Tag Archives: Oliver Bearman

2025 F1 Grand Prix of Mexico City — Results & aftermath

Norris dominates scrappy Mexico City GP to retake championship lead; gritty Leclerc holds off Verstappen for second place; Piastri does damage limitation coming home P5

McLaren’s Lando Norris capped off a picture perfect weekend with a dominant victory at Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, vaulting himself back into the championship lead ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point. In a scrappy contest on a very hot and dusty Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez that saw multiple drivers struggle to keep their cars on the circuit when pushing ten-tenths, Norris reigned serene and supreme, capitalizing on his pole position and then running away to the tune of an over 30-second advantage over the second place Ferrari of Charles Leclerc when the checkers flew. Piastri was able to somewhat limit the damage to his championship aspirations, despite the psychological blow of relinquishing the lead to Norris, by improving on his poor P7 starting position to come home in P5. While Piastri  maximized his race pace to work his way by both Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell late in the going en route to that fifth place result, the young Aussie ace could not quite find a way past impressive Haas rookie, Oliver Bearman, who held off the McLaren to finish a career high P4. Piastri was also hindered by a penultimate lap Virtual Safety Car due to the stricken Williams of Carlos Sainz, which did not come to an end until the last half of the final lap of this 71-lap tilt. Likewise, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was also balked by that late VSC as he pursued Leclerc/\’s Prancing Horse, and the Dutchman had to settle for P3. It was still a valuable 15-points for Verstappen after starting from P5, and kept him in the Drivers’ Championship conversation by staying within 36 points of Norris and 35 of Piastri with only four rounds remaining.

Top 10 finishers of the Mexico City GP:

DRIVER TEAM TIMES
1. Lando Norris McLaren 1:42.980
2. Charles Leclerc Ferrari +30.324
3. Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.725
4. Oliver Bearman Haas +9.906
5. Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.110
6. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +5.772
7. George Russell* Mercedes +2.450
8. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +6.159
9. Esteban Ocon Haas +19.018
10. Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber +1.399

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in a fortnight, the São Paulo Grand Prix from legendary Interlagos. Norris will be looking to keep his mojo working, Piastri will be desperate to regain his momentum and Verstappen will be keen to keep the pressure on the talented but young McLaren duo. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2025 F1 Grand Prix of Singapore — Results & aftermath

Russell reigns supreme to take victory in Singapore; Verstappen holds of Norris for P2; McLaren claim Constructors’ Title but tensions between P3 Norris & P4 Piastri come to a head after early race contact

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Mercedes’ George Russell dominated Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, converting his pole position into an easy victory and avenging a last lap shunt here at Marina Bay Street Circuit back in 2023 that cost him a podium on that day. But it was all smiles for the British ace this year, as no one could really match his race pace and Russell controlled brilliantly from the front, masterfully managing his tires, deftly navigating a slew of back markers in the late going and leaving his closest competitors well in the rearview mirror. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was the runner up over five-seconds adrift, although the Dutch Master did manage to hold off the best efforts of McLaren’s Lando Norris to secure that solid P2. Norris, who was never able to really put a move on Verstappen on this tight, difficult-to-overtake circuit despite his extreme proximity to the Red Bull’s gearbox as the race wound down, nevertheless came home ahead of his teammate and championship rival Oscar Piastri. Norris gained a position on Piastri with some aggressive maneuvers on the opening lap and then consolidated his eventual P3 finish when the McLaren mechanics botched Piastri’s only pit stop on Lap 27 of this grueling 62-lap contest to the tune of an achingly slow 5.2 seconds. All in all, it was a fairly miserable day for Piastri individually, the Aussie points leader feeling hard done by Norris’s aggressive, wheel banging opening lap pass and thereafter making his displeasure known early and often on the team radio. But the McLaren pit wall played it straight in Singapore and the team was rewarded with enough points on the day between Norris’s third place and Piastri’s P4 to easily clinch their second Constructors’ title in succession with six rounds still remaining and the tenth in the team’s illustrious history. So, Piastri had to grin and bear it for the sake of such a great occasion for the Papaya organization and their faithful fans. But going forward, and with his points lead over Norris trimmed to just 22, Piastri will no longer be playing the good soldier as he duels with his teammate for the ultimate individual prize in Formula 1 and both talented young pilots hunt for their first F1 crown.

Top 10 finishers of the Singapore GP:

POS.

NO.

DRIVER

TEAM

LAPS

TIME / RETIRED

PTS.

1

63

George Russell

Mercedes

62

1:40:22.367

25

2

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

62

+5.430s

18

3

4

Lando Norris

McLaren

62

+6.066s

15

4

81

\Oscar Piastri

McLaren

62

+8.146s

12

5

12

Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes

62

+33.681s

10

6

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

62

+45.996s

8

7

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

62

+80.667s

6

8

44

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

62

+85.251s

4

9

87

Oliver Bearman

Haas

62

+93.527s

2

10

55

Carlos Sainz

Williams

61

+1 lap

1

Complete race results amiable via Formula1.com.

The next race is in a fortnight, as the teams make the long journey across the Pacific to Austin, Texas and Circuit of the Americas, the home of the United States Grand Prix and Round 19 of the 2025 season. COTA is a very different animal than Marina Bay and its long straights and high speed curves should be more suitable to McLaren than the last two street circuits. As for whether bygones will be bygones between Piastri and Norris, that’s another matter entirely. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

 

2025 F1 Grand Prix of the Netherlands — Results & aftermath

Piastri prevails at Zandvoort as Norris’s championship dreams take hit with late race mechanical DNF; Verstappen inherits P2; Rookie Hadjar earns first podium with spectacular drive ahead of Russell; Ferrari suffer zero-points double retirement

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Top 10 finishers of the Dutch GP:

POS.

NO.

DRIVER

TEAM

LAPS

TIME / RETIRED

PTS.

1

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

72

1:38:29.849

25

2

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

72

+1.271s

18

3

6

Isack Hadjar

Racing Bulls

72

+3.233s

15

4

63

George Russell

Mercedes

72

+5.654s

12

5

23

Alexander Albon

Williams

72

+6.327s

10

6

87

Oliver Bearman

Haas

72

+9.044s

8

7

18

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

72

+9.497s

6

8

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

72

+11.709s

4

9

22

Yuki Tsunoda

Red Bull Racing

72

+13.597s

2

10

31

Esteban Ocon

Haas

72

+14.063s

1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in but a week’s time, as the F1 circus visits the Temple of Speed in Monza, Italy. Piastri will be seeking to extend his advantage while Norris will be desperate to get back in the game and secure a solid result. And Ferrari will be looking for redemption after their miserable Dutch weekend on their home turf and in front of of the rabid tifosi. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2025 F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain — Qualifying results

Verstappen snatches pole from two McLarens with stunning final effort at Silverstone; Piastri settles for P2, Norris P3; Mercedes’ Russell solid in P4, as Ferrari fail to follow up on practice pace

After a disappointing race last week in Austria that saw his day end on Lap 1 due to a crash that was not his fault, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen rebounded big time during Saturday Qualifying for the British Grand Prix. Proving one again that he remains the sport’s most talented pilot even in a car no other driver seems to be able to come to grips with, Verstappen laid down a final flying lap in Q3 that vaulted him ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and onto the pole for Sunday’s race. If they want to show what a perfect lap looks like at Silverstone in the future, they can simply replay the Flying Dutchman’s sublime effort, which looked smooth and effortless en route to a blistering 1:24.892 time. Contrast that with the other contenders’ final efforts, when they knew the pressure was on to produce and the track was at it’s best, and there were small mistakes aplenty, including from P2 Piastri, who Verstappen knocked off from the top spot, and McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who had to settle for P3 and the second row after getting just that little bit too aggressive over the kerbs of the tricky final sector.

Somewhat lost in all the excitement was another fine effort from Mercedes’ George Russell, who kept it clean enough for a solid P4 time, quite a bit better than teammate Kimi Antonelli’s P7. The Italian Silver Arrows’ rookie will also be demoted three grid spots from there due to the penalty accrued from his ill advised first-lap lurch at the Red Bull Ring last week that took out not only himself but also Verstappen. Ferrari disappointed somewhat after teasing legitimate pole speed throughout the practice sessions. The Prancing Horses receded a bit come crunch time and Lewis Hamilton could only work his way up to P5, with Charles Leclerc just behind in P6, both drivers having slightly scruffy last efforts in Q3. The Ferrari faithful will be hoping that somehow their race pace will be better tomorrow than the one-lap speed in relation to the other top teams today.

Haas’s Oliver Bearman showed both his brilliance by setting a super strong P8 time and also his rookie-ness by picking up a 10-spot grid penalty for hard charging the pit lane entrance under Red Flag conditions at the end of Practice 3. Fernando Alonso got the most from his recently upgraded Aston Martin with the ninth fastest time and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also did yeoman’s work to make it into Q3 even if he could not improve on P10.

Top 10 qualifiers for the British GP:

POS.

NO.

DRIVER

TEAM

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

1:25.886

1:25.316

1:24.892

18

2

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

1:25.963

1:25.316

1:24.995

21

3

4

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:26.123

1:25.231

1:25.010

20

4

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:26.236

1:25.637

1:25.029

19

5

44

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

1:26.296

1:25.084

1:25.095

19

6

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:26.186

1:25.133

1:25.121

21

7

12

Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes

1:26.265

1:25.620

1:25.374

18

8

87

Oliver Bearman

Haas

1:26.005

1:25.534

1:25.471

18

9

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

1:26.108

1:25.593

1:25.621

15

10

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

1:26.328

1:25.711

1:25.785

21

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN2 beginning at 10 AM Eastern here in the States. With any of the top six having a legitimate shot at victory, it should be a compelling contest, and if the rain that didn’t come today does come tomorrow, who knows what could happen? Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2025 F1 Grand Prix of Japan — Qualifying results

Verstappen stuns McLaren duo at Suzuka with surprise pole; Norris out-duels teammate Piastri for P2; Tsunoda fails to impress after promotion to Red Bull for home race

Saturday qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix at the storied Suzuka Circuit looked for all the world like a battle for pole between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. With Norris taking victory in Piastri’s backyard to open the season in Melbourne and Piastri getting the better of Norris for the win in China two weeks ago, all eyes were on the Papaya duo to see who would emerge as the fastest qualifier. But all eyes were on the wrong team and drivers. Reigning champion Max Verstappen proved he is not ready to go gently into that good night this early in 2025, with a blistering final lap that knocked a stunned Norris off the pole and relegated Piastri to P3 and the second row. With Verstappen’s Red Bull trimmed to the limit for maximum straight line speed even though Suzuka has many more twisty bits than straights, the Flying Dutchman was able to hustle his RB21 to the tune of a track record 1:26.983, a mere one hundredth ahead of Norris. It was not only a nice moment for Verstappen after a challenging first two rounds of the season but also for Red Bull engine supplier Honda at their home circuit. However, new Red Bull Number Two Yuki Tsunoda did not fare much better on the day than most of Verstappen’s other wingman of recent vintage. The young Japanese driver, opting for a much more downforce heavy setup, ended up a desultory P15 despite the enthusiastic urgings of his countrymen in the stands. Liam Lawson, the driver Tsunoda replaced at the big team just three races into the season, out-qualified him in P14 driving his own former Racing Bull. That was probably not what Tsunoda or Red Bull had envisaged when they made the switch and this race weekend began.

Behind the elite top three, Charles Leclerc bettered by some margin his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, P4 to P8.  Mercedes’ George Russell had a fairly ragged final effort in Q3 and could not improve his P5 position when the scoring was over, while rookie Silver Arrows teammate Kimi Antonelli made impressive leaps throughout the three difficult sessions to wind up a surprisingly strong P6. Fellow rookie Isack Hadjar was able to overcome a persistently painful too-tight lap belt situation to pull himself all the way up to an quite solid  P7, while Williams’ Alexander Albon and Haas’s Oliver Bearman, yet another rookie, filled out the rest of the top ten in P9 and P10 respectively.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Japanese Grand Prix:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:27.943

1:27.502

1:26.983

17

2

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:27.845

1:27.146

1:26.995

15

3

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

1:27.687

1:27.507

1:27.027

18

4

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:27.920

1:27.555

1:27.299

21

5

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:27.843

1:27.400

1:27.318

17

6

12

Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes

1:27.968

1:27.639

1:27.555

18

7

6

Isack Hadjar

Racing Bulls Honda RBPT

1:28.278

1:27.775

1:27.569

18

8

44

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

1:27.942

1:27.610

1:27.610

23

9

23

Alexander Albon

Williams Mercedes

1:28.218

1:27.783

1:27.615

20

10

87

Oliver Bearman

Haas Ferrari

1:28.228

1:27.711

1:27.867

21

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.,com.

Tomorrow’s race airs overnight here in the States beginning at 1 AM Eastern Sunday morning on ESPN. With Verstappen in his preferred spot — up front and in clean air — we’ll have to see if McLaren’s long run pace can pull the Red Bull back into their clutches of if the four-time Champ is only beginning to show that he’s a serious contender to earn his fifth on the trot despite all predictions to the contrary. Hope to see you then to find out how it all plays out!

2025 F1 Grand Prix of Australia — Qualifying results

McLaren lay down marker in Melbourne to start season, as Norris grabs pole, Piastri P2; Verstappen settles for P3; Ferrari underwhelm

The highly anticipated 75th season of Formula kicked off properly during Saturday Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park GP Circuit in Melbourne when McLaren picked up were they left off in 2024 by locking out the front row ahead of Red Bull’s peerless ace Max Verstappen. Lando Norris bested his teammate and home race hero Oscar Piastri to take pole with a final do or die flying lap after having his only earlier Q3 time deleted for a track limits violation. The dynamic Papaya duo exceeded Verstappen’s best effort, relegating the Dutchman and reigning four-time consecutive champ to the second row and P3 on the grid. Mercedes’ George Russell put in a superlative effort to nail down P4 and, with some serious rain predicted for tomorrow’s race despite dry conditions to start the weekend, put himself in position to contend with the elite three ahead of him. Both Yuki Tsunoda, who was passed over for promotion to the senior Red Bull team and is inexplicably fighting for his F1 life, and the massively improved Williams of Alexander Albon, outperformed the much more heralded Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and new Scuderia recruit Lewis Hamilton. Tsunoda qualified P5 and Albon P6, while Leclerc could do no better than set the seventh fastest lap and Hamilton, who struggled mightily with the balance of his Prancing Horse and spun in Q2, was only good enough for P8 on the grid in his Ferrari debut. Pierre Gasly got the most out his Alpine in P9 and the second Williams of Carlos Sainz secured P10 on his first real effort in anger with his new team.

What all that will really mean if the heavy rains that are predicted to soak Albert Park on Sunday is anyone’s guess. But there were some less than promising signs for several young drivers at this tricky track. Verstappen’s latest wingman, New Zealander Liam Lawson, replacemnt for the long suffering Sergio Perez, struggled mightily with both mechanical issues and a shaky feel for the pointy dynamics of the RB21 and was unceremoniously bounced out in Q1 with only the eighteenth fastest lap. Likewise, Mercedes’ pick to replace seven-time champ Hamilton, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, damaged his car by running over too many curbs and qualified down in P16. And while Haas’s new pilot Oliver Bearman had a miserable start to the year and was unable to get a lap in quali due to numerous crashes and the resulting mechanical issues those caused, the rookies Jack Doohan of Alpine and Gabriel Bortoleto of Kick Sauber fared somewhat better in P14 and P15 respectively.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Australian GP:

POS

NO

DRIVER

CAR

Q1

Q2

Q3

LAPS

1

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:15.912

1:15.415

1:15.096

20

2

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

1:16.062

1:15.468

1:15.180

18

3

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:16.018

1:15.565

1:15.481

17

4

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:15.971

1:15.798

1:15.546

21

5

22

Yuki Tsunoda

Racing Bulls Honda RBPT

1:16.225

1:16.009

1:15.670

18

6

23

Alexander Albon

Williams Mercedes

1:16.245

1:16.017

1:15.737

21

7

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:16.029

1:15.827

1:15.755

20

8

44

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

1:16.213

1:15.919

1:15.973

23

9

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine Renault

1:16.328

1:16.112

1:15.980

21

10

55

Carlos Sainz

Williams Mercedes

1:16.360

1:15.931

1:16.062

21

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs on ESPN beginning  at midnight Eastern Sunday here in the States. With rain predicted, expect a wet a wild mashup of a race after only dry running so far this weekend. Can McLaren prevail against the modern Rain Meister Verstappen or will a dark horse from further down the grid spring a surprise? Hope to see you the to find out how it all shakes out in Round 1 Down Under!

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia — Results & aftermath

Verstappen romps to second consecutive victory in Round 2; Perez takes second for Red Bull 1-2; Leclerc P3 & pinch-hitting rookie Bearman a solid P7 to Ferrari’s delight

Despite having only two rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season done and dusted, it’s already clear that is going to take an act of force majeure to prevent Red Bull’s peerless Max Verstappen from romping to his third consecutive Championship. This stark reality was sharply illustrated during Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Verstappen scurried away from the pole and then played hide & seek with the other 19 cars for the rest of the race. While teammate Sergio Perez was able to improve on his P3 grid position by passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second place early on, and then holding on to that prime podium spot to make it a Red Bull 1-2, he still ended up trailing the flying Dutchman by 13.6 seconds when the checkers flew at this tight and treacherous harborside street circuit.

Despite seeing Leclerc lose a position from his starting spot, Ferrari left Jeddah very happy with their points haul on the day. Facing the abrupt loss of their usual number two, Carlos Sainz, to an appendectomy on Friday, development driver Oliver Bearman was drafted from his F2 seat and thrown into the deep end of a Formula 1 race weekend. Facing the bleak prospect of potentially only one car scoring points in Sainz’s absence, Bearman instead acquitted himself well, first by qualifying in P11 on Friday. He then improved on that effort with a very professional race effort that saw him take advantage of his Prancing Horse’s natural pace advantage to get ahead of a slew of more experienced drivers in inferior equipment. Credit to the young Briton for keeping his car in one piece and for executing his overtakes with aggression if not always the utmost finesse. In any event, by the time the 50 laps of the Grand Prix had wound down, Bearman had worked his way up to a satisfying P7 points-scoring finish in his F1 debut. With Leclerc running a lonely race after Perez’s early pass nevertheless coming home on the podium in P3, it was all smiles in the Ferrari garage on what could have been a disastrous weekend. Barring any more health issues, Sainz should return to his seat at the next race weekend two weeks form now in Australia. But Bearman certainly did his future F1 prospects no harm with his confident and productive effort for the Scuderia on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Oscar Piastri, the junior member of McLaren’s team who was also a rookie last year but is now  now a second year driver to worth watching every GP, also had an excellent Saturday night on the banks of the Red Sea. The young Aussie had a race-long ding dong battle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, with the veteran seven-time champion holding off the young Aussie repeatedly by giving a defensive driving masterclass. Piastri had pitted early on Lap 8 under Safety Car conditions after Lance Stroll of Aston Martin clipped the wall with his front left and then went spearing into the opposite barriers at Turn 23 with a broken suspension. But both McLaren and Mercedes decided to split their strategies and Hamilton was told to stay out, as was Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris. Despite the fresher set of Hard Pirellis and his determination to haunt Hamilton’s gearbox, Piastri never could find a way by on track and only leapfrogged Lewis when he eventually pitted his Merc on Lap 37 to run the last of his race on Softs. Piastri was then free to fly as a result and Norris boxed a lap latter to deploy the same Medium-to-Soft alternate tire strategy, the latter coming out ahead of Hamilton and behind Bearman in P8. Despite Norris’s best efforts and the ostensible Soft tire advantage, the Hard-shod Bearman proved adept at holding off the McLaren for the remainder of the contest. With Bearman holding onto P7, Norris coming home P8 and Hamilton a rueful P9, Piastri bettered them all in P4, an outstanding effort by the young Aussie heading into his home race.

Fernando Alonso’s lone surviving Aston Martin salvaged P5 for the team, holding off the lead Mercedes of George Russell down the stretch. Russell finished P6, as once again Mercedes was lacking in both qualifying and real race pace compared to Ferrari and McLaren, not to mention Red Bull. Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg scored the final point in P10, in no small part to a brilliant team drive by the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen. Magnussen played moving roadblock for a passel of midfield cars with points aspirations, enabling teammate Hulkenberg to scamper away and build a pit-proof advantage for that eventual P10 finish.

Top 10 finishers of the Saudi Arabian GP:

1 1 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 50 1:20:43.273 25
2 11 Sergio Perez RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 50 +13.643s 18
3 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 50 +18.639s 16
4 81 Oscar Piastri MCLAREN MERCEDES 50 +32.007s 12
5 14 Fernando Alonso ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 50 +35.759s 10
6 63 George Russell MERCEDES 50 +39.936s 8
7 38 Oliver Bearman FERRARI 50 +42.679s 6
8 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN MERCEDES 50 +45.708s 4
9 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 50 +47.391s 2
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg HAAS FERRARI 50 +76.996s 1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The teams and drivers now get a much needed rest after a breakneck start to the season — the next race is in a fortnight from Down Under, the Australian GP from the scenic Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park. Can Ferrari and Leclerc use the downtime to close the gap to the supreme Verstappen and Red Bull? Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2024 F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia — Qualifying results

Verstappen takes first Jeddah pole, Perez P3 for Red Bull; Leclerc P2, rookie sub Bearman P11 for Ferrari; Alonso shines for Aston, McLaren in the hunt as Mercedes flounder

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen made it two pole positions on the trot to start his 2024 campaign, taking his first-ever pole at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia on Friday. Verstappen edged out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by just a shade over three-tenths, the confined quarters of the Jeddah street course somewhat neutralizing the Red Bull’s usual pace advantage. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez notched P3, while Leclerc had a substitute stablemate in rookie Oliver Bearman, drafted into service right before Free Practice 3, when the ailing Carlos Sainz was forced to have surgery for appendicitis. Bearman, who had just taken pole for the F2 feature race, acquitted himself well after being thrown into the deep end of the motorsports pool, making it to Q2 and just missing out on the final qualifying session with the eleventh fastest time.

Aston Martin found some pace after a disappointing effort in Bahrain last week and veteran Fernando Alonso wrung his car’s neck to the tune of the fourth best time in Q3. Teammate Lance Stroll couldn’t match the Spanish two-time champ’s speed and qualified a distant P10. Both of McLaren’s drivers showed fine pace, with Oscar Piastri just getting the better of teammate Lando Norris, P5 to P6. Mercedes, on the other hand, really struggled in quali trim, with George Russell only able to set the seventh fastest time and Lewis Hamilton searching for balance in the car down in P8 on the grid. Yuki Tsunoda excelled for the newly christened RB F1 team (formerly AlphaTauri, formerly Toro Rosso) with a sparkling final run that earned the fiery Japanese driver P9 for tomorrow’s race start.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Saudi Arabian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 1 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 1:28.171 1:28.033 1:27.472 18
2 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 1:28.318 1:28.112 1:27.791 23
3 11 Sergio Perez RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 1:28.638 1:28.467 1:27.807 19
4 14 Fernando Alonso ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 1:28.706 1:28.122 1:27.846 17
5 81 Oscar Piastri MCLAREN MERCEDES 1:28.755 1:28.343 1:28.089 22
6 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN MERCEDES 1:28.805 1:28.479 1:28.132 22
7 63 George Russell MERCEDES 1:28.749 1:28.448 1:28.316 22
8 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:28.994 1:28.606 1:28.460 24
9 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB HONDA RBPT 1:28.988 1:28.564 1:28.547 18
10 18 Lance Stroll ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 1:28.250 1:28.578 1:28.572 19

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race, another Saturday special due to the upcoming Ramadan holiday, airs live beginning at Noon Eastern on ESPN2 here in the States. Hope to see you then to find out if the very tight and perilous quarters at Jeddah will throw up some real surprises!