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Singapore: pre-race 2024

Well, after all the suspicion Red Bull would do terribly in qualifying things did not turn out that way. Q1 had the slightly surprising departure of Ricciardo. Less surprising was Stroll failing to progress (both their team mates would reach Q3), and Gasly, Bottas, and Zhou Guanyu. Q2 had Ocon slowest of all, underlining Alpine’s return to terrible form having recovered pretty well earlier in the season. Both Williams were knocked out, Albon seven-thousandths ahead of Colapinto, and both ahead of Perez who was only 13th. Magnussen qualified 14th. While McLaren were looking good, heading into Q3 it seemed they were favourites, particularly Norris, and might face a challenge from Verstappen, Leclerc, or even Hamilton. Only Piastri and Hulkenberg managed to put in an initial run after Sainz had a very strange snap just before the start of a hot lap to hit the barriers, demolish his rear end (ahem), and bring out a brief red flag.   Almost everyone, therefore, had a single run. Norris was
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Singapore: pre-qualifying 2024

And so to Singapore, which might just be Ricciardo’s last race for RB as speculation is rife he’ll get axed over the ‘winter’ mini-break and replaced with Liam Lawson, who did tremendously well last year. The circuit’s been a rough one for Red Bull recently and some think this will be a Leclerc-Norris tussle with an opportunity for the Briton to finally take a sizeable chunk out of the Dutchman’s lead. We shall see. First practice had Leclerc less than a tenth ahead of Norris. Sainz was close behind, Verstappen a tenth and a half further back. Tsunoda, Piastri, and Ricciardo followed (good RB pace), then came Albon, Alonso, Ocon. In second practice, Norris was fastest, less than a tenth ahead of Leclerc. It was over half a second back to Sainz, although I cannot believe that’s the true gap but one due to traffic. Tsunoda, Piastri, and Ricciardo followed (again, good from RB), then came Russell, Perez, Albon, and Hulkenberg. Right now, Ferrari and McLaren look good, Mercedes and Red Bu
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Azerbaijan: pre-race 2024

Once again, F1 in 2024 threw up a shock result, this time to the detriment of Norris. Both Saubers failed to leave Q1, as did Ocon (whose car was poorly). Ricciardo was the fastest man eliminated. And Norris qualified 17th. Rampant track evolution meant the McLarens had to go out again, Piastri ahead of Norris. But Ocon peeling off to the side brought out yellows and Norris aborted his lap. Advantage Verstappen in the title race. Q2 was interesting, although with less dramatic implications, as Bearman did well to outqualify Hulkenberg (11th and 14th respectively). A minor note I’d add is that the German excels at old school tracks like Silverstone and Interlagos and isn’t so hot on street circuits, but even so it’s very impressive by the young British driver. Tsunoda, Gasly, and Stroll were also eliminated. And so to the pole position contest in Q3. Leclerc was fastest of all and even improved late on, and is joined on the front row by Piastri. The second row is Sainz and Perez, who ha
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Azerbaijan: pre-qualifying 2024

Azerbaijan is a weird track, faster than Monaco but still 90% very tight and then you’ve got a huge straight. Races are sometimes tedious, and sometimes crazy. It’s the first time Colapinto and Bearman (replacing the temporarily banned Magnussen) will go around the streets of Baku. Also, McLaren have indicated they will (finally) favour Norris at the expense if need be, in pursuit of the title. In FP1 Verstappen was fastest, a third of a second ahead of Hamilton and Perez. Norris was a tenth further back, with a similar margin back to Sainz, then Piastri, Alonso, Russell, Leclerc, and Ricciardo. However, both Leclerc and Colapinto crashed out, making this a rather disrupted session. Second practice had Leclerc fastest, six thousandths ahead of Perez and sixty-six hundredths ahead of Hamilton. Sainz was four-tenths further back, a few hundredths up on Piastri, with Verstappen a similar distance behind. Stroll, Hulkenberg, Russell, and Bearman completed the upper half of the time sheet
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Italy: pre-race 2024

  As predicted, qualifying was nice and close, but with a couple of surprises. In the first session, Colapinto dipped a tyre into the gravel (unlike Sainz, he did it on the critical second run rather than the first). This cost him progression to Q2 but he did well to save it instead of delivering his Williams into the barriers. The Saubers were slowest, and Tsunoda also departed at this stage. Slightly more surprising was Stroll, who starts 17 th . In Q2 things were ultra-close with the top 8 looking destined for a very close battle and leaving just scraps for the rest. In the end, Alonso was pipped by Hulkenberg. The Spaniard qualified 11 th , just a hundredth off Q1. Ricciardo and Magnussen followed, with Gasly and Ocon bringing up the rear. And so to a private Hulkenberg-Albon duel for glory on the fifth row, and four teams contesting the win. In the end, it was a McLaren 1-2, Norris leading the way, the perfect papaya result for those wanting title battles. There was a tenth betwee
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Italy: pre-qualifying 2024

  Between second and third practice, Antonelli was confirmed as Hamilton’s replacement by Mercedes. Not too shocking, to be honest.   First practice saw new Williams driver Colapinto, and Kimi Antonelli took Russell’s Merc for a spin. The latter ended with a crash. Verstappen topped the time sheets, two-tenths up on Leclerc. Norris was a hundredth further back, and then two-tenths later came Sainz (a thousandth up on Bottas). Piastri, Hamilton, Albon, Perez, and Alonso rounded out the top 10. In second practice Hamilton was fastest, three-thousandths ahead of Norris. Sainz was exactly one-tenth further back, with Piastri a couple of hundredths slower, and Leclerc three-tenths off the Aussie (the top five were covered by one and a half-tenths). Russell, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Alonso, and Stroll were the other chaps in the top half of the time sheet. Colapinto was two-tenths off Albon, which is rather good given he’s brand new. Right now qualifying is looking very tasty and hard to call
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The Netherlands: pre-race 2024

Well, my early bet on Hamilton isn’t looking too clever right about now. In Q1 Sargeant never got going, the car was too damaged to be repaired in time. Unsurprisingly, the two Saubers were slowest, with Magnussen and Ocon also failing to progress. Q2 was interesting. Earlier in the session, Russell had seen his car all twitchy (perhaps due to wind) and Hamilton got it here but, unluckily for the elder Briton, it happened when he needed a fast lap. He wasn’t the only one unable to get through to Q3, as Sainz was also out at this stage. Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, and Magnussen were rather more predictable departures here. But Hamilton and Sainz’s pain was Aston Martin and Albon’s gain, as all three made it through to the final session. At the sharp end, Norris had a devastating pace, claiming pole by four-tenths over Verstappen. Piastri was a tenth off the Dutchman, and a tenth ahead of Russell, showing Hamilton could’ve been about 10 places higher. (NB Perez was bitching on the radio about H
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