F1 LIVE – Hamilton has fresh concern, Australian GP engulfed in chaos
Formula One preview: A lap of the Australian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes arrive at the Australian Grand Prix hoping their 2023 season will finally lift off after a disappointing start to the campaign. But the Briton is facing more concerns over their pace after opening up about his struggles that no other team is facing. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and even Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin have shown more competitiveness on the track so far this season, while Ferrari’s true pace remains a mystery.
Hamilton has finished fifth in both races this season and is already 23 points behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings after a disastrous opening race for the W14. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has attempted to keep the Briton encouraged by promising future updates to the car, but it seems Alonso will be best-placed to challenge Verstappen in Sunday’s race.
The Spaniard, 41, topped the timing charts in the second free practice session on Friday in a rain-hit session in Melbourne after setting the early pace on the medium tyres.
The teams were left struggling without the guidance of GPS technology after a failure in the system at the track, with a number of close calls in terms of drivers tripping over each other and it remains to be seen whether the issue can be fixed before FP3 on Saturday morning.
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KEY EVENTS
Hamilton facing more Mercedes woe
Lewis Hamilton has opened up on another design flaw with Mercedes’ 2023 car that has left himself and George Russell with a huge disadvantage compared to their F1 rivals.
The Briton has been candid about the issues facing the team with their W14 car as they desperately try to make improvements and admitted he has “really struggled” to adapt to how their car operates on the track.
I don’t know if people know, but we sit closer to the front wheels than all the other drivers,” Hamilton said at the drivers’ news conference on Thursday.
“Our cockpit is too close to the front. What that does is it really changes the attitude of the car and how you perceive its movement. It makes it harder to predict compared to when you’re further back and sitting more centred. It is just something I have really struggled with.”
FULL STORY
Australian GP in crisis as GPS issues stop practice
The Australian Grand Prix’s second free practice session had to be stopped after a failure in the GPS technology at the circuit made it difficult for teams to follow their cars.
Pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz opened up on the problems and explained why practice had been stopped.
It came after multiple cars almost came together because the GPS system was unable to inform them about the cars ahead of them on track.
He commented: “It’s the processing element between all those GPS signals that come into Formula One and getting them distributed amongst the teams.
Good morning!
Rise and shine, F1 fans! Welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE coverage of the Australian Grand Prix.
In case you haven’t already got up early to check on the results, we have already completed both the first and second free practice sessions after a rain-hit session in Melbourne.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news from Down Under.
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