Rachel Stephens, Author at Motorsport | Pit Debrief

Hamilton: Jos Verstappen’s involvement in Horner F1 controversy and his son’s team is “a very thin line to walk”

Rachel Stephens8 months ago8 months ago07 mins

Soon-to-be Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has recently weighed in on the Red Bull Racing and Christian Horner situation, claiming that the speculation will be ‘affecting everybody’. Allegations by an employee against Horner of inappropriate behaviour prompted an investigation that lasted eight weeks, but the outcome Red Bull came to cleared Horner of any wrongdoing. However,…

Sauber F1 scrambles to solve continuous pit stop issues ahead of Australian GP; Bottas declares them a “wake-up call”

Rachel Stephens8 months ago8 months ago07 mins

Sauber F1 driver Zhou Guanyu found himself in pit lane mayhem at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. These issues echoed the problems at this season’s first race in Bahrain, where the team had a wheel nut nightmare with Valtteri Bottas’s car. Bottas experienced a pit stop horror story that reminded the watchers-on of Monaco 20221…

Audi accelerates F1 team entry with Sauber takeover and Andreas Seidl appointment

Rachel Stephens8 months ago8 months ago06 mins

With everything in the past months indicating that Audi will be making its entry into Formula 1 in 2026, they have officially confirmed plans to accelerate their takeover of the shareholding of Sauber Formula 1 team. Audi has confirmed its intention to fast track the takeover of the Sauber team, with plans to join by…

Verstappen leads Leclerc and Perez in Saudi Arabian F1 GP FP3; Bearman finishes 10th

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago08 mins

Despite finishing seventh in yesterday’s FP2 session, Carlos Sainz missed today’s FP3 and will also be absent at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the he goes under the knife to remove his appendix following an appendicitis diagnosis. Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman has taken Sainz’s place for the remainder of the race weekend, with…

Horner: “Others have looked to take advantage” of misconduct allegations concerning Red Bull F1

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago07 mins

Red Bull Racing’s team principal, Christian Horner, has taken centre stage in Formula 1 in recent weeks following allegations of misconduct. Horner has spoken publicly about the allegations ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and called for the coverage of the misconduct to stop, following the investigation: “The intrusion on my family has…

FIA President under investigation for alleged interference in rescinding Alonso’s penalty at 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Rachel Stephens9 months ago8 months ago09 mins

Amongst several revelations and controversies currently facing the sport, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), has found himself at the centre of another Formula 1 storm. Allegations are stemming from the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where a whistle-blower has come forward with the claim that Ben Sulayem attempted…

Alpine F1 Team grapples with key team resignations amidst early season struggles

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

The 2024 Formula 1 season has only begun but Alpine F1 Team is dealing with a whirlwind of challenges, including resignations from vital members of the team. Not only did the team display a poor performance at the season opener in Bahrain, but their technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer…

Jos Verstappen claims Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner is “playing the victim” following file leak and misconduct allegations

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

Red Bull Racing is a team synonymous with speed, success, and, lately, controversy, as long-standing team principal Christian Horner has faced allegations of misconduct. Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, gave some candid remarks to the Daily Mail, questioning Horner’s leadership, and warning of problems and internal tensions for Red Bull Racing if Horner remained…

Norris claims McLaren are “in a good place” after missing out on “possible” P2 in qualifying for F1 Bahrain GP

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

Amidst the anticipation of the Bahrain qualifying session, with reigning champion Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc battling for the top spots, Lando Norris secured seventh place on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Despite some challenges in the earlier practice sessions and claiming he “made a mistake in turn one and turn four”, causing…

Hamilton: I “sacrificed more than I hoped to” with set-up change after qualifying 9th for F1 Bahrain GP

Rachel Stephens9 months ago9 months ago04 mins

The lights illuminated the Bahrain International Circuit for the first qualifying session of the 2024 Formula One season and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton made it to Q3, finishing in a disappointing 9th place. With a different leader for each of the weekend’s practice sessions: Daniel Ricciardo for FP1, Lewis Hamilton in FP2 and earlier today…