Formula 1 - 2023 season

[daytrader]

Fernando Alonso 'ready to deliver something special' at Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso says he is "ready to deliver something special" when he joins Aston Martin next season.

Alonso, who retired from his final race with Alpine on Sunday, hopes his status as F1's most experienced driver ever can guide his new team to good results.

Alonso said: "I believe when I can make differences when it comes to crucial moments of the races or experiences.

"We all have high talent driving cars fast; it is more about the head and how you control a few things."

The 41-year-old Spaniard says he ended his two years at Alpine having returned to the best form of his career, following his two years out of F1 in 2019 and 2020 racing in other categories.

"The last few races [of the season], like Mexico or Austin or Brazil, I think I am closer to the level of 2012 or 2010 or whatever than last year when I was not in control of everything," Alonso said.

"Last year I was not 100% confident with the car or my comeback. It was OK, the season, but this year I am much more up to speed and much more proud of how it has been."

Ending his Alpine career with a retirement in Abu Dhabi was a somewhat appropriate conclusion to a season dogged by poor reliability, costing him in the region of 50-60 points and denying him the chance of finishing the championship as the leading driver outside the top three teams.

He said his position in the championship this year had "zero" relevance to him.

"It matters what I feel inside," he said. And even if I score good points and finish OK in the standings, I maybe didn't have the best feeling. This year even if don't score any points I know I am switching to next year and a new project knowing I am 100% into the sport again."

Alonso conducts his first test for Aston Martin in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, as he joins from Alpine on a new contract that will last at least two years.

And he believes he can bring success to a team that finished seventh in this year's constructors' championship.

"I only continue because I believe we will have a chance," Alonso said. "Next year to close the gap is unrealistic, but we need to put the baseline for future cars and to work better than the people around us.

"This is a very competitive environment and to become a champion you need to deliver something special. I am ready to deliver something special from my side and I expect the same from them."

Alonso last won a race in 2013 and clinched the second of his two titles in 2006. But he said he continues to believe he can climb to the top of the sport again.

"Ultimately winning the championship is what motivates me every day so [I am] still thinking the third [title] will be possible one day," he said.

"Maybe not next year, but who knows in the future. And now with this project of Aston Martin there are other things appealing to me - to try to build the team not from scratch but after this year they are hoping [to be] much better in the next few seasons.

"They have a lot of new people in the team, great talent, new facilities so it seems I join in this moment where we can join something together and become world champion one day.

"I don't know if I will be driving that year in the car but if not I hope I will still be in the organisation somehow and still be proud of that championship."

Alonso said he expected to continue in F1 for at least "two to three years".

"I will take it year by year," Alonso said. "Last season [I was] maybe not 100%. If I do a few seasons like last year, even if I perform OK from the outside, but I don't feel happy with myself, maybe I stop.

"And [if I drive like I did] this year for example, that I feel very proud of, I will continue whatever the results are next year because I know that whatever are the results I can give to the team."

But he said he had had to adapt his preparation for F1 as he has got older.

"I have to change many things because the moment of my career now, the physical aspects, I have to change a few of my training routines, my travelling, events," Alonso said.

"F1 is very demanding on energy, off-track as well. So I have to maybe be more efficient in many things I do in the weekends or the weeks. On the physical aspect, I have to do much more than what I used to because I am not 20 any more."

BBC

 

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China's return to the Formula 1 schedule will be cancelled next year as a result of the country's Covid policies, BBC Sport has learned.

Formula 1 has not visited China since 2019, but was due to return for the fourth race in 2023 on 16 April.

China's zero-Covid policy has led F1 to conclude the race cannot go ahead.

The key sticking point is that F1 staff would not be given exemptions from quarantine requirements in the event of suffering a Covid-19 infection.

F1 feels that it cannot ask teams to go to the country for the race in Shanghai with the risk that staff could be detained for days if they caught coronavirus.

China's latest rules demand that anyone found with Covid-19 must spend five days at an isolation centre plus three days isolation at home.

F1 chairman and chief executive officer Stefano Domenicali has not yet officially called off the race, but the decision is considered an inevitability.

F1 declined to comment on the situation.

BBC

 

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Daniel Ricciardo: Red Bull re-sign Australian after McLaren contract terminated

Daniel Ricciardo has rejoined Red Bull as third driver for the 2023 season.

The 33-year-old Australian had been looking for a way to stay in Formula 1 after his McLaren contract was terminated at the end of the season.

He will assist Red Bull with testing and simulation work as well as commercial activities, the team said.

Ricciardo said he was "truly excited" to be returning to the team for whom he won seven grands prix between 2014 and 2018, before leaving for Renault.

Team principal Christian Horner said: "It is great to bring Daniel back into the Red Bull family. He has enormous talent and such a brilliant character.

"I know the whole family is excited to be welcoming him home.

"In his role as third driver, Daniel will give us a chance to diversify, assisting in the development of the air, aiding the team with his experience and knowledge of what it takes to succeed in F1."

A smiling Ricciardo said the welcome he had been given by Horner, Red Bull motorsport adviser and the whole team was "something I'm sincerely appreciative of".

"The ability to contribute and be surrounded by the best team in F1 is hugely appealing, while also giving me some time to recharge and refocus," he added.

How has Ricciardo ended up back at Red Bull?

Ricciardo spent five seasons with Red Bull and left at the end of 2018 because he felt the team were becoming increasingly focused on Max Verstappen, to his detriment.

He moved to Renault for 2019, on a lucrative contract worth more than $50m over two years, but decided before the delayed start of the 2020 season that he would leave for McLaren in 2021.

Ricciardo scored Renault's first podium for nine years at the Eifel Grand Prix towards the end of the 2020 season, and took a second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two races later.

After joining McLaren, Ricciardo won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix - taking the team's first win for nine years and leading team-mate Lando Norris to a one-two - but for most of the year he struggled to match the Briton.

When those problems continued in 2022, McLaren decided they had to replace him, and negotiated an end to his contract - which had been due to run to the end of 2023 - in the summer. They signed Australian Oscar Piastri as Ricciardo's replacement.

Ricciardo has admitted he does not fully understand why he has struggled for performance at McLaren, and the team feel the same. He decided to take a year out in 2023 rather than sign for a team further down the grid but has said he is determined to return to F1 in 2024.

Ricciardo was a Red Bull junior driver and the company paid for his debut with the HRT team in the second half of 2011, before placing him in their second team Toro Rosso for 2012-13.

He then graduated to Red Bull for 2014, following Mark Webber's retirement, and beat four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in his first season with the team, winning three races to the German's none.

Could Ricciardo race again for Red Bull?

The relationship between Red Bull's two-time world champion Verstappen and his team-mate Sergio Perez became strained at the penultimate race of the season in Brazil.

Verstappen refused a team order to let Perez by for sixth place at the end of the race to help the Mexican's bid for second in the drivers' championship.

Verstappen said he had his "reasons" for refusing, and they were to do with "something that happened in the past". Perez said it "showed what kind of person" the Dutchman was.

It has since emerged the tension was over Verstappen's belief that Perez crashed deliberately at the end of qualifying at this year's Monaco Grand Prix, securing his third place on the grid ahead of Verstappen. Perez went on to win the race.

Perez described that version of events as "just speculation, and people creating rumours", adding: "That rumour is wrong." He also said he regretted the criticism he had made of Verstappen.

Horner insisted the two drivers have spoken and cleared the air.

Senior figures within F1 have pointed out Ricciardo's presence in the team is a convenient way of keeping Perez in line, as he knows Red Bull have a potential replacement already signed should relations with Verstappen sour again.

At last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when it first emerged Ricciardo would be taking on the role, Horner was asked whether Ricciardo could "become an option longer-term as a race driver".

He replied: "No. Daniel's contract is very specific for a specific reason. We have a contract with Checo for the next two years."

Horner said Ricciardo was joining to help take the load off the race drivers in areas such as marketing - such as show-car runs and events - and would also be used to progress car development on the simulator.

BBC

 

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Next year's Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled by Formula 1 because of "ongoing difficulties" with Covid.

The Shanghai race was due to return in April for the first time since 2019.

Protests have been held in China in recent days over its 'zero Covid' policies, which include regular lockdowns and isolation imposed on infected people and contacts.

F1 says it would not be able to operate normally in China and cannot justify risks to staff involved in travelling.

The sport's bosses have been in discussions with Chinese officials in recent weeks but were unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

The news, revealed by BBC Sport on 22 November, was officially announced by F1 on Friday.

A statement said the race would not take place because of "the ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 situation".

China had been scheduled to host the fourth race of the 2023 season on 16 April.

The statement said: "Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course."

The sport will only fill the date if it can reach a satisfactory financial deal.

The Portimao circuit in Portugal, which hosted grands prix in 2020 and 2021 when F1 shuffled its schedule as a result of the pandemic, is one of the tracks under consideration.

Istanbul Park in Turkey, another track that returned in the pandemic, is also likely to be in contention.

Next year's F1 calendar features a record 24 races - the season would be the longest ever even if China is not replaced.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Formula 1 has revealed the venues that will play host to the six F1 Sprint weekends during the 2023 campaign, with the number of events doubling from the three staged in 2021 and 2022.

F1 Sprint sees the standard one-hour qualifying session shifted to Friday, setting the grid for a 100-kilometre dash on Saturday, which in turn sorts the starting order for Sunday’s main event.

Next year, the Sprints will be held in Azerbaijan (Baku Street Circuit), Austria (Red Bull Ring), Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps), Qatar (Losail Circuit), the United States (Circuit of The Americas) and Sao Paulo (Interlagos).

Interlagos continues as a Sprint venue after playing host in 2021 and 2022, while the Red Bull Ring also featured the revised format last season. Silverstone, Monza and Imola are the other venues to have hosted Sprints in the past.

arch into the most suitable tracks for the format, including overtaking opportunities, close racing and high-speed sections – and is designed to ensure competitive on-track action across all three days of the selected Grand Prix weekends.

Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali welcomed the increase from three to six events for next year.

“We have seen a hugely positive reaction to the F1 Sprint events during the first two years of its running, and we can’t wait to bring even more action to fans with six events next year, including our first US F1 Sprint in Austin,” he said.

“The introduction of the F1 Sprint has created a race weekend that includes three days of competitive racing action and brings more entertainment to fans of the sport as well as additional value for key stakeholders including teams, broadcasters, partners, and host venues.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA added: “Following strong collaboration between the FIA and FOM, and the approval of the World Motor Sport Council, we are pleased to reveal the six events for Sprints for the 2023 season. We look forward to this exciting addition to the calendar.”

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...vents-across-2023.4tvAAXFGdkoHKE8Onjh8Ya.html

 

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Mercedes name Mick Schumacher as reserve driver to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for 2023

Mick Schumacher is to be the Mercedes reserve driver in 2023.

The German, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, lost his race seat for 2023 when the Haas team dropped him in favour of veteran Nico Hulkenberg.

Schumacher's Mercedes role will see him work in the team's simulator and be ready to stand in should Lewis Hamilton or George Russell be unable to race.

"Mick is a talented young driver. We're delighted to have him join," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said.

"He is a hard worker, has a calm and methodical approach and is still hungry to learn and improve as a driver. These are all important qualities.

"We also know that with two years of experience racing in F1 under his belt, he will be ready to step into the car at short notice to replace either Lewis or George, should that need arise."

Schumacher, who will attend all grands prix during the 2023 season, said he was "thrilled" to take on his new role.

"I am committed to give it my all to contribute to their performance in this very competitive and professional environment," the 23-year-old said.

"I take this as a new start, and I am just excited and grateful to Toto and everybody involved for putting their trust in me.

"F1 is such a fascinating world, and you never stop learning, so I look forward to absorbing more knowledge and putting in all my efforts for the benefit of the Mercedes team."

Prior to Mercedes' announcement, Ferrari put out a statement saying they had cut all links with Schumacher, who had been a member of their driver academy since 2019.

Schumacher raced for Haas for two seasons, with a best result of sixth place at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

Haas felt that he had been out-performed by team-mate Kevin Magnussen on the Dane's return to F1 in 2022 and regarded Hulkenberg as a more competitive proposition for next season.

The Schumacher name has strong links with Mercedes.

Michael ended his F1 career with the team when he made a return to the sport in 2010 to coincide with the establishment of the current Mercedes factory team, retiring for the second time in 2012.

And Mercedes paid for Michael to start his career in F1, when they bankrolled his debut with Jordan at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.

Schumacher, who was competing for Mercedes in endurance racing at the time, was immediately snapped up by the Benetton team, transferring across for the next race in Italy.

BBC

 

[Firebat]

Saudi Arabia set to host first F1 race of 2024 season

Saudi Arabia looks set to host the opening race of the 2024 Formula 1 season, in a change from previous plans for it to be held in Australia.

The news emerged in a statement from the Victorian state government announcing a two-year contract extension for the Australian Grand Prix until 2037.

The statement said Melbourne's Albert Park track would host the opening race at least four times during the contract term, but Saudi Arabia would do so in 2024 "out of respect for Ramadan".

Bahrain, which borders Saudi Arabia, has become the default opening race of the season since the pandemic disrupted the shape of the calendar in 2020. It held its race on 20 March this year.

But Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is due to start on 11 March in 2024, as opposed to 2 April this year.

As a result, F1 had been planning to move the start of the season back to Melbourne, which had been the usual opening event pre-Covid.

F1 was unable to confirm that Saudi Arabia would start the 2024 season.

It said in a statement: "Formula 1 has not released any details of future calendars. The 2024 calendar will be confirmed in the usual way later in the year."

However, BBC Sport has been told that, while F1 chairman Stefano Domenicali is still working through plans for the first part of the 2024 season, the Saudi event on the Jeddah street circuit is on course to be the opening race.

No explanation for the change from the original plan to hold it in Australia has been provided.

Nor is it clear why, if it is possible to hold a grand prix in the Middle East to start the season before Ramadan in 2024, it would be in Saudi Arabia and not Bahrain.

There will be speculation that Saudi Arabia - which already pays one of the largest hosting fees for its event - has paid an additional fee to secure the prestige of hosting the first race. But a source close to the situation insisted that was not the case.

Earlier this year Saudi Arabia rejected F1's proposal to host a 'sprint' event in 2023 because organisers baulked at the extra money involved.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63984481

 

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Mercedes driver George Russell expects the team to be "in a much stronger position from race one" in the 2023 Formula 1 world championship.

The 24-year-old from Norfolk achieved the sole victory this year for Mercedes in the penultimate race at Sao Paulo.

Russell finished fourth in the drivers' standings, two places and 35 points above team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

"They haven't forgotten how to build a fast race car," said Russell. "We just got it wrong this year."

He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "We got the philosophy wrong. We went down a route which turned out to be the wrong route.

"Sometimes it takes you a long time to dig yourself out of that hole. Now I feel we've dug ourselves out of that hole and we're building on top of that.

"We are a step behind Red Bull and Ferrari and we've got a lot of catching up to do - but we're definitely going to be in a much stronger position from race one next year than we were this year."

 

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen set the pace on the first day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The world champion, top of the timesheets for most of the day, ended it 0.029 seconds quicker than Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were third and fourth fastest, ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.

Williams' Alex Albon was seventh, ahead of Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu.

Pre-season testing lap times are notoriously poor indicators of form for the year ahead because teams do not reveal the specification in which they run their cars and fuel loads, engine modes and other factors can have a dramatic effect on performance.

Nevertheless, Red Bull looked impressive throughout the day as the cars took to the track for the first time this year.

The new Red Bull RB19, which had not been seen before Thursday morning, was described by team principal Christian Horner as an "evolution" of last year's RB18, which dominated the 2022 season as Verstappen broke the record for wins on his way to his second title.

The car features dramatic undercuts on the sidepods in an attempt to refine the airflow to the rear, and its performance did little to erase the impression that Verstappen will start the year as favourite for a third championship.

Verstappen was the only driver to run all day, completing 157 laps, almost three race distances. Every other team split running between two drivers.

Alonso's fastest time came much later in the day than Verstappen's, when conditions were more favourable for quick laps, but was nevertheless encouraging for the two-time champion and his new team, who are hoping to make a significant step forwards after finishing seventh last year.

Sainz, who drove in the first session of the day, was 0.416secs slower than Verstappen and just 0.014secs faster than Leclerc, who ran in the afternoon and evening.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said: "It's very early stages but the first feeling was good. The most important thing was to do mileage and we have no issues. We were able to do the run plan and everything is going well."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said their first day of testing was much improved from last year, when major problems with the car's performance told the team they were in trouble and presaged a difficult campaign.

Wolff said: "It seems to be balanced in the in the right way. We were gathering a lot of data because that was important to correlate, obviously after last year and trying different things.

"We knew that we were in trouble last year because the car was just bouncing around and we really weren't able to drive it correctly. So that is very different.

"I think we have a solid base now to work from and try to optimise the car, which we haven't done yet. It's really just finding out, are there any other any areas that could be real performance hindrance, like like last year with the bouncing? And we have just got to work through the programme."

McLaren's day was afflicted by reliability problems, which saw the team have to reinforce the air deflectors over the front wheels and manage fewer laps than many of their rivals.

But Norris gave the team some encouragement with a quick lap late in the day to slot in ahead of Hamilton and 0.625secs off Verstappen's pace.

Testing continues on Friday and Saturday, ahead of the first race of the season, also in Bahrain, on 3-5 March.

Fastest times from day one of pre-season testing 2023

1 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull one minute 32.837 seconds

2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:32.866

3 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Ferrari 1:33.253

4 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:33.267

5 Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 1:33.462

6 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes 1:33.508

7 Alex Albon (Tha) Williams 1:33.671 *

8 Zhou Guanyu (Chi) Alfa Romeo 1:33.723

9 George Russell (GB) Mercedes 1:34.174

10 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:34.324

11 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas 1:34.424

12 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo 1:34.558

13 Nyck De Vries (Ned) Alpha Tauri 1:34.559

14 Felipe Drugovich (Bra) Aston Martin 1:34.564

15 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Alpha Tauri 1:34.671

16 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:34.822

17 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:34.871

18 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:34.888

19 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas 1:35.087

* = time set on softer C5 tyre; all other times on mid-range C3 tyre

 

[MenInG]

George Russell says he does not expect Mercedes to be competing for victory at the start of the Formula 1 season in Bahrain next week.

Russell said he believed Red Bull were the team to beat on the evidence of the first two days of pre-season testing.

He said: "We definitely believe eventually we will have a car capable of getting in that fight.

"Whether we're going to have that next weekend in Bahrain, I think may be a bit of a stretch."

Russell said he had been impressed watching the Red Bull out on track at the Sakhir circuit on Thursday, when reigning champion Max Verstappen was fastest overall, and Friday.

"They look very strong, very stable," Russell said. "The car is looking really strong and obviously Max is performing really well.

"So I think realistically, it will be a stretch for next week. But there's no reason why eventually we can't get there at some point this year, and we've always seen the strength of Mercedes and their development rates. So yeah, definitely. My belief is that."

Mercedes head into 2023 off the back of a difficult year that ended their run of eight consecutive constructors' titles since 2014.

They won only one race - with Russell at the penultimate grand prix of the season in Brazil - and finished third behind Red Bull and Ferrari.

But Russell said the team were in a better place than they were at the same point last year, when they discovered in pre-season testing that their car was badly afflicted with aerodynamic bouncing - or porpoising - that compromised their season.

"The entry phase (to the corner) has been improved," Russell said.

"It's no secret when you're watching the onboards and videos that we are struggling a little bit with the balance, struggling a lot in the mid corner.

"But I think it's a balance that is probably easier to solve than we had last year. So even though it's still a limitation, I think it's a good problem to have."

Team principal Toto Wolff said that the "porpoising has gone, essentially", adding: "The car is out of balance this morning and we just didn't find the set-up for these hot conditions."

Wolff said that rivals Red Bull and Ferrari were "fast - no surprise there" but he said there was "a feeling of excitement because we got it wrong last year".

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Red Bull's Sergio Perez set the fastest time of Formula 1 pre-season testing ahead of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

The Mexican was 0.359 seconds faster than Hamilton, despite using a harder and theoretically slower tyre. Champion Max Verstappen did not run on the final day.

Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas was third, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth.

Leclerc said Red Bull were in a "very strong" position heading into the first race of the season next weekend.

"I feel we have some work to do," Leclerc said. "Red Bull seem to be very strong in these three days."

Verstappen said Red Bull's test at Bahrain's Sakhir track, which also hosts the opening race, had been "very good - the car is working really well".

 

[Firebat]

Aston Martin have refused to rule out the possibility of Sebastian Vettel making a shock comeback at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

 

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UK MPs have urged Formula 1 to set up an independent inquiry into the links between grands prix and human rights violations.

The move comes before the first race of the 2023 season in Bahrain on Sunday.

Lord Scriven, chair of the parliamentary group concerned with human rights in the Gulf, wants F1 to urge Bahrain to release political prisoners and death-row inmates.

F1 defended hosting races in countries with criticised human rights records.

A statement from F1 said: "For decades Formula 1 has worked hard to be a positive force everywhere it races, including economic, social, and cultural benefits.

"Sports like F1 are uniquely positioned to cross borders and cultures to bring countries and communities together to share the passion and excitement of incredible competition and achievement.

"We take our responsibilities very seriously and have made our position on human rights and other issues clear to all our partners and host countries who commit to respect human rights in the way their events are hosted and delivered."

The Bahrain race is one of a number of grands prix in countries which have been highlighted by human rights groups as guilty of human rights abuses.

Others include Saudi Arabia - host of the second race of the season a week after Bahrain - Azerbaijan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Chinese Grand Prix was cancelled this year because of uncertainties surrounding the Covid-19 situation in the country.

There will also be three races this year in the USA, whose use of the death penalty has been criticised by Amnesty International.

Human rights groups accuse regimes in countries such as Saudi Arabia of using global sporting events to distract from their record of abuses and lend them an air of legitimacy. This practice has become known as 'sports-washing'.

Lord Scriven, a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf, said: "It is a pity that the present leadership of the FIA and F1 seem to think money, profit and their own self-importance are far more important than giving dignity and basic human rights to people in the country that they make profit from."

The director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute of Rights and Democracy (Bird), Sayed Alwadaei, added: "It is high time that F1 and the FIA stop allowing their presence in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to be used to sports-wash the blood-soaked images of these autocracies.

"Despite horrific human rights records, both states enjoy generous F1 contracts and exploit the F1 platform to sanitise their image on the world stage, while thousands of political prisoners languish behind bars.

"F1 must establish an independent and impartial inquiry to examine the role of their races in human rights violations, and the FIA must adopt a human rights policy consistent with UN principles.

"Failure to do so will allow their sport to continue to be used to repair the reputation of brutal dictators."

A news conference held at the Houses of Parliament in London on Tuesday highlighted the testimony of current and former political prisoners from Bahrain.

Families of death-row inmates at imminent risk of execution have written to F1 drivers to plead with them to intervene.

Ali Al-Hajee, interned at Jau Prison in Bahrain, is quoted by Bird as saying: "It is very unfortunate that Formula 1, as well as many international events that are held in Bahrain, are being employed as a cover-up for curbing freedom of speech and to whitewash human rights abuses.

"As a prisoner of conscience I am serving a 10-year prison sentence since May 2013, for peacefully protesting in the capital, Manama. I was subjected to harsh torture, both physical and mental. My confession under duress was the basis for the 10-year jail sentence."

F1 has a commitment to human rights in its corporate charter, in which it pledges to "respect internationally recognised human rights in its operations globally", monitor the human rights impacts of its activities and identify any adverse impacts and "engage in meaningful consultation with relevant stakeholders".

Bahrain says it is "committed to respecting and promoting" human rights and says it "has made great strides in safeguarding and protecting human rights and preserving the dignity of citizens and residents" with a series of reforms.

BBC

 

[Firebat]

Bahrain Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes facing challenging start to the F1 season

Lewis Hamilton is resigned to a difficult start to the Formula 1 season with his Mercedes team lagging behind champions Red Bull.

The seven-time champion admitted in Bahrain that Mercedes are "not where we wanted to start the season".

"I knew from the moment I drove the car where we were and the challenges we are facing," Hamilton said.

Team-mate George Russell added: "It is going to be a challenging weekend if we want to fight for victory."

The widespread opinion in the paddock before this weekend's opening race and after last week's pre-season testing is that Red Bull, and particularly lead driver and two-time champion Max Verstappen, are the class of the field by some margin.

Ferrari, Mercedes and the much-improved Aston Martin team are believed to be next in line.

Russell added: "Red Bull are in a bit of a league of their own in Bahrain this weekend but there will be a nice fight for second place probably with Ferrari and Aston Martin."

But Hamilton and Russell expressed confidence that Mercedes could replicate their strong development through last season, which saw them recover from a weak start to take a one-two at the penultimate race.

"There is no reason why we can't fight as the season hots up," Russell said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64828539

 

[MenInG]

Lewis Hamilton has been given permission to wear a nose stud while racing despite a ban on Formula 1 drivers wearing jewellery in their car.

Stewards at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix gave Hamilton a medical exemption to leave his stud in place.

The ruling said: "There are concerns about disfigurement with frequent attempts at removal of the device."

It will be seen as a climbdown from governing body the FIA after it took a hard line on jewellery last season.

Hamilton was forced to remove all his jewellery before driving for much of last season, after something of a stand-off with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the first part of the season.

An FIA spokesperson insisted that the move was "a continuation of the scenario last year" and said it was "standard procedure to issue a decision based on the scrutineering submission we received".

The FIA added: "The rule exists for safety reasons and applies to all competitors in all FIA competitions. Formula 1 drivers are the most visible competitors in world motor sport, and it is their responsibility to set the example for other drivers at every age, level and discipline."

BBC

 

[MenInG]

Sergio Perez underlined the belief that Red Bull are favourites for the 2023 championship in first practice at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Mexican was 0.438 seconds quicker than the impressive Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, with world champion Max Verstappen in third place.

Verstappen, apparently struggling with a lack of front-end grip, was 0.617secs behind his team-mate.

McLaren's Lando Norris was fourth and Lewis Hamilton 10th for Mercedes.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said conditions had changed since pre-season testing week and "it is just a matter of tuning the set-up for the track".

Norris' position was a surprise - McLaren have admitted that they have failed to meet their development targets and expect a slow start to the season - although the Briton was 1.407secs off the pace.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fifth quickest after a session affected by problems with his rear wing.

A new design was flexing on several axes out on track and had to be removed and replaced with the same version fitted to team-mate Carlos Sainz's car.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said the wing was a test item that did not work as intended. It will not be run again this weekend but would "be back soon".

Spaniard Sainz had a high-speed spin at Turns Nine and 10 midway through the session and was slowest of all.

McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri also had a spin, his coming through the fast corners of Turns Six and Seven. The Australian finished his session 12th fastest.

BBC

 

[Firebat]

Fernando Alonso has rejected the idea that he could start the Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position despite setting the pace in Friday practice.

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

Going to be a long season for Mercedes, be surprised if they win more than the odd race

 

[MenInG]

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two as he took pole position for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Dutchman beat team-mate Sergio Perez by 0.138 seconds, with the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz locking out the second row.

Fernando Alonso made an impressive start to his time at Aston Martin with fifth place, ahead of both Mercedes cars.

George Russell beat Lewis Hamilton to sixth place by just 0.044secs.

Leclerc had been second after the first runs in final qualifying, 0.103secs behind Verstappen, but Ferrari chose not to do a second run to enable them to start the race on new tyres rather than used so he lost out on a second chance to try to get ahead.

Red Bull went into the weekend as strong pre-season favourites but they have struggled to make the car handle in a way that satisfied the drivers and had appeared not to have the advantage many expected.

In the end, the grid had a look many would have predicted after testing last week, but Verstappen said it had not been easy.

 

[Firebat]

Fernando Alonso says qualifying fifth ahead of both Mercedes cars in his first race for Aston Martin felt "too good to be true".

 

[MenInG]

Max Verstappen leads from pole position, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez P2
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc retires from third on lap 41
Fernando Alonso passes Lewis Hamilton for P5 after great scrap
McLaren's Piastri out of debut race with apparent electrical issue

 

[MenInG]

Max Verstappen wins season opener in Bahrain, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez P2

 

[MenInG]

Red Bull's Max Verstappen started the new season as he ended the last, with a dominant victory in the Middle East.

The two-time champion led the Bahrain Grand Prix almost from start to finish, initially lapping at a pace beyond his rivals and then controlling the race.

The drive, Verstappen's 36th victory, underlined his status as favourite for a third consecutive world title.

Sergio Perez made it a Red Bull one-two ahead of an inspired drive by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in third.

"It was very, very good first stint where I made my gap," said Verstappen. "From there, it was all about looking after tyres. You never know what's going to happen later on the race. We just wanted to make sure we have the right tyres and in good condition as well.

"We have a good race package. We can definitely fight with this car and also big thank you to the team, over the winter, to get us a quick race car again."

Perez had won a fight with Charles Leclerc over second place before the Ferrari driver retired from third with 16 laps to go when he lost drive.

But the big excitement in the race was created by Alonso, who dropped from fifth on the grid to seventh behind the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on the opening lap, but fought back to take the final podium place.

Alonso passed Russell before the first pit stops, then caught and passed Hamilton after their second stops, before closing on Sainz.

The moves on Hamilton and Sainz were of the highest quality.

Alonso and Hamilton battled for a couple of laps, with the Spaniard passing the Briton into Turn Four before a snap from the rear allowed the Mercedes back past.

Then Alonso came back at Hamilton and overtook down the inside of Turn 10, an extremely rare place for a move.

With Sainz, the two touched as Alonso tried to pass out of Turn Four. Sainz was then wise to the same move at Turn 10, but Alonso got better drive down the following straight and passed into the fast Turn 11.

"To finish on the podium first race of the year is just amazing," said Alonso. "What Aston Martin did over the winter, to have the second best car on race one, is just unreal.

"We had not the best start and had to pass on track - it made it more exciting but we enjoyed it."

Alonso's pass left Sainz holding off Hamilton for fourth. The seven-time champion initially looked as if he might also pass the Ferrari, but he was unable to close in, as both suffered with tyres and had to settle for fifth.

The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll took sixth place, despite hitting Alonso at Turn Four on the first lap, costing the Spaniard a place to Russell, who finished seventh.

BBC

 

[Saj]

Going to be a long season for Mercedes, be surprised if they win more than the odd race

Definitely.

Hamilton already annoyed with the car.

Mercedes' George Russell says Red Bull are already unbeatable this year as his team considers what to do to close their huge deficit to the front.

Max Verstappen dominated the Bahrain Grand Prix while Lewis Hamilton finished as the best Mercedes in fifth.

Russell, who was seventh, said: "They have this championship sewn up. I don't think anybody is going to be fighting with them this year.

"They should win every race is my bet with the performance they've got."

Red Bull were challenged by Ferrari in qualifying on Saturday but Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez were untouchable in the race even though the Mexican lost a place at the start to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

"They have it easy at the moment and they can do what they like," Russell said.

"They might not get on pole every race because we know Ferrari are very competitive in qualifying. But when it comes to race pace they are in a very strong position."

Mercedes left Bahrain accepting that they need to make big changes to their car to try to close up to the front, and that it will take a long time before they can do it.

"If we have to make some drastic changes to give ourselves a shot in the second half of the season, that's what we've got to do," Russell said.

Hamilton said: "We just have a lot of work to do. We just have to add downforce to the car. We are just lacking a lot of downforce. That's when the time will come.

"When we put more load on the front and rear we will pick up the pace."

Both Russell and Hamilton were passed by the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in the course of the race, after overtaking him on the first lap.

And Hamilton admitted the fact that Aston buy the engine, gearbox and rear suspension of their car - which has followed Red Bull's philosophy - and rent the Mercedes wind tunnel to design the rest of it was a salutary lesson.

"Big congrats to Fernando - he did a great job and to the Aston Martin team. They have done such an amazing job. We have work to do because half their car is ours and they do their aero in our wind tunnel."

Mercedes decided with their new car to stick with their unique aerodynamic philosophy of very narrow sidepods but team boss Toto Wolff admitted that they would have to rethink and come up with a new direction.

Wolff said: "What's next is a good question and we will tackle it straight at the beginning of the week. Because when you look at where we were at the end of the season, where it seemed like we caught up a lot and it was just matter of which circuits suited us and which not, it seems like we almost doubled if not tripled the gap to Red Bull and this is what we need to look at.

"Everything in between - the Ferrari, the Aston Martin - that's just a sideshow.

"Having said that, what Aston Martin was able to achieve is a good inspiration because they came back from two seconds off the pace to being second quickest team. And with us everything is bad. The single-lap pace is still good but in the race we saw the consequences and to put it bluntly we are lacking downforce and sliding the tyres and going backwards.

"As a matter of fact, the gap is very big. And in order to catch up you need to make big steps, not the conventional ones by adding a few points [of downforce] every week, because everybody else will do that.

"We have lost a year in development. In order to have a steeper development curve, you just need to take these decisions.

"Aston Martin took that decision and they came back strong. If we start from our base, maybe we can come back strong and chase the Red Bulls. That's the ambition."

Wolff said Mercedes would have to decide soon which approach to take to redesigning their car.

"We are still developing one car. But we will decide in the next days and weeks which car [design] that will be.

"It is pretty clear which way we should be going. We just need to make the data work and the most important is re-establishing a solid baseline, say: 'This is where we are, there are no surprises, and new direction.'"

Russell said he suspected that Mercedes had become so concerned with solving the problem of aerodynamic bouncing - or porpoising - that wrecked their season last year that they had not focused enough on making the car faster.

"You always try to make the best decisions and it's only when you hit the track you recognise maybe something has caught you off guard.

"Because of our limitations with the porpoising, we put a lot of effort into solving that and it has probably come at the cost of overall performance and downforce.

"We need to be objective. I don't think we should make any rash decisions. We saw the progress we made last year. There's no reason why we can't do it again but the starting point is much lower than we want."

BBC

 

[Firebat]

Mercedes' George Russell says Red Bull are already unbeatable this year as his team considers what to do to close their huge deficit to the front.

 

[Firebat]

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes 'didn't listen' to his concerns about 2023 car

Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes "didn't listen" to him over the development of their 2023 Formula 1 car.

The seven-time champion finished fifth in the season-opening Bahrain GP as the team made another poor start.

"Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car," said the 38-year-old Briton.

"I've driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn't need. I think it's really about accountability."

Hamilton, who was talking to the latest edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Chequered Flag podcast, said he still believed Mercedes could return to the front at some point.

"It's about owning up and saying, 'Yeah, you know what? We didn't listen to you. It's not where it needs to be and we've got to work'," he said.

"We've got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points, and just huddle up as a team. That's what we do."

"We're still [multiple] world champions, you know? Just haven't got it right this time. Didn't get it right last year. But that doesn't mean we can't get it right moving forwards."

Hamilton's remarks came as team principal Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes had made a mistake in continuing to pursue their car philosophy after a difficult 2022.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64893927

 

[Firebat]

Talks under way for London Grand Prix around Royal Docks



A Grand Prix in London could come as early as 2026, with talks under way between planners, consultants and Liberty Media.

Dar and LDN Collective are drafting the project, which would see an F1 racing track included in plans that would see the Royal Docks in east London being turned into a new waterfront destination.

The street race would see cars racing down the waterfront along the Royal Albert and Royal Victoria docks before turning around the ExCel Centre, with floating grandstands capable of holding 95,000 spectators on the 5.9km track.

Liberty Media, which has owned Formula 1 since 2017, have held talks with the Greater London Authority.

“There’s a general level of support for the idea,” Max Farrell, chief executive of LDN Collective, told The Times.

“Obviously, there’s a lot to work through in terms of the practicalities and the planning, but if the political will is there, we believe that this is a very credible and deliverable proposition.”

According to Dan Horner, Dar’s director of planning and urban design, private investors will be needed to back the plans, which are projected to cost somewhere around £250m.

“We’ve spoken to investors and we’ve put something to them that we think will be appetising to them,” Horner said.

 

[Firebat]

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will receive a grid penalty at this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

He will have at least a 10-place drop as a result of his retirement from the season-opening race in Bahrain.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said on Wednesday that Leclerc's car had two problems with the electronics control unit (ECU) on race day in Bahrain.

As drivers are restricted to two ECUs for a season, Leclerc will be penalised for going over his allocation.

 

[Firebat]

Lewis Hamilton and a number of fellow Formula 1 drivers have made it clear they are uncomfortable about being back in Saudi Arabia.

 

[Firebat]

Max Verstappen completed a Friday practice double at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Fernando Alonso finished second to provide further evidence of Aston Martin's remarkable progress.

 

[Firebat]

Sergio Perez claimed pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen made a shock early exit from qualifying following a mechanical failure.

Max Verstappen says "anything is possible" as he aims to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from 15th place after a driveshaft failure led to his early exit in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton says he is "at a bit of a loss" with this year's Mercedes car, after qualifying 8th at the Saudi Arabian GP.

 

[MenInG]

Sergio Perez wins the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!

Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen comes home in second place after starting 15th on the grid to secure the team another one-two finish.

 

[Saj]

Great day for Red Bull

Sergio Perez held off team-mate Max Verstappen to take a Red Bull one-two in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Verstappen fought up from 15th on the grid to fourth place before a safety car closed up the field and brought him into contention for victory.

But after passing Mercedes' George Russell and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Verstappen could not catch Perez and had to settle for second.

Alonso finished third but took a post-race penalty dropping him to fourth.

The Spaniard was penalised five seconds for not being correctly in his grid slot at the start of the race.

He served it in his pit stop, but it was adjudged that the team had broken the rules by touching the car before the five seconds had elapsed and he was given a 10-second penalty as a result, promoting Russell to third.

Lewis Hamilton took fifth, after briefly challenging Russell following the restart after the safety car, ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

It was Red Bull's second consecutive one-two at the start of a season they have begun with every impression they will be almost impossible to beat.

Perez started from pole, lost the lead at the start to Alonso, but controlled the grand prix from the front after re-passing the Spaniard on the fourth lap.

Meanwhile, Verstappen steadily picked his way through the field from his lowly starting position, the result of a driveshaft failure in qualifying.

He was up to fourth place when a safety car was sent out on lap 18 of 50 when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin stopped on track following a technical failure.

At the time, Perez had a 20-second lead over the Dutchman, but the safety car brought the field back together and appeared to give Verstappen a chance to take his second win in two races this year.

After the restart, Verstappen made quick progress past Russell and then Alonso while Perez built as much of a lead as he could.

Perez was 5.4 seconds in front by the time Verstappen got into second place and was able to hold the margin at about that same amount for the rest of the race.

Verstappen complained over the radio about problems with this driveshaft, but had no trouble making it to the flag.

Verstappen set his mind on trying to set fastest lap and clinched it on the final lap - stealing it from Perez - to ensure he leads the championship by virtue of the point he gained for setting it.

 

[The_KING]

Lewis Hamilton and a number of fellow Formula 1 drivers have made it clear they are uncomfortable about being back in Saudi Arabia.

I am delighted to see the recent struggles of woke Hamilton. Long may that continue.

 

[Firebat]

Fernando Alonso has been reinstated to third place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after stewards overturned their earlier decision to demote him.