Tag: F1

F1, Motorsport

F1 : Lewis Hamilton wants to extend Mercedes contract

Lewis Hamilton wants to stay with Mercedes beyond his current contract, which expires at the end of 2015.

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“We’ve both shown interest in sitting down and talking,” said the Briton.

“The team know I would like to push to continue and they’ve made it clear they would like to do the same.”

Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren, who also use the company’s engines, on a three-year contract in 2013 and said he felt a strong bond with the company.

“I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13,” he said. “I very much feel like I have Mercedes imprinted on my chest. It’s very much a family for me.”

He added that he “can’t see myself anywhere else”.

Read More on BBC Sport

F1, Motorsport

F1: Mexico Grand Prix returns to calendar for 2015

Mexico will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 after a 23-year absence, organisers of a planned new race have announced.

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Live events company CIE said it had signed a five-year deal to run the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

The track has previously hosted grands prix from 1963-70 and 1986-92.

CIE president Alejandro Soberon said: “Start your engines, F1 will return to Mexico next year.”

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the news and said the deal would “benefit both for many years”.

The return of the event was originally planned for 2014, but the organisers could not update the track in time.

Read More on BBC Sport

F1, Motorsport

F1 : Lewis Hamilton battles to German GP third as Nico Rosberg wins

Lewis Hamilton fought his way up from 20th on the grid to finish third as his team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg won the German Grand Prix.

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The Briton staged a superb recovery drive despite damaging his front wing in a collision at around half-distance when passing Jenson Button’s McLaren.

He caught Williams’ Valtteri Bottas in the final laps but could not pass.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel beat Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso for fourth with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo sixth.

Rosberg’s victory on home soil leaves him 14 points clear of fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton at the head of the championship with nine races remaining.

“I had great fun,” said Hamilton. “I did as good as I could today. It was very hard to get through the field safely.

Read More on BBC Sport

 

F1, Motorsport

F1 : Lewis Hamilton will not play mind games with Nico Rosberg

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton says he is not trying to employ mind games against team-mate Nico Rosberg in their championship fight.

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Hamilton told British newspapers that this weekend’s German Grand Prix was “not really [Rosberg’s] home race”.

The Briton said: “I don’t play mind games with Nico. He is a very intelligent driver.”

Rosberg said: “I don’t get into such things. It’s a great battle between us and I’m sure it will be very close.”

Both men have since dismissed Hamilton’s remark – based on Rosberg’s upbringing in Monaco and the fact his father is Finnish and his mother German – as a “joke”.

Read More on BBC Sport

F1, Motorsport

Motorsport : Races Could be Held on Public Roads

The government is to change the law to give local authorities the power to stage motor races on public roads.

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Prime Minister David Cameron made the announcement on a visit to a new Williams F1 team engineering centre.

The government has conducted a consultation on the issue.

It is currently a criminal offence to promote or take part in a race or trial of speed between motor vehicles on a highway or, in Scotland, on a public road.

The proposal is to give local authorities the powers to suspend speed limits and some traffic regulations, in certain conditions.

Speaking at the Williams facility in Oxfordshire, Mr Cameron said the move would be “great” for motorsport and would mean “more races, more events and more money coming into our country”.

Tour inspiration

The success of last week’s Grand Depart of the Tour de France showed the public’s appetite for road races of both the two-wheel and four-wheel variety, he suggested.

It is thought that the change could result in as many as 20 races every year on public roads.

Read More on BBC Sport

F1, Motorsport

F1 : Kimi Raikkonen ‘OK’ After 150mph Crash

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen suffered only bruising to his legs in a 150mph crash at the British Grand Prix.

But the team do not know whether he will be fit to drive as planned in this week’s test at Silverstone.

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The Finn sustained an impact of 47G in the crash – 47 times the force of gravity – when he lost control of his car as he rejoined the track after running wide on the first lap.

“Kimi is OK. There is no major issue,” said team boss Marco Mattiacci.

“We checked several times and we will take a decision about the test and what to do.”

Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, was taken to the medical centre after hobbling away from his car with help from marshals after the crash, which stopped the race temporarily.

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F1, Motorsport

F1 : Lewis Hamilton Wins Classic British GP

Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix to close to within four points of Nico Rosberg in the title race.

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Hamilton’s team-mate was leading, but being chased down by the Briton, before he retired with gearbox failure.

The race was delayed for nearly an hour for barriers to be repaired following Kimi Raikkonen’s high speed crash.

Up to 120,000 fans saw Hamilton emerge victorious at Silverstone for the first time since 2008 – a year in which he went on to win the drivers’ title.

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was second from Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

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