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AlphaTauri denies being ‘aggressive’ over Tost/Mekies F1 announcement

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Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, AlphaTauri revealed Tost would step down at the end of the season and his Italian team would be run by Ferrari sporting director Mekis and new chief executive Peter Baier.

But Mekis’ recruitment announcement didn’t go over well at Ferrari because it was unaware of the developments. Its team leader, Fred Vasseur, said the timing of the press release was “a bit aggressive.”

Analysis: Why Vasseur thinks Mekies exit won’t hurt Ferrari

Speaking in Baku on Saturday morning, Tost said AlphaTauri’s hand was forced to make the announcement because the news had started to leak – Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport Report Tuesday.

“The announcement, to be honest, wasn’t going to happen right now,” he explained. “It was planned very late.

“But because all of you (reporters) are very professional, there have been some leaks in the media. And I don’t want to come to Baku – this is in Gazzetta dello Sportfor example, Laurent would come to us – and tell everyone, ‘No, I don’t know anything,’ because that’s not how we work.

“So, we said, ‘Okay, let’s issue a press release.’ It was planned for later in the year. But it’s over now. Of course, I can imagine some people aren’t happy with that.”

Franz Tost, Team Principal, Scuderia AlphaTauri

Franz Tost, Team Principal, Scuderia AlphaTauri

Photography: Mark Sutton/ motorsport pictures

Tost said he had been thinking about his long-term future in the sport and had long ago spoken to senior Red Bull executives, including the late Dietrich Mateschitz, that he wanted to play in the 70s. Resigned before the age of.

“It’s my decision,” he explained. “It started two years ago; I also discussed it with Dietrich Mateschitz back then.

“I’m 67 now, and when I was younger, I always said to myself, if you’re in the lead then you shouldn’t be glued to the seat, you should give that up to someone younger, more Smart people, creative people, driven people. Now that I’m in the 70s, it’s time to say goodbye.

“I love Formula 1. I love all of you. But it’s a story that once had to end. Especially now that there’s a solution, with Peter Bayer as CEO and Laurent Mekis, we have two. Great guy will replace me…and I think it’s the perfect time to quit Formula 1.”

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Sainz understands Ferrari’s limits: 'Not very competitive around here'

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Despite Carlos Sainz’s solid qualifying performance at his home Grand Prix, starting from second, the Ferrari driver lacked the necessary race pace compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, resulting in him finishing second. Five finishers.

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Tsunoda slams “ridiculous” F1 Spanish GP penalty for Zhou defence

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On lap 56 of 66 in a round dominated by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, Alfa Romeo driver Zhou used DRS to challenge Tsunoda for 9th on the outside entering Turn 1 right hand.

But as the corner transitioned into Turn 2, Chow appeared to shake his machine to the left, before rejoining the track several car lengths behind Kakuda into the escape lane.

The FIA ​​stewards reviewed the incident and ruled that Zhou was ahead at the apex of Turn 1 and therefore had the right to enter the race room.

As Tsunoda was found violating the International Sports Code, he received a 5-second penalty and dropped to 12th without points. Zhou, meanwhile, scored two points for ninth.

Asked by Autosport about his reaction, Tsunoda said: “It’s a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair.”

Recalling his take on events, Tsunoda thought Zhou had “pretended” to run out of space and that there was “definitely” room to keep the Alfa Romeo on track.

He said: “I left the room when I saw (Zhou Lai), I think he gave up early on.

“He went outside and pretended he was being forced out, but he didn’t. Sure enough, there was room outside.

“Obviously I put pressure on him, but there was still space, so I don’t understand why it was a penalty. It felt really unfair, really harsh.”

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri in the paddock

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri in the paddock

Photography: Jack Grant / motorsport pictures

Tsunoda said he was not aware of the penalty until it reached the finish line, and believes drivers and teams should be able to present their defense to the FIA ​​before the final ruling is given.

He said: “After I just heard the checkered flag, I was really happy. But after listening to that radio, I was really disappointed.

“At the same time, (I think) it’s a bit of a curiosity … it’s good to have some discussion with the FIA ​​because they gave five seconds without any discussion and the race was over.

“So, it didn’t feel fair … (I felt) exhausted and flat.”

In contrast, Zhou believes that this is a dunk penalty for Kakuda. He said: “It’s very simple.

“Going into Turn 1 and into the middle, I was in the lead and I actually gave a lot of space. Then I saw that he (and him) didn’t stop.

“(He tried to) release the brakes (but he) drove me away and I had to take avoidance action and (use) the escape route or we would collide.

“So, it was tricky after that because I had a lot of rubbish on my tyres. But in the end, I was able to stay in the right position behind him and regain the position.”

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Hamilton on new contract and chasing Red Bull: ā€˜Meeting with Toto tomorrow’

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Lewis Hamilton is satisfied after finishing runner-up at the Spanish Grand Prix as the best driver behind Max Verstappen. The British driver was also happy to answer questions about his contract and how he might challenge Verstappen in the future.

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