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If Sainz is not able to race Oliver Bearman is once again scheduled to be the Maranello team’s reserve in Melbourne, alongside his F2 duties. Sainz felt unwell in the early part of the Jeddah event and on Friday morning it was confirmed that he had appendicitis and would have to miss the race, giving Bearman a chance to make his sensational F1 debut. Sainz had an operation immediately but still managed to attend Saturday's race, albeit walking with extreme care. He flew back to Europe on Sunday. All efforts are now focused on getting him fit for the next race in Australia. “This I don't know, honestly,” said Vasseur when asked after the Jeddah race about Sainz’s potential return . “The recovery so far is amazing, the fact he was able to come today to be with the team is a very good sign, and a very good support for us. “Now, he will fly back with me tomorrow [Sunday] and he will have one week of complete rest, and we will take a decision on ...

Lewis Hamilton says he has no regrets about the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he return s nearly one year later for the Formula 1 season-finale. Hamilton was locked level on points with title rival Max Verstappen heading into the final race last season, on the cusp of winning a record-breaking eighth World Championship. He was seemingly all set to do that, holding an 11-second lead over Verstappen with a handful of laps to run, until Nicholas Latifi's crash brought out the Safety Car. Race Director Michael Masi allowed some, but not all cars to overtake, clearing those between the two rivals for a one lap shootout many felt should not have counted as the Safety Car should have stayed out an extra lap. In any case, Verstappen overtook Hamilton on much fresher tyres to snatch the title on the final lap. One year later, Hamilton says he has no qualms about returning to Yas Marina. ...

Lewis Hamilton set the pace during Free Practice 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in a session featuring several rookie drivers. Hamilton hit the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:26.633 on the Soft tyre, while Mercedes teammate George Russell was two tenths of a second back in P2. Charles Leclerc claimed third, ahead of Sergio Perez in fourth. Liam Lawson – at the wheel of Max Verstappen's Red Bull – took P5, and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top six in his final F1 weekend ahead of retirement. Verstappen and Carlos Sainz were amongst the drivers sitting out the session, with many teams taking their final opportunity of the season to run a young driver in FP1. Result Free practice 1 - Abu Dhabi Pos. Driver Team Time ...

Nico Hulkenberg admits that the physical challenge of his return to F1 at post-season testing was " tough ". The German will return to the grid in 2023 with Haas, having last raced full-time in the sport for the Renault team back in 2019, though he has since made substitute appearances in 2020 and 2021 for drivers forced to miss races due to COVID-19. Ahead of his comeback, Hulkenberg got behind the wheel in Abu Dhabi for a test held just two days after the 2022 season finale. He ended the day with 110 laps under his belt, and claimed the 19th fastest time on the timesheets of the 24 drivers to have taken part. Hulkenberg achieved 'target' in test Hulkenberg was left feeling positive after his experience at testing. "Good days of work, good days of running," the 35-year-old told media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "[We] collected many impressions, a...

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...

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...

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: ...

Sergio Perez has denied feeling any extra pressure from Daniel Ricciardo's return to Red Bull as a reserve driver. Following his exit from McLaren, Ricciardo was left without a race seat for the 2023 F1 season and opted to rejoin his former team, though has voiced hopes of a return to the grid in 2024. Perez is contracted to the squad until the end of 2024, while teammate Max Verstappen holds a long-term deal taking him through until the end of 2028, so an opportunity for Ricciardo at Red Bull does not appear to be on the cards. Despite this, Perez acknowledges that there is always pressure in Formula 1, but insists that he is not worried by Ricciardo's arrival at the team. Perez welcomes Ricciardo's Red Bull return "I'm very relaxed," Perez told Sky Sports F1 at a Red Bull demo run in Milton Keynes when asked about Ricciardo's return to Red Bull. "We...

Honda have taken a step towards a possible F1 return by registering interest with the FIA for the 2026 engine rules. The manufacturer officially exited the sport at the end of 2021 to focus on electrification, but agreed to continue to provide technical assistance to the Red Bull Powertrains department with the current power units being raced by Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Due to the success of the partnership, the initial technical agreement – which had provided for support until the end of 2023 – was extended until the end of 2025 over the summer. Red Bull Powertrains are set to manufacture their own power units in line with new engine regulations set to be introduced in 2026. However, speculation over a possible Honda return increased after plans for a Red Bull and Porsche partnership for 2026 fell through. As TheFOXposts.Com previously revealed, up to seven brands could enter the championship under next-gen regulations after the deadline was extended to mid-November,...

On Monday RacingNews365 revealed that Juss Events, promoter of the Chinese Grand Prix, is intent on hosting a 2023 edition of the race on the original date of 16th April. According to sources, the go-ahead to negotiate for the return of the event with Formula One Management was granted during a high-level meeting, convened today in Shanghai. RacingNews365 understands that the meeting was chaired by Chinese Communist Party Secretary and Member of the Politburo Chen Jining, who plans to showcase the Grand Prix as a return to sporting normality and international acceptance for the country. China lifts all travel restrictions after a ‘hard’ COVID lockdown on 8th January, and the event would mark the first major event in the country since the Winter Olympics in 2022. Jining’s blessing paves the way for Juss Events to approach FOM with a government-backed proposal, which would be difficult to counter given that the April date is still open. However, FOM is believed to be conc...

Nico Hulkenberg says his full-time break from racing in Formula 1 has given him a "changed perspective" as he prepares to return with Haas in 2023. Hulkenberg replaced Mick Schumacher at Haas to secure a permanent return to Grand Prix racing after losing his Renault seat at the end of 2019. The German has been a reserve driver for Racing Point and Aston Martin since 2020, subbing in for the COVID-stricken Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel at times. However, given Haas's desire to develop into solid midfield contenders, boss Guenther Steiner felt he was a better option than retaining incumbent Schumacher alongside Kevin Magnussen. Hulkenberg at 35 years old believes that he is now in a better place having had time to reflect since leaving Renault. © Haas F1 ...