Lewis Hamilton attends private meeting as Max Verstappen slams FIA rule change

Lewis Hamilton will be desperately hoping to win his first Grand Prix in over 18 months when F1 returns after the summer break, with the Brit still yet to take the chequered flag in 2023. Red Bull have won every single race this year and will be targeting a historic clean sweep between now and the end of the campaign, although Hamilton will be looking to spoil the party by returning to winning ways himself. Hamilton has managed to get on the podium on several recent occasions, with the 38-year-old having driven well for Mercedes given their lack of pace in comparison to Red Bull as of late. However, Toto Wolff has already warned that Hamilton’s good form could soon take a negative turn if he loses any further confidence in the machinery underneath him. “These cars are on the knife’s edge, you can quickly fall off it and lose the confidence,” said Wolff. “On the other side, if you’re within that corridor of sweet spot… having said that, the car has no sweet spot! “But being more in that zone of understanding what it will do next, I think there’s a big difference and you can quickly be in either one of these situations, and obviously it goes against you.” Follow Express Sport ‘s live updates below. Express Sport is on hand to keep you updated with all of today’s F1 news (Image: GETTY) just now 07:45 Archie Griggs Lewis Hamilton’s bond with Shakira has been branded ‘more than a friendship’ following a private meeting between the pair at a luxury villa in Ibiza. Jordi Martin, a journalist said to have close ties to Shakira, told Marca : “Between them there has been something more than friendship. “The two knew very clearly that there was nothing serious and that there was total freedom between them to do whatever they wanted.” The same newspaper claims that Hamilton was recently spotted entering the complex in Ibiza, presumably to meet with Shakira. It adds that the pair are yet to be seen together outside of the villa, which is described as ‘luxurious and very private’. Lewis Hamilton has been romantically linked to Shakira over the last few months (Image: GETTY) 8 mins ago 07:37 Archie Griggs Hello and welcome to Express Sport ‘s rolling coverage of the latest news from across the F1 paddock. We’ll be on hand to keep you updated with the biggest stories throughout the day, so grab your morning coffee and stay tuned…