News

Russell hopes Verstappen “learned the risk” in F1 wheel-to-wheel battles

Published

1 month ago

April 29, 2023

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The Mercedes driver enjoyed a stronger development in Saturday’s sprint race, entering Turn 1 in Baku from the inside of fourth-placed Verstappen, and the pair continued side by side until the corner of Turn 3. Exit on a left bend.

During their encounter, Russell and Verstappen collided at the apex of Turn 2, tearing a gash in the Red Bull’s left-hand box before the Dutchman backed away to avoid the wall.

That prompted defending champion Verstappen, who eventually reclaimed the sprint podium, to protest Russell at the parc ferme and call him a “fool”.

Russell said he thought Verstappen came over to praise the pair for their good fight, and that the Red Bull driver had plenty of time to wait before passing late in the race.

He said: “When he first came over, I thought he was going to say, ‘Well played, well played’. I was surprised that he was so angry.

“His position has been lost in my opinion, since I started karting at the age of eight, if you’re on the inside of the apex of the corner, that’s your corner.

“If drivers try to resist outside, they are taking a huge risk.

“On the first lap on the street circuit, I was really shocked that he was able to hold the position.

“But again, I’m here to fight, I’m here to win and I’m not going to wave him over just because he’s Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, fighting George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14 ahead of Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23

Photography: Simon Galloway/ motorsport pictures

Russell also told Sky Sports F1 that if the roles were reversed, leaving him on the outside for the opening sequence of the corner, he would step back to Verstappen. As a result of the impact, he hopes Verstappen has learned his lesson for future rolls of the dice.

“From my side, everything is going on,” he said. “If the roles were reversed, I’m sure he would do the same. It’s part of racing.

“We’re going to keep going, we’re the big boys, it’s Formula 1.

“On the first lap on the street circuit, I wouldn’t try to put it on the outside. The driver on the inside has already got the inside and the corner has been lost.

“As drivers we always say, if you want to overtake on the outside, you know the risk. Hopefully he learned the risk today.”

News

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

Published

3 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

4 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.”

News

Hamilton on new contract and chasing Red Bull: ‘Meeting with Toto tomorrow’

Published

13 mins ago

June 4, 2023

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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.