September 16, 2024

Lewis Hamilton says he had to “yank” the steering wheel to overcome crippling balance issues with his Mercedes in Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Hamilton qualified seventh on Saturday after a difficult qualifying session, explaining Mercedes had found one of its car components was “not correctly built” and led him up the wrong set-up direction.His lowly qualifying position prompted Mercedes’ …Keep reading

Ferrari and Toyota have conceded the World Endurance Championship drivers’ title to Porsche with one race left to run after Sunday’s Fuji round. The two manufacturers chasing the German marque in the Hypercar classification have admitted that their chances of taking the crown at November’s Bahrain finale are over after points leaders Lauren Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre took …Keep reading

Well done Baku – you’ve managed another year of hosting a thrilling Formula 1 race. The race-long duel between Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri set the key narrative for this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but a wealth of action throughout the field all fought for second billing across the 51-lap race.Of course, the stark differences in speeds between the Neftchilar Avenue ‘straight’ and the tight …Keep reading

Formula 1 fans were treated to an unfamiliar sight in Baku as Max Verstappen was outqualified by Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez for the first time in 33 races, before being well beaten in the race. How did the world champion’s weekend go so wrong?It was particularly odd that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ended up being Perez’s best race in 18 months, and that the Mexican was genuinely in contention …Keep reading

A new technical intrigue has arisen in the aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with McLaren’s rear wing under the spotlight.Footage from the rear-facing onboard camera on Oscar Piastri’s MCL38 showed the upper flap distorting under load, with the most visible aspect of this being the outer leading edge of the upper flap which tilts upwards as speed builds.This could potentially give rise to a …Keep reading

The day before Motorsport.com sidled into the back of Haas’s garage at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oliver Bearman had already made a point of getting to know all his mechanics working in this critical spot.He’d gone around the whole Haas squad and said hello on Thursday – a new bundle of energy after the American team had gotten used to the laid-back unruffledness of two season pros in …Keep reading

Sami Pajari says there is no pressure to deliver results in his surprise two extra World Rally Championship Rally1 outings in Chile and Central Europe.Toyota announced last week that the Finnish rising star would replace its full-time driver Takamoto Katsuta in Chile to pilot one of the team’s four GR Yaris Rally1 entries at the gravel rally (26-29 September).It was also announced that Pajari …Keep reading

Porsche’s Kevin Estre felt Toyota rival Ryo Hirakawa was “blocking me everywhere” despite being shown blue flags on an outlap in Sunday’s Fuji WEC race.Long-time race leader Estre encountered the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID of Hirakawa at the beginning of the sixth hour after the Japanese driver came into the pits relatively early for his final pitstop.Driving the #6 Porsche Penske 963 LMDh …Keep reading

Bahrain will host Formula 1 pre-season testing next season despite its slot shift on the 2025 calendar.As reported by Motorsport.com, teams will use the Bahrain International Circuit to prepare for the final campaign under the current technical regulations across three days, between 26 and 28 February.It will be the fifth year in a row that Bahrain hosts pre-season testing and the sixth time …Keep reading