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    F1 chief Toto Wolff reveals that he has the same meal every day for lunch and dinner while travelling

    TOTO WOLFF has revealed that he has the same meal every day while travelling during the Formula One calendar.The Mercedes team principal will eat and drink the same thing for lunch and dinner during the season.
    Toto Wolff eats the same meal for lunch and dinner every dayCredit: Getty
    Wolff has overseen tremendous success during his time with Mercedes, winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships between 2014 and 2021.
    However, the stress of his job has seen him reduce the variables in other aspects of his life during the racing calendar.
    During an appearance on Desert Island Discs, he revealed his routine to the BBC.
    “For me it is really reducing trivial things,” explained the 51-year-old.
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    “I’m wearing the same clothes, I’m eating the same food – even to the point that my assistants book the same hotel room for me every single year.”
    As for the exact meal he has each day, he added: “The same dark bread – a pumpernickel with butter and some ham.
    “Small cappuccino – because I take half a cappuccino because I want to have another half an hour later – and then it’s chicken breast with tomato salad. And I have the same for dinner also!”
    Wolff has previously opened up on the motivations behind his successful career in motorsport.
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    Earlier this year he pinpointed overcoming the tragic death of his father as crucial in driving him to succeed.
    The Austrian is also an outspoken figure in the F1 paddock and did not hold back after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
    Wolff had an amusing altercation with his rival Christian Horner for in the paddock over the weekend, criticising him for “harassment”.
    Toto Wolff has enjoyed tremendous success with MercedesCredit: EPA
    Horner and Red Bull enjoyed another victory at Spa as Max Verstappen won his eighth race in a row.
    As for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and sixth, respectively. More

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    F1 steward at centre of social media storm as fans have theory about Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian GP penalty

    FORMER F1 driver Derek Warwick is at the centre of a social media storm involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.Warwick, who is now an FIA steward, is being targeted by fans upset after Hamilton was penalised at the Belgian GP.
    Derek Warwick called Max Verstappen the “next great white hope”Credit: Getty
    Max Verstappen is a two-time world championCredit: Rex
    Hamilton was hit with a five-second time penalty for making contact with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez during the sprint race.
    The Brit felt the penalty was harsh while 2009 world champion Jenson Button said: “Lewis penalty is totally wrong”.
    Fans have been quick to point out that Warwick is one of the F1 stewards in Belgium and was also an official in 2021 Abu Dhabi GP where Verstappen controversially won the F1 title at the expense of Hamilton on the final lap.
    He is also heard on a BBC radio interview calling Verstappen “the next great white hope”, a statement he clarified on Twitter in December, 2021.
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    He wrote: “I’ve seen many tweets recently quoting that I said: ‘Max Verstappen is the next great white hope’.
    “I might have said he’s the next great thing, but whether he white, black, green or yellow makes no difference to me. Just greatness.”
    FIA rules state that there are four stewards at each race, and these are rotated throughout the season, so no steward can have complete control on the decision making.
    The FIA also have a strict Code of Ethics, which employees adhere to.
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    F1’s governing body have also joined forces with the MotoGP counterparts [FIM] to sign a charter for collaboration to combat online abuse.
    Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA president said: “The signing of the Charter by FIM is part of our mission to build a global coalition to stop hate speech in sport.
    “We are grateful for the support of Jorge Viegas and his team as we take steps to drive out online abuse which has become a blight on all sport.
    “Sustained toxicity has reached deplorable levels and we must take collaborative action. Only through collaborative action, can we bring about behavioural and regulatory change.” More

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    Lewis Hamilton slapped with FIVE-SECOND time penalty after shambolic Belgian GP sprint race

    LEWIS HAMILTON was slapped with a five-second penalty for bashing into Sergio Perez, as Max Verstappen’s win increased his lead in the championship.The Mercedes man battled with Sergio Perez for fourth place in the 30-minute sprint race.

    Lewis Hamilton was handed a five-second time penalty for his collision with Sergio PerezCredit: Getty
    The smash saw him tumble down the order from P4 to P7Credit: Rex
    Max Verstappen took the sprint race win with Oscar Piastri, left, and Pierre Gasly, right in P2 and P3Credit: AFP
    But Hamilton was hit with a penalty by the stewards for causing damage to the Mexican’s Red Bull, which ultimately forced him to retire.
    It was hard on the Brit given the wet track and marked the only real on-track excitement in the rain-delayed race.
    It was frustrating to watch another shambles at Spa – for the second time in three years.
    In the sprint shootout, which is used to determine the grid for the sprint race, the FIA failed to make any meaningful attempt to clear the rain.
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    It was not until 20 minutes after the rain stopped that they deployed two vehicles on track to clear the 7km circuit.
    The rain delay saw them move the start of the sprint race back 30 minutes – but that only meant it coincided with another downpour – causing another setback.
    When the short 30-minute race did get going after a break in the weather, we had FIVE laps behind the safety car to clear the standing water before a rolling start.
    It denied the soggy fans hopes of an explosive start, as Verstappen led the pack.
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    Rain led to another FIA mess in BelgiumCredit: Reuters
    But at the end of the first lap, Oscar Piastri pitted for intermediate tyres while the Dutchman stayed out for another lap.
    An unusually slow pitstop for Verstappen saw Piastri take the lead – but it was short-lived as the Red Bull soon powered past the McLaren.
    On the sixth lap, Perez and Hamilton had a battle for fourth place where the two made contact.
    While it looked as though Hamilton was blocked by the Mexican, the stewards decided otherwise and did not wait to issue the sanction.
    Verstappen’s win means he now has a 118-point lead in the championship while Piastri was second and Pierre Gasly was third after a difficult week for Alpine.
    Hamilton was demoted to seventh due to his time penalty, having finished in fourth. Lando Norris was sixth and George Russell eighth.
    Regardless, Saturday’s sprint does not impact tomorrow’s race.
    Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc inherited pole after Verstappen’s five-spot grid penalty for using too many gearbox parts was applied.
    He is joined on the front row by Perez, while Hamilton will be ready to duke it out with him again tomorrow from P3.
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    Carlos Sainz then completes the second row, with Piastri lining up alongside the demoted Verstappen at Spa.
    Norris lines up in P7, with Russell, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll completing the top 10.
    Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year More

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    I’m an F1 champ who could have won eight races in a row if it wasn’t for Lewis Hamilton’s Spanish GP shunt

    NICO ROSBERG is a Formula One champion who could have won eight races in a row.The retired driver has joked that Lewis Hamilton denied him the feat with his shunt at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.
    Lewis Hamilton denied Nico Rosberg an eighth win in a rowCredit: AP:Associated Press
    The pair collided in Spain in 2016Credit: Getty
    Rosberg had won seven consecutive races ahead of their infamous collision in Barcelona.
    Having won the last three races of 2015 and the first four in 2016, Rosberg was on the brink of history.
    Hamilton had started ahead of Rosberg in pole position, but was overtaken by his Mercedes team-mate on turn one.
    In his attempts to re-take the lead, the Brit collided with Rosberg on turn four, ending the race for both drivers.
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    Recalling his run of wins, Rosberg told the Sky Sports F1 Podcast: “Yeah, that was quite cool.”
    The German also joked: “I would have had eight if Lewis hadn’t have shunted me off in Barcelona, for those of you who remember that race in 2016.
    “I’m laughing by the way for those of you who can’t see me now, because that was a joke. That was a joke.”
    Rosberg would still go on to win the 2016 Drivers’ Championship, the only world title of his career.
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    He then abruptly retired aged 31 after winning the title, having claimed nine of his 23 career race wins during the season.
    Despite being denied an eighth win in a row, Rosberg is one of just five drivers to win seven or more straight races.
    Max Verstappen equalled the feats of Rosberg, Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascari with his seventh win in Hungary on Sunday.
    Wins in Belgium and the Netherlands in the next two races will take his streak to nine and equal Fernando Alonso’s record from 2013.
    Nico Rosberg jokingly blamed his collision with Lewis Hamilton for denying him the featCredit: AP:Associated Press More

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    Lewis Hamilton forced to admit defeat in apology to F1 team after disastrous start to Hungarian Grand Prix

    LEWIS HAMILTON was forced to admit defeat in the Hungary Grand Prix after getting off to a disastrous start at the Hungaroring.Hamilton started first on the grid after securing pole in qualifying yesterday.
    It was a frustrating day for Hamilton at the HungaroringCredit: Reuters
    But he was overtaken by a rampant Max Verstappen on the first corner.
    Matters were compounded by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris also overtaking Hamilton during the first lap – which saw Hamilton drop to fourth.
    Hamilton apologised to his team over the radio after the poor start, simply saying: “sorry about that guys”.
    Race engineer Peter Bonnington was keen to keep Hamilton’s spirits up however, and said: “Don’t sweat it, Lewis. It’s going to be a long, hot race.”
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    He was unable to match the race pace of the two McLaren’s in front of them as they began to build a formidable gap as the race went on.
    Hamilton was becoming increasingly frustrated before admitting he could not compete with the two cars in front of him.
    He said: “Definitely don’t have the pace to overtake these guys.”
    His frustration continued later in the race, saying: “How have they got nine seconds all of a sudden. That’s a crazy amount.”
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    Hamilton then questioned the performance of his hardware as Verstappen opened a 20 second lead on his Mercedes.
    He asked his team over the radio: “Are you turning the engine down?”
    To which the reply over the radio was: “Negative, Lewis. Just managing the temp situation.”
    Hamilton would go on to finish fourth in Hungary in what was quite a frustrating race for the Brit. More

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    Lewis Hamilton on pole for first time in 595 DAYS after stunning qualifying lap at F1 Hungarian Grand Prix

    LEWIS HAMILTON took a sensational pole position for the Hungarian GP – beating Max Verstappen by 0.003 seconds.Verstappen, who has dominated this season to open up a 99 point lead in the championship, will start in second place.
    Lewis Hamilton is on pole for the Hungarian Grand PrixCredit: Getty
    Max Verstappen and Red Bull were pipped to pole position by Lewis HamiltonCredit: Rex
    It is the 104th pole position of the Brit’s career – and an emotional one – as there are now signs that Mercedes are back in the mix after a terrible 18 months.
    Hamilton, who has won this race eight times before, scored his first pole since Saudi Arabia 2021.
    Lando Norris extended McLaren’s upward trajectory by qualifying in third place and his teammate, Oscar Piastri will line up in fourth.
    Daniel Ricciardo had a successful return to F1 after qualifying in 13th place – comfortably ahead of his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda.
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    Ricciardo has been handed his way back by Red Bull after being dumped by McLaren at the end of last year.
    The Aussie replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri – Red Bull’s sister team – and scored their best qualifying result since the Monaco GP in May.
    Meanwhile, George Russell suffered a miserable qualifying – leaving Merc boss Toto Wolff furious.
    The Austrian slammed his fist into the desk as he watched Russell eliminated at Q1 – a result that will see him start in 18th on the grid.
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    Russell was waiting in line to start his final flying lap but as the clock counted down, he was leapfrogged in the queue of cars by THREE other drivers.
    Not only had he lost time and track position but the extra delay to create a gap to the cars ahead also punished his tyres as the temperature dropped off.
    As a result, his first sector was slow and he was unable to improve meaning he was dumped out of qualifying at the first hurdle. More

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    Lewis Hamilton and George Russell demand tougher penalties for F1 teams breaching spending cap after Red Bull fine

    LEWIS HAMILTON and George Russell are demanding tougher penalties for teams that break Formula One’s spending limit.The sport is poised to be rocked by the latest breaches, with reports claiming THREE teams exceeded the $140million limit in 2022.
    Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have called for harsher penaltiesCredit: Getty
    Red Bull were fined $7m last year and given a ten per cent reduction in wind-tunnel time as a punishment for breaching the $145m limit in 2021.
    But the row caused a bitter stink and Hamilton feels the penalty was not strict enough.
    He said: “It’s a concern. I mean, it wasn’t really a big punishment last time so there’s no real deterrent.
    “There’ll be people that will probably go for it again and know they’re just going to get slapped on the wrist.”
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    Asked what would be appropriate, Hamilton added: “I’m not going to say what it should be, it’s not my job.
    “We’ve people in place to police it but it doesn’t surprise me. It wasn’t a big penalty before.”
    His Mercedes team-mate Russell also called for greater punishment for repeat offenders.
    He added: “If anybody has breached any regulation, you want the punishment to represent the crime.
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    “Previous breaches, it didn’t. We don’t want to see it happen again. And if it’s a second-time offender, the punishment should be even greater. I trust the FIA, they won’t let anybody get away with something that shouldn’t have happened under their watch.”
    Meanwhile, Hamilton is closing on a new Mercedes deal, worth near £100m.
    The seven-time world champion is out of contract at the end of the season and says his new agreement — expected to be for two years — is in the hands of the lawyers.
    Hamilton, 38, was quizzed by SunSport ahead of this  weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix over the extension.
    He said: “I actually like these questions, so you can keep them going . . . it’s very, very close.”
    Asked if it would be tied up before the summer break — after next week’s Belgian GP — he added: “Nope . . . it might be announced at the end of the year. I might keep you waiting!
    Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have spoken outCredit: Rex
    “It continues to be with the lawyers, back and forth. I’ve not been part of it the whole time. I’ve been removed from it from the beginning.
    “I’ve been wanting to focus on all the other things I have going on. The team has been working on it.
    “There’s no negotiation left. It’s just all the small bits.” More

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    Lewis Hamilton announces bumper new £100m Mercedes deal blowing Max Verstappen out of water is ‘very, very close’

    LEWIS HAMILTON says he is closing in on signing his new Mercedes deal, worth around £100million.The seven-time F1 world champion is out of contract at the end of the season.
    Lewis Hamilton is closing in on a new £100m Mercedes dealCredit: Getty
    He currently earns £40m a year with Merc, while rival Max Verstappen is on £37m with Red Bull.
    Hamilton’s new contract is now set to blow the Dutchman’s out of the water at around £50m a year. 
    And he says his new deal is in the hands of the lawyers.
    Hamilton, 38, was quizzed by SunSport ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian GP about the progress over the new deal, which is expected to be a two-year extension.
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    He said: “I actually like these questions, so you can keep them going… It’s very, very close.”
    When asked if it would be tied up before the summer break after next week’s Belgian GP, he added: “Nope… It might be announced at the end of the year. I might keep you waiting! 
    “Honestly, I don’t have any more information for you to share. It continues to be with the lawyers, back and forth on things. 
    “I’ve not been part of it the whole time. I’ve been removed from it from the beginning. 
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    “I’ve been wanting to focus on all the other things I have going on. The team has been working on it in the background. 
    “There’s no negotiation left. It’s just all the small bits.”
    Meanwhile, Hamilton was also quizzed about rumours that up to three teams have breached the cost-cap limit.
    Teams were limited to spending $140m (£109m) in 2022 to develop their cars with reports in Italy claiming teams have fallen foul of the rules.
    Red Bull were fined $7m (£5.5m) last year and given a 10 percent reduction in wind tunnel time as a punishment for last year’s breach.
    Hamilton said: “It’s definitely a concern. I mean, it wasn’t really a big punishment last time so there’s no real [deterrent].
    Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year

    “There’ll be people that will probably go for it again, and know they’re just gonna get slapped on the wrist.”
    Asked what punishment he feels would be appropriate Hamilton added: “I’m not going to say what it should be, it’s not my job to do that.
    “We have people in place that are supposed to police that, but it doesn’t surprise me. It was not a big penalty before.”
    His Mercedes teammate George Russell however also called for greater punishment for repeat offenders, should they be found to have overspent.
    He added: “If anybody has breached any regulation, you want the punishment to represent the crime.
    “There were breaches last year, and clearly the punishment didn’t fit the crime. We don’t want to see that happen again.
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    “And if it’s a second-time offender, the punishment should be even greater than what it perhaps a fair punishment, if it happens two years in a row.
    “I trust the FIA, Mohammed is a great force, and they won’t let anybody get away with something that shouldn’t have happened under their watch.” More