Tag: Results

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed he plans to sign a new “multi-year” contract with Mercedes; the seven-time world champion’s current deal expires at the end of the 2023 season; watch the Mexico City GP live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, with the race at 8pm on Sunday

Lewis Hamilton has revealed he plans to sign a new “multi-year” contract with Mercedes that will see the seven-time world champion race into his forties.

The 37-year-old said earlier in his career that he did not envisage racing to such an age, but after losing out to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on two successive drivers’ titles, insists Mercedes “have a championship that we need to get back”.

Hamilton’s interests outside of Formula 1 include working on the fight for social and racial equality, fashion, music, film, and recently becoming a part-owner of an NFL team, but he is adamant the sport remains his priority.

“I’m not putting a limit on it to be honest,” Hamilton said on Thursday ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

“I’m planning to do a multi-year deal with my team.

Hamilton spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of the Mexico City GP

“I really, really don’t know what the next five years (hold). I think we’re still trying to work on that. There are a lot of great things being put in place, like I just launched a production company this week, but I feel great in my mind and body.

“I want to continue, I think there’s more stuff for us to achieve together so I want to be here longer.”

Hamilton considered leaving the sport after being agonisingly – and controversially – denied an eighth world title in 2021, and has endured the most challenging campaign of his career this year as Mercedes struggled, with Red Bull dominating.

The Brit believes the challenges the team have faced over the last 12 months will make returning to the top that much more satisfying.

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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater and Paul Di Resta discuss whether Lewis Hamilton can ever reclaim the Formula One world title amid the dominance of Max Verstappen and Red Bull

He said. “If we’d have a year like last year and we were competing at the front all year, who knows where I would be?

“Each year you have to ask yourself if you’re willing to give as much if not more than you did when you first started. Are you willing to give up all your time to prepare and train and work with the team and deliver?

“If there’s ever a moment that I’m arriving and I’m just coasting along, then that’s when I don’t belong here, and don’t deserve the position here, and that’s when I should stop. I question myself as to whether I’m able to do that and whether I want to do that, and the answer is yes.

“We obviously have a championship that we need to get back, and I love the mission and that challenge with my team.”

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The battle for P1 continues as Max Verstappen battles through to take the lead from Lewis Hamilton at the United States Grand Prix

Hamilton, who has spoken openly about challenges he has faced with his mental health in the past, said one of the highlights of Mercedes’ testing period has been seeing his male colleagues open up.

“Every single person that’s back here has given up so much time in their lives on the road, year after year, and this one’s been a really, really challenging one for us all in so many ways,” Hamilton said,

“But it’s been beautiful to see the journey that everyone individually has gone on, but also collectively how we’ve gelled together and pulled together, pulled up closer to each other, been more open.

“With a room really full of men most often, them showing more of their vulnerability, that’s been a really interesting process, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

“I can’t wait to the time where we get back to success, when we finally get that win, when we get that championship – it’s going to make all of these tough moments worthwhile.”

Fernando Alonso dropped from seventh to 15th with a penalty following a Haas protest on Sunday, and Alpine have appealed; Alonso says this decision will dictate if we are going in the right direction for the future.”

Fernando Alonso has hit out at the FIA’s rules after he was handed a United States GP penalty and says the result of Alpine’s appeal will dictate whether Formula 1 is “going in the right direction for the future”.

Alpine’s double world champion Fernando Alonso lost seventh place at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday after stewards upheld a protest from rivals Haas about the safety of his car as he continued racing with loose bodywork.

Renault-owned Alpine, who are fighting McLaren for fourth in the constructors’ championship with prize money at stake, responded by protesting the admissibility of the Haas protest.

Both Alpine and Haas will meet stewards again on Thursday ahead of the Mexico City GP.

“It’s one of those rare times in sport, that I feel we are all on the same page and share the same opinion towards rules and regulations,” Alonso posted on Instagram on Monday night as he thanked fans for their messages.

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Anthony Davidson analyses the crash that sent Fernando Alonso airborne

“Therefore, Thursday is an important day for the sport that we love so much, as this decision will dictate if we are going in the right direction for the future.”

Haas, who are eighth and only two points clear of AlphaTauri, had objected post-race to Alonso and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who finished fourth, being allowed to continue racing after damage from collisions.

Stewards rejected the protest against Red Bull but upheld the one against Alpine, dropping Alonso to 15th with a 30 second post-race penalty.

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Alpine driver Fernando Alonso reflects on US GP and highlights the strength of the car after the Spaniard escaped unscathed from an airborne incident

Haas had argued that Alonso’s car was in an unsafe condition after a collision because the right-hand mirror, which eventually fell off, was moving around.

They also made the point they had been shown a black and orange flag, requiring a driver to pit due to mechanical problems or loose bodywork, on three occasions this season.

“A car must be in a safe condition throughout a race, and in this case, Car 14 (Alonso) was not,” stewards said in their ruling. “This is a responsibility of the Alpine team.”

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Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll collided at the US GP, with Alonso sent airborne as a result

Alpine said Haas had lodged their protest 24 minutes past the specified deadline, a fact acknowledged by the FIA who had said compliance was not possible, and it should not have been accepted.

“Therefore the penalty should be considered as invalid,” the team said in a statement. “As a result of this point, the team has protested the admissibility of the original Haas F1 team protest.”

Alpine would have scored six points for Alonso’s seventh place but instead ended up with just one for Esteban Ocon being bumped up to 10th.

Without Alonso’s points, Alpine are only six clear of McLaren with three races remaining.

The Spaniard’s demotion meant Haas’ Danish driver Kevin Magnussen moved up from ninth to eighth, doubling his points haul from the race and sending the team two points clear of AlphaTauri.

Formula 1 heads to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez amid continued scandal over Red Bull’s cost cap breach; Drivers’ and team principals’ press conferences live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend; Qualifying at 9pm on Saturday, the race at 8pm on Sunday

Get ready for epic racing and controversy off the track – all live on Sky Sports F1 – as Formula 1 heads to Mexico for a Grand Prix weekend that is sure to provide talking points.

Another brilliant Max Verstappen victory last time out at the United States Grand Prix helped Red Bull confirm the addition of the constructors’ championship to the drivers’ title the Dutchman had already sealed.

However, there is still plenty of intrigue as Formula 1 makes the (relatively) short journey from Texas to Mexico City, with the sport still awaiting a ruling from the FIA on Red Bull’s 2021 cost cap breach.

Discussions between Red Bull and the FIA, and therefore a decision, were pushed back following the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz during the US GP weekend, but a resumption – and perhaps a resolution – are expected in Mexico.

Whatever the FIA’s decision, there is likely to be a strong reaction in the paddock, making the weekend’s media sessions with both team principals and drivers of particular interest.

• Qualifying starts at 9pm on Saturday, with build-up from 8pm
• The race starts at 8pm on Sunday, with build-up from 6.30pm

On the track, home favourite Sergio Perez will continue his battle for second in the drivers’ championship with Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes will be looking to go one better after Lewis Hamilton came agonisingly close to a first victory of the season in Austin.

Live Mexico City GP schedule on Sky Sports F1

Thursday
8pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday
6pm: The F1 Show
7pm: Mexico City GP Practice One
9.45pm: Mexico City GP Practice Two (session starts 10pm)

Saturday
5.45pm: Mexico City GP Practice Three (session starts 6pm)
8pm: Mexico City GP Qualifying Build-up
9pm: MEXICO CITY GP QUALIFYING
10.45pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP Build-up
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP Reaction
11pm: Ted’s Notebook
11.30pm: Mexico City GP Highlights

George Russell caused a first-lap collision with Carlos Sainz that saw the pole-sitter retire from the United States Grand Prix; Russell finished fifth despite suffering damage to his car in the incident, but was left disappointed with his performance

George Russell apologised to Carlos Sainz for causing a first-lap collision that saw the pole-sitter retire from the United States GP, and admitted he is struggling for confidence after a disappointing run of form.

Russell, who started fourth in Austin, drove into Sainz at the first corner after failing to slow down his Mercedes, with the incident forcing the Ferrari to retire with a water leak.

Despite sustaining some damage to his front wing, Russell was able to continue and finished fifth, but was left disappointed at being well off the pace of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished a close second to Max Verstappen.

“Firstly, apologies to him,” Russell said. “We’re all going into Turn 1 attacking, you never want to be involved in contributing to taking somebody else’s race out.

“I was expecting him to try to go around the outside of Max rather than cut back, and by that point I’d already committed and it was kind of inevitable that I was going to make contact.

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Russell apologised after the race for his collision with Sainz.

“I just went to see him and apologised for that.

“From there on it was a really difficult afternoon for me personally. I’ve been really off the pace this weekend. I know there was some damage, but I don’t know how much damage there was exactly to the car.

“It will give me a bit of peace of mind if it’s more than we first anticipated, because I was nowhere this afternoon.”

Despite Mercedes’ 2022 struggles, Russell has enjoyed a brilliantly consistent debut season with the team, in which he had finished in the top five in all but one of the first 16 races, with the exception being a retirement caused by a crash he could have done little about.

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Anthony Davidson analyses Sainz short stint at the United States Grand Prix.

As a result, he retains a 20-point lead over Hamilton going into the final three races of the season, but admits poor displays in Singapore (14th) and Japan (8th) have dented his confidence.

“These last three weekends have been pretty scrappy for various reasons,” Russell said.

“We had the weather conditions in Singapore, equally the weather in Japan, we then had the tyre testing here in Austin, with the wind being really gusty.

“These are factors but ultimately it comes down to probably driving, psychological, and having that confidence in the car and yourself.”

Sainz: Russell wasn’t in the battle and came from nowhere

Sainz, speaking to the media while the race was ongoing and before Russell had apologised, was critical of the Mercedes driver.

“I think you don’t need many words,” Sainz said. “You just need the images to see exactly what happened, and the images speak for themselves.

“I was in the middle of a fight with Max into Turn 1 and suddenly one guy that wasn’t in the battle came from nowhere and bumped into me, so that’s it.”

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Sainz explains his frustrations after being forced to retire from the US GP.

Sainz was seeking to delay Red Bull’s coronation as constructors’ champions after beating Verstappen to a brilliant pole, but the Dutchman got the better getaway.

It was not the first time this season Sainz has paid the price for a poor start, but on this occasion he felt it was more down to Verstappen’s excellence than a failure on his behalf.

“I think it is a combination of things,” Sainz said. “Our start hasn’t been great because we have an inherent problem in this car.

“My start [today] wasn’t too bad when you compare it to the Mercs, it was Max who got a really good one.”

Carlos Sainz takes pole in Texas; Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc finished second but faces a 10-place grid penalty; world champion Max Verstappen to start on front row after finishing third watch the race live on Sky Sports F1 at 8pm on Sunday, with build up from 6:30pm

Carlos Sainz produced a brilliant lap to take pole position at the United States Grand Prix as Ferrari outpaced Red Bull in qualifying at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas.

Sainz led a one-two from team-mate Charles Leclerc, but will be joined on the front row by world champion Max Verstappen, who finished third for Red Bull, because of a 10-place grid penalty applied to the second Ferrari for taking new engine parts.

Sergio Perez was fourth, but with the second Red Bull facing a five-place grid penalty, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate George Russell are promoted to the second row after finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll produced an impressive performance to finish seventh, and will also be promoted two places to start on the third row alongside McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Fernando Alonso qualified ninth, but is also facing a five-place penalty, meaning Valtteri Bottas is promoted from 10th to seventh. Bottas’ Alfa Romeo team-mate Zhou Guanyu is the fourth and final driver facing a grid penalty, which drops him from 14th to 19th.

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Max Verstappen paid tribute to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away at the age of 78.

Verstappen sealed his second successive title by winning in Japan two weeks’ ago, but there remains plenty to play for as Red Bull attempt to seal the constructors’ championship and Leclerc battles Perez for second in the drivers’ contest.

Leclerc’s demotion – for taking a new internal combustion engine and turbocharger – has stiffened Ferrari’s task of beating Red Bull by 19 points to extend the constructors’ championship, but Sainz’s pole offers encouragement for the Italian team.

There was a sombre mood in the Red Bull garage – and the rest of the F1 paddock – after news broke shortly before qualifying that the team’s founder and owner Dietrich Mateschitz had died at the age of 78.

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff pays tribute to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner held back tears as he offered a tribute to Mateschitz before the session, on what was already proving to be a turbulent weekend for the team as they continue to deny accusations of “cheating” from rivals after having been found to have breached F1’s cost cap for the 2021 season.

While there has been a tense atmosphere in Austin with other teams calling for a strong punishment as the FIA continues to deliberate, Mateschitz’s passing brought unity as tributes flooded in from all corners of the paddock.

United States GP Qualifying Results
1) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari*
3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull*
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) George Russell, Mercedes
7) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
8) Lando Norris, McLaren
9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine*
10) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo

*Grid penalties for taking new engine parts

Sainz triumphs after frantic session

A dramatic qualifying session in Texas began with two surprise Q1 exits, as Esteban Ocon finished 18th after failing to maintain the solid pace Alpine had shown throughout the weekend.

The other headline name to drop out was Daniel Ricciardo, as the outgoing McLaren driver’s miserable season continued with a third Q1 exit in the last five races.

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Mick Schumacher’s pirouette results in a ‘ruined’ lap for the German in Q1 at the USA Grand Prix.

Mick Schumacher failed to enhance his hopes of staying in F1 with Haas next season, as a spin ruined his final flying lap and left him 19th.

The most impressive performance in Q1 came from Alex Albon, who produced a late surge to advance for Williams, and showed more strong speed in Q2 to finish 11th.

There appeared to be more disappointment for McLaren in Q2 as Norris initially showed as 11th – and out – on the timesheet, but the Brit was reprieved as Zhou saw his lap-time deleted for exceeding track limits.

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Sainz says he has high hopes of winning the United States Grand Prix

There was more for frustration for AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, who will drive for Alpine next season, as he complained about his car over the radio before finishing 13th.

Meanwhile, Sainz had topped Q1 and Leclerc Q2, with Verstappen following close behind on both occasions, setting up an intriguing finale.

Despite having no hope of pole because of his grid penalty, Leclerc maintained his advantage in the first runs of Q3 to stay ahead of Sainz, with Hamilton impressing to go clear of the Red Bulls in third.

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Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton admitted Saturday’s qualifying session was not what he hoped it would be.

However, it would be all change on the second and final run, as Sainz turned the tables on Leclerc to seal his third pole of the season with a 1:34.356, with Leclerc just 0.065s back.

Verstappen improved on his final run to take third, while Perez also jumped Hamilton as the seven-time world champion failed to hook up the crucial lap.

Carlos Sainz tops Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to set the fastest time in Practice One at the US GP; Charles Leclerc fastest in Practice Two as majority of field focus on Pirelli tyre test; watch Qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 from 10pm on Saturday

Ferrari set the pace in Friday practice at the United States Grand Prix as Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc each topped a session in Austin.

Sainz’s 1:36.857 put him more than 0.2s clear of Red Bull’s newly crowned world champion Max Verstappen in Practice One, with Lewis Hamilton a further couple of tenths back in third as Mercedes showed potential after bringing new upgrades to Texas.

Leclerc, who was one of only five drivers able to do regular running in Practice Two having sat out the opening session as teams fulfilled their young driver session obligations, then went marginally faster than his Ferrari team-mate to top the timesheet.

Practice Two at Austin’s Circuit of The Americas was used for Pirelli to test 2023 prototypes, with drivers unable to make setup changes as they tried out unmarked compounds while performing running plans set by F1’s tyre manufacturer.

However, Leclerc, along with Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and Nicholas Latifi, was allowed to do 30 minutes of running at the beginning of the extended 90-minute session, during which the Monegasque backed up his team-mates’ strong FP1 performance.

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Charles Leclerc topped the timesheet in second practice at the US Grand Prix.

The opening session had a fresh feel with five changes to the driver line-up – including four FP1 debutants – with Leclerc the most notable absence as Robert Shwartzman deputised for him.

While the new faces enjoyed their first F1 experience, Antonio Giovinazzi spurned his opportunity to put himself in contention to drive for Haas next season as he crashed Magnussen’s car in the opening stages, triggering a red flag and causing damage that ruled him out of the remainder of the session.

Lance Stroll was fourth in another encouraging display from Aston Martin, beating the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez to fifth.

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Antonio Giovinazzi caused a red flag just 7 minutes into first practice after hitting the barrier and damaging the car.

Ferrari academy driver Shwartzman was joined by fellow youngsters Alex Palou (McLaren), Theo Pourchaire (Alfa Romeo) and Logan Sargeant (Williams), but it was the relatively experienced Giovinazzi who made a rookie error.

Just a few minutes into the session, the 28-year-old Italian spun at Turn 6 before running off into the barrier. He initially appeared to be stuck there as red flags were waved, but eventually got moving and was able to get the car back to the Haas garage.

However, clutch damage prevented him from getting back out on track, and most likely ended his hopes of challenging Mick Schumacher for his seat with the team next season.

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Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson is at the SkyPad to analyse the opening practice session at the US Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who sealed his second successive title – with four races to spare – by winning in Japan earlier this month, looked to be continuing his dominant form as he set the pace as soon as the session resumed.

Hamilton had spoken on Thursday about his hopes that Mercedes’ upgrades could bring them closer to Red Bull, but the initial signs were negative as he and team-mate George Russell remained four seconds off the pace for the first half of the session.

However, when the seven-time world champion switched to soft tyres, he immediately closed to within a couple of tenths of Verstappen, while Russell – who finished seventh – was almost half a second slower.

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Martin Brundle was trackside to analyse ‘tricky’ turn 15 of the US Grand Prix.

But then came Sainz, as Ferrari showed strong Friday speed once more, jumping six tenths clear of Verstappen. The Dutchman attempted to respond but was left frustrated after being unable to threaten the Spaniard’s time.

“There must be something wrong with the car because I have no front end and low speed,” Verstappen said over team radio at the end of the session.

It was confirmed during the session that Red Bull’s Perez and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu will receive five-place grid penalties in Sunday’s race after taking new engine parts, while Ferrari have admitted both of their drivers are likely to take new parts that will also drop them down the grid.

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Lando Norris drifts into the pitlane and narrowly misses hitting the wall in second practice of the US Grand Prix.

The penalties appear likely to help Red Bull seal the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari needing to best the leaders by 19 points to extend the contest to next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The penalties could also have an impact on the battle for second in the drivers’ championship, with Perez currently leading Leclerc by just a point.

The US GP weekend began in the shadow of F1’s ongoing cost cap saga, with the paddock awaiting an announcement on how Red Bull will be punished for breaching the 2021 spending limit.

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Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater provides fresh insight and analysis on F1’s cost cap saga ahead of what is sure to be a dramatic weekend in Texas.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner is set to face the media in the team principals’ press conference on Saturday at 5:25pm, live on Sky Sports, with the F1 community eagerly awaiting an update on the situation.

Given the limited running available on Friday due to the tyre test, Practice Three is likely to take on additional significance on Saturday ahead of Qualifying, with both sessions live on Sky Sports F1, at 8pm and 11pm respectively.

Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull being found to have breached Formula 1’s cost cap has brought up “emotion” from agonisingly losing out in his 2021 world championship battle with Max Verstappen.

Mercedes driver Hamilton was denied an eighth world championship in controversial circumstances as an unprecedented call by race director Michael Masi afforded Verstappen the chance to take the lead on the final lap, before winning the race and title.

Hamilton considered walking away from the sport before returning for 2022 and “moving on” from the incident, but admits old wounds have been opened up with the Dutchman’s team now having been found to have breached the sport’s budget cap in its first season in operation.

“I don’t necessarily have much of an opinion because I’m not really focused on it,” Hamilton said on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.

“It’s happened in the past for me. I would say I’d moved on from last year, and of course this popping up at this point in the season definitely brings up emotion for many people, the fans, for everyone. For how it went down at the end of last year and then on top of that, this happened.”

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Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater provides fresh insight and analysis on F1’s cost cap saga ahead of what is sure to be a dramatic weekend in Texas

With Verstappen having gone on to claim the 2022 title, and Red Bull set to end Mercedes’ eight-year constructors’ championship streak, rival teams are calling for significant punishment, arguing the 2021 breach has impacted this season, and will also be a factor in 2023 if severe action isn’t taken.

The FIA is understood to have offered terms of an ‘accepted breach agreement’ to Red Bull ahead of this weekend’s US GP, with the team now left to decide on whether to accept the offer and likely a lesser punishment, or go before an adjudication panel. The details of the FIA’s offer to Red Bull, however, are still unclear.

Red Bull were last week the only team found guilty of exceeding the 2021 $145m spending limit – with a ‘minor’ breach meaning they had overspent by less than five per cent ($7.25m) – although have emphatically rejected claims from rival teams that they have purposely cheated.

“I’m not the one to be able to decide what that (punishment) is,” Hamilton said.

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Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz believes there is unease among the other Formula 1 teams towards Red Bull due to the ongoing cost cap issues

“The fact is that breach affected the result of last year, but it also affects this year, because they would have taken on the same practice, most often perhaps into this season, there would have benefits from that moving on into this season and it rolls on.

“When these new rules come out, if you’ve got a head start it’s very, very hard to close that gap. It just goes back to integrity, we’ve got to stick to the core values of what this sport is.

“We got a 25k fine for me having this nose ring in and a 50k fine for having that wing and put to dead last in the race, so I’m hopeful, I truly believe that I have to have belief in the FIA and the people that are leading this team, that they’re going to make the right decisions. What those are, everyone has an opinion on what should or should not happen, but I’m not giving it energy, I’m trying to win a race right now.”

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Max Verstappen felt that other teams were ‘hypocritical’ amid allegations that Red Bull went over the cost cap

During a separate press conference, Hamilton warned that the future of F1’s budget cap rests on the FIA’s decision.

“I do think this sport needs to do something about this, otherwise if they’re relaxed with these rules, then all the teams will just go over,” Hamilton added.

“Spending millions more and then only having a slap on the wrist isn’t going to be great for the sport. They might as well not have a cost cap in the future.”

Russell: Punishment has to take performance away

Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell says the FIA’s decision will be a “defining moment” for F1 and that even a $100m fine would not be a strong enough penalty.

“I think we’re all interested to see [the punishment] and it’s going to be a defining moment for the sport and the FIA when we hear the outcome of this breach,” Russell said.

“I think the cost cap regulation has been a real benefit, and a positive impact for the sport, trying to bring a level playing field.

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George Russell believes W Series champion Jamie Chadwick deserves a chance in F1 after she claimed her third W Series title

“When it comes to this, we live in such a technical world with small details where if you go beyond the limit, you’re punished. It doesn’t matter if it’s 100 grams too much fuel, or if you’re rear wing – like Lewis in Brazil – is too wide, you’re disqualified and you’re punished accordingly. When it comes to something about the money you’re spending, this is a pretty serious breach.

“If they’ve overspent and it’s brought performance to their race car, it’s got to be something to take performance away. Giving a fine, which has got nothing to do with their overall development or performance, would not be suitable.

“Even if the fine was a hundred-odd million, they’d probably take that and be happy with that punishment. Whereas if you’re talking reducing their cost cap or reducing the amount of time they can put into the wind tunnel, that is truly damaging.”

Bottas calls for penalty that ‘really hurts’ Red Bull

Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas, who was Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate during the fiercely contested 2021 battle with Red Bull, demanded a “strict and harsh penalty”.

“The rules are the rules and if you don’t follow them there should be a penalty that really hurts,” Bottas said.

“You don’t want anyone to have the appetite to maximise for one year and risk it with the budget cap.

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Sergio Perez said that Red Bull are focused on clinching the Constructors Championship and that the cost cap allegations against the team are ‘not a distraction’.

“I personally hope it’s going to be a strict and harsh penalty because that shouldn’t happen. The rules are the rules. There’s many rules in F1 and this shouldn’t be any different in terms of the penalty.

“Let’s hope it’s a good penalty that really hurts them, because I was in the fight last year. We got the constructors’ but we missed the drivers’ title by a few points, and a few million can make a big, big difference.”

Ferrari have been Red Bull’s closest challengers this season, and their driver Carlos Sainz says that the FIA must make a decision that provides “fairness”.

“I think every team and every driver, we just want clarity first of all, and second, fairness,” Sainz said. “We all know how much one-two-three-four, I don’t know the number, million can make to car development and car speed in F1.

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Carlos Sainz says it was a ‘huge effort’ to keep within the budget cap and that it should be ‘respected’

“That’s why a few years ago all the top teams were spending 350m, and now we’re spending 150 to keep these things under control.

“I just hope that if there’s a penalty, the penalty is relatively important enough to take the appetite away from overspending two or three million to waste on next year’s car, because you think next year’s car is worth it more than the other year, and then you take a penalty for it.

“I just think it needs to be fair play for everyone, and if there’s a cost cap it needs to be followed and I just hope the FIA takes the right decision to make sure everyone follows it.”