Today's F1 News Delivered Faster Than a Pit Stop
Lewis Hamilton's first Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 car, used in the 2013 season, will be auctioned on November 17 in Las Vegas, with an estimated value of up to $15 million. The car is notable for its 2.4L V8 engine and was driven by Hamilton for 14 out of 19 races that season. In 2013, Hamilton joined the Mercedes team from McLaren, and the team's principal, Toto Wolff, also came on board from Williams. The car, with chassis number F1W04-04, holds historical significance in Hamilton's career.
Click here to read the full article by Phuti Mpyane (businesslive.co.za)
Max Verstappen led the opening practice session for the Qatar Grand Prix with a lap time of 1:27.428s, leaving Carlos Sainz 0.334s behind. The session was challenging due to dust and sand clouds kicked up by cars, a newly resurfaced circuit, and strong gusts of wind. The Lusail International Circuit, located on the outskirts of Doha, was still under construction in the lead-up to the event. Verstappen initially struggled with the slippery track surface. As conditions improved, lap times dropped, and Verstappen set the fastest time, followed by Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton finished 12th, while Liam Lawson and Kevin Magnussen had the slowest times.
Click here to read the full article by Ian Parkes (speedcafe.com)
Starting in 2024, Formula 1 teams can conduct two "filming" days with their cars, allowing them to run up to 200km on each day. These days are meant for drivers to familiarize themselves with the cars and for teams to address any issues before official testing. The rules stipulate that these filming days must be held on separate days to prevent teams from combining them. Additionally, there are two promotional events where teams can run their cars for up to 50km on two occasions, but these are not considered testing and come with specific monitoring requirements by the FIA.
Click here to read the full article by Grace Robinson (formulanerds.com)
AlphaTauri drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson take part in a language exchange, with Lawson teaching Tsunoda some Kiwi slang. The term "Kiwi" represents people of New Zealand origin, and for a man who barely spoke English when he got into F1, Yuki's improvement is massive. He's now even a certified kiwi.
Liam Lawson found out he would continue to race for AlphaTauri at the Qatar Grand Prix via an unexpected FaceTime from Daniel Ricciardo. Lawson said Ricciardo called him out of the blue to confirm he would stay in the car. Ricciardo had originally targeted Qatar as his comeback, but it now looks likely he will be back for the U.S. and Mexico double header of races.