Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff delivered a motivational video call to teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli ahead of the youngster’s first home Formula 1 race, urging him to ignore Italian-media hype and focus on execution. The 18-year-old Italian, stepping into Lewis Hamilton’s vacated seat, listened from the Imola garage while Wolff addressed him from the United
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Alpine reserve-turned-race driver Franco Colapinto endured a bruising Saturday after FIA stewards fined the team €600 when he blasted through pit lane at 85.1 km/h—five over Imola’s 80 km/h limit. The breach occurred in final practice and triggered an immediate summons citing Article 34.7 of the sporting code. Further investigations Stewards then probed Colapinto again
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George Russell underlined his growing leadership role at Mercedes by warning engineers that Kimi Antonelli’s W15 was “bottoming” heavily through Turns 4 and 5 during practice, risking excessive plank wear and potential disqualification. The 27-year-old Brit relayed, “Lots of bottoming and plank wear from Kimi, exit turn four, entry turn five,” prompting immediate analysis. Why
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Sky Sports’ lead F1 commentator David Croft will not call this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, marking a planned break in an expanded 24-race calendar. Croft has fronted coverage since Sky acquired UK rights in 2012. Pre-Planned Absence At 54, the veteran announced in March he would again skip Imola, Austria, and Azerbaijan, mirroring his 2024
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Italian media floated claims that Christian Horner’s job hinged on the success of Red Bull’s Imola upgrades, citing concern from Thai shareholders. The story suggested failure to close the gap to McLaren could cost the long-serving team boss his role. Driver Response Verstappen expressed bewilderment when asked by Sky Italy. “Honestly, I have no idea
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Red Bull arrived at Imola with a re-profiled floor, revised side-pod undercuts, a tweaked beam wing, and rear-ramp refinements on the RB21. Engineers hoped the suite would trim the deficit to McLaren and reclaim top-speed supremacy. Track Reality Free Practice 1 ended with Verstappen seventh and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda sixteenth. FP2 produced incremental gains—P6 and
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Carlos Sainz was recorded at 93.7 km/h—13.7 km/h above the 80 km/h limit—during the final minutes of Friday practice at Imola. Stewards swiftly applied Article 34.7 of the Sporting Regulations and summoned team officials. Official Verdict “Car 55 exceeded the pit lane speed limit which is set at 80 km/h for this event by 13.7
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Max Verstappen logged surprise laps in a Ferrari 296 GT3 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife just days after finishing fourth in Miami. The four-time champion initially raced under the pseudonym “Franz Hermann” before confirming his identity on social media. Veteran Voices Safety Fears Former Williams driver Ralf Schumacher used Sky Germany’s Backstage Pit Lane podcast to
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Ferrari found itself on the stewards’ agenda at Imola after Charles Leclerc’s crew adjusted tyre pressures in FP1 while the SF-25 sat in the garage. Officials opened an inquiry into a possible breach of Technical Directive 003G 2.g.ii, which spells out how tyres can be reused and modified during a session. A team representative met
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George Russell has revealed the quirky detail that soured a celebratory flight with future team-mate Lewis Hamilton after learning he would debut in F1 with Williams in 2018. “I actually flew home with Toto and Lewis that night,” Russell said in a recent F1 YouTube video. The Hummus Incident During the journey Russell “double-dipped the
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