DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

MARANELLO, Italy (AP) — Lewis Hamilton's arrival will present “a huge opportunity” for Ferrari next year but signing the seven-time Formula One champion involved some uncomfortable phone calls, team principal Fred Vasseur said Tuesday. Hamilton is joining Ferrari for next season after driving for Mercedes since 2013. He will team up with Charles Leclerc at the Italian team after Carlos Sainz Jr. leaves. One of the most difficult was the one with Toto," Vasseur said. Ferrari struggled for much of the season but was the only other team to take a race victory as Sainz won the Singapore Grand Prix.

Persons: — Lewis Hamilton's, Fred Vasseur, Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Jr, “, ”, Vasseur, Hamilton —, Sainz, Toto Wolff, Toto, “ I’m, Carlos, ” Leclerc, “ We’ve, Lewis, Ferrari, Leclerc, Red Bull, Max Verstappen Organizations: Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Red, Singapore, Prix Locations: MARANELLO, Italy, British, Hamilton

☆ Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari from Mercedes is a gamble but it could be a masterstroke
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

For Mercedes, it is a devastating loss, unable to retain a generational talent and the face of its entire motorsport brand. He has been so successful with Mercedes that it’s almost hard to imagine the 39-year-old Briton racing for any other team. Hamilton holds the all-time record for F1 wins (103), achieving 82 of those with Mercedes and 21 with McLaren. It also reunites him with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur, who Hamilton raced for at junior level. Last season, a Mercedes driver failed to win a race across a whole season for the first time since 2011.

Persons: CNN —, Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, Will Buxton, Hamilton, “, ” Hamilton, ” Ferrari, ”, Red, Bryn Lennon, it’s, Mercedes, McLaren, McLaren –, –, Clive Mason, Ferrari, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Leclerc, Nico Rosberg, Leonhard Foeger, ” Phil Duncan, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, CNN’s Coy, Tom Brady’s, Tampa Bay Buccaneers “, Hamilton’s, Fred Vasseur, Aston Martin, John Thys, Toto Wolff, “ Lewis, Duncan Organizations: CNN, Mercedes, Ferrari, Arrows, Hamilton, Constructors, Scuderia, Reuters, CNN Sport, NFL, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Red, McLaren, Getty Locations: Hamilton, Bull’s, AFP, Austria

☆ Russell takes the blame for costly Verstappen collision
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Formula One F1 - Las Vegas Grand Prix - Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S - November 18, 2023 Mercedes' George Russell talks to the media after qualifying REUTERS/Finn Blake/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLAS VEGAS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - George Russell accepted the blame for a costly Las Vegas Grand Prix collision that left Mercedes in danger of losing second place overall to Ferrari in the Formula One constructors' championship. Russell was handed a five-second penalty for a lap 25 clash with Red Bull's triple world champion and eventual winner Max Verstappen that demoted the Briton from fourth at the finish to eighth. Ferrari ended up scoring 16 points more than Mercedes and closed the gap to four with just one race remaining in Abu Dhabi next weekend. "Just another massively missed opportunity this weekend," Russell told Sky Sports television. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said it was game over once Russell incurred the penalty but remained optimistic for the finale.

Persons: Mercedes, George Russell, Finn Blake, Russell, Max Verstappen, Ferrari, Max, you've, Toto Wolff, Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Red Bull, Alan Baldwin, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Las Vegas, Las Vegas Strip, REUTERS, LAS VEGAS, Vegas, Mercedes, Ferrari, Formula, Sky Sports, DRS, Red, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, London

☆ Sainz hit with Las Vegas grid drop after drain damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Formula One F1 - Las Vegas Grand Prix - Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S - November 16, 2023 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. walks into the pits REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsLAS VEGAS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will have a 10 place grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after a loose drain cover wrecked his car and forced the cancellation of Thursday's opening practice. Race stewards turned down the Italian team's request for penalty-free repairs because they said they were obliged to apply the regulations as written. "I think it's tough for a team to arrive in Vegas and to have this kind of incident," he said. First practice lasted only eight minutes before Sainz's Ferrari hit the drain cover in a storm of sparks. "You've got to say that's force majeure, that's nothing of their own doing," he told Sky Sports television.

Persons: Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr, Mike Blake, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Spaniard Sainz, Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, Sainz's Ferrari, McLaren, Zak Brown sympathised, You've, Alan Baldwin, Toby Davis Organizations: Las Vegas, Las Vegas Strip, LAS VEGAS, Ferrari, Sky Sports, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Vegas, London

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first Formula One practice of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was halted less than 21 minutes into Thursday night's session after Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a manhole cover on the track. Race officials released a statement that an inspection by Formula One and FIA determined “a single water valve cover ... Sainz appeared to run over the manhole cover just nine minutes into the practice on the street course that stretches down the famed Strip. The session never resumed, but it took about 11 more minutes for the FIA to cancel the session. Ocon said as he passed Sainz on the track, he believed he hit the dislodged cover.

Persons: Carlos Sainz Jr, Sainz, Ferrari, ” Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, Esteban Ocon, Ocon, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Las Vegas, Formula One, FIA, Ferrari

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula One is hoping to turn its luck around on the Strip, like so many other Las Vegas visitors who blow a big bankroll soon after they arrive. F1 ran a 90-minute session until 4 a.m. — when the streets had to be returned to the city for morning commuter traffic. A penalty because he ran over a drainage cover on the Las Vegas Strip, something completely out of his control and extremely dangerous considering it penetrated his seat? Because governing body FIA has no mechanism not to penalize a team that makes extensive car changes during a race weekend, Sainz has, of course, been penalized. Las Vegas is the most expensive race to attend to on the 24-event schedule.

Persons: Carlos Sainz Jr, Ferrari — Sainz, Stefano Domenicali, Renee Wilm, “, ”, let’s, ” It's, Sainz, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Williams, James Vowles, Fred Vasseur, I’m, ” Wolff, ___ Organizations: LAS VEGAS, Liberty Media, Las Vegas, Saturday, Las, FIA, F1, Locals, Liberty, Netflix Locations: Sin City, United States, Vegas, Europe, Las Vegas

☆ McLaren can be a real threat to Red Bull next season, says Brawn
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Ross Brawn is tipping a resurgent McLaren to take the fight to dominant Red Bull and triple world champion Max Verstappen next season. So, I think with that improvement going into next season they can be a real threat. Brawn was also optimistic Ferrari would improve under Fred Vasseur's guidance but recognised Red Bull would not be standing still and had the added benefit of being able to switch attention early to next year's car. Red Bull have so far won 19 of 20 races, with Verstappen triumphant 17 times -- a record for a single season that he can extend in Las Vegas this weekend -- and team mate Sergio Perez twice. I think sometimes when you get a team dominating you'd hope that both drivers would be fighting each other and that hasn't happened with Red Bull, which is a shame," said Brawn.

Persons: Jean Todt, Motorsports Ross Brawn, Chase Carey, Niki Lauda's, Leonhard Foeger, Ross Brawn, Red, Max Verstappen, Brawn, Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, McLaren, Andrea Stella, I'm, They’ve, Britain's Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Norris, Fred Vasseur's, Red Bull, Bull, Verstappen, Sergio Perez, It's, Alan Baldwin, Christian Radnedge Organizations: de, Formula, Motorsports, REUTERS, McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari, Disney, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Stephen's, Vienna, Austria, Las Vegas

☆ No win but Ferrari thrill home crowd with podium battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Spaniard Sainz, who had started on pole, prevailed for a third place finish with Leclerc fourth and only 0.184 of a second behind. Fred Vasseur, experiencing his first Monza as Ferrari principal, had told his drivers in the closing stages that they could race without taking risks but they may have had a different interpretation to the Frenchman. For Ferrari fans the battle was a highlight of a race that ended in a Red Bull one-two and Max Verstappen taking a record 10th win in a row. Leclerc pushed hard to get past, both cars locking up into turn one with smoking tyres, leaving Ferrari fans with hearts in mouth. It's always been a pleasure to race Charles whenever we've had the chance," Sainz told reporters after a wave of red-shirted fans spilled out of the grandstands to celebrate in front of the podium.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Claudia Greco, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Spaniard Sainz, Leclerc, Fred Vasseur, Frenchman, It's, Charles, we've, Sainz, Vasseur, Alan Baldwin, Toby Davis Organizations: Prix, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Prix REUTERS, Monza, Ferrari, Spaniard, Thomson Locations: Monza, Italy

☆ Verstappen goes for a record 10th win in a row
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix from seventh on the starting grid last year with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on pole but finishing second. Red Bull have won every race so far this season, 14 in a row including the 2022 finale in Abu Dhabi, and are again favourites at Monza's fast layout. Since Lewis Hamilton's fifth Italian GP win with Mercedes in 2018 no driver has managed a repeat victory in the former royal park outside Milan. Talk of a 'Monza jinx' may be premature but this is a season where straws are being clutched more desperately. For Gasly, who lives in Milan, it is effectively a home race and one with a special place in his heart.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Stephanie Lecocq, Max, Sergio Perez, Sebastian Vettel's, Red Bull, Verstappen, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Austrian Gerhard Berger, Michele Alboreto, Enzo Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton's, Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Ricciardo, Fred Vasseur, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin, McLaren, McLaren's Lando Norris, Frenchman, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, Alan Baldwin, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Prix, Dutch Grand Prix REUTERS, Monza, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Zandvoort, Imola, Aston Martin's, Thomson Locations: Zandvoort, Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, Milan, Hamilton, Italian, Asia, Americas, Middle East, Monza, Italy, London

☆ Vasseur wary of commenting on Massa's legal claim
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lawyers for Brazilian Massa last week notified Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the governing FIA, of the intent to claim compensation. An FIA spokesperson last week acknowledged receipt of "correspondence" from Massa's representatives and said the matter was under review. The scandal, widely known as 'Crashgate', did not emerge until a year later and led to Renault team bosses being banned. Vasseur said teams wanted to know the result of races at the chequered flag and not after the podium celebrations had happened. The Frenchman, who was Renault team boss in 2016, took over at Ferrari in January and was not in Formula One in 2008.

Persons: Driver Felipe Massa, Hamad I Mohammed, Fred Vasseur trod, Felipe Massa, Stefano Domenicali, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Massa, Vasseur, Nelson Piquet's, Britain's Lewis Hamilton, insider.com, supremo Bernie Ecclestone, Max Mosley, Ecclestone, Mosley, Frenchman, Alan Baldwin, Lincoln Organizations: Saudi, Prix, Jeddah Corniche, Driver, Grand Prix REUTERS, Ferrari Formula, Brazilian Massa, Formula, FIA, Renault, McLaren, supremo, Reuters, Ferrari, One, Thomson Locations: Jeddah, Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Saudi Arabia, Singapore

☆ Verstappen chasing record-equalling ninth win in a row
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 25-year-old Red Bull driver can count on a capacity crowd cheering him all the way as he returns home more dominant than ever. Red Bull are meanwhile chasing a 14th successive win, and 13th of this season, with the run dating back to Abu Dhabi last year. "I'm excited to get going with the second half of the season now and what better way to start than in the Netherlands," said Verstappen. "There is no change to the team’s strategy or objectives, only a change in some personnel as outlined before the break. Zandvoort is an exciting fresh start for all of us and I’m sure everyone at the team is ready for the challenge."

Persons: Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel's, Sergio Perez, Bull, Abu Dhabi, Germany's Vettel, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Fred Vasseur, Frenchman, Robert Shwartzman, Carlos Sainz's, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Szafnauer, Bruno Famin, Alan Baldwin, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bulls, Monegasque, Zandvoort, Aston, Renault, Thomson Locations: Zandvoort, Abu, Netherlands, Belgium, Monza, Austrian, London

☆ Ferrari's Vasseur says he talks to Hamilton at every race
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 15 (Reuters) - Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has spoken about his friendship with Lewis Hamilton as Formula One waits for the seven-times world champion to sign a new contract with Mercedes. Hamilton won Formula Three and GP2 (now Formula Two) championships with Vasseur's ART team in 2005 and 2006 before making a spectacular Formula One debut with McLaren in 2007. Hamilton, 38, was linked to Ferrari in paddock speculation earlier this year but the Briton has been clear he wants to stay at Mercedes. Vasseur said Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz could do better, as could the team as a whole in a so-far underwhelming season. "When I was at Renault, for certain changes you had to wait for the executive committee to meet, days and days went by.

Persons: Fred Vasseur, Lewis Hamilton, Vasseur, Italy's, Hamilton, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Red Bull, Leclerc, Charles didn't, Carlos, Ferrari, Loic Serra, Frenchman, Alan Baldwin, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Ferrari, Mercedes, Hamilton, Formula Three, GP2, Vasseur's ART, McLaren, Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport, Briton, Renault, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Austin, Maranello, Bologna, London

☆ Verstappen favourite for Red Bull's 100th win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Red Bull have won 23 of the last 26 races, and 17 of the last 18, and will be only the fifth constructor to hit 100. Verstappen won last year in Canada from pole position ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, the seven times world champion who has won a record-equalling seven times there. "Of course, last year's win is still in my mind so hopefully we can do something similar this weekend," said Verstappen. Mercedes overtook Aston Martin for second place in the constructors' standings after Spain, where they were Red Bull's closest rivals. Ferrari received a morale boost last weekend when they won the Le Mans 24 Hours and enjoyed a strong weekend in Montreal last year.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Albert Gea, Ayrton Senna, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Red Bull, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Perez, Hamilton, Toto Wolff, Wolff, Aston Martin, Red, Lawrence, Lance, Jacques Villeneuve, Fernando Alonso, Alonso, Ferrari, Fred Vasseur, Alan Baldwin, Toby Davis Organizations: Prix, Spanish, Prix REUTERS, Circuit, Sauber, Bull, Austrian, Mercedes, CNBC, Reuters, Aston Martin, Le, Thomson Locations: Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, Montreal, Dutch, Canada, Milton Keynes, Spanish, Monaco, New York, Canadian

☆ Imola F1 race called off as floods devastate region
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last year's race drew a weekend crowd of 129,000 and 64,000 on the Sunday. Officials said at least eight people had died and thousands were evacuated from their homes in towns and cities across the region. The race was scheduled to be the sixth round of the season and the first in Europe. Red Bull have won every race so far and double world champion Max Verstappen is 14 points clear of team mate Sergio Perez. "We support the decision... safety to all those involved and in the region is paramount and has to take priority," the team said on Twitter.

☆ Leclerc says Ferrari 'struggling like crazy" with their car
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sainz finished fifth and Leclerc seventh in Miami as Max Verstappen led Sergio Perez to Red Bull's fifth win in five races and fourth one-two. "(It's a) very similar picture to the beginning of the year, we are competitive in qualifying (but) once we come to race day we are struggling like crazy," said Leclerc, who had been on pole position at the previous race in Azerbaijan. He had finished second in the sprint in Baku, raising hopes that Ferrari had made a step forward, and a lonely third in the Sunday race. Leclerc crashed in both practice and qualifying, when he looked competitive, at the same corner in Miami and said he had struggled with the car bottoming at speed and also affected by the wind. Leclerc was Verstappen's closest rival last season, winning two of the first three races before the challenge petered out in strategy errors, unreliability and driver mistakes.

☆ Lonely third was best Ferrari could do, says Leclerc
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Leclerc started from pole position, and had finished second in the Saturday sprint from the same grid slot, but was unable to stay ahead for more than three laps. "(The) strategy was really good, everything was really good but we just don't have enough pace in the car today to fight with the Red Bulls. It was a good effort to stay in front of Fernando (Alonso) but at the end it's like this. Leclerc had arrived in Baku with a meagre six points from the first three races, thanks to two retirements, but he left with a total tally of 28. Ferrari have upgrades in the pipeline, planned for their home race at Imola in May, but Leclerc said he was expecting small steps rather than miracles.

☆ Vasseur says Ferrari recruiting massively, Mekies exit is no drama
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Ferrari are recruiting massively as they reorganise the Formula One team and the announced departure of sporting director Laurent Mekies is no drama, team boss Fred Vasseur said on Thursday. He was the second senior team member to head for the exit since Mattia Binotto was replaced by Frenchman Vasseur in January. "I think it’s a mega opportunity for Laurent," Vasseur told reporters at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. "The group is there, we are recruiting massively -- that we are not communicating but we are recruiting massively -- and we will do step by step. Vasseur recognised Mekies' current role was 'quite large" and said it could ultimately be split in two, as some other teams have done.

☆ Mekies to leave Ferrari and replace Tost at AlphaTauri
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Tost to step down as AlphaTauri boss at end of seasonMekies to replace him from FerrariFormer FIA executive Bayer also joins teamApril 26 (Reuters) - AlphaTauri's Franz Tost, Formula One's second longest serving team principal, will step down at the end of the 2023 season and be replaced by Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies. "With Peter as new CEO and Laurent as Team Principal, we found two very professional people, who will bring the team to the next level. "I am honoured to take on the role of team principal and to return to the Team where I spent a large portion of my early career," he said. Only Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been in his job for longer than the Austrian who first came into Formula One in 2000 as track operations manager with Williams's then-partners BMW. Mekies' departure continues something of an exodus from Ferrari after the Italian team changed principals, with Fred Vasseur replacing Mattia Binotto in January.

☆ FIA defends Ben Sulayem after reported sexist comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Sexist comments attributed to the head of Formula One's governing body and splashed across the media do not reflect the beliefs of president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA said on Saturday. The comments, which appeared to be more than two decades old, appeared on an old personal website that could no longer be read online. An FIA spokesman said however that "the remarks in this archived website from 2001 do not reflect the president's beliefs. "He has a strong record on promoting women and equality in sport, which he is happy to be judged on. read moreBen Sulayem had questioned on Twitter a reported $20 billion valuation of the sport following reports of Saudi Arabian interest.

☆ Ferrari's only target is the title, says new boss Vasseur
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ferrari have everything they need to succeed and will be chasing the title this season with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz starting on equal terms, according to new team boss Fred Vasseur. Vasseur, who joined from Swiss-based Alfa Romeo on Jan. 9 as Ferrari's fifth boss in less than a decade, told reporters via Zoom in his first media call since taking over that the target was obvious. "I think when you are a top team, you can't have another target than the win," he said. It would be a lack of ambition and I think we have everything to do a good job and the target has to be to win for sure." "The target is to win for Ferrari.

Search resuls for: "Fred Vasseur"

20 mentions found