Formula Archives

Las Vegas GP: Formula 1 confident Saturday night street race is ‘perfect’ addition to calendar

April 5, 2022 Bella

Formula 1 is adding third US race from 2023 with the Las Vegas GP, which will see cars race along the famous strip at night; 10pm local start means an early race for UK viewers but Stefano Domenicali says earlier start would be “total mistake”

Last Updated: 01/04/22 2:04pm

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David Croft is excited by the Las Vegas Grand Prix that will take place in November 2023

Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali says holding the Las Vegas Grand Prix on a Saturday night is the “perfect time” and is confident that a third race in the United States will only boost the sport’s popularity.

F1 confirmed on Wednesday that from 2023 they will be racing in Las Vegas, with the famous Strip forming a unique backdrop for a street race that will see cars speed past the sights at around 212mph.

In a break from Sunday’s race day tradition, the Grand Prix is set to take place on a Saturday night in November, at 10pm local time.

“I think that is a perfect time and a perfect slot for that event in this context,” said Domenicali, the sport’s CEO and president.

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Following the news that Las Vegas will host a F1 Grand Prix from 2023, Formula 1 drivers reacted to the new night race. Credit: F1 Twitter

That slot means a potential 5 or 6am start time for UK fans, although Domenicali insisted that having the race at

Max Verstappen: Formula 1 world champion agrees new long-term deal with Red Bull

March 12, 2022 Bella

Max Verstappen’s new deal, which is expected to be announced by the end of the week, will take him close to his 30th birthday and net him around £40m a year, putting him on par with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton; world champion begins title defence in Bahrain on March 20

Last Updated: 03/03/22 6:17am

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has agreed a new multi-year contract with Red Bull with a signing announcement expected before the end of the week, Sky Sports News understands.

The new agreement will take the 24-year-old close to his 30th birthday and earn him just over £40m a year, putting him on par with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen claimed his first world championship title in 2021 after edging out seven-time champion Hamilton in a controversial finish at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.

The Dutchman, whose current deal with Red Bull expires in 2023, will begin his title defence on March 20 when the 2022 season gets under way in Bahrain.

Verstappen’s new contract will prevent Mercedes from targeting him as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton should the Briton retire at the end of his current deal in 2023.

Don’t miss Duel on Sky Sports!

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From the amazing battles to that finale and the controversial aftermath, get ready for the Sky Original ‘Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen’ airing this Saturday

The story of Verstappen and Hamilton’s fascinating title tussle last season will be charted in an original two-part Sky Sports documentary airing on Sky Sports Main

Formula 1 terminates Russian GP contract in wake of Ukraine invasion

March 9, 2022 Bella

F1 had already cancelled 2022 race but now confirm there will be no Russian GP moving forward; Grand Prix was due to move from Sochi to St Petersburg in 2023

Last Updated: 03/03/22 12:05pm

Formula 1 has terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix and the country will not have a race in the future.

The 2022 race scheduled to take place in Sochi in September had already been cancelled in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but F1 has now confirmed that there will not be Grands Prix in the country moving forward.

It means F1 will no longer shift from Sochi to St Petersburg as planned in 2023. The Russian GP was due to head to Igora Drive from next season, with a contract until 2025.

It is understood that the decision to end the Russian GP deal was made last week following a meeting between F1, the FIA and team bosses.

Sport around the world has been cutting ties with Russia, with the International Paralympic Committee the latest to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, meaning they will not take part in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.

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IPC President Andrew Parsons confirms that both Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from competing at the 2022 Paralympics after they reversed their decision following an outcry from other competing nations

On Thursday, Motorsport UK announced Russian-licenced drivers have been banned from competing in the United Kingdom.

It means Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, the sole Russian driver on the F1 grid, will not be able

Nikita Mazepin: Russian Formula 1 driver barred from British Grand Prix after Motorsport UK decision

March 6, 2022 Bella

Russian Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin will be unable to compete at the British Grand Prix

Russian Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin will be barred from competing at the British Grand Prix, after Motorsport UK announced their response to the situation in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Haas driver Mazepin looked likely to be allowed to compete in F1 this season after the FIA confirmed Russian and Belarusian drivers could race under a neutral flag.

But chair of Motorsport UK, David Richards CBE, along with the board of the organisation confirmed in a statement on Wednesday Mazepin would not be able to race at Silverstone on July 3 unless the situation changes.

“The entire Motorsport UK community condemns the acts of war by Russia and Belarus in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity and support towards all those affected by the ongoing conflict.” Richards said.

Mazepin joined Haas for the 2021 season on a multi-year deal

“We stand united with the people of Ukraine and the motorsport community following the invasion and the unacceptable actions that have unfolded. This is a time for the international motorsport community to act and show support for the people of Ukraine and our colleagues at the Federation Automobile d’Ukraine (FAU).”

FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem said in a statement on Tuesday: “The FIA is watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and I hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.

“We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine.”

In the statement, the FIA added: “Russian/Belarusian drivers, individual competitors and officials to participate in international/zone competitions only in their neutral capacity and under the ‘FIA flag’, subject to specific commitment and adherence to the FIA’s principles of

Formula 1: Haas kickstart revolutionary 2022 era with first look at new car and livery

February 11, 2022 Bella

Haas become the first team to reveal images of the 2022 car ahead of physical reveal at first pre-season test; Team stick to white-based livery from last year but big changes to car clear to see; New rules focused on improving racing with overhauled aerodynamics

By Matt Morlidge

Last Updated: 04/02/22 6:01pm

Haas have provided a first look at the all-new Formula 1 cars by unveiling their livery for the 2022 season, as the sport prepares for a shake-up amid the dramatic regulation changes.

The new F1 rules – introduced to help closer, more competitive and exciting racing – have been described as the biggest technical overhaul in 40 years, and Haas became the first team to release images of a 2022 design on Friday.

While not a physical reveal, with the American team’s challenger expected to look different when it hits the track, the renders do highlight the aesthetic changes and the overhauled aerodynamics, with a new floor, wings and 18-inch tyres the big changes.

Haas are set for an official unveiling of their car before the first morning of pre-season testing, just as they have done since joining the grid in 2016.

They have an unchanged driver line-up for this year, retaining Mick Schumacher – son of F1 legend Michael – and Nikita Mazepin, who joined the team as rookies last season.

Haas kick off F1 launches with ‘dramatically different’ look

The new rules offer all teams a clean slate to redesign their cars and reshape their fortunes, and Haas in particular will be looking to take advantage of that opportunity.

The team suffered their worst F1 season last year, finishing 10th and last in the standings and failing to score a single point in a car that was barely upgraded from 2020.

Haas have, however, been openly

Lewis Hamilton turns 37: Formula 1 world awaits update on future as Mercedes driver tipped to return for eighth title after Toto Wolff retirement hint

January 10, 2022 Bella

Will Lewis Hamilton be back to chase a record-breaking eighth world title?

Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 37th birthday on Friday as puppeteer to an F1 community sitting cross-legged and eager-eyed in anxious wait of an update on his future, with clamour for resolution testament to a sport that needs its record-chaser, its activist, its face.

Radio silence in the wake of last-lap Abu Dhabi heartache has equated to an unofficial, perhaps unconscious ‘You wanted your headline, so here’s mine’ news sovereignty after dropping a retirement hint in his brief post-race presser.

“We gave it everything and never gave up and that’s the most important thing,” said Hamilton. “We’ll see about next year.”

Hamilton has not spoken publicly since, and yet the frenzy surrounding his next steps has seemingly eclipsed celebration of a first-time world champion in Max Verstappen; that being less a reflection of the talented Dutchman or the circumstances of his victory, but more so a reminder of the enormity and importance of F1’s most successful driver.

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Here is the moment Sir Lewis Hamilton was knighted by the Prince of Wales for his services to motorsport. He joins Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham as the fourth F1 racer to be knighted

Formula 1’s birthday boy and recently-knighted seven-time champion signed a new two-year contract last summer, which kicked in this month, and admitted in September he had considered retirement in the past, noting “there’s other things that I’d like to do, normal stuff I want