F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton details only way Mercedes can win in Saudi Arabia
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Lewis Hamilton believes three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin – will have to retire in order for Mercedes to win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes, so dominant in Formula 1 from 2014-2021 with eight Constructors’ Championships, had a season to forget in 2022 as new regulations caught them out and they finished third in the standings. The Silver Arrows endured a disastrous start in the opening race of 2023 in Bahrain, with Toto Wolff insisting they will have to ditch their unique “zero-pod” philosophy in order to be competitive again. Hamilton finished fifth, while team-mate George Russell came home a lowly seventh.
And Hamilton – who last won an F1 race at the Jeddah track in December 2021, 24 grand prix ago – admitted it was a “shock” when he first drove the W14 car last month, acknowledging that three teams are currently ahead of them.
Elsewhere, F1 extends its deal with the Austrian Grand Prix until 2027, Fernando Alonso insists there’s “more to come” from Aston Martin this season while Charles Leclerc will take a 10-place grid penalty this weekend in Jeddah.
Follow all the latest F1 news as the drivers speak to the press in Jeddah this afternoon
F1 NEWS AND UPDATES
Downbeat Lewis Hamilton ranks Mercedes’ prospects of win in Saudi Arabia
Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
Haas rubbishes report alleging parent company provided machinery to Russia
Charles Leclerc will take a 10-place grid penalty at the Saudi Arabian GP
17:03 , Kieran Jackson
F1 news LIVE: Max Verstappen misses media day in Saudi Arabia
Max Verstappen has cancelled his media commitments at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because of a stomach illness.
The double world champion, who dominated Formula One’s season-opening race in Bahrain a fortnight ago, said he has been battling with the bug this week.
However, he expects to be in his Red Bull for practice in Jeddah on Friday.
“Feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days because of a stomach bug,” wrote the Dutchman, 25, on Twitter.
“Therefore, I unfortunately had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won’t be on the track until Friday.”
Max Verstappen cancels media interviews in Saudi Arabia after health scare
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes can only win in Saudi Arabia if top six cars retire
16:59 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton believes three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin – will have to retire in order for Mercedes to win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes, so dominant in Formula 1 from 2014-2021 with eight Constructors’ Championships, had a season to forget in 2022 as new regulations caught them out and they finished third in the standings.
The Silver Arrows endured a disastrous start in the opening race of 2023 in Bahrain, with Toto Wolff insisting they will have to ditch their unique “zero-pod” philosophy in order to be competitive again. Hamilton finished fifth, while team-mate George Russell came home a lowly seventh.
And Hamilton – who last won an F1 race at the Jeddah track in December 2021, 24 grand prix ago – admitted it was a “shock” when he first drove the W14 car last month, acknowledging that three teams are currently ahead of them.
“Once I drove the car for the first time, you start to do that [re-assess goals] with the challenges you’re facing,” the 38-year-old said.
“It’s a similar situation to last year - it’s a shock when the car isn’t where you want it to be but you have 100% faith in the people you work with. We’re not where we want to be and we need to keep working on it.
“We need the Red Bulls and Ferraris not to finish the race, maybe the Astons too, to be winning [ourselves]. It doesn’t mean we can’t catch them up...”
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes can only win in Saudi Arabia if top six cars retire
F1 news: Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
16:51 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 is once again coming under increased scrutiny for staging races in countries with poor human rights records after the brother of a man executed in Saudi Arabia last year insisted the sport’s silence “enables violence and bloodshed.”
A fortnight after staging the opening race of the 2023 season in Bahrain, F1 returns to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – a country where there have been 13 executions in the last two weeks.
Last year, 81 men were executed in one day shortly before the grand prix, with 41 from the Shia minority who had taken part in protests calling for greater political participation, according to the United Nations.
One of those men was Mustafa al-Kjayyat and his brother, Yasser al-Khayyat, insists that F1 is being used as a “tool to sportswash Saudi abuses”, in a letter seen by The Guardian addressed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“They use the spectacle of this sporting championship to distract from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others,” he wrote. “The grand prix carrying on as normal, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on that same soil, legitimises these heinous crimes.
“Silence is complicity. It is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you truly want Formula One to be an agent for change, rather than a tool to ‘sportswash’ Saudi abuses, please end Formula One’s silence.”
Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
F1 news LIVE: Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
16:27 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faces a 10-place grid penalty ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It comes after Leclerc was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine issue, in what was an early blow to his hopes of challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title.
Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari team principal, said following the race that he was surprised by the retirement but a further investigation has identified the problem.
Ferrari said they have been forced to fit another control electronics power unit on Leclerc’s car ahead of the second race of the season, having already replaced parts in Bahrain.
Teams are only allowed to use two control electronics components per season until a penalty is triggered, which has given Leclerc an uphill battle as he looks to cut Verstappen’s early lead in the standings.
Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton ranks Mercedes’ prospects of win in Saudi Arabia
16:15 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton believes three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin – will have to retire in order for Mercedes to win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes, so dominant in Formula 1 from 2014-2021 with eight Constructors’ Championships, had a season to forget in 2022 as new regulations caught them out and they finished third in the standings.
The Silver Arrows endured a disastrous start in the opening race of 2023 in Bahrain, with Toto Wolff insisting they will have to ditch their unique “zero-pod” philosophy in order to be competitive again. Hamilton finished fifth, while team-mate George Russell came home a lowly seventh.
And Hamilton – who last won an F1 race at the Jeddah track in December 2021, 24 grand prix ago – admitted it was a “shock” when he first drove the W14 car last month, acknowledging that three teams are currently ahead of them.
“Once I drove the car for the first time, you start to do that [re-assess goals] with the challenges you’re facing,” the 38-year-old said.
“It’s a similar situation to last year - it’s a shock when the car isn’t where you want it to be but you have 100% faith in the people you work with. We’re not where we want to be and we need to keep working on it.
“We need the Red Bulls and Ferraris not to finish the race, maybe the Astons too, to be winning [ourselves]. It doesn’t mean we can’t catch them up...”
Downbeat Lewis Hamilton ranks Mercedes’ prospects of win in Saudi Arabia
Haas rubbishes report alleging parent company provided machinery to Russia
16:05 , Kieran Jackson
The Haas Formula 1 team has dismissed a report claiming its parent company broke sanctions by providing machinery to Russia as “simply false.”
Haas F1 responded in a statement on Thursday to a report by American broadcaster PBS on Tuesday alleging that the Haas Automation company had provided machines and parts to Russia.
This would have been in violation of US export control and sanctions regulations after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
“That story is simply false, both in its overall impression and in many of its particular statements,” the Haas F1 team said in a statement.
“The 18 machines referenced in the story left the Haas Automation factory prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Haas rubbishes report alleging parent company provided machinery to Russia
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ press conference...
15:58 , Kieran Jackson
On saying team hadn’t listened to him: “In hindsight, it wasn’t the best choice of words.
“There are times you’re not in agreement with certain team members but we continue to communicate. I have 100% belief in this team, they’re family, I have no intention of going anywhere else. But the proof is in the pudding and we have to now make some bold decisions and big moves to close the gap to these guys.
“They [Red Bull] most probably will run away with it this year unless Ferrari can stop them. At some point in the year. we hope to close the gap, probably too late for a Championship...”
Have you made the changes needed for Saudi? “I think we’re in the process of it, yes.”
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ press conference...
15:48 , Kieran Jackson
Are you closer this year than you are last year? “No.”
Think the gap to Red Bull is bigger now? “Yep.”
Where is the deficit? “It’s not on the straights, last year we were very draggy. This year it’s mostly on the corners, these guys have a lot of rear end in the corners. Red Bull weren’t pushing in the race, they’re quicker than it seems...”
On 2023 as a whole: “Once I drove the car for the first time, you start to do that [re-assess goals] with the challenges you’re facing. Similar situation to last year - it’s a shock when the car isn’t where you want it to be but you have 100% faith in the people - we’re not where we want to be, need to keep working on it.”
On motivation: “You redirect your energy, it’s just different. If you’re fighting for the World Championship, you realise it’s not the case and you redirect by supporting everyone you can. We need the Red Bulls and Ferraris not to finish the race, maybe the Astons too, to be winning. Doesn’t mean we can’t catch them up - no one at this team has shied away from a challenge.”
F1 news: Sergio Perez in the drivers’ press conference...
15:41 , Kieran Jackson
“It’s a very different circuit here, requirements very different. We believe Ferrari will be very strong, Aston and Mercedes will be much closer to us.
“Looking after the tyres, we got it right in Bahrain. Some teams didn’t optimise as much as we were able to do.”
F1 news: Lance Stroll in the drivers’ press conference...
15:34 , Kieran Jackson
On wrists: “Pretty painful on the Monday after but it was a good weekend for the team, worth a bit of pain. It’s feeling better every day, the worst part is behind me - still not 100%, takes a bit of time for these things to heal. But still feeling better.
“It was nice to get in the car in Bahrain to get some laps under my belt. Not ideal missing the test... but learnt more and more about the car every lap. It was a good experience to be in the car. Getting more and more comfortable every lap in Bahrain...
“The car was really competitive throughout the whole weekend, the guys have done an incredible job over the weekend. We’re still learning about it - excited to see how we go this weekend. Different kind of track, higher speed.”
F1 news: Esteban Ocon in the drivers’ press conference...
15:26 , Kieran Jackson
On Bahrain: “We admit our mistakes, we clearly got it wrong. When it rains, it pours. That’s what happened in Bahrain. I had the meeting with the FIA just to understand what exactly happened, it’s clear and we move forward.
“It was too much to the right over the line. You can’t see very well in these cars when you’re on the grid like this but it’s up to me to fix that.”
F1 news: Lando Norris in the drivers’ press conference...
15:22 , Kieran Jackson
“It’s far from [a crisis]. Oscar’s problem was the first we’ve seen in years, confident that’s fixed. Our issue - Mercedes are sure they’ve fixed that, hasn’t happened for years. Both rare issues and we’re confident they’re fixed.
Everyone makes it sound much worse than it is, far from a crisis. Confident we can get some good points. Tight fight and big jump to top four teams, we’re not that far away. We’re far from where we want to be, but we have a very clear plan. Very clear from MTC and here what we need and want to achieve.
“Where we all want to be is clear, towards the top. That’s every team’s dream on the grid. What Aston have done is a clear example and Ferrari between 21-22 is what we want to achieve. It’s clear it’s achievable. We have the people, we’re not doing a good enough job with what we have. We have to do a better job than we’re doing currently.”
F1 news: Valtteri Bottas in the drivers’ press conference...
15:12 , Kieran Jackson
“It was a good solid race for the first race of the season, wasn’t my best. Race start was a weak point last year, we’ve showed we made some good progress.
“There’s always more to come in this sport. This track is so different and not easy to predict how the performance will be. Every year can be different, many question marks.”
F1 news: Alex Albon in the drivers’ press conference...
15:09 , Kieran Jackson
“We were slightly on the back foot in testing and on Friday in Bahrain, but we turned it around. A point was something to be very proud of.
“In terms of a feeling with the car, it feels quite similar to last year and we’ve made some small steps. We’re in a much better place, we know there’s room for improvement which excites me a lot.
On James Vowles: “He’s got the knowledge from Mercedes, a smart guy, winning mentality, he knows what it takes to win and that’s something we need right now. There’s all aspects to look at. A lot of it is more long-term than short-term.”
F1 news: Lando Norris in the drivers’ press conference...
15:07 , Kieran Jackson
“I believe we should’ve been in the top-10 in Bahrain if we didn’t have any issues.
“It’s not possible to be in Q3 in Bahrain - for pace we have a lot of work to do. We’re in the middle but I believe we should have had a fight with Alex, he was ahead of me before the issues, so tough to say but different track layout...”
F1 news: Carlos Sainz in the drivers’ press conference...
15:04 , Kieran Jackson
On Bahrain: “It was a tough weekend for the team. We got the maximum, Charles’ penalty here is not ideal. We’re going to try and build from there, improve the car as much as possible, try to improve.
“I have a few misfires in my voice! Had a cold at the weekend, I don’t know why but my voice has decided to leave me and hasn’t come back yet!”
“The track is completely different to Bahrain. Tarmac, high-speed nature, everything’s a bit different. I have a feeling we will be more competitive - to beat the Red Bulls will be extremely difficult but I want to be more optimistic.”
F1 news: Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
14:59 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Never mind waiting for the first race of the Formula 1 season. A weekend of testing, three practice sessions and qualifying in Bahrain has told Toto Wolff everything he needed to know.
No sandbagging. No magic fix. No hiding. Mere hours into the 2023 campaign the Mercedes boss – once the unflappable executive titan of the sport – cut a despondent figure speaking to the press in the late hours on Saturday. Acknowledging that his team’s persistence, bordering on stubbornness, had been a mistake, he revealed a change of tack is already in the pipeline.
Speaking after George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, the Austrian stated: “I don’t think that this package is going to be competitive eventually.
“We gave it our best go over the winter and now we all just need to regroup, sit down with the engineers, be totally non-dogmatic and ask what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be able to win races.”
As sporting U-turns go, this is pretty seismic. Race weekend No 1 of 23: rip it up and start over.
Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conferences!
14:29 , Kieran Jackson
We’ll be hearing from the drivers in the Jeddah paddock shortly!
The first press conference is scheduled to start at 2:30pm (GMT)...
F1 news LIVE: Max Verstappen misses media day in Saudi Arabia
14:14 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen has cancelled his media commitments at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because of a stomach illness.
The double world champion, who dominated Formula One’s season-opening race in Bahrain a fortnight ago, said he has been battling with the bug this week.
However, he expects to be in his Red Bull for practice in Jeddah on Friday.
“Feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days because of a stomach bug,” wrote the Dutchman, 25, on Twitter.
“Therefore, I unfortunately had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won’t be on the track until Friday.”
Max Verstappen cancels media interviews in Saudi Arabia after health scare
F1 news LIVE: Driver press conferences!
13:59 , Kieran Jackson
The driver press conferences at media day in Jeddah starts at 2:30pm (GMT)!
F1 news LIVE: Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until 2027
13:47 , Kieran Jackson
The Austrian Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2027 after a new deal was signed between the sport and circuit owners Red Bull. Its previous deal was set to expire after this summer.
Having returned to the schedule in 2014 after an eleven-year absence, the Austrian Grand Prix currently takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. This year, it will be one of six events to host the ‘sprint’ format, in which a shorter race is used on Saturday’s qualifying in order to set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc passed Max Verstappen to claim victory in 2022 with the Dutchman previously winning the race in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
The Austrian Grand Prix is part of F1’s core European circuits, along with the likes of Monaco, Spa and Monza, which are coming under increased pressure as F1 continues its global expansion.
Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until 2027
F1 news: Exclusive interview - Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie Ecclestone
13:29 , Kieran Jackson
A report published last week by Females in Motorsport revealed women spoke for just 1.54 per cent of the run time in the new season of Drive to Survive on Netflix, totalling six minutes and seven seconds out of more than six-and-a-half hours. Curious, too, when you consider the emphasis throughout Formula 1 on increasing opportunities and visibility for women, despite a woman not competing in the sport since 1976.
Yet look in the paddock or on your screens and women are present. Not enough yet, as Drive to Survive’s inadequate representation infers, but they’re in attendance. Rachel Brookes, heading into her 12th year as a reporter and presenter for Sky Sports F1, is one such face, refreshingly familiar for all UK fans of the sport.
Swapping duties with Natalie Pinkham and Simon Lazenby, the 48-year-old is a well-respected and trusted voice not just for the viewers at home, but for the drivers in the paddock too. This year, she will be at 19 out of a record 23 races, starting with Saudi Arabia next week. Speaking with passion about a job she adores, Brookes is insistent that F1 is improving when it comes to female representation.
“I have seen it change – there’s a lot more women now working in all sports as well as Formula 1,” she says.
“It’s been really positive. One of the first things Sky did was send me out to cover cricket, they’d never had a women on the boundary edge before doing live match updates but I loved it.”
Exclusive: Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie
F1 news: Lando Norris ‘will be thinking’ about move to Ferrari or Red Bull
13:03 , Kieran Jackson
McLaren’s Lando Norris may already be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull, Karun Chandhok believes. Norris came home last of the 17th finishers in Bahrain after pitting six times during the course of an issue-plagued race.
It represented a disappointing start to the season for the 23-year-old, tipped as a potential future world champion but yet to achieve a victory in the sport.
Sky Sports’ analyst Chandhok thinks that Norris could be looking at potential destinations that may give him a better chance of fulfilling his ambitions.
“I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull is young Lando Norris,” Chandhok said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.
“Looking at where they’re [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him [Norris] in for that four-year period.”
F1 news LIVE - ‘A demon comes out’: Esteban Ocon revealed as ‘not extremely popular’ among F1 drivers
12:59 , Kieran Jackson
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon has been branded as ‘not extremely popular’ among F1 drivers because of his behaviour while racing.
He often appears as one of the nicest people in the sport when away from the track, with Sky Sports’ Naomi Schiff saying that “he’s so friendly, always got a smile on his face, always says hello”.
However, she added that “amongst the drivers, he’s not extremely popular and I think that’s because of his on-track behaviours. That helmet comes on and a demon comes out”.
Speaking during the Bahrain Grand Prix race weekend, Schiff was joined by Nico Rosberg, the 2016 World Champion. He said that Ocon “really loves to get his elbows out with his teammates and he’s loved colliding with his teammates in the past”.
Ocon’s new Alpine teammate is fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly. The two reportedly have a less-than-friendly relationship, and Rosberg is clearly looking forward to seeing them race together.
Esteban Ocon revealed as ‘not extremely popular’ among F1 drivers
F1 news: Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
12:45 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 is once again coming under increased scrutiny for staging races in countries with poor human rights records after the brother of a man executed in Saudi Arabia last year insisted the sport’s silence “enables violence and bloodshed.”
A fortnight after staging the opening race of the 2023 season in Bahrain, F1 returns to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – a country where there have been 13 executions in the last two weeks.
Last year, 81 men were executed in one day shortly before the grand prix, with 41 from the Shia minority who had taken part in protests calling for greater political participation, according to the United Nations.
One of those men was Mustafa al-Kjayyat and his brother, Yasser al-Khayyat, insists that F1 is being used as a “tool to sportswash Saudi abuses”, in a letter seen by The Guardian addressed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“They use the spectacle of this sporting championship to distract from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others,” he wrote. “The grand prix carrying on as normal, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on that same soil, legitimises these heinous crimes.
“Silence is complicity. It is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you truly want Formula One to be an agent for change, rather than a tool to ‘sportswash’ Saudi abuses, please end Formula One’s silence.”
Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
F1 news: Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali
12:45 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has been backed to become the next CEO of Formula 1 – by the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Horner, the boss at Red Bull, is the sport’s longest serving team principal having been in charge of the current world champions since 2005.
The 49-year-old executive is overseeing Red Bull’s current domination of the sport, having won both world championships at a canter last year and claiming a one-two finish at the 2023 season-opener on Sunday with Max Verstappen, the double world champion, triumphant in Bahrain.
But Ecclestone – who caused controversy last year after stating he would “take a bullet” for Russian president Vladimir Putin – insists Horner should aim for the sport’s top job next.
“If you had to pick anyone today, I’d say he [Horner] would be as good as there is,” 92-year-old Ecclestone said.
Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali
F1 news LIVE: Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
12:21 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faces a 10-place grid penalty ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It comes after Leclerc was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine issue, in what was an early blow to his hopes of challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title.
Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari team principal, said following the race that he was surprised by the retirement but a further investigation has identified the problem.
Ferrari said they have been forced to fit another control electronics power unit on Leclerc’s car ahead of the second race of the season, having already replaced parts in Bahrain.
Teams are only allowed to use two control electronics components per season until a penalty is triggered, which has given Leclerc an uphill battle as he looks to cut Verstappen’s early lead in the standings.
Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
F1 news: Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
11:59 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Never mind waiting for the first race of the Formula 1 season. A weekend of testing, three practice sessions and qualifying in Bahrain has told Toto Wolff everything he needed to know.
No sandbagging. No magic fix. No hiding. Mere hours into the 2023 campaign the Mercedes boss – once the unflappable executive titan of the sport – cut a despondent figure speaking to the press in the late hours on Saturday. Acknowledging that his team’s persistence, bordering on stubbornness, had been a mistake, he revealed a change of tack is already in the pipeline.
Speaking after George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, the Austrian stated: “I don’t think that this package is going to be competitive eventually.
“We gave it our best go over the winter and now we all just need to regroup, sit down with the engineers, be totally non-dogmatic and ask what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be able to win races.”
As sporting U-turns go, this is pretty seismic. Race weekend No 1 of 23: rip it up and start over.
Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
F1 news LIVE: Max Verstappen misses media day in Saudi Arabia
11:18 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen has cancelled his media commitments at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because of a stomach illness.
The double world champion, who dominated Formula One’s season-opening race in Bahrain a fortnight ago, said he has been battling with the bug this week.
However, he expects to be in his Red Bull for practice in Jeddah on Friday.
“Feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days because of a stomach bug,” wrote the Dutchman, 25, on Twitter.
“Therefore, I unfortunately had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won’t be on the track until Friday.”
Feeling fine again, after not being fit for a few days because of a stomach bug. Therefore, I unfortunately had to postpone my flight for a day, so I won't be on the track until Friday. See you in Jeddah!
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) March 16, 2023
F1 news LIVE: Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP
11:17 , Kieran Jackson
Nico Rosberg insists Mercedes’ car concept is “in a river” as the team reveal they are set to change course just one race into the new Formula 1 season.
Mercedes decided to stick with their unique ‘no-sidepod’ design this year despite a troubled 2022 in which they only won a single race and finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.
However, after a tricky testing period, the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix saw Mercedes lose around a second-a-lap compared to the victorious Red Bulls out in front, while a rejuvenated Aston Martin also had more pace than Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
As such, team boss Toto Wolff says the team will have to change their philosophy if they want to be competitive and Rosberg – who won his World Championship in 2016 with Mercedes before retiring – has concerns about how quickly Mercedes can reverse their fortunes in an era of cost-cap.
The 2023 budget cap is set at £111m.
Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP
F1 news: What makes Drive to Survive star Guenther Steiner tick?
10:57 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
When Netflix first premiered Drive to Survive in 2019, an attempt by Formula 1’s new owners Liberty to broaden the sport’s murky horizon, the onus was on your Hamiltons, your Vettels and your Verstappens to haul in that untapped audience. Like any serial drama, you need a protagonist. But there can only be one star of the show.
Little did people think it’d be Guenther Steiner.
“It’s all about the underdog story,” the 57-year-old tells The Independent, when asked why the Haas-centred episodes have the viewers at peak excitement upon the release of each show. A show, he is eager to add, he does not watch.
More below:
Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick?
F1 news LIVE: Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian GP
10:39 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes vowed they “won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions” as they look to recover from their miserable start to the new Formula One season.
Lewis Hamilton was fifth and team-mate George Russell seventh in the season-opening race in Bahrain as Mercedes trailed home well adrift of Red Bull, who claimed a one-two through Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Both Hamilton and Russell finished more than 50 seconds behind winner Verstappen, who made an ominous start to his bid for a third successive title and raised further questions as to whether the Silver Arrows – who won a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships up until 2021 – can mount a challenge this year.
Hamilton complained before the race that his team were on the “wrong track” and on Wednesday the seven-time world champion said that Mercedes had ignored him over the development of their 2023 car.
With the team now preparing for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes on Saturday published an open letter to fans admitting they had been “hurt” by their showing in Bahrain while also issuing a rallying cry to all supporters.
Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
F1 news LIVE: Fernando Alonso throws down gauntlet for Aston Martin after Bahrain podium
10:20 , Kieran Jackson
Fernando Alonso insists Aston Martin have “more to come” this season after an impressive showing first up in Bahrain last week.
The Silverstone-based team, having signed two-time world champion Alonso from Alpine to replace Sebastian Vettel, were the surprise package over testing and the first grand prix weekend of the season.
Alonso claimed his 99th podium in Formula 1with a third-place finish in Bahrain while Lance Stroll, who missed testing due to a wrist injury but recovered in time to race, came home sixth.
But Alonso is far from satisfied and instead admitted the team still had areas to improve and aspects of the car to learn, ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
“There are a couple of areas that we have to improve that I will not share, but I think the most important point is that the new Aston Martin is just a new car, a new project,” the 41-year-old said.
Fernando Alonso throws down the gauntlet Aston Martin after Bahrain podium
F1 news LIVE: Martin Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the F1 season
09:58 , Kieran Jackson
Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.
“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.
“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”
‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season
F1 news: Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen
09:46 , Kieran Jackson
Jenson Button is entering the world of NASCAR, joining the likes of Kimi Raikkonen in the American motor racing series.
Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, retired from F1 at the end of 2017 but has kept his toes in competitive motorsport, competing in Super GT, Extreme E and Rallycross.
The 43-year-old is also competing at the 100th anniversary of Le Mans in June – yet has added three NASCAR meets to his schedule, starting with the Circuit of the Americas later in March.
Button will also race in Chicago in July and Indianapolis in August, driving for Rick Ware Racing in partnership with the Stewart Haas Racing outfit.
Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 world champion, will also drive at COTA for Trackhouse Racing in what will be his second venture into NASCAR.
Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen
F1 news LIVE: London Grand Prix proposed in major redevelopment plan around Docklands
09:38 , Kieran Jackson
A plan for Formula 1 to stage a London Grand Prix in the east of the capital has been pitched alongside a major redevelopment plan.
The prospect of rejuvenating an area around London Docklands – with a high-speed circuit compared to Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal – has been proposed by environmental group LDN Collective and consultancy firm DAR.
They state that a race could be held there as early as August 2026, with a 3.64-mile route consisting of 22 corners and an average speed of 127mph put forward.
Cars would run along London City Airport and the docks on a circuit full of long straights and chicanes.
The concept of a London Grand Prix, which has been floated previously by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, has lingered in recent years but it is understood would be in addition to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
London Grand Prix proposed in major redevelopment plan around Docklands
F1 news LIVE: Red Bull chief dismisses Mercedes as contenders after just one race
09:31 , Kieran Jackson
Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko believes the World Championship is already out of reach for Mercedes after an opening race to forget in Bahrain.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh respectively but their W14 cars struggled for pace and were nearly a second-a-lap slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the grand prix.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said over the course of last weekend that the Silver Arrows will have to change their approach already, with their unique ‘zero-pod’ philosophy failing to produce results last year and the early signs not promising this year either.
Marko, who works alongside Christian Horner and chief designer Adrian Newey at Red Bull, dismissed his rival’s prospects in 2023 - adding that in an era of cost cap they cannot just “design two or three different cars.”
“The world championship title is out of reach for Mercedes,” Marko, 79, told French radio station RTL.
F1 news LIVE: Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until 2027
09:29 , Kieran Jackson
The Austrian Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar until at least 2027 after a new deal was signed between the sport and circuit owners Red Bull. Its previous deal was set to expire after this summer.
Having returned to the schedule in 2014 after an eleven-year absence, the Austrian Grand Prix currently takes place at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. This year, it will be one of six events to host the ‘sprint’ format, in which a shorter race is used on Saturday’s qualifying in order to set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc passed Max Verstappen to claim victory in 2022 with the Dutchman previously winning the race in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
The Austrian Grand Prix is part of F1’s core European circuits, along with the likes of Monaco, Spa and Monza, which are coming under increased pressure as F1 continues its global expansion.
Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until 2027
F1 news LIVE: Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
09:27 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faces a 10-place grid penalty ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It comes after Leclerc was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine issue, in what was an early blow to his hopes of challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title.
Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari team principal, said following the race that he was surprised by the retirement but a further investigation has identified the problem.
Ferrari said they have been forced to fit another control electronics power unit on Leclerc’s car ahead of the second race of the season, having already replaced parts in Bahrain.
Teams are only allowed to use two control electronics components per season until a penalty is triggered, which has given Leclerc an uphill battle as he looks to cut Verstappen’s early lead in the standings.
