Indeliblelink
\......👁&👁......./
Seems confirmed now.
F1 2023
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
MrCurry
right after this urgent rest
Wow… they don’t take prisoners do they? I wonder if Ricc can use this as a springboard to a full time seat? Would RBR really consider him to replace Perez next year? Only if he really rules over Tsunoda second half of this year I guess.
Shame for De Vries. He was so highly rated I really expected him to be beating the somewhat variable Tsunoda this year, but he just hasn’t.
Shame for De Vries. He was so highly rated I really expected him to be beating the somewhat variable Tsunoda this year, but he just hasn’t.
Indeliblelink
\......👁&👁......./
A few notes on De Vries firing and why they didn't go for Liam Lawson at this time. From RBR News on twitter.
- Decision to sack De Vries done earlier than expected after sim data comparisons between Daniel, Yuki and Nyck
- Nyck did not hit sim benchmarks set by Yuki
- Nyck was given a few more rounds to try and hit those benchmarks on the track
- Sponsors saw Daniel more profitable, and seen as key to AT's rebranding
- Liam is still part of Red Bull's future
- Liam's success in SF [Super Formula Championship] exeeded expectations
- Helmut does not want Liam's development interupted mid season, combined with how poor the AT04 is
- Depending on Daniel's performance post Hungary, Liam will be given the AT seat in 2024, or found another seat a la Albon
- If none of these occur, he is 100% secured the future AT brand seat in 2025
- RB is very sure that Honda wants to take Yuki with them to Aston Martin, hence why he is seemingly not part of Red Bull seat plans
- Also why Helmut has honestly mentioned, they do not have a replacement for Checo
- So far, Checo is still safe until the end of his contract
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dessiato
🇪🇸 my spirit is crying for leaving
When I look at Checo's performance he seems to have gone off round about the time he was possibly going to lead the championship. It's as if Max wasn't going to let Checo beat him on the track so other means were found. Idle speculation on my part of course.
MrCurry
right after this urgent rest
I think he put himself under too much pressure to beat Max and started overdriving and making mistakes he wouldn’t normally have made.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Originally, the first F1 circuit behind the Iron Curtain was intended to be a street circuit similar to Monaco. Happily, the Hungarian government chose to build a proper, dedicated race circuit - a move that more all wannabe hosts should copy. Construction of the Hungaroring took just eight months.
Unfortunately, the "like Monaco" part of the brief bedazzled the architects. It's difficult to overtake in the dry. Apparently, it's nicknamed "Monaco without the barriers", which sounds like the sort of bollocks journalists make up when they think they've had a clever idea. But no, in this case being shite was part of the brief.
Anyhoo, here are the telly times for this week's revels:
Fri 21 July
FP1 - 12:30
FP2 - 16:00
Sat 22 July
FP3 - 11:30
Qual - 15:00
Sun 23 July
Race - 14:00
So let us all practise our Hungarian with a timely prayer for some entertainment:
Reméljük, hogy a Red Bull autói megtelnek mókuspisivel. Ámen.
Unfortunately, the "like Monaco" part of the brief bedazzled the architects. It's difficult to overtake in the dry. Apparently, it's nicknamed "Monaco without the barriers", which sounds like the sort of bollocks journalists make up when they think they've had a clever idea. But no, in this case being shite was part of the brief.
Anyhoo, here are the telly times for this week's revels:
Fri 21 July
FP1 - 12:30
FP2 - 16:00
Sat 22 July
FP3 - 11:30
Qual - 15:00
Sun 23 July
Race - 14:00
So let us all practise our Hungarian with a timely prayer for some entertainment:
Reméljük, hogy a Red Bull autói megtelnek mókuspisivel. Ámen.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Overtaking can be done there… you just need to be Nigel Mansell… 
MrCurry
right after this urgent rest
Overtaking can be done there… you just need to be Nigel Mansell…
Didn’t Mansell once qualify on the back of the grid then overtake most (all?) of the field? Seems to stick in my mind as a Mansell achievement.
1%er
Well-Known Member
FIA to show green light to two new F1 teams
Formula 1 could be in for a showdown with its governing body at the end of the application process for up to two new teams as early as 2025. Several applicants went through the FIA’s tender process and it is believed two of them may now have been told by the Paris-based federation that they meet the criteria. “It looks like Andretti and Hitech will get the seal of approval from the FIA,” Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt said. “They are both in a position to enter Formula 1 in terms of technology, personnel and finances,” he added.Andretti’s Cadillac-backed bid has been the most prominent, while Formula 2 outfit Hitech is also vowing to enter the sport with backing from Kazakh billionaire Vladimir Kim. The stumbling block, however, is not only the objection of many of the existing F1 teams including Ferrari with its special veto power but also Liberty Media and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur says he is not convinced by the argument that F1 would greatly benefit from having a full-on American team like Andretti on the grid. “The attractiveness of F1 is much more based on the nationality of the drivers. It’s nothing to do with the nationality of the team,” Vasseur said.
As for Domenicali, he is believed to be at loggerheads with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, arguing that Liberty Media must also be able to control which teams get approval to enter the sport. “As we’ve always said,” Domenicali said, “we need to make sure the decision is right for the company.” Earlier this year, Andretti accused F1’s existing teams of being “greedy” by not wanting to open the sport up to an eleventh entrant.
“I probably shouldn’t have used the word,” he is quoted as telling Speed Week. “In the end, of course, everyone thinks mainly about themselves and I probably would have done the same thing in their shoes. I don’t blame the teams,” the 60-year-old former McLaren driver added. “It’s a very, very expensive sport and everyone is incredibly committed. They have to protect themselves and I understand that. But in the end they don’t make the decision. That decision still rests with the FIA and with FOM.”
1%er
Well-Known Member
FIA releases statement on 3 teams violating cost cap
Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the FIA have insisted that rumours over potential cost cap breaches are “unfounded”, as the release of last season’s financial reports edges ever closer. It’s been suggested by Auto Motor und Sport and Motorsport.com that the three teams have potentially breached the 2022 budget cap, a rumour the governing body have disregarded. The FIA have informed that there is not set to be any delay to the release of last season’s financial reports, something which will be welcomed by the paddock.The FIA’s auditing process is supposedly still ongoing, which is how the governing body know that the rumours over three possible breaches are “unfounded”. “The FIA are telling me that any suggestion of delay to the process because of more in-depth investigations this year, these reports carry stories of the FIA going in and investigating whether some of the teams are using other projects to mask development on an F1 car as well, the FIA are telling me there’s no delay because of that,” Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater said. “And also saying that talk of potential breaches at this stage are unfounded. So that’s the position of the governing body.”
Mercedes and Ferrari have both distanced themselves from the rumours, whilst Red Bull will be keen not to be dragged into budget cap conversations once again. The Austrians infamously breached the 2021 cap by around £1.8 million, resulting in a $7 million fine and a 10% reduction in their permitted wind tunnel time for 12 months. Red Bull have almost served the entirety of their punishment, which will conclude towards the end of the year.
How soon any breaches will be announced remains to be seen, although, the governing body will be keen to avoid a similar leak to last season. The paddock was aware of Red Bull’s breach last season well before it was announced by the governing body, something which resulted in some ugly accusations. Whether the same happens this season will likely depend on who the guilty teams are, if there are actually any at all.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Red Bull’s new sidepods ‘worth 0.2s’ uncovered in Hungary
Red Bull have unveiled their new-look sidepods, the non-McLaren and non-Alpine-pods said to be worth two-tenths of a second per lap. Although Red Bull have dominated this year’s championship, the runaway championship leaders P1 on both logs and by a significant margin, the Milton Keynes squad is by no means resting on its laurels. Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix race weekend, the event in which Red Bull will challenge and look to break McLaren’s 1988 record of 11 wins in a row, Max Verstappen stated: “We have a couple of upgrades this weekend, hopefully they will do what we expect them to do so we can find extra performance for the upcoming races. Let’s see where we stand on a track where you run high downforce with relatively low speed corners.”Red Bull’s new sidepods said to be worth ‘two-tenths’ per lap
Those upgrades of which he spoke of were said to include new-look sidepods that Auto Motor und Sport claims are worth the equivalent of the team’s Baku step forward, i.e “two-tenths of a second” per lap. The revised sidepods, initially reported as being in line with McLaren or Alpine’s version of Red Bull’s downwash concept, are now being billed as their own take on the McLaren/Alpine take of the Red Bull take, and they also come with a cooling system upgrade. The inlets have evolved with the new ‘letterbox’ look that is wider and shorter compared to what the team ran in Baku, which marked Red Bull’s most recent big upgrade.
Verstappen will line up on the Hungaroring grid chasing his seventh win in succession, which would mark Red Bull’s 12th with the team’s streak having begun last season in Abu Dhabi. That would be a new Formula 1 record with McLaren and Red Bull jointly holding the current record of 11 wins in a row which McLaren achieved back in 1988.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Second big Alpine change in 10 days as contentious Rossi exits
Laurent Rossi has been replaced as Alpine CEO and will move onto “special projects” in the second major change in 10 days that impacts its Formula 1 team. Rossi was put in charge of Renault’s Alpine brand in 2021 but is now succeeded by Philippe Krief, who was only appointed Alpine’s vice president of engineering and product performance in February this year. This announcement comes 10 days after Alpine restructured its organisation by promoting Bruno Famin to the newly created position of vice president of Alpine motorsports. That effectively put more distance between the car company and the racing division, including the F1 team.Alpine F1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer reports to Famin, who remains the head of the engine division, instead of the CEO. Given Rossi’s approach in the role, the restructure looked like a move that would allow the Enstone and Viry departments to operate with less interference from the corporate level, as Famin would presumably act as a ‘shield’ to let the F1 operation focus more. The F1 team has been through significant changes in Rossi’s tenure, and not all for the good. Rossi’s time in charge has encompassed the exits of Marcin Budkowski and Alain Prost, the appointment of Otmar Szafnauer as team principal, and the loss of Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri as drivers.
Rossi initially seemed like a necessary counterpoint to the Renault works team’s stagnation. He spent most of 2021 identifying areas to improve and spoke plainly about what he perceived as its limitations. He did ultimately oversee a better 2022 season, in which Alpine regained fourth in the constructors’ championship, but as his role also included building the Alpine brand there was a growing sense that the F1 team was part of a marketing exercise rather than a focused, elite sporting entity. When the team had a disappointing start to the season, Rossi was outspoken in his criticism and threatened to make changes before 2023 ended if he did not see a turnaround – then partially took credit when the team scored a podium at the very next race.
After a promising start it felt like Rossi’s leadership had not evolved in a particularly productive manner for the team. And having essentially threatened to oust senior figures it is curious that he himself is now moving on – although it is unclear if Rossi is instead himself a victim of decisive action from Renault. It seems he is at least out of the F1 picture entirely, though, as Renault has only vaguely stated he will now “focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the group”.
Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo, who appointed Rossi in the first place, said: “I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine. “Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals.” In his place comes Krief, a vastly experienced executive with an engineering background that includes Michelin, the Fiat Group, Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo. He was director of engineering at Ferrari before joining Alpine and will now be tasked with overseeing a brand still trying to establish itself beyond its niche roots. Whether that means taking a more active role in the F1 team, which is a cornerstone of the Alpine plan, remains to be seen based on the structure only implemented a week and a half ago. If he does then it will need to be less confrontational than the relationship his predecessor had by the end.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Hungarian Grand Prix FP1
1. George Russell (Mercedes): 1:38.7952. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.359
3. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin): +1.218
4. Lando Norris (McLaren): +1.482
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin): +1.892
6. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo): +2.237
7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): +2.347
8. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo): +2.568
9. Logan Sargeant (Williams): +2.621
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas): +3.911
11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas): +4.111
12. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri): +6.780
13. Alex Albon (Williams): +8.608
14. Daniel Ricciardo (Aston Martin): NO TIME
15. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari): NO TIME
16. Sergio Perez (Red Bull): NO TIME
17. Esteban Ocon (Alpine): NO TIME
18. Pierre Gasly (Alpine): NO TIME
19. Max Verstappen (Red Bull): NO TIME
20. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): NO TIME
1%er
Well-Known Member
Second Practice Result
Results (Classification):- Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari -1:17.686
- Lando Norris McLaren +0.015
- Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.232
- Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +0.248
- Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.359
- Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.372
- Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.399
- Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.419
- Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +0.422
- Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.496
- Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.593
- Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.633
- Alex Albon Williams Racing +0.691
- Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri +0.699
- Kevin Magnussen Haas +0.818
- Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +1.060
- Logan Sargeant Williams Racing +1.150
- Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +1.292
- Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.431
- George Russell Mercedes +1.489
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Oh bloody hell, Rosberg's back.
Still, he's a (small) step up on the infants Sky were parading yesterday as "junior reporters".
Come on, Sky, give your head a wobble.
You spoke too soon.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Makes me cringe whenever the winsome muppets appear on screen, and grown-up humans pretend the children are doing well and are the "Scoop" Kravitz of tomorrow.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Free Practice Results 3
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a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
For all F1 cars' hideous appearance and how the "sport" lacks the glamour and charisma of years gone by, I have to confess I'm amazed just how closely matched the current cars are.
Just over a second covers the entire field in FP3.
Compare that to, say, Hungary 1989 (when Mansell came from 12th on the grid to win passing Senna in one of the best overtaking moves ever!) where, in qualifying, the gap from first to last was over 6.5 seconds.
Ok, it's not a fair comparison because, back then, there were thirty (THIRTY!!!) cars (can you imagine that now???) but even so the gap from pole (Riccardo Patrese, Williams-Renault, 1:19.726) to 20th (Satoru Nakajima, Lotus-Judd, 1:22.630) was almost three seconds.
And that's not even mention the cars' astonishing reliability these days. In '89 only 13 cars were still running at the end of the race...
Just over a second covers the entire field in FP3.
Compare that to, say, Hungary 1989 (when Mansell came from 12th on the grid to win passing Senna in one of the best overtaking moves ever!) where, in qualifying, the gap from first to last was over 6.5 seconds.
Ok, it's not a fair comparison because, back then, there were thirty (THIRTY!!!) cars (can you imagine that now???) but even so the gap from pole (Riccardo Patrese, Williams-Renault, 1:19.726) to 20th (Satoru Nakajima, Lotus-Judd, 1:22.630) was almost three seconds.
And that's not even mention the cars' astonishing reliability these days. In '89 only 13 cars were still running at the end of the race...
1%er
Well-Known Member
First look at FIA’s ‘spray guard’ design to improve wet weather visibility
The FIA has issued images of the ‘spray guard’ design it is testing as it seeks to improve the visibility problems drivers encounter in wet races. The problem has become especially severe in Formula 1 where several races have been disrupted by poor weather in recent years. The Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka was disrupted by a downpour last year and in 2021 the Belgian Grand Prix was abandoned after just three laps behind the Safety Car due to persistent heavy race at Spa-Francorchamps.The FIA is seeking a solution which can also be used in junior categories of single-seater racing. The danger of racing in wet conditions was highlighted in a crash at Spa three weeks ago which claimed the life of Dilano van ‘t Hoff. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced last year the governing body had begun investigating whether a bodywork package could be added to F1 cars in wet races to reduce the spray they generate and improve visibility. Mercedes and McLaren participated in the first track test of the design at Silverstone last week.
The bodywork is installed behind and above each of the car’s four wheels. It is intended to cut the amount of water thrown into the air by car tyres, which can displace huge volumes of water on a wet track. While teams have welcomed the FIA’s efforts to improve safety in wet conditions, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said the first test indicates more work is needed on the design. “They’re not ready to be moved into production and regulation at the moment so there’s definitely work to do,” he said. “They do improve the spray that you get from the tyres, but you still get a lot coming from the diffuser and the way that the rear wings are pulling it up.”
1%er
Well-Known Member
Hungarian GP signs new contract extension
F1 has agreed to a new contract with the promoters of the Hungarian Grand Prix that will see the race remain on the calendar through to 2032. The five-year extension has been made following an agreement that the Hungaroring will undergo significant modernisation, which includes the construction of a new pit building and main grandstand. F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said: “It is great news to announce the extension of the Hungarian Grand Prix for an additional five years as we return for another action-packed weekend at the Hungaroring. It is a very special circuit next to the incredible city of Budapest, and one all of the drivers and our fans look forward to on the calendar. To see the commitment from the promoter in Hungary to develop the facilities and further enhance the experience for fans is another important step, and something we want to see all our events doing in order to continue to improve and make our races even better.”The race has been a permanent feature on the calendar since 1986, even stepping into the breach through the Covid era. Expressing his pride at the new deal, Hungaroring CEO and president Zsolt Gyulay said: “Given the astonishing rise in F1’s global popularity, which now sees more venues than ever before competing to join the calendar, today’s signing marks a hugely significant achievement for us. Fittingly, the updates to our famous circuit – which include renovations to our main paddock building, main grandstand and spectator zones – are expected to be completed by 2026. It will be a source of great satisfaction to host the teams and fans, who will always be our main priority, at a world-class venue that will reflect the high standards you come to expect for an F1 race weekend. My colleagues and I began work on this significant development project eight years ago and today’s announcement acts as the crowning accomplishment for our collective efforts. I would therefore like to thank everyone involved in getting us to this point today and look forward to many more years of premium F1 racing at the Hungaroring.“
a_chap
When the world came apart, where were you?
WTF???
And just when I thought F1 cars couldn't get any fucking uglier
Here, as a balm for the soul, feast your eyes on these...
And this...
And this...
I could go on.
