Vettel f1 news

David Coulthard has revealed he did get some ticking offs from Sebastian Vettel’s press officer when the four-time World Champion was going through his rough patches. Vettel has called time on a Formula 1 career that will be the envy of many drivers that have come before and many drivers that will follow, winning four consecutive World Championship titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013. But, after that title-winning success, the trophies dried up and then, slowly but surely, the wins did too as the Ferrari love affair ended in divorce and next team Aston Martin firmly remained in a very crowded midfield battle. Ahead of Coulthard driving Vettel’s title-winning RB7 on the streets of Dublin this weekend, the Scot was asked about Vettel’s legacy and revealed his punditry role when discussing Vettel’s tougher spells sometimes got him into a spot of bother with Britta Roeske, Vettel’s long-time press officer. “For me, it was a little bit of a shame to see the end of his career not … [Read more...] about David Coulthard recalls ‘run-ins’ with Sebastian Vettel’s press officer over poor form

A respected Formula 1 analyst has claimed that Sebastian Vettel was never “in the same class” as Lewis Hamilton in terms of talent, suggesting he was “just an ordinary racing driver” when the car did not suit his preferred driving style. Vettel retired at the end of a 2022 season to bring a close to a glittering career in which he became F1’s youngest-ever World Champion, winning four consecutive titles with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013. The German moved to Ferrari for 2015 but failed to win another Championship before ending his career at Aston Martin. Speaking via his Twitch channel , former Williams and Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor has claimed that Vettel’s driving style was limited and believes he never addressed the shortcomings that became apparent during his final season at Red Bull in 2014, when he was regularly outperformed by team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. He said: “I always thought Vettel was a very reflexy, very fast, very well-balanced driver who, even in … [Read more...] about Sebastian Vettel was ‘never in same class’ as Lewis Hamilton

Pat Symonds handed in his resignation from his role as F1’s chief technical officer only to retract it after Stefano Domenicali asked him to stay on. Symonds was expected to follow Ross Brawn out of the Formula 1 door at the end of December, news of the two Briton’s exit having broken a year prior. However, despite tendering his resignation Symonds will continue in his role this season thanks to F1 chief Domenicali intervening. “I had a plan to retire last summer,” Symonds said during the recent Autosport International show. “I actually handed in my year’s notice. You have to think about these things. “My notice was accepted, and then Stefano got to hear about it, and he was like, no, I don’t think it’s a good idea! “So I’m still here, still doing it, and I still will be for a good while yet.” PlanetF1.com recommends F1 rumours: Lewis Hamilton’s new £120 million contract includes ambassadorial role Sebastian Vettel was ‘never in same class’ as Lewis Hamilton … [Read more...] about Stefano Domenicali intervened to stop F1’s chief technical officer from retiring

The final race of the 2022 season is now upon us, so make sure you get your last Formula 1 fill of the year by watching the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on F1 TV Pro*. Last weekend’s action in Sao Paulo brought us Formula 1’s newest Grand Prix winner, with George Russell taking a thrilling victory around Interlagos in his first career win, and the frist time Mercedes have taken to the top step so far this year. Lewis Hamilton made it a one-two for the team, who still have an outside chance of stealing second place from Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, with 19 points now separating the two teams heading into the final weekend. Both titles are sewn up but there is still plenty to sort out within the paddock. And with F1 TV Pro, you’ll have absolutely everything you need to keep up with all the goings-on from Abu Dhabi this weekend. Put yourself at the heart of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix action with F1 TV Pro. Click here to sign up! The final countdown At any … [Read more...] about F1 TV Pro: Catch all the action from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!

Returning to the F1 grid after 14 years out, Mike Krack was “surprised” at how the Formula 1 teams use the media to “do politics”. Ticking off his first season as Aston Martin’s team boss, and F1’s first under a brand new set of technical regulations, Krack has experienced Formula 1’s politics both on and off the track. While the on-track politics in 2022 related largely to porpoising, some teams calling for the FIA to intervene and others feeling it was up to the teams to resolve their own issues, the off-track was all about the budget cap. Not only those exceeding it, but those demanding more leeway. While Red Bull, along with others, called for the FIA to increase the cap in light of an unforeseen rise in inflation, others, such as Fred Vasseur, believed the teams should “switch off the wind tunnels” to keep costs down . After weeks of complaints, the teams sat down with the FIA and agreed a 3.1% increase. Apparently unanimously. And yet some still went to the media to … [Read more...] about How F1 teams use media to further political agendas ‘surprises’ Aston Martin boss

Valtteri Bottas wants talks early this year to determine his future as Sauber prepares for their partnership with the incoming Audi. Alfa Romeo’s sponsorship of the Swiss outfit is set to expire at the end of 2023 with Sauber announcing a new deal to become an Audi works team from 2026 onwards. The change will see a period of upheaval for everyone involved with the team, none more so than the drivers who will be waiting to see if they are kept on under the new owners. Bottas is one of the current occupants, alongside Zhou Guanyu, having joined from Mercedes in 2022 and is seeking reassurances that he has a place in the future. “I’ve been in that situation so many times where it’s become a distraction,” Bottas told Motorsport.com . “So yeah, for sure, it’s going to be a talking point hopefully quite early [in the year] on what’s going to happen. “It is important to me to have that stability after 10 years of not so much stability.” PlanetF1 recommends Where are they … [Read more...] about Valtteri Bottas eager to secure F1 future as Alfa Romeo transitions to Audi

Sebastian Vettel says a return to education is a possible career path for him in 2023, as his focus moves away from the racing world. The four-time World Champion retired from Formula 1 at the conclusion of the 2022 season, calling time on a motorsport career that stems back almost 30 years. With a wife and three children at home, Vettel cited a desire to step back from the gruelling and demanding world of Formula 1, although hasn’t ruled out a possible return to racing in the future as he figures out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Turning his attention to what to do with his 2023 as he enjoys having an empty diary for the first time in almost two decades, Vettel said he doesn’t yet know if he will be any good at any area other than racing. Sebastian Vettel: I can’t expect to be a champion at everything “I don’t expect to be, let’s put it this way,” Vettel said on the Beyond the Grid podcast , when asked about whether he might as good at his next job as he … [Read more...] about Sebastian Vettel not ruling out returning to university for new career

Sebastian Vettel has revealed how it took him some time to emotionally recover after his five-year stint with Ferrari. Vettel left Formula 1 behind at the end of 2022, with the four-time World Champion choosing to walk away from the sport after two years with Aston Martin. Vettel’s career at the top end of the sport came to an end after 2020, when Ferrari opted to release him with Carlos Sainz brought in as his replacement. While the German driver’s time with Ferrari kicked off in memorable fashion with victory in only his second race in red, Vettel was never able to bring home the title after being beaten by Lewis Hamilton in tense championship fights in 2017 and 2018. Ferrari seemed to lose faith in Vettel after 2018, bringing in Charles Leclerc alongside Vettel for 2019 before dropping the four-time Champion the following season. With Vettel’s five-year stint at Ferrari largely viewed as falling short of its ultimate potential, the now-retired racer has revealed there’s … [Read more...] about Sebastian Vettel reveals emotional toll of highs and lows of Ferrari stint

Pierre Gasly against Esteban Ocon at Alpine is one of the big F1 duels we are all looking forward to in 2023, but the new Alpine driver does not see what the fuss is about when their fractious relationship is spoken of. The two grew up racing each other and have not always got along well, but they will be lining up together in an all-French pairing at France’s Formula 1 team next season, and plenty of eyes are going to be on how they work together for the common good at Alpine. Gasly has been keen to play down any talk of tension between them, however. “I think this is a subject that is talked about far too often,” he told the French edition of Motorsport.com . “We get along well. We may not be best friends, but we can go through a door together. “When I go over the paddock and the relationships between other team-mates, there are certainly relationships that are worse than ours. If the relationship between Esteban and me needs to be discussed, you can talk about 60 per cent … [Read more...] about Six F1 teams which could have more team-mate tension than Ocon v Gasly