McLaren fears on Norris move to Mercedes end after Hamilton is tipped to race in 2022
If Lewis Hamilton retires from Formula One, McLaren driver Lando Norris is widely expected to take his place at Mercedes.
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Max Verstappen could be banned from racing in 2022
Max Verstappen is facing a potential one race ban if his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton continues into the 2022 season.
Dakar Rally 2022: Loeb tops Stage 2 as Al Attiyah maintains overall lead
With a commanding performance on day two, Sebastien Loeb won his first Dakar Rally stage win since 2019.
Supporting role at Mercedes affected Bottas mentally
Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas has opened up about the mental damage he took when he was forced to help Lewis Hamilton for the first time at Mercedes. Despite exhibiting flashes of brilliance, Bottas was never able to beat Hamilton throughout the course of a season, and was frequently forced to settle for second best. “I would say overall, yes,” The finn said in an end-of-season interview when asked if he felt he was treated properly during his time at Mercedes. “Especially always in the beginnings of the season until the halfway point for sure… very fairly. “If there was a points gap, then naturally people and the team started to think it’s most likely going to be this driver who’s going to fight for the championship and not this one,” Bottas added. “I think just unconsciously, it can change the behaviour of some people and decision making, et cetera.” The first blow to Bottas’ psyche came during his second season with the team, specifically at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, when he was requested to give up a win to help Hamilton win the championship. “There’s been also very clear cases that I’ve been in a support role, and I would say, the first time when that happened, probably 2018, it was really hard to accept,” added Bottas. “It was pretty tough. “That wasn’t good for me mentally, the space I was in mentally. As time goes on, you accept it, if that’s the situation, that you’re behind in the points.” Bottas was asked if he is looking forward to being a team leader at Alfa Romeo. “Absolutely. It’s one of the big reasons why [I made] this change, and I think I’m going to enjoy it.” “I’m definitely ready to take big responsibility. It’s going to be crazy to think it’s my 10th season in Formula 1 [this year] so I’m sure I can put into good use everything I’ve learned with Mercedes and Williams over there [with Alfa].”
Hamilton snubs messages from new FIA President
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the newly elected head of the FIA, claims he has reached out to Lewis Hamilton but has not received a response. Since losing the Formula One title to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has kept a low profile and avoided the media. In the aftermath of the controversial race, the Briton was knighted at Windsor Castle and took part in the Mercedes team’s Constructors’ title celebrations at Brackely, but he has otherwise remained under the radar, avoiding the FIA’s prize-giving ceremony in Paris and avoiding social media. Sulayem told Spain’s Marca at the start of the Dakar rally-raid in Saudi Arabia this weekend that he hasn’t received a response from the seven-time world champion after sending him countless messages. “I sent him messages, yes, I think he is not 100 percent ready yet and I understand his position,” Sulayem said. According to the FIA president, Hamilton broke F1’s sporting rules by not attending last month’s gala in Paris, and he has promised to hold him accountable. “But there are also rules that must be accepted by all drivers. For me, there is no particular team or driver, out of respect for the integrity of the FIA. “But I cannot judge until I have all the data and the first thing on my agenda is to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi. “In the end, we are all human and the stress and pressure were there, so I think it will all work out. You have to look more to the future than to the past.” Despite a flurry of reports that Hamilton may call it a day in Formula One, Sulayem is skeptical that the 103-time Grand Prix champion will retire. “No, I don’t think so, they are rumours…” added Ben Sulayem. “Has he declared that he will not return? No. “When you are a driver, you speak for yourself and not what others say about you. “I trust that this is not the case, Lewis is an important part of the sport and of F1, his achievements. Verstappen is there… I am sure we will find a very exciting F1 next season.”
F1 bookie pays out on bets for Lewis Hamilton to win 2021 championship
Paddy Power, a well-known bookmaker, has declared “justice is served” after paying out on bets on Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Following Lewis Hamilton’s loss in the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, Paddy Power has decided to pay up to gamblers who bet on the seven-time World Champion adding to his score at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. Hamilton dominated the race until a late Safety Car allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take a chance on new tyres. With a lap to go, Race Control brought in the Safety Car to clear lapped cars out of the way of Verstappen, and Hamilton lost the race and the championship as a result, as Verstappen raced by on the final lap. The race’s contentious conclusion generated outrage, with Mercedes filing protests in the immediate aftermath due to the way the Safety Car period ended. Both appeals were dismissed, with Mercedes opting out of the process. Normally, such a turn of events would leave gamblers shaking their heads in disbelief, but Paddy Power chose to compensate both drivers after calling the season finale a “sporting injustice.” “Max Verstappen needed a miracle to win, and one duly arrived in the form of a dodgy decision from the race organisers who appeared to rip up the rulebook and go rogue for the final lap of the race,” said a statement on their website. “We have decided to pay out on both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to win the World Drivers Championship. “And, for good measure, we’ve paid out on both Verstappen and Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix too. “Consider justice served,” concluded the message.
Ben Sulayem very sure Lewis Hamilton will race in 2022
Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes Lewis Hamilton will return to Mercedes for the 2022 Formula One season. Despite Lewis Hamilton’s radio quiet since losing the 2021 Formula One World Championship on the penultimate lap of the final race, newly elected FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is certain that the seven-time World Champion will return to racing in 2022. Since that race weekend, rumors have circulated that Hamilton may not return in 2022, rumors that Hamilton has not sought to refute. While Mercedes has stated that its star driver will take up the baton again in 2022 at the start of the new regulation cycle, it is still possible that he will choose to retire. However, Ben Sulayem, who took over as FIA President from Jean Todt a week before Christmas, is certain that F1’s most illustrious driver will return and will not simply walk away. “No, I don’t think so, they are rumours…” Ben Sulayem said in an interview at the start of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. “Has he declared that he will not return? No. When you are a driver, you speak for yourself and not what others say about you.” “I trust that this is not the case, Lewis is an important part of the sport and of F1, his achievements. Verstappen is there… I am sure we will find a very exciting F1 next season.” Ben Sulayem said he understood Hamilton’s dissatisfaction with his decision not to attend the mandated FIA Prize-Giving Gala in Paris four days after the season finale. With Hamilton potentially facing disciplinary action from the FIA for failing to attend, the President stated that after reaching out to Hamilton, he has received no response. “I sent him messages, yes, I think he is not 100 percent ready yet and I understand his position,” he explained. “But there are also rules that must be accepted by all drivers. For me, there is no particular team or driver, out of respect for the integrity of the FIA. “But I cannot judge until I have all the data and the first thing on my agenda is to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi. “In the end, we are all human and the stress and pressure were there, so I think it will all work out. You have to look more to the future than to the past.”
Al Attiyah maintains lead after winning Stage 1, bad day for Audi
Nasser Al-Attiyah of Toyota strolled to victory on the first stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally, while Audi’s electric RS Q e-tron competitor had a dreadful day. Al-Attiyah was under heavy pressure from the three Audis during the first half of the 333km special near Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, with the German marque’s lead runner Stephane Peterhansel only six seconds behind him after the first 120km. However, en route to the following waypoint, Audi’s issues began to unravel, with 14-time Dakar winner Peterhansel becoming the first to drop out after sustaining serious damage to his RS Q e-tron in a crash. The Frenchman had been waiting for help vehicles to arrive to repair the damage for more than four hours, with the back axle fractured and the left-rear suspension badly damaged. However, Audi’s problems did not end there, as Carlos Sainz Sr soon lost more than two hours searching for a difficult checkpoint near the finish of the stage, after falling six minutes behind the leaders due to unrelated issues earlier in the day. With Mattias Ekstrom in the third Audi slipping behind as the stage drew to a close, Al-Attiyah was able to expand his lead in the leading Toyota, finally winning by a respectable margin of 12m44s. Due to Audi’s problems, rally great Sebastien Loeb jumped to second place overall, spearheading the charge for the Prodrive-run Bahrain Raid Xtreme team. In the later half of the stage, Loeb and Al-Attiyah were the only two frontrunners to cross the correct checkpoint on the first attempt. This allowed the duo to establish a significant lead after the first stage, with Benzina Ford’s Martin Prokop finishing over 10 minutes behind them. Lucio Alvarez (Overdrive Toyota), Vladimir Vasilyev (VRT BMW), and Sebastian Halpern (X-raid Mini) finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, while Giniel de Villiers (Toyota Factory Racing) finished seventh. The top ten was completed by Jakub Przygonski (Orlen Mini), Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Overdrive Toyota), and five-time bikes champion Cyril Despres (GPX Peugeot). Nani Roma (Prodrive), the 2014 event winner, was classified 23rd after losing a significant amount of time due to navigational troubles of his own, three places ahead of Ekstrom’s best Audi. Sainz is currently ranked 32nd overall, having finished the stage 2h07m behind winner Al-Attiyah. After a puncture at the 142km mark, Toyota driver Henk Lategan had yet to complete the stage at the time of writing. Dakar Rally 2022 Stage 1 results: Pos # Driver/co-driver Team Time Gap 1 201 N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT)M. BAUMEL (AND) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING 03:30:53 2 211 S. LOEB (FRA)F. LURQUIN (BEL) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME 03:43:37 00:12:44 3 209 M. PROKOP (CZE)V. CHYTKA (CZE) BENZINA ORLEN TEAM 03:53:32 00:22:39 4 222 L. ALVAREZ (ARG)A. MONLEON (ESP) OVERDRIVE TOYOTA 03:58:35 00:27:42 5 208 V. VASILYEV (RAF)O. UPERENKO (LVA) VRT TEAM 03:59:51 00:28:58 6 223 S. HALPERN (ARG)B. GRAUE (ARG) X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM 04:00:30 00:29:37 7 207 G. DE VILLIERS (ZAF)D. MURPHY (ZAF) TOYOTA GAZOO RACING 04:04:26 00:33:33 8 203 J. PRZYGONSKI (POL)T. GOTTSCHALK (DEU) ORLEN TEAM 04:12:44 00:41:51 9 205 Y. AL RAJHI (SAU)M. ORR (GBR) OVERDRIVE TOYOTA 04:14:33 00:43:40 10 221 O. TERRANOVA (ARG)D. OLIVERAS CARRERAS (ESP) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME 04:20:20 00:49:27 11 218 Y. SEAIDAN (SAU)A. KUZMICH (RAF) X-RAID MINI JCW TEAM 04:22:26 00:51:33 12 204 N. ROMA (ESP)A. HARO BRAVO (ESP) BAHRAIN RAID XTREME 04:49:27 01:18:34
Stephane Peterhansel’s hopes of Dakar win dealt a big blow after crash
Following serious damage to his Audi on Sunday’s opening stage, reigning Dakar Rally champion Stephane Peterhansel has effectively gone out of contention for victory in 2022. Peterhansel had been running an excellent second in his electric Audi RS Q e-tron, barely six seconds behind overall leader Nasser Al-Attiyah of Toyota, after finishing 14th in Saturday’s Prologue. However, after hitting “something” in a patch of camel grass 153 kilometers into the stage at Ha’il, the Frenchman destroyed the rear axle of his Audi RS Q e-tron. Both Peterhansel and his co-driver, Edouard Boulanger, were unharmed in the incident, although they were detained for 6h20m while waiting for help. To make room for the technicians of their assistance vehicle, they first disassembled the entire left rear axle. The Frenchmen continued their journey through the stage after the truck arrived and replaced the broken pieces. However, after losing another half-hour on an unexplained issue 40 kilometers later, they decided to abandon the stage at the neutralisation point at 207 kilometers and return to the bivouac by road, avoiding the dangers of driving at night, arriving at 20:15 local time. These setbacks have practically killed Peterhansel’s ambitions of winning the Dakar for a record-tying 15th time in 2022, but he is set to return to the race on Monday to continue developing Audi’s sophisticated electric competitor. After three seasons with X-raid Mini, the 56-year-old is leading Audi’s comeback to cross-country rallying this year, with former teammate Carlos Sainz Sr and two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom rounding out the three-car lineup.
Red Bull heads to court over Fallows departure
Red Bull and exiting aero chief Dan Fallows have made their first court appearance regarding Fallows’ departure from the team. Dan Fallows was announced as Aston Martin’s new Technical Director for 2022, back in June 2021. Nonetheless, Red Bull indicated that they would not allow him to leave without serving an enforced period of notice. Fallows accepted the offer from Aston Martin, intending to start on January 1st, 2022. Fallows’ contract with Red bull states that he must serve a six-month notice period, which will only be triggered by December 31st, 2022 at the earliest. With this, he won’t be eligible to join Aston Martin until 2023, on July 1st. His appointment as Aston Martin Technical Director appears to be a breach of his contract, and given that construction on the 2022 car has already begun, Red Bull is keen to prevent the knowledge he gained while working with Adrian Newey’s technical departments from leaking to Aston Martin. According to court documents from the hearing, Fallows was removed from the F1 side of the Red Bull organization and assigned to the development of a Red Bull road car. Following the demotion Fallows subsequently gave his notice two months later, requesting an immediate termination from Red Bull. According to court records, he believes his notice period is unenforceable since it is “in restriction of trade.” Despite Fallows’ examples of other ex-Red Bull employees who left without serving their full notice period, Red Bull declined his resignation, claiming that their jobs were not comparable to his. The court hearing was set for December 17th, 2021. A decision is expected by the end of January, but Red Bull appears to be in good shape. The case will be heard in court from January 25th to January 28th, despite the fact that the judge has already denied Fallows’ application.
Mercedes drops a hint that Lewis Hamilton will race in 2022
The Mercedes team has hinted there is no doubt Lewis Hamilton will return to racing in 2022. Mercedes Formula 1 team shared a social media update recently suggesting that Lewis Hamilton will drive one of their cars in 2022. Since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, rumors have swirled that Hamilton may not return in 2022, due to the nature of his title loss to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Despite being in the lead for most of the race, Hamilton was overtaken by Verstappen on the final lap after a controversial Safety Car intervened late in the race. Apart from one TV interview before the podium and a public appearance to receive his knighthood in the UK, Hamilton has remained silent since that day and even removed every follower from his own social media accounts. With the image of Hamilton, Mercedes posted a status saying, “Adversity causes some to break; others to break records.” Having said that, it is likely that Hamilton will return in 2022 in a bid to surpass the record he shares with Michael Schumacher – seven Drivers’ World Championship titles. Earlier this week, Hamilton’s brother, Nicolas, offered an update and revealed that the seven-time Champ is currently taking a break from social media. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said that Hamilton was left “shell-shocked” by the title outcome, while Helmut Marko believes he will return for next season.
Perez: Heavier 2022 F1 cars will bring challenges
Sergio Perez has joined the list of drivers who have spoken out about the issues that the new 2022 cars will present, owing to their radically different construction. The new Formula 1 cars will look different due to wholesale regulation changes, but the change in aerodynamic construction, along with new tyres and a raft of technical adjustments, will necessitate a different approach behind the wheel – although Valtteri Bottas disagrees and believes there is little difference between the cars. Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have also mentioned the necessity to change their driving style for next season, and Perez alluded to the new machinery’s added weight as one key difference. The cars’ minimum weight will be 795kg, which is 43 kilos more than in 2021. The minimum weight was set at 775 kilograms, however the FIA recently increased it by 20 kilograms. This corresponds to a 5.7 percent weight increase, which may not seem like much, but the Red Bull guy feels it will be a substantial shift for the drivers. “Yes. I’ve driven the car and I think it’s going to be very different, of course,” Perez told reporters in an interview at the end of the season. “The cars are a lot heavier than where they are now, so definitely…. yes…. takes a lot.” Following his switch to Red Bull for the 2021 season, Perez admitted that he needed time to adjust to his new car after being chosen over Alex Albon after Racing Point dropped him. The 31-year-old typically trailed Max Verstappen in qualifying, but made up for it in races with excellent recovery drives to help his team win – most notably by picking up the pieces after Verstappen’s crash in Baku to claim his maiden win with the team. He admitted that if he wants to be more competitive in 2022, he’ll have to up his game, but given the short amount of time he had to prepare for the new season, he believes it wasn’t enough for him to hit the ground running with Red Bull. “It will sound weird, but I lacked time,” said Perez. “The limited amount of testing, the limited amount of practice in the car because every circuit is different. “It was just such a different car that I went to that it probably made it a bit harder, but I think I’m not alone here. We saw other very good drivers struggle to get on top of their cars.”
Brivio will not be making a return to MotoGP
Davide Brivio, the Alpine Formula 1 racing director, has ruled out a return to MotoGP team management this year. Brivio led Team Suzuki Ecstar from its comeback to MotoGP in 2014 through the end of the team’s championship-winning 2020 season, after which he joined Alpine. He was a part of a convoluted management structure there, with responsibilities shared among himself, Laurent Rossi, and Marcin Budkowski. The Italian’s return to two-wheel competition has sparked speculation, with a return to Suzuki or a seat with the VR46 Racing Team being suggested as the most likely options. On the other hand, Otmar Szafnauer was rumored to have defected from Aston Martin to Alpine, a claim the American would refute. Brivio’s return to the Hamamatsu marque in November has been ruled out by Suzuki’s project chief, Shinichi Sahara. “MotoGP is not an option for 2022 at the moment,” Brivio said in an interview. “I’m in F1 and we’re working on next season so we can sort out how to get organised with Alpine…. in fact, I hope to continue; for this very reason, I am thinking of nothing else.” This comes Despite Sahara admitting that taking on the role of squad manager was “far too much” for him. Suzuki had chosen not to immediately replace Brivio in 2021, instead delegating his tasks to a number of people, with Sahara bearing the brunt of the extra workload.
Verstappen explains relationship with ‘uncle Michael’
By winning his first world championship, Max Verstappen prevented Lewis Hamilton from breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of most championships. The Red Bull driver passed Lewis on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, denying him a record seventh Formula One world title. Max and Michael, on the other hand, have a bond that goes beyond Formula One. During the early 1990s, Michael and Max’s father, Jos Verstappen, were teammates at Benetton. Off the track, the two drivers developed a cordial friendship and would spend holidays together with their families. Max Verstappen refers to Schumacher as ‘Uncle Michael’ rather than a seven-time world champion. The 2021 world champion stated that hanging out with the former Ferrari legend was a completely different experience for him. Michael, he said, was really friendly and loving toward him. “I was three or four years old at the time. All I knew was that was Uncle Michael. He was very kind. He was such a wonderful family man. I never saw him as a world record-breaking champion because I didn’t realize it!” said Max. Max and Michael both have a similar outlook on life. Both drivers are tough on the race but laid-back and entertaining in their personal life. David Coulthard, a former Red Bull and McLaren driver, said that he admires Max Verstappen’s driving and that the Dutchman reminds him of Michael Schumacher. “He’s an exceptional human, an exceptional athlete. He’s brilliant and divisive. Who else do we know that’s brilliant and divisive? Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher, to name but a few. So some have been able to do it.” Coulthard said.
New FIA president Sulayem announces there will be rule changes in 2022
Following the controversy surrounding the two F1 world championship candidates for 2021, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Mohammed ben Sulayem, Jean Todt’s replacement as FIA president, already has his hands full. The 2021 Formula One season finale in Abu Dhabi sparked outrage across the racing world. Michael Masi, the racing director, was also on the firing line. The officials appeared to have broken the rules a little to add some spice to the race, which backfired tragically. Hamilton lost the race despite being in a commanding position. “This race is manipulated,” the Brit cried on the radio. But no amount of criticism could save the 7-time world champion, as his opponent, Verstappen, won his first Formula One title. Masi’s resignation as F1 race director was demanded by fans as a result of this. Masi’s position as race director was confirmed soon after, at least until the end of the 2022 season. Talking to the media, Sulayem believes that because the rules are formed by humans rather than gods, they will need to be improvised over time. In other words, there will be regulation modifications in Formula One for the 2022 season, but the Emiratis aren’t keen on accusing the stewards of rigging the race. “I have been elected just two weeks ago, but I have studied all the facts. We have a dynamic sport and the rules also have to be dynamic…. rules should always be improved, incident or uneventful,” Ben Sulayem said. “The development of motorsport is going very fast and you have to adapt to that, but being proactive rather than reactive,” he added. “Decisions will be made to move forward, without pressure from anyone. But that does not mean that we are not going to analyze the rules and make the necessary improvements. The rules are written by humans, not by gods, so they have to be evolved by men as well.”
Rebellion president Pesci to drive Dumas’ car after his caught fire
After his own car caught fire during shakedown on Wednesday, Rebellion President Alexandre Pesci will compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally aboard his teammate Romain Dumas’ DXX prototype. Pesci was scheduled to compete in his third consecutive Dakar with Rebellion, a former LMP1 race winner, as part of a two-car lineup for the Saudi Arabian event. His chances of improving on a 43rd place finish were shattered, however, when his #251 DXX entry was engulfed in flames during the 10.7km shakedown near Jeddah, the rally-opening raid’s stage. Dumas, the winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, has now donated his #215 buggy to Pesci in order for the Rebellion team owner to be present on the starting grid for the 44th Dakar on Saturday. Stephan Khuni, his normal navigator, will accompany him on the two-week journey. Despite the fact that Pesci will now pilot Rebellion’s sole remaining DXX buggy, Dumas will be able to compete in Dakar thanks to a last-minute deal to race the Toyota Hilux with which Nasser Al-Attiyah won the Hail Rally in Saudi Arabia earlier this month on his way to the FIA Cross-Country Rallies World Cup. “Unfortunately, after the problem we had with the car, the #251, I decided to give him my car because Alexandre did not finish last year,” said Dumas. “So for him it was very important to race again and try to see the [finish] line. At the end of the day Rebellion, this is the brand [I race for], so I said, ‘okay, I give you my car’. “I decided not to drive. Thursday morning I had breakfast with Nasser Al-Attiyah, he told me I have a car I bought a car for my museum.” “We found out this car was an 11-hour drive from here [in Doha], so during the day we sent somebody there to bring the car overnight. The car came this morning. “What Nasser did is unbelievable and also his team. “We are trying to prepare the car as much as possible, put some sticker on it, adjust my driving position. For sure I never drove the car. “Now the Toyota team is here to help us a little bit because we don’t know nothing about the car. So we will try not to take time too much of them but we have to get some advice.” Rebellion isn’t sure what caused the fire that destroyed Pesci’s initial car, but it believes a shock created an oil leak near the engine, which ignited due to extreme heat. Despite the fact that the automatic extinguisher system was triggered, the fire was uncontrollable, and it engulfed the entire vehicle.