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      Iconic corner AXED from 2023 Grand Prix as controversial ex-FIA chief Michael Masi get his wish ahead of F1 season

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      FORMULA ONE have wielded the axe on one of its most iconic corners. Spanish Grand Prix venue Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has seen it’s final sector altered so it no longer includes the chicane at turns 14 and 15.
      The Spanish Grand Prix will see its iconic chicane axed
      Turns 14 and 15 in Sector 3 are being removedCredit: Formula One
      They will be replaced by two high-speed cornersCredit: Getty
      Lewis Hamilton has won the Spanish Grand Prix six timesCredit: AFP or licensors

      Instead, the circuit will now end with two high-speed corners, reverting back to the layout used before the chicane’s introduction in 2007.
      And the change means former F1 race director Michael Masi, who engineered the controversial ending to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s title fight in 2021, will get his wish.
      Masi pushed for changes to the layout back in 2021, saying at the time: “It’s something that we’ve been looking at for a little while.
      “It’s obviously not an overnight change that can be done, and having a look at all of the implications and unintended consequences that may come about.
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      “Like all of our circuits and different corners and everything, we work together with the teams, the drivers and F1 in ensuring we’ve got the safest venue, but also something that promotes good racing.”
      2022 saw changes pushed for even more before they were finally approved by current F1 race director and safety delegate Niels Wittich and the FIA’s head of circuit and rally safety Stuart Robertson.
      The new layout will see the circuit length shortened to 4.657km from 4.675km, an 18metre reduction.
      TECPRO barriers will be introduced in the new-look corners in a bid to maintain safety.
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      Additionally, the run-off at Turn 1 has been extended to accommodate 70m more gravel and a five per cent increase in slope, while a brand new fence has also been introduced.
      F1 fans appeared to be happy with the announcement.
      One fan said: “Finally.”
      A second declared: “Massive W, that last part of the race just didn’t feel right, it was just a bad copy of the Casio triangle from Suzuka (Japan).”
      A third commented: “I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS.”
      While a fourth added: “Lets go, the cars will be rockets now on the straight.”
      The F1 season gets underway this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix, while Hamilton and Co are due to visit Spain on June 4.

      Complete F1 2023 race calendar – every Grand Prix from this year More

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      F1 Bahrain Grand Prix: Date, UK start time, live stream, TV channel, practice, qualifying for 2023 season opening race

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      THE 2023 Formula One season gets underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, with Max Verstappen aiming to become a three-time world champion. Red Bull dominated the 2022 season as they won 17 of 22 races with Verstappen taking a whopping 15 victories and team mate Sergio Perez two.
      Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo at the launch of Red Bulls 2023 car.Credit: AFP
      Charles Leclerc on the podium at last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.Credit: Rex
      The pressure will be on new Ferrari team principle Fred Vasseur to deliver a title winning car as The Scuderia look for their first drivers title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007.
      The 2022 car was fast but unreliable with Charles Leclerc taking 3 victories whilst Carlos Sainz took his maiden F1 win at Silverstone.
      Mercedes had a difficult 2022 season with the Brackley outfit only registering a solitary victory courtesy of George Russell at Interlagos.
      Lewis Hamilton failed to win a race for the first time in his Formula One career in 2022 and will be desperate to get back on the top step of the podium in 2023.

      Elsewhere on the grid Fernando Alonso replaced the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin, Nico Hulkenburg returned to the sport with Haas, Pierre Gasly joined Alpine, Nyck de Vries joined Alpha Tauri, Oscar Piastri replaced Daniel Ricciardo at Mclaren and Logan Sargeant joined Williams.
      When is the Bahrain Grand Prix?

      The Bahrain Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, March 5.
      Practice gets going from 11.30am on Friday, March 3.
      Qualifying is on from 3pm on March 4.
      The race will begin at 3pm UK time.

      What channel is it and can it be live streamed?

      The Bahrain Grand Prix will be live on Sky Sports F1 with highlights on Channel 4.
      You can live stream the race on the Sky Go app which you can download on your tablet or mobile device.

      What are the teams and drivers?

      Red Bull: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
      Ferrari: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
      Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell
      Alpine: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly
      Mclaren: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
      Alpha Tauri: Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries
      Alfa Romeo: Valterri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou
      Aston Martin: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll
      Haas: Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg
      Williams: Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant

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      Lewis Hamilton confident Mercedes WILL be able to challenge Red Bull for title as 2023 season draws closer

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      LEWIS HAMILTON’S Mercedes team are confident they have fixed their challenger for this season after a mixed spell on track during testing.The new F1 season kicks off this week in Bahrain where Hamilton and his team-mate George Russell hope to be able to take the fight to world champion Max Verstappen.
      Lewis Hamilton admitted there is still a way to go for Mercedes to get to the level he wantsCredit: Getty
      Hamilton was second-quickest on the final day of testing behind Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez.
      And while he says the team are “not quite where we want to be” he has reasons to be optimistic going into the new season.
      He said: “There has been a lot of discovery and the whole team has approached it with the same mentality, working hard, not being complacent and staying focused.
      “We’re not quite where we want to be but it’s a good platform to start from. We don’t know where we will be next week, but we will stay positive and continue to push to the maximum.”
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      After a tricky day on track last Friday, Merc’s engineering chief Andrew Shovlin says that after a late night spent working on the problem they came up with a suitable fix.
      He added: “A fair bit of work took place overnight to find some refinements to the car specification and recover our direction on the set-up.
      “We do seem to have made progress; both drivers felt the car was in a much better place across the range of conditions [on Saturday] and the balance is closer to what they require on a single lap and long run.
      “It’s clear that we still have work to do on car pace but it has given us a much more coherent picture of where we need to focus our efforts.
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      “We’ll be using the time ahead of next weekend to go through the data we’ve collected and aim to extract a bit more lap time.”
      Meanwhile, Aston Martin will NOT turn to Sebastian Vettel if Lance Stroll is not fit enough to drive this week.
      Stroll suffered wrist injuries when he crashed his bicycle in Spain and was forced to miss all of pre-season testing.
      Aston say they will allow Stroll extra time to recover however if he does not pass a fitness test it will be reserve driver Felipe Drugovich who will compete in the race.
      Vettel retired at the end of last year, but there was growing speculation he could be lured back for a one-off race while Stroll recovers.
      Drugovich has already completed the pre-season alongside Aston’s new recruit, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. More

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      Michael Schumacher is ‘there but not there’ and can’t be part of the family, says ex-F1 boss pal in major health update

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      F1 LEGEND Eddie Jordan has opened up about his pal Michael Schumacher – saying the stricken star is “there, but not there” as mystery surrounds his health.Eddie, 74, gave the German his big break in F1 when the then 22-year-old racer made his debut with Jordan in the Belgian Grand Prix in 1991.
      Eddie Jordan with Michael Schumacher in 1991Credit: Sutton Motor Sport Images
      Jordan said his ‘love’ for Michael ‘still lasts’ after he gave him his break in F1Credit: Corbis – Getty
      Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher, has followed him into F1Credit: AFP
      Michael would go on to break all the records – winning seven world championships and 91 races while driving for Ferrari and Benetton.
      But the 54-year-old racing legend has not been seen or heard from for nearly 10 years after his horror ski crash back in 2013.
      He was left with a severe brain injury and in a medically induced coma.
      Mystery surrounds his condition – with his family imposing a strict “family only” rule on who can visit him.
      Read more on Michael Schumacher
      And it came as Michael’s son Mick followed in his dad’s footsteps into F1.
      But the young driver, 23, struggled and lost his race seat at the end of 2022 after a series of crashes for the Haas team.
      Eddie was denied a visit to see Michael – but has kept up contact with Mick.
      The F1 boss said his “love” for the seven-time world champion “still lasts and will always do so while I’m able to draw breath” in a chat with sports betting firm OLBG.
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      And last year, he revealed his son Mick had reached out to him.
      “As far as I’m concerned, I was touched by it and the reason I was touched by it was because it can’t be easy knowing that your father is not able to be part of the family, he’s there but he’s not there,” said Jordan.
      Jordan explained that Mick spoke about his father in glowing terms as he was enduring his own struggles in F1.
      “It touched me because I felt so much about Michael, I went out of my way to find him, give him his first chance in Spa, didn’t last very long but that love for him still lasts and will always do so while I’m able to draw breaths,” said Eddie.
      Mick – who was dropped by Haas in favour of veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg for 2023 – is now a reserve driver at Mercedes.
      He will be backing up Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, potentially stepping in for them if they have to miss a race.
      In a touching link to his dad, Mercedes is the team that Michael ended his career with – having a brief three-season comeback from 2010 to 2012 after his initial retirement in 2006.
      Schuey is credited with helping to lay the foundations of the Silver Arrows as they went on to dominate the sport – winning eight constructors’ and seven drivers’ titles – between 2014 and 2021.
      Eddie however believes Mick could find his way back into a full-time race seat.
      “He’s been dropped for somebody else, and that’s a tough decision, he has another fight to come back and to make his name, climb up that ladder again,” he said.
      “I’m quite sure he will do it.”
      Jordan also revealed Michael named his son after legendary sportsman Mick Doohan.
      He said Mick was given his name “as a mark of respect” to the Aussie five-time MotoGP world champion.
      “Mick Schumacher isn’t named after his dad like a lot of people seem to think,” he said.
      “Mick Schumacher is named after a person who his father, Michael, was in total awe of, a sportsman who had won five world titles back to back with Honda.
      “And that is no other than Mick Doohan.
      “As a mark of respect, Michael Schumacher called his son Mick.”
      Last year, Jordan revealed Michael’s wife denied him a visit to see the Formula 1 legend after his horror skiing accident.
      His wife Corinna keeps his condition a closely guarded secret with strict rules about who’s allowed to see him.
      Corinna prefers to treat her husband privately at their home in Geneva, Switzerland with ex-Ferrari boss Jean Todt one of the few people allowed to see him outside his immediate family.
      Jordan said he contacted Corinna, who was once the girlfriend of his team’s driver Heinz Harold Frentzenm, before she went on to marry Schumacher.
      He told the Irish Daily Mirror: “I reached out and one stage asked was it appropriate and did I think we should go and visit him.
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      “The answer was no. No visitations for anyone at that moment except the actual direct family.
      “However, since then, young Mick Schumacher – Michael’s son – has reached out to me, and he has been extraordinary.”
      Eddie Jordan was the former boss of Jordan Grand PrixCredit: Getty Images More

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      ‘It’s a pointless exercise’ – Lewis Hamilton slams ‘dangerous’ new F1 rules that could put drivers’ lives at risk

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed “dangerous” new rules coming into F1 that he believes threatens to put drivers’ lives at risk.The seven-time world champion lashed out at proposals to ban tyre blankets, saying it is a “pointless exercise”.
      Lewis Hamilton has blasted ‘dangerous’ new rules being introduced into F1Credit: Reuters
      The rules are being considered as part of a shake up to reduce costs, as the energy-consuming blankets pre-heat tyres to provide better grip.
      But Hamilton, one of only a few drivers who have trialled the new Pirelli tyres which had not been warmed first, says it could cause a crash as drivers take to the track on cold tyres.
      He said: “I think it’s dangerous. I’ve tested the no blankets and there’s going to be an incident at some stage.
      “So on a safety factor I think it’s the wrong decision. You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work.
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      “The whole argument is that taking away the blankets is for going more sustainable and more green. In actual fact we just use more fuel to get temperature into the tyres.
      “But more concerning is just when you go out, the car is skating around, it’s very twitchy, and if there’s someone else who’s on tyres that are working you could easily collide with them. It’s a pointless exercise.”
      Pirelli, the FIA and F1 are already phasing out tyre warming equipment on sustainability grounds.
      Last year, the temperature at which they operate was reduced from 100C front and 80C rear to 70C all round.
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      There had been plans to drop that temperature further to 50C this season, but that was stopped after the drivers voiced their concerns during a trial run in Austin last year.
      Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc also agrees that the blanket ban comes too soon.
      He added: “For now I don’t think we are exactly ready. I think there’s still a little bit of work, especially on the warm-up part of it in the first few laps, it’s still quite tricky.”
      Meanwhile, Hamilton has mixed feelings about this year’s Mercedes car after F1 testing in Bahrain came to a conclusion today.
      He added: “It’s difficult to sum it up. We’ve had a couple of difficult days — Friday particularly was difficult.
      “The first day didn’t feel too bad, [but] yesterday was a little bit more of a struggle.
      “I think George has had a much better morning on Saturday, so hopefully we’ve got the set-up in a bit of a better place.
      “But right now, for example, the bouncing that we had has pretty much gone, so that’s a huge step for us.
      “It’s nice to drive without the bouncing for once, but there are still some underlying things that we’re working through.”
      The F1 season kicks off next Sunday in Bahrain and Hamilton says it is still too “difficult to know” where Mercedes sit in the pecking order.
      Read More on The Sun
      He said: “Some of the balance limitations that we had last year are present — we’re working through them.
      “[But] I’m really proud of everyone in the team for continuing to remain positive after a tough year last year, [doing] amazing through the winter for us to drive and have the mileage that we’ve had.” More

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      F1 fans moved to tears by heartwarming video of Michael Schumacher and a young Max Verstappen

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      A HEARTWARMING video of Micheal Schumacher and a young Max Verstappen has moved Formula 1 fans to tears.The F1 star spent a lot of time growing up with the Schumacher family as his dad Jos Verstappen and seven-time champ Michael were close friends.
      Video shows a young Max Verstappen with Michael Schumacher
      Schumacher pats a young Max Verstappen on the headCredit: Twitter/Semmieeef1/
      The F1 star has revealed he called Michael ‘uncle’Credit: PA
      Michael continues his recovery after his horror ski accidentCredit: PA:Press Association
      Max Verstappen has opened up about his close relationship with he man he called “Uncle”.
      The two families’ connection features in episode 4 – Like Father, Like Son? of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
      Footage released as part of the show’s latest season feature Michael talking about young Mick and Max and discussing with Jos whether they would allow their children to become F1 drivers.
      One clip in particular, in which Schumacher bends down and pats Verstappen on the head, has moved Formula 1 fans.
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      “This moment makes me cry every single time i see it,” Tweeted a Verstappen fan account.
      In the clip Schumacher can bee seen smiling at the youngster, who he’s clearly very fond of.
      Several other fans responded with tear emojies to the clip, with one writing “that’s so adorable”.
      Max was introduced to racing from a young age alongside Michael’s son Mick, who also became an F1 driver.
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      Double-world champion Verstappen has revealed he spent a big part of his childhood with the Schumacher family as they would all go on holidays together.
      He told F1 Insider: “I was three or four years old at the time. I just knew that was Uncle Michael.
      “Who was very nice. Who was an extremely big family man.
      “But I never saw him as a record World Champion, I didn’t know that.”
      Max, a 35-time race winner, continued: “You can see that in the old photos and videos that we have at home. Mick or Gina was always there.
      “It was great. I still have positive memories of those weekends today.”
      The 24-year-old added that Jos and Michael would load their kids up on two-seater go-karts and two father and son duos would race against each other.
      He said: “We always went karting in two-seaters. Michael with Mick or Gina, my father with me.
      “But when it got too dangerous, the fathers quickly took over!”
      Netflix’s documentary also brought to light a touching photo showing Michael cradling baby Max on his lap alongside his own daughter, Gina-Maria.
      Drive to Survive also charts Mick’s difficult sophomore season in 2022 – including his horror 170mph accident in Saudi Arabia.
      Mick’s rough year saw him outscored by his teammate, the returning Danish veteran Kevin Magnussen.
      The show outlines Mick’s struggles – and the pressure that came with racing under the name “Schumacher”.
      Speaking about his good friend, Max said: “It was different for Mick than it was for me. His father is the record world champion, with seven world championships.
      “That’s a difficult starting position at first.”
      Michael, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, continues his recovery after his horror ski crash in 2013.
      He raced from 1991 to 2006, and again from 2010 to 2012 – a second act of his career which saw him become instrumental in setting up the dominant Mercedes team.
      The German won five world championships with Ferrari and two for Benetton.
      Schumacher retired in 2012, but just a year later he was involved in the life-changing skiing accident while on the slopes with Mick.
      He was left in a medically induced coma before being released home and then ever since it has been near silence on the driver’s condition.
      He has not been seen in public ever since.
      His family, led by wife Corinna, closely protect Michael’s privacy and offer him a quiet life.
      Read More on The Sun
      Since then there have only been hints and cryptic rumours about Schumacher’s health with drip-fed information from friends and unnamed sources.
      Schumacher pictured with Max Verstappen, right, and his daughter Gina-MariaCredit: Netflix
      Max is a two time world championCredit: PA More

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      Inside Michael Schumacher’s deep connection with Max Verstappen as F1 star would call him ‘Uncle’ Michael

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      MAX Verstappen has opened up about his close relationship with Michael Schumacher who he’d call “Uncle”.The F1 star spent a lot of time growing up with the Schumacher family as his dad Jos Verstappen and seven-time champ Michael were close friends.
      Max Verstappen spent a lot of time with the Schumacher family growing up
      The F1 star has revealed he called Michael ‘uncle’Credit: PA
      Michael continues his recovery after his horror ski accidentCredit: PA:Press Association
      Max was introduced to racing from a young age alongside Michael’s son Mick, who also became an F1 driver.
      The two families’ connection features in episode 4 – Like Father, Like Son? of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
      Footage released as part of the show’s latest season feature Michael talking about young Mick and Max and discussing with Jos whether they would allow their children to become F1 drivers.
      The double-world champion has revealed he spent a big part of his childhood with the Schumacher family as they would all go on holidays together.
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      He told F1 Insider: “I was three or four years old at the time. I just knew that was Uncle Michael.
      “Who was very nice. Who was an extremely big family man.
      “But I never saw him as a record World Champion, I didn’t know that.”
      Max, a 35-time race winner, continued: “You can see that in the old photos and videos that we have at home. Mick or Gina was always there.
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      “It was great. I still have positive memories of those weekends today.”
      The 24-year-old added that Jos and Michael would load their kids up on two-seater go-karts and two father and son duos would race against each other.
      He said: “We always went karting in two-seaters. Michael with Mick or Gina, my father with me.
      “But when it got too dangerous, the fathers quickly took over!”
      Netflix’s documentary also brought to light a touching photo showing Michael cradling baby Max on his lap alongside his own daughter, Gina-Maria.
      Drive to Survive also charts Mick’s difficult sophomore season in 2022 – including his horror 170mph accident in Saudi Arabia.
      Mick’s rough year saw him outscored by his teammate, the returning Danish veteran Kevin Magnussen.
      The show outlines Mick’s struggles – and the pressure that came with racing under the name “Schumacher”.
      Speaking about his good friend, Max said: “It was different for Mick than it was for me. His father is the record world champion, with seven world championships.
      “That’s a difficult starting position at first.”
      Michael, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, continues his recovery after his horror ski crash in 2013.
      He raced from 1991 to 2006, and again from 2010 to 2012 – a second act of his career which saw him become instrumental in setting up the dominant Mercedes team.
      The German won five world championships with Ferrari and two for Benetton.
      Schumacher retired in 2012, but just a year later he was involved in the life-changing skiing accident while on the slopes with Mick.
      He was left in a medically induced coma before being released home and then ever since it has been near silence on the driver’s condition.
      He has not been seen in public ever since.
      His family, led by wife Corinna, closely protect Michael’s privacy and offer him a quiet life.
      Read More on The Sun
      Since then there have only been hints and cryptic rumours about Schumacher’s health with drip-fed information from friends and unnamed sources.
      Schumacher pictured with Max Verstappen, right, and his daughter Gina-MariaCredit: Netflix
      Max is a two time world championCredit: PA More

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      George Russell forced to abandon car during F1 pre-season testing in blow to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes

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      GEORGE RUSSELL was forced to abandon his Mercedes Formula One car during pre-season testing after suffering a hydraulics failure. The Mercedes W14 was brought to a halt with Russell behind the wheel during the second session of the day on Friday, causing a red flag.
      George Russell suffered a hydraulics failureCredit: Getty
      The Mercedes car had to be abandoned on track and Friday’s second session was red flaggedCredit: Getty
      Russell and team boss Toto Wolff have been talking up the performance of their car ahead of the new season. 
      However, Friday’s failure will come as a blow to Merc, Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who are hoping to be competitive this season.
      The hydraulics failure left Russell unable to change gear or use power steering.
      The Brit could not shift up or down from fourth gear and had to abandon the car on track.
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      Former F1 racer Anthony Davidson said on Sky Sports’ coverage: “It would make sense that he’s stuck in fourth gear because the hydraulics controls the gear shift mechanism along with the power steering.
      “He had no clutch and that’s also controlled by hydraulics.
      “He’s got the green light on top of the car as well so it’s not a hybrid issue.”
      The team later said on Twitter: “We’ve confirmed it was a hydraulic failure that caused George’s car to stop on track.
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      “That’s likely to be the end of our running for today. Back on track tomorrow.”
      The fault comes after Russell expressed confidence that he can match double champ Max Verstappen, who’s driving for Red Bull.
      The 25-year-old said: “I definitely head into the season believing I can [win the championship].
      “At every point of my career I have gone in believing, but you need to take a rational view once you get to the track.
      “We definitely believe that eventually we will have a car capable of getting into that fight.
      “But Red Bull are looking very strong, very stable, and obviously Max is performing really well so realistically it will be a stretch for us next week.
      “But there is no reason why we cannot get there eventually at some point this year.
      “We have always seen in the past the strength of Mercedes’ development rate, so the belief is there.”
      The F1 season kicks off next weekend in Bahrain.

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