Is Hamilton's form a concern for Ferrari? And does Russell deserve more credit?

Red Bull's Max Verstappen took his ninth triumph of the play astatine the Qatar Grand Prix.

The Dutchman received a one-place grid punishment aft qualifying connected rod but took the lead from Mercedes' George Russell astatine the start.

McLaren were incapable to seal the constructors' title title, and the conflict pinch Ferrari will spell down to the ligament successful the past title of the season.

BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions going into this weekend's play finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Is Lewis Hamilton’s mediocre qualifying shape a interest for Ferrari, having fto spell Carlos Sainz, whose performances person been coagulated lately? – Thomas

Ferrari squad main Frederic Vasseur was asked this mobility aft the Qatar Grand Prix connected Sunday.

He said: "Not astatine all. Have a look astatine the 50 laps he did successful Vegas, starting P10, finishing connected the gearbox of (winner George) Russell. I americium not worried astatine all."

There is nary uncertainty that Hamilton has not had a awesome last play for Mercedes.

There person been highs - 2 wins, including a superb thrust astatine the British Grand Prix, and the climb up done the section astatine Las Vegas mentioned by Vasseur are evident ones.

But the truth he has been comprehensively out-paced by team-mate George Russell successful qualifying, and his wide struggles pinch the car, person been a surprise. And nary 1 - not Hamilton, not Mercedes - seems to really beryllium capable to explicate why Hamilton has has had these problems.

What's definite is that he has simply not sewage connected pinch this year's Mercedes car, which he finds unpredictable, and he’s not been capable to header pinch its idiosyncrasies arsenic good arsenic Russell.

How Hamilton gets connected astatine Ferrari adjacent twelvemonth alongside Charles Leclerc will beryllium 1 of the cardinal narratives of adjacent season.

Is it not astir clip immoderate in installments beryllium fixed to George Russell’s qualifying performances? Aren’t they the origin of Lewis Hamilton’s doubts? – Stewart

George Russell surely deserves in installments for his qualifying performances, and his performances successful general.

Even earlier this year, Russell was fundamentally a lucifer for Hamilton successful qualifying successful 2022 and 2023, and this twelvemonth he has comprehensively beaten him.

No 1 successful F1 doubts that Russell is 1 of the out-and-out fastest drivers connected the grid, nor that he is simply a starring ray of what you mightiness telephone the ‘new’ procreation of stars on pinch Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

But Hamilton’s struggles this twelvemonth are, astir would say, a spot abstracted to that.

Neither Hamilton nor Mercedes tin decently explicate conscionable why Hamilton is struggling truthful overmuch this twelvemonth compared pinch Russell. But it can't beryllium easy going done a twelvemonth pinch a difficult car erstwhile you cognize you are leaving astatine the extremity of the season.

With everything needed to put a squad together and creation and build a analyzable F1 car, tin Cadillac really nutrient a competitory car for 2026? – Clifford

When Formula 1 initially rejected what was astatine the clip a associated bid from Cadillac and the US-based Andretti organisation successful January, 1 of the reasons they gave was the unlikelihood of the squad being competitive.

F1 has since changed its tune. And the cardinal quality successful F1’s position connected the task is that it is now being presented arsenic a mill introduction from General Motors, Cadillac's genitor company.

All the same, galore of the essentials of the caller squad are the same, erstwhile you drill down into what it is.

It will beryllium tally by the aforesaid organisation Andretti has put together, but is now being referred to by a different name, TWG, and co-founder Michael Andretti himself is nary longer involved.

And the car is being designed by the aforesaid squad that has been moving for Andretti astatine Silverstone for immoderate time. This is nether the activity of erstwhile Renault F1 bosses Pat Symonds, Rob White and Nick Chester.

One cardinal quality is that the caller squad will not beryllium utilizing a Renault motor erstwhile it makes its debut successful 2026.

It still needs a customer motor to plug the spread earlier the bespoke Cadillac motor is fresh - astir apt by 2028 aliases truthful - but that is now apt to beryllium a Ferrari.

In theory, Cadillac has the aforesaid anticipation to nutrient a competitory 2026 car arsenic immoderate different squad - they person the aforesaid entree to the rules arsenic anyone else.

The FIA seems to beryllium successful complete shambles - pinch the debris correction successful the Qatar Grand Prix the latest issue. Can F1 unit for Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s removal? – Jonathan

The short reply to this mobility is is no. The FIA president is voted successful by the FIA personnel clubs successful an predetermination each 4 years - the adjacent 1 is successful December 2025.

Ben Sulayem is expected to guidelines again, and astatine the infinitesimal location is nary evident campaigner to guidelines against him, though location are murmurings that astatine slightest 1 personification will try.

Having said that, location is superior interest wrong F1 - some astatine Liberty Media and among the teams - arsenic to the measurement the FIA is being tally astatine the moment, and the number of elder group who person ended up leaving this year, 1 measurement aliases another.

This was summed up by Mercedes F1 squad leader Toto Wolff connected Sunday, erstwhile he said: “It could person its ain reality show of what is happening astatine the moment.

“All of america stakeholders request to carnivore successful mind that we request to protect this beatified grail of a athletics and do it pinch work and accountability and transparency. It doesn’t travel crossed for illustration that."

How tin Max Verstappen struggle successful the Qatar sprint title but past suffice connected rod position for the expansive prix? – Jack

This comes down to car set-up. Red Bull sewage it incorrect for the sprint and right for the main expansive prix, aft immoderate changes betwixt the extremity of the sprint and the commencement of qualifying.

The effect of these changes amazed moreover Verstappen himself, who said: "I besides didn't expect that. I mean, we did alteration a spot connected the car, but I ne'er thought it would make specified a plaything successful performance."

At Mercedes, things went the different way. Russell was competitory successful the sprint but not truthful successful the expansive prix.

It's an illustration of really delicate modern F1 cars are. A mini alteration tin return them successful and retired of what is known arsenic the 'set-up window', and erstwhile out, it tin person a large effect connected performance.

How do F1 drivers get complete jet-lag? It's not easy flying crossed clip zones, yet they're perpetually travelling. Are they conscionable utilized to it? - Dave

F1 drivers are elite-level athletes pinch unthinkable skill, but they are still quality beings, and they get affected by jet-lag for illustration everyone else.

So, successful Las Vegas, for example, Carlos Sainz said this astir the monolithic time-zone displacement betwixt location and Qatar: "It is down to the fittingness that you've accumulated during the first portion of the twelvemonth and keeping yourself fresh and healthy.

"It will beryllium rather a daze to the body, but If you're fit, you're healthy, and you've managed to support yourself lukewarm here, don't get immoderate colds, return melatonin whenever you person to return melatonin, and spell to slumber whenever you person to spell to sleep, it should get it done."

George Russell added: "There's not really thing you tin do successful these days. Preparation needed to hap beforehand. And it's going to beryllium a situation for everyone, but we're each successful the aforesaid boat.

"So nary one's going to beryllium connected highest information personally, but it's conscionable astir limiting the losses."

Melatonin, by the way, is simply a hormone you tin return that promotes sleep. It’s disposable by medicine successful the UK and complete the antagonistic successful the US.