- Formula 1 - Season 2018 -

[genius83]

Hamilton accuses Vettel of breaking rules behind Safety Car in Baku, FIA sides with Vettel
Lewis Hamilton is concerned a dangerous precedent has been set after Sebastian Vettel was not penalised for driving erratically ahead of the first Safety Car restart at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Brawn: Red Bull collision highlights flaw in current regulations
As well as providing a major talking point after the race, Ross Brawn believes Sunday's collision between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo highlighted one of the main problems in modern Formula One.

F1 closing in on Miami street race as early as 2019
Formula One is closing in on a deal to bring a street race to downtown Miami, which could stage a grand prix as early as October 2019.

F1 seeking to hold race in Miami starting in 2019
Formula One has announced plans for a street race in Miami starting in 2019.

Technical director Jorg Zander leaves Sauber
Sauber technical director Jorg Zander has left his position with immediate effect ahead of a reshuffle at the Swiss team.

[genius83]

Renault: No budging on Red Bull's engine deadline for 2019
Renault has warned Red Bull that it will not offer an extension to the FIA's May 15 deadline for a 2019 engine deal, giving the former world champions less than two weeks to make a decision on its power unit supply for next year.

Toto Wolff: Mercedes not considering rival drivers for 2019
Although both Mercedes drivers' contracts are due to expire at the end of the season, team boss Toto Wolff insists he is not yet considering replacements from elsewhere.

Magnussen apologises to Gasly, clarifies 'die in car' remarks
Kevin Magnussen has revealed he apologised many times to Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly after the two drivers touched wheels at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

[genius83]

Haas boss Guenther Steiner: 'At the moment it feels like we always let it slip'
Guenther Steiner says Haas needs to record a strong weekend soon in order to banish the memory of its frustrating start to 2018.

Ferrari president encouraged by F1's recent 'change of attitude'
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne says Formula One's latest vision for 2021 has some "potentially workable" elements which could help keep the Italian company in the sport long-term.

[genius83]

Pietro Fittipaldi has surgery on broken legs after crash during the qualifying session of 6 Hrs of Spa
Pietro Fittipaldi is out of intensive care following surgery for fractures to both his legs after a crash Friday, FIA said in a statement Saturday.

Fernando Alonso wins on his World Endurance Championship debut
Fernando Alonso claimed his first race victory in just under five years by winning his World Endurance Championship debut at the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday.

Red Bull's driver problem unlikely to go away any time soon
A Spanish Grand Prix preview by the Red Bull drivers, issued on Friday, makes no mention of what they got up to in Baku or how that might impact (no pun intended) on their behaviour next weekend.

Valtteri Bottas drives Mercedes F1 car on public roads to collect Bandini Trophy
BRISIGHELLA, Italy -- The Bandini Trophy is an unusual award. The winner is chosen by a jury of 12 -- including the founder of the Minardi F1 team Giancarlo Minardi -- and is awarded in recognition of a significant improvement over the previous racing season.

[genius83]

Williams requests review of Sergey Sirotkin's Baku penalty
Williams has requested a review of a stewards' decision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that will see Sergey Sirotkin penalised three grid places for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Renault explains where it is lacking compared to F1's big three
While Renault can legitimately claim to be the 'best of the rest' behind Formula One's big three teams Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, the gap to the front is still significant.

Fernando Alonso: McLaren has to hope rivals' upgrades don't deliver
Fernando Alonso has played down the potential for McLaren to make a big leap up the order at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Williams' request for review of Sergey Sirotkin's grid penalty gets rejected by FIA
The stewards of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix have rejected Williams' request to have Sergey Sirotkin's grid penalty for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix reviewed after unanimously agreeing that no new evidence had come to light.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Spanish GP:

Spanish GP
Friday
Practice Session 1   14:00 To 15:30
Practice Session 2   18:00 To 19:30

Saturday
Practice Session 3   15:00 To 16:00
Qualifying Session   18:00 To 19:00

Sunday
Race                 18:10 To 20:10

[genius83]

Toto Wolff expects three-way battle to 'intensify' in Barcelona
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reckons the battle with Ferrari and Red Bull will continue to "intensify" as Formula One enters the European part of the season.

Jenson Button: McLaren wrong to claim it had the best car in Formula One
2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button believes his former team McLaren shouldn't have overstated its expectations ahead of its switch to Renault in 2018.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner: Podium only possible if 'all the stars line up'
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner admits it will be difficult for his team to score its first podium in Formula One on merit in 2018.

Aldo Costa: Mercedes' F1 designer turned driver
IMOLA, Italy - It's a muggy afternoon in early May and the air is thick with the fluffy white seeds from poplar trees. Flurries of the cotton-like substance float through the gates of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Northern Italy and clump together in the shadow of the circuit's iconic race tower. Another storm should clear the air in the next hour or so, but in the meantime heavy clouds hang low over the terracotta roofs of the local neighbourhood.

[genius83]

Williams launches its own esports team
Williams has become the latest Formula One team to launch its own esports team.

Pietro Fittipaldi had talks with Haas before leg-break crash
BARCELONA, Spain -- Haas was in talks with Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi about a 2018 test before the crash which left him with two broken legs.

Chief designer Ed Wood leaves Williams
Williams has confirmed chief designer Ed Wood has left the team after spending 12 years in the role.

Fernando Alonso: WEC success won't impact desire to win in Formula One
BARCELONA, Spain -- Fernando Alonso insists his recent World Endurance Championship victory -- and any success he might have at Le Mans -- will have no impact on his desire to return to the top step of a Formula One podium.

[genius83]

Valtteri Bottas leads Mercedes one-two in messy opening Spanish GP practice
BARCELONA, Spain -- In an incident-packed first practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas dominated the timesheets as Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull end up in the barriers at Turn 4.

Spanish GP
Practice Session 1
Pos Driver             Car                  Time       Gap     Laps
 1  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes             1:18.148s   -       32
 2  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes             1:18.997s  0.849s   22
 3  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari              1:19.098s  0.950s   24
 4  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault     1:19.187s  1.039s   26
 5  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:19.499s  1.351s   19
 6  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault      1:19.858s  1.710s   26
 7  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault     1:19.871s  1.723s   11
 8  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari         1:19.906s  1.758s   24
 9  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault      1:20.083s  1.935s   28
10  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda     1:20.508s  2.360s   29
11  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari         1:20.637s  2.489s   28
12  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari       1:20.665s  2.517s   23
13  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes 1:20.924s  2.776s   36
14  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari       1:20.984s  2.836s   18
15  Carlos Sainz       Renault              1:21.053s  2.905s   28
16  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes 1:21.144s  2.996s   27
17  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault              1:21.159s  3.011s   26
18  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda     1:21.373s  3.225s   28
19  Robert Kubica      Williams/Mercedes    1:21.510s  3.362s   24
20  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes    1:22.756s  4.608s    1

Lewis Hamilton edges Red Bull drivers in second practice
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix in an unusual session that featured mistakes from the top drivers on their fastest laps.

Spanish GP
Practice Session 2
Pos Driver             Car                  Time       Gap     Laps
 1  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes             1:18.259s   -       39
 2  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault     1:18.392s  0.133s   41
 3  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault     1:18.533s  0.274s   39
 4  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari              1:18.585s  0.326s   34
 5  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes             1:18.611s  0.352s   39
 6  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:18.829s  0.570s   16
 7  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari         1:19.579s  1.320s   24
 8  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari         1:19.643s  1.384s   39
 9  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault      1:19.722s  1.463s   32
10  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes 1:19.962s  1.703s   28
11  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes 1:20.024s  1.765s   38
12  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault      1:20.035s  1.776s   35
13  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault              1:20.183s  1.924s   43
14  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda     1:20.373s  2.114s   32
15  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari       1:20.501s  2.242s   37
16  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari       1:20.514s  2.255s   29
17  Carlos Sainz       Renault              1:20.672s  2.413s   31
18  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda     1:21.265s  3.006s   34
19  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes    1:21.556s  3.297s   35
20  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes    1:22.060s  3.801s   36

FIA offers more details on 2019 overtaking regulations
BARCELONA, Spain -- The FIA has revealed more information about the 2019 aerodynamic regulations, which are designed to improve overtaking.

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen play down prospect of Red Bull team orders
BARCELONA, Spain -- Unsurprisingly, the events of Baku dominated Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen's Spanish Grand Prix media sessions on Thursday.

Lewis Hamilton offers to redesign proposed Miami Grand Prix circuit
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton is perhaps the biggest advocate of a Miami Grand Prix, but the reigning Formula One champion is unimpressed with the street circuit the city hopes will join the calendar for the 2019 season.

Lewis Hamilton: Understanding of car worse than a year ago
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton is not sure when he will be unable to unlock the true potential of his Mercedes after admitting the team's understanding of the car is not as good as it was a year ago.

Miami approves plans for 2019 Formula One street race
Miami's City Commission has approved Formula One's plans to hold a grand prix on the city's streets next year.

Ferrari mounts mirrors to Halo of its F1 car
BARCELONA, Spain -- Ferrari has unveiled the most creative use of Formula One's Halo device so far, having mounted its rear-view mirrors on the structure.

Christian Horner slams 'rushed' 2019 F1 regulation changes
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hit out at Formula One's proposed regulations for 2019.

Robert Kubica: Car made F1 return 'difficult to enjoy'
BARCELONA, Spain -- Robert Kubica was unable to properly enjoy his return to an official Formula One session due to the poor balance of his Williams car on Friday.

Sebastian Vettel: Halo mounted mirror offers better visibility
BARCELONA, Spain -- Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari's new wing mirror design offers more rear visibility and, in his opinion, makes the Halo more attractive.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner thinks rivals make 'a meal' out of incidents with Kevin Magnussen
BARCELONA, Spain -- After Kevin Magnussen was handed a reprimand for an incident in Friday practice, Haas boss Guenther Steiner said the Dane's rivals unfairly pick him out for criticism.

Why so many drivers struggled on the super-softs in Spain
BARCELONA, Spain -- Understanding the behaviour of Formula One tyres is never easy, but the basics are pretty simple: the softer the compound, the quicker the tyre over a single lap. Yet in Friday practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, four of the top six drivers set their quickest lap on the soft compound and not the super-soft.

[genius83]

Lewis Hamilton tops session ended by huge Brendon Hartley shunt
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in final practice at the Spanish Grand Prix as Mercedes looked like the team to beat ahead of qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

Spanish GP
Practice Session 3
Pos Driver             Car                  Time       Gap     Laps
 1  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes             1:17.281s   -       15
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes             1:17.294s  0.013s   19
 3  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari              1:17.550s  0.269s   16
 4  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:17.581s  0.300s   17
 5  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault     1:17.981s  0.700s   16
 6  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari         1:18.357s  1.076s   15
 7  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari         1:18.706s  1.425s   16
 8  Carlos Sainz       Renault              1:18.783s  1.502s   16
 9  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault      1:18.847s  1.566s   14
10  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda     1:18.886s  1.605s   17
11  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault              1:18.905s  1.624s   16
12  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault     1:19.013s  1.732s    5
13  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes 1:19.121s  1.840s   20
14  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault      1:19.236s  1.955s   17
15  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari       1:19.292s  2.011s   19
16  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes 1:19.376s  2.095s   17
17  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda     1:19.428s  2.147s   23
18  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari       1:19.744s  2.463s   17
19  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes    1:19.900s  2.619s   15
20  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes    1:19.909s  2.628s   13

Lewis Hamilton beats Valtteri Bottas to pole position at Spanish Grand Prix
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton ended Sebastian Vettel's run of pole positions by claiming top spot for the Spanish Grand Prix, while his Ferrari rival had to settle for third.

Spanish GP
Qualifying Session
Pos Driver             Car                  Time       Gap
 1  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes             1:16.173s   -
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes             1:16.213s  0.040s
 3  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari              1:16.305s  0.132s
 4  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari              1:16.612s  0.439s
 5  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault     1:16.816s  0.643s
 6  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault     1:16.818s  0.645s
 7  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari         1:17.676s  1.503s
 8  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault      1:17.721s  1.548s
 9  Carlos Sainz       Renault              1:17.790s  1.617s
10  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari         1:17.835s  1.662s
11  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault      1:18.323s  2.150s
12  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda     1:18.463s  2.290s
13  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes 1:18.696s  2.523s
14  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari       1:18.910s  2.737s
15  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes 1:19.098s  2.925s
16  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault              1:18.923s  2.750s
17  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari       1:19.493s  3.320s
18  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes    1:20.225s  4.052s
19  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes    1:19.695s  3.522s
20  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda      -          -

Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes 'open-minded' approach paid off in qualifying
BARCELONA, Spain -- After breaking Sebastian Vettel's run of three consecutive pole positions on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton has put Mercedes' return to form down to an open-minded approach to problem solving.

Fernando Alonso: McLaren upgrade is making me happy
BARCELONA, Spain -- Fernando Alonso was in an optimistic mood about McLaren's upgraded car after progressing to Q3 for the first time in 2018 ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel: Reason for Mercedes' resurgence 'straightforward'
BARCELONA, Spain -- Sebastian Vettel suspects Mercedes' impressive pace in qualifying on Pirelli's softest compound is linked to changes to the tyre's tread depth for this weekend's race.

[genius83]

Brendon Hartley pushed 'two or three centimeters' too far before FP3 crash
BARCELONA, Spain -- Brendon Hartley believes the heavy crash which ruled him out of qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix was caused by the finest of margins.

Daniel Ricciardo expects pre-race warning from Christian Horner on Sunday morning
BARCELONA, Spain -- After Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo collided at the last round in Baku, Ricciardo is expecting both drivers to receive a stern warning from team boss Christian Horner ahead of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel slams F1's 'comical' habit of making rule changes
BARCELONA, Spain -- Sebastian Vettel says it is laughable that Formula One has pushed through a set of aerodynamic tweaks which look set to slow cars down in 2019.

[genius83]

Lewis Hamilton eases to Spain win, Max Verstappen beats Sebastian Vettel to third
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton led a comfortable Mercedes one-two at the Spanish Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen beat Sebastian Vettel to the final step of the podium.

Spanish GP
Race Results
Pos Driver             Car                  Laps Times         Gap
 1  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              66  1:35:29.972s   -
 2  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              66  1:35:50.565s  20.593s
 3  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault      66  1:35:56.845s  26.873s
 4  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               66  1:35:57.556s  27.584s
 5  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault      66  1:36:20.030s  50.058s
 6  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          65  1 Lap
 7  Carlos Sainz       Renault               65  1 Lap
 8  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault       65  1 Lap
 9  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes  64  2 Laps
10  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari        64  2 Laps
11  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes     64  2 Laps
12  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda      64  2 Laps
13  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari        64  2 Laps
14  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes     63  3 Laps
 -  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault       45  Retirement
 -  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes  38  Retirement
 -  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari               25  Retirement
 -  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari           0  Collision
 -  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda       0  Collision
 -  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault                0  Collision

Here is the Championships Standings after Spanish GP:

World Championships Standings
Drivers Standings
Pos Driver            Points
 1  Lewis Hamilton      95
 2  Sebastian Vettel    78
 3  Valtteri Bottas     58
 4  Kimi Raikkonen      48
 5  Daniel Ricciardo    47
 6  Max Verstappen      33
 7  Fernando Alonso     32
 8  Nico Hulkenberg     22
 9  Kevin Magnussen     19
10  Carlos Sainz        19
11  Sergio Perez        17
12  Pierre Gasly        12
13  Charles Leclerc      9
14  Stoffel Vandoorne    8
15  Lance Stroll         4
16  Marcus Ericsson      2
17  Esteban Ocon         1
18  Brendon Hartley      1
19  Romain Grosjean      0
20  Sergey Sirotkin      0
Consructors Standings
Pos Constructor	         Points
 1  Mercedes              153
 2  Ferrari               126
 3  Red Bull/Renault       80
 4  Renault                41
 5  McLaren/Renault        40
 6  Haas/Ferrari           19
 7  Force India/Mercedes   18
 8  Toro Rosso/Honda       13
 9  Sauber/Ferrari         11
10  Williams/Mercedes       4

[genius83]

Verstappen hopes podium can kick-start his season
BARCELONA, Spain -- Max Verstappen hopes his Spanish Grand Prix podium can trigger a run of strong form.

Romain Grosjean hit with penalty for 'ballet dancer' moment
BARCELONA, Spain -- Haas driver Romain Grosjean has been handed a three-place grid penalty for Monaco after the incident which took him and two other drivers out of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel explains reasons for second pit stop
BARCLEONA, Spain -- After a second pit stop dropped him from second place to fourth at the Spanish Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel explained he would not have made the finish had he mimicked his rivals and attempted a one-stop strategy.

Lewis Hamilton calls Spanish GP victory 'a rejuvenating experience'
BARCELONA, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton said he will "sleep like a baby" after claiming a convincing victory at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas' tyres were down to the canvas in Spanish GP
BARCELONA, Spain -- When he jumped out of his car to celebrate Mercedes' first one-two victory of the season, Valtteri Bottas looked back at his front tyres to see there was almost no rubber left on the carcass.

Maurizio Arrivabene: Calm analysis needed after Ferrari's disappointing weekend
BARCELONA, Spain -- Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has called for a calm and accurate analysis of Ferrari's poor performance in Spain after admitting "nothing went right" over the weekend.

[genius83]

Sebastian Vettel calls for honest evaluation after Barcelona struggles
BARCELONA, Spain -- Sebastian Vettel says Ferrari has to be honest about the reasons behind its struggles at the Spanish Grand Prix if it wants to stop Mercedes running away with the title.

Kevin Magnussen: I'm driving better than I ever have
BARCELONA, Spain -- Haas driver Kevin Magnussen is keen to sustain his current level of performance on-track to avoid building "bad momentum" away from it.

F1 considered moving British GP for 1,000th grand prix
The prospect of "sub-optimal" British weather was enough to convince Formula One chiefs not to move Silverstone's position on the calendar to host F1's 1,000th race in 2019.

Christian Horner: Strong end of race pace highlights Red Bull's potential
Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes his team's strong race pace during the second half of the Spanish Grand Prix gives a better indication of its true competitiveness.

Britain's Jake Dennis handed Red Bull test outing
Red Bull has confirmed Max Verstappen and Jake Dennis will drive for the team at this week's mid-season test in Barcelona.

[genius83]

Mercedes explains delay in Lewis Hamilton contract talks
BARCELONA, Spain -- Both Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes insist a new contract is not far away and has only been delayed in order to let the team focus on its on-track issues last month.

Mercedes tests new F1 rain lights in rear wing end plates
BARCLEONA, Spain -- Mercedes has tested a pair of new rain lights on the rear wing of its car on the opening morning of in-season testing.

F1 champion Jenson Button swaps helmets with NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson
Former F1 champion Jenson Button has added Jimmie Johnson's crash helmet to his growing collection and revealed he hopes to race against the seven-time NASCAR champion at some point in the future.

Romain Grosjean fastest on first morning of in-season test
BARCELONA, Spain -- Romain Grosjean set the fastest time on the first morning of this week's two-day test at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Felipe Massa signs up for Formula E with Venturi
Former F1 driver Felipe Massa will join the Venturi Formula E team for season five of the championship.

Max Verstappen tops first day of testing in Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain -- Max Verstappen topped the first day of in-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya as all ten teams returned to action for the first time since Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

Barcelona InSeason Testing
Day 1
Pos Driver              Car                   Time       Gap    Laps
 1  Max Verstappen      Red Bull/Renault      1:17.528s   -      148
 2  Carlos Sainz        Renault               1:17.562s  0.034s  119
 3  Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari               1:17.659s  0.131s  136
 4  Romain Grosjean     Haas/Ferrari          1:18.449s  0.921s  129
 5  Nicholas Latifi     Force India/Mercedes  1:18.530s  1.002s  107
 6  Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes              1:18.543s  1.015s  151
 7  Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren/Renault       1:18.981s  1.453s   85
 8  Antonio Giovinazzi  Sauber/Ferrari        1:19.693s  2.165s  135
 9  Oliver Rowland      Williams/Mercedes     1:20.009s  2.481s  121
10  Lando Norris        McLaren/Renault       1:20.997s  3.469s   76
11  George Russell      Force India/Mercedes  1:21.478s  3.950s  123
12  Sean Gelael         Toro Rosso/Honda      1:21.935s  4.407s   50
13  Oliver Turvey       McLaren/Renault       1:23.070s  5.542s   58

[genius83]

Sebastian Vettel: Test proves Ferrari's problems in Spain were not due to tyres
BARCELONA, Spain -- After doing back to back tests in Barcelona on Tuesday, Sebastian Vettel says Pirelli was right to bring thinner tread tyres to the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend.

Valtteri Bottas tops second morning of in-season test
BARCELONA, Spain -- Valtteri Bottas put Mercedes at the top of the timesheets on the second morning of testing at the Circuit de Catalunya on Wednesday.

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas finishes in-season test on top in Barcelona
BARCELONA, Spain -- Mercedes finished the second day of in-season testing at the top of the timesheets, capping off a successful few days at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.

Barcelona InSeason Testing
Day 2
Pos Driver              Car                   Time       Gap    Laps
 1  Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes              1:16.904s   -      139
 2  Antonio Giovinazzi  Ferrari               1:16.972s  0.068s  148
 3  Lando Norris        McLaren/Renault       1:18.039s  1.135s   80
 4  Kevin Magnussen     Haas/Ferrari          1:18.274s  1.370s   75
 5  Nikita Mazepin      Force India/Mercedes  1:18.344s  1.440s  112
 6  Jack Aitken         Renault               1:18.942s  2.038s  120
 7  Charles Leclerc     Sauber/Ferrari        1:18.993s  2.089s  139
 8  Robert Kubica       Williams/Mercedes     1:19.253s  2.349s  123
 9  Pierre Gasly        Toro Rosso/Honda      1:19.410s  2.506s   39
10  Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren/Renault       1:19.914s  3.010s   96
11  Jake Dennis         Red Bull/Renault      1:20.440s  3.536s   75
12  Sean Gelael         Toro Rosso/Honda      1:20.763s  3.859s   83
13  Nicholas Latifi     Force India/Mercedes  1:21.412s  4.508s  121

[genius83]

Robert Kubica's says his new steering wheel method is like holding a bird
Robert Kubica has likened the way he now has to operate a Formula One steering wheel to holding a bird without hurting it or letting it fly away.

Fernando Alonso says WEC races more enjoyable than 'predictable' F1
Fernando Alonso was happy to add World Endurance Championship races to his 2018 calendar because he finds them more enjoyable than Formula One.

Ferrari's Halo mirrors banned by FIA
The structure Ferrari mounted to the Halo of its F1 car at the Spanish Grand Prix to incorporate rear-view mirrors has been banned.

McLaren boss Eric Boullier insists he is the right man to lead the team
Eric Boullier believes he is still the right person to lead McLaren despite the team restructure and growing speculation about his future at the team.

Daniel Ricciardo says F1 needs 'more surprises' from tyre range at race weekends
Daniel Ricciardo thinks Pirelli should consider bringing qualifying-only tyres to Formula One races in order to spice up each grand prix by opening up strategy options for teams.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner backs Romain Grosjean to recover from tough spell
Haas boss Guenther Steiner has no doubts Romain Grosjean can rectify his current run of poor form.

Red Bull: No 2019 engine decision until Canadian Grand Prix
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the progress of Renault and Honda's respective engine upgrades in the lead up to June's Canadian Grand Prix will dictate the team's decision on 2019.

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Nico Rosberg plays down future Formula E role
Nico Rosberg says it is "unlikely" he will join Formula E as a team principal in future.

Valtteri Bottas feels he's eliminated the inconsistency of his 2017 campaign
Results might not have gone Valtteri Bottas' way so far in 2018, but the Finn believes he is performing at a far higher level than he was last season.

Red Bull, Ferrari favourites in Monaco, says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is braced for a difficult weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren 'significantly strengthened' by £200 million investment from new shareholder
A Canadian businessman, who is father of Force India test driver Nicholas Latifi, has become a shareholder in the McLaren Group.

Here is the Timing Schedule for this weekend's Monaco GP:

Monaco GP
Thursday
Practice Session 1   14:00 To 15:30
Practice Session 2   18:00 To 19:30

Saturday
Practice Session 3   15:00 To 16:00
Qualifying Session   18:00 To 19:00

Sunday
Race                 18:10 To 20:10

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Fernando Alonso: Latest upgrade puts McLaren on right path
Fernando Alonso believes McLaren is on the right path to catch up with the top three teams in Formula One, but says there are no more excuses left for the team.

Kevin Magnussen doesn't care if you like him or not
Kevin Magnussen doesn't read what's written about him and doesn't care what others think of him.

Hyper-soft Pirelli tyre promises Monaco qualifying 'madness'
Pirelli's new hyper-soft tyre compound is expected to result in record-breaking levels of performance during qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday.

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Rosbergs to demo F1 title-winning cars in Monaco
Nico Rosberg and his father Keke will demonstrate their championship-winning Formula One cars around the streets of Monte Carlo on Thursday.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner rubbishes suggestions Romain Grosjean's seat is at risk
Guenther Steiner says there is no truth to the rumours Romain Grosjean's place at Haas in under threat after costly incidents at the last two races.

Monaco Grand Prix to feature promotional models on grid
The Monaco Grand Prix will feature female promotional models on the grid ahead of the race despite Formula One's decision to end the practice of officially employing 'grid girls' ahead of the 2018 season.

Romain Grosjean: People making a mountain out of a molehill of recent form
Despite not scoring a single point in 2018, Romain Grosjean says people are making a bigger deal out of his recent form than is necessary.

Alonso: Monaco is predictable, Indy offers excitement
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Twelve months ago Fernando Alonso was getting ready to race at his first Indy 500, but this year he is back in the familiar surroundings of Monte Carlo.

Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel doubt they will ever be F1 teammates
Ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel briefly took time to imagine if a future existed for them as Formula One teammates.

Red Bull drivers estimate engine difference to be 0.2s in Monaco
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Red Bull's drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo believe their Renault engine's power deficit will be reduced to just 0.2s this weekend around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Daniel Ricciardo leads comfortable Red Bull one-two in opening Monaco practice
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Red Bull set the pace during the opening practice session for the Monaco Grand Prix with Daniel Ricciardo beating teammate Max Verstappen to the fastest time.

Monaco GP
Practice Session 1
Pos Driver             Car                   Time       Gap    Laps
 1  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault      1:12.126s   -      36
 2  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault      1:12.280s  0.154s  25
 3  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:12.480s  0.354s  34
 4  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:13.041s  0.915s  40
 5  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari               1:13.066s  0.940s  38
 6  Carlos Sainz       Renault               1:13.456s  1.330s  40
 7  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:13.502s  1.376s  39
 8  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes  1:13.717s  1.591s  39
 9  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari          1:13.943s  1.817s  24
10  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes     1:13.962s  1.836s  40
11  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes  1:14.000s  1.874s  39
12  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda      1:14.034s  1.908s  46
13  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault               1:14.134s  2.008s  38
14  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda      1:14.240s  2.114s  38
15  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault       1:14.291s  2.165s  37
16  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari        1:14.521s  2.395s  39
17  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault       1:14.637s  2.511s  16
18  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes     1:14.782s  2.656s  43
19  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari        1:15.206s  3.080s  39
20  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1:18.801s  6.675s   7

Lewis Hamilton clarifies 'beautiful women' remark
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Lewis Hamilton has moved to clarify comments he made on Wednesday in response to the news that female promotional models will be returning to the grid for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo quickest again as Red Bull dominates opening Monaco practices
Daniel Ricciardo kept himself and Red Bull top of the order by recording the quickest time of second practice, finishing half a second quicker than Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in third.

Monaco GP
Practice Session 2
Pos Driver             Car                   Time       Gap    Laps
 1  Daniel Ricciardo   Red Bull/Renault      1:11.841s   -      33
 2  Max Verstappen     Red Bull/Renault      1:12.035s  0.194s  41
 3  Sebastian Vettel   Ferrari               1:12.413s  0.572s  42
 4  Lewis Hamilton     Mercedes              1:12.536s  0.695s  34
 5  Kimi Raikkonen     Ferrari               1:12.543s  0.702s  36
 6  Valtteri Bottas    Mercedes              1:12.642s  0.801s  38
 7  Nico Hulkenberg    Renault               1:13.047s  1.206s  30
 8  Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren/Renault       1:13.077s  1.236s  40
 9  Fernando Alonso    McLaren/Renault       1:13.115s  1.274s  42
10  Carlos Sainz       Renault               1:13.200s  1.359s  34
11  Brendon Hartley    Toro Rosso/Honda      1:13.222s  1.381s  47
12  Sergio Perez       Force India/Mercedes  1:13.370s  1.529s  39
13  Esteban Ocon       Force India/Mercedes  1:13.382s  1.541s  47
14  Pierre Gasly       Toro Rosso/Honda      1:13.410s  1.569s  32
15  Sergey Sirotkin    Williams/Mercedes     1:13.547s  1.706s  44
16  Kevin Magnussen    Haas/Ferrari          1:13.572s  1.731s  41
17  Charles Leclerc    Sauber/Ferrari        1:13.575s  1.734s  45
18  Romain Grosjean    Haas/Ferrari          1:13.763s  1.922s  37
19  Lance Stroll       Williams/Mercedes     1:14.011s  2.170s  34
20  Marcus Ericsson    Sauber/Ferrari        1:14.173s  2.332s  46

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Sebastian Vettel confident he can close gap to Red Bull
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Sebastian Vettel believes his Ferrari is capable of closing the gap to the pace-setting Red Bulls at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo expects increased Ferrari, Mercedes threat
Despite dominating practice around the streets of Monte Carlo, Daniel Ricciardo expects the fight for pole position to be close between Formula One's top three teams.

Christian Horner: 'Grotesque' money demands delaying Hamilton's Mercedes deal
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has suggested the sticking point in Lewis Hamilton's contract extension talks with Mercedes is the amount of money he is asking for.

Rivals Mercedes and Red Bull trust FIA will check Ferrari ERS legality
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Ferrari's rivals Red Bull and Mercedes are confident the FIA will clamp down on the Italian team if it is found to be running its energy recovery system outside the regulations.

Baku clarifies F1 race contract terms after Miami speculation
Baku Formula One promoter Arif Rahimov has dismissed speculation over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix's future on the F1 calendar amid rumours suggesting it would make way for the incoming Miami Grand Prix.

The story behind Monaco's promotional grid models
The topic of grid girls and promotional models in Formula One raised its head again at the Monaco Grand Prix. Here's everything you need to know about one of the championship's most controversial talking points.

Pirelli asked to simplify tyre naming system
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Confusion over whether a hyper-soft tyre is a softer compound than an ultra-soft looks set to end next year as Pirelli prepares itself to adopt a simple soft, medium and hard naming system at each race.

Miami considering a Sunday morning grand prix
Miami's proposal for a Formula One grand prix includes the suggestion of hosting the race on a Sunday morning in order to capitalise on a worldwide audience.

Valtteri Bottas: I am meeting Mercedes' targets to secure '19 drive
Valtteri Bottas thinks he's doing enough in Formula One to extend his stay with reigning champions Mercedes.

Brendon Hartley plays down Toro Rosso exit rumours
Brendon Hartley says he was "surprised'' to read that this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix could be his last.