Tag: Planet

As Formula 1 returns for the 2023 season, we’ve explained the key phrases you will hear while following Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the sport’s biggest ever season.

The exciting, innovating and high-speed sport can be complex and confusing for existing fans, never mind new ones.

So, ahead of the opening race of the 2023 season in Bahrain this weekend, here are some F1 terms that can be confusing but crucial during a Grand Prix weekend.

Pole position

What you might hear – “Fernando Alonso is on pole position.”

What you might think – Where’s the pole?

What it actually means – The driver on pole position is the one who set the fastest lap time during qualifying. Usually, that will mean the driver on pole starts the Grand Prix at the front. However, during a Sprint weekend, the pole-sitter will start the Sprint on Saturday at the front, but the finishing order from the Sprint decides the starting order for the Grand Prix on Sunday.

DRS

What you might hear – “Yuki Tsunoda has got DRS.”

What you might think – DRS could be a medical term or the decision review system, like cricket.

What it actually means – DRS stands for drag reduction system, which allows drivers to move a flap in the rear wing of their car that decreases the air resistance, giving the car up to 7.5mph more speed. The system is designed to deliver more overtaking, but can only be activated when a car is within one second of the car ahead.

Slipstream

What you might hear – “Oscar Piastri is in Alex Albon’s slipstream.”

What you might think – Is this a new type of streaming?

What it actually means – When a driver is directly behind another car, they can go faster because there is less air resistance, in the same way you might hide behind your friend so they block the wind getting to you. Getting a slipstream should enhance a driver’s chances of pulling off an overtake. Team-mates may also intentionally give each other a slipstream in Qualifying to help set the fastest lap.

Chicane

What you might hear – “And here they come through the swimming pool chicane.”

What you might think – Are they racing in the water these days?

What it actually means – A chicane is a sequence of corners that sees two changes in direction in quick succession. The swimming pool chicane is one of the sport’s most famous chicanes, as the cars thread their way through a remarkably tight section around Monaco’s swimming pool.

Oversteer/understeer

What you might hear – “Logan Sargeant prefers his car to oversteer.”

What you might think – I’m only used to one type of steering.

What it actually means – Depending on the setup of the car and how it is driven, a driver may either oversteer or understeer. If a car oversteers, the car is very sensitive to the driver turning the steering wheel, often leading to the rear of the car sliding – it looks cool, but can be slower, worse for the tyres and lead to accidents.

Understeer happens when the car won’t turn as much as the driver would like. This can lead to the car running wide and also going slower. The perfect car would have no understeer or oversteer, but this is not a perfect world, so sometimes the drivers and teams must choose between the two evils.

Going purple

What you might hear – “Max Verstappen is currently fastest, but Charles Leclerc is going purple.”

What you might think – Charles Leclerc must be angry.

What it actually means – When a driver completes a sector of a track faster than anyone, the timing screens will go purple for that sector. A purple sector would tend to indicate that a driver is on a highly competitive lap, which has a chance of being the fastest of the session or race.

Undercut/overcut

What you might hear – “Lewis Hamilton has undercut Carlos Sainz to take the lead.”

What you might think – Hamilton has done some sort of boxing move.

What it actually means – During a race, Hamilton has come into the pits earlier than Sainz, who he was behind on track. That allows him to go faster on fresh tyres, meaning by the time Sainz has pitted a lap or two later, he would come out of the pits behind Hamilton.

The overcut is the opposite of this and can happen when newer tyres make a car slower, so the driver that pits later comes out ahead. This would be likely to happen on a cold day when the tyres take a while to get up to a higher temperature and become hot and grippy.

Locking up

What you might hear – “Lando Norris has locked up going into turn one.”

What you might think – Norris has been imprisoned – perhaps for speeding.

What it actually means – Norris has tried to slow his car down by braking, but there is not enough grip and his tyre is sliding across the tarmac. Lock ups usually create a puff of smoke and cause a car to run off line, while significant damage can be done to the tyre.

Apex

What you might hear – “Sergio Perez has missed the apex there.”

What you might think – Is this racing or climbing?

What it actually means – The apex is the point of the corner that the car should go through for no time to be lost – so if Perez missed the apex, he might have gone wide, losing time.

Backmarker

What you might hear – “The blue flags are going to need to come out soon as the leaders catch the backmarkers.”

What you might think – Who are they marking?

What it actually means – Backmarkers are the slower cars at the back that will often be lapped by the leading cars. A blue flag is shown to a backmarker to tell the driver to get out of the way as the faster car comes through. Backmarkers can sometimes interfere with racing between the leaders.

Degradation (Deg)

What you might hear – “The deg on that Ferrari today has been really bad.”

What you might think – Did I hear that correctly?

What it actually means – Degradation happens as tyres wear – or become damaged – during a stint, and there are two main types of degradation. ‘Blistering’ happens when the tyre overheats and bubbles up on the surface and ‘graining’ when the tyres slide across the tarmac, crumbling apart like a ball of mozzarella might. ‘Deg’, as drivers will often refer to it, can have serious consequences – see the video above!

Marbles

What you might hear – “Look at all the marbles on the track.”

What you might think – Has someone dropped their marble collection onto the track?

What it actually means – As the tyres fall apart – or grain – the bits of rubber can gather on the track, creating a surface which feels to the drivers like they are driving on marbles. There is not a lot of grip if you drive on marbles, but after the race, drivers will drive onto the marbles to pick up rubber and add to the car’s mass to ensure the car weighs enough to comply with rules.

Bottoming out

What you might hear – “George Russell has gone wide and bottomed out on the kerb.”

What you might think – It sounds a little rude.

What it actually means – F1 cars are really low because the closer the ground, the more speed drivers can take through corners. Often, the bottom of the car scrapes along the ground, bottoming out and creating sparks.

Delta

What you might hear – “The soft compound of tyre has a delta of half a second to the hard compound.”

What you might think – Isn’t delta part of the Greek alphabet?

What it actually means – You’d be correct. Delta is part of the Greek alphabet, but also means difference. So in the example above, the softer tyres are quicker than the hard tyres by half a second per lap. Delta might also be used to describe the difference in pace between different drivers or cars.

Parc ferme

What you might hear – “The cars are in parc ferme conditions”

What you might think – It’s hard enough understanding F1 without needing to speak French!

What it actually means – It is French for secure park. After qualifying, an expensive car park is created with no maintenance allowed to take place on cars before the race without the permission of the FIA – F1’s governing body. FIA officials scrutineer the cars to ensure no changes are made that shouldn’t be.

The F1 Academy is an all-female racing championship for younger drivers; the inaugural 2023 season will feature five teams, each entering three cars to make up a 15-strong grid; the season finale will serve as a support event at the US Grand Prix in October

The race calendar for the inaugural 2023 season of the F1 Academy has been announced, with a total of 21 races over seven rounds, including a season finale which will serve as a support event at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

The brand-new all-female championship is for younger drivers and will feature five teams – ART, Campos, Carlin, MP Motorsport and Prema – each entering three cars to make up a 15-strong grid.

The 15 competing cars will take to the track for the first time on April 11-12 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for an official test session, with the season getting under way on April 28-29 in Spielberg, Austria.

Spain will host two events in May, in Valencia and Barcelona, with summer stops in the Netherlands (Zandvoort), Italy (Monza) and France (Le Castellet), before the season-ender in the US on October 20-22.

There will also be 13 more days of testing throughout the season, to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Bruno Michel, general manager of the F1 Academy, said: “Our goal was to be able to race on as many Formula 1 Grand Prix tracks as possible, with circuits that could be a great challenge for the drivers.

“The teams know these layouts very well, so they will be able to help their young talents get to grips quickly.

“We had announced that F1 Academy would be racing alongside Formula 1 at one event, so it’s fantastic to be part of the F1 Grand Prix package in Austin, where we will also conclude the first season, in front of the F1 paddock and the American crowd.”

Race Weekend Format

Each race weekend will consist of two free practice sessions of 40 minutes each, followed by two qualifying sessions of 15 minutes each.

All events will have three races: Races 1 and 3 will be 30 minutes long, and Race 2 will be 20 minutes. Qualifying 1 will set the Grid for Race 1 and Qualifying 2 will set the grid for Race 3.

The first eight finishers in Qualifying 1 will start Race 2 in reverse order, cars finishing in ninth position and below will start in the position they qualified in that session.

The drivers who take pole position for Races 1 and 3 following the final classification of the Qualifying sessions will be awarded with two points.

In each race, one point will be awarded to the driver who achieves the fastest lap time, providing she was in the top 10 positions of the final race classification.

The F1 Commission has approved several updates ahead of the 2023 season, including new wet weather tyre specifications from Imola onwards and relaxed rules on radio communications from teams to drivers

F1 has rewritten a rule to ensure reduced points are given for shortened races, following Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinching his second title in confusing circumstances last season.

The Formula 1 commission, which groups the 10 teams and governing FIA as well as the commercial rights holder, met in London on Tuesday ahead of next week’s season-opening race in Bahrain.

A statement of key decisions – to be rubber-stamped by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council – included a change of wording “to ensure that shorter races have reduced points even if they don’t finish with a suspended race.”

Last year’s rain-hit Japanese race was halted after two laps and resumed more than two hours later, where 28 of the scheduled 53 laps were completed and even Verstappen was unsure how many points he had won.

It turned out to be full points, enough for Verstappen to clinch the title with four races to spare. The FIA explained at the time that the reduced points rule only applied when a race was suspended and could not be resumed.

The commission also agreed “to relax the regulation of radio messages to and from the drivers at all times during a competition.”

It said a change to wet weather tyres had been approved, with Pirelli producing a new compound that performed better and did not require the use of tyre blankets used to get tyres up to temperature. This will be introduced from Imola in May.

What else has changed?

Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami will have changes to the Drag Reduction System (DRS) zone to make overtaking either easier or harder, while Melbourne will have a fourth DRS activation zone.

Teams and engine manufacturers will have a winter factory shutdown in 2023, in addition to the August break.

A cost cap adjustment was agreed to allow teams to spend an extra $1.2 million, on top of a base of $135 million for the season, to reflect the calendar stretching to a record 23 rounds and those added being long-haul and more expensive.

The rules were tweaked also “to allow easier access to the factories for the FIA auditing team, in order to police the adherence of the teams and PU (Power Unit) manufacturers to the financial regulations”.

The meeting was chaired by Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who has agreed to stand back from day-to-day running of the sport after recent controversies, did not attend.

When and where is testing?

Testing will take place in Bahrain over three successive days, starting on Thursday, 23 February and finishing on Saturday, 25 February, with each day split into two extended sessions.

The Bahrain International Circuit makes sense as a testing venue given its status as the host of the opening race on the F1 calendar, which this year takes place on March 5.

You can watch live coverage of every minute of pre-season testing on Sky Sports F1, along with a daily wrap and special testing edition of Ted’s Notebook.

The full television schedule is as follows:

Thursday 23 February

Session One – 6:50am-11am
Session Two – 11:50am-4:30pm
Testing Wrap – 8pm-8:30pm
Ted’s Testing Notebook – 8:30pm-9pm

Friday 24 February

Session One – 6:50am-11am
Session Two – 11:50am-4:30pm
Testing Wrap – 8pm-8:30pm
Ted’s Testing Notebook – 8:30pm-9pm

Saturday 25 February

Session One – 6:50am-11am
Session Two – 11:50am-4:30pm
Testing Wrap – 8pm-8:30pm
Ted’s Testing Notebook – 8:30pm-9pm

There will also be regular updates throughout testing on Sky Sports News, with reporter Craig Slater in Bahrain keeping an eye on what’s going on both on and off the track.

Finally, you can follow every moment of testing right here on the Sky Sports App and website, with a live blog bringing you updates and the best video.

Watch Alpine reveal their A523 car live at 8pm UK time; Alpine finished fourth last year and head into 2023 season with Pierre Gasly as new driver, replacing Fernando Alonso; Esteban Ocon remains to form all-French driver line-up

Watch a live stream as Alpine reveal their A523 car from a launch party in London.

It is the final car to be revealed this launch season and the show starts at 8pm UK time, which you can also watch on Sky Sports F1 and our YouTube channel.

Alpine head into this year’s campaign looking to build on an impressive 2022 which saw them lead the midfield as the closest challengers to Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.

They do so without former talisman Fernando Alonso, with Pierre Gasly joining the team alongside Esteban Ocon.

It is an all-French driver line-up for the French team, a sub-brand of Renault.

The drivers will both be present at the launch, which draws a curtain on the car reveals.

The three-day pre-season test begins a week today on February 23 before the opening Bahrain GP on March 5.

Fernando Alonso, who joins Aston Martin to partner Lance Stroll this season, says team is “different” to former teams Alpine and McLaren with their ambition; Alonso aiming to lead the midfield in 2023 before fighting for wins and podiums next year

Aston Martin have revealed the car they believe will vault them up the standings in 2023, with bullish new signing Fernando Alonso adamant his latest Formula 1 team is “special” and destined for future titles.

Bringing an end to a mega Monday after McLaren’s launch, Aston Martin used their all-new Silverstone base to unveil the AMR23, donned in the classic racing green that the luxury British manufacturer is famous for.

The car is also adventurous in its design following a string of behind-the-scenes signings from rivals and the team, formerly known as Racing Point and before that Force India, are confident in a big improvement this year after back-to-back seasons in seventh following their re-brand.

Nobody typified their conviction at the launch more than Alonso, the fiery double world champion who surprisingly left Alpine to join Aston Martin and replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel.

“There is something going on in this team that makes things special,” insisted the Spaniard, 41, before firing a dig at his former teams.

“This is very different compared to any other team I joined [recently] where maybe they had success in the past and they were just in a comfortable position,” Alonso, who before Alpine grew frustrated at McLaren, added.

“They were fourth and they were happy with fourth. They were fifth and they were happy with fifth. They were seventh and there was a celebration.

“There there is no celebration here until we win… and this is very appealing.”

Aston Martin have long stressed their hopes to reach the front of the grid but – while buoyed by a new factory, new aerodynamic gurus and a new superstar driver – admit their project is more long-term than short-term.

Alonso though said he wants the team to “leave the midfield” in 2023 before fighting for wins and podiums next year.

He partners Lance Stroll, the son of of owner Lawrence, with Mike Krack the team principal.

“When I get excited about something, I get very passionate,” said Lawrence Stroll. “When I get passionate about something, I win.”

What Alonso sees in ‘special’ Aston Martin

Alonso provided the shock of the driver market last year when he rejected an Alpine contract in the summer in favour of joining Aston Martin, the rebuilding, and consistently slower, team. Given Alonso’s age – he is comfortably F1’s elder statesman – the move flummoxed many.

On Monday, however, Alonso remained buoyant about his decision, and the chances of Aston Martin.

That is due to the heavy investment of Aston Martin and Lawrence Stroll, the improving facilities and influx of talent, headlined by new technical director Dan Fallows arriving from Red Bull.

The AMR23, like many this launch season, seems to be taking inspiration from last year’s title-dominating Red Bull.

It has been called “bold and aggressive” and a “significant evolution” of their previous AMR22.

“Every day I’m happier,” said Alonso, who won his world titles with Renault almost 20 years ago. “I’m very demanding on everything that I do. I give my 100 per cent and I expect the same from the people I work with.

“From the first day at Aston Martin, I felt exactly the same values from the people around me. It’s very motivating.

“In Formula 1, you need investment and you need talent. We have the investment, we have the facilities and we have the talent. Unfortunately I am not 20 years old any more, but I will do my best to help the team.”

It’s rare to see Alonso this optimistic going into a season. If he is proven right, the man who is renowned for making unfortunate career decisions may wish he had made this switch earlier on in his glittering career.

How high can Aston Martin go?

Aston Martin were born from teams that consistently punched above their weight but now have the finances and facilities to compete with any of F1’s leading lights, albeit while acknowledging that their project may not have lift-off until the arrival of a windtunnel for 2025.

The long term goal is, evidently, championships, but for now Aston Martin are focused on getting to the front of the midfield. Even that is a lofty goal given they finished over 100 points behind Alpine in fourth last year.

“I cannot say to anyone we will be fighting for victories this year,” continued Alonso. “I will lie if I say that.

“But at the same time we want to have a good car to start with and maybe in the second part of the year we can get closer. If an opportunity comes we will not miss that opportunity.

“We have to understand there are no miracles in F1, from one year to the next, only a few months since Abu Dhabi and there is a big gap to recover to the top teams.

“But we definitely we have to leave the midfield and get closer to the top three teams. The most important thing this year is to make sure this is the baseline to develop future Aston Martin cars.”

The car will have a Silverstone shakedown before hitting the track at pre-season testing on February 23-25, live on Sky Sports F1. The season then starts with the Bahrain GP on March 5.

Williams reveal updated livery for FW45, adorned with new sponsors such as Gulf Oil; Alex Albon and rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant aiming to lift team up standings in 2023 after dismal five years; Williams also have new team principal in James Vowles, who starts on February 20

Williams have revealed their new livery for the 2023 Formula 1 season after agreeing a mega new partnership with Gulf Oil.

The third team to start their campaign with a launch, Williams showed off an updated blue and red livery adorned with many new sponsors at their Grove base, before their FW45 car debuts hitting the track next Monday.

The most notable addition to the livery is the Gulf logo, with the oil company joining forces with another F1 team after its partnership with McLaren ended in 2022. Many had speculated that the Williams car may feature more of the famous blue and orange Gulf colours.

“This signifies the strength of our brand and commercial offerings as we continue our transformation,” said Matthew Savage, Chairman of the Board at Williams.

“Gulf and Williams Racing share an illustrious motorsport heritage and, together, we are making history with this partnership.”

Williams, one of the most successful F1 teams of all-time but backmarkers in recent years, have been going through their “transformation” since Dorilton Capital acquired the team from the legendary Sir Frank Williams in 2020.

Alex Albon returns for his second year with the team this year and will be partnered by rookie team-mate Logan Sargeant, F1’s first American driver since 2016.

Williams will also have a new team principal in James Vowles – the highly-respected Mercedes strategy chief – although he was not present at Monday’s launch as he doesn’t start in his role until February 20.

The FW45 will hit the track at Silverstone on Monday, February 13, before pre-season testing begins the following week.

Pre-season testing is all live on Sky Sports F1 from February 23-25, as is every Formula 1 practice, qualifying and race. The season-opener is the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5.

Will new recruits help Williams end miserable run?

With 16 world championship titles to their name, only Ferrari and McLaren have won more titles than Williams – but the Grove outfit have been rock bottom of the standings in four of the last five seasons.

Powered by Mercedes engines, Williams will be aiming to leap up the field in 2023 after scoring eight points last year and say they have heavily evolved the sidepod concept on this year’s car.

They also say there are modifications to the front suspension layout and ‘major external aerodynamic surfaces’, while the car will be more ‘aerodynamically efficient’ than last season’s FW44.

Tasked with leading their rebuild is Vowles, while Albon – Max Verstappen’s former Red Bull team-mate – and rookie team-mate Sargeant form a young driver line-up.

“The team has worked really hard last year and over the winter to address some key areas in our car, putting in the work to try and maximise what we get out of the car for 2023,” said Albon.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the FW45 can do.”

Sargeant, 22, replaces Nicholas Latifi at Williams after finishing fourth in the feeder Formula 2 championship last year.

He added: “I’m really excited for the season to get started after what, for me, feels like a long winter! I’m super motivated and we’ve put a lot of hard work in.

“The car is looking amazing and it shows the huge effort the team has put in the off season, so I’m looking forward to getting started at Silverstone before heading out to Bahrain.”

Williams also have a driver academy that includes three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who is bidding to make her name Stateside this season in Indy NXT.

Williams’ liveries over the years

What’s new on the cars for 2023?

While there is no rules overhaul for next year like there was for 2022, there are subtle changes to the rules and cars that teams can take advantage of.

The most notable is a higher ride height. This is essentially lifting the cars higher off the ground to help reduce the bouncing ‘porpoising’ phenomenon that affected teams – most notably Mercedes – in 2022.

This is done by raising the floor edge and throat, while the diffuser edge has also been stiffened. There is also an additional sensor to effectively monitor porpoising.

While these are mostly for safety reasons and are expected to initially cost teams time due to a stiffer floor, it could also narrow the field with a higher ride height thought to have been key to Red Bull and Ferrari’s 2023 cars.

The other changes to the cars revolve around outlawing designs such as Aston Martin’s rear wing and Mercedes’ front wing from 2023, and more safety additions.

The roll hoops, for example, have been strengthened following Zhou Guanyu’s dramatic crash at Silverstone last year.

Toto Wolff says talking about Red Bull chief Christian Horner is a waste of his time but believes Horner is “obsessed” with him; In 2022 Sky Sports interview, Horner said ‘it’s very easy to pull his chain’ when discussing Wolff

Toto Wolff believes he is living in Christian Horner’s head “rent free” and thinks speaking about the Red Bull chief is a “waste of time”.

The Mercedes chief and Horner have publicly sparred several times, with Horner making digs at Wolff during an award ceremony in December, joking that his rival was the Rookie of the Year at the Autosport Awards.

When asked about what he thinks of their rivalry during an interview with The Times, Wolff said: “I am living in his head rent-free. The guy is obsessed.

“Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”

The rivalry between the pair came to a head during the 2021 season when Mercedes and Red Bull were battling it out for the championship.

The season ended in controversial fashion, when Michael Masi made a contentious safety car decision which allowed Max Verstappen to beat Lewis Hamilton to the title.

Wolff opened up about the frustrations after the Abu Dhabi race and said the decision taken by Masi during the race breached the “principle of fairness”.

“At the end of the race, an individual (Masi, who has since been replaced) took decisions that were not reflected anywhere in the rule book and were so drastic that they made the outcome unbelievable.

“That is a moment when you fall out of love with the sport…the principle of fairness was breached.

“The FIA took the guy out of the job because it was a human error. But it’s done and dusted now. I still think about it a lot, but not with anger; it is just incomprehensible how it came about.”

During the 2022 season, Wolff and Horner had disputes over bouncing cars, illegal flexible floors and the cost cap row.

Horner: It’s easy to pull Wolff’s chain!

During an exclusive interview with Sky Sports in August 2022, Horner was asked about his rivalry with Wolff and said “it’s very easy to pull his chain”.

“Toto is Toto. He’s done a phenomenal job with Mercedes. He’s obviously come into the sport from a very different background to me, he’s very much from a financial background,” he said.

“And it’s very easy to pull his chain, and you can see it. Sometimes it affects him. So of course when you’re competing, and last year was so intense and of course it was the first time he’d ever been in that situation, it’s always interesting to see how people react.

“And when they’re smashing headphones and so on, you can see that you got to them.”

Asked if he thought he was a better team boss than Wolff, Horner added: “That’s not for me to judge…

“I’m focused on what I’m doing, you guys are judge and jury. Sometimes we get judged by Sky but that’s not for me… I’m focused on what I’m doing and he’s focused on what he’s doing.”

Logan Sargeant is the first American driver in Formula 1 since 2015 as he replaces Nicholas Latifi at Wiliams; there are three races in the United States in the 2023 Formula 1 calendar as the sport heads to Miami, Las Vegas and Austin

Entering the F1 paddock comes with an immense amount of pressure for any driver, none more so than Williams’ newest star Logan Sargeant.

Sargeant, 21, was revealed as the replacement for Nicholas Latifi at last year’s USA Grand Prix and as the only American in a sport that is taking off in the United States, he knows all eyes will be on him as he takes the next step in his career, his focus already switching to proving himself on motorsport’s biggest stage.

“Obviously it is super special to be the first American driver in a while,” said Sargeant.

“With three Grand Prixs [in America], that is going to be fun. Miami is just on my doorstep so I am really looking forward to that one.

“It is maybe a little bit of extra pressure, but, at the end of the day, I put a lot of pressure on myself and the expectations are high.

“We just need to get the job done.”

As he teams up with Alex Albon at Williams, Sargeant becomes the first American driver in the sport since Alexander Rossi in 2015, the last American to win a race being Mario Andretti back in 1978.

The pressure will be mounting as the season draws closer, but Sargeant has always made sure to remember he is living out his dream for a team who have supported him for so long.

“It is definitely a dream come true. I feel like 16 years of hard work, the weight was lifted off my shoulders that we made it here,” he added.

“Then you immediately think, now the real work starts trying to keep my place in Formula 1 going forward.

“The stars definitely have to align and you have to be in the right place at the right time.

“Williams has supported me so much since the end of last year and they gave me so much confidence throughout the year that this seat was up for grabs if I did my job.

“Going into that last round, I needed to get my super licence and the pressure was on to maximise the weekend and we did.

“I am just looking forward to doing my best for them in the future.”

Williams team principal James Vowles denies Mercedes control rival F1 team

Newly-appointed Williams team principal James Vowles insists the team will not become a “mini-Mercedes” following his move from the Silver Arrows.

Williams announced on Friday that Vowles will take over as team principal on February 20 ahead of the new season, ending his 13-year run with Mercedes.

Vowles, who departs his position as strategy director, provides a further link between the two teams, who are already tied by Mercedes having supplied Williams with engines since 2014.

Meanwhile, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is a former owner and director of the British team, and Silver Arrows driver George Russell spent three years at Williams before partnering Hamilton for the first time last season.

“I wouldn’t consider it a mini-Mercedes,” Vowles said on Friday. “Williams is an incredibly independent team in its own right, which has formed its own history, its own heritage.

Vowles had been at Mercedes since the team’s inception in 2010

“Williams is an entirely independent organisation, and furthermore, it’s one that my success is subject and dependent on me doing a good job there, and that has to be independent of Mercedes.

“It doesn’t mean that Mercedes and ourselves won’t have collaboration in some form or another, there was collaboration before I joined, but I have to do what is best for Williams from here onwards.”

Formula 1 opts not to replace Chinese GP, which was set for April 16 before its cancellation due to Covid measures; there will now be four-week gap between third and fourth races of season (Melbourne and Baku); all 23 races this year – an F1 record – live on Sky Sports F1

Formula 1 has formally confirmed a 23-race season for 2023 after opting not to replace the cancelled Chinese Grand Prix.

Discussions were held with numerous promoters about filling the April 16 slot – with Turkey and Portugal mooted – but the decision means there will be a four-week gap between the third and fourth rounds of the season.

The Australian GP takes place on April 2 and the Azerbaijan GP on April 30.

All 23 races – an F1 record – are live on Sky Sports F1.

An F1 statement read: “Formula 1 can confirm that the 2023 season will consist of 23 races.

“That means the season will kick off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5, and finish up in Abu Dhabi on November 26, with the brand new Las Vegas Grand Prix joining the calendar a week before the season finale.”

The Chinese GP was cancelled for the fourth year in a row at the beginning of December due to strict Covid measures.

The sport had been set to return to China for the first time since 2019 but with the country continuing to implement a zero-Covid policy, which has led to heavy restrictions and continued lockdown, F1 decided it was not feasible to hold a race at the Shanghai International Circuit.

F1 2023 starts with pre-season testing on February 23-25 before the first race of the season, the Bahrain GP, on March 5.

The 10 F1 teams will unveil their new cars in February ahead of a solitary sole pre-season test, which takes place over three days in Bahrain from February 23.

The confirmed 2023 calendar

March 5: Bahrain (Sakhir)
March 19: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah)
April 2: Australia (Melbourne)
April 30: Azerbaijan (Baku)*
May 7: Miami (Miami)
May 21: Emilia Romagna (Imola)
May 28: Monaco (Monaco)
June 4: Spain (Barcelona)
June 18: Canada (Montreal)
July 2: Austria (Spielberg)*
July 9: Great Britain (Silverstone)
July 23: Hungary (Budapest)
July 30: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)*
August 27: Netherlands (Zandvoort)
September 3: Italy (Monza)
September 17: Singapore (Marina Bay)
September 24: Japan (Suzuka)
October 8: Qatar (Losail)*
October 22: USA (Austin)*
October 29: Mexico (Mexico City)
November 5: Brazil (Sao Paulo)*
November 18: Las Vegas
November 26: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)

*indicates Sprint weekend

Red Bull are set to be the first team to launch their car for the 2023 Formula 1 season; the reigning drivers’ and constructors’ champions will reveal the RB19 in New York City on February 3

Reigning Formula 1 constructors’ champions Red Bull have announced they will launch their 2023 car in New York City on February 3.

With only two teams – Alfa Romeo and Haas – left to announce their launch dates, Red Bull’s RB19 is set to be the first 2023 car revealed.

The RB18 delivered a dominant season for Red Bull, ending Mercedes’ eight-year streak of constructors’ titles and helping Max Verstappen to his second successive drivers’ crown.

“The 3rd February is set to be our biggest launch yet, in the city that never sleeps, New York,” Red Bull said in a statement released on Friday.

“Not only is this going to be the first Formula 1 season launch to take place in the US, we’re also planning to make it the greatest in F1 history.”

Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri had previously confirmed that they would also launch their 2023 campaign in New York, but that event comes eight days later.

Verstappen produced a brilliant season-long display of driving, winning a record 15 races as he cruised to his second title.

Red Bull were similarly dominant in the constructors’ contest, beating second-placed Ferrari by 205 points.

Verstappen’s dominance in 2022 allowed the team to start work early on their 2023 car, but they will also be coping with a loss of development time after being punished for breaching F1’s cost cap in 2021.

What changes are there on the cars and when’s testing?

While there is no rules overhaul for next year like there was for 2022, there are subtle changes to the rules and cars that teams can take advantage of.

The most notable is a higher ride height, which is primarily to help with porpoising but could also see teams find performance.

There is one pre-season test this year, in Bahrain, on February 23-25.

The 2023 season starts in earnest the week after pre-season testing at the same Sakhir circuit, on March 3-5.

The series will start in 2023 and F1 says it will be an ‘extra route’ for young women alongside W Series, the all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties

ART, Campos, Carlin, MP motorsport and Prema have all been announced as teams for the F1 Academy – an all-female driver championship.

The five teams all have impressive pedigrees in multiple junior categories.

Last season, ART Grand Prix took Victor Martins to the Formula 3 crown, Prema Racing became F3 Team Champions, MP Motorsport secured both Driver and Teams Championships in Formula 2, Carlin finished second in the F2 Teams’ Championship with Logan Sargeant and and Campos Racing reigned supreme in Spanish F4 in 2022.

The series will start in 2023 and F1 say it will be an ‘extra route’ up the motorsport pyramid for young women alongside W Series, the similarly all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties.

It is hoped the F1 Academy will quickly see a woman progress into Formula 3, and help Formula 2 and Formula 1 opportunities in the future.

The last female to race in F1 was Lella Lombardi back in 1976.

The driver line-up and calendar will be announced in the next few months.

The F1 Academy will feature five teams, run by current F2 and F3 teams, with three cars each to make up a 15-car grid. The inaugural season will have 21 races, with seven three-race events, and is likely to include at least F1 race weekend.

Like W Series, all drivers will compete in the same Formula 4 chassis.

F1 say they will be providing funding of €150,000 (£130,000) for each car, which will need to be matched by drivers to enter. They say that is a ‘fraction of the usual costs to enter comparable series’, and the rest of the budget will be provided by the teams.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “It is exciting to be able to announce the five teams that will be racing in the F1 Academy for next year and who will be providing this fantastic opportunity to the young and talented women to begin their journey into competitive motorsport. We believe it is important that everyone has the chance to follow their ambitions and get the support and guidance needed to progress and excel.

“The F1 Academy is an important part of our plan to increase diversity and representation in motorsport and we are looking forward to the first season in 2023 and stay tuned for more news in this area.”

Jamie Chadwick hopeful W Series and F1 Academy can ‘co-exist’

Three-time champion Jamie Chadwick says she hopes the W Series “can survive and continue” alongside Formula 1’s newly-announced category for women.

“It (W Series) has been a life-changing opportunity for me over the past few years and for the other girls as well and everyone else involved in the series,” Chadwick told Sky Sports News.

“It’s proven to be a very positive platform in providing these chances for us all to go racing. I really hope it can survive and continue on next year.”

Chadwick, who will not compete in either of the all-female categories next year after signing a deal to make her American racing series debut in Indy NXT, is hopeful W Series and F1 academy can both thrive.

“From my side, I think anything we can to do to encourage more girls into the sport is key,” she said. “I think the fact that F1 have created a new opportunity for drivers to be doing that is fantastic.

“I’d love to see that alongside W Series as well, and we can see more and more young girls get involved in the sport as a result of it.”

Mattia Binotto had been at the helm of Ferrari since 2019; the Italian team made a promising start to the 2022 season but failed to claim a win in the final 11 races of the campaign; Italian will leave role on December 31

Mattia Binotto has resigned as Ferrari team principal.

Binotto will leave his role on December 31 while the team expect to appoint his replacement early in 2023, with Frederic Vasseur, current boss of the Ferrari-linked Alfa Romeo, the favourite.

Ferrari appeared to be in contention to end its long wait for titles after a strong start to the 2022 season, but failed to win any of the final 11 races of the campaign amid a loss of performance, and finished a distant second to Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

While the Italian team ultimately did not have the pace to compete with Red Bull, the combination of reliability issues and repeated strategy errors saw Binotto come under pressure, with rumours surfacing ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi that he would be dismissed.

At the time, Ferrari said reports that Binotto would be sacked were “totally without foundation”, but less than two weeks after that denial, the team released a statement confirming the 53-year-old’s departure.

It brings a three-year reign at the head of Formula 1’s most famous team, as well as a 28-year career in total, to an end.

“With the regret that this entails, I have decided to conclude my collaboration with Ferrari,” said Binotto, who had previously insisted he was going to stay for 2023.

“I am leaving a company that I love, which I have been part of for 28 years, with the serenity that comes from the conviction that I have made every effort to achieve the objectives set.

“I leave a united and growing team. A strong team, ready, I’m sure, to achieve the highest goals, to which I wish all the best for the future. I think it is right to take this step at this time as hard as this decision has been for me.

“I would like to thank all the people at the Gestione Sportiva who have shared this journey with me, made up of difficulties but also of great satisfaction.”

Ferrrai CEO Benedetto Vigna added: “I would like to thank Mattia for his many great contributions over 28 years with Ferrari and particularly for leading the team back to a position of competitiveness during this past year.

“As a result, we are in a strong position to renew our challenge, above all for our amazing fans around the world, to win the ultimate prize in motorsport. Everyone here at the Scuderia and in the wider Ferrari community wishes Mattia well for the future.”

What went wrong for Binotto and who will replace him?

Binotto rose through the ranks at Ferrari, becoming head of the engine department in 2013 and then chief technical officer in 2016, before replacing Maurizio Arrivabene as team principal in 2019.

It was hoped that Binotto, a calmer presence than Arrivabene, would help Ferrari claim their first title since 2008.

Binotto’s first year in charge was controversial, with Ferrari competitive – particularly in qualifying – but having also been involved in an engine scandal, reaching a settlement with the FIA after the season.

Ferrari changed tack in 2020 with a car design that spectacularly failed, enduring their worst season in four decades and then struggling in the midfield the following season, too, when Binotto made the decision to replace four-time champion Sebastian Vettel with Carlos Sainz.

2022 was the big goal for Binotto and his team with all-new rules and cars – and initially, it was a test passed.

Ferrari started the new season with the fastest car, overhauling Mercedes and battling Red Bull, and Charles Leclerc won two of the first three races to lead the championship early on.

But Ferrari started to throw away wins and points with mechanical failures and, more frustratingly, strategic mistakes. Pit-stop errors and incorrect choices became a theme of Ferrari’s season and – even after Red Bull moved ahead of them with their car upgrades – it is those failures that may have cost Binotto his job.

Binotto has long-defended his team and long insisted that they are focusing on an improved 2023, although the internal and external pressure has now led to his resignation, and an opening as Ferrari’s boss.

Sky Sports in Italy report that Alfa Romeo boss Vasseur is expected to replace Binotto.

Vasseur has a strong F1 pedigree and, perhaps crucially, a strong rapport with Ferrari’s lead driver Leclerc.

Other contenders noted include Ross Brawn, Ferrari’s former technical chief, although the Englishman re-joining is extremely unlikely given he has just left an F1 motorsports role and wanted time away from the sport.

Lando Norris finished seventh in the world championship, finishing best of the rest behind the drivers of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes; the 23-year-old is contracted to McLaren until 2025 but says “time will tell” regarding his future with the team

Lando Norris insists he maintains “faith” in McLaren, despite warning the team “can’t be satisfied” with their 2022 Formula 1 campaign.

The 23-year-old Brit drove superbly to finish seventh in the world championship as the best of the rest behind the drivers of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, but McLaren were beaten to fourth in the constructors’ championship by Alpine.

Norris penned a new contract with McLaren before the start of the 2022 season that ties him to the team until the end of 2025, but the quality of his performances undoubtedly make him one of the most desirable drivers on the grid.

Asked by Sky Sports F1 during the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend about his future with the team, Norris said: “It’s just faith, it’s just honesty – that’s the main thing I need.

“I’m not a guy who likes BS or likes people trying to make me happy, I like people just being honest.

“I have faith in McLaren, I have faith in the guys I work with, the whole team.

“Time will tell. You can never be 100 per cent certain where you’re going to be, but you can have a good shot at it.”

The 2022 season saw the introduction of radical new design regulations, which in theory could have given McLaren a chance to close the gap to the front-runners, but issues relating to the overheating of the car’s brakes put the British team on the back foot almost immediately.

Norris highlighted his brilliance by becoming the only driver outside of the top three teams to claim a podium during the season. He also finished 85 points clear of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, and 30 points clear of his nearest challenger for seventh, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.

“I mean, from where we were in race one, I think we’ve done a good job – we recovered well,” Norris said.

“If I think of before this season, did we achieve in 2022 what we should have done as McLaren? Honestly, it’s no.

“If we want to do well and we want to be champions at some point and we want to win races, we can’t be satisfied with where we have been this season, but we can certainly be satisfied with the progress we’ve made.

“From the mechanics with our pit stops, our strategy, the whole team’s work ethic – so many things are working well, it’s just we need a slightly better car, that’s all.”

Max Verstappen won Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi to claim a record-extending 15th victory of the campaign, having previously wrapped up his second successive title; 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg: “He’s already one of the best of all-time and I think, he’s only getting started.”

Max Verstappen has already established himself as one of Formula 1’s “best of all time” after delivering “one of the greatest driving seasons ever seen”, according to former world champion Nico Rosberg.

Verstappen won Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi to claim a record-extending 15th victory of the campaign, having previously wrapped up his second successive title with four races to spare.

The 25-year-old Dutchman’s dominant triumph came after a concerning start to the season, which saw Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc open up a 46-point lead as Verstappen retired from two of the first three races.

“He is an incredible driver,” 2016 world champion Rosberg told Sky Sports F1’s Any Driven Monday.

“I think it’s easy to say even now that’s he’s going to be one of the best of all time, if you look at the statistics he actually even is now.”

Verstappen’s 2022 victories took his career tally to 35, moving him up to sixth on the sport’s all-time list, which is topped by Lewis Hamilton with 103.

“He’s a double world champion with all of the race wins that he has, more than (Fernando) Alonso,” Rosberg continued.

“He’s already one of the best of all time and I think, he’s only getting started.

“He’s going to confirm that in the next decade, certainly. His level of driving is phenomenal and it’s great to witness that.”

Verstappen’s many victories came in all forms, with wins from seven different positions on the grid, including a memorable triumph from 14th at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ferrari pushed Red Bull hard, particularly during the first half of the season, with Leclerc ending the year with nine pole positions to Verstappen’s seven.

However, reliability issues, strategic blunders and driver errors from the Italian team on race days were taken advantage of by the ruthless Verstappen, who hardly put a foot wrong all season.

“We need to remember also, it’s not like from the get-go this year his car was miles quicker than everyone else’s,” Rosberg said.

“The Ferrari was the quickest car in the beginning of the season and still, he got this incredible 15 wins and really destroyed the opposition in that way.

“If you look at the points, he scored 146 more than anybody else, it’s unreal. It’s one of the greatest driving seasons we’ve ever seen certainly.”

Sergio Perez outpaced Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to top final practice at the Yas Marina Circuit; Lewis Hamilton under investigation for failing to slow under red flag; watch Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying later on Saturday live at 2pm, with build-up from 1.15pm

Sergio Perez outpaced Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to top final practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton was left facing a stewards investigation for failing to slow under a red flag.

There was little surprise that constructors’ champions Red Bull remained a step ahead of their rivals at the Yas Marina Circuit, but Perez being 0.152s clear of world champion Verstappen with a 1:24.982 was certainly unexpected.

Mercedes were hoping overnight setup changes would help them close the gap to Red Bull after Verstappen had topped second practice on Friday, but Hamilton was more than two tenths back from Perez, with team-mate George Russell further back in fourth.

Hamilton faces a nervous wait – and likely meeting with the stewards – after the session, having come under investigation for failing to slow down after a failure on Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri triggered a red flag.

Replays suggested Hamilton may not have been aware of the red flag as he overtook McLaren’s Lando Norris, but the seven-time world champion could now face a grid penalty, which would harm his faint hopes of sealing a first victory of the campaign in the season finale.

Norris, meanwhile, led a strong showing from McLaren to take fifth ahead of Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo behind them in eighth.

While the session provides encouragement to Perez as he seeks to beat Leclerc to second in the drivers’ championship, the fact it was conducted in hot sunshine and daylight means it is not representative of the night-time conditions Qualifying and the race will be run in.

However, the fact that Red Bull looked equally – if not more – strong under the lights on Friday, is an ominous sign for their rivals.

Ferrari, whose team principal Mattia Binotto is facing continued speculation over his job security, appeared a step behind both Red Bull and Mercedes, with Leclerc heard complaining about his engine during the session.

More to follow…

The series will start in 2023 and F1 says it will be an ‘extra route’ for young women alongside W Series, the all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties

Formula 1 has announced the launch of its own all-female driver category, the F1 Academy, which the sport hopes will eventually lead to a woman racer on the grid.

The series will start in 2023 and F1 say it will be an ‘extra route’ up the motorsport pyramid for young women alongside W Series, the similarly all-female championship that is aiming to return for a fourth season next year despite having its 2022 campaign shortened amid financial difficulties.

It is hoped the F1 Academy will quickly get a woman into Formula 3, and help Formula 2 and Formula 1 opportunities in the future.

The last female to race in F1 was Lella Lombardi back in 1976.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to follow their dreams and achieve their potential and Formula 1 wants to ensure we are doing everything we can to create greater diversity and routes into this incredible sport,” said Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali.

“That is why I am delighted to announce the F1 Academy that will give young female drivers the best chance to fulfil their ambitions through a comprehensive programme that supports their racing careers and gives them everything they need to move into F3 and hopefully to F2 and then the pinnacle of Formula 1.

“The more opportunity there is the better and this is designed to provide another route for the drivers to succeed.”

The F1 Academy will feature five teams, run by current F2 and F3 teams, with three cars each to make up a 15-car grid. The inaugural season will have 21 races, with seven three-race events, and is likely to include at least F1 race weekend.

Like W Series, all drivers will compete in the same Formula 4 chassis.

F1 say they will be providing funding of €150,000 (£130,000) for each car, which will need to be matched by drivers to enter. They say that is a ‘fraction of the usual costs to enter comparable series’, and the rest of the budget will be provided by the teams.

The statement adds: ‘Formula 1 wants to ensure aspiring female drivers have the best opportunities to reach their potential with an important first step of getting into Formula 3 and progressing through the ranks.

‘The W Series continues to provide a great platform for drivers and the F1 Academy is intended to add an extra route for the next generation of young female drivers’.

The series will be headed up by Bruno Michel, who has ran F2 and F3, and he said: “I am very excited to launch this new category. Diversity is extremely important in motorsport, and with the F1 Academy we will prove that female drivers have what it takes to compete at high levels.

“I am absolutely convinced that if young women are given the same amount of experience as any other driver, they can successfully make their way through the pyramid. Our goal is to see female drivers on the F3 grid in the next two to three years, and for them to quickly challenge for points and podiums.

“The aim is to increase the field in the near future, because we hope that this category will inspire more young girls to compete in motorsport at the highest of levels.”

W Series welcome F1 Academy

CEO of W Series Catherine Bond Muir welcomed the announcement.

“W Series created the first platform for women in motorsport which has inspired young girls all around the world since our inaugural season in 2019. It is fantastic to see this grow as a result of our pioneering work.

“W Series welcomes any initiative which shares our ambition to provide more opportunities for women in motorsport,” said Bond Muir.

“Our objective from the start has always been to increase the talent pool of women racing drivers, and the addition of the F1 Academy as a feeder to W Series and other series is a further step in inspiring the next generation to progress up the motorsport ladder.

“We are looking forward to finalising W Series’ plans for 2023 and beyond, providing exciting racing and entertaining our fans around the world.

“Our mission is still clear: to offer women racing drivers a platform to race globally at the pinnacle of women’s motorsport, and in doing so continue to spread our message further and wider.”

Fernando Alonso suggested he was looking forward to his partnership with Alpine team-mate Esteban Ocon “finally” being over after the pair ruined each other’s races with a collision in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint.

Armed with a car that had shown strong pace throughout the weekend and in solid starting positions of sixth (Ocon) and seventh (Alonso), Alpine appeared well placed to strike a further blow against McLaren in the battle for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

However, the pair made contact twice on the first lap, and both cars suffered damage that would see Alonso finish 15th and Ocon 18th, with no points and poor starting positions for Sunday’s full-length race.

“(It’s) far from ideal when you touch on the first lap of the sprint race because it’s too short to come back,” Alonso said.

“On a positive side, the pace was very good today, close to the leaders actually. P15 we start tomorrow and if we have this pace. We can score points tomorrow.”

Ocon forced Alonso off track as the Spaniard attempted an overtake around the outside of Turn 4 on the opening lap, which caused him to lose control as he drove over the kerb and suffer a snap that caused the pair to make minor contact.

That was somewhat of a reprieve, but the pair failed to learn their lesson. In the closing stages of the first lap, Alonso once more tried to initiate a pass at the start of the home straight, but apparent confusion saw them make contact once more, with the damage this time more significant, and ultimately causing both to finish outside the points.

The Alpine duo were called to see the stewards after the race, with Alonso ultimately adjudged to have been at fault for the second collision, as he was given a five-second time penalty that dropped him to 18th, and lifted Ocon to 17th.

Speaking before that decision, Alonso, who is leaving Alpine to join Aston Martin at the end of the season, was critical of his team-mate, as he made reference to earlier incidents in the season.

Asked whether he had spoken to Ocon, Alonso said: “No, not really.”

“I don’t need to. It’s one more race and then it’s over finally.

“It was very close to the wall in Jeddah, close to the wall in Budapest, today in Turn 4, now here.

“It’s the way these things are. Sometimes it’s very competitive inside the team.”

Ocon: Alonso will be calm for the race

Ocon, also speaking before the stewards’ ruling, played down the incidents, insisting Alonso would have calmed down in time for Sunday’s race, if the Spaniard hadn’t already.

“It was unfortunate for the team really what happened,” Ocon said. “We were in such a good position and we are now at the back with a lot of work to do tomorrow.

“So, it is going to be important to work together tomorrow to come back through the field.

“It is unfortunate what happened on lap one. I was trying to attack the McLaren, I took my line into Turn 4 and Fernando came out of nowhere on the outside and we touched.

“From there on, my race was pretty much over.

“I am quite calm. If he isn’t, he will be for tomorrow.”

Alpine condemn ‘unacceptable’ online abuse

Later on Saturday evening, Alpine released a statement condemning the online reaction to the incidents between their drivers.

“Whatever happens on track, there is absolutely no excuse for hateful comments, abuse or toxicity to be directed towards our drivers, team members, fans or indeed anybody online,” the statement said.

“Of all of the comments that we received across our social media channels during and after today’s Sprint qualifying, we received 882 toxic comments, 162 of which were severely toxic. This is wholly unacceptable.

“What we have seen today is, unfortunately, not an isolated incident. We continue to see hate and discrimination online, and as a team, will not tolerate this.

“We will take action against individuals or groups who produce or disseminate social media posts that contain or encourage online abuse of our drivers, team members, and fans.”

Vettel understanding after Stroll’s ‘naughty’ manoeuvre

Alonso and Ocon weren’t the only team-mates to clash during Saturday’s Sprint, with Aston Martin duo Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll also hampering each other.

Vettel, who appeared to be the faster of the Aston Martins, was challenging Stroll for 11th on lap nine when the Canadian forced him onto the grass in the run to Turn 4.

Vettel, who is retiring from F1 at the end of the season, was fortunate to retain control of his car and return to the track, which he did before easing past Stroll soon after.

“That was naughty driving there from Lance Stroll, that was too much, way too much,” Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said on commentary at the time.

The stewards agreed, handing Stroll a 10-second time penalty, which would relegate him from 12th to 17th in the final standings, and giving him three penalty points on his licence for dangerous driving.

Despite the stewards clearly ruling in his favour, Vettel, who ultimately finished a place outside the points in ninth, offered a measured assessment of the incident.

“It’s obviously split seconds,” he said. “I went to the inside and the gap closed and it was really tight and I went off the track, which was difficult to recover from, I was sort of stuck sitting on the plank but fortunately I got back.

“After that we were able to work together, and I was able to use the pace I had in the car.

“It’s a fine line. You’re fighting for your spot. Obviously, it’s important to defend, on the other hand, it’s always trying to weigh up whether you are losing more than you’re gaining (by battling).

“Plus we are obviously trying to work together, so I think today in the end we could have done better, both of us, to try to get a better positioning for the team.”

The three penalty points given to Stroll takes his current tally to eight, which is only four short of the 12-point limit that would see him incur a one-race ban.

Speaking before the penalty point ruling, the Canadian only offered a limited response when quizzed about the incident.

“I have to look at it again I haven’t really seen the video,” he said. “So probably I didn’t leave enough space.”

Pierre Gasly has urged the FIA to change regulations that have left him on the brink of receiving a race ban for breaching Formula 1’s penalty point limit.

Gasly reached 10 penalty points for the season at the Mexico City Grand Prix, leaving the AlphaTauri driver just two short of the 12-point limit, which triggers a one-race ban if reached.

Penalty points do not drop off a driver’s licence until a year after they were given, meaning that this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix is the first of nine races – spanning across this season and next – that Gasly will have the possibility of the ban hanging over him.

The Frenchman, who will move to Alpine at the end of the season, is adamant the offences he has committed are not significant enough to merit the very rare implementation of a race ban.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a very unpleasant situation and quite delicate, in some ways a bit embarrassing to be standing in a position where I could be banned for a race after the season that I’ve done,” Gasly said on Thursday in Brazil.

“I don’t really feel like I’ve been particularly dangerous over these last 12 months and that would definitely be a harsh penalty.”

Otmar Szafnauer, who will be Gasly’s boss next season, has joked that his incoming driver should commit a “tactical foul” in Brazil to ensure he serves the penalty with AlphaTauri, but the Alpine team principal more seriously suggested the possibility of the Frenchman attending a class that would result in points being cleared.

Gasly is adamant that he shouldn’t have to miss a race for either his current or future team.

“(There’s) definitely a lot of discussion with the FIA trying to find a solution because personally I want to do all of the races,” he said. “I want to finish the season in the best way I can with AlphaTauri. I want to do all of the races in 2023 and get the chance to perform for Alpine.

“Obviously, there’s a lot at stake because no-one knows what’s going to happen in 2023, I could end up in an amazing car fighting for the championship for example. I can’t take the risk to then lose all my hopes for the championship. So, it’s a very tricky situation.

“I’ve been discussing it quite a lot with the FIA to try and find solutions because the way the regulation is written at the moment, it’s quite strict on the drivers and quite harsh penalties even though it’s not always related to dangerous driving.”

“We’re going to have more conversations today and I do hope we can find solutions out of the weekend to avoid ending up in a silly situation where I’ll be banned for a race. That would be terrible for myself and definitely not the way that I’ve seen the sport growing up, I don’t think that’s the correct approach.”

How did Gasly incur penalty points?

Gasly’s most notable offences in amassing his 10 penalty points have been for causing collisions, the first of which was with Lance Stroll in Spain in May.

Another collision, this time with Stroll’s Aston Martin team-mate Sebastian Vettel, followed in Austria in July, with each incident resulting in a two-point penalty. Gasly incurred a further one-point penalty for exceeding track limits in Austria.

He was then involved in a major controversy at the Japanese GP in October as he was penalised for going too fast under a red flag, with the incident occurring while a recovery vehicle had been prematurely sent on track in wet conditions.

Gasly would later say that he had feared for his life because of the presence of the vehicle, but was criticised by the FIA in a review of the race.

Another two-point penalty followed at the United States Grand Prix after Gasly failed to stay within 10 lengths of the car in front under Safety Car conditions.

The Frenchman then reached 10 penalty points at the Mexico City GP following another incident with Stroll, in which he was adjudged to have forced the Aston Martin off track.

What do the other drivers think?

Mercedes driver George Russell, who is president of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, was one of several drivers to speak out in Gasly’s defence on Thursday.

George Russell, Mercedes

I think the penalty doesn’t fit the crime, let’s say, especially in Pierre’s case. I think he’s got some for safety car infringements, or incidents in practice sessions. If anything were to result in a race ban, it needs to truly be for something pretty reckless and dangerous.

I personally don’t associate Pierre being a reckless or dangerous driver. It’s actually something we spoke about earlier in the year around Barcelona after some drivers picked up penalty points for a nothing of an incident.

I hope he gets away with not getting a race ban because he certainly doesn’t deserve one. And if somehow he does manage to get 12 penalty points, there needs to be some exemption because the rules aren’t in the right place at the moment in that regard.

Definitely they (the FIA) have expressed to us that they’re going to have a conversation in the off-season and review all of this.

I think in sport you need to be able to adapt. You do have these regulations in place, and it only takes one incident to recognise maybe that regulation isn’t quite right and we need to have the capability to change things or take penalty points afterwards if we all agree that it was incorrect.

Alex Albon, Williams

I’m quite high up there as well (in terms of penalty points). I completely agree with Pierre.

Just to give some context to it, I think I have three points on my licence down to track limits, which is something that’s not dangerous at all, I’m not harming any other driver or myself in that situation.

I think I’ve got another two points in relation to a collision with Lance Stroll in Jeddah which at the end of race, as drivers we deemed that it wasn’t my fault. So, there are a lot of points on my licence which I don’t think are deserved.

We are discussing about it; I think there is going to be a change.

Firstly, we’ve already got the points on our licence so what happens then? Even if we do make steps forwards into next year, do the points that we’ve got from previous years and races stay on?

We do need to do something about it, I don’t think any of us are dangerous drivers. I do understand of course you should punish drivers if they do dangerous things, but I don’t think the points everyone has right now are because of dangerous things.

Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

I think there’s already been discussions. I think it’s better to keep it internal, but my understanding is that some changes will be made for the future.

For sure, some of the things these guys have been getting the points for are not dangerous at all. They (points) should only be given when they’re really dangerous and (in situations) that can be harmful to somebody else on track.

I think we will see progress being made but I don’t think Pierre deserves to be in that kind of situation on the edge. That’s the rule now but the main thing is how we act in the future.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull

I feel like there are things that are not even related to his driving and we get points for that. When it’s not related to bad driving or mistakes, there shouldn’t be a penalty. It will be really bad if he ends up losing a race for that.