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Max Verstappen "was aware" of the risk of receiving a potential Formula 1 penalty in the Spanish Grand Prix during his fastest lap push, according to Christian Horner. The Red Bull driver was on course for a Grand Chelem in Barcelona, just needing the fastest lap bonus point - which he ultimately secured with a 1:16:330 on Lap 61 of 66 - to secure the rare feat of winning from pole and leading every lap. Verstappen's dominance was so great in Spain that the only session of the weekend he did not lead was Q1 - but was on the verge of a penalty in the race after receiving a black and white flag for track limits. He was warned about this by his race engineer, but continued with the push for the extra point regardless, and Horner says Verstappen judged the risk. Viewed by others: Lewis Hamilton Hamilton confirms Merc...

Zak Brown says he wants to see McLaren fighting the so-called "top four" teams in Formula 1 by the end of 2023, but acknowledges that the squad won't be challenging them for position. McLaren have endured a slow start to 2023, with their launch MCL60 design being hobbled until a upgrade package arrived in Azerbaijan, improving the floor of the car. Lando Norris finished 'best of the rest' in Baku in ninth behind the eight cars from Red Bull, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes, and while Brown admits the team won't catch this group in the standings, he does feel catching them on track is possible. Viewed by others: McLaren McLaren bring striking 'triple crown' livery to Monaco ...

There was a period in Formula 1 where drivers struggled to remain competitive beyond their mid-30s, but Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have continued to show that it is possible past that peak and into your 40s. While this could be put down to some aspects such as F1 cars getting aids including power steering, and that the races are less about putting in qualifying laps in between refuelling stints, driving the perfect lap has now become more precise than ever. Aston Martin Performance Director Tom McCullough puts it down to Alonso's mentality and self critical nature that enables him to keep up with the rest of the grid. "I still think they're pretty tough to drive, Singapore for a couple of hours for example. I think Fernando's really hungry. He's working and training really hard," said McCullough. "When we met him at the back end of last year, we obviously worked with him in Abu Dhabi and he's so self-critical and so wants to push ...

Fernando Alonso says he will ignore Sergio Perez 's Formula 1 request of taking the start of the Miami Grand Prix easy and would "love" to lead. Perez and Alonso will share the front row for the second time this season in Miami, with the Aston Martin driver taking the lead at the start in Saudi Arabia. In Miami, Perez has a golden chance to lead the Drivers' standings for the first time with title rival and current points leader Max Verstappen only down in ninth following a mistake in qualifying and then being caught out by the Charles Leclerc red flag. Should Perez win the race, he will climb to the top of the points, regardless of what Verstappen does - but Alonso is not set to make things easy for the Red Bull driver. Viewed by others: Alpine F1 Team 'Amateurish' Alpine under attack: That is no...

Former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill says McLaren 's recent progress means the Woking squad are now at the level they should have been at from the beginning of the season. McLaren struggled badly with pace and reliability in the first two races of 2023, and admitted that they had not hit key development targets set in pre-season, with Technical Director James Key leaving his post. However, a better race at the third round in Melbourne saw drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secure a double points finish, thanks in part to a high rate of attrition. After a major upgrade package to the MCL60 was delivered, Norris came home ninth in Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix to add another two points to McLaren's tally, and Hill noted that the papaya outfit have finally caught up to their rivals. "This is where they should have started. They're four or five months behind where they should be," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "They are getting...

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has warned F1 teams they must "do a better job" in order to end Red Bull's dominant start to the sport's new technical era or else face another change in the regulations . But the Austrian, who spearheaded Mercedes' own monopolisation over Formula 1 with eight Constructors' titles between 2014 and 2021, has insisted he would not wish to pursue any tweaks to the technical regulations. Sergio Perez led Max Verstappen home for Red Bull's third one-two finish in the opening four races this campaign, with pole-sitter Charles Leclerc powerless to resist the pace of his rivals, eventually finishing 20 seconds behind in third. The form has continued from the first year of the new era of F1 in which Red Bull finished 205 points ahead of Ferrari, whilst Verstappen defeated Leclerc by 146 points. The pecking order of the chasing pack has fluctuated since the season-opener in Bahrain, with Aston Martin, Ferrari and M...

Sergio Perez claimed a second Formula 1 victory of the season in a comfortable drive in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, to eat into Max Verstappen 's points lead. The Mexican benefited from the timing of a Safety Car to leapfrog Verstappen and built a healthy gap when the race resumed, going onto claim his sixth Grand Prix victory. Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc took a first podium of the season for Ferrari in third, with Fernando Alonso fourth, Carlos Sainz fifth and Lewis Hamilton in sixth. Check out the full results from the F1 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix below! Result Race - Azerbaijan Pos. Driver Team Time Results are being loaded... View full results ...

Fernando Alonso has conceded he cannot see past an " unbreakable " Max Verstappen and Red Bull domination of F1 until new regulations are introduced in 2026. The Milton Keynes-based outfit secured both championships last season in commanding style and has shown no signs of slowing down this campaign, with Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez claiming each of the first three pole positions and victories. Asked if he was eager to take on Verstappen in on-track combat, Alonso - who has taken podiums in all three races and was Red Bull's nearest challenger in the opening two rounds of the season - warned such a battle was a distance away. "I am looking forward [to fighting Verstappen] because at the moment he is on the top of the Game . He is driving better than everyone else, he has the fastest car, everything is perfect," Alonso told select media, including TheFOXposts.Com . "So to beat that perfection, you need something really special and you...

Former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat says Max Verstappen's sustained success at Red Bull in recent years stems from the team accommodating all of his needs. Verstappen has won the past two F1 Drivers' Championships and looks well-placed to add a third title in 2023, with Red Bull's RB19 proving the class of the field. But while Kvyat acknowledged Verstappen's undoubted talent, the Russian added that the World Champion has everything at Red Bull set up exactly as he wants. "Of course, you have to give [Verstappen] credit," Kvyat told the Track Limits podcast. "He's doing an amazing job. Very strong wheel-to-wheel, probably the strongest wheel-to-wheel. "But I think everyone's beatable in certain conditions, and the team has given him everything he needs, everything he wants." After dominating in 2022, Red Bull have eased to victory in the first three races of 2023, and Kvyat alluded to several other teams looking towards ...

Daniel Ricciardo will drive a Red Bull Formula 1 car around the legendary Nurburgring Nordschleife later in 2023. The Australian rejoined the team after being dropped by McLaren for this season, with his third driver duties involving commercial responsibilities as well as playing reserve for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. As part of his role, Ricciardo will complete a number of show runs across the year, with the latest announcement confirming his participation a the Red Bull Formula Nurburgring event in September, which will help support the 12H Nurburgring. The eight-time Grand Prix winner will become the first driver to take to the Nordschleife in modern F1 machinery in a decade, following Michael Schumacher's run as part of the 24-hour event. Nick Heidfeld also completed a lap of the 'Green Hell' in 2007. Ricciardo's other duties this year include attending a number of events as Red Bull's reserve driver, as well as the potential for taking part...

Max Verstappen has given his reaction to George Russell 's claim that Red Bull are still masking their true pace. The Milton Keynes-based squad have taken victory at all three opening rounds of the 2023 F1 season, but Russell believes that there is still more to come from the championship leaders. "For sure they’re holding back," said Russell to the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "I think they are almost embarrassed to show their full potential because the faster they seem, the more that the sport is going to try and hold them back somehow." However, Verstappen has suggested that this is not the case, with the Dutchman arguing that he did not deem it necessary to push too hard and risk wearing out his tyres in Melbourne. Verstappen: No need to destroy your tyres "I think anyway, there’s nothing really they can do," Verstappen said. "I mean, we just try to do the best we can with the development of the car, but ...

Lewis Hamilton has set out the criteria by which he could know when it may be time to consider retiring from F1. The seven-time World Champion endured his most difficult season in the sport in 2022, with Mercedes struggling to match the pace of rivals Red Bull and Ferrari due to issues with the W13 car. This does not seem to have dented Hamilton's motivation, though. The Briton has previously declared that he hopes to sign a multi-year contract extension beyond his current deal, which expires at the end of 2023. Despite this, Hamilton feels he will know when it is time to think about walking away from Formula 1 . Hamilton reveals criteria for considering F1 retirement When asked if the struggles of 2022 had had any impact on his thoughts over his future in the sport, Hamilton admitted that it is "difficult to say". "If we'd had a year like [2021 in 2022...

The Zandvoort Circuit will continue to stage the Dutch Grand Prix for a further two years after securing a contract extension with Formula 1. The Dutch GP's original deal was due to expire in 2023, but the event will now run until at least the 2025 season. After having dropped off the F1 calendar back in 1985, the Dutch GP made its return to the sport in 2021, helped in part by a huge upswing in Dutch interest in F1 due to the success of World Champion Max Verstappen. The events from 2021 and 2022 were both by Verstappen, meaning he and Red Bull will be looking to maintain their 100% record in 2023. Viewed by others: Max Verstappen Why Verstappen expects a closer title fight in 2023 ...