F1 LIVE: Carlos Sainz fastest in FP2 but Lewis Hamilton impresses at Singapore Grand Prix
Max Verstappen could claim his second world title this weekend as Formula One returns to the Marina Bay street circuit for the first time since 2019 for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Following his fifth win in succession at Monza two weeks ago, Verstappen’s championship lead stands at 116 points with only 164 available, meaning he will take the crown if he outscores Charles Leclerc by 22 points, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez by 13 points, and Mercedes’ George Russell by six points.
Verstappen has won the last five races, stretching back to France in mid-July, and with 11 Grand Prix victories this season has the opportunity to break Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher’s joint-record of 13 wins in a single season.
Due to Covid, Singapore was missing from the calendar in 2020 and 2021 but returns this year. Vettel won in 2019 for Ferrari, the last time the soon-to-be retired German triumphed in F1. Lewis Hamilton, looking for his first win of the season, is a four-time winner in Singapore.
Follow all the action live with The Independent
F1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX PRACTICE
Carlos Sainz was fastest in FP2 at the Singapore GP; Leclerc 2nd; Russell 3rd
Lewis Hamilton goes fastest in first practice - the first session he has topped in 2022
Lewis Hamilton is eyeing his first win of the season at Marina Bay
Max Verstappen could win his second world title this weekend
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Formula One to increase number of sprint races to six for 2023 season
Friday 30 September 2022 16:58 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 has announced that six sprint races will be on the calendar from 2023 - doubling the amount from 2022 and 2021.
The 100km Saturday dash, first introduced at the British Grand Prix last year, has proven popular with teams and fans alike and will be present at 25% of Grand Prix weekends during 2023’s record 24-race calendar.
There was an unanimous agreement to increase the number of sprint events amongst F1 teams at the commission meeting earlier this year, following discussions with the FIA, and a vote amongst the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) today confirmed the plans for next year.
Currently, there are points on offer for the top-eight in the 25-30 minute race - from eight points down to one - with the result determining the starting grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Venues for the 2023 sprints will be confirmed at a later date. This year two sprint races have taken place so far at Imola and Spielberg, both won by Max Verstappen, with one more to come in the penultimate weekend of the season in Brazil.
F1 increases number of sprint races to six for 2023 season
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: ‘Cannibal’ Max Verstappen compared to Michael Schumacher by Formula 1 boss
Friday 30 September 2022 16:28 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen is like a sporting ‘cannibal’ just as Michael Schumacher was, according to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Verstappen, 24, secured his first F1 title last season after a controversial final lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – the last race of the year. The Red Bull driver is on course for his second straight championship with the team and could even claim the title at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday (2 October).
Such a triumph would move the Dutch-Belgian a small step closer to the joint-record of seven drivers’ titles that is shared by Ferrari legend Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – Verstappen’s rival at Mercedes.
Comparing Verstappen to Ferrari legend Scumacher, Domenicali told Corriere dello Sport: “He resembles him because he focuses on everything he does on the track. He has matured a lot, he has learned to manage his emotions.
“He is a cannibal, he doesn’t look anyone in the face; and in this he reminds me so much of Michael.” Verstappen has won 11 of this season’s 16 races so far, including the last five. There are six grands prix remaining this year, including Sunday’s Singapore GP.
‘Cannibal’ Max Verstappen compared to Michael Schumacher
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Toto Wolff urges FIA to enforce F1 regulations over reported Red Bull budget breach
Friday 30 September 2022 16:08 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has demanded Formula One’s governing body the FIA take robust action over reports Red Bull broke the rules when Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to last year’s world championship.
On the eve of the Singapore Grand Prix – a race which could see Verstappen secure his second title in as many seasons – his controversial maiden triumph is under the microscope amid allegations his Red Bull team overspent.
F1 introduced a budget cap of $145million (£114m) last year. But Verstappen’s Red Bull are facing accusations – reported in Auto Motor und Sport and Gazzetta Dello Sport – that they went beyond that figure, potentially by up to five per cent, which would equate to £7m.
The FIA are assessing Red Bull’s finances with a verdict set to be revealed on Wednesday. Sanctions available to the sporting federation range from financial penalties to a deduction of drivers’ championship points. The latter could have an impact on last season’s result. Hamilton was denied a record eighth crown when he was beaten by Verstappen at a deeply contentious winner-takes-all finale in Abu Dhabi on December 12. Verstappen took the title by eight points.
Speaking on Friday evening, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he was not aware of any breach. But rival boss Wolff urged the FIA, and its president Mohammed ben Sulayem – elected in the days after the Abu Dhabi fiasco – to follow the rules.
Toto Wolff urges FIA to enforce regulations over reported Red Bull budget breach
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Damon Hill reveals difference between ‘anxious’ Charles Leclerc and Michael Schumacher
Friday 30 September 2022 15:58 , Kieran Jackson
Damon Hill has revealed a key difference between Charles Leclerc and the Ferrari driver’s most famous predecessor, Michael Schumacher.
Leclerc started the 2022 Formula 1 season well, but Max Verstappen has been ruthless for Red Bull while Ferrari has repeatedly made mistakes, meaning the defending champion may claim his second world title at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday (2 October). At 24 years old, Leclerc still looks to have a bright future in F1, but he has an ‘anxious’ personality that distinguishes him from Ferrari legend Schumacher, according to Hill.
“Charles is a very charming, intelligent kid, but he’s anxious. He’s got an anxiety there,” Hill said of the Monegasque on the F1 Nation podcast. “The first time I heard him say, ‘I’m really sorry guys, that was all my fault,’ I just thought: ‘Can’t imagine Michael Schumacher saying that ever.’”
Hill, who won the 1996 world title with Williams, raced against Schumacher and even partnered the German’s younger brother Ralf at Jordan. The 62-year-old in fact suggested that Verstappen has more in common with the elder Schumacher than Leclerc does.
Damon Hill on difference between ‘anxious’ Charles Leclerc and Michael Schumacher
Friday 30 September 2022 15:29 , Kieran Jackson
Britain’s Jamie Chadwick says she is ready to defy Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali’s claim that a female driver will not make it on to the grid within five years.
Chadwick is the dominant force of the all-female W series, established in 2019 to serve as a springboard to F1, and could secure a hat-trick of championships in Singapore next weekend.
It has been 46 years since a female competitor – the Italian Lella Lombardi – took part in an F1 race and eight years since Susie Wolff, who is married to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, competed in a Grand Prix practice session.
Speaking last month, F1 CEO Domenicali said: “Unless there is something like a meteorite, I don’t see a girl coming into F1 in the next years. That is very unlikely.”
But responding to Domenicali’s claim, Chadwick, 24, said: “It doesn’t really bother me. It motivates me, if nothing else. I know that if I have success in the right feeder series then I will be in Formula One. My goal is definitely to try and make it within five years.
Jamie Chadwick sets five-year F1 target after Stefano Domenicali’s comments
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Toto Wolff...
Friday 30 September 2022 15:20 , Kieran Jackson
“The drivers weren’t particularly happy with the car but overall, we’re not miles off. Both said the ride is really poor, the car is really stiff.
“We knew this track would suit our car more but we didn’t know how much the bumps would effect us.
“I think Red Bull were a little bit in the mess but we can be in the fight. Our long run was very competitive against Carlos but Charles and Max didn’t run.
On potential cost-cap breaches: “Funny that Christian says that (confident of no breach) because it’s been weeks and months they’ve been investigated. Maybe he doesn’t speak to his CFO! Our understanding is there is one team in breach more procedural and one team way over.
“There’s a governance in place which is very solid which the FIA has set up. The crucial part is that if you’ve been over in 21, you’ve been over in 22, then you’ve got an advantage in 2023. It’s a cascade of events which can be influential on all three Championships.
“We are using used parts, we are not running what we want to run. We have made 40 people redundant, it was a massive project to meet the cap. If someone has not been doing that, every million is a massive disadvantage.
“It’s not up to me to judge what the penalties could be. The judges have the scope to analyse but I wouldn’t want to be in their position because of the three years. They’ve [Red Bull] been investigated for months.”
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz fastest in FP2!
Friday 30 September 2022 15:05 , Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz goes fastest in his Ferrari, two-tenths quicker than team-mate Charles Leclerc in second.
George Russell is third, with Max Verstappen setting a late qualifying-esque lap and is 0.339 seconds from Sainz. Lewis Hamilton is fifth, but within four-tenths of the leader...
5-10: Hamilton, Ocon, Bottas Alonso, Perez, Stroll
That’s the end of the running for Friday, an interesting day in Singapore!
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: 10 minutes left in FP2!
Friday 30 September 2022 14:50 , Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz still leads the way, two-tenths ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc who is finally out on the track in his Ferrari!
Russell and Hamilton are third and fourth respecitvely while Max Verstappen is back in the garage - that front-suspension issue shows no signs of going away on his 25th birthday!
5-10: Ocon, Bottas, Alonso, Perez, Stroll, Norris
Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly is forced into a hasty exit from his AlphaTauri in the pit lane following a sudden fire on the rollover hoop of his car!
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Halfway through in FP2!
Friday 30 September 2022 14:32 , Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz is now top of the standings ahead of all the field switching to softs and simulated qualifying laps. Valtteri Bottas is second, with the Mercedes’ of Hamilton and Russell third and fourth.
All the field bar Charles Leclerc, it should be said, as Ferrari mechanics continue to work on what looks to be a pretty stricken Scuderia car after limited running in FP1 earlier too...
5-10: Alonso, Magnussen, Verstappen, Ocon, Stroll, Albon
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: 15 minutes gone in FP2!
Friday 30 September 2022 14:18 , Kieran Jackson
Promising early signs again here for Mercedes’ fans - Lewis Hamilton tops the standings after the first 15 minutes, with Carlos Sainz less than a tenth of a second behind!
George Russell is in third, two-tenths off Hamilton, with the Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in fourth and fifth.
The Red Bulls, incidentally, not yet out of the garage yet. A change of front suspension for Max Verstappen’s car and a drive shaft issue which needs solving for Sergio Perez.
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: FP2 is underway!
Friday 30 September 2022 14:03 , Kieran Jackson
The cars are back out on track at Marina Bay in Singapore for an hour’s running in free practice 2.
Alex Albon, after FP1 earlier, looks set to compete in the second session of the day tooo - after missing out in Monza due to health issues, his recovery over the past few weeks has been remarkable!
Can Lewis Hamilton, quite possibly, match his first practice toppping of the standings once again on Friday?
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Odds for this weekend!
Friday 30 September 2022 13:55 , Kieran Jackson
Singapore GP winner
Max Verstappen 2/5
Charles Leclerc 4/1
Carlos Sainz 10/1
Lewis Hamilton 14/1
Sergio Perez 16/1
George Russell 17/1
Max Verstappen specials
Verstappen to win 14 races in 2022 season 2/5
Verstappen to win 8 world titles 10/1
Verstappen to retire with a record of most career wins 20/1
F1 2022 specials
Lewis Hamilton to win a race in 2022 season 6/4
George Russell to win a race in 2022 season 3/1
Lewis Hamilton to retire at end of 2022 season 5/1
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Ross Brawn backs Mercedes to improve before end of F1 season
Friday 30 September 2022 13:44 , Kieran Jackson
Ross Brawn has backed Mercedes to adapt to Formula 1’s new regulations, declaring: “They are not idiots.” Rule-changes introduced for the 2022 F1 season have seen alterations made to the front and rear wings of cars, as well as to the vehicles’ floors.
Mercedes won the constructors’ championship in 2021 and only missed out on the drivers’ title after a controversial final lap in the last race of the season, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first championship. Mercedes have been well off the pace this year, however, but Brawn believes that they will improve.
The F1 managing director, who previously worked as Mercedes’ team prinicipal, discussed the new regulations with F1 Insider and said: “Basically, I am very satisfied. The cars can follow each other more closely and overtake better as a result. Side-by-side driving has also become easier.
“Before, not many people knew that a car also lost performance there. [Tyre manufacturer] Pirelli has also contributed to the improvement. So, everything has worked well up to this point.
“The fact that some teams were able to implement the new rules better and the others are upset about it is Formula 1 folklore and was planned beforehand. It has hit Mercedes in particular. But they are not idiots, they will get it right.”
‘They are not idiots’: Ross Brawn backs Mercedes to improve
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, George Russell on targeting a first race victory and off-track fame hitting home
Friday 30 September 2022 13:29 , Kieran Jackson
For a man whose irrepressible ambition and unique talent has taken him to the cusp of Formula 1’s summit, George Russell could be forgiven for thinking 2022 hasn’t quite matched his lofty expectations. Waiting in the wings – aching for three years at the back of the pack with Williams – the 24-year-old’s long-heralded spot in the Mercedes garage was, most assumed, the final step on the road to fulfilment. Grand Prix victories, and subsequent title pursuits, were surely a slam-dunk inevitability.
Yet the scale of the struggle at Mercedes this season, toiling with their car’s violent oscillations and unpredictability, sees the Brit widely praised for his steadiness behind the wheel. With six races to go Russell is postioned in fourth, 35 points ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in second is just 16 points clear, as F1 heads to the humidity of Singapore for the first time in three years this weekend.
But despite the commendation, with seven podiums to his name and a top-five finish in every race bar one, race-by-race consistency is not the ultimate aim of the game.
“I don’t care about finishing second in the Championship, it’s not my goal,” Russell sternly tells The Independent, in his team’s Monza motorhome. We’re all here to win. You give me a choice between finishing fourth in the Championship and having a race win or two under my belt or finishing second with no wins, I’ll take fourth. That is now the position we’re in, we want to win a race.”
George Russell on targeting a first race victory and off-track fame hitting home
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: FP1 REPORT!
Friday 30 September 2022 13:14 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton topped a practice session for the first time this season after he finished fastest in the opening running for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton, who is yet to win a race in 2022, saw off world champion Max Verstappen by 0.084 seconds with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, took fourth, one spot ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell. Verstappen holds a 116-point championship lead heading into the concluding six rounds of the campaign.
He will win the title here on Sunday night if he takes the chequered flag, and sets the fastest lap, and Perez and Leclerc finish lower than fourth and eighth respectively. The Dutch driver, celebrating his 25th birthday on Friday, led they way for the majority of the one-hour session at the Marina Bay Circuit.
But as darkness descended, Hamilton moved to the top of the timesheets to provide the British driver with early hope that he could force his way into contention. Hamilton has won in Singapore on four occasions and set one of the laps of his life in qualifying for this race in 2018.
And the very early evidence suggests he might be able to take the challenge to Verstappen and his all-conquering Red Bull team. The tight and twisty Marina Bay Circuit in the heat and humidity of Singapore is regarded as one of the most demanding challenges on the schedule.
Lewis Hamilton sets fastest time in first practice at Singapore GP
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes aren’t ‘too far away’ from first win ahead of ‘epic’ Singapore GP
Friday 30 September 2022 12:59 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton remains hopeful that Mercedes are “not too far away” from a first win of the season as F1 returns to Singapore this weekend. The eight-time constructors’ champions are yet to taste victory in 2022 and with just six races to go, the Silver Arrows are looking to avoid their first winless season since 2011.
Hamilton himself has a record to maintain too, having won a race in each of his previous 15 seasons in F1, yet has not been top of the podium in the previous 16 Grands Prix this year. But Hamilton, a four-time winner in Singapore, believes Mercedes are in a “much better place than they’ve ever been” this year as the team look to overhaul Ferrari, 35 points ahead in the standings.
“Good to be back [in Singapore], 2019 feels like a lifetime ago,” Hamilton said, in the FIA press conference ahead of this weekend’s race. The track is epic to drive. It’s a very bumpy ride, that lap in 2018 [qualifying] was definitely one of the best laps of my career. The hope is always that you can feel something similar, the feeling that day was something very unique.
“It was a track we struggled at quite a lot, due to ride quality that we hadn’t been as good as some of the others. We will discover if this is a true theory this weekend. We hope the car works better here, it really depends how bumpy it is. The bumps often upset the car. I have no expectations at all, just trying to have the best weekend with whatever we’re faced with.
Hamilton hopes Mercedes aren’t ‘too far away’ from first win ahead of Singapore GP
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Formula One to increase number of sprint races to six for 2023 season
Friday 30 September 2022 12:44 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 has announced that six sprint races will be on the calendar from 2023 - doubling the amount from 2022 and 2021.
The 100km Saturday dash, first introduced at the British Grand Prix last year, has proven popular with teams and fans alike and will be present at 25% of Grand Prix weekends during 2023’s record 24-race calendar.
There was an unanimous agreement to increase the number of sprint events amongst F1 teams at the commission meeting earlier this year, following discussions with the FIA, and a vote amongst the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) today confirmed the plans for next year.
Currently, there are points on offer for the top-eight in the 25-30 minute race - from eight points down to one - with the result determining the starting grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Venues for the 2023 sprints will be confirmed at a later date. This year two sprint races have taken place so far at Imola and Spielberg, both won by Max Verstappen, with one more to come in the penultimate weekend of the season in Brazil.
F1 increases number of sprint races to six for 2023 season
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: ‘Cannibal’ Max Verstappen compared to Michael Schumacher by Formula 1 boss
Friday 30 September 2022 12:29 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen is like a sporting ‘cannibal’ just as Michael Schumacher was, according to Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Verstappen, 24, secured his first F1 title last season after a controversial final lap at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – the last race of the year. The Red Bull driver is on course for his second straight championship with the team and could even claim the title at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday (2 October).
Such a triumph would move the Dutch-Belgian a small step closer to the joint-record of seven drivers’ titles that is shared by Ferrari legend Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton – Verstappen’s rival at Mercedes.
Comparing Verstappen to Ferrari legend Scumacher, Domenicali told Corriere dello Sport: “He resembles him because he focuses on everything he does on the track. He has matured a lot, he has learned to manage his emotions.
“He is a cannibal, he doesn’t look anyone in the face; and in this he reminds me so much of Michael.” Verstappen has won 11 of this season’s 16 races so far, including the last five. There are six grands prix remaining this year, including Sunday’s Singapore GP.
‘Cannibal’ Max Verstappen compared to Michael Schumacher
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Christian Horner...
Friday 30 September 2022 12:19 , Kieran Jackson
“The probability [of Max winning this weekend] is very low. It’s a tough track this weekend, Mercedes look quick.
“We haven’t won here since Sebastian back in 2013. It’s aggressive, bumpy, hot and sticky, it’s a car-killer as well - it’d be a big one to win.
“You take the Championship race by race. It’s what we did with Sebastian and it’s what we do now.
“The curbs are tough here and these cars are pretty stiff but generally they’ve been performing pretty well.
[On rumours cost cap measures were breached by Red Bull:] “Certainly not aware of any. The accounts are submitted back in March to the FIA - they’re rightly focusing on that process. Middle of next week is when they declare their submission. Our submission was below. It’s a brand new set of regulations, I’m sure as the years go by things will get tidied up. We’re confident in our submission. There’s always going to be rumours...
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Damon Hill reveals difference between ‘anxious’ Charles Leclerc and Michael Schumacher
Friday 30 September 2022 12:14 , Kieran Jackson
Damon Hill has revealed a key difference between Charles Leclerc and the Ferrari driver’s most famous predecessor, Michael Schumacher.
Leclerc started the 2022 Formula 1 season well, but Max Verstappen has been ruthless for Red Bull while Ferrari has repeatedly made mistakes, meaning the defending champion may claim his second world title at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday (2 October). At 24 years old, Leclerc still looks to have a bright future in F1, but he has an ‘anxious’ personality that distinguishes him from Ferrari legend Schumacher, according to Hill.
“Charles is a very charming, intelligent kid, but he’s anxious. He’s got an anxiety there,” Hill said of the Monegasque on the F1 Nation podcast. “The first time I heard him say, ‘I’m really sorry guys, that was all my fault,’ I just thought: ‘Can’t imagine Michael Schumacher saying that ever.’”
Hill, who won the 1996 world title with Williams, raced against Schumacher and even partnered the German’s younger brother Ralf at Jordan. The 62-year-old in fact suggested that Verstappen has more in common with the elder Schumacher than Leclerc does.
Damon Hill on difference between ‘anxious’ Charles Leclerc and Michael Schumacher
F1 practice LIVE - Lewis Hamilton goes fastest in first practice at the Singapore Grand Prix!
Friday 30 September 2022 12:01 , Kieran Jackson
Wow! Out of nowhere, Lewis Hamilton records the fastest lap of the session late on - just 0.084 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen in second!
Hamilton, a four-time winner in Singapore, was yet to top a session this year but has now broken that duck!
Charles Leclerc comes home third, four-tenths from Hamilton, with Sergio Perez fourth and George Russell fifth.
6-10: Sainz, Ocon, Stroll, Gasly, Alonso
Lando Norris, incidentally, all the way down in 19th! He was complaining of bouncing in his McLaren...
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Session resumed!
Friday 30 September 2022 11:48 , Kieran Jackson
The session continues with cars back out on track after Stroll’s car is cleared from the circuit.
Less than 15 minutes to go in FP1 - current top-five: Verstappen, Perez, Ocon, Stroll, Alonso
Hamilton and Russell running 17th (!) and 10th respectively so far...
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Red flag!
Friday 30 September 2022 11:42 , Kieran Jackson
The session is stopped in Singapore after Lance Stroll crashes into the wall at turn five!
He keeps his Aston Martin going - but is told to stop the car further down the road by his engineer! And on a track with barely any run-off area, the session is red-flagged with 20 minutes left at Marina Bay!
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: 30 minutes gone in FP1!
Friday 30 September 2022 11:34 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen still top of the pile, with Fernando Alonso now second.
3-10: Perez, Vettel, Sainz, Russell, ALbon, Ocon, Hamilton, Stroll.
Alpine a trialling a new floor this weekend but aren’t using it in this lighter, warmer session - looks like they’ll save it for later and for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Sainz says to his enginner that they “should go for the setup we talked about”. Interesting... a reminder that Ferrari have not won a race since Austria in early July
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: 15 minutes gone in FP1!
Friday 30 September 2022 11:17 , Kieran Jackson
Two weeks off but no change at the top early on - Max Verstappen fastest first up with a 1:445:466, 1.168 seconds ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Carlos Sainz is third, with Fernando Alonso fourth. George Russell has a scare at turn 10, just locking up and gently driving into the barrier - no damage as far as the eye can see. The Mercedes boys are in the midfield at the moment.
Charles Leclerc in his inconsistent Ferrari is complaining of a brake issue early on; he is back in the garage early on with a crowd of mechanics around him. Lando Norris in his McLaren complaining of bouncing, too....
Alex Albon, competing for the first time since that respiratory failure in Monza, is 10th early on. Great to see the Williams man out their driving, especially at the most physically demanding race of the year!
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: FP1 is underway!
Friday 30 September 2022 11:03 , Kieran Jackson
We’re underway with first practice at the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore - for the first time since 2019!
Max Verstappen could win his second world title this weekend - he is 116 points ahead of Charles Leclerc and needs to win this Sunday and hope other results go his way to claim his crown. He turns 25 today - and must outsocre Leclerc by 22 points and Sergio Perez by 12 points to win it this weekend.
Elsewhere, four-time winner Lewis Hamilton is still striving to win a first race of the year and keep up his record of winning a race in every year he has competed in F1. Mercedes are also looking to avoid their first winless season since 2011...
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: BREAKING NEWS - Sky UK & Ireland will remain the exclusive home of F1 until 2029
Friday 30 September 2022 10:55 , Kieran Jackson
Sky has today announced a new multi-year extension of its broadcast partnership with Formula 1, cementing Sky as the official broadcaster of the sport in all Sky markets. Sky UK & Ireland will remain the exclusive home of F1 until 2029.
The 2022 season has set viewing records with millions of new viewers for the sport across all of Sky’s markets, driven by younger and female fans.
Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are incredibly proud of our long-term partnership with Sky, and we are delighted to announce that we will continue working together until 2029, a very important commitment from Sky.
“Since the beginning of our relationship in 2012 we have both strived to bring the excitement, emotion, and drama of Formula 1 to our traditional fans while engaging new and more diverse audiences. Formula 1 has seen huge growth in recent years, and I can’t think of a better partner to continue to reach our fans with dedicated, expert and in-depth coverage.
“Sky not only brings fans live coverage but a range of behind-the-scenes access and content that brings F1 to life. We are hugely excited about the future of the partnership and the journey of Formula 1.”
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Odds for this weekend!
Friday 30 September 2022 10:51 , Kieran Jackson
Singapore GP winner
Max Verstappen 2/5
Charles Leclerc 4/1
Carlos Sainz 10/1
Lewis Hamilton 14/1
Sergio Perez 16/1
George Russell 17/1
Max Verstappen specials
Verstappen to win 14 races in 2022 season 2/5
Verstappen to win 8 world titles 10/1
Verstappen to retire with a record of most career wins 20/1
F1 2022 specials
Lewis Hamilton to win a race in 2022 season 6/4
George Russell to win a race in 2022 season 3/1
Lewis Hamilton to retire at end of 2022 season 5/1
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Ross Brawn backs Mercedes to improve before end of F1 season
Friday 30 September 2022 10:43 , Kieran Jackson
Ross Brawn has backed Mercedes to adapt to Formula 1’s new regulations, declaring: “They are not idiots.” Rule-changes introduced for the 2022 F1 season have seen alterations made to the front and rear wings of cars, as well as to the vehicles’ floors.
Mercedes won the constructors’ championship in 2021 and only missed out on the drivers’ title after a controversial final lap in the last race of the season, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first championship. Mercedes have been well off the pace this year, however, but Brawn believes that they will improve.
The F1 managing director, who previously worked as Mercedes’ team prinicipal, discussed the new regulations with F1 Insider and said: “Basically, I am very satisfied. The cars can follow each other more closely and overtake better as a result. Side-by-side driving has also become easier.
“Before, not many people knew that a car also lost performance there. [Tyre manufacturer] Pirelli has also contributed to the improvement. So, everything has worked well up to this point.
“The fact that some teams were able to implement the new rules better and the others are upset about it is Formula 1 folklore and was planned beforehand. It has hit Mercedes in particular. But they are not idiots, they will get it right.”
‘They are not idiots’: Ross Brawn backs Mercedes to improve
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Alex Albon to race at Singapore Grand Prix after missing Monza and suffering health scare
Friday 30 September 2022 10:28 , Kieran Jackson
Alex Albon will take part in this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, three weeks after he suffered respiratory failure and was left on a ventilator. The London-born Williams driver endured complications from surgery when he was sidelined from the last round in Italy with appendicitis.
But the 26-year-old insists he is ready to return to his Williams cockpit, despite Sunday’s race in the humidity of Singapore considered among the hardest challenges of the year.
“My preparation for Singapore has been a little different than normal, but I’m feeling good and I’ve done everything possible to get ready for one of the most physical races on the calendar,” said Albon.
“I am not underestimating how big of a challenge this is going to be, but I am looking forward to hitting the track on Friday and getting back driving. It’s a great street circuit and the closest race to home for me in Thailand, so I’m really excited to be here and to see the fans that have turned out.”
Albon, who races under the Thai flag because of his mother Kankamol’s nationality, fell unwell in Monza and was replaced by the team’s reserve driver and Formula E champion Nyck de Vries.
Albon to race at Singapore GP after missing Monza and suffering health scare
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, George Russell on targeting a first race victory and off-track fame hitting home
Friday 30 September 2022 09:58 , Kieran Jackson
For a man whose irrepressible ambition and unique talent has taken him to the cusp of Formula 1’s summit, George Russell could be forgiven for thinking 2022 hasn’t quite matched his lofty expectations. Waiting in the wings – aching for three years at the back of the pack with Williams – the 24-year-old’s long-heralded spot in the Mercedes garage was, most assumed, the final step on the road to fulfilment. Grand Prix victories, and subsequent title pursuits, were surely a slam-dunk inevitability.
Yet the scale of the struggle at Mercedes this season, toiling with their car’s violent oscillations and unpredictability, sees the Brit widely praised for his steadiness behind the wheel. With six races to go Russell is postioned in fourth, 35 points ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in second is just 16 points clear, as F1 heads to the humidity of Singapore for the first time in three years this weekend.
But despite the commendation, with seven podiums to his name and a top-five finish in every race bar one, race-by-race consistency is not the ultimate aim of the game.
“I don’t care about finishing second in the Championship, it’s not my goal,” Russell sternly tells The Independent, in his team’s Monza motorhome. We’re all here to win. You give me a choice between finishing fourth in the Championship and having a race win or two under my belt or finishing second with no wins, I’ll take fourth. That is now the position we’re in, we want to win a race.”
George Russell on targeting a first race victory and off-track fame hitting home
F1 LIVE - Singapore Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton hopes Mercedes aren’t ‘too far away’ from first win ahead of ‘epic’ Singapore GP
Friday 30 September 2022 09:38 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton remains hopeful that Mercedes are “not too far away” from a first win of the season as F1 returns to Singapore this weekend. The eight-time constructors’ champions are yet to taste victory in 2022 and with just six races to go, the Silver Arrows are looking to avoid their first winless season since 2011.
Hamilton himself has a record to maintain too, having won a race in each of his previous 15 seasons in F1, yet has not been top of the podium in the previous 16 Grands Prix this year. But Hamilton, a four-time winner in Singapore, believes Mercedes are in a “much better place than they’ve ever been” this year as the team look to overhaul Ferrari, 35 points ahead in the standings.
“Good to be back [in Singapore], 2019 feels like a lifetime ago,” Hamilton said, in the FIA press conference ahead of this weekend’s race. The track is epic to drive. It’s a very bumpy ride, that lap in 2018 [qualifying] was definitely one of the best laps of my career. The hope is always that you can feel something similar, the feeling that day was something very unique.
“It was a track we struggled at quite a lot, due to ride quality that we hadn’t been as good as some of the others. We will discover if this is a true theory this weekend. We hope the car works better here, it really depends how bumpy it is. The bumps often upset the car. I have no expectations at all, just trying to have the best weekend with whatever we’re faced with.
Hamilton hopes Mercedes aren’t ‘too far away’ from first win ahead of Singapore GP
