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With the Formula 1 teams and drivers pouring out of Japan and heading home, catch up on all the latest news after Suzuka. Two days on from the dramas of Suzuka, the F1 world gets a weekend off before flying off to Qatar. With the dust settling on the Japanese GP, there was still plenty of F1 news to digest. With that, let’s dive into Tuesday’s F1 news and check out who has been saying what, eh? George Russell is proving why Lewis Hamilton wanted to keep Valtteri Bottas According to former Williams and Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor, the bubbling tensions at Mercedes between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been expected ever since Mercedes made the decision to replace Valtteri Bottas with the British driver. Speaking on his own YouTube stream, Windsor asserted that “Lewis always wanted to keep Valtteri, not necessarily because he loved Valtteri but because it was the right balance of the team. He could feel that. That was the same as Max Verstappen [and] Sergio … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton’s Valtteri Bottas wish as Sergio Perez seeks help – F1 news round-up

Lance Stroll will not line up on the Singapore Grand Prix grid having taken the decision “together” with Aston Martin to sit out the race. Stroll suffered a massive crash in Saturday’s qualifying at the Marina Bay circuit when the Canadian clipped the kerbs through the final corner and lost the rear of his AMR23. He speared into the outside wall at speed, his car almost airborne, before spinning back across the circuit. Lance Stroll is ‘still sore’ after his qualifying crash He was taken to the track’s medical centre where he was cleared of serious injury but on Sunday morning made the call with Aston Martin to sit out the race. The team statement read: “The team face a huge job repairing the car today and Lance is still sore following such a high impact. Lance’s focus now shifts to fully recovering ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.” Team boss Mike Krack added: “The whole team are relieved that Lance was able to step out of the car after yesterday’s accident – however, he … [Read more...] about Lance Stroll out of the Singapore Grand Prix in joint decision with Aston Martin

With Pirelli predicting the best strategy for the Japanese Grand Prix will be a two-stop of soft-hard-hard, it’s advantage McLaren as the Woking team is one of only three outfits where both drivers have those tyres in hand. Oscar Piastri will line up alongside Max Verstappen on the front row of the Japanese Grand Prix, the Aussie having grabbed a career-best grid slot, with Lando Norris sitting third. But while the McLarens didn’t have the pace to challenge Verstappen on Saturday as the reigning World Champion crossed the line an incredible 0.581s faster, they could try for a two-pronged attack on Sunday. McLaren: The only way we can attack Max is tactical And according to Pirelli they have the tyres do it. Formula 1’s tyre supplier believes the best strategy for the Suzuka race is a two-stopper with the driver starting on the soft tyres and then slitting the rest between two sets of hard tyres. On a weekend in which the drivers dealt with high temperatures and … [Read more...] about It’s advantage McLaren in the strategy game at the Japanese Grand Prix

Retiring from the Japanese Grand Prix a third of the way through, Sergio Perez was back on track for Red Bull in an unusual decision from the team… Perez had a chaotic race at Suzuka, with the Mexican driver getting caught up in a first-lap incident that resulted in damage to his RB19. Attempting to thread the needle between the two Ferraris and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Perez picked up front wing damage that necessitated a front wing change as the Safety Car was deployed due to debris on the track. He picked up a time penalty for a Safety Car infringement during this phase, having overtaken cars both coming into the pits and exiting while the field were slowed for the hazard on track. Upon the race resuming, Perez was attempting a fightback when he collided with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in what was an ill-judged overtaking attempt at the hairpin – Perez being given a second five-second time penalty for the incident. Sergio Perez retires from the Japanese Grand Prix Perez … [Read more...] about Why Sergio Perez rejoined the Japanese GP after retiring 20 laps earlier

Lewis Hamilton complained of a lack of load at the rear of the Mercedes W14, a feature which he says must be changed, pointing to McLaren as proof of what following the Red Bull route can do. While Max Verstappen returned to being in a class of his own at the wheel of the Red Bull RB19 in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, it was the McLaren MCL60 which established superiority in the ‘best of the rest’ battle over one lap. Oscar Piastri will start P2 and Lando Norris P3, ahead of the Ferraris and Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Perez, with Hamilton forced to settle for P7 on the grid alongside Mercedes team-mate George Russell. Lewis Hamilton calls on Mercedes for concept fix Hamilton ended Q3 a second off Verstappen’s pace at Suzuka and half a second down on Piastri as he shed light on where he feels Mercedes are going wrong, something which he says the team must fix if they want to progress back towards the title scene in 2024. “Yesterday was a bad day,” Hamilton told Sky F1 … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes to fix ‘100% concept’ issue after Japan qualy struggles

Spanish F1 journalist Antonio Lobato has issued an apology for a “clumsy” joke about the condition of Michael Schumacher that was broadcast by DAZN. Schumacher sustained serious injuries in a skiing accident back in December 2013, when he hit his head on a rock while out on the slopes with family, including his son Mick, and friends. The seven-time World Champion was placed into a medically induced coma for six months before returning to his home in Switzerland to continue his recovery. The family has opted to keep Schumacher’s condition private, as that’s how he chose to live even while dominating the world of Formula 1. The German is widely regarded by many as the best driver to have ever raced in Formula 1. Antonio Lobato makes crude joke about Michael Schumacher Sadly, his name was mentioned this past weekend in DAZN’s F1 coverage when Lobato made a clumsy joke about the 54-year-old’s health, a clip of that having gone viral on social media. PlanetF1.com has opted not to … [Read more...] about DAZN pundit under fire for ‘clumsy’ Michael Schumacher joke

While Toto Wolff had said this year’s Mercedes will be thrown ‘in the bin’ for 2024, Lewis Hamilton has said there are plenty of positives to carry over. While this year’s W14 is not yet a race-winner, the car has proven a more adaptable and versatile competitor than last year’s W13, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finding it easier to join in the fight for podium finishes. Mercedes were in the battle for the win in Singapore last weekend, thanks to a canny strategy gamble during a Virtual Safety Car, but ultimately fell short of victory. Speaking after the race, team boss Toto Wolff had been firm in his assertion next year’s Mercedes will be from a blank sheet of paper. Toto Wolff: Mercedes have answer to questions With the 2024 car’s development now in full swing as focus has shifted away from ’23, Toto Wolff was asked about the fact Mercedes appear to be getting more and more on top of the W14 after introducing a big concept change at this year’s Monaco Grand … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton refutes Toto Wolff: We’re not throwing Mercedes W14 ‘in the bin’

Max Verstappen told those who were doubting Red Bull’s dominance after Singapore to “go suck on an egg” after taking an emphatic pole for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday. The Red Bull driver was almost six tenths clear of the rest of the field with his best effort in qualifying at Suzuka in a phenomenal performance on Saturday, ahead of the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. While the blip in form Red Bull suffered in Singapore coincided with the introduction of two Technical Directives from the FIA aimed at more closely policing flexible bodywork, both Verstappen and Red Bull have maintained throughout they would not impact on their car – and Saturday’s pace was proof of that. Max Verstappen has definitive message for doubters after Singapore struggles Verstappen recovered from a Q2 exit in Singapore to make it back into the top five come the chequered flag, but it was the first time all season that the runaway World Championship leader had not finished in the … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen tells Singapore doubters to ‘go suck on an egg’ with Japan pole

After plenty of speculation that he’d want to look elsewhere, Lando Norris now has no reason to jump ship. McLaren may now be one of the quickest cars on the grid, thanks to some very efficient upgrades that have transformed the MCL60, but it’s been a rollercoaster year for Lando Norris after getting used to reasonable success in recent years. McLaren’s huge dip in form at the start of 2023 prompted plenty of fan and pundit speculation that Norris would likely want to try to find a way out of the Woking-based team, but Le Mans racer Richard Bradley believes the British driver should now feel confident in his team going forward. Richard Bradley: McLaren’s turnaround has been incredible With Norris and Oscar Piastri finishing second and third in Japan, a circuit that demands aerodynamic efficiency, Bradley appeared on the On Track GP podcast where he commented that the transformation of the MCL60 through the last few months will have given the team a huge boost in confidence. … [Read more...] about Why Lando Norris now has a ‘good reason’ to stay at McLaren