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F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton addresses ‘life-threatening’ risk after testing in Bahrain
Lewis Hamilton fears lives could be put at risk if Formula One presses ahead with a proposal to outlaw tyre blankets.
The ban could come into force as early as next year, with a vote of the sport’s major players due to be held after the British Grand Prix in July. Tyre warmers allow drivers to have rubber with suitable grip and pressure when they start the race, or leave the pits.
However, seven-time world champion Hamilton, among only a handful of drivers to have completed dry weather no-blanket running for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, said: “It is dangerous. I have tested them, and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So on safety grounds, it is the wrong decision.”
Despite team principal Toto Wolff declaring at the start of the week that he expected Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate George Russell will have the machinery to contend for this season’s world title, there is a growing, and ominous feeling in the paddock, that reigning champion Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team might prove unstoppable.
Hamilton took over testing duties from Russell for the concluding session in Bahrain on Saturday and finished second, four tenths adrift of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Follow F1 news and updates ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix
F1 NEWS AND UPDATES
Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
Drive to Survive REVIEW: Toto Wolff rages at Christian Horner in foul-mouthed flashpoint of season 5
Spanish Grand Prix makes drastic track change ahead of 2023 Formula 1 race
F1 news: When is the Bahrain Grand Prix?
17:57 , Kieran Jackson
When and where does the 2023 F1 season start?
The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3 March - Sunday 5 March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
FP1 takes place at 11:30am (GMT) on Friday morning, with second practice following at 3pm.
After third practice at 11:30am on Saturday morning, qualifying starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 news: Eddie Jordan dismisses prospect of Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull
17:38 , Kieran Jackson
“There’s not a chance Checo Perez will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Checo is a darling in that team. Remember what Checo does, he is brilliant foil for Max, he is strong, he can win when he needs to win, or when he has the chance and opportunity to win.,” said former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, speaking to OLBG.
“There was a bit of a kerfuffle between the two of them, and the opportunity to be second in the championship was a different issue.
“It’s a perfect scenario for Red Bull, as it was for Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. Irvine was happy, he understood the rules, he was being paid on the basis of what he agreed to do. I’m sure Checo is the same.
“He brings good sponsorship to the team, I doubt Daniel Ricciardo does, not to the same level as the Mexican can bring. The biggest thing Red Bull have is continuity. They will not want to change that.
“Ricciardo has been there before, he knows he doesn’t have to be given special treatment, he knows how the team operates, the same people were there; Christian Horner and Adrian Newey. They’re the key people in that team, Daniel knows them well but it would have to be as a result of a driver not being able to participate, but just to sack Checo, I don’t see that at all.”
Drive to Survive: Season 5 REVIEW - OUT NOW!
17:21 , Kieran Jackson
Time to find your helmet, don your fireproof gloves and pack your bags. Because 95 days after we said goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 chugs back into life this weekend as the start of the 2023 season dawns. The car launch season, from the tempered-down to the over-the-top, has concluded and finally we will see cars on track with the first – and much-maligned only – official pre-season test of the season. Where? Bahrain. Also the location where, 11 days from now, motorsport’s greatest show goes racing once more.
Yet while an undertone of eager excitement will immerse fans the world over at the sight of fresh – or perhaps not so fresh – liveries at the Bahrain International Circuit, such delirium won’t be mirrored in the paddock. Rather, it’s back down to business. Tick off your checklist. Screw your nuts and bolts. Contrary to the zing in the air, a wave of apprehension will blow over the paddock and its personnel.
Testing is a strange phenomenon. On the whole, the timesheets are not said to be the priority. Instead, its tweaking set-ups. Trialling different parts. Attaching aero-rakes and dashes of green paint to analyse airflow. Some teams even swing the other way; sandbagging the car’s true performance to disguise their potential from their competitors.
That all being said, this three-day testing window does take on more significance than years gone by. Usually, the teams also come together in Barcelona for at minimum a shakedown. Or perhaps Jerez on the southern Spanish coast. This year though, with 2022’s drastic regulation changes only moderately tinkered with in the off-season – a slightly raised ride-height the most noteworthy change – drivers will only have a day-and-a-half of running to tune their cars appropriately and iron out any issues.
Three days in total and bang: we’re into the first Grand Prix weekend of 23. That’s the number of races, it should be said, not just the year.
Drive to Survive review: Wolff rages at Horner in foul-mouthed flashpoint of season 5
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
16:27 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton fears lives could be put at risk if Formula One presses ahead with a proposal to outlaw tyre blankets.
The ban could come into force as early as next year, with a vote of the sport’s major players due to be held after the British Grand Prix in July.
Tyre warmers allow drivers to have rubber with suitable grip and pressure when they start the race, or leave the pits. But they use a considerable amount of energy, and their removal is being considered on cost and sustainability grounds.
However, seven-time world champion Hamilton, among only a handful of drivers to have completed dry weather no-blanket running for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, said: “It is dangerous.
“I have tested them, and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So on safety grounds, it is the wrong decision. You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work. The whole argument is that taking away the blankets will be more sustainable and more green, but we are using more fuel to get more temperature into the tyres.”
Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
F1 news: Spanish Grand Prix makes drastic track change ahead of 2023 Formula 1 race
16:00 , Kieran Jackson
The Spanish Grand Prix will have an altered track layout this year with the removal of a chicane making for a higher-speed circuit.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991, will host the eighth round of the 2023 F1 season on the weekend of June 2-4.
Often known for struggling to produce an entertaining race, race promoters have moved to improve the spectacle by removing the chicane in the final sector, formerly turns 14 and 15.
As such, the final section of the lap will see cars race round clockwise as they head onto the home straight, where the extra speed and use of DRS should make for more overtaking opportunities.
This original track configuration has not been used for F1 at Barcelona since 2007.
Spanish Grand Prix makes drastic track change ahead of 2023 Formula 1 race
F1 news: Oscar Piastri forced to act fast when McLaren takes 360-degree spin during F1 testing
15:29 , Kieran Jackson
F1’s Oscar Piastri was forced to act quickly when his McLaren took a 360-degree spin during this morning’s testing in Bahrain (25 February).
In the second sector, the Australian rookie lost control, but thankfully, there was nothing around for him to crash into, giving him time to get back on track.
It’s one of the only incidents that has happened in the run-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.
Oscar Piastri forced to act fast when McLaren takes 360-degree spin during F1 testing
F1 news: Eddie Jordan dismisses prospect of Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull
14:52 , Kieran Jackson
“There’s not a chance Checo Perez will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Checo is a darling in that team. Remember what Checo does, he is brilliant foil for Max, he is strong, he can win when he needs to win, or when he has the chance and opportunity to win.,” said former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, speaking to OLBG.
“There was a bit of a kerfuffle between the two of them, and the opportunity to be second in the championship was a different issue.
“It’s a perfect scenario for Red Bull, as it was for Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. Irvine was happy, he understood the rules, he was being paid on the basis of what he agreed to do. I’m sure Checo is the same.
“He brings good sponsorship to the team, I doubt Daniel Ricciardo does, not to the same level as the Mexican can bring. The biggest thing Red Bull have is continuity. They will not want to change that.
“Ricciardo has been there before, he knows he doesn’t have to be given special treatment, he knows how the team operates, the same people were there; Christian Horner and Adrian Newey. They’re the key people in that team, Daniel knows them well but it would have to be as a result of a driver not being able to participate, but just to sack Checo, I don’t see that at all.”
F1 news: When is the Bahrain Grand Prix?
14:15 , Kieran Jackson
When and where does the 2023 F1 season start?
The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3 March - Sunday 5 March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
FP1 takes place at 11:30am (GMT) on Friday morning, with second practice following at 3pm.
After third practice at 11:30am on Saturday morning, qualifying starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton assesses Mercedes’ chances at season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix
13:35 , Kieran Jackson
“It is difficult to sum it up,” said Lewis Hamilton, when asked to asses his chances ahead of next Sunday’s opening race, also in Bahrain.
“We have had a couple of difficult days, yesterday particularly was difficult, and a bit more of a struggle. Right now, the bouncing has pretty much gone, so that is a huge step for us, but there are still some underlying things that we are working through.”
Hamilton took over testing duties from Russell for the concluding session in Bahrain on Saturday and finished second, four tenths adrift of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
With Verstappen sitting the final day out, Perez set the quickest lap of the week to underline Red Bull’s pace – even though Hamilton was on the softest, and theoretically, speediest rubber.
Earlier, Russell ended the opening running on Saturday four tenths back from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Leclerc, a distant second to Verstappen in the championships last season, said: “I feel we have got some work to do. Red Bull seems to be very strong.”
F1 news: 2023 season odds!
12:58 , Kieran Jackson
Drivers Championship
Max Verstappen: 4/6
Charles Leclerc: 9/2
Lewis Hamilton: 5/1
George Russell: 12/1S
Sergio Perez: 18/1
Carlos Sainz: 22/1
Fernando Alonso: 25/1
Constructors Championship
Red Bull: 8/13
Mercedes: 13/5
Ferrari: 3/1
Aston Martin: 50/1
Alpine: 175/1
Odds provided by Bonus Code Bets
Drive to Survive: Season 5 REVIEW - OUT NOW!
12:29 , Kieran Jackson
Time to find your helmet, don your fireproof gloves and pack your bags. Because 95 days after we said goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 chugs back into life this weekend as the start of the 2023 season dawns. The car launch season, from the tempered-down to the over-the-top, has concluded and finally we will see cars on track with the first – and much-maligned only – official pre-season test of the season. Where? Bahrain. Also the location where, 11 days from now, motorsport’s greatest show goes racing once more.
Yet while an undertone of eager excitement will immerse fans the world over at the sight of fresh – or perhaps not so fresh – liveries at the Bahrain International Circuit, such delirium won’t be mirrored in the paddock. Rather, it’s back down to business. Tick off your checklist. Screw your nuts and bolts. Contrary to the zing in the air, a wave of apprehension will blow over the paddock and its personnel.
Testing is a strange phenomenon. On the whole, the timesheets are not said to be the priority. Instead, its tweaking set-ups. Trialling different parts. Attaching aero-rakes and dashes of green paint to analyse airflow. Some teams even swing the other way; sandbagging the car’s true performance to disguise their potential from their competitors.
That all being said, this three-day testing window does take on more significance than years gone by. Usually, the teams also come together in Barcelona for at minimum a shakedown. Or perhaps Jerez on the southern Spanish coast. This year though, with 2022’s drastic regulation changes only moderately tinkered with in the off-season – a slightly raised ride-height the most noteworthy change – drivers will only have a day-and-a-half of running to tune their cars appropriately and iron out any issues.
Three days in total and bang: we’re into the first Grand Prix weekend of 23. That’s the number of races, it should be said, not just the year.
Drive to Survive review: Wolff rages at Horner in foul-mouthed flashpoint of season 5
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
11:59 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton fears lives could be put at risk if Formula One presses ahead with a proposal to outlaw tyre blankets.
The ban could come into force as early as next year, with a vote of the sport’s major players due to be held after the British Grand Prix in July.
Tyre warmers allow drivers to have rubber with suitable grip and pressure when they start the race, or leave the pits. But they use a considerable amount of energy, and their removal is being considered on cost and sustainability grounds.
However, seven-time world champion Hamilton, among only a handful of drivers to have completed dry weather no-blanket running for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, said: “It is dangerous.
“I have tested them, and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So on safety grounds, it is the wrong decision. You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work. The whole argument is that taking away the blankets will be more sustainable and more green, but we are using more fuel to get more temperature into the tyres.”
Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
F1 news: Eddie Jordan dismisses prospect of Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull
11:29 , Kieran Jackson
“There’s not a chance Checo Perez will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. Checo is a darling in that team. Remember what Checo does, he is brilliant foil for Max, he is strong, he can win when he needs to win, or when he has the chance and opportunity to win.,” said former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan, speaking to OLBG.
“There was a bit of a kerfuffle between the two of them, and the opportunity to be second in the championship was a different issue.
“It’s a perfect scenario for Red Bull, as it was for Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. Irvine was happy, he understood the rules, he was being paid on the basis of what he agreed to do. I’m sure Checo is the same.
“He brings good sponsorship to the team, I doubt Daniel Ricciardo does, not to the same level as the Mexican can bring. The biggest thing Red Bull have is continuity. They will not want to change that.
“Ricciardo has been there before, he knows he doesn’t have to be given special treatment, he knows how the team operates, the same people were there; Christian Horner and Adrian Newey. They’re the key people in that team, Daniel knows them well but it would have to be as a result of a driver not being able to participate, but just to sack Checo, I don’t see that at all.”
F1 news: Spanish Grand Prix makes drastic track change ahead of 2023 Formula 1 race
11:12 , Kieran Jackson
The Spanish Grand Prix will have an altered track layout this year with the removal of a chicane making for a higher-speed circuit.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991, will host the eighth round of the 2023 F1 season on the weekend of June 2-4.
Often known for struggling to produce an entertaining race, race promoters have moved to improve the spectacle by removing the chicane in the final sector, formerly turns 14 and 15.
As such, the final section of the lap will see cars race round clockwise as they head onto the home straight, where the extra speed and use of DRS should make for more overtaking opportunities.
This original track configuration has not been used for F1 at Barcelona since 2007.
Spanish Grand Prix makes drastic track change ahead of 2023 Formula 1 race
F1 news: Oscar Piastri forced to act fast when McLaren takes 360-degree spin during F1 testing
10:45 , Kieran Jackson
F1’s Oscar Piastri was forced to act quickly when his McLaren took a 360-degree spin during this morning’s testing in Bahrain (25 February).
In the second sector, the Australian rookie lost control, but thankfully, there was nothing around for him to crash into, giving him time to get back on track.
It’s one of the only incidents that has happened in the run-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.
Oscar Piastri forced to act fast when McLaren takes 360-degree spin during F1 testing
Drive to Survive: Season 5 REVIEW - OUT NOW!
10:22 , Kieran Jackson
Time to find your helmet, don your fireproof gloves and pack your bags. Because 95 days after we said goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 chugs back into life this weekend as the start of the 2023 season dawns. The car launch season, from the tempered-down to the over-the-top, has concluded and finally we will see cars on track with the first – and much-maligned only – official pre-season test of the season. Where? Bahrain. Also the location where, 11 days from now, motorsport’s greatest show goes racing once more.
Yet while an undertone of eager excitement will immerse fans the world over at the sight of fresh – or perhaps not so fresh – liveries at the Bahrain International Circuit, such delirium won’t be mirrored in the paddock. Rather, it’s back down to business. Tick off your checklist. Screw your nuts and bolts. Contrary to the zing in the air, a wave of apprehension will blow over the paddock and its personnel.
Testing is a strange phenomenon. On the whole, the timesheets are not said to be the priority. Instead, its tweaking set-ups. Trialling different parts. Attaching aero-rakes and dashes of green paint to analyse airflow. Some teams even swing the other way; sandbagging the car’s true performance to disguise their potential from their competitors.
That all being said, this three-day testing window does take on more significance than years gone by. Usually, the teams also come together in Barcelona for at minimum a shakedown. Or perhaps Jerez on the southern Spanish coast. This year though, with 2022’s drastic regulation changes only moderately tinkered with in the off-season – a slightly raised ride-height the most noteworthy change – drivers will only have a day-and-a-half of running to tune their cars appropriately and iron out any issues.
Three days in total and bang: we’re into the first Grand Prix weekend of 23. That’s the number of races, it should be said, not just the year.
Drive to Survive review: Wolff rages at Horner in foul-mouthed flashpoint of season 5
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton assesses Mercedes’ chances at season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix
09:59 , Kieran Jackson
“It is difficult to sum it up,” said Lewis Hamilton, when asked to asses his chances ahead of next Sunday’s opening race, also in Bahrain.
“We have had a couple of difficult days, yesterday particularly was difficult, and a bit more of a struggle. Right now, the bouncing has pretty much gone, so that is a huge step for us, but there are still some underlying things that we are working through.”
Hamilton took over testing duties from Russell for the concluding session in Bahrain on Saturday and finished second, four tenths adrift of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
With Verstappen sitting the final day out, Perez set the quickest lap of the week to underline Red Bull’s pace – even though Hamilton was on the softest, and theoretically, speediest rubber.
Earlier, Russell ended the opening running on Saturday four tenths back from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Leclerc, a distant second to Verstappen in the championships last season, said: “I feel we have got some work to do. Red Bull seems to be very strong.”
F1 news: When is the Bahrain Grand Prix?
09:52 , Kieran Jackson
When and where does the 2023 F1 season start?
The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3 March - Sunday 5 March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
FP1 takes place at 11:30am (GMT) on Friday morning, with second practice following at 3pm.
After third practice at 11:30am on Saturday morning, qualifying starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
09:45 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton fears lives could be put at risk if Formula One presses ahead with a proposal to outlaw tyre blankets.
The ban could come into force as early as next year, with a vote of the sport’s major players due to be held after the British Grand Prix in July.
Tyre warmers allow drivers to have rubber with suitable grip and pressure when they start the race, or leave the pits. But they use a considerable amount of energy, and their removal is being considered on cost and sustainability grounds.
However, seven-time world champion Hamilton, among only a handful of drivers to have completed dry weather no-blanket running for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, said: “It is dangerous.
“I have tested them, and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So on safety grounds, it is the wrong decision. You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work. The whole argument is that taking away the blankets will be more sustainable and more green, but we are using more fuel to get more temperature into the tyres.”
Lewis Hamilton fears F1 plan to outlaw tyre blankets could put lives at risk
