Formula 1 Alonso’s verdict as big Aston Martin performance step validated Fernando Alonso continues to downplay Aston Martin’s F1 prospects – but the qualifying simulations he posted that yielded top spot in FP2 at the Bahrain Grand Prix confirmed the belief that the AMR23 is a very good car
Formula 1 Hamilton gets FIA jewellery exemption over ‘disfigurement’ worry Lewis Hamilton has been granted a medical exemption to wear jewellery in Formula 1 races as the FIA shares a concern about potential disfigurement if he repeatedly removes a nose piercing
Formula 1 Hamilton knew Mercedes was still adrift when he first tried W14 Lewis Hamilton says he knew from his very first laps in the Mercedes W14 that it was not going to be quick enough at the start of the season
Formula 1 Last but a better last – Albon’s pessimistic Williams assessment Williams will start the 2023 F1 season bottom of the pile and its main aim at present is to be a less distant last. That’s the “bit more pessimistic than optimistic” opinion of Alex Albon ahead of the Bahrain GP season opener
Formula 1 Mercedes is more threatening than ever. But when can it win? The lessons Mercedes learned during its at-times painful 2022 F1 season should make it a potent force this season – it’s just a question of when the conditions needed to get there can be met
Formula 1 Haas’s big decision looks a success – but ‘stress test’ awaits The seamless way Nico Hulkenberg has slotted back into F1, with Haas, is impressive. But we’ll need to wait for the “honeymoon phase” – to use his words – to finish to properly judge that relationship
Formula 1 Is Aston Martin hype just playground rumour or the real deal? There’s a lot of excitement about how strongly Aston Martin might start the 2023 Formula 1 season after its performance in testing. Is the hype justified?
Formula 1 Piastri on thick skin, strengths and being coveted by McLaren Few Formula 1 rookies have faced as much controversy and attention before they’ve even raced as Oscar Piastri. He spoke exclusively to Scott Mitchell-Malm to explain how he’s developed a thick skin and the strengths that made McLaren want to sign him so badly
Formula 1 Ferrari’s confidence easing Red Bull dominance fears – for now Red Bull ended Formula 1’s pre-season test hiding little on-track or off it – Ferrari was different but its confidence was telling – or at least those wanting a close F1 season will be hoping, as Scott Mitchell-Malm explains
Formula 1 Ranking the 10 F1 teams after 2023 pre-season testing With Formula 1’s sole 2023 pre-season test complete, here’s the pecking order heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix
Formula 1 Drugovich was Aston’s only logical Plan B – even over Vettel Aston Martin was right to pick Felipe Drugovich over four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel as its Plan B for the Bahrain GP, says Scott Mitchell-Malm
Formula 1 Our trackside judgement on every 2023 F1 car in testing Laptimes can mislead you in Formula 1 pre-season testing so one thing we like to trust is the behaviour of the car on track. Here’s our assessment of each 2023 F1 car’s handling from three days of trackside observations at Sakhir
Formula 1 10 things we learned from 2023 pre-season F1 testing A clear favourite and a team that looks like it might really burst out of the midfield are the headline takeaways from three days of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain
Formula 1 Aston cagey on Vettel as Stroll Bahrain GP stand-in option Aston Martin will only settle on a definitive ‘Plan B’ if it’s sure Lance Stroll can’t race in the F1 season opener in Bahrain – but it won’t rule out its former driver Sebastian Vettel as a potential candidate to be said ‘Plan B’
Formula 1 Red Bull considering sale or relocation of AlphaTauri F1 team The future of the AlphaTauri Formula 1 team is unclear as Red Bull weighs up whether to relocate it to the UK or sell it
Formula 1 The early impact of Ferrari’s ‘excellent’ new boss The first clear sign of influence from Fred Vasseur at Ferrari has been the changes he’s committed to making. As one of his drivers says, he’s been “excellent” at putting people in the right places – which goes beyond a simple strategic reshuffle
Formula 1 The main 2023 target McLaren missed and how it happened McLaren is performing as expected in F1 testing, it’s just not competitive enough. The target it missed with the MCL60 was caused by a change of development direction – which means its early 2023 aero performance will be compromised
Formula 1 Trackside trends that emerged on F1 test day two The second day of Formula 1’s 2023 Bahrain test reinforced the pre-season favourite but displayed the merits of its rivals, as Scott Mitchell-Malm explains in his trackside observations
Formula 1 Ex-F1 racer could get Mercedes team management role Ex-Formula 1 and Formula E driver Jerome d’Ambrosio may be given a role at the Mercedes Formula 1 team after “observing” from inside at pre-season testing
Formula 1 McLaren’s missed its development targets – and it shows McLaren’s admitted it hasn’t hit its winter development targets with its 2023 Formula 1 car, and that’s very obvious from the MCL60’s performance in Bahrain testing so far
Formula 1 Haas’s clever $250k pitwall saving and its impact on the car Haas reckons its unique three-seater pitwall set-up has saved the team a quarter of a million dollars that can be put towards developing its 2023 Formula 1 car
Formula 1 Trackside verdict: The 2023 F1 cars’ early traits At two of Bahrain’s most challenging corners, our writers got an early glimpse of how F1’s various 2023 cars are treating their drivers
Formula 1 ‘No bouncing’ – Mercedes’ biggest problem seems conquered Mercedes’ first impressions of its 2023 Formula 1 car suggest it has successfully rid itself of the bouncing problem that wrecked its 2022 season
Formula 1 Stroll a Bahrain GP doubt as Aston keeps status ‘private’ Lance Stroll’s participation in next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix remains in doubt as Aston Martin is disclosing little about his absence from F1’s pre-season test beyond revealing he has a wrist injury
Formula 1 Ferrari has new F1 trackside strategy head for 2023 Ferrari’s head of race strategy has moved to a factory role and been replaced trackside ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season
Formula 1 First look at 2023 Red Bull F1 car with dramatic sidepods Champion team Red Bull’s RB19 2023 Formula 1 car has been revealed ahead of pre-season testing beginning in Bahrain
Formula 1 First look at 2023 Red Bull F1 car with dramatic sidepods Champion team Red Bull’s RB19 2023 Formula 1 car has been revealed ahead of pre-season testing beginning in Bahrain
Formula 1 Will one of these Mercedes F1 teams switch to Honda? Multiple teams, Honda claims, have contacted it about a 2026 Formula 1 engine programme. If it does commit, it has three legitimate options – all of which, coincidentally, are existing Mercedes customers
Formula 1 What to watch out for in F1 pre-season testing For only the second time, Formula 1 pre-season testing is limited to just three days of running. Take a look at the themes to keep an eye on in Bahrain
Formula 1 ‘They made their decision’ – Honda on Red Bull ending 2026 talks Though Honda’s uncertainty about being in F1 may have contributed to discussions with Red Bull about a 2026 engine project ceasing, it has implied that it was the championship-winning team that ended talks to go with Ford instead
Formula 1 Alpine is sure it’s solved Alonso’s biggest complaint Alpine accepts Fernando Alonso suffered “the brunt” of its failures during the 2022 F1 season. But that’s not important; what matters now is that they’re fixed (and it’s confident they are)
Formula 1 Honda had to address ‘severe compromise’ on Red Bull F1 engine Honda needed to address the “severely compromised” reliability of its Formula 1 engine for the two Red Bull teams for 2023
Formula 1 Honda contacted by ‘multiple teams’ for F1 2026 Honda claims it has been contacted by ”multiple teams” since registering for the 2026 Formula 1 engine rules
Formula 1 What manufacturers have attacked within F1 engine freeze F1 engine manufacturers didn’t exactly have much freedom to make improvements with a freeze implemented – and even more limitations are in place for 2023. That’s made finding performance gains a painstaking process, but it looks like all the manufacturers have managed to
Formula 1 An extra benefit to McLaren’s imminent new F1 windtunnel The long-awaited arrival of the McLaren Formula 1 team’s new windtunnel later in 2023 has the potential to solve more of its problems than might be obvious
Formula 1 ‘Race-ready’ A523 makes Alpine’s 2022 car look ‘like a toy’ Emboldened by a “spot on” shakedown with “perfect correlation”, Esteban Ocon is ready to declare the new Alpine F1 car a huge step forward
Formula 1 How Alpine’s plan to outdevelop F1’s elite starts from race one Alpine’s ambitious 2023 vision will start with a “very visual” upgrade in the opener – something it says won’t have been possible before
Formula 1 Impatient Norris’s outlook on McLaren’s F1 reality check Unless McLaren is overplaying how reserved its expectations are for the start of 2023, an impatient Lando Norris may be on the brink of a frustrating Formula 1 season. This is how he’s handling that prospect, and how the team’s handling him
Formula 1 The area of new Alpine its technical boss is clearly proud of Work in one particular area of the A523 has allowed Alpine to claw back weight and should broaden its set-up range. That’s something the F1 team’s technical director Matt Harman says he’s “quite proud of”
Formula 1 Alpine’s 2023 F1 car has one acceptable aim. Is it achievable? Alpine wants to not just defend fourth place this season – but to be closer to the top three than to the rest of the midfield. It is a genuinely daunting target
