The dust has hardly settled after Mexico, and it’s straight onto the Sprint weekend in Brazil.
ALO missed the media day (receiving treatment for an intestinal infection) and Ollie Bearman (BEA) is replacing an ill MAG.
Free Practice
- FP1: NOR (1:10.610), RUS, BEA, PIA, ALB
Red Bull have replaced some of VER’s engine components so he’ll start the race (not the sprint) with a 5-place penalty
NOR thought about passing PER on the entry to the pit lane
COL seemed to be over-driving the Williams
BEA pushed the Haas to P3
(Only one FP session because it’s a Sprint weekend)
GAS has been summoned to see the stewards for being late to the drivers’ meeting, and LEC for swearing in the press conference.
Sprint Qualifying
Air temperature 21°C; track 42°C; it’s windy, overcast and there’s rain in the distance
Sprint Qualifying session 1 (SQ1)
SQ1 is 12 mins; medium compound tyres are mandatory
LEC 1:11.654
GAS 1:11.630
OCO 1:11.520
PER 1:11.162
ALB 1:11.015
RUS 1:10.870
NOR 1:10.672
LAW 1:10.576
PIA 1:10.265
3mins left; bottom 5 are ALO, BOT, STR, ZHO, COL
A few improvements near the top of the timing sheet
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are ALO, BOT, STR, ZHO, COL
ALO P11, GAS P16
ZHO P19
STR P15, OCO P16
GAS P11, STR P16
OCO P15, TSU P16
NOR 1:09.477
COL P9, ALO P16
Back of the grid: ALO, OCO, TSU, STR, ZHO
Qualifying session 2
SQ2 is 10 mins; medium compound tyres are mandatory
Long queue of cars waiting for the green light
RUS 1:09.683
NOR 1:09.063
3mins left; bottom 5 are COL, BOT, BEA, HUL, LAW
HUL P9, HAM P11
BEA P5, PER P11
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are PER, HAM, COL, BOT, LAW
LAW P9, HUL P11
(PER pits)
BOT P15
HAM P11
Middle of the grid: HAM, HUL, PER, COL, BOT
Top 10 shootout is between NOR, PIA, LEC, VER, SAI, GAS, BEA, RUS, LAW, ALB
Qualifying session 3
The cloud cover is getting thicker; the track has dropped to 37°C; humidity 82%
SQ3 is 8 mins; soft compound tyres are mandatory (ignore the official timing data that says some are on mediums)
PIA 1:09.225
NOR 1:08.928
ALB P3
GAS P3
BEA P4 – he hit the kerbs pretty hard
LAW P5
SAI P3
BEA’s lap time is deleted
LEC P2
Order after the first run: NOR, LEC, PIA, SAI, RUS, LAW, ALB, VER, BEA, RUS
PIA 1:08.899
VER P4
RUS P6
Front of the grid: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, ALB, BEA
SAI is P5, same as all the other Sprint Quali sessions this season!
Provisional Sprint grid: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, ALB, BEA, HAM, HUL, PER, COL, BOT, ALO, OCO, TSU, STR, ZHO
Penalties
GAS was late to the drivers’ meeting: no further action
LEC swearing in the press conference: fined €10,000, €5,000 of which is suspended on condition that there is no further breach of a similar nature within the next 12 months.
Sprint Race
Sprint grid: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, ALB, BEA, HAM, HUL, PER, COL, BOT, OCO, TSU; starting from the pit lane are ALO, STR and ZHO after they all made setup changes during parc ferme
PIA leads everyone away on the formation lap
Everyone on medium compound tyres
01/24: PIA leads into Turn 1, defending from his teammate
VER filling LEC’s mirrors
HAM’s dropped 3 places!?
02: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, HUL, BEA, ALB, PER, COL, HAM, OCO, BOT, TSU, ALO, STR, ZHO
DRS enabled
03: VER uses DRS and looks around the outside of LEC but the Ferrari defends
04: LEC fastest lap 1:11.914 (but there’s no point for f/lap in the Sprint)
Replay of the start shows HAM having to back off behind ALB
Replay also showed VER lock up into Turn 1 as he dived under LEC
05/24: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, HUL, BEA
06: Radio from NOR, “I’m close enough” – is that to trigger team order?
07: VER f/lap 1:11.906
NOR has fallen out of DRS range of PIA, and now LEC has DRS behind NOR
BEA takes P9 from teammate HUL
09: PER all over HUL’s rear wing… and takes P10
Radio for PIA, “Give Lando DRS”
10/24: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, BEA, PER
STR takes P18 from teammate ALO
11: LEC closing on NOR
PER takes P8 from BEA
12: No DRS for NOR again,, so LEC and VER close on him
13: VER has a look inside LEC; not close enough
15/24: PIA, NOR, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, PER, BEA
ALO has reclaimed P18 from STR
17: PER dives inside LAW but locks up, so LAW stays P8
18: VER around LEC to take P3
McLaren should have swapped NOR and PIA while VER and LEC were fighting; now NOR will have to defend from VER
19: NOR slides the tail out
LEC has already fallen over 1.5sec behind VER
COL has a wobble and HAM takes P12
20/24: PIA, NOR, VER, LEC, SAI, RUS, GAS, LAW, HUL, BEA
PER forces his car inside LAW to take P8
21: HUL has stopped off track
HAM takes P11 from BEA
HUL is rolling down the grass, presumably trying to get clear of the action
22: PIA lets NOR take P1
VER closing on PIA
PIA not happy about the swap
VSC deployed – McLaren made the change just in time
23[VSC]: NOR, PIA, VER, LEC, SAI, RUS, GAS, PER, LAW, ALB, HAM, BEA, COL, OCO, TSU, BOT, ZHO, ALO, STR; out: HUL
Radio from VER complaining PIA is going too slowly – he’s always got to have something to moan about
24[VSC]; HUL’s car has been removed; VSC ending soon
VSC ends and VER immediately dives at PIA
OCO takes P13 from BEA
NOR takes the chequered flag
Provisional Sprint result: NOR, PIA, VER, LEC, SAI, RUS, GAS, PER; LAW, ALB, HAM, COL, OCO, BEA, TSU, BOT, ZHO, ALO, STR
DNF: HUL
Penalty: VER given 5-sec penalty and 1 penalty point for going to fast under the VSC (ironically, given VER wanted the stewards to look at PIA for going too slowly) – that drops VER to P4 behind LEC
Sprint result: NOR, PIA, LEC, VER, SAI, RUS, GAS, PER; LAW, ALB, HAM, COL, OCO, BEA, TSU, BOT, ZHO, ALO, STR
Qualifying
Reminder: VER has a 5 grid spot penalty for a series of engine component changes
Heavy rain has caused Quali to be delayed from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning
Unfortunately that means some of the Senna tributes (and an F4 race) have been cancelled
Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
Everyone on track, aiming to set a quick time before the rain starts
LAW off in Turn 12 – yellow flags
NOR 1:31.608
ZHO off at T12 too; more yellow flags; spins around and rejoins
COL in the barriers at T3; red flags; 8:50 left of Q1 [video]
Rain’s getting heavier
Chequered flag; back of the grid: HAM, BEA, COL, HUL, ZHO
Qualifying session 2
Most running on full wet tyres; a few gambling on inters
SAI in the barriers; red flag but there’s 5:51 left of Q2 [video]
Queue forming, waiting for the restart
STR off; red flag; 0:46 left so Q2 won’t restart
Middle of the grid: BOT, VER*, PER, SAI, GAS (*VER’s penalty will mean he starts P17)
Qualifying session 3
ALO’s in the tyre wall; red flag; 6:59 left but more rain expected
PIA spins
TSU spins off at T4 but recovers
ALB off – that’s a big one; red flags; 3:31 remains
Radio from ALB asking if his brakes failed (I think it’s because he touched a white line)
Q3 resumes
Chequered flag; order is NOR, ALB, PIA, OCO, RUS, LEC, TSU, LAW, ALO, STR
LAW P2
TSU P2
OCO P3
NOR 1:23.405
RUS P2
LEC P6
PIA P8
Provisional grid: NOR, RUS, TSU, OCO, LAW, LEC, ALB, PIA, ALO, STR, BOT, VER*, PER, SAI, GAS, HAM, BEA, COL, HUL, ZHO
VER, of course, is whining about the stewards – sounds like he thinks they deliberately didn’t red flag Q2 as soon as STR crashed in order to let others get ahead of him… however BBC checked and it didn’t make a difference to VER’s position
NOTE: the race has been rescheduled! It will start 90 minutes earlier (1230pm local time, 1030am my time) to try to avoid the rain that’s forecast later this afternoon.
Race
Pit lane is open; drivers can make their way to the grid
Williams have withdrawn ALB as they were not able to rebuild his car following his Q3 crash
FIA have confirmed ALB’s P7 grid spot will be left empty (rather than everyone moving up one place)
Grid: NOR, RUS, TSU, OCO, LAW, LEC, ALB, PIA, ALO, STR, BOT, PER, GAS, HAM, BEA, VER, COL, HUL, ZHO; SAI has to start from the pit lane due to changes made during parc ferme
Air temperature 23°C; track 28°C; humidity 86%
Radio for BEA, “Expecting more rain about 20 minutes into the race”, then it’ll ease off before coming back harder!
NOR leads everyone away on the formation lap
STR spins, taps the wall! He tries to spin it around and now he’s beached it in the gravel!
The grid forms up but STR’s Aston Martin is in the gravel trap and he’s out of the car
Aborted start – NOR leads them around on another formation lap
Why are some cars still sitting on the grid?
COL had stopped in the wrong grid spot
What a mess!
Radio for VER blaming it on “the front”, i.e. trying to get McLaren penalised again
The start has been delayed; mechanics are allowed onto the grid to reset the cars
NOR has been noted for a “starting procedure infringement”; under investigation
Given everyone crossed the line and went around the lap, aren’t they all guilty?
Meanwhile SAI is still sitting at the end of the pit lane
NOR leads everyone away on another formation lap… and it’s starting to rain
Radio from NOR confirming there’s rain
Back of the grid very slow to get going
Hopefully they remember to leave P7 (ALB) and P10 (STR) empty
01/70: RUS leads into Turn 1
LEC takes P5 from LAW
Yellow flag – PER spins, recovers
02: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, LAW, PIA, ALO, GAS, HAM, VER, COL, BEA, HUL, BOT, ZHO, SAI, PER; out: ALB, STR
VER easily past HAM for P10
03: RUS fastest lap 1:25.804
(No DRS because it’s a wet race)
Radio from SAI, “Heavy rain in sector 3”
04: NOR f/lap 1:25.402
Yellow flag – BEA off but recovers in P17
05/70: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, LAW, PIA, ALO, GAS, VER
NOR 1:25.165
VER inside GAS to take P9
Incident involving BEA and COL noted
06: RUS has DRS behind RUS
VER has taken P8 from ALO
Start procedure infringement noted for RUS, TSU, LAW (Is that the first start of this time?)
07: VER f/lap 1:24.311
09: TSU over 4sec behind NOR
10/70: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, LAW, PIA, VER, ALO, GAS, HAM, HUL, COL, BOT, SAI, BEA, PER, ZHO
RUS 1:24.238
PIA leaves the door wide open and VER takes P7
Replay shows BEA tagged the rear of COL
BEA given 10-sec penalty for that collision; he asks “Why? He didn’t even lose any time” – well, you hit him!
11: VER swerving behind LAW, trying to let the junior-team driver know to let him through
12: RUS f/lap 1:23.928
Yellow flag – HAM off, rejoins P12
COL inside HAM to take P12
BEA and PER pass BOT
13: VER f/lap 1:23.430
Start procedure infringements will be investigated after the race… but they only mention RUS, TSU, LAW – no mention of NOR
14: Radio for PIA telling him “expect this rain to lap 30”
15/70: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, VER, LAW, PIA, ALO, GAS
16: COL and HAM both have a moment, a snap of oversteer for each of them
GAS past ALO for P9
Radio from NOR complaining his McLaren is “slow on the straights”
17: TSU has OCO, LEC and VER on his tail
18: Radio from HUL, “It’s getting slippery with the worn tyres here”
NOR starts closing on RUS again
19: HAM locks up; SAI steals P13
HAM tries to defend but BEA takes P14
20/70: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, VER, LAW, PIA, GAS, ALO, HUL, COL, SAI, BEA, HAM, PER, BOT, ZHO; out: ALB, STR
Radio from HAM complaining that his Mercedes is bouncing, describes it as “undriveable”
RUS is also complaining about braking problems with his Mercedes
21: SAI closes on COL
23: Race control have modified the race distance – it’s now a 69 lap race
Radio from VER whining about LAW not leaving him space – oh, the irony!
SAI slides wide; rejoins P15
The rain’s getting harder
25/69: RUS, NOR, TSU, OCO, LEC, VER, LAW, PIA, GAS, ALO, HUL, BEA, HAM, COL, SAI, PER, BOT, ZHO
LEC pits from P5; new inters go on; rejoins P13
Shouldn’t Ferrari have pitted SAI first to see whether inters are the right choice?
26: LAW spins; rejoins P9
NOR closing on RUS, despite repeatedly asking to pit for new tyres
Lap times are dropping off, so is it time for full wets?
Radio for NOR telling him LEC pitted and is stuck in traffic
27: HUL off; his stopped on the edge of the track; yellow flags but shouldn’t it be a SC?
VSC enabled
28[VSC]: PIA pits, followed by ALO, BEA, HAM, SAI, PER
They’re all taking on new inters; ah, PER on full wets
RUS and HAM have been reported to the stewards for changing tyre pressures on the second grid
VSC ending
29[VSC]: RUS and NOR pit; both on inters
VSC ended while the leaders were in the pits
RUS and NOR rejoin P4 and P5 respectively
Incident involving PIA and LAW under investigation; replay shows PIA tagged LAW’s rear left
PIA’s given a 10-sec penalty
30/69: OCO, VER, GAS, RUS, NOR, TSU, LEC, PIA, ALO, BOT, HAM, LAW, SAI, PER, BEA, COL, ZHO
TSU, LAW and ZHO are the only ones on full wet tyres
NOR inside RUS to take P4
SC deployed – don’t see anyone off, so it must be because of the rain
31[SC]: OCO, VER, GAS all stay out
Replay shows LAW tap HAM in Turn 1 but they both continue
COL pits; inters; rejoins P16
32[SC]: SkySports rattle off everyone under investigation – it’s a long list!
COL has gone off – bit impact – he’s stranded in the middle of the track (Do Williams have any spares left?)
Red flag
Order is OCO, VER, GAS, NOR, RUS, TSU, LEC, PIA, ALO, LAW, HAM, BOT, SAI, PER, BEA, ZHO, HUL; out: COL, ALB, STR
HUL has been reported for continuing after receiving assistance (i.e. getting him going after off on lap 27)
Haas are replacing BEA’s front wing, under FIA observation
HUL has been black flagged (disqualified) for that assisted restart
Replay shows four marshals lift HUL’s car up to help him clear the drain on which he was beached
Race control say it will be a rolling start behind the SC; race will resume at 1402hrs local time
Drivers are getting back into their cars, except HUL whose Haas has been pushed into the garage following his disqualification
New penalties: RB (Red Bull’s junior team) have been fined €100 for TSU speeding in the pit lane (twice, so €200)
33[SC]: Berndt Maylander, SC driver, leads everyone out of the pit lane
BEA and ZHO are on the grass
SC heads into the pits
That’s terrible – where was the warning that the SC was coming in? And what about 2 cars going off before the restart?
34: OCO leads away on the restart
NOR runs wide, rejoins alongside RUS but he lets RUS take P4
LEC runs wide too
35/69: OCO, VER, GAS, RUS, NOR, LEC, PIA, TSU, ALO, HAM
HAM takes P9 from ALO
36: Onboard footage shows there is almost zero visibility
BEA is on SAI’s tail.. but he loses the tail, spins into the tyre wall… but he’s kept the Haas moving and manages to rejoin
37: OCO is over 3sec clear of VER
38: Yellow flag – BEA runs wide, rejoins
39: ALO has LAW, PER and SAI on his tail
40/69: OCO, VER, GAS, RUS, NOR, LEC, PIA, TSU, HAM, ALO, LAW, PER, SAI, BOT, ZHO, BEA; out: COL, HUL, ALB, STR
SAI is in the tyre wall; lots of damage
SC deployed – that’s a shame, it’ll let VER close up on OCO
SAI gets going but then parks the Ferrari
41[SC]: Radio for NOR warning him that there have been “a lot of offs” involving the white lines
42[SC]: Radio for LEC, “There is another band of rain” expected for the end of the race
SC ending
OCO starts closing up the field, picking his spot to boot it to the line
43: VER up the inside of OCO to take P1
NOR runs wide in Turn 1; rejoins P7
LAW takes P9 from ALO
PER and BEA pass HAM, but the Mercedes fights back against the Haas
ALO runs wide; tries to rejoin but spins on the grass; finally makes it back onto the track
44: VER, OCO, GAS, LEC, RUS, PIA, NOR, TSU, LAW, PER, HAM, BEA, BOT, ZHO, ALO
45/69: VER has opened 2sec lead over OCO
46: VER f/lap 1:22.876
Having previously demanded the SC be deployed, VER will want a red flag to end this ASAP
Radio for PIA telling him to swap positions; NOR takes P6
47: LEC noted for rejoining unsafely at Turn 3
NOR tucked up behind LEC’s rear wing
Replay shows LEC rejoin and squeeze RUS, but the Mercedes passed LEC without incident
48: VER f/lap 1:22.453
NOR runs wide again but keeps it on the blacktop
49: VER f/lap 1:22.290
50/69: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, PIA, TSU, LAW, PER, HAM, BEA, BOT, ZHO, ALO
VER f/lap 1:22.241
No further investigation for LEC’s rejoining incident
51: VER f/lap 1:22.043
52: PIA runs wide, touches the grass but gathers it up
TSU harrying for P7 but PIA stays ahead
Radio for VER telling him to cool his front tyres
53: LAW has PER and HAM right on his tail
54: PER goes for a late lunge but LAW hangs on to P9
I’m surprised Whiny Spice hasn’t told their junior team to let PER through
55/69: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, PIA, TSU, LAW, PER
PER dives inside again; makes contact with LAW
PER runs wide; HAM sneaks inside; PER makes contact with the Mercedes
56: Incident involving PER and LAW has been noted
57: VER f/lap 1:22.005
58: VER f/lap 1:21.862 – he’s nearly 10sec clear of OCO
HAM filling LAW’s mirrors
59: VER f/lap 1:21.782
HAM runs a little wide, allowing PER to almost get alongside
60/69: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, PIA*, TSU, LAW, HAM, PER, BEA, BOT, ALO, ZHO (*PIA has a 10-sec penalty to be applied, which will drop him to about P9)
VER f/lap 1:21.551
61: VER f/lap 1:21.331
63: VER f/lap 1:21.069
65/69: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, PIA, TSU, LAW, HAM
VER f/lap 1:21.029
66: VER f/lap 1:20.990
HAM right on LAW’s tail, but he in turn has PER hanging onto his rear wing
67: Radio from ALO, he’s in pain with his back
68: VER f/lap 1:20.472
PER has another go at passing HAM, but the Mercedes holds on to P10
69/69:
VER takes the chequered flag
Alpine P2 and P3 – that’s huge
Provisional result: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, TSU, PIA, LAW, HAM; PER, BEA, BOT, ALO, ZHO … but there are lots of investigations yet to be reviewed
DNF: SAI, COL, HUL, ALB, STR
Penalties:
Mercedes were fined €5,000 for adjusting HAM’s tyre pressures on the grid for the 2nd start; they also got the same fine for doing the same to RUS’s tyres
SAI received a reprimand for moving his car while the marshals were attempting to recover it
Finally, the stewards’ decisions on the Aborted Start incidents have been published
NOR received a reprimand and was fined €5,000 (How long before Red Bull complain about that?)
Ditto for RUS
LAW and TSU: no further action
Result: VER, OCO, GAS, RUS, LEC, NOR, TSU, PIA, LAW, HAM; PER, BEA, BOT, ALO, ZHO
[2024 calendar and driver line-up]
