Lewis Hamilton handed lifeline as Mercedes confirm improvements ahead of Miami GP

Formula One for the years ahead and the next generation of the motorsport, which is due to see engine changes from 2026.New regulations that year will make engines more reliant on electric power and reduce the sport's carbon dioxide omissions as part of a long-term plan to make F1 carbon neutral.That transition could lead to the departure of well-established teams or the introduction of new ones, while experienced drivers like Lewis Hamilton are expected to have called time on their illustrious careers.For Mercedes, Hamilton's retirement and the new engine regulations will come amid a larger period of transition from the team who have won numerous titles with the British driver at the wheel - including each of the last eight Constructor's Championships.Signs of change have shown this year, with Mercedes unable to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari following the most recent regulation changes, which have raised questions on the team's future and where Hamilton's head lies.While it remains to be seen whether Hamilton will continue with the team beyond this season, Mercedes chairman Ola Kallenius has pledged the Mercedes brand will remain on the grid when speaking at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit.“We have decided to go down this path of decarbonisation. It is the only decision we can make, and the same goes for Formula 1.

LIVE – Updated at 17:11Follow live news and reaction as Formula One takes in the results of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen held off a late charge from Charles Leclerc to win and close the gap to the Ferrari driver at the top of the championship standings. All the focus is now to Spain next week, with the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Verstappen has now won the last two races, with Red Bull responding to Ferrari’s fast start and now threatening to leave their rivals behind.

Formula One chiefs regarding the strict rules regarding wearing jewellery in the cockpit risks getting 'nasty' and may see the Mercedes driver miss the Monaco Grand Prix, Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz has said.New race director Niels Wittich is applying regulations around jewellery extremely strictly and issued a note to teams about the rules on the Thursday ahead of the Miami Grand Prix - something that Hamilton criticised in his pre-race comments.In a clear message to the governing body, Hamilton attended the pre-race press conference covered in bling, including three watches, and hinted that he'd be prepared to miss the race - though he did adhere to regulations and remove his earrings. Removal of two more piercings, however, were more complicated and Hamilton was granted a two-race exemption period preventing him from receiving punishment but the British driver has made it clear he wants exemptions for the entirety of the season.That puts Hamilton and the FIA on a collision course for the Monaco Grand Prix at the end of the month, where the driver's current exemption period expires, and could even put his participation in Monte Carlo in doubt.“He’s taken his earrings out but he can’t take out his nose [stud] and we thought he was going to have minor surgery to take out the nose [stud]," Kravitz said on his Ted's Notebook programme on Sky Sports.

Lewis Hamilton has suggested that that he may have a very intimate piercing underneath his racing gear.The Mercedes racer, 37, made the comments after becoming embroiled in a row over his jewellery ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix.The racing star hinted that he may have a piercing underneath his racing gear in a particularly sensitive area.Hamilton made the remarks after threatening to pull out of the Miami Grand Prix following their jewellery ban.He initially said he would withdraw from the race if he was made to remove his earrings and studs, on the grounds of safety.However, he eventually agreed to remove all but two.Hamilton kept in a nose stud which can only be removed mechanically and hinted at where the other is, suggesting it may be in a hidden, intimate area.He said: "One, I can't really explain where it is."But what I can say is it's platinum, so it's not magnetic."It's never been a safety issue in the past," he said to the FIA in Friday’s press conference.New FIA race director Niels Wittich reminded drivers ahead of the race about the governing body’s rules on accessories.FIA rules stated: “The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start.”They also claimed that the jewellery reduced levels of protection given by the drivers' flameproof clothing and increased their risk of burn injuries.Hamilton is known for expressing his opinions about F1 and has previously hit out at the FIA over other issues.The Mercedes ace spoke out against a decision by the governing body to outlaw engine qualifying modes in 2020.Banning the powerful engine settings, which are used by drivers in qualifying, was intended to

Toto Wolff was kind when giving his latest assessment on the team's car this season, dubbing it an 'understatement' as he believes it's a 'killer to drive'. The Silver Arrows have found themselves well off the pace of Ferrari and Red Bull this season, with the car suffering from 'porpoising' issues and unable to find the pace to compete at the front of the grid.Russell has had the better form compared to teammate Lewis Hamilton, maintaining his record of a top-five finish in every Grand Prix this season in Miami after he overtook his teammate in the latter stages of the race.Mercedes had introduced an upgrade package for the Miami Grand Prix which looked promising after Russell set the fastest lap time in the second practice session but then failed to advance past Q2 in qualifying.While Russell has been able to find some consistency in the car, he's certainly not happy with the condition of the vehicle and believes Wolff has been kind when giving his recent assessments of the car.“Toto is throwing the word ‘diva’ around a lot about the car - but that is an understatement because it is so unpredictable.

Lewis Hamilton has questioned Mercedes' team strategy following the Miami Grand Prix, as he was left frustrated by the team's questions on the radio following the safety car.Lando Norris' crash with Pierre Gasly saw the pack brought together under the safety car, which worked in favour of Hamilton's Mercedes teammate George Russell as he was able to have a cheap pit stop, but Mercedes were unsure of what to do with the seven-time champion.Race engineer Peter Donnington asked Hamilton whether he wished to take on new tyres behind the safety car, which resulted in the British driver asking why he was being posed that question and stating 'that's your job' to the pit wall.While the race represented an improvement for Hamilton, who finished outside the points in Imola but came in sixth in Miami, the experienced driver spoke about the race about the team's strategy and questioned the approach to serve further evidence of his growing frustration with the team.“In that scenario, I have no clue where everyone is, so when the team say ‘it is your choice’, I don’t have the information to make the decision,” he said following the race's conclusion in Miami.“That’s what your job is. Make the decision for me as you have all the details and I don’t.

Piers Morgan, 57, has been at the centre of news the last few weeks after the start of his TalkTV show Piers Morgan: Uncensored last week.

Lewis Hamilton drove F1 fans into a frenzy by hinting he may have a piercing on his gearstick.The Brit seven-time world champion teased he has a platinum gem in a sensitive zone after backing down on a threat to pull out of the Miami Grand Prix over a jewellery ban.Lewis had warned race officials he would not take part if they made him remove his earrings and studs on safety grounds. He eventually agreed to whip out all but two.

LIVE – Updated at 17:05Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as F1 hit Florida with qualifying on Saturday. The championship leader kept his cool in the searing 33 degree heat, with Carlos Sainz completing an all-Ferrari front row. Max Verstappen blew his chances of claiming his second pole in as many grands prix when he made a mistake on his final run.

Lewis Hamilton caused a stir today in a hot pink outfit while attending the Miami Grand Prix.The star, 37, was snapped in the brightly-coloured ensemble as he made his way into the paddock ahead of the first running of the race.Appearing at the racing event, the star caused a stir in a neon pink oversized t-shirt and matching baggy trousers and trainers.He finished the look with a square pair of purple sunglasses.A large watch could be seen on Hamilton's wrist while he wore a large chain around his neck.It comes as the star became embroiled in a row over his jewellery ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix today.New FIA race director Niels Wittich reminded drivers ahead of the race about the governing body’s rules on accessories., saying: "The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start.”Hamilton, who regularly sports jewellery, branded the renewed focus on the issue “almost a step backwards”.The British Mercedes driver, who mostly wears his jewellery out of the car, said that during racing he only wears “earrings and nose ring, which I can't remove”.He removed some of his jewellery in the car for the Miami GP and has been given a two-race exemption for pieces that are more difficult to take out.

Formula 1 lawmakers look likely to sanction Lewis Hamilton if he follows up on his threat to rebel against the sport's new jewellery ban.Organisers are now taking a stricter view on the FIA's law preventing drivers from wearing jewellery in the cockpit. Hamilton, 37, warned he was ready to miss Sunday's Miami Grand Prix in defiance against the ruling, only to ultimately bow to pressure and agree to the changes.The seven-time world champion wore numerous watches, necklaces, rings and earrings to a pre-race press conference before appearing to accept the tighter restrictions.

Loose Women anchor Charlene White, 41, has taken Lewis Hamilton’s side in his reported row with FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem over jewellery. Charlene took to Twitter to praise the Mercedes champion for arriving at a press conference ahead of his big race at the Miami Grand Prix laden in opulent accessories.On Friday, Lewis, 37, turned up to speak to the press wearing a staggering three watches, eight rings, four necklaces, one bracelet and two earrings.Charlene shared a photo of the F1 star making a statement with his jewellery in view of her 63,000 followers.She wrote alongside it: “Elite level pettiness,” alongside a fire emoji, to praise the top driver.It comes after Lewis made a U-turn over his promise to boycott today’s Grand Prix over wanting to wear piercings while racing, despite Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, maintaining a strict approach to drivers wearing jewellery in their cars.Lewis has now agreed to a medical examination at the track on Friday and has removed all but two of his piercings. The star explained that the two studs cannot be removed easily and he has been granted a two-race exemption to leave them as they are while he contemplates potential solutions.Despite his U-turn, Lewis put on another defiant display yesterday while out and about in the American city, as he was snapped dripping in jewellery at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida.He donned £1800-worth of rings and a silver chain while on his way to the Paddock ahead of his final practice for the Grand Prix. Fans took to the comments section of Charlene’s post to share their thoughts on her verdict on Lewis’ jewellery row.Nicki Rann agreed: “I'm thinking he could have worn more watches and necklaces.

Formula One race, when Lella Lombardi finished 12th at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.But Daily Star Sport has now put the current crop of Formula One stars through a gender-swap app. This app has shown what the drivers competing in this year's championship would look like as women.The results are mixed, with some drivers undergoing sexy transformations and others likely to avoid a mirror.

remarkable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix decider.But in recent years, some of the sport's biggest names - including the likes of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton - have set tongues wagging with their raunchy confessions over antics away from the track. Here, Daily Star Sport takes a look at six of the biggest names in F1 history who haven't been shy about revealing some of their sex-related secrets, from secret romps in a car to an impromptu strip club visit on the eve of a race.Hamilton has made no shortage of headlines since bursting onto the F1 scene back in 2007.

Michelle Obama led a star-studded crowd at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Saturday, as Hollywood A-listers mingled with sporting royalty at the Miami International Autodrome to watch the qualifying action. The former first lady, 58, enjoyed a warm embrace with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton before watching the action from his Mercedes team pit.

Lewis Hamilton has hit out at the newly-builttrack for Formula One's Miami Grand Prix.Hamilton and the other 19 drivers on the grid were able to test the new circuit for the first time during Friday’s practice. And the seven-time champion is the latest F1 star to be left less than impressed.The circuit is built around the Hard Rock stadium with some of its sections overlapping with existing highways.

Jeremy Clarkson, 62, gave his opinion on Lewis Hamilton’s recent disappointing finish in his latest column.Speaking about the Imola Grand Prix in Italy, which took place in April, Jeremy was critical of Lewis' performance.Jeremy said Lewis “qualified badly”, adding that he “spent most of the race at the back of the field, trying and failing to get past someone who was driving what was basically a Morris Marina”.The car enthusiast revealed that, while Lewis’ boss and some commentators had blamed his car for his performance, Jeremy pointed out that his younger Mercedes team-mate George Russell, “soundly” beat him by coming in at fourth position.The Clarkson's Farm presenter claimed that George’s car was “worse” than Lewis’ had been, and was not equally as problematic, as had been previously suggested.The former Top Gear host explained that the Mercedes team “forgot” to change the set-up of George’s car.Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula One World Champion, had a different viewpoint and recently said Lewis had not been “humiliated” by George, although Lewis has been falling behind his team-mate this season.Damon described Lewis as being “a little unlucky”.The multiple champion only managed a 13th place-finish at Imola.Jeremy hasn’t been reserving his anger just for Lewis lately, as he has also been making comments aimed at Amal Clooney in the same column for The Sun.The star of Amazon Prime Video show Clarkson’s Farm said he had assumed the barrister to be a “drippy human rights loony”.He had also thought of her as only having a platform “to get her lefty messages across” because she is married to George Clooney.Despite these assumptions, he did say Amal has “the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard” when he found himself

Lewis Hamilton's life on the track is no doubt well documented, however his life off it tends to stay more private. Despite this, Hamilton revealed plenty of insight into his life behind closed doors during a quick-fire interview with BBC Radio 1 back in 2015.

Lewis Hamilton prepared to miss this weekend's action as his row with the FIA rumbles on.Seven-time world champion Hamilton has hit out at the FIA's push to ban jewellery, dubbing it an 'unnecessary spat' as he took a swipe at the F1 organisers in Friday's media sessions.The Mercedes ace made his feelings towards the ban clear without uttering a word after turning up decked out in an array of jewellery, including three watches set to three different time zones, eight rings, four necklaces and two earrings for the press conference - with it likely he was also wearing his nose stud underneath his mask.Race director Niels Wittich repeated his desire on Thursday to get tough on drivers who do not comply with the FIA's regulations regarding jewellery and piercings, sending a letter to teams ahead of the Miami Grand Prix weekend.It read: “The wearing of jewellery in the form of body piercing or metal neck chains is prohibited during the competition and may therefore be checked before the start," - with detail on the reasons why, saying it could get snagged, reduce the effectiveness of flame-resistant clothing and could get dislodged in an accident.Hamilton doesn't appear to have any intention to comply though and gave a firm verdict when asked about the regulations on Friday, saying: “I couldn’t get any more jewellery on today, but anyway, I feel like it’s almost like a step backwards, if you think of the steps we’ve taken as the sport and the more important issues and causes that we need to be focused on.“I think we’ve made such great strides as a sport… we’re here in Miami… this is such a small thing, I’ve been in the sport for 16 years and I’ve been wearing jewellery for 16 years.

Mercedes teammate George Russell, former world champion Damon Hill has declared.The seven-time champion has endured a nightmare start to the 2022 season with Mercedes struggling following the latest round of regulation changes, finishing outside the points last time out at Imola in what was a disastrous weekend for the Brit.However, despite Mercedes' woes, Russell has found consistency in the car with top-five finishes in each of his four races since joining the team, while he's finished ahead of his teammate in each of the last three rounds of racing.That has seen Hamilton come under significant scrutiny, with questions regarding his long-term future and whether his title defeat to Max Verstappen last season has hit his confidence - with the chances of a record-breaking eighth world title looking like a pipe dream.With Hamilton facing criticism and scrutiny, with comparisons made to his form and Russell's, Hill believes that such a view is not showing the full picture, with Hamilton not being fortunate in his endeavours so far in the 2022 campaign."He's [Russell] done an absolutely brilliant job and is looking strong. I think Lewis has been a little unlucky and I think he's been delving around and [has] been happy to play the guy who tries the experimental setup for Mercedes a bit because he's got more experience with them," he told the F1 Nation podcast."So perhaps he's gone the wrong way sometimes and that has made him look worse off than he really is against George, but George is definitely doing a sterling job – and I think that's a very firm foundation for him going forward.

Lewis Hamilton this season, insisting that his compatriot has 'not lost it' despite his Mercedes woes.Hamilton finished outside the points last time out in Imola and the seven-time champion has finished behind teammate George Russell in each of the last three races, with his partner maintaining top-five finishes in each of the four races this term.Mercedes' poor car performance and Hamilton's inability to get the best out of his drives has raised questions as to whether the legendary driver is past his best and whether he could soon depart the grid, having been agonisingly beaten by Red Bull's Max Verstappen to the title last season. However, Button has warned against that sort of belief and his backing his former teammate to bounce back in the upcoming races.