Motorsport News January 5, 2023

By effectively outlawing Formula 1 drivers from making “political, religious or personal” statements during a grand prix weekend, it has opened a can of worms. You have to wonder what, precisely, comes next and how far this could go. Would, for example, the rulemakers further decide that a driver criticising a rival’s ability to drive in the event of a collision be going too far as well? Is this the thin end of the wedge? Formula 1 drivers are heroes and rightly so. They have spent their life dedicated to making the absolute most of their ability, eschewing all distractions to guarantee they can perform at the highest level. That alone should afford them respect and the right to make their voices heard when they want them to be. The two prime…

Formula 1’s governor, the FIA, has altered its rulebook for 2023 to outlaw drivers making or displaying “political, religious and personal” statements in future without gaining prior permission. The FIA updated the sporting code rulebook shortly before the end of 2022 and has now put the brakes on drivers making their own protests. Lewis Hamilton has previously worn T-shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and associated causes as well as inclusivity, and he has sported a variety of helmet designs that carry certain messages. The now-retired Sebastian Vettel has also worn clothing in support of many causes including gay rights and climate issues as well as wearing a variety of helmets in support of causes. However, this is now forbidden unless the FIA has granted its permission in advance. The…

Outgoing Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn has lauded the mix of exciting and processional races last season, saying that he thinks the balance has been correct. The Briton, who oversaw the introduction of a new ruleset last term with an emphasis on improving overtaking, was talking to Autosport shortly before Christmas and he said that the combination of on-track battles at certain venues and other rounds that failed to spark into life kept the interest strong in 2022. “I’m a bit old-school and I sort of feel if you had a brilliant race every weekend they’d become normal. And we need a sort of average race to remind us how good the good ones are,” he said. “But there’s not been many [bad races] have there? Monza was a bit dull, wasn’t…

Brazilian Grand Prix winner George Russell has backed his Mercedes team to bounce back to the front of the Formula 1 pack this season. The 24-year-old was the only winner for the previously dominant team last year with his victory in Sao Paulo. He finished fourth in the drivers’ championship while his team-mate Lewis Hamilton was sixth. Mercedes finished third in the constructors’ points behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Russell, who was promoted to the Mercedes team full-time at the start of 2022, said that the struggles last term would help the crew to progress in the future. “[Mercedes] haven’t forgotten how to build a fast race car,” Russell told the BBC shortly before Christmas. “We just got it wrong [last] year. We went down a route which turned out to be the…

The technical director of Aston Martin F1, Dan Fallows, thinks that the squad’s position as a Mercedes customer team is no barrier to it making progress up the grand prix grid. The squad is owned by billionaire Lawrence Stoll and rumours have linked the team to its own powerplant unit when new engine regulations come on stream in 2026. However, this has been scotched and Aston will remain as a customer operation. “I certainly don’t feel that having the Mercedes HPP engine in our car has been in any way negative for us,” said Fallows. “I think it has proved its reliability, its performance is where it needs to be. I don’t really think in modern F1 that is a problem at all. Aston Martin is building a new high-tech campus to host…

Haas boss Gunther Steiner says that current F1 teams are becoming increasingly unlikely to take a punt on a rookie driver because of the lack of testing opportunities in the top-flight. Haas parted ways with 23-year-old Mick Schumacher at the end of 2022 after the end of the German’s second season with the team. The 2020 Formula 2 champion said a lack of mileage had held back his development in grand prix racing. Steiner agreed and said that selecting a rookie driver was a risk. “[Schumacher] jumped straight from F2 to F1 in competition, because there is no testing. We reverted back to get an experienced driver [Nico Hulkenberg, Haas’s 2023 signing] that wasn’t in a car for three years, not full-time, because the young drivers, you cannot really evaluate or you…