Max Verstappen won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Red Bull on Sunday
The world of esports came to the rescue in the absence of a race in Melbourne or indeed of any single-seater series with the Formula E and IndyCar calendars also ravaged by the fast-spreading virus. Red Bull's Verstappen finished 11th in an 'All-star Esports battle' while McLaren's Norris finished sixth in another virtual race.
Red Bull's triple World champion Max Verstappen claimed pole position on Saturday for the Miami Grand Prix, to start from the front of the grid for the sixth straight race this season.
The victory at Suzuka was the Dutch driver's 13th in 16 races this season and left him on the brink of a third world title.
Leclerc took pole in Monaco in 2021, but did not start the race due to a driveshaft failure, and 2022 when he ended up fourth.
It was the first time Verstappen, winner of a record 19 of 22 races last year, has won the first two races of a season. He has also won 19 of the last 20.
Dominant Formula One leader Max Verstappen ran away with the Hungarian Grand Prix by a mighty margin on Sunday as Red Bull made history with a record 12th victory in a row.
Charles Leclerc seized pole position for the Italian Formula One Grand Prix and sent Ferrari hopes soaring on Saturday while Mercedes' George Russell joined him on the front row once penalties were applied.
Max Verstappen took the 50th win of his Formula One career, and record-equalling 15th of the season
Verstappen's hopes of a record-extending 11th successive victory looked a long shot on a city circuit where overtaking is never easy.
Max Verstappen put Red Bull on pole position for his home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort for the third year in a row
Charles Leclerc swept to pole position for the Mexico City Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with Carlos Sainz qualifying second in a surprise Ferrari front-row lockout.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen started the season with a commanding Bahrain Grand Prix win from pole position.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won a rain-delayed and shortened sprint race from pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday to stretch his Formula One lead to 118 points.
Max Verstappen won Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix from pole position and with the fastest lap on Sunday for the team's 10th successive Formula One victory and ninth in nine races this season.
History suggests that when drivers are fighting for race wins and championships, and enjoy equal status in the same competitive cars, then real friendship is often the first casualty.
Red Bull's triple Formula One world champion Max Verstappen won a US Grand Prix sprint race from pole position on Saturday after an early challenge from Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz lapped Monza's "Temple of Speed" with a fastest time of one minute 20.294 seconds, 0.013 quicker than Max Verstappen's final flying lap.
Sixty-five thousand fans were on their feet as they watched their home hero Max Verstappen fend off title rival Lewis Hamilton to snatch pole position for the returning Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday.
Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on pole position for Sunday's US Grand Prix after Red Bull's triple Formula One world champion Max Verstappen had a faster lap deleted for exceeding track limits and dropped to sixth on the grid.
Max Verstappen added his name to the list of triple Formula One World champions on Saturday after Red Bull team mate and sole title rival Sergio Perez crashed out of the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race.
Verstappen hustled his Honda-powered Red Bull around the popular figure-of-eight layout in one minute, 29.304 seconds
Max Verstappen celebrated a record 10th win in a row by leading Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez one-two at Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz put Ferrari on pole position for the US Formula One Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, with Red Bull's double World champion Max Verstappen joining the Spaniard on the front row.
It was Hamilton's first pole position since Saudi Arabia in December 2021.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen sang "Viva Las Vegas" after racing to a record-extending 18th victory of the season and joining Sebastian Vettel in third place on Formula One's all-time winners' list.
Hamilton said he had not been feeling well on Thursday and Friday, when he was also up until midnight working with his engineers.
Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula One driver to win 100 races with a victory in Russia that sent him back on top of the championship.
Max Verstappen became the first Formula One driver to take 16 victories in a season
The Ferrari driver's best time of one minute 16.231 seconds was close to the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix pole time by Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen qualified comfortably faster but dropped five places for a gearbox change.
Formula One will have a record 24 races in the season that starts in Bahrain on Saturday.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is the penultimate race on this year's Formula One calendar
Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday to cut Max Verstappen's overall Formula One lead to eight points with two races remaining.
Charles Leclerc crashed at the end of qualifying for his home Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday
"I'm just extremely grateful that I'm here, and tonight I'm going to call my family and all my loved ones. I passed two metres from that crane. If, I had been two metres to the left, I would have been dead."
Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position to stretch his Formula One championship lead to 53 points.
In the constructors' standings, Red Bull have 511 points to Ferrari's 376.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will line up alongside on the front row after a final qualifying session that ended with Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez crashing at the final corner.
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