It’s been a quiet three weeks break since the Hungary GP, other than a fairly predictable announcement from Cadillac that the drivers for the first F1 season will be Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez (reports frequently including a reminder that BOT has a 5-place penalty waiting for his next race).
Free Practice
- FP1: NOR (1:10.278), PIA, STR, ALO, ALB
HAM had a 360° spin in Turn 2 but kept his Ferrari on the black stuff
TSU lost the tail of his Red Bull and spun into the gravel trap
ANT locked up, understeered off and beached his Mercedes in the gravel at Turn 8, bringing out the red flag
RUS managed to keep moving and escape a gravel trap
STR felt he was blocked by TSU, and then BEA was clearly blocked by STR
After the chequered flag fell to end the session, VER tried to do a practice start but ended up in the gravel - FP2: NOR (1:09.890), ALO, PIA, RUS, VER
STR locks up into the banked Turn 3, wrecking his Aston Martin but he was lucky to be uninjured – it felt similar to Ricciardo’s incident when he broke his hand in 2023
Once that red flag cleared, it wasn’t long before the VSC was deployed because HAD’s Racing Bull lost power and stopped on the side of the track
HAM had another 360° spin
LEC was clearly blocked by a Red Bull
RUS followed PIA into the pit lane, but was surprised when the McLaren turned back in front of him instead of entering the first box
ALB locked up, skipped across the gravel and broke his front wing in the tyre wall - FP3: NOR (1:08.972), PIA, RUS, SAI, VER
ANT reported a problem down-shifting
STR was so busy complaining about being blocked by TSU he ended blocking ANT
Penalties
McLaren were fined €5,000 for the FP2 pit lane incident between PIA and RUS
Qualifying
Air temperature 20°C; track 34°C; humidity 64%
Qualifying session 1 (Q1)
TSU 1:10.661
BEA 1:10.262
HAM 1:10.224
Yellow flag – STR has gone off, across the gravel and wiped out his front wing but he’s kept the Aston Martin moving so he’s heading back to the pits
VER 1:09.754
STR asks if his Quali is done but he’s told to stay in the car, just in case
NOR 1:09.469
PIA P2
3mins left; bottom 5 are BOR, TSU, COL, OCO, STR
STR is out of the car, so he’ll be P20
2mins left; only HUL and STR are in the pits
PIA 1:09.338
HUL’s on track now, so all 19 drivers are looking to improve
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are BOR, TSU, COL, OCO, STR
BOR P13, BEA P16
OCO P16
COL P15, HUL P16
TSU P12, COL P16
HUL P17
Back of the grid: COL, HUL, OCO, BEA, STR
Qualifying session 2
Radio from LEC reporting a fox crossing the track at Turn 10
LEC 1:10.034
RUS 1:09.636
VER complaining about NOR but the McLaren was well off the racing line
VER 1:09.122
NOR 1:08.874
3mins left; bottom 5 are ALO, LAW, SAI, BOR, GAS
LEC pits
Chequered flag; bottom 5 are GAS, ALB, ALO, LAW, BOR
ALB P12
BOR P11
LAW P7, TSU P11
ALO P7, ANT P11
GAS P14
Middle of the grid: ANT, TSU, BOR, GAS, ALB
Top 10 shootout is between NOR, PIA, VER, HAM, LEC, RUS, ALO, LAW, HAD, SAI
Qualifying session 3
The McLaren duo head out first
PIA 1:08.662
NOR P2
RUS P3
SAI P4
ALO P4
HAD P4
LEC P4
HAM P4
LAW P9
VER P3
Order after the first run: PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, HAM, LEC, HAD, ALO, SAI, LAW
NOR P2
PIA P1 but doesn’t improve his time
SAI P5
LEC P5
Chequered flag; order is PIA, NOR, VER, RUS, LEC, SAI, HAM, HAD, ALO, LAW
HAM P6
LAW P7
ALO P9
RUS P4
HAD P4
VER P3
SAI P9
Front of the grid: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, LEC, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALO
Provisional grid: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, LEC, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALO, ANT, TSU, BOR, GAS, ALB, COL, HUL, OCO, BEA, STR
Post-quali penalties
RUS was given a warning and Mercedes were fined €7,500 for impeding ALO at pit entry
STR has been allowed to start the race despite not setting a time within 107% of the fastest Q1 time (because he crashed on his first lap)
BEA’s Haas had a series of power unit upgrades installed during parc ferme, so he’ll have to start from the pit lane
Race
Pit lane is open; drivers can make their way to the grid
Grid: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, LEC, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALO, ANT, TSU, BOR, GAS, ALB, COL, HUL, OCO, STR; BEA in the pit lane
Air temperature 20°C; track 29°C; humidity 69% – it’s cool and overcast; there’s even talk of some rain maybe
I see mentions of a pit entry incident involving HAM that’ll be investigated after the race for a yellow flag infringement
FIA say risk of rain during the race is 60%
PIA leads everyone away on the formation lap
Everyone starting on medium compound tyres except VER, TSU, COL and HUL on softs, with OCO and BEA on hards
With VER starting on softs, expect him to muscle his way to the front on lap 1
SkySports report that HAM’s suspected infringement is for not lifting under yellow flags on his way to the dummy grid
01/72: PIA cuts straight across to cover NOR
VER around NOR into Turn 1, but he persists and takes P2 through Turn 2
LEC has passed RUS for P5
ALB has jumped up to P10
02: PIA, VER, NOR, HAD, LEC, RUS, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALB, TSU, ANT, ALO, GAS, COL, OCO, HUL, BOR, STR, BEA
03: Radio for PIA warning him there might be rain around lap 7, but they’re not sure if they’ll need inters
04: PIA’s opened a 2sec lead over VER
05/72: PIA, VER, NOR, HAD, LEC, RUS, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALB
Replay of the start shows GAB struggled to get off the line
COL inside teammate GAS to take P14
06: PIA has extended his lead to over 3secs
07: Radio for RUS telling him the rain will probably last for 7 to 10 laps
NOR now has DRS behind VER
08: LEC is harrying HAD for P4
09: VER tries to defend into Turn 1 but NOR reclaims P2
STR pits; hard tyres go on; rejoins P20 – seems odd if there’s rain expected any minute
10/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, RUS, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALB, TSU, ANT, ALO, COL, GAS, HUL, OCO, BOR, BEA, STR
12: NOR already 3.5sec clear of VER
Radio from BEA reporting he’s “scared” about BOR’s broken front wing end-plate that’s flapping around (it was broken when BOR and STR came together)
But it looks like that end plate has fallen off now
13: Ironically STR runs over BOR’s end plate
14: ANT is all over TSU’s rear wing
15/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, RUS, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALB, TSU, ANT, ALO, COL, GAS, HUL, OCO, BOR, BEA, STR
Radio from PIA reporting drops of rain on his visor
16: Radio for COL telling him to swap positions with his teammate; GAS takes P14
BOR is under investigation for driving in an unsafe condition (that end-plate)
17: ANT almost alongside TSU but the Red Bull hangs on to P11
The rain is visible but the long pit lane means most drivers will try to avoid stopping for inters unless the rain gets a lot harder
18: If ANT can’t pass TSU soon, he’ll have to fend off ALO
19: ALO pits; hards go on; rejoins P20
The crowd are putting on rainwear
20/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD. LEC, RUS, HAM, LAW, SAI, ALB
TSU, COL and HUL all pit; they all put on hard tyres
VER is the only one still on softs
21: Radio for NOR asking him to try to close up on PIA – presumably they’re not expecting to have to put both of them or closing up will mean NOR will have to wait to be serviced
23: LEC pits from P5; hards go on; rejoins P10
HAM is in the barriers!
SC deployed
24[SC]: PIA pits; hards go on
NOR pits; hards; front jack was a bit slow
VER, HAD, RUS, LAW, SAI all pit
Replay shows HAM had a snap of oversteer in Turn 2 and clipped the very end of the barriers
Radio from NOR checking on the front jack person; he’s told he’s OK
25/72[SC]: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, LEC, LAW, SAI, OCO, ALB, ANT, STR, BEA, ALO, TSU, GAS, COL, BOR, HUL; out: HAM
Everyone on hard tyres now except VER on mediums; OCO and BEA the only ones yet to pit
26[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
Replay of NOR’s pit stop shows he got the green light before the front jack was fully removed
PIA slows to open a gap while the SC heads into the pits
27: LAW and SAI make contact in Turn 1
28: LAW and SAI both pit
LAW takes on soft tyres; rejoins P18
SAI gets a new front wing as well as softs; P19
Replay shows it was LAW moving across into SAI
30/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, LEC, ALB, ANT, STR, OCO, BEA, TSU, ALO, GAS, COL, BOR, HUL, LAW, SAI
SAI cleanly past LAW for P18
RUS has a look inside HAD into Turn 9 but backs out
Radio from RUS claiming HAD moved under braking
31: ANT inside ALB but the Williams hangs on to P7
VSC deployed, presumably so the marshals can pick up the debris on the main straight
32[VSC]: The marshal gets a rousing cheer as she runs across the track, grabs the bodywork and runs back to safety
VSC ends
LEC dives inside RUS; there’s contact, and LEC has a wheel in the gravel; LEC takes P5
33: RUS tries to fight back but LEC keeps P5
SAI given 10sec penalty for causing a collision with LAW – I’m not sure about that call
Radio from LEC complaining RUS didn’t leave him space, and radio from RUS complaining LEC was fully off the track when he passed
35/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, RUS, ANT, ALB, STR, OCO
Brief yellow flag – more debris on track but the marshals cleared it up
The RUS/LEC incident has been noted
36: Radio for NOR telling him to “go get” PIA, “straight out race”
Half distance
37: NOR is 1.7sec behind PIA
38: Radio from ALO sounding frustrated at being stuck behind BEA and TSU
39: TSU has a partial attempt around the outside of BEA into Turn 1 but backed out
40/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, RUS, ANT, ALB, STR, OCO, BEA, TSU, ALO, GAS, COL, BOR, HUL, SAI*, LAW; out: HAM (*SAI has 10sec penalty to serve)
41: PIA’s lead down to 1.1sec
ALO pits; hards; P17
42: Radio for RUS telling him to “invert cars at Turn 1”; “Sorry?”
43: Incident involving RUS/LEC will be investigated after the race
ANT is allowed to take P6 from his teammate
44: PIA’s lead seems fairly stable at 1.3secs
45/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, ANT, RUS, ALB, STR, OCO
46: Radio for SAI telling him he’s got a penalty for the collision with LAW; he’s understandably confused why he got the penalty
47: ALO has caught back up to HUL after his pit stop
49: Seems like NOR can’t close on his teammate… or is he biding his time?
OCO and BEA still have yet to stop
50/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, LEC, ANT, RUS, ALB, STR, OCO, BEA, TSU, GAS, COL, BOR, HUL, ALO, SAI, LAW
ALO looking for a way around HUL
51: ALO inside HUL in Turn 3 to take P16
52: ANT pits from P6; softs go on; rejoins P8
53: LEC pits from P5; softs; rejoins just ahead of ANT
ANT inside LEC in Turn 3 but they make contact; LEC spins into the barriers
Yellow flag… SC deployed
54[SC]: PIA pits; hard tyres
NOR pits; hards too
VER pits; softs
HAD pits; softs
RUS pits; softs
Everyone pits!
55/72[SC]: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, ALB, ANT, GAS, ALO, BOR, BEA, STR, TSU, OCO, COL, HUL, LAW, SAI; out: LEC, HAM
That’s both Ferraris out in Turn 3
I wonder why McLaren went with hard tyres for both cars – presumably they didn’t have any softs or mediums left?
56[SC]: 10sec penalty for ANT for causing the collision with LEC
Lapped cars (LAW and SAI) are allowed to pass the SC
ANT likely to get another penalty for speeding in the pit lane
57[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
PIA and NOR are at risk with a bunch of cars on soft tyres right behind them
58: Clean restart
VER closing right up on NOR
BEA past BOR for P12
59: DRS enabled
60/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, ALB, ANT*, GAS, ALO, BEA, STR, TSU, OCO, BOR, COL, HUL, LAW, SAI (*ANT has 10sec penalty)
BEA takes P9 from ALO
61: BOR pits; softs; rejoins P18
STR has passed teammate ALO for P10
62: 5sec penalty for ANT for speeding in the pit lane
63: BEA takes P8 from GAS – he’s now 8secs behind ANT, but ANT has 15secs of penalties
64: STR closing on GAS… and takes P9
65/72: PIA, NOR, VER, HAD, RUS, ALB, ANT*, BEA, STR, GAS, ALO, TSU, OCO, COL, HUL, LAW, SAI, BOR; out: LEC, HAM (*ANT +15sec)
Radio from NOR reporting smoke in the cockpit
NOR parks the McLaren as there’s smoke coming from the engine
SC deployed
66[SC]: COL pits, as does SAI
There’s talk over the radio of some rain in the next few laps
67[SC]: NOR’s retirement means HAD is now in a podium position
PIA has reported a line of oil from Turn 3
68[SC]: SC in at the end of this lap
VER starts to pull alongside PIA – his usual trick which is borderline illegal
69: Clean restart
70/72: PIA, VER, HAD, RUS, ALB, ANT*, BEA, STR, ALO, TSU, GAS, COL, LAW, HUL, BOR, SAI; out: NOR, LEC, HAM
DRS enabled, but PIA is already over 1sec clear of VER
Radio for GAS, “Swap positions”
SAI takes P16 from BOR
71: SAI past GAS for P15
72/72: ALB under 0.5sec behind RUS but can he attack on the final lap?
PIA takes the chequered flag
Provisional result: PIA, VER, HAD, RUS, ALB, ANT*, BEA, STR, ALO, TSU; OCO, COL, LAW, SAI, HUL, BOR, GAS
DNF: NOR, LEC, HAM
*ANT’s 15sec penalties drop him from P6 to P16, which means OCO is promoted into the points
Penalties
Collision between SAI and LAW – SAI received a 10sec penalty during the race (which he served) and 2 penalty points
Speeding in the pit lane – ANT received a 5sec penalty during the race (which was added to his finishing time)
Collision between ANT and LEC – ANT received a 10sec penalty during the race (which was added to his finishing time) and 2 penalty points
Collision between LEC and RUS – no further action
Failing to slow under double yellow flags – HAM will have a 5 grid place penalty at Monza, and he received 2 penalty points
Failing to stop a car with significant and obvious damage (BOR’s front wing damage) – no further action
So no change to the positions, but HAM will have a penalty for Ferrari’s home race next weekend.
Update two weeks later: “The Stewards agree with Williams’ characterisation of the collision as a racing incident.” … BUT … “The Stewards have no power to remedy that served time penalty by amending the Classifications”
[2025 calendar and driver line-up]
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