Hamilton speaks out after ‘punishment’ comment as Horner rips into Sky reporter

10/22/2023

F1 preview: A lap at the United States Grand Prix

Max Verstappen collected his sixth victory in the F1 Sprint at the Circuit of the Americas after seeing off an early challenge from Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull star started on pole position and never looked like relinquishing his place as leader of the pack, despite the efforts of the seven-time world champion to stay close to him.

The Dutchman only had 19 laps to complete but still stretched out a nine-second gap to Hamilton, who was in the DRS range for the opening four laps before losing touch with the RB19. He will have a different task entirely for Sunday’s race, however, as he starts sixth after his qualifying lap time was deleted.

Charles Leclerc joined them on the podium after holding off a late fight from Lando Norris, with Sergio Perez recovering from 10th on the grid to complete the top five.

Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell could have no complaints after the Mercedes driver was demoted to eighth following his illegal overtake on Oscar Piastri beyond the white lines, earning himself a five-second penalty from the stewards.

Scroll down for LIVE updates from Express Sport ahead of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix in Austin.

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Verstappen gives brake issue insight

Max Verstappen has offered some insight into the braking issues he was facing after losing time to Lewis Hamilton during the closing stages of the US Grand Prix.

He explained to Sky Sports F1: “We changed the brakes after yesterday and it was not good. I had no good feeling under braking and I couldn’t really get on top of it for the whole race, so this is something we need to understand.

“Of course, around here when you are not very confident under braking, you just don’t have the nice feeling under braking when you come off it. It can cost you quite a bit of lap time and it was a bit more difficult than I expected it to be.

“I normally never really struggle with braking so far in my F1 career, but it was definitely a bit of a problem.”

Norris satisfied as podium streak continues

Lando Norris has brushed off his disappointment after securing an impressive P3 finish behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Texas.

“I’m very pleased,” Norris told Sky Sports F1 after the race. “If before the weekend you said we had the result we have had…I wouldn’t have not believed it, but we didn’t expect it in a way.

“I’m very happy. From leading a race to Lap 25 or 30 almost, you are always like, ‘Could I have done a little bit more’. But when you see how much I struggled compared to Lewis, how many let’s say setbacks he had – two very bad pit stops, I had two very good pit stops. I didn’t have to go through the field.”

Hamilton motivated after P2 finish

Lewis Hamilton is feeling more motivated than ever after challenging Max Verstappen for victory at the US Grand Prix.

Speaking after his second-place finish, Hamilton said: “We were catching towards the end and I was hopeful we needed some more laps. The team did an amazing job this weekend, so much work to bring this upgrade here.

“Honestly it was really difficult after the last race, firstly with everything that is going on in the world and the big mistake I made. I really felt like I let the team down so much.

“I had to go through a real deep process of getting back here. It’s one of those experiences of not how you fall but how you get up. Came in fighting, felt great and really happy with this result.”

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Button: Norris has a chance on lap one

Jenson Button believes that Lando Norris has a good chance of taking the lead at the opening corner of the United States Grand Prix.

“The run-up to Turn One is not an easy one,” the 2009 world champion told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the race.

“As it’s uphill you think you can brake a bit later, but it is very bumpy. Cold tyres and it’s SO wide, so it’s easy to chuck it up the inside and you never know what’s going to happen at the exit.

“You can run wide here at the first corner on lap one and get away with it I think, so looking forward to that. Lando is in a good place.”

Verstappen still unconvinced by sprint races

Max Verstappen remains opposed to the sprint race format despite clinching his latest sprint victory at COTA on Saturday.

“I love it. It’s fantastic! If you want my honest opinion about the sprint weekends, I don’t really get excited by it,” Verstappen explained after the race in Austin.

“In qualifying, I just feel like once you complete qualifying, you’re a bit lost. I feel like we only need one qualifying in the weekend where you really put everything on the line and it feels great.

“Like you put it on P1 [in the sprint shootout] but I’m like: ‘It’s a Saturday, there’s not many points anyway for the race.’

“Besides that, like now, we’ve done this race, everyone more or less knows what’s going to happen between all the cars in terms of pace, so that takes a bit of the excitement away from it.”

Button makes Hamilton prediction

Jenson Button has suggested that Lewis Hamilton could cause problems for Max Verstappen as he attempts to win from sixth on the grid at COTA.

“The only thing that saves us for tomorrow is that Max starts sixth,” Button told Sky Sports F1 after the sprint race on Saturday evening.

“And we can say ‘he’s that much quicker than everyone, it’s going to be easy’. It’s not going to be easy.

“Overtaking here isn’t easy and they proved that in this race. It wasn’t very exciting because it was difficult to overtake. It’s still going to be a challenge for him tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to come up behind Lewis. Would you?”

Edger takes first F1 Academy win

18-year-old Jess Edgar has claimed her first-ever F1 Academy victory, seeing off the threat of Nerea Marti and newly-crowned champion Marta Garcia.

Edgar becomes the third different winner of the weekend and the final winner of the inaugural F1 Academy season.

That result means that the teenager finishes in eighth place in the standings just two points behind McLaren development driver Bianca Bustamente and a further one behind Amna Al Qubaisi.

Four drivers to start US GP from pit lane

Four drivers will start the United States Grand Prix from the pit lane this evening after breaking parc ferme conditions.

Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso both failed to get out of Q1 on Friday and will be running different floors for the race. They’ll be using the session as a test run.

Haas will also be starting both drivers from the pit lane. They brought a major upgrade package to the Circuit of the Americas but struggled to deliver any improved pace.

Both Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will be utilising new setups during the race, so they will be starting from the pit lane when the lights go out.

Norris risks US wrath with ‘cringe’ American trait

Formula One star Lando Norris has revealed the American trait he finds “the cringiest,” and his honest reaction to the Miami Grand Prix, during a recent interview.

The McLaren driver was speaking ahead of the upcoming United States Grand Prix, taking place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas later on Sunday, where he starts second.

Despite impressing on the track, off the track Norris has caused much debate following an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show. The popular Netflix “Drive to Survive” star was taking part in a game of “Lando or Land-no,” where he reveals whether he approves of a claim or is against it.

Following a series of questions, Lando was asked his thoughts on U.S. culture, specifically Americans trying to do a British accent, to which he had a strong opinion. “Oh, it’s like the cringiest stuff ever,” he said.

Verstappen ‘not excited’ by sprint races

Max Verstappen insists his mind has not changed on sprint races despite winning six of his last 11 in F1.

The Dutchman took victory with consummate ease to add another eight points to his championship tally, but the 26-year-old couldn’t resist another pop at the new format.

“I love it. It’s fantastic! If you want my honest opinion about the sprint weekends, I don’t really get excited by it,” Verstappen told reporters.

“Like you put it on P1 [in the Sprint Shootout] but I’m like: ‘It’s a Saturday, there’s not many points anyway for the race’.”

Three drivers join together in FIA demand

Three drivers have called on the FIA to rexamine their approach to track limits after more controversy at the United States Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas claimed that the decision to paint wider white lines has helped drivers see them more clearly, but the Finn wants more action to punish drivers guilty of repeat offences.

“It makes it slightly easier,” said Bottas. “There’s just a bit more flexibility on the line. But still, the issue is it is a track that there’s multiple corners where if you go wide, you gain an advantage, and everyone is pushing the limit.”

Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez agree with Bottas, with both drivers calling for the FIA to act after the issue was a hot topic in the Drivers’ meeting.

Alonso makes ‘sweary’ calls to FIA president

Mohamed Ben Sulayem says Fernando Alonso sometimes swears when he calls to speak to the FIA president as he praised the Spaniard’s contributions to F1.

“Fernando is a true example for young drivers,” Ben Sulayem is quoted as telling Spanish outlet AS. “He was in Formula 1, he left, he came back and he is as strong as ever. That is very complicated, F1 is extreme.

“He’s not just a champion, he’s smart. I’m not saying that others aren’t but Fernando is a truly intelligent champion, good for the sport. When he gets angry, he calls me: ‘Boss! President!’. And he says some swear words.

“But we are drivers and I understand the frustration of drivers. He is really good at this sport, he talks, he has good ideas and he brings enormous value to the sport.”

Steiner ‘unhappy’ after Austin upgrade failure

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has been left frustrated ahead of the United States Grand Prix after watching his attempts to turn their season around fail at the first hurdle.

The American outfit had hoped to pick up a decent haul of points at their second home race of the season in Austin with a huge upgrade, but Steiner was forced to dial down their ambitious predictions after a disappointing run on Saturday.

“It didn’t go to plan today,” he told reporters. “We’ve got more work to do but, initially, we’re not very happy with what’s happened, so we have to see how we tackle tomorrow.

“We found a few things and went in the wrong direction, but it’s difficult to jump to a conclusion after one practice, two qualifying sessions and one short race. But at the moment, we have to find more as the upgrade has not done what we expected.”

Herbert makes Verstappen US GP prediction

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Max Verstappen will roar to victory in Austin as Red Bull still have the fastest car on the circuit despite improvements from Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren.

“Red Bull have still got that little edge over everyone,” Herbert told Lucky Block. “We saw the McLaren performance which was good to see from the sprint race and the race itself. Red Bull had to think about their strategy to ensure there was a big enough gap.

“The characteristics of the track, which is quite bumpy, could aid McLaren who to my mind have the best handling car out there. It is not a horrible car to drive.

“The Red Bull still has little elements where it tries to bite you every now and again, but Max is able to deal with them generally. The McLaren just looks very easy to drive. Maybe with the bumps they will be in a slightly stronger position. But overall it is still Red Bull and Max.”

Golf star McIlroy breaks silence on F1 investment

Golf star Rory McIlroy is relishing being part of Alpine after agreeing to invest in the F1 team.

Ryder Cup winner McIlroy is part of a wider group of celebrities investing their money in the Enstone team and the Irishman says F1’s fan appeal makes it an opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

“It’s a great opportunity, I’ve always been a big fan of F1,” he said. “There has been quite a bit of Northern Irish/Irish connection there with Eddie Jordan and Eddie Irvine back in the day. It’s always been something I followed.

“And then when this opportunity came up, I just think with the popularity of F1, how much it’s booming in the US in particular – and I have invested in a few things – but this has got more of a story and a journey.”

Ex-F1 star admits drinking booze before races

David Coulthard has admitted that he once consumed schnapps before qualifying for the 1995 Italian Grand Prix.

The iconic Brit, who was driving for Williams at the time, managed to secure pole position despite this race falling in his rookie season.

Despite the boozy adventure before the race, Coulthard managed to put his Williams car on pole position ahead of Benetton’s Michael Schumacher, as well as team-mate Damon Hill, who finished qualifying in fourth place, behind Gerhard Berger.

Addressing the incident with former Ferrari driver Berger on the Formula For Success podcast, Coulthard said: “You pulled me in and persuaded me that it was tradition in Monza before qualifying to have a schnapps.

“I was a young, impressionable driver and you were a grand prix winner. You’ve got Niki [Lauda] there. Of course, you guys had set this up and I didn’t want to say no so they bring out three little glasses that looked like schnapps.”

Russell reflects on double sprint penalty

George Russell has admitted he deserved to be punished by the race stewards after receiving two penalties ahead of the sprint race.

Russell dropped three places to 11th on the grid after impeding Charles Leclerc in the sprint shootout qualifying and then earned a five-second penalty in the sprint race itself. And the 25-year-old conceded he deserved both penalties after ending up in eighth place.

“Definitely a scrappy day – in the stewards [office], twice,” Russell told reporters. “Both were fair penalties, neither were intentional.

When reflecting on his penalty for overtaking Oscar Piastri off the track, Russell added: “I think it’s fair, it was always optimistic. He had his right to push me off. I went for it just thinking ‘if he was being kind I would have got the position’.”

Hamilton calls on FIA to end Verstappen dominance

Lewis Hamilton has suggested the FIA need to find a way to make F1 more competitive and entertaining for fans and called for more ‘close racing’ between the drivers.

“I think, within our sport, we have to continue to work on making sure we’re having close racing because I think you’ve seen the social engagement drop a huge amount this year being that…” he said.

“It’s obviously heavily impacted on competition. People want to see that. So, we have to make sure that we’re making the right decisions, or the governing body is making the right decisions, to keep us close and great racing right to the end.

“We need more grandstands. I don’t know whether we need to lower the cost but maybe, I don’t know.”

Ricciardo makes ‘rust’ admission after F1 return

Daniel Ricciardo conceded he felt ‘a bit of race rust’ back in the cockpit of the AlphaTauri after returning to the track following a five-race absence.

The Australian has finally recovered from a broken hand sustained during the Dutch Grand Prix, but in Austin, the 34-year-old found it tough going.

“There was definitely some pros and cons. I think the pros were it was fun,” he said after the sprint race.

“I just really enjoyed being back on the grid and it’s probably always my favourite feeling on a race weekend is when like the lights, they slowly all turn on and then off for the start, that adrenaline spike it’s hard to get that in many other things in life. So that was really enjoyable.

“I think then some little bits, I don’t like saying it because I’m very experienced – but this year not so experienced – were a bit of race rust.”

Perez told how to save Red Bull career

Sergio Perez has been told he needs to finish at least second in the remaining races in order to save himself from the Red Bull axe.

The Mexican recovered from 10th to finish fifth in the sprint race on Saturday, but Martin Brundle says the 34-year-old needs to show he can get close to Max Verstappen.

“Red Bull can’t take a passenger into 2024 if he is not on form, and I can’t imagine that Sergio would want to drive it either, to be honest,” Brundle told Sky Sports F1 on the live broadcast.

“So, these next few races are critical for his head and for Red Bull to be satisfied that he’s just not lost his way and he can do this.

“Sergio Perez and Red Bull want exactly the same thing – they want him to re-find his form. And, if he can’t beat Max, at least deliver some second places and grab second in the world championship.”

Kravitz savaged by Horner’s brutal dig

Christian Horner took a brutal dig at Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz during the broadcast of the sprint shootout in Texas on Saturday, questioning the accuracy of his claim regarding Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

The pit lane reporter had commented on a potential issue facing Verstappen during the sprint shootout, leading the Sky Sports F1 crew to question Horner on the existence of the problem in the No.33 car’s garage.

Speaking in response to the question Horner snapped back: “Ted’s always talking… usually not out of his mouth.” This response prompted Simon Lazenby to step in, calling the Red Bull team principal’s accusation “unfair”.

Horner then went on to clarify his actual answer, stating: “There’s always things electrically you can tidy up. There’s some driveability stuff that Max wants us to tune before the race. [There was no issue] from a reliability point of view.”

Horner wants sprint rules changed

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes more changes are required to improve the format of sprint races in F1 after Max Verstappen dominated in Austin.

Horner suggests reverse grids could be the way forward to add more uncertainty into the equation, as the current concept doesn’t offer enough excitement for the viewers at the track and at home.

“I still think there are things that can be done to evolve the Sprint race,” he said. “There’s an element of tuning that needs to be done to the format but I think certainly we’ve learned a lot from the Sprint that will apply to the race.

“You’ve got to add a bit more jeopardy to it. Whether you reverse the top 10 or something, but then you have to add enough points to make it worth the drivers’ while to really go for it.

“When you win a sprint race, it doesn’t quite mean as much as a Grand Prix. We’re in a process where we need to be open to change and evolution. The concept is fine, but the execution, we can do a better job in making it more exciting for the viewer.”

Hamilton gives Verstappen verdict after sprint battle

Lewis Hamilton has admitted Max Verstappen’s consistency and pace was ‘impressive to watch’ after finishing behind the Red Bull star.

The 38-year-old was inside the DRS zone early on before dropping back at around a second a lap later on.

And Hamilton said he was powerless to stop Verstappen as he raced off into the distance.

“I was trying to lean on [Verstappen], but I knew that he was finding it easy just to keep that gap around a second,” he said.

“I didn’t know he would pull away like he did, but he just had so much rear end, he was just cruising. It was impressive to watch.”

Good morning!

Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE coverage of the United States Grand Prix.

It’s race day in Austin and we’ll have all of the latest news and build-up as it arrives, so stay tuned throughout the day.

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