F1 2023
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
souljacker
innit
This is going to be shit isn't it
Zapp Brannigan
Built like a steakhouse, handles like a bistro
This is ridiculous. Having let the storm pass over, not a single driver wants to be on full wets yet the rules force it.
This shouldn't be a safety car start, the FIA are wasting the first few laps of an already short race and they're artificially creating a scenario with 20 simultaneous pitstops - a mechanic is going to get run over.
This shouldn't be a safety car start, the FIA are wasting the first few laps of an already short race and they're artificially creating a scenario with 20 simultaneous pitstops - a mechanic is going to get run over.
1%er
Well-Known Member
2023 F1 Belgian GP sprint results
Cla | Nº | Driver | Car / Engine | Laps | Time |
1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 11 | - |
2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes | 11 | -6.677 |
3 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault | 11 | -10.733 |
4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 11 | -12.648 |
5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 11 | -15.016 |
6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes | 11 | -16.052 |
7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 11 | -16.757 |
8 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 11 | -16.822 |
9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault | 11 | -22.410 |
10 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 11 | -22.806 |
11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 11 | -25.007 |
12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams/Mercedes | 11 | -26.303 |
13 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 11 | -27.006 |
14 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 11 | -32.986 |
15 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo/Ferrari | 11 | -36.342 |
16 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams/Mercedes | 11 | -37.571 |
17 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas/Ferrari | 11 | -37.827 |
18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri/Honda RBPT | 11 | -39.267 |
- | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT | 8 | - |
- | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes | 2 | - |
1%er
Well-Known Member
Lewis Hamilton gets controversial Belgian Grand Prix penalty
Lewis Hamilton was given a controversial penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix after taking a chunk out of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull. The Mercedes driver, who was flying towards a podium from a qualifying position of seventh, had his chances ended in Saturday’s sprint race with a five-second penalty.The race stewards deemed that he ’caused a collision’ during a spicy coming-together with Perez. The Mexican was dropping like a stone as he complained about a lack of rear grip, and when Hamilton made a move to pass, the pair touched in the final sector. Hamilton continued to battle Pierre Gasly for a podium, while Perez later went off of the track and then retired. Recalling the incident during replays, ex-F1 driver Martin Brundle declared it a ‘racing incident’.
1%er
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Strategy guide for the Belgian Grand Prix
Despite having collected only a very limited amount of data so far this weekend, Pirelli expects that the two-stop strategy will emerge as the fastest approach to complete today's 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix. F1Technical's senior writer Balázs Szabó dwells on possible race strategies for today's Spa F1 race. Despite Spa being a very challenging track for tyres, teams have relatively soft compounds to work with at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. Pirelli has nominated the the C2 as P Zero White hard, C3 as P Zero Yellow medium and C4 as P Zero Red soft for the Spa F1 weekend that features the third sprint format in 2023.In fact, the tyre selection is the same as it was last year, meaning that teams can build on the data and experience they gained a year ago. However, it is still an exciting choice considering the nature of the 7.004km Spa circuit. The longest track on the Formula One calendar Francorchamps is a circuit where the tyres are subjected to considerable forces. The most challenging part for tyres is the compression at Eau Rouge followed by the climb up to Raidillon: consisting of a high speed left-hand turn, where the downforce squashes the car into the ground, followed by another high-speed right-left kink where the car goes light at the top of the hill onto the Kemmel straight.
What is the weather doing today?
Heavy rains have wreaked havoc on the Spa-Francorchamps event throughout the weekend, causing disruptions and delays. Saturday’s F1 action needed to be delayed with both the sprint shootout qualifying and the sprint itself having kicked off later than planned due to heavy showers. Because of the tragic death of race drivers in the past at the Spa track, FIA is taking extra care of the conditions and only allows on-track action when it feels it is safe for the drivers. That is why the action had to be delayed multiple times over the weekend.
While Friday and Saturday turned into a washout on multiple occasions, Sunday should feature better climatic conditions. Currently, there is no rain at Spa. The F3 race started on damp surface in the morning, but the F2 and the Porsche Supercup races took place in dry conditions. However, rain is forecasted for the evening, and there is a 30% chance of rain for the grand prix itself, with the possibility of showers increasing for the closing stages of the 44-lap race.
Tyre allocation will not play a significant role today. While drivers were heavily limited at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix in terms of tyre allocation with only 11 sets having been available at the Hungaroring, the Spa race weekend saw the normality return. Every driver has had 13 sets of slick tyres to play with during the three-day race weekend. Moreover, as the the opening practice and the sprint race took place in wet conditions and the qualifying and the sprint qualifying were also held in partly damp conditions, drivers have hardly used slick tyres so far.
These challenging damp climatic conditions mean that every driver has at least one fresh set of hard, three new sets of mediums and two fresh sets of softs for today’s race. It means that the allocation will not be a limiting factor in finding the best strategy for today’s 44-lap Belgian race.
Clear picture despite limited running
As for the strategy, nearly all the teams opted for a two-stop strategy last year with all three compounds having been used throughout the 2022 Spa F1 race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lined up 14th on the grid after a penalty but won the race with a great fightback, starting on the softs and then completing two stints on the medium. Like last year, the two-stop strategy is emerging as a clear favourite as far as the race strategy is concerned today. With the soft compound having showed relatively good durability, Pirelli expects drivers to start the race on the soft compound to have a good intial grip off the line and in the first laps.
At the moment, the fastest strategy looks like to switch from the softs to a set of medium and end the race on the same yellow-banded compound. However, another two-stop strategy to complete today’s 44-lap race run is to swap the softs on Lap 15 to mediums before completing the last stage of the race on another fresh set of softs. The one-stop strategy could also be viable at Spa as well, albeit it would depend on traffic, possible virtual or real safety car interruptions and strategy decisions of rivals. If someone opts for a single stop, it would still be possible to start on the soft compound, but the medium could be a safer option. However, after the opening stint on either on the medium or the soft compound, the one-stop strategy would involve a second, very long stint on the white-walled hard compound.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
And he was miming.
1%er
Well-Known Member
FIA presidents reveals when new F1 teams will be confirmed
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is hopeful that the governing body can announce “next month” which teams have been granted permission to join Formula 1, as soon as 2025. The FIA opened up applications to prospective new teams in February, despite the majority of the paddock and F1 itself being against the move. The likes of Andretti, Carlin and Hitech are all believed to have submitted an application, with just four grid spots being available. Formula Equal and LKY SUNZ have also submitted an application, with the FIA set to make an announcement shortly.Ben Sulayem has stressed that the governing body are taking the process very seriously, with the FIA not wanting “just any team” in F1. “I hope we can make the announcement next month,” Ben Sulayem told reporters. “We are talking about serious people and we don’t want to exclude anyone without a thorough review of the applications we have received. We are talking about big names and big money,” the FIA president added. “I think the letter of intent was the right decision and the contract says that there can be 12 teams in the F1 field. Of course, we don’t want just any team,” he insisted, “we want A teams and we need a car manufacturer, I prefer manufacturers because it would be good for the sport. We’ve taken our time, the FIA team has worked very hard on the letter of intent, we’ve had meetings with the teams to review their bids and I think we’ll have a final decision in four to six weeks.”
Despite Ben Sulayem’s excitement, F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali remains very much against the grid expanding beyond 20 cars. “I’m not changing my mind,” Domenicali told Motorsport.com earlier in July. “It’s not the money, as we have said, and I don’t want to anticipate anything because there is a process and I think that I have respect for the fact the FIA launched their process, and very soon we will arrive at the conclusion. As we always said, we need to make sure that the decision is right for the business,” the ex-Ferrari boss added. “And this is what I think is the duty of the FIA and us together, that has to be taken. There are positives and negatives, that’s part of the evaluation that we’re doing. So I cannot spoil or anticipate anything.”
1%er
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Formula 1 drivers and prime minister fail to contain laughter at bizarre Belgian Grand Prix national anthem
Formula 1 pre-race national anthems are often quite different, but it’s not usual to see half of the grid failing to contain their laughter. That was certainly the case at the Belgian Grand Prix when popstar act Antoine Delie gave his best rendition, only to have the grid looking back at him smirking. Rather bizarrely draped in a Belgian flag cape with flame shaped glasses, the French act pulled out some bold moves as he was surrounded by cheerleaders in the country’s colours.It was clear this wasn’t your usual national anthem, and it was hardly a cultural misunderstanding either, as F1’s cameras panned to prime minister Alexander De Croo who looked awkward bordering on embarrassed. And then the drivers’ faces were picked up, with Charles Leclerc looking absolutely baffled. Lewis Hamilton and the McLaren drivers managed to keep it together despite looking confused, but then Fernando Alonso summed up the move with a hilarious frown and laugh. Then Mercedes’ George Russell was picked up, and the Brit couldn’t contain it, letting out a laugh but trying to look serious as he realised his face was being projected across the globe.
[Shame Limejuice wasn't around I'm sure he'd have loved it ]
1%er
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You can’t get nine women pregnant and hope you have a baby in a month
Soon-to-be former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says he needed more time to make the team a success, after all, “you can’t get nine women pregnant and hope you have a baby in a month”. Joining Alpine some 18 months ago from Aston Martin, Szafnauer and Co spoke time and time again about their “100 race” plan to make the Enstone team a success. But 33 races into his tenure as team boss, the 58-year-old has been given the boot as he was informed earlier this week that race number 34, the Belgian Grand Prix, will be his last with the team.Otmar Szafnauer: You can’t really push development if people aren’t there
Following on from Laurent Rossi’s departure, Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane have both been ousted while Pat Fry has left the team to join Williams. Bruno Famin, Alpine’s vice president of motorsport and now interim team principal, cited a difference of opinion in what needs doing, saying: “We were not on the same line, on the timeline to recover the level of performance we are aiming for. And mutually we agreed to split our ways. And that’s it.” But while stopping short of criticising the team for its decision.
Szafnauer has made it known he doesn’t feel he was given enough time to turn around the team’s fortunes. “The reality is that changes take time,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I signed some good people from other teams, but they are still stuck in their contracts and won’t come until 2024 or 2025. You can’t really push development if people aren’t there. It takes time for people to come and it takes time for people to work together correctly. I always say, you can’t get nine women pregnant and hope you have a baby in a month.”
But still in charge of Alpine for one more race, Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix where Pierre Gasly will line up P12 with Esteban Ocon 15th on the grid just over 24 hours after Gasly secured a P3 for the team in the Saturday Sprint, Szafnauer admits this is an “unusual” situation but insists “I’ll do my best”. Set to go on gardening leave for a year after Spa, he added: “The bad news is that it will be a year before we can do it again.” Alpine are P6 in the Constructors’ Championship on 53 points, 44 behind McLaren.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Once again, a Verstappen masterclass. 
1%er
Well-Known Member
Sainz to Audi?
The 28-year-old Spaniard is rumoured to be assessing his options as his contract with Ferrari draws to a close. Sainz has been linked with the likes of Alpine in recent days, but it is the rumours surrounding a possible move to Audi F1 that carry the most weight. According to Auto Action, the German manufacturer has contacted Sainz with regards to a pre-contract agreement that would see his intent in joining their Formula 1 team put into writing. Speaking to media after a disappointing Belgian Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver admitted: “I do prefer starting a season already knowing where I’m going to be the following year. Because that takes away the distraction that there always is to be negotiating a new contract when you need to be fully focused on what you’re doing on track and on the work you have to do with the team you’re currently with.”This seems to suggest that Sainz’ poor run of form, which has seen him fail to secure a podium in 2023, can be partially attributed to growing concern about his future. The Spaniard failed to finish around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps after a first-lap incident with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. He added: “The goal is to go into the 2024 championship without any worries about it and my contract for the future already signed and sealed.”
Conflict with Ferrari, connection with Audi. Determined to make things work with the Scuderia
The Sainz family has strong connections with Audi, as Carlos Sainz Sr. has raced in the Dakar Rally with the German auto manufacturer for the last two years and knows many of the top influential figures in the company. With Sainz Jr. playing second fiddle to teammate Charles Leclerc in strategic decisions across numerous race weekends, it’s no surprise that he is looking elsewhere for a race seat.
Nevertheless, motorsport.com have revealed that the Ferrari man has not signed any contract with Audi yet. A representative of the F1 driver stated that while Audi approached Sainz, he did not come to any sort of agreement with the company. The representative echoed the Spaniard’s intentions: “Plan A is Ferrari. Plan B is Ferrari and Plan C also remains Ferrari.” This doesn’t mean Sainz is fully committed to Ferrari. Leclerc is believed to have signed a “2+3 year, $204 million” contract extension with the Scuderia, while discussions for a similar deal for Sainz haven’t yet begun.
If more hints of favouritism in the Ferrari paddock come to light, we could see the Spaniard jump ship to a rival outfit. But for the time being at least he is focussed on extracting the maximum out of his SF-23: “while it’s still early days and the end of the season is still some four months away, it’s true that once this championship will be over I’ll fully focus on sorting my future.”
[It is reported elsewhere that Sainz has already signed a pre-contract with Audi, I guess time will tell if that is true or not]
1%er
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Charles Leclerc agrees ‘record-breaking salary’ in new Ferrari deal
Charles Leclerc has reportedly committed his future to Ferrari until at least the end of the 2026 season with an option for it to be further extended to 2029. The subject of Leclerc’s future has been a much-talked-about one with many wondering whether the 25-year-old may opt to move away from his beloved Ferrari in order to boost his chances of winning a world title. But listening to Leclerc, it is clear his dream is to win the Championship in the Ferrari red and a report has suggested he has committed his future to doing just that.Charles Leclerc signs ‘185 million euro’ deal until 2029
French publication Sportune has claimed that Leclerc has agreed a two-year extension to his existing deal. If Sportune are correct, Leclerc has signed a deal that takes him to the end of the first season under the new power unit regulations but also has the option of extending by a further three years until 2029. The new deal would continue Leclerc’s status as one the best paid drivers on the grid with reports that the total contract is worth over 185 million euros (£160 million) and compensation that could reach 50 million euros (£43 million) in the final year. The length of the deal would also be the longest on the grid with Max Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 being the current benchmark. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur reportedly met the agents of both drivers at the end of June with negotiations happening a lot quicker with Leclerc than Carlos Sainz.
Leclerc held talks with Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine and Red Bull
Another revelation claimed by Sportune is that Leclerc’s manager Nicolas Todt (son of ex-Ferrari and FIA boss Jean Todt) has been speaking with plenty of other teams within the paddock. Leclerc’s entourage reportedly met with Mercedes, Aston Martin, Alpine and even Red Bull with the German manufacturer being the most realistic destination should Leclerc opt for a move.
1%er
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Miami Grand Prix chief provides update on prospect of night race switch
Having been introduced to the F1 calendar in 2022, conversations have already begun about switching the event to a night race, although the Miami GP president has said such a move isn’t likely to happen in time for next year’s race. The Miami International Autodrome is a temporary circuit that is built around the Miami Dolphin’s home venue, the Hard Rock Stadium, becoming the second US fixture on the calendar after the introduction of the Circuit of the Americas a decade ago. Las Vegas will join the calendar later this year.Will Miami Grand Prix become a night race?
Speaking over the race weekend this year, Miami Dolphins’ CEO Tom Garfinkel, a managing director of the Miami GP, revealed initial discussions had already taken place with F1 about a possible switch to night racing around the Autodrome. But Tyler Epp, Miami GP President, has said it’s “very unlikely” for 2024. Speaking to media at the Belgian Grand Prix, Epp is quoted by The Athletic as saying that venues such as Singapore’s Marina Bay and the upcoming Las Vegas race have offered their expertise to Miami in how best to evaluate and proceed with a switch. “We’ve talked about: ‘Could we do this? Does this make sense?’” said Epp. We didn’t really get too deep into the analysis because at some point, it’s, why are you doing it? Like, let’s make sure there’s a justifiable reason. “(It’s) very unlikely we would do it for 2024. We will continue to evaluate. We’re always looking at ways to make the experience better. If we get to the place where Formula 1 says ‘this really does work for us from a broadcast perspective’, and this makes a lot of sense, certainly we’ll take a look at it.”
As it stands, the infrastructure in terms of the bright lighting fixtures required for night racing are not in place at the Autodrome. In addition to the physical challenges, there’s also the issue of finding an appropriate timeslot to maximise global audiences. A late timeslot for a race in Miami would mean a middle-of-the-night event for European audiences. Changing Miami to a night race would also mean over 20 percent of the calendar races under floodlights, with Singapore, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia held as full night races – Bahrain and Abu Dhabi taking place at twilight and into the darkness.
Despite the prevalence of night racing, Epp doubts the switch would have any effect on the race building up its own identify in the coming years. “Miami is our brand, and we try to bring that out with the circuit,” he said. “Vegas will be a night race as well. Singapore certainly has their spot on the calendar. I can’t tell you what their decisions are and why they are. For us, we’re pretty committed to being Miami, day or night.”
Tyler Epp: Miami GP not ‘actively pursuing’ Sprint race weekend
Epp also revealed there are currently no changes planned to the track layout or surface any time soon, and nor are they actively pursuing a Sprint race format weekend. “We’re always interested in a sprint race,” Epp explained. “But I would also tell you that qualifying was really valuable for us. We see a lot of value in the qualification experience in F1. There are a ton of our fans who have given us great feedback about traditional quali. We’re here to support, and if we have an opportunity to host a sprint race at some point, we’ll welcome that. But it’s not something we’re actively pursuing.”
1%er
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Red Bull to snub Daniel Ricciardo, sign Oscar Piastri for 2024
Former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes rookie Oscar Piastri will be a candidate to drive for Red Bull in the future, with the Aussie being described as a “revelation”. It was very well known ahead of his F1 debut that Piastri possessed an immense amount of talent, having won the Formula 2 and Formula 3 titles in back-to-back seasons. He’s viewed by many as a future World Champion, and it’s easy to see why. In just 12 races, he’s already matching team-mate Lando Norris, who has been McLaren’s star boy since 2019.Piastri has been able to out-qualify the Briton at several races, although he’s still being beaten in the races. Nevertheless, the Australian has claimed two top five finishes in the last three races, whilst he also finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race. Jordan is certain that he has “big star quality”, with him having “blown away” the Irishman. “Be careful where he’s going to go because I think there is big star quality in there,” Jordan told Talksport. “I’m actually blown away with this young kid, so he’d be one of the drivers I’d be looking at to challenge Max in the future.” Jordan added: “Don’t be surprised if he (Piastri) is named in the future.”
Piastri has impressed Jordan so much in fact, that he sees the Aussie as a potential Red Bull driver in 2025, and not fellow native Daniel Ricciardo “I don’t see it,” he added, in reference to Ricciardo racing for Red Bull again. “They had that chance before, and Red Bull doesn’t usually go back in time. They have a very forward vision. If there’s a change at Red Bull, Mark [Webber] has brought this kid on, brought him over from Australia, and what a revelation he’s turned out to be.”
Whilst Piastri might be on Red Bull’s wish list, the McLaren driver is “very happy” with the Woking-based team. The rookie isn’t letting himself get distracted by speculation linking him with other teams, with him instead focusing on improving. “I’m very happy where I am,” Piastri said, according to Speedcafe. “But yeah, it’s always nice to be talked about in those kinds of ways. I think my season’s been quite good for the most part,” he continued. “There have definitely been some mistakes or moments I wish I could have had again, but with hindsight, it’s very easy to say those kinds of things. I’m happy with where I’m at driving-wise, there’s still a lot to improve, a lot to learn. I’ve got a very strong team-mate to learn from who, just by being a benchmark, is a big help for me getting back up to speed. So yeah, I’m happy where I am.”
1%er
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Eddie Jordan reminded about his unpaid debt
In a new revelation, it has come to light that former Formula 1 team principal Eddie Jordan owes money to legendary Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. This revelation has emerged as a consequence of Jordan’s pursuit of a long-cherished ambition. Mason, renowned for his rock legacy, has also been a fervent motorsport enthusiast, with his passion intersecting with Jordan’s journey back in 1981. Mason’s involvement in motorsport is not widely known, but his ties to the racing world run deep.Before his iconic tenure with Pink Floyd, Mason ventured into the realm of motorsport, engaging with teams like Dorset Racing and EMKA Racing. It was during this time that his path crossed with Eddie Jordan, the man who would later become a significant figure in Formula 1. Years before Jordan made his ambitious leap into the high-stakes world of Formula 1 racing, he faced a setback when he missed an opportunity to represent Porsche at the prestigious Le Mans race. This opportunity, which slipped through Jordan’s grasp, was an early indicator of his fervour for racing. However, fate had an unexpected twist in store for him.
In a serendipitous turn of events, Nick Mason emerged as a pivotal figure in Jordan’s racing aspirations. Recounting this fateful encounter on the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan reminisced, “I met with a guy, Nick Mason. And Nick was an extremely nice, laid-back guy, and he said, ‘Jordan, would you like to drive the car? We won’t talk about the money involved at this moment in time, but I’d like you to drive the car.'” The car in question was a BMW, known for being the underperforming entry from EMKA Racing, a team associated with Pink Floyd’s manager, Steve O’Rourke. However, in an unexpected twist, a recent voice note from Nick Mason, made during a surprise appearance on the podcast, humorously shed light on a different aspect of their shared history.
“Hi, DC and EJ. I’ve absolutely no idea how Eddie managed to get a drive at Le Mans in that car,” Mason quipped. He then playfully continued, “I do know he still owes money on it, though. And after 30 years, you’d think he might be prepared to put his hands in his pocket. Clearly not.” This revelation brings to the forefront an intriguing dynamic between two individuals who share a passion for motorsport. Eddie Jordan’s indebtedness to Nick Mason, although light-hearted in tone, serves as a reminder of their intertwined history.
1%er
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Ousted Alpine F1 Team Principal Szafnauer Rips Renault
Ousted Alpine F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has blasted senior management at parent company Renault for its impatience and for not living up to an agreement the former team boss thought was in place. Szafnauer, who was fired in July after 18 months on the job at Alpine, took his shots on an upcoming edition of SiriusXM’s Cars & Culture with Jason Stein show. Szafnauer, an American-Romanian, said that he was hired with understanding that he had 100 races to turn things around. He was fired after just 33. "I think the senior management at Renault, the CEO, Luca de Meo, wants, as everyone does in Formula 1, wants success instantly and unfortunately, that's not how it works in Formula 1," Szafnauer said. "So, you know, I pointed out to him that it takes time and the process of doing it, what's required, and having raced for 34 years and 26 years of it in Formula 1, I think I speak with a degree of experience when I say this is what it takes to turn a team around. And they wanted to do it faster than is possible and I just, you know, I couldn't agree to an unrealistic timeline because if you do that, it's only a matter of time and everyone gets frustrated, so I laid out a very realistic and possible plan and I think they wanted to shortcut that plan with somebody else."On July 28, Szafnauer, along with team sporting director Alan Permane were let go. Szafnauer was replaced, at least on an interim basis, by Bruno Famin, vice president of Alpine Motorsports. Alpine, which fields drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, entered the sport's summer break in sixth place in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship after finishing fourth a year ago. Szafnauer was content to take one step back this season with the belief that the moves he was orchestrating would make the team stronger going forward.
Szafnauer said that Renault management had agreed roughly five years to get the job done. "If it's 20 (races) a year, is five years," he said. "I mean, I know we're racing a little bit more than 20 now, whatever it is, 24, so it's between four and five years and I thought that's long enough. That is long enough to get the right people in place. You need about six months—six to nine months—to understand what's really required. The skill sets that you have, what you're lacking, and then aggressively start recruiting, and I think I aggressively started recruiting at Alpine three months into it. They already had a plan called the Mountain Climber, which they recognized that they needed to recruit in some areas, and then I started helping with that. I mean, after 26 years in the business, you know some of the people at other teams that are capable and competent, and then you go after them. You know, some I was successful in getting them to leave their teams and come, and there are others that I talked to quite a bit where they, you know, they said, "No, I like it here at Red Bull," for example and, "I've got opportunities in the future and I'm gonna stick it out here."
"So, I wasn't a hundred percent successful in recruiting the people that were required, but I had more than one on the list for each one of the jobs, so if the number one fellow said, "No, I'd rather not come," I'd go to the number two guy and that's what I was doing, and half about eight, six to eight, two have started already and another six to come signed up and, you know, that's what it takes really." Szafnauer, who grew up in Detroit, said the controlling nature of the parent company wasn't conducive to winning. "The parent company wanted to have a lot of control in a lot of areas of the racing team," he said. "More than I've ever seen before. You know, the commercial area, the marketing area, HR, finance, communication, all that stuff reported not to me, but around me, to somebody else in the bigger organization. If you say all else equal—the cars equal, the drivers are equal, the power treads equal, your knowledge of the tires is equal—but what isn't equal is the fact that a Mercedes or a Red Bull have HR, finance—especially finance now because of the cost cap—all the commercial aspects and communication reporting to Christian (Horner) and we don't, guess who's gonna win? Red Bull. And when you look at it that way, it's really, really easy to understand. If you don't look at it that way, then you can convince yourself that, "Oh yeah, that's okay. It's okay that HR doesn't report through the team principal." It's not okay. It's not okay at all because if you're going to hire somebody and you've got to get a contract out within a day because that's what we do in Formula 1, you can't take two weeks. If it takes you two weeks, maybe that special hire went somewhere else. You gotta be pirates."
1%er
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Felipe Massa’s lawyers seeking compensation for 2008 F1 title loss to Lewis Hamilton
Lawyers for former Brazilian driver Felipe Massa have launched legal action against F1 bosses and the FIA over his title loss to Lewis Hamilton in 2008. As initially reported by Reuters, representatives of the former Ferrari driver are seeking substantial damages resulting from an alleged ‘conspiracy’ against Massa and his title bid 15 years ago. Massa lost out on the 2008 title to Hamilton in dramatic circumstances in Brazil.Hamilton overtook Timo Glock on the final lap to pip Massa to the title by just one-point. Reuters noted that they had seen a letter sent from the London office of Enyo Law which read: “Simply put, Mr Massa is the rightful 2008 Driver's Champion, and F1 and FIA deliberately ignored the misconduct that cheated him out of that title. Mr Massa is unable to fully quantify his losses at this stage but estimates that they are likely to exceed tens of millions of Euros. This amount does not cover the serious moral and reputational losses suffered by Mr Massa.”
The letter was addressed to F1 boss Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem. It also stated that Massa could "pursue legal action in order to seek compensation for the harm he has suffered as well as recognition that, but for those unlawful acts, he would have been awarded the 2008 Championship.” Massa’s decision to pursue legal action comes after a startling revelation that former CEO Bernie Ecclestone that he and former FIA president Max Mosley was aware that Nelson Piquet Jr. crashed on purpose at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix as part of 'crash-gate'. Piquet’s crash cost Massa a likely win in Singapore given that the Ferrari driver was leading the race and forced into an unscheduled pit stop. During the pit stop, a fuel hose was stuck in Massa’s car and the operational error cost Massa crucial points, and ultimately the title.
[I posted last season that he was thinking about legal action, looks like he's going ahead with it]
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Damon Hill Proposes Formula 1 Rule Adjustment to Inject More Excitement
Former Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill has put forward an intriguing proposal aimed at ramping up the excitement in races. Hill suggests that requiring teams to utilize all three tyre compounds during races could inject a new level of thrill and strategic complexity into the sport. The current tyre supplier, Pirelli, offers a selection of three tyre compounds for each race weekend, chosen from a pool of five available compounds. The specific choice of three compounds is determined by the unique characteristics of the track, enhancing the challenge for teams to optimize their strategy. At present, F1 regulations mandate drivers to employ a minimum of two sets of the three available compounds during a race. This rule guarantees that there is at least one pit stop during the race, regardless of tyre degradation levels. However, in recent times, there has been growing discussion about the need to further enhance the spectacle of F1 races.One of the main points of contention is the prevalence of one-stop races, which can sometimes lack the strategic intricacies and overtaking opportunities that make Formula 1 so captivating. This alteration, if implemented, could foster more dynamic races, as teams would have to carefully manage their use of all three compounds to maximize performance and adapt to changing track conditions. “I think there is definitely an argument to say that if you are going to look for excitement and a little bit more of a challenge, then why not?” 1996 champion Hill told the F1 Nation Podcast. “I think it is a good idea. I have heard it put forward before, it would increase the number of pit stops so you get less of the one-stop factor. It’s quite interesting that we have got to the stage where Max has built a gap in the last race we had in Belgium and Lewis built a gap enough to be able to come in for a new set of tyres and get the fastest lap and get a point – that’s a bit of drama that at first was thought to be a gimmick but now teams are deciding it is important to have that. They want to have that scalp and so they come in and do the one-lap stop and that is a bit of drama at the end of the race. Having to use all three compounds would throw another challenge in there, so it is possibly a good thing.”
“Nobody likes to look foolish but the rain-affected races, the ones where you can’t really predict what’s going to happen, those are the ones that throw up the most drama,” added Hill. “People come away not knowing themselves – that is entertaining. You have to be careful, you are throwing yourself open to the accusation of making unnecessary drama – just gimmicks – but I just think why not? They have got the tyres there anyway, so having to use all three tyres, that would mean if they were to go with a very Soft tyre, that would be almost impossible to use in the race for more than a couple of laps.”
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Numbers suggest it’s not all doom and gloom for Mercedes
Although Mercedes have yet to win a race this season, and their revised W14 didn’t elevate them above the chasing pack, Karun Chandhok says this year they’ve actually improved by a “quarter” of a percent against Red Bull. Last season, trying to tame a porpoising W13, Mercedes spent the better part of the season resolving that before being able to focus on improving the car. That meant they finished the championship with just one win on the board, and third in the Constructors’ Championship. However, that win, coming late in the season at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, led them down what Toto Wolff has since conceded was the “wrong” path with the design of this year’s W14 prompting a rethink after the opening races of the season.Mercedes introduced a B-spec W14 at the Monaco Grand Prix, the car not only moving away from the zeropods in favour of bulkier sidepods but also sporting a revised front suspension layout. But after a brief surge in Spain and Canada, the team recording three podiums in two races, Mercedes have managed just one in the next four grands prix in a campaign in which the battle to have the second fastest car on the track has swung between Aston Martin, Mercedes, Ferrari and now McLaren have joined. It meant Mercedes, only P4 and 6 at the Belgium Grand Prix, went into the summer break with the mood from Spain’s double podium somewhat soured. That Red Bull were still 30s up on the chasing pack, Max Verstappen’s advantage over the best-placed non-Red Bull car in both the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and Belgium, didn’t help matters.
But according to Chandhok, Mercedes are closer to Red Bull today than they were last year. “I was just doing my numbers for the first half of the season,” the former F1 driver said in a Sky Sports podcast. “Last year Mercedes on average were 0.8% off the Red Bull and this year they were 0.596. So they’ve improved by a quarter, but it’s still not enough. I think there have been those flashes of brilliance, Lewis’ qualifying Budapest is probably the standard. There have been certain races where they’ve looked better than others. And I think on the whole they’ve come away from the first 12 races being disappointed. Toto’s body language was pretty clear on that front. They were hoping that they’d understood their concepts at the end of last year, they stuck with the concept, then they’ve had this midseason upgrade but it’s not really moved them ahead of the midfield pack. They’ve kind of still stayed in that middle fight with Ferrari and Aston – Aston if anything have dropped back a bit. But now McLaren are in that flight. So I think on the whole Mercedes as a team will be pretty disappointed despite the fact that I still believe they have the best collective driver line-up in Formula One.”
It’s a line-up that his fellow pundit David Croft believes is keeping Mercedes in second place in the Constructors’ Championship. 40 points ahead of Aston Martin, who have relied solely on Fernando Alonso for the big points’ hauls, Mercedes have Lewis Hamilton fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with George Russell P6. “That driver line-up is keeping them in contention,” said Croft. “Keeping that second place and the distance between themselves and Aston Martin.”
