Motor Sports

(Motorsport) Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz won his first Formula 1 race of his career at an action packed British Grand Prix which saw as many as five cars out of the race before the chequered flag. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished in second place followed by Lewis Hamilton in third, Charles Leclerc, who was a victim of older hard compound tyres was unlucky to finish fourth while a struggling Max Verstappen finished a disappointing seventh. 

The race couldn’t have begun on a worse note as a multi-car collision saw Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu flip upside down with the momentum taking him all the way to the tyre barrier. An immediate red flag followed. After a lengthy period in the pits, the race was resumed with the grid starting over irrespective of any overtakes at the beginning of the race. This meant that Carlos Sainz, who finished on pole in qualifying but conceded his place to Max Verstappen at the beginning of the race, started in first place again. 

One of the biggest talking points of the race was Ferrari not getting Charles Leclerc in the pits after the safety car was introduced towards the end of the race. The Monegasque driver was on the hard compound tyres and in first place, which meant that with the cars behind him changing to softer tyres, Leclerc was at a clear disadvantage that eventually cost him a podium finish. Sainz however, who was in second place, was given the soft tyres and managed to hold onto his lead to secure his first Grand Prix win in his career. 

Mercedes appeared to have turned a significant corner with regards to their car troubles and Hamilton looked like his old self once again, appearing to be the fastest racer on track. However, a pit stop blunder and being held up by Lando Norris at the beginning of the race followed by lengthy battles with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc forced the seven time World Champion to settle for third place. Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Alpine ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. 

British GP Race Result: Top 10

1) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
2) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
6) Lando Norris, McLaren
7) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
8) Mick Schumacher, Haas
9) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
10) Kevin Magnussen, Haas

Also read: Carlos Sainz finishes fastest at Silverstone while Mercedes show promise

(Motorsport) It was an extremely competitive Final Practice 2 at Silverstone with Carlos Sainz Jr. finishing fastest with a time of 1:28:942, followed closely behind by seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton who was just +0.163 behind the Spaniard. McLaren’s Lando Norris followed in third place while reigning champion Max Verstappen was fourth and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fifth. 

Following a rain disrupted session, FP2 was largely dry and windy as teams struggled to control their cars and keep them on track at Silverstone. Hamilton dropped to 15th place at one stage, complaining of excessive bouncing but managed to salvage his session by switching to the soft tyres. Mercedes had implemented a major upgrade to the W13 ahead of the British Grand Prix including a new floor and it paid dividends with Hamilton looking like his old self at his ‘home’ track.

Mercedes and Red Bull have shared victories in the nine Grand Prix’s so far but Mercedes seem to have finally found the answer to their problems ahead of both Hamilton and Russell’s home race. The team has suffered from excessive bouncing and a lack of pace so far and Mercedes are cautiously optimistic of their team’s chances this weekend. 

Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said “It seems like we have taken a step forward because we are not normally near the top on a Friday. Now, I expect there will be more to come from Ferrari and a bit more to come from Red Bull but the long run work was quite encouraging as well and those were overlaying quite nicely. There is certainly a lot to work on, there is some bouncing around and it is tricky at high speed at the moment but hopefully the updates pushed us in the right direction." 

Also read: Alpine launch programme to help female drivers reach Formula 1

(Motorsport) Alpine have launched a programme called Race(H)er to give female drivers the opportunity to race in Formula 1 for the first time in half a century. The racing development programme will take place over eight years and provide young girls with training and a structured pathway to make it to the top of the motorsport pyramid. Since the World Championship began in 1950, only two women have started a Formula 1 race with late Italian Lella Lombardi being the last one in 1976. 

Alpine Chief Executive Laurent Rossi aims to transform the car manufacturer to a team that “debunks myths” and gives equal opportunities to women and men. He said “We want to make sure we give access to all of the jobs, all of the opportunities at Alpine, to women. By not having a more balanced representation of women in the workforce I basically deprive Alpine and myself of 50 per cent of the talents out there ... I see it as I'm missing half of my team. 

“The intent is to debunk all of the myths that women can't, because they're not adapted, because they don't have role models, because the jobs we offer are not for women. We want to debunk all those myths one by one and make sure that for each opportunity offered at Alpine there's always an equal chance for women to get the job because they can." He continued “Fernando Alonso is 41 [in July] and he drives a Formula One car. I think Fernando Alonso at 41 is not as strong as a perfectly fit woman athlete at 30. You can drive a Formula One car with the right preparation and that's what we intend to do. We want to prepare women the same way that men are prepared." 

Launched in 2019, the all-female W Series was meant to help women climb up the motorsport ladder but inaugural champion Jamie Chadwick has failed to make the step up but remains defiant about achieving her dream in Formula 1. Speaking to Sky Sports, Chadwick said “The ultimate goal is to be in those championships, ideally Formula Two and then Formula One.” When asked if she could cope with the physical demands, Chadwick said “I don't know what is actually possible. 

“To get into Formula One you have to go through the feeder series - Formula Three and Formula Two - and it is extremely physical. Formula One is extremely physical, and we don't know exactly what women are capable of in the sport. If you are aged 15 or 16, and go into car racing, without power steering and driving big heavy cars, a lot of women do struggle, even though they have been successful in go-karting. We like to think that women can make it - and I am happy to be the guinea pig and will do my best to push and explore the options to Formula One - but we don't know. 

"There hasn't been a woman in the recent era that has done it. I am trying to understand whether that is to do with the physical side. If it is physically possible, and women can compete against men, how do we make that happen? However, if it is physically too hard, but the sport wants women to compete, then we have got to bring it back and understand why."

Also read: Formula 1 to introduce synthetic and sustainable fuel by 2026

(Motorsport) As part of the goal to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2030, Formula 1 has developed synthetic and sustainable fuel which will be introduced in 2026. The fuel can be used in standard internal combustion engines and will be used in the new generation of hybrid engines. 

A statement released by the F1 earlier said “At the top of our priorities for both sustainability and our sport is building a roadmap for the internal combustion engine that addresses the environmental goals of our automotive partners and society. Although cars account for a very small percentage of our carbon footprint as a sport (0.7%), it is important that the most visual part of our sport is sustainable and can have real-world benefits. We also believe there is not a single solution to the engine technologies of the future but a sustainably fuel hybrid engine will be a significant moment for the sport and the automotive sector."

Formula 1 also revealed that the fuel was already in production with the support  from the governing body, the FIA, and F1's fuel partner and engine manufacturers. It’s designed as a ‘drop-in’ fuel and can be used in place of a standard fossil fuel in any internal combustion engine (ICE). The only way synthetic fuels can be fully net-zero is if the energy used to create them is carbon free and it’s being designed to not just be adopted in Formula 1 but for normal cars around the world to reduce carbon emissions. 

Formula 1 has claimed that it has taken a number of steps to move towards its net-zero goal, such as:

1) Introduced remote broadcast operations to reduce freight

2) Redesigned freight containers so more efficient aircraft can be used

3) Transitioned to 100% renewable energy in its offices

4) Delivered a first carbon-neutral broadcast production at the 2021 British Grand Prix and aim to achieve the same at Silverstone again this weekend

Also read: Mercedes plan major upgrades before ‘home race’ at Silverstone

(Motorsport) Mercedes will be looking for an improvement in the W13’s performance ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The Silver Arrows may have got the grip on the ‘porpoising’ issue but the car has been struggling for pace against the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. However, expectations are at an all time high for the Brackley based outfit after Lewis Hamilton finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix while George Russell was fourth. 

In the post-Canada debrief, Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott confirmed that upgrades will be implemented into the W13 ahead of the British Grand Prix. He said “We will be bringing new bits to Silverstone. We will be trying to push the car forward, trying to get some pace from the package we've got as well as the new bits we are going to add to it. I think at the same time, though, we have to be honest with ourselves and say at the moment we are just a bit behind those frontrunners in Ferrari and Red Bull. And in a normal race I think it is going to be tough." 

Having had their last major upgrade ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, the team has been struggling with the porpoising issue since then but are hoping for the situation to be more in control going forwards. "I think Silverstone will be a circuit that suits us a little bit better, like Barcelona did, but maybe it will be just a little bit difficult," added Elliott. “Whatever happens we will push as hard as we can. Our drivers will push as hard as we can because we want to get back to winning."

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff stated: "Silverstone was good to us in the past and the circuit is smoother than the last three ones. But it's not Barcelona. Now we should manage our own expectations, and just really grind away, look at the data and come up with some sensible solutions. Not only for Silverstone, but going forward as well." As per former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, Mercedes stand no chance of catching up to Red Bull and Ferrari this weekend. In an interview with Any Driven Monday, Rosberg said “No they can't win, no way! They're still too far away from the performance of Ferrari and Red Bull. They're still miles away."

Also read: Lewis Hamilton urges Mercedes to reduce experiments on race weekends

(Motorsport) Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton had contrasting fortunes at the Canadian Grand Prix. From publicly saying that his Mercedes W13 was “undrivable” and a “disaster” in friday’s Final Practice session, the 37 year old went on to secure his second podium finish of the season, finishing behind reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Hamilton secured his 184th podium finish in a season that has been disappointing to say the least and the British racing driver is hoping for more consistency for the remainder of the season.

In an interview before the British Grand Prix, Hamilton said “We're just trying to work… we're just trying to progress as a team. Moving forward, I think we'll be a little bit more cautious on doing too many experiments as it really does hinder you through the weekend, especially if you only have practice one and two in the dry and don't get a FP3, for example. I think there are lots of learnings from this weekend and improvements that we can make moving forwards. I really hope, moving to Silverstone… it's such an important race for us and for me and so I just want to be in a battle with these guys. I think we're better in medium and high-speed corners probably, than we are in the low-speed corners but we have bouncing, so I don't know how it's going to be through Copse and all those places." 

Meanwhile, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff remains cautiously optimistic about his team’s chances despite seeing significant improvement in Montreal. Wolff said “You can see at the hairpin they put in new asphalt so we suffer less from the stiffness of the car, which is the main problem, but before the Safety Car came out at the end we were actually quicker than Carlos Sainz and Verstappen but you're picking out a few laps and saying 'yeah, we are back' but I don't think that's the case here. We just need to keep working.

“We just need to develop the car in a different window that we had. We had it really low on the ground but clearly that doesn't function so I think we have a development direction. We didn't get it right in many areas, but we own the problem and we need to fix it.” Looking ahead to Silverstone, Wolff added: "If we are able to run the car low then we can be competitive but after Barcelona we've been cheering 'we're back in the championship fight', so let's see."

Also read: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner slams FIA for ‘unfair’ rule change

(Motorsports news) Fully electric off-road electric racing series Extreme E has today confirmed a broadcast extension with Setanta Sports in Ukraine. An additional agreement between the parties also includes broadcast coverage in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

As part of the series’ growing expansion in these territories, Setanta Sports will air Extreme E’s full debut season, including the live race feed, preview and magazine shows on its Setanta Sports branded channels, as well on-demand on its digital outlet: setantasports.com.

With its population in this part of the world becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact of air pollution caused by fossil fuel, the electric car market has shown significant growth in recent years – particulary in Latvia and Estonia which have both see three-figure growth in EV registrations in the past two years.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted to be announcing our broadcast extension with Setanta in these vital territories. As a sport for purpose championship which is committed to amplifying the benefits of electrification, it is important to further the exposure of Extreme E in a market where EV sales are continiuing to increase.

“There is an even greater purpose to our championship than the radical racing on show, with the need to reduce carbon emissions and combat the climate crisis something which these territories have clearly recognised. As we expand our coverage by extending our partnership with Setanta, I am confident that there will be continued interest in the action-packed wheel-to-wheel racing delivered by Extreme E, as well as the wider storytelling around electrification, the environment and the series’ gender equal platform.”

Dwyer McCaughley of Setanta Sports said: “Setanta Sports is excited to add Extreme E to is growing portfolio of motorsports broadcast rights. Extreme E will sit aslongside Formula 1, NASCAR and Formula E offering race fans in Eurasia and Ukraine world class motorsport content. This is in addition to the best European football from the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga & Ligue 1 and top North American sports such as NHL, NBA & UFC.”

Since its inception in 2021, Extreme E has already attracted some of the biggest names in motorsport including Formula One World Champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, all of whom have founded teams in the series. Motorsport giants, McLaren have also joined this year with American Tanner Foust and New Zealander Emma Gilmour at the wheel of their papaya orange and blue Odyssey 21 fully electric SUV. The gender equal format is a stipulation of the championship in a bid to encourage gender equality and a level playing field - a world-first in motorsport.

The locations that the Extreme E visits are all, in some way, affected by environmental issues such as desertification, deforestation, melting ice caps, plastic pollution, and rising carbon emissions. By holding races in areas that are suffering at the hands of the environmental crisis, the aim is to raise viewers' awareness and interest in environmental issues.

Also read: Max Verstappen secures maiden Canadian Grand Prix victory

New Delhi, Jun 20 (MotorSports News) Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala on Monday took a substantial step towards realising his Formula 1 dream by securing a two-day test with eight-time constructors' winner McLaren.

The 23-year-old, who is currently in his third season in Formula 2, will be clocking valuable miles in a Formula 1 car for the very first time. He will be driving McLaren MCL35, which competed in the 2021 F1 Championship, on June 21 and 22 at Silverstone in the UK.

The test, which is part of McLaren's Testing Previous Car (TPC) programme, will give Jehan a much needed experience in a highly complex Formula 1 car.

The track time will also help him earn enough points to apply for a Super Licence, which is needed to compete in Formula 1.

Though Jehan is part of the Red Bull Junior Programme, he has got the required go ahead from the Milton Keynes outfit to test with a rival F1 team.

He has already said the current Formula 2 season is a make-or-break one for him as far his Formula 1 dream is concerned. He is currently in the middle of his best season with five podiums in six rounds, pushing him to third place in the standings.

Speaking to mediapersons from UK, the Mumbai-based driver sounded ecstatic about getting the opportunity but said it doesn't guarantee anything for 2023.

"This is nothing related to me getting a drive next year in Formula 1. There are not many seats opening up in F1 but I have got this opportunity to be in a F1 car and do well and if I do get the opportunity I want to be ready," he said.

"I have never driven a Formula 1 car before. This test is for me to learn the car and its characteristics and find its limits. "My aim is to win the F2 Championships and hopefully I do enough and my name is out there (to be noticed)." He will be doing rounds of the Silverstone track with speeds in excess of 300kmph, pushing his body to the limit, especially the neck with G forces involved.

Fresh from the F2 round in Baku, Jehan said he is ready to take the big step.

"Apart from my neck, I have not done too much extra. I have been busy with my racing (F2). I am generally very fit and don't struggle that much. I will come to know at the end of the week but I have prepared my body as much as I can for the test." Jehan is aiming to become the third Indian to race in Formula 1 after Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok. 

Also Read : Red Bull team principal Christian Horner slams FIA for ‘unfair’ rule change

News Source : PTI

(Motorsport) Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has accused the FIA’s technical directive after stricter guidelines were introduced with driver safety at the forefront due to porpoising. The new rules will mean that teams suffering from the issue will now be forced to limit the level of “vertical oscillations” in order to protect the drivers while the FIA will also have “closer scrutiny of the planks and skids, both in terms of their design and the observed wear”.

The reception to the rule change has been mixed as both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have criticised the decision while both the Mercedes drivers have welcomed the move. In an interview with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, the 48 year old said “The FIA, you can understand safety being their main concern, but to drop a technical directive like that just as we’re coming into a weekend, without any consultation, it just feels the wrong way to be going about thing I think there needs to be proper consultation with the experts. 

“A solution can be found. It’s a very dangerous thing to be giving the FIA the right to set up your rear ride height and your set-up going into a race. What happens if the wind changes during the race? What happens if the porpoising gets worse for whatever reason, based on the baseline they give? So it’s the metric with, how could they measure it? To apply this regulation – that’s what needs to be discussed. The intent is all well and good but it’s not been introduced in the right way.” 

Horner has said that the FIA’s directive is too complicated and there is a simpler method of dealing with the issue. “There’s so many things they could do that would just be easier,” Horner explained.“ Stick a bigger plank on it, for example, that would get the cars off the ground. Trying to mitigate, judge between one car and another… maybe we’ll benefit from it, maybe we won’t, I’ve got no idea. It seems a very complicated way to go about solving an issue. It’s not an issue which affects all of the teams. I think the inference should be on the teams to get it sorted.  There’s a set of regulations that are consistent for everybody there.” 

Also read: F1 changes regulations to combat porpoising, Mercedes welcome the move

(Motorsport) Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen secured his first victory at the Canadian Grand Prix after holding off Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in Montreal. The Dutchman held off his Spanish opponent despite having older tyres than Sainz’s Ferrari to extend his lead in the Drivers Championship to 46 points. In what was a pleasantly surprising result in third place, seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who publicly announced that his Mercedes W13 was “undrivable” on Friday managed to get his first podium finish since the opening race of the season.

Mercedes’ George Russell finished in fourth place while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who began the race in 19 place due to the grid penalty after replacing a power unit, ended up in an impressive fifth place. As for Sergio Perez, the Mexican was forced to retire after his Red Bull faced an early gearbox failure, summing up his miserable weekend after crashing out during qualifying. Speaking after the race, Max Verstappen said “"It was really exciting at the end. I was giving it everything I had and, of course, Carlos was doing the same. I could see he was pushing and charging, but when you're on the DRS it's a lot easier to charge. The last few laps were a lot of fun." 

Verstappen looks in pole position to defend his title, having won six out of the nine races this season. The 24 year old experienced reliability issues in two races which now seem like a problem Red Bull have overcome and the team are now 76 points ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors Standings. Fernando Alonso, who finished 2nd in qualifying was relegated to 7th place at the end of the race behind team-mate Esteban Ocon, largely due to Alpine’s strategy. The Spaniard was also awarded a five second penalty by the stewards due to an infringement involving Valtteri Bottas which subsequently led to the Finnish driver ending up in 9th place. 

Canadian GP: Race Result

1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
6) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
7) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
8) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo
9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine*
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

* Demoted from seventh after being given a five-second time penalty.

Also read: F1 changes regulations to combat porpoising, Mercedes welcome the move

(Motorsport) Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton described his 2022 Formula 1 car as “a disaster” and admitted that Mercedes are unlikely to improve the W13 for the remainder of the season. The British racing driver is 88 points behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers Championship and could only manage a disappointing 13th in the Final Practice ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. Hamilton was heard describing his W13 “undrivable” and “so bad” on the team radio and was more than a second behind the grid leaders. 

In an interview with Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton said “Nothing we do to this car generally seems to work. We are trying different set-ups. Me and George went with many different set-ups in this P2 just to see if one way works and one way doesn't. I'll wait to hear how it felt for him, but for me it was a disaster. It's like the car is getting worse, it's getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it. We will keep working on it. It is what it is. I think this is the car for the year. We will have to tough it out and work hard on building a better car for next year." 

Hamilton was seen struggling to get out of his W13 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after his car suffered from porpoising and the British racing driver complained about the pain he experienced while driving the car. When asked if he believed his car could compete against Red Bull and Ferrari in Canada, Hamilton replied “One touch of the kerb and the thing goes flying, it's so stiff. Here you need to be able to use the kerbs, so it's very tricky. It's not the Montreal that I know, am used to and have experienced through my career. It's the worst I've ever felt in a car here. 

“I'm hoping overnight we can try and make some changes, but it's the fundamentals of the car. It is what it is and it's going to be a struggle. It's a monumental fight the whole time to keep it out of the wall. When it bounces, the car leaves the ground a lot, and when it lands it grips up and goes in different directions. You are just trying to catch a car that jumps, hops and grips. It's tough. It just keeps you on edge and there were some big hits today. We've raised the car and it doesn't make a difference. We have tried loads and loads of things and ticked them all off. Those ones don't work, so we have to go and find something else. We are way off, but it's to be expected with this car." 

Also read: Max Verstappen excels in Final Practice ahead of Canadian Grand Prix

(Motorsport) Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen showed exactly why he’s leading the championship table after leading the final practice sessions from start to finish at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, recording a 1:14.127, almost a tenth ahead of second place Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver will incur a 10 place grid penalty in Sunday’s race due to the installation of new engine parts while his teammate Carlos Sainz was more than a tenth behind in third place. As for Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, the Mexican had a disappointing practice session and was more than a second behind in 11th place and will look to improve before qualifying begins.

Seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton had a torrid time, describing his Mercedes as “undriveable”, finishing 13th on the grid while his teammate George Russell was 7th. Former World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso took advantage of Mercedes’ poor performance with Aston Martin in 4th place while the Alpine finished 5th. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 6th and McLaren’s Lando Norris was 8th. Valtteri Bottas had a disappointing session as the Finnish racing driver had an electronic fault in his Alfa Romeo and struggled to set a lap time. 

As things stand, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a 10 place grid penalty but the team may opt to replace more parts which would mean that the Monegasque driver might be relegated to the back of the grid. The F1-75 has suffered reliability issues lately and the Italian manufacturer may opt for wholesale changes this weekend in order to ensure better results going forward at the expense of one race. For a team that looked like potential title challengers at the beginning of the season, the results have been extremely disappointing for Ferrari lately and they would need to turn things around quickly in order to keep their hopes alive for that elusive Championship title.

Also read: F1 changes regulations to combat porpoising, Mercedes welcome the move

(Motorsport) The FIA has announced that new measures will be introduced to combat ‘porpoising’, keeping in mind the drivers safety with the severe bouncing becoming an increasingly problematic issue in every race. Such is the extent of the problem that seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton complained of severe pain during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and struggled to get out of his car due to the discomfort. The technical directive issued by the FIA comes before the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend but it remains to be seen if teams will now be able to change the setup of their cars with a limit on the level of "vertical oscillations" being introduced.

The FIA are yet to confirm if the new regulations will be implemented in Montreal with the announcement being made just 24 hours before the first Final Practice begins. A statement issued by the FIA said “Following the eighth round of this year's FIA Formula One World Championship, during which the phenomenon of aerodynamic oscillations ("porpoising") of the new generation of Formula 1 cars, and the effect of this during and after the race on the physical condition of the drivers was once again visible, the FIA, as the governing body of the sport, has decided that, in the interests of the safety, it is necessary to intervene to require that the teams make the necessary adjustments to reduce or to eliminate this phenomenon."

In addition, the FIA will also be investigating in consultation with the teams about how to reduce porpoising. Moreover, the change in regulations are a safety measure as porpoising could distract the drivers and lead to high speed collisions. The support for the change in regulations was unanimous on the paddock, especially after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with the likes of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff being particularly vocal about the issue. The porpoising complaints by the Silver Arrows has led to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to doubt the authenticity of their claims, stating that Mercedes are demanding a change in regulations to get back into the title race after an extremely underwhelming season so far.

Mercedes driver George Russell welcomed the change in regulations by saying “I think this is something that everybody thinks Mercedes is sort of pushing for, but from a pure performance side of things... we don't really want change because if there's change, you never know if it's going in your favour or against you. I think it's something that we as drivers have spoken about globally, that we want change moving forward because what we went through last weekend just wasn't sustainable. 

“It doesn't matter what boat you're in, you're either porpoising and you're hitting the ground, or you have no porpoising so you're running the car really close to the ground and you're bottoming, so either way you look at it, it's not great. I think it's promising to see that they've taken action on this straight away and it's not taken them weeks and months and political decisions to change something like this. When it comes to safety, things need to be resolved as soon as possible, so I'm not surprised to see it come in so quickly but I think it's good for everyone.”

Also read: Ferrari find temporary fix for hydraulics after reliability concerns

(Motorsports news) The Australian Grand Prix will remain on the F1 Calendar until 2035, following a deal to extend its agreement beyond 2025 by a further 10 years. In addition, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will also join the race weekend schedule for the first time in 2023. This year more than 419,000 fans visited Albert Park for the 2022 Australian Grand Prix in April, making it the largest ever crowd for a weekend sporting event in Australian sporting history .

Albert Park has hosted F1 races since 1996, as significant investments were made over the past two years in order to improve the track for faster racing, fan experience and facilities while further improvements, including a revised paddock and pit lane, are planned in the future in order to continue the circuit’s modernisation. The date of next year’s Australian Grand Prix will be decided later on but in most likelihood it will be back as the first race of the season. It will be under the subject to World MotorSport Council’s approval. As part of the deal for the revamped Albert Park circuit, they have a contract that will open the Formula 1 season a minimum of five times. The Australian Grand Prix will be the season-opener in 2024 and 2025 and then another three are yet-to-be-determined.

The 2023 Grand Prix date is yet to be finalised, however this announcement is a clear indication that the first round will be in Melbourn, if not the first race then they have a slot inside the first three races likely each year of the new agreement. Australia has long been a tradition in F1 to start the season, however this year, due to pandemic-induced absence, it was pushed back to the third round. But it had little effect on crowds with near-record numbers filing through the Albert Parks over the four days of a marvellous spectale.In this year's Australian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc won the race and capped off a memorable weekend for the Ferrari team as home favourite Daniel Riccardo finished 8th as it was one of the two races where he has got points for the team. 

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “I am delighted to confirm that Melbourne and the Albert Park circuit will continue to be on the Formula 1 calendar until 2035. The race has always been a favourite for the fans, drivers and the teams and Melbourne is an incredible and vibrant international city that is a perfect match for our sport.

“This year we saw huge crowds and passionate fans at the Grand Prix, and we are very excited by the future in Australia as our sport continues to grow. I want to thank the Victorian Government, Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria and Martin Pakula, Minister for Tourism, Sport & Major Events for their tireless support for the event in Melbourne, as well as Andrew Westacott and Paul Little from the AGPC for making this already long-term partnership secure for the future. We are all looking forward to being back in Melbourne next season with all our fans.”

Martin Pakula, Minister for Tourism, Sport & Major Events, Victorian Government, said: “The Australian Grand Prix has never been bigger, with more than 419,000 people flocking to Albert Park for this year’s race. We know how important this event is to our economy and that’s why we’ve delivered the longest extension for the race since it has been held in Melbourne.”

Andrew Westacott, CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, said: “This is a sensational announcement that is simply great for Melbourne and Victoria. It builds on our rich motor sport history as well as Melbourne’s love of big sporting events and provides aspiration to the next generation of Aussie racing stars. We’re proud of our strong relationship with Formula 1 and together we will grow the sport in Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. Everyone at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation looks forward to taking the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix to new levels over the course of the next 13 years.”

Also read: Ferrari find temporary fix for hydraulics after reliability concern
 

(Motorsport) Ferrari have managed to get a short-term fix to their hydraulics issue which plagued Carlos Sainz at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ahead of the team’s visit to Canada. Both the Ferrari’s were forced to retire in Baku with Leclerc’s F1-75 suffering a second power unit failure in three races. The result means that the Italian manufacturer are now 80 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors Standings after eight races with Leclerc dropping down to third, 34 points behind leader and reigning champion Max Verstappen.

In a statement released by Ferrari on Twitter, they said “A challenging weekend for the team, but one that we'll look to learn and build from. Charles' engine arrives at the factory tomorrow, an initial assessment should be completed by the evening. Hydraulic components from Carlos' car have already been examined. A short-term fix is in place for Canada, while work is on-going on mid/long-term solutions. We continue to be fully motivated. Our ambitions are still high, our aim hasn't changed. These moments shape us, as individuals and as a group." 

Such is Ferrari’s history that Sunday’s race in Canada is named after late Ferrari great Gilles Villeneuve. The season began on a high for the most successful team in Formula 1 history but a combination of poor team strategy, Carlos Sainz’s inability to be a reliable second driver and reliability concerns have now placed the team firmly out of the title race. For Leclerc, the Monegasque has proved he has the calibre of becoming a potential World Champion, but has been let down by his team. His Baku DNF was his second retirement from a leading position in three races and he has urged his team to make no more mistakes for the remainder of the season.

Having conceded his second place to Sergio Perez, a disappointed Charles Leclerc said “It hurts. We really need to look into that for it not to happen again. I can't really find the right words to describe this. It's very, very disappointing. I don't know, we really need to look into it." As for Carlos Sainz, the Spaniard has had a very disappointing start to the season but is optimistic that there are “better days to come”. 

In an interview, Sainz said “That's the main objective and the team knows this, that we need to improve on this side, but we have been pretty good on reliability on my side but we have just been a bit unlucky the whole season and it has been quite difficult to get any momentum going this season. I cannot do two consecutive races without anything happening and the DNF in lap 9, you need laps and I need laps and to complete races to keep understanding the car. It is a shame but we are a team and we are going to stay united and stay positive because I am sure better days will come."

Also read: Max Verstappen wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Ferrari disaster