Fast Five: Hamilton eager for Mercedes W15 launch, McLaren acknowledges development 'gap to close', and other big updates

Hamilton eager for Mercedes W15 launch

Lewis Hamilton expressed his anticipation for the launch of Mercedes' W15 Formula 1 car for the next season following a challenging series of races for his team. Mercedes struggled at Monza, with the W14 being the third-fastest car, resulting in Hamilton and George Russell finishing fifth and sixth. Hamilton attributed his recent difficulties to poor qualifying sessions and a less competitive car. Despite scoring decent points, Mercedes has been unable to challenge Red Bull's dominance, leaving Hamilton and his team eagerly awaiting improvements in the upcoming season.

Click here to read the full article by Adam Cooper (motorsport.com)

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McLaren acknowledges development ‘gap to close’

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledges that there is a gap to close before they can compete for race victories. Despite achieving three podium finishes in 2023, including a Sprint race podium, and showing competitive pace, they believe they need another significant development like the one introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix to contend for wins. Stella anticipates some improvements but doesn't expect them to be enough for victory, hoping they can secure more podiums before the season ends. McLaren's development for the 2023 season won't be affected by the cost cap, with Stella emphasizing that it's more about time constraints rather than budget restrictions. 

Click here to read the full article by Rory Mitchell and Aaron Deckers (racingnews365.com)

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ICYMI: The Fantasy Formula is on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Take top ranked F1 Fantasy players Adam (F1FantasyHQ) and Rob (F1 Fantasy Hub) with you on planes, trains, and anywhere else your podcasts travel. While you're listening, be sure to leave a review for your chance to have it read on-air during an upcoming episode, and drop your thoughts in The Fantasy Formula community on FanAmp!

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Tokyo fan fest features Verstappen, Tsunoda, and more

Suzuka Circuit will host a fan festival in Tokyo in anticipation of the Japanese Grand Prix on September 22-24. The event will feature F1 stars like Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, and Esteban Ocon, along with F1 President Stefano Domenicali and former drivers Jean Alesi and Shinji Nakano. Fans can see Red Bull's RB19 and AlphaTauri's AT02 up close, experience podium moments, and take photos with the World Championship trophy at two Tokyo locations from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM JST.

Click here to read the full article on formula1.com

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Alex Albon opens up over KBBQ

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During Alex Albon's mid-season break, he met up with a food YouTuber who invited him to try Korean food. They met at a KBBQ place in London to enjoy a meal and chat. The Williams driver shared his experiences in F1, talked about his encounter with the royal family at Buckingham Palace, and discussed the significant challenges associated with the sport.

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Drivers take on the landmark challenge

In this episode of Grill the Grid, drivers are tested on their knowledge of geography. They are provided with maps and landmarks representing the countries where teams travel for races, and their challenge is to correctly match the landmarks with the respective countries within 90 seconds. Click here to watch the video.