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F1 2023

What ho!

It's the sensible GP this week at sensible Silverstone with a sensible programme of motoring.

With luck, the Styrofoam race stewards will have finished adding time penalties by then.

UK telly times will be:

Fri 7 Jul
FP1 - 12:30
FP2 - 16:00

Sat 8 Jul
FP3 - 11:30
Qual - 15:00

Sun 9 Jul
Race - 15:00

Fortify yourselves with a nice cup of tea and a plain digestive.

Pip pip!
 

Formula 1 announces calendar for 2024​


Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, approved by the World Motor Sport Council. The calendar features 24 races and begins in Bahrain on March 2 and finishes in Abu Dhabi on December 8.
Formula 1 has made clear its intention to move towards greater calendar regionalisation, reducing logistical burdens and making the season more sustainable. By moving Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September and Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi, this calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised.

For the opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Grand Prix will take place on a Saturday. This decision has been taken to accommodate Ramadan.

Speaking of the 2024 Formula 1 calendar announcement, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “I am delighted to announce the 2024 calendar with 24 races that will deliver an exciting season for our fans around the world. There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula 1, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues. “I want to thank all of the promoters and partners for their support and effort to achieve this great schedule. Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment. We have plenty of racing to look forward to in 2023, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our fans can look forward to more excitement next season. The planned 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, that has been approved by the Motor Sport Council Members, demonstrates some important steps towards our shared goals,” added Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA. We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the travelling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport. Stefano Domenicali and his team have done a great job to both bring in new and exciting venues in emerging markets for Formula 1, and stay true to the sport's long and remarkable heritage. Each race can only happen thanks to the collaboration between the FIA, FOM, the promoters, and the host ASNs who bring together the thousands of volunteer marshals and support personnel so that we can go racing, and as we forge ahead into the future we must ensure that our priorities grow and develop with the needs of society and what is best for our sport, our fans and our environment.”

Date Grand Prix Venue
February 29 – March 2BahrainSakhir
March 7-9Saudi ArabiaJeddah
March 22-24AustraliaMelbourne
April 5-7JapanSuzuka
April 19-21ChinaShanghai
May 3-5MiamiMiami
May 17-19Emilia RomagnaImola
May 24-26MonacoMonaco
June 7-9CanadaMontreal
June 21-23SpainBarcelona
June 28-30AustriaSpielberg
July 5-7United KingdomSilverstone
July 19-21HungaryBudapest
July 26-28BelgiumSpa
August 23-25NetherlandsZandvoort
August 30 – September 1ItalyMonza
September 13-15AzerbaijanBaku
September 20-22SingaporeSingapore
October 18-20USAAustin
October 25-27MexicoMexico City
November 1-3BrazilSao Paulo
November 21-23Las VegasLas Vegas
November 29 – December 1QatarLusail
December 6-8Abu DhabiYas Marina
 

McLaren Unveils Special Chrome Livery for British Grand Prix in Collaboration with Google​

McLaren Racing, in partnership with Google, has announced a special Chrome livery for the McLaren MCL60 F1 cars, set to debut at the upcoming 2023 British Grand Prix. This unique livery pays homage to McLaren’s beloved chrome design, which adorned their cars from 2006 to 2014, during a period that saw Lewis Hamilton clinch the Driver’s World Championship in 2008, coinciding with the launch of Google’s revolutionary Chrome browser.

This special Chrome livery forms part of McLaren’s ongoing 60th-anniversary celebrations, which have seen the team revisit various heritage liveries, including a tribute to the iconic Triple Crown achievement. Throughout the entire British Grand Prix race weekend, both MCL60 race cars will proudly display the Chrome livery. McLaren F1 Team driver Lando Norris will also embrace the occasion with a specially designed helmet and bespoke boots, while both Lando and teammate Oscar Piastri will sport unique race suits.
The grand unveiling of the livery took place on 3 July at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, with Norris, Piastri, and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown in attendance.

Commenting on the collaboration, Brown expressed his excitement, saying, “It’s no secret that racing fans love McLaren’s classic chrome livery. Google Chrome wanted to bring back elements of this iconic livery to celebrate our team’s history at the British Grand Prix, and we’re excited to be able to give our fans what they want.”

Nick Drake, VP Global Marketing at Google, also shared his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “It’s been a privilege for the Google Chrome team to work with McLaren on bringing back elements of an iconic livery to inspire this takeover. We were delighted with the fans’ reaction to the branded wheel covers that introduced our partnership, and now Google Chrome is putting chrome back on the McLaren for its home race. We’re looking forward to Silverstone and hope all McLaren fans enjoy what promises to be a really exciting weekend of racing.”

The McLaren Chrome livery is set to create a nostalgic atmosphere for fans, evoking fond memories of McLaren’s historic racing moments. As the team prepares to showcase the special livery at their home race, anticipation grows for an exhilarating weekend of action at Silverstone.1688555696471.png
 
Jesus wept, F1 sure supports some pretty repressive regimes :(

Let's see which countries have the worst record on human rights, shall we?

Abu Dhabi (UAE) 34th worst
Qatar 36th worst
China 11th worst
Saudi Arabia 7th worst
Azerbaijan 33rd worst
Bahrain 25th worst

Source: Human Rights

Looking on the bright side, at least there isn't a North Korean Grand Prix.

Yet.
 

Lewis's new contract​

Word is that the stumbling block is the length of time of the contract. It is claimed Lewis wants 5 years and Mercedes are only offering 1 year, with a one year extention. It is reported he wants £250 million a year but both parties have said money is't the issue. Additionally, Hamilton is said to be interested in a 10-year brand ambassador role with an annual salary of approximately £20 million for when he retires.

How close this is to reality is just speculation, but if it is contract length I'd guess they'll go for 2 years possibly with a 1 year extension.
 

Friday Practice 1 Result​

Pos Driver Nat.Team Time
1Max VerstappenNEDOracle Red Bull Racing1m28.600s
2Sergio PerezMEXOracle Bull Racing1m29.048s
3Alex AlbonTHAWilliams Racing1m29.089s
4Fernando AlonsoESPAston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team1m29.268s
5Charles LeclercMONScuderia Ferrari1m29.280s
6Esteban OconFRABWT Alpine F1 Team1m29.319s
7Carlos SainzESPScuderia Ferrari1m29.357s
8Lando NorrisGBRMcLaren F1 Team1m29.441s
9Lance StrollCANAston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team1m29.471s
10Oscar PiastriAUSMcLaren F1 Team1m29.658s
11Nyck de VriesNEDScuderia AlphaTauri1m29.691s
12Lewis HamiltonGBRMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team1m29.768s
13Pierre GaslyFRABWT Alpine F1 Team1m29.828s
14George RussellGBRMercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team1m29.874s
15Valtteri BottasFINAlfa Romeo F1 Team Stake1m30.090s
16Yuki TsunodaJPNScuderia AlphaTauri 1m30.092s
17Logan SargeantUSAWilliams Racing1m30.124s
18Zhou GuanyuCHNAlfa Romeo F1 Team Stake1m30.321s
19Kevin MagnussenDENMoneyGram Haas F1 Team1m30.385s
20Nico HulkenbergGERMoneyGram Haas F1 Team1m30.591s
 

F1 legend Stewart suffered stroke​

Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has revealed he suffered a stroke shortly after the Miami Grand Prix. The 84-year-old Stewart is the sport’s oldest surviving title winner, having claimed the championship in 1969, 1971, and 1973. He retired from the sport at the end of his final championship-winning campaign but has remained an active figure within it ever since.

Having worked as a commentator and pundit, he continues to perform ambassadorial duties for Rolex, among others. That sees him travel to a number of events globally, leaving him as busy now as he was during his racing career. Stewart has now revealed that, following the Miami Grand Prix, he suffered a stroke while in Jordan for a wedding. The three-time world champion was there to witness the marriage of Crown Prince Hussein.

“This was the night before the wedding,” Stewart said. “I got up in the night feeling strange. I just dropped. And then I can’t remember. I was unconscious for quite a long time. I was taken to hospital in Jordan. My son Paul and his wife were there for the wedding, in a bedroom on a different floor. To this day I don’t know how I got to Paul’s room, but I must have been somewhat alert to get hold of him. They got me into an ambulance, but I have no recall of that either. His Majesty got the best doctors available for me. I wanted to get home as fast as possible, and the Crown Prince of Bahrain very generously gave his aircraft to fly me back to Europe. By then I was pretty much okay. I wasn’t walking very well though.”

Since then, he’s undergone physiotherapy and is able to walk “almost completely perfectly.” Stewart has since recovered and is set to be back in the F1 paddock at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
 

Free Practice 2 Result​

Results (Classification):
  1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing -1:28.078
  2. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.022
  3. Alex Albon Williams Racing +0.218
  4. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.264
  5. Logan Sargeant Williams Racing +0.688
  6. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.788
  7. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.802
  8. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.811
  9. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.848
  10. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.056
  11. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +1.147
  12. George Russell Mercedes +1.160
  13. Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.164
  14. Lando Norris McLaren +1.182
  15. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +1.205
  16. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1.300
  17. Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.361
  18. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +1.405
  19. Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri +1.493
  20. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari No time
 
Free Practice 3
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:27.419 24 242.597
2 Alexander Albon Williams 1:27.592 0.173 14 242.118
3 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:27.784 0.365 17 241.588
4 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:27.893 0.474 19 241.288
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.948 0.529 16 241.137
6 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:27.964 0.545 21 241.094
7 Logan Sargeant Williams 1:28.151 0.732 16 240.582
8 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:28.266 0.847 19 240.269
9 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.284 0.865 17 240.220
10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1:28.337 0.918 21 240.076
11 Nyck de Vries AlphaTauri 1:28.504 1.085 20 239.623
12 Lando Norris McLaren 1:28.563 1.144 18 239.463
13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:28.620 1.201 15 239.309
14 Sergio Pérez Red Bull 1:28.904 1.485 19 238.544
15 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:29.207 1.788 13 237.734
16 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:29.233 1.814 22 237.665
17 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:29.437 2.018 20 237.123
18 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:29.586 2.167 15 236.728
19 Nico Hülkenberg Haas 1:33.590 6.171 13 226.601
20 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo - 2
 

Williams issue statement as rumour mill fires up over mystery technical director​

Williams’ long-awaited new technical director may be already signed, according to rumours at Silverstone. Following on from the departure of F.X. Demaison from the technical director role at Williams over the winter, new team boss James Vowles has taken his time about finding his own feet at Grove while evaluating possible signings. Vowles has made it clear that, while signing a technical director has been a pressing matter, he has been eager to ensure the signing is the correct one for the long-term future of the Williams squad.

Have Williams found their new technical director?
With Demaison having followed former team boss and CEO Jost Capito out the door of Williams prior to Vowles’ arrival, it’s left a large and glaring vacancy in the technical ranks at Williams. Recently, Vowles indicated that a new technical director may have already been signed and an announcement of the signing imminent. The rumours at Silverstone are that former Renault technical director Nick Chester has been signed up by Vowles to lead the technical department at Grove. Chester has spent the vast majority of his F1 career at Enstone, with his leading roles seeing him as racing engineer for Lotus and succeeding James Allison as technical director between 2013 and 2019.

Chester then joined the Mercedes Formula E team, working as their technical director from mid-2020. Chester’s own professional social media profile indicates he is currently working for a “top-tier motorsport team” based in Banbury in the UK – the hub of Andretti’s Formula E team. The understanding is that Chester has been working with Andretti in aiding their preparations for a potential Formula 1 entry through the FIA tender process.

Have Williams confirmed the signing of Nick Chester?
Williams spokesperson as asked for comment on the rumours regarding Chester joining their team, with the team choosing to neither confirm nor deny. “We are actively recruiting for a number of senior positions,” said the spokesperson. “We will take our time to find the right people for the open roles. We do not comment on rumours on specific people.”
 

100 soldiers deployed at British GP​

Amid fears of a protest from Just Stop Oil activists, 100 soldiers have been deployed at the British Grand Prix this weekend, in a bid to thwart any of the organisation’s plans. Just Stop Oil activists did invade the track on the opening lap at the Silverstone International Circuit last season, after they breached security at the Wellington Straight. Five activists ran onto the Wellington Straight, much to the shock of several drivers. Due to a huge barrel roll crash for Zhou Guanyu at the opening corner, the race was immediately red flagged, which meant the drivers weren’t going past the activists at full speed.

Given how prominent the activists have been at sporting events in the UK this year, an attempted protest is expected on Sunday. Just Stop Oil activists recently disrupted a tennis match at Wimbledon during the week, where they threw orange glitter and jigsaw pieces onto the court. In a bid to stop any protest from happening, security has been heightened. Intense bag searches are being conducted and facial recognition is being used, whilst Northamptonshire police will be guarding the circuit’s fencing.

The army will also be present at Silverstone, where they’ll be positioned around the track. A plan to reduce the risk of a protest has been devised by Silverstone bosses, F1, Northamptonshire police and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Silverstone chief executive Stuart Pringle is hopeful that “serious disruption” will be avoided throughout the British GP; however, he has stressed that everyone must “work together” to thwart a protest. “We need to work together to ensure the weekend passes without serious disruption,” Pringle said.

Should any protest take place, then there will be hopes that it doesn’t take place on a live circuit like last season, something which could prove to be deadly. F1 bosses will likely see it as an accomplishment if they can get through every session without any interruption from Just Stop Oil this weekend, in order to keep everybody safe and to stick to the tight schedule. With 480,000 fans expected to be in attendance across the weekend at Silverstone, it’s certainly going to be a packed affair.

[Not sure how I feel about soldiers being used to police a protest, kind of goes again the grain for me]
 
1%er said:

Lewis's new contract​

Word is that the stumbling block is the length of time of the contract. It is claimed Lewis wants 5 years and Mercedes are only offering 1 year, with a one year extention. It is reported he wants £250 million a year but both parties have said money is't the issue. Additionally, Hamilton is said to be interested in a 10-year brand ambassador role with an annual salary of approximately £20 million for when he retires.

How close this is to reality is just speculation, but if it is contract length I'd guess they'll go for 2 years possibly with a 1 year extension.
Click to expand...
£250m for a man who has lost the last two F1 titles, and is currently sitting 5th with 35% of the points of the utterly magnificent Verstappen? What is Hamilton smoking?
 
1%er said:

F1 legend Stewart suffered stroke​

Formula 1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has revealed he suffered a stroke shortly after the Miami Grand Prix. The 84-year-old Stewart is the sport’s oldest surviving title winner, having claimed the championship in 1969, 1971, and 1973. He retired from the sport at the end of his final championship-winning campaign but has remained an active figure within it ever since.

Having worked as a commentator and pundit, he continues to perform ambassadorial duties for Rolex, among others. That sees him travel to a number of events globally, leaving him as busy now as he was during his racing career. Stewart has now revealed that, following the Miami Grand Prix, he suffered a stroke while in Jordan for a wedding. The three-time world champion was there to witness the marriage of Crown Prince Hussein.

“This was the night before the wedding,” Stewart said. “I got up in the night feeling strange. I just dropped. And then I can’t remember. I was unconscious for quite a long time. I was taken to hospital in Jordan. My son Paul and his wife were there for the wedding, in a bedroom on a different floor. To this day I don’t know how I got to Paul’s room, but I must have been somewhat alert to get hold of him. They got me into an ambulance, but I have no recall of that either. His Majesty got the best doctors available for me. I wanted to get home as fast as possible, and the Crown Prince of Bahrain very generously gave his aircraft to fly me back to Europe. By then I was pretty much okay. I wasn’t walking very well though.”

Since then, he’s undergone physiotherapy and is able to walk “almost completely perfectly.” Stewart has since recovered and is set to be back in the F1 paddock at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Click to expand...
Very glad to hear that.
 
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