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Williams have explained why they opted to sign rookie driver Logan Sargeant to join the team in 2023. Sargeant – who, alongside racing in Formula 2, has long been a part of the Williams Academy – has been officially confirmed for the final place on the grid after achieving enough points to secure a super licence. The American finished the 2022 F2 campaign in fourth place and was crowned rookie of the year. Now Sargeant will make the step up to Formula 1 as Alex Albon's new teammate at Williams, with team boss Jost Capito praising how the youngster has integrated with the Grove-based squad. Capito excited for Sargeant's 'journey' "We’re delighted to officially announce Logan as our driver for next year after qualifying for a super licence following the final F2 event of the season in Abu Dhabi," Capito explained. "Logan completes our exciting driver line-u...

The 2022 F1 season might only just have come to an end but attention has already turned to 2023 following confirmation of who will take the final seat on the grid. Williams have officially announced that Logan Sargeant will become Alex Albon's teammate next season, with the rookie making the step up from Formula 2. Sargeant has secured the last available spot in the field, meaning that the complete 2023 line-up is now clear. The American joins McLaren's Oscar Piastri and AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries as making their full-time F1 debut in the year ahead, while veteran Nico Hulkenberg returns to partner Kevin Magnussen at Haas. Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso replaces Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin following the German's retirement, and Pierre Gasly fills Alonso's vacant spot at Alpine. Who will be Rbm F1 UsRhC where? Check out the F1 2023 grid in full below. ...

Jack Doohan admits that he is reluctant to take a reserve driver role in Formula 1 just yet after missing out on a possible race seat for 2023. The Alpine Academy driver has previously spoken of his attempts to be considered for the spot in the team that became available when Fernando Alonso announced his departure for Aston Martin. This position later went to Pierre Gasly, while Doohan looks set to remain in Formula 2 after finishing the 2022 championship in sixth place. The Australian is keen to focus on racing going forwards, rather than taking on a reserve role in F1. "There's possibilities of what I could be enrolled into the Formula 1 team but, honestly, being a reserve driver or not doesn't help me or doesn't do anything really for me," Doohan told media, including TheFOXposts.Com , after taking part in the Abu Dhabi post-season test for Alpine. "The main priority is to focus fully on Formula 2, because I could come around to all the...

Valtteri Bottas has set out his expectations for what Alfa Romeo can " realistic ally" achieve in 2023. The Finn completed his debut campaign with the team in 2022 following his switch from Mercedes and was left pleased with their P6 in the Constructors' Championship, a result they sealed at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix thanks to their strategy. Whilst Alfa ended the year equal on 55 points with Aston Martin, the position of sixth went to Alfa due to Bottas' fifth place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix having beaten any result for Aston in 2022. Bottas claimed 10th in the Drivers' Championship, and overall feels satisfied with what he and the team achieved during the season. Viewed by others: Valtteri Bottas Bottas...

Esteban Ocon is confident that Alpine can make the next step to challenge the top three F1 teams in the near future. After finishing fifth in the 2021 Constructors' Championship, the squad continued their progression in 2022 by beating McLaren to P4, having outscored them by 14 points. While he feels that there is still a gap to the teams ahead, Ocon believes that the result puts Alpine in a prime position to challenge the leading outfits on the grid. Ocon confident Alpine are on 'right path' "We should be the next one coming in that fight, because we are the fourth [placed team]," Ocon told media, including TheFOXposts.Com , over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. "We look to be in good shape at the moment and, hopefully, we're on the right path. "Hopefully we can continue our way of improving things, and that will be the breakthrough for next ...

Daniel Ricciardo says despite his tough 2022 season , he never considered quitting F1 during the middle of the year. Having been generally shaded by teammate Lando Norris in 2021 despite winning that year's Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo was overwhelmingly overshadowed by the Briton in 2022, scoring just 37 points to Norris' 122. Such was Ricciardo's underperformance that McLaren elected to terminate the Australian's contract one year early and replace him with rookie Oscar Piastri from 2023 onwards. Though several teams are changing drivers for 2023, Ricciardo never seemed to be seriously in the running for any of the available seats, and is set to spend next year on F1's sidelines as he takes up a role as test and reserve driver with his former team Red Bull. But despite his struggles in 2022, Ricciardo said he never considered walking away from the sport before the end of the season, as F1 luminaries such as James Hunt, Nigel Mansell and Juan Pablo M...

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack says new signing Fernando Alonso may be set for a long-term role with the team in a non- driving role when he elects to stop racing. Alonso caused a stir earlier this year when it was announced shortly after the Hungarian Grand Prix that he would leave Alpine at the end of 2022 to join Aston Martin on a multi-year deal, replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel. At 41, Alonso is the oldest driver on the F1 grid by some four years, but his speed and enthusiasm for racing appear undimmed, with Krack hailing the Spaniard's performance on his first official outing for Aston Martin at 2022's post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Asked whether Alonso's future relationship with Aston Martin may include the Spaniard transitioning into a non-driving role, Krack responded in the affirmative. "We have had some very good conversations already with him," Krack told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "This, in my opinion, ca...

The FIA are looking into introducing a new penalty system for power unit component allocation offences, in order to replace the existing grid penalty system, TheFOXposts.Com understands. A long-standing issue for fans has been the current penalty system used to punish a driver for using too many power unit components in a season. As a way of reducing costs, teams are given a set allocation of power unit components which can be used over the course of the season. Drivers are handed grid penalties for every additional component they use above this allocation. However, if a team has an early indication that they are likely to exceed the component limits, then they will often take tactical penalties at circuits which are more suited to overtaking, such as Spa-Francorchamps or Monza, to allow for an easier recovery from a lower grid position. With some Grands Prix seeing several drivers taking the tactical penalties, this has often led to F1 starting grids looking completely...

Former Formula 1 driver Michael Andretti says his organisation’s bid to join the F1 grid in 2024 has made "pretty good progress" over the last two months. Michael’s father Mario Andretti revealed in February that 'Andretti Global' had applied to the FIA for a Formula 1 entry from the 2024 season, claiming that the prospective squad "has the resources and checks every box". However, reaction to the proposed Andretti entry from elsewhere in the paddock has been mixed, as an 11th team would eat into the prize money currently shared between the 10 existing outfits. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has also cast doubt on the proposed Andretti-backed entry into F1, saying in August that the sport doesn't need any new teams. Despite the negativity surrounding the Andretti entry, Michael claimed that preparations were still ongoing to join the F1 grid. "Yeah, we're still moving forward," Michael was quoted as saying by The Race...

Daniel Ricciardo says a 'lightbulb' moment convinced him to return to Red Bull in 2023. After a poor 2022 in which he was overwhelmingly overshadowed by teammate Lando Norris, Ricciardo's contract with McLaren was terminated one year early, leaving the Australian looking for a new drive for 2023. Though several teams are changing drivers for next year, Ricciardo was not thought to seriously be in the running for any position, with the Australian instead relegated to searching for reserve driver openings for 2023. Ricciardo ultimately opted to return to Red Bull, for whom he won seven Grands Prix between 2014 and 2018, and though he had discussions with other teams, the Australian said it quickly became clear that Red Bull was to be his ideal destination. "For reserve talks, I did speak to Mercedes as well. It wasn't to the point where there was a contract – it didn't get that far," Ricciardo told the Beyond The Grid podcast. "But once...

McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl says he is unconcerned that the team's new driver line-up for 2023 may result in a different atmosphere and require a change in management style. After two years with a driver pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris , Ricciardo has been moved aside to make way for rookie Oscar Piastri from 2023 onwards. Ricciardo is well-known in the F1 paddock for his cheerful demeanour, and he and Norris enjoyed a good rapport during their two years as teammates. However, Seidl dismissed concerns that a different line-up may change the team dynamic for the worse. "Each driver is different, and that could end up in a different relationship between two guys, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one or the other type of relationship is better or worse," Seidl told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "In the end, the way Lando is as a guy, [and] the way we got to know Oscar so far, I don't expect any issues there. ...

Kevin Magnussen has voiced his support for his 2022 Haas teammate Mick Schumacher , after it was revealed that the German would be replaced at the American outfit next year by Nico Hulkenberg. Schumacher leaves Haas after two seasons where he occasionally showed a good turn of speed, but blotted his copybook with several high-profile accidents that drew the ire of Team Principal Guenther Steiner. Magnussen has himself twice returned to an F1 race seat after spending a year on the sidelines, and said his own experiences showed that it is possible to come back to the sport. "It's a double-sided thing," Magnussen told media including TheFOXposts.Com . "On one hand, it's exciting, getting someone like Nico in with all his experience and capabilities. And on the other hand, I feel bad for Mick because I know how that feels, and I've been in that situation myself. "I think Mick has done a good job this year, and I like him as a person as well. I...

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff says F1's changing landscape means a repeat of his side's recent dominance will be impossible to achieve. Mercedes won all but one available championship title between 2014 and 2021, with only Max Verstappen's narrow Drivers' title win in 2021 preventing the Silver Arrows from an eight-year clean sweep. But with F1 's recently-installed budget cap and restrictions on wind tunnel time preventing the sport's bigger teams from fully flexing their financial muscles, Wolff says a similar lengthy domination from one team is unlikely. "I think you just need to play a better game than the others," Wolff told media including TheFOXposts.Com . "It's a relative com Pet ition, and we know who our com Pet itors are today, there will be others tomorrow and after tomorrow because of the cost cap limits that have been set, and this is what the sport should be, not one team, not three, but maybe five [in title co...

Esteban Ocon says he is sure Mick Schumacher will return to the Formula 1 grid at some point, after the German was dropped by Haas following two seasons with the American outfit. Despite scoring his first ever championship points during 2022, Schumacher scored only 12 to 25 for teammate Kevin Magnussen over the course of the season, and drew the ire of team boss Guenther Steiner after suffering several high-profile and costly accidents. Shortly before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was announced that Haas would replace Schumacher with F1 returnee Nico Hulkenberg for 2023. Ocon himself spent a year on F1 's sidelines in 2019 after he was dropped by Force India before return ing in 2020 with Renault, and the Frenchman drew on his own experience to suggest that Schumacher would be able to make a comeback to the sport. Viewed by others: ...

Formula 1 are aiming to modify the regulations on shortened races, following the confusing conclusion to the Max Verstappen's title challenge. When Verstappen crossed the line at Suzuka in the rain-shortened race, it was assumed that he was not the 2022 Formula 1 World Champion. Even after Charles Leclerc copped a five-second time penalty by cutting the final chicane on that last lap and gaining an advantage that would drop him to third and promote Sergio Perez, it was still not enough. As the race had not reached 75% of its scheduled distance needed for full points to kick in following the two-hour rain delay, the expectation was that the sliding scale of reduced points would be referred to - this having been refined in the aftermath of the abandoned 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. It was believed that Verstappen would be left one point short of the total he required to seal the title and that the coronation would roll on to the United States two weeks later. However, a q...