2024 F1 Grand Prix of Mexico — Results & aftermath

Sainz overcomes early bobble to take dominant win in Mexico City; Leclerc P3 for surging Ferrari; Norris prevails in tete a tete with Verstappen, takes P2 while Max penalized 20-seconds for contact en route to P6 finish

The trajectory of the 2024 Formula 1 season was on full display on Sunday in Mexico City when the pole-sitting Ferrari of Carlos Sainz lost the lead to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the first corner of the opening lap of the Mexican Grand Prix. Had this been a race in the first third of the year, Verstappen would likely have scampered away to a dominant win after making that one move. But Red Bull’s rivals have never stopped improving and have relentlessly closed the gap to the previously supreme car on the grid. After a multi-lap Safety Car period that was necessitated by a race-ending accident between RB Honda’s Yuki Tsunoda and Williams Alexander Albon on that opening lap, Sainz hunted down Verstappen when the race resumed late on Lap 6, eventually passing the Dutchman to retake the lead on Lap 9 and then rapidly pulling out his advantage. Meanwhile, Verstappen became embroiled in a physical battle attempting to hold off his chief rival in the Drivers’ Championship, McLaren’s Lando Norris, that resulted in several wheel banging moments and Norris being forced wide and off the circuit. The stewards took a dim view of such aggressive behavior and Verstappen was first assessed one 10-second penalty for forcing another driver off track and then a second a few laps later for himself leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage. That severely compromised Verstappen’s race and at his first and only pit stop he was forced to sit in the car with his pit crew stationary for a whopping 20-seconds while traffic whipped by down the start-finish straight. He eventually emerged in P15 and, while he was able to fight his way back into the points and a P6 result, it was physically impossible for him to ever return anywhere near the top  five finishers.

Meanwhile, with Sainz now leading comfortably for the duration of this 71-lap high altitude contest, Scuderia stablemate Charles Leclerc played rear gunner from P2 for the final third of the contest. Norris, his car thankfully undamaged from all the contact with Verstappen and keen to maximize his points advantage on the day over the penalized Red Bull leader, put the bit between his teeth and set about pulling Leclerc back into his clutches. After setting the fatstest lap of the race to that point on Lap 62, Norris was right on Leclerc’s gearbox. And with the second stint-set of Hard Pirellis now showing their age, Leclerc lost control while defending into the start-finish straight, nearly resulting in a huge shunt. The Monegasque’s fast hands saved his day but Norris was able to blow by and take that pivotal P2, holding it to the end of the Grand Prix. That whittled Verstappen’s points lead down to a doable 47 with just four races remaining. Red Bull’s woes were compounded by another shoddy performance from Sergio Perez, who sustained damage in a kerfuffle with RB’s rookie Liam Lawson, earned a 5-second penalty of his own for his trouble and then failed to score in P17 with a damaged car. With McLaren’s number two Oscar Piastri able to recover from a poor qualifying and a lowly P17 start on the grid up to a decent P8 finish, McLaren’s lead over Red Bull climbed to 29 points in the all important Constructors’ Championship.

Mercedes were the best of the rest, with Lewis Hamilton out-dueling George Russell in his newer spec chassis, P4 to P5.

Top 10 finishers of the Mexican GP:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

LAPS

TIME/RETIRED

PTS

1

55

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

71

1:40:55.800

25

2

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

71

+4.705s

18

3

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

71

+34.387s

16

4

44

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

71

+44.780s

12

5

63

George Russell

Mercedes

71

+48.536s

10

6

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

71

+59.558s

8

7

20

Kevin Magnussen

Haas Ferrari

71

+63.642s

6

8

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

71

+64.928s

4

9

27

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas Ferrari

70

+1 lap

2

10

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine Renault

70

+1 lap

1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in but a week’s time, as F1’s frantic triple header comes to its conclusion at Interlagos in Sao Paolo for the Brazilian Grand Prix. With Ferrari feeling the late season momentum, Red Bull on the back foot and McLaren closing in on a potential dual title, it’s all to play for with only with only four rounds remaining in the season. Hope to see you the to find out how it all shakes out!

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Mexico — Qualifying results

Sainz seals blistering pole time in Mexico City ahead of Verstappen & Norris; Leclerc P4 as Perez & Piastri get bounced in Q1

Top 10 qualifiers for the Mexican GP:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

55

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:16.778

1:16.515

1:15.946

21

2

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:16.803

1:16.514

1:16.171

18

3

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:16.505

1:16.301

1:16.260

15

4

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:16.972

1:16.641

1:16.265

21

5

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:17.194

1:16.937

1:16.356

19

6

44

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:17.306

1:16.973

1:16.651

19

7

20

Kevin Magnussen

Haas Ferrari

1:17.125

1:17.003

1:16.886

18

8

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine Renault

1:17.149

1:17.048

1:16.892

18

9

23

Alexander Albon

Williams Mercedes

1:17.189

1:16.988

1:17.065

18

10

27

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas Ferrari

1:17.186

1:16.995

1:17.365

18

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s Mexico City Grand Prix airs live on ABC beginning at 4 pm Eastern here in the States. With the top three frontrunners so close on pace, look forward to seeing you then to find out how it all shakes out!

 

2024 F1 Grand Prix of the United States — Results & aftermath

Ferrari ambush rivals in Austin as Leclerc surges to victory, Sainz P2; Verstappen holds off Norris for last podium spot to extend Championship lead

After being flummoxed and frustrated by their lack of pace in Saturday’s Sprint race and Grand Prix Qualifying, Ferrari unlocked what they thought they had all along in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix at the beautiful, flowing Circuit of the Americas. Charles Leclerc came from P4 on the grid to overtake both the pole-sitting McLaren of Lando Norris and the P2 Red Bull of Max Verstappen, as well as his P3 teammate Carlos Sainz, on the exit of the steeply uphill Turn 1. Norris and Verstappen, with the tunnel vision of the two main Drivers’ Championship contenders, took their personal battle out wide there, with Norris taking evasive action into the runoff, allowing Leclerc to scamper through the open space unimpeded and instantly take the lead of this 56-lap contest on the opening lap. Verstappen recovered enough to keep Sainz at bay and maintain P2 but Norris lost enough momentum to relegate him to P4 behind the Spaniard’s Prancing Horse. The frantic action continued until not long after DRS was enabled  when Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, starting on the Hard Pirelli tires after a poor qualifying result saw him mired down in P17 on the grid, lost it heading into Turn 18 and beached his Silver Arrow in the gravel trap there. In an abrupt instant, the seven-time champ’s day came to a premature end and a Safety Car was deployed to retrieve the stricken Mercedes.

When racing resumed towards the end of Lap 5, Leclerc was just able to keep Verstappen’s charging Red Bull behind him and then attempt to build a gap from the point utilizing his SF24’s superior performance at this track. The car worked like a charm for the Monegasque and by Lap 20 he had pulled a whopping 8-second lead over the Dutch Master. The Ferrari pit wall then pulled their own successful strategy maneuver by calling in Sainz on Lap 22 for his first pit stop for fresh Pirellis, a swap off the opening-stint Mediums onto the durable Hards. The Scuderia braintrust were hoping the undercut here in Austin would be as powerful as their simulations, with Red Bull waiting until Lap 26 to pull Verstappen in. Indeed, it worked a treat for Sainz when Verstappen’s now Hard-shod car came out behind the Spaniard, Sainz having been able to put in some impressive laps on fresh rubber to build his advantage in the intervening laps. With enough of a cushion and perhaps anticipating that Verstappen might not be their main challenger this day, Leclerc came in a lap later for his own fresh Hards, emerging from the pits in P3, still ahead of his teammate and behind the yet-to-pit McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri .

McLaren continued to stay out over the next several laps, hoping that track position and running longer than their key rivals would give them the decisive fresh tire advantage in the race’s closing stanza. But when Leclerc made easy work of Piastri for P2 on Lap 31 Team Papaya new that it was time to pull the pin. Continue reading →

2024 F1 Grand Prix of the United States — Qualifying results

Norris takes pole ahead of Verstappen at COTA; Sainz P3 & Leclerc P4 for competitive Ferrari; Mercedes disaster as Russell crashes out in Q3, Hamilton knocked out in Q1

Top 10 qualifiers for the United States GP:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:33.616

1:32.851

1:32.330

16

2

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:33.046

1:32.584

1:32.361

17

3

55

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:33.556

1:32.836

1:32.652

19

4

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:33.241

1:32.962

1:32.740

20

5

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

1:33.864

1:33.057

1:32.950

19

6

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:33.536

1:33.142

1:32.974

15

7

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine Renault

1:33.550

1:33.162

1:33.018

20

8

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes

1:33.973

1:33.429

1:33.309

18

9

20

Kevin Magnussen

Haas Ferrari

1:33.564

1:33.474

1:33.481

17

10

11

Sergio Perez

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:33.611

1:33.020

DNF

17

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Sunday’s race airs live beginning at 3 pm Eastern on ABC here in the States. Hope to see you then to find out how the crucial Norris-Verstappen battle develops and who else might capitalize if they take each other out!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale – Cartier JUMBO Tank MC ref. W5330003 w/B&P

Contact me here to make this cool Cartier yours today SOLD

On offer is this modern, handsome Cartier Tank MC ref. W5330003 in stainless steel with stunning silver guilloché Roman numeral dial and high-grade in-house automatic caliber 1904-PS MC. This model is part of the now discontinued line of watches that featured Cartier’s first true manufacture-developed & produced caliber after years of relying on other suppliers. For whatever reason, Cartier abandoned this concept after about a decade and took an abrupt U-turn back to almost exclusively outsourcing Piguet and ETA movements again. But it makes for a very interesting chapter in Cartier’s history and who knows what the future will bring for these models in terms of collectibility down the road? This Tank MC also comes with red Cartier box and original papers, including International Warranty Card with correctly matching case serial number, mini instruction booklet, as well as paperwork & purchase receipt from Birks Montreal from 2019, confirming original purchase for $9,700 Canadian. 

The Tank MC is by far the most classical and, to my eyes, most handsome of these “Manufacture Cartier” models, with its oversized but still recognizable Tank proportions and design, albeit a bit of a hybrid between the classic Tank Louis and the Tank Americaine. Make no mistake, this is a large rectangular watch at 34mm wide x 44mm long lug tip to lug tip that wears big for sure. But with its ergonomic curved case and the thinness of the movement, it is still only around 9mm tall at its highest point. And with its gorgeous “wave” pattern silver guilloché dial, bold Roman numerals and sunken, engine turned sub-seconds register, not to mention the oversized blue sapphire cabochon-set octagonal crown, it is absolutely stunning on the wrist, as well as being unmistakably Cartier stylistically.

The 27-jewel caliber 1904-PS MC is nicely decorated — if also a bit noisy — and easy to admire through the display back. It comes on its original black Cartier alligator strap with the patented adjustable steel Cartier deployant buckle, which makes proper fitting a breeze for any wrist size just by sliding the strap and then locking it down it via the U-shaped tines.

This classic oversize men’s dress watch has been worn and not stuck in a safe — if you want NOS, look elsewhere — and so, is in overall Very Good+ to Excellent pre-owned condition. It has never been polished and there are some small scratches to both factory-satined sides, especially the non-crown side, and one significant ding to the bottom right lug, which is quite hard to see when on the wrist (please refer to the pictures). The high polish tubular tops of the sides of the watch have numerous superficial swirlies but no major marks. Both sapphire crystals on the face and rear are undamaged and without chips or scratches. The dial and hands are obviously Mint. 

All in all, a fine Swiss watch from the great maison of Cartier with a lot of wrist presence and style that certainly represents in a casually elegant style. Very easy to dress this Cartier up or down if you’ve got the wrist for it!

Contact me here to make this cool Cartier yours today SOLD

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale – Vintage Angelus Military-Style Chronograph w/Tropical Gilt Dial

Click here to contact me and make this special Angelus Chrono yours today!

NOW ON SALE!

Up for sale is this large and beautiful circa 1940s-50s Angelus chronograph in 38mm all-stainless steel case with stunning dark brown tropical gilt dial, powered by the in-house Angelus cal. 215 movement. A famed maker of movements for others, Angelus came into their own in the middle of the twentieth century, when the demand for chronographs for military and civilian use reached a fever pitch. In addition to their famed Chronodato models, Angelus also produced aviator & military-style chronographs to meet the demand of the WWII and post-War era, like this one, which is exactly the same model as the “L.E.” marked Hungarian Air Force-issued version (for Légi Erő).

This example has no issue marks but is notable not only for the large and sought after 38mm case but the stunning original gilt dial with “big eye” sub-dials and original radium luminous Arabic numerals, the surface of which has also aged to a very beautiful and even deep brown tropical tone. This oversized Angelus military-style chrono represents beautifully on the wrist and the organic, even, warm dark chocolate tone is especially appealing.

Overall, this classic Angelus aviator’s chrono is in Excellent vintage condition with a stunning Excellent+ original gilt dial with complex, finely printed minute and tachymeter outer scales and luminous Arabic numeral layout. The case has some marks from age, as one would expect from a 70/80-year-old tool watch, but it still appears to retain its original brushed & polished finish and facets. The venerable Angelus cal. 215 movement was serviced last year and is operating well, ready for years’ more faithful service for its lucky new owner.

All in all, a very special mid-century aviator’s chronograph with loads of vintage charm and impressive wrist presence. Not the most uncommon vintage chrono out there but this is definitely one of the nicest examples you will see!

Click here to contact me and make this special Angelus Chrono yours today

NOW ON SALE!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale – Vintage 1960s Omega C-Shape Constellation w/Stunning BLUE VIGNETTE Dial

Contact me here to make this very special C-Shape Connie yours today! SOLD

On offer is this beautiful and uncommon circa 1968 all-stainless steel Omega C-Shape Constellation ref. 168.017 with original & ultra rare blue vignette/dégradé dial. For Omega, these vignette dials are primarily found in the later, small square Constellations of the early ’70s, and it is highly uncommon to find one in a C-Shape Connie.

This type of dial features a high gloss lacquer finish with a color tone beneath that grows darker the further it gets from the center, in this case a stunning blue colorway that transitions from bright cobalt to a deep navy at the edges. This example also features a very subtle, attractive but hard-to-see-without-a-loupe “spidering” or “ice crackle” effect when viewed from certain oblique angles, which is a common occurrence on these dials as the lacquer ages and contracts.

Accompanied by its long brick-link ref. 1040 bracelet, this is a very special steel Constellation for the sophisticated collector. And at a very ergonomic 34.5mm in diameter, it’s really suitable for any wrist size or gender, especially as the fashion trend in watches heads back to more modest dimensions. Overall, the watch is in Excellent vintage condition with a case that appears unpolished and the very special original Near Mint blue vignette dial being the most remarkable aspect. This Connie also features the highly regarded caliber 564 Chronometer movement with quickset date under the hood.

The star of the show on this Constellation is, of course, the quite rare vignette aka dégradé dial, with its hypnotic gradations of blue. It also features hand-riveted white gold bar markers, applied OMEGA and Omega logo, Connie star and faceted date window frame. This is a luminous dial with all the original tritium lume plots still intact and perfectly matching luminous hands, so it is correctly signed “T SWISS MADE T”. Featuring its original white printing, the only “flaw” one can ascribe to this beautiful dial is the aforementioned “crackling” of the glossy lacquer finish, which is only barely visible at certain angles with the naked eye and which a lot of collectors, including me, find quite handsome. Simply put, this is a gorgeous and endlessly appealing Constellation dial and if you are a fan of blue dial watches, as I am, this is about as good as it gets from an aesthetic perspective.

Contact me here to make this very special C-Shape Connie yours today! SOLD

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Results & aftermath

Norris runs away from Verstappen from the start to take dominant win in Singapore; Verstappen still secures P2 but Piastri adds to McLaren points haul in P3

After taking pole by just two-tenths on Saturday, it wasn’t quite clear how much race pace McLaren’s Land Norris would have versus his closest rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. But in Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, it quickly became apparent that the answer was more than enough to keep Verstappen, the season-long Drivers’ points leader, well and truly in the rearview mirrors. With the Flying Dutchman’s best chance a potential early overtake at the very start of the race at the ultra-tight Marina Bay Street Circuit, where passing is always at a premium, it was instead Norris who made the superior getaway when the lights went out. The young English contender quickly demonstrated just how much the McLaren MCL38 has overhauled the RB20 as the season has progressed, scampering away with relative ease and quickly gapping the pursuing Red Bull. With his main opponent on this day not Verstappen but the heat, humidity and his own fight for concentration in the face of fatigue, Norris had a few small moments and brushes with the wall. But he kept it clean enough to take a dominant win at the end of 62 grueling laps without a Safety Car or respite of any kind, to the tune of a nearly twenty-one-second advantage over Max. The only thing that stopped Norris from having an absolutely perfect weekend was the Red Bull sister team’s Daniel Ricciardo of RB Honda, who made a late stop for fresh Soft Pirellis and subsequently stole the fastest lap point away from Norris. It was nice bit of long game strategy from Red Bull in a tight championship and a suitably selfless gesture from Ricciardo, who ran his last race for RB on Sunday and possibly in Formula 1, the affable Aussie set to be replaced in the car when the teams unpack in Austin by promising rookie New Zealander, Liam Lawson.

Despite his recent surge in momentum, Norris has not been able to make much of a dent in Verstappen’s championship lead, as the Dutch master has proven superb at damage limitation in the face of the McLaren onslaught. As a team, however, McLaren have begun to pull away in the all important Constructors’ points, helped in no small part by having the superior dynamic duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri, who are both able to compete for victory on any given Sunday. Continue reading →

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Qualifying results

Norris earns pole at Marina Bay in Red Flag-affected quali; Verstappen pips Hamilton for P2; Ferrari Q3 nightmare as Sainz crashes out, Leclerc time deleted

With Formula 1 entering the final third of its longest ever season and the Championship hunt as tight as it has been in several years, Saturday Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix was as dramatic as it was potentially consequential. McLaren’s Lando Norris, desperate to close his gap to Red Bull’s points-leading Max Verstappen after a difficult weekend in Azerbaijan, was able to take the pole for Sunday’s race with a post-Red Flag one-lap flier late in Q3. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had crashed out midway through Q3 in bizarre fashion during a pre-hot lap warm up, bringing out the Red Flag to retrieve the Spaniard’s stricken Prancing Horse form the final corner’s Tecpro barriers.  With a little over 8 minutes remaining when the session restarted, McLaren opted to send both their cars out first amongst the remaining nine to set times and not wait around for any potential track improvement by the time the clock ran out. It worked well for Norris, who hooked up a lap good enough for P1 but less well for teammate Oscar Piastri. Piastri, last week’s winner at Baku, had been in the top spot before the Sainz stoppage but the young Aussie could not improve and was eventually relegated to P5 by the session’s end.

After a multi-race qualifying drought, Verstappen returned to his excellent form under the pressure of the one-lap shootout, besting Mercedes Lewis Hamilton for P2 in a car that had looked nowhere for most of the session. Lining up alongside Norris on the front row, this race could come down to which driver gets away better at the very start, as passing at Marina Bay Street Circuit can be extremely difficult. Hamilton was nonetheless pleased with his P3 effort, the team unlocking pace in the car overnight after some mediocre performances in Friday’s two practice sessions. Silver Arrows stablemate George Russell was slightly less pleased with the unpredictable performance of his Pirelli tires but still  managed to set the fourth fastest time to earn a spot alongside Hamilton on Row 2. Nico Hulkenberg far out-performed his mediocre Haas and set a stunning time good enough for P6. Aston Martin’s savvy Fernando Alonso pulled the same trick to take a solid P7. RB Honda’s Yuki Tsunoda earned P8, while Ferrari suffered the indignity of not only Sainz having to start the race from P10 due to his crash but also seeing Charles Leclerc’s decent final lap deleted for a track limits violation, dropping the Monegasque to P9 and making for a very unhappy fifth-row duo for the Scuderia.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Singapore GP:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:30.002

1:30.007

1:29.525

16

2

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:30.157

1:29.680

1:29.728

18

3

44

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:30.393

1:29.929

1:29.841

16

4

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:30.811

1:30.153

1:29.867

17

5

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

1:30.258

1:29.640

1:29.953

18

6

27

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas Ferrari

1:30.724

1:30.150

1:30.115

18

7

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes

1:30.684

1:30.450

1:30.214

17

8

22

Yuki Tsunoda

RB Honda RBPT

1:30.716

1:30.289

1:30.354

17

9

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:30.786

1:29.747

DNF

19

10

55

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:30.670

1:30.108

DNS

16

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN beginning at 8 am here in the States. With tensions mounting  and time running short in the hunt for glory in 2024, as well as a very tight circuit where overtaking is very difficult and Safety Cars are de rigueur, look for loads of close quarters action between the top contenders, several of whom are out of position, in a desperate scramble for maximum points. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan — Results & aftermath

Piastri shines, holds off Leclerc to take victory in scintillating Baku duel; Russell gifted P3 after Perez & Sainz crash each other out; Norris recovers to P6 ahead of Verstappen in P7

McLaren’s up and coming young ace Oscar Piastri withstood lap after lap of relentless pressure from Fearrri’s Charles Leclerc, holding off the hard charging Prancing Horse over the course of a long final tire stint at the always tricky Baku City Circuit to take victory in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With those two drivers clearly the class of the field on the day, the 51-lap race came down to a two car duel for the win. As the laps wound down, Piastri was just able to hold off Leclerc despite the Monegasque’s best efforts, with both men struggling with aging Hard compound Pirelli tires after choosing the preferred one-stop strategy. Eventually, it was Leclerc’s tires that fell off the performance cliff after all that time spent in Piastri’s wake, and the young Aussie earned his second victory of the season and his career by a deceptively large ten-second margin. Leclerc started the Grand Prix from pole, the fourth of his career at Baku, but he has frustratingly yet to convert that one-lap mastery into a win. Still, his second place finish continued Leclerc’s excellent run of form that has seen him podium four races in a row and earn a monumental victory in Italy a fortnight ago.

Ferrari were hoping for even bigger things on the day, as was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who looked poised for a rejuvenating P3 podium finish. But the second Prancing Horse of Carlos Sainz closed the gap on Perez late in the race, the Spaniard also looking keen on grabbing a spot on the podium. With Leclerc seeming to fall into Perez’s clutches and P2 possibly on for the much maligned Red Bull driver, Perez made a lunge on the leading Ferrari steaming into Turn 1 on the second to last lap. But Leclerc was able to hold off the Mexican and Sainz pounced on the Red Bull’s loss off momentum. As Leclerc scampered away from danger, Sainz and Perez were parallel speeding towards Turn 3, with Perez looking to regain his momentum and the position. But they both drifted into each other, touched rear wheels and were shunted into the wall. In shocking fashion, it was over for both drivers with only one lap left in a race that had looked so promising for both however their own personal battle might have turned out had they not made contact.

That contretemps really hurt both Ferrari and Red Bull in the Constructors’ Standings, while McLaren vaulted into the lead of that all important contest thanks not only to Piastri’s sweet victory but also Lando Norris overcoming a poor P15 start and persevering all the way up to a post-carnage P4 finish. Norris even made a late race overtake on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for that position on a day when Verstappen was clearly the slower of the two RB20s. It perfectly encapsulated two stark realities facing the Dutch three-time champion and team Red Bull: the car has undeniably lost pace to McLaren and to a lesser extent Ferrari; and Verstappen is now routinely struggling to extract performance from the car after being in perfect harmony with it to start the season. Things could also get worse before they get better for Red Bull and their Dutch master, as the next race is in Singapore and the Marina Bay Street Circuit is a longtime bogey track for the team. Continue reading →