Norris pips home favourite Leclerc to pole in Monaco

McLaren’s Lando Norris snatched pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix from local hero Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari with the final lap of qualifying. Norris beat Leclerc by 0.109 seconds as the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri took third place ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, so far the McLaren drivers’ only title rival, could manage only fifth place for Red Bull. Racing Bulls’ French rookie Isack Hadjar took sixth place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

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Verstappen storms to victory at Imola ahead of McLaren duo

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took a dominant victory in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix founded on an audacious overtaking move on the first lap. The four-time champion passed pole-sitter Oscar Piastri’s McLaren around the outside of the first chicane after the start and controlled the race from there. A late safety car closed the field up and put the McLarens of Piastri and Lando Norris on Verstappen’s tail. But a consummate restart from Verstappen allowed him to break free while Norris fought for three laps before finally passing his teammate to take second.

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Piastri pips Verstappen to pole at Imola Quali

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to pole position at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in a qualifying session that featured an enormous accident for Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda. Piastri edged Verstappen by 0.034 seconds despite encountering traffic in the final two corners and failing to improve his time in the final sector. Both Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris fell short on their final laps, and the Briton was demoted to fourth by Mercedes’ George Russell.

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Alpine confirm Colapinto to replace Doohan for next five races

Argentine Franco Colapinto will drive for Alpine for the next five grands prix, replacing Jack Doohan. The team said in a statement that Colapinto, whom Alpine signed from Williams over the winter, would drive alongside Pierre Gasly from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola on 16-18 May. There will then be a “new evaluation before the British Grand Prix”, which is on 4-6 July.

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Oliver Oakes resigns as Alpine Team Principal

Alpine has announced the immediate resignation of its team principal, Oliver Oakes. He had been in the role for little more than nine months, having taken over from his predecessor Bruno Famin at the end of last year. The team’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore will cover the duties performed by Oakes in addition to his existing role.

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