2+ hour, 27+ min ago (746+ words) Gabriel Bortoleto ran into Lance Stroll at the start of the Las Vegas GP Sauber Team Principal Jonathan Wheatley has delivered a lenient verdict on Gabriel Bortoleto's mistake during the start of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Brazilian collided with Lance Stroll at Turn 1 on the first lap, causing both drivers to soon retire and landing the Sauber driver a five-place grid drop for Qatar. Bortoleto perhaps showed too much willingness to make up ground from the back of the field, but it was also an instance of inexperience from the rookie driver. It has been an impressive debut year from Bortoleto, with a flurry of impressive performances, in which he has, on occasion, headed team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. Following the race in Nevada, Wheatley, when asked whether he should occasionally ask Bortoleto to slow down, conveyed that it…...

2+ hour, 39+ min ago (293+ words) Lewis Hamilton has endured a tough ride with Ferrari in 2025 Lewis Hamilton appears to already have one eye on next year's Formula 1 season after delivering another negative assessment of his own driving at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Brit delivered a less-than-complimentary verdict of his performance in Nevada, despite coming from the back row to finish 10th [eighth after both McLaren's disqualifications]. Hamilton said that he had had "22 bad weekends, and said that Ferrari would fail to finish second in the Constructors' Championship, telling media including Motorsport Week: "I don't even know how many points we have, but at this rate, with my performance, we're done. Hamilton has consistently berated himself in media opportunities post-race this year, after a season in which he has so far failed to score higher than fourth place. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur dismissed Hamilton's negative…...

16+ hour, 43+ min ago (454+ words) Mercedes was unable to replicate its 2024 dominance in Las Vegas George Russell believes Mercedes wasn't as competitive in Formula 1s Las Vegas Grand Prix compared to 2024 as the team has a "more consistent" car this season. Mercedes went into last weekend's event tipped as the side to beat based on the dominance that saw Russell lead a 1-2 at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit 12 months ago. The German marque was unable to replicate that showing, however, as Russell crossed the line in third, a distant 23 seconds behind eventual winner Max Verstappen. Having capitalised on pole-sitter Lando Norris going wide at Turn 1 at the start to move up to second, Russell was pressurising Verstappen during the opening stages. But an issue with his steering and graining on both the Medium and Hard compounds allowed Norris to reclaim the position on his compatriot with…...

18+ hour, 11+ min ago (908+ words) McLaren endured a double DSQ in Las Vegas McLaren walked away from the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix with nothing, but is it the victim of circumstance, or is it a self-inflicted nightmare? The most recent case was this season's Chinese Grand Prix, when Ferrari was excluded for the same reason as McLaren on Saturday night at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit: excessive rear skid block wear. The Scuderia was lambasted by the paddock and pundits alike, as the skid block, or plank, is a feature first added to cars in 1994. Teams have known the strict rules surrounding plank wear for 31 years, longer than most of F1's new fans have been alive. Its introduction was designed to prevent cars from bottoming out or running dangerously low to the ground following Ayrton Senna's death at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The…...

19+ hour, 29+ min ago (490+ words) Red Bull laughed at McLaren's threat in the Las Vegas GP Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has admitted he laughed when McLaren urged Lando Norris to attack Max Verstappen during Formula 1s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The race began with Verstappen sweeping past pole-sitter Norris, who ran too deep into Turn 1, allowing both the Dutchman and George Russell through. Russell attacked early but pitted on Lap 17. Norris followed on Lap 22, and Verstappen extended his opening stint to Lap 25 without losing control of the race. Fresh tyres ignited Norris" pace. He reeled in Russell and overtook the Mercedes with 16 laps left. McLaren then sent the bold radio call: "We"re going to get Max." Verstappen received the message from his own pit wall " and answered instantly. He punched in the fastest lap and stretched the gap to more than 20 seconds. "He was…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (341+ words) George Russell had to contend with a steering issue in Las Vegas George Russell revealed that a Mercedes steering issue that dented his chances of pole position for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix resurfaced in the race itself. The Briton, who qualified in fourth place in Nevada, stormed up to second at lights out, sweeping past Lando Norris for second at Turn 3, after Max Verstappen took the lead. Russell was forced to eventually settle for third place after Norris breezed past him on Lap 34, having caught the Mercedes after both drivers pitted for fresh tyres. And with the laps ticking away, Russell complained about a steering issue over the team radio, deja vu from the night before when the W16 suffered a similar issue. After the race, Russell revealed that it was the exact same issue that had plagued him…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (648+ words) Kimi Antonelli completed a mammoth stint to take a podium in Las Vegas Andrea Kimi Antonelli revealed that he was "talking to the tyres" after a long stint saw him ultimately take his third Formula 1 podium in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Italian was at the centre of an eventful race in Sin City, starting 17th after being dumped out of Q1 in the rain-affected qualifying session. Antonelli was almost a victim of a first-corner incident between Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll, but managed to continue without any issues. By irony, Antonelli jumped the start, with the fraction perhaps making the difference between a race-altering incident and carrying on. But the premature getaway, no matter how minor, saw him handed a five-second time penalty, a cruel twist of fate after having made his way through the field to be lying in…...

1+ day, 22+ hour ago (659+ words) McLaren has explained the reasons behind its double DSQ in Las Vegas McLaren boss Andrea Stella has revealed the reasons behind its shock double disqualification for a technical infringement at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. In a title battle that has been blown wide open in recent races by Max Verstappen, a double disqualification is a gift to the Dutchman and a nightmare for McLaren. The Las Vegas GP was already a challenging race for McLaren prior to its exclusion; Lando Norris having to ease up to allow Verstappen to take a comfortable win. Norris is now 24 points ahead of Verstappen, while the Dutchman has clawed back a 106-point gap to Piastri to be level on points with two rounds now remaining. Stella confirmed that excessive rear-skid-block wear on the plank was the cause of the team's exclusion, with…...

2+ day, 27+ min ago (427+ words) Lewis Hamilton was despondent post-race in Las Vegas Lewis Hamilton has conceded that he is braced to experience a tough end to 2025 as his maiden Formula 1 campaign with Ferrari has comprised "22 bad weekends. Hamilton was downbeat post-race despite mounting an impressive comeback drive in the Las Vegas Grand Prix that saw him gain 10 places to salvage the last point. An encouraging run through practice had heightened the Briton's hopes, but his optimism was crushed when he qualified with the slowest time on a rain-soaked track. Hamilton made up instant ground at the start, though, as he capitalised on Gabriel Bortoleto tagging Lance Stroll at Turn 1 to be sitting 12th as the opening lap ended. "It was pretty straightforward.It was a pretty straightforward first lap, Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week.I just stayed out of trouble. Hamilton survived contact with…...

2+ day, 2+ hour ago (232+ words) Lando Norris finished second in the Las Vegas GP, but faces disqualification along with Oscar Piastri Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both been placed under investigation after both McLaren cars were found to have suffered excessive plank wear in Formula 1s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The issue arose after the showpiece night race, in which Norris finished second, with Piastri fourth, giving Norris an extended lead in the championship. Norris finished second to Max Verstappen, who reduced the deficit to the pair by taking victory, having snatched the lead at the first corner. But post-race checks saw the stewards discover both MCL39s were found to have suffered wear on the rearmost skids. Technical delegate Jo Bauer, as per the FIA's official document, wrote: "The rearmost skid was measured on both cars according to the team's legality documents submission in accordance with…...