F1 news: Hamilton to miss Abu Dhabi GP session as Verstappen holds meeting with F1 bosses

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Formula 1's non-executive chairman Chase Carey may have given away plans to host another race in the USA.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix was seen as an overwhelming success on race day and when interviewed by Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle Carey may have let slip about a New York race in the future.

“This is what it should be all about,” Carey said to Brundle while on the grid. “We said early on, Vegas, Miami and New York, they’re the next cities we should be in, and Vegas delivered.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has clearly not forgotten about his issue with former race director Michael Masi ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP.

The UAE race set the stage for the 2021 finale when Masi opted against ending the race until a Safety Car allowed Max Verstappen to overtake Lewis Hamilton to give the Red Bull driver his first world championship.

Wolff discussed Mercedes' battle with Ferrari going into the final race and said: "We’re going there on pretty much equal points, we have a proper race director, so that should be fine.

"Then let’s race, it’s all down to the last weekend. [Ferrari] are very quick, they’ve done a good job, I think we could have been on par [in Las Vegas], but the result shows something different so let’s race."

Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz has disagreed with Max Verstappen over the five-second penalty that the Red Bull driver was handed at the Las Vegas GP.

Verstappen was punished for forcing Charles Leclerc off the track in the opening corner as he took the lead. Instead of being told to give the place back, he was punished with a five-second penalty, which Verstappen felt was the correct call.

Kravitz held a different view, however. “The stewards decided to look at it in a way that merited a five-second penalty for forcing another driver off the track," he said.

“I don’t know, I’ve kind of seen that before. I sort of felt that that was sort of hard racing. You go down, you’ve got somebody on the outside, and then you’re kind of walking him gently to the outside, compromising him while then you cut in and they go off.

"Is that not allowed anymore? I mean, yes, it was firm. It did cause another driver to go off the track.”

Max Verstappen reportedly held a meeting with Formula 1 prior to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Dutch outlet De Telegraaf have claimed that it is unknown who requested the meet, but a few hours before Verstappen won in Nevada he met with the sport's top brass.

Verstappen had complained repeatedly about the spectacle surrounding the race, but changed his tune after his victory on Sunday.

Mercedes have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will not be racing during FP1 in Abu Dhabi.

Instead, F2 star Frederik Vesti will be in the cockpit as the FIA mandates each time allowing a junior driver to experience a F1 car twice a year.

Vesti stepped in for George Russell in Mexico and will get another drive in the W14 on Friday.

Max Verstappen has called on Red Bull to "analyse" the tyre issues that he was plagued with at the Las Vegas GP.

Despite winning in Nevada, the Dutchman struggled on the medium tyres and quickly abandoned them, having more success with the hards.

"We have to analyse why that was," Verstappen said. "Because in the long runs on Thursday, they were fine.

“I think the hard tyre was just a bit more robust against the graining, because that was my problem on the medium. The tyre just started to open up and then you lose a lot of grip. So that’s what happened.

“And then on the hard tyre I didn’t really have that problem for a long time. So that was definitely helping me.”

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has opened up on his "awkward" incident with Lewis Hamilton at the Las Vegas GP.

Piastri had stormed from 18th to eighth in the first 10 laps before both he and Hamilton suffered a puncture following their collision, hampering their races.

“It was kind of just an awkward one,” Piastri said. “Neither of us had really committed to the corner that much, and then we both committed at the last minute and, you know, then I was trying to back out of it, we just ended up meeting in the middle, so, I had a puncture from that.

“I don’t think it really hurt our race that much in all honesty. It would have been interesting to see if a one-stop could have worked, from that point. We would have been a sitting duck like (Pierre) Gasly, pretty much. Yeah, a lot of things for a lot of people went wrong in that race and I think I was in the same boat.”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has opened up on the team's tyre strategy and their "deliberate" usage at the Las Vegas GP.

Both team drivers had suffered with their tyres before the second Safety Car allowed for quicker pit stops, an eventuality that they were prepared for in order to put pressure on Ferrari and win.

"We took a bit of a risk with this," Marko explained. "We deliberately did not use those hard tyres in practice, as we wanted to save two sets for the race. Fortunately, unlike the previous races, this has now worked well. We went quite fast then.

"This time both cars were clearly better than Ferrari on the hard tyre. Leclerc's tyres were of course five laps older after that safety car phase, although graining started earlier for him than for us.

"Once Max was able to get out of the DRS, he finished the race calmly. At that moment we knew that we would drive home the victory."

Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes that the manhole cover issue should prompt a rule change after the Las Vegas GP.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was handed a 10-place grid penalty after they were forced to use a new engine through a fault on the track, to much disdain among those involved in the sport.

“Carlos Sainz’s car had been wrecked by the errant access cover in first practice in a pretty scary way,” he wrote in his column. “He needed many new parts including a battery pack which would hand him a 10-place grid penalty.

“He was controlled but clearly beyond angry, as were his team who thought the penalty unfair in the circumstances. They also wanted to know who was going to pay for the damage.

“There are hundreds of pages of rules in the International Sporting Code and the specific F1 Sporting and Technical regulations, but nothing which can allow the Stewards to legally turn a blind eye if something just doesn’t seem fair.

“We really must add some wording, with due checks and balances, which can be applied without fear of ensuing legal actions, or teams using it to advantage in other scenarios."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hit out at F1 and called for fans to receive compensation after they missed out on practice.

A heavy delay saw the session start in the early hours of the morning in Vegas and fans were told to leave the venue over safety concerns, but Wolff has not been happy after only a section of supporters were offered a $200 voucher on race merchandise.

“Thursday was so difficult with the drain cover coming loose [and then] the driving from 2:30 to 4am also to see whether everything was fine for the following day.

“I think it was unforeseen circumstances. You can’t make people to work [at the] track that late. And I think for next year, maybe we can create some kind of buffer. But it was unforeseen circumstances.

“Often communication can do a lot to make the situation better. I hope for the people that ended up upset for the right reasons we can find a good package for next year so they can enjoy the race and in a way maybe we can pay them back for the unfortunate situation.”

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has insisted that Red Bull driver Sergio Perez will be "kicking himself" after a third-placed finish at the Las Vegas GP.

Perez sealed second place in the Drivers' Championship with his podium finish behind winner Max Verstappen and runner-up Charles Leclerc.

But Chandhok believes that Perez will be disappointed after losing second place at the very end of the race.

“I think Checo [Perez] will be kicking himself because it was on the final lap of the race,” Chandhok said. “Coming down the straight from Turn 12 down to Turn 14, I think he will be regretting not moving across the inside and defending because he just opened up the door.

“He stayed firmly to the right and just invited a lunge, which was always going to happen on the last corner of the last lap.

“Unfortunately for Perez, he’s come out on the losing end. He just invited him. I think if Perez had moved across, Leclerc would have struggled to get past.

“Perez could have brake-checked him at the apex of 14 and made sure he got a good exit and could have got the 1-2. I think Charles did a great job lunging on the inside, and Perez had a good race going through 11th to third, but I do think he could have had second today.”

Daniel Ricciardo reflected on a disappointing weekend for AlphaTauri in Las Vegas.

The Australian finished 14th and placed partial blame on the safety cars for not being able to finish higher up the rankings.

“I was definitely optimistic coming into the race,” he said. “I knew where we’ve been suffering this weekend. It’s really just getting the tyre working so I knew the start would be difficult.

“But then once everything kind of settles, I felt like we would be able to get into a rhythm and show a little bit more pace, but that wasn’t the case. I think as well with all the restarts, we suffered so much more than the others with warm up.

“I was getting overtaken on the outside of turn three and the outside is really slippery so for them to have more grip on the outside I was just like ‘oh, man.’ It was pretty, pretty humiliating.

“We honestly just couldn’t do anything. So, a bit of a painful weekend. I think it’s certainly surface specific, but we can’t neglect it.”

Christian Horner has urged F1 bosses to reconsider the 2024 calendar after teams left Las Vegas feeling ‘slightly f*****’.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was victorious in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

But a late 10pm race leaves teams knackered heading into the final week. They now head to Abu Dhabi next weekend, with the Emirati capital 12 hours ahead of Las Vegas.

“It’s been a big event and, like in anything, there’ll be a bit of a debrief to go through what was good and what needs a bit of polishing,” Horner said.

“When you look at the interest there has been in this race, it has been phenomenal. As a first event, of course, there are going to be many lessons to learn.

“I think one of the things we look at is the running schedule because it’s been brutal for the team, and all the men and women behind the scenes. I think everybody’s leaving Vegas slightly f*****.

“We need to look at how we can improve that for the future. We’re running so late at night, so maybe we run it a little earlier in the evening.

“You’re never going to keep every television audience totally happy. This is an American race, so if you run at eight o’clock in the evening, or something like that, it would just be a bit more comfortable for all.”

Sky Sports pundit Danica Patrick says Toto Wolff ‘looks defeated’ after another tough season for Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows have endured a tough campaign.

Consistency and performance issues have prevented Lewis Hamilton and George Russell from competing with Max Verstappen.

“They’ve got so much better throughout the year, but nothing to show for it,” Patrick told Sky.

“You can sense, Toto looked defeated, frustrated, tired maybe. Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal] was talking about the timing of this event.

“It’s been a long year, everybody is wearing down. So I’m sure it’s feeling extra heavy to them now, especially when they have bad days. Especially when they get glimmers of hope.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has given Lewis Hamilton and George Russell the target of both finishing on the podium ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Both drivers have struggled with consistency over the last two years but Mercedes felt they performed well in Las Vegas, despite seventh and eighth-placed finishes, respectively.

But Wolff wants the duo to finish the season with what would be a remarkable display in Abu Dhabi.

Wolff told Sky Sports: “We have seen pace-ish today. I think we can hopefully recover and score solid podiums."

Lando Norris says he feels ‘okay’ after a horror crash at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The McLaren star went out in the fourth lap, with his team blaming a bump that caught out the driver.

“Rough day. Big impact. But feeling okay!” Norris wrote on social media. “Thanks for all the messages, See you next weekend.”

“There’s a bump in that place,” Andrea Stella said afterwards.

“You can see all cars sparkle when they go through this bump. I think the combination of the bump and the cold tyres might have surprised him.”

The McLaren chief added: “I think that bump, if we carry on racing at nighttime, should be fixed, because the tyres will always be cold, low grip and it becomes a very tricky corner.

“Already during the weekend, we saw cases of oversteer in that place. So, independently of the timetable, we would strongly recommend that this bump is smoothened out.”

Joylon Palmer has slammed Max Verstappen for his negativity towards the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Verstappen was highly critical of the event, especially a grand opening ceremony in which he said he felt like ‘a clown’.

“Honestly, some of the comments before this weekend, even during this weekend, the negativity has been embarrassing. Max has been very critical of the event and it’s been a tremendous success,” Palmer told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.

“We say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It’s blooming delicious.

“I think the best Grand Prix of the year, certainly is in the top few. And it was a big crowd. Okay, some of the American tastes isn’t for everyone, big introductions.”

Palmer added: “You can’t one minute say this is a shambles, this race, if Monaco is Champions League then this is National League, and then 50 laps later you’re singing ‘Viva Las Vegas’ in an Elvis suit. Come on.”

Sergio Perez has proved F1 fans wrong by finishing second in the world drivers' championship.

Back in November, a majority of fans voted to say that Lewis Hamilton will defeat the Mexican and leapfrog into second behind Max Verstappen.

At the time, Perez's form had dipped and he was tipped to leave Red Bull at the end of the season.

READ MORE HERE

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have appeared to fire shots at each other over their views of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Verstappen was highly critical of the event, especially a grand opening ceremony in which the Red Bull star said he felt like ‘a clown’.

Hamilton, who enjoyed the weekend, has aimed a dig at Verstappen’s way of thinking.

The Mercedes ace said: “I don’t know how much of a spectacle it was for people to watch but there was so much overtaking - it was like Baku but better. I really wasn’t expecting the track to be so great.”

In a possible dig at Verstappen, he added: “To all those who were so negative about the weekend, saying ‘it’s all about show, blah, blah, blah’, I think Vegas proved them wrong.”

Verstappen has appeared to shoot back at his rival after being asked if other drivers agree with his stance on the event.

“Some drivers do but I think some find it fun to say the opposite of what I say,” Verstappen said.

“I’m not gonna drop names, but yeah…”

Lewis Hamilton risks a punishment after securing third-place in the F1 world drivers’ championship leaderboard.

The Briton came seventh in Las Vegas but was able to confirm third behind Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the overall standings.

However, that could put Hamilton at risk of a fine if he does not attend the end-of-season FIA awards evening.

According to the rulebook, it is mandatory for the top three drivers to attend the event. Article 6.6 states that “drivers finishing first, second and third in the championship must be present at the annual FIA Prize Giving ceremony”.

Hamilton paid a fine in 2021 for not attending after being controversially denied the world championship in the final race of the year. He was not present in 2022 having not finished in the top three in that year’s leaderboard.

Should the Mercedes star fail to turn up this year, he could face a repeat of the punishment he was given two years ago.

Max Verstappen’s dad has told his triumphant son that he must air his frustrations in a ‘neater way’ after the Dutchman’s scathing criticism of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Verstappen - who won Sunday’s race - was not looking forward to his first outing in Sin City, raising concerns about the track.

The 26-year-old also said he felt like ‘a clown’ during a glitzy opening ceremony featuring several A-list celebrities.

Not one for the glamour, Verstappen was brutal in his criticism of the event. But father Jos believes it must be channelled differently

"I do think he can say things, but in this case in a neater way. I told him that directly," former F1 star Jos told De Telegraaf.

Verstappen privately aired his grievance with an F1 member of staff before the race.

Jos added: "Once in a while he needs that too. I also think the battery is running out a bit, with a lot of people. But that Max likes racing, you saw that today. I understand his opinion, but you can't kick blindly at everything."

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