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Red Bull’s 2023 F1 car hits track, but secrecy continues.
Red Bull’s RB19 Formula 1 car has made its track debut at Silverstone, but the champion team’s secretive approach to the 2023 pre-season continued.
19:13 Fri, 10 Feb 2023.
By Matt Beer
The Race
In a repeat of its 2022 tactics, Red Bull held its launch event using a show car that will bear little resemblance to what actually appears for testing, and has now held a shakedown run without – at least so far – offering any publicity images from it. It only released a short video clip on its social media channels in which the car cannot be seen clearly.
Red Bull later put out a short video clip of world champion Max Verstappen giving his initial take on how the day had gone. “I’ve just driven the RB19 for the first time,” he said. “Of course it’s a filming day but it was a good first impression.
“Everything worked very well, everything worked very smoothly, so that’s exactly what you want from a day like this.” Outside official testing, F1 teams are limited to two runs of up to 100km – usually referred to as ‘filming days’ – with their current machinery during the season.
‘RB19 secrecy continues’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-b...ecy-continues/
Verstappen pleased with “really smooth” first run in new Red Bull at Silverstone
2023 F1 season
Posted on 10th February 2023, 17:4410th February 2023, 22:58
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
World champions Red Bull have run their new car for the first time in secret at Silverstone. Max Verstappen was pleased with his first run in the team’s new car. “Of course it was a filming day but I think it was a first good impression,” he said. “Everything worked really well, everything worked really smooth.
“So that’s exactly what you want from a day like this and now I’m of course very excited to go to Bahrain.” Red Bull held a season launch event in New York last week at which they presented a show car which they referred to as the RB19. They previously confirmed the car displayed was not their true 2023 design.
Team principal Christian Horner said the car presented in New York “isn’t a total reflection of what will hit the track in Bahrain in a couple of weeks’ time” when pre-season testing begins. “The car that was shown today obviously will be somewhat different when you see it in Bahrain,” he added.
‘ “Really smooth” first run’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/10/...l-silverstone/
Red Bull complete secret shakedown of 2023 car
10 February 6:05PM
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
Red Bull have given their 2023 car, the RB19, a first test outing with a shakedown session at the Silverstone circuit. Red Bull's car for the 2023 season, the RB19, took the track for the first time in a shakedown session at the Silverstone circuit, without prior warning.
The car was driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at the home of the British Grand Prix, with official 'third' driver Daniel Ricciardo sitting out this particular test session.
The Milton Keynes team were able to complete a 'filming day', permitted under the regulations, with Pirelli demo tyres, which is common practice among teams prior to testing.
‘Secret shakedown’;
https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-c...wn-of-2023-car
Sergio Perez has pushed Red Bull’s RB19 development in a ‘certain direction’
10 Feb 2023 12:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Sergio Perez believes this year’s RB19 is more suited to his driving style, having bemoaned last year’s upgrades favoured his team-mate Max Verstappen. Asked at the team’s launch if he could avoid last year’s mid-season slump, he replied: “Yes, certainly. There are things that we are going to work on.
“We believe that the car is already going to be better. I’ve been pushing the team in a certain direction, and we believe we’re heading in that direction. “But we’ll see. Once we get the car, it’s all about adapting ourselves to the car and try to maximise it.”
Perez concedes his side of the garage made mistakes last season, most notably with the set-up of the car which cost him performance. He believes those lessons learned will stand him in good stead for 2023.
‘Adapting ourselves to the car to maximise it’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...ain-direction/
Sergio Perez wants to battle Max Verstappen in 2023.
Sergio Perez won two races compared to Max Verstappen’s 15 in 2022.
10 February 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1 News
When speaking about his ambitions for the 2023 season at the Red Bull season launch in New York, Perez has claimed that he cannot rely on help from others this season, insisting that it is only up to him to be successful.
“I’m 100% responsible for that [my own success] to work together with my team, to have a good plan, to follow it,” he told The Drive. “And to be able to find the consistency throughout the whole season that will be the main key for us.”
The 33-year-old has recently suggested that after two seasons of adapting to driving a winning car, he finally feels capable of mounting a serious title challenge in 2023, even if it involves battling with Verstappen.
‘Only up to him to be successful’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/sergio-pe...appen-in-2023/
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What Alfa’s track running has revealed about its 2023 design.
The Alfa Romeo C43 became the first genuine 2023 Formula 1 car to hit the track on Friday, revealing key details that were hidden when the car was launched earlier this week.
Feb 10 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race
The real car features a floor-edge treatment similar to that of the Red Bull RB18. It also features a slot in front of the rear wheel echoing that introduced by Ferrari and also used by Aston Martin and, for a period, Red Bull last year.
The launch show car and renders also had different rear suspension configurations, but the car that ran at Barcelona continues to have pushrod rear suspension. This is possible because while Alfa Romeo uses Ferrari gearbox internals, it makes its own casing both for cost-cap efficiency reasons and to have greater freedom in suspension geometry.
As the team promised, the front end of the car has not changed significantly. The front wing is a similar shape to last year, with the slightly wavy mainplane design continuing to be used and offering relatively consistent load across the span of the wing. The front wing endplate has a similar edge to the one introduced by Haas last year.
‘First genuine 2023 Formula 1 car to hit the track’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/what-...s-2023-design/
Bottas feedback steering Alfa Romeo in ‘right direction’
Saturday 11th February, 2023 - 12:58am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Speaking at the team’s launch earlier in the week about his role in the development of the car and the feedback he provides, Bottas said: “It’s definitely been interesting. Like I’ve said multiple times, in this team, I feel like my role has been very different to what I have ever had really in Formula 1. [I’ve had] a bit more involvement, a bit more information going through me in a way.”
“Obviously, the work started early last year together. I tried to give all my experience and technical knowledge that I could from the past and then that work continues. Throughout last year, whether it was an issue with the car balance or whatever, we are always feeding back [information] the best we can and when I am at the factory, I like to get updates on how things are going.”
Bottas has confirmed being free to pose “any ideas or questions” that lead to open conversations and aid with the feedback. “It’s a really open situation in the team and I love to know always as much as I can about all the details with the new car,” added the 33-year-old Finn. “It’s fair to say, the setup direction we have gone with, the development of the car balance throughout the whole of last year has gone in the right direction and that work continues.”
‘Bottas feedback’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/11...omeo-feedback/
First laps of a 2023 F1 car are complete as Alfa Romeo test C43 at Barcelona
10 Feb 2023 4:34 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Alfa Romeo have become the first team to give their 2023 car a rundown by taking the C43 to the track in Barcelona, in what they described as a “pivotal moment” in their development. The Swiss outfit broke the tradition of car unveilings this week when instead of revealing a dummy car, they showed off their actual contender for the 2023 season.
While Alfa still have time to make changes before the start of the season in Bahrain, they decided not to do like many other teams and produce a car that would have little resemblance to the one they use in the first race. The C43, which featured a striking new black and red design, took to the track for the first time on Friday as Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu and Théo Pourchaire put in some laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Spanish track has traditionally been the testing ground of choice for the F1 teams given its European location but in 2023, official pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain. It was Bottas who was given the honour of being the first one to drive with Alfa tweeting a video of the Finn emerging from the garage in the sunny Spanish conditions.
‘The Swiss outfit broke the tradition of car unveilings, showing off their actual contender for the 2023 season’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...c43-barcelona/
Gary Anderson: Sauber’s new F1 structure looks as clear as mud
16:40 Fri, 10 Feb 2023
By Gary Anderson
The Race
When you are running a Formula 1 team, or any business for that matter, you need to set up a clear management structure. There are different ways to organise this, but if you do it right everyone knows what they are responsible for and who they ultimately answer to.
The Alfa Romeo team is going through some major changes. The Alfa Romeo deal concludes at the end of 2023 and Audi has already bought 25% of the Sauber team, a stake that will grow to majority ownership by the time it becomes the works Audi team in 2026.
With Frederic Vasseur leaving his role as team principal to join Ferrari and Andreas Seidl joining from McLaren as Sauber Group CEO, there were also big personnel changes over the winter. As part of this, Sauber has appointed Alessandro Alunni Bravi as what it calls ‘team representative’.
‘Looks as clear as mud’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...-clear-as-mud/
Where 2023 Alfa Romeo F1 car has borrowed from rivals: C43 aero analysis
February 9th 2023
Author Kyle Forster (Kyle Forster worked as an aerodynamicist at Mercedes-AMG F1 from 2018-2020 and runs the JKF racing engineering consultancy.)
Motor Sport Magazine
Alfa Romeo provided the first glimpse of a 2023 Formula 1 car at its launch event. Aerodynamicist Kyle Forster finds plenty of detail to delve into. The Alfa Romeo C43 is our first look at a launch car that clearly has elements of a 2023 car. It’s definitely got some carryover elements from last year, as well as some things that are hidden and de-featured, but there’s a lot to discuss that could very well be seen on the real thing.
The front wing is not hugely different to last year – in fact looks like it’s completely unchanged – so this is likely just for the reveal unless Alfa Romeo has had a particularly bad off-season in the wind tunnel. I would expect this to change a fair bit for testing.
Here’s a quick recap of what it’s likely doing: it’s very heavily centre-loaded, which means Alfa is likely trying to extract a large amount of the front balance of the car from this region and not using it to generate a huge Y250-like vorticity (named after the 250mm neutral area either side of the nose, which featured on cars until last year).
‘2023 Alfa Romeo F1 car has borrowed from rivals’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
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How to watch the launch of McLaren's 2023 MCL60 F1 car.
McLaren are set to become the latest F1 team to unveil their 2023 car, the MCL60. Here's how you can watch the event live.
13 February 8:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
With the unveiling of the McLaren MCL60 Formula 1 car, it will mark the halfway point of launch season in 2023. The Woking squad are set to take the covers off the car named to celebrate 60 years since founder Bruce started his eponymous squad, in a break with the sequential numbering scheme, meaning the MCL37 must wait until 2024.
The McLaren MCL60 launch will be at 17:00 UK time on Monday 13 February. This is 12:00 Eastern Time or for those in Australia – homeland of new driver Oscar Piastri – it is a 04:00 start on Tuesday morning for those on Australian Eastern Standard Time.
McLaren are presenting the launch on their YouTube channel from 17:00 UK time on Monday 13 February. You can view the event by clicking here. Alternatively, the launch is set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK from the McLaren Technology Centre.
‘Watch the event live’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-to-wat...3-mcl60-f1-car
'Time is right for McLaren to succeed in F1 — and Oscar Piastri is key'
February 12th 2023
Author Adam Cooper
Motor Sport Magazine
The 2023 season is an important one for McLaren, which launches its car tomorrow, and there’s no question that the team has to show signs of forward progress.
Logic suggests that the time is right for one or the other of McLaren, Alpine and Aston Martin to close the gap to the top three, and potentially take the fight to them on a regular basis.
McLaren is also one of several competitors heading into this season with a new team principal, with Andreas Seidl gone to Sauber and Andrea Stella promoted from his previous role – in essence head of the team’s race weekend operations – to that of overall boss.
‘McLaren to succeed in F1’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
McLaren must reverse its recent slide in 2023 to hold on to rising star Norris
2023 F1 team preview
Posted on 12th February 2023, 19:0012th February 2023, 15:07
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown’s rebuilding of the team following his arrival at the end of 2016 hit a couple of significant snags last year. It began promisingly, yielding third place in the 2020 world championship, the team’s best result for eight years. The following season McLaren finally returned to the top step of the podium at Monza.
That was achieved with a car which had been converted to use a Mercedes engine in place of a Renault. So with a reset of the technical regulations coming for 2022, and the technical team having the opportunity to integrate their power unit in a ground-up design, better things were expected.
They did not materialise. The team fell to fifth in the championship standings, scored not much more than half its 2021 points tally, and mustered just a single podium appearance, at Imola. Though to their credit, they were the only other than Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes to achieve a top-three finish.
‘McLaren must reverse its recent slide’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/12/...g-star-norris/
Norris interview: How he became the driver that buried Ricciardo
Feb 13 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race
Superficially, McLaren driver Lando Norris’s Formula 1 development has stagnated. In 2019, he spent much of his impressive rookie season finishing in the bottom half of the points and exactly the same was true in 2022. Given McLaren’s timeline for emerging as a frontrunner longer-term, he’s set to harvest plenty more results to add to his haul of 42 finishes from sixth to 10th.
The key word here is superficially. If you delve a little deeper, the 23-year-old has evolved significantly in his four seasons in F1. Without doing so, he couldn’t have demolished Daniel Ricciardo so comprehensively last year in a tricky-to-drive McLaren. It didn’t show in the results, but Norris delivered his most consistently impressive season yet in 2022 with a myriad of high-class drives usually rewarded only with a modest number in the results column.
We’re likely to have to wait a little longer before Norris can be tested at the front of the F1 field, so for now we can only evaluate him based on the challenges he has faced. And as much as demolishing Ricciardo over two years – with the advantage growing in the second of those seasons – has enhanced Norris’s reputation, there comes a point where this is of limited value.
‘The driver that buried Ricciardo’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/norri...ied-ricciardo/
McLaren Might Partner With Honda in F1 Again: Report
After its rough breakup in 2017, McLaren and Honda have apparently made initial contact over a 2026 engine deal.
PUBLISHED Feb 11, 2023 6:30 PM
By Chris Rosales
The Drive
The phrase “nothing is impossible” has been taken to new, stratospheric heights: McLaren and Honda are in the earliest stages of forging a possible engine partnership for 2026. This comes after its unbelievably rough stint together as McLaren-Honda from 2015 to 2017 that resulted in McLaren’s worst seasons for a long time and Honda’s broken reputation as an engine manufacturer.
According to The Race, initial contact has been made between the two former technical partners to possibly strike up an engine deal for 2026. It’s in its very earliest stages with no real formal talks, but both are exploring their options every team on the grid is seeking the best possible match for the upcoming 2026 ruleset devoid of the costly MGU-H.
There are interesting politics here, with the previous McLaren-Honda partnership ending as badly as anything, while its ‘80s and ‘90s partnership with Ayrton Senna was the stuff of legends. 2017 was a difficult time for McLaren, with the team swamped internally with infighting that led to the ousting of Ron Dennis, who was instrumental to the success of the team in the ‘80s and ‘90s. McLaren also took the position of blaming Honda for its performance deficit in the early days of the V6 turbo-hybrid era. Though Honda was unreliable and underpowered back then, McLaren learned the hard way that the Honda power unit was not their only problem after a switch to Renault.
‘McLaren and Honda have apparently made initial contact’;
https://www.thedrive.com/news/mclare...1-again-report
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How to watch the launch of Aston Martin's 2023 F1 car.
Aston Martin are set to launch their 2023 season, with the team expected to show off their new car ahead of pre-season testing.
13 February 8:55AM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
Aston Martin are the next team in line during this busy week of car launches which also includes McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine. It is expected that the squad will be showing off the actual AMR23 at the event, alongside drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Here is everything you need to know about the event.
The Aston Martin launch will be taking place at the team's headquarters in Silverstone, UK on Monday 13 February at 19:00 GMT. This will be 20:00 CET. It is expected that Aston Martin will show off the actual AMR23 chassis, after Deputy Technical Director Eric Blandin confirmed this would be the case.
"We will unveil the actual car, just as we did last year," he said in an Aston Martin interview. "The car we reveal at our new factory in Silverstone on 13 February will be the real AMR23. We're not going to disappoint fans."
‘Team expected to show off the actual AMR23 chassis’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-to-wat...ns-2023-f1-car
Will Alonso’s arrival kick Aston Martin into a higher gear in 2023?
F1 2023 team preview
Posted on 13th February 2023, 7:0012th February 2023, 20:36
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
The Silverstone squad had always punched above its weight, so the natural strategy was for the team to bulk up in order to join the real heavyweights. But serious levelling-up requires serious investment and Aston Martin’s benefactors have injected over £200m into an all-new, state-of-the-art factory to transform them from perennial midfield runners to genuine contenders.
Sitting alongside its previous facility on the same plot, the 40-acre, three-building factory will feature a new wind tunnel, swanky new staff offices and a new design, research and development hub tailor-made for F1’s new budget cap age. While not all of it will be completed in 2023, the main building is due to open up for the first time later this year – the first big step on what Aston Martin hope will be a journey to becoming title contenders.
Fernando Alonso’s switch from Alpine to Aston Martin was a shocking move eclipsed only in drama by Oscar Piastri refusing his subsequent call-up by Alpine in order to sign for McLaren. Alonso joins his sixth factory of his F1 career even hungrier for that elusive third world championship than ever before. F1’s most experienced ever driver is under no illusion that he may have to wait even longer to get a chance. “I’m not thinking about timeframes and how long it will take the team to win races,” Alonso said. “I will take it race by race, season by season. What’s important is that we keep making progress.”
‘Kick Aston Martin into a higher gear’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/13/...-gear-in-2023/
Fernando Alonso on what Aston Martin need to do to become F1 World Champions
11 Feb 2023 4:00 PM
Mark Scott
PlanetF1.com
Fernando Alonso has said it is going to take some outside-of-the-box thinking for Aston Martin to achieve their dream of winning the World Championship. Alonso is the new man to spearhead Aston Martin towards the upper echelons of the F1 grid after jumping ship from Alpine and replacing the now-retired Sebastian Vettel.
The Spaniard knows a thing or two about winning silverware in F1 having won two World Championship titles and believes the key to success is constant evolution through creative thinking. If you stand still in F1, you will get left behind. “We have to use our ingenuity and be creative in everything we do,” Alonso said.
“You have to reinvent yourself every season, every race, to try to outperform your competitors – this is the biggest challenge for any F1 team. It starts with an idea. But when will it be possible? What do you need to do to make it possible? This is what you have to keep asking yourself. This is what you have to keep working towards. We have the talent in this team. When we go racing, we need to execute every race to perfection – to maximise the results from the ingenuity that has gone into the car.”
‘On what Aston Martin need to do to become F1 World Champions’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...rld-champions/
Christian Horner is hearing ‘big numbers’ from a potential surprise F1 2023 rival
12 Feb 2023 7:45 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
When discussing possible surprise rivals for Red Bull in F1 2023, Christian Horner namedropped a very confident Aston Martin team. The chasing pack then will be looking to stop Red Bull’s roll going any further, with Ferrari and Mercedes expected to be their main challengers. But, could any of the remaining seven teams step up?
Now armed with the services of two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin are investing heavily in their facilities and workforce for a push to the top of Formula 1, with the AMR23 challenger therefore needing to be a marked improvement on its predecessor.
And with the bullish Aston Martin talking “big numbers”, it makes them one to watch for Horner. Asked by Auto Motor und Sport if a surprise contender could emerge in F1 2023, Horner replied: “You never know, I mean Alpine made progress in the second half of the year. Aston Martin, we keep hearing big numbers coming out of there in their expectations, so you just don’t know in terms of what the running order will be.”
‘Very confident Aston Martin team’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...-aston-martin/
Fernando Alonso makes HUGE Lance Stroll claim
Sunday 12 February 2023 16:00
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
Fernando Alonso believes his new Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll has the potential to become an F1 world champion one day. Two-time king of the grid Alonso has signed a multi-year deal to spearhead the iconic brand's bid to reach the summit of the sport one day.
Now 41 years old and the elder statesman on the 2023 grid, Alonso understands that the famous green livery may not achieve those heady heights while he is still behind the wheel. He believes though that his 24-year-old Canadian team-mate can continue to carry the torch.
Speaking in an UNDERCUT interview on the team's website, Alonso said: "I will still be very proud if the team wins without me in the car. I will be very proud of the process and my contribution to the project. "In Lance, the team has a driver who is super young, super talented and has the possibility to be World Champion. To see him achieve that and have played a part in that, whether that's behind the wheel or not, will be special for me."
‘HUGE Lance Stroll claim’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...orld-champion/
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McLaren presents 2023 F1 car and livery for 60th celebratory year.
McLaren has revealed the first glimpse of its 2023 Formula 1 car livery as it prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary since forming under founder Bruce McLaren.
13th Feb 2023, 17:26
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport
Having ended a nine-year victory drought in 2021, McLaren slid to fifth place in the constructors’ championship last season. The Woking-based team initially struggled to adapt to the new rules before clawing back performance through the season, securing its only podium finish of 2022 at round four in Imola.
A year-long battle with Alpine eventually swung in its rivals favour, losing out on P4 in the constructors’ standings at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 2023 is a year of change for McLaren as it welcomes a new driver and sees a major shift to its management structure.
Lando Norris heads McLaren’s refreshed driver line-up, looking to build on an impressive 2022 campaign that saw him finish seventh in the drivers’ championship despite the team moving further adrift of F1’s frontrunners. Norris will be partnered by rookie Oscar Piastri after Daniel Ricciardo’s exit, who arrives with huge expectation having won in every junior category he has competed in on route to F1.
‘2023 F1 car and livery for 60th celebratory year’;
https://readmotorsport.com/2023/02/1...ebratory-year/
F1: McLaren set top four goal as they unveil MCL60.
13th Feb 2023, 17:31
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport
McLaren are aiming to top the midfield in 2023. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has said that they are aiming to be in the top four this coming F1 season.
The Woking-based team finished the 2022 campaign in P5 in the standings with a slow start to the year really costing them, whilst ultimately they just did not have the pace to really consistently beat Alpine, who came fourth, and the fact it was as close as it was in the end was real testament to the efforts McLaren put in.
They're hoping for a better season in 2023, then, and it is clear that the aim is to finish at least one place higher in the table come the end of the upcoming campaign, as they try and close the gap to the established top three of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
‘Set top four goal’;
https://www.givemesport.com/f1-mclar...-unveil-mcl60/
VIDEO: McLaren show off their striking MCL60
13 February 6:30PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
McLaren has released a video of their striking new MCL60 which will be driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
After lifting the covers off their 2023 challenger, McLaren has released a video showing off the detail of their MCL60.
The team is celebrating the 60 years since it was founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963, with the car sporting a striking papaya orange livery with blue streaks and 'exposed carbon' look.
‘McLaren show off their striking MCL60’;
https://racingnews365.com/video-chec...-mclaren-mcl60
McLaren "not entirely happy" with launch-spec F1 2023 car
13 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
New McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the team are “not entirely happy” with their 2023 F1 car but is hopeful early-season developments will bring “a good step”.
While team principal Stella said McLaren have addressed most of their targeted areas for improvement, he admitted some elements of their 2023 car were not fully capitalised after the team “realised a little late into the development some really strong directions”.
Addressing media at the MTC including Crash.net, Stella said: “We have to say that assessing our performance last year and looking at competitors, we identified multiple areas of opportunities. “The good news is that pretty much all of them have been addressed. I wouldn’t want to be too specific, but certainly they have to do predominantly with the aerodynamics.”
"Not entirely happy";
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102021...ec-f1-2023-car
The McLaren MCL60 has arrived, now it is time to take a closer look
13 Feb 2023 5:19 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
McLaren kicked off a busy day of Formula 1 launches with the reveal of the MCL60, and it certainly is sporting a lot of black. As McLaren move on from their MCL36 challenger of 2022, their new model for the 2023 campaign, the MCL60, on first glance has us playing a game of spot the difference, with a plentiful list of similarities between the MCL36 and MCL60.
The resemblance though is not quite as extreme as the one seen between the Red Bull RB18 and RB19, with this McLaren MCL60 sporting some unique visual characteristics to call its own. So, let’s delve into some of these details. Black has sadly become a key colour for many Formula 1 teams in this new regulatory era, as the scramble to find ways of shaving weight off the cars has made the paint job a cheap way of saving some grams.
It is little surprise then to see the MCL60 going in heavy on the black, a challenger named specifically to mark the team’s 60th anniversary. There is also a nice mark to the significance of this year in the team’s history at the bottom of the nose cone.
‘McLaren MCL60 has arrived’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclaren-mcl60-gallery/
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Aston Martin debut the AMR23.
Aston Martin revealed their new green machine from their Silverstone headquarters.
13th February 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Heading into their third season as Aston Martin, the team will be looking to improve on the P7 they’ve achieved in the championship in the past two years and also make a return to the podium after Sebastian Vettel’s P2 in Baku 2021. The AMR23 sees the team once again bedecked in their British racing green with darker carbon fibre elements on the lower portions of the car.
Aston Martin say that their new challenger is a “considerable evolution” on the AMR22 and their Technical Director, Dan Fallows, says they have improved on last season’s car in “every critical area” as they try to take the fight to the frontrunning teams.
“The design team was adamant that it wanted to tackle these regulations without compromise,” Fallows said. “We want to move up the grid and start challenging the teams at the front – and you can’t do that by sitting back and being conservative.
‘Tackle these regulations without compromise’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/aston-mart...he-amr23-80893
TECH ANALYSIS: Unpacking the 'aggressive' new Aston Martin AMR23
13 February 2023
Special Contributor
Mark Hughes
Formula One - Official Site
Aston Martin have taken the covers off their brand-new challenger, the AMR23 – but how different is their new design compared to last year's car? F1 technical expert Mark Hughes has a look... Aston Martin’s new AMR23 embodies a clear break in technical leadership for the team, with Dan Fallows having been involved in the new car’s gestation from the start while previous chief Andy Green has moved on to a non-F1 part of the team, heading up Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
Fallows has overseen an extremely aggressive approach to improving on the team’s 2022 performance. Not only is it aerodynamically quite different, but the mechanical aspects have been completely overhauled and a very rigorous approach has been taken in getting the car down to the weight limit.
Fallows has overseen an extremely aggressive approach to improving on the team’s 2022 performance. Not only is it aerodynamically quite different, but the mechanical aspects have been completely overhauled and a very rigorous approach has been taken in getting the car down to the weight limit. Visually, the car bears a very strong visual resemblance to last year’s Red Bull RB18 in its post-Monza update form. The sidepod and engine cover contours are remarkably similar.
‘Aston Martin AMR23’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...dp3xtgqwx.html
Gary Anderson: Red Bull influence clear on new Aston Martin
Feb 13 2023
By Gary Anderson
The Race
Most of the 2023 Formula 1 cars we’ve seen so far have had sidepods that are a cross between Ferrari and Red Bull’s designs from last year. But you could easily say that the Aston Martin AMR23 is more of a Red Bull than the others.
Obviously under the skin they are all a bit different but we can only comment on what we see and last year the big visual differences was in the sidepods: the bulbous Ferrari solution, the detailed Red Bull and the zero sidepod Mercedes. Strangely (or perhaps not) we haven’t seen many of the latter so far this year.
On the Aston Martin you can see the bulge for the lower side impact structure (SIP) (highlighted with the yellow ellipse), the undercut flow lines and the laid-back radiator inlet are all Red Bull-style. One of the interesting features on the Aston Martin sidepod upper surface is the deep gulley. Alpine had something similar last year – see comparison below – and we have all seen what we have called the Ferrari ‘bathtub’ sidepod top.
‘Aston Martin AMR23 is more of a Red Bull than the others’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...-aston-martin/
‘Bold and aggressive’ AMR23 has more going on than just the Red Bull-esque sidepods
14 Feb 2023 7:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
With a touch of Red Bull for the sidepods and a sweep of Mercedes at the rear, Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows has called the new AMR23 “bold and aggressive”. The former Red Bull aero chief spoke to the media as Lance Stroll and his new team-mate Fernando Alonso unveiled their 2023 car.
It was notably different to last year’s AMR22. The car features a new sidepod design, heavily revised front wing and a different engine cover that comes with a larger roll hoop inlet. “We went into this year trying to be bold and aggressive, to try to take on the lessons from last year,” declared Fallows.
“We want to move up the grid and start challenging the teams at the front – and you can’t do that by sitting back and being conservative.” Pundits were quick to note that the AMR22 has been influenced by Red Bull’s championship-winning RB19, Fallows having joined Aston Martin in April last season after parting ways with Red Bull.
‘Bold and aggressive’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/bold-a...bull-sidepods/
Video: ‘Aggressive’ start from Aston Martin’s vital new recruit
Feb 14 2023
The Race
Aston Martin’s 2023 Formula 1 car is visually striking, “aggressive” in its creators’ own words, and a landmark in the ambitious development of the team. That’s because it’s the first car overseen by perhaps its most important recent recruit. And we’re not talking about Fernando Alonso.
We’re in fact talking about technical director Dan Fallows, one of a swathe of new personnel who have joined Aston Martin in recent times. He arrived in April last year from Red Bull, which was very reluctant to let him go, and he has overseen the Aston Martin AMR23 from its inception.
Given his background and Red Bull’s dominance of F1 last year, it’s no surprise that the car takes plenty of design cues from the all-conquering RB18. But that’s not to say it’s a copy, far from it, as there’s also some inspiration from Mercedes and what Aston Martin hopes are its own fresh ideas that will give it a car capable of fighting at the front of the midfield this year.
‘Aston Martin’s vital new recruit’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/video...ew-f1-recruit/
‘Super motivated’ Alonso spent four hours in sim before Aston Martin launch
Tuesday 14th February, 2023 - 10:30am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has revealed Fernando Alonso spent four hours in the sim ahead of the F1 team launching its 2023 car. McCullough has described Alonso as “super motivated” upon his winter arrival from Alpine, with the two-time Formula 1 champion displaying an early level of determination that is driving forward Aston Martin.
In that regard, the 41-year-old is putting in the time and the effort, starting with the sim, as he embraces his latest new working environment. “When you have a new driver you get his input, and that’s what we’ve spent most of the winter really doing,” said McCullough to invited media, including Speedcafe.com.
“It’s still going on. Fernando spent four hours in the simulator ahead of everything else he was doing (for the launch). That’s the sort of push we are getting from him. He’s massively motivated, pushing us all really hard because he wants to do really well, just like we do.”
‘Super motivated’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/14...martin-launch/
Fernando Alonso: 'Leading the midfield' is the aim for 2023 after the winter of 'physical and mental' preparation.
14 Feb 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Fernando Alonso feels more 'optimistic' than ever before in his first season with Aston Martin team and hopes to 'fight for some podiums' in 2023.
'Leading the midfield';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...075532711.html
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TECH ANALYSIS: Ferrari's 2023 SF-23 – A complete redesign or subtle evolution?
14 February 2023
Special Contributor
Mark Hughes
Formula One - Official Site
Ferrari launched their brand-new SF-23 on Tuesday and it seems they've continued with last year's philosophy. Mark Hughes looks at why the Scuderia have focused on improving, rather than overhauling, their design.
"Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year, but in reality, it has been completely redesigned," said Head of Chassis Area Enrico Cardile as he outlined the changes. "On the aerodynamic side, we increased vertical downforce to adapt further to the new aero regulations and achieve the desired balance characteristics. The suspension has also been redesigned, to support aerodynamics and increase the range of adjustments that can be made to the car at the track.
"The most obvious changes are in the area of the front suspension where we have moved to a low track rod. The front wing is also different, as is the construction of the nose, while the bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season."
‘TECH ANALYSIS’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...uddhNCb06.html
‘Brave’ Ferrari has rescued 2023 F1 launch season
Feb 14 2023
By Matt Beer
The Race
“I don’t want to speak about the others,” said Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur of rivals’ 2023 Formula 1 car launches. But then he pretty much did anyway. And then Carlos Sainz well and truly emphasised the point.
It wasn’t just the media invited to Fiorano. The Tifosi were there too, in their own grandstand. And the car wasn’t just on display, it fired up and did its shakedown – under 15km ‘demonstration run’ regulations – in front of the live audience. And its drivers weren’t hanging around either. “I think it was amazing – and I’m going to allow myself to give praise to the team for what they could organise,” said Sainz.
“Formula 1 needs these kinds of events, where you bring all the media and fans and partners and engineers and mechanics, all together, and do a proper presentation with the car running without too much privacy. We were brave as a team to do it. It’s the first ever installation lap we did with that car. It can always go bad. We took the risk and I hope you enjoyed it because I definitely did.”
‘Proper presentation with the car running without too much privacy’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/brave...launch-season/
Ferrari detail evolution design process behind its new 2023 F1 car
14/02/2023, 15:30
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Ferrari’s technical chiefs have opened up on the detailed changes made to the team’s brand-new challenger for 2023, the SF-23. The Italian team began the latest ground effect era by emphatically securing a 1-2 at the opening race of 2022, but its F1-75 quickly fell behind in the development rate as the season progressed against a rapidly improving Red Bull outfit.
“Our 2023 car is an evolution of the one we raced last year,” Ferrari’s Head of Chassis Area, Enrico Cardile, clarified after the launch of the team’s new car at Fiorano. “But, in reality, it has been completely redesigned. On the aerodynamic side, we increased vertical downforce, to adapt further to the new aero regulations and achieve the desired balance characteristics.”
“The suspension has also been redesigned, to support aerodynamics and increase the range of adjustments that can be made to the car at the track. The most obvious changes are in the area of the front suspension where we have moved to a low track rod. The front wing is also different, as is the construction of the nose, while the bodywork is a more extreme version of what we saw last season.”
‘Ferrari detail evolution design’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...w-2023-f1-car/
Frederic Vasseur announces significant Ferrari changes after strategy errors
Ferrari were plagued by strategy mistakes last season as Charles Leclerc's hopes were damaged.
15:42, Tue, Feb 14, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
Frederic Vasseur has confirmed Ferrari will make changes to their strategy team after a range of errors last season. The Frenchman suggested the Italian marque would be making “small adjustments” ahead of the new season.
The former Alfa Romeo principal previously claimed he would not be making wide-scale changes but has since accepted some tweaks were necessary. He explained: “Yes we will make some small adjustments.”
“What I said last time is that you see just the visible part of the iceberg. When you spoke about strategy, you were speaking about strategist and strategy. But it's not just one person pushing on a button. It's software, it's the team at the factory, and it's also [a] process on the pit wall. It's a complete picture rather than about one person."
‘Significant Ferrari changes after strategy errors’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...gy-news-latest
Ferrari drivers’ early verdict after SF-23’s ‘high-risk’ debut.
14th Feb 2023, 15:54
By Josh Suttill and Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
Speaking after his first two laps with the SF-23 at Ferrari’s 2023 launch at the team’s Fiorano test facility, Leclerc tentatively said he felt things had moved in the right direction. “It feels good, it feels a little bit different,” Leclerc said when asked by The Race for his first impressions of the SF-23.”
“But to be honest, it’s difficult, especially on track now to really feel the differences because it’s only two laps. I wasn’t pushing that much, I tried to but obviously, we’ve also demotored [turned the engine down] etc, so it’s difficult to get a proper feeling but from the work we’ve done, I think we’re going in the right direction.”
“We took a lot of the 2022 car’s weaknesses and tried to work on them, especially on the simulator, we’ve had some really positive signs. But we still need to wait until the test in Bahrain, when we’ll push the car for consecutive laps, to see whether this progress is also valid in reality.”
‘Feels good, it feels a little bit different’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...n-2023-f1-car/
Can Vasseur change Ferrari’s ‘stable’ culture?
14 February 6:00PM
Author Dieter Rencken
Co-author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
During today’s Ferrari SF-23 launch it was all wide smiles and hearty laughter, but these don’t win world championships. RacingNews365 Editorial Director Dieter Rencken examines incoming team boss Frédéric Vasseur’s to-do list and wonders whether the Frenchman will be empowered to make sorely needed changes.
This begs the question: What does Vasseur - a man steeped in motor racing and in Formula 1, but with smaller, less pressure-packed teams - need to do to stay the distance required to deliver Ferrari’s first title(s) in 15 years?
On the surface, Ferrari has it all: top dollars, top facilities, top drivers, top staff. However, these the Scuderia oft had access to, being by-products of Maranello Mythology that attracts the best to what is otherwise a rural Italian town. Virtually every top F1 engineer or driver either served the Prancing Horse or regrets being unavailable when the call came. Through circumstances at Sauber Vasseur was a free man at end-2022.
‘Need to do to stay the distance required to deliver?’
https://racingnews365.com/can-vasseu...stable-culture
Gary Anderson: Ferrari has innovations the FIA might query.
When you see the facilities that Ferrari has at Fiorano, including the test track, it is almost impossible to understand why it could ever be beaten.
14th Feb 2023, 14:12
By Gary Anderson
The Race
As well as complying with the regulations, there’s always the question of what’s called ‘primary purpose’. So if there’s something on the car that is legal and ostensibly for one reason – in this case maintaining the slot gap – but the FIA believes it’s for another – for example aerodynamic gain – then you can hit trouble.
It looks like Ferrari has generated more of a one-sided aerodynamic profile, a bit like an upside down wing. This is optimised to control the airflow coming off the trailing edge of the front wing and realign it as well as possible to improve the performance of the leading edge of the sidepod.
The actual body profile in the coke bottle area – where the body narrows towards the rear tyres – is a little more bulbous, taking up some of the coke bottle opening. This is one area that varies dramatically on the Ferrari from the other cars we have already seen, and I’m not sure I am a fan of this solution.
‘It is almost impossible to understand why it could ever be beaten’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...a-might-query/
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How to watch the Mercedes W14 2023 F1 launch.
The covers are coming off the Mercedes W14 2023 F1 car - here's how you can watch live!
15 February 8:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
After being dethroned in 2022, Mercedes will be hoping that their new W14 Formula 1 car will have them back fighting for titles in 2023. The W13 secured only one win through George Russell as Lewis Hamilton went winless for the first time in his F1 career and recorded a career-worst sixth in the standings.
A fundamental car problem with the floor hindered the W13 throughout the year, meaning it could not cope with Red Bull or Ferrari. Mercedes are adamant that they have identified and will fix the problem on the 2023 car - time will tell...
Mercedes will be launching the W14 2023 F1 car from 09:15am UK time on Wednesday 15th February from Silverstone. That is 04:15am Eastern Time. The car is expected to be shaken-down by one of the drivers shortly after the covers are taken off.
‘The covers are coming off’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-to-wat...2023-f1-launch
Can Mercedes bounce back from troublesome W13 with W14 success?
15 Feb 2023 6:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
F1 2023 launch season continues, and it is now the turn of Mercedes to show off their new challenger, with the W14 set to be unveiled on Wednesday.
The Silver Arrows saw their eight-year Constructors’ Championship winning streak end in convincing style last season with the arrival of ground effect aerodynamics in Formula 1’s rules overhaul, with Red Bull and Ferrari comfortably quicker than the sport’s previous dominant force for much of the year.
Chiefly, the troubled Mercedes suffered with ‘porpoising’, the aerodynamic oscillations which see the cars bottom out and ‘bounce’ off the track surface, causing great discomfort to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in terms of driving experience, but their lack of raw pace compared to their front-running rivals also made for a long, difficult season by their standards last year.
‘Bounce back’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...3-car-preview/
What Mercedes can do to ensure 2023 renaissance
Tuesday 14 February 2023 22:56
Jack Walker
GPFans
The 2022 F1 season saw Mercedes endure their worst year since 2011, finishing third in the constructors’ championship with only one win to their name.
The 'zero-sidepods' concept. Technical director Mike Elliott has previously shared his “surprise” that no other team found the loophole in the new F1 regulations that allowed the zero-sidepod concept to be used.
Reliability is key. Mercedes only suffered from one DNF caused by a mechanical failure in the whole of last season, that coming in the closing laps on Hamilton’s car in Abu Dhabi, which was a much better record than their rivals.
‘2023 Renaissance’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...russell-wolff/
Will Mercedes finally conquer porpoising – and regain their lost crown?
2023 F1 team preview
Posted on 14th February 2023, 18:4215th February 2023, 6:37
Written by Will Wood
18:44 Tue, 14 Feb 2023.
When winning becomes a win of life, nothing is more painful than losing. For almost 160 grands prix and eight seasons, Mercedes’ supremacy in Formula 1 was near-absolute. Any who dared to challenge their might were quickly humbled. Until Max Verstappen and Red Bull fought them to the brink of defeat in 2021.
The final laps of the deciding race “robbed Lewis Hamilton of a deserved world championship”, in the words of team principal Toto Wolff. Disgusted by the events which cost their driver an unparalleled eighth championship – while nonetheless acknowledging Verstappen as a worthy champion – Mercedes channelled that anger over the winter. The W13, the first of a bold new ground-effect era, was to be the most aggressive car Brackley had produced.
But that intense desire to remind the paddock who the best in the world truly was only made their eventual failure all the more painful. The 2022 season was nothing short of a disaster for the former all-conquering Mercedes team. Rather than fighting to reclaim what Red Bull took from them, their radical design approach produced far more problems for their drivers than benefits it provided. Hamilton and new team mate George Russell rarely found themselves capable of competing for wins.
‘When winning becomes a win of life, nothing is more painful than losing’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/14/...ir-lost-crown/
Lewis Hamilton to benefit as Mercedes 'find horsepower gain' despite Alpine suspicion
Alpine are said to be suspicious of their F1 rivals over the improvements they have been able to make to their engine performance, despite the 'freeze' currently in place
20:54, 14 Feb 2023
By Daniel MoxonF1 Writer
The Mirror
Mercedes may benefit from up to 10 horsepower more of power from their engines this year after making reported progress over the winter. The Silver Arrows will uncover their W14 car, to be drive again by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, on Wednesday. They will be desperately hoping it will be more competitive than its predecessor, which left Mercedes adrift of Red Bull and Ferrari in the 2022 standings.
How competitive their latest creation will be be remains to be seen. However, if a report from Italy is to be believed, Mercedes will be able to count on a more powerful engine. In doing so, Mercedes will apparently "gain a double-digit value". The report comes after it was claimed that Ferrari could have up to 30 horsepower more in their own power units – a rumour which was recently dismissed as a "joke" by new team boss Frederic Vasseur.
Meanwhile, Alpine are said to be suspicious of their fellow constructors amid ongoing power unit work to improve reliability. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Enstone outfit are concerned that Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull might all be pushing the rules despite the engine 'freeze'.
'Find horsepower gain';
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...icion-29218418
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Mercedes take in first laps with W14 in Silverstone shakedown.
The Silver Arrows unveiled their return to the black colour scheme on their livery from the 2020 and ’21 seasons with the launch of the W14 at Silverstone in the morning, before Russell got behind the wheel to take in laps of the Northamptonshire track in the afternoon.
15 Feb 2023 3:53 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes have shared the first photo of the W14 on track as George Russell took in laps of Silverstone as the team took part in a shakedown on Wednesday.
Russell and Lewis Hamilton will have both had the opportunity to drive the car on Wednesday, though Mercedes also had to share the track with Silverstone-based Aston Martin, who were separately conducting their own shakedown of the AMR23 just a stone’s throw from their factory.
Taking part in a press conference after his allotted running, Russell reported no major issues from the W14 on its initial runs, but when asked if the porpoising which plagued its predecessor last year was present on this year’s challenger, he remained coy, saying: “We’ll see next week”, in reference to the more extensive three-day pre-season test in Bahrain from 23-25 February.
‘W14 in Silverstone shakedown’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...one-shakedown/
Fans think Mercedes have found a loophole in FIA rules after unveiling stunning car for 2023 season
15/02/2023, 14:09
Marcus Chan
SPORTbible
Fans think Mercedes have found a potential loophole within the FIA rules after unveiling their car for the upcoming 2023 season. On Wednesday morning, Mercedes revealed their car for the new F1 season, reverting to a stunning black livery after racing in silver in the last campaign.
After dominating the sport from 2014 to 2021, Mercedes fell to third place last year after their car failed to live up to expectations. This time around, they are hoping the new W14 will be able to close the gap between themselves and rivals Red Bull and Ferrari. Perhaps unsurprisingly, fans have been getting excited over the new car and the new livery.
One fan on Reddit has also managed to pick out the fact that Mercedes may have found a loophole in the FIA regulations which will help the performance of the car. The fan posted pictures of the car’s new front wing and said: “Mercedes have managed to ingeniously connect the front wing to the end plate slot, keeping the concept alive after FIA banned it for this season.”
‘Found a loophole in FIA rules’;
https://www.sportbible.com/formula-1...51413-20230215
Gary Anderson: The course corrections in Mercedes’ F1 2023 design
Feb 15 2023
By Gary Anderson
The Race
Last year, the big visual difference between the Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes was the sidepod concept. Ferrari has stuck with its concept, albeit with a few refinements, and we haven’t seen the Red Bull in detail yet, but the big question was always whether Mercedes would make a change.
Now we’ve seen the Mercedes W14, we can say it has stuck with its 2022 philosophy for 2023 but with some differences. Any technical analysis of the car at this stage comes with warnings about the fact we can only judge it based on what we’ve seen so far. F1 teams have conned the world before and I’m sure will again, but we have at least seen the real car and can judge the direction taken.
Technical director Mike Elliott has talked about the main objectives of reducing weight (hence the black paintjob), achieving a more consistent balance across the speed range and improving the aerodynamic characteristics. There have been changes not only to the shape of the car but also to the suspension geometry and cooling.
‘Course corrections’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...1-2023-design/
Mercedes launch sees the team back as the Black Arrows
15th February 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
Mercedes became the latest team to uncover their 2023 challenger as they debuted an all-black W14 at Silverstone earlier today. Unpainted carbon fibre is a feature of many cars this season as teams do everything they can to cut weight. Mercedes ran black painted cars in 2020 and 2021 to show their support for diversity and equality, but this time the more functional reasoning for the choice does harken back to when they acquired the “Silver Arrows” nickname.
“When you look at where the story of the Silver Arrows came from,” CEO & Team Principal, Toto Wolff said, “it’s that the Mercedes was put on track – the race car it was white, overweight, a little bit of our story last year – and they scratched off the paint, and it ended up with bare aluminium, and the car made the weight.
“So we came back, we really tried to get the weight off the car in every single bit and therefore on the paint side we committed in gaining the grams by leaving the car matte carbon, and history repeats itself. Just in this case it’s a modern material, carbon, and not aluminium, and it’s black.”
‘Black Arrows’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/mercedes-l...k-arrows-80916
‘So far so good’ says Russell after Mercedes complete W14 shakedown at Silverstone
15 February 2023
Formula One - Official Site
The new Mercedes W14 has made its debut on track with George Russell in the cockpit of the car at Silverstone. Aafter taking the W14 on track for a shakedown run at Silverstone, following the car's launch on Wednesday morning. "So far so good, everything ran very smoothly [in the shakedown] and it’s just great to get behind the wheel and see the car in the flesh."
Russell added that this year's shakedown was far better than that of 2022, when a storm and torrential downpours made for "absolutely crazy" conditions at Silverstone. "It’s been a smooth day, but it’s just so difficult to say [where we stand]," said Russell.
"Last year we came away from that shakedown not with so many thoughts to be honest – we were so compromised by weather – but you’ve got to take the results for today with a pinch of salt and make sure there’s no major scares and just make sure the car’s running OK into Bahrain. That’s going to be the true test. As much as we want to get the most out of it, a day like today, it’s kind of meaningless."
‘So far so good’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...D3ZQqo6Fz.html
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Video: Mercedes’ 2023 F1 car choices – and its lack of optimism.
Mercedes revealed its 2023 W14 Formula 1 car on Wednesday, and while there were lots of interesting features to talk about on the car, there wasn’t a huge amount of optimism around the team.
Wed, 15 Feb 2023
The Race
Mercedes gave off a vibe of knowing it could still start the season behind, and even though it has retained its unique sidepod design, there were hints that this could change in the early races of the year when the first car updates are introduced.
Glenn Freeman, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw discuss all the interesting features on the W14, including the team’s performance-related decision for going back to running a black livery, in our latest video:
‘Lack of optimism’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/video...k-of-optimism/
Mercedes find ‘estimated’ 0.3s with weight saving for F1 2023?
16 Feb 2023
Connor McDonagh
With Mercedes returning to a black livery for 2023 in a bid to save weight, could they return to being a title challenger again in F1? According to a report from corriere.it, Mercedes could have found an estimated 0.3s in lap time by the weight they have saved with their new W14.
Explaining this decision, Toto Wolff told media including Crash.net: “We are on the weight limit what or we wanted to achieve and obviously when we looked at all the weight savings, everybody needed to make a commitment.
“So it is really a performance issue, but then there is not tonnes of weight you can save on the paint but it shows the intent of what we do and the narrative is just right, not only because of the historical context of how the Silver Arrows were created but also our attempt in painting the car back several years ago is still valid. So it all kind of made sense.”
‘0.3s with weight saving’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102032...ht-saving-2023
Back in black: The win-or-bust gamble that risks ending the Mercedes era
February 16th, 2023 1:12 pm
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
The Silver Arrows are back in black for 2023. Mercedes pulled the covers off its 2023 challenger, the W14, in a slick but understated online launch this week to reveal it was returning to the darker hues of its 2020–21 cars. But the decision was about more than just style. As is increasingly the trend in Formula 1, much of the car is unpainted carbon fibre in a desperate measure to reach the minimum weight.
The opportunity for a livery redux was just a bonus. And squeezing the most out of what it’s got is the name of the game for Mercedes this year, for while the colour might be significantly different, the car’s geometry still shares the fundamental DNA of last year’s problemed machine.
Despite slipping from the constructors championship in 2021 to a distant third last year with just a solitary win, Mercedes is doubling down on the concept it debuted under the 2022 rules. Team designers are adamant the performance is in there to be unlocked by some key off-season changes. If they’re right, Brackley will be launched back into the fight for regular wins.
‘Win-or-bust gamble’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...df663c09a9d277
Toto Wolff admits unique Mercedes sidepods may ‘change a little bit’ in early races
16th Feb 2023, 08:39
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff has said the ‘zero-pod’ design at Mercedes may not last forever in its current guise, as upgrades are applied to the new W14. “Throughout last season, we have analysed it back and forth, whether it was right or not and obviously you can see the sidepods are very different to any other car, but we believe that this is not the performance relative part,” Wolff explained to media including PlanetF1.com at the launch of the W14.
“Obviously, there is no such thing as a holy cow here. We are looking at everything and, on the sidepods, this is the first iteration, and when we’re going through the first few races, that’s going to change a little bit.”
“But like Mike [Elliott, technical director] said in the launch, [if] you want to change your concept completely then [you’re] making not one step back, but probably two, three – and that’s why we stayed where we are. And I love the fact that we are bold, we stayed bold, and we are just continuing to follow what the science says for us.”
‘Analysed it back and forth’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...depod-changes/
This is what will happen to Mercedes’ hated W13 F1 car from 2022
16 Feb 2023
Connor McDonagh
Mercedes’ troubled W13 F1 car will remain in the team’s factory reception as a “symbol of boldness and courage”. Mercedes endured a season to forget - by their high standards - winning just one race during the entirety of 2022. However, the W14’s predecessor has found a new home at Mercedes’ base in Brackley.
The W13 will remain in the team’s lobby, so any staff or visitors will be able to see it on entry. Speaking after yesterday’s launch, Wolff told media including Crash.net the reasons for this decision. “Yeah it’s going to go in the lobby but I’ve changed my approach a bit. I wanted to put it in the lobby as a reminder that you must not rest on your laurels, but I want to place it in the lobby as it is a symbol of boldness for me, and courage.”
We took a radical design direction last year and we dared, and we failed. So for me that shows a lot about the mindset of the team, in how it is important to cope with success and failure, and I wouldn’t want us to go in any shape or form conservative in the future. I want us to take calculated risks and be bold.”
“You must not rest on your laurels”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102034...13-f1-car-2022
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Alpine end F1 2023 launch season with an all-French flavour in London.
Alpine will bring F1 2023 launch season to a close on Thursday evening with a London unveiling of the A523, but their new line-up will no doubt bring plenty of national pride from across the English Channel.
16 Feb 2023 6:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
After the drama that surrounded Fernando Alonso’s departure, Oscar Piastri being named an Alpine driver, then legally not becoming an Alpine driver, France’s Formula 1 constructor will be fielding an all-French line-up as Esteban Ocon is joined by long-time racing rival Pierre Gasly.
The next challenge for them now will be to produce a more reliable power unit in the A523, with the team having openly admitted last year they were looking for peak performance in designing their 2022 engine and looking to add reliability later – much to Alonso’s chagrin, after his multiple retirements in his final season with Alpine.
But in terms of colour scheme, Alpine – as they prepare to launch their third Formula 1 car under Renault’s sporting moniker – teased a blue front wing picture on social media on Wednesday, with tinges of the exposed carbon with which we have become accustomed to seeing on the 2023 cars, done in pursuit of weight saving.
‘All-French flavour’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...aunch-preview/
Gasly gives initial feedback after Alpine shakedown
15/02/2023 at 08:17
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Pierre Gasly offered a positive first impression of Alpine's new A523 after sampling his new mount at Silverstone on Monday ahead of the car's official presentation on Thursday. Alpine completed a 100 km 'filming day' at Silverstone to conduct a systems check and shake down of its 2023, with both Gasly and team mate Esteban Ocon taking to the track onboard the new machine.
Together, the French duo completed an aggregate 17 laps of Silverstone, with Alpine reporting that the outing had gone "without any issues". "It’s a fantastic feeling to be driving again, especially in my new colours of Alpine," commented Gasly who joined the Enstone squad after six seasons with the Red Bull family.
"Today was about getting an initial feel for the car and it felt very good on the laps I drove. "I know everyone at the team has worked tirelessly to develop the car over the winter and it’s a proud moment to drive it today and see everyone’s faces in the garage.
‘Initial feedback’;
https://f1i.com/news/465851-gasly-gi...shakedown.html
2023 Alpine F1 car launch: live stream from 8pm
February 16th 2023
Author Motor Sport
Motor Sport Magazine
2023 Alpine launch date: February 16 Alpine will reveal its 2023 entry on February 16 in London, alongside its all-French driver line-up of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
The team followed up a promising season in 2021 with an even better one in 2022, finishing ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ standings but still trailing a struggling Mercedes.
Ocon and former team-mate Fernando Alonso were involved in several heated exchanges toward the latter end of the 2022 campaign, thought to be one of multiple factors that led to the Spaniard’s move to Aston Martin for 2023.
‘Alpine F1 car launch’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
How to watch Alpine launch their 2023 F1 car
16 February 8:55AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
The final 2023 F1 car launch is upon us, as Alpine unveil the A523. Here's how you can watch it live. The class of 2023 is nearly complete as the final Formula 1 car launch is upon us. Alpine have seen the other nine cars revealed, either through liveries (looking at you, Red Bull) or the actual real thing (most of the others).
The A523 is set to be driven by Esteban Ocon and new teammate Pierre Gasly, who joins from AlphaTauri in what promises to be an interesting dynamic. Both drivers have already had a taste of their 2023 machine during a recent shakedown at Silverstone, with 17 laps completed. For the record, Ocon logged nine laps and Gasly eight...
‘The final launch’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-to-wat...ir-2023-f1-car
Alpine shakes down 2023 F1 car ahead of launch
Feb 13 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
Alpine has completed a shakedown of its 2023 Formula 1 car ahead of launching the A523 this week. The Renault works team is revealing the car on Thursday evening at an event in London. Ahead of that, it joined Williams on Monday in shaking down its 2023 challenger at Silverstone.
Esteban Ocon and new signing Pierre Gasly split the 100km running between them on the filming day – one of two such promotional events afforded to teams each season. Alpine claims the car ran “without any issues”, as Ocon drove first before Gasly took over, while technical director Matt Harman called it “another milestone ticked”.
“I’m pleased the day ran so smoothly,” said Harman. “Esteban drove first in the morning to check all the systems were working properly as well as completing the usual install programme for the car. Pierre was then in the car in the afternoon for the first time in the A523 and completed eight stable laps to get an initial feel in his new surroundings.”
‘Alpine shakes down;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alpin...ead-of-launch/
No problems for Alpine in pre-launch shakedown for new A523 2023 F1 season
Posted on 13th February 2023, 18:12
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Alpine ran its new A523 for the first time today at Silverstone. The team confirmed it encountered no problems with its latest car. The A523 is due to be presented in a launch event in London in three days’ time. Esteban Ocon and his new team mate Pierre Gasly shared driving at the track which plays host to the British Grand Prix. As the shakedown run constituted one of the team’s designated filming days the pair were limited to a maximum of 100 kilometres of running.
“I’m pleased the day ran so smoothly,” said the team’s technical director Matt Harman. “Esteban drove first in the morning to check all the systems were working properly as well as completing the usual install programme for the car. Pierre was then in the car in the afternoon for the first time in the A523 and completed eight stable laps to get an initial feel in his new surroundings.”
“These days are of course limited and not representative, but we’ve certainly had a great day and we now look forward to testing in Bahrain where we expect to continue our learning of the 2023 car.”
‘Pre-launch shakedown’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/13/...-for-new-a523/
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Alpine close out launch season by unveiling two liveries.
At a live event in London, Alpine unveiled the A523 in a regular livery as well as a special all-pink version that they’ll start the season with.
17th February 2023
by Emer Hedderman
FormulaSpy
As they did last year, Alpine will run their BWT pink version of the car at the first three rounds of the year – Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia – before changing to their official blue and pink version. There’re a lot more black areas on this season’s design, as with most other cars this year as teams leave areas unpainted to save a little bit of weight.
Alpine’s Technical Director, Matt Harman, then gave a thorough run down on what the team has changed from last year’s A522 to create the A523 for the upcoming season. Working his way from front to back, Harman gave a fascinating five minute summary of what had been done which included big changes to the heat rejection system, aka cooling, and rear suspension which helped them to achieve an underweight car.
“We’ve taken some of the cooling system that we’ve normally had on the centerline and we’ve reduced it because we want to try and control some of this mass flow going to the rear of the car. Normally we would just take that amount of face area and we’d put it in the side pod, but actually the teams have worked really aggressively at improving the efficiency of that system.
‘Thorough run down on what the team has changed’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/alpine-clo...liveries-80942
How Alpine’s changed its F1 car design for 2023
23:44 Thu, 16 Feb 2023.
By Edd Straw
The Race
The highlight of Alpine’s 2023 Formula 1 car launch was the appearance of technical director Matt Harman. Even though the cars he was walking around on stage were a show car and a largely 2022-based model (the renders Alpine released online being the more representative indication of the 2023 design), his talk through the key areas of change on the A523 gave us plenty to go on, along with our own observations from the shots released of the car shaking down at Silverstone on Monday.
The car does feature some striking changes. The nose has changed structurally, which Harman said was to offer more freedom to change elements of the front wing – both in terms of speed and how the airflow is fed to the suspension behind.
“We’ve looked quite extensively at changing the nose concept,” said Harman. “There’s a very different structure in here which gives us more freedom to change more elements of the front wing, particularly more quickly, and allow us to control that airflow more consistently into the front suspension area.”
‘Changed its F1 car design’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alpin...sign-for-2023/
AS IT HAPPENED: Watch Alpine pull the covers off the new A523 at the final car launch of 2023
16 February 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Alpine brought the 2023 launch season to an end on Thursday evening when they presented their new contender, the A523, at a special event in London.
Esteban Ocon and new Alpine arrival Pierre Gasly were both be on hand for the reveal at the Printworks venue, which follows a successful shakedown at Silverstone earlier in the week.
Alpine’s presentation is the 10th and final launch event of the year, with pre-season testing and the opening round of the campaign at the Bahrain International Circuit drawing ever closer...
‘Final car launch’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...sbwfBArqf.html
Alpine duo deliver positive first impression of 2023 F1 car
13:37 Thu, 16 Feb 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have spoken positively about Alpine’s prospects for 2023 after testing the team’s new car for the first time at Silverstone this week.
Unlike other teams on the Formula 1 grid, the Anglo-French outfit elected to conduct an outing with its latest iteration of machinery before the official launch event, scheduled to take place in London on Thursday.
As per the regulations, Alpine was only entitled to complete up to 100km of running as part of a combined shakedown and filming day at the British venue, with Gasly and Ocon sharing the responsibility in the cockpit of the A523.
‘Positive first impression’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...f-2023-f1-car/
Alpine’s 2023 F1 car has one acceptable aim. Is it achievable?
13:13 Thu, 16 Feb 2023.
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
At the end of last season, Alpine Formula 1 team boss Otmar Szafnauer set a clear target for 2023: “We need to be closer to third than fifth.” For a team that edged out McLaren for fourth by just 14 points and was 342 points behind the third-placed team (Mercedes), this is a hugely ambitious target.
But it’s also the only acceptable aim that Alpine can set. As F1’s ‘other’ works team it has potential that its recent midfield rivals lack. Eventually, Alpine’s aim is to be on a par with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. And Red Bull is ‘only’ a de facto works team. So, there’s an argument that the Renault F1 entry is one of only three with this kind of opportunity.
“We have to take a step closer to being able to win a championship,” said Szafnauer last November. “That 100-race plan [set by Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi] started at the beginning of this year, so it’s less than 80 [races] from now on. So, for us to be able to do that, we’re right now fourth, marginal to fifth, we need to do the same but be closer to third next year. We need to be closer to third than we are fifth next year. So even if we stay fourth, we’ve got to make progress.”
‘Is it achievable?’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/alpin...it-achievable/
Reliability fixes, efficiency gains and weight loss: Alpine explain key A523 changes
2023 F1 season
Posted on 16th February 2023, 22:5516th February 2023, 22:55
Written by Keith Collantine
Alpine’s A522 showed flashes of promise last year, including an appearance on the front row at the Canadian Grand Prix. The car was quick enough to comfortably finish fourth in the constructors championship, but they ended up prevailing in a close fight with McLaren, largely because of the number of points lost due to reliability problems.
At the launch of its successor, the A523, technical director said the team “set ourselves some aggressive targets” to improve in 2023. “Targets that were going to challenge us, but were going to deliver what we need to do to compete at the right level.”
The team has focussed its attention not only on the reliability problems it encountered, but suspension and aerodynamics changes aimed at improving the car’s efficiency. Facing the same weight-saving problems the entire grid has grappled with, Alpine claim to have been successful, and got the A523 beneath the minimum weight limit of 798kg.
‘Efficiency gains and weight loss’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/16/...-a523-changes/
Podcast: What we learned from Alpine’s 2023 F1 car launch
Feb 17 2023
The Race
Alpine held the final event of the 2023 Formula 1 launch season and The Race F1 Podcast was there. Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw bring you their account of what it was like at the event and their impressions of the new car.
Although the launch cars on stage were just show cars, there were also images of the real car available and technical director Matt Harman’s run through of the car was the most revealing part. We discuss the key talking points from the launch and what to expect from Alpine this season.
‘What we learned’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/podca...f1-car-launch/
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Meet All The Contenders For F1's 2023 Championship Battle.
The 2023 Formula 1 season kicks off on March 3 at the Bahrain International Circuit. If you're a die-hard fan, testing begins a week earlier at the same circuit, and Drive to Survive has been scheduled to go live as pre-season testing starts.
Feb. 17, 2023 1:54 PM ET
Gerhard Horn Formula One /
CarBuzz
The various constructors started the season earlier this year with regards to unveiling the cars. Red Bull wanted to be first, but Haas scooped everyone in the days leading up to RB19's reveal. This year, the French were last.
Since all the details are available, we decided to share all the cars in one place for ease of reference. The order was determined by how the teams finished last year, and we're including the number of points scored so you'll know who needs to catch up, and by how much. As a bonus, we also include an image of last year's car so that you can spot the differences.
‘Meet All The Contenders’;
https://carbuzz.com/features/the-for...-class-of-2023
How to watch Bahrain testing 2023: Live stream for free from anywhere
17 Feb 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
F1 Bahrain testing is February 23-25 and is the first time we'll see every 2023 car on track. This is how to watch the Bahrain testing from anywhere - including ways to get a free Bahrain testing live stream. We’ve also listed the Bahrain testing start times below.
All 10 F1 teams have launched their 2023 cars - with some revealing more information than others. But there can be no hiding place when the season begins.
In advance of the first grand prix of the season in Bahrain, all 20 drivers will be in action for three days of testing. It is the final chance to iron out problems with their cars before the real competition begins.
‘Live stream for free from anywhere’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102044...-free-anywhere
When does the new F1 season start in Bahrain?
18:30 Fri, 17 Feb
Sports Staff
The Independent
F1’s record 23-race calendar for this year begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit
When does the 2023 F1 season start? The first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place from Friday 3 March - Sunday 5 March at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir. Qualifying on Saturday 4 March starts at 3pm (GMT) with the race on Sunday also at 3pm (GMT).
When is pre-season testing? Pre-season testing takes place at the Bahrain International Circuit the week before the first race, from Thursday 23 February - Saturday 25 February. Running will take place between 7am and 4:30pm (GMT) on each of the three days. There will be an hour’s break midway through each session for lunch. Each driver will have one-and-a-half days worth of time in the car.
‘Thursday 23 February - Saturday 25 February’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/whe...-b2284564.html
F1 2023 Bahrain pre-season test: Haas first to confirm driver schedule
17 Feb 2023 11:52 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Time is of the essence in 2023 as the teams look to extract every bit of data possible from a three-day Bahrain pre-season test. Last season teams had the luxury of two pre-season tests, with an unofficial shakedown in Barcelona followed by the official pre-season outing in Bahrain as they put the 2022 challengers through their paces.
That season marked a new era in Formula 1 after an overhaul of the Technical Regulations saw ground-effect challengers return to Formula 1. But with the reveal of all 10 successors to those cars now complete, the next step for the teams is to take them to Bahrain for what will be the only pre-season test of 2023.
The test will run from February 23-25 at the Bahrain International Circuit, also host of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix which then takes place on the following weekend. Three days is not long at all for the teams and drivers to get to grips with their new creations. Mercedes have already expressing concerns that the restricted schedule may not allow for all potential issues to be detected before lights-out on March 5.
‘Teams look to extract every bit of data possible from a three-day Bahrain pre-season test’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...test-line-ups/
Webber delivers verdict on 2023 F1 title contenders
Saturday 18 February 2023 08:22
Jack Walker
GPFans
Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber believes Red Bull Racing are still the team to beat despite its aerodynamic testing restrictions. The Milton Keynes-based outfit stormed to both titles last year as Max Verstappen won a record-breaking 15 races.
But the team was punished with a 10 per cent reduction in ATR time as well as a $7million fine for breaching 2021’s budget cap. But despite the reduced development scope, Webber still believes his old employers remain the ones to catch.
"Red Bull is still the most dangerous team coming out of the blocks," Webber told Autosport. "I don't think anyone knows really how much that [the penalty] is going to impact them, but I'm sure they've got enough creative people there to keep it going.”
‘Webber delivers verdict’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...nship-verdict/
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Why no team wants to be top of the timesheet in F1 pre-season testing.
It is a unique part of the F1 season, when hope springs eternal or for as long as your team isn’t the one that’s just caused the latest red flag stoppage.
20 Feb 2023 6:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Pre-season testing is the time of year when Formula 1 most resembles cricket, a sport normally at the opposite end of the speed spectrum. Days can be drawn out and boring, only occasionally punctuated by moments of genuine drama and curiosity that suddenly make the long periods of nothingness seem worth it all along.
The fortunes of teams and individuals rise and fall from day to day, sometimes session to session, as the picture of the new season is formed piece by piece. The key to success is scoring hundreds – 100-plus laps a day keeps the media glare away – and at the halfway point of each day’s action they pack everything away for an hour to have a spot of lunch.
For outside observers, the golden rule of testing is constantly repeated and always ignored. Don’t read too much into the headline times. Don’t read too much into the headline times because the teams, in their determination to keep secrets, cannot be trusted. There are just too many variables in play – fuel loads, tyre compounds, track conditions and, in the days testing took place in Barcelona, wind – to make accurate assessments.
‘Unique part of the F1 season’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/no-tea...eason-testing/
2023 F1 Pre-season Testing: Dates, Times, and How to Watch Live!
20th February 2023
by Aron Day
FormulaSpy
This timing takes the session beyond sunset, reflecting the night-time conditions during the opening race of the season due to be held on Sunday, 5th March.
The schedule is as follows:
Thursday 23 February
Session 1 – 07:00am-11:00am
Session 2 – 12:00pm-4:30pm
Friday 24 February
Session 1 – 07:00am-11:00am
Session 2 – 12:00pm-4:30pm
Saturday 25 February
Session 1 – 07:00am-11:00am
Session 2 – 12:00pm-4:30pm
‘The schedule’;
https://formulaspy.com/f1/2023-f1-pr...tch-live-81428
Mercedes chief worried F1 testing is "not enough" to fix issues with Lewis Hamilton's car
Mercedes spent most of the 2022 season fixing problems with their W13 rather than actually developing the car, and will be desperate to avoid several more months of the same
22:16, 17 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Mercedes spent most of the 2022 season fixing problems with their W13 rather than actually developing the car, and will be desperate to avoid several more months of the same. Pre-season testing will not provide enough time on track for Mercedes to identify any major issues with their new car, according to their concerned technical director.
Mike Elliott and his team spent much of last year putting out fires and fixing issues on the W13, such as the porpoising problem which was destroying their season – and Lewis Hamilton's back.
The Silver Arrows – back in black for 2023 – will be desperate to avoid a repeat performance. But the W14 did not exactly get off to an auspicious start as it hit the Silverstone track for a demo run earlier this week, with a few "niggles" cropping up.
‘F1 testing is "not enough" to fix issues’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-29247074
Drive to Survive producer says the hit Netflix show wouldn't have existed without Daniel Ricciardo: 'I felt very emotional with him leaving'
• Drive to Survive producer praises Daniel Ricciardo
• Paul Martin says Aussie carried the smash-hit show
• Martin says Ricciardo may show up more in series
By James Cooney For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 04:56, 20 February 2023
Mail Online
Drive to Survive executive producer Paul Martin believes the wildly popular documentary series wouldn't exist without Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, and he was sad to see him leave.
Ricciardo, 33, became one of the most popular characters in the smash-hit show, but now that the Aussie has failed to secure a seat on the 2023 grid, it's unlikely fans will be seeing much more of him in the show. 'Without Daniel I think there probably wouldn't have been a Drive to Survive,' Paul Martin told The Post.
‘Drive to Survive’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Ricciardo.html
Andretti unfazed by Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s step back from F1
19 Feb 2023 2:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
1978 F1 World Champion Mario Andretti doesn’t think Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s step back from F1 will have any effect on Andretti’s F1 entry prospects.
Andretti outlined how he doesn’t believe the FIA President’s step back will have any impact on the team’s prospective entry. “I don’t think so,” he told PlanetF1.com.
“I mean, with the FIA, we have everything in place, they obviously have officially opened up the prospects of teams joining, and they’re evaluating every aspect of that part.”
‘Andretti unfazed’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/andret...em-retreat-f1/
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Honda considering formal return to coincide with new engine regulations!
Honda says it is considering a formal return to Formula 1 to coincide with the new engine regulations that will be introduced in 2026.
The company officially pulled out of F1 at the end of 2021, although its engines are still used by the two Red Bull teams and will be called Hondas again in 2023.
"For the time being, we would like to keep a close eye on where F1 is going and just see how things go," Honda president Koji Watanabe said.
"We don't have any concrete decisions on whether we will be going back."
The new F1 engine regulations will see the sport continue with 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engines, but with a change in architecture to simplify the technology. There will be a significant increase in the proportion of power provided by electricity, and the use of carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.
Honda has not yet formally committed to entering F1 from 2026 but Watanabe said the new rules were appealing as they aligned with Honda's corporate strategy.
Speaking at an official Honda news conference on Monday, Watanabe said: "Formula 1 is greatly shifting towards electrification. Given that, carbon neutrality is our corporate-wide target at Honda so we think F1's future direction is in line with our target. That is why we have decided to register as a manufacturer of a power-unit.
"We are curious about where F1 is going and how is that going to look with more electrification happening.
"We would like to keep a very close eye on that and that is why we have decided to register as a PU manufacturer. And after we made the registration, we have been contacted by multiple F1 teams."
The outline of the 2026 engine regulations was finalised in August last year, but they remain a work in progress as details continue to be ironed out.
McLaren are among the teams said to have contacted Honda about a supply in 2026, but the Japanese company would likely be of interest to many teams given that they have won the world title for the last two years with Red Bull.
Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Alpine and Audi are all committed to their own engine projects, but the Aston Martin, Haas, McLaren and Williams teams are all yet to sign up to power-unit partners from 2026.
Honda's decision to officially withdraw from F1 at the end of 2021 was made on the basis that it wanted to divert resources towards pursuing carbon-neutrality through "future power-unit and energy technologies, including fuel-cell vehicle and battery technologies".
But since then, Honda has had a new president, and more clarity has emerged on the 2026 rules.
Honda was named as one of six companies that had officially registered as a power-unit supplier for the period 2026-2030 by governing body the FIA this month. The others are Alpine, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull Ford.
Red Bull is switching partners to Ford from 2026 as the US giant joins forces with the new engine plant created by the soft drinks company at their F1 base, Red Bull Powertrains.
The Honda name is formally returning to F1 this year after a season's absence, with the engine used by Red Bull officially titled a Honda RBPT.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/64704532
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BREAKING NEWS: Lance Stroll set to miss entirety of F1's pre-season testing in Bahrain after bicycle crash while training in Spain: Canadian Aston Martin driver suffered 'minor injuries'.
Lance Stroll was cycling in Spain when he crashed and sustained minor injury
Published: 16:07, 20 February 2023
By Jake Fenner For Dailymail.Com
Mail Online
Canadian Formula One driver Lance Stroll will miss the whole of preseason testing after a 'minor accident' on a bicycle in Spain. In a statement, the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team confirmed the incident and it's impact on testing.
'Whilst pre-season training on a bicycle in Spain, Lance Stroll was involved in a minor accident and sustained injuries which will result in him sitting out the pre-season test in Bahrain,' the team's statement read.
'Lance is however expecting a quick recovery and return to driving duties. His fitness to return to the cockpit will be assessed daily and the team will issue an update ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team wishes Lance a speedy recovery and looks forward to his usual energy and commitment within the team.'
‘Set to miss entirety of F1's pre-season testing’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ash-Spain.html
Stroll to miss F1’s Bahrain test after ‘minor accident’
20/02/2023, 15:40
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll will miss the Bahrain pre-season test ahead of the 2023 campaign.
The team did not announce how it would allocate driving duties in Bahrain now that Stroll is sidelined. Offering all three days up to new signing Fernando Alonso, who was just recently lamenting a limited testing allowance he saw as “a little unfair”, seems logical, while the team also has the likes of new reserve drivers Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne on the books, though the latter will be in Cape Town for Formula E this weekend.
The season opener will take place on the March 3-5 weekend, likewise in Bahrain. Aston Martin says that it will “issue an update” ahead of the opener regarding Stroll’s fitness, and that it will be “assessed daily” in the meantime.
‘Stroll to miss F1’s Bahrain test’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/strol...inor-accident/
Mystery of the RB19, the W14’s crunch moment, and Ferrari hype: F1 Bahrain testing talking points
20 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
It’s nearly time for the class of F1 2023 to hit the track for the first collective running of the year with three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, but what can we expect to see? Red Bull’s RB19 to finally break cover.
There will be great anticipation surrounding Red Bull when the light goes green on Thursday for the opening day of action, given we are yet to see the team’s actual 2023 car in the flesh. The RB19 has been shrouded in secrecy so far this winter, with Red Bull unveiling their new livery on a showcar at their New York season launch.
Red Bull ran the car for the first time in a shakedown at Silverstone, but unlike their rivals, the world champions were very specific about what they did, or more to the point, didn’t reveal. Red Bull offered no publicity images from the event and only released a short video clip on their social media channels in which the car could not be seen clearly.
‘Mystery of the RB19’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/102...talking-points
What to expect from the 10 teams in F1 2023…in their own words
20 Feb 2023 5:00 PM
Toby Miles
PlanetF1.com
It’s almost time to put the off-season rumours to bed. Some slight evidence of our F1 2023 challengers’ winter progress is just around the corner. Lights out is less than two weeks away, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5 following a brief three-day pre-season test at the Round 1 circuit.
While some teams opted for low-key launches that only revealed their liveries in pre-season, the likes of Ferrari were bullish in showing off what they spent the winter grafting to produce.
Each team has faced their own unique challenges in developing a 2023 challenger, but some are sounding more confident about their Bahrain pace than others.
‘Let’s take a look at the 10 Formula 1 teams’ assessment of their new machines…’
https://www.planetf1.com/news/what-t...team-analysis/
Several F1 Teams Want Honda to Produce Their Engines Starting in 2026
20 Feb 2023, 14:26 UTC • By:
Mircea
autoevolution
Fans across the globe are eagerly waiting for the debut of the 2023 Formula 1 season, which is scheduled for March 5. In the meanwhile, several teams are making sure they will have a future in the sport by closing supplying deals with manufacturers. For instance, Honda registered as one of six power unit suppliers from 2026 to 2030.
The question is: Who will Honda build engines for starting in 2026? Or better yet, will Honda continue its journey in Formula 1? Koji Watanabe, Honda Racing Corporation’s president, told reporters in a Zoom briefing today that several Formula One teams have contacted the company.
This year, according to Reuters, Red Bull’s power unit will feature the Japanese carmaker’s name, changing from RBPT to Honda RPBT. Tetsushi Kakuda, Honda’s F1 project leader and executive chief engineer, declared that Honda had worked to address reliability issues for 2023.
‘Several F1 Teams Want Honda’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/s...26-210619.html
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Everything you need to know about F1 pre-season testing
21 February 8:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Marnik Kok
RacingNews365
Nearly three months after the 2022 finale, Formula 1 is back this week with pre-season testing in Bahrain. Three days of action are planned at the Bahrain International Circuit, which will also host the season-opener next weekend, with the race on 5 March.
But first across Thursday 23 February - Friday 25 February, the 10 teams and 20 drivers will be pounding around, logging crucial data as they look to understand their brand-new designs.
Testing is a unique time in F1 with something we seldom see in the remainder of the season, so here is RacingNews365.com's guide to everything you need to know from 2023 Formula 1 pre-season testing.
‘F1 pre-season testing’;
https://racingnews365.com/how-do-for...ork-in-bahrain
Five key questions ahead of F1 2023 pre-season testing in Bahrain
21 Feb 2023 7:00 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Warning shot or poker face from the big three? That being said, with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes expected to remain the leading trio, with many hoping for a three-way title fight, just how much potential are they willing to put on show for their rivals? And will they be able to hide any wounds?
Will any midfield contenders emerge for the title battle? Aston Martin also have their eyes on the ‘best-of-the-rest’ tag, while there is confidence over at the AlphaTauri camp of a far improved campaign. McLaren optimism, or lack of? The thing is, McLaren have a question mark of their own hanging over them going to Bahrain, as over in Woking the talk has been about an MCL60 that is not quite where they want it to be yet.
What about porpoising? This time last year, teams were plagued by pesky bouncing as they gathered data on these very raw new challengers, porpoising proving to be a particularly severe, long-lasting handicap for Mercedes. How will the rookies fare? With some of the experienced racers feeling the squeeze of such a short pre-season testing window, only three days, we now wait to see how the rookies are going to cope with that.
‘Five key questions’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/five-k...-bahrain-test/
Ranking the 2023 F1 driver line-ups
As the start of the new 2023 Formula 1 season closes in, which team has the best driver line-up this year?
February 20, 2023
By Nigel Chiu
Total Motorsport
The strength in depth of the 2023 Formula 1 grid is excellent, no matter who you like or dislike in this year’s field, with plenty of young talent and multiple champions in Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
Just four teams have kept the same driver pairing from last year for 2023 as the driver market had a big shake-up following confirmation of Sebastian Vettel‘s retirement, which triggered a series of moves.
Three rookies have joined the F1 field, Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant, so which team has the best driver line-up?
‘2023 F1 driver line-ups’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/ran...iver-line-ups/
Formula 1 2023 rookies: Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant set to embark on debut campaigns
Last Updated: 20/02/23 7:42pm
By Matt Morlidge
Sky Sports
With the start of Formula 1's biggest-ever season approaching, it is time to meet the three much-talked-about rookies who will be joining the 2023 grid.
F1 is about to embark on what promises to be a thrilling 23-race campaign, and the intrigue is only increased by the presence of three new faces.
Australian Oscar Piastri is one of the most-highly-anticipated additions to the grid in a long time, while Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant are also out to prove they belong at motorsport's top table.
‘Formula 1 2023 rookies’;
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...ebut-campaigns
Aston Martin 'make Mick Schumacher decision' as Lance Stroll ruled out through injury
Stroll will miss the entirety of pre-season testing in Bahrain this week after suffering an accident while training for the new Formula 1 campaign on a bicycle in Spain
19:06, 20 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Canadian suffered "a minor accident" while cycling in Spain. His team confirmed that the Canadian would be forced to miss out on pre-season testing in Bahrain later this week, though the extent of his injuries are not currently public knowledge.
Aston Martin might be able to call upon Mick Schumacher through their relationship with engine suppliers Mercedes, but BILD reports that the German is not an option to fill in at testing. Mirror Sport has asked Aston Martin for an update on their testing plans.
‘Aston Martin Decisions’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...acher-29267565
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Aston Martin confirms Stroll F1 testing replacement.
Aston Martin has confirmed reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will step in to replace Lance Stroll during F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain this week.
Wednesday 22nd February, 2023 - 2:16pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
The Brazilian won the FIA Formula 2 Championship last year before joining Aston Martin in support of Stroll and Fernando Alonso for 2023.
Stroll suffered a biking incident which has meant he will miss the three days of testing, beginning on Thursday. Uncertainty initially surrounded who, or even if the Canadian would be replaced, or whether Alonso would complete all three days of running.
The team has now confirmed that Drugovich will take the wheel on Thursday morning in Sakhir. The 22-year-old will complete the morning’s running before handing the AMR23 over to Alonso for the afternoon.
‘Felipe Drugovich will step in’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/22...ch-f1-testing/
What to expect from F1 pre-season testing
What is F1 testing? How much can you read into pre-season testing from Sakhir ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix?
February 21, 2023
By Nigel Chiu
Total Motorsport
Formula 1 2023 is here and if you are not excited already, you almost certainly will be by Saturday evening because pre-season testing will have concluded and the Bahrain Grand Prix will be eight days away.
There might be no points or silverware up for grabs this week in Sakhir but testing is just as important as any F1 event. Max Verstappen and Red Bull are the bookies favourites but that could all change after testing.
What happens in F1 testing? It might not look like much is happening when you’re watching F1 testing from your home, but there is a lot going on and eight-and-a-half hours of running over three days is not much to play with. First of all, the teams want reliability.
‘How much can you read into pre-season testing’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/wha...eason-testing/
FIA takes action with new rule as F1 drivers complain of burnout over 23-race season
For the first time, a winter shutdown is set to be put into place forcing F1 teams to take some time off during the off-season as a method of combatting staff burnout
19:14, 21 Feb 2023
By Daniel MoxonF1 Writer
The Mirror
The FIA has announced a mandatory winter shutdown for Formula 1 teams amid concerns over the impact longer seasons are having on staff. This year, the F1 circus will make an unprecedented 23 stops around the globe – beginning in Bahrain for pre-season testing this week before concluding in Abu Dhabi in November. The plan was to have 24 races, but the Chinese Grand Prix originally scheduled for mid-April has been cancelled.
The off-season provides respite for some, including the drivers and some other staff members not required for a while. But team factories remain a hive of activity with most staff members working flat out on preparations for the following year including car development.
In response to concerns over staff burnout, a new winter shutdown period will be introduced. Similar shutdowns in the summer have been practiced before in F1, but this will be the first time an enforced limit has been put in place over the off-season. The FIA has yet to confirm the proposed length of the shutdown, which will affect power unit production programmes as well as the teams themselves. The move is also subject to approval by the governing body's World Motor Sport Council.
‘Response to concerns over staff burnout’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-rule-29277091
F1 teams have suspicions about new Ferrari car as 'FIA asked about its legality'
Ferrari's new car have been questioned by their F1 rivals.
00:01, Wed, Feb 22, 2023
By Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express
F1’s governing body the FIA have been reportedly asked to clarify one aspect of Ferrari’s new car and its legality ahead of the upcoming season. As each team have now unveiled their new machines before the curtain raiser in Bahrain, Ferrari’s new SF-23 was tested in front of a live audience and the team appeared proud of their innovations.
Ferrari have tweaked the S-Duct concept in order to create better airflow to the rear of the car low down and at the rear wing. However, according to Italian outlet Formu1a, several of their rivals have noted the change and requested clarification over whether the switch is legal.
Requests are not uncommon as teams often attempt to find loopholes in the technical rules, though Ferrari are said to be "certain that the solutions adopted on the SF-23 are fully within the rules". Their rivals would struggle to replicate Ferrari’s S-Duct as it concerns the design of the chassis and internal aspects of the car, while also challenges the fundamental concept of the single-seater.
‘Suspicions about new Ferrari car’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...s-Red-Bull-FIA
F1 to introduce new wet-weather tyre among other key tweaks to the regulations
22:04 Tue, 21 Feb 2023.
By Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical
The Formula 1 Commission held their first meeting of 2023 in London on Tuesday ahead of the start of the new Formula 1 season, as regulatory changes including a new wet-weather tyre compound, circuit changes and other technical and financial matters were discussed.
Wet tyres and wet weather package Following successful testing by Pirelli, with the support of teams, Pirelli have arrived at a wet weather tyre which is much more performant than the previous specification – this tyre does not require the use of tyre blankets. This new tyre construction will be available from the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Work on the wet weather aero package, which was announced last year, continues, with teams able to work on the package outside their Aerodynamic Testing Restriction (ATR) limits and outside the cost cap. Testing for the new aero kit, which is being constructed to limit water spray, is to take place in Q2 or Q3 of 2023.
‘New wet-weather tyre’;
https://www.f1technical.net/news/23943
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Three reasons Red Bull could be ‘nigh on unbeatable’ in F1 2023.
Sky Sports F1 pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz believes Red Bull will be “nigh on unbeatable” in 2023 for three reasons.
22 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
A lightweight chassis. Red Bull’s RB19 has so far been shrouded in mystery but Kravitz has provided some detail about their latest challenger. Kravitz has claimed Red Bull will finally introduce the lightweight chassis that was rumoured to have been developed last season but never raced.
Cost cap penalty yet to ‘bite'. Despite being hit with a 10 percent reduction on their aerodynamic testing allowance as punishment for breaching the F1 cost cap in 2021, Kravitz said Red Bull won’t feel the full impact of their penalty until later in the year, or even 2024.
The strongest driver line-up. Finally, Kravitz believes Red Bull boasts the strongest driver line-up on the entire grid, including F1’s most in-form driver, Verstappen.
‘Nigh on unbeatable’
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102057...atable-f1-2023
Newey’s lack of "technical arrogance" in F1 a great strength, says Fallows
22/02/2023, 10:38
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
Formula 1 design genius Adrian Newey’s attitude in not being "technically arrogant" has been singled out as one of the main traits that has made him so good. Despite many decades of involvement in F1, Newey remains at the top of his game and he has most recently helped play a role in Red Bull’s title successes last season.
Aston Martin’s new technical director Dan Fallows worked alongside Newey for many years at Red Bull Racing, and says it was an eye-opening experience for him seeing how he operated. Fallows reckons that it was Newey’s mindset in not believing that he had the answers to everything that was central to him adapting so well to the changing nature of F1.
"I’m one of the fortunate people to have worked under Adrian and seen his methods," explained Fallows. "He has a very clear approach to the way he designs and develops a car, particularly from the aerodynamic side of things.
'Lack of technical arrogance';
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...ngth/10434765/
McLaren considering shock F1 engine deal with Red Bull
22 February 2:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365
McLaren are said to be considering forming a Formula 1 alliance with Red Bull to use their power units from the 2026 season. As previously written by RacingNews365 and now by The Independent, McLaren CEO Zak Brown visited the Red Bull Powertrains facility in Milton Keynes earlier in February with initial talks over a supply being held.
Red Bull's power units are currently supplied by Honda, but after the Japanese manufacturer decided to withdraw, Red Bull opted to form RBPT with the division set to be supported by Ford, who announced their comeback to F1 to as technical partner for the project.
Honda currently have no teams lined up to supply in 2026, although it is understood that Brown has held talks about the two reuniting - which would be nine years after they parted company. McLaren's current supply of Mercedes power units is set to run until the end of the 2025 season - the final one under this current generation of power unit rules.
‘McLaren considering shock F1 engine deal’;
https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-co...-with-red-bull
CHRISTIAN HORNER: ADRIAN NEWEY IS ONLY PART-TIME IN F1
Adrian Newey first started his career in Formula One with the March team in 1988, before moving to Williams in 1991. Newey also worked with McLaren before heading to Red Bull Racing, where he has been since 2006. Now aged 64, Newey is taking an increased step back in Formula One
February 21, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds
Adrian Newey is one of the most renowned technical geniuses in Formula One history. Newey has most recently helped Red Bull Racing achieve six drivers’ world championships and five constructors. Before his time with the Milton Keynes-based team, he had already won three drivers’ championships and four constructors’ with Williams. As well as two drivers’ championships and one constructors’ at McLaren.
He has worked with some of the most historic and successful Formula One teams and collaborated with a selection of the world’s best-ever drivers. From Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Ayrton Senna to Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen, Newey has worked with many former World Champions.
Now, at the age of 64, Newey seems to be stepping back from Formula One. Red Bull Racing’s Team Principal, Christian Horner, spoke to Auto Motor und Sport about Newey’s role at the Milton Keynes team going forward.
‘One of the most renowned technical geniuses in Formula One history’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ch.../?nowprocket=1
Christian Horner delivers bad Adrian Newey news to Red Bull’s rivals
Adrian Newey will be taking a step back from his involvement with Red Bull this season.
20 February 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News
Newey will be stepping away from some of his involvement with Red Bull, as he chooses to pursue some of his other interests and projects. While many teams may be licking their lips at the chance to capitalise on Red Bull’s loss making them weaker, team principal Christian Horner has claimed that his team will actually be stronger than ever this season.
“In recent years, Adrian has stepped away from day-to-day responsibility in Formula 1 and splits his time between Red Bull Advanced Technology and Formula 1,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “He has encyclopaedic knowledge and what we’ve seen over the last few years, how fantastic it is that the technical team led by Pierre [Wache] with Enrico Balbo, Ben Waterhouse and Craig Skinner have really stepped up.
“I really think it’s the strongest technical team we’ve ever had and that’s what allowed Adrian to do the Valkyrie project and now the RB17. Of course Adrian is still there, but not all the days. Maybe 50 percent of your time is focused on Formula 1. You are probably in the office a few days a week on average. If your attention is needed, the technical team can call you.”
‘Bad Adrian Newey news to Red Bull’s rivals’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/christian...-bulls-rivals/
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Aston Martin trigger first red flag of F1 2023.
F1 testing lasted just nine minutes before a red flag was triggered by Aston Martin.
Thursday 23 February 2023
Ewan Gale
GPFans
Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich was behind the wheel deputising for Lance Stroll, who was injured in a cycling accident in Spain ahead of the beginning of the pre-season test.
This wasn't the first time the AMR23 hit the track with all teams completing a 100km shakedown in the build up to the test, but track action for the Silverstone-based outfit could not have started worse. Reigning F2 champion Drugovich had only just exited the pits for the first time when grinding to a halt on the exit of turn four, though there was no indication of what the failure could be.
As this is testing, the car can be recovered to the pits to be worked on and can be run once the team is confident any issue is fixed.
‘Trigger first red flag’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ag-of-f1-2023/
First look at 2023 Red Bull F1 car with dramatic sidepods
Feb 23 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm and Matt Beer
The Race
Champion team Red Bull’s RB19 2023 Formula 1 car has been revealed ahead of pre-season testing beginning in Bahrain. The RB19 was finally brought into the Sakhir pitlane ahead of the test beginning on Thursday morning, revealing a dramatic undercut tunnel on its sidepods.
Our technical consultant Gary Anderson said the RB19 had the “same suspension philosophy as 2022, a pullrod front with lots of stagger on the inboard pick-ups of the top wishbone, and a pushrod rear.”
Of the floor, he added: “It’s the first car where we can see the detail along the floor edge, and there is lots of this. It’s a very important area because of the rule changes raising this section of the floor.”
‘Red Bull F1 car with dramatic sidepods’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/first...atic-sidepods/
First pictures: Alpine A523 hits the track in pre-season test
2023 F1 season
Posted on 23rd February 2023, 7:16
Written by Ida Wood
The Alpine A523 appeared on-track for the first time this morning as Formula 1 pre-season testing began at Bahrain International Circuit.
Alpine launched their 2023 contender in London last week, with a shakedown taking place at Silverstone a few days prior in secrecy. While the car was spotted at the circuit, it was unclear at the time whether it was the design the team would take to testing.
The A523 retains the notably wide air intake of its immediate predecessor, and Alpine have gone aggressive with the design of their exhaust housing at the rear of the car, with the sidepods dropping underneath it. Like other teams it has followed the trend of removing the supporting struts for the front wing and having it connected directly to the nose cone.
‘First pictures: Alpine A523’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/23/...e-season-test/
Live: F1 2023 pre-season testing from Bahrain
February 23rd 2023
Motor Sport
Motor Sport Magazine
This is a live article and will be updated regularly.
Pre-season testing for the 2023 F1 season is underway, with all ten teams taking to the track in Bahrain ahead of the first grand prix of the season on March 3.
Testing sessions are split over three days, beginning on today and ending on Saturday with on-track access between 7am – 11am GMT and 12pm – 4.30pm GMT.
To find out how to watch the on-track action, click here for Motor Sport’s full breakdown of F1’s 2023 pre-season test, including some intriguing storylines to watch out for over the coming days.
‘Updated regularly’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Pictures: 2023 F1 pre-season testing day one: Bahrain
F1 pictures
Posted on 23rd February 2023, 7:2023rd February 2023, 8:25
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Pictures from the first day of testing for the 2023 F1 season at the Bahrain International Circuit.
‘More images will be added here’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/23/...y-one-bahrain/
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F1 2023 Testing Results – Day 1 (Bahrain).
Here are the testing results from the ongoing testing session in Bahrain, during a very busy first day of track action.
23 Feb 2023 10:25 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
The first day of action for Formula 1 2023 is underway, with pre-season testing beginning at the Bahrain International Circuit on Thursday. As the venue for the first Grand Prix of the season next weekend, the Sakhir circuit’s lights turned green at 10am local time to kick off proceedings.
It’s been a remarkably steady morning, with the only red flag coming courtesy of Aston Martin’s Felipe Drugovich – the Brazilian driver is standing in for the injured Lance Stroll for testing duties. Max Verstappen and Alex Albon both had brief stints at the top of the times, but it’s Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who has set the quickest time with just over an hour to go until the official lunch break.
Most of the teams are set to hand over to a different driver for the second half of the day, including the return of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton as he takes over the Mercedes W14 from George Russell’s morning duties.
‘Testing Results’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...day-1-bahrain/
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas spying on Red Bull RB19 at F1 testing in Bahrain
10:30, Thu, Feb 23, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have been caught spying on Max Verstappen’s car ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The former team-mates were caught having a glimpse at Red Bull’s new RB19 ahead of the first session in Sakhir.
Hamilton was seen peeping over the halo and into the cockpit where Verstappen took to the wheel just hours later. Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo star Bottas appeared to be looking at the car’s sidepods and front nose cone.
It was Hamilton’s second look at his former title rivals' machine after he was seen peering into the Red Bull garage earlier in the day. The seven-time champion was walking down the pitlane before stopping outside the Red Bull garage and staring in as mechanics worked on the car.
‘Hamilton was seen peeping’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...max-verstappen
F1 2023 Bahrain Test: Max Verstappen tops morning session as Aston Martin hit early trouble on opening day
23 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the pace on the opening morning of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, while Aston Martin hit early trouble.
The reigning world champion continued where he left off in 2022 by topping the timesheets in the first on-track session of the year as pre-season testing got underway at Sakhir.
After trading fastest laps with Carlos Sainz for much of the morning, Verstappen produced the benchmark time of a 1m32.959s in the final hour of running to put his brand-new RB19 on top at the lunch break.
‘Max Verstappen tops morning session’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102067...f1-test-begins
Verstappen and Red Bull ominously top as F1 testing underway
Thursday 23 February 2023 11:27
Ewan Gale
GPFans
Max Verstappen has started the new F1 season how he finished the last by finishing fastest at the end of the opening session of testing in Bahrain.
The Dutchman finished top of the leaderboard at the Bahrain International Circuit with Red Bull enjoying a smooth morning, finishing ahead of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Times at this stage of proceedings are, however, irrelevant as teams aim to ensure systems are working as desired ahead of the season.
‘Red Bull ominously top’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ominously-top/
Bahrain F1 testing 2023 - Day 1 results (Morning times)
23 February 12:15PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen topped the timesheets as the first session of F1 2023 pre-season testing got underway in Bahrain.
The Red Bull driver set the pace with a lap of 1:32.959, as well as completing 71 laps during the morning.
Carlos Sainz was 0.294 seconds behind in P2, while Alex Albon posted the third fastest time. A second session will take place in Bahrain at 12:15 GMT as part of the three-day test.
‘Day 1 results (Morning times)’;
https://racingnews365.com/bahrain-f1...-morning-times
De Vries’ complaints after first AlphaTauri test were a “wake-up call” – Tost
2023 F1 season
Posted on 23rd February 2023, 10:27
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
AlphaTauri were emboldened to pursue drastic changes to their new car for 2023 after new driver Nyck de Vries “complained a lot” about their previous chassis.
“Always with a new driver coming, if it’s not a young driver coming from a lower series, he brings in some input, some technical ideas,” AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost said in response to a question from RaceFans during today’s test in Bahrain. “With Nyck, we were lucky that he last year was in contact with many teams and many cars.
“I think that our engineers get a good technical feedback from his side, especially after the Abu Dhabi test, where he did a lot of laps and he fortunately complained a lot about the car because this was a wake-up call for the engineers. And I hope that we can provide him with a car which performs in the way he likes it.” AlphaTauri came away from the test with “a long to-do list”, said Tost. “I liked it.”
“wake-up call” – Tost;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/23/...-up-call-tost/
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Verstappen and Alonso fastest on first F1 test day.
Defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen was fastest on the opening day of the sole pre-season test ahead of the 2023 season in Bahrain but was only 0.029s quicker than Aston Martin’s new recruit Fernando Alonso.
Feb 23 2023
By Josh Suttill
The Race
Red Bull was the only team to keep one driver in its car for the entire day and Verstappen spent the majority of that day at the top of the leaderboard. He also completed 157 laps with no obvious issues. Verstappen led the morning session on a 1m32.959s on the yellow-side-walled C3 compound tyres and went a tenth quicker in the afternoon to top day one of the test on a 1m32.837s despite a wide moment at the final corner on his fastest lap.
Verstappen remained unchallenged until Fernando Alonso completed a series of short runs in the final hour of the session in the AMR23. The fastest of those flying laps was just 0.029s adrift of Verstappen and on the same C3 tyres as his fellow two-time F1 world champion.
Alonso and Aston Martin had to recover ground after a slow start to testing. The 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich – standing in for the injured Lance Stroll – had to pull the AMR23 off to the side of the track during the car’s first installation lap of the day.
‘Verstappen and Alonso fastest’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/verst...t-f1-test-day/
RESULTS: F1 pre-season testing times, Day 1
Friday 24th February, 2023 - 3:33am
By Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe
Get the raw facts on how each team went on the opening day of Formula 1’s three-day pre-season test in Bahrain.
Result: Formula 1 pre-season testing, Bahrain, Day 1
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Time Diff
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 157 1:32.837
2 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 60 1:32.866 0:00.029
3 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 72 1:33.253 0:00.416
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 64 1:33.267 0:00.430
5 4 Lando Norris McLaren 40 1:33.462 0:00.625
6 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 83 1:33.508 0:00.671
7 23 Alex Albon Williams 74 1:33.671 0:00.834
8 24 Guanyu Zhou Alfa Romeo Sauber 67 1:33.723 0:00.886
9 63 George Russell Mercedes 69 1:34.174 0:01.337
10 2 Logan Sargeant Williams 75 1:34.324 0:01.487
‘Raw facts’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/24...g-times-day-1/
Ferrari worry as issue arises in F1 testing that Lewis Hamilton is all too familiar with.
Those keeping an eye on the first day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Bahrain on Thursday were on porpoising watch after the phenomenon reared its head this time last year
16:18, 23 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Ferrari sparked porpoising concerns on the first morning of pre-season testing as Carlos Sainz had a bit of a bumpy ride around the Bahrain International Circuit. Speaking over TV footage of the Spaniard as he oscillated in his seat, Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson said: "There was an awful lot of porpoising from the car just then on the run down to the final corner.”
“It is [a bumpy track here] but I've not seen anyone's head bouncing around quite as much as Sainz. Maybe they are just trying to sneak the car down and test the limits of it. There was bouncing through Turn 12 and sparking at the rear. They are starting to test things by dropping the car lower and lower. Porpoising and bouncing hasn’t gone away this year."
Team boss Frederic Vasseur was quick to ease worries, telling reporters: "It's not at all as it was one year ago with the car bouncing like a kangaroo. Today we have on some part of the track before turn one, turn 12, it's a bit more bumpy than it was before, but it's a different issue."
‘Frederic Vasseur was quick to ease worries’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-29295553
Three days’ testing is “ample” and could be cut to two – Horner
2023 F1 season
Posted on 23rd February 2023, 13:3723rd February 2023, 14:11
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Formula 1 team principals see no need to increase the amount of pre-season testing despite complaints from some drivers that three days of running is insufficient. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said “three days is ample” under the current regulations.
“Look at the reliability we’ve had this morning,” he told media including RaceFans during the FIA press conference in Bahrain today. “I think we had one red flag very early on that was rectified pretty quickly.” Horner said limiting the amount of testing further could create more unpredictability. “These regulations are pretty stable,” he said. “I mean, one could even argue the opposite.”
“When you look at the reliability and so on you could almost say with the amount of races that the promoters are looking to cram in now, why not go two days of testing and go racing? If that does create a little bit of a more mixed field at the beginning of the season, is that such a bad thing? And you’ve got enough of the year then to sort it out.”
‘Three days testing is ample’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/23/...to-two-horner/
Defiant Toto Wolff claims the new Mercedes car IS good enough to carry Lewis Hamilton to an eighth world title after the Silver Arrows enjoyed a promising first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain
• Toto Wolff believes the new Mercedes car is good enough to win the world title
• The Silver Arrows enjoyed a positive first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain
• Lewis Hamilton is hoping to win his eighth world title this campaign
Published: 15:42, 23 February 2023 |
By Jonathan McEvoy For Mailonine
Mail Online
Toto Wolff proclaimed the new Mercedes potentially good enough to carry Lewis Hamilton to an eighth world title after a promising first day of pre-season testing. A year after jaws fell to the garage floor, there was a more positive air about the initial mileage in Bahrain, scene of the opening race a week on Sunday. For one, the car was not bouncing along the track like a kangaroo.
It wasn’t that the Silver Arrows led the timesheets – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen set the fastest times in both sessions – but the fact they have a car they can work with. ‘You need to provide a good car for a driver who has the ambition to win races and championships, and we have that,’ said Wolff, saying the mood was ‘very different today’ from 12 months ago.”
‘We have a solid base and will try to optimise the car, which we have not done yet. Today has been about finding if there are any areas that could be a real hindrance, such as bouncing.’
‘Defiant Toto Wolff claims the new Mercedes car IS good enough to carry Lewis Hamilton to an eighth world title’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...hth-title.html
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Ferrari porpoising? Fans react as SF-23 bounces in Bahrain.
It's that word again: porpoising. The Porpoising Horse. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot show video of the bouncing Ferrari, but videos of Sainz's bumping car are circulating on social media.
Thursday 23 February 2023 14:58
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
It was hoped that we'd seen the last of it, as F1 fans, but unfortunately it may be making a very unwelcome return for 2023. Whilst most cars look more settled compared to last year's challengers, Ferrari in particular has shown the issues look set to play a part this year.
The SF-23 was visibly bouncing in a straight line, although it is as yet unclear whether this was aero or mechanical bouncing. Obviously this is the very first run of the new cars around competitors so there is still some time to tackle problems early before the new season starts next week.
For Ferrari, though, the porpoising seems to have returned and the Italian team looks to have a lot of work to have a hope of resolving it before the start of the first race.
‘The Porpoising Horse’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...tter-reaction/
Ferrari nose develops dent in first F1 testing session
Thursday 23 February 2023 11:50
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
Carlos Sainz got behind the wheel of Ferrari's new SF-23 this morning and very quickly all eyes turned to the Prancing Horse. When the car hit the Sakhir straight, a dent suddenly appeared in the nose of the Ferrari car. Then, under braking for the corner, the bodywork 'popped' back and the nose was back to normal.
It was a remarkable sight in the early stages of the first day of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit. Sainz hit the accelerator down the straight and everyone – including, Fred Vasseur, surely – was surprised to see a dent in the bodywork at the front of his nose.
How the dent happened. The dimple in the bodywork was created by air pressure at maximum velocity applied to the nose's crash structure, with Ferrari suggesting supports within the structure had failed. Sainz finished his run just under three-tenths of a second behind Max Verstappen in the standings from the morning and a bloody (or dented) nose on the first day of testing will not be what the Scuderia will have wanted in the opening session.
‘The dimple in nose's crash structure’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...in-first-test/
Fernando Alonso in a winning F1 car would be a sensational story — MPH
February 24th 2023
Author Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine
As you read this, the second day of pre-season testing will be underway in Bahrain and doubtless new headlines will be created as the anticipation for the new F1 season ramps up. But the sensation of the first day was definitely that of Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin, second-fastest on the timesheets just a few hundredths slower than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Sure, we need to take that with a pinch of salt, as always with pre-season test times. But the jungle drums were already very active about the Aston Martin AMR23 before any car had turned a wheel. Team personnel talk to each other, wind tunnel numbers get quoted and sometimes these are nothing more than hot air. But sometimes, like pre-season 2009 with the Brawn, they are real. A senior team member of a top team heard the claimed Aston numbers a couple of weeks ago. “If they are real,” he said, “that car is going to be very, very quick.”
Lo and behold Fernando Alonso delivers a very big lap on the first day of testing. There is a caveat here in addition to the usual ones about fuel loads and run programmes and how they vary and how no team knows exactly what the others teams are running. Which is that Alonso set the time in the cool of the evening when the track was at its fastest at a time when Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were all doing higher-fuelled long runs. They’d set their best times in the heat of the day when the track was at least 15C hotter and less grippy.
‘Lo and behold Fernando Alonso delivers’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Hamilton seizes chance to take a closer look at Verstappen's RB19
Thursday 23 February 2023 10:42
Stuart Hodge
GPFans
Red Bull Racing managed to keep the real RB19 a secret until just before the start of the first day of testing in Bahrain. But when the car was seen in person for the first time this morning, Lewis Hamilton quickly seized the opportunity to thoroughly inspect Max Verstappen's new challenger.
During the official car launch, Red Bull only revealed the new livery for next season and, when the team then organised a shakedown at Silverstone, it did so behind closed doors. Everything possible was done to keep the RB19 a secret from the competition for as long as the team could.
It was only this morning, right before the start of the first day of testing, that the real car could be seen in all its glory. Of course, a lot of outside interest was generated, including from the men who will be trying to beat it and it is customary for all drivers to look at all the cars. But Hamilton really took his time to subject the car, which Verstappen will be aiming to claim a third straight title in, to a thorough inspection.
‘Seized the opportunity to thoroughly inspect’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ose-look-rb19/
Bahrain pre-season F1 test: Day 2 driver line-ups
24/02/2023 at 06:15
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
One day down, two to go! Teams will resume their test programmes in Bahrain this morning, with those who made good progress on Thursday ready to begin fine-tuning their set-ups.
Everyone will be hoping for the same drama-free consistency today when the track goes green at 7:00 GMT (8:00 CET) for four hours of action, before a one-jour lunch break ensues and the running resumes at 12:00 GMT (13:00 CET) for an addition four hours of testing.
Provisional Day 2 driver line-ups for Bahrain F1 pre-season test:
Friday February 24
Red Bull
AM Sergio Perez PM Max Verstappen
Ferrari
AM Carlos Sainz PM Charles Leclerc
Mercedes
AM Lewis Hamilton PM George Russell
Alpine
AM Esteban Ocon PM Pierre Gasly
McLaren
AM Lando Norris PM Oscar Piastri
Alfa Romeo F1
AM Zhou Guanyu PM Zhou Guanyu
Aston Martin F1
AM Fernando Alonso PM Fernando Alonso
Haas
AM Kevin Magnussen PM Nico Hulkenberg
AlphaTauri
AM Yuki Tsunoda PM Nyck de Vries
Williams
AM Logan Sargeant PM Logan Sargeant
‘Provisional Day 2 driver line-ups’;
https://f1i.com/news/466430-bahrain-...r-line-up.html
F1 pre-season testing 2023 live: latest updates from day two in Bahrain
24/02/2023, 06:58
By Luke Slater
The Telegraph
‘Live Reporting’;
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-...hrain-day-two/
F1 2023 pre-season testing in Bahrain - Day 2: LIVE UPDATES!
24/02/2023, 06:50
Crash.Net
Day Two of F1 pre-season testing 2023 in Bahrain is on Friday and you can follow it here with Crash.net.
https://www.crash.net/f1/live/f1-202...2-live-updates
Live: Day 2 of F1 2023 pre-season testing
February 24th 2023
Author Motor Sport
Motor Sport Magazine
Live updates from pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 F1 season, including full testing schedule, driver lineups and the latest updates from the pitwall
‘Live: Day 2;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
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Sainz puts Ferrari quickest, 0.063s ahead of Sargeant halfway through test.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jnr put up the quickest time of pre-season testing so far in the early session on day two, but Logan Sargeant was less than a tenth of a second behind.
2023 F1 season
Posted on 24th February 2023, 11:35
Written by Will Wood
In an uneventful early session with no major dramas for any of the ten cars running, Sainz comfortably beat Max Verstappen’s best time of Thursday’s first day to go quickest overall. Sargeant was just 0.063s behind in second, with Fernando Alonso third fastest for Aston Martin.
Air temperature was a relatively comfortable 24C as cars began lining up at the end of the pitlane for the start of the second day of running. After Aston Martin announced Alonso would run the entire day for them, he was the first car out as the green light appeared to signal the beginning of the session.
Sergio Perez had sat out all of Thursday while team mate Verstappen enjoyed a full day in the Red Bull RB19, but he finally got his first real experience of the car during the early Friday session. Carlos Sainz Jnr set the first time of the day, but none of the ten teams were pushing anywhere near the limits during the opening minutes.
‘Sainz puts Ferrari quickest’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/24/...-through-test/
Ferrari leads as 2023 F1 testing hits halfway point
24/02/2023, 11:29
By Jack Cozens
The Race
Ferrari hit the front at the midway point in 2023 Formula 1 testing as Carlos Sainz pipped the soft tyre-shod Williams of Logan Sargeant to the fastest time in the day two morning session in Bahrain.
Sainz was a near-permanent feature at the head of the leaderboard and just past the end of the first hour had already eclipsed his best time from a day earlier, setting a 1m32.653s.
He went better still on his next new set of mid-range C3 tyres, with the 1m32.486s he achieved on that run standing unbeaten come the end of the session.
‘Ferrari leads’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...halfway-point/
F1 2023 testing: Carlos Sainz lowers pace on second morning as Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes loses bodywork
24 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Carlos Sainz set the fastest time of F1 pre-season testing so far in Bahrain, while Lewis Hamilton suffered damage to his Mercedes.
The Ferrari driver clocked a 1m32.486s - a new benchmark time of testing - on the second morning of running at Sakhir to edge Williams’ F1 rookie Logan Sargeant to the quickest time.
Sargeant bolted on a set of Pirelli’s softest tyre to post a succession of fast laps during the final hour of Friday’s opening session, but the American fell 0.063s short of Sainz’s effort from earlier in the morning.
‘Mercedes loses bodywork’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102084...loses-bodywork
Fighting Red Bull for Bahrain GP win “will be a stretch” for Mercedes – Russell
2023 F1 season
Posted on 24th February 2023, 12:14
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
George Russell says Mercedes are happy with where they are in pre-season testing but is cautious about their chances of fighting Red Bull in next weekend’s season opener. “In terms of feeling, it feels a step in the right direction,” Russell said. “But as we know in the sport, it’s not all about feeling – it is ultimately about lap time.”
“I think comparing to this time 12 months ago, things are running a lot smoother. Obviously when we were here last year, there were a lot of alarm bells ringing with the porpoising, unsure how to solve it. We were a bit lost – the car characteristics were not good. So I think things have been running much smoother.”
“Reliability has been been strong so far to allow us to do the test programme. For sure, we’ve got things we need to improve with the car, but I would say, generally speaking, we’re roughly where we would have expected to be at this time of year.”
“Will be a stretch”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/24/...cedes-russell/
Pictures: 2023 F1 pre-season testing day two: Bahrain
F1 pictures
Posted on 24th February 2023, 8:12
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Pictures from the second day of testing for the 2023 F1 season at the Bahrain International Circuit.
‘More images will be added here’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/24/...y-two-bahrain/
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F1 pre-season testing: Four things learned on day two as Mercedes dealt embarrassing blow.
Mercedes were given some unwanted food for thought on the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.
17:22, Fri, Feb 24, 2023
By Archie Griggs
Daily and Sunday Express
Zhou Guanyu topped the standings at the end of an eventful second day of Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain, which saw Mercedes suffer a worrying blow as George Russell was forced to stop with a hydraulic failure in the afternoon. There were also whispers of some teething issues at Red Bull, while McLaren boss Zak Brown gave a brutally honest update on his team's development progress ahead of next weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Express Sport looks at four takeaways from Friday's action at the Bahrain International Circuit... Mercedes suffer worrying failure - Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was given some unwanted food for thought ahead of Saturday's final day of pre-season testing… Ferrari lay down early marker - Carlos Sainz topped the morning session on Friday to give Ferrari hope of improving on last year's pace…
Not all plain sailing for Red Bull - Red Bull ran into some problems on Friday despite topping the standings on Thursday, with an oil leak reportedly hampering Verstappen's progress in the afternoon session. McLaren set to struggle again? - It seems as though McLaren could be in for a difficult start to the new season if Zak Brown's latest comments are anything to go by, with the mood at the Woking-based outfit not entirely positive with just nine days until the first Grand Prix of the year.
‘Express Sport looks at four takeaways’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Bull-Ferrari
Mercedes F1 testing pace loss prompts ‘investigations’
19:16 Fri, 24 Feb 2023.
By Josh Suttill
The Race
Mercedes has begun “some investigations” to work out what went wrong during a challenging second day of Formula 1’s Bahrain 2023 pre-season test. Mercedes enjoyed a positive opening day on Thursday with no sign of the bouncing issues that haunted its W13 last year.
Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin called the W14 a “much calmer and more stable” platform with “faultless” reliability on day one. However, the team lost the final hour and a half of day two when Russell ground to a halt with a hydraulics issue and didn’t return to the track.
“We’ve not had a strong second day,” Shovlin admitted at the end of Friday. But it wasn’t just Russell’s reliability drama – one which limited his running to 26 laps – that contributed to Mercedes’ Friday plight as it struggled to find the right car balance.
‘Investigations’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/merce...nvestigations/
Wolff admits Mercedes hiding full performance in F1 2023 testing
Do Mercedes have a trick up their sleeve as we approach the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season?
February 24, 2023
By Andrew Wright
Total Motorsport
Toto Wolff has said Mercedes have been holding back performance in the W14 during the first two days of Formula 1 pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 F1 campaign, which kicks off on March 3 with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The eight-time world champions are looking to recover from a relatively dismal 2022, in which they won just one race and finished third in the constructors’ championship, but have so far failed to make much of an impression on the timesheets.
“We’re still hiding a little bit,” Wolff told Sky F1’s Rachel Brookes. “Very difficult to judge at this stage. Everybody is playing around with fuel loads and hiding on engine modes, so you can’t really judge. I think you have to wait for the three days’ running and wait for the soft tyres to come on in the afternoon, which is more representative of the conditions in Bahrain.”
‘Mercedes hiding full performance’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/wol...-2023-testing/
Mercedes confirm Russell hydraulic failure after red flag
Friday 24 February 2023 15:39
Ewan Gale
GPFans
Mercedes has confirmed George Russell suffered a hydraulic failure during the second session of the second day of the Bahrain pre-season test.
The British driver ground to a halt at the exit of turn 10 with just over 90 minutes remaining having been stuck in fourth gear throughout the middle sector, with a dashboard message reading 'hydraulic failure'.
‘Hydraulic failure’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...fter-red-flag/
Hamilton struggling with Mercedes W14 – Wolff reveals 'issues'
Friday 24 February 2023 15:02
Ewan Gale
GPFans
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded Lewis Hamilton was faced with balance issues during the second day of running at F1's Bahrain pre-season test.
The seven-time world champion finished the morning session eighth fastest with 72 laps to his name before handing over the W14 to George Russell for the second session. Hamilton was confined to the garage for repairs after shedding bodywork but was able to recover to complete his run plan.
But it seems that whilst Mercedes' porpoising issues have vanished with the new machinery, there are other issues at hand that have hampered the team's progress on the second day of testing.
‘Wolff reveals 'issues'!’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ms-toto-wolff/
Verstappen's Red Bull verdict after final F1 test outing
24 February 6:55PM
Author Jake Nichol
Max Verstappen's F1 pre-season test is at an end, and he is impressed with the work Red Bull have done thus far. Max Verstappen says he is "very satisfied" with the state of Red Bull and the RB19 as his pre-season testing came to an end on Friday.
"The test days [have gone] well, especially on Thursday when we drove a lot of laps [157], and were able to test a lot," explained Verstappen. "Today we focused a bit more on the details and made small steps. The car responds very well to everything we change, and we learned a lot for next weekend and also for the races after that.”
"I'm very satisfied. Every time I drove the car, I felt comfortable and we were able to go for it right away, that's also important. For me, these have been positive test days, it remains to be seen how fast we will be here at the Grand Prix, but I am positive."
‘Impressed with the work Red Bull have done thus far’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...s-f1-test-ends
McLaren's 2023 F1 car hampered by being too draggy
18:16 Fri, 24 Feb 2023.
Motorsport.com
Team Principal Andrea Stella "Last year, we had some clear objectives in terms of development, they had to do with aerodynamic efficiency, some development related to the exploitation of the tyres, and also some other objectives to improve the balance," explained Stella.
"The reality is that most of these objectives have actually been met. But the objective in terms of aerodynamic efficiency of the car, that's the one where we are still shy of what was our target.”
"So some of the objectives have been met. Aerodynamic efficiency is still not where we would like it to be, or where we would like it to be a top-four contender. So I would say that's the one in which we are still short."
‘Too draggy’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...ggy-/10436133/
Podcast: Who’s in trouble in F1 testing?
22:29 Fri, 24 Feb 2023.
The Race
McLaren’s struggle was one of the big talking points of the second day of 2023 Formula 1 pre-season testing, and it’s among the topics we delve into in the second of our daily podcasts from Bahrain.
But we also talk about the other nine teams, from Zhou Guanyu’s fastest time for Alfa Romeo and Red Bull’s serene progress through to the impressive form of Aston Martin and Mercedes’ struggles.
There’s also a look at where Williams is at in the first week of new team principal James Vowles’s time with the team.
‘Who’s in trouble’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/podca...in-f1-testing/
F1 pre-season testing 2023: Day 2 Highlights
24 Feb 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Highlights of the second day of F1 pre-season testing from the Bahrain International Circuit.
‘Highlights’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...867306425.html
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Bahrain pre-season F1 test: Day 3 driver line-up.
The third day of pre-season testing in Bahrain is upon us, and with it comes the final opportunity for teams to fine-tune and improve their challengers ahead of next week's round of racing at Sakhir.
25/02/2023 at 06:15
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
The third day of pre-season testing in Bahrain is upon us, and with it comes the final opportunity for teams to fine-tune and improve their challengers ahead of next week's round of racing at Sakhir.
Red Bull is seemingly cruising ahead of its rivals, with Max Verstappen already the grand favourite to take the checkered flag come race day next weekend.
The Dutchman won't be in action on Saturday however, as Sergio Perez will have the day to himself as Red Bull's sole runner.
‘Driver line-up’;
https://f1i.com/news/466899-bahrain-...-line-ups.html
F1 2023 Testing Results – Day 3 (Bahrain)
25 Feb 2023 8:38 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Bahrain F1 2023 Testing Results – Day 3 (11:30am local time)
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:31.164 17 Laps
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:31.442 21 Laps
3 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:32.762 17 Laps
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1:33.167 21 Laps
5 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 1:33.329 24 Laps
6 Felipe Drugovich Aston Martin 1:33.575 16 Laps
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:33.655 25 Laps
8 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1:38.609 21 Laps
9 Nyck De Vries AlphaTauri 1:39.218 20 Laps
10 Alex Albon Williams 1:40.908 17 Laps
‘Testing Results’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...day-3-bahrain/
Red Bull latest cause of F1 testing red flags
Saturday 25 February 2023 07:18
Ewan Gale
GPFans
The first red flag of the third day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain was triggered by Red Bull less than 10 minutes into the morning session. Sergio Perez was beginning his run plan with aero rakes fitted to harvest data for Red Bull's engineers when a sensor array taped to the rear of the RB19 came loose and fell off.
Whilst the loss of the sensor bore no issue for the Mexican, who continued to the pits, race control triggered a short red flag period in order to remove the sizeable debris from the racing line. The red flag was the third of the week so far, after Aston Martin and Mercedes suffered issues across the first two days.
Felipe Drugovich came to a halt after just nine minutes of the test with an electrical issue in the AMR23, whilst George Russell lost just over 90 minutes of running time when the W14 stopped with a hydraulic failure during the fourth session.
‘Red flags’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ing-red-flags/
Rivals single out Aston Martin as F1 midfield team to watch
25/02/2023, 09:01.
By: Filip Cleeren
Co-author: Oleg Karpov
Motorsport.com
Even before pre-season testing started in Bahrain there were positive rumours about Aston's aero numbers. While it is still hard to draw conclusions from the timesheets as testing rolls into the third and final day, rival drivers and teams have seen enough from Alonso's long runs and his AMR23's compliant behaviour to single Aston out as one of the teams to watch this season.
"It's clear Aston Martin did a step," said Alfa Romeo's Zhou, who shared the track with the two-time world champion for all of Friday. "Alonso seems to be very competitive over the two days, both conditions. I think he will be one of the top guys in midfield battle."
Zhou topped Friday's timetable, albeit on Pirelli's softest C5 tyres, but thinks Alfa won't be too far off either after it enjoyed a productive and trouble-free pre-season. "It seems like we both made a step and over the two days they seem to be a little bit faster, but we're close. I feel like there's still areas I can improve and there will be another tight battle."
‘Aston Martin, F1 midfield team to watch’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...atch/10436280/
Interactive: Compare all 10 F1 cars of 2023 side-by-side
2023 F1 season
Posted on 25th February 2023, 7:3825th February 2023, 8:24
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Have Formula 1 teams converged on a single design philosophy in the second year since the series’ shake-up of its technical regulations? Far from it.
Satisfyingly, in a year when the cars’ geometries were expected to converge under technical regulations which limited the freedom of the designers, there are many other conspicuous differences noticeable on the cars, such as the slim airbox of Ferrari and the upswept front wing of Alpine. Over the races to come we will keep a keen eye on whether more of these differences are ironed out in year two of the current rules set, or teams produce new solutions to the same challenges.
‘Conspicuous differences noticeable on the cars’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/25/...-side-by-side/
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Leclerc and Russell lead final morning of F1 testing
Charles Leclerc led George Russell at the halfway point of the final day of Formula 1’s sole 2023 pre-season test in Bahrain as McLaren and Alfa Romeo hit trouble.
Feb 25 2023
By Josh Suttill
The Race
The hot daytime conditions didn’t deter Mercedes and Ferrari from performing soft tyre runs in the first couple of hours of day three of the test. Leclerc ended up fastest on a 1m31.024s on the C4 tyres, a time that was within half a second of his 2022 pole position time on the C3s set in cooler night-time conditions.
Russell was 0.418s slower than Leclerc and he used the softer C5 tyres for his fastest lap. The top three was completed by Aston Martin’s reserve driver Felipe Drugovich, who still might make his F1 debut next weekend in place of the injured Lance Stroll. Drugovich was 1.051s adrift of Leclerc in third place ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who set his fastest lap on the C3 tyres.
DAY THREE MORNING TEST TIMES
1. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m31.024s, C4, 67 laps
2. Russell (Mercedes) 1m31.442s, C5, 83 laps
3. Drugovich (Aston Martin) 1m32.075s, C5, 77 laps
4. Perez (Red Bull) 1m32.459s, C3, 69 laps
5. Gasly (Alpine) 1m32.762s, C3, 56 laps
6. Albon (Williams) 1m32.793s, C4, 53 laps
7. Hulkenberg (Haas) 1m33.329s, C3, 77 laps
8. Piastri (McLaren) 1m33.655s, C3, 44 laps
9. Bottas (Alfa Romeo) 1m36.854s, C3, 72 laps
10. De Vries (AlphaTauri) 1m38.244s, C3, 87 laps
‘Leclerc and Russell lead’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/lecle...of-f1-testing/
Mercedes still have some of last year’s “balance limitations” – Hamilton
2023 F1 SEASON
Posted on 25th February 2023, 12:12
Written by Will Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton says that the Mercedes W14 retains some of the “balance limitations” of last year’s car. The Mercedes driver visibly struggled with the rear of his W14 during his running in the early session yesterday. Speaking at a press conference before he took over the car for the last time in the final session of testing, Hamilton said that the team were trying to iron out some of the balance problems that had also afflicted the team’s 2022 machine.
“They’re just things that we’re working through,” Hamilton told media including RaceFans. “Some of the balance limitations that we had last year are just present. So we’re working through them.” Hamilton’s team mate George Russell covered 83 laps in today’s early session, making up in some way for the track time lost in Friday’s evening session when he suffered a hydraulic failure in the final hours. Hamilton admitted Mercedes had not enjoyed an easy test so far.
“I think it’s difficult to sum it up,” he said. “I think we’ve had a couple of difficult days. Yesterday, particularly, was difficult. The first day didn’t feel too bad, yesterday was a little bit more of a struggle. I think George has had a much better morning today, a bit like the first day. I get to go in half an hour, so hopefully we’ve got the set up in a bit of a better place.”
‘W14 retains some of the “balance limitations” of last year’s car’!’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/25/...ions-hamilton/
Ferrari’s Leclerc leads 1st session of last day of F1 tests
February 25, 2023 GMT
Associated Press
SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc clocked the fastest time ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell in the first session of Saturday’s third and final day of Formula One testing.
Leclerc completed 67 laps and was .42 seconds quicker on soft tires than Russell, who did 83 laps on mediums. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will replace Russell in the W14 for the afternoon run. With Lance Stroll still sidelined because of a wrist injury sustained in a bicycle accident, Aston Martin again used F2 champion Felipe Drugovich and he was third fastest — about 1 second behind Leclerc.
It is unsure whether Stroll will recover in time to race next weekend in the season-opener in Bahrain, and teammate Fernando Alonso offered no indication. “No news,” the two-time F1 champion said. “It’s a private matter so I have nothing to comment.” Sergio Perez took over from two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull and was fourth quickest on mediums.
‘Leclerc leads 1st session of last day’;
https://apnews.com/article/sports-au...276c04c57024d6
Mini F1 pitwall gives Haas $500k more to spend on car development
February 25th 2023
Author Chris Medland
Motor Sport Magazine
Haas could save as much as $500,000 (£420,000) to redirect to its car development this season, simply by reducing the size of and construction of its pitwall. All teams have differing pitwall designs, ranging from eight seats on the AlphaTauri offering to four on the Mercedes at the Bahrain test, but all have tended to be of similar size.
However, Haas appeared on the opening day with a much smaller, lighter pitwall, featuring just three seating positions as it had amended half of its existing set-up. Those three seats — known as prat perches — are to be used by team principal Guenther Steiner, team manager Pete Crolla and chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu, with the rest of the team members who used to sit on the pitwall taking up positions in the garage or in remote locations.
The initial transportation saving is estimated by Haas to be $250,000, and it isn’t stopping there. By amending the way the pit wall is produced and can be packed, it intends to purchase six versions that can then be sent via sea freight, saving it another $250,000 compared to using air freight for transport. Steiner himself says the decision to make the change was to be able to reallocate resources to try and improve car performance.
‘Haas Mini F1 pitwall’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...3&nowprocket=1
Sky Sports F1 legend Ted Kravitz uses pieces of cheese to show key rule change
The FIA have made a key rule change ahead of the 2023 season and Sky Sports commentator Ted Kravitz demonstrated how it will affect cars ahead of the season opener in Bahrain next weekend
11:12, 25 FEB 2023
BY Benjamin Goddard
Daily Star
Sky Sports F1 legend Ted Kravitz has used a piece of Dutch cheese to demonstrate how a key rule change will impact cars ahead of the new season. Speaking to AlphaTauri technical director Jody Eggington the commentator describes the change as the 'biggest' of this year.
The floor edges of F1 cars have been raised by 15 millimetres this season. After being refused a detailed look at the floor of the AlphaTauri car in a Sky Sports interview, Kravitz instead pulled out a block of cheese to describe the change. To demonstrate the changes, Kravitz says he needed a material that was "firm yet pliable, something that will retain its shape yet manage to be manipulated".
Kravitz said in honour of AlphaTauri's Dutch driver Nyck de Vries they would use Gouda cheese for the demonstration. The Sky Sports commentator then cut the bottom of the cheese to demonstrate the difference in floor height that the new restrictions would have on F1 cars. "We should call this section cheese and Egg-ington," joked Kravitz. Despite the new regulations Eggington said that the aim to reduce the air flow under the car was the same.
‘Cheese Analysis’;
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...avitz-29310330
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Perez ends F1 testing how Verstappen started as Red Bull underline favourite tag.
Sergio Perez ended the Bahrain pre-season test how Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen started by finishing top of the timesheets.
Saturday 25 February 2023 16:30
Ewan Gale
GPFans
The Mexican set a fastest time of one minute, 30.305secs to finish three-tenths quicker than Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion enjoyed a more promising afternoon in the W14 after a similar experience for George Russell in the morning, working past issues from the second day.
Valtteri Bottas overcame a gearbox issue in the morning to return to the track and pump in the third fastest time of the day, though times are difficult to read into. One thing that we can be sure of is the strength of the Red Bull RB19 with signs looking positive in both qualifying and race trim.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz seem to be the closest challengers, though race pace leaves a lot to be desired. Leclerc morning time was good enough to stay ahead of his Spanish team-mate in fourth. Yuki Tsunoda jumped to sixth with his best effort ahead of Kevin Magnussen, with the Haas looking to be competitive in the midfield picture.
F1 Bahrain pre-season test, final day complete standings
1. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - 1:30.305 - 133 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes] - +0.359s - 65 laps
3. Valtteri Bottas [Alfa Romeo] - +0.522s - 131 laps
4. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari] - +0.719s - 67 laps
5. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] - +0.731s - 76 laps
6. Yuki Tsunoda [AlphaTauri] - +0.956s - 79 laps
7. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] - +1.076s - 95 laps
8. George Russell [Mercedes] - +1.137secs - 83 laps
9. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - +1.145s - 80 laps
10. Felipe Drugovich [Aston Martin] - +1.051s - 77 laps
‘Red Bull underline favourite tag’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...favourite-tag/
Red Bull ‘very strong’, Ferrari ‘struggling in corners’ with lower-drag car says Leclerc
2023 F1 season
Posted on 25th February 2023, 13:19
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari have “got some work to do” and rivals Red Bull look “very strong” ahead of next week’s season-opening race. Ferrari have attempted to improve the straight-line performance of their car compared to last year. Leclerc believes they have been successful, but it has compromised other areas of their performance which they now need to improve.
“I think it was done in the right way and I think we have a less draggy car, so that should be better this year,” Leclerc told media including RaceFans in Bahrain today. “But it changed all the characteristics – all in line with what we expected – but we still need to find the right set-up for these new characteristics.”
“I expect us to be a bit quicker in the straights, maybe struggling a little bit more in the corners,” he added. “With this three days test, I can say that we are still working quite a bit on trying to find the sweet spot of the car in terms of set-up. So there’s, I hope, some margin on that still that we haven’t found the sweet spot yet.”
‘Ferrari have got some work to do’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/25/...-says-leclerc/
Perez beats Hamilton to top final day of F1 testing
25/02/2023, 16:46
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Sergio Perez achieved the fastest lap time as Red Bull set the pace in Bahrain on the final day of Formula 1 pre-season testing ahead of the 2023 season. Perez traded times with Lewis Hamilton late in the day, with the Mexican’s best effort of a 1:30.305 on the C4 compound enough for him to prevail by 0.3s over the lead Mercedes driver.
Charles Leclerc had led the morning session and his previous benchmark time kept him marginally ahead of Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, as both remained inside the top five. The Ferrari duo were beaten by an impressive lap from Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo, recovering from his earlier stoppage to wound up third.
Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen also took advantage of the cooler track conditions and grippier rubber to post quick enough times to be classified sixth and seventh respectively. The top 10 was completed by George Russell and the Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Drugovich, continuing to stand in for the injured Lance Stroll.
‘Perez beats Hamilton’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...of-f1-testing/
Perez and Red Bull end 2023 pre-season F1 testing on top
25/02/2023, 16:37
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
Red Bull ended the three-day Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain with the fastest time courtesy of Sergio Perez. The Mexican had the RB19 all to himself for the day, after reigning champion Max Verstappen concluded his testing programme on Friday, and gradually whittled down the benchmark late on while running on the C4 compound – the second-softest tyre available.
Perez’s 1m30.305s was not just an improvement on last year’s Bahrain test but on the pole time set by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in last year’s season opener at the same venue – albeit on a softer compound. The C4 will again not be available in the Bahrain GP this year, with C1, C2 and C3 on offer instead.
An improved-seeming day from Mercedes ended with Lewis Hamilton in second place, three and a half tenths down from Perez but having set his fastest time on the softest C5 tyre. Hamilton’s former team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who like Perez had the car – in this case, the Alfa Romeo C43 – all to himself on the day, completed the top three thanks to a C5 lap half a second off Perez.
‘Perez and Red Bull on top’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/perez...esting-on-top/
Perez drives home Red Bull F1 testing advantage
Sunday 26th February, 2023 - 3:27am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez ended F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain with the fastest time across the three days of running. Perez’s time came with 50 minutes to run, laying down a 1:30.305s to move more than three-tenths clear of next-best Lewis Hamilton.
The Mexican had been just 0.048s quicker than Hamilton before setting three purple sectors just inside the final hour – a time that would have been good enough for pole at last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix by more than 0.2s. Perez used a set of C4 tyres on his best lap, versus the C5 – one step softer in Pirelli’s range – for Hamilton.
Perez was prolific in the final four hours in Bahrain, wracking up well over 100 laps as his personal mileage across the three days surpassed 1000km.
‘Sergio Perez was prolific’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/26...ing-advantage/
Red Bull boss wants Perez to build on 2022 F1 season
Sunday 26th February, 2023 - 1:53am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wants Sergio Perez to build on a positive 2022 campaign when the new F1 season gets underway next weekend. Perez was today in action for Red Bull in Bahrain in the last of three days of pre-season running.
“Checo had a very strong year last year, winning two grands prix and obviously all the podiums and points that he scored,” Horner said in Bahrain. “I think he’s continuing to evolve and grow within the team. He just needs to build on that and the confidence that he had last year, so an important year for Checo and the team.”
“I want to improve what I had or what I had last year,” per said of his 2023 goals. “I want to do another step and become a more complete driver in all regards in order to make the next two steps in my championship. If you want to be able to fight for the title, you’ve got to be very consistent throughout the 23 races, so that would be key.”
‘Red Bull boss wants Perez to build’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/26...022-f1-season/
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Conclusions from F1 2023 Testing: Red Bull favourites, Alonso’s masterstroke.
With Red Bull and Max Verstappen looking strong and Fernando Alonso shining in a much-improved Aston Martin, there are already clear clues to how the new season could develop.
26 Feb 2023 7:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
The standard, for better of worse, has never been higher. Pre-season testing, we are reminded every year, is not the time to chase fast laps. It is for reliability, systems/aero checks and establishing a solid foundation for the campaign ahead.
As testing stories go, nothing will ever beat the sense of dread that swallowed McLaren-Honda whole twice in three years in 2015 and ’17. Mercedes’ discovery of the bouncing monster last year came close, as did Red Bull’s power unit pain in the first winter of the hybrid era in 2014, but on each occasion the fall of the empire was cushioned by the fact that the car was still comfortably third in the competitive order.
These tales of impending doom make for the most compelling testing talking points – but this year? The tremors were few and far between, no team has been totally consumed by crisis and over three long days of testing nothing much at all happened.
‘Red Bull will start 2023 as the overwhelming favourites’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...g-conclusions/
Bad news for Verstappen’s F1 rivals as Red Bull looks better
February 26, 2023 12:06 AM
By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer
The Kansas City Star
“The car is working really well, just going through a lot of things we wanted to try. It's very interesting what we've been trying, so very positive days for me,” Verstappen said. “Overall I think it’s definitely an improvement to last year."
Perez echoed that, saying Red Bull will start "much stronger than we did last year.” Charles Leclerc won two of the first three races last season before Ferrari faded badly. He says the car feels good yet modifications are still needed. “I expect us to be a bit quicker on the straights, maybe struggling a bit more in the corners,” the 25-year-old from Monaco said. “I can say we are still working quite a bit on finding the sweet spot in terms of set up.”
“We’ve had a very intense three days of testing," Leclerc said. "We still have some work to do. Red Bull seems to be very strong.” Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton finished second Saturday, but there's room to improve. At least the ground effect — known as porpoising — which hindered the team so much in 2022 seems to have been eradicated. “It's nice to drive without the bouncing for once," Hamilton said. "But there are still some underlying things we're working through.”
‘Red Bull looks better’;
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/ar...mainstage_card
Red Bull on a charge as huge dark horse emerges; McLaren outlook downgraded again: F1 testing analysis. Perez and Red Bull set fastest time.
February 26th, 2023 5:46 pm
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
There’s only one time the vibe is really relevant in Formula 1, and it’s the days between pre-season testing and the first race. Despite having three days of numbers to crunch and analyse from thousands of laps, the different climatic conditions, track states, fuel loads, engine modes, run plans and experimental parts mean that making meaningful comparisons and conclusions is always a mug’s game.
Teams have access to far more powerful analytical tools than us mere mortals, which is where the vibe comes in. After three days the 10 teams have a reasonable understanding of roughly where they’re each placed in the pack. Reading the mood in combination with the data is the best way to form conclusions from pre-season testing.
RED BULL RACING IS THE UNDISPUTED FAVOURITE
FERRARI CLOSE BUT HAS WORK TO DO
MERCEDES IS ROUGHLY WHERE IT EXPECTED
IS ASTON MARTIN A TOP-THREE CHALLENGER?
GRIM OUTLOOK FOR McLAREN — BUT WITH A FAINT GLIMMER OF HOPE
BUT THE MIDFIELD IS A MORASS
‘F1 testing analysis’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...57c760d1168872
Our trackside verdict on every 2023 F1 car in testing
26/02/2023, 07:52
By Scott Mitchell-Malm and Edd Straw
The Race
Laptimes can mislead you in Formula 1 pre-season testing so one thing we like to trust is the behaviour of the car on track. That’s why The Race always makes an effort to spend time watching the cars trackside to get to know their traits and characteristics better.
ALPINE – HIDING ITS SPEED
WILLIAMS – BETTER BUT STILL WEAK
McLAREN – UNCONVINCING
ASTON MARTIN – AGGRESSIVE
HAAS – NO OBVIOUS VICES
ALPHATAURI – FOUND ITS FEET
FERRARI – VERY WELL-BALANCED
ALFA ROMEO – CONFIDENCE INSPIRING
MERCEDES – THREE VERY DIFFERENT DAYS
RED BULL – LOOKS A JOY TO DRIVE
‘The Race always makes an effort to spend time watching the cars trackside’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/our-t...ar-in-testing/
The five winners from 2023 pre-season F1 testing
26 February 8:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Pre-season testing is in the books for 2023, and RacingNews365.com has been taking a look at five of the big winners from the action in Bahrain. Max Verstappen. Verstappen is the only driver on this list, and for good reason. It was a crushing display from the two-time champion, who hardly broke sweat throughout, save for a minor oil leak costing some time on the second day.
Red Bull - It might not be as dominant as in 2022 – as seasons like that generally come about once and only once – but something catastrophic will need to happen if a sixth Red Bull logo is not added to the Constructors' trophy come December. Aston Martin - Claims that the Aston Martin is just a 'Green Red Bull' are wide of the mark.
Ferrari - What the team needed was a quiet, sensible test without either driver throwing the car at the barrier or any failures. Between them, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz got through 416 laps, third of any team without any headline hitting. Haas - The VF-23 proved a stable platform for shrewd midfield operators Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg. The team appear to have broken free of the clutches of the so-called 'Class C' stragglers at the very back and hauled themselves up. That, whichever way you look at it, s a success.
‘Five winners from 2023 pre-season F1 testing’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-five-w...son-f1-testing
F1 testing podcast: Is Red Bull really unbeatable
Feb 26 2023
The Race
Is Red Bull really unbeatable? How close is Ferrari? Could Aston Martin really challenge Mercedes? Why was Alpine so slow?
‘These questions and many more are answered, with all 10 teams covered in detail.’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-te...ly-unbeatable/
Sebastian Vettel may make F1 return at season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel retired from Formula 1 following the end of the 2022 season last November
By Joshua Lees
21:45, Sat, Feb 25, 2023
Daily and Sunday Express
Sebastain Vettel could be set to make a shock Formula 1 return at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix just three months after retiring from the sport. Vettel announced himself as a legend of F1 throughout his career, winning four world championships in the process.
This comes following the injury of former Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll. Stroll missed pre-season testing earlier this week after picking up injuries after being involved in a cycling accident. It remains unknown as to whether he will be fit enough to drive in the 2023 campaign opener in Bahrain next week, but Aston Martin boss Mike Krack is no doubt keen to have his man behind the wheel come race day. If he fails a fitness test though, Krack will need to find a last-minute replacement.
‘Sebastian Vettel may make F1 return’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Prix-F1-news
Vettel could be ‘Plan B’ for Aston Martin if Stroll can’t race in Bahrain
2023 F1 season
Posted on 25th February 2023, 20:10
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Sebastian Vettel could make a shock return to Formula 1 following his retirement last year if Aston Martin require a replacement for Lance Stroll. Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said they still hope Stroll will be able to return in time for next weekend’s race. “It’s our Plan A,” he told media including RaceFans in Bahrain today.
Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich has done two half-days in the team’s AMR23 and is one option for the team should Stroll be unavailable. The team’s other reserve driver is Stoffel Vandoorne, who was unable to participate in testing as he was competing in a Formula E round in South Africa. Krack said either of those drivers could be the “Plan B” for Aston Martin. “We have some plan Bs, but we have to decide the plan B when the plan A is not possible.”
“It is something that we will have to discuss in the next days,” he added. Asked whether recalling Vettel, who spent two seasons with Aston Martin before his retirement, was an option for the team, Krack said: “The plan B, we said already, that we will speak about next week.”
‘Vettel could be Plan B’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/25/...ce-in-bahrain/
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ANALYSIS: The 2023 F1 pecking order after testing.
One very clear picture emerged: Red Bull looks very, very good.
Sunday 26th February, 2023 - 10:20pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Red Bull the class of F1 testing. Last year’s world championship winners ran faultlessly across all days, chalking up laps at will. More than that, the car was fast and, on track, it looked composed and balanced, giving the drivers confidence. Neither Max Verstappen nor Sergio Perez were shouting from the rooftops, but there is a confidence about the team that comes from the knowledge its package is good.
Rivals at the front. On the surface, the SF-23 should be there or thereabouts with the RB19, but paddock consensus is it has a bit to go to catch the Red Bull. There are questions over its tyre degradation while Charles Leclerc admitted the team has “work to do” when Speedcafe asked if the car was a potential world championship winner.
Completing the leading group is Mercedes. It was something of a Jekyll and Hyde test for the squad which looked strong on Thursday only to lose its way on Friday. However, it recovered well for Saturday which suggests it identified and understood whatever hindered it the day before. There was a blemish to its record though with a hydraulics failure for George Russell on Friday evening which cost about two hours worth of running.
‘Red Bull looks very, very good, SF-23 should be there or thereabouts, Jekyll and Hyde W14’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/02/26...after-testing/
The five losers from 2023 pre-season F1 testing
26 February 12:50PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
With pre-season testing over, the teams now have a better idea of where they stand against their rivals. Some, however, might be having to play catch-up. McLaren - It's never a vote of confidence when a team admits they are "not entirely happy" with the car they plan to use in testing.
Alpine - It was a very low-key start for a team that were boasting about their ambitions during their car launch. Mercedes - It's not been the worst test from Mercedes. Comparatively from last year they are looking in much better shape, but it's clear their early optimism about the W14 was masking some underlying issues that are persistent in the car.
AlphaTauri - Although AlphaTauri completed the most amount of laps out of any team – 456! – during pre-season testing, the car was not the step forward they hoped it would bring. Williams - The Williams looked similar to their 2022 car out on track, with the lack of downforce evident as Alex Albon fought to get lap time out of the FW45 during his timed runs.
‘The five losers’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-five-l...son-f1-testing
F1 2023 driver title odds: Huge move for ‘dark horse’ Alonso as Aston Martin hype hots up
26 Feb 2023 1:15 PM
Editor
PlanetF1.com
The new season is looming large on the horizon! Let’s take a closer look at the latest F1 2023 odds to see where the early money has been heading in the driver market.
The beauty of a new F1 season is every driver and every team go back to zero points in their respective standings, sparking fresh hope of new contenders for the title – even more so after Max Verstappen and Red Bull won both at an absolute canter in 2022.
However, after an exemplary performance during pre-season testing in Bahrain, Verstappen and Red Bull still look to be the absolute class of the field and that is reflected in the current markets. But, after catching the eye of many in the paddock, Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin this year’s clear dark horses.
‘F1 2023 driver title odds’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...-driver-title/
F1 preseason testing takeaways: Red Bull remains team to beat
26 Feb 2023, 10:07
By Luke Smith
The Athletic
Over three intense days of testing, Formula One teams had their first proper chance to understand their new cars and size up the opposition going into the 2023 season.
The testing picture is often difficult to read. Teams may deliberately look to hide or exaggerate their true level of performance by adjusting engine modes and fuel loads, while factors such as track conditions and tires make it tricky to say for certain what the pecking order looks like.
But there are still enough signs for teams to get an idea of where they stack up. “By Saturday, we know pretty well,” Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said. “Three days will give you a good picture.” So, here’s how things are looking ahead of the season-opening Bahrain GP next weekend.
‘F1 preseason testing takeaways’;
https://theathletic.com/4251908/2023...l-formula-one/
F1 Testing: 5 key talking points as pre-season comes to an end for 2023
26th Feb 2023, 08:41
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport
The teams have been running their 2023 cars for three days in Bahrain. It's everyone's favourite game after pre-season testing to work out just who is where at the moment ahead of the first race of the year. The general consensus seems to be that reigning champions Red Bull are still on top, with Ferrari and Mercedes in behind them.
Aston Martin are being tipped to potentially be best of the rest, however, whilst Alpine could be edging out Alfa Romeo and Haas for a spot inside the top five. McLaren had a bit of a trying test and may be starting 2023 a little on the backfoot - though not as much as in 2022 - whilst both AlphaTauri and Williams look to have made strides, it's just hard to place how big they are in terms of closing up to those in front of them.
Aston Martin came into pre-season feeling relatively optimistic about making progress in 2023 and it appears that that positivity is well-placed, with them showing some decent one-lap pace and also some very strong race pace.
‘Aston Martin tipped to potentially be best of the rest’;
https://www.givemesport.com/f1-testi...-end-for-2023/
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Gary Anderson’s verdict on each F1 team’s testing pace.
The start of the 2023 Formula 1 season is just around the corner and as we have seen from pre-season testing that corner has been been a bit easier to manoeuvre for some than others.
27/02/2023, 05:25
By Gary Anderson
The Race
Using headline times from testing is always very difficult, and includes all the normal caveats like time of day, track conditions, wind, tyres, engine modes and on top of all that fuel load. 1st – Red Bull - Visually the RB19 is an evolution of last year’s car. THE BIG QUESTIONS: Will Red Bull adopt a number one and number two driver from the get-go? After the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz, will the new structure at Red Bull’s head office want more of an input?
2nd – Ferrari +0.50% - The car is again, like the Red Bull, developed from the same DNA as last year’s, but with a push to reduce drag even if that costs a little in the corners. The big questions: Have we seen the extra power of the Ferrari engine unleashed yet? When will the loss of Mattia Binotto – who was and still is one of the best technical brains in F1 – be felt?
3rd – Aston Martin +0.73% If any team is happy to follow the lead of another team it’s Aston Martin. When the team changed to its ‘B-spec’ car midway through 2022 it followed the family resemblance of the Red Bull and this new car takes that even further. The big questions: If Aston Martin starts the season at this level, will it be able to carry it through for a full season? Will the integration of all those new people and placing them in the new factory be a distraction?
‘4th – Mercedes +1.12%, 5th – Alfa Romeo +1.49%, 6th – Haas +1.54%, 7th – Alpine +1.80%, 8th – McLaren +1.86%, 9th – Williams +1.86%, 10th – AlphaTauri +2.12%’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...after-testing/
Max Verstappen may have new rival to F1 throne as Red Bull's Christian Horner impressed
Max Verstappen is aiming to win his third Drivers' Championship title in as many seasons over the course of the upcoming campaign.
20:29, Sun, Feb 26, 2023
By Archie Griggs
Daily and Sunday Express
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has suggested that Aston Martin could be set to emerge as their biggest contenders as Max Verstappen seeks another Drivers' Championship triumph over the next few months. The Dutchman is the early favourite to claim the end-of-season honours for a third successive year after impressing in pre-season testing and will be looking to make the perfect start to his title defence by winning next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Red Bull looked a cut above their rivals over the course of last week's three-day test and will seemingly go into this year's curtain-raiser at the Bahrain International Circuit with the quickest car on the grid. However, it has been claimed by Horner that Aston Martin could be the ones to watch in 2023 after being left impressed by their simulation data and impressive testing pace.
"I think they’ve made a big step," said Horner when quizzed on Aston Martin's recent progress. "It looks like their concept of car has moved them forward and they look like they’re not too far away, so Fernando [Alonso] in particular looks very competitive."
‘Aston Martin could be set to emerge as their biggest contenders’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Horner-F1-news
Aston Martin hold back expectations: No miracles in F1
27 February 8:00AM
Author Rory Mitchell
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
The Aston Martin team looked to had have a successful three days of testing in Bahrain, but team boss Mike Krack is cautious to make any quick judgements on their form. Aston Martin have expressed caution over their form after impressing many during F1 pre-season testing.
The lap times put in by Fernando Alonso seemed to indicate that the team could be in for a change of fortunes in 2023, with the squad appearing to have made a genuine step forward for 2023. But Team Principal Mike Krack believes it is difficult to make any quick judgements on their form, given their prior expectations being quashed once they reached the first race weekend.
"It's very difficult on such a test to to make a proper judgement," he told media, including RacingNews365.com. "Last year we were P4, P4, P10 over the three days [and] we seem very similar now, and in the race weekend we were out in Q1. Just to tell you how much a test like that can give you an indication of where you are."
‘Aston Martin hold back expectations’;
https://racingnews365.com/aston-mart...miracles-in-f1
Five drivers under the most pressure ahead of the F1 2023 season
26 Feb 2023 8:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
As the F1 2023 season approaches, there are some drivers under greater pressure than others to deliver a standout campaign. Oscar Piastri - As soon as McLaren decided to go through the hassle and expense of terminating the contract of Daniel Ricciardo, an eight-time grand prix winner, one year early, there was always going to be pressure on whoever took over from him.
Sergio Perez - Both Red Bull drivers expect stronger competition in F1 2023, which instantly means Perez will have to up his game if he does want to give Red Bull that first Drivers’ Championship one-two. Yuki Tsunoda - “A driver needs at least three years of learning to drive at the top level” in Formula 1 says AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost, and F1 2023 will be year three for Tsunoda.
Logan Sargeant - Carrying the weight of expectation from his nation, as well as that of Formula 1 in many ways since a competitive American driver could be lucrative, this really is a difficult task that Sargeant faces. Nico Hulkenberg - The pressure is on then for Hulkenberg to make it crystal clear why he deserves this opportunity. It is not necessarily a guarantee that Haas will be getting the same Hulk when he last appeared on the grid in a full-time capacity in 2019.
‘Five drivers under the most pressure’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-202...nder-pressure/
F1 teams ranked after 2023 testing
F1 pre-season testing saw some highs and lows for the team, and also gave us a glimpse as to where they stand ahead of the F1 2023 season opener in Bahrain
February 26, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport
10. AlphaTauri - The most inexperienced lineup on the grid completed the most laps at testing, but the car looks nothing special. 9. Williams - One of the best signs from the test was Logan Sargeant‘s apparent comfort in the car – the rookie put in an astounding 154 laps on the second day of the test and finished the day with the seventh-best time of the day as he was able to really push the FW45. 8. McLaren - This is where the distinction between ranking and prediction starts to change things. If McLaren do finish eighth in the constructors’ championship – just three years after ending 2020 in third – it will be a massive disappointment.
7. Alfa Romeo - How things have changed since the days of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi. Though not the outright quickest, the C43 looks friendly for Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu to drive. 6. Haas - Guenther Steiner described 2023 as Haas‘ best-ever pre-season, and the team seem really optimistic about the year to come. 5. Alpine - On paper, Alpine‘s test looked a poor one: second-fewest laps completed and slowest times of all, but it seems Les Bleus have plenty up their sleeve. 4. Mercedes - Another reminder that this isn’t a prediction for the constructors’ championship standings. Mercedes still seem to be dealing with balance issues as the car looks like it has a narrow operating window.
3. Aston Martin - Quite simply the talk of the test. Fernando Alonso‘s day three race sim was genuinely stunning and matched only by Red Bull, he seems right at home at his new team. 2. Ferrari - The team with the most question marks around them, after a pensive day one Ferrari seemed happy with their test but still look distinctly second-class to Red Bull. 1. Red Bull - Red Bull had the smoothest test imaginable – fastest lap, best long-run pace and the biggest issue they face was a loose sensor helicoptering off the back of Sergio Perez‘s car.
‘F1 teams ranked’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-2023-testing/
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Are Aston Martin ahead of Mercedes? Five key questions after F1 testing.
Could Aston Martin break into the top three?
27 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
There is huge hype surrounding Aston Martin after a strong pre-season test in Bahrain. The Silverstone-outfit turned plenty of heads over the three days, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner joining the growing number of rivals impressed by their car’s early performance.
Fernando Alonso’s eye-catching pace over both short and long runs had rivals concerned, leaving a shared belief in the paddock that the AMR23 is a genuine step forward compared to its predecessor. "In Saturday's Bahrain GP [long runs] such as it was, it would have been Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso on the podium ahead of the Ferraris and the Mercedes,” said Sky Sports F1 pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz.
“Aston Martin had Red Bull worried from Day One, Adrian Newey (Red Bull's chief technical officer) mentioned them in the teams he's concerned about, the car is essentially good, it has some nice ideas.” While Alonso expressed caution over Aston Martin’s pre-season form, there is a real sense of exuberance at the team.
‘Ahead of Mercedes?’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/102...ter-f1-testing
WINNERS AND LOSERS: Who aced 2023 F1 pre-season testing and who has work to do ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix?
27 February 2023
F1 Correspondent & Presenter
Lawrence Barretto
Formula One - Official Site
Winners: Red Bull - Red Bull’s RB19 remained a secret until it broke cover on Thursday morning at pre-season testing in Bahrain – but it didn’t take long to make a name for itself. Losers: McLaren - As Red Bull soared at testing, McLaren floundered for the second successive year. It wasn’t as painful as 2022, when brake ducts caused significant woe, but they still ended the test as the least prepared team.
Winner: Fred Vasseur - Ferrari ended testing as Red Bull’s biggest rival, the Scuderia racing through their programme across three days and successfully correlating on track performance with their wind tunnel and CFD data. Losers: AlphaTauri - On paper, things don’t look too bad for AlphaTauri.
Winner: Fernando Alonso - One of the key targets for Aston Martin and their new recruit Fernando Alonso was to produce a car for 2023 that gave them a wide platform on which to develop aggressively through the season. Losers: Mercedes - It might seem strange to put a team second in the qualifying pace rankings and third in the race simulation charts in the loser section of this feature, but is a measure of Mercedes’ ultimate ambitions.
‘Winners: Williams, Loser: Lance Stroll, Winners: Alfa Romeo’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...p3nRBYgOj.html
Mark Hughes: What testing long runs say about F1 2023
Feb 27 2023
By Mark Hughes
The Race
These numbers are to be treated with caution because of the different times of day in which the runs were made. Those doing simulated runs on both days either improved a lot or the track was better on Saturday than Friday. Either way, with Red Bull not doing race runs on Saturday it leaves us without a good Saturday benchmark. But going off the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari on Friday and extrapolating it to Saturday, we get a competitive order something like:
1st – Red Bull
2nd= Ferrari/Aston Martin (+0.2s to Red Bull)
4th= Mercedes/Alpine (+0.6s to Red Bull)
6th= Haas/Alfa/McLaren (+1.05s to Red Bull)
9th – Williams (+ 1.25s to Red Bull)
10th – AlphaTauri (+ 1.45s to Red Bull)
There is huge scope for variation in interpreting the data, as much of it is not directly comparable. But this represents our best guess until the cars start running together and it all becomes real later this week.
‘Extrapolating Data’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...about-f1-2023/
10 F1 teams ranked after testing - it's a horrific review for McLaren
27 Feb 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Sky's Ted Kravitz has ranked all 10 F1 teams based on preseason testing in Bahrain, ahead of the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, and it's a bleak read for McLaren and Mercedes fans...
10) Williams, 9) AlphaTauri, 8) McLaren, 7) Alfa Romeo, 6) Haas, 5) Alpine, 4) Mercedes, 3) Aston Martin, 2) Ferrari, 1) Red Bull
‘Norris ‘punches wall in frustration’ after McLaren’s torrid test’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102111...review-mclaren
Vettel F1 Comeback Ruled Out After Aston Martin Confirms Drugovich As Replacement
While it would’ve been great to see Sebastian Vettel again, it’s always nice to see a young racer get a shot.
PUBLISHED Feb 27, 2023 11:00 AM
byJerry Perez
The Drive
When Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll was deemed unfit to drive after injuring his wrist in a cycling accident, Sebastian Vettel was rumored to be one of his replacements for the season-opening race in Bahrain. However, after employing its reserve driver Felipe Drugovich for the preseason test, the team confirmed Monday that Drugovich would race at this weekend's grand prix should Stroll not be cleared to race.
The news comes as a bit of a shock considering Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack confirmed to Sky Sports he'd been in touch with Vettel after Stroll's accident. Whether the four-time world champion desired to race or not, Krack did not confirm, but it appears a brief stand-in was in the cards.
As the Formula 2 reigning champion, Drogovich isn't exactly a rookie nor is he unfamiliar with the AMR23. In fact, after clocking in 117 laps during the preseason test at Sakhir, he's far more up-to-speed with the car's performance than Stroll. It would make more sense for him to compete come Sunday than either Vettel or Stroll. However, the team won't tell him "yes" just yet.
‘Drugovich As Replacement’;
https://www.thedrive.com/news/vettel...as-replacement
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FIA sends "crystal clear" message to Ferrari over F1 car innovation which raised eyebrows.
Clever design tricks are always closely scrutinised in pre-season as teams lobby the FIA over what they and their rivals can and cannot get away with in the regulations.
18:11, 27 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Ferrari have asserted that the FIA has made it "crystal clear" that its front wing design is legal for the upcoming Formula 1 season.
The FIA's reasoning for that was that the rules stated that the "primary" function of the slot gap separators must be for structural reasons rather than for aerodynamic benefits. Mercedes backed down because of it, but the rules changed this winter to give more leeway in this area.
So Ferrari seized the opportunity and incorporated the outwash-creating separators into their front wing design for the SF-23. And team principal Frederic Vasseur has explained that his team was sure to check its legality with the FIA prior to doing so.
"Crystal Clear";
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...l-fia-29327816
'F1 testing full of skullduggery - some teams just want to show sponsors they're quick'.
All F1 teams completed three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain last week, with the venue now set to host the opening race of the F1 campaign this coming Sunday.
18:15, 27 FEB 2023
BY Fraser Watson Sports Trends Writer
Daily Star
One former iconic F1 owner has described the testing in the sport as "skullduggery" after all teams went through three days of preparation in Bahrain last week. But Eddie Jordan, who named his own team after his surname before becoming an F1 pundit, has dismissed any notion of testing results being significant. The Irishman instead argued the more intelligent teams hold themselves back to get a better look at how their vehicles adapt to the surface.
"There's a lot of skulduggery that goes on with the teams, they're positioning themselves," he said, in an exclusive interview with OLBG. "Some teams want to be quick and show sponsors that they're going to be competitive and show young drivers a chance.
"The really sensible teams and the teams at the top, they'll be doing long runs, they'll want to see how the tyres are reacting to the new floor regulations. The floors have been altered to stop the porpoising, and hopefully that works but you never know what comes out of the woodworks when these cars get running."
‘Lot of Skulduggery’;
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...ordan-29327522
Martin Brundle smirks as he rubbishes Ted Kravitz's 2023 F1 prediction about Mercedes
Sky Sports pundits Brundle and Kravitz have both had their say on the balance of power among F1 teams after pre-season testing with Aston Martin looking rather strong
21:16, 27 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
Martin Brundle shared an opposing view to Sky Sports F1 colleague Ted Kravitz as he declared it is "too much to ask" for Aston Martin to beat Mercedes this year.
Some have gone even further. Kravitz feels they may well start the year ahead of Mercedes, giving them a potential platform from which Aston Martin could mount a challenge for a top three finish. "I've got them third and potentially even closer to Ferrari than that," he said after the conclusion of testing.
"That's to do with Fernando Alonso's race run. Aston Martin have Red Bull worried from day one, Adrian Newey [Red Bull's technology chief] mentioned them in the teams that he's concerned about. The car is essentially good and has some nice ideas."
‘Brundle and Kravitz’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...avitz-29328807
Explaining Mercedes’ curious lack of straightline speed in F1 testing
28 Feb 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Lewis Hamilton pinpointed straightline speed as an area for Mercedes to improve after F1 pre-season testing.
Mercedes’ W14 featured fairly lowly in the speed traps throughout the three days of testing in Bahrain, with Red Bull’s RB19 and Ferrari’s SF-23 leading the way.
The German manufacturer placed at the very bottom of the collective top speed charts, according to Auto Motor und Sport’s data.
‘W14 featured fairly lowly in the speed traps’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102113...eed-f1-testing
Podcast: What to expect from the 2023 F1 season
28th Feb 2023, 07:20
The Race
With the launches and testing done and dusted, we look ahead to the 2023 Formula 1 season getting under way in the latest edition of The Race F1 Podcast. We explain why Red Bull and Max Verstappen are strong favourites and ask whether Ferrari might spring a surprise and unleash the extra pace needed to get on terms.
And with Mercedes having an inconclusive pre-season, we explain what its troubles were and what the chances are of it making a leap forward for the race weekend. Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin’s hopes of a stellar start are also discussed, along with Alpine’s prospects.
We also explain why the midfield group looks set to fragment this year as teams try to close the gap to the frontrunners.
‘What to expect’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/podca...023-f1-season/
F1 2023 predictions: Title winners, team-mate battles, driver moves and much more
28 Feb 2023 7:00 AM
Editor
PlanetF1.com
‘F1 2023 prediction time!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-2023-predictions/
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Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin were faster than Ferrari in Bahrain race sim.
Fernando Alonso has claimed Aston Martin were “slightly faster” than Ferrari in race trim during pre-season testing, as preparations for the Bahrain Grand Prix ramp up.
28 Feb 2023 11:45 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Aston Martin roundly impressed during the three days of testing around Bahrain, with Alonso showing plenty of pace and reliability behind the wheel of the AMR23.
While testing times are famously not fully indicative of exactly where teams stand in the pecking order, the consensus among the teams is that Aston Martin have taken a big step forward compared to their position from last year, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner saying Alonso looked “very competitive” from the off.
It’s not yet known exactly where Alonso and Aston Martin will stand heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, but the two-time World Champion believes he could end up right among the frontrunners, if his full race simulation on Saturday was anything to go by.
‘Aston Martin were faster than Ferrari’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...aster-ferrari/
Is Aston Martin the third fastest F1 team? De la Rosa weighs in
28th Feb 2023, 12:45
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Since the conclusion of pre-season testing, Aston Martin has been in the headlines as it is being touted to be a high-profile player during the 2023 Formula 1 season. The team has been tipped by some to start the season as the third fastest car – ahead of Mercedes, who is looking to bounce back from its 2022 slump.
Its form over the three days was impressive, with Fernando Alonso setting the most laps (270) of any driver in the field.
Although the true pecking order will not be realised until the opening round of the year, Pedro de la Rosa, who is working as an ambassador for Aston Martin, says there is nothing wrong with the team having high aims.
‘De la Rosa weighs in’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...osa-weighs-in/
F1 Predictions: Which Driver & Team will make the biggest improvement?
February 28, 2023
By: Nathan Reynolds, Managing Editor
Last Word On Sports
The LWOS Motorsport staff deliver their F1 predictions on which driver and team can make the biggest step forward in 2023.
With pre-season testing wrapped up in Bahrain attention turns to the first Grand Prix of 2023. There has been a lot of movement up and down the grid both in terms of drivers, team principals, and development. In this first round of F1 predictions, our team reveals which driver and team could see the biggest improvement this season.
‘F1 Predictions’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...t-improvement/
The F1 teammate rivalries to watch in 2023
28 February 2:25PM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
The 2023 F1 season is nearly upon us, with 20 drivers across 10 teams set to compete in 23 races across the globe.
Some of those drivers have found themselves in new destinations for the year ahead, with the likes of Pierre Gasly making a switch, while a few outfits – including the top three of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes – have opted to retain their previous line-ups.
‘F1 teammate rivalries’;
https://racingnews365.com/the-f1-tea...-watch-in-2023
Inside the Piranha Club, the ruthless world of F1 politics
28/02/2023, 10:08
By Luke Smith
The Athletic
If you’ve watched “Drive to Survive,” you will know that a big part of the drama in Formula One doesn’t take place on the racetrack or among the drivers. It’s about politics.
Through the regular war of words between Toto Wolff and Christian Horner to last year’s Oscar Piastri contract saga involving McLaren and Alpine, Netflix has drawn in fans by exploring the sport’s political landscape.
But away from the cameras, there is much more to F1’s political battles and gamesmanship, making it a whole discipline of itself to follow. Welcome to the Piranha Club.
‘Ruthless world of F1 politics’;
https://theathletic.com/4258479/2023...-piranha-club/
Damon Hill’s theory on why Lewis Hamilton is yet to commit to Mercedes F1 deal
28 Feb 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
1996 F1 champion Damon Hill has offered an explanation as to why Lewis Hamilton has yet to pen to paper to a new Mercedes deal. “Whatever the reason, Hamilton is out of contract at the end of this season,” Hill added. “And it is going to be fascinating to see his next move.”
“While both he and Mercedes have been saying for months that he plans to carry on, the fact remains that with less than a week until the first race of the year on March 5, nothing has yet been announced. It begs the question, why? One possible explanation is that both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are before committing to a new deal.”
“If they start 2023 miles off the pace, perhaps Lewis will be less minded to sign a new long-term deal? Or perhaps it is the team who are dragging their heels? Lewis does not come cheap. He gives Mercedes a lot but he costs them a lot too. In George Russell they have a young driver who might be capable of delivering a title in the right car.”
‘Both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102115...rcedes-f1-deal
Mattia Binotto to "land on his feet" with new F1 role when Ferrari gardening leave ends
It is believed that Ferrari paid Binotto an extra sum of money to extend his gardening leave following the Italian's resignation as team principal at the end of last season
08:03, 28 Feb 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Mattia Binotto will "land on his feet" after his Ferrari departure, according to his new Netflix bestie Guenther Steiner. Whatever happens, Haas team boss Guenther Steiner thinks Binotto will be just fine. And he may be the best judge of that, considering how close friends they appeared to be in the new series of Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
Both Red Bull and Mercedes have publicly distanced themselves from a potential move for the Italian. It may well be newcomers Audi who pick him up when they officially enter F1 in 2026, taking over the Sauber team which currently races under Alfa Romeo branding.
Respected Italian F1 reporter Leo Turrini recently said: "I'm sure that Binotto will be able to stay in Formula 1 after the gardening period. I am absolutely certain that he has had a proposal from Audi to lead the team that will be on the grid in the near future."
"Land on his feet";
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...am-f1-29329913
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Bahrain confirms bumper F1 season-opener attendance.
The F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will take place in front of packed grandstands after organisers announced on Tuesday that tickets have sold out.
Tuesday 28 February 2023 15:16
Sam Hall
GPFans
There has been a swell of interest in F1 in recent years with Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive assisting the championship to attract a younger generation of fans. This interest has clearly filtered down into the on-site attendance figures with the majority of races last term selling out of tickets well in advance.
Races across Europe and America enjoyed bumper crowds last season with the Australian Grand Prix attendance also worthy of note after almost 420,000 fans visited Albert Park across the four days. While the Bahrain International Circuit does not have the ability to host this number of spectators, its capacity listed as 70,000, the grandstands will be full with not a ticket left to be had!
‘Packed grandstands’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...season-opener/
What time does the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP start?
All the details for the start time of the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
February 28, 2023
By John Smith
Total Motorsport
The 2023 Bahrain GP starts at 6pm local time in Doha, which is 3pm for those in the UK, and 10am for viewers on the east coast of the USA. On the US west coast it’s lights out at 7am.
F1 fans in Australia will have to stay up late as the 2023 Bahrain GP begins at 2am on Monday morning.
What time does the 2023 Bahrain GP start?
Country Race Start – March 5
Bahrain 18:00
UK 15:00 GMT
Canada 10:00 EST / 07:00 PST
USA 10:00 EST / 07:00 PST
Ireland 15:00 GMT
Australia 02:00 AEDT*
South Africa 17:00 SAST
New Zealand 04:00 NZDT*
EU 16:00 CET
‘All the details for the start time’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/wha...rain-gp-start/
Bahrain Grand Prix weather: Three-day outlook for the F1 2023 season opener
28 Feb 2023 9:15 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
On Friday, when the opening session of the season gets underway, that being FP1, at 1430 local time, the conditions are set to be sunny with a temperature of 24 Celsius as the peak heat of the day begins to pass. There will be a gentle breeze and humidity of around 40%.
On Saturday, it is a 1430 start again, this time for FP3, where 24c will be the temperature, perhaps climbing to 25c before the session is over. A gentle breeze will greet the drivers, with humidity at 40% and zero risk of rain.
Then it is onto Sunday, otherwise known as the first race day of F1 2023! The Bahrain Grand Prix will begin at 1800 local time, with a similar level of heat to what will have been experienced on the previous days, 22c at lights out, and perhaps losing 1c by the time the chequered flag appears.
‘Bahrain Grand Prix weather’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/2023-b...-prix-weather/
George Russell admits double world champion Max Verstappen is the favourite to win the Bahrain Grand Prix with Red Bull leading the way in pre-season testing... but the Mercedes driver insists his team can join the title fight
• Evidence from first two days of pre-season testing shows Red Bull are firing
• Double world champion Max Verstappen was the leading man throughout
• George Russell believes Verstappen is favourite, but has faith he can win too
Published: 14:27, 24 February 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy for MailOnline
George Russell conceded that Max Verstappen is favourite to win the opening Bahrain Grand Prix a week tomorrow, but believes Mercedes can push themselves into the title fight. The evidence of the timing screens across two days of pre-season testing suggested Red Bull are firing on all cylinders, with double world champion Verstappen the leading man.
Russell, on the other hand, suffered a hydraulic failure that curtailed his running after 26 laps. The Briton offered a balanced appraisal of progress – the Mercedes is not porpoising – when he said: ‘I definitely head into the season believing I can win the championship. 'At every point of my career I have gone in believing I can do that, but you take a rational view once you get to the track.
‘We definitely believe we will eventually have a car capable of getting into that fight. Having that next weekend might be a stretch. Red Bull are looking very stable, and obviously Max is performing really well. But we have always seen the strength of Mercedes’ development rate.’
‘Insistent his team can join the title fight’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-Prix.html
Fernando Alonso explains why he's 'hurt' on eve of Aston Martin F1 debut at Bahrain GP
Fernando Alonso will make his Aston Martin debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, and he had impressed during pre-season testing.
20:55, Tue, Feb 28, 2023
By Joshua Lees
Daily and Sunday Express
Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso has admitted he is 'hurt' ahead of his debut for Aston Martin at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. The Spaniard enters the 2023 campaign as the grid's most experienced driver, with the upcoming season his 21st behind the wheel.
The Spaniard was out testing the new car without his new teammate Lance Stroll. This comes after the Canadian was ruled out through injury, following an accident whilst out cycling earlier this month.
And despite returning some impressive numbers, Alonso has admitted not having Stroll behind the wheel has not been ideal for their preparation. He said: "We are learning a lot about the car, I think this car is very different compared to last year. We are changing a lot of things.
‘Not having Stroll behind the wheel has not been ideal for their preparation’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ain-GP-F1-news
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“We didn’t develop fast enough” – McLaren explain efficiency problems and target fix.
Andrea Stella: “It’s not an effect of the changes of regulations and we didn’t take a step backwards,” he admitted. “We just didn’t develop fast enough.”
Posted on 1st March 2023, 12:44
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
2023 F1 season. McLaren gave the first hints at a lack of satisfaction with their MCL60
RaceFans
The team’s sub-par start to testing did not come as a shock, Stella admitted. “Our performance is pretty much where I expected it to be. No surprises. The data correlates with what we were expecting from an aerodynamic point of view.” Stella said there are also “no surprises” about their likely situation “performance-wise” and position in the pecking order, despite the difficulty of assessing times from testing.
“We know we have work to do, but if we think about this season of the season is long, there can be variations in the competitive order,” said Stella. “Like I said already at the car launch we know there’s good development rate, that’s where we are focusing. I think the start, we have to be realistic, but in terms of looking ahead to the season, we remain optimistic.”
McLaren plans to bring performance upgrades for its car in areas it believes some of its rivals are already exploiting with their 2023 designs. “In Formula 1, the material you have right now, trackside, is material that you had two or three months ago in development,” Stella explained. “So the good news is that we have good development streams going on, they will land trackside in some weeks.”
‘We know there’s good development rate, that’s where we are focusing’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/01/...nd-target-fix/
Lewis Hamilton 'could quit F1 and retire' if Mercedes car not up to scratch.
Former world champion Damon Hill has explored Lewis Hamilton's avenues in Formula 1 as he once again heads into the final season on his current Mercedes contract, with retirement mooted as an option.
10:58, 1 MAR 2023
BY Tom Sunderland
Daily Star
The upcoming Formula 1 campaign could end up being Lewis Hamilton's last in the sport depending on the success of Mercedes' latest design. That's the notion put forward by 1996 world champion Damon Hill, who has multiple theories regarding the uncertainty surrounding Hamilton's contract. The Silver Arrows veteran is contracted at Brackley until the end of 2023, with team and driver yet to confirm any plans beyond that.
It's left Hill wondering whether Hamilton, 38, still has the same impetus to perform, though the former Williams and Jordan driver is confident the seven-time world champion could "carry on driving well into his 40s." Hamilton is currently tied with Michael Schumacher as the joint-record-holder in world championships won, and Hill questioned "will he retire" if the 2023 season finally produced that elusive eighth crown.
'Could quit F1 and retire';
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f1...etire-29341458
AlphaTauri’s Franz Tost: There’s ‘no foundation’ to report F1 team could be sold by Red Bull
1st March 2023, 14:49.
By Luke Smith
The Athletic
The boss of AlphaTauri, Franz Tost, has denied the Formula One team could be sold by Red Bull, saying recent rumors have “no foundation.”
“I had some very good meetings with Oliver Mintzlaff, who confirmed that the shareholders will not sell Scuderia AlphaTauri, and that Red Bull will continue supporting the team in the future,” Tost said. “All these rumors have no foundation, and the team has to remain focused for the start of the season to perform better than last year.”
‘There’s no foundation’;
https://theathletic.com/4264358/2023...ors-formula-1/
Eddie Jordan issues ominous F1 prediction for Lewis Hamilton ahead of new season
14:08, 1 Mar 2023
By Liam Llewellyn Sports Trends Writer
The Mirror
The F1 analyst provided fans with thoughts on what he expects to transpire at the top of the standings over the course of the upcoming 2023 campaign. F1 pundit Eddie Jordan expects Max Verstappen and Red Bull to dominate the upcoming season.
The Dutchman and his team were ruthless last year as the 25-year-old stormed to a second consecutive world title and Christian Horner and co won their first constructors crown since 2013. Lewis Hamilton, 38, who went through an entire campaign without a win for the first time in his illustrious F1 tenure in 2022, is relishing the opportunity to compete for this year’s title with his rivals.
But during a chat with The Metro, to the dismay of the seven-time world champion, Jordan expects a very similar outcome for the new season. “I think more the same. I think Max is so on top of his game, he’s so arrogant, he’s so aggressive, he’s super confident and he’s got another Adrian Newey car under him,” he said.
‘Ominous F1 prediction’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ction-29344909
Andretti-Cadillac’s F1 bid takes major financial hit as $600mn payout required
Andretti-Cadillac have formally begun the process of joining the F1 grid with the FIA.
1 March 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News
The Andretti-Cadillac project continues to divide opinion in Formula 1, with the FIA continuing to disagree with Formula 1 and many of the existing teams. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has argued that companies as large as General Motors alongside Andretti can only be a good thing for the sport, making expanding the grid a no-brainer.
The current Concorde Agreement expires in 2025 and with Andretti-Cadillac highlighting 2026 as the perfect year to join F1, they will be subject to a new agreement which may see a much higher anti-dilution entry fee. With F1 growing significantly in recent years and the amount money involved in the sport increasing phenomenally, it is rumoured that the entry fee could be set to triple in the next Concorde Agreement.
This means that Andretti-Cadillac will have to fork out an eye watering $600m if they wish to join the F1 grid, granting every team $60m to ease their financial concerns. While this amount of money will certainly please the existing team bosses which are concerned about the project, it remains to be seen whether Andretti-Cadillac would be willing to pay $600m to fulfil their F1 dream.
‘$600mn payout required’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/andretti-...yout-required/
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Vasseur warns: Bahrain GP will be a "completely different story" to testing.
Ferrari looked a comfortable second in pre-season testing, but new boss Frederic Vasseur is confident things can change in Bahrain.
01 March 7:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
New Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur says that the Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will be "a completely different story" to pre-season testing. Testing in Bahrain ran throughout the morning and afternoon and into the night, with Ferrari's quickest time being set in 55 degree Celsius temperature.
However, both key sessions this weekend are set for 18:00 local time, at night when temperatures are cooler after sundown. Vasseur believes this could be a key difference, and was keen to point out that the test, was in fact, only a test.
Vasseur believes this could be a key difference, and was keen to point out that the test, was in fact, only a test. "What you have to keep in mind is that the race will be a completely different story with what we did this weekend," he explained to media including RacingNews365 during testing. "When Charles did the lap time this [test day three] morning, it was 55 degrees of track temp.”
"Completely different story";
https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-re...-in-bahrain-gp
Vasseur: Championship won't be 'won or lost' in Bahrain
02/03/2023 at 08:33
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com08:36
Fred Vasseur says Ferrari is well prepared for its opening stint in Bahrain, but the Scuderia boss insists the championship "won't be won or lost" this weekend.
"Testing was good and the three days last week showed that the car is matching our expectations and now we need to continue fine-tuning in order to get the most out of it," commented Vasseur. "One thing is clear: this will be the Championship with the most races ever, so no matter what the result, the title won’t be won or lost in Bahrain”.
"We know the track pretty well, but the changing air and track temperatures, as well as changing wind conditions, plus the new Pirelli tyres will make it very tricky to get the set-up of the car right. But both Carlos and Charles collected a lot of data during the three test days, so we should be well prepared for a good weekend."
‘Championship won't be 'won or lost'!’;
https://f1i.com/news/467310-vasseur-...n-bahrain.html
Red Bull source claims makes Ferrari claim ahead of 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
Ferrari had the best straight-line speed during pre-season testing, whilst Red Bull had the best overall package.
1 March 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Red Bull appear to be slightly concerned about the true pace of Ferrari ahead of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, with the Austrians having admitted that they “really don’t know” the Italians’ true potential.
The likelihood is, though, that Red Bull will be fighting for the win, with the Milton Keynes-based team believing they “know” what Mercedes and Aston Martin are set to bring to the opening round.
They have no idea, though, what threat Ferrari will offer them, with there being a real sense of secrecy amongst the Scuderia. “Talking with a source extremely close to Red Bull, confirmed me: “we know where is Mercedes (more or less), we know where is Aston, we really don’t know where will be Ferrari!”” said F1 journalist Giuliano Duchessa.
‘Best straight-line speed’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/red-bull-...in-grand-prix/
Sainz confident Ferrari can battle Red Bull on the straights in 2023
15:43 Wed, 01 Mar 2023
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Carlos Sainz is confident that the steps Ferrari have taken to improve its straight-line speed for the 2023 Formula 1 season will enable it to compete more with Red Bull.
“I don’t know the engine mode they’re [Red Bull] running and the exact rear wing compared to us, but I’m pretty confident we’ve done steps in the right direction in that sense,” he claimed.
“Part of the evolution of our car is to also try to be less draggy and try to get close to Red Bull on the straights. I hope that we can be close. Are we going to be quicker or not, or the same, or able to battle them on the straights? We don’t know,” the Spanish driver added.
‘Sainz confident’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ights-in-2023/
Damon Hill feels Mattia Binotto ‘was thrown under the bus’ at Ferrari
01 Mar 2023 3:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Damon Hill believes Mattia Binotto was “thrown under the bus a bit” by Ferrari at the end of last season, as the former team boss tendered his resignation with the Scuderia. Hill and fellow former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa were discussing Binotto’s departure from the team, and De la Rosa praised Binotto’s foresight that he had while in the highest-pressured job in the entire sport, while Hill felt he could and perhaps should have stayed at the team this season.
“Mattia Binotto was really good for Ferrari in the sense that he was the one of the first team principals that actually could think long term, he was brave enough to think in the mid-long term at Ferrari where normally at Ferrari, I’ve been there and every decision is orientated to the next race, next Grand Prix. But Mattia was brave enough to during 2021 [to] diminish the development progress of the car and basically concentrate on the change of regulations from 2022.”
Hill agreed with De la Rosa’s sentiment, adding that keeping Binotto on would have been beneficial for the Scuderia – perhaps even splitting duties between him and Vasseur. “I think that Mattia did a brilliant job and I think he’d been thrown under the bus a bit, frankly,” the 1996 World Champion reasoned. “But I think the reason he has gone, has been as much to do with… his real skill didn’t seem to me to be running a Formula 1 team in terms of the race strategy.”
‘Thrown under the bus’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/damon-...-ferrari-exit/
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Wolff airs Mercedes catch-up concern for F1 season-opener.
Toto Wolff feels Mercedes will again be playing catch up in this weekend’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix following a three-day test outing he claims was not the smoothest.
Thursday 2nd March, 2023 - 10:59pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Assessing what could unfold this weekend, Wolff said: “We didn’t have the smoothest winter test in Bahrain. “We had some reliability problems and struggled with the car set-up on day two. But the key objective was to learn about the car, and we did lots of learning.”
“We made good progress on the final day, which gave us directions to work on in the short period between the test and this weekend’s race. “It’s always hard to have a clear picture of competitiveness at pre-season testing, and even more so with only three days of data available,” remarked Wolff.
“Our expectations were that we would likely be playing catch-up to the front, based on how last year ended. That seems to be the case so far but we will only know for sure after this weekend.”
‘Mercedes catch-up’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/02...ncern-bahrain/
Wolff confident Mercedes W14 'is a car we can work with'
01/03/2023 at 15:19
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Toto Wolff says Mercedes is confident it has a car it can work with this season although it expects to play catch-up with its main rivals in the opening races of 2023. Wolff says Mercedes will likely begin its season in catch-up mode relative to Red Bull and Ferrari, but only the test of a full-scale race weekend will confirm, or not, that expectation.
It's only been about 100 days since the end of last year's F1 season, but Wolff says his troops are ready to kick into gear and go "flat out" from this weekend for the next nine months. The start of a new season is always exciting, whether you've been working in this sport for a few decades, years or weeks," he said.
"So much hard work has gone into the W14 over the winter and the anticipation to be get racing has kept on building. We will be going flat out this weekend - and are determined to keep that going to the final lap in Abu Dhabi."
‘Troops are ready to kick into gear and go flat out’;
https://f1i.com/news/467286-wolff-co...work-with.html
Wolff: Mercedes 'relishing' 2023 F1 challenge
01 March 2:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Mercedes had a troubled pre-season testing, but boss Toto Wolff remains optimistic about their 2023 chances.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes his team are "relishing the challenge" of trying to wrestle back the Formula 1 World Championships from Red Bull.
"Nevertheless, we are confident we have got a car we can work with and are in a stronger position than 12 months ago. More importantly, we are relishing the challenge. This championship will be fought over 23 race weekends, and each one will give us an opportunity to improve."
'Relishing 2023 F1 challenge’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-merc...3-f1-challenge
‘There’s a worm in there’: Reason for Lewis Hamilton not signing Mercedes contract revealed
Lewis Hamilton is yet to ink a contract with Mercedes for 2024 and beyond despite the 2023 season starting this weekend.
1 March 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Hamilton will want to see an improvement from Mercedes presumably before signing a new deal, with the 103-time race winner still having the target of claiming an unprecedented eighth title.
Whether he’s happy to continue in the sport but not be challenging for victory remains to be seen, with Schumacher predicting that Wolff could have a massive issue should the car not be able to challenge at the front.
“There’s a worm in there,” Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. “They’re not hitting their goals or they’ve set the wrong ones. The car is still difficult to drive,” Schumacher said after Bahrain testing. “But the real question is, if Lewis is still behind, what motivation is left?”
“There’s a worm in there!”;
https://formula1news.co.uk/theres-a-...ract-revealed/
Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff playing ‘guess what number I’m thinking of’
Lewis Hamilton is yet to extend his contract with Mercedes, something that he promised would happen over the winter break.
2 March 2023
by Jack Devonport
Formula1News
Former F1 champion Damon Hill has a theory about Hamilton’s contract situation, suggesting that he may wait to see how this season pans out before deciding his future. “For my part, I remember arriving in Melbourne at the beginning of the 1999 season and looking around at all the other drivers and thinking ‘they’re all 20 years younger than me!”
“Would I be going to a party with guys 20 years younger than me? Probably not!’ “I just didn’t want to be the ‘old guy’. I had seen that happen to my dad. He raced into his 40s and I vividly recall towards the end of his career all the talk about his age.”
Hamilton has admitted that he dreams of retiring as a world champion, supporting Hill’s theory that the legendary Brit could retire from F1 if he wins the championship this year and surpasses Michael Schumacher with eight titles.
‘Guess what number I’m thinking of’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...m-thinking-of/
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Bahrain GP will exaggerate ‘league of its own’ Red Bull’s lead.
Ferrari and Mercedes drivers expect Red Bull to be “in a league of their own” in Formula 1’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, but there’s a faith the track may be exaggerating the gap.
Mar 2 2023
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
Speaking in the FIA press conference ahead of the first race weekend of 2023, both Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc acknowledged the evidence of testing showed Red Bull as being ahead.
“It’s definitely fair to say Red Bull are in a little bit of a league of their own this weekend in Bahrain,” said Russell. “They’ve had a…strong start,” admitted Leclerc, “Red Bull and Max seem to be very very strong.
“It’s only testing so it’s difficult to quantify by how much. But it seems that they are a bit in front compared to us. So we’ve got some work to do.” Leclerc maintained Ferrari had experienced a good Bahrain test with strong reliability and the full workload completed, but while “we didn’t show everything” the same was true for all of its rivals.
‘League of its own’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/bahra...ed-bulls-lead/
Lance Stroll to make F1 return at Bahrain Grand Prix after surgery for wrist injury
2nd March 2023, 13:53
By Luke Smith
The Athletic
Lance Stroll will take part in this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix with Aston Martin after missing Formula One testing last week due to a wrist injury that required minor surgery. Here’s what you need to know:
“It was frustrating not to be out in Bahrain for the preseason test and I was disappointed to miss the three days of running,” said Stroll. “However, given the injury to my wrist, the team and I felt it was best to focus on recovery so that I would be ready for this weekend and the long season ahead.”
“It was an unfortunate accident — I fell from my bike when my tire caught a hole in the ground — but thankfully the damage was not significant and a successful minor surgery on my right wrist fixed the problem very quickly. Since then, I’ve been working hard with my team to ensure that I am fully fit to compete this weekend.”
‘Lance Stroll to make F1 return’;
https://theathletic.com/4268141/2023...d-prix-injury/
Aston Martin chief calms Bahrain GP expectations after Alonso hype.
02 March 2023
Inside Racing
Aston Martin chief Mike Krack has tried to calm expectations ahead of this weekend's Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The performance of the green team was one of the biggest stories from pre-season testing last week, with many pundits suggesting Aston Martin could challenge Mercedes as the third-best team.
Aspirations could be even higher over a full race distance too, with Fernando Alonso claiming his 57-lap simulation on the final day of testing was "slightly faster" than Ferrari's. Krack though isn't getting carried away by Aston Martin's apparent potential for a podium challenge at Sakhir.
“You know these dynamics that you can sometimes get, it’s like when word goes around the children at school,” he told the media. “So I think we need to keep our feet on the ground, expectations are always high at this time of the year, everybody wants to do well. We are realists. We have clear objectives: that is to improve compared to where we were last year.”
‘Tried to calm expectations’;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...er-alonso-hype
Fernando Alonso sets Aston Martin target for 2023 Bahrain GP
Lance Stroll will join Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin for the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix
March 2, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport
Fernando Alonso played down Aston Martin‘s chances at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, and said they’re not aiming for a podium. Aston Martin were the talk of the paddock after a stunning pre-season testing, as Alonso completed a blisteringly quick race sim that was only matched by Red Bull.
However, despite several questions from journalists on whether he was aiming for the podium, Alonso refused to talk up his team’s chances. “We will give our best on the race,” Alonso told the media.
“But that’s not the target for us to be honest. It was very encouraging the results from the test and the feeling from the car, but it is just the start. I think we need to keep learning about the car, only one day and a half or two days of testing in a completely new car, new package.”
‘Aston Martin target’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/fer...23-bahrain-gp/
Mercedes’ new rear wing revealed ahead of F1 Bahrain Grand Prix
2 Mar 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Mercedes have brought a new medium downforce rear wing to the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mercedes opted to run a large double spoon rear wing throughout pre-season testing in Bahrain last week for better correlation and data collection.
The decision explained why Mercedes featured so lowly in the speed traps across the three days of running, with the German manufacturer placed at the very bottom of the collective top speed charts, according to Auto Motor und Sport’s data.
‘Mercedes’ new rear wing’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102127...-f1-bahrain-gp
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Lance Stroll will race in Bahrain this weekend with PINS in his wrist after undergoing surgery in the wake of pre-season cycling injury... as Canadian gets set to return in time for F1 season opener after missing testing
• Lance Stroll fell off his bicycle while cycling in Spain during the off-season
• It was touch and go whether he'd be fit to race this week - he has now confirmed
• Click here for all your latest international sports news from DailyMail.com
Published: 16:48, 2 March 2023
By Ben Nagle For Dailymail.Com
Mail Online
Canadian Formula One star Lance Stroll has confirmed he will be on the grid for the season-opening race in Bahrain this weekend - but with pins in his broken right wrist following surgery. In Bahrain on Thursday, Stroll confirmed he would be in the car for first practice tomorrow, telling reporters: 'I got surgery on the right one and the left one is just a bit banged up.
'Yeah, they're feeling good. A big push over the last 12 days since my accident to get me here. They're feeling good. I was in the sim yesterday, the day before. Feeling pretty strong.' Stroll's determination to return in time for the start of the season will have been made stronger with the impressive showing that the Aston Martin gave in testing.
When asked about the car's positive signs, Stroll noted: 'Yeah, it looks great. I think everyone's really excited. I'm excited to get back driving. It was painful to watch the test from a couch and not be in the car.' When asked if the car's impressive test was part of his reason for returning so quickly, he added: 'I want to have every chance to go racing. If I feel like I'm fit enough to race, with a bit of discomfort, I'm going to do it.’
‘Lance Stroll will race with PINS in his wrist’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...INS-wrist.html
Lance Stroll confirms he broke wrist in cycling accident, will drive through ‘discomfort’ in Bahrain
02 Mar 2023 2:49 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Lance Stroll has confirmed he had surgery after breaking his right wrist in a recent cycling accident, but while he is set to race with a bit of “discomfort” in Bahrain, he’s confident he will be able to perform behind the wheel of the AMR23.
“They’re feeling good, a big push in the last 12 days since my accident to get me here,” Stroll told media including PlanetF1.com in Bahrain. “They’re feeling good, I was in the sim yesterday and the day before, feeling pretty strong.”
“The first few days were rough, it looked like it was going to be tough but then in the last four, five days it’s really been improving every day,” he explained. “I was feeling good in the sim yesterday, full lock, whole range of motion, so it feels good.” Stroll also confirmed he spoke to his doctors and that they are prepared to allow him to take part in Bahrain this weekend.
‘Will drive through discomfort’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lance-...ling-injuries/
Stroll broke both wrists
02/03/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
Lance Stroll has revealed that he broke both wrists in the cycling accident that prevented him from taking part in pre-season testing.
"I had surgery on my right wrist, so screws," he told reporters in Bahrain ahead of his track debut in the AMR23 this weekend. "It was just a small procedure, then physiotherapy and rehab to get me here.
"It hurts a bit but it feels good," he added, "it feels solid, nothing I haven't had before. I really felt like I could drive normally with a little bit more discomfort, but nothing that's stopping me from driving, like any excruciating pain or anything like that.
‘Stroll broke both wrists’;
https://www.pitpass.com/74576/Stroll-broke-both-wrists
Stroll reveals 'rough' injuries that nearly made him miss season opener
02 March 3:35PM
Author Rory Mitchell
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Lance Stroll has revealed the extent of the injuries he sustained in a bike crash during his pre-season training for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
"It was a private matter. There was a lot going on; I was going into surgery, dealing with rehab, I didn't have a clear answer of how long it was going to take to recover. "I was just completely focused and motivated to make it here to Bahrain."
So far Stroll has only completed a handful of laps during the shakedown of the AMR23 at Silverstone, after the team launched in early February. Despite this, the Canadian wanted to give himself every chance to race in Bahrain but conceded that he would not be there if doctors advised him to rest.
'Rough injuries’;
https://racingnews365.com/stroll-rev...-season-opener
Alonso: Stroll return a good sign, shows 'desire to win'
02/03/2023 at 14:17
Phillip van Osten
Fernando Alonso says Lance Stroll's return to the fray this weekend is "a good sign" for Aston Martin as it shows the Canadian driver's fighting spirit and "motivation to win". Alonso said his team mate's plight reminded him that he raced last year with several broken bones in both of his hands as a result of his crash in Q3 in Australia caused by a hydraulics failure on his Alpine.
"In my case, I broke a few bones in both hands last year," he recalled. "So, until August, I was not fully recovered. I had some pain, but we love driving!" Alonso praised Stroll for his desire to return to the fray as soon as possible, insisting it sent a good signal to the team.
"I don’t know exactly what Lance has. It’s a private thing… he will check on the car, obviously," added the Spaniard. "It’s already very good news that he’s here and he will try. That shows his desire to win and his motivation to win with this team. This is even fighting for whatever position we can this weekend. He’s here ready to try. That’s a very good sign."
‘Stroll return a good sign’;
https://f1i.com/news/467388-alonso-s...re-to-win.html
