F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton backed to ‘reinvent himself’ after racing

Lewis Hamilton has been backed to “reinvent himself” in a “second or third career” after racing by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has endured a difficult season off the back of controversially missing out on a record eighth title in Abu Dhabi last year.

The 37-year-old is yet to win a race in 2022 and is currently fifth in the Driver Standings, with Red Bull and Ferrari producing a quicker car than Mercedes after a change in regulations.

While the Silver Arrows are hopeful of being back in the hunt in 2023, Mercedes CEO Wolff praised Hamilton’s “intelligence” in analysing his remaining years in the sport, with Hamilton himself saying that he can see himself continuing for another five years despite his numerous interests outside of racing.

Follow F1 updates with The Independent after Max Verstappen claimed a dominant win in Mexico

F1 NEWS AND UPDATES

• Lewis Hamilton backed to ‘reinvent himself’ in ‘second or third career’ by Toto Wolff

• Max Verstappen overtakes Michael Schumacher as record-breaking season continues

• Yet Verstappen accuses Sky Sports of being ‘disrespectful’ after Red Bull boycott

• COMMENT: Red Bull’s self-made headlines take shine off Max Verstappen’s stardust

• Hamilton believes ‘social media is getting more toxic’ amid Red Bull and Sky spat

F1 news: OPINION: Red Bull’s punishment isn’t just unfair – it could ruin F1 forever

17:17 , Kieran Jackson

Today, the FIA proved to the world once again that they do not have what it takes to adjudicate over their own sport.

Red Bull Racing, found to be guilty by an FIA investigation of a “minor breach” of the budget cap last season, have been punished under the terms of an ‘Accepted Breach Agreement’ (ABA) with a $7m fine and a minor development penalty on next season’s car.

Red Bull fans have been quick to point out what they believe to be the key word – “minor”, meaning that the team overspent by 5 per cent or under of the total budget cap. Whilst this is easily written off for some, others (including myself) are not so easily distracted from the fact that this is blatant cheating.

A reminder: the budget cap for the 2021 season was a massive $145m, with this “minor” breach seeing Red Bull having used an extra $2.2m denied to other teams. It begs the obvious question – why have a cost cap if you can break it and face such minor penalties?

Now, within the wider context of the cash-soaked sport, it is a fairly menial sum of money by which Red Bull have overspent, but F1 is defined by the tightest of tight margins and milliseconds. Few will need reminding that Max Verstappen won the 2021 championship on the final lap of the final race by a little over two seconds. I can scarcely believe I’m having to spell it out, but in my book (and evidently and rather dumbfoundingly, not in the FIA’s), cheating is cheating.

Who knows how many hundredths of a second those extra millions shaved off that car’s times last season? Any competitive advantage gained by any extra spending should be scrutinised by the penny and punished under one clear and coherent set of guidelines.

Opinion: Red Bull’s punishment isn’t just unfair – it could ruin F1 forever

F1 news: Max Verstappen accuses Sky Sports of being ‘disrespectful’ after Red Bull boycott

17:00 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen accused Sky Sports of being “disrespectful” and “living in the past” after Red Bull boycotted the broadcaster at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Verstappen and his entire Red Bull team – including Christian Horner – refused to address Sky on Sunday. Their unprecedented stance came a week after Sky Sports’ pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz said Lewis Hamilton was last year “robbed” of an eighth world championship.

It is understood Red Bull have grown increasingly frustrated with Sky’s coverage since the contentious Abu Dhabi finale. Sky Sports declined to comment when contacted by PA.

Confronting the subject after he won for a record-breaking 14th time in one season on Sunday, Verstappen said: “It had nothing to do with this weekend but this year. It has been a constant kind of digging and being disrespectful, especially from one particular person. At one point it is enough and I don’t accept it.

“You cannot live in the past and you have to move on. Social media is a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better.”

Max Verstappen accuses Sky Sports of being ‘disrespectful’ after Red Bull boycott

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton set for new Mercedes contract to stay in Formula 1

16:43 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton is set to extend his Formula One career beyond his 40th birthday after he revealed he will thrash out a new deal with Mercedes in the coming months.

Hamilton’s £40million-a-year contract with the team expires at the end of next season. But the seven-time world champion, who turns 38 in January, wants to continue his record-breaking journey in the sport, with a multiple-year extension set to carry him into his forties.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “We are going to do another deal. We are going to sit down and discuss it in these next couple of months.”

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 after bursting on to the Formula One scene with McLaren in 2007. The Stevenage-born driver, who has the most victories and pole positions in F1 history – and shares the record of seven world championships with Michael Schumacher – has been supported by the Silver Arrows since his childhood.

Hamilton has endured a turbulent campaign in his uncompetitive Mercedes machinery this season, while there were question marks over whether he would even return to F1 following his contentious championship defeat against Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year.

However, Hamilton continued: “I want to keep racing. I love what I do. I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I don’t feel that I should have to stop. I think I am currently still earning my keep. I still want to do better.

“I could stop now and I have lots of other things in the pipeline that I will be super-focused and super-busy with. I’m here for the sheer love of working in the organisation that I’m in. So you are stuck with me for quite a bit longer. My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13. It really is my family.”

Lewis Hamilton set for new Mercedes contract to stay in Formula 1

F1 news: COMMENT - Red Bull’s self-made headlines take shine off Max Verstappen’s stardust

16:20 , Kieran Jackson

It’s now there in black and white: the supremacy of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team this season is officially unmatched. The world champion’s cruise to the chequered flag at the Mexico City Grand Prix – his 14^th win of the season, Red Bull’s 16^th – saw the flying Dutchman break Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record for victories in a single season and, with two races to go, there’s every chance Verstappen will add to that tally and in doing so set a likely insurmountable haul for the future.

A mammoth achievement, no doubt, even if there are more Grand Prix than ever before. Yet for Verstappen’s triumph, the headlines afterwards were not on his record-breaking victory. Rather than all the focus being on his unflappable charge to the line, a fresh narrative was simmering.

News that Red Bull had boycotted Sky Sports in Mexico City reverberated quickly around the paddock. Seemingly a response to pit reporter Ted Kravitz’s claim in Austin that Lewis Hamilton was “robbed” of an eighth world championship in Abu Dhabi last year, Verstappen insists he felt the coverage had been “disrespectful.”

“It has been a constant kind of digging and being disrespectful, especially from one particular person,” he said. “At one point it is enough and I don’t accept it. You cannot live in the past and you have to move on. Social media a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better.

Christian Horner, bullish as ever, added that it “won’t have done Sky any harm for us to lay down a marker.” What marker is that then? Kravitz, supremely popular with fans for his instinctive rambling and intrinsic technical knowledge of the sport, won’t alter his oddly captivating approach to broadcasting.

Red Bull’s self-made headlines take shine off Max Verstappen’s stardust

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton responds to boos from crowd at Mexican Grand Prix

16:00 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said it was “awkward” to be booed by the Mexican Grand Prix crowd after he finished runner-up to Max Verstappen.

Verstappen claimed his 14th win of the season to move ahead of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel and stand on his own as the Formula One driver with the most victories in a single campaign.

Mercedes hoped a different tyre strategy to Red Bull in Mexico City would propel Hamilton to both his, and the team’s, first win of the campaign. But the seven-time world champion had no answer to Verstappen, crossing the line 15.1 seconds behind his rival.

As he conducted his post-race interview, Hamilton was heavily jeered by the Red Bull-supporting crowd with Verstappen’s team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez completing the podium.

Perez pleaded with his fans to stop booing by wagging his finger.

‘It’s been a bit awkward’: Hamilton responds to boos from crowd at Mexican Grand Prix

F1 news: Christian Horner insists 2021 F1 title win was ‘fair’ despite Red Bull’s £6m cost cap fine

15:39 , Kieran Jackson

Christian Horner said Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to last year’s world championship “fair and square” after Red Bull were fined £6million for breaking Formula One’s financial rules.

The FIA confirmed in Mexico City on Friday that Red Bull – the team which carried Verstappen to the most contentious title in the sport’s history – overspent by £1.86m. Red Bull have entered into a so-called Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) with F1’s governing body. In addition to the fine, Red Bull have had their wind tunnel time reduced by 10 per cent over the next 12 months – a punishment Horner called “draconian” and claimed will cost his team up to half-a-second in lap time.

The ABA – which ensures Red Bull lose any right to appeal – avoids the team risking a harsher punishment which might have included the deduction of points and Hamilton being instated as last year’s title winner.

Hamilton was denied a record eighth world crown when former race director Michael Masi fudged the safety car rules at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen took the title by eight points. McLaren boss Zak Brown wrote to FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem earlier this month to say a financial breach “constitutes cheating”.

However, the FIA concluded that Red Bull “did not act in bad faith, dishonestly or in a fraudulent manner” when it broke the £114m budget cap.

“I don’t think it has overshadowed Max’s achievements,” said Red Bull team principal Horner. “Inevitably there was so much noise about last year’s championship anyway. And when this comes up and you hear about it for the first time in Singapore and all the noise comes again.

“But Max Verstappen won last year’s world championship fair and square. He did what he had to do on the day. He did his job. The team did our job. He won the race. He is the world champion. What we are talking about here had no effect whatsoever on the performance of his car last year.”

Christian Horner insists 2021 F1 title win was ‘fair’ despite Red Bull’s £6m fine

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton believes ‘social media is getting more toxic’ amid Red Bull and Sky spat

15:24 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said “we should all come off social media”, describing the online platforms as increasingly toxic. The seven-time world champion, who has more than 30 million followers on Instagram and almost eight million on Twitter, made the claim following Red Bull’s Sky boycott at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen and his entire Red Bull team – including Christian Horner – refused to speak to the broadcaster on Sunday, a week after pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz said Hamilton was “robbed” of an eighth world championship at last year’s much-debated season finale in Abu Dhabi.

“Social media is a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better,” said Verstappen when asked about the reasons behind Red Bull’s boycott. Hamilton, who finished runner-up to Verstappen in Mexico City, added: “Social media is getting more and more toxic as the years go on and we should all come off it, ultimately.

“Mental health is such a prominent thing right now. So many people are reading the comments, the stuff that people say, and it is hurtful. Fortunately I don’t read it, but the media platforms need to do more to protect people, particularly young kids and women. At the moment they are not doing that so I think this (online hate) will just continue.”

Hamilton, 37, is a regular user of social media. In Mexico, he posted a picture celebrating victory over Fernando Alonso at the United States Grand Prix during their fractious season together at McLaren in 2007. He accompanied the photograph with a thumbs-up emoji.

Lewis Hamilton says ‘social media is getting more toxic’ amid Red Bull and Sky spat

F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo will ‘struggle’ to land top seat in 2024, says ex-F1 world champion

15:01 , Kieran Jackson

Jenson Button believes that Daniel Ricciardo will “really struggle” to land a seat at a “competitive” F1 team in 2024.

The popular Australian was dropped by McLaren a year early, with compatriot and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri replacing him next year. The 33-year-old, who has raced in Formula 1 for eleven-and-a-half seasons, will miss the 2023 season having been unable to land a seat elsewhere.

Ricciardo, an eight-time Grand Prix winner, has been heavily linked with a reserve driver role at Mercedes but admitted after Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix that he is still in the dark regarding his future. However 2009 world champion Button is concerned that Ricciardo’s approach - with the target of returning to a top seat in 2024 - may backfire.

“Most of this season Daniel hasn’t been on the pace of Lando [Norris] and quite a bit off at times, so it’s the right move for the team,” Button said, on Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday show.

“For Daniel, it’s a tricky situation. I guess he didn’t want to drop too far down the grid and work with a team that’s more towards the rear because it’s difficult for a driver coming from a team that is almost winning races at times to suddenly know you’re fighting for points.”

Daniel Ricciardo will ‘struggle’ to land top seat in 2024, says ex-F1 world champion

F1 news: Charles Leclerc ‘hurt’ by Ferrari performance after weekend to forget in Mexico

14:42 , Kieran Jackson

Charles Leclerc insists the performance of Ferrari “hurt” after the Scuderia failed to fire over the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. The Monegasque driver finished sixth in Mexico City, a place behind team-mate Carlos Sainz, in an uneventful race for Ferrari in the midfield.

Leclerc is now five points behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with two races to go - Brazil and Abu Dhabi - and has not won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix in early July. Beyond that though, Leclerc was concerned how far off the pace Ferrari were on Sunday, given they finished over a minute behind race winner Max Verstappen.

“The thing that hurts is that I feel we’ve maximised everything (on race day) and even though we’ve done that, we are one minute away from Max, a huge difference,” Leclerc said.

“We need to look into that and make our bad days better, mostly because whenever we have a bad day on the Sunday it seems to be a really bad day.”

Sainz, who has dropped below Lewis Hamilton to sixth in the Driver Standings, endured a similarly dull race in fifth place but - after two DNFs in a row - was simply pleased to see the chequered flag.

Charles Leclerc ‘hurt’ by Ferrari performance after weekend to forget in Mexico

F1 news: Max Verstappen ‘incredibly proud’ of F1 season race wins record

14:20 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen admits he is “incredibly proud” after breaking Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record for the most wins in an F1 season.

In cruising to a 14th victory of the season in Mexico City on Sunday, Verstappen overtook the German duo to make history - and can stretch that haul of wins to 16 with victory at the remaining races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

It is another milestone in a historic year for the 25-year-old, who has strolled to the World Championship a year after claiming his maiden crown in controversial fashion in a thrilling title battle with Lewis Hamilton at Yas Marina.

“It’s just an incredible season for us as a team,” said Verstappen after the win in Mexico. “I never thought I would be able to win 14 races in a year. But yeah, of course, I’m incredibly proud.

“I just live in the moment. I just try to, of course, do the best I can every single weekend. I try to win the races and that, for me, is the most important. Every single weekend when I go home, and I can say to myself that I maximised or close to that I’m happy.”

Max Verstappen ‘incredibly proud’ of F1 season race wins record

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton backed to ‘reinvent himself’ in ‘second or third career’ by Toto Wolff

13:59 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton has been backed to “reinvent himself” in a “second or third career” after racing by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Seven-time world champion Hamilton has endured a difficult season off the back of controversially missing out on a record eighth title in Abu Dhabi last year.

The 37-year-old is yet to win a race in 2022 and is currently fifth in the Driver Standings, with Red Bull and Ferrari producing a quicker car than Mercedes after a change in regulations.

While the Silver Arrows are hopeful of being back in the hunt in 2023, Mercedes CEO Wolff praised Hamilton’s “intelligence” in analysing his remaining years in the sport, with Hamilton himself saying that he can see himself continuing for another five years.

“Lewis is totally mature and conscious about where he stands in his career,” Wolff told the Performance People podcast. “He’s not being led by his emotions, like I’ve seen with sportspeople that think it can go on forever and trying to hang on to it.

“Lewis is rational and intelligent about it. He says ‘I know I have a shelf life as a racing driver’. Lewis knows that one day he will not be the best himself anymore. That hasn’t happened yet. But we’ve been talking about it. He said ‘I’d love to continue…do you think we can do another five to 10 years?’ But this is more jokingly.”

Lewis Hamilton backed to ‘reinvent himself’ in ‘second or third career’ by Toto Wolff

F1 news: RACE REPORT - Max Verstappen cruises to comfortable win at Mexican Grand Prix

13:40 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen put Red Bull’s off-track dramas to one side to win the Mexican Grand Prix and claim the record of most victories in a Formula One season.

Forty-eight hours after Red Bull were fined £6million for breaking the sport’s financial rules – before the team went on to boycott Sky Sports’ coverage – Verstappen claimed his 14th win of the year.

Michael Schumacher won 13 of the 18 races staged in 2004. Sebastian Vettel recorded the same number of wins from 19 rounds in 2013. But Verstappen now stands alone as the driver with the most wins in a single campaign.

Lewis Hamilton hoped a different tyre strategy to Verstappen would propel him to his first win of the year. But he crossed the line 15.1 seconds behind Verstappen, with Sergio Perez third. George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes.

Verstappen cruises to comfortable win at Mexican Grand Prix with Hamilton second

F1 news: OPINION: Red Bull’s punishment isn’t just unfair – it could ruin F1 forever

13:19 , Kieran Jackson

Today, the FIA proved to the world once again that they do not have what it takes to adjudicate over their own sport.

Red Bull Racing, found to be guilty by an FIA investigation of a “minor breach” of the budget cap last season, have been punished under the terms of an ‘Accepted Breach Agreement’ (ABA) with a $7m fine and a minor development penalty on next season’s car.

Red Bull fans have been quick to point out what they believe to be the key word – “minor”, meaning that the team overspent by 5 per cent or under of the total budget cap. Whilst this is easily written off for some, others (including myself) are not so easily distracted from the fact that this is blatant cheating.

A reminder: the budget cap for the 2021 season was a massive $145m, with this “minor” breach seeing Red Bull having used an extra $2.2m denied to other teams. It begs the obvious question – why have a cost cap if you can break it and face such minor penalties?

Now, within the wider context of the cash-soaked sport, it is a fairly menial sum of money by which Red Bull have overspent, but F1 is defined by the tightest of tight margins and milliseconds. Few will need reminding that Max Verstappen won the 2021 championship on the final lap of the final race by a little over two seconds. I can scarcely believe I’m having to spell it out, but in my book (and evidently and rather dumbfoundingly, not in the FIA’s), cheating is cheating.

Who knows how many hundredths of a second those extra millions shaved off that car’s times last season? Any competitive advantage gained by any extra spending should be scrutinised by the penny and punished under one clear and coherent set of guidelines.

Opinion: Red Bull’s punishment isn’t just unfair – it could ruin F1 forever

F1 news: Max Verstappen overtakes Michael Schumacher as record-breaking season continues

12:59 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen earned an unprecedented 14th race win in a Formula One season with Sunday’s victory in Mexico. The 25-year-old Dutchman broke the record previously held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, albeit in a longer season.

Schumacher won 13 races out of 18 in the 2004 season and Vettel 13 of 19 in 2013, with Verstappen matching the latter by winning the United States Grand Prix a week ago before moving out on his own on Sunday.

With Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi still to come, he can still get up to 16 wins this season.

It is notable that he has achieved it with far fewer pole positions than either Vettel or Schumacher, who had nine and eight respectively while Verstappen’s in Mexico was only his sixth of the campaign.

As it stands, Verstappen has won 70 per cent of races this season, a mark that would rank equal-third all time with Jim Clark. Should he win both remaining races to make it 16 out of 22, that 72.7 per cent figure would lift him to second.

Alberto Ascari won six out of eight in 1952 for a record 75 per cent win rate, while Schumacher’s 13 out of 18 equates to 72.2. Clark had the only other 70 per cent season with seven wins out of 10 in 1963.

Max Verstappen overtakes Michael Schumacher as record-breaking season continues

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton set for new Mercedes contract to stay in Formula 1

12:40 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton is set to extend his Formula One career beyond his 40th birthday after he revealed he will thrash out a new deal with Mercedes in the coming months.

Hamilton’s £40million-a-year contract with the team expires at the end of next season. But the seven-time world champion, who turns 38 in January, wants to continue his record-breaking journey in the sport, with a multiple-year extension set to carry him into his forties.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix, Hamilton said: “We are going to do another deal. We are going to sit down and discuss it in these next couple of months.”

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 after bursting on to the Formula One scene with McLaren in 2007. The Stevenage-born driver, who has the most victories and pole positions in F1 history – and shares the record of seven world championships with Michael Schumacher – has been supported by the Silver Arrows since his childhood.

Hamilton has endured a turbulent campaign in his uncompetitive Mercedes machinery this season, while there were question marks over whether he would even return to F1 following his contentious championship defeat against Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year.

However, Hamilton continued: “I want to keep racing. I love what I do. I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I don’t feel that I should have to stop. I think I am currently still earning my keep. I still want to do better.

“I could stop now and I have lots of other things in the pipeline that I will be super-focused and super-busy with. I’m here for the sheer love of working in the organisation that I’m in. So you are stuck with me for quite a bit longer. My goal is to continue to be with Mercedes. I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13. It really is my family.”

Lewis Hamilton set for new Mercedes contract to stay in Formula 1

F1 news: COMMENT - Red Bull’s self-made headlines take shine off Max Verstappen’s stardust

12:18 , Kieran Jackson

It’s now there in black and white: the supremacy of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team this season is officially unmatched. The world champion’s cruise to the chequered flag at the Mexico City Grand Prix – his 14^th win of the season, Red Bull’s 16^th – saw the flying Dutchman break Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s record for victories in a single season and, with two races to go, there’s every chance Verstappen will add to that tally and in doing so set a likely insurmountable haul for the future.

A mammoth achievement, no doubt, even if there are more Grand Prix than ever before. Yet for Verstappen’s triumph, the headlines afterwards were not on his record-breaking victory. Rather than all the focus being on his unflappable charge to the line, a fresh narrative was simmering.

News that Red Bull had boycotted Sky Sports in Mexico City reverberated quickly around the paddock. Seemingly a response to pit reporter Ted Kravitz’s claim in Austin that Lewis Hamilton was “robbed” of an eighth world championship in Abu Dhabi last year, Verstappen insists he felt the coverage had been “disrespectful.”

“It has been a constant kind of digging and being disrespectful, especially from one particular person,” he said. “At one point it is enough and I don’t accept it. You cannot live in the past and you have to move on. Social media a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better.

Christian Horner, bullish as ever, added that it “won’t have done Sky any harm for us to lay down a marker.” What marker is that then? Kravitz, supremely popular with fans for his instinctive rambling and intrinsic technical knowledge of the sport, won’t alter his oddly captivating approach to broadcasting.

Red Bull’s self-made headlines take shine off Max Verstappen’s stardust

F1 news: Fernando Alonso hints Lewis Hamilton had easier ride than Max Verstappen on road to F1 glory

11:58 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso has claimed Lewis Hamilton’s world championships are not as valuable as those won by Max Verstappen.

Hamilton shares the record of seven titles with Michael Schumacher, but speaking ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, Alonso, 41, suggested both men owed their success to only having to beat their respective team-mates.

Alonso won consecutive championships in 2005 and 2006 with Renault – bringing Schumacher’s era of dominance to an end – while Verstappen saw off Hamilton in last season’s deeply contentious title fight. The Dutchman followed that up by securing this season’s title with four rounds to spare in his superior Red Bull machinery.

Hamilton beat Ferrari’s Felipe Massa to win his maiden title in 2008 with McLaren. He also saw off Sebastian Vettel – in a Mercedes, which at times was not as strong as the German’s Ferrari – to win the 2017 and 2018 championships.

“I have a lot of respect for Lewis, but it is different when you win seven world titles and you only had to fight with your team-mate,” said Alonso in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

“A championship has less value when you have fewer titles, but have had to fight against other drivers with equal or even better material. In 2005 and 2006, I had a good start to the year myself and was able to create a lead. Then others might have had a better car, but I was able to manage that gap.”

Alonso hints Hamilton had easier ride than Verstappen on road to glory

F1 news: Christian Horner insists 2021 F1 title win was ‘fair’ despite Red Bull’s £6m cost cap fine

11:41 , Kieran Jackson

Christian Horner said Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to last year’s world championship “fair and square” after Red Bull were fined £6million for breaking Formula One’s financial rules.

The FIA confirmed in Mexico City on Friday that Red Bull – the team which carried Verstappen to the most contentious title in the sport’s history – overspent by £1.86m. Red Bull have entered into a so-called Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) with F1’s governing body. In addition to the fine, Red Bull have had their wind tunnel time reduced by 10 per cent over the next 12 months – a punishment Horner called “draconian” and claimed will cost his team up to half-a-second in lap time.

The ABA – which ensures Red Bull lose any right to appeal – avoids the team risking a harsher punishment which might have included the deduction of points and Hamilton being instated as last year’s title winner.

Hamilton was denied a record eighth world crown when former race director Michael Masi fudged the safety car rules at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen took the title by eight points. McLaren boss Zak Brown wrote to FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem earlier this month to say a financial breach “constitutes cheating”.

However, the FIA concluded that Red Bull “did not act in bad faith, dishonestly or in a fraudulent manner” when it broke the £114m budget cap.

“I don’t think it has overshadowed Max’s achievements,” said Red Bull team principal Horner. “Inevitably there was so much noise about last year’s championship anyway. And when this comes up and you hear about it for the first time in Singapore and all the noise comes again.

“But Max Verstappen won last year’s world championship fair and square. He did what he had to do on the day. He did his job. The team did our job. He won the race. He is the world champion. What we are talking about here had no effect whatsoever on the performance of his car last year.”

Christian Horner insists 2021 F1 title win was ‘fair’ despite Red Bull’s £6m fine

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton responds to boos from crowd at Mexican Grand Prix

11:22 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said it was “awkward” to be booed by the Mexican Grand Prix crowd after he finished runner-up to Max Verstappen.

Verstappen claimed his 14th win of the season to move ahead of Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel and stand on his own as the Formula One driver with the most victories in a single campaign.

Mercedes hoped a different tyre strategy to Red Bull in Mexico City would propel Hamilton to both his, and the team’s, first win of the campaign. But the seven-time world champion had no answer to Verstappen, crossing the line 15.1 seconds behind his rival.

As he conducted his post-race interview, Hamilton was heavily jeered by the Red Bull-supporting crowd with Verstappen’s team-mate and home favourite Sergio Perez completing the podium.

Perez pleaded with his fans to stop booing by wagging his finger.

‘It’s been a bit awkward’: Hamilton responds to boos from crowd at Mexican Grand Prix

F1 news: Charles Leclerc ‘hurt’ by Ferrari performance after weekend to forget in Mexico

10:59 , Kieran Jackson

Charles Leclerc insists the performance of Ferrari “hurt” after the Scuderia failed to fire over the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. The Monegasque driver finished sixth in Mexico City, a place behind team-mate Carlos Sainz, in an uneventful race for Ferrari in the midfield.

Leclerc is now five points behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez with two races to go - Brazil and Abu Dhabi - and has not won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix in early July. Beyond that though, Leclerc was concerned how far off the pace Ferrari were on Sunday, given they finished over a minute behind race winner Max Verstappen.

“The thing that hurts is that I feel we’ve maximised everything (on race day) and even though we’ve done that, we are one minute away from Max, a huge difference,” Leclerc said.

“We need to look into that and make our bad days better, mostly because whenever we have a bad day on the Sunday it seems to be a really bad day.”

Sainz, who has dropped below Lewis Hamilton to sixth in the Driver Standings, endured a similarly dull race in fifth place but - after two DNFs in a row - was simply pleased to see the chequered flag.

Charles Leclerc ‘hurt’ by Ferrari performance after weekend to forget in Mexico

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton believes ‘social media is getting more toxic’ amid Red Bull and Sky spat

10:45 , Kieran Jackson

Lewis Hamilton said “we should all come off social media”, describing the online platforms as increasingly toxic. The seven-time world champion, who has more than 30 million followers on Instagram and almost eight million on Twitter, made the claim following Red Bull’s Sky boycott at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen and his entire Red Bull team – including Christian Horner – refused to speak to the broadcaster on Sunday, a week after pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz said Hamilton was “robbed” of an eighth world championship at last year’s much-debated season finale in Abu Dhabi.

“Social media is a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better,” said Verstappen when asked about the reasons behind Red Bull’s boycott. Hamilton, who finished runner-up to Verstappen in Mexico City, added: “Social media is getting more and more toxic as the years go on and we should all come off it, ultimately.

“Mental health is such a prominent thing right now. So many people are reading the comments, the stuff that people say, and it is hurtful. Fortunately I don’t read it, but the media platforms need to do more to protect people, particularly young kids and women. At the moment they are not doing that so I think this (online hate) will just continue.”

Hamilton, 37, is a regular user of social media. In Mexico, he posted a picture celebrating victory over Fernando Alonso at the United States Grand Prix during their fractious season together at McLaren in 2007. He accompanied the photograph with a thumbs-up emoji.

Lewis Hamilton says ‘social media is getting more toxic’ amid Red Bull and Sky spat

F1 news: Max Verstappen accuses Sky Sports of being ‘disrespectful’ after Red Bull boycott

10:29 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen accused Sky Sports of being “disrespectful” and “living in the past” after Red Bull boycotted the broadcaster at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Verstappen and his entire Red Bull team – including Christian Horner – refused to address Sky on Sunday. Their unprecedented stance came a week after Sky Sports’ pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz said Lewis Hamilton was last year “robbed” of an eighth world championship.

It is understood Red Bull have grown increasingly frustrated with Sky’s coverage since the contentious Abu Dhabi finale. Sky Sports declined to comment when contacted by PA.

Confronting the subject after he won for a record-breaking 14th time in one season on Sunday, Verstappen said: “It had nothing to do with this weekend but this year. It has been a constant kind of digging and being disrespectful, especially from one particular person. At one point it is enough and I don’t accept it.

“You cannot live in the past and you have to move on. Social media is a very toxic place and if you are constantly being like that live on TV then you are making it worse instead of trying to make it better.”

Max Verstappen accuses Sky Sports of being ‘disrespectful’ after Red Bull boycott

F1 news: Max Verstappen overtakes Michael Schumacher as record-breaking season continues

10:10 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen earned an unprecedented 14th race win in a Formula One season with Sunday’s victory in Mexico. The 25-year-old Dutchman broke the record previously held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, albeit in a longer season.

Schumacher won 13 races out of 18 in the 2004 season and Vettel 13 of 19 in 2013, with Verstappen matching the latter by winning the United States Grand Prix a week ago before moving out on his own on Sunday.

With Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi still to come, he can still get up to 16 wins this season.

It is notable that he has achieved it with far fewer pole positions than either Vettel or Schumacher, who had nine and eight respectively while Verstappen’s in Mexico was only his sixth of the campaign.

As it stands, Verstappen has won 70 per cent of races this season, a mark that would rank equal-third all time with Jim Clark. Should he win both remaining races to make it 16 out of 22, that 72.7 per cent figure would lift him to second.

Alberto Ascari won six out of eight in 1952 for a record 75 per cent win rate, while Schumacher’s 13 out of 18 equates to 72.2. Clark had the only other 70 per cent season with seven wins out of 10 in 1963.