F1 2023
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Whereas Max… oh.
1%er
Well-Known Member
F1 drivers reject experimental Imola qualifying
Max Verstappen took pole position during qualifying for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, with the Dutchman getting off to the best possible start as he looks to win his third drivers’ championship title in a row. The session as a whole was one of the most competitive qualifyings in recent years, with under a second separating the entire grid in Q1. Q3 was still phenomenally close, with only 1.276s separating Max Verstappen and the Alpine of Esteban Ocon set the slowest lap time of the final qualifying round.Despite the competitive qualifying, it has been rumoured that F1 intend to trial a different format for the sessions at Imola in a couple of months’ time. This new format will see the drivers’ tyre allocation for a race weekend drop from 13 to 11 sets. It will also see drivers forced to use the hards in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3, completely shaking up the current qualifying format which allows drivers to use whatever tyres they choose. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has quickly rejected the idea of this new format, suggesting that qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix proves that no change is needed.
“I just think it’s for the show,” said the Mexican. “I think we don’t need that when you see the qualifying we had today, with how close everything was.” Perez’s teammate and pole sitter in Bahrain Max Verstappen agrees with this idea, explaining that he is also against F1’s latest idea. “It’s the same for everyone but I don’t think we actually need to do these kinds of things,” he said. “I hope it’s not cold in Imola also, otherwise it’s going to be quite tricky.”
F1’s recent introduction of sprint races has also not gone down well with many drivers, who believe that many of the sport’s recent ideas are simply just for the show. Should the rumoured Imola test be successful, F1 reportedly intent to trial this new qualifying format at a second Grand Prix this season.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Lewis Hamilton tipped to join Ferrari
With Mercedes looking set for a second consecutive year of disappointment, Sky Sports F1 pundits have discussed if Lewis Hamilton could look elsewhere in a bid to claim an unprecedented eighth title, with him having entered the final year on his contract. Hamilton has been massively successful since he switched to Mercedes in 2013, with the 38-year-old having claimed six titles whilst driving for the Silver Arrows. 2022, though, was Hamilton’s first season in Formula 1 where he didn’t claim either a pole position or a victory, with 2023 looking likely to perhaps be a repeat.Mercedes were well off the pace in Bahrain last weekend and are likely going to need a new design philosophy in order to catch the likes of Red Bull, leading some to ponder of Hamilton would consider leaving the Germans at the end of the season. One option which has been lightly rumoured is whether Aston Martin would approach Hamilton to replace Lance Stroll; however, ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok doesn’t see that happening at all. “I don’t think that will happen,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1’s Vodcast. “You’re going to tell Lawrence to sack his son. Good luck with that.”
Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby also believes Aston Martin isn’t an option for Hamilton; however, he does believe that Ferrari could be a possibility. “Not to Aston, but how can you rule out a move to Ferrari if [Mercedes] stay like this?” Lazenby said on the Vodcast. “He’s so desperate for that eighth, that if Ferrari did manage to stay on the coattails and they were the nearest to Red Bull. He’s not put his pen to paper yet on his contract. He’s definitely waiting to see how this year’s car felt. I think the great relationship with the team and Toto will endure but I don’t think you can ever rule out a move to Ferrari for racing drivers because it’s their dream and he’s said it before.”
South African racing driver Naomi Schiff also thinks Ferrari would be Hamilton’s best option should he decide to ditch the Germans; however, she doesn’t see Hamilton leaving the Brackley-based team. “I think Lewis would be more likely to go to Ferrari but I don’t think he’s going to leave Mercedes,” Schiff said on the Vodcast. He is very much a team player. I think he’s also said he wants to leave his legacy there and be part of the team just like Niki [Lauda] was. I don’t see him leaving last minute after all these years with the team.”
[I think I agree with Naomi on this]
1%er
Well-Known Member
Mercedes publish letter to fans amidst Hamilton to Ferrari rumours
Mercedes Formula 1 team has published an open letter to their fans after their disappointing performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton finished P5 and George Russell could only claim P7.The Silver Arrows were outshone by their customer team Aston Martin, who may have built a car worthy of taking a title fight to Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
The seven-time World Champion wasn’t impressed, revealing that Mercedes didn’t listen to him when he told them what the car needed. “Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car,” he said on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast. “I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.”
The open letter, from the eight-time World Champions acknowledges the team’s pain after pouring so much hard work into a car that hasn’t met their expectations. “Bahrain hurt. It hurt each one of us, who head into every season determined to fight for world championships,” the letter reads. “And we know it hurt you, our fans, too. Your passion and support are so important in driving us forward – and we know that we feel the same pain.”
No knee-jerk reactions
The letter goes on to address the situation the team currently finds themselves in, emphasizing that they will not panic or make knee-jerk reactions. Instead, they will work urgently and calmly to build their recovery plan, focusing on what needs to happen in the short, medium, and long term to win. “In a spotlight as fierce as F1, people are quick to point fingers, or look for scapegoats. But you know us better than that,” the letter continues. Inside the team, we talk about having the courage to fail, the character to be accountable and the strength to see failure as an opportunity. We have been open and searingly honest about where we find ourselves. And we are working urgently and calmly to build our recovery plan, focusing on what needs to happen short term, medium term, and long term to win. We already have developments in the pipeline for the next races – and there will be more to come. But this won’t be the work of a moment; There are no silver bullets in F1.”
The team also emphasizes the importance of keeping their heads held high and taking this journey step by step, together. They acknowledge that the challenge ahead won’t be easy but see it as an opportunity to grow and become greater than the sum of their parts. “We will keep our heads held high – and take this journey step by step, together. We are Mercedes,” the letter states. We know the standards we aspire to, and nobody is flinching when we look at the mountain we must climb. It won’t be easy – but where’s the value in something easy? These are the times when character is forged; the times when a team becomes greater than the sum of its parts, tackling difficult problems and conquering them. We’re together through thick and thin – from Toto, Lewis and George, to every single woman and man in the factories in Brackley and Brixworth. And we love that challenge. The team calls on each fan to power them to the front. They urge their online community to be a safe space for healthy debate, where people are treated with respect and no discrimination, abuse or bullying of any kind will be tolerated. We’re already hard at work on changing the course of this 2023 season. The recovery began immediately after the race – and everybody has a part to play,” the letter concludes.
Hamilton on the move?
The letter comes at time where Hamilton has been linked to a move away from the Silver Arrows as he’s on the hunt that eighth title before he retires. “How can you rule out a move to Ferrari if [Mercedes] stay like this?” said Sky Sport’s Simon Lazenby. “He’s so desperate, so desperate for that eighth [championship], that if Ferrari did manage to stay on the coattails and they were the nearest to Red Bull. He’s not put his pen to paper yet on his contract. He’s definitely waiting to see how this year’s car felt.”
While the Bahrain Grand Prix may not have gone according to plan, the team is focused on the future and ready to fight back in order to keep hold of Hamilton. Will they be able to make the necessary changes to challenge for the championship this year? Only time will tell.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
When Verstappen makes it three in a row this season, surely Hamilton will retire?
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Red Bull of course will be doing the same.
Two quite amazing things about Red Bull, firstly in 2022 11.5Bn cans were sold, and Red Bull didn't make a single one of them.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Nelson Piquet prosecuted in Brazil over Lewis Hamilton comments
Prosecutors in Brazil are seeking a conviction against three-time world champion Nelson Piquet for controversial comments he made about Lewis Hamilton. Piquet caused a global storm last summer when footage of him using racist slurs to describe Hamilton emerged during an interview in November 2021.Piquet comments caused global storm
He was widely condemned for his words and banned from the F1 paddock despite an apology in which he claimed there were translation innacuracies and denied any racial intent. In his comments, Piquet used the term "neguinho" in reference to Hamilton as he talked about the seven-time world champion's clash with Max Verstappen at the 2021 British Grand Prix. His daughter Kelly is Verstappen's current girlfriend. Now, per major Brazilian outlet O Globo, groups in Brazil including Educafro and Aliança Nacional LGBTI+ are pursuing a public civil action which accuses Piquet of both racism and homophobia in his comments about Hamilton.
The action, in the 20th Civil Court of Brasília, asks for compensation of R$10 million (£1.64million) for 'collective moral damage'. According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, the case "violates the rights of the victim and of the black and LGBTQIA+ population, considering both international and national norms". Hamilton's immediate response when Piquet's comments emerged was to call for action and for change.
He said: "It’s more than language. These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I’ve been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life. There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Round 2 of the season shimmers into view, and the palm fronds of Jeddah's Corniche beckon us in the breeze.
It's the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
The UK telly times look pretty civilised.:
Fri 17 Mar
FP1 - 13:30
FP2 - 17:00
Sat 18 Mar
FP3 - 13:30
Qual - 17:00
Sun 19 Mar
Race - 17:00
Let's all settle down with a few pints of Jallab and a camel burger**. And of course our motto for this race will be:
دعونا نأمل أن تتبول مائة جمل في خزانات وقود سيارات ريد بُل.
** Yes, this really is a thing.
It's the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
The UK telly times look pretty civilised.:
Fri 17 Mar
FP1 - 13:30
FP2 - 17:00
Sat 18 Mar
FP3 - 13:30
Qual - 17:00
Sun 19 Mar
Race - 17:00
Let's all settle down with a few pints of Jallab and a camel burger**. And of course our motto for this race will be:
دعونا نأمل أن تتبول مائة جمل في خزانات وقود سيارات ريد بُل.
** Yes, this really is a thing.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes exit rumor heats up
Speculation over Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 future has been heating up, and the Mercedes driver has been linked to a team that he has been linked to before. Entering the 2023 Formula 1 season, there is a clear top driver on the short list of pending free agents for 2024. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton most recently signed a contract extension with Mercedes in the summer of 2021, one which tied him to the team through 2023. Given Mercedes’ fall from Formula 1 supremacy amid a new era of rules and regulations which began in 2022, Hamilton has been in a car simply not capable of competing for what would be a record-breaking eighth world championship. The 2022 season saw Mercedes win just one race after an eight-year stretch during which they averaged nearly 14 per year, and it also saw Hamilton’s personal 15-year win streak come to a screeching halt with his worst career result in the standings. He has said that he believes he will win an eighth world championship, which would break Michael Schumacher’s all-time record, before he retires.Can Lewis Hamilton still do that at Mercedes?
Until the pen is put to paper, there will be speculation about the 38-year-old Briton’s future. Anything less than that for a 103-time Grand Prix winner would be bizarre. Hamilton has expressed frustration with certain individuals discussing a potential post-2023 move and insisted that now simply isn’t the time to discuss an extension, but he was also recently quoted as accusing the Silver Arrows of not listening to his feedback on last year’s W13, and by association, this year’s W14.
Is the end near for Formula 1’s all-time most successful driver-team pairing?
A rumor has recently emerged about Hamilton’s future, suggesting that if he does leave Mercedes, Ferrari would be his most likely destination. Since the new era of rules and regulations began, Ferrari have been the one team that have consistently been in the same time zone as Red Bull. Many believe that the self-inflicted wounds and errors last year cost Charles Leclerc and the Italian team at least a shot at challenging Max Verstappen and Red Bull for the title, and it’s not the first time. On paper, they could have made it interesting against Hamilton and Mercedes in both 2017 and 2018.
It is worth mentioning that the Hamilton to Ferrari rumor is nothing new, so whether or not it should finally be taken with more than a grain of salt remains to be seen. Every few years, it resurfaces, and nothing ever comes of it, even though Hamilton has long stated that driving for the team is something that is “a dream for everyone”. Of the five drivers to win at least four world titles, Hamilton is the only one who has never driven for the Scuderia. It is also worth mentioning the fact that both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. are under contract with the team through the 2024 season. Of course, we have seen teams get out of contracts with drivers early, most recently with Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren last year, so nothing is off the table.
Will Hamilton and Mercedes ultimately come to terms on a new contract, or will the 2023 Formula 1 season end an 11-year run? If he leaves, is Ferrari his most likely landing spot?
1%er
Well-Known Member
Williams Appoint Frederic Brousseau as New Chief Operating Officer
Ahead of the second round of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship this weekend in Saudi Arabia, Williams Racing have announced the signing of Frederic Brousseau as their new Chief Operating Officer. Brousseau will start working for the Grove-based side in April, following a twenty-six year career in the aerospace industry. He will certainly bring some much-needed expertise to Williams, given that he has spent his entire life working on some of the biggest projects in the world. Since 1997, Brousseau has worked for Pratt & Whitney Canada, where he started at the very bottom of the ladder, before working his way to the top. He started on the factory floors and held several operational and management roles, where he later became General Manager of the P&W’s Mirabel Aerospace Centre. He was most recently promoted to Vice President, Operations at P&W in April 2022, where he oversaw the company’s operations across twelve countries.Having worked his way to the very top at P&W, Brousseau is excited to be embarking on a “brand new journey” with Williams, where he’s “eager” to help shape the team’s future. “There is no better feeling than setting out on a brand new journey and working towards achieving your dreams. It has been an exciting beginning of the season and I am looking forward to joining a team with such Formula 1 heritage. I am eager to get started and contribute to building the organisation’s future alongside everyone at Williams Racing.”
Williams Chairman of the Board Matthew Savage is also incredibly pleased to be welcoming Brosseau into the team, with him firmly believing that the team’s new Chief Operating Officer can help transform the British side. “We are very excited to bring Frederic on board as an energetic and experienced leader who can help with the transformation of Williams Racing. He began his career working on the shop floor, and his most recent role saw him looking after worldwide aerospace operations, including running multiple worldwide manufacturing sites and an operation with more than 10,000 employees. I expect him to contribute significantly to our journey at Williams Racing.”
