MotoGP championship contender Aleix Espargaro could miss Sunday's British Grand Prix after admitting his pain is "getting worse".
The Aprilia rider was thrown from his bike in the opening minutes of final practice and taken away by a stretcher, though fractures were fortunately later ruled out at the medical centre.
Espargaro returned to the track for qualifying, where he finished sixth and secured a starting spot two places behind championship leader Fabio Quartararo, but Aprilia admitted it may not be possible for him to race.
"Aleix's condition will be assessed in the coming hours because if the pain increases, he may not be able to participate in the race tomorrow," the team admitted.
MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo believes he has the pace to win at Silverstone but accepts his long-lap penalty brings uncertainty.
The Frenchman will start on the second row for Sunday's race, finishing in P4 behind Jack Miller, Maverick Vinales and pole sitter Johann Zarco, clocking in at 0.171 seconds behind the leader.
Quartararo's strong pace means he is well in the fight for round 12 of the season, but having been issued a penalty for colliding with Aleix Espargaro last time out in the Netherlands, he knows it could cost him a win that would extend his championship lead.
"Johann has really strong pace, I think he is the fastest. But I think our pace is to fight for the victory," he told Autosport.
"Okay, long-lap penalty, we don't know which position we will finish, but at least our pace is top."
Quartararo added that he could not have offered anything more during qualifying, stating he was at the "maximum", but was pleased with his lap time.
"Well, it is what it is. I mean, I made one of the best laps of qualifying this year, I feel I have nothing more. We want to put more power in sometimes, but we are already on the maximum," he said.
"I feel happy about my pace also in FP4. Okay, with the crash of Aleix and [Takaaki] Nakagami I could not finish the lap because of the yellow flag, but I think all of our laps was on [1m] 59 and this is something really positive.
"The track is much better than last year and our consistency as well is much better."
Quartararo currently leads Espargaro by 21 points in the standings.
Andrea Dovizioso has announced that he will end his illustrious MotoGP career after the San Marino Grand Prix next month.
The Italian will not see the MotoGP season out with Yamaha, having won only 10 points from 11 rounds this year.
Dovizioso is 22nd in the championship standings after signing a full factory contract with the Iwata outfit for 2022 and has decided to quit after his home race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on September 4.
Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow will replace the 36-year-old for the final six rounds of the season, starting at the Aragon GP.
Lin Jarvis, managing director Yamaha Motor Racing, said: "I want to start by saying that, of course, we are all sad that Andrea will be leaving the sport earlier than expected. He is a big name in MotoGP, and he will be missed in the paddock.
"We considered ourselves very lucky last year that he was available and willing to join our MotoGP programme when Franky [Franco Morbidelli] switched to the Yamaha Factory Team thus creating the need for a replacement rider for the remainder of the 2021 season.
"Andrea's great expertise, experience, and methodical nature were of great interest to Yamaha and the RNF team and the project was fixed to include the full 2022 season.
"Unfortunately, Andrea has struggled to extract the maximum potential out of the M1 and thus the results have not been forthcoming, which has created understandable frustration for Andrea. Finally during the summer break, he confirmed to us his desire to retire before the end of the season.
"After mutual discussions it was deemed appropriate for Andrea to ride his final race in Misano at his home GP. Naturally, Yamaha will continue to give 'Dovi' their full support over the next three races. In the meantime, let's enjoy his last three GPs and celebrate in Misano the end of a spectacular career."
Dovizioso said: "I thank Lin for his words, I totally agree with them. In 2012, the experience with the Iwata manufacturer in MotoGP had been very positive for me and since then I have always thought that, sooner or later, I would have liked to have an official contract with Yamaha. This possibility presented itself, actually in a somewhat daring way, during 2021. I decided to give it a try because I strongly believed in this project and in the possibility of doing well.
"Unfortunately, in recent years the MotoGP has changed profoundly. The situation is very different since then: I have never felt comfortable with the bike, and I have not been able to make the most of its potential despite the precious and continuous help from the team and the whole of Yamaha. The results were negative, but beyond that, I still consider it a very important life experience. When there are so many difficulties, you need to have the ability to manage the situation and your emotions well.
"We did not reach the desired objectives, but the consultations with the Yamaha technicians and with those of my team have always been positive and constructive, both for them and for me. The relationship remained loyal and professionally interesting even in the most critical moments: it was not so obvious that that would happen.
"For all this and for their support, I thank Yamaha, my team and WithU, and the other sponsors involved in the project. It didn't go as we hoped, but it was right to try. My adventure will end in Misano, but the relationship with all the people involved in this challenge will remain intact forever. Thank you all.2
Dovizioso has won 24 races and has finished the season as a runner-up on three occasions in the premier class.
Leclerc outlined his process when he costs himself in a race.
"I'm extremely tough with myself," he added. "So it is much more difficult to deal with my own errors than whenever it is the team, even though we are obviously one team and we lose and we win together.
"I'm always harsher whenever it's me who does the mistake, and obviously France was one of those which hurt quite a bit.
"But whenever I go through this tough time, I go through the same process as I was saying before, trying to analyse what was wrong. And it's mostly mentally.
"To speak about it seems quite easy, but it is not always easy to pinpoint exactly what was going on in your head at that moment. But I think this is a strength of mine and helps me to improve as a driver every time I make a mistake."
When asked about his aims for the rest of the season, Leclerc said: "To try and grow from the mistakes of the first half, but try and perform as well as the first half because the performance I've given, I'm extremely happy about. And this I want to keep.
"So there won't be any significant change. We just need to try and work as a team to put a weekend together for the nine remaining races and see where we end up."
Alex Albon will keep his Williams seat beyond this season after signing a multi-year deal with the team, it was revealed on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Thai-British driver joined Williams for 2022 and has secured all three of the team's points so far this season – finishing 10th in Australia and ninth in Miami.
Formerly of Red Bull, Albon's initial deal with Williams was for a single season, but the team confirmed he will return to the grid next year, as well as for future seasons.
"It's really exciting to be staying with Williams Racing for 2023 and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team in the remainder of this season and next year," Albon said.
"The team is pushing hard to progress, and I am really motivated to continue this journey and further develop our learnings together."
Albon could still have a new team-mate for the 2023 season, with Nicholas Latifi's contract expiring at the end of the season.
Williams' announcement comes in what has been a dramatic seven days in F1, which started with the announcement of Sebastian Vettel's retirement at the end of the season.
Fernando Alonso was then confirmed to be Vettel's replacement at Aston Martin, with Alpine later stating Oscar Piastri would step into the vacancy – though the Australian denied those claims.
It has been suggested Piastri is in negotiations with McLaren for a seat alongside Lando Norris for 2023, which in turn would leave Daniel Ricciardo seeking a new team.
Australian Oscar Piastri has refuted an announcement from Alpine that he will race for them in Formula One next season.
The stunning move came on Tuesday as Alpine reserve driver Piastri shot down the team's assertion he would be taking the seat of Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso.
Piastri, last year's Formula 2 champion, has been linked with Williams and McLaren recently, but Alpine have been determined to keep him.
However, the 21-year-old said in a statement posted on Twitter: "I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year.
"This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year."
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer has claimed Piastri does have "a legal contract" for next year with the Renault-owned marque, seemingly putting him in direct conflict with the young driver.
The disagreement will need to be resolved, with Szafnauer having told motorsport.com "I'm not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all."
He added: "Oscar and his camp are considering their options, whatever that means."
This situation has been brought into the spotlight amid Alpine's need to find a replacement for Alonso, who has agreed to succeed retiring former four-time champion Sebastian Vettel with Aston Martin.
The drama comes as Formula One enters its short mid-season break.
German great Vettel will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, with Szafnauer indicating he was expecting Alonso to commit to a new Alpine contract until news came through of Aston Martin's move for the Spanish veteran, who won the 2005 and 2006 world titles.
In Alpine's now-contradicted statement about the appointment of Piastri, Szafnauer described the youngster as "a bright and rare talent".
He added: "Through our collaboration over the past four years, we have seen him develop and mature into a driver who is more than capable of taking the step up to Formula One."
Honda has extended its tie-up with Formula One pace-setters Red Bull through to the end of the 2025 season, providing long-term stability as the team and star driver Max Verstappen close in on more success.
The Japanese auto giant formally withdrew from F1 at the end of last season but has continued to support the Red Bull Powertrains power unit division with vital technical assistance.
Red Bull's deal with Honda, which supplies the Austrian team's power units, had been due to expire after the 2023 campaign but will now run for a further two years.
Team principal Christian Horner said: "Red Bull's partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA's power unit regulations in 2025."
Red Bull lead the constructors' championship after 13 of this season's 22 races, with Ferrari a distant second, while reigning drivers' champion Verstappen is well on his way to a second title, with his haul of 258 points putting him 80 clear of second-placed Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen, contracted until 2028, won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, after Red Bull's support crew overcame a power unit issue that affected his qualifying performance.
F1 is now on its mid-season break ahead of a resumption on the final weekend of August in Belgium.
Alpine expected Fernando Alonso to agree a new contract with the team right up until the moment his move to Aston Martin was announced, Otmar Szafnauer has revealed.
And Alpine team principal Szafnauer's attempts to subsequently get in touch with Alonso have proved unsuccessful.
Alonso has driven for Alpine since their rebrand ahead of the 2021 season, returning to Formula One after two seasons away.
The Spaniard had won world championships with Renault – the team under their previous name – back in 2005 and 2006.
Now a midfield runner, Alonso has secured only a single podium in his second stint with the French team, but his switch to Aston Martin on Monday came as somewhat of a surprise – not least to Alpine.
Alonso will replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in 2023, with his move the first of the mid-season break after Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
As of the end of that race, in which Alonso finished eighth, Szafnauer thought his superstar driver was returning next year.
"[The Aston Martin statement] was the first confirmation I had," the Alpine chief told Motorsport.com.
"Obviously, when we're in the paddock, there's all sorts of rumours, and I had heard rumours that Aston were interested.
"Once you hear that they're interested, there's probably discussions that took place, and there's some other indications that discussions took place, like walking out of the same motorhome at the same time, all that kind of stuff, which I saw.
"But I was confident that, even with the discussions, and there's nothing wrong with exploring, we were very close.
"So, yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release. I did ask the question [to Alonso]. And I was told: 'No, no, I haven't signed anything.' So, I was a bit surprised."
Asked if he had since spoken to Alonso, Szafnauer replied: "I haven't talked to him, since he's on a boat, I think, in the Greek Isles somewhere.
"I took this morning to address the staff. And the second thing I'm doing is talking to you. And yesterday, I fielded a bunch of calls from other potential drivers."
One obvious option is Oscar Piastri, the Alpine reserve driver who had appeared set for a year at Williams when Alonso was in line for a new contract.
However, Szafnauer faces issues on that front, too, amid claims Piastri has agreed to race instead for McLaren – something Alpine have not agreed to.
"I'm not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all," Szafnauer said, stating Alpine have "a legal contract" with Piastri for 2023.
He added: "Oscar and his camp are considering their options, whatever that means."
The first domino in the Formula One driver market has fallen with Aston Martin's confirmation that Fernando Alonso will be driving for the team in 2023.
Sebastian Vettel's retirement announcement ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix was always going to lead to movement on the grid but Alonso's move from Alpine is a significant statement of intent from the Silverstone-based team.
Alpine are currently vying for the best of the rest tag in 2022, alongside McLaren, while it has been a year to forget so far for Aston Martin – but they still boast one of the most recognisable brands on the grid and Alonso is a stellar acquisition.
There will be further movement, with a number of teams yet to confirm their full driver line-up for the 2023 season – with Alpine, Haas, Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri having one spot open, while Williams have not confirmed either driver.
That leaves six seats up for grabs as it stands, with some of the outcomes easier to analyse than others – Alonso's departure from Alpine solves their headache as it leaves a slot open for reserve driver Oscar Piastri.
The Australian was already heavily tipped to take a seat on the grid for 2023 but, with Esteban Ocon and Alonso at Alpine, just where that spot would open was up for debate, with a Williams move touted, but it should now be a fairly easy decision.
For Williams, it could result in the continuation of their partnership with Mercedes. With Alex Albon expected to retain his seat, a replacement for Nicolas Latifi is on the agenda and the leading option may now be Nyck de Vries.
Toto Wolff had already conceded that De Vries, who is on their young driver programme, could be let go in order for him to open avenues in F1, but a seat becoming available at Williams would be perfect for all parties – potentially lining-up De Vries as Lewis Hamilton's long-term successor.
Another option for Williams is Jamie Chadwick, who has dominated the W series and has her eyes set on a seat in F1, though she has expressed doubt as to whether women can cope with the physical demands of the series.
Seats at Haas, Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri are harder to assess but Mick Schumacher could play a pivotal role for the trio. Yet to be confirmed by Haas for 2023, the young Ferrari driver could make a sidewards move to continue his F1 career.
Given AlphaTauri's relationship with Red Bull, Alfa Romeo seems the more likely option for Schumacher if he was to depart Haas and an opportunity to drive alongside Valtteri Bottas could aid his development – though Alfa Romeo have a young talent of their own waiting in the wings in the form of Theo Pourchaire.
Felipe Drugovich, the runaway leader in F2 this season, and American Logan Sargeant are alternative options within the young driver ranks, while both have additional appeal due to their respective nationalities, Brazil and the United States, both of which are areas of growth for F1.
The break period in the F1 season is usually the time where teams line everything up for the next year, so the next few weeks before the season resumes in Belgium are likely to be extremely busy – and there could be some surprises in store.
Fernando Alonso has agreed a multi-year deal to replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin from the 2023 Formula One season.
Four-time F1 world champion Vettel announced last week he is retiring at the end of the current campaign.
Aston Martin have moved quickly to bring in a replacement, with Alpine driver Alonso – himself a two-time world champion – set to join next year.
"This Aston Martin team is clearly applying the energy and commitment to win, and it is therefore one of the most exciting teams in Formula One today," Alonso said.
"I have known Lawrence and Lance [Stroll] for many years and it is very obvious that they have the ambition and passion to succeed in Formula One.
"I have watched as the team has systematically attracted great people with winning pedigrees, and I have become aware of the huge commitment to new facilities and resources.
"No one in Formula One today is demonstrating a greater vision and absolute commitment to winning, and that makes it a really exciting opportunity for me."
Alonso returned to F1 with Alpine in 2021 after a two-year sabbatical and finished 10th last season, which is also the position he finds himself in midway through 2022.
The Spaniard made his F1 debut in 2001 and won his two world titles in back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006.
Now at the age of 41, Alonso is still as motivated as ever as he prepares to embark on another new chapter with Aston Martin.
"I still have the hunger and ambition to fight to be at the front, and I want to be part of an organisation that is committed to learn, develop and succeed," he said.
"We all appreciate that there is much to be done to get to the front, and that we must apply all our energies in working together to find performance.
"The passion and desire to perform that I have witnessed convince me to maintain my enjoyment and commitment to the sport.
"I intend to win again in this sport and therefore I have to take the opportunities that feel right to me."
Alonso finished eighth at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday to secure his eighth consecutive points finish.
He brings a wealth of experience to Aston Martin, where he will link up with Lance Stroll, the son of executive chairman Lawrence.
"I have known and admired Fernando for many years and it has always been clear that he is a committed winner like me," Lawrence Stroll said.
"I have set out to bring together the best people and develop the right resources and organisation to succeed in this highly competitive sport.
"Those plans are now taking shape at Silverstone. It seemed natural therefore to invite Fernando to be part of the development of a winning team.
"We very quickly established in our recent conversations that we have the same ambitions and values, and it was logical and easy to confirm our desire to work together."
Charles Leclerc has questioned Ferrari's strategy for the Hungarian Grand Prix after dubbing his sixth-place finish as a "disaster".
A decision to put on the hard-compound tyre brought an abrupt end to Leclerc's hopes of winning the race, conceding position to Red Bull's Max Verstappen – who now sits 80-points clear in the championship standings after another victory.
Performances from others on the grid had already shown that the hard compound tyre was not competitive in Sunday's race but Ferrari, having used the medium compound twice, elected to take the hard rather than push out a longer stint before taking the softs.
That decision proved to be the undoing of Ferrari's hopes in what was an afternoon to forget, with neither driver finishing in the podium spots despite starting second and third on the grid.
Leclerc, who took full responsibility for his crash in the French Grand Prix a week ago, was asked whether he could explain the team strategy and says questions will be asked during a debrief.
"We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard because I felt very strong on the medium, everything was under control," he told Sky Sports.
"For some reason, I don’t know what, we needed to go on the hards. I said on the radio that I was very comfortable on the medium and I wanted to go for as long as possible on those tyres because the feeling was good.
"I don't know why we took we took a different decision. Honestly, the pace on my side I was pretty happy with.
"The only thing is that obviously everyone will remember the last part of the race which was a disaster for me, especially the hard, that's why I lost the race.
"I lost 20 seconds with the pit, another maybe six seconds on five laps on the hard because I was all over the place with this tyre and yeah, that's where we lost our race."
Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz was equally disappointed and says he simply did not have a car capable of mounting a challenge.
"We clearly struggled as a team. Today, we're a bit puzzled because we expected to have good race pace coming from Friday, but it's clear that these lower temperatures, the track condition changes, there was something going on with the car and the tyres," he told Sky Sports.
"We were not fast. It's something to analyse, to look back, regroup, see what we did wrong for these kinds of conditions and come back after the summer break with a better package."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended Ferrari's tyre strategy and believes it was the only call they could have made.
"I think they had no option. They had only hard and soft left, for the soft it was too early, so it was only the hard," he said to Sky Sports.
"The mistake I think happened on Friday or Saturday, not to carry over a new medium."
Max Verstappen celebrated a "crazy" success at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after coming from 10th to take a surprise win.
Reigning world champion Verstappen looked unlikely to challenge for victory on Sunday following a frustrating qualifying session.
The Dutchman had looked ominously fast but a power unit issue on his out lap ahead of a second flying effort ended hopes of pole.
Yet Verstappen will head into Formula One's break with an 80-point lead in the championship standings after powering to a hugely impressive win that sees him equal Nigel Mansell's record of the most F1 triumphs for a single team.
Rain threatened to cause late drama but Verstappen held firm to seal a famous victory for Red Bull, despite at one point spinning on the track.
"It was a crazy race, very happy that we won it," said Verstappen, who finished over seven seconds ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton and more than 12 seconds quicker than third-placed George Russell.
"I was of course hoping I could get close to a podium. Very tricky conditions out there but we had a really great strategy, really reactive, always pitching at the right time and then even at the end, with the 360 [spin], we won the race."
Explaining how he had lost control of the car during his 360-degree spin, Verstappen said: "I was struggling a bit with the shifts and the clutch and we had to change a few things around that to not basically burn the clutch.
"That cost me a bit of performance and it caught me out on that corner. Luckily, to do a 360, so I only lost one spot.
"It was very good. I was battling a lot of guys so it was a lot of fun out there."
Lewis Hamilton is confident Mercedes are "closing the gap" on their rivals following another impressive drive from the Briton at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, starting seventh, benefited from a strong strategy by his team to work his way through the order, overtaking Ferrari's Carlos Sainz for third and then leapfrogging his team-mate George Russell.
The result secured back-to-back podium finishes for Hamilton who, surprisingly, has achieved more top-three finishes this season than title hopeful Charles Leclerc, who has seen his bid to take Max Verstappen's crown crumble.
Ferrari's main challenge in the final nine races of the season after the upcoming break may now come from Mercedes, who sit just 30 points behind in the constructors' championship, and Hamilton believes there is a solid platform to build on.
"I was definitely struggling at the beginning of the race and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to catch the guys up but bit by bit, I was more comfortable with the balance and had a really good start as well," he said on the grid.
"I really want to acknowledge my team who have pushed and never given up in this tough year so far.
"To be on the podium, for both cars to be on the podium twice, it is pretty special for us and really unlucky for George today.
"The other guys still have a bit of an edge but we are clearly closing the gap and this is just an amazing way to go into the break knowing that we have this performance.
"Hopefully we can bring some more into the second part of the season and start fighting with the guys up front."
Russell started the race in pole position after his surprising Q3 session on Saturday but was unable to stay ahead and admitted he thought the race was there to win in the early stages.
"When it started spitting and we were on the soft tyres at the start I thought we were on," he said.
"Towards the end on the mediums with the slightly heavier rain I really struggled."
Having secured back-to-back third-place finishes, Russell also praised the improvements shown by his team after what was a poor start to the 2022 season.
"Amazing job by the team. Pole position yesterday and a double podium - we're definitely making progress, so really proud of the work we've done," he added.
Max Verstappen extended his championship lead even further with a stellar drive in Hungary to claim victory having started 10th on the grid.
The Red Bull capitalised on more woes for Ferrari to leave Verstappen heading into the break with an 80-point lead, while Mercedes enjoyed a second race in a row with both drivers finishing on the podium.
Ferrari, having started second and third on the grid, had a race to forget with both drivers finishing outside of the podium spots - with Carlos Sainz in fourth and Charles Leclerc coming home sixth.
At the start, pole-sitter George Russell was immediately put under pressure by the Ferraris behind him but maintained his advantage following the first corner, then opening a two-second window following an early virtual safety car after contact between Alex Albon and Lance Stroll.
With soft tyres losing speed, Russell pitted from the lead at the end of lap 16 and Sainz, on the medium, made an overcut attempt one lap later but remained behind the Mercedes.
Verstappen benefited during the first round of pit stops to continue his charge up the grid, taking fourth on lap 21, while Leclerc came out ahead of team-mate Sainz after his stop.
Still in the lead at the start of lap 28, Russell's performance meant Mercedes had led more laps in the race than they had in the entirety of the season prior to this weekend and Russell, though defending aggressively, was overtaken at turn one by Leclerc on lap 31.
Verstappen blinked first in the second round of pit stops and completed an undercut on Russell, then overtaking Leclerc twice, either side of a spin, with Ferrari unable to find the pace on the hard compound as another strategy decision cost the Monegasque, who inevitably had to take a third stop to swap to the softs.
Hamilton's strategy worked much better and saw him stand as the biggest threat to Verstappen's lead heading into the latter stages, overtaking Sainz at the start of lap 63 and then taking team-mate Russell on lap 65.
Late rain threatened to cause drama on the final lap but Verstappen was able to cruise home for a 28th career win - equalling Nigel Mansell's record of the most F1 wins for a single team.
Ferrari, meanwhile, will now be looking over their shoulder after the break with their advantage over Mercedes in the constructors' championship now standing at just 30 points.
Ferrari's frustrating calls
Plenty of scrutiny has been directed towards Ferrari for questionable calls made during the 2022 Formula One season and the Hungarian Grand Prix added further fuel to that particular fire.
Having seen Alpine's own woes on the hard compound, which saw both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso tumble down the field, Ferrari bemusingly still opted to put Leclerc on that tyre.
The poor performance of the compound was shown when Verstappen, who had overtaken Leclerc, spun to lose the position but was still able to chase down his title rival and reclaim the position without too much of a challenge.
Russell's run ends
Heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes duo Russell and Hamilton were the only two drivers on the grid to have improved or maintained their starting position in every race this season.
Hamilton, starting seventh and finishing second, was able to maintain that sequence but Russell, on pole position, secured a third-place finish and saw his run of improvement come to an end.
However, that finish sealed back-to-back podium finishes for Russell at Mercedes, while it also marked the second race in a row with both Silver Arrows drivers on the rostrum.
IN THE POINTS
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +7.834
3. George Russell (Mercedes) +12.337
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +14.579
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +15.688
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +16.047
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) +78.300
8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) + One lap
9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) + One lap
10. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) + One lap
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 258
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 178
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 173
4. George Russell (Mercedes) 158
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 156
Constructors
1. Red Bull 431
2. Ferrari 334
3. Mercedes 304
4. Alpine 99
5. McLaren 95
Former Formula One race director Michael Masi has revealed he received death threats following the conclusion of last season, declaring he was "the most hated man in the world".
The Australian came under intense scrutiny for his handling of the controversial final race of the 2021 F1 season in Abu Dhabi, which subsequently saw Red Bull's Max Verstappen beat Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton to the world title.
Masi did not follow the F1's procedure behind the safety car for the late restart, only allowing the lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton to pass rather than them all, which left Hamilton defenceless as Verstappen swiftly overtook him to clinch his first world title.
An investigation found Masi had failed to follow the rules and he was removed from his role in February, before leaving the FIA entirely earlier this month.
Criticisms directed towards Masi were not just professional, however, who has spoken about the abuse he sustained in the aftermath of last season's finale.
"There were some dark days. And absolutely, I felt like I was the most hated man in the world," he told Australia's News Corp.
"I got death threats. People saying, they were going to come after me and my family.
"They were shocking. Racist, abusive, vile, they called me every name under the sun.
"And they kept on coming. Not just on my Facebook but also on my LinkedIn, which is supposed to be a professional platform for business. It was the same type of abuse.
"I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even family and friends. I only talked to my close family but very briefly.
"It did have a physical impact, but it was more mental. I just wanted to be in a bubble. I had no desire to talk to them. I just wanted to be alone, which was very challenging. The whole experience has made me a much stronger person."
Ahead of the 2022 season, F1 made several changes to race procedures, with two race directors now sharing responsibility over the course of the season.
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