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      Max Verstappen threatens to quit F1 in row over rules changes with Red Bull ace insisting ‘I won’t be around for long’

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN says he could be driven out of F1 if the sport’s bosses keep tinkering with the rules.The F1 world champion is upset at plans to change the format of the sprint races – the six, 30-minutes races that are scheduled this season to form Sunday’s grid for the GP.
      Verstappen has threatened to quit F1 if more sprint races are introducedCredit: Getty
      The Dutchman topped the time charts in qualifying ahead of Russell and HamiltonCredit: Getty
      F1 chiefs are sold on the sprint races, which effectively allow them to sell the idea to promoters that they are getting additional track action, rather than meaningless practice sessions.
      However, some drivers are against the proposal with Verstappen saying he has had enough of them messing with the “DNA of F1”.
      When first quizzed about the proposal to cut down on one of the practice sessions, he said: “I’m happy with just the main race. I think that’s way better for the excitement.
      “I naturally hope that there won’t be too many changes otherwise I won’t be around for too long.”
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      And after qualifying on pole for tomorrow’s Australian GP, he snapped again on the sprint races, which could now get an additional qualifying session.
      He added: “I’m not a fan of it at all.
      “When we do all that kind of stuff the weekend becomes more intense and we’re already doing so many races. So that’s not the right way to go about it.
      “I understand of course they wanted to have every day exciting but then it’s maybe better to reduce the weekend, only race on Saturday and Sunday and make those two days exciting.
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      “We are adding into seasons that will soon have 24 or 25 races and if you start adding even more stuff, it’s not worth it for me, I’m not enjoying that.
      “For me, a sprint race is all about surviving, it’s not about racing. When you have a quick car there’s nothing to risk.
      “I prefer to just keep my car alive and make sure you have a good race car for Sunday.
      “Even if you change the format, I don’t find it’s the DNA of F1 to do these kind of sprint races.
      “F1 is about getting the most out of it in qualifying and having an amazing Sunday with a good long race distance, that’s the DNA of the sport.
      “I don’t understand or I don’t know why we should change that because I think the action has been good and how do you get even more action?
      “It’s about getting the cars closer, getting more teams able to fight for the win. I think naturally the show will be great.
      “If we have six or seven teams fighting for the win that would be insane and you really don’t really need to change anything.”
      Meanwhile, former FIA Race Director Michael Masi says he has received a warm welcome from F1 – despite the controversial end to his career.
      Masi was axed after his handling of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP that saw Verstappen clinch the title in controversial circumstances.
      He made his return to the F1 paddock for the first time as chairman of the Australian Supercar Commission.
      However, some reports claimed he was nervous about attending his first F1 GP since his departure.
      But Masi said he was welcomed back: “It’s been fantastic being back as a guest of both the FIA and F1.
      “It’s been really good. I’m here in my capacity as the Chair of the Supercars Commission, but it’s lovely to catch up with so many good friends and see so many people, including my old team at the FIA.
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      “It’s been fantastic. The welcome has been amazing from everyone that I’ve seen.
      “It’s like seeing the long-lost family in many ways, which has been great.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in ‘dream’ Australian GP qualifying as Mercedes pair eye shock F1 win

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN clinched pole for the Australian GP while Mercedes were given a huge boost, with George Russell qualifying in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.It was a thrilling session as Verstappen, Hamilton and Fernando Alonso all set provisional poles before the world champion came out on top.
      Lewis Hamilton and George Russell enjoyed a ‘dream’ qualifying sessionCredit: EPA
      However, they were still unable to pip Max Verstappen to poleCredit: EPA
      But it was a nightmare for Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, who will start in LAST PLACE.
      Verstappen, who overcame battery and gear-change problems, took his first pole in Australia and said: “The last run was very good. The whole weekend has been tough but it all worked out in Q3.
      “I think we will have a good race car and it will be a tricky race. I have been on the podium once but I want to be on a different step this time.”
      Russell produced an excellent performance to take second as Mercedes defied the odds after a difficult start to the season.
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      He said: “We wasn’t expecting that, that’s for sure! There is a lot of hard work going on and the car felt alive.
      “If I am honest, I am a little disappointed that I did not get pole. It shows how quickly things can change.
      “We would have been happy with fourth on Friday but we made some changes and the car felt great.”
      Hamilton, who starts third – alongside Alonso – was denied the chance to go even quicker on his final lap after getting caught in traffic and said his goal is now to “get first”.
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      He added: “I am so happy with this! This is totally unexpected. I am really proud of the team and George has done a fantastic job.
      “This is a dream for us. We are all working hard and to be this close to the Red Bull is incredible.
      “I hope we can give them a run for their money. I am super grateful for this position and will look to move forward tomorrow.”
      While Verstappen was P1, it was a shocker for Perez, who spun off in Q1.
      The Mexican, who won the last race in Jeddah, went too quickly into turn three and ended up hitting the wall and being dumped out of qualifying at the first hurdle.
      The session was stopped as his stricken Red Bull was recovered while Perez voiced his frustration to his team over the radio.
      “We need to fix that issue, man,” Perez says. “It was the same f issue again!”
      Williams’ revival continued with Alex Albon qualifying in eighth place after the team showed strong signs of progress in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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      However, there was more misery for McLaren as their struggles continued with Lando Norris qualifying in 13th and Oscar Piastri in 16th.
      Norris has publicly said he was backing McLaren’s engineering changes but this was another poor showing that will ramp up the pressure on CEO, Zak Brown. More

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      Lewis Hamilton taunted for having ‘short memory’ and ‘getting old’ after F1 star’s comments on Max Verstappen

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has been taunted by Fernando Alonso, who has accused the Brit of having “a short memory”.Hamilton claimed that Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was “the fastest car I’ve seen” as he was passed by the Dutchman in the Saudi Arabian GP.
      Hamilton has spent much of the season shocked by the gap between his struggling Mercedes and the outstanding Red Bull carCredit: Rex
      Verstappen is the favourite for the title this season and his chances have been greatly helped by Red Bull’s expert engineering.Credit: EPA
      Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has given his take on the pace advantage Red Bull hold over the rest of the gridCredit: Alamy
      The seven-time world champion said Red Bull’s advantage was greater than anything Mercedes had during their eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021.
      But Alonso has rubbished his claim in an interview with French publication L’Equipe ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.Alonso said: “I don’t agree at all. Last week [in Saudi Arabia] I finished 20 seconds behind Checo [Perez] and Max. 
      “He and [Nico] Rosberg were a minute ahead in 2014 and 2015… He has a short memory, he’s getting old!”
      Alonso, who famously fell out with Hamilton when they were team-mates at McLaren in 2007, also said that he was now aware of the 38-year-old’s “weaknesses” now he no longer has a superior car.
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      He added: “With a normal car, you can see that he has weaknesses. “Before, he drove alone or sometimes with his team-mate. But look, he is the record holder for poles and George Russell has just [beaten] him a 2-0 in qualifying this season. It just goes to show how much the car is still a key factor.”
      Meanwhile, Merc boss Toto Wolff says Hamilton and Russell cannot expect to receive major upgrades until the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.
      Wolff has already committed to redesigning this year’s car after a slow start to the season. 
      The Austrian has promised “visible changes” to the car but they will not be ready for the GPs in Baku and Miami.
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      He said: “We’re doing good steps, good developments, but you’ve got to run them, confirm them, produce them.
      “So, I think we’re not looking for an introduction before Imola. We want to do it right also.”
      Hamilton was not happy with his car’s performance in practice in Melbourne for this weekend’s race.
      He said: “This morning was good, this afternoon wasn’t so good. The car is similar [to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia]. It felt a bit better this morning.
      “We made some changes, didn’t work, so we will revise them tonight. Then it rained so it wasn’t the greatest of sessions.”
      When quizzed for his expectations this weekend, he added: “We won’t be competing with the Red Bulls. I think we have the pace to be around fifth, same as the last race.” More

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      I felt I was missing a lung after fighting virus during Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, reveals Max Verstappen

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN says he felt like he was “missing a lung” when he raced in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.The Dutchman, who was battling a virus, went from 15th on the grid to finish second behind team-mate Sergio Perez.
      Max Verstappen has opened up on his health ahead of the Australian Grand PrixCredit: Alamy
      He also set the fastest lap of the race to score a bonus point that means he leads the drivers’ championship ahead of this weekend’s Australian GP.
      The reigning world champion says he is still not fully-fit and will use the three-week break before the Azerbaijan GP to get back to full health.
      Verstappen said: “I was not looking forward to the break but then I got really ill and I have just been struggling since that time.
      “I refused to believe in myself for a long time because, at home, I was really ill. I could barely walk around and I felt like I was missing a lot.
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      “I got to Saudi Arabia believing that the virus was gone because normally when you get sick, after two or three days you are alright and you can do your workouts.
      “But then I jumped into the car for practice, and even after just one lap, I felt like I had to recover for two laps to be able to breathe normally.
      “It felt like I was missing a lung.
      “It definitely did affect me, which I didn’t like because it was one of the first races where I felt like I was physically limited.
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      “That’s really frustrating when you’re out in the car, but since then I’ve been trying to work on it, trying to improve it, and it has improved a lot.
      “But for me now these next three weeks are just about getting back to full fitness. Hopefully for the rest of the year it should be okay.”
      Verstappen is hoping to make it three world championship wins in a row this season and his car is supposedly the fastest ever, according to rival Lewis Hamilton. More

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      Lewis Hamilton told Mercedes are 12 MONTHS behind Red Bull with Brit’s contract up at end of season

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has been told Mercedes are up to 12 MONTHS in development behind rivals Red Bull.The Brackley-based team have struggled to keep pace with reigning constructor champs Red Bull across the last two seasons.
      Toto Wolff has warned Mercedes are ‘six to 12 months’ behind Red Bull’s car developmentCredit: Splash
      It comes with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes deal up at the end of the seasonCredit: AP
      Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have secured one-two finishes in the opening two races of the season.
      Indeed, Hamilton claimed he had “never seen a car so fast” after Verstappen breezed past him on lap 12 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
      Meanwhile, the 38-year-old has finished P5 in both races, while team-mate George Russell has finished P7 and P4 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively.
      Consequently, Mercedes have admitted they need to look at changing their W14 car concept altogether, with “radical” changes set to be introduced.
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      However, team principal Toto Wolff has warned the team remain at least half a year away from competing at the top of the order.
      Wolff told reporters in Jeddah: “I think the lag is probably between six and 12 months, because that’s the time it really took for us to figure out what was actually happening with the [2022] car.
      “That means we just need to double the development speed, a stronger development slope which the logic and rationale speaks for it, that we could have [it].
      “[Red Bull’s] gains are going to be incrementally smaller if their concept is mature.
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      “Aero-wise, wind tunnel time can help a bit but not hugely, and we’ve just got to get our act together.
      “If we fundamentally understand where we need to put the car, then the steps are going to be large, but we need to be perfect.”
      This time scale comes with Hamilton’s Mercedes contract up at the end of the season.
      The seven-time world champion has been linked with Ferrari and Red Bull, though Christian Horner shut down such rumours from Red Bull’s camp.
      Hamilton has so far DISMISSED talk of retirement, at least until he wins his eighth world title.
      Hamilton will be hoping for better fortunes when the lights go out for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. More

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      Max Verstappen’s career outside F1 blocked by clothing giant Nike as Red Bull ace looks to expand empire before retiring

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      MAX VERSTAPPEN’S attempts to venture into the fashion industry have suffered a severe blow.The two-time Formula 1 world champion, 25, is looking to expand his empire as he already prepares for life after racing.
      Max Verstappen’s clothing brand has hit a major issueCredit: Rex
      Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 and is reportedly planning to go for some other motorsport-related goals outside of F1 once his deal expires.
      But he is also looking at the world outside of racing, with the Dutchman wanting to create a clothing brand named “Max 1”.
      However, De Limburger are now reporting that Nike have taken umbrage with his proposed name.
      This is because they believe it to be too similar to their “Nike: Air Max” shoe range.
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      A report from the region’s trademark agency, The Benelux Office for Intellectual Property, has confirmed an investigation is taking place following a complaint from Nike.
      As well as concerns around the name’s similarity, Nike’s opposition also relates to styling issues.
      The report states: “Both signs contain the word MAX, albeit in a different place. In the trademarks invoked, the elements AIR and MAX have equal weight in the overall impression. In the contested sign, the emphasis is on the word MAX. The number 1 will be regarded as a specification of MAX. To that extent the signs agree.
      “The goods in question (Nike and Max) are partly identical and partly similar. Visually and aurally, there is a certain degree of similarity between the signs.
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      “Based on these and the other factors mentioned above and given their interdependence, the Office considers that there is a likelihood of confusion in the sense that the public may believe that the goods covered by the trade marks invoked and those of the contested sign belong to the same undertaking or, as the case may be, from economically linked companies.
      “Since it is common practice in the clothing sector for the same mark to be configured in different ways, the relevant public might also think that the contested sign is a sub-mark of the opponent (Nike).”
      Meanwhile, on the track, Verstappen is in a superb position to claim a third successive drivers’ championship in 2023.
      After strolling to victory in Bahrain in the season opener, he managed to finish second in Saudi Arabia behind team-mate Sergio Perez despite qualifying 15th due to a broken driveshaft.
      Next up for the F1 paddock is the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, April 2. More

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      Christian Horner breaks silence on Lewis Hamilton to Red Bull rumours as Brit chases record eighth world title

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      CHRISTIAN HORNER has ruled out a Red Bull move for Lewis Hamilton.The legendary Brit is attempting to win a record eighth world title.
      Red Bull are not interested in making a move for Lewis HamiltonCredit: Rex
      Christian Horner reckons Mercedes are on the verge of a comebackCredit: Reuters
      Hamilton, 38, saw his last Formula One triumph come in 2020.
      The Mercedes ace was hoping to make a fast start in the new season after seeing rival Max Verstappen scoop the last two trophies.
      But Hamilton’s car remains an issue and has resulted in him taking successive fifth-place finishes.
      There are now question marks over the ace’s future at Mercedes, with teammate Lando Norris also struggling to impress.
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      And some reports claim Hamilton could make a stunning move to race alongside Verstappen at Red Bull.
      Merc team boss Toto Wolff has even given his blessing for the switch after struggling to agree a new contract with Hamilton.
      But Red Bull counterpart Horner has dismissed talk of a swoop by hailing Verstappen’s partnership with Sergio Perez.
      Horner said: “What Lewis has achieved in Formula One is second to none, but we’re very happy with the drivers that we have.
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      “They are committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So I can’t see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis.
      “I’m sure they [Mercedes] are going to sort their issues out – we’re certainly not writing him off yet.
      “We’re hearing about big Mercedes upgrades, I’m sure Ferrari aren’t happy with their current position either. So we’re fully expecting things to converge quickly.
      “Some of the racing has been fantastic and we saw a great race again [in Saudi Arabia] between our two drivers.
      “If you have two dominant cars who are racing each other then I think that does create a spectacle in itself.
      “But I have no doubt that the opposition will be coming back quickly especially as we come back into the European season when updates start to come through.” More

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      Lewis Hamilton’s old rival takes massive dig at ‘sulking’ Max Verstappen after Saudi Arabian GP

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      FORMULA 1 world champion Nico Rosberg has slammed Max Verstappen’s comments after he finished second in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.The Dutchman, 25, kicked off the 2023 season in superb style with a convincing victory in Bahrain.
      Mas Verstappen said he was unhappy after the Saudi Arabia despite a Red Bull one-twoCredit: Getty
      World champion Nico Rosberg has criticised Verstappen for his commentsCredit: Getty
      But mechanical problems on Saturday then saw him qualify 15th for the Saudi GP.
      And while he comfortably recovered to move into second place, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez claimed his first win of the year ahead of the reigning world champion.
      After the race, Verstappen said: “I recovered to second which is good and in general the whole feeling in the team is happy.
      “But personally I am not happy. I am not here to be second, especially when you are working very hard back at the factory to come here in a good state and making sure everything is spot on.”
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      He then went on to add: “When you are fighting for a championship and it looks like it is just between two cars [Verstappen and Perez] you have to make sure the two cars are reliable. 
      “We have to do better, absolutely – a cleaner weekend would be nice.”
      Rosberg, who twice lost out to Lewis Hamilton in the 2014 and 2015 championships before getting the better of him in 2016, was left unimpressed by Verstappen’s comments.
      Speaking on Sky Sports, the ex-Mercedes star said: “It is not good to see.
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      “We were also told he skipped the team meeting [on Saturday] apparently.
      “I don’t think it’s a good approach or mentality so early in the season when the team has done such a brilliant job and worked so hard. I think he could be more gracious.”
      Verstappen leads Perez by one point in the drivers’ championship heading into the third race of the season in Australia.
      Hamilton and Rosberg tussled for the world title on three occasionsCredit: PA:Press Association More