3.15pm: Ocon and Magnussen don't improve on a second attempt, and likely, the back row awaits Alpine.
#Essere Ferrari II
foggy locust
3.17pm: Just 14th for Pourchaire. That might not be enough for Q2. Alonso up to 5th.
Gasly doesn't improve enough and he is out in Q1! Albon doesn't improve either, it is Stroll or Zhou now, Russell purple S1, Norris up to P2, Stroll is out!
OUT IN Q1: 
Stroll, 
Gasly, Albon, 
Magnussen, Ocon
Q2 is underway!
5.26pm: Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, Ricciardo and Pourchaire all on track, all on used.
5.28pm: Leclerc fastest, about 3 tenths ahead of Hamilton. Pourchaire 2 seconds back. Piastri 4 tenths behind. Alonso 6 tenths behind.
5.29pm: Russell 7th, Ricciardo 6th. Norris and Verstappen on track.
5.31pm: Verstappen runs very wide on turn 12 and is lucky to avoid the barrier! He's 13th.
5.32pm: Norris up to P3, just ahead of Piastri.
5.35pm: Just 15th for Bottas!!
DRIVER AT RISK: 
Hülkenberg
RELEGATION ZONE: 
Vandoorne, Pourchaire, 
Sainz, 
Verstappen, Bottas
5.37pm: Verstappen getting a tow off Leclerc here!
OH MY GOD RED FLAG
(HAM) "Aaargh, f---!"
(ADA) "Are you okay?"
(HAM) "Yeah, I'm fine. S---, sorry guys."
(LEC) "Is Lewis okay? I saw him go off there."
(BOZ) "Yeah, thankfully he's okay. Red Flag, Red Flag."
(LEC) "F---. Glad he is okay."
Lewis Hamilton locks up at the infamous turn 12 and is in the barrier!! Thankfully the seven time Champion is okay, but that might be disastrous for his title challenge!! As an add on, that has knocked out Sainz, Bottas, and somewhat crucially, Max Verstappen!!
OUT IN Q2: Sainz, Vandoorne, Pourchaire, Verstappen, Bottas
4.19pm: After a bit of a delay, we are a go for Q3. Norris, Leclerc and Russell first on track.
4.22pm: Norris sets a 13.261, Leclerc 0.044 behind him.
4.23pm: Russell goes 1.142 behind Norris.
4.24pm: Piastri Fourth, Zhou has just gone Third!!!
4.25pm: And Hülkenberg takes third off him! Tsunoda then goes third himself! Alonso up to fourth.
Q3 AS IT STANDS: 
Norris, Leclerc, 
Tsunoda, Alonso, Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Zhou, Russell, Piastri, Hamilton (no time)
4.27pm: The last few outlaps starting now.
4.29pm: Zhou goes up to sixth! Piastri only ninth!!!
Norris doesn't improve, Leclerc green S1 but yellow S2, LECLERC TAKES POLE OFF NORRIS! Alonso pole in S1, Tsunoda still Third, ALONSO TAKES POLE OFF LECLERC!!! THAT IS POLE POSITION FOR FERNANDO ALONSO!!!
Q3: Alonso, Leclerc, Norris, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Zhou, Hülkenberg, Russell, Piastri, Hamilton (no time)
LEWIS HAMILTON TO TAKE PITLANE START
Lewis Hamilton's title challenge has taken a serious hit as he will take a pitlane start for a new engine after his Q2 crash.
Hamilton's teammate and title rival Charles Leclerc will start from P2.
Hamilton trails Leclerc in the Championship by 10 points going into Sunday's race.
MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2025
STARTING GRID
ALO LEC
NOR TSU
RIC ZHO
HÜL RUS
PIA 
PIT
SAI VAN
POU VER
BOT STR
GAS ALB
MAG OCO
HAM PITLANE START (QUAL P10)
It is time to go racing here at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, 71 laps of this 4.304km circuit, and a real twist in this tale of this Championship title fight. 17 turns, 2 DRS zones and at a height of 2.8 metres elevation.
Lewis Hamilton starts from the pitlane as he bids to keep his Championship fight alive, the two Alpines on the back row, Kevin Magnussen P20 and Esteban Ocon P19, with Alex Albon eighteenth and Pierre Gasly seventeenth. Lance Stroll starts sixteenth while it's fifteenth for Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen a shocking Q2 exit after the Red Flag so he's fourteenth with Théo Pourchaire 13th. Stoffel Vandoorne outqualifies Valtteri Bottas for the first time this season, he's 12th. Carlos Sainz 11th, Oscar Piastri is 9th and alone on the fifth row, while George Russell is 8th and Nico Hülkenberg begins 7th. Zhou Guanyu has his highest start of the year in 6th, while Daniel Ricciardo begins 5th, Yuki Tsunoda has his highest start of the season in 4th with Lando Norris 3rd, and Charles Leclerc begins 2nd, while it is the first Pole Position for Fernando Alonso since Germany 2012.
Let's go racing!
Leclerc gets away quickest and takes the lead, Yuki Tsunoda is up to P2, Zhou up to P3, Norris down to fourth, FERNANDO ALONSO GOES OFF AT THE FIRST CORNER!!! HE AVOIDS THE BARRIER BUT IS DOWN TO P19!!
You are seeing that correctly. Yuki Tsunoda P2, Zhou Guanyu P3
Lap 2: Leclerc, Tsunoda, Zhou, Norris, Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Pourchaire
TSUNODA TAKES THE LEAD OFF LECLERC!!! Oh my God!!
(LEC) "The engine is having some issues right now."
(BOZ) "Okay, manage it best you can."
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED. Vandoorne plows into the back of Pourchaire, taking them both out of the race!!!
PITSTOPS: Ricciardo, Hülkenberg, Piastri, Bottas, Stroll, Alonso, Albon, Magnussen and Ocon ALL pit.
PITSTOPS: Leclerc stops! 2.180s and he gets out directly ahead of Hamilton!! Tsunoda also in and out.
Lap 6, under SC: Norris, Zhou, Russell, Sainz, Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Piastri, Bottas, Stroll, Alonso, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Albon, Ocon. Pourchaire and Vandoorne out of the race.
(BOZ) "What do you think about Plan D?"
(LEC) "Ambitious, at best."
Magnussen spins off the Safety Car restart!!! He's done a bit of damage to that Alpine. Yellow flags, briefly.
Russell moves up to P2, ahead of Zhou!
In huge title news, Hamilton moves ahead of Leclerc, and then gets Zhou for P5!
George Russell now leads this race!
Leclerc gets Zhou for P6!
VERSTAPPEN
(LEC) "I am struggling so much with the engine. So much."
Leclerc having real problems with his engine and dirty air, and has dropped to Eighth!
Lando Norris regains the lead of the race from Russell, but only briefly!
Lap 12: Russell, Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Tsunoda, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Zhou, Piastri, Leclerc
Leclerc struggling with his engine, badly, and currently dropping to P10!
(BOZ) "Send it."
Lando Norris retakes the lead of this race!
Leclerc overtakes Piastri, and is back up to P8. Meanwhile Hamilton is Fourth!
Russell's Softs are falling away and Hamilton goes up to Third. Leclerc now sixth having just overtaken Ricciardo.
Lap 17: Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Ricciardo, Piastri, Tsunoda, Bottas, Alonso, Zhou, Stroll, Albon, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Ocon, Magnussen. Pourchaire and Vandoorne out of the race.
Piastri locks up and clocks Tsunoda!! A promising race for Yuki has been badly compromised now!
CAR 81 (PIASTRI), CAR 52 (VANDOORNE)
Leclerc overtakes former teammate Sainz to take P4!
Hamilton overtakes Verstappen, and he's gone from the pitlane to P2!!
PITSTOPS: Russell comes in from P10, those ailing Softs having given up. He's onto the Mediums, and rejoins P16. Piastri comes in to take his penalty, and he's out in P17.
PITSTOP: NORRIS IN FROM THE LEAD. He goes onto the Hards, will that be to the end? Ambitious. Rejoins P12.
Verstappen takes the lead from Hamilton, Sainz ahead of Leclerc, two seconds between Verstappen/Hamilton and Sainz/Leclerc.
Alonso has just stormed out of nowhere to take P4 from Sainz!
PITSTOP: Sainz in! He goes onto the Hards. Zhou also stopping and taking Softs...ambitious from Haas.
Alonso is storming through, and takes P2 off Hamilton, and is chasing down Verstappen!
Leclerc meanwhile snatches P3 from Hamilton!!
FERNANDO ALONSO IS BACK INTO THE LEAD!!!
PITSTOP: Yuki Tsunoda comes in and gets his front wing changed, meaning a much longer stop. A heartbreaking situation for a driver who seemed to have a real chance of a first podium this weekend.
Leclerc's engine issues seem to have resolved for now, and he's up to P2 ahead of Verstappen!
(LEC) "We are losing so much time on that main straight."
(HAM) "Tyres are starting to fall away here."
(ADA) "Understood, it should be soon."
PITSTOP: Verstappen pits! He rejoins P8!
Lance Stroll just overtook Max Verstappen on track. That is a thing that just happened.
PITSTOP: Stroll, off a career high, pits from P7.
Alonso looking very quick here and overtakes Hamilton for P2!
(ADA) "Box this lap."
(HAM) "In."
PITSTOP: Hamilton takes Hards on that stop and rejoins P9. 2.285 for Hamilton, that stop.
Alonso overtakes Leclerc for the lead! Could the 33rd be on its way?
(LEC) "What's happening with the engine?"
(BOZ) "We're checking the delta Charles."
(LEC) "There's something strange in the engine, am I losing speed?"
(BOZ) "Some slight issues, manage it best you can."
Alonso, Leclerc and Piastri all reporting issues. Norris in great position here.
PITSTOPS: Albon, Hülkenberg and Ocon all pit. Albon and Ocon taking Softs, again, brave. Hülk onto Mediums.
(BOZ) "Some LiCo needed here Charles."
(ADA) "This is a good pace here Lewis."
Leclerc retakes the lead of the race!
Norris now has a fault! Verstappen now in the box seat
Saying that, Norris now takes the lead of this race!
(LEC) "The engine is proving to be a major problem here."
Tsunoda back up to P10, and back into the points, a great recovery from him so far!
PITSTOP: Ricciardo in and onto the Mediums, he rejoins P13.
(BOZ) "Box, box"
PITSTOPS: Leclerc and Alonso both in! Leclerc 2.257, and gets out ahead of Alonso, Leclerc P8, Alonso P10 behind former teammate Stroll!
Lap 41: Norris, Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Sainz, Russell, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Stroll, Alonso, Zhou, Piastri, Ricciardo, Albon, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Ocon, Magnussen
Norris reporting a loss of power, and that could be a huge problem for the McLaren!
VERSTAPPEN
Verstappen overtakes Norris and takes the lead, and Norris is fading quickly here.
ALONSO
(LEC) "F---, F---!"
(BOZ) "Are you okay?"
(LEC) "Yeah, I'm okay, f---!"
(BOZ) "Box, box."
(LEC) "Yeah, box. Magnussen is, and always will be, an idiot."
Magnussen braketests Leclerc while being lapped for the third time. Leclerc has front wing damage.
PITSTOP: Leclerc comes in to get his front wing fixed, and rejoins P12.
CAR 20 (MAGNUSSEN)
(BOZ) "Magnussen has a penalty."
(LEC) "Good. Means nothing, but good."
Hamilton goes up ahead of Norris to P2!
PITSTOP: Verstappen comes in from the lead! He rejoins P4 on fresh Mediums on lap 50.
Leclerc fighting his way back, now into P10
VERSTAPPEN
Leclerc up to ninth, ahead of Ricciardo. The Champion fighting back here.
We're in the unusual position that Verstappen winning would be better news for Leclerc than his teammate winning, but with the WCC confirmed, the WDC is the only focus remaining.
PITSTOPS: Norris and Bottas both in and onto Softs. Magnussen also comes in, but that is to retire the car. He was four laps down anyway.
BOTTAS
Verstappen takes the lead off Hamilton, and is starting to get away quickly here.
(HAM) "I'm losing ground."
Piastri gets ahead of Leclerc for P9! Problems for the Champion in his title defence!
Lap 60: Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Alonso, Norris, Tsunoda, Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Leclerc, Stroll, Zhou, Ricciardo, Albon, Hülkenberg, Ocon, Gasly
PITSTOP: Sainz, whose tyres were struggling, finally stops, and goes onto Softs. He rejoins P13, and that puts Stroll into the points.
Norris gets ahead of Alonso for P4, and Alonso is fading! Tsunoda up to P5!
In the title fight, as it stands, Hamilton will take a 6 point lead over Leclerc. Still four race weekends, and two Sprints to go. All to play for.
Piastri jumps ahead of Alonso for P6.
Alonso dropping significantly here and falls behind Russell. Could Leclerc catch him and gain a place?
Bottas only 5 seconds behind Hamilton as well here.
Ricciardo spins off here!
Two laps remain
FINAL LAP
Max Verstappen rounds the final corner, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SPAIN, MAX VERSTAPPEN IS ON THE TOP STEP OF THE PODIUM, MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX!!!
(ADA) "And that's P2, well done today Lewis."
(HAM) "Good job, we got the maximum. Was a big ask going from the pitlane to this, so very, very happy. Thank you guys."
(ADA) "Great effort today, and we're back top of the Championship. And you got Driver of the Day too."
Leclerc gets past Alonso for P8! Huge, huge for the title race!
(BOZ) "So that's P8, Charles. Sorry. Tough one today. We learn from this and we go again. Points gained at the end there."
(LEC) "No words...no words."
Bottas P3, Tsunoda P4, Norris P5, Piastri P6, Russell P7, Alonso P9, Stroll P10
2025 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Max Verstappen 01.37.08
- Lewis Hamilton +22.168
- Valtteri Bottas +2.893
- Yuki Tsunoda +19.168
- Lando Norris +1.272
- Oscar Piastri +9.796
- George Russell +1.276
- Charles Leclerc +8.139
- Fernando Alonso +2.867
- Lance Stroll +2.183
- Zhou Guanyu +6.407
- Carlos Sainz +0.761
- Alexander Albon +1 lap
- Daniel Ricciardo +1 lap
- Nico Hülkenberg +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon +1 lap
- Pierre Gasly +1 lap
- Kevin Magnussen DNF
- Theo Pourchaire DNF
- Stoffel Vandoorne DNF
FASTEST LAP AWARD:
Valtteri Bottas 1.16.082
DHL FASTEST PITSTOP AWARD:
Max Verstappen 2.047s
DOTD and Championship tables later on
foggy locust
DRIVER OF THE DAY: LEWIS HAMILTON
From the pitlane to the podium, a phenomenal drive from Lewis Hamilton to take P2, and to take the lead of the Drivers' Championship. Lewis Hamilton had a sensational drive, and is your deserved Driver of the Day!
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hamilton 416
Leclerc 412
Verstappen 344
Alonso 208
Norris 205
Piastri 195
Bottas 145
Russell 75
Tsunoda 66
Sainz 36
Ricciardo 29
Albon 28
Vandoorne 10
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 4
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 828
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 552 
McLaren-Mercedes 400
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 156
Mercedes 111
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 95
Williams-Mercedes 32
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0 
lost hare
Mega drive from Lewis
sinful crane
Max winning in Mexico is the most Red Bull thing to happen
foggy locust
CHARLES LECLERC TO TAKE 10 PLACE GRID PENALTY AT INTERLAGOS
Charles Leclerc's bid for a second consecutive World Championship has taken a hit as he will take a ten place grid penalty this weekend at Interlagos.
Leclerc, who is four points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton with four rounds to go, will start at best P11 on Sunday in Brazil.
This is of course a Sprint weekend coming up so more opportunities for points are available at Interlagos.
lost hare
Having to make a comeback through the field at a crucial point in the championship around Brazil
Where have I seen this before 👀
foggy locust
It's definitely come up before
Although in this universe Charles clinched the Championship here last year
He can't do it at Brazil this year
foggy locust
ALPINE TO BECOME HITECH RENAULT FOR 2026
Some huge breaking news as Renault have agreed a deal to rebrand Alpine as Hitech Renault GP from the 2026 season onwards.
After the collapse of the Nissan deal, Renault were looking for a new option for their team for 2026, and Hitech Pulse Eight have stepped in with a deal.
This means that the Renault Team will have a direct link with the F2 and F3 Hitech teams from 2026 onwards. The team will remain the Renault works team, and keep using their engines.
Team Principal Oliver Oakes has a long-time link with Hitech, and it was a deal that only felt right.
The team will keep their French racing license and will be based at Enstone, as is Renault tradition.
Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen will be retained for the 2026 season.
tired thorn
COME ON LEWIS THIS IS UR TITLE
foggy locust
Brazil Sprint tomorrow!
We will likely finish the season this week, then I'm away for Christmas and New Year
hallow oar
COME ON LEWIS THIS IS UR TITLE
yesssssss
When i read, that Hamilton would start from the pits in mexico i thought it was game over. But now it looks compleatly different 🤩 👀
foggy locust
Absolutely game on again
foggy locust
SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX 2025
WEEKEND PREVIEW
And so to Sao Paulo, with four rounds to go and the first of two remaining Sprint weekends, Brazil has been the scene of many Championship celebrations, including this time last year when Charles Leclerc clinched his Maiden Championship here, even despite Max Verstappen passing by him for the victory on the final lap.
Leclerc is poised in his Championship defence with teammate Lewis Hamilton, who seeks his record Eighth title, and last time out at Mexico, despite a Q2 crash that saw him start from the pitlane, Hamilton took the advantage with a P2 to a dominant Max Verstappen, while Leclerc suffered Engine issues and laboured to P8.
A real favourite of Drivers and fans alike, the Autodromo José Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos, is one of the shortest circuits of the season and usually one of the most thrilling. Just 15 turns, 2 DRS zones, and never short of chaos, we've seen dramatic moments like Sebastian Vettel clinching the Championship under the Safety Car to the dismay of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button's dramatic title win here, Charles Leclerc clinching his Maiden Championship last year, and of course, “Is that Glock?”.
That preciously mentioned engine of course lands Leclerc a ten place penalty, as the Champion has opted to take a new fresh engine for the remaining four rounds. This hands a real opportunity to Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, but we said that in Mexico about Leclerc and it turned out very differently, so it is of course, anyone’s game this weekend, as this dramatic title season continues.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen took the win last time for the first time since Spain, a much needed victory for the Bulls after a tough stretch for the team, involving two collisions with teammate Fernando Alonso in Singapore, and some tension between Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner as a result. Verstappen wants a race winning car, and he’ll need it as this Championship is now very much out of his hands, with a 72 point gap to Lewis Hamilton, and 68 to Charles Leclerc, with four races remaining.
McLaren looked on for a first victory of the season last time out for a while before Lando Norris suffered gearbox issues which dropped him down to fifth. Norris and Oscar Piastri have had a quietly solid but unrewarding season thus far, and would love to take home at least one victory for the team before the end of this season.
Aston Martin got a huge reward for their efforts this year last time as Valtteri Bottas took his, and the team’s, second podium of the season last time around in Mexico, and gave them a huge advantage over Mercedes in the fight for fourth in the Championship. Stoffel Vandoorne's struggles continued, as he crashed into Théo Pourchaire, ending the race of both men, and is now a full 136 points behind teammate Bottas.
Mercedes continue to look for answers as they prepare for the new era, and as mentioned many times before, the ground effect era is not one that the team will miss in any shape or form. As George Russell heads to Williams, Carlos Sainz will welcome Alex Albon as his new teammate next year, but for now, with a 45 point disadvantage to Aston Martin and just 16 points ahead of Racing Bulls, Mercedes could potentially even slip to SIXTH.
Racing Bulls meanwhile remain a team on the up. The future Andretti Cadillac outfit might sign off from their Red Bull days with a potential Fifth in the Championship, as Yuki Tsunoda bagged an incredibly impressive fourth in Mexico. This of course meant that RB gained six points on Mercedes, and if they can do that over the course of the next four weekends, they could jump them for fifth. Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo of course will remain with Andretti Cadillac for 2026.
Williams scored points with Lance Stroll for only the second time since Silverstone, and are hoping that their recent rough patch is coming to an end. Alex Albon departs at the end of the season, while George Russell arrives at his former team on a long-term deal - a sign of how much he believes in Vowles and the long term Williams project. Is it one that can bear fruit this time next year? For now, Seventh looks likely once more.
Nico Hülkenberg and Zhou Guanyu have had a hard season this year but spirits remain high at the Haas team, some near misses in scoring points aside, this has been a progressive second season under Ayao Komatsu, and this is a team that feel that they may finally be going in the right direction with the Toyota deal and the 2026 engine regs looming. Haas will hope to hit the scoresheet again at least once before the end of the 2025 season - the chaos of Interlagos might be a chance.
Audi Sauber meanwhile remain ninth in the Championship and have made some good progress on their upgrades - with Lusail and potentially Yas Marina as potential targets for points. Like Haas though, the team may benefit from chaos elsewhere at Interlagos. And they may be buoyed by the progress of rookie Théo Pourchaire who has performed admirably this season, with him and Pierre Gasly potentially a team to watch next season.
And to Alpine, who received some good news at last this past week - the team will become Hitech Renault GP from 2026 onwards, with a direct link to the F2 and F3 teams. Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen will be retained despite a difficult 2025 season, and the team now has a clear vision of their future, even if the likelihood of scoring points this season remains very low.
And so to Interlagos, with just four rounds remaining. Rain is likely to appear on just the Friday - a departure from the very wet weekend of last year - and a thrilling Championship battle takes another step forward. You won't want to miss it.
FP1 Reserves: Bedrin (Norris), Dürksen (Verstappen), Hauger (Zhou), Verschoor (Tsunoda), Montoya (Bottas)
FP1: BED STR SAI
LEC P14, HAM P15
Very limited running in the rain sees McLaren afflilate driver Nikita Bedrin top an FP1 session for the very first time. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz P2 and P3, with Alonso Fourth, and Verschoor fifth. Albon, Vandoorne, Russell, Joshua Dürksen and Pourchaire are your top ten. Just 14th and 15th for Leclerc and Hamilton.
It is time to go qualifying for the Sprint in the Brazilian rain here in Sao Paulo, it is a wet and blustery Friday afternoon, not prime conditions for qualifying but some prime conditions for chaos. This feels like anyone’s game today, Ferrari seemed off the pace earlier, McLaren's Nikita Bedrin topped practice, he of course won't take part in this qualifying but is this an opportunity for Piastri and Norris? Game on here.
The flag is green, does this feel like a one shot? Maybe. Maybe not.
3.31pm: Quite a few lining up at the pit exit including both Ferraris, Piastri, Ocon, Russell, both Haas drivers, Pourchaire, Bottas and Vandoorne.
3.33pm: The entire grid is either on fliers or outlaps now. Bankers being attempted.
3.34pm: Hamilton about 5 tenths up on his teammate, Piastri splits the Ferraris. The rain is decreasing massively though! Russell up to fifth behind Bottas.
3.35pm: I think the second run here might be on Softs. Norris goes up to P2.
3.36pm: Alonso has gone quickest, Leclerc now just Seventh!
DRIVER AT RISK: Albon
RELEGATION ZONE: Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Gasly
In a wild turn of events, nobody attempts a second lap!!
OUT IN SQ1: Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Magnussen, Ocon, Gasly
We are green again for SQ2 and the rain is very much back on.
4.56pm: The entire pitlane is emptying for the first attempts, looks like Leclerc and Hamilton went a little later than the rest of the field though.
4.57pm: Verstappen's going purple around here, and he goes fastest ahead of Piastri. Norris up to P3.
4.59pm: Hamilton goes Fourth, but then Leclerc slots into Third!
DRIVER AT RISK: Russell
RELEGATION ZONE: Stroll, Vandoorne, Albon, Sainz, Zhou
Again, no second attempts due to the heaviness of the rain, so that's it for SQ2!
OUT IN SQ2: Stroll, Vandoorne, Albon, Sainz, Zhou
The rain has increased significantly ahead of SQ3.
SQ3 underway, and the rain is on significantly here.
4.18pm: Leclerc and Hamilton the first two out to attempt laps here, the question is, is the rain going to increase or decrease?
4.21pm: Leclerc fastest, Hamilton second fastest
4.24pm: Piastri purple through S1, Tsunoda and Russell also on outlaps, half the field are not going to make it round in time though! This is wild!!
4.25pm: Piastri takes Pole for now, only Leclerc, Hamilton, Tsunoda and Russell have made it round to complete fliers!
LECLERC GOES ONTO POLE, HAMILTON TAKES POLE OFF LECLERC, Tsunoda P4, Russell P5, they're the only ones to complete fliers! What a disaster for Red Bull, Ricciardo, Bottas and Norris!
SQ3: Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Tsunoda, Russell, Norris (no time), Verstappen (no time), Alonso (no time), Ricciardo (no time), Bottas (no time)
2025 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
SPRINT GRID
HAM LEC
PIA TSU
RUS NOR
VER ALO
RIC BOT
STR VAN
ALB SAI
ZHO POU
HÜL MAG
OCO GAS
Sprint Saturday comes to Interlagos with just four rounds of this fantastic 2025 Formula 1 season remaining, and it is still all very much to play for. After a bizarre ending to SQ3, we have a bit of a mixed up grid but the Ferraris lead the way once more. 24 laps of this iconic 4.309 km circuit, there's been a Sprint here every year since 2021 and today we continue that tradition.
Pierre Gasly finds himself at the very back alongside compatriot and previous teammate Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen lines up beside his former teammate Nico Hülkenberg on row nine, then it is Théo Pourchaire and the man he replaced at Sauber, Zhou Guanyu on row eight. Carlos Sainz joins Alex Albon on row seven, while Stoffel Vandoorne is alongside Lance Stroll on the sixth row. Valtteri Bottas starts tenth with Daniel Ricciardo ninth, while the two Red Bulls of Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are on the fourth row, Verstappen seventh, Alonso eighth. Lando Norris lines up sixth with George Russell fifth, while it's fourth for Yuki Tsunoda and Oscar Piastri starts today from third, and the two Ferraris and Championship challengers lock out the front row. Charles Leclerc, who takes a penalty tomorrow, starts P2, and it is Sprint Pole for Lewis Hamilton.
Let's go racing!
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Hamilton off to a great start, Leclerc trying to hold off Piastri, Tsunoda fourth, Russell fifth, then Norris, Verstappen drops behind Alonso, then Bottas and Ricciardo!
Ricciardo runs a bit wide but he's managed to retain P10!
Hamilton defending the lead from Leclerc here, Piastri still very much in the mix too!
LECLERC
Leclerc goes down the inside of his teammate and grabs the lead on the third lap!
Hamilton regains the lead of the Sprint on lap 5!
Lap 6: Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Tsunoda, Alonso, Russell, Norris, Verstappen
Alonso, in his penultimate Sprint, has risen from P8 to P5. Good run so far from the veteran.
Leclerc gets the lead with DRS!
Hamilton going for the lead again but Leclerc fends him off for now!
Tsunoda makes the move for P3 on Piastri!!
Tsunoda has just pulled off a brilliant move in both Ferraris and takes the lead! Hamilton goes ahead of Leclerc!!
It doesn't last as Hamilton and Leclerc both overtake him again!
Verstappen has battled back to P5 ahead of Alonso!
(LEC) "Mamma Mia."
(BOZ) "Good job, good move there."
Leclerc takes the lead from Hamilton!
In the process however, Tsunoda snatches P2!
This could end up being an incredible day for Yuki Tsunoda. The RB driver gets DRS and leads the Sprint!!!
Lap 19: Tsunoda, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Alonso, Ricciardo
Leclerc going for the lead once more and Charles Leclerc leads the Sprint!!
Leclerc breaking away from Tsunoda here, and that gives Hamilton the opportunity to take P2 away from him!
Piastri up to fourth with a beautiful move on Verstappen!
Tsunoda retakes P2!!! Oh my word!
(BOZ) "How are the tyres Charles?"
(LEC) "Dropping off quite a bit, a lot of graining"
(HAM) "Ricci, my tyres are gone."
Hamilton going for P2 and grabs it back on the final lap!!!
Charles Leclerc rounds the final corner, AND IT IS A SPRINT VICTORY FOR CHARLES LECLERC, CHARLES LECLERC WINS THE SAO PAULO SPRINT. LEWIS HAMILTON SECOND, PIASTRI GETS TSUNODA ON THE LINE, TSUNODA FL, Norris fifth, Verstappen Sixth, Alonso Seventh, Ricciardo Eighth!
(BOZ) "And that's my boy, another Sprint win! P1, Charles!"
(LEC) "Yessss! Let's goooo! Ahhh, fantastic, fantastic job guys. Work to do later today and tomorrow, but enjoy this for now."
(BOZ) "Good job, good momentum for this weekend."
(ADA) "And taking the flag, that's P2 Lewis, P2. Good job today, good effort."
(HAM) "Yeah, thanks guys, good job. Thanks to all the team. Well done guys. Thanks so much for continuing to push."
(ADA) "Think you were very strong out there."
2025 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
SPRINT CLASSIFICATION
- Charles Leclerc 00.28.50
- Lewis Hamilton +1.927
- Oscar Piastri +0.509
- Yuki Tsunoda +0.051
- Lando Norris +0.251
- Max Verstappen +0.337
- Fernando Alonso +0.531
- Daniel Ricciardo +5.698
- George Russell +0.047
- Valtteri Bottas +0.600
- Alexander Albon +11.355
- Lance Stroll +0.569
- Zhou Guanyu +0.576
- Stoffel Vandoorne +0.200
- Carlos Sainz +0.674
- Nico Hülkenberg +8.417
- Theo Pourchaire +1.121
- Kevin Magnussen +6.226
- Esteban Ocon +0.013
- Pierre Gasly +0.440
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hamilton 423
Leclerc 420
Verstappen 347
Alonso 210
Norris 209
Piastri 201
Bottas 145
Russell 75
Tsunoda 71
Sainz 36
Ricciardo 30
Albon 28
Vandoorne 10
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 4
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 843
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 557
McLaren-Mercedes 410
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 156
Mercedes 111
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 101
Williams-Mercedes 32
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
foggy locust
It is time for Qualifying here in Sao Paulo, and after Charles Leclerc won the Sprint earlier today, focus goes towards Sunday's main race, with just three points between Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. But the Champion does have a grid penalty to deal with this weekend. Can anyone else upset the applecart with Ferrari this weekend?
We go green in Q1!
3.00pm: Quite a few cars lining up as we start qualifying: Hamilton first in that queue ahead of teammate Leclerc, Ricciardo, Alonso, Sainz, Magnussen, Zhou, Bottas all queuing up early.
3.01pm: Daniel Ricciardo runs wide, it's on his outlap so it won't affect too much.
3.02pm: Leclerc goes quickest, just 0.049 between himself and Hamilton.
3.03pm: Ricciardo 3rd initially, but Alonso within 0.182 of Leclerc and takes P3. Sainz into fifth, Stroll sixth, Magnussen seventh.
3.05pm: Yuki Tsunoda's good weekend so far continues, he's gone into fifth ahead of teammate Ricciardo.
3.07pm: Yellow flags waving in sector 2 with Ocon sliding off, and Norris and Verstappen both find themselves in that sector! Will that compromise their laps?
3.08pm: Well. Norris fourth fastest, just P9 for Verstappen. Wow.
3.12pm: Piastri up into P5, meanwhile a spin from Hülkenberg nearly wipes out Russell!!! The Mercedes did very, very well to avoid that!
3.13pm: Although that did compromise Russell's lap. He's P18.
DRIVER AT RISK: Ocon
RELEGATION ZONE: Vandoorne, Albon, Russell, Pourchaire, Gasly
3.16pm: Norris just went quickest in S1, meanwhile Vandoorne is improving. Zhou stays P12, which is probably going to be enough for Verstappen in P11 to make Q2.
3.17pm: Vandoorne up to tenth, GASLY JUST WENT PURPLE IN S1. Uh oh.
Alonso goes quickest, Bottas P3. Gasly improving...Gasly 12th, Verstappen is P14, Albon doesn't improve, Magnussen P17, RUSSELL P10, STROLL...P17. VERSTAPPEN SURVIVES. JUST.
OUT IN Q1: Zhou, Stroll, Magnussen, Ocon, Albon
Q2 goes Green here!
3.26pm: Not as many queuing up this time, but Piastri, Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso and Sainz out there early.
3.28pm: Hamilton quickest so far, 0.188 ahead of Leclerc, 0.219 ahead of Piastri.
3.29pm: Alonso is on it this weekend, splitting the Ferraris here.
3.30pm: Verstappen goes quickest! Have Red Bull found their pace again round here?
3.32pm: Piastri up to fifth, ahead of Tsunoda and Ricciardo. Norris slots in behind his teammate and the two RBs in P8.
3.35pm: Mercedes struggling again, with Sainz 11th, and Russell 13th. Make that 12th and 14th, as Bottas goes Seventh.
DRIVER AT RISK: Vandoorne
RELEGATION ZONE: Hülkenberg, Sainz, Pourchaire, Russell, Gasly
3.38pm: Sainz up to P9, that's put Lando Norris at risk here.
3.39pm: Hülkenberg doesn't improve enough to get put of the bottom five. Vandoorne into the dropzone and he is out too!
Leclerc up to P2, Hamilton goes purple in S3 but stays Third. Gasly 16th and out, Russell just 10th and at risk, what can Norris do...Norris seventh, Russell is out!!! Pourchaire doesn't improve and he's gone too.
OUT IN Q2: Russell, Vandoorne , Hülkenberg, Pourchaire, Gasly
Q3 is underway! Who will grab Pole this afternoon?
3.48pm: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Alonso, Ricciardo, Bottas all on track.
3.50pm: Leclerc just 0.081 ahead of Hamilton. Piastri 0.179 behind.
3.51pm: Verstappen goes third, while Alonso is Fourth. Norris down in P8 behind Ricciardo and Bottas.
3.54pm: Tsunoda up to sixth.
3.55pm: Sainz meanwhile stays tenth and last of the Q3 runners.
Q3 AS IT STANDS: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso, Piastri, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas, Norris, Sainz
3.56pm: Piastri up to third, Alonso goes purple in S1 however doesn't improve through S2.
3.57pm: Verstappen back into P3! Leclerc and Hamilton onto fliers here. Pole seems likely to go to one of the Ferraris, but Leclerc does have that penalty looming...
3.59pm: Hamilton goes quickest, then Leclerc does!! Can anyone topple the Champion here?
P6 for Tsunoda, Sainz is not improving, Ricciardo stays Seventh, Sainz still tenth, no improvement, Piastri Fourth, Charles Leclerc wins Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton will inherit Pole!!!
Q3: Leclerc , Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas, Norris, Sainz
LECLERC TO START FROM PITLANE
Some huge breaking news as Charles Leclerc will start the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the pitlane.
The defending Champion was due to take a ten place grid penalty, but has been handed a further 9 place penalty on top of that.
As a result, Leclerc has opted to take a new gearbox and ERS and will start the race from the pitlane.
His teammate and title challenger Lewis Hamilton, who will inherit Pole, started from the pitlane in Mexico and took P2.
2025 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
STARTING GRID
HAM VER
PIA ALO
TSU RIC
BOT NOR
SAI RUS
HÜL POU
GAS ZHO
STR MAG
OCO ALB
VAN PIT
LEC PITLANE START (QUAL P1, 19 PLACE GRID PENALTY)
Leclerc (Qual P1, 19 place Penalty), Vandoorne (Qual P12, 13 place Penalty)
Gonna take a break, back later to do the race
foggy locust
Went for a nap. Just woke up.
Race tomorrow, obviously.
foggy locust
It is almost time to go racing here at Interlagos, it is Sunday, it is race day, and it is a vital one for the destiny of the Drivers' Championship. It is advantage Lewis Hamilton, but we have seen miracles from Charles Leclerc before so this title fight is not over before it is over. Seven World Champions have been crowned here, including Leclerc last year, but the title won't be decided today. Round 21 of this marathon 2025 season, and 71 laps of this 15 turn, 4.309km circuit await us, a lot shorter than it once was, 2 DRS zones, overtaking is very much on the table here, and often some carnage to follow.
And Charles Leclerc does indeed start from the pitlane, with his title aspirations on the line here, Stoffel Vandoorne is alone on the back row, then it is Alex Albon 18th and Esteban Ocon 17th. Kevin Magnussen lines up beside Lance Stroll on the eighth row, while Zhou Guanyu starts 14th and 13th for Pierre Gasly. He's just behind teammate Théo Pourchaire who starts 12th, Nico Hülkenberg beginning 11th. The two Mercedes on row five, George Russell who won here in 2022 is tenth and Carlos Sainz ninth. Lando Norris begins from 8th while it's a 7th place start for Valtteri Bottas, the two RBs are on the third row, Daniel Ricciardo is 6th, while Yuki Tsunoda begins 5th! Fernando Alonso starts today from 4th, while it is a 3rd place start for Oscar Piastri, and old rivals on the front row. Max Verstappen starts second with still an outside chance of a Championship, and it is Pole Position for Lewis Hamilton, who is in the box seat for his Eighth. But it can all change so drastically here.
foggy locust
Formation lap done, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Hamilton keeps the lead from Verstappen and Piastri, Alonso up to P4, Tsunoda Fifth, Bottas ahead of Ricciardo, Norris down to eighth, Russell and Sainz complete the top ten, Leclerc leaves the pitlane and has all the work to do!
LECLERC
Up at the front, Verstappen is putting heavy pressure on Hamilton. The former Champion can be mathematically eliminated today, but he's putting his best foot forward.
Job number one done for Leclerc in this recovery attempt, as he's ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne.
Hamilton is holding off the challenge of Verstappen for the lead here, but only just.
Max Verstappen has the lead of the race here!
(LEC) "The tyres are graining a lot quicker than I thought."
(BOZ) "Copy, this is a good pace, do what you can."
(LEC) "Dirty air is proving difficult."
(HAM) "Wooo!"
(ADA) "Good job, keep this up."
Hamilton back in front of this race!
Leclerc stuck in traffic, but he's managed to clear Albon and now Magnussen.
Pourchaire has a lock-up! Bit of a rookie mistake by Pourchaire but he's able to avoid the barrier.
A classic Red Bull pincer move, as Alonso and Verstappen both get past Hamilton! Alonso now leads this race!!!
(BOZ) "We need you to clear these Audis quickly, Charles."
(LEC) "I'm trying, but I'm struggling so much here. So much."
Pourchaire and Gasly are just double team defending Leclerc here, and it is proving frustrating for the Champion.
Verstappen retakes the lead of this race from Alonso, and starts powering into the distance. Alonso at risk from Hamilton and Piastri!
(LEC) "This isn't working, we need to try something else."
(BOZ) "Copy. Box, box."
(LEC) "Okay, box."
(HAM) "We have no pace here."
The only plus side for Leclerc here is that his teammate is running P4, and his damage is somewhat mitigated.
PITSTOP: Leclerc comes in! He switches to the Hards and is out last of all, 2.090, incredible stop!
Oscar Piastri has cleared both Red Bulls! He is into the lead of this race!!!
(HAM) "The tyres are gone."
(ADA) "Box, box this lap."
PITSTOP: Hülkenberg into the pitlane from P10! He's onto Mediums!
PITSTOPS: Sainz and Magnussen both in! And one lap further ahead, Hamilton comes in and he's onto the Mediums but has a massive delay! 4.252!!
(HAM) "Guys what happened?"
(ADA) "Sorry about that."
(HAM) "We will talk later."
With pitstops elsewhere, Leclerc now running P15.
PITSTOPS: Russell, Ricciardo, Zhou, Albon, Gasly all pit! Very busy pitlane right now!
PITSTOP: Verstappen in from P2 as he looks to undercut the McLaren of Piastri! Somewhat crucially he's about 7 seconds up on Hamilton!
Leclerc running P12, and with Hamilton just Sixth, this is looking better for the Champion.
PITSTOPS: Piastri in from the lead! He's onto another set of Mediums. Meanwhile, Tsunoda also comes in, Verstappen's undercut on Piastri has indeed worked!
(LEC) "Really struggling for pace in that final straight."
Verstappen with a brilliant move on Norris, who hasn't pitted yet, to take the lead of this race!
PITSTOP: Norris making a stop and is onto Hards - could the McLaren be one-stopping?
(ADA) "We are happy with tyres."
(HAM) "Yeah, okay."
Lap 31: Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Hamilton, Bottas, Tsunoda, Russell, Norris, Ricciardo, Zhou, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, Sainz, Stroll, Albon, Vandoorne, Ocon, Gasly, Magnussen, Pourchaire
(LEC) "We are so slow."
Ricciardo with a spin on turn 8! He's able to recover quickly, but he lost time with that!
Leclerc is struggling down in P15 here, and you can see the frustration with the Champion here. He can feel his title defence slipping away.
Lap 40: Verstappen, Piastri, Alonso, Hamilton, Bottas, Tsunoda, Russell, Norris, Ricciardo, Stroll, Sainz, Zhou, Hülkenberg, Vandoorne, Leclerc, Albon, Ocon, Gasly, Magnussen, Pourchaire
PITSTOP: Verstappen in from the lead on Lap 43, once again going for the undercut! He rejoins P7.
Leclerc gets Vandoorne for P14 and is now chasing Zhou for P13.
PITSTOP: Zhou has a delay in the pits! The Haas team cannot get the front left tyre off! Meanwhile Alonso comes in and rejoins P7.
(ADA) "Box, box"
(BOZ) "Box, box"
PITSTOPS: Ferrari are bringing both drivers in but there's enough of a gap! Hamilton in...1.984!!! Incredible! Leclerc also in now, 2.076. Incredible work from Ferrari! Russell, Ricciardo, Stroll, Hülkenberg, Ocon all pit too!
PITSTOPS: Bottas and Sainz in, Bottas rejoins P8, Sainz P14.
Verstappen moves ahead of Tsunoda for P2! He's about 9 seconds behind Piastri, who is yet to pit for a second time!
ZHOU
PITSTOP: Tsunoda in from P3, and he's onto the Softs! He rejoins P6.
Lap 51: Piastri, Verstappen, Norris, Alonso, Hamilton, Russell, Bottas, Tsunoda, Albon, Ricciardo, Stroll, Leclerc, Sainz, Hülkenberg, Vandoorne, Zhou, Oxon, Gasly, Magnussen, Pourchaire
PITSTOP: Piastri in from the lead! It's a quick stop and he's back out in P4, 15 seconds behind. A lot of work for him to do.
Leclerc now pushing Albon, who is defending for Stroll. Williams made the switch with Stroll having the better tyres. Leclerc though gets the move done and now he is on the bubble for the points!
Papaya Rules not in effect today as Norris concedes the position to his teammate who has the much stronger tyres. Piastri gives Norris DRS as a result.
Big moment for the Champion in his recovery drive as he overtakes Stroll for P10! Leclerc into the points and limiting the damage of Hamilton, who is running P5. Tough day for the Constructors Champions.
PIASTRI
Alonso playing reargunner for Verstappen here and defending Piastri. Piastri gets past him and is trying to lose the second Red Bull. 9 seconds between Verstappen and Piastri. Alonso not going away without a fight though.
Hamilton moves up to P4!
AS IT STANDS:
HAM 435 LEC 421 VER 372
Points available after today: 86
Alonso gets past Piastri for P2, and that's very good news for Max Verstappen!
Piastri needs to clear Alonso here if he's going to have a chance at clearing Verstappen.
Lap 63: Verstappen, Alonso, Piastri, Hamilton, Norris, Tsunoda, Bottas, Russell, Ricciardo, Leclerc
VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR
Hülkenberg spins off and finds himself in the barrier! His race has ended on Lap 66, and that might well end this race as a contest! Thankfully Hulk is okay.
Leclerc has gotten a quick start from the restart and is up to P9! Every single point counts now in this Drivers title fight!
Two laps remain here, and the main focus is on Piastri and Alonso's battle for P2. But Leclerc still has to fight Ricciardo for P9, and Ricciardo takes it back for now!
Max Verstappen is just about to barely keep his Championship fight alive, and this is a big win for him and Red Bull, they really needed this one, MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX!!!
(ADA) "And P4, P4. Unlucky out there, good effort."
(HAM) "Thanks guys. Car just wasn't there today, but we keep pushing."
(ADA) "Thanks for the effort."
(BOZ) "And P9, P9. Good effort Charles. You did your best. Sorry about today, we learn from it and go forward."
(LEC) radio silence
2025 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Max Verstappen 01.27.34
- Fernando Alonso +5.660
- Oscar Piastri +0.115
- Lewis Hamilton +8.196
- Yuki Tsunoda +2.933
- Lando Norris +0.129
- George Russell +3.129
- Valtteri Bottas +1.139
- Charles Leclerc +31.519
- Daniel Ricciardo +0.779
- Lance Stroll +12.639
- Carlos Sainz +5.644
- Stoffel Vandoorne +1 lap
- Zhou Guanyu +1 lap
- Alexander Albon +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon +1 lap
- Pierre Gasly +1 lap
- Théo Pourchaire +1 lap
- Kevin Magnussen +1 lap
- Nico Hülkenberg DNF
DRIVER OF THE DAY: MAX VERSTAPPEN, Red Bull
An absolute masterclass of a drive from Max Verstappen to take his Seventh victory of the season and keep his Championship hopes alive. A brilliant drive, Max Verstappen is your Driver of the Day!
FASTEST LAP AWARD:
Oscar Piastri, 1.08.759
DHL FASTEST PITSTOP AWARD:
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari 1.984s
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hamilton 435
Leclerc 422
Verstappen 372
Alonso 228
Piastri 217
Norris 217
Bottas 150
Tsunoda 81
Russell 81
Sainz 36
Ricciardo 31
Albon 28
Vandoorne 10
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 4
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 857
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 600
McLaren-Mercedes 434
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 160
Mercedes 117
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 112
Williams-Mercedes 32
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
foggy locust
MERCEDES CONFIRM PIRELLI FOR 2026
Mercedes have become the Seventh team to confirm their tyre choice for 2026, and the Silver Arrows have stuck with Pirelli.
Toto Wolff confirmed the decision in a post race interview in Sao Paulo.
Mercedes are currently fifth in the Constructors, and face a fight with RB for the position with three race weekends remaining.
ANDRETTI CONFIRM BRIDGESTONE FOR 2026
F1's newest outfit, Andretti Cadillac, will race with Bridgestone tyres for the 2026 season.
Mario Andretti has a history with Bridgestone, once driving a Lola Cosworth with Bridgestone tyres, and Andretti's new team have opted to go with the Japanese manufacturer over Pirelli.
This leaves Haas and Audi Sauber left to confirm their choices for 2026.
foggy locust
2025 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX
WEEKEND PREVIEW
And so, to Las Vegas. With just three rounds of this sensational Formula 1 season remaining, the glitz, the glamour and the high-life of Sin City welcomes the Formula 1 circus as this marathon season heads towards its conclusion. It is Round 22, and we have a finely poised Drivers’ Championship battle, with Lewis Hamilton leading Charles Leclerc by 13 points, and Max Verstappen with an outside chance still.
Last time out in Sao Paulo, Max Verstappen dominated from Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri, as both Ferrari drivers struggled. Lewis Hamilton had a better weekend than Charles Leclerc, as Leclerc had to start in the pitlane with an engine penalty, and struggled to just P9, with Hamilton taking P4. Leclerc did take victory in the Sprint however to mitigate the damage somewhat.
And so to the Las Vegas Circuit. 50 laps, raced around the Streets of Las Vegas, this takes in all the sights and sounds of this infamous cityz including the Vegas Strip, which has seen some daring last lap moves before, including Leclerc's over Sergio Perez to take P2 in 2023. The 6.120km circuit features very long straights and low speed corners, with two DRS zones.
And it is not a track suited to the characteristics of the Champions, with their struggles on the straights in recent races, this isn't a weekend Ferrari are targeting - however it is one that Charles Leclerc needs, being thirteen points behind his teammate. Hamilton is now the favourite to take his record Eighth Championship - can Leclerc close the gap in Vegas?
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is 63 points behind with three weekends to go, but still stands an outside chance of the title - he needs to score no less than 4 points less than Lewis Hamilton, and no less than 17 less than Charles Leclerc, to keep the Championship fight alive to Qatar. Of course, all three drivers are tied on seven wins a piece this year, which means the victory could be crucial this weekend. Fernando Alonso meanwhile is still looking for that 33rd victory as he winds down his F1 career with his final three races before Liam Lawson comes in for Red Bull next season.
McLaren's inter-team battle has continued as Oscar Piastri went level with Lando Norris on the exact same points - 217 - with just three rounds left, and above him in the Drivers’ Championship due to having more Podiums. Piastri clinched his sixth podium of the year - to Norris’ two - and looked for a while that he could actually take victory in Sao Paulo. Who will come out on top, and can either of them get ahead of Fernando Alonso for fourth - an 11 point gap remains between Alonso and both Piastri and Norris.
Aston Martin have seen Valtteri Bottas renew his confidence this season with two Podiums and an incredible performance. With a 150 point to 10 gap to his teammate, Bottas has outscored Stoffel Vandoorne by FIFTEEN times as much this year - this is a weekend where Vandoorne really needs to hit the scoresheet to prove why he's kept his seat for 2026.
The most intriguing Constructors Championship battle is the fight between Mercedes and RB for fifth position - there is just five points between the two teams. And there's been a major difference in attitudes - Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo look like a team United, while Carlos Sainz and George Russell have been in complete disarray as teammates. As Russell is set to depart, can he sign off with Mercedes by helping them to fifth?
Williams meanwhile prepare for Russell's return to the team in a circuit where they could score points - they've always been traditionally strong on the straights - and this may play into their wheelhouse. Can the FW47 live up to expectations and deliver points for Lance Stroll and Alex Albon this weekend?
And there is also a three team fight at the bottom of the Championship, and all three teams face major changes next year - Haas will bring Toyota in as a naming sponsor, becoming Haas Toyota, Sauber become the official Audi works team, and Alpine become Hitech-Renault. All three teams want to avoid bottom spot, and any points for any one of them could drastically alter their immediate futures.
And so to Vegas, where the Championship cannot be decided this weekend, but it may have a long way in determining the future of the Drivers’ Championship of the World. Who will rule the streets of Las Vegas? One thing is for certain, you won't want to miss it.
sterile breach
Have McLaren not won a race yet this virtual season?
foggy locust
FP1: NOR VER LEC
HAM P4
Lando Norris quickest in Thursday's first practice session, ahead of Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc was just ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso fifth, with George Russell sixth, Dennis Hauger seventh, and the two Astons of Valtteri Bottas and Stoffel Vandoorne 8th and 10th, split by Daniel Ricciardo in 9th.
foggy locust
Have McLaren not won a race yet this virtual season?
They have not
Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton have all won seven each
sterile breach
They have not
damn, they fell off
foggy locust
They've been consistently the third fastest, but they've just not broken through to challenge Ferrari or, well, Max
Battling with Fernando constantly and Piastri has six podiums
Lando has just two, same as Bottas
Nando has five
Leclerc and Hamilton both have 17, Max 14
And that's it. No one else has gotten on the podium, although Yuki Tsunoda got a Sprint podium I think
FP2: BOT VER ZHO
HAM P4, LEC P9
A couple of surprising names at the top of FP2 as Valtteri Bottas goes quickest, and his former teammate Zhou Guanyu is third! Max Verstappen in between the two former Sauber drivers, Lewis Hamilton fourth with teammate and title rival Charles Leclerc just P9. Alonso fifth, Albon sixth, then Norris and Piastri P7 and P8. Tsunoda rounds off the top ten.
FP3: LEC VER PIA
HAM P4
Leclerc goes fastest ahead of Verstappen and Piastri in Friday's final practice session ahead of qualifying. Hamilton fourth, with Tsunoda fifth, and Alonso sixth. Norris, Bottas, Vandoorne and Ricciardo round off the top ten.
Well, the stakes are as high as they ever are around these streets, the dazzling lights are on and it is time to go racing around the Las Vegas Strip. 6km through the heart of Las Vegas, a gamble that may pay off for one of our three Championship contenders. Lewis Hamilton remains the favourite, Charles Leclerc the dark prancing horse, and Max Verstappen the outside gamble. But it is time to go qualifying and after a surprising three free practices, this feels like anyone's game.
We are Green for Q1!
10.00pm: It is late, late evening, it is very chilly here and we are a go for Qualifying. Leclerc, Hamilton and Gasly all out on track.
10.01pm: Norris, Albon and Ricciardo also on track. Traffic may well end up being a problem around here.
10.03pm: Hamilton quickest, 33.899. Leclerc meanwhile about 6 tenths down, the Champion may have to go again.
10.04pm: Norris about 7 tenths down on Hamilton. The seven time Champion finding another gear at the moment.
10.06pm: Piastri goes second, and then Alonso immediately takes second off him!
10.08pm: VANDOORNE LOCKS UP AT TURN 5!! That's completely wrecked his lap, his front wing is in pieces, and that is a big problem for Aston Martin!
10.09pm: Verstappen just P7 at the moment!
10.12pm: Both RBs currently ahead of both Mercedes. Something to watch.
DRIVER AT RISK: Gasly
RELEGATION ZONE: Magnussen, Ocon, Hülkenberg, Stroll, Vandoorne
10.13pm: Aston Martin have...elected not to change Vandoorne's front wing. That is definitely a choice that they've made.
10.15pm: Vandoorne goes 18th, that won't save him from a Q1 exit, but somewhat impressive that he's done that with a broken front wing.
As we wind down Q1, Ocon doesn't improve, he's out. Stroll goes 14th and Gasly is into the dropzone, Pourchaire at risk right now. Sainz goes P10 and he's safe, purple in S3. Verstappen up to second. Hülkenberg goes P19, Magnussen P18, that is your bottom five.
OUT IN Q1: Gasly, Ocon, Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Vandoorne
10.25pm: As Q2 begins, Leclerc, Hamilton and Stroll are your first three on track.
10.28pm: Hamilton 7 tenths up on Leclerc who is massively struggling so far tonight! Stroll into P3.
10.29pm: Piastri goes second, about 6 tenths behind Hamilton.
10.31pm: Bottas up to fourth. Both Red Bulls, both Mercs and Norris on track now.
10.33pm: Norris goes Second, Alonso fourth. Verstappen then takes second!
DRIVER AT RISK: Russell
RELEGATION ZONE: Stroll, Sainz, Pourchaire, Albon, Zhou
10.36pm: Again, both RBs ahead of both Mercedes, that fight for fifth looking crucial right now.
10.38pm: Zhou up to tenth, purple in S3. Will that be enough?
Norris purple middle sector. Albon 10th, RUSSELL JUST 13TH AND HE IS OUT. Pourchaire also out, Hamilton stays P1, Leclerc goes P2!! Ricciardo just P11 and he goes out! Can Stroll knock teammate Albon out...no! Stroll doesn't improve!
OUT IN Q2: Ricciardo, Zhou, Russell, Pourchaire, Stroll
We go Green for Q3!
10.48pm: Pole very much on the line and very up for grabs. Hamilton has looked quickest so far, can anyone beat him to P1?
10.51pm: Hamilton quickest, 0.233 ahead of Leclerc! Tsunoda 7 tenths down at the moment.
10.53pm: Albon a full 1.345 down, while Bottas goes into third, Alonso fourth.
10.54pm: Just sixth for Piastri, Norris goes up to third now!
10.55pm: Verstappen 5 TENTHS up on Hamilton. Where did that come from?
Q3 AS IT STANDS: Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Bottas, Alonso, Tsunoda, Piastri, Sainz, Albon
10.57pm: All ten remaining drivers now on outlaps. Who will take Pole here in Vegas?
10.59pm: Tsunoda stays seventh, while Bottas stays fifth.
Piastri just sixth there, Albon ninth. Verstappen doesn't improve through S1, neither does Leclerc, Hamilton does. Norris up to P3!! Verstappen stays P1, Hamilton...stays Second! Meanwhile Leclerc is just fourth!! Alonso sixth, it is POLE FOR MAX VERSTAPPEN!!
Q3: Verstappen, Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, Bottas, Alonso, Piastri, Sainz, Tsunoda, Albon
2025 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX
STARTING GRID
VER HAM
NOR LEC
BOT ALO
PIA SAI
TSU ALB
RIC ZHO
RUS POU
STR GAS
OCO MAG
HÜL VAN
foggy locust
With just three rounds to go in this 2025 Formula 1 season, this crucial Championship prizefight arrives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Who will stick, who will twist, and who will cash in bigtime? We're used to Red or Black but it's mostly Red or Red in the title fight, with a bit of Dark Blue in there. Round 22, 50 laps of this 6.120km circuit, 15 turns, 2 DRS zones, one of which goes right through the heart of Vegas, the Las Vegas Strip. Tyrewear proved a problem this time last year, something to watch out for, it is very very cold in the air this weekend.
Stoffel Vandoorne crashed in qualifying and as a result Starts P20, no pitlane start, while it's 19th for Nico Hülkenberg. Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Ocon share the 9th row as Alpine becomes Hitech at the end of this year, Pierre Gasly 16th and Lance Stroll just got out of Q2 begins 15th. Théo Pourchaire makes his Vegas debut in 14th while George Russell is 13th, Zhou Guanyu will start today from 12th and Daniel Ricciardo begins 11th. Alex Albon is gambling on a Mercedes move and begins 10th tonight, Yuki Tsunoda is trying to lead his team past Mercedes in the Championship and starts 9th. It's 8th for Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri starts 7th as he aims to finish above his teammate this season, Fernando Alonso starts today from 6th with Valtteri Bottas 5th. Charles Leclerc has it all to do both tonight and in the Championship from 4th, with Lando Norris starting 3rd. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton has the advantage as he starts 2nd, and Max Verstappen, who still has an outside shot of his fourth title, starts on Pole.
Formation lap is completed here in Vegas
Charles Leclerc's 150th start in Formula 1 tonight btw
One light, two, three, four, five...
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Verstappen holds the lead into the first corner, Hamilton P2, LECLERC GETS PAST NORRIS IMMEDIATELY FOR P3, A GREAT START FOR THE CHAMPION, Bottas fifth, Alonso Sixth, Piastri Seventh, Tsunoda is ahead of Sainz and Ricciardo into the top ten, that's the dream start for RB!
LECLERC
THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MOVE BY THE FERRARIS, Hamilton soars past Verstappen with DRS and Leclerc follows suit! But now Leclerc wants the lead and he has the lead of the race!!
Alonso and Verstappen doing a double pincer move on Hamilton, and both move past him to second and third!!
Lap 4: Leclerc, Verstappen, Alonso, Hamilton, Bottas, Piastri, Norris, Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Russell
Worth noting that right now, Ricciardo and Tsunoda are scoring six points to Russell's one, Sainz is currently P13.
Alonso snatches the lead from Leclerc!! DRS is very much plating a role however and Leclerc takes it back!
(BOZ) "This is a good pace Charles, keep it up."
(LEC) "So far our race pace is better than we thought."
(HAM) "Struggling to keep pace with the Bulls here."
(ADA) "Copy, race is long."
Leclerc currently trying to fend off Verstappen and Alonso, and Verstappen takes the lead again!
Leclerc showing some superb pace here, and he's up to P1 again! Hamilton meanwhile goes second!
RUSSELL HAVING A GEARBOX ISSUE! DISASTER FOR MERCEDES!!
Oscar Piastri has brought himself into the conversation, as he moves past his teammate, Bottas and Alonso in short order, and is now putting Verstappen under pressure!
OCON
Piastri up to P3 ahead of Verstappen!!
Lap 10: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Verstappen, Alonso, Norris, Bottas, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Stroll, Russell, Albon, Sainz, Zhou, Gasly, Ocon, Vandoorne, Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Magnussen
(BOZ) "Tyre phase update please Charles?"
(LEC) "The tyres are holding up better than expected. Less graining than thought."
Hamilton having to defend Piastri, and Leclerc is giving him the DRS to do so. Interesting working together by the two title rivals, at least for now.
(ADA) "Thoughts on Plan C"
(HAM) "Think it's manageable."
Verstappen now up to third and attacking the back of Leclerc and Hamilton, but the Ferrari defence is staying strong.
PITSTOPS: Zhou and Pourchaire in and both onto Mediums!
Piastri suffering from tyrewear has dropped to P6.
Alonso now backing up Verstappen in the attack on Leclerc and Hamilton.
PITSTOPS: Piastri does indeed come in and is onto the Hards, Tsunoda going a different route and takes the Softs. Stroll and Magnussen both onto the Hards.
Russell's gearbox is really, really struggling and he's down to P16, although he has also just pitted.
PITSTOPS: Norris and Bottas! Norris rejoins just ahead of his teammate in P6, Bottas just behind Piastri in P8.
The Ferrari defence has broken briefly, as Verstappen gets ahead of Hamilton!
PITSTOPS: Verstappen in, in fact both Red Bulls are in and they've undercut the Ferraris!
NORRIS
MAGNUSSEN AND GASLY MAKE CONTACT GASLY BUMPS THE WALL ON THE WAY PAST TOO!
(BOZ) "Box, box"
CAR 20 (MAGNUSSEN)
PITSTOP: Ricciardo in, and onto the Softs, and rejoins P10.
PITSTOP: Leclerc in, and rejoins P6! 2.136 stop for the Champion.
(ADA) "Box, box"
PITSTOP: Hamilton in and he's onto Hards as well, 2.233 stop and also rejoins P6.
Lando Norris has just taken the lead, and Oscar Piastri just behind...it's a McLaren 1-2 right now!
Leclerc and Hamilton now within 6.7 of Bottas in P4. Ferrari's new tyres starting to pay off?
Alonso however has something to say about that as he goes ahead of Hamilton, and then Leclerc!
Verstappen takes the lead of the race away from Norris!
McLaren pull off the double pincer and Piastri leads from Norris!!
Lap 26: Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Bottas, Leclerc, Alonso, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Vandoorne
Don't look now, but Vandoorne is in the points having started P20.
Both Leclerc and Hamilton struggling with Alonso here, and losing time on the front four as a result.
Ferrari seem to be absolutely banking on the one step. All four cars in front of them are complaining about tyrewear here.
Gasly is having a tough evening. He locks up on turn 4 and he's off!
PITSTOPS: Tsunoda is in!! He's onto the Softs again. Vandoorne, Zhou and Pourchaire all pit again too.
PITSTOP: Bottas the first of the front four to stop! He's onto Hards, which is...a choice with 22 laps to go. He rejoins P7.
Both Piastri and Norris are fighting it out here. Piastri is on Hards which means he doesn't necessarily have to pit again.
PITSTOP: Speaking of stops, Verstappen comes in!! He's onto the Hards and back out there in P6.
PITSTOP: Norris in from the lead!! He's onto Softs and rejoins in P5.
Lap 34: Piastri, Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso, Norris, Bottas, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Stroll, Albon, Vandoorne, Zhou, Sainz, Ocon, Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Russell, Magnussen, Gasly
PITSTOP: Ricciardo in from P9! He takes yet another set of Softs and he's back out there.
NORRIS
RUSSELL LOCKS UP AND GOES OFF!
Leclerc very much has Piastri in his sights right now, and goes for the lead down the Vegas Strip, CHARLES LECLERC LEADS HERE IN VEGAS!!
PITSTOP: Alonso comes in and takes fresh Softs. He's back out there in P7.
PITSTOP: Piastri comes in from P2! He's onto the Softs and back out there in P6.
Lap 39: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris, Bottas, Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Albon
It is as you were earlier, Hamilton defending Verstappen, Leclerc giving Hamilton DRS to do so.
VERSTAPPEN
(BOZ) "Hamilton behind with DRS"
(LEC) "I know"
Behind Leclerc and Hamilton, Norris moves up to P3 ahead of Verstappen!!
Russell has been struggling all race with that gearbox, and he is lapped by both Leclerc and former teammate Hamilton. Ouch.
Lap 43: Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Verstappen, Bottas, Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Vandoorne
Five laps remain, and Leclerc is holding off his teammate, Verstappen AND Norris. Incredible defending by the Champion.
Tsunoda with a lock-up! He avoids the barrier though and he's not lost too much time there.
Piastri up to P5, albeit briefly! Can he catch up to this front four?
OH MY GOD IT IS A RED FLAG!!!
Zhou Guanyu has locked up and hit the barrier!! He's okay, thankfully, but the race has been stopped on Lap 47!!
Esteban Ocon was also taken out in that incident!!
Restart order: Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Verstappen, Bottas, Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Vandoorne, Sainz, Albon, Hülkenberg, Pourchaire, Stroll, Magnussen, Russell, Gasly. Ocon and Zhou out of the race.
Lap 49, two racing laps remain!!
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO AGAIN
Leclerc holds firm and holds the lead, Hamilton still P2, Norris third, Verstappen still fourth, Piastri ahead of Bottas, Vandoorne up to ninth ahead of Ricciardo!!
LAST LAP
Can Leclerc hold onto this here, Hamilton is going for it but Leclerc holds him off, Ricciardo up to P9 ahead of Vandoorne
HAMILTON P2, IT IS A 1-2 FOR THE SCUDERIA, VERSTAPPEN THIRD, NORRIS FOURTH, ALONSO FIFTH, PIASTRI SIXTH, TSUNODA SEVENTH, RICCIARDO EIGHTH, VANDOORNE NINTH, BOTTAS TENTH. Incredible stuff!
(BOZ) "WE'VE WON IT! We've won Vegas, Charles!"
(LEC) "WOOOOO!!! YESSSS! YESS YES YES YES!!! F*** YES!!!"
(BOZ) "Incredible. Incredible job."
(LEC) "Tonight is going to be a big night."
(ADA) "And P2, Lewis. P2."
(HAM) "Ahhh, so close! So, so close. Great job today guys. Thank you, let's keep pushing."
(ADA) "You've done a good job."
2025 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Charles Leclerc 01.22.12
- Lewis Hamilton +0.092
- Max Verstappen +0.109
- Lando Norris +0.001
- Fernando Alonso +0.375
- Oscar Piastri +0.360
- Yuki Tsunoda +0.472
- Daniel Ricciardo +1.730
- Stoffel Vandoorne +0.120
- Valtteri Bottas +0.484
- Carlos Sainz +0.260
- Alexander Albon +0.626
- Nico Hülkenberg +0.260
- Theo Pourchaire +0.387
- Lance Stroll +0.336
- Kevin Magnussen +6.036
- Pierre Gasly +0.122
- George Russell +0.267
- Esteban Ocon DNF
- Zhou Guanyu DNF
DRIVER OF THE DAY: STOFFEL VANDOORNE, Aston Martin
A much needed "prove-it" drive by Stoffel Vandoorne, as he went from P20 to P9 and some much needed points. You duly recognised a fantastic drive by the Belgian, and Stoffel Vandoorne is your Driver of the Day!
FASTEST LAP AWARD:
Fernando Alonso, Red Bull 1.35.908
DHL FASTEST PITSTOP AWARD:
Max Verstappen, Red Bull 2.058s
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hamilton 453
Leclerc 447
Verstappen 387
Alonso 239
Norris 229
Piastri 225
Bottas 151
Tsunoda 87
Russell 81
Sainz 36
Ricciardo 35
Albon 28
Vandoorne 12
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 4
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 900
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 626
McLaren-Mercedes 454
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 163
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 122
Mercedes 117
Williams-Mercedes 32
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
foggy locust
QATAR GRAND PRIX 2025
WEEKEND PREVIEW
And so, to the penultimate race weekend of the 2025 Formula 1 season here in Qatar. The joint longest season in F1 history - tied with last year - nears its incredible conclusion. And we go with the last Sprint weekend of the season.
Last time around in Las Vegas, it was an incredible show of teamwork by the two Ferrari drivers, as they took home a 1-2 finish in what was a fantastic defensive performance, putting their personal battle for the Championship aside for one race to secure the victory, and to make sure the Drivers’ Championship WILL go to a Ferrari driver, as this result mathematically eliminated Max Verstappen from contention, with the Dutch driver being 66 points behind with 60 remaining. Charles Leclerc's win however closed the gap to just six points to Lewis Hamilton.
The Lusail International Circuit is a 5.419 km circuit located in the city of Lusail, just north of Doha. This city was originally constructed in full for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and though seen more as a motorbike track, has hosted Formula 1 since 2021, with a one year break in 2022.
And now the battle comes down to Leclerc versus Hamilton for the Drivers' Championship of the World. Respectful off the track, competitive on it, this has been an incredible Championship battle over the last year, and Lewis Hamilton has his first chance to secure his record Eighth - but he must outscore Leclerc by 21 points over the course of the weekend. Leclerc meanwhile, if he is within those 21 points - will take his defence of the Championship all the way to Abu Dhabi.
Max Verstappen's bid for a fourth World title ended in Las Vegas, but it has still been a strong season for the former Champion, who has led Red Bull's challenge to regain the titles well. This is of course his teammate Fernando Alonso's penultimate race weekend - an incredible car nears its end, can he give it the fairytale ending before he makes way for Liam Lawson next year?
McLaren's interteam battle continued in Vegas as Lando Norris went ahead of Oscar Piastri, with both leading portions of the race in Vegas. McLaren have potential to potentially take a victory here in Lusail - their Medium Speed Cornering is exactly level with Ferrari's - and this is a team who have come oh so close to victory on many occasions this year, can they finally get one over the line?
Stoffel Vandoorne had a Driver of the Day performance in Las Vegas, going from P20 to P9 and recovering from a crash in qualifying to outscore his teammate. It has been a tough first season back in F1 for Vandoorne, but his team have shown enough faith in him for a second season alongside Valtteri Bottas.
Racing Bulls went above Mercedes in the Constructors Championship last time around, and their fight for fifth in the Constructors is going to the wire here. RB want this, Mercedes need this. But Mercedes have looked a team in disarray all season long. Can they rally to rescue fifth, or will it go to the future Andretti Cadillac?
Williams are very much settled in seventh, and it would take a minor miracle from Haas, Audi Sauber or Alpine to overtake them. None of the bottom four - five if you count Mercedes - scored in Las Vegas, and we head into the penultimate weekend with any points for the bottom four potentially making a huge difference to their finishing position. Can anyone of them get points this weekend?
57 laps of this 5.418km circuit, plus a Sprint race, await us this weekend. Who will make it count and take a huge direction toward the Championship? One thing is for sure - you won't want to miss it.
LEWIS HAMILTON TO TAKE GRID PENALTY
Some breaking news as Lewis Hamilton is set to receive a five place grid penalty this weekend in Qatar.
Hamilton has opted to take a new gearbox ahead of the final two races, and will receive a grid penalty on Sunday as a result.
Hamilton leads teammate Charles Leclerc by just six points.
FP1 Reserves: Bedrin (Piastri), Dürksen (Alonso), Antonelli (Sainz), Verschoor (Ricciardo), Montoya (Bottas)
FP1: DÜR NOR LEC
HAM P7
Young Red Bull junior driver Joshua Dürksen went quickest of all in FP1, with Lando Norris second and Charles Leclerc third. Leclerc's teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton was seventh, while Théo Pourchaire was fourth, and Aston Martin reserve Sebastian Montoya took fifth. Stoffel Vandoorne was behind Montoya, while Max Verstappen was just eighth, Andrea Kimi Antonelli was ninth, and Daniel Ricciardo rounded off the top ten.
It is the final Sprint weekend and it is time to go qualifying, it is the last Sprint Shootout of the 2025 season. 19 laps tomorrow, tyrewear is quite notoriously bad around here, so those first qualifying laps may well be crucial.
We are green for SQ1!
8.30pm: A fair few drivers queueing at the pitlane for the start of qualifying here, including both title rivals, Leclerc and Hamilton. Norris, Alonso, Stroll, Hülkenberg and Zhou all on track early too.
8.33pm: Hamilton getting slowed a little by traffic, and then Leclerc is in S3! Hamilton quickest, Alonso second, Leclerc third right now. Norris just sixth!
8.34pm: Stroll up to P4 now, Russell 5th. Traffic proving a real problem round here though.
8.35pm: Verstappen goes quickest! Both Ferraris immediately going again, however. Norris into the bottom five! Piastri just 12th!
8.36pm: Leclerc goes quickest, then Hamilton takes it by 2 tenths!
DRIVER AT RISK: Pourchaire
RELEGATION ZONE: Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Zhou, Norris
8.39pm: Both McLarens are in real trouble. Norris is last and caught in traffic! Meanwhile Piastri just P14, and still not out of trouble.
8.40pm: Zhou improving, Norris better through S2. Will it be enough to get out of SQ1...he goes 16th!!! He is out unless he can put another lap together!
8.41pm: Zhou up to P16, likely that's it for him too. Pourchaire at risk. Traffic proving a real problem.
Gasly doesn't improve, he's out, Norris pits! He is out in SQ1!! Pourchaire is improving, Msgnussen stays P18, Hülkenberg P14...POURCHAIRE P8!!! BOTH McLARENS OUT IN SQ1!!!
OUT IN SQ1: Piastri, Zhou, Norris, Magnussen, Gasly
Wow, wow, WOW. On a weekend where we thought that McLaren could challenge for the win, they have seen both drivers exit in SQ1. It is only the Sprint, but this is nothing short of a disastrous Friday for the Papaya.
SQ2 begins!
8.56pm: Every single drive remaining either on an outlap or a flying lap right now.
8.59pm: Leclerc goes fastest, ahead of Hamilton, then Verstappen takes it! Alonso up to fourth, then Ricciardo and Tsunoda! RB look very likely for fifth as it stands!
9.01pm: Leclerc goes quickest on his second go around, Hamilton remains P3!
DRIVER AT RISK: Bottas
RELEGATION ZONE: Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Ocon, Stroll, Sainz
9.02pm: Every single driver on outlaps except Leclerc and Hamilton. How will the track ramp up in terms of track evolution?
Bottas improving, Hülkenberg stays P12, Bottas up to sixth, Tsunoda seventh, Stroll just 13th, Ocon stays 14th, Pourchaire doesn't improve, it is Sainz or Albon in SQ3...Sainz knocks his future teammate out in SQ2!!
OUT IN SQ2: Albon, Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Stroll, Ocon
9.16pm: SQ3 is a go!
9.19pm: Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso and Bottas out trying early laps here.
9.21pm: Leclerc goes fastest, 22.223, while Hamilton about 0.150 behind. Bottas P2. Verstappen, Ricciardo and Tsunoda on track now.
9.23pm: There isn't really a Q3 as it stands, as only four drivers have completed flying laps, sooo....
9.24pm: Leclerc improves his time and is now four tenths up! Hamilton second, Verstappen fourth behind Alonso! Ricciardo fifth.
Tsunoda goes into sixth, Sainz has JUST got across the line to start his flier! Vandoorne, Russell and Sainz are the only ones left, Vandoorne P8, Russell P9. Sainz has clear track ahead here and he's 9th, it is SPRINT POLE FOR CHARLES LECLERC!
SQ3: Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Bottas, Vandoorne, Sainz, Russell
2025 QATAR GRAND PRIX
SPRINT GRID
LEC HAM
ALO VER
RIC TSU
BOT VAN
SAI RUS
ALB POU
HÜL STR
OCO PIA
ZHO NOR
MAG GAS
It is time to go Sprinting here for the final time this season. 19 laps, tyrewear is brutal and it is very much going to be a slog around this motorbike circuit, but it could well be a vital in the destiny of the Championship.
Pierre Gasly starts 20th with Kevin Magnussen 19th, Lando Norris a shock SQ1 exit so he's 18th with Zhou Guanyu 17th. Oscar Piastri didn't fare much better than his teammate, he's 16th with Esteban Ocon 15th. Lance Stroll starts alongside Nico Hülkenberg on the Seventh row, Théo Pourchaire will begin 12th and Alex Albon 11th. Into the top ten and the two Mercedes are on row five, George Russell 10th, Carlos Sainz 9th, while the two Astons take the fourth row, Valtteri Bottas just ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne. It's advantage RB in the fight for fifth, Daniel Ricciardo IS fifth to begin tonight and Yuki Tsunoda starts sixth. The two Red Bulls on the second row, Max Verstappen is fourth and Fernando Alonso starts his final Sprint from P3, while Ferrari have once again locked out the front row. The two title rivals and teammates start 1-2, Lewis Hamilton second, and Pole Position goes to Charles Leclerc.
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Charles Leclerc holds firm from Lewis Hamilton, Alonso third, Verstappen holding off Ricciardo, Bottas is ahead of Tsunoda, Leclerc has absolutely RACED way from Hamilton here, Sainz up to Eighth but Russell has dropped to 12th!
That is an absolutely ridiculous start from Leclerc, who already has two seconds in hand on Hamilton on Lap 2.
Alonso up to P2 ahead of Hamilton! Hamilton is struggling here a lot! He's dropped to fourth!!
Verstappen now however is closing quickly on Leclerc here, he's closed the gap to 1.5!
Hamilton moves past Alonso into third!
Lap 5: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Bottas, Vandoorne, Sainz, Albon, Russell, Hülkenberg, Ocon, Piastri, Norris, Pourchaire, Stroll, Zhou, Magnussen, Gasly
(BOZ) "We need to look after the rear tyres here. Push one, pull one."
(LEC) "Okay, understood"
(ADA) "From the tyre perspective we can push a bit more."
Piastri and Pourchaire bump wheels! Very minimal contact there, however.
The McLaren recovery effort sees them P12 and P13. Can they make up enough to get the points?
Four seconds between Leclerc and Verstappen, Hamilton is a further 1.3 back.
HAMILTON
The McLarens are very much double teaming and trying to pick off the rest of the field one by one. Both Piastri and Norris get Albon, and find themselves three seconds off Sainz and Russell.
Lap 11: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas, Vandoorne
(ADA) "Verstappen 0.6 ahead. Use ERS."
Hamilton gets DRS and takes P2 off Verstappen!! That could be huge in the title fight!
Leclerc now about 4 seconds ahead of Hamilton with six laps remaining. Hamilton now 1.6 up on Verstappen.
(BOZ) "Tyre phase update Charles?"
(LEC) "The rears are starting to go quite a bit here."
(BOZ) "Just bring it home. Five left."
Norris could be the one to bring home a point or two for McLaren, he is closing in on Vandoorne here.
Norris has indeed just rounded Vandoorne like he wasn't there, and is up into the points!
Two laps to go
Leclerc is very comfortable here
The World Champion faced some questions about his title defence, this js one hell of an answer, an absolutely dominant performance in the Sprint, Charles Leclerc rounds the final corner, CHARLES LECLERC WINS THE QATAR SPRINT IN CONVINCING FASHION. What a drive!! Hamilton P2, 1-2, Verstappen Third, Alonso fourth, Tsunoda fifth. Ricciardo Sixth, Bottas Seventh, Norris eighth
(BOZ) "And that's another win, another Sprint win, incredible job Charles!"
(LEC) "Let's go, come on, YES! Ahhh, fantastic job guys, thank you, thank you. That's exactly what we needed to start this weekend. Still a job to do, but that's a good start."
(BOZ) "Great start to this weekend."
(ADA) "And P2, Lewis, P2. Good job today, good result."
(HAM) "Thank you guys, thanks for the effort, let's keep pushing, still a race to win this weekend."
(ADA) "Let's keep going."
2025 QATAR GRAND PRIX
SPRINT CLASSIFICATION
- Charles Leclerc 00.27.33
- Lewis Hamilton +6.304
- Max Verstappen +3.854
- Fernando Alonso +9.305
- Yuki Tsunoda +5.645
- Daniel Ricciardo +3.369
- Valtteri Bottas +1.441
- Lando Norris +5.853
- Stoffel Vandoorne +2.973
- Oscar Piastri +0.126
- Carlos Sainz +5.966
- George Russell +1.877
- Alexander Albon +6.490
- Lance Stroll +2.436
- Esteban Ocon +3.124
- Théo Pourchaire +0.475
- Zhou Guanyu +6.802
- Nico Hülkenberg +1.991
- Pierre Gasly +2.516
- Kevin Magnussen +6.000
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Hamilton 460
Leclerc 455
Verstappen 393
Alonso 244
Norris 230
Piastri 225
Bottas 153
Tsunoda 91
Russell 81
Ricciardo 38
Sainz 36
Albon 28
Vandoorne 12
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 4
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 915
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 637
McLaren-Mercedes 455
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 165
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 129
Mercedes 117
Williams-Mercedes 32
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
Qualifying and main race later this evening!
foggy locust
Welcome to Lusail and the night has arrived, it is the penultimate race of the season and time to go qualifying here in Qatar. After Ferrari took a 1-2 in the Sprint, this race weekend, and Drivers' World Championship, hang in the balance. Who will take a step towards glory tonight?
We go green for Q1!
8.00pm: After the sunset Sprint, it is a nighttime qualifying. Traffic proved especially tricky during Sprint qualifying, will it do so again here?
8.02pm: Leclerc first out on track, and then followed by Piastri, Albon, Ricciardo, and finally, Hamilton
8.03pm: Leclerc goes quickest, 22.542.
8.05pm: Piastri purple in the middle, Hamilton purple through S1
8.06pm: Hamilton goes 0.553 ahead of Leclerc!!
8.09pm: Alonso into fourth, Russell seventh behind the two RBs. Verstappen gets slowed in traffic and is last!
8.10pm: Lando Norris up to P2, splitting the Ferraris.
DRIVER AT RISK: Magnussen
RELEGATION ZONE: Ocon, Zhou, Gasly, Vandoorne, Verstappen
8.14pm: Verstappen going again here, again with a lot of traffic...this could be a problem
8.15pm: Verstappen goes P1, Alonso up to fourth.
8.17pm: Pourchaire fifteenth, very much at risk.
Ocon P18, and he's out. Magnussen P17, also out. Gasly doesn't improve and he's out. Zhou stays 19th, Stroll up to 15th and knocks out Pourchaire!
OUT IN Q1: Pourchaire, Magnussen, Ocon, Zhou, Gasly
Q2 goes Green!
8.25pm: Hamilton, Russell, Ricciardo and Vandoorne all on track.
8.27pm: Hamilton gets stuck behind Sainz in traffic and that may well hurt this lap!
8.28pm: Vandoorne goes purple, and then Ricciardo does!
8.29pm: Hamilton 0.912 behind Ricciardo, that traffic absolutely wrecked that first lap for Lewis.
8.31pm: Piastri quickest ahead of Alonso and Bottas, Leclerc then goes P1, 0.263 ahead of Piastri!
8.34pm: Verstappen up to P2, 0.170 behind Leclerc!
DRIVER AT RISK: Albon
RELEGATION ZONE: Tsunoda, Vandoorne, Stroll, Hülkenberg, Hamilton
8.36pm: Sainz with a spin-off, but it was on his in-lap anyway. He's P8.
8.38pm: Hamilton starting a big lap here. Could be crucial for his season, and that of Leclerc.
Hamilton up to P2 and safe. Leclerc full purples. Sainz at risk, Ricciardo on deck, Stroll and Albon don't improve, Russell 11th, and is out!
OUT IN Q2: Russell, Stroll, Albon, Vandoorne, Hülkenberg
We are go for Q3!
8.49pm: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Alonso, Tsunoda, Ricciardo all on track
8.51pm: Leclerc 5 tenths up on Hamilton on that first lap.
8.52pm: Piastri up to P1!
8.53pm: Tsunoda Fourth, Verstappen just Sixth!
8.54pm: McLaren 1-2 as it stands as Norris goes Second!
Q3 AS IT STANDS: Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Alonso, Tsunoda, Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Sainz, Ricciardo
8.57pm: Final outlaps starting now!
8.58pm: Alonso up to Third! Yellow flag as Sainz has ANOTHER spin!
Ricciardo fifth, LECLERC UP TO P1, Hamilton P2, Verstappen just fifth! Norris fourth, Bottas eighth, and Sainz stays tenth, THE TENTH POLE OF THE SEASON FOR CHARLES LECLERC!!!
Q3: Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Alonso, Ricciardo, Bottas, Tsunoda, Sainz
HAMILTON GRID PENALTY RULED OUT
The FIA have ruled out Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty for Sunday's race in Qatar.
Hamilton was initially supposed to take a five place grid penalty but will no longer have to do so.
Hamilton will start P2, just behind title rival Charles Leclerc.
2025 QATAR GRAND PRIX
STARTING GRID
LEC HAM
PIA NOR
VER ALO
RIC BOT
TSU SAI
RUS STR
ALB POU
MAG OCO
GAS HÜL
ZHO VAN
Hülkenberg - 10 place grid penalty, Qual P15
Zhou - 3 place grid penalty, Qual P19
Vandoorne - 19 place grid penalty, Qualified P14
Race tomorrow!
sterile breach
HAMILTON GRID PENALTY RULED OUT
The FIA have ruled out Lewis Hamilton's grid p...
What, what happened?
foggy locust
It didn't take
I took an extra gearbox for him and it didn't register it as a penalty
So I'm not complaining haha
sterile breach
I took an extra gearbox for him and it didn't register it as a penalty
ah, makes sense now
foggy locust
Championship changing that
foggy locust
It is race day here in Qatar, and the heat is rising - in more ways than one. It is round 23, the penultimate round of this Formula 1 World Championship, and the Lusail International Circuit awaits on a day that can go down in Formula 1 folklore. Lewis Hamilton can become the first eight time Champion of the World tonight, but he must outscore current Champion Charles Leclerc by 21 points to do so, and Leclerc starts in the box seat. 57 laps of this 5.419 km circuit, 16 turns, just the one DRS zone, overtaking will be at a premium here. But drama awaits us as we begin here in Qatar. The C3, C2 and C1 tyres. The hardest in the Pirelli range, as of course they welcome their new challenger Bridgestone next year.
Stoffel Vandoorne takes a heavy penalty so he starts at the very back alongside Zhou Guanyu who also takes a penalty to drop to P19, both Haas drivers have penalties with Nico Hülkenberg dropping down to P18, while Pierre Gasly, slowest of those not taking penalties, begins P17. The two Alpines on the Eighth row with Kevin Magnussen P15 and Esteban Ocon P16, Théo Pourchaire starts P14 as he starts beside Alex Albon who is Mercedes bound next year. Lance Stroll is just ahead of his current teammate in P12 and beside his future teammate George Russell, Carlos Sainz starts tenth with Yuki Tsunoda begins ninth. Valtteri Bottas begins eighth and Daniel Ricciardo seventh, it is an all Red Bull third row, Max Verstappen 5th and Fernando Alonso begins 6th in his penultimate F1 outing. Lando Norris starts P4 with teammate Oscar Piastri third, and the Scuderia lock out the front row, Championship leader Lewis Hamilton starts second, and defending Champion Charles Leclerc starts on Pole.
Let's go racing!
Formation lap done
One light, two, three, four, five...
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Leclerc gets off to a very, very quick start, Hamilton keeps P2 ahead of Piastri, Verstappen Fourth, Alonso fifth, Norris has dropped two places, Ricciardo and Tsunoda now Seventh and Eighth, Bottas down to tenth
LECLERC
Leclerc has gotten out to a storming start here, he is now 2 seconds ahead of Hamilton! The Champion is determined to hold onto his World title here!!
(HAM) "A lot of graining here already, a lot of graining."
(ADA) "Understood. Keep doing what you can here."
Sainz locks up and he's off! He's down to P20!!
This is disastrous for Mercedes, who look more and more likely to finish Sixth in the Championship.
Piastri overtakes Hamilton and he's up to P2!! This is not good news for Hamilton's title challenge!!
AS IT STANDS:
LEC: 481 HAM: 475
(HAM) "Tyres are struggling a lot. I don't know what is happening."
(ADA) "Copy, we are checking."
(HAM) "I've got no pace mate."
This is an utterly disaster for Hamilton, who is having real issues keeping warmth in those Medium tyres. He has already dropped to FIFTH, and this is a major disaster for the seven time Champion in his bid to make it eight!
(BOZ) "Tyre phase update Charles."
(LEC) "Very good, very strong here."
(BOZ) "Copy. Push one, pull one."
About 3.5 between Leclerc and Verstappen. Hamilton is very much relying on his old rival to catch his teammate here.
(ADA) "Norris in front, 1.8, 1.8. Norris is struggling in front."
(HAM) "I'm struggling here too."
(ADA) "Update tyre phase when you can"
(HAM) "Rears struggling a lot. I cannot fight."
(ADA) "Box, box."
(HAM) "Yeah, box."
Norris struggling a lot, and Alonso has gotten past him, and also Hamilton, but Norris now drops behind Lewis!
PITSTOP: Hamilton first to stop! Ferrari have given him another set of Mediums, a 2.284 stop. One to keep an eye on. He rejoins in P11.
Hamilton makes short work of former teammate Russell!!
PITSTOP: Alonso responds to Hamilton's pitsop, and gets out as Lewis is going past...THEY'RE WHEEL TO WHEEL AND HAMILTON AHEAD!!
Leclerc very much has the luxury, and the time, to see what everyone around him does first before pitting himself. He's 6.6 up on Verstappen.
Lap 16: Leclerc, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas, Hamilton, Alonso, Russell
PITSTOP: Verstappen is in! He's onto Softs and rejoins in P6. Russell and Ricciardo both come in too, as does Vandoorne
Albon, running P10 with a big spin off! He's avoided the gravel travel, but lost two places and drops out of the points!
PITSTOP: Norris is in! He's onto the Mediums, and he rejoins in P8.
(BOZ) "Box this lap Charles, box this lap."
(LEC) "Box"
PITSTOP: Tsunoda is in from P3! He rejoins in P9, just behind teammate Ricciardo.
Hamilton has been making his way through the pack, and is up to fourth!
PITSTOPS: Both Leclerc and Piastri come in from P1 and P2!! Leclerc has a 2.191 stop and rejoins just behind Verstappen!! Piastri rejoins P5.
Leclerc has also opted for the Softs here, that big advantage he had has been wiped out though!
Leclerc with a brilliant overtaking move on Verstappen!! He goes round the outside of Verstappen and now leads here once more!
Alex Albon is having a tough day. A massive, massive spin off! He's very, very lucky to avoid the barrier, and rejoins the circuit a lap down.
Lap 23: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Piastri, Norris, Tsunoda, Ricciardo, Bottas, Stroll, Russell, Ocon, Vandoorne, Pourchaire, Hülkenberg, Zhou, Magnussen, Sainz, Gasly, Albon
AS IT STANDS:
LEC: 480 HAM 475
VERSTAPPEN
Russell having issues with deployment, and Mercedes look almost certain to finish P6. With both RBs in the top ten, and Sainz down in 18th, this is a miserable season for the Silver Arrows.
(BOZ) "This is a good pace Charles, keep it up."
(LEC) "Okay, fine"
Leclerc a full 6.151 ahead of Verstappen right now, and 11 ahead of Hamilton.
The closest battle on track right now is the fight for P4. Alonso immediately in Piastri's sights, and Piastri makes a move stick for P4!!
Magnussen with a massive lock-up and off, and Albon goes past him. A truly awful season for Alpine.
That being said, Ocon is running P12. Some hope?
Some potentially huge title implications as Hamilton is closing in on Verstappen, just 3.5 behind. Those extra three points could be crucial.
(ADA) "Tyre phase update?"
(HAM) "Still some life left in this tyre."
PITSTOP: Pourchaire the first to stop for a second time, he takes on the Hards. This will be interesting as he is now the test to the frontrunners to see how those Hard tyres handle.
PITSTOP: VERSTAPPEN IN! Red Bull have brought Verstappen in and stuck him on the Mediums. Will those go to the end?
(BOZ) "You're doing a good job on tyres. Keep it like this."
(LEC) "Copy this. What are Max's laptimes on Medium"
(BOZ) "25.777. Pourchaire on Hards is 30.237, for the record."
(LEC) "He's in a Sauber."
(BOZ) "Box, box"
(ADA) "Box, box"
Ocon's hopes of points might have taken a big hit as he's struggling with a mechanical issue.
PITSTOPS: Ferrari double stacking! Leclerc in and away with a 2.245, Hamilton follows with a 2.308. Enough of a gap to make it work. Leclerc keeps the lead, Hamilton P5.
Both Ferraris on Softs. Hoping that those hold up enough to the end here.
PITSTOP: Norirs is onto Softs as well, and is rejoining in P7, behind Piastri.
Leclerc about 6 seconds ahead of Verstappen, while Hamilton is about a further 11 back.
HAMILTON
Now, just how crucial could that be? Hamilton picks up that extra fastest lap point, for now at least, and reduces his gap to Leclerc to four points. As it stands, of course.
AS IT STANDS:
LEC 480 HAM 476
BOTTAS
Oh, my, word. Its back to five as Bottas grabs that extra point away from Hamilton.
AS IT STANDS:
LEC 480 HAM 475
Lap 44: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri, Norris, Alonso, Tsunoda, Bottas, Ricciardo, Stroll, Russell, Vandoorne, Pourchaire, Ocon, Sainz, Zhou, Albon, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Magnussen
(BOZ) "Some slight lift and coast to manage these tyres."
Ten laps remaining. This feels very, very crucial. Leclerc looks comfortable here, can Hamilton close the gap to Verstappen?
(ADA) "Okay Lewis...it's hammer time."
Hamilton has closed the gap to less than 3 seconds to Verstappen. Can Lewis close the gap enough here?
Lap 51: Leclerc, Verstappen, Hamilton, Piastri, Norris, Alonso, Tsunoda, Bottas, Ricciardo, Stroll
Hamilton now pushing towards the end of this race, with four laps remaining here. It might not be enough but he's trying everything
(HAM) "There's nothing left in these tyres."
(ADA) "Copy. Get them to the end."
(BOZ) "Just get these tyres to the line Charles."
Two laps left here in Qatar
Hamilton has closed the gap to 2.2 to Verstappen, it won't be enough today but he's tried everything.
LAST LAP
It has been a dominant, Champion's performance by Charles Leclerc today, this incredible F1 season is going all the way to the wire, it will go to the final race in Abu Dhabi, but this is a statement victory by the Champion, for the ninth time this season, it is victory for Leclerc, CHARLES LECLERC WINS THE QATAR GRAND PRIX!!! Max Verstappen comes home P2, Lewis Hamilton is Third, and the title fight is going to the final race of the season! Oscar Piastri P4, Lando Norris fifth, Fernando Alonso Sixth, Yuki Tsunoda Seventh, Valtteri Bottas Eighth, Daniel Ricciardo ninth and last to finish on the lead lap, Lance Stroll takes tenth.
(BOZ) "And P1, P1. Incredible Charles, come mi fai sognareee"
(LEC) "YESSSSS! YES YES YES! Si, Grandissimi!!! Let's go, come on!! Ahhh, Fantastic, fantastic. Onto next weekend."
(BOZ) Brilliant job today. One last time in Abu Dhabi, we can do this!
(ADA) "And P3, P3 today Lewis. Hard luck, good effort, especially at the end."
(HAM) "Thanks guys. Did my best today, just didn't have the tyre at the end. We're still in this, we'll keep pushing all the way to the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi."
(ADA) "We are still in this fight."
2025 QATAR GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Charles Leclerc 01.24.45
- Max Verstappen +16.530
- Lewis Hamilton +3.593
- Oscar Piastri +14.340
- Lando Norris +2.319
- Fernando Alonso +5.798
- Yuki Tsunoda +14.765
- Valtteri Bottas +14.108
- Daniel Ricciardo +1.949
- Lance Stroll +1 lap
- George Russell +1 lap
- Stoffel Vandoorne +1 lap
- Théo Pourchaire +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon +1 lap
- Carlos Sainz +1 lap
- Zhou Guanyu +1 lap
- Alexander Albon +2 laps
- Nico Hülkenberg +2 laps
- Pierre Gasly +2 laps
- Kevin Magnussen +2 laps
DRIVER OF THE DAY: CHARLES LECLERC, Ferrari
A dominant display by the defending Champion as he lapped over half the field and never looked in any danger of not winning this race. An incredible performance that saw him go back to the top of the Drivers' Championship table, Charles Leclerc is your Driver of the Day!!
FASTEST LAP AWARD:
Valtteri Bottas, Aston Martin 1.24.879
DHL FASTEST PITSTOP AWARD:
Lando Norris, McLaren 2.073s
2025 FIA WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Leclerc 480
Hamilton 475
Verstappen 411
Alonso 252
Norris 240
Piastri 237
Bottas 158
Tsunoda 97
Russell 81
Ricciardo 40
Sainz 36
Albon 28
Vandoorne 12
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 5
Zhou 1
Pourchaire 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 955
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 663
McLaren-Mercedes 477
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 170
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 137
Mercedes 117
Williams-Mercedes 33
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
foggy locust
HAAS, AUDI CONFIRM TYRE CHOICES
Audi and Haas, the final two to name their tyre suppliers for the 2026 season, have announced their choice following the Qatar Grand Prix, and they've gone in separate directions.
Audi have decided to go with Pirelli as their choice for 2026, while Haas have followed Ferrari by choosing Bridgestone.
Final tyre choices:
PIRELLI
Mercedes, McLaren, Aston Martin, Williams, Audi Sauber
BRIDGESTONE
Ferrari, Red Bull, Hitech, Andretti, Haas
tired thorn
BRO AINT NO WAY LEWIS LOSES THIS
IMMA RAGE
they'll defo be fighting for 1st and 2nd so its literally whoever places higher wins
sterile breach
Final tyre choices:
<:Pirelli:1309690913387315230> PIRELLI
Mercedes, McLaren, A...
Where do you even find these icons
foggy locust
Where do you even find these icons
I made them haha
foggy locust
they'll defo be fighting for 1st and 2nd so its literally whoever places higher ...
Gonna be an exciting finale
sterile breach
I made them haha
wha, how?
foggy locust
Canva
foggy locust
Yep
sterile breach
perfect finale setup btw, 5 points between the drivers, so 1-2 led by 2nd means 1 point difference
🔥
well, if that happens
brazen wren
What's the difference between the tyres?
foggy locust
What's the difference between the tyres?
Nothing really, it's just for fun
foggy locust
dawg u gotta make sure they qualify 1st and 2nd 😭
Let's see how we go today!
FINALE: LECLERC vs. HAMILTON
TITLE PERMUTATIONS
LECLERC 480
HAMILTON 475
Leclerc owns the tiebreaker - 9 to 7
Leclerc is Champion if:
He finishes ahead of Hamilton.
Hamilton finishes ahead and Leclerc finishes ahead of the scenarios detailed below.
If Hamilton finishes 8th or below.
Hamilton is Champion if:
He wins the race.
He finishes 2nd with FL (19) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 4th (12)
He finishes 2nd without FL (18) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 4th without FL (12) or 5th with FL (11). Leclerc would win the title with 4th and FL (13).
He finishes 3rd with FL (16) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 5th (10)
He finishes 3rd without FL (15) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 6th without FL (8) or with FL (9)
He finishes 4th with FL (13) or without FL (12) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 7th (6) and doesn't get the fastest lap if Lewis doesn't (7)
He finishes 5th with FL (11) or without FL (10) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 8th (4) and doesn't get the FL if Lewis doesn't (5)
He finishes 6th with FL (9) or without FL (8) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 9th (2) and doesn't get the FL if Lewis doesn't (3)
He finishes 7th with FL (7) and Leclerc finishes no higher than 10th (1)
He finishes 7th with no FL (6) and Leclerc doesn't score.
If Hamilton finishes 8th or below, Leclerc is Champion.
foggy locust
2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
WEEKEND PREVIEW
“The GOAT vs. Il Predestinato”
And so, it comes to this. After 23 thrilling rounds of this 2025 Formula 1 season, it all comes down to one final race, as we decide the 2025 Drivers’ Champion of the World.
Last time around, it was Charles Leclerc who took victory both in the Sprint and the main race in Qatar to take himself back to the top of the table, but Lewis Hamilton's second place in the Sprint and third in the Race means that the difference in the Drivers’ Championship is just five points.
Formula 1's first day-night race, the Yas Marina Circuit features 58 laps, 5.281 km per lap, 16 turns, and two DRS zones. There has been many Championship celebrations here in the past - Sebastian Vettel in 2010, Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Max Verstappen in 2021 all clinched their Maiden Championship here. And on Sunday, we will have Ferrari's next World Champion.
Ferrari have had 16 World Championships with 10 different drivers, including last season. Either Lewis Hamilton will clinch his record Eighth World Championship - with a third separate team, the most teams that any driver has ever clinched a World Championship with. Hamilton can set himself apart from another Ferrari legend - Michael Schumacher - by clinching his Eighth, and first in Red. However Hamilton does not have the greatest track record in fjnal day title deciders - he's 1-3, with the one victory coming on that famous day at Interlagos when he passed Timo Glock in the final corners, and all three defeats have come here at Abu Dhabi - Vettel in a four way battle, Rosberg and Verstappen - all defeated Hamilton on their way to the title. However, Hamilton does have seven World Championships, and has a great chance of his Eighth. Victory would clinch the title, no matter what Leclerc does.
Or, Charles Leclerc can take home his second consecutive World Championship on Sunday. “Il Predestinato” won his first title at Interlagos - much like his teammate and title rival on Sunday - last season. This is Leclerc's first final day decider - he was beaten long before Abu Dhabi in 2022, and clinched last year with three races to go. Leclerc has the advantage - five point gap, and would win the title if he and Hamilton tie on points - Leclerc has nine wins to Hamilton's seven entering Abu Dhabi. Leclerc just needs to finish ahead of Hamilton to become a double World Champion.
Away from the title battle, it is the 425th and final start of Fernando Alonso's Formula 1 career. Alonso is stepping away from the sport after an incredible 24 year career, and the double World Champion says goodbye looking to seal Fourth in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Alonso has been an incredible figure in Formula 1, and will be sorely missed from the sport as he looks to sign off from F1 on a massive high.
Speaking of which, the fight between Alonso, Piastri and Norris remains for fourth. Alonso sits on 252, Norris 240 and Piastri 237, and while it would likely take a McLaren win to either Norris or Piastri to overhaul Alonso, the interteam battle between the Papayas will go to the wire - whomever finishes ahead in Abu Dhabi will likely finish above the other in the table.
Also up for grabs on Sunday are Constructors Championship places. While Ferrari clinched the title as long ago as Texas, and Red Bull and McLaren are now locked into second and third, there is plenty to play for elsewhere. Racing Bulls have a 20 point advantage over Mercedes going into this final round, and find themselves 33 behind Aston Martin, which means the Red Bull junior team can still snatch fourth, albeit being a very unlikely chance. Mercedes meanwhile need a huge result to avoid falling to sixth - a huge drop in fortunes for the Silver Arrows.
The fight for eighth is still in play as well, although it involves Haas, Audi Sauber or Alpine scoring this weekend, all three of which is unlikely. Alpine need a point to avoid a shocking scoreless season, while seven points for Audi Sauber could take them above Haas if the American team don't score. Every position is worth tens of millions of dollars - it's all still to play for.
And there are three drivers leaving their teams after this race - as mentioned before, this is Fernando Alonso's final race in F1, as Liam Lawson joins Red Bull next season. Alex Albon leaves Williams for Mercedes, and George Russell heads in the opposite direction - both drivers have been with their current teams since 2022, and ironically, Albon replaced Russell at Williams when he went to Mercedes. Now Russell will replace Albon at Williams, and Albon will replace Russell at a team for the second time.
But, of course, the main focus of this weekend is the battle between Leclerc and Hamilton to determine the Champion of the World. 58 laps that will make history in Formula 1. Who will it be: The Greatest of All Time, or Il Predestinato?
You absolutely will not want to miss it.
FP1 Reserves: Bedrin (Piastri)
That's it
FP1: HAM LEC VER
First blood to Hamilton on this all important title deciding weekend, as he's fastest through FP1, with Leclerc second. Verstappen best of the rest, with Bottas Fourth and Norris fifth. Sainz is ahead of both RBs of Ricciardo and Tsunoda in the fight for fifth, Vandoorne and Alonso, in his final F1 weekend, round off the top ten.
FP2: NOR PIA LEC
HAM P4
McLaren quickest in the evening session, as Norris goes P1 with Piastri P2. Leclerc third ahead of Hamilton in the title fight, while Tsunoda was fifth, Bd Bottas sixth. Alonso Seventh, ahead of Stroll, Verstappen and Ricciardo.
A VSC in P3, as Hülkenberg finds the barrier! He's out of the car, thankfully uninjured, but he will take no further part, and Haas have some work to do to get that car ready for qualifying.
Lewis 100% setup! Charles 95%
FP3: HAM PIA ALO
LEC P4
Hamilton goes quickest again in final practice, with Piastri second and Alonso rounds off his final F1 practice in P3. The defending Champion Leclerc is P4, with Bottas fifth and Verstappen sixth. Tsunoda and Ricciardo are seventh and eighth, Vandoorne ninth and Albon tenth.
Well, for one last time in 2025, it is time to go Qualifying here in Abu Dhabi, and what a crucial, crucial Qualifying it is. Charles Leclerc versus Lewis Hamilton for the Drivers' Championship of the World, will it be Leclerc's second, or Hamilton's eighth? Today could go a long way to deciding. A lot more to watch, Fernando Alonso's finale, the McLaren team battle, and RB versus Mercedes. So, so much to play for, and it all begins tonight.
This one feels so, so important. Here we go, Qualifying for the last time in 2025.
6.00pm: The sun has set and the lights are on. Unsurprisingly, both Leclerc and Hamilton wasting no time. Russell, Stroll and Pourchaire all on track, too.
6.01pm: Verstappen out there on track now too, both Williams as well. Hamilton begins his flier, Leclerc not far behind him.
Oh my God
6.04pm: There is so, so, so little in it. Leclerc just 0.006 ahead of Hamilton after their first attempts. We'll see yous in Q2, lads.
6.05pm: Verstappen joining in on that, just 0.035 behind Leclerc. Incredibly tight at the top.
This qualifying so far
6.07pm: The top four are separated by 0.040. Incredible scenes.
6.09pm: Just 10th for Alonso, one second down. Not ideal for him there.
6.10pm: Tsunoda up to P9, and both RBs are well ahead of both Mercedes, as it stands.
DRIVER AT RISK: Sainz
RELEGATION ZONE: Ocon, Gasly, Zhou, Magnussen, Albon
6.14pm: Albon up to P10, that has dropped Sainz into the relegation zone and that is precarious. Stroll at risk.
6.16pm: SAINZ HASN'T IMPROVED. Disaster for him, and he's going to struggle to get another lap in.
6.17pm: Zhou doesn't improve and he's out. Gasly. Magnussen and Ocon all on fliers. Stroll also on another lap.
Ocon up to 15th, but Stroll then goes back to P15 and knocks him out. Gasly not improving, Magnuzsen stays last, and that's that. Alonso up to P6.
OUT IN Q1: Ocon, Sainz, Zhou, Gasly, Magnussen
Q2 begins!!
6.27pm: Leclerc and Hamilton looking very, very close here again, 0.002 in the first sector.
6.28pm: Hamilton 0.133 ahead of Leclerc on their first runs here.
6.30pm: Alonso up to P3, ahead of Piastri in P4. Not as close this time around.
6.32pm: Verstappen splits the Ferraris, going 0.021 behind Hamilton!
6.34pm: Norris, Stroll and Russell all move ahead of Pourchaire. Norris P9, Stroll P10, Russell P11.
DRIVER AT RISK: Stroll
RELEGATION ZONE: Russell, Pourchaire, Vandoorne, Albon, Hülkenberg
6.38pm: Verstappen goes again, and stays P2. Pourchaire cannot improve enough to get out the bottom five!
Hülkenberg stays 15th and he's out, Albon up to tenth!! Stroll is going again though. Vandoorne doesn't improve, RUSSELL DOESN'T IMPROVE AND HE IS OUT IN Q2. Stroll not improving but can he do enough in S3 to get through...no, he's out! Piastri purple S1, Norris stays ninth, PIASTRI FASTEST.
OUT IN Q2: Stroll, Russell, Pourchaire, Vandoorne, Hülkenberg
Q3 IS GREEN. Who will take the final Pole Position of the season?
6.49pm: Everyone bar Verstappen, Alonso and Bottas on track.
6.51pm: Leclerc purple through S1 and S2, Hamilton 21.479, Leclerc 0.301 faster there!!
6.52pm: Bottas, Alonso and Verstappen all on outlaps.
6.53pm: Piastri splits the Ferraris. And how crucial could that be? Tsunoda fourth, Ricciardo fifth.
6.54pm: Norris up to P2, Albon seventh. Bottas P5.
6.55pm: VERSTAPPEN QUICKEST. 0.042 ahead of Leclerc!! Alonso up to P3. Hamilton has work to do here!!!
Q3 AS IT STANDS: Verstappen, Leclerc, Alonso, Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Bottas, Tsunoda, Albon, Ricciardo
6.56pm: The final, oh so crucial, outlaps starting.
6.57pm: All ten drivers on track now. Hamilton just starting a flier, Leclerc not far behind.
6.58pm: Hamilton green, Leclerc yellow in S1. But those times are close.
6.59pm; Hamilton P3, Leclerc stays P2. Both Ferraris are going again! Norris and Ricciardo improving...
LECLERC PURPLE MIDDLE SECTOR. Norris up to fourth, Ricciardo Eighth, Hamilton stays Third...LECLERC SECOND!! OH MY GOD
Q3: Verstappen, Leclerc, Hamilton, Norris, Piastri, Alonso, Bottas, Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Albon
So it is oh, so finely poised for Sunday's race. Leclerc P2, Hamilton P3. Just five points between them. Versyappen could very much be Kingmaker here, while don't discount the two McLarens OR Alonso in that battle for P4, P5 and P6.
foggy locust
2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
STARTING GRID
VER LEC
HAM NOR
PIA ALO
BOT RIC
TSU ALB
STR RUS
POU VAN
HÜL OCO
SAI ZHO
GAS MAG
Magnussen - 5 place penalty, Qualified P20
So it all comes down to this. As the curtain comes down on the 2025 Formula 1 season, it is the 24th and final chapter of this incredible tale. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have the opportunity to write their name in history, Hamilton's Eighth, or Leclerc's Second. 58 laps around this 5.281km circuit, 2 DRS zones, 16 turns are between one of the two Ferrari drivers and the Championship trophy. There's lots of subplots, Racing Bulls against Mercedes, the Piastri versus Norris battle for supremacy at McLaren, and Fernando Alonso's goodbye. But most people's focus will be on the destiny of the title.
Kevin Magnussen takes a grid penalty, he qualified last anyway, while Pierre Gasly starts P19. Zhou Guanyu begins from P18 and Carlos Sainz has a lot of work to do for Mercedes in P17. Esteban Ocon begins P16 with Nico Hülkenberg P15, Stoffel Vandoorne P14 as he completes his first year back in F1, Théo Pourchaire thirteenth as he completes his rookie year. George Russell is P12 in his final start for Mercedes, while Lance Stroll, his future teammate is P11. Alex Albon is P10 in his final start for Williams before heading to Mercedes, it is ninth for Yuki Tsunoda and eighth for Daniel Ricciardo in a massive advantage for RB, Valtteri Bottas begins P7. Fernando Alonso will start P6 in his 225th and Final start in Formula 1 before he says goodbye, Oscar Piastri starts 5th and Lando Norris 4th in the McLaren battle, just three points between them. The two Championship rivals are beside each other, Lewis Hamilton starts P3 and Charles Leclerc just ahead in P2, and is in the boxseat for the Championship, while Max Verstappen starts on Pole Position. Max the potential Kingmaker this evening.
Formation lap done
AND IT'S LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Verstappen holds firm, Leclerc has a look down the inside but he can't make it stick, however he is trying again, Verstappen holds him off and Hamilton has a look down the side of Leclerc but can't make that work either!! Alonso ahead of Piastri in his final start, Stroll into the top ten, Alonso is up to fourth!!!
ALONSO
Magnussen had gotten up to P19, but locks up and goes off!!! He drops back down to P20!
Leclerc has DRS, and roars into the lead of this GP!! Verstappen however trying to come right back at Leclerc but can't make it work!
AS IT STANDS:
LEC 505 HAM 490
Oh my God a brilliant dive bomb by Hamilton to move past both Leclerc and Verstappen on lap 3!!! As it stands Hamilton is Champion!
Verstappen has now gotten past Leclerc into second, and problems are mounting up for the Champion!
AS IT STANDS:
HAM 500 LEC 496
(LEC) "Struggling to keep up here."
(BOZ) "Keep this pace, long way to go.
VERSTAPPEN TAKES THE LEAD!!! The Kingmaker leads on lap 6 and now swings the title back to Leclerc!
(HAM) "As it stands we don't have the Championship?"
(ADA) "For now, long way to go."
Hamilton retakes the lead, but then Leclerc moves ahead of Verstappen, Leclerc going for the lead, Leclerc has the lead!!
AS IT STANDS:
LEC: 506 HAM: 493
(BOZ) "Tyre phase update?"
(LEC) "They're holding up okay so far."
Hamilton has DRS and has the lead! Back and forth we go with the Championship, Leclerc tries to retake it but Hamilton is holding firm for now!
AS IT STANDS:
HAM 500 LEC 499
LECLERC
That FL won't mean anything unless Leclerc can regain the lead from Hamilton!
Norris is up to fourth, Piastri currently Seventh, which means Norris currently wins that battle.
Both RBs are currently Eighth (Ricciardo) and Ninth (Tsunoda), neither Mercedes is in the points, and Sainz is having gearbox issues! I think this particular battle is over. I don't think RB are overhauling the massive difference to Aston, either. Bottas P7, Vandoorne P10. As an added bonus, Danny Ric and Yuki are trading DRS.
LECLERC DOWN THE INSIDE ON LAP 11, LECLERC HAS THE LEAD BACK HERE!!!
But Hamilton takes it right back on the next corner!
The two Ferraris are this, this close. Genuinely might come down to who gets the better pitstops.
Alonso is fighting Verstappen for that third and final step on the podium. Alonso wants to sign off his career with one last podium here.
Lap 13: Hamilton, Leclerc, Alonso, Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Bottas, Ricciardo. Tsunoda, Vandoorne
Piastri is ahead of Norris on the night now, but Norris will still finish ahead by just one point. As it stands.
Leclerc continuing to put the pressure on Hamilton for the lead of this race here, but Hamilton holding firm. AS IT STANDS: HAM 500 LEC 499
PITSTOP: Lando Norris the first to make a stop this evening! He switches from Softs to Mediums, rejoining P14.
Alonso pushing the tyres a bit too much and at the mercy of Piastri who gets ahead of him!
PITSTOPS: Daniel Ricciardo, in his final RB race before the team becomes Andretti, makes his stop, Sainz is in. And Haas double stack!
PITSTOP: Verstappen in! Is this an attempt to undercut his teammate, or the two Ferraris? Either way, he's onto Softs and out the pits into P7.
(ADA) "And box"
(HAM) "Box this lap"
Leclerc overtakes Hamilton for the lead of the race just as Hamilton heads towards the pitlane!
PITSTOP: HAMILTON IN. 2.260 STOP for Hamilton, he rejoins in P4, ahead of Verstappen!
(LEC) "We need to box"
(BOZ) "Copy, absolutely, box, box"
(LEC) "Box this lap, yeah."
PITSTOP: Leclerc is in for Hards. 1.927. OH MY GOD. WHAT A TIME FOR THAT FOR LECLERC.
Leclerc does join immediately behind Hamilton however, and is using the DRS to keep himself in check while he warms up the tyres. Piastri leads, so as it stands, Leclerc is Champion. AS IT STANDS: LEC 495 HAM 493
RICCIARDO
Daniel Ricciardo takes a point off Leclerc, but we accounted for that in the 495 total.
And we do remind you, Piastri is yet to pit this evening.
Verstappen, who's running Softs, is closing on Leclerc and Hamilton.
Leclerc grabs P2 from his teammate and both are closing on Piastri!
Leclerc grabs the lead! Now how quickly can Hamilton get past Piastri?
PITSTOP: Tsunoda in from P7, he goes onto the Softs. Racing Bulls are comfortably Fifth in the Championship as it stands.
Piastri putting up a fight against Hamilton, but Leclerc hasn't been able to break away yet. AS IT STANDS: LEC 505 HAM 490
Is this the moment? Leclerc has increased the gap to 1.877 and broken the DRS of Hamilton. Hamilton has gotten past Piastri, though. AS IT STANDS: LEC 505 HAM 493
PITSTOP: Piastri onto Hards - could the Australian be one stopping here? He's out into P8 after a late first stop.
(HAM) "What's the gap?"
(ADA) "Charles, 2.5 ahead."
Lap 26: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Alonso, Norris, Ricciardo, Bottas, Piastri, Tsunoda, Vandoorne, Russell, Stroll, Pourchaire, Albon, Hülkenberg, Sainz, Ocon, Zhou, Gasly, Magnussen
Leclerc definitely finding the Hards better here than Hamilton. He's opened up a gap of 3.5 here to the seven time Champion.
AS IT STANDS:
LEC 505 HAM 493
ALO 264 NOR 250 PIA 241
145 117
(ADA) "Do you think we could make Plan B work?"
(HAM) "I'd have to manage the tyres now, I'd be very vulnerable at the end."
(ADA) "Plan C could also be the option."
Russell loses the Meecedes there! A disastrous finale to his Mercedes career.
(BOZ) "We are discussing Plan B and C, thoughts"
(LEC) "We need to stick to Plan A. I think"
Hamilton has closed the gap to 2.7. He and his race engineer discussing their options - second stop, going long, undercut. This is a crucial juncture for the seven time Champion.
Hamilton has closed the gap to 2.7. He and his race engineer discussing their options - second stop, going long, undercut. This is a crucial juncture for the seven time Champion. As it stands: LEC 505 HAM 493
PITSTOPS: Verstappen in for what we assume is his final stop of the season, he goes onto the Hard tyres and that'll take him to the end. Ricciardo also in and does the same. Birds of a feather, in what is almost certainly Ricciardo's last race as a Red Bull affliated driver.
Lap 37: Leclerc, Hamilton, Alonso, Piastri, Bottas, Verstappen, Tsunoda, Norris, Stroll, Vandoorne
PITSTOP: That Eighth for Norris is because he also just stopped. He's taken on Hards to the end.
(ADA) "Pit confirm."
(HAM) "Yeah, box this lap."
NORRIS
This time last year, Leclerc and Sainz were saying goodbye as teammates. This year: Leclerc's just lapped him. Ouch. A rough first year for Sainz at Mercedes.
(BOZ) "Lewis just pitted."
(LEC) "Can we box here?"
(BOZ) "Yeah, box now, box"
PITSTOP: Leclerc immediately responds to his teammate's stop - 2.068!!! It has to be said, Ferrari have done amazingly well tonight by their defending Champion. He's now back in P1, 3 seconds ahead.
Hamilton however has the warmer tyres and is closing. Hamilton trying to close the gap to Leclerc now, it is 2.7.
(BOZ) "Tyres are okay, they're in a good window now."
(LEC) "Copy that. Thank f***."
LECLERC
VERSTAPPEN
Verstappen takes the FL point off Leclerc, which won't really matter at this current juncture. LEC 505 HAM 493
(ADA) "You can keep pushing here Lewis."
(HAM) "Yeah, I need to."
15 LAPS TO GO
This is absolutely all or nothing now for both Leclerc and Hamilton. Is there one more sting in this tale? LEC 505 HAM 493
PITSTOP: Russell with one final stop as a Mercedes driver. He's onto Mediums.
sterile breach
does either ferrari still need to stop?
foggy locust
Piastri's one stop gamble might be paying off. He's still 3rd atm, although Verstappen closing. Norris P5, Alonso P6.
ALO 260 PIA 252 NOR 250
foggy locust
does either ferrari still need to stop?
No, unless we get a SC
We've made two stops, but both drivers are hammering the tyres - so there's a chance they might stop for Softs.
(ADA) "Okay Lewis, it is now or never. Hammer time."
For a minute there, I thought we were getting our Latifi moment. Hülkenberg slides off the track, and makes minor contact with the wall. But he's able to recover with no damage.
sterile breach
<:yellowflag:948504950936322079> <:Haas:824211922999705640> For a minute there, ...
there's still time for a glock moment
foggy locust
(ADA) "Tyre phase update?"
(HAM) "Tyres are dropping off. Do we have the margin to stop again?"
(ADA) "It is very tight, and if Charles doesn't stop you wouldn't catch him."
(HAM) "Tyres are wrecked."
(ADA) "Box for Softs."
PITSTOP: HAMILTON IS GAMBLING. He's going for Softs and going to try everything. 2.189.
(BOZ) "Manage these to the end Charles. We have 25 seconds."
Sainz is immediately at it again as Bottas tries for an overtake while lapping him and Sainz clips him!!! BOTTAS IS IN THE BARRIER AND OUT OF THE RACE!!!!
Hamilton is getting caught in heavy traffic here, and it is not happening for him here. He's reduced the gap to around 18 seconds, he is lapping three seconds faster than Leclerc, but as it stands, it will not be enough.
Sainz is just having a miserable time out there. A big, big lock-up and he goes off.
Hamilton had to gamble here. He was about six seconds off Leclerc and dropping significantly. But the gamble just hasn't paid off.
HAMILTON
TWO LAPS TO GO
Hamilton is within 9 seconds of Leclerc and climbing. Could the miracle be on?
It has been an incredible Formula 1 season, that has gone away the way to the final lap, of the final race of the season. Hamilton is closing, if he had a couple more laps he would probably catch his teammate. He had to try. Leclerc however is going to do just enough to hold on here, the golden child of the Ferrari Driver Academy, now their crown jewel, IL PREDESTINATO, CHARLES LECLERC IS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!!!!!
Lewis Hamilton within 5 seconds of Leclerc, he gained on him but just ran out of laps, what an incredible season. What an incredible season that went all the way to the wire
(BOZ) "IL PREDESTINATO, OH, HOW YOU MAKE ME DREAM, HOW YOU MAKE ME DREAM. CHARLES LECLERC, YOU ARE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!!!"
(LEC) "YESSSSSS! YES YES YESSS! F****** YESSSSS!!! AAAAH YESSSSS!!! Thank you, thank you everyone, thank you to the entire team, you make my dreams come true. Thank you, grazie."
(BOZ) "Amazing job this season. You're a deserved Champion. You deserve it so much."
(LEC) "This is for all of us who put so much effort in, this team of ours, this thing of ours, we've worked so hard to get Ferrari back on top, and here we are. Champions of the World again. Thank you to Lewis for a great season, he pushed me all the way, he made me a better driver and he's been a phenomenal teammate this year. Thank you."
(VAS) "Charles, congratulations, you're the World Champion. You really deserve it again. Congrats."
(LEC) "Thank you Fred, grazie, thank you for making this possible."
(ADA) "P2, Lewis, P2. Incredible effort this season, hard luck at the end. Thank you for all your efforts this year."
(HAM) "Yeah, thank you Ricci, and thank you to all of the team. It hurts to not win it tonight, but I gave it absolutely everything I could this season, we did our best all season long. Congratulations to Charles, he's a deserving Champion and a great teammate and I'm looking forward to doing this again next year."
(ADA) "Thank you for your efforts this season Lewis."
(VAS) "Thank you Lewis, you gave it everything and we're very proud of you this year. You've been a big reason why we've won the Constructors, and you deserved that Eighth title too, and it was so close at the end there."
(HAM) "Thank you Fred, thank you everyone at the team."
Verstappen P3, Piastri P4, Piastri finishes above Norris!!
Alonso signs off from Formula 1 in fifth position
Norris P6, Tsunoda P7, Ricciardo P8, Stroll P9, Vandoorne P10
2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
- Charles Leclerc 01.25.12
- Lewis Hamilton +4.951
- Max Verstappen +26.420
- Oscar Piastri +3.557
- Fernando Alonso +10.711
- Lando Norris +2.921
- Yuki Tsunoda +18.721
- Daniel Ricciardo +2.499
- Lance Stroll +1 lap
- Stoffel Vandoorne +1 lap
- Théo Pourchaire +1 lap
- George Russell +1 lap
- Esteban Ocon +1 lap
- Nico Hülkenberg +1 lap
- Zhou Guanyu +1 lap
- Alexander Albon +1 lap
- Pierre Gasly +1 lap
- Kevin Magnussen +2 laps
- Carlos Sainz +2 laps
- Valtteri Bottas DNF
DRIVER OF THE DAY: FERNANDO ALONSO
On his 425th and final Formula 1 start, one of the best drivers of all time, the two time former Champion, bid goodbye to Formula 1 with a very good fifth place to secure Fourth in the Championship on his final season. It was only fitting that he was honoured with Driver of the Day in his last race. For a wonderful career, thank you, Fernando Alonso. Driver of the Day.
FASTEST LAP AWARD:
Lewis Hamilton 1.22.991
DHL FASTEST PITSTOP AWARD:
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 1.927s
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP
Leclerc 505
Hamilton 494
Verstappen 426
Alonso 262
Piastri 249
Norris 248
Bottas 158
Tsunoda 103
Russell 81
Ricciardo 44
Sainz 36
Albon 28
Vandoorne 13
Hülkenberg 7
Stroll 7
Pourchaire 1
Zhou 1
Gasly 1
Ocon 0
Magnussen 0
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
Ferrari 999
Red Bull-Honda RBPT 688
McLaren-Mercedes 497
Aston Martin-Honda RBPT 171
Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT 147
Mercedes 117
Williams-Mercedes 35
Haas-Ferrari 8
Audi Sauber-Mercedes 2
Alpine-Renault 0
KIMI ANTONELLI WINS F2 CHAMPIONSHIP
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the 2025 Formula 2 Champion.
Antonelli held off a late charge by Trident teammate Zane Maloney to win the Championship by just 6 points - 227 to 221.
Antonelli will continue in his role as Mercedes reserve driver for 2026, and is expected to make the step up to Formula 1 in 2027, while Maloney is also tipped as a potential future F1 driver.
FERRARI WIN DHL FASTEST PITSTOP CHAMPIONSHIP
There was further joy for Ferrari as they sealed the holy trinity - securing the Drivers, Constructors AND Fastest Pit Stop Championships.
The stop of 1.972s for Charles Leclerc in Abu Dhabi was enough to seal the fastest pitstop Championship for Ferrari, with 552 points ahead of Red Bull's 526. McLaren were third with 455.
And that will do it for season 2 of this Ferrari save.
I want to say a quick thank you to anyone who's followed along with this save this season, I really appreciate all the kind words, comments and thoughts on the save.
I'll be taking a break from it over Christmas and New Year now, and we will return to this save for Season 3 in January.
Thank you all x
foggy locust
One more bit of news before I finish up for the break
CHARLES LECLERC SIGNS NEW DEAL WITH FERRARI
2025 Formula 1 World Champion Charles Leclerc has renewed with Scuderia Ferrari, effective immediately, with a new five year deal.
The new deal, which will take effect January 1st 2026, will see the World Champion go up to $25m per season, as well as a $1.9m signing bonus.
Leclerc will now be signed to Ferrari until the end of the 2030 season.
tired thorn
rigged sport
lewis has been f over twice in abu dhabi now
lewis just needs to get his shi back in blood and crash leclerc out every race
hallow oar
2025 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
RACE CLASSIFICATION
1. <:Ferrari:1012448867494678558>...
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
fast kettle
@foggy locust amazing detail this series is so good
foggy locust
<@715920292828151889> amazing detail this series is so good
Thank you very much mate!
tired thorn
so is lewis still racing for ferrari?
foggy locust
Yeah he's signed through 2026
tired thorn
NEXT YEAR IS OUR YEAR CMON LEWIS
hallow oar
NEXT YEAR IS OUR YEAR CMON LEWIS
Yesssss
plucky acorn
2025 FIA FORMULA 1 WORLD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP
<:Ferrari:10124488674946785...
i bet being 1 point away from 1000 is depressing
foggy locust
i bet being 1 point away from 1000 is depressing
I was actually gutted that I missed it by just one
fast kettle
I was actually gutted that I missed it by just one
1000 would’ve been huge
foggy locust
Something to aim for next season for sure
fast kettle
Something to aim for next season for sure
I think you 100% can
foggy locust
I think so too
sinful crane
new plan
give lewis all the good aggressive strategy
make leclerc drive a tank to the finish line
good plan/10
(inb4 leclerc still wins by 10 seconds)
tired thorn
question
you are obviously in control of the ferrari team
so are you actively managing them or are u just letting it play out automatically?
and if you are controlling them..
id like to file a complaint bcs that leclerc pfp is making me sense a lewis sabotage 😭
brazen wren
Question for you - how do you let it play out automatically?
tired thorn
by not changing anything on the drivers during the race apart from pitstops
like no micro managing
just straight up letting the drivers do their thing, i understand what i worded it as might have been abit confusing
fast kettle
Excited for this to start up again (best save i have seen so far on this game)
tired thorn
literally
foggy locust
so are you actively managing them or are u just letting it play out automaticall...
Actively managing
foggy locust
id like to file a complaint bcs that leclerc pfp is making me sense a lewis sabo...
Hahaha I am managing both fairly. No team orders (except Vegas when our car was awful in the straights so we were actively protecting a 1-2)
I'm back home later today so a season preview will be coming soon, then we will be starting again in the new year 🙂
plucky acorn
Hahaha I am managing both fairly. No team orders (except Vegas when our car was ...
"its on purpose"
-sainz 2023
sinful crane
look
just give leclerc a tank
it'll be fine if he's slower than lewis, he'll just "accidentally" shoot 19 cars on track and still finish p1 by 10 seconds
easy game
foggy locust
24 wins out of 24
foggy locust
PRE-SEASON TESTING DEBRIEF
The third and final day of testing has just concluded here in Bahrain, and here's our notes so far.
FERRARI DOMINATE THE TOP OF THE TIMESHEETS
It looks like the defending Champions are the ones to beat again.
Ferrari ranked strongly in all categories, topping the timesheets and looking dominant in the cornering in particular. The SF-25 looks like the car to beat.
McLAREN AND RED BULL 2 AND 3, BUT IN WHICH ORDER?
Both McLaren and Red Bull put up strong times in Bahrain, behind the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton, but the best of the rest. McLaren looked stronger in Medium and High Speed Corners, Red Bull in Low Speed. This could be a fascinating battle.
MERCEDES, WILLIAMS, HAAS, ASTON MARTIN ALL STRUGGLE
It was an awful three days for the Silver Arrows who struggled significantly with what looked like a very slow car. Williams meanwhile didn't seem happy with their output from this test either, and Aston Martin, while the new Honda engines looked good, they had issues with their cornering and seem to have taken a step back from 2025. Haas seemed to have the slowest overall car. Work to do for these four teams.
AUDI, ANDRETTI AND HITECH ALL IMPRESS ON DEBUT
Audi, Andretti and Hitech, all three taking brand new identities for 2026, all put up a strong showing this weekend, with Audi and particularly Hitech showing a strong start to life in Formula 1. Andretti looked strong in the straights, with Audi and Hitech impressing in the corners. A good start.
PIRELLI OUTPACE BRIDGESTONE IN TYRE WAR
It was a close run thing, but so far Pirelli's long association with Formula 1 has looked stronger than Bridgestone's re-entry. While Bridgestone had the best overall tyre life on one car in particular - Ferrari - Pirelli seemed to outpace them as a general motive. Have Bridgestone based their tyre too much towards one team in particular?
It all kicks off again next week here in Bahrain, as Formula 1's new era begins.
Pre-Season Testing Category Rankings:
Top Speed:
Ferrari: 1.5
McLaren: 3.5
Red Bull: 5.5
Andretti: 8.5
Audi: 8.5
Williams: 11.5
Mercedes: 14.5
Aston Martin: 14.5
Hitech: 18.5
Haas: 18.5
Acceleration:
McLaren: 1.5
Red Bull: 3.5
Ferrari: 5.5
Audi: 7.5
Andretti: 9.5
Williams: 11.5
Aston Martin: 13.5
Mercedes: 16.5
Haas: 16.5
Hitech: 19.5
DRS Effectiveness:
Ferrari: 1.5
McLaren: 3.5
Red Bull: 5.5
Andretti: 7.5
Hitech: 9.5
Audi: 14.5
Mercedes: 14.5
Williams: 14.5
Aston Martin: 16
Haas: 18
Low Speed:
Ferrari: 1.5
Red Bull: 3.5
McLaren: 5.5
Hitech: 7.5
Audi: 9.5
Aston Martin: 11.5
Andretti: 13.5
Williams: 15.5
Mercedes: 17.5
Haas: 19.5
Medium Speed:
Ferrari: 1.5
McLaren: 4.5
Red Bull: 4.5
Aston Martin: 9
Hitech: 9.5
Audi: 10
Andretti: 13.5
Mercedes: 15.5
Williams: 17.5
Haas: 19.5
High Speed:
Ferrari: 1.5
McLaren: 4.5
Red Bull: 4.5
Audi: 8
Aston Martin: 11
Hitech: 11.5
Andretti: 11.5
Mercedes: 15.5
Williams: 18.5
Haas: 18.5
Dirty Air:
Red Bull: 1.5
Ferrari: 3.5
Hitech: 5.5
McLaren: 7.5
Aston Martin: 9.5
Andretti: 11.5
Audi: 13.5
Mercedes: 15.5
Williams: 17.5
Haas: 19.5
Tyres:
Pirelli: 49.5
Bridgestone: 55.5
Ferrari: 1.5 (Bridgestone)
McLaren: 3.5 (Pirelli)
Mercedes: 5.5 (Pirelli)
Red Bull: 7.5 (Bridgestone)
Hitech: 9.5 (Bridgestone)
Williams: 11.5 (Pirelli)
Aston Martin: 13.5 (Pirelli)
Audi: 15.5 (Pirelli)
Andretti: 17.5 (Bridgestone)
Haas: 19.5 (Bridgestone)
Engine Cooling:
Ferrari: 1.5
Audi: 3.5
McLaren; 6.5
Andretti: 7.5
Aston Martin: 8.5
Mercedes: 11.5
Red Bull: 13.5
Hitech: 15.5
Williams: 17.5
Haas: 19.5
Total Extra Weight:
McLaren: 1.5
Ferrari: 3.5
Red Bull: 5.5
Audi: 8.5
Aston Martin: 10
Hitech: 11.5
Haas: 12
Andretti: 15.5
Williams: 17.5
Mercedes: 19.5
SEVERAL TEAMS SWITCH ENGINES FOR 2026
Several teams have made the move over to different engine suppliers for 2026.
Red Bull's Powertrain department officially switches from Honda to Ford for this coming season.
McLaren have signed a deal with Ford's Red Bull Powertrains to move away from Mercedes for 2026.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin become Honda's work team, and Audi Sauber take on their own power units for 2026.
Andretti have decided against a deal with Ford RBPT, agreeing a new deal with Ferrari for this season.
Haas have shockingly switched away from Ferrari power units, with the Toyota based team now deciding to run Mercedes power units for 2026. The team will move out of the Maranello base and into Toyota's Cologne base as a result.
Williams have cut ties with Mercedes over the George Russell move, and have signed a deal with old rivals Ferrari for 2026.
Hitech will retain their Renault power units for this season, while Ferrari and Mercedes, naturally, remain their own works teams.
Ferrari, Andretti, Williams
Red Bull, McLaren
Aston Martin
Mercedes, Haas
Audi Sauber
Hitech
fast kettle
ITS BACK🏆
tired thorn
OH LETS GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
sinful crane
ferrari op pls nerf
foggy locust
We fast
ANDRETTI CADILLAC AUTOSPORT
Livery: Yellow, Red and Blue
Car Code: MA-01
2025: Debut (Racing Bulls, 5th, 147 points)
Powertrain: Ferrari
Tyres: Bridgestone
Yuki Tsunoda (22)
2025: 8th, 103 points (Racing Bulls)
Daniel Ricciardo (3)
2025: 10th, 44 points (Racing Bulls)
The debuting Andretti take over from a Racing Bulls team that finished their association with Red Bull on a high point, beating Mercedes to fifth. The Andretti project has been in the works for years and hopes are high coming into their first full season on the Formula 1 grid.
Last Season: Racing Bulls took the fight to Mercedes and Aston Martin, beating out the former while finishing behind the latter. They were competitive for the entire season, with the highlight being Yuki Tsunoda's fourth place finish in Mexico, and a strong run of form saw both drivers finish in the top ten of the Championship.
The Drivers: A bit of continuity here from the Red Bull junior days, as both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo opted to remain at the team, with Tsunoda signing a three year deal and Ricciardo a two year deal. Tsunoda is seen as the team's future and will only continue to get better, while Ricciardo is likely in his final F1 contract and will provide strong marketability for the team.
Pre-Season Testing: A mixed bag. While the team performed well on Top Speed, Acceleration and DRS, the handling in the corners was a bit trickier for Tsunoda and Ricciardo. Likely updates will improve that, but some work to do for F1's newest team.
Predictions: Two still very strong drivers and a mid table car is not the worst position for the American team in their debut season. The inexperience of the team might hurt them, but their two drivers will pull them through for a solid midtable finish. 6th.
HITECH RENAULT FORMULA 1 TEAM
Livery: Pink, Blue and Black
Car Code: HIT-GP26
2025: Debut (Alpine, 10th, 0 points)
Powertrain: Renault
Tyres: Bridgestone
Esteban Ocon (31)
2025: 19th, 0 points (Alpine)
Kevin Magnussen
2025: 20th, 0 points (Alpine)
Renault's works team gets a brand new identity as it changes from Alpine to Hitech GP, albeit keeping the traditional Enstone base and pink Livery. After an all-time disaster from Alpine last year, a fresh start might just be what the doctor ordered.
Last Season: An absolute disaster from start to finish. It’s safe to say nobody at Enstone will want to remember the 2025 season in any great detail, as Alpine were undisputedly the worst team on the grid, delivering zero points and the worst season in the Renault team's history.
The Drivers: Both Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen have a massive point to prove as the 2026 season dawns. Neither driver was anywhere close to happy with their performances last year, but team Principal Oliver Oakes and Hitech kept faith with last year's lineup, owing to a disaster of a car in 2025. But the pressure is on both to perform now.
Pre-Season Testing: Promising. While the straights didn't look too speedy, the cornering was very good for the Hitech unit, and a massive improvement on last year's Car. Low Speed and Medium Speed in particular looked very, very strong.
Prediction: Hitech will have to capitalise on the low and medium Speed Cornering tracks, including Bahrain, China and Monaco in the early going, and maximise those weekends, while cutting out the errors that plagued the last campaign. We hold faith that Ocon and Magnussen can make up for last year. 7th.
AUDI SPORT E-TRON SAUBER FORMULA 1 TEAM
Livery: Black and Red
Car Code: AUD001
2025: 9th, 2 points
Powertrain: Audi
Tyres: Pirelli
Théo Pourchaire (98)
2025: 18th, 1 point
Pierre Gasly (10)
2025: 17th, 1 point
The moment has come for Audi. After three years of absolute struggling, the team has built towards this season and very much have the belief that this is the year the Audi project comes into life. With Théo Pourchaire and Pierre Gasly signed with this season in mind, now is the time to deliver.
Last Season: A building year. Some promising results from Pourchaire with several near misses towards the middle of the year, Audi Sauber got their reward with points at Monza for Gasly, where he won before, and Singapore for Pourchaire, his first points of the year, to finish ninth in the Championship.
The Drivers: Théo Pourchaire put together some strong performances in his rookie season, very much proving why he belongs in Formula 1, however couldn't quite get the points bar Singapore, while Pierre Gasly suffered confidence issues due to being in a backmarker for the second year in a row - but that could very much well pickup again.
Pre-Season Testing: Audi were the biggest good surprise package in Pre-Season testing, looking particularly strong in High Speed Cornering, but also performing well in all categories. Tyre preservation could well prove to be an issue for Audi, but something they can work on.
Prediction: Audi have been building to this and the key is consistency, consistency, consistency. If Pourchaire and Gasly can put it together this year, this team definitely has Best of the Rest potential. We believe they can. 4th.
MONEYGRAM HAAS TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Livery: White, Red and Black
Car Code: VF-26
2025: 8th, 8 points
Powertrain: Mercedes
Tyres: Bridgestone
Nico Hülkenberg (27)
2025: 14th, 7 points
Zhou Guanyu (24)
2025: 16th, 1 point
A new era for Haas begins in earnest, as the team moves away from its Ferrari roots that it has had since 2016, their debut season. As Haas enter the 2026 season and their second under the Toyota name, they will use Mercedes engines for the first time, and move to Toyota's Cologne base of operations, as well as their own US base in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
Last Season: Missed opportunities. Haas got on the board early with Nico Hülkenberg finishing ninth in Saudi Arabia, but didn't score again until Zandvoort with Zhou, the first of three consecutive points finishes, with Hülkenberg finishing in the points at Monza and Baku. That was their last points of the year.
The Drivers: They retain Nico Hülkenberg in what is likely his final season in Formula 1, as Hülkenberg has indicated he is likely to retire at the end of the year. Zhou Guanyu remains on board for his second season at Haas, and fifth in total in the sport.
Pre-Season Testing: It is not looking great. Haas struggled a lot in all aspects of the car and early indications is the move to Mercedes has timed with a really poor choice in car design. Haas ranked slowest in times and in most categories. Work to do throughout the season.
Prediction: It all depends on in-season development for the American team, as Haas start with the slowest car. This might be a rebuilding year, and it might be a tough exit for Hülkenberg from Formula 1. 10th.
DURACELL WILLIAMS RACING
Livery: Blue, White and Red
Car Code: FW48
2025: 7th, 35 points
Powertrain: Ferrari
Tyres: Pirelli
George Russell (63)
2025: 9th, 81 points (Mercedes)
Lance Stroll (18)
2025: 15th, 7 points
The prodigal son returns, as after four seasons with Mercedes, George Russell returns and reunites with James Vowles at Williams, alongside Lance Stroll. A new Ferrari engine as Williams cut ties with the Silver Arrows and begin life anew in 2026.
Last Season: A tale of two halves last year for Williams, as Alexander Albon took a sensational fifth place in Saudi Arabia and regularly scored points in the first half of the season. Lance Stroll struggled in the first half of the year and only scored at Imola and Monaco. In the second half, as the car changed, Albon's final score as a Williams driver was at Baku, while Stroll scored in the last two races.
The Drivers: Albon has departed for Mercedes, and coming back the other way is George Russell. After some very public issues with former teammate Carlos Sainz, Russell chose to leave Mercedes and return to the team he made his F1 debut with, while Lance Stroll remains at the team. It is hard to see Russell not being the clear number one this season at the Grove team.
Pre-Season Testing: Work to do. As Williams tradition goes, the car looks quicker in the straights than the corners, and it may be tricky to pick up some points in the early going. Top Speed, Tyres and Acceleration might be the strongest points of this car.
Prediction: It might be a tough first season back at Williams for Russell, as this is a car that will struggle to get points early. Maximising the likes of Jeddah and Imola will be crucial early, but they also need to improve the cornering early. The later half of the season may be more fruitful, but will they be too far behind by then? 9th.
MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS FORMULA 1 TEAM
Livery: Silver, Black and Teal
Car Code: W17
2025: 6th, 117 points
Powertrain: Mercedes
Tyres: Pirelli
Carlos Sainz (55)
2025: 11th, 36 points
Alexander Albon (23)
2025: 12th, 28 points
And so Mercedes officially becomes Carlos Sainz's team, at least for now, as George Russell departs for Williams and the Mercedes civil war ends. With Alexander Albon joining on a one year deal and F2 Champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli potentially waiting in the wings, this is a fascinating year at the Silver Arrows.
Last Year: A disaster, on and off the track. The end of the hated ground-effect era saw Mercedes go from Champions in 2021 to sixth just four years later. Sainz and Russell did not get along, leading to some very public spats on team radio and in the paddock, while the team fell behind both Aston Martin and even Racing Bulls, and didn't score in any of the last three races.
The Drivers: With George Russell gone, Carlos Sainz remains as the leader of the team. Sainz however struggled in his first year away from Scuderia Ferrari since 2020, finishing just eleventh in the Championship, and the pressure is now on the Spanish driver. Alex Albon arrives on a one-year prove it deal at the Silver Arrows, having impressed at Williams.
Pre-Season Testing: Early indications are very, very worrying. Both Sainz and Albon reported that the W17 was a major issue to handle both on the straights and the corners, and the team found themselves in the lower half of the timing sheets to boot. The new era has started worse than the old one, and that's saying something.
Prediction: This might be a major step back for the former Champions, and while they should get some points on the board, it will all depend on how quickly they can get their upgrades in. But it might be a tough, tough year in Brackley. 8th.
ASTON MARTIN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM
Livery: British Racing Green and White
Car Code: AMR26
2025: 4th, 171 points
Powertrain: Honda
Tyres: Pirelli
Valtteri Bottas (77)
2025: 7th, 158 points
Stoffel Vandoorne (52)
2025: 13th, 13 points
British Racing Green is back in fashion again after a strong season that saw Aston Martin finish fourth in the Constructors, holding off the challenge of Racing Bulls and Mercedes. Honda come in and Aston Martin become a full works team for the very first time, plus we see the first effects of an Adrian Newey car at this team.
Last Season: A tale of two drivers. Valtteri Bottas delivered on a regular basis, even getting two Podiums at Saudi Arabia and Mexico City. However, Stoffel Vandoorne struggled on his F1 return, and Aston Martin had that age old problem of one driver massively outperforming the other, although two Driver of the Day performances from Vandoorne at Canada and Las Vegas gave him another year.
The Drivers: And it is that same lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Stoffel Vandoorne for 2026. Bottas remains content in the Aston Martin unit, and seems to have found his Mercedes form again to an extent, or at least his 2022 Alfa Romeo form. Vandoorne is under pressure however and we feel a repeat performance from last year won't save him this time. He needs to do better.
Pre-Season Testing: A bit of a mixed bag. Aston found some success in Medium and High Speed cornering, but the Low Speed Cornering let them down a bit. Top Speed, Acceleration and DRS Effectiveness needs some work, but the Honda engines looked good.
Prediction: It all really depends on Vandoorne. Bottas will deliver some points on a regular basis, even if the two Podiums from last year might be hard to match. But Aston Martin simply cannot rely on just one driver, and that might cost them fourth this time around. 5th
McLAREN FORMULA 1 TEAM
Livery: Papaya Orange, White and Black
Car Code: MCL40
2025: 497 points
Powertrain: Ford RBPT
Tyres: Pirelli
Oscar Piastri (81)
2025: 5th, 249 points
Lando Norris (4)
2025: 6th, 248 points
This is the opportunity for the Papaya. McLaren have been building towards a potential title challenge for years, and in the final years of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's contracts, this is the time to make that challenge to Ferrari and Red Bull. The team will take on Red Bull's Ford RBPT engines this time around, leaving the traditional Mercedes deal behind.
Last Season: McLaren looked poised for a title challenge last time around, but it didn't pan out. The team didn't register a victory - although nobody not named Leclerc, Hamilton or Verstappen did last year - but several close opportunities from Piastri in particular, with Hungary being the closest he came, having led long into the race. Both Piastri and Norris challenged Red Bull’s Fernando Alonso for fourth, but both just missed out and finished fifth in sixth in the Championship.
The Drivers: It is the third season of the Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lineup, and this may well be the decider as McLaren figure out which one, or both, to renew, with both likely to command big deals. Norris finished below Piastri last time out by a single point, he has a point to prove, while Piastri took six podiums in 2025 and wants to get some wins on the board.
Pre-Season Testing: McLaren look very, very strong, matching Red Bull in several categories and outpacing them in others, and even being above Ferrari in Acceleration. It is a very quick, very pacey car, and one that could very well challenge at the top of the table.
Prediction: Both Norris and Piastri will fancy this as being the year they can take the Drivers’ Championship, and the team the Constructors. They will be in with a shout and might just beat Red Bull, but not have enough to topple the Scuderia just yet. 2nd.
ORACLE FORD RED BULL RACING
Livery: Navy Blue, Red and Yellow
Car Code: RBR22
2025: 2nd, 688 points
Powertrain: Ford RBPT
Tyres: Bridgestone
Max Verstappen (33)
2025: 3rd, 426 points
Liam Lawson (30)
2025: Formula E, Champion (Andretti)
A new era for Red Bull as a Red Bull junior makes his way up to the main team after some time at VCARB and then becoming the Formula E Champion last year, joining their three-time Champion of the World who looks to regain that title. Two years without a title for Red Bull, as they look to return to the top of the sport. Ford replace Honda as Red Bull’s Powertrain suppliers for the first time.
Last Season: Max Verstappen pushed both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for most of the season before his title challenge faded towards the end of the year, as Ferrari outpaced Red Bull in development, but Verstappen still took several race wins last year. Fernando Alonso meanwhile couldn't get his 33rd win and was fighting Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for fourth in the Championship, which he did achieve to round off his career.
The Drivers: Despite the persistent Mercedes rumours, Max Verstappen remains at Red Bull for another season as he sees them as the team to return him to the top. Fernando Alonso retired from the sport last year and is having one final go at the Indy 500 in May, so Red Bull junior and 2025 Formula E Champion Liam Lawson takes over, having had some experience with VCARB in the past.
Pre-Season Testing: Not quite where Red Bull want to be, but they've still put together a very, very strong car. Verstappen and Lawson were towards the top of timesheets, and the car ranked well both in Velocity and Cornering. No real complaints from the Bulls, even if they'll start the year on par with McLaren and behind Ferrari.
Prediction: The Constructors very much depends on Lawson. Verstappen definitely has a chance to challenge for the Drivers’ Championship and will likely be the biggest threat to Leclerc and Hamilton, while Lawson's inexperience may be the biggest factor in potentially losing second to McLaren. If Lawson can thrive, they can potentially win the Constructors. If he can't, they'll be behind McLaren. 3rd.
SCUDERIA FERRARI
Livery: Red and Black
Car Code: SF-26
2025: Champions, 999 points
Powertrain: Ferrari
Tyres: Bridgestone
Charles Leclerc (1)
2025: Champion, 505 points
Lewis Hamilton
2025: 2nd, 494 points
And so to the defending Champions of the World, who delivered up a 18th Constructors Championship and a thrilling battle for the Drivers’ Championship, which saw Charles Leclerc successfully defend his title from teammate Lewis Hamilton. The pair return for a second season together, but this could well be Hamilton's F1 swansong.
Last Season: Thrilling. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton battled throughout races and the entire season, winning 17 of the 24 races between them. It all went down to the final laps in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton gambled on a later stop but couldn't quite catch Leclerc who secured his second World Championship in stunning, dramatic fashion on the final day.
The Drivers: It is Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton once more, as the two time Champion and seven time Champion join forces for their second season together. Hamilton hasn't given an answer on whether he will continue in Formula 1 after this season, we are very much in a wait and see approach, while Leclerc has already renewed with Ferrari through 2030.
Pre-Season Testing: The team to beat. Ferrari topped the timesheets on all three days, with Leclerc and Hamilton sharing the honours, depending on who did the afternoon's work - two-one to Hamilton on that front. The SF-26 looks strongest in all categories bar Acceleration and Dirty Air Tolerance, and ranked top of everything else. Ferrari look like they've got these regulations very, very right.
Prediction: The Champions remain the team to beat, and either Leclerc or Hamilton could well find themselves as Champion this time around. While the worry remains that they might take points off each other, that didn't prove a problem last year, and shouldn't again this year. It's a long season, but they're the favourites for a reason. 1st.
foggy locust
2026 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
WEEKEND PREVIEW
And so, we begin again.
The points go back to zero, we all start on the same standing, Formula 1 is back and we kick off once more with the traditional season opener. It's new regulations, new, smaller cars, new engine regulations, new beginning, new era.
After a dramatic 2025 season that went all the way to the wire in Abu Dhabi, Charles Leclerc narrowly pipped Lewis Hamilton to claim his second World Championship with victory in the final race. Ferrari were dominant last season, falling just 1 point short of 1000 last time around as they took a dominant Constructors win.
The Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir will see 57 laps of this 5.412km circuit, with three DRS zones, 15 turns and plenty of chances for overtaking. It is a circuit that is mostly focused on slow and medium cornering with some tast turns in the middle of the circuit. The usual pitlane loss time is about 23s. No rain is expected, and Pirelli and Bridgestone will bring the hardest tyre compounds of their respective sets.
The Champions come in as the team to beat this season, as Ferrari line up with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton once more. Leclerc begins his second consecutive title defence, while Hamilton might be on for the start of his swansong - to be confirmed. Hamilton is still hungry for his Eighth title, can he take the title from his teammate this year?
Max Verstappen's title challenge also begins as the favourite outside of the two Ferraris to challenge for the Drivers’ title. He welcomes new teammate Liam Lawson to the Red Bull team this season, as Lawson looks to make the huge step up the grid.
Although it could be McLaren who challenge Ferrari at the top this season, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris looking for a potential title challenge this season. McLaren narrowly missed out on a race victory this season and look to correct that this year coming, and could well start off in Bahrain with the second strongest car.
Aston Martin begin their second season with the Valtteri Bottas-Stoffel Vandoorne lineup, and the evaluation process for Vandoorne in particular will begin. For years, Aston Martin have had one driver deliver and the other struggle - if they're serious about ever challenging for a title, this needs to change, and now. Bahrain would be a very good place to start.
Mercedes had a disaster of a season last year, wrecked by a poor car and in-fighting amongst the two drivers. With George Russell departed to Williams, Alex Albon makes his Mercedes debut this weekend alongside Carlos Sainz. The Silver Arrows had a rough test last week here, and the team need to find something in the car as the season goes on - this could be a tough weekend.
George Russell's Williams return is in full swing as well, as he makes his re-debut for the team he first drove for, alongside Lance Stroll. Can Russell put together a performance to potentially get that Williams into the points? It may well be a very tough ask for the English driver.
We have three new teams in the paddock this season - Andretti, Audi and Hitech all make their Formula 1 debuts this weekend, and all three performed decently well in testing - Audi of course continue on the Sauber legacy, while Hitech continue the Enstone Renault name. Andretti have been waiting for this moment for a long, long time and it has finally arrived.
Haas meanwhile went into testing and came out as the slowest team - the Toyota based team have struggled in pre-season testing and their move away from Ferrari and Maranello to Toyota's Cologne base. Nico Hülkenberg starts what is likely going to be his final F1 season on the back foot.
And one final caveat of this weekend - how will Bridgestone and Pirelli both perform this season in F1's first full on tyre war since the 2006 season? This is Bridgestone's first appearance in F1 since 2010, where as Pirelli took exclusive rights from 2011 to 2025. This could well be fascinating.
It is lights out and away we go on Formula 1's new era. But who will come to the fore this season? We'll start to know after this weekend. You won't want to miss it.
FP1 Reserves: Maini (Norris)
That's it
FP1: VER HAM LEC
A marker set down by Max Verstappen, as he goes 2 tenths faster than Lewis Hamilton and 3 faster than Charles Leclerc. Oscar Piastri fourth while Theo Pourchaire takes fifth for Audi. Kush Maini, McLaren's reserve was sixth while Liam Lawson's Red Bull FP1 debut sees him Seventh. Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen complete the top ten.
FP2: HAM LEC PIA
Ferrari come back with Hamilton and Leclerc both setting very fast times to take a 1-2, ahead of the McLarens of Piastri and Norris. Lawson fifth, with Russell sixth, Tsunoda seventh, Sainz eighth, Vandoorne ninth and Albon tenth. Verstappen just P15 on Friday's later session.
FP3: LEC PIA HAM
A close run thing in FP3, but the defending Champion Leclerc goes quickest ahead of Piastri and Hamilton, who did have a lock-up. Verstappen Fourth, with Lawson fifth and Sainz sixth. Norris took Seventh ahead of Bottas, Pourchaire and Albon, who had a spin during this session.
Well, here we go again. The lights are on and the engines are ready, we begin yet another F1 season in earnest. But it is a new era, new engines, new teams, new beginning. It's anyone's game as we all start on zero, who's got it right, who's got it wrong, it is all up in the air. Verstappen, Hamilton and Leclerc all topped practice sessions, all ten teams showed something, or are hiding something, but it's all about to be out in the open. Who wants it more?
The first competitive session of the season begins. Q1 is a go!
7.00pm: Charles Leclerc, the defending Champion, is the first to leave the garage, followed by Pierre Gasly, due to Audi's positioning in the garage, is onbttack first. Lando Norris soon follows suit.
7.02pm: Leclerc goes fastest at 30.031, Gasly 1.121 behind. Ooft. Norris within six tenths of Leclerc, but that is one hell of a marker by the Scuderia.
7.03pm: Hülkenberg down in Fourth, and Haas are two seconds behind Ferrari here. Hamilton out on track and getting a fantastic slipstream off Lawson, but is also hitting traffic.
7.05pm: With the slipstream off Lawson, Hamilton goes 3 tenths up on Leclerc! Lawson meanwhile is 1.5 back, and behind Gasly in fourth.
7.06pm: Tsunoda with a spin-off on his Andretti debut! Not ideal at all, Yuki. He abandons his first lap.
7.08pm: Verstappen into Third, but still well back on Hamilton and Leclerc.
7.09pm: Piastri up to third, and he well may be the main threat to the Ferrari dominance here.
7.10pm: Some hope for Mercedes as Sainz goes sixth fastest, ahead of Gasly.
7.11pm: Zhou 12th, then Albon takes 12th, and I honestly do not know who has the best car here. Well, aside from Ferrari. The two Hitechs are 10th and 11th now.