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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
New FIA Guidelines Suggest Max Verstappen Should Have Been Banned From Racing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Red Bull Racing Formula One driver Max Verstappen looks like he escaped a race disqualification for the incident involving George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix. This was highlighted after the FIA released the stewards' guidelines, released in a bid to encourage transparency. The stewards' guidelines document is meant to educate fans on how they hand out penalties to drivers and teams for offenses committed during race weekends. It highlights the steward's decision-making process, which involves weighing the nature of the incident and levying an appropriate punishment based on the magnitude, intent, and consequences of the incident. However, the document has shed light on the punishment levied on Verstappen for crashing into Russell in the last stage of the Spanish Grand Prix. A late-race safety car forced Red Bull to fit Verstappen's RB21 with hard tires while rival cars ran on medium Pirellis. Second placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Drivers Press Conference during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025... Second placed qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Drivers Press Conference during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. MoreThe race restart saw Verstappen struggle in a battle for third place with Charles Leclerc as his car struggled for traction. At the end of Turn 1, Russell tried to get past him for the fourth spot. Sensing a collision, Verstappen drove off into the run-off area and rejoined the track in front of Russell. Fearing an incoming penalty for overtaking off the racetrack, Red Bull instructed Verstappen to hand P4 to Russell, which he did under frustration. But before this, Verstappen crashed into Russell as the Briton went for the overtake. The stewards handed the Red Bull driver a ten-second penalty and added three points to his super license. That brought Verstappen's super license points tally to 11, leaving him one short of a potential race ban. The four-time world champion admitted after the race that he made the move on Russell out of frustration, which confirms the deliberate nature of the incident. The stewards' guidelines released by the FIA today suggest that four penalty points should have been added to Verstappen's super license. The punishment for "Causing a collision with apparent deliberate or reckless intent" is a "10 Stop and go, or any time penalty exceeding 30 seconds (or grid place penalty if the driver failed to finish the race)." In addition, four penalty points are added to the driver's super license. Adding four points to Verstappen's super license would have banned him from participating in the following race in Canada. While the reason for issuing three penalty points to the Red Bull driver remains unclear, it highlights that the punishment levied is not in line with the rules mentioned in the stewards' guidelines. Now, it remains to be seen if the FIA will comment on the matter.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Toto Wolff Comes to Hamilton's Rescue as Ferrari Dream Turns Nightmare
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff came to the defense of his former driver Lewis Hamilton, who is facing a lot of scrutiny from the media about the seven-time champion's performances in Ferrari. Wolff worked together with Hamilton for 12 seasons, which led to six Drivers' Championships and eight Constructors' titles. More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive At the start of the 2024 season, Hamilton announced his move away from Mercedes, his long-time racing home, to join the storied Scuderia Ferrari in the hunt for his eighth world title. While the Ferrari-Hamilton union started like a fairy tale, his time at the Italian team has been anything but a smooth ride during the season. The driver has been outclassed by teammate Charles Leclerc's qualifying results and race performances. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Photo byBefore the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton trails Leclerc by 25 points and is losing the qualifying battle 1-8 in a complete thrashing. While the results are far from what was expected in the pre-season, Wolff still backs Hamilton to turn things around at Ferrari. "You don't unlearn driving that quickly," Wolff said on the Bloomberg Hot Pursuit podcast. "In 2021, he was great. Then the regulations changed, and it got a little more difficult, but he was still performing at a very high level. "Just by changing teams, suddenly you don't lose your skills. Everybody needs a period of adaptation — different car, different DNA in how the vehicle drives, a new engineering team that you need to start working together. "Then you have to be involved in the continuous development of the car so it suits your driving style. "It's an all-Italian team, and he's a British guy parachuted in there — and that takes time." Hamilton's qualifying woes date back to his time with Mercedes. His former teammate George Russell beat Hamilton handily in the head-to-head, though the veteran still showed impressive race pace. More F1 news: Hamilton Heartbroken After Hitting Animal Mid-Race, Damaging Car Wolff predicts a second half of the season turnaround for Hamilton, whom he thinks will get more comfortable at his new team as time goes on. "We've seen a bit of a pattern that Lewis, at the beginning of the season, needs to find his mojo and the second half of the season has always been very strong," he added. "So, don't ever write Lewis Hamilton off." In fairness to Hamilton, the Ferrari team has struggled in the first half of the season. The SF-25 isn't performing well, and there have been several battles over the radio with their drivers. If the team can turn around its performance, Hamilton should deliver better results, but Ferrari's unpredictability from race to race makes it hard to predict. For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Newsweek
14-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Fernando Alonso Backs Hamilton: "He Can Turn Things Around Quickly"
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has struggled in the first half of the 2025 Formula One season, though former teammate Fernando Alonso backed Hamilton to rediscover his form. When Hamilton broke into F1, his first teammate was Fernando Alonso, a top-tier, established driver on the grid. Alonso got a first-hand account of Hamilton's abilities early on, and while they would naturally develop into rivals, a mutual respect for their abilities matured. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Photo byThe Spanish driver is uniquely suited to speak about what Hamilton is going through, being one of the older drivers on the grid, like Hamilton, and having driven for the famed Scuderia. "What's wrong with him? I have no idea. Lewis is a great driver; on tracks like Canada, he's capable of exploiting all his strengths," Alonso told the media in Montreal. "After 24 races, we'll do the math: he's struggling now, but he can turn things around very quickly. "I don't think the situation has changed much compared to last year with Russell. Then, the Mercedes was apparently difficult to drive and Russell was more comfortable. This year seems to be the same. But it's difficult to give an opinion without having all the information." Through the first nine races, Hamilton scored 71 points, which is good for sixth place in the driver standings. Ferrari, despite their woes, are in second place with regards to the constructors' standings, though already nearly 200 points down on the leading McLaren team. Considering how the car has stacked up to the rest of the field, Ferrari should be happy about where they stand, but pre-season expectations were set much higher than where the driver and team are now. Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, made the shocking decision to leave his long-time home at Mercedes to achieve his dream of driving for Ferrari. Arguably the biggest driver joining the historic team naturally came with a lot of hype and anticipation. Many expected both to hit the ground running in 2025, fighting for both titles, but in reality, Ferrari is still looking for their first race win of the season. His track record consistently shows Hamilton has overcome any adversity he faced. In the latest chapter of his career, he will need to do the same once again.
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Lewis Hamilton Breaks Silence on Ferrari Future Amid Performance Struggles
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ferrari Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his long-term future with Ferrari amid recent performance struggles. The Briton also revealed his preference for team principal Fred Vasseur, considering the recent rumors of his position being under threat. Hamilton's Ferrari journey has been under scrutiny, given his bombshell move from Mercedes ahead of the 2025 season, in the quest for his eighth world championship title. However, his journey so far with the Red team has been filled with learnings and struggles, apart from the burst of performance witnessed during the sprint race in China that Hamilton won. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 12, 2025 in Montreal, was upset after the Spanish Grand Prix and even stated to the media in a dejected tone that he had no answers. That led many to question if the seven-time world champion was at the end of his F1 career and contemplating retiring from the sport. When asked by the media, he confirmed his commitment to Ferrari during the press conference in Canada. He said: "To everyone that's writing stories of me considering not racing — I mean, I literally only just started, firstly, here with Ferrari, and I'm here for several years. "I'm here for the long haul. So there is no question in where my head's at and what I'm working towards achieving with this team. "So there's zero doubts. Please stop making up stuff." Hamilton admitted enjoying the current challenge with his new team and stressed that the current SF-25 F1 car has not been designed from his input. He also revealed that Ferrari will soon shift focus to the 2026 car, adding that his contribution will be present on the new car. "We're in that period where we obviously have to start working on next year's car. "The car I'm racing right now is not a car that I've had input in developing and evolving over the past four years. I'm driving a car that Charles has obviously been a part of developing [and] knows very, very well. "It's challenging, but I'm enjoying that challenge." The rumor mill also churned out stories about Vasseur and that his position in Ferrari remains under scrutiny. However, Hamilton has dismissed the speculation, stressing that he joined Ferrari because of Vasseur and that he would want him to stay. He said: "It's definitely not nice to hear that there's stories like that that are out there. "Firstly, I love working with Fred. Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here, which I'm forever grateful for. And we're in this together. We're working hard in the background. Things aren't perfect, but for me, I'm here to work with with the team, but also with Fred. "I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to take us to the top. And so that's that." He added: "I'm here to win with Fred, and he has my full support."
Newsweek
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Lewis Hamilton Laments Early F1 Miami Qualifying Exit: "So Inconsistent"
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has reacted to his early F1 Miami Qualifying exit. The British driver was eliminated in Q2 and is set to start the race at the Hard Rock Stadium tomorrow from the twelfth position on the grid. While speaking to Sky Sports F1 following qualifying, the Ferrari driver explained: "We will keep trying. We are only six races in but we are struggling big time. "We are trying our hardest not to make big set-up changes but no matter what we do it's so inconsistent every time we go out. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 01, 2025 in Miami, Florida. Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari speaks in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 01, 2025 in Miami, Florida."We have problems with brakes, problems with this instability that we are struggling with and we are generally not quick enough. Just to get through to Q3 is tough for us. "Once you are on the backfoot, it's hard to pick up the points. Tomorrow will be hard work but we will try again. It's the same thing for me, I'm used to it but I will keep trying. "And I will be back at the factory next week and just keep going." Discussing whether he should have used another new set of tires in Q2, he added: "We should have. It doesn't make sense when you're struggling so much not to put two new sets on or utilise those sets. "But that's stuff we will chat about in the garage." Hamilton's Ferrari teammate continued into Q3 and will start the race from 8th. Four-time champion Max Verstappen secured pole position and will be joined on the front row by McLaren's Lando Norris in second.
