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F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Michael Masi presence at Australian GP
George Russell has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his quicker laps over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend were down to luck.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, after being demoted off the podium following Fernando Alonso’s reinstatement to third place, with Aston Martin lodging a successful appeal. Hamilton came home fifth, but with Russell superior in both qualifying and in the second stint on race-pace, the seven-time world champion insisted he could “only match Russell’s pace rather than be quicker” after the pair opted for different setups.
Hamilton added that “more often than not” Russell would have been on the “wrong one [setup]” yet the 25-year-old rejected the notion his superior display was down to luck, as opposed to preparation. “I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all, I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event,” Russell said on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen has revealed details about a virus he is yet to shake, Lewis Hamilton has opened up about the end of his working relationship with Angela Cullen and Oscar Piastri targets his first points finish at his home race in Australia.
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F1 LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton insists he will not speak to Michael Masi in Australia
SPECIAL REPORT - Mayhem, mischief and Masi: The story of Abu Dhabi 2021
Max Verstappen says he is not fully fit after contracting a virus
F1 news: George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
17:29 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his quicker laps over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend were down to luck.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, after being demoted off the podium following Fernando Alonso’s reinstatement to third place, with Aston Martin lodging a successful appeal.
Hamilton came home fifth, but with Russell superior in both qualifying and in the second stint on race-pace, the seven-time world champion insisted he could “only match Russell’s pace rather than be quicker” after the pair opted for different setups.
Hamilton added that “more often than not” Russell would have been on the “wrong one [setup]” yet the 25-year-old rejected the notion his superior display was down to luck, as opposed to preparation.
George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo exit theory offered by former F1 world champion
17:04 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo’s downturn in form last year was due to spending “too much time on activities out of the cockpit rather than it” according to 1980 Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones.
Having made his F1 debut in 2011, popular Australian driver Ricciardo lost his seat at McLaren last year after a sudden drop in form, particularly compared to team-mate Lando Norris.
The 33-year-old’s place at McLaren was taken by compatriot and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri.
While Piastri will be racing in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend at Albert Park for the first time, Ricciardo will be watching on from the sidelines having joined Red Bull as a third driver after his McLaren exit.
Yet Jones, Australia’s last F1 world champion, has his own theory as to why Ricciardo’s results dipped.
“I don’t think he even knows himself [why his form disappeared],” Jones told the Herald Sun. “I just think he went off the boil.”
“Really, in my own opinion, I think he concentrated and spent a bit too much time for his activities out of the cockpit rather than in it. That’s my opinion.”
F1 news: Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?
16:43 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Come on then, who’d have thought this was how it’d turn out already? No, really. Red Bull’s margin of victory in last year’s Constructors’ Championship was a mammoth 205 points but in 2023, that could well be surpassed. In fact, never mind surpassed: ridiculed and knocked out the park.
Just two races down and after a pair of comfortable – bordering on effortless – one-two triumphs, the gap is 49 points to Aston Martin in second. The only point Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have missed out on was the fastest lap in Bahrain. There’s 21 grand prix left; 27 races including sprints. The signs, for the rest of the pack, are nothing but scarily ominous.
There can be no doubt where most of the acclaim should be directed. Superstar designer Adrian Newey has created arguably his greatest beast yet; the RB19 was described as an evolution of 2022’s all-conquering machine and boy has that proved an underestimation.
Swap evolution for upgrade. Double upgrade. Aerodynamically supreme, as illustrated by the unstoppable surge in speed down the straights with DRS, this breed of car is lightning through the corners too. Their dominance in Saudi Arabia over the weekend was monumental: they topped all five sessions including practice.
Not that he needs an invitation, Christian Horner was basking in the prospect of his team’s greatest ever season.
Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?
F1 news: Fans react to F1 CEO’s desire to cancel practice sessions
16:14 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 fans have reacted with mostly dismay after the prospect of practice sessions being cancelled in the future was raised by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
A normal race weekend consists of three one-hour practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday prior to qualifying, with the race on Sunday.
But Domenicali, with a view to attracting more competition when cars are on track, says he supports the cancellation of free practice and “a lot of things are on the table” with a view to change the race weekend schedule in the future.
Six of the 23 race meets this season are sprint weekends where the schedule will consist of one hour of practice on Friday, followed by qualifying, with a second practice on Saturday prior to the sprint race – a race one-third the distance of the usual number of laps for that circuit – and the normal grand prix on Sunday.
“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions which are of great use to the engineers, but that the public doesn’t like,” Domenicali told Portuguese outlet SportTV at the opening event of the MotoGP season on Sunday.
F1 fans ‘devastated’ by plan to change grand prix weekends
F1 news: Max Verstappen still not fully fit after virus ahead of Australian GP
15:55 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen said he felt like he was racing with one lung in Saudi Arabia and is still not match-fit for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen delayed his arrival at the last round in Jeddah a fortnight ago by 24 hours as he battled a virus. He finished second behind Sergio Perez.
The Dutchman holds a slender one-point championship lead over his Red Bull team-mate ahead of the third race in Melbourne, and is planning to use the three-week break between the races here at Melbourne’s Albert Park and Azerbaijan on April 30 to return to good health.
“I was not looking forward to the break but then I got really ill and I have just been struggling since that time,” said Verstappen, 25.
“I refused to believe in myself for a long time because, at home, I was really ill. I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.”
‘Felt like I was missing a lung’: Max Verstappen still not fully fit after virus
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Michael Masi presence at Australian GP
15:13 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton said he will not speak to Michael Masi – the sacked Formula One referee accused of costing him a record eighth world championship – because “there is nothing to say”.
Masi is back at an F1 paddock for the first time since his mishandling of the 2021 season decider in Abu Dhabi which provided Max Verstappen with the chance to beat Hamilton in a final-lap shootout and win the title.
The deeply contentious race cost Masi his job as F1 race director. He left the FIA last summer before moving home to Australia and being appointed chairman of the V8 Supercars Commission.
The presence of Masi, 44, at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix could evoke bad memories for Hamilton.
The 38-year-old has not won a race since he lost to Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, and he has already ruled himself out of this season’s championship battle with his Mercedes machinery unable to compete against Verstappen’s superior Red Bull.
But asked if he plans to speak to Masi in Melbourne, and seek an explanation for what happened in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton replied: “I don’t. I am just focussed on my future.
“I am focussed on trying to get back to winning. There is nothing to say.”
F1 news: George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
14:43 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his quicker laps over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend were down to luck.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, after being demoted off the podium following Fernando Alonso’s reinstatement to third place, with Aston Martin lodging a successful appeal.
Hamilton came home fifth, but with Russell superior in both qualifying and in the second stint on race-pace, the seven-time world champion insisted he could “only match Russell’s pace rather than be quicker” after the pair opted for different setups.
Hamilton added that “more often than not” Russell would have been on the “wrong one [setup]” yet the 25-year-old rejected the notion his superior display was down to luck, as opposed to preparation.
“I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all, I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event,” Russell said on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
F1 news: Madrid to rival Barcelona as host city for F1’s Spanish Grand Prix
14:27 , Kieran Jackson
Madrid has emerged as a potential host of the Spanish Grand Prix after talks in the Spanish capital last week.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will run with a reconfigured track layout this year, has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991.
While Barcelona has a contract to host the race until 2026, Madrid could become the latest illustrious city to join the calendar from that point onwards and is seen in some quarters to be the favourite.
Spain is unlikely to host more than one race a season, meaning Madrid would replace Barcelona if it were to join the ever-growing calendar.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met with city officials last week at the opening of the F1 Exhibition in Madrid.
Madrid to rival Barcelona as host city for F1’s Spanish Grand Prix
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton move to Red Bull ruled out by Christian Horner - for one reason
14:04 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner insists Red Bull won’t be moving to sign Lewis Hamilton for next year, adding that he “can’t see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis.”
Red Bull are the standout team in Formula 1 right now, having won both the Drivers and Constructors’ World Championship last year at a canter.
They have produced an even quicker car this season, earning one-two finishes in the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, leaving their rivals for dead in qualifying and race-pace.
Yet Hamilton, whose deal at Mercedes expires at the end of the season, has not win in his last 25 races and while a fresh contract isn’t penned, rumours continue to swirl about his future in the sport.
Former team principal Eddie Jordan believes Hamilton needs to move to Ferrari, but Red Bull boss Horner ruled out signing the seven-time world champion and is satisfied with his current driver pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Lewis Hamilton move to Red Bull ruled out - for one clear reason
F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo exit theory offered by former F1 world champion
13:48 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo’s downturn in form last year was due to spending “too much time on activities out of the cockpit rather than it” according to 1980 Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones.
Having made his F1 debut in 2011, popular Australian driver Ricciardo lost his seat at McLaren last year after a sudden drop in form, particularly compared to team-mate Lando Norris.
The 33-year-old’s place at McLaren was taken by compatriot and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri.
While Piastri will be racing in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend at Albert Park for the first time, Ricciardo will be watching on from the sidelines having joined Red Bull as a third driver after his McLaren exit.
Yet Jones, Australia’s last F1 world champion, has his own theory as to why Ricciardo’s results dipped.
“I don’t think he even knows himself [why his form disappeared],” Jones told the Herald Sun. “I just think he went off the boil.”
“Really, in my own opinion, I think he concentrated and spent a bit too much time for his activities out of the cockpit rather than in it. That’s my opinion.”
‘It’s unfortunate’: Daniel Ricciardo exit theory offered by former F1 world champion
F1 news: What is the race schedule this weekend in Melbourne?
13:29 , Kieran Jackson
(All times BST)
Friday 31 March
Free Practice 1: 2:30am
Free Practice 2: 6am
Saturday 1 April
Free Practice 3: 2:30am
Qualifying: 6am
Sunday 2 April
Race: 6am
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Michael Masi presence at Australian GP
13:17 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton said he will not speak to Michael Masi – the sacked Formula One referee accused of costing him a record eighth world championship – because “there is nothing to say”.
Masi is back at an F1 paddock for the first time since his mishandling of the 2021 season decider in Abu Dhabi which provided Max Verstappen with the chance to beat Hamilton in a final-lap shootout and win the title.
The deeply contentious race cost Masi his job as F1 race director. He left the FIA last summer before moving home to Australia and being appointed chairman of the V8 Supercars Commission.
The presence of Masi, 44, at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix could evoke bad memories for Hamilton.
The 38-year-old has not won a race since he lost to Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, and he has already ruled himself out of this season’s championship battle with his Mercedes machinery unable to compete against Verstappen’s superior Red Bull.
But asked if he plans to speak to Masi in Melbourne, and seek an explanation for what happened in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton replied: “I don’t. I am just focussed on my future.
“I am focussed on trying to get back to winning. There is nothing to say.”
F1 news: Fans react to F1 CEO’s desire to cancel practice sessions
13:06 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 fans have reacted with mostly dismay after the prospect of practice sessions being cancelled in the future was raised by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
A normal race weekend consists of three one-hour practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday prior to qualifying, with the race on Sunday.
But Domenicali, with a view to attracting more competition when cars are on track, says he supports the cancellation of free practice and “a lot of things are on the table” with a view to change the race weekend schedule in the future.
Six of the 23 race meets this season are sprint weekends where the schedule will consist of one hour of practice on Friday, followed by qualifying, with a second practice on Saturday prior to the sprint race – a race one-third the distance of the usual number of laps for that circuit – and the normal grand prix on Sunday.
“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions which are of great use to the engineers, but that the public doesn’t like,” Domenicali told Portuguese outlet SportTV at the opening event of the MotoGP season on Sunday.
F1 fans ‘devastated’ by plan to change grand prix weekends
F1 news - ‘My last days’: Lewis Hamilton gives revealing update on F1 future
12:47 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has said that he hopes to be at Mercedes until his “last days” in the clearest indication yet of the British driver’s future plans.
Significant speculation about the seven-time world champion’s future has dominated the start of the season with Mercedes again struggling to match Red Bull and any hopes of a title challenge distant.
Hamilton is believed to have not yet signed an extension to his current contract with the team, which expires at the end of the season and is worth a reported £40 million a year.
That has led some to suggest he could seek a move elsewhere in search of an eighth title that would take him beyond Michael Schumacher as the outright most successful driver in F1 history.
But describing Mercedes, where has won six of his seven titles, as his “family”, Hamilton has strongly hinted that he does not see his future anywhere else.
‘My last days’: Lewis Hamilton gives revealing update on F1 future
F1 news: George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
12:34 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his quicker laps over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend were down to luck.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, after being demoted off the podium following Fernando Alonso’s reinstatement to third place, with Aston Martin lodging a successful appeal.
Hamilton came home fifth, but with Russell superior in both qualifying and in the second stint on race-pace, the seven-time world champion insisted he could “only match Russell’s pace rather than be quicker” after the pair opted for different setups.
Hamilton added that “more often than not” Russell would have been on the “wrong one [setup]” yet the 25-year-old rejected the notion his superior display was down to luck, as opposed to preparation.
“I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all, I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event,” Russell said on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
“The changes we made overnight, I knew that was going to be the right direction with the work we did with the team. And I believed it was going to be better than the setup that Lewis opted for.”
F1 news: Max Verstappen still not fully fit after virus ahead of Australian GP
12:18 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen said he felt like he was racing with one lung in Saudi Arabia and is still not match-fit for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen delayed his arrival at the last round in Jeddah a fortnight ago by 24 hours as he battled a virus. He finished second behind Sergio Perez.
The Dutchman holds a slender one-point championship lead over his Red Bull team-mate ahead of the third race in Melbourne, and is planning to use the three-week break between the races here at Melbourne’s Albert Park and Azerbaijan on April 30 to return to good health.
“I was not looking forward to the break but then I got really ill and I have just been struggling since that time,” said Verstappen, 25.
“I refused to believe in myself for a long time because, at home, I was really ill. I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.”
F1 news: Nico Rosberg hints at Lewis Hamilton weakness in team-mate battle with George Russell
11:58 , Kieran Jackson
Nico Rosberg believes Lewis Hamilton can get mentally low when faced with a competitive team-mate after finishing behind George Russell at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last week.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, with Hamilton coming home fifth as Mercedes look likely to fall short of a title challenge once again this year with Red Bull way out in front so far. Russell also scored 35 more points last season – in his first year driving for Mercedes – than Hamilton, finishing fourth in the Driver Standings compared to Hamilton’s sixth.
And Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the World Championship in 2016 before retiring from the sport, insists 25-year-old Russell is a “future world champion” and elaborated on how Hamilton fares when faced with a battle in the same garage.
“George is the ultimate test, he is a future world champion,” Rosberg told Sky F1. “It is difficult for Lewis to stay in front.”
Nico Rosberg hints at Lewis Hamilton weakness in team-mate battle with George Russell
F1 news: Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?
11:40 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Come on then, who’d have thought this was how it’d turn out already? No, really. Red Bull’s margin of victory in last year’s Constructors’ Championship was a mammoth 205 points but in 2023, that could well be surpassed. In fact, never mind surpassed: ridiculed and knocked out the park.
Just two races down and after a pair of comfortable – bordering on effortless – one-two triumphs, the gap is 49 points to Aston Martin in second. The only point Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have missed out on was the fastest lap in Bahrain. There’s 21 grand prix left; 27 races including sprints. The signs, for the rest of the pack, are nothing but scarily ominous.
There can be no doubt where most of the acclaim should be directed. Superstar designer Adrian Newey has created arguably his greatest beast yet; the RB19 was described as an evolution of 2022’s all-conquering machine and boy has that proved an underestimation.
Swap evolution for upgrade. Double upgrade. Aerodynamically supreme, as illustrated by the unstoppable surge in speed down the straights with DRS, this breed of car is lightning through the corners too. Their dominance in Saudi Arabia over the weekend was monumental: they topped all five sessions including practice.
Not that he needs an invitation, Christian Horner was basking in the prospect of his team’s greatest ever season.
Why are Red Bull so quick – and can anyone stop their F1 title charge?
F1 news: Madrid to rival Barcelona as host city for F1’s Spanish Grand Prix
11:20 , Kieran Jackson
Madrid has emerged as a potential host of the Spanish Grand Prix after talks in the Spanish capital last week.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will run with a reconfigured track layout this year, has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991.
While Barcelona has a contract to host the race until 2026, Madrid could become the latest illustrious city to join the calendar from that point onwards and is seen in some quarters to be the favourite.
Spain is unlikely to host more than one race a season, meaning Madrid would replace Barcelona if it were to join the ever-growing calendar.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met with city officials last week at the opening of the F1 Exhibition in Madrid.
Madrid to rival Barcelona as host city for F1’s Spanish Grand Prix
F1 news: F1 boss urged to correct ‘false’ Bahrain Grand Prix protest claims
10:59 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been urged to correct “false” claims about the arrest of Bahraini protestors prior to the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Reports emerged that four Bahraini political protestors were arrested near the Bahrain International Circuit on 5 March, speaking out against sportswashing of human rights abuses in the Gulf country.
Yet the Bahraini government deny that any arrests took place, a view shared by Formula 1, despite evidence first-hand by the protestors and the UK government confirming the arrests.
Now Domenicali has been urged by Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat life peer, to correct and respond to these “false” claims about the arrests, as well as speak out “regarding executions and the right to protest without risk of reprisals” in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The two Gulf countries hosted the first two races of the 2023 season.
F1 boss Stefano Domenicali urged to correct ‘false’ Bahrain protest claims
F1 news: George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
10:44 , Kieran Jackson
George Russell has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his quicker laps over the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend were down to luck.
Russell finished fourth in Jeddah, after being demoted off the podium following Fernando Alonso’s reinstatement to third place, with Aston Martin lodging a successful appeal.
Hamilton came home fifth, but with Russell superior in both qualifying and in the second stint on race-pace, the seven-time world champion insisted he could “only match Russell’s pace rather than be quicker” after the pair opted for different setups.
Hamilton added that “more often than not” Russell would have been on the “wrong one [setup]” yet the 25-year-old rejected the notion his superior display was down to luck, as opposed to preparation.
“I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all, I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event,” Russell said on Thursday, ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
George Russell hits back at ‘luck’ claim from Lewis Hamilton
F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo exit theory offered by former F1 world champion
10:30 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo’s downturn in form last year was due to spending “too much time on activities out of the cockpit rather than it” according to 1980 Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones.
Having made his F1 debut in 2011, popular Australian driver Ricciardo lost his seat at McLaren last year after a sudden drop in form, particularly compared to team-mate Lando Norris.
The 33-year-old’s place at McLaren was taken by compatriot and 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri.
While Piastri will be racing in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend at Albert Park for the first time, Ricciardo will be watching on from the sidelines having joined Red Bull as a third driver after his McLaren exit.
Yet Jones, Australia’s last F1 world champion, has his own theory as to why Ricciardo’s results dipped.
“I don’t think he even knows himself [why his form disappeared],” Jones told the Herald Sun. “I just think he went off the boil.”
“Really, in my own opinion, I think he concentrated and spent a bit too much time for his activities out of the cockpit rather than in it. That’s my opinion.”
F1 news: Fans react to F1 CEO’s desire to cancel practice sessions
10:11 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 fans have reacted with mostly dismay after the prospect of practice sessions being cancelled in the future was raised by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
A normal race weekend consists of three one-hour practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday prior to qualifying, with the race on Sunday.
But Domenicali, with a view to attracting more competition when cars are on track, says he supports the cancellation of free practice and “a lot of things are on the table” with a view to change the race weekend schedule in the future.
Six of the 23 race meets this season are sprint weekends where the schedule will consist of one hour of practice on Friday, followed by qualifying, with a second practice on Saturday prior to the sprint race – a race one-third the distance of the usual number of laps for that circuit – and the normal grand prix on Sunday.
“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions which are of great use to the engineers, but that the public doesn’t like,” Domenicali told Portuguese outlet SportTV at the opening event of the MotoGP season on Sunday.
F1 fans ‘devastated’ by plan to change grand prix weekends
F1 news - ‘My last days’: Lewis Hamilton gives revealing update on F1 future
09:59 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton has said that he hopes to be at Mercedes until his “last days” in the clearest indication yet of the British driver’s future plans.
Significant speculation about the seven-time world champion’s future has dominated the start of the season with Mercedes again struggling to match Red Bull and any hopes of a title challenge distant.
Hamilton is believed to have not yet signed an extension to his current contract with the team, which expires at the end of the season and is worth a reported £40 million a year.
That has led some to suggest he could seek a move elsewhere in search of an eighth title that would take him beyond Michael Schumacher as the outright most successful driver in F1 history.
But describing Mercedes, where has won six of his seven titles, as his “family”, Hamilton has strongly hinted that he does not see his future anywhere else.
‘My last days’: Lewis Hamilton gives revealing update on F1 future
F1 news: What is the race schedule?
09:42 , Kieran Jackson
(All times BST)
Friday 31 March
Free Practice 1: 2:30am
Free Practice 2: 6am
Saturday 1 April
Free Practice 3: 2:30am
Qualifying: 6am
Sunday 2 April
Race: 6am
F1 news: Max Verstappen still not fully fit after virus ahead of Australian GP
09:37 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen said he felt like he was racing with one lung in Saudi Arabia and is still not match-fit for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen delayed his arrival at the last round in Jeddah a fortnight ago by 24 hours as he battled a virus. He finished second behind Sergio Perez.
The Dutchman holds a slender one-point championship lead over his Red Bull team-mate ahead of the third race in Melbourne, and is planning to use the three-week break between the races here at Melbourne’s Albert Park and Azerbaijan on April 30 to return to good health.
“I was not looking forward to the break but then I got really ill and I have just been struggling since that time,” said Verstappen, 25.
“I refused to believe in myself for a long time because, at home, I was really ill. I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.”
‘Felt like I was missing a lung’: Max Verstappen still not fully fit after virus
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton reacts to Michael Masi presence at Australian GP
09:35 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton said he will not speak to Michael Masi – the sacked Formula One referee accused of costing him a record eighth world championship – because “there is nothing to say”.
Masi is back at an F1 paddock for the first time since his mishandling of the 2021 season decider in Abu Dhabi which provided Max Verstappen with the chance to beat Hamilton in a final-lap shootout and win the title.
The deeply contentious race cost Masi his job as F1 race director. He left the FIA last summer before moving home to Australia and being appointed chairman of the V8 Supercars Commission.
The presence of Masi, 44, at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix could evoke bad memories for Hamilton.
The 38-year-old has not won a race since he lost to Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, and he has already ruled himself out of this season’s championship battle with his Mercedes machinery unable to compete against Verstappen’s superior Red Bull.
But asked if he plans to speak to Masi in Melbourne, and seek an explanation for what happened in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton replied: “I don’t. I am just focussed on my future.
“I am focussed on trying to get back to winning. There is nothing to say.”
