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Seven things we learned from the 2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix

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7 hours ago

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The Australian Grand Prix weekend had it all. There was the usual wild Phillip Island weather, which led to a cancelled session on Friday but at least it didn’t interfere with the schedule as it had in 2023.

Marc Marquez overcame yet another self-inflicted drama – this time a tear-off getting stuck beneath his tyre at the start – to win what has to rank as the most satisfying grand prix of his first season on a Ducati. He beat Jorge Martin in a genuine duel, complete with place-swapping to thrill those who had braved the chilly weather and travelled to the island.

With Martin winning the sprint on Sunday, and Francesco Bagnaia emerging with a relatively modest fourth and third from the sprint and grand prix respectively, the gap between Martin and Bagnaia has doubled to 20 points.

Here are seven things we learned from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

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1. Marc Marquez keeps getting better

Marquez took another win despite a mardy start and his year-old machinery

Marquez took another win despite a mardy start and his year-old machinery

Photo by: Red Bull / Gold and Goose

The victory at Aragon at the start of September was an emotional one for Marquez. It was his first on a Ducati, after several months of trying – and it came at home in Spain. But it wasn’t entirely unexpected, given it was a low-grip circuit that suited the Marquez package. Nor was any elbow-to-elbow fighting required to seal it, as he rode clear of the field.

When he won next time out at Misano, it was a tailor-made situation for the eight-time world champion. Uncertain weather is exactly what the Gresini rider wants in order to challenge the latest GP24 machines. And that’s what he got when it spat with rain in Italy. He even admitted he wouldn’t have won without the weather factor.

But Phillip Island? A challenging test of rider skill, yes, but a track that had been resurfaced. Nobody was complaining about a lack of grip on the Australian GP weekend. And although the weather did interfere with the untimed sessions, it was dry for Practice, Q2 and the races.

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Marquez also had to conquer a powerful rival in wheel-to-wheel combat to win in Australia. Martin, remember, had secured pole position by over half a second on Saturday. And Marquez had had to concede defeat to him after misjudging the first corner in the sprint.

But come Sunday, not even dropping to 13th – after inflicting a terrible getaway on himself by throwing a tear-off under his tyre – could keep Marquez down. Looking after rubber was a factor in the grand prix, and most riders would not have managed to battle through the field and still have the tyre life left to take it to the championship leader at the back end of the race.

But Marquez found a way, winning a straight fight around the ultimate riders’ circuit. For this reason, the Australian GP has to go down as the most satisfying and impressive of his three wins this season.

The way he’s trending, things could be a real yawn if Marquez ever gets both his qualifying and his starts right on the same weekend.

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2. Jorge Martin is better than he thinks he is

Martin may show his emotions publically but his speed on track cannot be doubted

Martin may show his emotions publically but his speed on track cannot be doubted

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

For an elite sportsman, Pramac Ducati rider Martin is unusually candid in talking about his doubts in public. When you’re involved in a battle at the very peak of any discipline, the time-honoured approach is to keep negative stuff to yourself. To pretend you’ve got it all in hand and never show any weakness to your rival or rivals.

Two weeks ago in Japan, Martin said he was worried about the prospect of rain at Motegi. The downpours never came, but on the same weekend he also admitted to “riding like a rookie” and to copying the maestro Marquez after following him in the sprint.

Then, in Australia, when facing routine questions about the run-in to the championship, he said there were still “three races in which to make mistakes”. Again, while mistakes have indeed been a feature of this year’s title fight with Bagnaia, a top sportsperson usually dwells on the positives and the best-case scenario. Especially when their foe is sitting right next to them.

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After his sprint win at Phillip Island, Martin was also happy to tell media – and so his competition – that he had to fight to maintain his concentration whilst leading, unthreatened, from start to finish. Somehow you can’t imagine him being selected to the Spanish national poker team.

Martin’s continued openness about these matters probably contributes to what Pedro Acosta has called a “lack of spice” between the title rivals. It’s hardly gladiatorial when the protagonists are sitting down to share their feelings and doubts in front of an audience.

Spicy or otherwise, it’s easy to interpret statements like this from Martin as a sign of psychological weakness. And yet there’s little evidence of that in his performances. Indeed, his results suggest that all sportspeople grapple with the same doubts – Martin just says them out loud.

Because regardless of Martin sometimes sounding a little negative or defeatist, he keeps on going out there and delivering results. A qualifying crash in Japan aside, he raced superbly on both days. And he was sublime in Australia, scorching to pole with no serious errors all weekend.

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Either Martin has a special ability to switch off his doubts when the visor comes down, or he’s so good he can deliver in spite of them.

3. Francesco Bagnaia has much to ponder

Bagnaia's title hopes are now hanging in the balance as time runs out to close the gap

Bagnaia’s title hopes are now hanging in the balance as time runs out to close the gap

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Speaking of doubts, these are not something Bagnaia is in the habit of revealing. But after Australia, he wouldn’t be human if there weren’t a few lurking in his mind.

It must surely be frustrating to watch Marquez and Martin find the limit so quickly and be unable to do the same. Friday provided a graphic illustration of that, as the cancellation of FP1 and dark clouds above the track at the start of Practice meant riders had to attack for lap times without any chance to explore the resurfaced Phillip Island track.

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Marquez responded magnificently, dominating the session from the green flag. And Martin was always a step ahead of Bagnaia, even after being derailed by an early fall. And when Saturday’s FP2 was damp, the analytical double world champion seemed to fall even further behind, going the wrong way on set-up.

Without proper practice time, Australia snowballed into a tough weekend by Bagnaia’s standards. Fourth in the sprint and third in the grand prix saw him slip from a 10-point deficit to a 20-point disadvantage in the title race.

With one of his weaker tracks behind him, Bagnaia talked up his chances of hitting back in Thailand and Malaysia over the next two weekends. While he’s right to point out that he’s “very fast” at Buriram and Sepang, there isn’t anything in the form book to suggest Martin will not be the same. Indeed, it was Martin who won in Thailand last year.

While Martin might be his main preoccupation for the rest of this year, it may also have crossed Bagnaia’s mind that he’ll be sharing a garage – and the latest equipment – with Marquez next year. It’s not a thought many racers would relish right now.

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4. Pedro Acosta is a little imp

Acosta was in a playful mood during the pre-weekend press conferences

Acosta was in a playful mood during the pre-weekend press conferences

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

KTM’s sensation was as ordinary in Australia as he had been outstanding in Japan. Perhaps daunting Phillip Island is one track where even a talent like his needs a bit of dry track time if it’s their first visit on a MotoGP bike.

Acosta certainly had pace when he could string it together, but running off the road in Practice on Friday cost him a spot in Q2. Then he got the timing of his final run wrong on a drying circuit in Q1, and was condemned to a lowly grid slot of 15th. A fall in the sprint put him out of action for the grand prix on Sunday, rounding off a solid thump back to earth after mixing it with the big boys at Motegi.

Acosta’s finest performance of the weekend, then, was probably his contribution to the Thursday press conference involving Bagnaia and Martin. Invited by video link to contribute a question precisely because of his comments around a lack of “spice” between the Ducati pair, Acosta thought for a while and then asked if “the manufacturer will influence this championship battle”.

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Coming from a KTM rider who has never been in contention for the title, it was a gratuitous attempt to stir the pot. Credit should go to Dorna for allowing the impish question – perhaps even MotoGP’s promoters agree with Acosta’s view of the protagonists. And to Acosta for asking it.

Martin, for the record, did not offer any firm denial that Ducati would contemplate such a thing.

5. It’s hard to stay patient with Jack Miller

Miller is a favourite on the MotoGP grid, but how long can his form be defended?

Miller is a favourite on the MotoGP grid, but how long can his form be defended?

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

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A popular rider is always harder to criticise and can be defended to a disproportionate degree by adoring media who wish a good bloke no ill. Particularly when there are more English-speaking journalists than there are native English-speaking riders, of which Jack Miller is one of only two.

Racing in front of his home fans in Australia, however, Miller fell twice in practice on Friday, qualified 16th and then fell off in the sprint. He then rounded off the weekend with an 11th place in the grand prix.

Yes, the local wildlife had a part to play in Miller’s misfortunes this weekend (see below). And yes, his was a better Aussie GP than that of fellow KTM rider Acosta. And yes, Acosta actually falls off more. But Acosta is a rookie and he’s with a satellite team.

Yes, Miller has been battling some extraordinary difficulties with the bike. But his stablemate Brad Binder has the same package, and he’s got 192 points to Miller’s 71. He lies fifth in the standings whilst Miller is 14th.

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Valid though the reasons for his results may well be, one thing’s for sure: if Miller’s fans and defenders have a patience threshold at all, the Australian is surely getting dangerously close to hitting it.

6. We need more tracks like Phillip Island

Phillip Island is an outlier on the MotoGP calendar

Phillip Island is an outlier on the MotoGP calendar

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marquez said after Sunday’s thrilling grand prix that Phillip Island is an exception in terms of the quality racing it provides. As if we needed reminding!

The stop-start circuits that make up most of the calendar are the problem, according to Marquez. With the aero MotoGP bikes now run, these tracks aren’t a good fit for bikes being able to follow each other or, if that goes well, overtake each other.

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Hopefully, the new rules coming in for 2027 will go a long way towards addressing a problem everybody understands. Still, a few more Phillip Islands on the schedule would only help the cause. They’re fundamentally more exciting anyway.

Granted, there aren’t a lot of those around any more. At least not so many that meet safety requirements. What a shame Assen got chopped in half. Long live Silverstone and Mugello. And Brno’s return to the schedule next year should be a positive.

We witnessed the aero effect at its worst at Motegi two weeks ago. Surely it’s time for a solution to be found that could bring Suzuka back into consideration for the Japanese round?

And let’s not forget that although Hockenheim has also been chopped in half, good old power circuits haven’t entirely disappeared. Tracks like the Salzburgring used to deliver exciting action of a different kind – pure slipstreaming duels. The quirky little Salzburgring is still with us. Moreover, it’s in Red Bull’s backyard…

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7. Aussie animals wield power over results

The wildlife often gets involved with the racing in Australia

The wildlife often gets involved with the racing in Australia

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

On Friday, track action at Phillip Island was twice stopped as Cape Barren geese decided to go for a walk across the circuit. Martin also had a very near miss with a rabbit that clearly didn’t look left and right before crossing.

On Saturday, Miller took an unfortunate seagull for on a free ride around the thrilling sweeps of the Victorian classic during the sprint. It was, as the Aussie noted, “not ideal”.

By pure strokes of luck, none of these incidents had a significant impact on the result of the race or the world championship. But the grand prix on Sunday was a clear reminder that Australian wildlife in particular can have a material impact on outcomes.

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The beast that landed on Marquez’s visor was ‘only’ a large insect, but it was enough to have the Spaniard reaching for a tear-off just before the start. This ruined his start as it got stuck beneath the rear tyre. Had it been any other rider than Marquez, it would probably have succeeded in ruining his race as well.

Nobody wants clashes with animals at a racing circuit. Bagnaia remarked that “something should be done” but Australia knows all too well that you can’t fence in rabbits. It’s also hard to legislate against flying creatures. Realistically, wildlife will remain an occupational hazard at Phillip Island – and one that may even decide a title one day.

Will Marquez continue his form to the end of the season?

Will Marquez continue his form to the end of the season?

Photo by: Dorna

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How Logano beat the odds yet again

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3 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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Joey Logano was having a solid day even before his fuel gamble, but it was never supposed to end in victory. Entering the Round of 8, thanks to Alex Bowman’s shocking disqualification the week prior, Logano looked like a real long shot to make the Championship 4. 

But he’s done it — locking himself in before title favorites Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. Logano credits it as a total team effort. Crew chief Paul Wolfe, spotter Coleman Pressley, engineers Brandon ‘Shaggy’ Pope and Joseph Bisson, even fueler Nick Hensley — he needed all of them to be able to pull this off.

“I don’t think there’s a team out there that works better together than Team Penske,” declared Logano in his winner’s press conference. “That is just in our DNA all the way through. That started years and years and years ago. I can’t even take credit for being part of that.”

What makes it even more impressive is that Logano only has six top-fives this year, and three of those are race wins.

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The path to victory

Logano went into Sunday’s race in tenth and steadily moved forward, ending Stage 1 in eighth place, and Stage 2 in fifth. When the pivotal caution flew for a spin by Ty Gibbs with 74 laps remaining, Logano was running eighth for what would be the final restart.

As most of the leaders chose to pit under green for a splash of fuel with about 40 laps left to run, Logano’s team went in a different direction. He was not alone in this decision to try and stretch the field with playoff rival Denny Hamlin right behind him and Daniel Suarez four seconds up the road. Crucially, he was also a full lap ahead of Bell, who led those with fresh tires and a full load of fuel.

With 30 laps to go, a charging Bell was over 20 seconds behind Logano and Suarez, but Logano was quickly slashing away at that margin. He waited patiently, chipping away at Suarez’s lead until he was given the green light to go. With a helpful push from his wounded teammate, Ryan Blaney, Logano began to close rapidly, easily passing Suarez with just six laps left in the race.

 

It was the first lap Logano had led the entire race. But Bell was still forward and Logano was closing fast. With one more lap, Bell would have likely won the race no matter how much fuel Logano had on board, but the No. 22 team timed it perfectly. Logano crossed the line 0.662s ahead of a shocked Bell, locking himself into the final four.

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“I was just focused on the information I was being fed,” explained Logano. “I was going as fast as I felt comfortable going with saving fuel. I knew I couldn’t waste time with Suarez. I knew I had to get by him. Took an extra lap longer than I wanted it to be. Was able to get by him in enough time. Felt like we were in good shape.

“I only knew that because of what Coleman [Pressley, spotter] was telling me up there. He is like, ‘I think we are in good shape. He is not going to catch us if we keep doing what we are doing. As long as you don’t get enough traffic friction by passing cars and not doing it efficiently, you’re going to be able to stay ahead there.’

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Joey Logano, Team Penske, Pennzoil Ford Mustang

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

“The pace was starting to equal out as tires were wearing after a long run like that. That information made me pretty confident. I know Paul [Wolfe, crew chief] well enough now that when I hear it in his voice, he felt pretty confident we were going to make it on gas.”

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Logano has been here before, turning a 2022 win at Vegas into his second NASCAR Cup title. Just like this, he doesn’t have to put any effort whatsoever into the rest of this round with all eyes now on Phoenix. “The next two weeks don’t really matter,” he declared. “It’s the advantage that we earned. We know what that advantage is worth. It’s a worth a lot. Our focus tomorrow morning will be on Phoenix, job to finish.”

Should Logano prevail, he will be the first driver to ever win three titles under this format and just the tenth driver in history to ever win three or more. 

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2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more

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3 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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Just 10 points separate Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia heading into the Australia-Thailand-Malaysia triple header.

Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez are now virtually out of the title fight, but are involved in their own duel for third place in the standings.

Event Date

10:45  

FREE PRACTICE 1

PRACTICE

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FREE PRACTICE 2

QUALIFYING 1

QUALIFYING 2

SPRINT

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Warm Up

Race

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in different timezones

Session

GMT

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BST 

CEST

ET

PT

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AEDT

JST

IST

FP1

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23:45

00:45

01:45

19:45

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16:45

10:45

08:45

05:15

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FP2

04:00

05:00

06:00

00:00

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21:00

15:00

13:00

09:30

FP3

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23:10

00:10 01:10

19:10

16:10

10:10

08:10

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 04:40

Qualifying

23:50

00:50 01:50

19:50

16:50

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10:50

08:50

05:20

Sprint

04:00

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 05:00 06:00

00:00

21:00

15:00

13:00

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09:30

Warm up

22:40

23:40

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 00:40

18:40

15:40

09:40

07:40

04:10

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Race

03:00

04:00

05:00

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23:00

20:00

14:00

12:00

08:30

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in the UK and Portugal

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 00:45 – 01:30 BST
  • Free Practice 2: 07:00 – 08:00 BST

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 00:10 – 00:40 BST
  • Qualifying: 00:50 – 01:30 BST
  • Sprint: 05:00 BST
  • Warm up: 23:40 – 23:50 BST

Sunday 20th October 2024

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in Europe 

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 01:45 – 02:30 CEST
  • Free Practice 2: 06:00 – 07:00 CEST

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 01:10 – 01:40 CEST
  • Qualifying: 01:50 – 02:30 CEST
  • Sprint: 06:00 CEST

Sunday 20th October 2024

  • Warm up: 00:40 – 00:50 CEST
  • Race: 05:00 CEST

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in the US (Eastern Time)

Thursday 17th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1:  19:45 – 20:30 ET

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 2:  00:00 – 01:00 ET 
  • Free Practice 3: 19:10 – 19:40 ET 
  • Qualifying: 19:50 – 20:30 ET 

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Sprint: 00:00 ET 
  • Warm-up: 18:40 – 18:50 ET
  • Race:  23:00 ET 

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in the US (Pacific Time)

Thursday 17th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1:  16:45 – 17:30 PT
  • Free Practice 2:  21:00 – 22:00 PT

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 16:10 – 16:40 PT
  • Qualifying:  16:50 – 17:30 PT
  • Sprint: 21:00 PT

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Warm-up: 15:40 – 15:50 PT
  • Race:  20:00 PT

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in Australia

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 10:45 – 11:30 AEDT
  • Free Practice 2: 15:00 – 16:00 AEDT

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 10:10 – 10:40 AEDT
  • Qualifying: 10:50 – 11:30 AEDT
  • Sprint: 15:00 AEDT

Sunday 20th October 2024

  • Warm-up: 09:40 – 09:50 AEDT
  • Race: 14:00 AEDT

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in Japan

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 08:45 – 09:30 JST 
  • Free Practice 2: 13:00 – 14:00 JST 

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 08:10 – 08:40 JST 
  • Qualifying: 08:50 – 09:30 JST
  • Sprint: 13:00 JST

Sunday 20th October 2024

  • Warm-up: 07:40 – 07:50 JST
  • Race: 12:00 JST

2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix session timings in India

Friday 18th October 2024

  • Free Practice 1: 05:15 – 06:00 IST 
  • Free Practice 2: 09:30 – 10:30 IST

Saturday 19th October 2024

  • Free Practice 3: 04:40 – 05:10 IST 
  • Qualifying: 05:20 – 06:00 IST
  • Sprint: 09:30 IST

Sunday 20th October 2024

  • Warm-up: 04:10 – 04:20 IST
  • Race: 08:30 IST

Can’t find your country or region in the list? Check the MotoGP schedule page for the broadcast times in your local timezone.

Can I stream the Australian Grand Prix?

MotoGP has its own on-demand streaming service, offering live broadcast of practice, qualifying and the Sprint, as well as highlights. The MotoGP Video pass is available for an annual fee of 139.99 euros. Several local broadcasters also stream MotoGP races on their official websites

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Chase Elliott on the wreck and challenges ahead of South Point 400 | NASCAR on FOX

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3 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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Chase Elliott to FOX Sports on the wreck and challenges ahead of South Point 400.

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Bell in disbelief after Logano’s fuel gambit paid off

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4 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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“You’ve got to be f****** kidding me,” Christopher Bell radioed in anger as he crossed the finish line at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After leading 155 of 267 laps, he finished second — just 0.662s shy of winning the race and an automatically advancing into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4.

 

But there’s nothing the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota did wrong. He never made a mistake. His pit stops were fast and he maintained an advantage over William Byron and Alex Bowman through the final cycle of green-flag stops. But that didn’t stop Joey Logano from stretching the fuel and stealing the win out from under him anyway.

“I don’t know, and I don’t think I’ve come to terms with it yet,” said Bell in his immediate post-race reaction.

“Just a bummer. Everyone on this team did everything perfect today. This thing was obviously on rails, the pit crew did an amazing job, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) called an amazing race. We did everything we needed to put the Camry into victory lane, and unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be today.”

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While the way he lost may be different, this isn’t exactly a new feeling for Bell leaving the Round of 8 playoff race at Vegas. He started from pole in Sunday’s event and led the most laps. Last year was a similar story, starting from pole and remaining in contention for most of the day. In the final moments, he ran down Kyle Larson and was literally touching his back bumper as they took the checkered flag, losing by 0.082s. Back then, he said it felt like he missed out on the ‘golden ticket’, which likely aligns with his feelings after Logano’s victory last weekend. 

Kyle Larson being chased by Christopher Bell in the run to the finish line in 2023.

Kyle Larson being chased by Christopher Bell in the run to the finish line in 2023.

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

But in 2023, Bell did not crumble after such a agonizing loss. No, he stepped up and won the very next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. As he aims to make the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year, could we see history repeat itself yet again at Homestead?

“It is a whole new race next week,” said Bell. Despite last year’s success, he was hesitant to say that things will go the same way they did one year ago. “This track means nothing for next week, and fortunately, we were able to go and win in Homestead last year, but nothing is guaranteed. Just because I ran second this week, doesn’t mean I’m going to finish anywhere next week. I think the points look pretty good, which is a positive, but you are never safe in this deal. We needed to win today, and unfortunately, we didn’t. We will go on to the next one.”

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The good news for Bell is that he has more points than any of the seven playoff drivers not yet locked in after Vegas, holding a 42-point buffer. But as we’ve seen in recent years with this round, a win from the very capable drivers below the cut-line can and will erase that deficit. The NASCAR playoffs are all about the ‘win and you’re in’ system, and it’s never more important than it is in this round — even more so than the finale.

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Christopher Bell on the finish from South Point 400 | NASCAR on FOX

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4 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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Christopher Bell on the finish and whether Ryan Blaney was playing any defense for Joey Logano and what Blaney said about it.

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Norris says Austin was “momentum killer” for F1 title hopes

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5 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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Lando Norris labelled his United States Grand Prix weekend a “momentum killer” for his Formula 1 title hopes after losing ground to Max Verstappen.

The McLaren driver had gone into the Austin event 52 points behind his Red Bull rival and well aware that, with time running out, he needed to start cutting the deficit dramatically.

But rather than continuing to close down the margin, Norris actually lost five more points after being classified behind Verstappen in both the sprint and the grand prix.

His efforts on Sunday though were not helped by a controversial five-second penalty for overtaking off the track that dropped him from third on the road ahead of Verstappen to behind his rival.

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Asked how much the weekend had impacted his title prospect, Norris said: “I mean, quite a bit. It’s a momentum killer.

“But we came in here with our mind open, not expecting to dominate or just win or anything. The fact that Ferrari was so quick showed they’re just as competitive.

“Even if I had come around Turn 1 in first, I would never have finished first or second and only could have finished third.

“The one guy I needed to beat was Max, and that’s the guy I didn’t beat. So, it was an unsuccessful weekend all in all.

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“But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough, and we have work to do, and I’ve work to do on myself.”

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

While McLaren’s form in the United States was not as good as it has been in recent race weekends, team boss Andrea Stella said he was not surprised that things were more difficult this time out.

He said that the contrast in pace, between dominating in Singapore in the last race and being on the back foot a little in Austin, was down to track characteristics.

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“Compared to Singapore here, there’s quite a lot more low-speed braking into low-speed corners, plus wind, and we know that in these conditions, not necessarily our car performs at the best.

“It is not as good as in some medium speed corners, low wind conditions, which we had in Singapore, we had in Zandvoort, and we had in Hungary.

“We know that these three venues that I’ve just mentioned do suit our car, but here I would have expected this event to be the most difficult of the remaining six events.”

Stella also thinks it important to understand that Ferrari’s dominant form in Austin was not a big shock, because analysis of recent races shows that perhaps the Italian squad had not maximised its chances before.

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“They have been quick over the previous races pretty consistently,” he added. “If anything, they have not been capable of maximising their potential.

“In Baku, Leclerc, in fairness, was definitely in condition to win the race. In Singapore, we were expecting Leclerc to be competitive for pole position and the same in the race. So, we are not surprised that Ferrari is so close.

“I think the next circuits should be more suitable to the characteristics of our car. We also have to keep developing the car.

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“Here, we took some developments to the front of the car, but they were nothing too large in terms of potential lap time impact. We have a couple more things that are coming in the next two races, and we will see if we are in a condition to alter the competitiveness of the car.”

Additional reporting by Alex Kalinauckas

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