Connect with us

News

Early indications show Piastri is a future F1 world champion

Published

on


McLaren parted ways with eight-time grand prix champion Daniel Ricciardo a year before his contract expired to secure the services of Piastri, who won the Formula Renault Eurocup (2019), FIA F3 (2020) and F2 (2021) champion he climbed the junior single-seater ladder.

While this season’s McLaren MCL60 has been hampered by excessive drag and is sensitive to changing balance when faced with low-grip conditions, Piastri was able to finish eighth in his home race in Australia. First F1 points.

Despite a stomach bug, he finished 10th in the Azerbaijan sprint.

Piastri’s campaign was also set back by a power failure that forced him to retire from the Bahrain opener, while the brake-by-wire failed last time out in Miami.

But McLaren chief executive Brawn thinks he’s seen enough to declare Piastri a future F1 champion, provided Woking can supply him with a more competitive machine.

Brown said: “We were impressed with him. He was very focused. He didn’t really make any big mistakes. (Just) typical extreme exploration, so the odd lockup of the wheels here and there.

“He hasn’t been to all of them (tracks used so far in 2023), so early indications are that we have a future world champion in our hands.

“We just have to work on giving him a faster car now.”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60

Photography: Steven Tee / motorsport pictures

Likewise, Piastri continued to receive enthusiastic reports from new team principal Andrea Stella, while team-mate Lando Norris suggested he was more competitive than predecessor Ricciardo, saying: “[He]is more competitive than he used to be. A few years pushed me even more”.

Brown added that McLaren couldn’t have devised a better driving line-up now, saying: “Oscar has been very impressive since we’ve had him in the car. He’s very mature. He’s very focused and very technical. good.

Also read:

“Lando and Oscar, I can’t think of a better combination of drivers…

“Oscar has done a fantastic job, he’s trading lap times with Lando now, that’s what you want.”

News

Perez “cannot afford another zero” in F1 2023 season

Published

on

By


The Red Bull driver was last in Sunday’s race and was out in Q1 qualifying.

He went on to make five pit stops in a dismal race that saw him twice passed by team-mate and race winner Max Verstappen, who now leads the championship by 39 points.

Although it marked Perez’s first game of the season without scoring, the Mexican said his error was “costly” and “unacceptable”.

He said: “We paid for my mistake and it was very costly. I just have to apologize to my whole team because it was unacceptable for this kind of mistake to be made.

“I have to move on and learn from it, I can’t afford another zero in the tournament.”

Despite the poor finish, Perez had a “very good” start to the race, finishing 15th on lap 30, but dropped back into the standings after a couple of incidents and a period of rain.

He also collided with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in the corner on lap 34, breaking his front wing.

Perez said he “didn’t know what happened” but was “considerably hurt” by the incident.

He added: “It went well. Unfortunately I hit traffic early on and that put us back where we were. Then it rained and we were one of the last to pit.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43

Photography: Simon Galloway/ motorsport pictures

“Then I cut the wall and it all became a mess. Me and Magnussen broke my front wing and he just came out of the chicane (deeply) and it went bad.

“When you’re in those positions, you’re always taking a lot of risks.”

Also read:

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it had been a “bad weekend” for Perez, blaming the poor result on a crash in qualifying that “put you at a disadvantage”.

He also said Perez was inside Ocon’s maintenance window before getting stuck behind slow-moving traffic.

Horner said: “We took a very aggressive strategy. Stopped on the first lap and you could see how fast he was in the free space and how much the others were saving.

“He actually came back inside the pit window on Esteban Ocon, and then (Logan) Sargeant and the slow car started to struggle and, of course, you couldn’t overtake.

“Then he got involved in a melee with (George) Russell and damaged the front wing. It was just one of those weekends where he got nothing done.

“He saved a lot of money in the pool, so he might need a new pair of underwear after that.

“For him, it’s just one of those weekends where[he should]turn the page and I think for him, the sooner he gets to Barcelona the better.”

Continue Reading

News

Verstappen: 'We always have to be perfect'

Published

on

By




Max Verstappen gave a masterclass in the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. The Dutchman once again showed his raw talent, whether in the rain or on dry tarmac. If the Dutchman fails to win, there are still two contenders for the title. Teammate Sergio Perez and his friend Fernando Alonso. Will the Spaniard get another chance at victory soon? Verstappen responded at a press conference.

Continue Reading

News

Alonso wants to fight for title: 'I don't get obsessed with it'

Published

on

By




Fernando Alonso came very close to his first race win since Barcelona 2012. The Spaniard trailed Max Verstappen, who left the Aston Martin driver behind with a masterclass finish. It was more flavorful for Alonso, he told a news conference.

Continue Reading

news