Tag: Schumacher

The inaugural season of F1 Academy, the new all-female racing series, gets under way in Austria this weekend.

The drivers and teams have had four days of pre-season testing in Barcelona and at Circuit Paul Ricard, with British driver Abbi Pulling topping both days of testing in France.

F1 Academy will race at seven locations in 2023, with the season concluding at Formula 1’s US GP in October. Three races will be held at each venue over the course of the weekend.

Here Sky Sports F1 breaks down the new series.

What is F1 Academy?

F1 Academy was launched in November 2022 by Formula 1 and aims to prepare and develop female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition.

The category is designed to “give more access to track time, racing and testing, as well as support with technical, physical, and mental preparations”.

It is hoped the F1 Academy will provide the experience to progress to Formula 3, and help Formula 2 and Formula 1 opportunities in the future.

Susie Wolff, the former Williams F1 development driver and most recently team principal of Formula E team Venturi, was named managing director of the series in March.

Who are the drivers and teams?

F1 Academy features five teams – ART, Campos, Rodin Carlin, MP Motorsport and Prema – each entering three cars to make up a 15-strong grid.

All five teams also race in Formula 3 and Formula 2 and have pedigree for bringing through young talent: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are ART alumni, Lando Norris was given his F2 debut by Campos before racing for Carlin, Charles Leclerc and Mick Schumacher both won the F2 title with Prema while MP Motorsport had last season’s F2 champion Felipe Drugovich.

A number of drivers have joined F1 Academy having previously raced in W Series. Among those is Pulling, who finished fourth in last season’s W Series standings.

Speaking to Sky Sports about her ambitions for her first season in F1 Academy, Rodin Carlin’s Pulling said: “I want to win races and show consistency and show that I can be a front runner.

“I think I showed that at times last year (in W Series) and I just want to solidify that. The team have got a really good package. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes and I think it will all add up and amount to success.”

Prema’s Marta Garcia is a former winner in W Series while Campos’ Nerea Marti was on the podium three times.

And some of the youngest talents on the F1 Academy grid are British with 17-year-old Chloe Grant, 18-year-old Jessica Edgar and 16-year-old Chloe Chong joining Pulling on the grid.

Pulling is one of two drivers on the grid affiliated already to an F1 team, with the 20-year-old part of Alpine’s academy. Lena Buhler is part of the Sauber Academy.

What car will they be driving?

F1 Academy will see all drivers race in identical cars – a Tatuus T421 chassis that is also used in Formula 4.

The cars are powered by turbo-charged engines supplied by Autotecnica and capable of 174 horsepower, while Pirelli will supply tyres.

The cars will have a top speed of 240 kph (149mph).

Where will F1 Academy be racing?

F1 Academy will race at six European tracks in its inaugural season before its finale at the US GP in October.

The season begins with a two-day event at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, April 28-29.

Spain will then host two events at Valencia and Barcelona in May before summer stops in the Netherlands (Zandvoort), Italy (Monza) and France (Le Castellet).

While only the season-finale is part of an F1 weekend in 2023, F1 president Stefano Domenicali has already confirmed F1 Academy will be held exclusively at Formula 1 race weekends in 2024.

What is the weekend format?

Each race weekend will feature seven sessions of track action.

They will begin with two 40-minute practice sessions before two qualifying sessions later in the day, each lasting 15 minutes.

Qualifying 1 will set the grid for Race 1 while Qualifying 2 sets the grid for Race 3.

Race 2’s grid will be set by reversing the top eight drivers from Qualifying 1.

Races 1 and 3 will both be 30 minutes long plus one lap. Race 2 is a shorter, lasting 20 minutes plus one lap.

“The format is huge for development,” Pulling told Sky Sports. “I’ve been fighting to get some seat time and this year it looks like it will be really good.

“Seven weekends with three races per weekend – two 30-minute and one 20-minute reverse grid race so that throws some race craft into the mix as even if someone is driving away with it, they’ll have to go back.

“The testing that they provide…is great for developing drivers at a young age.”

What is the points system?

F1 Academy will have the same points scoring system as Formula 1 for Races 1 and 3, with 25 points being awarded to the winner and points being awarded down to P10.

The points in descending order will be: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1.

The shorter Race 2 will see 10 points awarded to the race winner and points being awarded down to P8.

The points in descending order for Race 2 will be: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

In all three races, a driver will receive an additional point if they set the fastest lap, provided they finish in the top 10.

The driver who claims pole position in each qualifying session will also be awarded two points.

After a chaotic Australian Grand Prix, won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, how are each of the 10 teams feeling as they fly home from Melbourne?

The sold-out Albert Park crowd were treated to a thrilling race of crashes, battles and a sprinkling of controversy. While Max Verstappen fought back to win Red Bull’s first race in Australia since 2011, he was joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Reliability, collisions and penalties caused pain for many, including George Russell and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

Ted Kravitz delivers his verdict on all 10 teams…

Red Bull – ‘Super-duper DRS is half their advantage’

It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Red Bull, who have often struggled in Australia as Verstappen won, while Sergio Perez limited the points lost to his title rival after a horrible Saturday that saw him crash out of qualifying after three corners.

TED’S VERDICT: Max Verstappen P1 – it was a terrible lap one with Verstappen down to P2 – the Mercedes got past him, Lewis pushed him off.

But Max eventually breezed past Hamilton with the magic DRS.

What word shall we think of to describe this DRS? ‘Super-duper DRS’.

It is an advantage – the engineers in the pitlane estimate that it’s worth two-tenths or three-tenths of a second on that lap compared to another car with DRS.

So, this Red Bull super-duper DRS is worth rather a lot.

When you consider that Red Bull’s entire advantage is two-tenths or three-tenths, that’s quite a handy advantage to have.

I don’t think it is their entire advantage – there’s a great car, it’s aerodynamically efficient, it’s engineered well and all the rest of it, but it could be half of their advantage that is down to their super-duper DRS – food for thought for the other teams.

Sergio Perez pitted twice under the first Safety Car, got the hard tyres out of the way, got boxed in at the start – that was his problem, and then, after that, it was a quieter weekend for Checo.

He made his way through, but it’s a missed opportunity – I think after qualifying and after the problems they had on Saturday with the brakes, it is a missed opportunity for Red Bull and Perez – he should have been P2 or higher.

Mercedes – ‘They’re happy around here’

Despite Russell’s fiery end to the race, Mercedes will be generally pleased as they appear to have made progress, taking the fight to Aston Martin and Ferrari in the competition for the second-quickest car – only three-tenths off Verstappen in qualifying, will future developments help them fight for future wins?

TED’S VERDICT: They should be happy at Mercedes because Lewis Hamilton was second.

George Russell DNF, it’s an engine failure – went pop, apparently it wasn’t a leak.

Poor George had already been done over by the red flag caused by gravel.

Lewis Hamilton got Max Verstappen at the start, stayed out before Max got him back.

Lewis was challenging Russell before Russell pitted, but I thought Lewis managed it all very well and secured P2, so I think they are happy around here.

Aston Martin – ‘They got a bit of luck today’

Aston Martin were rare in that both drivers had good days, finishing third and fourth – something they may not have seen coming after the second restart, which saw Alonso spin out and Lance Stroll off into the gravel.

TED’S VERDICT: Fernando Alonso’s got his third podium in three races and he got a bit of luck even if it was the correct interpretation of the rules.

Alonso stays P3 and Lance Stroll stays P4, and both benefited from the gravel red flag.

Alonso challenged Max Verstappen in race two and then he chased Lewis Hamilton, but he said it was difficult to get close.

It was a disastrous red flag too – Alonso spun, but they got that reinstated.

Solid race from Stroll, [as he] got stuck behind Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz’s fight.

McLaren – ‘Woo! Gravel!’

McLaren leave Melbourne with their local boy scoring his first F1 points as a rookie at his home race and the team moving off the bottom of the table after two torrid races in the Middle East.

TED’S VERDICT: They have scored their first points of the year, so well done McLaren – 12 points and that puts them straight into P5 in the Constructors’ Championship – Lando Norris P6, Oscar Piastri P8.

I’ve got ‘Woo! Gravel’ here.

They were very much advantaged by the red flag for gravel, both into ninth and 10th with the free pit stop.

Oscar Piastri lost out at the restart, dropped to P12 and then he got up to P11 ahead of Yuki.

Lando was really quick, did so well – well done McLaren.

Haas – ‘That was scary’

At one stage, it looked as though Nico Hulkenberg was going to score his first F1 podium, but despite their protests, he moves back to seventh to at least score points after his team-mate’s wheel came off – it was that sort of crazy day.

TED’S VERDICT: DNF for Kevin Magnussen with that spin and it’s Hulkenberg with P7.

Hulkenberg nearly hit Alex Albon when he span – that was scary, he said.

Magnussen lost out at the red flag and restarted last, he then ran brilliantly, Lando Norris then challenged him and got P8, then Magnussen spun and crashed, putting wheel-rim debris all over the track.

Alfa Romeo – ‘Would have been much more than it was’

Safety Cars and red flags can cause teams to roll a dice hoping for double sixes, but Alfa Romeo came away missing out – Valtteri Bottas’ mullet in Melbourne clearly was not the lucky charm they were hoping for.

TED’S VERDICT: Let me tell you the sorry tale of Alfa Romeo’s race because after pitting early on the first Safety Car, they could have been set for many points, so they are frustrated at the red flag for gravel.

They don’t really know why the red flag happened and they were always catching up from that point on.

Valtteri Bottas P11 and Zhou Guanyu P9, so well done Zhou Guanyu, he’s got two points.

Both benefitted from the gravel early on [when they pitted under the Safety Car] but then lost out when there was a red flag [the second of the three] – it would have been much more than it was.

AlphaTauri – ‘This is what we have, I’m sorry’

It’s been a tricky start to the season for AlphaTauri with an uncompetitive car, but Yuki Tsunoda managed to score the Red Bull junior team’s first points of the season.

TED’S VERDICT: They got a point, Yuki Tsunoda had a point and I think that’s AlphaTauri’s first point of the season.

Yuki restarted P8, Nyck de Vries got clonked on the restart too by Ocon.

Yuki struggled with the set-up of the car, the balance of the car, the engineer said ‘this is what we have, I’m sorry’.

De Vries was struggling with the car for the whole race, after that clonk, he said that the car was not right, he pitted, Yuki also pitted on the Magnussen safety car and lost out because of the red flag – he would have been much further up.

Ferrari – ‘Groans, a thunderous face but a little bit of pace’

Leclerc crashed out on lap one and Sainz was taken from fourth [to] out of the points due to a controversial penalty that he called “unacceptable” – Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur reportedly has a bad back and these race results will only add to the pain.

TED’S VERDICT: It’s Sainz P12 and Leclerc DNF.

Carlos Sainz, [his penalty was] very unfair I think he believes, and by the look on his face, which is worse than thunder, I would imagine he knows that that result is not going to be adjusted.

It was never going to be adjusted – let’s face it – but they had to give it a go and test the theory.

Charles Leclerc, a real fan favourite, groans in the grandstand when he has had the incident with Lance Stroll.

And when you qualify badly in P7 and you’re in the carbon-fibre zone, this kind of thing can happen.

As for Sainz, it was a good fight on lap one, pitted under the Safety Car before the gravel caused the red flag, and that sunk him to P11, then he got stuck behind Gasly for quite a while, but got through and was going to be P4 but then got the five-second penalty for clonking into Alonso, which he thought was a racing incident.

But at least Ferrari had some pace, and that’s an interesting little upside for Ferrari going forward.

Alpine – ‘A costly result’

To quote Sky Sports’ Sam Johnston, who was reporting from Australia, Alpine were looking “frisky” and were set to score points with both of their drivers, but the French team was one of the biggest losers as both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly got caught up in the manic final restart.

TED’S VERDICT: I hope dinner’s good because they’ve ended up with two wrecked cars and no points.

Not their fault – it was the first time that the drivers had come together – we always thought they would, but actually it wasn’t a thing because they were just innocent with each other.

Ocon pitted at the end of lap one, Gasly benefited from the red flag.

It was all going well, and then Gasly went wide, rejoined and clonked into his team-mate, so you’ve got to feel sorry for them because that is a costly result from a race where they should have had 10, 11, 12 plus points down here at Alpine.

Williams – ‘Alex absolutely gutted’

Alex Albon was flying during qualifying, and looked like scoring points in his low drag and low downforce car – it was the lack of downforce that may have caused his huge crash and that left Williams pointless.

TED’S VERDICT: It’s a DNF for Alex Albon, it’s P16 for Logan Sargeant.

Alex Albon absolutely gutted – it had been a great weekend, he was P6 when the rear let go, he spun it into the wall and out.

Logan Sargeant pitted under the first Safety Car, put on the hard tyre and then he went onto the medium, he said ‘this tyre is terrible, we have to get off it’, and then he had some more fruity words on the radio and they said ‘careful on the radio Logan, we don’t like those kind of words’.

There you go, another lesson for Logan in his Formula 1 debut season

Max Verstappen claims his first Australian GP pole position: Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out in Q1; Mercedes’ George Russell second ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton; watch the Australian GP live on Sunday at 6am on Sky Sports F1, with build-up from 4:30am

Max Verstappen held off a surprise Mercedes charge in Australian Grand Prix Qualifying to beat George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to pole position.

The reigning world champion became an overwhelming favourite for pole when his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez crashed out in Q1, but in challenging cool and windy conditions at Albert Park, Mercedes posed an unexpected challenge.

Hamilton was just nine thousandths of a second off Verstappen after the first set of runs in Q3, but the Dutchman was able to pull out a clear 0.2s advantage as he delivered a 1:16.732 in the closing moments.

It was Russell who was able to snatch a place on the front row, edging out Hamilton by further tenth and out-qualifying his seven-time world champion team-mate for the third time in as many races this season.

Fernando Alonso, who has finished on the podium behind Red Bull one-twos in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, was only able to finish fourth for Aston Martin, while his team-mate Lance Stroll was sixth.

Carlos Sainz split the Aston Martins in fifth, pulling off a rare Qualifying triumph over his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc, who was seventh.

Alexander Albon produced a hugely impressive performance to take eighth, as a Williams driver reached Q3 for the first time this season, finishing ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who continued his strong start to the campaign.

Australian GP Qualifying Result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) George Russell, Mercedes
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
6) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
8) Alexander Albon, Williams
9) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
10) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

What happened to Perez?

Having delivered a hugely impressive performance to beat Verstappen in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, Perez’s hopes of mounting a world championship challenge had been a hot topic coming into the weekend in Melbourne.

However, the Mexican endured one of the worst days of his Formula 1 career, initially struggling badly in final practice on Saturday morning as he went off track several times after missing the beginning of the session while his mechanics worked on his car.

Light rain in the moments before Qualifying meant conditions remained challenging as the session began, with Logan Sargeant’s early spin in his Williams at Turn 13 a clear warning to other drivers.

However, Perez didn’t learn, and as he had done in practice, locked up on the way into Turn 3, before running into the gravel and becoming beached in mud just before the barrier.

While Verstappen was able to fight back from 15th on the grid to finish second in Saudi Arabia, Perez faces a huge task to extend Red Bull’s streak of one-twos to start the season.

Mercedes come from nowhere to create Q3 drama

It has been all doom and gloom so far this season at Mercedes given Red Bull’s dominance, with team principal Toto Wolff confirming the implementation of major changes to their design philosophy are under way.

Russell and Hamilton said after Friday practice that the third row of the grid was the best they could hope for in Qualifying, but as the pole position shootout played out – with Perez absent – it became clear the W14s were Verstappen’s biggest challengers.

Verstappen was only able to knock Hamilton off provisional pole by the narrowest of margins as the first runs concluded, and the prospect of a first pole since December 2021 for the 38-year-old suddenly seemed realistic.

However, with time left for only one flying lap after the field pitted for fresh tyres, Verstappen delivered a stunning lap which would be enough to seal a first pole at Albert Park for the two-time world champion.

Russell was able to get within 0.3s, with Hamilton a further half-tenth behind his team-mate having had his preparations for his lap hindered by Hulkenberg, who didn’t leave a clear path for the Mercedes to pass.

Lewis Hamilton suggested after the Saudi Arabian GP that Mercedes team-mate George Russell had benefitted from good fortune after they chose alternative car setups; watch the Australian GP live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, with Sunday’s race live at 6am

George Russell has rejected Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s claims that his superior performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was based on luck.

Russell comfortably outqualified Hamilton in Jeddah before finishing the race where he started it in fourth, a place ahead of Hamilton who recovered from seventh on the grid.

With the Mercedes pair having chosen alternative setups going into the weekend, Hamilton said after the race that “more often than not” Russell’s would have been the “wrong one”, and that consequently he “could only match his pace rather than be quicker”.

“I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all,” Russell said on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, when asked to address Hamilton’s comments.

“I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event.

“The changes we made overnight, I knew that was going to be the right direction with the work we did with the team. And I believed it was going to be better than the setup that Lewis opted for.

“I think everybody’s got different preferences, I was happy with the direction I took and the work I’m doing with the engineers.”

Russell impressively outperformed Hamilton in his debut campaign with Mercedes last year, finishing 35 points ahead of the seven-time world champion in the drivers’ standings, and also claiming the team’s only win of the season.

Hamilton, along with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, repeatedly suggested throughout 2022 that his willingness to experiment with alternate setups on their troublesome W13 car was the reason he lost ground to Russell.

Hamilton: Russell did a great job

Speaking shortly after Russell in Melbourne on Thursday, Hamilton sought to clarify the comments he had made in Jeddah.

“I think people probably, from my choice of words at the weekend… I want to reiterate how great a job George did on the weekend,” the seven-time world champion said.

“I think the thing I was commenting on is that there’s one specific thing that you can change in the suspension that you have to do over Friday night.

“And when you make that change, once you start P3 (final practice), you can’t change it for the rest of the weekend, so when you make that change, you’re basically rolling the dice – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“I’ve done it in the past, sometimes it hasn’t worked, sometimes it has, and it worked great for George and he did a great job.

“And the thing that I was lacking in the race was a lot of front end, which that setup gives you, so, in hindsight, that would’ve been great.”

“We took lots of learnings from it – I think race pace was quite decent, particularly in the second stint.

“And for us to move forward and get fourth and fifth place was great points for the team and a great result considering where we are in terms of performance deficit.”

Hamilton goes into Sunday’s race in Melbourne two points ahead of Russell in the 2023 drivers’ standings, with the team focused on attempting to close their deficit to Red Bull, who are seeking a third successive one-two to start the season.

Watch the Australian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend, with Sunday’s race live at 6am. Get Sky Sports

Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated as Mercedes remained off the pace of Red Bull at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; Sergio Perez led a one-two from Max Verstappen as Hamilton finished fifth behind team-mate George Russell

Lewis Hamilton says Red Bull’s 2023 advantage over the rest of the Formula 1 field is greater than anything Mercedes managed during their streak of eight successive constructors’ championships.

Hamilton finished fifth in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Mercedes remained well off the pace of Red Bull, who secured a second one-two in as many races this season.

Sergio Perez won from pole position in Jeddah, but reigning world champion Max Verstappen’s effortless advance through the field from 15th on the grid – following a technical failure in Qualifying – provided further evidence of Red Bull’s stunning pace.

“I have definitely never seen a car so fast,” said Hamilton, who claimed six of his seven world championships during Mercedes streak of constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021.

“When we were fast, we were not that fast. It is the fastest car I have seen, especially compared to the rest.

“I don’t know how, but he [Verstappen] came past me with some serious speed and I didn’t even bother to block him because there was a massive speed difference.

“Everyone wants to see a close battle, but it is the way it is. It is not my problem, it is not my fault.”

Hamilton cut a despondent figure after qualifying more than three tenths – and four places – behind his team-mate George Russell, but was able to gain two places in the race to finish directly behind the other Mercedes and in front of both Ferraris.

While Hamilton said there were “positives” to take from his Sunday, the 38-year-old remained frustrated by his team’s deficit to Red Bull and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who took the final spot on the podium for a second successive race.

“(We are) still a long, long way off Red Bull,” Hamilton said. “(It’s) definitely strange to see that Ferrari are behind us and it’s positive for us.

“It’s a different surface here and we don’t really understand why on this surface our car works one way and different on another.

“It will be up and down through the first three races. Hopefully we can get some upgrades ASAP and try to close that gap to the Astons.”

Hamilton, who finished behind Russell last season in his younger team-mate’s first year with Mercedes, suggested his deficit in Saudi Arabia was caused by a “50-50” set up choice that went against him.

“The strategy didn’t really work out for me, the set up was a little bit off – if I had the set up George had, I would have been in a better position,” Hamilton said.

“There was a 50-50 choice, I chose one way and he chose the other, and more often than not, the way he went was the wrong one but it just happened to work.

“I could only match his pace rather than be quicker this weekend, but I’ll work hard to make sure we’re in a better position next time.”

F1’s biggest-ever season continues as Saudi Arabia hosts the second round of 2023; watch every session from Jeddah’s stunning street circuit live on Sky Sports F1, starting with Practice One at 1pm on Friday

Formula 1 returns to the fastest street circuit on the calendar this week for the Saudi Arabian GP, with the thrilling layout bound to ensure drama that will take your breath away.

After reigning world champion Max Verstappen made a strong start to his title defence in Bahrain, the rest of the field are looking to hit back in Jeddah.

Ferrari are confident set-up changes will unlock more performance at a circuit that should suit them, while all eyes will be on Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso to see if their dramatic ascent to the front of the grid can be maintained.

Verstappen is chasing a second successive win in Saudi Arabia, having come out on top in a thrilling battle for victory with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc last year, which displayed the thrilling potential for wheel-to-wheel racing at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Mercedes will also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing opening race, with all eyes on Lewis Hamilton following his apparent criticism of the team following their Bahrain struggles.

There is also plenty of intrigue surrounding the midfield battle, with the change of track characteristics potentially shaking up the order from Bahrain.

Sky Sports F1’s live Saudi Arabian GP schedule

Thursday
2:30pm: Drivers’ Press Conference

Friday
10.50pm: F2 Practice
1pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice One (session starts 1.30pm)
2:55pm: F2 Qualifying
4:45pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice Two (session starts 5pm)
6:15pm: The F1 Show: Saudi Arabia

Saturday
1.15pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice Three (session starts 1:30pm)
3:05pm: F2 Sprint Race
4pm: Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying build-up
5pm: SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING

Sunday
1:35pm: F2 Feature Race
3.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Saudi Arabian GP build-up
5pm: THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX
7pm: Chequered flag: Saudi Arabian GP Reaction

New for 2023: Ride onboard with any driver

Sky Sports F1 viewers can experience live races from inside the car of their favourite driver thanks to a stunning new innovation for the 2023 season.

Sky customers with a Sky Sports F1 subscription just need to download the Sky Sports App and log in to ride with Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc or any driver of their choice.

In addition to the 20 driver onboard streams, viewers will also be able to experience the Sky Sports ‘Battle Channel’, a split-screen offering focusing on a battle between up to three cars.

If you prefer to jump onboard through your TV screen, the service will also be available through Sky Q and Sky Glass.

This is in addition to the Race Control streams that have been available in previous seasons, including multi-screen, timing screen, driver tracker and onboard mix.

Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend with Sunday’s race live at 5pm. Get Sky Sports

Mercedes made a disappointing start to their 2023 campaign as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were left well off the pace of Red Bull in Bahrain; Speculation has followed over Hamilton’s future with the team; watch the Saudi Arabian GP on Sky Sports F1 next weekend

Mercedes have insisted they will not “panic or look for scapegoats” after a disappointing start to the 2023 Formula 1 season in Bahrain last weekend.

Following a torrid 2022 campaign which saw their eight-year streak of constructors’ titles ended by Red Bull, Mercedes had been bullish during the winter over a return to contention this year, but that optimism faded as they were outperformed by not only the dominant reigning champions but also Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Recriminations followed with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton publicly questioning the team’s decision to ignore his advice over the design of their 2023 car, and team principal Toto Wolff describing the Bahrain GP as “one of the worst days in racing”.

With speculation raging about Hamilton’s future with the team, along with other key members of staff, the team released a letter addressed to their fans on Saturday morning in an apparent attempt to calm the situation.

The letter said: “Bahrain hurt. It hurt each one of us, who head into every season determined to fight for world championships. It hurt the team as a whole, after pouring so much hard work into a car that hasn’t met our expectations.

“The situation we face right now isn’t the one that any of us wanted – but it’s the one we have. That’s the reality of it. And the simple questions are: what can we do about it, and what will we do about it?

“We won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions. In a spotlight as fierce as F1, people are quick to point fingers, or look for scapegoats. But you know us better than that. Inside the team, we talk about having the courage to fail, the character to be accountable and the strength to see failure as an opportunity.

“We have been open and searingly honest about where we find ourselves. And we are working urgently and calmly to build our recovery plan, focusing on what needs to happen short term, medium term, and long term to win. We already have developments in the pipeline for the next races – and there will be more to come. But this won’t be the work of a moment; there are no silver bullets in F1.”

Hamilton, who finished fifth in Bahrain ahead of team-mate George Russell in seventh, has repeatedly expressed a desire to remain with Mercedes in F1 beyond the end of the season, when his current contract expires.

Both the 38-year-old and Wolff had previously suggested agreeing an extension would be a formality, but the team’s apparent failure to provide him with a championship-contending car for a second straight season has led to speculation over whether he could choose to retire or look for a move elsewhere.

There is also great interest in how Mercedes will proceed with the development of their W14 car after Wolff suggested in Bahrain that the team had accepted their current concept will not work.

The statement continued: “We will keep our heads held high – and take this journey step by step, together. We are Mercedes. We know the standards we aspire to, and nobody is flinching when we look at the mountain we must climb. It won’t be easy – but where’s the value in something easy?

“These are the times when character is forged; the times when a team becomes greater than the sum of its parts, tackling difficult problems and conquering them. We’re together through thick and thin – from Toto, Lewis and George, to every single woman and man in the factories in Brackley and Brixworth. And we love that challenge.”

Hamilton and Mercedes will be back in action next weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with every session live on Sky Sports F1, starting with first practice on Friday at 1:30pm.

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.”