Lewis Hamilton jumps ahead of Valtteri Bottas to capture F1 pole

Associated PressSep 12, 2020, 11:30 AM EDT
F1 Lewis Hamilton Tuscan
Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
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MUGELLO, Italy — Lewis Hamilton took F1 pole position Saturday for the Tuscan Grand Prix ahead of his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, whose final attempt was ended after he had to slow down because Esteban Ocon spun on track just ahead of him.

While Hamilton clinched a record-extending 95th pole, it was hard luck for Bottas. He now trails Hamilton 7-2 this season in poles all won by Mercedes.

“It’s disappointing as I’ve been quick all weekend,” Bottas said.

Hamilton waved to a smattering of fans in the stands near the finish line. They are allowed at a race for the first time this season during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Bottas looked in excellent form, leading all three practice sessions and the first section of qualifying known as Q1.

“It’s been a really tough weekend if I’m honest. Valtteri was quicker than me all day yesterday and even this morning,” Hamilton said. “I’ve been working hard in the background to improve on my lines. Valtteri did a great job pushing me, but I’m really, really happy to be on pole.”

Hamilton stepped up a gear in Q2 and finished just .059 seconds ahead in Q3, yet Bottas did not get a chance to beat that time because Ocon’s spin meant the yellow flags came out and drivers behind him had to slow down.

“The yellow flag definitely hampered me. I had more to come but didn’t get the opportunity,” Bottas said. “It’s a long run down to Turn 1 tomorrow and the headwind could help me there.”

He may not get many more chances after that because the Mugello circuit is tough for overtaking.

Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, 0.365 seconds behind Hamilton.

“I personally didn’t expect to fight for pole but overall this weekend it has been promising,” said Verstappen, who won at Silverstone this season. “To be third here in qualifying, we can be very happy with that. The track is amazing to drive and qualifying was really something special.”

Verstappen’s teammate Alexander Albon was fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc in a commendable fifth for struggling Ferrari.

Hamilton leads the championship from Bottas by 47 points after winning five of the first eight races in his bid to equal Michael Schumacher’s record seven F1 titles. A win on Sunday would move him just one behind Schumacher’s record of 91 GP wins.

Ferrari is competing in its 1,000th F1 race and was once the team to beat in the way Mercedes is now, having won 238 races, taken 228 pole positions and secured 254 fastest laps. Schumacher won five straight titles with the famed Italian manufacturer from 2000-4, but this season has been one of Ferrari’s worst in memory.

Four-time F1 champion Vettel has not even finished in the top five in a race this season and goes from 14th on the grid.

One week after winning his first F1 race at the Italian GP in Monza, Frenchman Pierre Gasly starts 16th.

He was one of the five drivers eliminated from Q1 and let out an angry expletive.

“I’m disappointed because we were good in practice, but we made errors in qualifying that cost us,” he said. “It’s annoying to make these mistakes.”

Earlier Saturday, Bottas bettered Verstappen by just .017 with Hamilton .083 back from Bottas in third in warm and sunny conditions.

Hamilton looked set to beat Bottas when he led on the first time split, only to fall back in the second and third sectors. Verstappen then went out for one last run late in the session and split the two Mercedes in an encouraging sign for Red Bull on a circuit which has ultra-fast corners.

But Vettel placed a demoralizing 18th on a circuit which is actually owned by Ferrari and which he tested on as recently as June.

Mugello’s 5.2-kilometer (3.2-mile) Autodromo Internazional track, nestled amid a stunning backdrop of the Tuscan hills, usually hosts MotoGP and is playing host to an F1 race for the first time. Drivers have been full of praise for it.

“The track is crazy. You go through Turns 6, 7, 8, 9 at 170-180 mph (274-290 kph) and the G-force we’re pulling is insane,” Hamilton said. “It gets more and more as you go through.”

IndyCar Power Rankings: Alex Palou still first as Newgarden, Ferrucci make Indy 500 jumps

By May 31, 2023, 2:00 PM EDT
NBC IndyCar power rankings
Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar/USA TODAY Sports Images Network
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The biggest race of the NTT IndyCar Series season (and in the world) is over, and NBC Sports’ power rankings look very similar to the finishing results in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pole-sitter Alex Palou entered the Indy 500 at the top and remains there after his impressive rebound to a fourth after a midway crash in the pits. Top two Indianapolis 500 finishers Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson also improved multiple spots in the power rankings just as they gained ground during the course of the 500-mile race on the 2.5-mile oval. Though Alexander Rossi dropped a position, he still shined at the Brickyard with a fifth place finish.

Santino Ferrucci, the other driver in the top five at Indy, made his first appearance in the 2023 power rankings this year and now will be tasked with keeping his A.J. Foyt Racing team toward the front as the IndyCar circuit makes its debut on a new layout..

Heading into the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through six of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):

  1. Alex Palou (1): Three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Indy 500, and yet the 2021 IndyCar champion still seems slightly snake-bitten at the Brickyard. A few different circumstances and a dash of experience, and Palou could have three Indy 500 wins. But he at least has the points lead.
  2. Marcus Ericsson (4): Some want to say the Indy 500 runner-up’s unhappiness with IndyCar race control was sour grapes, but the Swede had a legitimate gripe about the consistency of red flag protocols. Still a magnificent May for Ericsson, especially while the questions swirl about his future.
  3. Josef Newgarden (7): Strategist Tim Cindric and team did a fantastic job catapulting Newgarden from 17th into contention, and the two-time series champion did the rest. Particularly on a late three-wide pass for the lead, it can’t be overstated how brilliant the Team Penske driver was in his finest hour.
  4. Alexander Rossi (3): He winds up being the best Arrow McLaren finisher in a mostly disappointing Indy 500 for a team that seemed poised to become dominant. With a third in the GMR GP and a fifth in the Indy 500, this easily was Rossi’s best May since his second place in 2019.
  5. Pato O’Ward (2): Unlike last year, the Arrow McLaren star sent it this time against Ericsson and came out on the wrong side (and with lingering bitterness toward his Chip Ganassi Racing rival). The lead mostly was the wrong place to be at Indy, but O’Ward managed to be in first for a race-high 39 laps.
  6. Scott Dixon (5): He overcame brutal handling issues from a wicked set of tires during his first stint, and then the team struggled with a clutch problem while posting a typical Dixon-esque finish on “a very tough day.” The six-time champion hopes things are cleaner the rest of the season after the first three months.
  7. Santino Ferrucci (NR): Pound for pound, he and A.J. Foyt Racing had the best two weeks at Indianapolis. Ferrucci said Wednesday he still believes he had “by far the best car at the end” and if not for the timing of the final yellow and red, he would have won the Indy 500. Now the goal is maintaining into Detroit.
  8. Colton Herta (NR): He was the best in a mostly forgettable month for Andretti Autosport and now is facing a pivotal weekend. Andretti has reigned on street courses so far this season, and few have been better on new circuits than Herta. A major chance for his first victory since last year’s big-money extension.
  9. Scott McLaughlin (6): Ran in the top 10 at Indy after a strong opening stint but then lost positions while getting caught out on several restarts. A penalty for unintentionally rear-ending Simon Pagenaud in O’Ward’s crash then sent him to the rear, but McLaughlin still rallied for 14th. Detroit will be a fresh start.
  10. Rinus VeeKay (10): Crashing into Palou in the pits was less than ideal. But a front row start and 10th-place finish in the Indy 500 still were 2023 highlights for VeeKay in what’s been the toughest season of his career. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have been slow on road and street courses, so Detroit is another test.

Falling out: Will Power (8), Felix Rosenqvist (9), Romain Grosjean (10)

PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS

PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship

RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete

RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas

RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top

RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory

RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500