F1 LIVE – Hamilton sends retirement ultimatum as Red Bull pick Perez replacement
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix weekend will almost certainly see Max Verstappen clinch his third successive World Championship having dominated the entire campaign. He returned to the top step of the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix last time out and Red Bull will once again be expected to dominate in Qatar this weekend.
He’s 177 points ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in the standings with just 180 points available for the remainder of the season. That leaves Verstappen needing just three points to ensure he will clinch a third world title with five races remaining.
The Dutchman may get the job done in the Qatar Sprint as he needs to finish at least sixth to clinch the title. The bigger battle will likely come behind the Red Bulls with Lewis Hamilton looking to hold off Fernando Alonso in his bid to finish third in the Drivers’ Championship.
Mercedes also need to hold off Ferrari’s push for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Verstappen’s excellence detailed
Former F1 driver and three-time Le Mans winner Allan McNish believes Max Verstappen has got to a point in his career where not many drivers are able to reach.
Verstappen was seen as a hot-headed teenager when he burst onto the scene in F1 as he rubbed up his rivals the wrong way with his aggressive approach.
But Verstappen has mellowed in recent years with a bigger focus on keeping his car on the track on a regular basis and McNish has praised the Dutchman for his change.
He said: “Max has developed the ability to keep the tyres in the right place while driving at high speed, something that is normally not possible when you drive aggressively.
“He has the adaptability to determine how much energy and effort he puts into it. At the moment he is really in his comfort zone.”
Mexico GP’s Verstappen fear
Mexico Grand Prix officials are seemingly fearful of Max Verstappen being booed by Sergio Perez fans later this month as they’ve announced a new initiative to try and encourage spectators to behave themselves.
“In F1 we celebrate everyone’s success and maintain a healthy rivalry between drivers and teams,” Mexican GP Managing Director Federico González Compean said.
“We invite visitors to set an example for fans around the world. Spectators who passionately cheer for their favorite driver, but also behave respectfully towards the competitors,” added Rodrigo Sanchez.
Hamilton ready for emotional win
Lewis Hamilton believes his 104th F1 win wouild be the “greatest triumph” of his illustrious career.
It’s been nearly two years since the Brit last won a race in F1 having previously stop on top of the podium at least once in every season he had raced in the sport.
Mercedes are still playing catch up to Red Bull, but Hamilton is hopeful that they can return to winning ways next year.
He told Blick: “We’ll be coming back. We can do it. The next step to the top podium will come. And it will probably be my greatest triumph in my career.”
‘Apple prepare multi-billion offer to acquire F1 rights’
Apple TV are reportedly preparing their most audacious offer yet to try and secure the exclusive rights for F1 coverage.
According to BusinessF1 magazine, Apple are preparing an offer to F1’s owners Liberty Media to acquire the TV rights.
It’s claimed they’re willing to pay around £1.6billion per season for the rights in what would be a record-breaking deal.
Any changes to F1’s broadcast schedule won’t immediately change though as Sky agreed an extension to 2029.
‘The story will have to end somewhere’
Christijan Albers is amazed that Red Bull haven’t parted way with Sergio Perez given how ruthlessly Nyck de Vries was sacked at AlphaTauri.
Perez has struggled to keep up with Max Verstappen this season with the Mexican taking on heavy criticism, but Christian Horner is happy to give him another chance next year.
Albers doesn’t understand how Red Bull can continue backing Perez given how De Vries was dismissed.
He told De Telegraaf: “The gap is in fact only increasing. At some point they’ll see ‘it’s impossible to keep justifying this’. The story will have to end somewhere.
“If you see how destructive Horner and Marko were towards De Vries, it actually amazes me that they continue to keep Perez.”
Russell tipped for title ahead of Norris and Leclerc
The man who helped mould the careers of George Russell, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc believes the former driver currently has the best chance of winning a world title out of the three.
Matt Howson is a Le Mans winner in the LMP2 class but also played a role in shaping the F1 grid today.
He helped coach star drivers such as Leclerc, Norris and Russell and the Mercedes driver is being tipped to become the first world champion out of the three.
He told the On Track GP podcast: “My gut feeling is always going to be Mercedes, so I think George can probably be the one to win the most championships, I think I’m going to say that, but any of the three of them in terms of pure level? They’re very hard to separate.”
Red Bull pick Perez replacement
Red Bull reportedly favour Daniel Ricciardo as the man to replace Sergio Perez potentially midway through next season.
Christian Horner has announced that Perez will be driving for Red Bull at the start of the 2024 campaign despite the Mexican driver facing heavy criticism for his lack of fight to Max Verstappen this year.
But Perez isn’t being fully backed to see out his contract with F1 reporter Lawrence Barretto claiming Ricciardo is being lined up to replace the 33-year-old midway through next year if results fail to improve.
Hamilton’s retirement ultimatum
Lewis Hamilton has declared that he won’t follow in the footsteps of Fernando Alonso by returning to F1 once he decides to call time on his illustrious career.
Alonso and Michael Schumacher are just two of the sport’s iconic drivers to have made a comeback after their initial retirement with Sebastian Vettel now hinting he could do something similar.
However, Hamilton has no plans to do that himself once he eventually decides to retire from F1.
“That will not happen to me,” Hamilton told Blick.
“When the chapter is over, that’s when it’s over. I can’t imagine standing in the paddock or in the garage – without then getting into a car. But as I’ve said before: never say never.”
Morning
Hello and welcome back to Express Sport’s live F1 blog as we look ahead to this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
All the focus is set to be on Max Verstappen as he’s expected to win his third successive World Championship.
Stay tuned for live updates throughout the day!
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