Verstappen Clashes With Russell
In the closing stages of the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, Max Verstappen collided with George Russell in what some pundits argue was a deliberate move. Told by his engineer to allow Russell past, since he gained the position in an illegal way, Verstappen slowed down then veered into Russell’s Mercedes, before letting him through after all. For the incident, Verstappen was given three penalty points. This takes his penalty points tally to 11, one away from the 12 needed for a race ban. While this is not the first time these two drivers have rowed, this is the most obvious showing of anger and disagreement between them.
Red Bull Aims For Lindblad
Before worries of a Verstappen absence later in the season due to penalty points, Red Bull have begun a campaign for their Junior Driver Arvid Lindblad to be awarded a Super License. This would make him eligible to replace Verstappen in the Red Bull car in a Formula One race, and in the wake of the incident in Spain this would be very useful should Verstappen incur a race ban. They face a challenge, however, since Lindblad does not meet the age requirement for a Super License, being only 17 years old. To have a Super License, the driver must be over the age of 18; a rule that was brought in, ironically, following Verstappen’s entry to Formula One.
Stroll Out In Spain
Lance Stroll was unable to compete in the Spanish Grand Prix, reportedly due to pain related to a wrist injury he suffered two years ago. In 2023, having fallen from his bike, Stroll broke both his wrists, requiring surgery. Following Saturday’s qualifying session, in which he placed 14th, the driver pulled out of Sunday’s grand prix race. Since he had already competed in Qualifying, Aston Marin’s Reserve Driver, Felipe Drugovich, was unable to race in his place, thanks to rules surrounding such instances. The BBC reported that Stroll damaged equipment and was aggressive with Aston Martin staff following the qualifying session, although this is unrelated to his wrist injuries according to their sources. Another operation is on the cards or Stroll, in the hopes of finally fixing his wrist pain.
Piastri Back On Top
Oscar Piastri won again in Spain, making it five victories for the Australian driver this season. This win slightly increased his lead in the Drivers’ Championship. After achieving pole position on Saturday during Qualifying, he converted his first place start into a win, being quite comfortable in the lead throughout the race amid Safety Cars and restarts. He remains leader of the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.
Alonso Urges Less Politeness
Fernando Alonso, driver for Aston Martin, has spoken to media calling for drivers to be less nice when faced with certain questions. He argued that Formula One drivers now entertain more than they should, and remain courteous when it is not necessary, or the best course of action. A veteran on the grid, he commented that it has not always been like this, and this issue has worsened since content surrounding the sport is constantly being made and is very popular nowadays. The Monaco Grand Prix sparked such comments from Alonso.
Hamilton Critiques Front Wing Regulations
Following the FIA’s update to front wing flexibility rules for the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has spoken out about the inutility of the new regulations. He stated that the rules made little to no difference, and are in fact simply a large waste of money and resources for teams. This new regulation was put in place, it is though largely by the Formula One community, to quash McLaren’s dominance this season, and it has been suggested that Red Bull has been pushing such changes. The Spanish Grand Prix showed that this regulation has not slowed McLaren, who achieved another 1-2 finish.
Written by Alexandra.
Featured Image Credit: bbc.co.uk
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