In the round-up: Having gone almost two years without a win, Lewis Hamilton says he is still motivated to stay racing in Formula 1.
In brief
Hamilton motivated to win again in 2024
Hamilton, whose latest contract extension will keep him at Mercedes until he is at least 40 years old, told Blick what motivated him to stay in Formula 1. He said he “underestimated my love for this sport” but admitted it has “become a love-hate story.”
“There are days when I’d rather not get into the cockpit,” he said. “The duels with my team mate George [Russell] also give me motivation. You always have to be sharp in those situations.”
He is anxious to discover how competitive the team’s next car will be having failed to win a race in last year’s W13 and, so fair, it successor.
“When you don’t feel the balance in the car, your willingness to take risks decreases,” he said. “I hope that the amount of data we have collected so far this year will have an impact on the new car. That is the hope of the entire Mercedes team in all factories. We all have to always believe in our goals. And never give up.”
“We’ll be coming back [to victory]. We can do it. The next step to the top podium will come. And it will probably be my greatest triumph in my career.”
Perez believes he gets criticised too much
Although Sergio Perez remains the only driver capable of beating Max Verstappen to the F1 title this year, the vast gap between the two has put his performances under scrutiny.In a car that has been fast enough to win all but one race this season Perez has failed to reach Q3 at seven of the 16 grands prix held so far this year and is 177 points behind Verstappen. But he believes other drivers have faced less criticism for their mistakes.
“We saw it with [George] Russell, in the last race he crashed on the last lap while second and they don’t talk about it. That happens at Red Bull and you have 300 media saying that they have to take you out of your position,” Perez said in a recent event he held with sponsors.
“That’s also how the team environment works and I also feel that the fact I’m Mexican is a big reason why [I get criticised so much].”
Williams junior accidentally reveals 2024 F2 plans
Williams junior driver Franco Colapinto has spent the last two months rallying support in his home country Argentina to get the funding together to step up from Formula 3 to Formula 2 next year.
In a recent television appearance where he was discussing his racing ambitions he revealed that his F2 plan is now in place, although since nothing has been announced officially he was quick to move on from that comment. But now a large fanbase is anticipating an announcement in the coming days.
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Steiner “scratching my head” about temperatures F1 will face in Qatar
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is wary of the challenge that high temperatures at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix will set for F1 teams. Despite the event primarily taking place at night, some sessions are expected to see temperatures above 35C.
“In 2021, when we visited the first time, it was a ‘last-minute’ call I’d say,” said Steiner. “We were welcomed very much by everyone in Qatar and it was a good race. I remember the smaller garages but that was because they were built for motorbikes, but the facilities have all been upgraded and they look very good.
“There were some issues with the floor because of the kerbs I remember, but let’s see what has been done. The only thing that has me scratching my head is the temperatures, which are really high, in the forties. We’re racing at night though, so it should be okay.”
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
'Mrs Teo said Singapore has a robust anti-money laundering regime, and it is held in high regard internationally. She cited how Singapore had rendered assistance to British law enforcement agencies for the case involving former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.'
Prema Racing announces drivers for post-season FIA F3 test (Prema)
'Also coming from the Prema family, Red Bull Junior driver Arvid Lindblad will be dipping his toe into Formula 3 competition before going back to F4 for the final part of the season.'
ART Grand Prix: A return to the top and first F2 title within touching distance (Formula 2)
'What a start it was to 2023. Back-to-back pole positions in the opening two rounds by seven tenths of a second sent a big message to their rivals, though the French outfit could only combine for five podiums in eight races to kick off the campaign. While that sounds like a solid start, it’s the measure of ART’s expectations for this year that it was a torrid stint compared to what the team should have been capable of.'
The FIA put F1 ideas in F2’s new car, but made it closer to lower series too (Formula Scout)
'Although Dallara’s name will adorn the next F2 chassis, the car is firmly instilled in FIA ideas from a design brief using learnings from F1’s current technical regulations yet also bringing it closer to lower categories. The FIA's technical team explain how.'
Lawson, portrait of a ripe kiwi (Autohebdo - French)
'The New Zealander has fully seized his chance in F1 and burst into limelight during his period as a stand-in. Author of the best performance of the year at the wheel of an AlphaTauri, the Kiwi has confirmed his unique adaptation abilities seen in the past.'
From whipping boy to class leader (AMuS - German)
'Honda entered the hybrid era in 2015 a year late. And took a lot of beating with McLaren. Since switching to Red Bull, Honda has become the class leader. In Suzuka, the Japanese manufacturer revealed how the turnaround was achieved.'
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Returning to Qatar 🤩
We can't wait to be racing under the lights again at the Lusail International Circuit 🙌
Who's ready? 🙋♂️🙋♀️#Alpine #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/PEisVZvu34
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) October 3, 2023
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
AlphaTauri will ‘take more parts from the Red Bull menu’ for the design of their 2024 car, as F1’s regulations allow them to use parts built by sister team Red Bull. They have been quite independent in their design direction in recent years, but have slumped towards the back of the field and Red Bull wants them to change strategy to become more competitive.
Makes sense to do what is possible within the regulatory framework. Whether this framework is satisfactory is another debate. On the short term it should lead to more competitiveness which is desirable. Not much use for teams lingering at the back of the grid most of the time.
Ferdinand
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Iceshiel, Strferrari4Ever, Elaine Aka Mclarensgirl1 and Kaiie!
ryanoceros (@ryanoceros)
4th October 2023, 0:08
No, but do it every weekend or similar and losing your seat is the natural result.
Mooa42
4th October 2023, 4:47
I also hate that he finishes with this line,
What a load of baloney! It is nothing to do with your nationality, same thing happened to Gasly and Albon, and even Riciardo to some extent. Time to take a good hard look at yourself Sergio and admit you ain’t that good compared to Max, just own it, deal with it and try to get better, stop resting on racism as a cop out.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
4th October 2023, 6:38
Indeed, it’s only really Marko that uses this excuse!
Philippe (@philippe)
4th October 2023, 13:48
I think what he meant was that he is not British. It has nothing to do with being from Mexico, but not being from England. He wouldn’t be the first driver to point at British bias, from the media.
Dex
4th October 2023, 14:54
Indeed, British drivers never suffer through much criticism, even when they don’t “deliver the goods” or suffer through poor form; definitely not in the same as Perez. In any case, he deserves criticism (but it’s not his fault that he’s not as good as Verstappen, so it’s not like anyone can blame him; he’s not doing anything wrong).
To be fair, this is probably mostly related to what that mr. Marko or whatever said (I’m still not sure who that guy is and what is his talent, how he deserved his job), and he is, I suppose, Austrian. But then, there’s also that specific attitude that Western media and fans have towards people that don’t come from Western Europe or Anglo-Saxon colonies. For example, difference of treatment of Federer and Nadal vs Djokovic, and he’s from Europe. I imagine being Mexican is even worse in this regard. It’s a fact of life, billions of people feel this, I won’t deny it.
AlanD
5th October 2023, 22:18
If you’d said “from the BRITISH media” I’d have agreed with you, just the same you could talk about the Netherlands bias from the Netherlands media (which is just as extreme), and I’ve not doubt you could plug any nationality into that sentence and it would be true. The media is there to sell newspapers etc so of course it is going to cater to the biases of its audience.
David B
4th October 2023, 1:09
Who said you will win again…
Fezza (@fezza)
4th October 2023, 4:16
Jesus
The Dolphins
4th October 2023, 14:04
He hath risen again?
AlanD
5th October 2023, 22:21
Everyone knows that, in sport, there are never any guarantees, and maybe Hamilton never will win again, but every driver believes they are good enough to win the next race, and to be the next world champion. If they didn’t have that elevated sense of self confidence, they wouldn’t be in F1.
Jere (@jerejj)
4th October 2023, 5:24
Checo is right about not all drivers or drivers in all teams getting similarly questioned when making costly errors.
While very high daytime temps were my worry already when this season’s race calendar was announced, good that this will only be a one-off thing for the event.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
4th October 2023, 7:07
The no. 2 driver in a dominant team always comes under greater scrutiny and criticism, relative to their actual performance. See also Bottas, Webber, Barrichello etc.
As with Perez, much of it comes from fans who desire a closer championship fight and are frustrated with a driver who, for whatever reason, cannot compete.
SteveP
4th October 2023, 7:29
First, you have to find a team where a teammate (cough, Stroll) performs poorly when compared to the other, consistently. Most teammates seem to be reasonably well-matched.
So:
Stroll – plenty of criticism.
Perez – plenty of criticism.
Sargeant – plenty of criticism, and he’s a rookie.
Perez seems to have placed himself in a select group
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
10th October 2023, 6:03
Indeed, based on what I’ve seen this season, none of them deserve a seat at their current team, so nothing to do with nationality since they’re canadian, mexican and I don’t even know where sargeant is from.
However someone implied being british you don’t get criticised a lot by the media, but I recall palmer doing pretty badly before being fired, so not sure even british drivers are immune to that.
Armchair Expert (@armchairexpert)
4th October 2023, 5:52
Ah, Hamilton and his grandiose quotes:
Lewis Hamilton, 2022 season:
-trashed in quali in Saudi Arabia by his team mate, didn’t pit during the race because he thought pitlane was closed, while supposedly lesser drivers like Hulkenberg and Magnussen knew it wasn’t
-trashed in quali at Imola by his team mate, didn’t pit early for slicks even though he had nothing to lose, ended up P13 and lapped by Max on pure pace
-destroyed by his team mate in Monaco, both in quali and race
-same in Baku
-crashed in quali in Austria
-didn’t bother to finish the quali lap in Hungary due to DRS failure, despite track drying up and improving, showed the same lack of commitment as at Silverstone in 2014
-crashed into Alonso at Spa, completely unaware of his presence
-didn’t use the chance to change tyres at Zandvoort, while his team mate requested exactly that
-made mistake in quali in Singapore losing pole position and even more amateurish mistakes in the grand prix, finished even behind Max, who had his the worst race in last 3 years
-lost sprint and grand prix wins to his team mate in Brazil
Drg
5th October 2023, 13:23
You understand that you constant rewriting of history simply does not work?.
I mean it’s every post every comment, every statement.
We get it you do not like Hamilton for whatever reason – probably something to do with your choice of name.
Despite your futile attempts, Hamilton like it or not fought off some of the worst most ridiculous standards of driving and stewarding for four races. They were equal into Abu Dhabi and regardless of your wish, Hamilton owned that race until a completely disruptive and as proven illegal interpretation of rules gifted Verstappen the win. If he and the team had any integrity, he would have refused the gift and followed Hamilton home for the last lap. His team should have had the integrity to tell him to do so
For goodness sake I have been in dozens of races where the unexpected winner, had the balls to say no I have not earned this!
That’s the champion behaviour – instead greedily claiming something you know you did not deserve.
Yet here you are every time corrupting every thread because deep down – you know it was wrong.
Give it up – it’s just putting people, paying people from interacting.
Fritz
5th October 2023, 17:57
+1
Well said @Drg.
osnola
5th October 2023, 21:23
Rewriting History seems your forte .
The win in Abu Dhabi was not “gifted” but won on track. Only because Merc did not changed tires. Of course the last lap was disputed, but the racing in that lap was flawless. Not like the cutting of the corner Lewis used to pass Verstappen off track!
The toxicity started in Silverstone, another disputed race.
In the end the best won, karma.
MadMax (@madmax)
6th October 2023, 7:45
lol. you announce to be rewriting according to your bias, and you deliver. great pic of your distorted reality
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
10th October 2023, 6:06
Don’t talk about integrity after silverstone, you reap what you saw. Hamilton deserved to win abu dhabi and verstappen the title, that’s all there is to it without repeating things at nauseam.
baasbas
4th October 2023, 7:50
While a certain amount of criticism, more than for Russell seems fair to me.. The performance gap is much bigger and he spoiled the race for 3 others in the last 2 Grands Prix. Russell was doing pretty well until his unforced error took only himself out.
“That’s also how the team environment works and I also feel that the fact I’m Mexican is a big reason why,” he said.
But this is the important bit but he doesn’t elaborate sadly.
MacLeod (@macleod)
4th October 2023, 8:27
I think there are wins in his earlier career which were epic which is very hard to beat. Even if Red Bull get it wrong in Brasil and Lewis wins that race i don’t think that is his greatest triumph. Getting a world title in Brasil vs Massa was more epic.
MacLeod (@macleod)
4th October 2023, 8:28
for example i forgot that to add….
MichaelN
4th October 2023, 8:36
What Pérez notices is true, but his conclusion is not.
There are two factors, not always of equal importance. First, he is in one of the most dominant cars ever and anything other than 2nd requires a good explanation. Second, he’s not English. That he happens to be Mexican is irrelevant, as we’ve seen this same stuff with Germans, French and Italians. Indeed, it’s very common to hear F1 commentators use bigoted stereotypes about Italians in their so-called analysis of Ferrari’s performance.
It’s unfortunate, but all this negative commentary is in response to his own bad performances. The press would love for him to challenge Verstappen, it’s better for ratings and many still have a chip on their shoulder about 2021. We saw this earlier in the season when he was talked up to be in title contention; he was even given silly monikers like King of the Streets.
S
4th October 2023, 9:23
It’s not irrelevant to Helmut Marko, who just happens to work in upper management of Perez’s own team….
That’s what the comment relates to – the environment within the team, not from the outside.
Ferdinand
4th October 2023, 12:10
The second factor you mention is related to the majority of media outlets and/or employees being English. It is a consistent factor through the years and I recall Alonso being quite candid about it as well in the past. Probably it would also be difficult to remain more objective if this dominance had another nationality as it seems to be human nature. To stereotype loosely (with the risk of getting a lot of criticism), I would say the French have the label of being chauvinistic but I have learned through the years that this only derives from them being blatantly open and direct about it whilst the English conceal it rather well but might suffer from it even more. We probably all do, unfortunately. In terms of inclusion Liberty would do well in balancing employment, commentators, broadcasting rights etc to make this a truly global sports, which it certainly isn’t at the moment.
anon
4th October 2023, 13:15
There is something rather ironic that you complain about bias and, in itself, show your own bias by referring to the ‘English’ press – there would be many within the UK that would complain about you erasing their background and using bigoted stereotypes yourself.
That is before we even get onto those who speak English, but are not from the UK. We had it on this site when posters complained that Dieter Rencken was ‘too English’ – even though he was born and raised in South Africa.
Asides from that, it’s funny that you refer to Alonso being overly criticised by the press in the UK when I have come across posters from countries like Italy, France and Germany with the opposite complaint – that the UK press give too much praise to Alonso.
Nick T.
4th October 2023, 17:42
He’s likely referring to how during and for a while after the Alonso/Hamilton McLaren fallout, Alonso was basically portrayed as an evil, underhanded schemer. That faded away by the team he got to Ferrari. From which point, in the TV broadcasts, he has rightfully been highly praised often (though not more than any of the other top, top stars: Max and Lewis. Kravitz fell in love with Norris from the start and he gets more praise than all three combined when it comes to Ted). So, happy I listen to the F1TV version now.
MichaelN
4th October 2023, 21:06
We do all do that, sure. That’s why the hiring practice at F1TV has been such a disappointment. There are tons of people from all over the world who can speak with great authority about F1 and racing, and they all speak English perfectly fine. It’d actually be great to get insights from people who are able to work in different languages and media spheres. For obvious reasons and as an example, the Italian press is much better informed about Ferrari. So get some of those guys on every now and then.
F1TV is a global product, but for whatever reason they’ve stuffed it full with English commentators, even hiring the son of the English Sky Sports commentator. Nothing against the guy, but if that’s the bar, it can’t be that hard to do better.
oweng (@oweng)
4th October 2023, 9:22
The reason Perez comes under this scrutiny as opposed to someone like George Russell is that Red Bull have form when it comes to ruthlessly chopping underperforming drivers mid season.
I think had Mercedes done that in 2021 and replaced the underperforming Bottas with Russell with a few races to go then that title would have ended up with Hamilton.
osnola
5th October 2023, 21:26
Bottas did great, his Hungarian attack was brilliant and brought exactly the needed space Merc sought.
On purpose, not sure but very welcome.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
10th October 2023, 6:13
Not sure russell would’ve helped hamilton win the title, he seems to try very hard to prove himself better, even at the cost of harming the team, he MUST beat hamilton; bottas was more of a team player, although slower and with worse racecraft.
Aquila_GD
4th October 2023, 9:39
I have to say that I am completely disappointed with Perez for this comment. Not only is he trying to dodge criticism for shocking performances, he is dragging his country with him. An individual’s nationality has nothing to do with their capabilities and I would just rather choose want to hear people celebrate diversity and talent than continue to feed this divisive rhetoric.
The Edge (@the-edge)
4th October 2023, 13:41
I was say Perez is full of… er… something
I would say Perez is judged on his driving, and nothing else, he’s just not world class and it shows
Sadly however, his own team have proved me wrong, and even sadder, the media let them off
F1 Fan
4th October 2023, 14:09
He has had two chances to win with the clear best car since 2022 and hasn’t managed to do so. So unless Merc have a car to win consistently across all tracks and with a clear margin don’t see him doing much winning. His teammate won at Brazil and he dropped a stinker in qualifying in a quali heavy race like Singapore.
Nick T.
4th October 2023, 17:46
Hamilton finished 2nd in Brazil to George. I dislike Hamilton, but it’s fairly ridiculous to say that Hamilton has had a winning car and should have been able to win races during 2022 and 2023.
F1 Fan
4th October 2023, 18:46
He had a car to win and didn’t take his chance. Hamilton is also old and driving nowhere near his best which was arguably half a decade or more ago.
And I claimed only that he had the best car in 2 races and given his teammate could win a race, I don’t see why he couldn’t have won that race had he performed better in qualifying. It’s almost sad that whenever the car is good, he is bad.
So unless Merc have a better package than RB, Hamilton isn’t going to be able to get a win, which is what I explained in my original comment.
There’s nothing more to see. 2 chances, 0 taken. Both times purely down to the driver.
What’s even more sad he seems to lack good thinking even when he bodies his teammate like at Hungary. In the clearly 2nd best race car, he finished 4th after qualifying on pole. He went chasing Verstappen and let Piastri through.. a type of move he probably doesn’t get caught out by, a few years ago.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
5th October 2023, 2:25
Nah, Lewis is just driving more like Jenson in his later years, maximizing points return, and binning it less. Which is good because the car is crap, and opportunities like podiums are rare for the team.
AlanD
5th October 2023, 22:38
He is only third in the WDC, a mere five podiums and one pole position this year, barely ahead of that other old man, Alonso. What are those two still doing on track when they can’t win a race between them? I thought F1 was supposed to be just for good drivers.
Hint for the brain dead, I am being sarcastic.
The Dolphins
4th October 2023, 14:20
I’ve always cheered Sergio on, not as a fanboy but because historically he’s been the underdog capable of punching above the weight of the car. This season however we’ve seen the most dominant car ever with the Red Bull and Sergio is only 33 points ahead of third place Lewis who is making lemonade with his 4-wheeled lemon. I’ve been calling for Red Bull to consider a driver swap (in these comments) as soon as Daniel is cleared to race, NOT because Perez is Mexican simply because F1 is the most ruthless game of musical chairs with only 20 seats and a hundred butts vying for them. I want to see the best drivers on the track and the first person you are judged against is your teammate; if your teammate happens to be maximizing the points opportunities with their car and you are consistently not then we have a measure of your performance, thank you, we would like to see how someone else measures up.
AbeyG (@1abe)
4th October 2023, 15:41
Sergio Perez must apologise to Sergio Perez for relating his poor performance to his nationality.
melanos
5th October 2023, 2:18
Never gonna happen
Stash (@stash)
5th October 2023, 5:32
Does anyone here remember how Webber was absolutely trashed, by sites like this one, when he competed with Vettel who only weighted like 6 or seven kilos less than Webber. I am finding it hard to believe that Perez is still there. Hi Keith. How is he still there?
Cranberry
5th October 2023, 8:16
I think Perez has forgotten he that the Minister of Defense still has his fans, and for me at least, I don’t think the gap between them is so large naturally. It’s a shame to see Perez stoop to using the race baiting card, shame, shame!
Being Mexican has nothing to do with anything, except in a recent comment made by a senile old man.
Being Non-British, however, has always been a sign that a individual is in the underclass from the media’s point of view.
RedBull are just giving their #1 driver the better car, so the championship can be obtained by the correct driver. Hasn’t Perez has been slower by as much as a second or more per lap in some races? I don’t believe that is a natural difference between these two drivers, RedBull are just making sure their guys don’t meet on the track so they don’t get any fireworks going.
Horner is still suffering from Turkey 2010 trauma.
Moi
5th October 2023, 11:56
Perez’s underperformance
I believe that in order for a driver to perform, somewhere in his head he must be able to believe he is at least potentially the best there is.
This is comparatively easy as long as you are not driving in a dominant car, and/or are somewhat near your teammate. You can always rationalize that it’s the equipment that puts you out of contention, that your teammate had better luck, that the team did not give you the right strategy etcetera. As long as the gap is not too big, the human mind is very flexible like this.
However, when you are completely outclassed by your teammate again and again in the same car, doubt enters the mind. You start to overcompensate, overdrive, make errors, the gap grows. A vicious circle.
We’ve seen this in Gasly and Albon before, but also for example in Vandoorne and arguably now with Stroll.
Add to this that (in Perez’s case) the car is clearly the best, and the imperative that you should be up there every race becomes even more pronounced, deepening the spiral.
I think only acceptance of ones own limitations can end the spiral. He clearly has not seen this yet, so I expect him to keep performing subpar. Hope he can come to grips with it for his own sake and ours (as fans who want a championship fight) as well.
in what is clearly the best car