F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton responds firmly to retirement talk ahead of Bahrain GP

Aston Martin have confirmed that Lance Stroll will participate in this weekend’s Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Stroll injured his wrist in a bicycle accident and missed the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain, with F2 champion Felipe Drugovich filling in alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

There were concerns that the 24-year-old would not be able to drive in Bahrain this weekend but has seemingly recovered sufficiently to race although Drugovich and fellow test driver Stoffel Vandoorne will be on standby for Aston Martin.

Elsewhere, former F1 World Champion, Jensen Button, has been speaking ahead of the new season and believes that Lewis Hamilton may retire should Mercedes fail to produce a car capable of race victories. Hamilton failed to win a race in 2022 and concerns over the 38-year-old’s long-term future continue to linger with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.

“Drivers get bored of not fighting at the front - that’s normally why they retire,” Button says. “Even if they’re still at their best. It’s easy when you’re winning to continue because it’s always great. When it gets tough, that’s when mentally and physically you think ‘have I got another season in me?’ It could be that way round for Lewis.”

Follow F1 news and updates ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix:

F1 NEWS AND UPDATES

• Aston Martin confirm Lance Stroll will race in Bahrain Grand Prix

• Jensen Button predicts Lewis Hamilton retirement

• Guenther Steiner’s exclusive interview

• Can Mercedes challenge Red Bull in new F1 season? | You Ask The Questions

F1 news LIVE: Formula 1 unveils new opening titles

16:15 , Michael Jones

Looks good.

F1 news LIVE: Honda considering formal return to F1 in 2026 with McLaren interested

16:08 , Michael Jones

Honda are considering a formal return to Formula 1 in 2026 when new engine regulations come into play.

The engine manufacturer left the sport, officially, at the end of the 2021 season when their formal partnership with Red Bull came to an end, though the Constructors’ champions continue to use Honda engines and will do so again this year.

Yet Honda are one of six companies - alongside Mercedes, Red Bull Ford, Ferrari, Alpine, and Audi - that have registered as a power-unit supplier for the period 2026-2030 with the FIA, F1’s governing body.

As such, Honda are considering a return to the sport in three years’ time and the BBC report that McLaren have been one such interested party in teaming up with the Japanese giant.

“For the time being, we would like to keep a close eye on where F1 is going and just see how things go,” Honda president Koji Watanabe said. “We don’t have any concrete decisions on whether we will be going back.

Honda considering formal return to F1 in 2026 with McLaren interested in partnership

F1 news LIVE: ‘Everyone wants a title battle’: Max Verstappen challenges F1 rivals to step up

15:55 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen has challenged Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to raise their game and provide him with the championship battle that Formula One needs.

Verstappen ran away with last season’s title, winning 15 of the 22 races, to secure his second championship with four rounds to spare. In contrast, Hamilton, in his under-performing Mercedes, endured the worst year of his career as he failed to win a race and finished 214 points adrift.

But when addressing the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Hamilton at Red Bull’s season launch in New York, Verstappen, 25, said: “In the interest of the sport you always want the teams to be super-close.

“I do think it was close last year, but as a team we executed a lot of things better than the others and that was why the points gap was so big. I never felt, apart from two or three races, that we absolutely dominated. But for the general interest of Formula One, everyone wants a title battle with multiple teams involved.”

‘Everyone wants a title battle’: Max Verstappen challenges F1 rivals to step up

F1 news LIVE: Hamilton committed to Mercedes despite struggles

15:45 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton says he is committed to Mercedes despite the struggles the team went through last season and that he hopes to find solutions to get them competing for titles again.

“I’m a fighter, and we fight as a team. I love the challenge of finding solutions and I still believe I’m able to put the car in places that perhaps others are not able to and I love that challenge.” said Hamilton,

“Of course I wish to be starting the season with a great car but it’s the journey I think that really counts.

“There is no hold up with our contract, I’ve always been very, very relaxed and don’t feel like I need to get it done right this second.

“I have a great relationship with Toto and Mercedes and we fully support each other. I’m really excited about the future together and the work we’re doing on and off the track.”

‘I will still be here’: Lewis Hamilton defiant in response to retirement talk

15:35 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton has hit back at Damon Hill and Jenson Button by telling them he is a “fighter” – and insists he will not retire from Formula One.

Former world champions Hill and Button have cast doubt over Hamilton’s future as the Mercedes driver enters the final season of his £40million-a-year contract.

But speaking on the eve of the opening round in Bahrain on Sunday – where Hamilton has already conceded Mercedes will start on the back foot – the seven-time world champion scoffed at suggestions this could be his 17th and final campaign on the grid.

“Not at all,” said Hamilton when asked if he heads into the new season thinking it might be his last.

‘I will still be here’: Lewis Hamilton defiant in response to retirement talk

F1 2023 calendar: When and where are all the races taking places this season?

15:25 , Michael Jones

The 2023 Formula 1 season is almost upon us and preparation is already well underway for the new campaign.

This year sees 23 races held in a record-breaking calendar, as Max Verstappen looks to make it three in a row following back-to-back World Championship triumphs.

Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team will be targeting improvement following a disappointing 2022 season, while Ferrari will be looking to learn from last year’s mishaps and errors as they eye their first Drivers title in 16 years.

There are new faces on the grid too - such as Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries - and all 20 drivers will be itching to get back on track after a three-month break with the official pre-season test in Bahrain before the first race of the season a week later.

Here is everything you need to know:

F1 2023 schedule: How many races are there this season?

F1 news LIVE: Williams definitely quicker than last year says Albon

15:15 , Michael Jones

After testing on the new set-up for the current season Alex Albon compared Williams’ 2023 challenger, the FW45, with their 2022 edition – the FW44.

“It’s definitely quicker,” he declared. “There’s not a huge difference in terms of DNA; there is a slight difference in the way the car feels, but it’s quite subtle. I would say the main limitations we’ve had last year still stick a little bit with what we’ve faced these few days, but we just need to see what we can do to help it.

“Obviously it’s never going to go totally to plan straight away. I remember last year our car this time last year was very difficult to drive, so we are definitely in a better place, it’s just more about how far can we take it.

“In terms of mileage we’ve had a very good three days.

“We’ve ticked everything we wanted to tick off and now it’s just about crunching through the data and seeing what we’ve got. We did our race runs [and our] qualifying runs.”

F1 news LIVE: Nico Hulkenberg on returning to Formula 1

15:04 , Michael Jones

Nico Hulkenberg will partner Kevin Magnussen as part of the Haas set up this season and spoke about what it feels like to return to the main roster of F1 drivers.

Take a look at his response:

‘Pioneer’ Susie Wolff named managing director of all-female series

14:55 , Michael Jones

Susie Wolff has been appointed as managing director of the F1 Academy.

The 40-year-old will take charge of the female-only academy, which develops young talent to prepare them for higher levels of competition.

Wolff, a former professional driver who has also held the role of team principal with the Venturi Formula E team, launched the Dare To Be Different action plan – which aimed to inspire females to take up the sport – in 2016.

Formula One president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “It is fantastic news that Susie Wolff is joining the F1 Academy as managing director.”

‘Pioneer’ Susie Wolff named managing director of all-female series

Michael Schumacher’s health prompts heartfelt message from Eddie Jordan to son Mick

14:45 , Michael Jones

Eddie Jordan has said that he feels significant sympathy for the family of Michael Schumacher as they continue to contend with the former Formula 1 star’s health.

The seven-time world champion has not been seen in public since suffering significant injuries in an accident while skiing in 2013.

It was former Formula 1 team owner Jordan who originally gave Schumacher his breakthrough in the sport, but the Irishman was last year blocked from visiting his former driver by the German’s wife, Corinna.

Revealing, though, that Schumacher’s son Mick had recently reached out him, Jordan explained his understanding of a difficult situation.

Indeed, after a tough season that saw the youngster lose his contract with Haas, Jordan thinks Mick Schumacher deserves a lot of credit for how he has handled things.

Michael Schumacher’s health prompts heartfelt message to son Mick

F1 news LIVE: Toto Wolff compares Lewis Hamilton to Tom Brady amid talk of new Mercedes deal

14:36 , Michael Jones

Toto Wolff insists Mercedes will “find the right time” to renew Lewis Hamilton’s contract as the team’s CEO compared the seven-time world champion to NFL legend Tom Brady.

Hamilton‘s reported £40m-a-year contract with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of the new season, though both parties have expressed their eagerness to extend beyond 2023.

The 38-year-old, who is entering his 11th season with Mercedes, failed to win a race last year - the first winless season of his career - but is optimistic that his team can challenge Red Bull and Ferrari at the front again after a 2022 plagued with issues.

And Wolff was relaxed when asked at the launch of Mercedes’ W14 car at Silverstone about Hamilton’s contract situation.

“We’ve done a few of these contracts in the past and they change little so it’s not usually complex apart from the obvious terms,” Wolff said.

“We’ve had a first chat but I don’t want to commit to any timeline because it’s not important for him and for us – it runs a full year and we’ll find the right time.

“He appears to me in great form, very positive - maybe the best I’ve seen in those 10 years after the winter.

“He knows what he has with the team, we got it wrong last year. The resources and capability is there, but we just need to continue to develop like last season. I don’t think it plays on Lewis’ mind any doubts that the team will perform. We will... eventually!”

F1 news LIVE: Alonso plays down Aston Martin podium hopes

14:27 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso has played down Aston Martin’s hopes of competing for podiums at the start of the season.

“We will give our best in the race, but that (a podium finish) is not the target for us, to be honest,” the Spaniard said.

“We need to keep learning about the car - only two days of testing on a completely new car, new package. The top three teams were in another league last year, they were sometimes even lapping the fourth team, and basically only seven cars finish on the same lap.

“So we cannot make that kind of a step only in one winter. I think we are very happy with the car, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working on this good baseline.”

F1 news LIVE: FIA clarifies controversial political ban on F1 drivers speaking out

14:18 , Michael Jones

The FIA have clarified a controversial political ban on Formula 1 drivers - insisting the regulation only applies in certain “key moments” such as podiums and national anthems.

F1’s governing body updated its international sporting code in December to state drivers would be in breach of the rulebook if they made “political, religious or personal” statements without prior approval.

The move has been met with widespread condemnation from drivers, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and George Russell all unimpressed and eager for transparency going forward.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton, in particular, has been vocal in speaking out on topics such as racism and minority rights.

The FIA, whose under-fire president Mohammed Ben Sulayem took a step back from day-to-day involvement in F1 last week, have now attempted to provide clarity with a three-page document sent to all 10 teams on Friday.

It states that drivers will still be able to “express their views on any political, religious or personal matter” in “their own space”, and outside of a race, via their social media channels or during an interview.

FIA clarifies controversial political ban on F1 drivers speaking out

F1 news LIVE: Russell gives his thoughts on opening weekend

14:08 , Michael Jones

George Russell is not convinced that the opening weekend of the 2023 season will be a fair reflection on how the rest of the season will play out though he is expecting strong showings from Red Bull and Ferrari.

Aston Martin confirm Lance Stroll will participate in Bahrain Grand Prix

14:00 , Michael Jones

Aston Martin have confirmed that Lance Stroll will participate in this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Stroll injured his wrist in a bicycle accident and missed the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain, with F2 champion Felipe Drugovich filling in alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

However, the 24-year-old has recovered sufficiently to race in Bahrain this weekend, though Drugovich and fellow test driver Stoffel Vandoorne will be on-site for Aston Martin.

Stroll said: “It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the pre-season test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running.

Aston Martin reveal Lance Stroll availability for Bahrain Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton starts new F1 season armed with stunning race record

13:52 , Michael Jones

When Lewis Hamilton lines up on the grid for Sunday’s first race of his 17th Formula One season, he will do so armed with an incredible statistic.

Hamilton’s record haul of 103 victories is 13 more than the rest of the field put together – a 19-strong supporting cast which includes double world champions’ Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen, and Valtteri Bottas, the man who drove identical Mercedes machinery for five years.

Yet, it is another item of numerical data which threatens to cast a shadow over the British driver’s present and future. No man has ever passed 300 appearances in F1 and entered the winner’s circle.

Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen and Alonso – with 11 world championships between them – all tried. All of them failed. It leaves us to ponder: could this be the beginning of the end for F1’s most decorated star?

Lewis Hamilton starts new F1 season armed with stunning race record

F1 news LIVE: Verstappen bigs up Red Bull’s new car

13:43 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen is laying down a marker for the chasing pack as claims that his Red Bull car is better in every way than the one he won the World Championship in last season.

F1 2023 season predictions: World champion, surprise star, best race and more

13:36 , Michael Jones

The 2023 F1 season gets underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix the first of a record 23 races this year.

Max Verstappen is the favourite after his runaway success last year, while both Ferrari and Mercedes will be hoping to haul in the hefty deficit to Red Bull in 2023.

There are three rookies this year - in Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant - as well as a new race in Las Vegas, the penultimate meet of the season which ends in Abu Dhabi on November 26.

Here are some season predictions from Formula 1 Correspondent Kieran Jackson - do you agree?

F1 2023 season predictions: World champion, surprise star, best race and more

F1 news LIVE: Ferrari can win title over Red Bull says Leclerc

13:27 , Michael Jones

“From what I can see, it seems Red Bull is a bit ahead. But it’s a long season, our goal is still to win the championship.” said Charles Leclerc during his press conference.

“I am confident. We have great guys in Maranello, I think we have shown it with the big step forward from 2021 to 2022.

“There were too many mistakes in 2022, we know that, but we’ve been very honest with ourselves in order to get better for this season.

“The target is still [to win the title]. Even if we are starting a bit of the back foot compared to them in terms of performance, I’m sure we can come back.”

F1 news LIVE: De Vries feeling at home in Formula 1

13:21 , Michael Jones

AlphaTauri rookie Nyck De Vries is feeling comfortable behind the wheel of his Formula 1 car and is looking forward to getting started this weekend in Bahrain.

F1 news LIVE: Red Bull in a league of their own says Russell

13:17 , Michael Jones

Mercedes’ George Russell is first up in the second part of the press conferenced and says he has high hopes for this weekend despite an indifferent three days of testing.

“It probably wasn’t the smoothest three days we could have hoped for at testing.” said Russell, “But the learning we found is going to put us in better stead for this weekend.

“But I think it’s definitely fair to say Red Bull are in a league of their own this weekend. But it’ll probably be a nice fight for second between Ferrari and Aston Martin.”

F1 news LIVE: Norris frustrated by McLaren testing

13:11 , Michael Jones

“Hopefully we’re up there fighting for points.” said McLaren’s Lando Norris,

“Maybe we didn’t explore as many paths as we should have done and when we got on the right path it was a little bit too late. We want to fight back to being a top team, it’s just frustrating we found it a little bit too late.

“I don’t think we’re in a terrible place. We’re not as bad as some people are expecting. We have some good things in the pipeline.”

F1 news LIVE: Bottas feeling good ahead of new season

13:05 , Michael Jones

Valterri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo team had a decent run through testing making it up as high as the third fastest team. Bottas was asked about the team’s prospects this year replying:

“I feel good, I feel healthly and I’m ready to go. I think the midfield is so close, it’s hard to predict. You never know if some teams have further tests in their package since practice so we’ll see in a couple of days.”

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

13:00 , Michael Jones

There was a relaxed atmosphere during this opening press conference with Fernando Alonso anwering the opening questions about how his Aston Martin car is shaping up:

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:57 , Michael Jones

Alex Albon gives his thoughts on this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix:

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:53 , Michael Jones

McLaren’s pre-season testing hasn’t gone smoothly and many F1 experts are tipping them to drop to seventh, eighth or even ninth fastest in 2023.

“The test wasn’t the smoothest, but we’ll get a better understanding of where we’re at come tomorrow,” says rookie driver Oscar Piastri.

“We’re somewhere in the midfield and we’ll see exactly where we are Saturday night.”

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:48 , Michael Jones

Williams’ Logan Sargaent will be making his Formula 1 debut as a permanent driver tomorrow and is excited to get started.

“It’s on a whole other stage but other than that it’s business as usual. I feel good in the car and I’m relatively relaxed going into tomorrow.” he said.

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:40 , Michael Jones

More from Alonso who says “You never know what the others are doing. Let’s see where we are after Jeddah and Australia, I think you will see more where everybody is.

“We aim to take a step forward from last year, Aston Martin had difficulties for last year’s car and I think this year we have a better baseline and we’re happy so far.”

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:38 , Michael Jones

Fernando Alonso is the first to speak. The 41-year-old has joined Aston Martin this season and is getting used to his new team and new car but seems excited for the season ahead.

“It’s always the same before race one.” said Alonso about the anticipation for the race weekend.

“We prepare over the winter and you never feel 100% with the car. You concentrate on your programme. We aim to take a step forward from last year and I think this year we have a better baseline.”

F1 news LIVE: Drivers’ press conference

12:30 , Michael Jones

Coming up at 12:30pm is the first drivers’ press conference of the season and it’ll be split in two part. Nyck De Vries (AlphaTauri), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Logan Sargeant (Williams) will be up to chat first.

Then, it’ll be Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), Pierre Gasly (Alpine). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), George Russell (Mercedes) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

F1 news LIVE: Johnny Herbert launches new podcast ‘Lift The Lid’

12:24 , Michael Jones

Former British Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert is teaming up with Billy Monger for a new podcast called Lift The Lid with Johnny Herbert & Billy Monger.

A press release for the new show reads: ‘Brought together through a love of F1 and their joint experience of life-changing crashes, F1 legend and three time Formula 1 race winner Johnny Herbert and fan favourite, driver and F1 broadcaster, Billy Monger join forces to span the racing generations, giving a unique drivers-eye-view on all the hottest topics and gossip from up and down the F1 grid each week.’

Monger and Herbert met in 2017 when the latter visited Monger in hospital after his near life-ending crash at Donnington Park. The pair became firm friends with Monger citing Herbert’s support and encouragement as an inspiration in his recovery - Herbert had gone through a similar near fatal crash at Brands Hatch in 1988.

The brand new series will see two regular weekly shows, the first being an up to the minute F1 current affairs show, combining Herbert’s F1 driving experience and Monger’s knowledge of the current grid, having grown up racing them in the junior formulas and karting.

The second show is a fan led forum, encouraging petrol heads from all over the world to get in touch and share their questions and passion for the sport.

On the launch of the show Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rowan Wilkinson said; “We are delighted to have been able to help bring this project to life for Billy and Johnny. This is a great example of our sister agencies SBX Studios and SoapBox London working in tandem to bring talent-led content ideas to life to help our clients achieve their off-field goals through proactive communications.”

‘Lift The Lid’ can be downloaded now from all major podcast distributors and you can follow the show on Twitter @LiftTheLidPod

Mattia Binotto ‘thrown under the bus’ by Ferrari, says Damon Hill

12:18 , Michael Jones

Ex-Formula 1 driver Damon Hill believes former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto was “thrown under the bus” by the team.

Binotto resigned from his position after the 2022 season following a disappointing campaign for the team. Ferrari started the season well with Charles Leclerc topping the drivers championship but mechanical failures and tactics meant the Scuderia came away with nothing.

Max Verstappen took the drivers’ crown and his Red Bull team claimed the constructors’ title.

But Hill - who won 22 races during his eight-season professional career and was world champion in 1996 - believes Binotto was the scapegoat for the team’s failings.

“I think that Mattia did a brilliant job and I think he’d been thrown under the bus a bit, frankly,” Hill told the F1 Nation podcast.

Mattia Binotto ‘thrown under the bus’ by Ferrari, says Damon Hill

F1 news LIVE: Will Hamilton sign a new contract?

12:10 , Michael Jones

Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his 17th season in F1 with a year to run on his current £40million-a-deal.

Hamilton and Mercedes insist that a new contract – one which is likely to extend the seven-time world champion’s F1 stay into his forties – is a formality.

However, Hamilton, 38, has also said he does not want to end his career by making up the numbers and if an extension is a formality, why has it not been signed?

Should Mercedes fail to deliver Hamilton a winning car, then there is a chance, albeit a slim one, that this could be his final year in the sport.

F1 news LIVE: How does the calendar look?

12:02 , Michael Jones

F1 bosses have laid down a record 23-round campaign to be completed in nine months. The Chinese Grand Prix has been cancelled and will not be replaced, while an eagerly-anticipated debut race on the Las Vegas strip is set for November. Qatar makes its second appearance on the F1 schedule.

The British Grand Prix will be on July 9, avoiding a direct clash with the Wimbledon men’s singles final (July 16) and golf’s Open Championship, which concludes on July 23.

Six sprint races, up from three last year, are also due – with Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Austin (USA) and Brazil selected as the venues.

F1 news LIVE: Have there been any driver changes?

11:54 , Michael Jones

At the age of 41, Fernando Alonso is set to embark on another chapter of his remarkable career following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin. The double world champion replaces Sebastian Vettel, a winner of four titles, who headed for retirement.

Pierre Gasly takes Alonso’s place to join Esteban Ocon in an all-French line-up for the French team. Highly-rated Australian rookie Oscar Piastri teams up with Lando Norris at McLaren after the popular Daniel Ricciardo was told to clear his desk.

Elsewhere, veteran Nico Hulkenberg is back following Mick Schumacher’s Haas axe, while Dutchman Nyck de Vries and American Logan Sargeant are set for their first seasons on the grid with Alpha Tauri and Williams respectively.

F1 news LIVE: What about the other teams?

11:47 , Michael Jones

Ferrari, with former Alfa Romeo chief Frederic Vasseur now at the helm following Mattia Binotto’s departure, will want to bounce back from a year plagued by mechanical failures and toe-curling strategic mistakes.

There were some encouraging signs in testing that Ferrari will be there or thereabouts, but whether Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have the machine to challenge Verstappen over the course of a 23-race campaign is uncertain.

Aston Martin have underwhelmed since returning to F1, but the Silverstone squad, led by the ambitious fashion billionaire Lawrence Stroll, look ready to move up the grid.

However, McLaren could be braced for a poor campaign. CEO Zak Brown has already said his team has not met its performance targets and they looked sluggish in testing. Reliability could be a problem, too. They completed the fewest laps of any of the grid’s 10 teams.

F1 news LIVE: Can Hamilton challenge Verstappen?

11:39 , Michael Jones

On day one of Formula One’s only pre-season test, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff proclaimed that Mercedes have the tools to carry Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to the championship.

However, their early optimism wavered. Hamilton spoke of underlying problems with this year’s car – an evolution of last season’s machine that Hamilton was desperate to consign to history.

It seems certain that the black-liveried cars will be off Red Bull’s pace in Bahrain. But there is hope at Mercedes – perhaps misconceived – that they will make inroads.

F1 news LIVE: Who is the favourite to win the title?

11:31 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman and his Red Bull team looked imperious at last week’s Bahrain test and it is of little surprise to see him as the odds-on man with the bookies to take another title – his third in as many years.

Verstappen raced to his second championship last year by winning 15 of the 22 rounds and the overwhelming consensus heading into Sunday’s opening round, also in Bahrain, is that the 25-year-old will be the man to beat again.

F1 news LIVE: What is the 2023 F1 calendar?

11:23 , Michael Jones

ROUND 1 —BAHRAIN

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir - 3-5 March

ROUND 2 - SAUDI ARABIA

Jeddah Corniche Circuit - 17-19 March

ROUND 3 - AUSTRALIA

Albert Park, Melbourne - 31 March-2 April

ROUND 4 - AZERBAIJAN (sprint weekend)

Baku City Circuit - 28-30 April

ROUND 5 - MIAMI

Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium - 5-7 May

ROUND 6 - EMILIA ROMAGNA

Imola Circuit - 19-21 May

ROUND 7 - MONACO

Circuit de Monaco - 26-28 May

ROUND 8 - SPAIN

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - 2-4 June

ROUND 9 - CANADA

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal - 16-18 June

ROUND 10 - AUSTRIA (sprint weekend)

Red Bull Ring, Spielberg - 30 June-2 July

ROUND 11 - GREAT BRITAIN

Silverstone Circuit - 7-9 July

ROUND 12 - HUNGARY

Hungaroring, Budapest - 21-23 July

ROUND 13 - BELGIUM (sprint weekend)

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 28-30 July

ROUND 14 - NETHERLANDS

Circuit Zandvoort - 25-27 August

ROUND 15 - ITALY

Monza Circuit - 1-3 September

ROUND 16 - SINGAPORE

Marina Bay Street Circuit - 15-17 September

ROUND 17 - JAPAN

Suzuka International Racing Course - 22-24 September

ROUND 18 - QATAR (sprint weekend)

Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 6-8 October

ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)

Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 20-22 October

ROUND 20 - MEXICO

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 27-29 October

ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend)

Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 3-5 November

ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas Street Circuit - 16-18 November

ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI

Yas Marina Circuit - 24-26 November

F1 news LIVE: Can Mercedes challenge Red Bull in new F1 season?

11:14 , Michael Jones

The 2023 Formula 1 season is upon us. Testing has thrown up some interesting questions as Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton look to catch up to the Red Bull racing team.

Elsewhere on the F1 grid, Aston Martin have a new line-up in the pit lane and there’s a plethora of rookie drivers looking to shake up the order. Ahead of the new season, The Independent’s Kieran Jackson answers your questions on You Ask The Questions.

F1 news LIVE: Sergio Perez sends Red Bull warning over Max Verstappen treatment

11:07 , Michael Jones

Sergio Perez has fired a warning to Red Bull and insists he won’t help Max Verstappen on track if he doesn’t receive any “support when I need it.”

Mexican star Perez has received plaudits for being a team player at Red Bull and has helped double world champion Verstappen in various races, most memorably defending from Lewis Hamilton at the controversial season finale of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi.

Yet at the penultimate race of last season in Brazil, with Verstappen’s second title long secured and Perez vying for second place in the Championship, the Dutchman defied orders from the pit wall and refused to let Perez pass him.

Sergio Perez sends Red Bull warning over Max Verstappen treatment

F1 news LIVE: What are the driver line-ups for 2023?

10:59 , Michael Jones

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton

George Russell

Alpine

Esteban Ocon

Pierre Gasly

McLaren

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas

Zhou Guanyu

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

Haas

Kevin Magnussen

Nico Hulkenberg

AlphaTauri

Yuki Tsunoda

Nyck de Vries

Williams

Alex Albon

Logan Sargeant

F1 news LIVE: Verstappen challenges Hamilton and Mercedes to step up

10:51 , Michael Jones

Two-time World Champion Max Verstappen has challenged Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to raise their game and provide him with the championship battle that Formula One needs.

Verstappen ran away with last season’s title, winning 15 of the 22 races, to secure his second championship with four rounds to spare. In contrast, Hamilton, in his under-performing Mercedes, endured the worst year of his career as he failed to win a race and finished 214 points adrift.

But when addressing the prospect of renewing his rivalry with Hamilton the 25-year-old Verstappen said: “In the interest of the sport you always want the teams to be super-close.

“I do think it was close last year, but as a team we executed a lot of things better than the others and that was why the points gap was so big.

“I never felt, apart from two or three races, that we absolutely dominated. But for the general interest of Formula One, everyone wants a title battle with multiple teams involved.”

F1 news LIVE: How can I watch Bahrain Grand Prix online and on TV?

10:43 , Michael Jones

The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

F1 news LIVE: Formula 1 returns with Bahrain Grand Prix opener

10:35 , Michael Jones

The first race of the 2023 Formula 1 season takes place this weekend with the teams set to find out how well their cars are shaping up after months of development.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull will be targeting more World Championships while Mercedes and Ferrari look to close the gap on their rivals.

Their are rookie drivers this year and team swaps for old heads like Fernando Alonso. All in all it’s shaping up to be another exciting year of motor racing.

F1 news LIVE: ‘It hurt a lot’ Alonso on Stroll’s absence

10:27 , Michael Jones

Lance Stroll missed three days of testing on Aston Martin’s new car due to a wrist injury and his absence meant the team went into the Bahrain test on the back foot according to teammate Fernando Alonso.

“It hurt a lot.” explained Alonso, “I think we miss him because some of my comments and feelings with the car, we never know if it’s just me in a new team and a new car or was [it] just maybe an Aston Martin thing that Lance could spot: brake pedal feeling, power steering?

“I don’t know if these are a legacy thing with the team or new in this car, so we cannot do it without him. So I hope he can come [back] very soon.

“The car felt good all three days, we’ve been experimenting a little bit with very different routes on set-ups, and we found always positives on these new routes, so there is a clear indication that we need to change philosophy in many things on this car compared to last year’s car.

“And that obviously is a concern in a way because we will need a couple of races to optimise the package and obviously it is now go-time.

“We need to make the car as fast as possible for Race 1, but we feel like there is a lot more to come from the car that we didn’t have time yet in testing – only three days – but step by step the team is working flat out.”

F1 news LIVE: When is the Bahrain Grand Prix

10:19 , Michael Jones

The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3rd March - Sunday 5th March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Free Practice 1 takes place at 11:30am (GMT) on Friday morning, with second practice following at 3pm.

After third practice at 11:30am on Saturday morning, qualifying starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).

F1 news LIVE: What makes Drive to Survive star Guenther Steiner tick?

10:11 , Michael Jones

When Netflix first premiered Drive to Survive in 2019, an attempt by Formula 1’s new owners Liberty to broaden the sport’s murky horizon, the onus was on your Hamiltons, your Vettels and your Verstappens to haul in that untapped audience. Like any serial drama, you need a protagonist. But there can only be one star of the show.

Little did people think it’d be Guenther Steiner.

“It’s all about the underdog story,” the 57-year-old tells The Independent, when asked why the Haas-centred episodes have the viewers at peak excitement upon the release of each show. A show, he is eager to add, he does not watch.

Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick?

‘Drivers get bored of not fighting at the front’: Jenson Button shares Lewis Hamilton retirement prediction

10:03 , Michael Jones

Speaking to The Independent, 2009 F1 world champion Button – who was team-mates with Hamilton for three years at McLaren – speculated that the Brit may well be having doubts while Mercedes languish behind their rivals.

“Drivers get bored of not fighting at the front - that’s normally why they retire,” Button says. “Even if they’re still at their best. That’s why I retired and others have stepped away including Kimi [Raikkonen] and Fernando [Alonso] when he initially stepped away.

“It’s easy when you’re winning to continue because it’s always great. When it gets tough, that’s when mentally and physically you think ‘have I got another season in me?’ It could be that way round for Lewis.”

Jenson Button reveals the one thing that could make Lewis Hamilton retire from F1

F1 news LIVE: Jensen Button predicts Lewis Hamilton retirement

09:55 , Michael Jones

Jenson Button believes Lewis Hamilton may be tempted to retire if Mercedes fail to produce a car capable of race victories on a consistent basis this year.

Hamilton failed to win a race in 2022 – the first time he has gone a season without standing on top of the podium – and there are concerns over the 38-year-old’s long-term future with his £40m-a-year contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Hamilton won six of his seven world titles from 2014-2021 with Mercedes but the team languished behind Red Bull and Ferrari last year after a change in regulations and the Silver Arrows’ unusual philosophical approach to the design of their car.

“Drivers get bored of not fighting at the front - that’s normally why they retire,” Button told The Independent.

F1 news LIVE: Lance Stroll to participate in Bahrain Grand Prix

09:47 , Michael Jones

Aston Martin have confirmed that Lance Stroll will participate in this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

Stroll injured his wrist in a bicycle accident and missed the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain, with F2 champion Felipe Drugovich filling in alongside two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

However, the 24-year-old has recovered sufficiently to race in Bahrain this weekend, though Drugovich and fellow test driver Stoffel Vandoorne will be on-site for Aston Martin.