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Carlos Sainz thinks Ferrari are still "one step behind" their Formula 1 rivals after experimenting with car setups in the Australian Grand Prix practice. The Spaniard believes they will be close to Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin in one-lap pace, but expects the team to face the same challenges as they did in Jeddah. "I think it's fair to assume that in qualifying we will play with them, but then in the race we should assume also that we should be one step behind like in Jeddah," said Sainz. Ferrari spent most of interrupted Friday practice running focusing on car setup, which should help them find more performance according to Sainz. "We did use that FP1 to try some very different things on the car, to see if we can find a bit of performance for the package that we have now. "We did seem to understand it a bit better and find a couple of things that could help us for the future. But until we put it into a proper qualifying lap we

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are leading calls for a Formula 1 weekend format change , following the comments made by CEO Stefano Domenicali on the future of practice sessions. Discussions are currently taking place about how practice sessions can be made to be more engaging, with the potential for rewards or points being on the table. Hamilton believes F1 should be more 'dynamic' with race weekends and look at specific solutions for certain races such as Monaco, which can often not live up to their hype when it comes to race day. "I think we can be more dynamic and I think we can look at places like Monaco, perhaps there is a different kind of solution for that weekend to make it more engaging for fans," he told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "We use the sprint races in some places and maybe there's something else we do. "I like the format on the sprint weekend where you have that one practice session, and there's a lot

The Formula 1 season endured by Mercedes in 2022 was remarkably similar to that suffered by Ferrari back in 2005. Both teams were coming off the back of an unprecedented period of success, with rule changes introduced in both seasons to shake things up - although it must be said that the 2005 changes were tweaks as opposed to the all-out revolution of this year. Both squads would only claim a single race win and slip to third in the Constructors as other battled for the titles. But in response to their annus horribilis of 2005, Ferrari bounced back in 2006 to challenge Renault and Fernando Alonso. It is something Mercedes are also well-equipped to do in 2023, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell having all the ingredients they need to spoil Max Verstappen's attempts at becoming just the fifth driver to win three consecutive Drivers' crowns.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has warned that ignoring social media abuse within F1 could cause damage "beyond repair". There have been incidences during the 2022 season of abuse aimed at different drivers, individuals and teams across the paddock, as well as stewards. One of these cases involved abuse being directed at FIA steward Silvia Bellot in the aftermath of Fernando Alonso receiving a 30-second time penalty after the United States Grand Prix, a punishment that was later withdrawn following an appeal from Alpine. Alonso spoke out to condemn the abuse aimed at Bellot, calling it "hateful behaviour". Ben Sulayem has reiterated that he is determined to fight any incidences like this. Ben Sulayem concerned by 'toxic' social media abuse Speaking at the FIA and FIM Women in Motorsports Conference, the President voiced his concerns of "toxic"

Former Formula 1 race director Michael Masi has found a new role within motorsport in Australia, having left the FIA earlier this year. Masi became the focus of attention following the the finale to the 2021 F1 season, where controversial decisions to hasten the Safety Car process impacted the final laps of the season. Following the controversy, Masi was removed from his role as race director , and changes saw the implementation of two race director s for 2022: Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas. He was initially placed in another role before leaving the FIA earlier this year and returning to his native Australia to become chairman of the SuperCars Commission. Masi had worked in the Australian Supercars prior to his stint in Formula 1. For 2023, the 44-year-old will take on a new role as director on the board for Karting Australia, alongside his existing Supercars role.

Max Verstappen believes that drivers taking the role of a number two at a team must "accept" their position. The role of a second driver is seen as one that supports the team's main championship challenger. Often they will sacrifice their position in the race to enable the number one driver to get close to their championship rival, similar to Sergio Perez at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas was on the receiving end of being called a "wingman" to Lewis Hamilton during his period at Mercedes, despite being in similar championship-winning machinery. "At a certain point, you realise that it won't happen again. He understands that," argues Jos Verstappen, speaking on Viaplay . "Bottas had that opportunity with Mercedes for many years, and now he drives for Alfa Romeo. I think he is on his last stint in Formula 1. "If you're part of a championship team, you go for it and try. After a few races you realise that

We have repeated it several times, the Ferrari of 2023 will not be a revolution, at least on a visual level, compared to the F1 -75. This does not mean, however, that the aerodynamic concept will replicate its predecessor, quite the opposite. Bearing in mind that the major innovations capable of increasing the competitiveness of the car will be on the floor, not least caused by the regulatory changes, the next single-seater from Maranello will also show distinctive elements in the visible parts. The shape of the sidepods will maintain the same 'carved' profile on the upper part, with large grilles for heat dissipation, and it will see a profound narrowing towards the rear. In fact, the area commonly described as the 'coke bottle' in front of the rear wheels will be slightly further forward, compared to the F1 -75, in favour of a less complex air flow management directed towards the rear. In practice, if we consider the bodywork which on the F1 -75 extended b

Lando Norris feels that McLaren "have to take a step" in 2023 following a difficult campaign for the team. The Woking-based squad had a tough weekend at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, which followed on from the team experiencing technical issues during testing ahead of the first race. Their fortunes seemed to improve when Norris claimed a podium at the fourth event on the calendar, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. This proved to be the only top three finish for a team other than Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes in 2022. However, McLaren ultimately lost out to Alpine in the battle for P4 of the Constructors' Championship, and Norris hopes that their efforts to move forwards will pay off in 2023. Norris: One podium isn't enough While Norris remains proud of his podium result at Imola, he also acknowledges that he wants to achieve much more. "A podi

Red Bull should "go hard" in trying to land the services of Lando Norris in 2025, according to former F1 driver Karun Chandhok . Norris enjoyed a stellar season in 2022, scooping the only podium outside Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes with a third place at Imola, as well as going on to secure a strong seventh in the Drivers' standings. The Briton is locked into a long-term deal with McLaren – set to expire at the end of 2025 – and will step into the team leader role at Woking in 2023, with a new teammate in the form of rookie Oscar Piastri. Norris has been touted as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton when he retires from F1 at Mercedes, while Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is a long-time admirer of Norris, having tried to get him into a Toro Rosso seat back in 2018. Viewed by others:

McLaren boss Zak Brown admits that it was "challenging" to be judged on the decision for the team to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo . Ricciardo had endured a difficult spell with the squad since joining in 2021, and it was confirmed over the summer of 2022 that both parties had mutually agreed to end their multi-year contract early. This left the Australian without a seat on the grid for 2023, with McLaren bringing in rookie Oscar Piastri as his replacement to join Lando Norris at the team. Brown says that Ricciardo's exit from the outfit was one aspect of what proved to be a challenging 12 months overall. "It's been a very tough year," Brown said in an interview for McLaren. "And it's personal, business is personal. Specifically Daniel, who's been tremendous to work with and gave us our first win [at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix]. "We had a lot of fun together, and we had a lot of frustration together that it didn't w

Max Verstappen has detailed why he believes street circuits have become "the worst experience" and is against F1 prioritising new street circuit locations. The expansion of the F1 calendar has brought new venues onto the schedule, with street circuits in Miami and Saudi Arabia joining in recent years. The sport has faced a delicate challenge in implementing new circuit locations, with threats of losing classic F1 venues proving to be a hot topic among drivers and fans. Red Bull's Verstappen was asked which circuit he would like to permanently stay on the calendar and, when quizzed specifically about Monaco, the Dutchman expressed his dissatisfaction at driving on street circuits in 2022 F1 cars. "It is very tricky, especially in [Monaco] qualifying when you go to the limit, it's really tough to nail a lap," Verstappen told Viaplay . "I'm personally more about high-speed corners, for me Spa 100% [should never leave the calendar], becaus

Lando Norris has challenged his McLaren Formula 1 team to make their recent progress "worth it" in 2023, believing the team has everything it needs to succeed. Norris finished a best-of-the-rest seventh in the 2022 Drivers' standings and was the only non-Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes driver to scoop a podium with third place at Imola. The team finished fifth in the Constructors' Championship as teammate Daniel Ricciardo struggled, but McLaren shone operationally throughout the campaign, recording the fastest pit-stop of the season for Ricciardo in Mexico. Norris - who is due to go into his fifth season in 2023 - feels the team is on their "best trajectory", but wants to see them bring it all together and deliver on the final parts that are preventing them from becoming a race-winning team. © XPBimages

While Max Verstappen has stated that he is not overly concerned about breaking records, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner takes a different view when presented with the all-time list of successful teams in F1 . The team took both the Drivers' and Constructors' title in 2022, the latter being for the first time since 2013. With that Red Bull now move to sixth in the all-time list of winning Constructors' and look set to move further up the order in years to come. Text continues below table. F1 Constructors' Champions # Team Number of Constructors' Titles

Ferrari F1 development driver Robert Shwartzman will make his debut with Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar at a test to evaluate their 2024 drivers. According to RACER , the team has confirmed that the 2019 Formula 3 champion and Formula 2 runner-up will test for Ganassi in January. The team has all of its 2023 driver options taken up, but 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou will take up an option to leave Ganassi at the end of next year. This came after a contract dispute over his services, which was resolved with a revised contract that enabled him to depart for Arrow McLaren SP for 2024. Viewed by others: Nico Hulkenberg How Hulkenberg has 'changed perspective' ahead of full-time F1 return

AlphaTauri 's Yuki Tsunoda has highlighted how his change in Formula 1 " mindset " has evolved during his second season in Grand Prix racing. After a strong start to his career in 2021, Tsunoda faded throughout the mid-part of his rookie campaign, but rounded it off with a strong fourth in Abu Dhabi. He partnered Pierre Gasly once again at the Faenza-based squad for '22, a season where he would have been hoping for further progress. It proved to be a difficult campaign for the team as the AT03 was overweight and lacked downforce, slipping to ninth in the Constructors' as Tsunoda only scored points in four races - and only once after the Spanish Grand Prix, the sixth round of the season. However, the Japanese racer - who will be joined by Nyck de Vries in 2023 - has explained how he himself has evolved and improved throughout his second season. Viewed by ot