Are F1’s racing guidelines working? Our writers have their say
The decision to hand Max Verstappen a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage – by cutting Turn 2 to keep the lead against Oscar Piastri – resurfaced the debate over racing rules in Formula 1. But whichever side of the fence you sit on, it was apparent that it was the […]
Lawson “definitely pushing me” like Tsunoda used to
Isack Hadjar says his Racing Bulls Formula 1 team-mate Liam Lawson has had a smooth adaptation back to the Faenza-based squad following his Red Bull demotion — which the New Zealander agrees on. Lawson outqualified Hadjar for the first time at last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, outpacing the rookie by 0.010s in Q1 and […]
Wolff laments «worst performance of the season» for Mercedes in Jeddah
Toto Wolff was left furious believing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the “worst performance of the year so far” for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows finished fifth (George Russell) and sixth (Andrea Kimi Antonelli) in Jeddah, as it significantly lagged behind rivals McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari. Wolff was confused as to why Mercedes lacked […]
How can Verstappen win F1 Saudi GP, and how will Norris move up?
Jeddah’s fast and furious street race is shaping up to be an enthralling contest, thanks to several cars which are starting out of position. At the front there is Red Bull’s pole sitter Max Verstappen, who will be desperately fighting off the faster McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Then there is Lando Norris — starting 10th […]
Norris struggling to drive MCL39 at the limit after Jeddah F1 quali crash
McLaren boss Andrea Stella believes Lando Norris is still not able to drive instinctively in the 2025 Formula 1 season, having crashed in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The McLaren driver hit the barrier on his first Q3 flyer, losing control of his MCL39 as he drifted across the unsettling Turn 5 kerbs […]
Why Piastri wouldn’t have gained from using Verstappen’s two-lap quali strategy
Close, but no cigar. This might not have been the actual phrase going through Oscar Piastri’s head, and that of his race engineer Tom Stallard, after Piastri’s first Q3 lap, but the sentiments will have been the same. That lap – 1m27.560s – was actually fractionally slower than his final Q2 lap (1m27.545s) and therefore […]
Why Verstappen thinks McLaren will be tough to catch amid impact of a key Woking signing
Max Verstappen feels it is unrealistic for Red Bull to catch McLaren over the 2025 Formula 1 campaign as it pins hopes on small, gradual upgrades to cure handling issues. Red Bull’s balance problems were brutally exposed at last weekend’s hot and demanding Bahrain Grand Prix, with Verstappen only passing Pierre Gasly’s Alpine on the final […]
Tsunoda apologises to Red Bull having admitted fault for FP2 crash at Saudi Arabian GP
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda revealed his own mistake led to the crash that curtailed second practice for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — admitting he ‘turned too much’ in the final corner. Tsunoda tagged the wall at the final hairpin coming onto the main straight with under nine minutes left, which appeared to […]
Red Bull «better», but not «where I want it to be» after Jeddah F1 practice
Max Verstappen says Red Bull has found a «better» feeling on one-lap pace in practice for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — but notes overall performance on the long runs is still «not where I want it to be». The four-time world champion came third in FP2 after finishing only ninth in FP1, […]