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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.

Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s live coverage of Formula 1.

You can check out yesterday’s blog to get up to speed with all of the latest news and updates.