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Lewis Hamilton crashed out of final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion lost control of his Mercedes through the right-hander Mirabeau and ended up in the wall. Hamilton sustained front suspension damage in the low-speed accident with his Mercedes team now facing a race against time to repair his car for qualifying at 4pm local time (3pm UK). “Sorry about that, mate,” said Hamilton on the radio, shortly before trudging away from his broken machine with his hands behind his back. “No worries, we will sort it,” replied Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington. Hamilton was running in eighth place before he crashed out with just five minutes remaining. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The new Formula 1 season is here - and that means F1 Fantasy is back! The game will see millions of motor sport fans pick their fantasy selection of drivers for an imaginary $100m budget. FOLLOW LIVE: F1 qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix - who will clinch pole position? F1 Fantasy began five years ago and it has grown rapidly in popularity, in line with F1’s rise in popularity. The 2023 season will reward those players who are able to spot the early trends as the new season takes shape. See below for all the rules and top tips: How to play F1 Fantasy 2023 Each player gets to pick five drivers and two constructors (up from one in 2022) ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain, spending a budget of $100m. They also pick a weekly ‘DRS Boost’ whose points are doubled – and new for 2023, any driver in your team can be given the DRS boost. There are also chips available to power up your team, 6 in total: Autopilot, Extra DRS boost, No Negative, Wildcard, Limitless and Final Fix. Max Verstappen is the most expensive driver at $27.4m, with Lewis Hamilton second on $23.8m and Charles Leclerc on $21.2m. As for the Constructors, Red Bull are $27.7m, Mercedes $25.1m and Ferrari $22.2m. Players can make up to two transfers to their team per week, up until the start of qualifying. More than 2 transfers carries a 4 point penalty per additional transfer - similar to Fantasy Premier League. F1 Fantasy tips (pre-Monaco) Let’s not mess about: get Fernando Alonso on your team! The two-time world champion, for Aston Martin, who has finished third in four out of the five races, is still something of a steal at $9.2m. Elsewhere, Nico Hulkenberg is a cheap option at $3.9m while Lance Stroll is also not a bad bet at $7.7m. It’s still hard to look beyond picking Max Verstappen ($27.4m), but Carlos Sainz is not a bad bet for your second-most expensive driver - at $17.2m. Similarly, Aston Martin are an obvious Constructors option at this point at $7.0m alongside one of the big boys. The deadline to make changes to your team is Monaco qualifying at 3pm (BST) on Saturday afternoon *** One key to success in Fantasy F1 is riding the price waves and increasing the value of your team. You can do this by identifying the best value picks each week, and also by buying and selling strategically - so buy a successful driver at the end of a race on Sunday and sell him on later the following week for a profit. It’s worth biding your time when it comes to making your final substitutions, however. Practice on Friday will generally reveal plenty about what go down in qualifying, so waiting as long as possible to soak up information will help in making the right decisions each week. Given the budgetary restrictions, and the fact that most players will have some combination of Hamilton, Verstappen, Mercedes or Red Bull, the area to get a jump on the rest is in the midfield pack. Will Ferrari toppple Red Bull? Can McLaren top the midfield? And what about Alpine? How does the scoring work? Qualifying: Pole position (first place) 10 pts 2nd place 9 pts 3rd place 8 pts 4th place 7 pts 5th place 6 pts 6th place 5 pts 7th place 4 pts 8th place 3 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt No time set -5 pts Disqualification from qualifying -15 pts Constructors’ in qualifying Neither driver reaches Q2 -1 pt One driver reaches Q2 1 pt Both drivers reach Q2 3 pts One driver reaches Q3 5 pts Both drivers reach Q3 10 pts Race: 1st Place 25 pts 2nd place 18 pts 3rd place 15 pts 4th place 12 pts 5th place 10 pts 6th place 8 pts 7th place 6 pts 8th place 4 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt 11th-20th place 0 pts DNF/Not classified -20 points Disqualified -25 points Extras Positions Gained 1 pt per position Positions lost -1 point per position Overtakes made 1 pt per overtake Fastest lap 10 points Driver of the Day 10 points Constructors’ in race Fastest pitstop 10 points 2nd fastest pitstop 5 points 3rd fastest pitstop 3 pts Read More F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP3 results after Lewis Hamilton crash F1 2023 season predictions: World champion, surprise star, best race and more Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick? F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying latest updates and times Monaco GP unpredictability offers best chance yet of end to Red Bull supremacy Max Verstappen struggles as Carlos Sainz goes fastest in Monaco opening practice

Formula 1 returns to one of its most famous races - the Monaco Grand Prix - after the unfortunate cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with a crucial qualifying session to be held this afternoon. F1 was forced to cancel the Imola race weekend due to adverse weather and flooding in the region, with the event at this stage unlikely to be rescheduled amid the congested 2023 calendar. Yet teams and drivers will now turn their attention to the tight twists and turns of the world-renowned Circuit de Monaco for the next round of the season. PREVIEW: Monaco Grand Prix offers best chance yet of end to Red Bull supremacy Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won last year’s race in wet conditions, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in second and Max Verstappen third. Hometown favourite Charles Leclerc has never been on the podium at his home race, while Mercedes will be eyeing improvements as they introduce upgrades to Lewis Hamilton’s and George Russell’s cars. Carlos Sainz was quickest in first practice on Friday with Max Verstappen top of the timesheets in FP2. Follow F1 qualifying live with The Independent - FP3 started at 11:30am before qualifying at 3pm (BST) Read More Monaco Grand Prix offers best chance yet of end to Red Bull supremacy Lewis Hamilton reveals impact of Mercedes updates in Monaco Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it?

Formula 1 returns to one of its most famous races - the Monaco Grand Prix - after the unfortunate cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with a crucial qualifying session to be held this afternoon. F1 was forced to cancel the Imola race weekend due to adverse weather and flooding in the region, with the event at this stage unlikely to be rescheduled amid the congested 2023 calendar. Yet teams and drivers will now turn their attention to the tight twists and turns of the world-renowned Circuit de Monaco for the next round of the season. PREVIEW: Monaco Grand Prix offers best chance yet of end to Red Bull supremacy Red Bull’s Sergio Perez won last year’s race in wet conditions, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in second and Max Verstappen third. Hometown favourite Charles Leclerc has never been on the podium at his home race, while Mercedes will be eyeing improvements as they introduce upgrades to Lewis Hamilton’s and George Russell’s cars. Carlos Sainz was quickest in first practice on Friday with Max Verstappen top of the timesheets in FP2. Follow F1 qualifying live with The Independent - FP3 is at 11:30am before qualifying at 3pm (BST) Read More Monaco Grand Prix offers best chance yet of end to Red Bull supremacy Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? Lewis Hamilton hoped for more from Mercedes updates in Monaco

Lewis Hamilton had hoped his revamped Mercedes would have propelled him closer to the front after he finished sixth in practice for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. Hamilton’s Mercedes team arrived for the sixth round of the season in the sun-cooked principality armed with a major upgrade. But after an encouraging start – with Hamilton briefly heading the order in the opening running of the weekend – the British driver ended the day half-a-second behind Max Verstappen, who finished fastest for Red Bull. George Russell was only 12th in the other Mercedes. “It is a shame we were not as close as I hoped we would be at the end of the session,” said Hamilton. “In P1, I thought, ‘Wow, maybe we’re looking pretty good’, but in P2 we were close to half-a-second off. I don’t think we have half a second in the bag. “We’ve just got to keep chipping away to see if we can squeeze any more juice out of the cup.” After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race in Bahrain, Mercedes have spent the ensuing dozen weeks working on a new design philosophy. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod concept and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a drastic change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. And although Mercedes are keen not to draw too many conclusions at this week’s unique Monte Carlo configuration – and believe the following round at the well-trodden Circuit de Catalunya venue on the outskirts of Barcelona will present them with a better understanding of where they stand – the evidence of practice suggests they are no closer to providing a real challenge to Red Bull. Hamilton added: “It’s not really the place to test an upgrade, but the car was generally feeling good. “It’s very clear where the lack of performance is, and we will talk about that in the debrief. Hopefully this gives us a platform to build on moving forwards.” Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez are the only men to have won a race this year, but their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed track in Monaco. However, despite Perez managing only seventh in practice, Verstappen’s pace indicates he could still be the driver to beat. Home favourite Charles Leclerc is ready to pounce – after he finished just 0.065 seconds back – with his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, who crashed out of second practice remaining following a mistake at the high-speed swimming pool chicane, third. Fernando Alonso could be a contender, too. The Aston Martin driver, 41, took fourth spot, 0.220 sec adrift of Verstappen. Lando Norris finished fifth in his McLaren. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled

The crown jewel. That’s the accompanying slogan alongside the Monaco Grand Prix: a Formula 1 staple-event identified with the sort-of glitz and glamour we saw last time out in Miami. And will see again in Las Vegas in November. F1’s obsession with the US has given the principality a direct rival or two stateside, to the extent that its long-term viability in the sport if far from a certainty, given the difficulty of overtaking at the track. But that’s for another day. For now, the famed twists and turns on the shores of the French Riviera still offer the most unique of challenges for the 20 drivers as they return to action for the first time in three weeks. And that distinctiveness should, in theory, give Red Bull their toughest task yet in 2023. Christian Horner’s team have won all five races so far this season; six if you include the sprint in Azerbaijan. At a canter, too. Yet for a car which reigns supreme on long-straights and in high-speed corners comes a track with few long-straights and a series of low-speed corners. As such, opportunity arises for Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes. And judging by practice on Friday – ahead of the critical and often finalistic nature of Monaco qualifying on Saturday – Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will face opposition stauncher than in the opening months of the season. The opening hour of first practice very much gave room for optimism: no Red Bull car was in the top-three, as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz topped the timesheets. The Spaniard, team-mate to hometown hero Charles Leclerc, is quick around Monaco but rather ruined his day with a crash at the swimming pool chicane in the closing stages of second practice. “We’ve been in better in qualifying than in race-pace,” said Sainz. “A couple of strong years in Monaco. I want to be optimistic and feel as though we have the chance to win.” Leclerc, who has never finished on the podium at his home race, has been on pole the last two years – and will always back himself to put himself on top over one lap. He too looked rapid on Friday. But the dark horse, unquestionably, is a pole position for Fernando Alonso on Saturday. The Spaniard has been talking up his hopes of winning in Monaco, now more than 10 years since his last F1 victory in Barcelona. He was second-fastest in his pacey Aston Martin in FP1; fourth in FP2. A mixed day, meanwhile, for world championship leader Verstappen. His first hour of running saw the Dutchman dogged with balance issues; complaints aplenty over team radio. He was only sixth-fastest, but brought it back to top the leaderboard during the second practice qualifying simulations as the sun set. His team-mate and rival Sergio Perez, 14 points behind in the standings, could only manage seventh. And what about Mercedes? New sidepods – with the strange-looking ‘no-sidepod’ design finally ditched – on the car, alongside a new front suspension and floor. While the true impact won’t be properly felt until Spain next week, it seemed generally more of the same for the time being. Lewis Hamilton adapted better, third-quickest in first practice, while George Russell failed to finish in the top-10 in either session. Pole may be beyond the Silver Arrows. Excitement will be palpable, however, at Ferrari and Aston, eager to take the fight to Red Bull for a pivotal qualifying session come Saturday afternoon. Rain forecast on Sunday, too, could spice up what is quite often a bog-standard grand prix, with overtaking near impossible. Read More What time is F1 qualifying tomorrow at the Monaco Grand Prix? Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? Max Verstappen struggles as Carlos Sainz goes fastest in Monaco opening practice Lewis Hamilton speaks out on Vinicius Jr racist abuse: ‘It’s devastating’ Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes

Max Verstappen finished fastest in practice for the Monaco Grand Prix as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed out. Verstappen edged out home favourite Charles Leclerc by just 0.065 seconds with his Ferrari team-mate Sainz third. Fernando Alonso finished fourth for Aston Martin ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. As Verstappen raced to the top of the charts, Sainz’s running ended with 17 minutes remaining. The Spaniard, who was earlier quickest in the first session, clipped the entry barrier into the swimming pool chicane, damaging his right-front suspension, before heading straight into the tyre wall on the opposite side of the track. “I crashed,” said the Spaniard. “I’m sorry.” The session was suspended for six minutes as Sainz’s wounded Ferrari was removed from the circuit. After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race, Mercedes have arrived for the sixth round in the sun-cooked principality with a new concept. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod design and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. However, on the evidence of practice, the seven-time world champion appears no closer to the front. Hamilton ended the opening running in third place, but he had dropped to sixth by the conclusion of the day, half-a-second back. George Russell was a disappointing 12th in the other Mercedes, seven tenths adrift. Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez are the only men to have won a race this year and their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed confines of the unique Monte Carlo configuration. But, despite Perez managing only seventh in practice, Verstappen’s pace on Friday suggests he might yet be the driver to beat for the remainder of the weekend. In first practice, the red flags were deployed in the closing minutes when Alex Albon lost control of his Williams through the opening Sainte Devote corner. The London-born Thai slammed into the wall, but, despite admitting to banging his knees, he emerged relatively unscathed from the 100mph accident. The same could however not be said for Albon’s Williams following significant damage to the left-hand side of his machine. He returned to the track with 11 minutes of second practice remaining following a three-hour repair job by his team. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled

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Lewis Hamilton was third in opening practice at the Monaco Grand Prix which ended early after Alex Albon crashed out. Hamilton, armed with a major Mercedes upgrade, finished the first running in Monte Carlo behind only Carlos Sainz, who topped the order for Ferrari, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Hamilton was ahead of both Red Bulls – with Sergio Perez fourth and world champion Max Verstappen, who complained on multiple occasions about the handling of his Red Bull, sixth. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc split the Red Bull pair. The red flags were deployed in the closing minutes when Albon lost control of his Williams through the opening Sainte Devote corner. The London-born Thai slammed into the wall, but, despite admitting to banging his knees, he emerged relatively unscathed from the 100mph accident. The same could however, not be said for Albon’s Williams following significant damage to the left-hand side of his machine. After giving up on this season’s car on the eve of the opening race, Mercedes have arrived for the sixth round of the season in the sun-cooked principality with a new concept. The Silver Arrows have abandoned their controversial zero-sidepod design, and introduced a new front suspension, new floor and cooling system in a change of development on a car which has contributed to the longest losing streak of Hamilton’s career. On Sunday, it will be 539 days since Hamilton last stood on the top step of the podium at the penultimate round of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. And although Hamilton ended the opening running 0.663 sec behind Sainz, the seven-time world champion and his Mercedes team might take confidence from finishing ahead of both Red Bull drivers. Verstappen and team-mate Perez are the only men to have won a race this year, but their rapid Red Bull is not necessarily suited to the narrow and slow-speed confines of the unique Monte Carlo configuration. Sainz lapped a third of a second quicker than Alonso, with Verstappen 0.872 sec off the pace. Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell was only 15th, 1.6 sec back. Elsewhere, Lando Norris finished seventh for McLaren as Nico Hulkenberg completed the fewest laps after he spun his Haas at the chicane on the exit of the tunnel. Second practice gets under way at 1700 local time (1600 UK). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton: Racist abuse of Vinicius Junior really hits home for me Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes Lewis Hamilton insists right decision is made as Emilia Romagna GP cancelled

Lewis Hamilton said the racist abuse aimed at Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior evoked painful memories from his own career. Brazil international Vinicius was subjected to monkey chants in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Valencia in LaLiga last weekend. Valencia were given a partial stadium ban for five matches plus a fine of 45,000 euros (£39,000) – a punishment the club called “totally disproportionate” – while Real, who said the incident constituted a “hate crime”, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office. Hamilton, Formula One’s sole black driver, experienced racist abuse in Spain at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya in 2008. He also revealed earlier this year he had bananas thrown at him and was repeatedly called the “n-word” at school. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, the 38-year-old said: “It really hits home for me. “It really brings up emotions about things that I experienced, whether it’s back in the UK or whether it was when I was racing in Italy or in France or in Spain. It can be so hurtful the things that people say. “It’s devastating to think that in 2023 we’re still seeing these things and hearing these things. “Firstly, he’s [Vinicius Junior] been incredibly brave. It is amazing what so many of these athletes that are experiencing that on the pitch are doing in terms of standing tall, standing strong and continuing to be humble and not being reactive but being responsible. “There is no room for discrimination in society today. Sports need to do more, we all need to continue to do more. If we see it, and hear it, we need to do something about it.”

Lewis Hamilton insists his team are “almost there” as they look to agree a new contract with Mercedes – and has denied reports that Ferrari have approached him. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows, where he has been since 2013, expires at the end of this season as he is set to take to the track on Friday in a revamped Mercedes car. COMMENT: Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? A report this week suggested Ferrari have offered the seven-time F1 world champion – who has won six of his titles with Mercedes – a £40m-a-year contract to join the Scuderia from 2024. Yet Hamilton, who covets a record-breaking eighth crown after missing out controversially in Abu Dhabi in 2021, revealed that his representatives are close to concluding negotiations with Mercedes over an extension. First practice at the Monaco Grand Prix starts at 12:30pm (BST) on Friday, with FP2 at 4pm (BST). Follow practice at the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent. Read More Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it? F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? Ferrari boss gives Lewis Hamilton update after reports of shock move

The denials came from all angles on media day in Monaco. Speculation that Lewis Hamilton could move to Ferrari next year, in a £40m deal no less, has ramped up this week but was quickly quashed on Thursday by both Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. In fact, Hamilton went further, revealing his representatives are “almost there” in agreeing a new deal with Mercedes. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows – where he has won six of his seven world titles since joining in an inspired decision a decade ago – expires at the end of this season. Despite the wait, the noise from both the Brit and team boss Toto Wolff has been that an extension is a simple inevitability. Not a case of if, but when. “My team is working closely behind the scenes with Toto and we are almost at the end of having a contract ready,” Hamilton stated, affirmatively. These fresh revelations come – coincidentally? – ahead of a huge fortnight for the Brackley-based team. Highly-anticipated upgrades have been long in the making, ever since Wolff finally dismissed the no-sidepod philosophy at the season opener in Bahrain. While the unique streets of Monaco this weekend, due to last week’s cancellation of the race in Imola, represent a somewhat unideal debut for new sidepods, a new floor and a new front suspension, next week in Barcelona will give a genuine representation of any progress made. And, more pertinently, how much the gap is reduced to Red Bull, presently a good distance down the road. Hamilton is, undeniably, reaching the twilight of his career with a record-breaking eighth world championship further away than ever. Links to Ferrari have popped up throughout his 16 years in the sport and Hamilton himself has spoken with confusion, at times, as to why a move has never materialised. The sport’s most prestigious team working in tandem with the sport’s joint-most successful driver? Not now, it seems. But if not now… when? Previous flirtations have been just that. There was no need for Hamilton to broaden his horizons when sat comfortably on his throne. Mercedes were the top dogs for eight years, with Hamilton personally collecting the season gong six times and missing out in the final race twice. Ferrari, meanwhile, have not won a drivers’ title since Hamilton was pipped as a rookie by Kimi Räikkönen way back in 2007. However, now the landscape of the sport is different. Red Bull are the clear frontrunners – perhaps to a level that even surpasses the Mercedes juggernaut. Ferrari and Mercedes are scrapping away to catch up, with Aston Martin this year joining the party. The parallels between now and 11 years ago, when Hamilton shocked the paddock by ditching his boyhood McLaren team to join Mercedes, are comparable. The Brit, as McLaren started their downward spiral, took a Niki Lauda-directed gamble to join the Silver Arrows. “Isn’t that not a bit like moving from Manchester United to West Ham?” asked a jovial Jeremy Clarkson on Hamilton’s second appearance on Top Gear, in 2012. Yet after a season of transition, Hamilton won six world championships in seven years – a streak only split by team-mate Nico Rosberg. His instinct to change paths was justified. To jump at something new. To break with convention. While Ferrari are perhaps on a par with Mercedes currently, they have shown greater potential than their rivals in this new ground-effect era. A 2022 campaign that started with such promise fell away, but the fundamentals of the car seem present. Converting qualifying pace to Sundays seem their current predicament. Hamilton shifting to Maranello next year – which now seems improbable – should not be as unfeasible as it may seem. It would be a plunge in the dark, for sure. A more comfortable decision would be to trust the process at Mercedes, for sure. But these upgrades and their effectiveness in Monaco and Spain, and by extension in Canada, Austria and Silverstone thereafter, will be the clincher. It just depends which way. The likelihood is that improvement will be made, triggering Hamilton signing on the silver dotted line. The man himself has said as much. But until such transformations are made, the driver who made his name by boldly switching sides should not rule out the prancing horse. Has he, perhaps, spoken a little too soon? Not least because, should Ferrari speed away from Mercedes in the coming months, the underlying taste of what if would deny him, and us, of a concluding career narrative as dazzling as it now seems fantasy. Read More Lewis Hamilton provides Mercedes contract latest amid Ferrari links Ferrari boss gives Lewis Hamilton update after reports of shock move Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? Bernie Ecclestone would be surprised if Lewis Hamilton wanted to leave Mercedes