4 Friday March 18 2022
the timesFORMULA ONE
2022“And of course, you can take safety
measurements, even if you’re positive, so
that you might stay away from people.
Maybe us drivers need to look into what
we can do with the FIA [the governing
body] to see in the future.”
For now, Covid does mean missing a
race, something which neither
Verstappen nor Hamilton can afford
with this championship also likely to be a
close affair.
With seven seasons under his belt, the
numbers between the two drivers look
remarkably similar. When Hamilton had
raced the same number of seasons heM
ax Verstappen is sitting
in a blustery Bahrain
paddock three days out
from the start of his
campaign to retain the
world championship.
The 24-year-old won his maiden title
in the most controversial of
circumstances in Abu Dhabi, none of his
own making, and he has spoken plenty
of the need to move on.
He is the world champion and, as is his
right, he will now race with No 1
emblazoned on his car. It is also on the
cap that he wears as he sits under
a cabana in the shade of the swaying
palm trees that run down the middle of
the paddock.
He looks relaxed and makes it clear
that the pressure has been relieved, even
if only slightly, by claiming that first title.
“Since I started racing it was my
dream to be, first of all, in the F1
paddock but then to win the world
championship and once you have
achieved that there’s a lot of pressure
off,” he says.
“I’m still very motivated to win races
and hopefully, of course, I can win more
championships, but I think that first one
is always very important.”
As we speak, we are surrounded on all
sides by photographers, the cumulative
click of each photo so loud it’s difficult to
hear at times. All are pointed at him but
when asked how he feels operating in a
fish bowl with the world’s mediaconstantly staring in, he brushes it aside.
“It’s been like this all my life,” the
Dutchman says with a smile.
It has obviously intensified and his
stock has risen considerably, so much so
that Red Bull offered him the most
lucrative contract in the history of the
sport over the winter — a deal worth
$40 million a year (£30 million) which
will keep him with the team through to
the end of 2028. The monetary value is
the same as his rival Lewis Hamilton,
though the deal is considerably longer
than the 37-year-old’s, whose present
contract runs for two years.
Money aside, their rivalry was
priceless last year and there is hope that
it will continue this season. HamiltonVerstappen wants to
keep racing – and not
let Covid ruin season
certainly feels as if he were robbed of the
title and will be out for redemption, but
Verstappen is in no doubt who will win
this year.
“Me. You have to back yourself,”
Verstappen says when asked who will
win this weekend and this year.
Many of the neutrals in the paddock
are also backing him, with Red Bull
looking the strongest of the teams after
six days of pre-season testing. Of course,
testing should mostly be treated with a
pinch of salt, but there is no doubt that
the Red Bull looked the best on track
and Verstappen even admitted it had
been a good pre-season.
However, the contest this year may
not just be about what happens on the
track. Two drivers in the past week have
tested positive for Covid. Daniel
Ricciardo missed the second pre-season
test in Bahrain but is now negative and
can race for McLaren this weekend.
Sebastian Vettel tested positive on
Wednesday and will miss the season
opener for Aston Martin on Sunday.
Both Verstappen and Hamilton were
cautious last year, knowing that they
could not afford to miss a race — which
would have certainly cost them the
championship.
Now, with the protocols in the
paddock easing and several countries
around the world dropping any need for
isolation even if positive, Verstappen has
asked if drivers should be allowed to race
if they have the virus.
“I think we need to look into it [racing
with Covid],” Verstappen says. “Because
you can test positive for any virus. At
one point I do think we need to ease off
on the [notion that a] positive case
means you cannot race.
“I think nowadays, in most countries,
when you’re vaccinated anyway, you
might get ill, but it’s not life-threatening
anymore for most of the people, luckily.The champion tells
Rebecca Clancy he will
remain cautious off the
track and aggressive on it
as he bids to retain title
“
You can test
positive for any
virus. We must
ease off on
saying a positive
case means you
cannot race
VETTEL TO MISS OPENER WITH COVIDSebastian Vettel
will miss the
Bahrain Grand
Prix after
testing positive
for Covid. The
four-times world
champion, driving
for Aston Martin, will
be replaced by reserve driver Nico
Hülkenberg.
Vettel, above, is the second driver in
a week to test positive. McLaren’s
Daniel Ricciardo missed all three days
of the second test at the Sakhir circuit
last week but has been cleared to race.
Ricciardo mixed with drivers for a
Grand Prix Drivers’ Association
photoshoot to show their solidarity
with Ukraine following the Russian
invasion.
Testing is no longer mandatory
for drivers.t V w a l s t p tg
will
serve driver Nico