Latest news with #then-Mercedes
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Claims of Verstappen having 'conversations' with Mercedes could overshadow Red Bull's home race
Associated Press The idea of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes would have seemed outlandish when he fought Lewis Hamilton in the controversial title decider in 2021. Now it's the hot topic in the Formula 1 paddock. The build-up Friday to the Austrian Grand Prix was dominated by comments made the day before by Mercedes driver George Russell to British broadcaster Sky Sports. Russell has yet to get a contract extension for 2026 and seemed to suggest that Verstappen and Mercedes were in talks. 'As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you're going to be back on top you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing," Sky Sports quoted Russell as saying. 'So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.' It would be one of the biggest driver changes ever in F1 — on par with Hamilton's switch to Ferrari — if Verstappen, a Red Bull driver since childhood, joined the team which has often been his toughest challenger. It would mean working with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who was left to exclaim 'that was so not right' at a decision which helped Verstappen beat then-Mercedes driver Hamilton to the 2021 title on the last lap of the season. Asked about Russell's comments and whether any talks with Verstappen were happening, Wolff signaled Mercedes would 'need to explore' future developments. 'I like what George says, and I'm always supportive of the driver, and there's no such thing as saying things I wouldn't want him to say. I think we are very transparent in the team for what we do, what we plan, and we've been like that since I was put in charge of that. So that's not the issue,' Wolff said. 'And at the moment, clearly you need to explore what's happening in the future, but it doesn't change anything of what I said before about George, about Kimi, about the lineup that I'm extremely happy of having.' Mercedes has yet to confirm either Russell or rookie Kimi Antonelli for 2026 despite both having strong seasons so far. Verstappen has a long-term contract through 2028, so in theory his Red Bull seat should be one of the safest on the grid. However, the deal has performance-related clauses which could reportedly allow a move. 'I don't think we need to talk about that,' Verstappen said Thursday when asked to confirm whether he'll stay with the team for 2026. 'It's not really in my mind. It's just driving and trying to push the performance, you know. And then we focus on next year.' Fast in Friday practice Red Bull's upgrades seemed to work well in Verstappen's first outing in Friday practice. He was second-fastest, 0.065 of a second off George Russell for Mercedes. Standings leader Oscar Piastri was third-fastest for McLaren, .155 off the pace, but the star of the session was young driver Alex Dunne, who took over Lando Norris' McLaren for the session and placed fourth. Lewis Hamilton was ninth-fastest for Ferrari and Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda only 17th. Red Bull's challenge to adapt Dramatic changes to how F1 cars look and perform are coming in 2026, and Red Bull has to adapt more than most. For the first time in nearly two decades, it heads into a new era of F1 rules without design guru Adrian Newey, who left last year and is now at Aston Martin. The other leading teams are sticking with their current engine arrangements, but not Red Bull. The team has an in-house engine developer, Red Bull Powertrains, but it's switching partners for 2026 from Honda to newcomer Ford. The second seat No team in F1 depends as much on one driver as Red Bull does on Verstappen. He's scored 155 of the team's 162 points this season. His teammates — first Liam Lawson, then Tsunoda — have struggled all season. That's helped to restore the reputation of Sergio Perez, who was dropped by Red Bull after scoring barely one-third of Verstappen's points last season. 'I know, deep down, they really regret it,' Perez said on a podcast this week. 'And I know that from a very reliable source. It's tough. I have very good friends there, and people might think I take pleasure in what happened, but no.' Red Bull's car seems to favor Verstappen's driving style over anyone else's, but the Dutch driver says he can't diagnose the issue because he's been with the team since 2016 and has nothing else to compare it with. 'The thing is that I don't know any better, right?' he said Thursday. 'I mean, I've basically started with Red bull, so I only know one car and that's how I drive. I adapt to it. Is it the best? Is it the fastest? Is it not? I don't know." ___ AP Sports Writer Tales Azzoni in Madrid contributed to this report. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Lewis Hamilton takes first pole position as Ferrari driver for Chinese GP sprint
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the first sprint race of the year and will line up alongside Max Verstappen on the front row at Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday. It marks the Briton's first pole position for Ferrari, and it comes after a rough outing in Australia, where the Prancing Horse appeared far off off the pace compared to the other top four teams. Advertisement McLaren, though, wasn't far off. As the seconds counted down, Lando Norris dove into the pits, and Oscar Piastri was unable to beat the Ferrari driver's time, just 0.08 seconds off in P3. The Australian driver will line up on the second row next to Charles Leclerc for Saturday's sprint race while Norris is down in P6. The result is a repeat of the 2021 British Grand Prix weekend — F1's first sprint race — where Hamilton started P1 and Verstappen lined up alongside him. The Dutchman came out on top in that sprint race, finishing 1.43 seconds ahead of the then-Mercedes driver. Hamilton and Verstappen endured a competitive battle for the world championship that season, but this year, Red Bull is struggling a bit for competitive pace. Verstappen told F1 TV that he didn't feel 'we should've even been on the front row anyways.' He does think it'll be harder to keep the McLarens behind during the sprint race, considering Norris and Piastri were quick up until those final runs. The sprint race is at 11 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET // 3 a.m. GMT). Analysis by senior F1 writer Luke Smith After their rough start in Australia, this is the boost that Hamilton and Ferrari needed at the start of their new partnership. Hamilton endured a pretty miserable first weekend in red after weeks of hype, qualifying eighth and finishing 10th. He vowed after the race that there was more pace in the car, it just needed unlocking, and was confident there would be a series of setup changes to help take a step for the China weekend. That's led him to sprint race pole today. No, it's not an 'official' pole position, but his laughs over the radio when engineer Riccardo Adami informed him he was P1 and huge smiles afterwards in parc ferme showed just how much it meant to him. 'I can't believe we got a pole for the sprint,' Hamilton said in the post-session interview. It was a very close session where the drivers needed to make the difference. Hamilton did precisely that. A hard-earned sprint pole that should give an extra verve of excitement to the next step of what will still be the story of F1 in 2025. 'I didn't expect that result,' he said afterwards. 'But so, so happy and so proud. I think obviously the last race was a disaster for us. And clearly we knew that there was more performance in the car, we just weren't able to extract it. 'So to come here to a track that I love, Shanghai, beautiful place, and the weather has been amazing and the car really came alive from Lap 1. We made some great changes, the team did a fantastic job through the break to get the car ready. 'I'm a bit in shock. I can't believe we got a pole in the sprint. It's obviously not the main race, so we've got work to do for tomorrow. But this puts us in good stead for the race.' When the checkered flag fell on SQ1, Hamilton sat on provisional pole, 0.184 seconds ahead of Norris and 0.306 seconds ahead of teammate Leclerc. It's the most competitive that we have seen the Ferraris, which were off pace in Australia. The rookies also (mostly) bounced back. Hadjar, who crashed on the formation lap of the Australian GP, went ninth fastest in SQ1, just ahead of Bearman. Bortoleto outqualified his teammate, just narrowly escaping into SQ2. Kimi Antonelli was the highest sitting rookie, setting the seventh-fastest lap in SQ1, but it comes as little surprise considering how he powered his way from P16 to P4 in Australia last weekend. Meanwhile, Lawson made a mistake on his final flying lap, and he's left last in qualifying. SQ1 CLASSIFICATION Hamilton on top 🔝#F1Sprint #ChineseGP — Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2025 It returned to business as usual, with Norris setting the fastest lap of SQ2 at 1:31.174. The Mercedes duo of Antonelli and Russell looked in trouble until the final runs, which launched the Briton to P2 and the Italian driver to fifth for that session. But the biggest surprise came from Albon, the Williams driver sneaking into SQ3 while teammate Sainz was out at the end of the session. Advertisement Racing Bulls showed teamwork, with Hadjar giving Tsunoda a slipstream after making a mistake on his lap. The Japanese driver made it into SQ3 by just 0.021 seconds. The Aston Martins also were split, with Alonso being knocked out while Stroll advanced. Meanwhile, Verstappen sat in the middle of the pack again, He went fifth fastest in SQ1 and sixth fastest in SQ2. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
New York Times
25-02-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Toto Wolff: Christian Horner booing shouldn't overshadow success of F1 75 Live
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said that the boos directed towards Red Bull boss Christian Horner should not detract from the overall success of F1 75 Live. Formula 1 held its first ever live event at the O2 in London on January 18 to mark its 75th anniversary season. All 10 teams, team bosses and all 20 drivers were present as each car's livery was officially unveiled. Advertisement Horner, along with four-time world champion Max Verstappen, was booed when he appeared on the stage and shown on the screen. Wolff believes that the reaction to Horner should not overshadow the event. 'You shouldn't talk an event down that was mega just because one single individual, rightly or wrongly, was booed when he spoke,' the Austrian told Sky Sports on Tuesday ahead of preseason testing in Bahrain. 'It was a great event. I mean, the spectators there were great. The presentation of the cars was good. And it sets a new format for the years to come and that is the positive we need to take from that.' When asked if he joined in with any of the jeers, Wolff said: 'No, I wasn't booing, there were 15,000 people that did that! It wasn't necessary that I did.' Wolff and Horner have shared a contentious relationship over the years as their drivers have gone head-to-head on the track. Their rivalry intensified during the 2021 season when Verstappen and then-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton battled to the final race of the season for driver's title, which culminated in the Dutchman snatching the championship away from Hamilton on the final lap. In September last year, Wolff accused Horner of 'always trying to stir the s*** up' when the Red Bull team principal implied that Red Bull would consider trying to sign George Russell when his contract was up at Mercedes. GO DEEPER Wolff hits back at Horner over comments on Russell's future After Verstappen and Russell were involved in a dispute at the Qatar Grand Prix — where Verstappen was handed a controversial one-place grid penalty for impeding Russell — Horner defended his driver at the following race in Abu Dhabi and criticised Russell's 'hysterics.' Wolff was critical in his response. 'Yapping little terrier. Always something to say,' he said, adding that Horner 'crossed a line.' Horner was keen to hit back. Advertisement 'To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing?,' he said. 'They're not afraid to have a go at the bigger dogs. I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf, maybe. 'There seems to be a love-hate relationship where I think Toto loves to hate me. It's one of these things. GO DEEPER Inside F1's extraordinary Abu Dhabi media day as Verstappen, Russell feud erupts The FIA, F1's governing body, condemned the reaction to Verstappen and Horner in a statement on Saturday, describing it as 'tribalist' and 'disappointing.' 'Max and Christian have both contributed greatly to the sport we love. In the season ahead we should not lose sight of that' it said. Boos were also directed towards the FIA when its logo was shown on screens inside the arena. Preseason testing gets underway on Wednesday in Bahrain and ends on Friday.
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Lewis Hamilton is back for London's F1 launch with his new car - but is the eye-watering cost of a ticket worth it?
Prior to the Drive to Survive era which triggered the sport's unprecedented boom, one of Liberty Media's first ventures as Formula One's bright-eyed American owners came in the summer of 2017. The next best thing beyond the unrealistic concept of a race around London 's streets, the capital opened itself up to F1 Live London, depicted as a 'world-first' event to 'celebrate a new era'. Taking place a few days before the British Grand Prix, on a gorgeous Wednesday night in the heart of July, it turned Trafalgar Square into a one-day hub of high-energy, fast-moving activity. From Sebastian Vettel executing doughnuts in his Ferrari car to Little Mix performing on stage, it was the first step on Liberty's unrelenting journey towards a younger, more diverse audience. The results – in eyeballs and wealth – are plain for all to see today. With 100,000 people attending, it was a rip-roaring success. There was just one problem: Lewis Hamilton did not turn up. The then-Mercedes driver, in the midst of what would turn out to be his fourth title-winning season, opted instead for a two-day holiday in Greece. For a figure who has, in the years since, transcended his sport and remains its most popular star, it was a somewhat peculiar decision. Inevitably, Hamilton would justify his decision by his result at Silverstone, where he achieved a rare 'grand slam' feat: pole position, leading every lap of the race, setting the fastest lap and winning the grand prix. But nevertheless, it is safe to say Hamilton won't make the same choice on Tuesday when F1 returns to London once again, as anticipation builds towards his debut with the sport's most fabled brand, Ferrari, in Australia on 16 March. F1 announced in November an event which had been in the pipeline for months. As opposed to each team having its own car launch (although some have still opted to do so), all 10 teams will be present at the O2 Arena on Tuesday night for F1 75 Live – a nod to the sport's 75th anniversary. The event will run from 8pm-10pm and will feature interviews and 'top entertainment', though acts and guest presenters are yet to be officially confirmed. Various reports indicate, however, that Take That will headline the musical performances. F1 boss Stefano Domenicali described it as a 'fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to experience up-close the incredible entertainment spectacle that is Formula One'. There is no doubt that, after tickets sold out within an hour, it will be another lucrative London moneymaker. It is an intriguing concept, launching a season which Sky F1 presenter Martin Brundle predicts will be an 'all-time classic'. It is not the only F1 event in east London either, with the F1 Exhibition recently announcing an extension until 2 March, at Excel London, due to public demand. From a logistics standpoint, it works well for the majority of teams; seven of the 10 are based in the UK and pre-season testing in Bahrain takes place next week. A fortnight on brings the return of the Albert Park season curtain-raiser in Melbourne. Yet for the lucky members of the public who have bought a ticket, it is on the expensive side. Tickets range from £58 to £113 for a two-hour show where, unlike the two one-hour practice sessions on a Friday grand prix weekend, there won't be any cars racing around the 20,000-capacity arena. While the three-figure price for close-to-the-action seats may be appropriate, £50+ as the lowest price point has eliminated the opportunity for many people in and around the capital – those who definitely cannot afford a trip to Silverstone – to see the razzmatazz of F1 up close and personal. F1's venture in London eight years ago was ticketless, while a similar event ahead of the 2019 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne's Federation Square was also free. A starting price for the event on Tuesday which is closer to £25, even for a limited number of tickets, feels like an opportunity missed. Then again, a rapid sale of tickets would say otherwise. The event will be run by Brian Burke Creative, who put on the opening and closing ceremonies for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023. And while Max Verstappen was critical of the '99 per cent show, 1 per cent sporting event' extravaganza as the drivers were presented to the crowds via a row of lift podiums, the evening appealed to F1's bosses and marketeers keen to exhibit the sport's newest 'crown jewel' to the waiting world. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The traditional car launch format is often a stifling few weeks, with some teams more open and accessible than others. McLaren proved that point, not even announcing their 'camouflaged' launch to the public on Thursday ahead of time. At least in this instance, everybody will be singing from the same hymn sheet. Much like Vegas in 2023, a similar vibe of A-list acts and thunderous music can be expected in north Greenwich. But what cannot be understated is who the paying public will be there to see. Ahead of a 2025 season which will see as many as six full-time rookies – including British teenager Ollie Bearman at Haas and Mercedes' 18-year-old hotshot Kimi Antonelli – the allure of Hamilton in Ferrari scarlet will undoubtedly be the night's most notable moment. The hype surrounding his appearance in Italy a month ago, with F1's most-liked ever photo on Instagram, speaks to that.
