Formula 1 is prepared to withdraw a round of the world championship from a country where progress on human rights “is not going in the right direction”, according to CEO Stefano Domenicali.

​​​​​​​The series has drawn criticism for agreeing deals to hold races in regimes with poor human rights records, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.



F1 held its first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in December 2021. Three months later the country held a mass execution of 81 people, two weeks before holding its second F1 round.

Some drivers including Lewis Hamilton have spoken out after being contacted by death row inmates and their families in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Domenicali insisted F1 “do really care about this issue” and claimed it is prepared to take direct action in response to human rights concerns.

“We have also in our contracts, very clear articles that if we see something that is not going to the right direction, we have immediately the benefit of stopping our relationship,” he told Sky. “There are independent auditors that are following that.”

However Domenicali says F1 can be a force for positive change by bringing those countries to wider attention. “I do believe, once again, that we are much more powerful if we are going in places where they are showing real will to change and the spotlight of Formula 1 will help the speed of change to be faster.”

The FIA has prompted criticism from drivers by introducing changes to its International Sporting Code for 2023 prohibiting them for voicing support for political causes without the governing body’s approval. Drivers have called for clarification for the clause which appears to give the FIA broad powers to clamp down on how they choose to express themselves.

F1 introduced an initiative known as ‘We Race As One’, which gave drivers a platform to demonstrate their support for issues of concern to them. It ran through 2020 and 2021 before being dropped at the start of last season.

Domenicali said drivers should be allowed to share their views but must not make any political statements. “We were the one with ‘We Race As One’ to promote discussion using our platform in the right way,” he said. “I do believe that it is not a problem of putting something on the mouth of the drivers that will prevent the drivers to communicate with a community, it’s a matter of respect.

“What I don’t like is when you want to say something to attack another one. That is wrong. There are also, as you know, when are a driver, respect for the partners that you are working with. So it’s something that you need to be balanced as always in life.

“No one will put any barriers on that unless you are going to be political, because we are sport dimension, but to highlight the attention on certain subjects that are the centre of the discussion of today’s comment, there will be no problem in my opinion, and I’m sure that the FIA is sharing that view.”

Formula 1 racing driver Jenson Button has steered his Palm Springs, California, home onto the market for $2.5 million.

Mr. Button, 43 and his wife, Brittny Button, had big plans for the Spanish Colonial-style residence, “but between finishing two [other home] renovations, our two toddlers and work, we just don’t have the time to dedicate towards it,” said Ms. Button, who is the co-founder of interior design firm Stone & Button.

Built in 1946, the house “has so much potential and really only needs minimal updating,” she added.

Offered fully furnished, the property’s design elements—from the dramatic wood-vaulted ceilings to the columns and Saltillo tile flooring—are what make it stand out, according to listing agent Joseph Babineaux of HK Lane Real Estate, who brought the home to the market last week.

“Compared to neighboring properties, this home is quite stunning,” Mr. Babineaux told Mansion Global. “It was designed by renowned architect John Porter Clark, and exudes Old World charm yet has a modern flair.”

The low-slung spread is walled, gated and hedged “so you feel like you’re in your own personal sanctuary and away from it all,” he said. “Yet, you’re right in the heart of Palm Springs, within a short walking distance to everything.

The couple paid $2.4 million for the place in February 2022, after being charmed by its Spanish architecture, Ms. Button said.

In the year since their buy, the pair have furnished the home “in a new, more contemporary way,” and added “loads of vintage furniture touches. We painted and changed out all the light fixtures,” she said.

The couple’s most-loved spot, however, is outside, where there’s a pool, a spa, a fire pit, a grill and mountain views.

“Our favorite part of the home is the outdoor living space,” Ms. Button said. “It’s so private and a true Palm Springs oasis.”

Mercedes revealed their bold new look for 2023 on Wednesday with the all-black W14 F1 car. Instead of painting their car black, however, the eight-time constructors' champions have let the carbon-fibre weave speak for itself...

The Silver Arrows first changed to an all-black paint scheme in 2020 to mark their commitment towards diversity and stand against racial hatred and discrimination. They continued with a similar look in 2021, but for the new era of F1 that kicked off last year they reverted back to their traditional silver. For the 2023 W14 though, black is back.

And Team Principal Toto Wolff is a big fan.

"It looks good, and I'm so happy that we've gone back also to the black livery... is she going to be as fast as she looks? I hope so, but definitely there is a lot of excitement in putting the car finally on the road," he said at the team's launch on Wednesday morning.

"When you look at where the story of the Silver Arrows came from, it's that the Mercedes was put on track – the race car it was white, overweight, a little bit of our story last year – and they scratched off the paint, and it ended up with bare aluminium, and the car made the weight.

"So we came back, we really tried to get the weight off the car in every single bit and therefore on the paint side we committed in gaining the grams by leaving the car matte carbon, and history repeats itself. Just in this case it's a modern material, carbon, and not aluminium, and it's black," said Wolff.

"And on top of that we knew why we had a black car two years ago and it just came together… the main driving factor was to support the diversity and equality causes which are always close to our heart. The colour black became part of our DNA at that point, so we are pleased to return to it."

Mercedes also pointed out that the black livery is reminiscent of the 1993 Sauber C12, which carried Mercedes branding and marked their first F1 involvement since 1955.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who were set to shake down the W14 at Silverstone after the car launch, were also delighted with the livery. Russell said: "Aesthetically it looks great! It's bold, aggressive and stands out."

While seven-time champion Hamilton added: "I love the new livery! It says, 'we mean business'."

Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli have announced the compounds that will be used at the Bahrain, Saudi Arabian and Australian Grands Prix, as the start of the 2023 season draws ever closer…

As per 2022, the Italian manufacturer will pick three compounds to be used at each event across the 23-race calendar, taking into account a wide range of track characteristics and climates.

However, for this year, a new compound has been added to the mix, meaning Pirelli now have six options – ranging from the softest C5 tyre to the hardest C0.

Last year’s C1 has become the C0, and is now the hardest tyre in the range, while the 2023-spec C1 is an all-new product that slots between the previous C1 and C2.

As shown in the image gallery above, the C1, C2 and C3 compounds have been chosen for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, while the C2, C3 and C4 compounds will feature in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

At every Grand Prix, the softest compound in use will be marked red, the medium compound marked yellow and the hardest compound marked white.

Pirelli’s green-marked intermediate and blue-marked wet tyres will also be available to teams throughout the season in the event of inclement weather conditions.

On a standard weekend, drivers are given 13 sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of intermediates and three sets of wets. All drivers must use at least two different slick compounds in the race, providing the track is dry.

The team announced on Monday that Stroll had been injured in a cycling accident while training, and won't be able to take part in the three-day test.

Formula 2 champion Drugovich has been thus called up and will get an unexpected opportunity to try the new AMR23.

Fernando Alonso will drive the car on Thursday afternoon, but the team says it has not yet firmed up its schedule for the remaining two days of the test.

Aston Martin's other reserve driver, Stoffel Vandoorne, is committed to the Formula E event which takes place in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Sakhir track mileage will give Drugovich a chance to get up to speed, which will be useful in case he's required to race the car in Bahrain, or indeed at any stage this year.

It will also help him with correlation with the team's simulator, in which the Brazilian will conduct extensive running over the course of the season.

Drugovich had his first experience with Aston Martin when he drove the AMR22 in FP1 in Abu Dhabi last year, and he also stayed on for the young driver test at the same venue.

Speaking about his incident, Stroll said: "I've had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season. I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible."

The team added that Stroll "is however expecting a quick recovery and return to driving duties. His fitness to return to the cockpit will be assessed daily and the team will issue an update ahead of the Bahrain GP."

Assuming Stroll is fit enough to be able to take part in the race weekend he will in on the back foot having missed a vital one and half days of testing.

A new Pirelli wet weather tyre that doesn’t need to be heated in blankets is to be introduced for the sixth race of the 2023 Formula 1 season at Imola in April.

The change of specification was formally approved at today’s meeting of the F1 Commission, which was held at the F1 organisation’s HQ in London.

An F1/FIA statement said that “following successful testing by Pirelli, with the support of teams, Pirelli have arrived at a wet weather tyre which is much more performant than the previous specification – this tyre type does not require the use of blankets.”

The new specification has been introduced following dedicated wet weather test sessions undertaken by several teams over the winter and originally aimed at 2024, when blankets are set to be banned for both wet and dry tyres.

Wet conditions and especially visibility have been a major talking point in recent years after several controversial races, notably the 2021 Belgian GP.

The F1 Commission also confirmed that the new wet weather package project – which will see cars fitted with wheel arches designed to reduce spray – will be tested on track in the middle of this season.

The FIA has already conducted its own CFD research, but the teams now have been given the official go-ahead to do wind tunnel and CFD work on the impact of the arches outside of the both the aerodynamic testing restrictions and the cost cap.

The statement noted: “Additionally the FIA is grateful for the offers of support made by the teams for the wet weather package project, as presented in the last F1 Commission meeting.

“A technical directive is being prepared to allow teams to do such work outside the aerodynamic testing restriction (ATR) limits and outside the cost cap. Track testing will be planned for the second or third quarter of 2023.”

At the end of last year new FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis gave some insight into the project.

“We only think it’s going to be something that gets used on a couple of occasions a year, maybe three, that sort of thing,” he noted.

“We don’t want it to be that every time there’s a drop of rain, then suddenly you have to fit these things.

“We have done a lot of CFD simulations, because we want to make sure the effect of these devices is relatively small on the overall aerodynamics. There still is an effect, but not a massive one.

“Also, we are simulating the droplets of the rain and so on, and seeing how it affects spray. What is a bit of a challenge in the simulations is to determine the relative proportion of what comes from the diffuser to what comes from the tyres.

"Once we have a solution, we’ll get to do some prototypes and run them on some cars to try and evaluate that properly."