F1 2022 news LIVE: Red Bull and Ferrari rivalry lacks ‘animosity’ of Mercedes fight, says Christian Horner

Introduced in 2011, the drag reduction system increases a car’s top speed to enable greater ease of overtaking.

The system can only be activated in certain zones of a track, and solely when a car is within a second of the car in front.

Formula 1 technical chief Pat Symonds has suggested that he would like DRS to only be required in the future to lap back-markers, rather than for drivers to contest positions.

Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, says racing Ferrari is “slightly different” but insists Mercedes, and their drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, will be back soon.

“I’ve got no doubt about that,” he told Sky Sports. “When Mercedes get their problems sorted they’re going to be in there so that’s potentially six drivers who are going to be in contention every weekend. For the fans that’s going to be fantastic.”

Lewis Hamilton appeared to admit he did not realise he had gained a point for Mercedes despite a ‘s***’ result to finish 10th at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Speaking on the radio after the race in Jeddah, Hamilton’s race engineer, Pete Bonnington, said: “Okay Lewis, so that’s P10.

“Sorry about that. It’s a bit of a s*** result given all the hard work.”

Hamilton replied: “Is there even a point for that position?”

“Yeah, we do get a point,” Bonnington confirmed.

Hamilton then finished: “That was a tough day in the office guys but thank you so much for trying.”

As the pair began to jostle for a potential place on the podium, Red Bull’s Perez had overtaken Sainz’s Ferrari during a safety car period.

That meant the Mexican was required to hand the place back.

However the FIA did not allow Perez to do so until after racing resumed, four laps after the original move was made.

It meant that Perez had to allow Sainz to pass after the green flag waved, denying both the chance to challenge after the restart and leaving Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to duel for top spot in Jeddah.

The German team were again off-the-pace in Jeddah, with Hamilton fighting his way up to tenth after qualifying down the grid.

George Russell finished fifth but could not provide a realistic challenge to either Red Bull or Ferrari, who filled out the first four places.

An offseason overhaul of aerodynamic regulations has proved to be to Mercedes’ detriment, with ‘porpoising’ a persistent issue and Hamilton and Russell evidently short of pure pace down the straights.

Hamilton thinks that parts of the car’s performance were better in Saudi Arabia, but admits that there is a big gap to be closed.

As the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix meandered towards a seemingly anticlimactic finish, photographer Mark Thompson watched on from a deflated Red Bull garage anticipating an early night.

“With 15 minutes to go I was in the garage thinking ‘we’re not going to win this’,” he remembers. “You’re almost in neutral, you’re thinking this is an early night, that’s the way it goes. Then, bang! All of a sudden we were winning and everything went mental. It went absolutely crazy.”

Thompson is no stranger to the chaos of F1 having photographed every grand prix for 24 years (“which is either really cool or really sad,” he says, “whichever way you look at it”) before Covid ended his streak.

You can read the full behind-the-scenes interview with Mark here:

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner insists Mick Schumacher’s crash in qualifying caused about $1 million worth of damage.

The German incredibly walked away unscathed in Jeddah ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but left only the engine and battery pack intact.

After slamming against a concrete wall at 150mph with the impact estimated at 33g, Steiner said: “The chassis itself doesn’t seem to be broken, the side-impact structure but you can change them.

“We need to do a proper check on the chassis but not too bad, to be honest.

“The engine, I’ve been told by Ferrari, seems to be okay, the battery pack as well, and then all the rest is broken.

“The cost is pretty high because all the suspension is gone except the front left. There is still something on there, the rest is just like talcum powder.

“I don’t know money-wise as yet but the bodywork’s gone, radiator so between half-a-million to a million [dollars] I would say.”

George Russell finished fifth in Jeddah, behind a lead quartet comprised of Red Bull and Ferrari drivers, while Hamilton could only fight his way up to tenth after starting in 15th place on the grid.

The German team, who have won the last eight Constructors’ Championships, continue to lack the pace of the early 2022 Formula 1 front-runners after the offseason changes to aerodynamic regulations.

Russell’s fifth-place was reason for encouragement for Wolff, who believes that without an incident Mercedes are currently unable to challenge the fastest cars in the field.

Formula One boss Max Mosley was found with a fatal gunshot wound to his head after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, an inquest heard today.

The former president of the motorsport’s governing body FIA died at home in Chelsea, west London, last May, aged 81.

The inquest heard that he was told he had just “weeks” to live, and that chronic bladder and bowel pain would only lessen with palliative care but could not be cured.

Mr Mosley told his personal assistant of 20 years he was going to take his own life the day before he did so, the inquest also heard.

Long-time Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has described the team’s car for the 2022 Formula 1 season as a “prima donna”, and believes that rivals Ferrari have the more complete design.

An offseason overhaul of aerodynamic regulations forced manufacturers to make significant design tweaks, with Mercedes so far struggling for straight-line speed and Red Bull enduring some difficulties.

That has led a resurgent Ferrari to set the early-season pace, claiming a one-two at the Sakhir circuit and then following it up by filling out the podium behind Verstappen in Jeddah.

Marko, the head of driver development at Red Bull, agrees that the Italians have the more stable performing car – but thinks that the RB18 has the top-end potential for success if Verstappen and Perez can keep it under control.