Hamilton comes clean on Ferrari talks as Norris weighs in on Max Verstappen row

The countdown to the Qatar Grand Prix is now well and truly underway with Max Verstappen able to claim his third World Championship during the sprint race on Saturday, should team-mate Sergio Perez fail to produce. 

Verstappen needs to score just three points in total across the sprint race and the Grand Prix to seal the deal, meaning that disasters preventing, the 26-year-old will etch his name into the history books this weekend.

Further back down the road, McLaren will be hoping to follow up their first double-podium of the season at Suzuka by getting at least one of their drivers onto the rostrum in Qatar.

The Woking-based outfit were comfortably faster than rivals Mercedes and Ferrari at the Japanese Grand Prix and the high-speed nature of the Lusail Circuit should suit their package when the cars hit the track this weekend.

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Mercedes team ‘imbalanced’

Pete Windsor believes Mercedes have an imbalanced team due to George Russell’s arrival 18 months ago. 

Russell replaced Valtteri Bottas, but former Williams boss Windsor believes it is no use having two drivers who want to battle for wins. 

“The point is this should also be seen in the context of Lewis telling Toto endlessly to keep Valtteri, ‘He’s exactly the right guy’, and [Toto saying] ‘No no, no, we’ve got to have the next generation, George is the next generation, and quicker.’

“I blame a lot of the press for that because a lot of them were saying ‘Oh, you know Valtteri isn’t quick enough, George is quicker’ and, of course, then he won that race.

“I just come back to my thing of… if you’ve got Lewis, you don’t actually need George. If you’ve got George, you don’t need Lewis. It’s an imbalanced team, always has been, always will be, and that is the problem with it.”

Horner expects Mercedes revival

Christian Horner believes Toto Wolff will be plotting Red Bull’s downfall. 

Mercedes have watched on as Red Bull and Max Verstappen have dominated F1 for two years. 

“For me sport is about rivalry. It’s great to have rivalry. There has to be a respect, but sport isn’t sport without rivalry,” he told Sky Sports.

“Obviously we haven’t seen much of him the last couple of years but I’m sure he’s plotting. I’m sure he’s got something that they’re working on.

“They’re a great team. They are a big team. They have got great drivers. They’ll be looking to fight back.”

Andretti passed onto Phase Two

Andretti must now be approved by Formula One Management, the sport’s commercial wing. 

An F1 statement said: “We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application.”

Andretti given FIA approval

Andretti is a step closer to forming a Formula One team after receiving FIA approval. 

It was the only applicant to pass the FIA’s ‘stringent’ application process. 

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem said: “The FIA is obliged to approve applications that comply with the Expressions of Interests application requirements and we have adhered to that procedure in deciding that Andretti Formula Racing LLC’s application would proceed to the next stage of the application process. In taking that decision, the FIA is acting in accordance with EU directives on motor sport participation and development.  

“Andretti Formula Racing LLC was the only entity which fulfils the selection criteria that was set in all material respects. I congratulate Michael Andretti and his team on a thorough submission. I also want to thank all prospective teams for their interest and participation.

“The Expressions of Interest process builds on the positive acceptance of the FIA’s 2026 F1 Power Unit Regulations among existing OEMs which has also attracted further commitment from Audi, Honda and Ford and interest from Porsche and General Motors.

“I would like to thank all of the FIA team members involved in the Expressions of Interest process for their tireless efforts in ensuring a diligent assessment of all of the applications received.”

Norris and Russell poke fun at Hamilton over ‘greed’

Lando Norris and George Russell poked fun at Lewis Hamilton over his ‘greed’ for wanting an eighth world championship. 

Hamilton currently holds the joint-record for World Championship triumphs with seven. 

He has chased an eighth for three seasons with no success. 

Mercedes team-mate Russell was making a point about F1 drivers never being satisfied and used Hamilton wanting an eighth title as an example. 

But McLaren star Norris interjected, quipping: “Well that’s just greedy, isn’t it?”

Russell joked: “Greedy, yeah!” 

FULL STORY HERE

Mercedes losing tyre advantage over Ferrari

Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has claimed that Ferrari are no longer struggling as much with tyre degradation.

The Scuderia had the measure on the Silver Arrows at Suzuka last time out, closing the gap between the two teams in the Constructor Championship standings to just 20 points.

Speaking after Japan, Shovlin said: “Ferrari did bring an updated floor. So maybe they’ve moved forward.

“But I think if we look at some of our recent tracks, that advantage we have with degradation, it’s not as evident now in the season as it was in the earlier races.”

Russell speaks out against tyre blanket ban

George Russell has spoken out against the incoming ban on tyre blankets, complaining on behalf of the wider F1 grid.

“A number of drivers feel like it’s a very difficult task for the tyre manufacturers to achieve,” he explained ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix

“When you’ve got a 1000 horsepower car with the downforce we have, to compete with no tyre blankets [it is] borderline dangerous. If we probably put that emphasis on making a more sustainable tyre blanket, we could get a win-win.

“There is a more sustainable tyre blanket out there, I think that’s being developed, and actually the consumption that is used from these tyre blankets is truly not a lot at all.”

Sainz: No No.1 driver at Ferrari

Carlos Sainz has claimed that there is no number one driver at Ferrari with him and Charles Leclerc evenly matched this season.

Speaking to Marca, he said: “There have been no favourites at Ferrari this year or last year, between me and Leclerc there is a good relationship. We are not fighting to be first or second in the team, the priority is Ferrari and the other is not in our contracts. 

“There is no one or two, it is an invention of the press or the fans, this year the strategy is what it is, there is not much room for variation and there will always be races where you are in front and they help you or behind and you have to help.

“But however much you try to look, Leclerc and I work perfectly together, we fight without problems as seen in Monza and that is the beauty of Ferrari, an advantage that is trying to see the other way around”.

McLaren’s new wind tunnel opens at the MTC

McLaren have confirmed that their new wind tunnel is in operation at the McLaren Technology Centre, setting the team up to fight for honours moving forward.

With the state-of-the-art facility now in operation, McLaren will be able to test at the MTC for the first time since 2010 with the Woking-based team previously using Toyota’s wind tunnel in Germany.

This will only help McLaren as they look to establish themselves as a frontrunner for the long-term in F1 and continue to hunt down Red Bull at the front of the field.

Norris draws Hamilton vs Russell comparison

Lando Norris has likened his experience with rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri to that of Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes rival George Russell.

“I’m sure now Lewis is learning a lot from George,” Norris explained in an interview with RacingNews365.

“He beats him some of the time. And I’m sure Lewis is looking at the data sometimes going ‘damn, I got to do this to be better’.

“And it’s not like, he can just go ‘yeah, I can do that’. It just doesn’t work. It’s always going to be difficult for everyone.”

Heidfeld: Verstappen is one of the very best

Former F1 fan favourite Nick Heidfeld has claimed that Max Verstappen is a complete driver and that very few can match the Dutchman’s talent.

Speaking to Sport1, he explained: “It is very impressive what Verstappen is doing, his talent has always been undisputed. On track, you can see that he is special, even compared to other top drivers. 

“Something that has surprised me, in a positive sense, is that he has learned from his mistakes and has developed extremely [well]. He is a complete Formula 1 driver. Really, only a few are as special as Verstappen, very, very few drivers.”

Verstappen has the chance to claim his third consecutive World Championship in Qatar this weekend with only three points needed to seal the deal.

Leclerc has total faith in Fred Vasseur

Charles Leclerc has revealed his optimism heading into the 2024 season with Ferrari improving steadily after a shaky start to life under Fred Vasseur.

“I always had 100% trust in Fred and on what he’s doing with the team in the long term. I’ve always been aligned and am sure that it is going in the right direction, but of course, Fred needs time.

“There are changes that are quite short-term or those that are very much long-term, so we just need to be patient, but I have no doubt that we are working in the right direction.

“I am looking forward to next year, but at the same time, with what we’ve learned in the last races, I’m really excited to be on track again and testing new things to hopefully learn more.”

Hulkenberg makes ‘musical chairs’ prediction

Nico Hulkenberg expects plenty of movement in the driver market in 2024 with 14 different drivers out of contract at the end of that season.

Speaking ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, Hulkenberg said: “I think there’s still so much gap between now and then. 

“I mean, it sounds like quite a big change, and for sure, I think at the beginning of next year, you start to wonder about that.

“The musical chairs I think will move in and work quite a bit next year and I think naturally things will fall in place for people. It depends on what happens, how you perform and how strong your value is.”

Russell reveals Albon jealousy

George Russell has revealed that he was jealous of long-time friend and F1 rival Alex Albon when the Thai-British driver was racing for Red Bull.

The Mercedes driver was asked if he had ever been jealous of Albon or fellow 2019 rookie Lando Norris, to which he replied: “Yeah, a bit.

“Especially of this guy [Albon] straight in at Red Bull. Alex just came full Randy Orton out of nowhere like whoa, what is going on here?

“I remember the first race getting lapped by him three times, qualifying three and a half seconds off pole in Australia. It was definitely frustrating.”

Sargeant doubts his popularity in the US

Logan Sargeant has questioned the extent to which he is gaining popularity among American motorsport fans ahead of two US races in quick succession.

Speaking to Formule1.NL about the state of F1 in America, Sargeant said: “The popularity of Formula 1 is growing rapidly in America.

“We have three races there this year, which I think is very cool. Miami was special, especially for me as an American. I’m curious to see what it will be like in Austin and Las Vegas, but I expect a lot from it.

“The drivers parade in Miami was very special for me, to be able to present myself to the American fans for the first time.

“I am becoming a bit better known in America, yes,” he continued. “But how well known is difficult for me to say. After all, I’m not there that often, I’m in London all the time.”

Norris hits back at Verstappen claims

Lando Norris has offered his opinion on the rumours that Red Bull are building the car around reigning world champion Max Verstappen, rather than Sergio Perez.

Speaking to RacingNews365, he said: “It’s not down to the team to just make a car design for a person. Maybe that’s a perfect world. It’s our job to deliver no matter what the car is.

“Max said something very similar the other day after Toto made the comment about the Red Bull. I don’t think you can just design a car for someone. It just doesn’t work like that. It’s very much down to the driver to drive the car they’re given.

“I think this way, if I end up being slower than my team-mates because of whatever reason, then I’m not doing a good enough job. It’s as simple as that. It’s the driver’s job. That’s why we’re here.”

Hamilton speaks out on Ferrari talks

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that he held unofficial talks with Ferrari in the past, but never felt ready to make the move to the Scuderia.

Speaking to Blick about the links with Ferrari, Hamilton said: “Okay, we’ve definitely had a few irrelevant conversations. I know a lot of good people there. But I never felt ready to move to Italy.”

The seven-time world champion had been heavily touted as an option for Ferrari heading into 2024 as speculation about his future dominated this summer’s silly season discourse.

Ultimately, Hamilton decided to stay put at Mercedes for another two seasons, extending his decade-long stay with the Silver Arrows.

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Good morning!

Good morning and welcome to Express Sport‘s live F1 news coverage. Today is Monday and that means it is the beginning of race week as the teams and drivers travel to the Lusail Circuit for the Qatar Grand Prix. 

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