Formula 1

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen crashed after suffering a collision with Lewis Hamilton during Sunday’s British Grand Prix. The two F1 title rivals were battling it out for the entire opening lap at Silverstone, with the Red Bull race-leader on the defensive throughout. But just halfway through lap one, disaster struck for Verstappen after he was sent veering off the track and into the barriers. Hamilton was alongside his fellow driver as his front-left wheel touched Verstappen’s back-right tyre. The Dutchman escaped unscathed but will be unable to continue, while Hamilton also minor suffered damage to his car. The British race was temporarily suspended due to the incident, as race control began investigating the incident to see if Hamilton was at fault for the collision. The Mercedes driver instantly began blaming Verstappen for the crash. Meanwhile, Red Bull were furious in their garage as they lamented the incident and the behaviour of the Mercedes driver. Team chief Christian Horner called it “dirty driving” from the world champion while speaking to Channel 4. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he had sent an email to the FIA, showing diagrams of the incident, defending his man. Verstappen was seen exiting an ambulance, appearing to be without injury. And it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who benefitted from the crash, overtaking the Brit as he sent Verstappen off the track. Hamilton managed to keep second-place, ahead of his team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The incident caps off a poor weekend for Red Bull, who watched second driver Sergio Perez spin off track during Saturday’s sprint race. The Mexican started Sunday’s race at the back of the grid. Red Bull still lead the drivers and constructors championship. But Hamilton will be hoping to capitalise on this incident and close the gap on his title rival Verstappen this afternoon. To add, the home fans in attendance in the Midlands this afternoon will be delighted to see their man in with a shout of taking maximum points this weekend.

Williams CEO Jost Capito has indicated they’re preparing for life after George Russell with a “long list” of replacement drivers being lined up. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is facing increased questions on what he plans to do with his driver line-up next season. Lewis Hamilton has already committed to a new two-year deal, meaning he will still be driving for Mercedes at 38 years of age. But a decision is yet to be made on Valtteri Bottas, who has struggled to match Hamilton and Max Verstappen this year. The Finnish driver currently sits fifth in the Drivers’ Championship behind Sergio Perez and Lando Norris, although that in part is due to two retirements. Wolff has had to deal with more queries on Bottas’ future at Mercedes heading into the summer break. But the Mercedes chief has been open in the fact that Russell is definitely in the running for a seat alongside Hamilton. Speaking on Friday ahead of the British Grand Prix spint race, Wolff admitted that contract conversations will be held during the August summer break. “I think it’s important for George and Valtteri to know whether they’ll be driving next year and that’s, that’s gonna happen,” said Wolff on Friday. “I expect some questions in Spa.” Russell’s contract at Williams expires at the end of the year and Capito had previously expressed his hope in tying the British driver down to a new deal. But the Williams CEO has now indicated they’re now preparing for life without Russell. Nico Hulkenberg has not held a permanent F1 seat since the 2019 season, but has made no secret of his desire to change that. He’s currently a reserve driver at Aston Martin this year, but there could be a few seats available next season. And Capito has confirmed that Hulkenberg is among several drivers Williams are looking at should they need to replace Russell. “I think at the moment we do not exclude any driver who would be available for next year. Nico is available for next year,” Capito told The Race. “So we’ve got quite a long list.”

It has been a disappointing weekend so far for the Scuderia AlphaTauri team at the 2021 British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. Both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda,finished the Sprint Qualifying race in the same position they started. Gasly has consistently qualified and started the race in the top ten positions this season. But he ended Friday qualification in twelfth position only. The Frenchman did not improve during the Sprint race and finished in twelfth position only. A disappointing Gasly said: “I’m quite frustrated this evening, it was just not what we wanted out there today. We started this weekend badly in FP1 and with only one practice session we couldn’t really react to that ahead of Qualifying, then today I’ve really struggled again. “It’s very disappointing because I know the car has much more potential but so far, we just haven’t managed to get it working here this weekend. We will look at all the data tonight and try everything we can to make our way up to the points in the tomorrow’s race.” Yuki Tsunoda had a disappointing Friday qualification when he was eliminated in the first session itself (Q1). The Sprint Qualifying race did not help him improve his position as he finished where he started in sixteenth position. Tsunoda said: “I’m obviously disappointed with today’s performance, I’m not finishing in a position that I’m happy with and I’m then starting the race tomorrow from the same place. “I feel that this weekend’s format is quite difficult for rookies, as you only have one free practice session before Qualifying, which is tough, but I hope the spectators enjoyed this new schedule. We’ve struggled with the performance of the car this whole weekend, so we just need to go away tonight and review the data so we can learn more for tomorrow’s race.”

Toyota driver Jose Maria Lopez bounced back from a mistake on his first hot lap in qualifying to claim pole for Sunday’s FIA World Endurance Championship round at Monza. Lopez went straight on at the first chicane on his opening attempt, but two laps later he was able to get down to a 1m35.899s in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid to snatch the pole from teammate Brendon Hartley. Hartley’s 1m35.961s left him just six hundredths behind Lopez, who has been fastest in every session of the Monza weekend so far, and was good enough for second position. Lopez said: “It’s not usual to be quickest in every session: I felt confident, but I put a bit of suspense into it. “We’d discussed with the team that we were only going to go once, so I went for it and still managed to do the lap after three laps on the tyres.” Nicolas Lapierre was only two tenths off Lopez in the Alpine A480-Gisbon grandfathered LMP1 car with a best lap of 1m36.121s. The Frenchman made a last bid for pole after the 10-minute session was red-flagged when Stoffel Vandoorne crashed his JOTA Oreca 07 LMP2 on the exit of the second Lesmo righthander, but failed to improve his time. The best of the two Glickenhaus-Pipo 007 LMHs got within a second of the pace after a late improvement from fourth-placed Pipo Derani. The Brazilian found three tenths with a 1m36.686s right at the end of the session, although he did not improve his position in the five-car Hypercar field. Richard Westbrook, who didn’t go for a time after the red flag, ended up fifth with a best lap of 1m38.323s. Charles Milesi took a maiden WEC pole in LMP2 for the Belgian WRT squad. The Frenchman’s 1m38.527s aboard his Oreca 07 set before the red flag secured him the top spot despite a late improvement from Filipe Albuquerque after the break. The United Autosports Oreca driver got to within three hundredths of the WRT car with a 1m38.557s to move up to second. Ben Hanley took third position for DragonSpeed with a 1m38.663s, while Nyck de Vries was fourth for Racing Team Nederland. Kevin Estre maintained his monopoly on the GTE Pro pole with his third qualifying top spot of the season — and fourth in a row — for Porsche. The Frenchman posted a 1m45.412s on his second flier after straightlining the first chicane on his opening lap to just do enough to beat Alessandro Pier Guidi in the best of the factory AF Corse Ferraris. Pier Guidi’s 1m45.477s in the #51 Ferrari 488 GTE Evo gave him a margin of just over a tenth over the second Porsche 911 RSR in which Gianmaria Bruni made a late improvement to 1m45.844s. Miguel Molina took fourth in the #52 Ferrari with a 1m46.214s. Ben Keating came out on top in a battle for GTE Am pole with Francois Perrodo that continued after the chequered flag had fallen. Both drivers set their fastest times on their last laps of the 10-minute session, TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage driver Keating’s 1m47.272s just shading Perrodo’s 1m47.541s in the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.

After the sprint race Red Bull Racing announced that Sergio Perez would most likely have to start from the pitlane on Sunday. The FIA has now confirmed that the Mexican will indeed have to start from the pitlane, after replacing a number of parts under the Parc Fermé regulations. On the car of Perez are a number of things renewed and replaced. The driver of Red Bull gets his third Energy Store and his third Control Electronics. Both parts are probably installed because of the high speed spin which caused some damage. Also the rear wing has been changed for the Mexican. The FIA writes that the team has requested written permission to replace the part, but because it has a different specification the FIA is forced to allow the Mexican to start from the pitlane instead of P20. This is also because changes have been made to the setup of the suspension and the cooling of the front brakes.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clocked in fastest in Friday’s single practice session before qualifying. The Dutchman enjoyed a comfortable 0.779s margin over McLaren’s Lando Norris, an edge that likely left Mercedes and third-placed man Lewis Hamilton once again with more questions than answers. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas completed the top-five in the incident free session. Silverstone’s innovative format compelled F1 to schedule Friday’s action later than usual, but the first practice session kicked off under cloudy skies but on a dry track. However, with lower temperatures all round later today, qualifying will likely unfold under different conditions which is but another factor to throw into the mix. And because teams and drivers were only given a single 60-minute session, everyone was up and running at the outset, focused on set-up and aero balance. Home favourite and darling of the crowds Lewis Hamilton took to the track under a roaring crowd, a sight and a sound that the Briton had not felt for since his last visit to Silverstone in 2019. However, it was Verstappen who set the first representative time, the Dutchman running on the hard tyre. But just to get their rivalry rolling, Hamilton shot back with a lap on the mediums that put the Mercedes ahead by 0.584s. Bottas followed suit, also advancing ahead of Verstappen but slotting in second behind Hamilton. The Finn pressed on and overhauled his teammate, but the Mercedes duo’s 1-2 was short-lived, disrupted by an impressive effort by Perez who set back Bottas by 0.518s. But whatever Perez does, Max can do better, as he proved when he edged his teammate by 0.326s with a lap in 1m27.745s. Behind the Red Bull-Mercedes top four combo, a diverse set of drivers led by Esteban Ocon – armed with a new Alpine chassis – jockeyed for position. Confined to the bottom half of the field during the first 30 minutes, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz vaulted to third and fifth respectively, the pair sandwiching Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel. With 20 minutes left on the clock, as the track rubbered in and improved, the action was frantic and rotations behind Verstappen were fast and furious, with Lando Norris, Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly getting a grip on the top five. But as the session unwound, Verstappen remained out of reach, and by a comfortable 0.779s margin over Norris, with Hamilton 0.780s behind. The Mercedes camp will have been scratching its heads once again, noting that the upgrades implemented on its W12 will have had little effect so far on closing the gap to Red Bull. Behind the top-three, Leclerc, Bottas and Sainz rounded off the top six while Vettel, Perez, Ricciardo and Ocon completed the top ten. Both AlphaTauri drivers clocked in outside the first half of the field, as did Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Alfa Romeo’s drivers, while George Russell’s brought up the rear for Williams. 2021 F1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX – FREE PRACTICE RESULTS (1) POS DRIVER NAT. TEAM TIME 1 Max Verstappen NED Red Bull Racing 1m27.035s 2 Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team 1m27.814s 3 Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m27.815s 4 Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m27.828s 5 Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team 1m27.897s 6 Carlos Sainz ESP Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow 1m27.923s 7 Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m28.062s 8 Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull Racing 1m28.163s 9 Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren F1 Team 1m28.211s 10 Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine F1 Team 1m28.415s 11 Pierre Gasly FRA Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m28.449s 12 Yuki Tsunoda JPN Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 1m28.600s 13 Antonio Giovinazzi GBR Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m28.827s 14 Fernando Alonso CHI Alpine F1 Team 1m28.873s 15 Kimi Raikkonen FIN Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen 1m29.220s 16 Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams Racing 1m29.227s 17 Mick Schumacher GER Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m29.227s 18 Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team 1m29.597s 19 Nikita Mazepin RUS Uralkali Haas F1 Team 1m29.808 20 George Russell GBR  Williams Racing 1m29.857

F1 revealed the first images of a full-sized 2022 car at Silverstone on Thursday, as the sport prepares for its biggest technical overhaul since the introduction of the V6 hybrid engines in 2014. The design commissioned by F1 looks radically different to what’s currently used in the sport, with a low rear wing and front wheel arches two of the most visually striking elements on the car. The aim of the overhaul is to improve the quality of racing and make it easier for drivers to follow each other in traffic without compromising the performance of their cars. Ground effect is one way the rulemakers are planning to achieve this goal. F1 presented the car in a colour scheme of its own, incorporating logos of its sponsors and partners on the bodywork. Now, nine of the 10 teams have shown how next year’s cars will look like with their current liveries using computer-generated models, offering fans a better view into the future of F1. Red Bull 2. Mercedes 3. Mclaren 4. Aston Martin Cognizant 5. AlphaTauri 6. Alpine 7. Williams 8. Alfa Romeo 9. Haas

will continue to have Frederic Vasseur at the helm for 2022, following confirmation earlier this week that the Italian car manufacturer will continue its partnership with the Sauber team. With Vasseur’s contract as team boss also coming to an end at the conclusion of 2021, he confirmed that the renewal of the Alfa Romeo deal will also see him stay on as Team Principal into next season. Speaking on a media call, which included RacingNews365, Vasseur confirmed he would be staying on. Asked about the driver situation for next season, given that Alfa Romeo are yet to confirm either Kimi Raikkonen or Antonio Giovinazzi for 2022, the team boss said that decision is yet to be made. “It’s far too early,” Vasseur explained. “I had the same question last week and it has absolutely nothing to do with Alfa Romeo [the company], the driver choice is the responsibility of the team. “We have to take time to discuss and think about this, but we are not in a rush. “I want to see what happens in F1 and in the junior series also, and I will take the decision on the second part of the season – not before.” As well as having their current drivers as options for next season, rising star Theo Pourchaire is making waves as a Sauber junior, while Ferrari Academy driver Callum Ilott has also tested extensively for the team, including a recent first practice appearance.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Ares Management will invest £400m into the Surrey-based automotive giant. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is in advanced talks to acquire a stake in McLaren Group as part of a fresh shake-up at the British supercar manufacturer and Formula One (F1) team-owner. Sky News has learnt that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is to participate in a £550m equity-raise which could be unveiled by McLaren within days. Banking sources said the deal would include £400m of new capital from PIF and Ares Management, a major global investment firm, with £150m being injected into the company by McLaren’s existing shareholders – who include Mumtalakat, the sovereign investment fund of Bahrain. The equity-raise was still being finalised on Friday and could still be delayed, the sources cautioned. If completed, however, it would represent a major vote of confidence in McLaren’s strategy under the leadership of Paul Walsh, the former Diageo chief who joined last year as executive chairman. AdvertisementThe Woking-based company endured a torrid start to the pandemic as it sought a government loan to shore up its balance sheet. It was also forced into a restructuring of its workforce which saw hundreds of jobs axed.

Spa-Francorchamps, the fabled host of this year’s Belgian GP next month, is currently closed. The circuit was already battered by flooding recently, and now it has been hit with another round of abysmal weather. In a statement, Spa-Francorchamps admitted that “the related infrastructures of the circuit” have been damaged, including the “collapsed” paddock access road and “impassable” tunnels. While the “track itself has not been impacted”, races have been called off for now because of fallen trees, damaged safety fences and downed “digital infrastructure”. “Our teams are already at work in order to be able to resume activities from this weekend, and to restore all the safety conditions required for the circuit’s customers,” a spokeswoman confirmed.

Three members of the McLaren Formula One team have tested positive for Covid-19, including chief executive officer Zak Brown, the British outfit announced Thursday, ahead of the British GP in Silverstone. “Neither of our drivers are close contacts,” McLaren said of Briton Lando Norris, currently fourth in world championship standings, and Australian Daniel Ricciardo, standing 8th before the season’s 10th race. “All three cases are unconnected and now isolating in accordance with government guidelines. The team’s operations for the British Grand Prix are unaffected,” they added. Brown tweeted that he had “notified all my close contacts and isolating in accordance with govt guidelines”. “I’ll still be connected to and supporting the team safely from home.” The British GP will go ahead in front of 140,000 fans around the Silverstone track. From Monday, the British government will lift most restrictions on public gatherings in England and allow businesses such as nightclubs to reopen, to the concern of scientists who say it is too soon with the Delta variant still spreading rapidly.

Formula One offered fans a glimpse of the future on Thursday with a presentation of what cars will look like next season when the sport undergoes a rules revamp to make racing closer and more exciting. The concept car, revealed ahead of Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, features larger 18 inch wheels with covers and simpler and ‘more neutral’ front and rear wings designed to make it easier for drivers to follow and overtake. The floor shape is also different and using ground effect for more downforce but the cars will be heavier than this year’s models. A side-by-side comparison of the 2021 and 2022 cars on F1’s website and this video on Formula One’s YouTube channel outlines all the changes: “The new cars will be elegant, streamlined and designed for racing to the limit,” said Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali. The cars raced by teams are sure still to differ individually. The rule changes were meant to take effect this year but were delayed as part of cost-saving measures in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. “There is huge excitement ahead of this new era, and while 2021 has been a great battle we still have cars struggling to follow each other during the race,” said Formula One’s motorsport managing director Ross Brawn. “The regulations for 2022 will address this problem. “We want the best drivers to win, we want much closer competition, we want them battling wheel to wheel.” Nikolas Tombazis, the governing FIA’s head of single seaters, cautioned that it would still take time for closer racing to emerge if some teams get their initial designs wrong. “It won’t happen overnight. We will obviously study what solutions the teams produce and we will keep working at it to improve. “But we believe over time the racing will improve very sizeably.” Drivers reacted positively to the idea of a more level playing field. “If it enables us to follow and race like it’s planned to, then I think it will be amazing for the fans and the sport,” said Mercedes’ seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton. “It is very different to what we are used to,” said Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen. “The most important is that we improve the racing, that we can race closer and if this is the way forward, of course I am for that.” McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo said the rear actually looked “pretty old school”. “The front is very different but the more you stare at it, the more normal it will start to look.”

Aston Martin have continued their recruitment drive, appointing former Honda man Mark White as operations director. The British team recently announced they were going to restructure their existing staff and increase the total size of their workforce considerably. They didn’t hang about in doing so, with Alfa Romeo’s Luca Furbatto signed to be engineering director and Red Bull pair Andrew Alessi and Dan Fallows being made head of technical operations and technical director respectively. The list of new personnel has now been added to again, with White coming aboard as operations director after spending years working at Honda. “I am hugely proud to be joining the talented men and women at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team this September,” he said. “I have been extremely impressed by the passion and desire of the leadership team, and I believe the roadmap ahead, including the new factory build, will allow the team to be truly competitive in the years to come. “I will do all I can to contribute towards the team’s journey to the front of the grid.” Specifically, White will be responsible for the production control, quality assurance and manufacturing departments at the team, and will start on September 1. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer says the cost cap being introduced was a big reason for his appointment. “Mark White’s arrival at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team will be a key appointment and add valuable expertise to our factory operations,” he said. “Mark’s experience of the automotive world will be especially relevant as the cost cap comes into force with greater emphasis on containing manufacturing expenses. “He will also continue our push to improve quality and efficiency in our production and manufacturing systems. It is yet another demonstration of our desire to strengthen the team in all areas with another experienced senior leader.”

partnership with Sauber will continue for another few seasons, with the Italian car manufacturer continuing to invest into the Swiss team. The Alfa Romeo/Sauber contract was up for renewal at the end of the 2021 season, but both parties have agreed terms to continue the partnership that grants Alfa Romeo naming rights over the Sauber team. The new medium-term deal allows both sides to continue working together, with a statement from the F1 team reading, “This will allow the two parties to develop their vision for the future in a stable environment, enabling Sauber Motorsport and Alfa Romeo to work on growing their success both on and off the track.” Having rejoined Formula 1 in 2018 with Sauber, Alfa Romeo have solidified their position in the midfield with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. The team are yet to confirm their driver line-up for 2022, the start of a new regulatory cycle which the team say represents a huge opportunity for them to make a big step forward. “We are delighted to be announcing the extension of this partnership,” said Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur. “Alfa Romeo have been an incredible companion over the last few years, and we are even more excited about the chapters that are yet to come. “The new regulations are giving us the chance to make another step forward and I firmly believe we are perfectly placed to make big gains together. We are looking forward to the next three seasons together and to keeping moving towards the front of the grid. “This relationship is also very important for our company as a whole, beyond the track: the work we have done in the automotive world has shown the extent of the technology and manufacturing skills of Sauber Engineering and we are confident we can continue working for Alfa Romeo on new and exciting projects that will shape the future of the car industry.” Now under the Stellantis umbrella, Alfa Romeo has already begun positioning itself for an electric future on the roadcar front, and claims that Formula 1 represents the best testing ground for this technology shift. “Alfa Romeo is now writing its future and designing its long-term plan,” said a team statement. “With a very distinctive and inspiring Italian heritage, the Brand will remain true to its roots even through the paradigm shift that electrification represents. The pleasure of the driver and passion will remain at the centre, but electrification will give the Brand the opportunity to redesign sustainable performance. “The brand’s presence in Motorsport, and in particular in F1, will continue to play a key role in the future, always interpreted with a feeling of Italian noble sportiness, the Alfa Romeo DNA from 1910. “F1 is the ultimate laboratory of change, and therefore a key territory for Alfa Romeo on its path-to-electrification, with its pioneering Hybrid Strategy, sustainable technology and endless pursuit of efficiency. On top of that, it is a crucial global marketing platform.”

Alpine will field a brand-new chassis for Esteban Ocon at Silverstone in a bid to help the Frenchman improve his performances after a series of difficult races. Ocon failed to exit Q1 in both of F1’s rounds held at the Red Bull Ring where he was comprehensively outpaced by teammate Fernando Alonso in qualifying and on race day. Ocon concluded his Styrian Grand Prix a lowly P14 but didn’t make it beyond the opening lap in the Austrian Grand Prix after he was sandwiched at the start between Mick Schumacher and Antonio Giovinazzi. After assessing his recent slump, the Alpine charger reckoned there was something wrong going on under the skin of his A521 and he requested a major overhaul of his car to try and get to the bottom of his performance issues. But Alpine has gone one better and simply replaced Ocon’s chassis for this week’s British Grand Prix. “Esteban had two difficult races in Austria and we’re still investigating whether there are any technical reasons behind it,” explained the team’s executive director Marcin Budkowski; “To eradicate any doubt, the team has made the decision to make extensive changes to his car for Silverstone, including a new chassis. “Esteban performed very strongly at the start of the season and qualified the car on the third row of the grid on merit at two races in a row just a few weekends ago, so we are working together to make sure he bounces back, and this weekend is the perfect opportunity to do that.” Ocon sees next weekend’s round at Silverstone – a very different layout compared to Austria – as a welcomed reset and an opportunity to get his 2021 campaign back on track. “It’s good that we’re heading to a completely different circuit, taking on a new challenge and having a reset,” he said. “The team and I have been working very hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to improve our performance. “I know we’ll come back to the level we had at the start of the season and the hard work will only continue until we achieve that and even go beyond. I’m really motivated for a good result this weekend.” On the topic of Saturday’s Sprint Qualifying event, Ocon says the short race will undoubtedly “bring a new dynamic” to the weekend. “I’m interested to see how it will unfold,” he said. “Before that, though, we have to plan a productive Free Practice and then make sure we’re as far up the grid as possible in qualifying on the same day. “It’s going to be different to usual, but I like the idea and I’m looking forward to seeing how it will go.”

Reb Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted that his relationship with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is “absolutely fine”.The pair have been engaged in something of a war of words so far this season with their teams involved in a tense battle for much of the early part of the campaign. However, Red Bull appear to hold the advantage heading into the British Grand Prix at Silverstone having won the last five races in a row, with Max Verstappen totally dominant in the recent double-header at the Red Bull Ring. Mercedes have won the last seven drivers’ and constructors’ championships, with Red Bull last winning in 2013. Looking back at Wolff’s stint with Mercedes, which began in 2013, Horner said that the Austrian was facing a “new situation” coming from behind. “My relationship with Toto is absolutely fine,” he told BBC Radio 4. “I respect him for what he has achieved with Mercedes. This, of course, is a new situation for him. “He has never been under pressure. He acquired a winning team so it is a different position for him to be under pressure and it is a question how you deal with pressure.” Asked if he felt Wolff was unable to handle the pressure that Red Bull were applying, Horner added: “Not at all, it is great to see them finally pressurised and it is great to see that it is us that is enabled to take the fight to Mercedes.”