Category: Auto Sport

The Tech3 rider crashed in the latter stages of FP2 in the season-opening Portuguese Grand Prix and suffered numerous fractures, including to his back and jaw, after hitting an unprotected tyre barrier.

Espargaro required surgery on the three vertebrae he broke in his back, and his jaw had to be wired shut for a month, forcing him onto a liquid diet.

Speaking in his first appearance since the crash during the Dutch GP weekend, Espargaro revealed that he was losing over two kilos of muscle weight each week while his jaw was wired closed and called this “the worst moment” of his recovery.

“The worst time was those four weeks after I exited the hospital. I had my mouth completely closed,” he said.

“For four weeks I couldn’t eat, so I was just drinking soup and losing 2.5 kilos per week. This is insane. I was losing two kilos of muscle, not fat, because I didn’t have fat at the beginning of the year.

“You have a lot of pain and everything, but you look into the mirror and say ‘I will need to recover all of this.

“How much work did I do to gain three kilos in the winter? How much work will I have to do to gain eight, nine kilos?’

“That was a bad feeling. I looked into the mirror and it was not my face, not my body. I didn’t recognise my body and that was hard.”

Espargaro says he was down to his “125cc weight, or even lighter” during his recovery but is now “training quite well” and sees the five-week summer break as “like another pre-season for me”.

Asked if he considered giving up racing at any point during his recovery, Espargaro replied: “Yeah, that’s for sure. These kinds of injuries, they are big.

“Over the last month, I was just looking forward to going back on the bike. But in the hospital, when you are so bad and a lot of people are coming and telling you what you have, and in my situation with my wife and two daughters, it’s tough.

“But at the end of the day, it’s what I do. I’ve raced all my career, hurting myself, recovering and going again. And this is part of this job. I try to see it as the bad side of the job.

“More or less [that feeling of giving up is gone now]. It’s gone because I’m looking forward to coming [back].

“But these moments bring you back to reality. When it doesn’t happen, you don’t think about it. But when it happens you think ‘wow, this is real’.

“So, it stays real for a little bit longer than when you break a finger or a hand or whatever.

“For sure this is more serious, so I’m going to pay more attention when I [get on] on the bike.

“I’m an experimental guy. I’ve been here for a lot of years in MotoGP, but still this kind of thing happens. So, you need to be careful.”

The Tech3 rider crashed in the last option phases of FP2 in the season-opening Portuguese Fantastic Prix and experienced various cracks, including to his back and jaw, subsequent to hitting an unprotected tire boundary.

Espargaro required a medical procedure on the three vertebrae he crushed in his spirit, and his jaw must be wired closed for a month, compelling him onto a fluid eating routine.

Talking in his most memorable appearance since the accident during the Dutch GP weekend, Espargaro uncovered that he was losing more than two kilos of muscle weight every week while his jaw was wired shut and referred to this as “the most terrible second” of his recuperation.

“The most exceedingly terrible time was those a month after I left the clinic. I had my mouth totally shut,” he said.

“For a long time I was unable to eat, so I was simply drinking soup and losing 2.5 kilos each week. This is crazy. I was losing two kilos of muscle, not fat, since I didn’t have fat toward the start of the year.

“You have a great deal of torment and everything, except you investigate the mirror and say ‘I should recuperate all of this.

“How much work did I do to acquire three kilos in the colder time of year? How much work will I need to do to acquire eight, nine kilos?’

“That was a terrible inclination. I investigated the mirror and it was not my face, not my body. I didn’t perceive my body and that was hard.”

Espargaro says he was down to his “125cc weight, or significantly lighter” during his recuperation however is currently “preparing very well” and sees the five-week summer break as “like another pre-season for me”.

Inquired as to whether he considered quitting any pretense of dashing anytime during his recuperation, Espargaro answered: “Definitely, that is without a doubt. These sorts of wounds, they are enormous.

“Throughout the past month, I was simply anticipating backpedaling on the bicycle. Be that as it may, in the clinic, when you are so terrible and a many individuals are coming and letting you know what you have, and in my circumstance with my significant other and two girls, it’s extreme.

“Be that as it may, by the day’s end, it’s my specialty. I’ve dashed all my profession, harming myself, recuperating and going once more. Furthermore, this is essential for this work. I attempt to consider it to be the terrible side of the gig.

“Pretty much [that sensation of surrendering is gone now]. It’s gone on the grounds that I’m anticipating coming [back].

“Yet, these minutes take you back to the real world. At the point when it doesn’t work out, you don’t consider it. However, when it happens you think ‘goodness, this is genuine’.

“Thus, it remains genuine for somewhat longer than when you break a finger or a hand or makes no difference either way.

“Without a doubt this is more significant, so I will focus harder when I [get on] on the bicycle.

“I’m an exploratory person. I’ve been hanging around for a ton of years in MotoGP, yet something like this occurs. In this way, you should watch out.”

Espargaro likewise lauded the help that KTM gave him during his recuperation, saying it was beyond what he might have at any point anticipated.

Having looked at a rebound to hustling during the Italy/Germany/Netherlands triple-header, Espargaro ought to be back on the framework for August’s English GP.

Espargaro also praised the support that KTM gave him during his recovery, saying it was more than he could have ever expected.

Having eyed a comeback to racing during the Italy/Germany/Netherlands triple-header, Espargaro should be back on the grid for August’s British GP.

In the wake of expenditure five years at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas changed groups and endorsed with Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season. He clearly didn’t drop his AMG One when he left the three-pointed star, and assortment day has at last shown up. The 33-year-old Finnish driver took to Instagram to flaunt his F1-engined hypercar completed in a wonderful shade of blue with heaps of uncovered carbon fiber surfaces.

It’s not the primary AMG One to be conveyed as the people from Affalterbach have been giving over the hotly anticipated machines to clients since January 2023. Bottas’ previous partner, seven-time F1 winner Lewis Hamilton, is additionally among those 275 purchasers who have left all necessary signatures to buy what is at present the quickest creation vehicle at the Nürburgring and Monza. Another Mercedes F1 driver, Nico Rosberg, is on the rundown too.

As a boost, the Undertaking One was displayed as an idea in September 2017 yet it was only after August 2022 that creation began. Significant improvement obstacles pushed back the hypercar’s send off however AMG at last tracked down an answer for have the turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 motor stand-by at 1,200 rpm rather than 5,000 rpm similarly as with the F1 vehicle. Meeting progressively tough discharges guidelines was likewise a torment in the derrière.

The unpredictable six-chamber motor is delicate in the sense it should be remade once every 50,000 kilometers (31,068 miles), not that numerous AMG Ones will at any point arrive at that mileage at any rate… the kind of vehicle will spend the better piece of its life secured in an environment controlled carport, with proprietors calmly trusting that the vehicle’s worth will go up. Given the unique case and the reality Mercedes has said it will not do a F1-engined street vehicle at any point in the future, it probably will undoubtedly work out.

The AMG One isn’t worked at any of the manufacturing plants where Mercedes gathers its customary vehicles. The all-wheel-drive hypercar with four electric engines is hand-collected in at AMG’s office in Coventry, UK utilizing a half and half powertrain made by the Mercedes‑AMG Superior Execution Powertrains division in Brixworth. A committed creation office was fundamental, and Multimatic assists Mercedes with building the CLK GTR’s circuitous replacement.

With a joined result of 1,049 torque, a 11,000 rpm redline, and a seven-speed computerized manual transmission, this is no standard AMG. It runs to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, to 124 mph (200 km/h) in 7 seconds, and to 186 mph (300 km/h) in 15.6 seconds prior to garnish out at 219 mph (352 km/h). Mercedes claims “there will never be been any such thing. In any case, presently it will constantly be there,” adding the One hypercar has “execution from another planet.”

 

After a solid late run, Snow capped had a less than impressive end of the week in Austria, with the main features a seventh for Ocon in the downpour impacted run and tenth in the Great Prix for Pierre Gasly – after a post-race punishment consigned him one position.

As opposed to adversaries, for example, Ferrari and McLaren, the group carried no updates to the Red Bull Ring. However, the presentation of another front wing at the English Terrific Prix this end of the week and a modified floor, planned for two races later at Spa, are expected to close the hole again.

“Many groups made strides in the last two races and we certainly need to make one also, so I anticipate seeing what we can do,” said Ocon.

“We are as yet centered around the groups before us, that is exceptionally clear, yet we can see that the groups behind are likewise pushing forward.”

Additionally: Why Ryan Reynolds and Snow capped show that F1’s blast will outlive Drive to Get by

Gotten some information about the wing via Autosport, Gasly added: “It’s most certainly going to present to us some exhibition and, ideally, Silverstone can be a track that suits us a piece better, as Austria is consistently a piece specific.

“Anticipating one weekend from now, and seeing what we receive in return.”

The Run design utilized twice this year at the Red Bull Ring implied groups had just a solitary practice meeting to set up their vehicles for qualifying on Friday, which restricted time for testing new parts.

Pierre Gasly, High A523, Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri AT04, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60

Photograph by: Imprint Sutton/Motorsport Pictures

Demanding this most recent advancement was not pushed back because of the booking, Ocon said: “I don’t think the explanation was to have a steady end of the week since there’s just a single practice meeting. These days, the updates, you fit and neglect.

“What’s more, indeed, you can constantly enhance how you make them work. That is exceptionally obvious. However, in general, it’s consistently a forward-moving step.

“What we will fit in Silverstone will be a step in the right direction, and we have some more stuff preceding closure too.”

The advancement of McLaren in Austria – featured via Lando Norris’ drive to fourth with a full pontoon of overhauls – saw High’s hang on fifth in the constructors’ standings drop to 18 places.

Notwithstanding beating both Mercedes drivers and Spear Walk’s Aston Martin, Gasly yielded: “Eventually, we need to battle for better positions. I was pursuing Fernando [Alonso] toward the beginning of the race, and I’m simply reliably losing these a few tenths.

“That is the very thing we are missing right now to truly take the battle to the two Mercedes, and Alonso before us.”

He added: “I will say those a few tenths contrasted with Mercedes and Aston is presumably the thing we’re absent starting from the beginning of the year. McLaren did a major step. Is it just us?

“I’m not excessively certain, however we will survey, and we really want to find those a few tenths that we are inadequate.”

On-track, the 2023 edition of the Austrian Grand Prix offered plenty of wheel-to-wheel action, arguably yielding one of the more exciting Formula 1 races of the year.

But many of its biggest talking points were off it – and quite literally too, as a track limits storm raged during and after the race at the Red Bull Ring.

The result itself was familiar, as Max Verstappen streaked to his seventh win in nine races, although Ferrari enjoyed an uptick in fortunes in Austria to beat its rivals at Mercedes and Aston Martin. Although multiple track limits violations pockmarked the field with in-race penalties to serve, Aston’s post-event protest uncovered more offences and shuffled the final results once again as the FIA dished out more punishments.

Here’s our customary 10 things that we’ve learned from this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

1. The Verstappen train is not slowing down

It’s becoming increasingly likely that Red Bull is going to achieve what McLaren could not in 1988. Max Verstappen’s fifth F1 win in a row continued Red Bull’s stranglehold on 2023 and did so with pole, fastest lap, and a sprint race win to boot. If any other team is going to win this season, it needs Red Bull to fall down spectacularly – and it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case any time soon.

For Verstappen’s part, he barely looks as though he’s being challenged within his own team. Sergio Perez’s early flashes of performance and whisper-it-quietly innuendo that he could genuinely factor in the 2023 title battle appears to have eroded away having grappled with compromised qualifying sessions and indifferent race performances despite the all-conquering machinery at his disposal.

PLUS: The VSC tactic that encouraged Red Bull to lose the lead in Verstappen’s Austrian GP triumph

Even if Ferrari offered sporadic thorns in Red Bull’s side in Austria, Verstappen overcame them all and had enough in reserve to pit towards the end to claim the fastest lap point on soft tyres. The other teams simply do not have an answer to Red Bull and Verstappen at this current time.

But, just as Jean-Louis Schlesser wiped out Ayrton Senna in Monza 35 years ago, Verstappen cannot take it as granted that he’ll have it all his own way over the remainder of the season.

2. Track limits furore hits its nadir

Lewis Hamilton copped another 10-second hit to slide down to eighth

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Over 1200 reports of track limits violations reached the FIA’s recording systems over the Austrian Grand Prix. While track limits strikes for going over the white line at Turns 9 and 10 were handed out, and penalties dished out accordingly, the result at the end of the chequered flag was conspicuously provisional. When Aston Martin protested the result, suggesting that the FIA had missed more run-off exploration in the final two corners, a further flurry of penalties were levied to rearrange the order once more.

Carlos Sainz was dropped from fourth to sixth, giving Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso positions further up. Lewis Hamilton copped another 10-second hit to slide down to eighth, while Pierre Gasly’s added race time doubled Lance Stroll’s haul from the race.

Esteban Ocon, who had already been lumbered with penalties throughout the race, was hit heaviest. The FIA found another 10 instances of track limits abuses in his name and sucker-punched him with 30 seconds added to his race time. He’d finished outside of the points anyway, but it nonetheless capped off a miserable afternoon and ended his four-race points-scoring streak. So it goes.

Regardless, the uncertainty over track limits and lack of a physical deterrent took an exciting race and allowed it to degenerate into a circus. The FIA, to its credit, had suggested gravel traps should line Turns 9 and 10 after last year’s race, but the Red Bull Ring circuit chiefs had rejected it. With everyone now calling for an alternative, it might be time to revisit that suggestion…

3. Inconsistent Ferrari shows competitive streak…

Leclerc’s strong opening gambit brought him to within touching distance of Verstappen

Photo by: Alessio Morgese

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz showed excellent form on Friday. The sole practice session hinted that the two SF-23s could hold an advantage over Mercedes and Aston Martin, and qualifying duly delivered on those promises as Leclerc and Sainz completed the top three behind Verstappen.

Then the team went mysteriously off-the-boil on Saturday, at least, relative to its Friday promise. Sainz at least broke into the top three, but Leclerc’s grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri placed him into the midfield – and a pitstop for slicks didn’t pay off.

Things changed on Sunday once more, and the team manoeuvred its way back to its Friday form, at least proving consistent in its inconsistency. Leclerc’s strong opening gambit brought him to within touching distance of Verstappen but, after a short first-lap skirmish, his bid to upset the Dutchman amounted to little. Pitting under the virtual safety car at least afforded Ferrari some time in the lead, Leclerc leading 10 laps, but Verstappen’s charge to catch up resulted in an all-too-familiar end product.

On a day where tyre degradation was greater than expected, Ferrari seemed to have a handle on it. Although it’s some way off Red Bull, ironing out the vast creases in race performance at least means the Scuderia can beat Mercedes and Aston Martin on a more regular basis.

4. …but Sainz points to disagreement with strategic calls

Ferrari’s rigidity with regards to strategy caused some degree of consternation in the ranks

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

For all of the plaudits that Ferrari has earned for its efforts in Austria, its rigidity with regards to strategy caused some degree of consternation in the ranks. In particular, the driver of its #55 car felt that he had been stifled by the team’s eagerness to retain the status quo in the opening stages.

Sainz may have a point. He was sitting on Leclerc’s gearbox until the call came to preclude him from attacking his team-mate, and the situation was such that when they pitted under the virtual safety car, a slow pitstop for Leclerc caused a delay for Sainz amid their double-stack efforts. The VSC came to an end when Sainz crawled out of the pitbox, costing him further time and dropped him behind Norris and Hamilton. Brow furrowed and teeth clenched, Sainz hurled his Ferrari past them to reclaim lost positions, but reckoned that trying to recoup lost time had caused his track limits violations. Without that, he reckoned a podium was for the taking.

The Spaniard did not speak in hindsight, having conveyed his frustration at the time. He may have been better served to call his own shots, as he has done in the past, and taken the risk to pass his team-mate and press on with his own race. After all, it’s sometimes easier to apologise than ask for permission.

5. McLaren updates look promising in Norris’s hands

Norris showed a far greater turn of pace than has been possible over the preceding eight races

Photo by: Alessio Morgese

A new floor and sidepod package, the next step in McLaren’s overhaul of its MCL60 chassis, had been fast-tracked for the Austrian Grand Prix – but only one was available. Norris was the lucky recipient, and showed a far greater turn of pace than has been possible over the preceding eight races. Qualifying fourth for the grand prix and third for the sprint race demonstrated the effect of the new upgrades, particularly relative to Oscar Piastri’s fortunes – or lack thereof – with the older specification.

Driver Ratings: 2023 Austrian Grand Prix

While a dash of anti-stall bogged Norris down in the sprint, there were fewer issues in the full-fat 71-lap race. Sure, he lost a position to Hamilton at the start, but he caught and passed the Mercedes driver to reclaim lost ground and later had enough performance to give former team-mate Sainz a run for his money. The attack fizzled out when Sergio Perez disrupted their battle, but fifth on the road (which later became fourth when Sainz got dropped to sixth post-race) showed that McLaren seemed to be on the right path.

Even Norris admitted his surprise with his race performance, despite feeling that the MCL60 still had a way to go to in delivering the drivers with more confidence behind the wheel. “I was a bit nervous coming into the race, that the race pace was going to let us down today but actually it was better than I was expecting which was a good surprise,” the Briton noted. “Still not great, Fernando was clearly quicker, a chunk every lap, and I am almost crashing in every corner but to be fifth shows we’ve made a good step forward, so I am very happy with that.”

6. Mercedes, Hamilton “surprised” by lack of pace in Austria

Mercedes suffered a difficult weekend in Austria

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

When Mercedes finally dropped its unique design concept and opted for a more conventional arrangement, its improved performance in Monaco, Spain, and Canada hinted that it had made the right decision. Austria’s struggles may prove to be an outlier, then, but a comparatively glacial turn of pace at the Red Bull Ring had flummoxed the team as it scrabbled around for answers.

It could be as innocuous as a set-up direction that did not agree with the W14’s new arrangement, and that the race could offer a learning experience for the engineers in what not to do. Winding out too much front wing appeared to be Hamilton’s main assessment into why Mercedes struggled, noting that the team over-compromised in trying to cure a still-tricky rear end.

“I definitely didn’t expect to be as bad as we were today,” he said. “I don’t really have an answer for it. It’s definitely surprising but the feeling of the car was very much the same as the feeling I’ve had all last year, so in that respect it’s not the biggest surprise.

“The last two races were way, way better than today. We knew that we had really bad rear end here, so we took out a lot of front wing to try and keep that balance so that we could do a long run and go long. We massively overdid it and I was almost full lock around the last two corners. Going into Turn 10 I was just sliding, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Through the stops we then added a lot of wing and the car started to slowly come back to at least getting round and staying on track.”

7. Projected 2026 rules earn mixed reviews amid early simulations

Christian Horner has been among those to express concern about the 2026 plans

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

In two-and-a-bit seasons’ time, F1 will mix up its engine formula for the first time since 2014. The MGU-H, which has proven expensive and has offered little road relevance to the manufacturers, will be dropped and the MGU-K will play a much greater part in the overall package. The aim is for the MGU-K to produce 350kW of power (about 470bhp) – a considerable increase from the current 120kW (160bhp) unit used now. Active aerodynamics are set to play a part too in a bid to mitigate the continued issues in following other cars.

However, there have been concerns that the energy regeneration to deliver the full 350kW of power over a lap will be marginal at best, and that cars will be at risk of running out of battery power.

“Perhaps where we need to pay urgent attention before it’s too late, is to look at the ratio between combustion power and electrical power to ensure that we’re not creating a technical Frankenstein which will require the chassis to compensate to such a degree with movable aero and to reduce the drag to such a level that the racing will be affected,” Christian Horner reckoned. The suggestion is that the moveable aero and drivers’ inputs would have to be changed considerably to achieve the right energy regeneration.

Max Verstappen also stuck the boot in, suggesting that “it looks pretty terrible.”

“If you go flat-out on the straight at Monza, and I don’t know what it is, like four or five hundred [metres] before the end of the straight, you have to downshift flat-out because that’s faster,” he expanded. “I think that’s not the way forward. But of course, probably that’s one of the worst tracks.”

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, however, accused Red Bull’s hierarchy of using a political play in the event that its Ford-partnered powertrain project was not going to deliver the returns expected.

“I think what frightens him more maybe is that his engine programme is not coming along, and then maybe he wants to kill it [the rules] that way. So you always have to question what’s the real motivation to say something like that?” said Wolff.

“We have developed these regulations over many years, with all the auto manufacturers being involved. It was a compromise that attracted Audi to finally joining the sport, and for Honda to stay in there. This is the best possible case that that one could imagine for F1.”

8. AlphaTauri to change clothes again – but won’t revive Toro Rosso moniker

AlphaTauri is set for another rebranding exercise

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Ahead of the 2020 F1 season, the Scuderia Toro Rosso team metamorphosed into AlphaTauri in deference to the clothing brand owned by Red Bull GmbH. With its new name, Pierre Gasly carted the team to victory at that year’s Italian Grand Prix, and continued to star in the following year as the team was in the ascendancy.

On-track decline aside, as the team has struggled to get its head around the 2022-spec ground effect regulations, it appears that the team is set for another rebranding exercise as the AlphaTauri “deal” has run its course. What that could be remains to be seen, but the management explained during the Austrian GP weekend that this would not herald a return to the Toro Rosso name – which entered F1 in 2006 when Red Bull bought out Minardi.

“I don’t think [it will revert to Toro Rosso],” explained Franz Tost. “I think there’s another possibility to get more money out of it.”

“First of all, at this period of the year, all the teams negotiate with sponsors. And of course, we have also negotiations, and the title sponsor is very attractive one, and we will see then what the negotiations will bring in the next months. But currently, we are talking to different companies. Fortunately, there is a big interest in Scuderia AlphaTauri. But nothing is confirmed, nothing is signed so far. And this will also not happen in the next few days. I think this will take a few months until everything has been fixed.”

This comes as the team is expected to further its links to Red Bull and take as many transferrable parts as it can within the bounds of the regulations, as well as expanding its operations in the UK.

9. De Vries finds himself on borrowed time

De Vries is in dire need of a strong British Grand Prix as he faces continued pressure

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

When a driver’s future in F1 is under threat, their response can either earn a reprieve or exacerbate any ill feeling within the team. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s advisor who largely deals with drivers across the two teams it owns on the grid, piled further pressure on Nyck de Vries prior to the Austrian GP weekend amid the diminutive Dutchman’s difficult start to 2023 – and de Vries’ performance at the Red Bull Ring will have done little to ease that.

After qualifying last, de Vries’ car was given a set-up change to prompt a pitlane start for the grand prix. While he seemed to be more comfortable with the overall package thereafter, he was guilty of overdriving and once again caused ructions with Kevin Magnussen for the second race in a row. Although Magnussen’s bid to pass de Vries around the outside at Turn 6 was ambitious, he was sufficiently alongside to earn racing room. Instead, the Dane was forced to run across the gravel as the AlphaTauri pushed him off the track.

De Vries earned a five-second penalty for his part in the incident, while Magnussen managed to mask any irate feelings afterwards. “He’s racing for his future and [is] maybe in a bit of a desperate situation,” Magnussen concluded. “There’s nothing I can say, really. He got a penalty so it is what it is.”

As a result, de Vries is in dire need of a strong British Grand Prix if he is to keep the baying wolves from the door.

10. Wet weather wheel arches to be trialled at Silverstone

Mercedes and McLaren will conduct testing to explore how spray during wet races can be mitigated

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Following this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, both Mercedes and McLaren will conduct testing on behalf of the FIA to affix wheel arches to their cars in a bid to explore how spray during wet races can be mitigated. This was originally conceived after the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, notable for featuring no racing laps as visibility was far too limited to allow for anything other than cursory running behind the safety car.

This test has had an extra level of importance placed upon it by the unfortunate passing of Formula Regional European Championship driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff, who perished in an accident at Spa on Saturday following a crash at the exit of Raidillon in wet conditions. Amid poor visibility, the 18-year-old crashed on the Kemmel Straight and another car caught him unsighted amid the spray.

This prompted condolences and pockets of anger within the F1 community, which reasoned that drastic changes were necessary to eliminate the possibility of such circumstances ever happening again. Lack of visibility has long been a growing concern among drivers, and it is hoped that the wheel arch test can begin to provide solutions towards fixing the issues created by spray in the wet.

The 2023 Austrian GP saw a familiar result, with both Red Bulls on the podium

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Despite Hamlin’s very productive career, road courses have never been his strong suit. His lone victory – he has 49 in his career – came at Watkins Glen in 2016.

After out-duelling three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen and Tyler Reddick in the final round of qualifying, Hamlin won the pole for Sunday’s first street course race in the 75-year history of the Cup series.

It was also his second consecutive pole on a road/street course after he started first earlier this month at Sonoma Raceway, led 33 laps but wrecked out late in the race while trying to run down eventual winner Martin Truex Jr.

Saturday’s performance was even more impressive considering none of Hamlin’s fellow competitors had any previous experience on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn Chicago course, which was only completed on Friday.

Even rain early in the day, which forced Xfinity Series teams to use wet weather tires, didn’t dampen Hamlin’s enthusiasm for his prospects.

“Certainly, we were very optimistic about today. I certainly didn’t like waking up to rain. I thought that could’ve really changed things for me quite a bit, and hopefully, it does not rain (on Sunday),” Hamlin said.

“It was just a great day. Probably my single best day at the racetrack in all of my career for sure.”

Hamlin is seventh in the standings ahead of the Chicago race

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Asked what would lead him to make such a judgment, Hamlin said, “Just the overall performance of our team today. From lap one of practice to the last lap of qualifying just having been strong on a track – that is really tough.

“Everyone had to learn it at the same rate of speed. No one has got a veteran advantage at this type of race track. So, it’s just a proud moment for our team to be able to come here on equal footing with everyone and be able to perform as well as we did.”

Hamlin also revelled in the positive vibe surrounding Saturday’s activities in the Grant Park area of downtown Chicago.

Admittedly a sceptic about NASCAR’s decision to try a street race, Hamlin said he has quickly warmed to the experience.

“When you see the fans that are walking around here on a Saturday – their excitement of just seeing a NASCAR race car up close and taking pictures. It’s kind of like this is what we’re supposed to do here,” he said.

“I mentioned on (my) podcast last week, the sooner we just kind of understand the gravity of the event and not get caught up too much in the on-track stuff I think the better off we’re going to be.”

Rain could well be back in the picture for Sunday’s race and conditions with an entire field of cars on the track at the same time could well produce unexpected consequences.

However, Hamlin believes his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is capable of even better results on Sunday.

“I’ve never felt like I’ve had more speed in reserve than what I did today. I just knew that I can go get that. Just areas I can go and get that,” he explained. “There are risks with that.

“I think in the race I’m just going to have to back it down slightly to take away 20 to 30% of risk. You’re going to have to be a half-second slower a lap, but you’re going to take away the risk of making a huge mistake.

“And I feel like when you have a car that’s as fast as mine, I’m able to back that up and still run a fast enough pace.”

Notwithstanding Hamlin’s extremely useful vocation, street courses have never been an area of strength for him. His solitary triumph – he has 49 in his profession – came at Watkins Glen in 2016.

After out-dueling three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen and Tyler Reddick in the last round of qualifying, Hamlin won the post for Sunday’s most memorable road course race in the 75-year history of the Cup series.

It was likewise his second sequential shaft on a street/road course after he began first recently at Sonoma Raceway, drove 33 laps however destroyed out late in the race while attempting to run down possible victor Martin Truex Jr.

Saturday’s presentation was considerably more great thinking about none of Hamlin’s kindred rivals had any past experience on the 2.2-mile, 12-turn Chicago course, which was just finished on Friday.

Indeed, even downpour promptly in the day, which constrained Xfinity Series groups to utilize wet weather conditions tires, didn’t hose Hamlin’s excitement for his possibilities.

“Surely, we were extremely hopeful about today. I surely could have done without awakening to rain. I felt that might have truly changed things for me a lot, and ideally, it doesn’t rain (on Sunday),” Hamlin said.

“It was only an extraordinary day. Presumably my single greatest day at the course in all of my profession without a doubt.”

Hamlin is seventh in the standings in front of the Chicago race

Photograph by: Nigel Kinrade/NKP/Motorsport Pictures

Asked what might lead him to make such a judgment, Hamlin said, “Only the general execution of our group today. From lap one of training to the last lap of qualifying simply having serious areas of strength for been a track – that is truly extreme.

“Everybody needed to learn it at a similar pace. Nobody has a veteran benefit at this kind of race track. Thus, it’s simply a pleased second for our group to have the option to come here on fair terms with everybody and have the option to proceed as well as we did.”

Hamlin additionally delighted in the uplifting tone encompassing Saturday’s exercises in the Award Park area of downtown Chicago.

In fact a cynic about NASCAR’s choice to attempt a road race, Hamlin said he has in short order warmed to the experience.

“At the point when you see the fans that are strolling around here on a Saturday – their energy of simply seeing a NASCAR race vehicle very close and taking pictures. This is how things have is we should do here,” he said.

“I referenced on (my) digital broadcast last week, the sooner we only sort of grasp the gravity of the occasion and not get up to speed a lot in the on target stuff I think the good we will be.”

Downpour could well be back in the image for Sunday’s race and conditions with a whole field of vehicles on the track simultaneously could well deliver startling outcomes.

In any case, Hamlin trusts his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Hustling Toyota is prepared to do far and away superior outcomes on Sunday.

“I’ve never felt like I’ve had more speed for possible later use than what I did today. I recently realize that I can go get that. Just regions I can proceed to get that,” he made sense of. “There are takes a chance with that.

“I think in the race I’m about to need to back it down somewhat to remove 20 to 30% of chance. You must be a half-second more slow a lap, yet you will remove the gamble of committing a gigantic error.

“Furthermore, I feel like when you have a vehicle that is basically as quick as mine, I’m ready to back that up regardless run a quickly enough speed.”

Sainz was caught in the carport until the last minutes of the meeting in the wake of revealing brake-by-wire issues on his Ferrari.

He returned out so as to endeavor one flying lap, which moved him from last to first.

“It was an extremely unpleasant Q1 in these circumstances,” Sainz grinned. “Clearly, not ideal to have the option to do just a single lap in Q1 and to put it on P1 was a gallant lap.

“Without knowing how the track was at that point, having no clue about how much hold to find, to put it there with only one lap was a very positive sentiment.”

Sainz ran out of new delicate tires for Q3 and needed to agree to fifth on Saturday evening’s run network.

“I was very speedy in Q2 on the pre-owned tires and furthermore in Q3, however only because of the issue we had yesterday in Q2 we didn’t have any softs left, which we realize around here is three to four tenths, so that is the reason we are P5,” Sainz added.

After weighty short-term and morning showers, the Red Bull Ring possessed evaporated simply in energy for the F1’s run shootout, however diminished grasp levels sodden kerbs actually made fitting the bill for the second run of the 2023 season unsafe, with groups having cerebral pains on which tires methodology to use with the arrangements of information spaces they actually had accessible.

While partner Leclerc had a bunch of softs accessible for Q3, he said his decision to just have one cool-down lap rather than two between his two flyers cost him as he opened in behind Sainz in P6 – until he was given a three-place network drop for blocking Oscar Piastri in Q1.

“I presumably didn’t do extraordinary occupation overseeing Q3,” Leclerc conceded in the wake of qualifying eight tenths behind predominant poleman Max Verstappen, while he was just a portion of a 10th behind in Friday fitting the bill for the great prix.

“I requested push-cool-push, where perhaps a push cool-push would have been something more.

“One cool-down wasn’t sufficient, my tires were very hot, so on the second lap I simply needed more hold, which is a disgrace yet this is how things have been.

“Truly the speed wasn’t extraordinary earlier today in those circumstances. The vehicle was a lot trickier contrasted with yesterday.”

Leclerc is trusting the track conditions will either be completely dry or completely wet in Spielberg for him to have the option to climb the request.

“I trust it’s either all dry or all wet, since, supposing that it’s creamer like this sadly there’s just a single line, from that point there’s essentially no other option for us.

“How about we see later on assuming we have great speed and it’s all dry we can return.”

ainz was stuck in the garage until the final minutes of the session after reporting brake-by-wire problems on his Ferrari.

He came back out in time to attempt one flying lap, which propelled him from last to first.

“It was a very stressful Q1 in these conditions,” Sainz smiled. “Obviously, not ideal to be able to do only one lap in Q1 and to put it on P1 was a pretty heroic lap.

“Without knowing how the track was at the time, having no idea how much grip to find, to put it there with only one lap was a pretty good feeling.”

Sainz ran out of fresh soft tyres for Q3 and had to settle for fifth on Saturday afternoon’s sprint grid.

“I was quite quick in Q2 on the used tyres and also in Q3, but just due to the problem we had yesterday in Q2 we didn’t have any softs left, which we know around here is three to four tenths, so that’s why we are P5,” Sainz added.

After heavy overnight and morning showers, the Red Bull Ring had dried up just in time for the F1’s sprint shootout, but reduced grip levels and damp kerbs still made qualifying for the second sprint of the 2023 season hazardous, with teams having headaches on which tyres strategy to use with the sets of news slots they still had available.

While team-mate Leclerc did have a set of softs available for Q3, he said his choice to only have one cool-down lap instead of two between his two flyers cost him as he slotted in behind Sainz in P6 – until he was given a three-place grid drop for impeding Oscar Piastri in Q1.

“I probably didn’t do great job managing Q3,” Leclerc admitted after qualifying eight tenths behind dominant poleman Max Verstappen, while he was only half a tenth behind in Friday qualifying for the grand prix.

“I asked for push-cool-push, where maybe a push-cool-cool-push would have been better.

“One cool-down wasn’t enough, my tyres were extremely hot, so on the second lap I just didn’t have enough grip, which is a shame but it’s like this.

“Honestly the pace wasn’t great this morning in those conditions. The car was much trickier compared to yesterday.”

Leclerc is hoping the track conditions will either be fully dry or fully wet in Spielberg for him to be able to move up the order.

“I hope it’s either all dry or all wet, because if it’s half and half like this unfortunately there’s only one line, from there there’s basically nothing we can do.

“Let’s see later on if we have good pace and it’s all dry we can definitely come back.”

Ricciardo is currently serving as reserve driver for Red Bull and AlphaTauri, and inevitably he has been mentioned in connection with a seat at the latter in 2024.

However, the team has always been seen in the Red Bull camp as a training ground for young drivers, and Tost says that won’t change unless it’s deemed that none of the youngsters are ready for F1.

“The philosophy is quite clear, the performance decides,” he said, when asked if Ricciardo might appeal for next year. “Of course, the team philosophy is to educate young drivers.

“But if young drivers are not currently there – there are coming some good young drivers, [Ayumu] Iwasa is doing a good job, [Isack] Hadjar is doing a good job – but it’s simply a little bit too early for them.

“I see them earlier or later in our team. But if the particular time is too early, then maybe we have to find another solution.

“But this has not been discussed so far. So far everything is like [as usual] with our team.”

Asked about Liam Lawson, who is currently starring in Super Formula in Japan and shares the F1 reserve role with Ricciardo, Tost said: “Liam has done a good job when he was driving for us last year in Abu Dhabi.

“He is currently also doing a good job in Japan because it’s quite a tough championship over there. As I said before, it’s a performance question.

“We have to find out, we have to see which driver is first of all available and matured enough and educated enough and ready to go for an F1 car. This we will see. Currently nothing has been decided.”

Asked if the seat of incumbent Nyck de Vries was under threat within this season, Tost said it was up to the Dutchman to prove that he deserved the drive.

“Nyck decides, not the team,” he said. “If he shows a good performance, why should we change him?”

Tost acknowledged that the first part of this season has not been easy for any of the rookie drivers, but made it clear he expects to see a better performance from de Vries on a run of traditional European tracks which he is familiar with.

“In F1 every driver has pressure,” said Tost. “And we will see how Nyck is doing here, how Nyck is doing in Silverstone because he knows these race tracks. We must not forget that the rookie drivers nowadays are really in a difficult situation.

“Why? If you look at the first part of the season, most of the race tracks they even don’t know, they haven’t raced in Melbourne before in F2 or F3, they haven’t raced in Saudi Arabia or Miami, Baku maybe.

“But in Baku we had the sprint race, that means like here [in Austria], FP1, qualifying for the race, qualifying for the sprint race, and then the sprint.

“That means the weekends are flying away. For the rookie drivers, this is really very, very difficult. Therefore now, at least, they come to tracks which they know, it’s Austria, Silverstone, Spa, Budapest, Monza. I think this helps more, also to be more confident there.”

Ocon has already made contact with the Hollywood star and is planning to visit him on the set of the next Deadpool 3 film in London.

Reynolds and his colleagues Rob McElhenney and Michael B. Jordan are part of a consortium of three US-based entities that have combined to acquire a 24% stake of the Alpine team.

“I think it’s fantastic,” said Ocon when asked by Autosport about the team’s new Hollywood connections. “I was extremely lucky to be able to chat on Tuesday with Ryan. So we exchanged a couple of WhatsApp [messages] together.

“I was in the simulator. And I usually take my phone just to take notes from all the runs and to have that on the record, but that time I allowed myself to send a little picture to Ryan saying, ‘I’m live from the simulator. This is the view.’ And he liked that.

“I said welcome to the team to him and straight away he said, ‘Hi Esteban I’m very much forward to learn from you and to meet you.’

“He sent me his phone number, his email address and we then texted on WhatsApp, so really good.”

Expanding on their initial contact, the Frenchman said: “He told me I was invited on the set in London for the Deadpool movie. So I’m definitely going to be going!

“He also said that he was very much looking forward to learn from our world, see how things work, and just to have a racing chat all together. I’m a massive comics and Marvel fan in general, and massive Deadpool fan, obviously.

“He’s just someone that is very inspiring in what he does. Outside his actor world I think he’s an extremely talented businessman as well.

“I’m looking forward very much to being able to meet him and have a chat with him properly.”

Ocon acknowledged the success that Reynolds and his associates have had with Welsh football club Wrexham.

“I think all what Ryan has done recently with his company has been extremely successful,” he said. “There hasn’t been any failure that I know. So yeah, I think he’s a very good asset, him and his team behind our team.”

Other members of the investment consortium include sports marketing experts with deep knowledge of the NFL, NBA and European football, and Ocon acknowledged that they will also be a boost for Alpine.

“As a whole all the investors, in general, they’re going to bring their expertise into the team, and it really shows the dedication of the team to push forward on every aspect,” he said.

“Obviously that’s not going to help on the performance of the car itself, but on every other aspect that we can improve, we are going to have these investors expertise where they excel, basically.”

Ocon added that the extra funding will help the team to make progress by improving the factory facilities.

“I’m not going to go into details, but we know where that needs to go,” he explained. “It’s going to help infrastructure, and things that I will be using quite a lot as well.

“We know where want to take the team, we want to take the team up there, to be fighting for podiums, for wins, as soon as possible. That that is my aim, as quickly as possible.

“I’m not here to waste time. When we [finished] third in Monaco, we didn’t let Ferrari past because we thought they were ahead of us. We want to fight for these positions as quickly as possible.”

Gabriel Bortoleto was yet to turn one year old when his mentor Fernando Alonso won his first world championship with Renault in 2005. But the Brazilian teenager has learned a lot from the Spaniard, having been taken under his wing as part of A14 Management last September.

Moving to Europe aged 11 to compete in karting, Bortoleto made his car racing debut in 2020, finishing fifth in Italian F4 with junior series stalwart Prema and scoring his maiden win at Mugello. He impressed enough to graduate to Formula Regional European Championship with Alonso’s eponymous team before moving to R-ace GP for 2022, finishing sixth with two wins.

Bortoleto is now driving for Trident in Formula 3 and has quickly made an impact. He leads the standings after winning the first two feature races of the season in Bahrain and Melbourne, despite never having driven at either circuit before. Gabriele Mini’s start procedure infringement which resulted in a time penalty lifted Bortoleto to the top spot in Bahrain, but he needed no assistance in Australia as he fended off race-long pressure from Gregoire Saucy to convert pole position.

The 18-year-old admits he was “a bit surprised” by the instant good results, but says hard work is the key to his success.

“Hard work, I would say is the main thing, there is not a secret,” he tells Autosport. “This is just the main thing that I can think of. We have been working since last September, as soon as the F3 season finished. We had already a deal with Trident and we did a test in Jerez which went very well, we were P1 as well.

“From that moment, I think my worst position in practice or testing was today [in free practice] in Monaco to be fair. I think all of this is hard work and a lot of preparation.

“I knew that we had the potential because I trust myself, and I know how much effort I put in. Trident showed the potential last year as well from winning the last three rounds of the championship and being runner-up in the drivers’ standings.

Bortoleto scored feature race wins at the opening two weekends of the F3 season, putting him in a commanding position in the championship

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

“So yes, I would say that I expected good results. I would not say that I expected two wins in a row but for sure some great results.”

Although Bortoleto had already signed his deal with Trident before Zane Maloney took three consecutive feature race wins at the end of last year, propelling him to finish second in the standings, he says it still gave him a “confidence boost” ahead of joining the Italian outfit.

He has settled in well, driving this year alongside Italian driver Leonardo Fornaroli and 2022 Euroformula Open champion Oliver Goethe, with Trident currently second in the teams’ standings behind Prema. Bortoleto says he feels “up to speed, every round that we are going into, every test, we are always competitive, so I feel that I’m very confident with the car already”.

“I’m in bed and not sure if I should go to the gym today, and then you remember that this guy doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, and he’s still going every day to do that” Gabriel Bortoleto

“The way we work is something for me [that is] unbelievable because I’ve never seen an atmosphere inside the team like this – between the team-mates, between the engineers, everyone,” he adds. “Even in difficult moments, we are strong, and we keep pushing to solve every problem. I would say things are going very, very well.”

Bortoleto credits some of his success to his good friend and compatriot Felipe Drugovich, the 2022 F2 champion and now Aston Martin development driver. He says Drugovich has issued some helpful advice in his rookie season, including during a difficult Monaco weekend with mixed conditions.

Naming Drugovich as “one of my best friends,” Bortoleto says he thinks it’s “something great, to have friends that are good, and that have the experience to teach you something and he’s one of my friends that taught me the most in this sport”.

“As my biggest inspiration today, I would say Fernando because I work very close to him nowadays, Bortoleto continues. “We do a lot of things together in the simulator, or even in the race weekend, we’re always getting the contact and talking to each other.”

Bortoleto highlights Drugovich as a helpful source of advice, and has also benefitted from collaboration with Alonso

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Of course, given his nationality, Bortoleto cites Ayrton Senna as an inspiration, but the biggest impact has come from Alonso himself.

“Before I didn’t work with him, I knew that he was a legend of Formula 1 because he was always very good. But I didn’t know how much effort he puts into that,” he says. “At the end of the day, he’s already 41. It’s not easy to keep in this sport this long, and with this physical shape, and also in this performance that he is keeping on track.

“These F1 cars are amazingly fast so you need to also have the reflexes, and to have all this you need to keep practising. Fernando I think is one of the most dedicated drivers I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s what also keeps me motivated and pushing every day when I wake up.

“I’m in bed and not sure if I should go to the gym today, and then you remember that this guy doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, and he’s still going every day to do that. So you say look, I need to one day become one per cent of what this guy is, so I need to push, I need to do my best.”

With five rounds remaining, Bortoleto leads the championship by 24-points from fellow Alonso protege Pepe Marti (Campos), and says his success this year has “made me feel alive again because I think this was my best result for a while, even if I won races last season and the season before”.

He continues: “Winning in your F3 debut and also in the second race in a row, I think this shows to yourself that everything that you are doing, it’s paying off, and everything that you pass through during the years, even if it was not easy to not be first in the championship and stuff. It’s paying off now, all this effort.”

Bortoleto is already looking to the future and hopes success this season will bring an F2 promotion for 2024. Beyond that, does he believe he will be the next Brazilian F1 driver?  “I hope so. That’s my plan.”

Bortoleto takes inspiration from Alonso’s dedication and hopes it will help propel him to the top of the motorsport pyramid

Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd

The Spaniard and his team-mate Charles Leclerc have struggled for much of this season with their SF-23 proving to have a lack of consistency, especially on Sundays.

This has left the duo unable to take the fight to Red Bull in grands prix, even though in qualifying the car has often shown itself to be quite close to the RB19.

Ferrari has seen signs of progress in recent weeks with its understanding of what it needs to do, but it is still not yet at a stage where it feels confident it has addressed all the factors at play.

Reflecting on why Ferrari faced the unexpected difficulties, Sainz thinks that there was already evidence last year about there being a race-pace question mark over its F1 challenger.

“If you analyse it a bit as a bigger picture, already towards the second half of last year you could see that we had a car capable of fighting for pole positions but, in the race, we were always getting beaten by Red Bull,” Sainz told Autosport in an exclusive interview.

“People a lot of times were blaming it on the strategy. But actually, I think a lot of times we were just never as fast as them in the race, like in Budapest or in Austin, or places where we put it on pole and then we went backwards.

“Maybe the difference there was that we were on pole by one-tenth, and then on race pace, we were down by two or three-tenths.

“But the delta itself this year is we are half a second off in some qualifying, and then eight-tenths in the race. So, it’s some bigger deltas maybe.”

One lap pace has often been an asset but Ferrari has been unable to translate this into race trim

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

Concept timing

The emergence of doubts over the race-pace consistency of Ferrari’s car last year came after the squad had already committed to the concept of its SF-23, so weaknesses got baked into the design for this season.

Sainz said Ferrari had no way of knowing at that stage what the situation was, especially as rival Red Bull did not really hit its stride until the middle part of the season.

Reflecting on the timing of Ferrari committing to the 2023 design, Sainz said: “I think it’s something interesting because, if you look back at last year, by the time this car was born, it was when we were still super competitive.

“So, we didn’t have time to know what the second part of the season was going to be like. We didn’t know this car was going to struggle on race pace.

“We were fast in the race, and fast in quali, in the first six, seven races of the season. And that’s why probably this car is born this way.

“Also, because it’s after six/seven races where you commit to a car or to a concept, maybe even those strong first six races of the [2022] season also made us trust maybe this concept and this car.

“Maybe if the second half of the season, it would have come earlier, maybe the first half [of 2023] would have been easier. You can see it both ways.

“That is why F1 is so complicated, and F1 is so difficult to understand. It’s so easy to criticise from the outside. You just need to take it in the chin, be reactive, make sure you take the right steps and keep working as a team.”

Sainz says its concept for 2023 was locked in before the extent of its weakness relative to Red Bull was realised

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Ferrari car ‘can surprise you’

While it took Sainz some time to get comfortable with the 2022 car, he has appeared more on top of things this year – even though the car is not as competitive relative to the opposition.

But despite the outside appearances, Sainz has admitted that the SF-23 is not a car that inspires confidence when taken to the limit.

“I’m not going to lie, the feeling with the car is still not great,” he said. “It is not a car that I drive to the limit, and I’m comfortable with it on the limit.

“It’s a car that can surprise you. It’s a car that is difficult. You can see it from the outside, but at least I understand more or less how I need to set it up and how I need to drive it.

“If I have these two variables covered, I know that every given weekend, I know I can put the car more or less where it needs to be.

“With the exception of Baku, which is still a weekend I don’t understand and I will never understand, every other weekend, I’ve been more or less where the car has to be. And in that sense, I am proud of it.

“But I’m also not happy because still I want to enjoy more, and I want to push more and I want to not go backwards in the race.

“I want to look forward. I don’t want to spend races looking in the mirrors. And this is what we’re trying to improve now.”

Sainz says the 2023 Ferrari has traits that can “surprise” its drivers

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Vasseur right man

Ferrari’s difficult transition into 2023 came against the backdrop of a management change, with team principal Mattia Binotto stepping down and being replaced by Fred Vasseur.

One of the concerns voiced after Binotto’s exit was that the team would lose technical continuity, with the Italian having a deep understanding of the design aspects of the car.

Asked if he felt Binotto’s exit had impacted things, Sainz said: “I don’t know and I will never know. We will never know how much of an effect it had. But I want to believe all the changes are for the better and it will pay off soon.

“I think we’re going to see progress. Honestly, I think that by how much we’re testing, and how much we are trying and all the things that we are discovering, there’s going to be a point where we start finding it. But time will tell.”

Sainz does believe, however, that the impact of Vasseur is now starting to be felt.

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“I do think everything is starting to work,” he said. “It is just that it’s very difficult to back it with proof when you have weekends like Barcelona, where you still feel a bit down.

“I feel like the more we do more weekends like Charles in Baku, me in Australia and there are positive weekends and more proof, the more encouragement we will have. But right now. I would say it’s difficult to show it.

“But I have full confidence in Fred, the way he’s handling things, and the way he’s leading the team. I must say I have been very impressed. And I’m getting on very well with him. I like how he thinks, his ideas and the direction that he sees for Ferrari.”

Sainz has confidence in team principal Vasseur to get Ferrari back to the summit

Photo by: Ferrari