Tag: Sports

Alex Albon will start fourth on the grid for Williams in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix after equalling his career-best qualifying performance; watch the Dutch GP from 12.30pm live on Sky Sports F1, with lights out at 2pm at Zandvoort

Alex Albon earned high praise from his rivals after equalling his career-best qualifying performance to claim fourth on the grid for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

While Max Verstappen lived up to his billing as the star of the show by taking pole in Zandvoort, Saturday’s most eye-catching performance undoubtedly came from his former Red Bull team-mate.

Having delivered performances across the opening 12 races of the season that have seen him linked with a return to some of the sport’s top teams, Albon picked up where he left off in the first race after the summer break.

After impressing in practice, the British-born Thai driver topped Q1, before producing a sensational lap to match the multiple fourth places he claimed during his 18-month stint at Red Bull.

He was only denied a top-three start by two peers who have to this point overshadowed his achievements, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Albon’s long-term prospects as an F1 driver appeared uncertain when he was let go by Red Bull, but the way he has rebuilt his career at Williams after a year out hasn’t gone unnoticed by his fellow drivers.

“I’m really pleased to see him up there and it shows when you get your confidence how that can really transform the performance,” said Russell, who spent three seasons with Williams before earning his Mercedes seat.

The British driver also praised the impact of Williams team principal James Vowles, who left his role as Mercedes motorsport strategy director to take up the position.

“Williams are making a huge amount of progress at the moment,” Russell said. “I think James Vowles is having a really positive impact there.

“I think he’s definitely the best man for the job for what Williams need at the moment for their sort of resurgence.

“So it’s great to see more than just the top teams fighting and that’s what we want in Formula 1. We want everybody to have a chance if they do a good job.”

Verstappen ‘impressed’ by Williams

Albon’s season driving alongside Verstappen left question marks over his pedigree, but the similar struggles endured by other talented drivers alongside the Dutchman put that in perspective.

While Verstappen’s generational talent is undeniable, there is a suspicion that the way Red Bull develop their cars to suit the two-time world champion’s driving style has also hindered his team-mates.

Despite the brutal nature of his Red Bull departure, Albon has maintained strong relationships with his former colleagues and has been talked about as a potential candidate to replace Sergio Perez when the Mexican’s contract expires at the end of 2024.

“I didn’t know what to expect with other teams coming in,” Verstappen said. “But they (Williams) have been quick all weekend in the wet and dry.

“That’s impressive to see and it’s great for the sport as well to have more teams up there.

“I’m very happy for Alex himself. He’s a great guy, he was my team-mate before and we always had a good time, so I’m very happy for him to be up there and have a very competitive car.”

Norris is best placed, in terms of recency, to understand the struggle of being a talented driver at the back of the grid.

While McLaren’s remarkable mid-season turnaround has catapulted him to regular front-row berths, Norris has also clearly been paying attention to Williams’ gradual improvement.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a big surprise because they have been very competitive at certain places,” he said

“But every now and then, like Silverstone he (Albon) was P1 in Practice and now they just managed to keep it more through qualifying and into Q3 especially.

“So happy for him and the whole team. Logan (Sargeant) was there all the way pretty much until Q3, so they look strong. They made some big progress this season, so it’s good to have them in the battle.”

Albon reveals ‘strange’ secret to Zandvoort success

Perhaps most surprised by their success on Saturday were Albon and Williams themselves, with the 27-year-old revealing what he thinks might be behind the outstanding qualifying display.

“All conditions – slicks, wets, yesterday in the dry – we have been quite surprised, actually. We are not normally known for our high downforce performance but it’s been working well this weekend.

“I have been surprised, but the wind this weekend is perfect for our car.

“It sounds very strange, but in the corners where we are normally quite weak there’s a head wind, and in the corners where we’re normally quite strong there’s a tail wind.

“It sounds strange to say, but the wind has been very good for us. The car has been working really well. It’s been a lot of fun to drive around here so far.”

With more unpredictable weather forecast for Sunday, Albon will undoubtedly be hoping that the breeze – and his momentum – continues to blow in the same direction.

Sky Sports F1’s live Dutch GP schedule

SUNDAY AUGUST 27
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
5.30pm: Dutch GP highlights

Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime

Sergio Perez is 125 points adrift of Max Verstappen going into the Dutchman’s home event at Zandvoort this weekend; watch the Dutch Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1, with the track action under way on Friday at 11.30am and Sunday’s race starting at 2pm

Sergio Perez has revealed it has not been easy to watch team-mate Max Verstappen’s recent dominance in Formula 1.

Verstappen has won every race since April’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix and could equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins from 2013 with victory on home soil this Sunday at Zandvoort.

During that time, Perez failed to reach Q3 five times in a row and has taken three podiums from the eight races.

“Certainly it hasn’t been easy for me because I know the car’s potential,” said Perez. “Max has been exploiting that but when you don’t really have that feeling but you know that your car has a massive potential, it’s not an easy situation as a driver to be in.

“But certainly we have got a great race car and we just have to make sure we utilise it, because you never know when you’re going to have a car that is as good as this one.

“I’m mainly focused on myself. There are 10 races and I just want to get some victories and get that consistency, like we had in the last races and finish the season very strong. It’s only going to help next year, so that’s my target.”

Perez opens up on driving style issues

Perez won two of the opening four events this year and was on the verge of taking the championship lead when he started from pole position at the Miami Grand Prix, with Verstappen in ninth.

But, Verstappen came through the field to win and Perez has also struggled in mixed conditions which have affected several events this year.

“There is no secret that as the car developed, I struggled a little bit more. Things were not coming naturally anymore and I had to go very deep on my driving style, adapt to it quite a bit, and change it, because the car has simply changed and I think in the last two races were a lot better in that regard,” explained Perez.

“It’s not easy because with amount of practice we have, you kind of follow one direction or the other and then you got stuck with it for the rest of the weekend. So it is not an easy situation for a driver to have.”

He added: “I think we have understood a lot of things, especially on the development side, how we can figure it out. The team really knows what I really like and where I do feel more comfortable at.

“We’ve done some improvements during the summer break to try to make me feel more comfortable, so hopefully this second-half of the season we can show a good improvement.

“It is quite complicated and I will have to go in more detail than I would like to. It’s just the sharpness basically at medium and high speed that I’ve been struggling with, especially when we had tricky conditions did change, takes away some of the confidence. I’m OK with it. It’s another challenge for me, so I’m looking forward to that.

“I think at the end of the day, the team is trying to make the fastest car, and sometimes the development suits one style better than the other. That’s just how it works.”

Verstappen: Hopefully we can break a few records

Along with the winning streak record, Verstappen also has the opportunity to score the most points, podiums and wins a season.

Red Bull could become the first time to go unbeaten in a campaign too in a year which may be seen as a historic one in years to come.

“Hopefully [we can break] a few records but it’s not always in our hands entirely but so far it’s been a great first half of the year. Hopefully even with the break, we can keep it going,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.

On whether he feels extra pressure on home soil, he added: “Honestly, I think it’s just great. I mean for me, it doesn’t bring a weight on my shoulders or extra pressure, it’s just amazing that this is possible.

“Nobody 10 years ago even thought about a Grand Prix here, and that we’re able to do this now is fantastic.”

Sky Sports F1’s live Dutch GP schedule

FRIDAY AUGUST 25
9am: F2 Practice
11am: Dutch GP Practice One (session starts 11.30am)
12.55pm: F2 Qualifying
2.45pm: Dutch GP Practice Two (session starts 3pm)
4.15pm: The F1 Show

SATURDAY AUGUST 26
10.15am: Dutch GP Practice Three (session starts 10.30am)
12.10pm: F2 Sprint Race
1.15pm: Dutch GP Qualifying build-up
2pm: Dutch GP Qualifying

SUNDAY AUGUST 27
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Dutch GP build-up
2pm: THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Dutch GP reaction
5.30pm: Dutch GP highlights

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch GP and all sessions will be live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime

The driver match-up at each Formula 1 team is always one of the biggest talking points of any season.

So with Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen among those performing particularly strongly against their respective team-mates after the first dozen rounds of this 2023 campaign, how do the key overall metrics stand at each of the 10 teams as the racing resumes in the Netherlands this weekend?

Notes on the head-to-head numbers: Qualifying scores are awarded on the results at the end of Q3 before any grid penalties are applied; If both cars from the same team fail to finish a race, then no head-to-head score for that race is awarded; The Sprint Shootout and Sprint results are not included in the main head-to-head numbers below.

Red Bull: All-conquering Verstappen

Qualifying: Verstappen 10 vs 2 Perez

Race: Verstappen 10 vs 2 Perez

Did Not Finish (DNF): Verstappen 0 vs 0 Perez

Points: Verstappen 314 vs 189 Perez

No surprises here.

Max Verstappen’s utter domination of the 2023 season is reflected in his team-mate head-to-head with Sergio Perez.

The score reads 8-0 to the runaway title leader in both qualifying and the grand prix since Perez’s win in Azerbaijan back in April, with the Mexican’s early-season hopes to mount a title challenge undone by a succession of qualifying disappointments amid his team-mate’s relentless front-running form.

Poles: 7 vs 2; In Q3: 11 vs 6; Average grid spot: 3.4 vs 9.3
Wins 10 vs 2; Podiums: 12 vs 7
Sprints: 2 vs 1

Mercedes: Hamilton regains the momentum

Qualifying: Hamilton 7 vs 5 Russell

Race: Hamilton 9 vs 3 Russell

DNF: Hamilton 0 vs 2 Russell

Points: Hamilton 148 vs 99 Russell

Considering George Russell started the season by outqualifying his team-mate at the season’s first four events, Lewis Hamilton has been in fine form since to swing the second year of the all-British head-to-head in his favour.

It has been the seven-time champion who has been able to extract the most from the improved – but not-yet-Red Bull challenging – W14 more consistently.

Hamilton delivered the car’s only pole position in Hungary and four of its five podium finishes up to the summer break.

Poles: 1 vs 0; In Q3: 11 vs 8; Average grid spot: 5.3 vs 7.9
Podiums: 4 vs 1; Races in points: 12 vs 10
Sprints: 1 vs 2

Aston Martin: Relentless Alonso sets the standard

Qualifying: Alonso 10 vs 2 Stroll

Race: Alonso 11 vs 1 Stroll

DNF: Alonso 0 vs 2 Stroll

Points: Alonso 149 vs 47 Stroll

Not for the first time in his long career, Fernando Alonso is setting a high bar in the battle against his team-mate.

Lance Stroll is the latest driver to experience the relentlessness of the two-time champion, with the podium-achieving form that Aston Martin displayed in the season’s early months very much reflecting well on Alonso.

Ironically, it was only really the Spaniard’s home event at Barcelona in June when Stroll had the upper hand for most of a weekend.

Front-rows: 4 vs 0; In Q3: 12 vs 8; Average grid spot: 5.3 vs 10.3
Podiums: 6 vs 0; Races in points: 12 vs 8
Sprints: 1 vs 2

Ferrari: Leclerc back ahead despite Sainz consistency

Qualifying: Leclerc 8 vs 4 Sainz

Race: Leclerc 7 vs 5 Sainz

DNF: Leclerc 2 vs 1 Sainz

Points: Leclerc 99 vs 92 Sainz

2023 is not proving to be the season Ferrari envisaged, so the battle to be top dog from weekend to weekend here hasn’t often counted for as much as the drivers would want.

Despite a tough start to the season with retirements from two of the opening three rounds, it’s Charles Leclerc who has fought back to lead in the key metrics, although Carlos Sainz continues to put up a decent fight against one of the sport’s outright fastest drivers over a single lap.

Indeed, Sainz has the more consistent results in qualifying – with only Verstappen achieving a higher average grid spot across the first dozen rounds – and races but Leclerc has achieved all the poles and podiums.

Poles: 2 vs 0; In Q3: 10 vs 11; Average grid spot: 6.6 vs 5
Podiums: 3 vs 0; Races in points: 9 vs 11
Sprints: 1 vs 2

McLaren: Norris still leading the charge

Qualifying: Norris 10 vs 2 Piastri

Race: Norris 9 vs 3 Piastri

DNF: Norris 0 vs 2 Piastri

Points: Norris: 69 vs 34 Piastri

Lando Norris continues to set the standard at McLaren, with the 23-year-old’s well-established speed and under-rated consistency a high bar for Oscar Piastri to try and emulate in the Australian’s rookie season.

But Piastri is faring pretty well, particularly recently following McLaren’s big jump in form, and qualified in and around Norris in the three rounds before the break.

Piastri started ahead for both Sprint and GP in Belgium, although the latter was ended in first-corner contact after a runner-up finish to Verstappen in Saturday’s shorter race.

Front-rows: 1 vs 0; In Q3: 8 vs 7; Average grid spot: 8.5 vs 10.3
Podiums: 2 vs 0; Races in points: 7 vs 5
Sprints: 1 vs 2

Alpine: 2023’s closest duel

Qualifying: Ocon 6 vs 6 Gasly

Race: Ocon 5 vs 4 Gasly*

DNF: Ocon 4 vs 3 Gasly

Points: Ocon 35 vs 22 Gasly

Expectations that the arrival of countryman Pierre Gasly next to Esteban Ocon would produce a closely-matched driver contest at Alpine have been vindicated.

While the performance of the team’s 2023 car has fallen short of expectations, and indeed prompted all manner of recent upheaval behind the scenes, the all-French driver pairing has generally performed solidly.

Ocon’s high was his run to the bottom step of the podium in Monaco, while Gasly took third in the sprint in Belgium.

*both drivers failed to finish the Australian, British and Hungarian GPs, so no scores are awarded for those races

In Q3: 6 vs 7; Average grid spot: 9.9 vs 11.5
Podiums: 1 vs 0; Races in points: 7 vs 7
Sprints: 1 vs 2

Williams: Dominant Albon’s star shining bright

Qualifying: Albon 12 vs 0 Sargeant

Race: Albon 10 vs 1 Sargeant*

DNF: Albon 2 vs 3 Sargeant

Points: Albon 11 vs 0 Sargeant

It’s one-sided numbers like this which have added weight to the case about Alex Albon again being a driver on the rise, three years after he lost form, confidence and ultimately his seat at Red Bull.

Being team-mate to a driver in his first year of F1 should have always given him a natural advantage, but Albon has still underlined that by achieving all four of Williams’ Q3 appearances and all 11 of their points.

Logan Sargeant got closest to a maiden point at Silverstone with 11th.

*both drivers failed to finish the Australian GP, so no score is awarded for that race

In Q3: 4 vs 0; Average grid spot: 12.7 vs 17.6
Races in points: 3 vs 0
Sprints: 3 vs 0

Haas: Hulk’s quali heroics the differentiator

Qualifying: Magnussen 3 vs 9 Hulkenberg

Race: Magnussen 6 vs 6 Hulkenberg

DNF: Magnussen 3 vs 1 Hulkenberg

Points: Magnussen 2 vs 9 Hulkenberg

At Haas, it has been Nico Hulkenberg’s qualifying prowess on his full-time return to F1 after four years that has proved the most consistently impressive factor of the team’s season to date.

The 36-year-old has reached Q3 six times – that’s half the races. Unfortunately, the car’s penchant for overheating its tyres over the longer race distances has regularly seen Hulkenberg quickly slip backwards.

He and Kevin Magnussen have therefore often found themselves in similar territory as races have progressed and the drivers have grappled with the car’s shortcomings, leading to an even Sunday score. Magnussen has only reached the top-10 shootout on a Saturday once so far this year, but he at least cause a stir when he got there in Miami by qualifying fourth.

In Q3: 1 vs 6; Average grid spot: 15.3 vs 11.8
Races in points: 2 vs 2
Sprints: 2 vs 1

Alfa Romeo: Bottas maintaining leader status

Qualifying: Bottas 8 vs 4 Zhou

Race: Bottas 8 vs 4 Zhou

DNF: Bottas 0 vs 1 Zhou

Points: Bottas 5 vs 4 Zhou

One of the closer team-mate battles in the field, albeit one taking place further back in the pack than the team would like.

The 10-time race-winning Valtteri Bottas continues to enjoy an edge in results overall, but the margins have often been close with the 24-year-old Zhou Guanyu displaying more consistency in his second year of F1.

Zhou took the team’s best grid spot of fifth in Hungary, while Bottas claimed their best Sunday finish of eighth all the back in Bahrain in March.

In Q3: 2 vs 1; Average grid spot: 14 vs 14.9
Races in points: 2 vs 2
Sprints: 1 vs 2

AlphaTauri: Improved Tsunoda faces fresh new test

Qualifying: Tsunoda 1 vs 1 Ricciardo / Tsunoda 8 vs 2 de Vries

Race: Tsunoda 1 vs 1 Ricciardo / Tsunoda 8 vs 2 de Vries

DNFs: Tsunoda 0, Ricciardo 0, de Vries 2

Points: Tsunoda 3, Ricciardo 0, de Vries 0

Having comfortably seen off Nyck de Vries in the space of 10 races, Yuki Tsunoda’s 2023 position as the lead driver at AlphaTauri will be challenged by Daniel Ricciardo, a multiple race winner, over the remainder of the season.

In the two races before the summer break, the nascent head-to-head was even, although Tsunoda did pick up just the team’s third point of an awful campaign with a strong drive to 10th in Belgium.

In Q3: Tsunoda 2, Ricciardo 0, de Vries 0; Average grid spot: 14.2 vs 16 vs 16.6
Races in points: Tsunoda 3, Ricciardo 0, de Vries 0
Sprints: 0 vs 1 / 1 vs 1

Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch GP and all sessions will be live on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW for just £26 a month for 12 months. Cancel anytime