F1 LIVE: Mercedes vow not to ‘panic’ in rare open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabia

Mercedes vowed they “won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions” as they look to recover from their miserable start to the new Formula One season.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth and team-mate George Russell seventh in the season-opening race in Bahrain as Mercedes trailed home well adrift of Red Bull, who claimed a one-two through Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

With the team now preparing for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes on Saturday published an open letter to fans admitting they had been “hurt” by their showing in Bahrain while also issuing a rallying cry to all supporters. The letter read: “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. And we know it hurt you, our fans, too. Your passion and support are so important in driving us forward – and we know that we feel the same pain. 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.”

Elsewhere, Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko dismisses Mercedes’ chances of title success this year, Christian Horner reveals Red Bull engine talks with McLaren and organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix publish ticket prices ahead of November’s race.

Follow the latest news in Formula 1 with The Independent

F1 NEWS AND UPDATES

• Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian GP

• ‘The title is out of reach’: Red Bull chief dismisses Mercedes as contenders after just one race

• Las Vegas GP reveal new images ahead of ticket sale with cheapest seat going for $1,500

• When is the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend?

F1 news: Exclusive interview - Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie Ecclestone

16:52 , Kieran Jackson

A report published last week by Females in Motorsport revealed women spoke for just 1.54 per cent of the run time in the new season of Drive to Survive on Netflix, totalling six minutes and seven seconds out of more than six-and-a-half hours. Curious, too, when you consider the emphasis throughout Formula 1 on increasing opportunities and visibility for women, despite a woman not competing in the sport since 1976.

Yet look in the paddock or on your screens and women are present. Not enough yet, as Drive to Survive’s inadequate representation infers, but they’re in attendance. Rachel Brookes, heading into her 12^th year as a reporter and presenter for Sky Sports F1, is one such face, refreshingly familiar for all UK fans of the sport.

Swapping duties with Natalie Pinkham and Simon Lazenby, the 48-year-old is a well-respected and trusted voice not just for the viewers at home, but for the drivers in the paddock too. This year, she will be at 19 out of a record 23 races, starting with Saudi Arabia next week. Speaking with passion about a job she adores, Brookes is insistent that F1 is improving when it comes to female representation.

“I have seen it change – there’s a lot more women now working in all sports as well as Formula 1,” she says.

“It’s been really positive. One of the first things Sky did was send me out to cover cricket, they’d never had a women on the boundary edge before doing live match updates but I loved it.”

Exclusive: Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie

F1 news: Martin Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the F1 season

16:39 , Kieran Jackson

Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.

“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.

“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”

‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season

F1 news: Las Vegas GP reveal new images ahead of ticket sale with cheapest seat going for $1,500

16:21 , Kieran Jackson

Organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have revealed new renderings of the race scene ahead of public ticket sale later this month.

The penultimate race of the 2023 Formula 1 season takes place in Vegas from 16-18 November in what is being billed as one of the sporting events of the year. The race will be held at 10pm on Saturday 18 November while the soon-to-be-built MSG Sphere, due to open in September, will be centre stage in view of the circuit.

While Paddock Club tickets for the event have astonishingly already sold out, a ticket sale to the public gives fans a further opportunity to attend – though it won’t come cheap.

The cheapest three-day ticket package – covering access on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – comes at $500, but that is standing-room only with unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages. If you want a seat in the main grandstand opposite the pit lane, it will cost $2,500-per-person, while the cheapest seat overall is in the West Harmon zone at $1,500.

One fan on Twitter described the prices as “insane”, saying: “$1500 for a 3 day Grandstand and a $500 GA to not be able to see anything. That’s insane.”

Another described the costs as “way too expensive, tweeting: “Was planning on it, but can’t afford to take my family. Waaay to expensive. Guess I’ll stick with attending other Motorsport events.”

Las Vegas GP reveal new images – with cheapest seat going for $1,500

F1 news: Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement at Bahrain Grand Prix

15:58 , Kieran Jackson

Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari F1 team team principal, has said a “full investigation” is required to determine what caused Charles Leclerc’s retirement at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver was forced out of the season opening race at the Sakhir Circuit in a disappointing start to the 2023 season for the Italian team.

Having been running third, Leclerc encountered an engine issue after 39 laps in an early blow to his hopes of mounting a serious title challenge. Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto at the helm for Ferrari during the offseason, has now admitted that the issue came as a surprise.

The former Alfa Romeo chief clarified that it is not a problem with the team’s engine, but said that it was “a shame” for Leclerc’s season to start in such a manner.

“We never expected to have something like this because it’s the first time that we have had it,” Vasseur said to the Formula 1 website after the race in Bahrain.

“We haven’t faced the same issue at all during the six or seven thousand kilometres that we did with the engine last week, with the three teams [Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Haas], and… with the dyno.”

Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement

F1 news - ‘The title is out of reach’: Red Bull chief dismisses Mercedes as contenders after just one race

15:43 , Kieran Jackson

Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko believes the World Championship is already out of reach for Mercedes after an opening race to forget in Bahrain.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh respectively but their W14 cars struggled for pace and were nearly a second-a-lap slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the grand prix.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said over the course of last weekend that the Silver Arrows will have to change their approach already, with their unique ‘zero-pod’ philosophy failing to produce results last year and the early signs not promising this year either.

Marko, who works alongside Christian Horner and chief designer Adrian Newey at Red Bull, dismissed his rival’s prospects in 2023 - adding that in an era of cost cap they cannot just “design two or three different cars.”

“The world championship title is out of reach for Mercedes,” Marko, 79, told French radio station RTL.

Red Bull chief gives verdict on Mercedes title chances

F1 news: Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian GP

15:30 , Kieran Jackson

Mercedes vowed they “won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions” as they look to recover from their miserable start to the new Formula One season.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth and team-mate George Russell seventh in the season-opening race in Bahrain as Mercedes trailed home well adrift of Red Bull, who claimed a one-two through Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Both Hamilton and Russell finished more than 50 seconds behind winner Verstappen, who made an ominous start to his bid for a third successive title and raised further questions as to whether the Silver Arrows – who won a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships up until 2021 – can mount a challenge this year.

Hamilton complained before the race that his team were on the “wrong track” and on Wednesday the seven-time world champion said that Mercedes had ignored him over the development of their 2023 car.

With the team now preparing for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes on Saturday published an open letter to fans admitting they had been “hurt” by their showing in Bahrain while also issuing a rallying cry to all supporters.

Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

F1 news: Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali

15:11 , Kieran Jackson

Christian Horner has been backed to become the next CEO of Formula 1 – by the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Horner, the boss at Red Bull, is the sport’s longest serving team principal having been in charge of the current world champions since 2005.

The 49-year-old executive is overseeing Red Bull’s current domination of the sport, having won both world championships at a canter last year and claiming a one-two finish at the 2023 season-opener on Sunday with Max Verstappen, the double world champion, triumphant in Bahrain.

But Ecclestone – who caused controversy last year after stating he would “take a bullet” for Russian president Vladimir Putin – insists Horner should aim for the sport’s top job next.

“If you had to pick anyone today, I’d say he [Horner] would be as good as there is,” 92-year-old Ecclestone said.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali

F1 news: What makes Drive to Survive star Guenther Steiner tick?

14:59 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

When Netflix first premiered Drive to Survive in 2019, an attempt by Formula 1’s new owners Liberty to broaden the sport’s murky horizon, the onus was on your Hamiltons, your Vettels and your Verstappens to haul in that untapped audience. Like any serial drama, you need a protagonist. But there can only be one star of the show.

Little did people think it’d be Guenther Steiner.

“It’s all about the underdog story,” the 57-year-old tells The Independent, when asked why the Haas-centred episodes have the viewers at peak excitement upon the release of each show. A show, he is eager to add, he does not watch.

More below:

Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick?

F1 news: Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP

14:39 , Kieran Jackson

Nico Rosberg insists Mercedes’ car concept is “in a river” as the team reveal they are set to change course just one race into the new Formula 1 season.

Mercedes decided to stick with their unique ‘no-sidepod’ design this year despite a troubled 2022 in which they only won a single race and finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, after a tricky testing period, the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix saw Mercedes lose around a second-a-lap compared to the victorious Red Bulls out in front, while a rejuvenated Aston Martin also had more pace than Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

As such, team boss Toto Wolff says the team will have to change their philosophy if they want to be competitive and Rosberg – who won his World Championship in 2016 with Mercedes before retiring – has concerns about how quickly Mercedes can reverse their fortunes in an era of cost-cap.

The 2023 budget cap is set at £111m.

Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP

F1 news: Lando Norris ‘will be thinking’ about move to Ferrari or Red Bull

14:21 , Kieran Jackson

McLaren’s Lando Norris may already be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull, Karun Chandhok believes. Norris came home last of the 17th finishers in Bahrain after pitting six times during the course of an issue-plagued race.

It represented a disappointing start to the season for the 23-year-old, tipped as a potential future world champion but yet to achieve a victory in the sport.

Sky Sports’ analyst Chandhok thinks that Norris could be looking at potential destinations that may give him a better chance of fulfilling his ambitions.

“I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull is young Lando Norris,” Chandhok said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.

“Looking at where they’re [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him [Norris] in for that four-year period.

“I do wonder, and if they’re smart they would have created some sort of exit clauses. For example, McLaren don’t finish in the top four of the Constructors’ Championship two years in a row, is there an option for Lando to look elsewhere?

“Because outside of the traditional top three teams, you’ve got Fernando [Alonso] and Lando who are your top two drivers on the grid aren’t they? And the fact he [Norris] is fighting to even get a car into Q3, there’s got to be a bit of frustration there I would imagine.”

F1 news: Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?

14:04 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

Never mind waiting for the first race of the Formula 1 season. A weekend of testing, three practice sessions and qualifying in Bahrain has told Toto Wolff everything he needed to know.

No sandbagging. No magic fix. No hiding. Mere hours into the 2023 campaign the Mercedes boss – once the unflappable executive titan of the sport – cut a despondent figure speaking to the press in the late hours on Saturday. Acknowledging that his team’s persistence, bordering on stubbornness, had been a mistake, he revealed a change of tack is already in the pipeline.

Speaking after George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, the Austrian stated: “I don’t think that this package is going to be competitive eventually.

“We gave it our best go over the winter and now we all just need to regroup, sit down with the engineers, be totally non-dogmatic and ask what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be able to win races.”

As sporting U-turns go, this is pretty seismic. Race weekend No 1 of 23: rip it up and start over.

Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?

F1 news: Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen

13:49 , Kieran Jackson

Jenson Button is entering the world of NASCAR, joining the likes of Kimi Raikkonen in the American motor racing series.

Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, retired from F1 at the end of 2017 but has kept his toes in competitive motorsport, competing in Super GT, Extreme E and Rallycross.

The 43-year-old is also competing at the 100^th anniversary of Le Mans in June – yet has added three NASCAR meets to his schedule, starting with the Circuit of the Americas later in March.

Button will also race in Chicago in July and Indianapolis in August, driving for Rick Ware Racing in partnership with the Stewart Haas Racing outfit.

Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 world champion, will also drive at COTA for Trackhouse Racing in what will be his second venture into NASCAR.

Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen

F1 news: Martin Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the F1 season

13:33 , Kieran Jackson

Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.

“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.

“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”

‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season

F1 news: Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement at Bahrain Grand Prix

13:16 , Kieran Jackson

Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari F1 team team principal, has said a “full investigation” is required to determine what caused Charles Leclerc’s retirement at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver was forced out of the season opening race at the Sakhir Circuit in a disappointing start to the 2023 season for the Italian team.

Having been running third, Leclerc encountered an engine issue after 39 laps in an early blow to his hopes of mounting a serious title challenge. Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto at the helm for Ferrari during the offseason, has now admitted that the issue came as a surprise.

The former Alfa Romeo chief clarified that it is not a problem with the team’s engine, but said that it was “a shame” for Leclerc’s season to start in such a manner.

“We never expected to have something like this because it’s the first time that we have had it,” Vasseur said to the Formula 1 website after the race in Bahrain.

“We haven’t faced the same issue at all during the six or seven thousand kilometres that we did with the engine last week, with the three teams [Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Haas], and… with the dyno.”

Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement

F1 news: Las Vegas GP reveal new images ahead of ticket sale with cheapest seat going for $1,500

12:55 , Kieran Jackson

Organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have revealed new renderings of the race scene ahead of public ticket sale later this month.

The penultimate race of the 2023 Formula 1 season takes place in Vegas from 16-18 November in what is being billed as one of the sporting events of the year. The race will be held at 10pm on Saturday 18 November while the soon-to-be-built MSG Sphere, due to open in September, will be centre stage in view of the circuit.

While Paddock Club tickets for the event have astonishingly already sold out, a ticket sale to the public gives fans a further opportunity to attend – though it won’t come cheap.

The cheapest three-day ticket package – covering access on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – comes at $500, but that is standing-room only with unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages. If you want a seat in the main grandstand opposite the pit lane, it will cost $2,500-per-person, while the cheapest seat overall is in the West Harmon zone at $1,500.

One fan on Twitter described the prices as “insane”, saying: “$1500 for a 3 day Grandstand and a $500 GA to not be able to see anything. That’s insane.”

Another described the costs as “way too expensive, tweeting: “Was planning on it, but can’t afford to take my family. Waaay to expensive. Guess I’ll stick with attending other Motorsport events.”

Las Vegas GP reveal new images – with cheapest seat going for $1,500

F1 news - ‘The title is out of reach’: Red Bull chief dismisses Mercedes as contenders after just one race

12:38 , Kieran Jackson

Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko believes the World Championship is already out of reach for Mercedes after an opening race to forget in Bahrain.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh respectively but their W14 cars struggled for pace and were nearly a second-a-lap slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the grand prix.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said over the course of last weekend that the Silver Arrows will have to change their approach already, with their unique ‘zero-pod’ philosophy failing to produce results last year and the early signs not promising this year either.

Marko, who works alongside Christian Horner and chief designer Adrian Newey at Red Bull, dismissed his rival’s prospects in 2023 - adding that in an era of cost cap they cannot just “design two or three different cars.”

“The world championship title is out of reach for Mercedes,” Marko, 79, told French radio station RTL.

Red Bull chief dismisses Mercedes as title contenders after just one race

F1 news: Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian GP

12:17 , Kieran Jackson

Mercedes vowed they “won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions” as they look to recover from their miserable start to the new Formula One season.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth and team-mate George Russell seventh in the season-opening race in Bahrain as Mercedes trailed home well adrift of Red Bull, who claimed a one-two through Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.

Both Hamilton and Russell finished more than 50 seconds behind winner Verstappen, who made an ominous start to his bid for a third successive title and raised further questions as to whether the Silver Arrows – who won a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships up until 2021 – can mount a challenge this year.

Hamilton complained before the race that his team were on the “wrong track” and on Wednesday the seven-time world champion said that Mercedes had ignored him over the development of their 2023 car.

With the team now preparing for this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes on Saturday published an open letter to fans admitting they had been “hurt” by their showing in Bahrain while also issuing a rallying cry to all supporters.

Mercedes issue rallying cry in open letter to fans ahead of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

F1 news: Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali

12:01 , Kieran Jackson

Christian Horner has been backed to become the next CEO of Formula 1 – by the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Horner, the boss at Red Bull, is the sport’s longest serving team principal having been in charge of the current world champions since 2005.

The 49-year-old executive is overseeing Red Bull’s current domination of the sport, having won both world championships at a canter last year and claiming a one-two finish at the 2023 season-opener on Sunday with Max Verstappen, the double world champion, triumphant in Bahrain.

But Ecclestone – who caused controversy last year after stating he would “take a bullet” for Russian president Vladimir Putin – insists Horner should aim for the sport’s top job next.

“If you had to pick anyone today, I’d say he [Horner] would be as good as there is,” 92-year-old Ecclestone said.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali

F1 news: Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP

11:24 , Kieran Jackson

Nico Rosberg insists Mercedes’ car concept is “in a river” as the team reveal they are set to change course just one race into the new Formula 1 season.

Mercedes decided to stick with their unique ‘no-sidepod’ design this year despite a troubled 2022 in which they only won a single race and finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, after a tricky testing period, the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix saw Mercedes lose around a second-a-lap compared to the victorious Red Bulls out in front, while a rejuvenated Aston Martin also had more pace than Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

As such, team boss Toto Wolff says the team will have to change their philosophy if they want to be competitive and Rosberg – who won his World Championship in 2016 with Mercedes before retiring – has concerns about how quickly Mercedes can reverse their fortunes in an era of cost-cap.

The 2023 budget cap is set at £111m.

Nico Rosberg doesn’t hold back in damning verdict of Mercedes after Bahrain GP

F1 news: Lando Norris ‘will be thinking’ about move to Ferrari or Red Bull

10:58 , Kieran Jackson

McLaren’s Lando Norris may already be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull, Karun Chandhok believes. Norris came home last of the 17th finishers in Bahrain after pitting six times during the course of an issue-plagued race.

It represented a disappointing start to the season for the 23-year-old, tipped as a potential future world champion but yet to achieve a victory in the sport.

Sky Sports’ analyst Chandhok thinks that Norris could be looking at potential destinations that may give him a better chance of fulfilling his ambitions.

“I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull is young Lando Norris,” Chandhok said on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast.

“Looking at where they’re [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him [Norris] in for that four-year period.

“I do wonder, and if they’re smart they would have created some sort of exit clauses. For example, McLaren don’t finish in the top four of the Constructors’ Championship two years in a row, is there an option for Lando to look elsewhere?

“Because outside of the traditional top three teams, you’ve got Fernando [Alonso] and Lando who are your top two drivers on the grid aren’t they? And the fact he [Norris] is fighting to even get a car into Q3, there’s got to be a bit of frustration there I would imagine.”

F1 news: What makes Drive to Survive star Guenther Steiner tick?

10:39 , Kieran Jackson

Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson

When Netflix first premiered Drive to Survive in 2019, an attempt by Formula 1’s new owners Liberty to broaden the sport’s murky horizon, the onus was on your Hamiltons, your Vettels and your Verstappens to haul in that untapped audience. Like any serial drama, you need a protagonist. But there can only be one star of the show.

Little did people think it’d be Guenther Steiner.

“It’s all about the underdog story,” the 57-year-old tells The Independent, when asked why the Haas-centred episodes have the viewers at peak excitement upon the release of each show. A show, he is eager to add, he does not watch.

More below:

Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick?

F1 news: Lance Stroll reveals photos of arms in casts before start of F1 season in remarkable recovery from bike crash

10:17 , Kieran Jackson

Lance Stroll has detailed his remarkable recovery from injury that saw the Aston Martin driver defy doctors’ predictions and start the Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

Stroll was a major doubt for the season-opener at the Sakhir Circuit after breaking both wrists in a bicycle accident in Spain ahead of preseason testing.

The extent of his issues had not been publicly disclosed, but the 24-year-old has now revealed that doctors feared he would miss a significant part of the season.

Any prospect of racing in Bahrain was described as a “faint possibility”, but Stroll made a speedy recovery to record a sixth-placed finish.

“On Saturday, February 18th I crashed on my bike while training in Spain,” Stroll outlined on social media.

Lance Stroll reveals photos of remarkable recovery to start F1 season

F1 news: Las Vegas GP reveal new images ahead of ticket sale with cheapest seat going for $1,500

10:07 , Kieran Jackson

Organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have revealed new renderings of the race scene ahead of public ticket sale later this month.

The penultimate race of the 2023 Formula 1 season takes place in Vegas from 16-18 November in what is being billed as one of the sporting events of the year. The race will be held at 10pm on Saturday 18 November while the soon-to-be-built MSG Sphere, due to open in September, will be centre stage in view of the circuit.

While Paddock Club tickets for the event have astonishingly already sold out, a ticket sale to the public gives fans a further opportunity to attend – though it won’t come cheap.

The cheapest three-day ticket package – covering access on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – comes at $500, but that is standing-room only with unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages. If you want a seat in the main grandstand opposite the pit lane, it will cost $2,500-per-person, while the cheapest seat overall is in the West Harmon zone at $1,500.

One fan on Twitter described the prices as “insane”, saying: “$1500 for a 3 day Grandstand and a $500 GA to not be able to see anything. That’s insane.”

Another described the costs as “way too expensive, tweeting: “Was planning on it, but can’t afford to take my family. Waaay to expensive. Guess I’ll stick with attending other Motorsport events.”

Las Vegas GP reveal new images – with cheapest seat going for $1,500

F1 news: Exclusive interview - Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie Ecclestone

10:00 , Kieran Jackson

A report published last week by Females in Motorsport revealed women spoke for just 1.54 per cent of the run time in the new season of Drive to Survive on Netflix, totalling six minutes and seven seconds out of more than six-and-a-half hours. Curious, too, when you consider the emphasis throughout Formula 1 on increasing opportunities and visibility for women, despite a woman not competing in the sport since 1976.

Yet look in the paddock or on your screens and women are present. Not enough yet, as Drive to Survive’s inadequate representation infers, but they’re in attendance. Rachel Brookes, heading into her 12^th year as a reporter and presenter for Sky Sports F1, is one such face, refreshingly familiar for all UK fans of the sport.

Swapping duties with Natalie Pinkham and Simon Lazenby, the 48-year-old is a well-respected and trusted voice not just for the viewers at home, but for the drivers in the paddock too. This year, she will be at 19 out of a record 23 races, starting with Saudi Arabia next week. Speaking with passion about a job she adores, Brookes is insistent that F1 is improving when it comes to female representation.

“I have seen it change – there’s a lot more women now working in all sports as well as Formula 1,” she says.

“It’s been really positive. One of the first things Sky did was send me out to cover cricket, they’d never had a women on the boundary edge before doing live match updates but I loved it.”

Exclusive: Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes on paddock life and a run-in with Bernie

F1 news: Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?

09:59 , Kieran Jackson

Comment by Kieran Jackson

Never mind waiting for the first race of the Formula 1 season. A weekend of testing, three practice sessions and qualifying in Bahrain has told Toto Wolff everything he needed to know.

No sandbagging. No magic fix. No hiding. Mere hours into the 2023 campaign the Mercedes boss – once the unflappable executive titan of the sport – cut a despondent figure speaking to the press in the late hours on Saturday. Acknowledging that his team’s persistence, bordering on stubbornness, had been a mistake, he revealed a change of tack is already in the pipeline.

Speaking after George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, the Austrian stated: “I don’t think that this package is going to be competitive eventually.

“We gave it our best go over the winter and now we all just need to regroup, sit down with the engineers, be totally non-dogmatic and ask what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be able to win races.”

As sporting U-turns go, this is pretty seismic. Race weekend No 1 of 23: rip it up and start over.

Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?

F1 news: Aston Martin move for Lewis Hamilton squashed

09:39 , Kieran Jackson

Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok was asked whether Lewis Hamilton could leave Mercedes for Aston Martin, given his contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the season.

“I don’t think that will happen,” he replied. “You’re going to tell Lawrence to sack his son. Good luck with that.”

His Sky colleague Simon Lazenby reckons Ferrari would be Hamilton’s No 1 choice, but added that a Mercedes departure is unlikely.

“Not to Aston, but how can you rule out a move to Ferrari if [Mercedes] stay like this?” he said. “He’s so desperate, so desperate for that eighth [title], that if Ferrari did manage to stay on the coattails and they were the nearest to Red Bull.

“He’s not put his pen to paper yet on his contract. He’s definitely waiting to see how this year’s car felt.”

“I think the great relationship with the team and Toto will endure. It’s just I don’t think you can ever rule out a move to Ferrari for racing drivers because it’s their dream and he’s said it before.”

F1 news: How Aston Martin eclipsed Mercedes and Ferrari after Fernando Alonso’s podium in Bahrain

09:21 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso provided the spark to Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix by finishing third on his Aston Martin debut.

The 41-year-old Spaniard fought his way past Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in the closing stages to cap a brilliant drive, as Max Verstappenled home a Red Bull one-two at the front.

Lance Stroll also finished sixth - ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell - on a dream day for the Silverstone-based team.

Here, we take a look at how Aston Martin have made such an improvement in the off-season - and what they could achieve this year:

How Aston Martin eclipsed Mercedes and Ferrari after Fernando Alonso’s podium

F1 news: Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement at Bahrain Grand Prix

08:59 , Kieran Jackson

Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari F1 team team principal, has said a “full investigation” is required to determine what caused Charles Leclerc’s retirement at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver was forced out of the season opening race at the Sakhir Circuit in a disappointing start to the 2023 season for the Italian team.

Having been running third, Leclerc encountered an engine issue after 39 laps in an early blow to his hopes of mounting a serious title challenge. Vasseur, who replaced Mattia Binotto at the helm for Ferrari during the offseason, has now admitted that the issue came as a surprise.

The former Alfa Romeo chief clarified that it is not a problem with the team’s engine, but said that it was “a shame” for Leclerc’s season to start in such a manner.

“We never expected to have something like this because it’s the first time that we have had it,” Vasseur said to the Formula 1 website after the race in Bahrain.

“We haven’t faced the same issue at all during the six or seven thousand kilometres that we did with the engine last week, with the three teams [Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Haas], and… with the dyno.”

Ferrari chief orders ‘full investigation’ into Charles Leclerc’s retirement

08:45 , Kieran Jackson

Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.

Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.

Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.

“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.

“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”

‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season

F1 news: Christian Horner confirms Red Bull talks with McLaren

08:39 , Kieran Jackson

Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that McLaren have held talks over a potential engine deal from 2026.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently visited Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes, as he eyes an engine partnership for three years’ time when new F1 regulations come into force, with engines modified to produce net zero CO2 emissions.

Some were surprised that Red Bull, who will partner with Ford from 2026 to form Red Bull Ford Powertrains, opened their doors to Brown after his stinging criticism of Horner’s team in wake of last year’s cost-cap saga, when the world champions were fined and docked car development time for a breach.

Yet Horner insisted such talks are “only natural” as McLaren plot what avenue to go down next. The Woking-based team currently have their engines supplied by Mercedes.

“I thought he was coming for lunch,” joked Horner about Brown’s visit to Red Bull HQ.

Christian Horner confirms Red Bull talks with McLaren

F1 news: Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen

08:36 , Kieran Jackson

Jenson Button is entering the world of NASCAR, joining the likes of Kimi Raikkonen in the American motor racing series.

Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, retired from F1 at the end of 2017 but has kept his toes in competitive motorsport, competing in Super GT, Extreme E and Rallycross.

The 43-year-old is also competing at the 100^th anniversary of Le Mans in June – yet has added three NASCAR meets to his schedule, starting with the Circuit of the Americas later in March.

Button will also race in Chicago in July and Indianapolis in August, driving for Rick Ware Racing in partnership with the Stewart Haas Racing outfit.

Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 world champion, will also drive at COTA for Trackhouse Racing in what will be his second venture into NASCAR.

Jenson Button to make NASCAR debut alongside Kimi Raikkonen

F1 news: Las Vegas GP reveal new images ahead of ticket sale with cheapest seat going for $1,500

08:35 , Kieran Jackson

Organisers of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have revealed new renderings of the race scene ahead of public ticket sale later this month.

The penultimate race of the 2023 Formula 1 season takes place in Vegas from 16-18 November in what is being billed as one of the sporting events of the year. The race will be held at 10pm on Saturday 18 November while the soon-to-be-built MSG Sphere, due to open in September, will be centre stage in view of the circuit.

While Paddock Club tickets for the event have astonishingly already sold out, a ticket sale to the public gives fans a further opportunity to attend – though it won’t come cheap.

The cheapest three-day ticket package – covering access on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – comes at $500, but that is standing-room only with unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages. If you want a seat in the main grandstand opposite the pit lane, it will cost $2,500-per-person, while the cheapest seat overall is in the West Harmon zone at $1,500.

One fan on Twitter described the prices as “insane”, saying: “$1500 for a 3 day Grandstand and a $500 GA to not be able to see anything. That’s insane.”

Another described the costs as “way too expensive, tweeting: “Was planning on it, but can’t afford to take my family. Waaay to expensive. Guess I’ll stick with attending other Motorsport events.”

Las Vegas GP reveal new images – with cheapest seat going for $1,500