MOTORSPORTS

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A fuming Max Verstappen said Friday was “a disaster” after torrid practice and sprint qualifying sessions at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s Red Bull was almost two seconds behind championship leader George Russell’s Mercedes as he finished in eighth place in both sessions in Shanghai.

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Finland’s Valtteri Bottas will not be beginning the Cadillac era of his Formula 1 career with a five-place grid penalty, after an offence from 2024 has been ruled no longer valid.

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George Russell was quickest ahead of Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and the McLaren of world champion Lando Norris on Friday in the only practice session of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend in Shanghai.

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George Russell said on Thursday that being considered the favourite to be world champion this year was a compliment, but the Mercedes star was adamant that anything could happen in a 24-race season.

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Four-time world champion Max Verstappen said Thursday he was not having much fun driving the new era of Formula 1 cars, joking he was “practising with Mario Kart” because it was more realistic than his simulator.

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AFour-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is no ⁠fan of F1’s technical reset but believes it is here to stay.

During off-season testing, the Red ‌Bull driver was critical of the more electrified engines, which ‌put more onus on drivers to be tactical ‌with energy deployment and regeneration, describing it as “Formula E on ‌steroids” and “anti-racing”. Other drivers have also expressed concern in ‌the lead-up to Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix where they will contend with the changes under race conditions for ‌the first time.

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Mercedes driver George Russell has accused Ferrari of acting "selfish" and "silly" by blocking a proposed rule change aimed at improving safety during Formula 1 race starts.

The issue emerged during last week's season opening race in Australia, where several drivers experienced significant differences in start performance. One moment in particular raised safety concerns when Alpine driver Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided crashing into the back of Liam Lawson's slow moving Racing Bulls car at high speed. The close call highlighted how uneven launch performance across the grid could lead to dangerous situations.

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Lewis Hamilton vowed there will be “no holding back” as he bids to improve on a bitterly disappointing debut year with Ferrari in what will be his 20th season on the grid.

The 41-year-old Briton, who has won a record 105 Grand Prix, will line up this weekend where it all began for him in Melbourne with McLaren in 2007 for what will be his 381st race. The seven-time world champion failed to muster a single podium last year for the

first time in his legendary career as he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings with the Scuderia.