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Mercedes driver George Russell believes the team have gained more performance since the start of the season than throughout the entire winter. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The team has endured a frustrating start to 2023 championship, running behind rivals Red Bull for the second year in succession and being beaten by power unit customers Aston Martin. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Russell admitted Mercedes had been forced to re-evaluate what it expected to get out of the 2023 season following their slow start to the year. “I think it’s a case of managing expectations and just focusing on yourself and that development,” Russell said. “We all believed over the winter what we were doing was correct because it was an evolution of what we did throughout last year. And we all saw the improvements we made as a team throughout last year to win a race at the end of the year and be fighting at the front. It caught us by surprise to … [Read more...] about Mercedes made more progress since season began than during winter – Russell · RaceFans

Although Lewis Hamilton usually enjoys an oversteering car, the Briton says with his W14 it feels like he’s sitting on the front wheels and that’s “one of the worst feelings if you’re driving a car”. After last year’s disappointment, Hamilton recording his first winless season in Formula 1, the Briton had hoped to rebound this season. So far there’s been no sign of that. While Red Bull have pulled clear of the pack, their advantage said to be as much as a second per lap in race trim, Mercedes are already working on a new concept after Toto Wolff admitted they wouldn’t win with the car as it is today. Additional reporting by Michael Lamonato Hamilton gave voice to his frustrations at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where he was four-tenths down on George Russell in qualifying, saying it’s a “miserable” feeling when he does not feel “connected” to the car he drives. He explained in Melbourne that’s in part because of where he sits in the car, revealing it’s “too close” to the … [Read more...] about Revealed: Why the W14 is not suited to Lewis Hamilton’s strengths

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says interest in hosting races is so high the series could hold 32 grands prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The 2023 F1 calendar was originally supposed to include 24 races, the maximum permitted under the current agreement between the teams, F1 and FIA. However the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix cut the number to 23. A job advert posted by F1 last year indicated the series is looking at a potential future expansion to 25 rounds. Speaking at the SportNXT conference in Melbourne this week, Domenicali indicated the series would be able to accommodate more than the current maximum. “We could have already today more than 30, even 32 grands prix, because everyone wants one,” Domenicali claimed. However he said the series is satisfied with the current limit of 24 rounds. Part of the calendar expansion has come about because F1 has added a third race in America this year. A new race on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit … [Read more...] about F1 ‘could have 32 grands prix today because everyone wants one’ – Domenicali · RaceFans

Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the Formula 1 paddock at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in his new role as Red Bull’s third driver. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free After losing his McLaren seat for 2023, Ricciardo signed to rejoin Red Bull last November. So far the team has only shown him acting in a promotional capacity, including recently driving a Red Bull RB7 around Australia. But when he is trackside he will serve the same function as Liam Lawson and Dennis Hauger, the two Red Bull juniors sharing the reserve driver role and doing simulator work at the team’s F1 base in Milton Keynes, in that he will be ready to race should Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez be unable to. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Ricciardo will attend several races this year as reserve, and “probably do a bit of tyre testing” in the current RB19 car as well as simulator work. But his main duties, due to Ricciardo now being based in the USA, will be … [Read more...] about Sabbatical or retirement? Ricciardo returns to F1 paddock – and questions over his future · RaceFans

Red Bull left Australia 12 months ago at a low ebb after seeing rivals Ferrari claim another win while both their cars lagged off the pace and one didn’t even reach the chequered flag. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free But the team transformed its fortunes over the remainder of the season and now finds itself in a position of clear superiority. In the 21 races since the last Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull has only been beaten three times. Max Verstappen recalled how challenging last year’s race was for the team during today’s press conference in Melbourne. Following last year’s race the eventual champion languished sixth in the standings, 46 points behind Charles Leclerc, who had just scored his second win in three races. “Last year our car was very heavily overweight at this stage of the season, so that didn’t help,” said Verstappen. The team was also grappling with handling problems. “We had a big shift in balance between qualifying and the race, so … [Read more...] about “Very frustrating” Australian GP showed where Red Bull had gone wrong – Verstappen · RaceFans

Listen to this article In the wake of penalties given out to Alonso and Alpine's Esteban Ocon in the opening two races of the season for starting outside their markers, the FIA has widened the grid boxes in Melbourne. But despite an extra 20cm of space, plus the trial of a new guidance line to help drivers line up, Alonso is sceptical of them being enough to assist with the difficulties being faced. In particular, he says that drivers face the double whammy of seeing very little as they line up in position while also having to be totally focused on a separate yellow line that they cannot start in front of. "It is difficult and we are very concentrated on the yellow line to not go too far forward," he said. "So, you approach not looking at the box, you are looking on one side of the cockpit. So maybe that's a bit of a distraction." Asked if the new dimension and sighting line would be a help, Alonso said: "The central line? I don't think so. "Because, as I … [Read more...] about F1 grid box tweaks will not eradicate problems, says Alonso

Listen to this article Just like in any other sport, in Formula 1 if drivers don't follow the rules set out by the FIA, then they can be penalised for it. However, it isn't rare for drivers to find themselves victims of bizarrely harsh penalties which sometimes don't even seem to make sense - like the infamous 65-grid penalty Stoffel Vandoorne suffered in Spa in 2017. F1 can be a complicated form of motorsport and sometimes penalties confuse viewers because of their technicality. What is the reason behind a penalty? Why are there different types of penalties? Here's what penalties occur in F1, what different punishments drivers are given, how teams may also be penalised and how it can lead to a race ban. The FIA stewards dish out the penalties Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images What are F1 penalties? There are a range of F1 penalties, depending on the severity of the driver's or team's action. Warnings Starting with warnings, which are the … [Read more...] about F1 penalties: What penalties can drivers receive and how do they get banned?

Listen to this article F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali thrust the sanctity of free practice into the limelight in an interview last weekend with SportTV . He said: "I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions, which are of great use to the engineers but that the public doesn't like." Arguments in favour of slashing the three one-hour sessions include taking away data from engineers and drivers to increase the likelihood of entertaining mistakes. Mercedes driver Russell reckons experienced F1 drivers did not need the extra laps, so the F2 and F3 support categories should pick up the extra track time. In response to being asked whether three practice sessions were necessary, Russell said: "I think no is the answer. Obviously, the more practice you do, the more up to speed you'll be, the more comfortable you'll be with the car. "I don't think it's right that Formula 1 has three times the amount of practice that you have in the F3 and F2 categories. "They … [Read more...] about Russell, Norris back calls to reduce F1 practice time

Former F1 driver Anthony Davidson has urged Lewis Hamilton not to make a rash decision over his future with Mercedes. Hamilton is out of contract with the Mercedes team at the end of F1 2023, and while in the build-up to the season it seemed almost a matter of time before Hamilton signed fresh terms, now the situation is not so clear. The 2022 campaign was a story of recovery for Mercedes as they battled back from a poor start to the new regulatory era, but rather than taking that next step into F1 2023 and returning to the conversation for wins, the team has instead slipped all the way back to scrapping for a podium spot. They have not achieved that honour yet two rounds into the campaign, with P4 for George Russell the team’s best result so far. And Mercedes have written off the unique concept for their W14 already, while Hamilton has been critical of the team, as he believes they did not listen to his feedback on last season’s issue when creating this new challenger. … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton told not to make Fernando Alonso-style ‘knee-jerk’ team swap