Formula One news for today Friday 24th June can be accessed below;
Max Verstappen leads the Formula One World Championship heading to the British Grand Prix as the 2022 season heats up. Verstappen now has a commanding lead at the top of the standings as Red Bull benefited from Ferrari’s issues.
Despite being almost 50 points behind Charles Leclerc after the third race of the season, the momentum has shifted. Verstappen has won every race he has finished this season bar one, while Leclerc’s early advantage has capitulated due to a series of issues.
The Ferrari star suffered two mechanical failures in the last four races in Spain and Azerbaijan. He was out of place at the Canadian Grand Prix after taking a grid penalty for engine parts while he also lost out in Monaco due to a strategy error from his team.
Max Verstappen leads the world championship heading to the British Grand Prix
Pierre Gasly will stay with AlphaTauri for the 2023 season just months after being denied a promotion to Red Bull.
The team have just confirmed the Frenchman will stay for next season despite rumours he could leave the Red Bull fold.
Gasly said: “I have been with this team for five years now and I am proud of the journey we’ve been through together and the progress we have made. I’m happy to remain with my Scuderia AlphaTauri team.
“This year’s new regulations have created new challenges for us and being able to plan our development with the team for the next 18 months is a good working basis for the future.”
Helmut Marko has warned reliability issues could play a major role in the 2022 title race.
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have both suffered issues this seaosn with four mechanical failures between them.
Verstappen now lies 49 points ahead of Leclerc after two retirements from the last four races for the Ferrari star.
Marko said: “Reliability is always a concern if you have a car that is so much on the limit.
“You see that at Ferrari. The only ones who don’t have a technical DNF yet is Mercedes, but they had to lift during some races because of overheating problems.”
Helmut Marko has warned reliability could play a major role
Christian Horner has warned the championship might get decided in court at the end of the season if teams break the budget cap rules.
He claimed at least half the teams on the grid could breach the limits by the end of the year which could lead to retrospective penalties.
He said: “We don’t want a championship decided in law courts, or in Paris in front of the FIA.
“We’ve got six months of the year to address this, we need to act now.”
Christian Horner has issued a court threat
Tennis is getting the Netflix treatment this year with the aim to sex up the sport like the screeching success of Drive to Survive in Formula 1. As sports seek to attract a new, younger audience, the American streaming giant’s cameras are now in London to film the fly-on-the-wall reality show of life on the tour.
It has already been dubbed Drive Volley to Survive – and all the players are anxious to see the results.
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has highlighted the two key areas where Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc can improve if he wants to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the world championship. The Monegasque driver sits 49 points behind Verstappen after he came from 19th in the grid in the Canadian Grand Prix to finish fifth.
The Dutchman did however claim another win to extend his lead, and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez also moved ahead of Leclerc as Villeneuve questioned whether the 24-year-old can cut out mistakes and handle the pressure of beating Verstappen. “He’s super-quick, but right now he still makes a few little mistakes that he shouldn’t,” Villeneuve told the F1 Nation podcast. “Imola, for example, then he’s not helped by the team. That’s the energy they all have together.
“Right now we know he’s fast, he’s aggressive, is he a world champion? Is he like Max, how is he under pressure when it’s money time for the championship? That’s what we still need to find out.”
Charles Leclerc has been told he must make two changes to win the F1 title
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are set for a boost in their bid to close the gap to Ferrari and Red Bull.
Mercedes have dropped down the FIA’s ATR handicap system and will receive 10 per cent extra windtunnel time.
It means the Silver Arrows will have some extra time to get on top of next year’s car.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are set for a testing boost
Toto Wolff could be blamed if Mercedes cannot get a handle on their 2022 car issues, according to Christian Danner.
He claimed the Mercedes boss “is repsonsible” for delivering a good car.
It comes after the Silver Arrows continue to struggle with their 2022 challenger.
Danner said: “Let me put it this way, Hamilton has already been written off by many people, especially the journalists, but only on Hamilton can it still be done
“It’s the same as with other top drivers, he needs his car. If he doesn’t come along, it’s Toto Wolff’s fault. He is responsible for delivering a good car.”
Toto Wolff will be blamed if Mercedes don’t fix their car
Jacques Villeneuve has blamed Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes poor start to the new season.
The 1997 champion claimed Hamilton has not been driving to his maximum potential so far this season after securing just two podiums.
Villeneuve said: “Lewis still, you could see, was dragging his arms on the ground a little bit. Lewis needs to have this start to go and get to be at his 100 per cent form.
“This year you have the impression he has not been driving to the maximum of his potential.”
Lewis Hamilton has been blamed for some of Mercedes issues
Max Verstappen’s secret message about Lewis Hamilton after last year’s crash at the British Grand Prix has been revealed by racing driver Tom Coronel in an exclusive interview with Express Sport.
Verstappen sent the message just over an hour after the pair came together on the opening lap of the race.
The incident saw Verstappen throw into the barrier at Copse corner at 180mph.
The Dutchman was sent to hospital after the shunt for precautionary checks as Hamilton won the race.
It read: “Cannot cope with the pressure that guy hahaha. Don’t worry Tommy, we’re gonna beat him this year.”
Max Verstappen sent a secret text message about Lewis Hamilton
Robert Kubica has hit out at Mercedes and Toto Wolff for trying to change the rules as it is “easier” than fixing their cars.
When asked if teams like Mercedes should be allowed to push for rules changes for porpoising issues, Kubica claimed teams should not use safety to gain an advantage
He told Express Sport: “Of course, it is always easier to push FIA and to highlight the issue. The issue is there, I’m not saying the issue is not there.
“I’m sure everyone in the paddock fits compromises in the set-up or even the design of facing this issue, trying to solve the porpoising, by compromising performance.”
Credit: Epress.co.uk,CN,Getty Images,F1 News
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