Claire Cottingham
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Articles by Claire Cottingham
Wolff displays impressive poise despite Mercedes disqualification - GPFans F1 Paddock Pass
Sunday morning began with a long journey into the track, followed by an hour spent behind cars waiting to get to the track. I have a lot of love for this circuit, but the traffic management makes little sense and filtering through fields becomes time-consuming. Nonetheless, I finally got in and went to Aston Martin for a tech talk with Tom McCullough, the team’s performance director.
Hamilton’s sparkle returns with podium potential in Spa - GPFans F1 Paddock Pass
After a relatively quiet Friday, the drive-in was uniquely chaotic as always in Spa. Despite only staying 20 minutes away, it took me nearly an hour to get to media parking with road closures and traffic management. Walking towards the track, dark clouds started descending around the circuit and I quickly knew Spa was about to do what Spa does best… rain.
Carlos Sainz F1 News: Ferrari star in race to secure future as walls start to close in
Carlos Sainz has a new headache in the quest for his next Formula 1 seat after being dropped by Ferrari for 2025. Since the moment he was told Lewis Hamilton was taking his drive, Sainz has been the victim of driver market forces that mean he faces a drop down to the unfashionable end of the grid.
F1's Hollywood theme continues with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at centre of blockbuster impact
Formula 1’s 2024 season has unexpectedly become a Hollywood movie. Not because of the filming of the Brad Pitt-led movie at several grands prix over the past two years, but thanks to a series of storylines so outlandish that even if an ace scriptwriter could squeeze it all into one two-hour cinematic extravaganza, nobody would believe it was plausible.
Hamilton’s Ferrari excitement shines through as Spa makes room for Hollywood - GPFans F1 Paddock Pass
As many in the Formula 1 paddock gear up for a much-needed break, it felt like the first day of school for me as I skipped through the turnstiles excited for a busy media day. I had not been in the paddock since the end of last season and I was itching to get back into the mix with plenty of exciting storylines thanks to a spicy Hungarian Grand Prix.
Leclerc praises Ferrari's "transparent" handling of Hamilton negotiations
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari were “transparent” with him about their efforts to sign Lewis Hamilton before he committed to extending his contract with the team. Hamilton will join Ferrari at the beginning of next season. Leclerc, whose contract was up for renewal at the end of this year, agreed a deal to remain at the team shortly before Hamilton’s moved was announced. However Leclerc confirmed the identity of his next team mate came as no surprise to him.
Aston Martin's McCullough buoyed by team's growth despite late 2023 slide
Aston Martin’s leap to the front of the field behind only Red Bull was a sensation at the start of last year’s Formula 1 season. But despite six podiums in the opening eight rounds of the championship for the team’s new driver, Fernando Alonso, which put them as high as second in the constructors’ championship at one stage, the Silverstone-based team ultimately fell to fifth place by season’s end.
Sauber plan ‘big ticket’ upgrades this year ahead of crucial 2025 season
Sauber technical director James Key says they aim to introduce “several” major upgrade packages through the upcoming season. Key has returned to the Swiss team as technical director for the first time since 2012 after being released from the same position at McLaren following their disappointing start to the 2023 season. Arriving back at Sauber, Key says the team has notably grown in his decade away from their Hinwil factory. “It’s great to be back,” Key told media including RaceFans.
Perez insists lessons from “worst weekend” in Qatar will make him stronger for 2024
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez says he is confident of being a stronger driver in 2024 after learning “a lot” from his challenges in 2023. Perez took a career best finish of second in the drivers’ championship behind team mate Max Verstappen last year but his season was plagued with mistakes, frustrations and disappointing results. He won just two grands prix all season – both in the opening four rounds – while Verstappen dominated the championship with 19 victories from the other 20 events.
Exclusive: Horner on Red Bull's success, believing in Perez and why 2024 will be closer
Having just celebrated his 50th birthday, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has reached an age where most team principals would only just be starting their tenures as the leaders of their teams. In fact, given that the average age of the ten men in charge of Formula 1’s teams when the 2023 season began was 53, Horner was and remains one of the younger team principals on the grid.
The "aggressive" Red Bull mindset Vasseur is seeking to emulate at Ferrari
The mood was bleak at Maranello this time 12 months ago. After weeks of speculation, team principal Mattia Binotto put an end to rumours over his future and confirmed he was moving on after four years in charge. Under Binotto Ferrari went from race-winners to midfield strugglers and back. Things were looking up at the start of 2022 as the team seemed to have sussed Formula 1’s new regulations more quickly than their rivals.
Piastri 'patting himself on the back' for delivering results as McLaren improved
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was the star rookie of the 2023 Formula 1 season, taking two grand prix podiums and winning a sprint race. He rode the wave of his team’s improved competitivity in the season’s second half, kicking it off with a podium in the Spa-Francorchamps sprint race, setting the fastest lap in the Italian Grand Prix, finishing third in the Japanese Grand Prix then winning Qatar’s sprint race and coming second in its grand prix.
Perez aims to reverse "trend" of mid-season slumps in 2024
Sergio Perez acknowledged he needs to understand why he hasn’t been able to perform consistently across a season since joining Red Bull. His downward trajectory over the 2023 season was more noticeable than in his previous two with Red Bull due to the team’s dominance. His only win in 2021 came in round six of 22, but although he never finished higher than third after that, he scored 18 more points in the first half of the season than the second half.
Time spent out of F1 made Ricciardo realise he was "doing too much sometimes"
The moment that stands out most for Daniel Ricciardo from his return to Formula 1 this year was when he got “some metal in my hand” after breaking a bone when he crash practice for the Dutch Grand Prix. But most of his other memories of his seven-and-a-half weekends at AlphaTauri are more positive. Ricciardo was called up in mid-season to replace the underperforming Nyck de Vries, only to need a substitute of his own after injuring himself.
"I've definitely been at my best in terms of performance": Norris on his 2023 season
When Lando Norris started the 2023 Formula 1 season unable to reach Q3 or score points, he did not expect McLaren would become a consistent podium threat by the end of it. Although he ended the year sixth in the championship standings, Norris finished second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in five grands prix: Nobody else was as frequent a rival to this year’s dominant champion.
I only missed one chance to score points in 2023 F1 season
Williams’ Alexander Albon scored in seven out of 22 grands prix this year, plus one of the six sprint races – but he thinks there was only one other occasion he could have taken points home. His tally of 27 points single-handedly put his team seventh in the constructors’ standings, as well as leaving him 13th in the driver’s standings. “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved at the team,” said Albon.
"Huge accomplishment" of Singapore win shows Ferrari is ready to fight in 2024 - Sainz
Carlos Sainz Jnr was the only driver outside of Red Bull to win a Formula 1 grand prix this year, and says that win shows Ferrari are ready to take advantage of a more competitive car if they have one next year. The team was less competitive as a whole over 2023 compared to the year before. Sainz scored 46 fewer points and finished two places lower in the championship than last year. Yet he rates his 2023 campaign as being an improvement.
Singapore and Austin retirements cost me top 10 championship place - Ocon
Esteban Ocon rued the lack of consistency in his 2023 campaign, after his lowest-scoring season since 2018. The Alpine driver finished third in the Monaco Grand Prix, the first time he has reached the podium since winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and took fourth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. But the rest of the season was much less successful and he only twice scored in more than two races consecutively over the 22 rounds.
Piastri showed private testing is best preparation for F1 debut - Bearman
Oliver Bearman is expected to spend a second season in Formula 2 next year, but he says more Formula 1 testing would be the ideal way to graduate to grand prix racing. The Ferrari junior came sixth in his rookie F2 campaign, winning four races and taking pole position three times.
Sainz "perfectly confident" Ferrari can catch Red Bull over winter
Carlos Sainz Jnr says he is “perfectly confident” that Ferrari have the ability to close their performance deficit to Red Bull. The Ferrari driver was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a grand prix in a 2023 season dominated by the world champions. Despite winning the Singapore Grand Prix, Sainz’s Ferrari team were beaten into second place in the constructors’ championship by rivals Mercedes. However, Sainz feels Ferrari have the potential to close the gap to Red Bull heading into next season.
Aston Martin credit Vettel's input in the car his replacement took to eight podiums
Aston Martin have credited Sebastian Vettel’s input during 2022 into this year’s car for contributing to their climb up the order in Formula 1. Vettel raced for Aston Martin in 2021 and 2022, and the team came seventh in the constructors’ championship in both campaigns. Although it took just six races after joining for Vettel to make the podium, he only had one top-five finish in the 36 grands prix that followed and he retired from F1 at the end of last year.
Perez learning what Verstappen is doing differently as he targets 2024 F1 title
Despite finishing a long way off the top spot this year, Sergio Perez has set his sights on going one better than his championship runner-up spot next year. “That’s the main target for me,” said Perez after securing second place in the championship, the highest finishing position of his career. “I’ve already finished second, my main interest is to do one better. “I’m aware of the challenge that it is.
Verstappen "hasn't changed in the last four or five years" despite success - Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is confident that world champion Max Verstappen will be just as driven and strong in 2024. Verstappen and Red Bull enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2023, winning almost every race in the championship with Verstappen taking 19 victories and team mate Sergio Perez winning two others. Victory only evaded Red Bull in the Singapore Grand Prix, where the champions lacked performance relative to their rivals across the weekend.
Verstappen will make more mistakes if we put him under pressure next year - Vasseur
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says that his team must find a way of turning up the pressure on Max Verstappen next season. Verstappen and Red Bull waltzed to both world championship titles in 2023. The team won 21 of the 22 rounds and Verstappen breaking multiple records on his way to a third successive drivers’ title. Ferrari was the only team other than Red Bull to win a grand prix all season.
F1 needs quality events, not "races for the sake of doing them" - Perez
Sergio Perez says Formula 1 must not put races on just for the sake of having races amid concern over the demands of next year’s record-breaking calendar. Many drivers and staff members complained of the demands placed on them by the end of this year’s calendar, which featured five races within six weeks on three different continents.
Aston Martin "brutal with ourselves" about performance after finishing fifth
Aston Martin say they are not disappointed to have fallen from second in the constructors’ championship to eventually finish in fifth. The Silverstone-based team were the story of the early season, as they went from a seventh place finish in the championship in 2022 to scoring regular podiums in the opening rounds of the 2023 season.
Mercedes' team photo shows we still have a long way to go on diversity - Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is proud of the efforts Mercedes are making to increase the diversity of its staff but says it will be a “long slog” to achieve the results he hopes to see. The team launched its ‘Accelerate 25’ programme three years ago to increase the proportion of staff it hires from under-represented backgrounds to 25% by the end of 2025.
Bottas and Zhou see encouraging signs from overhauled 2024 car
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are looking forward to driving their team’s successor to the Alfa Romeo C43, after the team fell to ninth in the constructors’ championship. The Sauber-run team will lose its Alfa Romeo branding for 2024. It has not yet confirmed details of next year’s branding or car model name. However details have already emerged that the team is taking on a different design direction after coming ninth in the constructors’ standings with this year’s car.
Piastri's rapid learning key to his "exceptional" rookie season - Stella
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was deeply impressed by Oscar Piastri’s development as a driver through his rookie Formula 1 season. Piastri scored 97 points in his maiden campaign, the second highest for a rookie with McLaren after Lewis Hamilton’s history-making haul of 109 in 2007. He reached the podium twice in grands prix, and in sprint races he qualified and finished second at Spa-Francorchamps then took pole and won at Losail.
Perez targets qualifying gains in 2024 as "Sunday form has been very, very strong"
Sergio Perez has said his race day form was “very, very strong” during the 2023 season and a key reason why he scored the runner-up spot in the championship. The Red Bull RB19 dominated car, but Perez consistently struggled with it in qualifying.
"It should not happen": Gasly wants explanation for Ocon's strategy advantage
Pierre Gasly expects his Alpine to explain why they gave a preferential strategy to their other car when it was running behind him. The two Alpines were running fifth and eighth on lap 15, Gasly ahead of Esteban Ocon, when their race took a decisive turn. Gasly picked up diffuser damage after being hit from behind by Lewis Hamilton, and Alpine pitted Ocon. As Ocon was the first of Alpine’s drivers to pit, he stood to benefit compared to Gasly by running on fresher tyres first.
Paddock Diary: 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The punishing demands of the 2023 schedule left paddock dwellers suffering at the end of the season, including some of the drivers. After a nightmare journey which included 20 hours being stuck in Atlanta due to a missed connecting flight, I was keen for a smooth trip to Abu Dhabi. But as my plane sat on the Heathrow runway my concerns started to grow. As we arrived in Doha, Qatar I did the maths and knew it was going to be tight.
Albon calls 2023 his "strongest year in F1" after leading Williams to seventh
Alexander Albon said his fourth season in Formula 1 was his best yet, after single-handedly scoring enough points to earn Williams seventh place in the constructors’ standings. In his second season at the team, Albon scored 27 of their 28 points. That was enough to keep them ahead of main rivals AlphaTauri, who fell short of overhauling them in the final race of the year despite a strong end to the season.
Ricciardo puzzled by qualifying struggle after failing to join Tsunoda in points
Daniel Ricciardo was outperformed by Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying and the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and he was unable to understand how his AlphaTauri team mate found a pace advantage. AlphaTauri needed a high-scoring weekend as they chased Williams for seventh in the constructors’ standings. Tsunoda’s four points for eighth place – after spending five laps leading the race – left them three behind their rivals.
Sargeant 'cracking the code' of Williams' car as he awaits decision on his future
Williams are yet to announce if Logan Sargeant will retain his race seat for a second year, but he is already setting targets for the 2024 season. The team achieved its goal of finishing seventh in the constructors’ standings at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Alexander Albon and team mate Sargeant finished 14th and 16th respectively. Albon scored all but one of Williams’ 28 points this year, and came 13th in the standings while Sargeant was 21st.
Wolff has no doubt Hamilton can be champion again despite second win-less season
Lewis Hamilton will be ready to compete for the world championship again once Mercedes give him a competitive car, team principal Toto Wolff believes. He said his faith in the team’s star driver remains unshaken despite Hamilton ending a second consecutive season without winning a race. He finished the last race of the season ninth in what Wolff said had been a “bad weekend” for him. Mercedes have only won one race since Formula 1’s technical regulations were overhauled at the start of 2022.
Ferrari 'only half-did the job' using Leclerc to keep Perez ahead of Russell - Horner
Ferrari didn’t go far enough in their efforts to use Charles Leclerc to hold up George Russell in their bid to claim second place in the constructors’ championship, says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Red Bull were drawn into the fight between Ferrari and Mercedes over the runner-up position after Sergio Perez was given a five-second time penalty in the closing stages of yesterday’s race.
Tsunoda didn't realise he was leading the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yuki Tsunoda spent five laps leading the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but wasn’t aware he was heading the field at the time. The AlphaTauri driver rose to the head of the field as he was the last of the drivers who started on the medium tyre compound to pit. He hit the front of the field for the first time in his Formula 1 career on lap 18 and stayed there until he pitted on lap 23. “To be honest, I didn’t know I was leading the pack, so I was quite surprised about it,” Tsunoda admitted afterwards.
Hamilton would have gone straight on if he hadn't crashed into me - Gasly
Pierre Gasly said the damage he suffered in a collision with Lewis Hamilton ruined his chances of scoring any points in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “It wasn’t my day,” said the Alpine driver. “I think most of the damage was done when Lewis just came at the back of my car and just destroyed the whole diffuser at the back of it.” The Alpine driver, who finished 13th, said he was caught unaware when the Mercedes ran into him at turn six. “I braked late,” Gasly explained.
Disappointed Sainz says third in points is "fair" result for Ferrari · F1 · RaceFans
Carlos Sainz Jnr says he is “very disappointed” with his pace over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend as he was classified out of the points. The Ferrari driver started 16th on the grid after he was eliminated in Q1 in qualifying and was classified 18th after pulling into the pits on the penultimate lap. Sainz’s point-less finish contributed to Ferrari’s failure to overcome Mercedes and snatch second place in the constructors’ championship.
Norris 'tried to let Perez past and somehow he crashed into me'
Lando Norris was baffled by his collision with Sergio Perez during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Perez was handed a five-second time penalty for the collision between the pair, which occured as the Red Bull driver tried to pass his rival on the inside of turn six. While Perez insisted his Norris was partially to blame for the collision, the stewards disagreed, handing the Red Bull driver a five-second time penalty. Norris insisted he wasn’t trying to put up a fight against Perez at the time.
Alonso says Hamilton 'brake test' was Canada 2013 repeat: 'In both cases I won'
Fernando Alonso admitted he was trying to avoid giving the benefit of DRS to Lewis Hamilton when he slowed abruptly in front of his rival during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton accused him of “brake testing” but the stewards took no action over the incident. Alonso described it as a repeat of their celebrated battle in the Canadian Grand Prix 10 years earlier.
Aston Martin need "a bit of chaos" to challenge McLaren in race - Alonso
Fernando Alonso says it will be a long shot for Aston Martin to get the result they need in the last race of the Formula 1 season today to beat McLaren to fourth place in the championship. McLaren go into today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is 11 points ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship. Aston Martin took 10 points off them last weekend in Las Vegas. However McLaren enjoyed a much strong qualifying session than their rivals yesterday.
Perez calls on F1 to address track limits in off-season after penalty · RaceFans
Sergio Perez says Formula 1 must use the upcoming off-season to address the persistent problems it encounters with enforcing track limits. The Red Bull driver originally took fifth on the grid with his final lap in qualifying before it was deleted because he ran wide at turn one. That left him ninth on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Perez did not believe he had committed an infraction at first, asking his race engineer Hugo Bird: “Are we sure?” when told of his violation.
Ban on passing at pit exit 'a terrible rule we have because of other silly rules'
Formula 1 drivers say a better solution is needed to prevent impeding in qualifying than the ban on overtaking in the pit exit which was introduced at Yas Marina. The rule was imposed following the first two practice sessions on Friday. Max Verstappen overtook several cars in the narrow, winding exit which passes beneath the track, prompting concerns over potential collisions. The race director therefore imposed a ban on passing through the pit exit. This led to lengthy queues during qualifying.
Norris "making so many mistakes on Saturday at the minute" after Q3 error
Lando Norris was characteristically self-critical after an error in his final qualifying lap ended his hopes of taking pole position in Abu Dhabi. The McLaren driver had put together competitive laps up until that point. In Q2 he lapped 0.18 seconds eventual pole-winner Verstappen, and appeared to be in with a chance of taking pole. Norris told his team on his radio he was “pretty happy” with his Q2 lap.
Reaching Q3 in old-spec car shows major Haas upgrade failed - Hulkenberg Original
Nico Hulkenberg put the old-specification Haas chassis nine places ahead of the new version on the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and called it “the story of our season” afterwards. Haas introduced a major overhaul of its chassis at the United States Grand Prix four races ago. However Hulkenberg has not been entirely comfortable with the new version and switched back to the old shape at the last round.
AlphaTauri pair encouraged by new floor in team's push for seventh · RaceFans
AlphaTauri drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda were encouraged by the performance of a new floor their team introduced for the final round of the season. The team which sits in eighth in the constructors’ championship are pushing until the last possible round in their efforts to try and snatch seventh from rivals Williams. AlphaTauri need their best result of the season so far to stand a chance of overhauling Williams.
Current cars make drivers a passenger in high-speed crashes, Sainz and Ricciardo say
Carlos Sainz Jnr’s heavy crash in second practice at Yas Marina was another example of how the current generation of cars are susceptible to snapping out of control at high speed, he says. The Ferrari driver hit a TecPro barrier at turn three after losing control of his car as he went through the sequence of quick corners at the beginning of the lap. Sainz said he was “feeling good” despite a “pretty big crash” which caused extensive damage to the right-hand side of his SF-23.
Hard to repeat "rare" combination of factors behind Vegas shunt - Norris
Lando Norris blamed his huge Las Vegas Grand Prix crash on a variety of factors which combined at once. The McLaren driver failed to finish a grand prix for the first time in 2023 last weekend after he lost control of his car through the fast turn 11 left-hand on the new street circuit and spun into the wall, skidding into the outside barrier. Norris was taken to a local medical centre following the crash for precautionary checks but was soon released.
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