F1 2021
- Thread starter 1%er
- Start date
cybershot
Well-Known Member
Everyone seems to be shooting their load over this on FB. While some of the iconic cars of the past liveries have been based on the primary sponsor an older cynical me hates seeing team colours play second fiddle to a sponsor, but then I try to buy clothes as plain as possible without fucking logos on.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Another Monaco GP staggers into view, no race fee and no practice on Friday, comme d'habitude.
The UK times look most convenient:
Thurs 20 May
FP1 - 10:30
FP2 - 14:00
Sat 22 May
FP3 - 11:00
Qual - 14:00
Sun 23 May
Race - 14:00
Monaco is the venue that gave F1 its glamour, but it's never a nail-biting race. It's just a shame that Liberty have been trying to pack the calendar with tourist-candy tracks that attract the tourism industry dollar and do little for the sport.
Gaston, encore un pastis , s'il vous plait!
The UK times look most convenient:
Thurs 20 May
FP1 - 10:30
FP2 - 14:00
Sat 22 May
FP3 - 11:00
Qual - 14:00
Sun 23 May
Race - 14:00
Monaco is the venue that gave F1 its glamour, but it's never a nail-biting race. It's just a shame that Liberty have been trying to pack the calendar with tourist-candy tracks that attract the tourism industry dollar and do little for the sport.
Gaston, encore un pastis , s'il vous plait!
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
The teams race for free there? I'm surprised more of them don't turn up for this one.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
I think Bernie waived the Monaco promoter's fee to make sure he got an invitation to the Prince's ball and got to sip Champagne from Prince Rainier's slipper.
Now it's Liberty Media not getting the cash. The cognitive dissonance of letting someone have the race for a couple of croque-monsieurs and a packet of Gitanes must be making their heads explode.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Reutemann’s condition improves, out of ICU
Crlos Reutemann has been transferred to a general care ward after spending several days in intensive care following a digestive haemorrhage. The ex-Formula 1 racer was first admitted to hospital in his native Argentina back on May 5 and was initially in a stable condition until he suffered from internal bleeding a few days later. As a result, the 79-year-old was flown by helicopter to an intensive care unit in Rosario for ‘diagnostic studies and possible treatment’. Reutemann underwent an endoscopic haemostasis procedure after another haemorrhage and was later described as ‘lucid’ and ‘in communication with the environment’ following the operation.More good news has since followed as the 12-time Formula 1 race winner has now been moved out of the intensive care unit and is back on a general ward. One of Reutemann’s daughters, Mariana, posted a wonderful image of her father sat up in bed and reading the paper. ‘This morning the national senator and former governor Carlos Reutemann, who has been hospitalized in Rosario since Saturday, May 8, after being in intensive care for several days, he was transferred to the general ward,’ Argentine newspaper La Capital reported.
Reutemann raced for Brabham, Ferrari, Lotus and Williams in Formula 1 and in his last full season, 1981, he finished second to Nelson Piquet in the World Championship by just one point having been on the podium in all of the first five races, winning the Brazilian and Belgian Grands Prix. The victory at Zolder was Reutemann’s last in the sport before retiring after only the first two races of the following campaign, a few weeks before his 40th birthday, with his exit from the Williams team rumoured to have been a consequence of the Falklands War that was happening at the time between the UK and Argentina.
He took part in 146 grands prix and subsequently moved into politics, even being regarded at one time as a contender for his country’s presidency – although he never actually declared his candidacy to run for that office.
F1 team lose expensive diamond in marketing campaign gone wrong
F1 is a place where marketing campaigns are often seen on track. In 2004, Jaguar went out of their way to promote a new Hollywood movie. One of the worst ideas ever in F1 turned into a painfully expensive joke. Back in 2004 the Jaguar Racing team, which was taken over by Red Bull a year later, was hard at work promotion the new Ocean's Twelve movie. As a result the cars of Mark Webber and Christian Klien were outfitted with diamonds worth just over €250,000 each.Rather than hide the diamonds away somewhere safe in the cockpit of the car so that Webber and Klien could keep a close watch on the expensive gemstones, someone thought it would be better to put them on the most vulnerable part of the car: the nose.
Given it isn't uncommon for a front wing to either be damaged or destroyed while driving around the streets of Monaco, it's no surprise nobody wanted to insure the stones.
It didn't take long for the move to backfire. On Lap 1 of the race Klien, who ended his career with just 14 points from 49 starts, sent his nose into the stack of tyres that was at the Loews Hairpin. When the car was delivered back to the team, there was no sign of the diamond.
Jaguar were convinced the gemstone was somewhere under the crash barriers at the hairpin, but given the race was still going on, they weren't able to search for it right away. When they were finally able to visit the hairpin, the team were in for a rude awakening as there was no sign of the diamond.
To this day, it hasn't been found. One of the worst moves in F1 history, or perhaps the perfect marketing stunt for a heist movie? We may never know.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Lando Norris signs multi-year contract extension with McLaren
Lando Norris has been rewarded for his impressive growth as a Formula 1 driver and strong start to the 2021 campaign with a fresh multi-year contract to extend his stay at McLaren for 2022 and beyond. The Briton who has been part of the McLaren family since 2017 scored the second podium of his career in Imola earlier this year, to sit fourth in the drivers’ standings, and is on a run of nine successive points finishes.On the eve of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, where McLaren will race a one-off Gulf Oil inspired blue and orange livery, the British team announced the new deal for the 21-year-old. It means Norris will be with the team until at least the end of 2023, bringing him in line with new team mate Daniel Ricciardo’s contract with the Australian revealing earlier this year he signed a three-year deal from this season. McLaren said in a statement that “the confirmation of its driver pairing beyond 2022 signals McLaren Racing’s commitment to stability for the future and represents a further step in the team’s long-term plan to compete at the front of the field”.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: “I’m delighted with the extension of our agreement with Lando for 2022 and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our return of form here at McLaren and we’re proud of the growth he’s shown since he first started with us back in 2017. Lando is one of the brightest talents on the Formula1 grid and we look forward to seeing him continue to go from strength-to-strength both on and off track.” Team Principal Andreas Seidl added: “Our decision to confirm Lando’s long-term future at McLaren was very straightforward. Lando has impressed us since his rookie year with his performances, and his evolution as a driver since then has been clear to see. He’s an integral part of our performance recovery plan and his record so far, securing two podiums with the team over the past year and has shown he’s a formidable competitor on track. Like him, we have strong ambitions for our future together and I’m pleased we’re continuing this journey for both Lando and the team. In Lando and Daniel, we have a hugely talented and exciting driver line-up, and this announcement is a strong signal of commitment to the next chapter for McLaren from 2022 onwards.
Norris added: “I’m really pleased to have extended my relationship with McLaren from 2022. Having been with the team for almost five years, I feel very much part of the family here and I couldn’t imagine starting the next phase of my career anywhere else. McLaren has been a huge support since my days in junior series and I’ve really enjoyed learning and developing as a driver since. My commitment to McLaren is clear: my goal is to win races and become Formula 1 World Champion and I want to do that with this team. Since joining in 2017 our progression has been consistent and we have clear ambitions together for the future. I want to say thank you to Zak and Andreas for the belief they have shown in me since the beginning, and to the whole team for giving me such a strong environment to continue my career in. “We’ve already had some incredible moments together which I’ll never forget – two podiums and securing P3 in the [constructors’] championship – and together with Daniel and the rest of the team, I’m looking forward to pushing for even more success in the years to come.”
Broadcaster pays triple for Dutch F1 TV rights
The television rights to Formula 1 in The Netherlands’ lucrative market is about to change hands. As interest in local hero Max Verstappen’s title charge explodes, Ziggo Sport confirmed that after nine years in Formula 1 it has been out-bid for 2022 and beyond. “In those years, the rates for the broadcasting rights have grown so much that it was unfortunately not possible for us to keep Formula 1,” an insider confirmed.It is widely expected that the rights have been purchased by Swiss company Nordic Entertainment Group, who are tipped to launch a dedicated Dutch F1 pay channel. Well known sports marketer Chris Woerts, who broke the news on the Dutch sports portal Veronica Inside, said he believes Nordic out-bid Ziggo as well as Amazon and RTL. The price, he said, is “above 30 million a year”. He later told De Telegraaf that Nordic offered “300 percent more” than the other bidders. “That’s a lot of money,” he said. “It looks like the new platform will be announced on Thursday.” Algemeen Dagblad newspaper also cited a source who said Nordic offered “substantially more money” than Ziggo or any other bidder reportedly 100 million euros for three years.
Well-known Dutch F1 commentator Olav Mol said he received the news directly from Ziggo Sport’s CEO on Tuesday morning. “It’s not fun, let’s say that first. But the very important thing is that there is continuity for the fans,” he said. “I haven’t finished with the sport yet, but maybe the sport is finished with me. Although I hope not, of course,” Mol added. “What I know is that Ziggo made a very serious offer, but it was nothing compared to what the winning party offered.”
Not F1 as such...
But, just saw two wankers in a Subaru undertake a few cars and lurch through a small gap into the fast lane on the M3.
The car in front of the group was one of these.
Mclaren Merc driver just went past the Subaru like it standing still and was out of sight
But, just saw two wankers in a Subaru undertake a few cars and lurch through a small gap into the fast lane on the M3.
The car in front of the group was one of these.
Mclaren Merc driver just went past the Subaru like it standing still and was out of sight
1%er
Well-Known Member
Red Bull Racing poach Mercedes greatest designer
Max Verstappen fans rejoice? Lewis Hamilton fans lament? Ahead of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, a breaking F1 news story has passed the desk which will herald a seismic shift in fortunes for a certain fizzy drinks manufacturer’s (Red Bull) Formula One exploits against the might of The German Empires finest, Mercedes AMG F1.How times have changed. 1500 cc with compressor or 4500 cc without. No weight limit. These were the regulations not just the engine for the inaugural year of Formula 1. These days, there are encyclopedic volumes of regulations, both sporting and technical; all designed provide rules for fair competition. Yet Bizarrely, as the regulations grew, the in-balance in F1 competition also grew.
The last big engines regulation change saw a seismic change in F1 power units, both in terms of complexity and cost. Reports suggest Daimler-Benz/Mercedes AMG F1 spent over $1billion developing their hybrid power units.
The R&D and development work for the latest iteration of F1 engines introduced into competition in 2014, saw several years of prior effort. And we are in that zone again as we await the new 2025 F1 power trains. One man stands tall when assessing the dominant hybrid Mercedes power unit which has propelled it’s drivers to all the world F1 titles since 2014 and seen the Brackley team win 7 consecutive constructor titles. That man is Andy Cowell.
After more than a decade working with Cosworth, Illmor and BMW, Andy became the Engineering and Programme Director for Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines from July 2008 to January 2013, responsible for technical and programme leadership of all engine and powertrain projects, plus the strategy and organisation of the engineering group. Since January 2013, Andy has been Managing Director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, overseeing development of the PU106A V6 Hybrid Power Unit, the most dominant manufacturer engine of any period of F1’s history.
Well, despite Toto Wolff mocking Christian Horner about “15 guys and an empty building site construction is not going to be sufficient in order to be competitive in three years with a new power unit”, it might be Horner who has the last laugh. Just as they did when attracting Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing have made Andy Cowell an offer he could not refuse. This weekend in Monaco, Red Bull Power Trains will announce the arrival of the ex-Mercedes man to head up their operations when they take over Honda’s responsibilities for their F1 power trains. I guess Toto will be his usual self deprecating self over losing his team’s prize asset, just as will Christian be gracious in defeating his Austrian nemesis in the recruitment games.
NOT
This isn’t called the Piranha club for no reason.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Monaco GP: Perez leads Sainz, Verstappen in FP1
Williams' George Russell was the first car out on the sunny streets of the principality, which traditionally open on Thursday for F1 practice. Sainz was first to set a reasonable laptime of 1m16.241s mediums in the Ferrari. World champion Lewis Hamilton quickly bested Sainz's time in the Mercedes with a 1m15.858s, before Sainz struck back with a 1m14.457s aboard the SF1000. Sainz's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc disappeared into the garage after just 10 minutes with a gearbox issue, preventing the Monegasque driver from enjoying a return to his home track. Sainz further lowered his personal best to a 1m13.639s and then 1m13.388s on Pirelli's yellow-banded medium tyres, leading at the 15-minute mark from Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen.Mercedes kept chipping away at Sainz's benchmark, Bottas taking second with a time of 1m13.732s before Hamilton approached P1 by 0.016s. Red Bull driver Verstappen also got involved, splitting the Mercedes cars just before the halfway mark. Alpine's Fernando Alonso was the first driver to cause a yellow flag, damaging his front wing by understeering into the barriers at the final turn. The two-time world champion was soon able to continue after a front wing change. After a short virtual safety car period, Verstappen vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with a 1m13.191s on the hard tyre. Mercedes's response was forthcoming, with both Bottas and Hamilton immediately going quicker. Hamilton reclaimed top spot with a 12m995s on mediums, the first driver to dip below the 1m13 mark.
Hamilton's time in front was short-lived, with Sainz quickly reclaiming P1 with a time of 1m12.965 before an impressive Pierre Gasly jumped from fourth to first with a 1m12.929s in the AlphaTauri, the Frenchman using softs. Sainz was the second driver to brush the barriers diving out of the swimming pool chicane, but he appeared to escape damage. With 15 minutes left on the clock, Verstappen took first place with a 1m12.648s on the medium tyres, with soft-shod teammate Perez following the Dutchman into second with a 1m12.817s. In the final stages, Perez ultimately leapfrogged his teammate, going top with a 1m12.536s and then 1m12.487s, albeit on softs. Sainz also jumped Verstappen to go second with an eye-catching time of 1m12.606s on mediums.
Verstappen, who was battling Sainz to find clear air for a final flyer, settled for third, followed by Gasly, Hamilton and Bottas. Behind the frontrunners, Lando Norris held seventh in his McLaren, which carries the iconic Gulf Oil livery this weekend, seven tenths behind Perez. Sebastian Vettel was an encouraging eighth for Aston Martin. Yuki Tsunoda was ninth fastest on his first ever outing on the streets of Monaco, followed by Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen and Aston's Lance Stroll.
Antonio Giovinazzi was 12th ahead of Alonso, who added a Sainte Devote excursion to his wall tap in a rough first session. Williams' Nicholas Latifi followed in 14th ahead of low-key Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon. Haas rookies Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher ranked 17th and 18th respectively, only ahead of Russell and garage-bound Leclerc.
Pos | Driver | Car / Engine | Time | Gap | Laps |
1 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull/Honda | 1'12.487 | | 36 |
2 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1'12.606 | 0.119 | 32 |
3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda | 1'12.648 | 0.161 | 39 |
4 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri/Honda | 1'12.929 | 0.442 | 37 |
5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1'12.995 | 0.508 | 34 |
6 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1'13.131 | 0.644 | 36 |
7 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'13.236 | 0.749 | 31 |
8 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1'13.732 | 1.245 | 33 |
9 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri/Honda | 1'13.746 | 1.259 | 39 |
10 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1'14.081 | 1.594 | 31 |
11 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 1'14.090 | 1.603 | 33 |
12 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 1'14.106 | 1.619 | 27 |
13 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine/Renault | 1'14.205 | 1.718 | 37 |
14 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams/Mercedes | 1'14.268 | 1.781 | 41 |
15 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren/Mercedes | 1'14.281 | 1.794 | 36 |
16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 1'14.320 | 1.833 | 37 |
17 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas/Ferrari | 1'14.616 | 2.129 | 33 |
18 | Mick Schumacher | Haas/Ferrari | 1'14.801 | 2.314 | 35 |
19 | George Russell | Williams/Mercedes | 1'14.840 | 2.353 | 35 |
20 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1'19.618 | 7.131 | 4 |
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Which is 10? I wish they’d use the proper corner names.Who'd have thunk it we have track limits are Monaco, turn 10
1%er
Well-Known Member
The ‘new’ chicane, built in 1986 rather than the old chicane
(Edit for better picture)
1%er
Well-Known Member
Yuki Tsunoda looks to me to be the best of the new drivers, I hope he can keep it on the track all weekend
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Every comment anyone makes about a driver makes us a hostage to fortune.
We jinx them with our love.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Christian Horner has claimed that this story is not true and says Andy Cowell is not going to Red Bull. I guess we will have to wait and see, he is the guy to have if they are building their own power-unit.
1%er
Well-Known Member
FP2 Report: Ferrari bid to become contenders in Monaco with one-two
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz demonstrated they are real contenders to win the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix by setting the two fastest lap times in the second free practice session. Leclerc posted a 1:11.684 around his home circuit, with Sainz just 0.112 seconds behind. The two Ferrari drivers also set the fastest laps in each sector.Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three, with Max Verstappen just 0.007 seconds behind his rival. Fuel loads and engine modes are unknown, but at Monaco, it's always more important to get a better set-up in qualifying. After a really positive morning session for the Spaniard, Carlos Sainz came out of the garage first. Charles Leclerc quickly followed behind which wasn't a surprise given he missed 50 minutes of FP1 with an issue at the back of his Ferrari car.
In what is likely to be a foreshadow of the situation in Q1, traffic became awkward at the end of the circuit as drivers tried to leave enough space ahead of them. After the flurry of laps, Sainz found himself at the top of the timesheet. Red Bull Racing once again demonstrated their pace with purple sectors to take the top two places after 10 minutes. Hamilton's first fast lap of the session matched Verstappen's 1:13.499 time at the top of the timesheets. The Dutchman improved, but traffic caused problems for him meaning Hamilton set the fastest time the second time around.
As the two Mercedes traded laps at the top, Alfa Romeo made some loud noises. For a good chunk of the session, Antonio Giovinazzi found himself in P3 with Kimi Raikkonen not far behind in P7. Nicholas Latifi brought out the yellow flags as he made a mistake at the hairpin. Gasly tried to add to the list of surprises with the fastest sector two time of the session in his 19th lap. He got hampered by a bit of traffic in the final corner but got himself deep into the top ten. Leclerc then posted a 1:11.684 to go fastest.
Mick Schumacher hit the barriers towards the end of the session. The Haas driver managed to drive off with a puncture but he parked at the Nouvelle Chicane. The car remained exposed slightly which brought out the red flag to end the session.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Best lap | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’11.684 | 27 | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’11.796 | 0.112 | 25 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’12.074 | 0.390 | 22 |
| 4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda | 1’12.081 | 0.397 | 21 |
| 5 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1’12.107 | 0.423 | 25 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’12.379 | 0.695 | 19 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’12.498 | 0.814 | 22 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda | 1’12.708 | 1.024 | 20 |
| 9 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’12.746 | 1.062 | 22 |
| 10 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’12.982 | 1.298 | 20 |
| 11 | 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’13.065 | 1.381 | 24 |
| 12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’13.175 | 1.491 | 20 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’13.195 | 1.511 | 20 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’13.199 | 1.515 | 21 |
| 15 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’13.257 | 1.573 | 23 |
| 16 | 63 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1’13.509 | 1.825 | 25 |
| 17 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’13.593 | 1.909 | 24 |
| 18 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas-Ferrari | 1’14.407 | 2.723 | 20 |
| 19 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’14.416 | 2.732 | 20 |
| 20 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1’14.829 | 3.145 | 11 |
|
1%er
Well-Known Member
Red Bull reveal "half-a-million dollars" cost of FIA flexi-wing test
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has suggested the impact of changing the rear wing of an F1 car to comply with new tests brought in by the FIA to prevent flexi-wings could cost up to $500,000. Red Bull's rear wing was scrutinised by Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix after onboard footage showed visible flexing under high aerodynamic loads, leading to the FIA swiftly notifying teams tests would be changed to prevent such oscillations.Asked what the implications of any changes to comply with the new tests would be in the budget cap era of F1, Horner said: "I think for a team like us that is obviously running up against the cap then of course, strategically, you have to make choices. "The impact of something like this is probably half a million dollars so that will prevent something else from happening but that is the juggling act we are now having to make with the budget cap and financial regulations."
Horner, however, has insisted time must be given for teams to implement new parts on the car. "I think there has to be a lead time," he added. "You cannot just magic up components. If they changed the tests on front wings this weekend, and we have seen far more performance from front-wing flexibility, shall we say, then that would affect every single team and some much greater than others. There has to be a lead time. You cannot expect parts to be magicked up overnight without costs being incurred. The car complies to regulations that have been there for the last 18 months with these load tests and then the regulation has been changed, the tests have been changed, and there has to be a notice period for that."
1%er
Well-Known Member
Mercedes ready to protest flexi wings as Wolff criticises FIA's "half-baked" solution
Toto Wolff has warned that Mercedes could protest the use of flexible wings by Red Bull and other teams after a “half-baked” technical directive from the FIA left teams in “no man's land.” Mercedes team principal Wolff believes the new test, which will be introduced from the French Grand Prix, should have been brought in sooner to avoid the results of this weekend’s Monaco and subsequent Baku races being left under question.Wolff said: “We have seen in the past that complicated re-designs for teams have a delay. It’s clear if you have a back-to-back race, or maybe even two weeks, it's too short for everyone to adjust, but we have four weeks [from the May 11 introduction of a new technical directive] to Baku. It is incomprehensible that in four weeks you can’t stiffen up a rear wing for the track that is probably the most affected by flexible rear wings. So that leaves us in no man's land. The technical directive says that the movement of some rear wings has been judged as excessive, so teams who run these kinds of wings are prone to be protested and probably this is going to go to the ICA (International Court of Appeal) and nobody needs this messy situation.”
Sitting alongside Wolff, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi both conceded to their teams running flexible wings. Wolff believes the new test, which will evaluate wings under 'pull-back' and 'push-down' forces, will not resolve the issue and said it leaves the rules even more open to manipulation. Asked if his team would have to adapt its wing on the W12, Wolff replied: “Yes, we will need to modify our wing. We will need to soften it. Our wing is extremely rigid, complying to the famous article 3.8 that it must remain immobile. The new test that has been introduced is a half-baked solution which is giving us an opportunity, so the whole thing can soften and can bend more in the future. Each of us three here is doing the job and needs to adapt to the regulations and we have been left in limbo for a long time. We had a flexible wing situation last summer without receiving any feedback and we understand some of the teams’ frustration that when making the concept of this year’s car, that was an area that should have been tackled much earlier.”
When asked similarly about the wing designs on the Ferrari and Alpine cars, Binotto and Rossi openly stated there would have to be changes made for them to pass the new test. Binotto said: “Yes, we are exploiting, I think, as all the teams are exploiting somehow what is possible and what we believe is right. The technical directive is clarifying furthermore. We will need to slightly adapt. I don’t think it’s impacting Ferrari much, and certainly on the lap times from what we have seen very, very little, but there are some re-designs that need to be carried out to comply fully to the technical directive.”
Rossi said: “We have designed a car that conforms to the regulations. If the tests prove we have to comply with a new set of rules then we will do that.” When pressed, he then added: “We are going to make the modifications.“
(this story has a long way to run and could decide this years championship)
1%er
Well-Known Member
Horner calls out both Hamilton and Wolff
For the time since the Dutchman joined the grid, Max Verstappen and Hamilton have largely even machinery and have battled hard in the first four rounds of the season. Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton suggested that Verstappen is the more aggressive of the two when they’re wheel to wheel as he has more to prove, a claim that the Red Bull driver quickly denied. Horner says that the Mercedes driver’s comments are “rubbish” and show that he’s rattled by his opponent. “Lewis loves all that rubbish so will just let him get on with it,” he told Sky Sports F1. Max does his own thing, is his own man. The fact that Lewis feels the need to do that means that actually, Max is probably getting under his skin a bit. It’s great, it’s part of the sport. We’re only at the beginning of the Championship, we’re not even anywhere near halfway yet. Can you imagine what it is going to be like by the time, if they are that close, going into the last few races?”Mercedes and Red Bull have clashed not only on track but also off track this year, with the German team complaining about their rival’s “bendy” rear-wing used in Barcelona and the fact that the FIA won’t properly investigate it until after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Wolff voiced his disapproval on the matter again in Monaco, while also stating that his team were focusing more on 2022 than the current campaign, feeling they could still beat Red Bull without developing this year’s car. Horner feels that this isn’t true, shown by how much Mercedes care about the rear-wing issue, adding that the Austrian needs to mind his own business. "I think Toto’s more focused on our rear wing than he is on next year,” he added. “I don’t know what’s going on in their business but Toto knows what’s going on in everyone’s business. I would be surprised [if it’s true] because the rate of development is still quite intense so we’ll see. We’ve only done four races.”
souljacker
innit
Lewis is right though. Max is way more aggressive. He's also a bit of a sore loser in my opinion. Never admits his mistakes and always blames everyone else. Basically, just like that tool Horner.
