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Lewis Hamilton is concerned Mercedes are still so far behind Red Bull in the second year of Formula 1’s current technical regulations. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The seven-times world champion said his team must focus on closing the gap to their rivals after he qualified over a second off Max Verstappen’s pace at Suzuka last weekend. Red Bull have won all bar one of the 16 races so far this year. They clinched the constructors title in Japan and Verstappen is likely to claim the drivers’ championship for the third year in a row in the Sprint race ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix next week. Hamilton said in Suzuka that Mercedes need to “realise that a second gap is huge and it’s real.” “To be two years in and still be a second down compared to the Red Bulls, it’s showing that we need to make sure that we really do a good job over the winter to get back at least half that gap before next year,” he added. Red Bull’s return to winning ways in Japan … [Read more...] about Mercedes must halve deficit to Red Bull before 2024 season starts – Hamilton

Nyck de Vries’ sacking just 10 races into his first full season as a grand prix driver is typical of Formula 1 in general and Red Bull in particular, according to several drivers. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free “That’s how Red Bull do it,” said Lewis Hamilton when asked about the team’s decision to cut de Vries from its junior team AlphaTauri before the halfway mark in the season. Asked whether the decision reflected how F1 works, Hamilton replied: “I’d say that’s how Red Bull works.” The team has some form in making dramatic driver announcements, such as when it promoted Max Verstappen to Red Bull in place of Daniil Kvyat four races into the 2016 season. De Vries’ place has been taken by Daniel Ricciardo, who hopes to use the opportunity to gain a return to Red Bull. Valtteri Bottas . “They obviously follow their view what is the best. “Obviously it’s really a shame for Nyck it was quite a short rookie season unfortunately. But also then it’s … [Read more...] about ‘Cutthroat.’ ‘Brutal.’ ‘That’s how Red Bull works’: F1 drivers on de Vries’ sacking

McLaren are unlikely to replicate their strong performance from the previous race says Lando Norris , who scored their best result of the season so far two weeks ago at Silverstone. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Norris, who qualified and finished second at the British Grand Prix, said “we know it’s not going to happen that often at all” over the rest of the season. A combination of the circuit’s characteristics suiting their car, plus the upgrade the team began to introduce two races ago, contributed to their result. His team mate Oscar Piastri finished fourth, and lost one position due to the timing of a Safety Car period. “We enjoyed the moment, for sure, but we know we’re not competing for wins or even podiums, we weren’t close to that very often,” said Norris. “A lot of things went right for this to happen, even though we should have had a P2 and a P3. “I think the confidence came from knowing that we took a good step in the right direction. I … [Read more...] about Norris warns McLaren’s Silverstone pace ‘won’t happen that often at all’

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Nico Hulkenberg is “absolutely” the best qualifying driver he has had driving for his team. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Hulkenberg joined the Haas team at the start of this season in place of Mick Schumacher . It is Hulkenberg’s first full campaign in Formula 1 since 2019, when he raced for Renault. Over the first ten rounds of the year, Hulkenberg has started inside the top 10 more than half the time, reaching Q3 on five occasions – once more than Red Bull driver Sergio Perez . He has also out-qualified team mate Kevin Magnussen by a ratio of 8-2. Alfa Romeo sporting director Beat Zehnder recently named Hulkenberg as the best qualifying driver he has ever worked with , as the driver raced for the team in 2013 when it was known as Sauber. Speaking to media in Hungary yesterday, Steiner agreed with with Zehnder’s statement. “I would say so, absolutely,” Steiner said. “He can put a lap together that … [Read more...] about Hulkenberg is the best qualifier I’ve worked with – Steiner

Charles Leclerc is not convinced the new rules Formula 1 will trial this weekend are right for the sport. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The series will trial its ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ for the first time this weekend. The regulations were originally called the ‘Revised Qualifying Format’ because they limit which tyres drivers may use in each stage of qualifying. Ordinarily drivers have free choice of tyres in qualifying sessions and tend to pick the softest rubber. This means they get through several sets of tyres over the course of Q1, Q2 and Q3. This weekend drivers will be given fewer sets of the soft tyres and the rules state they may not use them in Q1 or Q2. Drivers must run on hard tyres in Q1 and the medium compound in Q2. However Leclerc is concerned about the effect that may have on the rest of the weekend. “It’s going to be very tricky because also the free practice preparations are quite a lot mixed,” he said. “I feel like we are … [Read more...] about Added “jeopardy” of new qualifying rule is not right for F1 – Leclerc

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda says his former team mate Nyck de Vries deserved more races before losing his race seat just ten rounds into his rookie season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free De Vries was replaced after the British Grand Prix by Daniel Ricciardo , Red Bull’s third driver, after failing to score a single point over the first ten rounds of the championship. Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Tsunoda told media including RaceFans that he believes his former team mate deserved more time in the car before losing his seat. “I think so,” Tsunoda said. “I think just 10 races, especially at a couple of tracks that he didn’t know, I think so. “At the same time, I know what Red Bull’s side is, what they’re saying. But I think he deserved at least until probably the summer break. I was thinking like that.” Tsunoda said he had a good relationship with De Vries and that the pair had exchanged messages after news broke that he had lost … [Read more...] about De Vries deserved to stay ‘at least until the summer break’ – Tsunoda

Sky F1 reporter Craig Slater believes Lando Norris, Formula 1’s equivalent in the transfer market to Jude Bellingham, could be of interest for Audi as they prepare to join the grid in 2026. Norris is contracted to his current team McLaren until the end of 2025, meaning his current deal will expire before the new generation of challengers and power units come into force for the following season, when a motorsport powerhouse will also join the fray. Audi have struck a deal with Sauber which will see the team transformed into the Audi works squad, running their power unit, from 2026, leading to plenty of speculation already over which drivers will form that first Audi line-up. Lando Norris a future Audi driver? Slater claimed that if Norris were a footballer, then he would be in the “100 million category”, likening him to Bellingham who recently signed for Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in that region plus add-ons. Norris would command a fee should any team look … [Read more...] about ‘Jude Bellingham of the F1 transfer market’ teased as potential Audi target

Ex-F1 racer and current Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe vice chairman Kazuki Nakajima said it is a “clear no” currently to the manufacturer returning to Formula 1, but that could change. Toyota joined the world of Formula 1 back in 2002, and while they made 13 visits to the podium throughout their tenure, the team was never able to claim a grand prix victory. Come the end of the 2009 campaign, Toyota would bow out of Formula 1 as a constructor and engine manufacturer and have not appeared in the series since. Toyota cold stance on Formula 1 return could change During the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend, home soil for Toyota, McLaren announced the signing of Toyota endurance racer Ryō Hirakawa as their reserve driver for F1 2024, paving the way for rumours to bubble up again over potential Toyota interest in a return to F1, considering this signing came as a rather left-field one. And while former Williams driver Nakajima said this is definitely not on the cards for now, he did … [Read more...] about Toyota give ‘clear’ response to questions over future F1 return

Home Off beat -Rohit Nambiar By Rohit Nambiar Updated: Friday, September 29, 2023, 14:08 [IST] Jehan Daruvala, an Indian motor racing driver, has recently made a giant leap in his career with his move to Formula E, making him only the third Indian to drive in an official FIA world championship. Having spent four years in Formula 2, Daruvala's transition to Formula E comes as a significant advancement in his motorsport career. The young racing prodigy will be driving for Maserati MSG Racing alongside Max Guenther. He steps into the position after replacing Edoardo Mortara. Previously with Mahindra Racing in a reserve role, many suspected Daruvala's next move would be to secure a 2024 seat with the Indian motorsport team. However, according to the 24-year-old, aligning with Maserati was his top choice. This decision seemed well-founded, as Mahindra Racing struggled with their new Gen3 car and had a lackluster performance this year, … [Read more...] about Indian Prodigy’s Leap to Formula E: Jehan Daruvala Bets Big with Maserati