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      Max Verstappen hits back at ‘jealous’ F1 rival Lewis Hamilton after Brit legend’s latest barb at Italian GP

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has suggested that Lewis Hamilton is “jealous” of his current success.The reigning Formula 1 world champion has also called Mercedes sore losers.
      Max Verstappen hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s commentsCredit: Rex
      Hamilton was accused of being ‘jealous’Credit: Alamy
      Verstappen sealed his tenth Grand Prix win in a row at Monza yesterday.
      Going into the weekend, Hamilton, 38, raised eyebrows by playing down his rival’s success.
      The seven-time world champion said: “I’m no more impressed than when Michael [Schumacher] was leading, when Sebastian [Vettel] was leading when Kimi [Raikkonen] was driving, when Fernando [Alonso] was winning – it’s just the same.
      “In my personal opinion, all my team-mates have been stronger than the team-mates Max has had – Jenson [Button], Fernando, George [Russell], Valtteri [Bottas], Nico [Rosberg].
      READ MORE F1 NEWS
      “I’ve had so many. These guys have all been very, very strong, very consistent – and Max has not raced against anyone like that.”
      Since Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016, he has been joined by Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and current team-mate Sergio Perez.
      Hamilton, meanwhile, has had to contend with world championship pedigree in Button, Alonso and Rosberg.
      The Mexican is second to Verstappen in the driver standings, but trails the Dutchman by a staggering 145 points.
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      Asked about Hamilton’s comments, Verstappen threw a verbal jab at his former title rival.
      He said: “Maybe he’s a little jealous of my current success.
      “This kind of statement… he possibly thinks he’s winning something with that, but it makes no difference to me.
      “I think Mercedes have a very hard time dealing with losing, after all these years of winning so much.
      “At some point, you have to be realistic and then you have to be able to appreciate what other teams are doing.
      You can keep shouting and screaming that what we do is not that special… you just have to deal with yourselfMax Verstappen
      “We did the same when they were dominant and we also said, ‘We have to work harder because we are not good enough’.
      “You can keep shouting and screaming that what we do is not that special… you just have to deal with yourself.”
      Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle admitted to being “surprised” by Hamilton’s comments – but reckons he was merely trying not to give Verstappen any gratification.
      Brundle, 64, said: “That’s Lewis’ opinion and he very firmly put it out there.
      “He’s not going to give Max an ounce of oxygen, or anything, to pick him up. I’m surprised just how hard he was.
      “Of course, Lewis has had strong team-mates but I wouldn’t write off the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez, who Max has had alongside him.
      “They are world-class racing drivers. Lewis just doesn’t want to give anything away, does he?”
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      “To win at the rate Lewis has done, 103 victories, and the rate Max is, and to keep the mental aspect going every week in different tracks and weather conditions, is extraordinary.
      “You can’t be anything other than incredibly impressed by what Verstappen is doing. How many points has Perez scored in that time?”
      Sergio Perez has been unable to seriously challenge Max VerstappenCredit: Getty
      Hamilton has had plenty of world champion team-matesCredit: Bongarts – Getty More

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      Lewis Hamilton admits he was ‘totally at fault’ for Piastri crash and reveals what he said to rookie after Italian GP

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      LEWIS HAMILTON apologised to Oscar Piastri for their collision during the Italian Grand Prix, insisting it was “totally my fault”.The seven-time F1 world champion, 38, clipped the Australian, 22, and forced them both off the track while trying to defend his position on lap 41 in Monza.
      Lewis Hamilton caused a crash with Oscar Piastri during the Italian Grand PrixCredit: Alamy

      Hamilton admitted the collision was his faultCredit: Getty
      Hamilton subsequently received a five-second penalty for the incident, although this did not impact his sixth-place finish.
      But Piastri, who came home 12th, suffered front-wing damage and was forced to pit for repairs.
      After the collision, he told race radio: “He [Hamilton] just turned across me under braking.”
      Following the race, Hamilton approached Piastri while the McLaren was still in his car and the pair shook hands.
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      The Brit, who finished one place behind Mercedes team-mate George Russell, then took full responsibility when addressing the media.
      He said: “It was totally my fault. It wasn’t intentional. I went over and apologised to him straight afterwards.
      “I got up alongside him and just misjudged the gap I had to the right and clipped him. It could happen at any time.
      ‘I knew shortly afterwards it must have been my fault and I wanted to make sure he knew it wasn’t intentional.
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      The crash saw Piastri pit as he fell out of the pointsCredit: Getty

      “That’s what gentlemen do.”
      Along with the five-second penalty, Hamilton also received two penalty points on his racing license.
      This takes him to four for the season – with 12 triggering a ban.
      Meanwhile, Max Verstappen sealed a record-breaking 10TH Grand Prix victory in a row in Italy.
      The Dutchman, 25, breezed to yet another win as he extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to a mammoth 145 points.
      Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez picked up second place, with Carlos Sainz third. More

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      F1 star Carlos Sainz robbed of £500k watch before he chases attackers down street and gets precious timepiece back

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      CARLOS SAINZ was robbed of his £500,000 watch just hours after his third-place finish in the Italian GP.According to reports in Italy, the Ferrari driver was targeted by thieves near the Armani hotel in Milan around 8:30pm.
      Carlos Sainz was robbed of his £500,000 watch just hours after his third-place finish in the Italian GPCredit: Rex
      However, Sainz, who was still in his Ferrari kit, chased them with members of the public, who saw the robbery take place.
      The Spanish driver managed to catch the robbers and recover the precious Richard Mille watch while police have now arrested two suspects.
      Britain’s Lando Norris had his £144,000 Richard Mille robbed from him after England’s Euro finals loss to Italy.
      But the young racer never got the watch back and a man was found not guilty of robbery.
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      Sainz’s robbery attempt came after Max Verstappen made it ten wins in a row to set a new F1 record.
      Verstappen was held up for 15 laps by Sainz, who had taken pole the previous day for the Italian team in their home race.
      At first the Dutchman locked up as he tried to squeeze past the Spaniard’s Ferrari into turn one.
      But he got the move done four corners later to move into the lead and was untroubled to the end to open up a 145-point advantage in the championship over his teammate Sergio Perez.
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      It was so comfortable, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase labelled it “a stroll in the park” over the team’s radio.
      When quizzed about his landmark victory, Verstappen said: “I never would have believed that it was possible but we had to work for it today and that made it a lot more fun.
      “I was just trying to stay patient. I could see they [Ferrari] were struggling with rear tyres and I had to pick my moment.”
      Max Verstappen celebrates his winCredit: Rex More

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      Martin Brundle in awkward new-style interview on live TV with Lando Norris who complains ‘you’ve broken my ear drums’

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      MARTIN BRUNDLE and Lando Norris were involved in an awkward conversation as the driver complained “you’ve broken my ear drums”.Ahead of this afternoon’s Italian Grand Prix, Sky Sports tried a new-style interview while Norris was sat in his car.
      “I think you’ve broken both my ear drums but nice to talk to you as always” 😅Martin with a unique interview with Lando as he gets pushed into position on the grid! 🟠 pic.twitter.com/AgoyYE2H46— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 3, 2023

      Martin Brundle and Lando Norris had a tech nightmare as Sky Sports tried a new way of speaking to driversCredit: Sky Sports
      The McLaren team were wheeling the Brit to his spot on the grid with him starting in ninth place.
      On his way from the paddock to the track, Brundle was given the opportunity to speak to Norris but things did not go as planned.
      The broadcasting legend asked about the balance of the car only for the 23-year-old to admit he could not hear the question amid a technical fault.
      Norris improvised after an awkward delay, saying: “I am struggling to understand what you are saying so I am just going to come up with a random answer.”
      READ MORE ON F1
      He decided to give an insight into the strategy of the race, regarding the tyres and the pit stop instead.
      Brundle, who was walking alongside the McLaren then asked about steering after he joked: “I am trying to not get run over by your car actually.”
      Norris again could not hear him and replied: “I am still struggling to understand anything you are saying.
      “Maybe move the microphone a little bit further away from your mouth, it might be a little bit better, I don’t know.”
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      By that point Brundle’s time with Norris had expired and he wished him best of the lucky for the race.
      Norris responded in hilarious fashion, saying: “I think you’ve broken both my ear drums but nice to talk to you as always.”
      Despite the problems, fans still enjoyed the new way of interviews.
      One said: “Martin Brundle talking to Lando Norris whilst he’s getting pushed to his grid box. I must say, that’s pretty cool. Hopefully we see/hear more of this in the future.”
      Another added: “Okay that’s cool. Brundle directly interviewing Norris, who was already inside the McLaren.”
      Norris finished the race in eighth as Max Verstappen claimed victory again. More

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      F1 Italian Grand Prix LIVE RESULTS: Verstappen secures world-record win while penalised Hamilton finishes in sixth

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has secured a world-record win at the Italian Grand Prix.There was a 23-minute delay to the start of the race after Yuki Tsunoda crashed during the formation lap.
      However, the Dutch icon kept his composure to make it a staggering ten wins in a row.
      But it wasn’t so good for a penalised Lewis Hamilton who could only manage a sixth-place finish.

      RESULT: Verstappen (P1), Perez (P2), Sainz (P3)
      Live stream: NOW TV
      TV channel: Sky Sports F1

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      That’s all from us
      Verstappen romped to a tenth win in a row to see the Dutchman break the record for most wins in a row.
      After starting on hard tyres, Lewis Hamilton battled past Piastri, Norris and Albon to finish in P6.
      It was another 1-2 finish for Red Bull as Perez finished in second place, a good distance behind Verstappem.
      Ferrari performed well at their home GP, bringing home good points in 3rd and 4th place, which sees them overtake Aston Martin in the constructors championship.
      Thank you for staying with us this afternoon.
      We’ll have Singapore up next, and we hope you will join us for then as well!
      Piastri can’t fault Hamilton
      After speaking to Hamilton, Oscar Piastri is next on the list to speak to Sky Sports about the crash incident.
      This is what he had to say on the touch:
      The incident with Lewis, he probably just creeped over a bit more than he thought.
      “The stewards gave out their verdict and he has apologised so there is nothing more I can ask for or do at that point.”Oscar PiastriSky Sports
      Hamilton takes the blame
      Lewis Hamilton had a collision with Oscar Piastri, which saw the latter fall down the leaderboard heavily, as he had to have his nose replaced.
      However, he has since taken the blame, when speaking to Sky Sports:
      “It was totally my fault and I went and apologised to him straight afterwards and we move on.” Lewis HamiltonSky Sports
      A solid drive from Lewis Hamilton
      It was a good day today for the brilliant Lewis Hamilton, who ended the race in 6th place.
      It was a bold strategy from Mercedes, as he started the race on the hard tyres and switched to the mediums mid way through the race.
      He had to battle his way past Piastri, Norris and Albon, and did so successfully.
      It wasn’t all smooth for the British legend though, as he collided with Oscar Piastri at one point, and sent him tumbling down the leaderboard, while maintaining a lucky escape.
      He was punished however, with a five second time penalty.
      He also rolled back the years briefly, with his late pit stop allowing us to see him battle with Max Verstappen in first and second place.
      A solid drive.
      Lewis Hamilton battled past Norris, Piastri and Albon to finish 6th todayCredit: Getty
      Carlos Sainz reflects
      Carlos Sainz is jubilant with his third place finish, and this is what he had to say on his battle with Charles Leclerc:
      “This is what racing should be all the time in my opinion.
      “This reminds me of the karting days when we were all on the limits.
      “With Max we have had these battles in the past, with Checo we have had these battles in the past and with Carlos today, it was really on the limit.
      “I personally really enjoyed it.”Carlos Sainzvia Sky Sports
      Constructors championship standings
      This is how the top four looks in terms of the constructors championship after today’s race.
      Red Bull of course lead the way on 583 points.
      There is a 310 point gap between them and Mercedes, who sit second on 273 points.
      Ferrari are closing in on them a bit more after today, on 228 points, a gap of 45 points.
      But, they are being tailed closely by Aston Martin, who they overtook today, they stand on 217 points, just 11 behind the Italian team.
      Red Bull are 310 points clear at the top of the constructors championshipCredit: Getty
      Verstappen on his historic 10th
      Max Verstappen has spoken to Sky Sports on his record-breaking tenth consecutive race win.
      This is what he had to say…
      “I never would have believed it was possible but we had to work for it today and that made it a lot more fun.
      “We had good pace but they had a lot of top speed so it was hard to get close and get the move into Turn One so I had to force him into a mistake.
      “Luckily it came at some point where he locked up.”Max Verstappenvia Sky Sports
      Driver of the day
      It is Carlos Sainz who gets a 31% vote for driver of the day, and wins it in the process.
      He was excellent in fending off Max Verstappen for the first 15 laps or so, but the Dutchman got his inevitable overtake in the end.
      However, Sainz continued to drive excellently and came home with a 3rd placed finish.
      Great drive.
      The podium in all it’s glory
      Stunning top three today, with a Red Bull 1-2 and Sainz finishing off the top three.
      Verstappen must be getting bored of all this champagne by now.
      Send us a glass, Max?
      Max Verstappen was spraying champagne from the podium once moreCredit: Reuters
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      Missed the race?
      Check out SunSport’s race report from Monza, Italy.
      Credit: Getty

      Sainz speaks:
      Carlos Sainz has been chatting to Sky Sports post-race, and this is what he had to say following his 3rd place finish…
      “It was tough. It does not get tougher than it was out there today.
      “Honestly, I spent the whole race pushing trying to keep the Red Bulls behind.
      “In the end, I paid a bit of a price with the rear tyres.
      “It has always ben a pleasure to race Charles when I have had the chance.
      “We had fun out there today.” 
      It does not get tougher than it was out there today.”Carlos Sainzvia Sky Sports
      The best of the rest!
      It is Sergio Perez who completes the 1-2 in second, followed by Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
      It’s George Russell who takes fifth place, Lewis Hamilton in sixth, and Alex Albon in seventh.
      Max Verstappen wins the Monza GP!
      For the first time in Formula One history, Max Verstappen has won TEN consecutive races, and broken Sebastian Vettel’s record!
      “I’ll take that!” he says.
      “That’s history.” are the words from Christian Horner.
      Exceptional driving, from an exceptional driver.
      HIstory.
      Max Verstappen has broken the record for the most F1 races won in a row, with tenCredit: Getty
      Final lap!
      Lap 51/51.
      Here we go into the final lap.
      The two battling Ferrari’s are told to go for a ‘no risk’ strategy, and just as they are told Leclerc locks up!
      That could have been a disaster for Ferrari, but they escape!
      Hamilton gets his man!
      Lap 49/51.
      Lewis Hamilton sneaks past Alex Albon into 6th place on the first corner.
      He has driven brilliantly in this race, and now sits just behind George Russell.
      The Ferrari’s battling
      Lap 49/51.
      Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are both battling for a place on the podium now, and are getting incredibly close to contact.
      Who will come out on top? It is so, so close.
      Great racing.
      Lewis Hamilton chasing 6th
      Lap 47/51.
      It’s Lewis Hamilton’s turn to chase Alex Albon now, who has been defending this position like a League Two team against a Premier League team in the cup.
      Park the bus, if you will, from Alex Albon…
      Perez makes the move stick!
      Lap 46/51.
      Sergio Perez is finally into second place, overtaking Carlos Sainz on lap 46.
      It’s Red Bull who are looking for a 1-2 finish here now!
      Perez chasing 2nd place
      Lap 45/51.
      Sergio Perez is right on the tail of Carlos Sainz here.
      He tries to make a move on him, and gets into 2nd place, but he went off the track to do so.
      The place is given back to Sainz.
      We will go again…
      Hamilton and Piastri crash!
      Lap 42/51.
      Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri are going toe-to-toe here, and they make contact!
      Hamilton squeezes him into the corner and the two touch, and get away down the escape road.
      There is a nose change for Piastri who comes in to pit.
      The stewards will look at this now…
      Hamilton carries on as normal after crashing with Oscar PiastriCredit: Getty
      Hamilton briefly takes Piastri
      Lap 40/51.
      Lewis Hamilton has been stalking the three ahead of him for the last three laps, and looks as though he is starting to fall in love with the medium tyres.
      He gets past Piastri, but Piastri gets back ahead.
      He may not be able to hold off for much longer.
      Norris targeting Albon
      Lap 37/51.
      Lando Norris is currently half a second behind Alex Albon in the Williams, and will be pretty happy with a 6th placed finish in this one.
      Piastri is behind him by a second, and will surely be going after Albon is Norris can get in front of him.
      Perez takes 3rd
      Lap 33/51.
      Brilliant work from Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull to get the better of Charles Leclerc.
      The chase is on now as he targets Carlos Sainz.
      Verstappen has a six second lead
      Lap 32/51.
      He is inevitable isn’t he?
      Verstappen has zoomed into a six second lead here in Monza, and it looks like he will be breaking the record with a tenth straight race win.
      There are plenty of laps before the final flag, will he hold on?
      Probably…
      Hamilton pits!
      Lap 28/51.
      Hamilton goes into the pits, and comes back out in 10th place on medium tyres instead of hard.
      He should have plenty of pace now, but may struggle to complete a one-stop race on the mediums.
      He will be trying to get the better of Piastri, Norris and Albon now…
      Load more entries… More

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      Max Verstappen breaks record with 10th straight F1 win at Italian GP as ‘screwed’ Lewis Hamilton ends 6th after penalty

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN made it 10 wins in a row to set a new F1 record as Ferrari’s attempts to stop his juggernaut failed.Verstappen was held up for 15 laps by Carlos Sainz, who had taken pole the previous day for the Italian team in their home race.
      Max Verstappen has now won 10 Grands Prix in a rowCredit: AP
      Verstappen breezed to yet another comfortable victoryCredit: Splash
      Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc battled it out for third placeCredit: Getty
      Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing afternoon in MonzaCredit: Splash
      At first the Dutchman locked up as he tried to squeeze past the Spaniard’s Ferrari into turn one.
      But he got the move done four corners later to move into the lead and was untroubled to the end to open up a 145-point advantage in the championship over his teammate Sergio Perez.
      It was so comfortable, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase labelled it “a stroll in the park” over the team’s radio.
      When quizzed about his landmark victory, Verstappen said: “I never would have believed that it was possible but we had to work for it today and that made it a lot more fun.
      READ MORE IN F1
      “I was just trying to stay patient. I could see they [Ferrari] were struggling with rear tyres and I had to pick my moment.”
      Perez, who started in fifth, produced an excellent recovery drive to finish in second place.
      However, he was made to fight for it as he had narrow escapes when passing George Russell on lap 14 and Sainz on lap 46.
      He said: “It was the maximum we could achieve today. It was so hard to overtake.”
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      Sainz held on to take the final podium place but he had a real fight with his teammate Charles Leclerc, which is certain to spark some internal investigation.
      Having both been warned to keep it clean, Leclerc still kept the pressure and came close to taking both cars out on three occasions on the final few laps.
      Sainz said: “It was very tough, it was very hard to keep the Red Bull’s behind and I used the rear tyres up, but I did all I could to defend.
      “It was hard racing and it is always a pleasure to race against Charles, he is a good racer and we had fun out there.”
      Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished in fifth and sixth place respectively with both drivers picking up five second penalties.
      Russell was penalised for missing the first turn while Hamilton was sanctioned for cutting across Oscar Piastri, breaking the McLaren man’s front wing.
      Towards the end of the race, Hamilton could be heard on race radio saying: “Now we’re screwed because I don’t know how these tyres are going to last.”
      Alex Albon was seventh in his Williams ahead of Lando Norris, who came home in eighth place in his McLaren. More

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      Christian Horner reveals incredible story behind iconic £11k watch the Red Bull F1 chief has been wearing since 2004

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      RED BULL team principal Christian Horner shared a sentimental story behind his iconic watch.Horner has been wearing a TAG Heuer Monza Calibre Heuer 02 COSC Flyback since 2004.
      Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been wearing the same watch since 2004Credit: Getty
      Horner bought that watch after winning a memorable Formula 2 raceCredit: Reuters
      The Brit has experienced tremendous success as a director with Red Bull and Max Verstappen, but he started out at Formula 2.
      The 49-year-old was in charge of Arden and enjoyed a major victory in Monaco thanks to then driver Vitantonio Liuzzi.
      That led Horner to an £11,000 reward, which was paid in cash inside an envelope.
      The Red Bull chief then decided to buy something memorable with that money.
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      And so he opted to splash the cash on that watch, which he purchased from Nice’s airport.
      The team principal has refused to upgrade and won’t even consider a better option after the Italian Grand Prix in Monza because of the story behind that watch
      Horner told TalkSPORT: “I have a history with this watch going back many many years to 2004.
      “I had a team in what is now Formula 2 and we had a race in Monaco and Vitantonio Liuzzi, the Italian driver, he won the race.
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      “In those days Bernie Ecclestone [former Formula One CEO] used to pay cash for the victory and so I got his envelope full of cash for the victory and I thought I’m only going to spend it on something so I wanted a memory of that victory.
      “I was at Nice airport and I couldn’t afford the Monaco but I could afford the Monza with that cash, so with that cash I bought the Monza watch and I still have it.
      “It’s inscribed with the championship in it for the constructors championship in 2022 so it’s a unique watch. It’s one of one and I feel very lucky to have it, very grateful.
      “That brand is synonymous with Formula 1 and TAG have so many watches that have a history in and around Formula 1 and obviously the Monza is very much one of them.” More

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      Sky Sports forced to apologise after Ferrari F1 chief’s X-rated rant live on air ahead of Italian GP qualifying at Monza

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      SKY SPORTS have been forced to apologise for Fred Vasseur’s X-rated rant live on air.The Ferrari chief gave a foul-mouthed interview ahead of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
      Sky Sports apologised for Fred Vasseur’s X-rated rantCredit: Sky Sports
      Vasseur spoke to Sky Sports following the third and final practice session at Monza, which hosts Ferrari’s home race.
      However, he let his emotions get the most of him, prompting presenter Simon Lazenby to say sorry to viewers.
      “It’s quite emotional,” explained Vasseur. “I tried all week to calm everybody down and say, ‘Guys, you can’t score more points in Monza than somewhere else’.
      “But this is bulls***. When you arrive on Thursday morning at Monza with all the guys in red, you can feel it.
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      “You can feel the passion, the emotion. For us, we have to take it as a positive and get an extra push from this.”
      His outburst prompted a smirk from Lazenby before he said: “A quick apology for the language.”
      It has been a difficult season for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc’s two third place finishes their only podiums in 2023.
      Leclerc is sixth in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Sunday’s race, one place below team-mate Carlos Sainz.
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      Ferrari also find themselves behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship.
      However, Sainz was able to claim pole position in qualifying, with Leclerc to start in third on the grid.
      All eyes are set to be on Max Verstappen this weekend, though, as he looks for a record-breaking 10th consecutive race win. More