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      Lewis Hamilton takes sneaky peek at Red Bull rival Max Verstappen’s car in F1 pre-season training

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      LEWIS HAMILTON took a cheeky peek at Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull car as Formula One’s pre-season testing got underway this morning.The seven-time world champion is looking to wrestle his title back from Verstappen this year to capture a record eighth.
      Lewis Hamilton takes a look at Max Verstappen’s Red BullCredit: Rex
      Hamilton, 38, peers in for a closer lookCredit: Splash
      Red Bull enter the season as the team to beat, having dominated the last campaign on the way to a constructors’ and drivers’ championship double.
      With all 10 teams’ new motors on track together for the first time for the Bahrain session, it’s customary for drivers to have a peek at the opposition.
      And Lewis, 38, couldn’t help but have a little look at what Verstappen has under the bonnet.
      Joined by ex-team-mate Valtteri Bottas, now of Alfa Romeo, and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen – Hamilton checked out the competition.
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      While he wanted to get a closer look at Red Bull’s latest effort during testing, Hamilton seems to be happy with Mercedes’ new W14.
      Upon its launch, he said: “I have been a part of this team for over a decade and the efforts of everyone never cease to amaze me.
      “I find it inspiring how diligently and passionately each person approaches their work.”
      Hamilton also denied that his team would ever try and copy Red Bull… despite what others may be doing.
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      Hamilton checks out the rest of the gridCredit: Splash
      Verstappen later got behind the wheel of his new car for the testing sessionCredit: Getty
      He said: “Of course you can see that some of the cars are approaching what a Red Bull might look like, perhaps with the exception of Ferrari.
      “I don’t think we’ve ever been a team that copied other people.
      “We’ve always had our own mind and have always been a team that’s incredibly creative and innovative and likes to do it our way. And I think that’s worked in the past.”
      Hamilton’s boss Toto Wolff said: “Last year was difficult but it came with lots of learnings.
      “I hope 2023 will be proof that we have understood how to unravel the problems and improve the package of the car.”
      He then continued: “W13 certainly had performance which we never were able to unlock and put all its downforce on the ground.
      “Our car performed very well at the end of the season.
      “However, we still had the famous bouncing at some circuits and the car never gave the drivers good feedback, which limited them in being able to really push.
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      “We have tried to keep all the goodness of the W13 and address its weaknesses.”
      Mercedes fans rejoiced during testing this morning, with the W14 not porpoising at all like its predecessor did.
      Hamilton is ready for another crack at winning an eighth world championshipCredit: AFP More

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      Lewis Hamilton wins right to trim two trees in his garden at £18m townhouse despite ‘neighbour concerns’

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      LEWIS Hamilton has won the right to trim two trees in his £18million townhouse’s garden. Hamilton, 38, had been feuding with his neighbours over changes to his London property – including “pruning” the massive poplar trees.
      Lewis Hamilton has come out in first place after a bitter row with his neighboursCredit: AP
      Neighbours had argued the “magnificent heritage trees” should be preserved.
      But, after submitting 20 planning applications over six years, the seven-time Formula One world champion has come out on top.
      MailOnline reported Hamilton had been seeking permission to tidy up his £18m Kensington property since he bought it in 2017.
      On top of “pruning” the giant trees in his garden, the racing legend also wanted to install metal gate entrances, and demolish and replace an old summerhouse.
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      Hamilton and the neighbours clashed over the summerhouse plans as residents feared their “working and living conditions [would be] seriously disturbed”.
      But they were also feuding over the “pruning” of the two trees that tower over the motorsport star’s garden.
      MailOnline reported the neighbours were outraged by the perceived threat to the trees.
      One local even dubbed them “magnificent ‘heritage’ trees” that are “easily identifiable upon approach to Heathrow”.
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      But the council has now given Hamilton the green light to prune the trees – on two conditions.
      The council said “noisy operations” are avoided on Saturdays “unless essential”, and “no works should take place on Sundays”.
      This isn’t the first time Hamilton has been caught in a row with his neighbours.
      In 2020 his summerhouse plans sparked letters of objection from neighbours.
      One claimed at the time: “It certainly does not need another house at the rear of its garden, which, if the owner ever does move in, will no doubt be used as a ‘party house’ away from the main residence, due to the nature of his lifestyle.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton fans given first glimpse of new Mercedes in action.. but have the team fixed 2022 porpoising woes?

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      MERCEDES have released footage of Lewis Hamilton’s first drive at Silverstone in their new W14 car.The Brit F1 legend is hoping this is the car to deliver him a record eighth world title.
      Mercedes have released footage of Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel of the new W14Credit: Instagram / @mercedesamgf1
      Fans are cautiously optimistic about the car’s chancesCredit: Instagram / @mercedesamgf1
      Fans claimed that they didn’t think the car appeared to be porpoisingCredit: Instagram / @mercedesamgf1
      Hamilton is hoping the car will help deliver him a record eighth F1 world titleCredit: Rex
      The chassis of Mercedes’ car for 2023, which was launched last week, is mainly unpainted carbon fibre in a bid to save grams of excess weight.
      And footage of Hamilton behind the wheel of the car was posted to Mercedes’ Instagram account on Wednesday.
      Fans eagerly watched to see if the porpoising – bouncing in layman’s terms – issues that plagued the team last season were still present.
      Merc supporters will get a better idea of whether they have fixed the problem when testing gets underway in Bahrain on Thursday.
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      But, from the short on-board snippet that was revealed on Wednesday, fans believed there was reason to be excited.
      One wrote in reply to the video: “Bye bye porpoising.”
      Another delighted fan exclaimed: “NO BOUNCING PEOPLE! NO BOUNCING!!!”
      A third added: “Thank god porpoising is now a term I can wipe from my memory
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      And a fourth said tentatively: “I don’t want to be too optimistic but that looks and sound like a championship winning car.”
      Meanwhile, other more cautious fans refused to get carried away until seeing the car in testing.
      Hamilton ended the 2022 season without a win – the first time in his career that he went an entire campaign without finishing P1.
      This season marks his 17th in F1, and he is currently level with Michael Schumacher on seven world titles.
      An eighth crown this year would make him the stand alone record holder. More

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      Inside F1 2023 pre-season testing in Bahrain as Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes aim to bounce back and new racers join grid

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      THE Formula One season gets the green light tomorrow as testing starts in Bahrain.Teams are limited to just three days of running around the 5.412 kilometre Bahrain International Circuit, which is home to the Bahrain Grand Prix.
      Sergio Perez (right) will be hoping to challenge his teammate and world champion Max Verstappen this seasonCredit: Getty
      Lewis Hamilton is targeting a record-breaking eighth world championshipCredit: PA
      Here SunSPORT takes a look at the main talking points as we get to see this year’s challengers hit the track.
      Why does F1 have testing?
      F1 teams have been spending months and many millions developing and building this year’s cars.
      However, they are not run on track at full speed until the designated three days of winter testing.
      Teams do have an allocation of shakedown and a filming days but these are limited to 100 kilometres and the tyres are usually demonstration models.
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      Therefore, it is only when they reach the official test can they run their cars at full capacity.
      It will allow them to test for reliability and performance and gives teams access to vital data, such as fluid temperatures in the engine or even airflow over the bodywork.
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      F1 cars are covered in around 300 sensors and monitored to see just how well they are performing or to spot any potential problems that need resolving.
      The data can then be used to compare with what the teams had been expecting over their winter development.
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      They can see how close the correlation is between their projected figures from their wind tunnels to a real-life scenario. 
      Why is it in Bahrain?
      Traditionally, F1 teams would test in Barcelona, however with the F1 calendar now taking in more races in warmer climates, the testing in Spain during February was not representative to conditions for the rest of the season. 
      The weather in Barcelona was often cold, there was even snow a few years ago, so Bahrain offers more stable, warm conditions so the teams are able to get in more running and tweak their cars’ performance. 
      The Bahrain circuit is also the host to the season-opening race, so logistically it makes sense as teams will bring their equipment for testing and then have it in place for the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5 a week on Sunday. 
      Staff are likely to stay out too, saving on travel costs. 
      The other aspect is that this year’s F1 test has a sponsor, Saudi oil firm Aramco are the title-partner.
      Why are most of the cars black?
      Mercedes have reverted to the black livery they had in 2020 and 2021Credit: PA
      It is all because of weight-saving. 
      Last year’s new rules, plus the hybrid engines have made F1 cars bigger and heavier. 
      There is a minimum weight requirement of 798 kilograms however, the majority of teams run way over that figure. 
      This season it is about honing last year’s designs and shaving weight wherever possible because a lighter car increases performance and efficiency.
      It is estimated that teams can save around six kilograms in paint by keeping a car unpainted and, given that carbon fibre, which is used for the majority of the car parts is black in colour, teams have simply opted not to paint them.
      Who are the new drivers?
      Much is expected of Alpha Tauri’s Nyck De Vries after his outstanding super-sub performance at Monza last yearCredit: Getty
      There are some new faces – and the return of an old one.Oscar Piastri will make his F1 debut after joining McLaren after a long legal tussle with his former team, Alpine.
      The Australian had a successful junior career and is highly-rated. He’s also managed by former F1 driver, Mark Webber. 
      He replaces Daniel Ricciardo, who is now a reserve driver at Red Bull.
      Logan Sargeant has joined Williams as a replacement for Nicholas Latifi. The American is making his debut too.
      Nico Hulkenberg is returning to F1 and driving for the Haas team. He replaces Mick Schumacher, who is now a reserve driver at Mercedes.
      Nyck de Vries, who filled in at Williams when Alex Albon was ill last year at Monza, has been given a shot with Alpha Tauri.
      Will we find out who is the quickest?
      Not necessarily, no.
      The lap times are rarely an indication as to who will be quickest when the season starts.
      What testing is good for is showing who is reliable, which in fairness should be all of the 10 teams given this year’s rules are stable.
      Therefore, despite however many hundreds of laps the drivers put in this week, we will not know who is quickest until Saturday March 4 and qualifying for the Bahrain GP.
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      This week, expect to see the glory runs for midfield teams looking to impress potential sponsors.
      Similarly, the big teams could be sandbagging in the sense of not revealing their true car’s potential until it matters. More

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      Max Verstappen snubs Lewis Hamilton as he names two drivers he would pick in his F1 team

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has snubbed Lewis Hamilton when naming two drivers he would pick for his ideal Formula One team. The Dutchman, 23, was asked about creating a hypothetical dream setup ahead of the 2023 season.
      Max Verstappen shockingly did not choose Lewis Hamilton when creating a fictional dream teamCredit: AFP
      Speaking to Mobil 1 The Grid, he unsurprisingly selected his own team principal Christian Horner to take charge.
      And when it came to drivers, seven-time world champion Hamilton as well as Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez did not make the cut.
      The duo were overlooked while he attempted to mix youth and experience.
      When choosing who should get behind the wheel, Verstappen said: “I find that really hard, the drivers, because I think there are a lot of good drivers.
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      “I would go probably for an experienced one, so I would go for Fernando [Alonso].
      “And then I would take a young guy and I would put Lando [Norris] in the car. Yeah, Fernando and Lando.”
      Alonso has raced in F1 across 19 seasons and is a two-time world champion.
      The 41-year-old will feature in the approaching campaign for Aston Martin.
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      Meanwhile, Norris is about to enter his fifth season in F1, all with McLaren.
      The 23-year-old Brit is tipped for big things having made the podium six times in his career, finishing sixth and seventh in the last two years’ standings.
      It is unlikely that Verstappen’s dream team ever becomes more than a hypothetical idea as he has already made it clear he has no desire to lead a team once retiring.
      The winner of the last two campaigns previously said: “F1 has taken up a big part of my life for a long time. We have to travel a lot and there will be more races in the future.
      “That’s when the question comes up whether the pursuit of even more successes is worth spending so much time away from your own family and friends.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes have back-up plan car and willing to SCRAP 2023 car if they fall behind Red Bull again

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      MERCEDES are willing to scrap their 2023 car and introduce a back-up design if they fall behind Red Bull. That is according to Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz who believes the German-based team are putting in place measures to avoid last season’s slow start.
      If Mercedes get the car right, Hamilton could have a shot at a record-breaking eighth driver’s crownCredit: PA
      Mercedes engineers will have been hard at work during the winter trying to cut the gap to champions Red BullCredit: PA
      Mercedes installed a unique “zero sidepod” design to their car last year as F1 saw sweeping rule changes that triggered major adjustments across the grid.
      But the eight-times consecutive constructor’s champions quickly found themselves on the back foot with their bouncing car.
      Red Bull and Ferrari led the field with Mercedes trying to cling on amid some embarrassing results.
      Kravitz reports that Lewis Hamilton’s team are keeping faith with the car’s philosophy – but have other ideas on hand just in case.
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      He told Sky Sports: “They’re giving their big idea, which was a failure last year, one more go. But I believe they have a ‘Plan B’ in production.
      “If they need to, they can go to a Plan B – which is the Red Bull or Ferrari-style of doing things – in the middle of the season.”
      Mercedes are looking to be competitive again after a year out in the wilderness.
      They will get to put their car concept to test in pre-season over the next few days.
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      Testing last year gave the first sign that Mercedes had fallen from their perch with both Hamilton and teammate George Russell expressing frustration with the car’s flaws.
      Kravitz thinks the once dominant team will soon return to the forefront following their mini-revival towards the end of the season.
      He added: “These rules are what they are for a few years yet, so they’ve got to get it right at some point.
      “But at the moment they’re saying ‘Look we think we’ve got a proper handle on what went wrong last year, we still think our way – which is unique in the pit lane – having very slim sidepods is the way to go aerodynamically.
      “Most of the downforce is generated by the floor, which you can’t see, but they’re saying ‘Don’t expect anything too soon.'” More

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      Shocking pics show remains of F1 star Romain Grosjean’s car from dramatic Bahrain GP crash as it goes in exhibition

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      THE charred remains of Romain Grosjean’s Haas F1 car from the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix are being put on display for the very first time.The Frenchman cheated death when he hit a barrier at 120mph, ripping his car in two before it caught on fire.
      The remains of Romain Grosjean’s Haas can now be seenCredit: PA
      The charred car had been kept under wraps since 2020Credit: PA
      The Haas car looks scarcely recognisableCredit: PA
      Grosjean miraculously clambered out of the infernoCredit: Splash
      Grosjean somehow clambered out of the inferno, suffering burns on his hands and ankle having been trapped for 28 seconds.
      The wrecked car has been kept under wraps for three years but has now been released to the public to see at the F1 Exhibition in Madrid.
      Grosjean, who now races in IndyCar in the United States, said: “From my point of view, it was a big accident but I didn’t realise the impact or how violent it was from the outside.
      “It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me what it looked like that I realised.
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      “My wife was actually watching that race with my dad and my kids. They will remember that moment their entire life.
      “They were just spectators waiting to hear something… waiting to see something from Bahrain.
      “I had to break the headrest, punching it with my helmet and then I eventually managed to get my helmet through and stand up in the seat.
      “I realised my left foot was stuck into the chassis and I pulled as hard as I could on my left leg. My shoe stayed in the chassis but my foot came loose so I was free to exit the car.
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      Romain Grosjean came away with burns on his hands and anklesCredit: Instagram / @grosjeanromain
      The car can now be seen at an exhibition in MadridCredit: PA
      Grosjean was stuck in the burning car for nearly 30 secondsCredit: PA
      “It was 120 kilos of fuel plus the battery – both were on fire. Dr Ian Roberts, Alan van der Merwe from the medical car and one fireman were trying to open a gap in the fire to help me get out.
      “I believe that helped me at least to get a vision of where I had to go and where the exit was.”
      The 2020 Bahrain GP proved to be Grosjean’s final race in F1.
      He missed the final two races of that season, replaced by Pietro Fittipaldi, before not having his contract renewed by Haas and retiring from F1.
      Grosjean did subsequently make a full recovery, however, and has competed in IndyCar since 2021.
      Having been stuck in the burning wreckage for nearly 30 seconds, Grosjean later revealed what was going through his head.
      ‘I PUT MY HANDS IN THE FIRE’
      Appearing on Nico Rosberg’s podcast, he said: “It felt much longer than 28 seconds. I saw my visor turning all orange, I saw the flames on the left side of the car.
      “I thought about a lot of things, including Niki Lauda, and I thought that it wasn’t possible to end up like that, not now. I couldn’t finish my story in Formula One like that.
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      “And then, for my children, I told myself that I had to get out. I put my hands in the fire, so I clearly felt it burning on the chassis.
      “I got out, then I felt someone pulling on the suit, so I knew I was out.”
      The car hit the barrier at 120mphCredit: Reuters
      The race was red flagged for over an hour as the track was restoredCredit: PA More

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      OnlyFans racing star Renee Gracie ‘much more fun off track’ with fans left stunned as she nearly spills out of bikini

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      RENEE GRACIE is in the right gear after switching from V8 Supercars to Formula Fun.That’s the verdict of her followers after the Aussie, who quit motorsport to become an OnlyFans hit, posted more revealing snaps on Instagram.

      Renee Gracie has gone from racing cars to making hearts raceCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      Some people might think it’s tattoo revealing but Renee is happy to pose with little on for social mediaCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      The adult film actress spent six years in racing before changing career in 2019Credit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      Renee grasped the opportunity to be an online starCredit: Instagram / @therenee_gracie
      Renee posed in a bikini top that only just made it to the finishing line in covering her breasts.
      The ex-race ace also wore a plain thong of which she commented: “Feels weird wearing white.”
      Perhaps that was a reference to her colourful career.
      The Queenslander, 28, drove in Aussie Racing Cars, Porsche Carrera Cup Australia and then V8 Supercars before switching to adult films in 2019.
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      And her latest photoshoot revved up her social media fans.
      Thousands of likes flowed in along with praise such as “Perfect” … “Divine” … and “Wow you look good”.
      And another comment seemed to speak for many: “You were fun as a race car driver. But this is waaaaaaay more fun.” 
      Renee too appears to be enjoying her life and freedom, helped by earning £14,000 a week from the OnlyFans subscription website.
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      And explaining last year why she was single, she told the Folksalert podcast: “I was in a relationship but I decided to get out of it as it wasn’t for me.
      ” I’m young, I’m earning good money, I’m independent.
      “I don’t want to be held back or held down or have anything or anyone inconvenience me.
      “I just want to do what I can, while I can. I feel like I’m in the prime of my life, so why have anyone potentially ruin that or get in the way?”
      Judging by the response to her recent pictures, it’s a racing certainty her followers hope she stays on track with her current career.
      Ex-Motorsport star Renee is used to navigating tight linesCredit: Instagram
      Renee bowed out of racing after a season with Dragon Motor Sport in 2017Credit: Getty More