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Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
The story behind Shanghai's "painted" F1 track surprise
Having had no notification in pre-event notes from the FIA regarding any resurfacing, the colour of the asphalt – which has already worn away on the racing line in places – left some concluding that the circuit had had a paintbrush taken to it.As Daniel Ricciardo said: "It looks like they've painted the track or something. They've done something to the surface."I don't know how the track's ...Keep reading
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Sainz: All my best 2025 F1 seat options are "still open"
The direction of Sainz's career once he leaves Ferrari is currently the subject of major F1 paddock interest, given he is being dropped by the Scuderia in favour of Lewis Hamilton, while also being the only non-Red Bull driver to have won races since 2022.The F1 driver market is in rare early overdrive in 2024, with most of the grid also out of contract just as Sainz and his camp try to plot his ...Keep reading
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Leclerc: Sainz simply doing a better job in recent F1 races
Since returning from the appendix surgery that ruled him out of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sainz has outqualified Leclerc in both Australia and Japan, and won the Melbourne race from second on the grid.Leclerc has also finished behind his team-mate in both races, placing as runner-up at the Australian Grand Prix and finishing fourth behind the podium-finishing Sainz at Suzuka.Asked if it was ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Sainz: All my best 2025 F1 seat options are "still open"
The direction of Sainz's career once he leaves Ferrari is currently the subject of major F1 paddock interest, given he is being dropped by the Scuderia in favour of Lewis Hamilton, while also being the only non-Red Bull driver to have won races since 2022.The F1 driver market is in rare early overdrive in 2024, with most of the grid also out of contract just as Sainz and his camp try to plot his ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Leclerc: Sainz simply doing a better job in recent F1 races
Since returning from the appendix surgery that ruled him out of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sainz has outqualified Leclerc in both Australia and Japan, and won the Melbourne race from second on the grid.Leclerc has also finished behind his team-mate in both races, placing as runner-up at the Australian Grand Prix and finishing fourth behind the podium-finishing Sainz at Suzuka.Asked if it was ...Keep reading
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Williams may as well “go home” if spares situation changes its F1 approach, says Albon
The Thai driver and team-mate Logan Sargeant have faced a challenging start to the season with Williams having been without a spare chassis and not being flush with replacement parts.With Sargeant having been forced to sit out the Australian Grand Prix because of the need for his team-mate to take his car, and the American crashing in opening practice in Japan, things were not helped much in the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Williams may as well “go home” if spares situation changes its F1 approach, says Albon
The Thai driver and team-mate Logan Sargeant have faced a challenging start to the season with Williams having been without a spare chassis and not being flush with replacement parts.With Sargeant having been forced to sit out the Australian Grand Prix because of the need for his team-mate to take his car, and the American crashing in opening practice in Japan, things were not helped much in the ...Keep reading
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How Senna’s early Pacific GP exit raised his Benetton suspicions
But what happened next only heightened his suspicions that rival team Benetton was using some form of illegal traction or launch control on its car.Senna took pole position – the 64th of his career – thanks to his time in Friday qualifying. This was fortunate for two reasons: on Saturday, the track was much slower and he’d spun at Revolver corner, leaving him 24th fastest in that ...Keep reading
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Why F1 teams are racing into the unknown in China
Five years is an awful long time in Formula 1 and it feels even longer given the global pandemic that interrupted F1's visits to Shanghai.The last time F1 travelled to China, Max Verstappen had only won five races and RB was still racing as Toro Rosso rather than its previous name AlphaTauri.In the meantime, as the Shanghai International Circuit hosted a makeshift COVID-19 hospital in 2022 rather ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
What Aston Martin’s curfew burn told us about its F1 upgrade trajectory
Although there is no downside to using them up if needed, teams also know that if they are not in their back pocket for the end of the season, then that carries big risks.For if the points battle is tight, the last thing a team would want would be some unexpected late-night work triggering a final race grid penalty that could derail all the year’s efforts up until that point.It is why it is ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Jacques Villeneuve’s return to Formula 1 at Renault for the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 was a seminal moment in Franck Montagny’s career. Then a test driver for Renault, he had been the logical choice for the seat vacated by Toyota-bound Jarno Trulli. But instead it was 1997 world champion Villeneuve who got the nod for the final three races of 2004 alongside Fernando Alonso.Montagny ...Keep reading
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Newey: F1’s grid to close up even more before being ‘blown apart’ in 2026
While Red Bull remains the team to beat in F1 right now, Newey has no doubt that the opposition is closing in, as the world champion squad finds it harder and harder to make gains with its car.He sees no reason why one of his outfit’s competitors cannot even leap ahead under the current rules set before things are thrown up in the air by the new car and engines that are coming from 2026.Newey ...Keep reading
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Newey: F1 grid to close up even more before being ‘blown apart’ in 2026
While Red Bull remains the team to beat in F1 right now, Newey has no doubt that the opposition is closing in, as the world champion squad finds it harder and harder to make gains with its car.He sees no reason why one of his outfit’s competitors cannot even leap ahead under the current rules set before things are thrown up in the air by the new car and engines that are coming from 2026.Read ...Keep reading
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Hamilton needs talk with Wolff to prepare Ferrari F1 move
Hamilton's bombshell move to Maranello was announced on 1 February, and the Briton has since been focusing on his 12th and final F1 season at Mercedes, with team principal Toto Wolff stating after the Australian Grand Prix that what was happening this year at Ferrari was "not his main priority today", referring to his driver.Yet, there will come a time when Hamilton and Mercedes will need to ...Keep reading
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Sauber F1 driver Zhou says early China-to-UK move was "a shock"
Shanghai native Zhou first raced in Europe in 2010 following success in Chinese karting competitions.He went on to move to English city Sheffield two years later, at the age of 12, to give his career the impetus it needed, but the cultural shift was substantial.“It was a bit of a shock, coming from a huge city like Shanghai,” the current Sauber driver said. “Plus Sheffield is all the way up ...Keep reading
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Ricciardo says new RB F1 chassis brings "peace of mind"
The Australian managed to reignite his F1 career with the AlphaTauri squad last season, either side of his hand fracture-enforced layoff, with a series of strong drives following his mid-season call-up to the Italian squad.He has been so far unable to replicate that form into 2024 with the rebranded team, which has proved particularly difficult as Yuki Tsunoda has dazzled on the other side of the ...Keep reading
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Norris: McLaren can win races in F1 2024 if it gets everything right
The orange team currently sits third in the 2024 constructors’ standings – 55 points better off and two places higher than at the same stage a year ago – and heads the Mercedes and Aston Martin teams in the tight battle behind the dominant Red Bull squad and Ferrari.While that is a major year-on-year improvement, Ferrari has established itself as Red Bull’s closest challenger so far this ...Keep reading
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Alonso: Stroll more sensitive to Aston F1 car handling issues I drive around
Alonso was speaking in the pre-event press conference for F1’s returning Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, a week on from the announcement that he will continue to race with Aston for at least the next two years beyond his current contract expiring at 2024’s conclusion.When asked if Aston is now developing its AMR24 car package around him as the team’s main figure – Alonso having registered ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Norris: McLaren can win races in F1 2024 if it gets everything right
The orange team currently sits third in the 2024 constructors’ standings – 55 points better off and two places higher than at the same stage a year ago – and heads the Mercedes and Aston Martin teams in the tight battle behind the dominant Red Bull squad and Ferrari.While that is a major year-on-year improvement, Ferrari has established itself as Red Bull’s closest challenger so far this ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Alonso: Stroll more sensitive to Aston F1 car handling issues I drive around
Alonso was speaking in the pre-event press conference for F1’s returning Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, a week on from the announcement that he will continue to race with Aston for at least the next two years beyond his current contract expiring at 2024’s conclusion.When asked if Aston is now developing its AMR24 car package around him as the team’s main figure – Alonso having registered ...Keep reading
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Aston Martin ‘not convinced’ Alonso would definitely want to stay in F1
The Silverstone-based squad last week announced a new long-term deal with Alonso that will carry their partnership into the new rules era in F1 from 2026.But despite the contract talks being straightforward between both parties once they began, team principal Mike Krack has revealed to some private concerns that F1’s ever-expanding schedule and demands could have been a factor in triggering ...Keep reading
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Aston Martin ‘not convinced’ Alonso would definitely want to stay in F1
The Silverstone-based squad last week announced a new long-term deal with Alonso that will carry their partnership into the new rules era in F1 from 2026.But despite the contract talks being straightforward between both parties once they began, team principal Mike Krack has revealed to some private concerns that F1’s ever-expanding schedule and demands could have been a factor in triggering ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
Jacques Villeneuve’s return to Formula 1 at Renault for the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 was a seminal moment in Franck Montagny’s career. Then a test driver for Renault, he had been the logical choice for the seat vacated by Toyota-bound Jarno Trulli. But instead it was 1997 world champion Villeneuve who got the nod for the final three races of 2004 alongside Fernando Alonso.Montagny ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
What Aston Martin’s curfew burn told us about its F1 upgrade trajectory
Although there is no downside to using them up if needed, teams also know that if they are not in their back pocket for the end of the season, then that carries big risks.If the points battle is tight, the last thing a team would want would be some unexpected late-night work triggering a final-race grid penalty that could derail all the year’s efforts up until that point.It is why it is often ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Why F1 teams are racing into the unknown in China
Five years is an awful long time in Formula 1 and it feels even longer given the global pandemic that interrupted F1's visits to Shanghai.The last time F1 travelled to China, Max Verstappen had only won five races and RB was still racing as Toro Rosso rather than its previous name AlphaTauri.In the meantime, as the Shanghai International Circuit hosted a makeshift COVID-19 hospital in 2022 rather ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Three-time F1 world champion Verstappen named in 2024 Time 100 list
Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races on the F1 calendar in 2023, and secured last year's drivers' championship in early October after finishing second in the Qatar sprint race.His achievements over the past three seasons in F1 have thus ensured his place on this year's Time 100 list, which includes world leaders, writers, entertainers and other global icons across a range of industries.Verstappen ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Verstappen named in 2024 Time 100 list
Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races on the F1 calendar in 2023, and secured last year's drivers' championship in early October after finishing second in the Qatar sprint race.His achievements over the past three seasons in F1 have thus ensured his place on this year's Time 100 list, which includes world leaders, writers, entertainers and other global icons across a range of industries.Verstappen ...Keep reading
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Zhou: China-to-UK move as young karter was "a bit of a shock"
Shanghai native Zhou first raced in Europe in 2010 following success in Chinese karting competitions. He went on to move to English city Sheffield two years later, at the age of 12, to give his career the impetus it needed, but the cultural shift was substantial."It was a bit of a shock, coming from a huge city like Shanghai," the current Sauber driver said. "Plus Sheffield is all the way up north ...Keep reading
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Schumacher F1 watch collection could top $4 million in auction
On 13 May, in the week leading up to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Christie’s Auction House will be offering a selection of watches from the personal collection of the seven-time world champion in an auction in Geneva.The star item is a unique Platinum Vagabondage 1 that had been commissioned for Schumacher as a personal gift from his former Ferrari boss Jean Todt.The watch showcases the strong ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Hamilton needs talk with Wolff to prepare Ferrari F1 move
Hamilton's bombshell move to Maranello was announced on 1 February, and the Briton has since been focusing on his 12th and final F1 season at Mercedes, with team principal Toto Wolff stating after the Australian Grand Prix that what was happening this year at Ferrari was "not his main priority today", referring to his driver.Yet, there will come a time when Hamilton and Mercedes will need to ...Keep reading