News

Miami F1 recovery “mega” after “demoralising” Baku

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2023

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Hamilton finished sixth in both back-to-back grands prix, but the combination of results was different for the Briton.

In Baku, Hamilton qualified fifth but lost his position due to an unfortunate safety car timing, and he trailed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz throughout the second half, unable to overtake the struggling Spanish.

But in Miami, Hamilton did emerge from a disappointing 13th in qualifying when traffic on his Q2 overlap pushed his tires outside the optimum temperature window.

In the second half of the race, Hamilton overtook Charles Leclerc for sixth place again, thus overtaking his series of overtakings. After the match, the seven-time world champion said he was enjoying his comeback despite the end result being the same as in Baku a week earlier.

“It was huge just to be able to (overtake). I was going backwards all the time in the sprint race and the last race, and it’s demoralizing when you’re going backwards,” he said.

“But it’s nice to have the rhythm, to see the cars ahead, see the progress, and know we’re going to fight people. We also had a few overtakes, and that’s what I live for.”

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Photography: Steve Etherington/ motorsport pictures

The main difference for Hamilton was that this time around Mercedes was able to take on Ferrari as the team continued to struggle with an inconsistent race pace that was nowhere near its lap pace.

“Honestly, it was great to see Ferrari lead and catch them bit by bit. It was impressive how fast they were on one lap, but I don’t know what happened in that race,” Hamilton explained .

“It’s been great to come here from 13th and get back into their hustle and bustle. I think it would be easier and smoother for me if I qualified where I should have qualified, but I prefer it this way. The days where there’s a little bit of adversity, you have to put it all together and deliver.”

News

Mercedes gets away with fine for Parc Ferme problem of Hamilton and Russell

Published

3 mins ago

June 4, 2023

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Mercedes has been fined for violating parc fermé rules after the Spanish GP. This imposes the same sanction on the German racing stables as it did after the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc all committing the same crime.

News

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

Published

14 mins ago

June 4, 2023

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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.

News

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

Published

15 mins ago

June 4, 2023

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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

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.”