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Valtteri Bottas has conceded to feeling “100 percent” himself since joining Alfa Romeo, and that he is no longer playing a role in the wake of leaving Mercedes.

Following his release from Mercedes at the end of 2021, after helping the team to five constructors’ titles and scoring 10 grand prix victories during his five years with the team, Bottas pitched up at Alfa Romeo at the start of last season.

Speaking in an interview with Speedcafe , he said: “It’s fair to say.

“They let me play around a bit bit more, and they respect that if that’s what I want to do, and if it’s good for me, then go on.

“I think age, and being longer in the sport as well, affects it but I definitely feel 100% myself, and I don’t need to play any role, which is nice.”

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has noted that his young German starlet Mick Schumacher should be on the F1 grid in 2024.

The interesting comments come amid Wolff planning for the future, and giving fans what they can expect from Mercedes in the coming years.

Without a seat for 2023, Mercedes picked Schumacher up as their reserve driver, where he has spent the season at his father’s former team, learning from seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and team-mate George Russell.

He deserves to be on the grid,” Wolff told AutoHebdo.

“When you don’t feel confident in a car for a long time, you put more pressure on yourself and perform less well. I think that’s what happened at Haas.

“He is fast. If you win F3 and F2, it means you have great potential, and he has never been able to show it.”

team principal Toto Wolff has said that his young German test driver

Felipe Massa has been warned that his legal case attempting to overturn the result of the 2008 F1 championship is unlikely.

Le Mans category winner Richard Bradley has insisted that there is “no way” that Lewis Hamilton’s controversial title will be taken away over ‘Crashgate’.

“I haven’t really looked too much into the details of it because there’s absolutely no way that you could ever change a championship result based on it, because there’s so many unknowns about it,” Bradley told the On Track GP Podcast .

“And then let’s talk about all the other ones. What about Abu Dhabi [2021], right? I mean, honestly, how far do you want to go into the looking glass?

“The problem is, then you need to say, ‘Okay, how do we know that Felipe wouldn’t have had a technical problem or crashed later in the race?’”

Max Verstappen has revealed his intrigue at the changes made to the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix circuit.

Turns 16-19 have been replaced for 2023 by a flat-out blast, while the snaking under the grandstand is not possible in 2023 due to construction work taking place.

This will decrease lap times by approximately 20 seconds while also having a drastic effect on car set-up as teams cannot run as much downforce, but Verstappen is excited.

“I’m looking forward to the night race in Singapore, Marina Bay is a cool circuit,” he explained.

“This year it will be interesting to see how the revised track layout will impact the general behaviour and set up of the car, I think the lap times will be much quicker.

“Singapore is probably going to be the most challenging weekend out of the upcoming races as the stakes are heightened on a street circuit and the field is usually very close, not to mention the heat and humidity.

Max Verstappen is gearing up for the Singapore Grand Prix. (Image: Getty)

Formula 1 and their governing body the FIA have risked outrage from Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after their concerns have seemingly been ignored.

Both star drivers have spoken out against the change that has seen tyre allocations reduced from 13 to 11 in recent races.

But Pirelli chief Mario Isola has now hinted that the trial period is over and the change could be made permanent , with Hamilton and Verstappen set to be let down.

Aston Martin chief Mike Krack has taken a dig at Alpine after landing Fernando Alonso from their rivals in a move that has worked out this season.

Alonso has been competing at the top of the grid with regularity, but last season there were concerns at Alpine over his age – as his contract was not renewed.

Aston Martin quickly pounced, with Krack clearly delighted. “I can only say, that at the level he is working, age is just a number,” Krack told Motorsport.com .

“With the right discipline and motivation, he will perform without a problem.

“You see Valentino Rossi, for example, or you see tennis players like [Roger] Federer, they had a very long career. Maybe we have to change our mentality a little bit.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has shut down Max Verstappen’s suggestion to shorten the current calendar.

The Red Bull star has led complaints that the existing schedule is too long, but Domenicali does not appear to be taking his view on board .

“I think it’s good that Max gives his opinion,” Domenicali said. “But we can’t put the sport in the hands of the drivers, never.

“Not because I don’t trust them, because I always listen to them, but they also have to know the bigger picture. And they don’t always do that.

Max Verstappen’s ask has fallen on deaf ears. (Image: Getty)

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has admitted that the team are unaware of how exactly to improve their 2024 car in order to compete with Red Bull.

Plans are already underway as Red Bull and Max Verstappen are coasting to victory this year, but Wolff has insisted that the way to bridge the gap is not totally clear.

“From where we are, we just need a step like McLaren and Aston Martin have achieved in one go, not a two-tenths upgrade but a five-tenths upgrade to get back into the game, so yes I think it is possible,” he told F1 .

“I think we have a few directions; if we would know it would be much easier. The car is very unpredictable and lacks grip, so plenty of things we need to tackle.

“We tend to think in F1 that there’s a silver bullet that will unlock everything. We just need to put all the components together to make them work together in the car, so not one thing I would call out.”

Fernando Alonso has aimed a dig at some of Aston Martin’s rivals, having claimed that his team do not make as many mistakes as their competitors.

Alonso has enjoyed a strong season since moving to Aston Martin to be team-mates with Lance Stroll, having been impressed with the team’s lack of errors so far.

“I think we are doing the job of executing the maximum from the car,” Alonso said. “Sometimes unfortunately it’s ninth, sometimes it’s second.

“We are not doing mistakes. We are doing good strategy, good pit stops, not making big mistakes like some of our competitors, [like] they made at the beginning of the year.

“So we have a good gap in terms of points. But yeah, it’s getting closer, and even Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, I think, is ahead of us now with this result. Let’s try to bounce back in Singapore.”

Mick Schumacher has insisted that he is ready to return to Formula 1 after spending the season as Mercedes’ reserve driver.

After leaving Haas at the end of last year, Schumacher failed to find another seat on the grid – but is not ruling out hope of usurping one of the current drivers .

“I’m a racing driver,” he said. “All I want to do is win. But I have to come to terms with reality, keep going work with me, keep trying to have conversations and present myself.”

Mick Schumacher wants to return to the F1 grid. (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton has told a fan not to sell their organs in order to come to a F1 race, in a bizarre exchange on social media .

The Brit took questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) before receiving one message that read: “Come to South Africa and I will sell my organs to go to the Kyalami GP, on God.”

Likely very surprised, Hamilton swiftly urged the supporter not to part ways with their organs, responding: “Okay don’t do that.”

Sebastian Vettel has admitted that he is still in contact with the Red Bull team, as rumours of his return to racing continue to swirl.

Vettel retired at the end of last season but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has already claimed that the four-time world champion could make a comeback.

Though the 36-year-old may have added fuel to the fire after lifting a lid on his conversations with members of Red Bull.

“One can only applaud,” Vettel told German TV. “The performance of the entire team, but especially that of Max [Verstappen], who does it so consistently every weekend, is great. It’s a level showing how far away the competition is.

“You have to acknowledge that and take the position that it’s great that we can watch.

“There is still an exchange going on. The boys have a lot to do and do a lot of travelling, but I know them all. I’m in contact, occasionally on the phone.”

Fernando Alonso has insisted that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are better in every single area than the remainder of the grid.

It is a strong warning to his F1 rivals, who have been unable to catch the Dutchman after winning the last 10 consecutive races – as Alonso feels that they are just too strong.

“I think both Red Bull and Max are connected this year,” he said. “They are outstanding in everything they do.

“Red Bull has the fastest car, are taking care of the tyres better than others. They have the best starts, they have the best pit stops. They are the best in every area that you could wish.

“The best top speed, the best low-speed performance, the best DRS delta. So there is not one single aspect of that car that can be matched at the moment for anyone.”

Fernando Alonso has made a strong Red Bull claim. (Image: Getty)

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has admitted being gobsmacked at Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s performance this season.

The Dutchman has won 10 races in a row and alongside team-mate Sergio Perez, they have claimed victory in every single Grand Prix of the 2023 season.

Vasseur has singled out Verstappen for praise and his inability to make mistakes on the track.

“What is impressive is that, for sure, they [Red Bull] have always had mega pace,” Vasseur told Speedcafe . “From Monaco to Monza, covering all aspects of every track, they have performed.

“But what is most impressive for me is that Max – and not just in the last 10 races but over the last two years – hasn’t made a single mistake.

“For sure, it’s easier not to make a mistake when you have a margin over the others, but even in these kinds of circumstances, he is able to manage the situation very well.”

Former Williams team manager Peter Windsor has explained his Charles Leclerc theory as to why he is prone to more mistakes.

Windsor has claimed that the Ferrari driver’s motivation to be at the front at all costs leads him to make more mistakes than others on the grid.

“I am a Leclerc fan, you’ve got to understand I’m a Leclerc fan,” Windsor said on YouTube .

“Because Leclerc’s yardstick is racing with Max and to some extent, you know, Lewis at the front of a Grand Prix, when he’s not in that situation, he doesn’t really care that much about anything other than just trying to get back into the situation.

“That’s possibly why we see him making more mistakes and doing funny things, because he’s just desperate to get to where he wants to be.

“But in a car like a Ferrari, which is eating its tyres, relatively low downforce, they don’t seem to be able to generate very good downforce on high downforce circuits, and therefore that leads on to everything else, the bouncing, the kerb strike, the car changing over the fuel load, all those things.

“It’s a really difficult ask for a guy like Leclerc to be patient and bring the car home.”

Amid recent calls for both Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher to lose one of their seven world titles, the Brit was asked to name his greatest of all time.

Though both are in contention for F1’s GOAT, Hamilton was tasked with the tough question of sport’s greatest – outside of motorsport.

However, Hamilton immediately fired back by naming NBA legend Michael Jordan as his greatest, without any hesitation.

Lewis Hamilton named his GOAT. (Image: X @MercedesAMGF1)

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has endured a nightmare taxi ride, after being pranked and spun around by Ford stunt driver Paul Swift instead.

He was then tasked with a time trial at the Millbrook Proving Ground and performed admirably.

Perez beat Swift’s time by four seconds, before receiving two five-second penalties for hitting cones.

Calls have been made for Michael Schumacher to lose his 1994 Formula One title victory.

It was the legendary driver’s first of his career but his long-time friend and motorsport journalist Roger Benoit has insisted that it should not count .

On the final race of the season, Schumacher hit the wall under his own steam but turned into second-placed Damon Hill, forcing the Brit to also retire as neither were able to pick up any points – crowning Schumacher the champion.

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Red Bull have been told to replace Sergio Perez with McLaren star Oscar Piastri as the Australian continues to impress in his rookie season.

The 22-year-old secured his first podium in F1 with a third-placed finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. And former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan thinks Red Bull should consider him as a long-term replacement for Perez.

Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said: “Ann [wife of Piastri’s manager Mark Webber] did tip me off, she said, ‘Listen, I have to tell you this guy is the real deal’.

“And I think he is the real deal. Full marks to McLaren they’ve signed him until 2026 because they’ve needed to because he will be a very sought-after driver.

“And if I was in Red Bull and I was thinking of replacing Checo [Perez], he’d be the one I’d have in my mind.”

(Image: Getty)

Anthony Davidson has claimed George Russell would have been ‘fuming’ after letting Lewis Hamilton through at the Japanese Grand Prix, even if his radio messages suggests he is being ‘polite.

The 25-year-old allowed Hamilton through after Mercedes requested the manoeuvre on the team radio, but the Briton was swallowed up by Carlos Sainz and he finished seventh, while Hamilton came home in fifth.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Davidson thinks the ex-Williams star would have been angry with how it played out, saying on the Sky F1 podcast : “George is still the understudy. And he’s doing a very good job on those occasions where he’s got the speed over Lewis to really take the fight to him. But he’s doing it in such a George Russell polite way, which is quite humorous to watch.

“Because I know inside the car, he’ll be fuming and steaming wanting to find his way past at any moment, and that’s why we see the near misses, the drivers coming almost to blows, almost to contact.

“But then he’s a good boy on the radio and he takes it. You can tell he’s very British about it and there are layers to the nuance, so I think it always comes over as ‘Yeah, I’m okay with this but if you could please, very thankfully, much appreciated’.”

If you’re going to date an F1 driver, you may need to prepare to do some wild activities away from the racetrack to satisfy their bursts of adrenaline.

But clearly no one gave the memo to George Russell’s partner Carmen Montero Mundt, who joked about the Mercedes driver’s idea of relaxing being different from hers.

The 25-year-old uploaded an image of himself with Mundt as they enjoyed some watersports before he jets off to the Middle East for the Qatar Grand Prix next week.

Alpine boss Bruno Famin has blamed Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s row at the Japanese Grand Prix on a communication problem, insisting there are no underlying issues between the French duo.

Gasly was incandescent at having to allow his colleague Ocon past him at Suzuka on team orders, but Famin suggested crossed wires were to blame rather than the team’s strategy.

“This is the point we need to check to be totally transparent,” he told media after the race, per GP Fans . “I don’t know when it has been said, and that is the point we need to clarify. Sometimes we have communication problems because the line [radio signal] is not so good.

“Or sometimes the engineer thinks they are clear when they say something, but maybe sometimes the driver doesn’t record it because he is focused on something else.

“We need to check whether the driver received well the information. But anyway, the manoeuvre was done in the interests of the team, and I have absolutely no doubt that both drivers agree with that.”

Williams are dropped the biggest hint yet that they have decided to retain Logan Sargeant for 2024 after team principal James Vowles discussed helping the American achieve his targets for next year.

The 22-year-old has incurred millions in damages after several incidents where he has smashed into the barrier. But the Miami-born driver is set to get a second season in F1, with Vowles ready to help the youngster improve.

“Logan has very clear targets of what he has to hit before the end of the season. We are working with him, we want him to succeed and we want him in the car next year,” Vowles said, speaking to the team’s official website.

“This is very much on us as well. We’ve taken someone straight out of Formula 2, put him a day and a half in Bahrain in this car, and then wished them well on a season that has been awfully challenging for rookie drivers full stop.”

(Image: Getty)

The FIA have rejected an application from Rodin Cars to enter a team into F1, the New Zealand manufacturer has confirmed.

In a statement, Rodin’s Australian founder David Dicker said the company was “financially equipped” to fund its F1 ambitions, but they have been turned down by the FIA.

He said: “Rodin Cars participated in the recent FIA process aimed at gaining entry into the prestigious Formula 1 world championship – unfortunately, our bid was not successful.

“Recent information suggests, as anticipated from the outset of this process, that the only successful applicant will be Andretti Global.”

Karun Chandhok believes that Lando Norris has the ability to win World Championships, but that his next contract decisions will decide whether or not he delivers on that potential.

“What he can achieve in his career depends on the car and the team that he finds himself at,” he told OLBG . “This new generation of Lando Norris, George Russell, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have all got the ability to fight and win the world championship if they’re in the right car at the right time.

“Apart from Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, we’ve not seen any of them in a title situation, so we don’t know what they’ll be like with the pressure of a championship fight. I’d love to see it.

“We’d love to see a multi-driver and multi-team championship, but you can’t have that all the time. In another year, we might have a championship fight with all the teams in it.”

Max Verstappen is in the conversation to be one of the best drivers in F1 history, according to former HRT driver and Sky Sports pundit, Karun Chandhok.

Chandhok told OLBG : “I think Max is, in terms of natural talent, up there with the absolute best we’ve ever seen in the sport, along with Ayrton Senna, Jim Clark, Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost.

“I’m not a big fan of using stats to tell the story, it’s one part of the equation. Clark raced in a dangerous era, won two championships and never had the chance to carry on. Senna, likewise, didn’t get the chance to finish the ’94 season.

“Max Verstappen is, unquestionably, on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats.”

Max Verstappen can clinch his third world title in Qatar next weekend (Image: Getty)

Christian Horner has played down the chances of Lando Norris moving to Red Bull for the 2025 season and beyond.

Speaking to Sky Sports about his driver line-up, Horner said: “Lando’s a great driver. He’s a big talent, big personality and of course, he’s one of those drivers that you keep an eye on.

“But there’s many drivers that you keep an eye on as well. There’s a generation of drivers out there at the moment that have got a huge amount of talent. Now, being Max’s team-mate is never going to be easy and some drivers may be up for that challenge, some may not be.

“But, of course, as well as the drivers we have in-house we keep an eye on all the driver market. As you can imagine, there’s quite a bit of interest from certain sectors about driving a Red Bull car.”

Read more of this story…

Lando Norris believes that McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri has exceeded expectations in his rookie season after claiming a podium at Suzuka.

“Congrats to him,” Norris said. “I think any contract that allows you to be longer in Formula 1 is a great thing.

“He’s performed, he’s done everything he’s needed to and probably exceeded most people’s expectations from what he’s been able to achieve already this season.

“He’s pushed me a lot, he’s done a really good job. So congrats to him for another few years, we’ve had a fun first half of the season and it’s a lot of progress.

“For him to be part of that progress and to hopefully continue that into next year, ’25 and ‘26, for himself it is going to be something to look forward to.”

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has downplayed the importance of Fernando Alonso’s radio complaints during the Japanese Grand Prix.

The two-time world champion was audibly frustrated after the first round of pit stops, stating: “You’ve thrown me to the lions by stopping that early, mate. Unbelievable!”

Addressing Alonso’s comments, Krack said: “I think you can listen to the 20 drivers, and everybody’s really hard. Everybody’s passionate. If the driver would not be doing something like that, what driver is it?

“So, I think, it’s fine. For us, we take it as a motivation and it also opens up always a different view of things. So, [it is] absolutely fine.”

Fernando Alonso was not happy with his team’s strategy in Suzuka (Image: Getty)

Williams driver Alex Albon believes that the current penalty system used by the FIA isn’t harsh enough to deter drivers from making risky moves on the track.

Speaking about the penalty system in the context of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, Albon said: “In Turn 11 [at Suzuka, Perez] he did to me [in Singapore] on track. I avoided it, and then he did it again to Kevin (Magnussen).

“So clearly it’s not really teaching the drivers anything, because the penalties aren’t strict enough. I mean, that’s two races in a row.”

Checo’s rash move on Albon cost him a shot at points in Singapore, and his poorly judged lunge on Magnussen took the Haas driver out of contention at Suzuka.

Liam Lawson’s hopes of making it onto the F1 grid for 2025 may have taken a hit after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner denied the existence of a guaranteed seat clause in the Kiwi’s new deal.

He told Sky Sports : “There is no guarantees of anything in life. He’s done a great job; he’s really impressed us.

“He’s done exactly what we could have asked for in terms of grabbing the opportunity in Daniel’s absence to really show his capability. That’s turned some heads and it’s done him a lot of good.

“We’ll keep developing him when he goes back into that test and reserve role and he’ll be a candidate certainly for 2025.”

Christian Horner has revealed that high-speed corners are the most troublesome area for driver Sergio Perez as the Mexican continues to struggle against his team-mate.

Speaking after the Japanese Grand Prix, Horner said: “This is a big confidence circuit and where Sergio was struggling was mainly in the high-speed corners compared to Max.

“You could tell Max the confidence that he had, the speed that he was able to carry through the high-speed stuff was mind-boggling.”

Checo heads into the final six races 177 points behind his team-mate, knowing that if he fails to take maximum points from the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen will clinch the World Championship.

Sergio Perez is 177 points behind his team-mate in the World Championship (Image: Getty)

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has assured fans that the Scuderia will be pushing Mercedes all the way in the battle for P2 in the Constructor Championship.

Speaking in the wake of the Japanese Grand Prix, Vasseur explained: “You don’t have to postpone the fight, the fight is with Mercedes today, and we have to take it.

“It’s always the best way to prepare for the future, for the mindset of the team, for everybody to be into the fight is crucial. And we’ll keep this fight until the end of the season.

“It’s never a sacrifice, because I think that performance is coming from performance. It’s too late to go into the wind tunnel for this season, but what we can do on the current car will help us for next year.”

IndyCar driver Agustin Canapino has claimed that 2023 champion Alex Palou is a ‘more complete’ driver than F1 star Max Verstappen.

Speaking to Fox Sports Argentina , Canapino said: “Palou is outstanding because for me he is the best driver in the world, in my opinion. If he is not the best, he is among the three best.

“In my opinion, Palou is more complete than Verstappen. What Palou does in IndyCar for me is really like being an extraterrestrial. But it is a very subjective opinion.

“Verstappen is another alien too. Don’t let Verstappen’s followers criticise me because I have Verstappen in limbo too but, for me, the fact of racing on ovals makes IndyCar drivers different because the oval is the absolute extreme and F1 doesn’t have that.”

Daniel Ricciardo looks set to miss the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend as he continues his recovery from a hand injury. Liam Lawson will fill in for him should the Aussie miss out.

When asked by Sky Sports whether or not Ricciardo would miss the Qatar GP, Horner responded: “ I would say probably less likely than likely at the moment.

“His recuperation is going well but he‘s fixed in the seat for next year, does he need to rush a hasty return for Qatar where maybe another couple of weeks for Austin, which is a hell of a bumpy circuit anyway, it might be better to use that time in preparation for Austin.

“I know he‘s got his sights fixed on Qatar, he’ll drive the simulator next week and then we’ll make some decisions based on that.”

Daniel Ricciardo looks set to miss the Qatar Grand Prix (Image: Getty)

Red Bull’s legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey has revealed some regret about not joining Ferrari after talks between the two parties occurred in 1994 and 2014.

Asked if there was any regret on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Newey replied: “Emotionally I guess to a point, yes. But, just as for instance working with Fernando or Lewis would have been fabulous, but it never happened. It’s just circumstances sometimes and that’s the way it is.

“My discussions for 2014 with Ferrari, were purely out of frustration that…joined Red Bull, it was Christian [Horner, team principal] being centrally involved more or less from the start in developing it, for me.

“It’s a huge career gamble going from McLaren, this championship-winning team to this start-up kind of joke-of-the-pit-lane team, which it was at the time.”

Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s rolling live coverage of F1. We’ll be keeping you up to date with all of the latest news and reaction as anticipation for the Qatar Grand Prix continues to build.