Right here is our full textual content transcript from spherical 23 of the 2024 System 1 season, which passed off on the 5.419-kilometre Lusail Worldwide Circuit:
Good afternoon all and welcome to race day on the Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate Sunday of F1 2024.
It’s been a busy outdated Dash weekend up to now and it appears like we’ve bought all of the components forward for the total 57 lap Grand Prix to construct on the close-fought nature of yesterday’s Dash. George Russell will begin Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix from pole place after Max Verstappen was given a one-place grid penalty for impeding the Brit throughout qualifying.
As they ready for his or her remaining flying laps on the finish of qualifying, Crimson Bull’s Max Verstappen caught George Russell abruptly as he slowed within the third sector, leaving the Mercedes driver needing to take late evasive motion that compelled him onto the kerb and gravel.
Russell had been on provisional pole earlier than the ultimate runs, and stated after the session that the incident was “perhaps” the rationale he was unable to enhance on his first effort.
What are Ferrari’s possibilities of staying in constructors’ combat?
Given Carlos Sainz particularly had been predicting it for weeks, it hasn’t been a lot of a shock to see Ferrari not be in absolute rivalry on the entrance of the grid up to now this weekend in Qatar.
The Lusail circuit options the sort of medium-length high-speed corners that the SF-24 simply doesn’t like and their drivers begin solely fifth (Charles Leclerc) and seventh (Sainz) this afternoon.
However they nonetheless weren’t that far-off in qualifying – Charles Leclerc was lower than a tenth away from McLaren’s Lando Norris in third – and Carlos Sainz is hopeful of a extra aggressive race.
“I feel our race tempo is stronger and, despite the fact that overtaking right here is much from simple, I’m assured we will combat for some strong factors,” stated the Spaniard – “The weekend just isn’t over, we have to keep absolutely centered through the race and be ready to seize any alternative.”
Ferrari may very well be on the backfoot if the Qatar Grand Prix turns right into a two-stop race and the exhausting tyre is the compound to be on. Verstappen, Russell and each McLarens have two new hards left, which may very well be essential.
We’ll say although, the groups anticipated a one-stop race final day out in Las Vegas. If the tempo is excessive on the entrance, or the sector is bunched, don’t be stunned to see a two-stop race. We shouldn’t see the softs getting used this night. Nico Hulkenberg is the one driver not beginning the race on the medium tyre. The Haas driver seems to be trying to go longer on the exhausting. Russell is technically on ‘used’ tyres, however in actuality simply took them out for a one-lap scrubbing. He shouldn’t be at any drawback to Verstappen off the road.
Lap 1/57: Max Verstappen takes the lead from George Russell – who drops to 3rd behind Lando Norris too!! Nice begin from Max to get the within line into Flip One, with Norris following via on the within of the Mercedes too and briefly going wheel-to-wheel with the Crimson Bull too. Verstappen makes gentle work of creating up for his grid penalty! There was drama on the again in addition to the entrance of the sector! Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon have made contact and are each stranded within the run-off space and out of the race. The Security Automotive has been despatched out to permit that mess to be cleared up.
Lap 2/57: There have been extra positional adjustments on the entrance! Charles Leclerc bought previous Oscar Piastri to take P4 for Ferrari, whereas Lewis Hamilton dropped behind Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso into ninth. That won’t have improved the seven-time world champion’s temper.
There was loads of additional incident again within the pack with Alex Albon and Lance Stroll additionally making contact. Stroll has pitted and rejoined the monitor on contemporary tyres.
Lap 4/57: Security Automotive continues to steer the pack round into a 3rd full tour after these early collisions again within the again.
Lap 5/57: Max Verstappen, so skilled in these conditions, expertly opens a niche to Lando Norris forward of the ultimate nook and retains the lead firstly of lap 5. Norris has to defend from Russell behind. Oscar Piastri will get fourth place again from Charles Leclerc to revive McLaren’s management within the Constructors’ Championship battle!
Lap 5/57: Extra obvious collisions on the restart as Liam Lawson spins off within the RB at Flip One and Valtteri Bottas additionally runs large within the Sauber. We await a replay as to decipher what precisely occurred there!
Lap 8/57: Race lead as much as virtually two seconds now for Max Verstappen over Lando Norris, who now has George Russell virtually again inside his DRS vary. One other quickest lap from Max, who leads by 1.8s.
Lap 10/57: Lewis Hamilton has now been famous for that false begin. We’ve additionally heard radio of him apologising to his workforce for it, so a penalty appears sure.
Alonso angered by lack of straight-line velocity
Fernando Alonso on Aston Martin workforce radio whereas working twelfth from eighth on grid: “I can not ******* consider it man. Two years with the identical ******* downside on the straights.”
Lap 11/57: Nobody would have seen this coming after the Dash, that’s for positive.
Max Verstappen continues to carry a small however helpful lead of round two seconds over Lando Norris, aided final time round by one other quickest lap. Russell is 1.7s again on Norris with Piastri in his DRS.
Lap 12/57: The stewards are very busy! Liam Lawson has bought a 10-second penalty for inflicting a collision with Valtteri Bottas on the restart.
Lap 14/57: A five-second penalty for Lewis Hamilton is confirmed. That’s not going to assist his possibilities of combating again from eighth. He’s at present tucked up behind the Crimson Bull of Sergio Perez.
Lap 16/57: Given he began on pole, the primary part of this race hasn’t labored out terribly nicely for George Russell and Mercedes with the Briton dropping over 3s again on the highest two. However a few of the strain that was beginning to develop on Russell from Piastri has simply been relieved, a minimum of for now, after the Australian bought nicely out of form into the ultimate nook and ran large. Hole again out to 1.1s.
Lap 18/57: Lando Norris has simply achieved successive quickest laps of the race to convey Max Verstappen’s lead down in direction of 1.5 seconds. Is the McLaren taking care of its exhausting tyres a bit higher than the Crimson Bull?
Lap 22/57: With Lando Norris round two seconds again from Max Verstappen, making an attempt an undercut stays a possible possibility for McLaren. You’ll anticipate to achieve a second or two from it. All eyes on the mechanics as we enter the pit window!
Lap 23/57: His error on the remaining nook price him a couple of laps, however Oscar Piastri has arrived again onto the tail of George Russell within the battle of third with the Mercedes seemingly beginning to wrestle on his tyres. Charles Leclerc just isn’t too far behind both.
Lap 23/57: George Russell is the primary of the front-runners to pit, and it’s a gradual cease! A problem with the correct rear tyre retains him stationary for seven seconds, which suggests he comes out all the best way down in P11. That’s disastrous and he’ll possible have misplaced monitor place to each Ferraris in addition to Oscar Piastri. Excellent news for Ferrari’s Constructors’ title hopes.
Lap 26/57: Charles Leclerc has all of a sudden discovered some tempo and is inside a few seconds of Oscar Piastri. Carlos Sainz is three seconds additional again behind his team-mate.
Lap 28/57: George Russell’s frustration is rising. His new exhausting tyres aren’t proving a lot assist, and he can’t get previous Fernando Alonso for P9. The ageing medium tyre seems to be simply as efficient because the model new exhausting.
Lap 30/57: May we’d like a VSC right here? The wing mirror has flown off Alex Albon’s Williams and is on the primary straight off the racing line. How are they going to take away this?
Lap 31/57: That is fascinating – Lando Norris has closed down Max Verstappen’s result in simply 1.2 seconds now. “In the event you had any tempo to Verstappen, we’d take it so push as much as him,” the Briton was instructed over McLaren workforce radio.
Lap 33/57: So far as we’re conscious, the wing mirror continues to be mendacity on the primary straight. F1’s new director seems to be comfy with its presence for now. his just isn’t a very good search for the brand new race director Rui Marques. Valtteri Bottas hits the stray wing mirror and particles flies everywhere in the predominant straight. That would have simply been averted!
Lap 36/57: What a multitude. Now we do have a Security Automotive, which is horrible information for Piastri, who pitted simply earlier than it was deployed. The highest three are available in for affordable stops, which strengthens Verstappen’s possibilities of sealing victory this night.
Lap 37/57: George Russell has simply come onto workforce radio berating his Mercedes workforce for giving him one other set of exhausting tyres. We expect Russell didn’t have any new units of mediums remaining, and Mercedes clearly weren’t assured the mushy compound might final till the tip.
Lap 39/57: The motion is about to renew! Lap 40/57: It’s as you had been on the entrance after that wing mirror-triggered puncture chaos. However solely simply as Max Verstappen has to go tremendous defensive on the run to Flip One to carry off Lando Norris on the surface
Lap 41/57: Extra contact, extra chaos! Nico Hulkenberg is beached within the gravel and out of the race. Sergio Perez is gone too. Each had been concerned in collisions, which we’re ready to see replays of.
Lap 42/57: Or was Sergio Perez concerned in a collision in spite of everything? A replay suggests the Crimson Bull driver merely spun, however then it wouldn’t make sense that he has retired. Maybe it was some type of technical concern that brought on the spin? We’ll look forward to extra.
Lap 42/57: It appears the stewards certainly hasn’t forgotten about that yellow flag incident earlier on earlier than the preliminary Security Automotive in spite of everything. Lando Norris been positioned underneath investigation for not slowing underneath yellow flags.
Lap 42/57: Right here we go once more… Lap 44/57: Oscar Piastri is frightened that one thing is likely to be flawed along with his front-left tyre. The Australian driver is experiencing vibrations. A problem for him is the very last thing McLaren want within the Constructors’ title battle.
Massive penalty for Norris: 10s cease and go imposed: That signifies that throughout the subsequent three laps Norris should are available in to the pit lane, cease in McLaren’s field, after which look forward to 10s earlier than rejoining the monitor. That’ll price him the very best a part of 35s all in all in monitor time as soon as he enters and leaves the pit lane.
Lap 46/57: Lando Norris comes out on the very again of the sector. He’s unlikely to attain any factors, and this is a gigantic swing for Ferrari within the Constructors’ Championship.
Lap 47/57: That Norris penalty has given Zhou Guanyu and Sauber a further cushion as they search a primary level of the season. The Chinese language driver is as much as P8 and might certainly see it residence from right here.
Lap 48/57: Max Verstappen has opened a four-second hole to Charles Leclerc in second. The Ferrari stays underneath strain from Oscar Piastri, who’s only a second behind him. George Russell is lurking behind them, whereas Pierre Gasly is defending brilliantly in fifth to maintain Carlos Sainz behind him.
Lap 52/57: Has Lando Norris bought time to salvage a degree? He’s on an absolute cost, seconds sooner than the automotive forward, and has simply handed Yuki Tsunoda for twelfth place.
Lap 52/57: Max Verstappen’s lead up entrance is past 5 seconds. It’s tight between the three vehicles behind him who’re separated by simply a few seconds, however we all know how tough overtaking is round right here. In the meantime, Carlos Sainz has simply run large and given a little bit of respiration area to Pierre Gasly in fifth.
Lap 54/57: It’s going to be a minimum of a single level for Lando Norris then as he will get shortly previous Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas.
A doubtlessly essential level for McLaren of their hopes of the constructors’ championship forward of subsequent week’s Abu Dhabi finale. Bottas overtook Albon himself to maneuver into the factors earlier than Norris took it away a lap later. Kevin Magnussen is 9s up the street however the Haas has a time penalty.
Lap 56/57: The drama is endless. George Russell has now been famous for a Security Automotive infringement. A penalty for him might imply extra factors for Ferrari and Carlos Sainz…
Chequered flag: One other very good drive from the world champion! He handed George Russell for the lead off the road and by no means seemed unhealthy. Charles Leclerc holds off Oscar Piastri for second in what has change into a really respectable afternoon for Ferrari. Pole-sitter George Russell is fourth, for now.
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