Jul 12, 3:54 p.m
Sebastian Vettel
Is Vettel drawn to McLaren? In the search for a successor to Daniel Ricciardo, the name of Sebastian Vettel is said to have been mentioned at the traditional British team McLaren. As the “BBC” reports, the German is said to be just one of many possible candidates associated with the eight-time constructor’s world champion.
Vettel wants to drive for victories The four-time world champion’s contract with Aston Martin runs until the end of the current season. Vettel recently commented on his future: “The decision hasn’t been made yet, but I think it will be in the next few weeks. I’ve always said that I want to drive for points and wins. Otherwise it’s not fun. “
Vettel obligation unrealistic: McLaren boss Zak Brown recently stated in an interview that Daniel Ricciardo will also drive for his racing team in the 2023 season. His teammate Lando Norris still has a contract until the end of 2025, so the rumors about a possible change of the German should be off the table for the time being.
______________
Jul 12 at 2:22 p.m
Ferrari
Victory thanks to new rear wing? Ferrari also owes Charles Leclerc’s victory at the Austrian Grand Prix to his new rear wing. “In terms of speed on the straights, we undoubtedly had a disadvantage compared to Red Bull,” reports Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto after the race in Spielberg, according to “Motorsport-Magazin” with a view to the season so far. “We worked a lot on it and built new rear wings.”
Use since Canada: The Red Bull Ring was not the first track on which the new wing was used. “We introduced the first of these at Charles’ Auto in Canada. Both cars have had this specification since the race in Great Britain,” says Binotto, who emphasizes that the Red Bull’s DRS in particular has recently worked better than that of the Scuderia.
Speed gap closed: With a view to Red Bull and the World Championship fight, the Scuderia team boss emphasizes: “We’ve closed the gap in terms of top speed. They may still have a small advantage, but it’s no longer decisive”. The difference can be done in the curves and Binotto sees success on his side.
______________
July 12, 12:35 p.m
Honda
Comeback through new engine regulations: At the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season, the Japanese automobile group Honda withdrew from Formula 1, but the new engine regulations from 2026 could persuade Honda to return. The President of the Honda sports department HRC, Koji Watanabe, explains this during his visit to the Austrian Grand Prix, writes “Motorsport-total”.
Climate-neutral competition in the future? “Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. Of course: we have completed our activities. Internally, we haven’t discussed anything [so far] regarding the 2026 season. There is no plan. But the door isn’t closed,” says Watanabe, emphasizing that Formula 1’s plans for CO2-neutral competition are being followed with great interest. Under these circumstances, a new Formula 1 program could be “a good opportunity” for Honda.
Mass production still in focus: However, “the mass production” of road cars and “CO2 neutrality” should still be Honda’s top priority. Despite the official exit from Formula 1 in 2021, the Japanese car group is represented as engine manufacturer for Red Bull in the background until 2025.
______________
Jul 12 at 9:32 am
Nelson Piquet
Does Piquet have to pay almost two million euros? Four human rights groups have filed a complaint in Brazil, demanding that Nelson Piquet pay €1.86 million for causing moral harm to black and LGBTQ people. Piquet called Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton “Neguinho” in an interview, which is translated with the German N-word. The former Formula 1 driver and three-time world champion was then sharply criticized from all sides and banned from the F1 paddock.
Is he facing five years in prison? Piquet now has two weeks to present his case in Brazil’s federal court, the AP news agency reported. In Brazil, racism can be punished with up to five years in prison.
Piquet wants to have been misunderstood: Piquet had recently apologized to Hamilton, but at the same time emphasized that his statement had been misinterpreted: “I would like to clarify that the term used is one that in Brazilian Portuguese is colloquial for ‘ ‘guy’ or ‘person’, and was never meant to be offensive.”
______________
Jul 11, 11:17 am
Bernie Ecclestone
Investigations against Ecclestone: Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has been charged with fraud, he reported to the “Daily Mirror” on Monday, citing a statement from the British public prosecutor’s office. The indictment follows investigations by the tax authorities into foreign assets of more than 400 million pounds (almost 473 million euros) that have become known to the 91-year-old, about which he is said to have made false statements.
Bribery process 2014: Ecclestone has already been involved in a number of scandals. In 2014, for example, he had to answer before the Munich I Regional Court for bribery of a public official. However, the proceedings in the “bribe money process” for a payment in the millions to the former BayernLB board member, Gerhard Gribkowsky, were discontinued after a few months.
Confusion about Putin statements: Ecclestone recently caused confusion about statements about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukraine war. In the meantime, he qualified his statements.
______________
Jul 11, 2:49 p.m
McLaren
Colton Herta presents himself to McLaren: The IndyCar star Colton Herta (22) is being treated as a potential candidate for a future place at McLaren in Formula 1, the “BBC” reports. From July 11th to 13th, the American will test a McLaren from the last F1 season on the race track in Portiamo (Portugal).
“Promising Driver”: “Colton is a proven talent in IndyCar,” says McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl, adding: “We will be excited to see how he adapts to a Formula 1 car. We believe that this testing program will bring him valuable experience while showing the benefits of extending previous testing to showcase promising drivers for the future.”
Replacement for Daniel Ricciardo? Herta definitely has ambitions to drive in Formula 1 and would possibly take the place of Australian Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. Since moving to the British racing team in 2021, he has fallen far short of expectations. However, Ricciardo is still under contract with McLaren until the end of 2023.
______________
Jul 11, 11:17 am
Sebastian Vettel
Collision in the main race: The Austrian Grand Prix turns out to be a disaster for Sebastian Vettel. The highlight occurs in the race on Sunday when AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly collides with Vettel. “I don’t know if I have a target on my car: ‘Please hit me!’ I don’t think I need to say much there. It was a good manoeuvre. I was outside, I passed, then he was too late and touched me,” says Vettel sarcastically.
25,000 euros fine for Vettel: The misery began on Friday when the 35-year-old German suddenly stormed out of the driver’s meeting and was fined 25,000 euros for this offense, writes “Motorsport-Magazin”. Later in qualifying, the Aston Martin driver’s fastest lap was canceled so that he dropped back to 20th on the grid in the sprint race.
“I’m very disappointed”: A contact on lap 11 with Alexander Albon ended Vettel’s sprint early on Saturday. Due to the collision on Sunday, the 35-year-old dropped back to last place in the race and is visibly disappointed.
______________
Jul 11, 10:44 am
Haas
Criticism follows praise: After two successful races, Kevin Magnussen comments on his young Haas teammate Mick Schumacher’s career leap, as “Bild” reports. The Dane says at first: “I’m happy for Mick and the team.” The 29-year-old adds, however, that “two drivers would have to finish in the points” for the team to steadily improve. This is “difficult” if you are “the only one”.
“Big step”: Despite his critical words, Magnussen acknowledges that Schumacher “made a big step in the last two races”.
Schumacher’s performance: After several weeks without success at the British Grand Prix, Schumacher was able to win points for Haas for the first time thanks to a splendid eighth place. The 23-year-old even finished the race in Austria in sixth place. Magnussen, on the other hand, was tenth and eighth in the races.
______________
Jul 11, 10:44 am
Sebastian Vettel
Vettel demands a lifetime ban: The severe sexist, racist and homophobic harassment by heavily intoxicated spectators in the grandstand of the Austrian Grand Prix caused a great deal of excitement. Sebastian Vettel shows a clear opinion and demands: “Whoever these people are, they should be ashamed and excluded from racing events for life,” reports “RTL”.
Hamilton is disgusted: For him it’s okay if you “have fun and drink a lot. But that doesn’t justify or excuse wrong behavior,” says the four-time world champion. Record champion Lewis Hamilton is also shocked. He was “disgusted … we can’t allow this to continue”.
“Behaviour must not be tolerated”: Formula 1 has emphasized in a written statement: “We will speak to those who have reported the incidents. We take this very seriously. Such behavior will not be tolerated, all fans should be treated with respect. “
______________
Jul 11 at 9:18 am
Carlos Sainz
The danger of the fire: After the Austrian Grand Prix and the fire in Carlos Sainz’ Ferrari, the Formula 1 world is questioning the danger of the fire, as “Bild” reports. In fact, the racing suits are made of the material Nomex and are therefore fireproof. They can withstand temperatures of over 800 degrees for almost 30 seconds.
“Time calculated”: According to his own statements, Sainz “calculated the time” he had to leave his car that was on fire. He “did not want the car to roll back on the track”.
The fire in detail: Sainz’s Ferrari caught fire on lap 58. The 27-year-old Spaniard had parked the car amidst his frantic “No! No! No!” calls to the pits, drive off the race track and jump out of it unharmed at the last second with the help of a marshal.
______________
July 10 at 8:02 p.m
Charles Leclerc
Leclerc overtakes Verstappen three times: Charles Leclerc certainly did not expect this record. Monegasse manages to overtake his closest World Cup opponent Max Verstappen three times at the Austrian Grand Prix. Three times in one race. One reason for this was that he changed his driving style in Spielberg overnight, as reported by “Motorsport Magazin”.
“I worked on my driving style last night”: Leclerc said after his victory, which ended up being in danger again because of a problem with the accelerator pedal: “I worked on my driving style last night”. The day before he had lost some time in three corners in the sprint race, in T1, T3 and T10. “I worked on that overnight and it was much better.”
First Ferrari winner in Austria since Schumacher: With his victory in Spielberg, Leclerc is the first successful Ferrari driver there since Michael Schumacher’s success 19 years ago. In the World Cup standings, Leclerc has reduced his deficit somewhat, it is now 170 points, Verstappen leads with 208.
______________
July 10, 7:11 p.m
Mick Schumacher
Schumacher excited after sixth place: After the great doubts from him and about him, Mick Schumacher now looks ahead with completely new courage after his fantastic race weekend in Austria. The young German Haas pilot was euphoric after his strong sixth place in Spielberg, the best result of his life, and said on Sky that he “could still score points in many races with this performance” – a brave statement, if you think about it that he hadn’t scored any points at Silverstone up until the previous week.
“We have a car that we can fight with”: But now Schumacher, who had just missed World Championship points in the sprint race on Saturday, continued: “I feel very good. We have a car that we can fight with and don’t have to take too many risks because we have the speed. I’m very happy with the setup.”
“Arrived in F1 after races 31 and 32”: The fact that even Lewis Hamilton said that Mick Schumacher was “crazy fast” strengthens the German even further. “RTL” describes it like this: “Last year he almost just followed the field. After races 31 and 32, however, it can now be said: He has arrived in Formula 1.”
______________
July 10 at 11:11 am
Mick Schumacher
Does the Haas team boss disadvantage Mick Schumacher? Ralf Schumacher is certain: Haas team boss Günther Steiner prefers Mick’s teammate Kevin Magnussen. “Somehow Günther Steiner’s pendulum seems to be swinging in the direction of Magnussen,” says the former Formula 1 driver on “Sky” about the hierarchy within the Haas racing team. That’s not good, because Mick is the faster driver.
What prompted Ralf Schumacher to make his statement: The current reason for Ralf Schumacher’s statement: During the sprint in Austria on Saturday, Mick dueled with teammate Magnussen. But although the German Haas pilot could probably drive faster, Magnussen fought back. The teamfight thrust Mick, ultimately he was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton and ended up outside the points.
“Mick was the victim”: “Mick was the faster man, then tried to overtake. Kevin fought back. Through this in-fight, the others came closer and then Mick was the victim. That could have been solved more cleverly. Team play is a bit different, but it’s an important lesson for Mick.”
______________
Jul 10 at 9:43 am
Mick Schumacher
Schumacher angry at team decisions: Mick Schumacher accuses his team in Spielberg of not helping him. In the sprint race in Austria, the German is stuck behind teammate Kevin Magnussen, although he is convinced that he is the faster. That’s exactly what Schumacher accuses the team of in an angry Sky interview afterwards. “I don’t know why the team didn’t feel like it. I think we lost points as a result.”
Haas boss has a completely different opinion: Team boss Günther Steiner has no understanding for these statements and reacts with clear words. “We kept a close eye on it,” says the Austrian, “if Mick had been faster, we would have seen it. We did the right thing.” Schumacher had the speed advantage “only because of the DRS” in Magnussen’s slipstream.
Praise for Schumacher because of the duel with the superstar: Steiner also praised Schumacher, especially because of his duel with Lewis Hamilton on the track. “He did a fantastic job, it couldn’t have been done better. Being able to fight with Lewis Hamilton for so long is remarkable,” said Steiner.
______________
Jul 10 at 8:44 am
Mick Schumacher
Schumacher annoyed: “That was unnecessary!”: Mick Schumacher reacted angrily to the Sky microphone after Spielberg’s Formula 1 sprint because he didn’t feel sufficiently supported by the Haas team and teammate Kevin Magnussen and already plenty during the race needed to talk on the radio. “It was unnecessary to argue that out. I felt like I was faster. I don’t know why the team didn’t have that feeling,” complained the German, who had to let Lewis Hamilton past shortly before the end after several thrilling duels.
Haas team loses points: Schumacher urges explanations from his Haas team: “Because in the end we lost the points. I think if we had drawn each other we probably would have had more points than we have now.”
The German’s tires suffer too much: Schumacher showed a strong performance in the short race format in Spielberg. In the battle for seventh and eighth, he worked hard against stable rival Magnussen, which was bad for his tires and meant he was unable to defend himself against Hamilton to the end. In the end he was ninth – but there are only points in the sprint up to eighth place.
______________
Jul 9 at 3:22 p.m
Bernie Ecclestone
Ecclestone corrects Putin statement: Bernie Ecclestone apologizes after more than a week for his controversial statements about Vladimir Putin and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 91-year-old ex-Managing Director of Formula 1 says on “Sky Sports”: “People often come and say or do things without thinking too much. It was probably the same for me.” He could also understand that people would think “that I defend what he did in Ukraine, but I don’t do that”.
“I feel sorry for the people in Ukraine”: Ecclestone explains that he himself was born during the Second World War. “So I know how it feels and I’m sorry for the people of Ukraine who have to suffer for something they didn’t do.” And he’s sorry if he upset anyone with his statements, “Because I didn’t want it.”
What Ecclestone said about Putin last week: Ecclestone said on a morning TV show that by invading Ukraine, Putin was merely doing “what he thought was the right thing for Russia.” Ecclestone also said that Putin was a “first-class personality”. He would still “walk through fire” for the Kremlin chief.
______________
Jul 9, 11:52 am
Max Verstappen
Verstappen wants to stop by the age of 40 at the latest: In an interview with “Sport1”, Max Verstappen admits that he is not initially thinking of ending his career. Nevertheless, the Red Bull driver knows exactly when he “will no longer race: “When I’m as old as Fernando” (Alonso, 40). Until then, however, he wants to “win as many titles as possible”.
World champion criticizes fans for whistles: In the interview, Verstappen also comments on the behavior of Formula 1 fans in the stands. “Basically, I think it’s a shame that the fans actually react like football fans. They always boo the opponent. In Holland they whistle against Lewis, in England against me. I think that’s a shame, because we often have extremely tough, sporty, high-quality fights. You also have to respect the opponent.”
______________
July 9, 10:11 am
Sebastian Vettel
Vettel threatens debacle: Sebastian Vettel starts the Austrian Grand Prix in last place. The German was so slow in qualifying for one of the three sprint races this season that he is now in danger of being lapped despite the low number of laps of 24.
Poor performance in qualifying: Vettel had almost no chance in qualifying. Among other things, the Aston Martin driver and four-time world champion was deprived of time due to the track limits.
Schumacher in eighth place: Vettel’s German colleague Mick Schumacher starts the race in his Haas from eighth place. This means that the chances of further points in Schumacher’s young Formula 1 career are good.
