F1 Gossip: Hamilton’s ‘spicy engine’ to have less power in Jeddah - Marko

In the latest F1 gossip, Red Bull expects Hamilton’s ‘spicy engine’ to have less power in Saudi Arabia than Brazil, while Mercedes’ rear wing passed the FIA’s stricter tests.

Connor McDonagh

25 Nov 2021

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W12.
© xpbimages.com

- Red Bull F1 consultant Helmut Marko expects Lewis Hamilton’s ‘spicy engine’ - which was used in Brazil - to be less powerful in the final two races of the season.

In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, he said: "Hamilton's engine will no longer have as much power as last week in Brazil. Also, I don't think they used their 'special' rear wing here [in Qatar] because the difference in top speed was smaller. We are not giving up."

- According to AMuS, Mercedes’ rear wing passed the FIA’s new stricter tests after complaints from Red Bull, with the main plane pulled down in two places.

- The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is expected to remain on the F1 calendar until 2026.

- Four-time F1 champion Alain Prost has labelled Fernando Alonso as the best driver on the grid.

He told SoyMotor: "For me, he is the best driver on the grid. His ability to read a race is unbelievable, as well as his tyre management and relaying of information to the team."

- Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton says he’s aiming to be “the purest” of drivers.

He told the BBC: "It's just how my dad raised me. He said to always do your talking on the track. I was bullied as a kid, both at school but also on track, and we wanted to beat them the right way, not by a car falling off or colliding with a car.

"Then there is no denying that you're better. If you have collisions, they can say, 'Oh, yeah, but this happened, this is one tactic that that driver has. I want to be the purest of drivers, through speed, through sheer hard work and determination, so there's no denying at the end what I've accomplished."

- Alonso wants to remain in F1 until at least the end of the 2023 season, even if he’s not in a competitive car (SoyMotor)

- Lando Norris has spoken about his experiences with fans and some of them invading his personal life.

In an interview with ESPN, Norris said: “There are. It's very, very weird. Honestly, it's very creepy what some people do. The time they spend trying to investigate things or people or whatever.

“I just laugh and find it very funny, but it's very weird. It's just odd.”