F1

FREDERIK VESTI has big gloves to fill as he’ll be replacing Lewis Hamilton this weekend in Abu Dhabi.A host of young drivers are set to appear in what is the grand finale of the 2023 F1 season.
Frederik Vesti will be behind the Mercedes wheel in Abu DhabiCredit: Reuters
And Mercedes have confirmed that Vesti, 21, will be in the driving seat on the Yas Marina Circuit.
But who is Vesti and why have Mercedes given him the nod over seven-time champion Hamilton?
Who is Frederik Vesti?
Born on January 13, 2002, Frederik Vesti is currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing, but he is a member of the Mercedes Junior Team.
The Dane’s love for racing came from age 10 when he competitively started karting before officially starting his career in Danish Formula Ford, finishing fourth in the championship.
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Vesti had two respectable F3 campaigns where he finished fourth overall back-to-back which resulted in promotion to F2 during the 2021 calendar year.
However, the Danish driver’s biggest achievement to date came in 2019 when Vesti impressively raced to the Formula Regional European Championship.
Why is Frederik Vesti racing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023?
An F1 rule introduced last year requires each team to run a rookie for two practice sessions across the season.
Vesti previously took part during the first Practice in Mexico last month in place of George Russell.
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And the Danish driver is second in the F2 standings ahead of the final round at the Yas Marina circuit with a huge opportunity to clinch the championship this weekend.
Vesti will first appear in FP1, though, and told Mercedes’ official website: “Driving in FP1 in Abu Dhabi is another step in my career.
“Getting my first experience of an official session on an F1 weekend in Mexico was a big moment. I learnt so much, and it was great being able to support the team and work with Lewis and George.
“I’m looking forward to building on that experience at Yas Marina. It’s a track I know well and that will no doubt make it easier to get up to speed in the one hour of practice.
“I’m extremely excited to get back behind-the-wheel of the W14 for FP1 and then the post-season test. Once again, I want to say a big thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity.”
When is the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2023?

The F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, November 26.
It is scheduled to get underway at 1pm GMT – 5pm local time.
Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi is the allocated track for this final event and it can host approximately 60,000 spectators.
Max Verstappen finished in pole position during the 2022 edition. More

NEW footage of Lando Norris’ 180mph crash at the Las Vegas Grand Prix has emerged, leaving fans astonished.The McLaren driver, 24, lost control of his car on lap three before colliding with the barriers and sliding down one of the main straights.
Lando Norris was discharged from hospital after being checked over following his crashCredit: Getty
Norris was driving at 180mph when his car span out of controlCredit: Twitter @f1_darth_toto
He spun around and flew down the straight backwardsCredit: Twitter @f1_darth_toto
Norris eventually hit the wall at 70mphCredit: Twitter @f1_darth_toto
He eventually came to a stop on the run-off at turn 12, thumping into the wall at 70mph.
Norris was subsequently taken to hospital for checks, but was thankfully promptly discharged.
And a new angle of the horrific crash gives an insight into how the Brit would have felt in the car.
Norris was flying down the track when his McLaren suddenly spun out of control.
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As well as the disorientating nature of the crash, the on-board camera also shows the impact of the final shunt as he hits the wall.
And Formula 1 fans were stunned by the seriousness of the collision – which was evident in the original footage where a distressed Norris could be heard telling his team he was “all good” on the radio following the crash.
Reacting on social media, one said: “Newly released 360° camera footage of Lando Norris’ accident in Las Vegas.
“Absolutely terrifying amount of speed. Not surprised in the slightest that he had to go to the hospital after this.”
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Another added: “Wow, the car just snapped out of nowhere…”
A third replied: “Woah. A surprise he came out of that OK.”
While a fourth responded: “The broadcast camera angle really did not do justice to the speed at impact. At first I was surprised he even went to the hospital 🗿.”
Max Verstappen won the inaugural Las Vegas GP to claim a record-extending 18th win of the season.
Charles Leclerc came home to secure second for Ferrari, while Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate rounded off the podium. More

MICHAEL Schumacher’s F1 pal Mark Blundell has shared heartbreaking regrets over the racing legend’s tragic skiing accident. The former McLaren driver, who called Schumacher ruthless and brilliant, said he hopes the Ferrari racer is fit enough to understand the sport.
Mark Blundell has shared heartbreaking regrets over the racing legend’s tragic skiing accidentCredit: Getty
He admitted Michael Schumacher is a ‘big loss’ to the sportCredit: Getty – Contributor
Blundell, top right in this picture, shared about his days on the track along with SchumacherCredit: AFP
Blundell, 57, raced in Formula One and competed against the German legend in the 90s.
Before getting into F1, the two also raced in sports cars.
And now the former McLaren star has opened up about Michael’s tragic skiing crash which left him in a medically induced coma in December 2013.
He said: “At the end of the day, what happened to him was incredibly difficult to take.
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“I don’t know where we are today with Michael’s health as he’s rightly guarded.
“He’s still around, and hopefully he understands what’s going on. That would be a plus. It’s very difficult.”
Speaking to OLBG, Blundell expressed his regrets over Michael not being able to share amazing anecdotes from his thrilling career – and said it is a “huge loss” for the F1 community.
“Michael is a big loss for F1 as he had all of those titles under his belt, and we’re sadly not able to hear about those accolades and how he went about getting them.
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“It’s such a shame we missed out on his insight.
“We also missed on how he could have supported his son and other up-and-coming drivers.
“That’s a huge loss.”
Blundell also shared about his days on the track along with Schumacher – and said he was brilliant, both inside and outside his car.
He added: “I raced against Michael Schumacher on many occasions and he’s a huge talent and a great mind – not just inside the car, but also outside of it.
“He was always putting people together to find the advantage. We saw that with Michael time and time again.”
The McLaren star called him “ruthless” in the sport – and hailed him as “one of the greatest drivers in the history of the modern-day Grand Prix.
“He was also ruthless and he was always prepared to do what he needed to do to get what he needed.
“I can’t take anything away from him – he was a legend of the sport and still is.
“He was one of the greatest drivers in modern-day Grand Prix history – a phenomenal driver.”
It comes after ex-racing legend David Coulthard claimed that Schumacher thought he tried to kill him in a past race.
In the new documentary Being Michael Schumacher, Coulthard speaks about the infamous race clash with the Ferrari driver during the Belgian Grand Prix in 1998.
But back in 1998, Coulthard had a bitter falling out with Schumacher after their on-track collision thwarted the legendary racer from winning the race.
According to him, the German racer refused to accept that the car crash was unintentional – and believed it was rather a conspiracy to kill him.
Following the collision, Schumacher was furious and burst into the McLaren garage to confront Coulthard, accusing him of ruining his race.
Coulthard reveals in the documentary: “Michael thought it was some sort of conspiracy to kill him and try and help my teammate Mika.
“But it was simply an accident. It was just one of those things.”
The Belgium Grand Prix had taken place under extremely wet conditions, described then as almost monsoon-like.
The slippery track was so dangerous to race on that the first lap saw a massive crash involving thirteen drivers – and the race had to be stopped for over an hour.
The racing champion sustained life-threatening injuries whilst skiing which left him in a medically induced coma in December 2013 More