Lewis Hamilton will be desperately hoping for Mercedes to improve their car when the F1 season resumes later this month after being left frustrated by the team’s lack of consistency. The Silver Arrows have shown glimpses of what they are capable of but are still lagging behind Red Bull in terms of outright performance and look certain to miss out on the end-of-season honours as a result.
Mercedes are yet to register a single Grand Prix victory in 2023 and could face the very real possibility of Red Bull winning all 23 races in what would be an embarrassing new low for the German outfit, who have already switched their focus to developing next year’s car in a bid to gain a head start for 2024.
“I think there’s still learning we can do and there’s still P2 to fight for in the championship,” said Mercedes chief technical officer Mike Elliot earlier this month. “So we’ll keep developing, but obviously our prime focus now is next year’s car. You have to sort of pick a direction and go in it, and as you learn, you can tweak that direction, move it slightly.”
7 hours ago14:34 Archie Griggs
Piastri lands himself in hot water
Oscar Piastri was told off by his mother on Twitter after posting a picture from his recent visit to the MotoGP at Silverstone.
He shared an image of himself sat on a bike with the caption: “On a break from four wheels so thought I’d have a go at two.”
His mother was having none of it, though, as she replied: “Oh no you don’t! Move away from the bike Oscar Jack Piastri. My heart can barely cope with cars.”
7 hours ago14:04 Archie Griggs
Verstappen launches own team
Max Verstappen has followed in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton by creating his own racing team, which is set to compete in the GT3 class in the near future.
It comes several years after Hamilton ventured into the all-electric Extreme E series with his team X44 Vida Carbon.
“The ultimate goal is to set up our own racing team,” said Verstappen.
“We will start in the GT3 class and then we will see where the ship strands at some point. If it breaks… When I do something, I want to do it well.
“I want to win, even with this, and it’s about being able to create a stepping stone from sim racing to GT3.”
8 hours ago13:39 Archie Griggs
Russell: A season of two halves
George Russell has insisted that he is confident Mercedes will improve after the summer break when quizzed on how the season is shaping up for the Silver Arrows.
“It’s been a season of two halves,” said the Brit. “First six races I was super happy with my own personal performance, I was really strong.
“Definitely some missed opportunities. Just from the failure in Melbourne and Monaco, the small mistake, could’ve been a podium and Silverstone, the safety car, just little things went against me.
“Then it swung around recently, struggling with the car. We’ve got some ideas why that is. That leaves me with a bit of confidence that we can turn it around in the second half of the year.
“But, like I said, eyes on Red Bull. We want to win a race this year, and we are still pushing like hell to achieve that.”
9 hours ago12:29 Archie Griggs
De Vries set for racing return
Nyck de Vries is set to make his return to motorsport just weeks after he was unceremoniously sacked by AlphaTauri.
The 28-year-old will get behind the wheel of an F2 car for a demonstration at JACK’S Racing Day in the Dutch city of Assen this weekend.
He said: “JACK’S Racing Day stands out as one of the most diverse and accessible racing events in Europe.
“It’s truly inspiring to witness the thriving motorsport culture in the Netherlands. I can’t wait to join the excitement in Assen and meet everyone there.”
10 hours ago11:28 Archie Griggs
Horner: Perez has F1’s toughest job
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has sympathised with Sergio Perez by insisting that it is the hardest job in F1 to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate as things stand.
“It would be tough,” Horner told the Unlapped podcast.
“I mean, that’s probably the toughest job in Formula One is to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate because of the level that he’s operating at.
“I don’t think there is a driver in Formula One that would be able to take him on in this car and I think that’s a tough gig for anybody.
“He’s got to be mentally very, very resilient to deal and cope with that.”
11 hours ago10:43 Archie Griggs
Hamilton could be embarrassed
Lewis Hamilton could be left humiliated for more reasons than one if he fails to win a single Grand Prix before the end of this year.
The British anthem has been played at least once on the podium in every season since 1952, either for a winning driver or team.
However, there is a very real possibility that 2023 could spell an end to the 71-year streak if Hamilton is unable to break his duck.
12 hours ago09:19 Archie Griggs
Sainz ‘agrees Audi contract’
Carlos Sainz has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Sauber team, which will be fully rebranded as Audi in 2026, at the end of his current Ferrari deal.
Sauber Motorsport chief Andreas Seidl is a keen admirer of Sainz following their time together at McLaren and is keen to build the Audi project around the Spaniard, according to Auto Action.
Sainz has claimed on a number of recent occasions that he wants his future to be sorted quickly as he continues to be frustrated by a lack of progress at Ferrari, where he remains tied down until the end of next year.
