Hamilton: Change in Mercedes F1 car performance “like a mood swing”

Mercedes endured a difficult Belgian Grand Prix last weekend as Hamilton finished more than a second off Max Verstappen’s pole time in qualifying on Saturday. He then retired from the race after a first-lap clash with Fernando Alonso.But Mercedes bounced back at Zandvoort as Hamilton qualified fourth despite being forced to lift off during his […]

Leclerc hopes Ferrari can use split F1 strategies to pressure Verstappen

Championship leader Verstappen pipped Leclerc to pole position in qualifying at Zandvoort on Saturday, edging the Ferrari driver out by just two hundredths of a second in Q3.Overtaking is notoriously difficult around the tight Zandvoort layout, making it important for Leclerc to get the jump on Verstappen early on for the best chance of reducing […]

Schumacher: Dutch GP Q3 berth ticked a box amid F1 future uncertainity

The performance came after it emerged that he won’t be part of the Ferrari family next year, and is set to be dropped by Haas.Schumacher sailed through the first two parts of Zandvoort qualifying in 12th and ninth places before earning eighth in the final session, helped by a hydraulic problem keeping Lance Stroll in the […]

Verstappen condemns “silly, stupid” use of flares by F1 fans

The second part of 2022 qualifying at Zandvoort was halted after a lit flare was thrown from the grandstand overlooking the exit of Turn 12 and the final part of the track’s stadium-like section, while a second flare was dropped near the pit exit in Q3.It is understood that the second flare did not reach […]

Dutch GP: Verstappen pips Leclerc to pole by 0.021s

Verstappen ended up with pole after reversing Leclerc’s advantage from the opening Q1 runs, with the session marred by fans throwing flares onto the Zandvoort track, causing Q2 to be briefly suspended.Leclerc led Verstappen by 0.059s after the first Q3 runs, with the 2022 frontrunners converging on pace after Red Bull’s tricky start to the […]

Dutch GP: Leclerc heads FP3 from Russell, Verstappen

After leading a Ferrari 1-2 in second practice on Friday evening, Leclerc continued his good form so far this weekend at Zandvoort by closing out FP3 at the top of the timesheets.Leclerc finished just 0.066 seconds clear of Mercedes driver Russell, while home favourite Max Verstappen could only muster third place, a further tenth of […]

Ricciardo: Decision on F1 future can’t be “emotional”

McLaren announced before the Belgian GP that it will be parting company with Ricciardo at the end of this season.Alpine, Haas and Williams all have open seats that could be options for Ricciardo.The Australian has indicated that he wants to get through the Spa/Zandvoort/Monza triple-header before taking a serious look at what is available with […]

Mercedes and McLaren’s Zandvoort F1 speed a surprise, admits Ferrari

While Ferrari had been widely anticipated to return to form at Zandvoort thanks to the track’s higher downforce requirements, what was not expected by many was just how fast Mercedes and McLaren would be.George Russell and Lewis Hamilton led the way in the opening free practice session, as Mercedes emerged as Ferrari’s closest threat in […]

Red Bull duo have not found “happy” place at Dutch GP

Having dominated last weekend’s race in Belgium, the duo had a troubled Friday practice at Zandvoort with their RB18 not feeling as solid as it did around Spa-Francorchamps.Verstappen’s day was not helped by a gearbox problem in the morning session which limited his running, and in the afternoon he could manage no better than eighth […]

Russell would be “shocked” if Mercedes fights for Zandvoort F1 pole

The British driver topped FP1 at the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday, before dropping to fifth in FP2 as Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz locked out the top two spots.Russell said the Mercedes W13 “is working better, there’s no doubt about it” in the Netherlands, but doesn’t expect to be in the fight […]