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      Red Bull ‘to axe Sergio Perez and turn to 22-year-old rising star to partner Max Verstappen’ in shock move

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      RED BULL are ready to replace Sergio Perez with rival driver Yuki Tsunoda, shock reports claim. The Mexican is clinging onto teammate Max Verstappen with the driver’s championship looking certain to be won by one of the Red Bull drivers due to their incredible speed advantage.
      Yuki Tsunoda arrived in F1 with much expectation on his shoulders and is steadily growing at Alpha TauriCredit: Getty
      But Verstappen has the edge in the early-season standings after Perez had to start from the back of the grid in the last race in Australia following a poor qualifying.
      And while the 33-year-old managed to climb up to fifth place amid the chaos in Melbourne, speculation has intensified over his position.
      Marca report that Red Bull may turn their attention to their sister team Alpha Tauri where Tsunoda, 22, is impressing.
      The Japanese driver arrived at the team in 2021 but his first season saw the driver crash repeatedly and go viral over his furious team radio rants.
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      But since then Tsunoda has been more consistent and managed to land his first point of the season in Australia despite his underwhelming car.
      Red Bull have often turned to their sister team for drivers with Verstappen initially driving for them before being fast-tracked in 2016.
      Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon also started at Alpha Tauri – formerly named Toro Rosso – before being upgraded by Red Bull.
      Albon’s struggles saw Red Bull abandon their promotion policy and opt for experienced driver Perez at the end of the 2020 season.
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      Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year
      Racing Point had chosen to bin the star at the end of the year but he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career and won the Sakhir Grand Prix despite being last at the end of the first lap.
      Red Bull saw Perez, who has been on the grid since 2011, as the perfect experienced counterpart to Verstappen.
      Their first season together saw Verstappen locked in a fight with Lewis Hamilton for the title as Perez played his part with a titanic defence against the Brit during the infamous race in Abu Dhabi.
      But cracks in their partnership appeared at the end of last season when Verstappen furiously refused to switch positions with Perez in Brazil, despite the Dutchman having already won the title.
      That tension continued into this season with Perez demanding a “review” into information drivers were receiving from pit walls after fending off Verstappen to win in Saudi Arabia last month. More

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      Watch moment streaker runs naked along Australian GP track before he is tackled by security

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      A STREAKER ran naked around the Australian Grand Prix circuit after security failings in Melbourne.Max Verstappen won a chaotic race Down Under on Sunday as a record THREE red flags were shown.
      A streaker runs naked along Australian GP track before he is tackled by securityCredit: Twitter
      A record 131,124 people attended Sunday’s race in MelbourneCredit: Twitter
      The Dutchman, 25, navigated the various incidents to secure a second win of the season, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
      And the craziness spilled over to the crowds in attendance in Australia.
      A record 131,124 people attended Sunday’s race, while a staggering 444,631 made it to the Melbourne track across the four days.
      Organisers were criticised after a number of spectators managed to break through security and make their way onto the track before the race ended.
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      They were also able to gain access to Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas after he went off at turn two during the final restart.
      Another fan also criticised the staging of the event by revealing he was struck by a piece of debris from Kevin Magnussen’s car.
      Then, when the F1 race had officially finished, one overly enthusiastic supporter was filmed running naked on the circuit.
      He celebrated making it onto the track as stunned fans watched him disappear around the corner.
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      He was eventually tackled by security.
      Organisers of the race, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, were told by Formula One to provide a “formal remediation plan” following the lapses in security.
      This included a review of the marshals that were supposed to be protecting Hulkenberg’s car.
      Stewards said in an FIA statement: “All of this presented significant danger to the spectators; race officials and the drivers.”
      The stewards also called for the incident to be referred to the World Motor Sports Council to determine whether penalties need to be handed out.
      The AGPC have asked to be given until 30 June to submit a review. More

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      Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s rivalry has flipped with Mercedes F1 ace having to be aggressive, says Sky F1 expert

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      LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen’s rivalry has flipped now the Dutchman is in a dominant car according to Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz. Verstappen took his first win in Australia last weekend having only managed a best of third from his previous six races in Melbourne.
      Lewis Hamilton is looking for his first win since the 2021 Brazilian Grand PrixCredit: Splash
      Hamilton controversially missed out on a record 8th title to Verstappen in 2021Credit: Getty
      The Red Bull driver appeared to be cruising to victory until a second red flag following Kevin Magnussen’s crash set up a tense two lap shootout from a grid start.
      Verstappen managed to hold off fellow world champions Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as he secured his second win of the season.
      Hamilton and his Mercedes team mate George Russell had to be aggressive to get past Verstappen on the opening lap and Kravitz sees similarities to when Hamilton was fending off a young Verstappen.
      Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, Kravitz said: “What’s fascinating to me is, we now have a complete flip of the Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton seasons from 2014 to 2021, when Hamilton has been going for the championship, knowing he has the fastest car and needs to play it safe.
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      “You had the upstart Verstappen challenging him and wanting to get in there. And now you’ve got Hamilton challenging Verstappen, saying, ‘it’s no cares given’, ‘I’m out there to take all the risks’, putting it back on the defending champion.
      “Hamilton knows he’s not going to win the championship this year, not unless something really weird happens, so he can go in there and be aggressive with Verstappen, knowing that he is probably going to have to give way.”
      Hamilton, who is looking for his first win since the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2021, will have been encouraged by the improved performance of the Mercedes compared to the opening two rounds.
      The seven time champion will be hoping that the upgrades arriving on the Silver Arrows will bring them closer to the dominant Red Bull and challenge for race wins.
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      Whilst Hamilton isn’t challenging for the title in 2023 he does have a battle on his hands with team mate Russell.
      Russell is currently seventh in the standings, three places off Hamilton in fourth after his retirement in Australia, but got the better of the seven time world champion last season.
      Verstappen leads the standings from team mate Sergio Perez by 15 points with Alonso in third.
      Due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, there is now a four week break until the Formula 1 season resumes in Baku. More

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      Four arrested over Charles Leclerc’s stolen £265,000 Richard Mille watch as police release footage from robbery

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      ITALIAN police have made four arrests over Charles Leclerc’s stolen £265,000 watch.The Ferrari driver’s Richard Mille timepiece was swiped from his wrist in Tuscany last April.
      Police have arrested four people over Charles Leclerc’s watchCredit: Alamy
      Police released a video showing two of the alleged thieves on a motorcycle
      And they are believed to be meeting with another accomplice
      Leclerc and the watch that was apparently stolen
      The police said in a statement that they discovered two “valuable watches, the provenance of which will be investigated further” upon a search of one of the suspect’s homes.
      However, it has not yet been confirmed whether either of the watches belongs to the F1 star.
      Three men and one woman have been arrested.
      The police also released a video showing the alleged thieves on a scooter meeting up with another accomplice.
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      The theft happened as fans noticed Leclerc in the Tuscan city of Viareggio and began gathering to take photos with.
      But the F1 driver, from Monaco, eventually became mobbed while signing autographs for fans and a thief managed to grab his watch.
      Leclerc did not realise his watch had been stolen until later when he reported the incident to the police.
      Richard Mille sponsor the Ferrari driver and is also a popular brand with the other racers.
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      Leclerc will now be hoping his form on the track improves following a poor start to the F1 season.
      The driver was forced to retire in Sunday’s Australian GP after a first lap collision.
      He is currently 10th in the championship and 63 points behind leader Max Verstappen.
      The driver was also recently left fuming after F1 introduced a ban on riding a bike around a track before races.
      He insisted that he would just watch videos of the track instead of walking around it. More

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      I’m a female F1 mechanic – men told me I should stay in the office but now I’m working my dream job

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      A FEMALE F1 engine mechanic has risen through the ranks in the motorsport industry – despite men telling her she would never make it.Emmie Jones was told she “belonged over the road in the offices instead” when she handed her CV into a local garage at the start of her career.
      Rosie Wait, Head of Race Strategy for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team manages nine people who decide when a race-car should stop for a pit stopCredit: YouTube/Institute of Mechanical Engineers
      But the motorsport enthusiast has proven them wrong and is now working on the 2026 Red Bull engine.
      She told the BBC: “I got started by finding my love for motorsport with my parents and my brothers down at the local racetrack.
      “Then I worked in the garage with my dad and I always knew that I wanted to be a mechanic.
      “I’ve got quite a persistent mother who said if I was going to do it, then I should do it at the top level.”

      Emmie offered some advice for girls who wish to make it in the motorsport industry, and claimed as long as you have a passion for F1 the job will be easy.
      “I’ve been in Formula 1 for five years and it is everything I expected and more. It is just so enjoyable, it is like its own little family,” she added.
      One aspiring mechanic, Abbie McMurry, has dreamed about an F1 career since she began watching it in her childhood.
      “When I first wanted to try to get into this it was all “unknown” and [I] worried about whether [I] would fit in.”
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      “It was hard to imaging being here.”
      She said there was no denying the industry was “male dominated”, even down to the tools people use.
      “There have been physical challenges I’ve come across – such as tools that are clearly made for an average man when I am quite a small girl”, she said.
      But thankfully Abbie said the F1 world has become a lot more accessible for everyone, including women.
      She is now working as a trainee with the Mercedes F1 team and the goal is to become a full-time trackside employee.
      Rosie Wait has also witnessed changes in the “male dominated” industry first hand since she began her career in 2008.
      The engineer has worked her way up to become the head of strategy at Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 and manages a team of nine people.
      And now, she said the job is a lot more flexible for female employees.
      “It is great to see so many more coming through, both in terms of the graduate intake and when you look down the pit lane”, she explained.
      Rosie has earned herself a high pressure and well respected position, heading a group of people who decide when a race-car should stop for a pit stop.
      She said: “During a race you really get those periods when the adrenaline is pumping and you can tell that a certain decision will be make or break – that’s very exciting, it can be pretty scary.
      “There’s no such thing as being ‘done’ in Formula 1,.
      “There’s always more that you could be doing.”
      When she returned from maternity leave two years ago she was able to return to an equal role.
      However, she still feels there is a pressure on women to compromise their job when they have a family.
      “I’ve been able to do that alongside my caring responsibilities,” she says. “My husband is a doctor which means his job is very uncompromising.
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      “If something comes up, then I am the one who has to compromise and leave work. I hope that becomes more normal in the industry both for the women and the men.
      “You can have both a career and a family and be actively involved in both. It is tough, it is tough for anybody, but it really is working.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton faces being STRIPPED of first F1 World Championship as Massa plots legal challenge to claim title himself

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      LEWIS HAMILTON’S maiden F1 title in 2008 could be challenged in court by Felipe Massa, who finished that season as the runner-up.Massa famously lost out on the final lap of the final race in Brazil, when Hamilton moved into fifth to earn enough points to clinch the title by one.
      Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 drivers’ world championshipCredit: AFP
      Felipe Massa was pipped to the title by just one pointCredit: AFP
      However, the decisive point that season proved to be the deliberate crash at the Singapore GP when Nelson Piquet Jr was told to go into the barriers, resulting in the safety car that ultimately helped his then team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race.
      In the chaos, Ferrari made a mess of Massa’s pitstop and he finished 13th while Hamilton was third, earning him a solid haul of points.
      While Massa’s hopes of overturning the result initially faded, he is now seeking his legal options following remarks from former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
      Ecclestone claimed that both himself and former FIA president Max Mosley subsequently discovered the plot, known as “crashgate”, during the 2008 season.
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      Ecclestone told a website: “We decided not to do anything for now. We wanted to protect the sport and save it from a huge scandal.
      “That’s why I used angelic tongues to persuade my former driver Nelson Piquet to keep calm for the time being.
      “Back then, there was a rule that a world championship classification after the FIA awards ceremony at the end of the year was untouchable.
      “So Hamilton was presented with the trophy and everything was fine. We had enough information in time to investigate the matter.
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      “According to the statutes, we should have cancelled the race in Singapore under these conditions.  
      “That means it would never have happened for the championship standings. And then Felipe Massa would have become world champion and not Lewis Hamilton.”
      Massa is now seeking to explore his options following Ecclestone’s bombshell in a move that could see Hamilton potentially stripped from the title, through no fault of his own.
      Speaking to Motorsport.com, Massa said: “There is a rule that says that when a championship is decided, from the moment the driver receives the champion’s trophy, things can no longer be changed, even if it has been proven a theft.
      “At the time, Ferrari’s lawyers told me about this rule. We went to other lawyers and the answer was that nothing could be done. So I logically believed in this situation.
      “But after 15 years, we hear that the [former] owner of the category says that he found out in 2008, together with the president of the FIA, and they did nothing to not tarnish the name of F1.
      Justice has to be servedFelipe Massa
      “This is very sad, to know the result of this race was supposed to be cancelled and I would have a title.
      “In the end, I was the one who lost the most with this result. So, we are going after it to understand all this.”
      Massa admits his chances of overturning the result are slim but will still investigate.
      The Brazilian added: “There are rules, and there are many things that, depending on the country, you cannot go back after 15 years to resolve a situation.
      “But I intend to study the situation; study what the laws say, and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.
      “If you’ve been punished for something that wasn’t your fault, and it’s the product of a robbery, a stolen race, justice has to be served.
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      “In fact, the right situation is to cancel the result of that race. It is the only justice that can be done in a case like this.
      “We have already seen other situations happening in sports, such as Lance Armstrong, who was proven to have doped, and he lost all the titles. What is the difference?”
      Nelson Piquet Jr crashed into the barriers at the Singapore Grand PrixCredit: Sutton Motor Sport Images
      The tactic was aiming to help team-mate Fernando AlonsoCredit: AP:Associated Press
      Ferrari botched Massa’s pit stop and he finished 13thCredit: PA:Press Association
      Massa is exploring his legal options to try and overturn the resultCredit: Reuters More

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      Lewis Hamilton car problems set to continue with Mercedes improvements not coming for another MONTH

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      MERCEDES will not bring in a major package of improvements until May meaning Lewis Hamilton’s car woes look set to continue. The seven-times world champion has been vocal about issues he has with this year’s car which appear miles off Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
      Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso managed to emerge on the podium in an Australian Grand Prix full of incidentCredit: Rex
      While Mercedes have dealt with the porpoising problems that afflicted it last year, the car has still been short on pace.
      Positive signs emerged at the weekend’s Australian Grand Prix with fellow Mercedes driver George Russell able to fend off Verstappen for the lead at the beginning of the Grand Prix.
      But once the race restarted following the first of three red flags and the young Brit’s car broke down, it was left to Hamilton to keep up the fight.
      He had to watch in vain as Verstappen stormed past him and proceeded to open up another huge lead at the front.
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      Hamilton will have to wait for a major package of upgrades until May’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, the Times has confirmed.
      The new cost cap means that teams have to upgrade more carefully than before, with Mercedes planning for the race on the infamous Imola circuit to bring in sweeping changes to their struggling car.
      That race and the next few after should give fans an idea of whether Hamilton and Russell can challenge Red Bull or if Verstappen might waltz to a third Driver’s Championship.
      Elsewhere, the problems seem even more stark at Ferrari who have been largely uncompetitive in the opening three races of the season.
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      While Aston Martin continue to impress with Fernando Alonso the only man apart from Verstappen to feature on the podium in all three races.
      The Spaniard, Hamilton and Verstappen had to tiptoe through a dramatic race in Australia that left many questioning decisions from race directors again.
      Two red flags came after crashes for Williams driver Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen of Haas.
      But chaos reigned on the second restart as Alonso got tagged by Carlos Sainz, Logan Sargeant hit the back of Nyck de Vries and the Alpine drivers crashed into each other.
      Following the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, F1 now has a mini-break until the next race at the end of the month in Azerbaijan.

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      Ben Hunt: Cracks starting to appear between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – they’ve just been lost in the F1 drama

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      ARE the cracks starting to form in the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell?I am starting to sense that there is a little bit of needle developing between the two Mercedes drivers, which has largely gone unnoticed during the FIA’s operational cock-ups in Saudi Arabia and Australia.
      Cracks are starting to form between Lewis Hamilton and George RussellCredit: Splash
      In those last two races, we have been left tucking into what has gone wrong (again) in Race Control, which has seen some of Russell’s behaviour bumped out of the spotlight.
      To re-cap. Russell snapped back at Hamilton’s claim that he’d benefited from taking a different car set-up in Bahrain, saying “I don’t think there’s any luck in it at all, I think it’s down to the preparation you put in before the event…I believed it was going to be better than the set-up that Lewis opted for.”
      And then during the race in Melbourne, Russell came on the team’s radio when leading and being followed closely by Hamilton and said: “You’re asking me to manage and I’m being attacked by my team-mate!”
      And then, after he had retired with an engine problem, it was interesting to note Russell say he felt he could have won the race, despite Max Verstappen’s pace, because “it would have been difficult to pass, especially with Lewis between the two of us”.
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      Russell is doing nothing wrong here, but it is worth noting the language he is using.
      It is evident that he is increasing in confidence to now challenge Mercedes’ decisions and speak his mind.
      It is a contrast to when he first arrived at the team last season after driving on-loan at Williams.
      There is the distinct feeling that in the shadow of Merc’s struggles, Russell, 25, was able to establish himself within the team while Hamilton played the role of the sacrificial lamb as he tested out theories on how to cure the porpoising.
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      The upshot this year is that with a season under his belt, and let’s also remember Merc’s only victory in 2022, Russell senses now is his time to stand apart from Hamilton.
      Team-mate rivalries in F1 are nothing new of course and Hamilton has a line of them – Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg being the most contentious.
      However, unlike the other two where he was the up-coming youngster at McLaren, or at least on a par with Rosberg, there is no denying that Russell is the future for Mercedes.
      Unlike Hamilton, he also has a long-term deal with the Silver Arrows. He has also out-qualified his teammate in all three races this season.
      His confidence is growing, and the longer that continues, the more problems it could cause for Hamilton.
      RACE TALKS
      Talks are set to be held over the end of the Australian GPCredit: Splash
      THE FIA and F1 are set to discuss Sunday’s ridiculous end to the Australian GP.
      The race stewards want the sport to reassess the rulebook in relation to standing starts after the chaos in Melbourne.
      There were debates over all three red flags and the subsequent start procedures and the stewards.
      The stewards are concerned about the carnage caused by the slow-moving cars making their way to the grid behind the safety car.
      As cars slowed, there was a notable traffic jam, with some drivers forced to take action to avoid clattering into the rear of other cars.
      CHANGE TRACKS
      Zak Brown challenged Toto Wolff to a boxing matchCredit: Getty
      ZAK BROWN was buzzing after McLaren scored some much-needed points – so much so that in the heat of the moment he challenged Christian Horner to a car race at Silverstone – and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to a boxing match in Las Vegas!
      He said: “When we go Vegas, what’s Vegas known for? [A] Little boxing match? I’m ready!”
      SAFETY FIRST
      A fan was hurt during the Australian GPCredit: Alamy
      A timely reminder that motorsport is dangerous – even to spectators.
      One fan suffered an injury when a piece of bodywork flew off Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and sliced his arm.
      Australian Grand Prix Corporation CEO Andrew Westacott said: “Coincidentally we had one of our engineering staff there who saw it. It would appear that debris from the wheel hub has shot 20 metres in the air and landed down and lacerated a gentleman’s arm.
      “Our people were aware of the incident. It looks as if it was a freak one-off.”
      FEELING ROSS-EY
      Marco Bezzecchi won his first MotoGP in ArgentinaCredit: Reuters
      MARCO BEZZECCHI thanked mentor Valentino Rossi after taking his maiden MotoGP win in Argentina.
      The Italian won in tricky conditions for his, and the Mooney VR46 Racing team’s first victory and he now tops the championship standings.
      He said: “I am happy, more for the team because without them, Vale and the Academy, it would be probably impossible to arrive here.
      “My family made sacrifices and we spent a lot of time around the world in the beginning, so they put in a lot of effort to realise my dream.
      “The same for Vale, he is my idol and still is, since when I was young, I started because of him. So to meet him, become his friend and his rider, to win a MotoGP race, it’s incredible.”
      QUICK SNIP
      British GP is keen to help charity The Lions Barber CollectiveCredit: Getty
      THE British GT series promises to be the smartest in motorsport after men’s mental health charity, The Lions Barber Collective promised free haircuts during race weekends.
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      The Lions Barber Collective are teaming up with FastR and seeking to raise awareness of male mental health at every British GT round.
      The group of barbers are trained to recognise, ask and listen for signs of depression with their clients, and will cut hair during race weekends. More