JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (AFP) - Lewis Hamilton edged out Max Verstappen to win a chaotic and controversial Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday (Dec 5) to send the title battle to the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Both men are level on points ahead of the decider after an incident-packed street race in Jeddah saw two red flag stoppages. Verstappen picked up a five-second penalty after a controversial move on world champion Hamilton with the British seven-time champion accusing the Dutchman of 'brake-testing' him. Hamilton had sped away from pole position before the balance of power shifted after 10 laps when Mick Schumacher buried his Haas in a barrier. Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas pitted under the safety car but Verstappen stayed out. Four laps later, the race was red-flagged to allow the barriers to be repaired which enabled Verstappen to pit, change tyres and resume the race in the lead. On the restart, Hamilton reclaimed the lead but claimed he was forced off the track by Verstappen. Moments later there was another red flag as Sergio Perez, George Russell and Nikita Mazepin all collided at the rear of the field. The stewards decided that Verstappen's manoeuvre was illegal and promoted Alpine's Esteban Ocon to pole for the third start of the race, with Hamilton in second and Verstappen in third. Amazingly, Verstappen then took the lead again with Hamilton following through. However the drama and controversy continued when they collided late in the race. Hamilton said he had been brake-tested and Verstappen was penalised by the stewards before the Briton swept past and onto victory. Bottas was third in his penultimate race for Mercedes. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Hamilton reprimanded and Mercedes fined at Saudi GP Related Story Formula One: Hamilton hits ‘sweet’ spot to claim inaugural Qatar GP pole
DOHA (REUTERS) - Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff declared the gloves were off as he and Red Bull rival Christian Horner engaged in more verbal sparring at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Friday (Nov 19). The two principals have been needling each other all season amid the ebbs and flows of the title battle and they appeared together in a scheduled news conference between practice sessions at Losail. The fighting talk came to the fore again, following on from last weekend's race in Brazil that was overshadowed by suspicions and accusations. Asked whether there was still mutual respect ahead of the final three races, Wolff replied: "There are many great people working in Red Bull and obviously many in Mercedes and it's a hell of a fight. "There is a respect for the capability that Red Bull has, definitely, and it's clear that this is tough. It's the world championship of the highest category in motor racing and what started as Olympic boxing went to pro boxing and is now MMA. "Gloves are off and nothing else is to be expected." Horner, asked for his view, replied bluntly: "There is no relationship." Defining it as "the most intense political title fight" the team had ever experienced, he said relationship and respect were different things and he respected the achievements of Mercedes and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton. "But I don't need to go to dinner with Toto, I don't need to kiss his arse or anything like that. There's a few other team principals who might..." Horner, who recently compared Wolff to a 'pantomime dame' after being labelled a 'windbag' before that by the Austrian, said they were just very different characters. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Bottas quickest ahead of Gasly in Qatar practice Related Story Formula One: Red Bull ready to protest against Mercedes rear wing, says Horner "Am I going to be spending Christmas with Toto? Probably not, unless you're in panto this year? I might take the kids," added the Briton. "You don't have to be best mates with your opponents. How can you be? I think that would be dishonest to fake a facade when you're competing against each other." Mercedes are 11 points clear of Red Bull in the constructors' championship but Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 14 ahead of Hamilton. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Formula One stewards turn down Mercedes request for review of Brazil incident Related Story Formula One: Hamilton and Verstappen take a step into the unknown
DOHA (AFP) - Max Verstappen was in bullish mood on Thursday (Nov 18), declaring his heated Formula One title battle with Lewis Hamilton was no "kindergarten" and that he would continue his aggressive approach in this weekend's inaugural Qatar Grand Prix. The 24-year-old championship leader defended so fiercely in last Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix that he forced the seven-time world champion off the Interlagos track. That incident was under scrutiny as he spoke on Thursday as a stewards' review took place at the Losail International Circuit where the Red Bull and Mercedes teams were again locked in conflict. Verstappen was not surprised, he said, that Mercedes had asked for the review, but made clear he would react in just the same way again as he had on Lap 41 in Sao Paulo to retain the lead. Hamilton eventually found his way past and went on to claim an epic victory that trimmed the Dutchman's lead to 14 points with three races remaining. The incident was not deemed worthy of further action last Sunday, but the release of Verstappen's on-board video persuaded Mercedes that a review was necessary. But Verstappen was not impressed. "If it would have been the other way around in Brazil, it would have exactly played out like that," he said, suggesting that Hamilton can be just as brutal when required. "Yeah, it's hard racing, we are fighting for a championship. We are not here to be in a kindergarten. I thought it was a great battle and I had a lot of fun as well out there. "As a driver, I think we know exactly what we can or cannot do in a car and we were fighting hard, braking late into the corner and the tyres were quite worn. "If I would have turned more abruptly to the left, you'd just spin off the track. At the end of the day, they won the race, fair enough. They were faster than us, but I thought it was a good battle." As Mercedes launched their request for a review, Red Bull continued to grumble about the power of Hamilton's new power unit and the rear wing of his car, which had been deemed irregular in Brazil and led to him losing pole position. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Hamilton not wasting energy on Brazil GP flashpoint review Related Story Formula One: Hamilton and Verstappen take a step into the unknown
AUSTIN (AFP) - Despite further engine issues, Mercedes dominated Friday's (Oct 22) opening practice for the United States Grand Prix with Valtteri Bottas edging world champion Lewis Hamilton and the rest of the field far back. Bottas, who will face a five-place grid penalty after Mercedes changed his engine for the fifth time this season, recorded a lap of 1min 34.874sec with team-mate Hamilton just 0.45sec behind. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who leads Hamilton by six points in the title race, was a distant third, nine tenths of a second back. There was another significant gap to Charles Leclerc, who was fourth in his Ferrari, 1.46sec slower than Bottas. After Hamilton took an ultimately costly 10-place grid penalty for an engine change before the Turkish Grand Prix, Bottas and two other drivers with Mercedes power units, George Russell of Williams and Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, will incur penalties in Austin. Drivers are allowed three engines a season, after that they are hit with decreasing penalties. Bottas will drop five grid places for his sixth engine. Russell and Vettel will drop to the back of the grid after each switched to their fourth power unit of the season. "Unfortunately, since mid-year we have had some reliability issues that keep coming back," Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told UK Sky television, saying he was worried about cars not finishing the race (DNF). "I think we understand now much better what it is but it means there is no durability in running them and that means a potential DNF risk," he said. Hamilton and Mercedes are embroiled in a tight battle with Vertstappen and Red Bull for the drivers and constructors' championships. Although Bottas won in Turkey, the Dutchman took the championship lead when Hamilton could only climb back to fifth. "Penalties are not nice because it's such a tight battle," said Wolff. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Bottas takes five-place grid penalty for sixth engine Related Story Formula One: Vettel to take grid penalty for US grand prix after engine change He added that he was pleased that Mercedes dominated the opening session as temperatures rose into the 80s Fahrenheit on a track where Mercedes has taken pole every year since 2014. "It's really good," he said, but noted that Red Bull have made a habit of gaining speed over the course of a race weekend. "I don't know if it's gap that's going to maintain. I wish so but normally they are creeping their way back," Wolff said. Behind Leclerc the drivers were tightly bunched. The second Ferrari, driven by Carlos Sainz was fifth followed by Pierre Gasly in an AlphatTauri and then the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Hamilton cheerful but realistic ahead of US grand prix test Related Story Formula One: Verstappen seeks Texan triumph to extend lead over Hamilton
MONZA, ITALY (AFP) - George Russell said on Thursday (Sept 9) that he does not "see there being any issues" when he becomes seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton's new Mercedes teammate next season. The 23-year-old Russell will leave Williams to join his fellow Briton for the 2022 season, replacing Valtteri Bottas at the Silver Arrows. Hamilton, who trails Max Verstappen by three points in this season's standings, had made clear his respect for, and trust in, Bottas as a teammate. But Mercedes opted not to keep the Finn, who rarely threatened Hamilton's F1 supremacy, for a sixth year, instead bringing in their former development driver Russell. Mercedes have said in the past they want to avoid a repeat of the 2016 campaign, when Nico Rosberg pipped teammate Hamilton to the world title after a fierce battle. "I think Mercedes have had clear experience of a poor dynamic within the team, and they've made it absolutely clear that they don't want a repeat," Russell said ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. "On a personal level as well, I don't want that either. I'd say as well, Lewis and I are at very different stages of our career, which I think also helps, and I have a huge amount of respect for him. "I think being so much younger and looking up to him as a young karting driver changes that dynamic a lot too. I don't see there being any issues at all." Russell failed to win a point for Williams in his first two seasons despite consistently out-qualifying his teammates, although he did impress when standing in last year for Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix. He looked set for victory until Mercedes bungled a pit stop. Russell has improved again in 2021, finishing eighth in Hungary before a magnificent qualifying performance saw him take second in the farcical Belgian Grand Prix. "In a way I'm almost returning back to where I started my journey towards Formula One," he added. "But equally obviously it's sad to close this chapter with Williams. It's been a great journey and so pleased we've had some great results in recent races to show for our efforts." More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Russell has nothing to lose at Mercedes, says Hamilton Related Story Motor racing: Russell to join Hamilton at Mercedes in all-British line-up Hamilton, looking for the 100th F1 win of his career, will be hoping to retake the championship lead from Verstappen at Monza this week. "It's not going to be easy. I'm under no illusion how tough that's going to be," Russell said of racing against Hamilton, who burst onto the scene in his rookie season by finishing level on points with McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso in 2007. "I think we all know how strong Lewis is and in my opinion he's probably the greatest driver of all time... I think I'm in an incredibly fortunate position, I can go and learn from the best." More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Valtteri Bottas leaving Mercedes to join Alfa on multi-year deal from 2022 Related Story Formula One: No plans to take engine penalty at Monza, says Verstappen
MONZA, ITALY (REUTERS) - Formula One world championship leader Max Verstappen calmed fears he might have to take an engine penalty for Sunday's Italian Grand Prix. "We haven't really decided yet where to take it," the Red Bull driver told reporters at Monza on Thursday (Sept 9) when asked about a likely grid drop. "This engine is still very new, so we'll see. It's definitely not the plan yet to take it here." The Dutch 23-year-old damaged one of his allotted three engines in a crash at Silverstone in July after colliding with Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton and is expected to have to use a fourth before the end of the season. That would bring an automatic 10-place drop. High-speed Monza is generally a good place to take such a hit, with plenty of slipstreaming and overtaking, but Red Bull have struggled against Mercedes there in recent years. This weekend is also being run to a new format with a Saturday sprint qualifying race that also brings bonus points for the top three. Verstappen is three points clear of Hamilton after winning his home race at Zandvoort last weekend, his seventh victory in 13 races. He said his car would be more competitive at Monza than previous years but warned that might not be enough at a track where Mercedes have won five of the last seven races, albeit not the most recent two. "I'm not sure if it's going to be enough to fight them," said Verstappen. "Nevertheless, this weekend with sprint qualifying and stuff, it's going to be very different so I just hope that, yeah, we did our homework before getting here and we can be very competitive. It's a bit difficult to say where we will stand. "I definitely don't expect it to be like Zandvoort." More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Russell has nothing to lose at Mercedes, says Hamilton Related Story Formula One: Raikkonen to miss Italian GP after positive Covid-19 test
LONDON (REUTERS) - Lewis Hamilton's eight-point lead in the Formula One championship was confirmed on Thursday (Aug 12) as Aston Martin dropped an appeal against Sebastian Vettel's Hungarian Grand Prix disqualification. Vettel had finished second in the Aug 1 race but Hamilton took the position after the German was ruled out for not having the required amount of fuel left in his car for samples to be taken. The added points increased the seven-times world champion Mercedes driver's advantage from six to eight points over Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Mercedes are 12 points clear of Red Bull in the constructors' standings. Stewards had already dismissed Aston Martin's separate request for review of the disqualification on grounds that the new evidence presented was not relevant to the post-race decision. Aston Martin had recognised the required litre of fuel was not in the car but said it was due to a leak and there had been no advantage gained. Thursday's statement said they had considered their position in the light of stewards' verdict and "withdrawn our appeal on the basis that we believe doing so outweighs the benefits of it being heard". Second place would have been Silverstone-based Aston Martin's best result of the season. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes expect Hamilton to come back strong from F1 break Related Story Formula One: Vettel disqualified from Hungarian GP, Hamilton inherits second place
LONDON (REUTERS) - Max Verstappen's British Grand Prix collision with Lewis Hamilton cost Red Bull US$1.8 million (S$2.4 million) with "massive ramifications" for a team operating under Formula One's budget cap, principal Christian Horner said on Friday (July 23). In a combative column on the Red Bull website, Horner revealed the championship leader's seat was broken by the first lap impact in last Sunday's race at Silverstone. He continued to blame Hamilton and said Mercedes' race winner and seven-times world champion had got off lightly with a 10-second penalty. "Given the severity of the incident and the lenient penalty, we are reviewing all data and have the right to request a review," said Horner. "We are therefore still looking at the evidence and considering all of our sporting options." Verstappen had started the race 33 points clear of Hamilton, after winning a Saturday sprint, but ended up only eight ahead after crashing out when they made contact at Copse Corner. Hamilton had tried to pass on the inside and Verstappen moved across, with the cars colliding. Horner complained to race director Michael Masi at the time about Hamilton's driving and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff went to see the stewards before they had taken a decision, followed by the Red Bull principal. Masi had cleared Wolff to do so but teams have now been warned they face punishment in future if any personnel visited the stewards uninvited. Max Verstappen's crash at the #BritishGP had a recorded impact of 51G.Not only would an average person pass out by 10G, but this is what his car looked like afterward.Glad he's ok 🙏 pic.twitter.com/GIv9bAsl45— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 18, 2021 Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen's crash! #BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/gonVIosYwt— F1 Sports (@F1Sportss) July 18, 2021 Horner said he had gone to make the point that it was not appropriate for anyone to interfere and was pleased to see the FIA clarification. He defended Verstappen from accusations by Mercedes and Hamilton of being an "overly aggressive" driver. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Monza to host F1's second sprint race Related Story Motor racing: Hamilton's penalty was harsh, says Mercedes' Allison "You only have to look at the fact Max has zero penalty points on his licence and has not been found guilty of any on-track misjudgements in recent years," he said. "The aggressive 17-year-old F1 rookie Max Verstappen that Hamilton is referring to is not the Max Verstappen of today, just as Hamilton is not the same driver he was when he entered the sport. "The reality is that Hamilton has met his match in a car that is now competitive, and I agree that both drivers need to show each other respect, but Hamilton was the aggressor on Sunday." Horner said also that he was disappointed by the "level of celebrations" after the race by Hamilton and Mercedes, with Verstappen still in hospital for checks. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Keep it clean, Brawn tells rivals, but the fuse is lit after Verstappen crash Related Story In The Driver's Seat: Max v Lewis tiff has echoes of Senna v Prost rivalry
STYRIA, AUSTRIA (REUTERS) - Formula One leaders Red Bull said a move to slow down pitstops on safety grounds appeared to be aimed at reducing their advantage but could instead add to the danger. The governing FIA issued a technical directive to teams before the weekend's Steiermark grand prix in Austria to clarify the rules and prevent the use of automated systems during pitstops. New controls will be enforced from the Hungarian Grand Prix in August. Red Bull hold the record for the quickest pitstop at 1.82 seconds and regularly manage to change all four tyres in less than two seconds - a time considerably faster than rivals Mercedes usually achieve. "If you can't be beaten then obviously the most logical thing is for your competitors to try to slow you down, and that's obviously what's happening here," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told reporters. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff revealed that his team had asked the FIA some three or four weeks ago about a safety mechanism related to a system they were using and asking if it could be optimised. "Did that trigger anything else? Maybe. I don't know," added the Austrian. Horner said teams already had a duty to ensure their cars were safe as they left the pitlane and the penalties for a wheel not being fixed were 'brutal'. "What the technical directive is trying to achieve, I'm not quite sure because I think there's an awful lot of complexity to it," he said. "I think you can see there's an awful lot of pointed activity in our direction at the moment - but that comes with the territory of being competitive." Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 12 points clear of Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton while the team are 37 points clear in the constructors' standings. Mercedes have had several glaringly slow pitstops, most notably when they failed to remove a jammed wheel from Valtteri Bottas' car until the Tuesday after the Monaco Grand Prix. More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Bottas penalised for alarming pitlane spin, Verstappen fastest in practice Related Story Motor racing: Verstappen ready to pounce as cracks widen in Mercedes armour Horner said there had been previous discussions and directives on pitstop procedures and the latest was not well thought through. "To have to hold a car for two tenths of a second I think you could almost argue that it is dangerous because you are judging your gaps and the guy releasing the car is having to make that judgement," he said. "Formula One is about innovation and competition and seeing pit stops in sub-two seconds is a remarkable feat and we should be encouraging it, not trying to control it. "Otherwise, where does it stop? We're going to be told which way we should walk into the garage, where we should sit on the pit wall and which buttons we should press, I guess." More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Turkey replaces cancelled Singapore race on F1 calendar Related Story Formula One: Mercedes vow maximum attack at Red Bull's home track
PARIS (REUTERS) - Seven-times Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton dispelled the "myth" surrounding a chassis swop with Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas after qualifying for Sunday's French Grand Prix. Hamilton and Bottas had swopped chassis for this weekend's race at the Paul Ricard circuit as part of a planned rotation, Mercedes said in the build-up. As a result, the Briton has been driving the chassis used by Bottas in the last four races, including a nightmare last round in Baku, while the Finn has the chassis that has carried Hamilton to three wins from six races. Mercedes said both chassis were identical, but the swop, coinciding with an upswing in form for Bottas and greater struggles for Hamilton, has led to speculation and conspiracy theories. "I saw you coming up with some myth so I was happy to be able to prove you wrong," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 commentator and former racer Paul di Resta in the post-qualifying interviews. "The quality of our engineers' work, (our) cars are exactly the same." Hamilton qualified second on Saturday, behind Red Bull pole-sitter Max Verstappen but ahead of Bottas in third. The fired-up Finn, who headed into the weekend with speculation surrounding his Mercedes future, had led Hamilton through all three practice sessions. Hamilton admitted to struggling but said that had more to do with getting the car in the optimum operating window. "As you can see today, I managed to do a great job with the same car," he said after beating Bottas in qualifying. "So it's no different." "We're just in general struggling with getting everything from the tyres and getting the car in the right window." Bottas agreed, saying: "I think it's more in the head." "You think some chassis is better, some not, so I don't think there's much difference." More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Verstappen beats Hamilton to French GP pole Related Story Formula One: Hamilton and Mercedes hoping for return to form at French GP
LONDON (REUTERS) - Once-dominant Mercedes are no longer performing at the level needed to win the Formula One championship and must get back to their "A Game", team bosses said after Sunday's (June 6) Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Team principal and co-owner Toto Wolff said the last two weeks had been his toughest yet. Sunday's sixth round of the season in Baku saw no change at the top of the standings with Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen crashing out but staying four points clear of Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. Seven-time world champion Hamilton failed to score, as did team mate Valtteri Bottas, while Red Bull celebrated their second win in a row, this time with Mexican Sergio Perez. Combined with a disappointing performance in Monaco two weeks earlier, when Hamilton was seventh and Valtteri Bottas retired, the two races were Mercedes' worst back-to-back results since 2012. The last time the sport saw two races in a row without a Mercedes driver on the podium was at the end of 2013. "The emotion of frustration is just so overwhelming at the moment," Wolff told reporters after Sunday's race. "There are lots of things that are not running smoothly as they have in the past few years. Operationally it's not our 'A-game'. "There's just so much that we need to improve that I just want to get on it right now...in order to make sure that we are actually able to compete for this championship. Because we can't continue losing points like we've done in Monaco and here." Monaco and Baku were always seen as tracks where Mercedes might have a harder time, but the dominant team of the last seven years looked jaw-droppingly off the pace in practice in Baku before Hamilton unlocked some performance on Saturday. He might have won on Sunday had he not hit a brake button by accident at the re-start after Verstappen's crash and gone down an escape road. In Monaco, Bottas had to retire while in second place after the team were unable to remove a wheel at his pitstop. It finally came off at the factory some 43 hours later. "In the last two races we haven't been good enough. Not fast enough, we've made mistakes, we struggle to switch the tyres on and we've been on the back-foot through free practice," said trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. "We know the level it takes to win championships and we're not at that level right now so we need to re-group and come back performing the way we know that we can. "We have the team, the car and the drivers to win this, but we need to be tough and honest with ourselves over the next few days." More on this topic Related Story In The Driver's Seat: Red Bull reap rewards as disasters strike rivals Related Story Formula One: Hamilton talks tough with Mercedes after Monaco let-down
LONDON (REUTERS) - Red Bull have hired another group of engine experts from Formula One rivals Mercedes as they prepare to build their own power unit after Honda's departure at the end of the season. The team last month announced Ben Hodgkinson, head of mechanical engineering at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), had been hired as technical director of Red Bull Powertrains. On Thursday (May 6), they announced five further appointments to key roles, all from Mercedes. No starting dates were given and all are likely to have a long period of "gardening leave" before joining. Red Bull also said a new head of mechanical development would be revealed soon. "We know that success will only be achieved by bringing in the best and brightest talent, by providing them with the right tools and by creating the right environment in which they can thrive," said team boss Christian Horner. "Each of the senior personnel announced today bring a wealth of experience, expertise and innovativity to the Red Bull Powertrains programme and provide us with the strongest possible technical platform for the future." Mercedes principal Toto Wolff, whose team have dominated the V6 turbo hybrid era since 2014, recognised last week that a number of staff would be leaving the Brixworth factory and moving to Milton Keynes. "It's clear that they (Red Bull) are going to hire English engineers because it's in the United Kingdom and there are not a lot of companies that can probably provide those engineers," said the Austrian. "So absolutely understood what the strategy is." More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Red Bull's Horner tells Wolff to mind his own business with engine talk Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes admit Red Bull 'edge' ahead of Imola showdown Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose closest title rival is Red Bull's Max Verstappen, played down the departures when asked whether the team could be unsettled by them. "There is obviously all of this stuff going on in the background," said the Briton. "Toto will be working to manage it in the best way possible. "Every individual that's in our team is amazing and it's not a surprise that everybody will want them... I wish them all the best. We all have to go through our own journeys and make our own decisions. "But this is a huge team and it's not about one individual, or even five." Mercedes are leading both championships after three races, with seven times world champion Hamilton eight points clear of Verstappen. The next race is in Spain this weekend. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes' Bottas shoots down speculation about a mid-season move Related Story Motor racing: Give 'amazing' Bottas a break, says Hamilton
PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL (REUTERS) - Williams driver George Russell said his relationship with Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff remained strong despite a costly collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. The Briton is a Mercedes protege, racing for a team using Mercedes engines, and the high-speed crash with the Mercedes driver put both men out of the race and wrecked their cars. Russell, who filled in for seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton to considerable acclaim in Bahrain last year after his compatriot contracted Covid-19, has apologised for his angry reaction afterwards. He told reporters at the Portuguese Grand Prix on Thursday (April 29) that the incident was a part of racing but he had made a "very poor judgement call" in confronting Bottas and suggesting the Finn had tried to kill them both. "Toto and I have spoken extensively since the incident but the contents of that will remain private," he said. "He's been very supportive, very constructive. Our relationship has not been damaged at all following the incident, if anything quite the opposite. "And likewise with everybody at Williams. They have been incredibly supportive, they want me to attack, go for opportunities. We're proud to have been in that position. We were in 10th position, fighting for points on merit." Williams have scored only one point since 2018 but Russell was trying to overtake Bottas - whose seat he could take next year - on a slippery track for ninth place. Wolff, while strongly critical of Russell's judgement, has also said Bottas should not have been so far down the field. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Hamilton plans to stay in F1 after exciting start to season Related Story Formula One: Silverstone will be first circuit to trial sprint qualifying Russell said there had been no rules of engagement laid down for future races but "just a bit more commonsense" was needed. "If we find ourselves fighting a Mercedes again we'll be doing a very good job... so hopefully we do find ourselves in that circumstance," he added. "I'm here because of Mercedes, they got me through the junior ranks, they really helped me into Formula One and as a consequence they are a family to me as Williams are a family to me. "Lewis and Valtteri are team mates to me as Nicholas (Latifi) is a team mate to me. Number one rule as a racing driver is you don't clash with your team mates. That's behind us now, you live and learn and we'll move on." More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Turkey replaces Canada on Formula One calendar Related Story In The Driver's Seat: Expect more twists and turns from the Verstappen-Hamilton show
MILAN (REUTERS) - Max Verstappen took a long-term view of his Formula One battle with seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton on Thursday (April 15) and said finishing second to his Mercedes rival in last month's Bahrain season-opener was nothing to be upset about. The 23-year-old Dutch driver struck observers with his calm after starting on pole at Sakhir but finishing second to Hamilton after having to give back a lead he gained by going off-track. "I've always been super-calm," he told reporters at Italy's Imola circuit, host of the season's second round on Sunday, with a hint of sarcasm. "What do you want to do? It makes no sense to start smashing things or throwing things. "If that's a bad result then I'm just looking forward to the next 22 races. "Of course, when I crossed the line I was disappointed but I think I've learned over the years that there's nothing lost after the first race. The most important thing is that you score points." Verstappen would have finished second in the championship last year but for a lack of reliability, with the driver retiring in the Austrian opener and four more of the 17 scheduled rounds. He ended up only nine points behind Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, who retired only once. Both won two races. "We had a competitive package in general and we scored good points," said Verstappen of Bahrain, where he had been fastest in every practice session. "Not first but still second so it's not the end of the world. "There are 22 races where we can do better." More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Hamilton says F1 rivalry with Vettel remains his favourite Related Story Formula One: Bottas says Mercedes have gone from hunted to hunters Verstappen said the evidence from Bahrain was that he had a very competitive car, despite a few issues during the race, and expected it to remain so at Imola which is a very different kind of track. Mercedes were very close, he added, even if the champions preferred to depict Red Bull as favourites. "It's definitely an opportunity missed but if we have the fastest car then it's not going to matter," said the youngster of the opener. "Maybe Bahrain was a one-off, but I hope of course not. I have a good feeling it will not be." More on this topic Related Story Formula One: Hamilton and Verstappen take their battle to Imola Related Story Motor racing: Mercedes admit Red Bull 'edge' ahead of Imola showdown
SAKHIR, BAHRAIN (REUTERS) - Max Verstappen lapped fastest for Red Bull as Lewis Hamilton and Formula One champions Mercedes endured a surprisingly difficult first day of pre-season testing in sandstorm-hit Bahrain on Friday (March 12). Verstappen completed a whopping 139 laps while seven times champion Hamilton, who took over from team mate Valtteri Bottas after the lunch break, managed a mere 42 and was 2.2 seconds off the pace. Bottas was able to do only six laps in the first session due to a gearbox problem, with the wind and sand whipping up after lunch. The combined tally of laps by the Mercedes pair was the lowest of all teams and Hamilton seemed to be struggling for grip on the sandy asphalt, while also having to deal with a wobbly wing mirror and complaining about the pedals. "It wasn't a good start," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, adding that the gearbox issue "came out of nowhere". "If we have a smoother ride from here onwards then I think we can recover, if we have more stumbling blocks then with three days there's not a lot we can do." The Sakhir circuit is hosting three days of testing, half the amount the 10 teams had available last year at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, before the opening race in the Gulf kingdom on March 28. Mercedes are chasing an unprecedented eighth successive title double this year with Hamilton aiming for his record eighth championship. Best time Verstappen's best time was one minute 30.674 seconds on the C3 tyre compound. McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo topped the morning timesheets in 1:32.203, completing 45 laps in a car that has switched from Renault to Mercedes power, with AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly second and getting 74 laps done. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc brought out red flags 10 minutes before the lunchtime break when his car stopped on track. He was fifth fastest then but ended the day 11th. New team mate Carlos Sainz took over for the second session and was fifth overall. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Wolff says Mercedes still fired up for success Related Story Formula One: Eighth title bid will not decide my future, says Lewis Hamilton Haas had hydraulic problems, with rookie Mick Schumacher managing only 15 laps and ninth fastest in the morning but Russian Nikita Mazepin getting in 70 laps later. With all launches conducted remotely and some teams publishing only edited digital images, the opening session saw the cars finally running in full view of the cameras in their new liveries. The session was a first for Alpine, the renamed Renault team, and marked Aston Martin's return as a constructor for the first time since 1960. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Bahrain limits F1 tickets to vaccinated and Covid-19 recovered Related Story Formula One: Five talking points ahead of pre-season testing Many lenses will be trained on the new Mercedes after technical director James Allison acknowledged at the launch that they were hiding some floor details. "There's a bunch of aerodynamic detail that we are not quite ready to release to the world... we don't want our competitors to see it, we don't want them trying to put similar things into their wind tunnels," he had said. The main focus of testing is to confirm reliability and add performance, although with many parts carried over from 2020 the emphasis this year is more on the latter. More on this topic Related Story Motor racing: Ferrari unveil new F1 car in a reboot from dismal 2020 Related Story Motor racing: US-owned Haas F1 team sports a Russian look with Uralkali