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F1 Dutch Grand Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



Lando Norris will start from pole position for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. Here’s how and when you can watch the race.

The McLaren driver produced a storming lap to take pole position by 0.356s over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Oscar Piastri taking third place.

George Russell’s late improvement pushed him up to fourth for Mercedes ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, as Charles Leclerc could only put his Ferrari sixth and almost a second off the pole position lap time.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz dropped out of contention in Q2 for Mercedes and Ferrari respectively, while Logan Sargeant sat out qualifying entirely for Williams after smashing up his car in a crash in final practice.

When is the F1 Dutch Grand Prix?

Date: Sunday 25 August 2024
Start time: 3:00pm local time/2:00pm BST

The 15th round of the 2024 F1 season, the Dutch GP, gets under way at 3:00pm local time on Sunday 25 August.

How can I watch Formula 1?

In the United Kingdom, Formula 1 is broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.

Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £18 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.99p or a month membership of £34.99p per month.

How can I watch the F1 Dutch GP?

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Dutch GP.

The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with pre-race coverage starting at 12:30pm BST on Sky Sports F1, ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST. The race will also be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event, with pre-race coverage starting at 1pm BST.

• Channels: Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event
• Start time: 12:30pm BST Sunday 25 August 2024, 1pm BST Sunday 25 August 2024

Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Dutch GP.

When can I watch the F1 Dutch GP highlights?

In the United Kingdom, Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Dutch GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two and a half hours, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.

For the entire 2024 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch-up services.

Channel: Channel 4
Start time: 6:30pm BST, Sunday 25 August 2024

Will the F1 Dutch GP be on the radio?

Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2024 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.

Live coverage of the Dutch GP will start at 2:00pm BST on the BBC Sport website and on the BBC Sounds app.

Weather forecast for the F1 Dutch GP

Current weather forecasts predict dry and cloudy conditions at Zandvoort, with a low chance of rain and moderate winds. The temperature is expected to be 18 degrees Celsius for the start of the race.

How many laps is the F1 Dutch GP?

The race is scheduled to complete 72 laps of Zandvoort, covering a total race distance of 306.587km.

F1 Dutch GP starting grid



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How the fight for F1’s final 2025 seats is shaping up

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Alpine’s announcement that it will promote Jack Doohan to a Formula 1 race seat in 2025 leaves just three cockpits available on next year’s grid.

But in reality there are not that many options available for drivers still trying to secure their futures, because in all likelihood there is just one vacancy left completely open.

While Mercedes, RB and Sauber/Audi have yet to officially confirm their line-ups, the first two squads are pretty nailed down with what they are going to do.

At Mercedes, it is now almost certain that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will get the nod to line up alongside George Russell as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.

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An announcement could come as early as next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix – where the young Italian is also expected to take part in the first free practice session.

The situation at Red Bull and RB is slightly more fluid, but equally, it is more a case of three into two, rather than there being a door open for an outsider to swoop in.

With Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko suggesting ahead of the Dutch GP that Liam Lawson will get a seat at one of the squad’s two outfits next year, it means that either Sergio Perez (Red Bull) or Daniel Ricciardo (RB) will likely have to make way.

Liam Lawson, Reserve Driver, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, with Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing, Peter Bayer, CEO, RB F1 Team

Liam Lawson, Reserve Driver, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team, with Helmut Marko, Consultant, Red Bull Racing, Peter Bayer, CEO, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Both Perez and Ricciardo’s futures for the second half of this season had been in doubt after some mixed fortunes in the early stages of the campaign, but it was decided at the start of the summer break that both would be staying on for now.

Red Bull will want to see an improvement from both drivers if they are to stay for next year – and that is something that both are well aware of.

Speaking earlier in the Dutch GP weekend, Ricciardo said he had no doubts that Lawson deserved a full-time seat in F1 – something that it is understood Red Bull has to give him for 2025 as per his contract if he is not to become a free agent.

Ricciardo said: “I still know that performance is my best friend. If I do what I know I can do, and am capable of, then I think it puts me in a very good position to obviously stay somewhere in the family for next year.

“Speaking on Liam – I got to see him drive the car last year and I do think he did a great job. I do think he is worthy of a seat on the grid.

“So in a way, I’m happy for him and, if he is guaranteed a seat next year, then I think that’s good, because he is a deserving driver.”

But while from the outside a Red Bull choice of picking its best two options from the three candidates seems obvious, there could be another scenario that plays out – that of Lawson being loaned out and all three of its candidates racing in F1 next year.

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

This was something Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hinted could be a possibility amid the Lawson talk. Speaking to Sky Sports about Marko’s comments, referencing Lawson definitely getting a seat in 2025, Horner said: “I asked him [Marko], quite clearly, he said he’ll have a drive in Formula 1 next year. We could rent him out. Nothing is fixed.

“If we don’t take up the option on Liam, then he’s a free driver for 2025, so we’ve got specific time periods within driver’s contracts where that becomes prevalent.”

The only possibility for a loan deal is the Sauber/Audi team, which is considering its options in the wake of Carlos Sainz’s decision to turn down an offer he had and join Williams instead.

Autosport understands that Sauber’s previous bosses showed an interest in getting Lawson on loan for 2025 earlier in the year, before the trail went cold amid the management turmoil that led to chiefs Andrea Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann departing.

While those talks had fizzled out, it is not hard to imagine that the signing of Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley as Sauber’s new team principal provides an obvious link to get discussions rolling again – especially as he will be well-versed in knowing Lawson’s strengths.

Much will depend though on what new COO Mattia Binotto also thinks in terms of gunning for a youngster like Lawson as Nico Hulkenberg’s team-mate next year or opting for a more experienced hand.

If Sauber goes for the latter then the most obvious choice is incumbent Valtteri Bottas, who is in ongoing talks with Binotto about a fresh deal.

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Nothing is set in stone yet, but the Finn feels that there is some positivity in the way discussions are going – having not had a similar vibe from the previous management.

“It did feel for the last six months or so that I wasn’t the top priority,” said Bottas in Zandvoort.

“Obviously there was one signing before me and obviously the team and the management [were] looking for all the options with sometimes quite little communication. But now it feels a bit different.

“There was a clear reset, and now there’s a clear structure at the top in who’s doing what. I think that’s positive going forward.

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“Mattia comes from a team that has been super successful. He knows what a good team really needs so I think this is good for the future of this team.”

He added: “Obviously they make the decision in the end, but they’re evaluating all the options, no doubt, as they should. But I would imagine I should be in a strong position. But obviously, it’s down to Mattia and Audi.”

All eyes are now on Hinwil, which looks to be central to the next F1 driver market move.



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What we learned from Friday practice at the 2024 F1 Dutch GP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Good. Right now, it really seems the multi-team scrap for victories that Formula 1 was enjoying before the 2024 summer break has been preserved. That’s even with a series of new parts arriving on cars across the grid.

Mercedes led the way on the opening day of practice for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix thanks to George Russell’s headline effort, with McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finishing FP2 either side of Lewis Hamilton behind Russell. Home hero Max Verstappen was down in fifth, while (less surprisingly) Sergio Perez didn’t even make the top 10.

There is a mitigating circumstance for Red Bull in one key area, as we’ll go on to cover, while in another McLaren looks to have a significant advantage over the rest at this stage. Ferrari struggled on Friday amid reliability issues and unfortunate timing on qualifying simulations for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc respectively.

But overall things really do look to be very close again between F1’s leading teams. This and much more is what we learned from the first two track sessions on the edge of the North Sea at Zandvoort on Friday.

The story of the day

The pre-FP1 car presentations had revealed the first of an eagerly awaited set of developments from McLaren, which was set to update the MCL38 in the post-summer break run after its last big package had come in Miami.

On this high-downforce track, the orange machine now features a new floor edge, its suspension sheaths are realigned on both axles, its brake ducts have been reshaped, and it now sports a new beam and rear wing.

These were only run on Norris’s car during FP1, as McLaren concentrated on back-to-back data-gathering with its previous arrangement via Piastri’s car. The two MCL38s were both in updated form in FP2.

Both McLarens were sporting updated bodywork in FP2

Both McLarens were sporting updated bodywork in FP2

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Norris led FP1, which began in dramatic storm conditions, as rain and wind gusts of up to 50mph battered the track. F1 cars are generally unruffled with wind speeds at half this level, but only really in consistent wind. Nico Hulkenberg tripped his Haas through several gravel traps as one of the few drivers that did venture out in the gales, where the full wet tyres were used early on.

As the track began to dry the times tumbled, with the course drying up enough for a flurry of laps on the softs to come in right at the end of FP1.

Norris’s average on the medium compound likely to be a critical race tyre for the expectedly dry Sunday conditions came in 0.555s up on Verstappen

Norris started this run with a 1m17.367s and while this was beaten by Piastri and mid-session spinner Verstappen, Norris re-established his position at the head of the order in the final minutes to end the session with a then best time of 1m12.322s.

FP2 overall times

POS Driver Team Time Gap
1 Russell Mercedes 1m10.702s  
2 Piastri McLaren 1m10.763s +0.061s
3 Verstappen Red Bull 1m10.986s +0.284s
4 Alonso Aston Martin 1m11.357s +0.655s
5 Tsunoda RB 1m11.374s +0.672s
6 Magnussen Haas 1m11.430s +0.728s
7 Leclerc Ferrari 1m11.443s +0.741s
8 Albon Williams 1m11.550s +0.848s
9 Gasly Alpine 1m11.644s +0.942s
10 Zhou Sauber 1m11.934s +1.232s

In FP2, the wind continued to play havoc for the drivers – particularly with the gusts (now down to 12mph but continuing to blow randomly) pushing the cars down the main straight and into the Tarzan right-hander. But the second time around, the absence of rain meant the drivers could head out en masse right away.

After a weather-blighted FP1, Ferrari's FP2 was hampered when Sainz's car developed a gearbox problem

After a weather-blighted FP1, Ferrari’s FP2 was hampered when Sainz’s car developed a gearbox problem

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

The running was disrupted by Hulkenberg crashing at Tarzan, this time when his rear wheels locked in a moment he later theorised was due to him braking harder amid the wind problem at this stretch during the initial phase of running on the harder slick compounds.

When the session resumed after a short delay, Verstappen led the pack out on the softs. He duly went fastest, but the Dutchman’s skittish lap was bested first by Norris, then Piastri – before Russell came through to set a session-heading 1m10.702s.

Hamilton then split the McLarens, while Perez failed to make the top 10 cut in the other Red Bull. He later blamed Red Bull making dramatic set-up adjustments for his gap to Verstappen, but there was also a Turn 12 off that Perez said “lost a couple of tenths”.

At Ferrari in FP2, Sainz missed all but the first part of the session due to a now confirmed gearbox issue arising on his SF-24 and Leclerc’s qualifying simulation effort was only good enough for ninth. But there was mitigating circumstances for Leclerc, as Ferrari later explained he’d abandoned an earlier attempt with fresh softs due to hitting traffic.

What the data tells us

The strong chance of FP3 also being rain-affected this weekend (qualifying could also be spiced up with precipitation too) meant the teams were extra keen to switch to long runs after the mid-FP2 qualifying simulations.

Verstappen was first back out again, returning to the mediums, but, as can be seen from the table below, it was McLaren that caught the eye with its strong and impressively consistent pace on this rubber.

Norris’s average on the medium compound that is likely to be a critical race tyre for the expectedly dry Sunday conditions came in 0.555s up on Verstappen. He was also shaded, to the tune of 0.082s, by Hamilton for Mercedes, while Leclerc was 0.245s behind the Red Bull and 0.8s slower overall than Norris.

Long run pace on mediums for Verstappen was slower than McLaren and Mercedes

Long run pace on mediums for Verstappen was slower than McLaren and Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Two things should be noted here, anchored around Ferrari. The first is that Leclerc was running the mediums he’d already used right at the start of FP2 for his long run. The other is likely related in that Leclerc set off with times much gentler on his 11-lap stint compared to how Russell hit things harder for Mercedes and so the Ferrari encountered the degradation (thermal around here) rather later.

Medium long-run averages (top four constructors’ teams only)

POS Constructor Time Stint length
1 McLaren 1m15.567s 9 laps
2 Mercedes 1m16.040s 10 laps
3 Red Bull 1m16.122s 9 laps
4 Ferrari 1m16.367s 11 laps

In the soft averages (below), things do appear to be much closer, with Red Bull leading the way here.

Both RB20s are running the dramatically different bodywork compared to the car’s first iteration that was introduced at Hungary

This is also given because Verstappen completed more laps on the red-walled rubber having come in and switched to it (Perez stayed on the mediums in the other RB20 throughout his long-run data gathering), compared to Norris. In the other McLaren, Piastri’s more comparative nine-lap stint was 0.717s slower than Verstappen on the softs.

Sainz’s gearbox gremlin meant Ferrari missed out on the soft tyre long running, which could be a problem given the predicted low temperatures for Sunday here mean lengthy stints on the softs could be doable. Yuki Tsunoda managed 50 laps on it in similar conditions last year and Pirelli also didn’t see any signs of graining on the softs used in FP2 on Friday.

Soft long-run averages (top four constructors’ teams only)

POS Constructor Time Stint length
1 Red Bull 1m15.444s 10 laps
2 McLaren 1m15.488s 6 laps
3 Mercedes 1m15.545s 8 laps
N/A Ferrari    

How the drivers treat the tyres early in stints is set to be more important than ever here, given how Russell hit that high degradation early in his softs run, based on data Autosport has seen.

Avoiding heavy degradation early in the stints will be crucial

Avoiding heavy degradation early in the stints will be crucial

Photo by: Erik Junius

The FP1 rain will have left the track greener than usual in FP2 (with sand from the nearby beach also a factor), so the drivers will really have to learn from how they treated the tyres at the start of their likely only pre-race long runs this weekend.

At Mercedes, there are two other elements to note. One is that Russell also should’ve completed the reverse of the short final stints the McLarens and Verstappen logged, but he couldn’t go back to the mediums he’d started on early in FP2 due to them being damaged in a big Turn 9 lock-up that had him off in the gravel.

Russell also ran the new floor Mercedes had debuted and then pulled back off at Spa throughout Friday practice at Zandvoort, with Hamilton using the old one in FP1. He then joined his team-mate on the newer specification in the second session, while both W15s will keep the Spa floor for the remainder of the weekend.

At Red Bull, both RB20s are running the dramatically different bodywork compared to the car’s first iteration that was introduced at Hungary. There, Verstappen struggled, with the home hero also lacking confidence when pushing in FP2 here. Perhaps more worrying for Red Bull fans was his “we didn’t quite have the pace on the long and short runs and at the moment there isn’t a clear answer on how to improve this” comment that followed the second session.

A boon for them will be that the GPS data traces appear to show Red Bull was running a touch down on engine mode power punch in FP2, with the usual caveat notes about these and fuel loads of course applying. But the first time back at a high-downforce track since McLaren won 1-2 at the last one – Hungary – it looks to have started the Zandvoort weekend strongly in race trim.

Overtaking will be trickier here than compared to Spa, so it will want to avoid slipping behind Mercedes on ultimate pace again on Saturday. Meanwhile, the early-leading Silver Arrows squad aims to redress its one-lap/race-pace balance with set-up changes to come tonight.

Will set-up changes overnight for Mercedes redress its balance problems?

Will set-up changes overnight for Mercedes redress its balance problems?

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images



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Stella refutes Norris «not performing at world champion level» comments

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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has refuted Lando Norris’ self-criticism of his efforts across the 2024 Formula 1 season, stating that the Briton is performing at «world championship level».

On Thursday, Norris stated that he was dissatisfied with the number of mistakes he has made over the opening 14 races, adding that he had not «performed at the level of a world champion» in his outside bid to close Max Verstappen down for the title.

Stella felt that Norris was exuding his typical self-deprecative «style» in his comments, and was keen to assert that not only did his driver share traits of past world champions in F1, he was already operating at a satisfactory level.

He added that it was up to the team to match Norris and ensure that it provided the Bristolian with the right opportunities to start winning races more regularly this season.

«The first thing I make of his comment is [it] kind of confirms his style. He’s quite self-critical. He tends to look occasionally at the half-empty part of the glass,» Stella reckoned.

«In reality, I think he definitely has the potential of a world champion, and he’s performing at world championship level. If we compare against perfection, then definitely we have opportunities [to improve].

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, on the podium

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team, on the podium

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

«But I like that we compare ourselves against perfection, because this is what we need to do. And I’ve been very encouraged that every little opportunity has been actually analysed in great level of detail.»

The Italian added: «We do see some of the opportunities coming in the first lap, for instance, and trying to find the balance between being aggressive or simply like staying away from situation or accidents. We definitely have something to clean on the start itself, which is not only driver, it’s also team responsibility.

«I think he had a couple of situations in the races in which he might have taken some of the responsibility but I think it was the team responsibility. If the team had operated at higher standards, then Lando would have more points in the championship.

«Definitely as a team, we appreciate that he puts some of the pressure on himself, or he raises his hand and says it was on him. But I think I have enough experience to say, ‘Mate, don’t worry. It’s on the team. Keep doing a good job’.»

Stella explained that Norris and McLaren were not going to be intimidated by the gap between him and Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, which currently stands at 78 points.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

He added that, although there were moments that Norris would feel he could have achieved more, this was natural for any championship contender — and that he remained in the fight due to his own strong performances.

«He can win world championships. That’s a statement in capital letters,» Stella said.

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«In terms of this year’s championships, certainly we don’t give up numerically from a drivers’ championship point of view, it looks like there’s a big gap to fill and we are chasing Max Verstappen. Definitely it’s not going to make it easy for us, but we are excited to be in this position.

«And definitely Lando is not in this position because somebody helped him. Lando is in this position because he performs very strongly. That’s something that we should acknowledge and realise in terms of his achievements, not only in terms of the one, two, three opportunities in a season in which he could have done better. This is normal for every world champion in every season.»



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«Tough» for Hamilton to wait until 2025 to work with new F1 race engineer

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Lewis Hamilton will be forced to wait until 2025 to start building a relationship with a new Formula 1 race engineer at Ferrari.

Hamilton had hoped Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington, his long-serving race engineer, would follow him to the Italian team for next season, saying he was like his «brother».

However, the British engineer has been promoted to Mercedes’ head of race engineering and will remain with the Silver Arrows.

The terms of Hamilton’s contract with Mercedes prevent him from having technical discussions with his new team until his deal expires at the end of the year. And that has a significant bearing on forming the crucial relationship with his new race engineer.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton said he understands the reasons for Bonnington staying with Mercedes, but admitted it will be «tough» starting a new relationship from scratch in January.

He said: «Was I hoping [he would join Ferrari]? I would have loved to continue with him. We have a great relationship. I love him, he’s like a brother, but I’m really, really happy for him.

«For me, I think it’s just about people doing what’s best for you. Packing up and leaving, I could only imagine — it’s not him and his partner. It affects both of them, so they have to do whatever is right for him.

Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

«I knew it would be an unlikely scenario that he would go with me, because it is such a drastic change in his life. But I’m really happy for us here in the team to acknowledge and make changes to his career pathway, so he can grow more. Either way we’re going to be family forever.

«We’ve spoken about it and we just want to make sure we finish on a high.»

When asked if he could only start speaking to his new race engineer in January when his new deal starts, Hamilton confirmed that will be the case and added: «It’s tough. That makes it really difficult but I think it’s probably the same for anyone moving into a new office. [It will] be a very heavy loaded start next year.»

Ferrari needs to decide who will oversee Hamilton’s side of the garage with the Briton only having worked with a handful of race engineers during his lengthy F1 career.

Hamilton said: «It’s got to be someone you get on with, it’s got to be someone that you ultimately are able to find it easy to build a relationship with and trust.

«And so the next one, that’s going to be a discovery process. We’ll know quite early on whether or not it’s going to work, and I think it’s just about communicating.»

With Bonnington’s switch ruled out, Hamilton was also asked if anyone else would be following him from Mercedes to Ferrari.

He added: «Not that I know of. There’s a few people there that I worked with in the past. There’s someone there that left me a long time ago, so I know him, he’s the one I know mostly there about from [Ferrari boss] Fred Vasseur.»



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Hamilton says ‘no excuse’ for no F1 race in Africa amid Rwanda talks

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Lewis Hamilton insists Formula 1 cannot “continue to ignore” Africa as he reveals he has spoken to those hoping to stage a grand prix in Rwanda.

As revealed by Autosport in an exclusive interview, F1 bosses have scheduled September talks with representatives of Rwanda as they continue to push on with plans to host a race in the East African country.

Despite the current calendar containing a record 24 races, there could be further stops added at a later date, with plenty of prospective venues eager to get involved in the boom in interest.

The African continent has not staged a round of the F1 championship since the 1993 South African Grand Prix and Hamilton believes it is time the series returned.

Asked at the Dutch Grand Prix if it was the right time for a race to return to Africa, the seven-time world champion replied: “100%. We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from.

“No one gives anything to Africa. There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done there. I think a lot of the world that haven’t been there don’t realise how beautiful the place is, how vast it is.

“I think having a grand prix there, it would really be able to highlight just how great the place is and bring in tourism and all sorts of things. Why are we not on that continent? And the current excuse is that there’s not a track that’s ready, but there is at least one track that’s ready there.

Alain Prost, Williams FW15C Renault.

Alain Prost, Williams FW15C Renault.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

“In the short term, we should just get on that track and have that part of the calendar and then work on building out something moving forward.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told Autosport that a meeting had been set up with Rwanda to talk about the project, which he said showed promise.

“They are serious,” said Domenicali. “They have presented a good plan and actually we have a meeting with them at the end of September. It will be on a permanent track.

“We want to go to Africa, but we need to have the right investment, and the right strategic plan.”

Hamilton would be open to discussions on the matter with Domenicali as Rwanda seemingly continues to strengthen its interest in hosting a race.

Rwanda has shown an increasing interest in motor racing, with representatives of the Rwanda Development Board travelling to the Monaco GP this year to meet with the FIA, while the country will also be hosting this year’s FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Ceremony at its capital city Kigali in December.

“Rwanda is one of my favourite places I’ve been to actually,” added Hamilton.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work in the background. I’ve spoken to people in Rwanda, I’ve spoken to people in South Africa. But that’s a longer project, Rwanda. It’s amazing that they’re so keen.”

Hamilton, who won two of the three races heading into the summer break, spent the time off visiting a refugee camp in Senegal.

 

After a family break in Turkey, the Mercedes driver revealed how he then embarked on a trip to Africa.

“I went and travelled through Africa, I maximised my time straight from the airport into activities, history, museums,” he added.

“Just cultural experiences in each of the different countries I went to. But there’s so much to take from it. I’m still digesting the trip, if I’m being honest. Going to a refugee camp and seeing the work that is being done there, how people who are displaced are affected.

“It’s one thing reading about it or hearing on the news, but actually seeing and speaking to kids who are walking 10 kilometres to get to school just having education and 10km back. Not having school meals ever, not even being able to eat during the day.”

It was during the trip that Hamilton decided he wanted to help the organisations that are in place to offer aid and support to displaced families.

“There’s really tough lives over there and it’s mostly women and children that are [there]. There wasn’t a lot of men there, particularly because they’ve either [been] killed or taken in the different conflict areas,” he said.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, waves from the podium

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, 3rd position, waves from the podium

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“So that was really heavy to see and experience. And then the history of Senegal and seeing the slave areas, it was really heavy as well to see that, to see what the country’s been through, but it’s such a beautiful place. But yes, through all those experiences I feel it’s adding to my compass of what I want to do more of.

“I’ve been to Africa before, so it’s not like the first time I’ve seen [or] I’ve been shocked by anything. And it’s not that it upsets me, it just gets me working my mind like, okay, it’s great to see organisations doing amazing work. It’s like, ‘Hey, what can I do to get on board? How can I help?’ And so that’s now what I’m trying to figure out.”





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Mercedes set to hand Antonelli FP1 rookie outing at F1 Italian GP

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set to be handed his first FP1 outing with Mercedes at the Italian Grand Prix as preparations for his potential promotion to its Formula 1 line-up from 2025 intensify.

The Italian, who turns 18 on Sunday, is strongly tipped to be named as replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes from 2025, and has conducted a series of private tests in W13 and W14 F1 cars this year.

According to Autosport sister site it.motorsport.com, Mercedes is set to give Antonelli his first public F1 outing at Monza in one of its mandatory FP1 outings for a rookie driver, where the team is also expected to finalise its arrangement to promote its junior driver into its 2025 driver line-up alongside George Russell.

Prema Formula 2 racer Antonelli is expected to take over Hamilton’s W15 F1 car for the session in order to be engineered by Peter Bonnington, who recently became acquainted with the youngster during the Pirelli tyre test immediately after the Belgian GP.

Bonnington has recently been promoted to Mercedes head of race engineering, a role he will dovetail with race engineering duties, and keeps him at the team in 2025.

Several members of the Mercedes engineering team, including Bonnington, remained at Spa-Francorchamps to follow Antonelli’s progress at the test.

Antonelli has already been fulfilling simulator driver duties at Mercedes alongside his private testing programme, while his FP1 outing will be his first public F1 appearance on track for Mercedes.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Prema Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Mercedes is yet to formally announce its FP1 rookie driver plans for this year and after Monza there are just two events, Mexico and Abu Dhabi, which are either not street tracks or run under a sprint race format.

In an exclusive interview with Autosport over the F1 summer break, Antonelli said he was not taking anything for granted at Mercedes but was also not afraid of being judged on the biggest stage.

«Some degree of worry I think is always there, the prospect of not being able to perform I think frightens everyone,» Antonelli said about the prospect of becoming an F1 rookie.

«My approach is to see it as a great opportunity to learn, grow and also enjoy the moment.

«I’m not afraid of being judged, I know Mercedes has a clear opinion about my potential, already this season in F2 the championship didn’t kick off in the best way but there were no negative thoughts.

«I am quite calm, if the opportunity presented itself to me I would take it with eagerness and try to make the most of it.

«Recently there has been some pressure on me with all the rumours about next year, but I have always tried to enjoy it. I’m enjoying the opportunities I have.»



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The key storylines to follow as F1 returns from summer break

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Formula 1’s shutdown is over, with teams heading to Zandvoort for the first of 2024’s 10 remaining rounds. As F1 wakes up from its summertime siesta, here is a refresher of some key storylines you may have missed, and some lingering questions seeking an answer in the Dutch dunes and beyond.

Red Bull is backing Perez; will it be a costly mistake?

Shortly after the Belgian Grand Prix Red Bull decided to stick to its guns and keep faith in Sergio Perez… for now. The Mexican has struggled massively to be quick and consistent in the RB20 since May. He has tumbled down to seventh in the standings, scoring less than half of the number of points of team-mate and championship leader Max Verstappen.

Red Bull felt none of the potential replacements within its ranks were a clear and immediate upgrade and instead decided to throw its weight behind Perez to turn things around. Speaking to Autosport, technical director Pierre Wache vowed Red Bull would do everything it can through its remaining upgrades to make the car more comfortable for Perez to drive.

The reality is that Perez and Red Bull remain in a difficult position, despite the public vote of confidence. For a company boasting two F1 teams and a large young driver programme, it is puzzling that it found none of its other drivers well-positioned to take over from Perez.

Meanwhile, McLaren has closed to 42 points in the constructors’ championship, so Red Bull still desperately needs its wingman to start contending for regular podiums. It may have decided to keep backing Perez for now, but this key 2024 storyline is far from over.

Can McLaren actually win the title?

While Perez and Red Bull are stumbling, McLaren is sniffing blood. And as the rivalry between CEO Zak Brown and Red Bull boss Christian Horner has picked up in recent months, so too has the prospect of McLaren winning its first constructors’ title since 1998.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Under team principal Andrea Stella, McLaren has continued its impressive development curve and has now had the fastest car on certain circuits, but a spate of errors have prevented the Woking squad from fully capitalising on its potential. Despite those mistakes, it has still been the highest-scoring outfit over the past eight races, and if that trend continues could catch Red Bull by Singapore or Austin.

Ferrari is only 21 points further behind McLaren in third, but problems with its latest car upgrade meant the Italian outfit has lost second to McLaren and has been the lowest-scoring team in the top four since June. Fred Vasseur’s squad is under a lot of scrutiny as it tries to find permanent solutions to its high-speed bouncing issues.

Mercedes has been much more impressive, going toe-to-toe with both Red Bull and McLaren thanks to a spate of iterative upgrades on its W15. With three wins for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell over the past four races, F1’s formerly dominant squad has finally picked up momentum under the current era of regulations.

Given it is trailing Red Bull by 142 points and McLaren by 100, its resurgence is likely coming too late to be a factor this year. But as the top teams take points off each other, it will indirectly influence its rivals’ fortunes.

Will Red Bull lose further pillars?

After the departure of design guru Adrian Newey, another figure Red Bull will be losing is sporting director Jonathan Wheatley. The 57-year-old will leave Red Bull at the end of the current campaign to become the Audi F1 team principal.

Rumours of Wheatley’s exit first started swirling around the Miami Grand Prix in May, with the long-time servant yet to agree to a new contract. Wheatley had been known to harbour ambitions to become a team principal somewhere and given his 18-year stint at the outfit, Red Bull was understood not to stand in his way if such an opportunity did open up. 

That has now happened at Audi, in what has been sold as a dual management role with former Ferrari F1 chief Mattia Binotto. He took over the reins of the team on 1 August as it prepares to morph from Sauber into the Audi works team in 2026.

Red Bull is adamant it won’t be derailed by first Newey and then Wheatley abandoning ship, saying it will replace its sporting director from within as it sees an opportunity to refresh its management structure. Nevertheless, Wheatley is another key pillar that made Red Bull tick, so his replacement will have big shoes to fill, while the team will also have to reassure the Verstappen camp that he is not another domino falling at the team.

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Meanwhile, the case into potential misconduct by Christian Horner is deemed fully closed after an appeal by the female employee involved was dismissed. The matter, which burst into the public eye on the eve of the season start in Bahrain, had been hanging over the team for months.

But the overarching power struggle at the squad remains unresolved for now, even if Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has pledged to see out his current contract until 2026, taking the sting out of a break clause in Verstappen’s contract.

How will Oliver Oakes fare as Alpine boss?

Alpine also found a new team principal to replace interim boss Bruno Famin in Oliver Oakes. The ambitious Briton is well known for his role at the helm of junior series stalwart Hitech, which he started leading as a 27-year-old in 2015. Now 36, Oakes becomes one of the youngest team bosses of the modern F1 era.

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Following the signing of technical leader David Sanchez from McLaren, Oakes is the latest piece of the puzzle Alpine is building to try and work its way out of its current plight. The team is widely tipped to take Mercedes customer engines, as it abandons its own Renault engine programme in France.

Still, the Alpine gig will a tough test for Oakes as he navigates the choppy waters on a course set out by Renault CEO Luca de Meo and controversial former team principal Flavio Briatore, who returned in a hands-on role to get the Enstone-based team on the right track.

Silly season nears its conclusion for Audi and Alpine

A figure who won’t be joining Alpine is Carlos Sainz, who finally decided to join Williams after one of the longest silly season sagas in years. With ‘blocker’ Sainz now off the table, it is expected some of the last remaining seats for 2025 will be filled shortly.

Alpine is understood to be leaning towards reserve driver Jack Doohan to replace Haas-bound Esteban Ocon as Pierre Gasly’s team-mate. Amid its performance woes on-track and rumblings off it, Sauber/Audi has failed to land its priority targets and is now likely to retain one of its current drivers, Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu, alongside new signing Nico Hulkenberg.

Jack Doohan, Alpine F1 Team

Jack Doohan, Alpine F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

The two remaining empty seats on the 2025 grid might take longer to be filled, so don’t hold your breath on Mercedes or RB. Mercedes has all the time in the world to formally promote its junior protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton and could theoretically wait until the end of the campaign to do so.

But what will happen to Ricciardo and Lawson?

Red Bull can similarly wait and see how things develop over the second half of the campaign to decide on Perez’s long-term future and fill the final seat at its RB sister team. Horner and Marko decided to retain Daniel Ricciardo alongside Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the year.

But Red Bull still has reserve driver Liam Lawson waiting in the wings. He is free to go if Red Bull doesn’t hand him an F1 seat in 2025, so a decision will have to be made on its plans for the New Zealander sooner rather than later.

Having impressed with his 2023 cameos for the injured Ricciardo, Lawson has been the perfect tool to put pressure on Red Bull’s current roster of drivers, but it now risks losing him altogether. Depending on how Perez and Ricciardo fare over the next few weeks, Lawson might yet get his full-time RB promotion in 2025.

If that doesn’t happen, Red Bull could turn to F2 frontrunner Isack Hadjar as the next reserve driver in line.



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Williams F1 upgrades can become 2025 baseline

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Williams head of vehicle performance Dave Robson believes upgrades to the team’s 2024 Formula 1 car can provide a baseline for next year’s machinery.

The Grove-based outfit has struggled to continue the strong form of last season after entering the current campaign with an overweight car as focus instead turned to upgrading its infrastructure during the winter.

While upgrades will be added to the car across the season in an attempt to make an instant step, teams are forced to strategise resource output due to F1’s aerodynamic testing restrictions and financial regulations.

This is complicated further over the next 18 months as attention begins to switch to the new-for-2026 regulations, meaning that teams may choose to sacrifice next year’s challengers to get a headstart on the new cars.

PLUS: Is the Williams revival still on track?

«It’s an interesting challenge we’ve been talking about for quite some time,» said Robson.

«There are bits of ’26 we can start to look at; not the aero side of it by regulation, but there are other things we can start to consider and that process inevitably is underway.

«The aero will come, although we’ve been able to do a little bit of aero under the TD from the FIA, they are really helping to understand the regulations. So that’s always useful to just get everyone’s mind into the 2026 game.

«Balancing the resource between not just from now, but from several months ago through the next couple of years, is going to be tricky.

Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46

Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

«But obviously it’s the same for everyone and I’m sure most people will be fully focused on 2026 very quickly come the new year, and then it will be interesting then to see what people do next year.»

Expanding on how the time will be split, Robson added: «For us, there’ll be brief periods early next calendar year when the 2026 car will come out of the wind tunnel and that will give us an opportunity for the odd day or two to put the FW47 — so the 2025 car — back in.

«We’ll be looking to do that and if we can find some way of bringing performance to it without compromising the 2026 programme, then we’ll obviously look to do that.

«But I suspect that will end really quite early in the calendar year, and it will be full on from a resource and budget point of view, on the 2026 car.»

As the focus will change so early in the year, it affords the opportunity to merge the 2024 and 2025 projects together to better maximise developmental gains, something that Robson has confirmed is being explored.

He said: «It’s been an interesting one because this year’s car and next year’s car, you can largely think of as just one project.

«The work on it will finish quite early next year, and there will be a case of racing it but not doing too much with it.

«That has, partly by serendipity I suppose, allowed us to consider these big updates that will come and bring them quite late in the year, knowing that they effectively, at least inspire or become the baseline for next year’s car.

«That already starts to offload some of the work. We’ve brought some of that FW47 work forward which will allow us to concentrate on the 2026 car as soon as possible.»

Watch: What it’s like being an F1 strategist — Exclusive interview with Bernie Collins



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