Fast Five: Verstappen dismisses 'jealous' Hamilton, Ferrari’s ‘right call’ on bespoke upgrades, and other big updates

Verstappen dismisses 'jealous' Hamilton

Max Verstappen responded to Lewis Hamilton's claim that Hamilton’s “teammates have been stronger than the teammates that Max has had,” suggesting Hamilton might be jealous of Red Bull's current success. Verstappen implied that Mercedes is struggling to cope with no longer being dominant in F1 and emphasized the need for realism and self-improvement. He stressed the importance of focusing on one's own performance rather than downplaying others' achievements.

Click here to read the full article by Michael Delaney (f1i.com)

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Ferrari’s ‘right call’ on bespoke upgrades

Charles Leclerc’s performance engineer Jock Clear went into detail on the special upgrade package the team brought to Monza: “We recognized that the lower-downforce was suiting us better, it would have been silly of us, not just from the sentimental point of view, not just that the crowd is full of red, but it’s clearly a circuit that’s going to benefit us. Seeing the team’s performance so far this weekend, including Carlos Sainz on pole and Charles Leclerc starting P3, has been a major confidence boost for the whole team.

Click here to read the full article by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham (RaceFans.net)

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Alonso eyes Dakar victory

Fernando Alonso considers winning the Dakar Rally as important as securing a third Formula 1 world championship. Despite his impressive career, including two Le Mans wins and an F1 break in 2019-20, Alonso still plans to attempt the Dakar again in the future. Winning in F1, endurance racing, and Dakar is a significant personal goal for him. If he succeeds, he would be the first F1 world champion to conquer the Dakar. Meanwhile, the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship will include a new cross-border event, the Rally-Raid Transibérico, in Portugal and Spain, replacing the Sonora Rally in México.

Click here to read the full article by Luke Barry (dirtfish.com)

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Why cars use tire blankets

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I bet you didn't know that Formula One tire blankets cost £22,000 per car for an F1 weekend. Of course, they are equipped with cutting-edge technology that enables drivers to make it out of the pit in time. But what really makes them cost this much? And most importantly, how do they work?

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Rookie drivers now under more pressure

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Logan Sargeant has been subjected to substantial criticism following a disappointing start to his rookie season. This scrutiny follows de Vries' removal from the team after just 10 races due to underperformance. This has led Formula 1 fans to call for teams to be more patient with their drivers rather than constantly comparing them to more experienced ones.