Latest news with #PitLaneChronicle
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jeremy Clarkson discusses Christian Horner's F1 future plans after Red Bull exit
Christian Horner was axed without warning by Red Bull last week, just days after the British Grand Prix where his friend Jeremy Clarkson had spoken to him at Silverstone Jeremy Clarkson has opened up on the supportive message he sent to Christian Horner after the news broke of his Red Bull Racing exit. The Clarkson's Farm star, who is a huge Formula 1 fan, also discussed who might be his friend's next team in the sport. Horner led the Red Bull team for 20 years, having been hired as team principal from the very start when the energy drinks giant made its first foray into F1. And huge success followed, as Horner turned a midfield outfit into one of the sport's dominant forces, winning eight drivers' championships and six more teams' titles. But his downfall came last week after wretched results at the Austrian and British Grands Prix. Days after the Silverstone race, the shock news broke that Horner had been relieved of his roles as team principal and chief executive, and placed onto gardening leave. Clarkson knows what it is like to be suddenly shown the door after many years in an iconic role. He was a co-presenter of Top Gear for more than a decade until 2015, when the BBC chose not to renew his contract after he assaulted a producer on the show. Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! In his column for The Sun, Clarkson wrote: "I spent a bit of time with Christian at the Grand Prix on Sunday and it was plain he had no inkling at all that the bullet was coming. He was with his 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, whose mother had just died of eye cancer. And we mostly talked about that and how the poor little mite was coping. "I suppose one upside of his sacking is that her dad will be around a lot more. Or will he? I sent him a text after the news of his dismissal broke, pointing out that I've been in his shoes in the past "I explained that when you wake the following morning, it's easy to think, 'Well, that's that, then'. But in my case, that wasn't that. I hadn't trodden on a snake. I'd trodden on a ladder. And I bet he does, too." Clarkson went on to speculate over what the future might hold for Horner, who has been the subject of interest from Ferrari on more than one occasion in the past, and who has also been linked with strugglers Alpine. He wrote: "The clever money is saying he'll go to Alpine, but next year they will have Mercedes engines which means Christian would have to work with Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff. "And as those two really don't get on, I can't see that happening. Ferrari? Possibly, but that would mean upping sticks and moving to Italy. And dealing with Sir Hamilton. Audi is coming into the sport next year, and Cadillac. And there's talk the Chinese are making F1 noises, and all of them would jump at the chance of getting Horner. "The thing is, though, that as I proved after the Beeb let me go, you don't necessarily have to do what you were doing before. I became a farmer. So on that basis, Christian Horner might re-emerge in a couple of years as an astronaut, or in an ice-cream van or as a Foreign Secretary."
Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Police hunt Silverstone F1 steering wheel thief as 20 British GP arrests made
A total of 34 crimes were reported with 20 arrests made at Silverstone over the British Grand Prix weekend, while Northamptonshire Police want to speak with a man in relation to the theft of a classic F1 car steering wheel A steering wheel from an iconic classic Formula 1 car, valued at over £2,500, was stolen from a vintage motor on show at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. It was one of several incidents reported to police after a spate of damage caused to vehicles on site at the Northamptonshire circuit. The engineer in charge of the classic car, the Leyton House CG901 designed by Adrian Newey and raced in the 1990 F1 season, lamented the lax security, and said the theft had left a "sour taste in the mouth" regarding the event. The incident occurred at around 2.30pm on Friday as the team ate their lunch. Race engineer Russell Sheppard spoke of how the 1990 Leyton House CG901 was scheduled for a track run and only managed to participate thanks to a replacement wheel found at the last minute. Sheppard, employed by Martin Stretton Racing, declared the stolen wheel irreplaceable. "We'd just left the car for lunch, we came back and went to do some work on the car, and it's like, 'Where's the steering wheel?'" he told the Press Association. "It's very sad, because it's an original piece of the car, original piece of history for it." Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! Northamptonshire Police have circulated a CCTV image of an individual they're keen to question in relation to the theft. Sheppard said he just wants to see the steering wheel returned to the car where it belongs. He said: "It's bespoke to the car, because the 1990s cars, the cockpits are so small you have to have a small wheel with a very small grip on it. I've been speaking to the people who made it in Italy originally, and sadly, they don't produce them anymore. We've got to go down the road of getting one bespoke made. It's just the hassle, it's the cost, it's an unnecessary procedure you have to go through which we shouldn't have to be doing." Another historic F1 car exhibited by the team was treated "like a climbing frame" by attendees, Sheppard said, while an additional vehicle suffered damage worth thousands when someone attempted to clamber inside, according to police. Sheppard said: "We had a Forti, another 1996 Formula 1 car on one of the other stands, and people were just using it like a climbing frame. We haven't seen any damage on that yet. We're just about going through it today. "We're here to show off history and keep things moving and alive. People doing things like this, sadly, it puts a sour taste in your mouth. Hopefully next time, security will be even more. Sadly, the security guards aren't security people. They're just people that stand there. They're not being informed of what to do and how to do it." The event drew a massive crowd, with around 500,000 people visiting the circuit over the weekend. On Sunday, 168,000 people witnessed Lando Norris clinch his first-ever British Grand Prix victory. During the event, police reported a total of 34 crimes, including theft, criminal damage, assault and drug possession, resulting in 20 arrests. A classic Formula 1 car exhibited at Silverstone suffered "several thousands of pounds worth of damage", according to police. The damage was allegedly caused by an individual who "accessed the display stand and climbed into the vehicle". Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but were subsequently released without any further action. One of them was popular YouTuber AngryGinge who said he spent 15 hours in a cell overnight and maintained he had done nothing wrong.
Daily Mirror
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Horner issues statement as F1 stewards reject Red Bull protest against Russell
There was huge drama at the Canadian GP after George Russell secured his first victory of the 2025 season despite Red Bull's protest to stewards after the checkered flag was shown Christian Horner claims Red Bull did "everything they could" despite making an unsuccessful protest against George Russell's victory at the Canadian GP. The Mercedes star secured his first win of the season in Quebec on Sunday as he finished ahead of reigning champion Max Verstappen. Russell's Mercedes colleague Kimi Antonelli secured a podium finish on what was an eye-catching weekend. But there was some drama after the checkered flag was waved as Red Bull protested against Russell's success. The British driver was accused of driving erratically behind a safety car, with Verstappen claiming he was dropping too far behind and had "aggressively braked". They also accused Russell of "displaying unsportsmanlike intent" by complaining over the radio that Verstappen had overtaken him, "knowing that it would be overheard by race control and in the hope that Verstappen would be investigated". But that protest was dismissed after a lengthy review with stewards, with Red Bull boss Horner speaking on Instagram following the hearing. He wrote: 'P2 and some good points for @MaxVerstappen1 today. He drove a good race and was competitive to be on George's tail throughout. 'Yuki [Tsunoda] drove a positive race. We opted for the one stop and a long first stint to try and capitalise on any stoppages in the race. He was unlucky, on another day he could've got some good points. A win for Mercedes just shows how quickly things can turn. For us, as a Team, we did well and got everything from it that we could.' Explaining their decision to dismiss the protest, the stewards said: "We accept the driver of Car 63 [Russell]'s explanation of the incident and we are satisfied that the driver of Car 63 did not drive erratically by braking where he did or to the extent he did. "We are not satisfied that by simply reporting to his team that Car 1 had overtaken that he engaged in unsportsmanlike conduct. Even though the protest did not allege it, we are also satisfied that by braking where and when he did and to the extent he did, the driver of Car 63 did not engage in unsportsmanlike conduct." Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox! Mercedes made their own argument to the stewards, with Red Bull's complaints ultimately dismissed. They argued that regular braking is normal behind the safety car to main temperatures, while they also claimed that Verstappen should have been able to anticipate Russell's actions. Russell's win saw him close the gap to Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship standings. The British driver is now fourth, 22 points behind Verstappen in third, while McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is out in front. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Wales Online
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Wales Online
Say hello to your new F1 newsletter Pit Lane Chronicle - here's why you should sign up
Say hello to your new F1 newsletter Pit Lane Chronicle - here's why you should sign up We've come up with a different way to tell you the Formula 1 stories that get lost in the noise every week - and the best part is its absolutely free to sign up! We've launched a new way to cover Formula 1 (Image: Getty Images ) Formula 1 is more popular than ever before and all the new interest in the sport can only be a good thing for its future. But the downside is there's so much content that a lot of the good stuff - especially about the less successful teams - gets lost in the noise. It's easy to find lots of coverage of the big issues of the day and everything that happens to the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. But we know there are millions of you who support some of the less successful teams and drivers, too, or who just have a general interest in what is going on up and down the grid. That's why we've created the Pit Lane Chronicle newsletter. Collated lovingly by correspondent Daniel Moxon, who works full-time as a reporters in the Formula 1 world, Pit Lane Chronicle is a weekly publication sent straight to your inbox with the latest news and interesting content around the teams who don't get as much of the spotlight. The best part is, it's completely free AND with no adverts. Sign up for our FREE newsletter Pit Lane Chronicle here Daniel covers F1 full-time and has, over the years, established a network of contacts and sources up and down the paddock. That will be incorporated into the newsletter in the form of exclusive interviews and nuggets of information when available. Article continues below On a weekly basis, the newsletter will cover the big news stories - and some of the smaller and more quirky ones - making it the place to go for a collated collection of content around Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas, Racing Bulls, Sauber and Williams. And, of course, from the 2026 season we've got the new Cadillac outfit joining their ranks. I've always felt that teams outside F1's 'big four' don't get the coverage that they, and their fans, deserve. It's understandable in a way - we've all got to deliver for our audiences and there is generally more interest in the bigger names - but it means those who do support midfield or backmarker teams, or their drivers, are getting short-changed," Daniel explained. "That's why I'm going to be devoting my time and effort to this newsletter. I want fans of the six teams who don't get as much coverage as the likes of Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull to be able to quickly and easily find good content about the drivers and teams they love." We want to get our readers involved too! Pit Lane Chronicle will have interactive features such as a weekly poll (or two!) and the opportunity for fans to engage in conversation with us and also with each other. We're also looking to feature one supporter of one of the teams we're focusing on in each edition of the newsletter, and hear about their experiences. Where and how do I sign up? Pit Lane Chronicle is hosted on Substack, an independent platform with no ads, making for a cleaner reading experience than on many other websites. You can read on your computer or tablet, while there is also a handy app which you can download to your device so you can read each edition. Article continues below And, by subscribing, you're making sure you don't have to spend any time seeking us out. Each edition of Pit Lane Chronicle will be delivered directly to your inbox for you to read at your leisure. You can sign up by entering your email below;
Daily Mirror
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
What no-one outside F1 paddock saw about Michael Schumacher as friend speaks out
Sauber F1 team principal Jonathan Wheatley considers Michael Schumacher a friend having worked together in the 1990s at Benetton and has opened up on that experience A friend and former colleague of Michael Schumacher has opened up on what it was like to work with the seven-time Formula 1 champion. Speaking to Pit Lane Chronicle, our new FREE weekly F1 newsletter, Jonathan Wheatley opened up on his "tremendous" experience of working with a true sporting great. Now team principal at minnows Sauber, Wheatley is best known by F1 fans for his 18 years spent as a key member of the leadership team at Red Bull. First as team manager and then sporting director, he was a key lieutenant to Christian Horner right up until he departed last summer. But he has been in F1 for more than 30 years in total, starting out in the early 1990s at the same time as Schumacher. The German famously made his debut for Eddie Jordan but was then snapped up by the Benetton team where Wheatley, in his early 20s, was working as a mechanic. "I did one race with Roberto Moreno and then the next race I was carrying a seat out for this guy called Michael Schumacher and that was at Monza," he told Pit Lane Chronicle. Schumacher wasn't yet the global megastar he would go on to become but, already, he had a presence that inspired those around him. Wheatley said: "It was a pivotal part of my career, I think. "You suddenly realise if you had a talisman, you had a driver of that ability in the team, you just saw this team that wasn't super well connected suddenly just joining up, having this person that you wanted to do your absolute best for." His presence helped to galvanise Benetton and that led to back-to-back drivers' title wins for Schumacher in 1994 and '95, the latter also yielding a constructors' championship victory. He then joined Ferrari and added five more titles between 2000 and 2004. But Schumacher was also at the centre of plenty of controversy, such as in the manner of that first championship success. He won the 1994 title by appearing to deliberately collide with rival Damon Hill in the final race in Adelaide, causing race-ending damage to both cars – though Schumacher always maintained his innocence. Sadly, he is no longer able to speak publicly about his past endeavours after suffering life-changing injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013. Few details of his condition have ever been shared with his family fiercely protective of his privacy, though it is known that he continues to require full-time care more than 11 years on. "Michael was a tremendous person to work with, but also I consider him a friend," Wheatley said of his stricken former colleague. "I haven't seen him for a while, but he still checked in. And actually, that's one of the things with most of the great drivers is they're nice people as well, you just don't always see it."
