F1 news LIVE: Fernando Alonso issues Ferrari warning as Tottenham karting track deal revealed

Fernando Alonso insists Aston Martin could be right up there with Ferrari – maybe even beating the Scuderia – this season after an impressive peformance at testing.

Aston were the success story of the three-day test in Bahrain and are optimistic about competing for podiums in 2023 ahead of the first race of the new season this weekend.

“On the last test day, for example, we did a race simulation,” Alonso, a former Ferrari driver, said.

“Then we did 57 laps, the same thing we are going to do this week in Bahrain. We put fuel in for those 57 laps and did the full race with the full set-up, even changing tyres.

“At the same time, Ferrari were doing the same simulation as us with the same fuel, same stops and we were faster than them.”

The two-time world champion, 41, joined Aston Martin from Alpine last summer.

Formula 1 has teamed up with Tottenham Hotspur to build a state-of-the-art indoor go-kart track below the Premier League team’s spectacular 60,000-seater stadium.

The venue – which will be built below the stadium’s iconic single-tier South Stand – will be the world’s first in-stadium electric karting facility when it opens in autumn 2023 and will be the longest indoor track in London.

There will be separate tracks for adults and juniors, making the venue a potential future host for national karting championship races, having been accredited by the National Karting Association.

Both parties have also announced a 15-year strategic partnership, connecting F1 and Spurs in a similar manner to the NFL, who stage regular season games at the £1bn arena.

The partnership will create apprenticeship and career opportunities for local young people and bring “greater diversity to the motorsport industry, particularly for women and underrepresented groups.”

The Canadian injured his wrist in a bicycle accident last week and missed the official pre-season test in Bahrain, with reserve driver Felipe Drugovich taking his place.

Aston have confirmed that F2 champion Drugovich will replace Stroll for the season-opening race this weekend should Stroll not recover in time, though the team will give the 24-year-old every opportunity to be fit.

The Silverstone-based team were the success story of testing, with both Drugovich and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso impressing in the British racing green.

F1’s Oscar Piastri was forced to act quickly when his McLaren took a 360-degree spin during this morning’s testing in Bahrain (25 February).

In the second sector, the Australian rookie lost control, but thankfully, there was nothing around for him to crash into, giving him time to get back on track.

It’s one of the only incidents that has happened in the run-up to the Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.

Lewis Hamilton fears lives could be put at risk if Formula One presses ahead with a proposal to outlaw tyre blankets.

The ban could come into force as early as next year, with a vote of the sport’s major players due to be held after the British Grand Prix in July.

Tyre warmers allow drivers to have rubber with suitable grip and pressure when they start the race, or leave the pits. But they use a considerable amount of energy, and their removal is being considered on cost and sustainability grounds.

However, seven-time world champion Hamilton, among only a handful of drivers to have completed dry weather no-blanket running for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, said: “It is dangerous.

“I have tested them, and there is going to be an incident at some stage. So on safety grounds, it is the wrong decision. You have to drive multiple laps to get the tyres to work. The whole argument is that taking away the blankets will be more sustainable and more green, but we are using more fuel to get more temperature into the tyres.”

The Spanish Grand Prix will have an altered track layout this year with the removal of a chicane making for a higher-speed circuit.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish GP since 1991, will host the eighth round of the 2023 F1 season on the weekend of June 2-4.

Often known for struggling to produce an entertaining race, race promoters have moved to improve the spectacle by removing the chicane in the final sector, formerly turns 14 and 15.

As such, the final section of the lap will see cars race round clockwise as they head onto the home straight, where the extra speed and use of DRS should make for more overtaking opportunities.

This original track configuration has not been used for F1 at Barcelona since 2007.

Time to find your helmet, don your fireproof gloves and pack your bags. Because 95 days after we said goodbye to Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi, Formula 1 chugs back into life this weekend as the start of the 2023 season dawns. The car launch season, from the tempered-down to the over-the-top, has concluded and finally we will see cars on track with the first – and much-maligned only – official pre-season test of the season. Where? Bahrain. Also the location where, 11 days from now, motorsport’s greatest show goes racing once more.

Yet while an undertone of eager excitement will immerse fans the world over at the sight of fresh – or perhaps not so fresh – liveries at the Bahrain International Circuit, such delirium won’t be mirrored in the paddock. Rather, it’s back down to business. Tick off your checklist. Screw your nuts and bolts. Contrary to the zing in the air, a wave of apprehension will blow over the paddock and its personnel.

Testing is a strange phenomenon. On the whole, the timesheets are not said to be the priority. Instead, its tweaking set-ups. Trialling different parts. Attaching aero-rakes and dashes of green paint to analyse airflow. Some teams even swing the other way; sandbagging the car’s true performance to disguise their potential from their competitors.

That all being said, this three-day testing window does take on more significance than years gone by. Usually, the teams also come together in Barcelona for at minimum a shakedown. Or perhaps Jerez on the southern Spanish coast. This year though, with 2022’s drastic regulation changes only moderately tinkered with in the off-season – a slightly raised ride-height the most noteworthy change – drivers will only have a day-and-a-half of running to tune their cars appropriately and iron out any issues.

Three days in total and bang: we’re into the first Grand Prix weekend of 23. That’s the number of races, it should be said, not just the year.

Formula 1 has teamed up with Tottenham Hotspur to build a state-of-the-art indoor go-kart track below the Premier League team’s spectacular 60,000-seater stadium.

The venue – which will be built below the stadium’s iconic single-tier South Stand – will be the world’s first in-stadium electric karting facility when it opens in autumn 2023 and will be the longest indoor track in London.

There will be separate tracks for adults and juniors, making the venue a potential future host for national karting championship races, having been accredited by the National Karting Association.

Both parties have also announced a 15-year strategic partnership, connecting F1 and Spurs in a similar manner to the NFL, who stage regular season games at the £1bn arena.

The partnership will create apprenticeship and career opportunities for local young people and bring “greater diversity to the motorsport industry, particularly for women and underrepresented groups.”

When and where does the 2023 F1 season start?

The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3 March – Sunday 5 March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

FP1 takes place at 11:30am (GMT) on Friday morning, with second practice following at 3pm.

After third practice at 11:30am on Saturday morning, qualifying starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).

How can I watch it online and on TV?

The Bahrain Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom – and ESPN in the United States.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch pre-season testing on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

After a run of four consecutive Drivers’ Championships, the British driver has now missed out in consecutive seasons, battling significant car problems in the first half of 2022 to end any hopes of assembling a title challenge.

While a stronger finish to the season showed that Hamilton had not necessarily lost any of his skill, Hill believes that the Mercedes driver may be starting to contemplate when is the right time to bow out.

Citing both his own experience, and that of his father Graham, Hill outlined why Hamilton could retire if he secures a record-setting eighth crown this year.