F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton rates chances of catching Max Verstappen this year
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Lewis Hamilton admits it could be a “long time” until Mercedes catch Max Verstappen and Red Bull this season with the reigning world champions dominant in the opening three races of the 2023 campaign.
The seven-time world champion, who has not won a race since December 2021 in Saudi Arabia, was on the podium for the first time this season in Australia three weeks’ ago. But Max Verstappen, who coasted to last season’s World Championship, won in Melbourne – adding to his opening-race victory in Bahrain – while his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was victorious in the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia.
Hamilton, whose contract at Mercedes expires at the end of the season, was not overly optimistic about Mercedes’ chances of hauling in Red Bill’s hefty advantage.
Elsewhere, Michael Schumacher’s family to take legal action over ‘stupid’ AI interview, Christian Horner responds to talk of Max Verstappen retiring from the sport and Guenther Steiner reveals why he dropped German driver Mick Schumacher.
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F1 NEWS AND UPDATES
NEW: Lewis Hamilton rates chances of catching Max Verstappen this year
Michael Schumacher’s family to sue German magazine over ‘stupid’ AI interview
Red Bull ‘got around’ a cost cap process labelled a ‘farce’ by former F1 team owner
Michael Schumacher’s family to sue German magazine over ‘stupid’ AI interview
11:44 , Kieran Jackson
Michael Schumacher’s family are planning legal action against a German weekly magazine over an ‘interview’ with the seven times Formula One champion that was generated by artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for the Schumacher family, when asked for a comment, pointed to published reports of legal action.
The Ferrari great has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a skiing accident on a family holiday in the French Alps in December 2013.
The family has guarded his privacy since, with access limited to those closest to him and little information given about his condition.
The latest edition of Die Aktuelle ran a front cover with a picture of a smiling Schumacher and the headline promising ‘Michael Schumacher, the first interview’.
Michael Schumacher’s family to sue German magazine over ‘stupid’ AI interview
10:59 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series – and casting will begin “pretty soon.”
The Australian, who was dropped by McLaren at the end of last year, is not on the Formula 1 grid in 2023 and instead occupies a third driver role at world champions Red Bull.
The 33-year-old is confident he can find a seat to return to the sport next year but admitted during numerous appearances at the Australian Grand Prix that he has enjoyed prioritising off-track endeavours so far in 2023.
One such activity has been the creation of a new scripted F1 series on American streaming service and Disney-owned platform Hulu, which was first announced last June.
Ricciardo, one of the stars of Netflix’s behind-the-scenes F1 documentary Drive to Survive, will be the executive producer of the as-of-yet unnamed show.
A fictional Drive to Survive? Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
Red Bull ‘got around’ a cost cap process labelled a ‘farce’ by former F1 team owner
10:43 , Kieran Jackson
Eddie Jordan has labelled the Formula 1 cost cap process a ‘farce’ and insists Red Bull ‘got around’ the rules given their superiority in the sport currently.
Red Bull, who won both world championships last year and the Drivers’ title in 2021, were found guilty of a minor overspend of the 2021 budget cap regulations – the first year such restrictions have been imposed on teams.
Christian Horner’s team were fined £6m and docked 10% of their allotted car development time – involving wind-tunnel runs and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) testing – but so far that punishment has not impacted the frontrunners.
Red Bull have won three out of three races at the start of 2023 and look set to dominate for the second year running, with their rapid RB19 at times lapping a second quicker than the rest of the field on raceday.
Jordan, who founded his own F1 team and was also a pundit on BBC’s coverage of the sport from 2009-2015, slammed the sport’s financial regulations and insists they have not had the “desired effect.”
Red Bull ‘got around’ a cost cap process labelled a ‘farce’ by former F1 team owner
Lewis Hamilton rates chances of catching Max Verstappen this year
10:36 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton admits it could be a “long time” until Mercedes catch Red Bull this season with the reigning world champions dominant in the opening three races of the 2023 campaign.
The seven-time world champion, who has not won a race since December 2021 in Saudi Arabia, was on the podium for the first time this season in Australia three weeks’ ago.
But Max Verstappen, who coasted to last season’s World Championship, won in Melbourne – adding to his opening-race victory in Bahrain – while his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez was victorious in the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia.
“I‘m aware that it could take a long time to catch a car - if you look at the Red Bull, is just going to continue to evolve most likely," Hamilton said.
"Although some cars do plateau in terms of performance, when you get to some point, it can’t just keep going. But maybe it can.
"They’ve got a great team around them, so I’m sure they’ll continue to add downforce.
"We’ve got to make sure when we do make the change, hopefully the job isn’t too far and it’s going to take us the rest of the year for sure to potentially close that gap.”
Ferrari discover FIA verdict after appeal against Carlos Sainz’s penalty
10:28 , Kieran Jackson
The FIA have rejected Ferrari’s appeal against the penalty given to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
A virtual hearing started this morning at 8am (BST), with the stewards from the race in Melbourne present for the appeal process.
Ferrari were hopeful that Sainz’s five-second time penalty – which consequently dropped him from fourth to 12th and out of the points – would be overturned.
However, the FIA noted “no significant and relevant new element” to prompt a new hearing into the incident.
Ferrari discover FIA verdict after appeal against Carlos Sainz’s penalty
Christian Horner responds to Max Verstappen retirement talk
10:14 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has downplayed retirement talk surrounding Max Verstappen after the double world champion raised the prospect of quitting Formula 1.
With modifications to the sprint weekend format likely to come into force next week in Azerbaijan, Verstappen said at the last race in Australia that he wasn’t sure how long he’d continue in the sport if modifications to the race weekend are made.
Verstappen, who has a £40m-a-year contract with Red Bull until 2028, has stated in the past his dislike of sprint races.
A two-time F1 world champion at 25, Verstappen currently leads this year’s World Championship by 15 points and while Horner admits the Dutchman is unlikely to continue in the sport as long as 41-year-old Fernando Alonso, the Red Bull team principal believes he will continue to race while that “passion burns within him.”
“Max is his own man and he’s very, very strong in his opinions and on his outlook on what he wants to do in his life,” Horner told Sky Sports News.
‘Max is his own man’: Christian Horner responds to Verstappen retirement talk
When is the next F1 2023 race?
10:11 , Kieran Jackson
When is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix?
The fourth race weekend of the 2023 season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 28 April - Sunday 30 April.
Currently the schedule is as follows: first practice takes place at 10:30am (BST), before qualifying for the Saturday sprint race at 2pm (BST).
On Saturday, a second practice session is slated in for 10:30am before the sprint race at 2:30pm (BST). Currently, the grid for Sunday’s grand prix will be set by the finishing positions in the sprint, with points on offer to the top-eight.
The race on Sunday has a start time of midday (BST).
Michael Schumacher’s family to sue German magazine over ‘stupid’ AI interview
10:09 , Kieran Jackson
Michael Schumacher’s family are planning legal action against a German weekly magazine over an ‘interview’ with the seven times Formula One champion that was generated by artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for the Schumacher family, when asked for a comment, pointed to published reports of legal action.
The Ferrari great has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a skiing accident on a family holiday in the French Alps in December 2013.
The family has guarded his privacy since, with access limited to those closest to him and little information given about his condition.
The latest edition of Die Aktuelle ran a front cover with a picture of a smiling Schumacher and the headline promising ‘Michael Schumacher, the first interview’.
