Formula One: Leclerc on front row at Austrian GP as Ferrari upgrades bear fruit - Omni sports
Charles Leclerc claimed a front row start and Lewis Hamilton smiled –- two clear signals on Saturday that Ferrari had made a step forward with the upgrades that lifted their performance in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Monegasque driver qualified second, 0.5sec behind a dominant Lando Norris of McLaren, while seven-time champion Hamilton was fourth -- just 0.090 seconds slower than his team-mate in a tight session.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri was third in the second McLaren.
"I am so very pleased," said Leclerc. "It's been a long time since we started on the front row. I think it was in Monaco. And it has been a difficult season overall, but the team has kept pushing.
"We have some new parts this weekend, which for sure made a difference because if you look at the gaps, everybody is super-close. So, thanks to the team.
"I'm very happy with the lap overall. It's a good start to the weekend. We know that we have a better car normally in the race than qualifying so I hope that we can put more pressure on the McLaren."
He went on to congratulate Norris.
"He deserves it," said Leclerc. "But tomorrow we will try to bring him a tough time. We have a strong car and we'll do all we can."
After his miserable start to the season, Hamilton was upbeat.
"It's a fantastic result today," said the Briton. "The team has worked so hard at the factory and we had new parts this weekend so for Charles to be second and me to be on the second row is fantastic.
"I could have been second if I had finished my lap, but we have a lot of positives to take from today –- it has been the best day operationally in a qualifying session for things like timings, information from the team, team operations..."
Summing up the team's performance, the veteran called it: "The best and world class.
"Ultimately, these last few weeks, we have all pulled together and blocked out all the noise. We put our heads down and we are putting the puzzle together bit by bit in the right places. Step by step.
"I am happy with the progress we are making. I'm not saying anything about a podium tomorrow… I've wanted it every week. I'm just staying quiet and hoping to do a better job."
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Follow us on:
Facebook
Instagram
Whatsapp
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Nkunku fires Chelsea into Club World Cup quarters as Benfica downed
Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all scored in extra time to send Premier League side Chelsea into a quarter-final clash against Brazil's Palmeiras. Chelsea's late burst of scoring settled a game that took four hours, 39 minutes to complete at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina after a near two-hour weather delay. Earlier, Chelsea had been seemingly poised for victory after Reece James' opportunistic second-half free-kick had left them 1-0 up with four minutes of regulation time remaining. But just as Chelsea began to think about their quarter-final assignment, the arrival of a storm over Charlotte triggered local safety protocols which required the game to be halted. It marked the sixth occasion during the Club World Cup that a game has been disrupted by a weather warning. When play resumed just under two hours later, a revitalised Benfica grabbed an injury-time equaliser after Chelsea substitute Malo Gusto was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area following an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee. Benfica's Argentine veteran Angel Di Maria stepped up to roll in an ice-cold penalty, sending the game into extra time. An end-to-end first half of extra time saw Benfica, reduced to 10 men following Gianluca Prestianni's second yellow card at the end of regulation, threaten to take the lead as they chased an improbable victory. But instead it was Nkunku who fired Chelsea back in front, the French international bundling in from close range after Moises Caicedo's low shot squirted underneath Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin. As the game opened up, Benfica were increasingly vulnerable on the counter-attack and Chelsea pounced. Neto made it 3-1 with a nerveless finish after going clean through on goal in the 114th minute, and three minutes later Dewsbury-Hall completed the rout to send Chelsea through to the last eight. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
8 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Chelsea-Benfica Club World Cup clash halted due to weather
The game at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium became the latest match of the tournament to be halted for poor weather, with players called off in the 86th minute while Chelsea were leading 1-0. It is the sixth time a Club World Cup match has been halted due to bad weather. Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or thunder heard. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
13 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Formula One: Leclerc on front row at Austrian GP as Ferrari upgrades bear fruit - Omni sports
Charles Leclerc claimed a front row start and Lewis Hamilton smiled –- two clear signals on Saturday that Ferrari had made a step forward with the upgrades that lifted their performance in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Monegasque driver qualified second, 0.5sec behind a dominant Lando Norris of McLaren, while seven-time champion Hamilton was fourth -- just 0.090 seconds slower than his team-mate in a tight session. Championship leader Oscar Piastri was third in the second McLaren. "I am so very pleased," said Leclerc. "It's been a long time since we started on the front row. I think it was in Monaco. And it has been a difficult season overall, but the team has kept pushing. "We have some new parts this weekend, which for sure made a difference because if you look at the gaps, everybody is super-close. So, thanks to the team. "I'm very happy with the lap overall. It's a good start to the weekend. We know that we have a better car normally in the race than qualifying so I hope that we can put more pressure on the McLaren." He went on to congratulate Norris. "He deserves it," said Leclerc. "But tomorrow we will try to bring him a tough time. We have a strong car and we'll do all we can." After his miserable start to the season, Hamilton was upbeat. "It's a fantastic result today," said the Briton. "The team has worked so hard at the factory and we had new parts this weekend so for Charles to be second and me to be on the second row is fantastic. "I could have been second if I had finished my lap, but we have a lot of positives to take from today –- it has been the best day operationally in a qualifying session for things like timings, information from the team, team operations..." Summing up the team's performance, the veteran called it: "The best and world class. "Ultimately, these last few weeks, we have all pulled together and blocked out all the noise. We put our heads down and we are putting the puzzle together bit by bit in the right places. Step by step. "I am happy with the progress we are making. I'm not saying anything about a podium tomorrow… I've wanted it every week. I'm just staying quiet and hoping to do a better job." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
