F1 LIVE: Ferrari wait anxiously on Carlos Sainz penalty verdict
F1’s governing body will hold a hearing on Tuesday to address Ferrari‘s request to review the time penalty given to Carlos Sainz Jr. at the crash-marred Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA said a virtual hearing will take place Tuesday after Ferrari initiated a right of review in the hope of overturning the five-second time penalty handed to Sainz. The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso on Lap 1 of the final grid restart, leading to the third red flag of a chaotic race on April 2 and a one-lap restart behind a safety car. Only 12 of the 20 starters finished the race.
The penalty demoted Sainz from fourth place with 12 points scored to 12th place and no points. Sainz is in fifth place in the standings with 20 points after three races.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton’s remarks about Red Bull’s car this year have been dismissed by Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series and Guenther Steiner reveals why he dropped German driver Mick Schumacher.
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FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Carlos Sainz Australian Grand Prix penalty
12:30 , Kieran Jackson
Formula One‘s governing body will hold a hearing on Tuesday to address Ferrari‘s request to review the time penalty given to Carlos Sainz Jr. at the crash-marred Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA said a virtual hearing will take place Tuesday after Ferrari initiated a right of review in the hope of overturning the five-second time penalty handed to Sainz.
The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso on Lap 1 of the final grid restart, leading to the third red flag of a chaotic race on April 2 and a one-lap restart behind a safety car. Only 12 of the 20 starters finished the race.
The penalty demoted Sainz from fourth place with 12 points scored to 12th place and no points. Sainz is in fifth place in the standings with 20 points after three races.
Ferrari was frustrated that the penalty was handed out without race stewards hearing from the drivers and also because it had no bearing on the podium positions, since cars are not allowed to overtake behind a safety car and the last lap was a procession to the finish line.
FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Sainz Australian GP penalty
Mick Schumacher’s crash on ‘slow lap’ in Japan was final straw, says Guenther Steiner
11:28 , Kieran Jackson
Gunether Steiner has revealed that a crash on a ‘slow lap’ in Japan last October was the final straw as he dropped Mick Schumacher from a race seat at Haas.
Schumacher joined Haas as a rookie in 2021 but only scored his first points last year at Silverstone as he struggled for consistency, particularly in 2022 compared to team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
The 24-year-old, son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, also cost his team a lot of money in repairs after high-cost shunts in Saudi Arabia and Monaco.
But it was a crash on an ‘in-lap’ at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka which sent team boss Steiner over the edge, as he reveals in his new book Surviving to Drive.
“It happened on the f****** in-lap,” Steiner said.
More below:
Mick Schumacher crash on ‘slow lap’ in Japan was final straw, says Guenther Steiner
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s Red Bull comments with jab at Mercedes
10:58 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has hit back at George Russell’s claims that Red Bull were “holding back” with a jab at Mercedes.
Russell suggested after the Australian Grand Prix that he felt that Red Bull still had more speed to come despite a dominant start to the new Formula 1 season that has seen the team take three successive race victories.
The Mercedes driver alleged that Horner’s outfit were deliberately trying to lessen their winning margins to avoid the FIA making tweaks designed to limit Red Bull’s performance.
Team principal Horner has now responded to Russell’s comment by reminding the British driver that it used to be Mercedes leading the field by a distance. A run of eight consecutive Constructors’ Championship crowns for Mercedes came to an end in 2022, Russell’s first season at the team.
“That’s very generous of him,” Horner said of Russell’s theory. “He’d know too well from his team about those kinds of advantages.”
Christian Horner hits back at George Russell’s comments with jab at Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title under threat as Felipe Massa assesses legal options
10:39 , Kieran Jackson
Felipe Massa has sensationally revealed he is looking into legal options to overturn the result of the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship – won by Lewis Hamilton.
The Brazilian driver, then racing for Ferrari, missed out on that year’s title by a single point in dramatic circumstances at the final race in Brazil as Hamilton – then driving for McLaren - claimed the point he needed on the final lap in wet conditions.
Yet new remarks, by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, on that year’s infamous ‘Crashgate’ scandal in Singapore has encouraged Massa to assess all his potential options as to whether the Championship result could be overturned, 15 years on.
Massa, now 41, stated: “I intend to study the situation, study what the laws say and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.”
More detail below:
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title under threat as Felipe Massa assesses legal options
Charles Leclerc pleads with fans not to gather outside his home in Monaco
10:21 , Kieran Jackson
Charles Leclerc has urged supporters not to gather outside his home in Monaco, insisting there is a “boundary that should not be crossed.”
The Ferrari star, who is from Monaco and still lives in the principality, posted a stern warning on his Instagram story after his address became public online, with fans gathering beneath his apartment and ringing his doorbell.
“Hey everyone, for the past few months, my home address has somehow become public, leading to people gathering beneath my apartment, ringing my bell, and asking for pictures and autographs,” Leclerc said.
“While I’m always happy to be there for you and I truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.
“I’ll make sure to stop for everyone when you see me on the streets or at the track, but I won’t be coming downstairs if you visit my home.”
Charles Leclerc pleads with fans not to gather outside his home in Monaco
Daniel Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
09:59 , Kieran Jackson
Daniel Ricciardo revealed he is “full steam ahead” with a new scripted F1 series – and casting will begin “pretty soon.”
The Australian, who was dropped by McLaren at the end of last year, is not on the Formula 1 grid in 2023 and instead occupies a third driver role at world champions Red Bull.
The 33-year-old is confident he can find a seat to return to the sport next year but admitted during numerous appearances at the Australian Grand Prix that he has enjoyed prioritising off-track endeavours so far in 2023.
One such activity has been the creation of a new scripted F1 series on American streaming service and Disney-owned platform Hulu, which was first announced last June.
Ricciardo, one of the stars of Netflix’s behind-the-scenes F1 documentary Drive to Survive, will be the executive producer of the as-of-yet unnamed show.
A fictional Drive to Survive? Ricciardo ‘full steam ahead’ with scripted F1 show
George Russell compares new Mercedes car to ‘lame horse’
09:56 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes driver George Russell has compared driving the W14 Mercedes car to riding a “lame horse”, in a recent interview with the German publication Bild.
For the second successive year, Mercedes’ car hasn’t been up to scatch; the team went into panic mode after the first race of the season in Bahrain in March, where they found themselves six-tenths away from pole position. Russell finished P7 and his teammate Lewis Hamilton finished P5.
Team principal Toto Wolff admitted they had followed the wrong development path with the W14 and changes were swiftly implemented. Performances improved in the next two races, with Russell just finishing outside podium places in the Saudi Arabia race and Hamilton finishing the Melbourne GP in P2.
Russell said that comfort, rather than speed, is the issue with the W14.
“It is comparable to riding a horse. A Mercedes is a faster horse than a Williams. Riding a horse from A to B and it doesn’t zig is like sitting in a Formula 1 car that suits your driving style. One merges into another,” he said.
George Russell compares new Mercedes car to ‘lame horse’
Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing claim about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
09:54 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton’s statement that this year’s Red Bull car is the “fastest he’s ever seen” has been dismissed by Max Verstappen.
Red Bull have won three out of three races to open up the 2023 season, with Verstappen victorious in Bahrain and Australia and Sergio Perez triumphant in Saudi Arabia.
In all three grand prix, the RB19 has been rapid and in some cases a second-a-lap quicker than the rest of the field.
This led Hamilton to state after the race in Jeddah last month that he’s “never seen a car so fast”, adding: “When we [Mercedes] were fast, we weren’t that fast. That’s the fastest car I’ve seen compared to the rest.”
Yet double world champion Verstappen, while unbothered by the comparison, believes last year’s world champions are yet to create an aura of dominance like Mercedes did during 2014-2021, when they won eight straight Constructors’ titles.
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Lewis Hamilton’s surprising statement about Red Bull pace dismissed by Max Verstappen
FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Carlos Sainz Australian Grand Prix penalty
09:52 , Kieran Jackson
Formula One‘s governing body will hold a hearing on Tuesday to address Ferrari‘s request to review the time penalty given to Carlos Sainz Jr. at the crash-marred Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA said a virtual hearing will take place Tuesday after Ferrari initiated a right of review in the hope of overturning the five-second time penalty handed to Sainz.
The Spanish driver was given the penalty after colliding with Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso on Lap 1 of the final grid restart, leading to the third red flag of a chaotic race on April 2 and a one-lap restart behind a safety car. Only 12 of the 20 starters finished the race.
The penalty demoted Sainz from fourth place with 12 points scored to 12th place and no points. Sainz is in fifth place in the standings with 20 points after three races.
Ferrari was frustrated that the penalty was handed out without race stewards hearing from the drivers and also because it had no bearing on the podium positions, since cars are not allowed to overtake behind a safety car and the last lap was a procession to the finish line.
FIA hearing to decide on Ferrari appeal over Sainz Australian GP penalty
