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F1 2022

retirement why not if suddenly all your team calls are putting you as a back up driver


aside from that good usa f1 tracks watkins glen, lime rock and sebring

no car park :hmm:
 
souljacker said:
Shit race, shit track, shit American razzmatazz all held in a shit state in a shit country.
Click to expand...
I like FL I tried to emigrate there. What’s to dislike about all that sunshine and fishing? Even the tornadoes and hurricanes didn't put me off.

It‘s a sad state of affairs when teams are hoping for a safety car to improve their race.
 
Thinking about gridwalks in general, and yesterday's in particular, this on Twitter from Martin Brundle:

"There’s a reason why I’ve never watched back an F1 gridwalk in a quarter of a century of doing them. You have no idea how much I dislike doing them but somehow those crazy moments have defined my professional career..."

Way back, when Brundle was the only journo on the grid, it was great to have a last-minute interview with the teams - what tyres, why, weather, route to first corner, etc, and the teams were pretty open.

Then all the telly bods cottoned on and it mostly turned to ratshit, celebs, and chaos.

O tempora, o mores!
 
Limejuice said:
Thinking about gridwalks in general, and yesterday's in particular, this on Twitter from Martin Brundle:

"There’s a reason why I’ve never watched back an F1 gridwalk in a quarter of a century of doing them. You have no idea how much I dislike doing them but somehow those crazy moments have defined my professional career..."

Way back, when Brundle was the only journo on the grid, it was great to have a last-minute interview with the teams - what tyres, why, weather, route to first corner, etc, and the teams were pretty open.

Then all the telly bods cottoned on and it mostly turned to ratshit, celebs, and chaos.

O tempora, o mores!
Click to expand...
If he's openly admitting to hating doing them, and Sky insist they must carry on, then surely now they have to change who does them. He's had to come put publicly to say it's part of his job he doesn't like doing. Surely at some point he's had this discussion with Sky, so why haven't they changed it. Or only until now has he had to say it's something he dislikes.

I find it hard to believe that there wasn't a time when he did enjoy doing them back when it started, but now the grid is just a mess.
 

Caitlyn Jenner reveals Chadwick F2 plan​

Former Olympian and W Series team owner Caitlyn Jenner has revealed a plan to move two-time champion, Jamie Chadwick, to Formula 2 in 2023. The Williams development driver won both races in Miami to take an early points lead in the series. Ahead of the Miami races, Jenner revealed: "With two cars, I wanted the first one to be an experienced driver that can win, so I fought hard for Jamie. It wasn't easy. Mostly because she has won the series for the last two years [and] people are asking 'Why is she still there?'. I agree with them 100 per cent and I had this conversation with Jamie. I said, 'I want this to be your last year in the W Series. Next year I want to lease a Formula 2 ride for you'. That is what we are pushing for. I think that the next woman in Formula 1 will come out of the W Series so she agreed to come back."
 
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Williams preparing for Audi talks​

Williams is preparing for "talks" with Audi about a Formula 1 tie-up with the Volkswagen-owned carmaker. It comes amid rumours of Audi's other talks with Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo (Sauber), and after Zak Brown insisted in Miami that McLaren is "not for sale". It may be a different story for Williams, which is now led by former Volkswagen rally boss and German Jost Capito. When at VW, the car giant dominated the world rally championship. He moved to Williams from McLaren at the end of 2020 just months after Williams was acquired from the founding family by Dorilton Capital. When asked about the Audi rumours, Capito told Auto Bild: "It is interesting for every team to have a cooperation with a car manufacturer."

The VW board has now signed off on separate F1 projects for both Porsche and Audi. "If that really is decided," Capito said, "then we will also hold talks. But there is still no definitive go and the engine regulations have not yet been definitively decided. As far as I know, the decision of the VW Group also depends on the engine regulations. I think that will be passed in the next few weeks and then we'll see."

[I guess the next headline will be Audi talking to Haas :) ]
 

FIA allowed Ferrari to modify power unit due to ‘reliability’​

Ferrari were given a reliability exemption on their power unit by the FIA which allowed them to slightly modify its specification. Amid the new technical regulations in the pinnacle of motorsport is a freeze on engine development, with the ICE already prohibited from being worked on by manufacturers. Electrical components will be frozen midway through this year, but there is still room to develop them if a supplier or team applies for the reliability exemption.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are now both on the same engine after the Spaniard had a new one installed ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, while the 24-year-old received his new motor in Miami last weekend. Sadly for Sainz, he never really got to utilise his amid an incident filled race in Bologna, while Leclerc was still beaten in Miami by Max Verstappen, although Red Bull did bring upgrades to the car itself, something Ferrari will do at the next race in Spain. They also switched out the original engines at a time when they were only silghtly worn , but not so much so that they are unusable, so Leclerc and Sainz can still run their old power units during Friday’s practice session. This enables them to conserve the new engine as much as possible so that they do not have to spend money on new engines later on down the line, which would be costly given the $140 million budget the teams are working with this season.

A report by Auto Motor und Sport suggests that the new engine is of a different specification after the FIA approved a change due to longevity concerns. Head of single-seater technical matters, Nikolas Tombazis, revealed at the start of the season that it was only fair to let manufacturers make alterations if they are worried about reliability, given that they would then be stuck with that spec until the end of 2025. “When we discussed introducing the freeze, we determined that, if one was in difficulty, everyone would engage in good faith to discuss how to solve the problem, perhaps allowing for some development. There is no interest in sentencing someone to be left behind for four years,” he said. Team principal Mattia Binotto recently affirmed his belief that Red Bull will eventually have to “stop developing” due to the cost cap.
 
¡Hola!

El Gran Premio de España llama.

Here are the times in the UK:

Fri 20 May
FP1 - 13:00
FP2 - 16:00

Sat 21 May
FP3 - 12:00
Qual - 15:00

Sun 22 May
Race - 14:00

Alas, I will miss the race - family stuff.

But the theme for this race will be:

¡Esperemos todos que exploten los autos Red Bull!
 

FIA seeking third race director for F1, “might use” Masi in a role​

Former FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Masi could return to the sport in future, the president of the governing body has confirmed. Masi was replaced as F1 race director after he was found to have made an “error” in his handling of the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas took over from Masi in the role. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed he spoke to Masi last week and is also considering whether to add a third person to F1’s roster of race directors. “I spoke to him two days ago,” Ben Sulayem said, adding he has “no personal issue” with him.

Masi was widely criticised over his decision to restart the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with one lap remaining. The FIA found he failed to follow the rules by bringing in the Safety Car one lap too early and not allowing all lapped cars to regain the lead lap. This had a decisive effect on the outcome of the championship, as Max Verstappen was able to use the extra lap of racing to pass Lewis Hamilton and win the race and championship. Nonetheless Ben Sulayem is open to finding a role for Masi. “Michael is there and we might use him,” he said. “I didn’t say we were getting rid of him. I said we might use him. He may be in a good place to use. We are open to everything. “Our race structure was wrong organisationally. And though we have brought in two new race directors, I wouldn’t say we have got it all right yet. We need to clean the stables.”

Ben Sulayem added he “would like to see a minimum of three race directors, ideally by the beginning of next year.” He also addressed the ongoing controversy over the FIA’s decision to strictly impose its rules forbidding drivers from wearing jewellery during races. The regulation was introduced in 2005, while Max Mosley was FIA president. Ben Sulayem took over from Jean Todt in the role at the end of last year, since when the governing body has reinforced the ban on jewellery. “I love jewellery,” said Ben Sulayem. “I absolutely love it. But in the car there can be no choice. People say they [the rules] haven’t been implemented before. Don’t ask me why not. People can ask the old regime why that is the case.”
 

Formula 1 won't replace Russian GP this season, as 22-race calendar confirmed​

Formula 1 will not replace the Russian GP in 2022 despite significant interest, with the sport opting to stick to a 22-race calendar. The Russian GP was due to be the 17th race of the season on September 25, but was cancelled back in February following the country's invasion of Ukraine. F1 had planned to fill the slot to keep a record 23-race calendar with Qatar and Turkey mooted as options although the decision has now been made not to replace the Sochi Autodrom event.

The sport already has a tight calendar for the rest of the season and the Russian GP was set to kickstart one of the two triple headers after the summer break. There will now be a weekend break before a Singapore-Japan double header. One of the reasons for there being no replacement, despite plenty of options, is that a European round would not have been possible because of logistical issues around EU freight rules. A fly-away race also could have had complications; a Qatar round, for example, would have been in soaring heat in September and also just two months before the nation hosts football's World Cup.
 

The candidates for FP1 outings in 2022 F1 season​

Mercedes-backed Nyck de Vries will become the first non-full-time driver to receive a free practice outing when he steps into Williams’ FW44 in Spain. Formula 1’s regulations were altered for 2022 to state that each team must run a young driver, classified as someone with two or fewer grands prix under their belt, during two free practice sessions. It has come as trade-off following the absence of official in-season testing since the pandemic, when teams had to run youngsters for half of the available days. Teams have been reluctant to field the rookies early in the year as they continue to gather data on the new-for-2022 F1 cars. With a number of other outings set to take place across the grid between now and the end of the season, who else could receive a drive in the one-hour session?

Mercedes – Nyck de Vries, Frederick Vesti​


It’s likely that de Vries will be in an F1 car multiple times this year, as he is a reserve driver for the Mercedes team, alongside 42-time F1 grand prix starter Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian, obviously, does not qualify for the FP1 role. Mercedes also has an option to place Frederick Vesti in the car. Vesti, who currently competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, has been part of the Mercedes junior programme since 2021.

Red Bull – Juri Vips​

Vips has tested with Red Bull on multiple occasions, having been part of its junior academy for several years. Earlier this season, AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost confirmed that Vips would drive for Red Bull in the practice sessions this year.

Ferrari – Robert Shwartzman​

Robert Shwartzman departed the F2 Championship at the end of 2021, but remains a part of the Ferrari family, stepping up as its test driver for 2022. Now competing under an Israeli licence following the sanctions imposed on Russia, the 22-year-old is the most likely option for the Maranello-based squad.

McLaren – Colton Herta, Nyck de Vries, Oscar Piastri​


McLaren has several options available to it this year, the most intriguing of which is Colton Herta. The IndyCar star is set to test with McLaren at some point this year, after spending the Miami Grand Prix weekend embedded into the team. Whether or not he gets to take part in an official F1 session remains to be seen. Elsewhere, McLaren could look at de Vries, who is also listed as a reserve for the team. Oscar Piastri is also available, after McLaren and Alpine struck an agreement to use Piastri during a race weekend if one of its full-time drivers is unavailable.

Alpine – Oscar Piastri​

Should he not get outings with McLaren, Piastri is almost guaranteed to make an appearance for Alpine. The reigning F2 Champion is watching the sport from the sidelines this year, but is taking part in an extensive testing programme with Alpine, having joined as a junior driver in 2020. He has already tested Alpine’s 2021-spec A521 at COTA and Losail.

AlphaTauri – Liam Lawson​

AlphaTauri boss Tost has confirmed that Lawson will drive the FP1 sessions for the team this year. The New Zealand driver is racing in F2 this season, taking a race win in Jeddah earlier in the campaign.

Aston Martin – Nick Yelloly​

There is no clear option for Aston Martin, however test driver Nick Yelloly has been associated with the Silverstone-based squad for several years. He tested for the team at the post-season session in Abu Dhabi last year, and currently races in the IMSA Sportscar Championship.

Alfa Romeo – Theo Pourchaire​

Technically, Zhou Guanyu ticked the box for Alfa Romeo as he had not started two grands prix when he participated in practice in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. But Alfa Romeo Team Principal Frederic Vasseur confirmed last year that Pourchaire would receive FP1 outings with the squad in 2022. Currently leading the F2 standings, Pourchaire has been tipped for a future drive in F1.

Williams – Nyck de Vries​

De Vries will take part in the FP1 session with Williams this weekend. Williams also has Formula 2 racers Roy Nissany, who has previously taken part in an FP1 session, and Logan Sargeant on its books.

Haas – Pietro Fittipaldi, Robert Shwartzman​


Pietro Fittipaldi is still eligible to drive in the free practice sessions, despite competing in two races for Haas at the end of the 2020 season. Regulations state that a rookie is a driver who “may not have participated in more than two F1 World Championship Races during their career”. The Brazilian is still the team’s reserve driver, however due to Haas’ close association with Ferrari, Shwartzman could make an appearance for the team this year. Shwartzman participated in the young driver test for Haas in 2021.
 

Honda Returns to Formula 1 But Not How You Think​

Honda and Formula One have a complicated love story. Now they are together, breaking up later, and when you think everything is over, they are a "couple" again. However, this is not a toxic relationship because Honda is an essential contributor to the rich history of Formula 1. They had one of the most dominant periods of the sport in the '80s, winning four championships with McLaren drivers: three with Ayrton Senna (1988, 1990, 1991) and one with Alain Prost (1989). Plus, we can't forget about the 1988 season, considered by many the most dominant season in F1 history. In that year, the McLaren-Honda team won 15 out of 16 races (and they would have won all of them if it wasn't for that problematic Italian Grand Prix) being miles away from the competition.

Honda will return as the official title sponsor for the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix this year. With Honda owning the Suzuka Circuit and their desire to stay connected with the world of Formula 1, it seems like a logical move. Don't forget that Max Verstappen won the Drivers' Championship with a Honda engine last year because the Japanese manufacturer was making engines for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. Even now, Honda is still in F1 but more undercover than before. The Japanese automaker agreed to a deal with Red Bull and Alpha Tauri teams for them to continue using Honda engines. However, the managers from Milton Keynes would rebrand them under the new Red Bull Powertrains division.

However, an original plan for Red Bull to take over the maintenance and production of the engines in Milton Keynes was revised with Honda instead agreeing to continue work from its Japanese facilities. The fact that Honda wants to be the title sponsor for the Japanese GP confirms some speculation that they may want to make a return in the near future. The Grand Prix will be held at the legendary Suzuka Circuit at the beginning of October.
 
Ah, yes.

The new Aston Martin floor resembles Red Bull's. The FIA says it's compliant with regs.

Whinger Spice manages to concoct a statement saying: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but anyone who copies our stuff is worse than a thousand hitlers. I demand sacrifices! J'accuse!"
 
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