After a pair of dominant Red Bull displays in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen goes into the race weekend with a one-point lead in the standings over team-mate Sergio Perez having snatched the bonus point for fastest lap off the Mexican in Jeddah.Despite reliability worries for Red Bull, the team is heavy favourite to repeat its strong results at the start of this season, but goes into …Keep reading
Soon after the race, Mercedes driver Hamilton said he had never seen a car have such an edge over the opposition as the RB19.“I’ve definitely never seen a car so fast,” remarked the seven-time world champion after finishing 25s behind the Dutchman in fifth, despite starting seven positions ahead thanks to the Red Bull’s Q2 engine issue.“I think when we were fast, we weren’t that fast. I …Keep reading
The German manufacturer has had a difficult start to the 2023 campaign, with the new W14 proving to be well adrift of the pace-setting Red Bull RB19.The competitive situation has prompted Mercedes to work on a complete revamp of its design concept, which it hopes can deliver big steps forward in pace over the remainder of the season.Wolff has long talked about the management challenges …Keep reading
During a visit to the opening round of the MotoGP season in Portugal, Domenicali was interviewed by Portuguese channel SportTV for his thoughts on various topics.But it was one remark that caused a stir as it suggested that he was looking at a bold shake-up of the F1 weekend timetable.“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions, which are of great use to the engineers …Keep reading
Williams currently uses Mercedes PUs but has the option to switch to another partner when the new regulations come in.In theory, Mercedes might be obliged to part company with one of its three customers as under the 2026 PU regulations a manufacturer can only supply three teams, including its own works outfit, “unless agreed otherwise by the FIA.”Ferrari will lose …Keep reading
Gasly has been at the centre of a focus on F1’s driver penalty points system after he totted up 10 points – just two shy of the limit before a race ban kicks in – last year.With some of his points coming from minor offences like track limits, his situation prompted discussion over the winter about whether the system needed a rethink to ensure innocent drivers did not fall foul of a rule …Keep reading
In an interview on a Brazilian podcast in November 2021, Piquet used a racial slur referring to seven-time world champion Hamilton, while being asked on his views on Hamilton’s British Grand Prix clash with Max Verstappen.Piquet apologised for his remarks when they surfaced last June, stating his language “was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it”.He also claimed he was …Keep reading
Red Bull has started the 2023 season in truly dominant form, with its RB19 appearing to be around one second per lap quicker than the rest of the field in race trim. While Red Bull has played down talk that it is a shoe-in for the F1 title this year, rivals are not anticipating being able to slash its advantage in the short-term. PLUS: Why Red …Keep reading
Stella says Red Bull has simply done everything better than the rest and that now it’s a question of trying to match that progress.McLaren made a step towards that goal this week by announcing a restructuring that included the departure of erstwhile technical director James Key.Insight: Why McLaren’s revamp is not just about its 2023 F1 car strugglesStella says …Keep reading
The Milton Keynes outfit has got its 2023 season off to a dominant start by logging 1-2 finishes in the first two rounds of the season.However, Horner expects other teams to make progress, and stresses that Red Bull has to make the most of its early advantage.“It’s so early in the season,” he said in an interview on a Sky TV business programme. “I mean, it’s a 23-race calendar, we’ve …Keep reading