Motorsport

GEORGE RUSSELL offered the brightest hope of hearing a rendition of God Save The King come Sunday.The Mercedes man was third-quickest in the morning session and P4 in the afternoon practice for the Italian Grand Prix here at Monza.
The paddock observed a minute’s silence before Friday’s practiceCredit: PA
The teams came out of their garages to remember The QueenCredit: PA
Hamilton wore a black armband to honour The QueenCredit: Getty
Russell, who was second last weekend at the Dutch GP, was in impressive form while his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, faces an uphill task to end his wait for his first win of the season.
Russell said: “FP1 looked strong but then Ferrari and Red Bull looked to have taken a step forward so we have a bit of work to do.”
Hamilton is likely to start no higher than 18th place owing to a host of grid penalties for an unscheduled engine change.
But even with the new power unit in the back of the car, he was not as quick as Ferrari or Red Bull.
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Hamilton said: “We made some set up changes, nothing major but they went a lot quicker. I gave it everything but it just doesn’t feel particularly quick.”
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who was quickest in second practice, also has the same punishment for the same rule breach.
And AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda is facing a hefty knuckle-wrap for failing to slow for yellow flags AND driving without a seatbelt at Zandvoort.
Prior to the first practice session, drivers held a minute’s silence in the pit lane as a tribute to Her Majesty.
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The 20 racers stood in front of their garages and observed the poignant moment, before there was a short applause.
They were joined by F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali and the FIA’s President Mohammed bin Sulayem.
The teams then returned to their garages and began tackling the Italian circuit.
Championship leader, Max Verstappen, is also facing a penalty of five-places but still looking favourite for the win.
The Dutchman has a 109-point lead in the championship over Charles Leclerc and his teammate, Sergio Perez, who are tied in second place.
Meanwhile, Porsche have pulled the plug on their plans to join F1 with Red Bull.
The German car brand was seeking a 50 percent stake in the Milton Keynes based F1 team.
However, talks have now broken down with Red Bull boss Christian Horner saying the two companies had “quite different DNA”.
Russell finished third in the first practice at MonzaCredit: Getty
Red Bull have invested millions on building their own engine department and plan to run their own power units from 2026.
And Horner says the deal did not stack up with Red Bull unwilling to see the business split 50:50.
He said: “With Red Bull becoming a powertrain manufacturer in 2026, it was always natural to hold discussions.
“Those discussions have now been concluded, and the consensus was that it was not right for Red Bull’s involvement in F1.
“We committed to becoming a powertrain manufacturer a year and a half ago, or just over that.
“We’ve invested massively in facilities and people and the first Red Bull engine fired up approximately a month ago.
“So it’s a tremendously exciting new chapter for Red Bull. Porsche is a great brand, but the DNA is quite different.
“During the discussion process it became clear that there was a strategic non-alignment.
“Red Bull has demonstrated what it’s capable of in F1 as an independent team and now engine manufacturer.” More

MICK SCHUMACHER’S Formula One career is under threat with Nico Hulkenberg reportedly “the favourite” to fill the remaining seat at Haas next season.The son of seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher, 23, is coming to the end of his second season with the team.
Mick Schumacher’s F1 future is reportedly under threatCredit: Getty
He has finally broken his point-scoring duck this campaign but he has also been involved in some costly crashes totalling around £4million.
And those mistakes could play a major part in him deciding his future with Haas.
Team principal Guenther Steiner this week insisted that Schumacher is “still in the running” for a place alongside Kevin Magnussen, with the Dane already secured of his seat for 2023.
However, he is not the only driver in the running as Haas continue to keep their options open rather than rush a decision “and then regret it”, as Steiner puts it.
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Engine suppliers Ferrari are also likely to have an input – but they are set to let Schumacher go from their academy at the end of this year.
Now Auto Motor und Sport are claiming that Schumacher could lose his seat to his fellow German.
They state that Hulkenberg may get a race seat for the first time since leaving Renault in 2019.
Despite not being a regular on the grid, the man dubbed “Hulk” has remained in the F1 paddocks.
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He was the reserve driver for Aston Martin, racing twice for them in 2020 and scoring points both times.
And he filled in twice more for Sebastian Vettel at the start of this year.
Auto Motor und Sport say that the 35-year-old is “considered the favourite for the seat” as he “was always at the same level as his team-mates right away in his five temporary assignments in place of Coronavirus victims”.
Schumacher will struggle to get a seat elsewhere as Alpine are inundated with options – that is despite their current driver Esteban Ocon publicly recommending him. More