Round-up: Sainz sees proof of progress, Vowles on Verstappen and more

Welcome to Saturday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.

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Productive Friday in Jeddah (Williams)

Carlos Sainz Jnr: ‘We’ve made some good steps forward from FP1 to FP2, trying some different things with the set-up and my driving style to try to extract more from the car. The lap on the soft tyre was proof of those steps’

Practice recap (Haas)

Esteban Ocon: ‘It was a pretty tricky Friday. We struggled in sector one – the high-speed section – the car isn’t consistent or predictable enough to give confidence to the driver.’

Verstappen is the wrong driver for Mercedes and has ‘a lot of downsides’ that could change team’s culture, claims Williams boss Vowles (Daily Mail)

‘His victory in Japan a few weeks ago was jaw-dropping. Well done to him but he comes with a lot of downsides that you have to acknowledge.’

Crawford outduels Martins to take pole in Jeddah (Formula 2)

‘Martins had looked set for pole after completing his flying lap, but Crawford’s 1’43.579 was enough to take spot, as Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli rounded out the top three.’

Chambers puts it all together as she seizes maiden pole position in Jeddah (F1 Academy)

‘Their early rhythm would be interrupted by the red flag at the 23-minute mark as Lia Block clipped the inside wall into the final corner and crashed into the barrier.’

Muchos más motores mutantes (Motor – Spanish)

Rumours Red Bull are concerned about the development of their 2026 power unit and may seek a way to continue using Honda power.

Filippo Sala joins the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy (Ferrari)

‘Filippo first sat in a kart in 2015 at the age of five and in 2017, he took his first race win. The following year, he won 18 of 21 rounds of the Entry Level 60 championship and in 2019, he moved to the United States, where one can start racing at the age of eight, compared to nine in Europe.’

Number of UK consumers streaming sports illegally has gone ‘through the roof’, police say (Financial Times)

‘Broadcasters and law enforcement officers have raised concerns that the increase in use of illegal streaming devices has helped normalise piracy for many sports fans in the UK and parts of Europe.’

Formula 1 driver Isack Hadjar was penalised under the rule when he raced in Formula 2 last year:https://t.co/1XMfCXcJLA

— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) April 18, 2025