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Charles Leclerc said he was pleased with Ferrari’s execution of their one-stop strategy after finishing fourth at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday but conceded he had left himself with too much to do after struggling in qualifying. Leclerc, who started eighth, completed 27 laps on a set of medium tyres before switching to hards

Associated Press Apr 7, 2024, 07:04 PM ET Open Extended Reactions William Byron took the lead with 73 laps to go and held onto it during a two-lap overtime finish Sunday to enhance Hendrick Motorsports’ celebration of its 40-year anniversary of its first victory in racing with a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at

Laurence Edmondson, F1 EditorApr 7, 2024, 06:50 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2009• An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011 Open Extended Reactions SUZUKA, Japan — Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen is already destined for a fourth world title this year, despite there being 20 races left to run. On Sunday in

Open Extended Reactions SUZUKA, Japan — A clumsy collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon on the opening lap of the Japanese Grand Prix prompted it to be suspended for 30 minutes. Ricciardo had drifted wide on the approach to the Esses section of the Suzuka section and into the path of Albon’s Williams, prompting

Associated Press Apr 6, 2024, 07:18 PM ET Open Extended Reactions MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kyle Larson won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, turning a fast lap at 96.034 miles per hour to edge Bubba Wallace for the top spot by one one-thousandth of a second. Wallace completed his best

Apr 6, 2024, 05:08 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Red Bull’s dominant display in Saturday’s qualifying sessions at the Japanese Grand Prix proved they are in a different league, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz said as he vowed to fight for a spot on the podium in Sunday’s race. Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen took pole

Associated Press Apr 6, 2024, 03:33 AM ET Open Extended Reactions SUZUKA, Japan — Max Verstappen was asked a few days ago if he had concerns going into the Japanese Grand Prix. His rear brakes caught fire just two weeks ago at the Australian GP, forcing him out on the fourth lap. “No, no,” Verstappen

Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior WriterApr 5, 2024, 01:30 PM ET Close Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com 2-time Sports Emmy winner 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year Open Extended Reactions William Byron won the Daytona 500 for the first time in February for his 11th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. Jared C.

Apr 5, 2024, 05:07 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Mercedes’ early-season struggles continued on Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix as team principal Toto Wolff alluded to Lewis Hamilton losing one of his four allotted engines, meaning the seven-time world champion could face grid penalties later in the season. “That one is for the bin,”

Laurence Edmondson, F1 EditorApr 5, 2024, 02:55 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2009• An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011 Open Extended Reactions Toto Wolff said he has a shortlist of candidates to replace Lewis Hamilton, but wouldn’t name them. Kym Illman/Getty Images SUZUKA, Japan — Toto Wolff has left open the possibility of four-time world

Open Extended Reactions SUZUKA, Japan — Fernando Alonso’s controversial Australian Grand Prix penalty for potentially dangerous driving has split opinion among his Formula One rivals. While defending fifth position from George Russell on the final lap of the Melbourne race, Alonso decelerated early on approach to Turn Six — the move caught the Mercedes driver

Apr 4, 2024, 05:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Fernando Alonso is yet to decide his future in F1. Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images Triple world champion Max Verstappen will not leave Red Bull next season, his Aston Martin rival Fernando Alonso said on Thursday, dismissing the prospect of his departure being the surprise twist in this

Open Extended Reactions Lewis Hamilton said Sebastian Vettel would be the ideal driver at Mercedes. David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images SUZUKA, Japan – Lewis Hamilton believes old rival Sebastian Vettel would be “an amazing option” to replace him at Mercedes in 2025. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for next season has blown the driver market wide

Open Extended Reactions Lewis Hamilton has said he is “at peace” with the controversial outcome of his 2021 championship fight with Max Verstappen even though he felt “robbed” of a record eighth F1 title. At that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, FIA race director Michael Masi incorrectly applied F1’s rulebook to force a restart on

Apr 3, 2024, 08:47 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has said he is considering a return to Formula One in 2025. Vettel, 36, retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season with 53 race wins in a career spanning 16 years. F1’s driver market was sparked earlier this

Apr 2, 2024, 08:56 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Aerodynamicist David Sanchez has left McLaren only three months after joining the Formula One team, which had trumpeted him as a major signing in its bid to return to the top. Former champions McLaren announced the Frenchman’s departure on Tuesday in a statement detailing organisational changes

Apr 1, 2024, 06:29 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Formula One’s United States-based owner Liberty Media have announced a takeover of MotoGP’s parent company Dorna, valuing the world’s leading motorcycle racing championship at €4.2 billion ($4.53bn), MotoGP said in a statement on Monday. Dorna will remain an independently run company attributed to Liberty Media’s Formula

Open Extended Reactions Daniel Ricciardo has struggled to start the 2024 season. Is his future in F1 under threat? Kym Illman/Getty Images Daniel Ricciardo‘s underwhelming start to the 2024 season has become one of Formula One‘s major talking points. The 34-year-old Australian’s return to Red Bull’s second team, known this year as Visa Cash App RB,

Alanis King, Racing columnistMar 28, 2024, 12:21 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Alanis King served as a spotter for Brad Perez’s No. 45 car at the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday. JR Houston It’s a clear Saturday afternoon in March, minutes before the start of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race

Mar 27, 2024, 02:51 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner said he was not surprised by the team’s stronger than expected start to the Formula One season and suggested they had deliberately talked down their prospects. New principal Ayao Komatsu warned before the Bahrain season-opener on March 2 that U.S.-owned Haas,

Mar 27, 2024, 03:27 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Max Verstappen would be top of Mercedes’ list of possible replacements for seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025 if available, according to team boss Toto Wolff. The triple world champion has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 but his future at the

Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — Fernando Alonso‘s controversial penalty at the Australian Grand Prix, a result of the piece of driving that riled the Mercedes team he is a strong candidate to join in 2025, seemed like a classically bad bit of timing from the two-time world champion. Alonso was being chased by potential

Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — As he boarded his flight to Melbourne nine days ago, Carlos Sainz doubted he would be fit enough to race at the Australian Grand Prix, let alone win it. Sainz claimed a memorable victory on Sunday, just over two weeks on from surgery for appendicitis. The Ferrari driver overtook

Associated Press Mar 24, 2024, 03:48 PM ET Open Extended Reactions THERMAL, Calif. — A race meant for all-stars was fittingly won by Alex Palou. The two-time and reigning IndyCar champion won the Thermal $1 Million Challenge on Sunday in a rout. Palou dominated the three-day weekend — he was among the fastest drivers in

Associated Press Mar 24, 2024, 07:04 PM ET Open Extended Reactions AUSTIN, Texas — William Bryon started on pole and delivered a dominant drive Sunday to win NASCAR’s first road course race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas. The Daytona 500 winner snatched his second win of the season and delivered the

Laurence Edmondson, F1 EditorMar 24, 2024, 10:22 PM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2009• An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011 Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia — Christian Horner has dropped the biggest hint yet that Australian Grand Prix race winner Carlos Sainz is in the frame for a Red Bull drive next year. With Lewis

Open Extended Reactions MELBOURNE, Australia – Daniel Ricciardo’s underwhelming start to the season has become a major talking point in Formula One but the Australian said he is ignoring his critics and is sure a turnaround is coming soon. Editor’s Picks 1 Related While Tsunoda claimed valuable points for Red Bull’s junior team by finishing

Open Extended Reactions Both Mercedes did not finish the race with Lewis Hamilton retiring at the start and George Russell crashing on the penultimate lap. PAUL CROCK/AFP via Getty Images MELBOURNE, Australia – Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso has been given a 20-second penalty for what the Australian Grand Prix stewards deemed an “unusual manoeuvre” which led

Mar 24, 2024, 06:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions With Lewis Hamilton retiring early and George Russell crashing out late, Mercedes suffered their first double ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) at a Formula One race in over five years at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, piling on yet more early season gloom. Seven-time world champion

Associated Press Mar 23, 2024, 09:46 PM ET Open Extended Reactions THERMAL, Calif. — Felix Rosenqvist and Alex Palou will lead the field to green in Sunday morning’s pair of heat races that determine which 12 IndyCar drivers will advance into the exhibition Thermal $1 million Challenge. The made-for-TV all-star race of sorts will consist