Formula 1
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The implications of F1's vote on a new points structure
As exclusively revealed by Autosport over the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Thursday's virtual F1 Commission meeting will have a new points structure from 2025 onwards as one of its agenda points.The FIA, F1 and the 10 teams are set to vote on a tweak to the existing points system that has been in place since 2010 for grands prix. The top seven positions remain unchanged, but from eighth place down...Keep reading -
Mercedes taking action to cure F1 car's “underlying balance” problem
The German manufacturer has endured a challenging start to the 2024 campaign, with its W15 showing flashes of speed but struggling to deliver consistency through race weekends.Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have battled a ‘knife-edge’ feeling at times, as Mercedes has failed to nail a set-up that exploits the potential that it believes is locked in the car.While the team is hopeful that an...Keep reading -
Ayrton Senna's famous Honda NSX up for sale
The car is one of three examples of the Honda NSX owned by Senna, with his red NSX one of the cars the Brazilian kept at his Portuguese home.The car was first registered in 1991 and has since accumulated 39,100 miles / 62,925 kilometres.Senna's red Honda was made famous by several photoshoots in Portugal and also featured in the 1992 documentary Racing is in my Blood.Senna tragically lost his life...Keep reading -
Krack: Aston Martin frustrated by inconsistent F1 penalty decisions
In Saturday's sprint race, Alonso was given a 10-second penalty for a glancing collision with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz towards the end of the race, which resulted in Alonso retiring with a puncture.The next day Stroll received a similar penalty for crashing into the back of RB's Daniel Ricciardo under safety car conditions, which caused terminal damage for the Australian and also damaged Oscar...Keep reading -
Ricciardo felt "rapid" before Stroll F1 clash in China
Under a mid-race safety car, Aston Martin driver Stroll clattered into the back of Ricciardo at the hairpin, which forced the Australian to retire with car damage.Ricciardo was furious with Stroll's refusal to take blame for the incident, while the Canadian labelled his penalty a "joke".But amid a tough a thus far point-less start to the 2024 season, which has dented Ricciardo's hopes of landing...Keep reading -
Ferrari announces HP as new F1 team title sponsor
Hewlett Packard announced it is set to join Ferrari as its new title partner, renaming the official team name to Scuderia Ferrari HP in what has been called a "multi-year" deal.The American technology company and its distinctive blue logo will feature on Ferrari's F1 livery from next week's Miami Grand Prix onwards as well as on its team kit and overalls. The title branding deal will also extend...Keep reading -
Mooted F1 points system like "putting a plaster on a big cut" - Ocon
As revealed by Autosport ahead of the Chinese GP, the FIA, FOM and F1 teams are to discuss the idea of increasing the points-scoring positions down to 12th, two more than currently on offer.The change would result in just eight cars not scoring points in Sunday races.While that means that Alpine driver Ocon would have scored his first points of 2024 in the Chinese GP last weekend, the Frenchman...Keep reading -
Why Audi and Verstappen have complicated Formula 1’s driver market decisions
While we have had some important decisions made already – like Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari and Fernando Alonso re-committing to Aston Martin – there remains a great deal still to be sorted.What is perhaps most fascinating though is that not everyone is running to the same timing agenda, and that has left things hugely complicated for both drivers and teams as they try to plot their best path...Keep reading -
‘Metronomic’ Verstappen may rule F1, but it won’t last forever - Horner
Max Verstappen has turned F1 into a one-man show over recent seasons, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is the only other driver to have won a race since last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.And despite rivals throwing everything they can at trying to close down Red Bull’s advantage, the world champion squad is still clearly in a class of its own at the front.It means that with Verstappen in the form...Keep reading -
Ferrari "made too many mistakes" for podium fight at F1 Chinese GP
Ferrari has been the 2024 season's second-best team so far, but didn't live up to those expectations at last weekend's Shanghai event.Having had at least one driver on the podium across the first four races, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz only qualified sixth and seventh respectively, six-tenths off Max Verstappen.The pair managed to move ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Aston Martin man...Keep reading -
McLaren "surprised" by China F1 race pace after sprint struggles
McLaren's Lando Norris started on pole for Saturday morning's 19-lap sprint race but after going off at the start he fell down to seventh. That became sixth at the chequered flag due to Fernando Alonso's retirement, finishing in front of team-mate Oscar Piastri but behind both Ferraris.Its race pace relative to the Scuderia seemed in line with the Woking team's muted expectations for the weekend...Keep reading -
Ferrari announces Miami F1 livery change to mark US anniversary
The Scuderia is set to unveil a one-off look for the Miami Grand Prix which will make reference to the heritage of the manufacturer in a contemporary manner, with two shades of blue being brought back from the pages of history - Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino.The change will be made to honour Ferrari’s historical place in the US motorsport environment, marking the manufacturer’s 70th...Keep reading -
Haas disputes Magnussen's Chinese GP F1 penalty was "justifiable"
Magnussen was handed a 10-second time penalty for hitting RB rival Yuki Tsunoda during the restart of the race following the first safety car period.As they exited Turn 6, Magnussen appeared to suffer a snap of oversteer and hit the right rear tyre of Tsunoda's car, sending the Japanese driver into a spin.The damage caused to Tsunoda's car forced him to retire from the race straight away while...Keep reading -
RB brands Ricciardo/Tsunoda Chinese GP crashes “unnecessary”
RB’s hopes of a points finish in Shanghai were dashed within a dramatic few moments in Sunday’s race after Ricciardo was hit from behind by Lance Stroll behind the safety car, while Tsunoda was involved in a race-ending clash with Kevin Magnussen at the restart.Neither driver was able to finish the race, and RB team principal Laurent Mekies felt that both of the incidents against his drivers...Keep reading -
Wolff: Mercedes can't just keep living off F1 ‘bright spots’
While the German manufacturer was buoyed by Lewis Hamilton taking the runner-up spot in the China sprint last weekend, it still endured a challenging main grand prix as it came home behind McLaren and Ferrari again.But with there being no notable uptrend in its form despite the efforts it has made to better understand its W15, Wolff thinks that it has to lift its game rather than think that...Keep reading -
From tweaked headrests to new floors: China’s F1 updates in full
However, with the fight in the F1 pack so intense this year, everyone equally knows that small gains can make a big difference in the pecking order.That is why several outfits did take some new parts to Shanghai, with Alpine and Haas bringing pretty extensive updates, while Mercedes, Williams and RB all made smaller tweaks to their cars.With just one free practice session at the teams' disposal...Keep reading -
Sargeant baffled about not being told of illegal F1 safety car overtake
During the caution period to remove Valtteri Bottas's stricken Sauber, Sargeant was running down the start-finish straight towards Turn 1 as his Haas rival emerged from the pits following a change of tyres.But while Hulkenberg reached the critical safety car line that determines the running order a split second in front, Sargeant’s speed offset and momentum left him thinking he had got there...Keep reading -
Sainz: Leclerc start battle cost Ferrari in F1 China GP
Leclerc and Sainz lined up sixth and seventh respectively, but both lost positions to Mercedes driver George Russell and Haas man Nico Hulkenberg as they crossed paths in Shanghai's first corner complex.Sainz was pushed wide in Turn 2 by an understeering Leclerc, who visibly struggled to get his tyres up to temperature, further illustrated by a huge moment for the Monegasque in the second...Keep reading -
10 things we learned from the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix
Formula 1 finally headed back to China after the COVID-19 pandemic, where home hero Zhou Guanyu was cheered on passionately – moving the Sauber driver and 2004 Fernando Alonso fan considerably.Zhou was granted a post-race celebration on the grid behind the podium-sharing Red Bull drivers – Lando Norris absent from the initial congratulatory shots between the dominant Max Verstappen and the...Keep reading -
Norris: "Nothing pointed" to McLaren's shock China F1 form
Norris took pole for the sprint and while he went off at the start and struggled with tyre wear throughout the 19-lap event, the Briton did excel in Sunday's grand prix.Aided by the timing of a mid-race safety car for him to bolt on hard tyres, Norris comfortably held off the Red Bull of Sergio Perez to claim second behind Max Verstappen, clinching his 15th career podium.McLaren's form was a...Keep reading -
Perez: F1 safety car meant it was "game over" for second place in China
Ferrari driver Leclerc and McLaren's Lando Norris had delayed their first pitstop in Shanghai and were able to convert to a one-stop under a mid-race safety car, deployed to recover Valtteri Bottas' stricken Sauber.Perez and team-mate Max Verstappen had already made a green flag pitstop earlier and were forced in a second time so they could get to the end on hard tyres.Verstappen's ferocious pace...Keep reading -
Autosport Podcast: F1 Chinese GP review
Despite starting from fourth, he won the sprint race by 13 seconds, and then did it again during the grand prix, starting from pole and comfortably cruising to the win.Joining Bryn Lucas on the show is Filip Cleeren and Jake Boxall-Legge as they dissect the more interesting stories beneath the surface, such as Lando Norris turning a "damage limitation" round into a second place finish.Also...Keep reading -
Video: Verstappen dominates at the F1 Chinese GP
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Mercedes plans Miami F1 upgrades as Russell urges back to basics approach
The German manufacturer endured another challenging weekend in China where the promise of a second place in the sprint with Lewis Hamilton was not followed through to the main grand prix.Russell came home in sixth, with Hamilton down in ninth, as the squad was once again left chasing answers about why it cannot unlock the potential it feels there is in its W15 car.And with major set up direction...Keep reading -
How many penalty points do F1 drivers have in 2024 and when do they expire?
The Aston Martin drivers both faced a difficult weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both being awarded penalty points on their superlicences. Stroll branded his two-point penalty a “joke” after being found responsible for driving into the back of Daniel Ricciardo, ultimately ending the race for the Australian.
Fernando Alonso adds a further...Keep reading -
F1’s new points system looks on course to get support it needs
As exclusively revealed by Autosport ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, F1’s teams are due to discuss with the FIA and FOM the idea of revising the points system for 2025 to offer rewards down to 12th place.Amid concerns that the effective current lock-out of the top ten positions by the leading five teams is unduly impacting the midfield battle, as there are so few opportunities to score, a...Keep reading -
Horner: Wolff should focus on his own F1 problems, not “unavailable” Verstappen
Amid fresh comments from Mercedes chief Wolff about the ongoing possibility of Verstappen walking away from Red Bull and potentially to his team, Horner has issued a hard-hitting response.With every indication to Red Bull from the Verstappen camp that the triple world champion is fully committed to his contract, Horner says Wolff is wasting his time dreaming that there is a chance of getting...Keep reading -
Krack: Stroll penalty "very harsh" after F1 China "chain reaction"
Stroll hit Ricciardo under the safety car as the field bunched up in the penultimate corner for a lap 27 restart.A furious Ricciardo was forced to retire his damaged RB car, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri also sustained rear-end damage when his compatriot's car was pushed into him.The stewards wholly blamed Stroll for not taking more care to avoid the contact and handed him a 10-second penalty and...Keep reading -
Stroll explains why F1 China penalty for Ricciardo contact felt like "a joke"
With the field bunching up before the hairpin as the race was restarted on Lap 27, Stroll went into the back of Ricciardo, lifting the RB car up in the air and causing terminal damage to the Australian's car.Ricciardo was pushed into McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, who also sustained damage that compromised the rest of his race.The stewards swiftly exacted judgment on the incident, fully attributing...Keep reading -
Ricciardo hit with Miami F1 grid penalty for safety car infringement
The RB driver was penalised having been found guilty of overtaking Haas racer Nico Hulkenberg under safety car conditions on lap 28 at the Shanghai International Circuit.Ricciardo, who has also been handed two penalty points for the offence, had been hit by Lance Stroll at the previous safety car restart, sustaining heavy damage through which he ultimately retired from the race.Hulkenberg had made...Keep reading -
Alonso explains mid-race soft tyre strategy in F1 Chinese GP
The Aston Martin driver started the Chinese GP with just one set of fresh hards and two sets of fresh mediums, so when he started the race on mediums and switched to his sole hards after 11 laps, he was left without the strategy flexibility of his rivals when the first safety car period was triggered to recover Valtteri Bottas’ stricken Sauber.As Alonso had no more hard tyres that would get him...Keep reading -
Ranked: The 10 F1 teams at the 2024 Chinese GP
Max Verstappen dominated once again, having hinted at his clear advantage in pace during Saturday's sprint race, but it did not go all Red Bull's own way as Sergio Perez was leapfrogged in the stops.No team was able to quite enjoy an error-free day, as the two safety cars put decision-making under the microscope, but it certainly ensured that China's return to the calendar was not a...Keep reading -
Our writers rate the 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix
On F1's return to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time since 2019, Verstappen cemented his position as the runaway points leader with a lights-to-flag win in the RB20.Norris enjoyed a strong run to second, leaving Sergio Perez to settle for third in the other Red Bull.The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz occupied fourth and fifth positions, ahead of the lead Mercedes...Keep reading -
Hamilton "never had so much understeer in my life" in F1 Chinese GP
Following a promising second place in Saturday morning's sprint, Hamilton faced a recovery race from 18th on the grid.But the seven-time world champion initially failed to make much progress on his soft tyres, rising to 15th before moving on to the medium compound.He said his car had so much understeer during the first half of the race that he thought something was broken."I thought maybe at the...Keep reading -
Leclerc: "Strange" Ferrari struggled on hard tyres in F1 Chinese GP
After losing a place to George Russell at the start while fighting Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, Leclerc made early progress using a one-stop strategy to move up to fourth.But, having been predicted to be the team closest to Red Bull on race pace, both Ferraris were unable to make any further gains, as Leclerc finished off the podium – 4.5 seconds behind Sergio Perez in third and nearly 10s...Keep reading -
Norris reveals bet about finishing 35 seconds behind Ferrari in F1 Chinese GP
Norris finished second in Shanghai after benefitting from a safety car period to make his only pitstop and come out ahead of Sergio Perez, but then managed to keep his hard tyres alive to comfortably control the gap with the Mexican.The result came as a surprise for McLaren at one of its intrinsically worst circuits, for while it could keep up appearances with strong qualifying performances, it...Keep reading -
Ricciardo: Stroll "making my blood boil" after China F1 contact
As the field got ready to restart the race on lap 27, a lock-up from Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso into the hairpin caused a concertina effect for cars having to brake behind him.Several places behind the Spaniard, his team-mate Stroll crashed into the back of RB's Ricciardo, lifting the Australian's car up and causing damage that would end up terminal for both cars.Stroll initially blamed the...Keep reading -
The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more
The best F1 driver in history is a debate that has, and will continue to, rage as long as Formula 1 exists, but we look at who the best drivers are statistically.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1st position, celebrates on arrival in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
1. Lewis Hamilton - 103 wins
First race: 2007 Australian Grand Prix
World Championships: 7...Keep reading -
F1 Chinese GP: Verstappen dominates as Norris splits the Red Bulls
On the back of scoring Red Bull's 100th pole position on Saturday, Verstappen was never threatened throughout the first race in Shanghai since 2019 and effortlessly overcame two safety car restarts in the middle period of the race.After leading the field away without any real threat from behind, Verstappen unearthed a 1.6-second gap at the end of the first lap over the Aston Martin of Fernando...Keep reading -
2024 F1 Chinese GP results: Max Verstappen wins for Red Bull
Verstappen beat McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in a race that was twice interrupted by the safety car.2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix results
Cla
Nº
Driver
Car / Engine
Laps
1
1
Max Verstappen
Red Bull/Honda RBPT
56
2
4
Lando...Keep reading -
Exclusive: F1 to discuss new points structure
The talks will take place when teams join the FIA and F1 management for a gathering of the regular F1 Commission in Geneva and via video conference, as they debate a range of topics relating to technical and sporting matters.One item that has been given prominence on the F1 Commission agenda, which has been distributed ahead of the meeting, is a potential change to F1’s points structure.The idea...Keep reading -
Alonso: Aston Martin F1 should not apologise for being “too fast” in qualifying
The Spaniard has proved the progress that his squad is making as he emerged from qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix in third position as Red Bull’s closest rival.And although the characteristics of his AMR24 car, which appears better in single-lap pace than long runs, means he is not expecting to hold on to his place in the Shanghai race, he says it is a situation he and the team cannot be...Keep reading -
Russell: Hamilton F1 sprint podium doesn’t disguise progress Mercedes still needs
Hamilton proved how strong the race pace of the team’s W15 is when he finished second in the Shanghai sprint, beaten only by Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.It was a performance that confirmed suspicions that the Mercedes is better against the opposition on long runs, but is struggling to extract as good a performance on single-lap form which often leaves it far down the order.Russell said that...Keep reading -
Ricciardo could feel new F1 chassis difference in China
The Australian had come into the Chinese Grand Prix off the back of a difficult start to the season, where he had been struggling for pace against team-mate Yuki Tsunoda and facing questions over his future.With no obvious explanation for his difficulties, the team believed a well-timed change of chassis for this weekend would at least be able to tick that issue off as a factor in his form.And...Keep reading -
McLaren to introduce first F1 2024 upgrade package in Miami
McLaren had targeted a May release for its first big upgrade batch for the MCL38 driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and has now confirmed that it is on course to bring the new spec to the Miami Grand Prix held on 5 May."For Miami, we will have finally the first round of upgrades to our car," team boss Stella confirmed in Shanghai.McLaren has started off the 2024 season in promising form...Keep reading -
Horner: More relaxed Perez no longer focused on Verstappen in F1 2024
Perez enjoyed a solid start to the year with three podiums in four races, all runner-up spots to Verstappen.Those performances have strengthened his position within the team as it is weighing up whether to renew the Mexican's expiring contract or bring in new blood for 2025 and beyond, with plenty of free agents on the market for next year.Last year, Perez appeared to struggle under his own...Keep reading -
FIA dismisses Aston Martin protest over China F1 qualifying
Aston Martin had filed a protest against the result in the wake of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz's off-track excursion in Q2.Sainz spun out of the final corner and tapped the tyre wall on the opposite side of the circuit, causing a red flag as he was stationary for over a minute.Article 39.6 of the F1 sporting regulations states that "any driver whose car stops on the track during the qualifying...Keep reading -
What Shanghai's sprint race and qualifying tell us about the 2024 F1 Chinese GP
A reshuffle of Formula 1's rather Marmite sprint weekend format has now come to pass at the Chinese Grand Prix, as the sprint race - won by Max Verstappen, no less - moved to the morning rounds.Last year's arrangement of settling the grid on Friday for the grand prix offered the pleasing sibilance of Saturday sprint sessions, but at the detriment of the teams as they were already locked into parc...Keep reading -
F1 teams to discuss change to jump start regulations
Autosport can reveal that one of the items up for discussion at next week’s meeting of the Formula 1 Commission is whether or not the way the jump start regulations are currently framed is fit for purpose.At the moment, a jump start is defined entirely based on whether or not any movement is detected by FIA-supplied transponders before the start signal is given.However, there have been several...Keep reading -
Verstappen: "Happier with pole than sprint race win" at F1 Chinese GP
Verstappen romped home to a 13-second win over Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in Shanghai's 19-lap sprint, before going on to claim a dominant pole for Sunday's proper grand prix as well.A long-time opponent of the sprint format, Verstappen said he was more pleased with his pole position than with his sprint win, although he did concede its rejigged format with two separate parc ferme periods is a big...Keep reading
