F1 news LIVE: Ferrari’s plan to overhaul Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s hope for George Russell

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is next on the F1 calendar, with Max Verstappen brimming with confidence after edging out Carlos Sainz to take victory at the Canadian Grand Prix and further extend his championship lead. With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings. Sainz was fast in the closing stages following a period behind the safety car but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton - the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

“The safety car didn’t help,” Verstappen said. “Overall Ferrari were really quick in the race. It was really exciting in the end. I was giving it everything I had, and I could see Carlos was doing the same. The last few laps were a lot of fun. Luckily this year we are quick on the straights so that helps a lot.” Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell continued his record of top-five finishes all season as he took fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc, who recovered from starting 19th to claim a decent haul of points for Ferrari. The Alpines were sixth and seventh, Esteban Ocon managing to finish ahead of Fernando Alonso, while Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou and local favourite Lance Stroll rounded out the points.

Follow all the latest F1 news, the countdown to Silverstone and reaction to a thrilling Canadian Grand Prix:

F1 news

• Hamilton hopes Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

• Sainz details what Ferrari must do to overhaul Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes against ‘too many experiments’ before British Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 20:01 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton has said he hopes his team avoid ‘too many experiments’ ahead of next month’s British Grand Prix, as the Mercedes driver looks to capitalise on his joint-best finish of the season.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton missed out on the title last year on the final lap of the season, in a controversial finish involving eventual champion Max Verstappen. While the Red Bull man leads the drivers’ standings with six wins from nine races so far in 2022, Hamilton has been struggling.

The Briton has scored just two podiums, with third-placed finishes in the season-opener in Bahrain and last weekend’s Canadian GP. Still, Hamilton is keen to build on Sunday’s result as he prepares for the British GP, where he has more race wins than any driver in F1 history.

The 37-year-old’s eight victories at Silverstone also make the track Hamilton’s joint-favourite, alongside the Hungaroring in Hungary.

Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes against ‘too many experiments’ before British GP

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Tuesday 21 June 2022 19:45 , Michael Jones

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes their struggles with ‘porpoising’ have been “solved” as Red Bull reacted furiously to the intervention of the FIA at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend.

Wolff has said his team worked out a solution for the issue at the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona only to struggle with the low ride of the W13 on the bumpy street tracks in Monaco and Azerbaijan.

It led to both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffering from physical pain as a result of the ‘bouncing’ and, in response, triggered a technical directive from the FIA over concerns of driver safety ahead of the Montreal race.

Wolff’s Red Bull counterpart, Christian Horner, has accused Mercedes and their drivers of overplaying their safety concerns as an excuse for poor performance and said the FIA’s intervention was “overtly biased” in the team’s favour.

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Tuesday 21 June 2022 19:30 , Michael Jones

Lando Norris is “conflicted” about FIA‘s plans to introduce changes to reduce or eliminate the “porpoising” problem affecting this season’s cars, but added that driver safety was paramount.

F1 introduced a radical rules overhaul this year that has seen cars generate a significant chunk of their downforce from the underside of the floor.

This has led to the “porpoising”, in which the cars bounce dramatically at high speeds, like the motion of a porpoise through water.

Concern reached new levels at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton struggled to get out of his Mercedes at the end of a punishing race.

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Peerless Max Verstappen could race away with 2022 F1 title after superb Canada victory

Tuesday 21 June 2022 19:15 , Michael Jones

Once a late safety car had drawn them close together around the parkland streets of Montreal, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were threatening to produce a thoroughey thrilling end to Sunday’s Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, as two men driving the fastest cars in the field set off on a 15-lap shootout for victory.

Sainz, the Ferrari driver who through a combination of poor fortune and fundamental errors has fallen by the wayside in this season’s title fight already, was clambering all over Verstappen’s gearbox in the final portion of the race as he hunted his first victory in the top tier of motorsport. Separated by less than a second, on fresher tyres, and with the marginally quicker car on the day, the 27-year-old Spaniard seemed destined to pass his former teammate and step onto the top step of the podium for the first time in his eight-season career.

On each tour of the circuit before the chequered flag was waved, Sainz was able to use the assistance of F1’s DRS system to draw himself in towards Verstappen’s rear wing along the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s long back straight. With the straight-line speed advantage afforded to him by DRS, making a pass just once in 15 attempts should have been possible.

Peerless Verstappen could race away with 2022 F1 title after superb Canada victory

Christian Horner claims ‘element of theatre’ in fiery team meeting filmed by Netflix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 19:00 , Michael Jones

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has claimed his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff brought “an element of theatre” into a meeting of F1 bosses that was reportedly filmed by Netflix for their Drive to Survive series.

It has been said that tensions at the Canadian Grand Prix spilled over when Horner, Wolff and the remainder of the team principles met with Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss the FIA’s controversial intervention on ‘porpoising’ regulations.

Wolff has accused other F1 bosses of “pitiful” and “disingenuous” behaviour in response to the FIA triggering a technical directive ahead of the Montreal race, which came following concerns over driver safety.

Horner opposed the changes and argued that Mercedes’ struggles with ‘porpoising’ and the bouncing of its W13 car at high speeds was down to its design, rather than the regulations.

Christian Horner claims ‘element of theatre’ in fiery team meeting filmed by Netflix

Norris ready for Silverstone

Tuesday 21 June 2022 18:45 , Michael Jones

After a difficult weekend in Canada with McLaren, Lando Norris is looking forward to returning to British shores and racing at Silverstone in a couple of week’s time.

He believes that the home fans will have a big impact on how McLaren fare in the race and is expecting to challenge for the points again.

“We have a few things in the pipeline for Silverstone and I cannot wait to get out there, in front of our home fans.” said Norris in an article for The Daily Telegraph.

“Just the drive into Silverstone is like nothing else, all that positive energy, from the marshals on the gates when you first arrive in the morning, to the fans waving union flags or wearing McLaren colours.

“You feed off the support. It makes a massive difference.”

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

Tuesday 21 June 2022 18:30 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton hopes to see Mercedes make fewer “experiments” with their car ahead of the British Grand Prix, with team-mate George Russell taking on more of a share over the remainder of the season.

The seven-time world champion claimed just his second podium finish of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend but was left frustrated by the Mercedes W13 car during practice.

Hamilton called the Mercedes “undrivable” and insisted their problems with ‘porpoising’ and ‘bouncing’ were “only getting worse” the more the team tinkered with the set-up of the W13.

Mercedes were eventually able to put Hamilton into position to finish third in Montreal, behind race winner Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, and the 37-year-old hopes the team have learned their lessons ahead of Silverstone.

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British Grand Prix, Martin Brundle claims

Tuesday 21 June 2022 18:15 , Michael Jones

Martin Brundle believes Mercedes “fancy their chances” at the British Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton snatched a place on the podium in Canada last weekend.

Mercedes have endured a torrid season so far with Hamilton and George Russell already out of the championship fight after struggling with their cars ‘porpoising’ issues.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, a despondent Hamilton described his Mercedes as “so bad” after a dire practice session while Toto Wolff has previously referred to the car as a “s***box”.

“The Mercedes team are so confusing for everyone at the moment, including themselves,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column. “On Friday Lewis declared the car was undriveable, which is indeed exactly how it looked, and he strongly intimated that it was now about making the best of a bad job for the rest of the long season.”

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British GP, says Martin Brundle

Martin Brundle advises Carlos Sainz how he can overcome ‘final hurdle’ in F1

Tuesday 21 June 2022 18:00 , Michael Jones

Carlos Sainz needs “greater accuracy and consistency” if he is to take the next step and win his first Formula One race for Ferrari, according to Martin Brundle.

Sainz finished runner-up to Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, the fifth time the Spanish driver had been second on the podium in his F1 career.

Sainz benefitted from a late safety car in Montreal that allowed him to push world champion Verstappen hard over the final 15 laps but he was unable to make the overtake as the first win of his F1 career eluded him.

Martin Brundle advises Carlos Sainz how he can overcome ‘final hurdle’ in F1

Nico Rosberg advises George Russell on life as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:52 , Michael Jones

Nico Rosberg says George Russell’s “phenomenal” form will provide ultra motivation for Lewis Hamilton because the seven-time world champion “hates” losing to a team-mate.

Hamilton, 37, claimed his first podium in almost three months when he finished third at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix – one place ahead of Russell in the other Mercedes.

But Russell, in his first season alongside Hamilton, is 34 points ahead of his more illustrious team-mate in the standings.

The result in Montreal on Sunday brought an end to a run of eight races – including Imola’s sprint round – where Hamilton has taken the chequered flag behind his compatriot.

Nico Rosberg advises George Russell on life as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate

‘It’s been an awesome race for us’ says Ocon

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:44 , Michael Jones

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was in an upbeat mood following the Canadian Grand Prix after finishing P6 – his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

The delighted Frenchman said his team should be “proud” of their performance in Montreal, believing they maximised their performance.

“It’s been an awesome race for us,” said Ocon on Sunday. “Compared to yesterday, we managed to get the car to work slightly better and that meant a lot because we maximised the potential today and finishing sixth and seventh [before the penalty to Fernando Alonso], with McLaren not scoring, is a big boost for us in the constructors’ championship.

“We can be pleased with that. A good start, I managed to overtake at the start and defend Charles [Leclerc] mid-race, but he was too quick in the end.

“It feels good to achieve a weekend like that with some big points that we deserve. It’s been quite a few weekends with outside factors happening but yeah it feels good for that one.”

Constructors’ standings after Red Bull win Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:37 , Michael Jones

Here are the current constructors’ standings after Red Bull won their sixth successive race at the Canadian Grand Prix.

1) Red Bull - 304

2) Ferrari - 228

3) Mercedes - 188

4) McLaren - 65

5) Alpine - 61

6) Alfa Romeo - 47

7) AlphaTauri - 27

8) Aston Martin - 16

9) Haas - 15

10) Williams - 3

Drivers standings after Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:30 , Michael Jones

Here are the current drivers’ standings after Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix.

1) Max Verstappen - 175

2) Sergio Perez - 129

3) Charles Leclerc - 126

4) George Russell - 111

5) Carlos Sainz - 102

6) Lewis Hamilton - 77

7) Lando Norris - 50

8) Valtteri Bottas - 44

9) Esteban Ocon - 39

10) Fernando Alonso - 22

11) Pierre Gasly - 16

12) Kevin Magnussen - 15

13) Daniel Ricciardo - 15

14) Sebastian Vettel - 13

15) Yuki Tsunoda - 11

16) Zhou Guanyu - 3

17) Alex Albon - 3

18 ) Lance Stroll - 3

19) Mick Schumacher - 0

20) Nico Hulkenberg - 0

21) Nicholas Latifi - 0

Wolff pleased with Mercedes progress in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:23 , Michael Jones

Toto Wolff is pleased with the progress Mercedes have made in Canada this weekend, and believes Lewis Hamitlon and George Russell could be competitive enough to challenge for the win at Silverstone next time out.

“They were both very good,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “We showed good pace today. In terms of performance they were both good in the race on different setups. The hairpin is where hey put new asphalt and we suffered less from stiffness there. I don’t think that’s the case [that we’re back], we need to keep working.

“We need to develop the car in a different window than we had. We had it really low on the ground and that clerly wasn’t working. You can’t drive it there, so we lift it and lift it and lift it, but then you lose downforce. It’s always a compromise. We need to own the problem and that’s what we’re doing. Before you embark on next season’s car you need to understand the problems first.

“Within the team Lewis was always positive. How the two work together is astonishing. I’m happy for him because he had the bad luck on his side so far this season, and he could have been on the podium a few times but safety cars stopped it. If we are able to run the car low then we can be competitive at Silverstone. So let’s see.”

‘We deserved more than ninth’ says Alonso

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:16 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso threatened a massive upset after finishing qualifying on the front row in P2 alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but engines issues and a bit of misfortune with the virtual safety car cost the Alpine valuable time during Sunday’s race before a five second penalty for weaving dropped the two-time world champion down to P9 after the race.

“Yeah, we were unlucky once more with the VSC,” said Alonso. “I was just on the start-finish line when it came and I was just entering the pits when it ended so we decided to stay out, so I was a little bit unlucky there. But the biggest problem was the engine, we had an engine problem in Lap 20 or something like that.

“I was losing, like, one second a lap with the engine deployment, and from that moment we forgot about the podium, or retiring the car, we were just staying on the DRS train with the cars in front just to defend. But it was very difficult to stay with Esteban [Ocon] or Charles [Leclerc] because on the straights we were losing one second.

“I think this weekend we deserved better than ninth position,” he added, “but it’s still good for both cars to score points in the end. We ultimately lost a big opportunity to fight for a potential podium as I felt like I had the pace to do so.”

Alonso handed Canadian Grand Prix time penalty for weaving

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:09 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso has been dropped back two places in the final standings of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix after receiving a five-second penalty for swerving while defending his position.

Alonso, who started second on the grid, was found to have broken the rules in his efforts to stop Valtteri Bottas passing, blocking any route through by swerving left and right repeatedly. The rules state that a defending driver may only make one move to block a car approaching from behind, and once they have chosen their move they must stick to it.

After the race Alonso, who finished seventh, explained his actions to the stewards but evidently they were not pursuaded, and handed down the punishment which pushes him back two spots behind Bottas and his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu, collecting two points instead of six.

Fernando Alonso handed Canadian Grand Prix time penalty for weaving

Alonso bemoans engine trouble and lack of luck

Tuesday 21 June 2022 17:02 , Michael Jones

After a stellar Q3 at the Canadian Grand Prix - where he finished second behind Max Verstappen - Alpine’s Fernando Alonso but could only finish seventh at the end of the race behind teammate Esteban Ocon.

Alonso was left ruing an engine issue which cost him speed in a straight line and a futher penalty for weaving dropped him down to ninth in what was a raceday to forget for the 40-year-old.

“On the safety car we were unlucky,” Alonso explained. “We decided to box just after the safety car ended. Other people behind us got lucky once more and overtook us.

“In Lap 20 or something I had an engine problem with the battery, I was clipping on the straights and losing eight tenths per lap. I had to overdrive in the corners to try to keep the pace and the DRS. It was a very difficult race.

“Still positive. The car was very quick this weekend. Without the engine problem we were P3 in the race ahead of Lewis. Without the engine problem that was still possible.”

Can Max Verstappen be stopped in his bid for a second straight F1 title?

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:56 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen raced to victory at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead to 46 points.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Carlos Sainz was fast in the closing stages following a period behind the safety car but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton - the man who Verstappen beat to his maiden world title in 2021.

Here we look at the factors which might stand in the way of Verstappen charging to his second title in succession:

Can Max Verstappen be stopped in his bid for a second straight F1 title?

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:50 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen was having a ball in his Red Bull as he held off a late charge from Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix and extend his championship lead.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Sainz was fast in the closing stages but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

His team-mate George Russell continued his record of top-five finishes all season as he took fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc, who recovered from starting 19th to claim a decent haul of points.

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

Canada GP a ‘frustrating’ race for Leclerc

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:44 , Michael Jones

Charles Leclerc was able to mitigate the damage caused by his lowly start by finishing fifth in the Canadian Grand Prix, but was left ruing a “frustrating” race.

“It was very frustrating actually,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports F1. “The last part was nice but obviously the very first part I was stuck in a DRS train and couldn’t do anything.

“Then in the middle part of the race I found myself stuck behind Esteban [Ocon] on much newer tyres so he had very good traction and that was enough to keep me behind.

“Then we had a slow pit stop and fell behind another DRS train, but the end was quite fun. I had to be aggressive to get more points and fifth is the best we could manage.

“Overall the feeling was good and that’s a good sign. Whether it would have been enough to Red Bull I don’t know, but it has been close all season and I felt like Carlos [Sainz] was quite strong today. This shows that it would have been close.”

Toto Wolff sends warning to Lewis Hamilton despite Canadian Grand Prix podium

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:38 , Michael Jones

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that “one swallow doesn’t make a summer” after the seven-time world champion secured his first podium in nearly three months at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton will head into his home race at the British Grand Prix a week on Sunday with renewed rigour after he recovered from a back injury in Azerbaijan to finish third in Montreal - his best result since the opening round in Bahrain on 27 March.

Max Verstappen took the chequered flag to claim his sixth win in nine appearances and the sixth in succession for the world champion’s in-form Red Bull team.

But Hamilton, already 98 points behind Verstappen in the standings, said he was “overwhelmed” to cross the line in third - a performance which provided the British driver with hope he could yet return to the winner’s circle this season.

Toto Wolff sends warning to Lewis Hamilton despite Canadian Grand Prix podium

Hamilton more hopeful after podium finish in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:31 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton says his third place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix has given him hope that Mercedes can return to competitiveness this year.

The seven-time champion had not scored a podium since the first race of the season in Bahrain but his result in Montreal ended a run of difficult races.

Hamilton has repeatedly been out-driven by teammate George Russell this season but a decision to switch to soft tyres in qualifying ultimately worked against the 24-year-old this weekend giving Hamilton the edge in the race by starting four places ahead his teammate.

Russell has finished in the top five of every race this season including Canada where he came from eighth in qualifying to end just behind Hamilton in fourth. His highly impressive form this season has led to questions about Hamilton’s future in F1 but it remains to be seen who will prove the faster driver by the end of the year.

“It has given me a lot of hope there is more to come from this car, that the potential is truly there if we can get the set-up right,” Hamilton said. “We are just trying to progress as a team,

“Moving forwards, we will be a little more cautious on doing too many experiments as it really does hinder you through the weekend, especially if you only have first and second practice in the dry.

“There are lots of learnings from this weekend and improvements we can make going forwards but really great pace today. It is so nice to see. That has not always been the case with this car.”

Lewis Hamilton ‘overwhelmed’ to finish on the podium at Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:24 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton was left feeling “ecstatic” with his second podium of the season as he rolled back the years to take third place at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion has struggled with his Mercedes this season and only just made it to Montreal.

The design of this year’s cars has led to some teams suffering from bouncing – known as porpoising – at high speeds, with Mercedes among the worst.

Hamilton needed assistance to get out of his car following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix a week ago and required acupuncture and cryotherapy on his back to make it to the grid.

Lewis Hamilton ‘overwhelmed’ to finish on the podium at Canadian Grand Prix

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:17 , Michael Jones

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes their struggles with ‘porpoising’ have been “solved” as Red Bull reacted furiously to the intervention of the FIA at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend.

Wolff has said his team worked out a solution for the issue at the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona only to struggle with the low ride of the W13 on the bumpy street tracks in Monaco and Azerbaijan.

It led to both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffering from physical pain as a result of the ‘bouncing’ and, in response, triggered a technical directive from the FIA over concerns of driver safety ahead of the Montreal race.

Wolff’s Red Bull counterpart, Christian Horner, has accused Mercedes and their drivers of overplaying their safety concerns as an excuse for poor performance and said the FIA’s intervention was “overtly biased” in the team’s favour.

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Russell on porpoising issues

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:09 , Michael Jones

George Russell has said the issue of porpoising – the car bouncing heavily at speed – remains a serious concern for Mercedes despite their improved showing in Canada.

“It was bumpy, it was definitely bumpy out there,” he told Sky F1. “We weren’t porpoising, we were just bouncing around a lot down the straight and just hitting the ground. So it’ll be a good sleep tonight again for sure.”

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Tuesday 21 June 2022 16:02 , Michael Jones

Lando Norris is “conflicted” about FIA‘s plans to introduce changes to reduce or eliminate the “porpoising” problem affecting this season’s cars, but added that driver safety was paramount.

F1 introduced a radical rules overhaul this year that has seen cars generate a significant chunk of their downforce from the underside of the floor.

This has led to the “porpoising”, in which the cars bounce dramatically at high speeds, like the motion of a porpoise through water.

Concern reached new levels at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton struggled to get out of his Mercedes at the end of a punishing race.

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Norris on FIA porpoising directive

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:55 , Michael Jones

Lando Norris admits to feeling a bit conflicted on the FIA’s decision to introduce a new technical directive to limit the effects of porpoising on the Formula 1 drivers.

Norris believes that driver safety must come first but as McLaren haven’t been hit with massive porpoising problems he is unsure about introducing new rules in the middle of a season.

In a column for the Daily Telegraph, Norris wrote: “It will be interesting to see whether the new FIA technical directive regarding porpoising has come into effect by [Silverstone]. The truth is we [McLaren] are not massively affected by porpoising, so we were not pushing for change. But safety has to come first.

“If there is a real danger that drivers could have long-term health consequences from the bouncing, or that they could lose focus and crash, then something has to be done. I can see both sides.

“The front two teams [Red Bull and Ferrari] have clearly done a much better job than anyone else of interpreting the rules, so I can see why they would be against change mid-season. At the same time, without having experienced the severity of porpoising that others have, I do not want to criticise anyone.

“Safety has to come first. My main concern is that it is fair for everyone – ideally you would implement any changes post-season – but inevitably it is going to affect some more than others.”

Christian Horner claims ‘element of theatre’ in fiery team meeting filmed by Netflix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:48 , Michael Jones

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has claimed his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff brought “an element of theatre” into a meeting of F1 bosses that was reportedly filmed by Netflix for their Drive to Survive series.

It has been said that tensions at the Canadian Grand Prix spilled over when Horner, Wolff and the remainder of the team principles met with Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali to discuss the FIA’s controversial intervention on ‘porpoising’ regulations.

Wolff has accused other F1 bosses of “pitiful” and “disingenuous” behaviour in response to the FIA triggering a technical directive ahead of the Montreal race, which came following concerns over driver safety.

Christian Horner claims ‘element of theatre’ in fiery team meeting filmed by Netflix

Rival F1 team boss behaviour “pitiful” and “disingenuous” says Wolff

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:41 , Michael Jones

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has slammed the behaviour of rival Formula 1 team bosses as “pitiful” and “disingenuous” amid the row over porpoising at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Following the FIA’s intervention to solve safety concerns expressed by a number of drivers, most vocally Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, over the ‘porpoising’ issues, Mercedes has found itself in the middle of a heated debate.

During Friday’s qualifying they ran with a second floor stay as allowed by the FIA’s pre-event technical directive but rival teams questioned whether or not the team had had advance notice of the changes to get them ready in time – something which Mercedes denied. Then it ws claimed that the stay was actually illegal as the FIA had not changed the regulations to allow it and it was removed for Saturday after Mercedes said it had not delivered any improvement.

Wolff believes that rival teams are briefing their drivers to play down safety concerns so as to not encourage the FIA to intervene even quicker and the disagreements between Mercedes and its rivals are understood to have reached a head in a meeting of team principals with Wolff expressing his anger at others for playing political games.

“This is a sport where you’re trying to keep a competitive advantage or gain it,” he told Autosport. “But this situation has clearly gone too far.

“All drivers, at least one in every team, have said that they were in pain after Baku, that they had difficulty in keeping the car on track or blurred vision.

“Team principals trying to manipulate what is being said in order to keep the competitive advantage and trying to play political games when the FIA tries to come up with a quick solution, to at least put the cars in a better position, is disingenuous. And that’s what I said.

“I’m not only talking about the Mercedes: all of the cars suffered in some way or other in Baku, and still do it here. The cars are too stiff. The cars bounce or whatever you want to call it.

“We have long term effects that we can’t even judge. But at any time this is a safety risk, and then coming up with little manipulations in the background, or Chinese whispers, or briefing the drivers, is just pitiful.”

‘It was proper racing’ says Verstappen on battle with Sainz

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:35 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix and extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 46 points after withstanding a late onslaught from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen was looking set for a relatively stress-free afternoon in Montreal, leading comfortably in the opening stages but a crash from Yuki Tsunoda brough the safety car out allowing Sainz to pit and close up behind the Red Bull. The pair then engaged in a fascinating 16-lap battle to the chequered flag with Verstappen holding onto first to win by just 0.993s.

“It was a tough race,” said the world champion, “I expected to have a little bit more pace, but we seemed to lack a little bit compared to Carlos… It was a bit more difficult than I expected.

“We did our strategy, and I think for us it worked, that was the right one to do. At that second stop, of course I had the fresher tyres and I was closing in on Carlos, but I wasn’t sure if I’d actually fully close that gap to the end of the race.

“But then the Safety Car came out and I was also not very happy with that, because then I knew of course he had fresh tyres behind me, and already with I think a little bit more pace compared to me… But the last 15, 16 laps, we were flat-out pushing to the limit, and I knew of course that I couldn’t make a mistake. But it was good racing. It’s always more enjoyable to be able to really push in a Formula 1 car instead of just saving your tyres.

“It was proper racing, proper pushing. I had my moments where I had a bit of oversteer, then I looked in the mirror and I saw Carlos having the same amount of moments! So it was really on the edge but that’s good to see.”

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz details how to overhaul Max Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:29 , Michael Jones

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has pinpointed a time delta of five or six-tenths of a second to Max Verstappen to be able to defeat the Formula 1 world champion.

The Spaniard was in hot pursuit of the Belgian-Dutch driver for the final 15 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix with a maiden F1 victory in sight.

But despite three DRS zones available at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Spaniard only twice came into range and was eventually forced to settle for second.

Sainz analysed the situation and challenge ahead both for himself and teammate Charles Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz details what Ferrari must do to overhaul Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen details key to defending Carlos Sainz to land Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:22 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen revealed that finding the perfect racing line at the corner before the DRS zones was decisive in holding off Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was the dominant force all weekend in Montreal and looked set for a comfortable victory until a safety car after Yuki Tsunoda crashed out tightened up the field in the closing stages.

It ensured a 15-lap shootout to decide the race and - despite being on slightly older tyres, as well as his pursuant having the benefit of DRS speed boosts - Verstappen demonstrated his incredible driving skill to keep Sainz at bay.

The Ferrari had greater straight-line speed and the long back straight at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve enabled the Spaniard to use DRS to get up to the Red Bull’s rear wing but he was unable to get past at either the final corner or Turn 1 of the following lap.

Max Verstappen details key to defending Carlos Sainz to land Canadian Grand Prix

Sainz pleased with Canadian GP performance despite losing to Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:15 , Michael Jones

Carlos Sainz had to make do with a second place behind Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix but the Spaniard is happy with the pace Ferrari showed last weekend.

“I was pushing flat out,” Sainz said after the race. “I wasn’t leaving any inch against the walls, I was trying everything to pace Max. We just didn’t have the pace delta to pass Max.

“We were faster all race but you just need a bit extra to make the pass. I am particularly happy with the race, with the way we managed to put pressure on Max the whole race.

“We were very close to winning today so I will take the positives into the next race.”

Verstappen admits Ferrari were faster than Red Bull in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:08 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen has admitted that Ferrari were faster than Red Bull in the Canadian Grand Prix.

The world champion had to hold off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz in the final fifteen laps to take victory, extending his championship lead to 46 points.

“In general it was quite a tough race for us, “ he told Sky Sports F1. “I was hoping for some more pace from the car but the Ferrari seemed quite fast in the race. It was tough to match Carlos on laptimes.

“Those last fifteen laps were flat out and I knew I could not afford to make a mistake because he was so close to me. I think [they were faster] today, absolutely. So we have to figure that out. One race we have the advantage, then they look quick again, so we are very closely matched.

“It’s very important to always have a good points lead but you also know it can swing around very quickly. There are always things to do better.”

Max Verstappen dramatically holds off Carlos Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix and boost championship lead

Tuesday 21 June 2022 15:00 , Michael Jones

Speaking of Canada, here’s a reminder of how Max Verstappen held off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz to take victory at the Canadian Grand Prix and further extend his championship lead.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Sainz was fast in the closing stages following a period behind the safety car but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place. The pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

Max Verstappen dramatically holds off Carlos Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix

‘Montreal a weekend from hell’ says Norris

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:52 , Michael Jones

McLaren had a weekend to forget in Canada with both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris finishing outside the points in P11 and P15 respectively and for Norris Montreal represented a ‘weekend from hell’.

He had a power unit failure in Q2 and dropped out of qualifying outside of the top-1, then on race day McLaren never found the pace to move up the field.

Writing in his column for The Daily Telegraph Norris said: “Montreal was, truth be told, a bit of a weekend from hell for us at McLaren.

“There is no reason to believe we cannot turn things around and be a lot more competitive at our home race at Silverstone. We went from 15th at the first race of this season at Bahrain, where we were miles off the pace, to fifth in Australia two races later, and then a podium finish at Imola.

“Yes, we have been less competitive at the last two races in Azerbaijan and Canada but we know the reasons why, and we are working hard to put things right. It felt a bit like everything that could have gone wrong in Montreal did go wrong.

“The truth is we did not have enough pace in Canada. And I have to hold my hand up to mistakes. It was a tough weekend for the team, with my teammate Daniel Ricciardo also out of the points in 11th. But we will learn from it.”

Team bosses react to FIA technical directive

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:45 , Michael Jones

Formula 1’s team bosses have been giving their thoughts of the FIA’s technical directive to combat porpoising with many of them in agreement that the governing body could have better timed it’s release.

The FIA only informed the teams of the TD on Thursday last week, just one day before the start of the Canadian GP weekend leaving them with little time to prepare any actions for the race weekend.

Only Mercedes were able to react and they attempted to fit a secondary floor stay on both cars during Friday’s practice sessions which drew criticisms and talks of a protest from fellow teams.

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack said: “I think the timing of the TD was not really ideal, because you have all the team travelling, and everything is on site.

“You can react, but you need to be really sure what you’re doing or you need to know upfront what this will do. So, I think in such a situation you have to take a conservative approach, and then look for it for the following race. The timing really could have been better.”

AlphaTauri chief Franz Tost echoed those thoughts saying: “The timing was absolutely not good, because most of the people were travelling. And just to send out a technical directive a few days before the race is for sure not the best.”

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said only informing teams on a Thursday meant that any squad not having already prepared something to strengthen their floor was left at a disadvantage.

“I think that isn’t fair for the rest of us that couldn’t bring a stay, for example,” he said. “So, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t change the playing field mid-season.”

Other bosses like Red Bull’s Christian Horner have been very vocal about not wanting to change the regulations in the middle of the season and Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur is in agreement saying: “I’m not sure that to introduce a new TD, that it’s the right way to do it, honestly.

“We will have again new things to manage, to police, to control and to complicate again the regulations.

“I think that some cars are quick with the bouncing, like the Ferrari, and some teams that were able to fix it, like Red Bull, but it’s up to the team to decide where they want to go.”

Alpine’s Szafnauer added that the solution to porpoising was already available to every team and that they simply have to lift the rideheight at the risk of performance.

“We face exactly the same constraints of running these cars as everyone else does,” he said.

“And we just tend to run the car at a rideheight that still gets the performance that we need, but it doesn’t injure or hurt the drivers or destroy the car. We run it safely.

“I believe every team has that opportunity to do so. Just increase the rideheight. It will be safe and you have to do nothing else. It’s just some choose not to and lobby the FIA to make changes.”

Mercedes drivers shouldn’t speak for others in porpoising debate says Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:38 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen believes the Mercedes drivers should “just speak for themselves” in the debate over porpoising and driver safety.

Various F1 teams have been battling porpoising issues on their cars this season after the return of ground effect under the new regulations led to the phenomenon. While some teams, such as Red Bull, have been able to eradicate or keep the problem under control, Mercedes have been one of the worst-hit teams.

The FIA intervened on the matter last week and issued a technical directive on safety grounds to set a metric for how much the cars could porpoise. Verstappen was vocal in his criticism of the move to potentially change the rules mid-season but Lewis Hamilton said it is “always interesting seeing people’s perspectives and opinions in different lights” during Friday’s press conference.

“Obviously in front of you, it’s one thing, and another in the background, sometimes people say different things,” added the seven-time world champion.

On Saturday before qualifying Verstappen was asked if he was surprised by what Hamilton said replied: “It’s not only him, but his teammate as well. They speak for other people.

“They should just focus on themselves and say what they think. So just speak for themselves instead of involving other people in it.”

Leclerc on porpoising

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:31 , Michael Jones

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has weighed in on the FIA’s intervention to solve safety concerns on porpoising particularly as Ferrari have worked to solve their issues.

“We’ve been working to get on top of those issues,” Leclerc said. “I think the improvement has been massive, and now all of the work that we’ve done, [do we] just put it in the bin because obviously there’s maybe one team that is struggling more than others.

“This is my point of view. I obviously understand that on Mercedes it’s very bad, but I also think that there are maybe fixes for this.”

F1 teams set for FIA meeting over porpoising solutions

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:24 , Michael Jones

Formula 1 technical chiefs are set to meet the FIA this week to try to find solutions to the championship’s porpoising controversy before the British Grand Prix, according to Autosport.

The FIA’s intervention to try to eradicate cars bouncing on safety grounds caused a huge controversy over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend with many F1 teams annoyed at the late timing of the announcement and confusion about whether or not new bouncing limits were supposed to be in place for the weekend.

Additionally, because the FIA only issued a technical directive instead of formally changing the rules, there was talk of a protest if Mercedes went ahead and ran a second floor stay. The team used one during Friday’s practice sessions but removed it on Saturday.

The matter reached a head at a Team Principal meeting on Saturday morning with Merceded boss Toto Wolff left furious over what he felt was ‘pitiful’ political behaviour from fellow bosses. Naturally no consensus was reached between teams in Montreal and the FIA will now try to move things forward when single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis meets with F1 technical directors later this week.

It is hoped that moving discussions away from the heat of competition over a race weekend will allow for a more considered approach in trying to put solutions in place.

FIA vows to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising on the advice of its medical team

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:17 , Michael Jones

Formula One’s regulator has vowed to “reduce or eliminate” porpoising on the advice of its medical team – just days after Lewis Hamilton suffered with severe back pain in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton, 37, required assistance to get out of his Mercedes after his car bounced up and down at high speed throughout Sunday’s 51-lap race.

Mercedes ran their machines close to the ground in Baku to produce lower downforce.

But the move exaggerated the bouncing, and under the FIA’s new technical directive, Mercedes might be required to raise the ride height of their cars which could further slow them down.

FIA vows to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising on the advice of its medical team

Horner against mid-season regulation change

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:10 , Michael Jones

George Russell has been calling for the FIA to the change the regulations this season on the grounds that drivers cannot sustain the physical toll that porpoising puts on the body over a prolonged time. He has been backed up by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and other drivers in the paddock such as Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas.

But not everyone shares his opinion. Red Bull’s Christian Horner sees this as nothing more than Mercedes trying to use the issue to get a rule change that will help it address the poor performance of their W13.

“The issue with Mercedes is more severe than any other car,” said Horner. “That surely is down to the team, that’s within their control to deal with that.

“It’s not affecting others. I know they’ve said that other drivers have been complaining, our drivers have never complained ever about porpoising.

“Certainly, we haven’t had an issue with bouncing.”

Horner insists that porpoising is not an issue with the regulations but a conceptual issue for teams such as Mercedes and therefore it’s down to them to deal with it.

He believes if the FIA really feels any car looks unsafe it could just disqualify them from the races.

“You can’t just suddenly change technical regulations halfway through a season,” added the Red Bull Team Principal.

“If a car is dangerous, a team shouldn’t field it. It has that choice. Or the FIA if they feel an individual car is dangerous they always have a black flag at their disposal.”

Both Ferrari and Red Bull are against any significant in-season changes because they could have negative impacts on their title chances.

Ferrari could be made to raise their ride height and risk losing their performance when they need to better Red Bull’s race pace to stay in the title fight and a wider, universal rule change – which Mercedes are pushing for – could see Red Bull having to make adjustments for a problem they’re not suffering from - again to the detriment of performance.

FIA order ‘overtly biased’ in favour of Mercedes says Horner

Tuesday 21 June 2022 14:03 , Michael Jones

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner says that the FIA’s decision to allow teams to run secondary floor stays is “overtly biased to sorting one team’s problems out”, in a dig at rivals Mercedes.

The FIA issued a technical directive to combat porpoising issues over concerns about driver safety and one of the short term measures introduced ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix was to permit teams to incorporate secondary floor stays to limit bouncing.

Yet the FIA’s technical directive was only released late last week suggesting no team would have time to fit a second stay on the car in Montreal but Mercedes experimented with them on George Russell’s car in FP1 and Lewis Hamilton’s in FP2 on Friday.

Mercedes was the only team to try to run a second stay in Canada which almost sparked protests from the other teams so it is clear who Horner is referring to in his comments.

“What was particularly disappointing was the second stay because that has to be discussed in a technical forum,” said Horner.

“And that is overtly biased to sorting one team’s problems out, which were the only team that turned up here with it even in advance of the TD [technical directive].

“So, work that one out.”

Norris ready for Silverstone

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:56 , Michael Jones

After a difficult weekend in Canada with McLaren, Lando Norris is looking forward to returning to British shores and racing at Silverstone in a couple of week’s time.

He believes that the home fans will have a big impact on how McLaren fare in the race and is expecting to challenge for the points again.

“We have a few things in the pipeline for Silverstone and I cannot wait to get out there, in front of our home fans.” said Norris in an article for The Daily Telegraph.

“Just the drive into Silverstone is like nothing else, all that positive energy, from the marshals on the gates when you first arrive in the morning, to the fans waving union flags or wearing McLaren colours.

“You feed off the support. It makes a massive difference.”

Silverstone up next for British Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:50 , Michael Jones

Next time out Formula 1 is back in the UK as the sport heads to Silverstone in front of what is expected to be another record crowd.

Will Red Bull take a seventh consecutive win, meaning Max Verstappen can extend his championship lead?

Can Charles Leclerc claw back some ground after taking his engine penalties in Canada?

Or could Lewis Hamilton spring a surprise with a rejuvenated Mercedes and take his first victory of the season on home soil?

The race weekend for the British Grand Prix kicks off on Friday 1st of July with the climactic race taking place two days later on Sunday 3rd July at Silverstone.

Verstappen moves above Clark and Lauda

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:44 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen’s victory in Montreal is significant not only in terms of the 2022 drivers’ championship but it also moves the 24-year-old to 26 career race wins and puts him above the legendary World Champions Jim Clark and Niki Lauda on the all time greats list.

A victory at Silverstone next time out will see Verstappen draw level with Jackie Stewart too.

Carlos Sainz details what Ferrari must do to overhaul Max Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:38 , Michael Jones

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has pinpointed a time delta of five or six-tenths of a second to Max Verstappen to be able to defeat the F1 world champion.

The Spaniard was in hot pursuit of the Belgian-Dutch driver for the final 15 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix with a maiden victory in sight.

But despite three DRS zones available at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Spaniard only twice came into range and was forced to settle for second.

Sainz detailed what it will take to stay with the Red Bull star and eventually surpass him

“Without the DRS it’s impossible because the DRS is still affecting you quite a lot, especially at this track that you cannot do different lines,” he said. “It’s all chicanes that you have nowhere to put your front wing to avoid the understeer and the overheating of the tyres.

“But, even like that, I was happy and confident to be in the dirty air and managed to stay, even with overheating, 16 laps in DRS. As soon as the DRS opened, it was all about cooling the tyres and regaining the battery to try and really drain it when catching him.

“As I said, I left everything out there. But compared to a Red Bull, we were quicker, I think the whole race.”

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:31 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton hopes to see Mercedes make fewer “experiments” with their car ahead of the British Grand Prix, with team-mate George Russell taking on more of a share over the remainder of the season.

The seven-time world champion claimed just his second podium finish of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend but was left frustrated by the Mercedes W13 car during practice.

Hamilton called the Mercedes “undrivable” and insisted their problems with ‘porpoising’ and ‘bouncing’ were “only getting worse” the more the team tinkered with the set-up of the W13.

Mercedes were eventually able to put Hamilton into position to finish third in Montreal, behind race winner Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, and the 37-year-old hopes the team have learned their lessons ahead of Silverstone.

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British Grand Prix, Martin Brundle claims

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:25 , Michael Jones

Martin Brundle believes Mercedes “fancy their chances” at the British Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton snatched a place on the podium in Canada last weekend.

Mercedes have endured a torrid season so far with Hamilton and George Russell already out of the championship fight after struggling with their cars ‘porpoising’ issues.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, a despondent Hamilton described his Mercedes as “so bad” after a dire practice session while Toto Wolff has previously referred to the car as a “s***box”.

“The Mercedes team are so confusing for everyone at the moment, including themselves,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column. “On Friday Lewis declared the car was undriveable, which is indeed exactly how it looked, and he strongly intimated that it was now about making the best of a bad job for the rest of the long season.”

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British GP, says Martin Brundle

Martin Brundle advises Carlos Sainz how he can overcome ‘final hurdle’ in F1

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:19 , Michael Jones

Carlos Sainz needs “greater accuracy and consistency” if he is to take the next step and win his first Formula One race for Ferrari, according to Martin Brundle.

Sainz finished runner-up to Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, the fifth time the Spanish driver had been second on the podium in his F1 career.

Sainz benefitted from a late safety car in Montreal that allowed him to push world champion Verstappen hard over the final 15 laps but he was unable to make the overtake as the first win of his F1 career eluded him.

Martin Brundle advises Carlos Sainz how he can overcome ‘final hurdle’ in F1

Nico Rosberg advises George Russell on life as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:13 , Michael Jones

Nico Rosberg says George Russell’s “phenomenal” form will provide ultra motivation for Lewis Hamilton because the seven-time world champion “hates” losing to a team-mate.

Hamilton, 37, claimed his first podium in almost three months when he finished third at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix – one place ahead of Russell in the other Mercedes.

But Russell, in his first season alongside Hamilton, is 34 points ahead of his more illustrious team-mate in the standings.

The result in Montreal on Sunday brought an end to a run of eight races – including Imola’s sprint round – where Hamilton has taken the chequered flag behind his compatriot.

Nico Rosberg: Lewis Hamilton will hate losing to team-mate George Russell

‘It’s been an awesome race for us’ says Ocon

Tuesday 21 June 2022 13:06 , Michael Jones

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was in an upbeat mood following the Canadian Grand Prix after finishing P6 – his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

The delighted Frenchman said his team should be “proud” of their performance in Montreal, believing they maximised their performance.

“It’s been an awesome race for us,” said Ocon on Sunday. “Compared to yesterday, we managed to get the car to work slightly better and that meant a lot because we maximised the potential today and finishing sixth and seventh [before the penalty to Fernando Alonso], with McLaren not scoring, is a big boost for us in the constructors’ championship.

“We can be pleased with that. A good start, I managed to overtake at the start and defend Charles [Leclerc] mid-race, but he was too quick in the end.

“It feels good to achieve a weekend like that with some big points that we deserve. It’s been quite a few weekends with outside factors happening but yeah it feels good for that one.”

Constructors’ standings after Red Bull win Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:52 , Michael Jones

Here are the current constructors’ standings after Red Bull won their sixth successive race at the Canadian Grand Prix.

1) Red Bull - 304

2) Ferrari - 228

3) Mercedes - 188

4) McLaren - 65

5) Alpine - 61

6) Alfa Romeo - 47

7) AlphaTauri - 27

8) Aston Martin - 16

9) Haas - 15

10) Williams - 3

Drivers standings after Verstappen wins Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:45 , Michael Jones

Here are the current drivers’ standings after Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix.

1) Max Verstappen - 175

2) Sergio Perez - 129

3) Charles Leclerc - 126

4) George Russell - 111

5) Carlos Sainz - 102

6) Lewis Hamilton - 77

7) Lando Norris - 50

8) Valtteri Bottas - 44

9) Esteban Ocon - 39

10) Fernando Alonso - 22

11) Pierre Gasly - 16

12) Kevin Magnussen - 15

13) Daniel Ricciardo - 15

14) Sebastian Vettel - 13

15) Yuki Tsunoda - 11

16) Zhou Guanyu - 3

17) Alex Albon - 3

18 ) Lance Stroll - 3

19) Mick Schumacher - 0

20) Nico Hulkenberg - 0

21) Nicholas Latifi - 0

Wolff pleased with Mercedes progress in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:39 , Michael Jones

Toto Wolff is pleased with the progress Mercedes have made in Canada this weekend, and believes Lewis Hamitlon and George Russell could be competitive enough to challenge for the win at Silverstone next time out.

“They were both very good,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “We showed good pace today. In terms of performance they were both good in the race on different setups. The hairpin is where hey put new asphalt and we suffered less from stiffness there. I don’t think that’s the case [that we’re back], we need to keep working.

“We need to develop the car in a different window than we had. We had it really low on the ground and that clerly wasn’t working. You can’t drive it there, so we lift it and lift it and lift it, but then you lose downforce. It’s always a compromise. We need to own the problem and that’s what we’re doing. Before you embark on next season’s car you need to understand the problems first.

“Within the team Lewis was always positive. How the two work together is astonishing. I’m happy for him because he had the bad luck on his side so far this season, and he could have been on the podium a few times but safety cars stopped it. If we are able to run the car low then we can be competitive at Silverstone. So let’s see.”

‘We deserved more than ninth’ says Alonso

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:33 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso threatened a massive upset after finishing qualifying on the front row in P2 alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but engines issues and a bit of misfortune with the virtual safety car cost the Alpine valuable time during Sunday’s race before a five second penalty for weaving dropped the two-time world champion down to P9 after the race.

“Yeah, we were unlucky once more with the VSC,” said Alonso. “I was just on the start-finish line when it came and I was just entering the pits when it ended so we decided to stay out, so I was a little bit unlucky there. But the biggest problem was the engine, we had an engine problem in Lap 20 or something like that.

“I was losing, like, one second a lap with the engine deployment, and from that moment we forgot about the podium, or retiring the car, we were just staying on the DRS train with the cars in front just to defend. But it was very difficult to stay with Esteban [Ocon] or Charles [Leclerc] because on the straights we were losing one second.

“I think this weekend we deserved better than ninth position,” he added, “but it’s still good for both cars to score points in the end. We ultimately lost a big opportunity to fight for a potential podium as I felt like I had the pace to do so.”

Alonso handed Canadian Grand Prix time penalty for weaving

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:27 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso has been dropped back two places in the final standings of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix after receiving a five-second penalty for swerving while defending his position.

Alonso, who started second on the grid, was found to have broken the rules in his efforts to stop Valtteri Bottas passing, blocking any route through by swerving left and right repeatedly. The rules state that a defending driver may only make one move to block a car approaching from behind, and once they have chosen their move they must stick to it.

After the race Alonso, who finished seventh, explained his actions to the stewards but evidently they were not pursuaded, and handed down the punishment which pushes him back two spots behind Bottas and his Alfa Romeo teammate Zhou Guanyu, collecting two points instead of six.

Fernando Alonso handed Canadian Grand Prix time penalty for weaving

Alonso bemoans engine trouble and lack of luck

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:21 , Michael Jones

After a stellar Q3 at the Canadian Grand Prix - where he finished second behind Max Verstappen - Alpine’s Fernando Alonso but could only finish seventh at the end of the race behind teammate Esteban Ocon.

Alonso was left ruing an engine issue which cost him speed in a straight line and a futher penalty for weaving dropped him down to ninth in what was a raceday to forget for the 40-year-old.

“On the safety car we were unlucky,” Alonso explained. “We decided to box just after the safety car ended. Other people behind us got lucky once more and overtook us.

“In Lap 20 or something I had an engine problem with the battery, I was clipping on the straights and losing eight tenths per lap. I had to overdrive in the corners to try to keep the pace and the DRS. It was a very difficult race.

“Still positive. The car was very quick this weekend. Without the engine problem we were P3 in the race ahead of Lewis. Without the engine problem that was still possible.”

Can Max Verstappen be stopped in his bid for a second straight F1 title?

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:15 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen raced to victory at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead to 46 points.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Carlos Sainz was fast in the closing stages following a period behind the safety car but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton - the man who Verstappen beat to his maiden world title in 2021.

Here we look at the factors which might stand in the way of Verstappen charging to his second title in succession:

Can Max Verstappen be stopped in his bid for a second straight F1 title?

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 12:07 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen was having a ball in his Red Bull as he held off a late charge from Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix and extend his championship lead.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Sainz was fast in the closing stages but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

His team-mate George Russell continued his record of top-five finishes all season as he took fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc, who recovered from starting 19th to claim a decent haul of points.

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

Canada GP a ‘frustrating’ race for Leclerc

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:59 , Michael Jones

Charles Leclerc was able to mitigate the damage caused by his lowly start by finishing fifth in the Canadian Grand Prix, but was left ruing a “frustrating” race.

“It was very frustrating actually,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports F1. “The last part was nice but obviously the very first part I was stuck in a DRS train and couldn’t do anything.

“Then in the middle part of the race I found myself stuck behind Esteban [Ocon] on much newer tyres so he had very good traction and that was enough to keep me behind.

“Then we had a slow pit stop and fell behind another DRS train, but the end was quite fun. I had to be aggressive to get more points and fifth is the best we could manage.

“Overall the feeling was good and that’s a good sign. Whether it would have been enough to Red Bull I don’t know, but it has been close all season and I felt like Carlos [Sainz] was quite strong today. This shows that it would have been close.”

Toto Wolff sends warning to Lewis Hamilton despite Canadian Grand Prix podium

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:52 , Michael Jones

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that “one swallow doesn’t make a summer” after the seven-time world champion secured his first podium in nearly three months at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Hamilton will head into his home race at the British Grand Prix a week on Sunday with renewed rigour after he recovered from a back injury in Azerbaijan to finish third in Montreal - his best result since the opening round in Bahrain on 27 March.

Max Verstappen took the chequered flag to claim his sixth win in nine appearances and the sixth in succession for the world champion’s in-form Red Bull team.

But Hamilton, already 98 points behind Verstappen in the standings, said he was “overwhelmed” to cross the line in third - a performance which provided the British driver with hope he could yet return to the winner’s circle this season.

Toto Wolff sends warning to Lewis Hamilton despite Canadian Grand Prix podium

Hamilton given ‘hope’ after podium finish in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:45 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton says his third place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix has given him hope that Mercedes can return to competitiveness this year.

The seven-time champion had not scored a podium since the first race of the season in Bahrain but his result in Montreal ended a run of difficult races.

Hamilton has repeatedly been out-driven by teammate George Russell this season but a decision to switch to soft tyres in qualifying ultimately worked against the 24-year-old this weekend giving Hamilton the edge in the race by starting four places ahead his teammate.

Russell has finished in the top five of every race this season including Canada where he came from eighth in qualifying to end just behind Hamilton in fourth. His highly impressive form this season has led to questions about Hamilton’s future in F1 but it remains to be seen who will prove the faster driver by the end of the year.

“It has given me a lot of hope there is more to come from this car, that the potential is truly there if we can get the set-up right,” Hamilton said. “We are just trying to progress as a team,

“Moving forwards, we will be a little more cautious on doing too many experiments as it really does hinder you through the weekend, especially if you only have first and second practice in the dry.

“There are lots of learnings from this weekend and improvements we can make going forwards but really great pace today. It is so nice to see. That has not always been the case with this car.”

Lewis Hamilton ‘overwhelmed’ to finish on the podium at Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:37 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton was left feeling “ecstatic” with his second podium of the season as he rolled back the years to take third place at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion has struggled with his Mercedes this season and only just made it to Montreal.

The design of this year’s cars has led to some teams suffering from bouncing – known as porpoising – at high speeds, with Mercedes among the worst.

Hamilton needed assistance to get out of his car following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix a week ago and required acupuncture and cryotherapy on his back to make it to the grid.

Lewis Hamilton ‘overwhelmed’ to finish on the podium at Canadian Grand Prix

Russell on porpoising issues

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:30 , Michael Jones

George Russell has said the issue of porpoising – the car bouncing heavily at speed – remains a serious concern for Mercedes despite their improved showing in Canada.

“It was bumpy, it was definitely bumpy out there,” he told Sky F1. “We weren’t porpoising, we were just bouncing around a lot down the straight and just hitting the ground. So it’ll be a good sleep tonight again for sure.”

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:24 , Michael Jones

Lando Norris is “conflicted” about FIA‘s plans to introduce changes to reduce or eliminate the “porpoising” problem affecting this season’s cars, but added that driver safety was paramount.

F1 introduced a radical rules overhaul this year that has seen cars generate a significant chunk of their downforce from the underside of the floor.

This has led to the “porpoising”, in which the cars bounce dramatically at high speeds, like the motion of a porpoise through water.

Concern reached new levels at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton struggled to get out of his Mercedes at the end of a punishing race.

Lando Norris ‘a bit conflicted’ over F1’s plans for porpoising

Norris on FIA porpoising directive

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:17 , Michael Jones

Lando Norris admits to feeling a bit conflicted on the FIA’s decision to introduce a new technical directive to limit the effects of porpoising on the Formula 1 drivers.

Norris believes that driver safety must come first but as McLaren haven’t been hit with massive porpoising problems he is unsure about introducing new rules in the middle of a season.

In a column for the Daily Telegraph, Norris wrote: “It will be interesting to see whether the new FIA technical directive regarding porpoising has come into effect by [Silverstone]. The truth is we [McLaren] are not massively affected by porpoising, so we were not pushing for change. But safety has to come first.

“If there is a real danger that drivers could have long-term health consequences from the bouncing, or that they could lose focus and crash, then something has to be done. I can see both sides.

“The front two teams [Red Bull and Ferrari] have clearly done a much better job than anyone else of interpreting the rules, so I can see why they would be against change mid-season. At the same time, without having experienced the severity of porpoising that others have, I do not want to criticise anyone.

“Safety has to come first. My main concern is that it is fair for everyone – ideally you would implement any changes post-season – but inevitably it is going to affect some more than others.”

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:11 , Michael Jones

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes their struggles with ‘porpoising’ have been “solved” as Red Bull reacted furiously to the intervention of the FIA at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend.

Wolff has said his team worked out a solution for the issue at the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona only to struggle with the low ride of the W13 on the bumpy street tracks in Monaco and Azerbaijan.

It led to both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell suffering from physical pain as a result of the ‘bouncing’ and, in response, triggered a technical directive from the FIA over concerns of driver safety ahead of the Montreal race.

Wolff’s Red Bull counterpart, Christian Horner, has accused Mercedes and their drivers of overplaying their safety concerns as an excuse for poor performance and said the FIA’s intervention was “overtly biased” in the team’s favour.

Mercedes believe porpoising issues ‘solved’ amid Red Bull fury at FIA intervention

Rival F1 team boss behaviour “pitiful” and “disingenuous” says Wolff

Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:04 , Michael Jones

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has slammed the behaviour of rival Formula 1 team bosses as “pitiful” and “disingenuous” amid the row over porpoising at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Following the FIA’s intervention to solve safety concerns expressed by a number of drivers, most vocally Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, over the ‘porpoising’ issues, Mercedes has found itself in the middle of a heated debate.

During Friday’s qualifying they ran with a second floor stay as allowed by the FIA’s pre-event technical directive but rival teams questioned whether or not the team had had advance notice of the changes to get them ready in time – something which Mercedes denied. Then it ws claimed that the stay was actually illegal as the FIA had not changed the regulations to allow it and it was removed for Saturday after Mercedes said it had not delivered any improvement.

Wolff believes that rival teams are briefing their drivers to play down safety concerns so as to not encourage the FIA to intervene even quicker and the disagreements between Mercedes and its rivals are understood to have reached a head in a meeting of team principals with Wolff expressing his anger at others for playing political games.

“This is a sport where you’re trying to keep a competitive advantage or gain it,” he told Autosport. “But this situation has clearly gone too far.

“All drivers, at least one in every team, have said that they were in pain after Baku, that they had difficulty in keeping the car on track or blurred vision.

“Team principals trying to manipulate what is being said in order to keep the competitive advantage and trying to play political games when the FIA tries to come up with a quick solution, to at least put the cars in a better position, is disingenuous. And that’s what I said.

“I’m not only talking about the Mercedes: all of the cars suffered in some way or other in Baku, and still do it here. The cars are too stiff. The cars bounce or whatever you want to call it.

“We have long term effects that we can’t even judge. But at any time this is a safety risk, and then coming up with little manipulations in the background, or Chinese whispers, or briefing the drivers, is just pitiful.”

‘It was proper racing’ says Verstappen on battle with Sainz

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:57 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen won the Canadian Grand Prix and extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 46 points after withstanding a late onslaught from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen was looking set for a relatively stress-free afternoon in Montreal, leading comfortably in the opening stages but a crash from Yuki Tsunoda brough the safety car out allowing Sainz to pit and close up behind the Red Bull. The pair then engaged in a fascinating 16-lap battle to the chequered flag with Verstappen holding onto first to win by just 0.993s.

“It was a tough race,” said the world champion, “I expected to have a little bit more pace, but we seemed to lack a little bit compared to Carlos… It was a bit more difficult than I expected.

“We did our strategy, and I think for us it worked, that was the right one to do. At that second stop, of course I had the fresher tyres and I was closing in on Carlos, but I wasn’t sure if I’d actually fully close that gap to the end of the race.

“But then the Safety Car came out and I was also not very happy with that, because then I knew of course he had fresh tyres behind me, and already with I think a little bit more pace compared to me… But the last 15, 16 laps, we were flat-out pushing to the limit, and I knew of course that I couldn’t make a mistake. But it was good racing. It’s always more enjoyable to be able to really push in a Formula 1 car instead of just saving your tyres.

“It was proper racing, proper pushing. I had my moments where I had a bit of oversteer, then I looked in the mirror and I saw Carlos having the same amount of moments! So it was really on the edge but that’s good to see.”

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz details how to overhaul Max Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:51 , Michael Jones

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has pinpointed a time delta of five or six-tenths of a second to Max Verstappen to be able to defeat the Formula 1 world champion.

The Spaniard was in hot pursuit of the Belgian-Dutch driver for the final 15 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix with a maiden F1 victory in sight.

But despite three DRS zones available at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Spaniard only twice came into range and was eventually forced to settle for second.

Sainz analysed the situation and challenge ahead both for himself and teammate Charles Leclerc.

Carlos Sainz details what Ferrari must do to overhaul Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen details key to defending Carlos Sainz to land Canadian Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:45 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen revealed that finding the perfect racing line at the corner before the DRS zones was decisive in holding off Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was the dominant force all weekend in Montreal and looked set for a comfortable victory until a safety car after Yuki Tsunoda crashed out tightened up the field in the closing stages.

It ensured a 15-lap shootout to decide the race and - despite being on slightly older tyres, as well as his pursuant having the benefit of DRS speed boosts - Verstappen demonstrated his incredible driving skill to keep Sainz at bay.

The Ferrari had greater straight-line speed and the long back straight at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve enabled the Spaniard to use DRS to get up to the Red Bull’s rear wing but he was unable to get past at either the final corner or Turn 1 of the following lap.

Max Verstappen details key to defending Carlos Sainz to land Canadian Grand Prix

Sainz happy despite losing to Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:39 , Michael Jones

Carlos Sainz had to make do with a second place behind Max Verstappen at the Canadian Grand Prix but the Spaniard is happy with the pace Ferrari have shown this weekend.

“I was pushing flat out,” Sainz said. “I wasn’t leaving any inch against the walls, I was trying everything to pace Max. We just didn’t have the pace delta to pass Max.

“We were faster all race but you just need a bit extra to make the pass. I am particularly happy with the race, with the way we managed to put pressure on Max the whole race.

“We were very close to winning today so I will take the positives into the next race.”

Verstappen admits Ferrari were faster than Red Bull in Canada

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:33 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen has admitted that Ferrari were faster than Red Bull in the Canadian Grand Prix.

The world champion had to hold off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz in the final fifteen laps to take victory, extending his championship lead to 46 points.

“In general it was quite a tough race for us, “ he told Sky Sports F1. “I was hoping for some more pace from the car but the Ferrari seemed quite fast in the race. It was tough to match Carlos on laptimes.

“Those last fifteen laps were flat out and I knew I could not afford to make a mistake because he was so close to me. I think [they were faster] today, absolutely. So we have to figure that out. One race we have the advantage, then they look quick again, so we are very closely matched.

“It’s very important to always have a good points lead but you also know it can swing around very quickly. There are always things to do better.”

Max Verstappen dramatically holds off Carlos Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix and boost championship lead

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:27 , Michael Jones

Speaking of Canada, here’s a reminder of how Max Verstappen held off a late challenge from Carlos Sainz to take victory at the Canadian Grand Prix and further extend his championship lead.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Sainz was fast in the closing stages following a period behind the safety car but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place. The pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

Max Verstappen dramatically holds off Carlos Sainz to win Canadian Grand Prix

‘Montreal a weekend from hell’ says Norris

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:21 , Michael Jones

McLaren had a weekend to forget in Canada with both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris finishing outside the points in P11 and P15 respectively and for Norris Montreal represented a ‘weekend from hell’.

He had a power unit failure in Q2 and dropped out of qualifying outside of the top-1, then on race day McLaren never found the pace to move up the field.

Writing in his column for The Telegraph Norris said: “Montreal was, truth be told, a bit of a weekend from hell for us at McLaren.

“There is no reason to believe we cannot turn things around and be a lot more competitive at our home race at Silverstone. We went from 15th at the first race of this season at Bahrain, where we were miles off the pace, to fifth in Australia two races later, and then a podium finish at Imola.

“Yes, we have been less competitive at the last two races in Azerbaijan and Canada but we know the reasons why, and we are working hard to put things right. It felt a bit like everything that could have gone wrong in Montreal did go wrong.

“The truth is we did not have enough pace in Canada. And I have to hold my hand up to mistakes. It was a tough weekend for the team, with my teammate Daniel Ricciardo also out of the points in 11th. But we will learn from it.”

Team bosses react to FIA technical directive

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:15 , Michael Jones

Formula 1’s team bosses have been giving their thoughts of the FIA’s technical directive to combat porpoising with many of them in agreement that the governing body could have better timed it’s release.

The FIA only informed the teams of the TD on Thursday last week, just one day before the start of the Canadian GP weekend leaving them with little time to prepare any actions for the race weekend.

Only Mercedes were able to react and they attempted to fit a secondary floor stay on both cars during Friday’s practice sessions which drew criticisms and talks of a protest from fellow teams.

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack said: “I think the timing of the TD was not really ideal, because you have all the team travelling, and everything is on site.

“You can react, but you need to be really sure what you’re doing or you need to know upfront what this will do. So, I think in such a situation you have to take a conservative approach, and then look for it for the following race. The timing really could have been better.”

AlphaTauri chief Franz Tost echoed those thoughts saying: “The timing was absolutely not good, because most of the people were travelling. And just to send out a technical directive a few days before the race is for sure not the best.”

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer said only informing teams on a Thursday meant that any squad not having already prepared something to strengthen their floor was left at a disadvantage.

“I think that isn’t fair for the rest of us that couldn’t bring a stay, for example,” he said. “So, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t change the playing field mid-season.”

Other bosses like Red Bull’s Christian Horner have been very vocal about not wanting to change the regulations in the middle of the season and Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur is in agreement saying: “I’m not sure that to introduce a new TD, that it’s the right way to do it, honestly.

“We will have again new things to manage, to police, to control and to complicate again the regulations.

“I think that some cars are quick with the bouncing, like the Ferrari, and some teams that were able to fix it, like Red Bull, but it’s up to the team to decide where they want to go.”

Alpine’s Szafnauer added that the solution to porpoising was already available to every team and that they simply have to lift the rideheight at the risk of performance.

“We face exactly the same constraints of running these cars as everyone else does,” he said.

“And we just tend to run the car at a rideheight that still gets the performance that we need, but it doesn’t injure or hurt the drivers or destroy the car. We run it safely.

“I believe every team has that opportunity to do so. Just increase the rideheight. It will be safe and you have to do nothing else. It’s just some choose not to and lobby the FIA to make changes.”

Mercedes drivers shouldn’t speak for others in porpoising debate says Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 10:05 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen believes the Mercedes drivers should “just speak for themselves” in the debate over porpoising and driver safety.

Various F1 teams have been battling porpoising issues on their cars this season after the return of ground effect under the new regulations led to the phenomenon. While some teams, such as Red Bull, have been able to eradicate or keep the problem under control, Mercedes have been one of the worst-hit teams.

The FIA intervened on the matter last week and issued a technical directive on safety grounds to set a metric for how much the cars could porpoise. Verstappen was vocal in his criticism of the move to potentially change the rules mid-season but Lewis Hamilton said it is “always interesting seeing people’s perspectives and opinions in different lights” during Friday’s press conference.

“Obviously in front of you, it’s one thing, and another in the background, sometimes people say different things,” added the seven-time world champion.

On Saturday before qualifying Verstappen was asked if he was surprised by what Hamilton said replied: “It’s not only him, but his teammate as well. They speak for other people.

“They should just focus on themselves and say what they think. So just speak for themselves instead of involving other people in it.”

Leclerc on porpoising

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:58 , Michael Jones

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has weighed in on the FIA’s intervention to solve safety concerns on porpoising particularly as Ferrari have worked to solve their issues.

“We’ve been working to get on top of those issues,” Leclerc said. “I think the improvement has been massive, and now all of the work that we’ve done, [do we] just put it in the bin because obviously there’s maybe one team that is struggling more than others.

“This is my point of view. I obviously understand that on Mercedes it’s very bad, but I also think that there are maybe fixes for this.”

F1 teams set for FIA meeting over porpoising solutions

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:51 , Michael Jones

Formula 1 technical chiefs are set to meet the FIA this week to try to find solutions to the championship’s porpoising controversy before the British Grand Prix, according to Autosport.

The FIA’s intervention to try to eradicate cars bouncing on safety grounds caused a huge controversy over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend with many F1 teams annoyed at the late timing of the announcement and confusion about whether or not new bouncing limits were supposed to be in place for the weekend.

Additionally, because the FIA only issued a technical directive instead of formally changing the rules, there was talk of a protest if Mercedes went ahead and ran a second floor stay. The team used one during Friday’s practice sessions but removed it on Saturday.

The matter reached a head at a Team Principal meeting on Saturday morning with Merceded boss Toto Wolff left furious over what he felt was ‘pitiful’ political behaviour from fellow bosses. Naturally no consensus was reached between teams in Montreal and the FIA will now try to move things forward when single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis meets with F1 technical directors later this week.

It is hoped that moving discussions away from the heat of competition over a race weekend will allow for a more considered approach in trying to put solutions in place.

FIA vows to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising on the advice of its medical team

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:45 , Michael Jones

Formula One’s regulator has vowed to “reduce or eliminate” porpoising on the advice of its medical team – just days after Lewis Hamilton suffered with severe back pain in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton, 37, required assistance to get out of his Mercedes after his car bounced up and down at high speed throughout Sunday’s 51-lap race.

Mercedes ran their machines close to the ground in Baku to produce lower downforce.

But the move exaggerated the bouncing, and under the FIA’s new technical directive, Mercedes might be required to raise the ride height of their cars which could further slow them down.

FIA vows to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising on the advice of its medical team

Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes against ‘too many experiments’ before British Grand Prix

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:39 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton has said he hopes his team avoid ‘too many experiments’ ahead of next month’s British Grand Prix, as the Mercedes driver looks to capitalise on his joint-best finish of the season.

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton missed out on the title last year on the final lap of the season, in a controversial finish involving eventual champion Max Verstappen. While the Red Bull man leads the drivers’ standings with six wins from nine races so far in 2022, Hamilton has been struggling.

The Briton has scored just two podiums, with third-placed finishes in the season-opener in Bahrain and last weekend’s Canadian GP. Still, Hamilton is keen to build on Sunday’s result as he prepares for the British GP, where he has more race wins than any driver in F1 history.

Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes against ‘too many experiments’ before British GP

Horner against mid-season regulation change

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:32 , Michael Jones

George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, has been calling for the FIA to the change the regulations this season on the grounds that drivers cannot sustain the physical toll that porpoising and bottoming out puts on the body over a prolonged time. He has been backed up by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and other drivers in the paddock such as Pierre Gasly and Valtteri Bottas.

But not everyone shares his opinion. Red Bull’s Christian Horner sees this as nothing more than Mercedes trying to use the issue to get a rule change that will help it address the poor performance of their W13.

“The issue with Mercedes is more severe than any other car,” said Horner. “That surely is down to the team, that’s within their control to deal with that.

“It’s not affecting others. I know they’ve said that other drivers have been complaining, our drivers have never complained ever about porpoising.

“Certainly, we haven’t had an issue with bouncing.”

Horner insists that porpoising is not an issue with the regulations but a conceptual issue for teams such as Mercedes and therefore it’s down to them to deal with it.

He believes if the FIA really feels any car looks unsafe it could just disqualify them from the races.

“You can’t just suddenly change technical regulations halfway through a season,” added the Red Bull Team Principal.

“If a car is dangerous, a team shouldn’t field it. It has that choice. Or the FIA if they feel an individual car is dangerous they always have a black flag at their disposal.”

Both Ferrari and Red Bull are against any significant in-season changes because they could have negative impacts on their title chances.

Ferrari could be made to raise their ride height and risk losing their performance when they need to better Red Bull’s race pace to stay in the title fight and a wider, universal rule change – which Mercedes are pushing for – could see Red Bull having to make adjustments for a problem they’re not suffering from - again to the detriment of performance.

FIA order ‘overtly biased’ in favour of Mercedes says Horner

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:18 , Michael Jones

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner says that the FIA’s decision to allow teams to run secondary floor stays is “overtly biased to sorting one team’s problems out”, in a dig at rivals Mercedes.

The FIA issued a technical directive to combat porpoising issues over concerns about driver safety and one of the short term measures introduced ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix was to permit teams to incorporate secondary floor stays to limit bouncing.

Yet the FIA’s technical directive was only released late last week suggesting no team would have time to fit a second stay on the car in Montreal but Mercedes experimented with them on George Russell’s car in FP1 and Lewis Hamilton’s in FP2 on Friday.

Mercedes was the only team to try to run a second stay in Canada which almost sparked protests from the other teams so it is clear who Horner is referring to in his comments.

“What was particularly disappointing was the second stay because that has to be discussed in a technical forum,” said Horner.

“And that is overtly biased to sorting one team’s problems out, which were the only team that turned up here with it even in advance of the TD [technical directive].

“So, work that one out.”

Carlos Sainz details what Ferrari must do to overhaul Max Verstappen

Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:04 , Jack Rathborn

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz has pinpointed a time delta of five or six-tenths of a second to Max Verstappen to be able to defeat the F1 world champion.

The Spaniard was in hot pursuit of the Belgian-Dutch driver for the final 15 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix with a maiden victory in sight.

But despite three DRS zones available at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the Spaniard only twice came into range and was forced to settle for second.

Sainz detailed what it will take to stay with the Red Bull star and eventually surpass him

“Without the DRS it’s impossible because the DRS is still affecting you quite a lot, especially at this track that you cannot do different lines,” he said. “It’s all chicanes that you have nowhere to put your front wing to avoid the understeer and the overheating of the tyres.

“But, even like that, I was happy and confident to be in the dirty air and managed to stay, even with overheating, 16 laps in DRS. As soon as the DRS opened, it was all about cooling the tyres and regaining the battery to try and really drain it when catching him.

“As I said, I left everything out there. But compared to a Red Bull, we were quicker, I think the whole race.”

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’

Tuesday 21 June 2022 08:59 , Jack Rathborn

Lewis Hamilton hopes to see Mercedes make fewer “experiments” with their car ahead of the British Grand Prix, with team-mate George Russell taking on more of a share over the remainder of the season.

The seven-time world champion claimed just his second podium finish of the season at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend but was left frustrated by the Mercedes W13 car during practice.

Hamilton called the Mercedes “undrivable” and insisted their problems with ‘porpoising’ and ‘bouncing’ were “only getting worse” the more the team tinkered with the set-up of the W13.

Mercedes were eventually able to put Hamilton into position to finish third in Montreal, behind race winner Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, and the 37-year-old hopes the team have learned their lessons ahead of Silverstone.

Lewis Hamilton hopes George Russell can take on more Mercedes ‘experiments’