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Hill on Ferrari troubles: They're running with one leg all the time.
Damon Hill has compared Ferrari's recent troubles to "running with one leg all the time" given the mixed fortunes for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
09 June 9:40AM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
Sainz delivered a sign of promise on Saturday, having benefitted from the absence of the likes of Sergio Perez in Q3 to clinch P2 on the grid. However, the Spaniard slipped backwards in the race to eventually finish in P5.
On the other side of the garage, it was a nightmare weekend for Leclerc. The Monegasque qualified down in P19, leading the team to opt to start him from the pit lane after making changes to his car. Leclerc missed out on scoring a point by ending the Grand Prix in P11.
Mixed fortunes for Ferrari. Reflecting on this, Hill admitted that Ferrari seem to have faced a continued problem in their drivers experiencing contrasting fortunes. "What can you say about Ferrari? When one is up, the other is down," Hill told the the Sky Sports F1 Podcast. "It's like they are running with one leg all the time."
‘One leg’;
https://racingnews365.com/hill-on-fe...g-all-the-time
Hill on Ferrari's struggles: 'Like they're always running with one leg'.
08/06/2023 at 16:19
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
F1 world champion Damon Hill says Ferrari's persistent struggles this season, with one car or the other, make it feel as if the Scuderia is "always running with one leg". A pre-season favourite to shine this year, Ferrari is currently fourth in F1's Constructors' standings after seven races.
The Italian outfit's SF-23 contender has so far been no match for Red Bull's runaway RB19. But Ferrari has also been outpaced overall by Mercedes and Aston Martin. Hill noted how the running order directly behind Red Bull has often been reshuffled from race to race. However, Ferrari's lack of consistency and struggles is a constant.
"It’s a funny season in a way because we have seen quite a lot of disparity between apparent form on one circuit and the same form, or expectations, on another circuit," Hill told the Sky Sports F1 podcast. "Everyone is scratching their heads apart from Red Bull, who are delivering on every track.”
‘Running with one leg';
https://f1i.com/news/476985-hill-on-...h-one-leg.html
Hill SLAMS Ferrari in scathing review of 2023 F1 season
Friday 9 June 2023 08:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Damon Hill is perplexed at Ferrari's 2023 form, claiming they are always standing on one leg at a time, not both. The Scuderia has struggled to convert good qualifying performances into big points and podiums this season with its only rostrum coming courtesy of Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan.
Hill, the 1996 world champion, thinks Ferrari's inconsistency has gone on long enough but admits that this season is a strange one comparing performance from one track to the next. "Then what can you say about Ferrari? When one is up, the other is down. It's like they are running with one leg all the time. So going forward, you have got the development curve and cost-cap restrictions to think about."
‘Hill SLAMS Ferrari’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-carlos-sainz/
Ferrari CEO issues firm statement in response to poor F1 2023 performance
08 Jun 2023 10:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Yet to win a grand prix this season and with their upgraded SF-23 failing to fire in Spain, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has resorted to a Japanese proverb to inspire the team: “Nana korobi, ya oki.”
With the Monégasque driver, Sainz and team boss Fred Vasseur all highlighting the car’s inconsistency in the wake of the Spanish Grand Prix, CEO Vigna has tried to issue a rally cry to his troops.
“Nana korobi, ya oki!” he said during this week’s Bloomberg Capital Market Forum. That translates as “fall down seven times, stand up eight”, fitting given that Ferrari are seven races into this season.
He added: “It applies to life, as it does to F1. “It’s not easy, sometimes you slip four floors and you can’t see the end but with work, with passion, with skills and with the heart, in the end we recover. I’ve been there many times.”
“Nana korobi, ya oki.”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...rbs-statement/
Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur admits SF-23 is 'very difficult to understand' after Spanish GP struggles
16:10 Thu, 08 Jun 2023.
Sky Sports
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has admitted their 2023 car is "very difficult to understand" after a tough Sunday at the Spanish Grand Prix.
'Very difficult to understand';
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...h-gp-struggles
Charles Leclerc’s damning comments on Ferrari’s woes
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has struggled this season with inconsistent car performance and tyre degradation.
9 June 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News
Expressing his frustration, Leclerc admitted: “We are struggling more than I expected. It’s not like I’ve got understeer in the car, and I can say, ‘Okay, this is a very understeery car’,” Leclerc said. “It’s just inconsistencies but it’s very difficult to work on inconsistencies, especially when you do exactly the same thing both times,” he explained.
“We’ll check what we are doing but it’s very, very difficult because even as soon as the wind changes slightly we’ve a car that changes quite a lot, so it’s very, very tricky. Where we really need to put all our focus is to try and be more often at the peak of our tyres and know how to manage them better,” he said.
“Two or three degrees makes a huge difference on balance. In Spain, we were struggling, either completely outside the window, or in the window and being happy with the car, so there’ll be a lot of work on that. We need to try to understand what’s going on with those tyres and put them in the right window more often.”
‘Damning comments on Ferrari’s woes’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/charles-l...ferraris-woes/
Why Ferrari has made F1 design changes it had denied needing
9th June 2023, 07:39
By Edd Straw
The Race
Ferrari made the most significant deviation from its original Formula 1 car concept introduced at the start of last season with its upgrade package at the Spanish Grand Prix – a change the team’s messaging had previously denied the need for. While the car may not look dramatically different, the introduction of the downwash ramp at the rear of sidepods means Ferrari has, for the first time, moved away from distinctive ‘bathtub’ shape.
And there is more to come – so while team principal Fred Vasseur said in the build-up to the race at Barcelona that “as long as I’m convinced that we can improve on the current car, it would be a mistake during the season to change completely the target”, it is evidence of a new direction from Ferrari.
Most likely, Vasseur’s positive messaging is intended to show support to the team and when it comes to talk of concept changes it’s an imprecise enough phrase that, combined with the fact the car hasn’t changed dramatically visually, you can argue this is not so major a change of direction.
‘Significant deviation’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-f...enied-needing/
Why Ferrari say their change in design is the result of “discipline”, not “copying”
2023 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 9th June 2023, 7:158th June 2023, 23:47
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Long-serving Ferrari engineer Jock Clear, now Charles Leclerc’s performance engineer, spoke to media including RaceFans ahead of the race last Sunday about what had inspired the upgrades, their predicted effectiveness, and why it had taken this long for them to appear when a downturn in their performance became apparent during the second half of last season.
The team started last season “convinced about what we had,” explains Clear. “And then we all have to learn from what other people are doing, but we also have to learn from what we’re doing. We’re not copying anyone, per se. We’re looking at what they did, we’re going back to our tunnel and trying to find out if that works. Now, it’s appeared on the car now because it works.”
“As soon as you see what someone else is doing well and you get that in your tunnel, you’re disciplined enough not to have a ‘knee jerk’ and just chuck it on your car, because it won’t work,” said Clear. “But you have to give yourself a couple of months to get it sorted, to get it to work with your car, and then you say ‘yeah, actually I can see where they’re coming from there’.”
“Discipline”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/09/...e-not-copying/
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Aston Martin chief blunt about Fernando Alonso's future as rival F1 team admits interest.
Team Principal Mike Krack: "It's nice to hear that, that he has said that several years, we would be happy with that."
16:31, 9 Jun 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Mike Krack declared his delight in reaction to Fernando Alonso's admission that he intends to stay with Aston Martin for the long-term. It was in Barcelona, in front of his home crowd, that Alonso made that pledge about his future. "I'm going to be at Aston Martin for a few more years," he said.
Given his results so far this season, you would assume the team would be delighted about that. And team principal Krack confirmed that theory when questioned about it during the race weekend. "I think the main thing, and this is one of the big qualities, is the desire to be at the front, the motivation. And I think this is fully on with Fernando.”
"We don't think so much about that, to be honest, as you guys know. We take it race by race, and we try to do well every race. It's nice to hear that but we didn't think too much about it yet. Let's make it happen."
‘EL PLAN: “Fully on with Fernando.”;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...artin-30196790
'We would be happy with that' – Krack offers his thoughts on how long Alonso could stay at Aston Martin
08 June 2023
Formula One - Official Site.
Alonso and Aston Martin’s strong start to the season has led many to speculate when they could win their first race of the year, with their best finish coming in Monaco where the Spaniard took the chequered flag in second. And when asked if he believes they could win a race this year, Krack was in no mood to make predictions, but called on his team to be ready if the opportunity presents itself this season.
“I think that is very difficult to say because it’s such a relative competition that you are depending on the pace of others, you are depending on yourself, so I think it would be bold to say we will win this one, or that we are close to winning,” Krack explained.
“We have to see. We have to be there at each opportunity that is coming and, if it comes, we have to be ready, and until then we have to work hard to keep ourselves in the position to be there. I will not make any predictions of when we’re going to win a race.”
‘EL PLAN: 'We would be happy with that';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...jcpUDPzRG.html
Defiant Aston Martin respond to theory Mercedes now a clear step ahead
09 Jun 2023 2:15 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Aston Martin boss Mike Krack believes it’s too early to say whether Mercedes have toppled them as F1’s second-quickest team in 2023. Aston Martin have been the surprise package of 2023 so far, with the Silverstone-based squad racking up podium after podium with five appearances in the first six races courtesy of Fernando Alonso.
“I think it is too early or too easy to say that, because we have not seen the full picture in qualifying,” he said on Sunday night. “It’s something that is similar to how it is at the beginning of the year when we say we need three races to see where we are really.”
“Now it could well be that others have made a bigger step. But our early analysis so far doesn’t reflect that.” But Aston Martin will make “a step” next time out, with upgrades en route for the AMR23 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix.
‘Defiant Aston Martin response’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/defian...es-step-ahead/
Fernando Alonso vows to ‘crush’ Lewis Hamilton
Aston Martin are set to introduce a series of upgrades at the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend.
9 June 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Despite having slipped to third, Alonso is confident that the team can reclaim second perhaps as soon as next weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, where upgrades will be installed. It’s expected that Aston Martin will make a significant improvement in Canada next weekend and at the British Grand Prix in July, making Alonso believe that his side will “crush” the Silver Arrows.
“I’m happy because qualifying was the Achilles heel of the whole weekend,” Alonso said, as reported by The Mirror. “In terms of the constructors’, it’s true that Mercedes took some important points from us, but we took points from Ferrari again.”
“In Canada we will bring more stuff, in Silverstone too… It will depend on who brings the improvements. Even with a normal time, we would have been on a par with Hamilton [in Barcelona] and maybe we would have had a better chance. I think it’s a race and, in Canada, we crush them.”
‘EL PLAN: Bring more stuff & Crush’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/fernando-...ewis-hamilton/
Alonso, not Hamilton, has extra capacity says Verstappen
JUNE 9, 2023
GrandPrix.com
In Barcelona last weekend, the Red Bull driver came on the radio to ask his engineer: "Someone's phone is going - is that Helmut (Marko)'s?" Gianpiero Lambiase replied: "Er, yes."
"I do like to think that having extra capacity is a big advantage in F1," Verstappen told the Times. "You cannot train that kind of thing. Only a few drivers have it." When asked who, he answered: "For me, definitely Fernando.”
Verstappen was then asked if seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton has the same extra capacity. "No, Fernando stands out more with that," he said.
‘EL PLAN: Extra capacity’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/alons...erstappen.html
Christian Horner reveals rival F1 team Red Bull “most keeping an eye on” - and it’s not Mercedes
9 Jun 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Christian Horner insists Aston Martin are the team Red Bull are “most keeping an eye on” following their incredible start to the 2023 F1 season. After struggling to a disappointing seventh-place finish in last year’s constructors’ championship, Aston Martin completed a remarkable transformation over the winter
Despite Mercedes’ recent resurgence, which saw them leapfrog Aston Martin into second place in the constructors’ standings at the Spanish Grand Prix, Horner still sees Aston Martin as Red Bull’s biggest long-term threat. “We have a lot less wind-tunnel time than you guys,” he told Aston Martin ambassador Pedro De la Rosa when speaking to DAZN.
“So we’re having to be very selective about how we use that time, and also thinking about next year as well – so it’s about finding that balance. When you look at all that experience, you can see what Fernando’s brought to Aston Martin – which is still a young team. There are lots of new guys there; they took a few guys from us. For us, I think the team that we’re most keeping an eye on for the future is the Aston team – because you can see they have a strong energy.”
‘EL PLAN: Remarkable transformation’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102823...s-not-mercedes
Fernando Alonso came ‘very close’ to joining Red Bull, reveals Christian Horner
Friday 9 Jun 2023 4:32 pm
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk
Fernando Alonso came ‘very close’ to signing for Red Bull in 2008, team principal Christian Horner has revealed. Horner revealing the truth behind the rumours that the Spaniard nearly signed for his team. ‘We were very close. I went to see his representation agency at the end of 2007 to [sign him] for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, we offered him a two-year contract,’ Horner told Motorsport Magazin.
‘He only wanted to sign for one season, but Red Bull and [Dietrich] Mateschitz’s position was two years or nothing, and he didn’t commit to it. We thought he had a very clear contract to go to Ferrari in 2009.”
‘The strange thing is that Flavio [Briatore] was also involved, but he was trying to sign him for the Renault team, the team he was running at the time, and in the end, he ended up driving for Renault those two seasons.”
‘EL PLAN: Very close’;
https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/09/f1-fe...o=newsnow-feed
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Tost: Red Bull rejected "significantly better" Schumacher for AlphaTauri.
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has admitted that Red Bull rejected his initial Pierre Gasly replacement, Mick Schumacher, whom he thinks is "significantly better" at racing than he is currently perceived.
Friday 9 June 2023 12:27
Jay Winter
GPFans
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has admitted that Red Bull rejected his initial Pierre Gasly replacement, Mick Schumacher, whom he thinks is "significantly better" at racing than he is currently perceived. AlphaTauri's decision to sign Nyck de Vries for the 2023 season came down to Red Bull higher-ups, said Tost, confirming what Ralf Schumacher claimed back in May.
In an interview with Formel1.de, Tost admitted that he first thought that they would be keeping their fan favourite duo together. He said: "Initially, it was clear to me that our driver lineup would be Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. Then suddenly Pierre was assigned to Alpine, and that left a spot open for us.”
Tost reinforced the decision to want to sign Schumacher, claiming the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher is "significantly better" than he is currently credited for. Mick Schumacher didn't secure a cockpit for this year," he recalled. "For us, it was then open, after the Pierre Gasly situation came to light. He is significantly better than he is currently perceived in the outside world."
‘Want to sign Schumacher’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...auri-rejected/
Mick Schumacher rejected for F1 race seat despite team chief making him number one choice.
Schumacher is a Mercedes reserve this year having been axed by Haas after two seasons in F1, but would have landed another race seat for 2023 had one team boss had his way
18:57, 9 Jun 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Franz Tost said he wanted Mick Schumacher to drive for AlphaTauri this season – but he was overruled by Red Bull bosses who blocked the move. But, Tost has revealed, he was prevented from making that happen by the top bosses at Red Bull who decided De Vries, who had enjoyed an eye-catching Formula 1 debut with Williams at Monza, was the man for the seat.
His words come after Ralf Schumacher, Mick's uncle, claimed his nephew was "blocked" from the seat by Helmut Marko. He also accused the head of Red Bull's youth development programme of having "a problem with the Schumacher name".
He said: "The driver available on the market was Mick. Mick would have made sense as well. But then Dr Helmut Marko came along and, for personal reasons or whatever it may be, didn't want that and chose Nyck de Vries instead."
‘Overruled, blocked the move’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-tost-30197215
Franz Tost wanted to sign Mick Schumacher says Ralf
MAY 19, 2023
GrandPrix.com
In the 90s, Tost worked for Willi Weber - Schumacher's then manager - who asked Tost to accompany Ralf to race in Japan prior to his F1 debut. Tost then worked as BMW's track operations manager when Schumacher raced for Williams.
Schumacher now reveals that Tost, 67, actually wanted to sign Ralf's nephew Mick for the 2023 season after the 24-year-old lost his Haas seat after two years on the grid. "Franz had a completely different driver on mind than de Vries," Ralf revealed.
"He knows that drivers take two or three years to grow and the driver that was available was Mick. But then came Helmut Marko who, for personal reasons or whatever, didn't want to sign Mick.”
‘Completely different driver on mind’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/franz...says-ralf.html
‘It’s really difficult for rookies now’ – Tost defends De Vries after tricky start to first season
02 Jun 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
After a difficult start to Nyck de Vries’ first full campaign, AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost has explained why making the step up to F1 is so hard for young drivers these days.
‘Difficult for rookies now’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...574988914.html
Why the head of Red Bull’s finishing school has chosen to move on
News Focus
Posted on 26th May 2023, 7:1526th May 2023, 7:19
Written by Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
After 18 years in one of the fasted-paced sports in the world, Franz Tost’s time in the Formula 1 paddock is coming to an end. But his legacy will continue to be felt for many years, as many of the current and retired drivers have benefitted from his guidance.
Among those he introduced to the series are two multiple world champions. Four-times champion Sebastian Vettel and two-times (for now at least) winner Max Verstappen both flourished under his guidance. Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz Jnr and Daniel Ricciardo all went on to become race-winners. Others enjoyed success in WEC and Formula E after their time under Tost’s tutelage.
“I will not be in the pit lane anymore,” revealed Tost, 67, last month. AlphaTauri will therefore have a new face at the helm for the first time since it was bought by Red Bull and entered into F1 in 2006 as Toro Rosso. “When Dietrich Mateschitz [co-founder of Red Bull] called me and said, you go now to Italy,” Tost recalled, “when I came there and saw what it looked like – because I couldn’t believe that this is the infrastructure for a Formula 1 team – and then to build a team up.”
‘Will not be in the pit lane anymore’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/05/26/...ow-to-move-on/
AlphaTauri boss retiring
The reigning World Champion, Max Verstappen, has paid tribute to Franz Tost, who recently had his say on the fastest driver in the business.
by David Freeman
20 May 2023
Max Verstappen: “At the beginning of a career, it is important to have someone like Franz by your side. He helped me a lot at the start and supported me with his advice and experience. He is good at dealing with young drivers.”
“When young drivers enter [Formula 1], they want to achieve success quickly. It’s good to be reassured sometimes. The conversations with him have been very helpful to me.”
“He has discovered many talents and contributed to the development of the main team, which is why he had a great career. It is sad to see him go, but at some point, after so many years in Formula 1, you simply need more time for family.”
‘Max Verstappen, has paid tribute’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/max-verst...boss-retiring/
Tost happy to hand over the reins to Mekies: "It's time"
13/05/2023 at 09:11
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Long-time AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost says he's looking forward to handing over the responsibility of running the team to current Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies at the end of the year. “It’s time to go," he told the media in Miami last week. “I think this is the time where I will hand it over to some other people who can do a much better job than me."
As well as Mekies taking over Tost's role, the team has also appointed former FIA executive Peter Bayer to join the squad as CEO. “It’s the correct way to do it," Tost commented. "I am more than looking forward to when Peter Bayer and Laurent Mekies will take over leading the team.”
"When Dietrich Mateschitz decided to buy the Minardi team, he said one of the main pillars is to educate the young Red Bull drivers - and this is what the team did," Tost commented. “Looking back, there were some very high-skilled drivers like Sebastian Vettel, then, of course, Verstappen," he said. "There are also some other drivers, they were really fast, like Carlos Sainz, like Gasly, Ricciardo, Daniel, and now Yuki.”
"It's time";
https://f1i.com/news/474259-tost-hap...-its-time.html
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Wolff: Mercedes early season ‘shock’ key to change.
Toto Wolff has conceded Mercedes took a risk with its major change in development direction but that there was ultimately no choice after the shock it received at the start of the F1 season.
Saturday 10th June, 2023 - 12:28pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
One-lap pace appears to still be lacking but in race trim, at least, the car has made progress, even if the 24-second gap between race-winner Verstappen and runner-up Hamilton remains considerable. “We took some decisions to go in another direction,” explained Wolff.
“We changed so many parts that we thought might be variables that we don’t completely understand. It was a risky move, but everybody has just pushed forward and we’ve got a good race car.” As to why the move did not take place sooner, Wolff indicated that it was only in Bahrain that Mercedes realised it had effectively gone as far as it could go with the development of a car born from the new aerodynamic regulations introduced at the start of last year.
“We just needed the shock at the beginning of the season to understand that this (the design) is not going forward, that there were no more performance gains in it,” said Wolff. “That shook it up, and then we pushed forward, and then there are lead times, you need to design parts, you need to produce them, and the team has done a mega job with all that we have on the car.”
“We just needed the shock!”;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/10...eorge-russell/
Wolff concedes to Mercedes design failure
10 June 7:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
Toto Wolff has conceded that Mercedes "misinterpreted" Formula 1 ground effect regulations after they finally switched to a more conventional concept.
"We had to work through this because we had also discovered that the [previous] direction just simply didn't work," Team Principal Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.com, when asked about discovering the original concept was flawed.
"We are a team of people that won eight consecutive championships, but we got it wrong last year. We tried to find out what it was, we didn't understand, and things got better towards the end of the season. The regulations were changed which we misinterpreted, and we start from zero.”
‘Mercedes design failure’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-conc...design-failure
Mercedes admits F1 upgrade ‘rush’ prompted some worries
14:58 Fri, 09 Jun 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
The German manufacturer produced a notable step forward in form at the Spanish Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third behind race-winner Max Verstappen.
The potential of its revamped car, which features new sidepods, front suspension and floor, is clear to see, as the squad targets making further steps to try to close the gap to Red Bull.
But Wolff thinks it important that Mercedes’ designers now take stock of the current package and fully understand it, before getting ahead of themselves with more changes.
‘Take stock’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...ies-/10480138/
‘Toto Wolff still not convinced the new Mercedes sidepod concept is the better one’
08 Jun 2023 1:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff is reportedly “not convinced” Mercedes’ new sidepod concept is better than the zero-pod design but the team changed it anyway, says F1 journalist Christian Menath.
F1 journalist Christian Menath: “Toto said they just wanted to take out something of the equation – he’s still not convinced that the concept of these sidepods is the better one, they just wanted to take something out of the equation to be sure where the problem is. But I think that was part of the problem. For me, it’s definitely the right direction. But who am I to judge 1000 engineers in Brackley.”
Russell, who finished third at the Spanish Grand Prix to mark his first podium of this season behind his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, has also insists it’s not the sidepods that have created the magic. “It’s not the sidepods what make the difference,” he told Sky Sports. “It may be a factor, but the magic isn’t in the sidepods. We brought that design to the car to kind of rule it out, the sidepods. The magic was done underneath the car, on the floor. That’s the same for every single team.”
‘Mercedes sidepods’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...pt-reportedly/
Mercedes: “Massive step” forward in Spain different to F1 2022 false dawn
15:31 Wed, 07 Jun 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
The team delivered its best result of the 2023 season last weekend as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third behind runaway race-winner Max Verstappen. The result, allied to the strong pace of the W14 throughout the race, has suggested that Mercedes' revamp of its car has delivered a significant leap forward in form after months of struggling with its 'zeropod' concept.
Wolff reckoned the gap between Mercedes was in the region of a few tenths now, which he said was a huge leap forward considering where the team had been earlier this year. “I think it is two/three tenths,” he said. “That's how we would judge it today.
“And that's a massive step forward. But we need to remain cool, because last year we've been looking pretty decent in Barcelona. However, as long as the trajectory goes upwards, it's going to be like share prices that go up and down. There's going to be moments, tougher moments, but I'm pleased for the job that has been done in Brixworth and Brackley.”
“Massive step”;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...dawn/10479580/
Toto Wolff breaks silence on Aston Martin ditching Mercedes
Aston Martin will switch to Honda power in 2026, ending their long-standing relationship with Mercedes.
8 June 2023
by Nick Golding
Wolff is certain that the switch from Mercedes to Honda has nothing to do with performance, with the Austrian believing that Aston Martin simply want to become a “true works team”. “I don’t think them switching from a Mercedes client situation to a Honda has anything to do with the power unit,” said Wolff, as reported by The Mirror.
“I think we are competitive in terms of power unit, but they always wanted to emancipate themselves and become a true works team, and that’s what they’re doing. They have their own exclusive power unit supply deal, they have their own fuel supplier, they are building a big factory that’s going online in the next few months.”
“Lawrence [Stroll, team owner]’s aim is never small. I think when you want to be competitive and win championships, that is the kind of step that you need to make.”
“True works team”;
https://formula1news.co.uk/toto-wolf...hing-mercedes/
Spanish GP could have triggered big change in Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff meeting
07 Jun 2023 1:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Lewis Hamilton said he was sitting down with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Monday for a chat, potentially involving contracts, but did Mercedes’ Spanish GP showing avoid that being a plea to stay?
But speaking on the Sky F1 podcast, reporter Natalie Pinkham asked fellow guest, 1996 World Champion Damon Hill, whether that far improved showing for Mercedes was the inspiration for Hamilton making that upcoming Wolff meeting public knowledge.
And Hill, who believes the meeting would have happened anyway, did suggest that the result perhaps spared Wolff from needing to convince Hamilton to stay with Mercedes during this catch-up, the team, Hamilton and Ferrari all recently batting away rumours linking the seven-time World Champion with a move to Maranello.
‘Triggered big change!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/spain-...wolff-meeting/
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Red Bull unconcerned by "ignorant copies".
Despite its magical underside being laid bare for all the world to see, Red Bull chief engineer, Paul Monaghan insists his team is not losing too much sleep.
13:18 Sat, 10 Jun
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
When Lewis Hamilton's car was lifted high into the air by the Monaco marshals following his crash in Saturday practice, team boss Toto Wolff opined the "whoever performed the crane has probably worked for Cirque du Soleil", the Austrian clearly frustrated that the secrets of the W14 had been laid bare.
In all honesty however, it is unlikely that too many teams were preparing to pore over the images arriving in their inboxes, especially as a couple of hours later they were given the opportunity to ogle the secret bits of the absolute star of 2023 thus far, the RB19 following Sergio Perez' crash in Q1. While Mercedes tech boss, James Allison has admitted that his aero team is poring over the images, Paul Monaghan insists that he and his team are not particularly concerned.
"It's not great," he said of the images. "We don't put our car up like that, but it has happened and we'll move on. But there's a phase lag between people seeing it, getting it onto their car and actually going faster with it," he said, when asked if there were fears of copycats. "A better description is that an ignorant copy isn't necessarily going to go faster. It has to integrate. And it's not just a bit of floor geometry."
"Ignorant copies";
https://www.pitpass.com/75341/Red-Bu...gnorant-copies
Red Bull concede ‘there are no copyrights, just flattery’
09 Jun 2023 12:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan concedes his team cannot stop rivals from copying Red Bull’s race-winning concepts, after all that’s not copyrighted. With Christian Horner having previously predicted convergence would come with the new cars, Monaghan was asked if teams have to adopt the Red Bull philosophy if they want to be fast.
“I don’t know if it’s unavoidable. You would have to talk to other people,” he told Motorsport.com. “If you don’t understand [the concept], you can copy it, but you won’t get any faster. Other people look at our car and try to be influenced by it if they think it makes them faster. That’s fine. It’s been happening for many, many years.”
“Ask McLaren about 2011 and what their car looked like when it wasn’t fast. Then it showed up with an exhaust that looked exactly like ours and it was pretty fast.” He added: “There are no copyrights, are there? You take it as flattery.”
‘No copyrights, just flattery’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...s-on-concepts/
Red Bull acknowledge growing strength of Aston Martin
Saturday 10th June, 2023 - 8:28pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has acknowledged the growing emergence of Aston Martin as a superpower in F1. Under the ownership of Lawrence Stroll and his consortium, Aston Martin has taken F1 by storm this season, with Fernando Alonso scoring five podiums from seven grands prix, including finishing runner-up to Max Verstappen in Monaco.
Horner readily concedes Aston Martin is “putting a good team together”, and can understand its decision to gain a greater level of independence. “They’ll get a competitive engine, but they already have a competitive engine,” he added. “They will perhaps achieve more independence because I guess their architecture is currently dictated by another team (Mercedes).”
“It’s good to see Honda continuing in the sport,” remarked Horner. “They have obviously done a significant u-turn from where they were 18 months to two years ago. But I think their decision, in many ways, forced us to make a decision about our long-term future and not being beholden to a manufacturer and taking control of our own future. And by making the investment that we have in Red Bull Powertrains, it has enabled us to put the whole thing under one roof.
‘Growing strength of Aston Martin’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/10...ngth-red-bull/
Horner reveals Red Bull engine plan after McLaren link rubbished
11 June 11:10AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Red Bull will supply AlphaTauri with its in-house power unit having partnered with Ford to kickstart its journey as an OEM and with Marshall switching to McLaren, talk had been rife that an engine deal could have been a negotiation sweetener. “No, Rob is not going with an engine,” Horner told media, including RacingNews365.com.
Outlining the championship-leading outfit's plans, Horner added: “Of course, a couple of teams have approached us about the power unit. Our plan at the moment is to supply two teams because we don’t want to overstretch ourselves in the first year. And of course, those teams are likely to be the two Red Bull-owned teams.”
‘Red Bull engine plan’;
https://racingnews365.com/horner-rev...link-rubbished
F1: Adrian Newey talks Red Bull culture, copycat cars, power units and 2023 development race
Last Updated: 10/06/23 7:07am
Sky Sports
Adrian Newey says Red Bull have a minimal email culture and is aware about the dangers of complacency.
"Theoretically I'm in charge of everybody but I never look at it that way. We try to run a very flat structure, where we encourage everyone to communicate and minimise the email culture, encourage people to talk - if it's an aero designer, talk to the guy designing the mechanical solution for that aerodynamic shape," he told Sky Italy.
"Theoretically I'm in charge”;
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...velopment-race
Newey reveals more concerns on 2026 power unit regulations
11 June 10:25AM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365
Adrian Newey has spoken about the potential hurdles the sport may face due to the 2026 power unit regulation changes. Red Bull's Adrian Newey has highlighted a potential risk of the changing Formula 1 power unit regulations, which take effect in 2026.
The sport has introduced updates to the power unit specifications, which place greater emphasis on sustainability, and has encouraged more manufacturers to join the sport. Whilst the power units will retain their core configuration of a 1.6-litre V6 internal combustion engine, there will be a greater electrical output from the Kinetic Motor Generator Unit. The Heat Motor Generator Unit will be removed, and fully-sustainable fuels will be used.
The changes have prompted Audi and Ford to join the sport, with the latter teaming up with Red Bull, and has encouraged Honda to reverse their decision to step away from the sport. Following the announcement of the new regulations, F1 design guru Newey had previously cautioned that the 2026 generation of Formula 1 cars would be "quite a lot slower".
‘More concerns on 2026 power unit’;
https://racingnews365.com/newey-reve...it-regulations
Christian Horner jokes Toto Wolff is ‘blocked’ from his phone
11 Jun 2023 8:30 AM
Thomas Maher
Christian Horner has revealed there’s no way Toto Wolff can get in touch with him easily… Toto Wolff and Christian Horner are well-known for their love/hate relationship (which is probably more of a hate/hate deal really!), in their respective roles as team bosses of Mercedes and Red Bull.
“I think he’s blocked [on my phone],” Horner laughed. “It’s fine. I mean, look, there’s healthy competition, and it’s good to have rivalry in sport. They did a lot of winning, they’re a great team, and now we’re doing our thing and we’re tending not to look behind and looking forward.”
Speaking earlier this year, Wolff couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Horner in an interview with the UK’s Times newspaper. “I am living in his head rent-free,” Toto Wolff said. “The guy is obsessed. Every second that I spend on talking about Horner is a waste of time in my life.”
‘Hate/hate deal’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...cked-on-phone/
Marko: Red Bull DREAM could be over at Canadian GP.
Saturday 10 June 2023 11:57
Jay Winter
GPFans
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has claimed that his team are the favourites for every single Formula 1 race this season, but has admitted that the "dream" of doing so could be under threat in Montreal.
When asked if they can win every race of the current championship, Marko replied: "In terms of pure performance, we are capable of it. "It's not an exaggeration to say that we go into every race as favourites. However, you can't afford any bad luck. With 15 races still to go, anything can happen quickly."
"We could face challenges as early as next week in Montreal," he added. "The probability of realising this dream only increases if both cars are capable of winning." With a win in Canada, Red Bull will join the illustrious '100-win club' currently occupied by Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Williams.
‘Both cars are capable of winning’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ce-favourites/
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Helmut Marko Fought to Keep Christian Horner from Joining Ferrari.
Helmut Marko has disclosed his exceptional efforts towards the end of the previous year. The Austrian embarked on a mission to dissuade Red Bull’s longstanding team boss, Christian Horner, from accepting an enticing offer to join Ferrari as the successor to Mattia Binotto.
June 6, 2023
BaylaSportsF1
Marko passionately campaigned to dissuade Horner from accepting a compelling offer presented by Ferrari, recognizing the invaluable role he played within the Red Bull team. “It took me another whole night to convince Horner to stay at Red Bull,” the 80-year-old recounted. “And it cost us millions more.”
Ultimately, the Italian team directed their attention towards enticing Frederic Vasseur, the team boss of Sauber/Alfa Romeo, to join their ranks in Maranello. Despite the departures of certain vital technical personnel, such as Horner’s decision to remain with the team and Newey’s recent commitment to a new long-term agreement with the Milton Keynes squad, Red Bull has experienced the loss of other key members from their ranks.
‘Exceptional efforts’;
https://baylasportsf1.com/helmut-mar...ining-ferrari/
Christian Horner 'cost us millions' as Red Bull desperately tried to stop boss leaving
Red Bull had to dig deep into their pockets to stop Christian Horner from quitting.
11:38, Sun, Jun 4, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
Helmut Marko has admitted Ferrari tried to steal Red Bull’s two biggest team members in what could have been a double blow for the team. The Red Bull chief has confirmed Adrian Newey and Christian Horner were almost poached with the pair close to walking away.
‘Dig deep’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-newey-f1-news
Revealed: What stopped Adrian Newey joining Ferrari before Red Bull
08 Jun 2023 6:45 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Adrian Newey revealed he was “very tempted” to join Ferrari twice in the 1990s, but refused as he did not want his young children to change schools at the time. “I was very tempted to go there in the past, it is a legendary brand,” Newey told Sky Sport Italia. “They contacted me in 1993, I think, and then in 1997, when I went to McLaren from Williams. And that was a very difficult choice: at the time my children were very young and I didn’t want them to change schools. Honestly, if I was 20 years younger…”
Newey’s designs have won 23 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles throughout the course of his career to date, with the sport’s move to ground effect aerodynamics also playing into his expertise, given his university thesis was written on the subject.
“When new rules come out, like in that transition period between turbocharged and normally aspirated engines, I spend a lot of time thinking about what opportunities the new rules give you,” he said. “I always look for loopholes, situations where the rules ask you to do something but don’t force you, allowing you an original way of proceeding.”
“Very tempted”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/adrian...ll-temptation/
Red Bull reveal how they stopped Adrian Newey from joining Ferrari at the last minute
Ferrari have made no secret of their efforts to secure top tier talent from across the paddock, as they look to build a formidable team.
8 June 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News
In a surprising revelation, Red Bull’s key advisor Dr Helmut Marko has confirmed the longstanding rumours that Ferrari had made multiple offers to renowned technical mastermind Adrian Newey over the years.
“(Luca di) Montezemolo was already cheering in the paddock and wanted to announce the deal,”, Marko said. “But during the night we were able to change Newey’s mind.” The exact details of what prompted Newey’s change of mind remain undisclosed.
‘No secret of their efforts’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/red-bull-...e-last-minute/
Marko: Perez seat with Red Bull 'not in jeopardy'
10/06/2023 at 08:23
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Helmut Marko has rubbished rumors that Sergio Perez's seat with Red Bull Racing is in jeopardy after The Mexican's recent run of troubled race weekends. A crash in qualifying in Monaco and a mistake in Q2 in Barcelona that barred him from the Saturday afternoon shootout led to complicated races at both venues for the Mexican who scored just 12 points in Spain where Verstappen reigned supreme once again.
"It’s all nonsense," the Red Bull motorsport boss told F1-Insider. "Sergio’s place has never been in jeopardy and will never be in jeopardy! He is an important element in achieving the goals we have set for this year. We want to finish first and second in the Drivers’ Championship and become Constructors’ World Champion as quickly as possible."
After last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner suggested that falling title pressure would help Perez "relax" and re-find his early season form.
'Not in jeopardy';
https://f1i.com/news/477062-marko-pe...-jeopardy.html
Marko slates 'nonsense' Perez claims
09 June 7:00PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
The Red Bull Motorsport Advisor is not happy with reports regarding Perez's place with the team. But dismissing concerns surrounding Perez's place at the team, Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Marko told F1-Insider: “It’s all nonsense.”
“Sergio’s place has never been in jeopardy and will never be in jeopardy. He is an important element in achieving the goals we have set for this year. We want to finish first and second in the Drivers’ Championship and become Constructors’ World Champion as quickly as possible.”
On advice he had given Perez, Marko added: "After his rather weak performances in Miami and Monaco, I just reminded Sergio that he should concentrate on his job. Sergio’s good race after the failed qualifying session in Barcelona was again the first step in the right direction.”
‘Concentrate on his job’;
https://racingnews365.com/marko-slat...e-perez-claims
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Palmer cautious over Mercedes’ W14 F1 upgrades.
Ex-Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer is remaining cautious over Mercedes’ upgrades following its positive performance at the Spanish Grand Prix.
08:28 Sun, 11 Jun 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Palmer, who raced for Renault during the 2016 and 2017 F1 seasons, says he is not fully convinced over Mercedes’ upgrades due to its historic strong form in Spain. “They have significant upgrades on the car and on the face of it, it looks like they are yielding immediate results.”
“However this has always been a strong Mercedes circuit. Last year George Russell was fighting for the lead and ended up third, while Lewis Hamilton put in an eyebrow raising performance from the back of the field. It’s more likely that whilst the upgrades worked, the track characteristics also enhanced their performance.”
“Canada in a couple of weeks’ time might be a more interesting comparison, as it’s more akin to the street circuits we’ve had thus far. They seem to be on the correct development path now though so like last year, they should only get more competitive from here.”
‘W14 F1 upgrades’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...4-f1-upgrades/
Mercedes anticipates Canada to be a ‘bigger challenge’ for upgraded W14
13:41 Fri, 09 Jun 2023.
• Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport
Mercedes is expecting its newly-upgraded Formula 1 car to face a “bigger challenge” at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix than its recent breakthrough in Barcelona.
Speaking in Mercedes’ post-race debrief, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said: “The fact is that the update kit works very well around circuits like Barcelona with a lot of high-speed performance. We’ve been better at the fast circuits and the front-limited tracks. We ended up with a really good balance and really good race pace.”
“Now, where we are going to go next week, Montreal, it’s a very different circuit. There are more low-speed corners, quite a lot of straight-line full throttle and we would expect more of a challenge there.”
‘Bigger challenge for upgraded W14’;
https://readmotorsport.com/2023/06/0...-upgraded-w14/
Mercedes: Montreal 'more of a challenge' for W14 than Barcelona
09/06/2023 at 09:24
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Mercedes believes its upgraded W14 will face a bigger challenge in the Canadian Grand Prix than it did last week in Barcelona where the team achieved its first double-podium finish of the season. Mercedes rolled out its heavily updated car at Monaco, but the changes really came into their own at the Circuit de Catalunya, where the performance of the W14's more stable platform took a big step forward.
But Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' trackside engineering director, believes the outfit's car will likely struggle to uphold its Barcelona form due to Montreal's high-downforce characteristics. Shovlin reckons Mercedes will be battling at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve next week with its usual opponents, but the Mercedes engineer also expects Alpine to join the fight behind Red Bull based on Esteban Ocon's podium performance in Monaco.
"We are thinking it will be more along the lines of some of the earlier races where we were definitely in the bunch with Ferrari, with Aston, and now Alpine look to have joined that group," he said.
‘Montreal 'more of a challenge' for W14’;
https://f1i.com/news/477018-mercedes...barcelona.html
George Russell anticipates further Mercedes W14 upgrades.
June 10, 2023
Read Motorsport
George Russell has hinted that the upcoming British Grand Prix could see significant updates for the Mercedes team following their successful performance in Spain. Russell suggested that fans should keep an eye on the British Grand Prix in early July to see what updates the team brings.
“Yeah, Silverstone we’re excited for,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 in Barcelona. “I think we’ll be in a good place there to fight for a good result. We might have a couple more things coming for Silverstone. But we need to not get too carried away with just this one result. The team have done an amazing job to bring these upgrades.”
‘Further Mercedes W14 upgrades’;
https://baylasportsf1.com/george-rus...-w14-upgrades/
George Russell teases arrival of even more Mercedes W14 upgrades – and soon
10 Jun 2023 9:15 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
George Russell has hinted that the British Grand Prix might bring the next significant batch of updates for Mercedes, after their success in Spain. Mercedes are continuing on their path of making wholesale changes to the W14 after ordering a change of design concept, following a slower-than-anticipated start to 2023.
It was a positive showing from the team (at Barcelona) last weekend, even if team boss Toto Wolff tried to temper expectations by acknowledging the cool weather conditions put the car in an optimal performance window.
‘Even more Mercedes W14 upgrades’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...grades-teased/
SCHUMACHER: ‘I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT’ AS HE TESTS OUT THE W14 FOR THE FIRST TIME
June 8, 2023
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds
Mick Schumacher loved every second of testing on Wednesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as he got to drive the W14 for the very first time.
‘TESTS OUT THE W14’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sc...he-first-time/
Toto Wolff reveals his true feelings on upgraded Mercedes W14
07 Jun 2023 12:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff won’t be fooled by Mercedes’ double podium at the Spanish Grand Prix, although he does concede he is “cautiously optimistic” that they aren’t in for a repeat of 2022. “I’m never optimistic. Only fools are optimistic,” Wolff said as per Motorsport.com. “But in general I think it feels different than last year.”
“There’s still bouncing and it’s interesting to understand why. But we’ve learned so much over the past 12 months, so in general I have a lot of reasons to be cautiously optimistic.” But while the team has been criticised by some pundits for taking their time axing the zero-pods in favour of a downwash concept, Wolff says it was something “we had to work through.
“We had discovered the direction we’d come to simply didn’t work. We are a team of people that won eight consecutive championships and got it wrong last year and tried to find out what it was. We didn’t understand.”
‘True feelings on upgraded Mercedes W14’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-w14-feelings/
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Fred Vasseur told to bring his ‘knuckle-dusters’ to sort out Ferrari mess.
Vasseur is the latest in a long line of managers to inherit what appears to be the poisoned chalice of leading Ferrari. Binotto’s resignation after more than two decades of respected servitude at Ferrari comes not even five years after the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene, who himself only took over from Marco Mattiaci at the end of 2014 – Mattiaci himself having only put in a year.
12 Jun 2023 2:45 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
But former F1 racer and three-time Le Mans winner David Kennedy: “In my book, I don’t think you could get much better than Fred Vasseur. He’s got a fantastic pedigree,” Kennedy told PlanetF1.com in an exclusive interview.
“It’s like the old days when Ron Dennis was a racer, where Frank Williams was a racer, where Eddie Jordan was a racer – to bring a depth of experience, and a consummate knowledge to make a difference, to really understand it.”
“Fred has been running race teams for eons and they have been outstandingly successful so I think, provided they give him the latitude and he wears his knuckle dusters, he can make a big difference.”
‘Knuckle-dusters’ to sort out Ferrari mess’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fred-v...-ferrari-mess/
Ferrari CEO addresses whether his team could quit F1 with Red Bull and Mercedes dominating
Ferrari have struggled to compete with Red Bull and Mercedes in recent years.
13:12, Mon, Jun 12, 2023
By Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has insisted that the team remains fully committed to F1 despite being unable to match the success of Red Bull and Mercedes in recent seasons. Ferrari are the most successful team in the sport’s history, but have failed to claim a championship win in either category since 2008.
“Racing is in the DNA of our company. So Formula 1, world endurance championship, and we keep investing there because we see a lot of technologies that can go from the track to the road.”
“Was the bad start of the season in Formula 1 stressful for me?” Vigna added as he discussed the lack of podium finishes alongside Red Bull and Mercedes. “You know, I have more significant reasons for stress. For the team, this is a chance to improve and learn a lot. We must build a machine that will be better than the previous one, but this rule is true for everything we do.”
“Racing is in the DNA”;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-Bull-Mercedes
Ferrari affirm commitment to F1 after Le Mans win: “We will keep investing…”
12 Jun 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has affirmed the Italian brand’s commitment to F1 following their impressive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Speaking to Eurosport after Ferrari’s triumph at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Vigna insisted that “racing is in the DNA” of the company.
“It once again demonstrates that Ferrari is unique and that we make unparalleled cars. It is a unique car,” he said. “The next goal? To continue winning. Was the bad start of the season in Formula 1 stressful for me?
“Next goal? To continue winning”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102871...keep-investing
Hill: Mercedes has ‘leapfrogged’ Aston Martin, Ferrari F1 threat
13th June 2023, 10:41
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill believes Mercedes has “leapfrogged” the threat from rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari. When asked on the Sky Sports F1 podcast how much Mercedes could take from the result, Hill said: “I think quite a bit”
“Because they’ve actually shown in the race they’ve leapfrogged the threat from Aston Martin and Ferrari as well. They’ve actually shown [that on] a circuit where it really pushes the car’s ability to look after its tyres and have good balance and have good air performance, it’s shown that it’s got the potential there.”
‘Ferrari F1 threat, leapfrogged’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ari-f1-threat/
Sainz explains Ferrari upgrade plan: 'That was the main target'
12 June 10:00AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Carlos Sainz has insisted Ferrari's latest upgrade package is aimed at opening up future opportunities rather than providing an instant performance improvement. Praising the impact of the updates, Sainz told media, including RacingNews365.com: "The new package was meant to improve mainly the medium-to-low-speed and, in that area, we have definitely felt a step in the right direction. “
"A step into a different direction is not so much a big upgrade or a big change in our performance but opening a bit of a different window of working range for the car - that was the main target of this upgrade, not to suddenly go half a second quicker. I think that is doing the job and it's working well."
‘Ferrari upgrade plan’;
https://racingnews365.com/sainz-expl...he-main-target
Max Verstappen tipped to LEAVE Red Bull and join Ferrari by former Le Mans winner Richard Bradley, as the Brit claims the Dutch star needs to win in a 'sub-standard car' to go down as an 'all-time great'
Published: 08:18, 12 June 2023
By Sam Brookes For Mailonline
Mail Online
Max Verstappen has been tipped to leave Red Bull and join Ferrari by former Le Mans winner Richard Bradley - who says he must win in a lesser car to prove his greatness. 'I think that Max is going to end up at Ferrari in a couple of years,' Bradley told On Track GP.
'It wouldn't surprise me, I think especially if he keeps on winning titles and he starts to get complacent, and people start saying "oh, is he the greatest of all time?" Max is the sort of guy that goes "okay, well I'll do what Schumacher did: I'll take Ferrari from not being in the position to win, to make them World Champions".
‘Win in a 'sub-standard car', join Ferrari’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-Ferrari.html
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Jeremy Clarkson meets F1 team to buy BEERS after Monaco promise.
The 63-year-old rocked up in a tractor used in the 'Clarkson's Farm' TV show, with a trailer full of beers in the back.
Monday 12 June 2023 17:57
Harry Smith
GPFans
Jeremy Clarkson has delivered on his promise to buy a pint for everyone in the Alpine team after Esteban Ocon claimed a podium at the Monaco Grand Prix. The TV presenter had made the promise after Esteban Ocon qualified in P3 for F1's crown jewel event.
Clarkson, who hosted the legendary British motoring show Top Gear, has an affinity for the Alpine team due to their locality to him. Based in Enstone in Oxfordshire, the team are the nearest to Clarkson's farm, which has been the centrepiece of the Amazon TV show, 'Clarkson's Farm'.
Alpine confirmed that Clarkson had indeed delivered on his promise with a tweet on Monday afternoon. The TV presenter was pictured alongside Esteban Ocon, who converted his P3 qualifying finish to a podium during the Monaco Grand Prix.
‘A trailer full of beers’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-esteban-ocon/
Jeremy Clarkson honours Esteban Ocon bet by delivering beers to Alpine’s factory
12 Jun 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has stuck to his word of buying the Alpine F1 team some beers after Esteban Ocon finished on the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The former Top Gear star vowed to buy everyone at Alpine a pint if Ocon held on to secure a podium in Monaco last month. During the race, Clarkson said on Twitter: “Come on @AlpineF1Team I’ll buy you all a pint if you get a podium here.”
On Monday afternoon, Clarkson was pictured driving in on one of his tractors with plenty of beers in his trailer. Pictures surfaced on the Alpine Twitter account with Clarkson carrying the beers, and then chatting to Ocon at the team’s base at Enstone.
‘Jeremy Clarkson has stuck to his word’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102872...pine-s-factory
Clarkson makes good on Alpine Monaco F1 bet with factory beer delivery
17:11 Mon, 12 Jun 2023.
By: Sam Hall
Motorsport.com
Jeremy Clarkson has made good on his promise to gift beer to the Alpine Formula 1 team after Esteban Ocon finished on the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix.
As Ocon took the chequered flag, Clarkson added: "Well done Alpine. I owe you many Hawkstones." Now Clarkson has come good on his word, arriving at the Alpine factory with his tractor and a trailer full of beer.
Taking to social media, Alpine welcomed the refreshing delivery, saying: "Delivering on his word. Cheers for the beers, Jeremy Clarkson." Not one to want to miss an opportunity, Clarkson also made use of his access to the Alpine F1 car to place his brew’s branding on the A523.
‘Hawkstones brew’s branding on the A523’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/c...very/10482077/
Jeremy Clarkson buys 1,000 beers for entire F1 team and delivers them by tractor
Jeremy Clarkson has followed up on his promise to buy beers for the entire Alpine team following Esteban Ocon's impressive podium finish in Monaco.
18:08, Mon, Jun 12, 2023
By ARCHIE GRIGGS
Clarkson has paid close attention to many different eras of F1 in his role as one of Britain's leading motoring journalists and previously interviewed the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher during his time on Top Gear.
He revealed his fondness for Alpine while speaking to Martin Brundle on the grid at this year's Bahrain Grand Prix, with the French outfit based near his farm in the Cotswolds.
"It's not like football, you don't have a team," said Clarkson when asked by Brundle where his loyalties lie in F1. "I like Alfa Romeos, always have done. Alpine are my local team in Chipping Norton so I root for them a little bit. I'm friends with a bunch of people at Red Bull and I'm here with Salman [the crown prince of Bahrain]. I don't know."
‘1,000 beers’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...hem-by-tractor
Special delivery for Alpine as Jeremy Clarkson delivers on podium promise
12 Jun 2023 1:41 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
With “Estie Bestie” Ocon taking third place to claim his first podium since his win at the Hungaroring in 2021, the French driver took to Twitter to raise the visibility of Clarkson’s promise.
On Monday, Clarkson made good on his end of the deal by showing up in his famously oversized Lamborghini tractor, hauling a trailer to deliver bottles of Hawkstone to Enstone!
Based on some quick maths, Clarkson’s pay-out won’t have cost him ‘Diddly Squat’ either. On his website, a bottle of Hawkstone costs around £2.50. With Alpine boasting around 1000 employees on its F1 team, Clarkson will have had to have stumped up around £2500 worth of his beer to stay true to his word!
‘“Estie Bestie” Ocon took to Twitter about Clarkson’s promise’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alpine...kson-delivers/
Jeremy Clarkson gets the beers in after honouring Ocon bet
Monday 12th June, 2023 - 11:56pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
During the race, Clarkson wrote via his Twitter account: “Come on @AlpineF1Team I’ll buy you all a pint if you get a podium here.” The tweet had 2.4 million views, over 15,000 likes, and was retweeted 394 times by fans.
Ocon started the race fourth, and despite the drama from around lap 50 when rain began to fall, the Frenchman finished third for Alpine’s first podium since the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.
On Monday (June 12), Clarkson arrived via tractor at Alpine’s factory in Enstone to hand deliver the beers he promised, and to chat with Ocon.
‘Jeremy Clarkson gets the beers in’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/12...monaco-gp-bet/
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Alonso pledges to 'CRUSH' Red Bull and Mercedes.
Alonso then set his sights on the top teams ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. “In Canada, we’ll bring more things, and in Silverstone too… It will all depend on which team is bringing updates.”
Monday 5 June 2023 19:27
Harry Smith
GPFans
Fernando Alonso has claimed that Aston Martin will 'crush' their competition when the teams head to Canada in two weeks' time. The Silverstone-based team endured their trickiest weekend of the season so far at the Spanish Grand Prix with both Lance Stroll and Alonso struggling for pace relative to Mercedes.
Alonso then set his sights on the top teams ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. “Even then, with a normal qualifying, we would have started alongside Hamilton and could have had some better chances. I think it’s just one race – and then in Canada, we crush them.”
‘EL PLAN: 'CRUSH' Red Bull and Mercedes’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/
Fernando Alonso vows to ‘crush’ Lewis Hamilton
Aston Martin are set to introduce a series of upgrades at the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend.
9 June 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Fernando Alonso: “In terms of the constructors’, it’s true that Mercedes took some important points from us, but we took points from Ferrari again. In Canada we will bring more stuff, in Silverstone too… It will depend on who brings the improvements.
“Even with a normal time, we would have been on a par with Hamilton [in Barcelona] and maybe we would have had a better chance. I think it’s a race and, in Canada, we crush them.”
‘EL PLAN: ‘Crush’ Lewis Hamilton’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/fernando-...ewis-hamilton/
Fernando Alonso vows to "crush" Lewis Hamilton as F1 rivalry reignites
06:00, 6 Jun 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
Fernando Alonso fired a clear warning to Lewis Hamilton that he will provide much stiffer competition for the podium than was the case in Barcelona at the weekend.
Seventh place at the Spanish Grand Prix was Alonso's worst finish of the year by far and the Aston Martin racer is clearly keen to set the record straight next time out in Montreal
‘EL PLAN: F1 rivalry reignites’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...elona-30159065
Alonso ready for Mercedes: In Canada we will crush them
Aston Martin were convincingly beaten by Mercedes in Spain but Fernando Alonso thinks the Canadian Grand Prix will be different
June 12, 2023
By Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Fernando Alonso has warned Mercedes that Aston Martin will crush them at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix. Mercedes‘ double podium in Spain, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, plus Lance Stroll‘s sixth and Fernando Alonso‘s seventh saw Aston Martin drop to third in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship, 18 points behind the Brackley-based team.
With upgrades in the pipeline, the order of second fastest car behind Red Bull might change hands again as the development race continues between Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes.
‘EL PLAN: In Canada we will crush them’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...da-crush-them/
Alonso declares Aston Martin will 'crush' Mercedes with Canada upgrade
13 June 2023
Ben Issatt
Inside Racing
Fernando Alonso expects a significant upgrade will see Aston Martin "crush" Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix.
That sentiment was shared by Aston Martin boss Mike Krack, who admitted it was up to the team to keep up the pace in the development war that is now underway.
“He is right to ask us and push us for that,” he said. “There will be something coming in Canada. It will be a step.”
‘EL PLAN: "Crush" Mercedes’;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...canada-upgrade
Fernando Alonso reveals Aston Martin upgrade plan to ‘crush’ F1 rivals
05 Jun 2023 2:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Aston Martin appeared to take a step or two back in the pecking order in Barcelona, but Fernando Alonso warns of Canadian GP upgrades that can allow them to “crush” the competition.
And Canada will be the scene where Aston Martin take a statement in this development race and go into “crush” mode, so says Alonso, and Mercedes he is looking at you especially.
‘EL PLAN: “Crush” mode;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...-crush-rivals/
“In Canada, we crush them” - Fernando Alonso eyeing Aston Martin upgrades after Spain blip
5 Jun 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Fernando Alonso is confident Aston Martin’s lack of performance at the Spanish Grand Prix was a one-off after he scored his worst result of the season.
Looking ahead to future races, Alonso is sure Aston Martin will return to form when they introduce upgrades at the next race in Canada.
‘EL PLAN: Eyeing Aston Martin upgrades’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102794...ter-spain-blip
