Currently, the FIA lets F3 field 12 squads with three teams each.

This can cause issues such as traffic congestion during qualifiers – particularly at high-speed circuits such as the Monza or the Red Bull Ring.

Driver safety has been a prominent issue in racing recently, following the death of Dilano van’t Hoff at the Spa-Francorchamps in July.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Many F1 drivers, including McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, criticised the design of the track – in particular the Eau Rouge corner.

Van’t Hoff’s car crashed along the Kemmel straight, with wet weather conditions and low visibility being partly blamed for the fatal incident.

Piastri asserted that the F1 Belgian GP should be cancelled if similar weather conditions occurred – although it went ahead, despite heavy rain.

The lack of visibility in wet conditions has been highlighted as a hazard by numerous drivers and Russell emphasised these concerns in recent remarks.

The Mercedes driver believes the problem won’t be solved for years.

He said: “think the way the FIA goes about things now is better than it has been in the recent past.

“It all seems a bit more organised with Nikolas [Tombazis] at the helm there and Steve Nielsen has been a really great addition to the FIA.

“We all want decisions and answers, but the fact is we are probably not going to find the solution for better visibility for years to come. It’s challenging, it’s really not easy.”

READ: ‘Impossible’: Max Verstappen makes Lewis Hamilton admission

The British racer was keen to highlight the extra danger it posed for the junior categories, where more cars are allowed on the track during a race.

He remarked: “I fear a little bit for the junior categories now, I truly think F3 should not be allowed 30 cars on track at one time at any point, even in dry conditions.

“I think it’s a matter of time before we have a big accident there too.”

The post George Russell blasts Formula 3 appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Colapinto had secured his first victory but officials stripped him of the win after finding that parts of his car’s bodywork were outside regulatory limits.

“Modifications to the geometry of the parts in question are prohibited by the rules outside of basic repairs,” FIA Formula 3 said in a statement, citing Articles 1.3 and 2.5.

“MP Motorsport drivers Mari Boya and Jonny Edgar have also been disqualified from the race for the same technical infringement as was found on Colapinto’s car,” the statement from FIA Formula 3 read.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Scrutineers found that “the entire length of the edges on each side of the keel spanning more than 150mm had been repaired or modified and the geometry was not consistent, both as to the width and the keel edge and its shape.”

With Colapinto disqualified, PREMA Racing’s Zak O’Sullivan took the victory, with Hitech Pulse-Eights Sebastian Montoya in second and Paul Aron in third. 

The disqualification of Boya and Edgar meant that Campos Racing’s Christian Mansell and ART Grand Prix’s Kaylen Frederick were pushed up to the final points-scoring positions of ninth and 10th.

READ: Oscar Piastri suffers blow at 2023 Australian GP

“We are proud of the performance our drivers have delivered yesterday. Regardless of how the situation ended, the team has regrouped and we are fully focusing on today’s Feature Race,” MP Motorsport said in a statement.

“Mistakes happen, but we’ll come back stronger! Let’s go Team!” Colapinto added.

Sunday’s Formula 3 Feature Race didn’t bring any better luck for the team, as Edgar finished in P12, while Colapinto and Boya suffered DNFs

The post Three drivers disqualified in Australia over technical infringements appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

The FIA have massively clamped down on what a driver can have in a cockpit with them, resulting in the governing body locking horns with seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton recently went against the FIA after jewellery was banned from the cockpit; however, he’s been granted permission to keep his nose stud in after presenting a doctor’s note.

Hamilton isn’t the only driver to have been granted permission to have something with him in the cockpit, with Mansell having been granted permission due to having type one diabetes.

READ: Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari are sandbagging as he sends Max Verstappen warning

The Campos driver has been given permission to keep a mobile phone in his car due to Mansell and his trainer needing to monitor his blood sugar concentration, which could fall dangerously low without it being monitored.

Following special permission having been granted, the mobile phone in Mansell’s cockpit will be able to send his trainer his blood sugar levels in real time, meaning swift action can be taken if necessary.

The FIA medical delegate are aware that Mansell is “medically fit to compete notwithstanding his diabetes condition,” but that it would be in the best interest of the driver’s safety to “allow the monitoring system he is familiar with to be used during competition in the manner suggested.”

Interestingly, Mansell has only been granted permission to use a phone this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit, with Campos planning to present to the FIA a “acceptable solution” ahead of the championship’s next weekend in Australia, alongside Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix.

READ: Lando Norris breaks into Rich List for the first time

In the opening race of the season which took place Saturday morning, Mansell finished in 14th, whilst his team-mate Pepe Martí claimed the first victory of the 2023 season.

Mansell’s other Campos team-mate Hugh Barter finished 11th, just over two seconds ahead of Mansell – who is not related to ex-Formula 1 driver and 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell.

Mansell will be hoping to finish higher than 14th in the main race of the weekend, which takes place Sunday morning.

The post FIA grants permission for driver to carry mobile phone in the cockpit appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Liam Lawson, Juri Vips, Jehan Daruvala, Ayumu Iwasa, and Dennis Hauger have all been plying their trade in Formula 2 as part of the Red Bull system this season.

In Formula 3, Isaac Hadjar has out in some superb performances, while Jonny Edgar has been a standout driver since his return from Crohn’s disease.

Vips was given a Friday practice outing with the Austrian team in Barcelona, and he stared 2022 as their test and reserve driver, but was dropped after an incident in which he used a racial slur.

READ: Christian Horner explains why he was shocked by Red Bull’s 2022 car

Hadjar is set to be promoted to F2 next year along with the rest of the junior talent, none of whom are expected to be moved up to Formula 1.

Daruvala is the highest-placed driver in the F2 champion heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi in December, and fifth may yet become third, depending on how results play out at the Yas Marina Circuit.

All in all though, adviser, Dr Helmut Marko, is not entirely pleased with the way his juniors have performed, and even if Pierre Gasly leaves for Alpine next year, drivers outside the pool, such as Nyck de Vries, ae being considered to replace him at AlphaTauri.

Nonetheless, Horner is satisfied with where the junior programme is at the moment.

“Yeah it is [in a good place],” he told Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid Podcast. 

“We are continuing to invest in youth, we’ve got some great youngsters in the programme, all the way from karting or stepping into Formula 4 for now, upwards. 

“And I think it’s something that Red Bull have done so well, is giving these kids a chance, investing in young talent and giving opportunities that otherwise they wouldn’t have had.”

The 48-year-old pinpoints Iwasa as the cream of the crop in F2 this season.

“There’s a few guys, I mean, Isaac Hadjar in Formula 3 this year has had a great debut season. I think Iwasa in in F2 has been a standout driver for me,” explained Horner.

“So they’re just two of the guys, on the programme. Liam Lawson’s had a tough year, but he’s another talent. 

READ: ‘Everything to lose’: Team principal claims Max Verstappen ‘rattled’ Lewis Hamilton

“Dennis Hauger has been a bit underwhelming in F2 after such a dominant year in F3, but again how much of that is him? How much of it is his equipment?”

In the main fold, Max Verstappen is expected to wrap up his second title in the next two races in Singapore and Japan.

The Dutchman holds a 116-point lead over Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Perez’s improved performance this year is set to help the Milton Keynes-based side to their fifth constructors’ crown.

The post Christian Horner assesses Red Bull’s junior talents as Pierre Gasly looks to join Alpine appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Norris wants the FIA to have the kerbs banned from circuits, after the recent round of the World Endurance Championship at Monza saw Henrique Chaves barrel-roll after going over one of the huge kerbs.

Thankfully, Chaves walked away from the crash; however, it was yet another reminder to Norris as to why he wants them removed from motorsport.

Another major incident took place during the British Grand Prix, where during the Formula 2 race Dennis Hauger was launched over the sausage kerb at Vale, before hitting the side of Roy Nissany’s halo.

The halo device all but certainly saved Nissany’s life, similar to how it saved Sir Lewis Hamilton at Monza last season.

READ: Daniel Ricciardo ‘driving to survive’ with Alpine driver tipped to replace him at McLaren

At the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen launched over the sausage kerb at the Variante chicane, before landing on top of Hamilton.

Monza was also the venue of one of the biggest crashes in modern motorsport history, when in 2019, Formula 3 driver Alex Peroni flew in the air before landing on the catch-fencing at Parabolica, having run-over a sausage kerb.

In his column, Norris raised concerns that should a similar incident happen in F1, it could have terrifying consequences.

The British driver raised the point that with F1 cars running so low, the impact of running over one could cause life-changing spinal injuries.

“I have been critical of raised kerbs in the past, but I think it is time we acted on these warnings and removed them from our sport,” said the McLaren F1 driver.

“Again, thankfully, both drivers were able to walk away from the incident, but we have seen other drivers injured in the past.

“Alex Peroni had a big crash when he hit a sausage kerb during an F3 race in support of the F1 race. That ended his season.

“With Formula 1 cars running lower to the ground than ever, and stiffer than ever, we need to act because when these cars hit these kerbs, you do not ride them. You can be launched into the air. Cars can pop up, do big wheelies and then slam back down again, which can be very painful on the back.

“Chaves’ crash last weekend is a reminder that we cannot let this drag on. Issues such as sausage kerbs are, in my eyes at least, a critical topic that we need to sort out sooner rather than later,” Norris concluded.

The post Lando Norris urges the FIA to take immediate action on ‘critical issue’ appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Prema’s Leclerc passed polesitter Zak O’Sullivan early on in the F3 race after the Briton had taken pole on Friday, before Isaac Hadjar took the win in the reverse grid sprint race.

Leclerc held off O’Sullivan before pulling nine tenths in front in the final couple of laps, leaving the Carlin driver to battle away with Oliver Bearman, Caio Collet, Hadjar and Jack Crawford for second.

It was the third win of Leclerc’s F3 career as older brother and Ferrari driver Charles watched on with pride.

“It was a fantastic race,” said Arthur. 

READ: Horner claims Mercedes let Ferrari ‘off the hook’ as he was surprised by Lewis Hamilton’s strategy

“We set everything in motion to take the lead and win.  

“Managing the tyres wasn’t easy, but we got there, it’s going to be a great battle right up to the end of the season.”

Sargeant claimed a lights to flag win following a splendid performance in F2, but the big talking point was the early collision between Roy Nissany and Dennis Hauger.

The reigning F3 champion was pushed off the circuit by the Israeli, and the Norwegian was a passenger as he hurtled down towards the sausage kerb at the Vale Chicane.

He bounced off the kerb and was launched up onto the halo of Nissany, with the safety device, introduced in 2018, undoubtedly saving the 27-year-old’s life.

Nissany was given a five-second penalty for his dangerous move on Hauger, and has also been awarded three penalty points, bringing his total to six.

“Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that Car 16 left the track at Turn 15 after making an error,” said the stewards.

READ: Major Mercedes upgrade gives Lewis Hamilton a shot at fighting for 2022 championship

“The Driver re-joined the course at the exit of the corner and rather than focusing on a safe merge into traffic, made an unpredictable and unsafe move to defend his position that initiated the contact with Car 1. 

“Car 16 was wholly responsible for the collision and fully accepted blame for the incident.” 

Sargeant withstood some pressure from Theo Pourchaire at the end of the race, but held on to become the first American winner in the feeder series since IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi in Sochi in 2015.

“I think after being extremely good here in F3 in 2020 I knew it was a great opportunity,” said the Williams junior driver.

“I was very confident in the car that Carlin gave me. It was a long, hard-fought weekend, Theo put pressure on in the race but I got it done. 

“It’s obviously a good confidence boost as well, yeah, it’s awesome.”

A special mention must also be given to Jonny Edgar, who finished the F3 race eighth for Trident on Sunday morning having taken several months out to battle Crohn’s disease.

The post Charles Leclerc celebrates victory at Silverstone with his brother appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Smolar is officially Russian, but flags of both Russia and Belarus have been barred by the FIA in global motorsport events due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He therefore races under the Andorran licence, but his was denied a visa to enter the UK, before he was told that, even had his visa gone through, he would be barred from racing in Silverstone this weekend, according to Tass news agency.

Earlier this year, just after Russia started their war on Ukraine, Motorsport UK chairman David Richards confirmed that no Russian or Belarusian competitors would be permitted to race in Silverstone this year.

“This decision was made in full consultation with the UK government and national sports governing bodies to ensure that there is a unilateral response to the crisis,” he affirmed in a statement.

READ: Mazepin banned from racing in 2022 British GP, other countries may follow suit

“It is our duty to use whatever influence and leverage we might have to bring this wholly unjustified invasion of Ukraine to a halt.”

The royal automobile federation (RAF) in Russia, accused Motorsport UK of contravening the FIA’s code against “discrimination” with their decision.

Smolyar, who won two races in F3 last year with ART, has contested six races so far in 2022, ending on the podium in Bahrain before scoring points in Imola and Barcelona.

His inability to contest this weekend’s event coincides with Wimbledon’s decision not to allow any Russian or Belarusian players to play at Wimbledon.

READ: Perez told Verstappen deserves number one driver status at Red Bull

In retaliation to this, the ATP and WTA stripped competing players of any ranking points at the tournament, effectively making it an exhibition tournament.

Dmitry Svishchev, a sports administrator in Russia, was unhappy at the decision not to allow Russian competitors to contest the British Grand Prix.

“British sports organizations have already revealed themselves in the Wimbledon situation,” he said, quoted by grandpx.news.

“Now we see the same story, but in motorsport. I think that the FIA needs to intervene in this situation because it is an unjustified discrimination based on nationality.”

Smolyar has been replaced by Filip Ugran, who raced in F3 20 times with Jenzer last season.

The post Racing driver slams the UK after being denied entry for British GP appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had offered the Briton a sponsorship deal to compete in Formula 3 in 2015, but the 23-year-old decided to join the Carlin team which was powered by Volkswagen.

Following one victory and three podiums that year en route to a sixth-placed championship finish, Russell was offered the opportunity to test a DTM car in December, and to say he impressed would be an understatement.

“I did a test with BMW in December in Jerez,” he said in conversation with the Motorsport Magazine Podcast.

“They sent one of their factory drivers from DTM as the reference driver, and we ended up being faster than the reference.

“Mercedes were doing a rookie test with their factory driver and their chosen rookies, Audi were there doing a test as well. I remember [Antonio] Giovinazzi was doing that test back in 2015.

“Everybody could see the times by the end of that day, it wasn’t public but privately you could see that we were the fastest time of the day.

“There was an engineer who had shifted from BMW to Mercedes, and I think, potentially, he was quite influential, saying, ‘This guy was very fast and you need to sign him before BMW do.’”

The former Williams driver then revealed that head of the driver programme at Mercedes, Gwen Lagrue, called him up and issued an ultimatum on behalf of the team.

“So I had the contract on the table from BMW, almost ready to sign it, and that’s when I got the phone call from Gwen Lagrue in January 2016. I was sat in the bath actually,” he explained.

“He was saying, ‘I want to have a conversation about joining Mercedes.’ And that’s where it all started really.

“It was absolutely clear from Mercedes. They said, ‘If you sign with BMW, there won’t be an option with Mercedes in the future.”

They then laid out to him how his development with the Brackley-based team would play out.

“So the deal on the table from Mercedes was [to] race in Formula 3 for one more year with a Mercedes-backed team, which was Hitech, and come and do all of the simulator work for Mercedes F1: ‘We’ll see how you get on, see how you’re performing on track, how you’re performing off track, and we’ll make a decision in October,’” he said.

“‘There’s a chance we might not take you, but a chance we will take you. But if you sign the BMW contract, we’re out.’

“So I’ve got this contract on the table from BMW, which is to go and race DTM, which at the time was probably the best championship after Formula 1.

“I was a 16-year-old at the time, 16/17 years old, with a lot of money on the table, and it was all quite shocking. It all came so sudden. I’ve done this test that went incredibly well, [and] the contract’s on the table three days later.”

In the end, the 23-year-old knew he had to take the leap and try to secure a drive in the pinnacle of motorsport.

“I’ve not really had any communications with F1 teams, and the conversations with Toto are positive, but not too sure if it’s going to lead to something but this is on the table now, and a decision needed to be taken,” he stated.

“Suddenly Mercedes pick up the phone, but they weren’t offering anything concrete, it was, ‘You’ve got to take a chance.’

“They might turn around and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ But then the BMW door is closed as well. But the big difference is this is Mercedes and that was Formula 1, and BMW was DTM. I was a 17-year-old and you had to take that risk. I guess if it didn’t work out I’d potentially be regretting it, but it worked out.”

Russell will partner Sir Lewis Hamilton at the serial constructors’ champions this season, replacing Valtteri Bottas who has left for Alfa Romeo following five seasons with the team.

The post Russell reveals how BMW contract almost cost him Mercedes opportunity appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

Arthur Leclerc won two races on his way to a 10^th-placed Formula 3 finish last season with Prema, and is aiming to follow in his brother’s footsteps by making it to Formula 1.

READ: Leclerc opens up on his weaknesses relative to Sainz

Charles began his F1 career with Sauber in 2018 after winning the 2017 Formula 2 title and would go on to sign for Ferrari in only his second year in the sport, winning two races in 2019.

Eight podiums in the last two seasons have epitomised Ferrari’s struggles in recent times, but pole positions in Monaco and Baku last year reminded us of the prowess that the Monegasque has brought with him into the sport.

The 24-year-old is on hand to help his younger brother out in personal matters, but maintains that Arthur must figure the professional aspects out himself.

“Arthur knows I’m there for any personal things he needs,” he told the official Ferrari magazine.

“But when it comes to racing, I prefer to let him find his own way and to make progress on his own, which I think is very important in this sport.”

However, he revealed that the 21-year-old lends his affinity and advice during race weekends.

“Sometimes, during a race weekend, when Arthur is following my Formula 1 race on TV he spots things that maybe I’ve not noticed from inside the cockpit, and he lets me know, to try and help me, which is always nice,” explained Charles.

“So, the support goes both ways.”

While the pair may have embarked in a career in racing, Charles reveals that the brotherhood he shares with Arthur is just the same as any closely aged sibling relationship.

“Our relationship is the normal kind of relationship that you find between brothers when there’s not much age difference between them,” he added.

Their relationship also extends to sibling rivalries.

“We’ve always been competitive, especially when we were younger. When we were little, being three years younger than me, he always wanted to do the same things that I did.

READ: Wolff explains why he ‘absolutely’ thinks Ferrari will be a threat in 2022

“Whereas when I was 8 or 9 it was quite easy to beat him, as grown-ups that 3-year age advantage has disappeared so nowadays it’s really hard to get the better of him, especially at tennis or padel.

“The competitiveness between us is still very keen.”

Ferrari ended the 2021 Constructors’ Championship third, as Leclerc finished seventh in the Drivers’ Standings, outscored by Carlos Sainz in the Spaniard’s debut season with the Scuderia.

Arthur will once again race in Formula 3 with Prema this year.

Follow us on Google News to never miss an F1 story

The post Leclerc ‘there for personal things’ but prefers to let brother go his own way in racing appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.

At the age of 16, Verstappen became the youngest driver to ever take part in an F1 race weekend at Suzuka in 2014.

Specifically, he took part in FP1 for the Japanese Grand Prix with Toro Rosso and ended the session P12 on the timesheet.  

The Dutch ace eventually raced in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso after just a year of single-seater racing and he was later promoted to Red Bull as Daniil Kvyat’s replacement.

He won his debut race with Red Bull – namely the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix – and he is considered by many to be the fastest driver on the current F1 grid.

Speaking ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Dr Marko recalled Verstappen dominating a Formula 3 race weekend at Spa-Francorchamps and said it was when he realised his sheer talent.

“The conditions were constantly changing. It rained, dried up – and there he was, I think, an average of two seconds faster than everyone else,” Marko said in an interview with Servus TV.

“And then it was clear that this was an extraordinary talent.”

The post Marko Reveals When He Realised The ‘Extraordinary Talent’ Of Max Verstappen appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk.