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      Toto Wolff demands salary cap to be LOWERED than what £40m-a-year F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen get

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      MERCEDES boss Toto Wolff says F1’s plans to impose a salary cap on drivers should be LOWER than what top earns Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen currently get paid.The sport’s bosses are keen to reduce drivers’ wages as part of their push to reduce costs.
      Toto Wolff reckons the new salary cap should be LESS than Lewis Hamilton’s £40m a yearCredit: Getty
      How much F1 stars earn
      Hamilton and Verstappen earn around £40million a year, with their contracts running until the end of 2023 and 2028, respectively.
      Drivers reacted angrily to the proposal in Baku last year but Wolff, who is a three-way owner of the Mercedes team, says he is in favour of the cap.
      He said: “It certainly has come up as a controversial topic. We can see that we are facing a very difficult situation in F1 overall.
      “The sport is booming and F1 is earning more money and that trickles down to the teams.
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      “But we have a cost cap. We have $140million for 1,000 people. With inflation, we haven’t been able to even pay the inflation.
      “The talk about $30 or $40m salary allowance is inadequate when you take that perspective.
      “Clearly the drivers will have an opinion on that. Maybe as a driver I would say the same thing, but the US American leagues that are the most successful in the world have introduced salary caps 15 years ago. It works pretty well over there.
      “We need to find a way of how we can act sustainably and become independent from sovereign funds or state-owned teams.
      Wolff is a three-way owner of the Mercedes teamCredit: AFP
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      “Therefore it is certainly clear that this is going to be one of the main areas because you can’t simply have a salary bill in some of the top teams that is 30, 40, 50m when the rest of the team needs to be divided in 140m.
      “But having said that, they are tremendous superstars, they deserve to be among the top earners in the sport.
      “In terms of direct salaries they already are and then we need to find a way of unlocking the capability of doing endorsement deals which is two-thirds if not more for US American sports teams.
      “But certainly, direct salaries, F1 drivers are paid the most.” More

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      Incredible new pics show how Las Vegas Grand Prix will look… but most anticipated F1 race ever will NOT be cheap

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      STUNNING new images have given F1 fans a glimpse of what to expect at the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix.The Sin City race is scheduled for November and will see drivers fly across the famous Vegas strip.
      Las Vegas will host a Grand Prix for the first time ever in NovemberCredit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
      The MSG Sphere, right, will open in September and be located right by the race trackCredit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
      The race will fly down the Vegas strip and be flanked by a huge grandstandCredit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
      New photos have now emerged showing how the Grand Prix will look in the west-coast state.
      And it promises to be a breathtaking track fitted with a huge grandstand next to the start/finish line.
      The race will zip by a number of Vegas landmarks including the MSG Sphere – which will open in September – as well as Treasure Island, The Mirage, the Bellagio Hotel and Caesars Palace.
      The track design is 3.8 miles long from start to finish with top speeds estimated to be over 212 mph.
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      There will be 50 race laps with three main straights and 14 corners, including a high-speed cornering sequence and a single chicane section.
      However, the CHEAPEST three-day ticket is set to cost a whopping £418.
      And while that will get you access to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it will still not secure you a seat in the stands.
      They go on sale on March 24, but Paddock Club tickets are already sold out despite being listed at £12,500 per person.
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      The race will fly by a host of Vegas’ famous landmarks
      It promises to be an incredible setting for an F1 raceCredit: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)
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      Speaking about the new track, Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO, said: “Iconic Las Vegas and Formula One, the pinnacle of motorsport, is the perfect marriage of speed and glamour.
      “Our confidence in this unique opportunity is evident in our decision to assume the promoter role for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in partnership with Live Nation.
      “We could not be more excited to work with our local partners to create a marquee event.
      “The potential of Formula One has been well demonstrated over the last several seasons and the Las Vegas GP will only take it to the next level.”
      F1 has attracted a huge following in the US, thanks largely to Netflix’s Drive to Survive series.
      And Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula One, added: “This is an incredible moment for Formula One that demonstrates the huge appeal and growth of our sport with a third race in the US.
      “Las Vegas is a destination known around the world for its excitement, hospitality, thrills, and of course, the famous Strip.
      “There is no better place for Formula One to race than in the global entertainment capital of the world and we cannot wait to be here next year.”
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      Reigning world champion Max Verstappen kicked off the 2023 season in dominant fashion with a comfortable win in Bahrain.
      Team-mate Sergio Perez made it a one-two for Red Bull, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in third. More

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      Mercedes ‘hold emergency meeting’ after disastrous F1 season opener as Lewis Hamilton slams car’s issues in Bahrain GP

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      MERCEDES have reportedly held an emergency meeting following their disastrous start to the F1 season.Red Bull dominated in Bahrain with Max Verstappen taking the chequered flag and team-mate Sergio Perez finishing second.
      Mercedes held an emergency meeting following the Bahrain horror showCredit: Rex
      Lewis Hamilton vented his frustrations at the team after they ignored his adviceCredit: PA
      Mercedes were way off the pace with Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing fifth and seventh respectively.
      That led to a team meeting according to reports in Italy.
      It is claimed technical director Mike Elliot was handed an ultimatum and told to fix the issues with the W14.
      Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has admitted his team already face a difficult task to catch up with their rivals, and accepts a title challenge may be impossible.
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      He is also stuck between developing the W14 or scrapping the car and coming up with a new design capable of competing with Red Bull.
      Hamilton urged his team to try and develop the current model into a car capable of winning races, though he also vented his frustrations with his team after they failed to listen to his advice.
      He said: “Last year, there were things I told them, I said the issues that are with the car.
      “I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need. And I think it’s really about accountability.
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      “It’s about owning up and saying, ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it used to be and we’ve got to work’.
      “We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that’s what we do.
      “We’re still multi world champions you know, it’s just they haven’t got it right this time, they didn’t get it right last year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards.” More

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      F1 tragedy as FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s son Saif dies in horror road accident in Dubai

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      THE son of FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem has died following a car accident.Saif Ben Sulayem was tragically killed in Dubai on Tuesday.
      Saif Ben Sulayem tragically died in a traffic accidentCredit: Instagram / @sbs_03
      Mohammed Ben Sulayem has asked for privacy following his tragic lossCredit: Rex
      Ben Sulayem was elected FIA president in 2021Credit: Rex
      Saif, left, alongside his dadCredit: Instagram / @sbs_03
      The news has been confirmed by the FIA, but the president has requested privacy at this time.
      Saif was a keen motorsport enthusiast like his father.
      He had even tried to forge a career as a racing driver.
      Saif competed in the 2016/17 UAE Formula 4 championship which saw him come up against current F1 drivers Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant.
      However, he ultimately decided against taking it up full-time.
      Mohammed Ben Sulayem, 61, was elected FIA president in December 2021.
      He has played a key role in restructuring the organisation, which oversees Formula 1, since replacing Jean Todt.
      Last month, Ben Sulayem announced he was giving up hands-on control.
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      He said: “My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed.
      “Therefore, going forward, your day-to-day contact for all matters on F1 will be with Nikolas [Tombazis, director of single-seater racing] and his team.
      “I will focus on strategic matters with my leadership team.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton claims he rarely drives on normal roads outside of F1 track because he ‘finds it more stressful’

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed that he rarely drives on normal roads outside of F1 circuits as he finds it too stressful. The seven-time World Champion, 38, has made tearing round tracks and overtaking rivals at nearly 200mph look easy in his long career.
      Lewis Hamilton’s struggles on normal roads are not reflected on F1 circuits, where he has often been a cut above the restCredit: Rex
      He is among the most experienced drivers on the current grid – and has the record to back up his skills.
      But the Brit made the ironic confession that while the high-speed, twisting roads of Silverstone during a Grand Prix weekend do not scare him, normal roads do.
      Hamilton admitted to Vanity Fair that the experience of driving in a normal road car left him feeling under too much pressure.
      He said: “I just think I find it stressful. I try not to do things that don’t add to my life.”
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      Driving around the south of France during his interview, he added to the magazine: “This is now stressful for me. This road is crazy. So much going on here.
      “I’m going to turn around in a second. Look, we’re on these roads, anything can happen.
      “People say: ‘Dude! You drive around at 200 miles an hour!’ And I’m like, in terms of fear factor, that’s easy for me. I guess we’re just all wired differently.”
      Despite his road concern, Hamilton is still known to be a big collector of different vehicles and has in his collection Ferrari LaFerrari, a McLaren P1 and an MV Agusta bike.
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      As he tries to become more environmentally conscious, the star will now mostly only drive his electric Mercedes EQC.
      The 37-year-old also revealed it was not just normal driving which unsettled him, and revealed his long-term fear of spiders.
      It’s been a below-par season for Hamilton, who saw rival Max Verstappen clinch his second consecutive title last month.
      He currently sits fifth in the rankings after failing to win a single race.
      And Hamilton’s hopes of ending his duck at the Brazilian GP were hit when teammate George Russell beat him to the chequered flag by just over 1.5 seconds. More

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      ‘I hope he wins’ – Max Verstappen incredibly tips rival to challenge him at top of F1 podium after Bahrain GP heroics

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN has tipped Fernando Alonso to challenge for race wins this season.The Aston Martin driver claimed his 99th career podium with an impressive drive at the Formula One season opener in Bahrain.
      Fernando Alonso has been backed to win races this seasonCredit: Rex
      Max Verstappen believes Aston Martin have a ‘really strong’ carCredit: Rex

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      The Silverstone-based team surprised many by topping the time charts in testing and in free practice ahead of the race.
      And this quick pace has seen Verstappen tip Alonso to rival him for a spot at the top of the podium.
      Verstappen said: “I hope so for Fernando as well because he has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front so I’m happy to see him sitting here already in race one.
      “I think also again, I mentioned it before, but at Aston Martin, they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they’ve hired a lot of good people.
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      “So I guess it can only get better for them. And I think for this year, difficult to say if they’re going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table.”
      However, the Dutchman thinks the race wins will be limited for Alonso, and compared his time racing against Lewis Hamilton during his dominance.
      Verstappen added: “I’ve been in the same position where some races I’m finishing 20 to 40 seconds behind the winners and you still win two or three races a year.
      “Sometimes there are some tracks which really suit your car and everything just comes together and you can win a race with maybe sometimes a bit of help or luck.
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      “But for sure they (Aston Martin) have a really strong package. And now of course it’s all about developing it further.”
      Two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi has also backed Alonso to produce a “very strong” title challenge.
      Alonso is already a two-time world champion, winning titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006. More

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      Lewis Hamilton vents frustration at Mercedes & reveals he ‘told team about car issues LAST YEAR’ after Bahrain disaster

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has vented his frustration at Mercedes and says that he told them about the car’s speed issues last season.The seven-time Formula One world champion started the new season in disappointing fashion last weekend.
      Lewis Hamilton says he told Mercedes about the car’s problems last seasonCredit: Getty
      The 38-year-old could only finish sixth in Bahrain as rival Max Verstappen romped to victory for Red Bull.
      Mercedes already had concerns about their W14 design, which is an evolved version of their “no-sidepod” one from last season which caused numerous issues as the team missed out on an eighth-consecutive constructors’ championships. 
      Mercedes boss Toto Wolff wants his development team to reproduce a “radical” new design following the “worst weekend of racing” at the Sakhir Circuit.
      However, motorsport legend Hamilton says they would not be having these issues if the team had listened to him previously.
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      The Brit told BBC: “Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car.
      “Like, I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need.
      “And I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.
      “We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team, that’s what we do.
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      “We’re still multi world champions you know, it’s just they haven’t got it right this time, they didn’t get it right last year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards.”
      Hamilton went winless for the first time in his F1 career last season while team-mate George Russell scored one victory for the team in Brazil.
      But despite the prospect of another year of struggle, Wolff does not expect that to prevent Hamilton from agreeing new terms.
      Hamilton, 38, has a contract until the end of the year and both Jenson Button and Damon Hill have questioned whether he will re-sign now he’s not winning.
      Hamilton said he IS committed to the team and Wolff has also dismissed the idea he will walk away now he has a battle on his hands. More

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      Max Verstappen warned he faces ‘very strong’ challenge for F1 title… but not from Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes

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      TWO-TIME Formula One champion Emerson Fittipaldi has warned Max Verstappen he could face a “very strong” challenge to his title bid. Verstappen cruised to victory at the season opener in Bahrain, with team-mate Sergio Perez a comfortable second.
      Max Verstappen cruised to victory at the Bahrain Grand PrixCredit: The Mega Agency
      But he has been warned he faces ‘very strong’ opposition by Emerson FittipaldiCredit: Rex
      Fittpaldi won his two F1 titles in 1972 and 1974Credit: Getty

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      Everything thus far points to another easy championship for the flying Dutchman.
      However, competition could come from an unusual source this season.
      Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso claimed the final podium spot at the race.
      And Fittipaldi, who won the 1972 and 1974 F1 titles, has warned Alonso could pose the biggest challenge of the season.
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      Speaking to VegasInsider, Fittipaldi said: “Fernando Alonso’s podium was an unexpected one.
      “I think the Aston Martin’s performance even surprised Fernando and everyone in the team.
      “If you look at the mid-corners and slow-speed corners, Fernando was able to have different lines than the competitors. That means he had extra grip there.
      “When he overtook, he was very manoeuvrable on the slow, mid-speed corners. That means the car has a very good grip and handling.
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      Fittipaldi reckons Fernando Alonso could put up the biggest fight this seasonCredit: Rex
      “Lance Stroll was quick. With all the problems he’s had, he was running very strong, very quickly.
      “That means they’ll be a challenge in this year’s Championship. No doubt.”
      Over the last decade, Red Bull have duked out titles mainly with Mercedes and Ferrari.
      However, the regulation changes which came into effect last year saw Lewis Hamilton’s team dramatically drop off the pace of the front of the order.
      Meanwhile, consistency issues in both strategy and reliability have ensured Ferrari have not truly been able to compete on race day.
      Therefore, in 2023, Alonso and Aston Martin could pose the most significant threat to Verstappen achieving a three-peat.
      An incredible omen also suggests Alonso could land his third title before Verstappen, with the winner of the opening race in the last six years NOT going on to win the championship.
      Though the legality of the Aston Martin has now been openly questioned.
      Lewis Hamilton is not likely to challenge this seasonCredit: PA More