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Andrew Shovlin felt the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team were lacking pace over a single lap at the Suzuka International Racing Course on Saturday, and it meant a difficult Qualifying session for the team.

Lewis Hamilton was the best placed Mercedes driver in Qualifying in sixth, while George Russell was only eighth as the BWT Alpine F1 Team showed good pace to interject themselves in the battle for the third row. 

They were a long way off the pace of both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari, however, and Shovlin, the Track Engineering Director at Mercedes, says they were losing a lot of time compared to their rivals on the straights, and the compromises they made to change that affected them in the corners.

“We’ve been struggling with the car in the dry today; the race work in the morning wasn’t bad but the single lap was proving difficult, and the tyres just weren’t biting,” said Shovlin.  “We’re losing a lot of time on the straights, but the corners are not especially strong either.

“By qualifying the balance was in a reasonable place but the lap time just wasn’t coming.”

Lewis Hamilton admitted that the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team knew coming into the Japanese Grand Prix weekend that they would not be fighting for pole position or the front row, and it proved to be a correct assumption as he qualified only sixth on the grid on Saturday.

Hamilton felt both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari were in ‘a different league’ compared to Mercedes in qualifying trim at the Suzuka International Racing Course, and he also found himself outqualified by BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon.

And the seven-time World Champion felt ‘fundamental limitations’ with the W13 prevented him from qualifying any further up the grid despite having a clean session on Saturday.

“We knew coming to this circuit that we wouldn’t be competing for the front row or the win – the Red Bull and Ferrari are in a different league here, and we have some fundamental limitations with our car,” said Hamilton.

“It feels good to drive and it was a clean session for me, but we are just a long way off in terms of the ultimate pace. We are pushing as hard as we can and it feels strong in the corners, but we are losing on the straights at this circuit.”

Alan Permane, the Sporting Director of the BWT Alpine F1 Team, was pleased to see Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso qualify fifth and seventh respectively for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, and it showed the A522 is working well this weekend.

Permane felt the team put together ‘three solid’ sessions at the Suzuka International Racing Course and were top eight contenders all afternoon long, and Ocon was able to get ahead of both Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team drivers, while Alonso was able to split them.

“We are very happy with our Qualifying performance today and, clearly, our car is working well at this magnificent circuit where it’s brilliant to be back racing,” said Permane.  

“We put together three solid Qualifying sessions today where everything clicked into place and I think that is reflected on the timesheets.

“Esteban did a great job to keep finding improvements throughout the day to qualify in fifth place.”

Esteban Ocon admitted to being satisfied by the way the BWT Alpine F1 Team have bounced back from the disappointment of their double retirement from last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix this weekend in Japan.

The Frenchman will start the eighteenth round of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season from fifth on the grid, the best of the rest behind Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari, and he felt it was a ‘great result’ for the Enstone-based outfit.

Ocon, who will have a new team-mate at Alpine in 2023 after the announcement of Pierre Gasly earlier in the day, feels the team have a great opportunity to score a lot of points on Sunday afternoon as they look to fight back against the McLaren F1 Team in the battle for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

“I’m delighted with today and how the weekend has unfolded so far,” said Ocon.  “Fifth place is a great result for us, just behind the Red Bulls and the Ferraris.

“After the disappointment of last weekend, it is very satisfying to bounce back in this manner and show our potential. The upgrades are working well, and our car suits this circuit, so it’s a job well done from everyone trackside and at both factories.

Laurent Mekies admitted it was frustrating to see both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. miss out on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, but despite this, Scuderia Ferrari can be pleased with their performance at the Suzuka International Racing Course.

Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen took pole position in Japan, with Leclerc joining him on the front row.  However, the Monegasque racer was only 0.010 seconds back on Verstappen’s pole setting time, while Sainz was only 0.057 seconds back in third.

Mekies, the Racing Director at Ferrari, felt Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz were in a different league compared to everyone else, but despite missing out on pole position, everyone at the Maranello-based squad can be happy with the performance of the F1-75 on Saturday.

“It was an extremely close qualifying session: we missed pole position by just one hundredth of a second with Charles and half a tenth with Carlos,” said Mekies.  “It’s a shame as we know on this track pole is very important, however there were still a lot of positives for us today, as our car was very competitive with both drivers.

“Together with Max, they were in a league of their own on a track featuring all types of corners and that says a lot about the quality of their cars. So, we can be pleased with the performance of the F1-75, and we were also able to save one set of Soft tyres with both drivers in Q2.

Both Scuderia Ferrari drivers were disappointed to miss out on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, with Charles Leclerc missing out by only 0.010 seconds and Carlos Sainz Jr. by just 0.057 seconds!

Max Verstappen’s first flying lap during Q3 at the Suzuka International Racing Course was enough to take pole position on Saturday, with Leclerc set to join him on the front row.  The Monegasque racer matched his starting position at the same venue from 2019.

Leclerc felt he suffered in the closing stages of his final flying lap during Qualifying after perhaps pushing a little too hard in the early part of the lap, but despite this, he remains confident about his potential for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“The car felt good and it’s always great to drive on this track, especially in the first sector because it has so much grip,” said Leclerc.  “It’s a very fast lap, but the more you push in the first sector, the slower you are in the last due to the tyres overheating.

“I think it will be an interesting race. It will be a challenge for everyone to make the right calls with unpredictable weather ahead.”

Christian Horner feels both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez could be in contention for the race victory in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, with the two Oracle Red Bull Racing drivers set to start the eighteenth round of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship from first and fourth on the grid.

In what was another close battle at the front of the field with Scuderia Ferrari, Verstappen took his fifth pole position of the season, 0.010 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc and 0.057 seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr.

Pérez, the winner of last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, was more than four-tenths of a second back as he struggled for pace compared to Verstappen, but Horner, the Team Principal at Red Bull, says the Mexican has been traditionally quicker in race conditions so could be in the fight at the front come Sunday afternoon alongside the Dutchman.

“It was a very close qualifying; Ferrari has been quick all season so we were not expecting them to be any different here,” said Horner.  “However, it was a big lap from Max and to secure pole here ahead of what looks like varying conditions tomorrow is hugely important.

“Sergio starts on the second row and always seems to race better than he qualifies, so we are looking forward to seeing what is to come from him tomorrow. The variable conditions could play into his hands and I think he will be in the mix, two Ferraris in a Red Bull sandwich!”

After surviving a post-session investigation for forcing Lando Norris off the track, Max Verstappen could breathe a sigh of relief on Saturday evening as his pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix was confirmed.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was put under investigation after Norris was pushed onto the grass exiting 130R as both drivers prepared for their first flying laps in Q3 at the Suzuka International Racing Course.

Stewards handed Verstappen a reprimand, his first of the season, meaning his pole position was safe, and going into Sunday’s race, he starts from the best place possible to secure his second consecutive Drivers’ Championship triumph.

“It was pretty incredible to drive here again, especially in qualifying when you are on low fuel, these cars really come alive through the first sectors,” said Verstappen.  “I am really happy to be on pole and in general, just super happy to be back here in Japan.

“During qualifying, I lost a part of the duct from the car in my final lap so that’s why I couldn’t really improve, nevertheless the first lap was good enough.”

Nyck de Vries has been handed a full-time drive in Formula 1 with Scuderia AlphaTauri replacing the outgoing Pierre Gasly.

De Vries will partner with Yuki Tsunoda next year after Red Bull secured his services from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, where the Dutchman was acting as reserve driver.

The 2019 Formula 2 Champion was thrown into the action just a few weeks ago, as he made his F1 debut for Williams’ Racing after Alex Albon was taken ill. The Dutchman impressed, outqualifying his team-mate Nicholas Latifi and scoring his first Formula 1 points with ninth place on his debut.

De Vries has been building up his experience for the past year, participating in a number of free practice sessions with multiple different teams throughout the season. The move to AlphaTauri seems a good fit, with the Dutchman being able to develop and potentially challenge for the Red Bull seat at some point in the future.

De Vries spoke on his move to the team and is delighted he has the opportunity and is hoping he can have a successful first season.

Pierre Gasly has completed a move from Scuderia AlphaTauri to BWT Alpine F1 Team after weeks of rumour and speculation.

Gasly will form an all-French driver lineup with Esteban Ocon, for the first time in Formula 1 since 1994. Gasly has been part of the Red Bull family for almost nine years, but after not getting a second chance with Oracle Red Bull Racing, he has looked to leave the family.

The Frenchman debuted for Scuderia Toro Rosso (Now AlphaTauri) in 2017 and was promoted to the main Red Bull team in 2019 to race alongside Max Verstappen, but after poor performance and lots of media attention, he was moved back to Toro Rosso and swapped seats with, now Williams Racing driver, Alex Albon. Gasly’s return to Toro Rosso saw him secure his first podium in Formula 1 at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Alpine have been snubbed by both Fernando Alonso, who chose to replace Sebastian Vettel at the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team and Oscar Piastri, who signed for the team’s rivals at the McLaren F1 Team. Despite the two drivers not joining the French outfit, Gasly has been their number-one target since August and has delivered impressive results throughout his F1 career, including victory in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.

Gasly is delighted with the news and is hoping he can continue to impress in his career with a car capable of securing podiums and high-point finishes.

Max Verstappen clinched pole position earlier today for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship’s Japanese Grand Prix.

However, in usual Formula 1 fashion, there was drama. Verstappen and Lando Norris nearly had a bad collision on their out laps in the third part of the qualifying session. Norris was speeding past at the 130R corner and had to take to his McLaren onto the grass to avoid the swerving Oracle Red Bull Racing driver warming up his tyres.

The incident was investigated after the session by the stewards, with it being deemed dangerous driving. An FIA official statement was released an hour after the conclusion of the session and announced that Verstappen would be given a reprimand for his actions.

“The driver of car 1 was aware of car 55 in front and car 4 approaching from behind and decided to accelerate at precisely the same time as car 4 decided to overtake car 1. Unfortunately, due to lack of tyre temperature on car 1, the driver temporarily lost control of the car causing it to ‘snap’ anti-clockwise.

“The driver of car 4 stated that this was simply an unfortunate incident however it is the driver’s responsibility to at all times maintain control of their car. Regarding penalty, all previous breaches of this nature have resulted in a Reprimand hence a similar penalty is imposed in this case.

Max Verstappen secured pole position at the FIA Formula 1 World Championship’s Japanese Grand Prix, but that result is under scrutiny after an incident with Lando Norris on his final out-lap of the session.

Charles Leclerc was unable to stop the soon-to-be champion and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team struggled to show any pace as they still look for their first win of the season.

Q1 – Surprise Exit For Gasly, Williams Out Again

It has been a morning of drama for Scuderia AlphaTauri even without a qualifying session, as we saw Pierre Gasly confirmed to join BWT Alpine F1 Team and Nyck de Vries become the driver for AlphaTauri for next season and beyond.

AlphaTauri were the centre of attention at the start of the session with home favourite Yuki Tsunoda first on track, meaning he put the first lap on the leaderboard and went first with a 1:31.631. Mercedes were struggling throughout the session and fell behind Lando Norris. It was worrying times for Mercedes with George Russell fifteenth and Lewis Hamilton eighteenth as both drivers gambled on running the medium tyres rather than the softs. Max Verstappen led Carlos Sainz after the first runs, with the champion-elect setting a 1:30.224.

The track started to become quicker, but AlphaTauri struggled to find the pace needed with a number of issues being reported. Gasly was in ninth after the first run of laps but a brake issue saw him knocked out. However home favourite Tsunoda managed to pull his car through to the second session with a time of 1:31.130.

21-year-old Broc Dickerson, a rising young star in the desert racing world, will tackle the Baja 1000 on 15–20 November with a former winner as his team-mate. On Wednesday, Dickerson announced he and Apdaly Lopez will partner to pilot the #34 TSCO Trophy Truck at the 1000.

“Let’s do this!! I’m stoked to announce that @apdalylopez and myself will be racing together at the @scoreinternational Baja 1000! Thank you to everyone who has helped me get here,” Dickerson posted on social media.

Dickerson retired from the most recent SCORE International race, the Baja 400 in mid-September, after 300 miles with a driveshaft failure. Despite the DNF, he has shown his mettle throughout his first season competing in the Trophy Truck category, highlighted by a runner-up overall finish at the Baja 500 in June.

Prior to Trophy Trucks, he enjoyed success in Class 1 that included winning his class at the 2021 Baja 500. He also claimed the 2017 and 2018 Baja 500 and 2017 San Felipe 250 victories in Class 10. He finished fifth in Class 1 at the 2020 Baja 1000 before teaming up with Mason Cullen to finish third in the 2021 edition.

Lopez won the 2017 Baja 1000 overall alongside his father Juan Carlos Lopez. He is a three-time SCORE class champion with a pair of Trophy Truck crowns in 2015 and 2016 and a Trophy Truck Spec title in 2014.

With their performances in the Rallye du Maroc this week, Toomas Triisa and Stefano Caimi have received invitations to compete in the 2023 Dakar Rally. Both offers come through the Road to Dakar programme, which intends to give opportunities to those who have never previously raced in the legendary rally raid.

To be invited to the Dakar Rally via Road to Dakar, a competitor must have no prior experience with the race and be the highest finishing rookie in the T4 and Moto categories at eligible events like the Rallye du Maroc, a World Rally-Raid Championship round. Other races on the Road to Dakar include South Africa’s TGRSA 1000 Desert Race in June and Chile’s Atacama Rally in late August. Luis Díaz Soza won T4 at the latter to punch his ticket to Dakar.

Triisa finished eighth overall in T4. Driving a Can-Am Maverick for Redmoto Estonia with fellow Estonian Mart Meeru as co-driver, Triisa was eighth, twentieth, eighth, eleventh, twelfth, and fifteenth in the Rallye du Maroc’s six legs.

“We had a really nice week with lot of learning and new experiences with SSV, but we reached the finish so we are really happy,” Triisa told Cross-Country Rally News. “One piece, didn’t break something else (besides) many tyres, but all the rest was perfect.”

Caimi was sixth overall in Rally2. Riding for BAS World KTM Racing Team, the Argentine finished eleventh, seventh, tenth, ninth, eleventh, and sixth in each leg.

With the start of Gen3 and Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship not in the too distant future, one of the paddock’s new teams, Maserati MSG Racing, have announced that former DS Techeetah Sporting Director James Rossiter will become their Team Principal.

Rossiter joins the team whilst already knowing Maserati very well, given that he’s experienced working and racing for Stellantis, who are interestingly the parent company of both the Italian manufacturer and DS. The team’s hierarchy see their new Team Principal as the ideal candidate, who is “delighted” to be taking up the vitally important role for Maserati’s first season in the all-electric series.

“I’m delighted to be joining Maserati MSG Racing ahead of Season 9. I’m looking forward to continuing to work alongside Stellantis and I’m grateful to Peugeot for releasing me from my on-going commitments to allow me to fully focus on my new role. Starting at this time gives us the opportunity to further develop our strategy for the upcoming campaign and prepare the team in the best way possible.

“The team has been a formidable competitor in recent seasons and, whilst we will have some challenges ahead, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can continue to contend for championships moving forwards. My immediate priority is to empower and develop what is already a very strong squad, both in and out of the cars, and I’m excited to see what we can achieve in our first year together.”

Scott Swid, Principal Owner & Chairman, Monaco Sports Group, identified Rossiter’s “ambitious and strategic nature” as a reason why they deemed him suitable for Team Principal, with his previous experience developing the Gen3 car being an “advantage” for them.