F1 news – latest: Lewis Hamilton back Susie Wolff over FIA challenge as Verstappen responds to Mercedes link

“I don’t buy into any of the stories, if you will. I know what my position is in the team and I know what, let’s say… some potential things that could happen if I do very well.

“But it’s like everything, any team you’re with, if you have a really strong season it could lead to maybe something different or increase your position where you currently are. It’s always our objective to do the best we can. I think whatever happens will happen or can happen.

“My objective is to drive this car as good as I can. Now, getting back into a car, I’m definitely not looking too far ahead. Am I thinking about the Red Bull seat that you speak of? No. I know if I do some really good results maybe then that can present itself potentially.

“It’s not something I think about because 12 months ago I wasn’t in this position, I didn’t know if I would be back in this position, so I just take it weekend after weekend.”

Susie Wolff has filed a criminal complaint against the FIA over a controversial inquiry into her last year.

The F1 Academy boss and her husband, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, were the subject of an investigation into claims of an alleged conflict of interest.

The probe arose in December after a report in Business F1 magazine claimed that other team principals were concerned Toto Wolff was benefiting from information shared by his wife.

Two days after the FIA announced its compliance department was “looking into” the allegations, the federation said it “can confirm that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individual”.

Sky F1 will use a new London-based studio for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix coverage – the first time their whole presenting team will not be on-site at a race.

Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham revealed the new studio on Thursday, equipped with augmented reality graphics. It will be in use for the next three races in Australia, Japan and China.

Sky commentators David Croft and Martin Brundle will still be on-site at Albert Park in Melbourne, as will pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz and presenter Rachel Brookes.

However Pinkham, alongside pundits Naomi Schiff and Karun Chandok, will be based in London this weekend for coverage of the third race of the 2024 season.

“You trust that the leaders in this sport have the best interest at their heart rather than their own interests,” said Russell when asked if Ben Sulayem is the right person to lead the FIA.

“It goes back to the transparency side of things. If things are transparent and we see the outcome of these cases, we all have a chance to judge for ourselves, with all of the facts and figures in front of us.

“But when we don’t have the facts and figures and there is no transparency, you always think there’s something being hidden.

“That’s why I think it’s so important for the sport now, as Lewis said, to send the right message, to everybody who’s supporting Formula 1, watching Formula 1, wants to be involved in Formula 1, that things aren’t just swept under the carpet.”

The Ferrari driver missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix two weeks ago after undergoing abdominal surgery for appendicitis.

However, Sainz is “feeling positive” about returning to the cockpit but revealed he has plans to check in with the FIA’s medical delegate after second practice on Friday.

“I think being realistic, yes, being in the fight for the third-quickest team is probably where we’re at at the moment.

“I think we were a step closer to being close to Ferrari, at least anyway in Saudi, but we’re still… We don’t quite have enough at the moment.

“So I think probably the fight is with Mercedes at the moment for us.

“Hopefully we can start challenging a bit more later in the year, but for now, I think as much as I don’t want to put people’s hopes down at home, I think any more than sort of P5 is going to require some good fortune, yes.”

“Nothing to comment. Everything I say now is just a guess and rumours, so I have nothing to comment.”

On deciding about his future, the 42-year-old added: “I think it’s going to be before summer. At the launch of the car I said after a few races and now I see that every race I have been asked the same questions.

“If I say summer, maybe I have a few races without any questions. I think it’s the same thing I have been saying. I need to decide first how I feel. After that, I will see what possibilities are out there.

“My priority is to speak with Aston first, to speak with them as they gave me the opportunity two years ago. That’s the minimum I will do. If we feel that we’re happy with each other that will be an easy choice. If we don’t agree first then I will look elsewhere.”

Two races down, 22 to go. Currently, with Red Bull already over the hills and far away out in front of the chasing pack, the sense of predictability we became accustomed to in F1 last year already looks set to resonate in 2024.

Max Verstappen has dominated the first two grands prix of the season, claiming pole position and the race victory comfortably in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Arguably of more significance is the performance of the other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, in finishing next-best behind in second on both occasions.

It leaves the rest of the pack with a mountain to climb, as they squabble for position and every last point. Ollie Bearman’s stand-in performance on debut for Ferrari in Jeddah was impressive, as the 18-year-old took the chequered flag in seventh.

But Bearman won’t be involved in this, as The Independent ranks the usual 20-driver grid from last to first in this season’s power rankings, with the position of drivers based on their most recent performances and their expectations at the start of the season.

At the end, The Independent also gives their take on potential picks for F1 Fantasy, ahead of the third race this weekend in Australia.

Sainz missed the race in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago after having surgery on his appendix.

Speaking to media ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Sainz said: “I’ll let you know tomorrow when I get back in the car and the G-forces throw me around a bit.

“But I feel ready. I’ve done as much as possible to recover and you cannot imagine the effort and logistics that I have done to be fit for this race. Progress, I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and now, as I said, it’s time to jump in the car and see how I feel.

“It’s not like I’ll be 100 per cent for it because obviously I’ve been 10 days in bed – not 10 days training and going to the simulator and preparing for a normal weekend. But, if I’m fit to race and I don’t have any pain or any bad symptoms, I can still put together a strong weekend and the target will be to challenge the Red Bull.”

Ben Sulayem, elected as FIA president in December 2021, was cleared by his own organisation’s ethics committee on Wednesday after he was accused of meddling with the result of last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and attempting to block the certification of F1’s £500m Las Vegas Grand Prix on the Strip in November.

But four hours later, on another whirlwind day in the controversy-hit world of F1, Susie Wolff announced she has filed a criminal complaint against the FIA following the sporting federation’s conflict of interest inquiry into her and husband Toto, the team principal of Hamilton’s Mercedes team, in December.

Earlier this month, Christian Horner’s accuser was suspended on full pay in the wake of Red Bull’s investigation into alleged “inappropriate behaviour” by the F1 team principal. The employee of the Milton Keynes team has since appealed against the decision to exonerate Horner.