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McLaren boss Zak Brown has called on Formula One’s governing body to ensure the track-limits fiasco which overshadowed the Austrian Grand Prix never happens again. Drivers were penalised throughout the weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg for crossing the white lines – with the final classification for Sunday’s race only settled five hours after the chequered flag. Eight of the 20-strong grid were dealt post-race sanctions by the FIA, with Lewis Hamilton demoted from seventh to eighth. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz slipped two places to sixth, while Frenchman Esteban Ocon was handed an extraordinary half-a-minute’s worth of combined penalties for track-limit infringements. Earlier in the weekend, world champion Max Verstappen accused race director Niels Wittich of making the grid’s stars look like “amateurs”. In all, more than 100 laps were deleted during Sunday’s race. “It definitely wasn’t ideal what happened, and that’s stating the obvious,” said Brown. “Where we need to do a better job is that we knew this was going to be a problem on Friday and yet we just kind of watched it happen. “We need to make sure it never happens again, and that we do a proper debrief and understand how we could have prevented it in the first place or handled it differently.” McLaren driver Lando Norris benefited from Sainz’s post-race penalty to be promoted to fourth to take his best result of a difficult season for the British team. Brown, speaking at the reveal of a one-off livery for McLaren’s home race at Silverstone this weekend, continued: “I’ll take my hat off to the FIA for addressing the issue and I think it would have been easy to say, ‘this is going to cause a lot of noise, let’s just kind of get it right next time’. “For them to put their hands and say there were some penalties that needed to be addressed, I thought that was a brave decision. “But we can’t have it again. We can’t have a race and then five hours later you have that degree of change in the result.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lando Norris says Just Stop Oil protest at Silverstone would be ‘stupid’ Don’t put your life in danger – British GP boss has stark warning for protesters Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win

Lando Norris has told Just Stop Oil campaigners that they would be “stupid and selfish” to put lives in danger by protesting at the British Grand Prix. The climate activists have already targeted the Lord’s Ashes Test, the Premiership rugby final and the World Snooker Championship so far this year. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s race, British driver Norris, 23, said: “Of course, it is a concern because is a stupid thing to do to put your life in danger with cars driving around. “It is also a very selfish thing to do because of the consequences it could have on the person that drives the car. “Everyone has a right to protest and I guess there are good ways of doing it and worse ways. “I just hope people are smart enough not to do it. There are much safer ways to get just as much attention.” Five protesters invaded last year’s British Grand Prix after they stormed the Wellington Straight – the fastest point of the Northamptonshire track – before sitting down during the opening lap. The contest had already been suspended following Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu’s high-speed crash, but a number of cars sped by the group before they were dragged away by marshals. The protesters were handed suspended jail sentences in March. Silverstone has worked alongside Northamptonshire Police to beef up security ahead of this year’s event, with a record 480,000 people expected to attend over the weekend, and more than 140,000 fans in place for the race. Speaking to the PA news agency earlier on Monday, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said: “The fundamental difference here is that you are not putting your life in danger when you run on the pitch at Lord’s. “You are not putting your life in danger when you sit on a snooker table or protest at a flower show. “A motor racing track is not the place to go. It is extraordinarily dangerous and people will be putting lives at risk if they go there, and any sensible, right-thinking person can extrapolate what the ultimate risk here is. “My strong, strong message is: ‘Do not put your life in danger. This is not the place to go and sit on a floor’. It is absolute madness if someone climbs on to a live racing track. “We have no specific intelligence, but we will plan for the worst and hope for the best.” Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his home race following a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix where he finished seventh and was then demoted to eighth after a post-race penalty for exceeding track limits. Hamilton was also dealt a public rebuke by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. The Austrian told Hamilton to “just drive the car” following a number of complaints by his driver over the radio. “There are days when I can say I’m truly proud of myself, and days like today when frustration takes over,” said Hamilton on his Instagram account. “In a race it can feel like you’re hanging off a cliff and losing the strength to hold on. “It’s confusing for us to have such strong performances one day and then be nowhere the next. “But when you really care about what you’re doing, you brush it off and keep fighting. Heads down for Silverstone.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Don’t put your life in danger – British GP boss has stark warning for protesters Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win Toto Wolff plays down impact of ‘just please drive it’ remark to Lewis Hamilton

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The boss of Silverstone has warned Just Stop Oil campaigners that they will be putting lives at risk if they protest at the British Grand Prix. The climate activists have already targeted the Lord’s Ashes Test, the Premiership rugby final and the World Snooker Championship so far this year. Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of Sunday’s race, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said: “The fundamental difference here is that you are not putting your life in danger when you run on the pitch at Lord’s. “You are not putting your life in danger when you sit on a snooker table or protest at a flower show. “A motor racing track is not the place to go. It is extraordinarily dangerous and people will be putting lives at risk if they go there, and any sensible, right-thinking person can extrapolate what the ultimate risk here is. “My strong, strong message is: ‘Do not put your life in danger. This is not the place to go and sit on a floor’. It is absolute madness if someone climbs on to a live racing track.” Five protesters invaded last year’s British Grand Prix after they stormed the Wellington Straight – the fastest point of the Northamptonshire track – before sitting down during the opening lap. The contest had already been suspended following Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu’s high-speed crash, but a number of cars sped by the group before they were dragged away by marshals. The protesters were handed suspended jail sentences in March. Silverstone has worked alongside Northamptonshire Police to beef up security ahead of this year’s event, with a record 480,000 people expected to attend over the weekend, and more than 140,000 fans in place for the race. Pringle added: “We have no specific intelligence, but we will plan for the worst and hope for the best. If somebody is minded to invade a flower show then they are probably minded to invade a motor race because we have many more global viewers. “But there are plans in place. We will have a much more visible police presence around the event and we hope that fans help us to try and spot people who are planning to disturb people’s fun.” Lewis Hamilton is gearing up for his home race following a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix where he finished seventh and was then demoted to eighth after a post-race penalty for exceeding track limits. Hamilton was also dealt a public rebuke by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. The Austrian told Hamilton to “just drive the car” following a number of complaints by his driver over the radio. “There are days when I can say I’m truly proud of myself, and days like today when frustration takes over,” said Hamilton on his Instagram account. “In a race it can feel like you’re hanging off a cliff and losing the strength to hold on. “It’s confusing for us to have such strong performances one day and then be nowhere the next. “But when you really care about what you’re doing, you brush it off and keep fighting. Heads down for Silverstone.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win Toto Wolff plays down impact of ‘just please drive it’ remark to Lewis Hamilton Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until at least 2030

It was long after the chequered flag was waved at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday when Lando Norris, buoyed by a positive weekend in his upgraded McLaren, posted a selfie of his bare hand. A high-five for P5. Little did he know that, in the end, a finger needed to be withdrawn. Another Instagram picture comically corrected the initial post. Because Norris had actually recorded his best result of the season in claiming fourth, after a shaking-up of the final classification of Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix due to a raft of time penalties. Twelve drivers – including Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz – were punished retrospectively, after 83 lap times in Sunday’s race were deleted due to the exceeding of track limits. The scenario, which only concluded five hours after the race finished, has once again placed the spotlight on the FIA, the governing body of Formula 1. An appeal from Aston Martin triggered the farcical scenes to sign off a weekend in Spielberg typified by the absurdity of the track-limits issue at the final two corners of the track. The only salvation was that the podium and Max Verstappen’s win remained unchanged. Qualifying on Friday was dominated by cars continuously extending the limits of the car beyond the white line. Sergio Perez, incredulously, fell foul three times in Q2, even after a host of warnings from his engineer and subsequently missed out on the top-10 shootout. Sprint day on Saturday seemed less impacted by the issue, but only because of the wet conditions resulting in the drivers being more conservative in their driving style on the approach to turns 9 and 10. Come the grand prix a day later, the number of warnings, black-and-white flags and then time penalties rather overshadowed what was actually an enthralling 71-lap race. Hamilton, exuding disbelief at the situation over team radio, was aghast at the notion that only he was being punished. Ultimately with the late result change, nobody escaped. Esteban Ocon, for instance, had an astonishing 30 seconds added to his final time, seemingly driving a completely different configuration altogether. There are a few problems at play here. Firstly, the issue of cars consistently crossing the white line at the end of the lap. The Red Bull Ring, which has been a fixture on the F1 schedule since 2014 and on Sunday extended its contract until 2030, is the shortest track on the calendar. A fact which should encourage captivating battles, both on track and on the timesheets. Instead, it is the circuit most prone to ignominy with the deletion of lap times. Practically, it can be avoided too. Last year, a gravel trap on the outside of the final turn – as opposed to sections of run-off area – was recommended by the race director. Such an addition would encourage drivers to be more cautious on the approach and thus more likely to stay within the white lines. Such an improvement must be made next year. Yet more so than the track-limits discussion itself, what is particularly concerning for the sport in the long-term is the changing of the result hours after the race has ended. We have been here before, too. In March, the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia saw Fernando Alonso’s third place reinstated past midnight local time, rendering George Russell’s experience on the podium redundant. A fortnight later in Australia, a chaotic race saw post-race appeals drag the race result into uncertainty for a matter of weeks, with Ferrari appealing a late penalty for Sainz. The FIA and F1, two distinctly different enterprises but reliant in many ways on one another, are not the best of friends at the moment. Ideally, they would work perfectly in harmony but on the contrary, the divide is stark, as illustrated by Formula 1 calling out FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the off-season for opining on F1’s market value in the wake of takeover rumours from Saudi Arabia. All of it points towards a situation where the whole operation and system of work must improve. There is an argument that it could be completely scratched and revamped – and perhaps both parties could work towards this after the 2023 season. But something has to change. The net result of more ridiculous scenes such as Sunday night’s result change will be spectators turning away from the sport. The influx of fans in the past few years, due to Netflix, the 2021 season and more races than ever before, will be completely undone if those watching cannot fully trust the finality of the chequered flag. The sport’s marketeers have done so well to be ahead of the curve as it enjoys a period of unprecedented popularity. Now the executives themselves must improve their processes in correlation. Read More Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz demoted after Austrian Grand Prix penalty chaos Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win San Luis Obispo: Why you should visit California’s last sleepy stretch of coast, hidden in plain sight Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz demoted after Austrian Grand Prix penalty chaos F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE: Race latest updates and results from Red Bull Ring Lewis Hamilton: 18 months, 13 podiums and an elusive race victory

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Lewis Hamilton is among the drivers who have been demoted in position for the Austrian Grand Prix after a raft of time penalties were added some five hours after the chequered flag. Max Verstappen comfortably won his fifth race in a row, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc coming home second and Sergio Perez finishing third. While the podium remained unchanged, Sainz was given a 10-second time penalty – dropping him from fourth to sixth – while Hamilton was given the same punishment, shifting him down a place to P8. McLaren’s Lando Norris subsequently moves up to fourth and Fernando Alonso up a spot to fifth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also had 10 seconds added on to his final time, dropping him down to 10th from ninth, swapping spots with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Esteban Ocon was given an astonishing 30-second time penalty post-race, with the Williams pairing of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant given 10-second punishments. Finally, the AlphaTauri duo of Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda were punished with 15 and five seconds respectively. FINAL AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX RACE CLASSIFICATION 1. Max Verstappen 2. Charles Leclerc 3. Sergio Perez 4. Lando Norris 5. Fernando Alonso 6. Carlos Sainz 7. George Russell 8. Lewis Hamilton 9. Lance Stroll 10. Pierre Gasly 11. Alex Albon 12. Zhou Guanyu 13. Logan Sargeant 14. Esteban Ocon 15. Valtteri Bottas 16. Oscar Piastri 17. Nyck De Vries 18. Kevin Magnussen 19. Yuki Tsunoda 20. Nico Hulkenberg It marked a chaotic and befuddling end to a weekend where nearly every driver was warned and punished for exceeding track limits, particularly at turns 9 and 10. In Sunday’s race, there were a vast total of 83 lap times deleted throughout the 71-lap grand prix. An Aston Martin appeal triggered the raft of penalties and positional changes. The FIA noted in their final assessment: "The Stewards very strongly recommend that a solution be found to the track limits situation at this circuit.” A gravel trap on the outside of the final corner – turn 10 – was recommended by the race director last year and now looks a likely addition at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. The track and event signed a new deal with F1 on Sunday, extending their partnership until 2030. Read More Toto Wolff plays down impact of ‘just please drive it’ remark to Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen refuses to ponder title hat-trick despite another emphatic win Max Verstappen and Red Bull continue to dominate after triumph at Austrian Grand Prix F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE: Race latest updates and results from Red Bull Ring Lewis Hamilton: 18 months, 13 podiums and an elusive race victory Max Verstappen remains man to beat after only Austrian GP practice

Max Verstappen said he is refusing to dream about completing a hat-trick of world championships after he delivered another emphatic performance to win the Austrian Grand Prix. The double world champion was made to work for his seventh victory from nine rounds after he passed Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on track in Spielberg. But after manoeuvring himself ahead of both Ferrari drivers, Verstappen raced off into the distance to the delight of his 70,000-strong travelling army from the Netherlands. He leads Sergio Perez in the standings by 81 points – the equivalent of more than three victories – ahead of next weekend’s British Grand Prix. However, when asked about the prospect of taking his third straight title, Verstappen said: “I don’t like to think about that yet. “I am enjoying the moment, driving with this car, and working with this team. I am just very happy for this weekend and we will turn our focus to the next race at Silverstone.” I don’t like to think about that yet Max Verstappen on the chances of a third successive title A day after taking the sprint race spoils, Verstappen was celebrating his fifth consecutive victory, and the 42nd of his career to move ahead of Ayrton Senna. Verstappen fended off an aggressive Leclerc on the opening lap before he fell to third after the Ferrari drivers stopped early for tyres under the Virtual Safety Car. It ended Verstappen’s remarkable run of 249 consecutive laps at the head of a race – a streak stretching back to the Miami Grand Prix on May 8 – however, the Dutchman required just 11 laps before he was back in charge. After he left the pits on lap 25, Verstappen moved ahead of Sainz a couple of laps later, and then fought his way past Leclerc on lap 35 of 71. From there, the Dutchman cruised to the flag – even stopping for tyres on the penultimate lap in order to set the fastest lap and take a bonus point. “It was important to stay in front of Charles on lap one and after that we were able to do our own race,” added Verstappen. “We chose not to box under the VSC and we followed our normal strategy and that worked out really well. “I knew I would get them back eventually and following our own plan was the best way forward. To see all the orange in the grandstands and the flares at the end was incredible.” Verstappen has won 16 of the last 20 races in F1, with Red Bull unbeaten this season as they bid to become F1’s first invincible team. “We can only take it one race at a time,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “Can we [go unbeaten]? Yes. Will we? Who knows.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Toto Wolff plays down impact of ‘just please drive it’ remark to Lewis Hamilton Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until at least 2030 Lewis Hamilton to start sprint race from 18th at Austrian Grand Prix

Toto Wolff insists his public rebuke of Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix will have no impact on the British driver’s Mercedes future. As Max Verstappen racked up his seventh victory from nine rounds with a crushing performance at Red Bull’s home race in Spielberg to extend his championship lead to 81 points, Hamilton crossed the line a disappointing seventh. Hamilton was the first of six drivers to be penalised by race director Niels Wittich for exceeding track limits. He then spent the remainder of the race asking why some of his rivals – namely Sergio Perez – had not been sanctioned, and also lambasted the speed of his under-performing Mercedes machine. Wolff rarely speaks to his drivers over the radio, but was on the intercom twice to Hamilton during Sunday’s race. “Lewis, the car is bad, we know,” said Wolff on his second appearance over the airwaves. “Just please drive it.” The dressing down might have stung Hamilton. Asked what provoked Wolff to deliver the remark, Hamilton’s answer was short, and not-so-sweet. Lewis, the car is bad, we know. Just please drive it Toto Wolff to Lewis Hamilton “I don’t know,” he said. “You will have to ask him.” Hamilton has six months remaining on his £40million-a-season deal. Might the exchange have a bearing on negotiations? “No, not at all,” said Wolff. “You should hear us talking on the phone and meeting each other. That was nothing. “We have had a bad weekend, all of us in the team, and that just makes us stronger. “It was only for the best interest of the driver and the team. Sometimes there is a certain moment when you need to calm things down but I meant well. “We had a lot of discussion about track limits and whether they were enforced or not. “I wanted to make sure we were getting the best out of the package that wasn’t performing, and trying to give it our best shot.” It has been a difficult weekend for Mercedes in Austria. Hamilton was 10th in the Sprint on Saturday, while team-mate George Russell finished eighth in both the shortened race and the main event. Hamilton’s losing streak now extends to 32 races and Wolff – despite suggesting on June 12 that his superstar driver’s next contract would be signed in “days rather than weeks” – confirmed that there will be no news of an extension at Silverstone this weekend. “I am still very confident it will get done,” added Wolff. “We want to do it super, and to every detail. “This is not a money discussion. It is about the future, what is it that we want to do right, and then optimise. “We are not talking anymore about money, or duration, it is about other topics.” I am still very confident it will get done. We want to do it super, and to every detail Wolff on contract talks with Hamilton Asked how long Hamilton’s next deal will be, Wolff replied: “For a while. The Brits say a couple means two, and the Americans say a couple means a few, so it is somewhere there. Several.” The day began strongly for Hamilton. He started fifth and leapfrogged Lando Norris at the opening corner. But he soon faced the wrath of race control for putting all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line on three separate occasions. He was penalised with a black-and-white warning flag on lap 12, and then hit with a five-second penalty five laps later. Hamilton took his punishment at his second pit stop on lap 43, dropping him to eighth place. He moved up one spot when Pierre Gasly stopped for tyres but failed to make any impression on Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, crossing the line half a minute back. “The feeling with the car was the same as I had last year,” said Hamilton. “I didn’t expect to be as bad as we were today. It is surprising.” Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished second for Ferrari, while Perez raced from 15th to third, passing Carlos Sainz with 10 laps to go. Norris ended the day in fifth to record his best result of a difficult season for his under-performing McLaren team. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until at least 2030 Lewis Hamilton to start sprint race from 18th at Austrian Grand Prix Made us look like amateurs – Max Verstappen hits out over raft of deleted laps

Max Verstappen produced another emphatic performance to complete a home win for Red Bull at the Austrian Grand Prix. The double world champion was made to work for his seventh victory from nine rounds so far after he passed Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz on track. But after manoeuvring himself ahead of both Ferrari drivers, Verstappen raced off into the distance to the delight of his 70,000-strong travelling army from Netherlands. Leclerc crossed the line five seconds behind Verstappen in Spielberg, with Sergio Perez recovering from his lowly grid slot of 15th to finish third. The Mexican fought his way past Sainz with 10 laps remaining following a nip-and-tuck duel. Sainz took fourth after he served five-second penalty for exceeding track limits. The Spaniard was among six of the 20-strong field to be sanctioned by race director Niels Wittich, with Lewis Hamilton also punished. Hamilton finished an underwhelming seventh, while Lando Norris ended the day in fifth to record his best result of a difficult season for his under-performing McLaren team. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso finished between Norris and Hamilton. George Russell made up three places from his starting spot of 11th to finish eighth. Verstappen heads Perez in the standings by 81 points – the equivalent of more than three victories – heading into next weekend’s British Grand Prix. A day after taking the sprint race spoils, Verstappen was celebrating his fifth consecutive win on his unstoppable march to a hat-trick of world titles. Verstappen fended off an aggressive Leclerc on the opening lap before he fell to third after the Ferrari drivers stopped for tyres under the Virtual Safety Car. It ended Verstappen’s run of 249 consecutive laps at the head of the field. However, the Dutchman required just 11 laps before he was back in charge. After he left the pits on lap 25, Verstappen moved ahead of Sainz a couple of laps later, and then fought his way past Leclerc on lap 35 of 71. From there, the Dutchman cruised to the flag – even stopping for tyres on the penultimate lap in order to set the fastest lap and take a bonus point. “We did not pit during the Virtual Safety Car,” said Verstappen. “We followed our strategy and that worked out well. It was a great day and I enjoyed it a lot.” Asked about the prospect of taking his third straight title, Verstappen said: “I don’t like to think about that yet. “I am enjoying the moment. We have done a good job all weekend and a lot of things went right for us. I am happy and now I will focus on Silverstone.” For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion endured a difficult day in his Mercedes. Hamilton started fifth and leapfrogged Norris at the start of the race, but soon faced the wrath of the stewards for putting all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line. A black-and-white warning flag was served to Hamilton before he was hit with a five-second penalty on lap 17. Sainz, Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly and Logan Sargeant were also handed five-second penalties, while Yuki Tsunoda saw his initial five-second sanction upgraded to 10 for driving off the track. Hamilton served his penalty at his second pit stop on lap 43, dropping him to eighth place. He moved up one spot when Gasly stopped for tyres but he failed to make any impression on Aston Martin’s Alonso. The Briton was on the radio several times asking why other drivers had not been penalised. Team principal Toto Wolff first came on with a word of encouragement for his superstar driver. “They are all going to get penalties in front of you, Lewis.” he said.” Keep going.” The car is bad, we know. Please drive it Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff to Lewis Hamilton But following another frustrated radio message from Hamilton, Wolff was back on to his driver with a firmer message. “The car is bad, we know,” said Wolff to the Briton: “Please drive it.” Hamilton finished 39.1 seconds behind Verstappen and is no closer to ending his 18-month losing streak in Formula One. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Austrian Grand Prix to remain on F1 calendar until at least 2030 Lewis Hamilton to start sprint race from 18th at Austrian Grand Prix Made us look like amateurs – Max Verstappen hits out over raft of deleted laps