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Martin Brundle believes that Max Verstappen has gained little from his public refusal to obey team orders at the Brazilian Grand Prix. In the closing stages of the Interlagos race, Verstappen, who had recovered from an earlier clash with Lewis Hamilton, set his sights on challenging Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc ahead, who were running fifth and fourth. With the Dutchman unable to make further progress, he was instructed to concede his sixth place to Sergio Perez, who was running behind, to aid his teammate's battle for P2 in the Drivers' Championship. Verstappen refused the order , and made a public outburst on team radio that he was to never be asked to let Perez by again, adding "I gave my reasons", suggesting a long-standing cause for the refusal. Viewed by others: ...

Red Bull Racing head into the season finale having amassed 16 wins from 21 races in a dominant 2022 season. Max Verstappen wrapped up the Drivers' title at the Japanese Grand Prix, while the Constructors' Championship was secured in the United States - Red Bull's first championship 'double' since the 2013 season. However, for all the dominance shown by the team this year, there is one Mercedes record from the turbo-hybrid era that Red Bull will fall just short of nicking for themselves. Red Bull to miss Mercedes' points record In 2016, Mercedes scored a record 765 points in the Constructors' Championship - winning 19 races from 21 as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg enjoyed a tussle for the Drivers' title. That was an average of 36.42 points per race in an era without sprint races or bonus points for fastest lap. The maximum number of points available f...

Red Bull Racing have defended Max Verstappen 's actions during the Brazilian Grand Prix, and ' accept ed' the Dutchman's reasoning for the team order refusal. The Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez endured a controversial ending to the Brazilian GP. Verstappen refused to obey a team order to allow Perez to pass, with the Dutchman adding that he had his ' reasons ' for not allowing the overtake, which is believed to relate to an intentional crash for Perez at the Monaco GP. In a statement released ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Red Bull claimed that they gave Verstappen little warning about any team orders, and "accept" the Dutchman's reasons for not obeying the order. "As a team we made some mistakes in Brazil. We had not envisaged the situation that unfolded on the last lap and we had not agreed a strategy for such a scenario before the race," the statement read. "Regretfully, Max was only informed ...

Max Verstappen has condemned the reporting of the Red Bull's team order s controversy , claiming the media don't have "the full picture". The drama surrounding Verstappen's refusal to obey a team order spilled over into Abu Dhabi, when Dutchman again did not elaborate on the reasons behind his decision. Red Bull released a statement ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix effectively taking responsibility for the situation, whilst condemning abuse directed towards their drivers, and their relatives. When quizzed on the controversy, Verstappen was critical of the reporting of the incident, along with the abusive messages in the aftermath. "After that race, I looked very bad in the media, but also they didn't have the clear picture," Verstappen told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "To immediately put me down like that is pretty ridiculous to be honest, because they don't know how I work within the team and what the team appreciate...

Sergio Perez has denied crash ing "on purpose " in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying to hinder Formula 1 teammate Max Verstappen , saying "everyone makes mistakes." Suggestions that Perez did deliberately crash during the second Q3 laps in Monaco has been rife this week after Verstappen refused to let Perez through in Brazil to aid in his push for P2 in the Drivers' Championship, saying he "had his reasons." It stems from Perez spinning at Portier during the session and blocking the track, causing a red flag and early end to the fight for pole, with the Mexican taking third as a result and Verstappen's potential pole lap being abandoned and leaving him fourth. Come race day, a bungled strategy from Ferrari allowed Perez to undercut both cars and inherit the lead as Verstappen came home third. And when asked if he had crashed deliberately, Perez rejected the claim. ...

Sergio Perez has admitted that he regret s his comments that were aimed at Max Verstappen in the aftermath of Red Bull's team orders controversy. Following Verstappen's refusal to let Perez by for P6 in the Brazilian GP, the Mexican responded by saying on the team radio that everybody would see Verstappen for 'who he really is'. Perez was just as frustrated in the media sessions after the race, adding that he believed he deserved more from Verstappen after playing the role of 'number two' driver in his time with Red Bull. Speaking ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Perez was asked by RacingNews365 whether or not he would retract his Brazil radio comments if he could. "Yes, obviously Formula 1 is a very emotional sport, and there is no other sport where you can hear yourself live, it's only in Formula 1 that this happens," Perez responded. "There are a lot of emotions going on in a lot of things that you say. "I obv...

It's the final weekend of the 2022 season as F1 returns to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. After several drivers handed their cars over to rookies in Free Practice 1, those names will be back in action for Free Practice 2 as preparations begin for the weekend ahead. Below you will find our dedicated live blog and live timing hub; the times refresh automatically during the session, so you are always up to date. In the blog, we will provide you with the latest developments during FP2 in Abu Dhabi. You can easily switch between live timing and the live blog via the tabs. Free practice 2 - Abu Dhabi Live blog Live timing ...

Daniel Ricciardo will make a return to Red Bull as their third driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season. Ricciardo, who will depart from McLaren after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, was confirmed by Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko following FP1 to Sky Germany . While Max Verstappen is on a multi-year contract with the team and Sergio Perez's runs until 2024, Ricciardo has said that he was looking at a reserve role for 2023 to work on options for the following year. The Australian made his debut with Red Bull during the 2014 season, having spent two years at junior team Toro Rosso. He spent five seasons with the team before making a switch to Renault in 2019, then subsequently McLaren in 2021. Despite taking the team's first win since 2012 at last year's Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo has not met McLaren's performance expectations throughout 2022. Even though Ricciardo will take up the third driver role, Liam Lawson is expected to be the reserve driver for both A...

Max Verstappen led from George Russell and Charles Leclerc during Free Practice 2 for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver jumped back into the car, having given it up to Liam Lawson during FP1 due to the rules regarding running rookie drivers during the year. Verstappen was straight on the pace, setting a lap time that was 0.341 seconds quicker than Russell and a further 0.453s faster than Leclerc. The Ferrari driver set the early pace from Esteban Ocon and Russell on the Mediums, with Lewis Hamilton also looking set to join the top three after going fastest in FP1. But a block from Kevin Magnussen on his initial run meant Hamilton only had one attempt on the Mediums, which was only good enough for seventh quickest initially. He later improved to fourth fastest , having switched to the Soft tyre, ahead of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. Viewed by others: ...

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has backtracked on claims that Daniel Ricciardo is set to return to the team as a reserve driver in 2023. Ricciardo has lost his spot on the grid for next season after poor performances at McLaren, and could not find an alternative. He has explored options at Mercedes and Red Bull for a reserve and third driver position, with the latter deemed the most likely destination, having raced there between 2014 and 2018. On Friday in Abu Dhabi, Marko appeared to confirm on Sky Germany that the deal was done for Ricciardo to shadow Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but now says this is not the case. "I said if we take him as a third driver. The 'if' was lost," he explained to Motorsport Magazine. "We are talking to him but nothing has been signed yet." As for the race weekend in Abu Dhabi, Marko believes things will be a "bit closer in qualifying" but expects Red Bull to hold an advantage in the race, with Vers...

Max Verstappen has praised Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson after the young driver took the wheel of his car during Free Practice 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With several teams taking their final opportunity of the season to run a rookie driver in the session, Lawson was amongst those to hit the Yas Marina Circuit as Friday's action got underway. The New Zealand-born driver put in 22 laps during the hour and recorded the fifth fastest time, one place behind fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez. While Verstappen had to watch on from the sidelines as Lawson drove his car, the World Champion was impressed by the job that his stand- in did. Verstappen went on to top the timesheets in FP2 with his RB18. Verstappen praises Lawson "I'm really happy with how that session went, I think the car came together well," Verstappen said after the final practice hour of the day. ...

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem says Formula 1 's governing body would be open to investigating Sergio Perez 's Monaco Grand Prix qualifying crash - but a complaint needs to be lodged first. Perez's crash during Q3 in the Principality has come under renewed focus this week after claims this was the reason teammate Max Verstappen refused team orders to allow Perez past in Brazil. Verstappen is believed to have felt Perez did this deliberately as he could not improve on his own lap, with the Dutchman on a much faster time. Perez's out-qualifying Verstappen was key to his win in the race - but flatly denied the claim when asked by TheFOXposts.Com if he had crashed on purpose. And FIA boss ben Sulayem says the FIA will investigate - but that it will not intervene unless an official complaint is forthcoming. Viewed by others: ...

It's the final weekend of the 2022 season as F1 returns to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes led a 1-2 in Friday's opening practice session, while Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in Free Practice 2. Who will have the momentum today ahead of qualifying? Below you will find our dedicated live blog and live timing hub; the times refresh automatically during the session, so you are always up to date. In the blog, we will provide you with the latest developments during FP3 in Abu Dhabi. You can easily switch between live timing and the live blog via the tabs. Free practice 3 - Abu Dhabi Live blog Live timing ...

Sergio Perez was the quickest driver in final practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ahead of teammate Max Verstappen . The Red Bull driver was 0.152 seconds faster than Verstappen after setting a lap time late in the session on a set of Soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton was third quickest and a further 0.240s back, but faces a potential grid drop after failing to slow under red flag conditions. Both Mercedes drivers set the early pace on the Soft tyres, while Ferrari sent their drivers out on Medium tyres for their initial laps. By the end of the session they were slower than Lando Norris, with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc six tenths off the pace in P6 and P7. Leclerc reported that he was suffering a lot from poor tyre grip, saying to the team over the radio: "The front [tyres] are gone after four corners." Alex Albon put in a late lap on the Softs to round out the top 10, in a strong showing for the Williams driver ahead of qualifying. ...

Christian Horner believes that Red Bull have learned from their " mistakes " following the team orders controversy involving Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Verstappen refused to let Perez by on the final lap of the race when asked by the team, with the Dutchman stating over the radio: "I gave my reasons and I stand by it." In response, Perez said over his own radio that the incident would show "who he really is" in reference to Verstappen, though later admitted that he regretted his remarks. Horner was quizzed about the situation ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and acknowledged that it had been an "unfortunate situation". Horner assesses 'root cause' of problem in Brazil "I think the root cause of the problem was, we'd never envisaged being in a situation [of] being in the final few laps in sixt...

Max Verstappen will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the front of the pack after claiming pole position in the final qualifying session of the year. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez secured P2, ahead of Charles Leclerc in third, while Carlos Sainz will line up in fourth. Lewis Hamilton clinched fifth, with George Russell in sixth and Lando Norris seventh. Esteban Ocon, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo complete the top 10. Perez narrowly missed out on provisional pole at the end of the first runs following a slight wobble, while Verstappen posted the fastest time ahead of Sainz. Vettel completed just one flying lap in the session for his final F1 qualifying before his impending retirement. Ricciardo, meanwhile, will take a three-place grid drop after being found at fault for a collision with Kevin Magnussen last time out in Brazil. Result Qualifi...