Tag: F1 qualifying

Bahrain GP Qualifying: Verstappen takes pole, Ferrari not far behind

A tight qualy saw the reigning champion place first yet again, but the pace of the Ferraris could be something to watch on Saturday.

Our first qualifying session of 2024 has concluded, and the reigning champion of the last three years is starting right where he left off.

It was once again Max Verstappen at the top of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday, turning in a Q3 time of 1:29.179 to take pole position. He’ll start ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell at the top of the grid.

It was Ferrari who topped Q1 and Q2, however. It was Carlos Sainz who topped Q1, a session that spelled disaster for the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who finished 19th and 20th, respectively. The Kick Saubers of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu were also eliminated in Q1, while the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton barely survived in 10th to move on to Q2.

Leclerc finished first in a Q2 session that ended up being a nail-biter for the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished ninth and 10th — they’d end up placing seventh and eighth in Q3. Nico Hulkenberg of Haas had an impressive lap to place sixth in Q2 and he ended up 10th in Q3, starting in a points place on the grid Saturday.

In the end, though, it was Verstappen who took the crown. He ended up 0.228 seconds ahead of Leclerc in P2 and 0.306 seconds ahead of Russell in P3, making it a close qualy. Verstappen’s teammate in Sergio Perez didn’t perform as admirably, finishing fifth behind Sainz.

Here are how the full qualifying results from Bahrain shaped out for the first race of 2024:

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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying: Verstappen takes pole, Leclerc follows behind

It’s Max Verstappen’s world, and we’re all just living in it.

It may be the last race of the season, but Red Bull driver Max Verstappen didn’t let up in qualifying.

Verstappen took pole for his historic 12th pole of the season in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, ensuring a front-row start. He was joined by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc in second and McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri in third, a varied top three for the session.

The session was also largely affected by track limits. Williams driver Logan Sargeant looked to have gotten to Q2 with two laps in Q1, but both were deleted and he will start from 20th. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was also set to start in fifth after his lap, but that lap was also deleted and he will start in ninth. There was some other minor controversy during the session, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz believed he was blocked by an Alpine car during his hot lap that saw him qualify just 16th but it was determined that he was a full throttle for the incident.

Here is how qualifying shaped out during the last race of the season:

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) [1:23.445]
  2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) [1:23.584]
  3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) [1:23.784]
  4. George Russell (Mercedes) [1:23.778]
  5. Lando Norris (McLaren) [1:23.816]
  6. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) [1:23.968]
  7.  Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) [1:24.084]
  8. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) [1:24.108]
  9. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) [1:24.171]
  10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) [1:24.548]
  11. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) [1:24.359]
  12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) [1:24.391]
  13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) [1:24.422]
  14. Alexander Albon (Williams) [1:24.439]
  15. Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) [1:24.442]
  16. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) [1:24.738]
  17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) [1:24.764]
  18. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) [1:24.788]
  19. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) [1:25.189]
  20. Logan Sargeant (Williams) [No Time]

São Paulo Grand Prix qualifying: Max Verstappen takes pole after session red flagged

Bad weather at the end of Q3 saw the Dutchman take his 11th pole of the year.

Qualifying for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix didn’t quite go to plan.

As this weekend features a sprint race (again), Formula 1 held qualifying for Sunday’s race in Brazil on Friday instead of Saturday. It was rather uneventful, aside from a two-place grid penalty from George Russell for impeding in the pit lane and a stunning amount of pace that saw Aston Martin lock out the second row, and part of that reasoning is because Q3 wasn’t able to finish — heavy rain called off qualifying with four minutes left to race and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared polesitter on the day. He was followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and then Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Here is what qualifying looked like at the end of the session, with George Russell’s penalty applied:

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  3. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
  4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
  5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
  6. Lando Norris (McLaren)
  7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
  8. George Russell (Mercedes)
  9. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
  10. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
  11. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
  12. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
  13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
  14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
  15. Alexander Albon (Williams)
  16. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
  17. Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri)
  18. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
  19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
  20. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

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Mexican Grand Prix Qualifying: Ferrari locks out front row, Ricciardo excels

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will lead the pack on Sunday in Mexico City.

It was an all-around bizarre qualifying in Mexico City, but Ferrari’s Formula 1 team certainly won’t complain.

The Prancing Horse locked out the front row during Saturday’s qualifying session, with driver Charles Leclerc coming across the line fastest and his teammate Carlos Sainz following suit. Red Bull driver and current F1 champion Max Verstappen finished third initially, but he and Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are under investigation for holding up the pit lane on exit.

Aside from those investigations, there were a number of strange incidents and happenings in this session. McLaren’s Lando Norris had a strategy mishap on this tires and Q1 and qualified 19th after Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso spun out toward the end of the session, causing a yellow flag that slowed him down. AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo put in a phenomenal performance, finishing fourth (at time of writing) in Q3. Williams’ Alexander Albon also had a lap time deleted for track limits in Q2, which prevented him from moving on and placing higher.

Here’s what the qualifying order looks like at the moment, pending investigation:

  1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) [1:17.166]
  2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) [1:17.233]
  3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) [1:17.263]
  4. Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) [1:17.382]
  5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) [1:17.423]
  6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) [1:17.454]
  7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) [1:17.623]
  8. George Russell (Mercedes) [1:17.674]
  9. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) [1:18.032]
  10. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) [1:18.050]
  11. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) [1:18.521]
  12. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) [1:18.524]
  13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) [1:18.738]
  14. Alexander Albon (Williams) [1:19.147]
  15. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) [1:18.890] *Did not run in Q2
  16. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) [1:19.080]
  17. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) [1:19.163]
  18. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) [1:19.227]
  19. Lando Norris (McLaren) [1:21.554]
  20. Logan Sargeant (Williams) [No Time]