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Red Bull's Max Verstappen took his ninth triumph of the play astatine the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Dutchman received a one-place grid punishment aft qualifying connected rod but took the pb from Mercedes' George Russell astatine the start.
McLaren were incapable to seal the constructors' title title, and the conflict with Ferrari volition spell down to the ligament successful the past contention of the season.
BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions going into this weekend's play finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Is Lewis Hamilton’s mediocre qualifying signifier a interest for Ferrari, having fto spell Carlos Sainz, whose performances person been coagulated lately? – Thomas
Ferrari squad main Frederic Vasseur was asked this question aft the Qatar Grand Prix connected Sunday.
He said: "Not astatine all. Have a look astatine the 50 laps helium did successful Vegas, starting P10, finishing connected the gearbox of (winner George) Russell. I americium not disquieted astatine all."
There is nary uncertainty that Hamilton has not had a large last play for Mercedes.
There person been highs - 2 wins, including a superb thrust astatine the British Grand Prix, and the ascent up done the tract astatine Las Vegas mentioned by Vasseur are evident ones.
But the information helium has been comprehensively out-paced by team-mate George Russell successful qualifying, and his wide struggles with the car, person been a surprise. And nary 1 - not Hamilton, not Mercedes - seems to truly beryllium capable to explicate wherefore Hamilton has has had these problems.
What's definite is that helium has simply not got connected with this year's Mercedes car, which helium finds unpredictable, and he’s not been capable to header with its idiosyncrasies arsenic good arsenic Russell.
How Hamilton gets connected astatine Ferrari adjacent twelvemonth alongside Charles Leclerc volition beryllium 1 of the cardinal narratives of adjacent season.
Is it not astir clip immoderate recognition beryllium fixed to George Russell’s qualifying performances? Aren’t they the origin of Lewis Hamilton’s doubts? – Stewart
George Russell surely deserves recognition for his qualifying performances, and his performances successful general.
Even earlier this year, Russell was fundamentally a lucifer for Hamilton successful qualifying successful 2022 and 2023, and this twelvemonth helium has comprehensively beaten him.
No 1 successful F1 doubts that Russell is 1 of the out-and-out fastest drivers connected the grid, nor that helium is simply a starring airy of what you mightiness telephone the ‘new’ procreation of stars on with Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.
But Hamilton’s struggles this twelvemonth are, astir would say, a spot abstracted to that.
Neither Hamilton nor Mercedes tin decently explicate conscionable wherefore Hamilton is struggling truthful overmuch this twelvemonth compared with Russell. But it can't beryllium casual going done a twelvemonth with a hard car erstwhile you cognize you are leaving astatine the extremity of the season.
With everything needed to enactment a squad unneurotic and plan and physique a analyzable F1 car, tin Cadillac truly nutrient a competitory car for 2026? – Clifford
When Formula 1 initially rejected what was astatine the clip a associated bid from Cadillac and the US-based Andretti organisation successful January, 1 of the reasons they gave was the unlikelihood of the squad being competitive.
F1 has since changed its tune. And the cardinal quality successful F1’s presumption connected the task is that it is present being presented arsenic a mill introduction from General Motors, Cadillac's genitor company.
All the same, galore of the essentials of the caller squad are the same, erstwhile you drill down into what it is.
It will beryllium tally by the aforesaid organisation Andretti has enactment together, but is present being referred to by a antithetic name, TWG, and co-founder Michael Andretti himself is nary longer involved.
And the car is being designed by the aforesaid squad that has been moving for Andretti astatine Silverstone for immoderate time. This is nether the enactment of erstwhile Renault F1 bosses Pat Symonds, Rob White and Nick Chester.
One cardinal quality is that the caller squad volition not beryllium utilizing a Renault motor erstwhile it makes its debut successful 2026.
It inactive needs a lawsuit motor to plug the spread earlier the bespoke Cadillac motor is acceptable - astir apt by 2028 oregon truthful - but that is present apt to beryllium a Ferrari.
In theory, Cadillac has the aforesaid anticipation to nutrient a competitory 2026 car arsenic immoderate different squad - they person the aforesaid entree to the rules arsenic anyone else.
The FIA seems to beryllium successful implicit shambles - with the debris mistake successful the Qatar Grand Prix the latest issue. Can F1 unit for Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s removal? – Jonathan
The abbreviated reply to this question is is no. The FIA president is voted successful by the FIA subordinate clubs successful an predetermination each 4 years - the adjacent 1 is successful December 2025.
Ben Sulayem is expected to basal again, and astatine the infinitesimal determination is nary evident campaigner to basal against him, though determination are murmurings that astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic volition try.
Having said that, determination is superior interest wrong F1 - some astatine Liberty Media and among the teams - arsenic to the mode the FIA is being tally astatine the moment, and the fig of elder radical who person ended up leaving this year, 1 mode oregon another.
This was summed up by Mercedes F1 squad brag Toto Wolff connected Sunday, erstwhile helium said: “It could person its ain world amusement of what is happening astatine the moment.
“All of america stakeholders request to carnivore successful caput that we request to support this beatified grail of a athletics and bash it with work and accountability and transparency. It doesn’t travel crossed similar that."
How tin Max Verstappen conflict successful the Qatar sprint contention but past suffice connected rod presumption for the expansive prix? – Jack
This comes down to car set-up. Red Bull got it incorrect for the sprint and right for the main expansive prix, aft immoderate changes betwixt the extremity of the sprint and the commencement of qualifying.
The effect of these changes amazed adjacent Verstappen himself, who said: "I besides didn't expect that. I mean, we did alteration a spot connected the car, but I ne'er thought it would marque specified a plaything successful performance."
At Mercedes, things went the different way. Russell was competitory successful the sprint but not truthful successful the expansive prix.
It's an illustration of however delicate modern F1 cars are. A tiny alteration tin instrumentality them successful and retired of what is known arsenic the 'set-up window', and erstwhile out, it tin person a large effect connected performance.
How bash F1 drivers get implicit jet-lag? It's not casual flying crossed clip zones, yet they're perpetually travelling. Are they conscionable utilized to it? - Dave
F1 drivers are elite-level athletes with unthinkable skill, but they are inactive quality beings, and they get affected by jet-lag similar everyone else.
So, successful Las Vegas, for example, Carlos Sainz said this astir the monolithic time-zone displacement betwixt determination and Qatar: "It is down to the fittingness that you've accumulated during the archetypal portion of the twelvemonth and keeping yourself acceptable and healthy.
"It volition beryllium rather a daze to the body, but If you're fit, you're healthy, and you've managed to support yourself lukewarm here, don't get immoderate colds, instrumentality melatonin whenever you person to instrumentality melatonin, and spell to slumber whenever you person to spell to sleep, it should get it done."
George Russell added: "There's not truly thing you tin bash successful these days. Preparation needed to hap beforehand. And it's going to beryllium a situation for everyone, but we're each successful the aforesaid boat.
"So nary one's going to beryllium connected highest information personally, but it's conscionable astir limiting the losses."
Melatonin, by the way, is simply a hormone you tin instrumentality that promotes sleep. It’s disposable by medicine successful the UK and implicit the antagonistic successful the US.
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