F1

LEWIS HAMILTON’s dreadful start to the season continued when he spun off in Bahrain and was left stuck in the gravel.
The world champion cut a dejected figure after losing control of his Mercedes at low speed.

Lewis Hamilton’s nightmare start to the season continuedCredit: Getty

The dejected champ was left stuck in the gravel in BahrainCredit: Getty

Mercedes suffered further embarrassment as the car was lifted high into the air to expose the car’s floorCredit: Splash News

Hamilton lost grip at Turn 13 and slid slowly backwards into the gravel at under 80mph.
Hamilton tried to drive away but his car was beached on the stone and needed rescuing from a pick-up truck.
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle said: “It’s so unusual to see Lewis looking at a stricken car these days.
“But he’s not exactly the only driver to be flying off the road today.”

Fellow ex-racer Karun Chandhok added: “It’s really rare to see a mistake from Lewis, especially at testing.
“I’m trying to think of all the pre-season tests I’ve been to in the last five, six years and I can’t think of one time he has been in the gravel.
“You see the odd thing where he goes off in the run-off area or something – but everyone does that. To see him cause a red flag, I can’t think of a moment like that.”
In further embarrassment, his Mercedes was lifted high into the air, exposing the car’s floor, which the team had tried to protect from prying eyes.

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It follows on from Friday’s session where he finished 10th on the timesheets, while his team-mate Valtteri Bottas suffered a gearbox problem.
It resulted in the team completing fewer miles than any other team when usually they display bullet-proof reliability during testing.
Bottas had questioned the team’s decision not to run a shakedown during an official filming day, something every other team took advantage of.
And on Friday night Hamilton said: “It wasn’t the cleanest of days that we’ve had but these things are sent to try you.
“Everyone has worked extremely hard to get us here. We had that mishap in the morning which was very unfortunate for Valtteri in terms of losing time on track and the team is working hard to try and understand what that was.

Hamilton lost grip at Turn 13 and slid slowly backwards into the gravel at under 80mphCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“The second session wasn’t without its challenges, but we exist to find solutions to the problems we are faced with.
“We have no choice but to take the positives. I remember in 2007 during testing I had ten days in the car and now it’s getting less and less.
“We only have a day and a half in the car before the first race, with different tyres and different aero modifications so it’s not easy but it’s the same for everyone.
“I’d like to think my nine years’ experience with this team will help me get the best out of it.” 
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LEWIS HAMILTON’S F1 title defence got off to a terrible start in Bahrain after his Mercedes team were plagued by problems.
Hamilton was only 10th quickest on the first day of testing, having only managed 42 laps.

Lewis Hamilton was just 10th quickest on the first day of testing in BahrainCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Hamilton was skidding off the track during an uncomfortable afternoon sessionCredit: Getty Images – Getty

His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was classed as the slowest on track after suffering a gearbox problem that robbed him of a chunk of time.
It means that Mercedes, who traditionally display such bullet-proof reliability during testing to set down a marker, completed the fewest laps than any other team.
Bottas admitted that their decision not to do a shakedown during a filming day backfired as the team now play catch up.
He said: “It’s very easy to say afterwards. Of course now, yes, we would have done it before, but in recent years everything has been pretty bulletproof and certain things have already been run in the dyno.

“So yeah, we would say now but I’m sure that will be reviewed for next year.”
Mercedes were the only team who didn’t use their allocated 100km filming day to test their new car.
And aside from their gearbox failure, Hamilton looked incredibly uncomfortable in the afternoon session where he was skidding off track.
And it came after Merc boss Toto Wolff said during a lunchtime press briefing that the team would be hamstrung in ironing out any potential problems.

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He said: “We weren’t very fast this morning because we did one lap with an aero rake.
“It wasn’t a good start because we had a gearbox issue that came out of nowhere and that we haven’t been ready to identify and understand.
“So, I hope, if we are able to have a smoother ride from here onwards then I think we can recover.
“If we have more stumbling blocks then with three days there is not a lot you can do.”
While the reigning world champions were struggling, there were no issues for Red Bull, as Max Verstappen set the quickest time of a trouble-free day.
It was also an encouraging eight-hours of running for McLaren, who are using Mercedes engines this season.

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SERGIO PEREZ and Carlos Sainz have taken up Bahrain’s offer of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Gulf Kingdom said they were happy to make the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available to all those coming for the F1 test.

Sergio Perez (right) has taken up Bahrain’s offer of a Covid-19 vaccinationCredit: Rex Features

Carlos Sainz (right) has also decided to have the jabCredit: Getty Images – Getty

A second jab should be administered after the race on March 28th.
And, while F1 said they did not want to be seen to jump the queue, some teams and drivers have taken up the offer.
Perez, who was struck down with COVID-19 last summer, said: “We got offered, and I took the decision to take it.
“For me, back in Mexico, I don’t know when I will be able to get it, so I think it was very nice from Bahrain to offer that to us. And, yeah, I took it myself.”

Sainz, who has joined Ferrari from McLaren, added: “Yes, same as Checo, I did take it.
“I think it was a great opportunity and obviously thankful for the Bahrain government for offering it to so many people that travel around the world and, yeah, happy with it.”
So far, Perez, Lance Stroll, Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have all tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, Silverstone is set to stage a new Formula One sprint race to decide the British Grand Prix starting grid – potentially in front of 100,000 fans.

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The famous Northamptonshire circuit will be one of three venues to trial the new 30-minute concept and could host thousands of petrol heads on July 17, if Covid-19 regulations allow.
The dramatic shake-up of the F1 weekend is set to see qualifying take place on Friday where drivers will fight for spots on the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint.
The sprint will then determine where cars line up on the track for Sunday’s showpiece Grand Prix.

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NICO HULKENBERG could be offered another F1 return as a stand-in for Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team.
The German was called up as a late replacement for Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll last season.

Nico Hulkenberg could be offered another F1 return as a stand-inCredit: Getty

Mercedes themselves were also forced to call in a reserve driver last season when Lewis Hamilton tested positive in BahrainCredit: Getty

That came when the two Racing Point drivers were struck down with Covid-19.
Mercedes themselves were also forced to call in a reserve driver last season.
That occurred after Lewis Hamilton tested positive in Bahrain.
George Russell had to fill in for the F1 legend.

And now Merc boss Toto Wolff says his team could swoop for Hulkenberg.
That will be if their reserves, Stoffel Vandoorne or Nyck de Vries, are engaged in their Formula E commitments.
Wolf said: “There is a situation that our two reserve drivers, Stoffel and Nyck, are racing in Formula E and there are certain races where there is an overlap.
“I think Nico knows the current generation of Formula One cars and the tyres.

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“And it would be good to have him in the line-up as a solution, maybe to be shared with other teams.
“He’s a known quantity and well respected, so it would be good.
“But it’s not yet… we didn’t put pen to paper.”

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THE WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY (WADA) are investigating whether the Haas F1 team’s new livery breaks the rules.
The American team have opted for a red, white and blue paint job that bears a striking resemblance to the Russian flag.

WADA are investigating whether Haas F1 team have broken rules with their new liveryCredit: Splash News

The American team have a Russian title sponsor who also back Russian driver Nikita Mazepin (above)Credit: Sportimage

The Banbury-based team have a Russian title sponsor who also back their Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced in December that Russian athletes were banned from competing at world championship events for the next two years.
The ban is in response to state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and means that Mazepan is prevented from racing under his country’s flag.
Cynics have questioned whether Haas’s colour scheme is a way of circumnavigating the ban.

And WADA say they are investigating and will take up the matter with F1’s governing body, the FIA, if they suspect foul play.
A spokesman told SunSport: “WADA is not responsible for the details of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision related to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
“However, as part of its World Anti-Doping Code compliance monitoring role, WADA has the mandate to monitor the enforcement of the CAS decision by all Code Signatory organisations to ensure that the approved consequences are properly applied.
“If WADA considers that a Signatory organization does not apply the consequences properly, WADA can bring forward a case of non-compliance against this organisation.”

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Haas say their livery has the full backing of the FIA, who could be drawn into the row as they are the signatory.
Haas boss Gunther Steiner is adamant that there is no breach, saying at the launch: “Obviously we cannot use the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but you can use colours on a car.
“In the end, it’s the athlete which cannot display the Russian flag and not the team. The team is an American team.”
Mazepin is also waiting to discover what flag he will race under when the season kicks off on March 28th in Bahrain.

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