F1

THE racing world is mourning the passing of American star Danny Ongais who has died at the age of 79.Known as the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’, Ongais’ long career saw him excel in Indy cars, F1 and drag racing.
Danny Ongais has passed at the age of 79Credit: Getty
The Hawaiian was hugely successful in the 1970s and 1980sCredit: Getty
He was known as ‘On Gas’ and the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiian’Credit: Getty
Born in Kahului in 1942, the racing star started a long journey that would ultimately lead him to the most famous circuits in the world.
Following a spell in the US Army, he returned to his native Hawaii and became the state’s 1960 motorcycle champion.
That success would see him migrate from bikes to cars, kickstarting a phenomenal career that lasted more than five decades.
Ongais could seemingly turn his hand to any discipline and made eleven starts in the iconic Indy 500.
He made a foray into the world of F1 in 1977, racing for Interscope and briefly Team Tissot Ensign.
His best racing season came in 1978, where Ongais won five races and eight poles en route to an eighth-place finish in the USAC standings.
And that led to CART in 1979, where he would stay for the next eight years.
In 1981 he cheated death after a horrendous crash in Indianapolis, which left him with multiple leg, arm and internal injuries.
Ongais retired in 1988, but was convinced to return at the age of 54 in 1996 after the tragic death of Scott Brayton in Indy 500 practice.
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Putting on a racing masterclass, Ongais guided his car from its starting place of 33rd to an eventual seventh position.
He had one last shot at the famous race in 1998, but failed to qualify in a Team Pelfrey car.
Ongais was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000 in the Drag Racing category.
Despite his flamboyance on the track, Ongais was notoriously camera-shy and spent much of his later years with his family in California.
He passed away aged 79 at his California home due to congestive heart failure.
Onglais raced for Interscope in Formula OneCredit: Getty More

BRITISH F1 duo George Russell and Lando Norris have both voiced concerns that overtaking may have become more difficult for the upcoming campaign. F1 chiefs implemented a host of new rules for the 2022 season that were designed to make races more exciting.
Russell and Norris tried out overtaking in the new F1 cars at testing in BarcelonaCredit: Getty
Norris (L) and Russell both voiced concerned that overtaking may not be as easy this yearCredit: Alamy
The shake-up included tweaks to allow cars to follow each other more closely, which would in theory result in more overtakes.
But while Mercedes new boy Russell and McLaren man Norris reported that following was indeed better, they didn’t have much luck overtaking.
Russell revealed that he had difficulty trying to get past Norris during pre-season testing in Barcelona.
He admitted to reporters: “I think following has been improved but the slipstream effect has been reduced quite substantially, so I don’t really know.”
He continued: “We can follow closer but from what we have seen, the slipstream effect is definitely less effective. We will have to wait and see.
“I got right up behind Lando, I was a car’s length or two behind him and didn’t catch the straight so that was slightly concerning. Let’s see.”
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Norris too was quick to back up Russell, as he admitted he purposely held up Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate in order to see if he could pass him.
He said: “Me and George had a perfect demonstration of it.
“I didn’t want to let him past while he was on a quick lap, so I screwed him over and held him up a bit. That’s what you do in testing.”
He added: “We can follow closer but then the slipstream is worse, so a positive and a negative from it. We don’t know which is the bigger effect at the minute, so we will have to see until the first race.”

🏁 F1 2022 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
Norris had topped the timesheets after the first of three days testing in Barcelona.
Meanwhile Russell admitted Mercedes were ‘not fully happy’ with the car in Spain, with plenty of work to do before the start of the campaign.
More testing will be held in Bahrain from March 10-12, where drivers will have the chance to get to grips with their new vehicles again.
Both though admitted nobody will know exactly how hard overtaking will be until lights out in the F1 2022 season opener, also in Bahrain, on March 20. More

CHRISTIAN HORNER revealed Michael Masi and his family received death threats after he was accused of robbing Lewis Hamilton of his record-breaking eighth championship. The Red Bull boss slammed Formula One for hanging the former race director out to dry. 
Michael Masi received death threats after being accused of robbing Lewis Hamilton of a record titleCredit: Getty
Christian Horner has slammed F1 chiefs for axing Masi after last season’s controversial finaleCredit: Getty
Horner said: “The lack of support that was shown to Michael was disappointing, especially at a time when mental health is so prevalent. 
“To hear that his family and he received death threats is not right.
“An awful lot of pressure was put on the FIA to deal with him. 
“And I made it clear in last week’s meeting in London that there should have been more support for him. I was disappointed that nobody shared that opinion. 
“I have had an exchange with Michael to wish him well. But the whole experience was very, very tough for him.”
Horner’s comments come one day after defending champion Max Verstappen said Masi was thrown under the bus.
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🏁 F1 2022 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
Masi and his family were targeted after his controversial handling of the season-defining race in Abu Dhabi.  
Horner believes Verstappen’s first title hasn’t been tarnished by the controversy in Abu Dhabi. 
He said: “In the UK media a lot has been made of it because Lewis is obviously a British driver, but I really don’t think so.
“Max was the outstanding driver last year. He had bad luck and things didn’t always go his way, too. 
“It is too easy to get hung up on one event, and so much has been written about the safety car in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton was always going to be exposed at a restartChristian Horner
“But, again, tactically as a team we made the right choices. Mercedes left Lewis out on a 44-lap old set of tyres and he was always going to be exposed at a restart. 
“There was no gift for Max either. Lewis didn’t expect him to overtake where he did. 
“When Max threw it down the inside into the hairpin, you could see it caught Lewis completely unawares. He left the door open.”
Meanwhile, Formula One chiefs have SCRAPPED the Russian Grand Prix.
The sport was under immense pressure to strip the race from their calendar after Russia invaded Ukraine. 
The race was set to take place at the Sochi Autodrom on September 25. More

RUSSIAN F1 driver Nikita Mazepin is fighting for his position in the sport. The Haas driver’s future ‘needs to be resolved’, according to team principal Guenther Steiner.
Mazepin faces an uncertain future in F1Credit: Splash
Steiner admitted: “It needs to be resolved. Not everything depends on us here, with what is happening, there are governments involved.
“We need to see how the situation develops in Ukraine.” 
American team Haas dropped their Russian title-sponsor Uralkali for the final day of testing in Barcelona.
They tore the company’s logo off their motorhomes and trucks while also ditching their Russian-flag inspired livery for an all-white car.
Uralkali is a Russian chemical company which is owned by Dmitry Mazepin, the father of Nikita. 
Dimitry met with Putin last month to discuss matters regarding Uralkali.
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Haas have stripped their Russian sponsors and colours from their car at F1 testing in BarcelonaCredit: Getty
F1 today announced the decision to strip Russia from holding the Sochi Grand Prix due to the ongoing invasion in Ukraine.
Chiefs said it’s ‘impossible’ to race in Russia after the state’s actions in recent days.
But they did not fully close the door on Russia, hinting the race could go ahead if circumstances change.
The race was set to take place at the Sochi Autodrom on September 25. 
An official F1 statement read: The FIA Formula 1 World Championship visits countries all over the world with a positive vision to unite people, bringing nations together. 
“We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation. 
“On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances.” More