Leclerc Tops Monaco Qualifying But Race Spot in Jeopardy After Crash

Photo Credit: FIA Pool/LAT Images/Pirelli

 

In the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix, there was a noteworthy statement made by Scuderia Ferrari’s team driver Charles Leclerc ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. He asserted that the group’s strength in the third section of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the Spanish Grand Prix was an indication that the Italian Formula 1 team would be strong on the Monte Carlo temporary street course.

Following Friday’s on-track action in Monaco, Leclerc's admittance was supported in spectacular fashion. In the second practice session the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished first and second fastest. Entering qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, there was a realistic chance the Ferrari team could capture their first pole position since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix. In the hands of the event’s home country favourite, the red car squad prevailed in qualifying although a major setback could remove the Ferrari race car from the top place on Sunday’s grid.

Posting a lap time of 1 minute, 10.346 seconds on the time chart of the Q3 session, Charles Leclerc’s #16 Ferrari clipped the turn 15 barrier in the late seconds of the final qualifying session and would crash. A red flag ended qualifying cementing the Monegasque driver as the fastest and provisional pole sitter for the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc’s starting position is contingent to the extent of the damage to the Ferrari SF21 race car. At the time this qualifying recap has been written, the Ferrari team has stated there was no serious damage spotted to the #16 car’s gearbox but an additional inspection will take place prior to Sunday race. A change to the gearbox could require the incurrence of a five-grid place penalty.

 

Said to have mixed feeling regarding the pole effort, Charles Leclerc ended his post-race Ferrari statement saying “Whatever the outcome, I will give my all tomorrow. It feels great to be at home and to see all the fans around the track. It’s Monaco, it’s very unpredictable, and also challenging for us drivers, especially in the race with so many laps.”

Photo Credit: Foto Colombo Images/Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

If not for the wrecked car at the end of the qualifying session at Monaco, Scuderia Ferrari would have had a lot to celebrate. In addition to Charles Leclerc’s top time, Carlos Sainz Jr. delivered a solid performance on Saturday ultimately resulting in a fourth place starting spot on Sunday’s grid. The struggles of the 2020 Ferrari Formula 1 team are well-documented but the COVID-19 pandemic also changed the historic brand’s intentions to commemorate their 1,000^th grand prix start. Meant to take place at the 2020 Monaco race, the event’s cancellation and the reworked Formula 1 schedule caused for a race on Ferrari’s Mugello circuit to be the thousandth event for the team in the series.

Hampered from mounting a late session charge for the pole, Max Verstappen finished Monaco Grand Prix qualifying in the second place position. Along with Ferrari, Red Bull Racing team has displayed the most consistent front-running pace during this weekend on the 19-turn, 3.337-kilometer track. Verstappen was quickest in Saturday’s practice while teammate Sergio Perez posted the fastest time in the first practice session on Friday. Perez will start the Monaco Grand Prix in ninth place as the Mexican was unable to find the same pace as Verstappen throughout qualifying citing dropping track temperatures and traffic.

Photo Credit: Steven Tee/ LAT Images/ Pirelli

The often-dominating force of the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 Team showed a more temperate performance on the tight street of Monaco. Valtteri Bottas settled for third on the grid for Sunday’s 78-lap event citing the late red flag as costing him a chance to take pole. The winner from the last Formula 1 race in Spain, Lewis Hamilton has appeared out of regular form during this weekend through practice and qualifying. Though Hamilton progressed into Q3 in qualifying, he experienced a lack of grip in his #44 Mercedes-AMG race car mustering a seventh place starting spot for the race.

Running historic Gulf oil colouring for the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, McLaren Racing had a qualifying outing that netted mixed results. Lando Norris will start Sunday’s main event from the fifth grid position but Daniel Ricciardo, 2018 winner of the Monaco Grand Prix, failed to post a top-10 time in Q2 and settling for 12^th place. The remainder of the top 10 starters is also the lone team entrants that broke into Q3. Scuderia AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly will roll off the grid in 6^th place, 2011 and 2017 Monaco winner Sebastian Vettel will start 8^th for Aston Martin Racing and Antonio Giovinazzi scored an impressive 10^th place starting spot for Alfa Romeo Racing.

Haas F1 Team’s Mick Schumacher crash in the final practice and was unable to post a time in Saturday’s qualifying at Monaco. The Formula 1 rookie will start at the rear for Sunday’s race.

Start time for the 78-lap, 2021 Monaco Grand Prix is set for 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. Eastern time).

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2021 Formula 1 Season
Monaco Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
4	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
6	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
9	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
14	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
15	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
17	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
20	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari

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One Before One Hundred: Hamilton Grabs 99th Career Pole at Imola

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

 

Having returned to the Imola Circuit for the first time in 15 years last season as part of an improvised grand prix schedule, Formula 1 cars return to the Italian track for the second year in a row for the second event in the 2021 season. In qualifying for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Max Verstappen driving for Red Bull Racing unseated Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team’s seven-year hold on claiming pole in the first grand prix. Although the Mercedes team captured ultimate glory with Lewis Hamilton winning the main feature on Sunday, the first race of 2021 showed the German factory team used to owning the top of the front row was going to face a major threat from the resurgent Austrian-based squad.

In qualifying for the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Mercedes AMG team recaptured the pole position for the first time since the last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix. With a 1-minute, 14.411-second lap time around the 4.909-kilometer race track, Lewis Hamilton place his Mercedes AMG F1 W12 E Performance race car in the prime spot ahead of Sunday’s 63-lap event. On pace to become the first Formula 1 driver to hit the triple digits in career pole positions, Hamilton’s triumph came under pressure of both Red Bull Racing drivers. Sergio Perez was just 0.035 seconds short of the lead Mercedes AMG driver’s top time while teammate Max Verstappen was 0.087 seconds off the pole sitter’s best effort.

Charles Leclerc and his Scuderia Ferrari team mounted an excellent charge in Q3 securing a second row spot at Imola. Recording a time just 0.050 seconds slower than the Ferrari, Pierre Gasly appears to have an edge in qualifying at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in two events. Gasly and his Honda-powered AlphaTauri will start fifth for the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after qualifying fourth for the race last year. Gasly’s AlphaTauri Yuki Tsunoda suffered a hard crash in the early stages of the Q1 session losing control with his car in turn 15. The Japanese driver left his vehicle unhurt and will start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the rear.

Repeating a trend occurring in qualifying during last fall’s Formula 1 event, a multitude of drivers had times deleted due to exceeding track limits. Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, Nicholas Latifi and Pierre Gasly all lost a lap time due to placing their vehicles beyond the allowed track boundaries during the three sessions in qualifying. In the Q3 session, Lando Norris’ best lap that was fast enough to place the #4 McLaren-Mercedes in third place was disallowed after exceeding track limits in turn nine. Norris settles for a seventh place starting position for Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Qualifying for the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix included also produced one of the best efforts for Williams Racing in a long time. Leaving the 2020 Formula 1 season without scoring a constructors’ championship point, both cars advanced past the opening Q1 session. After Q2, George Russell placed his #63 car in 12^th place while Canadian Nicholas Latifi earned a 14^th place starting position for Sunday.

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2021 Formula 1 Season
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Qualifying Results
Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
5	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
11	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
12	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
16	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
20	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda

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Newly-Minted 2020 F1 Champion Hamilton Takes Bahrain Grand Prix Pole

 

LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

After four events held on race tracks that were originally unplanned for the 2020 Formula 1 season prior to this year, the series’ trip to the Bahrain International Circuit served as a familiar venue for the majority of drivers and teams. Arriving for the Bahrain Grand Prix, another element of commonality of recent seasons has again been solidified. Thanks to a steady year capped with an impressive victory at the last race in Turkey, Lewis Hamilton has locked up his sixth Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship in the last seven years. With three races remaining for the 2020 season, Hamilton and his Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team (who had already locked the year’s Constructors’ Championship title) are again at the top of the motorsport world but is unwilling to rest on their laurels. 

Setting fastest laps in the first two practice sessions on Friday, Lewis Hamilton remained focused to add to his growing list of career achievements in the Persian Gulf-based country. Ahead of qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton began to face a strengthened opposition as Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team stepped up their effort to be quickest after the third and final practice.

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

As daylight escaped the Bahrain International Circuit leaving the 5.412-kilometer race track illuminated by lights, Saturday’s qualifying shaping the field for the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix commenced with far less drama than the rainy last outing in Istanbul. Only one red flag appeared over the course of the three time trial sessions occurring when the McLaren race car of Carlos Sainz Jr. stopped on track during Q2. Detailed as a braking system issue by McLaren’s Team Principal Andreas Seidl, Sainz will start Sunday’s race in 15th place.

Taking fastest times through all three sessions of qualifying, Lewis Hamilton stormed to one of his most convincing pole position efforts yet in his Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance race car. The British driver’s 98th career Formula 1 pole and 10th this season, Hamilton’s top spot at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix came after setting a time of 1-minute, 27.264 seconds in Q3. “No matter what has been thrown at us this year we’ve risen to it. For me it’s important to use these final three more races to learn as much as possible and carry that on into next year.” Commented Lewis Hamilton in a post-race news release from his team.

A little under three-tenths of a second slower than his Mercedes-AMG teammate, Valtteri Bottas provided a vital ingredient in cementing a statement of dominance for the German-based organization in qualifying. Starting 1-2 once again in the 2020 season for Sunday`s Bahrain Grand Prix, the Mercedes-AMG team has recovered one race after its streak of successful pole runs was ended in Turkish Grand Prix qualifying by Mercedes-Benz customer team Racing Point.

LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

Falling short of his performance in Saturday practice, Max Verstappen remained tight with the pace of the Mercedes-AMG team cars. The Honda-powered Red Bull RB16 driven by the Dutch pilot recorded a 1-minute, 27.678-second lap time that was just 0.125 seconds slower than Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen’s start from the second row for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix will feature the company of teammate Alexander Albon. Albon’s strong pace in the timed session came roughly 24 hours after the Thai driver suffered a major crash in a practice. In the second practice on Friday, Albon collided with the track barrier after running wide in the track’s final corner.

Fresh off a second-place finish in Istanbul, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez recorded the fifth-fastest time in the final session of qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit starting well ahead teammate Lance Stroll. Finishing the Q1 session with the second-fastest time, Stroll’s effort setting a top lap time in Q2 was complicated by the red flag as well as being equipped with used medium compound tires. The Canadian Racing Point driver will start 13th for the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The two Renault race cars finished qualifying very close together separated by Q3 lap times just 0.002 seconds apart. Australian Daniel Ricciardo edged out teammate Esteban Ocon for the sixth place starting spot. Sunday’s 57-lap event will feature an all-French fourth row as the AlphaTauri race car driven by Pierre Gasly will start alongside seventh place Ocon. Behind the two Frenchmen, Lando Norris will start the Bahrain Grand Prix in ninth place while the second AlphaTauri racer Daniil Kvyat will roll off from tenth place.

Set for a 5:10 P.M. local time in the hot desert, the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix will take place at 9:10 A.M. Eastern time. 

2020 Formula 1
Bahrain Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Bottas Outpaces Hamilton for Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Pole

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

 

Leaving Portugal after completing the country’s first Formula 1 grand prix since 1996, the premier open wheel racing group has landed back in Italy for its third race in the nation in the 2020 season. The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (commonly referred to by the name of the nearby town of Imola) is the venue for the first-ever Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Last hosting a Formula 1 event in 2006 (one year prior to the debut of both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel competing on the tour), the Imola race track has previously played host to the 1980 Italian Grand Prix and the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006. 

The 4.909-kilometer Italian race track presents relatively new pavement (presenting a similar challenge to drivers when competing at the Algarve International Circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix) resulting in a smooth yet bumpy surface. The Imola circuit is also noteworthy for being particularly narrow presenting the likelihood for a tight racing line and difficulties in passing.

The first race at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari for Formula 1 in the Turbo-Hybrid era, piloting the massively powerful machines around the circuit also involved the nuance of the event operating on a modified two-day routine. Only a single 90-minute practice session would occur ahead of the grid-setting qualifying show for Sunday’s 63-lap race. The combination of unique circumstances presented some difficulty to competitors throughout Saturday. Time deletions caused by drivers exceeding track limits plagued a number of drivers during practice for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with 60 lap times taken off the time sheet. After drivers disputed the situation with the FIA sanctioning body, the rules were amended ahead of qualifying. 

Once again, the Mercedes-AMG race car drivers led the way through all three sessions of the Saturday qualifying. Resulting in the defence of their undefeated streak of pole positions for the 2020 Formula 1 season, drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton battled each other for which one would stand at the top of the time chart in Q3 at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Cranking out a 1-minute, 13.609-second lap time, the #77 of Bottas was able to out-hustle teammate Hamilton by almost one-tenth of a second. The Finnish driver’s fourth pole position this season, Bottas has so far won just a single race from the spot in 2020 (the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix). Finishing second after Q3, Lewis Hamilton cautioned in an interview that Sunday’s race may be a boring affair due to the narrow Imola circuit. 

Photo Credit: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd

Max Verstappen’s third-fastest time in the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying was a hard-fought team effort. The Dutch driver experienced a loss of power in the early part of Q2 but his garage crew was able to repair the issue allowing the #33 Red Bull Racing car to set a time in order to advance late in the session. Verstappen will start alongside the vehicle from Red Bull Racing’s affiliate team Scuderia AlphaTauri. Churning out an impressive time with his #10 car, Frenchman Pierre Gasly recorded one of his best qualifying performances for a season where he and his team have exceeded expectations. 

Daniel Ricciardo will start in fifth place with his Renault machine on the third row with the second Honda-powered Red Bull Racing car fielded for Alexander Albon. Continuing to make a familiar appearance as the highest-qualifying Ferrari-powered race car for the 2020 Formula 1 grand prix season, Charles Leclerc is positioned seventh for the start of the race at Imola. Teammate Sebastian Vettel was only able to obtain a fourteenth place position for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix’s grid. Russian Daniil Kvyat placed a strong personal effort with AlphaTauri resulting in an eighth-fastest time in Q1 just 0.080 seconds slower than Leclerc’s Ferrari. The McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. Round out the top-10 starters for the 2020 race at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. Every vehicle qualifying in the top-10 for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will start the race on soft compound Pirelli tires. 

Photo Credit: Steven Tee/ LAT Images/ Pirelli

Beyond the top-10, a superb qualifying effort was recorded by the Williams Racing team and George Russell. Breaking out of Q1 once again in 2020 with his Mercedes-Benz powered #63 machine, Russell threatened to be a contender for Q3 at Imola. The Brit ultimately fell short of posting a top-10 time concluding Q2 in 13th place. George Russell’s qualifying performance comes on the week that where Williams Racing announced his services as driver for the team is retained for 2021.

The only driver on the current Formula 1 tour who had driven in the San Marino Grand Prix held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in 2006, Kimi Raikkonen’s experience was unfortunately not enough to lift his Alfa Romeo Racing team beyond Q1. Raikkonen was one of several drivers that had a time disallowed for exceeding track limits in qualifying. This week, the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen organization confirmed both Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi are returning as drivers for the team next season.

The 63-lap Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is set for a 1:10 P.M. local start time (7:10 A.M. Eastern time). 

2020 Formula 1
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Lucky Lewis: Hamilton Barely Escapes Q2 to Take Russian Grand Prix Pole

Photo Credit: Mark Sutton/LAT Images/Pirelli

Understanding that the word ‘chaotic’ could be used to describe many aspects of the 2020 Formula 1 season, qualifying in the series in the first nine races had concluded in a generally humdrum manner due to the talent and execution of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. As the series arrives in Sochi for this year’s Russian Grand Prix, there has not been a qualifying session in 2020 that did not result in an all-Mercedes front row on race day. 

One-half of the Mercedes-AMG F1 team’s routine of qualifying dominance came with Lewis Hamilton’s 96th Formula 1 pole position. Lapping the 5.848-kilometer race course in a time of 1-minute, 31.304 seconds in Q3 (a new track record in Russia), Hamilton is still seeking his 91st career victory in Formula 1 that will tie seven-time champion Michael Schumacher in the all-time ranking. 

Spoiling the Mercedes-AMG F1 team’s ownership of the front row for the first time in 2020, Max Verstappen posted a 1-minute, 31.867-second lap time in his Honda-powered Red Bull Racing car. Verstappen effectively split the two Mercedes drivers by being 0.089 seconds quicker than Valtteri Bottas who was able to mount a last-minute lap to better an earlier time. Starting alongside Bottas in Russia will be the Racing Point of Sergio Perez. Perez’s teammate Lance Stroll didn’t advance into Q3 due to concerns of power unit temperatures in Q2 settling for a 13th place starting spot.

Although the final Q3 session that locks in a race grid is often granted the most attention on Saturday, time trials for the Russian Grand Prix contained some of the highest suspense in the earlier sessions. Q1 and Q2 sessions of Saturday qualifying at Sochi involved several drivers having times disallowed for exceeding track limits including the eventual pole winner. With roughly two and a half minutes left in Q2, the attempts to secure a spot in the top-10 fastest cars were hindered when the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel crashed in turn 4 of the Sochi Autodrom. Vettel’s wrecked vehicle required the qualifying session to be red-flagged setting up a mad rush by many drivers and teams when Q2 would be restarted. The time remaining in the session was just enough for some drivers to complete a warm-up lap ahead of a timed lap. Lewis Hamilton lost his earlier Q2 lap time but was narrowly able to post a fourth fastest time before the session ended. In fact, Hamilton crossed the start/finish line with only seconds to spare in his Mercedes AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance race car. 

The seventh Russian Grand Prix in the modern Formula 1 era will be a 53-lap affair on Sunday.

2020 Formula 1
Russian Grand Prix
Starting Lineup

Mercedes Masters Mugello: Hamilton Starts On Pole For Tuscan Grand Prix

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

Qualifying for the 2020 Formula 1 continues to be a time that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team has embraced as a personal playground. For all but two grand prix events, Lewis Hamilton has been the dominant driver in the dominant organization claiming  pole position at the end of the traditional Saturday time trial session. Adding to impressive career statistics at well-known, historic Formula 1 tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone in 2020, Hamilton faced a unique challenge as the tour arrived at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello for the first-ever Tuscan Grand Prix.

Despite the 5.245-kilometer Ferrari-owned circuit being a personal testing course for the Prancing Horse, the Mercedes AMG team held ownership of the three practice sessions ahead of Saturday’s qualifying with Valtteri Bottas leading in all three prep periods. However, Lewis Hamilton emerged supreme at the end of qualifying for the Tuscan Grand Prix taking pole with a top Q3 time of 1-minute, 15.144 seconds. The 95th career pole position for the British driver is the fastest competitive lap set on the Mugello track. 

Lewis Hamilton narrowly beat teammate Valtteri Bottas for the top spot in the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix by a margin of just 0.059 seconds. Fastest in practice sessions, Bottas missed out on a last minute opportunity to outdo Hamilton’s when the Renault of Esteban Ocon spun on track causing a local yellow. 

Directly behind the Mercedes AMG team that occupies the front row for the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix is the two cars of Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen has shown promising pace against the Mercedes throughout the race weekend and mustered a third-fastest time in Q3 a little more than 0.3 seconds slower than Bottas. Verstappen expresses optimism in ahead of the Tuscan Grand Prix in a post-qualifying press release stating, “A Mercedes is never easy to overtake but we will give it all we have and I love this track so I'm really looking forward to the race." Recording the fourth-quickest effort for Sunday’s main event, Alexander Albon posted his most impressive qualifying results in his young Formula 1 career. 

The Tucsan Grand Prix holds a great deal of importance to the Ferrari team. Not only a race being held on their own testing track, the Mugello Circuit’s 2020 race serves as the 1,000th Formula 1 appearance for the Italian auto brand. Wearing special commemorative colours for the occasion, Charles Leclerc gave Scuderia Ferrari it’s best showing in Saturday qualifying with a fifth-fastest lap time. Leclerc will be the only Ferrari-powered entrant among the top 12 cars on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen driving a Ferrari-propelled Alfa Romeo grabbed 13th one spot ahead of the second Scuderia Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. 

Photo Credit: Pirelli & C. S.p.A.

With an uncertain Formula 1 career for 2021 after Racing Point (set to become Aston Martin next year) selecting Sebastian Vettel to pair with Lance Stroll next season, Mexican driver Sergio Perez was sixth-fastest in qualifying beating his teammate by 0.045 seconds. Perez and Stroll will effectively switch grid positions due to a one-grid place penalty assessed after an incident in the second Friday practice session. Race stewards ruled Perez was at-fault for contact with Kimi Raikkonen during the second practice when the Racing Point joined the race circuit from pit road. 

From 8th through 11th place starters for the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix are Renault-powered race cars. Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault F1 Team entry will start alongside Sergio Perez. The fifth grid row will have the McLaren driven by last week’s runner-up finisher at Monza Carlos Sainz Jr on the same row as Esteban Ocon. Lando Norris in the second McLaren is starting Sunday’s race in 11th place.

The Tuscan Grand Prix is the first race in the 2020 Formula 1 season that will run with fans in attendance.

2020 Formula 1
Tuscan Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Hamilton Reached For The Stars In US Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Daimler AG Mercedes Benz

One year ago, Lewis Hamilton put the cap on a remarkable 2015 Formula 1 season by clinching his third world championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas with victory in the race. It was after the 2015 United States Grand Prix when circumstances emerged that would preview a different 2016 for the reigning champion.

As Hamilton settled into his title-winning rhythm in the late part of last season, the other Mercedes AMG driver Nico Rosberg had broken into a late-season rush by winning the final three races. A driver who was perhaps underestimated and sometimes discounted compared to his proven teammate, Rosberg carried his new-found momentum after the United States Grand Prix into the early races of 2016. Now, as Formula 1 returns for the 2016 event at the Circuit of the Americas, it is the German driver who holds an advantage on Hamilton. However, with four races remaining and a 33-point lead for Rosberg, the twisty 20-turn, 5.516-kilometer track in Texas provides a showdown in the twilight of a season.

With pole position at stake on Saturday afternoon, the fight for the qualifying supremacy in the United States Grand Prix became the latest show of equality between the title contenders Mercedes AMG drivers jostled for the top spot throughout qualifying. Lewis Hamilton posted the top time in Q1 while Nico Rosberg was faster in a Q2 session where Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo was the ultimate quickest. Hamilton's late lap in Q3 at a time of 1-minute, 34.999 seconds was the edge the Brit needed for his first pole at the Circuit of the Americas 0.216 seconds faster than teammate Rosberg. Despite coming short in qualifying at track, Sunday's main event has been highly fortune for Hamilton who won on three of the four races held on the circuit.

As Mercedes AMG race cars achieved a front row lockout for the 11th grand prix in 2016, Red Bull Racing again appeared highly visible as the second-best team on the current Formula 1 grid for the 2016 United States Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo outran fellow Red Bull-TAG Heuer racer Max Verstappen. Ricciardo will be the highest driver at the start of Sunday's race to start on Pirelli's Supersoft compound tires. The pattern of teams dominating grid rows continued with the Scuderia Ferrari team. Kimi Raikkonen is placed in the 5th place spot beside 6th place Sebastian Vettel.

Photo Credit: Foto Studio Columbo Per Pirelli Media

Announcing new plans for the 2017 season earlier this month involving a switch to the Renault team, German driver Nico Hulkenberg posted the seventh fastest time in qualifying in association with his current Force India outfit. Williams Martini Racing's Valtteri Bottas joins Hulkenberg on the fourth row while teammate Felipe Massa will starting one spot behind in ninth. Carlos Sainz Jr driving a Toro Rosso-Ferrari is the final driver settled into the top-10 for the United States Grand Prix.

No grid place penalties for mechanical changes or dispensary reasons means all 22 Formula 1 drivers will start in their qualifying positions. The 2016 United States Grand Prix is slated for a 2 PM local starting time (3 PM in the eastern time zone).

2016 Formula 1
United States Grand Prix
Starting Lineup

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
8 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
9 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
11 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
12 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
13 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
14 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
15 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
16 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
17 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
18 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
19 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
20 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
22 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz

By A Narrow Margin, Rosberg Beats Hamilton for Japanese GP Pole

The remaining five races in the 2016 Formula 1 season has the promise to be a tight battle between Mercedes AMG drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Braking away from the remainder of the grand prix race grid in a similar way as happened in the previous two seasons, the Mercedes AMG team is all but guaranteed to clinch the manufacturers' championship. As for the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship, never before in the previous two championship seasons for the German factory organization has resulted in such a fierce battle into the latter stages. Following a bizarre Malaysian Grand Prix last week, Rosberg leads Hamilton by 23 points.

A week after the race where Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo won following Nico Rosberg's lap 1 contact from Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton suffering a power unit failure while leading, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka presents a chance to add another chapter to the circuit's storied history for affecting world championships. For qualifying at the 18-turn, 5.807-kilometer track defined for requiring power, balance and durability from a race machine, Suzuka epitomized the uncertainty of this year's championship.

In the final stage of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, the difference between the Mercedes AMG race cars was just 0.013 seconds. At the end, it was Nico Rosberg that inched his way to a 8th pole position for the 2016 season. The third consecutive year that the German driver will be starting at the front of the race in Suzuka, Rosberg is still chasing his first victory on the track while teammate and front row starter Lewis Hamilton is hunting for this third victory in a row in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Ferraris led the way in the Q1 session in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying with Sebastian Vettel claiming a slight 0.015-second advantage on teammate Kimi Raikkonen. At the conclusion of the time trials, the two drivers were the second fastest team. Raikkonen was slated to start third on the grid for Sunday's race but his team would need to make a late change of his Ferrari's gearbox resulting in an 8th place starting spot. The second Ferrari of Vettel will also not be able to assume the fourth place starting spot. Following the last race incident, Sebastian Vettel was assessed a three-place grid penalty starting 6th. Vettel is the most winning active Formula 1 driver at Suzuka with four event wins on the track.

Promoted to the second row for the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing team continues to be floating on a wave of success and fortune following the 1-2 finish in Malaysia. The youngster Max Verstappen is starting third while Daniel Ricciardo will be fourth on the grid.

Aside from Mercedes AMG, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, two other teams have inserted their two drivers into the top-10 at Suzuka. Sergio Perez will lead the charge of Force India powered Mercedes-Benz race cars in Japan by grabbing the 5th spot. Nico Hulkenberg will launch from 9th place. Attempting to iron out some late season bugs in what has otherwise been a decent rookie season, Haas F1 Team ended up with both drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez in the top-10.

In addition to Scuderia Ferrari team cars, two other drivers have been demoted to the back of the Japanese Grand Prix due to penalties due to mechanical repairs. At the back of the field serving a grid penalty is the Manor Racing car for Pascal Wehrlein who's team switched the gearbox ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Also announced hours before the race's start was news from McLaren Honda that Jenson Button would drop to the back of the grid field due to a engine change. Button's final race at Suzuka as a Formula 1 competitor, the 2011 winner of the Japanese Grand Prix starts in an unremarkable position for a track he fondly races.

Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix will be a 53-lap event set for 2:00 PM local time (1:00 AM Eastern time).

2016 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Grid 

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
6 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
7 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
8 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
11 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
16 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
19 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
20 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda

Rosberg Hot Lap Wins Belgian GP Pole While Hamilton Feels the Heat

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Coming back after a nearly month-long summer break, competitors of the 2016 Formula 1 season had time to ponder the first 12 grand prix races of the season in relative quietness. Returning to the cockpit at the historical Spa-Francorchamps that has been a favourite for many drivers, reflection must turn to reaction for the teams and their pilots in order to make the final 9 races count,

Into the second stretch of the 2016 Formula 1 tour, one of the most anticipated stories is the contentious on-track rivalry between Mercedes AMG's drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Rosberg started the 2016 season off on a high note by winning the first four races on the calendar but fell from grace when his reigning world champion Hamilton returned to this winning ways and was successfully able to turn up the intimidation factor on his German teammate. Lewis Hamilton has accumulated a 19-point lead on Nico Rosberg thanks to strong results in the months of June and July. The Belgian Grand Prix has been storied to bringing the competitive Mercedes AMG teammates to a boiling point in 2014 when the cars collided in a lap two incident. For the start of the 2016 edition of the Belgian Grand Prix, it's unlikely a repeat of the 2014 race will occur.

Qualifying for the 2016 Grand Prix of Belgium saw Nico Rosberg claiming an advantage of pole position for a sixth time this season. Lapping the 7.004-kilometer Spa-Francorchamps track with a 1-minute, 46.744-second lap time in Q3, Rosberg's effort was .0149 seconds faster than fellow front row starter Max Verstappen driving a Red Bull-TAG Heuer machine. Verstappen was able to greatly outrun his Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo who settles for a fifth place starting spot.

Still chasing a team victory for 2016, Scuderia Ferrari teammates claim the second row of the grid for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen starts third after registering a Q3 lap time almost two-tenths of a second quicker than teammate Sebastian Vettel. The two former Formula 1 World Champions collectively hold six victories in the grand prix event (Raikkonen with four and Vettel with two).

Both cars belonging to Force India and Williams Martini Racing teams are found in the latter part of the top-10. Starting 9th, Jenson Button is continuing the show the improvement of the McLaren-Honda team following the 2015 qualifying session where only the Manor Marussia cars were slower than their pace. Speaking off the Manor Racing team, Pascal Wehrlien and his crew were able to accomplish an impressive feat for the organization by cracking into the Q2 session of qualifying. Wehrlein will start 16th with a Manor-Mercedes race car in Belgium ahead of his new teammate Esteban Ocon. A 2015 GP3 Series champion, the Frenchman Ocon replaces Indonesian Rio Haryanto who is now the Manor Racing team's reserve driver.

As Nico Rosberg took pole, Lewis Hamilton's weekend requiring power unit changes to this Mercedes AMG race car resulted in qualifying being an uncontested affair for matter for the Brit. Clocking 21st in the Q1 session and starting 22nd on Sunday, Hamilton logged a slow time just to insure a grid spot. While Nico Rosberg has the potential of retaking the point lead by winning the grand prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton has a likelihood of minimizing the damage by achieving a finish inside the top-10.

Start time for the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix is set for 2 PM local time (8 AM Eastern time).
           

2016 Formula 1
Belgian Grand Prix
Starting Lineup

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
6 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
8 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
9 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
10 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
11 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
13 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
16 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
17 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
18 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
19 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
20 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
21 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
22 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz

Hamilton's Pole Leads Magnificent Mercedes-Benz Showing in Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

With almost a month passing between late July's Hungarian Grand Prix and this weekend's event on the famed Spa-Francorchamps course, a summer break must have certainly given drivers as well as whole teams time to consider their progress in the 2015 Formula 1 season. After 10 races down, the Belgian Grand Prix provides the ideal opportunity to advance on success found in the season so far or to establish a better course through the nine remaining events on the tour.

Back in the saddle again, 20 drivers belted into their highly-tuned, hybrid-powered race machines were unleashed for Belgian Grand Prix qualifying on the quick, challenging 7.004-kilometer track. Transitioning from a slower, tight circuit they last competed on in July, pilots of Formula 1 drivers once again familiarized themselves with blazing fast speeds. For drivers seated inside vehicles propelled by Mercedes-Benz, the time trial was an exceptional return to 2015 competition.

As if nothing his changed over the static period of August, the Mercedes AMG added to their undefeated streak in qualifying for 2015. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg decided not to play any games by sweeping 1-2 in all sessions of the Saturday time trials at Spa-Francorchamps. Trading the top spot in Q1 and Q2, the Mercedes AMG teammates fought in a contentious Q3 session. With a 1-minute, 47.197-second lap time, the pole went to Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton`s top time was 0.458 seconds faster than teammate Nico Rosberg`s best run and more than 1.3 seconds quicker than third place in qualifying. The front row start for Mercedes AMG in Belgium is also the team`s 22nd consecutive pole. The current Formula 1 record of pole positions claimed by the vehicles of a single constructor is Williams with 24 scored from 1992 through to 1993.

A season-best effort, Williams Martini Racing driver Valtteri Bottas will be starting in third place. The result for Bottas equals the team's best qualifying spot of the year obtained by Felipe Massa in Australia. Massa starts in sixth place on Sunday. Once again, the efforts of Mercedes-Benz power units proved to be the go-to method for going fast in the 2015 Formula 1 season. The top-five vehicles in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying are powered by gasoline/electric propulsion from the German automaker. Unfortunately, a gearbox charge for the Lotus-Mercedes race car of Romain Grosjean will demote the entry to the ninth-place spot on Sunday's starting grid. Taking the fourth place position Grosjean occupied, Force India and driver Sergio Perez have backed-up on a stunning performance in practice at Spa-Francorchamps. The Mercedes-powered Force India's best finish this season is a sixth-place effort accomplished by Nico Hulkenberg. 

First to break the Mercedes-Benz brigade in qualifying for the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo and his Red Bull-Renault's lap time was narrowly placed between Perez and Massa. With Ricciardo's Red Bull Racing car starting 5th on the grid Sunday, the second team car driven by Daniil Kvyat will start the race in the 12th place spot.

Starting on the fourth row of the 2015 Belgian Grand Prix grid beside the Lotus-Mercedes of Pastor Maldonado is the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel. The most recent Formula 1 race winner, Vettel's car will be the only Ferrari-powered vehicle within the top-10 for the main event. Ferrari factory teammate Kimi Raikkonen is starting in 14th spot after not making a lap in Q2. The reason for Raikkonen's inaction after Q1 was an oil pressure issue.

This weekend, the McLaren Honda team has been utilizing revised power unit for the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite the cars driven by Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso being assessed a collective 105-grid position penalty for changes made by the team, the result is only a back of the grid starting spot for both McLaren-Honda vehicles. Thanks to a recently amended rule in Formula 1, there will be no further penalties in future races for this weekend's changes. On-track, it appears the Honda power unit with the McLaren chassis is still struggling to find speed to outrun all-but the Manor Maruassia cars in Belgium.

Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix is scheduled for 44 laps for a 2:00pm local time start (8:00am Eastern time).

 

2015 Formula 1

Belgian Grand Prix

Starting Grid

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
2	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
4	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	Renault
6	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	Mercedes-Benz
7	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Ferrari
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Mercedes-Benz
10	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Red Bull	Renault
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	Ferrari
14	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Ferrari
15	12	Felipe Nasr	Sauber	Ferrari
16	28	Will Stevens	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
17	98	Roberto Merhi	Manor Marussia	Ferrari
18	33	Max Verstappen	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Renault
19	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	Honda
20	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	Honda