Lewis Hamilton retirement choice ‘pressured’ as Max Verstappen admits spinal harm concern

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Lewis Hamilton is now being ‘forced’ into making a decision on his retirement by Formula One, while Max Verstappen is worried about suffering from spinal damage

Everything you need to know about what Formula One drivers have said ahead of the United States Grand Prix…

• Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Formula One’s plans to stage an African Grand Prix in the early 2030s have prompted him to push back his retirement.
• Speaking at the United States Grand Prix, he said: “I’m now forced to stay a lot longer because we have a race in Africa, and that’s been my dream, to be able to race in Africa.”
• Max Verstappen is demanding that the Circuit of the Americas track be completely re-laid due to its bumpy condition, after expressing concerns that drivers could suffer long-term spinal damage.
• After stating that the bottom end of his spine “doesn’t look that great”, the four-time champion said: “I love this track, I love this place, it’s one of the best layouts ever, and it’s one of the best venues, best cities to be at, but for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable.”
• Oscar Piastri says McLaren are ready to go racing a fortnight on from his clash with team-mate Lando Norris in the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint Race.
• The Australian admits: “I’ve been happy with how things have been dealt with. I think the team and Zak (Brown, chief executive) and Andrea (Stella, team principal) have handled things the way they should have been. So that’s been fine.”
• George Russell and Norris have both acknowledged using Red Bull’s simulator, as disclosed by Christian Horner, but clarified that it occurred when they were still teenagers.
• The reigning world champion said: “This is when I was like 13; this was way before McLaren. I couldn’t be driving someone else’s sim when I’m with McLaren. This was when I was like five years, four years before McLaren. … I was doing it with a lot of different teams.”
• Russell said: “Back in 2013, simulators weren’t really a thing for anybody; junior teams didn’t have simulators… No teams had them, so that’s the extent of it.”