F1 practice LIVE: Charles Leclerc fastest in FP2 as Oscar Piastri signs for McLaren
Follow all the reaction to second practice this afternoon at the Dutch Grand Prix after Mercedes went fastest in FP1
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Your support makes all the difference.The Formula 1 season continues after its return in Belgium last week with this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, with Max Verstappen holding a healthy 93-point lead in the World Championship with eight races to go.
The Red Bull star stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps at the weekend, winning by a margin of 18 seconds to team-mate Sergio Perez despite starting in P14 due to an engine penalty; Carlos Sainz took the other podium spot as he held off George Russell late on, while Charles Leclerc finished sixth.
Lewis Hamilton retired for the first time this season following a first-lap collision with the Alpine of Fernando Alonso; the Mercedes star admitted responsibility for the incident afterwards and despite Alonso’s “idiot” comment over team radio, the former McLaren duo have since buried the hatchet.
This weekend sees F1 roll into Zandvoort, which returned to the calendar last year when Verstappen comfortably won his home Grand Prix in front of his adoring home fans amid a fever-pitch atmosphere on the Dutch coast. The Mercedes duo of Russell and Hamilton earned Mercedes a one-two in first practice with Sainz third and Verstappen stopping after just 10 minutes due to a transmission issue. Second practice saw Leclerc lead a Ferrari one-two ahead of Sainz, with Hamilton third and Verstappen down in eighth with the news of Oscar Piastri signing for McLaren the main talking point from Friday.
Follow all the action here with The Independent:
F1 practice: Lewis Hamilton heaps praise on Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey
Lewis Hamilton has heaped praise on Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey for the “phenomenal job” he has done with the championship-leading 2022 car.
Max Verstappen currently has a 91-point lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings after 14 races, with Red Bull also 118 points out in front in the constructors’ standings.
Meanwhile, Mercedes, who have won the constructors’ championship eight years in a row, have been well off the pace in 2022 with their unique “no sidepods” design and are yet to win a grand prix.
Hamilton, who has eight races left to keep up his record of winning a grand prix in every year he’s competed in Formula One, paid tribute to Newey for nailing the new regulations this season with Red Bull’s RB18, referring to his own rookie car in 2007 at McLaren too.
“They’ve [Red Bull] got the aero-balance right, great ride quality, no problems with bumps,’ Hamilton said, in the media pen ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. “They’re an amazing team and have done a phenomenal job. Adrian Newey doesn’t generally build bad cars. My first championship car [in 2007] was an evolution of his car.”
‘He doesn’t build bad cars’: Hamilton heaps praise on Red Bull chief designer Newey
Hamilton says Newey’s championship-leading design of the Red Bull car is ‘no surprise’ as the Mercedes star praised his rival team
F1 practice: ‘We’re not as bad as it seems’: Carlos Sainz insists Ferrari can close the gap to Red Bull ahead of Dutch GP
Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari can close the gap to Red Bull this weekend at Zandvoort after Max Verstappen stole the show with his victory in Belgium last weekend.
Even though Red Bull star Verstappen started the race in 14th, by lap 12 he was in first and in the end won by 18 seconds to team-mate Sergio Perez, with the RB18 a class above all the other cars on the grid.
Championship leader Verstappen also showed superior qualifying speed at Spa-Francorchamps by a margin of eight-tenths of a second to Sainz’s Ferrari.
Yet Sainz - who finished third last week despite starting on pole - is hopeful that was a one-off and this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix will show a return to the tight battles of the first half of the season between Ferrari and Red Bull.
‘We’re not as bad as it seems’: Sainz insists Ferrari can close the gap to Red Bull
Ferrari could not compete with Red Bull’s pace at Spa-Francorchamps but Sainz is hopeful that gap was a one-off
F1 practice: Horner explains Verstappen car issue
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner spoke to Sky Sports after the first practice session at Zandvoort and explained what went wrong with Max Verstappen’s car.
“We lost drive as he took a shift from fourth to fifth,” Christian Horner said. “We take the car back and need to fully understand that before the next session.”
Mercedes led the way at the top with George Russell first on the timesheet and Lewis Hamilton two-tenths of a second behind him in second something Horner says he was expecting.
“I would expect them [Mercedes], like Budapest tight and twisty, short corners - it does play to some of their strengths,” Horner added.
“Irrelevant of the TD (technical directive), this should play to their strengths.”
F1 practice: Verstappen excited for the weekend
Max Verstappen didn’t have the best homecoming as he had to pull out of the first practice session of his home Grand Prix with gearbox issues.
However before the session he was asked if he was excited to return to Zandvoort as the reigning Formula 1 champion to which he replied: “Yeah, I mean it was already incredible last year.
“And yes, it’s an amazing track, I think, with a Formula 1 car, especially on a quali lap. Amazing atmosphere, there will be a lot of orange around, so again, looking forward to the weekend.
“It’s definitely nice to see all the time; when you are even in the box, you see the people in front of you, they are having a bit of a party going on, and when you drive out as well they are cheering for you, and I’m just going to try and enjoy it as much as I can.”
F1 practice: Esteban Ocon says Mick Schumacher would be his pick to replace Fernando Alonso at Alpine next year
Esteban Ocon revealed that he wants Mick Schumacher as his team-mate at Alpine next year but acknowledged the decision is not in his hands.
Fernando Alonso shocked the paddock last month by announcing he would move to Aston Martin at the end of 2022, leaving Alpine with a race seat to fill alongside Ocon.
The team then announced test driver and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri as Ocon’s team-mate before the Australian himself denied he had signed a contract to race for Alpine next year, with the matter since being heard at the F1’s Contract Recognition Board, with a verdict due on Thursday.
Ocon says Mick Schumacher would be his pick to replace Alonso at Alpine next year
Ocon will have a new team-mate next year at Alpine with Fernando Alonso moving to Aston Martin
F1 practice: ‘Verstappen in a league of his own’ says Wolff
Last weekend in Belgium Mercedes endured their lowest-scoring weekend since Round 4 at Imola after George Russell finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton retired.
Team Principal Toto Wolff urged the team to keep their heads up heading to Zandvoort and has just seen his drivers finish P1 and P2 in first practice to kick off the weekend.
But, speaking after Hamilton’s retirement last Sunday Wolff lamented on how hard the W13 is to drive.
“I don’t think we can be satisfied with that. If you see Verstappen being in a league of his own, it’s something that we really need to find out, how we can improve our car – the gap is just too big,” he said.
“I think that’s just the reality. We need to accept that the car is very difficult to drive, hasn’t got the pace on a single lap, so we need to work ourselves out of this.”
F1 practice: Will Verstappen make it out for FP2?
Max Verstappen had a transmission problem during the first practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix meaning his missed most of practice.
Red Bull seem well switched on to the issue with the gear and Verstappen should be able to head back out onto the track with the second session gets started at 3pm BST.
F1 practice: One-two for Mercedes
It’s a perfect start to the Dutch GP weekend for Mercedes who are looking to bounce back from a difficult race in Belgium last weekend.
F1 practice: George Russell sports Daniel Ricciardo merchandise at Dutch Grand Prix
George Russell arrived at the Dutch Grand Prix wearing clothing made by Daniel Ricciardo’s Enchante company.
The British driver, 24, could be seen sporting the $110 sweater with the Enchante logo displayed in the left corner. And the pair were seen greeting one another with smiles as they prepared for a second successive weekend’s racing.
Russell’s public show of support for Ricciardo comes after it was confirmed the Australian, 33, will part ways with McLaren at the end of the 2022 season.
The former Red Bull racer has struggled with the team since arriving last year, with his only major highlight coming in a win at Monza.
George Russell sports Daniel Ricciardo merchandise at Dutch Grand Prix
Russell sported Ricciardo’s Enchante clothing brand when he arrived at Zanvoort
F1 practice: ‘I have huge respect for him’: Fernando Alonso attempts to defuse Lewis Hamilton spat
Fernando Alonso apologised for calling Lewis Hamilton an “idiot” and withdrew his comment that the British driver can only race from the front.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, Alonso, 41, said he would now remain silent on the radio to avoid further controversy.
Alonso’s outburst over the airwaves was provoked by a collision on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday.
Following Alonso’s comments, Hamilton said he would not speak to the double world champion, and added: “It is nice to know how he feels about me.”
‘I have huge respect for him’: Fernando Alonso attempts to defuse Lewis Hamilton spat
The two former teammates collided on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix last Sunday
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