Right here is our full textual content transcript from spherical 23 of the 2024 System 1 season, which happened 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 previous Dash weekend to date and it appears to be like like we’ve acquired all of the elements 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 last 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 mentioned after the session that the incident was “perhaps” the explanation he was unable to enhance on his first effort.
What are Ferrari’s probabilities 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 to date this weekend in Qatar.
The Lusail circuit options the form 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, regardless that overtaking right here is way from straightforward, I’m assured we will combat for some strong factors,” mentioned the Spaniard – “The weekend will not be over, we have to keep totally targeted in the course of the race and be ready to seize any alternative.”
Ferrari could possibly be on the backfoot if the Qatar Grand Prix turns right into a two-stop race and the onerous tyre is the compound to be on. Verstappen, Russell and each McLarens have two new hards left, which could possibly be necessary.
We’ll say although, the groups anticipated a one-stop race final trip in Las Vegas. If the tempo is excessive on the entrance, or the sector is bunched, don’t be shocked 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 seeking to go longer on the onerous. 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 constructing 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 acquired 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 spot to Lando Norris forward of the ultimate nook and retains the lead at the beginning 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 extensive within the Sauber. We await a replay as to decipher what precisely occurred there!
Lap 8/57: Race lead as much as nearly two seconds now for Max Verstappen over Lando Norris, who now has George Russell nearly 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 crew for it, so a penalty appears sure.
Alonso angered by lack of straight-line velocity
Fernando Alonso on Aston Martin crew radio whereas working twelfth from eighth on grid: “I can not ******* consider it man. Two years with the identical ******* drawback on the straights.”
Lap 11/57: Nobody would have seen this coming after the Dash, that’s for certain.
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 acquired 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 probabilities of combating again from eighth. He’s presently 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 effectively for George Russell and Mercedes with the Briton dropping over 3s again on the highest two. However a number of the strain that was beginning to develop on Russell from Piastri has simply been relieved, at the very least for now, after the Australian acquired effectively out of form into the ultimate nook and ran extensive. Hole again out to 1.1s.
Lap 18/57: Lando Norris has simply accomplished successive quickest laps of the race to deliver Max Verstappen’s lead down in the direction of 1.5 seconds. Is the McLaren taking care of its onerous tyres a little bit higher than the Crimson Bull?
Lap 22/57: With Lando Norris round two seconds again from Max Verstappen, trying an undercut stays a possible possibility for McLaren. You’d anticipate to realize a second or two from it. All eyes on the mechanics as we enter the pit window!
Lap 23/57: His error on the last nook value him just a few 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 will not be too far behind both.
Lap 23/57: George Russell is the primary of the front-runners to pit, and it’s a sluggish cease! A problem with the proper rear tyre retains him stationary for seven seconds, which implies he comes out all the best way down in P11. That’s disastrous and he’ll probably 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 the 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 onerous 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 onerous.
Lap 30/57: Might we’d like a VSC right here? The wing mirror has flown off Alex Albon’s Williams and is on the principle straight off the racing line. How are they going to take away this?
Lap 31/57: That is attention-grabbing – 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 crew radio.
Lap 33/57: So far as we’re conscious, the wing mirror remains to be mendacity on the principle straight. F1’s new director seems to be comfy with its presence for now. his will not be an excellent search for the brand new race director Rui Marques. Valtteri Bottas hits the stray wing mirror and particles flies everywhere in the most important straight. That would have simply been prevented!
Lap 36/57: What a large number. 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 reasonable stops, which strengthens Verstappen’s probabilities of sealing victory this night.
Lap 37/57: George Russell has simply come onto crew radio berating his Mercedes crew for giving him one other set of onerous tyres. We predict Russell didn’t have any new units of mediums remaining, and Mercedes clearly weren’t assured the gentle compound might final till the top.
Lap 39/57: The motion is about to renew! Lap 40/57: It’s as you have 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 skin
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 have 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 form of technical problem that prompted the spin? We’ll await 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 beneath investigation for not slowing beneath yellow flags.
Lap 42/57: Right here we go once more… Lap 44/57: Oscar Piastri is anxious that one thing is perhaps incorrect together 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 inside the subsequent three laps Norris should are available in to the pit lane, cease in McLaren’s field, after which await 10s earlier than rejoining the monitor. That’ll value him the most effective 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 an extra cushion as they search a primary level of the season. The Chinese language driver is as much as P8 and might certainly see it house from right here.
Lap 48/57: Max Verstappen has opened a four-second hole to Charles Leclerc in second. The Ferrari stays beneath 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 acquired time to salvage some extent? He’s on an absolute cost, seconds quicker than the automobile 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 automobiles behind him who’re separated by simply a few seconds, however we all know how troublesome overtaking is round right here. In the meantime, Carlos Sainz has simply run extensive and given a little bit of respiratory house to Pierre Gasly in fifth.
Lap 54/57: It’s going to be at the very least a single level for Lando Norris then as he will get shortly previous Alex Albon and Valtteri Bottas.
A probably 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 regarded dangerous. 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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