F1 driver George Russell’s message to Williams after Mercedes switch
Lewis Hamilton’s return to social media for the first time since the 2021 F1 season finale in a team promotional video for Chinese New Year has fans speculating the British racer will also return to the grid for next season – prompting some fears of retirement appeased . Now it’s his new team-mate’s turn to take the spotlight as George Russell joins Mercedes this year – and Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko wonders if he really has the race pace to compete at the highest level.
For Red Bull themselves, their No.1 driver and reigning world champion Max Verstappen faced rumors of an exit earlier in the week amid claims he could switch to rivals Mercedes. Red Bull, of course, denied that, implying that too much had happened between the teams for that to be feasible. All teams are now preparing for the new season in their new cars, and further testing is scheduled for the coming weeks.
Here’s the very latest news as the new season prepares for its opening weekend in Bahrain on March 20th. Follow all F1 news updates below:
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“Lots of optimism” about Ferrari’s engine, the report said
Spanish newspaper Marca report that Ferrari is exuding “a lot of optimism” about its upgraded engine for the 2022 season.
The Italian manufacturer long ago put all its eggs in the basket for 2022, focusing its development and resources on the long-term goal of being at the forefront of competition for the new era of F1.
The combination of Ferrari’s purchasing power and their ability to write off the last few seasons to focus on 2022 has led many observers to believe they could be a serious contender once the seasons start in Bahrain in March.
Haas and Alfa Romeo also run Ferrari engines and could benefit enormously from a successful upgrade.
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 11:00 am
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Full car launch dates for eight F1 teams
So Red Bull will be tackling a series of auto starts in 2022 next Wednesday 9th February after announcing this morning that they will be a day ahead of Aston Martin and be the first team to sign their challenger for introduce the new campaign.
All teams except Williams and Haas have committed to dates where they will also unveil the result of all their hard work. These are the dates as of now:
February 9: Red Bull RB18
10 February: Aston Martin AMR 22
February 11: McLaren MCL36
February 14: Alpha Tauri AT03
February 17: Ferrari F1-75
February 18: Mercedes W13
February 27: Alfa Romeo C42
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 10:42 am
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Two teams have yet to announce autostart dates
Eight Formula 1 teams have now announced the dates when they will launch their challengers for 2022, two are still pending.
Haas and Williams have spent the last few seasons at the bottom of the F1 grid and are hoping to use the regulatory reorganization to push themselves further up the grid.
Williams has made significant changes since being bought by Dorilton Capital in 2020, including hiring Jos Capito as team principal and signing Alex Albon to replace Mercedes-bound George Russell.
Haas, meanwhile, has the lowest budget of any team on the grid but has opened a new facility at Ferrari HQ in Maranello, Italy.
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 10:24 am
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McLaren will upgrade at the first race in 2022
McLaren will bring its first car upgrade of the season to Bahrain for the first race of the 2022 season.
This means the car that competes in the Grand Prix on March 20 will be a slightly different version than the one that underwent pre-season testing a fortnight earlier at the same Sakhir International Circuit.
“We know that performance at the first race is crucial and we will be delivering an upgrade package for this event, but we expect there is much more to come,” McLaren F1 Operations Director Piers Thynne said on the team’s website.
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 10:10 am
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Red Bull is first team to launch F1 car in 2022
Red Bull will be the first team to unveil their new car for the 2022 F1 season next week.
The Milton-Keynes squad has announced that its unveiling will take place on February 9th, a day before the launch of Aston Martin.
This year’s car reveals are among the most eagerly awaited in the history of the sport, as a new set of rules means the cars will look markedly different from their predecessors and could upset the competitive order of the grid.
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 9:54 am
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Hamilton’s F1 return will be ’emotional’, says Hill
Lewis Hamilton will find it difficult to continue in Formula 1 if his Mercedes car isn’t competitive next season, according to two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen.
Hamilton’s future in the sport remains in doubt after last season’s controversial end, which saw the 37-year-old miss out on a record-breaking eighth world title against Max Verstappen in the final round of the year.
Hakkinen believes there are still many “question marks” surrounding Hamilton’s future in the sport and his car’s competitiveness next season could be a factor in his decision.
You can read the whole story here:
Dan AustinFebruary 3, 2022 9:39 am
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Mercedes star George Russell has questioned Red Bull’s race pace
Helmut Marko is yet to be won over by Mercedes newcomer George Russell when it comes to the most important factor of all in Formula 1: race day.
The young Brit impressed in qualifying and showed consistency and control with Williams, but Helmut Marko wants to see improvement in Sunday’s sessions, he told Autorevue.
“Let’s see what Mr. Russell will do at Mercedes and whether the praise he has received beforehand is justified,” he said. “I want to see that first.
“There’s no discussion in qualifying, he’s sensational there, but if you look at his race speed he wasn’t far off [then Williams team-mate Nicholas] Latifi.”
Jack RatbornFebruary 3, 2022 9:24 am
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Max Verstappen pushed the Red Bull car “over the limit,” claims team boss
Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Yas Marina Circuit to seal the drivers’ title in dramatic fashion following the intervention of race director Michael Masi.
Marko has led Red Bull’s driver development program since 1999 and helped steer Verstappen into Formula 1.
The 78-year-old praised the world champion for both his driving talent and his will to win, suggesting Hamilton now knows he cannot afford to give way to the aggressive Dutch driver.
“You could see that [Verstappen] driving the car so over the limit, that was visible,” said Marko.
“And in the races, Hamilton should already know that you can’t leave the smallest gap open at Verstappen.
Jack RatbornFebruary 3, 2022 9:21 am
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Lewis Hamilton is accused of challenging Michael Masi to turn Formula 1 upside down.
Lewis Hamilton is accused of ousting Michael Masi from Formula 1 and wanting to turn the sport “upside down”.
The seven-time world champion has not commented publicly on the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Masi’s controversial intervention prompted Max Verstappen to overtake Hamilton and deny the Mercedes driver a record eighth title.
It has since been hinted that Hamilton is considering retiring while awaiting the FIA’s report on events at the Yas Marina Circuit, which could result in Masi being stripped of his role as race director.
Dutch racer Jeroen Bleekemolen believes Hamilton will be back on the grid when the 2022 season gets underway in Bahrain in March.
However, Bleekemolen also believes Hamilton’s influence is so great that changes are being made and warns that “some people are going to disappear”.
Jack RatbornFebruary 3, 2022 9:20 am
