F1 LIVE as Lewis Hamilton given investigation update and Red Bull ‘breaks’ Perez

Formula One preview: A lap of the Australian Grand Prix

With the summer break upon us, several teams will be assessing how they bounce back to form when Formula One returns. Mercedes are among those that will be working around the clock to find ways to try and close the gap on Red Bull, with Lewis Hamilton’s recent fears being at the forefront of conversations.

The Brit will also be keen to make progress in his contract extension negotiations with the German team, though neither party are fearful of talks breaking down and in a rush to shake hands on a deal.

Hamilton will be hoping that during the length of his new contract, if agreed upon, he will return taste success once again. The 38-year-old has not won a single race since his triumph in Saudi Arabia two years ago, with Max Verstappen’s dominance making it difficult for any team to have true hope of success currently.

Red Bull have continued to improve over the season and look prepared for an extended spell at the top of the rankings, though it has emerged that it has come at the cost of Sergio Perez’s mentality, his former rival has revealed. Express Sport brings you all the latest…

Don’t miss… Donald leans to Europe’s winning Ryder Cup formula after naming vice-captain[LATEST]

Hamilton investigation update

Mercedes chief technical director Mike Elliott has insisted that the bouncing experienced by Lewis Hamilton at the Belgian Grand Prix was not caused by their latest car upgrades.

Hamilton raised concerns after the race on Sunday in which he finished fourth and said that the team were porpoising like last year, which Toto Wolff said the team would ‘investigate’.

However, in the team’s official debrief, Elliott has revealed that he believes the issue was caused by the surface at the Spa rather than the vehicle.

He said: “The question we need to ask ourselves is, how much of it is just the circuit we were at in Spa and how much is to be found in setup? Because, obviously, it was a wet race weekend, a weekend where we had no dry running up until the point we were actually racing.

“We will also take a really good look at the upgrade kit and make sure that we’ve not introduced bouncing with that but, at the moment, our belief is it is probably a result of setup or the circuit itself.”

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Source: Read Full Article