F1 Today | Hamilton and Leclerc back Vasseur as Verstappen confirms next GT race
Photo: Race Pictures
Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
From Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc defending Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur to Max Verstappen confirming he would drive for his own GT team in Portugal in two weeks' time, GPblog rounds up the best news from the media day in Malaysia.
Hamilton and Leclerc back Vasseur
Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Ferrari issued a statement confirming that they continue to have confidence in Vasseur.
Speaking to GPblog, among others, Hamilton also addressed the situation. The seven-time world champion said: "You can see they’ve obviously switched out lots of different people in Fred’s role, but Fred is a fantastic leader. He really is the guy to take this team in the right direction.
"There are also people above Fred, and it’s not about one person. Fred has helped make changes in this past year. He’s helped us get to second in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s a huge step from last year."
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Leclerc added: "I’ve always said how much I trust Fred and how important he is for the team.
"We have a very special relationship, but over that, I think he’s extremely capable in what he does. I think he’s been extremely valuable so far, [and] he will be extremely valuable in the years to come as well."
Verstappen to drive for his own team in Portimao
Verstappen will drive for his own team at the GT World Challenge Europe's Portimao weekend. He will take on the race in Portugal a week after the Singapore Grand Prix.
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Photo: Race Pictures
Answering this website's question in Malaysia, he said: "Well, I know that two of my drivers won’t be part of the line-up, so, yeah, two other drivers need to step in. And I’m, yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Yeah, it’s going to be a busy seven weeks, but we’ll do it. And I enjoy it anyway. So, yeah, let’s see what we can do there. Yes, [I'll race there]."
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Colapinto: 'Norris comments made Verstappen and Russell agree for once'
Lando Norris apologized for his comments after Franco Colapinto knocked him and Pierre Gasly out of contention for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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Speaking to GPblog, among others, Colapinto also reflected on Norris' first reaction in Baku. "Well I think Lando made Max and George agree for once."
He then added: "I think he was in the heat at the moment. Of course, he he knows what comments create because he suffered from it, or he was probably the the driver that was speaking the most. So I was very surprised, but then, of course, he apologized, and I think, unfortunately, he also got a lot of hate from it.
"But I also felt it's a tricky situation with the outside world. And that's why I think we need to be a bit safe inside about the things we say. And I understand it in the heat of the moment to say things like that."
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 302 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 236 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 199 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 179 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 163 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 120 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 86 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 59 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 41 |
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