Williams F1 deputy team principal Claire Williams reckons that Formula 1 is on the wrong track in seeking to expand the number of races on the calendar.

Up until 1999, the sport traditionally scheduled 16 Grand Prix races during a season. That increased to 17 in 2000, and then expanded further to 18 during the 2004 season.

The following season saw a one-off expansion to 19 races, which didn’t happen again until 2010. Two years later saw the first 20-race season, and in 2016 the tally reached 21 for the first time, which is the number that Williams now considers to be the upper limit.

But commercial rights holders Liberty Media have spoken openly about adding more races to the calendar. There are 22 events currently mooted for 2020, with the addition of the Netherlands and Vietnam to the calendar and Germany dropping out.

• Steiner sanguine over addition of extra race in 2020

That’s not gone down well with Williams. “As long as we keep a cap on the number of races, 21 is about the maximum number in my opinion,” she said last week.

Traditional arguments for limiting the number of races tend to focus on the workload for team personnel and the cost of constantly travelling the globe. But Williams suggested it was also simply bad business for F1 as a whole by stretching the sport’s appeal too thin.

“Personally I would like to see fewer races,” she added. “You take down supply and increase demand – that’s basic economics.

“If you put too many races on the calendar it is too much for people to consume,” she continued. “There is so much competition in the market against other sporting events and other media.”

Williams agreed that the stress and strain for the pit crew and engineers being away from their families for long periods was another big concern for her as a team boss.

“If you increase the number of races on the calendar, the pressure that puts on your team from a performance perspective – and what they are capable of doing it with a work/life balance – is difficult.”

She added that this was especially difficult for a smaller squad on a relatively restricted budget, such as Williams.

“For smaller teams it is very difficult to think about how we manage a calendar with [more than] 21 races on it,” she said.

“We have incremental costs of swapping personnel. For example, do we need rather than two race engineers, four race engineers?

“There are costs of transporting freight around the world too,” Williams added. “You have to think about how much are those races being sold for, do they put a huge amount in the pot?

“I would be opposed to having more races on the calendar,” she summarised emphatically.

Other team principals have been more relaxed about the possibility of longer seasons, although Haas F1 boss Guenther Steiner highlighted another potential issue relating to the number of power unit allocations per year.

“I don’t think there’s a big upside, but at least there is no downside,” he said. “[But] we need to find out and we need to keep it to three engines.

“If you introduce a fourth engine, it doesn’t make sense for us financially,” he admitted. “If they are confident we can do it with three engines, then I am fine with [extra races].”

“So long as there is no financial downside, yes we make the effort.”

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It was another thrilling Sunday at the races for Formula 1, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen keeping everyone on their toes from start to finish.

Browse through our massive gallery and have another look at the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the freedom Lewis Hamilton enjoys away from F1 is a crucial component of the five-time world champion’s on-track success.

Hamilton’s glitzy jet-set existence away from Grand Prix racing, like his endeavor into the world of music and fashion, are well chronicled.

The Brit has often been criticized for his extravagant distractions or propensity to travel across the Atlantic between races for a leisurely stay in Los Angeles or wherever he wants to party.

But evidence has yet to emerge that Hamilton’s lust for life has in any way impacted his level of performance. As far as Wolff is concerned, the 34-year-old’s lifestyle is not only not detrimental, it’s actually beneficial.

Hamilton: Harder for fans to relate to F1 than to other sports

“Most important is to acknowledge that we are all different individuals and we need different frameworks in order to perform well,” Wolff told BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

“Lewis is somebody who needs to be able to pursue his other ambitions and interests.

“And rather than putting somebody in a box and saying, ‘This is how a racing driver needs to behave – you need to be on time, you need to avoid jet lag before the race, or don’t record music overnight when you are jet-lagged but try to sleep,’ I realised very early on that giving him the freedom of pursuing his interests, we were able to extract more performance on track.

“I have the feeling that he needs to get his mind off motor racing.

“If he’s able to do a fashion show that excites him, or record some music, or do some snowboarding with his friends, he forgets about the racing side, and he can come back stronger and more energised.”

Wolff acknowledged that accommodating Hamilton’s sometimes risky lifestyle was a process that took some time. But the end result has been massively profitable for both team and driver.

“I realised in previous roles that you need to be able to accept that we all function in a different way,” Wolff said.

“And sometimes the most creative people, the ones that are able to outperform others and perform on a different altitude, are the ones that live a different life. And you just need to be able to embrace that.

“When you take the analogy to a very popular sport in the UK – rugby – you need the solid members of the team that keep the team going.

“But you realise that probably the geniuses score the tries, and these are the ones that are sometimes not easy to integrate in a structure that needs process,” the Austrian added.

“But with Lewis, we love who he is and he is clearly an absolutely outstanding athlete, and we have been able to embed him in the organisation.

“And he has been able to inspire us and drag us with him.”

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Barring an unforeseen event or set of circumstances, George Russell says he will remain with Williams until the end of his three-year contract.

Williams’ depressed level of performance has so far confined Russell to the tail end of the grid where the young Briton is left to battle teammate Robert Kubica.

However, after twelve races, Russell has emerged as the overwhelming victor of that intra-team fight, a credential that has showcased his undeniable talent.

As a Mercedes protégé, Russell has inevitably been linked to a seat with the Silver Arrows squad.

While team boss Toto Wolff remains very attentive to the 21-year-old’s performance and results, the chances of a move to Mercedes in the near future, or to another outfit powered by the German manufacturer, are remote.

F1’s Symonds says Russell is future world champion

“The matter of the fact is as Claire [Williams, deputy team principal] said, I signed a three-year contract with Williams,” Russell explained, quoted by Motorsport.com.

“So, unless anything drastic happened, I see no reason why I wouldn’t be here for the following couple of years.”

For Russell, Mercedes’ support in his formative years in F1 acts as a virtual backstop, providing him with a small sense of security.

“I know in Mercedes, as long as I’m performing, they will support me and it does relax you as a driver because you can fully focus on the job at hand,” he added.

“If you have one bad weekend, they’re not going to snap at you and ask what the hell went on there.

“They’ll offer support and advice for how not to be in the same situation again. It’s a really great way of doing things.”

As Mercedes weighs its options for 2020, with either incumbent Valtteri Bottas or reserve driver Esteban Ocon set to partner Lewis Hamilton, Wolff has made clear that Mercedes will exercise patience with Russell rather than risk “burning” its young protégé with an early promotion.

Yet Russell believes he could handle a step up to F&’s dominant team.

“Kvyat beat Ricciardo in his first year at Red Bull,” argues Russell.

“Verstappen won in his first race with Red Bull, Charles [Leclerc] is giving Vettel a run for his money in his first year.

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“I obviously really and truly believe in myself. If I ever were to get an opportunity, it would be stupid to think I can go in there and beat Lewis at the first race.

“In my opinion he’s the best driver on the grid. But I feel like the potential’s there, and you always learn with every single race, every single year.

“If the opportunity were to come, I feel absolutely confident I could take it with both hands and quickly learn as much as possible and be there ready to really deliver after a couple of races.”

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George Russell hopes to put to good use in the future the lessons learned from a tough maiden season in F1 with Williams.

The Grove-based outfit’s depressed level of performance this year has confined its drivers to the back of the field.

But Russell is making the best of his challenging debut season, insisting he wouldn’t change his plight as it’s allowed him to gain a wealth of knowledge at no cost.

Williams aiming at 2020 with latest test components

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what to expect but I’m really happy with how the season has gone generally,” Russell said on Thursday in Suzuka.

“From the good moments personally to the tougher times I wouldn’t change anything at all because especially from the tougher times I’ve learned a huge amount.

“Generally being in the position I have been, at the back of the grid, it’s given me an opportunity to just explore a bit more and go under the radar and hopefully that will help me out in years to come when we should be fighting.”

While Williams overall position in the pecking hasn’t changed since Melbourne, Russell insists the team’s FW42 has evolved while the British squad has also built itself a good foundation for 2020.

“It’s definitely improved a lot, just in the driveability side of things,” explained Russell.

“So, from within, it’s definitely a nicer car to drive. It is obviously, always difficult to make huge leaps forward for any team but I think the foundations we have in place now are really positive going into next year.

“We’re trialling a new front wing this weekend, which shouldn’t necessarily bring much performance to this year’s car but should hopefully unlock quite a lot for us moving into 2020, so I’ve got faith we should be fighting.

“Probably towards the lower end of the midfield but hopefully in the mix much more than we are at the moment.”

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Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes squad were left reeling by the sudden improvement in speed and performance from their Ferrari rivals in today’s qualifying session for the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.

Mercedes came into the weekend the clear favourites to pick up pole for the race thanks to the superior corner handling of the W10, while Ferrari were presumed to have the upper hand when it came to straight line speed.

But on Saturday, Ferrari – and in particular Charles Leclerc – proved more than a match for Hamilton in the final moments of Q3.

• Brilliant Leclerc stuns Hamilton for Singapore GP pole

The young Monegasque’s best effort of 1:36.217s ended up being almost two tenths faster than Hamilton’s own last effort.

It meant the five-time world champion was denied pole and had to settle for a front row spot on the grid instead, one place ahead of Leclerc’s team mate Sebastian Vettel.

“I don’t know where Ferrari picked up their pace today,” Hamilton admitted afterwards when interviewed by Paul di Resta in parc fermé.

“It’s not expected to be one of their circuits, but they did a great job. Charles obviously put some great laps in.

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“I really needed something special at the end so I gave it everything I had,” he insisted. “It was very, very close – I’m sure I touched the wall a couple of times.

“It was as much as I could get out of the car,” he insisted. “I’m really, really happy to be on the front row and in the mix with them so that we can try and divide them tomorrow.”

“I think tomorrow we can be aggressive,” he added.

Hamilton has won the Singapore Grand Prix on four occasions. But he’s also aware that eight times in the last 11 years the event has been won by the driver starting on pole position.

On the other hand, at least Hamilton is aware that Ferrari won’t be able to exploit their traditional straight line speed superiority on the tight and twisty Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“It’s a street track, but we’ll see,” he shrugged.

With Hamilton’s team mate Valtteri Bottas only managing to qualify in fifth place on the grid, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted that it had not been a good day for the team.

“This is a circuit where you would have thought the Red Bulls and the Mercedes are going to battle for pole like in Hungary,” he told Sky Sports F1. “But it’s an odd circuit, it’s different.

“Ferrari did a good job today, their car is fast and we’ve just got to get our act together tomorrow,” he acknowledged.

“They are gaining a few tenths on the straights, but they are also very quick in the corners. They are just quicker everywhere.

“The statistics are against us I guess, but the race hasn’t started yet,” Wolff added. “If Lewis has a decent start, and if Valtteri is maybe able to improve a position or two, then we are in a good position.”

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Formula 1 chiefs Chase Carey and Ross Brawn sat down with the drivers in Russia to address their convcerns over potential changes in the future to the sport’s weekend format.

Formula 1’s managers are seeking to spice up the action on the track going forward and they’ve tabled the idea of experimenting next year with various concepts such as qualifying races on Saturday or reverse grids.

However, a few prominent drivers are not impressed with the suggestions that have been brought forth so far, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel calling the reverse grid “complete bullshit”, while Lewis Hamilton wondered if those in charge “know what they are talking about”.

Hamilton and Vettel rubbish ‘bullshit’ reverse-grid idea

Carey and Brawn took the opportunity to meet with the drivers at Sochi at the regular Friday evening drivers’ briefing.

Once again, the pair emphasized the experimental nature of the trials that could take place at a handful of events in 2020.

“They might want to do some experiments, but they didn’t say they are going to do a Saturday race,” said Max Verstappen, quoted by Motorsport.com.

“But I think it’s good they come to us and just explain it very well. That’s what the meeting was basically about, not ‘we’re going to do this and this’.

“These are the ideas, we’re coming to you guys now to explain what is happening or is maybe happening, just to let you guys know we’re really trying our best to make it better.

“The drivers, we really feel what is going on in the car or what it’s lacking. So, I think it would be good if we could be more involved in it.”

Mercedes Valtteri Bottas said a “good chat” had taken place, and that no drastic decisions would be taken without a the drivers being properly consulted.

“We had a good chat yesterday with Chase and Ross, they were explaining the thinking behind it,” said the Finn..

“They were just going through all the ideas and possibilities, and we asked as drivers to be kind of talked to about it because we have a pretty good view of what we think would make the racing good or not.

“Before they make decisions they agreed to talk to us and have our opinions.

“So that is nice because it’s just one thing we don’t want as drivers, if they make a decision suddenly without us knowing and being already knowing it’s not going to work.”

Haas’ Romain Grosjean agreed that the drivers should be an integral part of the decision process.

“I just think we have a certain amount of expertise and we have a very specific way of looking at things, and we’re the only ones who really have that view, because a lot of these other guys in the decision-making have never driven a race car,” said the Frenchman.

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“So I think it’s good and I think it was very good yesterday to see Ross and Chase come and open up to us, and kind of give and get some feedback.

“And I think hopefully there’ll be more of that in the future, and hopefully they will use us drivers are a bit more and have us influence a bit more.”

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Sergio Perez will start his Singapore Grand Prix five spots down from where he qualifies this evening as a result of a grid penalty linked to a gearbox change on his Racing Point RP19.

Perez hit the outside wall at Marina Bay’s Turn 22 left-hander and while he was able to bring his car back to the pits, despite a broken right rear wheel, his Racing Point crew diagnosed a damaged gearbox.

“After our inspection we found some damage, so we had to change it,” said Racing Point sporting director Andy Stevenson, quoted by Motorsport.com.

Toro Rosso’s Dany Kvyat also underwent a component change following an oil leak that erupted in FP3.

Ahead of qualifying, the Faenza-based team was hard at work replacing Kvyat’s power unit, although the change is penalty-free for the Russian.

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This post may be updated as new information becomes available…

Update (12:25 PM EDT):

Tweets about Jo Cox

British Labour Party MP Jo Cox died on Thursday after being both stabbed and shot following an event in Yorkshire with local constituents.

As the nation responded to the news with shock and sadness, the police said they are continuing their investigation amid some reports suggesting the killing was politically motivated.

Dee Collins, the chief constable of West Yorkshire police, confirmed to reporters that a suspect is in custody but said investigators are not able to discuss possible motives at this time.

The Guardian newspaper has posted a powerful obituary of the 41-year-old wife, mother of two, and humanitarian turned lawmaker. In addition, the paper’s editorial board published a sharp rebuke to the violence that took her life and the politics of hatred and divisiveness that may have played a role in motivating her murder.

“What nobler vision can there be than that of a society where people can be comfortable in their difference?” it read in part. “And what more fundamental tenet of decency is there than to put first and to cherish all that makes us human, as opposed to what divides one group from another? These are ideals that are often maligned when they are described as multiculturalism, but they are precious nonetheless. They are the ideals which led Ms Cox to campaign tirelessly for the brutalised and displaced people of Syria, and – the most painful thought – ideals for which she may now have died.”

Following confirmation of her death, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn issued the following statement:

The whole of the Labour party and Labour family – and indeed the whole country – will be in shock at the horrific murder of Jo Cox today.

Jo had a lifelong record of public service and a deep commitment to humanity. She worked both for Oxfam and the anti-slavery charity, the Freedom Fund, before she was elected last year as MP for Batley and Spen – where she was born and grew up.

Jo was dedicated to getting us to live up to our promises to support the developing world and strengthen human rights – and she brought those values and principles with her when she became an MP.

Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve. It is a profoundly important cause for us all.

Jo was universally liked at Westminster, not just by her Labour colleagues, but across Parliament.

In the coming days, there will be questions to answer about how and why she died. But for now all our thoughts are with Jo’s husband Brendan and their two young children. They will grow up without their mum, but can be immensely proud of what she did, what she achieved and what she stood for.

We send them our deepest condolences. We have lost a much loved colleague, a real talent and a dedicated campaigner for social justice and peace. But they have lost a wife and a mother, and our hearts go out to them.