F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton comments punished, Red Bull boss makes jibe

03/10/2023

Hamilton opens up on plans to remain in F1 ahead of new season

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It’s just a week to go before the second round of the Formula One championship roars into life in Saudi Arabia. Red Bull have the advantage after the first race as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez dominated proceedings in Bahrain.

However, a lot’s happening off-track in the break with three-time champion Nelson Piquet reportedly set to be fined for making racist comments about Lewis Hamilton. O Globo has claimed the Brazilian could be hit with a £1.6milion penalty after using the N-word to describe Hamilton back in 2021.

Piquet publicly denied any wrongdoing and denied there was any racist intent behind the comments. Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Helmut Marko has written off the Silver Arrows after their new concept failed at Sakhir.

Helmut Marko has suggested the German manufacturer have “lost their way” and had taken a “step backwards” over the winter. But, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner still lists Mercedes as a potential threat for 2023 once they get on top of their design flaws.

Button set to join NASCAR later this month

Jenson Button has confirmed he will join NASCAR for a three-race run starting later this month.

Button will be joined on the grid by fellow legend Kimi Raikkonen who announced his intention to race at the venue earlier this week.

Button’s entry comes as he prepares to drive a NASCAR machine at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

As the deal was confirmed, Button said: “Two F1 world champions in a NASCAR race. Who would have ever predicted that?

“A lot of people think I’m crazy for doing this because it’s so different, but that’s why I love the challenge of it.”

Piquet punished for Hamilton remarks

Brazilian media outlet O Globo has claimed Nelson Piquet will be hit with a £1.6million fine after making remarks about Lewis Hamilton.

Piquet called Hamilton a “neguinho” on TV while describing his 2021 British Grand Prix collision with Max Verstappen.

He also used homophobic language to describe the seven-time champion in a separate interview.

It is understood action was taken against him by the LGBT+ Alliance and under pressure from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Federal District.

Red Bull makes Mercedes comment

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko feels Mercedes have “lost their way” as the Silver Arrows lacked pace to the frontrunners at the opening race of the season.

He stressed the team had “more than one obstacle” to take after a dismal performance in race one.

Marko added: “They have not made any progress compared to last season. If you look at the gaps, it was even a step backwards.

“They seem to have lost their way somewhere. I am curious to see what they will do now. Because of the cost cap, it’s such a problem to develop the car routinely.”

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