Wolff accepts 'reality' that Mercedes F1 car is off the pace
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff accepts the “reality” that their Formula One car is not good enough to challenge their main rivals this season. “We understand, crystal clear,” Wolff said on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Wolff's comments came a day after seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes was so far off the pace that he would need three teams to fall out of a race just for him to have a chance to win.
news.yahoo.comMercedes, McLaren admit difficulties on Day 2 of F1 testing
Max Verstappen is displaying his speed in Formula One testing while Mercedes and McLaren struggle. The defending champion wasn't quite the fastest Friday in his Red Bull on the second day of preseason testing — that was Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu — but the Dutchman was only .04 seconds behind and looked consistent on longer runs simulating a race distance. Fernando Alonso was third-fastest to continue an impressive start at Aston Martin, while Carlos Sainz Jr. was sixth and Charles Leclerc was eighth for Ferrari.
news.yahoo.comHamilton and Russell crash in qualifying, Verstappen on pole
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both walked back to the paddock after separate crashes, while Formula One leader Max Verstappen narrowly won the pole for the sprint race ahead of both Ferraris. The sprint race sets the starting lineup for Sunday’s grand prix. Verstappen earned his third pole of the year, while Hamilton was chasing his first since the penultimate race of last season.
news.yahoo.comZhou involved in frightening 1st-lap crash at British GP
Zhou Guanyu was involved in a frightening first-lap crash Sunday that brought the British Grand Prix to an immediate halt as safety crews attended to the only Chinese driver in Formula One. Zhou's car slid upside-down across the gravel and his Alfa Romeo seemed to be wedged between fencing and a tire barrier at the first corner. The race was red-flagged and George Russell, one of the drivers involved in the crash, sprinted from his car to the tire barrier to check on Zhou.
news.yahoo.comHamilton's raised Mercedes bounces champ to needed podium
It was the roar of the fans that Lewis Hamilton missed, and so it was fitting that when he most needed a boost, he heard it from the largest crowd in Canadian Grand Prix history. Montreal is, after all, the site of Hamilton’s first Formula One podium. The new Mercedes built to F1’s 2022 specifications is miserable to drive; Hamilton’s back hurts from all the bouncing, in part because Mercedes rides it low to the ground for maximum performance.
news.yahoo.comBumpy ride: Mercedes aided ahead of F1's Canadian return
Record crowds are expected to welcome Formula One back to Canada following a two-year pandemic pause, and the series returns to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal attempting to rectify the aches of Mercedes and its 37-year-old champion. The FIA on Thursday at last addressed the “porpoising” effect that has bogged down several of the new 2022 cars, most notably Mercedes and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. “My back is killing me!” Hamilton at one point screamed over his radio last Sunday.
news.yahoo.comHamilton, Russell question safety of bouncing F1 cars
Lewis Hamilton said he woke up in pain Saturday because this season's Mercedes car has a tendency to bounce up and down at high speed. Now the seven-time Formula One champion and new teammate George Russell have questioned whether new 2022 rules force them to compromise their safety. Hamilton said his “back was a real mess” after Friday practice and credited performance coach Angela Cullen for getting him in condition for Saturday qualifying.
news.yahoo.comEye-popping day for Hamilton at Monaco GP as Leclerc cruises
Lewis Hamilton can still race with his jewelry intact. “It feels like my eyeballs are coming out of their sockets,” Hamilton said after a pair of practice sessions around Monaco's downtown streets. Hamilton has been at odds with Formula One's governing body since the FIA ruled drivers cannot compete while wearing jewelry.
news.yahoo.comFerrari driver Charles Leclerc wins Formula 1 Australian GP
Riding high after a decisive victory for Ferrari in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Charles Leclerc’s belief in the team's prospects are growing by the race. A grand prix billed as a showdown between Leclerc’s Ferrari and the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished with the Monaco driver as a one-sided winner. The 24-year-old Leclerc extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 34 points while claiming his second win of the season after victory in the season-opening race in Bahrain.
news.yahoo.comF1 in Saudi Arabia shifts from human rights to rebel attacks
Hours after Formula One drivers voiced concerns about a race already dogged by human rights issues, Saudi Arabia’s war with Yemen landed on F1's doorstep when Houthi rebels attacked an oil depot near the glittering Saudi track where they were racing.
Leclerc wins Bahrain GP as Verstappen retires near the end
Formula One champion Max Verstappen’s title defense turned into a nightmare when the Red Bull star retired near the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix and Ferrari clinched a 1-2 with Charles Leclerc winning ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton took an unexpected third place after Sergio Perez’s Red Bull also retired with the finish line in sight as the race finished under a yellow flag.
Hamilton wins Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for 93rd F1 win
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain holds up the trophy on the podium after winning the Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, in Imola, Italy, Sunday, Nov.1, 2020. (Miguel Medina, Pool via AP)IMOLA – Runaway championship leader Lewis Hamilton overcame a sluggish start to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday for a record-extending 93rd Formula One victory. “Seven times champs, something to tell my grandchildren,” said Hamilton, who also clinched an extra point for the fastest lap. The safety car remained on the track following another crash as George Russell lost control and slammed into the track barriers. “It was an exhausting race, the speed we were having to go after a poor start," Hamilton said.
Hamilton wins his 91st F1 race to match Schumacher's record
Hamilton gets the helmet as a gift from Michael Schumacher's son Mick because he equals Schumacher's record of 91 wins in the Formula One. (Bryn Lennon, Pool via AP)NÜRBURG – NÜEven Lewis Hamilton once saw Michael Schumacher's record of 91 wins in Formula One as unbeatable. Hamilton took a big step closer to matching Schumacher's record of seven titles too after his teammate Valtteri Bottas failed to finish with an engine problem. Hamilton started faster than Bottas and had the inside line into the hairpin bend at turn one. After Hamilton matched Schumacher’s record in front of a German crowd at a track where Schumacher won five times, he can surpass it on a track where F1 has never raced before.
Bottas fastest in final practice at Tuscan GP, Hamilton 3rd
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland steers his car during the third practice session ahead of the Grand Prix of Tuscany, at the Mugello circuit in Scarperia, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. The Formula One Grand Prix of Tuscany will take place on Sunday. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, Pool)MUGELLO – Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas completed a sweep at the Tuscan Grand Prix when he posted the fastest time in third and final practice ahead of qualifying later Saturday. But Bottas test drove here with Williams back in 2012 and so far has looked more assured than Hamilton, who hasn't driven here before. Hamilton looked set to beat Bottas when he led on the first time split, only to fall back in the second and third sectors.
Hamilton wins Belgian GP, now 2 behind Schumacher's record
Race winner Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain, right, speaks with second placed Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland after the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020. (Stephanie Lecocq, Pool via AP)SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS SPA-Lewis Hamilton led from start to finish at the Belgian Grand Prix to clinch his 89th career win and move two behind Michael Schumacher's Formula One record on Sunday. I can imagine its definitely not the most exciting (race), Hamilton said. Hamilton is favorite to win a seventh title to tie Schumacher's record. When Hamilton crossed the line, the forest was eerily silent and the only sound was his engine.
Bottas on pole for Silverstone GP ahead of teammate Hamilton
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland steers his car during the qualifying session at the 70th Anniversary Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit, Silverstone, England, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein,Pool)SILVERSTONE Valtteri Bottas edged out Mercedes teammate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton to claim pole position Saturday for Formula One's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. It gave Bottas his first pole since the opening race of the pandemic-delayed season in Austria, which he went on to win. Hamilton won the next three races from pole, including last weekend in the British GP, to extend his championship lead over Bottas to 30 points in his quest for a record-equaling seventh world title. Giuseppe Farina drove an Alfa Romeo to victory at Formula Ones first world championship race, here at Silverstone 70 years ago.