in the opening qualifying session. Even more surprising was the effort put forth by Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo has struggled to make it into the top 10 in qualifying all season. He broke that streak today after qualifying P4 in the session for tomorrow’s Sprint race.

Ricciardo Comments on His P4 Finish

Ricciardo had the following comments after the sprint qualifying, “I feel really good about today, I have some good confidence in the car and the second row is awesome! The team brought updates to the last few races, changed my chassis at the previous race in China, and brought a new floor here in Miami. Things look like they’re turning around and I’m very proud of what the team and myself did today. We had a good session starting from SQ1, even if I made a mistake in the first lap, so we were putting ourselves under a bit of pressure.

Then I found a good lap and we started to build up from SQ2. I’m a bit surprised to be P4 with my lap because I expected to be a lot quicker with the soft compound. Instead, the soft tires didn’t give much more compared to the mediums. I touched the wall twice; I told the team that I was definitely trying to get everything out of it. Let’s see what happens in the Sprint race, but it’s a lot nicer to be in the front rows. This can definitely help stay cleaner in the first phase of the race, if not involved in a bit of chaos. I’d love to get some points tomorrow.”

Verstappen Takes Surprising Pole

Max Verstappen finished on top in sprint race qualifying but it was clear he wasn’t happy with the car. “The practice session was really nice and I felt really confident and comfortable with the car. Honestly, I am quite surprised that we got P1 for the Sprint qualifying; it felt a bit different as I couldn’t really push or feel too confident on the tyres and get a nice balance on the car.

On a track surface like this, it means that if you are a little bit out with the tyres it makes a big difference, but I think everyone else particularly struggled with the final run on the soft tyres. We have a few things to analyse and question why it felt a bit different from qualifying, but we should get it together fine for tomorrow. All in all, we have a great starting position for the Sprint and hopefully we can maximize this. Once the tires stabilize, we should be back on track.”

This weekend’s Miami Grand Prix will be the third installment of the stop in Miami marking the first of three stops in the United States on the 2024 calendar. Thus far championship leader Max Verstappen has won the first two and will try to repeat the result to extend his championship lead. It will be an interesting weekend for the Red Bull camp as this will be the first grand prix weekend after the announcement that legendary car designer Adrian Newey will be leaving the team next year.

While the impact of Newey’s departure might not be seen in Miami. The Red Bull camp is at a cross road where they will need to start building an identity as a team without Newey. The team has been the center of rumors, speculation and personnel changes. Miami will be the first weekend the team isn’t in the middle of a media frenzy.

Logan Sargeant’s Run Coming to an End?

Miami is Logan Sargeant’s home grand prix. However, Sargeant hasn’t performed well during his time with Williams. He has failed to become a regular points scorer and continues to keep pace with his teammate Alex Albon. Its rumored that Miami will be Sargeant’s last race with Williams base don lack of performance so it may be his last opportunity to showcase his skills on the world top racing stage. Racing prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to take Sargeant’s place however, Williams faces a hurdle for moving the 17 year old into a seat. The FIA instituted an 18 year old age minimum for drivers in F1. Williams is seeking to appeal the rule.

Action kicks off tomorrow with practice session 1.

Weekend Schedule

Friday 3rd May 2024

• Free Practice 1: 12:30 – 13:30 ET 
• Sprint shootout: 16:30 – 17:14 ET 

Saturday 4th May 2024

• Sprint: 12:00 ET 
• Qualifying: 16:00 – 17:00 ET 

Sunday 5th May 2024

• Race: 16:00 ET 

After a long and drawn out media frenzy. Red Bull has confirmed that legendary car designer Adrian Newey will step down from the Formula 1 team in Q1 of 2025. The move comes after Red Bull have decided to invest in a World Endurance Championship Hypercar program. Newey will be responsible for leading the design of the RB17 Hypercar with Red Bull making a bid for endurance racing. Despite previous reports of a gardening leave clause in Newey’s contract. It appears that Newey will be free to shop teams as he wishes in 2025.

Will Newey Continue Working?

Having spent the last 19 years with Red Bull and the next year helping Red Bull develop their RB17 Hypercar design questions have been raised as to whether Newey may be considering retirement. Newey is 65 years old and has hinted at permanent retirement in previous contract negotiations. Given that he will be exiting in 2025 for Newey to have any kind of impact on a new team he really would need to commit for 3-4 years given the changes in the technical regulations set for the 2026 season.

Newey has been linked with moves to multiple teams in the paddock all willing to pay top dollar for his expertise. The question will be if Newey is wanting to take on a new project. He’s made it clear that money is not a motivator in his decision. This could be the last time we see Newey in F1.

Newey Shares his Thoughts

In a press release from Red Bull Newey said, “Ever since I was a young boy, I wanted to be a designer of fast cars. My dream was to be an engineer in Formula One, and I’ve been lucky enough to make that dream a reality. For almost two decades it has been my great honour to have played a key role in Red Bull Racing’s progress from upstart newcomer to multiple title-winning Team.

However, I feel now is an opportune moment to hand that baton over to others and to seek new challenges for myself. In the interim, the final stages of development of RB17 are upon us, so for the remainder of my time with the Team my focus will lie there. I would like to thank the many amazing people I have worked with at Red Bull in our journey over the last 18 years for their talent, dedication and hard work.

It has been a real privilege, and I am confident that the engineering Team are well prepared for the work going into the final evolution of the car under the four-year period of this regulation set. On a personal note, I would also like to thank the shareholders, the late Dietrich Mateschitz, Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya for their unwavering support during my time at Red Bull, and Christian, who has not only been my business partner but also a friend of our respective families. Also, thanks to Oliver Mintzlaff for his stewardship and Eddie Jordan, my close friend and manager.”

Christian Horner Offer His Thoughts on Newey’s Red Bull Legacy

Horner said, “All of our greatest moments from the past 20 years have come with Adrian’s hand on the technical tiller. His vision and brilliance have helped us to 13 titles in 20 seasons. His exceptional ability to conceptualize beyond F1 and bring wider inspiration to bear on the design of grand prix cars, his remarkable talent for embracing change and finding the most rewarding areas of the rules to focus on, and his relentless will to win have helped Red Bull Racing to become a greater force than I think even the late Dietrich Mateschitz might have imagined.”

The rumor mill has swirled this weekend regarding the potential departure of legendary car designer Adrian Newey and an early termination of his contract with Red Bull. Newey is officially contracted through 2025 however the rumors suggest there continues to be a power struggle in the Red Bull camp that Newey may no long want to be a part of. Newey’s presence at Red Bull has been a very positive one. He’s spent the last 20 years help Red Bull to achieve multiple world championships. The future of that legacy is in question. No official statement has been made regarding an exit. It’s unclear if the damage is done within the Red Bull camp or if there is a path forward for reconciliation.

Christian Horner’s Ongoing Investigation Still Playing a Role?

Despite being cleared of any wrong doing, Horner’s accuser continues to press for a different response internally. No additional findings have come to light in the public eye. It is unclear if any new evidence is available to be considered. What’s clear is based on race results it’s business as usual at Red Bull. Verstappen has maintained his winning ways and the team has showed no signs of slowing down. Sergio Perez also continues to perform. He sits PP2 in the championship currently behind Max.

Maybe Newey wants a new challenge. Maybe there is a power struggle. Regardless Newey has the perfect recipe of drivers at Red Bull. He may face challenges finding harmony elsewhere in the future. If these rumors are true Newey will be an asset to any team he joins. The question is how long it will take for those effect to be reflected in the car.

Max Verstappen won his first Chinese Grand Prix today to complete a dominant weekend after struggling early on in practice with harmonizing with the car. Verstappen won the Sprint race earlier this weekend but that win did not come with the adversity he had to face in the Grand Prix. There were multiple on track incidents resulting in restarts.

By lap 2 Verstappen was already well out of DRS range making him difficult to catch. However with the first safety car the others were able to catch Verstappen. Red Bull completed a double stack pit stop leaving Verstappen and Perez stationery for 2.1s and 2.0s respectively. Eventually Verstappen would take the lead again but then a safety car was deployed.

Drama on the Circuit in China

The safety car came out due to a power unit failure on Valtteri Bottas’ Stake car. Given the position that Bottas stopped in the car was not retrievable without a full safety car which dramatic disadvantaged Verstappen and the other front runners. The safety car came in 2 laps later and the front runners took off. The run was cut short again by another safety car after Stroll hit Ricciardo on the back straight before the restart even happened. Magnussen then tried to dive down the inside of Yuki Tsunoda, tipping him into a spin.

Tsunoda had to retire, stopping on the grass with a tire puncture. Stroll made it back to the pits, as did Magnussen with a puncture. The drama didn’t start there. A few laps later Stroll ran into the back of Daniel Ricciardo who’s car suffered damage and seemingly a major drop in performance after the contact. When the race restarted Ricciardo was clearly not able to compete as he dropped down the pecking order with complains of lack of rear drive out of corners. He ultimately retired from the race. Stroll received a 10 second time penalty for causing a collision.

Ricciardo Commented on The DNF

“We started to make up a lot of ground in the stint before the Safety Car but during the restart, I got a pretty big hit and the car was damaged. We decided to retire because I wasn’t really driving an F1 car. It’s very frustrating. I watched his onboard and it looked like he wasn’t even looking at me, it seemed that his helmet was looking at the apex. We’ll never know what could have happened later in the race, but I think we were looking in a good place.

“Getting ruined by someone else makes me frustrated and this is where the disappointment comes, because today we had an opportunity and we missed it. I think there’s a lot of disappointment for everyone in the team. When I got back to the garage, I saw the mechanics looking at the damage and they feel as heartbroken as I do. I think we definitely had a better weekend from a pace point of view, and I I think the team could feel some momentum and some shift to the season. We go onto Miami and we’ll just try to keep working on that.”

Where do Red Bull Stand on Ricciardo?

Where Red Bull stand with Ricciardo currently remains a mystery. RB seemingly gave an ultimatum to perform or be replaced. Ricciardo has yet to score points this season. We have to assume that patience is running thin in the Red Bull camp. With all of the off track distractions behind them Red Bull is looking towards the future of their programs to ensure they retain the best drivers. There are rumors circulating regarding Carlos Sainz and contract talks but it would be hard to imagine as Sergio Perez is going toe to toe with Max and Red Bull currently leads the constructers with a 1-2 in the drivers championship currently. Perez is currently 25 points behind Verstappen.

The next race is in the United States for the Miami Grand Prix May 3-5.

Full Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix Results