Lewis Hamilton is knighted after F1 title fear
Speculations about Lewis Hamilton’s future in Formula 1 continue to dominate the sport ahead of the coming 2022 season, with the seven-time world champion remaining silent since his controversial defeat in Abu Dhabi.
The FIA received the most criticism after Max Verstappen took his first title on the final lap of the season. Meanwhile, Race Director Michael Masi’s decision-making is under further investigation. Stefan Johansson is the newest ex-driver to wonder if athletic integrity has been sacrificed for entertainment.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner insisted that the sport should “go away” after the drama in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes also tweeted a cryptic picture of Hamilton with the caption: “Resistance lets some break; others to break records, ”in the clearest indication so far that the Briton will be back for another attempt to break Michael Schumacher’s record.
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Russell on “emotional” F1 moments
George Russell is aiming for more podiums in the 2022 season as he moves to Mercedes.
With his two defeats in Bahrain, he talked about moments in his Formula 1 career when bad luck or performances were “emotionally brutal”.
“These are the four moments in my three years that struck me and that were pretty brutal emotionally,” Russell told Autosport. “It was easy to learn to deal with. You often feel like you’ve let the whole site down if you make a mistake and don’t let it drain you [is vital] Because in order to win a championship, you ultimately have to compete over 23 races.
“You may have a bad race in the first race, but you need to recover from it. Or maybe you have a bad race in the middle of the season – it can’t affect the races that follow.
“So [you must] almost forgot, carry on and try to concentrate on the next race, because memories are short-lived in Formula 1. I look back on Bahrain with no frustration or harsh feelings. I think that made me a stronger driver. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 11:40 am
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The reaction of fans to the 2021 season was “scary”
F1 supporters are still debating the end of the 2021 season after Max Verstappen controversially won the world title.
He and Lewis Hamilton started the last race tied and had everything to play for. Hamilton led the majority of the race until Nicholas Latifi crashed and a safety car was deployed. Race director Michael Masi let the race go on and allowed some cars to lap one lap before the end.
This allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton and claim the crown. Some fans were outraged when some Latifi even sent death threats for crashing, and the reaction has been described as “scary” by former commentator Alexey Popov.
He told Championat.com: “I always thought Formula 1 was different from football, for example. I was very happy and proud that we have much smarter fans who respect each other.
“Respectful to the drivers who are cheering them on, but also to the other drivers and their teams. This year it was just scary at times: I see people talking crap about each other. To be honest, this is not Formula 1 that I was once proud of. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 11:20 am
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Everything you need to know about the 2022 season
The 2022 campaign kicks off in Bahrain with many changes to the teams, including moving from George Russell to Mercedes.
Max Verstappen will try to defend his controversial title in Abu Dhabi and if Lewis Hamilton pulls out he could start a new rivalry with another driver.
But when does the new season actually start and who are the drivers? Find out below:
Sarah Rendell7 January 2022 11:00
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Ricciardo “jealous” of the battle of Verstappen Hamilton
Daniel Ricciardo said he was jealous that Max Verstappen was fighting Lewis Hamilton for the world title because he wanted to have the championship in his hands.
The Aussie never won the title, GPFans said, “Of course I’m jealous. But I’ve been jealous for eight or nine years. It’s nothing new, but of course it’s exciting to think of.
“For me, like everyone else, I’m a fan, I’m a driver, but I’m still a fan of the sport. It’s been great and put aside envy, it’s great for F1 to fight the battle. I can’t remember a year when two guys stood side by side in so many races. I feel like 75 percent of the races have been wheel to wheel at some point, so it’s pretty awesome. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 10:40 am
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Lord Peter Hain says the 2021 season “perverted result” is ending
Labor colleague Lord Peter Hain says Lewis Hamilton would be “bad for the sport” if Max Verstappen refused his eighth world title.
Hamilton was overtaken on the final lap of the last race of the season and Hain believes this shouldn’t have happened.
He told The Express: “This is not good for the sport. It can be exciting and it can be dramatic. It may win the crowd that Formula 1 craves, but long-term thinking about the sport’s credibility and integrity.
“As a lifelong Formula 1 fan, I thought it was a perverse result.”
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 10:20 am
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Perez has to improve
Sergio Perez had a great 2021 season at Red Bull adding several podiums to his career record.
The star says the only path open to him on the team is now that he has the state of the country.
“Well, we already have a baseline to work from and improve on, so that makes a big difference,” said Perez, as quoted by GPFans.
“I already know the people. I already know who to ask what and how to get the best out of every single person around me. That is a completely different picture. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 10:05 am
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Was it hit or miss?
Max Verstappen certainly thinks so, but he says that if Red Bull had been lucky for the entire season, Lewis Hamilton would not have looked.
Verstappen overtook Hamilton on the last lap of the last race of the season and won his first world title. Circumstances were contentious but the Dutchman said it was time for it to go its own way.
“It’s always difficult to really use the right word for it, but you need a bit of luck in life, and I think I wasn’t really lucky in the season until then – otherwise I would see the championship” were said much earlier decided, “Verstappen told Sky.
“Luck came at the right time for me and then of course you have to take advantage of what we did as a team.”
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 9:58 AM
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Ocon wants to bring performance “higher”
Esteban Ocon had a memorable 2021 season with his first GP win in Hungary, but says he wants to improve on that for the 2022 season.
The Alpine rider says that it is in the small details that the team increases the level of their performance.
He told Motorsport.com: “I want to take it to an even higher level next year. I’m happy with how we ended the season. We drove well, had good conversations and kept improving as an athlete. That’s what I’m looking for as an athlete.
“As a team, we are honest with each other. When the boys think it’s me If I have to do something better, I would love to hear it. You shouldn’t hesitate, because that’s exactly why I can take a new step. It’s the little details. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 9:50 AM
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Mercedes said they should have signed Lando Norris
Norris wasn’t available for Mercedes when he re-signed for McLaren. Jack Nicholls said on the F1: Checkered Flag podcast: “If I’m Mercedes and have a free choice next to Hamilton in this second seat, I think after this year I’ll prefer Norris over Russell.”
Jolyon Palmer added, “I’ll go with Jack, I’ll go with Lando. It was unbelievable how he stopped Lewis Hamilton at the end of the race in Sochi until he lost his strategy and tire choice.
“For a guy who has never won a race, to have a seven-time world champion in a Mercedes on his neck …
“Then it starts to rain and he’s still off the road a few times, crawling around, but we keep all of Hamilton, we all know how good he is in the wet behind him. It was really legendary Norris stuff I think. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 9:43 AM
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Wolff describes how to fix F1
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says that Formula 1 has to make more changes than just “replacing the race director”.
“That is a bigger problem, my values are simply not compatible with the decisions made,” said Wolff of the Spanish subsidiary of Motorsport.com.
“It’s not just about replacing the race director. The whole decision-making system needs to be improved. It’s one thing to drive hard and have different views between drivers and teams, that’s normal. But inconsistent decisions inevitably lead to controversy, much of which is completely unnecessary. “
Sarah RendellJanuary 7, 2022 9:36 AM
