Motorsports
Hamilton – Ferstappen: How 2022 began for the two Formula 1 gladiators with the new cars
The two gladiators of last year’s Formula 1 title talked about the performance of their new cars in the first three days of this year’s winter tests in Barcelona and were satisfied with it – Ferstappen a little more.
While Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes had to overcome some obstacles brought by the new W13, new champion Max Ferstappen said the new RB18 is a very balanced car with enough dynamics.
At the end of yesterday’s final day of testing on the Catalan track, Hamilton and Mercedes drove the best time in three days – albeit with the softest of all erasers (C5). Ferstappen was six tenths away but with two steps harder rubber, the middle C3. However, both said that the times so far are in no way indicative of the true speed of each car.
Hamilton said Mercedes had to overcome some issues in these tests – and one of them was the cars bouncing on the straight due to ground effects – but he said he was happy with the W13’s reliability.
“These three days were interesting. They were not the easiest and smoothest for us”said the Brit. “Undoubtedly, we had some obstacles that we had to overcome. But we worked a lot and of course we always want to do more laps, but I’m happy with the last day. I did almost 100 laps in half a day so that’s not bad. We’ve been a little behind the last two days.
The car drives very differently than in previous years, as do the tyres. But we are working on it. The whole team did a great job this week and also at the factory. So now we need to download all this data and process it as best we can next week to get our walk right. In the first week you never know who’s in charge, you never know. We have no idea where everyone is”completed.
For his part, Ferstappen was more optimistic: “Everything worked fine while we were out on track and the car worked well. But with the red flag holidays we could not finish our program. But we kept going and I think that was the main goal in the Barcelona tests. The good thing is that the car works smoothly “said the Dutchman.
The champion concluded: “I don’t care about the times, not yet. I’ll see when we get to that Q3 from Bahrain. I just look at each lap individually and try to understand every aspect of the car. I enjoyed her ride RB18 This week it has good stability and balance and it shows a lot too cool “.
Ferstappen’s optimism was shared by other RBR members. The other driver, Sergio Perez, said: “We have a good base and enough momentum. It’s early days but I think we can make a good step ahead of Bahrain.
“I think the challenge this year will be to get the best out of the car every three days under the new regulations.”. And technical director Guillaume Rocklen added that the tests ““They promised a lot and the most gratifying thing for me is that we have a good foundation and direction to build our next steps.”
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg can count on a multimillion-dollar bonus in his first season with Audi if he can repeat the results in the 2025 season.
Last season, the German pilot reached the Formula 1 podium after 250 races for the first time in his career and finished the British Grand Prix in third place. At Silverstone, Hulkenberg was ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and scored 15 points in one go.
Hulkenberg scored 51 points at the end of the 2025 season.
On the eve of Audi’s first season, specialized media reported that the 38-year-old pilot signed a contract providing a bonus of 50 thousand euros for each point earned in the 2026 season.
Given the large-scale changes in Formula 1, even the pilots themselves cannot yet predict the balance of power in the peloton. However, if Hulkenberg scores 51 points again, the bonus can reach 2 million 550 thousand euros in addition to his base salary at Audi.
If Nico manages to win the race and score the maximum 25 points, this will immediately earn him a bonus of 1,250,000 euros.
The team will present the appearance of its first car today at 20:00 Kyiv time.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Thomas Berman, the younger brother of Haas Formula 1 team driver Oliver Berman, will officially take part in Italian Formula 4 and Euro 4 in the 2026 season.
Thomas will represent the VAR team colours.
The 16-year-old Briton spent last year in British Formula 4, where he scored one win and finished eighth in the final season standings.
But the ones that are considered the most prestigious and promising are the Italian and European Formula 4 championships. They are often chosen by young pilots for further career advancement. In addition, Thomas’ older brother Oliver Berman also competed in these series and became the Italian Formula 4 champion in 2021 with 11 wins.
Let us also remind you that Ukrainian Alexander Bondarev will compete in the same championships with the Prima Racing team in the 2026 season. The Ukrainian pilot does not hide his ambitions and has repeatedly expressed his intention to fight for the championship title.
Bondarev now participates in Middle East Formula 4 in preparation for the European leg of the season. After the first stage, he took first place in the general rankings and became the leader in the rankings.
Thomas Berman will compete in the Formula Winter Series as part of his preparations.
The competition between the current “four” promises to be extremely high, and the appearance of the younger brother of the Formula 1 pilot will only increase interest in the series.
Check out this post on Instagram
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Former Ferrari boss Ross Brawn said the team was at a disadvantage due to the FIA’s changes to the rules.
The Scuderia was virtually unbeatable in the early 2000s. Michael Schumacher single-handedly won 48 of 85 races in the first half of the decade, while Rubens Barrichello added nine more victories.
In an interview with F1.com, Brown named the 2004 Ferrari car as his favorite. That year the team won not only three races but confidently won its sixth consecutive title in the Constructors’ Championship.
The legendary designer and strategist admitted that Ferrari was stopped after that due to changes in tire rules and that the team had become too dominant.
“Every year we put in extra effort and every year we did things a little better. That made the 2004 car, in my opinion, the best ever.”
“We were disappointed by the changes to the tire rules after that, but I think we did so well and had to be stopped somehow. This incredible car could not have been stopped any other way because everything worked so well for us.”
“Having lived on the other side of the fence ever since, I can understand Bernie’s frustration. [Экклстоуна, тогдашнего руководителя Формулы-1]Max [Мосли, тогдашнего президента FIA] and supporters. It was a shock when we didn’t win, not a shock when we won. “It was a very special car.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
-
Ligue 13 years agoRenato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
-
Europa League4 years agoIn transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
-
Europa League4 years agoFenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
-
Europa League4 years agoWithout Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
-
Europa League4 years agoEuropa League
-
Europa League4 years agoAtalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
-
Europa League4 years agoFears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
-
Premier League4 years agoExcept for the rest of January, Sean was injured