Rodger Ward, F1 driver

Steiner spoke out against the decision of the stewards at the Monaco GP to impose a time penalty on Nico Hulkenberg for an opening lap collision. 
With Steiner feeling that Hulkenberg did not make any untoward contact, he said the time had come for the appointment of full-time professional stewards. 
"Every professional sport has got professionals being referees and stuff like ...

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Steiner was outspoken ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix in expressing his annoyance about why Nico Hulkenberg was handed a penalty for an opening-lap collision at the Monaco Grand Prix.
He thinks it was unfair for Hulkenberg to be sanctioned for what he felt was a non-incident, when other drivers had got away with much worse.
"Lap one: we get a penalty for what I think is not a collision," ...

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In the wake of personal frustration over his driver Nico Hulkenberg earning a penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix that has left him confused, Steiner believes a system overhaul is required.
He thinks the FIA system of using unpaid stewards is no longer fit for purpose, and believes it is time for professionals to be brought in and help deliver improved consistency.
“I think we have to just go ...

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The Red Bull driver made a successful swoop for pole in the dying stages of Q3 to deny Alonso the chance of a first F1 pole since 2012, using the final corners to overturn a deficit of two tenths accrued in the opening pair of sectors.
Thanks to the vastly improved form of the Aston Martin team in 2023, Alonso has been able to consistently run at the front after years of struggling with ...

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Ferrari requested a right to review from the FIA for the five-second penalty that, due to the safety car finish in Melbourne, dropped Sainz from fourth place down to a point-less 12th.
Sainz was reprimanded by the stewards for tagging the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso into a spin at Turn 1 of the final standing start restart, although the two-time world champion was eventually restored to ...

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The widely predicted collapse of the optimistic plans to reinstate the Chinese Grand Prix for the first time since 2019 has created a protracted gap between the Australian and Azerbaijan rounds.
Usually, a similarly sizable window between races that has allowed much of the paddock to take time off is reserved for the traditional August summer break.
But as the calendar has grown to a record ...

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While there is a separate debate raging about whether or not standing restarts are a good idea at all after the late-race chaos in Melbourne, another problem emerged earlier in the event.
With the first red flag having been triggered by Alex Albon's crash on lap seven, the go-ahead for a standing restart was given by race control.
The rules require the safety car to lead the cars around in ...

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Haas lodged a complaint in the aftermath of the Melbourne event after feeling that the regulations had not been correctly applied in determining the order for the final safety car restart that decided the finishing positions.
A chaotic second red-flag restart had brought about another stoppage, and F1's race control decided to determine the running order based on how the cars were before the ...

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The Ferrari driver tangled with Fernando Alonso at the second race restart of a chaotic Australian GP, sending his fellow Spaniard into the wall at Turn 2 before the third red flag.
Amid the FIA's final restart decisions, Sainz lined up for the final lap in fourth but was given a five-second penalty for the incident, so when the race ended under safety car conditions he was relegated to 12th ...

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With the Dutchman clearly knowing that there was a lot to lose if he made a poor getaway for the second red-flag restart, he made sure to place his car in the most aggressive spot possible.
But as well as angling himself slightly towards the right to shut off rivals getting him down the inside, Verstappen also pulled incredibly far forward.
In fact, overhead footage of the Red Bull car and ...

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In an interview on a Brazilian podcast in November 2021, Piquet used a racial slur referring to seven-time world champion Hamilton, while being asked on his views on Hamilton's British Grand Prix clash with Max Verstappen.
Piquet soon apologised for his remarks, stating his language "was ill thought out, and I make no defence for it".
He also claimed he was mistranslated as the derogatory ...

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Verstappen won the prestigious trophy last year following his intense title win over Lewis Hamilton and is one of the six nominees for 2022 after cruising to a second F1 title with Red Bull.
The Dutchman took 15 race wins in 2022, breaking the all-time record previously shared by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, as he wrapped up the championship with four races to spare.
But ...

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Haas announced last Thursday that it had signed Hulkenberg for next year to replace Mick Schumacher as Kevin Magnussen's teammate.
It will mark Hulkenberg's first full season of racing since 2019 when he drove for Renault, having since made a handful of starts as a stand-in driver.
To help Hulkenberg in his preparations for next year, Haas handed the German the complete day of test running ...

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Hamilton will handle the car for the final time on Tuesday, when teams have a chance to sample the 2023 spec tyres ahead of next season.
The W13 has been problematic since its first proper test in Barcelona, and the team has spent the season fighting porpoising and ride issues.
While the car has been competitive in recent weekends, and George Russell led Hamilton in a one-two in Brazil, it ...

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The Saturday afternoon session at the Yas Marina Circuit was red-flagged after 28 minutes when Pierre Gasly lost part of his front wing while running wide over the kerbs exiting Turn 9.
The remaining cars on track had to return to the pits at slow speed so the debris could be removed, but McLaren's Lando Norris flagged over the radio that Hamilton had overtaken two cars.
On the run to the ...

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Ricciardo has insisted that he wants to focus on a return to a top F1 seat in 2024, and has not given any serious thought to trying another category.
However, he has indicated that he is not keen to try ovals should IndyCar racing ever become an option for him.
O?Ward, who has spent time with Ricciardo while embedded in the McLaren F1 camp, stood in for Lando Norris at McLaren in FP1 in ...

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Gasly was among six drivers summoned after the 24-lap sprint race that set the final starting grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix for various incidents.
Gasly was alleged to have driven too slowly during his reconnaissance laps to the grid, not meeting the maximum time set by race director Niels Wittich in his event notes.
But Gasly only received a warning for the incident, explaining during ...

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Russell picked up eight points and P1 on the grid for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix after charging from third place on the grid to win the final F1 sprint of the season, defeating Red Bull rival Verstappen in a wheel-to-wheel battle.
Russell was aided by starting on the soft tyre compared to Verstappen's mediums, and was able to get within DRS range of the two-time world champion for the lead ...

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The point took his running 12-month total up to 10, just two short of the figure that automatically triggers a suspension for one event.
His first points were logged in the Spanish GP on May 22 ? which means under the current rules he won?t lose any from his total until after next year?s Emilia Romagna GP, the seventh round of the 2023 championship.
Gasly has become increasingly ...

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The protests were prompted by Kevin Magnussen receiving three black and orange flags for endplate damage over the course of this season, despite the team explaining to the FIA that thanks to its design a flapping endplate would not detach from the car.
In Austin, Perez received front wing damage on the first lap, which led to the endplate flying off shortly afterwards.
Meanwhile, after ...

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Both Perez and Alonso picked up damage during Sunday?s race at the Circuit of The Americas. Perez finished in fourth place despite losing the front wing endplate from his car after a clash on the opening lap with Valtteri Bottas as Red Bull clinched the constructors? title.
Alonso managed to finished seventh for Alpine despite a huge crash that saw his car briefly go airborne following ...

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Palou will take part in FP1 at the United States Grand Prix, taking over Daniel Ricciardo?s car for the 60-minute session at Circuit of The Americas, while O?Ward will drive Lando Norris?s car in opening practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
These outings follow the pair?s driver development tests in the MCL35M and fulfill the team?s two young driver outings, as mandated in the ...

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The race at Suzuka was suspended after just two laps due to heavy rain, which resulted in a number of incidents on the opening lap.
A crash for Carlos Sainz at Turn 12 initially prompted a safety car before the red flag was thrown, with all cars returning to the pit lane.
But before the field returned to the pits while circulating behind the safety car, a recovery vehicle was already ...

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The Red Bull driver faced a stewards investigation after winning the Singapore race having been suspected of not keeping to within 10 car lengths of the safety car during the final full safety car period.
Perez, who won by 7.595s from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, was handed a five-second penalty and a reprimand for the incident, keeping the victory.
The stewards offered two different ...

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Ricciardo will leave McLaren at the end of the season after agreeing a mutual split with one year remaining on his contract following a difficult stint at Woking.
Ricciardo has been clear he is not looking to rush into any decision about his future, but remains keen to keep racing in F1 if the right opportunity comes up.
Speaking on the Fitzy and Wippa radio show in Australia on Friday ...

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