F1Weekly Podcast 1165
ON TODAY’S PROGRAM…
KIMI OVERCOMES FIRST LAP CHAOS TO WIN AT THE MADRING!
MAX SPARS WITH LCH IN THE OPENING LAPS AND HANGS ON TO P2
NORRIS SAYS SIMPLY BAD LUCK WITH VSC AND…
FERNANDO SAYS…I’M STICKING AROUND…I THINK…
THIS WEEK’S NASIR HAMEED CORNER…MORE MOTORSPORTS HISTORY, MARTIN AND, ALEX BRUNDLE AT THE AUTOSPORTS SHOW IN THE U.K.
Formula 1 made its first trip to the new Circuito de Madring, about 10 miles outside of the Madrid city center, on Sunday, and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli christened the track with a win. The championship leader now owns an even more comfortable lead and picks up his eighth career race win, one week after he won the Italian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen finished second after holding off Lando Norris, who was on pole after Saturday’s qualifying session, but an unfortunate pit stop contributed to his third-place finish. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, and Antonelli’s teammate George Russell came in fifth.
Kimi Antonelli
It was great to get the victory today, but we know we were a little bit fortunate with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car. Lando (Norris) was in control at the front, but we were able to dive into the pits just as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, make the cheap stop onto the Hard, get the net lead and run to the end. We probably didn’t deserve to win therefore but we will of course take it.
We can also be happy with our pace today. We know we are still out of step with other teams in terms of upgrades, but we have been able to win the last two races at very different circuits. That is encouraging as we continue the season; we have a good position in the championships but we know there is still a very long way to go.
MAX VERSTAPPEN
“It was a great result, and we really maximised our performance, with finishing P2 on this track a solid way to wrap up a good weekend. At the start, Lewis clipped the kerb and jumped back onto the racing line, I had to go off track, otherwise both of us would have taken damage. I don’t think we had the pace to challenge for the lead anyway, Kimi and Lando were faster than me throughout, so I’m happy with second. It’s a circuit that’s very difficult to pass on; if you position yourself in the middle, there isn’t really a way through, so I was able to hold off Lando until the end. This double header has been a positive one. The car has been in a decent window both weekends, and we’ve been able to score consistently good points over the last few races. A podium is a nice way to end the European swing.”
LIAM LAWSON
“I think it was a decent race. We had good speed through parts of it, but I just think we weren’t on the ideal strategy today. We went for the alternate strategy, starting on the Hards. At the start I lost the position to Franco and lost a lot of time as it was, but by the time I cleared him the VSC came out and they’d boxed, so it was just tricky from there. The start was exciting and I had to take a lot of risks to get the move done on Franco because it’s quite difficult to overtake here. It would’ve been nice to start a bit higher, but considering where we did start, the result today was good and I’m happy we managed to gain two places in the Race. I’m much more confident in the car this week, we’ve made a couple of great steps, so there are some good things to take away from the weekend.”
LAURENT MEKIES, CEO & Team Principal
“After Monza another strong result from the whole Team at the end of a tough race. Once again, Max extracted absolutely everything from the car, as he always does. There was obviously some frustration at the start when he had to give the place back to Lewis, but the Team on the pit wall took a good look at it and, credit to them, made the difficult call. It was painful at the time, but Max immediately got himself back into the fight and was outstanding all the way to the flag, including a great defence against the McLaren in the final laps.
It was also a strong race and some good points from Liam. It certainly wasn’t easy towards the end of his first stint on worn Hard tyres, but he kept his cool and showed good pace in the final stint.
Max’s P2 is his fifth podium in the last seven races and, although we have had a couple of tricky moments along the way, we are continuing to close the gap and credit needs to go to everyone working behind the scenes at Milton Keynes, improving every aspect of the car and its PU”.
George Russell
No matter what we had done with strategy today we would have finished P5. The Virtual Safety Car came at the worst point for everyone who had started on the Hard tyre like me, and the best point for those who had started on the Medium. Unfortunately, that is how racing goes sometimes but it is a little bit the story of my season so far! It was very difficult to overtake today but I’ve enjoyed driving the Madring overall this weekend.
It is going to be an intense run to the end of the season. I’m looking forward to getting back to the factory, working with the team, and getting ready for the first of three triple-headers. My pace today, particularly on the Hard tyre, felt good so we can be encouraged by that as we head to Baku.
Hamilton Brushes Off Verstappen’s Comments!!
“It was pretty good racing to be honest,” said Hamilton to media after the F1 Spanish GP. When the journalist noted that the radio comment was more out of frustration since he had to give the place back, the Brit agreed. “Yep, I think nothing to do with me in here,” he said.
He didn’t add much on the incident since he came straight to the media pen after retiring on lap 7. But he didn’t see it as a fight. His brake issues started early and he had no time to think about losing the place to Verstappen. Hamilton explained why he went for another lap as his pedal came back for a moment.
“Yeah, I had a good start,” said Hamilton. “I mean I didn’t see Max taking that start and then yeah, the battle. I mean I wasn’t in the battle then going down into Turn 5 but then it was when I went into Turn 5, then I hit the brake, it started stopping okay.
“And then kind of the pedal took a step and ended up like stopped. It wouldn’t stop all of a sudden and then I went wide and that’s when I just tapped the barrier but it wasn’t really, it didn’t feel bad like a bad touch.
“Then the pedal came back and it was fine for the next corners and things were looking okay and then the pedal went wrong. That was it,” summed up Hamilton, who felt Ferrari had a decent car, seeing teammate Charles Leclerc lead for the most part before pitting to end up fourth.
Taponen wins as Ugochukwu seals 2026 Drivers’ title.
Tuukka Taponen was victorious in Madrid for MP Motorsport, winning the second Feature Race of the weekend as Ugo Ugochukwu secured the 2026 Drivers’ Championship in P2 to become the first F3 Champion from the United States. The Finn led every lap en route to the top step of the podium, with Ugochukwu remaining close and adding another podium to his record to seal the title. Rodin Motorsport’s Pedro Clerot rounded out the podium in third position.
AS IT HAPPENED
Taponen covered off Ugochukwu immediately at Turn 1 and he retained the lead over the Campos Racing driver. Freddie Slater dropped a place to Yevan David on the run to Turn 5 to make his road to the title tougher. With DRS enabled on Lap 3, David looked to make a move on Enzo Deligny at Turn 5 but couldn’t get through, offering a brief chance for Slater to look at the AIX Racing driver into Turn 7, ultimately falling back into line in ninth.
Slater was on the attack on Lap 5, and he rounded the Sri Lankan into Turn 2 to take eighth. Up ahead, Ugochuwku was content to sit within a second of the race leader and keep Clerot behind in third.
Lap 10 and Slater was onto the back of Deligny and tried an audacious look into Turn 7, but the Van Amersfoort Racing driver was able to remain ahead. With the laps ticking by, Slater was looking to get creative and shaped for a move into Turn 13, but once again found the door shut.
Taito Kato was looking to round out his season with another podium, and was close to Clerot in the battle for third. A big lock-up into Turn 17 almost left the Japanese driver sailing into the back of the Rodin, but he managed to avoid a collision and continued in fourth. David was relegated to 10th after a big slide at Turn 18 allowed Ernesto Rivera to capitalise and take ninth in the Campos on Lap 16.
Hiyu Yamakoshi came to a halt with three laps remaining, bringing out the Safety Car. The marshals were able to recover the Van Amersfoort Racing car in time to leave us with a one-lap shootout for the victory and the ’26 title. Taponen got a good restart and led the pack onto the final lap with a comfortable lead over Ugochuwku, who had Clerot for close company.
Despite the late drama, Taponen had control of the race and secured his maiden win in FIA Formula 3 in the final race of the year. Ugochukwu crossed the line in P2 to claim the Drivers’ Championship and complete his comeback in the title race, while Clerot completed the podium in third.
Kato was fourth ahead of Mattia Colnaghi, Alessandro Giusti, Deligny and Slater, who finished eighth. Rivera and David rounded out the final top 10 of the season.
KEY QUOTE – Ugo Ugochukwu, Campos Racing
“We did it, FIA F3 Champions! Super, super happy and I can’t thank the team enough for an amazing year. Today was not a bad race with P2. We knew we just had to keep it clean to clinch the title, and that’s what we did. No mistakes, brought it home and super pleased.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Ugo Ugochukwu is the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Champion, finishing on 159 points. Freddie Slater winds up second in the Standings on 145 points. Tuukka Taponen’s win lifts the Finn up to third in the Championship ahead of Taito Kato in fourth, 109 points to 105. Théophile Nael finishes fifth on countback ahead of Pedro Clerot on 88 points each, and the top five drivers that graduate up to FIA Formula 2 in 2027 will receive prize money ahead of the next step in their careers.
Campos Racing are 2026 Teams’ Champions already, with the team’s final total standing at 334 points. TRIDENT finish second on 217, while MP Motorsport jump up to third and 208 points, ahead of ART Grand Prix in fourth on 189. Van Amersfoort Racing complete the top five with 168 points.
Dominant Beganovic takes lights-to-flag victory in Madrid.
Dino Beganovic was in a league of his own in Madrid, leading every lap to win Sunday’s Feature Race by over seven seconds. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver converted pole into a 7.3s victory over Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne, while Hitech’s Ritomo Miyata followed up his Sprint Race success with another podium in third.
AS IT HAPPENED
It was a great start from pole for Beganovic, while Dunne retained P2 ahead of Rafael Câmara, despite locking up into Turn 1. Behind them, Nikola Tsolov, who was the lead driver to start on the Hard tyre, was sitting in fifth but coming under pressure from Roman Bilinski.
The Safety Car was signalled with Kush Maini in the barrier at Turn 18 after a collision with Cian Shields. The AIX Racing driver was given a 10-second time penalty for his part in the incident. Racing resumed on Lap 7 with TRIDENT bringing Laurens van Hoepen into the pitlane from P8. Mari Boya and Van Amersfoort Racing duo Nico Varrone and Rafael Villagómez also came in for their mandatory stop.
Noel León then got past Bilinski for P6 at Turn 1, while Gabriele Minì dived to the inside of teammate Oliver Goethe for ninth at Turn 13. The Italian attempted the same move on Miyata on Lap 10 but ran too deep, allowing the Hitech driver to retain eighth.
At the end of the next lap, León was the first of the front runners to come into the pitlane. He put on the Hard tyre and lost out to Boya, who was flying on the softs, at the exit. The Mexican driver then went side-by-side with John Bennett through La Monumental but kept the position.
Câmara was next to come in and changed to the Hard tyre, but Boya was flying on the softs and overtook the Invicta Racing driver at Turn 13. Stenshorne and Tsolov were in from P4 and P5 on Lap 14, and while the Rodin driver stayed ahead, the Bulgarian lost out to Boya, although he was able to fire up his Soft tyres to overcut Câmara.
Oliver Goethe was next to pit from P8 and came out right in front of Boya and Tsolov, just as they were fighting for position. As they went three-wide into Turn 5, the Campos driver ran off track, but as he filtered out, he lost the place to Câmara. Boya then made his way past the MP driver at La Monumental, with Câmara now sizing up a move on Goethe.
The two went side-by-side through Turn 1 at the start of Lap 18 but Goethe wound up in the barrier at the exit of Turn 2. This brought out the Safety Car while Câmara was given a 10-second time penalty. At the same time, Bennett pulled over to the side of the road with an issue with the marshals also having to clear his TRIDENT.
This stoppage allowed the drivers who had not pitted to come in for their mandatory stop, with Beganovic, Dunne, Miyata, Emerson Fittipaldi, Joshua Duerksen and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak all gaining an advantage and making up the top six positions ahead of Stenshorne. Racing resumed on Lap 22 of 32 as Beganovic started to pull away from Dunne. Minì made a move past Stenshorne for seventh, once again at his favoured Turn 15.
Câmara was keen to get a move on and went past Boya with the help of DRS into Turn 5, while Tsolov followed him through on the next lap. The race was now running to time and with just under seven minutes, Dunne brought the gap to Beganovic down to one second, but the Swede responded with the fastest lap to extend the lead to 2.2s.
Further behind them, Fittipaldi was holding on to P4 as Duerksen put him under pressure. The Paraguayan tried a move at Turn 15, but the AIX driver held on. Tsolov then lost P10 to Bilinski, with the DAMS driver using the DRS to get ahead into Turn 5.
Duerksen’s pressure on Fittipaldi finally told with Invicta making a neat move on the brakes into Turn 13. Tsolov’s day was going from bad to worse as he lost more places to Boya, León, van Hoepen and Montoya all overtaking him on the penultimate lap.
But out in front, Beganovic was in supreme form, winning for the first time this season. Dunne was second ahead of Miyata, with Duerksen in P4. Fittipaldi held on to fifth ahead of Inthraphuvasak, Minì and Stenshorne. Câmara’s penalty dropped him to P10 with Bilinski in ninth.
KEY QUOTE – Dino Beganovic, DAMS Lucas Oil
“Winners in Madrid, it feels amazing. From pole position, a great weekend, very good pace. I want to thank the team for the amazing car all weekend, especially the bounce back from Monza. Super happy with this and now we look forward to Baku.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Nikola Tsolov continues to lead the way on 177 points, with Rafael Câmara seven points behind in second. Gabriele Minì is third on 153 points, with Alexander Dunne on 139 in fourth, Noel León fifth on 119.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing lead the way on 296 points, with Invicta Racing second with 260. Rodin Motorsport are third on 209, with MP Motorsport fourth on 190, as ART Grand Prix round out the top five on 159 points.
UP NEXT
Next up for the drivers is a trip to Baku for Round 12 of the 2026 season from September 24-26.
Clerot earns maiden win in Madrid as Campos Racing seal Teams’ title!
Pedro Clerot impressively earned his first ever victory in Formula 3 with a dominant performance in the Madrid Feature Race 1. After starting in P2, the Rodin Motorsport driver took the lead off the line and led every lap to take the win ahead of Taito Kato for ART Grand Prix and MP Motorsport’s Tuukka Taponen.
With Ugo Ugochukwu in fourth, Ernesto Rivera and Théophile Nael in eighth and ninth, Campos Racing sealed the 2026 Teams’ title – while the former went level with Freddie Slater in the Drivers’ Championship.
AS IT HAPPENED
It was a great start for Clerot from P2, taking the lead from Kato on the run to Turn 1. Behind them, Taponen held off Ugochukwu to keep third. But a Red Flag was soon waved following a multi-car collision that started between Van Amersfoort Racing teammates Bruno Del Pino and Enzo Deligny at the entry of Turn 8.
This caused several other drivers to hit each other with Maciej Gladysz going into the rear of Fionn McLaughlin, while Fernando Barrichello, Woohyun Shin and José Garfias were also caught up in the incident. TRIDENT’s title hopeful Slater also had slight contact with Hiyu Yamakoshi at Turn 1. The team used the stoppage to change his and his teammate Noah Stromsted’s front wing.
After the pause, Clerot led the field away in a rolling start on Lap 3. Ugochukwu started by putting pressure on Taponen for third place. The race leader was showing great pace and with the fastest lap, put 1.4s between himself and Kato at the start of Lap 5.
Taponen was struggling and was over two seconds away from P2, with Ugochukwu right on the rear on the MP driver. While his title rival was fighting up ahead, Slater locked up into Turn 1 while battling with Yamakoshi for P14. This put Kanato Le on alert, but the British driver held on.
Lap 8 saw a battle for P6 begin with Alessandro Giusti having a look at Rivera at the Turn 5 chicane, but the Campos driver held on. Taponen looked to have steadied the ship with Ugochukwu two seconds behind and coming under pressure from Jin Nakamura.
There was a huge twist in the title fight on Lap 10 as Slater spun and hit the barrier at Turn 19, putting him out of the race and onto the sidelines. Up ahead, Ugochukwu and Nakamura went wheel-to-wheel into Turn 5. The Campos driver narrowly escaped a hit the wall, while the Japanese driver gave the position back after going off track.
The Safety Car was called upon and once Slater’s car was cleared, racing resumed on Lap 12, with Clerot and Kato moving away from Taponen once again. The ART driver was within DRS range on the next lap, while Ugochukwu was once again coming under pressure from Nakamura for P4.
Clerot had done well to extend his lead to 1.2s on Lap 17, while Taponen, having set the fastest time of the race, was starting to drop back and into the clutches of Ugochukwu. In the battle for third in the championship, Rivera and Théophile Nael went wheel-to-wheel into Turn 5 on the final lap, with both drivers going off the track.
But at the front, Clerot was untroubled and crossed the line to earn his maiden victory in Formula 3. Kato took P2 ahead of Taponen, while Ugochukwu, by finishing fourth, ties Slater on points heading into Sunday’s Feature Race. Nakamura finished fifth ahead of Giusti, Alex Powell and Rivera, with Nael ninth and Wharton taking the final point in P10.
This result also meant Campos Racing sealed the 2026 Teams’ Championship, their second consecutive title in Formula 3.
KEY QUOTE – Pedro Clerot, Rodin Motorsport
“I have no words to describe it. We knew it was all about the start, and we nailed it. Thanks to the team for the beautiful car. We were in control since Lap 1, bit of a messy one, glad everyone is okay, it was a big crash. Really happy, cannot thank the team enough. We needed this after Monza, so very happy.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
In the Drivers’ Championship, Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater are tied on 141 points, although the former is on top having won more races. Taito Kato moves up to third on 91 points, ahead of Théophile Nael on 88 points and Ernesto Rivera on 85.
In the Teams’ Standings, Campos Racing sealed the title on 314 points, with TRIDENT second on 213. ART Grand Prix are up to third on 177, with Van Amersfoort Racing fourth on 162, and tied on points with MP Motorsport.
UP NEXT
The Drivers’ Championship will come down to Sunday’s Feature Race, the final piece of action in the 2026 season. Lights out is set for 09:55 local time.
There is plenty to play for in the fight for the championship podium and also funding for the top five drivers that will graduate to Formula 2 in 2027.
Miyata eases away to claim maiden victory in Madrid.
Ritomo Miyata put in an assured performance to claim his maiden FIA Formula 2 victory in the first ever Madrid Sprint Race. The Hitech driver seized the lead of the line and then managed two Safety Car restarts expertly to take the win. AIX Racing’s Emerson Fittipaldi achieved his first podium in second ahead of TRIDENT’s Laurens van Hoepen.
AS IT HAPPENED
Miyata had a great start and took the lead before Turn 1 ahead of Fittipaldi. Noel León held on to P3 ahead of van Hoepen who, alongside Gabriele Minì and Mari Boya, started on the Soft tyres, while the rest chose Hards. There were plenty of battles, as Rafael Câmara overtook Dino Beganovic for seventh at Turn 5 while Alexander Dunne dived to the inside of Roman Bilinski for P8 at Turn 8.
The Safety Car was called upon at the end of the lap. Kush Maini and Nico Varrone had contact at Turn 7 which sent the Van Amersfoort Racing driver spinning into the barrier. Elsewhere, Sebastián Montoya and John Bennett collided at the opening corner. Both drivers came back into the pitlane, and while the former continued on, the latter retired with damage.
Racing resumed on Lap 5 of 23 with Dunne looking to make a move. The Rodin Motorsport driver went to the outside of Câmara at Turn 5, but his Invicta Racing rival held on. The Irishman tried the same move on the next lap but again found the door shut.
Further ahead, van Hoepen was keen to make his tyre advantage count, and the TRIDENT driver dived to the inside of León at Turn 13 but could not make it stick. Van Hoepen then dived to the inside of León at the Turn 5 chicane on Lap 9. The Campos driver reclaimed the position at Turn 8, but having gone off track, he was told to give the place back to the TRIDENT a couple of laps later.
León was struggling and his teammate Tsolov tried to take advantage with a move past at Turn 1 on Lap 13. He held him off, but their fighting was bringing Martinius Stenshorne, Câmara, Dunne and Boya into the mix. Fittipaldi had closed to within 1.1s of Miyata, but Van Hoepen was almost half a second quicker, as he set the fastest lap of the race.
Tsolov, having been on the radio calling for Campos to let him go and catch van Hoepen, tried a move at Turn 5. But as he went off track to get ahead, the Bulgarian gave León back the place. Unfortunately for the Red Bull Junior, his day was over a few corners later. A slight brush with the wall at Turn 20 spun him into a stoppage, bringing out the Safety Car.
With Tsolov’s car cleared, Miyata led the field to green on Lap 18, with van Hoepen immediately putting Fittipaldi under pressure. The Hitech driver was in good form, having pulled out a 1.3s lead and set the fastest lap of the race.
Van Hoepen had DRS and was within 0.3s of Fittipaldi on Lap 20, but the Brazilian was doing well to hold on to P2. Miyata however was in a league of his own, driving away from the rest to win by 2.6s – giving Hitech their first victory since the 2025 Baku Sprint Race.
Fittipaldi held on to second ahead of van Hoepen, with León in fourth ahead of Stenshorne. Câmara kept Dunne in his mirrors for sixth, while Boya took the final point in eighth.
KEY QUOTE – Ritomo Miyata, Hitech
“Finally we have won a race. Thanks to Hitech, Morizo-san, and Toyota Gazoo Racing, who have always supported my career, and also thanks to my family, my girlfriend, and my fans. We achieved a win in an F2 race. But we have another race tomorrow, so we need to do our best, so see you tomorrow.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Nikola Tsolov continues to lead the Drivers’ Standings on 177 points, with Rafael Câmara in second on 169. Gabriele Minì is third on 147, ahead of Alexander Dunne is on 120 points, with Noel León a further point behind in fifth.
Campos Racing top the Standings on 296 points, as Invicta Racing sit second on 247. Rodin Motorsport are third on 186 points, just two points ahead of MP Motorsport, with ART Grand Prix in fifth on 151.
UP NEXT
The drivers have one more chance to claim victory in Madrid, as they will return on Sunday morning for the Feature Race. Lights out is set for 11:25 local time.
Verstappen Finishes Third In Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying For Oracle Red Bull Racing!
Max Verstappen banked third place in Saturday qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix to give himself a shot at victory on Sunday as Oracle Red Bull Racing stand-in teammate Liam Lawson ended eighth.
The Dutchman pushed pole sitter Lando Norris and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli all the way in Q3 to record a time of 1:31.964 as the New Zealander finished down the order.
Briton Arvid Lindblad reached Q3 to finish 10th for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, while Japanese teammate Yuki Tsunoda made Q2 to finish 15th down the grid.
Oracle Red Bull Racing
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 3rd
“It was a very strong Qualifying from our side, and a top-three result is something we can be quite happy with. We made some nice improvements to the setup and got the car into a good window. From Q1 through to Q3, we were able to build with each run and stay competitive at the front throughout. We ended up pretty close to Pole and only really lost out in the final sector, but we’ll see what we can do from the second row tomorrow. From the practice sessions, we know that tyre life is going to be crucial and something we need to stay on top of if we want to fight with our rivals. Overtaking opportunities are hard to come by here and passing won’t be easy, so getting the strategy right will be important. If we do that, I think we have a good car for the race.”
LIAM LAWSON – 8th
“We looked competitive at the start of Qualifying, so it would have been nice to be fighting a little further up the order, but unfortunately Q3 did not quite come together for us. As the session progressed, everyone around us seemed to find a bit more lap time, whereas we were not able to make the same step. I am happy with the progress we have made compared to where we were earlier in the week, and I am feeling more comfortable in the car every time I get behind the wheel. There are still a few things for us to learn and take into tomorrow, but overall it has been a positive step forward. It is a difficult track to overtake on and a place where pushing the limits is always a challenge, so making up positions will not be easy unless opportunities come our way. The car has looked quick all weekend, though, and I am excited for the race. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the mix and move forward tomorrow.”
LAURENT MEKIES – CEO & Team Principal
“A really strong result for the whole Team today on such a challenging track, especially with the gaps at the front being so incredibly tight. Max was at the top of his game as always. He was competitive throughout Qualifying, fastest in Q2 by just a few hundredths and right in the fight for pole until the very last moment. Naturally, there is some disappointment when you miss out on the front row by such a small margin, but Max delivered another exceptional performance and it was also very encouraging to see Liam right in the mix, only a few tenths away. This is an extremely demanding circuit, with a combination of low-speed and high-speed corners, aggressive kerbs and walls that leave very little room for error. To see both drivers able to push with confidence in these conditions is a good indication of the progress with the underlying pace of the car and a deserved reward for all the hard work from everyone back in Milton Keynes. Tomorrow presents a different challenge. The gap between the top four teams is extremely small, so hopefully we can be right in the fight once again. Strategy will play an important role, particularly depending on how difficult overtaking proves to be, and we will need to stay flexible in what could be an unpredictable race. With two cars in the mix and every opportunity to be in the podium fight, we are looking forward to seeing what we can achieve tomorrow.”
