Lewis Hamilton three-word criticism of FIA president as Verstappen clarifies future – F1 news round-up

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen together on the podium.
Missed media day in Melbourne? Catch up on all the latest F1 news as we head into race weekend mode at the Australian Grand Prix.
From Lewis Hamilton’s brutal take on the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future and everything in between, we’ve got the day’s top headlines covered for you.
F1 news: Lewis Hamilton issues scathing remark on FIA president
It’s not only Red Bull facing intense scrutiny over these past few weeks, as F1’s governing body, the FIA, have also been hogging some of the spotlight themselves.
More questions have been raised over Ben Sulayem’s presidency as he was investigated for alleged interference in both the Saudi Arabian and Las Vegas races for different reasons over the course of the 2023 season.
In the lead-up to the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, Ben Sulayem was cleared of any wrongdoing as the FIA’s own Ethics Committee found no evidence to confirm those claims.
But, if the FIA president was hoping for some words of support from the joint-most decorated F1 World Champion in Lewis Hamilton during the aftermath, then he would be very much mistaken…
Max Verstappen states his Red Bull future ‘intention’ as Mercedes move questions linger
Another media session, another day of asking Max Verstappen about his Red Bull future amidst the ongoing saga involving his team boss Christian Horner.
Those hoping that recent events were pushing Verstappen into the open arms of Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton next season look set to remain in F1 Fantasy Land based on the Dutchman’s latest comments to the press in Melbourne.
However, we still haven’t heard a firm ‘no’ on him joining the Silver Arrows at some point in the future…
Carlos Sainz responds to fitness concerns as Australian GP doubts raised
Now, all eyes will be on Carlos Sainz during FP1 as he continues to recover from appendicitis surgery that only took place under a fortnight ago.
Although he had a smooth operation and was back in the paddock to support the team on race day in Saudi Arabia, he was always going to be in his own race against time to be in a position to drive again this weekend in Melbourne.
So, will he or won’t he race? Here’s what Carlos Sainz had to say about his current condition…
Nico Hulkenberg applies pressure back on Oliver Bearman
Carlos Sainz’s replacement in Saudi Arabia, Oliver Bearman, generated a lot of well-deserved hype after his excellent debut showing in Ferrari colours.
So much so, the conversation has already turned to which driver he is going to be booting off the grid next year as a result. A full-time seat at Ferrari’s customer team, Haas, looks the most realistic option given both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are out of contract at the end of the current campaign, yet the former has made it very clear he won’t be giving up his seat easily…
Guenther Steiner makes bold Mick Schumacher prediction amid now-or-never warning
Speaking of Haas, there was once upon a time that Guenther Steiner was managing Mick Schumacher, only for both of them to have no ties left to the team now.
Many will blame Guenther Steiner as the reason why Schumacher is no longer on the F1 grid, others will say that happened purely because of Mick’s performances.
However, one thing does look for certain: if Mick Schumacher can’t find a way back onto the F1 grid next year with the current driver market so volatile, his chance to return appears to be gone for good…