2023 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

Mercedes reveal W14 digital launch on February 15th.
Mercedes’ F1 W14 car, which it will race in the 2023 Formula 1 season, is to be launched on Wednesday 15th February during a live digital event.
2023 F1 season
Posted on 12th January 2023, 12:1512th January 2023, 12:21
Written by Ida Wood
RaceFans

The team announced that their new car will be launched through a live stream broadcast across the team’s social media channels.

After winning only one grand prix last year, Mercedes will be hoping to recapture their former success with their new design after overcoming several of the problems and the design misdirections they took in 2022 under the first year of F1’s new technical regulations. Mercedes finished third in the constructors’ championship last season, failing to win any of the two world titles for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era.

Mercedes are currently the only team scheduled to unveil their new challenger on Wednesday 15th February.

‘W14 digital launch’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/12/...-date-for-w14/


Mercedes become latest F1 team to reveal launch date for 2023 car
12 Jan 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Mercedes will launch their F1 2023 car - the W14 - on February 15. Mercedes will show off their new challenger in a special digital event from Silverstone ahead of a likely shakedown.

The launch will be available to watch live via Mercedes’ various social media channels as they hope the W14 is a title-challenger. Mercedes endured their worst season since 2012 last year, taking just one win and one pole position during the entirety of the campaign.

‘Latest F1 team to reveal launch date’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101883...-date-2023-car


Mercedes reveals date of 2023 F1 car launch
12th Jan 2023, 12:33
The Race

Mercedes has added to a packed week of 2023 Formula 1 car launches by announcing it will reveal its W14 on February 15.

It will launch the car it hopes will return it to championship contention in the same week as Alpine, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

After it won 15 of a possible 16 championships during the first eight years of the hybrid era, Mercedes stumbled in 2022 with a W13 that was riddled with porpoising problems and ultimately only delivered one grand prix victory.

‘2023 F1 car launch’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/merce...f1-car-launch/


LISTEN | Mercedes fires up new F1 engine, Toto Wolff optimistic over 2023 chances
12th Jan 2023, 11:37
Charlen Raymond
Wheels24

The 2023 Formula 1 season will get underway in Bahrain in just under two months. Though it is exciting times as we look forward to what promises to be an exciting year, not everyone will have their confidence shooting through the roof.

The Formula 1 driver who needs to improve most in 2023 is…

Formula 1: The Undercut. Get a Monday morning wrap of the top key talking points, insightful post-race analysis and the latest driver and team point standings.

‘Toto Wolff optimistic’;

https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...23-is-20230112


F1 FACTORY RETHINK WAS THOUGHT AMID MERCEDES W13 WOES
Mercedes endured their toughest season in Formula 1 since the turbo hybrid era had been introduced in 2014, finishing third in the constructors' championship after winning eight consecutive constructors' championships
17:10 Tue, 10 Jan 2023.
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Mercedes trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin revealed Mercedes’ thoughts of investing in new tools for their factory in Brackley. The thought was lightened due to the W13’s multiple problems during the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Mercedes’ 2022 car ended up being the team’s worst car since the turbo hybrid era began in 2014. The German manufacturers became a dominant force, winning eight consecutive constructors’ titles.

The Brackley team discovered early in pre-season testing – like many teams- that porpoising was a real issue. However, the Silver Arrows were affected the most with the bouncing. The problem lead to the team needing to upgrade their design tools to counteract any future problems of porpoising aerodynamically.

‘F1 FACTORY RETHINK’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/f1.../?nowprocket=1

F1 SET TO CONTINUE WITH TWO RACE DIRECTORS IN 2023.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has indicated that Formula 1 will continue to have more than one race director in 2023 after a new approach last year.
11:11 Thu, 12 Jan 2023.
• Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport

F1’s governing body made a raft of changes to its race operations in the wake of the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, including splitting the role of race director.

Following the departure of Michael Masi, F1 drafted in Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas to alternate during the season, with both highly experienced in the race director position in other motorsport categories.

But after an investigation over a recovery vehicle being released on to the track during the rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix, Wittich saw out the final four races alone.

‘TWO RACE DIRECTORS’;

https://readmotorsport.com/2023/01/1...ctors-in-2023/


MICHAEL ANDRETTI REVEALS TIMELINE FOR POTENTIAL F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE CHALLENGE
Thursday 12th January 2023 10:00 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Mr Andretti, who has led the team to success in IndyCar, believes the Andretti name could quickly emerge as one of the leading powers in F1. He told Forbes: “We are coming in, in a serious way.

“It will take a long time to get there, but eventually we want to be one of the top teams in Formula One. Our end goal is to be competing for the World Championship five or six years down the road.

Andretti revealed that he has not been disheartened by the relatively lukewarm response within F1 to his potential arrival, adding: “You have to stay focused on your job and not listen to the naysayers. I actually use the naysayers as motivation. It’s always fun to shut them up.”

“We are coming in, in a serious way”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/michae...tle-challenge/


‘FORMULA 1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE’ SEASON 5 COMING TO NETFLIX IN FEBRUARY 2023
Published on January 12th, 2023, 12:02 pm EST
by Kasey Moore
What's On Netflix

In case you didn’t know, Netflix renewed Formula 1: Drive to Survive for a fifth and sixth season meaning that Netflix F1 Championship seasons of 2022 and 2023 will be covered too.

The show has been cited as being one of the many reasons the sport is growing, particularly in the United States. Season 5 is set to be another cracker with lots of storylines and threads to follow.

The big changes going into the season were the big regulation changes which notably changed how cars can follow each other and led to more overtaking. They’ll no doubt touch on the controversy of the Red Bull cost cap breach and cover many teams’ trials and tribulations throughout the year.

‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’;

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/new.../?nowprocket=1


VERSTAPPEN RETURNS TO DRIVE TO SURVIVE AS SEASON FIVE LAUNCH DATE IS CONFIRMED
2023 F1 season
Posted on 12th January 2023, 15:2312th January 2023, 17:23
Written by Keith Collantine

The fifth series of Netflix’s popular Formula 1 documentary Drive to Survive will appear on February 24th, the championship has announced. Drive to Survive first appeared in 2019 and has been credited with expanding F1’s audience in recent years, particularly in the USA. However the Netflix series has also been criticised for misrepresenting some events. Lando Norris said last year some parts of the programme were “definitely not correct.”

Max Verstappen was among those who accused the programme makers of “faking a lot of stuff” in Drive to Survive. He refused to contribute to the series after its first edition, but after talks with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali last year Verstappen indicated he had changed his position and said “you’ll see more of me” in the upcoming series.

Verstappen appears in the trailer for the new series, being interviewed for the programme. He won the world championship for the second time during 2022, clinching the title with four races to go. He suffered a difficult start to the season, however, retiring from two of the first three races.

“You’ll see more of me”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/12/...ate-confirmed/


Ferrari will have a competitive start to the 2023 F1 season - McLaren team boss
13th Jan 2023.07:17
TEAMtalk media
Wheels24

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes his former colleagues at Ferrari are "very happy" with how their 2023 Formula 1 car is progressing.

Stella worked for the Scuderia for 15 years as an engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, latterly spending five seasons with Fernando Alonso as his race engineer before leaving with the Spaniard to move to McLaren in 2015 to continue his partnership with him.

‘Competitive start’;

https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...-boss-20230113


Red Bull reportedly made 154 staff redundancies due to F1 cost cap rules
13th Jan 2023, 08:00
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Red Bull were left with a smaller workforce than Mercedes after reportedly making redundancies due to the F1 cost cap when it was introduced.

The team led by Christian Horner were at the centre of the first scandal since the budget caps came in when, last year, they were found guilty by the FIA of breaching the 2021 cap and were fined.

The difficulties for teams to comply with the new rules have been laid bare by a Motorsport-Total.com report claiming that 154 people were made redundant from Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technologies between 2020 and 2021. They did not all necessarily work on behalf of the F1 team.

‘154 staff redundancies’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101891...in-f1-cost-cap

EXCLUSIVE: Mercedes suffer a huge blow ahead of the new F1 season, with chief strategist James Vowles set to leave Lewis Hamilton and Co to become team principal of Williams.
Vowles will take up the position vacated by Jost Capito, who left last month
Published: 12:04, 13 January 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy for the Daily Mail
Mail Online

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team have been dealt a serious blow ahead of the new season with the impending departure of chief strategist James Vowles to become team principal of Williams.

Sportsmail understands that the 43-year-old engineer's departure will be announced later today. Toto Wolff, boss of Mercedes, spoke in a Zoom press conference at 1pm this afternoon to address the Vowles situation.

Mercedes boss Wolff paid tribute to his outgoing chief strategist, by saying: 'James has been a highly valued member of our team in his role as motorsport strategy director, playing an integral part in our success in recent years,' said Wolff. His departure is major headache as the Silver Arrows look to claim back the ground they lost to Red Bull and Max Verstappen last year.

‘Huge blow’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...F1-season.html


F1: Williams announce James Vowles as new Team Principal
Published: 13 Jan 2023, 12:27
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

Williams have got a new Team Principal lined up for the 2023 Formula 1 campaign, with James Vowles joining them from Mercedes.

Indeed, after around a month with no-one in the post, Mercedes’ James Vowles will join the team on February 20th, leaving his position as Motorsport Strategy Director at the Silver Arrows, a role he has held for over four years.

Vowles comes in as a hugely experienced figure having spent over two decades in Formula 1 and his knowledge and expertise, built up from his time in Brackley for the likes of Mercedes, Brawn, Honda and BAR, will surely come as hugely useful for a Williams team trying to close the gap to the rest of the field in front of them.

‘James Vowles’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88104540...team-principal


James Vowles: His best and worst strategy decisions for Mercedes in F1
13 Jan 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

With James Vowles making the shock switch to Williams from Mercedes as their new F1 team principal, we take a look back at some of his best and worst strategy decisions.

James Vowles has been Mercedes’ chief strategist since 2010, remaining with the Brackley team from their days as Brawn GP. Vowles has played an integral role in Mercedes’ run of success during the V6 hybrid era.

As we reflect on his time with Mercedes, Crash.net has picked out some of his most memorable strategy decisions that often allowed Lewis Hamilton to win and ultimately take the title.

‘Best and worst strategy decisions’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/101...ns-mercedes-f1


Williams hires Mercedes strategy chief as new F1 team boss
13th Jan 2023, 12:27
By Matt Beer
The Race

The Williams Formula 1 team has recruited Mercedes strategy chief James Vowles as its new team principal. Williams went into 2023 with vacancies in both its main team management roles after the abrupt departure of team principal Jost Capito and technical chief Francois-Xavier Demaison last month.

The first of those has now been filled with the appointment of 43-year-old Vowles, who will leave his Mercedes strategy director position to lead Williams.

“I cannot wait to start with Williams Racing,” said Vowles. “It’s an honour to join a team with such an incredibly rich heritage. The team is an icon of our sport, one I greatly respect, and I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”

‘Williams Formula 1 team recruitment’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/willi...-f1-team-boss/


Williams’ Mercedes signing suggests a fundamental change
Jan 13 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race

James Vowles’s appointment as Williams team principal is proof of a fundamental change of direction for the team given what it suggests about its structure. “There’s no intention at the moment of bringing in a CEO,” said Vowles. “There is a very strong management structure and board structure already in place at Williams that may or may not complete all these roles.

“But certainly at the moment what we’d all like to do is get me settled down, understand where we stand and then take a review of that decision in some time to come.” In asking the question why has Williams has gone down this road, there are some obvious conclusions. Firstly, Vowles is a Wolff ‘disciple’. He’s worked alongside Wolff for the past decade and is part of the brain trust at the top of the team.

Secondly, it hints at where the owners of Williams see gains needing to be made. Williams is not only a team that has long struggled on-track, without a podium finish since 2017 and only finishing off the bottom of the constructors’ championship once in the last five years, but also that has encountered internal difficulties. The ownership therefore will see establishing a cohesive team culture as essential.

‘Fundamental change of direction’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/willi...mental-change/

Red Bull announce New York launch of 2023 F1 challenger.
The RB19 will be driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez once again as they seek to retain their titles.
13 January 5:06PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Red Bull's 2023 Formula 1 challenger - the RB19 - will be unveiled on February 3rd in a special launch event in New York.

The car will be driven by two-time World Champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as the Milton Keynes squad look to defend their two titles won in 2022.

Red Bull's sister team AlphaTauri are set to also launch in New York, with Mercedes set to unveil their W14 challenger on February 15th.

‘New York launch’;

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-a...-f1-challenger


Red Bull to launch RB19 in New York on February 3rd
2023 F1 season
Posted on 13th January 2023, 16:1313th January 2023, 16:14
Written by Ida Wood

Red Bull have announced their car for the 2023 Formula 1 season, the RB19, will be unveiled to the world in New York on February 3rd.

Red Bull will be the first of the energy drink’s two teams to launch in the American city, with junior team AlphaTauri also launching in New York on February 11th. The team announced it will be unveiling a “new car” on the date, as opposed to last year when the team originally revealed its 2022 livery on a showcar before the actual RB18 was first seen publicly during a filming run.

The successor to the double title-winning RB18 car from 2022 will be Red Bull’s 19th chassis since joining F1 in 2005 and will make its race debut in the Bahrain Grand Prix on 5th March. The RB19 will be powered by a ‘Honda RBPT’ engine, with the branding reflecting former engine supplier Honda’s continued support of Red Bull’s new in-house powertrain division.

‘New York on February 3rd’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/13/...-february-3rd/


Red Bull picks early date for 2023 F1 launch in New York
13th Jan 2022, 16:21
The Race

Red Bull will hold what it describes as its 2023 Formula 1 ‘season launch’ in New York. The event will take place on February 3, the earliest date announced by any team so far – beating Williams by three days.

Sister team AlphaTauri is also holding its 2023 unveiling in New York, but eight days later than Red Bull on February 11. Though Red Bull’s tweet announcing the event date used the phrasing “new kit, new car”, it’s known that AlphaTauri’s equivalent will feature a 2023 livery on its 2022 car and that only renders of the new design will be issued on the day.

Last year Red Bull used a very basic version of its 2022 car for its launch event before a significantly different design broke cover when pre-season testing began. Red Bull goes into 2023 fresh from its first world championship double since its 2010-13 domination, and with lead driver Max Verstappen chasing a third straight drivers’ title.

‘Red Bull picks early date’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-b...h-in-new-york/


Red Bull to launch their 2023 season in New York as double title defence beckons
13 January 2023
Formula One - Official Site

F1 world champions Red Bull have announced that they will hold a ‘season launch’ in New York early in February, as the team look to continue their recent run of success.

On Friday, Red Bull took to social media with the message ‘New kit, new car, New York’, confirming a ‘season launch’ in the Big Apple on February 3.

Recently reflecting on Red Bull’s return to double title-winning ways, and bagging a fifth constructors’ crown, Horner said: “We went through that pain [of losing]. [In] 2013, we finished a very dominant streak and [2014], with the change in the regs, we were nowhere, and we never lost belief.”

‘Double title defence beckons’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...0m1F4qrzT.html


Red Bull pip Williams with early February launch date in New York City
Friday 13th January 2023 4:08 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Red Bull are set to be the first team to unveil their 2023 car as they announce a February launch date for the RB19 in New York City. The choice of venue further demonstrates the focus on the US market from Formula 1 with three races, including a debut for Las Vegas, set to be hosted in the country this season.

With the RB18 proving to be Red Bull’s most successful car ever and the ninth most successful of any team in Formula 1 history, the RB19 certainly has a lot to live up to and will have to do so on the backfoot.

The RB19 has been designed with 10% less wind tunnel time following the team’s minor cost cap breach and Red Bull have also been punished as a result of achieving top spot in the 2022 Constructors’ standings.

‘RB19 certainly has a lot to live up to’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...nch-date-rb19/

Formula One presenter Jennie Gow, 45, reveals she suffered 'serious stroke' which has affected her speech - and is 'desperate' to recover and return to work.
• Jennie Gow revealed on social media that she had suffered a 'serious stroke'
• The Formula One broadcaster said that the stoke has affected her speech
• Journalists and F1 teams tweeted messages of support following Gow's news
Published: 17:53, 13 January 2023
By Christian Oliver For Mailonline
Mail Online

Formula One presenter Jennie Gow, who regularly appears on the Netflix series Drive To Survive, revealed that she is recovering from a 'serious stroke'. Gow, 45, said she suffered the stroke two weeks ago which has affected her speech.

The broadcaster and sports journalist thanked medical staff at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey and St Geroge's Hospital in west London for taking care of her. Fellow journalists as well as motorsport teams echoed messages of support for Gow.

‘Serious Stroke';

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-speech.html


Broadcaster Jennie Gow suffered ‘serious stroke’ impacting her speech
January 13, 2023, 4:02 pm
By Press Association
The Press and Journal

“I’m desperate to make a full recovery and return to work, but it might take some time. Thank you to the medical teams at Frimley and St George’s and my family and friends who’ve got me through the last fortnight.”

A host of sports commentators took to social media to wish Gow a speedy recovery, including former BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, who said: “Jennie… take care of yourself. So sorry to hear this. I hope you’re doing ok.”

She also appears as an F1 expert on Drive To Survive, which returns to Netflix on February 24. It will recap Max Verstappen’s road to title glory after winning his second world championship in 2022. The series, in its fifth iteration, has been credited with increasing F1’s popularity and is one of the major sports documentary success stories in recent years.

‘Serious stroke impacting her speech’;

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/li...ng-her-speech/


Media: Jennie Gow survives serious stroke
January 13, 2023
Motorsport Radio

Broadcaster and Journalist Jennie Gow announced on social media that she had a serious stroke two weeks ago. The popular motorsport presenter posted the news with the help of her husband.

From all the team at Motorsport Media and Motorsport Radio, Jennie, We’re sending you positive thoughts and We wish you return to full health soon.

‘Get well soon’;

https://motorsport.radio/media-jenni...erious-stroke/


Jennie Gow Suffers “Serious” Stroke; BBC & ‘Drive To Survive’ Presenter Says Speech Impacted
12:51 Fri, 13 Jan 2023.
By Jake Kanter
International TV
Deadline Hollywood

The journalist has appeared in the past two seasons of Drive To Survive and has been plugging Season 5 of the Netflix show, which drops on February 24.

Gow’s Twitter message prompted a flood of well wishes. “Jennie, so desperately sorry to read this and sending all my love and strength. You WILL get through this but take all the time you need,” said fellow F1 presenter Laura Winter.

McLaren F1 tweeted: “Wishing you a speedy recovery, Jennie. The entire team sends their love and strength as we look forward to seeing you back in the paddock.”

Drive To Survive’;

https://deadline.com/2023/01/jennie-...rk-1235220944/


Drive to Survive and BBC Radio F1 presenter Jennie Gow recovering from stroke
01/13/2023
By Phillip Bupp

"I'm desperate to make a full recovery and return to work, but it might take some time."

Many in the F1 community showed their support of Gow as she works to make a full recovery and get back to the track.

‘Jennie Gow recovering from stroke’;

https://awfulannouncing.com/internat...stroke-f1.html

Gary Anderson: How Vowles can fix F1’s worst team.
He joins Williams when it is in disarray. Owner Dorilton Capital, which bought the team in 2020, wants to see improvement.
09:28 Sat, 14 Jan 2023.
By Gary Anderson
The Race

Overseeing strategy for a top Formula 1 team is no easy task, especially when there are people like us waiting for things to go wrong so we can explain how we would have done it better.

But the pressure James Vowles has been under in that role at Mercedes will be nothing compared to what he faces in joining Williams as team principal, which will be the biggest challenge of his F1 career.

That doesn’t mean winning races yet but Williams needs to step up to feature in the final part of qualifying regularly. If that’s achieved then there’s a decent chance of grabbing a few points consistently, and if you get enough of those you move off the bottom of the constructors’ championship.

‘Fixing F1’s worst team’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...1s-worst-team/


Williams F1 boss Vowles denies he’s forming Mercedes ‘B-team’
11:06 Sat, 14 Jan 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Williams’ Formula 1 Team Principal James Vowles denies that he is forming a ‘Mercedes B-team’ as he takes on the leading role within the squad. Vowles departs Mercedes having played a key role in its success throughout the turbo-hybrid era, helping it win eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships.

His arrival follows the departure of Jost Capito, who opted to retire at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. The Williams team has endured a difficult run of form, often languishing close to or at the root of the pecking order across the last several years.

Vowles is not the first ex-Mercedes employee to take on a challenge at Williams, as Paddy Lowe joined the team in 2017 before leaving two years later.

‘James Vowles denies that he is forming a ‘Mercedes B-team’.’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...rcedes-b-team/


Williams procures iconic F1 sponsor
14 January 12:05PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365

Gulf Oil have hinted at a return to Formula 1, having previously partnered with McLaren. The iconic Gulf Oil brand have hinted at a return to F1, with RacingNews365.com understanding that a deal with Williams will be announced shortly.

The company previously acted as a sponsor for McLaren and a special livery was featured on the team's cars reflecting the colours of the brand at the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix.

However, the partnership came to an end in 2022 and Gulf are now set for a return with Williams. The brand gave a hint of an impending comeback via their social media channels, having shared a message about "big F1 news coming soon".

‘Iconic F1 sponsor’;

https://racingnews365.com/williams-p...nic-f1-sponsor


Why new Williams boss James Vowles is perfect match for troubled F1 team
January 14th 2023
Chris Medland
Motorsport Week F1

Few expected former Mercedes strategist James Vowles to be named new Williams F1 team principal, but his career gives him the ideal experience to turn around Williams, writes Chris Medland

Kudos to Williams and Mercedes. It’s been the off-season and therefore there are fewer opportunities to bump into F1 team members and get whispers of what’s going on, but the news that James Vowles would be the new Williams team principal seemed to catch everyone out.

And Vowles has a big job on his hands. As highlighted in a previous column, Jost Capito’s tenure came to an end with a divided team, with many not backing his management style but others frustrated by a reluctance of the personnel to adapt to change.

‘Perfect match for troubled F1 team’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1


F1: James Vowles ‘incredibly proud’ to join Williams Racing as team principal
19:04 Fri, 13 Jan 2023.
Mary-Kate Findon
The Independent

James Vowles says he is “incredibly proud and excited” to be joining Williams Racing as team principal. The former Mercedes strategy chief has been appointed the role ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

He is replacing Jost Capito who stepped down as team principal in December.
“I feel privileged to be part of this team and hugely motivated,” he said in a video announcing the news. He said he “hasn’t lost the hunger, ambition, or desire to win,” and is excited for the challenges ahead.

‘Incredibly Proud’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/spo...cing-vbd652916

Toto Wolff Sees the Value of the GM-Andretti F1 Entry, Other Teams Could Follow Suit.
“Cadillac and GM, that's a statement. Certainly, them joining forces with Andretti is definitely a positive." Toto Wolff
Published: 14 Jan 2023, 15:03 UTC
By: Bogdan Bebeselea
autoevolution

Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of hype around Formula 1 extending its roster, but the big teams inside the sports were quick to try and shut that project down. However, it seems that Andretti’s partnership with GM through Cadillac could pave a smoother way.

When it comes to the world’s biggest circus, a lot of things revolve around backstage politics and finances. This happened to also be the key reason a few teams were opposed to having a new contender on the grid.

Clearly, the Mercedes boss sees the value this alliance could bring to the sport, and this could potentially encourage other teams to support Andretti’s entry as well. The United States is one market that F1 has struggled to break into for many years now. And the involvement of Andretti, as well as GM, could be the final piece of the puzzle the sport needs to find success in the U.S.

‘Seeing the value of the GM-Andretti F1 Entry’;

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/t...it-208407.html


Toto Wolff provides response after Andretti join forces with GM for F1 bid
Saturday 14th January 2023 4:00 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Toto Wolff has spoken publicly for the first time since Andretti’s partnership with General Motors was confirmed but remained sceptical about the bid.

Michael Andretti, son of Mario and the one leading the venture, believed the General Motors partnership had ticked the final box that needed ticking but it would appear Wolff was not so sure. “With Cadillac and GM, that’s a statement,” Wolff said, according to RacingNews365.com.

“Them joining forces with Andretti is definitely a positive, it gives it another angle that may or may not be beneficial for Formula One. Nobody would ever question GM’s or Cadillac’s pedigree in motorsport, and as a global auto company.”

‘Andretti join forces with GM’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...llac-reaction/


Wolff declares Andretti-GM F1 alliance ‘a statement’
Sunday 15th January, 2023 - 3:51pm
By Daniel Herrero
Speedcafe

Toto Wolff believes that Andretti Global and General Motors made “a statement” with the announcement they have joined forces in an attempt to enter Formula 1. “We’re always open to the sport growing, but the truth behind it is the sport financially needs to become more and more successful,” he remarked.

“Whoever joins in that environment needs to bring with it effectively the growth that is required in order for everyone else to be in a better position, or at least a neutral position, and I think it’s been the statement from the outset, from the beginning.”

“There are a lot of lovely things about Andretti and about Cadillac. It just needs to have a good understanding of how it will grow the sport, in what way, and what the growth will be.”

‘A lot of lovely things’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/01/15...e-a-statement/


Andretti’s tie-up with Cadillac “definitely a positive” for F1 bid – Wolff
2023 F1 season
Posted on 13th January 2023, 16:30
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Andretti’s claim to a place on the Formula 1 grid has been strengthened by its tie-up with Cadillac, says Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Many existing F1 team principals, including Wolff, reacted coolly to Andretti’s pursuit of an entry into F1. Wolff pointed out last year “an 11th team means a 10% dilution for everybody else” in terms of their income and that Andretti needed to show his entry could “add value” to F1.

Last week FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced he intended to begin a process to examine new entries into F1. Andretti formally announced his plans to enter soon afterwards, and revealed he had secured the backing of America’s largest car producer General Motors through its Cadillac brand.

‘Andretti’s claim to a place on the Formula 1 grid’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/13/...-f1-bid-wolff/


Inside story of F1 failure Toto Wolff doesn't want repeated as FIA plan expansion anyway
Things could be set to change in F1 very soon.
06:01, Sun, Jan 15, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth

Toto Wolff is one of several team bosses to have reservations about increasing the number of entrants in F1 as Andretti look to join as an 11th team. Wolff says there are fears the new entry could dilute the sport and wouldn't help increase the value of F1.

His reservations have some merit after F1’s disastrous attempt to expand the grid over a decade ago. The move came about after FIA President Max Mosely aimed to push through a $40million budget cap tier.

However, the budget formula never materialised despite 15 applications from teams across the world. The three chosen constructors - Manor, Lotus and Camps Racing - were successful but then faced increased costs and struggled on track.

‘Budget formula never materialised despite 15 applications from teams across the world’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...10-news-latest

Which 2023 F1 launch are you most excited for?
It is always an exciting time of year with early expectations based almost solely on the look of the car.
Monday 9 January 2023 13:06
Sam Hall
GPFans

There is a word of warning, however, as some teams are almost certain to use a show car in the reveal, showcasing a new livery while keeping design secrets hidden.

This was the case for a number of teams, including Red Bull, as the first interpretations of the all-new technical regulations were revealed last year.

With this in mind, which teams launch are you most looking forward to in the coming weeks? Let us know in the poll and give us your early predictions in the comments below!

‘F1 launch excitement’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...t-excited-for/


F1 2023 car launches and livery reveals: dates and locations
January 13th 2023
Author Motor Sport

Here are all of the latest dates and times for all of the 2023 car launches ahead of the new Formula 1 season.

Team Launch Date
Red Bull February 3
Williams February 6
AlphaTauri February 11
Aston Martin February 13
McLaren February 13
Ferrari February 14
Mercedes February 15
Alpine February 16
Haas TBC
Alfa Romeo TBC

‘F1 launch season is fast approaching;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1


How glitzy car launches can help sustain the F1 boom
13:07 Wed, 11 Jan 2023.
MATT KEW
Motorsport.com

It was only a handful of years ago that showy Formula 1 car launches appeared to be a dying art. Unveils had become little more than afterthoughts. Never mind appearances by the Spice Girls and Jamiroquai; forget demonstration runs in major cities; there wasn’t even a split livery as a talking point.

No, official reveals were largely reduced to whipping off a dust cover on the first day of pre-season testing while a press release was sent out but lost almost immediately amid the on-track running.

But, as another small indicator of F1’s current popularity boom, there’s been something of a recent return to form. In these times of ‘more is more’, there’s an appetite for any kind of spectacle. Car launches provide another source.

‘Appeared to be a dying art’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...boom/10419480/


Andretti hail "racer" FIA president's F1 bid backing
Sunday 15 January 2023 15:00
Sam Hall
GPFans

Andretti Global owner Michael Andretti has welcomed the public support of FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem as the outfit pushes to become the 11th team on the F1 grid.

Andretti held a short-notice press conference in early January in which it announced a partnership with General Motors and Cadillac, adding much-needed value to its F1 pursuit.

The reveal came days after Ben Sulayem had asked the FIA to look at launching an expression-of-interest process to expand the grid beyond its existing 10 teams. But while there was a broadly positive reaction on social media to the announcement, this has seemingly not been mirrored inside the sport as there has been a tempered response

‘Andretti hail "racer" FIA President’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...1-bid-backing/


F1’s last entry by US car giant was a masterclass in failure
Jan 8 2023
By Gary Anderson
The Race

Formula 1 is inching towards another manufacturer boom, with Audi coming in, Cadillac linking up with Andretti, Honda and Porsche in the 2026 rules mix and maybe even Ford and Hyundai too.

But when Gary Anderson heard Cadillac’s thoughts about F1 in the Andretti announcement, it gave him unpleasant flashbacks to the last time a giant US automotive group felt it knew what it took to succeed in F1.

Gary alluded to some of the misery of his Ford/Jaguar experience in his analysis of Cadillac’s approach on Friday. In an updated version of an article first published on The Race in 2020, here’s his full inside story of how Jaguar got it so wrong.

‘Masterclass in failure’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/ford-...-manufacturer/


Exclusive: Panthera also pushing for F1 spot, will build Asian academy and aiming for 2026 launch
Saturday 7th January 2023 7:00 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

The Panthera Team Asia F1 project is gearing up for another run at an F1 spot and this time, it may come off. In 2019, Panthera announced themselves as another team wanting a slice of the F1 pie. With the goal of becoming the team of Asia, they set about jumping through the necessary hoops to get on the grid but, as it did with all other walks of life, COVID scuppered their plans.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Team principal and co-founder Benjamin Durand exclusively told PlanetF1.com. “We could have given up a long time ago on this project, but we believe in it.” But what has spurred Durand and his team to keep pressing on? A belief that Asia is the next great market for F1 to conquer.

Since Liberty Media’s acquisition of the sport in 2017, all eyes have been on the US with a sustained push to make F1 part of American life. Three races in the US, a US racer and potentially an all-American team all point to progress but it is on the other side of the globe where Durand feels attention has been lacking. “We still think that the Asian market and Chinese market are the next markets to be developed,” he said.

‘Panthera Team Asia F1 project’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/panthe...-f1-2026-spot/

F1 2023 predictions: Which driver will win each team-mate battle in 2023?
Only four teams on the Formula 1 grid will begin the 2023 season with an unchanged line-up from last year.
Tuesday 17th January 2023 6:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

The fact that three of those teams were Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – the only ones to win a race in 2022 – is evidence that stability is a key strength in F1.

The changes from last season to this carry no shortage of intrigue, so we’ve put our neck on the line by predicting the winner of each team-mate battle in 2023…

‘Team-mate battles’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/f1...m-mate-battle/


F1 chief issues verdict on 'error generator' sprints
Tuesday 17 January 2023 06:35
Sam Hall
GPFans

F1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds has delivered his verdict on the sprint weekend format that is set to feature on six occasions this season.

Speaking at Autosport International, Symonds reflected: "There are those who like it and there are those who dislike it. But to me, what we do is we have a competition. What I like about a competition is when it's not predictable. Oxford were playing Arsenal in the FA Cup the other week and they were holding them 0-0 to half time and that sort of thing is great.”

"With a normal grand prix weekend, Friday does not provide any competition and therefore, what's the attraction of it? We're here to compete. In addition, the teams are so good with their simulation these days, having all the time on Friday, they're got two hours of running to fine-tune the car, make sure that everything's good, and what that leads to is predictability."

'Error generator sprints’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...rator-sprints/


Takeover of the tech-heads: new trend in F1 team bosses
January 16th 2023
Author Adam Cooper
Motor Sport Magazine

F1 team principals often used to be former racers who owned their squad, but the model is rapidly changing in favour of staff with engineering or management qualifications, writes Adam Cooper

The appointment of James Vowles as Williams team principal reflects an intriguing recent trend in the sport, and as such perhaps it shouldn’t have been as much a surprise as it was.

More than ever before the current crop is predominantly comprised of guys with strong hands-on engineering or technical experience, rather than folk from the commercial or marketing side. The days of a Flavio Briatore figure calling the shots appear to be long gone.

‘Tech-head Takeover’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1


WATCH: From Michael Schumacher unretiring to Robert Kubica's resilient return – The top 10 driver comebacks in F1 history
16 January 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Nico Hulkenberg’s return to the grid in 2023 made us think about the times a familiar face has come back to the sport. So, we dug through the archives and found some of the most notable driver comebacks in Formula 1 history.

Over the years, we’ve seen a number of world champions, like Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Nigel Mansell and Niki Lauda, find the allure of driving an F1 car again all too hard to turn down.

We’ve also seen some incredible comeback stories – such as Robert Kubica’s brave return to the grid in 2019, after the Polish driver suffered horrific injuries in a rally accident eight years earlier.

‘Top 10 driver comebacks’;

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


F1 set for crunch meeting to ‘tidy up’ 2026 power unit regulations
16 Jan 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

F1 chief technical officer Pat Symonds has revealed a key meeting will take place later this month to finalise the 2026 power unit regulations.

Last August, governing body the FIA approved the new cycle of F1 engines that will feature increased electrical power and 100% sustainable fuels when they are introduced in 2026.

Audi have already announced an entry as an engine supplier and sister Volkswagen Group brand Porsche remain interested in making an F1 power unit. Meanwhile, the Andretti Group recently stated their intention to join the F1 grid together with General Motors through their luxury brand Cadillac.

‘Crunch meeting’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101908...pu-regulations

Chinese GP Demise Means Two Long Breaks in 2023 F1 Season.
Formula 1 will have an April break in addition to the traditional summer break in August in 2023.
Jan 17, 2023
By Phillip Horton
AutoWeek

It means that there will be a four-week gap during the early stages of the season between races in Australia on April 2 and Azerbaijan on April 30. Formula 1’s 2023 schedule has finally been ratified after championship organizers confirmed that China’s canceled event will not be replaced.

It means that there will be a four-week gap during the early stages of the season between races in Australia on April 2 and Azerbaijan on April 30, which are rounds three and four, respectively. A request for Azerbaijan to move its date forward a week, to April 23, was dismissed by the local promoter.

It is understood that Formula 1 also explored the possibility of including a round in Portimao, Portugal on China’s April 16 date but ultimately opted against doing so.

‘Two Long Breaks’;

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...023-f1-season/


F1 reduces races to 23 after axing Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai loses out for the fourth year in a row despite lifting Covid restrictions
17 JANUARY 2023 - 21:22
ALAN BALDWIN
Financial Mail

London — Formula One will have 23 races this season, still a record and one more than last year, with the sport facing a four-week gap in April after deciding not to replace the cancelled Chinese Grand Prix.

The race in Shanghai, originally scheduled for April 16 as the fourth of 24 rounds, was axed last month for the fourth year in a row due to strict local measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

F1 had said then that it was assessing alternative options, with various venues touted in the media including Portugal’s Portimao circuit that was used as a replacement in 2020 and 2021 for races cancelled during the pandemic.

‘F1 reduces races to 23’;

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/sp...se-grand-prix/


Chinese GP hopes ended as F1 sticks to 23-race schedule
January 17, 2023
SportBusiness Staff
Sport Business

Formula 1 has today (Tuesday) confirmed that its 2023 season will remain at 23 races, ending hopes of the Chinese Grand Prix returning to the schedule or an alternative event being found.

On December 2, F1 announced that the Chinese GP would be missing from the race calendar for the fourth consecutive season. The motor-racing championship confirmed the news following talks with the promoter and relevant authorities.

It said the 2023 Chinese GP would not take place due to the “ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 situation”.

‘F1 sticks to 23-race schedule’;

https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/c...race-schedule/


F1 not replacing canceled Chinese GP; 23 races in 2023
Published: 14:09, 17 January 2023
By Associated Press
Mail Online

LONDON (AP) - Formula One confirmed Tuesday that it will not replace the canceled Chinese Grand Prix, leaving the 2023 season at what is still a record 23 races. "Formula 1 can confirm the 2023 season will consist of 23 races. All existing race dates on the calendar remain unchanged," F1 said in a brief statement.

Countries such as Turkey and Portugal have stepped in as replacement F1 hosts when the last three seasons were affected by the pandemic. A replacement race on the Chinese GP's April 16 date - between Australia and Azerbaijan on the schedule - could have made it difficult for teams to change their travel and transportation plans at relatively short notice.

‘F1 not replacing canceled Chinese GP’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...aces-2023.html


How serious a setback is F1’s five-year absence for its growth in China?
2023 F1 season
Posted on 17th January 2023, 13:4517th January 2023, 13:46
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Today’s confirmation the Chinese Grand Prix will not be reinstated to the 2023 Formula 1 calendar means the world championship will be absent from the country for at least five years. While F1’s enthusiasm for racing in China appears undimmed, is the feeling mutual? In 2019, the 16th year that F1 had visited China, three-day crowds at the grand prix stood at 160,000. That was only around 40% of capacity at the vast Shanghai circuit, and well short of the record-breaking figures F1 had at many venues last year.

The strong attendance figures at grands prix since 2021 may be partly due to a post-pandemic surge in interest among millions of fans who were unable to watch races in person during the year-and-a-half of events being held behind closed doors while there was lockdowns across the globe and not just in China. But with no Chinese GP for five years how many locals will be clamouring for F1’s return and how many will have forgotten about it?

The good news for F1 is it finally has its first driver from the country: Zhou Guanyu. Unfortunately he has now seen his home event cancelled in both of the years he has been racing in F1. There will be many in F1 hoping another strong season from the Shanghai native will persuade Alfa Romeo to keep him on from a third year and ensure he is on the grid for the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix – if it happens.

‘How serious a setback’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/17/...owth-in-china/

Lando Norris predicting a lengthy wait before first F1 title challenge.
Few would doubt his talent but Lando Norris believes he is still some way off from competing for a Formula 1 World Championship.
Thursday 19th January 2023 7:23 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

In 2019, he scored his first points. In 2020, he stood atop the podium for the first time and in 2021, he improved that tally to four including a career-high P2 at Monza. But while 2022 saw him stagnate with just a single podium and 38 points fewer than he acquired the year previous, there are few who would argue that was down to the ability of Norris.

The Brit has been occupying the ‘best of the rest’ category for a while now, picking up six seventh place finishes in 2022, but while some say a title battle is soon on the horizon, Norris himself is a little more hesitant.

“With everything I’ve learned, maybe I could win a race, but I’m unlikely to win a championship until possibly that time,” he told GQ magazine of his contract end date in 2025. “I know I need to be at the absolute top of my game in those years.”

‘Lengthy wait’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...ge-prediction/


NORRIS DISCUSSES DOUBTS ABOUT BEING GOOD ENOUGH FOR F1
Even in Formula 1, the topic of mental health is often still taboo. Norris is fighting against the stigma.
19 Jan 2023, 08:40
Lena Ferle
FormulaNerds

Since Norris first set foot in Formula 1 in 2019, he has repeatedly struggled with mental health issues. For several years now, he has spoken openly about it. Norris wants to use it to help other people open up.

Norris and his team McLaren are working with the mental health charity Mind. Since the start of this collaboration, Norris has made several appearances on television shows. On “This Morning”, he talked about how mental health affected him in the early stages of his Formula 1 career.

‘DISCUSSING DOUBTS’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/no.../?nowprocket=1


Brown reveals Norris' only bad habit that 'frustrates' him
19 January 10:25AM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

Zak Brown has admitted that the one thing about Lando Norris that occasionally "frustrates" him is the Briton's punctuality. "What frustrates me about Lando?" said Brown in an interview with GQ magazine.

"He’s been five minutes late more than once. If we’re supposed to leave at 8.00, it might be 8.07." It's a minor problem for the team boss though, who insists that Norris is very good at integrating himself within the team and has matured since joining.

He added: "The great thing about him is he is very honest and owns everything. And he’s definitely improved.” Norris' calm nature is the thing that has impressed Brown the most, with the team CEO believing that his driver will be World Champion within the next "10 to 15 years" of his career.

‘Briton's punctuality’;

https://racingnews365.com/brown-reve...frustrates-him


Lando Norris got on 'pretty well' with Daniel Ricciardo despite Drive To Survive 'tension'.
11:30, 18 JAN 2023
BY Mark Whiley
Daily Star

Lando Norris has opened up about his relationship with now-former McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo, insisting they got on “pretty well”. Recent series of the hit F1 documentary Drive To Survive have suggested tension between Norris and his last two stablemates, Carlos Sainz and Ricciardo.

Norris’s negative portrayal in the Netflix series has attracted criticism, most notably from F1 world championship Max Verstappen, who boycotted the show over what he saw as fabricated events and rivalries, although he made himself available for interview for series five, which airs next month.

‘Got on pretty well';

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...tflix-28985215


Lando Norris admits what he 'hated' about Daniel Ricciardo relationship at McLaren
Lando Norris has opened up on his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.
09:46, Thu, Jan 19, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Lando Norris has admitted he and Daniel Ricciardo both “hated” being beaten by each other on race weekends. But Norris also stressed the pair also didn't enjoy getting the better of each other as a result of their great relationship.

Norris added they got on “pretty well” and “respected each other” away from the race track. The Brit told GQ Magazine: “Carlos [Sainz] and I get on extremely well. I kind of grew up with him. Daniel I got on with pretty well. He and I were the perfect competitors: we hated beating each other like we hated getting beat by one another.

“Away from the track we respected each other massively. I keep it separate; I can be the biggest competitor I need to be on the race track, but I can also respect and be good mates with other people.” His comments come after Netflix’s Drive to Survive producers hyped up a rivalry between Norris and Ricciardo. In the series, Norris asks his engineers to tell Riccardo to hurry up as he is driving too slow.

‘Opened up on his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo’;

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

De Vries in legal dispute ahead of full F1 debut.
Ahead of his first full Formula 1 season, Dutch rookie Nyck de Vries has found himself at the centre of a legal dispute.
19 Jan 2023, 06:13
Grandpx.news

The supposed terms of the deal involved payment of 3 percent interest per year, plus 50 percent of de Vries’ earnings once he got to Formula 1. Reportedly, the loan would be waived if de Vries did not make it to Formula 1 by the end of 2022, prompting the dispute.

In reality, the Dutch driver made his one-off grand prix debut at Monza last year, in the ill Alex Albon’s place. That performance attracted the attention of Dr Helmut Marko, who decided to sign de Vries for the full season at Red Bull-owned Alpha Tauri this year. According to de Vries’ lawyers, he reportedly repaid about EUR 190,000 to Schothorst while test driver at Mercedes.

The Alpha Tauri driver’s lawyer, meanwhile, said de Vries made a proposal to repay the full loan in addition to the EUR 190,000 already paid, which was rejected by Schothorst. The Amsterdam court is set to issue the judge’s ruling in writing on 3 February, with Schothorst having demanded the full disclosure of de Vries’ contracts between 2018 and 2022.

‘50 percent of de Vries’ earnings’;

https://grandpx.news/de-vries-in-leg...full-f1-debut/


De Vries sued by former investor who helped fund F1 career
Thursday 19 January 2023 09:03
Sam Hall
GPFans

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf has now reported that this outing has caused De Vries legal problems, with real estate millionaire Jeroen Schothorst demanding considerable remuneration for investments in the 27-year-old's junior career.

It is reported that Schothorst lent EUR 250,000 to De Vries through his Investrand investment company in 2018 to fund an F2 campaign. In the summons issued after Schothorst initiated proceedings, it is indicated that the loan to De Vries would accumulate three percent interest per year with a payment of fifty percent of income from his F1 activities.

If De Vries had not made it to F1 by the end of 2022, it is reported that this loan would have been waived. So far, De Vries has repaid almost EUR 190,000 due to his activities as a test and reserve driver.

‘De Vries sued’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...legal-dispute/


Nyck de Vries reveals huge family sacrifice as he finally gets to live his F1 dream
After a longer wait that he would have hoped for and many years of hard work and sacrifice, de Vries will finally race regularly in Formula 1 this season with AlphaTauri
21:41, 16 Jan 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror

It has been a long time coming for Nyck de Vries, but this year will be the first in which he is finally a regular fixture on the Formula 1 grid.

The first race of the season in Bahrain won't be his debut – that came unexpectedly at Monza last year, and gave him the opportunity to shine that he grasped with both hands. That cameo for Williams in Italy went a long way in helping the Dutchman to finally live out his F1 dream.

After all, De Vries has been waiting a long time. He went through the same rigorous process every young driver experiences as he worked his way up the junior formulae, but even after winning the 2019 Formula 2 championship there was still no place in the top category for him.

‘Huge family sacrifice’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...tauri-28970839


'Max is my big brother in the F1 paddock', says de Vries
15/01/2023 at 15:11
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Ahead of his first full season in Formula 1, Nyck de Vries has been talking about his close relationship with Dutch compatriot and fellow world champion Max Verstappen.

"Max and I have known each other since a very young age as we grew up karting at a similar time, although we’ve never actually raced against each other," de Vries said in an AlphaTauri website Q&A session.

"We have a great relationship, the way we grew up in racing, with our fathers being very involved and karting through Europe has been very similar and we have a great respect for each other.”

'Max is my big brother’;

https://f1i.com/news/464202-max-is-m...-de-vries.html


Nyck de Vries opens up on ‘big brother’ Max Verstappen
Nyck de Vries will replace Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri this season, with the Frenchman moving further up the grid to join Alpine.
14 January 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News

“Max and I have known each other since a very young ages, as we grew up karting at a similar time, although we’ve never actually raced against each other,” he said.

“The first time we actually raced together was in Monza last year, and we happened to be next to each other on the grid, so that was amazing.”

“We have a great relationship, the way we grew up in racing, with our fathers being very involved and karting through Europe has been very similar and we have a great respect for each other. We’re obviously from the same country, speak the same language and we just get along.”

‘Big brother’ Max Verstappen’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/nyck-de-v...ax-verstappen/

Ferrari reportedly gains ‘at least one second’ with 2023 F1 car.
Ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season, it is reported that Ferrari’s challenger could be over one second faster than its predecessor.
19th Jan 2023, 12:06
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

fans of Ferrari may have something to look forward to this year, as Formu1a.uno writes that its car is over a second faster than the 2022 F1-75 in the simulator.

Over the winter break, key areas of improvement that the team has been focused on are improving engine reliability as well as performance gains in medium and low-speed corners.

Ferrari has made a major change through the team boss role, with Frederic Vasseur replacing Mattia Binotto, who departs the company after over two decades. Ferrari is looking to bring an end to its title drought, which stretches back to the 2008 campaign when it topped the Constructors’ Championship.

‘Ferrari’s challenger could be over one second faster’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...h-2023-f1-car/


Ferrari gain “at least one second” with F1 2023 car? Latest rumour emerges from Maranello
19 Jan 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

There are already positive noises coming out of the Ferrari camp ahead of the F1 2023 season, if reports in Italy are to be believed.

Italy’s Formu1a.uno report that Ferrari’s 2023 F1 car - dubbed project 675 - is at least one second faster than its predecessor in the simulator.

According to the report, sources within the Maranello team have revealed Ferrari’s simulations predict “at least” a one second gain with their 2023 car compared to the F1-75.

‘Project 675’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101921...nd-f1-2023-car


New 2023 Ferrari reportedly 'one second faster' in simulator
19/01/2023 at 15:26
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Enrico Gualtieri remains in charge of engine development, including the design of Ferrari's future power unit that will be produced according to F1's 2023 engine regulations.

But Gualtieri is now assisted by Davide Mazzoni who returned to Ferrari last November after several years with Maserati to deal exclusively with the 2023-spec unit's Internal Combustion Engine.

After last year's spell of reliability issues, Ferrari's efforts have been largely directed at improving durability, with its engineers undertaking long sessions on the test bench at Maranello with results that warrant a "cautious optimism" according to Formu1a.uno.

‘Long sessions on the test bench at Maranello’;

https://f1i.com/news/464388-new-2023...simulator.html


Ferrari said to have gained "at least" a second
19/01/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

Reports coming out if Italy suggest Ferrari's 2023 contender is at least a second quicker than its predecessor.

While the claim is based purely on simulator work it will give hope to the tifosi, drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz and all those who want to see Red Bull given a run for its money this season.

With an engine freeze in place, the only changes that can be made to the engine relate to reliability, safety, cost saving and minor changes in order to allow the power unit to be installed correctly. Improvements cannot be made to the performance of the engine.

‘Claim is based purely on simulator work’;

https://www.pitpass.com/74397/Ferrar...least-a-second


Ben Sulayem: 'Only a matter of time' before Ferrari wins championship
19/01/2023 at 10:39
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem believes that it's "only a matter of time" before Ferrari returns the F1 title to Maranello. "The decision was made on the basis of performance," commented Ben Sulayem when asked in Saudi Arabia last week about Ferrari's prospects.

"When Ferrari won they had a lot of diversity, but it’s not about whether Italians are better than French or Germans. It’s about finding the right person. Even if all teams have the same engine and the same team boss, only one team can win at the end," he added.

"Whether they have the right ingredients, no one knows except Ferrari itself. But winning races and winning championships is not something new for Ferrari. It’s only a matter of time until they win again."

'Only a matter of time';

https://f1i.com/news/464375-ben-sula...mpionship.html

Alpine 'suspicious' about Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari developments before new F1 season.
Alpine's F1 executive director has shared his thoughts on F1's top teams supposedly making gains during the offseason.
14:13, Thu, Jan 19, 2023
By Liam Llewellyn
Daily and Sunday Express

Alpine F1 have grown suspicious of their biggest rivals during the offseason with the new campaign fast approaching. The French-based outfit finished fourth in the 2022 Constructor standings and they will be keen to close the gap to Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes this season.

“In reality the modifications to increase the reliability of the engine, even without a direct performance purpose, also helps the power,” the report reads. “And Ferrari seems to be the one ahead from this point of view.”

As a result Apline are reportedly 'suspicious' over their rival's increase in horsepower, while their power unit changes haven't brought any performance gains. Commenting on the subject, Alpine executive director Bruno Famin, the head of the team’s engine base in Viry-Chatillon in France, explained to The Race: “There is no real margin to be honest because, by rule, you cannot improve the performance of the engine.

‘Suspicious';

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


Alpine ‘suspicious’ of F1 rivals amid engine improvements – report
15:20 Thu, 19 Jan 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Alpine is said to be “suspicious” of rival power unit manufacturers who have reportedly unlocked performance through reliability improvements. Gazetta dello Sport reports that Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull have made gains on their engines ahead of the 2023 season.

Gazzetta writes that “in reality the modifications to increase the reliability of the engine, even without a direct performance purpose, also helps the power. “And Ferrari seems to be the one ahead from this point of view.” It says that Ferrari has found a 30hp increase, with rivals Mercedes and Red Bull being boosted by 16hp and 10hp respectively.

Speaking recently to The Race, Alpine executive director Bruno Famin outlined that performance gains from reliability corrections are known to the FIA, who monitored the situation in 2022. “Behind the reliability issue you often have a potential performance gain, of course,” he said. “The limit is not exactly always super clear. Now I am expecting the FIA to be a bit stronger in the future.”

“Suspicious”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ne-horsepower/


Alpine urge FIA to take action against Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda trickery
Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull will all have a more powerful engine in 2023, despite their being an engine freeze on performance upgrades.
18 January 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Alpine executive director Bruno Famin has questioned “what is a pure, genuine reliability issue?” Following reports from Italy that Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes have all increased the power of their power units.

“The process in 2022 with the FIA and the other PU manufacturers has been quite good, it has been transparent at least in that everybody was aware of the request and this is very good. It has been well managed by the FIA. “Now I am expecting the FIA to be a bit stronger in the future. It has been quite tolerant in ‘22 and I think it was quite normal because everybody was affected by a reliability issue.”

“We had 30, 40, 50, 70 requests from the different manufacturers. Then everybody was affected by this kind of problem. I am expecting the FIA to be a bit stronger in the future, but I have no new information.”

‘Urge FIA to take action’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/alpine-ur...onda-trickery/


Alpine reportedly ‘suspicious’ after rivals find horsepower gains through reliability fixes
Wednesday 18th January 2023 12:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

At a time when F1’s engine manufacturers may only make changes to their power units to improve reliability, Alpine are said to be “suspicious” of rivals who have found extra horsepower. That, Gazzetta dello Sport reports, is a huge concern as all three of their rival engine manufacturers – Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull – have reportedly made gains.

Alpine executive director Bruno Famin, the head of the team’s engine base in Viry-Chatillon in France, recently explained to The Race: “For example, we can imagine changing the inlet line or exhaust line to allow our colleagues from Enstone to make better aerodynamics. This is where we are working. We’re working of focus in the use of the energy management, but here again we are going to be very limited as we’re going to have only one software version per year now.

“We are pushing like that, but it’s more on the on the drivability. We are going through the ideas to progress, which is very small margins. It’s not pure performance, it’s more drivability and integration/aero gains.” But while Alpine fell short, Ferrari have 30hp extra as last season they were forced to decrease the power as they tried to avoid yet more DNFs with their unreliable engine.

‘Suspicious’

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...nd-horsepower/


Alpine outline their ‘100-race plan’ after Fernando Alonso misery
Alpine finished as the best of the rest in 2022, holding off a late charge from McLaren.
16 January 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News

When Renault rebranded to Alpine in 2022, many fans were excited to see exactly what the team could achieve, especially after they managed to bring the legendary Fernando Alonso out of retirement to race for the team.
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi claimed that the team had a 100-race plan in place, but never actually described the details of this plan or where he expects his team to be in the near future.
The team have been impressive since joining the sport, finishing fifth and fourth in their two seasons in Formula 1, achieving a win and a podium along the way as well.
Alpine look to be a team on the rise under the major regulation changes that came into effect last year, as without their major reliability woes, the French team could have scored over 100 more points, with Alonso alone being forced to retire from six races.

‘100-race plan’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/alpine-ou...alonso-misery/

Aston Martin find “clever innovations” in F1 rule loopholes - Good news for Fernando Alonso?
Loopholes within the F1 rules have enabled Aston Martin to find “clever innovations” on their 2023 car.
20 Jan 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Hopes for 2023 are high at the Silverstone-based outfit after they were boosted by the arrival of Fernando Alonso, with the two-time world champion replacing fellow multiple world champion Sebastian Vettel, who has retired. Aston Martin are aiming for a marked improvement following two underwhelming seasons and a disappointing seventh-place finish in the 2022 F1 constructors’ championship.

Although there are no major rule changes for the upcoming campaign - unlike the regulation overhaul in 2022 - Aston Martin’s deputy technical director Eric Blandin has suggested there are loopholes teams can take advantage of.

“We've implemented a few clever innovations on the new car – they're the icing on the cake,” Blandin said in an interview on the official Aston Martin website. “They’re a nice-to-have, but not a must-have.”

“Clever innovations”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101926...o-s-big-chance


Aston Martin says its 2023 F1 car is more than 90 per cent new
20th Jan 2023, 09:47
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Speaking in an Aston Martin pre-season interview, deputy technical director Eric Blandin outlined how fresh the AMR23 will be compared to its predecessor. “We took all our learnings from last year’s car and applied them to this year’s car,” he said.

“So much of the AMR23 is new, it’s completely different from the AMR22. We’ve changed more than 90 per cent of the parts and more than 95 per cent of the aerodynamic surfaces are different.”

‘90 per cent new’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-per-cent-new/


ASTON MARTIN VOWS “NO EXCUSES” FOR 2023
This year's car is set to be "completely different" to Aston Martin's 2022 contender.
20th Jan 2023, 15:39
Jasmine Hughes
FormulaNerds

The Silverstone-based team has a “few little things” up its sleeve as Aston Martin finds “loopholes” it can use to its advantage.

A positive outlook for 2023. In Blandin’s view, Aston Martin’s F1 project is now “coming together”. With new state-of-the-art facilities on the horizon, the team’s future in F1 is looking bright.

“You can feel the energy. Even if we don’t get it right this year or next year, or don’t make the step forward we’re aiming for, we will eventually,” he said. “There’s a strong feeling, a belief, that we’re on the right path. It’s going to take a few years to become championship contenders, but soon we will have everything we need to be successful.”

“NO EXCUSES”;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/as.../?nowprocket=1


Fallows: Aston Martin won’t ‘replicate’ F1’s big teams to beat them
11:09 Tue, 17 Jan 2023.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport

Aston Martin cannot just “replicate” Formula 1’s big three teams if it aspires to be fighting at the front of the grid, says technical director Dan Fallows. “The important thing for us is to make sure that we don’t just replicate what our competitors are doing,” said Fallows, as quoted by The Race.

“We don’t believe that’s going to help us overtake the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari.
“We have to develop our own way of doing things. That does take time, but we’ve got a hugely ambitious group of people.”

“One of the things about seeing the new factory come together is it demonstrates this momentum, this vision, this wish to accelerate the process of moving up the grid and get into a winning situation.”

‘Cannot just “replicate” ‘;

https://readmotorsport.com/2023/01/1...-to-beat-them/


F1: Fernando Alonso shows off incredible reactions with light speed test
Published: 20 Jan 2023, 08:58
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

Fernando Alonso embarks on his 21st Formula 1 season this year with Aston Martin and it looks as though his reactions are as sharp as ever.

Many want to see Fernando out in front battling with the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and old rival Lewis Hamilton because there’s a genuine belief he’s still absolutely got what it takes to win races providing the car he is in is good enough.

It remains to be seen what the AMR23 that Aston produce is like, then, with it due to launch on February 13th, but it’s clear Fernando has kept himself in top shape both physically and mentally over the off-season ahead of another busy year on the grid.

‘Incredible reactions’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88106989...ght-speed-test

Haas boss Guenther Steiner targeting 5th in F1 standings ahead of new season.
Guenther Steiner believes the gelling process among new staff at Haas will stand them in good stead for the 2023 season.
16:11 Thu, 12 Jan 2023.
Wheels24

Such has been their rate of progress, in fact, that Steiner hopes to see Haas climb back to their 2018 peak of fifth place in the Constructors' standings in the next couple of seasons. "I think we are in a better place," Steiner explained on the Beyond The Grid podcast.

"As I say, I'm cautiously confident looking at next year that these guys did a good job again, but not because they just worked together for a year, they're just getting better, or the organisation is getting better. They're just more efficient. “

“They know each other. They know their weak points, their good points, everything. So they're working just like a team now, and that should give us a better car for the future – and that is where we came up in the last two years."

‘Targeting 5th’;

https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...eason-20230112


Guenther Steiner sends reassuring message about Haas’ future in F1
Sunday 15th January 2023 10:00 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

With a new title sponsor on board, Guenther Steiner believes Haas fans do not have to worry about the future of their team in the sport.

Formula 1 is one of the most expensive sports on the planet to compete in and Haas have one of the smaller budgets on the grid in comparison to those further up the field.

While at times that has made Steiner’s life in particular more difficult (need we mention the boat?), the 57-year-old can breathe a little easier now that the team has a new title sponsor.

‘Reassuring message’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...aas-future-f1/


STEINER “COULDN’T CARE LESS” ABOUT FERRARI B-TEAM COMMENTS
The debate around technical relationships between teams reared its head once again last season
09:34 Tue, 17 Jan 2023.
Katy Roberts
FormulaNerds

Over Haas’ satisfactory 2022 season, Guenther Steiner ignored suggestions of a controversial team relationship with Ferrari. The American team has repeatedly faced criticism surrounding its technical collaboration with the legendary constructor.

In 2018, both Force India and McLaren spoke out against the partnership after Haas arrived at testing with a car resembling the previous season’s Ferrari. McLaren’s Zak Brown has frequently been one of the biggest critics.

However, the so-called A and B-team system is a great way for smaller teams to enter the sport, according to Ross Brawn. “If you are good, you are a copycat; if you are doing bad, nobody cares,” Steiner told Autosport. “It’s like, alright then, keep on saying it, we have heard this before. It’s a broken record. It doesn’t do anything to me. I couldn’t care less about it.”

“COULDN’T CARE LESS”;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/st.../?nowprocket=1


Guenther Steiner lashes out over Ferrari dig as Haas critics are "like a broken record"
Haas team principal Steiner rarely minces his words, and he stayed true to form as he was asked about those who criticise his team's links with engine suppliers Ferrari
22:26, 17 Jan 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror

Guenther Steiner takes no notice at all of those who dismiss Haas as nothing more than a Ferrari 'B-team'. Steiner, in his usual unflappable way, says he couldn't care less what other have to say about his team. He told Motorsport-Total : "We have got used to it. If you're good, you're a copycat. If you're bad, nobody cares.”

"It's like, 'alright, keep saying it, we've heard it before'. It's a broken record. It doesn't bother me. I don't care at all." While Haas have benefitted from that Ferrari relationship, their efforts last season were hampered by reliability issues from those power units.

But Steiner appears confident those woes are now over. "It should be okay now with the new power units that are coming in, and hopefully for next year it is resolved because we had quite a few issues this year, with a few crashes and then power unit problems, they have not helped us," he told Mirror Sport at the end of October.

"Like a broken record";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...nship-28981463


Guenther Steiner snaps back at criticism of Haas' Ferrari relationship - 'Don't care'
F1 team Haas enjoy a close relationship with Ferrari.
19:08, Wed, Jan 11, 2023
By Fraser Watson
Daily and Sunday Express

Gunther Steiner has insisted he doesn't care about scepticism over the relationship between his Haas team and Ferrari. The American outfit have long purchased engine parts off the Scuderia, whilst also acquiring staff members. They also have a 'hub' at Ferrari’s Maranello base in Italy.

The likes of Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, Alpine’s Otmar Szafnauer and McLaren’s Andreas Seidl have all previously raised Haas’ close ties to Ferrari. However, none have submitted an official complaint to the FIA on the matter.

The issue of replicating in F1 kicked off in 2020 when Racing Point (now Aston Martin) produced a car dubbed the ‘pink Mercedes’ for its resemblance to the W10 from 2019. As a result, Racing Point were docked 15 Constructors’ points and fined £359,000 for copying the brake ducts.

'Don't care';

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


‘You are a copycat’: Guenther Steiner hits back at cheating claims
Haas entered Formula 1 in 2016, bringing an American owned team to the paddock under the leadership of Guenther Steiner.
17 January 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News

The A and B team style of management in Formula 1 has been a very successful one for numerous teams, with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes partnering with smaller teams on the grid to share parts.

Haas’ technical partnership with Ferrari has been heavily criticised in the past, as the team’s success during its first couple of seasons in the sport was credited to Ferrari. McLaren and Force India both protested against Haas’ relationship with Ferrari in 2018, as the car produced by the team looked awfully similar to the car produced by the Scuderia the season before.

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has now hit back at these copying claims, suggesting the rival teams only use this partnership as an excuse when Haas are doing well and fall silent when the team are less successful.

‘Hits back at cheating claims’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/you-are-a...eating-claims/


[B]‘Rich people’: Guenther Steiner fires thinly veiled jibe at Toto Wolff[/B]
2023 is set to be the longest season in the history of Formula 1, with 23 races having been confirmed following the cancellation of the Chinese GP.
by Nick Golding
12 January 2023
Formula1News

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has admitted that the American side are “not as privileged” as the “rich” teams on the grid, with the Italian revealing that there are no plans for mechanics and engineers to be rotated during the upcoming season.

Steiner actually enjoys going to all of the races and has even stated that he’ll only miss a race if he’s “sick”. “I’m not as privileged as them, you know, I have to go to the races, actually – these are the rich people which can afford not to go because they’ve got so many people working for them,” Steiner said on Formula 1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.

“And to be honest, I don’t dislike to go to races. This is what I’m doing, what I like most. Going racing, it’s one of the things I do like. I will go, hopefully, with 24 races you never know if you’re sick on one race or something – I hope I’m not – and I will go to all the races.

“I have to go to the races”, “This is what I’m doing, what I like most”;

https://formula1news.co.uk/rich-peop...at-toto-wolff/

A reality check for anyone expecting a closer 2023 F1 season.
It is going to take time for the field to close up, but there are reasons to expect it to do so. This is the most comprehensive rules overhaul in F1 history and given it’s such a complex sport, it will inevitably require years, rather than months, for the full effect to be felt.
Jan 21 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race

One of the main objectives of Formula 1’s recent rule revolution is to close up the field. Conventional wisdom states the longer the rules are stable, the closer the competition gets, so the hope is things will get tighter in 2023.

Historically that trend is broadly true, although it’s never quite as linear as that. Both a look back at F1’s past and the current situation in F1 suggests it won’t be that clear-cut and even though it’s hoped 2023 will be closer, there could be a painful reality check for those expecting it.

F1’s 2022 regulations aimed to make the field more competitive in multiple ways and it is realistic to expect them to have a positive effect. This objective has been attacked not only technically, but also through the financial and sporting regulations, as well as the Concorde Agreement that binds together the teams, the FIA and commercial-rights holder Liberty Media.

‘A reality check’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/a-rea...023-f1-season/


F1 rule changes - The feud between three team bosses over 2023’s biggest update
F1 have altered with their ride height rules for 2023.
10:01, Sun, Jan 22, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto were all involved in a tense feud over one of F1’s major rule changes. The three team bosses had a “heated exchange” at the Canadian Grand Prix after the FIA issued a technical directive to combat porpoising issues.

New rule changes launched a metric to measure oscillations to ensure cars were not being run too close to the floor. This was eventually brought in from the Belgian Grand Prix but the directive also promised a technical meeting to define more long-term solutions to the issue.

The FIA have since adopted a string of new rule changes for 2023 in a bid to improve safety. Ride heights will be raised by 15mm for this season while more stringent lateral floor deflection tests and sensors will also be introduced. The car’s underfloor diffuser throat will also need to be raised from the start of the new season.

‘The feud between three team bosses’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/?search=...rchheadlines=1


Liberty Media rejects huge bid from Saudi Arabia to buy F1
Liberty Media have made it clear that Formula 1 is not for sale
January 22, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Liberty Media have reiterated that F1 is not for sale after rejecting a huge bid from Saudi Arabia to purchase Formula 1. The American media group bought the sport for $4.4 billion in 2017.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which also owns Newcastle United, reportedly bid over $20 billion in an attempt to buy the sport, as part of Saudi Arabia’s ever-growing sporting sphere of influence.

They reportedly remain committed to the project of buying F1 and would be one of the frontrunners if Liberty does look to sell its asset in the coming years, but have been rebuffed for the time being.

‘Reportedly bid over $20 billion in an attempt to buy the sport’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/lib...arabia-buy-f1/


Why Time Is Becoming a Factor in Andretti F1 Bid
Mario Andretti says that son Michael Andretti's Formula 1 effort will need decision from F1 in the next few months.
Jan 20, 2023
By Global Motorsport Media
AutoWeek

Formula 1 needs to give the Andretti-Cadillac F1 is entering a critical phase and that time is starting to matter. So says 1978 Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti, whose son Michael Andretti is bidding to bring his Andretti Autosport empire into the sport with General Motors' backing.

However, while FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem has shown support for the new team to enter F1—most likely in 2026 when the sport's new regulations kick in—the bid is facing major opposition from existing teams who fear a dilution of their value and official income.

It means that, for the moment, the Andretti bid has the brakes on.

‘Time Is Becoming a Factor’;

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...dretti-f1-bid/


Six F1 teams which could have more team-mate tension than Ocon v Gasly
Saturday 21st January 2023 7:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Pierre Gasly against Esteban Ocon at Alpine is one of the big F1 duels we are all looking forward to in 2023, but the new Alpine driver does not see what the fuss is about when their fractious relationship is spoken of.

Gasly has been keen to play down any talk of tension between them, however. “I think this is a subject that is talked about far too often,” he told the French edition of Motorsport.com. “We get along well. We may not be best friends, but we can go through a door together.”

“When I go over the paddock and the relationships between other team-mates, there are certainly relationships that are worse than ours. If the relationship between Esteban and me needs to be discussed, you can talk about 60 per cent of the paddock.” So with Gasly inviting talks about six other teams in the paddock, we got our heads together for a think about which teams he could be referring to.

‘Six F1 teams’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/six-f1...river-tension/

Sergio Perez will be an F1 world champion, claims father.
Sergio Perez will one day win the Formula 1 driver's championship, his father Victor has claimed.
Sunday 22 January 2023 23:01
Paul Macdonald
GPFans

In an interview with Mexican outlet En Cancha MX, Antonio Perez Garibay discussed his son's exploits and his development into becoming Max Verstappen's Partner at Red Bull. He believes that his son needs to up his game, but that he also has the capacity to compete – and ultimately win – the world title in the future.

Perez Sr. said: "These last two years have been the most important for him. The best thing is his relationship with Red Bull. "It must be remembered that Checo was not at this level and he found it, after he lost everything at Force India and Racing Point, when he was fired and left without a job, but these two years they have been the most important in all terms for Checo.”

"This is an experience that is very difficult for Mexico to repeat and we have to enjoy it. I tell you that the best of Checo Perez – we have not seen it yet. He has much more to give, and surely with the passage of time Mexico will have a F1 champion."

‘One day, Formula 1 driver's champion’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...claims-father/


What Perez needs to do to take title fight to Verstappen
Monday 16 January 2023 13:20
GPFans Staff

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard has revealed what Sergio Perez must do to take the fight to team-mate Max Verstappen for the F1 drivers' title this year. Coulthard explained: "For Checo to look at how many victories Max had and how many he had, it's not like he is just having to polish a few corners.

"This is a major rewrite, a software update. If you use the same ingredients in the cake you will get the same cake. You need to change it if you want something different."

"He has access to the data of the world champion," added Coulthard. "He can see where he's quicker, and where he's slower. Checo will be quicker in some areas. It's just Max is putting it all together more often than not."

‘A major rewrite, a software update’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...vid-coulthard/


HOW SERGIO PEREZ PLANS ON WINNING THE TITLE IN 2023
Sergio Perez is eyeing a title-winning 2023 season as he works on consistency and strength
10:10 Tue, 10 Jan 2023.
Catherine Micallef
FormulaNerds

The Mexican joined the Austrian outlet in 2021 after he unleashed a racing force like no other in his last season with Racing Point in 2020. He proved to be a great “second driver” by helping slow down other drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and contributing to Max Verstappen’s title winnings in 2021. In 2022, Perez was essential in Red Bull’s mission to win Constructors’ too.

Perez is not wasting time. The season might be taking a break, but the Mexican is working non-stop to ensure he’s prepared for the 2023 season. At age 32, he feels like he’s at his prime and is determined to win even more. He told Formula 1: “I’m constantly working on it. I think it really depends on how comfortable I am at the start of the season with the car, as I was in the beginning of the season, then it slipped away.”

“I think as Formula 1 drivers, we are constantly working for new challenges all the time. But I do feel, at this time, I’m pretty much at my best. I really want to carry it on and start next year on a very high [level]. Certainly, [2022] started really well. [We had] some reliability issues in the beginning, but things were looking on track. We were in the mix for the championship early on. I had a couple of bad races that really put me [out of] contention for the championship, so there is some work to do in that regard, together with the team.”

‘HOW SERGIO PEREZ PLANS ON WINNING’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/se.../?nowprocket=1


Sergio Pérez's best moments of 2022.
30 Dec 2022
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Even though Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez missed out on second place in drivers' championship, Mexican still had an exceptional season as he conquered the streets of Monaco and Singapore. Sit back and enjoy some of Checo's defining moments in 2022.

‘Sergio Pérez's best moments’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...750062624.html


Horner: Brazil team order row 'a mistake on our part'
21/01/2023 at 17:07
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Christian Horner has admitted that the row that blew up between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez about team orders at the Brazilian Grand Prix had been down to Red Bull failing to foresee how things would play out. Looking back, Horner acknowledged that it was the team which had been responsible for the breakdown in Verstappen and Perez working together on that occasion.

“I think the root cause of the problem was we had never envisaged being in a situation, being in the final few laps, being in sixth and seventh place in that Grand Prix,” Horner said. “It was something that, as we hadn't envisaged it, we hadn't discussed it before the race, and I think that was a mistake on our part," he admitted.

"We should have thought through, or tried to think through every single scenario. I think that was a mistake as a team that we didn't discuss it and come up with a very clear plan," he noted. "Obviously it was unfortunate what happened."

‘Mistake on our part';

https://f1i.com/news/464465-horner-b...-our-part.html

Massa: Ferrari have 'many, many problems' to fix.
Felipe Massa believes Ferrari needs to fix 'many many problems' to give Charles Leclerc a chance of winning this year's F1 title.
Monday 23 January 2023 06:59
Paul Macdonald
GPFans

Ferrari's questionable strategy decisions plagued its 2022 season despite a strong start, and Massa, speaking in an interview with Polish site Swiatwyscigow.pl, said in order to win a title, certain situations have to be perfect – something Ferrari must bear in mind. "First of all, I think Charles is doing a fantastic job," said Massa. "He's a great driver, he really deserves to be in a competitive car. He deserves to have the opportunity to fight for the championship as a driver.”

"But yeah, I think they need to fix the problem. They need to improve the things that are not working, on the strategy but also on so many other things. They have mechanical issues at the beginning of the season. They had problems in the pit stop, many, many problems with the strategy.”

"In the end, to win the championship, everything needs to be perfect. For me, when you have a season like this, it's important to fix things in the right way. If you start to change things and you change in the wrong way, that is not good. So, you need to change things in the right way and fix them quickly. You need to fix now until the last race to be better for the next season."

‘Everything needs to be perfect’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...-felipe-massa/


Ex-F1 star disagrees with Charles Leclerc as new Ferrari boss told to act 'like a parent'.
Ferrari's strategic errors cost them a shot at the title in 2022.
11:30, Mon, Jan 23, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Former F1 driver Emmanuele Pirro has claimed Ferrari shouldn’t favour Charles Leclerc amid a team orders row at the Prancing Horse. Ex-boss Mattia Binotto refused to prioritise Leclerc last season as he maintained equal footing at the Scuderia.

However, it is a move which is understood to have led to the downfall of Binotto and Leclerc’s relationship as Max Verstappen and Red Bull cruised to the crown. But, new team boss Frederic Vassuer has been urged to stand strong to make sure the team achieves the best results.

He also called on Leclerc to “make the difference" himself instead of asking for favours. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Pirro said: “It depends on the drivers you have available “In Red Bull, the problem doesn’t even arise, with Verstappen so much stronger than Perez. With team-mates who can be compared today such as Hamilton-Russell or Leclerc-Sainz, the team principal must support those who are more in difficulty, like a parent with a weaker child.”

‘Act like a parent';

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ur-news-latest


‘Charles Leclerc a better bet for 2023 F1 title than Lewis Hamilton, George Russell’
Monday 23rd January 2023 3:00 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

A respected Formula 1 observer believes Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is a better bet to be crowned World Champion in 2023 than Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Speaking via his Twitch stream, former Williams and Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor sees Verstappen as the strong favourite to make it three in a row in 2023, but sees more scope for improvement at Ferrari and Mercedes as F1 enters the second season of the ground effect regulations.

He said: “As far as how [Ferrari] will go in 2023, I’m not sure that is in the hands of either Charles Leclerc or Freddy Vasseur. It’s in the hands, ultimately, of the technical team. No matter how much the new coach can say, ‘we’ve all got to work hard, we’ve got to focus on this, we’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that’, ultimately it comes down to talent and it comes down to brainpower.”

“It doesn’t come down to resources, it doesn’t come down to money. It comes down to talent and brainpower, which is why Red Bull are as good as they are because it’s ultimately Adrian Newey’s design team that creates that car. So how good a car will the technical department at Ferrari create in 2023 based on what they had in ’22 and bearing in mind the regulation changes are relatively small and we’re fixed now on power units? The logical thing to say is that Ferrari will be a bit nearer Red Bull probably.”

‘Talent and brainpower’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/charle...eorge-russell/


Ferrari definitely needed 2023 shakeup says Alesi
JANUARY 23, 2023
GrandPrix.com

Ferrari needs to rely on a pair of French talents to put the fabled team back on track in Formula 1. That is the view of Jean Alesi, one of the most well-known former French F1 drivers who famously raced for the Italian team in the 90s.

"Certainly, in order for the team to move forward, it is necessary to implement changes for the better in a number of aspects," Alesi said. The most obvious change for 2023 was the axing of Ferrari's Italian team boss Mattia Binotto, as he is replaced with Alfa Romeo's French principal Frederic Vasseur.

But Alesi says Vasseur will now work very closely with Ferrari's existing sporting boss Laurent Mekies - who is also French. "I believe Vasseur will have to rely a lot on Laurent," he said. "He has been working at Ferrari for several years and is ideally suited for the role of helping the new leader to figure out which areas need to be reformed and which do not need to be changed.”

‘2023 shakeup’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/ferra...ays-alesi.html


How Ferrari added to FIA organisational "crisis"
Monday 23 January 2023 10:47
Ronan Murphy
GPFans

Former F1 driver and FIA steward Emanuele Pirro has revealed how Ferrari played a part in the governing body's "crisis" following the death of Charlie Whiting. Long-time F1 race director Whiting passed away in the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix in 2019.

Pirro, who left F1 to forge a successful endurance racing career, has explained how Ferrari's decision to hire Laurent Mekies as racing director threw the FIA into further disarray. "With Whiting gone, the system went into crisis," Pirro told Corriere della Sera. "Laurent Mekies, who was supposed to replace him, was taken by Ferrari."

Following Masi's departure, Pirro added: "Wittich and Freitas were the best available, but alternation cannot work. You have to create a long bench because the race director can only grow in that room, you cannot recruit him from outside."

‘FIA organisational "crisis" ‘;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/99...tional-crisis/


Ferrari "politics" blamed for Mick Schumacher's 2023 F1 absence amid AlphaTauri admission
Schumacher might have been offered another seat on the 2023 F1 grid despite being axed by Haas, but the chief of the interested team has blamed Ferrari for that not happening
18:51, 23 Jan 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer

Franz Tost has admitted he would have liked to sign Mick Schumacher to race for AlphaTauri this season. But, as he explained, there was a reason why such a move didn't materialise. Schumacher was released by Haas at the end of last season after just two seasons, leaving the German to take up a reserve role with Mercedes rather than another race seat.

AlphaTauri had already signed Nyck de Vries by that point, to replace Pierre Gasly. But even if that wasn't the case, long-serving team principal Tost explained there was another key reason why there was never any hope of signing Schumacher.

‘Ferrari "politics" blamed’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...tauri-29031302

Haas goes for earliest 2023 F1 reveal date so far.
The Haas VF-23 will debut its colours in what it has acknowledged is a livery launch only on January 31, with the team having promised a “rebranded livery” when it originally announced its MoneyGram partnership.
25th Jan 2023, 14:20
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
RaceFans

Of course, many of the actual 2023 cars – rather than ‘show cars’ or simple livery reveals – will only make their proper appearance closer to, or even right before the February 23 start of, pre-season testing in Bahrain. The Haas livery unveiling is scheduled for 2pm GMT next Tuesday.

In addition to Magnussen and Hulkenberg, the team recently confirmed it has retained two-time F1 grand prix starter Pietro Fittipaldi in a reserve role – with the Miami-born Brazilian eligible to drive the VF-23 in the two practice session each team is required to make available to rookies.

F1 2023 LAUNCH DATES
Haas – January 31 (livery reveal)
Red Bull – February 3
Williams – February 6 (season launch)
Alfa Romeo – February 7
AlphaTauri – February 11
Aston Martin – February 13
McLaren – February 13
Ferrari – February 14
Mercedes – February 15
Alpine – February 16

‘Haas VF-23 Debut’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/haas-...l-date-so-far/


Haas confirm 2023 F1 season launch
25 January 3:10PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

Haas will reveal their 2023 livery on Tuesday 31st January ahead of the new season. The online event will see the team unveil how the new branding will look on the car, after they revealed a new logo that incorporates their title sponsor MoneyGram.

MoneyGram was confirmed as the team's main sponsor on a multi-year deal at the US Grand Prix last year, following the termination of their agreement with Russian sponsor Uralkali at the beginning of 2022.

The team is expected to unveil their actual car to be driven by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg at pre-season testing, which starts on the 23rd February.

‘Haas Launch’;

https://racingnews365.com/haas-confi...-season-launch


Steiner explains reservations on Haas fielding US F1 driver
16:48 Tue, 24 Jan 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has professed that he retains an interest in signing Logan Sargeant for the future but has warned they will only consider recruiting an American driver once they have acquired Formula 1 experience elsewhere.

“Absolutely we would like to see it, but I think the answer is not a simple ‘what would it take?’. I mean, what would it take is a consequence”, the team boss told Texan television station KVUE.

“So I think what we need to see is to make a development of an American driver, which is very difficult.”

‘Reservations’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-us-f1-driver/


Steiner Still Wants American Racer to Join Haas in F1, Links Sargeant with Future Move
January 25, 2023
By Paul Hensby

Guenther Steiner insists the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team would like to see an American driver join the team in the future, and he has hinted that Logan Sargeant could be that driver once he earns experience within the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

However, the fact there are currently no drivers from the United States with Formula 1experience meant they went with Nico Hülkenberg alongside Kevin Magnussen for 2023.

With Formula 1 becoming ever more popular in the United States and Haas being the only American team on the grid, they have always been linked with American drivers since they joined the grid in 2015. This link has been increased in 2023 with American sponsors MoneyGram joining Haas, while there will also be three races in the country in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.

‘American Racer’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...h-future-move/


F1: Pietro Fittipaldi retained by Haas as reserve driver
Published: 24 Jan 2023, 18:00
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

Haas have confirmed that Pietro Fittipaldi will be retained by the team as their reserve driver for the coming year. The team sees a change to its driver line-up for 2023 with Nico Hulkenberg replacing Mick Schumacher alongside Kevin Magnussen.

Part of the reason behind the switch was due to Guenther Steiner wanting more experience behind the wheel of his two cars, and it seems as though Haas have opted to go with a familiar face in terms of their reserve role as well.

Indeed, Fittipaldi has been with the team for several seasons now and has regularly taken on testing and reserve driver duties, though without ever looking massively close to getting a full-time drive with the team – with him taking on sportscar duties as well.

‘Pietro Fittipaldi Reserve Driver’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88108502...reserve-driver

Marko claims Mercedes F1 atmosphere ‘tense’ after Vowles exit.
Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko claims that there is unease within the Mercedes Formula 1 team following the exit of James Vowles.
25th January 2023, 11:47
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

When asked if he was worried that Vowles could shape Williams into a B-team for Mercedes, Marko said: “No, I have completely different information. Vowles went of his own accord and – so it is said – even takes good engineers with him. My sources tell me that’s why the mood at Mercedes is so tense.”

However, while Marko was cautious over whether Vowles’ exit could hurt Mercedes form next year, the Austrian states that he expects the Brackley-based outfit to be Red Bull’s biggest competitor this year.

“We’ll see,” he said. “However, I still believe that Mercedes will be our biggest challenger when it comes to defending our title.”

‘Mercedes F1 atmosphere tense’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...r-vowles-exit/


How Williams Hired Away Mercedes’s Strategy Director, James Vowles
January 17, 2023 6:49 PM
By Madeline Coleman Sports Illustrated
News & Observer, North Carolina

Throughout his 21-year F1 career, he’s been part of more than 120 race victories and played key roles in winning nine constructors’ championships. Williams Racing’s announcement of hiring James Vowles as the Formula One team’s new team principal shocked many, but it wasn’t because he’s not a qualified candidate.

He’s overseen more than 120 race victories and played a key role in nine constructors’ titles. And for the last 13 years, he’s been with Mercedes in key engineering and strategy roles, working his way to being the motorsport strategy director. Now, Vowles replaces Jost Capito, who stepped down as Williams’s CEO and team boss in December. Vowles told select media that the conversations between the Grove outfit and himself began “over the last month or so,” adding that it wasn’t a complete “cold call” given the relationships within F1.

“From my perspective, the conversation just started picking up initially because it’s an incredible opportunity and I feel like I can add to it,” he said, per formula1.com. “And really from both sides, both Williams and myself, we concluded that the fit is very, very good after a number of meetings with the board. We actually found a way of working, a way of thinking, a way of approaching things, culture, people, systems, was incredibly aligned.”

‘How Williams Hired James Vowles’;

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/...mainstage_card


Vowles taking engineers from Mercedes
JANUARY 25, 2023
Motorsport Week

"Vowles went of his own accord and, so it is said, is even taking good engineers with him. My sources tell me that's why the mood at Mercedes is so tense," the Austrian added.

‘Taking engineers’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/vowle...-mercedes.html


ANALYSIS: Why Williams made Mercedes’ James Vowles their new Team Principal
16 January 2023
Lawrence Barretto
F1 Correspondent & Presenter
Formula One - Official Site

Williams are F1’s second most successful team in terms of constructors’ championships won, but have struggled to replicate that form and compete at the front since the turn of the century. They have finished last three times in the last four years.

Owners Dorilton Capital decided late last year that things needed to change, and thus parted ways with Capito – while removing FX Demaison from his role as Technical Director. At the time, they didn’t have a replacement ready to go, with sources suggesting there were more than 10 under consideration.

Vowles was high on their list – and Dorilton moved swiftly, getting the deal over the line in a month or so. Vowles says he told Mercedes boss Toto Wolff of the offer “a few weeks ago, into the New Year” and said the Austrian, as he expected, was “incredibly good” about the news.

‘New Team Principal’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...LDEEzejN5.html


‘Like a divorce’: James Vowles opens up on Mercedes exit as he denies claim
James Vowles will join Williams as their team principal at the start of next month.
16 January 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News

While a move from being a strategy director to a team principal may seem as a massive leap, Vowles has explained that he has been working towards this role for a while and that he feels more than ready for his Mercedes ‘divorce’.

“Fortunately, I’m not seeing it… it is a leap, it is a jump, but I don’t think it’s a massive leap,” he claimed. “I think this journey towards team principal has been one that has been in my head for many years, and Toto and Mercedes have been incredibly kind in order to provide me a pathway to get there.”

“However, it’s the same if I asked any of you to change what you’re doing and move onto a different organisation, even perhaps if you’re doing the same job. The best analogy I can use so far is almost like a divorce. It’s hard. That’s a lot of people that are incredibly close to me, that I’ve grown up with.”

‘A Divorce’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/like-a-di...-denies-claim/

TEAM GUIDE: Aston Martin's complex F1 roots – and how they're aiming to fulfil lofty title ambitions.
Welcome to the beginner’s guide to Aston Martin – the British marque aiming for World Championship success, with ex-Red Bull expertise and a two-time champion at the wheel…
26 January 2023
Samarth Kanal
Staff Writer
Formula One - Official Site

Fernando Alonso #14: 2 World Championships, 32 wins, 98 podiums, 22 pole positions, 2061 points, 355 starts
Lance Stroll #18: 3 podiums, 1 pole position, 194 points, 122 starts

Double world champion Fernando Alonso joins Aston Martin for this year after spending two seasons with Alpine, the team formerly known as Renault and with whom Alonso won his two titles in 2005 and 2006. The Spaniard spent 2019 and '20 pursuing other motorsports before deciding on a return to F1.

The oldest driver on the grid joins 24-year-old Canadian Lance Stroll, who is about to begin his fourth full season with the team. Lance made his F1 debut with Williams back in 2017 and joined Racing Point in 2019 after Force India were purchased by a consortium led by his father.

‘Aiming to fulfil lofty title ambitions’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...cD54VT4xR.html


Krack: Aston 'credible and acting' in F1 while rivals 'talk'.
Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack says his team walks the walk in Formula 1, while its mid-field rivals just "talk".
26/01/2023 at 14:54
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Krack insists Aston's actions are well aligned with its ambitions and rhetoric. "The green team stands out because we are expanding, we are very serious about our ambitions", he told Spain's AS.”

"It’s not just words, we are building a new headquarters, a new wind tunnel, we have hired a lot of very good people. It’s a matter of making everything work together, but the potential of our project is absolutely real.”

"There are teams that say yes, that in three years they will be winning, that in a hundred races they will be winning, but what are they doing to win?" Krack's remarks appeared to be directed at McLaren and Alpine, two teams that comprehensively outpaced Aston last season.

‘Aston Martin team walks the walk in Formula 1’;

https://f1i.com/news/464675-krack-as...vals-talk.html


Aston Martin takes aim at rival midfield teams for lack of ambition
26/01/2023, 10:41
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has criticised the Formula 1 competition for what he’s perceived as continued talk without the necessary action when it comes to making gains towards the front of the grid. Alonso surprised many when he opted to trade Alpine for Aston Martin over the winter.

However, Krack states the British marque’s newest recruit held absolutely no reservations about investing in the project being assembled at his new home. “That’s why Fernando was clear about it so quickly, in fact we didn’t even have to convince him, he already knew it. He has his contacts everywhere,” said Krack. “We are credible, we are not only talking, we are acting.”

While Sebastian Vettel became the next high-profile name to exit F1 at the end of last year, Alonso is still going strong at the age of 41 and Krack believes the Spanish driver can remain behind the wheel by the point in which the team hopes to be on an equal pedestal with the sport’s elite.

“He has his contacts everywhere”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...k-of-ambition/


New Alonso-influenced Aston Martin is ‘95% different’ says deputy tech chief, as he promises ‘clever innovations’ to AMR23
23 January 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Aston Martin have two-time champion Fernando Alonso at the wheel and a brand new challenger set to be unveiled very soon – and the team's deputy technical chief Eric Blandin has hinted that the AMR23 will be a massive departure from last year's car.

"We took all our learnings from last year's car and applied them to this year's car. So much of the AMR23 is new, it's completely different from the AMR22. We've changed more than 90 per cent of the parts and more than 95 per cent of the aerodynamic surfaces are different," said Blandin in an interview on Aston Martin's website.

"We've implemented a few clever innovations on the new car – they're the icing on the cake. They're a nice-to-have, but not a must-have. It's great when you find a small loophole and can use it to your advantage, but it's not often you can base an entire car around it. Instead, it's essential to get the basics right, and then you can add things."

‘95% different’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...hKW41Hj5V.html


No grand targets despite signing Alonso says Krack
JANUARY 26, 2023
GrandPrix.com

Wins and the Formula 1 title are not yet on Aston Martin's radar for 2023. That is the insistence of boss Mike Krack, even though the Silverstone based team is now heralded as one of the most aggressively-developing and ambitious midfield teams on the grid.

"You say that he does not have many years of F1 left but I am not sure he agrees with that," Krack told the Spanish publication. "If you have someone with this level of motivation, as we have seen with Valentino Rossi, and it's combined with the motivation, dedication and the physical and mental preparation and his talent and experience, I don't think it means time is running out."

The risk, of course, is that Alonso will put too much pressure on Aston Martin. "I've only heard good things about him," Krack laughed. "You hear stories of course but I like to live my own experience and until now I have only had good relations. I don't expect any problems with Fernando as long as we give him a fast car and we are transparent."

‘No grand targets’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/no-gr...ays-krack.html

VASSEUR REVEALS DECISION BEHIND FERRARI F1 STRATEGY TEAM NOT BEING REPLACED.
The Maranello team lost out on several points due to strategy errors during the 2022 Formula 1 season.
27th Jan 2023, 15:05
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Like Binotto, Vasseur believes that the strategy department wasn’t entirely to blame. Instead the Frenchman believes that there are deeper issues within the team, affecting their potential performance. However, Vasseur still admits that the strategy needs to be improved, hence why discussions are being made within the team. The 54-year-old thinks that Ferrari’s solution involves more than just personnel at the strategy front.

Whilst speaking to Motorsport.com, Vasseur explains what changes he planned to make at the Maranello outfit before the season started. “When you are speaking about strategy or aerodynamics or another topic, you have to avoid being just focused on the top of the pyramid.”

“Very often, when you are speaking about strategy, it’s much more a matter of organisation than just the guy who is on the pitwall. I’m trying to understand exactly what’s happened on every single mistake and what’s happened last year. And to try to know if it’s a matter of decision, if it’s a matter of organisation, or of communication?”

‘Wasn’t entirely to blame’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/va.../?nowprocket=1


Vasseur 'really convinced' Ferrari has everything to win F1 title
27/01/2023 at 09:34
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

New Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseurs says the Italian outfit has "everything it needs" to win the F1 title but it has to put "everything together" to do the job. "I'm really convinced that Ferrari today, and, for sure, my experience is limited to the last two weeks, but we have everything to win," Vasseur said on Thursday in his first meeting with the media.

"We have to put everything together to do a good job, but we have everything to be able to win. You can have a look on the results of the last decades that the wheel is always running, and it's just a matter of continuous improvement for me.”

"If we are doing a better job than the others in a couple of months or years, then we will be able to win. Nothing is set in stone. If you have a look at some teams that were in a very dominant situation a couple of years ago, they are nowhere today.”

'Really convinced';

https://f1i.com/news/464701-vasseur-...-f1-title.html


Ferrari 'wakes up' for the new season at Fiorano
25/01/2023 at 17:07
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

The Ferrari team has been holding its traditional three day 'wake up test' to launch the new racing year, with outings for Carlos Sainz, Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman at the team's test track in Fiorano.

Teams aren't allowed to use newer specification cars in private tests, other than very limited running on 'filming days' intended to produce sponsorship and marketing footage.

The private 'wake up test' has become something of a tradition for Ferrari, and has proved useful for drivers, mechanics and engineers alike to get back into the swing of things.

'Wakes up'

https://f1i.com/news/464621-ferrari-...t-fiorano.html


F1: Frederic Vasseur addresses suggestions of Ferrari favouring one driver over the other
Published: 27 Jan 2023, 10:30
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

Frederic Vasseur has said that it has been made ‘crystal clear’ to both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz that Ferrari will not have a number 1 driver, at least to start with this coming F1 season.

The Prancing Horse burst out of the starting gates in 2022 with two wins from the opening three Grands Prix but, soon after, it began to stumble with reliability issues, strategy errors and mistakes creeping in.

Indeed, as they faltered, Red Bull grew stronger and stronger and, before too long, the championship was a foregone conclusion.

‘Crystal clear’ no number 1’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88109505...over-the-other


Vasseur reveals talks with Binotto and Todt in preparation for Ferrari start
2023 F1 season
Posted on 27th January 2023, 14:50
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

New Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur revealed he has spoken to two notable predecessors in preparation for taking over the role. He has already met with Mattia Binotto, who has been replaced by Vasseur after four years in charge of the Scuderia. Vasseur was approached to take over his position shortly after last year’s season finale.

“The process was crystal clear,” Vasseur told selected media including RaceFans. “Even if we had some rumours in the press before Abu Dhabi or during Abu Dhabi, we didn’t discuss before. We had the first discussion the week after Abu Dhabi and it was very, very quick as a process.”

“Then I had a call with Mattia and I even met Mattia during the handover and we had a one-to-one discussion and I [will] thank Mattia for this because I appreciated the move from Mattia. They had to wait for me to discuss together, it was really appreciated from my side.”

‘Vasseur reveals talks’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/27/...ferrari-start/


‘Joke’ 30bhp Ferrari gain claims highlight a sensitive F1 issue
27th Jan 2023, 07:06
By Mark Hughes
The Race

New Ferrari Formula 1 boss Frederic Vasseur insists that rumours of a 30bhp performance boost from the 2023 power unit are ‘a joke’ and that all power unit development during the off-season has been concentrated on fixing the reliability issue which blighted the team’s 2022 season.

This distinction between reliability and performance upgrades has always been set to be a particular bone of contention, from the time of the specification freeze last year. Vasseur says that the early indications from dyno testing suggest the reliability problem has been brought under control.

“So far it looks OK,” he says, “but the reality of the track is a different aspect. A couple of issues the teams – not just Ferrari – were seeing was coming from track issues, bouncing vibration and we’ll have a much better picture in testing in Bahrain.”

‘ ‘Joke’ 30bhp Ferrari gain’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/joke-...tive-f1-issue/

F1’s new qualifying rule change could backfire after 2016 update went badly wrong.
F1 is set to introduce a series of changes next season.
07:01, Sat, Jan 28, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

F1 will trial a new qualifying format for 2023 in the first change since the disastrous 2016 update. The new rule will see teams forced to run on certain tyre compounds during each segment of qualifying at two events next season.
It means competitors will be forced to use the hard tyre in Q1, medium tyre in Q2 and soft tyre in Q3. The system moves away from the current rule where drivers can make the decision themselves over which compound to use.

The update is a bid to improve F1’s sustainability with the number of tyre compounds reduced from 13 to 11 per driver at the select races. Lawmakers believe drivers will use a wide variety of tyres, including the hard which is rarely used due to its low performance.

An FIA statement read: “This will be done to evaluate the impact of the reduction in tyre allocation on track-running, with the overall intention to move to more sustainable use of tyres in the future." Pirelli boss Mario Isola also backs the new plan, suggesting teams would “save a lot of tyres” under the proposals.

‘Qualifying rule change could backfire’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ia-news-latest


F1: FIA chief gives update on potential new arrivals on grid
Published: 27 Jan 2023, 10:49
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said that only Andretti have made their intentions known ‘directly’ about potentially joining the F1 grid. Ben Sulayem called for expressions of interest from parties to potentially join the F1 grid in the future, and Andretti were quick to respond.

They’ve been vocal about their intentions to try and join the sport for some time, though the feeling from a number of the teams and F1 towards their plans has felt lukewarm at best.

Indeed, the FIA’s standpoint has been considerably more positive, with president Mohammed Ben Sulayem making no secret over his hopes that Andretti can be successful and join, with them teaming up with General Motors to potentially form an Andretti Cadillac outfit.

‘Only Andretti’;

https://www.givemesport.com/88109507...rivals-on-grid


FIA accused of "targeting" Lewis Hamilton and slammed by House of Lords peer.
More strong opposition to the FIA's new protest ban has emerged, this time from Lord Scriven who asserts that the F1 governing body's move will "shield host countries from scrutiny".
19:06, 27 Jan 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer

The FIA has been accused by a House of Lords peer of "targeting" Lewis Hamilton with its "suppression of Formula 1 drivers' voices". Motorsport's governing body has controversially changed the regulations so any driver who wants to protest or make a political statement on a race weekend will need to seek advance permission. Hamilton is one of those who has most often used his platform to highlight social injustice.

The FIA says the move was made to bring its policies in line with other major sporting organisations like FIFA and the IOC. But its critics have slammed the move and say it supresses the right the drivers have to protest. Scriven wrote: "It is very clear to me that this policy targets Sir Lewis Hamilton, your most outspoken driver, whose comments on countries with abysmal rights records, particularly Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, would have undoubtedly not been well received by these corrupt and abusive regimes.

He also went on to accuse president Mohammed ben Sulayem of being "discourteous and unprofessional" for ignoring a joint-letter he co-signed a year ago. Scriven questioned by the FIA chief had not responded to their concerns over the human rights implications of racing in Gulf countries.

The Mirror

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...t-ban-29070868


FIA only rented out F1 rights says president
JANUARY 26, 2023, 09:32
GrandPrix.com

This week, F1's American owner Liberty Media lashed back at Ben Sulayem after he said the FIA is "cautious" about reports that Saudi Arabia is interested in buying the sport for $20 billion. Formula 1's legal department slammed the FIA chief's comments as "unacceptable", insisting Liberty Media has the "exclusive right" to "exploit the commercial rights".

F1 concluded by threatening potential legal action against the FIA, indicating that the new-in-2022 president of the Paris-based federation has kicked off a period of potential internal conflict. Dubai-born Ben Sulayem, however, appears reluctant to back down for now.

"The championship is ours," he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport as saying at the Monte Carlo rally. "We have only rented it out." Indeed, just over 20 years ago, a 100-year lease deal was agreed between the FIA and former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone for what the German magazine described as a "ridiculously low" $300 million.

‘100-year lease deal’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/fia-o...president.html


FIA could use ‘Don King Clause’ in escalating row with F1
26 Jan 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

The FIA could reportedly use a ‘Don King Clause’ to block a potential future sale of F1 amid an escalating row between the two parties.

It is understood the clause was inserted into the 100-year lease deal - bought two decades ago for $360m by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone - by ex-FIA president Max Mosley and hands the FIA veto power over any sale.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem appeared to reference the clause, named after the controversial boxing promoter, during his recent appearance at the Monte-Carlo Rally.

‘Don King Clause’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101949...alating-row-f1

Haas 2023 F1 car launch. Haas – launch date: January 31. The launch date for Haas's 2023 VF-23 car and livery, plus all the driver line-up and key personnel.
January 26th 2023
Author Motor Sport
Motor Sport Magazine

The team has looked to address the above areas for the upcoming season. The reliability bugs associated with any new generation of cars will have been ironed out to some extent, whilst it’s strongly rumoured the Ferrari power unit’s issues have been addressed, meaning it can be turned up to full song once again, potentially making it the most powerful in the pitlane.

In signing Nico Hülkenberg, the team will hope solid points finishes can move further up the constructors’ standings once more. Consistency, not pace, was what it lacked in 2022.

‘Haas 2023 VF-23’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1


Haas banks on experienced line-up as it seeks another step forward in 2023
2023 F1 preview: Haas
Posted on
30th January 2023, 12:58
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Tomorrow Haas will become the first to step into the spotlight to reveal their new livery for 2023 – though not an actual VF-23 chassis. It’s fitting they should raise the curtain, as arguably no F1 team has been transformed in the sport’s new ground effect era as much as they have.

Haas are determined not to suffer the same fate in 2023 and are willing to take unpopular decisions to strengthen their driver line-up. The young and unpolished Schumacher has been jettisoned from the team to the ire of many of his many admirers. In his place, none other than Nico Hulkenberg earns another opportunity in Formula 1 at the fifth different team of his career.

In many ways, Hulkenberg is the opposite of Schumacher; an experienced veteran considered to be a safe and reliable pair of hands in the cockpit. When it comes to the madness of the midfield, it’s hard to think of anyone with more laps in and around the minor points places than the 35-year-old.

‘Step forward in 2023’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/01/30/...rward-in-2023/


Mick Schumacher could have 'been a hero' like dad Michael as F1 boss slams Haas decision.
Mick Schumacher was dropped by Haas ahead of the 2023 season with Nico Hulkenberg stepping in.
10:16, Fri, Jan 27, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth

Mick Schumacher could have followed in his father Michael’s footsteps and become a “new hero” for German F1 fans, according to F1 team boss Franz Tost. The AlphaTauri team principal claims big names like Schumacher Sr “trigger a boom” in interest as he did did back in the noughties.

He told Sport1: “One thing is certain: people need heroes, and they need them made of flesh and blood, not metal. Back then, you wanted to see Michael Schumacher win and not the engine or the Mercedes car. Only heroes trigger a boom. As Michael Schumacher showed.”

Demand for F1 in Germany has waned in recent years despite a run of dominance from home team Mercedes. However, a German driver has not won an F1 Grand Prix since Sebastian Vettel topped the podium at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.

‘Could have’;

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


Guenther Steiner suggests Haas ready to sign Williams driver
Haas had an all-new driver line-up in 2021, with both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean being sacked.
28 January 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

“Of course I would like to see an American driver with us,” Steiner said to American broadcaster KVUE.

“I think what we need to see is the development of an American driver, which is very difficult. We had the last two years ago with two rookies, last year with one inexperienced driver. And we as a team are still very young.”

“And for us at the moment there is more performance to be gained for the team to make it better, to get ready, because at the moment there is no American driver with experience in F1. Therefore, we decided not to take an American again.”

‘Haas ready to sign Williams driver’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/guenther-...lliams-driver/


Foul-mouthed F1 boss Guenther Steiner learned English 'in the pub' after ditching lessons
Drive To Survive cult hero and Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has explained the unique way he learned English as he started out in his motorsport career
10:24, 27 JAN 2023
BY Mark Whiley

Potty-mouthed F1 team boss and Drive To Survive legend Guenther Steiner has revealed how he learned English - by going to the pub. The Haas team principal has developed a cult following for his appearances in the hit Netflix documentary series, which has brought new audiences to F1, particularly in the United States.

Steiner is best known for his no-nonsense approach and fruity language, which he often uses towards his drivers and even in conversation with team owner Gene Haas. He enrolled for lessons but gave up after one class and decided a drinking establishment would be the best place to learn English instead.

“But I had to speak with other mechanics. I went to one class and left after one hour, thinking, ‘I’m not going to f****** do that again’, and went straight to the pub, where I learned a lot more by actually speaking to people. But I think when you speak two languages growing up, it’s easier for you to learn another language.”

‘Learned English 'in the pub';

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...-haas-29064684

GALLERY: Take a closer look at the all-new Haas livery for the 2023 F1 season.
Haas kicked off the F1 launch season on Tuesday by releasing several digital renders of their 2023 livery, which represents a striking new look for the American-led operation.
31 January 2023
Formula One Official Site

Haas have switched things up for the VF-23 by moving to a black base with white features and red highlights.

New title sponsor MoneyGram takes centre stage, with the payment company’s logos covering both front wing and engine cover, where the numbers of Kevin Magnussen and new team mate Nico Hulkenberg also slot in.

Haas’s new car will break cover later in the month, with the teams heading to Bahrain for pre-season testing from February 23-25.

‘All-new Haas livery’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...sLPNKnBy9.html


Guenther Steiner’s assessment of new VF-23 livery as Gene Haas reveals F1 2023 target
Tuesday 31st January 2023 3:37 PM
Toby Miles
PlanetF1.com

Team principal Steiner is hoping to take another step into the midfield battle this year with Kevin Magnussen and new signing Nico Hulkenberg spearheading their challenge. The 57-year-old approves of the livery, too.

“I obviously share everyone’s enthusiasm around the livery unveil, not least as it’s a checkpoint in the preseason calendar which means we’re another step closer to doing the thing we actually want to be doing – and that’s go racing,” Steiner said. “I like the livery, it’s undoubtedly a more elevated and modernised look which is fitting as we move into a new era alongside MoneyGram as our title partner.”

“It’s an exciting time of year for Formula 1 and it’s great that we’re first out the gate to showcase our livery but our attention is firmly on getting the VF-23 on-track and preparing for the season ahead. We really have something to build on following last year’s performances. The whole organization has been working hard to reach this point and obviously in Kevin (Magnussen) and Nico (Hülkenberg) we have two proven points-scoring talents locked in behind the wheel. I can’t wait to get started.”

‘Guenther Steiner’s assessment’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/steine...s-2023-target/


Haas set date for shakedown of the VF-23 F1 car
31 January 3:30PM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365

Haas have confirmed that their new 2023 car will hit the track for the first time in mid-February.

Following a reveal of their livery for the coming season, the Haas team will shakedown the VF-23 at the Silverstone circuit on February 11.

This will be less than two weeks before the start of preseason testing, when Haas will likely reveal the full design of the 2023 car.

‘Haas shakedown’;

https://racingnews365.com/haas-set-d...e-vf-23-f1-car


Gene Haas confident 2023 car will deliver points
31/01/2023 at 17:09
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

“I was very pleased to welcome MoneyGram as title partner for the 2023 season and beyond," Haas said after the digital launch of the livery.

“We head into a new season buoyed by some strong team performances last year and a return to points paying finishes," he continued. "The aim for the 2023 season is naturally to do that more consistently and with Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg I certainly believe we’ve got an experienced driver pairing more than capable of delivering those points on a Sunday.

“It’s been thrilling to experience two global organisations truly come together as one team to form the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” responded Alex Holmes, MoneyGram Chairman and CEO. "As we both usher in a brand-new era with a clear plan and vision in place, we’re prepared to work closely together to reach new heights this year," he added.

‘2023 car will deliver points’;

https://f1i.com/news/464918-gene-haa...er-points.html


F1: Grading the 2023 MoneyGram Haas Livery
January 31, 2023
By: Jack Oliver Smith
Last Word On Sports

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has become the first Formula 1 outfit in 2023 to break cover with their digital livery launch. LWOS Livery Rankings. The black is a refreshing change. But both white and red continuing in the color scheme spoil the overall look a bit. Perhaps one of the two along with the black may have been a better option.


The VF-23 will make its debut next week at Silverstone when Haas will hold a shakedown test.
So here it is, the #VF23 livery, the first of our title-partnership with @MoneyGram #HaasF1 #MoneyGramDrivesYou pic.twitter.com/RGyeUZXDbP
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) January 31, 2023


Team Principal Guenther Steiner said: “I obviously share everyone’s enthusiasm around the livery unveil, not least as it’s a checkpoint in the preseason calendar which means we’re another step closer to doing the thing we actually want to be doing – and that’s go racing. I cannot wait to get started.”


‘Grading the 2023 MoneyGram Haas Livery’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...m-haas-livery/


Guenther Steiner makes surprise "changes" claim about Haas after 2023 F1 livery reveal.
17:12, 31 Jan 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror

Guenther Steiner may have a much larger budget to play with at Haas these days, but he insists it will not mean any structural changes within the team. He told Motorsport.com, the extra cash will be poured straight into car development in the hope of pushing themselves further up the grid. "We want to invest the money in the car," the team principal said.

"At the moment, whatever we have got, we invest in the car. There is nothing that you want to do outside at the moment. The system we have got, we just want to stabilise it and just make sure that we use everything to make the car go quick, nothing else.”

"We are not focusing on other stuff, [saying] 'oh we want to do this ourselves' – no. Let's stabilise how we do it now, and then if we want to change something, change it after, because otherwise if you try to do too much, we trip over.

‘Extra cash will be poured straight into car development’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...einer-29098494


‘Surprise "changes" claim’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...einer-29098494


All the angles: Take a closer look at the all-new Haas VF-23 livery
Tuesday 31st January 2023 2:30 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Speaking about the new car, team principal Guenther Steiner said; “I obviously share everyone’s enthusiasm around the livery unveil, not least as it’s a checkpoint in the preseason calendar which means we’re another step closer to doing the thing we actually want to be doing – and that’s go racing,” he said.

“I like the livery, it’s undoubtedly a more elevated and modernised look which is fitting as we move into a new era alongside MoneyGram as our title partner. It’s an exciting time of year for Formula 1 and it’s great that we’re first out the gate to showcase our livery but our attention is firmly on getting the VF-23 on-track and preparing for the season ahead.

“We really have something to build on following last year’s performances”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/closer...-vf-23-livery/


Steiner hails 'elevated' and 'modernised' look for 2023 Haas
31 January 3:22PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

Haas Team Principal, Guenther Steiner, has hailed the "elevated" and "modernised" look for their 2023 challenger.

The team unveiled the new colours for the VF-23 which will be driven by Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, which features a more prominent black and red. It follows their rebrand to 'MoneyGram Haas F1 Team' after bringing the US-based money transfer company onboard as a title sponsor last year.

“I obviously share everyone’s enthusiasm around the livery unveil, not least as it’s a checkpoint in the pre-season calendar which means we’re another step closer to doing the thing we actually want to be doing – and that’s go racing,” remarked Steiner.

‘Guenther Steiner, has hailed the "elevated" and "modernised" look’;

https://racingnews365.com/steiner-ha...-for-2023-haas


STEINER ON HAAS: “IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS”.
The Team Principal discussed his choices for the future of the team as well as the past season ahead of the new car's launch.
07:24 Tue, 31 Jan 2023.
Dalila Zanardo
FormulaNerds

Haas Team Principal Gunther Steiner admitted he believes his team can still grow and build consistency, although “difficult” 2022 was better than the past seasons. 2023 then will see a new focus for the American team, which is launching its new single-seater today at 2 pm.

Discussing the past season, Haas Team Principal Gunther Steiner admitted 2022 was not an easy year, as quoted by Autosport: “If you could have more equal [form], it would be better. But as long as you can have some highs, it’s good. It takes a lot of energy out of you, the ups and downs, because you have got these highs where you are flying, and you’ve got these lows where you need to recover. So it’s very difficult. But in the end, it’s better having a rollercoaster than having just downs like 2021.”

“IT’S A WORK IN PROGRESS”;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/st.../?nowprocket=1

11 F1 tech themes to watch out for in 2023 launch season.
Everyone is on tenterhooks to discover the design trends that emerge for the second generation of the revived ground-effect regulations in 2023.
1st Feb 2023, 07:46
By Edd Straw and Gary Anderson
The Race

Design convergence - Given this is only the second year of the new ground effect regulations in F1, teams will have the chance not only to work extensively on their cars through the season but also to observe the development trends throughout the grid.

Front wing loading - The front wing is the first thing the airflow hits and is critical to the airflow structure going over the rest of the car.

Raised floor edges - Teams have a tendency to keep an innovative floor-edge design hidden at launches, but we do know changes are coming – with regulations requiring the floor edges to be raised by 15mm.

‘Front suspension configuration, Rear suspension configuration, Cooling package, Side impact structure solution, Sidepod concept, Rollover structure, Weight, Loopholes’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/11-f1...launch-season/


F1 driver contracts ending in 2023: who has to impress to stay on grid?
February 1st 2023
Author: Cambridge Kisby
Motor Sport Magazine

Seven drivers are due to head into the 2023 F1 season with less than a year left on their contracts. But with each at different points in their F1 career, what do they need to do to keep their seat safe?

The 2023 F1 season is fast approaching and with it comes another opportunity for every driver to move up the grid – but some in particular will need to make a serious impression.

A dramatic and memorable ‘silly season’ midway through the 2022 campaign saw six teams change driver line-ups, marked by the shock retirement of Sebastian Vettel and the controversial exchange between Alpine and McLaren over Oscar Piastri. 2023 has the potential to deliver similar off-track action.

‘Who has to impress’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1


Why one F1 team boss is “convinced” Mohammed Ben Sulayem drama will stop soon
1 Feb 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

New Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur believes the start of the new F1 season will come at a good time for under-fire FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Ben Sulayem has dominated the F1 media headlines during the off-season over a range of issues. He started the year off by announcing the FIA’s desire for new teams to join the sport by opening the "expressions of interest"

Andretti-Cadillac shortly after announced their intention to join F1 by 2026 - something that was met by a lukewarm reception by F1. The drama continued as he took to social media again to question the “inflated” reported $20bn by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

‘Ben Sulayem drama will stop soon’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101973...will-stop-soon


Marko warns caution over potential Saudi F1 bid
01 February 10:20AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko feels there is one major sticking point of a potential F1 sale to Saudi Arabia. Helmut Marko believes that caution is needed over Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) potentially buying Formula 1 from current owners Liberty Media.

Rumours surfaced last week that PIF had tabled a $20 billion bid to obtain the rights to F1, having also taken control of Newcastle United Football Club in the English Premier League in 2021 - the same year the first Saudi Grand Prix was held at Jeddah.

While admitting that the fact F1 attracting takeover interest was a "good sign," Austrian Marko believed a culture clash with Saudi Arabia would prove a problem.

‘Marko warns caution’;

https://racingnews365.com/marko-warn...l-saudi-f1-bid


February's key F1 diary dates
Wednesday 1 February 2023 11:50
Stuart Hodge
GPFans

The arrival of February means the nine remaining F1 launches are just around the corner as excitement for the coming season ramps up.

Launch dates 2023 cars
Team 2023-------Car Reveal Date
Red Bull Racing--Friday 3 February
Williams----------Monday, February 6
Alfa Romeo------Tuesday, February 7
AlphaTauri-------Saturday 11 February
Aston Martin-----Monday, February 13
McLaren----------Monday, February 13
Ferrari------------Tuesday, February 14
Mercedes---------Wednesday, February 15
Alpine------------Thursday, February 16

‘Excitement for the coming season ramps up.’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ve-to-survive/

Classic video: Red Bull RB7 driven through New York streets.
Red Bull might be conducting a 2023 launch in New York this month, but it's not the first time that the team have taken to the streets of the famous city.
02 February 10:20AM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365

Red Bull will be launching their 2023 season in New York later this month, but that won’t be the team's only association with the 'Big Apple'.

Ahead of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix last season, Sergio Perez took part in the team's promotional video to drive from New York to Miami.

This particular video came around ten years after Sebastian Vettel completed a similar stunt on the city streets.

‘Driven through the New York streets’;

https://racingnews365.com/classic-vi...w-york-streets


Mark Hughes: Red Bull prowess stems from a very different ruleset
Feb 2 2023
By Mark Hughes
The Race

Even before the introduction of last year’s radically new Formula 1 aero regulations Red Bull was on a very productive development path, as evidenced by the season-long fight with Mercedes in 2021 after seven years of playing second (or third) fiddle.

But the advent of the new regulations last year coincided with Red Bull’s dominance. Partly of course this was down to key errors made by Mercedes in the conception of its car – but also quite possibly because the new regulations were a great fit with the direction Red Bull’s aerodynamic development was already heading.

To explain, let’s rewind back to 2020 when Red Bull’s RB16 spent most of the season being soundly thrashed by Mercedes in a car that only Max Verstappen could make vaguely competitive and which Alex Albon struggled with. But towards the end of the season the car came on increasingly strong, Albon’s deficit to Verstappen reduced significantly and at the final round Verstappen was able to win from pole.

‘Very different ruleset’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...erent-ruleset/


Red Bull’s Christian Horner: Cost-cap penalty has driven team to become more “efficient and effective”
February 1, 2023
By Ashley Cline
The Checkered Flag

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner revealed that the team is feeling the impact of the cost-cap penalty they received after going over budget for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. Between a seven million dollar fine and a significant reduction in wind tunnel time, Horner told RACER that the team has had to become more efficient in their development strategy.

“We’re probably 25% almost of the way through that penalty, and of course it has an effect. It’s limiting significantly, the amount of runs that we can do in our wind tunnel over each quarter. And I think that the team are they’re having to adapt to that.”

“And it just means you have to be a bit more focused, and more disciplined in what we put through the testing process within the tunnel or within our simulation tools.”

‘More “efficient and effective”!’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...and-effective/


Team races on with Mateschitz ‘spirit’ – Marko
2nd February 2023, 07:46
Grandpx.news

Dr Helmut Marko wants Red Bull to defend its Formula 1 titles this year with the "spirit" of the energy drink's late founder Dietrich Mateschitz. "It was the second big loss," Marko, who was widely regarded as Mateschitz's right hand man in all Red Bull's F1 matters, told RTL.

"I miss him a lot. We want to build on the successes of 2022 now, continuing to lead the team in the legacy of Dietrich and defend the world championship with his spirit."

Since Mateschitz died, Marko admits he now has to "make decisions alone". "I no longer have this opportunity to exchange ideas at the same level," he added.

‘Spirit of the energy drink's late founder Dietrich Mateschitz’;

https://grandpx.news/team-races-on-w...-spirit-marko/


Red Bull car launch: Date, time and how to watch live
Thursday 2 February 2023
Stuart Hodge
GPFans

The waiting is almost over, F1 fans. This Friday, Red Bull Racing pulls the cover off the RB19, the car with which Max Verstappen will look to land a third world title in a row and Sergio Perez will hunt for a maiden crown.

At the time of writing, the Austrian team has revealed very little about the launch. All we know so far is that the will be held in New York and will start at 2pm UK time.

The show can be followed live for free via Red Bull TV, the streaming service of Red Bull Racing and you can also download the app. We also know that Verstappen, Perez and team boss Christian Horner will be present and will speak to the press after the launch. Anything else will come as a surprise!

‘The waiting is almost over, F1 fans’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...h-live-stream/

Is James Vowles the right man to turn Williams around?
James Vowles was announced as Williams' new team principal in mid-January, but is he the right person for the job?
January 31, 2023
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport

For over a decade, Vowles has been an integral part of the Mercedes machine that has dominated F1, with his performances as chief strategist helping the team win seven constructors championships. Vowles was also head of strategy at Brawn GP when they won the 2009 world championship, meaning that whatever team he’s at, he can turn them into winners overnight.

Vowles won’t have it easy, but with this being his first team principal job and being handpicked by Dorilton, he could be given more time than his predecessors. In an era of continued manufacturers’ interest, Williams is a team unique to F1 as it receives engines from Mercedes with no added factory support.

‘The right man?’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/jam...liams-f1-2023/


Why Wolff is certain Vowles won't be 'fooled' at Williams
02 February 3:15PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365

Incoming Williams Formula 1 Team Principal James Vowles will not "be fooled" in his new role, according to Toto Wolff.

"[Being a Team Principal] is such a niche position, because you need to have the commercial understanding, the political perspectives and not be fooled by what you've been told by someone in the technical or engineering area," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.com.

"James ticks many of those boxes, and on the commercial side he was involved in many of the activities that we've done in the past few years. Before the last step was done, he came to me and said: 'What do you think about it?,' and [more often than not], we were very aligned.”

‘Won't be fooled';

https://racingnews365.com/why-wolff-...ed-at-williams


Photo: Could this be Williams’ new-look 2023 livery?
Williams are set to unveil their 2023 challenger on February 6, in an event hosted by F1 presenter Will Buxton.
1 February 2023
by Nick Golding


With Haas having kicked-off the 2023 launch season on Tuesday, several more launches are set to take place in rapid fashion, starting with Red Bull’s on Friday. Following Red Bull’s launch on February 3 is Williams, who will reveal their 2023 challenger and potentially a new livery on February 6.

As always, fans have created concept designs as to what they think, or at least hope the Grove-based outfit’s 2023 car will look like. A theme amongst many is a design that includes the famous colours of Gulf Oil, following speculation that the company are set to join Williams for the 2023 campaign.

Gulf Oil have teased about a return to F1 on their social media channels since announcing their departure from McLaren at the end of last season, with Williams seemingly being the most likely partner for the company.

‘Famous colours of Gulf Oil’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/fan-predi...s-2023-livery/


Williams F1's latest £36m move speaks volumes about owners Dorilton Capital.
Struggles for performance on the track and difficulties attracting financial partners have led to rumours that Dorilton might look to sell Williams, but their most recent move suggests otherwise
20:15, 20 Jan 2023
By Daniel MoxonF1 Writer
The Mirror

Dorilton Capital appears to have injected another £36m into Williams as the historic team's Formula 1 woes continue.
The team has a glorious history of success in the sport and has employed some of F1's best-ever drivers, but glory is not a word often used in association with Williams these days. Sadly, the once-great racing brand has largely been making up the numbers in recent years. Problems on and off the race track have led to some suggestions that Dorilton might be keen to sell. But the latest development regarding the team's financial situation appears to be a hint that the investment group is here to stay – for now, at least.

Shares totalling £36m were issued by Williams on December 22nd last year. It is not known exactly who those shares were issued to but, given a very similar number of shares were issued to Dorilton the previous year, it is not unreasonable to suggest the owners have again pumped cash into the team.

Dorilton Capital who bought the team in 2020, were fully aware of the problems. Financial performance was poor in 2019, when Williams was first put up for sale, and the Covid pandemic only exacerbated that issue. Even now, they continue to struggle to attract big sponsorship deals.

‘Williams F1's latest move’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...pital-29011522


Who is Logan Sargeant? F1's new US star profiled
Wednesday 1 February 2023
Sam Hall
GPFans

Logan Sargeant will become America's first full-time F1 driver since 2007 when he lines up on the grid to begin the Bahrain Grand Prix in March. Sargeant joined the Williams Driver Academy in 2021 at the United States Grand Prix when he was still racing in F3.

Shortly after, the American got his first taste of F1 machinery when he got behind the wheel of the FW43B at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. Sargeant made his debut in an official F1 session almost exactly a year after joining the Williams set-up when he took to the track in FP1 at the Circuit of the Americas.

‘Logan Sargeant?’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...1-driver-2023/

Red Bull Racing unveils 2023 RB19 livery.
Red Bull unveiled its car on Friday at a presentation that took place in New York, at the Classic Car Club in Manhattan.
03/02/2023 at 14:58
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Red Bull title sponsor Oracle once again occupies the prime real estate on the team's 2023 machine which appears little changed from last season's livery and which will be steered by two-time world champion Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez.

While Friday's launch was a livery-only presentation, Red Bull will likely unveil its genuine RB19 when pre-season testing kicks off in Bahrain on February 23.

‘2023 RB19 livery’;

https://f1i.com/news/465051-red-bull...19-livery.html


In photos: Every angle of the new Red Bull RB19 F1 livery
03 February 4:02PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

Red Bull have released pictures of the livery for their F1 car for the 2023 season, the RB19.

The Milton Keynes team unveiled the design in a special launch ceremony in New York on February 3rd.

The uncovering of their final design for the upcoming season will take place at a later date.

‘Every angle’;

https://racingnews365.com/in-photos-...rb19-f1-livery


How we know this isn’t Red Bull’s real 2023 F1 car
Feb 3 2023
By Rosario Giuliana
The Race

World champion team Red Bull Racing called the Formula 1 car it unveiled in New York on Friday the RB19. But what went on stage in the American city was – as expected – a presentation of the 2023 livery, with some new sponsors, placed on the car of 2022.

Gary Anderson’s view: It’s obvious from Red Bull’s launch of what it calls the RB19 that it thinks we are all idiots. What a waste of time, effort and money for all concerned. Being honest about what it was doing in New York would be very easy because it was simply done to release the news about Ford.

Red Bull will unveil the real RB19 at the tests that begin on February 23 in Bahrain. Red Bull had already disappointed fans – eager to see the first ground effect Red Bull designed by Adrian Newey – by presenting at its 2022 launch a mock-up car almost identical to the one shown by the FIA to announce the new rules, but still calling it the RB18.

‘Gary Anderson’s view’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/how-w...l-2023-f1-car/


‘We’re the hunted now’ – Red Bull launch 2023 F1 car as Max Verstappen aims to win third straight title
Friday 3 Feb 2023 2:55 pm
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk

Red Bull have launched the RB19, the car they hope can defend Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 title, at a flashy launch show in New York on Friday. They are the first team to reveal their 2023 challenger, after Haas unveiled the livery for the VF-23 last Monday.

‘We go from being the hunter to the hunted now. That is added motivation,’ team principal Christian Horner said. ‘It is going to be an incredible season, our rivals for sure haven’t stood still. We are going to have to be at the top of our game.”

‘Ferrari are going to be competitive, Mercedes are going to be there, there are some other teams that could make some big progress as well.’ Verstappen commented: This is the first time I’ve seen the car! I think our livery has been pretty similar for a couple of years now but I’ve always found it a cool looking car.

‘We’re the hunted now’;

https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/03/red-b...o=newsnow-feed


Why the Red Bull-Ford partnership is a perfect fit
03 February 4:45PM
Author Dieter Rencken
Co-author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365

Following Red Bull’s split from Porsche in September the reigning champions today announced a technical partnership with Ford, which returns to F1 after an absence of over 20 years. RacingNews365 Editorial Director Dieter Rencken explains why the deal is about more than merely sticking the Blue Oval on a tappet cover.

As analysed here in December, there are compelling reasons for Ford to enter Formula 1 as technical partner to Red Bull Powertrains: not only does the Blue Oval, currently splitting itself into Ford Blue (internal combustion engined vehicles or ICE) and Ford Model e (battery electric vehicles or BEV) divisions, gain an expedited, cost-effective dual-stream presence on the F1 grid, but does so as partner to F1’s reigning double champions.

Clearly the FIA’s 2026 power unit regulations, designed for 1000bhp with a 50/50 ICE/hybrid split, and the sport’s burgeoning popularity (particularly in the USA, Ford’s major market) are the primary drawcards, with the opportunity to ‘buy’ into an FIA-registered, turn-key PU operation owned by the eponymous energy drinks brand provides obvious global marketing opportunities beyond those provided by F1.

‘A perfect fit’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-the-re...e-technologies


Video: ‘Our Time’ – Ford returns to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing
3rd Feb 2023, 16:28
by Ryan Wood
Motorsport Week

After more than 20 years, and as F1 transitions to a new and more electrified future, now is the time for Ford to make its long-awaited return to Formula 1.

‘Our Time’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...d-bull-racing/


Horner cautious over 'big progress' of F1 rivals
Friday 3 February 2023 15:20
Sam Hall
GPFans

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has warned of the challenges that will face the outfit this term. "Our rivals, for sure, haven’t stood still, so we’re expecting Ferrari to be competitive, Mercedes are going to be there. There are also some other teams that could make big progress as well."

“This time of year, it’s all a big unknown and it’s a question of focusing on ourselves, doing the best that we can, and then in Bahrain in a couple of week's time we’ll get to see everybody’s car and we’ll realise have we missed something, have we not? “

“Then we’ll set off on this 23-race journey from March to November. There are going to be highs and lows along the way, I’m sure, but we’re in a good place and looking to carry on that momentum from last year.”

"Our rivals, for sure, haven’t stood still,”;

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


Max Verstappen: Red Bull working flat out to make it three in a row
3rd February 2023, 17:39
Sky Sports

Max Verstappen says Red Bull are 'working flat out' to be in the best shape possible to make it three driver championships in a row.

‘Red Bull working flat out’;

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...three-in-a-row

Sergio Perez: 'I will try everything I can' to win 2023 title.
Sergio Perez reflects on an 'important day' for Red Bull and sets out his goals for 2023.
04 Feb 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Everything I can'

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...412501381.html


Perez in Verstappen demand over Red Bull-Brazil fallout
Saturday 4 February 2023 05:43
Ewan Gale
GPFans

Sergio Perez has insisted "it is not all about me and Max" as last year's difficulties with Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen linger. Asked if talks had been held over the winter to address the subject, Perez replied: "It is important to work as a team.”

"In that regard, it is very clear. We want to maximise the team efforts. It is not all about Max and myself, it is about the team. We have so many people back at the factory giving everything for us so we have to respond in that regard."

Perez lost confidence with his set up midway through the campaign last year, taking him firmly out of championship contention as Verstappen stormed clear. "I have done a lot of work over the winter to make sure we understood those [issues]," said Perez. "We took some directions with the set-up that were perhaps the wrong ones and towards the end of the year, we understood them."

‘It is about the team’;

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


Martin Brundle responds to Christian Horner's 'strongest ever driver line up' comments
22:44 Fri, 03 Feb 2024.
Sky Sports

Sky F1's Martin Brundle gives his take on Christian Horner's comments that Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen are Red Bull's strongest ever line up in Formula One.

'Strongest ever driver line up';

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...ne-up-comments


Verstappen “hopes I can be happy” after watching new Drive to Survive season
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 4th February 2023, 0:013rd February 2023, 22:17
Written by Will Wood

In the round-up: Max Verstappen says that he “hopes I can be happy” after agreeing to collaborate with the producers of Drive to Survive ahead of the new season of the Netflix documentary series. Asked by RaceFans if he’d been given any assurances by the show’s producers about how he would be portrayed, Verstappen said he “hopes I can be happy” after he watches it back.

“I spoke with them, of course, before I was going to give an interview with them,” he said. “I hope they understood my message and I also know, especially being a world champion, that you have to be part of something like that.”

“I think I gave them like 30 minutes, or an hour of an interview. I hope they’re going to use it well – I don’t know when I’m going to watch it. But I hope they’re happy and I hope I can be happy after watching it. And I know that it’s important to Formula 1 as well for growing the sport in general.”

‘I hope they understood my message’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/04/...nd-up-04-02-5/


Red Bull is savaged by fans after underwhelming 2023 F1 car launch where host gets Aussie driver's name HORRIBLY wrong: 'Did she just introduce Daniel Retardo?'
• Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has returned to Red Bull for the 2023 season
• He is a reserve driver at the team behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
• Host of season launch got his name wrong in awkward gaffe on live television
Published: 22:21, 3 February 2023
By Josh Alston For Daily Mail Australia

However it was the moment when co-host Giselle Zarur mis-pronounced new signing Daniel Ricciardo on a live broadcast on Sky Sports that the event really sunk to new lows.

'Welcome one of the friendliest drivers in the F1 grid, Daniel Retardo, to Oracle Reb Bull Racing,' she said as the Aussie driver stood there awkwardly.

‘Sky Sports that the event really sunk to new lows.’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ble-wrong.html

Formula 1: Red Bull make history ahead of title defense.
Reigning Formula 1 world champions Oracle Red Bull Racing launched their 2023 season in the United States, becoming the first team to do so.
4th Feb 2023, 12:11
by Asher Fair
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)

For the first time since 2014, Oracle Racing Bull Racing are set to enter a Formula 1 season as reigning world constructor champions, having won the title for the first time in nine years last year to end Mercedes’ reign of dominance.

The Milton Keynes-based team launched their 2023 challenger, the RB19, in New York City on Friday morning, becoming the first team ever to launch their season in the United States amid the sport’s meteoric rise in the country.

The launch was a broadcast to more than 30 countries across the globe and streamed by thousands of fans worldwide.

‘Red Bull make history’;

https://beyondtheflag.com/2023/02/04...title-defense/


'Chinese wall' between Honda and Red Bull after Ford deal
04 February 12:20PM
RacingNews365

"We have an agreement and great relationship with Honda until the end of 2025," Horner told select media, including RacingNews365.com, at the New York launch event. "There's no crossover of intellectual property, all the Honda engines are produced in Japan and everything on the RB Powertrains side is very much focused on 2026.

"So there is a clear Chinese wall between the two activities, but we're obviously going to be working with Honda over the next few years to achieve the best results that we can. "They are fully committed, so it is very straightforward, and the relationship with Honda conclude at the end of 2025.

"We have a homologated engine, so it's effectively frozen. "Honda supply that engine, they own all of the IP, so we don't see inside the engine or anything like that. We will be doing our best with Honda to try and defend and achieve further race wins and championships."

'Chinese wall';

https://racingnews365.com/chinese-wa...fter-ford-deal


Max Verstappen corrects Helmut Marko’s ‘absurd’ claim about installing simulator on £12million private jet
Saturday 4th February 2023 12:30 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen said Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko must have misunderstood when saying that a simulator was installed on his private jet.

There are plenty of air miles covered when it comes to being a part of Formula 1, so when Marko revealed on Sport1 that Verstappen had installed a simulator on his private jet, it sounded like a very productive, and outlandish, idea.

However, Verstappen said that Marko got a little mixed-up when he said plane, Verstappen saying the idea of having a sim on his private jet is “absurd”. Instead, Verstappen said the plan is for a new sim to be installed at his motorhome for him to use at the European races.

‘New sim to be installed at his motorhome’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...marko-jet-sim/


Horner explains why Red Bull signed with Ford
Red Bull's Christian Horner has explained why the team decided on Ford as their next engine supplier
February 4, 2023
By Ed Spencer

Ford has a rich history of racing in F1, producing the innovative DFV engine and helping power Benetton’s Michael Schumacher to his first title in 1994, which would be Ford’s last.

Speaking at the launch of the RB19 in New York City to Total-Motorsport.com and selected media outlets, Horner explained what the partnership with Ford will look like and what both parties are set to gain. “It’s a very different relationship to what we discussed with Porsche; this is a purely commercial and technical deal,” said Horner.

“There’s no exchange of any shares or participation within the business. It’s a straightforward agreement where we can share access to r&d, particularly on the EV side. On the commercial side, obviously, with Ford being so prevalent in the US, it’s, as a commercial partner, it enables us to help achieve even more penetration in that market.”

‘Straightforward Agreement’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/chr...-ford-f1-2026/


Red Bull budget cap penalty won’t be ‘big limiting factor’ in title fight – Verstappen
2023 F1 season
Posted on 4th February 2023, 16:00
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham

Max Verstappen does not believe Red Bull’s aerodynamic testing penalty for breaching the 2021 budget cap will determine whether they can defend their world championships or not. “Yes, of course I’ve thought about it, but I think we have a lot of very competent people in our factory,” Verstappen told media including RaceFans. “And of course it makes things a little bit harder.

“But I also look at it like this, I prefer to be in the position we are in than always finishing second or third in the championship because that’s way more depressing. So we have a lot of good people and I’m sure we have to be a little bit more precise of what we are doing in the wind tunnel, but I don’t expect it to be a big limiting factor in if we’re going to win the title or not.”

‘Won’t be big limiting factor’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/04/...ht-verstappen/

Is this the year Williams break free from the back of the grid?
Fortunately for Vowles, Williams is not a team caught in a death spiral where he must desperately grasp the controls in a bid to right the ship.
2023 F1 team preview
Posted on 5th February 2023, 13:47
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

What kind of a Formula 1 team is Williams Racing? For the last two-and-a-half years, Williams Grand Prix Engineering, formerly owned by its founder family, has been in a state of transition. Its new owners, American investment firm Dorilton, have invested considerable time, effort and funds to rebuild neo-Williams in their own image.

After just two seasons, team principal Jost Capito has been relieved of his position, alongside the team’s technical director Francois Xavier-Demaison. Taking Capito’s place in leading Williams is James Vowles, a key figure of Mercedes’ strategy team whose history at the Brackley factory dates back long before the German manufacturer first claimed it as their home.

Vowles may not have held such a senior role in Formula 1 before, but he has the ringing endorsement of his former team principal Toto Wolff, who could not have been more glowing in his assessment of Vowles’ potential to bring a culture of success back to Williams again. “James has been around for a long time, he’s seen it all – the intelligent things and the less intelligent things,” Wolff said when Vowles’ move was first announced. “I have no doubt that Williams choosing James is a fantastic move for them.”

‘Break free from the back’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/05/...k-of-the-grid/


The ‘highest priority’ at the heart of Williams’s problems
5th Feb 2023, 12:46
By Edd Straw
The Race

Williams’s latest new Formula 1 era starts on Monday when it holds its 2023 season and livery launch. It’s a teaser of sorts, as new team principal James Vowles doesn’t start work for a further fortnight and the 2023 car won’t be seen just yet either.

But in the wake of the departures of Jost Capito and FX Demaison, and given Williams’s return to the bottom of the championship order in 2022, Monday’s event will still feel like the first look at the shape the team might now take. Vowles has set instilling the correct culture in Williams as his “highest priority” in his new role.

While culture can be difficult to pin down, even tougher to implement successfully and easiest to define by its failures than its successes, it is at the heart of what needs to change at Williams if it is to escape perennial Formula 1 backmarker status.

‘Highest priority’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-h...amss-problems/


Capito blames 'exhaustion' for Williams F1 departure
04/02/2023 at 14:27
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Former Williams F1 team principal Jost Capito has said that 'exhaustion' led to his decision to leave his role at the end of the 2022 season. In an interview this week with AutoBild, Capito insisted that his decision to step down had been his and his alone, and for personal reasons.

He told the German publication that he had only intended to spend a relatively short time at Williams, and that the packed race schedule had only made him more convinced that the role needed someone younger.

“From the outside of course you don’t have the insight," he commented. "But I originally said that I would do this for two years, possibly a third. But it takes longer than two or three years to bring the team back to the top," he acknowledged. "And in the meantime there are so many races [on the calendar] that it’s relatively exhausting.”

'Exhaustion blamed’;

https://f1i.com/news/465127-capito-b...departure.html


Jost Capito delivers his verdict on his Williams replacement James Vowles
Sunday 5th February 2023 11:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Jost Capito has praised new Williams team principal James Vowles and said he has given his congratulations, after taking over his role at the team.

“Yes, I’ve already worked closely with James, also with Mercedes and their drivers,” Capito told Auto Bild in Germany.

“He’s incredibly competent, I like him a lot and he’s also a great person. I congratulated him accordingly, of course.”

‘Delivers his verdict’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jost-c...liams-verdict/


Alex Albon opens up on F1 career almost ending
Alex Albon competed in the DTM in 2021, after being dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020 following an 18-month stint with the Austrians.
26 January 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Alex Albon has admitted that signing his long-term contract with Williams was “one of the best feelings”, with the Thai driver’s Formula 1 career having looked to be potentially over after he was dropped by Red Bull at the end of 2020.

Albon’s Formula 1 career has been an “up-and-down rollercoaster”, with the Thai driver having initially stormed onto the scene in 2019 with AlphaTauri.

The Thai driver performed strongly in his rookie season, with the 26-year-old having claimed five points finishes from his first 12 races with the team. His performances were so good, in fact, that he was promoted mid-season to Red Bull to replace Pierre Gasly, who returned to the sister team.

“Up-and-down rollercoaster”;

https://formula1news.co.uk/alex-albo...almost-ending/

FIA VS F1: HOW FAR WILL THIS DANGEROUS GAME GO?
Fallout between governing body and commercial rights holder risks placing F1 in a precarious position.
18:08 Sun, 05 Feb 2023.
James Phillips
FormulaNerds

The unpleasant saga of F1 threatening to take legal action against the FIA has been truly tragic to watch unfold. The recent culmination of President ben Sulayem of the FIA and F1’s gamesmanship indicates a plague of spite festering beneath the surface on both sides. To fully understand the reasons why the powers that be are constantly attempting to gain the upper hand over the other, it is important to understand what is at stake. The answer is, of course, simple, money and power. But there is more to this than meets the eye.

F1 has seen unprecedented growth since the introduction of Drive to Survive in 2019. A legion of new fans has entered the sport bringing more revenue. Manufacturer interest in the sport continues to grow which is another potential avenue to exploit F1’s popularity. The sport has rarely had things so good. Even the events of Abu Dhabi 2021 generated headlines and income for the sport despite the infamy. All news is good news after all.

With F1 now a goldmine, who is the power that looks after the sport? This is where F1 has done the traditional act of shooting itself in the foot. The problem is, the FIA and F1 are two very different organisations, with set principles. Both at present cannot perform the same role, and this is leading to friction and very public disagreements.

‘Money and power’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/feature.../?nowprocket=1


F1 warned against causing race calendar backlash
Sunday 5 February 2023 13:54
Paul Macdonald
GPFans

Formula 1 has been warned against adding too many races to the calendar in future, amid fears of burnout from fans, teams and drivers alike. The 2023 season will feature 23 races, but Liberty Media have expressed a desire to extend this further, with a 25-race season mooted in the near future.

It would be no surprise given Liberty's desire to maximise its race weekends, as well as showcase the sport in an increasing manner in the US, where it will race three times this year.

But head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, Alex Wurz, believes that F1 must be careful to ensure that all parties - both inside and outside of the paddock - are invested in such a move before it is considered.

‘Race calendar backlash warning’;

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


F1 calendar meltdown warning as Montoya lays in on Ferrari - GPFans F1 Recap
Sunday 5 February 2023.
Stuart Hodge
GPFans

Formula 1 has been warned against adding too many races to the calendar in future, amid fears of burnout from fans, teams and drivers alike.

The 2023 season will feature 23 races, but Liberty Media have expressed a desire to extend this further, with a 25-race season mooted. Head of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, Alex Wurz, though, believes that F1 must tread carefully

‘F1 calendar meltdown’;

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


F1 send furious letter to FIA - president accused of 'unacceptable interference'
Tuesday 24 January 2023 13:54
Ian Parkes
GPFans

F1 chiefs have accused Mohammed Ben Sulayem of behaving "in an unacceptable manner" after the FIA president aired his opinion over the valuation of the sport. Via his personal Twitter account, Ben Sulayem fired off a series of tweets on Monday describing a $20billion price tag placed on F1 as "inflated".

That was in response to reports from finance news agency Bloomberg earlier this month that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund had tabled such a bid to acquire F1 from Liberty Media last year. Ben Sulayem stated that "any potential buyer is advised to apply common sense, consider the greater good of the sport and come with a clear, sustainable plan - not just a lot of money."

He added that it was the duty of the FIA "to consider what the future impact will be for promoters in terms of increased hosting fees and other commercial costs, and any adverse impact that it could have on fans". In a letter from F1 legal head Sacha Woodward Hill, along with Renee Wilm, who is the chief legal and administrative officer of the Liberty Media Corporation, which controls the sport's commercial rights, Ben Sulayem has effectively been accused of meddling.

‘Furious letter to FIA’;

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


Vettel hopes F1 drivers 'show courage' after "nonsense" FIA ban
05 February 1:30PM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365

Sebastian Vettel has provided his reaction to the FIA's decision to enforce stricter regulations on drivers speaking out and making statements on a variety of topics. Sebastian Vettel hopes that the F1 drivers can 'show courage' after the FIA's decision to ban drivers from making "political, religious and personal statements".

The four-time World Champion has become the latest high-profile F1 figure to speak out against the FIA's decision to restrict driver statements. When asked if he was happy to be away from the sport under the new restrictions, he added that he saw no logic in the FIA's decision to change the regulations.

"There might have been a bit of trouble then," responded Vettel. "Of course, it always depends on what question you are asked and what the topic is. But I think it is absolutely important to take a stand on some issues and we have seen in recent years that more and more people have taken a stand. It doesn't make much sense [for the FIA] to go against that now."

'Show courage';

https://racingnews365.com/vettel-hop...nsense-fia-ban

Williams F1 Launches 2023 FW45 for American Logan Sargeant's Rookie Season.
Williams on Monday presented the livery which will adorn its FW45 for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
Feb 6, 2023
By Phillip Horton
AutoWeek

Williams’ FW45 will run for the first time during a shakedown at Silverstone next Monday (February 13) with both American F1 rookie Logan Sargeant and veteran Alex Albon getting seat time.

Williams has made significant aerodynamic changes during the off-season in a bid to combat the underlying weaknesses of its off-the-pace FW44. The sidepod concept has been heavily evolved, facilitated by alterations to the power unit cooling layout, while modifications have been made to the front suspension layout.

Mercedes remains as Williams’ power unit partner. Commercially, Williams has been bolstered by a new partnership with Gulf Oil, along with United States-based partners Stephens and Michelob Ultra. Williams has also undergone managerial changes during the offseason.

‘Williams F1 Launches 2023 FW45’;

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...rookie-season/


Gulf plan to go “bigger and better than before” with Williams branding deal
2023 F1 season
Posted on 6th February 2023, 15:40
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Williams’ new sponsor Gulf says it has plans to go “bigger and better” than it has in its previous involvement in Formula 1. Gulf were officially announced as a new sponsor of the Williams team in a “long-term” partnership at the reveal of the FW45 livery on Monday.

Gulf describe their partnership with Williams as the “next chapter of our iconic motorsport story” and have confirmed they will also support the Williams driver academy and esports teams as part of their partnership. While Williams’ F1 team and its junior driver programme will use similar liveries this year, Gulf CEO Mike Jones says the company has intentions of highlighting their brand creatively with its new partner.

“Anything we do in the future has got to be bigger and better than before,” Jones told media including RaceFans at the launch of Williams’ 2023 livery. We have a lot of Gulf fans around the world. We have a lot of requests for our livery. We want our livery to be special. We’re launching a number of fan-centric activation plans. We always feel that Gulf is the fans’ favourite and we really want our fans to be part of that. So of course we’re looking at different solutions for that right across the Formula 1 spectrum and we’ll be launching activation plans in the near future.”

‘Gulf is the fans’ favourite’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/06/...branding-deal/


Sidepod shape will be “most obvious change” on Williams’ F1 2023 car
6 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Williams revealed their 2023 livery on Monday ahead of the FW45 making its first physical appearance at a Silverstone shakedown next week. “It’s going well, the car build is in progress,” Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson told media including Crash.net at the team’s season launch.

“Quite large chunks of the car’s systems have been tested independently and now the whole car is currently coming together, getting ready to run it very soon. So the car build is going well. In terms of differences compared to the FW44, the whole car is an evolution in terms of its physical appearance. There’s obviously a few changes from the regs, otherwise you’ll see it soon.”

“Probably the most obvious change compared to last year is around the sidepod shape, which is something we started the process of part-way through last year with the Silverstone package.”

‘Sidepod shape obvious change’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/101995...ms-f1-2023-car


Why F1 fans haven’t got the Gulf Williams livery they wanted
Feb 6 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

The addition of the Gulf logo to an otherwise familiar Williams Formula 1 livery will no doubt disappoint fans hoping for the return of a classic colour scheme. The Gulf deal has been rumoured for several weeks and seemed to be accidentally confirmed in advance of Monday’s launch by a partner page on the Williams website being set live by mistake.

It led to expectations of Williams incorporating Gulf’s classic blue-and-orange colours into its 2023 car livery, especially as the team has recent form for reviving a traditional sponsor given it ran Martini colours from 2014 to 2018.

Gulf is one of motorsport’s most historically recognisable sponsors, emerging in the 1960s and 1970s in endurance racing, with the likes of Ford’s GT40 and Porsche’s 917 appearing in its colours at the Le Mans and Daytona 24 Hours, and then in F1 and US racing series with McLaren.

‘Gulf’s classic blue-and-orange colours’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/willi...y-they-wanted/


Mark Hughes: The Williams flaw its 2023 F1 car should fix
Feb 6 2023
By Mark Hughes
The Race

Williams’s initial interpretation of the major aero Formula 1 regulations reset of 2022 – with a version of the ‘zero’ sidepod concept and wide outer floor channels – was quickly found to be seriously wanting and the team effectively redesigned the whole sidepod area in time for the mid-season British Grand Prix.

Williams’s head of vehicle performance Dave Robson at the end of last year. “We saw there was opportunity to do something better – not just short-term better but something with more potential going forwards – and hence that’s what we did.” Williams would have liked to have done more, but was restricted by cost.

Ideally, the sidepods would have been more tightly sculpted to better feed that sensitive area around the rear brake duct, but the existing cooling radiator had to be retained. With that limitation removed for this year’s car, that’s where the biggest visual change will be seen when the actual FW45 appears for the first time next Monday. “The whole car [FW45] is an evolution in terms of its physical appearance,” said Robson.

‘The Williams flaw’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/willi...1-car-can-fix/


Albon doubts Williams can emulate Haas’ leap up the order in 2023
2023 F1 season
Posted on 6th February 2023, 14:08
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Williams driver Alexander Albon does not expect the team to make a big step up the grid in 2023, similar to Haas last season. Heading into his second year with Williams, Albon is confident the team has made improvements on the weaker areas of last season’s FW44 but does not expect a major step up the order for the team.

“I’d say at the start of the year, I don’t think it will be something like Haas, let’s say, when they came out the blocks and straight away were very competitive,” Albon told media including RaceFans at the team’s launch event today. “We have changed quite a lot with the car in terms of its philosophy and the areas where we’re trying to change the through-corner behaviour of the car. That might take a bit of time to understand and optimise.”

“On my side, my main target is to see progress,” he said. “I think if we can improve from where we were last year – I mean, you can easily say that’s not hard – but in this world, it is a race and with these new regs changing so much, the downforce and everything, it’s not the same as it was last year. Of course teams have still managed to recoup the loss and of course, improve on top of that. But it’s not to say the other teams are doing a better job.”

‘Changed quite a lot with the car in terms of its philosophy’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/06/...order-in-2023/

Albon hopes Vowles hire can move Williams F1 forward.
Alex Albon hopes the previous title-winning experience James Vowles will bring from Mercedes to Williams with his recent appointment as their new Team Principal can propel the side forward in the upcoming years.
7th Feb 2023, 08:29
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

After Jost Capito departed the role at the end of last season, Williams made the shock announcement that they had poached Vowles from his long-standing position of chief strategist at the Mercedes team to take up the vacancy.

Although Albon has admitted he retained a good relationship with Capito and the timing of the change is far from ideal, the former Red Bull racer is excited to get working with an established name like Vowles, who became an integral part of the most successful team in Formula 1 history.

“Yeah, obviously in terms of timing it’s tricky. Just because of this being almost the peak month for getting ready for next year,” Albon said. “While obviously, I liked Jost very much and we had a great relationship together. He was obviously the person that brought me into the sport, or back into the sport, so I have a lot of time for him.”

‘Title-winning experience James Vowles’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ms-f1-forward/


Alex Albon: Williams in a better position but there’s still a long road ahead
07 Feb 2023 2:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Once again propping up the standings last season, Alex Albon admits Williams have “got a long road ahead” but believes they’re “definitely” in a better position now than they were 12 months ago.

Last season the arrival of Formula 1’s all-new ground effect aerodynamic cars didn’t herald the recovery Williams had hoped, instead the team once again found themselves bottom of the log.

Their fourth P10 in the past five seasons, Williams are a long way from their last spate of glory days in the 1990s when Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were winning World titles.

‘Williams in a better position’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...ng-road-ahead/


Williams could sport full Gulf livery
07/02/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass.com

Gulf Oil CEO admits that company's deal with Williams could echo McLaren and see the Grove outfit run a full Gulf livery at a selected race.

Be it the papaya and blue that adorned the Ford Mirages and GT 40s and the fabulous Porsche 917s of the late 60s and early 70s, or the 'plain' papaya of the works McLaren F1 and Can-Am cars of the same era, the Gulf livery has been sported by some of motor sport's most iconic race cars over the years.

James Bower, the commercial director for the Grove team, says the 9-time Constructors' Champions are very much open to ideas. "We agreed on a presence that will run throughout the entire season, and you've seen that today," he said. "We think that's going to be very effective.”

‘Full Gulf livery’;

https://www.pitpass.com/74451/Willia...ll-Gulf-livery


Williams F1 Team Unveils New 2023 Livery on Old Race Car and It’s Ok to Be Sick of It
Published: 7 Feb 2023, 08:33 UTC • By:
Sebastian Toma
autoevolution

A substantial change for 2023 comes in the shape of a brand-new color finish, which makes the entire racing car matte instead of glossy. The new design will provide a fresh look on the grid, but the team is competing for points, not looks. At this point, everyone at Williams is hoping to see their car as further forward as possible, especially when the race is over, but that is a matter for a different day.

In case you have failed to notice the obvious, Williams has shown the FW44 with the new livery, meant for 2023, but stay tuned: the team will reveal its car for this season later this month. The FW45 will be revealed on February 13th, which might be a bit late if you are out shopping for gifts, but who are we to judge?

For now, we do know that the FW45 will come with a modified front suspension layout, as well as changes to the major external aerodynamic elements. Williams F1 team representatives have highlighted that the FW45 is a development of the car that was used in the previous season.

‘Williams has shown the FW44 with the new livery’;

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/w...it-209896.html


James Vowles arrival is not a sign of Williams following a Haas model
07 Feb 2023 4:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Vowles was one of the big-name moves during Formula 1’s off-season, the Briton swapping his Mercedes chief strategist role for that of Williams’ new team principal. Williams’ head of vehicle performance Dave Robson insists Williams will remain an independent outfit.

“We are happy with the cooperation with Mercedes,” he said, “but Williams has always been a highly independent team. “They provide us with some amount of hardware that is extremely good but we need to take the rest of it forwards on our own, or at least be prepared to do that. “I don’t think we want to follow a Haas model.”

But while Vowles’ arrival means Williams will have a brand new team boss, one who has never been in the role of team principal, Robson is confident the Briton has already learned the job working alongside Toto Wolff at Mercedes. “I think it’s very important for the team to have someone who now finishes off that journey and brings us forward again,” said Robson.

‘Williams will remain an independent outfit’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...ng-haas-model/

Alfa Romeo show off 2023 C43 F1 car with a striking new livery.
Alfa Romeo unveils their new car for the 2023 season, the C43, with a bold red and black livery taking over from the red and white colour scheme.
07 Feb 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘C43 F1 car with a striking new livery’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...592570406.html


Alfa Romeo C43 is ready for the 2023 Formula One season
It's an evolution of 2022's C42 race car
Feb 7th 2023 at 10:27AM
RONAN GLON
Autoblog

Following rival Red Bull's lead, Alfa Romeo has become the second team to unveil the car it will race in the 2023 season of Formula One. (Haas has revealed its livery, but so far not the new season's car.) Called C43, the single-seater Alfa stands out from its predecessor with a new aerodynamic profile and a redesigned livery, among other changes.

The C43's red and black livery is the work of the Alfa Romeo Centro Stile, which is the same design center that draws the storied Italian company's road cars. Alfa Romeo describes the C43 as an evolution of the C42, its predecessor, and it notes that a technical team led by Jan Monchaux developed it around a new, Ferrari-sourced power unit. It features several updates and numerous new parts, though full details haven't been released, and Alfa Romeo hopes the changes made to the C43 will allow its team to improve during the 2023 season.

"This car is an evolution of last year's, reflecting the new regulations and introducing major changes in the areas where we found improvements to be needed. I hope it's going to be quicker than the successful car we had last year, that's what matters most, and more reliable as well: We have put a lot of effort in this direction," said Monchaux, the technical director of Alfa Romeo's Formula One team.

‘Alfa Romeo C43’;

https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/07/...EwhSTVwDsXHXsA


It's not nice to be in my shoes right now, admits Alfa's technical director
07/02/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

The reveal out of the way, Alfa Romeo technical director, Jan Monchaux can't wait to get the C43 on track, though he admits that this is a nerve-wracking phase of the new car's life. "First of all, during the winter test, we want to be on the track at all times, not spending our time in the garage with some stupid small mistakes or issues that prevent us from running," he told the media at today's reveal of the Swiss outfit's 2023 contender.

"So it's not nice to be in my shoes right now," added the former Toyota (F1) and Audi aero man, "because everything could be good, and the next minute you have another issue to tackle and to sort. So I'll be glad when we are in Barcelona, and the car is running, and hopefully running smoothly, so that we can get into serious work."

Speaking at the launch, Valtteri Bottas confirmed that "high-speed load and balance" was just one of the problems encountered with the C2 last season, this together with porpoising and cooling issues. "The rear end is certainly where we spent most effort, most time to make up ground for us, in terms of topology of the rear and opening the door to further development," admits Monchaux. "Especially on the bodywork side, which was not possible last year, because we had a quite extreme cooler arrangement.”

‘Glad when we are in Barcelona’;

https://www.pitpass.com/74456/Its-no...nical-director


Video: The F1 design cues Alfa’s taken from Red Bull and Ferrari
Feb 7 2023
The Race

A striking new livery is one of the standout features of the C43 that Alfa Romeo has revealed for the 2023 Formula 1 season.

But looking beyond the new scheme reveals some significant technical developments – and more that are only likely to be revealed with time – that add up to what the Sauber-run team is describing as a “brave” concept.

Design convergence was always likely to be a theme of 2023 now we’re in the second year of F1 regulations, so it’s no surprise to see Alfa Romeo taking inspiration from last year’s top two teams, Red Bull and Ferrari, as our latest video explains.

‘Design convergence’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/video...es-alfa-romeo/


Gary Anderson: This C43 doesn’t match ‘brave’ Alfa Romeo claims
7th Feb 2023, 16:58
By Gary Anderson
The Race

Alfa Romeo is the first Formula 1 team to sort of introduce its new car for 2023. I’m pretty sure there will be many changes before it first hits the track but at least the main architecture of the car is there.

For Sauber, which operates Alfa Romeo and will slowly merge into a fully-fledged Audi F1 team, this year needs to be a step in the right direction to show it is worthy of that huge investment.

The initial investment for Audi, which now owns 25% of Sauber, will allow the team to work right up to the cost-cap level – and as Audi is not fully taking over until the new power unit rules come into play for 2026, it will also allow for three years of investment in its facility to bring it up to date. So what of its car for 2023, the C43? Here’s a comprehensive look at it, starting at the front.

‘C43 doesn’t match ‘brave’ Alfa Romeo claims’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...-romeo-claims/

F1 rocked as FIA boss Mohammed ben Sulayem 'quits' key role in letter to team bosses.
Mohammed ben Sulayem's decision comes as tensions rise between the FIA and F1.
09:37, Wed, Feb 8, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Mohammed ben Sulayem has reportedly decided to quit the hands-on running of the governing body amid tensions with F1 chiefs. The FIA boss said he would only concentrate on “strategic matters” with head of single-seaters, Nikolas Tombazis taking over the “day-to-day” running. However, it is understood Ben Sulayem will remain in his role as FIA president despite calls for him to resign. It comes after strained relations between the FIA and F1 after a series of conflicts on the eve of the new season.

Ben Sulayem revealed the new approach in an apparent letter to team bosses. According to the Daily Mail, it reads: “My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed. Therefore, going forward, your day-to-day contact for all matters on F1 will be with Nikolas (Tombazis, director of single-seater racing) and his team, while I will focus on strategic matters with my leadership team.”

German site Sport1 had reported that F1 owners Liberty Media was pushing for Ben Sulayem to stand down from his role. They had apparently lined up former Prodrive and Motorsport UK boss David Richards as his replacement. It comes after Ben Sulayem’s decisions came under fire from F1 chiefs, team bosses and drivers. F1 stars such as Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas have slammed an FIA decision to silence driver protests ahead of races.

‘F1 rocked’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...sulayem-latest


EXCLUSIVE: FIA chief Mohammed ben Sulayem RELINQUISHES hands-on control of Formula One with the president facing a fight to stay in office amid tensions with officials over 'grandstanding' and controversial comments
• FIA chief Mohammed ben Sulayem has relinquished hands-on control of F1
• The president has come under fire over his conduct and controversial remarks
• He faces a fight to stay in office with allies taking him to task over his approach
Published: 09:15, 8 February 2023
By Jonathan Mcevoy For Mailonine

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem has taken the extraordinary step of relinquishing hands-on control of Formula One, Sportsmail can reveal. The embattled former rally champion from the United Arab Emirates – the most powerful figure in world motorsport – made the unexpected concession in a letter sent to team principals late on Monday afternoon. He remains president of the governing body.

However, Sportsmail understands that 61-year-old Ben Sulayem faces a fight to extend his term of office beyond his first four-year tenure, as opposition inside his organisation and Formula One more broadly has mushroomed since he assumed his post in succession to former Ferrari boss Jean Todt in December 2021.

Key allies have taken him to task over what they perceive to be his grandstanding approach, and his apparent acknowledgement of these realities resulted in his letter, seen by Sportsmail, in which he said: 'My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed.”

‘Tensions with officials over grandstanding';

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rmula-One.html


FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem gives up hands-on control in shock letter to F1 team bosses
8 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

According to the Daily Mail, Ben Sulayem wrote: “My stated objective was to be a non-executive president via the recruitment of a team of professional managers, which has now been largely completed.

“Therefore, going forward, your day-to-day contact for all matters on F1 will be with Nikolas (Tombazis, director of single-seater racing) and his team, while I will focus on strategic matters with my leadership team.”

Despite taking more of a back seat from F1, the report goes on to say that Ben Sulayem is expected to remain in his role as FIA president amid an apparent desire from some quarters for him to resign.

‘Gives up hands-on control in shock letter’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102003...f1-team-bosses


Domenicali: 'Formula 1 will never put a gag on anyone'
08/02/2023 at 10:33
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has responded to the FIA's clampdown on drivers expressing political statements, insisting the sport "will never put a gag one anyone".

The FIA recently amended its International Sporting Code which now includes a provision that bans drivers from expressing or displaying "political, religious and personal statements", unless they have been previously approved by the FIA.

The move is seen by many as a censorship effort aimed specifically at Lewis Hamilton who has often used F1's platform to call the public's attention on social injustice and inequalities. But all drivers up and down the ranks are concerned by the governing body's measure.

'Formula 1 will never put a gag on anyone';

https://f1i.com/news/465362-domenica...on-anyone.html


F1 FIA war intensifies as Domenicali sensationally backs drivers
Wednesday 8 February 2023 08:24
Ewan Gale
GPFans

The civil war between F1 and the FIA has taken another turn as the sport's CEO Stefano Domenicali has backed the drivers over the clampdown on political messaging. The FIA has tweaked the International Sporting Code in order to make it obligatory that drivers seek written consent before making any political stand during a race weekend.

Speaking to The Guardian, Domenicali has firmly taken the side of F1's drivers, insisting: “F1 will never put a gag on anyone. Everyone wants to talk, so to have the platform to say what they want in the right way the better it is.”

“We have a huge opportunity because of the position of our sport which is more and more global, multicultural and multi-valued. We are talking about 20 drivers, 10 teams and many sponsors, they have different ideas, different views.”

‘F1 FIA war intensifies’;

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

Alfa Romeo explain similarities between C43 and Red Bull’s dominant RB18.
Alfa Romeo were inspired by the championship-winning RB18, drawing on the Red Bull design to resolve last year’s cooling issues with the new C43.
08 Feb 2023 1:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Last season Alfa Romeo suffered 10 retirements in 22 races on their way to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. While some of those could be attributed to crashes and others to the dismal reliability of their Ferrari power unit, the car’s cooling system was responsible for almost half the DNFs. It had technical director Jan Monchaux searching for a solution.

Revamping the rear of the car for the 2023 season, Monchaux revealed the team drew inspiration from Red Bull, solutions they would have liked to have put into place last season but it wasn’t possible given the difference in the rear suspension. “Which you can see,” he continued.

“I mean, it’s quite obvious, but for us it wouldn’t have been possible last year. Even if we had said we wanted it, we couldn’t make it, because coolers were so extreme, and the rear suspension wouldn’t have allowed that.”

‘Alfa Romeo explain similarities’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...red-bull-rb18/


F1 history made by Alfa Romeo after 2023 launch
Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:09
Ewan Gale
GPFans

Alfa Romeo has made history by putting the car used for its 2023 season launch up for auction. The C43 was unveiled by race drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu at Sauber's Hinwil-based factory on Tuesday [February 7].

Significantly, it was the first of the four launches so far to show off the 2023 challenger in at least partial glory, instead of purely demonstrating liveries.

But for the first time, the launch car is being put up for sale immediately, with F1 Authentics overseeing the auction. "For the first time in history, we're making an F1 launch car available to the public. This C43 chassis, as built by F1 Authentics, is now officially up for auction."

‘F1 history’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...r-2023-launch/


2023 Alfa Romeo F1 Car is Already a Contender for Best on the Grid
9 Feb 2023 | News
Ben McKimm,
Man of Many

The livery has been designed by Alfa Romeo’s Centro Stile, and we think it does a great job of showcasing the gorgeous logo of the Italian brand. Fans have been quick to point out that the car looks a little Ferrari-like in its approach, with the front wing, rear wing, and side skirts all appearing in black. However, the upper half of the livery blends red and black perfectly, intertwining the Quadrifoglio, or “Four Leaf Clover” to the upper duct.

What do the drivers think? Valtteri Bottas is excited, saying “The C43 is finally here, and I cannot wait to bring it on track. I really like our new livery, I think it’s stunning, and a fine evolution from last year’s one.” Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu echoed the same sentiment, “I think we are sporting a beautiful new design for 2023, and I’m looking forward to driving the car in Barcelona in the next days, before properly getting the season started with winter testing in Bahrain.”

The first race of the 2023 F1 season will start in Bahrain at the Bahrain International Circuit on Monday the 6th of March at 2 am AEST before it moves to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia on Monday the 20th of March at 4 am AEST.

‘Contender for Best on the Grid’;

https://manofmany.com/entertainment/...r?nowprocket=1


Zhou more comfortable ahead of second F1 season
Thursday 9th February, 2023 - 3:20pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Alfa Romeo Sauber driver Guanyu Zhou heads into his second season more confident than he did in his rookie F1 campaign in 2022. Zhou scored a world championship point on debut in Bahrain last year, adding five more over the course of the year.

Predictably, there were some teething issues; in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Zhou he allowed the revs to drop too low, which put the car into anti-stall. He learned from those, and aside from a terrifying crash at the British Grand Prix put in a solid account of himself. Embarking on his second season in F1, the Chinese driver is more sure of himself with 22 races now under his belt.

“What was very clear, last year, I was super nervous and intense,” he said. “Now, I feel a bit more understanding with the team, with Formula 1 cars. I’m arriving into the first test [shakedown] in Barcelona and then Bahrain, I’ll be feeling a bit more comfortable and a bit more knowing what’s coming.”

‘Zhou more comfortable’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/09...meo-sauber-f1/


Alfa Romeo without a team principal – what does it mean?
Thursday 9th February, 2023 - 2:15am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

When Alfa Romeo announced Alessandro Alunni Bravi as its team representative last month it prompted two obvious questions – Alessandro who, and what is a team representative? In fairness to Alunni Bravi, the 49-year-old from Italy is well-equipped to take on a bespoke role within the day-to-day running of the Alfa Romeo operation, in addition to his position as managing director that he took up last year.

A civil lawyer by education, Alunni Bravi has served as general counsel to the Sauber Group since he joined the company almost six years ago. In the eyes of new Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl, he will be regarded as a safe pair of hands, as well as trusted eyes and ears when it comes to dealing with the FIA and Formula 1.

Alunni Bravi is also no stranger to the pit wall as he was managing director and team manager at Coloni Motorsport in 2002 and 2003 before then serving as general manager of the WRC’s Rally Italia Sardinia event.

‘Without a team principal’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/09...epresentative/

A SECOND TEAM HAS SIGHTS SET ON JOINING F1.
Andretti might have competition — there's another team with eyes on a spot on the F1 grid.
10th Jan 2023, 07:02
Jasmine Hughes
FormulaNerds

Panthera Racing have confirmed that progress is currently underway on an Expression of Interest application to the FIA.

As reported by PlanetF1, Panthera Team Asia is officially “working on” a bid to join Formula 1. The team has had their eyes on a spot on the grid since 2019— though these plans were put on hold with the outbreak of COVID-19. With the FIA announcing the launch of an Expressions of Interest process for prospective F1 teams, an opportunity has opened up for Panthera to join the grid.

Few details are currently known about the Asian-based team’s bid. However, Panthera’s co-founder and team principal Benjamin Durand shared that further information about the Expression of Interest bid will be revealed “soon”.

‘A SECOND TEAM’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/pa.../?nowprocket=1


Panthera Team Asia start Expression of Interest process to join F1
Thursday 9 February 2023 12:30
Paul Macdonald
GPFans

Benjamin Durand, team principal and co-founder of Panthera Team Asia, has confirmed that the team is in the process of signing up for the FIA's Expression of Interest process to bring new entrants into Formula 1. In January Durand announced his interest in taking his team into F1, saying: "We still think that the Asian market and the Chinese market are the next developing markets.

"They all look west, no one looks east. Now Formula 1 focuses a lot on the US, which is normal because it's growing, but once that market is there Asia and Africa will be the next big market for F1, especially with Zhou [Guanyu] in the championship.

"It's been a rollercoaster; we could have given up on this project a long time ago , but we believe in it." Now, Panthera Asian F1 has confirmed that they are 'in the process' of signing up for the new Expression of Interest process, and that they are 'expecting more news soon'.

‘Expression of Interest’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ula-1-entrant/


Haas against Andretti joining F1 as Guenther Steiner says 11th team brings 'just risk, no benefit'
Last Updated: 10/02/23 11:40am
Sky Sports

Haas boss Guenther Steiner tells Sky Sports F1 that an 11th team would bring "no benefit" or "upside" and only risks; Andretti announced plans to enter Formula 1 in 2026 last month after partnering with General Motors and Cadillac

Guenther Steiner says Haas are against Andretti joining the Formula 1 grid as there is "just risk, no benefit" from an 11th outfit. Andretti confirmed plans to bring an "all-American team" to F1 after partnering with General Motors and its luxury brand Cadillac in January, with the sport's governing FIA welcoming an entry from 2026.

Their arrival, however, also needs approval from F1 themselves as well as the teams. So far, Andretti have admitted that only McLaren and Alpine are their "allies" backing their bid.

‘Haas against Andretti joining F1’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...isk-no-benefit


Horner suggests alternative method for Andretti to join F1
10th Feb 2023, 09:08
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has suggested that Andretti Global should look at taking over an existing Formula 1 team rather than establish its own outfit. Andretti has been in discussions with F1 for some time regarding setting up an 11th squad on the grid.

Horner pointed out that some of the sport’s most successful teams, including his own Red Bull squad, once existed as a separate entity.

“Red Bull Racing was Jaguar, which was Stewart Ford,” he told the Daily Mail. “You look at Mercedes, that goes all the way back through Honda to British American Racing to Tyrell. “Aston Martin go back to being a Jordan team. That has been the procedure for many years.

‘Alternative method’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ti-to-join-f1/


Johnny Herbert doesn’t ‘see why there’s a problem’ with Andretti joining the F1 grid
06 Feb 2023 10:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert is perplexed as to why “there’s a problem” with Andretti Cadillac Racing joining the Formula 1 grid, believing it is “important” for the sport to have another American team.

“I don’t see why there’s a problem,” the former driver turned pundit told Total-Motorsport.com. “When I started we had 26-car grids and it looked brilliant. I liked battling with more cars. It also gives more opportunities to other drivers to be on the grid at the same point.

“There is always talk about teams being greedy and guarding the money pot they get. I get that. But for F1, the most important thing is having another team, an American team.”

‘Doesn’t see why there’s a problem’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/johnny...ti-joining-f1/