Lando Norris’ bid to win for the first time in Formula One was over in the blink of the eye as Max Verstappen claimed another victory in Brazil.
The British driver started from top spot in Saturday’s 24-lap dash to the chequered flag in Interlagos after edging out Verstappen in qualifying.
But Norris, 23, was out-gunned by Verstappen on the short run down to the opening corner to ensure the McLaren man’s wait for a first victory goes on.
Norris had to settle for second, crossing the line 4.2 seconds behind Verstappen. Sergio Perez took third ahead of George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton finished only seventh, 35 sec back.
Perez’s third-placed finish allowed him to extend his lead over Hamilton in the race for championship runner-up from from 20 points to 24 ahead of tomorrow’s grand prix.
The Interlagos venue in Sao Paulo has been kind to British drivers over the years. Hamilton took his first world title here 15 years ago, with Jenson Button securing his sole championship the following season.
Last year, Russell followed in the footsteps of Hamilton, Button and David Coulthard to become the fourth British winner this century after he captured his only win in the sport to date.
As the lights turned to green, Norris enjoyed a decent getaway in his McLaren, but Verstappen was also strong away from his marks.
Norris resisted the opportunity to move his left and cover off the racing line, allowing Verstappen to sling his Red Bull up the inside.
By the end of lap one, it would get worse for Norris with Russell, who breezed ahead of Perez on the run down to the opening corner, launching a fine move on his compatriot to take second.
In the other Mercedes, Hamilton was also on the move. At Turn 4, Hamilton was later on his brakes than Perez, placing his Mercedes round the outside of the Mexican for fourth.
However, it took Perez just four laps to regain the place when he re-took the seven-time world champion at the first corner.
Following his disappointing star, Norris regained his composure and usurped Russell at the start of lap five with Verstappen 1.3 sec up the road.
Russell, running in third, was slipping back into the clutches of Perez and the on lap eight, the Red Bull driver dived underneath the Mercedes to re-take third.
Russell struck back at Turn 4 with a gutsy manoeuvre only for Perez to swing back ahead on lap 10.
“The pace of those guys ahead is well fast,” said the British driver. In the other Mercedes, Hamilton was starting to struggle.
With three laps remaining, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moved ahead of Hamilton, demoting him to sixth. That would become seventh the next time round when Yuki Tsunoda raced by in his AlphaTauri.
Jamaican sensation Alex Powell claims first F4 win in Italy
Jamaican Alex Powell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior, claimed his first European F4 victory in one of the most exciting races of the year at the famed ‘Temple of Speed’, Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy, on Sunday.
Ninth on the grid for the first race of the weekend, Powell had a blistering start, which saw him move up four positions on lap one, before the first of several Safety Car appearances paused racing. It was a race with multiple incidents and re-starts, but Powell remained focused and was consistently sharp for every start.
After a three-way battle, the Jamaican sensation executed a breathtaking pass for the race lead, before a final incident brought out the Safety Car again, with Powell crossing the line first as the race finished.
In addition to the outright race win, Powell also secured first among rookie drivers, claiming the two top trophies in the race. His performance also assisted Prema Racing to secure the team title for the 2024 Euro 4 Championship.
McConnell confident heading into rounds three and four of Nitrocross Championship in Utah
Jamaican racing sensation Fraser McConnell is gearing up for an intense weekend of action as he heads into Rounds three and four of the Nitrocross championship on October 5 & 6 in Utah.
Following a stellar performance at the season’s opening rounds in Richmond, Virginia, McConnell holds second place in the overall standings, just 11 points behind leader Kevin Eriksson.
McConnell’s dominant showing at Richmond Raceway on September 7 & 8 saw him secure a third-place finish in Round 1, followed by a thrilling battle for first in Round 2.
After clinching the top qualifier spot and winning his semi-final, McConnell started the Round 2 final in pole position. Despite taking an early lead, a dramatic half-spin pushed him off his racing line, allowing Eriksson to take the win. McConnell finished second ahead of Viktor Vranckx.
Looking ahead to the Utah rounds, McConnell remains optimistic about his chances.
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend, going back to Utah, the birthplace of Nitrocross,” he shared.
“It all started there with the Nitro World Games in 2018 and 2019, so it's a very special place for everyone involved.”
McConnell also highlighted the challenge of the upcoming track. “Salt Lake is one of the craziest tracks on the calendar, with the biggest gap jump and a lot of demanding corners. It requires high speed from us drivers. I'll just go out there and hit my marks as usual, trying to extract as much as I can from the car while proudly repping Jamaica.”
With back-to-back podium finishes in Rounds 1 and 2, McConnell is confident about continuing his strong run.
“We’re second in the championship with 107 points, and I’m looking forward to continuing that streak this weekend,” he said.
McConnell currently leads defending champion Robin Larsson by four points and is poised to close the gap further in his pursuit of overtaking Eriksson.
McConnell's season is sponsored by JustBet, Proven, Tru Shake, Rainforest, and the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Reggae Racers Gore, Summerbell secure creditable finishes in race five of ADAC GT4 Germany series
Jamaica’s team of Tommi Gore and Senna Summerbell produced a creditable showing in the fifth race of the ADAC GT4 Germany series as they secured two top-15 finishes at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, at the weekend.
The Jamaican duo, dubbed the Reggae Racers, displayed their prowess as they drove their Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Club Sport to a 14th place finish after qualifying in ninth position in race one.
They were up with the pace from a strong start but later faded down the track in a fiercely competitive field.
However, the Avia W&S Motorsport representatives improved significantly in the second race, where they went nine places better to place fifth after placing fourth in qualifying.
The team of Jan Marschalkowski and Philipp Gogollok from Eastside Motorsport, finished tops to register their first win of the series. They won ahead of Finn Zulauf and Josef Knopp, also representing Avia W&S Motorsport.
With much positive to take from their performances, Gore and Summerbell will target even more improvements in the final race of the season scheduled for October 18-20 in Hockenheim, Germany.
“I am so happy to be a part of this team and ready to end the year strong. We had a big jump in results from the start of the season with this change, so we can only expect things to get better from here,” Gore said.
The Avia W&S Motorsports team, which currently occupies second position in the team ranking on 179 points, are the defending champions in the ADAC GT4 Series. They are 11 points behind leaders Hofor Racing.
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