Latest news with #AustrianGrandPrix
Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Max Verstappen made threat to quit F1 after receiving ‘silly' punishment
Max Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his FIA super licence after crashing into George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix Max Verstappen once threatened to walk away from Formula One after being punished by the FIA for swearing. The reigning world champion is now facing a potential one-race ban after he inexplicably crashed into George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. In the closing stages of Sunday's race, Verstappen was battling it out with the Mercedes driver into Turn 1 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Russell seemed to have gained the upper hand following a safety car restart but a snap of oversteer led him to make contact with Verstappen, who then cut through the run-off area and held onto fourth place. The Red Bull team instructed Verstappen to let Russell pass after their collision, which was met with a fiery response over the team radio. The reigning world champion appeared to comply momentarily by slowing down into Turn 5, only to accelerate again and hit Russell. The FIA stewards hit Verstappen with a 10-second time penalty for his part in the shocking incident, causing him to drop from fifth to 10th place in the final standings. Verstappen also had three penalty points added to his license, meaning he'll need to tread carefully in the next two Grands Prix. He is just a single penalty point away from an automatic one-race suspension, having accumulated 11 points over the past year. Penalty points remain on a driver's super licence for 12 months before they expire, meaning his next point won't come off until the Austrian Grand Prix at the end of June. A ban is unlikely to improve his relationship with the FIA as he has already expressed his frustration towards the motorsport governing body. His anger was visible last year when he was handed a community service sentence for swearing, a day after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had insisted that drivers needed to clean up their language. After receiving his punishment, which Lewis Hamilton also opposed, Verstappen argued that the FIA was draining the fun from racing. He said: 'Everyone is pushing to the limit. Everyone in this battle, even at the back of the grid. But if you have to deal with all these kinds of silly things: for me, that is not a way of continuing in the sport, that's for sure." He went on to add: 'I don't know how seriously they will take that kind of stuff but for me, at one point, when it's enough, it's enough. We'll see. Everything will go on, I have no doubt. It's not a problem because Formula One will go on without me, but it's also not a problem for me. So it's how it is.' Just under a year later, Verstappen has once again found himself at the centre of F1 controversy with Sunday's incident. Russell branded the Dutchman's manoeuvre as "deliberate" and "totally unnecessary". Meanwhile, former champion Nico Rosberg weighed in by suggesting that Verstappen deserved a black flag for the on-track incident. Verstappen remained unfazed and dismissed the criticism by saying: 'Yeah, that's his opinion, everyone can have his opinion.' He was also reluctant initially to answer the media's questions over the incident, saying: 'Does it matter? Yeah, okay, that's great. I mean, I prefer to speak about the race rather than just one single moment.' Having been informed that Russell said he was 'worried for young kids watching,' Verstappen replied sarcastically: 'Well, I'll bring some tissues next time. He has his view, I have my view. It's better to just focus on the race which I think was quite okay.' He has since backtracked somewhat on his post-race comments, taking to Instagram on Monday to write: "Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened.'
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Max Verstappen flirting with race ban after latest penalty
BERCELONA: Max Verstappen had plenty to be upset about by the time the Spanish Grand Prix was in the books Sunday, but the long-term implications of the outcome could be particularly problematic for the 65-time Grand Prix winner. The Red Bull racer experienced poor luck when his team's decision to go for a third pit stop was interrupted by a caution situation, allowing his competitors to make an unscheduled stop of their own. Verstappen was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the restart, and the Dutch racer then battled with Mercedes' George Russell, with the pair colliding twice. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds, plummeting him to 10th place. The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris managed to parlay that situation into a 1-2 finish. But the situation could have longer lasting consequences, as Verstappen was assessed three penalty points in the wake of the race, putting him at 11 points over the last 12 months. A race ban is instituted if a racer collects 12 points over a year-long period. Verstappen, who captured the checkered flag at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18, did not want to address the penalty situation after the race. "Does it matter?" he asked. "Yeah, okay, that's great. I prefer to speak about the race, not just one single moment." Being assessed a penalty point at the next race in Canada on June 15 would kickstart the ban, which would keep Verstappen from racing June 29 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Two of his penalty points, from last year's Austria race, are set to expire on June 30. Russell called into question Verstappen's maneuvers following the outcome Sunday. "It's down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not, Max is such an amazing driver, so many people look up to him, it seems completely unnecessary," Russell said. "I don't know what's going through his mind, it felt deliberate in the moment, it felt surprising." Verstappen currently sits in third place in the F1 standings with 137 points, 49 points behind leader Piastri. Norris (176) is in second place. - Reuters
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Automotive
- Canada Standard
Max Verstappen flirting with race ban after latest penalty
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images) Max Verstappen had plenty to be upset about by the time the Spanish Grand Prix was in the books Sunday, but the long-term implications of the outcome could be particularly problematic for the 65-time Grand Prix winner. The Red Bull racer experienced poor luck when his team's decision to go for a third pit stop was interrupted by a caution situation, allowing his competitors to make an unscheduled stop of their own. Verstappen was passed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the restart, and the Dutch racer then battled with Mercedes' George Russell, with the pair colliding twice. Verstappen was penalized 10 seconds, plummeting him to 10th place. The McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris managed to parlay that situation into a 1-2 finish. But the situation could have longer lasting consequences, as Verstappen was assessed three penalty points in the wake of the race, putting him at 11 points over the last 12 months. A race ban is instituted if a racer collects 12 points over a year-long period. Verstappen, who captured the checkered flag at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on May 18, did not want to address the penalty situation after the race. 'Does it matter?' he asked. 'Yeah, okay, that's great. I prefer to speak about the race, not just one single moment.' Being assessed a penalty point at the next race in Canada on June 15 would kickstart the ban, which would keep Verstappen from racing June 29 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Two of his penalty points, from last year's Austria race, are set to expire on June 30. Russell called into question Verstappen's maneuvers following the outcome Sunday. 'It's down to the stewards to decide if it was deliberate or not, Max is such an amazing driver, so many people look up to him, it seems completely unnecessary,' Russell said. 'I don't know what's going through his mind, it felt deliberate in the moment, it felt surprising.' Verstappen currently sits in third place in the F1 standings with 137 points, 49 points behind leader Piastri. Norris (176) is in second place. --Field Level Media
Press and Journal
a day ago
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
Oban racing star Susie Wolff says Netflix F1 documentary will help make history
Oban racing star Susie Wolff is paving the way for female representation on the Formula 1 grid through the launch of a new Netflix series. F1: The Academy goes behind the scenes as female drivers work towards earning a place on the starting grid. Wolff is the managing director of F1 Academy – a women-only racing league designed to develop and promote female talent in motorsport. Teaming up with Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine, she hopes to end the stigma around the male-dominated sport. It has been almost 50 years since a woman competed in an F1 race. Late Italian driver Lella Lombardi was the last woman to make history during her appearance at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix. She is the only woman to score points in a race, scoring half a point at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Wolff, who is married to Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff, is no stranger to the pressures facing females in the sport. The 42-year-old was a development driver for Williams and drove for the team during practice sessions at F1 races before retiring in 2015. She hopes change is around the corner, opening the door to fresh female talent. She said: 'Of course, I want to see a woman on the grid, and I think that will be inevitable when we get the building blocks in place that we know we have to do for long-term success and without a doubt, that will be a proud moment when we see a woman take to the grid. 'You know, there's only two spots in the grid per team, and it's very, very tough to get to Formula One, so we've got to make sure that we put the right steps in place that a woman has that chance in hopefully the not-too-distant future.' The docuseries will be hoping to replicate the global success achieved by the previous Drive to Survive series. The new Netflix series gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations facing drivers and their prospective teams both on and off the grid. Wolff, who was born in Oban, hopes to inspire the next generation of female drivers. She added: 'The series is showing that the sport is no longer just a man's world because without Formula One, Formula One Academy wouldn't exist. 'We want to attract a new audience. We want to attract that next generation, the parents of the next generation, to challenge the idea that women can't be racing drivers, that it's an industry that's not really built for women. 'And I think by sharing these incredible human stories of these young drivers and their journeys, the challenges they faced, it really brings to life the fact that regardless of gender, there's an opportunity in the sport.' You can watch all seven episodes on Netflix.
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
The 'data-driven battlefield' powering change in Formula One
In a sport like Formula One, milliseconds make all the difference. Just to underline that, one of the qualifying sessions in the run up to the last Austrian Grand Prix saw less than 0.8 seconds separate the lap times of the fastest 20 cars. It was a record at the time but you can expect that digit to drop significantly in the coming years. This upsurge in competitiveness comes as a direct result of the correct analysis of the choicest chunks gleaned from a massive upsurge in data collection. AI plays its part. In just a few years, this aspect of the sport has become as crucial to F1 's key players as the drivers themselves. Amazon Web Services (AWS) sits centre stage here, having already played a pivotal role in transforming the racing calendar and acting as the sport's digital backbone. The data it collects and shares has impacted everything from car design and race strategy to fan engagement. These days, race cars are fitted with more than 300 sensors, generating around 1.1 million data points per second. Similarly, there are sensors all around the track at strategic points providing more detail (if any were needed). This colossal amount of information is streamed to AWS, where it is processed and analysed in real-time. Thereafter, each team receives all the data about their own two vehicles, but none concerning their rivals. This allows principals to make split-second decisions on everything from strategy and pit stops to energy deployment and tyre selection, all while the race is happening. The whole process is called predictive modelling and, using historical data and current telemetry, AWS's AI machine learning models are able to predict various outcomes, even the best time for a potential overtaking manoeuvre. 'The partnership with AWS enables us to use machine learning and cloud technologies to improve step-by-step in every department," said Ferrari team principal Frederic Vavaseur. "This can be highly beneficial with everything from product improvements to increasing fan engagement.' Crucially, one of the most compelling innovations is the ability of the system to generate graphics that simulate what would have happened if a team had made a different strategic decision – a different tyre compound choice, say – or even assessing the impact of a driver error. Longer term, the information collated can be used to improve car design, with its ability to run thousands of simulations much more quickly than traditional on-track testing would allow – and also at a fraction of the cost. AWS also offers interactive fan experiences like the Real-Time Race Track online tool, which allows fans to design their own F1 circuits, which are then analysed by company's AI systems to produce projected lap times, top speeds, and even viable race stategies. Spectators can also access F1 Insights, a series of real-time on-screen graphics that appear during broadcasts and provide those watching with information about driver performance, car capabilities, and team strategy. Broadcasters are able to get in on the action, too, as the AWS's Track Pulse tool can quickly mine an extensive stream of historical data to pull up facts and statistics to enliven commentary. It's all about what the company calls intelligent storytelling. Ruth Buscombe-Divey is AWS's motorsports ambassador as well as one of F1 TV's most prominent presenters. She says the changes that have happened within the sport recently are game changers for its future. 'If you applied the technologies that were being used to win races five years ago, it's not going to work,' she says, describing what is happening now as a 'data-driven battlefield' where those involved have to keep pushing both technological advances and how exactly to best use the spiralling amount of information being generated. She sees the changes as crucial to the longevity of the sport. Around 750 million people watch F1 over the course of a season, a figure she cites as being a 'great motivation' in keeping up the momentum to make racing more competitive through the greater use of data. Julie Souza leads sports globally for AWS, driving innovation in data not just in F1 but spectator-led content across the board. She says she is often asked if the influx of new information is going to ruin fans' enjoyment of what they're watching. However, she says it's all about spectators watching sport the way they want to watch it and personalising the experience as much as possible. 'It's very easy for people to go, gosh, this is going to make it too heavy for me,' she says with regard to the recent statistical influx. 'However, if we're talking about this data in a way that alienates, we're doing it wrong. 'The whole point is for this information to make people better understand what they're seeing and enhance their appreciation of the exceptional abilities of the people involved.' The next round of the F1 championship takes place on June 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
