F1 news LIVE: Lewis Hamilton urged to step aside and retire from Formula 1

LIVE – Updated at 10:16

Formula 1 legends Sir Jackie Stewart and David Coulthard have urged Lewis Hamilton to ‘step aside’ and ‘retire’ from the sport to avoid the ‘pain’ of not being able to compete as he used to behind the wheel. Hamilton has struggled to adapt to Mercedes new W13 car in 2022 only finishing on the podium twice in nine races and has repeatedly been out-driven by teammate George Russell. He sits almost 100 points behind rival Max Verstappen in the standings and the Silver Arrows are still coming to terms with their car being the third-fastest on the grid.

Stewart explained that he feels Hamilton is finding it difficult to handle the skill of his new teammate and doesn’t believe the seven-time wolrd champion can make it back to the top level of the sport saying: “He’s now struggling a little bit because he’s had a new teammate who’s been quicker than him in qualifying so far, which is gonna be difficult for him to handle. It’s a pity he wasn’t resigning at the top but I don’t think that’s gonna happen now.”

Ex-Formula driver Coulthard believes that Hamilton still has more to offer Mercedes but should focus on getting to grips with the car instead of voicing his concerns over the physical toll it’s taking on his body. “You take the pain, whether it’s through your lower back. What I would say is if any driver feels uncomfortable, if any driver feels like he’s doing himself long-term damage – step aside.”

Follow all the latest F1 news and build-up to the British Grand Prix below.

Latest F1 news

• Hamilton urged to ‘step aside’ and retire
• Verstappen keen to not ‘overdramatise’ porpoising problem
• Race control still too easy to influence, says Magnussen

Red Bull’s Juri Vips under investigation over use of racist language

10:15 , Michael Jones

Formula 2 driver Juri Vips has been suspended by Red Bull after using racist language during a live gaming stream.

The 21-year-old Estonian has been stood down from all team duties pending an investigation to the incident on Tuesday.

A statement on Red Bull Racing’s official Twitter account read: “Red Bull Racing has suspended junior driver Juri Vips from all team duties with immediate effect, pending a full investigation into the incident.

“As an organisation, we condemn abuse of any kind and have a zero-tolerance policy to racist language or behaviour within our organisation.”

Vips, currently in his third F2 season, took to his Instagram account to apologise for his “unacceptable” language.

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British Grand Prix, Martin Brundle claims

10:06 , Michael Jones

Martin Brundle believes Mercedes “fancy their chances” at the British Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton snatched a place on the podium in Canada last weekend.

Mercedes have endured a torrid season so far with Hamilton and George Russell already out of the championship fight after struggling with their cars ‘porpoising’ issues.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, a despondent Hamilton described his Mercedes as “so bad” after a dire practice session while Toto Wolff has previously referred to the car as a “s***box”.

“The Mercedes team are so confusing for everyone at the moment, including themselves,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column. “On Friday Lewis declared the car was undriveable, which is indeed exactly how it looked, and he strongly intimated that it was now about making the best of a bad job for the rest of the long season.”

‘Confusing’ Mercedes ‘fancy their chances’ at British GP, says Martin Brundle

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

09:55 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen was having a ball in his Red Bull as he held off a late charge from Carlos Sainz to win the Canadian Grand Prix and extend his championship lead.

With Formula One returning to Montreal for the first time in three years, it was the Red Bull of Verstappen which took the chequered flag to move 46 points clear at the top of the standings.

Sainz was fast in the closing stages but could not find a way past Verstappen and had to settle for second place, the pair joined on the podium by Lewis Hamilton – the seven-time world champion taking third for Mercedes.

His team-mate George Russell continued his record of top-five finishes all season as he took fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc, who recovered from starting 19th to claim a decent haul of points.

Max Verstappen revels in exciting finish to win in Canadian Grand Prix

Race control still too easy to influence, says Magnussen

09:45 , Michael Jones

Kevin Magnussen says F1’s race control is still to easy to influence, an accusation which had been levelled at the FIA following the controversial finish to last season’s championship.

The sport came under great scrutiny when team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolff were bending the ear of race director Michael Masi in the concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen overtake Lewis Hamilton on the final lap in controversial circumstances.

Masi was sacked but race control remains easy to influence, according to Magnussen, who was sent to the pits to repair damages at the Canadian Grand Prix after the driver behind him, Esteban Ocon, had complained over race radio.

“I was just talking to Ocon now and he was joking how he told the FIA that it [Magnussen’s car damage] was really bad,” Magnussen said after the race. “If you know you can influence the FIA like that, you’re going to do it, aren’t you? Which he sort of did, and fair play. But you’ve got to let us drive with that s**t, it’s nothing. I just had a bit of contact, nothing serious. Scratched my front wing a little bit and then was told to pit.”

Lewis Hamilton urged to retire by Jackie Stewart

09:39 , Michael Jones

Three-time Formula 1 world champion, Sir Jackie Stewart, had urged Lewis Hamilton to retire from the sport to avoid the ‘pain’ with not being able to compete to his previous high standards. The Scot doesn’t believe Hamilton can reach his former heights and that he would be better served stepping away from the sport.

Speaking to the Convex Conversation Podcast, Stewart said: “It’s time for him to resign.

“He’s got music, he’s got culture, he loves clothing and the rag trade would be absolutely suitable for him. I’m sure he’ll be very successful because he’s been earning a huge amount of money, rightfully so because he’s been the best of his time.”

Stewart added it is difficult for Hamilton to handle being beaten by teammate George Russell this season with the former Williams driver finishing ahead of Hamilton at all but two races in 2022. Things have been so bad for Hamilton this year that he has only picked up two podiums from the first nine races and he trails championship leader Max Verstappen by 100 points.

“He’s now struggling a little bit because he’s had a new teammate who’s been quicker than him in qualifying so far, which is gonna be difficult for him to handle.” added Stewart. “Lewis is in that group of the Ayrton Sennas and the Alain Prosts or even the Jackie Stewarts maybe.

“It’s a pity he wasn’t resigning at the top but I don’t think that’s gonna happen now. But nevertheless it’s wiser to stop than go through all the pain of not being able to do what you did before.

“He’s carried the sport very well. I would like to see him resigning now.”

Max Verstappen keen not to ‘overdramatise’ F1’s porpoising problem in subtle dig at Mercedes

09:31 , Michael Jones

Max Verstappen has said Formula One does not need to “overdramatise” the issue of porpoising following complaints from some drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, that it could pose a long-term injury risk.

The ‘bouncing’ of cars along straights has been one of the main issues this season following the overhaul of rules and regulations, with some teams suffering more from the phenomenon than others.

Mercedes have been particularly affected, with Russell warning of the potential “health consequences” of porpoising while Hamilton endured the “most painful race” of his career in Baku after suffering from severe back pain due to the bouncing.

It led to the FIA introducing a controversial technical directive in an attempt to fix the problem, but Red Bull have reacted angrily as out of all the teams on the grid they have been the least affected by porpoising due to the design of their car.

Max Verstappen keen not to ‘overdramatise’ F1’s porpoising problem in dig at Mercedes