Formula 1

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES - Part One: Guenther STEINER (Haas) Frédéric VASSEUR (Alfa Romeo), Laurent MEKIES (Ferrari). Q: Fred, let's start by discussing some ...

The facts are such that the submission is made to the FIA, and it is a private submission between the team and the FIA. In terms of complexity, yeah, of course, we all agree that is simply a new dimension of the sport in Formula 1 now, dealing with the financial regulations as well, but in the end, we are all able to develop, produce and race Formula 1 cars. If that's a rule and a regulation that all the teams unanimously agreed to, then this is a rule that has to be obeyed. So, you know, I think that is it is something that the FIA can police, but inevitably there are going to be going to be learnings and we're seeing clarifications that are coming out even subsequent to when the submission has been made that could have a material impact on the actual submissions that were made back in March. But I think part of the issue was that the Safety Car went in front of Russell instead of Verstappen, I think and it was this greater bit of a mess, or at least extended the Safety Car period and now to decide if we have to put the red flag when Ricciardo’s car was stopped - I'm not in between the communication between the marshals and the race director. I mean that for sure it was a huge amount of work, probably much more for the big teams than for us but in those ones we are also smaller and I think also we have to consider the huge amount of work done by the FIA to inspect all the teams. LM: I think we know it's one of the downside of these regulations but as we are seeing, as we, the three of us, have said, we also know that there is more benefits and downsides in these regulations. we are not at the cost cap this year but the process which is put in place, it's a lot of work, but it is, I wouldn't say difficult, but you need to put the effort in. So we are fully in favour of that concept, of enforcing it as severely and as transparently as possible because it is the way forward as far as we managed to pass this stress test. This is why it's key now that we do not move the goalposts of what is allowed and what is not allowed. Also, going into the future, we know what you have to deal with, and we need to make sure that we are not watering down the budget cap for the future. And I think what we were saying yesterday is that we are very much looking forward to have clear and transparent evaluations of what has happened and that severe measures are being taken if there is a breach.

1 – Charles LECLERC (Ferrari) 2 – Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing) 3 – Lewis HAMILTON (Mercedes)

But today, it was good that we're able to get temperature in the tyres and that enabled us to have the confidence to push and fight with these guys. I think you just set a fastest sector in the middle sector, then obviously, you ended up third in the final results. For them, it was Turn 13; for me it was Turn 16, was a bit of a handful, lost a bit of time there, but I still have to be grateful to be on the front row (sic). SP: It's never nice to be so close to pole because it always brings you back to your lap and especially in such a long lap, you know that you could have done better here or there. Looking back it was probably the right choice for the team because it helped us to do a one-two which probably wouldn't have been possible without that. And I honestly, I have full confidence in Mohammed in the way that he's conducted himself to this point and in terms of being strict and being clear with the rules. I don't know what happened with him in the session but again, I don't know why, the car was we're just working. The rules are rules and for those sort of things, which can lead to real alterations in terms of car performance, those sorts of things, we definitely have to take it seriously. So, I think at the end, it was so difficult to get that lap perfect. Q: It was a challenging start to the weekend for you this weekend. Not my last lap, but the one just before was really good and was the lap for pole. SP: Yeah, I mean, it was so tricky to learn the conditions today, and tomorrow, again, it can be wet at any time.

The reigning champion was forced to abort his final qualifying lap as he did not have enough fuel in the car to complete the lap and still have one litre to ...

It is really hard to pass, so I’m expecting a really frustrating race for me where I am just stuck behind people.” “It’s incredibly frustrating, finding out it was the fuel. Basically, we ran out of fuel.

Red Bull is running away with the constructors championship — thanks in large part to Verstappen — but Mercedes is only 35 points away from catching Ferrari for ...

Otherwise, between five and 10 seconds is a strong bet given both the history of this race and results this season. Schumacher is a value option and has finished out of points recently due to grid penalties and engine failures. It's possible he clinches that outcome as early as this weekend, but he'd need to outscore [Charles Leclerc](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/charles-leclerc-970) by 22 points, [Sergio Perez](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/sergio-perez-603) by 13 points and [George Russell](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/george-russell-944) by six points. However, Vettel has shown to be competitive for points finishes in recent races. Williams and Alpine both have a confirmed opening on their team for the 2023 calendar, and Haas is rumored to be looking to separate itself from [Mick Schumacher](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/mick-schumacher-999). The build listed above as an example allows Alonso to fit in the budget, but Ocon is an equivalent option for different builds. Sainz has similarly struggled to reach the podium at recent grand prix, but he has generally shown better pace than Perez in qualifying. [Max Verstappen](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/max-verstappen-701) has won five consecutive races to all but secure his second consecutive driver championship. He's the obvious captain to lock in as a result, though his $18,600 price tag is very difficult to pair with Red Bull as the constructor. However, the closer to the book things remain, the harder it is to picture anyone but Verstappen taking the checkered flag. A team on a one-stop plan and a long opening stint is likely to benefit — more on that later. [Sebastian Vettel](https://www.rotowire.com/racing/player/sebastian-vettel-557)

The qualifying hour for Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix has concluded, where Charles Leclerc has topped the results.

- Sergio Perez Red Bull +1.347 - Charles Leclerc Ferrari +1.072 - Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:53.057 - Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.475 - Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.380 - Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:52.343 - Max Verstappen Red Bull +1.983 - Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.022 Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished second, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in third, while Max Verstappen was left fuming at his team as he was told to abort his final flying lap and return to the pits – he qualified eighth as a result. - Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:49.412 A deluge of rain hit the circuit on Saturday afternoon, with the track proving very slow to dry out. Charles Leclerc has taken pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, after a frenetic end to qualifying.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says he is "absolutely confident" his team did not breach Formula 1's budget cap in 2021.

Williams were fined $25,000 in June for a "procedural breach" of the financial rules. The first time the budget cap is challenged, you need a certain amount of severity. "After, you can discuss the penalty and how do you make it meaningful. "If there was a breach in 2021, what advantage is being carried into 2022 and 2023?" The F1 financial regulations define a minor breach as one less than 5% of the cap, which was $145m (£114m) in 2021, and a material one as more than that. So that's an open secret in the paddock."

The governing body FIA introduced the budget cap, set at $145 million, for the first time last year to make racing more competitive.

We request you to support our award-winning journalism by making a financial contribution towards the Scroll Ground Reporting Fund. Unless there is a clear withdrawal of those statements, we will be taking it incredibly seriously and looking at what the options available to us are.” “For teams, that are not party to any form of the submission, to be making claims about our submission and prospective penalties is just bang out of order.” We take umbrage to them. I would be intrigued to know where their source of information for these fictitious claims have come from. “We made our submission in March and we stand by that 100 percent behind that submission that we are below the cap,” said Horner.

After another long delay, F1 returns on Sunday in Singapore, as Max Verstappen continues his path to the championship.

This will be the first time F1 battles it out on the streets of Marina Bay since Sebastian Vettel won his fifth Singapore Grand Prix in 2019. He is now just two wins away from tying the record for most wins in a single F1 season, looking to equal Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel’s 13 checkered flags in their 2004 and 2013 championship seasons. The Dutchmen has been dominant after a skeptical start to the season, and now has 11 wins on the season, including standing at the top of the podium in each of the last five.

Charles Leclerc put in a stunning effort around a damp Marina Bay track to seal his ninth pole position of the season ahead of tomorrow's Singapore Grand ...

Click on the video player above to ride onboard with Leclerc on his way to an 18th career pole position ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc put in a stunning effort around a damp Marina Bay track to seal his ninth pole position of the season ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. WATCH: Ride onboard with Charles Leclerc on his pole lap at Marina Bay

Fernando Alonso will make F1 history in Singapore when he lines up on the Marina Bay grid for his 350th start – surpassing Kimi Raikkonen as the outright ...

He was at the time he was winning with Renault and I think he is today. I think that was the beginning of Fernando’s sheer determination to go and show what he could do. “Fernando was stuck in the pit box the whole time because of mechanical issues, but they managed to get his car out for one run at the end of the day. “I think he is the best driver in the world. I was in a team principals’ meeting and he and his race engineer couldn’t agree, and the race engineer put more fuel in the car. I think the most impressive thing was that he could be fast for 100% of the race, and it’s rare to see drivers who can do that.” It was one of his best qualities, that even if the balance was not good he could manage to be fast in adapting his driving style, and you don’t [often] see that around [with other drivers]. Alongside Alonso for the most part of his debut season was Tarso Marques, who had already competed for Minardi in 1996 and 1997. “Throughout that year, Fernando proved time and time again that he could put an uncompetitive car in a competitive position. “Once Fernando got into the pit lane and out of the car, everyone was hugging him and grabbing him, and they were just elated that he’d managed to achieve that. We had a very short timeframe to put the whole team together, which was six weeks and three days from when I acquired it to when we had to fly to Melbourne [for the first race]. Indeed, manager Flavio Briatore agreed to let Minardi run Alonso for his debut F1 campaign, ahead of a planned promotion to the Benetton-Renault team run by the Italian.

Formula 1 has returned to Singapore for the first time since 2019 and as we get set to go racing under the bright lights of Marina Bay, a number of the ...

[READ MORE: ‘He could perform miracles’ – Fernando Alonso’s debut F1 season remembered by those who were there, ahead of his 350th GP start](https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.he-could-perform-miracles-fernando-alonsos-debut-f1-season-remembered-by-those-who-were-there.5zl2hleCOqsR7fVb1wI2IA.html) And as a tribute to his team’s title sponsor, Russell is sporting a newly designed helmet at the race closest to Petronas’s home. So, fast forward seven months and the Chinese racer has brought a peach coloured bubble tea inspired helmet, showing his love for the beverage. This tweet has been removed from Twitter Sky blue all over, it also features a big smile, a group of kids holding hands, an elephant and much more.