F1 LIVE: Max Verstappen takes 2023 title risk after act of defiance at Brazilian GP

F1 news: OPINION – Why Max Verstappen’s self-absorption will come back to haunt him

Another week in Formula 1, another week where the spotlight is on this year’s double world champions for all the wrong reasons. After the cost-cap saga and Sky Sports boycott that has overshadowed Red Bull’s imperious march to Drivers and Constructors glory in the past month, Christian Horner’s team have now completed an unwanted hat-trick. That spotlight shows no signs of dimming.

First, let’s analyse Verstappen’s potential reasoning, a point of contention he refused to reveal when speaking to the media afterwards. Over team radio, he bluntly stated he “has his reasons” for not allowing Perez – fighting for second in the World Championship against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – to take sixth place. More to the point, Red Bull are fighting to secure their first-ever one-two finish in the standings.

Quite inevitably, the discussion quickly turned to why: what was Verstappen’s motive to hold position and secure an extra two points? No race win, or podium, was in the pipeline this time, with George Russell dominant in leading home a Mercedes one-two. One possible answer is lingering distaste in the Verstappen camp surrounding Perez’s victory in Monaco in May. That’s right, more than five months ago.

The Mexican claimed victory at the tightest circuit on the F1 calendar, but only after crashing his car in qualifying. A shunt that resulted in a red flag and Perez starting in third, a spot ahead of Verstappen. A foul-up at Ferrari a day later with their strategy saw Perez claim his third victory in F1.

Yet reports have emerged since that Perez has admitted to Horner and Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko that he deliberately crashed his car, with telemetry supposedly to match that claim.

Whether this is the primary reason Verstappen acted in such a manner in Sao Paulo is actually irrelevant. Because either it was out of spite for an incident that did not cost him on his charge to the world title, or it was an indication that there are no team orders at Red Bull.

Indeed, Verstappen’s quip – “you guys don’t ask that again to me – OK, are we clear about that?” – implies that those calling the shots are in fact not on the Red Bull pit wall but, rather, in car No 1.

Yet focusing on Verstappen’s motive is in fact missing the point altogether. Perez’s fury after the race that his teammate did not step aside came, understandably, accompanied with a line of: “After all I’ve done for him.”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 18:59

F1 news: George Russell reduced to tears after maiden F1 grand prix triumph in Brazil

Pole-sitter Russell delivered an electric start at Interlagos before expertly surviving a late safety car to follow in the footsteps of Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard and become only the fourth British winner of a grand prix this century.

Russell’s supreme performance – 24 hours after he triumphed in Saturday’s sprint race – followed another collision between Hamilton and Max Verstappen, with the latter penalised by the stewards.

But the day belonged to Russell, who in his 81st start, fourth season, and first alongside Hamilton at Mercedes, delivered the Silver Arrows’ opening win of a turbulent season. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth for Ferrari, with Verstappen sixth.

“I need some tissues,” the 24-year-old Russell said from inside his crash helmet, seconds after the chequered flag fell. “I am crying, boys and girls.” Later, he added: “I was pretty impressed by how quickly I started crying. By Turn 2, I was in floods of tears.”

Russell was twice denied a brilliant victory – first through a Mercedes pit-stop mistake and then a puncture – as a remarkable stand-in for a coronavirus-hit Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix almost two years ago.

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 18:39

F1 news: ‘You know how it is with Max’: Lewis Hamilton reacts after collision with Verstappen in Brazil

Max Verstappen said he would not hesitate to collide with Lewis Hamilton again after the rivals crashed at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton and Verstappen tangled following a safety car restart on the seventh lap in Interlagos as they duelled for second place through the Senna Esses.

Hamilton recovered to finish runner-up – behind team-mate George Russell who took his maiden win – while Verstappen, who was forced to stop for repairs in his Red Bull, finished sixth.

After the race, Hamilton, who was involved in a number of altercations with Verstappen during last season’s toxic title battle, said: “What can I say? You know how it is with Max.”

Verstappen responded: “I was not upset by the penalty, but if you ask me would I do it again? Absolutely.

“I went round the outside in turn one, and I just felt it as soon as I was going next to him that he had no intention to leave me space, and I was like, ‘Okay if you are not going to leave me space then we will just collide’. I thought after last year, we could forget about it and finally race.

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 18:24

F1 news: Christian Horner refuses to divulge why Max Verstappen ignored team orders in Brazil

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner refused to reveal why Max Verstappen ignored team orders during the final stages of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who secured his second world title last month in Japan, was running in sixth place having overtaken a struggling Perez in the closing stages of an entertaining race at Interlagos.

However, with Fernando Alonso in fifth too far out in front, Red Bull ordered Verstappen to let Perez by – with the Mexican in a fight with Charles Leclerc to secure second in the World Championship.

Yet the Dutchman refused, saying over team radio he “has his reasons” for now obeying the pit wall instruction. And after a fiery team meeting in the paddock afterwards, Horner did not elaborate on Verstappen’s reasoning, insisting that the discussions will remain “behind closed doors.”

“We discuss these things internally,” Horner told Sky. “The drivers have spoken about it, they’re very clear. For us, Checo is now tied on points with Charles. Ferrari didn’t swap their cars round.

“I’m not going to go into what we discuss behind closed doors. The drivers discussed it, shook hands. We work as a team, our priority is to get Checo runner-up in the Championship. It’s a straight fight between Checo and Charles.”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 17:58

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton hints Max Verstappen is envious of his success after Brazil collision

Lewis Hamilton hinted he is a collision magnet for Max Verstappen because the Dutch driver is envious of his record-breaking career. Hamilton and Verstappen – who last year were involved in a toxic fight for the world championship – tangled o n the seventh lap of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s march to a second title has passed off without a notable accident. But, with Hamilton back in the frame following Mercedes’ resurgence in Sao Paulo, Verstappen re-opened old wounds with his rival when he thudded into the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes. Verstappen was penalised by the stewards, who found him “predominantly at fault” for the accident.

And, when asked if he felt singled out by the Red Bull driver, 37-year-old Hamilton, who has won more races than any driver in the sport’s history, replied: “It is natural when you have the success and the numbers on your chest, that you become a bit of a target.

“But that’s okay. It’s nothing that I have not dealt with before.”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 17:44

F1 news: Max Verstappen disobeys Red Bull team orders with Sergio Perez fuming at Brazilian Grand Prix

The double world champion, who had overtaken a struggling Perez towards the end of a chaotic race, was told to let the Mexican through to claim fifth place, with Perez battling with Charles Leclerc for second place in the World Championship. Yet Verstappen ignored the instruction from race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, meaning Perez goes into the final race next week in Abu Dhabi level on points with Leclerc, instead of in front.

When asked by Lambiase why he didn’t let his team-mate through, Verstappen bluntly said over team radio: “I told you already last time. You guys don’t ask that again to me. OK, are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.”

Perez, who memorably defended superbly against Lewis Hamilton to help Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year, blasted the Dutchman over his team radio channel. “Thank you for that guys, thank you,” he said. “He [Verstappen] shows who he really is.”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 17:11

F1 news: Daniel Ricciardo given three-place grid penalty for Abu Dhabi GP

Daniel Ricciardo has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after his first-lap crash into Kevin Magnussen in Brazil.

The Australian, who is competing in his final F1 race for McLaren in Abu Dhabi, tipped Magnussen on the first lap of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, causing the Dane to spin.

Ricciardo then couldn’t avoid the rear of Magnussen’s Haas, resulting in a collision and both cars being eliminated from the race.

And the stewards have opted to punish Ricciardo with a three-place grid drop this Sunday; hardly ideal for Ricciardo in his final race before taking a one-year sabbatical in 2023, after being dropped for Oscar Piastri at McLaren.

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 16:14

F1 news: OPINION – Why Max Verstappen’s self-absorption will come back to haunt him

Another week in Formula 1, another week where the spotlight is on this year’s double world champions for all the wrong reasons. After the cost-cap saga and Sky Sports boycott that has overshadowed Red Bull’s imperious march to Drivers and Constructors glory in the past month, Christian Horner’s team have now completed an unwanted hat-trick. That spotlight shows no signs of dimming.

First, let’s analyse Verstappen’s potential reasoning, a point of contention he refused to reveal when speaking to the media afterwards. Over team radio, he bluntly stated he “has his reasons” for not allowing Perez – fighting for second in the World Championship against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – to take sixth place. More to the point, Red Bull are fighting to secure their first-ever one-two finish in the standings.

Quite inevitably, the discussion quickly turned to why: what was Verstappen’s motive to hold position and secure an extra two points? No race win, or podium, was in the pipeline this time, with George Russell dominant in leading home a Mercedes one-two. One possible answer is lingering distaste in the Verstappen camp surrounding Perez’s victory in Monaco in May. That’s right, more than five months ago.

The Mexican claimed victory at the tightest circuit on the F1 calendar, but only after crashing his car in qualifying. A shunt that resulted in a red flag and Perez starting in third, a spot ahead of Verstappen. A foul-up at Ferrari a day later with their strategy saw Perez claim his third victory in F1.

Yet reports have emerged since that Perez has admitted to Horner and Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko that he deliberately crashed his car, with telemetry supposedly to match that claim.

Whether this is the primary reason Verstappen acted in such a manner in Sao Paulo is actually irrelevant. Because either it was out of spite for an incident that did not cost him on his charge to the world title, or it was an indication that there are no team orders at Red Bull.

Indeed, Verstappen’s quip – “you guys don’t ask that again to me – OK, are we clear about that?” – implies that those calling the shots are in fact not on the Red Bull pit wall but, rather, in car No 1.

Yet focusing on Verstappen’s motive is in fact missing the point altogether. Perez’s fury after the race that his teammate did not step aside came, understandably, accompanied with a line of: “After all I’ve done for him.”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 15:34

F1 news – RACE REPORT: George Russell secured his first victory in F1 at the Brazilian Grand Prix

Pole-sitter Russell delivered an electric start at Interlagos before expertly surviving a late safety car as Mercedes finally got off the mark at the penultimate round of the season.

The 24-year-old follows in the footsteps of Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard to become only the fourth British winner of a Grand Prix this century. Russell’s supreme performance, 24 hours after he triumphed in Saturday’s sprint race, followed another altercation between Hamilton and Verstappen.

Hamilton recovered from the collision to take second – unable to challenge Russell in an 11-lap dash to the flag – while Verstappen, forced to stop for repairs, and then hit with a five-second penalty by the stewards, finished sixth. Carlos Sainz took third for Ferrari ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Russell and Hamilton shared the front row at Interlagos, but it was the younger Briton who delivered the better getaway.

Behind Russell, Hamilton fended off Verstappen, but just nine corners into Sunday’s race the safety car was deployed. Daniel Ricciardo, in possibly the last but one outing of his F1 life, bumped Kevin Magnussen under braking.

The Dane, who sprung the surprise of the season here when he put his Haas on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race, was sent spinning out of control, and then into Ricciardo as the Australian tried to navigate away from the accident he caused. Both men were out of the race.

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 15:19

F1 news: Toto Wolff, speaking after Mercedes’ one-two in Brazil:

Toto Wolff was not present at Interlagos for Mercedes’ one-two in Brazil but was elated with the team’s result as George Russell came home to claim his first victory in Formula 1.

Wolff said: “Shov [Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director] will want me to be at home from now on! To see us come one-two with genuine pace, everyone deserves it this year!

“Fantastic, George was there in Bahrain a few years ago but today he just drove it home, really great. Lewis was pushed out, he came back – one and two for the team, such a great result!”

Kieran Jackson14 November 2022 14:15