F1 news: Lewis Hamilton ridiculed, Mercedes have no plan B, Ferrari left perplexed
The new F1 season kicks off this week with the first race at Bahrain's Sakhir International Circuit to be held in just six days.
Hamilton opens up on plans to remain in F1 ahead of new season
With the 2023 Formula 1 season less than two weeks from getting underway, teams will be putting the finishing touches to their cars for the upcoming campaign after finishing three gruelling days of testing in Bahrain. Red Bull have set the early pace with Max Verstappen looking in commanding form over three days of running, while Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes ran into some problems.
The Silver Arrows endured a mixed test as they nursed some issues, which could be a major issue for Hamilton on the eve of the new campaign. George Russell suffered a hydraulics issue which limited the team's running on Friday.
The German manufacturer also appears to lack some performance compared to their front-running rivals in a major blow, but Ferrari have looked quick in their simulation runs and may be best-equipped to take the fight to Red Bull again, although testing can often be deceptive in showing true pace.
With the season set to get underway in Bahrain on March 3, Express Sport brings you all of the latest news from inside the F1 paddock.
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Alonso makes Ferrari testing claim
Fernando Alonso has claimed Aston Martin were faster than Ferrari after undergoing a specific race simulation run in testing.
The Spaniard, 41, revealed how the team wanted to measure their true pace against other teams - and were surprised to see how their pace exceeded Ferrari's when going the full 57-lap distance.
"On the last test day, for example, we did a race simulation. Then we did 57 laps, the same thing we are going to do this week in Bahrain," Alonso said at a promotional event, quoted by The Mirror.
"We put fuel in for those 57 laps and did the full race with the full set-up, even changing tyres. At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same simulation as us with the same fuel, same stops and we were faster than them."
Vasseur vows not to engage in war of words
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has said he will not take part in the "game" which has seen a feud develop between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner over several incidents.
The Frenchman, who took over from Mattia Binotto after the 2022 season, has always carried a mild-mannered approach and says that won't change, despite moving into a high-pressure role.
“No, I never will," he said when asked by Motorsport.com's Italian website.
“I have full respect for Horner as well as for Toto, but I will never participate in that kind of game.”
Aston Martin chief plays down Mercedes prediction
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has tempered expectations about their pace after it was claimed they could be quicker than Mercedes this season.
Fernando Alonso and Felipe Drugovich posted impressive lap times during testing, leading some to claim they could be challenging for fourth or even third in the championship this season. But Krack says the data could be misleading.
"I think it's very, very difficult on such a test to make a proper judgement," he told reporters. "I'll give you an example: Last year, we were P4, P4 and P10 over the three days, and we seem very similar now. And in the [Bahrain Grand Prix] race we were out in Q1.
"So just to tell you how much a test like that can give you an indication of where you are. I think for us, we must not lose our goals.
"Our goal was to make a step forward in the performance of the car, in the team. And this still remains our objective. If we manage it or not, we will see next week."
Norris responds to 'sign Red Bull contract' comments
Lando Norris insists he is "happy in orange" after being quizzed about the opportunity to join Red Bull.
The British-Belgian driver, 23, held talks with the Austrian team about becoming Max Verstappen's team-mate for 2024 before opting to sign a new long-term deal with McLaren.
And Norris, being shown video clips of Christian Horner in Netflix saying he was "good looking" and "funny", responded to Horner's comments.
But Norris said he is "happy in orange" after joking he had paid "a lot" to Horner to say nice things about him.
Steiner hails F1 cars as 'best ever'
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes the current selection of cars are the best F1 has ever produced after problems were kept to a minimum during testing.
The Austrian pointed to the reliability of the cars and number of laps they were able to run as a sign that reliability was improving.
“I think you have to look out there. I think it’s the best one Formula 1 has ever. I mean, we have seen how many red flags?" Steiner said, quoted via Motorsport Week.
“Everybody is doing the laps. If you to go the lap count from previous seasons on the first test, this never happened before in my opinion.
"I’m so amazed about it. Five years ago, every two, three hours there was a red flag. Now we all do the laps. Boom, boom.”
Verstappen favourite to land third crown
Max Verstappen has been heavily backed by the bookmakers to clinch his third world championship title and make it a hat-trick in 2023.
The Red Bull star is odds-on to land the Drivers' prize and secure a third consecutive title, according to odds from BonusCodeBets. The Austrian team are also being tipped to retain their Constructors' crown.
Lewis Hamilton is not even listed as the second favourite after Mercedes' setback in testing.
Drivers' Championship Winner - Outright
Max Verstappen: 4/6
Charles Leclerc: 9/2
Lewis Hamilton: 5/1
George Russell: 12/1
Sergio Perez: 18/1
Carlos Sainz: 22/1
Fernando Alonso: 25/1
Constructors' Outright Winner - Outright
Red Bull: 8/13
Mercedes: 13/5
Ferrari: 3/1
Aston Martin: 50/1
Alpine: 175/1
McLaren: 275/1
De Vries backed to show 'immediate' pace
AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost is expecting Nyck de Vries to demonstrate his pace and feels his experience of being a reserve will help him adapt to the team quickly.
The Dutchman left Mercedes to join Red Bull, filling in for Pierre Gasly with their sister team after he moved to Alpine. And the 28-year-old has already impressed his new team with a seamless transition.
“Nyck de Vries is doing a really good job, he’s very experienced, you can see this,” Tost said.
“You can see and feel that he is 28 years old, that he won a lot of races and championships.
“I think that he will be able to adapt to Formula 1 immediately. I expect him to perform well from the first qualifying onwards.”
Lewis Hamilton 'a long way off' Fernando Alonso
Eddie Jordan believes that Lewis Hamilton will not be retiring any time soon as he remains 'a long way off' the age of fellow F1 veteran Fernando Alonso.
Jordan told OLBG: "We all thought Fernando Alonso would retire and Lewis is a long way off his age.
"Seven times world champion, I do believe he thinks he has the best chance this coming season to make his championship eight."
Lewis Hamilton backed by Usain Bolt
Lewis Hamilton has been supported by Usain Bolt amid suggestions the Mercedes star will break FIA rules to continue to make political statements.
The FIA U-turned on some of its protest rules after a backlash from many teams and drivers.
However, drivers are still banned from expressing their own views in an FIA press conference except in response to a direct question.
However, Bolt has thrown his weight behind Hamilton as he claimed stars had a “responsibility” away from the sport.
He explained: “Lewis is a winner off the track too. In our position, we are role models and have a responsibility to influence people in a positive way."
Martin Brundle backs F1 change
Martin Brundle has supported F1's plans to introduce a major change for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The circuit will remove the tricky final chicane for 2023, 16 years after it was first installed.
Brundle gave his views on the changes on social media after the annoucement was confirmed.
He posted: "Before power steering it was challenging to physically hang onto an F1 car in that double right hander combo."
Toto Wolff 'amazed' at Lewis Hamilton's mentality
Toto Wolff has claimed Lewis Hamilton is "super determined" ahead of the 2023 season.
The Mercedes boss said he was "amazed" at Hamilton's mentality despite the team struggling in pre-season testing.
The Silver Arrows suffered mechancal issues on Friday with engineers even holding an unplanned meeting to discuss the problems.
He said: "I've been amazed, because he's been in the team now for 10 years.
"And every year he just comes back more mature, more professional, more understanding of what's good for him.
"He's in high spirits, and certainly super determined."
F1 announces major change for Spanish GP
F1 have announced major circuit changes for the Spanish Grand Prix in June.
The circuit will revert back to its original last corner layout with the final chicane set to be axed.
The chicane was added back in 2007 but was binned after the track's original layout was found to meety safety standards.
BREAKING: The #SpanishGP will be changing its track configuration
\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) February 27, 2023
The final chicane will be removed, leaving the circuit to its original last two corner layout!#F1 pic.twitter.com/qCVJy0t8Lt
Lewis Hamilton not likely to quit F1
Lewis Hamilton is not likely to retire from F1, according to former team boss Eddie Jordan.
He claimed Hamilton is a "long way off" Fernando Alonso's age who has been tipped to also walk away in the past.
He said: "We all thought Fernando Alonso would retire and Lewis is a long way off his age.
"I wouldn't be talking about his retirement after hearing him say he will go on until whenever. I think in his mind, he certainly has his luck and financially to retire but he's still committed."
Eddie Jordan shares Michael Schumacher health update
New details of Michael Schumacher's condition have been revealed by Eddie Jordan.
The Irishman said the F1 icon was "there but not there" in a sparse update on the German's health.
He told OLBG: "As far as I'm concerned, I was touched by it (Mick reaching out) and the reason I was touched by it was because it can't be easy knowing that your father is not able to be part of the family, he's there but he's not there."
Lewis Hamilton ridiculed for 'danger' comments
Lewis Hamilton's remarks on F1's new tyre warmers rule has been shut down by IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe.
Hamilton claimed the decision to ban tyre blankets for 2023 was the wrong call as losing the tool could lead to incidents.
However, Hinchcliffe feels the calls are unmerited and was "amazed" at F1 drivers views on the issue.
He said: "It makes for better racing, you can show skill with it and it saves a lot of money and pollution in terms of freight and energy consumption.
"The argument that it's dangerous has been refuted multiple times in several other four-wheeled disciplines."
Lewis Hamilton reveals reason he could quit F1
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he could be tempted to walk away from Mercedes and F1 for one crucial reason.
The Mercedes driver revealed he would leave if he was able to take up an acting role in the iconic Top Gun films.
He made the admission at the end of Netflix’s new Drive to Survive series.
He said: “But if they ever do a freaking Top Gun again, there’s no way I’m turning that down. I’m going to have to have someone to replace me in the car.”
Ferrari concerned about Red Bull pace
Ferrari appear to be worried about Red Bull's pace ahead of this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc said the team had more work to do after pre-seaosn testing in Sakhir.
Ferrari didn't suffer any nightmare issues but appeared to lack pace compared to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Leclerc said: "I feel we've got some work to do. Red Bull seems to be very strong in these three days."
Lewis Hamilton behind Max Verstappen
Instead of making moves on the top two, Mercedes could fall further back over the opening races of the season.
Ted Kravitz has predicted the squad may drop below Aston Martin after a positive first run for the British marque.
He said: “I'm going to be slightly reticent and say that Aston Martin are third and Mercedes are fourth at the moment.”
Mercedes spot “serious problems” with new car
The Silver Arrows have a “serious problem” with their new car on the eve of the 2023 season, according to Giedo van der Garde.
The ex-F1 star claimed the eight-time Constructors’ Championship winners were struggling after a difficult test.
He said: “Mercedes just doesn't really have it done. They have a serious problem.”
The team have openly admitted they are behind their main rivals with Russell admitting they were unlikely to fight for a win at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Hamilton added: “We have some things we need to work on, it's still not perfect and we're still not able to match the Red Bulls, or the Ferraris, currently.
“Who knows where we'll be next week, we'll just try to stay positive."