James O'Connor, Author at Motorsport | Pit Debrief

Verstappen says changes to his RB20 between FP3 and qualifying at F1 Azerbaijan GP “tipped it over the edge with the balance” as he starts P6

James O'Connor3 months ago06 mins

Max Verstappen was left to rue set-up changes as he qualified only P6 for tomorrow’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The three-time World Champion and teammate Sergio Pérez looked quick throughout practice, as Red Bull improved following a dismal showing at Monza two weeks ago. However, come qualifying, the car was difficult to drive according to the…

Norris “disappointed and frustrated” with Q1 exit in F1 Azerbaijan GP qualifying: “I was feeling good”

James O'Connor3 months ago3 months ago05 mins

Saturday in Azerbaijan saw Lando Norris sensationally get knocked out in Q1 as the Brit will start in P17 for the race tomorrow. After Esteban Ocon hit the wall at turn 4 on his push lap, he was cruising around back to the pits with a puncture. A white flag was thrown on the exit…

“The fight for us is with Alpine” — Albon says Williams targeting P8 in F1 Constructors’ Championship

James O'Connor3 months ago06 mins

Williams heads into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the back of a P9 finish at Monza with Alex Albon, adding two points to their total for the season, moving to six overall. The team brought a sizeable update to Zandvoort, and it has improved the car somewhat. Before he got thrown out of qualifying in…

Mercedes return to pre-Zandvoort floor for F1 Azerbaijan GP

James O'Connor3 months ago3 months ago09 mins

Mercedes revert to older-spec floor for F1 Azerbaijan GP Ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Pit Debrief has learned Mercedes will return to the floor they ran pre-sumner break as balance issues have affected the W15 in recent weeks. A tricky start to the season saw the team fail to finish in the top…

How Ferrari’s strategy group, Bryan Bozzi and Charles Leclerc pulled off stunning F1 Italian GP win

James O'Connor4 months ago4 months ago015 mins

A week has passed since Charles Leclerc took a brilliant victory for Scuderia Ferrari at the Italian Grand Prix, his second win of the 2024 campaign. It’s also his second victory at Monza. Pit Debrief takes a look at the job done by the driver of car number 16, his race engineer Bryan Bozzi, and…

Verstappen “really engaged” and “putting the time and effort in” to help solve RB20 F1 woes — Horner

James O'Connor4 months ago4 months ago06 mins

Christian Horner has praised lead driver Max Verstappen for his role in trying to help Red Bull Racing out of their current troubles. The Dutch driver has seen his lead in the Drivers’ World Championship reduced to 62 points following the Italian Grand Prix, on a weekend where they were clearly only the fourth quickest…

Albon: Williams “still struggling with the same issues” following FW46 updates, “very happy” with P9 in F1 Italian GP

James O'Connor4 months ago4 months ago07 mins

Alex Albon’s good run at Monza continues. Following a storming drive to P7 in the Italian Grand Prix last year where he held off the McLarens, he scored another two points on Sunday. On Saturday, he made Q3 in qualifying, beating Nico Hülkenberg in the final segment. With the German getting a poor start and…

Pérez: We’re “not able to throw the car in because the rear is nowhere” with RB20 F1 car following nightmare Italian GP

James O'Connor4 months ago07 mins

Red Bull’s worst performance pace-wise in years came at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez could only manage P7 and P8 in qualifying, and it was barely any better on Sunday as they crossed the line in P6 and P8. George Russell’s lap 1 mishap gave the Dutch driver a…

Magnussen unhappy with lack of consistency from stewards at F1 Italian GP as he picks up race ban

James O'Connor4 months ago4 months ago04 mins

Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix was a perfect example of mixed emotions. Kevin Magnussen scored a point with a strong drive, but he will miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix because of a race ban as he accumulated 12 penalty points over the last year. The 31-year-old Danish driver tried to make a move on Pierre Gasly…

IndyCar | Milwaukee | Race 1 | O’Ward takes victory as Power cuts gap to Palou again

James O'Connor4 months ago09 mins

Thanks to a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change, Josef Newgarden dropped from his P2 position to start P11. McLaughlin got a perfect start, with Linus Lundqvist taking the high line to vault up into P2. Malukas, O’Ward and Herta (+5) completed the top 5 early doors. Conor Daly had an extraordinary start, moving…