F1 news LIVE: Australian Grand Prix build-up as Ferrari expect ‘significant’ power increase

Formula 1 latest news, rumours and updates plus all the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne

Hamilton Admits To Struggling Mentally

The Australian Grand Prix is fast approaching after an action-packed start to the 2022 F1 season. Ferrari and Red Bull have been vying for supremacy at the front of the grid, with Charles Leclerc taking victory in Bahrain after Max Verstappen suffered a dramatic power failure. The Red Bull’s recovered in Saudi Arabia, though, despite the shadow cast over the race when a missile attack hit an oil refinery less than ten miles from the track. Verstappen managed to hold off Leclerc over the course of a thrilling race to keep the championship very evenly poised as the teams now prepare for this weekend’s stop in Melbourne.

Mercedes have far more work to do than most after a disastrous start to their season. Lewis Hamilton has struggled badly for pace and only mustered a 10th place finish in Saudi Arabia. Team principal Toto Wolff has downplayed any hope of an immediate uplift, though, warning that there is no “quick fix” to the car’s issues. “The car isn’t as good as the Red Bull and the Ferrari,” he said. “It hovers in the grey area where you can’t challenge the front but you’re certainly faster than the midfield behind you.”

Ferrari believe they have found that added edge, though, with one report claiming they are yet to show the true power of their engine and may still withhold it until the Spanish Grand Prix. “It seems [Mattia] Binotto’s team is then also playing strategy, not wanting to show the true power of their unit this early in the season,” the report stated.

Follow all the latest F1 news and build up to the Australian Grand Prix after a thrilling start to the 2022 Formula 1 season:

F1 latest news

• Australian Grand Prix build-up
• Ferrari expect ‘significant’ power boost
• Wolff warns there is no ‘quick fix’ for Mercedes

[7 April 2022 11:00 · Karl Matchett]

Ferrari set to reveal major engine power boost

Ferrari will increase the power of their engine after the Miami Grand Prix, according to reports.

The Scuderia have made a sensational start to the 2022 season, currently leading the drivers’ and constructors championships.

They secured a one-two finish in the opening race of the season in Bahrain as Charles Leclerc claimed victory ahead of Carlos Sainz. The following weekend in Saudi Arabia they also impressed as Leclerc clinched second and Sainz third.

But according to Formu1a.uno they have still not shown the full potential of their power unit and plan to do so as the season progresses.

“The engineers say it quietly, but Ferrari is sure to be the engine manufacturer that has recovered the most power compared to last season, despite the introduction of E10 fuels,” the report states.

“It seems [Mattia] Binotto’s team is then also playing strategy, not wanting to show the true power of their unit this early in the season.”

[7 April 2022 11:15 · Karl Matchett]

Toto Wolff warns there will be ‘no magic fix’ for Mercedes at Australian Grand Prix

Mercedes won’t be looking at a dramatic turnaround in race No.3 of the 2022 Formula One season, according to Toto Wolff.

The boss has been disappointed by the team’s showings at both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - despite standing second in the constructor championship at present, Mercedes have been well off the pace in both races.

They are ahead of Red Bull only by virtue of their opening-raceday issues, with Max Verstappen roaring back to win last time out while George Russell placed fifth and Lewis Hamilton came home in 10th.

It’s a far cry from the regular victories and podium finishes during last year’s epic title fight, and there’s still more pain to come in the short term, says Wolff.

“We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn,” he said.

“At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.

“There won’t be a magic fix for the next race weekend, but we’re pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack.

“Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.”

Full details here:

[7 April 2022 11:30 · Karl Matchett]

Australian Grand Prix points finish will ‘feel like a win’ for Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo has said a points finish at his home race this weekend would “feel like a win”.

The McLaren team have struggled in the opening two races of the 2022 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Both Ricciardo and Lando Norris finished outside the points in the season opener, before Norris’ seventh place earned the team their first top-10 in Saudi Arabia, as Ricciardo failed to finish the race.

And while winning the Australian GP continues to elude the Perth-born driver, he insists scoring points would feel like a victory given where the team is currently at.

Speaking to GP Fans, he said: “Maybe we will be lucky and fight for points. I know we’re not aiming very high with that, but that’s the only thing we can go for at the moment.

“Until we get major updates to the car, I think any place in the top ten feels like a win. Lando and I felt in Jeddah that the car felt a lot better.

“It doesn’t feel bad, we just need a bit more grip and downforce. That’s encouraging. I don’t think we are out of the race, we just need to find improvements.”

More on the Aussie’s excitement to be back on home soil:

[7 April 2022 11:45 · Karl Matchett]

When are the F1 sprint races in 2022?

Formula 1’s introduction of the sprint races were a new innovation brought in at the start of the 2021 season.

A handful of races were given the go-ahead so that qualifying would take place on the Friday, rather than on Saturdays.

The sprint race would then replace qualifying on Saturday - determining the grid for the main event - before the race took place as usual on the Sunday.

Last season the sprint races were at the British Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix, and the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Here is all you need to know about the sprint races for 2022.

[7 April 2022 12:00 · Karl Matchett]

F1 latest news

Worth a quick check on the driver standings after two races, with the Ferrari duo leading the way despite Max Verstappen’s win in Saudi Arabia.

1. Leclerc, Ferrari - 45
2. Sainz, Ferrari - 33
3. Verstappen, Red Bull - 25
4. Russell, Mercedes - 22
5. Hamilton, Mercedes - 16
6. Ocon, Alpine - 14
7. Perez, Red Bull - 12
8. Magnussen, Haas - 12
9. Bottas, Alfa Romeo - 8
10. Norris, McLaren - 6
11. Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri - 4
12. Gasly, Alpha Tauri - 4
13. Alonso, Alpine - 2
14. Guanyu, Alfa Romeo - 1
15. Schumacher (Haas), Stroll (Aston Martin), Hulkenburg (Aston Martin), Vettel (Aston Martin), Ricciardo (McLaren), Albon (Williams), Latifi (Williams) - 0

[7 April 2022 12:15 · Karl Matchett]

F1 latest news

Fernando Alonso’s career moves and downturns in fortunes may stem from struggling to cope with the emergence of Lewis Hamilton.

That’s the opinion of Heikki Kovalainen, who - like Alonso - was teammate to the Brit in his early years.

The Finn partnered Hamilton in 2008 and 2009 at McLaren, while Alonso did so one year previous - Hamilton’s rookie year in F1.

A spate of disagreements and an eventual exit followed for the Spaniard, who has since meandered from Renault to Ferrari, McLaren, out of F1 altogether and then back with Alpine since last year. And Kovalainen thinks that initial tough run alongside Hamilton has had a lasting impact.

“Since [Alonso’s] championship years with Renault he’s always made the wrong move and just sometimes I wonder if the trigger was the surprise of Hamilton’s speed,” he said to TalkSport.

“If that is the core issue, then the falling out with [McLaren boss] Ron Dennis and with the team followed and there wasn’t any other place to go, Renault was kind of on a downward slope, he was just playing catch up after that and that never really recovered.”

On staying the pace with Hamilton, Kovalainen acknowledges it’s a tough ask to do across the entirety of a year, requiring the very best drivers to show not just technique but also consistency to do so.

“Occasionally I could match him but over the full season I had to stretch every session to match him.

“You can only do so much stretching and then you run out of energy and that was the case with me, I didn’t have enough margin in my capacity to do the times and the races that he did, so it was not easy.

“His level of performance is so high that even for super talents like Max [Verstappen] it requires a lot of effort, a lot of focus, a lot of energy, so it’s not going to be easy, not everyone can handle that, it’s as simple as that.”

[7 April 2022 12:30 · Karl Matchett]

Red Bull hoping Ferrari pair take points off each other

Helmut Marko says he hopes Carlos Sainz improves his race speed somewhat this year, as Red Bull need him to take points off Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

Two podium spots in the opening races of the season have shown the power of the new car and the ability of the Spaniard, but it’s Leclerc who won the opener in Bahrain and then was locked in a battle with Max Verstappen in Jeddah.

Marko says there’s more to come from Sainz and it’s something the Red Bull racing team might actually need.

“I was pleasantly surprised last year that he [Sainz] was on the same level as Leclerc, and I was actually hoping that it would be the same this year,” Marko, Red Bull’s advisor, told Formel1.de.

“But you could already see it in the tests, and you could also see it in the race, that he’s missing about three to four-tenths.

“And that is a disadvantage for us because we believed that the two [Ferrari drivers] would take points away from each other. That is not the case at the moment.”

Ferrari lead the constructor standings at this early stage, with 78 points. Mercedes have 38 and Red Bull, third, have 37.

[7 April 2022 12:45 · Karl Matchett]

F1 latest news: Russell meets Melbourne crowd and Haas racer rides the waves

Time for a lunchtime look at what the teams have been up to as they prepare for the Australian GP this weekend.

Naturally, Daniel Ricciardo has taken straight to the track on home soil - though not exactly in the vehicle we’re used to watching him in! Ferrari, meanwhile, tried to channel their inner-Crocodile Dundee and George Russell is entertaining the Melbourne crowd with the trademark smile, which seems to be getting plenty of use.

Best of all, Mick Schumacher has been surfing! Sort of.

[7 April 2022 13:00 · Karl Matchett]

F1 latest news ahead of Australian GP

Race stats, part 1 courtesy of Reuters:

Lap distance: 5.275km. Total distance: 305.950km (58 laps)

The most recent race at Albert Park was in 2019 and the circuit has been shortened by 28 metres since, with two turns taken out and seven corners modified. It is now considered a new layout.

Start time: 0500 GMT (1500 local)

No Australian driver has ever won a home grand prix.

There have been 13 Australian F1 drivers since 1950 and two world champions -- Jack Brabham and Alan Jones. McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo is the only Australian in Sunday’s race.

This year’s race will be the 25th to be held at Albert Park, and 36th Australian Grand Prix. It was held in Adelaide, as the final race of the year, between 1985 and 1995.

Four current drivers have won before in Melbourne and three are world champions: Lewis Hamilton (2008, 2015), Sebastian Vettel (2011, 2017, 2018) and Fernando Alonso (2006). The odd man out is Valtteri Bottas, winner for Mercedes in 2019.

Aston Martin’s Vettel is starting his season this weekend after missing the first two races due to COVID-19.

Hamilton has been on pole in Melbourne for the last six editions and eight times in total (2008, 2012, 2014 to 2019), a record for the race.

The lowest starter to win was Britain’s Eddie Irvine from 11th in 1999 for Ferrari. Fifteen of the 24 races in Melbourne have been won from the front row.

[7 April 2022 13:15 · Karl Matchett]

F1 latest news ahead of Australian GP

Race stats for Melbourne, part 2 from Reuters:

Race wins

Hamilton has a record 103 career victories from 290 starts, the most recent being in Saudi Arabia last December.

Ferrari have won 239 races since 1950, McLaren 183, Mercedes 124, Williams 114 and Red Bull 76.

Ferrari have made their best start to a season since 2004.

Pole

Hamilton has a record 103 career poles, most recently qualifying fastest in Saudi Arabia last year.

Points

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is 12 points clear of team mate Carlos Sainz after two races. Sainz has finished the last 17 races in the points.

Haas have scored in successive races for the first time since 2019.

Aston Martin and Williams have yet to score a point in 2022.

Milestones

Mercedes are chasing their 125th win in Formula One.

Four drivers are racing in Australia for the first time -- Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Mick Schumacher (Haas), Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo).