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Charles Leclerc took a sensational and surprise pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, as McLaren’s dominant pace over the weekend so far evaporated at the climax of Formula 1 qualifying.The McLarens had led both Q1 and Q2 by some margin, and Lando Norris had set a 1m14.8s in the intermediate stage – but neither of them got anywhere close to that pace in their final runs in …Keep reading

Oscar Piastri pipped Lando Norris to the top spot in the Hungarian Grand Prix’s final practice session, as McLaren delivered a devastating blow to the Formula 1 field in the prelude to qualifying.With 15 minutes left on the clock in the session, Piastri had taken new softs and embarked on a second soft-tyre run of the session; the Australian pulled the pin and posted a 1m14.916s, at that point …Keep reading

Kalle Rovanpera extended his Rally Finland lead on Saturday morning despite suffering a puncture, as changeable weather continued to create drama at the World Rally Championship event.The Toyota driver picked up from where he left off on Friday, winning three of the four gravel stages to increase his 4.9s overnight advantage over Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville to 14.7s.Rovanpera admitted he …Keep reading

Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has lamented a “big, big struggle” with his Formula 1 car’s balance following the first two practice sessions for the Hungarian Grand Prix.Hamilton did take fifth and sixth over the two practice sessions at Hungaroring, but he was nearly half a second slower than team-mate Charles Leclerc in the opening session, then three tenths away in FP2.“Today was …Keep reading

Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner is finalizing the purchase of the Tech3 MotoGP team, Motorsport.com has learned.Sources close to both parties estimate the deal, involving the structure founded in 1990 by Herve Poncharal and Guy Coulon, at just over €20million.Tech3 made its debut in the premier class in 2001 after winning the 250cc world championship with Olivier …Keep reading

Stewards have handed Ott Tanak a five-minute penalty and a suspended World Rally Championship 35-point deduction following an incident involving a scrutineer at Rally Finland.The incident occurred at the end of Friday’s stage seven, which proved to be eventful for the championship leader after sliding off the road and striking a tree. The impact caused damage to the cooling system of …Keep reading

Kalle Rovanperä has explained the factors behind new speed that elevated the Toyota driver to the lead of a World Rally Championship gravel event for the first time in almost a year.The two-time world champion has been renowned for his impressive pace on loose surface rallies particularly when the conditions become slippery, having racked up 13 of his 16 WRC wins on gravel.“Obviously it …Keep reading

Toyota development driver Brent Crews is forming a NASCAR Truck Series team, called Brent Crews Motorsports.The new race team will make its debut at Watkins Glen on August 8th, and Crews will be driving the No. 70 Toyota. Pristine Auction will serve as the primary sponsor. As the team gets off the ground, they will operate out of the Nitro Motorsports Trans-Am shop, located in Mooresville …Keep reading

Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä emerged from an intense multi-crew fight with a slender Rally Finland lead after battling through tricky changeable conditions on Friday. There were question marks over the two-time World Rally Championship champion’s form having struggled on gravel this year, and despite not being overly comfortable with his “flat out” approach, it was enough to end Friday …Keep reading

Max Verstappen says “nothing really works” on his Red Bull F1 car setup as he finished the Hungarian Grand Prix’s Friday sessions adrift of the frontrunners.Verstappen finished the afternoon’s FP2 session in a lowly 14th position, 1.1s adrift of leader Lando Norris and behind cars from Haas, Aston Martin as well as his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.The reigning world champion rued a lack of …Keep reading