F1 live updates Update on Horner's future Max Verstappen suffers ...

Christian Horner has had his say after the conclusion of the investigation into alleged 'inappropriate behaviour against the Red Bull boss.
Red Bull stated that they were "confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial" with Horner now free to lead the Austrian side into the 2024 F1 season, pending any appeal.
Max Verstappen wasn't pleased with how his day went in Practice on Thursday however, but it was pretty good for Daniel Ricciardo - now part of the newly rebranded RB team.
The Australian was the surprise name at the top of the time sheet in Formula One’s first practice session of the new season in Bahrain. He saw off Lando Norris by just 0.032 seconds, with Oscar Piastri third in the other McLaren.
Verstappen, who complained about the handling of his Red Bull throughout the one-hour practice session, finished sixth, with George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton ninth for Mercedes.
Stay tuned throughout the day for all of the latest:
Are Red Bull chilling or a Merc the real deal?
We might have a story brewing. We currently have a Mercedes 1-2, led by Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen is nowhere near matching their pace - is he bluffing?
Nights under the lights
Hamilton sets early pace in P2
We're only early into practice two - with more than 45 minutes left - but here's how the timing sheets look.
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1.30.751
2) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, +0.284
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +0.420
Krack confirms Alonso ambitions
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack 'hopes' his side are the frontrunners to re-sign Fernando Alonso.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "First place, he needs to decide if he wants to continue or not, I think he made that very clear. And then if he does, I hope we are in pole position. We will try to keep having him and discussions then have to happen. But first of all, he needs to be sure of what he wants to do.
"I think if I give you a name, then you ask me for three others. For us, the target is clearly to keep the drivers we have and hope that Fernando continues."
Brundle assesses Horner impact
Martin Brundle has suggested that Red Bull's investiagtion on Christian Horner "wouldn't have helped" their preparations ahead of the Bahrain GP.
"I don't think it's been helpful, that's without doubt," he said. "I don't think it'll impact their performance. much at all. It wouldn't have helped it, as I said.
"But, you know, it's 1500 people focused... they've got a brilliant car, brilliant driver line-up. They know what they've got to do on a Formula 1 weekend, and they've been through the testing process.
"And they've got so much momentum and so much performance, I don't think we'll see an impact on the track, in that respect."
Allison hails Red Bull
Mercedes engineer James Allison has praised Red Bull for their experimental approach to their new car.
Speaking to PlanetF1, he said: “Mostly, I thought that, when a team is out in front as they have been, it’s quite easy to rest on your laurels.
“I thought ‘bravo to them’ for being willing to do something that is not just a straightforward iteration of the previous season."
Horner 'interrupted' meetings before investigation
Christian Horner - now clear of any allegations - reportedly interrupted an F1 commission meeting to profess his innocence.
That is according to The Telegraph, who suggest that Horner was involved in the meeting on February 5. It is suggested that fellow team principals mentioned the accusations, which the Red Bull chief constantly denied.
Piastri downbeat on podium chances
Oscar Piastri has attemped to temper expectations ahead of Saturday's GP.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “[The car is] pretty familiar from last year, which you’d expect with stable regs and similar tyres. I think we are in a decent place. Of course, we want to make it fast first and easy to drive second.
“Hopefully definitely points, a podium will be difficult I think… Red Bull look very quick, Ferrari look strong, Mercedes no one really knows but they’ll be there, Aston look good… It’s going to be a pretty tight battle again, just as it was at the end of last season.”
Ricciardo makes predictions
Daniel Ricciardo claims Max Verstappen is the favourite to win the title this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "As a driver, you never want to [predict]. If I don’t say myself, then everyone is like ‘why doesn’t he believe in himself?’
"You have to be realistic. Let’s see but I don’t want to say. I will say who the favourite is and I think the favourite for now is you can’t not say Max.
"People saying they are going to win every race, no I don’t believe that. It’s a long championship and many things can happen but I think we will have a very good championship."
Practice over!
And there's the chequered flag from the first practice session in Bahrain.
Daniel Ricciardo was the fastest, with Lando Norris 0.032s behind.Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda finished third and fourth. All four were on soft tyres.
Fernando Alonso was in fifth, while reigning champion Max Verstappen finished sixth. George Russell was seventh, Charles Leclerc eighth, Lewis Hamilton ninth and Valtteri Bottas 10th.
Verstappen's foul-mouthed verdict
Max Verstappen has torn into his car during the first practice session at the Bahrain GP.
Verstappen had gone top of the timesheet on the medium tyres. He was not satisifed with that though, as he went on to the team radio to say: "Everything is s***, like miles off."
Bottas still eyeing seat
Valtteri Bottas still has ambitions on securing an Audi seat this term. Speaking in Bahrain, he said: "My priority, as I've said before, is to be in the Audi project For me this is the most tempting and ideal option.
"I feel like I don't have to prove anything, but in sports you have to do it all the time because people have short memories. We had a difficult year last year and I wasn't as visible on the track.
"I just hope people haven't forgotten what I've already achieved - 67 podiums, 20 pole positions and so on. Not many drivers who will be available on the market can say that."
Red Bull 'stronger than ever'
More from Christian Horner now as he confirms that his side are stronger than ever before after his investigation.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in Bahrain, he said: "The team has never been stronger."
Russell explains Mercedes changes
Sticking with Mercedes, George Russell has talked over the changes the side has made to both his and Lewis Hamilton's car.
"Lewis and I have put out a huge amount of work into helping steer the team in the direction we want to go," Russell said.
"Obviously with Lewis' experience, the car has been designed around his wishes with the car being sat further rearwards than we were last year, the Red Bull-esque sidepods on the side and a slightly different steering rack.
"So, it's good that the team have sort of been listening to that, but we need to see if that translates into lap time. I think we hit the ground in a good place. But ultimately, there's only one thing that matters, and that's the lap time."
Mercedes make major decision over Antonelli
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has admitted that they did not offer Lewis Hamilton a long-term deal because they did not want to risk losing Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
"There was a situation many years ago where we had the opportunity to let Max drive," Wolff told Austrian broadcaster ORF ahead of the new F1 season. "And that wasn't possible back then because we simply didn't have a cockpit.
"[Nico] Rosberg and Hamilton were tied to us long-term, and Red Bull naturally seized the opportunity. They gave him a contract with Toro Rosso, with the possibility of driving for Red Bull the following year.
"We then lost the young driver, and you can see how successful he has become. And precisely because we have a junior on the horizon who is really driving at a very high level, I simply wanted to keep this option open."
Horner speaks after Bahrain arrival
Christian Horner is "pleased" to finally be in Bahrain after the conclusion of Red Bull's investigation.
Speaking to reporters, he said: "Look, I'm just pleased that the process is over. Obviously I can't comment about it but we're here very much now to focus on the Grand Prix and the season ahead and trying to defend both of our titles."
Asked if he hoped if it was the end of the matter, he replied: "I can't give you any further comment but the process has been conducted and concluded."

Horner arrives in Bahrain
Christian Horner has touched down in Bahrain after being given the clear in Red Bull’s investigation.
He was pictured arriving at the track, while he has also been deep in conversation with Red Bull technical officer Adrian Newey.
With Horner now cleared and in situ, attention can now turn to the weekend’s racing. The first free practice of the season is set to take place on Thursday.
Verstappen slams "crazy" schedule
Reigning champion Max Verstappen has taken aim at F1 for their record-breaking 24-race season.
Speaking at yesterday's media day, the Dutchman said: "I feel already that we're way over the limit of races. I know I'm of course still very young but I also know that I'm not doing this for another 10 years, doing 24 races [per year].
"Like also Lewis said, I think it's about the quality over quantity that we have to look at as well. From my side, I know, and I've said it before: this is not sustainable."
He added: "Because it is crazy, how much you have to do for it. I love it, now it's not a problem, but I know in a couple of years' time it's very different."
F1 stars and their football teams
While racing is their prime sport, F1 drivers also spend time watching others.
So, we decided to take a look at what football teams are backed from the paddock. Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid all feature, while Club America and Wolves also earn a mention.
With this weekend's race set to take place on Saturday, some will be forced to miss out on watching their favourite teams.
Brundle makes predictions
We're now just TWO days from the 2024 season kicking off and you know what that means? Predictions.
Iconic Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle is the latest to take a go. He has tipped who he believes will be winning the Constructors Championship, who could be a surprise package and how Hamilton's move to Ferrari could affect Mercedes.
ICYMI - Horner cleared after investigation
So the big news from yesterday with Christian Horner set to STAY with Red Bull.
A spokesperson for the side said: The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
"The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
"The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."
Good morning!
Good morning all and welcome along to Mirror Sport's live F1 blog as we build up to this weekend's opening race in Bahrain.
Stay tuned for all of the news from the paddock throughout the day. Just two days to go now, folks.
That's all for today
Thanks for staying with us this evening for all your Formula 1 updates.
With the Bahrain Grand Prix drawing ever closer, there's plenty more build-up on the horizon tomorrow as we get ready for the start of the 2024 season.
We'll have all the biggest stories right here for you on the Mirror Sport website, and look forward to bringing them to you.
Goodnight!
More from Brundle on Horner
Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle has been giving his thoughts on the Christian Horner situation, having earlier given an immediate response to Red Bull's statement on the matter.
"I think the problem of making no comment whatsoever on what may or may not have happened is that mud sticks," Brundle said. "It's been a global story, I think it's been a damaging story for Christian and Red Bull and all of Formula 1.
"I think it’s not impressive that we have ended up here on the eve of the championship and we’re only just now getting any kind of direction or resolution.
"In terms of the team, they have got momentum, an incredible car, incredible people. I don't think it will have an instant impact."
Norris not too optimistic before Bahrain
Lando Norris' comments ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix don't make for great reading from a McLaren perspective.
“Bahrain has never been a good circuit for us," he said. "We’ve never had one of our strongest races ever in Bahrain, so I think it’s way too quick to judge and just say, ‘Okay, we’re not going to be great here in Bahrain, that’s the end of the season for us’.
"I think for everyone, because everyone’s so up and down, you have to give us two, three, four [or] fives races to get the first honest review of where everyone stands against one another, and not just judge it off of the performance that we’re going to see here in Bahrain."
Stroll feeling good ahead of Bahrain
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll finished in the middle of the pack last season, but there's some optimism from the Canadian going into the 2024 campaign.
"It's hard to tell, everyone in testing is on different fuel loads and tyres at different times and here the track changes a lot throughout the day, so a lot of unknowns," he said.
"But we had a good test, tried a lot of things on the car, did a lot of laps, and [we're] ready to go racing now.
He added that there were "little things to sort out here and there" but said he "felt good" after getting back into the car.
Hamilton clear where his focus lies
Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari in 2025 and is excited about the challenge, but for now his energy is devoted towards current team Mercedes.
"I feel like I have made the right decision. I am excited, really excited. I am excited for this year," the Brit said ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, as relaid by Sky.
"I know this team is going to win another championship and I will be proud to know I have been a part of it because a lot of the things we have put in place in terms of how much more diverse our team is, the processes that we go through, I will in a long haul always be a part of that process and that development the team has gone through.
"But I'm really looking forward to that new challenge.
"Lots of different emotions that you will experience through that challenge, but it's one I'm really excited about."
Bahrain GP schedule for the rest of the week
As the first grand prix of the 2024 Formula 1 season draws closer, here's what's in store on Thursday in Bahrain.
Practice One will get underway around 11.30, with Practice Two around 3pm.
The following day brings Practice Three, while qualifying will also take place on Friday.
The race itself is on Saturday, rather than the traditional Sunday, as a carry-over from the Saudi Arabia grand prix being moved a day earlier due to Ramadan.
Ricciardo makes 'perspective' claim ahead of 2024 season
Daniel Ricciardo has no issues with his decision to take a break after the 2022 season, but has spoken about his readiness to get up and running again after briefly returning to F1 in 2023.
The Australian joined AlphaTauri midway through the season, though his campaign was interrupted through injury before he got points on the board later in 2023.
“Having some time off gives you a new perspective," Ricciardo said. "I’m putting a lot of focus into what is a second opportunity for me, but at the same time, it’s not putting pressure on myself.
“I’m hungry and motivated without any negative weight on my shoulders or stress attached to it, to interfere with my life.”
Key questions after Horner findings
Christian Horner is set to continue at Red Bull, with the team satisfied with the conclusions drawn after an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Horner, who denied the allegations, was cleared - with an announcement of the decision landing on Wednesday.
With Horner staying on as team principal, here are the big questions following the decision.