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Key events
Lap 5/62 Bearman has been noted for further investigation after leaving the track when duelling with Ocon; Russell is now up to 15th. Meantime, back at the front, Verstappen’s lead has stabilised at 0.5s. I don’t see how Leclerc can get at him as long as the car sticks in.
Lap 4/62 Hamilton sets a fastest lap but is full second behind Leclerc in third -though, as I type, he trims that by a tenth. Unless he’s made a brilliant choice with his mediums, it’s hard to see how gets by Verstappen, even if he finds a way past Leclerc.
Lap 3/62 Russell is motoring, now up to 17th, while Bearman attacks his teammate, Ocon who started 16th and is now 11th. He gets past, then cedes the place again … then passes again! Bearman takes 11th, Ocon 12th while, at the front, the top six are pulling away – there’s 4.1s separating them, then another 2.7s to Lawson in seventh.
Lap 2/62 Antonelli chases Hamilton, while Hulkenberg has passed Bearman. Lawson is now eighth and, back at the front, Verstappen extends the gam from 0.4 to 0.6.
Lap 1/62 Leclerc is away quickly and is he passing Verstappen? Not quite, the door expertly shut, and the 1-2-3 is the same now as was when we started, while Norris couldn’t sneak by Antonelli.
Lights out and away we go!
If Antonelli outscores Russell by 12 points today, he can win the championship in Austin, Texas, the week after next.
Off goes the formation lap; Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, Norris and Piastri are on softs, with Hamilto,n Gasly and Russell on mediums.
The engines fire up, the grid fully clears, and speed is almost upon us,
Verstappen, by the way, has never won this race.
The grid is emptying as we prepare to get going, and our experts are backing Verstappen. If he comes out of the first corner in front, he’ll be hard to catch.
Lando Norris thinks he has a shot, though the Ferraris will be tough. I’d be surprised, but we shall see.
Antonelli has an issue with his car – the brakes aren’t getting information, so it’s a sensor problem, apparently, and they’re taking stuff apart to replace it, on the grid, Those mechanics are earning their money today.
Anthem time…
Now Brundle tells Alonso he’s starting from the pitlane – presumably in case he was unaware, he’s good like that. Alonso airs him, I can’t think why.
Eileen Gu is in attendance. I can’t lie, I love her – and she’s coming soon to as Joy of Six near you – and I think Martin Brundle is charmed too, turning away because Antonelli is going past, then returning to apologise for not saying goodbye. Gu was, I’m sure, absolutely bereft.
Zak Brown of McLaren confirms he has had a stern one with his drivers after they go in each other’s way yesterday. “I didn’t say please,” he laughs. “It’s an order.”
Our race comprises 62 laps and the relatively long track means it’ll last roundabout two hours. It’s hot, too, meaning a proper physical struggle for our drivers.
Hamilton thinks he’s got a good car and has a good chance to put pressure on Verstappen. If he gets one of his starts, he can win this from the front.
Yet another way in which The Clash were visionaries.
Constructor standings
1 Mercedes 🇩🇪 556pts
2 Ferrari 🇮🇹 405
3 McLaren 🇬🇧 316
4 Red Bull 🇦🇹 298
5 Racing Bulls 🇮🇹 90
6 Alpine 🇫🇷 68
7 Haas 🇺🇸 27
8 Audi 🇩🇪 17
9 Williams 🇬🇧 12
10 Aston Martin 🇬🇧 7
11 Cadillac 🇺🇸 0
Driver standings
1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 325 pts
2 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 236
3 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 221
4 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 191
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 188
6 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 188
7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 128
8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull 96
9 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 65
10 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 41
11 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 38
12 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 27
13 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 20
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 10
15 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 7
16 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 7
17 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 7
18 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 7
19 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 5
20 Yuki Tsunoda 🇯🇵 Racing Bulls 1
Yet to score:
Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin
Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac
Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac
Qualifying
1 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 1:31.373
2 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 1:31.427
3 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 1:31.496
4 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 1:31.562
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 1:31.712
6 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 1:31.712
7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 1:31.860
8 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 1:32.225
9 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 1:32.369
10 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 1:32.781
Q2 eliminations
11 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 1:32.784
12 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 1:32.908
13 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 1:33.323
14 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 1:33.526
15 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 1:33.658
16 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 1:33.787
Q1 eliminations
17 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 1:34.223
18 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 1:34.289
19 Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin 1:34.946
20 Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac 1:35.123
21 Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac 1:35.984
22 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull no time
The starting grid
1 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull 1:31.373
2 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari 1:31.427
3 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 1:31.496
4 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 1:31.562
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren 1:31.712
6 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren 1:31.860
7 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 Alpine 1:32.225
8 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls 1:32.369
9 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls 1:32.781
10 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪 Audi 1:32.784
11 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧 Haas 1:32.908
12 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷 Haas 1:33.323
13 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸 Williams 1:33.526
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷 Audi 1:33.658
15 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷 Alpine 1:33.787
16 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭 Williams 1:34.289
17 Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽 Cadillac 1:35.123
18 Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮 Cadillac 1:35.984
*19 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 1:31.712
-
Starting from the pitlane
*Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull no time
*Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸 Aston Martin 1:34.223
*Lance Stroll 🇨🇦 Aston Martin 1:34.946
* Dropped to the back of the grid for taking new elements
Also going on:
Preamble
Sport loves hyperbole, but sometimes, that hyperbole is true: we stand on the cusp of history. At some point soon, perhaps this month, we will bathe in the light of the F1’s youngest world champion, when Kimi Antonelli gets the 100 points he needs to lift this year’s driver championship. When you’re bousting cars around twisty tracks at 225mph, stuff can happen – and we don’t even know how many more races there’ll be this season – but even so, it’s surely coming.
Antonelli starts this race from fourth on the grid, suboptimal but for the fact that a huge penalty for taking a new power unit leaves George Russell, his closest challenger, in P21. And, though Lewis Hamilton, the only other driver still with a shot of thwarting him, goes from third, with only one race-win this season, it seems inconceivable that he suddenly hits the kind of streak that closes a 104-point gap in four or five races.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, is doing his best to redeem a miserable season – in a sense, he’s already started next. His Red Bull is beginning to purr and, having first won yesterday’s sprint, he subsequently secured pole; if he gets away well, he’ll take some catching.
Lights out: 8pm local, 1pm BST
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