Latest news with #StyrianAlps
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hamilton given formal warning as difficult Ferrari start continues
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was 10th in second practice at the Austrian Grand Prix (Andrej ISAKOVIC) Lewis Hamilton's difficult start to life at Ferrari continued on Friday as he was handed a warning by the race stewards after winding up 10th in second practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. The seven-time champion was alleged to have impeded his successor at Mercedes, Italian teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli, at turn four of the fast and technical Red Bull Ring circuit in the Styrian Alps. Advertisement Hamilton apologised immediately and explained that he had not seen Antonelli approaching behind him as he descended over the crest of a hill on a slow lap and drifted into the racing line. Hamilton raised his hand to signal his apology to Antonelli as he passed him. After speaking to Hamilton, the stewards decided to give the Briton a formal warning -- the usual sanction for such a misdemeanour in practice. It is the third time this season that Hamilton has been warned. "The driver of car 44 (Hamilton), although constantly checking his mirrors after being informed by the team about car 12 (Antonelli) closing in, slowly moved on to the racing line on the approach to turn four and thereby unnecessarily impeded car 12 which had to take evasive action," said the stewards in a statement. Advertisement Hamilton was given a three-place grid drop at the Monaco Grand Prix where he impeded four-time champion Max Verstappen in qualifying when his race engineer Riccardo Adami wrongly informed him that the Dutchman was not on a flying lap. Hamilton struggled with gearbox problems on Friday as he evaluated a new floor design on his Ferrari car. His team-mate Charles Leclerc was fifth, six-tenths off the pace of McLaren's Lando Norris. str/nf
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Russell tops opening practice in Austria
George Russell fastest in first practice at the Red Bull Ring (Andrej ISAKOVIC) George Russell topped the times for Mercedes ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull in Friday's opening practice ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old Briton clocked a best lap in one minute and 5.542 seconds to outpace his Dutch rival by 0.065 seconds ahead of McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri and his temporary team-mate, reserve driver Alex Dunne, who delivered an impressive debut. Advertisement The Irishman settled into the session and ramped up his speed in the closing stages to finish only 0.09 seconds adrift of Piastri in the car usually driven by Lando Norris. Pierre Gasly was fifth for Alpine ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber, Williams' Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, who endured a troubled session. RB rookie Isack Hadjar was 10th ahead of fellow-rookie Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes. Russell was the winner of last year's race in the Styrian Alps and won the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago, giving him momentum for this weekend. Advertisement Dunne is Ireland's first F1 driver since Ralph Firman in 2003. Dino Beganovic made his second appearance of the season as reserve stepping in for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, alongside Hamilton. He wound up 18th. Most teams introduced a range of upgrades, including a new floor for Ferrari, while Red Bull had a change of personnel in Verstappen's group, the vastly-experieced Simon Rennie stepping in for Gianpiero Lambiasse, who had taken a weekend off. By midway through the session, Russell had switched to softs and continued to set the pace as Ferrari were struggling again with both cars in the pits with problems. Advertisement Hamilton who had complained of gearbox issues was only 18th and Beganovic 19th ahead of Dunne, who was familiarizing himself with the demands of F1. In a largely serene session, the first incident came with a spin for Fernando Alonso when he pushed on his first lap on softs at Turn 10. "That was the worst out-lap we can do," said the Aston Martin driver. "Good to do it in FP1!" str/nr
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Red Bull upgrades or bust? Verstappen under pressure at high-stakes home race in Austrian GP
SPIELBERG (Austria), June 26 — Max Verstappen leads Red Bull into their home Austrian Grand Prix this weekend hoping a major upgrades package can boost his title defence before it is too late. The four-time world champion, who still needs to avoid any on-track problems that could lead to a mandatory race ban, has won four times at the high-speed Red Bull Ring circuit in the Styrian Alps and will be backed by his 'orange army' of fans. But he knows that combination may not be enough. McLaren's championship-leading duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who collided in Canada, are hoping to return to form after that rare off-day in a forecasted heatwave on a circuit expected to suit their car. Last year's winner George Russell of Mercedes, who took advantage of McLaren's struggles in Montreal to win with aplomb ahead of Verstappen, will arrive with momentum and optimism, if wary of the heat. 'We are getting an update for Austria which will be refined for Silverstone,' Red Bull's consultant Helmut Marko told Austria's Kleine Zeitung. 'But if that doesn't work then it will be difficult for the championship — as if it is not difficult enough already.' Breaking free of team chief Christan Horner's more upbeat approach ahead of the 11th race of the 24-race season, Marko said he expected F1's cost cap and the need to focus on preparation for next year's sweeping regulation changes to curtail development this year. 'At some point people will say 'That's it for further development and for two reasons — time — the production of new parts takes time — and the cost cap.' He suggested that a key decision to focus entirely on the 2026 car would likely be taken next month. Verstappen, whose Red Bull car has been unable to match McLaren for most of this year, is without a win in three races since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. He has won twice this season, at the high-speed Imola and Suzuka circuits, but struggled on slower tracks. In the drivers' championship, he trails McLaren's Piastri, by 43 points, and Norris, by 21, and is two penalty points on his licence away from a ban. Two of his current total will expire after this Sunday's race. Red Bull's weaknesses Horner conceded that 'our weakness at the moment is in the medium-speed type of corner... and in Austria, in the middle sector, there's a bit of it there. We'll see. If it's hot, I expect McLaren to be stronger again. 'There's a significant points gap between us and them, but we don't give up on anything and we're not even at the halfway point yet.' In last year's race, Verstappen collided with Norris as they fought for the lead, gifting Russell his victory. That tangle, and his 'stupid' crash into Piastri in Montreal, may hang heavily for Norris this weekend as he attempts to rebuild his title bid without further mishaps. With Russell confident and Mercedes also boosted by rookie Kimi Antonelli's maiden podium finish in Canada, a closely-fought contest is in prospect involving all the leading teams. 'We expect our rivals to be much more competitive in Austria,' said Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff. 'The track should be a good test of our recent updates.' Ferrari go into the weekend with less optimism. 'For us, the best thing is to take it race by race, try to maximise,' said Charles Leclerc. 'It's been a disappointing first part of the season, but we keep pushing. Let's see where that takes us.' — AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Verstappen hoping upgrades can boost title defence at Red Bull home race
Max Verstappen is 43 points behind Oscar Piastri in the world championship title race (Minas Panagiotakis) Max Verstappen leads Red Bull into their home Austrian Grand Prix this weekend hoping a major upgrades package can boost his title defence before it is too late. The four-time world champion, who still needs to avoid any on-track problems that could lead to a mandatory race ban, has won four times at the high-speed Red Bull Ring circuit in the Styrian Alps and will be backed by his 'orange army' of fans. Advertisement But he knows that combination may not be enough. McLaren's championship-leading duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who collided in Canada, are hoping to return to form after that rare off-day in a forecasted heatwave on a circuit expected to suit their car. Last year's winner George Russell of Mercedes, who took advantage of McLaren's struggles in Montreal to win with aplomb ahead of Verstappen, will arrive with momentum and optimism, if wary of the heat. "We are getting an update for Austria which will be refined for Silverstone," Red Bull's consultant Helmut Marko told Austria's Kleine Zeitung. Advertisement "But if that doesn't work then it will be difficult for the championship –- as if it is not difficult enough already." Breaking free of team chief Christan Horner's more upbeat approach ahead of the 11th race of the 24-race season, Marko said he expected F1's cost cap and the need to focus on preparation for next year's sweeping regulation changes to curtail development this year. "At some point people will say 'That's it for further development and for two reasons -- time -- the production of new parts takes time –- and the cost cap." He suggested that a key decision to focus entirely on the 2026 car would likely be taken next month. Advertisement Verstappen, whose Red Bull car has been unable to match McLaren for most of this year, is without a win in three races since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. He has won twice this season, at the high-speed Imola and Suzuka circuits, but struggled on slower tracks. In the drivers' championship, he trails McLaren's Piastri, by 43 points, and Norris, by 21, and is two penalty points on his licence away from a ban. Two of his current total will expire after this Sunday's race. - Red Bull's weaknesses - Horner conceded that "our weakness at the moment is in the medium-speed type of corner... and in Austria, in the middle sector, there's a bit of it there. We'll see. If it's hot, I expect McLaren to be stronger again. Advertisement "There's a significant points gap between us and them, but we don't give up on anything and we're not even at the halfway point yet." In last year's race, Verstappen collided with Norris as they fought for the lead, gifting Russell his victory. That tangle, and his "stupid" crash into Piastri in Montreal, may hang heavily for Norris this weekend as he attempts to rebuild his title bid without further mishaps. With Russell confident and Mercedes also boosted by rookie Kimi Antonelli's maiden podium finish in Canada, a closely-fought contest is in prospect involving all the leading teams. Advertisement "We expect our rivals to be much more competitive in Austria," said Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff. "The track should be a good test of our recent updates." Ferrari go into the weekend with less optimism. "For us, the best thing is to take it race by race, try to maximise," said Charles Leclerc. "It's been a disappointing first part of the season, but we keep pushing. Let's see where that takes us." str/jc
