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Lewis Hamilton has reacted to losing his record of achieving a win in every season of his F1 career after his retirement from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After George Russell secured Mercedes ' first victory of the season last time out in Brazil, the race at the Yas Marina Circuit offered Hamilton his final chance to take the top spot of the podium following a difficult campaign for the team. Despite showing good pace early in the race, Hamilton struggled as proceedings went on and was eventually forced to retire with a mechanical issue in the latter stages, marking the team's first mechanical failure of 2022. This also meant that the seven-time World Champion had failed to win a race all season for the first time in Formula 1. Hamilton kept hoping for first win While 2022 had its ups and downs for Hamilton, the Briton insists that he never stopped hoping for a debut win. "...

Logan Sargeant has been confirmed as Williams ' second driver for the 2023 season , taking the final seat on the grid. The American driver was already unveiled as Williams' intended driver for 2023 but was made to complete the Formula 2 season and wait to be officially announced as an F1 driver for next season. Junior drivers must acquire enough qualifying points to obtain a superlicence in order to race in Formula 1. Having earned 30 superlicence points through his junior career and FP1 outings, Sargeant went into the final F2 weekend in Abu Dhabi needing just P6 in the Drivers' Championship to reach the 40-point threshold for earning a superlicence. A finish of P6 in the Sprint race and a P5 in the Feature race secured P4 overall in the Drivers' standings, which completed the final hurdle in his quest for an F1 drive . Sargeant, the first American driver in F1 since Alexander Rossi in 2015, will replace Nicholas Latifi and race alongside Alex Albon f...

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 ...

Lewis Hamilton does not feel that 2022 was his toughest season in F1, though acknowledges that it is probably in the "top three" of his hardest years. The campaign marked the first time in the Briton's Formula 1 career that he has not recorded a race win, with his best result being second place which he achieved at five Grands Prix. His final position of sixth in the World Championship was also his lowest placing so far. However, this does not mean that Hamilton considers the season as his worst in the sport. Viewed by others: Christian Horner Horner: Red Bull have felt Mercedes ’ pain Martin Brundl...

Robert Kubica says it would "not be a surprise" if he were not to be part of a Formula 1 team in 2023. Pole Kubica has been the Alfa Romeo reserve driver since leaving Williams at the end of 2019 - and as part of a sponsor deal with the team, has taken part in free practice sessions as well as subbing for a COVID-positive Kimi Raikkonen in Holland and Italy '21. However, the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix said in Abu Dhabi that he felt his time in F1 was coming to an end - and has put a statement out on social media. "I finish the 2022 season with a good feeling, but it would not be a surprise if I no longer get a seat as an official driver in Formula 1 anymore," Kubica wrote on Twitter. He had fought back from horrendous injuries in a 2011 rally accident to undergo test in '17 with Renault and moved to Williams in '18 as a reserve driver before being promoted to partner rookie George Russell in '19 as Williams endured a troubled campaign ...

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...

Toto Wolff has explained how Mercedes changed Formula 1 car concept during the 2022 season but that it was hidden. Mercedes entered 2022 having won the last eight consecutive Constructors' Championships, and were the only team in F1 History to maintain their winning run across regulations change s, doing so in 2017. However, the change to the ground-effect machinery for 2022 tripped the team up with a fundamental floor issue going undetected until well into the season. Outwardly, the team stuck with its 'zero sidepod' philosophy while the likes of Williams abandoned this for a design philosophy similar to Red Bull's. Despite this, Wolff has revealed that the Mercedes team 'changed car concept' during the current campaign. Wolff on car concept change Wolff has previously stated that the W14 of 2023 will have different "DNA" to its predecessor as Merc...

Pirelli is completing extensive tests in the run up to the 2023 Formula 1 season, with the help of seven of the 10 teams on the grid. The Italian tyre-maker previously completed milage with all the teams at the Abu Dhabi post- season test with all the dry tyres, including a new 'C1' compound set to be introduced in 2023. Last weekend Alfa Romeo completed laps at Paul Ricard testing both the Intermediate and Rain tyres, while Ferrari is completing wet tyre tests on Tuesday and Wednesday at Marinello with Carlos Sainz taking to the wheel today. AlphaTauri will complete a test later this month at Portimao, testing the dry weather compound tyres. You must accept cookies to view this content You have not currently accepted all necessary cookies. You can change your cookie preferences here . Do you keep seeing this message? Disable ...

Pirelli is completing extensive tests in the run up to the 2023 Formula 1 season , with the help of seven of the 10 teams on the grid. The Italian tyre-maker previously completed milage with all the teams at the Abu Dhabi post- season test with all the dry tyres, including a new 'C1' compound set to be introduced in 2023. Last weekend Alfa Romeo completed laps at Paul Ricard testing both the Intermediate and Rain tyres, while Ferrari is completing wet tyre tests on Tuesday and Wednesday at Marinello with Carlos Sainz taking to the wheel today. AlphaTauri will complete a test later this month at Portimao, testing the dry weather compound tyres. You must accept cookies to view this content You have not currently accepted all necessary cookies. You can change your cookie preferences here . Do you keep seeing this message? Disa...

The FIA has banned a front wing design introduced by Mercedes during the 2022 Formula 1 season . The wing, which was not raced, was part of an upgrade package the team brought to the United States Grand Prix as they worked to try and find solutions to the problems with their W13 machine. Featuring new slot-gap generators, it was suggested that it could give an aerodynamic performance boost - namely the out-washing of air. While these slot-gap generators were allowed, they had to be for mechanical, structural or measurement reasons, with the FIA tightening up the rules in this area to avoid uncertainty. Mercedes were able to develop the design, with support of the FIA, after old wording in the technical regulations simply said the slot gap generators had to "connect consecutive" profiles of the front wing. The revised rules state that a "structural connection" between consecutive profiles is now required. The team did run the wing (which can be see...

F1 Academy cars have hit the track for the first time ahead of the category's debut season getting underway. The 15 drivers and five teams set to compete in Formula 1's all-female driver category – which aims to help in preparing young female drivers to progress through the ranks of motorsport – are taking part in a two-day test session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 11-12 April. Footage released on social media shows the number 2 car of Campos Racing's Lola Lovinfosse leaving the pits to take to the circuit. Other clips have also been shared from behind the scenes, with former W Series driver Abbi Pulling seen getting behind the wheel of her Rodin Carlin machine. The test will offer the teams and drivers a final chance to prepare ahead of the inaugural F1 Academy season beginning its seven-round schedule in Spielberg, Austria on the weekend of 28-29 April. From there, the category will race in locations such as Valencia, Zandvoort and Monza bef...

Alex Albon has targeted the circuit characteristics that will suit Williams in their quest for F1 point s this season . The Grove-based outfit has made an impressive start to the new campaign as it fights back from a lacklustre effort last year, with Albon securing a point in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite signs of pace in Saudi Arabia and Australia, the Thai-British driver has failed to add to his tally whilst rookie teammate Logan Sargeant has struggled to pair promising pace with consistency. Albon was running well at Albert Park having qualified in the top 10, only to crash out early in the race in an accident Team Principal James Vowles explained was triggered by a chain reaction of events. Addressing the strong pace shown by the Williams FW45 across the opening three events of the year, Albon pointed to specific conditions that suited his machinery. Viewed by others: ...

AlphaTauri 's Yuki Tsunoda has highlighted how his change in Formula 1 " mindset " has evolved during his second season in Grand Prix racing. After a strong start to his career in 2021, Tsunoda faded throughout the mid-part of his rookie campaign, but rounded it off with a strong fourth in Abu Dhabi. He partnered Pierre Gasly once again at the Faenza-based squad for '22, a season where he would have been hoping for further progress. It proved to be a difficult campaign for the team as the AT03 was overweight and lacked downforce, slipping to ninth in the Constructors' as Tsunoda only scored points in four races - and only once after the Spanish Grand Prix, the sixth round of the season. However, the Japanese racer - who will be joined by Nyck de Vries in 2023 - has explained how he himself has evolved and improved throughout his second season. Viewed by ot...

From fantastic wheel-to-wheel racing on track to political controversy off it, the 2022 Formula 1 season had it all. It was a virtuoso performance from World Champion Max Verstappen to secure his second crown with 15 wins from 22 races as he rewrote the record books and cemented himself as the new 'Man to Beat' in Grand Prix racing as Red Bull prised the Constructors' Championship away from Mercedes after eight years. Meanwhile in the paddock, there was wrangling over Red Bull spending too much and breaking the cost cap, receiving a substantial penalty and a lot of furore over a driver, who at the time, had never driven in an official session. TheFOXposts.Com's Jake Nichol and Rory Mitchell have rounded up some of the biggest stories of the year - starting with the retirement of an all-time great which triggered a silly-season the likes of which was never seen. Seba...

Aston Martin have shared a video to welcome Fernando Alonso to the team for 2023. Following the New Year celebrations, the British squad opted to mark the occasion by sharing a short clip of Alonso putting on an Aston Martin cap and announcing himself to the camera. It was confirmed back in July that the two-time World Champion would replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel for the 2023 season, where he will partner Lance Stroll as the team look to continue their progression. Alonso went on to test for Aston Martin at the 2022 post- season testing in Abu Dhabi. Watch the video below! You must accept cookies to view this content You have not currently accepted all necessary cookies. You can change your cookie preferences here . Do you keep seeing this message? Disable any installed browser extensions or try another web bro...

After two years of Covid-driven chaos, 2022 was the year that saw Formula 1 return to (semi)-normality. I say "semi" as the year opened to a continuation of mask-wearing across the paddock and bans on media in team hospitalities except by invitation. Plus, it was a given that one or two races would be cancelled as host countries such as China persisted with Travel restrictions. The year was, of course, the first in over a decade under a new FIA President - Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem - who obviously pursued a different path to that of predecessor Jean Todt. Indeed, that became clear when the FIA released its report into the fiasco that was Abu Dhabi 2021 - a debacle inherited from the previous regime – and MBS’s refusal to be pushed by F1 into signing off a doubling in sprint races to six. However, the biggest change by some distance was to F1’s regulations: primarily Technical and Sporting, although the effects of the Financial Regulations introduced in 2021 ...