Motorsports
Russell fastest in the Mercedes 1-2 in the first tests in Miami
.jpg?ssl=1 "Russell fastest in the Mercedes 1-2 in the first tests in Miami")
George Russell was two tenths quicker than his Mercedes counterpart Lewis Hamilton in the opening practice session for the US Miami GP, which was suspended for 9 minutes after Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas hit the wall at Turn 3.
Under the bright Florida sun, the first tests of the 5th race of this year’s Formula 1 were dominated by the two Mercedes W14, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton driving the fastest laps on the soft rubber in the end ahead of Charles Leclerc from Ferrari and Red Max Verstappen from Bull Racing.
Russell initially had problems with the W14’s steering system, which was due to a new component that Mercedes brought to Miami. The Brit said his steering felt so problematic that he wouldn’t mind missing half the tests to fix it.
However, he returned at the end of testing and, on a fresh set of soft tyres, managed to outpace Hamilton and clocked the clock at 1:30.125 – as Mercedes made a rather encouraging start to the three days in Florida.
At the beginning of the tests, most drivers devoted themselves to collecting data on the hard and medium tires. Verstappen was fastest in the Red Bull RB19, where he stayed on the soft rubber after the first laps and before Hulkenberg crashed.
The Dutchman clocked a time of 1:31.826 on the hard tyre, Leclerc was almost 0.6 seconds behind before Nico Hulkenberg was the first to switch to the soft – leading the time leader.
Verstappen reacted, but then came the moment of the Haas German’s crash on the outside wall of Turn 3. It took 9 minutes to clear the car from the spot and moments later Verstappen returned to make the first attempt – on the soft Tires – to drop 1:30.549.
His lap stayed in the lead until the final minutes as the two Mercedes Brits took turns on the soft tires and moved up to the top two positions. Leclerc did the same to move up to 3rd place, passing Verstappen by exactly a tenth of a second.
Carlos Sainz completed the top six, almost two tenths off, while the winner of the last Azerbaijan GP, Sergio Perez in his other Red Bull RB19, was limited to 11th, 1.1 inches behind Verstappen – possibly with a different schedule as the Dutchman.
The two Aston Martins did not show their true colors as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were more than a second ahead of Russell and behind Pierre Gasly’s Alpine.
With the tarmac being very slippery outside of the racing line, several riders had to get off in the wheel avoidance areas, while Nick de Vries and Alex Albon also had a foursome. The former actually escaped punishment from race officials when he momentarily drove in the opposite direction of the track to find room to turn in the right direction.
The second free practice in Miami starts tonight (Friday 5/5 to Saturday) at 00:30, while tomorrow’s third practice starts at 19:30 Greek time and qualifying at 23:00.
Source: sport 24
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According to reports in the Italian media, the Ferrari team has made a decision about race engineer Lewis Hamilton for the 2026 season.
Riccardo Adami has been working with the seven-time world champion since the Briton moved to the Scuderia in January 2025. But there were a few strange and resonant radio conversations between them throughout the season.
During the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton appeared confused by the lack of information from his engineer, and at the Miami round he reacted strongly to the situation, issuing team orders and advising the team to “drink some tea” after Charles Leclerc refused to let him pass.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Riccardo Adami asked Hamilton: “Are you mad at me?” There was another incident where he ignored her request. Ferrari later announced that the engineer had left the pit wall at that time.
A similar situation was repeated after the last race of the season. During the radio exchange, Hamilton thanked the team and the race engineer for their cooperation, but received no response. The Briton then asked if they had heard him and received an explanation that the team were talking to each other at the time.
At the end of the season, team principal Fred Vasser said the Scuderia would review Hamilton’s inner circle to improve their results. And it looks like the decision has already been made.
According to Italian publication Auto Racer, Ferrari has decided to retain Riccardo Adami as Hamilton’s race engineer for 2026. The most important reason for this was a “very positive” private dinner between the pilot and the engineer.
The team expects to take a serious step forward in 2026 in light of new technical regulations. Next season could be decisive for Hamilton because 2026 is considered the last year of his current contract with Ferrari.
His first season in the Scuderia was a difficult one for the Briton. Hamilton finished the championship in sixth place using the problematic SF-25 car, but lost 86 points to his teammate.
Hamilton went a season without a podium for the first time in his career, while Leclerc scored seven goals. Of particular concern was the seven-time champion’s deteriorating qualifying form later in the year.
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.
Mercedes Formula 1 team president Toto Wolff believes that driver George Russell is ready to become a champion, but young Andrea Kimi Antonelli still needs time.
“Nobody knows how much power the Mercedes engine will have in 2026. We don’t know what the other teams’ engines will be like either. Is Russell ready to take the championship if given the right car? 100%, absolutely ready. There is nothing to add here. He is ready to be champion.”
“Antonelli is only 19 years old. What kind of peak are we talking about? He can be at the peak after 3-5 seasons. I believe we should give him this time to gain experience.”
“It’s moving in the right direction,” Wolff said.
F1 will have new technical regulations on engines and aerodynamics from the 2026 season.
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.
Haas driver and Ferrari development program graduate Olliver Berman said his goal is to race in the Scuderia in the future and win victories with the red car.
The Briton was already racing for Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he replaced Carlos Sainz due to appendicitis. He has since made significant progress at Haas and will remain with the team at the start of the new season.
Berman congratulated Isak Hajar on his promotion to Red Bull and said:
“Yes, of course I’m a little jealous that he will be fighting for high results in a team like Red Bull. But I’m sure my time will come, too, and I’m very happy for that. We’ve been racing since Formula 3 and he has shown incredible talent and speed. It’s great that the new generation of drivers are being recognized and now both Kimi and Isak are in the top teams. That’s great. All you have to do is wait for your chance and it will definitely come.”
Berman said about his dream of competing for the Scuderia:
“This is definitely my dream. It motivates me to do my best and I get up every morning to do my best in everything I do. I want to perform in the red. I want to win in the red. That’s my life goal. I’ve been lucky enough to feel it once already and I know what it feels like, so I try to get back to that regularly.”
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.
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