Author: quyen1

Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC

Max Verstappen has an outstanding relationship with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet’s daughter, Penelope. The two seem to have an adorable bond and Penelope is often also seen in several of the Dutchman’s videos. Verstappen has now revealed how Penelope also helps him remain punctual despite her tender age.

In a recent interview with the Telegraaf (as quoted by Nini), Verstappen said, “It is no longer possible that I am lying in bed until 10 in the morning. When they are awake, I also wake up at some point and start my day. Sometimes to train with Rupert (his performance coach), sometimes for sim racing, then for another appointment with Raymond (his manager)“.

Verstappen then also labeled Penelope as an “automatic alarm” clock. The 26-year-old believes that the only time he now needs to set an alarm is when he is away from home for race weekends.

Verstappen seems to have such a strong relationship with Penelope even though he is not her father. Penelope is the daughter of his girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, and her former partner, Daniil Kvyat. Verstappen understands this fact well and once also revealed that he hopes that Penelope can continue to have a strong relationship with Kvyat.

“I’m not the father, that’s not the aim. It’s always very important that she has a good relationship with her own father, which she has,” Verstappen once explained in an interview with Time.com. Despite the same, Penelope is one of Verstappen’s biggest supporters and also attended the Australian and Japanese GP earlier this year to watch him race.

Max Verstappen was delighted he won Japanese GP for Penelope

After Penelope witnessed him suffer a DNF in Australia, Max Verstappen was determined to set the record straight. During the very next race in Japan, he cruised to victory.

Fortunately, for him, Penelope was in attendance again. Verstappen believes Penelope needed to see him win or else she might feel that she brings bad luck for him.

Verstappen’s win at Suzuka was his third win of the 2024 season. He can now make it four wins from five if he wins Sunday’s Chinese GP, a race he starts on pole.

Credits: Imago

The Chinese GP weekend brought a rare moment of delight within the Mercedes camp when Lewis Hamilton clinched a podium finish in the first Sprint race of the season. Thanks to a chaotic rain-hit SQ3, Hamilton was able to secure a front-row start, helping him achieve this feat. However, team principal Toto Wolff downplayed the seven-time world champion’s achievement.

Wolff spoke to the media about Hamilton’s P2 result in Shanghai but didn’t credit him much. He felt that Hamilton got the podium as a result of what happened behind him throughout the race.

“I’m not happy. Of course, we had a good car today. However, Hamilton also benefited a lot from the fight behind us.”

Wolff’s post-race reaction was grim and not well received. Mercedes’ season so far has been dismal and the P2 finish was their best moment. Still, Wolff chose to laud external factors instead of his own driver who needs confidence to get his season back on track.

Additionally, Wolff and Hamilton are known to be great friends even away from F1 which is why the F1 community questions if they fell apart after the latter’s move to Ferrari got confirmed.

Fans question if everything is right between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff

Just a few hours after the Sprint race, Hamilton suffered a disastrous qualifying session, getting knocked out of Q1. As a result, he started the Chinese GP from P18, making thongs tricky. This further highlighted the lack of one-lap pace in the W-15, and Wolff was on the receiving end of immense slander.

One fan was shocked to see Wolff downplay Hamilton’s drive while Rosberg appreciated his former teammate and arch-rival.

Meanwhile, others couldn’t believe Wolff referred to the 39-year-old as ‘Hamilton’ instead of the usual ‘Lewis.’

Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, so there could be internal tensions within the Brackley-based outfit owing to the same. The Briton has complained about Mercedes’ set-up on several occasions, and things don’t seem to be improving. On a track like Shanghai, making places up from P18 on the grid will be an extremely difficult affair for Lewis Hamilton.

Credits: Imago

Ahead of the Chinese GP on Sunday, Max Verstappen remains the clear favorite to win the race. It would mark his fourth win of the season in five races and after his qualifying performance, very few doubt his chances. However, McLaren wants to spoil the Dutchman’s party as Lando Norris clearly labels Verstappen as his main rival for the afternoon.

Norris exuded utmost confidence while speaking to the media ahead of the Chinese GP. He is bullish about his team’s chances and said,

“Max will be our main competition today. We are going for the win. So, looking forward to it.”

Having finished the 2023 season as the second-fastest team on the grid, McLaren has fallen slightly behind in 2024. Ferrari came as a much-improved outfit, ousting McLaren as the closest competitor to Red Bull. Thus far, McLaren has just one podium and 69 points, as opposed to Ferrari’s five podiums and 120 points. Plus, the Maranello-based outfit also have a race win under their belt.

However, the Woking-based outfit is once again improving with each passing race. Lando Norris even secured the pole position in the Sprint session in China. Moreover, starting the Grand Prix from P4, he has a decent shot at fighting for a race win. Teammate Oscar Piastri will be right behind Norris in P5, further strengthening the McLaren challenge.

The Chinese GP weekend going better than expected for Lando Norris and Co.

After qualifying P3 at the Japanese GP, Norris put in a great effort to seal a podium finish but couldn’t hold the Ferraris off. Despite a P5 finish, Norris showcased stellar driving and often highlighted defense of top caliber. Much of the performance had to do with Norris’ familiarity with the track.

Heading over to Shanghai, Andrea Stella was concerned, particularly because they don’t know the Shanghai International Circuit all that well.

Riddled with long and slow corners, the track in Shanghai demands a car that can do well at slow speeds. This is an area in which McLaren struggles per Stella and it could put the team in a difficult position.

Starting with the Chinese GP, McLaren and Norris will be looking to establish themselves as a real threat to Red Bull. However, they also have to fend off the Ferrari drivers behind, who start from P6 and P7 and are believed to have strong race pace.

Credits: IMAGO / Michael Potts

The Chinese GP returns to the F1 calendar for the first time since 2019. This will be Charles Leclerc’s second-ever outing at the Shanghai International Circuit. Still, F1 and Leclerc’s popularity remain ever-so-strong in China and the latter was surprised to see the number of supporters who turned up to the circuit ahead of the race.

While speaking to the media in front of the grandstand, Leclerc admitted that he never saw as many people supporting him as he did in Shanghai. He said,

“I am very positively surprised by how many Monégasque flags there are in the grandstand, I think it‘s the most I have seen in my career.”

The grandstand at the Shanghai International Circuit is one of the biggest on the F1 calendar. Leclerc saw more flags of his home country there than he did in Monaco or Ferrari’s home venues, Monza and Imola. From Leclerc’s perspective, this will be a huge confidence boost as he looks to fight his way to the front of the grid in the race.

During his last outing in China, Leclerc was still a rookie. He finished P5 in that race, and Chinese fans seem to have developed fond memories of the Monegasque driver.

Charles Leclerc confident about a strong showing in the Chinese GP

Leclerc, normally a top-level qualifier, is having a tough time in securing good grid positions of late. His primary objective would have been to outqualify Carlos Sainz (his teammate), who has been getting the better of him in previous races. He achieved that but a P6 starting position is not particularly good as far as Ferrari is concerned.

However, Leclerc remains confident about his race pace. The 26-year-old is adamant that Ferrari’s performance in the Grand Prix will be much better just like it has been so far this season.

He said,

“However, in the race, I’m not worried. We’ve been strong in the last few races and I’m sure we’ll be also today”

Leclerc will also have extra motivation to keep Sainz behind him. Sainz has been outperforming Leclerc so far this season, and after their recent coming together at the F1 Sprint, the Monegasque driver will have a point to prove to his 29-year-old teammate who will leave Ferrari come the end of the season.

IMAGO / PanoramiC

Nico Rosberg made a return to the commentary box for the 2024 Chinese GP, and discussions related to the ‘curse’ have followed him. Rosberg often posts selfies with drivers before a Grand Prix and several times, they have resulted in a dismal showing for the ones competing. This time, however, the ‘Nico Rosberg Curse’ is being predicted to hit in a different form.

Rosberg didn’t post a picture with drivers or teams ahead of the 2024 Chinese GP. Instead, he posted a picture with the Shanghai International Circuit paddock. On social media, the F1 community took it upon themselves to decipher that the entire race will be in danger once the lights go out. “Red flag on the whole race incoming,” a fan wrote on his Instagram post.

The Rosberg curse has become a running joke, which circulates all over the internet whenever the 2016 champion posts a picture with an entity in F1. It has also worked in the past, with drivers or teams making blunders following Rosberg’s harmless social media posts.

However, with an F1 logo visible in the picture Rosberg posted ahead of the Chinese GP, the joke has grown. Another fan wrote,

“F1 logo spotted in BG [Background], F1 in danger!” 

Some, however, want Rosberg to take advantage of his looming curse. By taking a picture in front of the Red Bull hospitality, Rosberg could spoil Verstappen’s chances of taking what is expected to be a rather convincing victory at the Chinese GP.

When Nico Rosberg’s curse took both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton out

Whether Rosberg cursed the Chinese GP or not, remains to be seen. But, there have been instances when this ‘curse’ took some of the best drivers out. At the 2023 Hungarian GP, Rosberg posted a picture in front of Verstappen’s garage, and the Dutchman failed to secure pole for the race.

Lewis Hamilton got pole instead, and it was a welcome change because Verstappen had been dominating the entire season. Rosberg then posted a picture with Hamilton’s car on Instagram ahead of the race and jokingly, the F1 community predicted a Hamilton defeat.

Hamilton got off to a horrible start and did lose the race but it didn’t have much to do with Rosberg’s curse. It is a long-standing joke fans love to take part in, but considering Red Bull’s dominance in 2023, the seven-time world champion’s fate was sealed before Rosberg even posted the picture.

Another example of the ‘Nico Rosberg curse’ was at the 2021 Monaco GP, when the German wished hometown hero Charles Leclerc good luck before the race via social media. The Ferrari driver ended up getting pole but because of damage sustained to the car, he couldn’t start the outing.

Credits: Credits: IMAGO Pro Shots

Lando Norris has proved that he is one of F1’s best talents over the last few years, but is yet to reach the very top of the sport as race wins keep eluding him. The fact that Norris hasn’t won a race has been a topic of huge discussion and even came up during a segment involving Chelsea players.

Along with Levi Colwill and Robert Sanchez, Norris appeared in a segment for Sky Sports F1. The host of the program asked the trio, whether F1 or soccer stars have cooler celebrations. Colwill and Sanchez went ahead with soccer instantaneously. Norris was a little hesitant, but agreed eventually.

Then, the Chelsea soccer stars were ready to make a celebration move for Norris. The Bristol-born driver, however, used his wit to remind everyone that he needs to win before coming up with one.

“I need to win a race first.”

Norris has been in F1 since 2019, which means that lack of experience isn’t an issue for the Brit anymore. He came close to winning a few times, but mistakes on his end, or McLaren’s inability to provide him with a consistent race-winning car, took those chances away. Earlier this week, he started the Chinese GP Sprint from pole, but a mistake made on lap 1, dropped him down to seventh place.

Lando Norris’ encounter with Chelsea FC stars

The topic of celebration wasn’t the only thing Norris, Colwill and Sanchez dwelled on. They spoke about their respective sports, highlighting the similarities and differences. Plus, the Chelsea soccer players also drove on a simulator under Norris’ guidance.

Norris, Colwill and Sanchez also compared F1 and Soccer on other aspects. For example, they agreed that F1 travels to more appealing destinations, which isn’t surprising considering they travel all over the world to 24 circuits, almost all of them in different countries.

Norris also revealed who his favorite soccer player was. While Colwill and Sanchez went ahead with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Norris was loyal to his compatriot David Beckham, one of England’s best ever.

IMAGO / PanoramiC

Lando Norris’ wait for a victory in F1 continued after another missed opportunity at the Chinese GP Sprint. The McLaren driver, who started at pole, made a costly error on lap 1 that dropped him down to P7 within seconds. While Norris’ mistake did take another golden chance at a win away from him, it was Lewis Hamilton’s strategy that did more wonders.

Hamilton launched well off the line, which unsettled Norris. Going side by side with Hamilton at turn one, Norris experienced oversteer on a part of the track that didn’t have a lot of grip. Hence, he went off track allowing five drivers to overtake him instantaneously.

Peter Windsor, on his YouTube channel, spoke about the incident between Norris and Hamilton after the Sprint race in Shanghai. The outside line was the more difficult approach for Norris in turn one, but Windsor doesn’t blame him for holding his position and trying to get the better of Hamilton from there.

He said,

“He’d [Hamilton] got the better run down into turn one, Lando on the outside, and his thinking was well, there’s a left-hander at the end of all, if I can stay there on the outside, I can still be on the inside for that left-hander, I could still take the lead. ”

Windsor then pointed out how Norris ran out of room and grip after going side-by-side for two-thirds of the long right-hander. He lost several positions, and by the time he rejoined the track, it was too late.

Lando Norris’ missed opportunity in China

Norris’ mistake on the first lap dropped him down to seventh, and in just 19 laps, there wasn’t much he could have done to get to the front of the pack again.

Norris did make up a place, finishing the Chinese GP Sprint in P6, but that was down to Fernando Alonso’s retirement. The DRS train ahead of the Bristol-born driver, prevented him from making amends for his costly error.

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Ahead of Norris a group of drivers – Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez – were locked in a battle for P3. Norris couldn’t find the pace to catch up to these drivers and be a part of that battle. He had to concede, and settle for P6, earning three points for McLaren on the afternoon.

Norris will be ruing another missed opportunity to win a race in F1. He came close to winning a few times in the past too, but mostly, errors on his part took those chances away. Norris apologized for the same after the Sprint, but McLaren boss Andrea Stella insisted that it is the team’s job to keep providing Norris with more opportunities to win races with a better car.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

After winning the Chinese GP Sprint on Saturday, Max Verstappen grabbed his fifth pole position of the 2024 season in as many races. This was Red Bull’s 100th F1 pole, and it came at the same circuit where they got their first- the Shanghai International Circuit. A lot has changed in F1 and at Red Bull since then, except for one thing and that is Fernando Alonso.

Sebastian Vettel earned Red Bull’s first pole in China in 2009, with Mark Webber, his teammate finishing P3. Fast forward to 2024, it is Sergio Perez who followed Verstappen to secure P2. Both were monumental occasions for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit, and Fernando was top three on both occasions.

In 2009, Alonso was driving for Renault and finished P2 splitting Webber and Vettel in qualifying. Yesterday, he took P3 driving for Aston Martin. Alonso remains a constant in F1, despite all the changes the sport has been through since Red Bull’s first-ever pole position.

Back in 2009, Alonso had a disappointing Chinese GP as he only managed to finish ninth despite qualifying second. The Spaniard will hope that he can deliver a better performance this time around, having seemed comfortable with his Aston Martin AMR24 throughout the weekend.

Fernando Alonso defying old-age criticisms

Alonso, one of F1’s greatest drivers ever, is shutting doubters by performing at the top of his game week in and week out, despite turning 42.

The Oviedo-born driver is showing no signs of slowing down and is oozing confidence having recently signed a contract extension with Aston Martin which will keep him tied to the Silverstone-based outfit until at least 2026.

Alonso made it clear that his goal is to help Aston Martin get to the top. Team principal Mike Krack also revealed that his side will do everything in their potential to help give Alonso a car that is capable of winning races and fighting for the championship.

However, at the moment, they are nowhere close to achieving their goal. Aston Martin is arguably the fifth-fastest side at the moment and Alonso’s best chance of fighting for the championship may come in 2026 when F1 introduces new regulations- only if Aston Martin copes well with them.

IMAGO / BSR Agency

Max Verstappen started the Chinese GP Sprint from P4 on the grid but won it dominantly, finishing 13 seconds ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton. In just 19 laps, Verstappen built up this huge gap, sending an ominous message to Red Bull’s rivals for the Grand Prix. However, Verstappen was not particularly satisfied with how the RB20 felt on Saturday.

After the Sprint race, Verstappen admitted that he didn’t feel at his best with the car. “I don’t base my feelings on an advantage,” said Verstappen in a report published by the Dutch Telegraph. “I want to feel it myself.”

Just a few hours later, however, Verstappen put up a brilliant performance at the Grand Prix qualifying. He secured his fifth pole position in as many races this campaign, suggesting that he was more comfortable with the car.

Red Bull could have adjusted the RB20 before Verstappen suited up for qualifying. Under new rules, teams are allowed to make changes to their cars once the Sprint race concludes, which is probably why Verstappen was able to put up a show.

Verstappen finished over three-tenths of a second ahead of second-placed Sergio Perez, who followed him in P2. The Dutchman and Perez also seem to be the favorites to finish 1-2 at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday.

Verstappen’s pole position on Saturday was Red Bull’s 100th in F1, and the team will be hoping that the 26-year-old brings home their fourth win of the season on Sunday.

Max Verstappen’s Chinese GP so far

Verstappen at his best, is always up to speed from the very get-go of a Grand Prix weekend. But when the Chinese GP weekend kicked off, he kept complaining about the set-up. The Red Bull ace found it difficult to get up to speed in Sprint qualifying, especially with rain affecting proceedings.

He finished P4, which made things slightly more difficult for him when the lights went out ahead of the Sprint. Still, Verstappen made his charge to victory look fairly easy.

Pole position in Grand Prix qualifying, on the other hand, never looked to be in doubt. Even with difficulties he faced with the RB20, Verstappen was able to win the Sprint with a 13-second gap, so with a car he is comfortable with, he could easily dominate the rest of the grid.

Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC

Ferrari drivers looked on their way to sealing places on the first and the second row of the starting grid for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. However, the dying minutes of the qualifying session kept throwing surprises. One after the other, four drivers placed themselves between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. While that is a concern Ferrari need to address, there is another on Frederic Vasseur’s mind that can ruin their race on Sunday.

The Ferrari team principal, as per @JunaidSamodien_ on X (formerly Twitter), said, “What scares me is a DRS train, but tomorrow we can play with the strategy and have opportunities. If you look, everything is so tight, but in two-tenths, you have six cars.”

Vasseur’s worry is a legitimate one if we take the example of the sprint race from Saturday. As Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton comfortably placed themselves in P1 and P2 respectively, the battle for P3 raged on until the last lap.

The reason simply was the DRS train behind Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc were all within one-second distance of each other. Ultimately, Perez broke the stalemate with a double overtake on the two Spaniards to take the final step on the podium.

There is, however, one factor that can play in Ferrari’s favor. In a positive turn of events from last year, their 2024 car possesses a superior race pace. That could come in handy for the main race, provided there is little to no rain.

In that scenario, Sainz and Leclerc could beat both McLaren drivers and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso ahead, and hold off the threat from Mercedes. A podium finish will most likely please team boss Frederic Vasseur. A race win, meanwhile, seems unlikely unless a bizarre occurrence with the Red Bull duo changes the scenario.

Red Bull clear favorites but Max Verstappen is far from happy

Max Verstappen, surprisingly, missed out on the sprint pole position as a rain-hit SQ3 placed him in P4. The Dutchman, however, made up for the deficit in dry conditions on Saturday by winning the 19-lap race by 13 seconds.

Later, he claimed the pole position for the main race during the traditional qualifying format. However, the reigning champion was not too thrilled with the performance of his car.

Dutch journalist Erik van Haren quoted Verstappen as saying, “I don’t base my feelings on an advantage. I want to feel it myself.” The three-time champion made the comments after the conclusion of the sprint race. Van Haren claims the stern feedback led to some extensive work carried out on his car before qualifying for the main race.

The Austrian team will anyway not sit easy anytime soon. That is because of the upcoming upgrade packages for their rivals. Ferrari claims to make some crucial ground with their upcoming package scheduled to feature in Imola. Similarly, McLaren are ready to introduce some extensive changes as well, as the season progresses.