F1 news – Hamilton tipped to do a Schumacher, Mercedes ‘civil war’
Saudi Motorsport make further changes to Jeddah Corniche F1 Circuit
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The build-up to this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is already well underway, with Lewis Hamilton aiming to recover from his disappointing fifth-placed finish in Bahrain last time out by targeting a podium finish on the streets of Jeddah. The Brit looks set for another turbulent campaign due to Mercedes’ lack of pace but will be hopeful that things will improve for the Silver Arrows when they travel to the Gulf state later this week.
It seems as though Mercedes will struggle to challenge Red Bull on a consistent basis over the course of this season, with the Austrian outfit clearly the quickest team on the grid after securing a dominant one-two finish in Bahrain earlier this month. Mercedes recently vowed that they will not panic if their sluggish pace continues in a rare open letter to fans, with Toto Wolff and his colleagues doing everything in their power to stop the rot by working hard to find some much-needed performance gains at the team’s Brackley headquarters.
“It hurt the team as a whole, after pouring so much hard work into a car that hasn’t met our expectations,” read the letter, which was published in the aftermath of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
“And we know it hurt you, our fans, too. Your passion and support are so important in driving us forward – and we know that we feel the same pain. We won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions. In a spotlight as fierce as F1, people are quick to point fingers, or look for scapegoats. But you know us better than that.”
However, F1 expert Craig Scarborough has suggested that not all is well internally at Brackley with a ‘civil war going on’ between Wolff, Hamilton and the teams’ mechanics.
Meanwhile, Martin Brundle has suggested Hamilton could consider following the path set by Michael Schumacher, leaving Mercedes to build up another team like Ferrari back into world champions.
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Adrian Newey plays down chances of Red Bull dominance
Adrian Newey has suggested that Red Bull’s victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix was not as comfortable as it initially appeared with a lot going on in the cockpit.
The legendary engineer also suggested that the lack of wind tunnel time would soon come back to haunt his team as it would give others a chance to catch up.
“I’m sure it won’t be as strong as that weekend,” he told Sky Sports. “At Bahrain, it was one of those typical duck’s feet paddling under the water, it wasn’t quite as smooth on the outside as it might have looked.
“But these things can swing round very quickly. If we had more wind tunnel time we would use it so other teams having more than us, must help”.
Fred Vasseur coincides speculation impacting Ferrari
Fred Vasseur has admitted that talk of problems within Ferrari has had an impact on those within the team as he sought to move on from the issues.
That said the former Alfa Romeo boss insisted he was sure that the team would overcome their current issues with his focus still on the task at hand.
“I would be tempted to smile, if this kind of statements did not have an impact on the group,” Vasseur told French publication AutoHebdo. “Personally, it doesn’t affect me, because I know what I want to achieve and I will achieve it.
“I have John [Elkann, Ferrari president] and [CEO Vigna] Benedetto on the phone every day, and I know what they expect from me. I have resources and decision-making power that I have never had elsewhere. This is the reality of the facts.”
Russell sends message to Mercedes fans
George Russell has sent a message to Mercedes fans on Twitter as he thanked them for their support over the past few weeks.
The Brit hinted that more positive developments would be coming in the future with the team working hard behind the scenes.
“Hey guys,” he said. “Here in Brackley, just jumped out of the SIM in preparation for Saudi. Everybody in the factory is working absolutely relentlessly at the moment to try and get the team, all of us, back to where we want to be. Where Mercedes is meant to be.
“Definitely got some exciting things in the pipeline so thanks for all your support, and see you this weekend”.
Brundle: Bahrain Grand Prix would have been a ‘shocker’ for Mercedes
Martin Brundle has suggested that the Bahrain Grand Prix would have ‘shocked’ Mercedes chiefs after falling behind Ferrari and Aston Martin.
The Sky Sports pundit also implied the Silver Arrows had not made enough changes from last year, leading to their poor performance.
“We know that Mercedes and Aston and Ferrari were pushing quite hard racing each other. So that would have been a shocker,” he explained on the Sky Sports podcast.
“They sort of massaged the W13 all through last year and ended up winning Brazil, but it was a challenging car and I think many of us expected to see something quite different turn up in Bahrain.
“But it wasn’t really it was an evolution of last year’s car. I think Toto and Lewis are saying: ‘this is not right, this doesn’t feel right, we’re not going in the right direction here’. And the stopwatch never lies in that respect.”
Lewis Hamilton tipped to do a Schumacher
Martin Brundle has suggested that Lewis Hamilton may be considering the opportunity to ‘do a Michael Schumacher’ by leaving to help convert another team like Ferrari back into worked championship contenders.
The legendary German infamously left Benetton for Ferrari in 1996 laying the foundations for the team to dominate F1 for five seasons between 2000 and 2004.
“There are a lot of good reasons to stay at Mercedes,” Brundle told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. “He just needs them to tell him how they’re going to sort this out.
“But you know, Senna left McLaren to go to Williams, Schumacher went off to Ferrari didn’t he and it took a long, long time, but he made that work. So these great drivers are not scared of going somewhere and then galvanising and getting a lot of new people around them and making something happen.
“I think there must be part of Lewis that thinks. I’d love to go to Ferrari and do a Michael Schumacher, if I can’t win my eighth or ninth right now. Why don’t I go and have some fun there?
“I’m sure these are all playing in his mind and he will be talking to his dad and his management team about where do we go from here and that will be exacerbated by the dismal performance in Bahrain”.
James Vowles still asking Toto Wolff for advice
New Williams team principal James Vowles has admitted he still asks Toto Wolff for advice despite leaving Mercedes over the winter.
However, he also stressed that he is asking questions of other team bosses as he gets used to his new role.
“There’s definitely dialogue,” Vowles said of his relationship with Wolff. “He and I have had a working relationship together for… I was trying to think of how long it was for, 13, probably 12 years.
“As a result of that, you simply don’t let go of those relationships overnight. For what it’s worth, I have very good relationships up and down the paddock with most team principles.
“I have the same with Fred [Vasseur], I’ve known him for many, many years. Otmar [Szafnauer] I’ve known for many years, the same with Andreas Seidl and Zak [Brown].
“So whilst the relationship with Toto is incredibly strong as a result of working directly, and I’m asking questions of him, I’m also doing the same with many others up and down the paddock as well.
“So far, everyone has been supportive. That may change in time.”
Red Bull launch unique simulator
Formula One fans can get their hands on a unique F1 simulator with Red Bull launching one built into an RB18 show car.
The RB18 was dominant on the track last season as Max Verstappen surged to the world title and now fans can bring one into their homes.
However, they do come at a huge cost. The Champions Edition comes with a ridiculous £99,999 price tag while the cheaper Race Edition is £74,999 meaning they are likely out of reach for most of us.
Mercedes ‘civil war going on’
Mercedes look to be at ‘civil war’ according to Formula One technical expert Craig Scarborough.
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton both heavily criticised the W14 following the Bahrain Grand Prix something Scarborough believes shows internal difficulties.
“You’ve got Toto and Lewis saying that we’re going to develop a completely new concept for this car to make it win races,” he said while appearing on Peter Windsor’s YouTube channel.
“You do wonder how much these kinds of snappy comments in the press are related to what the engineers are doing. Everyone back at Brackley is trying to decide what to do to get this car to be competitive.
“And you have to guess, given their success over the past decade, that they know how to do that. So there’s almost like a civil war going on.”
Williams hire new COO
Williams have recruited Frederic Brousseau as their new COO according to Autosport as the team continues their restructure.
He spent 26 years in the aerospace industry and has a detailed knowledge of supply chains.
New Team Principal James Vowles has wasted no time making changes as he tries to prevent his team from finishing last for the second season in a row.
His current focus is finding a new permanent technical director with Dave Worner currently filling the role in the interim.
Leclerc ‘makes call on Ferrari future’
Charles Leclerc is keen to tie his future down to Ferrari despite their calamitous start to the season, according to reports in Italy.
There had been murmurs that the Monegasque was weighing up his options as reliability issues continue to hamper the team’s push for the top prizes.
Leclerc retired on lap 39 of the Bahrain Grand Prix as Carlos Sainz took fourth.
Despite rumours of discontent behind the scenes, Leclerc is supposedly keen to extend his stay at the Prancing Horse beyond his current contract, which expires at the end of 2024.
Toto Wolff stung by Eddie Jordan
Ex-F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has laid into Mercedes boss Toto Wolff for his eye-opening comments after the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Wolff ordered major changes to the concept of the W14 and called it ‘one of the worst days of racing’.
Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, via PlanetF1, Jordan responded: “He’s the CEO, he’s the boss. The buck stops with him. This is happening under his watch.
“To blame or criticise anybody in his design team is actually disingenuous. It’s really crass. I hate to hear that, because he must be a man, stand up and take it on the chin and say, ‘my team, my people, we have failed to get the job successfully done at this moment’.”
Alonso retirement plan ‘leaked’
Fernando Alonso’s girlfriend claims that the F1 star’s Aston Martin contract is likely to be his last.
The 41-year-old proved that he still has what it takes to mix it with the big guns by claiming an unlikely podium in Bahrain to kick off the season.
Alonso is contracted to Aston Martin until the end of next season when, according to his partner Andrea Schlager, he is expected to walk away.
“He currently has a two-year contract and it will most likely be the last,” she told ServusTV.
London Grand Prix ‘could be held in 2026’
Plans to stage a Grand Prix in east London have advanced to the point that it could be held as early as 2026, according to The Independent.
An environmental group and a consultancy firm have proposed to rejuvenate an area around the London Docklands by creating a 3.64-mile circuit with average speeds of 127mph.
The idea of a London Grand Prix had previously been floated by former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, and it is claimed that it would be in addition to the pre-existing British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s F1 contract clause
Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to be asked to attend the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
The Sun claim that his presence at the race forms part of his mega-money £173million-per-year deal with Al-Nassr, who he joined last year.
Ronaldo is the biggest name to ever play for a Saudi club and he has made a fast start on the pitch with eight goals in seven matches.
He could be in the stands to witness Max Verstappen attempt to make it two wins from two this year, after clinching P1 in Bahrain last weekend.
Steiner dismisses Netflix show
Guenther Steiner has talked down the importance of Netflix show Drive to Survive after receiving backlash for his comments on Mick Schumacher.
The youngster lost his Haas seat at the end of last season after harsh criticism from team boss Steiner was caught on camera, including calling him ‘f***ing slow’.
Despite playing a prominent role in the series, Steiner has since said: “Put yourself in my shoes, the best is they don’t show anything, but is that good? No. So you don’t get involved directly with your own performance because I’m not an actor. It’s not acting. I don’t judge if I act good or not.
“I’m judged on what we achieve at the race track, not if Netflix looks good or bad. I don’t really care about that.”
Vasseur eases Ferrari fears over crunch meetings
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has assured fans that meetings between drivers and team chiefs were always part of the plan.
Reports indicated that Charles Leclerc called for talks with Ferrari chairman John Elkann after a frustrating Bahrain Grand Prix that saw him fail to finish.
Vasseur claims that the meeting represents nothing out of the ordinary and more are planned for the coming weeks.
“We spoke with the drivers, Elkann and [CEO Benedetto] Vigna after winter testing, and we will all speak again together after Imola,” he told Auto Hebdo. “These meetings are planned.”
Ferrari crisis deepens
Ferrari could soon be forced to deal with another high-profile departure if race director Laurent Mekies walks away from the team amid internal discontent over the leadership style of CEO Benedetto Vigna.
That’s according to Formu1a.uno, who are reporting that Mekies is desperate to leave his role after growing disillusioned with the management approach from the very top.
It comes just days after it was revealed that chief aerodynamicist David Sanchez had tendered his resignation ahead of an expected move to McLaren later this year.
Hamilton warned by Red Bull
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has insisted that Lewis Hamilton will have no chance of winning this year’s end-of-season honours due to Mercedes’ lack of pace in comparison to their title rivals.
Marko told RTL: “They can forget about the world title. [Mercedes don’t have] one problem, but several.
“The solution didn’t come over the winter either. You can’t design two or three cars. If a completely new car comes along now, it will be difficult from the financial limits.
“And the new car won’t be competitive from the start, you have to develop it further. They don’t have the three days of testing and the racing experience.”
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