F1 news LIVE: Australian Grand Prix build-up as Ferrari expect ‘significant’ power increase
Formula 1 latest news, rumours and updates plus all the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne
The Australian Grand Prix is fast approaching after an action-packed start to the 2022 F1 season. Ferrari and Red Bull have been vying for supremacy at the front of the grid, with Charles Leclerc taking victory in Bahrain after Max Verstappen suffered a dramatic power failure. The Red Bull’s recovered in Saudi Arabia, though, despite the shadow cast over the race when a missile attack hit an oil refinery less than ten miles from the track. Verstappen managed to hold off Leclerc over the course of a thrilling race to keep the championship very evenly poised as the teams now prepare for this weekend’s stop in Melbourne.
Mercedes have far more work to do than most after a disastrous start to their season. Lewis Hamilton has struggled badly for pace and only mustered a 10th place finish in Saudi Arabia. Team principal Toto Wolff has downplayed any hope of an immediate uplift, though, warning that there is no “quick fix” to the car’s issues. “The car isn’t as good as the Red Bull and the Ferrari,” he said. “It hovers in the grey area where you can’t challenge the front but you’re certainly faster than the midfield behind you.”
Ferrari believe they have found that added edge, though, with one report claiming they are yet to show the true power of their engine and may still withhold it until the Spanish Grand Prix. “It seems [Mattia] Binotto’s team is then also playing strategy, not wanting to show the true power of their unit this early in the season,” the report stated.
Follow all the latest F1 news and build up to the Australian Grand Prix after a thrilling start to the 2022 Formula 1 season:
F1 latest news and Australian Grand Prix build-up
Good morning and welcome to the Independent’s coverage of Formula One in the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix this coming weekend.
Where better to begin than with F1’s resident Perth-born racer?
McLaren are having a few struggles this season, but after a couple of years away Daniel Ricciardo is “beyond excited” to get back on the track in Melbourne and is remaining optimistic that improvements are coming soon to the car. As for this weekend, anything in the top 10 will feel like a huge success for he and Lando Norris.
“Maybe we will be lucky and fight for points. I know we’re not aiming very high with that, but that’s the only thing we can go for at the moment,” Ricciardo said.
“Until we get major updates to the car, I think any place in the top ten feels like a win. Lando and I felt in Jeddah that the car felt a lot better.
“It doesn’t feel bad, we just need a bit more grip and downforce. That’s encouraging. I don’t think we are out of the race, we just need to find improvements.”
Mercedes in ‘no man’s land’ but Lewis Hamilton tipped to bounce back
Lewis Hamilton faces a struggle at the start of the season with Mercedes another of the teams struggling after two races this year, with new rules and a new car so far not giving the British racer and new teammate George Russell the capability to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion will bounce back though, says Anthony Davidson, a simulator driver with Mercedes and former F1 racer.
To underestimate him, that would be wrong,” said Davidson.
“He never gives up. And he will continue to push the envelope until the problem is fixed.
“He was prepared to go to extremes with the set-up in Jeddah. He found a good rhythm in the race. Sooner or later he will know how to balance the car and the driving style. Lewis is a driver who is incredibly adaptable.”
The porpoising effect seen this season is having the biggest impact on lap time for Russell and Hamilton and Davidson says there’s a great car ready to push the drivers closer to the top - if only they can overcome that issue.
“Mercedes would love to run with a floor gap like Red Bull Racing, but as soon as they do that, the car starts to bounce more, and that’s not only uncomfortable for the driver and for the material, it also costs time.
“I see this not only on the straights, but also in fast corners. The car then looks like a wild horse. I think there’s a lot more potential in the Mercedes, it’s just not unlockable because of this phenomenon.”
Bottas and Hamilton still on great terms after Mercedes departure
Valtteri Bottas might no longer be Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate, but the pair are still on great terms according to the Finn - even sharing flights to recent Grand Prix events.
“It’s been nice. It was pretty natural,” Bottas said after the Saudi GP.
“After the race, I drove past him on the in-lap and I heard he was on the podium, so I gave him thumbs up and he did the same. And we actually flew together after the race to Dubai. And we flew from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. So we’re still sharing flights. In a way, nothing has changed.
“You know, we’re maybe not team-mates, but still mates. It is nice. We have a good relationship in a way. Because we did achieve quite a bit of things together as team-mates. I think that kind of friendship will for sure last too.”
Hamilton praised Bottas as the best teammate he’d ever had when the latter’s Mercedes career came to an end last season.
Australian Grand Prix - latest weather updates
Formula One have given fans an update on what to expect across the coming few days in Melbourne - at least in terms of weather conditions.
No rain, plenty of sunshine and cloudy mornings is what the drivers and fans will be facing!
Here’s the full run-down of the weekend, courtesy of F1:
FRIDAY, APRIL 8 – FP1 AND FP2 WEATHER Conditions: Could be misty at dawn, then mostly sunny with few clouds until a cloudier evening. Sunny spells for FP1 and FP2. Maximum temperature expected: 23 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 13 Celsius Chance of rain: 0%
SATURDAY, APRIL 9 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING WEATHER Conditions: Party cloudy with frequent sunny spells and some medium altitude passing clouds during the afternoon. Sunny FP3 and partly cloudy qualifying session. Maximum temperature expected: 25 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 12 Celsius Chance of rain: 0%
SUNDAY, APRIL 10 – RACE WEATHER Conditions: Gustier than Saturday, and nearly the same weather with a sunny morning and passing clouds during the race. Party cloudy race with sunny spells. Maximum temperature expected: 25 Celsius Minimum temperature expected: 15 Celsius Chance of rain: 0%
Vettel wants to make up for lost time as he starts season in Melbourne
Sebastian Vettel is hoping to hit the ground running for Aston Martin this weekend, having missed the opening two rounds of the 2022 F1 season through Covid.
He’ll start his campaign this time around in Australia and knows he has to face a steep learning curve after a month out of the car.
“After testing positive and missing the first two races, it feels a bit like arriving late to school, so I’m really keen to get going again,” said Vettel.
“Starting my season in Australia is something I’ve done before, of course, and it’s also great that Formula 1 is returning after a difficult couple of years.
“For me, after nearly a month out of the car, it will be important to learn throughout the practice sessions, and I hope we can take some steps forward in what is usually an exciting and unpredictable race.”
Teammate Lance Stroll is hoping that some upgrades to the track make it an extra fun race.
“Melbourne is such a great sporting city, and the Albert Park track is always fun to drive.
“I’m looking forward to sampling the revised layout and the resurfaced track, which will hopefully improve overtaking – especially into Turn 13, which has been tightened. In fact, it will be very interesting to see how these new ground effect cars perform here, as they should also hopefully make racing closer and more exciting.”
Carlos Sainz chasing ‘dream’ win for Ferrari this season
The big target for Carlos Sainz this season is simple: to get his first victory at a Grand Prix.
Ferrari have started the season superbly well and the Spaniard has been on the podium twice, with teammate Charles Leclerc winning in Bahrain.
But as Sainz told BTG podcast, he wants a win of his own this season - as well as having bolder ambitions in future.
“I would like to get a win, and the rest, let’s see,” said Sainz.
“I keep chasing my dream in Formula 1, which is to win the first race obviously, then a championship. But to win a championship, you need to win a race.
“I will keep chasing that; I am not saying it will happen but it’s what I wake up every morning or go to sleep with in my head every day, so I wish it to happen.
“To win a world championship, you need a win and consistent podiums, and over the last few years, I have shown, and I have proved to myself, that every time I had an opportunity to score a podium, I’ve got it.
“I have had the chance to win once or twice, and I’ve nearly made it. So, I am confident; you give me the right car, I think I can be there.”
Sainz’s next opportunity comes in Melbourne this weekend.
Max Verstappen keen to not let off-track commitments get in the way of F1 title defence
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen said he will try to keep his off-track commitments in check and focus on his day job as a racer, wary that his title defence might suffer with too many distractions.
The Dutch Red Bull driver is hot property for media, sponsors and fans after his 2021 triumph, and the relaxation of biosecurity protocols could mean more demands on his time.
“Even if there is no Covid for sure I’m not going to do more... on weekends because I’m there to race, I’m not there to entertain the crowds,” he told a small group of reporters on Thursday at Albert Park ahead of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.
“I’ll entertain them by doing that on the track. Otherwise you get upset, you don’t feel good and it’s going to hurt your performance. So you need to just keep it exactly the same, the same approach as other race weekends.”
Full report:
Max Verstappen keen to not let off-track commitments impact F1 title defence
Verstappen is defending the F1 drivers’ championship for the first time
Nico Hukenberg keen for full-time F1 return
Nico Hulkenberg stepped in for Sebastian Vettel for the first two races of the season and it’s fair to say he caught the bug for driving again.
Aston Martin’s reserve driver this season, the German finished 17th and 12th in his two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, finishing ahead of fellow AM driver Lance Stroll in the second.
And he’s open to a return on a more permanent basis, though notes it won’t be a quick option.
“Yes, of course, if there is a good opportunity, definitely I’m up for it [a full-time return to F1]. Now having been away and having done Bahrain, the rush of qualifying, the excitement of the race, the battling on Lap 1, there is a lot of great things that happen in Formula 1, and it’s a lot of fun,” he said.
“So, if the right opportunity is there, of course, but that’s not going to be an easy, easy task. I think everyone’s learning curve is very steep with these new cars. There’s lots to learn, you know, and we’ll continue for the months to come.
“I am happy to have helped the team by standing in again and I will remain on standby should I be needed again.”
Lewis Hamilton braces for more misery in Melbourne as Mercedes rule out upgrades
Lewis Hamilton is braced for more misery in Melbourne after his Mercedes team ruled out any major upgrades for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Hamilton has already been cast 29 points adrift in the championship race after he finished only 10th at the second round in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago.
Mercedes have dominated the sport since 2014 – carrying Hamilton to six titles and winning an unprecedented eight constructors’ championships in succession.
But Hamilton and new British team-mate George Russell have all but written off their aspirations unless Mercedes can radically improve their underperforming car.
Mercedes’ season has been derailed by ‘porpoising’ – the phenomenon seen this year when the car violently bounces on its suspension at high speed.
The problem caught Mercedes completely off guard, and Russell said it is the source of 99 per cent of the team’s problems.
It had been suggested that the Silver Arrows would bring a new rear wing and a revised floor to Melbourne for Formula One’s first race Down Under in two years.
But the PA news agency understands that no big updates are planned for Sunday’s race at Albert Park.
More details:
Lewis Hamilton braces for more misery in Melbourne as Mercedes rule out upgrades
Hamilton has already been cast 29 points adrift in the championship race.
F1 latest news as Mercedes look for improvements to W13
Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin says Mercedes will be taking a “phased” approach to improving the cars for Hamilton and Russell over the coming races, after going “a bit too far” with their fine-tuning before qualifying in Saudi Arabia.
That weekend saw Hamilton shockingly eliminated in Q1, but Shovlin believes that the gap between Mercedes and the midfield gives them “breathing space” to experiment as they try to catch the front-runners.
“We’re under no illusions what that performance gap is, and in Jeddah, it was ultimately a bit bigger than in Bahrain,” he said.
“We’ve got quite a lot to find both in qualifying and on long run if we want to challenge the Ferrari and the Red Bull cars. However, behind us it looks like we have a bit of margin to that midfield.
“We need to do a good job to be ahead of them, but we have a bit of margin and that buys us a bit of breathing space to allow us to experiment on the weekends, to try and bring solutions to lift the level of performance of the car. Everyone is working very hard to try and understand the issue and bring solutions and we are going to be doing that in a phased way over the next few races.”
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