2023 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

Aussie F1 great reveals Ricciardo failed to heed grim Red Bull warning.
“I was keen for him to stay in Red Bull,” Webber told ITV. “I think he knows that all those years ago I was trying to talk him into staying. But, obviously, he was keen to go to Renault at the time and then he went to McLaren.”
July 17th, 2023 1:23 pm
Staff Writers from News.com.au

Mark Webber has revealed Daniel Ricciardo, the man who replaced him at Red Bull Racing back in 2014, failed to heed his advice before the West Australian’s Formula 1 career nosedived. Webber won nine F1 races during his time with Red Bull before making way for Ricciardo, with Webber subsequently retiring from the category.

Now at the advanced racing age of 34, Ricciardo is back in F1 with Red Bull’s feeder team, AlphaTauri, and Webber believes he never should have left the energy drink’s stable. “The stopwatch never lies, you’re either giving pressure or you’re taking pressure. So now he’s back on the grid and obviously, he’s got to step up against (teammate) Yuki (Tsunoda) pretty quickly and hopefully he can perform well.”

‘Failed to heed grim Red Bull warning’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...0cd41927dad981


Brundle: Ricciardo ‘absolutely’ must beat Tsunoda at AlphaTauri
16:00 Fri, 14 Jul 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Ex-Formula 1 driver and experienced TV pundit Martin Brundle says beating Yuki Tsunoda should be the minimum expectation of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri

Brundle reckons Ricciardo should be afforded a “one or two-race” period to enable him to get comfortable within his new surroundings and a troublesome AT04 car. However, he declares the pressure will then instantly be on the eight-time F1 winner to regularly out-perform new team-mate Yuki Tsunoda to reinvigorate his F1 career.

‘Absolutely must beat Tsunoda’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...at-alphatauri/


Helmut Marko warns Daniel Ricciardo after Red Bull chief rubber-stamped his F1 return
Ricciardo has been given a second chance in his F1 career after losing his place with McLaren at the end of last year and has 12 races to prove he still has the speed
13:06, 14 Jul 2023
Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

After approving Ricciardo's return, following a successful test at Silverstone on Tuesday, Marko laid out the situation for the driver. "His lap times were competitive on three different tyre sets – if Ricciardo hadn't had the speed, we would have considered something else," he told De Telegraaf.

"But AlphaTauri is not in a good position, last in the constructors' standings, so we have to do something to bring something about. That often happens after a driver change, and Ricciardo brings new energy to the team.

"We have to see from Ricciardo how he compares to Tsunoda. I think Yuki is underestimated by a lot of people. The AlphaTauri is not the easiest car to drive, but Yuki has proven that it is possible to achieve good results."

‘A second chance’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...dbull-30467313


Will Ricciardo win in AlphaTauri gamble?
14 July 10:00PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Daniel Ricciardo's F1 career looked over at the end of last season. The Australian lacked his effervescent mojo during his time at McLaren and was forced to settle for a berth at Red Bull as third driver, left only to cling onto hope that a competitive team would take a punt on him for 2024 onwards. So, having turned down back-of-the-grid outfits last year, the option to take over from the ousted Nyck de Vries is a curious move. Will it work out for Ricciardo?

So what must he do to reassert his position on the F1 grid to secure a competitive drive from next year? Simply put, Ricciardo has to beat Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver has been much improved this season after his first two years of experience in the sport, which were riddled with inconsistency and incidents.

Tsunoda's form this year led him to being named in the top three drivers of the year so far by his contemporaries despite scoring only two points in what has proved a difficult car to drive. De Vries' inability to match Tsunoda ultimately cost him his F1 shot, so this is the main goal for Ricciardo. Of course, there will be a bedding-in period in the two races before the summer break, but after that he has to put himself ahead of his teammate.

‘AlphaTauri gamble?’;

https://racingnews365.com/will-ricci...hatauri-gamble


Brundle tells Ricciardo what he MUST DO in 'high-risk' AlphaTauri move
Saturday 15 July 2023 06:57
Joe Ellis
Motorsport Week

Martin Brundle believes Daniel Ricciardo's move to AlphaTauri is an incredibly risky strategy to get back in F1. "It's high risk for Daniel in what is probably the slowest car on the grid," Brundle said to Sky Sports.

"He's got to beat Tsunoda, he's absolutely got to. He needs to edge him in quali and in the races, that's an absolute given as an expectation. Maybe he can outperform that car if he can massively outperform that car and get it somewhere near the top 10 and keep it there in the race, then maybe it will be his salvation in that respect."

'High-risk AlphaTauri move’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...ki-tsunoda-f1/


Ricciardo details Marko phone call: 'There was no question'
15 July 1:25PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed his reaction to the phone call from Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko to offer him a return to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri. On how he reacted when he saw Marko was making the call, Ricciardo explained: "I was like 'ok, let's just hear what he has to say'.

"That's probably the best thing, because sometimes, you try to prepare yourself for 'what if he asks me this'. I didn't really need to think much about it. Being back in this family, I feel like I am kind of going through it all again - these are the calls I used to get and these are the moments they used to throw in front of us. There was no question I was going to say yes, it was just the reality of 'ok, it is going to happen pretty soon'."

"Getting back to Red Bull, the reception I had walking back into that team was overwhelming in a positive way. Getting back on the sim, I was a bit unsure how it would go, whether the car would feel like it used to, whether I was going to be 'like the old me'. Once I did a few sim sessions and started feeling like myself again, it brought me back to normal Daniel where I was falling back in love and ready to go again."

‘I didn't really need to think much about it’;

https://racingnews365.com/ricciardo-...as-no-question


Daniel Ricciardo reveals Red Bull expectations following AlphaTauri move
15 Jul 2023 12:52 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Daniel Ricciardo has spelled out what the Red Bull bosses are expecting of him as he makes his way back to Faenza and to AlphaTauri. Ricciardo has been in Fazena for a seat fit and has also given an interview to Formula 1 where he detailed what the higher ups are expecting of him as he drives for a Red Bull outfit for the first time since 2018.

“Just be a legend,” he joked. “They expect results and performances. I think until I get in the car, it’s hard to define what that is. Is it a P8? Is it a P14? Obviously, there’s two races and then the summer break. I don’t think there’s a ‘you have to do this before August’ but I also don’t expect to get off to a slow start, I want to hit the ground running and try and use what I’ve learned in this time off.”

‘Red Bull expectations: Is it a P8? Is it a P14?’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/daniel...ns-alphatauri/

Horner throws support behind struggling Perez.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has insisted Sergio Perez continues to receive full support from the F1 Constructors' championship-leading outfit amid ongoing qualifying struggles.
18 July 7:30AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

His issues in qualifying have left mountains to climb in the Grands Prix, with Perez slipping back to 99 points behind teammate Max Verstappen in the Drivers' standings having been tipped to take the title battle to the Dutchman in the early stages of the year.

On Perez's poor qualifying form, Horner told media, including RacingNews365: "He just needs to break it now, he will do it in Budapest. The way he races, some of his moves [at Silverstone], particularly the one on Carlos Sainz was quite stunning.”

"His pace in the last stint, he was right there. It is frustrating for him that he is having to fight back all the time, but he has just got to sort his qualifying out on Saturdays. As a team, we'll do our best to support him."

‘Receive full support’;

https://racingnews365.com/horner-thr...ruggling-perez


‘He just needs an arm around his shoulder’ – Horner throws support behind Perez amid poor qualifying run
13 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has backed Sergio Perez to overcome his recent qualifying woes and put the topic behind him at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. Perez has failed to reach Q3 in any of the previous five events, including Q1 exits in Monaco and in Britain last time out, leaving him with damage limitation exercises on race days.

As such, Horner admitted: “You’re always looking for perfection in this business. Of course, we’re always trying to say, ‘Where can we better?’ In this instance, it’s like, ‘OK, where can we help Checo to achieve what he’s doing on Sundays on Saturday?’.”

But stressing that the whole team is behind Perez, he added: “I think he’s the type of guy that just needs an arm around his shoulder. You work with him and that’s what we’re doing. We’re supporting him, we know he can do it, we know he’ll get back there, and we’re just trying to make sure it happens as quickly as possible.”

‘Arm around his shoulder’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...R40TJkJxe.html


HORNER HAS REVEALED HOW RED BULL IS SUPPORTING PEREZ AMID QUALIFYING FAILURES
Red Bull F1 Team Principal, Christian Horner, has detailed what he believes is the best way to support and encourage Sergio Perez, given his recent run of poor qualifying form
July 12, 2023
Samuel Coop
FormulaNerds

Speaking with media, including FormulaNerds, after Sunday’s British Grand Prix, Horner broke down what Perez needs to do to get out of his Saturday funk. In a race in which double world champion Max Verstappen continued Red Bull’s 100% winning record in 2023, Perez’s absence on the podium was amplified.

It’s now five successive F1 race weekends that the Mexican has failed to reach Q3, let alone qualify near the top of the order. Time and time again, Perez is having to work his way through the pack on Sunday, compromising his final finishing position.

Without a 1-2 in five grands prix, in easily the most dominant car on the grid, Red Bull is starting to get heat for the 33-year-old’s rut. When asked about the issue, Horner pivoted to highlight the fact that Perez is still delivering the goods on race day.

‘Best way to support and encourage Sergio Perez’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ho...ying-failures/


Christian Horner reacts to rumours that Daniel Ricciardo will take over Red Bull drive from Checo Perez
Sergio Perez's F1 title challenge had quickly faded away since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix
July 10, 2023
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport

Christian Horner has played down rumours of a Daniel Ricciardo comeback with Red Bull in Formula 1 2023. Ricciardo, who departed McLaren at the end of 2022, is set to undergo a three-day Pirelli tyre test for Red Bull after the 2023 British GP at Silverstone amid reports he could replace the underperforming Sergio Perez.

“It’s not something that we’re planning, that’s for certain,” Horner told selected media outlets, including Total-Motorsport.com. “So it was right to give him the opportunity this year to remain within the team and keep him around the sport. I think [it] would have been a loss to the sport for him just to disappear. “I didn’t recognise the Daniel of the last couple of years, so I’ll be very interested to see what kind of job he does on Tuesday… (AlphaTauri seat instead)

‘Christian Horner reacts to rumours’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...e-checo-perez/


Perez's admission that 2023 title fight is over
16 July 2:35PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Sergio Perez has voiced for the first time that he believes he cannot beat Max Verstappen to the 2023 Formula 1 title. After four rounds of the season, Perez was just six points behind Verstappen in the sister Red Bull, with both claiming two wins apiece.

"In Formula 1, only your position in Abu Dhabi matters," Perez told Spanish media during a Red Bull show run in Madrid. "I am not second In the World Championship by a miracle, I have won races and have had some bad races, but we have everything ahead of us. My objective now is definitely to be runner-up in the World Championship - and I am only thinking about the Hungarian Grand Prix."

‘2023 title fight is over’;

https://racingnews365.com/perezs-adm...-fight-is-over


Bernie Collins believes Red Bull shoulder some of the blame for Sergio Perez’s ‘shocking statistic’
17 Jul 2023 11:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Failing to make it into the pole position shoot-out five races in a row, Bernie Collins believes Red Bull shoulder some of the blame for what she called a “discrepancy” between the team and the driver.

Former Aston Martin strategy chief Collins believes Red Bull shoulder part of the blame for the driver’s Silverstone exit as, given that everyone on the team was aware of his current qualifying struggles, they should’ve done more to give him the “best possible chance” of progressing.

“100 percent,” she told Sky F1. “There’s too much to do in the race starting from not getting out of Q1, that’s guaranteed. In those conditions, improving conditions, to be the first person to finish a lap, I think when he first crossed the line he showed up P1 or P2 with the lap that he did. And then the lap times were tumbling, tumbling really quite dramatically, which is what always happens in those types of conditions.”

‘Bernie Collins believes Red Bull shoulder some of the blame’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/bernie...ez-qualifying/


Jaw-dropping net worth of billionaire Carlos Slim that backs Sergio Perez’s F1 career
16 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Sergio Perez is under pressure - but he has a big-hitter in his corner. The Red Bull driver’s recent performances have come under scrutiny which will only intensify now Daniel Ricciardo has returned to F1 with AlphaTauri. Ricciardo had exclusively told Crash that he would accept an AlphaTauri drive if it gave him a chance at joining Red Bull.

But supporting Perez’s career is a fellow Mexican, the billionaire Carlos Slim. Slim, aged 83, is worth $102.4 billion - and is the eighth-richest person in the world. He is Mexico’s richest man, and made his wealth by owning Latin America’s biggest telecoms company.

‘Supporting Perez’s career is a fellow Mexican, the billionaire Carlos Slim’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103141...ez-s-f1-career


Perez ‘couldn’t care less’ about ongoing talk around Red Bull F1 future
10:47 Sun, 16 Jul 2023.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Crash.Net

Sergio Perez insists he “couldn’t care less” that his future at the Red Bull Formula 1 team beyond this year is under growing speculation. But the six-time grand prix winner is not phased by the recent gossip, as he looks to turn around his qualifying struggles. “Yeah, fully. I couldn’t care less if I’m honest about that,” said Perez, when asked if he was ignoring all the speculation, as by Motorsport.com.

“I’ve been in F1 13 years, and I’ve seen it all. Not worried about any of that. I’m mainly focused on getting my season on track, and making sure I keep enjoying this.” Perez stressed he has retained the backing of both Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

“Yeah, I have full support from Helmut and Christian,” he said. “The whole team is fully backing me, and they know what I can do. They know my potential, and they are fully behind me. We’re making progress, because the pace is there on Sundays,” Perez said.

“I’ve been in F1 13 years, and I’ve seen it all’;

https://readmotorsport.com/2023/07/1...ull-f1-future/

McLaren boss makes incredible fighting for VICTORY claim ahead of Hungarian GP.
"Our reasonable expectation was that we could be fighting with the four fastest teams by the end of the season.” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
Tuesday 18 July 2023 15:57
Jay Winter
GPFans

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed when he expects the team to consistently be fighting for consistent podium places and wins. However, before fans get their hopes up the McLaren boss believes the Hungarian Grand Prix will provide an opportunity to assess the true performance of the McLaren car.

Although the Hungoring may not play into the upgraded McLaren's strengths, Stella is eagerly anticipating the race in Eastern Europe, as he believes it will offer valuable insights into the team's performance.

"Our approach has always been that we need to push as hard as possible in development but with a logic and clear direction, and then we will see where we end up," said the Italian.

‘Fighting for VICTORY claim’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...an-grand-prix/


McLaren Team Principal Confident: Verstappen’s Reign in Formula 1 Could Be Over
July 17, 2023
Baylasportsf1.com

Max Verstappen’s dominant streak continues with six consecutive wins, spanning from the Miami to British Grands Prix. McLaren’s Team Principal, Zak Brown, expressed optimism about their recent resurgence and shared his confidence in McLaren’s ability to end Verstappen’s dominance.

Brown shared his thoughts during an interview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, hinting at an exciting battle on the horizon: “The racing has been unbelievably close other than Max and even Sergio is in the mix.”

“I think it’s great time for F1 that in one weekend you have one team that’s second quickest and the following weekend they’re struggling to get out of Q1. That’s the competition that we’re looking for in F1, so someone will eventually catch Max. Hopefully it’ll be us, chances are it’ll be a handful of people.”

‘McLaren’s Team Principal, Zak Brown: Verstappen’s Reign in Formula 1 Could Be Over’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/mclaren-te...could-be-over/


Norris: McLaren weaknesses still ’70 percent not fixed’
Tuesday 18th July, 2023 - 11:03pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Lando Norris feels McLaren will soon be challenging for wins if it can eradicate a number of longstanding weaknesses inherent in the car. A raft of upgrades over the past two races in Austria and Britain propelled the MCL60 out of a congested midfield to clinch a front-row grid slot and a podium on merit as Norris netted second on both occasions behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

“There are still very good things that we’ve been able to carry through, such as high-speed performance but there are plenty of things to work on. If we really can tackle those bigger problems, which are more fundamental and not [helped] just by adding load, then I’m confident we can have a much more competitive car from race one in 2024, or this year.”

“So there are plenty of good things but there are still some issues we know of and are trying to tackle, but it’s complicated, takes time. Everyone’s working extremely hard and if we can make progress – as we made over the last few races with those certain things – over the next five, six months and into ‘24, I’m confident we can be a lot more competitive and fighting for some podiums and wins at some point.”

‘McLaren weaknesses still ’70 percent not fixed’.’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/18...-lando-norris/


McLaren boss threatens MORE to come after stunning British GP in bid to hunt down Red Bull
Monday 17 July 2023 15:12
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Despite a sluggish start to the year, McLaren have progressed leaps and bounds over the course of the last two rounds, doubling their points total for the season last time out in Silverstone.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 during the British Grand Prix weekend, where his drivers finished second and fourth respectively, Brown shared his gratitude for the team’s hard work. He said: “This is just the hard work of Andrea [Stella] and everyone at McLaren, all the men and women back at the factory and at the track. The upgrades and working and the team’s executing.

“I kind of feel like our season got started in Austria, which is a little late because everyone else showed up in Bahrain. Still a long way to go and [it] feels like we have good momentum.” However, Brown reminded fans that although they might be bringing further upgrades, that other teams won’t be resting on their laurels.

‘MORE to come’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...ades-red-bull/


To win or not to win, that was McLaren and Hunt's question
18th July 2023, 14:21
F1i.com

Anyone complaining about the lengthy time it sometimes takes for the stewards to rule on a driver's action might want to hark back to the 1976 British Grand Prix which took place on this day 47 years ago. The event was a two-part affair marked by controversy, chaos, a declared winner on the podium and another winner decided two months later!

It all started at Paddock Bend at Brand Hatch, as the field barreled down on the opening lap only for Ferrari team mates Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzino to collide with each other. The race was stopped as a result of the pile-up, with James Hunt's McLaren among the collateral damage provoked quite inadvertently by the Scuderia. Hunt drove away from the scene in his crippled car and turned into the back gate behind the pits where he parked his car.

The Stewards were unsure who would be eligible to restart the race, initially acting on the basis that any car which had not completed a full lap under the red flags would not be authorised to take part in the restart. This led to a contentious decision to sideline Hunt, which in turn led to mayhem in the grandstands, with beer cans landing on the track as the revolt took hold.

‘Beer cans’;

https://f1i.com/images/273919-win-no...-question.html


Hunt's F1 apathy and Prost's cunning: the 'different beasts' at McLaren
James Hunt and Alain Prost - two champions for McLaren that couldn't have been much more different. Former chief mechanic Gary Anderson recalls working with both of them, as F1 moved into a brand new age.
July 17th 2023
Author: Motor Sport
Motor Sport Magazine

It was a shootout that would decide McLaren‘s future F1 driver. On one side was Alain Prost, a European and French F3 champion. On the other was Kevin Cogan: a Formula Atlantic hotshot, who had the advantage of backing from the team’s sponsor Marlboro. Cogan was sent home after a back-to-back test at Paul Ricard in 1979, the timesheets showing that he was simply outclassed by Prost.

However, in our Engineering the Greats podcast series, then-McLaren chief mechanic Gary Anderson reveals that there was more than meets the eye, suggesting that Prost deliberately flat-spotted the McLaren’s tyres before handing over to Cogan in trademark calculating style; a minor act of sabotage, far from unknown in the world of Formula 1, which paved the way for Prost’s four championships.

Gary Anderson: “But the big thing was, he didn’t really want to be a racing driver, he just wanted to do something successful. When we went testing, the last thing James wanted to do was drive the car, because he knew when it came time to put in the lap – he would do it. It was what we know James Hunt as today – somebody who was living a life that he wanted to live and needed some of that stuff [racing] to bring him the – well the air stewardesses I think you might call it!”

‘Hunt's F1 apathy and Prost's cunning’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#

Verstappen set to match Schumacher record in Hungarian GP.
Six wins on the trot eclipses Verstappen own previous best from last season when he won the French, Hungarian, Belgian, Dutch and Italian races and also took him past Lewis Hamilton's best of five straight.
18 July 2:30PM
Author Jake Nichol

Verstappen to match Schumacher? While Vettel is out on his own in terms of most consecutive wins thanks to the battering he handed out after the 2013 summer break, there is a three-way tie for second place on that list.

Alberto Ascari, Schumacher and Nico Rosberg all took seven straight chequered flags but only Schumacher did so during one calendar season - in his dominant 2004 campaign where he won 12 of the first 13 races, only missing Monaco after crashing in the tunnel.

MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS IN F1
Driver Wins Start End
Sebastian Vettel 9 Belgium 2013 Brazil 2013
Alberto Ascari 7 Belgium 1952 Argentina 1953
Michael Schumacher 7 Europe 2004 Hungary 2004
Nico Rosberg 7 Mexico 2015 Russia 2016
Max Verstappen 6 - ongoing Miami 2023 Britain 2023
Michael Schumacher 6 Italy 2000 Malaysia 2001
Lewis Hamilton 5 Italy 2014 United States 2014 , Eifel 2020 Bahrain 2020

‘Verstappen to match Schumacher?’

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...n-hungarian-gp


Ominous warning for Red Bull rivals with Hungarian GP upgrade worth ‘0.2s’ – report
17 Jul 2023 5:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Red Bull could take another march on their rivals at the Hungarian Grand Prix where, already billed as the favourites, the RB19 could be up by a further “two-tenths of a second” per lap. The rampant RB19, the latest of Adrian Newey’s race-winning designs, has won all 10 of this year’s grands prix, including four 1-2 results, while also securing pole position in nine grand prix qualifying sessions.

Arguably the most complete package on the track, Newey and Co are not resting on their laurels with more upgrades scheduled to hit the track at the Hungarian Grand Prix. According to Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull will have new bodywork at the Hungaroring with notable changes to the sidepods that “should be visible to the naked eye”.

“In the paddock, it was radioed that the industry leader was also looking at the competition, and there in particular at the Aston Martin with its deep groove in the sidepod,” the report stated. “Red Bull should expect a good leap from the upgrade, which probably includes even more areas.”

‘Ominous warning’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...th-02s-report/


Ferrari has potential to make ‘much better use’ of its car with set-up changes
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 18th July 2023, 11:28
Written by Ida Wood
RaceFans

The key to unlocking the Ferrari SF-23’s pace is making the correct set-up decisions, rather than bringing more upgrades, says team principal Frederic Vasseur. The team has brought some significant changes to its SF-23 since the season began. However Vasseur believes they can make greater gains by optimising the package they have from race to race.

“I’m not sure that it’s development, It’s also set-up during the weekend,” Vasseur said following the British Grand Prix. “Because the development at one stage you will have a kind of asymptote with the upgrade that you will make one or two tenths with set-up and [with] the preparation of the weekend you can do more than this.”

“You can’t bring every single week upgrades on the car,” he added. “We will have parts soon but again if I have a look on the [most recent race] weekend, I think we could have done a much better usage of the car that we have.”

‘Can make greater gains by optimising the package’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/18/...et-up-changes/


IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
17 July 2023
Chris Medland
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site

And just like that, we’re into the final pair of races before the summer break, but there’s no time to relax for the drivers with records to be broken, fierce battles to win and a returning big name with a point to prove. So here are some of the main talking points ahead of this weekend’s trip to the Hungaroring.

Daniel Ricciardo’s return: I’m sure you haven’t missed it, but if for some reason you tuned out from the latest happenings in the paddock after Silverstone then the big news over the past week is the decision from Red Bull to replace Nyck de Vries with Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri.
Red Bull chasing history: And speaking of Red Bull delivering, the team are on the cusp of breaking a Formula 1 record that has stood for some 35 years.

Where will McLaren stack up? When it comes to teams that might be able to prevent Red Bull from making history a new threat has emerged in recent weeks. And that threat comes from McLaren.
The overall fight for second: And if McLaren do manage to remain as competitive as they were in Silverstone, then that will provide a further headache for the rest of the chasing pack.
Lewis Hamilton’s contract talks: Off-track, one of the biggest storylines remains unresolved as we near the summer break with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes yet to finalise a new contract for the seven-time world champion.

‘5 storylines’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...H6wZYrLTw.html


Mercedes confident Lewis Hamilton will benefit from key car change at Hungarian Grand Prix
Mercedes chief James Allison is hopeful a new upgrade to their car will help Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the Hungarian Grand Prix
16:05, 17 Jul 2023
By Matthew Cooper Sports Writer

Mercedes upgraded their front wing for the British Grand Prix and Allison has revealed it "should improve the balance and performance of the car through the slower range of the corners". And with the course in Hungary "made up almost entirely of slower stuff", it should help Mercedes be more competitive. "The new front-wing is of course designed to make us go faster," Allison said. "That's why we do all our things.

"The specific characteristics of this new front-wing that we are excited about, is that it should improve the balance and performance of the car through the slower range of the corners. Now, Silverstone is famous for lots of things but lots and lots of slow corners is not one of them. What we took as a comfort from Silverstone is that in the slower parts of the track, we were looking pretty decently competitive. That's a tick in the box for this new front-wing.”

"But I guess it will only be when we get to Hungary, which is a track made up almost entirely of slower stuff, that we'll get to know for sure. Early sings are promising, the new front-wing seemed to do what we expected and hopefully it will bring us more at tracks which have a wider range of slow corners."

‘Key car change at Hungarian Grand Prix’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ssell-30487536


Aston Martin assess Hungary victory chances
17 July 5:00PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has played down expectations for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix despite the race providing a chance for a rebound from recent struggles.

A return to a higher downforce configuration should help the team's prospects in Hungary, but Krack told media including RacingNews365: "We are realists, we always have been and we have never been dreamers.”

"We will look at the track and we will look at our car, how to set it up for that. If you look at the characteristic [of the track], it should play better into our car [strengths] than other circuits than we have been at."

‘EL PLAN: A chance for a rebound’;

https://racingnews365.com/aston-mart...ictory-chances


Hungarian Grand Prix: 5 great battles from the F1 archive
18 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Delve into the F1 archive to take a look at some of the greatest battles in Hungary.

‘5 great battles’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...875600578.html

Verstappen expects Red Bull challenge: Lets see where we stand.
Max Verstappen is anticipating rivals to be closer to Red Bull at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman expects that gap to close to Red Bull at Hungary as they bring updates to the dominant RB19.
19 July 11:50AM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

"The Hungarian GP is always an interesting one," said Verstappen. "Last year it was tricky to make the right calls with the incoming rain and colder temperatures, but as a team we remained calm and made all the right decisions. We have a couple of upgrades this weekend, hopefully they will do what we expect them to do so we can find extra performance for the upcoming races."

Verstappen is cautious about drawing to too many conclusions over whether Red Bull will show the same dominant pace. "Let’s see where we stand on a track where you run high downforce with relatively low speed corners," he said. "It’s an amazing track to drive and very technical as well. Definitely a place I always look forward to coming back to.”

‘Lets see where we stand’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...where-we-stand


Wolff reveals Mercedes UPGRADES to deal with McLaren F1 pace ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix
Wednesday 19 July 2023 12:57
Matthew Hobkinson
GPFans

Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes will bring their "own steps in due course" to combat McLaren's sudden pace increase, as the team principal called on the Silver Arrows to bring the fight to their F1 rivals.

"We head to Hungary looking forward to tackling the double-header before the summer shutdown," he told in-house media. "It has been an up-and-down first half of the year, but we can take several positives. At Silverstone, we outscored our closest competitors. We executed well on race day. We were able to race to the podium and extend our P2 advantage in the championship.”

"The Hungaroring is a circuit that is quite different in nature to Silverstone," he said. "It will be interesting to explore how our latest upgrades perform in the long-radius, slow-speed corners. Hopefully we can have another strong showing this time out. We want to build on the positive momentum from Silverstone, and take the fight to our rivals."

‘Mercedes UPGRADES’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/


Podium a tall target for McLaren in Hungary
Wednesday 19th July, 2023 - 9:36pm
By Speedcafe.com

Speedcafe F1 editor Mat Coch suggests expectations need to be tempered this weekend as the Hungaroring offers a completely different challenge for McLaren. “McLaren’s pace at the British Grand Prix was all through Maggotts, Becketts, and into Stowe – it was all on that final part of the lap,” he observed in the latest episode of the Pit Talk podcast, a joint production between Speedcafe and Fox Sports.

Coch reasoned McLaren has typically been stronger at high speed, which is what played out in Silverstone. Changing that trait, he suggested, is not going to be the work of a moment. That is not to say the team hasn’t made progress, but that the nature of the Hungaroring, which features more low- and medium-speed content than Silverstone or the Red Bull Ring, is less suited to the MCL60.

McLaren will introduce the final tranche of its three-part upgrade package this weekend, with both Norris and Piastri set to enjoy the benefits it brings. Primarily, those are aimed at improving race pace.

‘Podium a tall target’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/19...en-in-hungary/


Track layout and updates give Aston Martin extra confidence for Hungary
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 19th July 2023, 8:1418th July 2023, 23:33
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

The layout of the Hungaroring plus the latest upgrades coming for the AMR23 gives Aston Martin extra confidence heading into this weekend’s race. Team principal Mike Krack expects the track’s combination of low to medium speed corners plus short straights will suit their car. “If you look at the characteristic, it should play better into our car than other circuits that we have been to. Qualifying is key, especially in circuits where you struggle more to pass like the one that will come, although it is now a bit easier than it used to be.”

Aston Martin’s performance director Tom McCullough, believes the team “have got a good understanding of our own car and what’s the strengths of that car” which is allowing them to be judicious in their choice of upgrades. We’ve actually bought a lot of updates a lot of different times of the car. We’re going to continue doing that for a while.”

The development of the Aston Martin AMR23 has put more focus on qualifying performance, which is more important at the Hungaroring than most circuits. “We do, historically as a team, focus heavily on race performance,” said McCullough. “But you have to try and qualify well too, and at certain circuits it’s obviously more important than others.”

‘Aston Martin extra confidence for Hungary’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/19/...e-for-hungary/


Why all eyes won’t just be on Daniel Ricciardo at the Hungarian Grand Prix
19 Jul 2023 7:00 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Having shot into leading contention with their upgraded MCL60 at Silverstone, the Hungaroring is the true litmus test for McLaren’s performance level.

It was a Jekyll and Hyde type showing from McLaren, with the MCL60 having been outright poor for most of the first nine weekends of the year – only to completely eclipse the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin almost immediately after extensive upgrades were fitted.

McLaren, having shown up at testing and in Bahrain with a car they knew wasn’t going to do the job, bided their time as they developed an extensive upgrade package for the MCL60. While struggling to bring home points finishes, former McLaren driver and World Champion Mika Hakkinen posited the Woking-based team could make massive strides and perhaps even bring a challenge to Red Bull – a seemingly laughable suggestion just a few short weeks ago.

‘Challenge to Red Bull – a seemingly laughable suggestion’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/hungar...-2023-preview/


Hungarian GP a ‘good circuit to reset’ for Perez
Wednesday 19th July, 2023 - 1:34pm
By Speedcafe.com

“The pressure has now got to be on Sergio, doesn’t it?” asked Speedcafe F1 editor Mat Coch on the latest episode of the Pit Talk podcast. “Look a little bit further down the pit lane and the AlphaTauri garage has a big smile coming out of it; [Perez] is under pressure.”

“Every weekend he goes racing now, he has one less opportunity [to show his worth], so he has to take every one of them between now and the end of the season and basically show Christian Horner and Helmut Marko that ‘no, I’m your man’ – give them no excuse to look at Daniel. The only reason they’re looking at Daniel now is because he’s giving them that opportunity.”

‘Good circuit to reset’

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/19...set-for-perez/


Kevin Magnussen anticipates compelling qualifying at the Hungaroring: “Saturday is very exciting in Hungary always”
July 19, 2023
By Ashley Cline
The Checkered Flag

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen expects qualifying to be especially important at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as the “twisty” Hungaroring tends to prevent large amounts of overtaking. As the team has proven to be strong on a Saturday, Magnussen is excited to compete there and hopes to be competitive.

“I think the Hungarian Grand Prix is always a good one, the circuit is a tight, little twisty track. It’s kind of difficult for overtaking, but it puts more emphasis on qualifying, so Saturday is very exciting in Hungary always. Usually, not this year, it’s the last race before the summer break, so there is also that to look forward to. I’m looking forward to going there and hopefully we can be competitive.”

‘Compelling qualifying at the Hungaroring’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ungary-always/

Race preview: Hungarian Grand Prix.
Round 11 of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship takes teams and drivers to Budapest, one of the most stunning cities in Europe, home of the Hungarian Grand Prix. F1Technical's senior writer Balázs Szabó delivers his race preview ahead of the Budapest race.
20 Jul 2023, 09:00
By Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Since joining Formula One, the Hungarian Grand Prix has been held continuously. The Hungaroring was built in eight months, less time than any other Formula One circuit. The construction work started in October 1985 and on 24 March 1986, the first race was held in memory of János Drapál, the first Hungarian who won motorcycle Grand Prix races.

When Formula One travels to the Hungaroring that is just a few miles away from Hungarian capital, Budapest, the weather is usually nice with high temperatures testing the reliability and physical conditions of the drivers. The 4.381km-long Hungaroring is one of the shortest on the current calendar. Drivers will need to complete 70 laps on Sunday to cover the entire race distance of 306.630km, giving fans sitting in the grandstands plenty of opportunities to witness the fastest racing cars in action.

Good mechanical grip and aerodynamic balance are accented around the twisty layout of the track. There is hardly any long straights on the Hungaroring, the flowing sequences of slow and medium-speed corners provide a real test of car balance and driver’s mental strength. Due to the high-number of corners, teams use the highest levels of downforce seen all year. Qualifying is vital at the purpose-built Hungarian track as overtaking is nearly impossible. FIA mandated two DRS zones, one placed on the main straight, the second one on the short full-throttle rundown to Turn 2.

‘Highest levels of downforce’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/24098


Unforgettable Moments: Tributes, Drama, and Victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix
18:48 Wed, 19 Jul 2023.
By Theo Gayle
World In Sport (Weblog)

A Heartfelt Tribute: Before the race commenced, a poignant moment unfolded in memory of the late Jules Bianchi.
Start-line Drama: The race began with a burst of adrenaline as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen showcased spectacular starts, outpacing the Mercedes drivers.

Hamiltons Turf Troubles: Lewis Hamilton, initially running in fourth position, encountered a challenging moment in the opening corners.
Maldonado and Perez’s Collision: Attempting a daring manoeuvre around the outside at Turn 1, Perez found himself with no room to manoeuvre on the exit, leading to an unavoidable collision. Maldonado’s actions resulted in three penalties, further fueling the drama.

Intense Racing Spectacle: Fans witnessed thrilling overtakes from Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Fernando Alonso as they battled for positions, making the race truly unforgettable.
Hulkenberg’s Front Wing Woes: Nico Hulkenberg faced a terrifying moment at the Hungaroring, as the harsh kerbs took their toll on his front wing.

‘Costly Contact After Safety Car, Raikkonen’s Disheartening Engine Failure, The Thrilling Finish, Vettel’s Victorious Moment’;

https://worldinsport.com/unforgettab.../?nowprocket=1


Ferrari issues Red Bull CHALLENGE ahead of new qualifying format for Hungarian Grand Prix
Wednesday 19 July 2023 20:27
Jay Winter
GPFans

In a quest to solidify their resurgence, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has set the bar high for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. "Now we come to Budapest: for our part, we are determined to continue making progress," Vasseur told in-house media.

"Which began with the introduction of several technical updates on the SF-23. Even if Silverstone saw a dip in the upward trend, there were clear signs of progress in Canada and Austria. We believe that we now have a car that will allow Charles and Carlos to give their best at the Hungaroring."

‘Ferrari solidify their resurgence’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...g-change-rule/


Red Bull Set to Unleash Major Upgrades at Hungarian Grand Prix
18:48 Wed, 19 Jul 2023.
By Theo Gayle
World In Sport (Weblog)

Red Bull’s competitors are about to receive some unwelcome news as the dominant leaders of the F1 championship are gearing up to introduce a significant upgrade package at the Hungarian Grand Prix. As reported by AMuS, a German publication, Red Bull is planning to implement visible modifications to their sidepod and bodywork design at the Hungaroring.

Red Bull is optimistic that this upgrade will grant them an advantage of approximately 0.2 seconds per lap. If successful, it could result in yet another effortless victory for Max Verstappen. As the European season nears its conclusion with only two races remaining before the summer break, teams are eager to implement any final upgrades before shifting their focus to next year’s car.

‘Red Bull Set to Unleash’;

https://worldinsport.com/red-bull-se.../?nowprocket=1


F1 will be spared European heatwave but may get more rain in Hungary
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix weather
Posted on 20th July 2023, 8:1419th July 2023, 23:02
Written by Ida Wood
RaceFans

Dangerous heatwaves are blasting large areas of Europe this week bringing temperatures in the high 40s. But the Hungarian Grand Prix will be spared those brutal highs. F1 could instead see another rain-affected event. If so, that may complicate F1’s planned test of its new ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ rules.

The strongest chance of drivers facing a wet track is on Friday, with thundery showers expected at the Hungaroring in the afternoon and at the end of the day. With an 80% chance of rain in the afternoon, both first and second practice could be affected. On Saturday the threat of rain will drop to just 20%, which may come as a relief to drivers after a string of rain-affected qualifying sessions.

Race day in Hungary is set to be the driest, warmest and sunniest of the weekend. Track temperatures will likely to be 10C or so higher than the 29C air temperature predicted for the race, and the 3pm start time means the race should end in similar conditions to the start of qualifying.

‘Hungarian Grand Prix weather’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/20/...in-in-hungary/


Albon managing Williams expectations in Hungary
Thursday 20th July, 2023 - 11:53am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Alex Albon is already managing expectations ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix following improved showings from Williams in recent races. “Hungary is a great circuit and one that we all love to drive around, as it has a great flow to it,” he said.

“We’ve just come off the back of three strong races, however, I think going into this week, we need to manage expectations slightly, as it’s not necessarily a track that should suit us. “Nevertheless, we’ll see how the upgrades perform around a high downforce track, which is something that hasn’t been the case in the previous three races.”

‘Managing Williams expectations’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/20...ns-in-hungary/


Where Ricciardo can strike in 12-race F1 comeback bid — including some of his best tracks
July 20th, 2023 3:49 pm
Michael Lamonato

This weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix is the first of 12 grands prix in which Daniel Ricciardo will attempt to prove he’s still deserving of a race-winning car. He’ll undertake this half-season audition in an AlphaTauri he’s never driven before and which is last in the constructors standings.

The challenge will be dialled up by Yuki Tsunoda, his new teammate, who’s in career-killing form after dispatching Nyck de Vries in just 10 races. But on Ricciardo’s side is a wealth of experience. He’s collected 15 podium trophies from the upcoming 11 established races — excluding the brand-new Las Vegas Grand Prix — including three famous victories, not least of which was that Italian Grand Prix win two years ago.

Such lofty results are off the table without the most unusual of circumstances this year, but if the goal is simply to steal some points, there’s plenty in Ricciardo’s history to suggest the hunt will be on.

‘12-race F1 comeback bid’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...7917b36f00f045

Alpine confirm shock big-name departure on eve of Hungarian GP.
Two months after warning the Alpine Formula 1 team that there’d be consequences if results didn’t improve, Laurent Rossi has been ousted as CEO of the carmaker and replaced by Philippe Krief.
July 20, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

After several years firmly in the midfield of the sport leading up to that, Rossi has seen a continuation of that form with Alpine recording fourth and fifth-place constructors’ championship finishes while they sit sixth in 2023. They’ve recorded several podiums and a shock win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, but have been overtaken by Aston Martin in 2023 and look to once again be fighting McLaren for fifth.

“I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine,” Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo said in a statement. “Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals, Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future.”

‘There’d be consequences if results didn’t improve’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-hungarian-gp/


Perez says “rough patch” began when he “lost trust” in car after Monaco crash
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 20th July 2023, 18:05
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Sergio Perez has admitted he is going through a “rough patch” on track after he lost “trust” in his car after his Monaco qualifying shunt. Speaking to media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Perez said his poor run of qualifying results are “not a concern” for him. “I think when you look at those bad qualifyings, there’s always been different situations that we haven’t dealt with as good as we should have dealt with them,” Perez said in response to a question from RaceFans.

“But there has always been some external factors. It hasn’t been pure pace, let’s put it that way. Certainly when you are not fully confident with the car… I think what happened in Monaco probably brought me a step back and it has taken me some time to fully trust the car the way I was doing it. And then you add the external factor with the changeable conditions and then there’s a bit more of a discrepancy.”

“I’m here because I know that I can do it, I’ve done it before. People just on the sofa forget that how much in the little details we are. You’ve seen it with other drivers, other teams – they’ve had difficult periods but they don’t have 20 replacements after each session, like they do with a Red Bull driver.”

‘20 replacements after each session’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/20/...-monaco-crash/


Ricciardo says AlphaTauri drive offers “best path” back to “dream” Red Bull seat
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 20th July 2023, 12:36
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham

Daniel Ricciardo says regaining his seat at Red Bull would be a “dream” outcome from his return to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri. In contrast he has only had one day in AlphaTauri’s simulator to get used to their car. Although the AT04 shared the same Honda RBPT power unit as the Red Bull, it is unlike the world champions’ car in other ways. “It is different, for sure,” said Ricciardo, who recognised he needs to start afresh with their new car.

“It helps driving a good car because it gives you something to aim for in terms of development, set-up and where there is potential within these regulations,” he said. “But also, in saying that, I also need to erase a lot of that from my mind and just start fresh now with the AlphaTauri. This is it, this is what it is and we need to move forward from here.

“But I mean, the sim was good, but it was also important for me just to work with Pierre [Hamelin], who’ll be my engineer, just to make sure that we speak the same language, are on the same page, and we have that connection because that’s obviously really important as well.”

‘Dream outcome’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/20/...red-bull-seat/


Mercedes Gears Up with Upgrades to Take on Hungarian Grand Prix Challenges.
July 19, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

Toto Wolff has shared Mercedes’ strategic plans to counter McLaren’s remarkable surge in performance, emphasizing the need for the Silver Arrows to step up their game and confront their Formula 1 competitors head-on.

Moreover, Wolff emphasized the myriad of positives that the current F1 campaign has offered to the team. Toto Wolff, speaking to in-house media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, stated: “We head to Hungary looking forward to tackling the double-header before the summer shutdown.”

Expressing optimism and drawing inspiration from their past experiences in Hungary, Toto Wolff conveyed his hope that his team would harness the power of positive memories to demonstrate their true potential to the teams in their midst.

‘Mercedes Gears Up’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/mercedes-g...ix-challenges/


First look at Red Bull’s second major F1 2023 sidepod upgrade
Jul 20 2023
By Rosario Giuliana
The Race

Red Bull has brought its second major sidepod upgrade of the 2023 Formula 1 season to the Hungarian Grand Prix. The new version is a more extreme evolution of the package introduced at April’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when a wider, shorter cooling inlet was introduced.

This was analysed in detail by The Race’s technical expert, Gary Anderson, who cited it as Red Bull’s biggest upgrade of the season and reckoned it was a more significant change than the team was letting on. That upgrade was certainly effective in increasing downforce and doing so efficiently.

The Hungary package means Red Bull now has a full letterbox-shaped cooling inlet. This creates space for the sidepod undercut to be more aggressive, increasing the airflow being taken around the sidepods and fed towards the rear of the car. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after the Austrian Grand Prix three weeks ago that the Red Bull RB19 “is not that different” to how it was at the start of the season.

‘Second major F1 2023 sidepod upgrade’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/first...depod-upgrade/

‘Show us what you’ve got’: Gauntlet laid for Ricciardo comeback but ‘no guarantees’ of Red Bull call-up.
Ricciardo will race for the first time in almost eight months after getting the call-up to replace the maligned Nyck de Vries as part of a 12-race plan to assess the possibility of a return to the senior team.
July 21st, 2023 6:43 am
Michael Lamonato


Daniel Ricciardo will try to push his Red Bull Racing dream out of his mind when he lines up on the grid at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri. “There is no point in me thinking about that,” he said, per Racer. “Obviously the dream is a Red Bull seat, but there’s no like, ‘This is what you need to do’.”

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says Ricciardo’s objective is to take Sergio Pérez’s seat in 2025, though speculation of an earlier switch will swirl for as long as the Mexican remains out of form in the best car on the grid.

Aussie eight-time race winner Ricciardo acknowledged the pressure was on to wipe clean the slate muddied by two woeful seasons at McLaren but said his aim was to remain focused on getting the most from his AlphaTauri package rather than become distracted by his long-term goals.

‘No guarantees’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...845225c8beb07c


F1 drivers welcome JUBILANT Ricciardo back to the paddock
Friday 21 July 2023 06:59
Shay Rogers
GPFans

It feels like a long eight months since Daniel Ricciardo last appeared on the F1 grid as a full-time driver at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but he returns this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix – and his fellow drivers are delighted to have him back.

The ‘Honey Badger’ as he’s known by fans, was smiling in full force during Thursday’s media day for the Hungarian Grand Prix, revealing that in his time away from the sport he was able to spend time with friends as well as recharge his batteries. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton joked about the Australian’s reaction to not driving during the season, as he has attended all driver’s briefings with a smile.

“We talked with Daniel a bit earlier last week, and also with Nyck [De Vries] obviously," said Gasly. "I know them both. I think they’re two fantastic drivers and it’s great to see Daniel back on the grid and seeing what [is] up for grabs with him. He’s old enough and he knows Franz [Tost, the team principal] well enough to know what to do with him. I just think it’s great. He started there, he’s back there now. He still has plenty of years ahead of him and always enjoyed some battles with him on the racetrack.”

‘JUBILANT Ricciardo’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...piastri-gasly/


Hungarian GP: FIA Drivers Press Conference
20/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

Group 1: Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen. Daniel, it's good to see you. How does it feel to be back?
Daniel Ricciardo: Thanks, it's good to be back. It feels... I don't know. It doesn't feel that foreign, like it feels familiar. I guess it hasn't been that long. It's good. Very good. A lot of people are happy so that's good as well.

Has your return to Formula 1 come sooner than you expected?
DR: Yeah, for sure. But I think getting back into the Red Bull family this year, it brings back a lot of old feelings and things that I was used to growing up and being part of that team or the Junior Team when I was younger. I think one thing, it was always like be prepared, you never know what's going to happen. Let's say, I didn't expect to maybe be in the car in Budapest, for example, but you never know. Surprised, but maybe not that surprised.

Struck up your old friendship with Helmut Marko as well...
DR: Yeah. It's been good. I've enjoyed this year in general, just going to the races and as I say, being back in the Red Bull family, I think it's been a lot of fun. It also personally gave me some time away, which I felt was definitely needed, and I probably expected the year off. Obviously I haven't got the whole year but I've actually felt like I've had enough time. It fuelled me, energised me and I'm definitely ready to go again.

‘Energised’;

https://www.pitpass.com/75689/Hungar...ess-Conference


2023 Hungarian Grand Prix: Weekend Warm-Up
20 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Laura Winter, Alex Brundle and Sam Collins take a look at the latest news and forecasts ahead of the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.

‘Weekend Warm-Up’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...584594761.html


‘Cutthroat.’ ‘Brutal.’ ‘That’s how Red Bull works’: F1 drivers on de Vries’ sacking
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 20th July 2023, 23:42
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Nyck de Vries’ sacking just 10 races into his first full season as a grand prix driver is typical of Formula 1 in general and Red Bull in particular, according to several drivers. That’s how Red Bull do it,” said Lewis Hamilton when asked about the team’s decision to cut de Vries from its junior team AlphaTauri before the halfway mark in the season. Asked whether the decision reflected how F1 works, Hamilton replied: “I’d say that’s how Red Bull works.”

“It’s not the first time Red Bull has made decisions like this,” noted Valtteri Bottas. “They obviously follow their view what is the best. Obviously it’s really a shame for Nyck it was quite a short rookie season unfortunately. But also then it’s nice for Daniel he clearly wants to be back and now he’s got this opportunity. That’s F1, sometimes, pretty cutthroat.”

“It’s happened to many other drivers,” said Norris. “I know it’s happened in that team more than any other team. It is brutal because it’s someone’s career. I rate Nyck and I think he’s a very good driver so I feel like he’s not going to have a problem finding a seat somewhere else. But I guess it’s just your dream to be in Formula 1 and for it to kind of go so quickly… I also feel like it came very quickly for him, which is a very good thing, and sadly, it’s gone quickly too, which is a shame. To only have 10 races to perform, it’s not an easy task, I can tell you that. But Oscar [Piastri]’s come in, it’s his first season of Formula 1, he’s doing an extremely good job.”

‘Brutal’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/20/...vries-sacking/


Pérez driving to survive Ricciardo comeback; next step for Piastri, McLaren: F1 burning questions
July 21st, 2023 3:34
Michael Lamonato
Fox Sports (Australia)

The completion of the Hungarian Grand Prix will mark the halfway mark of this 22-race season, and the focus of attention is shifting. Rather than wonder whether anyone can catch Red Bull Racing and in particular Max Verstappen — that ship has long sailed — the question now is whether this dominant partnership can go all the way.

Daniel Ricciardo was the talk of the paddock at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the first race since he announced his F1 comeback after 10 grands prix on the sidelines. The Aussie says he’s targeting a return to Red Bull Racing by the end of his time at AlphaTauri, whether that’s 2025 or, potentially, next year if things go his way. “That’s the dream, but there is no point in me thinking about that,” Ricciardo said.

“Everything I felt driving the [Red Bull] last week is what I want from racing — to be in the moment, enjoying it and not thinking too far ahead. I know the car is going to have some limitations, but I’ve got to do the best with what I’ve got.” WILL SERGIO PÉREZ DRIVE TO SURVIVE? Hand in hand with Ricciardo’s comeback news is the pressure mounting on Sergio Pérez to reverse his stinking qualifying form and restore some credibility to his hold on the second seat at Red Bull Racing.

‘Pérez driving to survive’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...8d047d42a1fe31

BREAKING NEWS: Red Bull's Sergio Perez loses control and smashes into a wall at Hungarian Grand Prix, just five minutes into practice, leaving his car crumpled as Daniel Ricciardo threatens his future.
• Sergio Perez lost control early in the first qualifying session at the Hungarian GP
• The Red Bull driver made an error, crashed out at turn five, and caused a red flag
• Pressure is mounting with ex-Red Bull ace Daniel Riccardo returning to the grid
Updated: 13:37, 21 July 2023
By Luke Power For Mailonline
Mail Online

Sergio Perez crashed early into the first Hungarian GP practice session to cause a red flag. After he dipped his left wheels onto the grass going into turn five, his car spun out and smashed into the barrier, leaving the front left of the Red Bull damaged. track marshals had to remove the car. The rookie error piles more pressure onto the Mexican with just two races before the summer break after Daniel Ricciardo returned to the grid with AlphaTauri.

Ex-Red Bull man Ricciardo said on Thursday that 'the dream is a Red Bull seat' while Perez, currently Max Verstappen's sidekick at F1's leading team, has insisted his future is in his own hands. Over the team radio, he said: 'I cannot believe this. I caught the grass on the outside, I think.' Perez sits second in the Drivers' Championship but has only been on the podium in one of the last five races, whereas Verstappen has won all five.

Pressure is mounting’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ns-future.html


(FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
21st July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. George Russell Mercedes -1:38.795
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.359
3. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.218
4. Lando Norris McLaren +1.482
5. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.892
6. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +2.237
7. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +2.347
8. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +2.568
9. Logan Sargeant Williams Racing +2.621
10. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +3.911

‘Hungarian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the first practice session for this weekend’s 2023 F1 World Championship race at the Hungaroring’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp1-first-...and-prix-82761


LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix
21 July 2023
Becky Hart.
Special Contributor.

‘As it happened’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...j0TieiE4e.html


2023 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix - Friday Practice - LIVE UPDATES!
21st July 2023, 12:20
Reporting By: Harvey Orgill
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES!’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...e-live-updates


Sergio Perez crashes in Hungarian GP practice as F1 pressure mounts on Red Bull racer
Perez would have been praying for a clean weekend in Budapest given his rotten run of form, and the extra pressure upon his Red Bull seat given Daniel Ricciardo's F1 return
12:38, 21 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer

Sergio Perez slammed his Red Bull into a tyre wall within minutes of the start of first practice in Budapest on Friday. The Mexican is under plenty of pressure right now, given his awful run of recent form. He has finished on the podium only once in his last five races – while his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen is on a six-race winning streak.

"I cannot believe this," he said to his race engineer, clearly emotional about yet another costly error. He went back onto the airwaves shortly afterwards to add: "I clipped the grass, I think, on braking – I just lost it." TV cameras cut to the Red Bull pit wall moments after the smash to show veteran team adviser Helmut Marko looking decidedly unimpressed. And team principal Christian Horner will also not have been happy to see one of his RB19s embedded into a tyre wall.

Horner said of the damage done: "It's frustrating to have had that off. We haven't got the car back yet but hopefully it's contained to the front right corner, which will hopefully be repairable in time for the next session. It's unfortunate. He just put a wheel on the grass and made a mistake into Turn 5. I haven't had a chance to speak to him yet – I will do after the session – but hopefully he won't have lost too much through this session."

‘F1 pressure mounts’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ctice-30521221


Checo Perez crashes as George Russell tops wet Hungarian GP FP1
The slump continue for Red Bull's number two as rain curtailed all of the dry running
July 21, 2023
By Joe Ellis
Total Motorsport

George Russell topped a wet Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix FP1 as Sergio Perez crashed out just moments into the session. An early red flag for the Mexican’s shunt curtailed all dry running and a second for a spin for Carlos Sainz halted some intermediate laps too but Russell left it late to go to the top.

Oscar Piastri, fresh off the back of his best F1 result at Silverstone, was second fastest in the McLaren while Lance Stroll was third. Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso came next in the McLaren-Aston Martin fight.

Valtteri Bottas was sixth ahead of Charles Leclerc, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant and Nico Hulkenberg. Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sainz didn’t set a lap at all as only 12 got a time on the board.

‘George Russell tops wet Hungarian GP FP1’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...garian-gp-fp1/

Hungarian Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc tops FP2 as Max Verstappen misses out on top 10.
Charles Leclerc signed off on Friday at the Hungaroring in P1, while Red Bull’s runaway Championship leader Max Verstappen did not even feature in the top 10.
21 Jul 2023 5:06 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Leclerc’s 1:17.686 got the job done by the slimmest of margins as he claimed P1 in the FP2 session just 0.015s up the road from McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completing the top three. With the Hungaroring having dried out nicely since the rain-impacted FP1, it was no surprise to see a busy track from the off as the teams and their drivers set about making up for lost dry-running time.

But, as Lando Norris and Logan Sargeant traded setting the pace in the opening minutes, Verstappen clearly was in no rush to head out as he watched the early action via the screens in the Red Bull garage. His team-mate Sergio Perez, after that embarrassing FP1 shunt, plus the Mercedes and Ferraris joined Verstappen in biding their time.

George Russell was the first to bolt in the Mercedes W14 which had an early controls issue, as Russell’s brake balance change attempt resulted in a strategy mode change. Norris meanwhile was having trouble with bottoming in the McLaren MCL60, even though he did not believe it was “hurting anything”, while Zhou Guanyu was giving Hamilton, now putting his Mercedes through its paces on the medium tyres, a frustrated hand wave over what he felt was a spot of impeding.

‘Biding their time’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/hungar...2-2023-report/


(FP2) Second Practice Results – 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
21st July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari -1:17.686
2. Lando Norris McLaren +0.015
3. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.232
4. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +0.248
5. Esteban Ocon Alpine +0.359
6. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.372
7. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.399
8. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.419
9. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +0.422
10. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.496

‘Hungarian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the second practice session ahead of the 2023 F1 World Championship race at the Hungaroring’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp2-second...and-prix-82775


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix
21 July 2023
Becky Hart.
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...jWKkJJCmH.html


How F1 practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix unfolded
21st July 2023, 16:44
Reporting By: Harvey Orgill
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/how-f1...-prix-unfolded


Leclerc edges Norris in Hungarian GP FP2 with Verstappen outside top 10
Nobody would have predicted this order, which would make for an incredible grid at the 2023 Hungarian GP
July 21, 2023
By Joe Ellis
Total Motorsport

Charles Leclerc led the way on Friday at the 2023 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix as Red Bull failed to stamp their authority. The Ferrari man set a 1:17:686 to go 0.015s quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris and claim the top spot in FP2 as teams took different approaches to the session.

Red Bull and Mercedes didn’t do a proper qualifying simulation on soft tyres which left Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell outside the top 10. Two-tenths behind Norris was Pierre Gasly for Alpine, who didn’t set a time in the wet FP1 session, while Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon completed the top five.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth ahead of the two Alfa Romeo’s – who didn’t do a soft tyre run either – with Fernando Alonso splitting Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Carlos Sainz was tenth but some way off his Monegasque teammate.

‘Nobody would have predicted this order’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...utside-top-10/


Lewis Hamilton and co benefit as Red Bull secrets leaked at Hungarian Grand Prix
Red Bull could be hit with a double blow after Sergio Perez crashed out at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
17:04, Fri, Jul 21, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s other F1 rivals could steal Red Bull’s secrets after Sergio Perez’s crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Perez lost control of his car at turn five just minutes into Friday practice, smashing against the barrier and bringing out the red flags.

However, the team could face a double blow with Martin Brundle admitting teams were able to snap images of key Red Bull parts. It comes at the worst possible time for Red Bull who introduced new upgrades at this weekend’s race. Brundle told Sky Sports F1: “They were telling me a little bit earlier on that a very good number of them were able to photograph the underneath of the Red Bull when Sergio Perez crashed earlier on.”

“I’m sure that will be most useful to other teams and a lot of pain for Red Bull, with their updated car, to have that all photographed again." Red Bull suffered a similar fate after another Perez shunt at Monaco as the RB19 was lifted into the air.”

‘Red Bull secrets leaked’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-grand-prix

Brundle labels Mercedes 'WORST car' amid Hungary struggles.
Martin Brundle described the W14 as the 'worst car' through part of the final sector during FP2 as the teams collected data for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
Friday 21 July 2023 22:27
Harry Smith
GPFans

The team demonstrated some pace in the wet weather conditions experienced in FP1, but it was a totally different story in FP2. When the chequered flag waved on the session, Lewis Hamilton was sitting way down in P16 with George Russell bottom of the running order in P20.

Standing at the exit of the penultimate corner, the veteran broadcaster was unimpressed by the handling of the Mercedes car. Speaking during the FP2 broadcast, Brundle explained: "I would say actually, just about the worst car I’ve seen coming through here is the Mercedes.

Brundle then detailed how much hassle the car was giving Hamilton and Russell as they wrestled the W14 through the twisty final sector. "Both Mercedes drivers really having to work the steering wheel to keep the car on line," Brundle continued. "And to get some kind of traction."

'WORST car';

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ewis-hamilton/


Hungarian GP: FIA Team Representatives Press Conference
21/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

Franz, can we start with you please. The biggest news story coming into the weekend was the return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri. How's he settling in? Franz Tost: Very good. He came on Friday to the factory. We had a very emotional comeback for him. It was nice to see him once more in our team, because as you know he was driving for us two years, and we are very happy he is back.

He's 10 years older, he has eight grand prix victories to his name, but other than that how do you feel he's changed as a person and maybe as a driver as well? FT: How much he has changed as a driver I can tell you after a few grands prix. As a person, of course he is now more matured and I must say that he was always a very friendly person, we had a very good relationship in the past and I think that this will also be the case now. He is a friendly person, a good character and I'm really happy we have him in the team.

How is Yuki relishing having a new team-mate alongside him? FT: Yuki is open to this, and although Yuki had a good relationship with Pierre Gasly as well as with Nyck De Vries, I think that there will be no friction between him and Daniel Ricciardo: both of them want to be fastest, yes? That's usual in Formula 1, and we will see how this interesting game will end.

‘The biggest news story’;

https://www.pitpass.com/75708/Hungar...ess-Conference


Piastri details McLaren damage cause
21 July 10:30PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Explaining where he picked up the floor issue, Piastri said: "I went a little bit wide at Turn 11 and did enough damage that we had to change it. A big effort from all the boys to change the floor and get me back out for a few laps.”

"Without that, we looked pretty good. I was pretty happy with the first run. The long run at the end - even though it wasn't that long for me - the pace looked promising. It has not been a bad day. Of course, I would prefer to have done a few more laps but I think we are in a reasonable place."

‘McLaren damage cause’;

https://racingnews365.com/piastri-de...n-damage-cause


F1 drivers hit out at new tyre allocation rule in Hungary
19:01 Fri, 21 Jul 2023.
By: Matt Kew
Motorsport.com

Devised ostensibly to improve F1's sustainability credentials by reducing the freight required per event, the tyre allocation for each driver has dropped from 13 sets to 11 for Budapest. In addition, compounds have been mandated for qualifying. The hard Pirelli will be enforced for Q1, mediums for Q2 and then the softest rubber for the Q3 shootout for pole position.

The alternative tyre allocation was slated for a first rollout at the Emilia Romagna GP before the event was cancelled due to flooding. It is therefore being tested for the first time in Hungary this weekend and will be implemented again at Monza.

Should the experiment prove successful, it will likely be deployed more extensively in 2024. But initial feedback from drivers has been critical. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton reckon the spectacle has been hurt as teams are likely to complete fewer laps across practice.

‘New tyre allocation rule’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...gary/10498304/


Max Verstappen joins Lewis Hamilton in criticism of altered Hungarian GP format
21 Jul 2023 8:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Lewis Hamilton is not a fan of the new format being trialled at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and for once has Max Verstappen as an ally on this topic. In the first of two scheduled Alternative Tyre Allocation [ATA] trials in F1 2023, drivers have seen their usual allocation of 13 sets of slick tyres reduced to 11 at the Hungaroring.

And come qualifying, drivers will be required to contest Q1 on the hard tyre, Q2 on the medium and Q3 on the soft, rather than having free choice throughout the sessions. The thinking behind this alternate format is that Formula 1 can take a step closer to its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 by reducing the amount of tyres being distributed for race weekends, though on-track the results have not been ideal judging by Friday’s action.

Mercedes’ George Russell has revealed that he spent all of FP2 on a set of used soft tyres, with his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton, who also ran one set, slamming the format, claiming it takes “time on track away from the fans”. And Verstappen does not support the initiative either, saying the battle it creates to save tyres is “not the correct thing”.

‘The battle it creates to save tyres’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...mat-criticism/

Fan left in tears after SHOCKING Hungarian GP practice incident.
A young Sergio Perez fan was left in tears on Friday afternoon after the Mexican driver collided with the wall at turn five during FP1 in Hungary.
Friday 21 July 2023 22:57
Harry Smith
GPFans

Checo was navigating his first lap of the weekend at the Hungaroring when he dipped a wheel onto the grass on the entry to turn five, sending him spinning into the tyre barrier and bringing out the red flag. The Red Bull pit wall was visibly frustrated by the incident, which set the team on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. This was particularly devastating to one young fan, who was picked up by the broadcast in tears while his father desperately tried to console him.

There was, however, a happy ending for the young fan in question. When the cameras returned for FP2 later on Friday afternoon, the young Checo fan was spotted in the Red Bull garage after the team visited him in the stands with a VIP pass. During the Sky Sports F1 FP2 broadcast, Ted Kravitz revealed that the youngster was attending his first-ever Hungarian Grand Prix.

Kravitz also explained that his father has attended each of the last 20 Hungarian Grand Prix events, but this year's weekend will surely be hard to top moving forward. There was no sign of tears on the young fan's face later in the afternoon as he finally got to meet his hero, Sergio Perez, with the pair sharing a handshake in the Red Bull garage.

‘SHOCKING Hungarian GP practice incident’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/


Brundle left in DISBELIEF after 'rookie' Perez mistake
Saturday 22 July 2023 07:57
Harry Smith
GPFans

Sky Sports F1 pundit and co-commentator Martin Brundle has described Sergio Perez's FP1 shunt as a 'rookie error'. The Mexican driver, who is already facing mounting pressure and questions about his Red Bull future, hit the wall just minutes into FP1 at the Hungaroring.

That crash brought out the first of two red flags in FP1 with Carlos Sainz later hitting the barriers on the run down to turn four in wet conditions. Perez's incident will give further confidence to Daniel Ricciardo, who is back in an F1 car for the first time this season after replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri.

“I can’t get my head around that, Brundle explained during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast after FP1. "It is a rookie error. I can only assume it’s pressure because he didn’t just clip the edge of the grass or the white line. He was on the grass by a metre or something. I can’t get my head around it at all."

‘Facing mounting pressure’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rix-fp1-crash/


Under Pressure: Sergio Perez’s Hungarian GP Practice Crash Adds to Red Bull Uncertainty
Updated 21 Jul 2023 8:27 pm:
By Theo Gayle
World In Sport (Weblog)

The first practice session in Budapest proved to be a challenging one for Sergio Perez. Just three minutes into the session, he made a crucial error that resulted in a dramatic crash. On his very first lap, Perez slightly misjudged his car’s positioning and ended up dipping a wheel onto the grass at the edge of the track. This seemingly minor mistake led to the Red Bull spinning out of control and colliding with a tyre wall.

The consequences were twofold – the team’s mechanics had their hands full trying to repair the damaged car, while Perez’s already fragile confidence took another blow. The emotional exchange between Perez and his race engineer over the radio reflected the gravity of the situation. Perez expressed disbelief and frustration at yet another costly mistake, acknowledging that he had lost control due to clipping the grass during braking.

The crash did not sit well with Red Bull’s veteran team adviser, Helmut Marko, who appeared visibly displeased on the pit wall. Christian Horner, the team principal, also shared the sentiment and acknowledged the frustration caused by the incident. While the full extent of the damage was yet to be determined, Horner remained hopeful that it might be contained to the front right corner of the car, making it repairable in time for the next session.

‘Red Bull Uncertainty’;

https://worldinsport.com/under-press.../?nowprocket=1


Marko reveals consequence of Perez crash
21 July 9:10PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed Sergio Perez has no more spare parts after crashing out of FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Red Bull's mechanics were able to repair Perez's RB19 before FP2, though a lock-up on his only Soft tyre run left him straggling on the leaderboard.

But a bigger concern would be the fact that he has used his allocation of spare upgrade parts for the weekend, with final practice, qualifying and the race yet to run. "He came onto the grass and because of the rain, it was slippy. So that's why he flew off," said Marko on Perez's crash, as per Motorsport Magazin.

On the spares situation, Marko added: "We have enough spares, for both cars." Asked to clarify whether that meant Perez was racing without spare parts, Marko confirmed: "No [he has none]." This means Verstappen does have a set of spares left on his side of the garage.

‘Consequence of Perez crash’;

https://racingnews365.com/marko-reve...of-perez-crash


Perez ‘will lose his place’ at Red Bull
22nd July 2023, 08:29
ANDREW MAITLAND
Grandpx.news

Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull became even more clouded on Friday when he crashed during his opening practice laps at the Hungaroring. Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher said the crash was the last thing Perez needed. “This cannot happen,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I predict he will lose his place in the long run. And maybe Ricciardo’s return to the wheel of Red Bull is closer than we all think.”

However, with Perez already contracted for 2024 – and with multiple powerful Mexican sponsors part of the deal – Marko insists that his seat is safe for now. “If Ricciardo presents himself well, he could certainly be an issue for Red Bull Racing in the future,” said Marko. “But that will certainly only be possible after the end of the 2024 season, when Perez’s contract expires.”

For his part, Perez admitted he simply made a mistake on Friday – on top of five consecutive failures to even reach Q3 recently. “It’s nothing different from what could happen to any driver on the grid,” he told DAZN in Hungary. “We all have good and bad moments.”

“This cannot happen”;

https://grandpx.news/perez-will-lose...e-at-red-bull/

Hamilton upstages Red Bulls in busy final Hungarian GP practice.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes upstaged Red Bull with the fastest time in final Hungarian Grand Prix practice.
Jul 22 2023
By Matt Beer
The Race

Key moments:
> Hamilton beats Verstappen by 0.250s in final soft tyre runs
> Ricciardo only 18th but ahead of Tsunoda
Max Verstappen spent most of the session at the top of the times by virtue of early medium-tyre runs while midfielders got close on softer tyres without deposing him.

Red Bull was leaving it late to try softs for the first time all weekend given the use of the Alternative Tyre Allocation system for the first time in Hungary, which halves the amount of softs available to each time as well as mandating which compound to use in each of Q1, Q2 and Q3. Verstappen was knocked down the order a touch as the more competitive teams tried softs but it seemed a fair assumption that he’d be back on top once he did likewise.

Instead a visibly aggressive 1m17.811s lap from Hamilton was a quarter of a second up on what Verstappen – who’d sounded unhappy with his car on team radio – could manage on softs. That Mercedes top spot came despite suggestions from Hamilton on Friday that it was well off the pace this weekend.

‘Hamilton upstages Red Bulls’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/hamil...n-gp-practice/


(FP3) Third Practice Results – 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
22nd July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes -1:17.811
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.250
3. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.256
4. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.266
5. Lando Norris McLaren +0.271
6. George Russell Mercedes +0.308
7. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.379
8. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.423
9. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.539
10. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.678

‘Hungarian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the final practice session ahead of the 2023 F1 World Championship race at the Hungaroring’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp3-third-...and-prix-82786


2023 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix - Qualifying - LIVE UPDATES!
22nd July 2023, 11:33
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...e-live-updates


Red Bull in "trouble" at Hungarian GP as Max Verstappen swears loudly in frustration
Verstappen is on a mission to secure his seventh-straight F1 victory in Budapest this weekend and has an upgraded car at his disposal, but the Dutchman did not sound too comfortable in practice
12:33, 22 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Max Verstappen complained about a lack of grip in an X-rated radio message to his Red Bull team during Hungarian Grand Prix practice. The Dutchman doesn't have much to moan about these days. He is top of the drivers' standings by 99 points and is favourite to make it seven Formula 1 race victories in a row in Budapest this weekend.

But he wasn't entirely satisfied during final practice on Saturday. Despite being at the top of the timesheets, he was suffering an issue on his car. And Verstappen made his displeasure clear to his team over the radio with a foul-mouthed message. "No f***ing grip, it's unbelievable," he said.

Nico Rosberg speculated that Verstappen's message might be an indicator that not all is well with those changes. Commentating on Sky Sports, the 2016 F1 champion said: "Maybe a little bit of trouble there for Red Bull? Maybe they're not as comfortable as they would like to be, which would also be great news for all of us."

"No f***ing grip, it's unbelievable";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...an-gp-30527883


Ricciardo nearly CRASHES on F1 return in Zhou close call at Hungarian GP
Saturday 22 July 2023 13:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Daniel Ricciardo nearly had a big crash on his F1 return at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Australian finished his flying lap and pulled over to let other cars through as Zhou Guanyu exited the pitlane.

The Chinese racer slowed right down in his Alfa Romeo, thinking Ricciardo was coming through which led to the AlphaTauri man slamming his brakes on to not hit his fellow competitor. Ricciardo led his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda but he was only 18th fastest with the Japanese man 20th.

‘Close call’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-nearly-crash/


Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Hungarian GP disagreement in worrying Mercedes sign
Seven-time world champion Hamilton wants to continue his good form this weekend after three podiums in his last four outings, but was unhappy with his car's performance after practice
13:13, 22 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Hamilton only went 16th fastest in that session, while team-mate George Russell was rock bottom of the timesheets. But he had been at the top of them in FP1 earlier on Friday and, as a result was more upbeat about his car's true pace.

"I'm sure tomorrow will be better. But you know we're still just focused on trying to improve. We always know that we tend to get better as the weekend progresses, which is the right way round for it to be. Few interesting things we learned, even in that one session, so let's see what we can do tonight.”

Mercedes' overnight labours clearly paid off. On the soft tyre the W14 looked like a completely different car and Hamilton was able to top the timesheets, with Russell sixth. Team boss Toto Wolff said afterwards, however, that he does not expect the soft tyre to be much of a viable option for Sunday's race.

‘Worrying Mercedes sign’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...an-gp-30528055

Hamilton beats Verstappen to Hungarian GP F1 pole by 0.003s.
Lewis Hamilton claimed his and Mercedes’ first pole position of the 2023 Formula 1 season in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, beating Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Jul 22 2023
By Matt Beer
The Race

The debut of F1’s Alternative Tyre Allocation system – being trialled at the Hungaroring this weekend and at Monza in September – caused plenty of intrigue and surprises in the order. Drivers had to use hard tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3, and the reduced tyre allocation meant they’d had relatively little practice running on the softs in particular.

There were positive shocks for others: Alfa Romeo backed up its practice pace by leading Q1 with Zhou Guanyu, before Norris topped Q2 for McLaren. Norris was then a genuine pole contender, but missed out by just 0.085s and starts behind Hamilton and Verstappen in third, joined on row two by team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Just 0.003s separated the old rivals, with Verstappen’s failure to improve on his last lap giving Hamilton the opportunity to nip ahead of the Red Bull and take his first pole since late-2021. Zhou and team-mate Valtteri Bottas carried Alfa Romeo’s form through to Q3, where they claimed fifth and seventh, either side of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.

‘Pole by 0.003s’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/hamil...ole-by-0-003s/


Qualifying Results – 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
22nd July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
Q3
1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes -1:16.609
2. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.003
3. Lando Norris McLaren +0.085
4. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.296
5. Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +0.362
6. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.383
7. Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +0.425
8. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.426
9. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.436
10. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.577

‘Hungarian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from qualifying for tomorrow’s 2023 F1 World Championship race at the Hungaroring’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/qualifying...and-prix-82789


2023 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix - Qualifying - LIVE UPDATES!
22nd July 2023.
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES!’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...e-live-updates


Furious Toto Wolff punches table after George Russell's dire Hungarian GP qualifying display
In a much-changed qualifying session and all 20 drivers using hard compounds tyres in Q1, Mercedes racer Russell was the biggest loser as he was consigned to 18th on the grid
15:27, 22 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Toto Wolff furiously slammed the table with his fist as George Russell suffered a nightmare result in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Sky Sports cameras cut to the Austrian after Russell's early exit was confirmed. Clearly expecting more from the session, Wolff banged his fist on his table in frustration when he realised that it was over for the 24-year-old.

Russell was also very unhappy himself. After having it confirmed that he was out of the session by his race engineer, the Brit swore loudly and then blamed it on the traffic that he came across in the final sector of that lap.

Russell was not the only big name to fall earlier than they would have wanted. Carlos Sainz could only go 11th fastest in Q2, knocked out of qualifying by his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc who leapfrogged the Spaniard out of the danger zone in the dying seconds.

‘Toto Wolff punches table’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...cedes-30528884


George Russell FUMES at Mercedes as team strategy mix-up sees Brit knocked out in Q1 of Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying - in nightmare return for last year's pole-sitter
• Mercedes' George Russell was knocked out in Q1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix
• The 25-year-old British driver is set to start tomorrow's race in 18th place
• Follow Mail Sport's live blog of the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying
Updated: 16:13, 22 July 2023
By James Evans
Mailonline

George Russell fumes at Mercedes team after he was knocked out of Q1 ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. He is set to start Sunday's race in 18th, with the Brit unhappy with his team. The Mercedes driver revealed his shock over the team radio: 'Don't tell me we're out. Guys, I could have gone at any point. I was in all that traffic in sector three!' Mercedes team principal, Wolff was seen slamming his fist following after Russell was knocked out of Q1.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 about his elimination, Russell said: 'We were fast. The car felt great. The whole session we were out of sync with everybody. 'I got overtaken by four cars going into the last corner, starting my lap. I was three tenths down before I got to Turn 1, the tyres were nowhere and it was totally normal that we went slower and didn't make it through.”

'Really disappointed. We didn't need to take so many risks. We went out for one lap at the end, one of the few cars that did that. The car was more than quick enough to get to Q2 and Q3. It's rare we make these mistakes. You get what you deserve if you don't do things right.'

‘FUMES at Mercedes’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...le-sitter.html


Lewis Hamilton takes his first pole position in two years as Mercedes star edges Max Verstappen in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying
Updated: 16:16, 22 July 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy
MailOnline

At last! Lewis Hamilton rolled back the years to take a stunning pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He did so by 0.003sec from Max Verstappen – the juggernaut stopped for once. The Dutchman will start the 70-lap race in second place, ahead of Lando Norris.

On a tight and twisting track on which he had won a record eight times, Hamilton delivered a brilliant performance – his first pole for 595 days, going back to Saudi Arabia, the race before the night that tipped his life upside down in Abu Dhabi a week later.

‘Get in there, lets go boys!’ said Hamilton over the radio. ‘That feels so good guys. Thank you so much for all the hard work. Wahoo!’ It was the Briton’s ninth pole here in Budapest – more than any driver has achieved at any other single track.

‘First pole position in two years’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ualifying.html

Wolff SLAMS 'weird' new qualifying format despite Hamilton BRILLIANCE.
Toto Wolff has slammed the new F1 qualifying format which has debuted at the Hungarian Grand Prix – just hours before his lead driver Lewis Hamilton took his first pole in more than 30 races.
Saturday 22 July 2023 17:44
Joe Ellis
GPFans

The new rules saw drivers mandated to use hard tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3 unless the session is declared wet at any stage. That always looked highly unlikely though, with the sun shining at the Hungaroring, and Wolff admitted he doesn't really know what to expect. Mercedes' team principal is not a fan of the new system and how it makes free practice a lottery for the teams.

"First of all this tyre format is weird because no one understands where you are. We were only able to run one medium yesterday and that wasn't good at all. But, the grip on the soft was very good. Lewis here, he's able to add another two or three-tenths."

‘Wolff SLAMS 'weird' new qualifying format’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ix-qualifying/


Hamilton ecstatic with breakthrough Hungary pole after ‘big rollercoaster ride’ amid Mercedes’ recent struggles
22 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Lewis Hamilton expressed his satisfaction after returning to the top of the timesheets in qualifying for the first time in a year-and-a-half with his storming, pole position-grabbing performance at the Hungaroring on Saturday.

Asked if he was out of breath or just excited about the result after stepping out of his car, Hamilton said: “I think both. It’s been a crazy year-and-a-half, so I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much in the car – it’s amazing that feeling.”

“I feel so grateful to be up here, because the team have worked so hard. We’ve been pushing so hard over this time, so to finally get a pole, it feels like the first time.”

‘Hamilton ecstatic’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Li9d5oheZ.html


Former rival admits ONLY Hamilton could produce F1 ‘perfection’ lap
Saturday 22 July 2023 18:12
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Lewis Hamilton stunned the F1 world with an epic lap to take pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix. His former Mercedes team-mate, Nico Rosberg, wasn't surprised but impressed by Hamilton's brilliant final lap, claiming no one else could have managed that.

The gap from Hamilton to Max Verstappen, who was second, was just three-thousandths of a second as the Dutchman failed to improve on his final attempt. Lando Norris qualified third with Oscar Piastri fourth on another good day for McLaren but the star of the show was Hamilton.

"Did you hear how hard he was breathing at the end there?" Rosberg said on Sky Sports. "I mean, he gave it everything he had. I witnessed these very, very special moments, these days that he used to have and today was one of those.”

‘F1 ‘perfection’ lap’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...pole-position/


Lewis Hamilton questions Red Bull’s pace drop-off: 'Just look at the DRS...'
22 Jul 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton has questioned Red Bull’s decline in form, particularly in recent F1 races, after he managed to beat Max Verstappen to pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“I mean just look at the DRS, they don’t have the DRS advantage all of a sudden they used to have - where did that go? They just had an upgrade so we expected them to take another step. We heard it was around two-tenths or something like that so for them not to be able to extract that in qualifying was interesting.”

“I think in the race they’re still the quickest and it will be very hard to beat them tomorrow. We’re just as surprised as everybody else. Interesting to see some of the deficits and how it’s changed from race to race and how we’ve all closed up.”

‘Red Bull’s pace drop-off’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103184...-just-look-drs


Christian Horner downplays Lewis Hamilton pole position but gets brutal clapback from Nico Rosberg
22nd July 2023, 5:59 pm
Connor Andrews
TalkSport

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner was left reeling from a Nico Rosberg grilling in Budapest. Never shy to back away from the difficult questions, Rosberg remains as feisty in retirement as when he beat Lewis Hamilton to the title as his teammate at Mercedes seven years ago.

“All credit to Mercedes, it was a very strong lap at the end there, you can see their history with the amount of poles, and particularly Lewis here,” Horner began. “We left a little bit on the table, Max had a little snap at turn 16, but the front row is still very good. Correcting Horner in an instant, Rosberg followed: “I think Lewis actually left a little bit on the road there too, he had a similar snap in the last two, so maybe it’s not too dissimilar.”

Rosberg was keen to point out that result, saying: “I have to ask about Sergio, only P9 once again. He was almost four-and-a-half tenths down on Max, do you see him still struggling out there, what were his comments like?” Horner then answered: “That’s the first time he’s been in Q3 since Miami so that was important for him to get there. “But he’s not going to be happy being in P9. He’s got to race well tomorrow but we’ve got to give him a good strategy.”

‘Brutal clapback from Nico Rosberg’;

https://talksport.com/sport/motorsport/1508467/

Hungarian GP: Post Qualifying press conference.
Track Interviews - Conducted by Danica Patrick.
22/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

Lando Norris: A little bit. I'm disappointed, I guess. If you're doing within a tenth of pole, it feels like you should be on pole if you put the lap together, you know? So, I guess as an overall picture, the team did a good job: P3 and P4 for both of us. So, a good weekend so far but, as a driver, I'm not the happiest. I feel like I made too many mistakes and that cost me today.

Max Verstappen: Not much happened. I've been struggling that whole weekend to find a good balance. Every session has been up and down. Today also in Qualifying, really difficult, Q1, Q2, to just feel confident to really attack corners. I thought my first run in Q3 was quite good, then second run, again, no feeling. You try to push a little bit more, you lose the rear, lose the front, so I think... I mean it was still second, but I think we should be ahead with the car we have normally but so far this weekend, I think we haven't been on it.

Lewis Hamilton: I think both. It's been a crazy year and a half. I've lost my voice from shouting so much in the car. It's amazing that feeling. I feel so grateful to be up here because the team have worked so hard. We've been pushing so hard over this time, to finally get a pole, it feels like the first time. And a big, big thanks to the crowd here, we have such an amazing crowd, every year here in Budapest. Wow! I didn't expect coming here today that we'd be fighting for pole, so when I went into that last run, I gave it absolutely everything. I was... there was nothing left in it.

‘Interviews’;

https://www.pitpass.com/75730/Hungar...ess-conference


Charles Leclerc in disbelief after Ferrari embarrassed in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying
23:16, 22 Jul 2023
By Nathan Ridley Sports Reporter
The Mirror

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was left stunned after witnessing how quick Alfa Romeo were during qualifying ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu superbly bested both Ferrari drivers in qualifying on Saturday, whizzing around the Budapest track to take fifth place on the grid. A shocked Leclerc only managed to gain sixth, ahead of Alfa Romeo's other driver, Valtteri Bottas, while Carlos Sainz failed to reach Q3 in the second Ferrari car.

Guanyu's rapid performance - notably with no new upgrades to the car ahead of this weekend's GP - left Leclerc and co stunned, as the Monegasque driver declared: "They were very strong. Yesterday, the team showed me the simulations of what we think they will be like and honestly they were all right, the simulation ahead of today.

"Yesterday, I was like, 'I think there might be something wrong in that, it might be a mistake' and they proved me wrong today because the team expected it. It's very difficult to understand because of my knowledge, I haven't checked, but I don't think they had any particularly big upgrades for this weekend.”

‘Disbelief’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...an-gp-30531257


Verstappen had “the worst balance I can have in a car” in qualifying
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
Posted on 22nd July 2023, 20:32
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Verstappen said his car felt “terrible” to drive in today’s session. “It doesn’t matter where you are on the grid, if it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t feel good. The whole qualifying I’ve been struggling a lot. Well, the whole weekend really, with the shift in balance, with understeer and you try to correct it and it’s oversteer, and it was just never in a good window.”

“I was struggling a lot in Q1, Q2,” he said. “I mean, there’s not much you can do really once you go into qualifying. But every time I got to the apex of the corner it was just not gripping up for me and that’s probably the worst balance I can have in a car. I tried to correct a few things in Q3 but there’s only so much you can do.”

‘Worst balance’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/22/...in-qualifying/


McLaren SHOULD have taken Hungarian GP pole reveals GPFans' F1 aero analyst
Saturday 22 July 2023 21:12
Shubham Sangodkar
GPFans

The last two races have seen an upsurge from McLaren, coming off the bench after the first eight races of the season. The Hungarian track is very different from both Silverstone and Spielberg. It's dominated mostly by slow-speed sections with long radius corners. This also makes it very sensitive to driver inputs and to the wind. Therefore, at this track slow-speed performance is definitely tested but also the car drivability is tested too.

Mercedes as a reference for slow-speed corners. The Mercedes from our analysis was the fastest car in the slow-speed corners for the last few races, so we expected them to do well in Hungary. So if we compare the McLaren and the Mercedes in the slow speed sections we should get a good calibration if they have taken a step in performance.

From the data, we can see that Norris is able to keep up with Hamilton around the slow-speed sections losing only about 0.1-0.2 sec around the entire lap which is very impressive considering how far back they were in slow-speed performance just two races ago before the upgrades. Norris makes up most of that time at T4 and T11 in the high-speed sections leaving only 0.082 sec of a difference between them. Interestingly, Norris has a small correction on the throttle that he makes at T6-7, because of which he losses about two-tenths to Hamilton, chances are he would have been on the pole without that mistake !!

‘SHOULD be pole’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...grand-prix-f1/


'I feel absolutely amazing' – Zhou revels in career-high fifth place in Budapest qualifying
22 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Speaking after jumping out of the C43, an ecstatic Zhou remarked: “I feel absolutely amazing. Really happy. Big thanks to the team of course. To give me the car to be fighting for Q3, and then coming back with a P5, that was definitely not expected.”

“But we knew we had the pace this weekend and qualifying, I was literally on the edge every lap. Q1, top of the table, really surprised, then I knew I had a chance.”

“Every lap had to be 100%, a few mistakes of course with the track limits, but I was pushing on the limit. When it mattered, we delivered, especially with the last lap in Q3. So, really happy with the starting grid.”

'Feel amazing';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...vgfltNzPk.html


Winners and Losers from 2023 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying
22 July 11:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Winner - Lewis Hamilton: Hamilton was rather downbeat after Friday practice and was not a fan of the reduction in tyre sets from 13 to 11.
Loser - George Russell: And on the flip side, we have Russell. It's hard to make sense of Russell's season up to this point. There have been flashes of pace, and he out-qualified Hamilton in the early races. What did Russell say? "You've got to fight for yourself, it is a big four-and-a-half kilometre long track, and we're in the space of 1km with 10 cars, so we just need to look in the mirror and recognise we made a big f**k up."

Winner – McLaren: McLaren are back in the game. If the Hungarian Grand Prix has taught us anything - the MCL60 is now a potent weapon and Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be making nuisances of themselves.
Loser - Carlos Sainz: Carlos Sainz was completely comfortable on the Hard Pirellis, but a "weird" problem struck whenever he put the Mediums on.

Winner - Zhou Guanyu: Alfa Romeo has been rather anonymous throughout 2023, but they have starred throughout the Budapest weekend. Zhou Guanyu took a career-best fifth on the grid, with Valtteri Bottas seventh.
Loser - Yuki Tsunoda: Yuki Tsunoda's objective for the rest of 2023 is clear: beat Daniel Ricciardo and beat him well. Throughout practice, he looked to have Ricciardo's number, but when it came to it in Qualifying, Tsunoda fell in Q1 while Ricciardo scrapped a Q2 berth.

‘Winners and Losers’;

https://racingnews365.com/winners-an...rix-qualifying


George Russell shuts down Martin Brundle after suffering Hungarian Grand Prix disaster
Mercedes driver George Russell had a day to forget at qualifying for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
21:51, Sat, Jul 22, 2023
By Lewis Winter
Daily and Sunday Express

Russell will be 18th on the grid after he was eliminated in Q1. Sky Sports F1 reporter Brundle reiterated the long-term view that there is a gentleman's agreement between rival drivers that they do not overtake one another as they prepare to start laps in qualifying.

But Russell has shut down that claim, insisting there is a time when you must put yourself first. Asked if the agreement exists, the 25-year-old said: "No, because you’ve all got to think about yourself at one point and there’s just so many cars on track, I understand why some cars didn’t.”

"We went out for one lap at the end, we were one of the few cars who did that, the car was more than quick enough to get through to Q2/Q3. It’s rare that we make these kind of mistakes. You get what you deserve, I guess, if you don’t do things right."

‘Day to forget’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-Grand-Prix

Verstappen cruises to Hungarian GP victory ahead of Norris.
With his unchallenged victory, Red Bull has set a new record for the most consecutive race wins in F1 history at 12, which stretches back to last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen started the race from second place on the grid with 2021 title rival Lewis Hamilton ahead of him on pole position.
23rd July 2023, 15:45
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Much noise was made in the build-up to the race about the run into the first corner – however both kept it clean. Verstappen got the better launch off the line and moved ahead of Hamilton into Turn 1, who soon found himself in fourth place as the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris moved ahead.

In the final laps of the grand prix, Perez closed in on Norris for second place – at one point, it appeared that he would be on his tail by the end of the race. However, Norris managed to hang on to secure McLaren’s first back-to-back podium since 2012. Perez was third, but came under pressure from Hamilton behind in the late stages, who unleashed rapid pace from the W14 in the final laps. Piastri crossed the line in fifth.

‘Verstappen cruises to Hungarian GP victory’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ead-of-norris/


Red Bull break ANOTHER 2023 record with unbelievable feat in Hungarian GP.
The mechanics in the pitlane produced a remarkable pitstop that lasted just 1.9 seconds to get Sergio Perez back in the race in record time.
Sunday 23 July 2023 16:32
Joe Ellis
GPFans

It is still an unofficial record for the season with the current fastest stop coming at the Spanish GP, again by Red Bull with Perez on board in a time of 2.07 seconds. Earlier in the race, McLaren had matched Red Bull's 2.0 second stop from earlier in the season with Oscar Piastri, but it still wasn't enough to stop Lando Norris from getting the undercut on his team-mate.

Red Bull is consistently among the very best on pitlane every single race which just makes beating them even harder. The reigning champions have had the fastest pitstop four times in 11 races prior to this weekend's Hungarian GP.

‘ANOTHER 2023 record’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/


Race Results – 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
23rd July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 70 laps
2. Lando Norris McLaren +33.731
3. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +37.603
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +39.134
5. Oscar Piastri McLaren +62.572
6. George Russell Mercedes +65.825
7. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +70.317
8. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +71.073
9. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +75.709
10. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1 lap

‘Hungarian Grand Prix – Here are the provisional results from today’s 2023 F1 World Championship race around the Hungaroring’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/race-resul...and-prix-82801


LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the action from the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix
23 July 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site

‘As it happened’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...J00INlmDv.html


How the 2023 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix unfolded
23rd July 2023.13:28
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...y-live-updates


Lewis Hamilton issues grovelling apology to Mercedes after disastrous Hungarian GP start
Hamilton started the Hungarian Grand Prix on pole – the first time he has done so in F1 for more than 18 months – but threw it all away with a wretched start to the race on Sunday
14:15, 23 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Lewis Hamilton threw away his fairytale pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a horrible start off the line. The Brit upstaged Max Verstappen to take pole from his Formula 1 rival on Sunday. But the Red Bull had the lead of the race by the first corner as Hamilton suffered a horrible start.

And it got worse from there. Not only did Verstappen overtake, but he also fell behind the two McLaren cars in the opening few corners and was in fourth place in the blink of an eye. The seven-time world champion was clearly frustrated but also took full responsibility as he took to the radio. "Sorry about that guys," he said, the disappointment evident in his voice.

‘Threw away his fairytale pole’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...an-gp-30533507

Max Verstappen Delivers Red Bull Winning-Streak Record In Hungary.
Max Verstappen came home a massive 33.7 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris with his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in third.
Updated: July 23, 2023 10:57 PM IST
Agence France-Presse
NDTV.com

Max Verstappen cruised to another majestic victory on Sunday, reeling off a record 12th straight win for Red Bull as he dominated the Hungarian Grand Prix with a textbook drive from lights to flag. The defending double world champion grabbed the lead from pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton at the start and remained in control for his seventh successive victory, his ninth in 11 races this year and the 44th of his career.

More significantly, it was Red Bull's 12th consecutive win, breaking a 35-year-old record they had shared with McLaren, who won 11 straight races in 1988 with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna as their driver pair. Verstappen came home a massive 33.7 seconds ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris with his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in third.

"For the team 12 wins in a row is incredible. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a long time," said Verstappen Verstappen's seventh straight win stretched the double world champion's lead over Perez to 110 points in the championship.

‘Verstappen came home a massive 33.7 seconds ahead’;

https://sports.ndtv.com/formula-1/ma...ungary-4234789


‘Old-school’ Verstappen sparked Red Bull history – Horner
Monday 24th July, 2023 - 6:00am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen went “old school” to set Red Bull on the road to another place in F1’s record books. In taking the chequered flag, Red Bull has now set a new record of 12 consecutive victories, breaking a mark that has stood for 35 years when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost led McLaren to 11 successive wins in 1988. “We have achieved history, which is something very special for the whole team,” said Horner.

“To achieve the record of 12 consecutive grand prix victories, to break that record from 1988 – and I remember watching Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, the great McLaren team at the time led by Ron Dennis, and to think it’s taken 35 years, with the quality of the opposition we’re racing against – is a phenomenal achievement, and something the whole team can be immensely proud of.”

There was no sense of the dominance to come, to which Horner remarked: “The consensus was that we’d put more focus into the higher temperatures (for the race) and the race pace as opposed to single-lap pace. “Whilst Max was frustrated not to get the pole, he went into this race fully fired up.” Horner has conceded, though, to a degree of nervousness in watching the start, adding: “A grid that has Lewis and Max starting alongside each other is always one as a team principal where you’re thinking ‘I just hope I see the car out of the first turn’. “But both drivers raced very hard, but fair. Max got a great start off the dirty side of the grid, and it was old school down to the first turn.”

‘Old-school’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/24...ix-old-school/


Marko throws down warning after historic Red Bull win
It's a 12th straight victory for the team, eclipsing McLaren's record from 1988.
23 July 8:05PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Helmut Marko has warned Red Bull's Formula 1 rivals that it has even more pace to unleash after their dominance in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"On Saturday, we did not find the right balance during qualifying," Marko told Sky Sport DE. "[In the race] we did, but we have not yet fully exploited the potential of our upgrade."

"The successful start and then the sovereignty with which Max then drove make him more and more an exceptional driver," Marko noted. "He was good on the tyres and could see he was driving [with some pace] in reserve, and then he also picked up the fastest lap."

‘More pace to unleash’;

https://racingnews365.com/marko-thro...c-red-bull-win


Wolff: Red Bull leaving rivals looking like 'a field of F2 cars'
23/07/2023 at 19:34
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Wolff took his hat off to Red Bull's crushing success but ensured that it would not go unchecked.

"It is a meritocracy," the Mercedes boss told Sky F1. "We are going to fight back and win races and championships but today you've seen the pace that Max had, and you saw it already on the long runs on Friday.”

"That is where they are. It is like a field of Formula 2 cars against a Formula 1 [car]. They've done the best job. Within the regulations, they've done the best job."

‘Field of F2 cars';

https://f1i.com/news/481843-wolff-re...f-f2-cars.html


Lando Norris smashes Max Verstappen’s F1 winners' trophy during Hungarian GP podium celebrations
23 Jul 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash Net

Lando Norris couldn’t stop himself from laughing after he accidentally smashed Max Verstappen’s F1 Hungarian Grand Prix winners’ trophy during the podium celebrations.

During the McLaren driver’s trademark podium celebration of smashing his champagne bottle on the base of the podium, Verstappen’s trophy fell off the top step and smashed into several pieces.

Asked what had happened during the post-race FIA press conference, Norris sheepishly responded: "Um, yeah, I’m not sure, Max just placed it too close to the edge!” To which, Verstappen said: "I’m going to take it off next time to protect it." Norris added: "Yeah just hold it! I don’t know, it fell over I guess? Not my problem, it’s his!"

‘McLaren driver’s trademark podium celebration of smashing his champagne bottle on the base of the podium’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103195...m-celebrations


Verstappen gives Norris 'red card' for destroying victory trophy
23 July 6:40PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen has given Lando Norris "a red card" after the McLaren driver smashed his Hungarian Grand Prix winner's trophy.

The Briton began his champagne celebrations in typical style with a tap of the bottle on the top step of the podium, only to knock Verstappen's trophy onto the ground - shattering the unique award. The trophies are handmade by Herendi Porcelanmanufaktura Zrt with an approximate production time of six months at a cost of €40,000.

"You said it was my fault? I give you a red card," said Verstappen in a conversation picked up during Sky Sports F1's special kids broadcast. "I will go to Zak because he has got some spare money for the personnel in the team, so he can spend it on a trophy."

‘Norris 'red card'!’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...victory-trophy


McLaren issue grovelling APOLOGY to Red Bull amid Norris' Verstappen trophy damage
Sunday 23 July 2023 22:27
Matthew Hobkinson
GPFans

McLaren have taken to social media to apologise to Red Bull after Lando Norris broke Max Verstappen's P1 trophy during the celebrations on the podium in Hungary. McLaren were quick to apologise to Red Bull, after they took to social media to express their regret at Norris' actions.

And as if that wasn't enough, Norris has also personally apologised to Verstappen, after the 23-year-old replied to the two-time world champion's own Instagram post. Alongside a picture of the broken trophy, Verstappen wrote: "Thanks @landonorris," before the McLaren star replied: "I'm so sorry," adding a cheeky "not" afterwards.

‘McLaren issue grovelling APOLOGY’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...is-hungary-gp/

George Russell wants '10 second penalty' for Lando Norris after Max Verstappen incident.
After witnessing the vase tumble and shatter, the Mercedes driver said: "What?! You are kidding me! What happened... that's surely got to be like a 10 second penalty!
20:16, Sun, Jul 23, 2023
By Charlie Malam
Daily and Sunday Express

Norris reproduced his now trademark celebration of banging his bottle of champagne off the top step. In doing so however, the reverberations of the smash accidentally saw the cup tumble on to the floor and break into two pieces.

"That is awful. What is he thinking? He needs to go to Specsavers maybe." A retrospective 10 second penalty would have course seen Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton upgraded from P4 to P3 to pick up an extra three points from the race. It would've seen Red Bull's Sergio Perez promoted to second with Norris dropping to fourth.

Asked then how he broke it, Norris laughed: "Happily. It wasn't on purpose!" After Scarlett joked the McLaren star just wanted to be the race winner that badly, Lando said: "I do, I was annoyed I was P2! No that is my celebration, to hit the bottle. Max put his trophy in the wrong place. It's Max's fault."

'10 second penalty';

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...stappen-trophy


‘I happily broke it!’ – Lando Norris refuses to apologise after smashing Max Verstappen’s trophy
Sunday 23 Jul 2023 6:03 pm
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk

Lando Norris accidentally smashed Max Verstappen’s trophy on the Hungarian Grand Prix podium – but thankfully both drivers saw the funny side of things. The trophy, valued at around £35,000 and decorated in pink, reportedly in celebration of the newly-released Barbie movie, was smashed into several pieces.

As both the Brit and the Dutchman realised what had happened, their reaction was a hilarious mix of horror and laughter which carried on as the pair headed to the media pen for their post-race interviews. Speaking to Sky Sports, Norris said: ‘I happily broke it! I was annoyed I was P2.”

‘I happily broke it!’;

https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/23/f1-la...o=newsnow-feed


Lando Norris smashes Max Verstappen’s £25,000 Barbie winner’s trophy on Hungary podium and can’t stop laughing
23rd July 2023, 4:56 pm
Connor Andrews
talkSPORT

Lando Norris hilariously smashed Max Verstappen’s Hungarian Grand Prix winners’ trophy during post-race celebrations. Verstappen had just taken his seventh win on the bounce – and Red Bull’s 12th – with the Milton Keynes team setting a new Formula 1 record.

Perhaps just as big a story was British star Norris finishing second in back-to-back races, marking an incredible turnaround in form for McLaren. Norris notched his eighth career podium in F1, and celebrated in his trademark fashion – by bashing his champagne bottle on the floor to pop the cork and allow him to drench his fellow podium finishers.

However, as he whacked the bottle on the podium steps, it sent Verstappen’s first place trophy crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces. The historic Hungaroring trophy is one of the most beautiful prizes on the F1 calendar, made from porcelain by the Herend Porcelain Manufactory. The prizes are worth €30,000 [£25,900] as of 2020, and this year’s edition was in pink, reportedly in celebration of the newly-released Barbie movie.

‘Just as big a story’;

https://talksport.com/sport/motorsport/1509049/


Norris’ podium faux pas breaks Verstappen’s trophy
16:56 Sun, 23 Jul 2023.
by Phillip Horton
Motorsport Week

After being presented with their respective trophies Norris slammed his champagne bottle down onto the winners’ rostrum, as has become his style.

“Um… I’m not sure [what happened],” joked Norris. “Er… yeah, not sure, Max just placed it too close to the edge!. It fell over, I guess. Not my problem, it’s his!”

We are so, so sorry… @redbullracing and @Max33Verstappen! ��#HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/eXTC4dLdMO
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 23, 2023

‘As has become his style’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...appens-trophy/


Lando Norris smashing Max Verstappen’s winner trophy on the podium after #HungarianGP
Jul 23, 2023
F1 Chequered Flag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxsA6V928No


"What is he thinking?!" �� | George Russell on Lando Norris breaking Verstappen's trophy
Jul 23, 2023
Sky Sports F1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBdj8NYPG9s


Lando Norris reaction to breaking max verstappen’s trophy #f1 #landonorris
Jul 23, 2023
AeroF1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvR83-pzogs

Hamilton a 'broken record' over Mercedes wish.
Hamilton has been vocal about the shortcomings of the W14 and its predecessor last season given Mercedes' struggles, as the Brackley-based outfit bids to recover lost ground on the dominant Red Bull RB19.
24 July 5:00PM
Author Ewan Gale

The pace at the start of stints in the race was a far cry from the performance on display across one lap at the Hungaroring and asked why the car seems faster on low fuel, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "The car isn't much quicker [generally]. This weekend it was quicker.

"We generally have a bigger wing than some of the others, like the Red Bulls for example, but they seem to have more downforce from their floor. We have a lot of work to do. I'm like a broken record, I have just got to keep telling the guys that we need to go in that direction. I would love to see that either this year or at least on next year's car."

'Broken record';

https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-a...-mercedes-wish


‘We’re not fast enough!’ - Hamilton warns of Mercedes reality check
24th July 2023, 08:18
Matt Majendie
Evening Standard

After the euphoria of qualifying 24 hours earlier came the reality check of the race itself. And with it the realisation for Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes are “not fast enough”.

The seven-time world champion had enjoyed a stunning return to form over the one-lap format at the Hungarian Grand Prix to take his first pole position for nearly 600 days, eclipsing what was in theory a quicker car in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

It quickly turned from celebration to frustration when Hamilton suffered a wheelspin and found himself back in fourth within the opening salvos of Sunday’s race. It was a position he would end the race in and the 38-year-old cut a deflated figure in the aftermath of the grand prix.

‘We’re not fast enough’;

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/b1096257.html


Lewis Hamilton frustrated over repeated Mercedes request – "Like a broken record"
Despite a first pole position in more than 18 months, the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend yielded little other joy for Hamilton who fell out of the podium places on the first lap
17:00, 24 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer

Lewis Hamilton thinks he sounds "like a broken record" as he keeps trying to push his Mercedes team to where he thinks they will find better performance. He said after the race: "The car isn't much quicker. This weekend it was quicker and we don't know what the reason is. We generally have a bigger wing like some of the others, the Red Bulls for example, but they seem to have more downforce from their floor."

"The start, actually, the initial getaway wasn't the worst I've ever had, but it obviously wasn't as good as Max's," he said. "I had a bit of wheelspin and then obviously Max was on the inside and he ran me wide and I got done by the two McLarens. So, definitely not a great start, kind of reminiscent of 2015 when I fell back from first.”

"After that, just didn't have the pace to keep up with the guys. The balance in the car was pretty awful on that first stint, a lot of understeer and oversteer through corner balance and I just couldn't keep up with them."

"Like a broken record";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...an-gp-30542578


Lewis Hamilton sick of sounding like ‘broken record’ with Mercedes car requests
24 Jul 2023 6:45 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Lewis Hamilton said he struggled with the balance of his W14 during the course of a long Hungarian Grand Prix. “I think we may have been able to finish third with a slightly better start, but fourth is still OK,” he said.

“We were just too slow in the first few stints. The balance was not good. The car was just slow. Then the balance picked up a lot at the end and, all of a sudden, I was able to apply the pressure, but it was too late.”

‘Broken record’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...-car-requests/


Lewis Hamilton hated 'every lap' of Hungarian Grand Prix as Brit savages Mercedes car
Lewis Hamilton was forced to settle for a fourth-placed finish despite starting from pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
19:55, Sun, Jul 23, 2023
By Archie Griggs
Daily and Sunday Express

"I fell back," said Hamilton while discussing the early stages of the 70-lap contest. "I hit the target that I was supposed to go to but just had wheelspin, then I was under attack all the way to Turn Two. At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter, I didn’t have the pace to hold onto those guys [Red Bull and McLaren] anyway.

"Honestly, there wasn’t a lap that I enjoyed driving the car today, because the car didn’t feel good today at all. For some reason we just generally lacked pace. It did get better towards the end but still it was pretty tough. I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch Sergio [Perez] or at least [get past] a Red Bull, because they’re obviously so quick.”

"Honestly, there wasn’t a lap that I enjoyed driving the car today”;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...rcedes-F1-news


Hamilton and Wolff in big 'DISAGREEMENT' in Hungarian GP debate
Sunday 23 July 2023 20:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Hamilton: Pretty awful: “The balance of the car was pretty awful on that first stint," Hamilton said to Sky Sports. A lot of understeer to snap oversteer, through corner balance and I just couldn’t keep up with them. So then, bit by bit as we got through the next couple of stints, the car started to become more driveable.”

Wolff: We had the second quickest car: Wolff though believed that it was Mercedes who were now the chief challengers to Red Bull after their car showed excellent pace once their cars could run at lower fuel. "I think we had the second-quickest car today," Wolff said to Ted Kravitz. "If you look at the lap time profile, also where George came from, but we just didn’t monetise on it.”

‘Big 'DISAGREEMENT'!’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-disagreement/


Lewis Hamilton “a broken record” as he urges Merc to copy Red Bull's development “direction”
23 Jul 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton continues to push Mercedes to follow Red Bull’s F1 development direction, admitting he’s been a “broken record” with his requests.

“We generally have a bigger wing than some of the others, like the Red Bulls for example, but they seem to have more downforce from their floor,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do. I am like a broken record.”

“I’ve just gotta keep telling the guys ‘we need to go in that direction’. I would like to see that either with this year’s car or next year.”

“A broken record”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103196...on?language=en


Lewis Hamilton affected by Nico Rosberg curse
23 July 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

It appears that he has Rosberg to blame for his non-podium finish, with the German having jinxed Hamilton. Bizarrely, whichever car Rosberg often takes a photo in front of ends up suffering from bad luck, something which also happened on Saturday.

Rosberg posted a photo on Instagram of himself with Max Verstappen’s RB19, ahead of the Dutchman failing to claim pole position. Perhaps if Rosberg hadn’t taken a photo with Hamilton’s car, the 38-year-old might’ve had a more successful Sunday afternoon.

When Rosberg posted the photo ahead of the race, Hamilton fans instantly knew that they were doomed. “Oh no, poor Lewis got cursed now,” said thegloryaroundus on Instagram.

‘The Nico Rosberg curse’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...rosberg-curse/

Verstappen to receive new Hungarian GP trophy after Norris broke £39,000 original.
Herendi Porcelain Manufactory: “While the teams decide who was at fault and who was not, we will take on the joyful and heavy burden of this.”
17:25 Mon, 24 Jul 2023.
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Norris smashes six months’ hard work and nearly £40,000. Even worse for Verstappen, it was the first time he’s was in line to collect the majestic china Hungarian GP trophy – one of the best on the calendar.

“It is with great regret that we learned yesterday that the beautiful Herendi trophy, a handmade work of art, was damaged,” Attila Simon, CEO of Herendi Porcelain Manufactory Zrt told M4 Sport. “It is the result of nearly six months of work by more than 30 people and we were very sorry to see this happen to our artwork.”

“But we believe, and Herendi Porcelain Manufactory is a company that plays a key role in building the country’s image, that we will replace the trophy for the first place winner, and while the teams decide who was at fault and who was not, we will take on the joyful and heavy burden of this.”

‘Replace the trophy’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...rris-original/


Max Verstappen's girlfriend gets involved as Lando Norris apologises to Red Bull star
Lando Norris has said sorry to Max Verstappen for smashing his Hungarian GP trophy.
21:13, Sun, Jul 23, 2023
By Charlie Malam
Daily and Sunday Express

Norris commented: "I'm so sorry." And Verstappen's girlfriend Kelly Piquet also got involved, appearing to hint that the Briton has plans to hit the golf course on Monday as she wrote: "@landonorris hope you have better form tomorrow!"

Norrisalso took to his Instagram story, quoting Verstappen's post and captioning it: "Sorry not sorry." He then posted a screenshot of a Google search for 'Kintsugi' which translates to 'golden joinery' and is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold seams where the cracks were.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Norris joked that the damage was actually Verstappen's fault. He said: "No that is my celebration, to hit the bottle. Max put his trophy in the wrong place. It's Max's fault."

‘Smashing his Hungarian GP trophy’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Piquet-F1-news


Lando Norris refuses to take responsibility for shocking Max Verstappen incident
24 July 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News

In a lighthearted moment of podium celebration, Lando Norris, the talented driver from McLaren, playfully suggested that Max Verstappen was at fault for the accidental breakage of the $45,000 winner’s trophy during the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

In the post-race press conference, Norris jokingly blamed Verstappen for the mishap, stating, “Max just placed it too close to the edge. It fell over, I guess. Not my problem. It’s his!” Following the trophy mishap, the Herendi company, responsible for crafting the cup, pledged to replace it promptly.

Attila Simon, the CEO of Herendi, assured that they would take on the responsibility of making a new trophy. Production has already commenced, with efforts to expedite the six-month process to ensure Verstappen receives his replacement trophy in the coming weeks.

‘Refuses to take responsibility’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/lando-nor...ppen-incident/


Lando Norris causes huge headache after £35k Hungarian Grand Prix trophy clanger
Max Verstappen spent only a few seconds in possession of his trophy for winning the Hungarian Grand Prix before it was accidentally smashed into several pieces
11:03, 24 Jul 2023
By Kieran King Sports Writer
The Mirror

Lando Norris stunned the Formula One world on Sunday when he smashed Max Verstappen's trophy after the Red Bull driver won the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brit finished second behind Verstappen and ahead of third-place Sergio Perez - and the trio celebrated their successes on the podium. After the national anthems, they were handed their champagne and began the traditional spraying of one another. But that was when things got out of hand.

Norris hit his bottle off the podium and accidentally forced the trophy off the top step. Footage shows the trophy break into several pieces. But the celebrations carried on regardless, with Norris nervously glancing behind him at the broken trophy several times as the champagne continued to flow.

‘Norris nervously glancing behind him’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...appen-30537536


Lando Norris smashes Max Verstappen's Hungary GP trophy during podium celebrations
09:57, Mon, 24 Jul 2023.
By Ben Hunt
Give Me Sport

Fans of both Norris and Verstappen have been quick to react to the incident.
“That’ll be a 5 sec penalty,” “A McLaren driver breaking Red Bull’s trophy for its 12 consecutive win is about as poetic as the real world gets,” and “This is amazing and if I may say… A very Lando thing to do. When Lando wins next week, Verstappen can get his own back,” were just a few of the comments.

Thankfully, the Red Bull team seems to have taken the incident in good humour, replying to McLaren’s tweet with: “We can’t take you anywhere, glad to have you up there with us though," before following up with: “We’re gonna need some glue."

Speaking on the F1 record, the Dutchman said: "Twelve wins in a row is just incredible. What we've been going through the last few years is unbelievable and, hopefully, we can keep this momentum going for a long time."

‘A very Lando thing to do’;

https://www.givemesport.com/lando-no...-celebrations/

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Perez's P9-to-podium charge gets your vote in Hungary.
Sergio Perez needed a strong performance in Budapest – and boy, did he deliver, with an aggressive drive taking the Mexican from ninth on the grid to third at the flag.
23 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Sergio Perez - 20.7%
Lando Norris - 20.4%
Oscar Piastri - 13.7%
George Russell - 8.4%
Max Verstappen - 7.6%

‘DRIVER OF THE DAY’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...T93OGxFFZ.html


Brundle: Perez recovery in Budapest a ‘statement drive’
25th July 2023, 14:39
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

But writing in his column for Sky Sports, Brundle commended Perez’s drive from Hungary: “Perez from a disappointing ninth on the grid would have an impressive drive to the podium which was determined and aggressive in equal measure,” he said.

“It was just the performance he needed for his own confidence as well as his reputation. His overtakes were tough, not with desperation but with total steeliness, and his speed was good. I described it in commentary as a statement drive.”

“He showed that he can just about keep his head in the shadow of Verstappen’s speed and results, which few others could do, but he still needs to be bothering the Dutchman’s mirrors at the end of the races. But let’s not forget his brilliant victories just a few months ago in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.”

‘Statement drive’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...atement-drive/


Perez produces ‘best payback’ to ease Red Bull pressure
Tuesday 25th July, 2023 - 1:32am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

“If you look at the progress Checo made from ninth on the grid, it was an outstanding drive from him,” said Horner. When asked about Friday morning being the worst-case scenario, he added: “It was the best payback he could give his mechanics and the team. He will take a lot of confidence out of that. It was a big result for him.”

Responding to him being under pressure, Horner said: “The problem is, you guys wind things up, and you can go from hero to zero in this business pretty quickly. He’s not immune to that. Formula 1’s a pressure business, he knows that. He’s been around long enough to know the pressures that there are in Formula 1, and at Red Bull, sometimes that’s even more heightened.”

“But he’s responded in the best possible way, did his talking on the circuit, delivered a great performance, and he’ll be more than happy with his drive today. He just needs to put more emphasis on Saturday. He was in Q3 at the weekend, and again he’ll take confidence from that. As soon as he starts qualifying on the first couple of rows, and then he’ll be back in business.”

‘Best payback’

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/25...ssure-payback/


Horner hails ‘outstanding’ Perez, but what did he say on Ricciardo?
Sergio Perez finished third at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen
July 24, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Christian Horner praised Red Bull‘s Sergio Perez for hitting back at his critics as he achieved his second Formula 1 podium in six races at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, but also talked up Daniel Ricciardo on his return with AlphaTauri.

But, Horner did acknowledge Perez, who is 110 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, still has room to improve in qualifying. An unassailable one-lap gap to Verstappen was what did for Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon previously in Red Bull‘s second seat, and had Perez started further up the grid he likely would’ve helped score the team’s first one-two since Miami.

“I think he needs to put more emphasis on Saturday,” Horner added. “He was in Q3 obviously, this weekend so I’d take confidence from that. As soon as it starts qualifying in the first couple of rows, and then we’ll be back in business. The problem is you guys wind things up, you can go from hero to zero in this business pretty quickly so he’s not immune to that. And I think he responded in the best possible way and did his talking on the circuit and delivered a great performance.”

‘Horner hails ‘outstanding’ Perez’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...rez-ricciardo/


Perez sends Ricciardo Red Bull WARNING and hits out at 'COUCH' CRITICS
Monday 24 July 2023 10:42
Lauren Sneath
GPFans

Sergio Perez has insisted that you cannot be a driver for Red Bull unless you are ‘mentally strong’, explaining the ‘pressure’ to which he is subjected to as a member of the team. The driver, who has been with Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s team-mate since 2021, has seen a dip in performance recently which has ignited rumours that he could be replaced in 2025 by Daniel Ricciardo.

“If you're not mentally strong, you can't be in Red Bull. Here you should not underestimate the level of pressure you are subjected to. Red Bull is a team in which if you have a bad session you already have five drivers in the spotlight. It is a constant pressure from the press.”

“In these three years, I have never seen this before on any other team. With Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes, the team you tell me, all their drivers have had difficult times, but nothing happens. It's not like in Red Bull, you have a bad time and you already have to leave the team.” He explained: “I’m calm because I'm doing my best. But, without a doubt, it is judged very differently for the Red Bull drivers. Public opinion will always be there and it's normal. I focus on my own.”

‘Red Bull WARNING’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rong-red-bull/

Leclerc ******* BIZARRE Ferrari ******* that won't go ****.
“One *** of four words ** not understood ** my engineer ******* there is problems **** our radio for ***** or four races.” ******* Leclerc.
Monday 24 July 2023 19:12
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Ferrari *** been dealing with a ********** problem for ******* races, according to Charles *******. The ********** revealed after the Hungarian **, where Ferrari **** seventh and eighth, **** there **** been radio issues that **** lingered for ****** at least three races.

** has made communication ****** the races extremely ***** for Leclerc in **********, who was **** penalised for ******** in the pitlane in ********. “The problem is **** we have **** a lot of ******** with the radio,” Leclerc ****, as per *****.net.

“We **** to fix that, and *********, my tone of voice is ***** high because I **** to make myself *****. But I just ****** to make sure **** they didn’t understand me ***** and that I ****** to go aggressive ***** and not ********** late. It *** just about clarifying ******* of our radio ******.”

‘Radio ******’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-wont-go-away/


Vasseur 1-to-1: Ferrari mistakes, drivers and ignoring the noise
26th July 2023, 08:00
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

“I trust the people of the team,” he says. “They were able to win races, they all have huge potential. We have to improve, because this is the life of the team, of any racing team in the world, go-kart or F1 team, you always want to do a better job tomorrow than today.”

“It’s more a matter for me of mentality, that if you can have this kind of approach, how I can do the best on every single topic of the company. To have this kind of mentality is crucial.” Ferrari’s hierarchy needs the patience to let that filter through Maranello as Vasseur intends. The team faces short-term problems but F1 only offers medium-to-long-term solutions.

Where the Fred Vasseur era might lead will only become known if he is given time – not to see his vision through to the end, because he’d just tell you this is something with no finish line, but certainly a lot longer than the seven months or so he’s had so far.

‘Ferrari mistakes’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/vasse...ing-the-noise/


Ferrari boss breaks silence on Charles Leclerc tensions after public outburst
Tensions have continued to boil over between Charles Leclerc and Ferrari amid speculation about his future.
25 July 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News

In Budapest, Leclerc voiced concerns about the team’s race tactics, requesting a strategy offset compared to his teammate Carlos Sainz. Padros responded, “We are discussing it at the end,” which seemed to irk Leclerc, prompting him to retort, “What do you mean at the end?”

Padros then reassured him, “We are on it.” However, Vasseur clarified that part of Leclerc’s annoyance was a result of a malfunctioning microphone, which hindered clear communication.

“We were not able to understand what he said because he had an issue with the microphone,” Vasseur explained to the media.

‘Public outburst’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-b...blic-outburst/


Leclerc reveals hidden Ferrari issues behind radio attitude
25 July 11:39AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

A number of frantic-sounding radio messages were relayed between driver and pit wall during the 70-lap event at the Hungaroring which saw Leclerc finish seventh. His finishing position was affected by strategic indecision, a 9.4-second first pit stop and a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane at his second stop.

Responding to questions over his radio attitude, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365: "We had a lot of problems with the radio and one out of four words is not understood by the engineer, because there's just been problems with the radio for three or four races.”

Matters were made no easier by a lack of hydration for Leclerc on the hottest day of the weekend as an issue with his drinks system hit pre-race. Explaining the issue, the Monégasque said: "I had no water. Just before the start, I realised the tube was short, so I couldn't reach the water - it was really frustrating."

"I had no water”;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-re...radio-attitude


Ferrari “made too many mistakes” in Hungary – Vasseur
Tuesday 25th July, 2023 - 4:00am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Fred Vasseur claims Ferrari “made too many mistakes” across the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend that contributed to another below-par performance by the team’s high standards. Conceding that finishing sixth and seventh was “not the results we were expecting coming to Budapest, Vasseur added: “I think it was largely compromised after the quali with P6 and P11.”

“First, we need time to understand what we did right and wrong because the format was different. It’s not so easy to analyse the perfect weekend, and you need to get all the results to be able to retro-engineer this. On our side, it’s more the fact we made too many mistakes from the beginning to the end, and it’s not just about the pitstop, or the pit entry, or the quali yesterday, or the management of the tyres and so on.”

“In the end, the potential was probably better than what we showed (in qualifying), and then, at least with Charles, we lost 20 seconds in the race. Every single Monday of my career you have to do the list, and you have a long list of mistakes. Sometimes you can see it, sometimes not, but the job of the team principal is to do the list with team members and to fix it.”

“Too many mistakes”;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/25...many-mistakes/


SAINZ: LECLERC GOT PREFERENTIAL PIT STOP TO ‘COMPENSATE’ FOR MISTAKE
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have had several moments of minor tension this year, the most recent being the miscommunication in qualifying at the British Grand Prix. But have tempers flared again in Hungary?
July 25, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

Carlos Sainz believes Charles Leclerc was allowed to undercut him during the Hungarian Grand Prix to make up for an earlier pit stop blunder

When the drivers started to make their final stops of the Grand Prix, the Monégasque was given the preferred pit stop over his teammate. Typically, the driver ahead of his teammate on the track will be given the first pit stop, which tends to be the preferred stop.

DAZN asked Sainz about this strategic call by Ferrari after the Grand Prix. The Spanish driver responded: “There’s not much to say. Charles [Leclerc] had a slow pit stop and then it’s clear that the team wanted to change the positions of the cars. Maybe it was to compensate, I don’t know. A shame.”

‘PREFERENTIAL PIT STOP’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...e-for-mistake/


Two F1 teams catch Martin Brundle’s eye for all the wrong reasons
25 Jul 2023 8:15 AM
Mark Scott
PlanetF1.com

Sky F1 analyst and pundit Martin Brundle singled out both Ferrari and Aston Martin at the Hungarian Grand Prix – but not exactly for the right reasons. At the Hungaroring, Ferrari finished 70 seconds behind runaway winner Max Verstappen in the dominant RB19 while Fernando Alonso, on the podium in five of the first seven races, was 75 seconds adrift. His team-mate Lance Stroll, in P9, was even lapped by Verstappen.

“Ferrari had an ultimately disappointing weekend in seventh and eighth and a minute behind the leader,” Brundle said. “Charles Leclerc suffered a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane by just 0.7kph which rather sums up their luck at the moment. He also had a poor pit stop which further dented his chances and once again his frustration over team radio was plain to hear.”

“Carlos Sainz started on soft compound tyres which he used to very good effect by gaining five places off the line but ultimately it would compromise his race. Ferrari were the fourth fastest car on race day and were out-qualified by two of their customer teams in Alfa Romeo and Haas. I can imagine their debriefs after Budapest and heading directly to Spa were somewhat tense…”

“Ferrari… …out-qualified by two of their customer teams in Alfa Romeo and Haas”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/two-f1...wrong-reasons/

Disappointing Hungary Result ‘a Reality Check’ for Aston Martin – Mike Krack.
Mike Krack says it is important that the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team can push through their developments as they were only the fifth fastest team during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
July 25, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag

Krack, the Team Principal at Aston Martin, says both Alonso and Stroll performed well during the Hungarian Grand Prix but did not have the pace nor performance needed to challenge higher up the order, something they need to address if they are to return to their early podium-challenging form.

“Getting two cars home inside the points was the maximum today,” said Krack. “It was a quiet and uneventful race, and the results were in pace order as we finished behind our direct competitors. “Both Lance and Fernando performed very well, but we are missing the performance to challenge higher up.”

“Lance did particularly well to finish just behind Fernando from his initial grid position. Today is a reality check. We need to keep our heads down, keep working hard, and push through the developments to get back to where we were in earlier in the season.”

‘Fifth fastest team’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...in-mike-krack/


Why Aston Martin’s ‘reality check’ admission is so significant
Jul 25 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race

“At the end of the day, I don’t think it is a strategy thing that made us go in one or the other direction, the cars were in pace order on a track where we thought we would be more competitive and we’re not,” Krack told The Race.

“This is a reality check for us. We have slipped back, we have to be honest about it. Seventy seconds after 70 laps is not lying, there were no safety cars, no major incidents. We need to work hard to give our drivers a better car because they maximised what we could do.”

“You will remember that I always said we need to look at a couple of races, different track characteristics,” said Krack. “We have had these now and we realise that we’re not quick enough.”

‘Reality check’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-a...o-significant/


Three Points ‘the Maximum’ at ‘Hot and Demanding’ Hungaroring – Fernando Alonso
July 25, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag

Fernando Alonso believes ninth and tenth in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix was the best result possible for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team. Alonso says the team will need to find a way to get back to fighting at the front of the pack after seeing them fall further behind the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team as the teams battle over second place in the Constructors’ Championship, while Ferrari and the resurgence McLaren F1 Team are also involved in the battle.

“I think three points for us was the maximum we could achieve [as a team] today,” said Alonso. “We had a bit of a lonely race with no threats behind, but we were unable to make significant ground up on our competitors ahead of us.”

“It was a hot and demanding race as well and we all had to manage the tyres throughout. There have been a lot of surprises in the last few race weekends, but we need to try our best to get back to fighting at the front of the pack. We will analyse everything and look to bounce back at Spa next week.”

‘Three Points Max’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...rnando-alonso/


Alonso makes BLUNT Aston Martin demand as team fall behind
Tuesday 25 July 2023 09:27
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Fernando Alonso is not happy with the lack of development from Aston Martin after a string of disappointing results. Alonso was scoring podiums consistently at the start of the season. The 41-year-old wants to get back to that level and continue the team's push for a strong constructors' finish and is demanding the team do something about it.

"Sure, we have fallen in performance compared to the beginning of the season," Alonso said, as per Mundo Deportivo. "There is no doubt that we are suffering in these last few races, so we are working hard.”

“It is a moment to grit our teeth, to be focused, to try to understand everything that is happening in the car, the good things that we said at the beginning of the year that it is not there, what we have been able to improve to try to retain it...improve the car, in short"

‘BLUNT Aston Martin demand’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ce-form-slump/


Aston Martin admits studying latest Red Bull photos
26th July 2023, 08:22
Grandpx.news

Aston Martin does not deny taking another "good look" at detailed photos of the underside of Red Bull's dominant 2023 car. With photos of Sergio Perez's car as it was lifted by a crane in Monaco revealing the floor to be highly intricate. And teams got another good look at Perez's car once again last weekend in Hungary.

When asked if Aston Martin is reviewing those photos, technical boss Tom McCullough told Mundo Deportivo: "We always look at any photo as you try to understand how to develop. For this year or next year? It's an evolution.”

“What we do this year we will use for next year, and for elements like the floor we have more evolutions on the way for this year, just as other teams will. So, to answer your question”, McCullough added, “you always take a good look as we continue to bring updates to the car to improve performance this year.”

“It's an evolution”;

https://grandpx.news/aston-martin-ad...d-bull-photos/

Spa’s latest tragedy puts safety in the spotlight: Five Belgian GP talking points.
This weekend will have a different feel for several reasons. Tragedy struck at the circuit less than a month ago, as a crash claimed the life of young single-seater racer Dilano van ‘t Hoff, posing fresh questions over the dangers involved in racing at the historic track, especially in poor weather conditions.
26th July 2023, 7:15
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Safety concerns over Spa and rain visibility: Formula 1 heads to Spa-Francorchamps this year with the mood likely to be much more serious and sombre than usual. Earlier this month a crash claimed the life of Formula Regional European Championship racer Dilano van ‘t Hoff, just a few hundred metres beyond the section of track where F2 driver Anthoine Hubert suffered a fatal crash four years earlier.

First Spa sprint race: This weekend in Spa, teams will get even less time to prepare their cars. For the third time in the opening 12 rounds of the season, teams will face a sprint weekend – the first to be held at the iconic Spa circuit.
Will Ferrari find form? …they appear to have been overtaken in the development race by both Mercedes and McLaren, who have shot up to become the closest challengers to Red Bull at each of the last two rounds in Britain and Hungary.

Alpine decline: Alpine were full of optimism heading into 2023. However, at the mid-point of the season, the team have faced a reality check as while their rivals are now competing for podiums, Alpine appear to have fallen into a mid-season slump.
Sargeant seeking first point: With Nyck de Vries being jettisoned from his AlphaTauri in favour of Daniel Ricciardo, Logan Sargeant remains the last rookie on the grid yet to score a championship point.

‘Five Belgian GP talking points’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/26/...alking-points/


Nico Rosberg makes big prediction ahead of Belgian Grand Prix
26 Jul 2023 9:30 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

If Red Bull are expecting a smooth ride to ending part one of the F1 2023 season undefeated, then 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg warns they should be wary of McLaren and Ferrari.

Put to him on the Sky F1 podcast that it is hard to look past another dominant Red Bull win in Belgium, Rosberg replied: “Yeah, probably. But at the same time, there can be surprises in Belgium, we’ve always seen that there can be real surprises. “And probably the team that has a chance to surprise will be McLaren, maybe someone like Ferrari in qualifying.”

‘Big prediction’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/nico-r...ction-belgium/


McLaren wary of Spa challenge amid improved pace
Wednesday 26th July, 2023 - 4:07pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

McLaren heads to this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit wary of its chances despite three promising performances on the trot. That included a second podium in as many races for Lando Norris in Hungary last weekend in a performance confirming McLaren’s place towards the front of the grid.

Andrea Stella Team Principal of McLaren F1 Team: “Even if Spa is normally mentioned as one of the high-speed tracks, and so in reality, the highest speed corner, which is corner 10 is flat in qualifying. And there’s a lot of lap time in corner one (La Source) which is 80 kph in corner eight (Rivage), which is 100, and in the last chicane, which is 90 kph. I don’t want to repeat myself, but I go with some care because in these three corners, at the moment, we see that we lose time.”

“So in addition to the outright performance, it will be important how rapidly you adapt your car to the demand of the track,” Stella noted. “Spa is also a very demanding track in terms of understanding, for instance, you’re ride heights. Because, for example, in Eau Rouge, you can’t run too low because otherwise you would have problems under the car. How rapidly you can set up your car can make a difference for the entire week’s performance.”

‘McLaren wary’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/26...improved-pace/


Unpredictable Spa could pose threat to Red Bull’s latest record attempt
26 Jul 2023 7:30 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

The last race before F1’s mandatory summer break looks nailed on for another Red Bull win unless the weather gods interfere… Red Bull head to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium this weekend having set a new F1 record in Hungary by claiming their 12th Grand Prix victory in a row – albeit taking in the last race of 2022 into that unbeaten run.

They can set another all-time record this Sunday, if they win again, that of consecutive race wins in a single season. But, as is customary at Spa, the weather may have a big role to play over the course of the Belgian Grand Prix.

The predictable thing about a Spa weekend is the unpredictability of the weather, even in the earlier date slot the Belgian Grand Prix has been given this year, but the weather forecast does suggest rain showers are likely to disrupt the track action on all three days – rain is forecast during Friday’s qualifying, light showers during the Sprint, and similarly light rain at the start of the Grand Prix.

‘Predictable thing about a Spa weekend is the unpredictability of the weather’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/2023-b...-prix-preview/


Verstappen prepared for 'chaotic' Belgian GP Sprint
25 July 6:55PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

RacingNews365 takes a look at the potential headlines ahead of the sprint weekend at the 2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix. Now is time for something a little bit different in Formula 1: the Belgian Grand Prix taking place before the summer break.

Traditionally, the trek to the middle of the Ardennes Forest has welcomed F1 back from the summer holidays, but in 2023, the race sends F1 on them. The Dutch Grand Prix has taken the end of August slot, with Spa now moving forward to round out the first-half of the campaign - which up until this point has been dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

To make matters worse for the chasing pack, Spa in 2022 was where the brilliance of Red Bull was unleashed. The 2022 Belgian Grand Prix was a tour de force from Verstappen who crushed the field in the RB18 on a weekend of unrivalled dominance. Quickest in Qualifying, he actually started 14th thanks to engine penalties, but by Lap 18 (including his pit-stop) was leading for good.

‘What to expect’;

https://racingnews365.com/what-to-ex...ian-grand-prix


Spa boost for Mercedes as Toto Wolff reveals upgrade plan
26 Jul 2023 4:15 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed that the next stage of the W14 upgrade plan arrives at the Belgian Grand Prix as the team look to bounce back from the missed opportunities of Hungary. “Hungary was a weekend of highs and lows,” said Wolff. “Our pace was strong on Saturday and Sunday, but we didn’t maximise that across the weekend.”

“Lewis produced a brilliant lap to take pole position. However, on Sunday, we were too conservative with some of our decisions and ultimately missed out on a podium. George meanwhile was compromised in qualifying but drove a strong race from P18 to take P6.”

“We also encountered cooling limitations across both cars; we likely had the second-fastest car, but we must execute better if we are to deliver our full potential. Nevertheless, we scored good points with both drivers, and consolidated our P2 Championship position.”

‘Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes upgrade plan’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...ades-mercedes/


Esteban Ocon: “We hope to bounce back quickly” in Belgium after consecutive double-retirements
July 26, 2023
By Ashley Cline
The Checkered Flag

BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon discussed the disappointment of suffering a second consecutive double-retirement at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with him and team-mate Pierre Gasly getting caught up in a first lap incident which resulted in significant damage to both cars.

Esteban Ocon: “It was very frustrating for the entire team to have a double retirement on Sunday, especially in such circumstances so early into the race. There wasn’t much Pierre or I could do and we have no choice but to move on and focus on this weekend where we hope to bounce back quickly.”

Pierre Gasly: “Despite the significant impact of the crash on Sunday, I am feeling OK physically and very motivated to race in Belgium. Given this weekend’s Sprint format, we have the chance to take points on both Saturday and Sunday, so we will be doing all we can to maximise our opportunities.”

‘Hope to bounce back’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...e-retirements/

Danger at Spa circuit at F1 Belgian Grand Prix? “Worst emotion of my life” | “We see nothing, not exaggerating”.
“There are some changes which would make a difference,” said Charles Leclerc, who won his first F1 grand prix the day after Hubert’s death in 2019 and dedicated the moment to him.
27 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

“The walls after the straights, after Eau Rouge, we should have more space. If you lose control you bounce on the walls - this is a change to consider. The two biggest problems? Visibility. It is difficult to put into words what we see.”

“We see nothing, we are not exaggerating, when it is raining. This is a big problem for motorsport in general. Single-seaters have a lot of downforce, there is a lot of spray, and a lot of incidents. It is difficult to find a solution.”

“We see nothing, not exaggerating”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103212...t-exaggerating


Drivers react as heavy rain threatens FP1 cancellation at Belgian GP
27 Jul 2023 4:08 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Heavy rain is forecast for Friday’s running at the Belgian GP, and with only one practice session available, this could pose a big problem for the teams and drivers. With the Belgian GP being a sprint weekend, the usual three hours of practice are knocked down to one before the cars go into parc fermé conditions for qualifying.

This makes the time to fine-tune car setup already much smaller than usual for the teams, but the possibility of that being removed altogether in heavy rain at the already fearsome Spa-Francorchamps has raised a few eyebrows among the drivers as they spoke ahead of the weekend.

Alfa Romeo driver and Hamilton’s former Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas added: “Similar thinking from my side. I think we rely obviously a lot on the FIA, and decisions being made, whether it’s about conditions and stuff.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez concluded: “It’s just important to to consider it, especially with the race conditions. Visibility can be really poor, so we are in the hands of our race director, nothing we can do now. So we just fully trust him.”

‘Heavy rain threatens FP1 cancellation’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/driver...p-rain-threat/


F1 stars voice concerns over safety at Belgian Grand Prix following recent tragedies
Thursday 27 Jul 2023 4:26 pm
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk

A number of Formula One drivers have admitted they are concerned for their safety ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. In recent years there have been increasing worries about its safety, particularly at the famous Eau Rouge/Raidillon corners where they have been two fatal crashes in the past four years.

“I’m someone that is emotional,” Pierre Gasly, Alpine driver and a close friend of Hubert, said on Thursday. “I think I link places with emotions, and I’ve had the worst emotions of my life here. But at the same time, it’s one of my favourite tracks, so it’s very contradictory.”

Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have both called for the race to be cancelled should conditions severely affect visibility, with the latter saying: ‘We should be disciplined with safety. It is the No.1 priority. If it’s not safe to run, we must find solutions with a Safety Car.

‘F1 stars voice concerns over safety’;

https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/27/f1-st...o=newsnow-feed


Leclerc proposes safety changes ahead of latest Spa weekend
Friday 28th July, 2023 - 12:54am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Just four weeks ago, however, and in atrocious conditions, 18-year-old Dilano van ‘t Hoff was killed following a multi-car collision at the exit of Raidillon leading onto the Kemmel Straight in a Formula Regional European Championship race.

The latest incident has led to additional question marks over the ongoing safety of Spa-Francorchamps, especially in bad weather, as is expected across the forthcoming weekend. “There are some changes that could make a difference,” said Leclerc.

Leclerc has also called on FIA race control and F1 to make the right calls should it find itself in a similar position as was the case in 2021 when it appeared pressure was being applied to get a race underway despite shocking conditions. The culmination was four laps behind the safety car before the ‘race’ was abandoned, which ensured points could be awarded. Leclerc feels there should not be a repeat.

‘Safety changes’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/28...afety-changes/


Ferrari announce personnel change ahead of Belgian GP
27 July 1:12PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Ahead of the final race before the summer break, the Scuderia announced Mekies immediate departure, with his replacement named as new Sporting Director Diego Ioverno. "Laurent Mekies’ time at Scuderia Ferrari comes to an end this week," a statement read.

"The Racing Director will not be in Belgium and he leaves the Prancing Horse after four and a half seasons, during which time the team took seven wins. The entire team thanks him for his great contribution during those years.”

‘Ferrari announce personnel change’;

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-an...-of-belgian-gp


Mercedes' latest upgrade featuring reshaped sidepods breaks cover at F1 Belgian GP
27 Jul 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Mercedes’ latest F1 upgrade - featuring reshaped sidepods - has broken cover ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. Amid their ongoing push to close the gap to runaway championship leaders Red Bull, Mercedes have brought new updates to their revised W14 car for the final race before the F1 summer shutdown.

Images of a new sidepod inlet design were captured as the car was put together in the garage on Thursday in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock. This marks a significant update to Mercedes’ sidepod philosophy, which was changed altogether as part of a much bigger upgrade package introduced earlier this year in Monaco.

‘Reshaped sidepods’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103213...ver-belgian-gp

F1 drivers want ‘bold’ calls to delay/cancel Belgian GP sessions.
The risk of the Spa circuit in the wet means Formula 1 drivers want the FIA to be willing to take “bold” decisions about delaying or cancelling sessions at the Belgian Grand Prix.
28th July 2023, 09:31
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

No track changes have been made prior to the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex for the Belgian GP weekend with Grand Prix Drivers Association director George Russell claiming there is agreement among the drivers that the track layout itself should be retained.

However, with a wet weekend likely and any track running on Friday already guaranteed to begin in wet conditions, Russell is one of several drivers to have stressed that all parties should be OK with the FIA being cautious and delaying or cancelling sessions. “To have a race cancelled is not perfect but we don’t want another huge incident as we’ve just seen,” Russell said.

The Mercedes driver added: “Fortunately the weather looks better for Sunday and we’ll be going ahead. But following recent events I think the FIA have to be bold with their decisions when it comes to safety, when it comes to visibility. We know what the situation was two years ago [in 2021]. We don’t want it to be strung out as it was then. But we’re going to need some bold decisions.”

‘F1 drivers want ‘bold’ calls’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-dr...n-gp-sessions/


George Russell calls for Belgian Grand Prix to be cancelled if rain makes the track unsafe following the recent death of Dilano van 't Hoff, 18, at Spa
• Drivers concerned about visibility in blinding spray with more rain forecast
• Dutch driver Dilano Van 'T Hoff died following a crash at Spa earlier this month
• The tragedy followed Anthoine Hubert's fatal accident in F2 four years ago
Updated: 23:00, 27 July 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy
Daily Mail

George Russell has raised the prospect of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix being called off owing to bad weather. Sensitivities here are heightened by the death at Spa four weeks ago of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff in a Formula Regional European Championship race. The tragedy followed Anthoine Hubert's fatal accident in F2 four years ago.

Mercedes' Russell said: 'We don't want to see another huge incident like the one we have just had. We want to race, everybody wants to race, but when you go down that straight at over 200mph and you can't see 50 metres in front of you, there will be incidents, so the FIA have got a big responsibility this weekend.'

Forecasts suggest the rain may ease on Sunday, though the weather in the Ardennes is highly unpredictable.

‘Sensitivities here are heightened by the death at Spa four weeks ago of 18-year-old Dutch driver Dilano van 't Hoff’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ff-18-Spa.html


Spectre of cancellation hangs over Spa GP
28th July 2023, 08:14
ANDREW MAITLAND
Grandpx.news

The big buzzwords in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock as the Belgian GP weekend kicked off were rain and cancellation. “If it’s cancelled, it’s cancelled, and we’ll deal with it,” said Haas driver Kevin Magnussen.

Valtteri Bottas added: “Obviously visibility is the big one here if it’s raining, but that’s when someone else needs to control the drivers. Can they start the race or not?” And Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said: “Safety comes first, and us drivers shouldn’t complain if we don’t get any laps if it is not safe to do so, with everything that has happened.”

Nico Hulkenberg says the drivers also have a responsibility this weekend to communicate directly with race director Niels Wittich on the radio. “He hears our comments,” said the Haas driver. “If 50 percent of us are saying it’s too dangerous, he’ll respect that. He knows we’re the best judges.”

“If it’s cancelled, it’s cancelled”;

https://grandpx.news/spectre-of-canc...s-over-spa-gp/


Glimmer of hope for Max Verstappen’s rivals with driver set to be penalised
28 Jul 2023 7:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen’s rivals have been given a look in the door ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, not because of their own gains but rather a five-place grid penalty that is said to await the runaway championship leader.

According to reports in the Dutch media, De Telegraaf’s Erik van Haren claims Verstappen will be collecting his first grid penalty of this season for changing parts as he moves on to his fifth gearbox. That means even if he clinches pole position in Friday evening’s qualifying, he will line up P6 for Sunday’s 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix.

Speaking to AD.nl prior to the Spa weekend, the Dutchman said: “We have a fast car when it is dry and when it rains. It will be wet this weekend, but I am looking forward to it. It’s a great track and it would be great if I could win here again.”

‘Penalty of this season for changing parts as he moves on to his fifth gearbox’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...y-rumours-spa/


Ban on tyre blankets would make Formula 1 “look so stupid” – Verstappen
28th July 2023, 7:15
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Max Verstappen has warned Formula 1 risks making itself look “stupid” if it goes ahead with plans to ban the use of tyre warmers. F1 is keen to ban the use of tyre warmers to reduce freight and lower its energy consumption, as part of its goal to become a net zero emitter of carbon by 2030. It has observed how the paddock’s energy use spikes at points in the race weekend when teams heat large numbers of tyres.

However several drivers including Verstappen have questioned the need to ban tyre warmers and warned doing so could lead to an increase in crashes when drivers leave the pits on cold rubber. “I don’t think we should head in that direction because it is extremely difficult,” he told media including RaceFans. “People probably don’t know how difficult it is to drive a car with 1,000 horsepower out of the pits already. Especially when the track is also a bit slippery. It is not necessary. We already have [them], I don’t think it actually generates [consumes] a lot of energy, these kind of tyre blankets.”

Verstappen said the F1 paddock’s air conditioning requirements consume more energy than tyre heaters do. He also believes the compromises needed to make F1 tyres work without blankets will worsen the quality of racing.

‘F1 paddock’s air conditioning requirements consume more energy than tyre heaters do’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/28/...id-verstappen/


Apologetic Norris promises to be “more careful” after breaking Verstappen’s trophy
2023 Belgian Grand Prix
Posted on 27th July 2023, 20:45
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Lando Norris says he be “a lot more careful” on the podium in future after accidentally breaking the race winner’s trophy last weekend in Hungary. The McLaren driver is known for celebrating by ‘spiking’ his champagne bottle in celebration on the podium. This involves slamming the bottle down on its base to eject a stream of liquid into the air.

“First of all, I do want to apologise for it,” Norris said ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. “I obviously had no intention of ever doing such a thing. And I know how much it means to the Hungarians and part of their culture and so forth. Of course I want to enjoy the time, but it was never my intention to do such a thing.”

The trophy manufacturers, Herendi Porcelanmanufaktura, are reportedly producing a replacement for Red Bull, who will take possession of the trophy instead of Verstappen. “We get a new one anyway so it’s alright,” said the championship leader.

‘Apologetic Lando Norris’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/27/...appens-trophy/

Sainz quickest, Sargeant crashes, Verstappen sets no time in wet practice.
Carlos Sainz Jnr set the fastest time in the practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix in a heavily wet hour of running.
2023 Belgian Grand Prix first practice
Posted on 28th July 2023, 13:47 | Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

The Ferrari driver posted the quickest lap of a 2’03.207 on full wet tyres as only 15 drivers completed timed laps – championship leader Max Verstappen being one of five drivers who did not set a time. Logan Sargeant crashed his Williams midway through the session, bringing out the red flags.

The anticipated rain arrived well before the start of the sole practice session for the weekend, leaving the track soaked by the time the green light appeared at the end of the pit lane to begin the hour. Alexander Albon was the first driver to take to the soggy circuit on intermediate tyres, but he was soon joined by Lewis Hamilton who played it safer with full wet tyres.

There were no improvements in the latter stages of the session, with only a handful of cars heading out in the final minutes to conduct practice starts. That left Sainz on top of the times, half a second quicker than Piastri and Norris in third. Charles Leclerc was fourth fastest in the second Ferrari, with Perez fifth in the Red Bull. Albon was sixth for Williams with Yuki Tsunoda seventh, Kevin Magnussen eighth, Daniel Ricciardo ninth and Nico Hulkenberg completing the top 10.

‘Sainz quickest’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/28/...-wet-practice/


(FP1) First Practice Results – 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
28th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari -2:03.207
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.585
3. Lando Norris McLaren +1.277
4. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +4.941
5. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +5.033
6. Alex Albon Williams Racing +5.187
7. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +5.860
8. Kevin Magnussen Haas +6.022
9. Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri +6.112
10. Nico Hulkenberg Haas +6.835

‘Belgian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the only practice session ahead of this weekend’s 2023 F1 World Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/fp1-first-...and-prix-82819


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix
28 July 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...8Vna5ODE1.html


Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix is at risk of being postponed, after heavy rain badly affected the morning practice session at Spa
• Friday's qualifying session could be delayed due to heavy rain in Belgium
• The morning practice session was difficult for drivers due to the torrential rain
• More rain is predicted on Saturday which may further disrupt the weekend
Updated: 14:13, 28 July 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy
Mailonine

Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, due to be held on Friday afternoon at 4pm BST, is in doubt with the Spa-Francorchamps circuit soaked by rain. An increasingly grey sky developed during practice, in which Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set the fastest time, as persistent downfall intensified.

No driver completed more than eight laps during the hour-long session, with Williams’ Logan Sargeant and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu hitting the barriers at the end of the Kemmel Straight.

The weather in the Ardennes is notoriously capricious, but the bad weather seemed well set. The FIA reacted to the conditions by confirming that they would prioritise qualifying for Sunday’s grand prix over Saturday’s sprint shootout and race if required.

‘Qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix is at risk of being postponed’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...e-session.html


Sergio Perez may be gifted Belgian GP pole with weather set to cause chaos
Sergio Perez may secure pole position without setting a lap time with qualifying under threat from the weather.
13:12, Fri, Jul 28, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Sergio Perez could be gifted pole position for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix if qualifying is cancelled due to heavy rain. The FIA has confirmed the grid would be determined based on championship order if rain forces officials to not run the session. This would put Perez on pole with Max Verstappen handed a five-place grid drop for using too many gearbox parts.

Fernando Alonso would start on the front row followed by the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. According to AccuWeather, thunderstorms are predicted for most of the afternoon. There is a yellow weather warning in place for rain on Friday afternoon and much of Saturday. The Met Office reports that there is a 40 percent chance of rain for the rest of the day.

The FIA have told teams that FP1 would not be used to determine the grid with the one-hour practice considered not a competitive session. The FIA has confirmed the priority is to run qualifying for the Grand Prix and could move to cancel other sessions if needed.

‘Weather set to cause chaos’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-prix-weather

Charles Leclerc takes Belgian Grand Prix pole as Max Verstappen slapped with F1 penalty.
Max Verstappen knew his best Belgian Grand Prix starting position would be sixth, having taken an extra gearbox which came with a five-place grid penalty for the championship leader.
17:17, 28 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix on pole position with Max Verstappen down in sixth thanks to a grid penalty. The Dutchman was quickest overall with a storming lap in Q3. But he drops five places on the grid for Sunday's main race after taking an extra gearbox for this weekend, exceeding his allowance for the season.

Leclerc was second quickest to secure only his second pole of the season. And Sergio Perez will join the Monegasque on the front row of the grid, exorcising his qualifying demons to pip Lewis Hamilton, meaning the Brit will start third.

Verstappen very nearly didn't survive Q2 without a hitch. He was only 10th fastest in that middle part of the session, and duly responded to almost going out of the session with a rant over the radio at his Red Bull team.

‘Charles Leclerc will start the Belgian Grand Prix on pole position’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-30578061


Qualifying Results – 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
28th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
Q3
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing -1:46.168
2. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.820
3. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.877
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.919
5. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.984
6. Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.197
7. Lando Norris McLaren +1.501
8. George Russell Mercedes +1.637
9. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.675
10. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +2.673

‘Belgian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from qualifying for Sunday’s 2023 F1 World Championship race around Spa-Francorchamps’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/qualifying...and-prix-82832


Starting grid for F1 Belgian Grand Prix: How the race will begin
28 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Here’s the starting grid for Sunday’s F1 Belgian Grand Prix. Is Red Bull’s winning streak set to end?
1. Charles Leclerc
2. Sergio Perez
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Oscar Piastri
6. Max Verstappen
7. Lando Norris
8. George Russell
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Lance Stroll

‘Starting grid’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103227...ace-will-begin


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix
28 July 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor.
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...XwEuAarC2.html


How qualifying for the 2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix unfolded
28th July 2023, 16:23
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘How qualifying unfolded’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/how-qu...-prix-unfolded


Lewis Hamilton 'under investigation' after George Russell near-miss at Belgian GP
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are set to be investigated after an incident at the Belgian Grand Prix.
17:00, Fri, Jul 28, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton will be investigated by the FIA after a near-miss with George Russell in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton ran wide on the exit of Eau Rouge and appeared to rejoin the circuit just in front of his team-mate.

Race stewards quickly noted the incident but soon confirmed they would be holding a full investigation. Towards the end of Q2, race control confirmed the turn four incident involving Hamilton and Russell would be investigated after the session.

Onboard footage from Russell’s car shows the ex-Williams star was forced to ease off the throttle to avoid a collision. Hamilton qualified P4 on Friday evening with Russell only quick enough for eighth.

'Under investigation';

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...estigation-fia


Ricciardo suffers NIGHTMARE qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix
Friday 28 July 2023 17:40
Dan Ripley
GPFans

Daniel Ricciardo endured a miserable qualifying session in just his second qualifying session back in Formula 1 after being dumped out in the first session at the Belgian Grand Prix. On a wet track, the times tumbled as the track gradually dried during Q1 at Spa, and the Australian looked to have secured a sixth spot to move into Q2.

However, the Australian had his lap time deleted after running slightly wide off track after Eau Rouge at the top of the hill into Radillon meaning he will start Sunday's race on the back row in 19th alongside the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg.

‘NIGHTMARE qualifying session’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...q1-alphatauri/


McLaren ban Nico Rosberg from Belgian Grand Prix garage after Lewis Hamilton incident
Rosberg is often on duty at F1 race weekends in his role as a pundit for broadcasters including Sky Sports, and has been noted for being an apparent 'curse' for some teams
16:37, 28 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

McLaren erected a sign banning Nico Rosberg from taking selfies outside their garage in a tongue-in-cheek joke at the Belgian Grand Prix. The German is a welcome face in the Formula 1 paddock as the sport's 2016 champion. And he is often in attendance at races given his role as a pundit for Sky Sports.

But his presence is only welcome in certain circumstances it seems. His punditry is encouraged, but selfies in front of the team garages appear to be off limits these days. That's certainly the case at McLaren. The Woking-based team is taking the 'Rosberg curse' seriously after Lewis Hamilton became its latest victim last weekend in Hungary.

The 'curse' has become a talking point on social media. Fans have noticed that snaps posted by Rosberg on his own channels of himself in front of a specific team's garage is often followed by on-track misfortune for that team. It happened twice in Budapest last weekend. Before qualifying, the German snapped himself in front of Max Verstappen's car – only for the Dutchman to then miss out on pole position for the first time in two months.

'Rosberg curse';

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...orris-30578246

Verstappen 'exploded' after 'married couple' argument – Marko.
"It was like an old married couple," joked Marko. "They argued for a while about when to go. But now everything is all right again.”
28 July 9:00PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko hailed Max Verstappen's Belgian Grand Prix qualifying 'explosion' after the F1 championship leader obliterated the field. The Dutchman finished eight-tenths faster than nearest challenger Charles Leclerc on a drying track at Spa-Francorchamps.

But Verstappen will provisionally start Sunday's Grand Prix sixth on the grid having taken a new gearbox for the event, promoting the Ferrari driver to pole. "We didn't have a flawless Q2, it was close. But in Q3 Max 'exploded', which was an incredible demonstration. We actually expected that a little bit," Marko told Sky Sports DE.

"I think he was the best in all three sectors. He had one mistake in turn nine and his first corner was not optimal once as well. But he registers that and Max only makes those mistakes once. When the pressure is on, he delivers."

‘Delivers’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...argument-marko


'It was super-tricky' – Sergio Perez reflects on rain-affected Belgian GP qualifying
28 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Sergio Perez admits "Q3 was very tricky" but the Red Bull driver will start the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix from the front row alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

‘Super-tricky';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...467710281.html


Winners and losers from the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix qualifying
28 Jul 2023 8:00 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen claimed his eighth pole position of the F1 2023 season in Friday’s Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session at Spa. The Red Bull driver’s lap for pole was a massive eight tenths faster than Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari – but Verstappen will start Sunday’s race from sixth after incurring a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his gearbox allocation.

Think that will stop him? Think again. Here are the main winners and losers from Spa qualifying… And so another qualifying session ends with Verstappen and Red Bull on top, yet this time it wasn’t quite so comfortable as the final timesheet made it look.

In fact, at one stage – the dying moments of Q2 – it was positively uncomfortable as Verstappen only just held on to his Q3 place in 10th spot, resulting in the mother of all team radio rants directed at race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

‘Winners and losers’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/wi...ix-qualifying/


Ricciardo made error behind Q1 exit while ‘trying to take Eau Rouge full throttle’
2023 Belgian Grand Prix
Posted on 28th July 2023, 20:13
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Daniel Ricciardo admitted he made the mistake which led to his elimination in the first round of qualifying while trying to take one of spa’s most notorious corners flat-out in wet conditions. The AlphaTauri driver, in his second race since returning to Formula 1, qualified on the back row of the grid after his final flying lap in Q1 was deleted because he put all four wheels off the track at the exit of Raidillon.

“Basically I tried to take Eau Rouge full [throttle],” Ricciardo explained afterwards. “I entered full and I felt the car start to move and so I had a little lift and it just put me a bit off-line. Then I was kind of on the wetter part of the track and I couldn’t really do much more. I kind of just had to let the car and go. I tried to save it but…

“It’s frustrating, obviously,” he said. “On one hand, this is quali, you’ve obviously got to try. My intentions were good to try and take it full, I thought it could have been done. But a little error then put us out.”

“Basically I tried to take Eau Rouge full [throttle]”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/28/...full-throttle/


How Lando Norris self-sabotaged his Belgian GP
Lando Norris went off at Stavelot during Q1 at the Belgian GP.
28 July 2023
by Nick Golding

Norris was relieved to have made it into the top 10 given his off in Q1. “I went off in Q1 and completely destroyed the floor, so I’m happy to have made it to Q3 and only be a couple of tenths off what Oscar did,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.

“I think he did a good job. His middle sector was very strong. We were very poor in the straights. There’s wins and losses, but I’m happy. It could have been a lot worse, I could have been out in Q1, so I’ll take P7.”

Norris was then asked just how much of his floor he damaged, to which he revealed that the entire thing had sustained damage. “The whole thing. Normally, you can repair it [under parc ferme rules],” Norris revealed.

‘Self-sabotaged’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/how-lando...is-belgian-gp/


Ted Kravitz offers ‘only explanation’ for baffling Alpine timing on management sackings
28 Jul 2023 8:15 PM
Jamie Woodhouse

Sky F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz cannot fathom why Alpine chose to announce the exits of Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane during the Belgian GP weekend, unless they actually did want maximum attention.

Kravitz suggested the folk at Alpine were very much trying to keep a low profile with the media in Belgium, which then made him question why they would break the news in the middle of a race weekend if they did not want the attention.

The only explanation he could think of then is that parent brand Renault did want to generate attention and “make the biggest splash possible” as they set about trying to reroute the ship after what has been a very disappointing F1 2023 campaign so far for Alpine.

‘Only explanation’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ted-kr...ment-sackings/

Leclerc dismisses all hope of Belgian GP win despite pole.
Asked as to his chances of victory, Leclerc replied: “Not confident, especially with the two Red Bull guys right behind. They’ve got a much better race car than we have.
Saturday 29th July, 2023 - 10:02am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Charles Leclerc is refusing to target a repeat of his 2019 Belgian Grand Prix victory despite starting from pole position. Leclerc will lead away the field for Sunday’s race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit after securing top spot on the grid thanks to Max Verstappen being hit with a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change beyond the permitted allocation for the season.

“It’s great to be starting first, and it gives us a good chance to have a great result, but to say we will target the win is probably a bit too optimistic. If there’s an opportunity for whatever reason, as always, I’ll try and get it, but I believe it’s going to be difficult to keep these guys behind.”

Leclerc concedes he has struggled in the past with such a changeover, so has been forced to adapt. “I’ve put quite a lot of work in for those conditions – half-wet, half-dry,” said Leclerc. “It’s one of those conditions where I have struggled with the car, but I felt much better, so this was positive, but still very far from Max, in Q3 especially.”

‘Leclerc dismisses all hope of Belgian GP win’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/29...p-win-no-hope/


Perez's Leclerc regret in Belgian GP qualifying
28 July 10:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Red Bull's Sergio Perez felt he should have been able to out-qualify Charles Leclerc at the Belgian Grand Prix and inherit pole position.

Although Max Verstappen was fastest in qualifying, he will drop to sixth on the grid by virtue of a gearbox penalty and allowing second and third fastest Leclerc and Perez to shuffle forward onto the front row.

Ferrari driver Leclerc pipped Perez by 0.057secs to take pole for Sunday's race but the Mexican - who secured his best grid spot since pole in Miami - felt he should have done better.

‘Perez's Leclerc regret’;

https://racingnews365.com/perezs-lec...-gp-qualifying


For once, Verstappen’s rivals may be closer in the race than qualifying
2023 Belgian Grand Prix Friday practice analysis
Posted on 28th July 2023, 23:53
Written by Will Wood

Verstappen may not be on pole or even in the top five positions when the grand prix begins, but just one day into the weekend, it feels like the soon-to-be three-times world champion will be especially tough to beat around Spa once more.

Just like in 2022, Verstappen’s penalty was not a matter of necessity, but a strategic decision. With its high average lap speed, multiple long straights and flowing, sustained corners that emphasise the exceptional efficiency of the RB19’s aerodynamics, Red Bull know this is perhaps the best circuit for Verstappen to take the hit of a gearbox penalty. Especially when it’s only five places.

“I think it’s still the best place to do it,” Verstappen said after qualifying. “I think Sunday looks more and more dry. So that’s why we still went for it, basically.”

‘Verstappen’s rivals may be closer in the race’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/28/...an-qualifying/


Winners and Losers from 2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix Qualifying
28 July 10:54PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Winner - Charles Leclerc: Perhaps, this result was always destined for Leclerc. The only time he has been on the front-row this year was in Azerbaijan and Austria - both Sprint weekends. And what is Belgium?
Loser - Daniel Ricciardo: The barest of margins knocked Daniel Ricciardo out in Q1 - and he only has himself to blame. He ran wide at the top of Raidillon, cutting the inside of the corner.

Winner - Sergio Perez: Remarkably, this is the first time Sergio Perez has qualified where a Red Bull RB19 should since pole position in Miami.
Loser - Esteban Ocon: On a day of upheaval for the team off the track, Esteban Ocon crashed in Qualifying, leaving him 15th fastest but 14th on the grid thanks to Kevin Magnussen's penalty.

Winner - Oscar Piastri: A blooming reputation continues to grow. Oscar Piastri was a standout performer in Qualifying, even if his sixth-fastest time was perhaps a little below what was expected, the fact is he still out-qualified Lando Norris and look the more comfortable of the McLaren drivers.
Loser - Lando Norris: You skate off through the gravel and chances are you will damage your car - and in this era of F1 where the floor is ever so crucial to performance, you will take a hit. Enter Norris. His Q1 off was a lairy moment that had repercussions that followed him throughout the session.

‘Winners and Losers’;

https://racingnews365.com/winners-an...rix-qualifying

Russell urges Belgian GP cancellation sense if rain threatens safety.
29 July 5:00AM
Author Michael Butterworth
Co-author Jesse Janse
RacingNews365

George Russell has warned the FIA must not shy away from cancelling the Belgian Grand Prix should conditions pose safety risks. Eighteen-year-old Dutchman Dilano van 't Hoff was killed earlier this month in a FRECA race when collected in a multi-car accident in treacherous conditions.

Mercedes driver Russell told media including RacingNews365: "I felt like the incident that happened in [Formula Regional], it was only really a matter of time [before] something like that happened. Drivers aren't going flat-out in the straight because they can't see, somebody gets rear-ended, and then there's a car in the middle of the track."

The heavy rain forecast to fall at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend evokes memories of the truncated 2021 Belgian GP, with that race running for only two laps behind the Safety Car as the conditions were deemed too dangerous. "I think, two years ago, that was the correct decision to call the race off," said Russell. "Obviously, to have a race cancelled is not perfect for anybody, but we don't want to see another huge incident."

‘FIA must not shy away from cancelling the Belgian Grand Prix should conditions pose safety risks’;

https://racingnews365.com/russell-ur...reatens-safety

Verstappen snatches Belgium Sprint pole from Piastri.
Just 0.025s separated the top three in Sprint Shootout Qualifying at Spa.
29 July 1:36PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Max Verstappen pipped Oscar Piastri by just 0.011s to earn pole position in Sprint Shootout Qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix. In drying conditions at Spa, Verstappen's final lap of the session was enough to just pip the McLaren rookie to P1, although Piastri will take the first front-row start of his career.

Belgian GP pole-sitter Charles Leclerc was fourth after a mistake on his final lap, being out-qualified by teammate Carlos Sainz, with Lewis Hamilton down in seventh for Mercedes ahead of Sergio Perez.

‘Just 0.025s separated the top three’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...e-from-piastri


Sprint Shootout – 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
29th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
Q3
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing -1:49.056
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.011
3. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +0.025
4. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +0.195
5. Lando Norris McLaren +0.333
6. Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.644
7. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.844
8. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.905
9. Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.438
10. George Russell Mercedes +6.686

‘Belgian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from the Shootout ahead of this afternoon’s 2023 F1 World Championship Sprint around Spa-Francorchamps’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/sprint-sho...and-prix-82867


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the Sprint Shootout at the Belgian Grand Prix
29 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...CQoD2hA8K.html


2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - Sprint Shootout - LIVE UPDATES!
29th July 2023, 10:54
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES!’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...t-live-updates


Verstappen denies Piastri Belgian GP F1 sprint pole by 0.011s
Jul 29 2023
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race

Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen denied rookie Oscar Piastri pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps by just 0.011s.

Delayed like its Friday predecessor (the main race qualifying), albeit by 35 minutes rather than 10, the three-segment sprint qualifying featured a similar pattern of a session starting out in intermediate conditions but progressively improving to slicks weather.

This time, however, the second segment only featured one driver gambling on slicks – Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, whose session ended in the barriers. But the resulting clean-up bought even more time for the track to dry, and so the pole shootout was again an all-slicks affair – albeit going down to the wire with track conditions ever-improving.

‘Max Verstappen denied rookie Oscar Piastri pole position’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/verst...ole-by-0-011s/


Belgian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen on pole in delayed Sprint Shootout as Stroll eliminates both Astons
29 Jul 2023 12:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

A delayed start, a red flag that eliminated team-mates, and a World Champion on pole position, Sprint Shootout at the Belgian Grand Prix had a little bit of everything on Saturday.

Max Verstappen will line up on pole position for Saturday’s Sprint at the Spa-Francorchamps having beaten Oscar Piastri to the coveted grid slot by 0.011s seconds with Carlos Sainz in third place.

But over at Aston Martin a few questions will be asked after Lance Stroll’s crash late in Q2 eliminated both AMR23s with the team late, too late, in sending Fernando Alonso out.

‘Stroll eliminates both Astons’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/belgia...ootout-report/

Belgian GP: Verstappen storms to Sprint win ahead of Piastri.
Max Verstappen overcame an early undercut by Oscar Piastri to take victory in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint.
29 July 2023
Ben Issatt
Inside Racing

Two heavy rain storms delayed the start by half an hour with fifth formation laps taking place behind the Safety Car. When the action eventually began, Verstappen led the way while half the grid opted to pit immediately for intermediates.

The rest of the field followed on the second lap with Piastri taking the lead after being the first car to pit, ahead of Verstappen in second. An earlier stop helped Gasly move up to third for Alpine followed by Perez and Hamilton. The two Ferraris lost out as Carlos Sainz dropped to sixth and Charles Leclerc seventh.

‘Verstappen storms to Sprint win’;

https://www.insideracing.com/formula...ead-of-piastri


Sprint results – 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
29th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 11 laps
2. Oscar Piastri McLaren +6.677
3. Pierre Gasly Alpine +10.733
4. Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +12.648
5. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +15.016
6. Lando Norris McLaren +16.052
7. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +16.757
8. George Russell Mercedes +16.822
9. Esteban Ocon Alpine +22.410
10. Daniel Ricciardo AlphaTauri +22.806

‘Belgian Grand Prix – Here are the complete results from today’s Sprint, one of six scheduled for the 2023 F1 World Championship’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/sprint-res...and-prix-82911


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the F1 Sprint in Belgium
29 July 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...L6HEhOM0E.html


Hamilton slapped with race PENALTY after dramatic contact in Belgian GP sprint
Saturday 29 July 2023 18:17
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Lewis Hamilton was penalised for contact with Sergio Perez during the Belgian GP sprint. The Mercedes and Red Bull duo went side by side through Stavelot and there was light contact between the two.

Perez soon slipped down to the back and retired while Hamilton had five seconds added to his race time, meaning he went from fourth down to seventh. In the end, Hamilton only just stayed ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who completed the points by passing Daniel Ricciardo.

‘Race PENALTY’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-prix-penalty/


Lewis Hamilton hit with penalty for clash with Red Bull's Sergio Perez in F1 Belgian Grand Prix sprint race
29 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton incurred a five-second time penalty for a clash with Red Bull's Sergio Perez during the sprint race at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver went wheel-to-wheel with Perez, and their dramatically collided while side-on, on Saturday at Spa.

Perez was initially able to hold off Hamilton, although he later lost his position. Hamilton finished the sprint race fourth but the penalty meant he was relegated to P7.

‘Lewis Hamilton incurred a five-second time penalty’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103240...gp-sprint-race

Hamilton ‘took the whole right-hand side off the car’ and ruined my race – Perez.
“It was massive damage from the contact from Lewis,” said Perez. “He just took the whole right hand side off the car.”
29th July 2023, 17:58
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Sergio Perez says Lewis Hamilton caused major damage to his car when the pair collided during the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race. “He damaged the floor and the sidepod, so that that was game over – we lost too much grip with it.”

After the contact Perez struggled for grip, was passed by the Ferrari drivers and spun off at Stavelot. He had gained ground earlier in the race and believed he was in position to make up more places.

Red Bull retired Perez late in the race. The stewards held Hamilton responsible for the collision and gave him a five-second time penalty which dropped him from fourth to seventh place.

‘Took the whole right-hand side off the car’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/29/...my-race-perez/


Christian Horner: Lewis Hamilton ‘put a big hole’ in Sergio Perez’s sidepod
29 Jul 2023 5:56 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has accused Lewis Hamilton of putting “a big hole” in Sergio Perez’s sidepod during their clash in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race. “Checo had an amazing stop and a great release that jumped both the Ferrari and Lewis, so that elevated him to fourth.”

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Horner described the collision as “very unfortunate” and revealed the extent of the damage to Perez’s car. He said: “Unfortunately, the contact – left-front to sidepod – has put a big hole in the sidepod and you lose so much downforce.

“You could see he really lost a huge amount of performance, so we had no choice but to retire the car. That was very unfortunate.”

‘Lewis Hamilton ‘put a big hole’ in Sergio Perez’s sidepod’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...perez-sidepod/


Lewis Hamilton ‘ruined’ Sergio Perez’s race with big damage to RB19 car
29 Jul 2023 6:10 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Sergio Perez has had his say on the incident between himself and Lewis Hamilton that caused him to retire from the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix Sprint race. The Mexican was battling over fourth place with Hamilton when the Brit attempted a move up the inside of Turn 15.

Explaining the incident, Perez said: “It was massive damage from the contact with Lewis. He just took the whole right-hand side of the car, he damaged the floor and the sidepod, so that was game over. It was too much.”

“Basically he just ran out of grip and could not stop his car and just went into the side of me. He [Hamilton] was just in a hurry to recover, everyone was in a hurry to recover because it’s a very short race so you have to take those risks, but yeah, not nice to get my race ruined by him.”

‘Big damage to RB19 car’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/per...rint-incident/


PEREZ REFLECTS ON INCIDENT WITH HAMILTON: ‘HE JUST CRASHED INTO ME’
The Spa Sprint Race saw another Red Bull-Mercedes rivalry as Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton made contact
July 29, 2023
Peter Casey
FormulaNerds

Visibly frustrated by this, Perez spoke to Sky Sports after the race. The Red Bull driver said: “Basically Lewis crashed into me and took the whole right-hand side of my car off. So we basically lost all the load.”

“Unfortunately that meant no points for today,” continued Perez, who had, before this weekend, scored the most points at the previous sprint races.”

‘HE JUST CRASHED INTO ME’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/pe...ashed-into-me/


‘It meant game over for my race’ – Perez on his collision with Hamilton
29 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Sergio Perez retired from the Saturday Sprint at Spa, after a collision with Lewis Hamilton left him with significant damage to his Red Bull.

‘Game over’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...884825230.html


Lewis Hamilton ‘ruined’ Sergio Perez’s race with big damage to RB19 car
29 Jul 2023 6:10 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Sergio Perez has said Lewis Hamilton “ruined” his sprint after the collision between them that saw him forced to retire at Spa-Francorchamps. Hamilton moved alongside Perez on the exit of Stavelot after the Red Bull driver ran wide, but with the two next to each other through Curve Paul Frere, they collided and a hole in the Red Bull bodywork was formed with the impact.

Addressing Hamilton’s contact directly, he believes the seven-time World Champion was rushing to try and find a way by in the shortened sprint – with several laps having been taken away through the weather intervening on Saturday. Ultimately, he feels the collision “ruined” his day.

“He was in a bit of a hurry,” Perez stated. “You know, everyone was in a hurry to recover today. It’s a very short race, so you have to take those levels of risk but yeah, not nice to get my race ruined by him. Yeah, tomorrow we will know about the car, where we really are. So, looking forward to that and hopefully we can recover the points we lost today.”

‘Lewis Hamilton ‘ruined’ Sergio Perez’s race’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...io-perez-race/

Max Verstappen leaves no doubt about his intentions.
Max Verstappen is hoping to keep Red Bull’s 100% win record this season alive at one of his favourite tracks.
29 July 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News

“Spa is, of course, my favorite track on the calendar, so I’m looking forward to racing there and seeing the fans,” Verstappen said ahead of the race weekend. With the picturesque backdrop around the circuit, Verstappen is anticipating a large contingent of supporters to back him from the grand stands, as he seeks to leave with a full set of points.

Verstappen will have the opportunity to walk away from Belgium with more points than usual, as the sprint format returns this weekend. With rain expected during the whole race weekend, the action could be set to be even more exciting than usual.

“I’m looking forward to that,” Verstappen said. “It looks like it’s going to be quite a rainy weekend, so we’ll see what impact that’ll have as it always makes it a bit more interesting and chaotic.”

‘No doubt about his intentions’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/max-verst...is-intentions/


No strategy regrets for Verstappen after Spa Sprint triumph as he issues caution ahead of Belgian GP start
29 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Verstappen’s attention now turns to Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, where he will start down in P6 – his dominant performance in Friday afternoon's qualifying session that saw him claim P1 countered by a five-place grid drop for gearbox changes.

But Verstappen said that a clean Lap 1 – the kind that he infamously failed to enjoy at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix – would be key if he was to maintain his current streak of Grand Prix wins, which currently stands at seven.

Asked if he’d seen anything from his rivals to suggest that he couldn’t win Sunday’s race from P6, Verstappen replied: “Not at the moment, but we also haven’t really run in proper dry conditions, so we’ll have to see what we get tomorrow. For me it’s more about staying out of trouble Turn 1, Lap 1 and basically no damage on the car. If I have car that’s in a 100% state, I can win the race.”

‘Staying out of trouble Turn 1, Lap’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...iIaUGnTo8.html


Leclerc on pole, Perez leads the Red Bulls but Verstappen is the clear favourite
2023 Belgian Grand Prix pre-race analysis
Posted on 30th July 2023, 0:36
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

For the grand prix, however, neither Mercedes nor McLaren will be on the front row. That privilege will go to Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari and Sergio Perez alongside him. Although starting from the best possible position, Leclerc admitted on Friday he expected a “very tricky” grand prix.

He was not thrilled with fifth in the sprint race, but he was at least comfortable with how his car had felt over the 11 laps. “I was pretty happy in the race today,” he told media including RaceFans after the race. “There was a lot of overheating – I think it was a case for everybody, but we need to look into it. Especially if we find ourselves in those conditions tomorrow in order to make a step forward.”

Perez alongside will start on the front row for a grand prix for the first time since Miami seven rounds ago – coincidentally the last time he started ahead of his team mate on the grid. While his sprint race saw him struggling to match his team mate’s pace until contact with Hamilton put him out, Perez is eager to extend Red Bull’s record run of victories by breaking his team mate’s current streak. “I will try my best,” he said. “I will try to get Charles at the start, which is always hard, but I think it’s also a long race, high deg. So anything can happen on Sunday, but we certainly have a good position.”

‘Leclerc admitted on Friday he expected a “very tricky” grand prix’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/30/...ear-favourite/


Verstappen unfazed by 'tiny little issues' in sprint win
29/07/2023 at 18:02
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Max Verstappen took a predictable win for Red Bull in Saturday's sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, overcoming some minor setbacks to take victory by over six seconds from Oscar Piastri in a rain-hit 11-lap event. "I think it was just a safer call," Verstappen said when asked whether he felt hs should have pitted on the previous lap. "I could have come in first but then I might have been blocked by other cars.”

"There might have been a safety car and then you would lose out massively," he continued. "So I didn't mind staying out. We lost one position, but we knew we were quick. You could see that when we put the inters on - we were flying, so it was okay."

‘Unfazed by 'tiny little issues' in sprint win’;

https://f1i.com/news/482598-verstapp...print-win.html


Top 3 F1 drivers react after Belgian GP qualifying: 'We know the car is quick'
18:27 Sat, 29 Jul 2023.
Charlen Raymond
Wheels24

Max Verstappen secured pole position for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, but the Dutchman will not start on pole position. Red Bull Racing opted to fit Verstappen's RB19 with a fifth gearbox, surpassing the allocated four for the year. This will see him receive a five-place grid penalty, resulting in him starting sixth.

"I know with the penalty, I drop back on Sunday, but (Friday) was all about feeling confident," the defending champ said after qualifying. We know the car is quick. Last year I had more penalties, and we still won the race, so that's the target."

'We know the car is quick';

https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...quick-20230729


Why Max Verstappen will win the 2023 Belgian GP
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is looking to secure another success on the racetrack after topping qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
29 July 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News

Despite leading the field in the qualifying session for Sunday’s Grand Prix, Max Verstappen will only start in P6 after a five place grid penalty due to a new gearbox. However, according to Sky F1’s Martin Brundle, Verstappen and those around him firmly believe that winning from any starting position is within his grasp.

Verstappen’s recent success has been nothing short of remarkable, securing seven consecutive victories, including his latest triumph in Hungary. Brundle doesn’t believe this penalty will significantly hinder Verstappen’s chances. “He takes a five-place grid drop here on Sunday for a fresh gearbox,” said Brundle to Sky F1.

“All season long, we’ve heard them talking about shift problems, certainly earlier on in the season as well, so interesting that as we just move into the second half the season, they’re taking another gearbox and taking a gearbox penalty. But you sense that Max can and that Max thinks he can win from anywhere on the grid.”

‘Max Verstappen will win’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/why-max-v...23-belgian-gp/

Verstappen dominates once again to win in Spa.
Belgian Grand Prix – After starting P6, Max Verstappen made it to the front to dominate in Spa and give Red Bull another 1-2 while Charles Leclerc took P3.
30th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

As the lights went out Leclerc held the lead but a few corners in Perez got the better of him to put a Red Bull into the lead of a race once again. Further back Carlos Sainz and Piastri clashed at T1, the McLaren driver plummeted down the pack and slowly made his way back towards the pits. The misfortune for Piastri allowed Max Verstappen to move up a spot and the reigning champion was into P4 before the end of the opening lap.

Perez and Leclerc make their stops, the two heading out on mediums while Verstappen and his engineer GP had another radio squabble first about strategy and then about whether to stop or try to make his tyres last and wait for the potential rain in a few minutes. The Dutch driver did head to the pits at the end of lap 14 for his own mediums and he got back out in P2 but the two second gap between the two Red Bulls vanished over the next lap with the reigning champion on his teammate’s rear wing by lap 16.

At the front, Verstappen was told to use his head and not push the tyres too hard trying for the fastest lap. He countered that with the suggestion that he push on and make enough of a gap to pit again to give the team a little pitstop training but that was shut down on him. On lap 43 Hamilton ducked into the pits for new mediums, having had more than enough time between himself and Alonso to pit without issue. Verstappen had pulled out a sufficient gap to Perez that he could’ve done the same but Red Bull didn’t seem to be interested this time.

‘Another radio squabble first’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/verstappen...n-in-spa-82990


Race Results – 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
30th July 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy

Results (Classification):
1. Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing – 44 laps
2. Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +22.305
3. Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +32.359
4. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +49.671
5. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +56.184
6. George Russell Mercedes +63.101
7. Lando Norris McLaren +73.719
8. Esteban Ocon Alpine +74.719
9. Lance Stroll Aston Martin +79.340
10. Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri +80.221

‘Belgian Grand Prix – Here are the provisional results from today’s 2023 F1 World Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps’;

https://formulaspy.com/f1/race-resul...and-prix-82987


AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix
30 July 2023
Becky Hart
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site

‘AS IT HAPPENED’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Svasm3R1a.html


2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix - LIVE UPDATES!
30th July 2023, 13:19
Reporting By: Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

‘LIVE UPDATES’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/live/2023-f...y-live-updates


Max Verstappen continues race engineer tiff with tense Belgian GP messages
30 Jul 2023 2:53 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen had another tetchy radio exchange with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase during the Belgian Grand Prix, as he closed in on the lead of the race. Verstappen had passed Charles Leclerc for second place on the road and was closing in on team-mate Sergio Perez for the lead, but with that came a reminder from ‘GP’ about the rules of engagement between the team-mates in combat.

The exchange in full:
Lambiase: “Don’t forget, Max, use your head please.”
Verstappen: “Are we both doing it or what?
Lambiase: “You…just follow my instruction.”
Verstappen: “I want to know whether both cars will do it.”
Lambiase: “Max, please follow my instruction and trust it. Thank you.”

Any worries Verstappen may have had around how he and Perez would go racing against each other would not have been playing on his mind too much either, as he sailed past his team-mate on the Kemmel Straight to take the lead on lap 17 of the Belgian Grand Prix. Apart from a nervy moment on lap 21 as some light rain fell on the circuit through Raidillon and Eau Rouge, Verstappen almost losing the car, the Dutchman strolled to an eighth successive victory to move to within one of the all-time record set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013.

‘Another tetchy radio exchange’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...iff-continues/


Max Verstappen in more awkward team radio exchanges at F1 Belgian Grand Prix
30 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

With Verstappen in the lead, he received a scolding from his race engineer. "You used a lot of tyre on the out lap, Max,” Lambiase said. "Not sure that was sensible." Verstappen notably did not reply.

“This tyre had reasonable degradation in the first stint,” Lambiase said. “I'd ask you to use your head a bit more.” With Verstappen cruising further into the lead, he decided to tease Lambiase.

“I could also push on and we do another stop? A little bit of pit stop training,” he joked. Lambiase: “No, not this time.”

‘More awkward team radio exchanges’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103250...ian-grand-prix


Hamilton makes last-minute decision to WIND UP Verstappen during Belgian Grand Prix
Sunday 30 July 2023 16:36
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Lewis Hamilton opted to pit late in the Belgian Grand Prix to claim the extra point for fastest lap, denying Max Verstappen in the process. The championship leader was looking set for a full haul of points having held the fastest lap of Spa throughout the race but his old rival had other ideas.

Pitting onto brand new medium tyres with two laps to go, Hamilton set a 1:47:305 to take the extra point and deny Verstappen the perfect weekend. Verstappen still extended his points lead with victory as Sergio Perez completed a Red Bull one-two and Charles Leclerc finished third.

He pitted late on in Austria in order to ensure he would get the extra point for the fastest lap and if he had a slightly bigger lead at Spa, he may well have done so here. The only thing preventing him from doing so was his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and Perez who was just about close enough to not make it comfortable.

‘WIND UP Verstappen’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...edes-red-bull/

Red Bull boss hails ‘mind blowing’ season as Verstappen cruises again.
Verstappen romped to his eighth consecutive victory and 10th of the season to maintain Red Bull’s total grip on Formula One after 12 of 22 races.
July 30, 2023
AFP
Iraqi News

Spa-Francorchamps – Red Bull boss Christian Horner described his team’s form this season as “mind blowing” after Max Verstappen’s latest display of dominance at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. sked about the prospects of completing an unbeaten season, Horner said: “I’m not going to project that far ahead. We’ll come back after the break and try to keep this amazing momentum going.”

On Sunday, Perez was second — Red Bull’s fifth one-two of the season — and he has a 40-point lead over Fernando Alonso in the standings. Horner praised the team for their work in winning all 12 races this year.

“It’s all about team-work and everyone doing their bit,” he said. “It’s what the team has done in the first part of this year and it’s why we remain unbeaten so far. It’s mind blowing! We need to keep this level going, but right now everyone deserves a well-deserved break.”

‘Mind blowing’;

https://www.iraqinews.com/sports/red...cruises-again/


Christian Horner speaks out on messages from ‘demanding customer’ Max Verstappen
30 Jul 2023 5:42 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Christian Horner has praised Max Verstappen’s race engineer for keeping a lid on the “demanding customer.” The relationship between Verstappen and race engineer Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase was put under the microscope in Spa with the Dutchman seemingly increasingly agitated over the team radio.

Christian Horner, though, has defended the relationship, suggesting the two were the perfect partnership and one that had been formed over years working together. “GP and Max have been together since the first race that Max stepped into the car,” Horner told media including PlanetF1.com.

“GP, he’s our Jason Statham equivalent, they certainly look alike, and he deals with him firmly but fairly. There’s a great respect between the two of them and that comes out of a mutual trust that you must have between an engineer and the only problem is that conversation between the two of them has 200 million people listening.”

“GP, he’s our Jason Statham equivalent”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...verstappen-gp/


Horner praises dominant Verstappen and explains why Perez lost out at Spa
“I think on the medium tyre Checo definitely wasn’t as comfortable as Max was. And then on the soft tyre at the end, it was about managing the tyre,” Horner said.
July 30, 2023
By Matt Neill
Total Motorsport

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has said it is beyond the team’s wildest dreams to be as dominant as they have been in 2023 as Max Verstappen secured his eighth victory in a row at the Belgian GP.

Verstappen rallied from a five-place grid penalty which dropped him to P6 at the start of the race to win by 22 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, after dispatching of both the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton with ease.

“It was a surprise it took him so long to get to the front to be honest with you,” Horner joked. “But no, honestly all jokes aside, I thought he drove an incredible race today, obviously the first in passing the cars that he did a great job to get up to P2.”

‘Beyond the team’s wildest dreams’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...lgian-gp-2023/


Sergio Perez’s glaring Max Verstappen message as Christian Horner reveals weakness
30 Jul 2023 5:27 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Sergio Perez admitted there was “nothing I could have done” to keep Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen at bay in Belgium, with Christian Horner revealing tyre degradation was an issue for Perez.

And speaking immediately after the race, which Perez went on to finish P2, the Mexican racer reflected positively on his race and result, even if Verstappen was in another league. “It was a good race for the team,” he said. “We had a great start, so managed to get through Charles, which was one of the targets for today.”

“And from then on I was just doing my own race and then Max came through in the second stint pretty fast, so nothing I could have done there. And then afterwards it was just about making sure we brought it home safely without too much damage to the car.”

“Nothing I could have done”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...n-spa-message/


Marko laughs off Verstappen engineer radio tension
30 July 8:00PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

"Well, I've heard they might spend two days together on an island in the Mediterranean. My phone is on in case it escalates, I'll be there as a mediator," Marko joked when speaking to ServusTV. "They operate at a very high level and respect each other. 'GP' has Italian roots and Max is also very temperamental.”

"We know the background and then it gets even funnier.... but unfortunately I can't reveal everything. Of course, he [Max] has his own ideas, like doing an extra stop now to give the team another pit stop training and secure the fastest lap. But it wasn't worth that risk."

Addressing the one-two finish, Marko added: "The whole weekend was incredibly strong from both drivers. Things got a little tense because of Max's grid penalty, but in the race there was sovereignty and ease again - except for a moment in the wet Eau Rouge."

‘In the race there was sovereignty’;

https://racingnews365.com/marko-laug...-radio-tension

Mark Hughes: What Verstappen’s radio scoldings tell us.
You probably heard Gianpiero Lambiase trying to scold his driver Max Verstappen for using his new tyres too hard, going into the third stint of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.
Jul 31 2023
By Mark Hughes
The Race

Lambiase was recruited from Force India to Red Bull part-way through 2014 as team principal Christian Horner had heard on the grapevine that he was practical and strong-minded, exactly the sort of guy that could replace Guillaume Rocquelin as Sebastian Vettel’s race engineer as Rocquelin was being promoted. So after the standard interview, Lambiase was then put in front of Vettel and grilled. He made a strong impression on everyone, Vettel included.

Then Vettel left for Ferrari and Lambiase ended up engineering Daniil Kvyat’s Red Bull instead. Until the Russian was replaced after just over a season by the teenage sensation Verstappen. So Lambiase has witnessed first hand the evolution from unchecked brilliance to one of the greatest performers the sport has ever seen. He was almost certainly part of that evolution.

But the dynamic between them hasn’t really changed; Max is still the sometimes errant young kid, Lambiase the stern older brother who must ensure Max does not irresponsibly risk their victory. No matter how many of them he has already won. Max is totally happy with that dynamic, revels in having fun with it, in winding up the figure of authority, totally confident in his own ability, knowing how far he can play with it, knowing it makes GP nervous.

‘Radio scoldings’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...sion-tells-us/


Max Verstappen on concern over Gianpiero Lambiase being ‘removed’
31 Jul 2023 7:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen has downplayed his testy exchanges with Gianpiero Lambiase over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, saying that’s how he and his race engineer “operate”. Chasing an eighth grand prix win on the trot at Spa, Verstappen wasn’t happy with GP’s run plan during Friday evening’s qualifying with Helmut Marko putting that down to nothing more than an “old married couple” having an argument.

But two days later the testy exchanges were back as Verstappen, having started the race in sixth place due to a gearbox penalty, chased down his team-mate Serio Perez for the lead. Verstappen and Lambiase have been together since 2016, teaming up in the driver’s first season with Red Bull with GP integral in every one of the Dutchman’s 45 race wins and two World titles.

It’s a relationship that Verstappen billed as “very important”. “I find it always a really important part of your performance – not only your race engineer but also everyone very close around you [like] your performance engineer and these kind of things,” Motorsport.com quotes him as having said.

‘That’s how he and his race engineer “operate”.’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...biase-removed/


Verstappen uses his head – with some cajoling – for emphatic Spa triumph
2023 Belgian Grand Prix review
Posted on 31st July 2023, 7:17
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Whether it’s a marriage, a romantic partnership, company colleagues or team mates in a sports team, it’s constantly hammered into us in every area of our lives how critical communication is to all relationship we have. In the pit lane, nowhere is that truer than for a Formula 1 driver and their race engineer. A constant feedback loop between the pair is critical. Not only to honing car performance off the track, but especially to those split-second decisions that can win or lose races on track.

In 151 grands prix together prior to the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Max Verstappen and Gianpiero Lambiase had forged one of the most decorated driver-engineer partnerships Formula 1 has ever seen. Over eight seasons, the pair had secured 44 grand prix wins, 27 pole positions and enjoyed a stunning podium rate of 59% – as well as winning two world championship titles while they were at it.

It’s an incredible record of sustained achievement eclipsed only on the current grid by Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonington – the single most successful combination in the history of the sport. But that doesn’t mean the pair aren’t susceptible to friction and conflict in their work, just like any other colleagues. Except, when most co-workers clash with each other, their arguments are not broadcast all over the world for an audience of millions to gleefully eavesdrop on.

‘How critical communication is to all relationship we have’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/31/...c-spa-triumph/


F1 Podcast: Verstappen vs his engineer as he blitzes all rivals
Jul 31 2023
The Race

Max Verstappen’s path to another pair of Formula 1 race wins at the Belgian Grand Prix included him being bluntly told to “use your head” by his Red Bull engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

Why the “edgy rapport” between the pair seemed particularly tense at Spa is one of the many topics Edd Straw, Mark Hughes and Scott Mitchell-Malm tackle in The Race F1 Podcast.

They also discuss whether Sergio Perez’s return to the grand prix podium after a three-month absence will actually be more demoralising than reassuring, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri’s clash, George Russell’s loss of form compared to Lewis Hamilton and whether Spa is really up to standard as a modern F1 venue.

‘The Race Debate’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-po...es-all-rivals/


Horner aims quip at Verstappen over Belgian GP rise
31 July 5:00AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

Red Bull Team Principal joked he was "surprised" it took Max Verstappen so long to assume the lead of the Belgian Grand Prix. "I was surprised it took him so long to get to the front, to be honest with you," quipped Horner, speaking to media including RacingNews365.

"All jokes aside, he drove an incredible race. His pace in the first stint, passing the cars as he did, he did a great job to get to P2. After the stop, his race really came alive on the Medium tyre where he showed incredible speed.”

"Checo didn't defend too hard because of the speed difference between the two of them and then thereafter it was about managing the rest of the race. Phenomenal to go into the summer break unbeaten in both Grands Prix and Sprints. It is beyond everyone's wildest imagination to be sitting in this position now."

“S surprised it took him so long to get to the front”, Red Bull Team Principal joked’;

https://racingnews365.com/horner-aim...elgian-gp-rise

Perez confident form is back after ‘rough patch’.
Sergio Perez firmly believes he is back in form following “a rough patch” that wrecked his early-season hope of an F1 title bid.
Monday 31st July, 2023 - 11:21pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Perez’s performance in Budapest was a step in the right direction, and although he led the race at Spa-Francorchamps for 17 laps following an early lap-one pass on polesitter Charles Leclerc, he had to settle for second following another Verstappen overtake. But a seemingly more relaxed Perez said: “It was a good race for the team, we deserved it. We had a great start, I managed to get through Charles, which was one of the targets.”

“I knew it was quite crucial for my race to get him on lap one. We had a good launch, so it was just about making sure we got him into Turn 5, and it worked well. From then on, I was just doing my own race. We managed to do a good first stint. Max then came through in the second pretty fast, and there was nothing I could have done there. Afterward, it was just about making sure we brought it home safely without too much damage on the car.”

“My last few races have been a bit of…very hard to get a proper read on them because of the way you have to race with dirty air, and so on, so that to me is where we’re going to be learning the most on that stint in free air, and the second stint as well. I now really look forward to not leaving the podium anymore from now until the end of the year. It’s been a bit of a rough patch, but I think we have overcome it, and here, we have managed to score great points for the team.”

‘Rough patch’:

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/31...unner-up-form/


Perez praises team mate Verstappen for ‘tremendous’ first half of season after eighth straight win
31 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Sergio Perez has admitted that “there’s nothing to be taken away” from Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen after the Dutchman’s “tremendous” opening half to the 2023 campaign. Verstappen, looking to make it three world titles on the bounce, leads Perez by 125 points in the drivers’ standings after taking 10 wins from 12 races so far, including the last eight in a row.

“Overall, I think it’s a great team result. I think once Max came through, with his pace on that second stint, it was all about bringing it home with a good result for the team. We were looking after the car at that point, making sure that we didn’t take too much out of it. That was pretty much the whole race.”

As for Verstappen’s performances from the Bahrain opener to Belgium on Sunday, he continued: “There’s nothing to be taken away from Max, certainly. He did a tremendous a race, and he’s done a tremendous season. But the gap looked bigger today, because we had to make sure we brought it home once the result was settled. But certainly he’s done a tremendous job, he’s very talented, around his team they’re getting the maximum out of the weekends, weekend after weekend, which is really impressive.”

‘Perez praises team mate Verstappen’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...eYGaxMndN.html


Sergio Perez opens up on ‘you will talk to me now’ radio message
Sergio Perez has claimed back-to-back podiums following a spell of poor performance with Red Bull.
31 July 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Perez has often struggled in qualifying this season, with him having recently gone on a run of five consecutive races without a Q3 appearance. He ended this streak at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he claimed ninth on the grid. To Red Bull’s delight, he progressed to Q3 at the Belgian Grand Prix as well, where he went on to qualify in third.

After his final hot lap, Perez weirdly said to Horner over the radio “you will talk to me now”, something the 33-year-old has since explained the reasoning of. “Ah, you will talk to me now,” Perez said after being congratulated by Horner. “I will talk to you. I said to you top five, mate. You’ve blitzed it,” Horner said.

The Mexican was asked about the radio conversation, where he admitted that Horner kept “talking” following qualifying. “It was a joke,” revealed Perez. “He [Horner] came before qualifying and said ‘if you’re not in the top three, I will not talk to you the rest of the weekend’. So he was talking to me the rest of the weekend.”

“It was a joke”;

https://formula1news.co.uk/sergio-pe...radio-message/


Helmut Marko blow for Sergio Perez: ‘You can’t do that against Max Verstappen’
31 Jul 2023 11:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

There was good and bad news in Helmut Marko’s review of Sergio Perez’s Belgian GP as while he was “very strong”, the Red Bull motorsport advisor says he just “can’t” compete with Max Verstappen. Verstappen would go on to win the race by 22 seconds with Perez runner-up in what was the team’s first 1-2 result since the Miami Grand Prix. Marko was happy with the result, the Austrian accepting Perez that did the job Red Bull required of him.

“The whole weekend was very strong,” the Red Bull motorsport advisor told Sky Deutschland. “We knew he was one of the top drivers. Nobody looks good next to Verstappen and you have to deal with that psychologically when you see that someone is better in every phase than you are.”

“You compete to win, [but] you can’t do that against Max Verstappen.” Adding that Perez does his “job very well”, Marko was happy to see he “consolidated number two in the World Championship. The whole team – and he’s also part of the team – didn’t make mistakes. “One can only hope it continues like this.”

“Nobody looks good next to Verstappen and you have to deal with that psychologically”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...-sergio-perez/


Red Bull chief tells Perez to WAKE UP and realise championships are impossible
Monday 31 July 2023 14:57
Lauren Sneath
GPFans

Helmut Marko has said Sergio Perez has ‘woken up from his world title dream’ and that this may help his Red Bull performance improve. The Red Bull adviser made the comments as Perez attempts to bounce back from some difficult races over the season. He told Formel.de: “He has now woken up from his world title dream. Maybe that will help him refocus on getting the best possible performance.”

Marko explained that the team is satisfied with Perez’s performance, despite Verstappen being in another league altogether. Marko added: “Sergio is second in the championship. More is not possible for him. And he is currently doing that. Max is underestimated. He is exceptional, when you see the mental capacities he has.”

The Austrian team adviser suggested that Perez’s contract, which is set in stone until the end of 2024, is not in jeopardy right now. He said: “We have a contract with Perez until the end of 2024. He is second in the world championship. Why should we need to take action now?”

“Sergio is second in the championship. More is not possible for him”;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ed-bull-dream/

Ferrari boss Fred Vassuer snaps back at critics after Belgian GP.
“I will stay very calm because we had the same meeting one week ago and we were at the end of the world, McLaren was flying and we were stupid,” Vasseur told the press.
July 31, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Ferrari scored 24 points at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, almost double their combined tally from Silverstone and Hungary. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur hit back at the team’s reactive critics following a return to form at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix spearheaded by Charles Leclerc‘s podium and P2 in qualifying.

“And so from one week to the other that McLaren is at the back today and we are at the front, bla bla bla. We have to stay calm, take it easy race after race but we know that the pack is so tight that for one or two tenths can move you from P2 to P11.” Ferrari have regularly featured in the top five throughout 2023 but have never looked consistently like the true frontrunners behind Red Bull.

However, there’s hope that Spa could signal that ascension, and they enter the summer break less than 60 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. “It’s not the end of the season,” Vassuer added. “We have a lot to do, but today it’s good to finish the first part of the season on a positive tone, we will have the two weeks off with a positive rise in mind.”

“We have to stay calm”;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...23-belgian-gp/


Vasseur admits Ferrari GUESSWORK at Spa and says 'plan didn't work'
Monday 31 July 2023 08:27
Chris Deeley
GPFans

Fred Vasseur has admitted that Ferrari took a shot in the dark at their setup for the Belgian Grand Prix, with heavily reduced running time due to the sprint weekend format and the wet track for the only free practice session. With the forecast for Sunday constantly changing, teams were forced into their best guesses for both what the weather would be and how their cars would respond to a potential wet race.

"I think we had a good weekend," the Ferrari chief said. "We showed a good race pace, so the team had a good weekend. Of course, Carlos wasn’t that good today. We tried to keep the car in the race, but our plan didn’t work.”

"It was very difficult to clearly understand the race because we only had one free practice, and it was in wet condition. I think our strategy was good, and it was important for the team. We will enjoy the break now and then focus on the second part of the season."

‘Ferrari GUESSWORK’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...prix-strategy/


Leclerc: Late fuel-saving threatened Spa F1 podium
16:23 Mon, 31 Jul 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc says that excessive fuel-saving measures during the closing stages of the Belgian Grand Prix threatened his podium finish. “This was the best we could achieve today, no doubt,” Leclerc said after finishing 32s adrift of Verstappen.

“So yeah, you always hope to try to win the race, but on the other hand, realistically, we knew that both of the Red Bulls would be much quicker, and… yeah… but our target was to maximise the points with the package we had and honestly, I don’t think we could have done anything better today.”

He added: “When you look at the Red Bull, we still have a lot of work to do, especially in terms of race pace, because degradation and everything they are quite far ahead still. Leclerc reveals that he was “told to do some fuel saving” in the dying embers, creating a harder-than-anticipated run to the end until Mercedes pursued the fastest lap.

‘Late fuel-saving threatened Spa F1 podium’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...spa-f1-podium/


Leclerc: Too early to know if Ferrari has solved F1 tyre issues
12:07 Mon, 31 Jul 2023.
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com

On a day when many drivers suffered tyre issues Leclerc had a strong run to third place behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. After two difficult weekends in Britain and Hungary, it was the Italian team’s first podium since the Monegasque driver took second in Austria. Leclerc suggested that there were signs of improved tyre degradation even in races where the team had poor results, but he remains cautious about the bigger picture.

“I think it's a bit too early to say but it's been two or three races where we are managing our tyres better,” he said. “I think today, this was definitely not the reason why we finished so far behind the Red Bulls, I think they were just quicker.”

“But in terms of tyre management, we didn't have a huge degradation. And also looking at Mercedes behind, I was in control of the pace of my tyres. So on that it looked good. We still need to keep an eye on that because sometimes, especially in very specific conditions, we sometimes get off the window of the tyres, the right window, and then we struggle quite a lot.”

‘F1 tyre issues’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/l...sues/10502613/


Leclerc makes STRONG statement on Ferrari exit
Monday 31 July 2023 17:27
Lauren Sneath
GPFans

Charles Leclerc has insisted that he has no plans to jump ship from Ferrari despite a rollercoaster season, as he said he has ‘complete confidence’ in team principal Fred Vasseur. The Monegasque driver was pegged as a serious challenger to Max Verstappen last year, but so far in 2023 has struggled to make anything like as strong an impression as 2022.

He told Belgian broadcaster RTBF ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix: “I have complete confidence in Fred Vasseur. He knows exactly where he wants to go and what he is going to do to get there. We discuss a lot together to achieve the objectives. It gives me confidence.”

He added: “But it’s like that for everyone apart from Red Bull. It’s up to us to do a better job. We will focus on these last races, knowing that the car does not allow us to do the results of last year. We have to succeed in maximising the potential of the car, and the current package, and not make small mistakes with the strategy, traffic management, and things like that.”

‘No plans to jump ship’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/