Latest news with #VirtualSafetyCar
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Drama off the track at British GP continues to intrigue
On the surface, the British Grand Prix was all about the ongoing fight for the World Championship between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, as McLaren's extraordinary domination of F1 continued round the very fast track in Northamptonshire. They had been upstaged in qualifying by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, partly thanks to a low-drag rear wing last used in Suzuka earlier in the season, and partly due to the world champion's extraordinary skill. But when the rain came at the start, Verstappen was pretty quicky doomed. After early Virtual Safety Car interventions, when things finally got going Piastri slipped ahead and opened a 14.4 second lead – until race director Rui Marques deemed that the actual Safety Car should be deployed to slow the cars down as there was too much standing water. The fact that Isack Hadjar crashed his RB into the back of Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes as soon as the track went green again suggested that Marques had done the right thing initially, since visibility was still poor.
Irish Independent
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Alex Dunne back on podium after second place finish at F2 British Grand Prix with winner potentially under review
And things could yet improve for the Offaly racer after Jak Crawford took a crucial though potentially controversial feature race win, closing the gap to championship leader Richard Verschoor to just six points. The American led for much of the race but came under increasing pressure from Dunne, who had qualified on the front row and steadily reeled in the leader. The 19-year-old was within half a second of Crawford by lap 21 of 29, having narrowed an earlier 1.5 second gap. Dunne briefly assumed the lead on lap 24 when Crawford pitted during a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period. Although Crawford moved towards the pit lane under yellow flags, it appeared that he had yet to cross the line into the pit lane before the status changed to the VSC. Officials have yet to confirm whether he complied with regulations as making a mandatory pit stop is forbidden under a VSC. A penalty would hand the race win to the Irish driver. That VSC was upgraded to a full Safety Car the following lap, adding further complexity to the strategy calls. Dunne made his own mandatory pit stop shortly after, rejoining just ahead of Luke Browning to retain second place, but behind Crawford, who ultimately took the chequered flag. It was a bounce back from a scoreless sprint race yesterday, where a clash with Gabriele Mini led to a puncture, to finish second in the feature and collect 18 valuable points. The McLaren junior drove a composed race and continues to build momentum heading into the second half of the season. Dunne climbs back to third in the overall standings and is now within 14 points of the championship lead. Luke Browning completed the podium after a strong drive, while Arvid Lindblad picked up eighth and claimed an extra point for setting the fastest lap. With just two rounds remaining, the title race has tightened considerably but depending on the outcome of the stewards' investigation, Silverstone's results could yet shift.
RTÉ News
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Alex Dunne rebounds at sodden Silverstone with podium finish to boost F2 title hopes
Alex Dunne bounced back from a Saturday sprint setback to boost his Formula 2 title hopes with a provisional second place finish in the British Grand Prix feature race at a rain-sodden Silverstone. Having failed to finish the sprint race the previous day following an early collision that dropped him back to fourth in the drivers' championship standings, the Offaly teenager put that in the rearview mirror with a podium finish on Sunday after taking the chequered flag second, just behind US rival Jak Crawford. However, with doubts about whether Crawford made it into the pitlane before a late Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was called, an infringement which could result in a penalty, the provisional classification could still be subsequently altered and Dunne upgraded to the top step of the podium at the American's expense. Dunne, who had qualified second on the grid for the feature race, was around 1.5 seconds behind Crawford for much of the grand prix until it entered the final ten laps and by the end of lap 21 of 29, the Irishman had closed that gap to just half a second. He then assumed the lead on lap 24 when Crawford came in for his mandatory pit stop following a VSC period - although it was unclear if the American had got to the pitlane before it was called - it ultimately was upgraded to a full safety car a lap later. Dunne came in for his mandatory pitstop shortly after, dropping behind Crawford as a result, although the 19-year-old crucially just held onto second place ahead of British driver Luke Browning. The safety car ended on lap 27 but any hopes that Dunne had of overtaking Crawford on track was ended following another safety car on the penultimate lap. However, there could still be a sting in the tail for Crawford, which would allow Dunne to claim his third F2 victory of the season after previous feature race triumphs in Bahrain and Imola. Earlier this month, Dunne . The McLaren development driver impressed on the day, setting the fourth fastest time overall, whilst sitting in for Lando Norris, who is currently second in the F1 drivers' championship.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Formula 1: Lando Norris wins 2025 Monaco GP, closes championship gap on Piastri
Lando Norris wins 2025 Monaco GP. (Image credits: Reuters). Lando Norris took centre stage in Formula 1's most prestigious race, delivering a cool and calculated drive to win the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix . Starting from pole, the McLaren driver kept his composure through 78 tight laps, despite early drama and relentless pressure from behind, reported IANS. Norris locked up into the first corner but quickly regained his rhythm, managing traffic, strategy calls, and Virtual Safety Car interruptions with precision. Even the new two-stop rule at Monaco – introduced this year to encourage more excitement on a track notorious for limited overtaking – didn't shake his focus. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc , racing in front of his home crowd, kept the pressure on all race long. But despite narrowing the gap late in the race, he was unable to mount a serious challenge for the win and had to settle for second. Max Verstappen , who led briefly near the end thanks to a late pit stop strategy, ultimately dropped to fourth after finally diving into the pits just before the final lap. Oscar Piastri completed the podium in third, securing a double podium finish for McLaren and keeping the title fight alive. With this result, Piastri's lead in the drivers' standings is now just three points ahead of Norris. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kardiolog: Bukfett efter 50? Sätt det i dina skor Hälsotips Undo Lewis Hamilton quietly climbed his way to fifth after receiving a penalty post-qualifying for impeding Verstappen. Rookie Isack Hadjar impressed in sixth for RB, ahead of Haas' Esteban Ocon and teammate Liam Lawson. Kia Carens Clavis first drive review: Carens facelift or more | TOI Auto Williams had a solid day with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz grabbing ninth and tenth, holding off George Russell, whose frustration with Albon's robust defending earned him a drive-through penalty after an illegal overtake. Further back, Haas' Ollie Bearman recovered from a ten-place grid drop and a wild opening lap to finish 12th, ahead of Alpine's Franco Colapinto and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto. Bortoleto had a scare early on after a brush with Kimi Antonelli at Portier but managed to keep going and cross the line ahead of Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, and Yuki Tsunoda. Antonelli, who delayed his pit stops to the final laps, finished 18th. The race saw two retirements – Fernando Alonso bowed out due to engine issues, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly exited after contact with Tsunoda in the tunnel section. As F1 leaves the streets of Monte Carlo, the championship picture tightens, and McLaren leaves with the biggest smile – a win, a double podium, and a title race heating up fast. (Inputs from IANS).
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why McLaren's Miami F1 dominance wasn't just a factor of tire management
'We saw that when McLaren was pushing, we were between seven tenths and a second behind. For the first time, we saw their pure speed,' was Helmut Marko's verdict after the Miami Grand Prix, offering a clear, raw picture of the McLaren's superiority. Of the six rounds held so far, the most recent one is the first in which the papaya team fully showcased its potential. Until then, owing to various race circumstances, that speed had been at least partially concealed. Advertisement Two elements stood out the most in Florida: the final gap, and the speed with which Lando Norris managed to get back behind Max Verstappen after the first-lap incident. After slipping to sixth position, with two Mercedes and a Williams to overtake, Norris took just 13 laps to close the gap to Verstappen. Granted, he had some assistance from factors such as the ease of overtaking in Miami with DRS (improved this year by the extension of one of the zones), and Verstappen's battle with Oscar Piastri, which slowed both of them down. However, the speed with which Norris made his comeback gave a concrete measure of McLaren's potential in Miami. Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Lando Norris, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Andy Hone / Motorsport Images Andy Hone / Motorsport Images Advertisement All of this fits into a broader picture: a gap of nearly 40 seconds to third-place man George Russell at the chequered flag. But where does such a large gap come from – one of the biggest in the ground-effect era? Oscar Piastri, McLaren Oscar Piastri, McLaren James Sutton / Motorsport Images James Sutton / Motorsport Images It was 12 months ago in Miami that McLaren's comeback began – but even though the MCL38 was transformed by the update package applied that weekend, tire management wasn't its forte. On the contrary, especially on a flying lap, high temperatures made it difficult for the car to extract grip from the soft compound. For the MCL39 McLaren has applied the lessons of 2024, not just in terms of tire management but also mechanical and aerodynamic versatility and effectiveness in the slow sections – which also used to be a weakness. And this is precisely where that nearly 40-second gap to the competition comes from, even if McLaren did save a few seconds by benefiting from the Virtual Safety Car during its pitstops. Advertisement Analysing the race data it's clear that, in the first stint, after wearing out his tires in the battle with the McLarens, Verstappen was no longer able to exploit the potential of the RB21 in the high-speed sections. In Turn 5, where in qualifying McLaren had a deficit of 8 km/h, by the end of the first stint the papaya car had gained a 15 km/h advantage. But it's in the second half of the race that an even more interesting fact emerges: after switching to the hard tires, Verstappen regained pace in the fast corners, once again making use of his car's only remaining real strength. But it wasn't enough to overturn McLaren's effectiveness in the slow corners. Oscar Piastri, McLaren Oscar Piastri, McLaren Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Advertisement Where a year ago the MCL38 suffered from chronic understeer, the MCL39 has now turned that into one of its greatest weapons. This topic fits into the broader context of versatility. The MCL39 isn't the perfect car, but it is the most complete – capable of adapting to a wide range of tracks. While Miami is a circuit that played more to McLaren's strengths than Red Bull's, it remains a complex track to set up for, requiring a balance between slow corners, fast sections, and straights. And it is precisely thanks to this versatility that McLaren is able to make the difference – continuing to dominate in the slow sections without overly compromising performance in medium-high speed areas, where other cars remain absolutely superior. It's not just a matter of temperature. If you look at the track temperature on Sunday in Miami, it was comparable to – if not lower than – what was seen in Jeddah. Yet Red Bull suffered greater tire overheating than in Saudi Arabia. Advertisement 'We had hotter tires than in Jeddah, and even a small temperature variation can change a lot of things,' said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. 'The tires are very sensitive.' Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Steven Tee / Motorsport Images Steven Tee / Motorsport Images If in Jeddah Red Bull was able to set up its car to shine in the fast corners, in Miami it failed to find a compromise as effective as McLaren's. It's not just a matter of tire management, but also of operating window and technical versatility – areas in which the MCL39 excels. Another performance factor is clearly temperature-related, though. The Honda engine – like the Ferrari to some extent – requires more pronounced hot air dissipation, and it's no coincidence that in the hottest or most humid races, Red Bull is among the cars with the largest cooling louvres. Advertisement By contrast, the Mercedes power unit seems to handle this requirement better, and some of McLaren's design choices have maximised its potential. This allows for tighter, more streamlined bodywork – not just along the engine cover, but also at the end of the central cooling outlet – resulting in clear benefits for aerodynamic efficiency. 'There's another characteristic that works very well with our car: cooling. When it's hot, you can see how our car remains relatively closed, precisely because a lot of work has gone into this area as well,' added Stella. 'I believe McLaren's engineering excellence has reached a level that really makes a difference.' A car that isn't perfect – but certainly the most complete. To read more articles visit our website.
