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F1 2022

There's a very condensed [6mins] quali highlights vid on Youtube if you can't wait till C4's show tonight.
Won't embed but can watch on youtube
 

Formula 1: Ferrari turned an embarrassing joke into reality

The 2022 Formula 1 season has seen Ferrari make countless unforced errors, errors which cost them any chance they once had to challenge Red Bull for the world championship. While the 2022 Formula 1 season will ultimately go down as one of Ferrari’s best seasons in the last decade and a half on the stat sheet, it will be remembered by their fans as a season chock-full of “what could have been”. The Maranello-based team have cost themselves a boatload of points, including several victories, with countless unforced errors through the season’s first 20 races, to the point where you have to wonder how they can consistently get it wrong with a F1-75 that, at least for the first half of the season, was the car to beat.

Lead challenger Charles Leclerc was eliminated from world championship contention when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched his second straight title following the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit, the 18th of 22 races on the schedule. Ferrari themselves were eliminated from constructor title contention when Red Bull clinched their first since 2013 following the next race, the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. But things just keep getting more miserable for the Italian team, to the point where they brought to reality what was once nothing more than an embarrassing joke.

Since the midpoint of the season, there has been somewhat of a running joke that Ferrari will eventually send out one of their cars on wet tires during a bright and sunny day. While it wasn’t exactly bright and sunny at Interlagos Circuit on Friday for qualifying ahead of Saturday afternoon’s sprint qualifying race for Sunday afternoon’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, they effectively turned this joke into a reality. In the third and final round of qualifying, Ferrari sent out Leclerc on intermediate tires when the track conditions warranted slick tires. All nine of the other drivers in the round — including, ironically, teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. — went out on slick tires.

A few minutes into the session, Mercedes’ George Russell ran into trouble and caused a red flag, and during the stoppage, the rain began to fall. Unsurprisingly, having not had the chance to do a legitimate qualifying lap on slick tires like the other nine drivers — including surprise polesitter Kevin Magnussen of Haas — Leclerc qualified in 10th place for the 24-lap sprint race at the 15-turn, 2.677-mile (4.308-kilometer) Sao Paulo, Brazil road course.

Add another one to the list of many head-scratchers at the Prancing Horse in 2022.
 

Fernando Alonso spotted in Red Bull HQ with Horner and Marko sparking conspiracy theory

Fernando Alonso was captured on camera chatting to Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Helmut Marko in the Red Bull motorhome prior to Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying. The trio were full of smiles while sat around a table alongside Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen. An FIA official was stood in the background.

Fans have taken to social media with a number of conspiracy theories, most of which involved Alonso moving from Apline to Red Bull or their junior team, AlphaTauri. "Alonso for alpha tauri 2026," one fan posted. And another added: "Alonso to Red Bull 2027." While another was excited by the prospect of Alonso teaming up with Horner, writing: "This is 100% the real story. ALO v. HAM? No thanks. ALO v. VER? Nah. But ALO/Horner v. Everybody? That's top tier."

Alonso is under contract with Alpine until the end of the 2023 season, by which he will be 42 years old. Despite his age, the Spaniard is still able to compete at the highest level and has scored 71 Championship points this season, leaving him ninth in the standings. It is highly unlikely Alonso would replace Verstappen but fans reckon the two-time world champion could move to Red Bull if Sergio Perez departs. The Mexican has done a brilliant job as Verstappen's team-mate and sits second in the Drivers' Championship, and has two years remaining on his current deal. Meanwhile, Alonso has stated that he only plans to race in F1 for a few more years before turning his attention elsewhere. "I hope to be in Formula One for at least two or three more years. I think I am one hundred percent. And then, from there, a challenge that I have never hidden is to try the Dakar again," Alonso said recently.

Rain has disrupted the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend and Alonso is hoping his team can take advantage of the uncertainty which saw Kevin Magnussen secure pole. “I think we are quite relaxed about this weekend,” Alonso told Sky Sports F1. “[The] circuit requires some efficiency on the car, [that] has been our strength in circuits like Spa, Suzuka – so it should be a competitive weekend for us. But yeah, let’s see the weather as well. Some threats of rain any day at any time, so we have to be sharp on that. But yeah, hopefully a straightforward weekend.”
 

Starting positions for Brazilian Grand Prix sprint



Row 11. (20) Kevin Magnussen 1’11.674
Haas-Ferrari VF-22
2. (1) Max Verstappen 1’11.877
Red Bull RB18
Row 23. (63) George Russell 1’12.059
Mercedes W13
4. (4) Lando Norris 1’12.263
McLaren-Mercedes MCL36
Row 35. (55) Carlos Sainz Jnr 1’12.357
Ferrari F1-75
6. (31) Esteban Ocon 1’12.425
Alpine-Renault A522
Row 47. (14) Fernando Alonso 1’12.504
Alpine-Renault A522
8. (44) Lewis Hamilton 1’12.611
Mercedes W13
Row 59. (11) Sergio Perez 1’15.601
Red Bull RB18
10. (16) Charles Leclerc No time
Ferrari F1-75
Row 611. (23) Alexander Albon 1’11.631
Williams-Mercedes FW44
12. (10) Pierre Gasly 1’11.675
AlphaTauri-Red Bull AT03
Row 713. (5) Sebastian Vettel 1’11.678
Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR22
14. (3) Daniel Ricciardo 1’12.140
McLaren-Mercedes MCL36
Row 815. (18) Lance Stroll 1’12.210
Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR22
16. (6) Nicholas Latifi 1’15.095
Williams-Mercedes FW44
Row 917. (24) Zhou Guanyu 1’15.197
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C42
18. (77) Valtteri Bottas 1’15.486
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C42
Row 1019. (22) Yuki Tsunoda 1’16.264
AlphaTauri-Red Bull AT03
20. (47) Mick Schumacher 1’16.361
Haas-Ferrari VF-22
 
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Reactions: Ax^
My wife bought me a Mercedes F1 top for my birthday yesterday, which was apparently enough to jinx qualifying and put George in the gravel. Sorry, George! :(

On that note I went to TK Maxx in Richmond/Kew yesterday and they had loads of McLaren gear. Picked up 2 rather nice black t-shirts and if I was a little more flush would have picked up a papaya danny ric polo with full branding. #brandwanker
 

Enzo Fittipaldi joins Red Bull F1 driver academy

Brazil's Enzo Fittipaldi said Saturday he will be a member of Red Bull's Formula One driver academy. The 21-year-old will help to develop both the Red Bull and AlphaTauri cars next year. Enzo, the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, is sixth in the Formula 2 championship after 13 of the season's 14 races. “It is a great honor and a very important step in my career to join the Red Bull family," he said on Instagram along with a picture of him shaking hands with Helmut Marko, the team's advisor. “I am grateful for this opportunity.”

Brazilian media reported in October that Enzo had been approached by Alpine and Williams for a similar role. Red Bull's F1 academy has 11 members. Fittipaldi was also previously in Ferrari's academy. Pietro, Enzo's brother, participated in free practice as Haas’ test driver last Friday in Mexico City, but has no job lined up for 2023. Haas' boss Guenther Steiner told reporters at Interlagos, where the Brazilian Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, that Pietro is not expected to race for his team next year. Pietro is the latest Brazilian driver to feature on the grid. In 2020, he replaced Romain Grosjean at Haas after the Frenchman was involved in an accident.
 

Final Practice for São Paulo Grand Prix

Esteban Ocon led the way in the second and final free practice session of the São Paulo Grand Prix as teams did their homework ahead of the third and final sprint race of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season on Saturday afternoon. With times meaning very little due to cars being in parc ferme conditions and most of the running being done on higher fuel levels, Ocon set the best time of 1:14.604 in his BWT Alpine F1 Team A522 to best Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez by just under two tenths of a second. It was quite a clean session, with the odd lock up here and there, but everyone got through unscathed ahead of the twenty-four lap Sprint race later in the day, and the promised rain never materialised, although is still a possibility for the race.

George Russell, who will start third on the grid for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team on Saturday afternoon despite ending his Qualifying in the turn four gravel, placed third, with Fernando Alonso showing that Alpine have a good set-up for this part of the weekend by setting the fourth best time. Max Verstappen, who is aiming for a fifteenth win of the season on Sunday, was fifth in the second Red Bull having left it late to switch to the soft tyres, with the team focusing on gathering data on the harder compounds that will help them across Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s main race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the second Mercedes ahead of Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly, while Mick Schumacher finished eighth ahead of his b team-mate, and surprise Sprint race polesitter, Kevin Magnussen. Lando Norris, who is still in recovery mode after a bout of food poisoning ahead of the weekend in Brazil, completed the top ten for the McLaren F1 Team, with the Briton finishing just ahead of his former team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr., the Spaniard the best of the Scuderia Ferrari drivers in eleventh. Yuki Tsunoda was twelfth for AlphaTauri ahead of the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, with Daniel Ricciardo fourteenth in the second McLaren ahead of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN’s Valtteri Bottas.

Nicholas Latifi placed sixteenth for Williams Racing, while Logan Sargeant completed another clean session as he replaced Alexander Albon in the second FW44. Sargeant may have finished bottom of the timing screens, but he completed the necessary number of laps to gain another point for his Superlicence as he bids to earn a place on the Formula 1 grid in 2023. The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team had a busy session as both Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel completed more than forty laps each, but they were only seventeenth and eighteenth respectively, ahead only of Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and rookie Sargeant. Not much can be read into the results, and with a mixed up grid and a new pole sitter, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the final sprint race of the season. Can Magnussen hold onto the lead into turn one and fight off the challenges from behind. It’s going to be interesting to find out.

2022 FIA Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix – Free Practice 2
1 Esteban Ocon Alpine/Renault 11:14.604 28 207.929
2 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 11:14.788 0.184 36 207.418
3 George Russell Mercedes 11:14.916 0.312 31 207.063
4 Fernando Alonso Alpine/Renault 11:15.049 0.445 29 206.696
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull 11:15.098 0.494 30 206.562
6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 11:15.137 0.533 33 206.454
7 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri/Red Bull 11:15.636 1.032 32 205.092
8 Mick Schumacher Haas/Ferrari 11:15.684 1.080 40 204.962
9 Kevin Magnussen Haas/Ferrari 11:15.815 1.211 38 204.608
10 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 11:15.851 1.247 25 204.511
11 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 11:15.856 1.252 38 204.497
12 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri/Red Bull 11:15.865 1.261 32 204.473
13 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 11:15.868 1.264 37 204.465
14 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren/Mercedes 11:15.994 1.390 28 204.126
15 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 11:16.047 1.443 34 203.984
16 Nicholas Latifi Williams/Mercedes 11:16.181 1.577 34 203.625
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:16.263 1.659 43 203.406
18 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin/Mercedes 11:16.400 1.796 44 203.041
19 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo/Ferrari 11:16.468 1.864 37 202.861
20 Logan Sargeant Williams/Mercedes 11:16.480 1.876 28 202.829
 

Italian media react to latest Ferrari strategy blunder

The Italian media has reacted to the latest strategical error from Ferrari that cost Charles Leclerc a chance to fight for pole.

Corriere dello Sport sided with Leclerc, claiming the team were indecisive when making the switch during the changeable conditions. "It was chaos again, especially at Ferrari," the publication writes. "It started with the mechanics in Q1 not knowing what tyres to put under Leclerc's car.
"A decision had to be made: intermediates? Used softs, new softs? It ended up being the last one, but we saw a whirlwind on several tyres. When there was also a red flag for Russell's mistake, poor Leclerc had no chance at all. He came back into the pits with his head bowed. He still stood before the press, but you could clearly see that he was desperate."

Corriere della Sera was less forgiving of Leclerc claiming, like Damon Hill, that the Monegasque should take some of the blame for the indecision and compares him to Max Verstappen. "But it was also a mistake by Leclerc. He does not know how to keep a cool head during critical situations," they wrote. "On that front row we see Max Verstappen again, who does manage to stay in his own bubble in critical situations."

Italy's largest sports newspaper, The Gazzetta dello Sport, highlighted how the team were too late in telling Leclerc to pit for slicks at the start of Q3 before the red flag. "A bitter day for Leclerc," reads the publication. "He was the only one on intermediates, which made his first lap far from interesting. Then he was told to come in. "Nice one," was the Monegasque's answer."
 
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