The Canadian Grand Prix will be like any other Formula 1 race of the 2022 season at least at the start. Fernando Alonso qualified second on the Montreal track,...
Lewis Hamilton Discusses Back Injury; Mercedes Star's Status for Canadian GP TBD
Jun 12, 2022
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Fourth placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes climbs from his car after complaining of pain during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Lewis Hamilton could miss time after dealing with a back injury in Sunday's Azerbaijan GP.
The seven-time Formula One champion finished fourth in the latest race, but it didn't come easy.
"I was just holding and biting down on my teeth due to the pain, and the adrenaline [helped], I cannot express the pain that you experience, particularly on the straight here," Hamilton told Sky Sports after the race (h/t Haydn Cobb of Motorsport).
"At the end you are just praying for it to end," he added.
The superstar was in clear pain getting out of his car:
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said after the race the injury could "definitely" cause Hamilton to miss next week's event in Canada (h/t Jonathan Noble of Motorsport).
"He's really bad," Wolff said of Hamilton. "We have just got to find a solution. At this stage I think he is maybe the worst affected from all drivers. But pretty much everyone, as far as I understood from the drivers, said that something needs to happen."
The bouncing was an issue for several drivers, with a helmet cam from Charles Leclerc showing the extent of the problem.
Mercedes drivers Hamilton and George Russell took the brunt of it, with Hamilton suggesting the team lost over a second per lap because of the bouncing. Max Verstappen cruised to the easy win in Azerbaijan ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in second.
Hamilton is now in sixth place after the latest race, 88 points behind Verstappen for first.
Azerbaijan F1 Grand Prix 2022 Results: Max Verstappen Wins Race; Charles Leclerc DNF
Jun 12, 2022
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari F1-75 during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
After a long, exhausting dry spell of exactly one race, Max Verstappen is back to his winning ways.
Verstappen earned his fifth win of the 2022 Formula One season at Sunday's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, further extending his lead in the points standings as he blazes a path toward a second straight championship.
Sergio Perez now sits in second place behind Verstappen in the standings after a second-place finish at the Baku City Circuit. George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top five finishers.
Charles Leclerc, who entered the race just nine points behind Verstappen, did not finish for the second time in three races and has fallen to third in the standings.
Leclerc started the race on the pole and was in the lead when his power unit went out on Lap 21. Both Ferrari cars suffered power issues in Sunday's race, with Carlos Sainz not even making it 10 laps into the race when his car failed.
Ferrari will have to take a long, hard look at its cars after suffering mechanical issues in Spain and Azerbaijan. Those failures have caused Leclerc to go from points leader to 34 points behind the red-hot Verstappen.
Hamilton, the sport's most famous driver, remains in a frustrating spot as he stands winless eight races into the 2022 season. The seven-time champion has done no better than third in a race this season; Sunday's result was his second-best performance of the year and came despite his car porpoising throughout the race.
Mercedes has struggled all season to field cars worthy of Hamilton's status. This is the longest he's gone without a victory in a season since 2013—his first win in that campaign came in the 10th race of the year. He's on pace to finish outside the top five in points for the first time ever.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has had four different winners in its short history on the Formula 1 schedule. That trend could move to five drivers in five editions...
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 Team Change Logo to Pride Colors for Next 3 Races
Jun 8, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes walks in the Paddock ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
In celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Mercedes has announced its Formula One team, which includes seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, will feature the three-pointed star logo outfitted in Pride colors on its cars for the next three races.
Mercedes posted a video clip of what the redesigned logo will look like:
We’re proud to be running the @MercedesBenz Pride Star on our W13s for the next three races, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and raising awareness for Pride Month 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WbMNiC8L8O
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 8, 2022
Hamilton and George Russell comprise the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. The nose of their cars will feature the Pride logo for races at Azerbaijan (June 12), Canada (June 19) and Great Britain (July 3).
In addition to the star, Mercedes announced it has "a range of internal and external activities planned for Pride Month, as part of our Accelerate 25 programme to become a more diverse and inclusive team."
Hamilton and Russell will also display the Pride star on their racing helmets for each of the next three races to add "their voices to the global celebration of the LGBTQ+ community."
Sports leagues across the United States and Canada have built events and celebrations around Pride Month in recent years to show support to LGBTQ+ people around the world.
Per Ken Schultz of Outsports.com, 28 Major League Baseball teams have announced Pride Nights for individual games this month.
The WNBA has initiatives and activities planned for the entire month to "empower players, teams, fans and employees to share their voices and create a more inclusive environment around the game and in their communities."
On June 26, the NBA and WNBA will march and have a float in the New York City Pride March.
Hamilton previously wore a Pride helmet for races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia last November. He said he chose those races because of the countries' reported persecution of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Brad Pitt Formula 1 Movie Acquired by Apple; Lewis Hamilton Attached as Producer
Jun 7, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
The Formula One craze is coming to the silver screen.
Per Rebecca Rubin of Variety, Apple Original Films has acquired the rights to an F1 movie starring and produced by Brad Pitt.
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is also attached as a producer.
F1 has seen its popularity in the United States explode in recent years. Its success in this country is largely attributed to the Netflix series Drive to Survive that debuted in March 2019.
Per David Hill of the New York Post, a recent Nielsen study showed Formula One is on track to have more than 1 billion fans worldwide this year.
According to Rubin, Pitt is going to play "a driver who comes out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie driver and the titans of the sport."
If the plot description of an aging movie star fighting to recapture his former glory against a young hotshot sounds familiar, there's a reason for that.
The movie is set to be directed by Joseph Kosinski, who is riding high amid the success of Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel to the 1986 original saw Tom Cruise return to the role that made him a Hollywood superstar.
Maverick has earned rave reviews and is already the third-highest grossing movie of the year with $308 million in just two weeks of release.
Ehren Kruger, who co-wrote Top Gun: Maverick, wrote the screenplay for the Formula One movie.
Jerry Bruckheimer, who produced both Top Gun movies, is also going to produce Pitt's untitled F1 movie. His production company has experience in the world of racing. The 78-year-old was a producer on Days of Thunder, another Cruise-starring vehicle from 1990.
It's unclear at this point when filming is going to begin on the project.
F1 Star Sergio Perez Signs New Contract with Red Bull Through 2024
May 31, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - 2022/05/29: Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)
After getting his first win of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix, Sergio Perez has signed an extension with Red Bull Racing through 2024, per Sky Sports.
Thank you for all the trust and for making me part of this family for two more years! Vamooos!
Perez is coming off an impressive showing in Sunday's race, starting in third place but taking over the lead early and holding on for his third career win.
The Mexican driver has been in Formula One since 2011, signing with Red Bull ahead of the 2021 season.
Perez had his best career season after signing with Red Bull, earning 190 points that included one win with five total podiums on his way to a fourth-place finish. The 32-year-old also finished fourth in 2020 with the Racing Point team.
Checo is off to an even better start in 2022, currently sitting in third place through seven races in the driver standings. He is only 15 points behind leader and teammate Max Verstappen.
In addition to his recent win, Perez has three runner-up finishes and hasn't been worse than fourth in any of the last six starts.
The consistency is enough for Red Bull to stick with the driver for at least two more years as the team tries to bring home its first title since 2013, when Sebastian Vettel won the last of his four consecutive drivers' championships.
Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2022 Results: Sergio Perez Wins Race after Rain Delay
May 29, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 29: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 during the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 29, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Sergio Perez earned his first win of the 2022 Formula One season in a weather-shortened Monaco Grand Prix.
Sunday's race was delayed by rain, allowing the drivers to finish just 64 of the 77 scheduled laps before the two-hour time limit expired. Perez took advantage of mistakes by the Ferrari team during its pit stops and stayed in front, securing a win for Red Bull Racing.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished just behind the leader for second place, while teammate and pole winner Charles Leclerc ended up fourth. Max Verstappen finished in third place to break his streak of three straight wins.
Ferrari double stacks for slicks, but called Leclerc in and then told him to stay out! Sainz leads his team-mate now, and Norris is ahead of Leclerc! Ferrari have got this all wrong with Leclerc but Perez, Verstappen and Norris still on inters #F1#MonacoGP
Verstappen remained in first place in the driver standings after his podium finish, but Perez helped trim the margin to Leclerc while sitting in third. Lando Norris also added an extra point after finishing with the fastest lap of the race.
The F1 season will continue with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on June 12.
Monaco F1 Grand Prix 2022: Odds, Preview and Top Storylines
May 28, 2022
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 28: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari F1-75 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 28, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Clive Mason - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Charles Leclerc has not achieved any success at his home race on the Formula 1 circuit.
The Ferrari driver and 2022 championship contender has an 18th-place finish, a did not finish and a did not start on his resume at the Monaco Grand Prix, but he could reverse his history inside the principality on Sunday starting from pole position.
Leclerc was on pole last year, but he was unable to start because of damage suffered by his car at the end of qualifying. Leclerc's title rival, Max Verstappen, went on to win the race.
A crash in qualifying could play in favor of Leclerc during Sunday's race, though, depending on the repairs made to the cars of Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz overnight.
Perez spun and hit a barrier in the final minutes of Saturday's qualifying session, and Sainz made some contact with the stopped Red Bull.
Leclerc and Verstappen have been the only contenders for the majority of the chequered flags throughout the season, though, and Red Bull had Verstappen pass Perez last week in Spain despite having a one-two finish locked up.
Verstappen qualified in fourth place and should be the Red Bull car on the hunt for Leclerc and Sainz around the streets of Monaco.
Charles Leclerc Looking To Break Bad Luck At Monaco
Leclerc has earned pole for the second straight race at his home Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver has to be hoping that Sunday's run across the principality's streets is as stress-free as it could be.
Leclerc needs a good race at Monaco to erase all of the bad memories on his home roads and to get back on track in the drivers championship.
He was on pace to win the Spanish Grand Prix last Sunday until he was forced to retire because of a mechanical issue. That allowed Verstappen and Perez to take first and second for Red Bull, respectively.
Leclerc enters Sunday with a six-point deficit to Verstappen in the championship, and the pole he secured in qualifying could be crucial since Monaco is a notoriously hard track to pass on.
Leclerc finished in either first or second in four of the five races he finished this season, and his sixth-place finish at Imola was down to a bad strategic decision.
A win at Monaco for Leclerc would obviously mean a ton for him personally, and it would hand his team just a second win inside the principality since 2002.
Red Bull Forced To Chase Down Ferrari
The battles for the drivers and constructors championships between Ferrari and Red Bull will be front and center on the streets of Monaco.
Leclerc and Sainz earned spots on the front row in qualifying, while Perez and Verstappen respectively landed in third and fourth.
Verstappen has been Red Bull's primary focus all season long, and he should get the preferential treatment to chase down Leclerc on Sunday, and the damage suffered to Perez's car at the end of the final round of qualifying on Saturday makes it all the more likely Verstappen will be the priority.
Perez could still be a threat to Leclerc from third place, but the chances of that happening could drop because of all the new equipment Red Bull has to put on the car.
Verstappen passed Perez under team orders to win at Spain last week, and we can't rule out the same thing occurring on Sunday if the two are chasing down Leclerc.
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Former F1 Boss Bernie Ecclestone Arrested in Brazil for Illegally Carrying Gun
May 26, 2022
SOCHI, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Bernie Ecclestone of Great Britain during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Russia at Sochi Autodrom on September 28, 2019 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Peter J Fox/Getty Images)
Former Formula One CEO Bernie Ecclestone was arrested Wednesday in Brazil for illegally carrying a gun, according to Reuters.
Brazilian authorities said they discovered a handgun in Ecclestone's luggage as he was preparing to board a private plane to Switzerland.
The 91-year-old said the gun was his but that he had no recollection of packing it in his luggage prior to traveling to the airport.
Per Reuters, Ecclestone paid $1,257.55 for his bail and ultimately made his planned trip to Switzerland.
In 1978, Ecclestone became the chief executive of the Formula One Constructors' Association, and he remained in that role with what became Formula One Group until 2017, following Formula One's sale to Liberty Media.
At the time of his departure, the Guardian's Giles Richards wrote Ecclestone had "overseen a transformation that moved F1 from a sport beloved by aficionados to a global business worth a fortune and with a huge audience."
The England native remained Formula One's chairman emeritus until 2020.
