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Time Magazine
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
All Your F1 Questions Answered, Ahead of 'F1 The Movie'
F1 The Movie, which is out in U.S. theaters and IMAX on Friday, has summer blockbuster potential, given the huge budget—north of $200 million—and star power—Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, cameos by Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and other Formula 1 drivers—involved. So if you're an F1 newbie looking to spend a few entertaining hours in an air-conditioned theater, or you've seen the film but don't totally understand all those terms about tires and safety cars and DRS, we've got you covered. Below, some of your questions, answered. (With an assist from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, an executive producer on the film who also makes an appearance in the movie). It's a movie, people. And while Pitt is indeed a 61-year-old actor, we never find out the age of his character, Sonny Hayes, the journeyman washout whose promising F1 career was derailed by a horrific accident at a race in Barcelona in 1993. Pitt could be portraying a younger man. 'I don't think Sonny is 61,' says Wolff. Let's say, for the sake of argument, Hayes was an 18-year-old rising star at that race in Barcelona. That would put him at about 50 in the movie. Middle-aged drivers were more common in olden times: Luigi Fagioli, at 53, is the oldest F1 driver to win a race; he shared the 1951 French Grand Prix title with another driver. Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the current grid: the two-time world champion, who currently drives for Aston Martin, turns 44 at the end of July. But Alonso hasn't won a race since 2013. Hayes still has driving talent: at the beginning of the film, we see him help his team win the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona. Transitioning to F1 soon thereafter is a bit of a stretch, but not, according to Wolff, utterly impossible. 'Racing cars is like learning to ride a bicycle,' says Wolff. 'You don't unlearn that.' It's a term that pops up in the film, and in actual races: DRS, or Drag Reduction System. During F1 races, at designated areas of the track—particularly on straigtaways—drivers can can open up a flap on the car's rear wing to reduce aerodynamic drag, and overtake opponents. A car must be within one second of the racer it's trying to catch in order to use DRS. Grip, Wolff explains, 'is a tire sticking to the ground. The more sticking to the ground you have, the quicker you go through a corner.' Simple enough. 'Here comes the caveat,' Wolff says. 'Going beyond that limit of sticking, or sliding, creates overheating of the tire. So what you want to achieve is actually the optimum grip, the optimum sticking to the ground without it giving up and sliding.' Tires for dry race conditions—the slick tires—come in three classifications: soft tires offer the most grip but last the shortest period of time before degrading, so they're ideal for qualifying runs, or when a driver needs a burst of speed. Hard tires last longer—saving pit stops—but have less grip, and result in slower lap times. Medium tires split the difference between the two. In damp conditions, teams employ intermediate tires, which are grooved to allow drivers to navigate tracks with no standing water, or drying surfaces. The deeper grooves of the wet tires can disperse more water and are best for the rainiest days. Each of the 10 Formula 1 teams consist of two drivers, who are all fighting for two championships in every race: the Constructor's title, in which the combined performance of both drivers helps the team assemble points and trophies, and the Driver's title, in which a single driver is designated as world champion. Racers often put more stake in the individual title, which builds their legacies and brands. So while they're supposed to be working together on the track, they often want to beat each other to the checkered flag. F1's tension revolves around the aging Hayes and his teammate on the fictional APXGP race team, Damson Idris' Joshua Pearce, a young talent from Great Britain. Drivers at loggerheads is quite common in F1. 'Tension is always existing, which you've just got to accept,' says Wolff. 'That's how it is.' Wolff would know: as Mercedes boss, he had to manage the competition between Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time F1 champion, and Nico Rosberg, who won the 2016 title over Hamilton before retiring. There was hostility between the duo, especially after Rosberg used an engine mode banned by the team to gain an advantage over Hamilton during the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton returned the favor in Barcelona a month later. Drivers are calibrated to win at all costs. 'You can't expect the lion in the car and the puppy outside,' says Wolff. 'They drive with the knife between the teeth. It's the team's principal's role to say, 'no more.' And that's what we did.'' Mercedes drivers won every title between 2014-2020 (Hamilton in 2014, 2015, 2017-2020, Rosberg in 2016), and eight straight Constructor's championships from 2014-2021. In F1, APXGP technical director Kate McKenna, played by Oscar nominee Kerry Condon, tweaks the car design: the fix helps boost the team's results. Yes, this actually happens in the real Formula 1. While a set of strict technical regulations guides the makeup of an F1 car, teams can come up with innovations within these rules to give themselves an edge. Before the 2020 season, for example, Mercedes made a change to the steering column: its drivers could push and pull the wheel to change the alignment of the tires. The steering advantage was so effective, it was banned the next season and beyond. On-track accidents and dust-ups slow down the race. For less serious incidents, officials send out a 'virtual safety car'—no physical car is deployed onto the track, but cars must reduce their speed by 30-40% of the normal racing pace. So the gap between racers remains the same before the restart. For the more severe crashes, which require more time to remove debris from the track, an actual car—the safety car—enters the track. Cars file behind the safety vehicle: while drivers can't overtake one another on the track while a safety car is deployed, they can bunch up closer. So a driver who was way behind the leader, or the car in front of him, can effectively erase such a deficit. 'It kind of resets the race,' says Wolff. Which all begs the question: could one F1 teammate crash on purpose to give another an advantage? This is unlikely to happen for several reasons. First, a driver risks injury or worse in a crash. And second, a 2008 incident in Singapore, in which Renault driver Nelson Piquet Jr. said he was asked by his team to deliberately crash to allow his teammate, Alonso, to gain position during the safety car period as other cars made pit stops for gas, led to an embarrassing scandal. Alonso won the race. But the resulting 'Crashgate' fallout resulted in bans for Renault team leaders. Renault was threatened with disqualification from F1. The risk just isn't worth it. According to a 2025 study that appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 264 total injuries and 43 deaths were reported in F1-related events between 1950 and 2023. The analysis included 865 F1 drivers. While a 5% death rate for F1 drivers seems frighteningly high, there's a crucial caveat: a majority of the fatalities took place in the '50s, '60s, and '70s. No F1 driver has died in the 2020s. 'The evolution of safety regulations in F1,' the study concludes, 'appears to have successfully reduced total injuries, total deaths, and most injury classifications.' No, since each track, or circuit, has different designs and laps lengths. F1 races must cover a minimum of 305 km (or about 190 miles). Each race is about that length: but while the Belgian Grand Prix, for example, requires just 44 laps to reach that distance on the long track at Spa, the shorter circuit in the Netherlands requires 72 laps. One exception to this rule is the street circuit in Monaco: that race covers just 260 km (162 miles). Due to the narrow roads and sharp turns on the Monaco track, lap times are slower, so the distance is shorter to allow it to be finished within F1's two-hour time limit for races. (A race can take up to three hours in the event of suspensions due to bad weather; most are done in about 90 minutes). The feedback seems to be positive from the actual F1 drivers; they saw it at a screening before the Monaco Grand Prix in May. In the audience was Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old Mercedes rookie driver who finished his final high school exams right after earning his first podium with a third-place showing in Montreal in June. Perhaps not surprisingly, what stood out to Antonelli was the 2 hour, 36 minute run time. 'It's freaking long,' he said afterwards.
NZ Herald
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Formula 1 result: Liam Lawson makes up one place, Max Verstappen claims uneventful Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
McLaren's Lando Norris finished second, while Piastri was left to rue the attempt to undercut with his first pit stop, taking third place having qualified on top of the pole. While still leading the drivers championship, Piastri emerged from the pits in traffic, and was unable to challenge Verstappen after losing his lead at the first corner. Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda also did excellently to claim a point after starting from pit lane, but whether or not his team accepts those results as his teammate takes wins and podiums remains to be seen. Given Imola's tight nature and difficulty to overtake, the first lap was always going to be vital in Lawson's attempt to make his way up the field. Starting on medium tyres, Lawson was unable to make up any places in the opening lap, but stayed hot on the heels of Gabriel Bortoleto's Sauber in 14th. On lap three, Pierre Gasly came off the track at turn 9 and sandwiched himself between Lawson and Bortoleto, as the Kiwi fell more than a second behind the Alpine, and therefore out of range of using his Drag Reduction System (DRS). With opportunities to pass on track limited to say the least, pit strategy was always going to be vital for drivers to make up positions. On lap 10, Gasly pitted and saw Lawson gain his first place in the Grand Prix, before the Kiwi did the same one lap later, looking to undercut the drivers in front of him, and emerged in 20th. Now on a set of fresh hard tyres, the undercut saw Lawson finally get around Bortoleto when he pitted on lap 13, and got around the Haas of Esteban Ocon two laps later by using his DRS on the main straight. A Franco Colapinto stop on lap 23 had Lawson rise to 17th, before Ocon was forced to retire on lap 29 and trigger a virtual safety car. That virtual safety car, though, wiped any slim chance Lawson had of more overtakes, as the cars who had yet to pit - including Hadjar - were given the safety of being able to stop with the rest of the field reduced to a crawl. Lawson also pitted behind the virtual safety car, and emerged in 18th on a new set of hard tyres, looking to go to the end without stopping again. That became 17th when Haas' Ollie Bearman pitted again on lap 33, before Alpine team orders to switch Gasly and Colapinto on lap 44 gave the Kiwi hope of reeling in the Argentine. Advertise with NZME. Another retirement, this time for Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli on lap 46, triggered a full safety car, triggered another wave of pit stops, and saw Lawson climb to 13th as other drivers changed their tyres. With the field closed for the final nine laps, Lawson's older tyres told, as Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin got around the Kiwi. And tasked with defending the second Aston Martin - Lance Stroll - to close out the Grand Prix, Lawson did just that to cross the finish line 14th in an otherwise uneventful race. The 2025 Formula One season continues next week with the Monaco Grand Prix, as the second of a block of three races in three weeks. However, given Monaco follows Imola's example in being a difficult track to pass on, don't be surprised for more of the same in a week's time. Emilia Romagna Grand Prix finishing order Max Verstappen - Red Bull Lando Norris - McLaren Oscar Piastri - McLaren Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari Alex Albon - Williams Charles Leclarec - Ferrari George Russell - Williams Carlos Sainz - Williams Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber Pierre Gasly - Alpine Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls Lance Stroll - Aston Martin Franco Colapinto - Alpine Ollie Bearman - Haas Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber Did not finish: Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes, Esteban Ocon - Haas
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari hold clear-the-air talks after angry Miami GP blast
Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult Miami Grand Prix and made his frustrations with his Ferrari team clear during the race, with boss Fred Vasseur now stepping in Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur held clear-the-air talks after the British star blasted their strategy in the Miami Grand Prix. Hamilton started the race down in 12th after a difficult qualifying session. He was able to work his way up through the field before being put onto faster medium tyres at his pit stop. But he then quickly caught up with team-mate Charles Leclerc, who was running at a slower pace on a different strategy. Hamilton made a number of requests to be allowed past Leclerc with his frustration boiling over. Over team radio, he made a number of comments, including: "I'm just burning up my tyres behind him." Despite repeating his request later, Hamilton was instructed to maintain the strategy for the benefit of DRS (Drag Reduction System) to Leclerc. But his annoyance only rose, commenting: "Man, you guys. This is not good teamwork. That's all I'm going to say." The seven-time world champion then ended the conversation with his race engineer by scarcastically saying: "Have a tea break while you're at it." Hamilton was eventually allowed past Leclerc, but ended up giving the place back when he could not progress further up the field. That left Hamilton finishing down in eighth, to continue his frustrating season. Vasseur, who is in his third season leading the Scuderia, has now revealed that he spoke with Hamilton after the race to defend the team's strategy calls. 'I had a discussion with Lewis, and I can perfectly understand the frustration. They are champions, they want to win races. We are asking them to let their team mate go. It's not easy," Vasseur said. "It's never easy, and I didn't see another team do it today, but it's why we took the responsibility to do it because it's the policy for the team. We are racing for Ferrari first, and honestly, I think as a team, we did a good job. "Again, we can argue that it would have been better to do it the lap before, but when you are in control and you have to understand if the car that's behind is faster than the car in front just from DRS or not, it's not an easy call. 'It's always much easier to do it two hours later. We asked them to do it, they did it. The frustration when you are in the car, I can perfectly understand this. It's not the story of the day. We'd be much more keen to speak about [why] we finished one minute beyond McLaren.' For his part, Hamilton has insisted he will not apologise for his comments over the radio. Instead, he claimed it was a sign that he still has the 'fire in my belly' to lead Ferrari to victories. "I lost a lot of time behind Charles and in that moment, for sure, I was like 'come on, let's make a decision quick, let's not waste time.' I'm sure people didn't like certain comments, but you've got to understand, it's frustrating," he said. "I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things other people have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm. You've got to understand, we're under a huge amount of pressure in the cars. "I was just like, 'come on, guys. I want to win'. I've still got that fire in my belly. I could feel a little bit of it really coming out there, and I'm not going to apologise for being a fighter, I'm not going to apologise for still wanting it."
Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Lewis Hamilton makes savage eight-word dig at his own team during Miami Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton was left seething with his Ferrari team as he was stuck behind Charles Leclerc in the Miami Grand Prix, with the Brit's frustrations towards management picked up on team radio Lewis Hamilton's frustrations at Ferrari's hesitancy during a tense Miami Grand Prix boiled over when he sarcastically suggesting his engineers and pit crew "have a tea break". The Formula 1 ace was trailing behind his teammate Charles Leclerc in eighth place in the latter stages of the race but had the advantage of medium tyres to his team-mate's hards. As the seven-time champ found himself unable to overtake his team partner, with rival Kimi Antonelli ahead, he vented over the radio to engineer Riccardo Adami about losing the life of his tyres. He was heard saying: "I'm just burning up my tyres behind him," before adding: "You want me to just sit here the whole race?" Despite repeating his request later, Hamilton was instructed to maintain the strategy for the benefit of DRS (Drag Reduction System) to Leclerc. His frustration was evident as he responded: "Man, you guys. This is not good teamwork. "That's all I'm going to say." Referencing a past race, Hamilton brought up an occasion at the Chinese Grand Prix when he had moved aside for Leclerc because of differing tactics, reminding them: "In China, I got out of the way when you were on a different strategy," before dryly adding: "Have a tea break while you're at it," reports the Express. Hamilton was eventually permitted to overtake Leclerc in a bid to chase down Antonelli, but saw his lap times drift. Ferrari then decided to swap their drivers around positionally once more, but Leclerc then struggled to build on his position. Instead, Hamilton saw Carlos Sainz close in on him during the final lap, the Williams driver making an audacious lunge down the inside while baring wheels with Hamilton on the sector three hair pin. However, Hamilton was able to hold his eight-place finish through fine adjustment. McLaren were able to dominate the race, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finishing in first and second respectively at the Miami GP, while Mercedes' George Russell secured a podium of his own - albeit crossing the line 37 seconds behind Norris. Piastri's victory comes as his third consecutive win of 2025, as he extends his championship lead to 16 points ahead of his team mate. Speaking about the performance, Piastri said: "It's incredible the hard work from the team. Two years ago at Miami we were the slowest team. "I think we were lapped twice. Now to have won the Grand Prix by over 35 seconds to third is an unbelievable result."
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Lewis Hamilton's team radio sass lays bare the big issue facing Ferrari in F1 2025
MIAMI — Arriving in the media interview pen under the Hard Rock Stadium, Lewis Hamilton cut a very different demeanor after the Miami Grand Prix than his radio messages to Ferrari mid-way through Sunday's race otherwise conveyed. Frustration over the time it took Ferrari to get Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc to swap positions during the race, and then, later, being asked to swap those places back, sparked some rather clipped radio messages from the seven-time world champion. Advertisement Hamilton felt he was losing too much time being stuck behind Leclerc while on fresher, quicker tires, which, if he'd stayed behind his teammate for too long, would've been past their best and any chance of catching the cars ahead lost. Ferrari initially thought that by keeping Leclerc within one second ahead, Hamilton could use the Drag Reduction System (DRS) overtaking aid to gain more straight-line speed that would help him defend from a chasing car close behind. 'In China, I got out of the way,' Hamilton reminded his engineer, who then said they would indeed swap the order. But Hamilton interjected: 'Have a tea break while you're at it!' Then, after Ferrari reversed the call in the race's closing stages, Hamilton was informed of the remaining threat from Williams driver Carlos Sainz behind. 'You want me to let him past as well?' Hamilton asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. Was it the first sign of major tension between Ferrari and Hamilton, the star driver F1's most famous team had sensationally swooped to sign for 2025? A crack in a relationship only in its sixth race weekend? Apparently not. Hamilton insisted after the race that was simply not the case. Although he was the last of the 20 drivers to complete their media duties after opting to change out of his race overalls — and after a chat with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur — Hamilton's tone was light. The message was clear, as he claimed he 'genuinely enjoyed' the race. But questions about the radio exchanges were inevitable. 'I didn't think the decision came quick enough,' Hamilton admitted. 'And for sure, in that time you're like, 'come on!' But yeah. That's really kind of it. I have no problems with the team or with Charles.' This is not the first time Hamilton's radio messages with Ferrari have faced scrutiny this season. During his Ferrari debut in Australia, a chaotic wet weather race that would make a start to life with any team tricky, there were a few tense moments with his race engineer, Riccardo Adami. But Hamilton felt the messages were overblown in the media. It was all part of the getting-to-know-you stage of any new driver/engineer partnership. But what Hamilton said in Miami seemed more pointed. It wasn't a mix-up in communication or asking for clarity. The team had all the data to make a decision, and he was pressuring Ferrari to make a call. For Hamilton, it was about creating a sense of urgency for the good of his race. He described what occurred as being 'in a panic' trying to keep the car on the road while wanting the call that would decide his race to be made. Advertisement 'It was like, make a decision, let's go,' Hamilton said. He was asked about the 'tea break' comment. 'It was kind of like, 'we'll get back to you, mate.'' Hamilton then theatrically turned his wrist while speaking to reporters in the pen and stared at his watch. 'Well… OK!' He added that he'd 'definitely' made similar comments to his engineer at Mercedes, Peter Bonnington, plus that team's senior engineers, including Andrew Shovlin, in the past. Hamilton did not speak to Adami during the cool-down lap once the Miami race had concluded, only receiving a couple of instructions to pick up rubber on his tires and to change some engine settings. Vasseur came to his driver's room immediately after the race for their chat. After the race, Vasseur told reporters he could 'perfectly understand the frustration' from Hamilton. In fact, he thought Ferrari 'did a good job' managing the situation — also noting the potential for delays in F1 broadcasts when playing radio messages versus when they are happening live, direct from driver to team. 'It's always much easier to do it (make a call) two hours later,' Vasseur said. 'We asked them to do it. They did it. Now, the frustration, when you are in the car, I can perfectly understand this. And we had a discussion, and it was much more relaxed.' Hamilton also suggested it had been a positive discussion with Vasseur. 'I just put my hand on his shoulder and (was) like, 'dude, calm down, don't be so sensitive,'' Hamilton said – a hint that Vasseur may not have been impressed initially. 'I could have said way worse things on the radio. You hear some of the things others have said in the past. Some of it was sarcasm. 'You've got to understand we're under a huge amount of pressure within the car. You're never going to get the most peaceful messages coming through in the heat of the battle. And yeah. It was fine.' Advertisement Hamilton knocked back a suggestion he had been 'feisty' on the radio, noting that everything he said was PG. 'I've still got my fire in my belly,' he said. 'I could feel a bit of it really coming up there.' The other party involved in the radio calls, Leclerc, was eager to avoid discussing the matter when he spoke over half an hour before Hamilton. 'I think the story is going to be big enough already, and we need to do better, that's for sure,' he said. But Leclerc does feel there should have been more of a discussion before deciding to swap the Ferrari cars around in the first place. Hamilton joined Ferrari hoping to fight for his elusive eighth world championship. A teammate as good as Leclerc would always pose close competition, which would likely warrant some uncomfortable conversations. What made all of this difficult for Hamilton and Ferrari was that it took place over seventh and eighth place on the Miami track, far away from where either party wants to be. At the inaugural race here in 2022, Ferrari started 1-2 on the grid, although Max Verstappen beat it that day. This year's Ferrari car is not easy to drive, and hasn't enjoyed the same performance step year-on-year as the team's rivals. Hamilton snared third in the sprint on Saturday thanks to a bold strategy call — one he pushed for — to come in early to change from wet to dry tires and then felt more positive about his main race potential despite struggling to only 12th in qualifying. Ferrari knew it wouldn't be fighting with McLaren and Red Bull at the very front in Miami. But to be languishing also behind Mercedes, Hamilton's former team, and instead be using these tactics to fend off a Williams — a team confined to the lower midfield for much of the past decade — was a damning reflection of Ferrari's struggles in Miami. The car simply hasn't been there this season, but to be so far out of the picture, two weeks on from Leclerc wrestling the car to the podium in Jeddah, was a big step backwards. Advertisement Vasseur even interrupted a follow-up question about the team orders radio discussions, claiming it was 'not the story of the day.' He stressed the greater worry for Ferrari was its lack of car performance. 'I would be much more keen to speak about why we finished one minute behind McLaren.' But Hamilton did seem more upbeat than at the past three races about the possibility of light being at the end of the tunnel for Ferrari with its car issues. 'I truly believe that when we fix some of the problems that we have with the car, we'll be back in the fight with the Mercedes, with the (Red) Bulls,' Hamilton said. 'It just can't come quick enough.' Upgrades are expected to be added to the SF-25 cars at the next round at Imola. Until then, there will be that added degree of frustration and urgency in Hamilton, fueled by a hunger and desire to win, which has driven him to statistically the most successful career in F1 history. What's important for the relationship between him and Ferrari is that the understanding remains in place. That these messages, regardless of tone, were all down to that: A frustration with the situation both sides find themselves in, and not with each other. 'I'm not going to apologize for being a fighter,' Hamilton said. 'I'm not going to apologize for still wanting it.' (Top photo of Lewis Hamilton: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
