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F1 2024

Thanks.
Took a bit of persistence but I got one to work in the end.
I think its because its a Saturday and start of the season, they'll get better as things move along. You'll always find a link on one of those sites. I'll post more sites once the season gets going, keep an eye out.
 

Bahrain Grand Prix race result​



P.#DriverTeamCar
11Max VerstappenRed Bull-Honda RBPTRB20
211Sergio PerezRed Bull-Honda RBPTRB20
355Carlos Sainz JnrFerrariSF-24
416Charles LeclercFerrariSF-24
563George RussellMercedesW15
64Lando NorrisMcLaren-MercedesMCL38
744Lewis HamiltonMercedesW15
881Oscar PiastriMcLaren-MercedesMCL38
914Fernando AlonsoAston Martin-MercedesAMR24
1018Lance StrollAston Martin-MercedesAMR24
1124Zhou GuanyuSauber-FerrariC44
1220Kevin MagnussenHaas-FerrariVF-24
133Daniel RicciardoRB-Honda RBPT01
1422Yuki TsunodaRB-Honda RBPT01
1523Alexander AlbonWilliams-MercedesFW46
1627Nico HulkenbergHaas-FerrariVF-24
1731Esteban OconAlpine-RenaultA524
1810Pierre GaslyAlpine-RenaultA524
1977Valtteri BottasSauber-FerrariC44
202Logan SargeantWilliams-MercedesFW46
 
And speaking of Jeddah, here are the times for next week's Festival of Neweydom, featuring, possibly, some other cars, at least at the start. Thereafter, let's hope the telly folk can spark a teensy bit of interest in "the race" by showing us end-to-end vignettes of Rap Celebs and Hollywood Stars Doing What They Do Best.

Shoot me now.

The UK telly times will be:

Thurs 7 Mar
FP1 - 13:30
FP2 - 17:00

Fri 8 Mar

FP3 - 13:30
Qual - 17:00

Sat 9 Mar
Race - 17:00

It's going to be a looooong season, literally and figuratively. Again.

:(
 
No Hollywood stars as it's Oscars weekend.
Gaudeamus igitur! Hallelujah!

That'll give the TV director more time to show surly, clueless musicians I've never heard of.

(Any time the telly folk think the race is too tedious to transmit, they should cut to a still of Murray Walker and be done with it! I don't suppose we can hope for ad breaks?)

:)
 

Red Bull in crisis as Jos Verstappen warns Horner must leave​

The controversy engulfing Christian Horner has descended into crisis for Red Bull after the extraordinary tension within the Formula 1 team was made public by Max Verstappen’s father Jos. F1’s 2024 season opener was dominated by Red Bull with a 1-2 for world champion Max Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez, but a remarkable week in Bahrain overshadowed the on-track action and has created an incredible contrast between the dream start for F1’s top team on-track and the nightmare it faces off it.

Jos Verstappen’s warning that Red Bull Racing will “explode” under Horner’s leadership has now put fresh pressure on the team principal, indicated Red Bull and its team are in an untenable situation, and ensured the build-up to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that follows immediately next Saturday will be dominated by the saga too. In interviews with UK newspaper The Daily Mail and Dutch publication De Telegraaf given after his son Max cantered to victory in the first race of what looks likely to be another title-winning season, Jos Verstappen has warned that Red Bull Racing will suffer if Horner remains as team principal. In De Telegraaf he says the situation is bad for the team and driving people apart, with tension in the air. MailOnline’s report quotes him as saying: “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode.”

On Wednesday this week Red Bull’s parent company kept Horner in his position as team principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing following the conclusion of an investigation into allegations about his conduct towards a female member of staff, dismissing the “grievance” against him. The refusal to disclose more detail meant having to take Red Bull on trust that the process really was fair and thorough, and its decision was made for the right reasons. But the situation quickly moved well beyond calls for more transparency. Twenty-four hours later, on Horner’s first day in the paddock since seemingly being cleared, a dossier of 79 files implied to be evidence from the investigation was leaked to more than 100 F1 personnel including championship CEO Stefano Domenicali, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, all Horner’s rival team bosses, the media - and Jos Verstappen.

The mid-week leak meant the situation could not (and did not) end with the conclusion of the investigation. Someone, somewhere, wanted to turn the screw on Horner. Which gave way to a remarkable tension on Friday in Bahrain due to speculation another leak would come around qualifying, but this did not come to pass. Horner would not budge. On race day, he was joined by his wife Geri Halliwell-Horner in a deliberate display of support interpreted by some as a statement of defiance that kept attention on Horner when he should be laying low. Despite Horner saying after the race that the result “demonstrates where the whole team’s focus is”, this situation is an ongoing, enormous destabiliser. Team members trackside and at the factory will not be able to ignore it, nor the specifics – not what was leaked, regardless of whether it was all real, and not what Jos has said now.

Their attention may not deviate when it counts, and maybe Horner did retain full or overwhelming support from his team while the investigation was going on and when it was concluded. But his leadership has been compromised by the events of the last few days, and potentially fatally undermined. That is before even factoring in what Red Bull’s partners may or may not think.

Remember, its 2026 engine partner Ford was putting huge pressure on a resolution and demanding transparency – which it may not get, based on Red Bull’s parent company not wanting to disclose the investigation’s report to protect the privacy of those involved. After Red Bull dominated the grand prix, Horner reiterated in his media session he would not comment on the leak. A question about whether the messages were genuine was blocked. But with conviction, Horner insisted he believed he would continue to lead the team for the full season, adding: “I’ve always been entirely confident that I would be here. And my focus is on the season ahead and the races we have ahead.”

Jos Verstappen’s comments put that in doubt. First because the influence of the Verstappen camp within Red Bull Racing, and how Red Bull handles its F1 business. It is enormous and Jos is a key part of that. He is not a normal racing parent in the background. Second, it means a significant figure related to the organisation – and literally to its star driver – is speaking out against Horner’s leadership, effectively undermining it and indirectly calling for him to leave. While Jos has explicitly denied claims that he was responsible for the leak itself, what he has said here will have serious consequences.

Horner, Red Bull Racing and Red Bull itself cannot ignore this. There will be emergency talks to get ahead of the situation before next weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. If not, the rising tension plays out in full view of everybody in F1. Max will be confronted with this too. He has had to sidestep provocative comments from his father in the past, for instance when a blog post by Jos was posted on the official Verstappen website in response to Red Bull not favouring his son during the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix – a race won by Perez after he secured a more favourable grid slot by crashing on the final runs in qualifying.

But this is on another level entirely. Especially as it came little more than 24 hours after Max had praised Horner in the post-qualifying press conference in Bahrain and offered what was generally considered to be a qualified level of support. Max had initially said “it’s not our business”, referring to himself and Red Bull’s trackside team, and when asked if he still had full faith in Horner's leadership, replied: “Listen, when I look at how Christian operates within the team, he has been an incredible team boss. So absolutely, from the performance side of things, you can't even question that. That's what I'm also dealing with. I speak to Christian a lot. And also, of course, throughout the weekend here, he's fully committed to the team. He's also here for the performance. Of course, probably a little bit distracted. But we just focus on the performance side of things. And that's how we all work together.”

Jos Verstappen has now made it Max’s business, detracted from that performance focus, and turned suspicions of tensions into evidence of a tangible division in the team. It will also not help dissuade many in F1 of the notion that Red Bull’s F1 operation has split into two factions, with the Horner-led Milton Keynes base on one side and the Red Bull parent company’s Austrian contingent led by executive Oliver Mintzlaff (with the Verstappen camp aligned) on the other. Whatever Red Bull’s response, or Horner’s, it is beginning to look impossible that he will be able to ride out the scrutiny and the speculation without further threats to his leadership.

The leak in Bahrain was widely regarded as a deliberate attempt to destabilise and discredit Horner, rather than seen as an act in the interest of forcing transparency, and Jos Verstappen’s remarks show the fallout has not ended there. It remains a live and volatile situation. Horner admitted in Bahrain “it’s not been pleasant, the unwanted attention” and that not only continues but has been intensified. Naïve or not, Horner - and probably Red Bull - will have hoped that the controversy would end with the investigation. Instead, it is potentially coming to a head in the most destructive way possible.
 

Horner scandal rocks Red Bull: Will Verstappen and Newey jump ship?​

Amidst the storm of controversy, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner stood united with his wife and the team’s majority shareholder, signaling a front of unity. He expressed, “I have great support within the team and the company. But I will not comment what motives someone might have for doing something like this.”

The scandal, reportedly involving an affair, has stirred significant tension within the team, as highlighted by Jos Verstappen: “There’s tension here while he remains in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem voiced his concerns about the scandal’s impact on Formula 1: “It damages the sport. It’s the start of the season, Formula 1 is becoming so popular,” he said, committing to “protect the sport from all this. We have to look at the competition. Why are we overshadowing it with negativity?”

Amidst rumors of internal power struggles potentially influencing the public leak of the scandal, involving figures like Dr. Helmut Marko and Adrian Newey, Jos Verstappen denied such involvement: “Why would I do that when Max is doing so well here? That wouldn’t make sense.”

The controversy has even seen Toto Wolff, previously at odds with Horner, engaging positively with Jos Verstappen, amidst speculation around Max Verstappen’s future with Mercedes: “I’ve known Jos for 25 years, through ups and downs, and I simply congratulated him on his son’s achievements. Anything is possible,” Wolff remarked, fueling further speculation.

Ralf Schumacher spoke on the need for swift resolution within Red Bull to prevent further fallout: “This unrest needs to be dealt with quickly now. If there are splits and someone loses motivation, things like that happen very quickly. Formula 1 is known for something like that – who would have thought a few months ago that Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes?” Despite the swirling rumors of Horner’s potential step down, he confirmed his attendance at the next race: “Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

Ralf Schumacher speculated on the ongoing nature of the controversy: “Everyone either needs to apologise to one another or someone needs to go. The damage to the brand is already gigantic,” highlighting the tension within the team. “It’s taken up a lot of space this week – too much. I also thought that Max was only cautiously happy (after winning). The ordeal isn’t over yet. I could imagine Max saying he’s doing something completely different. A team structure is very fragile. Adrian Newey, too, has achieved everything and just wants to build cars in peace now. Then Horner would be standing there along with his drawing board,” suggesting the delicate balance within Red Bull Racing.

F1 journalist Leo Turrini’s comments shed light on the distaste for the public airing of private disputes: “I feel repugnance for those who disclosed the private conversations of human beings who have families, children, relatives, friends. From the outside, one has the impression of being witnesses of a power conflict. That’s why I found Toto Wolff and Zak Brown’s position embarrassing, to say the least,” he stated, expressing a personal distaste for such revelations: “When I was a child studying the animal kingdom, I never liked vultures. And I don’t even like Chris Horner.”
 
Jos "wifebeater" Verstappen really is a piece of shit.

I'm sure he thinks of himself as the éminence grise of the team - the power behind the throne. But he's more of a Gríma Wormtongue or a Steerpike.

If the owners have any sense, they should do what Newey wants. He is the common source of driving excellence in both the Vettel and Verstappen eras. Jos probably thinks he holds the driver in his pocket ("no Max, no wins").

Arguably, several / many of the top flight drivers could win in that RB (Perez, for instance). But give a Max a car designed by any other F1 engineer and he might get Ferrari quality, or he might get a Williams. If Max leaves Newey, the Max era ends.

Max ain't unique; the car design is. I suspect that beneath the towering self-esteem Max has, he knows the car is (nearly) all. He won't jump ship just because daddy is in a snit with Horner. Newey, however, is a different kettle of fish.

These are muddy waters and treacherous times. Sadly, the shenanigans are more interesting than the racing.

Idle thoughts, idle thoughts.

 
Red Bull without Horner still wins everything going.

Red Bull without Verstappen still wins everything going.

Red Bull without Newey is no guarantee of anything.

Jos needs to be very, very careful in this power struggle. He may think Team Verstappen holds all the cards, but they don't. Personally, I think it would be hilarious if Max's career ended as as a "what if" story because his dad is one of the worst human beings imaginable.
 
This thread should probably be in the tv/entertainment or suburban section rather than sport as its just a bunch of blokes driving a car around for a couple of hours, not a sport, but its fucking hilarious. Lovin it during this quiet news cycle.

Reddit's mods have deleted all the really bad shit so can someone post it on here? What's the sexy stuff?
 
Red Bull without Horner still wins everything going.

Red Bull without Verstappen still wins everything going.

Red Bull without Newey is no guarantee of anything.

Jos needs to be very, very careful in this power struggle. He may think Team Verstappen holds all the cards, but they don't. Personally, I think it would be hilarious if Max's career ended as as a "what if" story because his dad is one of the worst human beings imaginable.
Well put.

I agree completely.

:thumbs:
 
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More gossip on the Horner case in industry magazine BusinessF1. Although "sources close to Horner have dismissed the piece as 'full of inaccuracies', The Times reported, but it may be seized upon by his critics."


The affair surrounding Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull Racing, is not coming to an end. After a highly explosive data leak became known , which was leaked to hundreds of people in the Formula 1 paddock on the sidelines of the season opener in Bahrain, a story that contains new explosive material is now appearing in the March issue of the industry magazine BusinessF1 .
On 17 pages, the Horner affair is detailed in detail and, among other things, the name of the employee who made the allegations against Horner is mentioned for the first time. It is told how the woman collapsed on the sidelines of a racing weekend and, crying, told colleagues for the first time about her boss's transgressive behavior.

Many of the details of the story weigh heavily on Horner. If they are true, it is hard to imagine that the 50-year-old will survive the affair as team boss of Red Bull Racing. However, it is important to note: As of today, many of the details are difficult to clearly verify, which is why our editorial team is refraining from publishing them.

What can be verified, however, is an exciting sub-strand of the story that casts Red Bull GmbH's handling of the Horner affair in a completely new light. As is well known, Formula 1 team bosses such as Toto Wolff and Zak Brown publicly criticized the non-transparent handling of the matter in Bahrain .

It was on the morning of February 2nd, just one day after the announcement of Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, that the next earthquake began to emerge in Formula 1. The decision-making level at Red Bull GmbH in Fuschl had already become aware of the allegations made by Horner's personal assistant weeks ago, discussed them intensively - and came to the conclusion that morning that Horner's behavior was impossible to reconcile with the company's code of conduct is.

So Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff decided after internal consultations that he wanted to terminate Horner. According to BusinessF1, an official press release had already been prepared. The wording is said to have been: "Red Bull GmbH confirms that Christian Horner has left Red Bull Racing with immediate effect. Red Bull GmbH will make no further comment on the matter."

According to information from Motorsport-Total.com , Fuschl planned to allow Horner to leave without loss of face and without lasting damage to his private life and his marriage to "Spice Girl" Geri Halliwell. In the second step, one could have communicated in interviews, for example, an end to the collaboration "for health reasons".

But Horner did not want to accept the termination and now called in his lawyers, who intervened at Red Bull in Fuschl before the press release could be sent out. Horner therefore insisted on an arbitration clause in his contract, which would give him the right to an independent investigation in the event of such allegations.

Mintzlaff and his team now found themselves in a difficult situation. The decision to terminate Horner had actually already been made, at least for Fuschl. However, Horner's lawyers threatened to file an injunction with the High Court in London if the move was actually carried out.

BusinessF1 writes: "The matter had already lasted nine weeks [...], and Mintzlaff concluded that two more weeks would make no difference. He was certain that an arbitrator would rule against Horner because the evidence was overwhelming spoke against him. Mintzlaff was of the opinion that Red Bull GmbH would not be able to keep Horner after what he had seen and read. Secretly he was appalled by Horner's behavior."

So Mintzlaff is said to have decided not to initiate the necessary formalities for termination (which also includes coordination with the Thai majority owners) immediately, but to wait for the result of the independent investigation. In Fuschl it was believed that this would delay the ultimate end of the collaboration with Horner, but would no longer prevent it.

But then the Thai Yoovidhya clan, majority owners of Red Bull GmbH, are said to have placed their protective hand over Horner. On February 28, the results of the Horner investigation were presented in a brief press release - and to the surprise of many who had seen the evidence, Horner was exonerated.

To this day, there are doubts about the independence of the investigation, and BusinessF1 's story lists numerous details that support these suspicions. Also in relation to who ultimately hired the lawyer. And, bizarre detail: After Horner was questioned, he is said to have gone on vacation for two weeks and was unavailable.

This in turn apparently annoyed people, not named by BusinessF1 , who had become aware of the matter. They decided to take matters into their own hands and began leaking information to the media. The ball then started rolling, which is now known as the Horner affair.

An affair in which the final chapter has most likely not yet been written.
 
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