Mercedes consider 2021 title legal action as Hamilton rips into Red Bull chief
The Singapore Grand Prix may be set to be the most competitive race of the year so far with Red Bull far from the dominant force in Friday’s two practice sessions. Ferrari and McLaren particularly impressed with the latter bringing a host of upgrades to the Marina Bay circuit.
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But it was Ferrari who managed to top the timesheets in both sessions as they look to end Red Bull’s winning streak. Mercedes will also be hoping to be in the mix and they weren’t far away on the long runs.
Red Bull will be expected to make some improvements in FP3, but their RB19 isn’t best suited to the Singapore track. There is a chance that Red Bull could secure the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, but that’s only possible if they clinch a one-two finish with Mercedes finishing outside the points.
That looks unlikely given how Friday’s two practice sessions went and it appears as though this weekend’s race could throw up plenty of drama. Stay tuned throughout the day as we bring you live updates from FP3 and qualifying ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix.
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Red Bull ‘way worse than expected’
Max Verstappen fears Red Bull’s winning run could come to an end this weekend after their disappointing runs on Friday.
The Dutchman admitted Red Bull’s pace was “way worse than expected” while picking Ferrari as the team to beat this weekend.
He added: “I will try to of course improve it, it’s quite a big gap.”
Hamilton calls on F1 to punish Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko’s xenophobic comments about Sergio Perez should be punished by F1 bosses, according to Lewis Hamilton.
The Red Bull advisor has apologised to Perez for his ‘offensive remark’, but Hamilton doesn’t think that is enough.
“I think there needs to be more done,” the seven-time world champion said.
“There are a lot of people in the background that really are trying to combat these sorts of things but it’s hard to manoeuvre if there are people in the top that have those sort of mindsets that just stop us from progressing.”
Mercedes ponder legal action
Toto Wolff has hinted that Mercedes could look to try and overturn the result of the 2021 World Championship if Felipe Massa is successful in his attempts to steal the 2008 title from Lewis Hamilton.
Massa has hired a team of lawyers to begin legal proceedins of the 2008 World Championship, where he feels he was robbed after the ‘Crashgate’ scandal.
Wolff isn’t sure whether Massa will be successful, but the Mercedes boss has hinted that it could push Hamilton to do something similar regarding the 2021 title he lost to Max Verstappen in controversial circumstances.
Wolff said: “It is interesting to follow. It is not something that anybody saw coming because the rules are pretty clear in F1.
“But it will set a precedent — whatever it is — and we’re looking from the sidelines with curiosity.”
Good morning
It’s the penultimate day before race day and this may just be the best one yet of 2023.
While Red Bull’s dominance has been record-breaking, it’s certainly not been an exciting watch for the average F1 fan.
That could all change this weekend as Red Bull are struggling and their rivals look to have stepped up to the challenge.
All will be revealed later today. We’ll be on hand to provide live updates throughout the day!
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