Formula 1

After a one-week hiatus, Max Verstappen is back in his familiar spot atop the podium.

Verstappen turned in a dominant performance in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix, earning a victory by more than 19 seconds over second-place Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top five.

Verstappen has now won 11 of the last 12 Formula 1 races and is three wins away from breaking his own single-season victories record, which he set just one year ago. His 400 points are already the fourth-most in a single season, and he has six races to eclipse the 454-point mark from 2022.

"There were no real issues throughout the race. I think that sums up the weekend as well," Verstappen said, per Luke Smith of The Athletic. "It's just been an incredible weekend to drive the car."

The triumph for Verstappen clinched Red Bull its sixth constructors' championship. Clinching the constructors' championship with six races remaining sets an all-time F1 record.

Verstappen will almost certainly clinch his third straight individual title in two weeks at the Qatar Grand Prix. All he will need is a 146-point lead over Sergio Perez coming out of the weekend to walk away with the championship. It would take a complete collapse from Verstappen and his team for the points race to even stretch into the United States Grand Prix next month.

As it stands, we're in the midst of the most dominant stretch in F1 history with no end in sight. The last two seasons have seen Verstappen and Red Bull blow the competition out of the water, with no other racer even coming close to being a consistent challenger.

Sunday's race in Japan was a microcosm of the F1 season. While it might not be particularly thrilling for fans of other drivers, it's impossible to not marvel at the dominance.

It turns out someone besides Max Verstappen is allowed to win a Formula 1 race.

And so is another team besides Red Bull.

For the first time in 2023, a non-Red Bull driver won a grand prix when Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. captured Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix in thrilling fashion. He faced a daunting challenge from McLaren's Lando Norris and the Mercedes tandem of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton on the final laps but did just enough to secure the victory.

Norris ended up in second, while Hamilton completed the podium in large part because Russell went into the barrier on the final lap in a disappointing end to what was a brilliant race by the 25-year-old.

Perhaps most notably, Verstappen's 10-race win streak came to an end as Red Bull finished off the podium with his fifth-place showing.

The story coming into the race was whether Red Bull would continue its dominance. After all, it won the first 14 races of the year with Verstappen taking 12 of them and Sergio Pérez prevailing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen's most recent victory at the Italian Grand Prix gave him 10 consecutive victories, which surpassed Sebastian Vettel's for the longest winning streak in F1 history.

Yet Sunday was an uphill battle from the start for Red bull following a disappointing qualifying effort on Saturday.

Verstappen qualified in P11, while Pérez wasn't far behind at P13. That was all the more problematic for the dominant team because of the nature of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which doesn't lend itself well to overtaking given the tight track. While Verstappen came back in Miami and Spa earlier this year, doing so in Sunday's race would have been even more impressive.

Sainz took pole position with Russell was in second.

Sainz capitalized with an ideal start and maintained his advantage, and Ferrari seemed to shift its attention toward his pursuit of victory at the expense of teammate Charles Leclerc:

To Verstappen's credit, he climbed as high as second place in the early going but was eventually passed by Hamilton, Norris and others. After pitting for new tires, the runaway leader in the driver standings found himself all the way back in 15th place.

The biggest question for the final laps was whether Sainz could hold off the Mercedes tandem of Russell and Hamilton. It helped his cause that Ferrari teammate Leclerc was in third place as an obstacle for the Mercedes drivers, but the challengers also had newer tires and a faster pace.

They eventually passed Leclerc, setting up the showdown between Sainz, Norris, Russell and Hamilton.

Yet Sainz held off all challengers and will take plenty of momentum into the Japanese Grand Prix.

Maybe it's time to start leading with who finished second in each Formula 1 race.

Max Verstappen made it 10 wins in a row Sunday in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, surpassing Sebastian Vettel for the longest winning streak ever in F1.

Verstappen started from the second position behind Carlos Sainz, and Sainz needed to deploy his best defensive tactics from the outset in order to keep the reigning champion at bay.

Eventually it wasn't enough as Verstappen moved into first on Lap 15.

As has been the case all year, nobody seriously challenged Verstappen once he climbed to the top of the field. By the time he crossed the finish line, his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez trailed in second by a little more than six seconds.

The battle between Sainz and Pérez provided some late drama.

After Pérez passed him, Sainz immediately had Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc breathing down his neck for the third spot on the podium. One-tenth of a second separated the two at the end as Sainz and Leclerc wound up in third and fourth respectively.

Lewis Hamilton placed sixth for the second week in a row, and he might be somewhat fortunate he didn't wind up further down the leaderboard.

The same problems that have hampered the Mercedes star all year were once again an issue Sunday.

Hamilton also received a five-second penalty due to contact with Oscar Piastri on Lap 41. All things considered, his final position could've been worse even if he's unlikely to look back on the race as a whole positively.

The start of the event was delayed when Yuki Tsunoda experienced an engine failure on the formation lap. Tsunoda's day ended before it officially began as he watched his car loaded loaded onto the recovery vehicle and taken back to the garage.

Fernando Alonso made the most of his unexpected break.

Drivers will get a week off before they head to Southeast Asia for the Singapore Grand Prix. The practice sessions get underway Sept. 15 before the green flag waves Sept. 17 for the 16th race of the season.

Verstappen is looking for his first win at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. You like his odds of collecting the checkered flag in two weeks' time because there's no end to his dominance in sight.

Formula One announced Thursday that superstar driver Lewis Hamilton agreed to a new contract that will keep him with Mercedes until 2025.

Hamilton's contract had been set to expire at the end of the 2023 season, but both he and teammate George Russell signed extensions of the same length Thursday, per ESPN's Laurence Edmondson.

Edmondson added that while there had been some links between Hamilton and Ferrari, the seven-time F1 points champion remained steadfast in his desire to remain with Mercedes.

The 38-year-old Hamilton began his F1 career with McLaren in 2007 before joining Mercedes in 2013 and remaining with the team ever since.

Hamilton won his first championship with McLaren in 2008, but each of his past six titles were under the Mercedes banner, winning it all in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

With 103 career race wins, Hamilton is the winningest F1 driver of all time. The next closest is the legendary Michael Schumacher at 91, followed by Sebastian Vettel at 53.

From 2014 through 2021, Hamilton finished either first or second in the standings every year, including narrowly losing out on the points title to Max Verstappen in 2021.

Verstappen repeated as champion in 2022, and Hamilton dropped to sixth in the standings, marking the worst finish of his F1 career.

Hamilton didn't win a single race in 2022, and he has yet to win through 13 races this season, although he has improved to the tune of being fourth in the standings.

With a remarkable 11 wins in 13 races, Verstappen is trending toward a three-peat, plus his teammate Sergio Pérez is second in the standings, underscoring Red Bull's current dominance of the sport.

Mercedes was once in that position, and while it hasn't been the case lately, Hamilton re-signing suggests he believes it is possible for Mercedes to turn things around and compete with Red Bull over the next couple of seasons.

Max Verstappen extended his winning streak to nine races after claiming the checkered flag in the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday at Circuit Zandvoort.

The reigning champion matched the Formula One record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013. Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly drove their way onto the podium as well.

"After five wins in a row, Seb texted me and said well done with what you are doing, keep it up and you are going to do it," Verstappen told reporters before the race.

"But I was like, nine wins in a row is something very impressive and I never thought I would be able to already be on eight."

Verstappen started from the pole but briefly fell out of first place with the rainy conditions forcing he and his team to rethink their approach.

But another pit stop proved pivotal toward Verstappen assuming the top spot again. He received a set of soft tires on the 11th lap and moved into first shortly thereafter. Once reinstalled as the race leader, he proceeded to widen his lead little by little.

A lengthy rain delay with seven laps remaining did little to level the playing field.

It's the same story that's played out all year. Mad Max becomes all but untouchable once he finds his groove on the track.

For Lewis Hamilton, Sunday was also a reflection of how his season has unfolded. Starting from the 13th position meant a podium finish was a tall order for Hamilton. The seven-time F1 champion did well under the circumstances but might come away disappointed overall with his sixth-place showing.

Mercedes teammate George Russell, meanwhile, had a brutal time on the track.

Russell qualified for third, so earning his second podium of the season was a reasonable goal. Instead, his race went off the rails so quickly, and he couldn't help but vent his frustration over the radio.

While Russell eventually righted the ship, only to get a DNF due to a tire puncture after the restart.

Thanks to his crash on Lap 16, Logan Sargeant produced one of the most striking images from Sunday. He cut quite the forlorn figure as he watched the action from the sidelines, and he might still be sitting in that lawn chair right now.

Verstappen will look to overtake Vettel's record in one week at the Italian Grand Prix. Qualifying in Monza gets underway Saturday.

Given how much the 25-year-old is dominating the competition, you'd bet on him to make it 10 in a row.

Daniel Ricciardo will not participate in Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.

Formula 1 announced Friday that the Alpha Tauri driver suffered an injury during practice and will be replaced by Liam Lawson for the race. Alpha Tauri then announced X-rays revealed he suffered a broken metacarpal on his left hand.

It's an unfortunate development for the veteran driver who had just made his way back into the grid.

Alpha Tauri announced on July 11 that he joined the team on loan from Red Bull, and he participated in the Hungarian Grand Prix and Belgian Grand Prix last month. He started and finished in 13th place in the Hungarian Grand Prix and moved into a 16th place finish following a 19th place start in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Nate Saunders of ESPN noted McLaren's Oscar Piastri spun out into a wall ahead of Ricciardo on Friday. While Ricciardo avoided hitting Piastri's car, he hit the barrier and told his team over the radio that he injured his hand. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Alpha Tauri is in last place in the constructor standings with just three points on the season. The addition of Ricciardo gave the struggling team a proven driver who has won eight times during his F1 career, but he will now be sidelined for the immediate future.

The team, as well as everyone else, is looking up at Red Bull in the standings this year.

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez have won every Grand Prix throughout the 2023 campaign with the former, who is well in the lead in the driver's standings, entering Sunday's race on an eight-race winning streak.

Another day and another Max Verstappen victory.

The Red Bull driver won his eighth consecutive F1 race with a first-place finish at Sunday's 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. He was joined by teammate Sergio Pérez (second) and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc (third) on the podium.

The result was all the more notable for Verstappen because he became just the second driver in F1 history to win eight straight races. Only Sebastian Vettel has a longer streak throughout history, and that also happened with Red Bull.

Vettel won nine consecutive races in 2013, which propelled him to his fourth career World Drivers' Championship. Verstappen is well on his way to his third straight World Drivers' Championship and is now just one win away from tying Vettel's record.

This F1 season is well past the point where anything but a Verstappen victory would be a stunning surprise. In fact, the last time the points leader didn't win a race was when Red Bull teammate Pérez captured the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April.

Pérez, who also won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, is the only other driver with a victory this season, underscoring Red Bull's dominance in the constructor standings.

Everyone else figured to battle behind Red Bull for much of the Belgian Grand Prix, but Leclerc at least had the advantage of pole position after Verstappen was dropped to sixth on the grid due to a penalty despite having the best time in qualifying.

Yet Leclerc sounded anything but confident he would parlay the pole position into a win when he told reporters, "I think they've got a much better race car than we have. I mean it's great to be starting first, and I think it gives us a great chance to have a great result.

"But to say that we'll target the win, I think this would be a bit too optimistic. If there's an opportunity for whatever reason, as always, I'll try and get it. But I believe it's going to be difficult to keep those guys behind."

Leclerc was exactly right.

Pérez passed him on the first lap, and Verstappen overtook him on the ninth. It didn't take long for Verstappen to move into a familiar first place, as he surpassed his teammate and seized the lead on the 17th lap.

Not even temporary rain in the middle of the race could change the inevitable, as Verstappen pulled away from Pérez and eliminated any drama regarding the result for the second half of the race.

The only real question was who would join the Red Bull drivers on the podium with Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton battling for third. Leclerc held off the seven-time world champion, securing a solid finish from his pole position.

The story of the F1 season remained the same, though, as Verstappen added yet another win to his resume and maintained his momentum heading into the summer break ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 27.

Max Verstappen helped Red Bull Racing make history with Sunday's victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Mogyoród.

The reigning Formula One champion won for the seventh straight time, and the result extended Red Bull's winning streak to 12 races dating back to last season to set a new F1 record.

An air of inevitability hangs over every F1 event right now thanks to Verstappen's dominance. Some hoped Sunday might present a change of pace after Lewis Hamilton claimed the pole one day earlier. The moment was potentially the kind of thing that could kick-start Hamilton's season as well.

Verstappen wasted no time in reasserting what has been the status quo. He overtook Hamilton for first place on the first lap, with the seven-time champion quickly falling back to fourth.

From there, Verstappen did what he has done all year and built a nearly unassailable lead. The remaining drama stemmed largely from who would join him on the podium.

Lando Norris made it back-to-back second-place showings

Running in fourth, Hamilton continued to knock on the door in pursuit of a fourth podium finish in five races. He was unable to close the gap on Sergio Pérez, with Pérez adding to Red Bull's big day.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, nobody had a worse Sunday than Alpine.

Zhou Guanyu triggered a collision on the opening lap that caused Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon to hit one another. Neither driver was able to finish, which was the second consecutive double-DNF for Alpine.

Surely the team's fortunes will improve in the Belgian Grand Prix on July 30.

When it comes to Verstappen, his and Red Bull's streak will end sooner or later. They can't keep adding checkered flags forever. But this is a case of a team and driver firing on all cylinders.

In all likelihood the rest of the field will be racing for second at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in one week's time.

Formula One announced Tuesday that Daniel Ricciardo is replacing Nyck de Vries in AlphaTauri's No. 1 car for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Per ESPN's Nate Saunders, the move comes after it was announced that Ricciardo would be taking part in a tyre test for Red Bull Racing on Tuesday at Silverstone Circuit, which is the home of the British Grand Prix.

Ricciardo had been Red Bull Racing's third driver this season behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, meaning he was essentially in a backup role.

Both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri are owned by Red Bull, and Ricciardo is now in line to team with fellow AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda for the rest of the campaign.

The 34-year-old Ricciardo broke into F1 in 2011, and he is perhaps best known for his time with Red Bull Racing from 2014 through 2018.

During that stint, the Aussie registered seven of his eight career race wins. He also finished a career-best third in the standings in both 2014 and 2016.

After departing Red Bull, Ricciardo raced two years for Renault and two years for McLaren, winning a total of one race over those four seasons.

Ricciardo finished eighth in the standings in 2021 and 11th last season, the latter of which was his worst overall finish since coming in 14th with Toro Rosso in 2013.

The 28-year-old de Vries had been in the midst of his first season as a full-time F1 driver, but the Dutchman has struggled mightily with no finish better than 12th over the course of 10 races.

Ricciardo gives AlphaTauri an accomplished veteran to lead the team, and he also gives Red Bull Racing a strong contingency plan.

As pointed out by Saunders, Perez's contract with Red Bull ends at the conclusion of the 2024 season, meaning Ricciardo could possibly take his spot beginning in 2025 if he races well for the remainder of this season and in 2024.

Ricciardo's first chance to impress at AlphaTauri will come on July 23 in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring track in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary.

Max Verstappen may never lose another race.

The two-time reigning Formula One champion extended his winning streak to six races with Sunday's victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit.

Verstappen finished comfortably ahead of Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton joining them on the podium in third place.

The crowd let out a loud cheer when Norris quickly moved into first place as the race got underway.

Alas, the fun for Norris and his fellow Brits was short-lived. Verstappen climbed back into first on Lap 5, and the gap between the pair grew significantly in no time.

Given the extent to which Verstappen is dominating the circuit, Norris will be happy with a runner-up showing. It's his first trip to the podium in 2023.

Hamilton will likewise be content with his final result. He started from the seventh position after posting a fastest lap time of 1:27.211 during qualifying, so moving up four spots to claim third was a strong performance.

Both Norris and Hamilton would've loved to snap Verstappen's winning streak on home soil, but "Mad Max" is simply irresistible at the moment.

Red Bull Racing as a team is on a different level. Their 11 consecutive checkered flags dating back to the end of last season ties the all-time record set by McLaren in 1988.

When it comes to both the drivers's and constructors's titles, the only drama is how early into the campaign Verstappen and Red Bull will have them sealed up.

Formula One will take a week off before the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 23.

Verstappen will look to defend his title at Hungaroring in Mogyoród. He crossed the finish line nearly eight seconds ahead of Hamilton last year, so it could be another anticlimactic affair.