Latest news with #FormulaOne
Asharq Al-Awsat
44 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Norris Leads McLaren Practice One-Two After Dunne Shines
Lando Norris led Formula One leader Oscar Piastri in a McLaren one-two in second practice for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday after George Russell went fastest for Mercedes in the opening session. Norris had handed his car to Alex Dunne for an impressive F1 practice debut for the Irish rookie and Formula Two leader, but the Briton was right up to speed as soon as he got back behind the wheel. After Russell's best of one minute 05.542 seconds in the early afternoon, Norris -- 22 points behind Piastri in the title battle after 10 of 24 races -- lapped in 1:04.580 with Piastri 0.157 slower. Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen, a five-times winner at his team's home circuit, was the only other driver under the five second mark with a 1:04.898. "We've shown a bit more pace than some of the others. I certainly think they're going to catch up. Max is not far behind and they usually improve a lot into Saturday," said Norris. Russell, winner from pole position in Canada two weeks ago after the McLarens collided, was sixth in practice two with Lance Stroll a surprise fourth for Aston Martin and Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari. "First practice was definitely a surprise to us," commented Russell. "The McLarens were mighty strong, especially this afternoon. I don't really see that changing. We'll do our best but I don't really think we'll be fighting for pole." Verstappen was without regular race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase for the weekend due to personal reasons with Simon Rennie taking over. "Overall today was quite straightforward and we didn't have any big issues," said Verstappen. "He (Rennie) has a lot of experience so it has been very very good today, he is straight up and it was nice." DUNNE IMPRESSES Dunne, given track time as part of team obligations to give rookie drivers F1 experience, was the talk of the first session when he lapped fourth fastest and only 0.069 slower than Piastri. Still only 19 and the first Irish driver in 22 years to take part in a grand prix weekend, he thanked the team over the radio as the chequered flag fell. "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life," he said. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." McLaren team boss Andrea Stella cautioned not to read too much into the time, however. "Alex has been quite diligent and impressive, and then he also had the chance to show some speed and, no surprise, he is a fast driver," said the Italian. "I think we need to be a bit careful looking at the lap times, because his came later on in the stint when the fuel was down. But I think encouraging and impressive in terms of Alex himself, and also I think a good session for McLaren." Austria has the shortest lap of the year in terms of time and all but 20th-placed Haas driver Oliver Bearman were within a second of Russell in the opening session. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was ninth and 10th respectively in the sessions as Ferrari made a difficult start to their preparations with mechanics working on both cars during practice one. Hamilton was also warned for impeding Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc sat out the first session with Swedish reserve Dino Beganovic getting some track time and finishing 18th. Fernando Alonso had a big spin in his Aston Martin but kept the car out of the barriers.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- Automotive
- The Hindu
F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Fine teams for ‘long shot' protests, says Wolff
Formula One teams should be fined if they fail in 'long shot' protests against rivals, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said on Friday. The Austrian told reporters at his home grand prix that the governing FIA was already looking into the possibility of such a measure. Rival Red Bull has protested twice in the space of five races, and without success, against Mercedes driver George Russell. In Canada two weeks ago, where Russell won and Verstappen finished second, the result of the race was not confirmed until more than five hours after the chequered flag due to the enquiry. READ | Max Verstappen heads into Red Bull's home race with upgrades and growing uncertainty One of the protests in Montreal, alleging a safety car infringement, was withdrawn while the other claimed Russell had been 'unsportsmanlike' in his driving. 'I think it's absolutely legitimate to protest. We are fighting for race wins and championships. And if you have the opinion that what you've seen is not right, then you should protest,' said Wolff. 'But some of these actions are just really not real. 'There are things that, from my perspective, are legit to protest and others that are just a little bit of a too long shot.' Wolff said nobody was a fan of higher fines, and Formula One needed to be mindful of the real world and not be seen as over the top. 'But in that (Canadian GP) instance, absolutely put in a fine, and I think the president of the FIA is working on that. Put in a fine that, at least if you lose it, is a little bit of an embarrassment that you lost so much money, and you're going to think twice whether you do it,' he added. 'I think this is along the lines the FIA are thinking.' Sauber team principal Jonathan Wheatley, who was previously at Red Bull, said it was important for teams to have the right to protest and making it prohibitive would likely result in more problems.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Pitt stop: How Las Vegas helped bring ‘F1 The Movie' to life
LAS VEGAS - We've all had that week at work. There was a project due or an uptick in responsibilities. Maybe a couple of key people were out. You were pulled in a thousand directions and weren't sure how you'd get everything done. Focus on it. Really try to put yourself back inside those moments. Then throw Brad Pitt into the mix, along with everything that comes with a star of his magnitude, including a hundred-person film crew, and you'll have a sense of what it was like in November when F1 and "F1 The Movie" descended upon the Las Vegas Grand Prix. A whole new look at racing Few summer blockbusters have had the access that "F1" enjoyed. Heck, some documentaries don't get that close to their subjects. Journeyman driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) lives in a van, wears mismatched socks and hasn't been on a Formula One track since crashing out of the circuit three decades ago. But when his old friend Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem) is at risk of losing his struggling race team, Sonny signs on to drive for him and mentor promising rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). The movie follows the traveling circus that is Formula One to the last nine races of the 2024 season, starting with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The cast and crew were embedded throughout. "They were so giving and opened up all their doors," Pitt says of F1 in the film's production notes. "We were able to shoot on race weekends, shoot on podiums, shoot during the national anthem. We had our own garage. We even shot on our pit wall while the races were going on." After months of training, Pitt and Idris got behind the wheels of Formula Two cars designed by Mercedes-AMG that were similar to, yet roughly $14 million cheaper than, their Formula One counterparts. By utilizing the "white space" in each weekend's schedule - 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there - the actors drove on the actual tracks with fans in the stands. The Las Vegas Grand Prix made international headlines when Pitt's stunt double was filmed collapsing on the track in footage that didn't make the movie's final cut. What viewers will see is some of the most breathtaking racing footage ever captured, thanks to new camera technology that could be mounted on 15 positions on each car. The result is the kind of immersive, you-are-there view of racing that you'd expect to see somewhere like Sphere. 'Incredible placement' When Brian Gullbrants saw Wynn Las Vegas on the screen, he put his fists in the air and cheered. This was during the "F1" world premiere with the movie's stars, three-quarters of the current Formula One grid and several thousand other bigwigs at New York's Radio City Music Hall. "My wife looked at me and said, 'Putyourhandsdown,'" recalls Gullbrants, COO North America, Wynn Resorts. "I was so excited." Shortly after arriving in Las Vegas, Pitt's Sonny enters his Encore suite, walks over to the window and stares out at the neighboring Wynn. The scene, which Gullbrants calls "incredible placement in an unbelievable movie," was filmed the Tuesday before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Director Joseph Kosinski ("Top Gun: Maverick") shot it on the floor where Pitt, the film's other top stars and producers stayed. "With the level of customers that we had and the celebrities that were here and the drivers that were here," Gullbrants says, "we already had all the security details in place. … It went very smoothly. You would never know we were shooting a major motion picture in our hotel while we had all of these people here." He's hopeful "F1 The Movie" will increase interest in the sport in those pockets of the world that haven't yet embraced it and that it ultimately will lead to still more fans coming to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Gullbrants already had one wish fulfilled when he spotted the Wynn logo in Pitt's hands. Sonny, a somewhat reformed gambler, is rarely without a deck of cards, whether he's flinging them one by one across the room or blindly pulling one to stick in his pocket before a race. He and Idris' Joshua get to know each other during a poker game inside a supper club as they vie for control of the race team. (The club is implied to be Wynn's Delilah, but those scenes were filmed on a soundstage in London.) During the premiere, Gullbrants whispered to his wife how thrilled he was to see Pitt using the Wynn-branded cards he'd given the production, even though he was convinced no one else would notice. "After the movie," Gullbrants says, "five different people at the screening came up and said, 'Wow, it was really great that you got your cards in there, too.' " 'The glamour of Las Vegas' Throughout most of "F1 The Movie," Sonny is presented as something of a cowboy, a lone wolf in a sport that requires teamwork. By the time the action moves to Las Vegas, he's ready to let down his guard, reveal some things about his past and prove he's more than just a beautiful agent of chaos. Such an important scene demands an exceptional location, which is where The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas came in. "They were looking for a room that really captured the glamour of Las Vegas," says Allyson Wadman, associate director of public relations for MGM Resorts International. "Something that was edgy, luxurious and kind of in the middle of all the energy on the Las Vegas Strip." The production found that in a Cosmopolitan suite that has a wraparound balcony overlooking the Fountains of Bellagio and a large section of the Las Vegas Grand Prix course. The thing about such a perfect location, though, is that it's already a hot commodity among high rollers during race week. "We try to be really flexible," Wadman says, "especially when it's a really great opportunity to showcase our property and the city itself." Planning for that shoot began in early 2023, before the strikes by the acting and writing guilds pushed principal photography back a year. When it finally came time to film on that Tuesday night in November, there was more than enough pressure and distraction to go around. "You think about all of the street closures, the grandstands, all of the hundreds of thousands of people," Wadman says. "Operationally, that is already a lot going on for all of the resorts on the Strip." The "F1" team removed light fixtures, rearranged the furniture and applied dark paint over the balcony's white ceiling. "Those small little details of the suite, we were having meetings on meetings," Wadman says. Planning took "countless hours" over the course of several months. 'That world-class scene' Jason Strauss was watching Tiësto perform inside Omnia when the music stopped and the 1,500 or so clubgoers started milling about. Then it happened again. And again. For hours. Three days before the Dutch DJ would play there again while the Las Vegas Grand Prix roared by, the nightclub at Caesars Palace served as a movie set filled with extras. (The club was used again by Rosé for that "Messy" video.) It wasn't the typical Omnia experience, even aside from the stops and starts. The production added its own lights to the club's rigging, making the space brighter than ever. Footage shot in the 12 hours starting at 3 p.m. that Wednesday has been used in the movie's trailers and promotional videos. "It didn't really feel that sexy watching it," says Strauss, co-CEO of Tao Group Hospitality, which owns and operates the club. "But then seeing it in the trailer, it looked (expletive) sexy." Tao Group's parent company, Mohari Hospitality, has long-standing ties to Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula One world champion who's one of the movie's key producers. Tiësto was selected after being on both the production's shortlist of DJs and the Tao Group roster. "This is a major thing for our group," Strauss says, "but it's also a (big) thing for Vegas." The only time you really see Sonny and Joshua out on the town, taking in life away from the track, is when they're in Las Vegas. After that poker game, set the night before the race, Joshua heads to Omnia to unwind. "For them to say, when it comes to nightlife, Vegas has to embody that world-class scene, and of all the nightclubs in Vegas, they chose Omnia," Strauss says, calling it "just a great accolade." Tao Group is developing Omnia outposts around the world, and Strauss sees being tied so closely to Formula One as a huge stamp of approval. Especially when "F1 The Movie" shows Joshua, a hot young driver who can do anything he wants, hanging out there. "Guess what? That's what it is in real life," Strauss says with a confident laugh. "That's why it's going to resonate. It's very authentic." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Norris and Piastri lead way as McLaren get back to work
It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA It was back to something akin to normality for McLaren world championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris as the first blows for supremacy at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix were exchanged. Their last encounter had been a fortnight earlier, a much-debated and, for Norris at least, highly expensive coming together at the Canadian Grand Prix. The pair had been scrapping over fourth place but the result of the British driver's rash move was to put himself out of the race while his Australian teammate was left to salvage fourth place. Back in competition in second practice at the scenic Speilberg raceway, the pair sped to a McLaren one-two, with Norris just in front. Earlier, in first practice, Mercedes driver George Russell, the winner in Canada, was fastest with Piastri third. Norris handed his car to Irish rookie and Formula Two leader Alex Dunne, who promptly marked his Formula One practice debut by getting to with 0.069 seconds of Piastri. That prompted an outpouring of emotion from Dunne, the first Irish driver to take part in a grand prix weekend for 22 years and who benefitted from team obligations to give rookie drivers Formula One experience. .Thanking his team over the radio as the chequered flag fell, the 19-year-old Dunne said: "A little boy's dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life. "Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car." Back among the contenders - Piastri has a 22-point lead over Norris at the top of the drivers' standings after 10 of the 24 races - it was down to business at the start of another critical weekend. Norris finished 0.157 sec clear of Piastri with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace in second practice. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell, quickest in the opening session, slipped to sixth. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. "For some reason I have just got no pace," said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. With PA
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Lando Norris puts Canada crash behind him to set practice pace in Austria
Lando Norris bounced back from his Canada collision with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to finish fastest in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Norris' world championship bid was dealt a significant blow in Montreal a fortnight ago when he ran into the back of Piastri and retired from the race. The collision cast him 22 points adrift of Piastri but Norris claimed an early advantage at Spielberg's Red Bull Ring by topping the timesheets. Norris finished 0.157 seconds clear of Piastri in a McLaren one-two, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. George Russell, who landed his first win of the season in Montreal, slipped to sixth having set the pace in the opening running of the weekend earlier on Friday. For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton's programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day's concluding running. 'For some reason I have just got no pace,' said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari. Hamilton was also the subject of an investigation after impeding Kimi Antonelli – the Italian teenager who replaced him at Mercedes – through turn four. Lewis Hamilton finished 10th in his Ferrari in second practice (Denes Erdos/AP) Antonelli had to take evasive action at high speed as Hamilton wandered back on to the racing line. Hamilton immediately apologised to Antonelli – drawing alongside the 18-year-old's Mercedes before offering an apologetic hand – but was summoned to see the stewards to explain his actions. Hamilton escaped with a warning. Earlier, Norris sat out the opening session with Alex Dunne becoming the first Irishman since Ralph Firman in 2003 to take part in an Formula One event. Dunne, 19, who is a McLaren development driver and leads the Formula Two standings, finished an impressive fourth and within a tenth of Piastri. 'A little boy's dream came true,' he said over the radio. 'This is the best day of my life.'
