How the race transpired

The race weekend was anything but straightforward as extreme heat, excessive tyre wear as well as tyre safety concerns thanks to the kerbs on the Lusail International Circuit meant the FIA mandated a three-stop race stint distances not going beyond 18 laps. That wasn’t the end of it as a chaotic start meant the two Mercedes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell made contact into the first corner, wiping out the former, while the latter was forced into an early pitstop, dropping him down to 18th and last of the field. 

Nevertheless, Russell scythed his way through the field to finish a commendable fourth in the end. Meanwhile up front, Verstappen had things under control with Piastri closely shadowing the Dutchman. Lando Norris managed to claw his way up to the podium, finishing third after starting 10th on the grid. 

Now that the drivers’ title is all wrapped up, the fight is on for second position as Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez sits 30 points ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. In the constructors’ standings, McLaren are rapidly catching up to Aston Martin for fourth place in the standings with the former just 11 points behind thanks to their recent double podium finish. Next up is the 2023 Formula One United States Grand Prix which is set to take place between October 20-22. 

The post Max Verstappen clinches his third world drivers’ title at the Qatar Grand Prix first appeared on Turbocharged.

As the race happened

For the top three it may have been a regular start but behind them there was chaos all around with multiple incidents up and down the field. One of the victims was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who had to make an additional stop to replace his damaged front wing.

Perez’ day didn’t get any better as the Mexican copped a five-second time penalty for a safety car infringement and then copped another five-second time penalty later on for causing a collision with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen. The resulting damage forced Perez out of the race, but not without a weird scenario of him being sent back out on track to serve the five-second time penalty instead of letting it carry over as a grid-drop penalty in the next race. 

Meanwhile up front, it was a comfortable finish for Verstappen, Norris, Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fourth place for Ferrari, while seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton finishing a close fifth ahead of the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.

Oscar Piastri’s podium is the first rookie podium since Lance Stroll’s third place for Williams scored at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With Perez’ DNF, Verstappen only needs a top five finish at the sprint race of the Qatar Grand Prix to secure his third world driver’s championship. The 2023 Formula One Qatar Grand Prix is set to take place between October 06-08. 

The post Oracle Red Bull Racing are six-time constructors’ champions  first appeared on Turbocharged.

As the race happened

A consecutive pole position for Carlos Sainz was a big advantage on the streets of Marina Bay as the circuit layout is known for making overtakes a difficult affair. Sainz had a trouble-free start and his teammate, Charles Leclerc had an even better one from third position, taking full advantage of the softer compound of tyres to jump the Mercedes of George Russell for second place. For most of the first stint, it was an interesting game of chess at racing speeds as the two Ferraris controlled the pace up front and bunched the pack up to foil any attempts of an undercut strategy.

But it was the safety car caused by Logan Sargeant sending his Williams into the barrier that kicked off the round of pit stops. Amongst the chaos, Leclerc lost out due to traffic in the pitlane and dropped to fifth. Again, Sainz kept up the same strategy of keeping the pack closed up but another twist was in store thanks to the Alpine of Esteban Ocon retiring from the race due to a technical issue, causing a virtual safety car period.

The two Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton took a gamble and made an extra pitstop for fresher and softer tyres with 20 laps to go to have a crack at the win. Initially, it looked like the gamble was paying off as both drivers were slicing away two seconds per laps to the leaders. They made quick work of Leclerc and were on the back of Norris in second place and the race leader Sainz with 10 laps to go. However, Sainz played a strategic masterstroke in purposely allowing Norris to be within DRS range to minimise the slipstream effect for the two Mercedes drivers. Nevertheless, it was a close contest till the final lap where a minute error proved costly for Russell as he crashed out of the race in dramatic fashion. When the dust settled, it was Sainz who triumphed, taking a hard-earned second career win ahead of Norris and Hamilton.

As for the Oracle Red Bull Racing squad, it was a good recovery for Verstappen from a shocking 11th on the grid to finish fifth while teammate Sergio Perez finished in eighth position after starting 13th, 

Despite it being an off weekend for Red Bull, it is just a minor delay for them to clinch both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. In the battle for third in the drivers’ standings however, there’s a further twist in the tale as Hamilton has overtaken the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and sits 10 points clear with seven races to go. Next week will be the Japanese Grand Prix, slated to take place from September 22-24, 2023.

The post Carlos Sainz breaks Red Bull’s dominant streak in F1 Singapore GP thriller first appeared on Turbocharged.

As the race happened

Carlos Sainz had held the lead from pole well and managed some impressive defensive racecraft against Verstappen throughout most of the opening stint. But the latter forced a mistake from Sainz and seized the opportunity to take the lead of the race.

From that point on, it was a cruise to victory for Verstappen but for Sainz he had the sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez to defend against. Another intense scrap for second followed, with Perez coming out on top. In the final stages of the race however, Sainz had to pull off one last feat of defence against teammate Charles Leclerc and was successful in holding on to third position.

This win also means Oracle Red Bull Racing now holds the record for the most consecutive wins by a team at 15 wins. In the battle for third place in both the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso sits six points ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton for the former. For the latter, Ferrari has now overtaken Aston Martin for third and holds an 11-point advantage. Next up will be the Singapore Grand Prix, slated to take place from September 15-17, 2023.

The post Max Verstappen creates history at the 2023 Formula One Italian Grand Prix first appeared on Turbocharged.

How the race transpired

Right from the opening lap, chaos ensued as spits of rain meant it was either a gamble to stay out or pit for intermediates and give up track position. Fortunately for those who chose the latter, it was the right call as the rain quickly intensified. Sergio Perez was the biggest gainer in all this as he jumped from sixth to first being the early stopper and held a healthy 13-second lead. However, Verstappen quickly eroded that gap within a couple of laps and looked set to retake the lead.

Fortunately, Verstappen didn’t need to make the pass on track as when the other drivers pitted back on to dry tyres, the championship leader comfortably took back the lead. Meanwhile, Alonso, after a fine start from fifth, was in third place and had begun pressuring Perez for second place. However, that challenge didn’t really materialise and the race was looking to settle down.

But the weather gods were saving their best trick for last, and torrential rain poured down with less than 10 laps to go, getting to the point where many drivers went off track including Perez, which handed Alonso second place. Eventually the weather conditions were too extreme to continue and the red flag had to be called out. After a 45-minute delay, racing got underway again, with Verstappen and Alonso managing to finish in the same order. Perez however, copped a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane, which meant Pierre Gasly inherited the final spot on the podium. 

This win means Verstappen is now tied with ex-Red Bull driver and four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel on the record of nine consecutive wins and is well on course to break it. In the drivers’ standings however, the battle for third place has taken another twist as Alonso’s second place has pulled him 12 points clear of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Next week, Formula One heads to the temple of speed, Monza and Ferrari’s home turf for the Italian Grand Prix. It is scheduled to run between September 1-3, 2023.

The post Max Verstappen wins a chaotic 2023 Formula One Dutch Grand Prix   first appeared on Turbocharged.