Piastri hits Wall of Champions
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News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
Red Bull cops official warning as Max throws white towel
Lando Norris completed a commanding 'double top' on Friday with the fastest times ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old Briton, who is 16 points behind Piastri in the drivers' title race, clocked a best lap in 1:15.624 to outpace the Australian by 0.291 seconds after a tense second session at the Hungaroring circuit. 'The car felt pretty good from the first lap,' he said. 'And all of my laps were decent, but the second session was a bit more messy with more mistakes. But that's all part of practice I guess. 'We have a good understanding and I know what I want from my car, but of course it is difficult to get it. I have a better car than last year, when I was on pole, and so should have a better chance, but there is tough competition.' Just Lando and Oscar almost colliding at Turn 1... in practice 😵 #F1 #HungarianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2025 Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, adrift by nearly four-tenths, ahead of the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari. George Russell was seventh for Mercedes ahead of Racing Bulls' rookie Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull and Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes. All this left four-time champion Max Verstappen, grumbling throughout about his car's poor balance and performance, down in 14th place, 1.167 seconds off the pace and three tenths adrift of his teammate. To make matters worse for the Dutchman, who described his car as 'undriveable', his Red Bull team picked up an official warning into his disposal of a cloth towel from his cockpit during the session. The towel had been left in his car after a pitstop and was a possible danger to his driving if it fell from his lap area between his legs or the car's pedals. Red Bull were warned of the 'unsafe release' of the car from the pits. 'It was just a towel that you normally wipe your face with when you come back in so it was still in the car when I went out,' Verstappen said. 'Instead of leaving it to, potentially, maybe, fly in between my feet, which is the dangerous part, I drove off the racing line and got rid of it in the safest possible way. 'I think the stewards understood that.' From the start, it was clear that the duelling McLaren title protagonists were in no mood to take the session lightly as they traded best laps and, in a final late incident, ran close to making contact as Norris locked up and Piastri swept past him around Turn One. On a bright, dry afternoon, Nico Hulkenberg - who had missed the first session to give reserve driver Paul Aron an outing for Sauber - was first out and within five minutes ran wide and scattered gravel across the track. FP2 CLASSIFICATION McLarens on top, both Astons in the top five ðŸ'� #F1 #HungarianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) August 1, 2025 As Norris and Piastri dominated, endorsing the clear impression that a McLaren intra-team duel was in prospect for Sunday's race, Verstappen was down in 10th, adrift by a second, and reported, when asked about his car's balance, that it was like 'driving on ice'. His teammate Tsunoda was a tenth faster in ninth. Showing signs that he was feeling the pressure, Norris endured 'a moment' when he slid wide on the grass at the final corner and recovered with 15 minutes remaining on used softs.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Lando Norris contradicts Oscar Piastri over Max Verstappen call
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have had one of the cleanest and most cordial world title scraps in a long time, but there are some things where the F1 championship contenders are divided. Heading into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri made the blunt statement all fans have thought for a long time — that the 2025 drivers' championship is now a head-to-head battle between the McLaren pair. However, Norris on Thursday voiced his disagreement to the idea that four-time world champ Max Verstappen is out of contention. The Red Bull ace, who on Friday morning announced he will stay with the energy drink operation through to the end of the 2026 series, has also all-but waived the white flag. Verstappen has fallen 81 points behind series leader Piastri. Red Bull are in a state of flux, after sacking their team principal Christian Horner this month and replacing the Briton with Laurent Mekies, the boss of their 'B' team Racing Bulls. Despite this, Norris says a line can't be put through the Dutch driver's name yet. As reported by Racing News 365, Norris said he wouldn't rule Verstappen out. 'It's never impossible,' Norris said. 'We proved that last year, but he's quite a long way back.' The British racer went on to say: 'We have a team that's a lot more stable and performing a lot better than Red Bull is, but Max is still, quite easily, one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1. 'So, as a driver, I wouldn't rule him out, but we have a better car, we have a better team, so I have my confidence in them that we can, we can stay ahead.' Piastri earlier called it like he saw it. 'I suppose so,' he said when asked if it was a 'two-horse' race for the title, per 'I think every weekend now, or the last few weekends anyway, it's been Lando and I. 'I expect our competition to still be strong and put up a good fight, especially at certain tracks through the rest of the year, but whether that comes from Max or Ferrari or Mercedes or someone else, maybe, we never really know. 'So, I'm not too concerned about what happens in that. I'm just trying to win each race and extend the lead. 'But I think clearly Lando and I are in the same car, which is the best, and he's naturally going to be the closest competition.' McLaren boss Zak Brown this week insisted the team won't be playing favourites and that the championship race will be a 'coin toss' between his two drivers. Piastri has had the upper hand on Norris for the majority of the season, having won six of the first 13 races. The 24-year-old from Melbourne holds a 16-point advantage over his 25-year-old teammate. With McLaren on track to secure their first drivers' championship since 2008, Brown is leaving the championship door open and refusing to back just one of the two. 'I think Oscar was a little disappointed with qualifying in Belgium. Lando was very happy. I'm sure he'll be a little bummed that he didn't win today, but it's coming off two wins. I think it's going to be a coin toss every weekend,' he told Sky Sport following the Belgian Grand Prix. 'Oscar is a machine. And what's impressive is how aggressive he is, and yet he always brings the car home. That's quite a talent.' Brown also said Verstappen could not be ruled out yet. Red Bull is reportedly running an upgraded package this weekend. 'I think it's too early. It's looking good, but Max … there's a lot of racing left to go. We've got a nice gap, but I wouldn't say we're there,' he said. 'We've all been around this sport too long. To start dancing before you're in the end zone is a very dangerous thing to do.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen to stay at Red Bull, Oscar Piastri seeks another Hungaroring win
Oscar Piastri is coming off a brilliant win in Belgium last Sunday, establishing a 16-point lead in the Formula 1 drivers' championship. This weekend the F1 championship returns to Hungary, the scene of Piastri's maiden grand prix win in 2024. Meanwhile, Red Bull's advisor has said world champion Max Verstappen will not be leaving the team, after months of speculation that he could move to Mercedes. Here is what you need to know ahead of this weekend's F1 action. Max Verstappen, winner of the past four Formula 1 drivers' championships, has confirmed he will stay with Red Bull Racing next season. The Milton Keynes-based outfit dramatically fell off the pace in the second half of 2024, finishing third in the constructors' championship after holding a big lead at the halfway stage of the year. This year has also been a struggle, with the team sitting fourth in the constructors' standings, despite Verstappen securing two grand prix wins and still being an outside chance to secure a fifth drivers' title. Red Bull's struggles have led to rumour and speculation that the Dutchman could drive for another team as early as next year. For months, he had been linked with a move to Mercedes, despite having a contract with Red Bull until 2028. But Verstappen has now definitively put to rest that speculation, which he was never interested in, anyway. "I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours, and for me it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway," he told media. Piastri enters the 14th round of the Formula 1 championship with a 16-point lead over Lando Norris. The title fight between the McLaren teammates has been tightly contested since the opening round in Melbourne. Piastri is coming off a victory at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, ending Norris's run of two consecutive grand prix wins. The Australian now returns to Hungary, where he achieved his maiden grand prix win last season. "I've been very happy with my pace over the past few races, and I feel in a good place heading over to the Hungaroring," he said in a media release on McLaren's website. "Spa was a productive few days, and I want to carry on like that. "I have good memories from Hungary 12 months ago, but that's in the past, and I'm determined to create more of those moments this year. "Off the back of last week's win, I can't wait to go racing again." The Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, August 3. Here is when the race will begin in each of Australia's states and territories. Fox Sports and its streaming platform Kayo will broadcast the Hungarian Grand Prix. Those watching on Foxtel can watch the race on Fox Sports, channel 506. You can also follow all the action with the ABC Sport live blog, from pre-race drama to the post-race synopsis. The Hungaroring is a track that rewards the very best drivers because it is a tricky and technical circuit. Much like Monaco, qualifying is very important around the Hungaroring as overtaking opportunities are scarce. The two best opportunities for a driver to overtake are at turns 1 and 2, both at the end of DRS zones. After the second turn, the track is very technical and requires a driver to be inch-perfect at every corner. The sequence of corners that come in rapid succession leads to teams often electing for high-downforce packages on their cars.
