OSCAR PIASTRI DELIVERS DAMNING MCLAREN F1 CANADIAN GP VERDICT: 'WE LOOK LIKE IDIOTS'

Oscar PIastri has slammed McLaren's decision to start the F1 Canadian GP on hard tyres

Oscar Piastri has lambasted McLaren’s decision to start the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix on intermediate tyres, resulting in a miserable afternoon.

McLaren attempted a radical strategy at the start of the F1 Canadian GP, opting to put Piastri and teammate Lando Norris on intermediate tyres.

The track, while not dry, also did not warrant intermediates, forcing both drivers to pit for dry tyres in the opening two laps.

Now back in the midfield, Piastri suffered a disastrous afternoon and finished outside the points after incurring a ten-second time penalty for crashing into Alex Albon.

Speaking after the race. Piastri revealed how the decision quickly unravelled as the formation lap began.

“There was definitely no standing water, but you could clearly tell where it was wet and where it was dry, and getting to the grid was not easy on slicks; getting to full throttle was pretty tough.

“Unfortunately for us, it stopped raining as the formation lap started, basically. Just one of those things where if it had rained a little bit more, we would have looked like heroes, but it didn’t, so we looked like idiots. So just one of those things.”

Oscar Piastri apologises for Alex Albon crash

Apologising for his crash with Albon, Piastri admitted to driver error, describing the incident as “not my finest moment”.

“It was just so, so difficult out there.

“I felt like I was going into the corner pretty carefully, but locked the front, and that was it. It was not my finest moment.

“Apologies to Alex and Williams, because it was unnecessary damage for both of us, especially for them. So just one of those things.”

McLaren and Piastri will need to deep dive urgently as to how a front row and top six start led to no points.

- James Phillips

ATLASSIAN WILLIAMS F1 TEAM REVEAL 2026 F1

Atlassian Williams F1 Team today officially unveiled the racing livery for its 2026 challenger, the FW48 – revealing a new look for the team in Formula 1’s all-new regulations era. Drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz joined Team Principal James Vowles to present the striking design to the 1,200-strong workforce at Grove who have poured tens of thousands of hours into preparing for the season ahead.

• Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz and James Vowles unveil striking livery design for the FW48 to dedicated team at Grove HQ

• New look for the new era of F1 regulations features vibrant gloss blue complemented by black and white, with heritage-inspired red and white keyline

• Alex Albon: “The FW48 looks incredible…I can’t wait for the fans to see it on track and cheer us on”

The 2026 livery has been designed to match the team’s bold intent as it transitions to a new era as Atlassian Williams F1 Team – a name reflecting the team’s sole purpose to race and win at the pinnacle of motorsport.

The FW48 is flooded with a vibrant gloss blue, a colour that is unmistakably Williams and reflects the strength of our title partnership with Atlassian. This is contrasted with a flowing section of black, sweeping from the chassis side through to the rear of the car, which is framed by an iconic red and white keyline – a feature of championship-winning Williams cars like Nigel Mansell’s FW14B and Damon Hill’s FW18 which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

The most striking evolution of the livery comes from the introduction of white across the sidepod, front wing and rear wing – injecting energy and movement into the design and amplifying the presence of our partners across the car.

Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s new look was revealed hours after the announcement of a major new global partnership with Barclays, the latest vote of confidence in Williams’ determination to return to the front of the grid. Over the past fortnight the team has also welcomed Anthropic, BNY, Wilkinson Sword and Nuveen to the team, who all join our growing roster of world-class brands who are helping the team transform in pursuit of Championship success.

The livery has been custom designed around the new shape of F1 cars in 2026. New regulations mean the cars are shorter and narrower with significant changes to the front and rear wings – along with other aerodynamic surfaces – designed for even closer racing. The entire team at Grove has been determined to push the boundaries of performance with the FW48, targeting the new regulations as an opportunity to take the next step on Williams’ journey back towards the front.

In 2026 Atlassian Williams F1 Team is looking to build on its most successful season for nine years. Last year the team finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship with 137 points, secured podium finishes in Baku and Qatar, and took home its first-ever Sprint podium in Austin.

James Vowles, Team Principal, Atlassian Williams F1 Team: “2026 is the next step on the path back towards the top for Atlassian Williams F1 Team as we enter a new era for the sport, and we are excited about the season ahead. We have a great driver line up, some fantastic new partners, an ever-growing fanbase and want to build on the success we tasted last year, but we are not naïve about the challenge ahead of us. Nobody quite knows what will happen at the first race but we are looking forward to finding out, and hope our fans will love cheering us on with this great new livery.”

Alex Albon, Atlassian Williams F1 Team: “It’s always special to see a new livery for the first time, and the FW48 looks incredible. The design really stands out – it’s bold, modern and unmistakably Atlassian Williams F1 Team. I can’t wait for the fans to see it on track and cheer us on in 2026.

Carlos Sainz, Atlassian Williams F1 Team: “The FW48 livery is a real statement of our intent for 2026. The design celebrates Atlassian Williams F1 Team’s heritage while embracing a fresh, dynamic look for the new era. I’m excited to race in this livery and to share the thrill with fans around the world - their support makes all the difference as we continue on our journey  together!”

- Williams Racing

F1 - LECLERC TOPS OPENING PRACTICE IN LAS VEGAS AHEAD OF ALBON AND TSUNODA

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc went quickest in the opening practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix with Williams' Alex Albon in second place ahead of Red Bull Racing's Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen. Championship leader Lando Norris was sixth with title rival McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastrin P8. 

On a dusty, dirty track surface Isack Hadjar was the first to post a time with the French driver crossing the line in a conservative 1:46.042. His Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson was also on track and the New Zealander was soon on the radio to tell his pit wall that the ‘green’ track was “so slippery”.

Williams’ Carlos Sainz took over at the top of the order thanks to a Medium-tyres time of 1:41.164. He was soon dislodged by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and then by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who posted a time of 1:39.733 to move up to P1. 

Hadjar then returned to the top of the timesheet with a lap of 1:39.415 before being dislodged by Sainz who went six hundredths of a second quicker. The Racing Bulls driver responded, however, and once again made his way to P1 with a lap of 1:38.753.

With grip improving steadily, the lap times continued to drop and after Gasly, Sainz, Leclerc and Hadjar all cycled through top spot Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg then dropped the benchmark to 1:37.370, on the Hard tyre.

It was then the turn of Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda who posted a lap of 1:37.094 but the Japanese driver was ousted by title contending team-mate Max Verstappen who took top spot with a lap of 1:36.493 before working his way down to 1:35.776, but attention was focused on championship leader Lando Norris who clipped a barrier with his right rear wheel. The Briton was able to continue, however. 

With the halfway mark in sight the field began to move to performance runs on Soft tyres. With the red-banded tyres on board his Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton immediately jumped to P1 with a lap of 1:35.561. However, he was quickly ousted by Leclerc who hit the top with a lap of 1:35.281, which he then lowered to 1:35.121. 

Verstappen had also bolted on a set of Softs and the four-time champion made his way back to P1 with a time of 1:35.109. However, he was once again pushed back by team-mate Tsunoda who posted a lap of 1:35.071. 

There was no denying Leclerc, however, and he moved back to the top for the final time in the session with a lap of 1:34.802.

Williams’ Alex Albon delivered a late lap of 1:34.968 to rise above Tsunoda who ended the session in in P3, 0.269s off Leclerc, while Verstappen finished fourth ahead of Sainz. 

Norris initially failed to post a clean lap on the Softs but he eventually logged a lap of 1:35.258 to finish in sixth place, almost half a second off Leclerc. 

Isack Hadjar took seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of title contender Oscar Piastri, while Mercedes’ George Russell took ninth ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli. 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix

1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.802 29 235.476

2 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:34.968 0.166 23 235.064

3 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:35.071 0.269 27 234.809

4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:35.109 0.307 24 234.715

5 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:35.179 0.377 31 234.543

6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.258 0.456 25 234.348

7 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:35.299 0.497 30 234.247

8 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:35.450 0.648 27 233.877

9 George Russell Mercedes 1:35.534 0.732 25 233.671

10 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:35.538 0.736 30 233.661

11 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:35.561 0.759 26 233.605

12 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:35.589 0.787 26 233.537

13 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:35.709 0.907 28 233.244

14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.746 0.944 23 233.154

15 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:35.894 1.092 25 232.794

16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:35.990 1.188 28 232.561

17 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:36.123 1.321 30 232.239

18 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:36.170 1.368 25 232.126

19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:36.398 1.596 25 231.577

20 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:36.758 1.956 28 230.71

 - FIA

WILLIAMS UNVEILS NEW NAME & LOGO FOR 2026

Atlassian Williams Racing will race next year under a new identity that connects the team’s glorious legacy to its bold and ambitious future. From January the team will become Atlassian Williams F1 Team – a name reflecting their sole purpose to race and win in the top echelon of motorsport. Their existing ‘W’ logo will be replaced by a 21st century reimagining of Frank Williams’ famous ‘Forward W’, first introduced in our founding year of 1977 and featured on every one of our nine Constructors’ World Championship-winning cars.

It is the latest evolution for an iconic Formula 1 team that is one of the top three most-successful in the sport’s history – and has set a clear ambition to be a powerhouse again in this modern era of F1.

Throughout almost 50 years in F1 Williams has forged a legacy built on independence, innovation and determination to win, attracting tens of millions of dedicated fans around the world.

Now under the ownership of Dorilton Capital, with James Vowles as Team Principal and world-class drivers in Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, the team is driven to usher in a new era of success with the same passion and values at its heart as F1 continues to expand in global popularity.

This transformation is already gathering pace, with the team sitting fifth in the 2025 Constructors’ Championship with 111 points – more than the past seven seasons combined. The team recently secured its first Grand Prix podium since 2021 in Baku, and first-ever Sprint podium in Austin.

James Vowles, Team Principal, Atlassian Williams Racing: “I am proud that from next year we will be known as Atlassian Williams F1 Team and carry a logo on our car inspired by our founder Sir Frank Williams and deeply connected with our decades of success.

“As a team we are inspired by our past but excited about our future, and committed to writing a new Championship-winning chapter in Williams’ history.

“This evolved team identity reflects who we are, where we are going, and reintroduces our title-winning legacy to a growing F1 audience that was not following the sport when we were last dominant.”

Marcus Prosser, Marketing Director, Atlassian Williams Racing: “With this new name and logo our rich history is being reimagined for the future.

“It is inspired by our past, confident about our future, and clear about our identity – a Championship-winning Formula 1 team with a burning drive to win again.

“We hope our existing and loyal fans will love it. But we also hope it will connect a new generation to our incredible legacy, building the community of Williams fans that will carry us to our next victory.”

- Williams Racing

SINGAPORE GP: WILLIAMS RACING DISQUALIFIED FROM QUALIFYING

Despite seeing their cars finish qualifying for the 2025 Singapore GP in 12th & 13th with Alex Albon leading Carlos Sainz post session checks by the FIA would see both Williams Racing cars disqualified due to issues with the DRS and it's allowable dimensions.

Qualifying for the 2025 Singapore GP had seen the Atlassian Williams Racing Team finish with both Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon not making it past Q2. Alex would finish in 12th and Carlos 13th.

But in post-session checks by the FIA it was announced that for both Williams cars the uppermost rear wing elements exceeded the allowed limits. The FIA confirmed the measurement: “Both cars exceeded the maximum limit of 85mm on both sides of the rear wing outer area.”

The infringement falls under article 3.10.10 g. of the technical regulations, which governs the Drag Reduction System (DRS). The rule requires that, when deployed, the gap between sections of the rear wing must remain between 9.4mm and 85mm across the span.

This would see both Williams cars disqualified from qualifying. The Williams team had conducted their own measurements on both cars prior to qualifying but these measurements were shown to be incorrect based on the FIA's own checks.

The FIA stated: “The competitor did not contest the measurement procedure, the methodology, or the accuracy of the measuring equipment used by FIA.”

Williams Team Principal James Vowles described the disqualification as a setback, emphasising that no performance advantage was sought. (Statement below)

James Vowles Team Principal:

"During FIA scrutineering after Qualifying, the rear wings on both our cars failed DRS slot gap checks. As a result, Alex and Carlos have been disqualified from Qualifying for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix. This is bitterly disappointing for the team and we are urgently investigating how this happened.

At no point were we seeking a performance advantage and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters and we fully accept the FIA ruling. We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow, and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

- Williams Racing - Andrew Hooper

FORMULA 1 DRIVER STANDINGS | AFTER MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025

 

MOST POINTS FINISHED IN ROOKIE YEAR | FORMULA 1

 

JENSON' BUTTON HAS BELIEF THAT WILLIAMS IN ON THE RIGHT PATH IN F1

 

Jenson Button has seen 'belief' restored at Williams

Jenson Button claims he has seen “belief” within the Williams outfit that it is back on the right path in Formula 1.

Button made his F1 debut with the team – then under the stewardship of founder Sir Frank Williams and technical guru Patrick Head – back in 2000, and rejoined as a senior advisor in 2021.

The 2009 World Champion, who also provides analysis for Sky Sports, has observed the similarities between his early days with the team and the present, during which time it has negotiated some rocky spells under the transition of ownership and new team principals.

“The atmosphere kind of feels the same as back in 2000,” Button told Crash.net.

“It feels fun, exciting, obviously serious when it comes to racing, but it is a nice family atmosphere.

“When I re-joined the team as an ambassador the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same,” he explained.

“You had people that have been here for a couple of decades, [even] three decades, and then you had an influx of new talent coming into the team.

“There was a need to put together the right leadership to bring everyone together to work as one.”

Despite enduring a difficult 2024 campaign, scoring just 17 points to finish ninth in the Constructors’ standings, Williams is a team determined to build for a better future.

That is the mantra of Team Principal James Vowles and Button believes Williams has “belief” from within that things are trending upward.

“Now I think there’s a lot more belief in the direction of where the team is going, which is so important when you’re trying to work together to build for the future,” he said.

Alpine-bound Colapinto ‘refreshing’

Button also heaped praise on Franco Colapinto, who raced in the final nine rounds of last season with Williams, scoring five points, tempting Alpine to poach him on a multi-year deal which begins with a reserve driver role in 2025.

“It’s been really refreshing to watch a driver jump into the car and be competitive from the word go,” Button said of the Argentine.

“I think we all have a lot of respect for Alex [Albon], how good he is and what he is able to achieve in this sport. For somebody young to be able to jump in and push him is very impressive.

“You learn from your teammates no matter how old or young they are, whether they’re inexperienced or experienced, you still learn from the data.

“It really helps the team move forward as well if they have two drivers that are competitive, that can learn from each other and move this team forward.”

Albon will of course face stern competition this year in the form of established Grand Prix-winner Carlos Sainz, who joins from Ferrari.

- Jack Oliver Smith

BRAZIL GRAND PRIX: WILLIAMS 'HURTING' AFTER THREE BIG CRASHES BY

F1.com

Williams boss James Vowles said he was "hurting" after the Formula 1 team suffered three costly crashes in Brazil on Sunday and dropped a place in the constructors' world championship.

Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon both crashed in qualifying at Interlagos, postponed from Saturday, with the latter driver unable to take part in the race because the mechanics were unable to rebuild his car in time.

Argentine rookie Colapinto then crashed again in the race, triggering red flags.

With Renault-owned Alpine finishing second and third with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in a rain-hit grand prix, Williams fell to ninth in the standings with three rounds remaining and 27 points between them and eighth-placed RB.

"The nature of Formula One is that you can have some of the most incredible feelings and results, as well as some of the lowest moments that you can feel within a sport. I think it's fair to say this weekend is the second of those two," Vowles said.

"We've had three incredibly large crashes in just a few hours from one another and have a tremendous amount of work to get ourselves back on top of our spares situation before we go to Las Vegas in just a few weeks' time."

Vowles said he had watched the race through to the end, despite Colapinto crashing before the half-distance, because he wanted "to make sure I remember today because this isn't what I want us to be feeling in the future."

Albon said it had been a tough few weeks with the team now in a challenging position.

"I really didn't expect the incident in Turn One to happen, so we need to take a proper look to figure out what happened," he added.

"It's disappointing as it would've been a great opportunity to score points, as we knew coming to Brazil there is always a chance for crazy races, however it's our competitors who've been able to capitalise on this."

- Reuters 

ALEX ALBON ISSUES 'REALISTIC' WILLIAMS WARNING CARLOS SAINZ WILL NOT WANT TO HEAR

Getty Images 

Alex Albon has now issued a warning about Williams that Carlos Sainz will not want to hear after agreeing to his multi-year contract to join the Formula 1 team from Ferrari.

The Grove squad have moved to lock down their driver line-up for 2025 with Sainz replacing Logan Sargeant. Williams have gifted the 29-year-old an initial two-year contract that boasts options to take his stay past 2026, after Ferrari elected to replace Sainz with Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari put Sainz in the shop window in February when Hamilton confirmed that he will leave Mercedes after the 2024 Formula 1 season. Williams have now, finally, won the race to land Sainz’s signature to partner Albon in Grove having decided to drop Sargeant after two years.

Alex Albon admits Williams must ‘be realistic’ with F1’s 2026 regulation changes

Albon also renewed his contract with Williams in May to stay in Grove through, at least, the 2027 F1 season. The 28-year-old is committed to helping Williams return to the front of the grid and shaping how they deal with Formula 1’s huge set of regulation changes come 2026.

F1 will introduce new chassis and engine regulations in its biggest shake-up since 2014 and the start of the V6 turbo-hybrid power unit era. Engines will become a 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power, while running sustainable fuels and removing the MGU-H.

The chassis regulation changes will also see Formula 1 cars become smaller in 2026 and run active aerodynamics. But Albon feels Williams must ‘be realistic’ with their expectations for 2026 and that any suggestions the Grove natives will become podium threats are ambitious.

“I think 2026 to say we will be at the front would be optimistic,” Albon told GPFans. “I think we do need to be realistic and stay grounded, and focus on how much of a journey that we were gonna have to be on.”

James Vowles made Carlos Sainz fully aware of the project Williams are building

Albon admitting that Williams are unlikely to become front-runners when Formula 1 enters the new regulations in 2026 will be among the last things that Sainz wanted to hear having signed his multi-year contract. It is hardly a huge vote of confidence in the project he joins.

But team principal James Vowles spoke with Sainz since last December about the project he is creating at Williams. So, the Spaniard will move to Grove in 2025 with his eyes wide open to what is in store as he steps down from Ferrari, where Sainz has won three Grand Prix yet.

Getty Images 

Sainz became a Grand Prix winner for the first time in his Formula 1 career as a Ferrari pilot at the 2022 British GP. He has since added victories at the 2023 Singapore GP and the 2024 Australian GP. But Ferrari felt they could not pass up on a chance to sign Hamilton for 2025.

Now, Williams will hope Sainz’s experience – having also taken five pole positions and 21 of his 23 career podiums at Ferrari – helps Albon to shape their path into the 2026 regulations. Williams have not taken a podium since the 2021 Belgian GP, when the race lasted one lap.

On true merit alone, Williams’ last podium came at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP as Lance Stroll secured third place. The Grove squad also last took a pole position at the 2014 Austrian GP with Felipe Massa. Pastor Maldonado gifted Williams their last win at the 2012 Spanish GP.

WILLIAMS ANNOUNCE TOP TECHNICAL HIRES FROM F1 RIVALS

(L-R) Matthew Savage, chairman of Dorilton Capital, team principal James Vowles and ex-racing driver turned investor James Matthews. Mark Thompson/Getty Images

 Williams announced a list of top technical hires from rival Formula One teams on Thursday including Matt Harman who was previously technical director at Renault-owned Alpine.

Harman will join after the August shutdown as design director while Richard Frith, also ex-Alpine, arrives next year as head of performance systems.

Both will report to chief technical officer Pat Fry, an F1 veteran who joined Williams from Alpine last November.

Fabrice Moncade is joining as chief engineer next week after a previous stint at Ferrari while Juan Molina arrives from Haas on July 15 as chief aerodynamicist.

Steve Winstanley, who spent 14 years with Red Bull, has been appointed chief engineer, composites and structures.

Williams said they formed part of a group of 26 new recruits joining over the course of the year, including four from Red Bull and 10 from Alpine.

"There has been a particular focus on strengthening the aerodynamics team, with 11 hires, and the design office with 13," the team said in a statement.

"We are on a mission to fight our way back to the front and being able to attract experienced, championship-winning talent from other teams demonstrates huge belief in the journey we are on," principal James Vowles said.

The former world champions, who last won a race in 2012 and a championship in 1997, are currently ninth in the standings with two points from 10 races.

They recently extended the contract of Thai driver Alex Albon and have made an ambitious approach to Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who is handing over his seat to Lewis Hamilton at the end of the year.

- Reuters 

MERCEDES' RUSSELL TAKES SHOCK POLE OVER VERSTAPPEN AT CANADIAN GP

 

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

MONTREAL -- George Russell and Max Verstappen set identical times in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, with Russell taking pole position by virtue of setting his time earlier in the session.

The Mercedes driver clocked a 1:12.000 on his first run in Q3, which was then matched down to a thousandth of a second by Verstappen in the final moments of qualifying.

- 'Unlapped': Listen to ESPN's F1 podcast

Formula One rules state that if identical times are set by multiple drivers, the one who set the time first will start ahead.

Lando Norris will start third on the grid for McLaren ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri in fourth after Norris was just 0.021 seconds off the times of Russell and Verstappen.

Russell's pole position marks Mercedes' first of the season after the team struggled with the performance of its car from the first race in Bahrain.

A new front wing for the Monaco Grand Prix helped address one of the main weaknesses of the car, and Russell attributed the pole position to the work done by Mercedes back at its factory.

Asked whether he could hold off championship leader Verstappen for victory on Sunday, he said: "Why not? Of course. Let's go for it. The car's been feeling so good since we brought an upgrade at Monaco."

Ferrari will not feature in the top 10 on the grid after both drivers failed to hook up a competitive time in the closing stages of Q2. Charles Leclerc missed out on a place in Q3 by 0.032s to qualify his Ferrari 11th, with teammate Carlos Sainz 0.037s further adrift in 12th.

Leclerc, who won the last race, in Monaco, and is second in the championship, immediately radioed his team after Q2 and said, "I guess we are out? OK, I won't comment here." Sainz added that he had "no grip" after returning to the pits and learning about his grid position.

Daniel Ricciardo will start fifth for RB on Sunday's grid, a welcome result for him after teammate Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed at the team for 2025 with Ricciardo's future still uncertain.

Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso will start sixth ahead of the second Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton and Russell had both set times in the 1:11s in Q2, which were the fastest of the qualifying hour, but Hamilton could manage only a 1:12.280 when it mattered in Q3.

Tsunoda will start eighth in the second RB ahead of the only Canadian on the grid, Lance Stroll, and Williams' Alex Albon in 10th.

Just 0.008s behind Sainz's Ferrari in 12th, Albon teammate Logan Sargeant secured his best qualifying position of the season in 13th, ahead of Kevin Magnussen's Haas in 14th and Pierre Gasly's Alpine in 15th.

For the second weekend in a row Sergio Pérez was knocked out of qualifying in Q1 and will start 16th on the grid. The Mexican driver, whose new two-year contract at Red Bull was confirmed earlier this week, was nearly a second off the lap time of teammate Verstappen in the opening session of qualifying.

A sprinkling of rain reduced grip levels at the start of Q1, but conditions improved rapidly as the track dried, meaning the pressure was on all drivers to improve in the closing stages. Valtteri Bottas qualified 17th for Sauber ahead of Alpine's Esteban Ocon, who will start last once his five-place penalty for clashing with teammate Gasly in Monaco is applied.

Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg qualified 19th and will move up to 18th as a result of Ocon's penalty, and Sauber's Zhou Guanyu will start 19th after qualifying 20th.

- Laurence Edmondson

CHRISTIAN HORNER WITH RED BULL TEAM AT START OF F1 TESTING IN BAHRAIN DESPITE ONGOING INVESTIGATION

AP Photo 

 SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Team principal Christian Horner was with Red Bull as Formula 1 preseason testing began Wednesday even as he faces an ongoing investigation by the team's parent company into an alleged claim of misconduct.

Horner was alongside the team's chief technology officer, car designer Adrian Newey, as Max Verstappen drove the team's new car at the start of Wednesday's morning session. It is the start of the Dutch driver's campaign for a fourth consecutive world title.

The Red Bull parent company said Feb. 5 it was investigating allegations of misconduct toward a team employee. Horner denies any wrongdoing and has continued in his role as team principal during the investigation.

On the track, Red Bull still had the fastest car in testing. Max Verstappen set the pace with a time that was more than a second faster than anyone else and completed 142 laps. That's more than double the distance of next week's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and more than any other team completed Wednesday.

Lando Norris was second-fastest for McLaren, 1.14 seconds off Verstappen's pace and 0.1 faster than Carlos Sainz Jr. for Ferrari. Mercedes lacked pace on the first day of testing with George Russell only 12th fastest despite completing 121 laps.

While most teams designed cars broadly similar to the 2023 Red Bull which won all but one race, Red Bull has changed its approach. Its new car has slim sidepods with vertical air intakes. It resembles an approach Mercedes tried previously with little success, but Verstappen's times indicated Red Bull has found a way to make it work.

WHO WOULD REPLACE HAMILTON IN 2025

 Do you hear that? The whirring sound off in the distance? That's Formula One's rumour mill, and it has been working overtime to catch up with last week's shock news that Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of this year and move to Ferrari.

Hamilton will leave behind a gaping hole in Mercedes' driver lineup as well as an intriguing storyline as team boss Toto Wolff attempts to fill it. In truth, very few can match the seven-time world champion's driving ability and no one on the grid can match his marketing appeal, but Wolff said Friday that the situation is "a chance to do something bold." George Russell represents a very safe pair of hands and is under contract until the end of 2025, meaning Mercedes could take a punt on a second driver in the knowledge they will have a very high benchmark to measure against.

Wolff admitted that the timing of Hamilton's announcement had "bitten" the team as Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris recently committed their futures to Ferrari and McLaren, respectively, but there are still at least five very capable candidates available in one form or another.

WHO MIGHT REPLACE LEWIS HAMILTON AT MERCEDES?

Reuters 

 Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari for 2025, confirmed on Thursday, gives Mercedes plenty of time to replace him but the big question is who will step into the shoes of the most successful driver of all time?

More than half of the current starting grid will be out of contract at the end of the season but inevitably some stand out more than others.

Several potential candidates are not even in Formula One at present and look like long-shots, but Formula One is never short of surprises.

The following looks at the possible options for Mercedes and the questions raised.

CARLOS SAINZ, 29

The Spaniard whose place has been taken by Hamilton would be a straight swap. He has, however, been considered a top target for Audi, who are taking over Sauber and entering as a works team in 2026. He would be the likely number one there, and Audi have strong connections with his father who won last month's Dakar Rally with them. Would either he or Mercedes want to do a deal for one year or would he be open to a longer one?

ALEX ALBON, 27

The ex-Red Bull driver has been a big hit with Mercedes-powered Williams, scoring all but one of their points last season and hauling them up to seventh overall. Williams are run by James Vowles, who was previously a close confidant of Mercedes principal Toto Wolff as that team's head of motorsport strategy. A deal for Albon, an old friend and rival of George Russell who also graduated from Williams, would surely be straightforward.

ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI, 17

The 17-year-old Italian is yet to debut in Formula Two but considered a big talent for the future and already under contract to Mercedes. If not ready for the former champions, he might be offered to Williams to get experience.

MICK SCHUMACHER, 24

Michael Schumacher's son is the official reserve. His seasons with Haas were difficult and he is now on the roster of endurance drivers with Renault-owned Alpine. Michael raced for the team, his place taken by Hamilton in 2013, but Mick looks a long shot compared to other options.

ESTEBAN OCON, 27

A Mercedes-backed junior driver and reserve and preparing for his eighth season in F1 and fifth with Renault/Alpine. The team rated him very highly but he may have slipped down the list of options by now.

VALTTERI BOTTAS, 34

Hamilton's team mate before Russell replaced the Finn, who will be out of contract at Sauber at the end of the year and whose place could go to Sainz. He knows all the people at Mercedes but a return would surely be unlikely.

FERNANDO ALONSO, 42

The evergreen double world champion is out of contract at Aston Martin at the end of the year but showing no sign of wanting to stop and still looking highly competitive.

SEBASTIAN VETTE, 36

Could Germany's four-times world champion be persuaded to come out of retirement and make a comeback, just as Schumacher did in 2010? Vettel, at 36, is younger than Hamilton. He didn't entirely rule out a return when he left Aston Martin in 2022.

- Alan Baldwin

AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX RESULTS CONFIRMED AS SAINZ AND HAMILTON AMONG DRIVERS DEMOTED

 

AP

The FIA has released the final classification of results for the Austrian Grand Prix after a string of retrospective penalties for track limit infringements were handed down. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton are two of the drivers to be demoted in the new standings, with Lando Norris elevated to fourth place while Fernando Alonso and George Russell also rise up in the results.

The new classification has been released after the FIA handed out penalties to eight drivers following the conclusion of the race at the Red Bull Ring, which was won by a dominant Max Verstappen, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez coming home in second and third respectively.

ALEX ALBON TAKES HIS DTM CAR FOR A RED BULL RING HOT LAP

NOT ON THE SOFA | MAX VERSTAPPEN AND ALEX ALBON'S SEASON RECAP

CHARLES LECLERC VS. GEORGE RUSSEL VS. ALEX ALBON | BAKU CITY CIRCUIT |#VIRTUALGP

THE RED BULL SHOW WITH MAX VERSTAPPEN AND ALEX ALBON