F1 news LIVE: George Russell reveals stunning Max Verstappen threat to ‘put my head in the wall’

Hamilton finished second in a Mercedes one-two with winner George Russell, who started from pole position, in Las Vegas on November 24.

Hamilton handed down two penalties on Sunday – five seconds for a false start and another for speeding in the pits – as well as a puncture.

At one point, clearly fed up, he tried to retire the car, but his race engineer refused the request because the driving penalty would have been transferred to Abu Dhabi if it hadn’t been served.

Briton Russell, who turns 40 in January, is 18-5 and 5-1 in sprints this season, but has also won two Grands Prix.

“I know I still have it,” Hamilton said Saturday. “Only the car will not go faster. But I definitely know I have it. That’s not a question in my head.”

Lewis Hamilton’s struggles at Mercedes are of no concern to his future employers Ferrari, according to team boss Fred Vasseur.

The seven-time Formula One world champion finished only 12th in Qatar on Sunday, the 39-year-old Briton’s last race before his farewell to Mercedes at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

He also finished 10th in Brazil last month, and 11th in Saturday’s sprint there.

Asked after the Lusail race if he was worried about Hamilton’s form next year, Ferrari’s Vasseur replied: “Not at all.

“Looking at the 50 laps he did in Vegas, starting P10 (10th), finishing on Russell’s gearbox, I’m not worried at all.”

Esteban Ocon said his departure from Alpine ahead of the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi this weekend was not the way he wanted his time at the Renault-owned team to end.

Alpine has replaced the Frenchman with Australian reserve Jack Doohan, who will make his race debut at Yas Marina on Sunday.

Ocon joins Haas next season and Alpine presented the change as freeing up Ocon to test for the US-owned team next week.

“To the hundreds of hard-working men and women in Enstone and Viry, I apologize that I won’t be able to come to see you in person and say a proper goodbye,” the Frenchman said on Instagram, acknowledging it had not been an easy year.

“As you know, the plan was always to race one last time this weekend and say goodbye to you in person all next week. I was looking forward to both.

“I didn’t want things to end like this. Still, the world of F1 is small and I’m sure I’ll see many of you again soon.

“I would also like to wish nothing but great things to my friend Jack as he takes the next big step in his career at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”

Alpine are fighting for sixth place in the championship, five points ahead of Haas.

Max Verstappen he accused George Russell “lying” to marshals in Qatar after the pair had a heated argument following an incident on the road:

“It’s very difficult to determine [why Perez has been so far behind]. Our car was not the easiest to drive, especially for Checo because of his driving style. When others close, every little detail makes a difference in where you end up, where you qualify. It’s hard for him to comment on how things went, but I can tell you that the car was all over the shop. It certainly didn’t help Checo in general.

“He was always a great team player, I always enjoyed working with him at every Grand Prix. There is nothing negative to say about him, we get along great. Of course, it’s not nice when you struggle to get results.”

Verstappen reacts to the news that the Dutch Grand Prix will not take place after 2026: “Of course, that’s something I’m sad about. On the other hand, I’m very proud of what they did. When I started in Formula 1, I could never have imagined that we would return to Zandvoort. I’m very excited about the last two races. They said they want to go out with a bang, so I’m very excited to see that.”

Lewis Hamilton spoke to the media ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he will take to the starting line for the last time in Mercedes colors:

Hamilton was asked about news that the Dutch Grand Prix will be removed from the calendar after 2026 after it failed to match the increasing costs required by the sport’s authorities to host it – with the emergence of Saudi Arabia and other new venues that can pay significant sums to host the grand prix. prix.

“I am very sad to lose Zandvoort. The fans make the sport what it is and they’re always amazing there, while there are some other races – I won’t name them, but you know what they are – where a lot of fans don’t come out to watch, but financially they can cover any expense. Business in the sport is going very, very well, and I think we have to make sure we hang on to the heritage races, and Zandvoort is one of them.”

Hamilton on his emotions leaving Mercedes: “The briefings we had this week, you think these are the last moments with the team, it’s not the best [feeling]. I am mostly proud of what we have achieved.”

His lasting memory? “Smiles, when we had success. One engineer, our first win in Australia 2014, I remember he was in tears when we were on the podium. The emotions we had at Silverstone this year. These are all good things. I’m incredibly proud and so grateful to every single person, both here on the track and back at the factory, who worked tirelessly.”

Compare with leaving McLaren? “I don’t really remember the last few days [at McLaren]. It was definitely not as painful and difficult as this year. This one is a lot more emotional because I’ve been with the team for so long and we’ve been through so much together.”