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Verstappen scores Red Bull’s 100th pole in China

Max Verstappen claimed Red Bull Racing’s 100th Formula 1 pole position with a confident performance in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. Verstappen set two laps quick enough for pole position, his final time of 1m 33.660s getting him 0.322s …

Max Verstappen claimed Red Bull Racing’s 100th Formula 1 pole position with a confident performance in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Verstappen set two laps quick enough for pole position, his final time of 1m 33.660s getting him 0.322s ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.

The Dutchman, who won the year’s first sprint earlier in the day, said the team had managed to improve the car since the short race.

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“I think the sprint race gave us a few more ideas for the car, and I think the car worked event better for qualifying,” he said. “I’m definitely very happy with how qualifying went.

“The car was really nice to drive. That final lap was pretty decent.”

Perez was almost eliminated in Q1 after losing his first lap to traffic. Falling out of sequence left him searching for rhythm for the rest of the session, but the Mexican came good with his final lap to secure a front row lockout for the team.

“It was very intense,” he said. “It was just a very messy start to qualifying.

“Unfortunately in the end it was just not enough to get Max, but overall it’s a tremendous team result, because the track ahs changed a lot and we changed the car a lot to adapt to the conditions.”

Fernando qualified third for Aston Martin, banishing the memories of his sprint DNF from earlier in the day.

The Spaniard made a mistake in the first two corners of his final flying lap and considered abandoning the time, but a strong last two sectors was enough to make up for the mistake, putting him just 0.166s behind Perez.

“We didn’t give up,” he said. “We kept pushing all through the lap and we set a good time.

“I think the car improved since [the sprint] this morning. We made a few set-up changes. Let’s see tomorrow if we can transfer that.”

Alonso’s last-gasp effort got him ahead of the closely matched McLaren teammates by just 0.017s.

Sprint polesitter Lando Norris headed Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth, the duo split by 0.108s.

Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz followed just 0.016s adrift, the Monegasque ahead of the Spaniard by only 0.008s. Seventh was a commendable turnaround for Sainz, who crashed just after halfway through Q2

The Australian Grand Prix winner stepped onto the gravel exiting the final corner, spinning his Ferrari backwards and over the front straight, where it heavily whacked the outside wall with both left-hand wheels.

The car stalled with its front wing broken and triggered a red flag, but the Spaniard used the car’s hybrid electronics to restart the motor and continue to pit lane, from where he was able to resume the session.

George Russell qualified eighth as the slowest frontrunner in Q3, his Mercedes 0.773s off the pace.

It was still a significantly better return than teammate Lewis Hamilton managed, the six-time Chinese Grand Prix winner eliminated a lowly 18th. Hamilton’s shock Q1 elimination stemmed from a single mistake at the final hairpin, where he got on the brakes too late and sailed wide of the apex.

The innocuous-looking error cost him 0.6s to teammate Russell in the final sector, which was more than enough to see him knocked out at the first hurdle for the first time since the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg performed strongly for Haas to qualify ninth, though the German will be investigated after the session for jostling for position at the end of the pit lane in the moments before the starts of Q1.

Valtteri Bottas completed the top 10, the Finn getting Sauber into Q3 for the first time this season after knocking Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll out in Q2 in 11th by 0.069s.

Daniel Ricciardo qualified 12th for RB ahead of Esteban Ocon in the sole updated Alpine in 13th.

Alex Albon will line up 14th for Williams ahead of Pierre Gasly in 15th.

Home hero Zhou Guanyu committed a small lock-up at the final hairpin that left him 0.048s short of a spot in Q2, leaving him 16th on the grid ahead of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen and the disappointed Hamilton.

Yuki Tsunoda’s difficult weekend continued with 19th on the grid, the Japanese driver having suffered with a stuck DRS early in the session and putting together a messy middle sector on his final flying lap.

Logan Sargeant completed the order in 20th after spinning off the road at Turn 9 on his last lap.

Vasseur confident Ferrari can keep putting pressure on Red Bull

Fred Vasseur says Ferrari’s confidence in its 2024 car means it can continue to put pressure on Red Bull and take advantage of any mistakes. Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix, leading home a Ferrari one-two to add to the podium finishes …

Fred Vasseur says Ferrari’s confidence in its 2024 car means it can continue to put pressure on Red Bull and take advantage of any mistakes.

Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix, leading home a Ferrari one-two to add to the podium finishes behind Red Bull that the team had achieved in the opening two rounds. While Max Verstappen retired in Melbourne, Vasseur says mistakes are more likely from Red Bull if Ferrari can be consistently putting pressure on, and he feels that is a realistic target given the form the Scuderia is showing so far.

“Confidence is a huge part of the result in this business, and I think we are building up the confidence over the last months,” Vasseur said. “It was already the case over the last part of the season last year. [Melbourne] I think is good evidence that when we are putting everything together – and I’m not sure that we will be able to do it every single weekend – we can put them a little bit under pressure.

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“When they are under pressure, then they will also do more mistakes. It means that we have to continue in this direction. We are much more confident of the fact that we can manage this kind of level, because from lap one on day one, we were there and it was quite smooth. It’s in this situation that we are doing the best car for the Sunday.”

Vasseur attributes that added confidence to the more predictable car that has been delivered this season, as it gives Ferrari more consistency both for the drivers behind the wheel but also to then add performance with upgrades.

“I think even last year it was like this,” he said. “We are ready quite soon into the weekend, but when you have small issues or reliability issues, or not a clean weekend, then you are losing time and when you are [chasing] after Red Bull you cannot lose one lap.

“From the beginning of the season we had very consistent sessions from FP1 to the qualifying. We were a bit disappointed (in Melbourne) after the qualifying because we had the feeling that we could have done a better job, but considering the race was more based on the tire management and tire deg then it was not a drama, and [the race] was a good example.

“I’m not focused at all on the performance of Red Bull, I’m focused on the performance of our car. We made a huge step forward, perhaps on the base of one lap it’s true but we were not nowhere last year on one lap pace.

“But we made a huge step, I think it’s more on the consistency between the two compounds. Between one stint and the other one the car is much easier to drive, much easier to read also for the drivers – and much easier to develop. It’s probably the biggest step that we did compared to last year, having something that we can have at least a good read of the car quite early in the weekend.”

Horner won’t rule out Red Bull approach for Sainz

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Carlos Sainz cannot be ruled out as an option for 2025 if it opts to replace Sergio Perez next year. Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix just 16 days after having his appendix removed and missing the …

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Carlos Sainz cannot be ruled out as an option for 2025 if it opts to replace Sergio Perez next year.

Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix just 16 days after having his appendix removed and missing the previous race in Saudi Arabia, while Perez only finished fifth after a grid penalty and then getting visor tear-offs stuck to his floor. The result ended a run of nine straight Max Verstappen victories, and while Yuki Tsunoda again impressed for the junior RB team with seventh place, Horner says Sainz is showing himself to be a strong option on the driver market.

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“I think it’s still very early in the year to even be thinking about next year,” Horner said. “Yuki’s a very quick driver we know that but I think we want to feel the best pairing that we can in Red Bull Racing and sometimes you’ve got to look outside the pool as well. You’ve had a very fast unemployed driver win [in Melbourne]. The market is reasonably fluid with certain drivers.

“Based on a performance like that you couldn’t rule any possibility out, so I think you just want to take the time and obviously Checo was compromised [on Sunday]. He’s had a great start to the season too so we’re not in any desperate rush.”

Sainz is in need of a new team after Ferrari opted to sign Lewis Hamilton to partner Charles Leclerc from 2025 onwards, but his latest success matches Leclerc with three victories each since becoming team-mates in 2021.

Sunday’s victory also ensures Sainz is the only driver to stop Red Bull from winning races since the start of the 2023 season, following his victory in Singapore last year that prevented a clean sweep of victories for the team. Horner says the strength from the Spaniard is impressive but he’s expecting Red Bull to bounce back from the disappointment of Verstappen’s retirement at the next round in Japan.

“Carlos is the only driver that’s beaten Red Bull, so he appears to be our nemesis! But Suzuka is a great track. It’s a track that we’ve always performed well at, it’s Honda’s home circuit and the drivers enjoy it and love racing there so we’re looking forward to going back.”

Horner complainant appeals grievance dismissal – reports

The complainant against Christian Horner, who accused the Red Bull team principal of inappropriate behavior, has appealed the decision to dismiss her grievance, according to multiple reports. Horner was subject to an investigation throughout the …

The complainant against Christian Horner, who accused the Red Bull team principal of inappropriate behavior, has appealed the decision to dismiss her grievance, according to multiple reports.

Horner was subject to an investigation throughout the first part of this year due to allegations relating to his behavior, but after a months-long process Red Bull GmbH opted to dismiss the grievance.

The female employee — who has since been suspended on full pay by Red Bull for what RACER understands to be inaccuracies and concerns relating to the evidence given in the original investigation — was told at the time that she had a right of appeal, and both the BBC and Press Association report that option has now been taken up.

Speaking at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Horner had said Red Bull was moving on from the investigation following the initial outcome.

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“The reality is that there was a grievance that was raised,” Horner said. “It was dealt with in the most professional manner by the group, not by Red Bull Racing, but by the owners of Red Bull Racing, Red Bull GmbH, that appointed an independent KC that is one of the most reputable KCs in the land.

“He took time to investigate fully, all of the facts. He interviewed all of the people involved, together with others of interest. He looked at everything. He had all of the facts. And he came to a conclusion where he dismissed the grievance. As far as I’m concerned, as far as Red Bull is concerned, we move on and we look to the future.”

The BBC also reports that the complainant has lodged an official complaint with the FIA’s Ethics Committee, although the governing body states it cannot discuss specific situations, despite raising the subject of a potential transfer of information of a confidential nature between an F1 team principal and a member of Formula One Management (FOM) personnel in December.

“At the FIA, enquiries and complaints are received and managed by the Compliance Officer, and the Ethics Committee where appropriate,” an FIA statement read. “Both bodies operate autonomously, guaranteeing strict confidentiality throughout the process. As a consequence, and in general, we are unable to confirm the receipt of any specific complaint and it is unlikely that we will be able to provide further comment on the complaints that we may receive from any parties.”

Red Bull GmbH has been approached for comment by RACER.

‘My relationship with Helmut is no issue’ – Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists his relationship with Helmut Marko is not an issue, amid speculation about their respective futures. Horner was investigated after an allegation of inappropriate behavior was made against him, with …

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists his relationship with Helmut Marko is not an issue, amid speculation about their respective futures.

Horner was investigated after an allegation of inappropriate behavior was made against him, with the grievance being dismissed at the Bahrain Grand Prix. One week later in Saudi Arabia, Marko revealed he was also part of an investigation relating to leaks to the media, and that he could be suspended or opt to leave Red Bull if he wasn’t happy with certain conditions.

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After a meeting with Red Bull executive Oliver Mintzlaff in Jeddah, Marko stated he would be continuing and that a way forward had been agreed, and Horner says that does not have an impact on the pair of them working together moving forward.

“The rumors about suspension was as news to the team as it was to anybody else,” Horner said. “So we were quite surprised to hear that. Helmut is a contractor to Red Bull GmbH so it was an issue between there and we weren’t party or part of that discussion.

“I’ve known Helmut since 1996 and he’s played an important role over the years. That role has evolved over the years, but I’ve known him for a very, very long time and coming up to 81 years of age he’s still obviously motivated about Formula 1 which is a positive thing.

“My relationship with Helmut is no issue. He’s always outspoken but that’s Helmut.”

Horner says the second consecutive one-two finish for Red Bull in Jeddah shows the team has retained its strength as a unit despite the controversies that have made headlines over the past six weeks.

“We’re focused on winning, and that’s what we do. That’s what we’ve done (in Saudi). That’s how we’ve started this season. Obviously, I’m aware of all the noise, but it hasn’t distracted the team from the job and we are one team.

“Now obviously speculation about Helmut is speculation about Helmut. Helmut doesn’t work for me. He doesn’t work for Red Bull Racing, he works for Red Bull GmbH. But I think you can see that there’s a very clear route that he’s looking forward and wanting to continue this incredible winning streak that we’ve been on.”

No individual bigger than the team at Red Bull – Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says no individual is bigger than the team amid speculation regarding the futures of Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko. The ongoing saga at Red Bull took a number of twists during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix …

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says no individual is bigger than the team amid speculation regarding the futures of Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko.

The ongoing saga at Red Bull took a number of twists during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, with Marko suggesting he could be suspended as part of an investigation into leaks to the media relating to allegations against Horner. After a meeting with Red Bull executive Oliver Mintzlaff on Saturda, Marko stated he would continue in his role, but not before Verstappen had launched a robust defense of the advisor and said his future was heavily linked to Marko’s.

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“Firstly, Helmut is a consultant to Red Bull GmbH, so whatever the discussion was it was between them and not the team,” Horner told Sky Sports after Verstappen’s win in Jeddah. “Max is an important member of our team, a valued member of our team and a wonderful driver, but everybody has a role to play in this team.

“We are a team and no single individual is bigger than the team. That’s the only way you achieve these results.

“[Saturday] was Max’s 100th podium finish, all of which have been in Red Bull Racing cars, and it was his 56th race victory. We move ahead of Williams on 114 victories in what is only our 20th year and this is an incredibly strong team that has strength and depth that is achieving these results.”

Horner denied there was a battle for control of Red Bull, following Marko’s comments and Verstappen’s public show of backing, with Jos Verstappen having reiterated his belief that it is problematic if the team principal remains in his role.

“No, look, no. A lot is made of this stuff, but we are one team and nobody is bigger than the team. This team comprises across the different entities of over 1,400 people and everybody has a role to play, and that’s from the very bottom to the very top. Without them performing you don’t achieve performances like this and unfortunately there has been a lot of speculation this weekend, but once again our focus is very much on track.

“Obviously there’s rumblings and I’m aware of what’s been said, but Max is an important part of this team. He’s our driver and he’s doing a great job. As team principal and CEO, I’m responsible for the running and the operation of this team, so everybody has to do their part. Max is doing his part and everybody else is doing their part.”

Marko now subject of Red Bull GmbH investigation

Helmut Marko is the latest figure in the spotlight at Red Bull Racing after saying he is subject to an investigation from Red Bull GmbH following the controversy surrounding Christian Horner. The Red Bull team principal was investigated as a result …

Helmut Marko is the latest figure in the spotlight at Red Bull Racing after saying he is subject to an investigation from Red Bull GmbH following the controversy surrounding Christian Horner.

The Red Bull team principal was investigated as a result of an allegation of inappropriate behavior, but the grievance from a female colleague was dismissed just over a week ago. The complainant has now been suspended by Red Bull, and Marko (pictured at left, above, with team manager Jonathan Wheatley) suggests he too could be suspended after revealing he is being investigated himself for what RACER understands to be matters relating to leaks of information.

“It’s difficult to judge,” Marko told ORF on whether he’ll be present at the next race in Australia in his role. “But at the end of the day, I’ll decide for myself what to do … There is always the theoretical possibility (of being suspended).”

Marko later told Sky Germany that he is set to have a meeting with the CEO of Red Bull’s corporate projects, Oliver Mintzlaff, on Saturday, but threw further doubt on his future by adding: “Everything has to be right so that I want to continue working there.”

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Marko is employed by Red Bull GmbH rather than Red Bull Racing, and the team declined to comment, stating it was a matter for the parent company.

The focus on Marko is heightened due to recent reports — at this stage unverified by RACER — that Max Verstappen has a clause in his contract that could allow him to leave Red Bull should Marko depart. On the topic of Verstappen, the 80-year-old was clear that the team needs to do all it can to ensure he remains amid speculation he could join Mercedes in future.

“Max is definitely the strongest asset — there are no faster drivers at the moment. Losing him, that would be a huge loss,” Marko said. “Also for the mechanics and engineers, who all strive to work for Max.”

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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Leclerc says Ferrari ready for fine-tuning; Perez sees gap closing

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari will start fine-tuning its car on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain after the team set the pace on day two. Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz went below the 1m30s mark on Thursday afternoon to lead Red Bull’s …

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari will start fine-tuning its car on the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain after the team set the pace on day two.

Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz went below the 1m30s mark on Thursday afternoon to lead Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by three quarters of a second, with Leclerc having also been quickest in the morning session. The Monegasque says he was able to complete his run plan by staying in the car for an extra spell after an early lunch break, and believes Ferrari is making good progress with its car.

“All the answers [were achieved] because at the end we went through all our program, which is a good thing,” Leclerc said. “We have done big changes on the car and that’s what we were focusing on for these first two days. Tomorrow we will go and fine-tune a little bit more and go into the details.

“The first two days went well; however, let’s be careful because saying that the first two days went well doesn’t mean anything in terms of competitiveness, so we need to wait and see for that. My initial feeling is Red Bull remains the reference and ahead for now.”

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Despite conforming with the general paddock consensus that Red Bull has maintained its advantage, Leclerc also believes the test won’t show the full potential from any team.

“I think the first performance runs we’ll be seeing is in qualifying next week,” he said, “but yeah, every day you are trying to get a little bit more out of the car. Tomorrow is the last day, so hopefully center the car a bit more in terms of setup to where we think it’s the best and we’ll fine-tune it in order to be ready for next week.”

Sergio Perez reckons rivals are over-estimating the performance advantage of his Red Bull RB20 but admits the full picture has yet to come into focus. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images

From a Red Bull perspective, Perez insists the gaps are smaller than rivals are claiming, but believes a clearer picture will emerge on the final day of running.

“I don’t really think that we’ve had much of a look in that regard,” Perez said. “I believe that things are a lot closer than we are thinking, definitely, but at the moment we’re basically focusing on our job, we’ve been so busy with our program. Tomorrow there will be a bit more of an idea, but I think we will find out next Sunday.”

Formula 1 Testing: Red Bull, Verstappen dominate field in Bahrain Wednesday

It’s just testing, of course, but the first look of the 2024 F1 season has Red Bull on top by a large margin.

It’s important to remember that Formula 1 testing is just testing. That being said, Red Bull and Max Verstappen made sure to sweep the field anyway on the first day of testing in Bahrain on Wednesday.

While it’s hard to tell exactly what fuel loads teams are running, whether they are on a fast lap or a slow lap or trying to figure out specific aspects of the car (among a slew of other things), Verstappen cleared the rest of the grid during testing by running the most laps of any driver (143) and finishing 1.140 seconds clear of the second-place Lando Norris. The display comes after Red Bull put out a drastically different car design heading into the season, so teams will certainly be on watch after Verstappen’s dominant 2023 campaign.

Not every driver participated in testing. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton did not run on Wednesday, but they’re set to run on Thursday.

Haas ran the most laps with 144 on the day (though both drivers finished at the bottom of the standings). Williams ran the least amount of laps, with just 61 between Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant.

Here’s what the order for Bahrain testing looked like after Day 1:

Max Verstappen (Red Bull, 143 laps) [1:31.334]
Lando Norris (McLaren, 73 laps) [1:32.484]
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari, 69 laps) [1:32.584]
Daniel Ricciardo (Visa Cashapp RB, 52 laps) [1:32.599]
Pierre Gasly (Alpine, 61 laps) [1:32.805]
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin, 54 laps) [1:33.007]
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, 64 laps) [1:33.247]
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin, 77 laps) [1:33.385]
Oscar Piastri (McLaren, 57 laps) [1:33.658]
Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber, 63 laps) [1:33.871]
Logan Sargeant (Williams, 21 laps) [1:33.882]
George Russell (Mercedes, 112 laps) [1:34.109]
Yuki Tsunoda (Visa Cashapp RB, 64 laps) [1:34.136]
Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber, 68 laps) [1:34.431]
Alexander Albon (Williams, 40 laps) [1:34.587]
Esteban Ocon (Alpine, 60 laps) [1:34.677]
Kevin Magnussen (Haas, 66 laps) [1:35.692]
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas, 82 laps) [1:35.906]

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