Latest F1 news in brief

Formula E driver Sam Bird pans Verstappen punishment as a hit on Formula E

Formula E driver hits out at Verstappen 'punishment'
Renault 'attack years' begin in 2019 – Budkowski
Haas boss targets fifth place again
F1 return now 'long term' goal – Sirotkin
Perez not worried about Lance Stroll as teammate
Poll: Hamilton greatest current British sportsman

Formula E driver hits out at Verstappen 'punishment'

(GMM) A Formula E driver has hit out at the FIA's 'community service' for Max Verstappen.

As punishment for shoving Esteban Ocon in Brazil last November, the FIA sentenced the Red Bull driver to unspecified community service.

Dutchman Verstappen duly served his punishment by attending the weekend's Formula E race in Morocco as "an observer to the stewards".

The 21-year-old said he enjoyed it.

"I've of course followed Formula E a bit on TV but I've never been in the paddock, and I really enjoyed the day," said Verstappen.

Formula E driver Sam Bird said the fact Formula E was used as a punishment was an "injustice" to the electric single seater series.

"I mean to call coming to a Formula E race community service, I think does Formula E a bit of an injustice," he told The Sun.

"This is an amazing category and people pay to come and watch us, it shouldn't be a punishment to come here."

Renault 'attack years' begin in 2019 – Budkowski

Marcin Budkowski

(GMM) Renault is about to begin "three years of attack".

That is the view of Marcin Budkowski, the French works team's new executive director. Last year he caused a paddock stir when he was poached from a top FIA role.

Now, he has been appointed to be centrally involved in the next phase of Renault's push for the world championship.

"We do not work for the short term," Budkowski told France's Auto Hebdo.

"We don't just hire experienced people, but mostly young people coming out of university," he explained. "We invest in the future. We are not looking for immediate results as we are still rebuilding the team.

"We could have done better last year if the short term had been our goal, but rather it is to build a team capable of being world champions. After three years of construction, three years of attack are beginning," Budkowski added.

He admits that, in 2018, Renault did not do a good enough job of developing the car.

"If the question is 'Did we do a great job in terms of car development?' the answer is no. Our progress was inherently worse than in 2017 and we are aware of it.

"There is a bit of disappointment at not being able to get closer to the top three, but that drives us to change things in the way we operate," he said.

Haas boss targets fifth place again

Gunther Steiner – happy to be a 5th place loser

(GMM) Gunther Steiner thinks Haas can do "a good job" once again in 2019.

In 2018, the new American team surprised in its second year on the grid by finishing fifth overall.

And boss Steiner thinks Haas can do it again.

"When I look at the numbers, I'm sure we will have a good car," he told the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

"But even last year I didn't say anything about how good the others would be. Because I don't know.

"We are happy with what we see, but considering the new rules, has anyone found something that we haven't? How can I know?" Steiner added.

However, Steiner said Haas' goal is to push again for fifth place in the constructors' standings behind the top three teams and the improving Renault.

"Everyone wants to go for that position or even better," he said.

"We have to do a good job over the winter, as we did last year, and make a good car. There are no secrets. Everyone is trying to get that position," said Steiner.

"If someone does a little bit more than us, they will be ahead and we have to live with that. And we will try to catch them again."

F1 return now 'long term' goal – Sirotkin

Sergey Sirotkin gives up on F1 for now – check not big enough

(GMM) Sergey Sirotkin admits returning to formula one has become more of a "long term" goal.

The Russian driver, backed by Russia's SMP Bank, has lost his Williams race seat to Robert Kubica.

Since receiving the bad news, he has already tested a DTM car for Audi, is slated to race in LMP1 sports cars for SMP Racing, and last weekend travelled to Morocco where he will test for a Formula E team.

"My main goal is to return to the starting grid in formula one," Sirotkin said in Marrakech. "Only now that has become more long term.

"It is too early to say how easily that can be achieved, but for now that is my main task for the medium to long term.

"At the moment, all I know is that I will do several races in LMP1 with SMP Racing — perhaps already the next race, so I will have something to do.

"Then some other possibilities may appear. So far it is the very early stages of negotiations, so I cannot say that I already know what I will do," Sirotkin, 23, added.

Perez not worried about Lance Stroll as teammate

Sergio Perez not worried Stroll's rich daddy owns the team

(GMM) Sergio Perez says he is not worried about becoming the number 2 driver at the team formerly known as Force India.

The 28-year-old Mexican has been at the Silverstone based team since 2014. But now Lawrence Stroll has arrived as the new team owner, and he has installed his own son Lance as Perez's teammate for 2019.

Asked how that will alter his place in the team hierarchy, Perez answered: "I don't think it will change.

"At the end of the day, the interests of all the team, even the team owner, is that the team is very successful," he said.

"So for that you need both cars to be at 100 per cent and for the team to develop as quickly as possible."

Therefore, Perez says he welcomes the arrival of Lance Stroll.

"He's coming in to a great team with great people, great engineers, where he's going to grow a lot. I see great things for the team," he insisted.

"I think we have all the guidance, we just need the budget and I think we can be a massive surprise next year."

Poll: Hamilton greatest current British sportsman

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has topped a Sky Sports News poll as the most popular living British athlete, in 2018 the Stevenage native claimed his fifth Formula 1 World Championship title, his fourth as a Mercedes driver.

Hamilton burst onto the Formula 1 scene in 2007 and nearly won the title in his first year, since then he has been the benchmark driver of this era. He became particularly dominant when in 2013 he replaced Michael Schumacher at Mercedes, which has since become the team to beat.

The poll shows Hamilton with 39% of the 78,877 votes, ahead of boxer Anthony Joshua (25%), runner Mo Farrah (19%) and tennis player Andy Murray (17%).

Since the lights went out on last season, Hamilton has been showered with accolades, voted the best driver by his peers, as well as best driver by F1 team chiefs and of course our Driver of the Year!