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Wolff: Mercedes only ‘halved the gap’ to Red Bull, Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton may have finished on the podium but Toto Wolff believes there is still work to do as Mercedes have only “halved the gap” to Ferrari and Red Bull.
Date published: July 10 2022 - Sam Cooper
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, team boss Wolff acknowledged this and said they were currently “in the middle of nowhere. It’s just we’re missing a few things here and there,” he said. “I think we’ve halved the gap over the last few months. We understand better, but that’s still third for us.”
“We are somewhere right in the middle of nowhere but I would say if I tried to pick the positives in the race pace today, if we would have, which we didn’t, start right in the top six probably we could have held on to Max [Verstappen] and not be too far away.”
It would have been a stressful weekend for the 50-year-old who saw both of his cars damaged on the Saturday. The team were left running around for parts and Wolff described the rear wing fitted to George Russell’s car as a “barn door.”
‘Barn Door Parts!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-bull-ferrari/
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell 'can get heated' but Mercedes vow duo have same 'enemy'
TOTO WOLFF has spoken out on Lewis Hamilton and George Russell's relationship behind the scenes at Mercedes.
05:45, Tue, Jul 12, 2022
By Charlie Malam
Toto Wolff has revealed Mercedes' driver pairing of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell "can get heated" behind the scenes but says the pair are working brilliantly together. The two Britons have been battling an underperforming car this season and Wolff says the pair both see the W13 as their common enemy.
Before Bottas, Hamilton was involved in a toxic intra-team rivalry with Nico Rosberg who denied him the 2016 title and then retired. There were fears outside of the team that the pace of Russell could also cause another fractious relationship.
And after the Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff admitted the pair have their heated moments off track but are proving a great pairing. He said on Sky Sports F1: "They're very good. I think they understand that enemy No 1 is a car that's not performing like it should. We need to get there but their personalities, their characters, their mindset is very special.”
‘Enemy No. W13’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-enemy-F1-news
Wolff: Missing 2 or 3 tenths but there’s light at end of the tunnel
11 July, 2022
Paul Velasco
Toto Wolff hailed his Mercedes team for digging deep during the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix allowing Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to reward the massive effort with third and fourth place but also knows they are lacking the pace to mount a serious challenge, for now.
Reviewing the race in his homeland, team boss Wolff reported: “We always seem to be in two minds at the end of the races right now. We must accept P3 and P4 today. And when you think we had two cars in pieces on Friday afternoon, that’s a strong result.”
Wolff knows there is still a way to go: “We are missing the two or three tenths to be able to race at the front. We have glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel with the car – then it disappears again, and we need to get on top of that.
‘Digging Deep’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/07...ian-gp-report/
F1 fans think Toto Wolff has already made up his mind on Lewis Hamilton replacement
TOTO WOLFF could have a stellar replacement for Lewis Hamilton in his sights.
06:40, Tue, Jul 12, 2022
By Alex Turk
Some F1 fans are convinced that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is eyeing Ferrari poster boy Charles Leclerc as Lewis Hamilton's replacement. Wolff lauded Leclerc after his Austrian Grand Prix triumph on Sunday, sparking speculation over his future.
After the Austrian GP, Wolff heaped Leclerc with praise and teased that Mercedes, along with other teams on the grid, would like to call the Monegasque star their own. He said: "Charles was great today, but he always is. It doesn't cost me to say it, even if technically we're rivals - but I think every team would like a driver like Charles!"
One tweet read: "I've always said Leclerc to Mercedes is a possibility. He's top class and would fit nicely at Merc. Not too sure what the future holds for Leclerc and his Ferrari partnership, but it's feasible that at some point in the future, they may wish to promote Schumacher. Who knows?"
‘Charles Leclerc for W14?’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ilton-Mercedes
Wolff makes fresh Mercedes assessment after four podiums in a row
12/07/2022, 18:40
Author Michael Butterworth
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff says his team have halved the deficit to Ferrari and Red Bull since the start of the season.
Having won eight consecutive Constructors' Championships between 2014 and 2021, the Silver Arrows have slipped back this year, with the W13 showing a worrying propensity to porpoise in the season's early rounds.
But, with Mercedes scoring their fourth consecutive podium at the Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff noted the extent to which his team have closed the gap on the front-running Ferrari and Red Bull outfits over recent races. "We're missing a few tenths here and there," Wolff told Sky Sports F1 after the Grand Prix.
‘W13 Assessment Missing a Few Tenths’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-make...diums-in-a-row
WOLFF REVEALS DOUBLE QUALIFYING CRASH WILL IMPACT REST OF 2022
Aftermath of both Silver Arrows crashing will have consequences for the team
19:38 Sat, 09 Jul 2022.
James Phillips
Both Mercedes drivers crashed in qualifying for Austria. Team Principal Toto Wolff has confirmed the repairs to the W13 are costly in more ways than one. Such was the damage, Mercedes were working into Practice 3 on Saturday to rebuild both W13s.
The scale of the repairs has meant an unexpected and unwelcome secondary effect. F1 recently announced a 3% increase in the cost cap to cover the worldwide rise in inflation. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff speaking on Saturday confirmed that Mercedes have spent a third of the additional funds awarded by the rise on the overnight repairs to the W13.
Wolff confirmed that Mercedes is still operating above the cost cap. Praising his mechanics, Wolff admitted the mechanics needed to “work round the clock” to repair both cars.
‘W13 Rebuilding Costs’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wo.../?nowprocket=1
Martin Brundle left 'staggered' by extent of damage to Lewis Hamilton's car in Austria
LEWIS HAMILTON's crash in Austria left significant damage.
16:00, Sat, Jul 9, 2022
By Jack McEachen
Martin Brundle was left “staggered” after he saw the damage that Lewis Hamilton’s car suffered after his crash during qualifying at the Austrian GP. Both he and Mercedes team-mate George Russell had a frustrating Q3 that ended in crashes, as Hamilton hit the barriers at Turn 7.
"I think Mercedes got really unlucky with the amount of damage they got actually," Brundle told Sky Sports F1. "Two gearboxes, and Lewis had to have a chassis change. I'm staggered by that. There's usually a secondary issue to crashes like that. They have to get thrown back together, and sometimes there are then secondary issues."
‘Staggered W13 Damage’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-Russell-crash
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‘We could have had P6’ says Norris, as track limits time penalty costs him in Austrian Grand Prix.
With Norris and Ricciardo starting the Austrian Grand Prix P10 and P11, the McLaren pair were helped by retirements for Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz, allowing them to finish P7 and P9.
11 July 2022
Formula 1.
While seventh and ninth was a respectable result – albeit that P7 marked Norris’ worst ever result at the Red Bull Ring – it could have been even better had Norris not been handed a five-second time penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits. That prevented the Englishman from hunting down Mick Schumacher in the Haas for sixth – leaving Norris to reflect on the missed opportunity after the race, having finished 2.907s adrift of the German driver.
“I did two of them [exceeding track limits] very early on, so I was on my final warning for quite a long time. It’s a tough track to stay within the lines first of all, especially when you’re fighting the car a bit more, when you’re pushing to try and get the guys ahead – I have to push to that limit.
“I went over it a few too many times which cost us. We could have had P6 ahead of Schumacher I reckon, or at least had a fight with him I’d say, but [Haas] were quick, they did a good job.”
‘P6 Possible’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...8oQzruVKq.html
Norris explains his frustration with track limits penalty after racing to P7 at the Red Bull Ring.
10 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Lando Norris was handed a five second penalty by the stewards for repeatedly going over track limits during the Austrian Grand Prix, but the McLaren driver explained it’s not always easy to control the car in the middle of a high speed corner.
‘Frustrating Track Limits’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...827468898.html
‘We put up a solid race’ – Ricciardo satisfied with P9 in Austria after McLaren’s struggles at the Red Bull Ring
10 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
It wasn’t a vintage weekend for McLaren but the end result for Daniel Ricciardo was a points finish for ninth – which he said was “nothing to spray champagne over but a bit of damage limitation on a circuit that proved tricky for us.”
‘P9 Solid Performance’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...139385252.html
‘Pleased but not happy’ – McLaren’s recovery is full of caveats
Jul 11 2022
By Scott Mitchell
McLaren Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo was pleased to rescue a points finish from a difficult Austrian Grand Prix weekend but said he “wouldn’t go as far as happy”. Ninth place at the Red Bull Ring marked only Ricciardo’s fourth points return of a difficult 2022 season. “On a weekend when we weren’t strong – really ever – I think we did well to walk away with the double-points finish,” Ricciardo said.
So, the double points finish for McLaren could easily have been reduced to a ninth or 10th place for Norris alone. “I think a little bit of luck on our side with Sainz and Perez out, but with the pace, we deserved to be where we were,” Norris said. “Alonso was fast, the Alpines were very fast, to finish seventh and ninth was good points.”
“It’s damage limitation from what’s been a very difficult weekend – especially from my side, maybe not so much from the other side. With how compromised we were with set-up all weekend, and how far out we were with some things, we know there was a decent amount more potential in the car this weekend.” Norris was referring to the power unit issues that limited his mileage in FP1 and forced McLaren to make educated guesses on key parameters ahead of qualifying, after which the set-up was mostly locked in.
‘Pleased but not happy’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/pleas...ll-of-caveats/
McLaren 'considering' Sebastian Vettel as one of three Daniel Ricciardo replacements
DANIEL RICCIARDO has struggled to fulfil expectations since switching from Renault to McLaren.
15:34, Tue, Jul 12, 2022
By Stuart Ballard
McLaren are reportedly 'considering' their options regarding Daniel Ricciardo's future if the Australian driver decides to quit F1 after this season. There were high hopes for McLaren when they stole Ricciardo away from Renault last year as Carlos Sainz's replacement. But, other than a first F1 win at the Italian Grand Prix since May 2018, Ricciardo struggled for consistency. He ended the season finishing inside the top-10 just twice in the final seven races of the campaign.
Lando Norris regularly finished ahead in both qualifying and Sunday's races with the Brit only falling outside the top-10 once in all the races he finished. By his own admission, Ricciardo entered the 2022 campaign hoping for better results but McLaren have taken a backwards step this year.
Vettel is one of three drivers McLaren are taking a closer look at to replace Ricciardo. The report states Vettel, who is out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of the season, has been 'mentioned in connection' with the team. Alex Albon is also named as a 'possibility' given his impressive return to F1 with Williams this year after losing his seat at Red Bull last season. IndyCar driver Colton Herta will also test drive for McLaren this week, Andreas Seidl has confirmed.
‘Three Replacements Considered, Vettel, Albon and Herta’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...bastian-Vettel
I’m not walking away’: Ricciardo takes matters into his own hands as McLaren rumours swirl
July 14th, 2022 8:22 am
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Daniel Ricciardo says he remains committed to seeing out his McLaren contract through to the end of next year in the face of speculation over his future in Formula 1. Ricciardo is in the second year of a three-season deal with Woking but has struggled to reach the high benchmarks of set in his years with Red Bull Racing and Renault.
He’s also been unable to consistently match the performances of teammate Lando Norris through their tenure together, and this season he trails the Briton 64-17 in the standings after 11 rounds.
Taking to social media, Ricciardo made clear that he wouldn’t be vacating his seat anytime soon. “There have been a lot of rumours around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me,” he wrote. “I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport.”
‘Dan Defiant’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...943fdd82292f63
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Ocon: 'Perfect' 100th F1 race in Austria 'feels like a win'.
Esteban Ocon says P5 "felt like a win" after a "perfect weekend" to celebrate his 100th Formula 1 race in Austria.
12 July 2022
Ben Issatt
After Alpine teammate Fernando Alonso failed to start the Sprint, the Frenchman led the midfield for the remainder of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Unfortunately, Esteban Ocon wasn't able to keep the two Mercedes' at bay, but he was still thrilled to maximise a milestone moment in his F1 career.
"It was a perfect weekend in terms of performance and how we've optimised the result," he said post-race. It's not a win, but it feels like a win because there was nothing better that we could have done from qualifying to the Sprint to now.”
"There was some hope that I could have kept George [Russell] behind, but after the Virtual Safety Car restart he was just too fast, so there was no possibility to keep him under control and behind. 13 points and we obviously are tied with McLaren now in the Constructors' Championship."
‘100th F1 race in Austria 'feels like a win';
https://www.insideracing.com/index.p...els-like-a-win
Why a points finisher was left feeling like a winner in Austria
11 July 16:10
Author RacingNews365 Staff
Co-author Aaron Deckers
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon finished as the 'best of the rest' behind Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes at the Austrian Grand Prix. Ocon also praised Alpine's development efforts, noting a significant step forward with the package the team introduced at the British Grand Prix.
"It's very positive," Ocon declared, as he assessed the upgrades Alpine have being bringing to their cars in recent races. I'm very happy to see that the one that we brought to Silverstone made quite a difference – we can really see it now. I hope the next ones are going to be as big.”
"We still have work to do to be able to perform against the Mercedes, because they are still too fast, so if the team can bring more of this stuff, we will take it!”
‘Points Finish felt like a win’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-a-poin...ner-in-austria
Alpine’s Otmar Szafnauer: Austria proves “the team is continuing its momentum forwards” after recent upgrades
July 13, 2022
By Ashley Cline
BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon achieved his best finish of the season, taking fifth place at the Austrian Grand Prix, as team-mate Fernando Alonso finished tenth after starting at the back due to the issues he had on the starting grid of the sprint race.
Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer congratulated Ocon for his impressive result which coincided with his hundredth Grand Prix. He also said that the result proves that the team’s recent upgrades are having a positive effect.
“Firstly, congratulations to Esteban for marking his 100th Formula 1 Grand Prix start by scoring ten points in fifth place. He thoroughly deserved that after driving so well today and executing a very good two-stop strategy. By scoring so highly, combined with yesterday’s effort in the Sprint, it means the team is continuing its momentum forwards after delivering some good upgrades at recent events.”
‘EL PLAN: Alpine Momentum’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...cent-upgrades/
‘It was one of my best races this season’ – Alonso laments late double stop that cost Alpine ‘fifth and sixth' in Austria
12 July 2022
Formula 1.
“A point is better than nothing, even more so knowing that we started from the last row today,” said Alonso. “I think it was one of my best races this season, apart from Silverstone last weekend. We were fighting for a sixth or seventh position, but I felt strange vibrations on the tyres that we had just [fitted] after our second stop under the Virtual Safety Car period.
“As [the VSC was still in force], we decided to stop again to put on a new set of tyres. Unfortunately, we lost a few positions with this extra stop, and we had to fight until the last laps. At the finish, we managed to finish in 10th position. So, instead of fifth and sixth today, we are fifth and 10th, so it hurts a little bit now.”
Alpine had showed tremendous pace throughout the weekend but were again hampered by reliability issues when Alonso – starting in P8 for the Sprint – failed to take the start due to an electronics issue. And Alonso believes Alpine could be happy with their performance in Austria, but not the end result.
‘A point is better than nothing’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...grkf0rDzI.html
Alpine cleared over loose wheel for Alonso, keeps point
by Phillip Horton
09:58 Mon, 11 Jul 2022.
Fernando Alonso has escaped sanction following Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix after being investigated for an unsafe release. Alonso came into the pits during the Virtual Safety Car period but came in a lap later after complaining of vibrations from the left-front.
It emerged that the wheel had worked its way loose, prompting Alonso to pit once more, eventually coming home at the foot of the top 10. Stewards investigated the situation and deemed that “there is nothing in the video [evidence] to indicate that the pit stop was anything other than a normal pit stop.”
Nothing was wrong with the A522 until just before Turn 3, where the left-front wheel “slightly disengages from the car by a very small amount.”
‘Alpine Cleared’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...o-keeps-point/
Finger wag returned in Austria, this time it was Alonso
Date published: July 11 2022
Michelle Foster
For the second week running Formula 1 saw the finger wag in play, this time it was Fernando Alonso chastising Yuki Tsunoda. Last time out at the British Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was subjected to the finger wag as his Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto tried to bring him into line following a disappointing race for the championship hopeful.
Both later downplayed the moment with former F1 driver turned pundit Jenson Button pointing out that one does not finger wag a friend to “cheer them up”. Alonso’s wag to Tsunoda was definitely not in line with friendship, more chastisement.
Racing for position in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, the Spaniard tried to pass Tsunoda along the straight between Turns 3 and 4. The AlphaTauri driver pushed his Alpine rival towards the edge of the track, Alonso putting a wheel on the grass at 300 km/h. Despite the hairy moment, the Spaniard didn’t lift and seconds later overtook Tsunoda, giving him the good ol’ finger wag in the process.
‘Friendly Finger Wagging!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/finger...rnando-alonso/
Austria driver meeting began with Alonso ‘monologue’
Date published: July 14 2022
Jon Wilde
A lengthy drivers’ meeting that ended with Sebastian Vettel being fined was dragged out by a Fernando Alonso “monologue”, according to a report. After the Austrian Grand Prix sprint, it emerged Vettel had received a summons from the stewards having “failed to live up to standard” in the expectation of F1 drivers serving as role models.
The reason, it had turned out, was that the four-time former World Champion had walked out of the drivers’ meeting without permission and was duly fined 25,000 euros – suspended until the end of the season subject to any further breach of that article in the rules. Mick Schumacher subsequently said a discussion, understood to be about track limits, had been “going round in circles” while broadcaster Ted Kravitz, on Sky F1, suggested there had been a 20-minute argument about driving standards.
Reporter Michael Schmidt, of Auto Motor und Sport, says Alonso was taking centre stage as he defended his actions in Canada, where he had earned a penalty for weaving on the straight while trying to fend off Valtteri Bottas. Schmidt also made a joke that Vettel may even trigger his suspended fine to be imposed with another walkout in France, should Alonso choose to bring up the incident in Austria where Carlos Sainz got away with overtaking George Russell off the circuit.
‘Monologue Walk Out’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...ria-monologue/
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“Everything went as perfect as it can be” – Haas’ Guenther Steiner.
The Haas F1 Team enjoyed their best weekend since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix, after Mick Schumacher finished sixth and Kevin Magnussen finished eighth at the Red Bull Ring.
By Nick Golding
July 12, 2022
The Austrian Grand Prix saw Schumacher secure his best finish in Formula 1 to-date, as well as this, the German driver was awarded ‘Driver of the Day’ by the fans. Magnussen also drove strongly; however, had to nurse an engine problem the entire race, something which caused the American team and the Danish driver some concern.
Considering the lack of upgrades Haas have introduced so far this season, it was an incredible result for the team to be so competitive. As a result of Schumacher’s and Magnussen’s finishing position, the team jumped to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.
Team Principal Guenther Steiner labelled the weekend as “perfect”, with the Haas boss being incredibly happy to see his side move up in the standings. “A fantastic result for the team today with a double-points finish and back in P7 in the championship. There was one little issue with Kevin’s engine, but everything went as perfect as it can be. Thanks to the whole team for a big effort.”
‘Haas F1 Team Perfection’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...nther-steiner/
Mick Schumacher credits Guenther Steiner pressure for recent points haul
Published: 10 Jul 2022, 18:56
By George Dagless
Mick Schumacher has said the pressure from Guenther Steiner has helped him earn points with him coming home in sixth in Austria. The German finally ended his wait for world championship points last weekend at the British Grand Prix with him finishing in eighth place just behind Max Verstappen.
He went even better in the race in Austria this weekend, meanwhile, as he crossed the line in sixth and it might be fair to say he’s currently driving the best he ever has in Formula 1.
“As athletes you’re always after that pressure because that’s what’s going to light that candle under the bum to make you go quick! And it did in some ways. In Silverstone coming into the points was just what I needed to really set off fireworks in my case.” Certainly, Mick seems to have embraced what Steiner had to say about some of the big crashes he had had earlier in the campaign and he is now delivering.
‘Candle Under the Bum!’;
https://www.givemesport.com/88032420...nt-points-haul
Haas: Recent results validates decision not to rush updates
13:12 Thu, 14 Jul 2022.
by Phillip Horton
Haas boss Guenther Steiner believes the squad’s recent pace justifies its decision not to rush to bring upgrades to its 2022 car. “I would say a lot of people are surprised – we knew that there was more to come and then therefore said why should we rush to do something,” said Steiner.
“Even the drivers are saying ‘I’d never have believed this car can still qualify sixth and seventh when all the others bring packages’. I told them ‘yeah, they bring packages but you guys don’t know what packages they bring so how can you judge those packages?’ ”
“We know exactly what we are doing and can just try and do our best, and we need to believe in ourselves, and we did. I think we have proven that the car is still strong and there will be a package coming and hopefully it gets even stronger.”
‘Judging Packages’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2022/...-rush-updates/
Steiner jokes: Imagine where Haas will be with upgrades!
Date published: July 13 2022
Editor
“Can you imagine if we had upgrades where we are?” he laughed, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast. “I always say upgrades are overrated, in my opinion, and we will bring some in Hungary – hopefully they will work as they should work.
“I don’t always follow what the others are doing, you need to go your own way, and we decided in Barcelona not to bring anything just to bring them because it wasn’t good enough. We developed more and hopefully, when we bring them in Hungary, they will work.”
Having found pace and form with a very raceable car in 2022, a huge step forward from their disastrous 2020 and 2021 seasons, Steiner said there is a chance his team could fight for points at every race for the rest of the year. “It’s very good, very good for the team,” he beamed.
‘Steiner’s Upgrades: They Will Work’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...haas-upgrades/
Steiner explains what eases his concerns about Ferrari engine issues
14th July 2022, 17:50
Author RacingNews365 Staff
Guenther Steiner admits that seeing Carlos Sainz's Ferrari engine fail at the Austrian Grand Prix was a concern for Haas, but believes that the power unit's speed is still a strong advantage. When asked on the F1 Nation podcast if he had felt any concerns when Sainz's power unit failed, Steiner quipped: "No, no concerns at all... I'm joking!"
"Obviously when you see [what happened to Sainz, it's not good], and we had a few issues this year," Steiner continued. But I always say, [on the one hand] the engine is very good, it's very powerful. On the other hand, [there have been] issues. I don't like them, obviously, but then [compare it to] an engine like we had last year.”
"At least when you start the race, you know you can fight. Obviously, if you have an issue, then it's very disappointing, but the engine is very powerful. I'm sure Ferrari [will] work hard to get the reliability into it."
"No, no concerns at all... I'm joking!";
https://racingnews365.com/steiner-ex...-engine-issues
STEINER: “WE ARE NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT CONTRACTS”
Will Mick Schumacher remain in Formula 1 in 2023?
09:35 Thu, 14 Jul 2022.
Lena Ferle
For Günther Steiner, the boss of Haas, there have been many reasons to be joyful in recent weeks: his drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher collected 19 points in Great Britain and Austria. For Magnussen, the Silly Season in Formula 1 is uneventful this year. When he came back to the sport as a replacement for Mazepin, he directly signed a multiple-year contract.
Team Principal of the Haas F1 Team, Günther Steiner, explains what matters now. “Performance is everything in this sport. Sometimes you make the points even if you just lucked into points. We are not just going there and saying, ‘You made the points, great, and now he’s got a contract.’ That would be too simplistic and not good for anybody,” Steiner said.
“We need to see how he fights, how he makes the points and what performance he brings. It’s a performance sport and you need to bring the performance. At the moment we are not even thinking about contracts. As a team, we have always done it after the summer break.”
‘Performance Is Everything’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/st.../?nowprocket=1
Mick Schumacher's attitude questioned by Haas boss after getting 'upset' in Austria
MICK SCHUMACHER hit back at Haas after Saturday's sprint race as he felt he was faster than team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
08:41, Tue, Jul 12, 2022
By Luke Chillingsworth
Guenther Steiner has questioned Mick Schumacher’s attitude after the young German snapped back at the team at the Austrian Grand Prix. Schumacher was annoyed after Saturday’s sprint race as he was left to fight Lewis Hamilton while team-mate Magnussen pulled away.
‘Snapping Attitude’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-grand-prix
Guenther Steiner addresses tensions between Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen
Mick Schumacher achieved his best-ever F1 result at the Austrian Grand Prix.
13 July 2022
by Nick Golding
“I think sometimes a little anger helps to unlock the beast,” Schumacher told Sky Sports F1 after the race.
“I think we have been very consistent with what we have as a package and I don’t think we necessarily have made a huge step forward but I think this track maybe suits our car, suits our set up and maybe also suits our driving style in some ways so it will be interesting to see how Paul Ricard goes but I’m pretty sure, hopefully we will stay strong.”
‘Unlock the Beast’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/guenther-...vin-magnussen/
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AlphaTauri “desperately” need upgrades after “disaster” weekend, urges Gasly.
“The whole weekend was a disaster, apart from qualifying, concluded Gasly, who qualified 10th for Saturdays sprint race, but fell to the back of the pack at the start after tangling with Lewis Hamilton.
2022 Austrian Grand Prix
Posted on
14th July 2022, 7:17
Written by Hazel Southwell and Claire Cottingham
Pierre Gasly despaired at AlphaTauri’s lack of pace in Austria, saying the team needs to upgrade its car. “We were nowhere in terms of pace,” he said. “I tried to do everything I could inside the car, but at the moment there’s just nothing to do. So I think we desperately need these upgrades on the car to be able to get any decent result.”
Gasly had a series of setbacks during Sunday’s grand prix. He received a penalty for multiple track limit violations, which he said made little difference to his result. “It’s the same rule for everyone. I didn’t respect it, so I got penalised – my fault. I saw quite a lot of guys getting black-and-white flags. I think it was better in the past without these track limits. Anyway, you can’t go wider with a double kerb, but at the end of the day whatever rule they set, we’ve got to respect it.”
He said AlphaTauri’s chance of better results hinges on upgrades which are due to arrive at his home race next week. The team had “no pace” last weekend. “I mean nowhere.” he explained. “You look at Yuki, you look at myself, even the strategy we lost a position when we boxed, but at the end of the day we just have no pace. You can do whatever you want, any strategy you want, with the speed we have at the moment. [We] just can’t keep going like this.”
“Nowhere in terms of pace”, “No pace”, “I mean nowhere.”;
https://www.racefans.net/2022/07/14/...d-urges-gasly/
AlphaTauri set for major internal review after Austrian GP nightmare
13 July 17:00
Author Michael Butterworth
Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda ended the Spielberg race down in 15th and 16th places respectively, and with AlphaTauri now having not scored points in the last three Grands Prix, there were long faces in the team after Sunday's struggles.
"It's been really tough, that was a long race," lamented Tsunoda. "I had no pace at all this weekend and really struggled with the car sliding all over the place.”
"We need to go away and look at what the issue may be, as we've not seen anything in the data that explains why this weekend has been so difficult. I gave it my everything and there wasn't much more I could've done, but this has been the hardest race weekend we've had so far this year."
‘Sliding All Over the Place’;
https://racingnews365.com/alphatauri...n-gp-nightmare
Gasly voices upgrades desperation after AlphaTauri "disaster"
Tuesday 12 July 2022 10:30
Ewan Gale
Pierre Gasly is desperate for AlphaTauri to introduce its next raft of upgrades after a "disaster" of a weekend at the Austrian GP. The Frenchman was never in the running for points despite narrowly missing out on Q3 in Friday's qualifying session, one he should have competed in as Sergio Perez should not have been involved given a track-limits violation not spotted until too late.
Contact with Lewis Hamilton at turn one of Saturday's sprint put an end to his hopes of a healthy starting position for the grand prix. Starting 15th, Gasly failed to make any progress and ended a lap down on eventual winner Charles Leclerc.
“The whole weekend was a disaster apart from qualifying," conceded Gasly. "We were nowhere in terms of pace. I tried to do everything I could inside the car but at the moment there is just nothing to do.”
‘Upgrade Desperation’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/87...auri-upgrades/
Tost reveals why he gave Tsunoda a rap on the knuckles
14/07/2022 at 10:39
Phillip van Osten
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost says he gave "problem child" Yuki Tsunoda a serious rap on the knuckles after his run-in with teammate Pierre Gasly at Silverstone.
The pair were running seventh and eighth in the early stages of the British Grand Prix when Tsunoda went down the inside of Gasly at the tight right-hander at Village, where a contact sent both drivers spinning off the track.
"It was a nightmare for the team," Tost told the media in Austria. "Immediately after the race I called Yuki into my office and told him that this is absolutely a no-go and that he has to be more disciplined and patient.”
‘Knuckle Rap’;
https://f1i.com/news/448207-tost-rev...-knuckles.html
Tsunoda reacts to AlphaTauri hiring psychologist to work with him
09 July 07:50
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
Yuki Tsunoda has welcomed AlphaTauri hiring a psychologist to support him, but acknowledges that it may take some time before there are results.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently revealed that the team had made the decision due to the youngster's behaviour over team radio, including during the British Grand Prix where the Japanese driver came together with teammate Pierre Gasly.
"Thank God Max is calm, our problem child is Tsunoda," Marko was quoted as saying by German publication Motorsport-total. "We have organised a kind of psychologist to work with him, because he continued to complain through the corners, and that affects performance."
‘Psychological Development!’;
https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-re...-work-with-him
Honda Considering Returning to Formula 1 in 2026, Could Tweak Red Bull Branding Until Then
12 Jul 2022, 08:44 UTC ·
by Sergiu Tudose
Remember when Honda quit Formula 1? Of course you do, it nearly was “just yesterday” that the Japanese carmaker decided to focus its resources on battery electric road cars, instead of Grand Prix racing.
However, they did agree to keep helping Red Bull and AlphaTauri with regards to the manufacturing, assembly and support for its re-badged Formula 1 engines - using an HRC logo, which stands for Honda Racing Corporation.
Now, following Red Bull’s 2021 title win, together with F1’s push for sustainable fuels from 2026, speculation surrounding Honda’s return to F1 has recently surfaced, reports Motorsport. The HRC exec went on to add that his company is also eying more exposure within Red Bull and AlphaTauri, where instead of it just saying 'HRC' on the cars, we would once again see 'Honda' branding.
‘Just Yesterday Honda Quit, Just Tomorrow Honda Return’;
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/h...en-193334.html
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Aston Martin boss reveals main weakness of their 2022 car.
Team boss Krack spoke about Aston Martin’s lack of performance during a press conference at the Austrian Grand Prix, saying recent tracks haven’t played to their strengths.
Date published: July 14 2022
Editor
“Obviously, we all know we had not a very good start [to the season],” Mike Krack told reporters. “I think the last races before Silverstone, we had tracks that were suiting the characteristic of the car. But now, the last two tracks, they have really shown again, a bit better picture of where we are standing. And we simply are not performing enough. We’ve seen it in Silverstone. We have seen it yesterday. And we need to find our way out of there. We need to work ourselves out.”
Over the first 11 races of the season, Krack explained that a particular characteristic of the AMR22 has been uncovered – namely, the car doesn’t like high-speed corners. He revealed that the driver’s main complaints are “always about grip and balance”. “So obviously, when you push it really hard – which I always think when you have a car that is not quick enough, you over push or you try to over push – so you have balance problems, but also we have had sessions where to go faster, you need more grip,” he said.
“So, we struggled in high-speed, in all high-speed areas. In Canada, there were less of them, in Baku, there were less of them. [The] car is quite okay, I think, in the low-speed. And yeah, it’s mainly low-speed corners. But as soon as it goes high-speed, we are lacking.”
‘Aston Martin Main Weakness’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/aston-...ness-2022-car/
Gallery: Our 2022 Austrian GP weekend.
The Austrian landscape provided a great backdrop for Formula One's second Sprint weekend of the season, in what proved to be a difficult weekend for Sebastian and Lance.
11.07.2022
Aston Martin F1
‘Austrian landscape’;
https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...ian-gp-weekend
Stroll: Aston Martin ‘just lacking pace’ in Austria.
10 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Lance Stroll said he enjoyed “some good battles” in the Austrian Grand Prix, but ultimately didn’t have the pace to fight for points as he came in 13th.
‘Aston Martin: ‘just lacking pace’!’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...544826499.html
Vettel calls Austria an ‘unlucky weekend’ after pair of trips into the gravel following collisions
12 July 2022
Formula 1.
In an Austrian Grand Prix weekend in which Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin was sent into the gravel twice, before he came home P17 in Sunday’s race – the last of the remaining drivers – the only word the four-time champion could use to describe his experience at the Red Bull Ring was “unlucky”.
Vettel began the race down in 18th, and was one of the few drivers to start the race on the hard tyre. And despite being hit by debris at the start of the race, the German driver was able to continue and made steady progress, climbing as high as ninth in the first stint.
However, on Lap 38, battling for 13th with Pierre Gasly at Turn 4, the Frenchman clipped Vettel into the gravel, sending the Aston Martin driver plummeting down the order. And after a “disappointing” weekend, Vettel was simply looking to move on from Austria and ahead to France.
‘Unlucky Weekend’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...OfAI93ZY4.html
Sebastian Vettel rages after spin | 'What's wrong with these people?!'
15:14 Sun, 10 Jul 2022.
Sky Sports
Sebastian Vettel expressed his frustration over team radio after contact with Pierre Gasly caused him to spin off the track.
‘Frustration Rage’;
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...ttel-spins-out
Aston Martin boss Krack ‘confident’ that Vettel will stay beyond 2022 to reap rewards of hard work
14 July 2022
Formula 1.
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has expressed his hope that Sebastian Vettel stays with the team beyond the end of this season, as he called the two years the four-time champion will have spent with the squad an “investment”.
Vettel joined Aston Martin in 2021, and has scored 58 of their 95 points so far. However, the German’s contract is set to expire at the end of 2022. Team boss Krack previously said it would be “foolish” for the team not to try and retain Vettel’s services, and in Austria he evaluated talks between the squad and their veteran driver.
He added that, despite Aston Martin occupying ninth in the standings, both drivers have been dealing with the situation positively and pragmatically. “I think both drivers, we really have to say hats off, how they cope with it, how constructive they still are with us. There is no bad word, nothing at all. We try to do this together, try to get out together, they give us very good feedback.”
‘Good Feedback’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...HHW2X3Myc.html
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Vettel left drivers’ meeting after ’20-minute argument’.
Speaking during his Notebook show, Sky Sports F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz said that Vettel had grown frustrated with an argument that had lasted 20 minutes before he decided to get up and leave.
Date published: July 11 2022
Sam Cooper
“They kept going around… apparently, there was a big argument between all the drivers – they were talking about driving standards and it went on for 20 minutes,” Kravitz explained.
“Sebastian was sitting there and thinking, look we are going around and around in circles, we haven’t got onto the actual drivers’ briefing yet, if you’re not going to talk about it, I am just going to walk out.”
“He went to the race director in the end and made good which is why he got a suspended fine and not anything else.”
‘Round and Round!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebast...-meeting-exit/
FIA should apologise for "deplorable" attack on "hero" Vettel.
Friday 15 July 2022 08:20
GPFans Staff
Vettel was accused of failing to be a good role model for his behaviour, a quote that went against the grain as the Aston Martin driver has in recent times tackled a host of serious societal and environmental issues away from the circuit. Vettel was ultimately handed a suspended fine of €25,000 after offering an apology for his walk out.
Ewan Gale - F1 Writer. "I really hope someone comes out and says something about this, to suggest Sebastian Vettel wasn't being a role model, I mean come on. "There are two drivers on that grid - Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton - for everything they do, for the sport and away from the sport, to come out with that statement when they gave the suspended fine and say he wasn't being a good role model, sorry, that is tone deaf - absolutely tone deaf and deplorable.”
Ian Parkes - Editor-in-Chief "I asked Seb twice in the media pen post-race on Sunday 'What are your thoughts?' and he said 'ask the FIA'. You could tell he was not happy. It was a very unusual stewards' statement that came out. They don't go to that level of a personal attack. They are normally very straightforward, matter of fact, this happened, that happened, this is our decision and why we made our decision.”
'Hero Vettel: “Ask the FIA” ';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/87...astian-vettel/
Mick Schumacher and Daniel Ricciardo defend Sebastian Vettel after FIA clash
Sebastian Vettel was given a suspended 25,000 euro fine after leaving the drivers' briefing early in Austria.
12 July 2022
by James Clifford
Mick Schumacher and Daniel Ricciardo have sympathised with Sebastian Vettel leaving the FIA drivers’ briefing without being excused in Austria. The inconsistency of the stewarding this year was brought up by Fernando Alonso after Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc escape punishment in Silverstone for indiscretions he had already been penalised for in previous races.
George Russell indicated after the briefing that the FIA might be advised to “stick to one race director” after the arrival of Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich this year, which appears to have further convoluted the situation in race control. It also seems that the hierarchy has lost control of the drivers, because Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz reported on Sunday that there had been some arguments among the racers about driving standards so far in 2022.
This was taking place instead of the planned meeting, so Vettel decided he had heard enough, and walked out to attend to his other commitments. Schumacher agreed that the conversation was not really going anywhere, and suggested that his German compatriot was not the only one who wanted to leave. “I just felt like we were going in circles with some of the things that were discussed,” he said, quoted by Autosport.
‘Not the only one who wanted to leave’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/mick-schu...ter-fia-clash/
Sebastian Vettel punished by the FIA for suggesting Masi approach was better
Sebastian Vettel reportedly walked out of the drivers' meeting on Friday in Austria.
10 July 2022
by James Clifford
On every Friday of a race weekend, the drivers are mandated to arrive at the briefing room to be told of any important information for the remainder of the weekend, and discuss anything that might have popped up throughout practice.
The Race reported that there is a feeling among the drivers that the alternation between Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich is “not working effectively,” so they are “discontent” at the current situation.
Vettel is said to have strongly imparted his opinion onto Wittich, who has since held a “constructive conversation” with the four-time world champion, before walking out of the meeting without being excused.
‘Walk Out’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/sebastian...ch-was-better/
Vettel ‘not a saint’ amid FIA briefing saga
Grandpx.news07:06 Sun, 10 Jul
ANDREW MAITLAND
Despite insisting he tries to “set a good example” in Formula 1, Sebastian Vettel has been penalised for storming out of a meeting in Austria. The quadruple world champion, who is increasingly involved in social, cultural and environmental activism, had a EUR 25,000 fine suspended for the rest of 2022.
According to stewards, the 35-year-old stormed out of the drivers’ briefing. “Drivers at this level are role models for every driver around the world and in the opinion of the stewards, Vettel failed to live up to that standard in this case,” a statement read.
Earlier, he hit back at those who believe he should stop moralising and telling people what to do and stick to racing his Aston Martin. “I’m not a saint, I can’t tell anyone how to behave,” the German told Sport1.
‘Vettel: The Saint (Work In Progress)!’;
https://grandpx.news/vettel-not-a-sa...briefing-saga/
Tech Draft: Black faced Vettel a wakeup call F1 needs
14 July, 2022
Mark Kay
This Tech Draft reflects on some aspects of the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, but mainly a sustainability-related issue sparked by the scene of Sebastian Vettel covered in brake carbon dust. The image of Sebastian Vettel covered in carbon dust alongside an FOM sign promoting the hybrid engine as the world’s most efficient was a juxtaposition Stefano Domenicali and his team should look long and hard at.
Carbon/carbon braking systems have unparalleled performance, are light, they operate at much higher temperatures and cool well, are almost immune to thermal shock, they are very rigid at high temperature and so the pads don’t wedge and knock, and critically they wear in a linear manner which means the rate at which the pad wears in comparison to the rotor is completely predictable.
Nevertheless, carbon/carbon braking systems are very dirty, as we know from those images of Vettel after Sunday’s race, the by-products of their use isn’t just black burnt carbon dust, which is a known carcinogen, but there are other nasties in the composite matrix that become toxic and carcinogenic when they burn, such as the binding resins.
‘Black burnt carbon dust, is a known carcinogen’;
https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/07...call-f1-needs/
Sebastian Vettel "feels like there is a target on my car" after being taken out by rivals.
21:01, 14 Jul 2022
By Daniel MoxonF1 Writer
The German has endured a tough season so far with strugglers Aston Martin, and his fortunes did not improve at the Austrian Grand Prix where he was clipped by two different rivals. Sebastian Vettel was left to rue his bad luck after being sent spinning in two separate collisions during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
The German travelled to the Red Bull Ring hoping to build on the two points he managed at Silverstone a week earlier. But all that was in store for the Aston Martin racer was a return to the more familiar misery that he has endured for much of this season.
Qualifying was a disaster as he set the slowest time of all, but Saturday's Sprint started promisingly as the four-time world champion moved up to 14th on the opening lap. It will have given his team hope of a better starting place for the main event the following day.
‘The Saint (Work In Progress): More familiar misery’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...gasly-27486085
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“It’s disappointing to leave without a point” – Alfa Romeo’s Frédéric Vasseur.
Frédéric Vasseur admitted the Austrian Grand Prix was a difficult weekend for the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN as they failed to register a points finish with either Valtteri Bottas or Zhou Guanyu.
July 14, 2022
By Paul Hensby
Vasseur, the Team Principal at Alfa Romeo, said the team knew it would always be difficult to score points on Sunday, but the fact they came as close as they did under difficult circumstances gives them hope heading into the next double header later this month, which starts with the French Grand Prix at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
“It’s been a difficult weekend for us, and to nearly come away with a point despite all that happened shows the attitude of this team,” said Vasseur. “With Valtteri starting from the Pit Lane and Zhou in P13, we knew we had a tough job ahead of us if we wanted to come away with a good result, and we very nearly did.”
“It was a hectic race, with lots of battling and action – a great advertisement for our sport: for the team, we had nearly delivered a great comeback, but the tyre advantage Alonso had on the final lap was too much for Valtteri to overcome, and Zhou’s penalty really put an end to his hopes of points. It’s disappointing to leave without a point, but we will regroup and aim to start scoring again in France.”
‘Lots of battling and action’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...deric-vasseur/
‘We did everything right’ – Bottas sanguine about just missing out on points after pit lane start in Austria
10 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Valtteri Bottas started the Austrian Grand Prix from the pit lane and ultimately ended up P11, just one place out of the points – but the Finn said there wasn’t any more he or the team could have done on the day.
‘We did everything right’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...773647017.html
Bottas laments 'lack of pace' in Austria after losing P10 on final lap to Alonso
12 July 2022
Formula 1.
It was a difficult weekend in Austria for Alfa Romeo, culminating in Valtteri Bottas finishing in 11th, after narrowly losing out on a top-10 finish on the last lap, while Zhou Guanyu came home in P14. And speaking after the race, Bottas admitted that, while his team did everything they could to get points, they were ultimately just lacking pace.
“I was hoping for points today, that was the target, and it’s a bit disappointing to be finishing just outside the top 10,” said Bottas. “In the last lap, Fernando was closing the gap pretty fast with a new set of tyres, and ultimately got me.”
"Besides that, I think it was a good race, also strategy-wise, and we did everything we could give where we started: we just lacked a bit of pace, especially through the corners.”
‘Lack of Pace’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...8FTJrO3oY.html
Zhou: 'Risky' first stint on hard tyres in Austria a mistake.
13/07/2022 at 17:26
Phillip van Osten
Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu admitted after last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix that starting his race on the hard tyre was not only a risky choice but also one that was misguided. Given a chance to do it all over again, Zhou would have opted for the medium compound tyre.
"It wasn't the best weekend, but in the race I think the problem was just the hard tyres, we just couldn't switch them on," said the F1 rookie. "For me, it was all degradation, and not getting any reward from it.”
"If I was to go back, I would go back to the medium tyres, because the mediums we had on for 20 or 30 laps, [and] I felt we found the pace again we had yesterday [in Saturday's sprint race]. So it just shows maybe our set-up wasn't the best for the hard for today. So that compromised the race.”
‘Hard Tyres a Mistake’;
https://f1i.com/news/448184-zhou-ris...n-austria.html
Bottas worried Alfa Romeo could get left behind improving midfield rivals
12 July 11:10
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Aaron Deckers
Valtteri Bottas believes Alfa Romeo need more performance gains after losing ground in the Constructors' Championship to Alpine and McLaren. Valtteri Bottas has voiced his concern about Alfa Romeo's pace after losing ground to Alpine and McLaren at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Finn came close to completing a strong recovery drive after starting the race from the pit lane. Having taken power unit penalties earlier in the weekend, Alfa Romeo elected to start Bottas from the pit lane in order to make set-up changes for the race.
These efforts almost came to fruition, with Bottas running in 10th on the final lap of the Grand Prix. However, the final points-paying position was lost on the final lap to Fernando Alonso, much to Bottas' frustration.
‘Alfa Romeo could get left behind’;
https://racingnews365.com/bottas-wor...idfield-rivals
Valtteri Bottas: Alfa Romeo engine misfiring affected Sprint performance.
09 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas hopes the technical issues that dogged his performance in the F1 Sprint at the Red Bull Ring won't be replicated in Sunday's 2022 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
‘Engine Misfiring’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...265687079.html
Zhou reveals he had to do a full restart procedure on his Alfa Romeo after his engine died on the Sprint formation lap.
09 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Zhou Guanyu was seen crawling to a stand still on the Sprint formation lap, and revealed his engine had switched itself off, forcing him to do a full restart procedure to get the car running again.
‘Full Restart Procedure Necessary’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...323853261.html
Alfa Romeo: Where It Came From, Where It’s Going
The 112-year-old company has done it all, plans to keep doing it.
Jul 15, 2022
BY MARK VAUGHN
Historically speaking Alfa has really done it all: five world championships between 1925 and 1977, four Le Mans victories, 17 European Touring Car titles, and 10 Targa Florio and 11 Mille Miglia wins. When Enzo Ferrari wanted to try his hand at racing, before there was a Ferrari race team, he drove for and later managed the Alfa Romeo team, which included no less a talent than Tazio Nuvolari.
Alfa Romeo was founded in Milan in 1910 as “Anonima Lombardo Fabbrica Automobili,” and even you would rather just say Alfa. The “Romeo” was added after a savior of the same name ran the company for a while. One year after its founding, Alfa went racing, first in the Targa Florio, then the Mille Miglia and, of course, in Grand Prix. It won everywhere.
‘Alfa Romeo Tradition’;
https://www.autoweek.com/news/indust...ere-its-going/
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Alfa Romeo share remarkable details over Zhou's British GP crash.
Following Zhou Guanyu's dramatic British Grand Prix crash, Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseur says the Chinese driver was remarkably non-plussed upon his immediate return to the garage.
14 July 12:50
Author Michael Butterworth
Co-author Aaron Deckers
Alfa Romeo Team Principal Fred Vasseur says Zhou Guanyu's first thought when he returned to the pits after his dramatic British Grand Prix crash was whether the team would have enough spare parts for the following race in Austria.
Having been tagged by George Russell just after the start at Silverstone, Zhou's car flipped upside down and skidded at high speed off the track, with the force of the impact seeing the Alfa Romeo vault the outer barrier and come to rest wedged sideways against the inner catch fencing.
Though there was much concern for Zhou's condition, the Chinese driver was released after precautionary checks at the circuit's Medical Centre, and later posted on social media to confirm he was unhurt. So unscathed was Zhou after the crash that Vasseur said the F1 rookie's immediate concern was for the stock of parts in the Alfa garage, rather than his own wellbeing.
‘Zhou Guanyu non-plussed upon his immediate return to the garage’;
https://racingnews365.com/alfa-romeo...itish-gp-crash
Zhou proving the ‘perfect choice’ for Alfa Romeo
Date published: July 13 2022
Jon Wilde
Fred Vasseur has hailed Zhou Guanyu as the “perfect choice” for the second seat in a much improved Alfa Romeo team this year. The Swiss-based squad have reached the halfway mark of this season with 51 points already collected – in the previous two campaigns combined, they scored a total of only 21.
Zhou has contributed only five of the 51, but there is a huge gulf in experience between he and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas who won five consecutive Constructors’ titles with Mercedes and won 10 races. Bottas, released by Mercedes after the 2021 season, was a no-brainer for Alfa Romeo to hire, but taking on Zhou was a tougher choice given he was an F1 rookie – and when the team also have a bright F2 prospect coming up through their ranks in Theo Pourchaire.
The Frenchman could have been thrown in at the deep end this year at the tender age of 18, but instead Alfa Romeo opted for Zhou, who is just over four years his senior, at least partly due to the sponsorship revenue he brings from China.
‘Perfect Choice’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/zhou-g...erfect-choice/
Alfa Romeo still investigating Zhou rollhoop collapse
14/07/2022 at 18:11
Michael Delaney
Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseur says the Swiss outfit is still investigating the collapse of the rollhoop of Zhou Guanyu's C42 during the Chinese driver's terrifying crash at Silverstone earlier this month. The element failed on its first impact with the tarmac when Zhou's car overturned following a start-line contact with the Mercedes of George Russell.
Fortunately, the Alfa's Halo cockpit safety device protected Zhou during his harrowing ride that saw the car skid upside down to the first corner before it somersaulted over the top of the tyre barrier and came to rest against catch fencing. Alfa Romeo said at the time that it would conduct along with the FIA an investigation into the rollhoop's failure.
"It's still under investigation, and we'll share all the information about the crash with the FIA," Vasseur said last weekend in Austria. "The first [issue] is that the crash was something like two times more than the load of the crash test. I don't know if you had the look on the tarmac, but we dug a groove into the tarmac something like four or five centimetres deep.”
‘Rollhoop collapsed, Alfa's Halo cockpit safety device protected Zhou during his harrowing ride’;
https://f1i.com/news/448235-alfa-rom...-collapse.html
What FIA intends to change after Zhou’s F1 rollhoop failure.
Jul 15 2022
By Edd Straw
The FIA will introduce “more stringent measures” in Formula 1’s rollhoop regulations for 2023 following Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu’s accident at the start of the British Grand Prix. This follows Thursday’s meeting of the technical advisory committee, which drew on the analysis of the Silverstone accident and resolved to take action to improve the rollhoop rules.
The nature of the more stringent measures has yet to be decided on, although the FIA is working on the modifications to the technical regulations. A statement released by the FIA on the TAC meeting said it “discussed the serious incident involving Zhou Guanyu at Silverstone.
“The teams confirmed their availability to introduce more stringent measures on the rollhoops for 2023, and the FIA undertook to complete the relevant analyses, and to communicate to the teams new requirements for the safety of the rollhoop.” Although details of the investigation into Zhou’s accident have not been released, it’s clear that what’s called the ‘primary roll structure’ suffered a failure during the crash. F1 cars are required to have two roll structures, with the halo – that Zhou credited for saving his life – the secondary one.
‘The FIA will introduce “more stringent measures” in Formula 1’s rollhoop regulations for 2023’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/what-...lhoop-failure/
FIA to impose 'more stringent' rollhoop measures for 2023.
15/07/2022 at 10:43
Phillip van Osten
The FIA will introduce for 2023 "more stringent measures" for rollhoops in Formula 1 following the recent crash suffered by Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu at the British Grand Prix. The rollhoop on Zhou's Alfa C42 collapsed on impact when the car overturned following a start-line contact with the Mercedes of George Russell at Silverstone.
F1 teams typically use a double concept rollhoop design that integrates with a car's chassis. However, Alfa Romeo relies on a single-spike design on its C42, an option authorized by the FIA but which may be outlawed in the future if the governing body mandates the double rollhoop structure.
The FIA's approach to improving rollhoop strength could target more stringent load tests as well as structural design changes. The changes will take into account the findings from Alfa Romeo's investigation into Zhou's crash which the Swiss outfit is in the process of completing and sharing with the FIA.
‘More Stringent Rollhoop Measures’;
https://f1i.com/news/448253-fia-to-i...-for-2023.html
More stringent rollhoop tests planned following Zhou's British GP crash
15/07/2022
NEWS STORY
While it was the Halo that rightly got the praise following the first lap crash which saw the Chinese driver's Alfa Romeo flipped over and skid along the track over the gravel trap that followed and finally barrel-rolling over the barriers into the catch fencing, it was the failure of the car's rollhoop that caused serious concern. Alfa Romeo is alone in being the only team to run a 'spike' (triangular) rollhoop design, the Swiss team doing this for aerodynamic reasons, and it remains to be seen whether, following the investigation into the failure, such designs are banned.
"The principal structure must pass a static load test details of which may be found in Article 13.3.1," state the 2022 regulations. "Furthermore, each team must supply detailed calculations, which clearly show that it is capable of withstanding the same load when the longitudinal component is applied in a forward direction." The crash test for the rollhoop applies "a load equivalent to 60kN laterally, 70kN longitudinally in a rearward direction and 105kN vertically", allowing only 25mm deformation along the loaded axis, with "any structural failure limited to 100mm below the top of the roll structure when measured vertically".
"The last time I was involved in a project that ran a roll hoop like that, I think it was 2011," said AlphaTauri technical director, Jody Egginton in Austria, his team, like the majority opting for a double concept. "I remember the reasons for it, and they were specific. "Obviously, we are all subjected to and pass the same test, that's a requirement," he added. "But I guess these are the topics which are going to be raised in the TAC (Technical Advisory Committee), to see how we go forward and what the FIA view is."
‘Technical Advisory Committee and FIA Decisions’;
https://www.pitpass.com/73113/More-s...itish-GP-crash
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Williams’ Dave Robson: Austria was a “good result for the entire team who worked very hard to get us back into this position”.
Williams Racing Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson was pleased to see a great race and recovery for Alex Albon after losing positions in Saturday’s sprint, though Nicholas Latifi had to retire as a result of floor damage.
July 15, 2022
By Ashley Cline
Robson said that Albon’s battle for the final points position with Valtteri Bottas was a close one, and that he was disappointed that he ultimately missed out on a top ten finish.
“Today was a good recovery after the result yesterday. Alex drove well and the strategy worked well. Having got into the top 10 with only 10 laps to go, it was disappointing to miss out on a point.”
“However, we had been battling with Bottas since the first pitstop and it was a tight race that could’ve gone either way. At least we got a full race completed with the updated car, which gives some data to go through before we run again in France.”
‘Great Race Recovery’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...this-position/
Concept change means Williams FW44 is a ‘new car’
Date published: July 17 2022
Jon Wilde
Williams have revealed they are treating their heavily-revised FW44, driven by Alex Albon at the last two races, as essentially a “new car”. Albon was given the major upgrades for the British Grand Prix, but any hope of them bringing an immediate reward were scuppered before he had even reached the first corner as he was punted into the wall and out of the race by Sebastian Vettel.
The British-Thai driver then finished 12th in Austria, while his team-mate Nicholas Latifi retired with floor damage and the Canadian hopes the big updates will be on his car for the French Grand Prix. It was no surprise Williams have tried a different approach because they are last in the Constructors’ standings, with only the three points collected by Albon so far, and their revamped design has headed more in the Red Bull direction regarding its sidepods – although there is no suggestion of copying.
Even Albon himself said: “Everyone started a bit different and it’s either the Ferrari concept or the Red Bull concept that seems to be adopted. “Ours looks more like the Red Bull car, but I wouldn’t call it like-for-like. It’s the direction we’ve headed into.”
‘Williams FW44 is a ‘new car’!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...oncept-change/
Alex Albon: “The whole race we were more or less matching the McLarens”
July 15, 2022
By Ashley Cline
Williams Racing’s Alex Albon was on the verge of points at the Austrian Grand Prix, ending up taking twelfth place after starting in fifteenth. In his battle to fight for the final points position, Albon said that he was too hard on his tyres– leading him to losing crucial positions.
“It was a fun race. We took risks, we were bold and I had to push a little bit too hard on the tyres to keep up with Valtteri as he was a little bit quicker than us, so I knew what I was doing wasn’t kind to the tyres but I was trying to stay close to him.”
Overall, Albon was happy with the race in spite of missing out on points, as he said the car advanced in Austria and was performing about on par with the likes of McLaren F1 Team.
‘Matching the McLarens’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-the-mclarens/
Albon: Improved Williams downforce a ‘good platform’
Date published: July 14 2022
Michelle Foster
The Austrian GP weekend was a better one as the driver came through the weekend unscathed, 12th in qualifying before losing positions in the sprint race and then recovering to P12 in the grand prix. “We’ve got more downforce, that’s clear,” Albon told Motorsport.com of the new parts.
“It is a little bit trickier to use in some places, especially at this circuit it was very tricky, with the wind changing. I don’t know how the others felt it, but it was a very tricky race to drive. But the way I see it is we’ve got the downforce, that’s the important bit, then it’s trying to get the balance into it.”
“So we’ve got the rest of the season to do that. And we’ve got a good platform to start on, as I said, you just see it, it’s not the most intricate car in that sense. And we can build on that. It’s a good base. You see the top teams are most probably confident in their base car, and then they’re just fine-tuning it, week on week on week,” he said. “We’ve done quite a big change to the car, a different philosophy, which takes much more time to understand. It’s a little bit more of a reset.”
‘Improved Williams downforce a ‘good platform’ ’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...ams-downforce/
Albon: Williams ‘definitely made a step forwards’ with new upgrade package in Austria
10 Jul 2022
Formula 1.
Williams brought a new upgrade package to the last race at Silverstone for Alex Albon, but he was unable to really assess it after he crashed on Lap 1. But in Austria he ran the whole race and was encouraged by the team’s improved pace.
‘Upgrade Package, Step Forward’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...628989257.html
Albon encouraged after new Williams updates deliver in Austria
12 July 16:10
Author Michael Butterworth
Co-author Aaron Deckers
In his first full race at the wheel of his updated Williams FW44, Alex Albon issued a positive report following the Austrian Grand Prix. Alex Albon has hailed his Austrian Grand Prix weekend as encouraging, after completing his first full race distance with a new upgrade package on his Williams FW44.
In Austria, Albon finished 12th of 17th classified finishers, and was just six seconds behind 10th-placed Fernando Alonso by the chequered flag, prompting the British-Thai driver to issue a positive report on the day's action. "We were running P10 at one point, which I was really happy about," Albon told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"With the Medium tyres, we took a step up in performance, and I was happy. It’s our first full race with the new aero package. We'll learn a lot from today, we'll look at the data and conclude where we're struggling, where we're weak. We're clearly still missing a little bit, but we're still getting to grips with the car."
‘Williams Update Encouragement’;
https://racingnews365.com/albon-enco...ver-in-austria
Williams Racing moving in the right direction
July 17 2022
By Andrew Hooper
Williams Racing had started the 2022 Formula One season with some positive results but as other teams made gains the team would see itself stuck at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship with just three points. So after much anticipation the Williams Team would finally produce a major upgrade package for their problematic FW44 first appearing at the British Grand Prix. The only limitation was the fact that the team was only able to produce one upgraded car for Alex Albon.
But after some excellent work by the team mechanics the upgraded car would return for the Austrian Grand Prix where Alex Albon would have a far better opportunity to assess the new car given the far improved weather conditions. Again it would only be the car of Alex Albon that would run the upgraded components with Nicholas Latifi being forced to run the older design.
But regardless the team had learnt a lot over the weekend and hopefully that will give them a good basis on which to tackle the next race in France, where Nicholas will be seen in the upgraded car. For Williams they are very much playing catch-up with their competitors who have been able to move forward with their development programs early in the season while Williams has had to wait until mid season.
‘The Right Direction’;
https://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s107/st203556.htm