Lewis hamilton

Lewis Hamilton wants to see Formula 1 stick around in Barcelona, as Madrid has been linked with a possible Grand Prix. Hamilton has stood up for the future of racing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as Madrid has been linked as a possible venue for a future Grand Prix. Madrid is currently playing host to the F1 Exhibition, with the Ifema venue acting as a central hub for a potential street circuit around the Spanish city. While Barcelona holds a contract with F1 through until 2026, its future appeared shaky in recent years despite its longevity on the calendar. The Circuit de Catalunya was first used in Formula 1 in 1991, and has become a key testing venue as well as hosting its annual Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton is eager to see Formula 1 stay around in Barcelona, citing it as a ‘classic circuit’. When asked about the possibility of Madrid replacing Barcelona, Hamilton poked fun at the last Spanish city to be introduced to the calendar. “As long as it’s not like … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton reveals controversial take on an unloved F1 circuit

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has explained the “miscommunication” that caused George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to make contact in qualifying in Barcelona at the weekend. Now the dust has settled on the weekend, the team have analysed what happened between their two drivers when Russell appeared to move across on Hamilton on the pit straight as they both started flying laps. The Mercedes duo made contact, with Hamilton stating Russell’s move across track was “really dangerous” – and Russell and Mercedes were duly given a formal warning by the FIA after the 25-year-old claimed he was not told Hamilton was approaching behind. With both drivers starting a flying lap at the same time and Hamilton closing up on Russell at a rate of knots, Shovlin revealed that both Mercedes drivers had used the same person, Carlos Sainz, as a reference point to try and gain a tow in order to start their fast lap in Q2. This led to the confusion that caused them both to be … [Read more...] about Mercedes reveal true cause behind Hamilton-Russell Barcelona contact

Mercedes have shed further light on the bizarre collision between its two drivers which occured during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free George Russell was given a formal warning by the stewards after making contact with his team mate Lewis Hamilton on the pit straight. The pair were overtaking Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Ferrari at the time. The team’s head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin said the incident occured because both drivers were trying to use Sainz’s car to get a slipstream to improve their lap times. “The drivers were trying to find a car finishing a lap in order to get a slingshot starting the lap themselves,” said Shovlin in a video released by the team . “So that will give them more straight-line speed. “You can find around a tenth, maybe a little bit more on the straight. That car that was finishing then peels in and they can then conduct the rest of the lap in clear air.” However the two … [Read more...] about Hamilton and Russell were seeking tow from Sainz when they collided – Mercedes · RaceFans

The official Mercedes reserve was drafted in for the second day of testing for Pirelli at Barcelona on Wednesday, as work continues evaluating tyres that are not heated by blankets. The run was the first opportunity that Schumacher has had to drive the W14 since he joined the German manufacturer, and he duly completed 152 laps over the course of the day. Having already earned big praise from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for his simulator input over last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Schumacher thinks that he can step things up even more now he understands how the Mercedes car is in real life. "This experience will definitely benefit me in my role,” explained Schumacher. “I have a better understanding of what to look out for and what to work on. I also have a better understanding of all the procedures and how the team works trackside. That would be a key factor in case I ever have to jump in and race.” Schumacher worked late into the night last Friday … [Read more...] about Schumacher: Mercedes F1 test run will help me be even better in sim

At last week's Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell scored a double podium after the Brackley team's comprehensive upgrade package delivered a solid step forward. While Hamilton still finished 24 seconds behind dominant winner Max Verstappen , Mercedes' W14 was the second-strongest car on the high-downforce circuit, providing the team with a solid baseline to continue its recovery. The double podium also elevated Mercedes above Aston Martin to second place in the constructors' standings. But Shovlin, the team's trackside engineering director, expects the Canadian Grand Prix to be a more difficult weekend for the Silver Arrows due to the low-downforce nature of Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is the polar opposite of the Barcelona circuit that its revamped 2023 car was competitive at. "The fact is that the update kit works very well around circuits like Barcelona with a lot of high-speed performance," Shovlin said in Mercedes' post-race … [Read more...] about Mercedes: Canada a “bigger challenge” than Barcelona for upgraded F1 car

Red Bull have warned rivals that if they think an “ignorant” copy and paste of their RB19 floor will propel them up the order, then they should think again. Crashes for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend gave rivals a detailed look at the crucial undersides of those challengers as the crane hoisted them away from the circuit. Naturally, that left engineers from rival teams with plenty of photos to study for how they may be able to take inspiration for the floor on their respective cars, with Red Bull’s arguably of greatest interest considering their all-conquering form so far in F1 2023, having won all seven grands prix. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has already said “hats off” to Red Bull for their work, though Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan stressed that it is work which is successfully integrated into their package, and certainly not plug-and-play solutions. Red Bull then now wait to see the results of that … [Read more...] about Red Bull issue clear warning to rivals following RB19 floor reveal

Wanting more from Aston Martin after falling behind Mercedes in Spain, Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has confirmed that “something is coming” for the Canadian Grand Prix. Off the podium at his home race in Barcelona, Alonso wasn’t dejected by the result but instead determinedly said that “it will not happen again” and that Spain was Aston Martin’s “last race without podiums”. But with Mercedes having taken a notable step forward with the introduction of their B-spec W14, Alonso is facing tight competition for that final spot on the podium. In Spain it went to Mercedes where Lewis Hamilton and George Russell capitalised on an off-weekend for Sergio Perez to finish 2-3 behind race winner Max Verstappen. Alonso has made it clear he not only wants that to be a one-off but he wants to be fighting Verstappen for the race wins, and soon. “I think that in two weeks we will see a completely different picture and, hopefully, we will fight with the Red Bulls soon,” he said. “In … [Read more...] about Aston Martin tease ‘something is coming’ to rival Mercedes upgrades

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has reportedly broken up with his long-time partner, Spanish journalist Isabel Hernaez. The duo had always seemingly made a great effort to hide much of their relationship and private life from the public eye, having been together for seven years. Though as reported by Spanish publication Hola , Sainz and Hernaez have now gone their seperate ways, with rumours, unconfirmed by the pair, that unfaithful acts played a key role in their break up. There has been a theme of F1 driver’s relationships ending in recent times. Sainz’s fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso recently announced his split from Austrian TV presenter Andrea Schlager, while Sainz’s Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc also went through a recent break-up as his relationship with Charlotte Siné came to an end. With the Hola report mentioning a career focus now for both Sainz and Hernaez, it is safe to say that he is facing a huge challenge on the racetrack with his Ferrari team. … [Read more...] about Carlos Sainz reportedly splits up with partner after seven-year relationship

Toto Wolff is reportedly “not convinced” Mercedes’ new sidepod concept is better than the zero-pod design but the team changed it anyway, says F1 journalist Christian Menath. Having run a zero-pod design, dubbed that because of the lack of bulk to the sidepods, Mercedes won just one race in 28 in F1’s new ground effect aerodynamic era. But while the team stayed true to their philosophy even after last season’s disappointment, team boss Wolff conceded at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix that the team would probably not win a race without radical changes. Those changes included axing the zero-pods, although that wasn’t the only new part on the W14 at the Monaco Grand Prix with the team also introducing a new front suspension and floor. It’s the latter that from Motorsport-Magazin’s Menath believes it the key to Mercedes’ upturn in form. “What is a concept? You’ve heard that question from the Mercedes engineers quite a lot,” he said on the F1 Nation podcast. “They now have … [Read more...] about ‘Toto Wolff still not convinced the new Mercedes sidepod concept is the better one’