F1 News TheFoxPosts.com

Damon Hill believes Mick Schumacher was unable to cope with the pressure of Formula 1 , saying it "got to" him in the end. Schumacher lost his Haas seat at the end of the 2022 campaign, with the team electing to sign Nico Hulkenberg as his replacement to partner Kevin Magnussen. With no further seats available on the 2023 grid, the German has been forced to look for a potential third driver role, and is tipped to take on the vacancy at Mercedes - following Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne leaving for AlphaTauri and Aston Martin, respectively. And 1996 World Champion Hill feels that Schumacher was not able to deliver his best after failing to adjust to Grand Prix racing. Hill on Schumacher Schumacher had a difficult sophomore year at Haas, with multiple big crashes (including in Saudi Arabia, Monaco and Japan) but did score his maiden F1 points at Silverstone before claimi...

Damon Hill believes that Sebastian Vettel will return to Formula 1 "in some capacity " following his retirement from the sport. Vettel took part in his last F1 race at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in which he scored his final point by finishing in P10 after starting from ninth on the grid. It marked another strong performance from Vettel, who racked up six points finishes – as well as several Driver of the Day accolades – during the latter half of the campaign following his retirement announcement in July. Hill believes that psychology can play a part in enabling a driver to perform well after deciding to leave the sport. "I'm particularly interested in how drivers can reignite that passion for driving," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "If they've got a tiny bit of doubt... Let's say you're doubting whether you want to be a racing driver anymore [and] you're not enjoying it, [it's] very difficult to perfor...

Damon Hill believes that the F1 budget cap could lead to teams further down the grid applying more pressure in the future . The sport introduced a raft of new technical regulations for the 2022 season as well as financial ones, with teams given a cap on spending of $140 million for the campaign. There has been some controversy over the cost cap after Red Bull were found to have breached the 2021 limit. The team were issued with a fine as a result, along with a 10 per cent reduction in aerodynamic testing. However, Hill thinks that the new rules have overall proved successful for the sport. "This season, the new cost cap regulations, it's hard to remember back to the beginning, when this was a completely new set of regulations," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "This was all completely new. We didn't know which way it was going to go, and I think it's been a huge success." ...

Damon Hill believes Max Verstappen will become "a target" in Formula 1 for 2023, after taking his second consecutive Drivers' Championship. The Dutchman set the record for the most wins in a season at 15 following his victory in Abu Dhabi, and has been the leader throughout the 2022 campaign in the dominant RB18. Hill says this constant success will bring out a "flip side" to how the com Pet ition reacts. "Not everybody loves a winner, their expression is or the idea is once you're leading, you're in a happy place," he said on the F1 Nation podcast. "But there's also this other thing, which is in this business, all these other teams want to bring you down. "So you become a target, and it can be sometimes baffling why people don't celebrate when you're doing really well, but there is that flip side to being successful." ...

Damon Hill believes that Max Verstappen had "every chance " to catch Sergio Perez in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after the Dutchman seemed " upset " at finishing second. Verstappen was hit by technical problems during Saturday's qualifying at Jeddah, meaning that he lined up in P15 on the grid for Sunday's race while Perez claimed pole position. The Dutchman made his way through the field but ultimately ended the race in P2 behind Perez, who clinched the fifth victory of his F1 career so far. Verstappen voiced his frustrations after the race, stating: "I'm not here to be second." Hill has since given his take on the situation, and defended Red Bull following Verstappen's comments. Hill: The team's doing their best "He looked like he was very upset , that he'd been hard done by for some reason," Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast of Verstappen's post-race demeanour. "But, frankly,...

Damon Hill believes that Red Bull's level of dominance will be put to the test in upcoming races, with a key factor being the impact of the cost cap. The team have appeared to hold a significant edge over their rivals so far in 2023, having amassed 123 points at the top of the Constructors' Championship while nearest rivals Aston Martin sit on 65. Max Verstappen claimed victories in Bahrain and Australia, putting him in the lead of the Drivers' Championship, and teammate Sergio Perez took the win in Saudi Arabia. The likes of George Russell have suggested that Red Bull are still masking their true pace – an idea that Verstappen and Christian Horner have dismissed – but Hill thinks that the team's standing will become clearer in the races ahead. Bahrain main indicator? Following Verstappen's latest win at the Australian Grand Prix, Hill questioned whether Red Bull's particularly dominant display in Bahrain was the biggest indicator yet...

Damon Hill believes that James Vowles will "sort out" Williams , with the new team boss being compared to former F1 stalwart Ross Brawn. Vowles joined the Grove-based outfit ahead of the 2023 season, having previously acted as Mercedes' Motorsport Strategy Director. He worked with the Silver Arrows for 21 years, including during their previous guises as British American Racing, Honda and Brawn GP. While the team currently remain at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship, the likes of Alex Albon have spoken positively about where the squad are now compared to in the previous year. Hill – who won his 1996 World Championship with Williams – feels confident that Vowles is the right person to continue to lead the team forwards. Viewed by others: Williams Williams explain why Albon's crash w...

Damon Hill remains bemused by the five-second penalty that relegated Carlos Sainz from the points at the Australian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver was punished for contact which sent Fernando Alonso 's Aston Martin spinning in the Turn 1 restart melee with two laps to go and was demoted from fourth to 12th in the finishing order. But Sainz's penalty was complicated by the reordering of the race standings, with red flags thrown after further incidents involving both Alpines, Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries, as Alonso was reinstated to his podium position to eradicate the impact of his spin. "The Carlos Sainz five-second penalty in a race that didn't exist, that affected the outcome of the race that happened afterwards, I am still scratching my head over that," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "I think he does have a point. "I mean, maybe what they should have done is that instead of giving you a five-second penalty in a race that di...

Damon Hill believes Charles Leclerc should be "more forceful" like Fernando Alonso and George Russell when it comes to race strategy. Ferrari had a troubled History with race strategies in 2022, notably at the Hungarian Grand Prix when a tyre error cost Leclerc a shot at victory. The team have made key changes behind the scenes ahead of the season, focusing on the flow of communication between engineers at critical moments. But Hill thinks Leclerc should also dictate more when behind the wheel, as the team's decisions can often not always be in the best interests of a driver's position in the championship. "When you've got races where teams choose to put drivers with different strategies, that can always be immensely frustrating to drivers – particularly if they're in the latter stages of a championship," said Hill on the F1 Nation podcast. "Because a team might say something, which is detrimental, and this is what happened with...

Former World Champion Damon Hill believes Max Verstappen has now bridged a gap in his racing maturity through extensive experience in Formula 1. The Red Bull driver was fast-tracked into F1 after only a single year of racing in cars, although Verstappen had an impressive karting CV to bolster his claims. Verstappen became the youngest driver to start a race in the championship by almost two years at 17 years old at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix for Toro Rosso, though the Dutchman faced criticism for mistakes and his antics during the campaign. A step up to Red Bull came in 2016, with Verstappen essentially learning his craft at the front of the field on his quest to becoming the reigning two-time World Champion. Viewed by others: Damon Hill Hill identifies area where Leclerc should be more 'forceful' ...

Damon Hill believes that Nyck de Vries is facing a " typical routine " from the Red Bull stable amid speculation over his future in F1 . Rumours emerged after the Miami Grand Prix that de Vries' seat at AlphaTauri could be under threat, with some reports suggesting that Daniel Ricciardo could be in the frame to replace him should his performance not improve. While this idea was denied by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko , the Austrian did state that de Vries is on a "yellow card" and "needs to improve" in order to pose more of a challenge to teammate Yuki Tsunoda. With Red Bull having made driver changes mid-season in the past, Hill has been reflecting on whether Marko's "tough" approach yields results. Hill on Marko "[Marko is] a tough teacher, isn't he?" Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "He's a tough kind of master for drivers and he always has been. I don't know where it comes from....