Formula One stars are enjoying a well-earned break after another tough season. Teams will spend the winter preparing their cars as they target halting Red Bull’s dominance.
Max Verstappen ran away with the Drivers’ Championship in 2023, unable to be caught by the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell or even team-mate Sergio Perez. It was the Dutchman’s third consecutive title.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton will be desperate to end his two-season wait for a Grand Prix triumph. The 38-year-old is also running out of time to win a record eighth Championship, and will have his eyes set on Verstappen for 2024.
You can keep up to date with the latest F1 news this weekend in our LIVE blog, below…
Norris told to ‘walk away’
Martin Brundle has told Lando Norris to ‘walk away’ from McLaren if they cannot build him a race-winning car for 2024.
Norris scored seven podiums – including four in a row – last season in a car comparatively slower than Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
During a Sky Sports F1 fan Q&A session, Brundle was asked whether or not Norris could walk away from McLaren if they have a slow start to the 2024 campaign. He responded: “Whether you’re the team boss or whether you’re the drivers, you have to say, ‘I only have eyes for one team one driver pairing.’ But it’s a very small business.
“Relatively speaking and your career whizzes past, you’ve got to keep your options open.
“Loyalty pays, especially these days in F1 teams, you can build something together but if he sees another year out without a victory, he’ll have to, and in any event, he should be making sure he’s in the best possible place to win a world championship.”
Hamilton at odds with Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton has insisted that Red Bull will remain “very clear” for the next few years – but that is at odds with the wishes of Toto Wolff.
The Mercedes chief says he will not wait until 2026 – when new regulations are set to be introduced – for the Silver Arrows to regain their place at the top of the sport.
“Us, Ferrari and all the other teams have to do a better job to compete with Red Bull and if we can’t change anything, then people are going to say [before the race]: ‘Well I know the result’,” the Austrian said.
“It happened to us with Lewis many years ago, but you’ve just got to do a better job. I don’t want to wait until 2026.”
But that comes after Hamilton said last month: “The Red Bull is so far away, and I think they’re probably going to be very clear for the next couple of years.”
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