Piastri claims pole in Qatar ahead of Norris and Verstappen

Oscar Piastri pipped McLaren team-mate and title rival Lando Norris to pole position for the potentially title-deciding Qatar Grand Prix. The Australian beat Norris by 0.108 seconds after Norris, who had been fastest on their first runs by 0.035secs, aborted his final lap. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the other title contender, will start third, also a threat to Norris. The Dutchman has to finish ahead of Norris to keep his chances alive.

Read more

Piastri beats Russell to Sprint pole in Qatar

Lando Norris could qualify only third for the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix – on the weekend the McLaren driver could clinch the world title for the first time. Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri, one of his two championship rivals, took pole, with Mercedes’ George Russell second. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – tied with Piastri in the title race, 24 points behind Norris – had a difficult session and will line up sixth for the sprint.

Read more

Norris takes Las Vegas pole in treacherous wet weather

McLaren’s Lando Norris took pole position in a wet qualifying session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri only fifth. Norris beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the only other driver still vaguely in title contention, by 0.323secs. Williams’ Carlos Sainz was third, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Piastri. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, whose team-mate Charles Leclerc was ninth, was 20th.

Read more

Toto Wolff in talks to sell part of Mercedes F1 stake

Mercedes Formula 1 chief executive Toto Wolff is in advanced talks to sell part of his stake to CrowdStrike’s George Kurtz, in a deal that would give the F1 team a record $6bn valuation and underscore the sport’s commercial success under US ownership. Kurtz is in talks over taking a stake of about 5 per cent in the Mercedes F1 team,CrowdStrike and Mercedes F1 are long-standing commercial partners, with the former’s logo featuring prominently on the team’s cars and driver race suits.

Read more

Ferrari chairman Elkann criticises Hamilton and Leclerc

Ferrari chairman John Elkann says Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc need to “talk less and focus on driving” after a disappointing Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Hamilton and Leclerc both failed to finish Sunday’s race in Brazil after being caught up in separate incidents as the team’s frustrating season continued. Ferrari dropped to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship behind Red Bull and Mercedes, having hoped to challenge for the title at the start of this year.

Read more