James O'Connor, Author at Motorsport | Pit Debrief

Long Beach GP | IndyCar Qualifying | Rosenqvist takes pole by 0.004s from Power in thrilling qualifying

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago05 mins

Round 1, Group 1 Felix Rosenqvist posted the first time on a 1:10.5910, which was beaten seconds later by Will Power by seven hundredths. The Australian led the way on the banker laps, logging a 1:07.2883. Rosenqvist (1:07.2956), Herta (1:07.3004), Palou, Rasmussen and Rahal completed the top 6 as all the drivers put the alternates…

Aston Martin’s F1 qualifying appeal dismissed; Sainz retains P7 starting spot for Chinese GP

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago03 mins

Carlos Sainz had a very difficult Saturday in Shanghai. Running in P4 during the sprint, he had an intense with Fernando Alonso on lap 16. After getting move the done into turn 8 as they went side-by-side through turn 7, Sainz saw his fellow Spaniard send a lunge into the next corner, forcing him off…

Verstappen admits F1 Chinese GP Sprint went “much better than I thought it ever would” after taking a crushing victory

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago03 mins

Max Verstappen took an extremely dominant win in the F1 Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix from his P4 starting spot. The Dutchman gained a spot on the opening lap as Lando Norris got overly ambitious at turn 1 trying to hang it around the outside of Lewis Hamilton who had made a better start….

F1 Chinese GP | FP1 | Stroll leads Piastri and Verstappen as grass catches fire

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago06 mins

The Haas of Kevin Magnussen posted the first time of the session as he logged a 1:41.422 on mediums. Home hero Zhou Guanyu was tentative on his first attempt, posting a 1:42.487. On his first lap, Max Verstappen clocked a 1:39.497, going fastest by over a second from Pierre Gasly. Unsurprisingly with surface changes and…

Ricciardo “still very positive and confident that I can do it” following tricky start to 2024 F1 campaign

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago014 mins

Daniel Ricciardo heads into this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix as a driver under pressure. The 34-year-old desperately needs a strong weekend to get his campaign truly underway. Although the 8-time Grand Prix winner has shown very strong race pace to date, his qualifying performances have been disappointing and left him well out of position in…

Ricciardo “curious” to try new chassis at F1 Chinese GP for his “peace of mind”

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago06 mins

The Chinese Grand Prix could be a defining moment in the career of 8-time winner Daniel Ricciardo. Following his return to the sport at the Hungarian Grand Prix last year with AlphaTauri/RB F1, the Australian has shown flashes of his old self. Qualifying a superb P4 in Mexico last October and finishing the race in…

Albon admits it’s a “tough time” for Williams F1 as the team goes through a “character-building” phase

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago05 mins

It has been a brutal start to the 2024 Formula One for Williams Racing. In Bahrain and Saudi Arabia they failed to score points. Much worse was to follow from there, however. During first practice at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix last month, Alex Albon had a big crash at turn 7. Such…

Understanding the track surface “key” to a great weekend at F1 Chinese GP — Vasseur

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago06 mins

F1 makes its first trip to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix since 2019 next weekend. The pandemic that started in early 2020 led to the race getting cancelled from 2020 through to 2023. It will be the first time for the ground effect cars to tackle the circuit as well. With it being a…

Horner: Perez has started the 2024 F1 season “in the best possible way” — “it’s his seat to lose”

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago07 mins

Red Bull could well head into the 2025 Formula One season with an unchanged driver line-up for a fifth consecutive season. Mexico’s Sergio Perez has made a very strong start to the 2024 season following his best ever result in the Drivers’ Championship last year with P2. At Suzuka last weekend, he got within 0.066s…

Alonso admits he “did speak” to other F1 teams before agreeing a new deal with Aston Martin

James O'Connor11 months ago11 months ago05 mins

Fernando Alonso has confirmed that he did have some talks with other teams before confirming he would stay at Aston Martin until 2026 at least. Since joining the team at the start of 2023, the Spanish driver has been on the rostrum 8 times for the Silverstone-based squad, including three P2 finishes. Alonso has very…