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Fernando Alonso has unveiled a tribute helmet to former Formula 1 rival Sebastian Vettel ahead of his final race in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Vettel is retiring this weekend after a 15 year career that yielded 53 wins (and counting?) and four World Championships in 299 starts. Two of his titles were claimed in final race showdowns against Alonso in 2010 and 2012, beating him by four and three points, respectively to the crowns. In the last race, Alonso will sport a special helmet featuring Vettel's use of the German flag tricolour among his usual design. In an Instagram post, Alonso wrote: "Danke Seb, One last time sharing the track with you, It will be emotional and sad at the same time, but I wish you all the best for your next chapter." You must accept cookies to view this content You have not currently accepted all necessary cookies....

Fernando Alonso has revealed his main target for his final race with Alpine at Abu Dhabi. The team are fighting for P4 in the Constructors' Championship with McLaren, with just 19 points between them following a strong finish from Alpine in Brazil. Alonso anticipates that it will be difficult to repeat their performance at Sao Paulo, but hopes to finish on a high after suffering from poor reliability throughout the year. "I think it has been up and down a little bit for us in terms of performance, but also reliability has been our weakest point," Alonso told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "So, let's see if we can finish the season on a high and with a good result here. About how competitive we can be, I don't think that we can repeat the Brazil performance." Viewed by others: ...

Fernando Alonso will aim to "take care" of Sebastian Vettel in the four-time World Champion's final Formula 1 race in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alonso – who is sporting a Vettel tribute helmet this weekend – qualified 11th at the Yas Marina Circuit, with old rival Vettel ninth for his 299th and final Grand Prix start before retirement. However, as Daniel Ricciardo is set for a three-place grid drop for colliding with Kevin Magnussen in Brazil, it promotes Alonso to 10th, meaning that he will share the fifth row of the grid with Vettel. The two-time World Champion says he hopes to be able to protect Vettel during the race. Alonso on Vettel "I was very happy," Alonso explained to media, including TheFOXposts.Com , after qualifying. "It's not that we tried to help him, but we are trying to have an eye on him, when we see him in the mirror or when he...

With teams and drivers having a day of rest following the season finale, Abu Dhabi now plays host to a one-day test. The test will be primarily used for trialling the new Pirelli compounds, which will be used for the 2023 season . However, several teams will also take the opportunity to run their newly-recruited 2023 driver s, with pre season testing opportunities limited ahead of the opening race in Bahrain. Teams will run two cars each: one for the regular race drivers, and one designated for a 'rookie' driver, defined as an eligible driver with fewer than two Grands Prix experience. McLaren, AlphaTauri and Williams will use the opportunity to run their incoming inexperienced drivers (Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant respectively) in the rookie-designated cars. It's also a chance for Alpine, Aston Martin and Haas to run their incoming experienced drivers (Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg). Many of the regular driver s will ...

Esteban Ocon has admitted his satisfaction at becoming the fourth Formula 1 driver to beat Fernando Alonso over the course of a season after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ocon entered the Yas Marina finale on 85 points to Alonso's 81 as Alpine looked to secure fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. The Frenchman held an advantage over Alonso all weekend and outqualified his two-time World Champion teammate, before enjoying a stronger race. Ocon would go onto finish eighth – after Alonso suffered yet another 2022 retirement thanks to a water leak – and also beat his teammate in the standings, finishing 11 points ahead in eighth place to Alonso's ninth. In doing this, Ocon became just the fourth teammate to ever finish ahead of Alonso, an achievement he was proud of as the Spaniard departs for Aston Martin in 2023. Teammates to have beaten Fernan...

Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer says his team deserved their fourth place finish in the 2022 F1 Constructors' Championship. Just as in 2021, the Enstone squad finished some way behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, but rose one place to fourth place in the overall standings after leapfrogging McLaren following a season-long battle. Alpine had scored an unlikely win in 2021, with Esteban Ocon's surprising but deserved victory at a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix, and though the Enstone squad did not manage a top-three finish in 2022, they still increased their overall points total to 173, up from 155 in 2021. "I think fourth is probably where we deserve to be," Szafnauer said in response to a question from TheFOXposts.Com . "We should have a [few] more points than we do – we had some reliability issues. I look forward to next year fixing those. "We should have a more reliable powertrain next year, even though some of the issues we had were...

World Champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have backed plans for the Formula 1 Academy, an initiative designed to increase female participation in single-seater racing. Announced just before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the F1 Academy will be a partially-subsided series with cars run by Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams, with Bruno Michel acting as the general manager. There are set to be seven rounds, with three races each for a total of 21 events with a further block of testing. The Academy will not feature on the F1 support package, except for what is believed to be a single Grand Prix in 2023. Additionally, it is not a direct replacement for W Series, which was forced to end its 2022 season early amid budget concerns. Hamilton – who has been vocal in his push for increased diversity and mobility within motorsport – is receptive of the concept, but still feels more needs to be done. ...

Aston Martin 's Mike Krack insists that the signing of Fernando Alonso will generate a positive ' spark ' within the team. Following Sebastian Vettel's retirement announcement earlier in the season, Alonso was swiftly confirmed as an Aston Martin driver for 2023, making the switch from Alpine. When asked about the impact Alonso would have on the Silverstone-based team, Krack pointed to an example of the 41-year-old's determination in the 2022 season. "I think with Fernando, I always hold up this picture of the Mexican Grand Prix, about his frustration of not having finished seventh," Krack explained to media, including RacingNews365 .com . "This is an example of dedication and motivation. "So, if you if you have someone with this passion and drive to win, I think it has an impact on the team, and we could clearly see that. "Everybody was really happy to have this guy in the car last Tuesday, so I think he ignited another sp...

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...

From one season to the next, one thing all Formula 1 drivers want to see is progress. Even if you are Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton and challenging for wins and titles on a regular basis, you need to see the team pushing to strain those last precious few drops of performance from your package as it might make all the difference come the final chequered flag of the season. For midfield runners with ambitions of shattering the vice-like grip Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have over both championships, progress is marked slightly differently. Gone are those wins - and at the very least the expectations of a podium every race - to be replaced with the hopes of reducing the gap to the top three teams. At the very least the 'midfielders' aim for improvements in results to be the fourth-best team on the grid, allowing them to be in pole position to snag a podium if the 'big' teams have an off day. This was the position that Esteban Ocon and Alpine found them...

Fernando Alonso insists he remains " grateful " to Alpine, despite feeling " frustration " over elements of his second year with the team. Alonso made his comeback to F1 with the French manufacturer in 2021, having pursued other categories of motorsport for the two years prior following his departure from McLaren at the end of 2018. The two-time World Champion outscored teammate Esteban Ocon during his first season with the squad, but finished behind the Frenchman in 2022. Alonso has been vocal about the reliability problems he experienced throughout the campaign, as well as criticising Ocon after they made contact during the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint race. Meanwhile, the Spaniard's announcement of his move to Aston Martin for 2023 seemed to take Alpine by surprise, leading to a much-publicised contract controversy over the services of Oscar Piastri. Despite all of this, Alonso has suggested that he will look back on his time with the team fo...

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has explained what "fascinated" the team about Fernando Alonso ahead of the Spaniard's impending arrival. It was confirmed at the start of F1 's summer break that Alonso would join the British outfit for 2023 after a two-year comeback stint with Alpine, meaning that he would replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel. Following his two World Championships in 2005 and 2006, Alonso went on to win races with the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, but has not taken a victory in the sport since 2013. In an exclusive interview with TheFOXposts.Com , Krack suggested that it would be "unfair" to judge the 41-year-old on this, and detailed the reasons why Aston Martin were keen to bring him on board. Krack 'fascinated' by Alonso's characteristics "There is more than that," Krack responded when quizzed on Alonso's lack of wi...

Fernando Alonso says this year's Australian Grand Prix will be even faster than last year's, as he seeks to make it three podium finishes in as many races in 2023. Last year's race was the first at Albert Park since 2019 after a Covid-enforced hiatus, with track changes seeing the removal of the chicane at Turns 9 and 10, creating a flat-out run from Turn 6 through to Turns 11 and 12. 2022 also saw the widening of Turns 1, 3, 6 and 13, along with the entire track being resurfaced for the first time since it was first laid in 1995. There are no new physical changes to the Albert Park track this year, but a key difference is the addition of a fourth DRS zone between Turns 6 and 11. This was set to be introduced for last year's race, but after being used during Friday practice, safety concerns saw it removed for the rest of the weekend. Viewed by others: ...

The FIA has clarified how Formula 1 drivers must serve in-race penalties following the confusion around Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia. Alonso was parked too far to the left of his grid box in Jeddah, and was hit with a five-second penalty, serving it at his sole pitstop. However, despite the penalty appearing to be correctly served, race control reported to the stewards in the closing laps that this was not the case - the rear jack appearing to touch the Aston Martin before the five-seconds had elapsed. Alonso was handed a further penalty, demoting him off the podium, but Aston later were successful in getting the decision overturned, reinstating the 100th podium of his career. A similar situation had unfolded with Alpine driver Esteban Ocon in Bahrain, with the FIA now clarifying that no equipment whatsoever must touch the car when it is serving a penalty . Viewed by others: ...

Max Verstappen has blamed Formula 1 race control's decision to use a standing restart in the Australian Grand Prix for the multi-car incident on Lap 57. Following Kevin Magnussen's wall strike and debris on the track, the race was suspended for a second time, with a two-lap shootout planned from a standing start on the grid, with Verstappen leading Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. Verstappen and Hamilton escaped unscathed but Alonso was tagged out of third, while Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries all retired in incidents at Turns 1 and 2. Post-race, speaking after his 37th career win, Verstappen was at a loss as to why the standing restart was used - in scenes similar to the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Viewed by others: nXf4ylgtz9kQu F1 n402BogioCcjSe0BY2lPbC3 Analysis Australian Grand Prix 2023 ...