F1 2024
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
So, glory or Armco?
1%er
Well-Known Member
Daniel Ricciardo must be bewildered by the unique situation he's in as summer shutdown looms. Red Bull are likely to promote reserve Liam Lawson over the break and that means tomorrow's Belgian Grand Prix could be Danny's last race in F1. While at the same time Sergio Perez is also fighting for his F1 future and Ricciardo is in contention to replace him at the main Red Bull team.
A big summer break for Danny Ric, Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez!
A big summer break for Danny Ric, Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez!
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Things aren't sweetness and light at RB. The days of total domination are over.
And when the going gets tough, Helmut Marko puts his kicking boots on.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Links for qualifying
F1 Streams - F1 Live , Reddit F1 HD Stream
sportsurge.gg
crichd.li
F1 Streams - F1 Live , Reddit F1 HD Stream
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crichd.li
Next to the pool 
1%er
Well-Known Member
What Max Verstappen told Gianpiero Lambiase in 30-minute talks after Red Bull spat
Max Verstappen has had to respond to criticism about his conduct at the Belgian Grand Prix. This comes after perhaps his poorest display of the season so far in Hungary. Verstappen finished fifth in Budapest – matching his second-worst result of 2024 (Austria). He had a tyre advantage against Lewis Hamilton in the battle for third, but he couldn’t execute a clean overtake. He would attempt a late lunge into turn one in the closing stages of the race, but he locked both front tyres and launched over the front right on the Mercedes. While he avoided a penalty for the incident, he did lose a place to Charles Leclerc.More significantly, Verstappen quarrelled with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase throughout the race. He was unhappy with the handling of his car and more so with the Red Bull strategy, which prioritised fresher tyres over track position. Verstappen and Lambiase were involved in multiple tense exchanges, forcing them to hold clear-the-air talks ahead of the race at Spa. Martin Brundle called for the Red Bull superstar to express his grievances behind closed doors in future. Some have put his out-of-sorts display down to a sim-racing appearance in the early hours of the morning. One report claimed that executive director Helmut Marko had banned Verstappen from taking part in such events during F1 weekends, but the 26-year-old has denied this.
Max Verstappen tells Gianpiero Lambiase that criticism isn’t personal
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, it was team principal Christian Horner who insisted that Verstappen and Lambiase sit down and review the events of last weekend. Technical director Pierre Wache was also present for the conversation on Thursday night. It apparently lasted around half an hour, with Verstappen largely reiterating what he’d said to the press. It wasn’t a case of backtracking. He assured Lambiase and Wache that they shouldn’t take his criticism personally, but he intends to continue being open and honest in the media. He also stressed that he’s under no illusions as to their commitment. Verstappen is looking to win his fourth consecutive title this year. Only four drivers in the history of the sport have ever achieved this – Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-57), Michael Schumacher (2000-05), Sebastian Vettel (2010-13) and Hamilton (2017-20).
What Max Verstappen said about Lando Norris title chances in unreleased interview
Some may be surprised by the intensity of Verstappen’s criticism given the commanding advantage he enjoys at the top of the standings. He remained 76 points clear of Lando Norris even after a disappointing race. But speaking to F1TV journalist Will Buxton in an interview that won’t be released until Sunday, Verstappen was ‘adamant’ that Norris could win the title. He sees the threat as ‘very, very real’. This weekend could be a damage limitation exercise for Red Bull after Verstappen received a 10-place grid penalty for taking his fifth ICE of the season. He’s won from a midfield starting berth at Spa before, but his rivals are much stronger this time around. Norris will cut the gap by at least six points if he wins. He’s looking to emulate Kimi Raikkonen, who overturned a comparable deficit in 2007.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Disappointment as F1 prepares to lose an engine manufacturer
Formula 1 team bosses reacted with disappointment to the news Renault plans to bring an end to its decades as an engine manufacturer. Alpine team principal Bruno Famin confirmed yesterday the manufacturer is in discussions to become an engine customer from 2026. It intends to use its engine facility at Viry-Chatillon to work on projects for Alpine’s road cars.Renault first entered F1 in 1977 and has been present as an engine manufacturer since then aside from absences in 1987-88 and 1998-2000. RB team principal Laurent Mekies admitted “it’s always a bad news when you lose an OEM [original equipment manufacturer].” F1 expected to see the number of manufacturers competing grow to six in 2026, as Audi arrive, Ford join forces with Red Bull and Honda return. But while Alpine will remain as a chassis manufacturer, Renault will no longer produce its own power units. “Obviously one of the big targets of these new regulations in 2026 was to attract more OEMs,” said Mekies. “So ultimately, if it goes as Bruno said, it means that we’ll get plus one with Audi and minus one with Alpine [Renault]. So I don’t think it’s good news. However, it comes, luckily, at a time where there are many manufacturers in Formula 1. So I would say that the sport can well afford this change. But it’s never good news when we lose a PU manufacturer.”
Frederic Vasseur, one of Famin’s predecessors as team principal at Alpine, when it competed as Renault, said he was disappointed by the news. “I’m more focused on the people of Renault,” he said. “I know very well the company that I spent years with. I started my career in 1992 with Renault and I’m profoundly attached to Renault and I think it’s a shame.” However Alessandro Alunni Bravi, team representative of Sauber which will become Audi in 2026, said Renault’s decision should not be considered a negative reflection on F1’s plans for its new engine regulations. “It seems that this is a decision that is not linked, of course, to the new PU regulation or to the trajectory that Formula 1 is taking towards 2026,” he said. “I think that the PU regulations are very attractive for new manufacturers and of course Audi is the perfect example that thanks to this new regulation there is an interest from the automotive [manufacturers] to be in Formula 1 because it’s the pillar of the technology and the best testing bench for the future mobility technical solutions. So I think that is something different from the decision from Renault. And I think as a Formula 1, we need to be clear on this, you know. Sometimes it can happen. But now, as Fred said, is important the people. And I hope that the project that Bruno is developing will go forward because Bruno himself and the people at Viry-Châtillon that I also know personally deserve.”
1%er
Well-Known Member
McLaren to discuss boosting Norris’ F1 title bid in summer break
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has disclosed the team will decide over the summer break whether to prioritise Lando Norris’ championship hopes in Formula 1 this season. Norris cut Max Verstappen’s points lead as McLaren claimed a 1-2 at the Hungaroring, but a team order to let team-mate Oscar Piastri through cost him seven points. The Briton has capitalised on McLaren’s progress to emerge as Verstappen’s main challenger, though the Dutchman’s earlier dominance sees him hold a 76-point gap.But with the MCL38 the most versatile car and Piastri 40 points behind Norris, McLaren boss Andrea Stella revealed that he could revise its equal status arrangement. Brown has echoed Stella’s comments and even disclosed that the Woking-based squad’s top brass will meet to decide how to approach the remaining rounds in 2024. “That’s ultimately going to be Andrea’s call,” Brown told Sky Sports. “We want to get through the first half of the season and see where we end up this weekend. I think the Constructors’ Championship, while it’s definitely not going to be easy, is well within reach. I think the challenge on the Drivers’ front is that Max’s bad days are second and third places, so [it’s hard] to make those clawbacks that we’re making on the Constructors’ that we can do because Sergio Perez is struggling at the moment, [but] we also know he’s capable of turning it on at any moment. That will be something I think we discuss over the summer break.”
Brown has expressed that he never harboured concerns that Norris’ deliberation with his race engineer would lead to him electing to not relinquish the lead to Piastri. “I know Lando very well, so I had no doubt he was going to move over. I think we left it a bit long because they were free to race,” he explained. “Had he made that change of position right away, you would have had 21 laps of racing to go. Part of me was actually happy they didn’t race because that would have been 21 laps of me biting my nails! I think it all worked out in the end. Some learnings there, some better communication amongst us – to be clearer with each other. But it all worked out in the end.”
Norris has insisted that he wants to “earn” a potential position as the number one driver, while Piastri believes that it would be premature to put him in a support role. Asked whether he thinks his team-mate should be given preference, Piastri replied “No, I don’t think it should. I think we’re just over halfway through the season. There’s a long way to go, and I think the decisions we made in Budapest showed that, in the team’s view, it’s important about keeping the relationship strong, building the team, and ultimately scoring as many points for the Constructors as we can. Like I said, if Lando is in a position to win the championship and they ask me to help, then I will. But I think halfway through the season, with so many points still on offer, for myself as well, I think it’s still very early.”
[lets hope Lando doesn't miss out on the drivers championship by around a 10 point defersit]
1%er
Well-Known Member
I'm kinda surprised Red Bull and Max didn't take loads of other parts this weekend and start from the back of the grid. He is maxed out on the other parts so is very likely to take more grid penalties in later races, which will/could mean he takes those penalties at tracks that are slower and harder to overtake 
1%er
Well-Known Member
F1 Qualifying Results: Belgian Grand Prix 2024
1. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] - 1:53.159sec2. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +0.595s
3. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - +0.606s
4. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +0.676s
5. Lando Norris [McLaren] - +0.822s
6. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] - +0.868s
7. George Russell [Mercedes] - +1.025s
8. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +1.318s
9. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +1.606s
10. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] - +1.651s
ELIMINATED IN Q2
11. Alex Albon [Williams]
12. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]
13. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB]
14. Valtteri Bottas [Sauber]
15. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]
ELIMINATED IN Q1
16. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas]
17. Kevin Magnussen [Haas]
18. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB]
19. Logan Sargeant [Williams]
20. Zhou Guanyu [Sauber]
1%er
Well-Known Member
Belgian Grand Prix
| Position | Driver | Team | Qual. time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:53:754 |
| 2. | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1:53:765 |
| 3. | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:53:835 |
| 4. | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:53:981 |
| 5. | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:54:027 |
| 6. | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:54:095 |
| 7. | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:54:112 |
| 8. | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:54:258 |
| 9. | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:54:460 |
| 10. | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:54:473 |
| 11.* | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:53:159 |
| 12. | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:54:635 |
| 13. | Daniel Ricciardo | RB | 1:54:682 |
| 14. | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber | 1:54:764 |
| 15. | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:55:716 |
| 16. | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas | 1:56:308 |
| 17. | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:56:500 |
| 18. | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:57:230 |
| 19. | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber | 1:57:775 |
| 20.** | Yuki Tsunoda | RB | 1:56:593 |
**Tsunoda must start at the back of the grid due to a penalty
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Yes. It's been cool and wet so far all weekend. Maybe the McLarens are warm-weather cars?
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
1%er
Well-Known Member
Carlos Sainz ‘has decided’ €10m deal for F1 2025 with special exit clause
Carlos Sainz “has decided” his Formula 1 future, so the rumour goes, and will join Williams on a one-year deal, although maybe not at all as it includes a special Mercedes and Red Bull clause. Left without a race seat for next year’s championship after being passed over in favour of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, Sainz has been linked to just about every team up and down the grid.Carlos Sainz ‘has’ a Williams deal that includes a special exit clause
But after six months of weighing up his options and intense negotiations, the Spaniard has finally made a decision. That’s according to F1-Insider who claim the speculation is ‘over’, Sainz ‘has now decided’ when he will be in 2025, and his ‘choice is Williams.’ The 29-year-old, a winner of three Grands Prix, has reportedly put pen to paper on a ‘one-year contract’ worth €10 million per season that includes an option to extend.
As for as what persuaded him to choose Williams instead of Alpine or Audi, that’s a special clause in the contract that means he may never race for Williams. ‘Above all,’ reads the report, ‘his contract is said to contain a clause that allows him not to start his job at Williams at all or to quit if the opportunity arises to move to Mercedes or Red Bull in 2025.’
The publication went on to claim that could happen as there is speculation about an ‘agreement between Williams team boss James Vowles and Toto Wolff” that could see Kimi Antonelli come in at Williams if Mercedes decide they want Sainz. Adding a bit of weight to the rumour, Sainz’s team, his father Carlos Sainz Senior and his manager Carlos Onoro, were seen leaving the Williams motorhome in Spa on Friday.
However, contrary to the report, Sainz insisted on Thursday that he had not made a decision nor would he give a timeframe for one. Asked if F1 journalists can enjoy a relaxing summer break or if they need to keep out for surprises, the Spaniard replied: “Do you honestly think I’m going to answer that question?
1%er
Well-Known Member
F1 team discover driver is joining rival after checking tracker in company car
Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski claimed that “everyone” in the team knew that Esteban Ocon would be leaving after they noticed that the driver had parked his company car in a rivals’ lot for five hours. Last month, Alpine confirmed that they would be parting ways with Ocon at the end of the season after five years together, where he was quickly linked with Williams before eventually joining Haas alongside rookie Oliver Bearman. Ocon was a free agent going into next season and during the British Grand Prix week, met with Williams. Though his current team only found out because of the tracking data on the car given to him by Alpine.Budkowski explained to Viaplay Poland: “He (Ocon) was in Enstone before the Silverstone race and when he’s there, he drives an Alpine that was lent to him as a company car. But these cars have trackers, the GPS. So it turned out that his Alpine car was parked in Williams’ parking lot for five hours during Esteban’s stay in Great Britain, and this is how everyone at Alpine found out that Esteban spent half a day there. I don’t think he was aware. But let’s face it, the team didn’t extend his contract so Esteban can talk to the other teams. It’s just a funny situation that it got out like that.”
Williams team principal James Vowles has since confirmed that Ocon met with the team, who are still searching for Alex Albon’s team-mate after confirming that Logan Sargeant will not keep his seat. “Esteban came in for, not a real seat fit, but I wanted to evaluate him for 2025 and 2026,” Vowles admitted. “I needed to do that because I need to actually ascertain whether he fit in the car or not. Because he’s, as is Alex, a tall chap, but his dimensions are a bit difficult in certain dimensions.”
1%er
Well-Known Member
Extremely high degradation expected to lead to two-stop strategies
Following the Friday practice day that showed relatively high degradation, Pirelli expects the majority of the field to complete today's Belgian Grand Prix with a two-stop race strategy. F1Technical's lead journalist Balazs Szabo delivers his strategy guide. History repeated itself yesterday. Max Verstappen was quickest in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix (1’53”159 in Q3), but Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start at the head of the field from pole position at today's Belgian Grand Prix.The same situation occurred in the previous two years, when the Dutchman was quickest in Q3 – by 632 thousandths from Sainz in 2022 and by 820 from Leclerc in 2023 – but had to give up those pole positions to the two Ferrari drivers because of having exceeded the permitted number of complete power units the first time and gearboxes the second. And that was the case this year, as the three time world champion was by far the quickest in Q3 (1’53”159) almost six tenths quicker than Leclerc (1’53”754)
This year, Verstappen picked up a ten place grid penalty for using his fifth internal combustion engine of the season, one more than permitted in the regulations. However, the coincidences do not end there. Not only is a Ferrari driver on pole for a third consecutive year, but the next two drivers on the grid are in the same positions they occupied in 2023: Red Bull’s Sergio Perez starts from second on the front row, having set the third fastest time of 1’53”765, while Lewis Hamilton (1’53”835) is third on the grid, just as he was last year, while back in 2022 he was fourth.
Commenting on the qualifying session, Pirelli's Motorsport Director Mario Isola said: “Today was another example of how changeable the weather can be here in Spa! In fact, we and the teams were expecting rain to be the feature of Saturday, which meant that the data acquired yesterday will be vital in deciding the best strategy for tomorrow’s race, which regardless of the peculiarities of the Belgian summer, should take place on a dry track."
High tyre stress, middle range
For this, the 14th round of the season, Pirelli has chosen the same trio of compounds as used for the last two years, namely C2 as P Zero White hard, the C3 as P Zero Yellow medium and the C4 as P Zero Red soft. In terms of stress on the tyres, it is one of the tracks with the highest average levels, even if it does not reach the peaks seen at Silverstone and Suzuka. The track features all corner types, linked by very fast sections, which makes it difficult for the teams to identify the ideal aerodynamic compromise. In fact, it is not unusual to see cars that are very strong in the fastest first and third sectors, struggling in the second slower one, or vice versa.
Some combinations of corners, for example, Eau Rouge-Raidillon are very demanding and have unique characteristics, in this specific case a strong compression which puts a lot of stress on both the driver and the car. Usually, degradation at this track is mainly thermal, but the new surface could be a decisive factor in this area, given the extra grip afforded to the tyres.
Two-stop strategy
With warm weather expected for today’s Spa F1 race, Pirelli thinks that drivers will need to pit twice to complete the 44 laps in a race which is believed to feature extremely high tyre degradation. There are a number of two-stop strategies on the table. To achieve optimum grip for the start, the majority of the drivers are expected to start on the mediums before switching to the hards in the window of Laps 10-15.
Following a relatively long middle stint, all three compounds are considered as potential tyres. Those who stacked up two sets of C2 compounds might complete the remainder of the race on another fresh set of the white-walled tyres. The medium compound could also be a potential tyre to bring the race to a close while those who can extend their middle stint could switch to the softs for a short final stint.
Pirelli does not rule out a start on the red-walled compound, but that would lead to an early first stop and a careful tyre management during the remaining two stints. "Compared to last year, the new track surface has now shifted the balance significantly towards a two-stop strategy. It also means that the hardest tyre here, the C2, is now much more suitable for the race than it was twelve months ago, to the detriment of the softest C4. However, all three compounds are still perfectly viable, also because only four teams – Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Alpine – have two sets of Hards available. On paper, the fastest strategy is to run the first stint on the Medium before doing a double stint on the Hard. The logical alternative is to go Medium/Hard/Medium but the Soft/Hard/Hard and Soft/Hard/Medium options cannot be ruled out. The one-stop is too slow, while the three-stop, even on a track where overtaking is definitely possible is, at least according to simulations, not faster. A further consideration is that the set-up choices made today remain the same for tomorrow, given that the cars in are in parc ferme and that could also change the balance of power seen in qualifying," concluded Isola.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Anthem watch:
If the phrase 'national anthem' doesn't depress you, surely the qualifier 'Belgian' will have you reaching for strong drink.
Like a rainy day, this dismal air meanders without aim or purpose. Sentimental and mawkish. Scarcely improved by the tremulous acapella rendition.
3/10. Stick to chips.
If the phrase 'national anthem' doesn't depress you, surely the qualifier 'Belgian' will have you reaching for strong drink.
Like a rainy day, this dismal air meanders without aim or purpose. Sentimental and mawkish. Scarcely improved by the tremulous acapella rendition.
3/10. Stick to chips.
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
Buddy Bradley
Pantheistic solipsist
for E's and whizz?
