GP Racing UK

After so many years of watching the silver (and black) cars dominate Formula 1, it’s difficult to fully comprehend what we’re now witnessing. Watching Lewis Hamilton – a seven-time champion – struggling to escape Q1 at Imola, asking how far off the pace he is, describing the gap to where he belongs as “crazy”, seems unthinkable when you consider this same team won a record eighth consecutive constructors’ world championship less than five months a What a difference a winter makes… though perhaps the writing was on the wall much sooner. Two significant rules changes, back-to-back, have derailed the mighty Mercedes winning machine. Not since 2009 has Hamilton begun a Formula 1 season this badly. “There are people that watch and say that I’ve never had a bad car,” he says. “And…

ANDREW BENSON Andrew tries to unravel the poor performance of the new car from Mercedes, F1's premier team over the past eight seasons (p30) MARK GALLAGHER Mark found out how Melbourne welcomed F1 back (p50) and also compared Aston's current struggles with those of Jaguar (p56) OLEG KARPOV Guenther Steiner reveals to Oleg how hard it was to keep everyone at a now-rejuvenated Haas motivated over the past three years (p44) LUKE SMITH Luke looks into the reasons F1 has signed up for a third US race from 2023, and why it is returning to Las Vegas after 40 years (p38)…

A sliver of hope for Silver Arrows As the final laps of the Australian Grand Prix unfolded and the finishing order consolidated behind a no-doubt-relieved Charles Leclerc, a separate but related race began – to secure a spot to photograph the podium. I went up on the TV tower with plenty of time in hand to get an elevated perspective on the podium, so in the closing laps I was just looking around for other potential shots while I was there. This one presented itself: a pan using the catch fencing to create an interesting graphic effect. The Mercedes looked particularly nice in the afternoon sunlight – and it was a nice result for the team too, even if a little luck was involved… Photographer Carl Bingham Where Melbourne, Australia When 4:18pm, Sunday 10 April…

PICTURES 01 VOLKSWAGEN IN “FINAL EVALUATION PHASE” OF F1 ENTRY 02 HAASWON’T REFUND CANCELLED RUSSIAN SPONSORSHIP 03 FREIGHT EXPECTATIONS: CARGO WOES HIT F1 01 The subject of furious speculation in recent months – and, indeed, years – the Volkswagen Group’s Formula 1 entry is believed to be a formality now, although the company has yet to make an official announcement. After a board meeting in early April, the company did confirm plans “for a potential Formula 1 entry of the two Group brands”, those brands being Audi and Porsche. Initially, it was expected that a decision on the F1 programme would be taken in March, but the discussion of the matter was postponed owing to the war in Ukraine. Now it has finally taken place, but the Volkswagen Group is in no hurry to share…

02 The Haas livery does not feature the Russian flag or the logos of its erstwhile sponsor Uralkali anymore, but there may still be a significant amount of money left in the team’s accounts originating from Russia. According to a report by GP Racing’s sister website Motorsport.com, Gene Haas’s team has refused to return $13 million to the Uralkali company, money which had been paid upfront before the start of the season. The contract with Uralkali was terminated unilaterally after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Haas dismissed Uralkali co-owner Dmitry Mazepin’s son Nikita, who was one of the team’s drivers in 2021. Breaking with the title sponsor is unlikely to improve Haas’s financial situation, yet it is also premature to say that situation has worsened dramatically, since a large…

03 Formula 1’s attempt to deliver its record-breaking 23-race season risks running into a logistical trap – especially towards the end of the championship. Difficulties with freight delivery which already existed at the beginning of 2022 have been aggravated by the situation in Ukraine. The alarm bells rang in March, ahead of the Australian GP, when a ship carrying three teams’ cargo ran behind schedule – and only thanks to emergency assistance from F1 logistics partner DHL was the equipment delivered to Melbourne on time. For this, the ship had to be redirected to Singapore, and from there – by plane – the freight got to Australia. A week earlier, the MotoGP weekend in Argentina had to be shortened by a day owing to equipment transport delays. Many in the F1 paddock…