Latest news with #half-Belgian
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Lando Norris explains how he showed up Oscar Piastri in Belgian GP qualifying showdown
Oscar Piastri was beaten to Belgian Grand Prix pole by McLaren team-mate and F1 title rival Lando Norris who wants to further narrow the gap between them in the championship Lando Norris is eyeing back-to-back 'home' race wins on Sunday after the perfect qualifying follow-up to his British Grand Prix triumph. The Brit's first career win at Silverstone last time out saw him celebrate wildly with his family. And he hopes to do so again in the homeland of his mother, Cisca, who watched on with glee as her half-Belgian son, 25, took pole position in the Ardennes Forest. Norris was more than half-a-second slower in Sprint qualifying than team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri on Friday but got the better of the Aussie on Saturday for the one that really mattered. "I did not have to change much, I just had to drive a little bit better and that was it," he reflected. "I just drove a tiny bit better and I just had a bit of a slipstream. [On Friday] I did not have a slipstream and it cost me three-and-a-half tenths, so it makes a big difference." Norris had started and finished third in that Sprint race earlier in the day, and so knows full well that pole isn't always the best place to begin at Spa-Francorchamps. The long flat-out section after the first corner gives a huge slipstream, as Piastri found out when Max Verstappen stole the lead on lap one. The Dutchman had enough pace in his Red Bull to keep the McLarens behind over the 15-lap dash. But at 44 laps the Grand Prix is nearly three-times longer and Norris refuses to believe that starting at the front is a disadvantage. He said: "I would be stupid and there is no point in me being here if I did not think that I could win. I am here to win and, whatever the conditions are, that is my target." Piastri, nine points ahead in the title race, felt he should have made it two poles in the same weekend but "a pretty big mistake" cost him. He said: "I felt like the potential was there and it is always frustrating when you feel like you can do it and you don't. That is how it goes sometimes, unfortunately. "I feel like I have done a good job, just unfortunately not when it mattered today. But I feel like the pace has been really strong all weekend, so I am confident for tomorrow." Verstappen's Sprint win for Red Bull saw life under new boss Laurent Mekies get off to the perfect start. He admitted he had to do "15 qualifying laps" to keep the quicker McLarens behind and "drove over the limit" for much of the race. And from fourth on the grid today he is not confident he can repeat the trick, no matter what the weather does. Verstappen said: "Overall, it's not been a very good qualifying. I think it will be tough. If it's wet then you can't see anything, so you can't do anything on lap one. I hope we can fight back to the podium, but we need to be realistic and work on our own balance."
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Max Verstappen issues statement ahead of Belgian GP as new Red Bull F1 boss faces debut
Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing head into the Belgian Grand Prix without Christian Horner steering the ship for the first time ever, as new boss Laurent Mekies makes his competitive debut in the role Max Verstappen says he is looking forward to striking up a close working relationship with new boss Laurent Mekies. The Dutchman was speaking ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, the first race since the bombshell news of Christian Horner being removed from his positions as team principal and CEO. The Spa-Francorchamps race is always a milestone moment for Verstappen, who is half-Belgian and sees it as one of his two home races alongside the Dutch Grand Prix. And he will be hoping to get back to winning ways at a venue which means to much to him on a personal level. But he must do so after two weeks of significant upheaval which saw Horner ousted and also plenty of intense speculation about his own future. But for now he will, like his colleagues, adjust to life under new boss Laurent Mekies, who was called up from sister team Racing Bulls to take on the top job. "I was back at the factory last week to spend some time in the sim with the team," said Verstappen as he previewed the trip to the Ardennes Forest. "I'm looking forward to working closely with Laurent." He added: "Spa is a classic and always my favourite track on the calendar, a very old school circuit where you have to do everything right to get a good lap. I enjoy the high-speed corners such as Eau Rouge, the layout which is different to other circuits and elevation changes that make the track more of a challenge to drive." Claims that Verstappen could hold a press conference in Belgium this weekend to make an announcement about his future are understood to be unfounded. But he continues to be strongly linked with a switch to Mercedes. In the immediate future, though, he and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda will get a first taste of life under a new boss in Belgium. The latter in particular will be hoping that Mekies' methods can help inspire a change in his fortunes on track, having scored just seven points since be was elevated to the seat in April. "We are coming into this race in a new era for the team and it will be good to link up again with Laurent," Tsunoda said of his former Racing Bulls boss. "We worked really well together at Racing Bulls. I know how he likes to work and our full focus is on pushing forward and for me personally to start delivering the performance we need. "Spa is a fun circuit and one that could suit us well. The Sprint always makes things tricky but the work and preparation we have done in this off time should set us up nicely. "I have spent the time off racing mixed between training very hard and using the break to mentally reset. I wanted to be the best prepared I could be coming into Spa and in better condition, mentally and physically. I am feeling strong and sharp and looking forward to these next two races before summer break."
