Mercedes-Benz

WILLIAMS have signed James Vowles as team boss after poaching him from Mercedes.Vowles has been in Formula One for 21-years and won nine F1 constructors’ championships with Brawn GP and Mercedes.
Williams have appointed James Vowles as their new team bossCredit: Getty
He previously worked with Mercedes and Lewis HamiltonCredit: Getty
He was most recently Motorsport Strategy Director at Merc, a position he held for over four years.
The 43-year-old Brit replaces German Jost Capito, who was released from the role at the end of last season with Williams finishing last in the championship.
Vowles said: “I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing. It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage.
“The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.
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“Mercedes have been hugely supportive on my journey, and we part on excellent terms after over 20 years of working in Brackley.
“I am grateful for everything Toto Wolff and the team have provided, and it has been such a special experience to journey together through failure and success.
“Williams Racing have placed their faith and trust in me, and I will do the same in return. Williams has tremendous potential, and our journey together starts in a matter of weeks.”
Merc boss Wolff added: “James has been a highly valued member of our team in his role as Motorsport Strategy Director, playing an integral part in our success in recent years.
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“Having worked with him since I first joined the team in 2013, I know how diligent, capable and talented he is and have taken great satisfaction from watching James develop and grow over the past decade.
“Since stepping back from the pit wall mid-season last year, he has continued to build the capability of our strategy team at Brackley, and we have a fantastic group of talented strategists who will continue their superb work in the years to come.
“While we are naturally sad to be saying goodbye to such a capable member of the team, I have no doubts whatsoever that he has all the necessary skills to become a fantastic Team Principal in Formula One.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON has been threatened he could be BANNED from F1 races if he continues to push for his personal and political causes.Seven-times world champ Hamilton, 38, has become a global advocate for anti-racism and diversity.
Lewis Hamilton is a global advocate for anti-racism and diversityCredit: Getty
The Stevenage-born driver also raced with a rainbow flag on his helmet in Qatar in a public show of his support for the LGBTQ+ community.
But now, in a demand that could spark an angry backlash from the Brit, Hamilton has been ordered to ask for WRITTEN PERMISSION from motorsport chiefs before making any “political, religious and personal statements”.
And if he was to act without the green light, he risks being black flagged and BANNED from racing.
The hardline stance was made by FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, a Dubai-born former rally driver who was elected head of the FIA in December 2021, 
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Ben Sulayem said: “We are concerned with building bridges. 
“You can use sport for peace reasons.
“But one thing we don’t want is to have the FIA as a platform for private personal agenda.
“The FIA should be neutral, I believe. We need the superstars in to make the sport.
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“If there is anything, you take the permission. 
“If not, if they make any other mistake, it’s like speeding in the pit lane. If you do it, it’s very clear what you get.”
He added: “We will divert from the sport. 
“What does the driver do best? Driving. They are so good at it, and they make the business, they make the show, they are the stars. Nobody is stopping them.
“There are other platforms to express what they want. Everybody has this and they are most welcome to go through the process of the FIA, to go through that.”
It means Hamilton will now need to make a formal written request for any social or perceived political statement or protests – risking punishment if he acts without approval.
That demand is likely to bring an angry response from the Mercedes man, who believes he has a duty to use his platform to highlight discrimination in all of its forms.
It looked like a determined effort by the FIA – under lobbying from the Middle East and other countries criticised for alleged human rights breaches and anti-LGBTQ+ actions  – to shut down drivers from using their voice and platform.
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Ben Sulayem, though, insisted: “I want to improve and clean up the sport.
“I have my own personal things, OK, but it doesn’t mean I will use the FIA to do it.
Mohammed ben Sulayem has risked a backlash with his decisionCredit: Rex More

GEORGE RUSSELL is confident Mercedes can challenge Red Bull in the 2023 F1 season.Him and team-mate Lewis Hamilton managed just one victory between them in 2022, and that came in the penultimate race when Russell won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton endured a disappointing 2022 seasonCredit: Rex
Seven-time champ Hamilton failed to win a single race for the first time EVER, finishing a career-low sixth, two places behind Russell.
The season was dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, who won 17 of the 22 races.
As a result, they finished a massive 244 points ahead of Mercedes in the constructors standings.
Despite the team’s worst season for a decade, Russell is optimistic they will come back stronger in 2023.
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Asked if Mercedes can challenge for the title, he told Crash: “I think when you look at the development we have brought this year, and the rate at which we’ve closed the gap, there’s nothing telling us we can’t achieve this.
“We’ve been pretty clear now for about two months which targets we have to hit in terms of development.
“And I am pretty confident if we do achieve that, we will have a car that we can compete with Red Bull.
“At the start of this year, we qualified behind Alfa, behind Haas.
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“I remember in Imola, I finished fourth but I was the same pace as Lando [Norris] and I had Valtteri [Bottas] chasing me down in the Alfa. 
“They were quicker than us in that race and Lewis was in P10 or P9.
“But you look at us now and where we are in comparison to those cars that probably haven’t had the similar development as the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull, we’ve made massive strides. 
“The fact now we are in a position to fight for race victories shows a lot. So, I’ve got every bit of confidence in this team. 
“Maybe straight out of the blocks, we weren’t the fastest car because of where we were coming from.
“But the rate of development, I’ve got every hope that we can definitely fight for the championship next year.”
The 2023 season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5. More

LEWIS HAMILTON celebrated his 38th birthday by going on an 11-kilometre run past penguins and seals in the freezing Antarctic.The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is gearing up for the 2023 season which kicks off with the first race in Bahrain on March 5.
Lewis Hamilton went on an 11km run in AntarcticaCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
A video on his social media showed him running next to the seaCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
‘Eye of the Tiger’ played over the top of the clipCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
Hamilton showed the penguins he saw while out on his runCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
He also ran past a seal chilling on the roadCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
Hamilton also shared a picture of an old whaling facilityCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton
And such is the time of year of the Brit’s birthday, he cannot rest at all as he hit the icy roads for training.
Hamilton shared a video on his Instagram story of him running in the cripplingly cold and snowy weather with a gilet and hat on.
He then turned the camera to show his followers the penguins and seals in front of him.
Hamilton added the caption: “11km run in Antarctica, best run ever when you run past penguins and seals.”
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He also shared an image of an old whaling facility where oil used to be stored.
And he said: “An old whaling facility where they killed whales and stored their oil in these tanks.
“Thankful it’s no longer done here!”
The legendary racing driver then posted another video of him running with the “Eye of the Tiger” song playing over the top.
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Hamilton is hoping for a more successful 2023 campaign after failing to win a race last year for the first season in his F1 career.
Red Bull dominated both the drivers and constructors championships as Max Verstappen, 25, claimed a second title.
Hamilton finished 214 points adrift of the Dutchman, while Mercedes were 244 points behind Red Bull in the constructors standings.
But the Brit, who is once again going for a record-breaking eighth title, believes as many as five teams could be involved in the fight for victory this year.
He said: “I’d like to think that we’re going to be the ones that are competing with them and being able to beat them [Red Bull] again, I do believe that for sure.
“But I really hope that Ferrari are strong in the following years. They’ve definitely had a difficult year but there’s been some strong signs, obviously, that you’ve seen this year, which has been nice to see.
“And it’s been nice to see Ferrari doing well again.
“So, I hope that it’s more than a two-way battle next year. I hope there’s at least three of us.
“If not, surprisingly, maybe more. Like, why can’t McLaren be there? We’ll see.
“Or even Alpine has been doing amazing. So, we’ll see.”
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George Russell secured Mercedes’ only victory in 2022 as he claimed the Sao Paulo GP.
The 24-year-old also pipped Hamilton in the overall standings, finishing 35 points clear of his team-mate. More

LEWIS HAMILTON wants a five-team tussle for the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship.The 2022 season was dominated by Red Bull, who triumphed in 17 of the 22 races.
Lewis Hamilton is set to be back in title mix this yearCredit: Getty
This led to Max Verstappen romping to the title, with Red Bull easily winning the constructors championship too.
Hamilton’s Mercedes showed signs of life towards the end of the campaign, with team-mate George Russell winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Ferrari demonstrated potential earlier in the campaign, and Hamilton also wants McLaren and Alpine to join the fight at the front of the grid.
The Brit, who recently celebrated his 38th birthday, said: “I’d like to think that we’re going to be the ones that are competing with them and being able to beat them [Red Bull] again, I do believe that for sure.
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“But I really hope that Ferrari are strong in the following years. They’ve definitely had a difficult year but there’s been some strong signs, obviously, that you’ve seen this year, which has been nice to see.
“And it’s been nice to see Ferrari doing well again.
“So, I hope that it’s more than a two-way battle next year. I hope there’s at least three of us.
“If not, surprisingly, maybe more. Like, why can’t McLaren be there? We’ll see.
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“Or even Alpine has been doing amazing. So, we’ll see.”
McLaren ditched Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, who will now back-up Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at Red Bull, for his compatriot from Down Under Oscar Piastri.
While Alpine replaced Aston Martin-bound veteran Fernando Alonso with Pierre Gasly – who will partner his fellow Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
Hamilton has 12 months remaining on his Mercedes contract, and is not close to agreeing to an extension.
The 2023 campaign will get underway in Bahrain on March 5.
Everyone will be looking to catch Red BullCredit: Reuters More

SEBASTIAN VETTEL has revealed that could have become rival Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at Mercedes in 2016.The German Formula One driver admitted that he held talks with former Mercedes boss Niki Lauda following the retirement of Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Sebastian Vettel has revealed that he could have joined Mercedes in 2016Credit: Getty
Mercedes driver, Rosberg was the reigning holder of the World Drivers’ Championship title in 2016 when he decided to retire.
However, that meant that the Formula One team needed to find a replacement, and Ferrari driver Vettel was approached.
He said: “Maybe there was [a chance], I spoke with Niki.
“But to be honest, it was halfway through the Ferrari period.
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“Obviously, it would have been a big deal because Lewis was their No1, and I’m not sure whether they would have liked to have us both in the team. 
“But I also didn’t have a great interest at that time, because I was so committed to Ferrari.
“That was my dream to make that thing work, so you talk to each other, but it wasn’t really serious.
“I think it would have been a great challenge and I think I would have enjoyed that, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
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“My focus was to win with Ferrari. I didn’t want to change team and win with Mercedes, but it just didn’t happen. I am cool with that.
“I think I would have enjoyed racing with Lewis, we get along really well, and our moment was the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where we had maybe what you would call nowadays a ‘misunderstanding!’”
Vettel and Hamilton both made their debuts in 2007.
The Brit was at a leading team in McLaren, whereas Vettel made his debut for backmarkers Sauber.
They clashed during a coming together came at the Azerbaijan GP in 2017 in a clear act of road rage that should have seen Vettel banned.
The German deliberately rammed his Ferrari into Hamilton’s Mercedes as they prepared for a restart behind a safety car.
Vettel was given a ten-second penalty and later apologised but finished ahead of Hamilton in the race. More