Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, of the Netherlands, attends a press conference ahead of the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix at the Interlagos race track in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 01 November 2024
Follow

Verstappen unfazed by criticism after aggressive battle with Norris in Mexico

  • Verstappen: It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing
  • Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315

SAO PAULO: Three-time defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he doesn’t care about criticism of his racing tactics at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

The Red Bull driver saw his championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris decrease to 47 points after a race in which he received two 10-second time penalties — one for forcing Norris off the track, and a short time later for gaining position when he left the track.

Verstappen spoke ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.

“It is my 10th year in F1. I know what I am doing,” Verstappen said in a press conference at the Sao Paulo track. “I like to win. I don’t like to lose. I think not many people like to lose. I just tried to maximize the result and, like I said, some you win, some you lose.”

After Sunday’s race, won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the FIA also handed Verstappen two penalty points, bringing his total to six for a 12-month period.

Verstappen has 362 points in the drivers’ championship with four races and two sprint races to go, while Norris has 315. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has a more distant shot at the title. He currently has 291 points.

Asked about criticism from 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill, who considered Verstappen to be too aggressive, the Dutchman responded: “I don’t listen to those individuals. I just do my thing. I’m a three-time world champion.”

Verstappen said he takes advice on his racing from “people who are close” and “with a good heart.” He denied that one of those is three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet.

Later, Norris told journalists at Interlagos that Verstappen “deep down” knows he made mistakes in Mexico.

“I still have a lot of respect for Max and everything he does. Not respect for what he did last weekend, but I have respect for him as a person and for what he has achieved,” the McLaren driver said. “It is not for me to speak to him. I am not his teacher, his mentor or anything like that.”

Norris also said “Max knows what he has to do” about the incidents in Mexico.

“He knows that he did wrong, deep down he does. And that’s for him to change, not for me,” the British driver said.

Mercedes driver George Russell, who is one of the directors of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said a post-race meeting in Mexico turned out to be positive despite the differences between Verstappen and Norris. He also agreed that the actions of the Dutchman should have been punished as they were.

“If you read the rules, there are lines that say if you’re driving erratically or dangerously, you’ll be punished,” Russell said. “You can argue that if a driver outranks himself and doesn’t make the corner on the exit, that is erratic because you’re driving off the racetrack. So there is an element of interpretation that for sure just needs to be cleaned up.”

Verstappen said in his press conference that F1 is probably over-regulated.

“The rulebook is only getting bigger and bigger every single year,” the three-time champion said. “I don’t think that’s always the right way forward.”
 


Qiddiya Investment Company and Mercedes to launch experience center dedicated to German automotive brand

Updated 19 min 42 sec ago
Follow

Qiddiya Investment Company and Mercedes to launch experience center dedicated to German automotive brand

  • Partners announce a game-changing long-term collaboration to create the Mercedes-AMG World of Performance in Qiddiya City
  • Set to excite performance car and motorsports fans across the globe, the state-of-the-art venue will deliver an unrivalled selection of immersive experiences

AFFALTERBACH/QIDDIYA CITY: Qiddiya Investment Company, Mercedes-AMG and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team have announced a game-changing partnership to open a world-class experience center dedicated to the iconic automotive brand in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya City.

Spanning approximately 45,000 sqm, the Mercedes-AMG World of Performance will be among the largest attractions of its kind in the region. Featuring numerous highly immersive attractions and exhibits focused on Mercedes-AMG and its eight-time World Constructors’ Champion F1 Team, it is set to welcome visitors within this decade. Across nine floors of adrenaline-fueled experiences, visitors will be able to dive into the excitement and thrill of the performance car brand like never before.

The news, unveiled by the involved parties today, is set to excite racing enthusiasts and Mercedes-AMG fans across the world, elevating Qiddiya City’s position as one of the world’s leading motorsports destinations.

The ambitious project is supported by Juffali Automotive Company (JACO), distributor for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in Saudi Arabia, which will also contribute to bringing the project to life.

“To partner with one of the world’s most iconic brands, including one of the most successful Formula 1 teams in history, on a project that will bring joy to racing fans across the world is hugely exciting. This unique performance and motorsports center will offer immersive experiences like nowhere else in the world, positioning Qiddiya City as the home of Saudi motorsport and a bucket list sporting destination where play comes to life,” said Abdullah Aldawood, Managing Director of Qiddiya Investment Company.

Expected to attract millions of visitors a year, the World of Performance will sit alongside Qiddiya City’s highly anticipated Speed Park Track — a fast-flowing racetrack that is set to host an impressive roster of the world’s most prestigious racing events while incorporating some of racing’s most distinctive track design features.

Marking the debut of the first-ever Mercedes-AMG World of Performance, the experience center will immerse visitors in the brand’s rich heritage, celebrate its racing pedigree, and showcase its engineering excellence alongside the performance car brand’s latest innovations.

Among the center’s marquee attractions will be a cutting-edge dark ride, taking guests on a high-speed journey through the evolution of performance, featuring some of the most legendary Mercedes-Benz race cars of all times.

Adrenaline seekers will be able to step into the shoes of a professional racing driver in pole position on the grid, experiencing intense G-force as they are catapulted toward the first corner of a Grand Prix. Race enthusiasts can also dive into the drama of a Formula One race, witnessing what happens behind the scenes with an up-close view of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

Visitors will also enjoy the unique advantage of the experience center’s prime location — right on the start-finish straight of Speed Park Track, with direct access to the future F1 venue. Real-world track experiences will allow visitors to hone their driving skills under the guidance of expert instructors on this exciting new circuit. They will get to push the latest Mercedes-AMG models to their limits, including tackling the iconic “Blade” at Turn One — a heart-stopping elevated section of circuit that dramatically rises more than 20 stories above the ground.

“We are incredibly excited to announce this major new collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company, formalising a relationship that has been years in the making, and supported by our trusted partners in KSA, Juffali Automotive. Formula One is a unique sport, and we have been working with world leading experts for several years to ensure that this venue gets fans closer to our team, and the sport as a whole, than ever before. Qiddiya City is a cornerstone of the ambitious Vision 2030 plans, and it’s set to become a motorsport destination like no other. We are proud to play our part in this and look forward to welcoming our local and international fans in the years ahead,” said Toto Wolff, Co-Owner, CEO & Team Principal of Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

“The Mercedes-AMG World of Performance marks a bold new chapter for AMG, elevating our passion for performance, innovation, and racing to new heights. This destination will celebrate our AMG’s rich racing heritage as well as the thrill and adrenaline that defines our brand. Guests will get to experience this up close, whether through immersive attractions in the experience center or exclusive driving experiences on Speed Park Track, said Michael Schiebe, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

“We are thrilled to be part of Qiddiya’s legacy in a setting that reflects our shared values of history, luxury and pioneering innovative experiences. Bringing the first world-leading motorsport experience center with Mercedes-AMG, not only showcases our commitment to serving our customers and advancing motorsport in the Kingdom but also aims to provide unparalleled experiences for motorsport enthusiasts. This aligns perfectly with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, as we strive to enhance the nation’s entertainment offerings through the growth of the automotive and the motorsport industry,” said Khaled Juffali, Chairman of Juffali Group.

The center will feature more than 60 state-of-the art simulators alongside a Motion 4D Simulator Theatre, while younger fans will be able to enjoy interactive learning experiences including designing their dream race car and practicing teamwork in a pit garage.

The experience center will also boast a roof-top VIP lounge overlooking the Speed Park Track, offering fine dining and some of the best panoramic views across Qiddiya City and the iconic Tuwaiq Mountains.

The strategic partnership between Qiddiya Investment Company and Mercedes-AMG is a significant step in Qiddiya City’s progress, positioning it at the forefront of motorsports experiences globally. The city’s unparalleled motorsports offering, including the Speed Park Track and a range of other attractions that are set to be unveiled over the next 12 months, will be a central driving force behind its development into a global destination for entertainment, sports and culture based on the power of play.


Formula One great Hamilton ‘invigorated’ by Ferrari move ahead of new season

Updated 19 February 2025
Follow

Formula One great Hamilton ‘invigorated’ by Ferrari move ahead of new season

  • Seven-times world champion Hamilton has left Mercedes after 12 seasons to join the Italian giants for the upcoming campaign
  • Hamilton ended his more than two-year wait for a win with victory on home soil at the British Grand Prix in July

LONDON: Lewis Hamilton said he felt “invigorated” and “full of life” following a move to Ferrari as his new car was unveiled in front of some 15,000 raucous fans during the 2025 Formula One season launch at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday.

Seven-times world champion Hamilton has left Mercedes after 12 seasons to join the Italian giants for the upcoming campaign that starts with next month’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Ferrari have been ever present throughout Formula One’s 75-year history and the prospect of winning a record eighth drivers’ championship with the ‘Scuderia’ has clearly proved enticing for 40-year-old British motorsport great Hamilton.

“The word I am thinking of is invigorated because I feel so full of life and so much energy because everything is new and I’m just focused on what is up ahead,” said Hamilton in a brief on-stage interview — Ferrari are holding a press conference at their Maranello headquarters on Wednesday.

“I’m so proud to be part of the team, something new and exciting for me,” he added following his first public appearance in Ferrari’s traditional red racing colors.

His words echoed those of reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who earlier Tuesday told reporters his old rival could be “reborn” at Ferrari where he will join Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton ended his more than two-year wait for a win with victory on home soil at the British Grand Prix in July.

Yet he still finished a mammoth 214 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings as his time at Mercedes — where he won six titles — came to a disappointing end.

But Verstappen, bidding to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of five successive drivers’ championships, said joining Ferrari could be the change Hamilton needs.

“It will provide him with a different scenery, a new motivation,” said Verstappen. “And when you have been with a team for a long time, have won a lot and then had a few tough seasons, maybe your motivation is different.

“Now it is almost like he is reborn.

“We all know how good Lewis is and we all know how good Charles is. Ferrari have two great drivers. It is going to be exciting for the sport, but it will also depend on how good the car is.”

Hamilton joins a Ferrari team narrowly pipped to the constructors’ championship by McLaren last year.

“I am definitely anticipating Lewis being a championship contender,” said McLaren chief executive Zak Brown. “We and Ferrari ended last year with nothing between us and I think that will continue.”

Hamilton will have his first serious drive of his new car during next week’s lone winter testing session in Bahrain, with Ferrari aiming for their first championship in nearly two decades.

“If Lewis gets off to a good start and he gets the team around him, he will find his confidence and he could be a real contender for this world championship,” said Christian Horner, the principal of Verstappen’s Red Bull team.

Horner added: “But if he doesn’t get off to a good start, it will inevitably be harder for him.”

Tuesday’s glitzy event saw all 10 Grand Prix teams launch their new cars at the same venue, the first time this has happened in Formula One history.

“It’s difficult to get most teams to agree what day of the week it is,” said Horner. “So, to get all 10 teams here launching their cars tonight, it’s been a big effort.”

“It’s a show very much for the fans,” he added, with the launch presented by British comedian Jack Whitehall and also featuring US rapper Machine Gun Kelly before finishing with a performance by 1990s UK pop band Take That.


F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season

Updated 18 February 2025
Follow

F1 drivers gather in London to launch 75th anniversary season

  • The F1 75 Live event at London’s O2 arena marks a new approach by the series
  • Teams will present their 2025 liveries, but don’t have to show off the actual cars they’ll race this season

LONDON: All 20 Formula 1 drivers and the 10 teams are expected in London on Tuesday to kick-start the 2025 season with a new live launch show.
The F1 75 Live event at London’s O2 arena marks a new approach by the series. It’s the first time the sport is hosting its own large-scale launch event, rather than leaving it to the individual teams to present their drivers and cars.
The televised two-hour show includes musical acts like country singer Kane Brown, British band Take That and American rapper MGK, also known as Machine Gun Kelly.
Teams will present their 2025 liveries, but don’t have to show off the actual cars they’ll race this season. Teams are still allowed to hold their own launch events to present their 2025 cars, as McLaren and Williams did last week.
It comes at a time when F1 is keen to expand beyond a sports audience, with races in cities like Miami and Las Vegas, a movie called “F1” starring Brad Pitt releasing in June, and the ongoing popularity of the “Drive To Survive” series on Netflix.
“To have this many fans out shows that we bring the sport together away from the racetrack. There’s a lot of excitement,” McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said Tuesday.
“The Brad Pitt movie will no doubt create a huge amount of awareness for the sport. Netflix, I’m sure, knowing what happened last year, will be a drama-filled television show again, which has been great for all of us. So I think the sport’s going from strength to strength.”
Drivers broadly welcomed the new launch show, though two-time champion Fernando Alonso warned it could be “a little bit of distraction” at a time when drivers and teams are fine-tuning their approach to the season.
F1’s preparations for the new season — which marks the series’ 75th anniversary — continue with preseason testing next week at the Bahrain International Circuit. The first race is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 16.


Rowland triumphs as British trio dominate second Jeddah E-Prix podium

Updated 16 February 2025
Follow

Rowland triumphs as British trio dominate second Jeddah E-Prix podium

  • Briton capitalizes on a dramatic early collision between title contenders Antonio Felix da Costa and Maximilian Guenther
  • Victory gives Rowland lead in Drivers’ World Championship standings, while Nissan hold slim lead in Teams’ Championship

JEDDAH: Oliver Rowland stormed to victory in the second race of the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix on Saturday, leading an all-British podium and securing Nissan’s place at the top of the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ World Championship standings.

Rowland’s expertly managed race saw him capitalize on a dramatic early collision between title contenders Antonio Felix da Costa and Maximilian Guenther. The incident cleared the way for the Briton to seize control, executing flawless energy management and Attack Mode activations to maintain his lead to the checkered flag.

“It was great — the key was at the beginning obviously. It was pretty much the perfect scenario. I had a little bit of contact with Guenther at the chicane; he got really aggressive on the inside and I got stuck on him,” Rowland said.

“That’s the point when I went to the front — being third or fourth, people start to get aggressive, so I got out of trouble and went to the front and led from there. I’m just trying to focus race by race, try and do the best job we can and score points,” he added.

The 21-year-old Taylor Barnard, who made history as the youngest polesitter in Formula E, took an impressive second place, fending off a late charge from Jake Hughes. Despite immense pressure, Barnard held firm to secure his second podium of the weekend for NEOM McLaren.

“Coming into this weekend I didn’t expect a podium, so to leave here with massive points for the team, I couldn’t be happier,” Barnard said. “I think I struggled a little bit for the first five laps — but two podiums, I’m so happy. Sometimes you have to be extra aggressive, but we also had to keep the podium and secure P2, and we did that.”

Hughes rounded out the podium in third, marking his first rostrum finish for Maserati MSG Racing and his second in Formula E. Reflecting on his hard-fought result, Hughes praised his team’s execution.

“It felt like it was a little bit on the edge, but super happy with today. After messing up FP3, getting into the Duels to the Semi-Final and then coming away with a podium for the team, I couldn’t ask for more really,” he said. “We did really well with the Attack Mode; we used the energy when we needed to, and the execution was great.”

The all-British dominance extended beyond the podium, with reigning champion Jake Dennis delivering a remarkable drive from 19th on the grid to finish fourth.

Meanwhile, Kiwi Nick Cassidy climbed from 17th to claim fifth, and Hughes’ Maserati teammate Stoffel Vandoorne secured sixth place. Defending champion Pascal Wehrlein, battling to limit the damage from a challenging weekend, finished eighth.

With this result, Rowland leads the Drivers’ World Championship standings with 68 points, ahead of Barnard on 51. Nissan hold a slim lead in the Teams’ Championship, with just five points separating the top four squads.

Formula E now heads to Miami for Round 5 on April 12, where the championship battle will continue on American soil.


Guenther clinches victory with last-ditch move at first Jeddah E-Prix race

Updated 15 February 2025
Follow

Guenther clinches victory with last-ditch move at first Jeddah E-Prix race

  • Nissan’s Oliver Rowland beaten by dramatic last-lap charge

JEDDAH: Maximilian Guenther secured victory in the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, overtaking Nissan’s Oliver Rowland at the last corner to claim his first win for DS Penske in round three of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Guenther, who started from pole position for the first time since Jakarta 2023, initially led the race but lost places as drivers navigated Formula E’s debut Pit Boost mandatory pit stops.

Rowland, Taylor Barnard, and Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries capitalized on early energy deployment, while Guenther took a more measured approach, conserving power for a late-race push.

That patience paid off. Setting the fastest lap on lap 27, the German driver fought back to second place before launching a dramatic last-lap charge. With a slight energy advantage, he seized his moment on the final chicane, making a decisive move to snatch victory from Rowland just before the chequered flag.

Guenther said: “This means everything to me. It’s the first win with my new team, DS Penske. It was a lot of hard work, a big race but an amazing outcome for us. We lost quite a few places around the pit stop window, but we just stayed calm and did our race. I didn’t expect to come back all the way.

“I thought a podium would have been good, but to do it in the end and to win it is an extra special feeling. I didn’t want to leave it until the last corner but there was no other option — Oli was doing a mega job today, a great race. I believed until the end.”

The victory marked Guenther’s first win since Tokyo last season and broke a 17-race streak in which the pole sitter had failed to convert the start into a victory.

Rowland, despite his disappointment, moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings with 43 points, ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa. Porsche lead the Teams’ Championship by a slim three-point margin over DS Penske, while Nissan top the Manufacturers’ table.

Rowland said: “We had a plan before the race and we executed it pretty well. I’m a little bit disappointed because when I had such a gap, if I’d under-consumed a bit I’d have had enough energy to defend from Max. He caught me napping a little bit and I couldn’t do much in the last corner. Nevertheless, we scored some great points and on to tomorrow.”

NEOM McLaren’s Barnard completed the podium, celebrating a strong third-place finish after starting from P4.

He said: “Starting from P4, a podium was always my hope, but you never know how the race is going to play out. It was the first Pit Boost race as well, so to know that we’ve done the procedure that well as a team, I couldn’t be happier to be P3.”

With round four set to take place in Jeddah on Saturday, the championship battle remains fiercely competitive as the season continues to deliver thrills.