2022 - A Look Ahead

Why Vettel’s eighth place at Imola was “like a victory”.
Sebastian Vettel described his eighth place in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as “like a victory” given how uncompetitive Aston Martin’s AMR22 Formula 1 car is.
Apr 25 2022
By Edd Straw

While it marks an upturn in fortunes for Aston Martin, it was primarily the consequence of a well-executed weekend for Vettel in a car that is still massively limited by its porpoising problem.
He capitalised on the conditions to reach Q3, then ran in the points throughout the grand prix after climbing from 13th to eighth in the early stages – assisted by the collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz and the damage sustained by Fernando Alonso’s Alpine.

“For us, it’s like a victory,” said Vettel. “To be honest, we are not the fastest at the minute. I think we are pretty much at the other side of the field, but we did really well. The weekend helped us with the conditions, but we managed to capitalise. We did great job on calling for the dries, and everybody else then I think copied what we did.”

‘Aston Martin Victory’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-v...ike-a-victory/


‘Vettel will make the car himself’: Fans react to ‘Inspector Seb’ after Imola qualifying
Sebastian Vettel was seen having a peak at the ground effect aerodynamics on a number of cars after the sprint race in Imola.
by Rob Kershaw
24 April 2022

Sebastian Vettel was seen getting up to his usual antics in the aftermath of the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix sprint race, much to the amusement of fans on social media.

The German started the race ninth after becoming the first Aston Martin driver this season to make it into Q3, but fell back during the 21-lap sprint as his tyres degraded, leaving him P13.

Vettel has earned himself a multitude of nicknames throughout his career – both “Fireman Seb” and “Scooter Seb” made an appearance in Australia – and footage of Parc Ferme in Imola on Saturday showcased the return of “Inspector Seb”.

‘Is it Fireman Seb? Is it Scooter Seb? NO, it is Inspector Seb!’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/vettel-wi...la-qualifying/


I didn’t appreciate how hard teams work at the back of the grid – Vettel
2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Posted on
25th April 2022, 13:29 | Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham

“It’s like a victory,” he said. “We are not the fastest at the minute, I think we are pretty much at the other side of the field. But today we did really well.”

He ran seventh ahead of Charles Leclerc towards the end of the race but couldn’t keep the Ferrari behind. “Obviously I had no chance to hold Charles off in the end, he is like four seconds faster, three seconds faster,” said Vettel. “But if you tell us that we are fighting a Ferrari with four laps to go before the race, I would have taken it.”

The four-times world champion said he enjoyed the race despite not being in the hunt for higher places. “It’s still eighth position, so it’s not as enjoyable as winning. But to be honest I’ve driven a lot of races where I finished on the podium and I’ve done worse races, so I am very happy.”

‘Fighting a Ferrari’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/04/25/...e-grid-vettel/


Aston Martin motivation like 'making a dog jump without a cookie' - Vettel
Ewan Gale
Tuesday 26 April 2022 11:15

Sebastian Vettel has likened motivating Aston Martin to continue its hard work without scoring points was like trying to "make your dog jump without a cookie".

The German, who has labelled the result at Imola as "very important", added: "It is harsh, you work your arse off and when you have a good package, it is easy to score good results and then it is about perfection to deliver the perfect result. But the work that goes in at the back of the field, to be honest for many years I did not appreciate as much because I wasn't there.”

"It is the same work that goes in from all the people in the team and it is even harder because you don't get any reward after the race. Try to make your dog jump without a cookie to please him afterwards, it is hard. Good for them, I am happy for the team and good to get both cars in the points as well."

‘Very Important Result’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/81...cookie-vettel/


Aston Martin’s Mike Krack praised Vettel, Stroll for “faultless” performance in Imola
By Ashley Cline
April 28, 2022

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team earned their first points of the season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with a double-points finish. Sebastian Vettel took eighth, and Lance Stroll rounded out the points positions with a tenth-place result.

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack, recounted the “faultless” drives of the Aston Martin pilots, who were able to maximise the opportunities the unique conditions offered them. Vettel’s amazing start and early switch to slicks allowed him to secure the impressive result, while Stroll’s opening lap brought him from fifteenth up to the edge of the points.

“Both Sebastian and Lance drove faultlessly in today’s tricky wet-to-dry race. In wet conditions, Sebastian vaulted into ninth on lap one, then comfortably raced inside the top 10 for the whole race. As the track dried, he was one of the very first drivers to roll the dice and switch from Intermediates to the Medium tyre. The team and he judged that stop perfectly and Sebastian then ran smoothly in P7 until the closing laps, when he dropped to eighth.”

‘Faultless Performance’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ance-in-imola/


Imola a ‘flash in the pan’ for Aston Martin
Date published: April 26 2022 - Michelle Foster

lf Schumacher has warned Aston Martin that their Imola double points-haul was likely a “flash in the pain” and he doesn’t expect them to be “that good” in Miami.

“I assume that Imola was a flash in the pan,” the former driver wrote in his latest Sky Germany column. “We’re going to Miami in two weeks. I don’t expect the Aston Martin to be that good. But it’s a new track, the temperatures will be higher. All teams have their problems. I’m curious how it will be.”

But while the German is not expecting much from Aston Martin, he was still impressed with their performance at Imola. “Sebastian Vettel did a much better job,” he said. “In Imola it became clear once again that he is simply a good rain driver. “What is striking is the Aston Martin is better in the rain than in the dry. I don’t think Vettel would have finished in the top ten in the dry. You saw that in the sprint. Things didn’t go as well then as later in the race. In the end, however, there is a strong eighth place.”

‘Flash In The Pan’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/imola-...-aston-martin/


Aston Martin keen to retain Vettel
NEWS STORY
26/04/2022

Aston Martin boss, Mike Krack admits that he is keen to retain Sebastian Vettel when the German's contract expires this season. Over the last few seasons however there has been much speculation over the German's desire to continue racing, but a number of performances, such as that on Sunday, suggest a Fernando Alonso-like Indian Summer for the Aston Martin driver.

However, ever the purist, like Alonso, for Vettel much depends on the machinery at his disposal and whether it will allow him to actually race. "It's a no brainer, my contract ends at the end of the season," said the four-time champ. "Obviously it's not the year that everyone in the team hoped for, at least the start of the season, but I think it would be bad to write it off already.”

"There's so many things we are currently struggling with when it comes to performance with our car, extracting the performance. I think others have the same or similar problems. So there's lots of things that we can still understand and learn, and the next weeks and months will be very, very important to set the direction for this year but also for learning and knowing what to do in the next three, four years.”

‘Fernando Alonso-like Indian Summer for the Aston Martin driver’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72359/Aston-...-retain-Vettel


Aston Martin boss wants car updates at every grand prix
by Phillip Horton

Aston Martin needs to strive to bring updates to its AMR22 at every race in order to further unlock the potential of the car, according to team boss Mike Krack.

Krack explained that Aston Martin “wants to bring updates every race, [we] want to have continuous development and bring updates all the time – sometimes they are a bit bigger, sometimes a bit smaller, but it is important to keep the development alive.

“We have three main points that we are working on. One is aero, the most important one. Second one is car weight, very important as well. And the third one is how we can provide better feedback [from the car] to our drivers, that goes into the suspension, into the steering, these kinds of things, the set-up of the car.”

‘Updates At Every Grand Prix’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...ry-grand-prix/

Haas’ Günther Steiner: “We were just not fast enough for the others”
“We would have wished to have got a little bit more today but after four races, and three with points, we took something home and I think there is more to come.”
By Ashley Cline
April 28, 2022

Haas F1 Team Principal, Günther Steiner, said the team’s result in Imola left something to be desired, as he hoped for a stronger finish to the sprint weekend. Kevin Magnussen took ninth-place, earning three-points total with his eighth-place sprint finish, while Mick Schumacher was unable to convert his tenth-place grid position to a finish in the points due to a first-lap incident with Fernando Alonso.

Ultimately, Steiner felt that Haas’ competitors outpaced them at Imola, which made it difficult for Schumacher to recover and for Magnussen to move forward in the field.

Steiner said that the team needs to keep developing as the season progresses. With Haas currently occupying eighth-place in the Constructors’ standings, he wants to see the team improve and put themselves on the sharp end of the tight midfield pack.

‘Haas Not Fast Enough’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...or-the-others/


Glock: Mick ‘trying too much’, driving with a ‘crowbar’
Date published: April 28 2022 - Henry Valantine

Timo Glock believes Mick Schumacher is overdoing his driving somewhat at the moment, as he attempts to get on terms with Kevin Magnussen at Haas.

The former Toyota driver said in his punditry capacity on Sky Sport in Germany that Schumacher needs to work out when to just tone his efforts down slightly, believing that he has over-driven and mistakes have followed as a result.

“Of course, he also tries a bit too much with the crowbar one or two times, overdoes it one or two times,” he said. Glock did add that Schumacher has been “a bit unlucky” in the season so far, but “he has to see that he evaluates everything accordingly for himself well and takes the next step”, if he’s going to take the fight to his team-mate.

‘Crowbar Driving’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/timo-g...acher-crowbar/


Steiner says Haas in no rush to 'put the magic on'
28/04/2022 at 16:10
Andrew Lewin

Haas F1 Team boss Guenther Steiner says that the US-based squad isn't planning on making any big upgrades to the VF-22 at this stage of the season. The team suffered a wretched time in 2021, finishing the season at the bottom of the constructors championship after failing to score a single point.

He was in the top ten again in Jeddah and picked up more points in both the sprint and main race at Emilia Romagna, leaving Steiner confident that Haas has got it right this year without the need to rush in any upgrades.

“I’m not in any hurry to put the magic on the car and all that stuff," he told the media including Motorsportweek.com this week. “I want to see what we need to do, first of all we need to see where we are," he explained. "I want to make sure that when we put something on the car, you can see a difference.”

‘Put That Magic On’;

https://f1i.com/news/439688-steiner-...-magic-on.html


Kevin Magnussen: “Getting away with points in both the sprint and the main race, that’s a decent weekend”
April 28, 2022
By Ashley Cline

Haas F1 Team’s, Kevin Magnussen, added more points to the tally after a successful weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He earned himself a point in Saturday’s sprint, finishing eighth, and then two more with a ninth-place finish in the race.

“We scored points again – both yesterday and today – so that’s a good weekend. When we qualified P4, hopes were very high at the beginning, but we’ve got to be realistic as well and getting away with points in both the sprint and the main race, that’s a decent weekend.”


“At the beginning of the race, I was on intermediates and got up to P5 and the pace was pretty good. Then the track dried up and we were a bit late to come in for slicks, so we got undercut by a couple of people. We came out and fought for points – got two today, three points over the weekend – so it was pretty decent.”

‘Decent Weekend’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ecent-weekend/


Ralf Schumacher criticises nephew Mick and urges him to 'do better'
‎27‎ ‎April‎ ‎09‎:‎30
Author Michael Butterworth

After a promising start, Mick Schumacher's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend turned sour as he spun twice and finished a lowly 17th in Sunday's race, prompting criticism from his uncle Ralf.

"He did a good job in dry conditions, and the result in the Sprint was great, but there were too many mistakes in the race," Ralf wrote in his column for Sky Sport Germany.

"Starting in rainy conditions is difficult. Even Daniel Ricciardo slid wide (on Lap 1, taking out Carlos Sainz). It can happen to anyone. "But the second mistake was just too much. It has to be said that this shouldn't happen."

‘Too Many Mistakes’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-ralf-s...micks-imola-gp


F1 driver Mick Schumacher welcomed Kevin Magnussen to Haas with a vulgar phrase and it set the tone for their strong relationship
2022-04-28T16:29:10Z
Cork Gaines

It has been a rollercoaster season for the American Haas team in Formula One, but one bright note has been the return of Kevin Magnussen.

While there may have been some initial concerns about how well Magnussen would get along with his new teammate, Mick Schumacher, those worries quickly went out the window with three words.

"Suck my balls!"

https://www.insider.com/f1-haas-driv...y-humor-2022-4


Schumacher waiting for 'avalanche moment' to end annoyance
Friday 29 April 2022 17:00
Sam Hall

Mick Schumacher is waiting for the "good moment" that starts an "avalanche" of results after leaving Imola one of just two drivers yet to register a point this season. Williams' Nicholas Latifi is the only other driver who has failed to finish in the top 10 alongside Schumacher, whose career-best finish with Haas was 11th in Bahrain.

Asked if his lack of points so far was a 'matter of luck', Schumacher replied: "I guess so. I had this kind of championship in the past where the first races didn’t go to plan and then once I had a good weekend things just started rolling like an avalanche so I'm just waiting for that good moment."

Although Schumacher is yet to score a point, Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen has finished in the top 10 in three out of the four races to date to collect 15.

‘Waiting For An Avalanche’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/81...end-annoyance/


Kevin Magnussen asked his wife for permission to return to Formula 1 after he had already accepted the job
2022-04-28T17:44:41Z
Cork Gaines

Taking risks is in the nature of race car drivers, but Kevin Magnussen may have taken it a step further when he agreed to rejoin Haas before the season.

During a recent interview with Tom Kollmar and Michel Milewski for the German magazine Sport Bild, Magnussen was asked what the call was like when team principal Guenther Steiner called and asked him to come back to Formula One. Magnussen might have handled the situation backward.

"He quickly got to the point and asked me, 'Do you want to go back to Formula 1, and are you ready for it?'" Magnussen told Sport Bild. "I didn't think for a second. I immediately agreed. After that, I called my wife and asked her for her permission."

‘Wife Gave Permission’;

https://www.insider.com/kevin-magnus...steiner-2022-4

Alex Albon revelling time at Williams after P11 finish at Imola.
Williams driver Alex Albon said he was pleased with the approach the team took to the Grand Prix at Imola on Sunday, as they finished just outside of the top ten.
Published: 25 Apr 2022, 12:09
By George Dagless

“I was really happy with it. We maximised what we could do…” Albon said to the gathered press at Imola, including Give Me Sport. “We don’t have the fastest car but we make the most of our opportunities and it’s a shame we missed out on the points by one position but it shows you we’re taking opportunities and doing things differently and we almost made it work again.”

Albon was also asked how confident he was feeling after another strong display following on from his point in Australia:

“It feels very good, I feel really comfortable in the car and confident with it and I feel like I can push it straight away. I’m still understanding the car and the best way to drive it but for now it’s a great place to start and hopefully once we get some upgrades we can make that next step into the midfield.”

‘Revelling Time’;

https://www.givemesport.com/87999532...1-finish-imola


“It’s a shame that we missed out on points by one place” – Alex Albon
By Nick Golding
April 29, 2022

Alex Albon came within touching distance of back-to-back points finishes, after finishing eleventh at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Team-mate Nicholas Latifi finished sixteenth at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

Albon put in a defensive masterclass at Imola, after holding Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton behind virtually the entire race. The Thai driver, who started eighteenth, drove superbly last Sunday and maximised every opportunity that arose.

Albon had actually crossed the line in twelfth but was elevated to eleventh, following Esteban Ocon’s five-second time penalty.

‘Touching Distance’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ce-alex-albon/


“It’s a shame we couldn’t get a few more places” – Williams’ Dave Robson
By Nick Golding
April 29, 2022

Having started in eighteenth, Albon drove brilliantly all race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit in what were challenging conditions. All drivers began the race on Intermediate tyres, due to a sudden downpour before the race took place. During the race though the track did dry up, with Albon timing the switch perfectly. This saw the Thai driver leap up the order and into twelfth-place.

Williams’ Head of Vehicle Performance, Dave Robson, believes the team took their opportunities well. Robson also praised Latifi for his stint on the medium tyres.

“Today’s mixed conditions made for some difficult decisions, but we took our opportunities well and can be pleased with the result. Alex drove really well, spending his entire stint on the Medium tyres both in the dirty air from Ocon and with Gasly constantly applying pressure behind. It’s a shame we couldn’t get a few more places when we first switched to the Medium tyre as the car was working really well at that point.”

Taking the Opportunities’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...s-dave-robson/


Albon thought his Imola drive matched Melbourne
Date published: April 27 2022 - Sam Cooper

Williams‘ Alex Albon says he believes his drive at Imola was as good as his heroics in the Australian Grand Prix. Albon has impressed since returning to the Formula 1 grid this season. It took him only three races to earn his first point of the campaign and he has so far handled the transition from a top team like Red Bull to one challenging lower down the field in the form of Williams.

“Honestly, I was really happy with it – it felt like it was just as good as Melbourne for me,” said Albon, as reported by motorsport.com. “We maximised what we could do. We overtook some cars on track with pace and then they were quicker than us, and we held off.”

‘Maximised what we could do’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...ola-melbourne/


Albon 'almost made it work' at Emilia Romagna GP
26/04/2022 at 15:53
Phillip van Osten

Alex Albon continues to make the most of the opportunities that come his way, with the Williams driver nearly scoring at Imola his second top-ten finish in succession. Albon failed to set a time in qualifying due to a brake failure which left the Williams charger P18 on Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix grid.

"We maximised what we could do," explained the 26-year-old. "We overtook some cars on-track, with pace, and then they were quicker than us, and we held off. We obviously had a low downforce configuration for this weekend: not fun for the others, but for us, it kept us in front.”

"We don't have the fastest car out there, but we're making the most of our opportunities, and I feel like it's a shame we missed out on points by one position. But it just shows you that we're taking opportunities and we're doing things different, and we almost made it work again [after the Australian Grand Prix]."

‘Almost made it work’;

https://f1i.com/news/439571-albon-al...omagna-gp.html


Albon says ‘an extra few tenths’ will see Williams scoring regularly in 2022
26 April 2022
Formula 1

Despite missing out on points at Imola, Alex Albon left the Italian track with a smile as he reflected on the pace and potential of his Williams FW44, in which he finished 11th on Sunday.

A brake fire (below) put Albon at the back for the Sprint, in which he finished 18th. On Sunday he recovered, taking four places early on. The Thai driver then pitted earlier than most, on Lap 17, the undercut helping him lead a train of cars from P12 backwards and gain an extra place when Esteban Ocon was handed a five-second penalty.

“It feels good. I feel like the race went just as well as Melbourne to some extent,” he said, referencing the last race in Australia, where he scored Williams' first point of the year. “We didn’t have the tyre advantage or the pace advantage that we did over there, but we still made the most of our opportunities and we got the undercut, we overtook a couple of cars on track, and I felt like... if we'd had DRS available a bit earlier, we could have made a few more steps forward.”

‘An Extra Few Tenths’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...NsaeBmpl7.html


LONG READ: Alex Albon's long road back to F1 – and why he believes Williams have what it takes to improve
23 April 2022
Special contributor
Justin Hynes

It’s a new era of F1 for one driver more than any other – Alex Albon. After a year out the Thai driver is back on the grid with Williams, and is once again displaying the tenacious commitment and aggression that first launched him into the big league…

Alex Albon’s career has always been defined by the gritty comeback. Throughout his junior career the Thai racer struggled to stitch together consistent programmes that would allow him to progress. Even in his best year in F2 with DAMS in 2018, survival in the series in the early part of the season depended entirely on results.

But when he completed that comeback from the brink to finish third in the standings behind George Russell and Lando Norris, Albon was the only one of the top three not to be locked into a 2019 F1 drive. He signed for Nissan in Formula E, but at the 11th hour, once again jumped back into the limelight when he secured a seat in F1 with Toro Rosso.

‘Gritty Comeback Alex Albon’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...uQLikb0VJ.html

Alpine damage was ‘like something out of a movie’.
Pulling into the pits, hoping for his car to be repaired, Alonso was told the damage is “quite bad mate, quite bad” and the car was retired.
Date published: April 26 2022 - Michelle Foster

Fernando Alonso was “unlucky” at Imola as a mere “caress” from Mick Schumacher caused major damage to his Alpine’s sidepod.

“Again we were quite unlucky,” Mundo Deportivo quotes him as having told DAZN F1 in the immediate aftermath of his retirement. “I think, because for factors that were not in our hands… that Mick spun and touched us or caressed us, because it was also not a strong blow, it destroyed our entire car.”

“These are things that look like something out of a movie. They are all happening to us at this start of the season, so we have to think about the next one.”

‘Something Out Of A Movie’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...ut-of-a-movie/


‘Just a small kiss from Mick completely destroyed our car’ – Alonso
2022 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
Posted on 24th April 2022, 16:13
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham

Fernando Alonso was left to rue more misfortune after retiring early from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix with damage. A large hole appeared in his right-hand sidepod following contact with Mick Schumacher on the first lap. Alonso was surprised at the extent of the damage, relative to the contact.

“I didn’t feel much, obviously it was a very, very small touch with Mick,” he said. “I only saw on the replay and obviously that was enough to destroy my car. “I think there are a lot of unlucky moments so far for me in the championship, out of my hands or my control, and this is another example,” he said.

“I prefer to finish the season better than start it good and then finish it bad,” he added. “So if you want to choose one way, it’s the other way around and finish on a better performance. But at the same time obviously when you see the races on TV, and I’ve been seeing too many at the moment in the first four, to have only two points in the championship, while I should have maybe 25 or 30, that’s painful.”

‘Just A Small Kiss’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/04/24/...ur-car-alonso/


Alonso rues missed points: I could have scored 30 and I only have two!
‎26‎ ‎April‎ ‎07‎:‎50
Author Tom Leach

Fernando Alonso believes he could have scored as many as 30 points during the opening four races of the 2022 season – but instead, he only counts two. The two-time World Champion will feel he has already been dealt a year's worth of misfortune in just a handful of race weekends.

Looking back on the weekend, Alonso said: "It was another unfortunate race for us this season. We made a decent start and moved up to eighth but there was a lot of damage on the right side of my floor, and on the sidepod, so we had no choice but to retire.”

"It's unlucky as a small brush with Mick, which wasn't intentional, destroyed our car and race. After Australia, I feel that I could have scored 20 or 30 points in the championship, and I have only two. It's unlucky! It's a long season and there are plenty of points still to score."

‘Only Two Points’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-rue...-only-have-two


Alpine enjoy ‘important’ track time in Pirelli test
Date published: April 27 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Alpine had the chance to gather 124 more laps of data early in this new era of Formula 1 through a tyre test at Imola. Formula 1’s tyre manufacturer Pirelli have 25 days of testing available to them during the 2022 season when they will work with the teams to test their prototype tyres for the 2023 campaign.

At Imola, following the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon was in action for Alpine, driving the A522 on Tuesday for Pirelli tyre testing duties. Over the day, the Frenchman pumped in 124 laps, which he explained at this stage represents precious extra track time to understand these new cars.

With only four races gone in the 2022 season, teams and drivers are still at the very early stages of understanding and optimising the new ground-effect challengers. “So job done today, we just finished the Pirelli tyre test for us at Imola,” said Ocon in a video on Alpine’s Twitter channel.

‘Important Track Time’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/esteba...li-test-imola/


Alpine’s performance makes 2022 a ‘success’ already
Date published: April 29 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Alpine are optimising the working relationship between their chassis and engine bases, and already are happy with the progress. Alpine’s chassis team is based at Enstone, though their Renault power units come from Viry in France.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Alpine’s engine chief Bruno Famin said: “My priorities are to make Viry even better, and everyone did a great job for 2022, as well as for next season. “Having the best power unit, but also a better car, working closer and closer with Enstone.”

“The big step is what you see on the grid, because we don’t know the figures of the others, only our own, we see that the car is going in the right direction. What matters to me is the performance of the car, maybe we could have had better data on the dyno, but with a slower result.”

‘EL PLAN: Working Relationship Optimisation’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...-2022-success/


Szafnauer says Alpine must focus on improving race pace
28/04/2022 at 09:51
Andrew Lewin

Alpine F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer says they the squad needs to improve its race performance over the course of the next few races to match the strong single lap speed it has been achieving in practice and qualifying.

“The good news is the car is quick,” Szafnauer told Motorsport.com in Imola. “One lap pace looks good, we just have to work a little bit on a race pace. Fernando frustratingly was quick enough to be fifth and scored nothing again. Mick spun and hit him and that was it, the end of his race," he noted “Once he damaged the side pod it flew off.”

"We had no choice but to pit him. A big hole in the side pod and a lot of damage to the floor, but nothing else, thankfully. The bad news is we had Esteban on the back foot because of a gearbox issue and then him starting in 19th," he continued. "I think it was kind of good that he ended up 11th."

‘Improving Race Pace’;

https://f1i.com/news/439677-szafnaue...race-pace.html


“We must make sure this does not happen again” – Alpine’s Laurent Rossi
April 28, 2022
By Nick Golding

The Alpine F1 Team suffered a highly-disappointing Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, as the team saw their points run come to an end after Esteban Ocon finished fourteenth and Fernando Alonso retired.

Alpine CEO, Laurent Rossi, was extremely disappointed with the result, Rossi went as far as saying “We must make sure this does not happen again. Plain and simple, this weekend was a disappointing one for the team and it’s the first race of the season where we leave without scoring points. We must make sure this does not happen again this year as we have much stronger potential than that. As a team there are many areas we must improve, and we must also eradicate errors quickly if we are to achieve our ambitious goals.”

“While we feel frustrated by today’s result, we will count on it as additional motivation to not have this feeling again during the year. I’m confident in the team to keep working hard and we absolutely must bounce back next time in Miami.”

‘Additional Motivation For A Bounce Back’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...laurent-rossi/


De Meo denies Alpine treading water in F1
APRIL 29, 2022

Alpine is in the building phase that led to the kind of success enjoyed in Formula 1 recently by the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes. Some think the Renault-owned works team is basically treading water in F1 with a project that always seems to be somewhere around the upper midfield.

Is it too early for the Enstone based team to make a prediction about its 2022 season? "To draw conclusions? Yes, although some observations are legitimate," said de Meo. "First of all, there is no doubt that the new engine works. The chassis and aerodynamics, the technicians swear to me, are based on evolving concepts.”

"It means that we have perhaps greater margins for improvement than teams that have chosen more extreme approaches," he added. "We have brought in or moved around important figures such as Harman, Szafnauer, Famin, Pat Fry. I figured it would take a year to put the house in order.”

‘Greater Margins For Improvement’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/de-me...ter-in-f1.html

A brand new circuit, Ferrari's fightback and more – 5 storylines we’re excited for ahead of the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
So now it’s Ferrari who will want to recover from a tough weekend, and get back to the sort of form that saw Leclerc dominate in Melbourne.
02 May 2022

Special contributor
Chris Medland

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but we’ve got a new race on the calendar this year, and the trip to Florida is up next. Ahead of what promises to be a spectacular weekend, we take a look at some of the topics we think will be making the headlines at the Miami Grand Prix.

1. Miami gets set to make its bow

2. A new circuit to tame

3. Ferrari now looking to respond

4. Mercedes bringing more upgrades?

5. An epic fight for points

‘Ferrari Fightback’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...rkVMiT97w.html


Video: Go behind the scenes as hope turns to pain for Ferrari at Imola
‎01‎ ‎May‎ ‎11‎:‎10
Author RacingNews365 Staff

Ferrari have released a video offering a behind-the-scenes look at their experiences during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, a weekend that began with such promise but ended in pain for the Tifosi.

The event started with celebration and promise as the team, leading the World Championship standings, announced a new deal for Carlos Sainz.

But Sainz crashed in both qualifying and the race and, with Charles Leclerc having hit the wall on Sunday, it was Red Bull who left Italy feeling positive.

‘Tifosi Video’;

https://racingnews365.com/video-go-b...rrari-at-imola


Ferrari will deploy extra power in Miami GP, Binotto confirms aero upgrade
Ferrari are said to have been keeping more power in their back pocket throughout the first four races of the 2022 season.
by Rob Kershaw
30 April 202230 April 2022

It was reported after Leclerc and Sainz took a one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix that the Maranello squad had more power at their disposal if they wanted to use it, but they have spent the first four races assessing their performance and discerning how best to counter Red Bull’s development.

On top of that, Ferrari are introducing an evolved rear wing that aims to compete with Red Bull, having been nearly 4kph adrift of the Milton Keynes-based team on the straights at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Team principal Mattia Binotto is aware of the prowess of the Red Bull chassis coupled with its powerful Honda-manufactured engine, so would like to match them in that department on the tracks where more straight-line speed is very important.

‘Ferrari Aero Upgrades’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-w...-aero-upgrade/


Ferrari chairman: Winning the title would be like 'going to Mars'
‎01‎ ‎May‎ ‎16‎:‎10
Author Tom Leach

John Elkann, chairman of Ferrari, has explained how the team moved from midfield fighters to early-season pace setters in 2022. Speaking to F1TV following Ferrari's fine start to 2022, Elkann admitted that taking the step from winning races to clinching the title remains a big challenge.

"We said we'd be competitive, which we are," he explained. "From being competitive to winning, it's like going to the moon or going to Mars. [It's] extremely difficult.”

"We well know that championships are won or lost at the last race, or the last lap, and these are with variables we control and many that we don't, which is why Formula 1 is such an exciting sport. And we are, as Ferrari, so excited about this challenge."

‘Going to Mars’;

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-ch...-going-to-mars


Why Ferrari still won’t have its ‘main’ car update in Miami
03/05/2022, 09:23
By Scott Mitchell

Ferrari will not introduce its “main” Formula 1 car upgrade until after the next race in Miami. Although it made some minor changes to the car during testing, including to the floor, Ferrari did not introduce new parts once the season began beyond a lower-downforce rear wing for the demands of the Jeddah Corniche circuit in Saudi Arabia.

Ferrari chose not to reveal its update at Imola because of the schedule for the weekend, with just one free practice session ahead of Friday’s qualifying session because it was the first sprint event of the season.

A new floor will not come at the next race in Miami either, because Ferrari is instead planning a new, circuit-specific downforce configuration there. There could be further tweaks to help improve the porpoising that is costing Ferrari some performance too.

‘Ferrari “main” Formula 1 car upgrade’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-f...date-in-miami/


Ferrari chairman attributes turnaround to cutting out guilt from the Scuderia
Charles Leclerc has won two of the opening four rounds of the 2022 Formula 1 season for Ferrari.
2 May 20222 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Ferrari chairman John Elkann has detailed the changes to the mentality of everyone at the team that has led to their tremendous start to the 2022 season.

Part of the reason for the turn in fortunes was a paradigm shift at the team they saw their mindset change from self-sympathy to galvanisation and a burning desire to win as a team.

“We changed also our culture, from one of guilt to one of accountability, from one of individuals to one of a team,” Elkann explained. “[We] created a cohesive environment but, more importantly, high ambition with high humility.”

‘Changes to High Ambition, High Humility’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-c...-the-scuderia/


Ferrari bouncing compliance bewilders Binotto
Sunday 1 May 2022 13:00
Ian Parkes

Asked if he could explain why Ferrari still had pace whilst bouncing, Binotto replied: "I don’t know how that’s possible. I don't know why the others are not as quick as we are on porpoising.

"But it's true that we are still suffering from it, since the very start of the winter testing. We put some actions on the car to try to mitigate it but it's not yet been addressed and solved.

"It's always a compromise between trying to solve it and give up some performance, while maybe in the meantime, you expect to have some porpoising and get the best out of your car. "

‘Compromises’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/81...lders-binotto/


Berger: Psychology behind Ferrari’s driver comments
Date published: April 30 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Ex-Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger believes team boss Mattia Binotto talks of having the best driver line-up to boost motivation.

Binotto had previously claimed that in Leclerc and Sainz, Ferrari house the best driver line-up in Formula 1, repeating that viewpoint after Sainz’s contract extension had been announced. Berger feels such statements are made for psychological reasons to keep the good vibes circulating.

“These are statements that are common in this situation, no matter what you think,” said Berger, quoted by Speedweek.com. “It raises the motivation of the drivers. And since the second one (Sainz) has also been signed up for longer you have to underline that, of course.”

‘Mattia Binotto Psychology’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/gerhar...er-psychology/

'Difficult' for Ferrari to match Red Bull development but Leclerc remains confident.
Charles Leclerc: “To keep up with Red Bull in terms of development will be difficult, but the same team that did this car will work on the development for this year’s car, so I am confident.”
30 April 2022
Ben Issatt

“I know underneath me I have a car that is capable of winning," Leclerc said. “So the mindset is a little bit different this year. There is no reason for us to be on the back foot because we’ve done a great job, or the guys at Maranello have done a great job, building up this car for this year.”

“There are some developments coming and I’m confident it will go in the right direction. I wouldn’t focus too much on the others. I think we need to focus on ourselves.”

Ferrari's rate of development has been their problem though in recent championship bids in 2017 and 2018, but Leclerc is sure lessons have been learnt. "Since the last two years, I've really seen a jump in the way we've analysed every weekend, in the way we have identified also our weaknesses and how quick we were to react to try and get better in the places where we were struggling," he said.

‘Matching Red Bull Development Difficult’;

https://www.insideracing.com/formula...ains-confident


Red Bull set for major off-track investment to secure further success
Michael Butterworth
Co-author Jesse Janse

With McLaren and Aston Martin currently in the process of constructing new wind tunnels, Red Bull seem set to join the party – even though such facilities may be outlawed by the end of the decade.

It is understood that a new wind tunnel would be situated on-site at Red Bull's headquarters in Milton Keynes, in contrast to the team's current wind tunnel facility, which is located in Bedford, a 30-minute drive away.

"We are in the phase where the plan still has to be approved," Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko was quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport. Should Red Bull press ahead with plans, they would echo the actions of Aston Martin and McLaren, both of whom are investing in wind tunnels and other associated infrastructure – including, in Aston Martin's case, a new factory.

‘Red Bull Major Off-Track Investment’;

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-s...urther-success


Perez tips Red Bull to ‘dominate next few years’
Date published: May 1 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Sergio Perez made the bold prediction that his Red Bull team will “dominate” Formula 1 in the coming seasons. The scores are even so far, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen both have two victories apiece, but Perez believes that Red Bull are in position do embark on a fresh dominant run from here.

In an interview with Chacho López, Perez said: “We still have a lot of problems to solve, but the main thing is that we are competitive and Red Bull is set to dominate the next few years with these new regulations.” Poor reliability certainly hampered the Austrian outfit in the opening rounds, Verstappen twice retiring while running P2 in Bahrain and Australia, while Perez was also forced to retire in Bahrain.

So, without that misfortune, Perez says Red Bull would comfortably have been the leading force at this stage of the season. As it stands, Verstappen trails Leclerc by 27 points, while Red Bull are 11 points behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

‘Red Bull Domination’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...ll-domination/


Red Bull Ferrari "playing poker" with "leapfrog" developments - Hill
Tuesday 3 May 2022 16:14
Sam Hall

At Imola, Red Bull seized the upper hand after bolting on a number of upgrades, but with Ferrari set to bring a package of its own to Miami this weekend, the picture could change yet again.

“They’re sitting down and thinking about it more and it’s a bit like playing poker," Hill told the F1 Nation Podcast.

"You need to know which card to lay down and when. Do they play their ace now or do they wait a couple of races until they’re absolutely sure that what they’re going to play is the winning hand?"

‘Red Bull & Ferrari ‘Leapfrog’ Poker’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/81...lopments-hill/


Perez insists Red Bull aren’t forcing him to ‘be behind’ Verstappen
Sergio Perez has re-emphasised his desire to become world champion at Red Bull.
by Rob Kershaw
2 May 20222 May 2022

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has reiterated that he is not at Red Bull to solely serve as backup to Max Verstappen, and he intends to compete for world titles at the team.

Perez is adamant that his role at Red Bull is not one of servitude to the 24-year-old, and his aim is to win the championship with the Austrian side. “Red Bull gives me the opportunity to fight for the championship, nowhere does it say that I have to be behind Max,” he told Fox.

“If he’s won, it’s because he’s been stronger on track. I feel that I have the opportunity to be World Champion with Red Bull.” The 32-year-old indicated that there would be little point to his presence in the pinnacle of motorsport were he not fully intent of becoming a world champion, which he is.

‘If he’s won, it’s because he’s been stronger on track’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/perez-ins...nd-verstappen/


Perez: Being second driver would be ‘disrespectful’
Date published: April 30 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Sergio Perez says he would not be in Formula 1 if he was the defined second driver at Red Bull – as it would disrespect his career.

Perez endured many of the struggles of Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly before him, often adrift of Verstappen’s performance level, but the major regulation changes for 2022 have coincided with a much more competitive Perez.

Nonetheless, Perez is, from outside Red Bull, widely regarded as the second driver, there to support Verstappen and Red Bull’s push for the Constructors’ title. But Perez says he is not in any such defined role and would never accept it.

‘Sergio Perez is not the second driver’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...second-driver/


Rosberg praises key Verstappen trait that has blown title fight 'wide open'
‎30‎ ‎April‎ ‎17‎:‎00
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Mike Seymour

Max Verstappen added to his F1 accolades at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by completed his second career Grand Slam, and Nico Rosberg has praised the Red Bull driver for keeping the World Championship fight alive.

Verstappen made history at Imola as he completed his second Grand Slam, joining an elite list of F1 greats to have done the same. This means that he not only took pole position and the race victory, but also led every lap and claimed the fastest lap of the Grand Prix. It came on a weekend that saw Red Bull take risks by implementing upgrades, despite the limited time to trial them ahead of qualifying.

"It looks like Red Bull have really made progress with their reliability and sorted the issues. And then, really, it's again about Max Verstappen," said Rosberg, speaking to Sky Sports F1. "The whole weekend, [he was] just nailing it whenever it counted. He was just in a league of his own; an unbelievable job by him, and really putting the marker down and saying: 'Hey, I'm not out of this championship yet. I'm back right in there.'"

‘Title Fight Wide Open’;

https://racingnews365.com/rosberg-pr...ight-wide-open


Jos Verstappen admits he 'enjoyed' watching son Max lap Hamilton
‎26‎ ‎April‎ ‎10‎:‎20
Author Thomas Maher

With Verstappen lapping Hamilton on Lap 43 of 63, something that seemed unthinkable just a few months ago at the height of their titanic 2021 title battle, Jos admitted he got a kick out of the moment.

"Honestly, I did enjoy seeing Max lap Hamilton, after everything that happened last year," Verstappen senior wrote on the Verstappen.com website.

"Hamilton really had a tough time, whereas his teammate, George Russell, seemed to be more balanced. "It's not often you have the opportunity to lap a Mercedes."

‘Lapping a Mercedes’;

https://racingnews365.com/jos-versta...x-lap-hamilton

Nico Rosberg suggests Lewis Hamilton should blame himself before his Mercedes for his 13th-place finish in the Emilia Romagna GP after team-mate George Russell came fourth.
Rosberg believes the apology Mercedes chief Toto Wolff gave Hamilton for the car needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, adding that team-mate George Russell's fourth-place finish in the race is proof.
By Jack Bezants for MailOnline
Published: 10:43, 26 April 2022

Lewis Hamilton should blame himself before his Mercedes car for his 13th place finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the weekend, claims old team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Wolff was recorded saying to Hamilton, who was lapped by rival and winner Max Versappen late on in the race: 'Sorry for what you have needed to drive today. I know this is undriveable and not what we deserve to score as a result. 'We’ll move from there, but this was a terrible race. We will come out of this.'”

But Rosberg was unconvinced, telling Sky Sports F1: 'Toto was playing the mental game, which is very smart on his behalf. 'Mercedes are taking the blame themselves, really trying to support Lewis mentally, lifting him up and saying, "hey, Lewis, it’s not your doing, it’s really on us". That’s very smart because it’s not quite the truth.”

‘Pinch Of Salt’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ce-finish.html


Hamilton answers whether the W13 is the worst F1 car he's ever driven
‎26‎ ‎April‎ ‎15‎:‎20
Author Michael Butterworth
Co-author Dieter Rencken

After finishing a lowly 13th in Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and having already conceded defeat in the 2022 title race, Lewis Hamilton is at an uncharacteristically low ebb in his illustrious career.

But while the Silver Arrows' W13 is proving a tricky beast to tame, Hamilton says the McLaren MP4-24 he drove in 2009 began that season in even worse shape.

"There are people that watch and say that I've never had a bad car," Hamilton said after finishing 14th in the Imola Sprint event on Saturday. "And I can assure you I have. The 2009 car was very, very far off, and was the worst car that I've had."

‘Low ebb’;

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-a...es-ever-driven


Did Mercedes give Hamilton a slower car than Russell at Imola?
George Russell ended the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in P4, nine positions clear of team-mate Sir Lewis Hamilton.
by Rob Kershaw
25 April 202225 April 2022

Chief strategist James Vowles conceded that it was “painful” to add weight to an already excessive heavy car, but they need the crucial information if they are to improve their wavering form in 2022.

Vowles revealed that there are various components that weigh different amounts between the cars, and praised Hamilton’s pace despite having the heavier and, therefore presumably, slightly slower car. “In terms of how it worked between the two cars, there are thousands of components that make up the racing car for George and for Lewis,” he explained.

“And those components don’t weigh exactly the same amount, there is variability of a few grams here and there and the actual car weight as mentioned on the FIA scales between the two cars in the race was within a few grams of each other, so Lewis did a fantastic job by carrying these extra sensors.”

‘Slower Car for Lewis Hamilton’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/did-merce...sell-at-imola/


SEVERE: Lewis Hamilton backed to ‘come back incredibly strong’ by Mercedes teammate George Russell despite Formula 1 car that gives ‘back and chest pains’
Connor Andrews
25th April 2022, 4:46 pm

George Russell has backed his teammate Lewis Hamilton to ‘come back so strong’ despite the pair suffering with a Mercedes car that is giving them ‘chest pains’.

It was put to Russell that he was able to get more out of the Mercedes than his more experienced teammate, claims which he candidly dismissed. “I think it’s just how things fall out sometimes in a race weekend,” he said.

“I made a very strong start. I don’t know what happened with him [Hamilton] at the start, but we are equally struggling, and when the car is so far out of bed, and it’s not in the right window, it doesn’t really feel like a proper racing car to drive.

‘Come Back Incredibly Strong’;

https://talksport.com/sport/motorsport/1094487/


Wolff explains his ‘undriveable’ car apology to Hamilton
24th April 2022, 19:02
By Josh Suttill & Scott Mitchell & Edd Straw

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has explained why he apologised to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for his “undriveable” car as he started and finished the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 14th place.

“I don’t really know, I just wasn’t fast enough to overtake him,” a bemused Hamilton said when asked why he spent over 40 laps behind Gasly. It brought to an end a truly miserable weekend for Hamilton as he failed to finish inside the top 10 in either qualifying or the race for the first time since the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix.

Wolff said he needs “to protect” Hamilton as it’s the car performance deficit causing this low, not Hamilton’s driving. “This guy is the best driver in the world, and he is not having a machine and equipment underneath him to be able to execute and to take that,” Wolff said. “In a way, it is even irrelevant whether you come eighth, 12th, 15th, it doesn’t matter, it’s all bad.”

‘Undriveable Miserable Weekend’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/wolff...y-to-hamilton/


Russell Mercedes strife eased by Williams experience
Tuesday 3 May 2022 17:30
Sam Hall

George Russell believes a tough three years at Williams has helped him to cope with Mercedes' wretched start to the season. Russell joined the F1 grid with Williams in 2019 but it was not until last year that the Briton scored his first F1 points for the team at the 48th attempt.

Russell believes this harsh entry into the sport has equipped him with the necessary tools to cope with Mercedes' slide down the order. “It has just been difficult. It’s a really difficult position for us as a team and perhaps with my struggles at Williams driving very difficult cars, maybe that has helped in some small regard," Russell explained.

Russell "getting the most" out of Mercedes After four races, Russell is the only driver to have an unblemished record of top-five finishes. Conscious that this street has been aided by the reliability issues and errors of others, Russell added: "I think in terms of results, we’re definitely getting the most out of it and things have definitely fallen our way in these first four races.

‘Unblemished Record of Top 5 Finishes’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/81...ms-experience/


George Russell 'will soon get on Lewis Hamilton's nerves', claims ex-F1 star Gerhard Berger after the new British star at Mercedes makes strong start to the season at the expense of his seven-time world champion team-mate
By Dan Ripley for MailOnline
Published: 08:56, 2 May 2022

Former F1 star Gerhard Berger believes George Russell will soon 'get on the nerves' of team-mate Lewis Hamilton if he maintains his narrow early season advantage.

Berger, who won 10 grands prix in a career spanning from 1984 to 1997, believes that while the relationship between the pair has been good so far it won't take long for Russell to become an irritant to Hamilton should the early season form continue.

'He will soon get on Lewis' nerves,' the former McLaren and Ferrari star was quoted by Speedweek.com. 'Russell was one of the outstanding drivers at Imola. Like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.'

‘Getting On The Nerves!’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rd-Berger.html


‘His career could be over’: Hamilton retirement warning issued after he wasted his ‘last chance’
Valtteri Bottas sits just four points behind Sir Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship after four rounds of 2022.
30 April 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Former Ferrari and McLaren driver Gerhard Berger indicates that Hamilton may consider walking away from the pinnacle of motorsport if Mercedes are unable to find solutions to their troubles, especially after the manner in which his eighth title was cruelly snatched from his grasp by Max Verstappen last year.

“The title that slipped through his fingers against Verstappen last year was perhaps his last chance to be the sole record world champion,” Berger said.

“If it doesn’t work out this year and possibly next year, then his career could be over. After so many races, so much dominance and so many successes, I can imagine that in this situation the desire is lost.” The Austrian added that the incrementally impressive performances of Russell “will soon get on Lewis’ nerves.”

‘Lost Desire’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/his-caree...s-last-chance/

Miami GP: 5 big questions that need answers this weekend.
Will the circuit entertain? Will McLaren take more strides? How will Charles Leclerc respond? Will Fernando Alonso’s luck change? Will Max Verstappen keep up his streak?
Published: 5 May 2022, 08:11
By George Dagless

The Miami Grand Prix makes its long-awaited debut this weekend as Formula 1 heads Stateside for the first of two races in the US this season.

The sport has been looking to crack America for some time and appears to have done so now, with three races in the country set to be on the schedule from 2023.

With that said, then, it’s going to be fascinating watching the first-ever Miami Grand Prix and, for all the glitz and glamour in the build-up, the hope has to be that the racing action is what grabs the headlines in the end on Sunday.

‘Five Big Questions’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88003690...s-this-weekend


Max Verstappen Hopes To Ignore Hype And Win First Miami Grand Prix
World champion Max Verstappen will seek to ignore all the hype and razzmatazz this weekend to win the Miami Grand Prix.
• Updated: May 05, 2022 11:27 AM IST
• Agence France-Presse

World champion Max Verstappen will seek to ignore all the hype and razzmatazz this weekend when he bids to trim Charles Leclerc's lead with a third win of the season at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

“I think this weekend is going to be pretty crazy," said Verstappen. "I'm looking forward to the racing -- I've driven the track on the simulator and we've practiced and prepared as much as we can without visiting in real life.”

"I love racing in Austin, so it's fun that we get to go to another state exciting to see F1 getting so much bigger in the US."

‘Ignore the Hype’;

https://sports.ndtv.com/formula-1/ma...d-prix-2947392


Norris Hoping to Maintain Imola Momentum into Miami Grand Prix Weekend
May 4, 2022
By Paul Hensby

Lando Norris says he is coming to the inaugural Miami Grand Prix this weekend on a high after his first podium finish of the season last time out in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Norris believes the Miami track will be a fun challenge, and he is eager to carry the momentum from his podium at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari into this weekend.

“I’m hyped for this weekend,” said Norris. “New circuits are always something I look forward to, and when you add in the excitement around a US race, particularly in Miami, it’s going to be so cool. “It’s looking fast with some great features and with the added element of being a street track, it’s going to be a fun challenge.”

‘Carry the Momentum’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-prix-weekend/


Alfa heads to Miami with 'growing sense of confidence'
04/05/2022 at 16:52
Phillip van Osten

Valtteri Bottas says Alfa Romeo's confidence has ramped up on the back of his results, and especially after the Finn's strong P5 finish last time out at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

"We arrive in Miami knowing we can have another good weekend," said Bottas in the Hinwil squad's Miami Grand Prix preview. We scored points in every race we finished so far and we want to continue this strong moment.”

"There is a growing sense of confidence in the team, we know we can do well on every track and it’s in our hands to go out there and deliver the goods."

‘Growing Sense of Confidence’;

https://f1i.com/news/440035-alfa-hea...onfidence.html


Sebastian Vettel on Miami Challenge: “I’m excited to hit the track for the first time”
By Paul Hensby
May 4, 2022

Sebastian Vettel says there are plenty of unknowns heading into this weekend’s first-ever Miami Grand Prix, and he is excited to hit the track for the first time on Friday.
Vettel has experienced the Miami International Autodrome solely on Aston Martin’s simulator, but he admits there is no substitute for learning the track behind the wheel of a racing car.

“It’s great to see another street circuit join the calendar, and the Miami track looks really interesting,” said Vettel. “From what we’ve experienced in the simulator, there are a few challenging corners.”

“Turns 13-16 have a surprising amount of elevation-change to catch drivers out and there are long sections where overtaking should be possible with DRS. You can only learn so much pre-event – I’m excited to hit the track for the first time.”

‘Miami Challenge Excitement’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...he-first-time/


Lewis Hamilton Seen Leaving Club With Two Girls Days Before F1 Miami GP
MAY 4, 2022.
BY JORGE ALONSO

It appears that Lewis Hamilton is living it up before the F1 Miami GP. The Mercedes driver, who has been struggling this season, made a quick stop in New York on Tuesday to get loose before his big race.

According to The Sun, Hamilton was seen leaving a NY hotspot with two girls just days before his big race.

Hamilton has cut a frustrated figure on recent race weekends, but he was able to let his hair down before Miami with a fancy night out in The City That Never Sleeps. The Woking racer was snapped leaving the exclusive Cipriani with two stunning mystery ladies.

‘Getting Loose Before His Big Race’;

https://brobible.com/sports/article/...club-f1-miami/


Jenson Button backs Lewis Hamilton revival ahead of 'mad' Miami Grand Prix
22:22, 4 MAY 2022
BY Josh Challies

Former British Formula One star Jenson Button is not writing off Lewis Hamilton this season and is expecting fireworks this weekend in the maiden Miami Grand Prix

Ex-Formula One champion Jenson Button is not writing off his ex-teammate Lewis Hamilton this season, insisting that his compatriot has 'not lost it' despite his Mercedes woes.

“He’s had a couple of bad races, we all have it in our career. At the moment he’s finding it tough, and people are saying he’s not doing as good a job as his teammate. He’s not lost it since last season when he was winning races. He’s a seven-time world champion — almost eight — he will keep fighting as long as he wants to," he told the New York Post.

‘Expecting Fireworks’;

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...miami-26875936


Wolff says Mercedes have ‘found several directions for improving the car' ahead of Miami Grand Prix
04 May 2022
Formula 1.

Toto Wolff is hopeful that his Mercedes team will start turning around their slow start to the season at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, with the Silver Arrows’ Team Principal believing the eight-time world champions have found solutions to their various issues that they’ll look to implement at this weekend’s US event.

“Since we returned from Italy, we’ve learned as much from the weekend as we can and, in parallel, our learning has continued in the wind tunnel and simulations,” said Wolff. “We have found several directions for improving the car, and we will be conducting experiments in Miami to correlate those simulations, and hopefully confirm the development path for the coming races.”

“Both drivers have been working in the simulator ahead of Miami and the factories have been busy producing updates for the next races,” he added. “We’re set for a fantastic event, and we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.”

‘Working on the Simulator’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...L0BcXpRq6.html

The upgrades Ferrari are set to unleash in their fight against Red Bull.
Ferrari's first extensive upgrade package for the F1-75 may be planned for the Spanish Grand Prix, but the team are making some early moves in Miami – despite it being a new track.
Today, ‎12‎:‎00
Author Paolo Filisetti
Co-author RacingNews365 Staff

Red Bull surged forward with a raft of updates last time out in Imola, but Ferrari are poised to strike back at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, as RacingNews365.com technical analyst Paolo Filisetti explains.

As team boss Mattia Binotto outlined in Imola, a new rear wing - with a different main profile - will be introduced this weekend as a replacement for the versions used so far this season.

But this is not set to be the biggest change as, during the Pirelli tyre tests that followed the Emilia Romagna weekend, Carlos Sainz briefly drove with a new floor.

‘F1-75 Extensive Upgrade Package’;


Montoya: Ferrari will win if it’s dry, Max will win in the wet
5 May, 2022
Paul Velasco

Miami Grand Prix ambassador Juan Pablo Montoya would put money on Max Verstappen winning the first Formula 1 race in the Florida city. Speaking ahead of the Miami weekend, Montoya told VegasInsider: “If I was a betting person, I would probably put my money on Max.”

“I think Charles, with the crash… unless the team went to him and said: just keep pushing, don’t worry about it; if they said that to him, he could still win the race. But my money would be on Max this week. Especially with the Miami weather.”

Montoya, a Miami resident since 2006 who well knows the climate in the city, pointed out: “The weather could be a massive twist for the race. Might miss the track. Might get part of the track wet. That’s going to be quite interesting. They will have spotters and radars and everything to let the teams know where the rain is coming from, but it’s very hard to predict.”

‘Money on Max’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...gp-prediction/


Hill weighs in on best car debate: Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes?
Asked about whether he would take the Red Bull or Ferrari at this point of the year, the 1996 World Champion said it is too close to call at this early stage of proceedings.
04/05/2022, ‎17‎:‎00
Author Thomas Maher

"Well, the upgrade thing is a very interesting one, because they've also got these constraints now that are going to apply to the teams that have had the most points from the previous season and so forth," Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast, referring to the aerodynamic testing restrictions sliding scale that affects how much wind tunnel and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) time each team is permitted.”

Referring to Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey's recent comments about the effects of the budget cap on the rate at which updates are introduced, Hill argued that it has added a fascinating new dynamic to the title fight.

"[Adrian] was saying that they have to be very careful about when they bring these upgrades and which ones they apply, because they can't just throw stuff at it anymore," Hill explained. "So they're sitting down and thinking about it, and it's a bit like playing poker. They need to know which card to lay down when.”

‘Upgrade Poker’;

https://racingnews365.com/hill-weigh...ri-or-mercedes


Binotto outlines how Ferrari approach to upgrades has changed for 2022
04/05/2022, ‎12‎:‎00
Author Thomas Maher
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has detailed the approach to updates that the Scuderia will take throughout the 2022 F1 season. "We are only at race four," he told media, including RacingNews365.com, after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend.

"If I look at the past seasons as well, I don't think that at race four there were many developments brought to cars. If I look at our competitors, [some] already brought some developments – some of them in testing, some of them [at Imola], and some, maybe small, developments from race one to race four, so I don't think that, so far, it has changed much compared to the past."

"I think that, as teams, because we've got a budget cap in place, we are simply trying to make sure that, by the time we are bringing a package, it's a proper one. And maybe, to do that, we simply take a few more races."

‘Bringing Proper Packages’;

https://racingnews365.com/binotto-ou...anged-for-2022


Disillusionment with Renault almost drove Newey to join Ferrari
Date published: May 4 2022 - Michelle Foster

Such was Renault’s deficit to the Mercedes engine at the start of the V6 era that it had Adrian Newey considering dropping Red Bull in favour of Ferrari. Winning World Championships with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull it has been widely reported that Ferrari wanted to bring Newey over to Maranello.

The Scuderia’s third approach for the design guru was made back in 2014 when Red Bull lost the World titles to Mercedes. Newey has previously spoken about the Italian outfit’s “ridiculously large” financial offer, one that more than doubled his Red Bull salary. It was an offer he gave serious consideration to, not because of Red Bull, rather it was Renault and their under-performing V6 engine that had him considering jumping ship.

He told The Race: “Back then I was pretty disillusioned with the whole thing to be honest in as much as… obviously I nearly joined Ferrari but didn’t, which was kind of [part of it]… but more than anything, although I felt happy at Red Bull and didn’t really want to move teams, the only thing that had pushed me towards even thinking about moving teams was that we were stuck with an uncompetitive engine.”

‘Newey nearly at Ferrari’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/disill...newey-ferrari/


Leclerc to get significant power boost in Miami due to new-spec Ferrari engine
Charles Leclerc will be given a new power unit at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz received one in Imola.
5 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

After Carlos Sainz was given a power boost ahead of the sprint weekend in Imola, Leclerc will now be the recipient of an improved power unit that will feature improved acceleration and a new MGU-K, the system that takes energy from the rear axle and converts it into power.

The evolution is set to help Ferrari keep up with the magnificent Honda-manufactured Red Bull engine on the straights, and the Milton Keynes-based side are even more slippery in a straight line than they were at the beginning of the year after introducing an upgrade package that lost them a suspected 5kg in weight.

The engine Sainz used in the early part of the 2022 season is still in working condition, which is crucial for the Maranello side, who can use it during free practice in Florida and avoid putting extra strain on the second-generation power unit.

‘A New MGU-K’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/leclerc-t...errari-engine/


Jenson Button praises 'beautiful' Ferrari and issues Mercedes prediction
Published: 4 May 2022, 14:16
By George Dagless

Jenson Button has said that Mercedes are going to find it difficult to reel in Ferrari and Red Bull this season, with the reigning Constructors’ champions currently off of the leading pace.

“Ferrari have nothing to lose, they put everything into 2022,” the 2009 world champion told The Gentleman’s Journal. “And when you watch the car, on the straights, it looks horrific because of the porpoising, but actually through the corner it looks beautiful to drive… Ferrari has just been plain sailing, good on ‘em, they’ve done a great job. And I don’t think I see it changing anytime soon… Ferrari still has more time in the wind tunnel than Mercedes, as does Red Bull. So it’s going to be tricky for Mercedes to come back.

“Two great drivers are better than one in terms of setting up a car and also the feedback that the team needs to improve the car. So everything’s good at the moment. Atmosphere always changes when you’re fighting for wins. That’s normally when you go from being best buddies to fierce competitors.”

‘Comeback Tricky’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88003055...des-prediction


Hill explains area where Leclerc could learn from Perez
04/052022, ‎10‎:‎20
Author RacingNews365 Staff

Damon Hill believes that Charles Leclerc needs to be cautious of making "rash moves", and has suggested Sergio Perez as an example of the approach to take when driving for a top team.

"We've seen with Charles of course, Imola was an opportunity to consolidate," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "And he went for a move which was just a little bit too ambitious, and he called it greedy. I was watching sitting down. Literally, I almost grabbed my wife's leg as as he turned in, [when] they showed it from the onboard.

"You look at Sergio. Sergio's a safe pair of hands. He's quick, and he's a safe pair of hands. He hardly ever does anything crazy. He's really good." Perez, meanwhile, sits in third, only five points behind Verstappen.

‘Sergio Perez Third in Championship’;

https://racingnews365.com/hill-expla...arn-from-perez

Hamilton warned he could become Mercedes’ number two driver as Russell applies pressure.
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has warned that Sir Lewis Hamilton could soon find himself playing second fiddle to George Russell at Mercedes.
28 April 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Hamilton has been comprehensively out-performed in two of the opening four rounds of the 2022 season by new team-mate Russell, and the 24-year-old’s superb display in Imola saw him finish P4, while his compatriot languished down in 13th.

The fact that the British drivers were having to lift off to mitigate “porpoising” did little to help, and it is clear that the Silver Arrows have an erratic car that is troublesome to get into an operating window under the new technical regulations.

This does not change the fundamental fact that Russell has generally been the quicker driver this season, and Schumacher reveals Hamilton will be wondering why he has that deficit. “He has to ask himself why George Russell is so much faster than him. A 13th place is of course not Hamilton’s ambition,” he wrote in his Sky Sports column.

‘Lewis Hamilton No 2 Driver’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/hamilton-...lies-pressure/


'Champions have sometimes just had enough': Former F1 star Jacques Villeneuve questions whether Lewis Hamilton will see out the rest of the season after Mercedes' struggles left him adrift of the title fight.
He also claimed that Hamilton may prove to be an issue for his team this year.
By Daniel Davis For Mailonline
Published: 17:31, 27 April 2022

In recent weeks, and at the start of the season, fans have voiced concern Hamilton would retire - and Villeneuve has said similar shock moves have happened before. 'Will Hamilton still be there in two, three years?' he wrote in his column for Formule1.nl. 'Will he even reach the end of this season?

“You can't see into someone's head. You can be down and depressed or you can be unable to deal with no longer winning. Then maybe it's time to decide life is better without racing. We've been surprised in the past - it's happened that champions have sometimes just had enough.”

He has also claimed 'megastar' Hamilton may prove to be a problem for Mercedes, with team-mate George Russell catching the eye instead near the front of the grid. “At Mercedes, they now in any event need to learn how to lose,' he added. 'For years, they drove everyone into the ground. If someone got closer, they just opened the throttle. This year, they don't have that advantage anymore.”

‘Just had Enough’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...st-season.html


Schumacher: Hamilton has to accept that Russell is driving better
‎28‎ ‎April‎ ‎15‎:‎20
Author Thomas Maher

Ralf Schumacher believes that Lewis Hamilton will have to do some soul-searching after the first four races of the season, with George Russell holding the upper hand. While Hamilton managed only a 13th-place finish at Imola, Russell came home in fourth, and Schumacher expects Hamilton to have been left thinking what the issue might be.

"We have to talk about Lewis Hamilton," Schumacher wrote in his column for Sky Sport Germany. "He has to wonder why George Russell is so much faster than him. A 13th place is, of course, not what Hamilton is aiming for."

"If things continue like this over the next few weeks, things will also get exciting in the team." He suggested: "There may be changes in the ranking."

‘Soul-Searching’;

https://racingnews365.com/schumacher...driving-better


Lewis Hamilton must admit George Russell is 'the better driver right now' following his poor start to the new F1 season, claims Ralf Schumacher... with the ex-Williams star insisting he 'has to ask himself' why his Mercedes team-mate is 'so much faster'
By Oliver Salt For Mailonline
Published: 11:09, 27 April 2022

Lewis Hamilton has to hold his hands up and admit that Mercedes team-mate George Russell is a better driver than him right now, says Ralf Schumacher.
'I'm far from saying Hamilton has missed the boat on ending his career,' he added. 'Lewis is still one of the best drivers in the field, that is clear.”

'However, the new concepts require drivers to change a bit. Hamilton is not so used to it. Russell, on the other hand, is a young driver. They obviously cope better with it.'

‘Not Coping to Changes’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...chumacher.html


Hamilton ‘passionately hates’ losing to team-mate
Date published: May 3 2022
- Sam Cooper

Nico Rosberg has said Lewis Hamilton “passionately hates” losing to team-mates and predicted 2022 may be the first season the Mercedes driver does not win a race. It is a rare time in the career of Lewis Hamilton and one in which he is not only lacking the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari but also appears to be lacking the pace of his team-mate.

While there is plenty of time left in the season for Hamilton to overtake Russell, a former team-mate of Hamilton’s has said he “passionately hates” trailing the man on the opposite side of the garage from him. “It’s definitely a very tough situation for Lewis,” Nico Rosberg told Sky Sports. “He’s won a race in every season of his career and it looks like maybe this will be the year when he can’t win anymore.”

“You can see how the tension is rising and that’s natural. Lewis will obviously start to show those emotions a little bit. Nevertheless, with the experience he has I think he will eventually manage to keep those under control. Let’s not forget also Lewis hates ending up behind his team-mate.”

‘Tension is Rising’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...ing-team-mate/


Russell cannot be a ‘walkover’ for Hamilton in on-track battles
Date published: May 2 2022 - Jon Wilde

Nico Rosberg thinks George Russell needs to stand up to Lewis Hamilton on track when the Mercedes duo inevitably find themselves battling each other. However, Rosberg, who partnered Hamilton for four feisty campaigns that culminated with his sole Drivers’ title success before retiring in 2016, believes it is only a matter of time before the British duo are fighting for supremacy on track.

And when that happens, it will be the moment, says the German, for Russell to show he will not be pushed around. “Especially against someone as great as Lewis it’s important for George to not show he’s just a walkover, to get the elbows out in a measured way right from the get-go and show Lewis ‘you need to respect me as well’,” Rosberg told Sky F1.

“That’s a very important sign for George to get going right at the beginning in this relationship because it sets a precedent and it’s such a fine line how far you push that. It will be good to see how George manages that in the next couple of races, especially against Lewis once they start going wheel-to-wheel at some point.”

‘Cannot be a Walkover’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/nico-r...sell-walkover/


Rosberg gives take on ‘angry’ Hamilton keeping his emotions under control
5 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg reckons Sir Lewis Hamilton’s deficit to George Russell will be riling the 37-year-old up, but believes his former team-mate can pull it together.

“Nevertheless, with the experience he has I think he will eventually manage to keep those under control,” he added. The fact that the former McLaren driver is being beaten by newcomer Russell, to Rosberg’s mind, will be making him “very angry.” “Let’s not forget also Lewis hates ending up behind his team-mate,” explained the German.

Team boss Toto Wolff has recently disregarded claims that there is tension between his driver pairing, affirming that their positive relationship has been one of the “few highlights” of an otherwise dejecting season so far.

‘Few Highlights!’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/rosberg-g...under-control/


George Russell 'will soon get on Lewis Hamilton's nerves', claims ex-F1 star Gerhard Berger after the new British star at Mercedes makes strong start to the season at the expense of his seven-time world champion team-mate
Published: 08:56, 2 May 2022
By Dan Ripley for MailOnline

• George Russell has enjoyed an impressive start to his Mercedes career in 2022
• The Brit stands fourth in the world championship despite Mercedes' woes
• Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, is 19 points down on his new team-mate this term
• Pair enjoy a good relationship but Gerhard Berger believes it may not continue

Berger, who won 10 grands prix in a career spanning from 1984 to 1997, believes that while the relationship between the pair has been good so far it won't take long for Russell to become an irritant to Hamilton should the early season form continue.

'He will soon get on Lewis' nerves,' the former McLaren and Ferrari star was quoted by Speedweek.com. 'Russell was one of the outstanding drivers at Imola. Like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.'

‘Getting on Lewis Hamilton’s Nerves’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rd-Berger.html

Leclerc leads the way as Russell impresses: 2022 Miami GP FP1 round-up.
Leclerc, Russell and Verstappen lead the way.
May 6th 2022
F1 Author James Elson

One of the most anticipated grand prix weekends in years got underway in sweltering conditions, as drivers finally set some laps in anger at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen constantly traded fastest laps in an intense session, whilst the Mercedes appeared to be closer to the ultimate pace than has been seen so far this season.

The former would end the session fastest, but it would be George Russell who would be second, with Verstappen eventually coming in third.

‘George Russell Close Behind’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...-fp1-round-up#


(FP1) First Practice Results – 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
6th May 2022
by Emer Hedderman

Results (Classification):
1. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari -1:31.098
2. George Russell Mercedes +0.071
3. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.179
4. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.203
5. Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri +0.400
6. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.430
7. Alex Albon Williams Racing +0.756
8. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.858
9. Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.461
10. Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1.494

‘Complete results from FP1’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp1-first-...and-prix-78926


Leclerc fastest as Bottas crashes in opening Miami practice
2022 Miami Grand Prix first practice
Posted on 6th May 2022, 20:48
Written by Will Wood

Championship leader Charles Leclerc was fastest for the first ever practice session in Miami as Valtteri Bottas crashed at the marina corner. The Ferrari driver was less than a tenth of a second faster than George Russell’s Mercedes, with the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez third and fourth.

Slight cloud cover over the circuit could not prevent temperatures from breaching 33C as the green light at the end of the pit lane signalled the start of the very first official session to be held at the Miami International Autodrome. Unsurprisingly, all 20 drivers wasted no time in taking to the track and getting acclimatised with the 5.4km circuit, with many drivers quickly learning where the limits of grip were over the 19-turn.

Leclerc’s spin did not slow him down, and he eventually set the early benchmark of a 1’32.949, before Russell went second quickest by setting a lap one-thousandths of a second slower than the Ferrari.

‘No time wasted taking to the track’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/06/...iami-practice/


2022 Miami GP FP1: Sainz punctures tyre in huge spin
06 May 2022
Formula 1.

Ferrari’s Carlos punctures a tyre on his Ferrari after taking a big spin at the Miami International Autodrome during first practice at the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

‘Big Spin’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...100018346.html


“Encouraging start” for Mercedes as Russell goes second-quickest in updated car
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on
6th May 2022, 21:28
Written by Keith Collantine

Mercedes ran revised front and rear wings in first practice for the Miami Grand Prix, where George Russell set the second-quickest time.

The new endplate gives “more downforce for the same drag”, Shovlin told Sky, “and the rear wing’s a more efficient wing than the one we’ve been running. So you’ve seen at previous, low-drag tracks we’ve trimmed our wing away. This one’s designed for this downforce.

‘More Downforce’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/06/...n-updated-car/

Russell puts Mercedes on top in second Miami GP practice.
George Russell set the fastest time during second practice for Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix as Mercedes showed front-running pace for the first time in the 2022 season.
6th May 2022, 23:31
by Phillip Horton

Mercedes has struggled through the early phase of 2022 with its recalcitrant W13 but brought a smattering of updates for the inaugural event in Miami as it seeks to remedy its issues.

During a hot and humid second session in Miami on Friday afternoon Russell set a time of 1:29.938s to finish 0.106s up on championship leader Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton reinforced Mercedes’ pace by finishing fourth, 0.241s behind his team-mate, with Sergio Perez third for Red Bull.

‘FP2 George Russell Fastest’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...i-gp-practice/


2022 Miami Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results
06/05/2022 at 23:36
Andrew Lewin

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:29.938s 17
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:30.044s + 0.106s 20
3 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1:30.150s + 0.212s 18
4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:30.179s + 0.241s 17
5 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:30.372s + 0.434s 19
6 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.535s + 0.597s 19
7 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1:30.547s + 0.609s 19
8 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:30.860s + 0.922s 23
9 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:30.861s + 0.923s 19
10 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.921s + 0.983s 18

‘Full results from Free Practice 2 for the Miami Grand Prix’;

https://f1i.com/news/440338-2022-mia...2-results.html


Russell suspects improved pace of upgraded Mercedes is largely down to track
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 7th May 2022, 1:10 |
Written by Keith Collantine

George Russell believes the track and conditions in Miami are responsible for Mercedes’ competitive start to the weekend. He set the second-quickest time in the opening practice session, lapping seven-hundredths of a second off Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Russell went one better in the second session, heading the times.

Mercedes has brought a package of upgrades to its car this weekend. While the team believe that has made some improvements, Russell suspects the combination of slow corners and high temperatures at the Miami circuit also suits them.

“We always knew ahead of this weekend that the conditions should suit us better,” he said. “We’ve been struggling a lot with tyre warm-up, even in Bahrain when the track was really rough. But this is the first real hot race of the season. So for sure, that’s played a big factor. The car is working well but it’s only Friday, I’m not getting too carried away.”

‘Not getting carried away’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/07/...down-to-track/


Fernando Alonso: Alpine 'seem fast' in Miami GP practice
06 May 2022

Fernando Alonso thinks that Alpine "seem fast" at the Miami International Autodrome, as the Spaniard looks forward to a "very demanding race" in Sunday's 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

‘Seem Fast’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...561472952.html


Verstappen laments 'extremely painful' start to Miami GP weekend as Red Bull endure rocky Friday
06 May 2022

Max Verstappen was left reeling after what his Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner called a “horrible” opening day of the Miami Grand Prix, in which the reigning champion suffered two issues over both Friday practice sessions.

“He's just had a horrible day,” said Horner of Verstappen. “He had an issue this morning, so as a precaution we changed the gearbox and one of the coolers, and then he's driven out of the pit lane and had a hydraulic issue which has unfortunately caused some damage to the rear brakes.”

Verstappen, third in FP1, added: “Yes, just not a good day, and of course these days [it is] extremely painful, especially on a track like this where you want to be out there and learn the track and get up to speed. So, I basically did four or five laps today – fast laps – so that’s not what you want.”

‘Extremely Painful’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...45MV4l2rI.html


Sergio Pérez: 'Messy' practice means drivers 'going blind' into Miami GP
06 May 2022

Red Bull's Sergio Pérez says that a "very messy" Friday practice at the Miami International Autodrome means that drivers are "going blind" into Sunday's 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

‘Very Messy Practice’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...281872937.html


F1 drivers concerned “terrible” grip will make passing difficult at Miami
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 7th May 2022, 0:27
Written by Keith Collantine

Formula 1 drivers have expressed concerns that poor grip off-line at Miami International Autodrome will make overtaking difficult in Sunday’s race. The 5.4km circuit set around the grounds of Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, features fast, sweeping turns, two long straights followed by hairpins and a tight and narrow technical sequence in the second sector.

“It’s really disappointing that there is no grip off-line,” said Sergio Perez after the first two practice sessions at the new track on Friday. “It’s a shame because I think the racing will be bad due to that. As soon as you try to go off-line, there is no grip. It’s damp, probably it’s wet on that side. It feels very gravelly off-line. So yeah, racing will be hard.”

Lando Norris echoed Perez’s comments, saying the lack of grip at some points on the track explained why several drivers spun or crashed during practice. “It’s extremely tricky,” said the McLaren driver. “It’s very bumpy in some areas, which was maybe not quite what we were expecting. I think everyone was expecting it to be very smooth and beautiful but it’s not.

‘Terrible Grip’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/07/...cult-at-miami/


5 things we learned from Friday practice at the Miami Grand Prix
07 May 2022
F1 Correspondent & Presenter
Lawrence Barretto

Mileage is so important for teams when they head to a new circuit, but that was at a premium for the frontrunners on Friday practice for the Miami Grand Prix, as they endured mixed fortunes. Here are five things we learned in Miami Gardens…

1. Potentially exciting times for Mercedes
2. Mechanical gremlins hurt Red Bull again
3. Mixed fortunes for Ferrari
4. McLaren with more to come
5. Alfa Romeo and Alpine look strong

‘Lessons Learnt’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...3tcHCaG2C.html


Lewis Hamilton Is OK With Not Racing at the Miami GP Because of His Jewelry, Piercings
7 May 2022, 03:37 UTC ·
by Elena Gorgan

For many, creative expression of self through fashion and accessories is worth going to war for. Lewis Hamilton is among them, and he is more than OK with the idea of sitting out the 2022 Miami GP this weekend, over a planned jewelry ban.

On Friday, Hamilton showed up at the press conference decked in jewelry. Literally. He wore three watches, a couple of bracelets, eight rings, two earrings, and at least four necklaces, knowing full well he’d be asked about the jewelry ban. His answer boiled down to this: jewelry is part of who he is and should not interfere with his work, so he’s willing to sit out the Miami GP if he’s asked to remove it.

“It's platinum that I have, so it's not magnetic. It's never been a safety issue in the past,” he explained of one of his piercings. “So yeah, if they stop me then so be it. We've got a spare driver. So we're well prepped for the weekend. There's lots to do in the city anyway so it will be good either way.”

‘Lots to do in Miami’;

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/l...gs-188249.html

'It reminds me of being in a B&Q car park:' Lewis Hamilton criticises new Miami GP F1 track and its tight chicane as Sergio Perez also shares 'extreme disappointment' over the circuit, fearing a lack of racing will take place.
Lewis Hamilton has been left underwhelmed by the new track for the Miami GP.
Published: 10:33, 7 May 2022
By Dan Ripley for MailOnline

“The track's quite nice to drive except for the chicane,' said Hamilton. 'It's so tight. 'It reminds me of being in a B&Q car park when I was six years old/seven years old, in a go kart, going in between cars. It's a corner where maybe in future they can remove that one and it will improve the track.”

“It's kind of crazy when you think that people in this day and age should be able to make a flat road relatively easy.' 'There were frigging big, big, big bumps and so many places where the track like joins up with somewhere else. So I don't know if they will be able to grind that at night and improve it.”

‘B&Q Race Track’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-car-park.html


Is the Miami F1 GP track like 'the B&Q car park?'
7 May 2022
F1 Connor McDonagh

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has likened part of the all-new Miami grand prix circuit to “the B&Q car park” after drivers got their first taste of it during Friday practice. Giving his opinion on America’s new F1 circuit, Hamilton described it as “bumpy” and admitted he wasn’t a fan of the tight complex of corners between Turns 12 and 15.

Sergio Perez believes racing other cars will be difficult due to there being a lack of grip off the racing line. “It's really disappointing that there's no grip off-line, racing will be bad because of that,” Perez explained. “As soon as you go off-line, there is no grip, it's done. it's wet on that side sometimes off line, feels very gravely off line, racing will be hard.”

Lando Norris shared similar concerns to Perez, pointing towards how bumpy the track surface in which the teams weren’t expecting going into this weekend. “It's extremely tricky,” Norris added. “It's very bumpy in some places, which we were not expecting. I think everyone was expecting it to very smooth and beautiful. But it's not.”

‘Bumpy B&Q Track’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/100219...ck-bq-car-park


Miami Grand Prix: F1 debut torn apart as ‘shallow’ race on ‘characterless concrete’
THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX has been torn apart ahead of its F1 debut as a "shallow" race on "characterless concrete".
08:48, Sat, May 7, 2022
By CHARLIE SMITH

The 5.41km lap with 19 turns is set at a venue that has previously hosted Super Bowls and Baseball World Series. However, the “temporary circuit” has been criticised for lacking the history and authenticity of other venues, not least because of its fake marina.

F1 writer James Elson blasted the sport’s newest track in a piece for Motor Sport earlier this week. He wrote: “Why, in a country blessed with a multitude of ‘classic’ race tracks, is F1 not racing on one of the permanent circuits, but on a strip of vast characterless concrete?”

Mr Elson wrote: “F1, as usual, isn’t doing much to help its image by staying away from areas and venues which are known for racing.” He added that it is “instead plumping for a more glamorous and perhaps shallow alternative because – well, simply because it can”.

‘Temporary Concrete Circuit’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...x-f1-debut-spt


FUNNY MEMES FLOOD TWITTER AS F1 FANS MOCK FAKE MIAMI MARINA
7th May 2022, 12:07
Ellissa Bain

The Grand Prix is taking place in Miami this weekend and fans are in hysterics over the design. Memes are flooding Twitter as F1 fans laugh about the fake Miami marina. Here are some of the funniest ones…

Me after paying $2,000 for a standing ticket:

She tried to dive into the fake water:

WHAT THE HECK THEY SAID IT WAS FAKE WATER HELP I’M SINKING!

the miami race winner trying to jump into the fake marina:

Miami going all out for this weekend's F1 race. Bringing in Jesus to walk on water

‘Mocking Water’;

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/05/0...-marina-miami/


‘It’s pretty much game over’: Norris and Perez raise concerns over Miami GP circuit
Formula 1 is visiting Miami for the first time this weekend, but the track is evidently not to everyone's liking.
7 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Lando Norris and Sergio Perez have both been critical of the track surface at the Miami Grand Prix, indicating that the lack of grip away from the racing line will make wheel-to-wheel action difficult.

“It’s extremely tricky,” he (Lando Norris) said. “It’s very bumpy in some areas which is maybe not quite what we were expecting and I think [not] what a lot of people were expecting.”

“I think everyone was expecting it to be very smooth and beautiful but it’s not. The surface is very tricky as well.”

‘Extremely Tricky’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/its-prett...mi-gp-circuit/


Max Verstappen doesn't hold back as he lays into Red Bull for 'painful' Miami GP practice
MAX VERSTAPPEN endured more Red Bull performance issues on Friday.
11:44, Sat, May 7, 2022
By SAM SMITH

The 24-year-old would have wanted a smoother practice session on the new Miami circuit. However, he bemoaned learning “zero things” about how his vehicle will perform come Sunday evening’s race.

"Just not a good day. Of course, these days are extremely painful, especially on a track like this where you want to be out there and learn the track and get up to speed. I basically did four, five fast laps today... that's not what you want,” Verstappen told Sky Sports.

They were hydraulics issues. As soon as I went out of the pits, I couldn't really steer, like I was locked, and also the brakes were on fire... so a lot of problems.”

‘Zero Hydraulics, Zero Steering & Brake Fires’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Prix-F1-news


Ferrari-powered cars introduce new PU parts in Miami
07 May 2022, 12:14
By Balazs Szabo

With the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship reaching its fifth round, the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, teams started to introduce fresh power units elements with mainly the Ferrari-powered cars opting for new parts. F1Technical's Balázs Szabó assesses the changes for the hotly anticipated event around Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.

Since last year, the power units consists of seven parts: internal combustion engine, turbocharger, motor generator unit – heat, motor generator unit – kinetic, energy store, control electronics with the exhaust system having been added to this list last year.

For the Miami Grand Prix, six drivers have opted to use a fresh internal combustion engine including Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Pierre Gasly. For the Frenchman, it is already the third ICE which puts him into a difficult position for the rest of the year with only three engines allowed during the 23-race season.

‘Ferrari PU Assessment’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/23719

Sergio Perez set the fastest lap of FP3 at the Miami Grand Prix during a good session for Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel - but not for Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc finished second, 0.2 seconds behind, while Max Verstappen, who was at one stage lucky to avoid contact with the barrier, was 0.3 seconds slower.
7th May 2022, ‎19‎:‎03
Author RacingNews365 Staff

Red Bull were back on top in FP3 at the Miami International Autodrome with Sergio Perez lapping quickest.

In the final practice session ahead of qualifying for the inaugural Miami GP, it was the Mexican driver who set the fastest lap with a 1:30.304.

But Mercedes' struggles appear to have returned, despite promising FP1 and FP2 sessions. Lewis Hamilton finished 15th with George Russell 17th.

‘Sergio Perez Fastest’;

https://racingnews365.com/f1-2022-mi...tice-3-results


(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2022 Miami Grand Prix
Miami, Florida
7th May 2022
by Emer Hedderman

Results (Classification):
1. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1-30.304
2. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.194
3. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.345
4. Fernando Alonso Alpine +0.732
5. Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +0.745
6. Mick Schumacher Haas +0.746
7. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.868
8. Kevin Magnussen Haas +0.923
9. Alex Albon Williams Racing +1.197
10. Lando Norris McLaren +1.290

‘Complete results from the final practice hour’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp3-third-...and-prix-78937


Miami FP3: Perez goes fastest, Verstappen spins
Jad Mallak
7 May, 2022

FP3 for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix saw Sergio Perez go top of the timing screens, as Max Verstappen spun off on his final attempt of a hot lap.

Behind Perez, Charles Leclerc took second, with 2021 Formula 1 Champion Verstappen in third, as Red Bull and Ferrari restored the pecking order after Mercedes’ disturbance on Friday.

The final practice session for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix came after a Friday that left us with several unanswered questions, that added to the intrigue of being at a brand new circuit.

‘Unanswered Questions’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...stappen-spins/


LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from final practice for the Miami Grand Prix
07 May 2022
Becky Hart
Formula 1.

‘P3: As it happened’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...SAVANujYe.html


THE RACE LIVE HUB
Live Miami Grand Prix qualifying day updates
7th May 2022
The Race

‘P3: As it happened’;

https://the-race.com/live-miami-gran...day-updates/#7

F1 – Leclerc on pole for first Miami Grand Prix as Ferrari lock out front row.
Formula 1 points leader Charles Leclerc took his third pole position of the season as Carlos Sainz claimed second place to hand Ferrari a front-row lockout in qualifying for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Defending world champion Max Verstappen will line up in third place on the grid alongside Red Bull team-mate Sergio Pérez.
07.05.22
FIA

In the opening runs of Q3, Verstappen took provisional pole with a lap of 1:29.991. That put him just over six hundredths of a second ahead of Leclerc with Sainz third. Pérez slotted into fourth place.

But in the final runs it was Leclerc who found the most pace and the Ferrari driver took his third pole position of the season with a lap of 1:28.796. Sainz looked like he might challenge for his maiden pole as he went quicker than his team-mate in the opening two sectors. The Spanish driver took too much out of his tyres though and when he crossed the line he found himself in P2 just under two hundredths of a second off P1. Verstappen made a mistake in Turn 6 that compromised his final attempt. He backed out of the lap and had to settle for third place on the grid.

Behind them Bottas slotted into fourth place, but Checo was finding more time and the Mexican’s final lap of 1:29.036 put him next to Max on row two ahead of the Finn. Hamilton meanwhile took sixth for Mercedes ahead of Gasly, Norris, Tsunoda and Stroll.

‘Ferrari Lock Out’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-leclerc-...-out-front-row


HEAD-TO-HEAD: How Leclerc beat Ferrari team mate Sainz in qualifying for the 2022 Miami GP
08 May 2022

Formula 1.

Watch to see how Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz compared in qualifying at the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

‘Ferrari Qualifying Comparison’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...318404601.html


Miami GP: Post Qualifying press conference
08/05/2022
NEWS STORY

Today's post-qualifying press conference with Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen. Grid Interbiews - Conducted by Danica Patrick
Charles, you've had an amazing weekend so far, how does it feel coming off of Imola where you had a little mistake but this weekend you're commanding it and the fans are loving it?
Charles Leclerc: "The fans are crazy. It's incredible to be here in the US and to see how much the sport has grown over the past few years and to see so many people in the grandstand. It definitely motivates us. And there are also a lot of Ferrari fans. So it's amazing. The last weekend hasn't been great for me, I did a mistake in the race. But today went well. So we're starting on pole and we need to finish the job tomorrow."

Max came up a little bit short. But on the other hand, you've also had a little bit of a rough weekend. You didn't have very many laps in P2, do you think that attributed to not being able to get the pole today?
Max Verstappen: "Yeah, I mean, overall I'm of course pretty pleased with qualifying. I literally did four or five laps yesterday. So the whole day today we were still trying to learn to track trying to find a decent balance in the car. And actually to be that competitive in qualifying I was a bit surprised. Because it's not an easy track to learn. And yeah, I think overall… Of course, you want to be on pole, but from where we come from I think we did a really good job. But yeah, we have to start making the weekends, you know, less difficult because like this, you know, it's always going to be tricky. But we have a good chance for tomorrow. We have good top speed. I think the car is handling quite well. So I'm looking forward to that."

‘Fans are crazy’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72434/Miami-...ess-conference


Leclerc expecting 'tight challenge' from Verstappen
07/05/2022 at 22:33
Andrew Lewin

It was welcome retribution for Leclerc, who made an error in the final rounds of the last race at Imola that cost him a podium position in the Emilia Romagna GP and cut his lead over Verstappen in the drivers standings down to 27 points.

"The last weekend hasn't been great for me," he told the media in parc ferme after the end of qualifying. "I did a mistake in the race. But today went well, so we're starting on pole and we need to finish the job tomorrow."

While he might have come out on top today, Leclerc is keenly aware that Red Bull represent a potent threat for the race. "They are extremely quick in the straight lines," he commented. "We are quick in the corners [so] it will be a tight challenge tomorrow. Hopefully we'll come back on top."

‘Tight Challenge’;

https://f1i.com/news/440605-leclerc-...erstappen.html


Miami GP: Ferrari's Charles Leclerc Grabs Pole, Praises "Crazy" Fans
• Updated: May 08, 2022 10:14 AM IST
• Agence France-Presse

Charles Leclerc praised the enthusiasm of Ferrari's many American fans, but warned of a tense battle ahead after leading the Italian team to a front-row lockout at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.

World championship leader Charles Leclerc praised the enthusiasm of Ferrari's many American fans Saturday, but warned of a tense battle ahead after leading the Italian team to a front-row lockout at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. The 24-year-old Monegasque claimed pole position ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz after world champion Max Verstappen made a rare error and slipped to third on the grid for Red Bull at a packed Miami International Autodrome.

"The fans are crazy," said a beaming Leclerc. "But it's incredible to be here in the United States and to see how much the sport has grown over the last few years. The last race weekend wasn't great for me. I made a mistake in that race. But today it went well. We are starting on pole and we need to finish the job tomorrow.”

‘Ferrari’s enthusiastic American fans’;

https://sports.ndtv.com/formula-1/mi...y-fans-2955978


Pérez 'couldn't get into the rhythm' he needed in Miami GP qualifying
07 May 2022

Red Bull's Sergio Pérez felt his "terrible" first run in Q3 created further problems that saw him finish off the front row in qualifying for the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, but feels confident he can still have a "strong weekend" in the end.

‘Rhythm disrupted’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...909451549.html


‘I really wanted to deliver’ – Bottas proud to claim season-best grid slot in Miami after Friday shunt
07 May 2022
Formula 1.

Valtteri Bottas was beaming with pride on Saturday evening in Miami, after the Alfa Romeo racer recovered from a crash on Friday to qualify in P5 for tomorrow’s Miami Grand Prix. And while the Finn was happy to qualify ahead of the Mercedes of former team mate Lewis Hamilton, he was particularly grateful to repay what he called “a proper team effort” to get his car back on track.

“It is satisfying [to qualify ahead of Mercedes] I think today, especially after the day I had yesterday,” said Bottas. By my mistake we lost a lot of running; it was extra work for the team, and it was a really nice recovery by a proper team effort.”

“Once the car was there, once we found the set-up for the quali then it was up to me to get up to rhythm and deliver. I really wanted to deliver for the team because of my mistake yesterday and that makes me even more happy.”

‘Proper Team Effort’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...fuHxJtiWI.html


Hamilton: A much better qualifying, I’ll take it
8 May, 2022
Jad Mallak

Lewis Hamilton was sixth in qualifying for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, which he believes was a much better session after his struggles in previous races. Mercedes brought updates to their W13 for the Miami Grand Prix, and things were off to an encouraging start as George Russell was second fastest, then fastest in FP1 and FP2 respectively.

The seven-time Formula 1 World Champion reflected on his qualifying session in the team’s post session report, and said: “Today was a much, much better qualifying session than I’ve had the last three races so I am grateful for that – I’ll take it.

“We just keep on chipping away and keep working on it,” he added. “So much amazing work has gone on in the background and everyone is working so hard. Unfortunately, I don’t think we are moving forwards at the rate that we would like to, the gap is similar to the beginning of the year,” the 37-year old lamented.

‘Keep Chipping Away’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...g-ill-take-it/


Lando Norris: Mistake 'cost me two positions' in Miami GP qualifying
07 May 2022

Lando Norris is "annoyed" that a mistake on his final flying lap in qualifying for the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix "cost me two positions," as the McLaren driver prepares to start Sunday's race at the Miami International Autodrome from P8.

‘Final Flying Lap Mistake’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...117057075.html

Hamilton says he hasn’t backed down in row with FIA over jewellery.
“I got an exemption here,” Hamilton explained after today’s qualifying session. He made it clear he does not intend this to be a temporary arrangement, adding: “I’ll get [an] exemption for the rest of the year.”
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 8th May 2022, 1:27
Written by Keith Collantine and RJ O'Connell

The seven-times world champion confirmed he has been given an exemption to wear certain items of jewellery this weekend. This follows FIA Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich’s decision to require teams to affirm their drivers will abide by rules forbidding them from wearing jewellery during races.

Before practice began at the circuit on Friday the FIA initially stated Mercedes had not given the required confirmation regarding Hamilton in their pre-race scrutineering declaration. Shortly before the session began the FIA announced the required paperwork had been completed.

“Wedding rings are allowed,” he added. Hamilton also pointed out he began wearing jewellery many years earlier and the FIA had not previously stopped him. This whole safety thing, when they told me about the jewellery they were saying ‘well, safety is everything’. I said ‘well, what’s happened the last 16 years?' I’ve had jewellery over 16 years so was safety not an issue back then?” he added, laughing.

‘Won’t Back Down’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/08/...ver-jewellery/


Defiant Lewis Hamilton threatens to quit Miami Grand Prix in row over nose piercing
Published sunday 08 May 2022 - 05:28
Carl Bennett SENIOR DIGITAL PRODUCER

Lewis Hamilton has told Formula One’s rulers that he will not remove his nose piercing for the rest of the season.
The seven-time world champion appeared to adhere to the FIA’s jewellery cockpit clampdown by taking out his earrings for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix – hours after wearing a plethora of jewellery during a pre-race press conference. He even suggested he could withdraw from the grand prix in protest.

Hamilton was talked out of that specific threat following a discussion with FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem and a meeting with the FIA’s president of the medical commission, Dr Sean Petherbridge, on Friday. The 37-year-old said he would remove his earrings and was handed a two-race medical exemption for his nose stud which cannot be easily taken out.

‘Medical Exemption’;

https://www.gbnews.uk/news/defiant-l...iercing/288909


Hamilton: I’ve had jewellery for 16 years, safety not an issue back then?
8 May, 2022
Jad Mallak

Asked after qualifying on Saturday whether he was satisfied with the resolution of the conflict, Hamilton said he was not and that he had no intention of removing the piercing. “I got an exemption here, I’ll get an exemption for the rest of the year. Wedding rings are allowed,” said the British driver.

Hamilton had appeared at Friday’s drivers press conference wearing rings on all his finger, heavy neck chains and three watches in an obvious show of defiance. Asked how he would approach the Monaco race, on May 29th, Hamilton said: “I’ll wear four watches next time.”

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has also questioned the jewellery crackdown saying he is not happy at the idea of having to remove his wedding ring. “I understand what they are they saying, but it is a wedding ring around your finger,” said the Dane. Aston Martin’s four-time world champion driver, German Sebastian Vettel, had mocked the FIA’s dress rules on under garments by wearing his underpants over his race suit in Friday’s practice.

‘Wearing Underpants Over Race Suit and Wearing Four Watches Next Time!’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...sue-back-then/


Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel branded 'childish' for actions over Miami GP weekend
08:00, Sun, May 8, 2022
By CHARLIE GORDON

Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, who hold 11 F1 world titles between them, have been branded 'childish' by Ralf Schumacher for their actions over the Miami Grand Prix race weekend. The pair made sure their points were heard regarding rule changes on jewellery and underwear.

Schumacher, who amassed six Grand Prix wins during a decade-long F1 career, has hit out at the duo over how they have handled the divisive issue.

"They should be committed to safety," he told Sky Germany. "Especially after Romain Grosjean's accident, the drivers should know better. The FIA is absolutely right - the young guys in Formula 4 and 3 should see that the F1 drivers stick to the rules. When the most experienced people like Vettel and Hamilton mock the FIA, I think it's childish."

‘Branded ‘childish’ ‘;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-prix-f1-news


Hamilton to risk £215,000 fine in defiance of FIA
Sunday 8 May 2022 04:00
Ian Parkes

Backtracking themselves, the FIA has now agreed to allow wedding rings to be worn. Other jewellery, however, must be removed. Should a driver refuse, he will initially be fined £42,000 [$52,000]. Repeat offences will then rise up to £215,000 [$250,000].

"This whole safety thing, man," said Hamilton after qualifying sixth for Sunday's race at the Miami International Autodrome. "When they [the FIA] told me about the jewellery, they said safety is everything. And I said, 'Well, what's happened over the last 16 years? I've had jewellery for the last 16 years, so was safety not an issue back then?"

Hamilton has been given a two-race exemption - Miami and the Spanish GP - to comply with the rules before the FIA will then act at the following race in Monaco. Asked whether he was satisfied with the resolution regarding the wearing of jewellery, Hamilton replied: "No." As to taking the nose ring out permanently, he again said "no", to which he was asked 'You're not going to do it?'. He again said "no".

‘No, No’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...fiance-of-fia/


Lewis Hamilton determined to continue defying F1 ban on wearing piercings
Sun 8 May 2022 01.19 BST
Last modified on Sun 8 May 2022 01.32 BST
Giles Richards at the Hard Rock Stadium Circuit

On Friday, Hamilton stated he would not remove his piercings, warning he was willing to miss the race over the issue. He ultimately came to a compromise with the FIA, taking out his ear piercings and was told his nose stud, which could not be removed, would be given a medical exemption for two races until the Monaco Grand Prix.

After taking sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s race, Hamilton was unequivocal in his determination. “No”, he said when asked if he was going to remove his nose piercing. “I got an exemption here, I will get an exemption for the rest of them.”

Hamilton maintained the FIA is making a fuss over unimportant issues and their stance still made no sense . “When they told me about the jewellery, they were saying safety is everything,” he said. “Well, what’s happened the last 16 years? I’ve had jewellery on for 16 years, so was safety not an issue back then?”

’16 Years Not An Issue’;

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...ring-piercings


The jewellery stays, insists Hamilton
08/05/2022
NEWS STORY

Speaking in the wake of qualifying, having put his Mercedes W13 sixth on the grid, a defiant Hamilton said that post-Monaco the jewellery will remain in place.

Asked if he was happy with the two-race exemption, the Briton admitted that he was not, adding that he had no intention of removing the offending nose stud.

If nothing else, the Miami weekend has witnessed a ramping up of the 'battle of wills' between the FIA and drivers - and in particular Lewis Hamilton - over jewellery.

‘Battle of Wills’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72436/The-je...sists-Hamilton

‘Not F1 standard’ – drivers rip into Miami track surface.
“A joke”, “not Formula 1 standard” and like it’s “wet” off-line – drivers have slammed the surface of Miami’s new stadium track ahead of the inaugural grand prix.
8th May 2022, 09:12
By Scott Mitchell

The grand prix has been a huge priority for F1 and has been heralded throughout the paddock as a major event and a potential game-changer in terms of interest and spectacle.

However, there could be some problems with the race itself, chiefly because drivers say the track – which has had to be resurfaced twice already this week in different places – offers very little grip.

Fernando Alonso said the drivers had made the FIA aware that “the tarmac is not F1 standard”. “There’s nothing we can do. This weekend we need to put on the show, but this has to change for next year. It’s very difficult to race like this.”

‘Tarmac Not F1 Standard’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/not-f...track-surface/


Cleaning machine caused damage to Miami track surface
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 8th May 2022, 11:03
Written by Keith Collantine

A machine which was being used to clean the Miami International Autodrome track damaged its surface in two places.

The track was patched at turns seven and 17 before F1’s practice sessions began at the track on Friday. Further repair work was performed at the turn 17 hairpin ahead of final practice yesterday.

“Unfortunately, ironically, the cleaning machine that was used to clean the track spilled a load of hydraulic fluid onto the surface and that damaged the bitumen,” Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn told the official F1 channel. “It only happened in two areas so it’s a very specific problem that I think we’re on top of.”

‘Cleaning Machine Damage’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/08/...track-surface/


Miami track surface branded a joke
08/05/2022
NEWS STORY

An iconic skyline, a rhythm that's going to get you, Art Deco architecture and beautiful people... Miami has it all. However, according to Sergio Perez and his driver colleagues, the surface of its new race track is a joke.

From the outset, the drivers have complained about the fact that going even slightly offline leads to a lack of grip that is likely to make overtaking nigh impossible.

"You literally have to just stay on that one line," admits Daniel Ricciardo. "Otherwise, you're not really on the track anymore. So instead of kind of making it a kind of a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit, in a way, like one-dimensional, because you only have kind of option of that one line where a little bit of rubber is building up. So I don't want to lie and say I like the surface.

‘Just stay on that one line’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72437/Miami-...branded-a-joke


Poor grip drivers complained about at Miami track due to loose stones – Pirelli
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on
7th May 2022, 13:27
Written by Keith Collantine and RJ O'Connell

Daniel Ricciardo said he suspected the problem was caused by small stones being thrown up by the cars as the new track surface wore away. “It seems like just the stones are getting loose and kind of get washed just off the line. So if you miss a little bit the apex, then you’re sliding off and it’s difficult.”

F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli backed up Ricciardo’s explanation, saying this was why two patches of the circuit were repaired before Friday’s running began. “With this new asphalt they are taking off some small stones from the asphalt,” its head of motor sport Mario Isola explained. “That is something that happened also yesterday after the Safety Car was running and the hot laps.”

“With this new asphalt they are taking off some small stones from the asphalt,” its head of motor sport Mario Isola explained. “That is something that happened also yesterday after the Safety Car was running and the hot laps. “So they put some patches of new asphalt. But still some stones are coming off because we found the stones on the tyres.”

‘Track Surface Wore Away’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/07/...tones-pirelli/


Not every driver happy with Miami track
08/05/2022, 08:44
By GMM F1

A big buzz is surrounding Formula 1's first glitzy weekend on the streets of Miami - but not every driver is offering unlimited praise. World champion Max Verstappen, for instance, called one slow and narrow section of the layout "Mickey Mouse" - and Lewis Hamilton also had a negative soundbite. "It reminds me of being in a B and Q (hardware store) carpark when I was six or seven years old, in a go kart, going in between cars," said the seven time world champion.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz is also disappointed, saying everything except the racing line "feels like driving on a wet road. Late braking manoeuvres are likely to be difficult," said the Spaniard. "It will be best to have completed the move before the braking point." Red Bull's Sergio Perez added: "I'm extremely disappointed that there is no grip off-line. It feels like gravel off-line. It's a shame because I think the racing will be bad due to that," said the Mexican.

Esteban Ocon was furious that a minor practice spin resulted in a 51G impact with concrete - which is a load he says "no driver should have to endure. Carlos also went off there and when he complained to the race director about the danger there, nothing happened at all. It's unacceptable," said the Frenchman. "Carlos hurt his neck and I bruised my knees and all of it should be preventable." Lance Stroll called the section of circuit "ridiculous - a joke".

‘Mickey Mouse, B&Q, Wet Road, Gravel, Ridiculous, Joke Track’;

https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/formula...ck_485327.html


Ruthless Lewis Hamilton slams Miami GP track and compares it to a "B&Q car park"
18:29, 7 MAY 2022
BY Kasra Moradi

“There were frigging big, big, big bumps and so many places where the track like joins up with somewhere else. So I don't know if they will be able to grind that at night and improve it.”

He added: “It's kind of crazy when you think that people in this day and age should be able to make a flat road relatively easy.”

“Frigging big, big, big bumps!’;

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...gp-bq-26901873

Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon blast FIA for ignoring safety concerns at the Miami Grand Prix.
Sainz spun his Ferrari into the barriers at Turn 14 during Friday practice, and even though it was a slow-speed crash, the lack of run-off area combined with the hard concrete barriers left the Spaniard in a lot of pain. He took his concerns to the sport’s governing body soon after but claims that they didn’t want to know.
Sunday 8 May 2022 4:32 pm
Callum McAvoy

‘I’m sorry to be critical, but I told the FIA yesterday that my crash at second gear shouldn’t feel that hard,’ Sainz told Sky Sports after qualifying on Saturday. But today, my neck was a bit in pain, and I told them: “Let’s put Techpro [barriers] there because it’s a very hard concrete wall”.

‘Esteban crashed and I’m pretty sure he felt it too. It’s one of those things I will never understand. I did bring it up already, [but] no change.’ During Saturday practice, Ocon had a near identical crash at the same corner which left his Alpine with a cracked chassis, and as a result the Frenchman missed qualifying.

Several other drivers have expressed their support for Sainz and Ocon, including Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll, with the Aston Martin man labelling the FIA’s inactivity on the matter as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a joke.’ But a spokesman for the FIA said officials had inspected the area of impact and decided no changes were necessary from a safety perspective.

‘FIA’s inactivity declared as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘a joke.’;

https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/08/carlo...o=newsnow-feed


Why the Miami Grand Prix could be a strategic nightmare
08/05/2022, ‎16‎:‎10
Author Thomas Maher

The inaugural Miami Grand Prix will be a particularly tough nut to crack for the F1 teams' respective pit strategists. According to Pirelli, the strategy choices of the teams are quite hard to predict.

On paper, a two-stopper is the most likely candidate, with the most flexible option being to start on the Medium before running the Hard for the middle stint. This would allow a chance for a final run on the Medium, or even the Soft might make an appearance, depending on the timing of the stop.

However, Pirelli also believe a one-stop is possible, albeit very marginal. The problem for the teams is that Friday's practice sessions were interrupted by red flag stoppages, which curtailed representative long runs, meaning tyre choices are something of a shot in the dark.

‘Strategic Nightmares’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-the-mi...tegy-nightmare


Miami GP: F1's newest circuit gets mixed reviews from drivers as some call for surface change
Published: 8 May 2022, 17:00
By George Dagless

The inaugural Miami Grand Prix is held later this evening as F1 races in the US for the first time this season and many are intrigued just to see what racing action is thrown up. Fernando Alonso: “It’s still very difficult to go off-line. There is like gravel out of line. So it’s going to be difficult.”

Lando Norris: “It’s a joke. Carlos [Sainz] brought it up yesterday and I think there’s some things that we understand and we know better than maybe what they can see, because we know where a few more risks are and where the car’s on the limit and things like that so. Considering it got brought up and it’s a safety thing and something that we gave advice on and nothing was done then I think it was the same as what Lance [Stroll] said.”

Sergio Perez: “Most importantly the circuit surface is a joke. The racing is going to be difficult. You’re going to have drivers making mistakes because we’ve been put in this situation.”

‘Mixed Reviews’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88005142...surface-change


F1 team principals dismiss fears of processional Miami Grand Prix
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 8th May 2022, 15:55
Written by Keith Collantine and RJ O'Connell
Formula 1 team principals played down concerns raised by their drivers that overtaking will be very difficult in the Miami Grand Prix. Several drivers have warned the lack of grip off-line will make it very difficult to commit to overtaking moves. Cars have been lifting small stones from the new surface which are coming to a rest off the racing line.

Guenther Steiner, said his drivers had also warned overtaking would be difficult. But he also expects the track will be in better condition in time for the grand prix. “Let’s see if that line where you have got the grip widens up today and see if it can be done better,” he said. “It is a new track, it was completely green, nothing run on it.

“Normally these tracks develop and let’s hope that happens. Otherwise it will be challenging to overtake because you need to be on the good line. Otherwise, you’re off-line and off the track it looks like, but I think it will be getting better as more running is done.”

‘Processional fears dismissed’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/08/...mi-grand-prix/


Drivers fear processional Miami GP due to ‘joke’ surface
Date published: May 8 2022 - Michelle Foster

Daniel Ricciardo said: “You literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise, you’re not really on the track anymore. So instead of kind of making it a kind of a good challenge, it just makes it a little bit, in a way, like one-dimensional, because you only have kind of option of that one line where a little bit of rubber is building up. So I don’t want to lie and say I like the surface.”

“This isn’t a nice surface to drive on. It’s not that it’s just like, ‘oh, it’s challenging’, it’s just you literally have to just stay on that one line otherwise you’re not really on the track anymore.” Fernando Alonso agrees, saying: “It’s still very difficult to go offline.”

“There’s like rubble out of line, so it’s going to be difficult. We said yesterday that the track, the tarmac, is not F1 standards.” Lando Norris said the surface is just “not good enough” for Formula 1. “On the racing line it’s not bad grip, is reasonable-ish,” he said. “I think it’s just very hot, which makes it feel even worse. The fact is just offline it’s really, really terrible.”

‘ ‘Joke’ Surface Challenging’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/proces...track-surface/


Miami GP accused of "winging it" with "terrible" track surface.
Sunday 8 May 2022 14:30
Ewan Gale

Lando Norris has accused Miami International Autodrome's developers of "winging it" with the track surface that has drawn negative feedback from drivers. On the prospect of a poor show in front of an expectant crowd, Norris added: "It is not our fault but it is a shame.”

"But when there is so much expectation, you want good racing and want us to provide good racing and entertainment and everything, then there is a surface that they are trying and kind of winging it in a way to see what it will be like, is not good enough because we can't do what they require, we can't put on a good show and we can't race."

‘It’s a shame’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...track-surface/

Max points for Verstappen again: 2022 Miami GP as it happened.
Max Verstappen passed Charles Leclerc to win the first Miami Grand Prix and close the gap in this year's F1 championship.
May 8th 2022
F1 Author Dominic Tobin

Max Verstappen resisted intense pressure from Charles Leclerc in the closing laps to win the first Miami Grand Prix, as he once again took maximum points from the race weekend.

The championship gap between the Dutchman and Leclerc is now 19 points, after a race in which he passed the Ferrari, stayed ahead through a safety car period and set the fastest lap as Leclerc followed closely.

Despite concerns over safety and the track surface, there was plenty of overtaking and a single safety car during the 57-lap race, in which Carlos Sainz held on for the third podium place despite the best efforts of a fresher-tyred Sergio Perez.

‘Max Points’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...s-it-happened#


Miami victor Max: Early pass on Leclerc ‘made the race’
Date published: May 9 2022 - Jamie Woodhouse

Max Verstappen said his early overtake on Charles Leclerc allowed him to take control and win the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Ferrari had the advantage going into the race, Leclerc starting on pole with team-mate Carlos Sainz alongside him on the second row.

Verstappen made the pass on Sainz though at the start, and when told that Leclerc was starting to struggle with his front-right tyre, Verstappen began to reel in the lead Ferrari.

He would not need to wait long for the overtake, passing Leclerc down the inside at Turn 1 on Lap 9, a move which he said was the crucial foundation for that victory, making him the first-ever winner of the Miami Grand Prix.

‘Made the Race’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...crucial-miami/


Sergio Pérez: Engine issue cost Red Bull 'another one-two' in Miami GP
08 May 2022
Formula 1.

Sergio Pérez thinks that his engine issues during the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix meant Red Bull "lost another one-two today," as the Mexican was forced to settle for P4 at the Miami International Autodrome.

‘Engine Issue, Forced to settle for P4’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...733141131.html


Max Verstappen given police escort after Miami Grand Prix heroics
MAX VERSTAPPEN was given a police escort after winning the Miami Grand Prix.
By MIKAEL MCKENZIE
00:05, Mon, May 9, 2022

Max Verstappen was bizarrely given a police escort after winning the Miami Grand Prix. Two police officers on motorcycles turned on their flashing lights to take the Dutchman, who was being driven in an open-top car, to the podium at the Hard Rock Stadium.

The route took Verstappen from his parked Red Bull, through a tunnel, where Christian Horner and wife Geri were walking, to the podium. Martin Brundle was not entirely comfortable with the scenes as he watched Verstappen being chaperoned. He said: "This just makes me feel nervous those blue lights."

And commentator David Croft said: "Wherever you go there are people walking to the podium holding things up. And at the front of that are Christian and Geri Horner and Helmut Marko." Brundle added: "It almost seems you need a map just to get to the stadium."

‘Bizarre Police Escort’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Prix-F1-news


Carlos Sainz: Podium finish in Miami Grand Prix 'exactly what I needed'
08 May 2022
Formula 1.

Carlos Sainz says that his P3 finish in the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix was "exactly what I needed" following a challenging period for the Ferrari driver.

‘Just what was needed’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...936777271.html


Russell admits he ‘got lucky’ as Safety Car helps him sustain run of top-five finishes
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on
9th May 2022, 1:10
Written by Will Wood and RJ O'Connell

George Russell says he “got a bit lucky” after a convenient Safety Car helped him to finish fifth in the Miami Grand Prix after starting 12th. A very long opening stint on the hard tyres saw Russell gradually make his way through the field when rivals ahead pitted until he was in fifth position, the highest-running driver yet to make a stop.

When Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris collided, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car, Russell was on the back straight approaching the pit lane, allowing him to immediately pit for fresh mediums and rejoin in seventh behind team mate Lewis Hamilton. After the Safety Car was deployed and the race eventually restarted, Russell would later pass both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to finish fifth.

“I think it was a little bit fortunate,” Russell admits. “You sound like a bit of a genius when things like that happen. But that’s the case when you’re on an offset strategy. “We had P7 covered. There was no point to pit, we may as well have just stayed out there and hope that something like that would happen and we got a bit lucky today.” Having started on the hard tyres, Russell lost three places on the opening lap to those around him on mediums. “Those opening laps were really tough,” he explained. “I got completely swallowed up on lap one and I just knew I needed to stay out of trouble.”

‘P5: Got Lucky’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/09/...five-finishes/


Albon’s red hair superstition pays off with P9 in Miami
Date published: May 9 2022 - Sam Cooper

Alex Albon’s red hair superstition has paid off after he scored points for the second time this season at the Miami GP. The Williams driver arrived at the Miami circuit sporting a new red hairstyle and later explained that the peculiar choice of colour had become a superstition for him.

At the Australian Grand Prix, Albon scored his first point of the season and he did so with a patch of red in his hair. The origin of the fashion choice was a charity trip to Thailand – the country which he shares nationality with along with the UK – and the children he was visiting decided to give him a new look.

By the time of the next race at Imola, the red had grown out and having ended outside of the points, Albon decided the red was the reason. Having secured another two points in Miami, Albon joked it was all to do with the hair. “No upgrades are ever needed, you just need to dye your hair!” he told Sky Sports F1.

‘Upgrades Not Needed, Dye the hair!’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...mi-grand-prix/


Several penalties change the result of the Miami GP
09/05/2022, ‎00‎:‎30
Author RacingNews365 Staff

A handful of drivers have been hit with penalties following the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, changing the overall race classification.

Alpine's Fernando Alonso is one of the drivers to lose out, having been hit with a five-second time penalty, and a penalty point on his Super Licence, after the stewards deemed that he left the track at Turn 14 and gained an advantage.

His penalty drops him back to 11th, in the process moving Williams driver Alex Albon up to ninth, with Aston Martin's Lance Stroll the other beneficiary to take home the final point. Daniel Ricciardo was in line to benefit from Alonso's punishment, having finished 11th, but he too picked up a five-second time penalty, and a penalty point on his Licence.

‘Penalty Points’;

https://racingnews365.com/several-pe...f-the-miami-gp

‘That’s your job’: Hamilton’s salty rebuke exposes Merc chaos as ‘breaking point’ nears.
Lewis Hamilton has launched a scathing attack on Mercedes after yet another strategy blunder allowed teammate George Russell to pass him at the Miami Grand Prix.
May 9th, 2022 10:43 am
Jacob Polychronis from Fox Sports

Russell recovered from 12th on the grid to finish fifth, one spot ahead of Hamilton who was left to rue yet another tactical blunder behind the safety car.

Hamilton didn’t pit under a late safety car, while Russell took the gamble and rejoined the track just behind his teammate, who was effectively a sitting duck on old tyres.

Unsurprisingly, Hamilton and Russell had a different view of how the race went when asked afterwards.

‘Breaking Point Nears’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...19431b3d0b877e


'That's your job' - Frustrated Hamilton queries team strategy
Issued on: 09/05/2022 - 01:26
France24.

Miami Gardens (United States) (AFP) – A frustrated Lewis Hamilton questioned his Mercedes team’s strategy on Sunday after he finished sixth behind team-mate George Russell at the Miami Grand Prix.
After the fifth race of the year, Hamilton is sixth in the drivers' standings on 36 points, with fellow Briton fourth on 59.

The seven-time world champion said he was surprised to be asked if he wanted to pit for fresh tyres during a Safety Car period after 41 laps of the inaugural 67-lap race at the Miami International Autodrome, won by Max Verstappen.

"I really don’t know, in that scenario I have no clue where everyone is," he explained when asked about the incident. “When the team say 'it's your choice' -- I don't have the information to make the decision. That’s what your job is! Make the decision for me. You’ve got all the details right there in front of you. I don't.”

‘Frustrated Lewis Hamilton’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-team-strategy


Hamilton: Mercedes should make strategy calls, not me
Date published: May 9 2022 - Jon Wilde

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he could not understand why Mercedes were asking him to make a strategy call at a decisive stage of the Miami Grand Prix. The seven-time former World Champion eventually finished the race sixth after being passed by his team-mate George Russell, who ended up one place ahead and now has 23 more points than Hamilton this season.

In the end, a contrary strategy for Russell worked well as, from a disappointing 12th on the grid, he ran a long first stint on hard tyres before switching to mediums, whereas Hamilton, like most of the field, went the opposite way after starting sixth.

It meant the Mercedes duo were together on the road in sixth and seventh, Hamilton just ahead, during a Safety Car period following a collision between Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris – and it gave the 37-year-old the option to make a cheap pit-stop to shed his hard tyres for a set of mediums or even softs to tackle the last 10 laps.

‘Strategy Calls’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...trategy-calls/


Hamilton "between a rock and a hard place" in Miami - Wolff
Monday 9 May 2022 04:00
Sam Hall

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded Lewis Hamilton was "between a rock and a hard place" with his decision not to pit during a late safety car period in the Miami Grand Prix.

Mercedes team-mate George Russell took advantage and stopped for fresh tyres after running up until that point on the hard tyre on which he had started, and after informing his team he wished to remain on track and gamble on a safety car.
In contrast, Hamilton faced a lose-lose situation where both stopping and remaining on the track would cost him track position. "I think he was between a rock and a hard place because the safety car clearly came out in a situation that wasn't favourable for him and was favourable for George in the back," said Wolff.

‘Rock and Hard Place’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...n-miami-wolff/


Lewis Hamilton: 'I was giving it everything' in Miami GP
08 May 2022
Formula 1.

A philosophical Lewis Hamilton is content that the team "got the points" after the Mercedes driver finished P6 in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

‘Giving it everything’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...634573760.html


Lewis Hamilton still underwhelmed at rate of Mercedes progress
May 8, 2022
by Hugh Farrell

Lewis Hamilton believes that Mercedes’ team are coming on leaps and bounds with their car, but considering how far behind they were, he doesn’t think they’re getting there quickly enough.

“That’s a much better qualifying session I’ve had from the last three races,” said Hamilton after the Miami GP qualifiers.

“I’ll take that and we’ll keep on chipping away. So much amazing work has gone on in the background, everyone’s working so hard.”

‘Better Qualifying Session’;

https://punditarena.com/other-sports...edes-progress/

How much should Miami F1 defeat worry Ferrari? Our verdict.
Max Verstappen has now taken 27 points out of Formula 1 title rival Charles Leclerc’s championship lead in the last two grands prix.
8th May 2022,23:56
The Race.

So while Ferrari’s Miami defeat was ultimately only a narrow one, it would still have hurt – particularly because Verstappen came through from behind an all-Ferrari front row to win, and having had a very messy practice build-up. How worried should Ferrari be? Here are our writers’ thoughts:

GLENN FREEMAN: RED BULL’S STRAIGHTLINE SPEED IS WINNING IT

EDD STRAW: VERSTAPPEN IS BECOMING A VERY MARGINAL FAVOURITE

GARY ANDERSON: RED BULL’S APPROACH HAS BIG RACE DAY BENEFITS

SCOTT MITCHELL: FERRARI’S DEVELOPMENT PACE IS KEY NOW

JOSH SUTTILL: WINNING AMID SUCH MESS BODES WELL FOR VERSTAPPEN

‘The Verdict’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/how-m...i-our-verdict/


Leclerc disappointed that Ferrari lacked pace to fight Verstappen in Miami
08 May 2022
Formula 1.

Charles Leclerc said Red Bull’s superior tyre management during the Miami Grand Prix meant they were too quick for Ferrari as the Monegasque surrendered victory to title rival Max Verstappen.

“Yes, I’m disappointed,” said Leclerc after the race. “We are very strong in terms of tyre warm up so at the beginning of every run we are strong. But after four, five laps they [Red Bull] seem to stabilise the tyres in a better window and there they are just quicker than us and it’s very difficult for us to do anything.”

“But it’s like this and we need to work on that. It’s pretty clear what’s going on and hopefully we’ll get better at it as quick as possible. It is going to be a long championship,” said Leclerc. “It seems that they had the upper hand for two weekends now in race pace especially, and we need to take back the advantage as soon as possible.”

‘Long Championship’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...SesyozxJY.html


F1 recap: What we learned at Miami GP 2022, from Ferrari money worries to Max Verstappen’s reliability
Max Verstappen looks like the man to beat when Red Bull can give him a car that gets to the finish while Ferrari say they will have to be disciplined over spending on upgrades
May 9, 2022 11:38 am
By Kevin Garside
Chief Sports Correspondent

Max Verstappen took victory in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, a race held in sweltering conditions that only really came alive courtesy of a late safety car. But what did we learn from F1’s first trip to Florida?

The mind games have started Unlike Red Bull, Ferrari’s first big upgrade of the season is scheduled for Barcelona. So far, the team in red have stuck largely with the car that started the season, and team principal Mattia Binotto expressed surprise at Red Bull’s ability to upgrade by the race under new financial constraints.

“If there is a concern it is how much they are developing considering the budget cap,” Binotto said. “But as well as a concern it is maybe a hope because at some stage they will need to stop, otherwise I will not understand how they will do that. We do not have the money to develop every race.”

‘Ferrari money worries’;

https://inews.co.uk/sport/formula-on...26?ITO=newsnow


Leclerc: Upgrades important, we need to keep pushing
9 May, 2022
Jad Mallak

Charles Leclerc had to settle for second place at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, but stressed that Ferrari should start updating their F1-75, claiming upgraded will be important.

“It was a very difficult race physically,” Leclerc said after the race. “We struggled quite a bit on the medium tyres in the first stint and got overtaken. It made our race a bit more difficult from that moment onwards. On the hard we were very competitive and towards the end I thought I could get Max at one point but today they had the advantage in terms of pace.”

“We need to keep pushing,” the 24-year-old insisted. “Upgrades will be important and I hope now we can do a step up from the next race on wards. It has been an exciting beginning to the season and that’s what we like to see.”

‘Keep Pushing’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...-keep-pushing/


Sainz feels Ferrari 'got what we deserved' with Miami result
9th May 2022, ‎08‎:‎30
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Mike Seymour

Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari got the result they deserved at the Miami Grand Prix, on a weekend that Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrated victory at the Hard Rock Stadium.

"It wasn't easy at all," admitted Sainz after the race. "It's been a tough race with the tyres, with the heat. The car was moving and sliding a lot, but in the end, we got what we deserved.”

"It was a decent P3, we can build up from here. I want more, but it was not bad."

‘Building from here’;

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-feel...erved-in-miami


Ferrari defend decision not to pit Leclerc and Sainz under Safety Car
Charles Leclerc finished second behind Max Verstappen at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix.
9 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Ferrari have affirmed that it was not worth pitting onto a fresh set of tyres during the late Safety Car at the Miami Grand Prix. Max Verstappen was comfortably leading Charles Leclerc heading into the closing stages of the race when the Safety Car was deployed following a crash between Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris, allowing the Monegasque to put pressure on the reigning champion.

However, he had done so on old Hards, leaving question marks as to why Ferrari opted to keep their two drivers out on track. Team Principal Mattia Binotto thought it best to stay out on track.

“We believe that, in terms of format, our used tyres would have been stronger to a new one,” he said. “So we decided simply to stay out because we believe that was the best chance for us to have a good warm up and try to attack in those first laps, which is what happened.”

‘Not Worth Pitting’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-d...er-safety-car/


Ferrari defends virtual safety car pit strategy
NEWS STORY
09/05/2022

At the precise moment the virtual safety car was deployed in the wake of Lando Norris' clash with Pierre Gasly, race leader Max Verstappen had just passed the pit lane entrance. However, the Ferraris behind hadn't. Speaking after the race, Christian Horner admitted that Ferrari's decision not to pit one or both of its drivers and switch them to softs for the final stint probably cost the Maranello outfit the race.

"We got lucky," he told Sky Sports. "Max had crossed the pit line while it was a VSC. Then your worst nightmare... it went full Safety Car and that gives Leclerc and Sainz a free stop.”

“Thankfully they missed it with both of their cars," her continued, "so we were effectively still on the same strategy, or they would have had a significant advantage. We were let off the hook by Ferrari just through timing," he admitted. "They could have put a soft on and they had a free stop.”

‘Free Stop Lost’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72454/Ferrar...r-pit-strategy


F1 news: Charles Leclerc disappointed Red Bull’s tyre management gave Max Verstappen edge in Miami Grand Prix
May 9, 2022 8:46 am
By Katherine Lucas

“We are very strong in terms of tyre warm up so at the beginning of every run we are strong,” Leclerc said. “But after four, five laps they [Red Bull] seem to stabilise the tyres in a better window and there they are just quicker than us and it’s very difficult for us to do anything.

“But it’s like this and we need to work on that. It’s pretty clear what’s going on and hopefully we’ll get better at it as quick as possible.”

Ferrari’s problems were small fry compared to those of Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton left furious when his race engineer asked him to make a vital call on whether to take new tyres while behind the safety car.

‘Tyre Management Disappointment’;

https://inews.co.uk/sport/formula-on...94?ITO=newsnow


Ferrari hopes Red Bull blowing upgrade budget
MAY 9, 2022
Grand Prix.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto hopes Red Bull's latest progress is a result of the energy drink owned team pushing hard with car development early in 2022.

"In the last two races Red Bull have been faster by a couple of tenths," he told Sky Italia.

"We have to develop and work now, but we hope Red Bull has spent a lot already. Let's hope they have less money than us.

‘Ferrari Hoping’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/ferra...de-budget.html

Bottas was watching Russell and Hamilton battle before costly mistake.
Valtteri Bottas says that he was watching the battle between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton unfold in his mirrors just before he made a costly mistake in the latter stages of the Miami Grand Prix.
10th May 2022, ‎13‎:‎45
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Dieter Rencken

With Russell getting closer, Bottas was busy keeping an eye on what was going on behind in his mirrors. "As he was overtaking Lewis, I was kind of following them in the mirrors, because they were getting pretty close," he explained.

"[I was checking in case] I need to close the door or something, and I just brake a fraction too late. "I missed the apex in the last corner, just a tiny bit, and then I got to the dirty tarmac, and it felt awkward because I was going so slowly. [The car was] understeering, and I just couldn't turn the car, and I hit the wall.

"Luckily, I didn't break anything, [and] didn't have a puncture."

‘Watching the battle unfold in the mirrors’;

https://racingnews365.com/bottas-was...costly-mistake


Valtteri Bottas: P5 in Miami GP 'would have been possible' without Safety Car
08 May 2022

Valtteri Bottas says that "without the Safety Car P5 would have been possible," as the Finn reflects on Alfa Romeo's positive pace and his P7 finish in the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.

‘P5 Possible’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...369821070.html


Bottas distracted by Mercedes duel: 'I braked a fraction too late'
09/05/2022 at 08:27
Phillip van Osten

With ten laps to go, as he monitored his lead over the battling Mercedes duo, the Finn overshot his braking at Turn 17, put a wheel outside the racing line and understeered off course. "I was kind of following them in the mirrors as they were getting pretty close, [whether] I needed to close the door or something.”

"I braked a fraction too late, mixed the apex in the corner a tiny bit, then I got to the dirty tarmac and felt awkward as I was going so slowly, understeering, hit the wall, luckily didn’t break anything or get a puncture."

By the time Bottas had collected himself, his Mercedes rivals had left him in the dust in seventh position. The Alfa charger lamented the small mistake that potentially deprived him of a second consecutive top-five finish, but also felt encouraged by his car's pace. "I think today, without the Safety Car, P5 should have been possible. So, we're strong.”

‘Distraction, braked too late’;

https://f1i.com/news/440866-bottas-d...-too-late.html


Miami ‘payback’ is Bottas and Alfa’s best yet
May 8 2022
By Matt Beer

The novelty of seeing Valtteri Bottas’s Alfa Romeo lining up ahead of his former employer Mercedes on 2022 Formula 1 grids isn’t quite wearing off yet.

And his Miami Grand Prix qualifying effort was the most impressive so far – not because he’s in front of erstwhile team-mate Lewis Hamilton on row three, but because of the odds against which his fifth place was achieved.

Bottas was the first to find out how much the Miami street track can bite when he spun into the wall on his 14th lap of Friday practice and had to miss the rest of the day’s running at the tricky new track as a result. Damage to the exhaust and consequently the Ferrari engine’s turbocharger meant Alfa Romeo quickly knew it would have too much to do in the two hours between Friday sessions.

‘Impressive Valtteri Bottas’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/miami...lfas-best-yet/


Bottas’s new boss thinks his Mercedes reputation was deceptive
May 6 2022
By Scott Mitchell

Valtteri Bottas’s reputation “suffered” in the shadow of Lewis Hamilton and he is underrated as a Formula 1 driver, reckons Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur.

Asked by The Race if he thinks Bottas is underrated, Vasseur said: “I think so. I think that he suffered a little bit about this. “The fact is if you have a look on the gap between Valtteri and Lewis in qualifying it was less than 0.2%.”

Switching to Alfa Romeo to lead its recovery in F1’s midfield has made Bottas a focal point for the first time. His typically strong qualifying form has been supported by good race performances as well, while off-track he has been praised for the effort he has made to help rookie team-mate Zhou Guanyu and motivate the team.

‘Mercedes Reputation Deceptive’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/botta...was-deceptive/


2022 Miami Grand Prix - Sunday
May 9th, 2022
Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN brought home another strong points finish in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as Valtteri Bottas finished in seventh place. Unfortunately, Zhou Guanyu’s race came to a premature end with a technical issue when he was making good progress towards the points.

The six points gained cement the team’s fifth place in the constructors’ championship as we climb to 31 points from the first five races of the season.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal: “It shows how much progress we have made this year that we’re actually a bit disappointed with P7 – which is a really good result in itself. We were really strong out there today and we ran most of the race comfortably in P5, just behind the two Red Bulls and Ferraris: the timing of the Safety Car really affected us, nullifying Valtteri’s advantage over the two Mercedeses. Still, bringing home six points is a positive result and another gain for our championship standings, but we know we can improve even more.

‘Alfa Romeo F1 Team UPBEAT’;

https://www.sauber-group.com/motorsp...d-prix-sunday/

'I was too aggressive' admits Alonso after taking two penalties – as Ocon calls Miami ‘the hardest race’ of his life.
Ocon managed to score points in P8 and, after starting 18th due to a crash in FP3 that saw him miss qualifying.
10 May 2022
Formula 1.

Fernando Alonso’s scoreless streak has now stretched to four races after he accrued two penalties in the Miami Grand Prix, the Spaniard admitting that he was at fault for a clash with Pierre Gasly – while Esteban Ocon was left pleased with a comeback from P18 to P8.

Esteban Ocon: “Extremely pleased – I think it was more than a mountain to climb today,” he said. “You know, from strategy calls to tyre management to all the radio chat we had, it was perfectly executed today. And yes, big shoutout to the guys for building my car overnight; there was a lot of work behind the scenes and today we made it. So we can be proud.”

“Pace of the car felt good. Especially at the end of the hard on the first stint we were catching most of the cars and the first of the other cars with the old tyres. So that was really satisfying at the time,” he explained. Alpine head to Spain – Alonso’s home race – with 26 points as they sit sixth in the championship behind Alfa Romeo and McLaren.

‘Good Pace’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...dCTa1ryrF.html


Esteban Ocon 'extremely pleased' to score points in 'perfectly executed' race.
08 May 2022

Esteban Ocon is "extremely pleased" to have scored points with a P8 finish in the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, and praised his Alpine team for a "perfectly executed" race strategy at the Miami International Autodrome.

‘Perfectly Executed Race’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...014791738.html


Ocon’s physical condition was “50%” in race after 51G practice crash
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 9th May 2022, 0:5
Written by Hazel Southwell

Ocon was unable to qualify for the Miami Grand Prix after heavily damaging his car during a final practice crash into the concrete barrier at turn 14. He recovered to eighth in the race, which he described as being “a victory for us. I do think there was clearly a mountain to climb for all of us. But I think from the strategy to the radio calls, the tyre management, everything was perfect today.”

He admitted he felt in poor shape after his crash, which registered an impact of 51G. “To end up in the points being 50% physically as well for me feels like a win.”

‘Feels Like a Win’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/09/...nd-up-09-05-5/


Ocon didn't enjoy racing at '50 per cent physically' in Miami
10/05/2022 at 09:34
Phillip van Osten

Alpine's crews were unable to build up a new chassis in time for qualifying but Ocon was authorized to start Sunday's race from the back row of the grid.

"It is a different challenge, for sure," he said after his grueling drive. "It can go wrong, it can go right. Today it went right, but it's not very enjoyable to race being 50 per cent physically. It's as hard as Singapore here in terms of humidity and heat."

Ocon was first and foremost grateful to his Alpine crews for tirelessly working to supply him with an impeccable car after his FP3 crash. "What a race! A big thank you to the team for all the hard work overnight putting back together what was a pretty broken car after that big shunt in practice on Saturday," he said. "They are the real stars this weekend.”

‘Tirelessly Working Rebuild’;

https://f1i.com/news/440993-ocon-did...-in-miami.html


Ocon tried to defy team orders in Miami Grand Prix
Date published: May 10 2022 - Michelle Foster

Told by Alpine to “slow down” to build a gap to help his penalised team-mate, Esteban Ocon told the team that he “can’t do it” as he didn’t want to risk losing positions himself. The Spaniard, though, was facing a five-second penalty for his dive-bomb on Pierre Gasly and therefore needed his team-mate to hold up the Williams to get him that five-second of breathing room.

Ocon initially defied the team, saying it was “not possible”.
Engineer: We need a margin of seconds for Fernando, who has a penalty, slow down the cars behind, please. Do it now, please do it now.
Ocon: I can’t do it!
Engineer: Esteban, stop the cars.
Ocon: They’re going to overtake me if I do that! I can’t let myself down, guys, it’s not possible, I say it.

Whether he did eventually help or Alonso found a burst of speed, the Spaniard crossed the line 5.237s ahead of Albon meaning he only lost one position, P8, to his own team-mate.

‘Defying Team Orders’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/esteba...-orders-miami/

Albon’s red hair superstition pays off with P9 in Miami.
“No upgrades are ever needed, you just need to dye your hair!” he told Sky Sports F1.
Date published: May 8 2022 - Sam Cooper

Alex Albon’s red hair superstition has paid off after he scored points for the second time this season at the Miami GP. The Williams driver arrived at the Miami circuit sporting a new red hairstyle and later explained that the peculiar choice of colour had become a superstition for him.

Albon went on to reveal a pact between himself and the team that could end with the whole garage having red hair. “Before the weekend started, we did say that if I score points this weekend, the whole team are going to dye their hair red,” he said.

“I just went to the engineering room and they’re all starting to backtrack their comments. They’re all like ‘oh no it was a podium’ and I’m like ‘no it wasn’t!'”

‘Red Hair Upgrades’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...mi-grand-prix/


“Leaving Miami with more points is really special” – Alex Albon
By Nick Golding
May 10, 2022

Albon was very happy with his second points finish of the season after finding “the pace that I knew we had”.

“Today we found the pace that I knew we had all weekend. We had a tough Qualifying yesterday which meant we were slightly out of position with a well-performing car, so overtaking was possible and we made good progress.”

“We had a little bit of fortune with some of the cars ahead of us getting caught up in incidents, but the important thing is that we were in a position to make the most of those opportunities when they came. The team did a great job today, especially with the strategy, and so leaving Miami with more points is really special.”

‘Points Really Special’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...al-alex-albon/


Strategy, not luck, earned Williams’ points finishes – Albon
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 11th May 2022, 0:01
Written by Keith Collantine

In the round-up: Alex Albon says Williams’ opportunities to score points are down to the team’s strategy and not to luck.

After scoring a ninth-place finish in the Miami Grand Prix, thanks partly to Fernando Alonso’s penalty, Albon said his points-scoring finishes. “I don’t even call it luck” that was producing Williams’ good results.

“I think we were, again, optimistic on strategy and stayed out when everyone else pitted,” Albon explained. “We took our chances like we always keep doing and that’s just putting us in situations where we’re looking at points.”

‘Williams Strategy’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/11/...nd-up-11-05-5/


Lucky red hair ‘here to stay’ jokes Albon after snaring P9 in Miami Grand Prix
10 May 2022
Formula 1.

Alex Albon wound up with an eye-catching mop of red hair after visiting an orphanage in Thailand ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. Scoring his first point of the season for Williams in Melbourne, he decided to stick with the change of look – and after narrowly missing out with P11 in Imola, it brought him luck once again in Miami, as he came home a brilliant ninth.

“To be honest, qualifying was just the anomaly. Obviously, we understood the car all weekend, we just didn’t understand the car in qualifying, so we will look back at that and figure out what went wrong,” he said.

But whatever the cause of his lowly qualifying slot, Albon more than atoned on race day. After working his way up the order from P18, he was running P12 when Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher collided, promoting him into the points come the chequered flag.

‘Snaring P9’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ttqqwyZd9.html


Albon won't let Williams crews backtrack on points bet
10/05/2022 at 08:18
Phillip van Osten

Alex Albon scored in Miami his second top-ten finish of the season, an impressive result that involved a pledge by his Williams crews that he has every intention of seeing them uphold. Ahead of last month's Australian Grand Prix, Albon dyed his hair red in solidarity with a group of children from an orphanage he had visited in Thailand who were supporters of Liverpool football club and who had painted their hair red.

After finishing just outside the points at Imola, Albon added more red dye for Miami while his crews committed to also painting their hair red if he succeeded in scoring a top-ten finish in Florida.

"We did say that if I scored points this weekend the whole team were going to dye their hair red. I just went to the engineering room and they’re all starting to backtrack their comments like: Ah no, it was a podium’."

‘No Backtracking’;

https://f1i.com/news/440986-albon-wo...oints-bet.html


The dye is cast for Albon at Williams
NEWS STORY
10/05/2022

While others continue to struggle, Alex Albon has discovered the perfect way to improve his competitiveness... without the need for costly upgrades that break the budget.

"We got it dyed before Melbourne and we finished tenth and then as the dye faded away, we finished 11th In Imola. So it started to affect the performance," he added. "So, we re-dyed it, hoping for more points."

However, racing in the intense Miami heat was not without its problems. "My balaclava is like soaking red, it's bright red," he revealed. "All the dye has leaked. It looks like I've been beheaded...

P9: The Dye is Cast’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72462/The-dy...on-at-Williams


Williams’s Miami GP ‘anomaly’ wasn’t its lucky points haul
18 hours ago
By Edd Straw

“If you look at the whole weekend, I’d say this is much less surprising than Melbourne,” said Albon. “We were in the top 10 for two out of three practice sessions and we were genuinely there – it wasn’t low fuel or anything like that.”

“So to get P10 [on the road] is what I felt we should have been all weekend. “Of course, we lucked into a few collisions with the cars in front but we were right behind them and catching as well. It was a strong weekend for us.”

“The anomaly is qualifying and we need to understand where to get the performance back because we got it in Bahrain [reaching Q2] and we just lost our footing a little bit. We had the brake issue in Imola, fuel issue in Melbourne and here we just couldn’t switch the tyres on. So it’s looking very positive.”

‘Strong Weekend’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/willi...y-points-haul/

Driver debrief by Aramco: Miami Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll finished 10th at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix to score one point for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team.
09.05.2022
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team.

Lance fought from the pitlane to gain nine positions en route to his top-10 finish while a late collision forced team-mate Sebastian Vettel to retire.

After securing 10th on the grid in Saturday's qualifying session, a pre-race fuel temperature issue forced Lance to start the Grand Prix from the pitlane.

By starting on the Hard tyre, the Canadian took advantage of the most durable compound to run long into the race and rise to a high of 10th position in the pit phase.

‘Top 10 finisher Lance Stroll’;

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...ami-grand-prix


Stroll promoted to 10th after Alonso receives second five-second time penalty
2022 Miami Grand Prix
Posted on 8th May 2022, 22:43
Written by Keith Collantine

After the race Alonso was given a second five-second time penalty. The stewards ruled he “left the track at turn 14 and gained a lasting advantage.” He was given a total of three points for the two incidents.

The additional penalty dropped Alonso from ninth place to 11th. Lance Stroll, who originally finished 12th, was therefore promoted to the final points position, Daniel Ricciardo also having been penalised.

‘P10: Lance Stroll’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/08/...-time-penalty/


Lance Stroll frustrated with result after 'reasonable pace' in Miami
08 May 2022

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll found the inaugural Miami Grand Prix "frustrating" after the Canadian was forced to start in the pit lane at the Miami International Autodrome and suffered contact on the race restart.

‘Frustration’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...733054324.html


Vettel branded ‘Superman Seb’ amid Hamilton’s row with FIA
Sebastian Vettel and Sir Lewis Hamilton have both spoken out against Niels Wittich's clampdown on jewellery in Formula 1.
10 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Sebastian Vettel has earned himself a new nickname from Formula 1 fans after his defiance of the reinforcement of the fireproof regulation.

Race Director Niels Wittich has put his foot down on the safety issue this weekend in Miami, emphasising that the drivers must wear the appropriate clothing while in the cockpit. “Drivers and co-drivers participating in the championship listed below [Formula 1] must wear overalls as well as gloves, long underwear, a balaclava, socks and shoes homologated to the FIIA 8856-2018 standard,” he said in his notes, before telling the drivers of the detrimental impact wearing metallic artefacts in the car can have.

In protest of the clampdown, Vettel donned a pair of underpants over the top of his overalls ahead of Friday practice in Florida, prompting Motorsport.com to compare him to superman.

‘Is it a bird, is it a plane? NO, it is ‘Superman Seb’. ‘

https://formula1news.co.uk/vettel-br...-row-with-fia/


VETTEL ON CRASH WITH SCHUMACHER: “WE LOST A GOOD OPPORTUNITY”
10th May 2022, 07:42
Dalila Zanardo

The crash between the two Germans, which happened while they were fighting for P9, was less than ideal, as admitted by Sebastian Vettel post-race and as reported by Formula 1: “I didn’t expect it, let’s put it that way. Obviously, a shame that we made contact and both of us out of the race, out of the points. That’s a shame.”

Vettel agreed with the stewards in considering the contact an unfortunate racing incident, while being sympathetic to Schumacher: “I’m disappointed for Mick and myself obviously that the two of us lost a good opportunity to score points today. I don’t know, I did not expect him, I need to have a look again. When I saw him, it was obviously too late, so we made contact.”

‘Opportunity Lost’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ve.../?nowprocket=1

Tsunoda says lack of pace was ‘so frustrating’ as he drops out of points in Miami.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda couldn’t add a second consecutive points finish to his tally after a tough Miami Grand Prix, in which he started ninth but finished a disappointing 12th.
12 May 2022
Formula 1.

“From Lap 1, just no grip at all,” said Tsunoda after the race. “I just really struggled to just keep up the pace and I got overtaken quite a lot. After that, even in free air, struggled to increase my own pace, just no pace at all today.

“It’s the complete opposite to last time [at Imola], so frustrating – so it is what it is, we have to keep moving forward.”

The team’s Technical Director Jody Egginton added that Tsunoda’s soft-tyred stint was his strongest, and the team need to analyse why the 22-year-old – his birthday landing on the Wednesday after the Grand Prix – couldn’t find his feet on mediums or hards.

‘Frustrating’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...tKJE1V75g.html


Yuki Tsunoda: We had no grip and 'no pace today'
08 May 2022

AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda "struggled to keep up the pace" from the beginning to the end of the 2022 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

‘No Grip, No Pace’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...036873826.html


Gasly: Alonso collision led to Norris accident
Date published: May 9 2022
Michelle Foster

Pierre Gasly says contact with Fernando Alonso, which damaged his AT03, was the catalyst for his accident with Lando Norris a lap later. Both Gasly and Norris retired from the Miami Grand Prix after crashing on lap 41 of the 57-lap race.

What led to that crash, though, started one lap earlier. Gasly had been hit by the Alpine of Alonso as the Spaniard tried to dive up the inside of Turn 1, causing contact.

Although his car didn’t feel right, the Frenchman tried to stay out to see if it was just a momentary thing but, heading back to the pits on the next lap having conceded that it was game over, he moved over to allow cars through. Back on track to take the corner, he was clipped by Norris with the McLaren crashing into the wall.

‘Game Over’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/pierre...rris-accident/


Alonso offers apology for 'destroying' Gasly's Miami GP
Tuesday 10 May 2022 16:00
Ewan Gale

The two-time F1 world champion was aiming to make up for lost time at his pit stop when making a move on Gasly, a manoeuvre described by the Frenchman as a 'divebomb'.

The resultant damage led to Gasly slowing and clashing with Lando Norris' McLaren, with both drivers retiring and triggering a late safety car period. "It was my mistake, I broke too late," conceded Alonso.

"We were ready to give back the position but he was in the pits at that time so I have to pay those five seconds and then the safety car was right and perfect for the hard [tyre] starters once again. So we lost a couple of places there."

‘Divebomb Apology’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...ly-s-miami-gp/


Gasly: Norris came and clipped my front left tyre
10 May, 2022
Jad Mallak

Pierre Gasly offered his view of what went down between him and Lando Norris at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, blaming the Briton for clipping his front left tyre.

“I was trying to turn right to give room, and then Norris came and clipped my front left tyre,” he claimed. Gasly revealed that Norris apologized for the incident: “We spoke, he came to apologise, but unfortunately it’s not going to give us back the points.

“It’s a big shame,” he went on. “I’m extremely disappointed because it was a great afternoon. We had a brilliant start, passing Lewis [Hamilton] into Turn 1, running in P7 after that.”

‘Not going to give us back the points’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...ont-left-tyre/

Ricciardo compares Miami asphalt to driving on his Australian farm.
Lewis Hamilton compared some sections of the Miami International Autodrome to a B&Q car park, but Daniel Ricciardo says it reminded him of his outback farm, due to the lack of grip.
‎10‎ ‎May‎ ‎07‎:‎50
Author Tom Leach
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Ricciardo admitted that F1 stars may come across as "spoiled" when complaining that the sport's newest venue proved difficult to drive on, but did concede to having struggled to fight due to the nature of the surface.

When asked if the surface was acceptable for F1, Ricciardo told select members of the media, including RacingNews365.com: "I want to say no, but, obviously, that could just be us being too spoiled.

"But let's say, for what we have been used to - let's just put it like that - it's certainly a little more outback spec.

‘Outback Spec Australian Farm Track’;

https://racingnews365.com/ricciardo-...ustralian-farm


Miami GP track "turning into crap" during race - Norris
Wednesday 11 May 2022 09:25
Ewan Gale

Lando Norris has revealed the Miami Grand Prix track surface was "turning into crap" throughout the inaugural running of the Florida event.

Asked about whether the racing spectacle was better than expected given the track conditions, Norris replied: "It was tricky. "Honestly, I think it is a good race track. It is just the track surface is not what it needs to be. It is not at the level it needs to be for Formula 1.

"We come here, everyone expects a great race and we just can't do it because of the surface we are racing on. You see every time someone goes a little bit wide, you lose two seconds. I think also the track is tearing up and literally turning into crap so we have to start using all these kerbs because if you stay on it, it is just like oil or something. “

‘Turning into crap’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...g-race-norris/


Why McLaren left Ricciardo ‘dehydrated’ in Miami
Date published: May 13 2022 - Jon Wilde

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed he was left thirsty during an energy-sapping Miami Grand Prix in order for McLaren to save weight. A drinks bottle is a staple requirement in every race but especially one as taxing as Miami – and Ricciardo, who finished 13th, says his fluid had not been at full capacity as McLaren tried to limit the weight of his car.

Asked if the conditions had been comparable to races such as Singapore and Malaysia, Ricciardo told Motorsport.com: “Yeah, it’s got that heat factor to it. It’s tough as well because everyone’s obviously fighting for that last bit of weight.

“So we don’t have the luxury of putting three litres in the drink system. So we have a little bit, and it’s never enough fluid. So naturally you’re gonna get dehydrated. And yeah, this heat was pretty real.

‘Saving Weight’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/daniel...ydrated-miami/


Daniel Ricciardo's wild hotel night: F1 star says he didn't just trash his room - 'I trashed the whole floor' - as teammate Lando Norris reveals how he got chucked out of the Hilton pool.
By Stirling Taylor For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 01:57, 13 May 2022

The Aussie McLaren star shared antics of his hotel nights with teammate Lance Norris in a panel discussion at the Hilton x McLaren party before last weekend's Miami Grand Prix.

'We got kicked out of the pool. We were being naughty in the pool and everyone, not just me, got kicked out ... we went up to the rooms and had a nice party,' Norris said. 'I apologise if there were any disturbed people ... it was good fun.'

Ricciardo thanked Hilton for their loyalty to McLaren, with the hotel chain putting the team's drivers up since 2005.

‘Wild build up to Miami Grand Prix’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...oor-hotel.html


No satisfaction in McLaren being quickest Mercedes-powered team at Imola – Seidl
2022 F1 season
Posted on 28th April 2022, 13:31
Written by Keith Collantine

“I don’t take any pleasure by being, for a single weekend, in front of Mercedes,” he said. “Our aim when we wake up in the morning is to win races.

“We know we are not in a position to do that at the moment because we are not there yet in our journey of getting everything in place that we need in order to fight regularly for race wins. But that’s what we are focussed on.”

McLaren’s priority, says Seidl, remains building up its resources to become regular contenders for victory again.

‘Close the gap’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/04/28/...t-imola-seidl/


Why the Miami GP was a 'reality check' for McLaren
‎11‎ ‎May‎ ‎16‎:‎00
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Dieter Rencken

After the high of Lando Norris' podium last time out at Imola, McLaren endured a much tougher weekend at the Miami Grand Prix. Team boss Andreas Seidl has explained the reasons behind their change in fortunes.

Norris retired following a collision with Pierre Gasly on Lap 41 of 57, and Ricciardo ended the day in 13th, meaning that the team came away with no points.

Seidl believes that McLaren's stronger outings at Melbourne and Imola may have been track and temperature-specific, and also thinks that the team's performance at the Miami International Autodrome brought them back down to earth somewhat. "We didn't have the performance that we had at the previous two race weekends," Seidl told media, including RacingNews365.com.

‘Reality Check’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-the-mi...ck-for-mclaren


FIA will "learn from mistakes" after Miami driver safety rebuke.
Lando Norris hopes the FIA will 'learn from its mistakes' after failing to act upon F1 safety concerns at the Miami Grand Prix.
Thursday 12 May 2022 11:44
Ewan Gale

After his crash on Friday, Ferrari driver Sainz called for the addition of a Tecpro barrier to limit the impact of crashes. The FIA dismissed concerns but when Ocon crashed his Alpine at a relatively low speed, the 51g registered impact drew further concern from the grid. The A522 required a chassis change, whilst Sainz experienced neck pain throughout the weekend.

Asked whether the discussion would continue between drivers and the FIA, McLaren driver Norris said: "I don't know. I think we will discuss it as drivers with the FIA in Barcelona. I guess we learn from mistakes, I hope they learn from what happened.”

"As drivers, we understand things differently to someone who isn't driving the car and I think it is just important that when we give advice, it is taken on board and there are actions done, especially when I think there is a much bigger consequence of not having the Tecpro there than having a Tecpro there for instance, and something simple.”

‘FIA Dismissed Concerns and Tecpro’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...safety-rebuke/


McLaren 'pragmatic' after scoreless Miami
Friday 13 May 2022 10:40
Sam Hall

Andreas Seidl has reflected "pragmatically" on McLaren's second scoreless weekend of the season after Lando Norris came together with Pierre Gasly in Miami.

"I see it quite pragmatically. It doesn't matter who is guilty. The result is zero points, and it's a racing incident," explained team principal Seidl after the stewards' deemed no investigation into the incident was necessary.

"Unfortunately, we simply didn't maximise everything, and we had the incident with Lando, which is why we scored zero points and is obviously disappointing."

‘Scoreless Pragmatism’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...oreless-miami/

Schumacher “gutted” following Vettel collision in Miami.
It came to a crashing end for Schumacher though, after the German went for an audacious move on his “mentor”. The move saw Schumacher collide with Vettel, resulting in the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team driver retiring immediately. Schumacher went on to finish fifteenth, after pitting for a nose change.
May 13, 2022
By Nick Golding

Mick Schumacher’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix came to a disappointing end, the German was involved in a late incident with Sebastian Vettel which saw the young German’s hopes of scoring his first Formula 1 points diminish.

“The car was really good so I’m gutted that we didn’t get to stay in position – I think it was our best race so far this year. We’re all racers, we’re all trying, and it was always going to be tough to keep new tyres behind us and it was very unfortunate to end the race in that way. We were on the road to getting points, but we’ll have to wait some more.”

‘Gutted’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...sion-in-miami/


Haas F1 Team Suffers Late Disaster in Miami.
The Haas F1 team made gains from its eighth-row lockout in qualifying as both Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen crept into points contention late in the Formula 1 Miami GP Sunday.
May 9, 2022
BY PHILLIP HORTON

Schumacher took a late restart from ninth while Magnussen was 13th and on fresh tires. But Schumacher’s race unravelled after he clashed with Sebastian Vettel while Magnussen had two separate incidents following the restart with Vettel’s Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll.

The outcome was that Schumacher came home 15th while Magnussen pulled into retire on the last lap but was formally classified 16th.

Guenther Steiner lamented the late drama as Haas’ wait for a point on home soil continues. “Clearly not the day we wanted – especially this being one of our home events,” he said.

‘Miami Disaster’;

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...ster-in-miami/


Mick Schumacher 'very gutted' not to score first F1 points in Miami.
08 May 2022

Mick Schumacher is "very gutted" not to have scored his first Formula 1 points in the 2022 Miami Grand Prix, after a late clash with Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel saw the Haas driver tumble down to P15 at the Miami International Autodrome.

‘Very Gutted’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...287832055.html


Krack points finger for crash at ‘over-zealous’ Schumacher
Date published: May 13 2022
Michelle Foster

Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack has put the blame for Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher’s Miami crash firmly on the shoulders of the Haas driver. Racing for points at the Miami International Autodrome, Vettel overtook his young mentee only for Schumacher to fight back almost immediately.

The Haas driver tried to retake the position up the inside of Vettel, but instead made contact. Vettel retired as a result while Schumacher lost out on his first F1 World Championship points as he had to pit for a new nose cone, finishing last of the classified runners.

Krack believes the 24-year-old has only himself to blame. “He [Vettel] was in ninth place, which would have meant valuable championship points,” the German told Auto Bild. “Unfortunately, Seb then dropped out through no fault of his own when he met the over-zealous Schumacher.”

‘Finger pointed at Schumacher’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mike-k...umacher-miami/


Magnussen disappointed to leave 'the hardest race I've ever done' without points
12 May 2022
Formula 1.

Haas finished their first home race of the season without points, Magnussen failing to see the flag having collided with Lance Stroll late on, and Mick Schumacher being classified 15th after crashing into Sebastian Vettel in the races final stages. Magnussen said the blistering heat added another challenge to his Sunday.

“It was the hardest race I’ve ever done, it was unbelievably hot,” he said. “I had to do that last stint with damage to the front wing but even with that damage we got ourselves into a position to fight for P10.”

“We were catching Alonso and he had a time penalty, but it is what it is – we tried everything we could and didn’t get points, onto the next one.”

‘Pointless Hardest Race’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...TJiByEfKQ.html


Steiner says Haas eager to see Schumacher ‘come up to the level’ of Magnussen and score his first F1 points
07 May 2022
Formula 1.

There’s a widening gulf in the drivers’ standings between Haas racers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher – with Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner saying ahead of the Miami Grand Prix that he was keen to see his young German charge score his first F1 points and get up to the level of F1 returnee Magnussen.

Speaking in Miami, Steiner was asked about Schumacher’s currently point-less situation, and whether he felt Schumacher had nonetheless made a “big step” in performance over the winter.

“I wouldn't say a big step over the winter. I think when he got in this year, he had a reference,” replied Steiner. “There was a reason why we took Kevin back, because otherwise we would feel stupid as well, 'why did you take him back?' We know what he can do, and obviously Kevin is a good driver. And for Mick now, he has got a reference and he just needs to come up to that level, but he knows that, and he's got a good opportunity to do that.”

‘Wouldn’t say a Big Step’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...X7lEJurM5.html


‘Mick and Steiner don’t fit like K-Mag and the boss do’
Date published: May 12 2022 - Michelle Foster

Following Guenther Steiner’s criticism of Haas’ Miami Grand Prix double DNF, Ralf Schumacher says Mick Schumacher and the boss “don’t fit together in character”. This season marks Schumacher’s second on the Formula 1 grid with Haas, but still the German remains point-less.

With Magnussen also failing to score, the Dane involved in an incident with Lance Stroll, Steiner – a man not known for holding back – was not impressed. We are leaving with nothing,” said the Haas team boss. “Well, not with nothing, we are leaving with broken parts.”

Ralf told F1 Insider: “Mick and Steiner don’t fit together in character. An outwardly tough guy like Kevin Magnussen suits Steiner better.” Ralf, though, concedes the Miami result must have been “extremely annoying because it cost points”.

‘Leaving with broken parts’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mick-s...r-steiner-fit/


Haas left to rue late drama as Schumacher’s wait goes on
10th May 2022, 23:24
by Phillip Horton

Haas was left to lament separate incidents during the closing stages of Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix as it saw its hopes of points fall by the wayside.

The result kept Haas eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, remaining a point behind AlphaTauri, which also failed to score. “Clearly not the day we wanted – especially being one of our home events,” said Haas team boss Guenther Steiner.

“The pace in the car was there and it was demonstrated by both drivers, but once again we got unlucky with some events on track.”

‘Pointless wait goes on’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-wait-goes-on/

Mercedes ‘flying in the fog’ as W13 continues to mystify them.
“We have been [struggling] straight from the beginning, flying in the fog a little bit,” said Wolff, quoted by GPFans.
10 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

The consensus is that the Silver Arrows’ almost complete lack of sidepods have caused detrimental exposure to the floor, which might explain why they are suffering from so much “pospoising,” but Wolff has been adamant that he would rather understand why their current setup is not working rather than blindly switch to another concept.

But gaining a comprehension of the temperamental machine is evidently easier said than done. “And it is clear that there is potential in the car and she is fast but we just don’t understand how to unlock the potential.

“It is a car that is probably super-difficult to drive on the edge, dipping in and out of the performance window, more out than in, and dissecting the data with a scalpel is just a painful process because it takes a long time.”

‘W13 Foggy’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/mercedes-...-mystify-them/


Wolff: Saturday experiments produced 'bouncing kangaroo' W13
08/05/2022 at 11:21
Phillip van Osten

The Austrian warned that improving Mercedes' Silver Arrow would require a trial-and-error process. While Friday's performance – with George Russell topping the timesheets in FP2 – appeared to show progress, Saturday's trial was clearly an error according to Wolff.

In qualifying, Russell failed to make the top-ten shootout, the Briton complaining that his car was a totally "different beast" compared to Friday despite running a similar set-up.

But Hamilton clocked in P6, and claimed that he had enjoyed his best qualifying in the last three races while admitting that no real step forward had been achieved.

‘W13 Kangaroo Bouncing’;

https://f1i.com/news/440664-wolff-sa...garoo-w13.html


Russell confused after W13 feels ‘a totally different beast’
07/05/2022, 23:26
by Phillip Horton

George Russell says he and Mercedes are struggling to understand his slump during Saturday’s action at Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix.

Russell set the pace on Friday at the Miami International Autodrome but lacked performance throughout Saturday’s sessions.

Explaining the impact the bouncing has on the car’s potential Russell said: “It’s just like the rear of the car is hopping around and you don’t have any support or stability of the rear.

‘W13 Different Beast’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...fferent-beast/


Toto Wolff confident in W13 potential despite continuing issues
Published: 10 May 2022, 19:23
By George Dagless

Toto Wolff has said that the Mercedes W13 car still has potential to be competitive, even if the team are still struggling to really get on top of it.

There’s cause for optimism for Mercedes fans as both drivers and Wolff, as well as other senior team members, have said that they feel as though the car has huge potential in terms of it being competitive – they just need to find a way of unlocking it at the moment.

Speaking recently, Wolff again said he felt that the car is sound in design, and if they can unlock the potential it has they will make great strides: “It is a car that is probably super-difficult to drive on the edge, dipping in and out of the performance window, more out than in, and dissecting the data with a scalpel is just a painful process because it takes a long time.”

‘W13 Sound Design, W13 Competitive Potential, W13 Huge Potential’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88006101...tinuing-issues


Toto Wolff discusses idea of Mercedes reverting to previous W13 version
Published: 10 May 2022, 12:05
By George Dagless

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has said that he will not rule out the team going back to an old spec of their car if that is the right thing to do.

After Miami it was put to Wolff that if the Mercedes looked slower in Spain now than it did then, would he and the team consider going back towards that older spec, and this is what he had to say: “Well I wouldn’t discount anything, but we need to give all our people benefit of the doubt,” Wolff was quoted by Autosport.

“They have produced great race cars in the past and we believe that this is the route to go. Barcelona is definitely going to be a point in time where we are able to correlate with what we saw in February and gather more data.”

‘W13 Data Gathering’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88006048...us-w13-version


WOLFF ON THE STRUGGLING W13: “WE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL”
Five races into the season, the Mercedes team has yet to see improvements to the car.
09/05/2022, 19:07
Morgan Holiday

Despite being five races into the season without any noticeable improvements, Wolff maintains that the basic design of the car isn’t flawed. “There is potential in the car and she is fast,” he insisted. “But we just don’t understand how to unlock the potential.”

For now, Wolff and the team are confident that they can make the necessary improvements to the current car. But, they know that if they can’t sort their problems out soon, they’ll have to reevaluate the entire design.

Wolff has cited the timeline for making major changes to the car. He said “I would be asking for an answer after Barcelona and then we have to look ourselves in the mirror and ask: ‘Did we get it wrong or not?”

‘W13 Misunderstood’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wo.../?nowprocket=1


Mercedes hints at reverting back to old-spec W13 after Barcelona
• 10/05/2022, 10:54
• Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths

Mercedes has given its first hint it could decide to revert back to its old-spec Formula 1 car if it remains unable to cure its porpoising issues.

Wolff concedes its previous car concept is “much slower on paper” than the ‘zero-pod’ design, but is determined to fix the current W13’s sensitivity to porpoising. While Wolff stressed Mercedes is committed to making the ‘zero-pod’ concept work, he said a decision on which route it takes for the rest of the year must be made.

“I think we are still committed to the current concept – and you need to be,” Wolff said. “If you don’t believe, and you give the other one a 50 per cent chance, then you’ve got to switch now. We are faithful to the current concept. We are not looking at the lady next door to see if we like it more or not. It’s still good.”

‘W13 Zero-Pod Commitment!’;

https://readmotorsport.com/2022/05/1...ter-barcelona/

Leclerc and Binotto comment on Ferrari’s upcoming aero upgrades.
“In the next races it will be at least our turn to try to develop as much as we can the car by introducing upgrades,” said Binotto.
15 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto estimates that Red Bull gained two tenths of a second per lap as a result of the upgrades they introduced at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Ferrari gave new engines to Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the last two but, asides from skids on the back of the car to help with stability and limit “porpoising,” have not added anything major to the car since the beginning of the year.

They intend to do so in the Spanish Grand Prix in just over a week, with adaptations expected to be made to the sidepods and wings.

‘Ferrari Upgrades’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/leclerc-a...aero-upgrades/


Ferrari boss concedes Red Bull have pace advantage, warns ‘it’s our turn’ to bring upgrades
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes that Red Bull have “a couple of tenths” over the Scuderia at present, but he aims to pull it back as the development battle continues.
15 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Red Bull implemented changes to their RB18 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was described as a “risk” by adviser Dr Helmut Marko due to the lack of preparatory time that weekend, but the reported 5kg weight loss and two-tenth improvement helped Max Verstappen to victory, before he overcame Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to win again in Miami.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto: “In terms of performance assessments, and how much they [Red Bull] developed compared to us, is that a concern? I would say not,” he said, quoted by Autosport.

“I don’t think that the difference is huge. It is a matter of maximum a couple of tenths and we should not forget that [in Miami] we locked the front row. In qualifying we had a better performance compared to the Red Bull, so overall, in a weekend, I don’t think there is much difference between the Red Bull and the Ferrari.”

‘Ferrari’s turn for Upgrades’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-b...ring-upgrades/


Binotto hoping budget cap curbs Red Bull's progress
15/05/2022
NEWS STORY

Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto is hoping that the limitations of the budget cap will compromise Red Bull's upgrade programme as the championship battle develops.

Believing that a package of upgrades will be more effective than incremental changes Binotto is doubtful whether Red Bull can maintain the development programme which has allowed it close the gap.

"I always said that you should have wait five races at least to assess the proper competitiveness within the cars," said the Italian. "Now five races has gone, we are leading both championships which is great, so we should not be too disappointed.”

‘Ferrari believe upgrade packages to be MORE effective’;

https://www.pitpass.com/72478/Binott...Bulls-progress


Ferrari ramp up Red Bull mind games by aiming budget cap accusation at F1 rivals
21:19, 14 May 2022
By Neil Moxley

Ferrari have kicked off the mind-games with rivals Red Bull as the Formula One season hots up. The Scuderia have fired the first shots in what is shaping up to be a new rivalry as long-time leaders Mercedes struggle to get with the pace. Whispers from the pit-lane suggest that Red Bull has already splashed more of its budget on car upgrades than their Italian rivals.

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto caused a stir with his comments. He said: “I hope at some point Red Bull can no longer develop, because there’s a budget cap for a reason. If they can, then I don’t understand (why).”

Binotto hinted that Red Bull has already spent a lot more of the $140m budget cap than his team. However, insiders in Max Verstappen’s camp believe this is little more than hot air. They have pointed to re-structuring within the team - fewer of the team travel to the track and more work is carried out in the Milton Keynes factory.

‘Ferrari mind games’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...notto-26966982


Marko uses Sainz to hit back at Ferrari’s budget cap talk
Date published: May 14 2022
Jamie Woodhouse

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko dismissed talk from Ferrari about his team’s budget usage, adding that Carlos Sainz’s crashes must be taking a toll.

However, put to him by Motorsport-Total.com that there were reports of Red Bull already using up 75% of its development budget, Marko dismissed that as “nonsense”. “I don’t think we are in a significantly different position than Ferrari in this respect,” he added.

The Spaniard has suffered several big shunts in the early stages of the 2022 season, the most recent occurring in Miami as he crashed out of the second practice session on Friday. So, Marko says these repair jobs will be impacting Ferrari’s available budget. “Especially as I wonder what effect it has on them that Carlos Sainz has already crashed the car several times,” Marko continued. “That can’t be cheap!”

‘Crashing Ferrari’s isn’t cheap’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...sting-ferrari/


Marko ponders Ferrari’s development budget after Sainz crashes
14th May 2022, 17:17
by Fergal Walsh

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto questioned Red Bull’s current development speed, and believes that its ongoing pace of manufacturing and fitting new upgrades can’t be sustained. However, Marko doesn’t think that Red Bull has spent significantly more of its budget than Ferrari across the opening portion of the season.

“I don’t think so,” Marko told Motorsport-Total.com. “It’s true that the increased logistics costs are a problem. But it’s not just us, it’s Ferrari and all the other teams.”

“We plan our updates in such a way that we always lose weight with each update, because unfortunately we still haven’t reached the minimum weight. And we won’t quite reach it with the next update either.”

‘Ferrari Crashing Costs Questioned’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...sainz-crashes/


Charles Leclerc crashes Niki Lauda's iconic 1974 £1m Ferrari into wall at Monaco
As he approached the La Rascasse corner the Monacan lost control, following a break failure in the 48-year-old vehicle.
19:05, 15 May 2022
By Joshua Lees Sports Trends Writer

Following his crash in Lauda’s historic car the Monacan took to Twitter, writing: “When you thought you already had all the bad luck of the world in Monaco and you lose the brakes into rascasse with one of the most iconic historical Ferrari Formula 1 car."

The famous car was used by Lauda in 1974, and helped him secure victory in the Spanish Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix on the way to a fourth-placed finish in the standings that year. This is not the first time the vehicle has been crashed, after Jean Alesi did just that at the same event as Leclerc’s nightmare last year.

‘Niki Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari F1 car brake failure’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...crash-26971165

Red Bull admit they won’t make weight with major Spanish GP upgrade.
Red Bull adviser Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed that the upgrade his team are bringing to the Spanish Grand Prix will not quite enable them to reach their “minimum weight.”
15 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

The Milton Keynes side are said to have lost up to 5kg with the changes they made ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix a few weeks ago, and it has helped Max Verstappen to two wins on the trot in Imola and Miami.

The Austrian outfit looked quicker than Ferrari in both of those races, and that is despite still not managing to get their weight down to the 798kg limit set by the FIA. While they are starting to get there, Dr Marko confirms that they will need to wait until after the Spanish Grand Prix before they do.

“We plan our updates in such a way that we always lose weight with each update, because unfortunately we still haven’t reached the minimum weight and we won’t quite reach it with the next update either,” he told Motorsport-Total.com.

‘Waiting to get to the minimum weight, 798Kg’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/red-bull-...sh-gp-upgrade/


Newey doesn’t agree that ‘things are looking pretty good’ for Verstappen and Red Bull
Red Bull Racing claimed their second win in a row after Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.
14 May 2022
by Nick Golding

Verstappen performed brilliantly on Sunday at the Miami International Autodrome, following a somewhat disappointing qualifying. The Dutchman missed out on the majority of Friday practice, after suffering yet more reliability issues. A mistake on his final Q3 lap saw the reigning champion qualify in third, behind both Ferraris.

With Red Bull appearing to have the fastest car this season, Newey was asked on the F1 Nation podcast if “things are looking pretty good” for the team. “It’s so close, you really can’t say that,” he said.

“We’ve only got to look back at last season, [and] the few races where we had some pretty good, dominant wins – Austria, Mexico – and then the next race it swings around. You really can’t be relaxed at this point, that’s for sure.”

‘So close, can’t be relaxed’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/newey-doe...-and-red-bull/


Horner: Very hard to bring continuous development
16 May, 2022
Jad Mallak

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed that continuous car development during the 2022 Formula 1 season is very hard due to the cost cap and current inflation. The Briton was reviewing his team’s campaign so far in 2022 after Miami, while looking ahead to the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Horner was quoted by F1’s official website saying: “You saw in Imola how quickly things can move around and I think we’ve got some interesting races coming up. The car’s running well. We’ve got some developments coming hopefully later in the summer that will help as well. We need to save a little bit of weight.”

“You can always improve everywhere,” he added. “We need to improve the slow [corner] stuff, we need to lose a couple of kilos off the car; tyre deg is then the result of weight so it’s all those little incremental gains that you’re always chasing.”

‘Continual Incremental Development’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...s-development/


Verstappen rates Perez's performances amid Red Bull renewal talk
‎14‎ ‎May‎ ‎16‎:‎10
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Max Verstappen has given his backing to teammate Sergio Perez, who is in the process of negotiating an extension to his Red Bull contract. After the Miami Grand Prix, Perez revealed that he and Red Bull have commenced talks over a new contract for the 2023 season.

When asked about Perez's performances this season, Verstappen believed Red Bull were happy with his teammate's efforts, noting that Perez appeared more comfortable in the car since the regulation changes at the start of the campaign.

"It seems like he's a lot happier in the car, so that's really good for the team," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com. "Of course, I think it helps to have a year with the team, and I think the new rule changes also helped, because everyone had to start from zero."

‘Sergio Perez Performances Rated’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...l-renewal-talk


Verstappen urges Red Bull to resolve 'hit and miss' reliability.
Max Verstappen has called on Red Bull to continue to focus on the reliability issues that have hampered their 2022 championship campaign.
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Despite Verstappen's victories in Saudi Arabia, Imola and Miami, retirements in Bahrain and Australia have resulted in a 19-point deficit in the Drivers' Championship to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The race-winning weekend at the Miami International Autodrome also suffered an early setback with hydraulics issues in Friday practice, which threatened to reduce his chances of victory.

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, also suffered a sensor issue partway through the race en route to fourth place, hampering his efforts to take the final podium position. "We're still having a few issues that we have to solve," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"We are quick but, as you could see, my Friday was terrible, which is not great if you want to have a good weekend. Also Checo [Perez] had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that. Clearly there is a lot of potential and we just need to make sure it's reliable."

‘Lot of potential, need to solve reliability’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...ss-reliability


Horner reveals "brutal" factor in F1 upgrade race
Friday 13 May 2022 07:00
Ewan Gale

Whilst the new regulations have seen radical changes for every team on the grid, Red Bull has had another headache to contend with. The Milton Keynes-based outfit was known for its extreme rake angle during the previous generation of F1 with the front of the car pointed into the track surface and the rear wing sat up in the air.

Yet ground-effect aerodynamics dictates low-running, low-rake designs, adding to Red Bull's understanding period. "Obviously it is very different this year with the set-up," explained Horner.

"We are running... there is no rake in the car essentially. We have developed a car that has good straight-line speed and we have seen that at pretty much every race this year."

‘Car with no rake’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...-upgrade-race/


Christian Horner predicts Verstappen v Leclerc could go down to the wire
Published: 16 May 2022, 12:47
By George Dagless

Red Bull’s Christian Horner has said that the fight between his team and Ferrari and their drivers could go down to the wire, similarly to 2021. “Look, there is a long, long way to go and it is so tight with Ferrari. There has been some great racing,” said Horner.

“You can see there is a great respect between Charles and Max, they are enjoying racing each other, you can see that. I was rather hoping we weren’t set for another competitive year like last year but it looks like this one could well go all the way as well.”

It’s proving a very exciting battle between the two drivers at the moment and another battle between them is very possible this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix.

‘Going down to the wire’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88008552...wn-to-the-wire

Why Barcelona will be a reference point for teams in F1's development race.
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend will offer F1 teams a valuable reference point as to how far they have been able to develop their cars during the opening five races of the season, says Williams driver Nicholas Latifi.
‎16‎ ‎May‎ ‎16‎:‎10
Author Tom Leach

F1 returns to Europe after a busy weekend in Miami, with an interesting reference point approaching in the upgrade battle. After a weekend of rest following the Miami race, F1 will head back to Barcelona this weekend for the first time since pre-season testing. It was this behind-closed-doors test that allowed teams to run their newborn cars in anger.

But since then, developments have been bolted on in the quest for either more performance or fixes for gremlins, with the return visit giving teams a chance to see how far - or not - they have come.

So far, Red Bull appear to have made the most progress, closing in on Ferrari and securing back-to-back race wins in Imola and Miami. However, the Spanish GP could bring big upgrades throughout the field.

‘Big Upgrades and Development Reference Point’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-barcel...velopment-race


Ferrari aiming to reduce drag with Spanish GP upgrades
Both Ferrari and Red Bull are bringing upgrades to the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix as the championship battle intensifies.
16 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

A new diffuser is among the changes that Ferrari are making to their F1-75 at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix as they look to improve the straight-line speed of their 2022 challenger.

Ferrari plan to amalgamate different parts that they have been testing in recent rounds of the championship, including the new “skids” they brought to the Miami Grand Prix.

The floor they used at the controversial tyre test in Imola was the same one that they had already used in pre-season testing in Barcelona, but changes have now been made after they managed to cross reference its performance, and the floor in Spain should now be the optimum version of it.

Ferrari Diffuser Upgrade’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-a...h-gp-upgrades/


Mercedes admit they could bring radical upgrade for Spanish GP
The new technical regulations have wreaked havoc with Mercedes in 2022.
10 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

They unveiled a new design of the W13 at the second pre-season test in Bahrain which saw the sidepods all but removed from the car, leaving the underbody exposed as the resulting extrusion only seemed to aggravate the bouncing.

New winglets in Imola did little to improve their fortunes, but a revised front and rear wing as well as much a much thinner wing beam appeared to make somewhat of a difference, but their pace was still a long way away from Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said that anything is possible as the Silver Arrows ponder the changes they might make in a bid to improve the performance of the car.

‘Mercedes Radical Upgrade’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/mercedes-...or-spanish-gp/


Red Bull to develop even bigger aero upgrade package after Spanish GP
Red Bull's upgrade at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has helped Max Verstappen to two consecutive victories.
17 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Red Bull are reported not to have exceeded 18 percent of their development budget in 2022 amid reports that they had almost exhausted it.

They are so happy with their current situation within the spending cap, in fact, that they have already begun work on an upgrade for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone which is set to feature “major aero changes.”

Assessing the areas of improvement are part of the reason that Ferrari have waited until the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend to unleash their first batch of major upgrades, which include a new diffuser and a revised floor. Red Bull were slightly less circumspect in their approach, and they opted to bring their first evolution of the RB18 to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

‘Red Bull Bigger Upgrade After Spanish Grand Prix’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/red-bull-...er-spanish-gp/


McLaren outline aims for Spanish GP after Miami struggles
17/05/2022, ‎14‎:‎30
Author Anna Francis

Like many teams, McLaren will be bringing updates to their car in Barcelona, and Norris is optimistic about the impact this could have.

"The team are working flat out to bring upgrades to the car as we speak, so hopefully that will give us the boost we need as we head into this double-header. Let's keep at it!" the Briton added.

Team boss Andreas Seidl: "We are bringing some upgrades to the car for the weekend. I know it's been an extremely busy week or so for many of the teams making changes ahead of Barcelona, so it's going to continue to be a tight fight for points.”

McLaren Updates and Upgrades for a boost’;

https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-ou...iami-struggles


Norris: McLaren working flat out to bring upgrades
16 May, 2022
Editor

McLaren are working flat-out to get upgrades to their car for this weekend’s 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, so says their driver Lando Norris who suffered a DNF in Miami last time out. Zak Brown’s team may fancy a shot at dysfunctional Mercedes, who are currently ahead of them on points. But it is early days.

In the McLaren preview of the Grand Prix weekend in Spain, Norris revealed: “The team are working flat out to bring upgrades to the car as we speak, so hopefully that will give us the boost we need as we head into this doubleheader. Let’s keep at it!”

Team principal Andreas Seidl confirmed: “We performed well at this track in pre-season testing so it will be interesting to see how our car will perform with the upgrades we’ve made since then. Hopefully we can have some good battles and get both cars back into the fight for good points,” concluded Seidl.

‘Flat Out McLaren Upgrades’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...sh-gp-preview/


Alfa want ‘easier’ Barcelona weekend with new upgrades
Date published: May 16 2022
Jamie Woodhouse

Alfa Romeo will roll out the upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix, which they hope will be a trouble-free race weekend.

The ideal scenario is a clean, productive run through the practice sessions, gathering as much data as possible, but such an experience has been hard to come by over at Alfa Romeo, with Valtteri Bottas losing out on a big chunk of practice time in Imola and Miami.

So, team boss Frederic Vasseur is now very much hoping for a change of fortunes come Barcelona. “I would love to have a more easy weekend, something very calm with good sessions,” he told Motorsport.com.

‘Alfa Romeo Hope Upgrades, Trouble Free and Easy’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...h-gp-upgrades/


Alpine to bring new F1 rear wing to Spanish GP
May 17, 2022, 4:06 PM
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Matt Somerfield

Alpine is to bring a new rear wing to Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix as part of its upgrade push to help Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.

With a lot of squads bringing developments for Spain, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that the most notable upgrade for its A522 will be at the back of the car.

“We’ve got a new rear wing coming for Spain,” he said. “It should be more efficient than the last time we ran there and it should be a little bit more performant, so we will have that for both cars.”

‘Alpine New Wing Upgrade’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...h-gp/10305712/

Spanish Grand Prix 2022: Will F1 upgrade race mix up order?
With the teams racing at the venue that also held the first pre-season test, this poses the perfect comparison between start of season specifications against their upgraded packages.
Tuesday 17 May 2022 06:00
GPFans Staff

F1 returns to Europe for round six of the world championship at the Spanish Grand Prix with major updates expected from the majority of the grid.

‘Upgrade Order Mix Up’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...-mix-up-order/


Why Barcelona will be a reference point for teams in F1's development race.
‎16‎ ‎May‎ ‎16‎:‎10
Author Tom Leach

F1 returns to Europe after a busy weekend in Miami, with an interesting reference point approaching in the upgrade battle.

After a weekend of rest following the Miami race, F1 will head back to Barcelona this weekend for the first time since pre-season testing. It was this behind-closed-doors test that allowed teams to run their newborn cars in anger.

But since then, developments have been bolted on in the quest for either more performance or fixes for gremlins, with the return visit giving teams a chance to see how far - or not - they have come.

‘Reference Point’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-barcel...velopment-race


Haas still holding fire on upgrades for VF-22
16/05/2022 at 16:44
Phillip van Osten

Haas won't be introducing any updates for its VF-22 at this week's Spanish Grand Prix as the team holds off on its development programme "a little bit longer". "Normally Spain is the obvious place to bring upgrades and I think quite a few teams are planning them," said Steiner in Haas' Spanish Grand prix preview.

"We have decided to wait a little bit longer with upgrades as I still think we have performance in the car without them which we have to get on the track, so sometimes we achieve it, sometimes we don’t.

"We have a good upgrades package in about four or five races coming, so I’m confident about that and what the other ones are bringing, as of right now I don’t know, but I will know a lot more next Monday."

‘VF-22 Still Holding Fire On Upgrades’;

https://f1i.com/news/441339-haas-sti...for-vf-22.html


Szafnauer sets out Alpine’s programme of upgrades
Date published: May 16 2022
Jamie Woodhouse

Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer spoke of a “constant flow of evolutions” for the A522, starting from the Spanish Grand Prix.

“There are parts for Spain, which is the sixth race,” Szafnauer told AS. “There will be parts two races later (Baku), and at the tenth race (Silverstone). It will be a constant flow of evolutions.”

“I expect the Alpine to be strong in Barcelona,” Szafnauer predicted. “It’s a circuit that suits us and a lot of people say that if you are strong in Barcelona, you will be strong in most places.”

‘Constant Flow Of Evolutionary Upgrades’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...amme-revealed/


Will Mercedes give up on their W13? Spanish GP F1 talking points.
18 May 2022
F1 Connor McDonagh

The F1 Spanish Grand Prix could be the last chance for Mercedes to salvage the W13. After the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff refused to discount giving up on their current car concept but wanted to see how Barcelona plays out before making any drastic decisions.

“We are still committed to the current concept and we need to be, because if we don’t believe and we give the other one a 50 per cent chance, then you better switch now,” Wolff said.

“We’re faithful to the current concept. We’re not looking at the lady next door and if we like it more or not, because it’s still good. As a matter of fact, we need to understand - before you make a decision to switch to another concept – where did this one go wrong? And what is the goodness of the concept and what is the badness of the concept?”

‘W13 Concept’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/100...talking-points


TECH TUESDAY: Charting Red Bull's 2022 upgrades before Ferrari aim to hit back in Spain
17 May 2022
Technical contributors
Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola

Mark Hughes looks at Red Bull's race-by-race updates – with illustrations from Giorgio Piola – ahead of a crucial Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

But, ahead of what Ferrari hope will be upgrades which will neutralise those recent Red Bull gains, here we can summarise the changes which have made the RB18 such a formidable package, one in which Max Verstappen has won all three races in which he has finished.

‘Red Bull Updates Review’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...tTHvJ2UHF.html


McLaren confirm updated MCL36 for Spanish GP
Date published: May 16 2022
Editor

McLaren’s MCL36 will be updated with new parts for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, the team’s first major changes of the season.

“We are bringing some upgrades to the car for the weekend,” McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl said in his official race preview. “I know it’s been an extremely busy week or so for many of the teams making changes ahead of Barcelona, so it’s going to continue to be a tight fight for points.”

“Having tested here back in February, we have more of an idea on what to expect under the new regulations than we do at other race weekends. It will be good to see where we can make improvements and put the upgrades we’re bringing to the test.”

‘Testing Upgrades’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclare...or-spanish-gp/


De Vries to get Williams FP1 run in Spain
17th May 2022
by Emer Hedderman

For the current Formula 1 season all teams must allow rookies, who have at most two Grand Prix starts to their names, to drive in at least two FP1 sessions over the course of the year. De Vries’ take over of Alexander Albon’s FW44 this Friday will see Williams as the first team to tick off one of those mandatory rookie slots.

The Dutchman, who became Formula E’s inaugural World Champion last season, has been the test and reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team since 2020 but has only made appearances for them at the end of season Young Driver Tests.

‘Mandatory Rookie Slot’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/de-vries-t...in-spain-79083

‘Maybe he should’ve stopped’: Hamilton is ‘mired in mediocrity’ and could ‘finally snap’.
Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Miami Grand Prix wearing three watches, a bracelet, a ring on every hand, and two necklaces.
May 13th, 2022 11:18 am
HOMEMOTORSPORTFORMULA-ONE
Jacob Polychronis from Fox Sports

Former driver Ralf Schumacher slammed the 37-year-old’s antics as “childish”. It can be hard to find sympathy for the most successful driver — and one of the best paid — in the history of F1.

The display might have been partly in jest, but it was largely in defiance, offering a telling glimpse into the mindset of Hamilton. The Briton is a picture of tranquillity when the going is good, but is no stranger to a tantrum when it gets tough.

Hamilton was said to be on the verge of retirement in the off-season given the sour taste the controversial Abu Dhabi decider of 2021 left. Since December’s shambles, it has been one gut punch after another for Hamilton, whose brooding has become a staple of F1 weekends. The most significant blow has been Mercedes’ shocking relegation from near-untouchable world rulers to the fringes of title battle, now dominated by Red Bull and Ferrari.

‘Three watches, a bracelet, a ring on every hand, and two necklaces’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...8edbbf8171f3fd


Hamilton told ‘you just don’t drive’ as jewellery row with the FIA risks boiling over
The 2022 Formula 1 season has seen the introduction of two race directors, namely Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas.
17 May 2022
by Nick Golding

Sir Lewis Hamilton has one race remaining before being awarded a fine and a potential race ban, should he continue to race whilst wearing jewellery.

The British driver has received support from both fellow drivers and his team, however, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl is less sympathetic on the matter.

“For me, it’s just a topic that gets a bit too much hyped up in the entire paddock– from drivers, but also from the media side,” said the McLaren boss, “If you don’t like to take off your jewellery, or if you don’t want to put the fireproof underwear on, you just don’t drive – it’s quite straightforward and simple.

‘One Race Remaining’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/hamilton-...-boiling-over/


Hamilton furious at Masi return as Wolff reminded he doesn’t ‘run’ Formula 1
Mohammed ben Sulayem has not ruled out Michael Masi's return to Formula 1 as race director.
16 May 2022
by James Clifford

Typically, Formula One Management (FOM) the FIA and the teams themselves are involved in the bulk of the decision-making in the sport – and ben Sulayem reportedly wants to remind Wolff that he is not at the helm.

“He doesn’t want anything himself, financially or in any other way. He maybe feels that Toto has got a little ahead of himself. It’s not up to Toto to run Formula 1.”

With Wittich having presided over the opening four rounds of the season, Freitas is set to take the reigns at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

‘Toto Wolf not at the helm’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/hamilton-...run-formula-1/


'Astonished' Lewis Hamilton made 'urgent phone calls' after FIA's Michael Masi comments
LEWIS HAMILTON was denied a world championship by Michael Masi's decision making in Abu Dhabi last year.
06:23, Tue, May 17, 2022
By SAM SMITH

An interview given by Ben Sulayem has apparently stunned Hamilton into making ‘urgent phone calls’. The Mercedes ace felt robbed of a world title last year after Masi made a contentious decision towards the culmination of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The departure of Masi came after pressure from senior figures at Mercedes. However, Ben Sulayem told the Daily Mail last week: “Michael is there and we might use him. We are open to everything.”

Masi’s sacking was seen as a victory for Mercedes, with team principal Toto Wolff publicly backing the dismissal. Masi was replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who have alternated in the role for the first five races of the 2022 season.

‘Urgent Phone Calls’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-Wolff-F1-news


Ex-McLaren mechanic reveals engineers 'fought not to work on Lewis Hamilton's car'
LEWIS HAMILTON may have been underestimated by McLaren before his debut season in
05:07, Wed, May 18, 2022
F1. By CHARLIE GORDON

Former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley claims that the team fought to avoid Lewis Hamilton during his rookie season in favour of working with Fernando Alonso. The Brit defied expectations by going close to the world title in his first year as an F1 driver, despite having teamed up with a reigning double world champion.

The mechanics and engineers fought among themselves to work in Fernando's garage," Priestley told the Pitlane Life Lessons podcast. "People didn't want to work on Hamilton's car, because they didn't expect so much from him."

‘Lewis Hamilton Underestimated’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...alonso-f1-news


Lewis Hamilton using Red Bull’s harsh words as ‘fuel’ to bounce back
Sir Lewis Hamilton has scored points in four of the first five races in 2022, but his best finish of P3 came back in March.
14 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Sir Lewis Hamilton has revealed that racing in the midfield having become accustomed to winning is “still racing,” just not as he knows it.

Red Bull adviser Dr Helmut Marko joked that Hamilton “should have stopped” last year after his onerous weekend in Bologna, while 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve said the Briton is “not coping at all” with the changes caused by the ground effect aerodynamics.

Hamilton labelled such remarks “disrespectful,” but confirmed that they will only drive him forward. “That’s a part of life, naturally I’ve seen some of the things [from] people I’ve grown up admiring and even people in the sport that have come out with certain comments, some disrespectful, some just not particularly respectful of my name.”

‘Bounce Back Fuel’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...o-bounce-back/


Lewis Hamilton insists he is 'fuelled' by criticism and that he will 'come back stronger' following poor start to the Formula One season and retirement jibes from Red Bull chief Helmut Marko
Lewis Hamilton is already 58 point off the lead of the world championship
Published: 09:43, 7 May 2022
By Dan Ripley for MailOnline

Lewis Hamilton has vowed to prove his doubters wrong following one of his poorest starts to a Formula One season. 'People always love you when you're up, and love to kick you when you're down - and that's a part of life,' he stated.

“I've seen some things that people I've grown up admiring as a kid and even in my sport, that have come out with certain comments. Some disrespectful. I take that as fuel, I put that into the pot and I turn it into a positive and I'm going to come back stronger. We are going to come back stronger as a team.”

“Four, five, six, seven, ten bad races are not going to stop me doing what I love doing. They're not going to stop me in my tracks. I've been racing 29 years and have had way more difficult times than this and always bounced back. So it's not how you fall, it's how you get up. For those people it just highlights that nothing is going to stop me in my tracks.”

‘Criticism fuels, ‘Come Back Stronger’!’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-stronger.html

LECLERC HAS LEAD, VERSTAPPEN MOMENTUM BEFORE SPANISH GP.
The defending Formula One champion has chipped away at Leclerc’s advantage by stringing together consecutive victories, reducing the difference to 19 points ahead of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
18/05/2022, 10:38
By JOSEPH WILSON

The sixth event of the season promises to be yet another episode of the Red Bull vs. Ferrari rivalry that has completely eclipsed Lewis Hamilton’s struggling Mercedes.

“It’s not a surprise that we may have a package in Barcelona, which will be important for us,” Binotto said. “I hope the package we are introducing is working as expected and in that case, it can be a good boost in order to try and catch up the current gap we’ve got to the Red Bull.”

When Verstappen's car has not failed him, he has managed to get the better of Leclerc, a rival of his since the days they drove go-karts as youngsters.

‘Chipping Away Momentum’;

https://racing.ap.org/article/lecler...tum-spanish-gp


Ferrari motivated by extraordinary omen as F1 records to set to be broken - Spanish GP stats and facts
Ferrari are the most successful constructor here with eight victories and are seeking their first win on Spanish soil in nine years.
Wednesday 18 May 2022 17:30
GPFans Staff & Sundaram Ramaswami

If Sainz can claim the top step on Sunday, apart from it being his maiden race win in the sport, he’ll also become the fourth driver to win their home race in the hybrid era after Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc has an unenviable record on home soil, but for Carlos Sainz, it’s quite the opposite. The latter has a 100% points-scoring rate in Spain.

Sainz has had to suffer a few retirements this year but his last 4 race finishes have all produced podiums. Ferrari have taken pole position at this circuit on 7 occasions, the last of which came in 2008. Each time they’ve done that, they've won the Constructors' title that year.

‘Ferrari Omens’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/82...ats-and-facts/


Sainz determined to win in front of home crowd at Spanish GP.
19/05/2022, ‎07‎:‎00
Author Anna Francis

It has been a difficult start to the 2022 season for Carlos Sainz, but the Spaniard is being spurred on by the possibility of success in front of the local fans at the Spanish Grand Prix.

"The goal, as in every other race weekend, is to extract the maximum out of our car and try to win the Grand Prix," he explained.

"The fact that it's my home race makes it even more special because of all the fans and the support we get there, but in terms of goals, we need to always push and fight for the best result possible."

‘Goal to Extract the Maximum’;

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-dete...-at-spanish-gp


Verstappen explains why Spanish GP will be a special weekend for him
18/05/2022, ‎17‎:‎00
Author Tom Leach

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was the scene of Verstappen's first-ever Formula 1 victory on his maiden weekend for Red Bull. The then-18-year-old had only recently been promoted from sister team Toro Rosso when he saw Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton crash out of the race ahead of him.

"I have a lot of good memories at the track, from my first win in Formula 1 back in 2016 when I was 18. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going from the last few races with a clean start from Friday onwards."

"Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a track that we all know very well as a team, due to the amount of testing we have done there over the years so, unlike Miami, we have a substantial amount of data to use ahead of the race.”

‘Know the track so well’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...eekend-for-him


Verstappen: I’ve had some time to rest
18 May, 2022
Paul Velasco

After his sensational victory at the sweltering Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen looked like he needed a long rest and that’s what he got ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix where he starts as favourite.

Previewing the weekend in Barcelona the Red Bull driver said: “We had an incredible week in Miami, I’ve had some time to rest with my family since and now I’m looking forward to driving in Barcelona again.”

In contrast, Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez has a best finish of fourth in Spain, when he did so in 2017 but will fancy his chances of changing that record and, if the stars align for him, a victory is not out of the question, particularly if Max hits trouble in the sister car.

‘R & R’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...-prix-preview/


F1 LIVE - Perez sets sights on Spanish GP gift for newborn son
Wednesday 18 May 2022 16:45
GPFans Staff

Perez's new addition ahead of Barcelona

Sergio Perez has an extra incentive to secure a positive result at the Spanish Grand Prix having announced the birth of his newest child.

The Mexican previewed the weekend by saying: "Since Miami, I have had a new baby, Emilio, so it would be amazing to welcome him to the world with a great result." Congratulations Checo!

‘Perez Sets his sights on a positive result’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/67...r-newborn-son/


Mercedes targets 'another step forward' in Spain but Hamilton questions progress
18 May 2022
Ben Issatt

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is hoping for "another step forward" at the Spanish Grand Prix after learning the lessons from Miami. Wolff is hopeful the push to solve the W13's problems will continue in Barcelona. “With the third quickest car underneath us, we extracted the maximum points possible in Miami,” the Austrian reflected in his Spanish GP preview.

While Wolff thinks Mercedes is on the path to progress, star driver Lewis Hamilton is less optimistic. “Unfortunately not," he said on if Miami had been a "positive step" for the team.

“We’re the same speed as we were in the first race and we just haven’t improved in these five races. But I’m hopeful at some stage we will. We just have to keep trying and keep working hard.”

‘After five races, speed is the same as the first race’;

https://www.insideracing.com/index.p...tions-progress


Will Mercedes give up on their W13? Spanish GP F1 talking points
18 May 2022
F1 Connor McDonagh

Last chance saloon for the W13. The F1 Spanish Grand Prix could be the last chance for Mercedes to salvage the W13. Mercedes debuted their W13 back in the Barcelona test in February, wowing the F1 paddock with their innovative no sidepod concept.

Mercedes hope to use the data they’ve gathered this season to see whether they’ve actually improved since February when pre-season took place. It’s a crucial weekend for Mercedes as they continue to look to find answers about whether their season can be saved. It’s a big weekend for Mercedes.

Another uncompetitive showing from the eight-time champions could spell the end of the W13’s current car concept and thus making this year a potential right-off in terms of competing with Ferrari or Red Bull. On the other hand, Mercedes could find the answers they need, with the introduction of some new upgrades, to get their season back on track.

‘W13 Last Chance Saloon’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/100...talking-points

Mercedes offer first glimpse of vital W13 car upgrades for Spanish GP after private test.
Mercedes have provided a first glimpse of the car upgrades they hope will get their season back on track at this weekend's Spanish GP.
Last Updated: 19/05/22, 7:05pm
By Matt Morlidge in Barcelona

F1's world champions for the past eight seasons have fallen well behind frontrunners Ferrari and Red Bull at the start of 2022's new era and the Spanish GP is crucial as Mercedes both bring much-needed updates, and compare them against the car they debuted at pre-season testing.

The W13 car was rolled into the garage on Thursday in Barcelona and - while there will be much more clarity around the new parts during Sky Sports F1's exclusively live Spanish GP coverage, starting Friday - there are already clues that the Silver Arrows have a few tricks up their sleeve.

There also appears to be subtle changes to the floor, an area of weakness for the porpoising Mercedes so far this year, with the edge of the floor tweaked on the W13. The changes follow a filming day for Mercedes at Paul Ricard on Wednesday, where Sky Sports understands Mercedes shook down the car they intend to run this weekend.

‘W13 Upgrades Glimpsed’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...er-secret-test


Ferrari to bounce back this weekend? 2022 Spanish Grand Prix: what to watch for
F1 May 19th 2022, 10:47.
Author Edward Hardy

F1-75 is easier on the harder tyre compounds, will this come in handy for the Spanish Grand Prix? With its many turns, mostly mid-to-low speed, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is well known to be hard on the tyres.

The Spanish GP in recent years has been a two-stop race, so efficient tyre use is crucial for this weekend. Pirelli will be supplying teams with the C1 compound as hard tyre, C2 for the mediums and C3 for the softs – the hardest compounds for each tyre. This should come in handy for Ferrari – as pointed out by Mark Hughes, the F1-75 fires up the front rubber more readily than the Red Bull.

With the Ferrari getting its tyres up to a more efficient temperature quicker than the RB18, the two-stop strategy could favour the F1-75. Considering this, the signs point to a successful weekend for the Scuderia but we’ll just have to wait and see.

‘F1-75 Scuderia Favourite?’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...-to-watch-for#


Spanish Grand Prix Picks and Predictions: Ferrari Fights Back in Blossoming Title Race
Publishing date: May 19, 2022
Author of the article: Alistair Corp

The European portion of the F1 calendar and a new phase of the season will get underway in Barcelona this weekend, with Spanish Grand Prix odds favourite Max Verstappen looking to continue to make up ground in the title race.

Adding a layer to race weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya is the importance this race has to the calendar. As the location of preseason testing, a track that has been in on the calendar for years, and one that’s fairly varied in its characteristics, it’s where teams will begin to bring in major upgrades to that season’s car.

This season has been defined by the blossoming title fights contested between Red Bull and Ferrari — and their drivers Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Red Bull and Verstappen have the lead in wins, 3-2, while Ferrari and Leclerc have the lead in points, fastest laps, and pole positions. The fight appears to be one that will swing back and forth depending on the circuit and in saying that, Spain should see Leclerc extend his championship lead after Verstappen made major grounds in the previous two races.

‘Picks and Predictions’;

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/spo...ing-title-race


Max Verstappen: “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going” in Spain
May 19, 2022, 19:08
By Paul Hensby

Max Verstappen will look to continue his remarkable 2022 run of winning every time he finishes in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver has won three of the opening five races – as well as the sprint race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – but retired in the other two races in Bahrain and Australia. He currently sits second in the Drivers’ Championship behind Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

After an ‘incredible’ week racing in Miami last time out, Verstappen is heading to Barcelona, the scene of his maiden Formula 1 victory back in 2016, with a lot of confidence, and he hopes the momentum Red Bull has had in recent races can continue.

‘Keep the momentum going’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...oing-in-spain/


Verstappen: It’s all going to be about car development
20 May, 2022
Editor

Max Verstappen said ahead of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix that the race towards this year’s Formula 1 Title will be all about car development. Verstappen however is not concerned about his team’s development and said: “There’s plenty left in the tank!

“There’s always things we can do better, and I think at the moment the main one for us is reliability, so we’ll just try to get on top of that first. “I think we just have a team working really well on-track, but also back at the factory, it’s very efficient, and I think that, of course, with the cost cap is very important.”

“But I think we’re definitely one of the best on the grid with that,” the reigning World Champion added. “I expect us to do well here, but of course, you have to wait and see what the other teams are going to bring. We’ll see. I’m pretty relaxed. It’s a long season and I know that it’s all going to be about development in the car anyway. So, step by step, every race,” he explained.

‘Title will be all about car development’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...r-development/


Major Aston Martin F1 car upgrade revealed before Spanish GP
Thu, 19 May 2022, 18:33
The Race
By Scott Mitchell

Aston Martin’s significantly revised Formula 1 car has broken cover ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix with major visible changes. The AMR22 has a completely different sidepod design and a new floor as part of a package designed to solve its porpoising problem and help it step out of the lower reaches of F1’s midfield.

Team principal Mike Krack had previously hinted upgrades designed to improve its situation would be ready in time for this weekend’s race and that has been confirmed by images on Thursday at Barcelona showing a dramatically different AMR22 in the pitlane.

The most striking change is the elimination of the aggressive ‘twin-floor’ style sidepod, replaced with a more conventional sidepod undercut at the front and a wide, flat top surface that angles down all the way towards the rear tyres. As a consequence of the new design, the cooling louvres have been repositioned from the top of the sidepod to the back of the monocoque and onto the engine cover.

‘AMR22 Upgrade’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/major...re-spanish-gp/


Haas drivers face seven-race wait for team’s ‘quite big’ upgrade package
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
Posted on 19th May 2022, 14:22

Haas is planning to bring a significant upgrade for the French Grand Prix, team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed. Several of the teams’ rivals are expected to run upgrades at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. But the Haas drivers will have to wait another seven races for the team’s first significant change to its car.

“You will see when we bring the upgrade it’s everywhere,” said Steiner. “We will make a nice package. I wouldn’t say ‘everywhere’, that’s exaggerated, but quite a big one. It’s not just a turning vane or something like this, it’s quite a few changes.”

“It’s not only the upgrades, it’s also you understand the car better,” he explained. “You make improvements. Especially this year it’s difficult to say with the bouncing because if you have bouncing you are really slow. Then if you sort that one out you go really fast.”

‘Seven Race Upgrade Wait’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/19/...grade-package/

Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in 1st practice for Spanish GP.
Leclerc posted a session-leading lap of 1 minute, 19.828 seconds. Defending world champion Max Verstappen had the third best time at 0.336 seconds off Leclerc´s pace in his Red Bull.
Published: 14:28, 20 May 2022
By Associated Press

MONTMELÓ, Spain (AP) - Formula One leader Charles Leclerc and Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz set the fastest times in the first practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix on Friday. Ferrari is hoping that upgrades it has brought to Spain can help it match the race speed that Red Bull has enjoyed in the last two races, when Verstappen beat Leclerc.

Mercedes´ George Russell was fourth, followed by Alpine´s Fernando Alonso in fifth and Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes in sixth.

Teams often roll out major upgrades at the Spanish GP with a handful of races already in the bag and this well-known circuit, where teams also test in winter, is perfect for gauging progress.

‘Ferrari 1-2’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...panish-GP.html


Stewards hand down verdict on Alonso/Hamilton incident
20/05/2022, ‎16‎:‎10
Author Mike Seymour

Fernando Alonso has escaped with a reprimand after being investigated for impeding Lewis Hamilton during first practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. Alonso was found guily of blocking Hamilton at Turn 12 in Friday's first session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, landing him his first reprimand of the season.

"The stewards reviewed video evidence and determined that the driver of car 14 was driving slowly on the racing line between Turn 12 and Turn 13 and unnecessarily impeded car 44, requiring car 44 to take avoiding action," read the stewards' explanation.

"Consistent with the drivers' request for the stewards to enforce impeding during P1 and P2 this season, the stewards issue a reprimand (driving)."

‘Alonso/Hamilton incident’;

https://racingnews365.com/stewards-h...ilton-incident


Mercedes drivers receive new power units for Spanish GP
20/05/2022 at 16:04
Phillip van Osten

Mercedes has allocated new power units to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Brackley squad's engine swap includes for each driver a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), a new Turbocharger, Motor Generator Unit-Heat (MGU-H) and Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K).

Mercedes has also fitted a new Exhaust System to both its cars. As the changes are the first undertaken by the team this season, no penalties apply.

‘New Mercedes Power’;

https://f1i.com/news/441631-mercedes...panish-gp.html


Spanish Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results
20/05/2022 at 14:15
Michael Delaney

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.828s 27
2 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:19.907s + 0.079s 27
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:20.164s + 0.336s 28
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:20.590s + 0.762s 28
5 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1:20.768s + 0.940s 24
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.811s + 0.983s 27
7 Lando Norris McLaren 1:21.279s + 1.451s 24
8 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1:21.422s + 1.594s 23
9 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1:21.737s + 1.909s 23
10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:21.814s + 1.986s 28

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona, round 6 of the 20221 Formula 1 World Championship;

https://f1i.com/news/441589-spanish-...results-3.html

Leclerc leads Mercedes drivers in second Barcelona practice.
Charles Leclerc was quickest in the second practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix ahead of the two Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
2022 Spanish Grand Prix second practice
Posted on 20th May 2022, 17:20
Written by Will Wood

Just as he had been in the opening session in the afternoon, Leclerc was fastest of all on the soft tyres to cap off a promising start to the Barcelona weekend for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz Jnr was fourth, with Max Verstappen fifth quickest in the Red Bull.

Position Number Driver Team Model Time Gap Laps
1 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari F1-75 1’19.670 29
2 63 George Russell Mercedes W13 1’19.787 0.117 27
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W13 1’19.874 0.204 25
4 55 Carlos Sainz Jnr Ferrari F1-75 1’19.990 0.320 31
5 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull RB18 1’20.006 0.336 27
6 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault A522 1’20.203 0.533 25
7 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull RB18 1’20.632 0.962 30
8 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR22 1’20.703 1.033 31
9 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault A522 1’20.745 1.075 27
10 47 Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari VF-22 1’20.757 1.087 25

‘Ferrari 1-4, Mercedes 2-3’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/20/...lona-practice/


(FP2) Second Practice Results – 2022 Spanish Grand Prix.
Barcelona, Spain
20th May 2022, 17:02.
by Emer Hedderman

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1/Spanish+GP


Spanish Grand Prix 2022 - Practice 2
Live Commentary

https://live.planetf1.com/liverace


LIVE UPDATES: F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Friday Practice

Follow Friday practice for F1's Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with Crash.net's live blog;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/100283...riday-practice


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from first practice for the Spanish Grand Prix
20 May 2022

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...cdvI1MhGS.html


LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix
20 May 2022

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...rYp5QCRVV.html


Wolff hoping for ‘mini milestone’ at 2022 Spanish Grand Prix
20 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff heads to the Spanish Grand Prix full of hope that his team can overturn their deficit to Red Bull and Ferrari.

The Silver Arrows have struggled under the new technical regulations this season, and have managed a best finish of third through Sir Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain, and George Russell in Australia.

These results, however, have been a result of reliability failures for Red Bull and mistakes from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, and they have generally been way off the pace of the leading two teams.

‘Mini Milestone’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/wolff-hop...sh-grand-prix/

Delighted Hamilton says Mercedes upgrade has brought rivals within range.
Lewis Hamilton is hopeful Mercedes can get within range of Ferrari and Red Bull after their new aerodynamic package gave promising results in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Written by Keith Collantine
Posted on 20th May 2022, 17:52

Mercedes have been as much as a second per lap slower than Ferrari and Red Bull over the opening races of the season. However, they ended Friday practice at the Circuit de Catalunya second and third on the times sheets.

Hamilton said the first day of running with the updated car had been “positive” for the team. “I’m super-happy with the progress so a big, big thank you to everyone back at the factory for not giving up and for continuing to push. We’re not the quickest yet but I think we’re on our way.”

George Russell set the second-quickest time of all, a tenth of a second off pace-setter Charles Leclerc. Hamilton lapped within a tenth of a second of his team mate.

‘W13 Positive’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/20/...-within-range/


Everything that happened in second Spanish GP F1 practice
20th May 2022, 17:07
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race

Ferrari’s Formula 1 championship leader Charles Leclerc completed a clean sweep of Spanish Grand Prix Friday practice sessions, as Mercedes produced another strong FP2 showing.
Key moments:
– Leclerc quickest but chewing through tyres
– Mercedes duo in top three
– Alonso stars in sixth for Alpine
– Short sessions for Bottas and Norris

‘Spanish GP F1 practice Review’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/every...p-f1-practice/


Why Ferrari’s pace may flatter to deceive, and teams face a tricky tyre decision
2022 Spanish Grand Prix Friday practice analysis
Posted on 21st May 2022, 0:27 |
Written by Will Wood

The 2022 edition of this race promises to be the most volatile race weekend in Barcelona for some time due to a myriad of factors that revealed themselves after the first day of running on Friday.

Despite being slower than both Ferraris in both Friday sessions, Verstappen seemed happy with his day’s work and how the Red Bull appeared to perform over the 55 laps he completed around the Barcelona circuit over the course of the day. Especially given that he had the fastest average lap time on the long runs at the end of second practice out of the Red Bulls, Ferraris and Mercedes.

Red Bull’s optimism explains why Leclerc seemed more cautious than might have been expected, given that he was the fastest in both sessions. “Our qualifying runs don’t look bad, but we have some work to do, in particular on our race pace and on tyre management,” Leclerc explained after Friday’s running.

‘Tyre Management’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/20/...tyre-decision/


5 things we learned from Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix
20 May 2022
F1 Correspondent & Presenter
Lawrence Barretto

Chants of ‘Fernando’ and ‘Carlos’ rang out at a bustling Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday, as an impressive crowd – keen for success from one of their own in Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz – watched the teams gather data on their 2022 machines, many of which were heavily updated, ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. Here are five things we learned from the two 60-minute practice sessions…

Mercedes appear to have turned a corner
Red Bull leading the way in race trim
Ferrari hold the edge on low fuel
Alpine and McLaren fighting for best of the rest
New Aston Martin shows potential

‘Five Observations’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...AfEVk9Cyk.html


Spanish GP: Leclerc quickest, Mercedes in the mix in Practice 2
20 May 2022, 17:25
Ben Issatt

The Ferrari driver made a two-tenth improvement on his best time in the first session as he posted a 1m19.670s on soft tyres.

Right behind, the two Mercedes' once again showed signs of their potential with George Russell second and Lewis Hamilton third.

Carlos Sainz was fourth in the second Ferrari ahead of Max Verstappen as the top five was separated by just a third of a second.

‘In the Mix’;

https://www.insideracing.com/index.p...-in-practice-2


Red Bull plan internal investigation over whether information leaked to Aston Martin
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 20th May 2022, 18:52
Written by Keith Collantine

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is planning an internal investigation to discover whether Aston Martin received information on the design of their RB18.

Aston Martin turned up at the sixth round of the championship with an upgraded car bearing several striking similarities to the Red Bull. Horner suggested Aston Martin had copied the RB18, but the FIA confirmed the team had shown they had designed the new parts.

“They’ve followed a timeline and they’re accepting of what Aston Martin have presented here,” Horner told Sky. “Of course if any evidence of foul play came to light, it becomes a different issue.”

‘Internal Investigation’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/20/...-aston-martin/

Leclerc recovers from a spin to take Spanish GP pole for Ferrari
Formula 1 championship leader Charles recovered from a spin on his first run of Q3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to post blistering final flying lap of 1:18.750 to claim pole position.
MAY 21, 2022 in Motorsport

2022 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.750 -
2 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:19.073 0.323
3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:19.166 0.416
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:19.393 0.643
5 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1:19.420 0.670
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.512 0.762
7 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 1:19.608 0.858
8 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 1:19.682 0.932
9 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 1:20.297 1.547
10 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 1:20.368 1.618

‘Qualifying Review’;

https://www.racecar.com/news/95693/m...le-for-ferrari


F1 – Leclerc on pole for Spanish Grand Prix as Verstappen hits trouble
21.05.22
FIA

Formula 1 championship leader Charles recovered from a spin on his first run of Q3 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to post blistering final flying lap of 1:18.750 to claim pole position for the 2022 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen who suffered a power loss at the start of his final lap. Carlos Sainz will start his home grand prix from third place on the grid alongside Mercedes’ George Russell.

‘Blistering Final Lap’;

https://www.fia.com/news/f1-leclerc-...n-hits-trouble


Leclerc: Ferrari still needs to get on top of tyres to win Spanish GP
May 21, 2022, 4:34 PM
By: Jonathan Noble

Charles Leclerc thinks his pole position for Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix will count for little if his Ferrari team does not get on top of its recent tyre degradation struggles.

"I am in a strong position to start the race, but we've been struggling with tyres in the last few races compared to Red Bull," he explained.

"Max is just behind and if we don't manage those tyres well we will lose that. So we need to get on top of it and do a good job tomorrow with tyre management."

‘Ferrari tyre degradation weakness’;


Verstappen optimistic after DRS failure hinders Spanish GP qualifying
Max Verstappen was beaten to pole in Spain by Charles Leclerc after a DRS issue late on.
21 May 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Verstappen cannot say whether pole was on the cards had he been able to complete his second Q3 lap, but he certainly would have loved to be able to complete it having missed out on a final run for the second race running.

“I mean it’s always difficult to tell but yeah I couldn’t do my final run,” he explained. “Either the DRS didn’t open or I just lost power so it’s bit of a shame but I think to be on the front row for us here looking at the whole weekend so far, it was a good achievement.”

The reigning champion is aware that his car is better on its tyres than the Ferrari is, but he also maintains that the Circuit de Catalunya is a very difficult track to pass at – 22 of the 32 races in Barcelona have been won from pole.

‘Max Optimism’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/verstappe...gp-qualifying/


Lewis Hamilton “gutted” to lose out to George Russell in F1 Spanish GP qualy
21 May 2022
Lewis Larkam

Lewis Hamilton says he is a “little gutted” to have lost out to Mercedes teammate George Russell during qualifying at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion finished sixth in qualifying at Barcelona, just over a tenth of a second and two places behind Russell, who secured Mercedes’ best Saturday result so far this season.

“We don’t have bouncing in a straight line which is a huge improvement for us and the car has generally been nicer this weekend. We do have some bouncing through high speed corners like Turn 3 and Turn 9, so we need to keep working on that and see if we can improve it and gain a bit more downforce elsewhere.”

Lewis Hamilton: “I am a little gutted because I wanted to be further ahead. You’ve seen George is further ahead than me. But I will keep pushing.”

‘Gutted, will keep pushing’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/100325...-gp-qualifying


F1 fans taunt Lewis Hamilton with George Russell banner at Spanish Grand Prix
19:06, Sat, May 21, 2022
By CHARLIE GORDON

After five races, Hamilton is already 23 points behind Russell, who was expected to do little more than cling onto his partner's coat tails during his debut season with the Silver Arrows. Aside from an unlikely podium in the season's curtain-raiser, Hamilton has endured a frustrating few weeks.

At Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, one group of spectators unveiled a huge banner which read: "HAMILTON! RUSSELL IS FASTER THAN YOU." Indeed, that has broadly turned out to be the case since the start of the new season, and Saturday's session in Spain proved much the same.

When Sunday's Grand Prix gets underway, Hamilton will attempt to avoid being beaten by his much younger team-mate for a fifth successive race. Indeed, Russell is the only driver in the entire field to have finished in the top five on every occasion this year.

‘Frustrating weeks’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ish-grand-prix