Lewis Hamilton have still both managed to secure one podium place each. But Mercedes are yet to seriously compete for a victory this season and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has already built up a 34-point lead in the drivers’ championship.
Meanwhile, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is hopeful the team can “start again from zero” after reliability failures cost them a host of points in the opening three races of the season. Both Perez and Max Verstappen looked in contention for a podium place in the first race in Bahrain before engine problems saw both of them fail to finish. They then enjoyed a successful weekend in Saudi Arabia as Verstappen won and Perez came fourth. But in the next race in Australia the issues from Bahrain showed themselves again as Verstappen was forced to retire his car when he looked poised to take second place.
Follow all the latest F1 news and reaction after a thrilling start to the 2022 season.
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Pierre Gasly doesn’t want to lose “iconic” Monaco Grand Prix
The circuit has been a permanent fixture of the F1 season since 1955 but there have been calls to get rid of the street track as the qualifying order usually determines the race result. But Gasly has defended the circuit and wants it to remain on the billing.
“That would be a bit of a shocker if Monaco gets taken out of the calendar,” Gasly said as per Motorsport.com. “It’s probably the most iconic race in the world.
“Talking to non-F1 fans, everyone had heard about Monaco for various reasons, whether it’s racing, whether it’s party-related, whether it’s all of the action that happens around the grand prix. It’s a very iconic weekend.
“I think, and I really hope, we get to experience it as drivers because it’s probably the toughest track of the season, the most challenging, and is my favorite one.”
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 18:00
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George Russell has laid back approach ahead of racing
Mercedes driver George Russell says he doesn’t get hyped up before a Formula 1 race and likes instead to feel chilled.
Russell, who joined Mercedes at the start of the season, is second in the driver standings after bagging his first podium at the Australian Grand Prix. He has spoken about all he pre-race rituals.
“I’m not one of those ‘I need to listen to this, I need to get in the zone’, because I feel like your body is in this excited, almost angry state when you’re hyping yourself up and you’re almost anxious I feel.
“So I’ve almost got the opposite approach, I like to be calm, I like to be relaxed, I like to go about it as if it’s any other day, I feel like I perform best when I’m calm and I’ m relaxed and I don’t put any pressure on myself.
“I listen to a bit of music in the morning on the way into the track, nothing crazy, say hello to everyone, have a coffee, chill out and to be really honest, that’s about it.”
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 17:30
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Williams close to fixing key car issues
Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson says the team are close to solving their porpoising issues.
The team have been struggling this year but they bagged their first points of the season when Alex Albon managed to fight from P20 to P1 at the Australian Grand Prix.
“In terms of the ride height and the set-up, the porpoising, we are getting pretty close to operating in the right kind of window now,” he said as per GPFans.
“If we get it a little bit wrong we risk damaging the floor so that is probably our limit, we are pretty close to where we want to run it.
“I think the rest of it, other than that one little balance issue we are trying to sort out, we just need a bit more load, that will help get the tires in the window and make us quicker everywhere.”
Williams will be able to see if they have struck the right balance on April 24 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 17:00
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Mercedes working hard on car to deliver results
Toto Wolff’s team haven’t had the best start to the season with only two podium finishes. It’s thought seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton is becoming frustrated with the car’s issues, particularly as he wanted to be challenging for a record eighth title.
Despite the sluggish start, Mercedes are second in the constructors title with Hamilton’s teammate George Russell runner-up in the driver standings. And Vowles says the team are dedicated to improving the car ahead of the next race on April 24th.
“I often think people see the race team on TV and think that’s the entire team. It’s not,” he said via the Express. “We are fortunate to have a base in Brackley, and in Brixworth, with hundreds of people working every hour they possibly can to make this racing car fast, competitive and a championship winner.”
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 16:30
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Charles Leclerc has proved he is on Max Verstappen’s level
The Monegasque driver has claimed wins in Bahrain and Melbourne already this season as Ferrari have set the benchmark with their pace under the new regulations.
Leclerc already holds a 34-point advantage over second place George Russell in the drivers’ standings, with Verstappen down in sixth after failing to finish two of the three races so far.
And Klien feels Leclerc’s performances at the start of the 2022 season are showing his supreme talent as a driver.
Speaking to Servus TV, he said: “Leclerc already showed what he can do against Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari at the beginning of his career.
“Okay, Carlos Sainz is also good, but now the car is good enough to win, Leclerc’s exceptional talent comes to the fore. It’s like Verstappen, he has that quality, too.”
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 16:00
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Hamilton could be thinking of switching teams
Hamilton has been on the podium once this campaign, a third place finish in Bahrain, leaving him in fifth in the driver standings. The British driver would have been targeting a record eighth title this season but he is currently 43 points behind leader Charles Leclerc.
“George comes from a team with little or no success. He had some good results in qualifying but not in races. All these achievements with Mercedes are new to him. Everything feels super-good,” Hakkinen told Unibet.
“For Lewis, this is a disaster. And with George being ahead, it’s even worse. I wonder how Lewis behaves in the team meetings – I bet he’s sulking. I can imagine the sulking. There’s lots of complaining and whining.”
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 15:30
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Max Verstappen’s name helps Red Bull with deals, says Marko Helmut
“Max Verstappen is certainly an important figure in the whole chess game,” Marko told Formel.de. “It’s not absurd for manufacturers to look at that and in that respect it was important for the team to be able to say, ‘Look, we have the fastest and best driver tied up’.
“In this world, there are always talks and attempts to bring someone in. If you have a guy like that in the team, it acts as an incentive for other team members and partners.”
Read the full story here which includes details around the team’s 2026 potential deal with Porsche:
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 15:00
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When is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
The Formula 1 is back this weekend after having a week off following the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month.
So far the star has won two of the opening three races and is currently 34 points ahead of second place George Russell. Defending champion Max Verstappen will bid to get his season back on track after having to retire from two races. He did bag a win in Saudi Arabia but the disappointing ends in Bahrain and Australia sees him in fifth.
But what is happening on each of the days in the race weekend and how can fans watch? Read our piece for all the information you need:
Sarah Rendell18 April 2022 14:30
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George Russell remaining cautious despite ‘pretty crazy’ second place in F1 standings
Russell overtook Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to move into second after picking up his first podium for Mercedes in the Australian Grand Prix. So despite his team’s slow start to the season, the results have Mercedes in a good spot. Russell, along with teammate Lewis Hamilton, have them in second in the constructors title.
“Somebody told me that and I didn’t believe them,” he told Sky. “It’s pretty crazy to think but this is a championship based on results and not necessarily based on pace.”
Mercedes are working on their car in between races, with the F1 returning at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on 24 April, in a bid to help both drivers’ seasons.
Russell says the changes won’t be found overnight but that Mercedes can continue to get good results in the meantime.
“We know if we want to keep that position we need to find more performance in the car and I believe in my team back at base to be able to bring more performance but it’s going to take a lot of time,” Russell added. “For the time being, let’s just keep capitalizing.”
Karl Matchett18 April 2022 14:00
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AlphaTauri back Tsunoda to improve over second half of 2022
AlphaTauri Team Principal Franz Tost has backed Yuki Tsunoda to deliver a big progression step in the second half of the season, if the team provide him with a “fast and reliable car”.
The Japanese driver debuted last season and started well before falling off significantly, citing his own fitness levels as not sufficient for the demands of F1 and vowing to improve.
But Tost says the youngster is within expectations and improving nicely, with further steps to come.
“First of all, Yuki wasn’t as bad in physical condition as he thinks,” said Tost. “Every driver thinks that he is not fit enough and then of course he has to increase his physical training. And it’s also difficult to do physical training for a Formula 1 driver. The best training is always driving the car.
“Yuki, he may have underestimated some training sessions which he should have done [in 2021], but he did it and then he improved a lot. He took it seriously, he was training twice a day, he had a lot of lessons with the engineers to learn also the technical side.
“And Yuki improved a lot; you can also see [in practice for the Australian Grand Prix] although he is here for the first time, he showed a very good performance, and he is on a very good path. He is absolutely within schedule, and I expect a very good season – especially in the second half if we provide him with a fast and reliable car.”
Karl Matchett18 April 2022 13:28
