We still have two weeks to go before our next race, but there’s still a lot happening in Formula 1 these past few days, particularly for Ferrari.
After their misfortune in Albert Park, Ferrari filed a protest regarding Carlos Sainz Jr.’s costly penalty, and the FIA is going to review it soon.
Besides the protest, Ferrari has been linked to Lewis Hamilton, as the seven-time world champion’s future with Mercedes remains uncertain.
And last but not least, Max Verstappen caught everyone off guard when he mentioned the prospect of retiring from racing.
To learn more about the latest Formula 1 2023 updates, continue to read SBOTOP’s recap below.
Sainz and Ferrari await FIA’s final say
Ferrari have sent a petition for a right of review about the time penalty handed out to Carlos Sainz Jr. in the Australian Grand Prix, and the FIA said that they’ll hold a hearing about it on Tuesday.
Sainz Jr. finished the race in fourth place, but five seconds were added to his time, which put him in 12th place. He was given the penalty following his row with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, where they clashed in Turn 1 during the restart after a red flag.
The incident between Sainz Jr. and Alonso created a domino effect of sorts at the time, as Logan Sargeant ran into Nyck de Vries, and Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon bumped into each other as well.
In the petition, Fred Vasseur criticised the FIA for giving them a harsh punishment without taking into consideration the other incidents as well. He basically meant that Sainz Jr. shouldn’t have been the only one who was handed a time penalty.
“We did a petition for a review of the case. The only thing is the Gasly/Ocon collision and also Sargeant/De Vries colliding into Turn 1, the reaction of the stewards wasn’t the same,” said Vasseur.
Succeeding in their petition would be big for Ferrari since it would give them back the valuable points that they lost, especially since they left Australia empty-handed.
Will Hamilton do a “Schumacher”?
Mercedes are in an uncertain situation as Lewis Hamilton has yet to sign a new deal and he’s approaching the end of his contract.
Because of their poor start to their 2023 campaign, Hamilton continues to stall on signing a new contract with the Silver Arrows, and the 38-year-old is reportedly exploring his options in his quest to win his record-breaking eighth world championship.
And speculation about his future continues to rumble on after Angela Cullen left the Silver Arrows last month. Cullen has worked with Hamilton since 2016 as his performance coach, and they’ve formed an unwavering bond on and off the paddock.
Several pundits have toyed with the idea of Hamilton joining Ferrari if he couldn’t work out a new deal with Mercedes, following in Michael Schumacher’s footsteps, where he joined the Prancing Horse and led them to unprecedented success in Formula 1 during the 1990s and 2000s.
Reports claim that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff would hold “no grudge” should Hamilton leave the Silver Arrows to win an eighth world title, although he insists that he will remain with them in the short term.
“As a driver, nevertheless, if he wants to win another championship, he needs to make sure that he has the car. If we cannot demonstrate that we’re able to give him a car in the next couple of years, then he needs to look elsewhere,” said Wolff.
“I don’t think he’s doing it at that stage, but I’ll have no grudge if that happens in a year or two,” he added.
Verstappen thinking about life after Formula 1
Max Verstappen recently discussed potentially hanging up his racing gloves once his current contract with Red Bull expires. By the time 2028 comes, he will be 31 years old.
The Dutchman has been vocal about pursuing other endeavours beyond Formula 1, especially after he has already achieved everything in the sport at such a young age.
“Formula 1 is amazing, and I’ve achieved a lot, and I’m very happy and proud about it. But it’s a lot of traveling and a lot of races, and I want to do other stuff,” said Verstappen ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
It’s understandable that Verstappen made these remarks because of the ever-expanding Formula 1 calendar that has extended to 23 to 24 races per year. The Formula 1 2023 odds favour Verstappen to have another successful season following his superb start to this campaign. He currently leads the driver standings with 69 points.
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