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F1 2024 Bahrain GP Review – Red Bull is "In a Different Galaxy".
Max Verstappen starts F1's 2024 season the way he ended 2023 - with a straightforward light to flag victory.
23:39 Sat, 02 Mar 2024.
Motorsport.com
At the 20th edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix, it was also a Red Bull 1-2 as Sergio Perez battled his way up to 2nd place in an enthralling fight with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Mercedes' George Russell. Bryn Lucas is joined by Jon Noble and Matt Kew to break down the Bahrain Grand Prix and what they've learnt after the first round of the year.
‘Toto Wolff: "In a Different Galaxy" ’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/video/...galaxy/647638/
Max Verstappen Continues Doing Max Verstappen Things At F1 Bahrain GP
Another F1 season kicked off Saturday, and Max Verstappen showed no signs of slowing down with a weekend sweep in Bahrain.
MAR 2, 2024
BY PHILLIP HORTON PUBLISHED
AutoWeek
Victorious Verstappen, Again: Grab the script from F1 2023, and CTRL+C, CTRL+V it. This was relentless brutality from Verstappen as any feint hopes rivals may have harboured about a closer title fight were well and truly extinguished before the season opener had even reached its halfway mark. At times Verstappen lapped 0.8-1.0 seconds faster than the chasing pack, guiding the RB20 around the floodlit Sakhir Circuit with ease, as he opened the year with a Grand Chelem: pole position, fastest lap, all 57 laps led, and the race victory.
Teammate Sergio Perez rose from fifth to second to complete a Red Bull 1-2, giving the team a perfect start, but boss Christian Horner was quick to be caution. “I’ve been in this business too long to draw too many conclusions from a single race,” he said. “It’s a fantastic start, we’ll enjoy this moment, maximum points score. But it’s a long season, many different venues, different challenges, different conditions. And what we saw in the testing is that things are closer. Now we got it right this weekend, we took the right cars into the race, we executed a perfect race with both cars and we got a great finish. But I think that it will converge.”
But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff summed up the situation by declaring that “I think today Max is not in a different league but he’s in a different galaxy, the performance is extraordinary.”
‘Grab the script from F1 2023, and CTRL+C, CTRL+V it’;
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...f1-bahrain-gp/
Lewis Hamilton's Red Bull remark speaks volumes as Mercedes view shared after Bahrain GP
Lewis Hamilton endured a mixed weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix as he kicked off his final season as a Mercedes driver.
20:04, Sat, Mar 2, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton admitted that Mercedes were ‘further back from Red Bull than they had thought’ after an underwhelming start to the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Silver Arrows struggled for race pace at the Sakhir International Circuit, eventually crossing the line in P5 and P7.
Hamilton admitted after the Bahrain GP that Mercedes were wrong about the gap between themselves and Red Bull. Giving his lowdown on the race, he told Sky Sports F1: “I personally feel great, physically I feel great so winter training has worked. We probably feel a bit of disappointment within the team, I'm not sure about everyone else.”
“I was definitely hoping that we would be better this weekend than we were, but it was a tough race, it was very close with everybody and degradation is high with the car. There is plenty of areas we can improve. We were further back from the Red Bulls than we thought as well.”
‘Lewis Hamilton's Red Bull remark speaks volumes’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...des-Bahrain-GP
Winners and losers from F1's 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Mar 2, 2024
The Race
Max Verstappen and Red Bull breezed into the 2024 Formula 1 season in the same crushingly dominant spirit they've been in since mid-2022. So dominant in the Bahrain Grand Prix, in fact, it was almost tempting to make him the only winner in our usual post-race rundown of the stars and flops.
WINNERS
MAX VERSTAPPEN: Even if you hadn’t taken the hints from testing, practice and qualifying of closer challenges to Red Bull too seriously, the ease with which Verstappen left the field standing was still striking.
CARLOS SAINZ: Given how close everything in Verstappen’s wake was, whoever emerged as best non-Red Bull in Bahrain was always going to have really earned it. And Carlos Sainz gets extra credit for the attacking style of his drive to third place and for keeping the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez just about in his sights.
Lance Stroll: For Stroll to still finish on the lead lap and with a point was a testament to the strength of his recovery. - Josh Suttill
‘LOSERS, MERCEDES, McLaren, Aston Martin, RB, ALPINE’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/b...inners-losers/
Verstappen makes history as Alpine's dramas worsen | Bahrain GP recap
In this video, RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding dissect the biggest talking points from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
2 March 9:30PM
Ian Parkes & Nick Golding
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the 2024 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and achieved F1's first-ever Grand Chelem, in what was an emphatic start to his title defence. The reigning World Champion was joined on the podium by Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
After the first of a record-breaking 24 races, all the biggest talking points – including an Alpine exclusive – were discussed by RacingNews365 F1 writer Nick Golding and lead editor Ian Parkes, who was present in the paddock.
‘Verstappen makes history’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...hrain-gp-recap
Perez left ‘very satisfied’ after strong race to P2 in season opener
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Sergio Perez started the Bahrain Grand Prix from fifth on the grid, but raced to second place behind Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen.
‘Sergio Perez started from fifth on the grid, but raced to second place’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...174450704.html
Perez: Red Bull has 'a lot to learn' from Bahrain
02/03/2024 at 20:17
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
"I overtook Carlos at the start and from there we were able to chip away at things," he (Sergio Perez) said after eventually getting past both Russell and Leclerc to move up to P2 in the second half of the race.
“I think second was the maximum we could have achieved,” Perez said. "But overall I think it's a great way to start the season. It was a really strong race from the team, it’s a great start to the season - you can’t get better than a one-two to start a year which looks like it’ll be a really tight battle."
Perez also reported a number of issues with the RB20 in its first outing of the season. "There's plenty we will learn from tonight's race, which will be important for the championship. It was quite a tricky race with the management of the tyres," he told the media in parc ferme afterward, explaining that the problem he had experienced was in the form of excessive sliding.
'A lot to learn';
https://f1i.com/news/501465-perez-re...m-bahrain.html
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Sainz’s audition for Mercedes: The drive that caught Wolff’s eye.
Carlos Sainz Jr.’s performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix was nothing short of a statement, racing with the kind of fervor that says he’s not just here to compete; he’s here to win.
3rd March 2024, 07:43
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
With Lewis Hamilton set to take his spot at Ferrari in the upcoming season, Sainz is eyeing a future possibly with Audi but also hasn’t ruled out the chance of landing a coveted seat at Mercedes or even Red Bull.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ master strategist, couldn’t help but praise Sainz’s Bahrain exploits. “Carlos put in a very strong performance,” Wolff acknowledged, hinting at the Spaniard’s driven state, “He’s probably still driving around with some anger.” Yet, Wolff maintains the team’s focus remains inward: “However, we focus on our team.”
Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos sees Sainz’s current season as a pivotal audition for his future, “This is his job interview,” remarked Doornbos, impressed by Sainz’s refusal to back down, “He drove like he was a fire engine.”
‘Pivotal audition for his future’;
https://grandpx.news/sainzs-audition...ht-wolffs-eye/
Carlos Sainz reveals reason for ‘relief’ behind Bahrain Grand Prix podium
02 Mar 2024 10:29 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Carlos Sainz revealed that the last time he felt comfortable attacking other cars without worrying about tyre life came in the middle of last season.
“Yeah, it’s actually a bit of a relief because I remember last year, the last race where I was attacking was Austria – and we’re talking about 13, 14 races ago,” Sainz explained to media including PlanetF1.com after the race.
“Then the rest of the races last year, you just had to manage, you just had to look in the mirrors, you just had to control your pace, and there were very little opportunities to go and overtake people.”
‘Relief’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...nd-prix-podium
Martin Brundle saw 29-y/o F1 driver do something ‘lovely’ at 2024 Bahrain GP
Sat 2 March 2024 21:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Martin Brundle hailed Carlos Sainz during the 2024 Bahrain GP after watching the Ferrari racer pull off a ‘lovely’ overtake on his Scuderia teammate Charles Leclerc. Sainz pulled out from Leclerc’s slipstream only 200 metres from the apex of Turn 1 to catch his teammate sleeping. The move left the Monegasque with no time to react and with zero room to defend as Leclerc followed the Mercedes of George Russell through the first bend.
Russell taking to the apex of Turn 1 almost cost Sainz and the Mercedes ace dearly, though. Sainz’s daring, late braking saw the nose of his Ferrari sail close to the gearbox of the Silver Arrows ahead. A point Brundle was quick to note before voicing praise for Sainz’s overtake. “That was very close up the back,” Brundle said on Sky Sports F1 (2/3, 15:30). “Lovely move there from Sainz.”
‘Martin Brundle hailed Carlos Sainz’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...24-bahrain-gp/
Sainz thrilled to have a car that allows him ‘to attack’ after racing to podium in Bahrain
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Carlos Sainz was beaming after his “fun” run to P3 in the season opener – especially as he felt he was able to be aggressive with his car, rather than simply having to defend.
‘Sainz thrilled’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...169798554.html
Damon Hill hands Carlos Sainz huge backing above Charles Leclerc for Mercedes
“Charles Leclerc, maybe, relies on his speed quite a lot," Naomi Schiff added
02 Mar 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Carlos Sainz is a better fit for Mercedes’ 2025 vacancy than Charles Leclerc, believes Damon Hill. Ex-F1 champion Hill added: “If you remember Carlos, famously at Silverstone, countered the strategy that Ferrari suggested he did.
“He knows what he’s doing. He’d do very well in a team that is used to running at the front. When you come from Ferrari, you know how a big team works. You can deal with all that stuff. It’s a big feather in your cap. Apart from the fact that he is a feisty driver.”
Hill compared Ferrari’s duo: “It seems like Charles has awful bad luck and problems in races. “It could be a case of: does he manage it as well as Carlos? Or is Carlos a thinking driver who maybe doesn’t have the ultimate pace, but in a race it’s not about ultimate pace, it’s about management.”
“He knows what he’s doing”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104498...clerc-mercedes
Finishing near Perez shows Ferrari have taken “big steps forward” – Sainz
2nd March 2024, 18:00
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
“I’m very happy,” Sainz said. “When we were at the car launch, I remember saying ‘this year, I hope I had a car to overtake and not to defend’. Last year, I spent my whole year defending. We arrive to the first race and I am attacking and making overtakes, which makes me happy. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the move.”
While recognising there is still a big gap between Ferrari and Verstappen in particular, Sainz said the performance of his new car shows the team are heading in the right direction. “I’m happy with the overtakes, with the race pace,” he said. “Keeping up with Checo there at the end wasn’t easy, but we managed. Still a long way to go to beat Max, but it’s true that we’re also at the toughest circuit on rear tyres, which we know that for our car is never the best.”
“Big steps forward;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/02/...forward-sainz/
Fred Vasseur reacts to feisty Carlos Sainz display as Charles Leclerc dynamic changes
03 Mar 2024 11:00 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Racing wheel-to-wheel, and perhaps a bit too close for Ferrari’s liking, Ralf Schumacher says one “can tell” the relationship between the Ferrari team-mates has changed. Schumacher, though, says it feels to him like something has changed between the team-mates. “You can tell that the two of them are no longer so familiar with each other,” the German told Sky Deutschland.
“It was the first race, perhaps the team should have told Charles at that moment that he was having problems anyway with the tyres and should let his team-mate through. Today Carlos Sainz was faster, but I think Charles’ car wasn’t quite okay.” Sainz’s actions, though, were welcomed by his team boss Fred Vasseur.
Honestly,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher. “I was convinced that he would have this kind of reaction. It’s also why we decided to get it out early, turn the page and focus on the season. “And the reaction of Carlos was not unprofessional. Today he did a very good job.”
‘Fred Vasseur reacts to feisty Carlos Sainz display’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos...sseur-reaction
Sainz sure Ferrari didn’t intend to ‘undercut’ Leclerc past him
3rd March 2024, 0:11
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
No favouritism at Ferrari – Sainz: Sainz passed the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc early on, only for his team mate to pit soon afterwards. As Sainz delayed his pit stop, Leclerc jumped back in front of him. Sainz passed him again and went on to finish ahead. But Sainz, who will leave the team at the end of the year, does not believe there was any favouritism in the team’s strategy. “I don’t think it was an intended ‘undercut’,” he said.
“I think Charles degraded the tyres probably a bit earlier than me, and they decided to keep me out for three or four laps. Honestly, those three or four laps were very strong. I think I managed to go down to 37s, low 37s again. So it was worth it. Then luckily it didn’t compromise my race because I could pass Charles fairly quickly and go and attack George [Russell], which I passed also quite quickly. So I don’t think I lost too much race time on that situation.”
‘No favouritism at Ferrari’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/03/...nd-up-03-03-7/
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Toto Wolff: “Trauma of Austin” still affects Mercedes set-up.
Toto Wolff admits that previous set-up mistakes are impacting Mercedes’ approach to start the F1 2024 season.
March 3, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Since Formula 1 ushered in new regulation in 2022, Mercedes have been a shadow of their former selves. One of their better showings was in COTA last year, but Toto Wolff explains that their post-race disqualification is still fresh in the memory.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crossed the line 5th and 8th in the first race of 2024. In isolation, this result is confirmation that Mercedes is still several steps behind Red Bull. The Mercedes team principal explains that past errors contributed to this incorrect choice:
“We were a little too low [in COTA 2023]. The trauma from Austin is still in our bones,” Wolff explained in Bahrain. So we wanted to stay a little on the conservative side with a new car.” Despite this confession, the 52-year-old is still optimistic about the season ahead: “We were caught on the wrong foot two years in a row, and now we have a car that suits us better.”
“Trauma of Austin”;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...rcedes-set-up/
Toto Wolff reveals all on unexpected Mercedes issue in Bahrain Grand Prix
03 Mar 2024 12:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff has admitted there was an “unexpected” engine cooling issue for Mercedes and one of their customer teams during the Bahrain Grand Prix. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were unable to get the maximum from their Mercedes cars in Bahrain on Saturday, with Wolff predicting they lost around half a second per lap as a result of the issue.
Wolff revealed that the cooling problem also affected Williams, Mercedes’ customer team, but it cost them significantly in race trim. With only a week until the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to find a fix for the problem, the Mercedes team principal and CEO was confident that the team would be able to do so, given there’s a trade-off the teams find between keeping the engine cool and optimising performance.
“I’m sure we can get on top of the cooling,” Wolff stated, “because it’s a specification of how much you open the car up, and it’s always a balancing act between do you want to lose half a tenth in performance by having less efficient aero and opening the slot gaps up against the cooling… But technically [in Bahrain], it was running over what we thought we should be.”
‘Engine cooling issues/ problems’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...ain-grand-prix
Wolff reckons Mercedes engine woes cost 0.5s per lap in Bahrain
02/03/2024 at 18:17
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Mercedes endured a challenging Bahrain Grand Prix plagued by engine issues that affected both their own cars and those of their customer team Williams, according to team boss Toto Wolff. The team now faces the task of quickly addressing the engine problems to avoid hampering their campaign in the upcoming races.
"[Pre-season] testing was pretty good,” commented Wolff as he reviewed his team’s weekend. “Also, the performances on Thursday and on Friday were encouraging. The car was stable, was good. The drivers like it. When we started the race on the soft tyre, everything pretty much [was] to plan. And then, unfortunately, we had to start pulling the engine more than we expected. We can't understand yet where that came from.”
“We have one of our customer teams, Williams, who had the same issue. The other two [McLaren and Aston Martin] not. That was unexpected." According to Wolff, the combined effects of Mercedes’ engine woes and preventive measures resulted in a performance drop exceeding half a second per lap. "From then on, if you switch 0.3-4s of power unit performance off, then you have to lift-and-coast on top, so I think at times probably altogether it was 5 or 6 tenths of a second that we couldn't take from what the car had in it,” he said.
‘Engine woes cost 0.5s per lap’;
https://f1i.com/news/501426-wolff-re...n-bahrain.html
Helmut Marko explains Max Verstappen theory as Mercedes line up Lewis Hamilton replacement
Lewis Hamilton's eye-catching move to Ferrari has left Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in need of a capable replacement.
13:06, Sat, Mar 2, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Helmut Marko believes that Toto Wolff has already given Max Verstappen a call about potentially replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes from 2025 onwards. The seven-time world champion exercised an exit clause in his contract, meaning the Silver Arrows are in need of a new star driver come the end of the season.
That said, the most compelling replacement from Wolff’s point of view would be Verstappen, and Marko believes that the Mercedes boss has likely already made contact. “I would be surprised if they hadn’t,” he told Krone Zeitung. “But Max is a very loyal driver.”
‘Helmut Marko explains Max Verstappen theory’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ilton-Mercedes
Wolff: Verstappen, Red Bull can win every race
Verstappen secured a dominant victory in the F1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
2 March 6:50PM
Ewan Gale & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has conceded Max Verstappen was on a "different galaxy" in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Wolff said: "I think Max was not in a different league but in a different galaxy. The performance was extraordinary. But everybody else, we saw the differences between the Ferraris and I believe that the group of Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes were probably in a similar ballpark. We just need to look at ourselves, get on top of our problems and if we are able to manage our race weekend better, we will be racing those guys."
Red Bull was only denied a perfect season by Carlos Sainz's Singapore Grand Prix victory last season, such was the dominance of the RB19. With the team securing a one-two finish on Saturday, Wolff was asked if a clean sweep for the Milton Keynes-based outfit was possible, given Verstappen's talent. "Unfortunately yes," replied Wolff. "You need to acknowledge his performance levels, they are very strong."
‘Red Bull can win every race’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-vers...fferent-galaxy
Mercedes think they've got their very own Max Verstappen who can topple Red Bull star
Mercedes are struggling to pose a threat to Max Verstappen and Red Bull, and that task will only get tougher after Lewis Hamilton departs.
08:30, Sun, Mar 3, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Toto Wolff has compared teenage starlet Kimi Antonelli to Max Verstappen after revealing that the young Italian’s presence impacted the decision not to give Lewis Hamilton a long-term contract with Mercedes.
Explaining the similarities between Verstappen’s rise to F1 and that of Antonelli, Wolff told ORF: “There was a situation many years ago where we had the opportunity to let Max drive and that wasn't possible back then because we simply didn't have a cockpit. [Nico] Rosberg and Hamilton were tied to us long-term, and Red Bull naturally seized the opportunity.”
“They gave him a contract with Toro Rosso, with the possibility of driving for Red Bull the following year. We then lost the young driver, and you can see how successful he has become. And precisely because we have a junior on the horizon who is really driving at a very high level, I simply wanted to keep this option open."
‘Toto Wolff has compared teenage starlet Kimi Antonelli to Max Verstappen’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Kimi-Antonelli
Wolff not ruling out Vettel as Hamilton replacement
Toto Wolff has described Sebastian Vettel as a "giant" of Formula 1, as the quadruple world champion once again refuses to rule out the prospect of a sensational return.
MARCH 2, 2024
GrandPrix.com
Toto Wolff hasn't called me, the German driver told Neue Zurcher Zeitung newspaper, "but we've exchanged a few text messages. So far it's not an issue for me, also because at 36 I still have plenty of time.
‘Toto Wolff has described Sebastian Vettel as a "giant" of Formula 1’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/wolff...placement.html
Wolff’s texts to Vettel exposed: F1 comeback in the works?
08:20 Sat, 02 Mar 2024.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
Wolff, in his comments to Sky Deutschland, acknowledged Vettel’s enduring prowess and stature, “Sebastian is a great guy and a giant of this sport.” The Mercedes strategist is playing the long game, weighing the merits of experience versus the vigor of youth, as the team contemplates its future direction.
In this high-stakes chess game, Mick Schumacher also remains a piece on Wolff’s board, “Mick is also part of it,” Wolff admits, albeit with a touch of empathy for Schumacher’s position in the frenzied driver market.
‘Mercedes strategist is playing the long game’;
https://grandpx.news/wolffs-texts-to...-in-the-works/
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‘Shocking’: Lando Norris says Reliant Robin would have been better than his McLaren in one key…
McLaren driver Lando Norris says his car felt ‘shocking’ around the final corner during Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Sun 3 March 2024 18:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Norris scored eight points in the season-opening race after finishing sixth ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri. But it wasn’t all plain sailing as the British driver revealed some serious balance issues heading into the start/finish straight. Norris qualified seventh in Sakhir but was able to pass Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso in the early stages. He mounted a late charge to reel in the Mercedes of George Russell but wasn’t able to get within DRS range before the chequered flag.
Lando Norris says McLaren felt worse than Reliant Robin one area. Speaking to F1TV directly after the race, Norris said he struggled to wrestle his car around turns 14 and 15 throughout the race. The British driver even joked that a three-wheel Reliant Robin would have negotiated the sequence faster.
“Reliant Robin would have been better than his McLaren in one key…”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/drivers/...ea-in-bahrain/
Norris hopeful McLaren can hit back against rivals after ‘not nice’ car feeling in Bahrain
04 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
Lando Norris was left feeling happy with his sixth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix after what he called a “difficult day” in the McLaren, despite the team matching the pace of Mercedes.
“It didn’t feel great [on track], but then when you look at things, we were the same pace as Mercedes which is pretty much where we expected to be, and I think we should be happy with that,” said Norris. “A little bit off, I’d say quite a bit off the Ferraris and a long way off the Red Bull, but again that’s what we were expecting.”
“I think it was a difficult day, the car balance was not nice. I think the wind conditions, as much as they died down and changed to what we thought was going to be favourable, I don’t really think it ended up that way. Some things to look into, but I’m happy with today. It was tough and I wanted that little bit more, especially to George [Russell] who was not far ahead, but I feel like I got the most out of the car today so I was happy with that.”
‘Some things to look into’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...116NKF9Kg.html
Question marks raised against Lando Norris’ decision to pen new McLaren contract
Lando Norris is off the market at a time when Mercedes and Red Bull are considering new drivers
04 Mar 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Doubts have been raised about why Lando Norris chose to commit himself to McLaren long-term. Damon Hill wondered if Norris and McLaren agreed their new contract while knowing about the deal that Hamilton and Ferrari were thrashing out.
Hill asked: “They must have got wind of what was going on… Once you look around at the sharp end, it looks very difficult. Sticking with a team on the up was his logic. That was the way he explained it: ‘They are going places, I am comfortable in this team, I believe in this team…’ ”
“Sticking to it, in the absence of any obvious option, yes”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104501...laren-contract
McLaren needs "two big steps" to catch F1 rivals Ferrari and Red Bull
4th March 2024, 10:36
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
McLaren emerged from Bahrain's season opener as the fourth-fastest team, well behind Red Bull and Ferrari on race pace while nipping on the heels of Mercedes.
"There's a big step between us and Ferrari on a circuit like this and then another step from Ferrari to Red Bull," Norris said after finishing sixth at Sakhir. "We've got two big steps to make up but starting with one would be good."
When asked if making those steps feels achievable this year, he replied: "To Ferrari? Yes. Again, at certain tracks, we're going to do it and at certain tracks, we're not."
"Two big steps";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...bull/10582828/
McLaren explains lengthy MCL38 development period
McLaren is aiming to develop three key areas with the MCL38 but the time to improve the car will take time, as explained by Team Principal Andrea Stella.
4 March 2024, 11:15AM
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has explained why his squad is having to wait to see significant improvements to the MCL38 challenger. It has commenced the new campaign in a much stronger position compared to 12 months ago when it was positioned towards the back of the field having missed development targets.
With developments expected in the coming races, Stella outlined that being efficient while operating under Formula 1's cost cap is behind McLaren's delay in fitting new parts. It’s just how long it takes to get some projects mature enough to actually say, ‘Okay, let's deliver to the race car’,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.
“Especially in a regime of cost cap, you can't afford to release expensive parts of the car [and say] 'OK let's take it trackside, let's see how it works'. You really need to deliver mature parts. If I take some of the areas that we wanted to address, this is taking just longer than the time required to release the parts and have them ready for the launch. So it's just the time it takes for development.”
‘McLaren is aiming to develop three key areas with the MCL38’;
https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-ex...lopment-period
McLaren admits Piastri strategy mistake
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has admitted his team should have called Oscar Piastri into the pits a lap earlier to prevent Lewis Hamilton from undercutting the Australian.
3 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Hamilton got ahead of Piastri through pit strategy, boxing for a second set of hard compound tyres on Lap 33. Before his stop, the seven-time champion sat eighth, one spot behind Piastri, who took his second stop on Lap 34. It was a small but telling difference. As the McLaren driver rejoined the track, Hamilton was able to pass him, moving into a seventh-place he would hold to the finish.
Piastri added: “I think there was a few things in the race that we needed to do a little bit better in terms of pit stops and strategy. I think it was a little bit closer than it needed to be and obviously, we lost out on that. I tried my best to stay in front, but just didn't have any grip on those hards coming out of the pits.”
‘Piastri strategy mistake’;
https://speedcafe.com/mclaren-admits...ategy-mistake/
Piastri ‘excited’ for next few races after P8 finish in season opener
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Bahrain hasn’t often been a happy hunting ground for McLaren, so Oscar Piastri is hoping his P8 there bodes well for the races coming up.
‘Happy hunting ground for McLaren’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...861454461.html
Norris happy with P6 after ‘difficult day’ at season-opener
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Lando Norris was looking at the positives after his sixth place in the Bahrain Grand Prix – especially as it’s not a track that usually suits McLaren.
‘Looking at the positives’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...789054258.html
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‘He’s not bothering’: Martin Brundle says 106-podium driver looked ‘dispirited’ during Bahrain…
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso seemed ‘dispirited’ at times during the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle says.
Sun 3 March 2024 17:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Alonso impressively qualified in sixth place for the season-opener in Sakhir, beating McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as well as Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. However, the Spaniard had to settle for ninth in Saturday’s race, and Sky commentator Brundle says his lack of pace relative to the cars around him left him demotivated.
Brundle says Alonso left time on the table in Bahrain. Speaking live on Sky Sports F1, Brundle suggested that Alonso was driving somewhat within himself during the Grand Prix. He noticed that the 106-time podium-finisher wasn’t approaching turn four, at the end of the second DRS zone, with the same aggression as some of his rivals.
‘‘He’s not bothering’’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/drivers/...ed-in-bahrain/
Alonso: Aston back to ‘normal’ in Bahrain GP after qualifying high
04/03/2024 at 08:08
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Fernando Alonso says his ninth-place finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix was a proper reflection of Aston Martin’s current performance level relative to its rivals after qualifying flattered the potential of its AMR24 car.
"Today I think is exactly what we expected," the two-time world champion said. "Our simulations were saying that we were around P9 with not much fight in front of us, the top four teams a little bit with too much ahead, and with comfortable gap behind.”
"And it's exactly like that. I think I had [Oscar Piastri's] McLaren 18 seconds ahead and the Sauber [of Zhou Guanyu in 11th] 28 seconds behind. So, we were in the middle of no one's race."
‘Aston back to normal’;
https://f1i.com/news/501577-alonso-a...ying-high.html
Alonso: Aston Martin back to normal after exceptional Bahrain F1 qualifying
12:12 Sun, 03 Mar 2024.
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin's fifth place in Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix pecking order was exactly as projected after exceeding expectations in qualifying. In an extremely tight qualifying battle, Alonso's final Q3 lap was good for sixth, 0.363s off polesitter Max Verstappen and only half a tenth behind George Russell in third.
"Today I think is exactly what we expected," the two-time world champion said. "Our simulations were saying that we were around P9 with not much fight in front of us, the top four teams a little bit with too much ahead, and with comfortable gap behind.”
"And it's exactly like that. I think I had [Oscar Piastri's] McLaren 18 seconds ahead and the Sauber [of Zhou Guanyu in 11th] 28 seconds behind. So, we were in the middle of no one's race."
"Our simulations were saying that we were around P9”;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...ying/10582666/
Alonso pinpoints Aston Martin’s place in the pecking order after season opener
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Fernando Alonso qualified sixth for the Bahrain Grand Prix, but after racing to a P9 finish he said that grid slot did not represent Aston’a “real position”.
‘Place in the pecking order’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...214651694.html
Lance Stroll satisfied after ‘good recovery’ drive to points in Bahrain
02 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
After a tangle with Nico Hulkenberg on Lap 1, Lance Stroll dropped to the back of the pack, but climbed back up the order to finish P10 at the flag.
‘Good recovery drive’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...303530803.html
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24-year-old driver told he was ‘quietly impressive’ after Bahrain Grand Prix showing.
Zhou Guanyu was an overlooked ‘standout’ for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber at the Bahrain Grand Prix, BBC F1 commentator Harry Benjamin says.
Mon 4 March 2024 17:30
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Zhou narrowly missed out on a points finish as he brought home his Sauber in 11th, one spot behind Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll.
Harry Benjamin praises Zhou Guanyu after Bahrain. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chequered Flag Podcast, Benjamin said Zhou’s ‘impressive’ display had gone under the radar.
He thinks it’s exactly the kind of drive the former F3 Asia champion will need to produce in 2024. “Really impressed, quietly impressive by him actually,” he said (30:00). “Standout for Zhou, what he needs for this season as well.”
‘Quietly impressive’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/24-...-prix-showing/
Zhou Guanyu boosts contract hopes with strong Bahrain drive
March 5, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports
Zhou Guanyu was one of the stand-out drives from Bahrain, which will be critical to replicate ahead of contract talks this year. Perhaps it is premature to discuss Zhou Guanyu’s contract at this stage of 2024. After all, there are still twenty-three rounds of the F1 season to complete. With that said, every performance is critical in such a highly competitive field.
Zhou delivers a near-perfect race: The 24-year-old started from 17th place last Saturday, having qualified just 0.001 behind his teammate. However, the Chinese driver quickly put himself in contention for points.
After a strong start and producing very competitive laps on the hard tyres, Zhou was in a battle with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll for P10. In most previous F1 seasons, a DNF from the front-runners would have pushed Zhou into the points.
‘Stand-out drives from Bahrain’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...bahrain-drive/
‘We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again’ – Bottas reflects on 52-second pit stop in Bahrain
04 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
A 52.4s pit stop was the nadir of a frustrating opening Grand Prix of the season for Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, with the Finn coming home a distant 19th at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Bottas’s race had already got off to a compromised start when, from P16 on the grid, he got caught up in contact between Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg, Bottas nerfing the rear of Hulkenberg’s Haas and damaging his front wing.
“Obviously there was an issue with the wheel nut,” said Bottas post-race. “Something to investigate to make sure it doesn’t happen again, I think that’s the main take from me today. And also, unlucky with the Turn 1 incident – I had a bit of damage in the front wing.”
‘52-second pit stop’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...LZ0QhdhAE.html
Bottas: Disastrous Bahrain GP pit stop ‘can‘t happen again’
05/03/2024 at 09:23
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Valtteri Bottas' opening race of 2024 in Bahrain was a nightmare for the Sauber driver, culminating in a disastrous 52.4-second pit stop that effectively ended his challenge. “Obviously there was an issue with the wheel nut,” said the 34-year-old after the race. Something to investigate to make sure it doesn’t happen again, I think that’s the main take from me today.”
“And also, unlucky with the Turn 1 incident – I had a bit of damage in the front wing. It wasn’t actually a huge effect, just slight understeer maybe in certain corners, but nothing huge. So, not my day, but hopefully that’s my bad luck for the year done!”
Starting a lowly 17th, the Chinese driver clawed his way back to finish a commendable 11th, just behind the Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The performance suggests promise for the all-new Kick Sauber C44, leaving Zhou cautiously optimistic.
‘Can‘t happen again’;
https://f1i.com/news/501635-bottas-d...pen-again.html
Explained: Why Valtteri Bottas suffered a 52-second pit-stop at Bahrain Grand Prix
03 Mar 2024 6:30 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher after the race, Pujolar revealed that a wheelnut problem was to blame for the delay, with Bottas’s stop officially clocked at 52.4 seconds. “We had an issue where we had to change the wheelnut,” Pujolar said. “It’s something that we are working on.”
Asked why Sauber missed the opportunity to change Bottas’s front wing during his long second stop, Pujolar said: “We had damage on the endplate, so we lost a bit of performance there, but it was OK to continue without changing. It was better to keep it on the car.”
‘52-second pit-stop’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/explai...ain-grand-prix
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What Red Bull's rivals have to prove at F1's Saudi Arabian GP.
Red Bull obliterated all the opposition at Formula 1 2024's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Is there any reason to expect that to change in Saudi Arabia?
Mar 6, 2024
The Race
Our writers pick out what Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin need to do better this weekend:
Ferrari: Validate race pace step: Ferrari was Red Bull’s closest challenger in Bahrain, delivering on most people’s expectations after pre-season testing.
Mercedes: Avoid basic set-up errors: How good is the 2024 Mercedes? After the Bahrain Grand Prix, we really have absolutely no idea.
McLaren: Show us winter talk wasn't cheap: There was fighting talk coming out of McLaren pre-season, about how the impressive development slope of 2023 shows no sign of flattening out and so the 2024 car should prove a significant step forward.
Aston Martin: Is there only long-term potential? Last year's second-best team in the season opener (albeit assisted by Leclerc's retirement from third) showed no hint of a repeat in 2024, even if Fernando Alonso's sixth-fastest time in qualifying briefly raised expectations.
‘Red Bull obliterated all the opposition’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...di-arabian-gp/
Red Bull's advantage smaller than first feared
Oscar Piastri was happy with McLaren's performance last weekend in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, although Red Bull remain the side to beat.
6 March 6:30AM
Nick Golding & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Oscar Piastri believes the gap between Red Bull and the chasing pack is smaller than it was 12 months ago despite Max Verstappen's dominant Bahrain Grand Prix victory. The big talking point ahead of the 2024 season was whether Red Bull with the RB20 would be untouchable, a question which was partially answered in qualifying in Bahrain. Whilst it was Max Verstappen on pole, Ferrari were in genuine contention.
When asked whether he felt the advantage held by the Milton Keynes-based outfit had matched that of a year ago, Piastri told media including RacingNews365: "No, I think it was a bit more realistic to what we expected to be honest. I think they look in a pretty similar place to last year, similar kind of gap and so not a massive surprise, to be honest. And the races last year, they're always quicker than they were in qualifying. But maybe still not quite as far ahead as we first feared at the start of testing. But still, you know, a long way ahead."
‘Advantage smaller than first feared’;
https://racingnews365.com/red-bulls-...feared-piastri
STELLA: MERCEDES AND FERRARI ARE ‘WITHIN REACH’ FOR MCLAREN
What a difference a year makes for McLaren in Bahrain. In 2023, the team finished the race with a P17 and a retirement. Whereas in 2024 they walked away with double points, finishing P6 and P8
March 6, 2024
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds.com
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella says the team will complete a “proper assessment” following the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Following the season opener in Bahrain, McLaren walked away with double points and a P4 in the constructors’ championship. While the season opener may not have matched their seemingly high pre-season expectations, the Woking-based outfit is miles off the lows they suffered in Bahrain last year.
Up and running in 2024. It’s a double-points weekend in Bahrain! ����#BahrainGP ���� pic.twitter.com/sgrSlToVA8
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 2, 2024
In fact, seeing where the team started compared to where they ended in 2023, there is a lot to cheer about this season. This is an outlook shared by Lando Norris, who says the team has a “good starting position” this year.
‘What a difference a year makes for McLaren’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/st...h-for-mclaren/
Damon Hill delivers verdict on new proposed Qiddiya F1 circuit in Saudi Arabia
Wed 6 March 2024 08:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has shared his reaction to the proposed new circuit in Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place on Saturday with Sergio Perez hoping to repeat his race-winning performance from 2023. Posting on Instagram, Hill has given a short evaluation of one of the wildest tracks ever imagined that could join the calendar in the coming years.
Posting on Instagram, Hill reacted to the pictures of the Qiddiya venue in Saudi Arabia and simply said: “Next level. Literally!” Hill is referring to the incredible first corner which involves a 20-storey climb for the drivers on track. It looks like something out of a Mario Kart game given the structure the circuit appears to be built on.
The circuit is part of a much bigger construction project located about 30 miles from the capital Riyadh. The Qiddiya track has been designed by the famous Herman Tilke and former driver Alex Wurz.
‘Damon Hill delivers verdict’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...-saudi-arabia/
Saudi Grand Prix 2024: Schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
6th March 2024, 08:58
MARC MAYO
Evening Standard
Saudi Grand Prix session schedule
The full weekend schedule is as follows (all times GMT):
• First practice: Thursday, 1.30pm
• Second practice: Thursday, 5pm
• Third practice: Friday, 1.30pm
• Qualifying: Friday, 5pm
• Grand prix: Saturday, 5pm
‘Saudi Grand Prix 2024: Schedule’;
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/b1143443.html
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PALMER: Why I expect Red Bull’s rivals to put up a stronger fight this weekend in Jeddah.
Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the season opener in Bahrain – but his rivals will harbour hopes of a stronger challenge in this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Here's why...
06 March 2024
Jolyon Palmer
Former F1 Driver
Formula One - Official Site
Red Bull meanwhile appeared to have a routine, trouble free run out front as Max serenely notched another win. Race pace has become much more important than qualifying pace in recent years, especially on circuits that are straightforward to overtake on like Bahrain.
High degradation levels and three DRS zones mean that if you have a good race car you can storm through the pack, as Alonso showed last year and Sergio Perez demonstrated from fifth on the grid on Saturday night. The Red Bull race pace is definitely a cut above the rest, but the picture is not as clear cut as it would seem.
The high degradation surface of the Bahrain track suits them though and while the gap from Max to the rest looks ominous, it has been cut from 38 seconds last year down to 25 this year – and should come down more once their competition can optimise their cars and performance. The season is long and while Max is the favourite coming into Jeddah as well, I expect Red Bull's rivals to close at least some of the gap.
‘Rivals will harbour hopes of a stronger challenge’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...lPAJeNHqE.html
Red Bull say RB20 draws inspiration from rivals in less obvious areas
6th March 2024, 12:00
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans.net
Red Bull surprised many in Formula 1 when their new RB20 appeared for the first time at their launch. The team had been expected to reveal a car which was a clear evolution of its championship-dominating predecessor. But while the RB20 clearly comes from the same lineage, it also owes a debt to other, less successful designs.
Two striking aspects of the car’s design immediately drew comparison with Mercedes W15. Its sidepod inlets have been drastically narrowed, and now include vertical intakes much like those on Mercedes’ ‘zero sidepod’ design, plus additional thin horizontal intakes above.
“For greater efficiency, the inlet shape has been revised to better utilise the available pressure to feed the radiators or primary heat exchangers downstream,” said the team in its submission to the FIA. This has allowed the leading edge of the sidepod to be reshaped, improving the airflow around the nearby entrance to the floor.
‘RB20 draws inspiration’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/06/...obvious-areas/
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – What the Teams are Saying ahead of the Weekend – Part 1
March 6, 2024
By Joe Briley
The Checkered Flag
#1 – Max Verstappen – Oracle Red Bull Racing: “The team had a great first race of the season and I am looking forward to Jeddah, which is a proper high speed semi street circuit, seeing less degradation on the tyres.”
#11 – Sergio Pérez – Oracle Red Bull Racing: “I am looking forward to heading to Jeddah this weekend after such a good team result in Bahrain. Things weren’t totally perfect in the first race and there is plenty of evolution to be done with the car but we have a good base to work from now.”
Team Principal – Fred Vasseur – Scuderia Ferrari: “In Jeddah we will face a completely different test and we want to check if the positive signs we have seen from the SF-24 in the past couple of weeks are repeated on this very different track.”
Team Principal & CEO – Toto Wolff – Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team: “We’ve got an opportunity to take a step forward immediately. Jeddah is a street track with a lot of high-speed content. It will be good to continue our learning with the new car on a very different circuit to Bahrain. We will be aiming for a more consistent weekend and to understand our true performance relative to the rest of the grid.”
#4 – Lando Norris – McLaren F1 Team: “Jeddah up next! We’ve started the 2024 season well, and we’ll hopefully take that momentum into the Saudi Arabian GP.”
#81 – Oscar Piastri – McLaren F1 Team: “I’m looking forward to returning to the Saudi Arabian GP. We’re in a better position this year and it feels good to have already secured some points in the first race. We noted some things to improve on over the week, which we’ll aim to address this weekend.”
‘What the Teams are Saying’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...eekend-part-1/
What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
06 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
While Pirelli opted for the hardest compounds in their range for the abrasive Bahrain international Circuit, they have gone one step softer for Jeddah, bringing the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the drivers to use as they tackle this incredibly fast street track.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is second only to Monza in terms of speeds reached, and thus is a completely different challenge to Bahrain. It is also expected to be a one-stop race, which will also influence which tyres the drivers opt for throughout practice.
Drivers will get two sets of the hard tyre (marked white), three sets of the medium tyre (marked yellow), and eight sets of the soft tyre (marked red), as well as the green intermediate tyre and the blue full wets, should they be required.
‘Tyres’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...vwNB6qIPI.html
Ferrari shed light with Carlos Sainz absent from Saudi Arabian Grand Prix media duties
06 Mar 2024 2:35 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has been excused from Wednesday media duties ahead of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Ferrari has confirmed that the Spaniard is feeling “unwell” and has therefore returned to his hotel. “Carlos is not feeling well and has gone back to the hotel,” his team confirmed.
Sainz then expects McLaren to be contending at the front of the grid in Saudi Arabia. “Let’s see the differences first,” Sainz said of the Saudi Arabian GP. “We go with this new 2024 car so it will be a bit of a surprise for everyone to see where we are.”
“I expect the cars like the McLaren, last year they were very good in high speed circuits, to be competitive there but you know our car has also improved in the high speed so hopefully we can be also stronger.”
“Carlos is not feeling well”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...x-media-duties
Leclerc bleak over Ferrari's Jeddah F1 chances
Ferrari opened the new Formula 1 season with a podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix but Charles Leclerc has hinted that Saudi Arabia will be a more tricky affair.
6 March 2024, 4:55PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Charles Leclerc has hinted that Ferrari will be further from the front-running pace in Saudi Arabia compared to the season-opening round in Bahrain. Leclerc missed out on pole position by two-tenths of a second last time out in Bahrain before his car was hit with brake issues during the Grand Prix.
However, teammate Carlos Sainz showed strong pace and climbed to third place in the final classification. The second round of the campaign takes place at a much different venue with Jeddah's F1 track offering the drivers a high-speed challenge around a street track configuration.
Speaking to media including RacingNews365, Leclerc conceded: “I don’t think this [track characteristic] is our main strength, I felt like it was more the medium-speed [corners] where we were strong. I think also we have historically always been strong in Bahrain. So I would prefer to wait a few more races to see what are our weaknesses and what are our strong points as it’s probably too early to say for now.”
‘Ferrari will be further from the front-running pace’;
https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-bl...dah-f1-chances
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2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – What the Teams are Saying ahead of the Weekend – Part 2.
The FIA Formula 1 World Championship is back in Jeddah this weekend for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, for the second part of the season opening double header.
March 6, 2024
By Joe Briley
The Checkered Flag
Five teams are yet to score points, after missing out at Bahrain. With the likes of Oracle Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren F1 Team competing at the front and in the top ten, it’s likely that only a handful of positions in the points will be available to teams in the midfield. Amongst others, Visa Cash App RB will be wanting to get their first points on the board after showing promise at the Bahrain Grand Prix – Daniel Ricciardo topped the first practice session on Thursday morning.
‘What the Teams are Saying ahead’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...eekend-part-2/
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Ferrari wants to show their potential
March 6, 2024
Erika Di Guido
Last Word On Sports
After Bahrain, Ferrari expects to perform better at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Fred Vasseur: “I expect to still be among the best”. Last week, after the race in Sakhir, Vasseur spoke about the second Grand Prix of the season: “In Jeddah we are expected from a completely different test bench. We want to check how the SF-24 will be on a track that is so different”.
He then added: “Charles and Carlos have always been at ease between the barriers of Jeddah Corniche. I expect to still be among the best”. The TP was ready to point out how close the other teams are, but he still aims to gain “important results with both drivers, both in qualifying and the race”.
At the press conference before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc commented about his issue on the last GP and said that he doesn’t think it will happen in Jeddah too. About this Grand Prix, he said: “We are optimistic, in the first race we couldn’t express our true potential, and we hope we can get closer to Max compared to Bahrain”.
‘Ferrari wants to show their potential’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...eir-potential/
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Weekend Warm-Up
06 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Laura Winter and guests Julien Simon-Chautemps and Ariana Bravo take a look at the latest news and forecasts ahead of the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.
‘Weekend Warm-Up’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...783645673.html
First pictures from the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend
6th March 2024, 17:26
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Pictures from the build-up to the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
‘First pictures’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/06/...-prix-weekend/
“No evidence” Hamilton’s seat was broken in Bahrain – Mercedes
7th March 2024, 0:01
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Hamilton was heard complaining his seat was “broken” during the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend but Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, says there was “no evidence” of anything wrong with his seat after inspection. “We obviously got the car back, checked the seat straight away, and the seat was fine,” Shovlin said in a video published by the team.
“The seats are obviously designed to be able to be lifted out because in the event of an accident, the driver comes out in his seat. And ultimately, the thing that holds the seat in the car is the driver who’s strapped into his seat belts.”
“The only thing we can think is that if Lewis was ever so slightly loose, he moved a bit and maybe the seat came up, had a little bit of motion and dropped down again, because looking at it afterwards, there’s no evidence that anything’s broken, that it was in the wrong position.”
“No evidence”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/07/...nd-up-07-03-7/
F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 1 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary
Scheduled for Mar 7, 2024
Racing Statistics
F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 1 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with Racing Statistics. Lets Watchalong!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBSLC30K1zA
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Saudi Arabian GP: Verstappen leads tight field in opening practice.
Max Verstappen took charge from the outset in Saudi Arabia, the Red Bull driver leading Thursday’s opening practice at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and teammate Sergio Perez.
07/03/2024 at 14:47
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
The Dutchman’s edge equated to just 0.186s while 0.371s separated the top five runners. Behind the leading trio, George Russell provided Mercedes with a decent start in fourth place while Charles Leclerc led Ferrari’s early efforts, the Monegasque followed in sixth place by teammate Carlos Sainz
With ten minutes left on the clock, Alonso opted to show his hand, the Spaniard carrying his Aston up to P2, 0.186s behind Verstappen. The session thus concluded with positions unchanged among the top five, with Verstappen leading Alonso, Perez, Russell and Leclerc, with Sainz, Norris, Hamilton , Stroll and Albon closing out the top ten.
Once again it was a tight field with just 0.371s separating the top five, and like n Bahrain it was a relatively slow start for Ferrari. So one would expect the Scuderia to creep up the order later today under the floodlights.
‘Verstappen leads tight field in opening practice’;
https://f1i.com/news/501831-saudi-ar...-practice.html
Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 1 Results
8 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Full results from Free Practice 1 from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 23 1:29.659
2 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 24 1:29.845 0.186
3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 22 1:29.868 0.209
4 63 George Russell Mercedes 22 1:29.939 0.280
5 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 23 1:30.030 0.371
6 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 23 1:30.164 0.505
7 4 Lando Norris McLaren 25 1:30.231 0.572
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 20 1:30.236 0.577
9 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 17 1:30.580 0.921
10 23 Alex Albon Williams 25 1:30.747 1.088
‘Full results from Free Practice 1’;
https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...ice-1-results/
Saudi Arabian GP: Worry for Red Bull rivals as Max Verstappen tops first ’24 practice in FP1
07 Mar 2024 2:35 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Max Verstappen and Red Bull shrugged off their practice woes from Bahrain to get their set-up spot-on in Saudi Arabia as the reigning World Champion set the pace ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez. But while F1 fans could note another P1 for Verstappen, fourth-placed George Russell was only 0.28s down.
Slapping on soft tyres for the second half of the session, Lando Norris laid down a 1:30.4 but that was pipped by Verstappen’s 1:30-flat. And then came Russell, pipping Verstappen by 0.003s, prompting a smile from his team boss Toto Wolff. The reigning World Champion upped his pace to a 1:29.6 to pull three-tenths clear of Russell.
At a time when Ferrari’s debris woes were in full force, Charles Leclerc picked up a bag but still went third. Fernando Alonso then jumped up into second place. As the drivers switched to race run, Verstappen’s 1:29.6 stood as the time to beat ahead of Alonso, Perez, Russell, and Leclerc in a traffic-jammed final 15 minutes.
‘Worry for Red Bull rivals’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/saudi-...024-fp1-report
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 Free Practice 1 results
F1 has landed in Saudi Arabia for round two of the F1 season as the drivers are set to face the winding streets of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit
March 7, 2024
Oliver Brindle
FormulaNerds
Formula 1 returned to Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the fourth time ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The first practice session saw Verstappen top the timesheets as Alonso and Perez followed to claim second and third, respectively.
Verstappen is aiming for his 100th podium: The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is well known for its high-speed corners and length being only 800 metres shorter than Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps; this results in drivers racing close to the limit, with Each of the last three races in Jeddah having featured a safety car.
Max Verstappen will be looking to continue his fast start to the season and his form around the streets of Jeddah. The Dutchman has appeared on the podium at every Saudi Arabian GP. However, if the Red Bull driver and current championship leader can make it onto the podium, it will be his 100th F1 career podium.
‘F1 Free Practice 1 results’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...ice-1-results/
2024 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 results
Check out the full results from the first Free Practice session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
7 March 3:31PM
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has ended the opening practice session of this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets, courtesy of setting a 1:29.659s. The second round of the 2024 season got underway on Thursday afternoon at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit with 60 minutes of running ahead of the important second practice session in the evening.
Behind Verstappen was Fernando Alonso, who was just under two-tenths of a second slower than the Dutchman. Last year's Saudi Arabian GP winner Sergio Perez set the third quickest time. Completing the top five was George Russell and Charles Leclerc, whilst seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was down in eighth.
‘Free Practice 1 results’;
https://racingnews365.com/2024-f1-sa...tice-2-results
‘I am sure’: Alain Prost now makes pole position prediction for Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Thu 7 March 2024 06:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Former F1 world champion Alain Prost has now shared his prediction for who he thinks will start from pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The first race of the season was a walk in the park for Max Verstappen as he completed another Grand Slam. Speaking to Racing News 365, Prost is struggling to look past the 26-year-old to start from the front in Jeddah on Saturday.
Prost thinks Red Bull are set to dominate F1 again: Speaking about the Dutchman matching his record in Bahrain, he said: “It was great that Verstappen took pole position and I am sure that now number 34 will soon follow.
“Probably already at the next Grand Prix [he will get his 34th pole]. “I think Red Bull is going to dominate this year. The rest might get a little closer, but in the end, Red Bull will still be too strong. Ferrari will also not be strong enough to win the world title.”
‘I am sure’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ala...ia-grand-prix/
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Saudi Arabian GP: Fernando Alonso tops FP2, Lewis Hamilton summoned to stewards.
Fernando Alonso topped FP2 for the Saudi Arabian GP, ahead of George Russell and Max Verstappen around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
07 Mar 2024 6:10 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Over one lap, it was Alonso and Russell who came out on top on Thursday in second practice, Alonso two tenths ahead of the Mercedes driver and three tenths ahead of Verstappen in third. An alleged impeding incident has seen Lewis Hamilton summoned to the stewards, meanwhile, with Logan Sargeant forced to swerve to avoid hitting the Mercedes driver early in the session.
A big swerve for Logan Sargeant came when he had to take evasive action behind Lewis Hamilton in the fast first sector, with Carlos Sainz then complaining about the “super dangerous” speed of the seven-time World Champion while he was on a slow lap – which will be investigated by the stewards after the session for impeding, later confirmed that he has been summoned.
'Fernando Alonso tops FP2';
https://www.planetf1.com/news/saudi-...024-fp2-report
Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 2 Results
8 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Full results from Free Practice 2 from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 27 1:28.827
2 63 George Russell Mercedes 23 1:29.057 0.230
3 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 26 1:29.158 0.331
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 23 1:29.180 0.353
5 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 25 1:29.300 0.473
6 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 26 1:29.336 0.509
7 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 25 1:29.455 0.628
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 21 1:29.504 0.677
9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 27 1:29.528 0.701
10 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 26 1:29.594 0.767
‘Full results from Free Practice 2’;
https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...ice-2-results/
Second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is DELAYED due to loose drain covers... just months after the same issue forced F1 to cancel a session in Las Vegas
• The second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was delayed
• The delay was due to loose drain covers in front of the garages in Jeddah
• Formula One encountered the same issue for the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year
Published: 17:43, 7 March 2024
By Sam Brookes
MailOnline
The second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was delayed due to loose drain covers on Thursday evening. After last week's opening race of the 2024 season in Bahrain, Formula One has headed over to Saudi Arabia, but they have already encountered an early issue.
After coming through the first practice session with no concerns, the second practice was halted after loose drain covers were spotted. Haas confirmed the postponement with a post on X that read: 'Session Delay! And yes, you guessed it, it’s due to loose drain covers.
'After a damaged cover was found in front of the garages, they all need to be checked before the session can start. FP2 will still be 1 hour long.' Confirmation of the delay came at around 5pm (UK time), but the problem was quickly fixed, and the session was allowed to resume at 5.10pm.
‘DELAYED due to loose drain covers...’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...Las-Vegas.html
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 free practice 2 results
Max Verstappen topped the timesheet at the end of the first practice session in Saudi Arabia, but who will be quickest at the end of free practice 2?
March 7, 2024
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds
The start of the second practice session was delayed by race control. Yet again, suspected loose drain covers were the reason behind the delayed start. This time, the drain covers in question were located in the pit lane, with the bolts that keep the covers in place under investigation.
Final classification of free practice 2: After 60 minutes, Alonso topped the timesheet at the end of free practice 2 in Jeddah. The two-time world champion was the only driver in the one minute 28’s, with a 1:28.827. Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Stroll, Sainz, Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, and Piastri round out the top 10. The other McLaren of Norris was down in P12, with Ricciardo and Bottas at the other end of the timesheet.
Hamilton’s power issues must have been a quick fix for the Mercedes team, as the Brit took to the track to complete a practice start. After feeling ill in the build up to the weekend, it was also an impressive display from Ferrari’s Sainz, who finished in the top 10.
‘Max Verstappen topped the timesheet’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...ice-2-results/
Saudi Arabian GP: Alonso finishes on top in second practice
07/03/2024 at 18:16
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was quickest in second practice for the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, finishing more than two tenths clear of Mercedes' George Russell and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
First stint complete, the teams started switching to soft tyres for qualifying runs with Bottas among the first to do so, improving to P7 as a result. It allowed Alonso to jump back to the front by seven tenths. Verstappen also improved but not by nearly as much, allowing Leclerc to slip into second, Perez third and Stroll fourth. Norris meanwhile was only eighth at the halfway point of the session, complaining about too much bottoming in the McLaren.
Alonso remained at the top although Verstappen moved to the front of the chasing pack with his latest effort. Russell subsequently improved to second despite a near-miss incident when he was squeezed toward the barriers by a slow Tsunoda. Traffic in general was definitely a major headache, with Leclerc being obliged to cut a corner to dive out of the path of a flying Alonso.
‘Alonso finishes on top’;
https://f1i.com/news/501853-saudi-ar...-practice.html
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2024 Saudi Arabian GP FP2: Onboard for the fastest lap of the day with Fernando Alonso.
Ride onboard as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso posts the fastest lap of second practice at the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with a time of 1:28.827.
07 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
‘2024 Saudi Arabian GP FP2’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...412382613.html
Verstappen’s poise shows his rivals face a hard Friday night fight for pole
Posted on
7th March 2024, 23:09
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
One week on from delivering a cold, hard dose of reality to Red Bull’s rivals in Bahrain, Max Verstappen generously decided to give someone else a turn at the top of the times during the opening day of running in Jeddah. But immediately after the session ended, Verstappen had the demeanour of a driver who knew he has every reason to feel confident about his chances over the rest of the weekend.
“I think it’s been pretty good overall,” he said. “There’s always things that you look at to do better over one lap performance, but also I think some teams already used a little bit more power like they did in Bahrain.”
‘Verstappen’s poise’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/07/...ight-for-pole/
FP2 Highlights: 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
07 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Watch highlights from second practice ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
‘FP2 Highlights’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...147707542.html
'So, so unstable': British driver complains that his car feels ‘so, so unstable’ at Saudi GP
Thu 7 March 2024 20:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Mercedes driver George Russell wasn’t happy with the handling of his car during practice ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Russell was the second-fastest driver under the lights in FP2, only trailing Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin.
Mercedes may need to make tweaks to revised car: Ahead of the on-track action in Saudi Arabia, one journalist spotted a lower-downforce rear wing on the W15. The Brackley outfit may still need to optimise their updated challenger on a track that, in the words of Verstappen, is ‘completely different’ to Bahrain.
Russell will nonetheless be the happier of the two drivers after day one, having outpaced Hamilton in both FP1 and FP2. Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve expects to be a more ‘aggressive’ version of the Briton this term as he prepares to become the team ‘leader’. It’s Russell’s final season alongside Hamilton as the 39-year-old gets ready to pack his bags for a shock switch to Ferrari in 2025.
‘So, so unstable’
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/bri...e-at-saudi-gp/
Max third after opening day in Jeddah: 'It went well'
Published on 07 March 2024
by Stefan Meens
Verstappen.nl
After being quickest in the opening practice session of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, Max Verstappen finished Thursday’s FP2 in third place. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) was quickest with the Mercedes of George Russell splitting the Spaniard and the Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver.
“In general, it went well”, said Max after free practice at the Jeddah Street Circuit. “They prepared the track well because it wasn’t that dirty. The pace was good, and we learned a lot.”
'It went well';
https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5397/
Verstappen predicts ‘very, very tight’ qualifying in Saudi Arabia
07 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
After finishing behind both an Aston Martin and a Mercedes in Thursday evening’s Free Practice 2 session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, reigning champion Max Verstappen has predicted a hard-fought qualifying session to come at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
“It will be again very, very tight,” said Verstappen, when asked for his prediction about where Red Bull sit in terms of qualifying pace this weekend. “I think that is probably where other people are probably a bit better than us, over one lap. Our car probably comes a bit more alive on the long run.”
“I think overall we learned a lot,” he added. “Of course there’s always things you look at to do better over one-lap performance, but I think also some teams already, they used a little bit more power, like they did in Bahrain, so we’ll take that also into consideration. But when we went into the long runs, it looks again quite nice, so quite happy with that.”
‘Very, very tight qualifying’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...3Vei8Wgc3.html
F1 Live- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 FP3 Watchalong
Scheduled for Mar 8, 2024
Sports maniac 144
Live Watchalong of the F1 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix FP3. Hope You all will enjoy the Stream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2JbIUDpGMo
F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 3 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary
Scheduled for Mar 8, 2024
Racing Statistics
F1 Live: Saudi Arabia GP Free Practice 3 - Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary F1 Live Timings, Updates and Commentary for the 2024 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix with Racing Statistics. Lets Watchalong!
‘Watchalong - Live Timings + Commentary’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVTXpqT7ygw
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Max Verstappen fastest in final practice as Oliver Bearman debuts for Ferrari.
Max Verstappen edges Charles Leclerc in final practice at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
08 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen topped the final practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as Oliver Bearman made his Ferrari debut. Verstappen, who cruised to victory at last weekend’s season-opener in Bahrain, was just 0.196s seconds faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was third-fastest, 0.494 secs slower than Verstappen. George Russell was fourth-quickest, over half a second adrift, while Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton was only ninth. Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
British teenager Bearman, who has been drafted in to replace the unwell Carlos Sainz, completed the top-10 with a solid performance in his first F1 outing for Ferrari. The 18-year-old claimed pole position for the Formula 2 championship feature race in Jeddah on Thursday and will take part in the rest of the weekend while Sainz undergoes surgery for appendicitis.
‘Max Verstappen fastest in final practice’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104527...debuts-ferrari
Saudi Arabian GP: Free Practice 3 Results
9 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe
Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.
Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 12 1:28.412
2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 15 1:28.608 0.196
3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 12 1:28.906 0.494
4 63 George Russell Mercedes 16 1:28.964 0.552
5 4 Lando Norris McLaren 10 1:28.971 0.559
6 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 13 1:29.038 0.626
7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 13 1:29.127 0.715
8 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 10 1:29.213 0.801
9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 18 1:29.268 0.856
10 38 Oliver Bearman Ferrari 21 1:29.306 0.894
‘Full results’;
https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...ice-3-results/
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 FP3 results
All eyes were cast on F2 PREMA driver Ollie Bearman, as he replaces ill Carlos Sainz at Ferrari for the rest of the F1 weekend in Saudi Arabia
March 8, 2024
Samuel Coop
FormulaNerds
The second half: As the clock ticked over into the second half of the session, Verstappen put his Red Bull on top of the timing board, clocking in a 1:28.893. Once emerged from the pit lane, Magnussen showed the pace in his Haas, setting the third-fastest lap time of the session.
Sargeant, however, didn’t enjoy the same fortune, clipping the wall and having to return to the pits without setting a lap time. He was, as confirmed by the AWS broadcast information, “too close to the wall” having actually hit it.
‘F1 FP3 results’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...1-fp3-results/
Zhou crashes heavily as Verstappen tops red-flagged FP3.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen started Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on top, after setting the pace in the third practice session.
8 March 3:33PM
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
The three-time World Champion topped the session courtesy of setting a 1:28.412s, which was just under two-tenths of a second quicker than Charles Leclerc in second. Leclerc found himself in a Red Bull sandwich, as last season's winner at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit Sergio Perez finished FP3 in third.
Perez though, was almost five-tenths behind Verstappen and narrowly ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris who completed the top five.
‘Verstappen tops red-flagged FP3’;
https://racingnews365.com/zhou-crash...ed-flagged-fp3
Bearman’s F1 debut will surprise even him – but he always looked the real deal
8th March 2024, 12:53
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
The 18-year-old woke up on Friday morning looking forward to starting the F2 sprint race from tenth position after securing pole position in qualifying for Saturday’s feature race. However, those plans have now drastically changed.
With Carlos Sainz Jnr hospitalised due to appendicitis, Ferrari have summoned their junior driver to step in and make an unexpected grand prix debut at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. In doing so, Bearman will become the first driver to debut with the Scuderia since Arturo Merzario in the 1972 British Grand Prix.
Despite his youth, Bearman has amassed an impressive CV in single-seaters since moving into F4 in 2020. The then-15-year-old competed in the Italian and German F4 championship alongside current F2 rivals such as Jak Crawford – qualifying on the front row at his first attempt in single-seaters and winning once race in each series.
‘Bearman’s F1 debut’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...the-real-deal/
Meet Essex’s teen F1 star Oliver Bearman who loves Lionel Messi and will drive for Ferrari at Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Published: 12:51, 8 Mar 2024
Joe Brophy
talkSPORT
It took Britain's greatest-ever driver Lewis Hamilton almost two decades to realise his lifelong ambition of racing for Ferrari. Oliver Bearman is managing it in his Formula 1 debut. The 18-year-old is being thrust behind the wheel of the Scuderia to partner future Hamilton teammate Charles Leclerc this weekend.
The teen had claimed pole position for Prema Racing in F2 qualifying on Thursday, but will now jump to F1 for the rest of the weekend. It will mark Bearman's full F1 debut, having driven for Haas - whose power unit is provided by Ferrari - in first practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix last year. In Mexico in particular, Bearman was among the most impressive of the five rookies that competed.
Having won both the German and Italian Formula Four championships, Bearman then impressed at the FDA Scouting World Finals in Maranello enough to be signed in 2021. Despite upping sticks to Ferrari’s headquarters in northern Italy, the Essex star still retains roots back home, saying: “Chelmsford [where he considered home], that’s where I’ve grown up most of my life.”
‘Ferrari: It will mark Bearman's full F1 debut’;
https://talksport.com/sport/1779778/...an-grand-prix/
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Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: F1 Qualifying Results.
Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a spectacular lap under the lights in Jeddah.
March 8, 2024
James Phillips
FormulaNerds
Q3: The final segment of qualifying got underway, with Charles Leclerc first out on track. The first flying laps came from Piastri, Hamilton, Russell, and Norris. Russell put half a second ahead of his teammate. Piastri then split the two Mercedes cars. Perez then pulled half a second clear at the top before Fernando Alonso moved into P2. But Max Verstappen looked metronomic on his first lap, pulling three-tenths clear on his teammate.
Leclerc’s first effort in the sole remaining Ferrari saw him end up P4. Stroll ended up P8 after his first rum, Hamilton P9, and Tsunoda P10. With a mix of used and soft tyres for the first runs, all drivers would be on brand-new softs for their final runs. The two Mercedes cars were first out as the session neared its conclusion. All cars were fast on their out lap, wanting to avoid the complications of a red flag. Hamilton and Russell struggled, and both were unable to improve. Hamilton moved to P7 but did gift Alonso a tow while Russell pitted.
‘F1 Qualifying Results’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...fying-results/
Saudi Arabian GP: Qualifying Results
9 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe
Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.
Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:28.171 1:28.033 1:27.472
2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:28.318 1:28.112 1:27.791 0.319
3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:28.638 1:28.467 1:27.807 0.335
4 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:28.706 1:28.122 1:27.846 0.374
5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:28.755 1:28.343 1:28.089 0.617
6 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:28.805 1:28.479 1:28.132 0.660
7 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:28.749 1:28.448 1:28.316 0.844
8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:28.994 1:28.606 1:28.460 0.988
9 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB 1:28.988 1:28.564 1:28.547 1.075
10 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:28.250 1:28.578 1:28.572 1.100
‘Qualifying Results’;
https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-...fying-results/
Max Verstappen claims dominant Saudi Arabian GP pole from Charles Leclerc
Max Verstappen claims a dominant pole position at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
08 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen put in a dominant performance to claim pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver was 0.319 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who had to settle for second place on the grid for the second consecutive weekend.
But it was another crushing display from Verstappen, with the three-time world champion sealing his first pole at the Jeddah Cornice Circuit.
‘Max Verstappen claims a dominant pole position’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104534...harles-leclerc
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - qualifying results
8 March 7:08PM
Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen clinched his second pole position out of two with a stunning performance in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutchman set a benchmark of a 1:27.472 to finish 0.319secs faster than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez third.
Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest with just 0.050s between him and Leclerc, with McLaren duo following, led by Oscar Piastri.
George Russell was seventh ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, with Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll rounding out the top 10. Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman agonisingly missed out on Q3 but will start a respectable 11th.
‘Qualifying results’;
https://racingnews365.com/2024-saudi...ifying-results
Gasly hoping to use Saudi Arabian GP to ‘learn more about the car and how to improve it’
08 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Alpine are enduring a tough start to the season with Pierre Gasly qualifying down in P18 in Jeddah – and the Frenchman is simply hoping to use Saturday’s race to improve the team’s understanding of the A524.
‘Alpine are enduring a tough start to the season’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...168115893.html
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Verstappen set for straightforward win – but Jeddah can spring surprises.
In Max Verstappen’s three championship-winning seasons, he had never once started from pole position in Saudi Arabia.
8th March 2024, 23:06
Will Wood
RaceFans
Verstappen has never enjoyed a simple race in Jeddah. In 2021, he was embroiled in an ugly battle with Hamilton. While he won in 2022, he benefitted from pole-winning team mate Sergio Perez losing the lead to a badly-timed Safety Car. Last year, he likely would have won from pole position, but a driveshaft failure in qualifying left him down in 15th on the grid. He climbed back up to second by the finish.
After his never-headed, lights-to-flag victory in Bahrain last weekend, Verstappen was quick to point out that Jeddah’s much faster, flowing layout and smoother asphalt would “probably help other teams compared to us.” Given that his qualifying advantage was significantly larger than it was a week ago in a car which is stronger over a full stint rather than a single lap, that does not bode well for Red Bull’s rivals.
‘Straightforward win’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...ing-surprises/
Winners and losers from the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying
08 Mar 2024 8:15 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Winners
Max Verstappen: Most of us could have guessed three of the top four in Bahrain before qualifying even got underway: Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso.
Oliver Bearman: My my, how juicy it would have been if Bearman had managed to deny Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari’s marquee signing for 2025, who was clinging on to 10th place late in Q2 – a spot in Q3. A star is born.
Fernando Alonso: Alonso described his own Q3 lap as “exceptional” back in Bahrain and more of it was required again in Jeddah. Fourth on the grid papers nicely over the slight cracks to have developed at Aston Martin in early 2024.
Yuki Tsunoda: With the anger out of his system, it was as if Tsunoda was out to hammer home his point in Jeddah, outqualifying Ricciardo for the second weekend in succession – by a crushing half-a-second margin – to secure a place in Q3.
George Russell: There was one name missing from the collection of great F1 daredevils at the top of the Q3 classification. The pace was very much there, the execution was sorely lacking.
Lewis Hamilton: Put simply, if Merc don’t deliver a car he can work with, Lewis isn’t prepared to drive it to the limit any more.
‘Daniel Ricciardo, Zhou Guanyu, Nico Hulkenberg’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/wi...rix-qualifying
Leclerc: Ferrari qualifying experiment failed
The Ferrari driver banked second on the grid behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.
8 March 9:00PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Charles Leclerc has described how a Ferrari experiment did not work during Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying. Leclerc qualified on the front-row for the grand prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit alongside pole-sitter Max Verstappen - the fifth straight race the duo have qualified first and second.
That came after a first Q3 lap in which the Monégasque was 0.800secs down on Verstappen's benchmark time, with the Ferrari managing to whittle that down to 0.319s on his second attempt. Leclerc put this down to Ferrari attempting a different strategy on its first out-lap in Q3, which ultimately did not prove successful.
"The first lap in Q3, we tried something different during the preparation lap, but that didn't work out and then on the second lap, I put everything together," Leclerc explained. "That was what was in the car today , so I am really happy with the lap, it is just a shame that we are a bit further away than we hoped in qualifying. But I hope we'll have a good surprise and be able to challenge the Red Bulls [in the race].”
‘Qualifying experiment failed’;
https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-fe...n-saudi-arabia
Leclerc praises substitute Bearman’s “incredible job” in qualifying
8th March 2024, 19:078th March 2024, 19:01
Will Wood
RaceFans
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc says Oliver Bearman did an “incredible job” to qualify 11th on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Bearman was three-hundredths of a second away from reaching Q3, beaten by the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc reached Q3 split the Red Bulls in Q3 to secure a front row start. Leclerc said he was impressed by the performance of the team’s reserve driver.
“First of all, I hope Carlos will recover quickly,” Leclerc said. “Then on Ollie’s side, I mean, he’s done an incredible job, obviously, with only one session in FP3. He was straight up to speed and comfortable with the car. So it’s good. I’m happy for him, obviously. It’s a very special day – the first race in Ferrari having done only one session, I guess is even more special. So I hope that tomorrow we can have a great race, both of us and score good points for the team.”
Leclerc tried an unconventional double warm-up lap on his first attempt in the final phase of qualifying, then improved by almost half a second with his final effort to qualify highest behind pole winner Max Verstappen. “The first lap in Q3, we tried something different doing a preparation lap, but that didn’t work out well for us,” Leclerc explained. “Then in the second lap I put everything together and that was what was in the car today. So I’m really happy with the lap. A shame that we are a bit further away than what we hoped in qualifying, but tomorrow’s the race and I hope we’ll have a good surprise and that we’ll be able to challenge the Red Bulls in front.”
“Incredible job”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/08/...in-qualifying/
HEAD-TO-HEAD: See where Verstappen had the edge over Leclerc in 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying
08 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Watch to see how Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen compared in qualifying at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
‘HEAD-TO-HEAD’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...687417974.html
‘Irrelevant’ 23-y/o F1 driver ‘not quick enough’ in Saudi Arabian GP qualifying
Fri 8 March 2024 18:30
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer Andrew Benson has branded Logan Sargeant of Williams as ‘irrelevant’ in masking Alpine’s ‘dark times’ in qualifying for the Saudi Arabian GP. The 23-year-old posted the slowest time of the day at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Friday evening with a 1:29.526. Only Zhou Guanyu finished Q1 behind Sargeant on the leaderboard after the Sauber ace failed to complete any laps as mechanical issues blighted his session.
Alpine would have feared ending another qualifying session as the slowest cars as Ocon and Gasly locked out the back of the grid at the Bahrain GP. Sargeant joined the French drivers at the wrong end of the order in Sakhir, too. The American had the 18th fastest time last week. The extent of their problems in Bahrain even saw Alpine reshuffle their technical leadership. Out went technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer, who had already offered their resignations. Alpine were still to confirm their departures beforehand.
Joe Burnell has now taken over as Alpine’s technical director of engineering. David Wheater has also assumed the role of technical director of aerodynamics. While Ciaron Pilbeam has taken over as Alpine’s technical director of performance to try and turn their season around. “It isn’t all good for Alpine, let’s be honest,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra (8/3, 17:19). “Again for the second race in row they’re the slowest car on the grid. Albon’s ahead of them. Sargeant’s irrelevant, isn’t he? He’s not quick enough. So, this is dark times for Alpine.”
‘Alpine reshuffle their technical leadership’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/irr...gp-qualifying/
Mark Hughes on where Hamilton's Saudi Arabian GP is going wrong
Mar 8, 2024
by Mark Hughes
The Race
Ferrari, having recently signed a Formula 1 driver who will be 40 years old by the time he arrives, has just watched its 18-year-old protege do a stunning late-notice stand-in job in the seat which Lewis Hamilton will occupy next year.
That Ollie Bearman’s performance in Carlos Sainz’s car happened simultaneously with a particularly difficult Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying for Hamilton is just one of those awkward coincidences that motorsport throws up from time to time.
Hamilton made it into Q3 (10th fastest in Q2) and Bearman (11th fastest in Q2) did not. But the difference between them was just 0.036s – and had Bearman not gone just a little too deep into Turn 22 on his first lap, requiring him to try again on tyres past their best, their positions would have been reversed.
‘Awkward coincidences’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...e-mark-hughes/
F1 SAUDI ARABIA GRAND PRIX LIVE | Formula 1 Saudi Arabia GP Race Live Commentary + Watchalong
Scheduled for Mar 9, 2024
Forever Motorsports
Join us here at Forever Motorsports as we bring you live F1 commentary for Grand Prix at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Featuring live F1 commentary and timings with a detailed minimap and F1 News.
‘Watchalong’;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQANNknLWgc
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Verstappen dominates historic Saudi Arabian GP as Bearman seventh.
Max Verstappen eased to a second maximum score of the season in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a penalised Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium.
9 March 7:27PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Max Verstappen continued his perfect start to the 2024 Formula 1 season, as he cruised to a 56th career win with a dominant Saudi Arabian Grand Prix display. From pole position, Verstappen quickly gapped the field, headed by Charles Leclerc and then Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez until a Lap 6 Safety Car brought the majority of the field in to swap their Medium tyres for a set of Hard Pirellis.
This Safety Car was caused by Lance Stroll's big crash at Turn 23, but Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were among the four drivers unable to pit to avoid double-stacking behind their team-mates. Norris would take the Lap 10 restart in the lead, and whilst Verstappen tried to fire up his Hard tyres, pulled away, but the World Champion scythed past using DRS at Turn 1 on Lap 13.
Both Perez and Leclerc would eventually clear Norris, who like Hamilton ran long on their Mediums, with the Mexican overcoming a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release on Fernando Alonso during the Safety Car pit-stops. However, he finished well ahead of Leclerc to make it a Red Bull one-two. Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman scored points on his debut for the team, banking a seventh place finish after a smart drive.
‘Perfect start to the 2024 Formula 1 season’;
https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...as-bearman-xxx
Saudi Arabian GP: Race Results
10 March 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe
Full results from the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche.
Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff Pts
1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 50 laps 25
2 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 13.643 18
3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 18.639 16
4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 32.007 12
5 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 35.759 10
6 63 George Russell Mercedes 39.936 8
7 38 Oliver Bearman Ferrari 42.679 6
8 4 Lando Norris McLaren 45.708 4
9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 47.391 2
10 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 76.996 1
‘Full results’;
https://speedcafe.com/saudi-arabian-gp-race-results/
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: F1 Race Results
March 9, 2024
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds
Lights out and away we go: Verstappen got a great start off line as he kept the lead of the race into Turn 1. Leclerc and Perez battled for P2 in the opening stages of the race, with the Monegasque driver managing to stay ahead. Halfway through the first lap, Pierre Gasly was told to come into the pits and retire the car. At the start of the second lap, Oscar Piastri overtook Alonso to take P4. With DRS now open on lap three, Bearman and Yuki Tsunoda kept battling it out for P10. A lap later, Bearman’s team-mate lost P2 to Perez after the Mexican driver overtook the Ferrari driver on the main straight.
The closing stages: As we entered into the final ten laps of the race, Bearman was managing his hard tyres really well after pitting on lap 7 earlier in the race under the Safety car. It was going to get tougher for the debutant, who was currently sat in P7 as he was told by the team that he was going to come under some pressure from Norris and Hamilton behind in the final laps of the race.
With only a few laps to go, Verstappen was just starting to slow down and manage his engine but still bolstered more than a six second gap to Perez in second. On the penultimate lap, Daniel Ricciardo took a little bit of a spin but did not sustain any damage. A lap later, Verstappen would go on to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. His team-mate finished in second to make it a back-to-back Red Bull 1-2. Leclerc claimed the fastest lap and final spot on the podium for Ferrari.
‘Back-to-back Red Bull 1-2’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/sa...-race-results/
Red Bull makes easy work of Saudi Arabian GP
Mar 9, 2024
by Ben Anderson
The Race
Red Bull dominated Formula 1’s 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as reigning world champion Max Verstappen led home Sergio Perez by 13.6 seconds for a comfortable one-two finish. Given he’s generally the weaker of the two drivers in the team, Perez is probably the best barometer of the baseline pace of Red Bull’s 2024 F1 car. He DRS’d his way past Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Lando Norris’s McLaren to get himself up into second place, and made it look easy.
NORRIS AND HAMILTON’S GAMBLE: All but four cars made pitstops under an early safety car called after Lance Stroll clipped the inside barrier and crashed heavily at Turn 22 on lap six of 50. Norris’s McLaren and Hamilton’s Mercedes were the two ‘frontrunning’ cars that stayed out, their teams electing not to risk the so-called double-stack pitstop.
BEARMAN STARS: Ollie Bearman finished seventh on his Formula 1 debut for Ferrari. Once into clean air in the middle of the race, Bearman showed he could match the pace of the cars ahead (save for the Red Bulls) and also managed to comfortably hold off the charging Norris and Hamilton at the end.
HAAS SCORES BUT IRRITATES RIVALS: Stroll’s crash left the door open to one of the tier-three 2024 cars to score a point, and that point went to Hulkenberg’s Haas.
‘Easy work of Saudi Arabian GP’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/s...-red-bull-1-2/
Saudi Arabian GP: Another race, another Max Verstappen win, another Red Bull 1-2
09 Mar 2024 6:27 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
It was a fresh battleground, but same result as Max Verstappen led home a Red Bull 1-2 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was handed a five-second penalty due to an unsafe release which saw Fernando Alonso slam on the brakes, but his advantage over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was enough to ensure that the Red Bull 1-2 was safe.
When the lights went out, Verstappen secured the lead, while Leclerc saw off the threat of Perez after they went side-by-side out of Turn 3. Bearman got through his first F1 start unscathed, but it was game over for Gasly who got the call to retire his Alpine after the first lap. Oscar Piastri meanwhile gave himself the task of masking McLaren’s straight-line pace disadvantage after snatching P4 from Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
By Lap 4, Verstappen had ditched Leclerc from DRS range, allowing Perez to muscle his way trough into Turn 1 and establish a Red Bull 1-2 out front. Just as Bearman was catching the eye by turning up the pressure on Yuki Tsunoda, focus switched to Lance Stroll just ahead of that duo as he steamed into the barriers at Turn 22 after clipping the inside wall, triggering the Safety Car.
‘Another race… Max Verstappen win… Red Bull 1-2’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/saudi-...24-race-report
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Oliver Bearman impresses as Max Verstappen wins again
9 March 2024 at 6:38 pm
Marc Mayo
Oliver Bearman perfectly executed his Formula One debut as Max Verstappen won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On his debut, Bearman enjoyed an early battle with Yuki Tsunoda before swooping past Zhou Guanyu and Nico Hulkenberg, both on older tyres, to settle into ninth place.
With Hamilton and Norris pitting for fresh soft tyres ahead of the final ten laps, they set about chasing the Ferrari teenager down. However, the 18-year-old held on to secure seventh place and six points on his F1 debut having held Norris off with a lead of over two seconds.
‘Oliver Bearman impresses’;
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/saudi-arab...LYistJD196txQr
‘Not having it’: BBC pundit hails F1 driver 31-y/o rival ‘tried to scare’ in Saudi Arabian GP
Sat 9 March 2024 18:30
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer18:36
BBC F1 pundit Jack Aitken has praised Oliver Bearman for how the Ferrari reserve handled Haas star Kevin Magnussen ‘trying to scare’ him in the Saudi Arabian GP.
Oliver Bearman impressed Jack Aitken in the Saudi Arabian GP: Bearman qualified in 11th place as the 18-year-old became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and also the youngest Ferrari driver of all time. The Chelmsford native posted a 1:28.642 lap in Q2 to miss out on the top 10 shootout by 0.036 seconds to Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton.
Magnussen, meanwhile, qualified in 13th place with his 1:29.020. But the 31-year-old moved in front of Williams star Alex Albon in the early laps to chase down Bearman. Yet the Dane’s experienced hustling was not enough to put rookie Bearman off as he firmly held his own.
Jack Aitken: “Magnussen is trying to scare the young Brit out of that position but Bearman is not having it,” Aitken said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He is doing a very good job of protecting his front wing, protecting his car well there.”
‘Not having it’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/bbc...di-arabian-gp/
saudi-arabian-grand-prix-bearman-seventh-on-debut/
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Bearman's remarkable F1 debut amid usual Verstappen routine at 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.
Max Verstappen clinched a ninth successive victory in the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP. A race, writes Mark Hughes, that was more notable for its lack of drama — save for an assured stand-in drive by Ferrari's Oliver Bearman.
March 10th 2024
Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine
Max Verstappen made it nine race victories in succession, comfortably clear of team mate Sergio Perez who in turn had enough of a margin over Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari that he could overcome the 5sec penalty applied for an unsafe release from his pitstop. There were two remarkable things about this race. The first was the remarkable debut of 18-year-old Oliver Bearman standing in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari while the latter was having his appendix removed. The second was just how uneventful the race was, in contrast to previous grands prix here. Low tyre deg and a safety car which brought most of the field in on the same lap was responsible for that.
Lap 7, Lance Stroll has crashed his Aston Martin, taken just a smidgeon too much track width on the entry to Turn 22 and snapped his left-hand track-rod, giving him no way of steering as he headed straight for a 100mph impact with the tyre barrier. A decision was thus imposed on everyone: to stay out or come in.
So the pack didn’t get mixed up. Only Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Zhou Guanyu stayed out, so as not to be stacked behind their-team mates in the pits. They all then ran very long, hoping for a late safety car which never came. Norris and Hamilton had been running sixth and eighth respectively before the safety car. They finished eighth and ninth, chasing down Bearman on tyres 30-odd laps older but not catching him before the flag.
‘Bearman's remarkable F1 debut’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix conclusions: Bearman’s next move, Ricciardo’s decline, more
10 Mar 2024 6:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secured his second successive victory at the start of the F1 2024 season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Verstappen was joined on the podium by Sergio Perez, who completed another Red Bull one-two finish, and Charles Leclerc, whose teenage team-mate Oliver Bearman stole the show by finishing seventh on debut. To the list of humble, highly self-critical drivers to have arrived in this sport recently add the name of Oliver Bearman, who seemed to find a different area to work on at almost every turn of his F1 debut with Ferrari.
It is hard to think of a more daunting task than a driver making his debut with Ferrari, the sport’s most sacred team, at a circuit as unforgiving as Jeddah, the closest thing F1 has to a superspeedway oval in the US, where speeds get unnervingly high and peril lurks around every single corner. Yet despite the short-notice circumstances of his cameo appearance Bearman – like all of those outstanding talents to have come before him (and helped along the way by Ferrari, who managed a potentially unfavourable situation to perfection) – took to it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Scoring points for seventh place and winning the Driver of the Day award was one thing, but the most instructive snapshot from his weekend came at the close of Q2, when he came within 0.036 seconds of pulling off the irresistible irony of knocking Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari’s big-money signing for 2025, if you haven’t heard – out of qualifying. After apologising to Ferrari, Bearman went on to tell all who would listen he was, if anything, “a bit disappointed with everything. “At the moment, not so proud [of myself],” he added. “The racer in me knows the car was quick enough to be in Q3.” That outlook – no doubt drilled into him by his father David, who lived every single lap from the Ferrari garage – will take him far.
‘Oliver Bearman stole the show by finishing seventh on debut’;
https://www.planetf1.com/features/sa...24-conclusions
F1 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Driver ratings as British teen Oliver Bearman makes Ferrari debut
Oliver Bearman became the youngest Brit to make his F1 debut as the second race of the 2024 season kicked off in Jeddah.
Published 9th Mar 2024, 19:16 GMT
By David George
National World
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 9.5/10. Quickest in all three qualifying sessions and took the victory at a canter.
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 8/10. He was disappointed in his qualifying result, but once again Sergio Perez put his Red Bull into second place early in the grand prix.
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 8.5/10. He did everything that was required of him in what was a hectic weekend for the prancing horses.
4. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 7.5/10. Once again, Australian driver Oscar Piastri showcased his quality, despite finishing almost 15 seconds behind Leclerc.
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 8.5/10. Fernando Alonso is one of a select few drivers throughout F1 history who can extract the absolute maximum out of any machinery he's given. Today was no exception.
6. George Russell (Mercedes) - 8/10. Once again beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton…
7. Oliver Bearman (Ferrari) - 9.5/10. What a stellar drive from rookie Oliver Bearman this weekend. I would argue it's the perfect debut, and what really impressed me was his race awareness…
8. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 8/10. Benefitting from the early safety car to skyrocket into the lead, Lando Norris was effectively running a different race to everyone else…
9. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 7/10. The seven-time world champion is lagging quite a way behind his teammate George Russell so far this season... with his move to Ferrari locked in for 2025, is Hamilton fighting as fiercely as he has in previous years?
10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) - 7/10. Points on the board are great for Haas, though.
‘Driver ratings’;
https://www.nationalworld.com/sport/...atings-4549285
‘A star is born!’ – Oliver Bearman seriously impresses in surprise Ferrari debut at Saudi Arabian GP
09 Mar 2024 7:20 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Oliver Bearman was hailed as a “star” by Damon Hill after the 18-year-old performed brilliantly in his F1 debut to finish seventh. The Briton had just one practice session before his F1 race weekend began in earnest and having just missed out on Q3, he impressed even more on race day.
Bearman became just the 68th driver to score points on their F1 debut as he held off late threats of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton to cross the line seventh. Handed Driver of the Day by the fans, praise soon started flooding in for F1’s newest driver.
“Star is born now!” 1996 World Champion Hill tweeted. “Oliver Bearman, to jump in at such short notice, on a track as intimidating as Jeddah, in a Ferrari of all things, and hold up under immense pressure from Lando and Lewis and keep it together. Wow.”
‘A star is born!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/oliver...udi-arabian-gp
‘No doubt’: Brundle issues verdict on Bearman F1 future after Ferrari star’s Saudi GP debut
Sat 9 March 2024 19:20
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Martin Brundle has praised Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman after a ‘brilliant’ F1 debut at the Saudi Arabian GP having stepped in for Carlos Sainz at very brief notice. Ferrari only told Bearman that he would be replacing Sainz in the pinnacle of motorsport at 13:30 local time in Jeddah (10:30 GMT) on Friday. Yet he qualified in 11th spot and took the VF-24 into the points this Saturday. Bearman closed out his F1 and Ferrari debut in seventh.
Martin Brundle has ‘no doubt’ Oliver Bearman has an F1 future: Now, Brundle has ‘no doubt’ that Ferrari reserve driver Bearman has a future on the F1 grid. He will return to F2 with Prema for the rest of 2024 with eyes on the title during his second season in the series. Sainz aims to return to his Ferrari at the Australian GP come March 24.
“Congratulations to Ollie Bearman,” Brundle posted on X. “[A] brilliant drive in Jeddah this evening. Kept it on the road, out of the wicked walls and stayed well in touch with – and ahead of – truly world-class drivers. Superb first F1 GP, of many I have no doubt.”
“Congratulations to Ollie Bearman”;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...bian-gp-debut/
‘Really clever’: Chandhok saw Bearman do something unusual on F1 debut in Saudi GP
Sat 9 March 2024 19:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok noticed Oliver Bearman do one ‘really clever’ thing during the Ferrari reserve driver’s debut at the Saudi Arabian GP on Saturday. Ferrari’s decision to stop Bearman early allowed him to run P7 by the time that Lando Norris and Hamilton stopped. But the Prema F2 sensation had already impressed Chandhok whilst Bearman showed his intelligence when chasing down Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.
“Bearman is being really clever up at Turn 13,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1 (9/3, 17:13). “He’s using a different line to Yuki Tsunoda. He’s not following the normal trajectory through that corner just to get out of the dirty air. Get some more clean air onto his front wing [and] pick up some downforce.”
‘Really clever’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...di-arabian-gp/
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'We need to look at': Charles Leclerc tells Ferrari to investigate 'weird' Saudi Arabian GP.
Charles Leclerc wants Ferrari to investigate vibrations.
Sun 10 March 2024 18:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Charles Leclerc has told Ferrari they ‘need to look at’ a ‘weird’ issue he experienced at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Speaking to F1TV after the race, Leclerc said he broadly felt comfortable behind the wheel of the SF-24. The 26-year-old claimed the extra point for fastest lap, but says he experienced some odd vibrations that need to be checked.
“I don’t think there was anything to do better today,” he said. “On the medium, we struggled a bit more than expected. On the beginning on the hard we struggled a bit more than we expected.”
“Towards the end we were fast, because we obviously did the fastest lap on the last lap, which was nice. We got helped a little bit with the DRS, but all in all I felt good with the car. There are just a few things that we need to look at. Some weird vibrations, but apart from that all good.”
'We need to look at';
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...d-at-saudi-gp/
Ferrari pick up the pace too late to stop Red Bull running away again
10th March 2024, 8:15
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Red Bull romped to another one-two in Jeddah as Charles Leclerc didn’t have the pace to keep up with them. But the Ferrari driver took some encouragement from the pace of his car towards the end of his stints. Leclerc found it difficult to get his tyres working to begin with, but his pace improved once they came up to temperature.
Leclerc dropped back significantly from Verstappen at this time, and took many more laps to pass Lando Norris in the McLaren. But by the end of the race he was lapping quicker than both Red Bulls. “We were struggling all the time at the beginning of the stints, whether it was at the beginning of the medium or beginning on the hards, we struggled to switch the tyres on,” he explained. “Then towards the end of the stint we were pretty good.”
Leclerc’s pace was strong enough that he was able to beat Verstappen to the fastest lap of the race. They both set their quickest times on the final lap of the race, but only Leclerc beat the time Lewis Hamilton set on a set of soft tyres a dozen laps earlier. “All in all, it’s been a positive race,” Leclerc summarised. “I think we are doing small steps in the right direction.”
‘Ferrari pick up the pace too late’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/10/...ng-away-again/
Vasseur warns against Bearman conclusions after F1 debut
Oliver Bearman enjoyed a dream call up to Ferrari at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last weekend, scoring a P7 result as he substituted for Carlos Sainz.
10 March 7:00PM
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has insisted that conclusions over Oliver Bearman's Formula 1 future can't be drawn in direct response to his Grand Prix debut.
When asked by RacingNews365 if a 2025 F1 seat is now more likely for Bearman following his debut, Vasseur said: “The best way to help him is not to draw a conclusion today. We have to take it easy, that he will have another opportunity during the season to do FP1, to test the car, we will do it properly.”
“The main focus is and will stay the F2 this season. He has a huge challenge. I will keep in mind also that he was on pole position, and we killed the weekend for him in F2! But he has a huge challenge in F2, and it's the first challenge of the season.”
‘Not to draw a conclusion today’;
https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-wa...after-f1-debut
Ferrari “contact” three crucial Red Bull engineers who know secrets of RB20
Italian media is certain that Ferrari are trying to recruit key behind-the-scenes Red Bull staff
10 Mar 2024
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Ferrari are reportedly trying to lure a trio of Red Bull engineers who have worked closely on the all-conquering RB20. Italian media insist that Ferrari are trying to take advantage of Red Bull’s off-track controversies by luring crucial behind-the-scenes staff.
The three engineers work closely with Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache, who is the right-hand man of Adrian Newey, Gazzetta report. And Ferrari “tried to approach Wache on several occasions, most recently last year”, Corriere report.
Ferrari have tried, and failed, to tempt Newey from Red Bull before. The ongoing drama at Red Bull means they could make a new approach, Corriere report. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was named “the beginning of the hunt for Adrian Newey” by the Italian newspaper. Newey’s future is “not tied” to Max Verstappen’s, it is reported.
‘Ferrari “contact” three crucial Red Bull engineers’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104551...w-secrets-rb20
Leclerc says ‘it’s a matter of time’ before Bearman joins F1 grid after Saudi stand-in performance
10 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
Charles Leclerc has heaped praise on his surprise stand-in Ferrari team mate for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Ollie Bearman, remarking that the Briton’s points-scoring debut was likely just the beginning of a longer career in Formula 1. Reflecting on Bearman’s race after finishing P3 himself behind the Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Leclerc said that the teenager’s performance had been “extremely impressive".
He continued: “I think everybody has seen that, but obviously having him in the same garage, seeing how he worked and how he approached this whole situation with so much calm was very, very impressive – obviously with so much excitement as well. But it was really impressive. I think he has shown the whole paddock what he was capable of and I think after a performance like that, it's a matter of time before we see him permanently in the Formula 1 paddock.”
‘It’s a matter of time’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...HGphDOAbt.html
'I understand': Simon Lazenby shares what he heard about Carlos Sainz paddock visit at Saudi GP
Sun 10 March 2024 17:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Carlos Sainz ignored doctors’ orders in visiting the paddock for Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 presenter Simon Lazenby says. Sainz underwent surgery after he was diagnosed with appendicitis, causing him to miss the race. And Lazenby has revealed that he was advised against attending the event so soon. Simon Lazenby says Carlos Sainz ignored doctors’ orders.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s post-race show, Lazenby shared what he’d heard about Sainz’s unexpected arrival. The 29-year-old was apparently determined to make it even though he was instructed to continue resting after his procedure. Lazenby said: “The fact that he got up, against doctors’ orders I understand, he wanted to come here, he really did, and go into the back of the garage.”
Will Sainz return for Australian Grand Prix? Sainz will now hope to demonstrate his fitness to return to the cockpit for the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in two weeks’ time. Precedent suggests it’s possible, with Williams driver Alex Albon making a comeback at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix within a couple of weeks of a similar procedure. Each case is different, however, and Ferrari won’t want to take undue risks so early in a 24-round championship.
‘Sainz paddock visit at Saudi GP’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/sim...paddock-visit/
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Piastri: P4 in Saudi Arabia ‘the most we could have done’.
Oscar Piastri finished just one place off the podium in Jeddah having got past Fernando Alonso to claim P4, which he said was the maximum he could have achieved on the day.
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
‘Piastri: P4 in Saudi Arabia’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...872859950.html
Piastri voices 'frustration' over Hamilton F1 battle
Oscar Piatri claimed a strong fourth place result at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but spent much of the race tucked in behind the rear wing of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes.
10 March 2024, 11:30AM
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Oscar Piastri has admitted frustration after being unable to overtake Lewis Hamilton for position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Much of the Australian driver's race in Jeddah was spent following the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, who opted to extend his opening stint and not pit when a Safety Car was called following a crash for Lance Stroll on lap 7.
McLaren highlighted earlier in the race weekend that it was down on straight-line performance compared to its rivals, particularly in the DRS zones. Its disadvantage was evident when Piastri was unable to overtake Hamilton despite several attempts at Turn 1. The 22-year-old was eventually released when the seven-time World Champion pitted on lap 36, setting up an unchallenged run to the finish line.
“I'm not sure fun is the word I would use [to describe the battle],” Piastri told media including RacingNews365. “Frustrating, yes. I think it kind of just showed a couple of weaknesses of ours, definitely. I was very relieved when he boxed out of the way. I just didn't quite have enough on the straights to get past.”
'Frustration';
https://racingnews365.com/piastri-vo...lton-f1-battle
Frustrated Piastri says Hamilton battle showed McLaren weaknesses
Oscar Piastri was left frustrated after finding himself stuck behind the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton for 20 laps during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
10 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Though running in the wheel tracks of the Mercedes ahead, Piastri struggled to find a way through as the pair scrapped over fifth place through the middle of the 50-lap encounter on the Jeddah Corniche street circuit. While competitive through the highspeed opening sector of the lap, McLaren's top speed was a weakness, and its DRS proved less efficient than others.
It meant Piastri only enjoyed a marginal benefit when he opened the rear flap, meaning drawing alongside early enough to make a move stick into Turn 1 was difficult. That saw the 22-year-old attempt to get it done under brakes and twice skate through the run-off at Turn 1, handing the position back to Hamilton on both occasions. Even when Hamilton began to struggle with tyre wear, the McLaren didn't have enough in hand for Piastri to capitalise.
“It's very, very even [between McLaren and Mercedes],” he reasoned. “We have different strengths and weaknesses, for sure, and I think qualifying made the difference today. Lewis showed that if we qualified behind them, there was a good chance we were going to be stuck behind them for the whole night. So I think it's very, very tight between us and we need to do some work to try and jump them and catch the two teams ahead.”
‘McLaren weaknesses’;
https://speedcafe.com/frustrated-pia...en-weaknesses/
Piastri reveals secrets behind improved McLaren qualifying
McLaren enjoyed a strong qualifying result in Saudi Arabia as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ended the session in fifth and sixth respectively.
9 March 2024, 2:15PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
After McLaren locked out the third row of the grid in Saudi Arabia, Oscar Piastri has divulged the details behind the effort. It marked an improved effort from McLaren compared to the season-opening race in Bahrain, where the duo secured starting positions on the fourth row. McLaren was adamant that its Bahrain form would not be reflective of its true pace for the season ahead as it has traditionally struggled around the configuration.
Piastri stated that the track characteristics in Jeddah played into McLaren's hands during qualifying. “The car felt pretty good, it’s probably the happiest I’ve been with the car so far,” Piastri told media including RacingNews365. “With the track surface here and the circuit layout as well, it's just a little bit more friendly to us versus Bahrain.”
‘Strong qualifying result’;
https://racingnews365.com/piastri-re...ren-qualifying
REVIEW: Oscar Piastri: The Rookie
Oscar Piastri is one of the brightest and best-credentialled talents to hit Formula 1 since Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.
9 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe
The Australian made his debut at the sport's pinnacle last season with McLaren, following a hugely successful junior career that netted him three titles in as many years on the ladder to F1. It is that story that Andrew van Leeuwen, Speedcafe's editorial director, has captured in his latest book, Oscar Piastri: The Rookie.
Van Leeuwen has followed Piastri's rise through karting to the sport's peak, speaking to the key players along the way. That includes insight from karting champion David Sera, who recalls his reaction to the raw talent he saw in Piastri's earliest days on track.
Sera's insight is fascinating and offers a glimpse into the ingredients that helped the young Aussie achieve so much early success. He recounts how character traits that have become a hallmark of Piastri, even a trademark, were already beginning to reveal themselves.
‘Latest book, Oscar Piastri: The Rookie’;
https://speedcafe.com/review-oscar-piastri-the-rookie/
McLaren 'in a strong position to score good points'
21:15 Fri, 08 Mar 2024.
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were feeling upbeat after qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday which will see Piastri lining up in fifth place alongside Norris in P6. "I think that was probably the most we could have got out of it," Piastri said of his grid position for tomorrow's race.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was also in a positive frame of mind after qualifying, feeling that it had set them up nicely for a successful race. “A good result for the team today in qualifying puts us in a strong position to score good points tomorrow," Stella said.
"Lando and Oscar made constant improvements today, session-by-session, and put together competitive laps in a field that was tight all the way through qualifying. With Lando, we decided to bias the tyre strategy slightly more towards the race, so it’s good that he’s up there in qualifying," he pointed out.
‘Strong position to score good points’;
https://f1i.com/news/502129-mclaren-...od-points.html
Piastri has more to prove after Bahrain promise
Oscar Piastri has more to prove despite showing improved race and tyre management during last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
7 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Piastri was eighth last Saturday night, two places behind team-mate Lando Norris – a result arguably a result of a strategy error that allowed Lewis Hamilton to undercut the Australian and steal seventh. The Bahrain circuit has not typically played to McLaren's strengths and saw pre-season expectations progressively walked back. The slower speed corners, coupled with an abrasive tarmac in Bahrain highlight the weaknesses that remain in the MCL38.
Though efforts and progress have been made to improve the car, some traits of the MCL60 have carried over. As a result, there were question marks about how Piastri and Norris would fare in the season opener. Even still, the Woking squad left the weekend fourth in the constructors' championship with 12 points – it took three races (and some fortuitous circumstances) to accrue the same number in 2023.
‘More to prove’;
https://speedcafe.com/piastri-has-mo...hrain-promise/
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Alonso hails ‘step in the right direction’ for Aston Martin after battling with rivals en route to P5 in Jeddah.
Fernando Alonso was left satisfied with his P5 result in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the Spaniard suggesting that his Aston Martin team have made progress from the season-opening round in Bahrain.
10 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
After starting from fourth place on the grid, Alonso lost a place to the McLaren of Oscar Piastri in the opening laps but continued to pressure the Australian. He then benefitted from making a pit stop under the Safety Car – which was called on Lap 7 following a crash for his team mate Lance Stroll – given that two of the cars close to him on track, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, opted to stay out.
From there Alonso went on to finish in fifth, three seconds behind Piastri in fourth and four seconds clear of sixth-placed George Russell. “I feel great,” Alonso commented after the race, before joking as he tried to speak over the loud post-race fireworks: “I feel a little more uncomfortable now!”
‘Step in the right direction’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...MsnfFchzf.html
Alonso keeps pressure on for constant car upgrades
MARCH 11, 2024
GrandPrix.com
Let's see how Australia turns out, Alonso said. "I think we made a small step from Bahrain to Jeddah. We are fast on one lap but in the race we can't beat the McLarens and the Mercedes. We were just lucky to be in front of them. We have to find solutions for the next race.”
De la Rosa concurs that the “pending issue” the Silverstone based team must solve is excessive tyre degradation over longer runs - on top of last year's problem which was a stalled car development program. “When you want and have to improve in F1, you can only achieve it with changes or improvements”, he said. "This is no secret.”
“The team's objective is not to race with the same car for two races in a row. There is no improvement plan for Australia, but they are in the oven.” And de la Rosa said Aston Martin now needs to show that its upgrade program is up to scratch with the top teams. “You improve, but others improve”, he said. “And compared to the others, sometimes your improvements are smaller, which seems like things are getting worse.”
‘Pressure on for constant car upgrades’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/alons...-upgrades.html
Aston Martin facing 'nice challenge' in tight midfield - Alonso
Fernando Alonso banked fifth in Saudi Arabia beating some faster cars to the flag.
10 March 2024, 6:20PM
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Fernando Alonso expects Aston Martin to face a "nice challenge" in the Formula 1 midfield after a tight Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. "I'm definitely happy with the race result, in front of both Mercedes, one McLaren and one Ferrari - it is the maximum we can wish for at the moment," Alonso told media including RacingNews365.
"We saw in the race that we are still missing two or three-tenths compared to Mercedes and McLaren, maybe a little bit more compared to Red Bull and Ferrari in qualifying, but it is pretty close. We just need to keep working on the race pace. It was better as we did introduce new parts on [Thursday] and then worked really well, and we did make a step forward in terms of performance.”
"When George [Russell] overtook Nico [Hulkenberg], they were coming so fast and I thought: 'Okay this is going to be a difficult race' but we could hold George behind us for the whole race. But we are still missing two or three-tenths and we will keep chasing that performance - it is challenging but it is a nice challenge and an interesting season ahead."
‘Happy with the race result’;
https://racingnews365.com/aston-mart...idfield-alonso
‘P5 tastes really good’ says beaming Alonso after strong race in Jeddah
Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin “still need to make another step – especially on race pace”, but was nonetheless very pleased to seal fifth place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
‘P5 tastes really good’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...474448977.html
Aston Martin make ‘no secret’ of Fernando Alonso status with F1 future in doubt
11 Mar 2024 8:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
It’s “no secret” Aston Martin want to re-sign Fernando Alonso for the 2025 season, if not longer, but Mike Krack admits first the Spaniard has to decide if he wants to continue in Formula 1.
Aston Martin team boss Krack says it’s “no secret” his driver is debating his future amidst rumours he could even take Lewis Hamilton’s soon-to-be-vacant seat at Mercedes. However, Krack is determined to hold onto his star driver. “It’s no secret that he first of all wants to decide for himself what he wants to do. And I think it’s also no secret that I keep saying that we want to continue working with Fernando.”
“I have also said the most important thing is that we give him a quick car, so that he believes in this project, and that he believes in this team, and everything else we will discuss over the weeks to come. Now, it is clear a driver of his calibre is attractive for everybody, that’s clear, but we will try to keep him.”
‘No secret’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...e-aston-martin
Alonso eyeing a move? Keeps Aston on toes for upgrades
March 11, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
Amid ongoing rumours regarding his future contract negotiations set for 2025, Fernando Alonso continues to exert pressure on Aston Martin for perpetual car upgrades. At 42, the Spaniard is rumoured to be considering extraordinary moves to either Mercedes or Red Bull next year, after qualifying impressively in fourth place and securing fifth in the Saudi Arabian race.
Pedro de la Rosa, a longtime friend and now an ambassador for Aston Martin, emphasized, “The computers were not saying fifth, and that is because of the human factor. And thank goodness for that,” attributing the unexpected outcome to Alonso’s skill, indicating he’s exceeding the capabilities of the 2024 Aston Martin model.
Both Alonso and de la Rosa are adamant about the team’s need for genuine and ongoing development at each race of the season, suggesting that despite the car’s current pace, there’s an essential need for improvement to stay competitive.
‘Ongoing rumours’;
https://grandpx.news/alonso-eyeing-a...-for-upgrades/
‘He is looking elsewhere’: £270k-a-week driver now becoming more and more unhappy – journalist
Mon 11 March 2024 13:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso is becoming more and more unhappy at the team despite a positive result in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. When Lance Stroll put his car in the wall in Jeddah, Mike Krack’s team were relying on the experienced Spaniard to deliver points. He put in another fantastic display but speaking on The Race Podcast, Samarth Kanal believes he’s now seeing if he can move on ahead of the 2025 season.
Speaking about the 42-year-old, Kanal said: “I think his unhappiness is growing bit by bit. He’s let out little hints that he is looking elsewhere now and especially Hamilton’s move to Ferrari next year might have opened up a bit door for Alonso to explore there.”
“Now, I can’t say for sure if he’ll move to Mercedes but what I can say is that he is looking elsewhere and with races where the Aston Martin isn’t quite keeping up to the pace with other teams, Alonso does seem to imply afterwards that it has had an effect on his mindset when it comes to contract discussions.”
‘He is looking elsewhere’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/270...-current-team/
-
Russell sums up his ‘frustrating’ day spent behind Alonso in Saudi Arabia.
George Russell finished the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in P6 having spent some 40 laps right behind Fernando Alonso, but unable to pass the Spaniard.
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
‘Frustrating day’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...611911709.html
George Russell’s alarming “getting slower” admission about Mercedes
George Russell makes alarming Mercedes admission after finishing sixth in Saudi Arabia.
10 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
George Russell says Mercedes are “getting slower” as F1 weekends develop following another disappointing performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. After a similar showing in the opening two rounds, Russell believes Mercedes are “getting slower” across the sessions, rather than rival teams improving.
“We're still really trying to understand this car because we have shown true performance at points over the last two weekends,” Russell said. “FP1, straight out of the box, we were top of the timesheets and always in the top three. FP2, P2. Then, both weekends, the pace just falling away from us.”
“That hasn't been our competitors getting faster; that's been us getting slower. So, we need to understand why that is. But it's fine margins now. It’s so close with ourselves, McLaren, Aston. Charles [Leclerc, Ferrari] is just a smidge ahead. We just need to tap into it a bit more.”
“Getting slower”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104550...about-mercedes
George Russell highlights concerning Mercedes W15 trend after Saudi Arabian GP
10 Mar 2024 6:30 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
George Russell says Mercedes must work to understand why the W15 is getting slower, not faster as a race weekend progresses.
Mercedes went into the F1 2024 campaign hopeful of a stronger season after going back to the drawing board for their W15, putting a challenger on the track that is more conventional appearance wise versus the Red Bull RB18/RB19 concept which dominated the first two seasons of Formula 1’s ground effect era.
But the opening rounds of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia showed that Mercedes still has a lot of work ahead if they are to take the fight to Red Bull, who have started out with a pair of one-two finishes.
‘Concerning Mercedes W15 trend’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/george...r-race-weekend
Data shows only Haas were slower than Mercedes in one key area during Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Mercedes were slower than Alpine and Williams in one area during Saudi Arabia GP
Mon 11 March 2024 12:30
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Mercedes lost out to two of the slowest cars on the Formula 1 grid in one area at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Alpine beat Mercedes in high-speed corners. Formu1a.uno journalist Piergiuseppe Donadoni has now shared the data from the event, and it paints a bleak picture for Mercedes.
In the ‘fast’ sections of the track, the W15 was a full 12 km/h slower than Red Bull’s RB20 on average. Worse still, bottom-of-the-table Alpine were ‘slightly’ quicker in those areas, as were Williams. Mercedes, who could only outpace Haas from turns four to 10, haemorrhaged time relative to Norris.
‘Mercedes, who could only outpace Haas…’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...udi-arabia-gp/
Mercedes’ Struggles Have Continued Into 2024
March 11, 2024
Nicole Powell
LastWordOnSports
Mercedes have been making headlines for all the wrong reasons since the introduction of the new regulations in the 2022 season. The W13 and W14 were disappointing cars, to say the least. Especially as per the usual standards that Mercedes had set in the recent past. This season, the W15 hasn’t proved to be much of an improvement as of yet.
No impressions in qualifying: Mercedes have rarely been a threat in qualifying since 2022. Just like in the previous two seasons, one-lap speed is not Mercedes’ greatest strength, or near it.
Watching Mercedes in Q2 is like being jump-scared, as they often look like they could not make it through to Q3. Mercedes are often seen around the danger zones in qualifying, and rarely ever challenge for a front-row start.
‘Struggles Have Continued’;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...ued-into-2024/
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Bearman proved he’s ready for full-time seat says Ferrari Driver Academy head.
Oliver Bearman’s “intelligent” drive to seventh place on his debut proved he’s ready for a full-time Formula 1 seat, says the head of Ferrari’s young driver programme.
12th March 2024, 7:15
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Ferrari Driver Academy head Jock Clear said team principal Frederic Vasseur’s decision to put the 18-year-old in one of their cars last weekend showed the team had high expectations of him. “I was convinced before that and I think the fact that Fred was brave enough to put him in this car this weekend, under the circumstances, speaks volumes for what we’ve seen of him already,” Clear told the official F1 channel.
Bearman’s debut in place of the unwell Carlos Sainz Jnr went “better than we could have expected” said Clear, “but when the decision was made, I suppose this is what we expected. I don’t want to belittle or diminish the achievement, we really, really are over the moon with everything, but we sort of put him there thinking, ‘I think he can do this’. And he’s absolutely vindicated that choice.”
‘Ready for full-time seat’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/12/...-academy-head/
'That's when it shows': Jock Clear names one area where Oliver Bearman’s F1 debut ‘got a bit messy’
Tue 12 March 2024 19:30
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing for Ferrari debutant Oliver Bearman at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jock Clear says. Ferrari called up Formula 2 driver Bearman before final practice on Friday morning when Carlos Sainz had to go to hospital with appendicitis.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Clear admits things got a ‘bit messy’ for Bearman in qualifying. He made a mistake on his first run in Q2 and then missed out on a spot in the top 10 shoot-out as he set the 11th fastest time. He was only a few hundredths of a second behind seven-time world champion Hamilton.
While he surpassed the team’s expectations with his performance, he did have to adapt to a ‘different level’. “The pressure on him in Q2 – you’ve locked up on your first set, you’ve now got a second set to try and get through to Q3, that’s when it shows that this is a different level. That was the point where it got a bit messy. He did a great job to put it P11 anyway, that was beyond our expectations.”
‘Mistake on his first run in Q2’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/joc...t-a-bit-messy/
Marko tells Ferrari to put Bearman at Haas in 2025
MARCH 12, 2024
GrandPrix.com
Dr Helmut Marko has urged Ferrari to place impressive rookie Oliver Bearman with the affiliated Haas team for 2025.
Marko, Red Bull's notorious F1 consultant, called Bearman's performance last weekend “sensational”. “To be on a track like Jeddah like that without much practice was really powerful”, the 80-year-old told Speed Week. "At times he drove almost at the same level as Charles Leclerc.”
"But what is Ferrari doing? They are buying the expensive (Lewis) Hamilton, Leclerc has a long-term contract, and now Bearman is showing off a super talent. If I were Fred Vasseur, I would immediately find Bearman a cockpit in another team - I don't know, at Haas for example”, Marko said.
‘Put Bearman at Haas in 2025’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/marko...s-in-2025.html
‘Well done’: Haas send message to Oliver Bearman after making Saudi Arabia Grand Prix debut
Mon 11 March 2024 18:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Haas have now sent a message to Ferrari driver Oliver Bearman after he made his Formula 1 debut during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Posting on Instagram after the race, Haas said: “That was a fun battle between Nico and Ollie yesterday. Well done on an impressive points-scoring debut in F1 @olliebearman.”
While Bearman wasn’t too happy with Hulkenberg during the race, he did praise his use of his battery power once the Grand Prix had ended. Bearman is set to drive for Haas in free practice this season and the message they sent him after the race in Saudi Arabia highlights how keen they are to strengthen that relationship.
The 18-year-old has worked closely with Kevin Magnussen and the Dane might now be worried he could end up being his replacement. He’s also been working in the team’s simulator and that partnership might end up earning him a permanent spot on the grid.
‘Well done’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/haa...nd-prix-debut/
‘If I was Fred Vasseur’ – Helmut Marko’s bold plan for Oliver Bearman after incredible Saudi debut
12 Mar 2024 6:30 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Bearman’s calm and measured debut, qualifying 11th before racing to seventh and not collapsing under pressure as Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton hunted him towards the end of the race, gained Marko’s notoriously hard-to-earn praise.
“I thought Ollie Bearman’s debut in the Ferrari was sensational,” Marko wrote in his column for Speedweek after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “To be on the road like that on a track like Jeddah without much training was very strong. At times he was almost on a par with Charles Leclerc.”
But while he may not be able to help Bearman out, Marko has outlined what he’d be doing with the British driver if he was in a position to be able to make a call over where to put Bearman and get him on the F1 grid.
‘If I was Fred Vasseur’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...n-fred-vasseur
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F1 pundits baffled by stewards ‘sympathy’ over clear Lando Norris jump start.
Such was his notable movement, Mercedes’ George Russell flagged it over the radio. “Jump start Norris!” he told Mercedes.
12 Mar 2024 1:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Cleared of a jump start by the Saudi Arabian GP stewards, Anthony Davidson was baffled by the decision as footage showed the McLaren driver “clearly” moved before the lights went out.
The stewards, though, ruled that he had done nothing wrong as the transponder on his MCL38 “did not indicate” that there’d been movement. “The stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and determined that the video appeared to show that Car 4 moved before the start signal was given,” their report began.
“However, the FIA-approved and supplied transponder fitted on the car did not indicate a jump start. Article 48.1 a) of the Formula One Sporting Regulations states clearly that the judgment of whether or not there was a jump start is to be made in accordance with the transponder, which did not show a jump start. In the circumstances, we took no further action.”
“Jump start Norris!”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...undit-reaction
‘Computer said no’ - Why wasn’t Lando Norris penalised for jump start at F1 Saudi Arabian GP?
10:23 Sun, 10 Mar 2024.
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix F1 stewards have explained why Lando Norris escaped punishment for jumping the start. "The stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video and determined that the video appeared to show that car 4 moved before the start signal was given," the stewards said.
Norris admitted he “didn’t know what happened” because it “happened so quickly. I just went a little bit and then tried stopping again, and then went again. But overall, I lost. I didn't gain anything from it,” he told Sky.
“Didn’t know what happened”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104550...udi-arabian-gp
'When this happens next time...' - F1 stewards questioned after Lando Norris 'jump start'
Two Sky Sports F1 pundits were surprised the stewards didn't punish Lando Norris at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
11 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff was perplexed by the stewards’ decision not to penalise Lando Norris at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. While the transponder didn’t notify the stewards of a jump start, Schiff felt from the onboard video evidence, it was clear cut. “Honestly, I don’t understand. He has clearly moved before the lines have gone out,” he said.
“He has not only clearly moved before the lines have gone out, but he’s positioned outside of the box! Now, there’s already two out of three options for how you can do a false start. I don’t know. Apparently they taken sympathy? I don’t know how I feel about that! Clearly nobody else felt strongly enough about it to push it.”
“For us, or anyone else judging the sport, when this happens next time will they have sympathy? Or how do we judge it? That’s my question.” Ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok added: “It looked to me, before the replay, like he had gone over the line. Because he got clear, I thought it was within tolerance. The slo-mo shows otherwise.”
'When this happens next time...'
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104557...ris-jump-start
Saudi Arabia Grand Prix: Points finish for Lando Norris at Jeddah
14:01 Mon, 11 Mar 2024.
Tom Leaman
Somerset County Gazette
LANDO Norris secured his second points finish of the Formula 1 season after a “reasonable” race in Saudi Arabia on Saturday (March 9). The Glastonbury racer started in sixth but briefly led the Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after Lance Stroll put his Aston Martin in the barrier on lap seven. All of the frontrunners came in for fresh tyres under the safety car – except Norris and Lewis Hamilton.
Norris led for three laps before championship leader Max Verstappen swooped past. When Norris and Hamilton did pit, both out of strategy sync, they came out behind Ferrari's 18-year-old debutant Ollie Bearman, who stepped in for Carlos Sainz on Friday after the Spaniard was ruled out of the race because of surgery to remove his appendix.
When Norris pitted on lap 37 out of 50, Bearman was 6.1 seconds up the road and had Hamilton behind him.
‘Points finish for Lando Norris’;
https://www.somersetcountygazette.co...norris-jeddah/
Lando Norris reveals why Max Verstappen’s winning margin is actually ‘not concerning at all’
08 Mar 2024 10:00 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
22 seconds up the road from his nearest rival in Bahrain, Lando Norris says Max Verstappen’s winning margin is not “concerning at all” given the head start Red Bull had with their 2024 car. That head start paid off in Bahrain as the reigning World Champion stormed to the victory, 22s ahead of Sergio Perez, and a further three in front of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
“I don’t think it was concerning at all, honestly,” Norris told the media in Saudi Arabia of Verstappen’s dominance in Bahrain. “Considering that they spent a lot of time developing and making a new car for this year. I’m pretty happy with how close we were to Red Bull. Even in qualifying, it wasn’t like Max had an easy one and it was that convincing.”
‘22 seconds up the road: Not concerning at all’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...not-concerning
Norris demands changes to F1 cars
Amid question marks over the impact the current Formula 1 cars are having on drivers' health, Lando Norris has called on changes to be implemented going forward.
12 March 1:00PM
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Lando Norris has called on improvements to be made to the current generation of Formula 1 cars over the “toll” they are having on drivers' bodies. The new technical regulations implemented in 2022 saw the return of ground effect, with an unintended consequence of severe bouncing along the straights impacting a number of teams.
Although the issue, caused by mechanical bouncing and aerodynamic porpoising, has largely been eradicated, the cars are still set up with stiff suspension settings as they run as close to the ground as possible in order to generate peak downforce.
Speaking to media including RacingNews365, Norris was hesitant to make such an assumption: “I have no idea. I don't know how you would correlate it. I don't know what the average [number] per person who has had it. Is it one in five? Is it one in 10? I have no idea. I'm not a doctor. [But] could it be better and was it better a few years ago with the old cars? 100 per cent.”
‘Norris demands changes to F1 cars’;
https://racingnews365.com/norris-mak...mprove-f1-cars
“He’s so fast”: How Hamilton saw his fruitless pursuit of Norris
13th March 2024, 12:2513th March 2024, 12:25
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton’s attempt to catch Lando Norris in the final laps of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as the McLaren proved too quick for the Mercedes. The huge superiority of the MCL38 in the high-speed corners at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit proved too much for the Mercedes.
The team originally planned to switch Hamilton to the hard tyre compound, but he went far enough into the race on his medium rubber than they decided a switch to softs was possible. When he emerged from the pits he was concerned Bearman was too far ahead to catch. But when Norris lost time during his pit stop Mercedes spied an opportunity to attack.
While Hamilton enjoyed the quickest complete pit stop of the race, Norris lost over two seconds compared to him, and rejoined the track closer to Hamilton than McLaren intended. However through the first sector of the lap, which includes several high-speed corners, Hamilton was dismayed by how quickly the McLaren pulled away.
“He’s so fast;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/13/...uit-of-norris/
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Lewis Hamilton calls for 'big changes' as F1 icon fears Mercedes are 'miles off'.
Lewis Hamilton has sent a message to Toto Wolff, his team boss at Mercedes, after finishing in ninth place at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He said that 'big changes' are needed from the team.
21:40 Sat, 09 Mar 2024.
BY GRAEME YOUNG
DEPUTY LIVE SPORTS EDITOR HARRY SMITH
Daily Record
Hamilton had hoped for a better result in Jeddah after a disappointing start to the season in Bahrain. However, an early strategy decision left him struggling. When Lance Stroll crashed early in the race and the safety car was brought out, Mercedes chose not to pit Hamilton.
This left him in third place, behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Unfortunately, no more safety cars were brought out, leaving Norris and Hamilton to run for a long time in an attempt to create a larger tyre offset during the final stages of the race.
This strategy didn't work, and Hamilton finished in ninth place. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton said: "I mean the car is good, or relatively good in the low-speed [corners] and not so bad in the medium [speed corners], but in the high speed we are miles off.", reports the Express.
'Miles off';
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/...anges-32315353
Frustrated Hamilton felt “like I was in a different category” in fast corners
9th March 2024, 20:59
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Mercedes went into the new season hoping to rebound from two disappointing years using an extensively revised car. But Hamilton said some of the problems he is experiencing feel familiar and he isn’t convinced the team has gone far enough with its latest design.
“It’s frustrating, for sure, to be three years in a row in almost the same position. It’s definitely tough. I know we’ll get our heads down and we’ll keep working away. I know everyone back at the factory is pushing as hard as they can. But we’ve definitely got to make some big changes.”
“We haven’t made big enough changes, perhaps. You look at the three teams ahead of us, they still have different concepts to where we are in some areas. So we’ve got some performance to add, that’s for sure.”
“Like I was in a different category”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/09/...-fast-corners/
'I'm told': David Croft says ‘vulnerable’ driver wasn’t ‘happy’ with team at Saudi GP
Sun 10 March 2024 09:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Lewis Hamilton was annoyed with one decision by his Mercedes team during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft says. And Croft learned that he wasn’t pleased with a Silver Arrows strategy call during the race.
David Croft says Mercedes move left Lewis Hamilton vulnerable. Speaking on lap nine after the initial pit stops had shaken out, Croft said that Hamilton had expressed frustration. He apparently felt that he’d been left at the mercy of the cars around him on his older rubber.
Croft said: “I’m told Lewis Hamilton not overly happy with staying out there and not being called in. And you can understand that, because he’ll be feeling vulnerable, as I’m sure Lando Norris is, with where they’re sat currently.” A lap later, co-commentator Karun Chandhok added: “I can see why Hamilton’s annoyed by this, because he’s got the downside of the dirty air from the cars in front.”
‘Annoyed with one decision’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dav...m-at-saudi-gp/
Lewis Hamilton “knew” Mercedes were set for “tough year” before Ferrari decision
Did Lewis Hamilton foresee Mercedes' struggles before deciding to join Ferrari for 2025?
11 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok is convinced Lewis Hamilton “knew” Mercedes were set for a “tough year” in 2024 before deciding to join Ferrari. During Sky Sports’ F1 coverage over the weekend, Chandhok and Naomi Schiff were asked if they thought if Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari stemmed from murmurings that Mercedes would struggle.
Schiff said: “I don’t actually think so. It seems they came into the season with really high hopes.” Chandhok was more cynical: “I am going to disagree. I think he did know. What they put out there - the messages of positivity - are one thing. But I think he knew that it’s going to be a tough year.”
Hamilton’s complaints of an unstable rear-end was a recurring theme throughout the Saudi Arabia weekend. Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins feels that’s one of the reasons he’s also decided to join Ferrari. “He was saying that for all of last year, as well,” she explained. “Possibly, that’s one of the reasons why he’s moving teams.”
“I think he knew that it’s going to be a tough year”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104557...rrari-decision
Lewis Hamilton proven right in joining Ferrari – dreadful Mercedes are even worse in 2024
Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and ninth at 2024 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GP
March 12, 2024 - 08:05
By Joe Krishnan
Total Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton came away from the Formula 1 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a sinking feeling that Mercedes are not in a better position than they were last year after all. In fact, they might be worse.
No one could deny that Hamilton gave it everything to finish as high as possible after qualifying eighth. He held off Oscar Piastri on an old set of medium tyres in the first stint and, after pitting for a pair of softs, was all over the back of Lando Norris’ rear wing right up to the checkered flag.
Mercedes have no excuse for their poor form since the new regulations were brought in back in 2022. They had time to prepare and design the car like everyone else, but chose the wrong concept and have been playing catch-up ever since. Now into the third season, Toto Wolff is still speaking about fixing the car. From the perspective of a team that has won the constructors’ championship eight times, it is almost embarrassing to be in this position.
‘In fact, they might be worse’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ercedes-worse/
Mercedes urged to snub Lewis Hamilton after Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton is enjoying his final year as a Mercedes driver ahead of a fairytale switch to Ferrari in 2025.
10:00, Mon, Mar 11, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Mercedes should shift their focus away from Lewis Hamilton and towards George Russell during the 2024 season, according to Express Sport readers. The seven-time world champion is joining Ferrari at the end of the year but still has 22 Grands Prix remaining with the Silver Arrows.
This was something that Max Verstappen explained last month. He told media, including Express Sport: “I mean for sure he has a great relationship with everyone and especially also with Toto [Wolff]. “But he also knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him ‘I’m really sorry, we’ve had all this success, but you can’t be a part of certain meetings any more.’ And it’s normal in F1 and it’s probably a bit weird, but you’re professional enough to deal with that.”
Following a survey of 7,057 Express Sport readers, 64 per cent believed that the right move would be to prioritise Russell for the remainder of the 2024 campaign with only 36 per cent suggesting that Toto Wolff should give his long-serving star driver equal treatment or better during his final year with the Brackley-based team.
‘Prioritise Russell for the remainder of the 2024 campaign’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...udi-Arabian-GP
Lewis Hamilton "not having fun" as Mercedes handed "frustrating" F1 reality check
Lewis Hamilton finished the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix down in ninth place as Mercedes struggled against their main rivals on the fast, flowing Jeddah Corniche Circuit
11:56 Tue, 12 Mar 2024.
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror
Lewis Hamilton said he was "not having fun" as he struggled and finished only ninth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Though the seven-time world champion has praised his new W15 car, he struggled for pace in the fast corners of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. That, plus a Mercedes strategy gamble which didn't pay off, meant he finished 47 seconds down the road from winner Max Verstappen.
As a result, Hamilton was left feeling like he was behind the wheel of a car from a "different category". Team principal Toto Wolff said there was a "fundamental" problem with the W15 which means that it is far too slow in those quicker turns.
And Hamilton is bracing for his tough start to the new season to continue with the issue likely to take some time to resolve. He said: "I think all the high-speed circuits we are going to be at a disadvantage with the package we currently have.”
"Not having fun";
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...wolff-32333813
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Hulkenberg: Points ‘quite tough’ for Haas without a top car Dnf.
Nico Hulkenberg delivered a championship point to Haas in Saudi Arabia last weekend, but the German driver admits that the US outfit's top-ten finish was only made possible by a DNF from one of F1’s top teams.
16:00 Wed, 13 Mar 2024.
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
In Jeddah, Hulkenberg's result was greatly facilitated by the handy and opportunistic team-work executed by Kevin Magnussen.
Ayao Komatsu was ecstatic over the outcome and his team’s valuable point. “It's incredibly important, it's like a gold dust," commented the Japanese engineer.
"We've got the top five teams and then we are effectively competing for P10, one point, with so many other people, so everything has to be perfect. I'm so happy for the team, everyone's done their bit," Komatsu added. "Operationally, as a race team it was close to perfection."
‘Points ‘quite tough’ for Haas’;
https://f1i.com/news/502609-hulkenbe...p-car-dnf.html
Nico Hulkenberg: “Refreshing” Komatsu approach is working
March 7, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports
Haas benefiting from a new approach. During the Saudi Arabia GP Drivers’ Press Conference, Hulkenberg commented on Komatsu’s leadership:
“Yeah, obviously he didn’t have to settle or get to know the team. But I think he settled in well into his new position. He got thrown in the cold water, definitely. Obviously, a lot of new responsibilities and things he has to do are new to him.”
“But so far, I think he’s doing a very good job taking it all in, looking for the fastest way to performance. Also for the medium and long term. He’s got a lot of interesting and good ideas. So, yeah, it’s quite refreshing and feels positive so far.”
“Refreshing”;
https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...ch-is-working/
THE STRATEGIST: How Haas cleverly used Magnussen to allow Hulkenberg to snatch the final point in Jeddah
12 March 2024
Bernie Collins
Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy
Formula One - Official Site
So far in the 2024 season the top five teams (Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin) have a relatively comfortable pace advantage over the bottom five. Therefore in a race without incident or retirement there are no points on the table for the lower teams (Kick Sauber, RB, Haas, Williams and Alpine).
But on Saturday night in Jeddah, the retirement of Lance Stroll on Lap 6 not only triggered a Safety Car but also left a valuable point-scoring position up for grabs. Former Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins explains how Haas worked together as a team – and switched their plan mid-race – to ensure this single precious point would be theirs…
The Jeddah result for Haas was described by some as being like a win for the team – and with a single point enough to promote them to P6 in the constructors’ standings, in a season when points for the second half of the field are likely to be rare, it's easy to see why.
‘THE STRATEGIST’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...b5FRE2bXJ.html
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Race Recap
March 9, 2024
Haas F1 Team - Official Site
Nico Hulkenberg: “One point is worth a lot these days. It felt like a very clean race, and a really good race by the team strategy-wise. We split the cars during the Safety Car which was discussed before the race and that worked out well.”
Kevin Magnussen: “I showed good pace but unfortunately I got two penalties, so that’s not a great day for me of course, but I think I made up for it with the effort in keeping everyone behind to create a gap for Nico to pit. He scored a point so that’s super important…”
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: “Today was an amazing team effort and I’m so happy that it was from the great teamwork. We were fighting for P10 – one point – but against eight other drivers, so everything had to be perfect to take the opportunity.”
‘Race Recap’;
https://www.haasf1team.com/news/saud...x-race-recap-2
Hulkenberg praises Magnussen for ‘playing the team game’ to help Haas get off the mark in Saudi Arabia
13 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, cars hurtling at breath-taking speeds with fearless drivers pushing the limit lap after lap. But not for Haas in Saudi Arabia, who managed to score what could be an incredibly crucial World Championship point thanks to a strategy that involved Kevin Magnussen driving as slowly as possible.
That doesn’t tell the full story of course. The team had opted to split their strategies when the very early Safety car came out, with Magnussen pitting and Nico Hulkenberg staying out. That jumped the German up the order, but he knew he’d pay for it later on when he did pit.
But then came Magnussen’s two separate 10-second time penalties, one earned for pushing Alex Albon’s Williams into the wall when they were fighting for position, the next for running off track when battling Yuki Tsunoda and gaining a lasting advantage. With his race ruined, the team quickly saw their opportunity.
‘Playing the team game’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...JOO80jAtn.html
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Ricciardo: RB car not ‘functioning at 100%’ as team discovers ‘ a few flaws’ with design.
RB have had a difficult start to the season. The team enter the third round of the season, still pointless and suffering from 'efficiency' issues.
March 14, 2024
Caitlyn Gordon
FormulaNerds
It was announced that AlphaTauri would be having a complete makeover in 2024. The team would be receiving a new team name, pivotal personnel joining and a closer bond with Red Bull. The new car would have access to components from its sister team in Milton Keynes, including the RB19 front suspension. This suggested that 2024 could see the team step up slightly and fight more closely with the midfield.
However, two races into the season, this hasn’t quite been the case. The team so far have been unsuccessful in the pursuit of points, Saudi Arabia was a particularly tough weekend for the team. Ricciardo qualified in 14th with Tsunoda up the ladder and starting in ninth. But, when the race went green it all went downhill. Ricciardo was hindered significantly when he pitted during a safety car on Lap 7.
Issues started to arise when fitting his rear tyres, causing the Australian to sit in the pit for 41 seconds. This ultimately cost him the race as the driver struggled to climb up the pecking order and finished the race in 16th. Tsunoda wasn’t having a good race either. The driver was issued with a five second penalty because of an unsafe release which saw him dropped him down to 15th.
‘A few flaws’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ri...s-with-design/
Daniel Ricciardo’s classic response to embarrassing mistake at Saudi Arabian GP
14 Mar 2024 2:30 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
After RB’s 40s pit stop, Daniel Ricciardo has joked his late-race spin in Saudi Arabia was because he “didn’t want the team to feel left out”. Qualifying 14th for round two of the championship where he was half a second down on his team-mate, Ricciardo’s chances of working his way into the points were undone by a 40-second pit stop that RB put down to a “problem with the tyres”.
He joked he spun to make the team feel better about their earlier mistake. “I didn’t want the team to feel left out,” he said with a smile. Asked if it was a case of losing concentration, he replied: “The spin? Yeah, maybe. I stayed… I don’t know. I did just take a bit too much kerb, which caused the spin. I’m not intending on taking that much kerb.”
“You could say just probably a little bit of frustration, maybe on my part. But of course, I’m not trying to spin. So yeah, I don’t know. No excuses. But doing some work. I’ll use that as an excuse.” But calling his Jeddah weekend a “painful three days”, Ricciardo revealed RB had found some limitations with their new RB01 over the course of the weekend.
‘ “I didn’t want the team to feel left out,” he said with a smile!’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/daniel...udi-arabian-gp
Podcast: Ricciardo's slow start and F1's driver logjam
Mar 14, 2024
The Race
Daniel Ricciardo's performances for RB are discussed on the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast after he was given the hurry-up by Red Bull's Helmut Marko.
With Ricciardo so far outperformed by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, we ask whether his bid to earn a Red Bull Racing seat is losing momentum, and even whether he might be at risk of being replaced mid-season given the company's history.
‘Ricciardo's slow start’;
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/t...young-drivers/
‘Question marks are there’ - Daniel Ricciardo issued another warning over F1 future
One legendary F1 team boss isn't convinced by Daniel Ricciardo since his final year with McLaren.
14 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Legendary F1 team boss Eddie Jordan isn’t convinced Daniel Ricciardo has recovered from his gruelling spell at McLaren following a difficult start to the 2024 season. Speaking on the latest episode of the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan questioned whether he’d want to sign Ricciardo if he was a current team owner.
“I don’t think there’s a more loved personality in F1,” Jordan said. “Certainly got the best smile I have ever seen in F1. He’s a magic guy to have in a team. But that doesn’t give you the right to be the driver in the team and I am just worried that the end of the McLaren era was really something that stood out and I couldn’t see where he’d lost it.”
“There’s been nothing since then that convinces me that I would want to invest my hard earned sponsorship cash to keep Daniel.” Jordan suggested that with talents like Oliver Bearman waiting in the wings, Ricciardo needs to up his game to avoid being replaced. “He needs a result more than anyone perhaps,” he added. “He needs to get it together because otherwise he’s going to be replaced. He can understand why he would be replaced because the performances are not just there.”
‘Question marks are there’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104564...over-f1-future
Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo takes advice from UFC legend Alex Volkanovski on how to tackle Australian Grand Prix
Published: 13:29, 14 Mar 2024
Updated: 13:29, 14 Mar 2024
Jake Lambourne
talkSPORT
Daniel Ricciardo will have Alex Volkanovski to thank should he win his first Australian Grand Prix later this month. The Formula 1 star is yet to even get on the podium in his home GP, but following some tips from the UFC legend, that could soon change. Taking to Instagram, the former featherweight champion spoke to a cardboard cutout of his Aussie compatriot.
Volkanovski offered some words of advice to the Visa Cash App RB driver, who has struggled in his opening two races of the 2024 season having finished 13th and 16th, respectively. The 35-year-old said: "So what you do is, when you’re coming around the corner, you want to brake as late as you can. Not too late, where you’re gonna slide out as you're turning, but just before.”
"You want to slow down as late as you can get to get them extra seconds. "And then you're going to curl around and get some speed, you’ll make some time on that. There’s a couple of tips from The Volk.”
‘Volkanovski offered some words of advice to a cardboard cutout of his Aussie compatriot, Daniel Ricciardo’;
https://talksport.com/sport/1788927/...australian-gp/
Helmut Marko issues “has to come up with something soon” warning for Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo "has to come up with something soon", Red Bull's Helmut Marko has warned.
12 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has ramped up the pressure on RB F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo to improve his performances. Writing in a column for Speedweek, Marko made it clear that he expects more from Ricciardo, who has started 2024 on the back foot compared to Tsunoda.
“There’s a lot at stake this season for both Yuki and Daniel,” Marko said. “Yuki’s qualifying was very good, and Ricciardo has to come up with something soon… At least Tsunoda is very good in qualifying. Then they are in the points in the first stint, only to fall further behind afterwards…”
“Whether they are putting too much strain on the tyres or there are other reasons is what you need to find out.”
“Has to come up with something soon”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104559...niel-ricciardo
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‘That was a mistake’: Eddie Jordan says Alpine will regret how quickly they sacked ‘talented’ 59-year-old.
Laurent Rossi left his post as Alpine CEO last summer, and then the team sacked team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Thu 14 March 2024 20:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Alpine made a mistake by sacking a ‘talented’ member of their hierarchy, former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan says. There has been a huge turnover in personnel behind-the-scenes at Alpine since last summer. But speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan pinpointed one departure that has been particularly impactful.
Chief technical officer Pat Fry then jumped ship to Williams, and there were further changes before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last week. Technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer became the latest to bid farewell.
Alpine, who scored 120 points to finish sixth in last year’s championship, are rooted to the bottom of the current constructors’ standings. They are one of four teams yet to score, but the others have all posted better results.
‘Alpine will regret how quickly they sacked…’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/edd...d-59-year-old/
Alpine alarm bells as Esteban Ocon reveals true moment of the troubles ahead
14 Mar 2024 4:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Esteban Ocon has revealed Alpine knew back in December already that there was “some issues” with the A524 that they needed to fix. Alpine’s start to 2024 has been blighted by an overweight and slow Renault-powered car with the team yet to score a single point.
In the simulator in December,” the Frenchman said as per RacingNews365. “I think that’s when we realised that there was some issues that we needed to fix. And you know, that’s probably when did realise it.” All Alpine can do now is take it step by step as they look to haul themselves off the bottom of the log.
“I think the whole year, you know, we need to improve, step by step,” Ocon added. “Obviously, it’s going to take time, it’s not going to be something overnight. There is a plan to bring updates throughout the year. So, hopefully, after every update, we’re going to make steps.”
‘Alpine alarm bells back in December’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/esteba...-a524-troubles
‘Internally exploding’: F1 team with two race-winning drivers is now ‘internally exploding’
Thu 14 March 2024 09:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Formula 1 expert Gary Anderson has offered a damning verdict on the current crisis at Alpine. The Enstone outfit are in a state of dysfunction on and off the race track at the moment. And Anderson, speaking on The Race F1 Tech Show, argued that the team was feeling the effects of the instability.
Gary Anderson says Alpine seem to be losing ‘everybody’: Anderson noted that many of the people who have left Alpine have come from ‘the top end of the company’. He gets the sense from the outside that they’re ‘internally exploding’ after they dropped to the back of the grid. They had finished sixth in last year’s championship with 120 points, having scored two podiums.
He said: “On the other end of the scale, you’ve got Alpine, who you could say are internally exploding. They could have shut the factory down and less people would have left than have done over the last little while! Everybody seems to be going out the door, especially at the top end of the company, all the technical people and such – one way or another, whether they’re being got rid of, or [they’ve] just walked out.”
‘Internally exploding’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/f1-...lly-exploding/
Alpine reveal thinking behind new three-pronged tech approach
Alpine has undergone a series of changes to its technical staff shortly after a difficult start to the current Formula 1 season.
14 March 6:30PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin has explained why his squad has implemented a trio of technical directors shortly after the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season. RacingNews365 revealed earlier this month that Technical Director Matt Harman and Head of Aerodynamics Dirk de Beer had handed in their resignations.
Following the season-opening round in Bahrain, Alpine announced it had set up a new technical structure, with three individuals overseeing separate areas. They are Technical Director (Performance) Ciaron Pilbeam, Technical Director (Aerodynamics) David Wheater and Technical Director (Engineering) Joe Burnell. Explaining why it has opted to go down that route, Famin said: “We really want to bring to the factories what we have done on the track side by the end of the last season.”
“I mean changing the mindset, unleashing the creativity, and having three technical directors makes the organisation much more horizontal, much less vertical. More activity, more agility, and the motto is really to develop our people. We have very talented people and we want them to bring as much as they can to the project, to the team, to the company.”
‘New three-pronged tech approach’;
https://racingnews365.com/alpine-exp...staff-overhaul
“Shock” of poor start to season showed need for change at Alpine – Famin
14th March 2024, 13:23
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin says the team’s uncompetitive start to the year showed changes were needed in their technical division. “We really want to bring to the factories what we have done on the track-side by the end of the last season. I mean changing the mindset, unleashing the creativity.”
“Having three technical directors makes the organisation much more horizontal, much less vertical. More activity, more agility. The motto is really to develop our people. We have very talented people and we want them to bring as much as they can to the project, to the team, to the company.”
“Shock”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/14/...-alpine-famin/
‘Disappointing for everyone’ – Gasly reflects on ‘very difficult time’ for Alpine after early exit in Jeddah.
Pierre Gasly was left to rue a lack of track time at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following his retirement from the race just one lap in, with the Frenchman admitting that Alpine need to “find solutions” following a challenging start to the year.
13 March 2024
Formula One - Official Site
Pierre Gasly was left to rue a lack of track time at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following his retirement from the race just one lap in, with the Frenchman admitting that Alpine need to “find solutions” following a challenging start to the year.
Ahead of the upcoming Australian Grand Prix – which takes place from March 22-24 – Gasly is clear on what the squad need to focus on as they await further upgrades during the season.
"We know we’ve got to find more performance, we’ve got to understand more about this new car,” he explained. “We need to find solutions, and for that we need to run and try to gather as much data as possible, so I think it’s quite clear.”
‘Disappointing for everyone’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...NFYzQnFU2.html
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Saudi Arabian GP: Frustrating race for Williams Racing.
In what was a frustrating race for a variety of reasons the Williams Racing Team would see Alex Albon finish in 11th and Logan Sargeant 15th.
March 10 2024
By Williams Racing
WilliamsF1 Supporters
Logan Sargeant: "It was a decent race with a good 35 laps; however, we didn’t quite have the pace needed for the last 15 laps. I was starting to explore the potential towards the end of the race, but it was a bit too late.
Alex Albon: "It’s frustrating to not be fighting for points today, finishing just outside in P11. Haas did a great job with strategy using Kevin to hold up the group, which was very smart.
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: "Today was one those incredibly frustrating races. Alex had a superb start and was ahead of the Ferrari but got caught in traffic at T1 and, crucially, lost a place to Magnussen.
‘Frustrating race’;
https://www.sportnetwork.net/main/s107/st205706.htm
Sargeant ‘struggled to find the potential’ of his Williams in latter stages in Jeddah
09 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Logan Sargeant said he had “a good 35 laps” in Saudi Arabia, but reckoned he could have picked off a few more cars ahead if he’d had a better end to the race. The Williams driver eventually finished in P15.
‘Struggled to find the potential’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...342924091.html
Williams: Sargeant's seat not dependent on early season success
13/03/2024 at 09:53
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Williams team boss James Vowles highlighted the importance for Logan Sargeant to deliver good results this year, but the Briton denied the American is at risk of losing his seat in F1 if he fails to impress in the early part of the season.
“It's important to him to get good results,” Vowles told the media in Jeddah last weekend. “The only thing I would say is it's not the early-on bit.”
“What we have to see from him is progress as we continue on. Early on implies that there's a risk if he's not performing after three races that something will happen, and that's simply not the case.”
‘Deliver good results this year’;
https://f1i.com/news/502587-williams...n-success.html
‘Very, very possible’: Williams could now hand seat to F2 star who’s ‘destined to be in F1’
Thu 14 March 2024 12:30
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Williams could promote an F2 talent to an F1 seat for the 2025 season, ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson says. Alex Albon is under contract until the end of next year, but Logan Sargeant’s deal is up at the end of the current campaign.
Edmondson said: “Antonelli – there’s that Mercedes option. If not, there could be a Williams option. “Both of those are very, very possible. Antonelli hasn’t had the perfect start to F2, but we saw, even with Piastri, his first half of the year in F2, he was still finding his feet a bit, and it was the second half where he really accelerated.”
“If Antonelli can do something similar, I think he’s going to put forward a very, very strong case. He’s destined to be in F1 anyway, whether it’s a second year in F2 next year. I don’t think that’s really going to hold him back that much, he’ll still make it there eventually.”
‘Destined to be in F1’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/wil...d-to-be-in-f1/
Single win for Williams while Red Bull rack up 114 in 20 seasons to overtake them
12th March 2024, 13:36
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Red Bull scored their 114th grand prix victory last weekend, giving them more wins than Williams. Since Red Bull entered Formula 1 20 years ago, Williams has only won a single grand prix.
Williams scored their penultimate victory in the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix – the last race before Red Bull’s arrival at the beginning of the following year. Red Bull’s ascendancy over the following years coincided with Williams’ decline.
Sebastian Vettel gave Red Bull their first grand prix victory at Shanghai in 2009. Three years later, while the new kids on the block were piling up championship silverware, Williams took their most recent win courtesy of Pastor Maldonado at the Circuit de Catalunya.
‘Williams 114, Red Bull 115’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/12/...overtake-them/
Red Bull surpass Williams to become the F1 constructor with the fourth most race wins
After a record-breaking 2023 F1 season, Red Bull continue their winning streak and overtake Williams in the constructors’ all-time F1 race wins list
20:05 Mon, 11 Mar 2024
Hannah May
FormulaNerds
Following Max Verstappen’s victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull added a 115th win to their record, putting them ahead of Williams’ 114. Since the first Formula 1 race in 1950, there have been a total of 171 constructors who have competed. Red Bull are currently fourth in the constructors’ list of F1 grand prix winners.
‘Total wins: 5th Place, Williams’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/re...ost-race-wins/
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Sauber to address F1 pit issues after second disastrous stop.
The Sauber Formula 1 team is working to resolve its pit stop issues after both of its drivers lost time in the first two races of the season.
16:48 Tue, 12 Mar 2024.
Adam Cooper
Oleg Karpov
Motorsport.com
Valtteri Bottas lost almost 50 seconds at his second stop in the Bahrain GP with a cross-threading issue at the front axle. In last weekend’s Saudi Arabian race Zhou Guanyu was delayed by a similar problem for around 25 seconds when he pitted.
Team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi confirmed that the team is working on addressing the problem. "First of all, for me, it's very important to say that was not the mistake of our mechanics or crew, they are doing a really good job,” the Italian told Motorsport.com.
“We know that we have a problem, we have an issue that has been the same in Bahrain on Valtteri's car, and this time on Zhou's car. So we have investigated, and we are working to fix this problem as soon as possible. And we are revising the parts in order to not have this problem again in the next races.”
‘Working to fix this problem’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...stop/10586729/
Bottas demands improvement after Stake F1 'wake-up call'
Zhou Guanyu experienced a similar pit-stop issue during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that Valtteri Bottas suffered from in the Bahrain season-opener.
11 March 8:30PM
Nick Golding & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Valtteri Bottas has conceded Stake F1's disappointing race pace and pit-stop dramas are a "wake-up call".. Points-scoring opportunities will be coming at a premium this season with the F1 midfield as close as ever.
The pecking order will likely yo-yo in the same way as last year, where the in-season development race dictated the leaderboard at various stages of the campaign. "I think we've got some bits coming for Australia and at least now we have two weeks to try and solve the pitstop issue we have," explained Bottas.
"I think it was the same issue with Zhou with a cross threading, so that's something we need to fix because even if we make the car faster, if we have long pitstops, then it's not ideal."
'Wake-up call';
https://racingnews365.com/poor-race-...up-call-bottas
Bottas: Struggling Sauber F1 team needed Jeddah "wake-up call"
12:15 Wed, 13 Mar 2024.
Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com
The Swiss outfit has twice been hit by expensive pitstop issues, with Bottas delayed in Bahrain and his team-mate Zhou Guanyu affected in Saudi Arabia. "I think it needs to be a wake-up call,” said Bottas when asked by Motorsport.com about the team’s disappointing start to the season.
“Obviously, it's only race two out of 24 and we've got things coming in the pipeline. But we definitely need to improve, not just the pace, but also operationally, now we've had both drivers having big issue on pitstops in two races.”
“I think we've got some bits coming for Australia. Now we have two weeks to try and solve the pitstop issue. It was the same issue with Zhou with a cross threading. So that's something we need to fix, because even if we make the car faster, if we have long pitstops then it's not ideal.”
"Wake-up call";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/b...call/10586877/
Bottas: Sauber must improve both pace and execution
13:23 Tue, 12 Mar 2024.
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Valtteri Bottas and the Sauber team are facing a harsh reality check after a disappointing start to the Swiss outfit’s 2024 F1 campaign. Shedding some light on Sauber’s troubles, Bottas revealed that the team is currently battling with severe tyre warm-up issues, which forced the Finn to make an additional pit stop compared to his rivals in last Saturday’s race.
This highlights a fundamental problem with the car's setup or design that needs urgent attention. “We thought for us going softs and hard would be the best, trying to be aggressive with the stop lap, but in the end, the issue was the hard compound,” he explained.”
“We couldn’t make it work, we couldn’t create enough temperature and it took like at least 15 laps to get some kind of temperature and by that time we’d lost too much. So, that was unexpected and, actually, that’s why I did two stops, we tried the softs at the end to see if it worked better, it did but it was too late.”
‘Currently battling with severe tyre warm-up issues’;
https://f1i.com/news/502551-bottas-s...execution.html
From Alfa to Audi: Sauber’s F1 transition hits the rocks
March 15, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix emerged as a significant alarm for the team, previously branded as Alfa Romeo, now owned by Audi, signaling urgent introspection and strategic revamps. “Sauber does not seem to be able to exploit its full potential yet,” observed Auto Motor und Sport magazine, highlighting the growing pains associated with technological shifts and strategic recalibrations.
Echoing a longstanding critique, Roger Benoit of Blick newspaper persistently underscores the necessity for foundational changes within Sauber. He provocatively queries, “What can be changed and improved as quickly as possible with a view to 2026?”
He further insists on the imperative leadership of CEO Andreas Seidl, emphasizing, “The CEO (Andreas) Seidl finally has to go to the front line and take responsibility.” Benoit’s critique doesn’t stop there, as he articulates the fans’ frustration with recurrent setbacks, concluding that the root issue lies either with the car or the drivers’ performance.
‘Hits the rocks’;
https://grandpx.news/from-alfa-to-au...its-the-rocks/
Valtteri Bottas ‘concerned’ by what Stake F1 Team Sauber driver saw in Saudi Arabian GP
Sat 16 March 2024 10:30
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Valtteri Bottas is ‘concerned’ by what the Stake F1 Team Sauber driver saw from Max Verstappen and Red Bull over the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP to start 2024.
The new season is already looking worryingly similar to how 2023 developed for Bottas after seeing Verstappen and Red Bull enjoy a ‘clean sweep’ over the first two rounds. Sergio Perez has followed his teammate home with a one-two finish in Sakhir and Jeddah without a fight.
No driver has come close to threatening Verstappen, who can match his win-streak record at the Australian GP. His Saudi Arabian GP win moved the 26-year-old to nine in a row since the 2023 Japanese GP. He won a record 10 straight from the Miami GP to the Italian GP last year.
‘Valtteri Bottas concerned’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/val...di-arabian-gp/
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Leclerc predicts Ferrari on course to catch Red Bull.
Charles Leclerc insists that it's just "a matter of time" before Ferrari is able to catch the dominant Red Bull team at the front of the field.
16/03/2024 at 10:38
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Charles Leclerc insists that it's just "a matter of time" before Ferrari is able to catch the dominant Red Bull team at the front of the field. "The gap is still quite big, but if we keep working like that then I'm sure it's just a matter of time before we put the Red Bull under a bit more pressure," he told Formula1.com and other media in the Jeddah paddock.
Despite his confidence, Leclerc was careful to manage expectations and not get carried away with how things are going, suggesting there is unlikely to be any further immediate progress at the next race in Australia.
"I don't think we'll have many things new in Melbourne," he acknowledged. "So without new things in Melbourne, I think we are doing a good job by maximising our package at the moment.”
"A matter of time";
https://f1i.com/news/502715-leclerc-...-red-bull.html
Leclerc: Ferrari on right trajectory to catch and pressure Red Bull in 2024
Red Bull are still the dominant force in Formula 1, with reigning world champion Max Verstappen comfortably winning the opeining two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
March 15, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds
Despite finishing 18 seconds adrift of Verstappen in Jeddah, the Monegasque still sees positives. The Ferrari driver believes that his team has made progress from last season, leading to him believing that his team can put pressure on Red Bull as the season progresses.
“It’s been a positive race. I think we are doing small steps in the right direction,” Leclerc said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “If I look back the last six, seven months, we are the team that has improved the most and we are slowly closing the gap.” The 26-year-old admits that the gap between themselves and Red Bull is still “quite big”. However, that has not killed his optimism for the rest of the 2024 season:
“The gap is still quite big, but if we keep working like that, I’m sure it’s a matter of time before we put the Red Bull under a bit more pressure.” Leclerc admitted that the team won’t be able to make inroads on Red Bull in Melbourne next week. The Scuderia are not bringing “many new parts” to the Australian Grand Prix. The Monegasque emphasised how “three or four tenths” is “a lot” in the world of motorsport.
‘Ferrari on right trajectory’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/le...-bull-in-2024/
Leclerc: "A matter of time" before Ferrari puts Red Bull under pressure in F1
Charles Leclerc believes it's "a matter of time" before Ferrari can start putting Red Bull under pressure in Formula 1.
08:47 Fri, 15 Mar 2024.
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
While Leclerc's 18-second deficit to Verstappen in Jeddah could still be seen as disheartening, the Monegasque says Ferrari's progress compared to last season is a sign that it can start putting some pressure on Red Bull if it continues that trajectory.
"It's been a positive race. I think we are doing small steps in the right direction," Leclerc said. "If I look back the last six, seven months, we are the team that has improved the most and we are slowly closing the gap. The gap is still quite big, but if we keep working like that, I'm sure it's a matter of time before we put the Red Bull under a bit more pressure."
"I don't think we'll have many things new in Melbourne, so without new things in Melbourne, I think we are doing a good job by maximising our package at the moment," Leclerc cautioned. "So, that's where we are. We'll probably have to wait and see whenever we have new parts to the car, what kind of step we do forward. And hopefully that will bring us closer to Red Bull."
"A matter of time";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/l...e-f1/10587047/
Ferrari chairman Elkann pleased with team’s “better start”
15th March 2024, 0:01
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Elkann pleased with Ferrari’s “better start”: After two podiums over the opening two races of the 2024 F1 season behind the dominant Red Bulls, Ferrari chairman John Elkann says he is encouraged by the team’s performance so far. “Certainly if one looks at where we were a year ago this championship is off to a better start,” Elkann told Sky. “As always the important thing is to try to improve, to progress and this is the dynamic that is felt in Ferrari at the moment.”
Elkann also expressed his excitement about the team’s signing of Lewis Hamiltonfor 2025. “I have also said publicly over the years how much Lewis Hamilton is a great driver and how much he has done for Formula 1. That he will join Ferrari is an important sign of how much he believes he can do great things with Ferrari.”
“Better start”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/15/...nd-up-15-03-6/
Can Ferrari, Winningest Team in F1 History, Get Back on Track?
March 16, 2024 10:25am
By Viju Mathew
Sportico
James Allen, author of “Ferrari: From Inside and Outside,” talks about the Prancing Horse, Formula 1’s growth, and what it takes to be champion.
This year marks the 74th anniversary of Formula 1, the ne plus ultra of motorsport, and James Allen has been covering more than 30 of those seasons as a journalist, broadcaster, and industry insider. In doing so, he’s seen Maranello’s scuderia go through its share of heydays and humiliation, and witnessed the sport’s recent acceleration into the global consciousness.
In your opinion, does Ferrari’s current Formula 1 team have the ingredients to replicate past glory? That’s a tricky question to answer. They have the resources. They have, I believe, a very good, strong leader in Fred Vasseur, who knows what it takes to succeed in motorsport. And they’ve got the drivers in Leclerc and Sainz to take on the best in Formula 1. But they have a fair amount of politics they have to deal with. It’s really about keeping stability within the team and giving it protection from outside forces, which is always the key bit to get right.
‘Get Back on Track?’;
https://www.sportico.com/business/sp...ry-1234771142/
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Toto Wolff has “changed mindset” amid Mercedes F1 recovery struggles.
Toto Wolff says he has a new "mindset" as Mercedes' F1 recovery effort continues.
13 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Toto Wolff says his mindset has changed amid Mercedes' ongoing F1 recovery struggles. Wolff remains “100%” convinced his team can - and will - turn things around. “I've changed my mindset,” Wolff explained. “I don't think that additional pressure on all of us makes it better.
“I think we have a problem with the physics. It is not by lack of trying or by the mindset or the motivation or energies. All of that is there, and I can see the buzz in the organisation. As racers, when we have such [disappointing] results, you're feeling down, but we're trying to change that with the right motivation for the week that comes.”
“That's why we are believing that we can turn this around. We believe that our organisation can dig ourselves out. I'm 100% sure we can.” Wolff revealed in Saudi Arabia that Mercedes are facing a “fundamental” issue with their new W15 car that is hampering its performance in high-speed corners.
“I think we have a problem with the physics”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104560...very-struggles
Wolff opens up on loss of key Mercedes ally
Jerome D’Ambrosio is set to leave Mercedes and link up with rivals Ferrari, marking another key exit from the Brackley-based squad.
14 March 7:20PM
Fergal Walsh & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has responded to the pending departure of another major ally at his squad. RacingNews365 revealed earlier this month that Jerome D’Ambrosio will leave Mercedes to join rivals Ferrari. Speaking to media regarding the D'Ambrosio situation, including RacingNews365, Wolff stated: “I think he’s with us at the moment. The situation is more for personal reasons, that he’s evaluating the options of what to do. I think it’s something he should speak about but all is good. We’ll see where that goes.”
Despite losing some key figures over the last year, including Strategy Director James Vowles and Chief Technical Officer Mike Elliot, Wolff reiterated his confidence that Mercedes will recover to the front of the field. “It’s a different confidence that I have in the group this time around because, at a certain stage, you’re basically ticking all the boxes of the unknown,” he said.
“Where we are today, it’s pretty clear where it points to. It’s just my feeling that we will come out on top. Is this good enough to beat Max in a Red Bull? No, it’s not. But at least bringing ourselves back in a position of fighting for podiums and being right there, (I am) 100 per cent sure we’re going to get there.”
“We’ll see where that goes”;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-reac...rcedes-f1-ally
Toto Wolff addresses speculation over losing key Mercedes ally to Ferrari
Toto Wolff has addressed speculation linking Jerome d'Ambrosio with Ferrari.
15 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Toto Wolff has addressed speculation that Jerome d'Ambrosio will leave Mercedes for Ferrari. The former Virgin and Lotus F1 driver has been heavily linked with a switch to Ferrari, following Lewis Hamilton.
D’Ambrosio has been part of Mercedes’ senior management since last year, acting as a stand-in for Wolff as team principal at the Japanese and Qatar races in 2023. His role has been centred around driver development, however, it looks like the Belgian could be off to Ferrari.
‘Speculation addressed’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104565...s-ally-ferrari
Toto Wolff’s latest W15 admission with ‘bigger factor’ emerging after Jeddah disappointment
14 Mar 2024 5:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff alarmingly claims the W15 struggling in high-speed goes beyond rear wing setup, with their downforce calculations not matching what happens on the track.
After engine overheating issued had hamstrung Mercedes in the Bahrain F1 2024 season opener, the hope was for much better at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, though that did not come to pass for the eight-time Constructors’ champions.
The W15 has been exposed as a challenger lacking downforce and therefore pace through high-speed corners, a weakness which cost them in Saudi Arabia as George Russell managed only P6 and Lewis Hamilton P9. And speaking to media after the race, Wolff knocked back the suggestion that Mercedes’ rear wing being too skinny was the source of their problems, stressing that there is a bigger issue at play here which, worryingly, they do not yet understand.
‘W15 struggling’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...wnforce-issues
Mercedes facing 'fundamental issue' with W15 - Wolff
The team struggled through high-speed corners in Saudi Arabia and could only manage sixth and ninth in the race.
11 March 8:10AM
Jake Nichol & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365
Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes is facing a "fundamental" problem with its W15 Formula 1 car. "There is only so much you can tune here, our simulations point us in a direction, to a set-up range that we can choose, you put the right rear-wing on and I think you gain a few tenths if you get it right or wrong," Wolff told media including RacingNews365.
"There's not a massive corridor of performance, it is a more fundamental thing [that we are struggling with] as we believe that the speed so should be, we can more the downforce, but we can't find it on the laptop. It's been two years that there is something which we ned to spot and that will be the thing to unlock.”
"It is not by a lack of trying, we push hard and we are going to give it a massive push in the next week or two with more data to understand to come back in Melbourne stronger. This is a mission we are on and I am 100% certain we are going to unlock that performance. The big factor is that we are lacking in the high-speed [corners] and we are just real weak. We are missing downforce beyond the steps that you would have with a bigger rear-wing.”
'Fundamental issue with W15’;
https://racingnews365.com/mercedes-f...with-w15-wolff
Toto Wolff’s early Australian GP prediction as Mercedes chase ‘fundamental change’
11 Mar 2024 10:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff concedes Mercedes are missing “something” when it comes to unlocking the potential of their F1 car, and they’ve been looking for “two years” already. But the Mercedes boss is “100% sure” that the team can unlock performance as soon as the next race: the Australian Grand Prix on March 24.
He refuted suggestions Mercedes had been too confident that they had made the right steps with the 2024 car. “I think we had so many unknowns in the last year where we start ‘okay this could be a reason, and this could be a reason, and this could be a reason’ and we fix that,” he said. “I can see from the sensors that we have what we needed.”
“But there is still this behaviour of the car in a certain speed range that the sensors and simulation say this is where we should have the downforce and we are not having it. This team has not been overconfident. We were probably the other way around and see the glass half empty always. That is the attitude to fix it.”
‘W15: Unlocking the potential’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...ian-grand-prix
Toto Wolff 'enters negotiations' with Lewis Hamilton successor as Mercedes plan made clear
Toto Wolff has taken the next step on the road to naming Lewis Hamilton's successor with the seven-time world champion heading to Ferrari.
12:12, Wed, Mar 13, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Negotiations are reportedly underway between Mercedes and Carlos Sainz with the Spaniard seen as a strong option to replace Lewis Hamilton, who is succeeding him at Ferrari for the 2025 season and beyond.
Sainz has been an impressive contributor to Ferrari’s on-track success since joining from McLaren just over three years ago, but his time with the Scuderia is set to end when the 2024 season comes to a close in Abu Dhabi. While Sauber has been touted as a possible destination, the 29-year-old will hope to drive for a frontrunning team. Mercedes, meanwhile, are in need of a replacement for Hamilton, who is leaving the team after an iconic partnership spanning 12 years.
With the early signs suggesting that teenage starlet Kimi Antonelli will not be ready to make the jump in 2025, Sainz is a compelling option for the Silver Arrows. According to a report from the Italian news outlet Corriere Dello Sport, talks between Toto Wolff’s outfit and Sainz’s entourage have already begun. The Spaniard was struck down with appendicitis at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and couldn’t race, but that did leave his team able to meet with Mercedes officials in the paddock.
‘Toto Wolff enters negotiations';
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...es-replacement
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Why McLaren is being forced to 'protect' Piastri in Melbourne.
Oscar Piastri will take part in his second home race next weekend as F1 descends on Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix.
14 March 4:10PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
McLaren Team Principal Andreas Stella has revealed he will “protect” Oscar Piastri during his home event in Australia next week. The Melbourne native is likely to be at the centre of attention during the upcoming event, at a time when driver schedules are already filled with media and sponsorships duties.
As a result, McLaren will dial back Piastri's commitments to ensure it does not detract from his performance on the track. “In general, this year, we are paying more attention to the driver schedule over a race weekend,” Stella told media, including RacingNews365, when asked as to the plan around Piastri given the focus of attention that will be on him in Melbourne.
“We want to make sure the drivers have the time to focus on performance, focus on downtime, relax, and so on. We're effectively using the same approach, but if anything even more carefully for Melbourne. There are many requests, some we will accept [and] some we’ll have to protect [to] deliver the performance and we will not accept.”
‘Forced to 'protect' Oscar Piastri’;
https://racingnews365.com/mclaren-re...i-in-melbourne
Oscar Piastri excited for Formula One Australian Grand Prix
The hometown hero is joined by Daniel Ricciardo to make it two Aussies on the grid for the first time in more than a decade.
07:3017 March 2024
Damion Smy
Drive
Melbourne’s own Oscar Piastri is pumped for his return to Albert Park for the 2024 Formula One Australian Grand Prix next weekend, 21-24 March. The 22-year-old McLaren driver comes off the back of one of the most impressive rookie seasons in Formula One, including a maiden pole position and win in the shorter Sprint races – and strong performances in the Grands Prix on Sundays.
“It was a pretty crazy race last year but to score my first-ever F1 points in front of a home crowd will stay with me for a long time,” Piastri said in a media statement. “It is such a special event for me. Not only is it my home country but to have grown up so close to the track and coming back to my hometown is awesome.”
This year’s Australian Grand Prix will be the 28th at Albert Park, with a record crowd of 443,631 across the four-day 2023 event. “Even on a Thursday, there are so many people in the grounds and getting involved that it has a festival feel,” Piastri said.
‘Two Aussies on the grid for the first time in more than a decade’;
https://www.drive.com.au/news/oscar-...an-grand-prix/
Oscar Piastri admits F1 issue can ‘very easily’ be ‘demoralising’ for McLaren driver
Sat 16 March 2024 13:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Oscar Piastri admits that dreaming about standing on further podiums in Formula 1 can ‘very easily’ become ‘demoralising’ for the McLaren driver instead of beneficial. The 22-year-old enjoyed a brilliant rookie campaign last year after graduating to F1 after one season on the sidelines. Piastri became the first rookie to make multiple Grand Prix podiums since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. Both drivers also realised the feat after debuting for McLaren.
F1 will return to Suzuka for the Japanese GP much earlier in 2024 with the race in April after the Australian GP, which is up next on March 24. Piastri ended his home race in P8 last term for his debut points for McLaren. The Melbourne native has started 2024 with a P8 and a P4. But while Piastri finished the Saudi Arabian GP one spot off the podium, the McLaren driver seldom wants to envisage making another rostrum.
He accepts that if their car is not where it needs to be to make the top three on merit, dreaming about the podium can be problematic. “I rarely dare to dream about it,” Piastri told Speedcafe. “In Formula 1, this sport is still very dependent on both car and driver – a lot of car. If you’re in the slowest car on the grid, you’re not going to win a race or a championship. It’s as simple as that.”
‘Dreaming: ‘very easily’ be ‘demoralising’ ’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/osc...claren-driver/
McLaren targets "race six or seven" for first major 2024 F1 upgrade
16:05 Fri, 15 Mar 2024.
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
According to team boss Stella, the first major upgrade kit to make further improvements to those characteristics is set to follow "around race six or race seven", meaning Miami or Imola.
"We have some minor things that will come for Australia and hopefully for Japan, but they will be [delivering] a few milliseconds," he explained. "And then hopefully, within the first third of the season, we will have a major upgrade. It's going to be for around race six or seven."
While Stella explained McLaren still had some "margin" to find in the MCL38, he ruled out any major gains until that upgrade package arrives. "I think there is margin to understand the car a little bit more," he explained. "In Jeddah we had a slightly different approach to set-up between the two cars. And I think we see some interesting positives and negatives.”
"Major upgrade kit: Race six or seven";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...rade/10587516/
McLaren reveal the targeted arrival date for first ‘major’ MCL38 upgrade
16 Mar 2024 2:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has revealed the team are targeting a Miami or Imola arrival date for their first “major upgrade” of the season.
The team were encouraged by the early-season performance of the MCL38 however, and team principal Stella confirmed that developments are coming to the car in the next few races, before a “major upgrade” slated for either Miami or Imola in May.
“We have some minor things that will come for Australia and hopefully for Japan, but they will be [delivering] a few milliseconds,” Stella told reporters in Jeddah, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “And then hopefully, within the first third of the season, we will have a major upgrade. It’s going to be for around race six or seven.”
‘Miami or Imola’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclare...grade-timeline
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Alonso reveals just how close Aston Martin are to their rivals.
Alonso admitted to autosport.com that the team made a step forward in Jeddah as the two-time world champion is up for the challenge of chasing down rivals McLaren and Mercedes, who he believes are around two-three tenths quicker than Aston Martin.
17:04 Thu, 14 Mar 2024.
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds
Despite having an improved performance in Jeddah, Fernando Alonso has revealed that Aston Martin are still around two or three tenths behind the likes of McLaren and Mercedes. “I think it was better,” said Alonso. “We did introduce a new part on Friday that it worked really well. And I think we made a step forward in terms of performance.”
“But we still miss maybe two or three tenths compared to McLaren and Mercedes, and we will keep chasing that kind of performance. It is challenging, but it’s a nice challenge and an interesting season ahead.”
He added: “Happy with the race result, in front of both Mercedes, one McLaren and one Ferrari. It’s the maximum I think we can wish at the moment. We saw again in the race that we still miss two or three tenths compared to Mercedes and McLaren, maybe a little bit more compared to Red Bull and Ferrari. While in qualifying we seem pretty close. So yeah, we need to keep working on the race pace.”
‘Aston Martin close are to their rivals’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al...-their-rivals/
Alonso: Aston Martin still "two or three tenths" off McLaren, Mercedes
15:01 Thu, 14 Mar 2024.
Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com
Fernando Alonso says that his Aston Martin Formula 1 team is still "two or three tenths" off McLaren and Mercedes on race pace despite a strong performance in Jeddah.
At the season-opener in Bahrain, Alonso qualified sixth but slipped to ninth behind the Mercedes and McLaren drivers in the race, finishing 74 seconds adrift of winner Max Verstappen. Alonso qualified fourth for the Saudi Arabian GP, but he soon lost a place to Oscar Piastri's McLaren. He then remained in fifth place for the duration of the race, successfully staying in front of the Mercedes of George Russell and finishing 35 seconds behind Verstappen.
After a disappointing race form in Bahrain, Alonso agreed that Jeddah represented a step forward. Alonso admitted that he hadn't expected to be able to stay ahead of Russell, believing that the W15 had better pace. "It was stressful because I was pushing and Oscar was just pulling away," he said. "And George was significantly faster behind, so I was thinking, okay, it's 43 laps to the end after the safety car.”
"Two or three tenths";
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...edes/10587312/
Aston Martin’s great strides having focused on ‘Red Bull’ strength
15 Mar 2024 2:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Aston Martin have put Fernando Alonso’s qualifying gains at the Jeddah circuit down to an improved DRS, an area the team focused on with the AMR24. He posted a 1:28.730 in 2023 and upped that to a 1:27.846 this year.
Aston Martin’s performance director Tom McCullough put that down to the improved straight-line speed of the car when the DRS is open. “The efficiency of the car and the DRS effect is something we worked really hard on last year. We saw how strong the Red Bull was, even the year before. That was a big focus of ours,” he said.
“The difference in the DRS effect is quite strong compared to last year. We gain a lot of time as a result.” With three long DRS activation zones at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the DRS was worth a chunk of time – almost a second in Alonso’s case. “If you compare Fernando’s lap from last year with Friday’s, it is 8.5-tenths faster,” McCullough said as per formu1a.uno.
‘Aston Martin’s great strides’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/aston-...-bull-strength
Aston Martin confident in catching Red Bull with robust development
15/03/2024 at 13:42
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Aston Martin remains confident in its ability to challenge Red Bull’s supremacy in Formula 1 with the help of a robust development programme. The team has started its 2024 campaign in the same position but has emphasized that its new AMR24 has been designed with a focus on long-term development, as Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough explained.
“I think everyone can be caught up. If you look at the development we saw at McLaren last season, it was really impressive,” commented the British engineer. “That’s been the focus over the winter, to create a good platform for us to develop. We don’t want to stand still, nobody stands still.”
Compared to Red Bull, McCullough notes that Aston Martin is still in the early days of its build-up phase as a team, having moved just last year into its new headquarters at Silverstone, with more infrastructure set to come online.
‘Robust development’;
https://f1i.com/news/502691-aston-ma...velopment.html
Alonso on hold: Major Aston upgrades delayed until Imola
07:56 Fri, 15 Mar 2024.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
Fernando Alonso faces a prolonged period of impatient anticipation for a substantial improvement to his Aston Martin in 2024, with major improvements not now expected until the grand prix in Imola – two months away.
De la Rosa, serving as a team ambassador, conveyed to DAZN the team’s ambition to avoid stagnation with their car’s performance, stating, “The team’s objective is not to race with the same car for two races in a row. There is no improvement plan for Australia, but they are in the oven.”
Mike Krack, the team principal, expressed the team’s eagerness for ongoing development, as reported by Spanish media, “We really want to keep developing this car continuously, without waiting too long. So over the course of the next events there will be changes, starting in Imola.”
‘Impatient anticipation’;
https://grandpx.news/alonso-on-hold-...d-until-imola/
‘Exemplary’ F1 driver now set to be offered new contract ‘in the coming weeks’
Thu 14 March 2024 19:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack is preparing to hold contracts talks with one driver ahead of the 2025 season. Both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso are out of contract at the end of the 2024 campaign. Team owner Lawrence Stroll is dreaming of signing Max Verstappen from Red Bull. Stroll senior is willing to do ‘whatever it takes’ to recruit the three-time world champion if he becomes available. But while Verstappen isn’t thought to be entirely happy with the Bulls, Krack is also aware that he’s under a long-term contract.
Mike Krack lines up Fernando Alonso talks: Speaking to the media, including Formu1a.uno, Krack confirmed that he planned to hold talks with Alonso ‘in the coming weeks’. He says the team will make a swift offer to the ‘exemplary’ 42-year-old in the hope of tying him down.
“The extra that Fernando brings to the team is exemplary,” he said. “I think it’s no secret that we want to continue working with him. It is important to offer him a quick package, so that he believes in this project and this team. We will discuss all this in the coming weeks.”
‘Exemplary’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/exe...-coming-weeks/
-
Red Bull to run 'special livery' to celebrate anniversary.
The team's partner Mobil 1 is celebrating 50 years of operation in 2024.
18 March 12:31PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Red Bull will run a special livery in at least one Formula 1 race in 2024, to help celebrate lubricant supplier Mobil 1. The brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, and has a long-standing involvement in global motorsport, with a presence in F1, NASCAR and sportscar racing, having joined Red Bull from McLaren ahead of the 2017 season.
To celebrate, it has created a series of "40 iconic, specially-designed liveries and paint schemes" for use by its partner teams, including Red Bull in F1, Stewart-Haas and 23XI Racing in NASCAR and the Porsche Formula E team. During the 2023 season, Red Bull ran special fan-designed liveries at each of the three races held in the United States.
'Special livery';
https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-t...te-anniversary
MPH: Why Perez is best bet as Red Bull's No2 – for now
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are among many drivers currently hoping to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull for 2025. But in the eyes of Mark Hughes, the Mexican is currently doing everything he must to keep his seat
March 15th 2024
Author: Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine
As things stand, Perez is making a much stronger case to be retained than either Tsunoda or Ricciardo are making to replace him. Helmut Marko has not been shy about expressing his observations in the two races to date, saying, “There’s a lot at stake this season for both Yuki and Daniel. Yuki’s qualifying was very good, and Ricciardo has to come up with something soon.
Perez by contrast has done everything required of the driver in this role, by slotting himself behind Verstappen but ahead of all the rest at both races so far. In Jeddah his qualifying deficit to Verstappen was smaller than Ricciardo’s to Tsunoda’s. He’s not putting the Red Bull on the front row alongside Verstappen, but he’s making maximum use of the car’s superior race pace and racing well.
He got off to a similarly good start last year but it all began going wrong in Australia when he came into the weekend announcing his candidature for the world title, something which did not go down well with Verstappen. If he can avoid making such internal waves this time, just keep delivering the strong support drives, he will be going a long way towards getting another extension to his contract. And if Verstappen leaves and Perez is the incumbent, he has a head-start on whoever arrives to replace Max. It’s all very much to play for at this late-blooming stage of Perez’s career.
‘Perez is best bet as Red Bull's No2’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
Helmut Marko reveals key Sergio Perez F1 2024 change inspired by Max Verstappen
15 Mar 2024 6:45 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
After a strong start to the F1 2024 campaign for Sergio Perez, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko revealed that he now starts with the same set-up as Max Verstappen, rather than “experimenting”.
Perez lost his way in dramatic fashion after a strong start to last season, but Marko said there is a key difference this time around, that being that Perez is no longer “experimenting” with his set-ups and rather following Verstappen’s lead, the three-time World Champion having established himself as the dominant force of F1 in Red Bull machinery.
“This year he is no longer experimenting, but is starting with more or less the same basic set-up as Max,” Marko wrote regarding Perez in his Speedweek column. “There are just more nuances in which they set up differently.”
‘Same set-up as Max Verstappen’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...ull-rb20-setup
The secret behind Sergio Perez’s upturn in form? Key change credited
A change in Sergio Perez's approach has been pinpointed as boosting his F1 form.
14 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Fox Sports Mexico journalist Diego Mejia pinpointed a crucial change Perez has made over the winter. “He’s happy with the feeling he’s getting at with the car. His benchmark [Max Verstappen] is the highest obviously and he’s done a perfect job. I think Checo is happy with how the season has started for him,” Mejia said.
“Talking to him before the start of the season, he seems to have switched a little bit his approach, in trying to enjoy more this year and look race-by-race, rather than putting himself in the spotlight and saying ‘I have to beat Max every weekend’. Sometimes he did last year and the year before when he was he was in the middle of the championship. He’s taking a different approach.”
“He knows it’s a decisive year for him but the way he’s performing and the way other guys who are supposed to be looking after his seat are performing, I think it’s a great start for him.” Mejia continued: “He’s told me he’s learned a lot of lessons from what happened last year and this sort of changed approach, also in the way he works with his side of the garage.”
‘Key change credited’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104564...hange-credited
Max Verstappen shows rare emotion as he ‘survives’ unscathed from outrageous iRacing crash days before Australian Grand Prix
Published: 16:38, 18 Mar 2024
Anton Stanley, Deputy Editor of talkSPORT.com
London
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is usually the coolest customer around - but on Sunday he was left rocked. Preparing for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, the Dutchman, in classic style spent his time with his pals playing iRacing.
However, showcasing what makes him F1's best driver right now, the 26-year-old some how managed to weave through flipping and skidding cars and emerge unscathed on the other side. And Verstappen's face was an absolute picture as he went through a range of emotions as cars crashed around him.
As the crash unfolded, he exclaimed: "There's already bodywork!" He then let out another yelp as cars flew over his own before adding: "What? Oh my God. You should have seen me! We need a replay. This is insane.”
‘Outrageous iRacing crash’;
https://talksport.com/sport/1794122/...an-grand-prix/
-
Mercedes plan Australian GP "experiments" to fix issues making Lewis Hamilton miserable.
Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team have spoken with more positivity about the W15 compared to previous cars, but still it is not capable of competing on track with the runaway Red Bulls.
14:10 Fri, 15 Mar 2024.
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror
Mercedes will use the Australian Grand Prix weekend to "experiment" with its W15 car to figure out how they can help Lewis Hamilton fight closer to the front. So far, the seven-time world champion has been some way off doing that. He finished seventh in Bahrain, 50 seconds adrift of race-winner Max Verstappen. And a week later in Jeddah he was a similar distance away from the Red Bull - but scored even fewer points down in ninth.
"There's a lot of work going on within the aerodynamics department, vehicle dynamics department. We're trying to design some experiments there that will hopefully give us a direction that's good for performance." Team principal Toto Wolff has already admitted that the team does not know exactly why the high-speed corners are such a problem for the car. What he is sure of is that it goes beyond simply a lack of downforce from the rear wing.”
And Shovlin concurred that it seems to be a cocktail of problems rather than one single simple fix. He added: "It's a few things. One of them was the balance wasn't great. So those very fast corners, the walls aren't particularly far away - the ones where the driver wants a lot of confidence - and quite often we were snapping to oversteer if they really leant on the tyres.”
"Experiments";
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ments-32364061
F1 team boss warns 13-podium driver Australian GP upgrades will deliver ‘milliseconds’
Sat 16 March 2024 16:00
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer
Andrea Stella has warned Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to limit their hopes ahead of McLaren bringing the team’s first set of ‘minor’ upgrades in 2024 to the Australian GP. F1 heads down under for Piastri’s home race from March 22-24. The Melbourne native took his first points as a Grand Prix racer at the Australian GP in 2023 with P8. Norris finished the third race of last year in P6 for his first points, too, amid McLaren’s poor start to the season.
Stella confirms McLaren’s Australian GP upgrade plans: Norris has only managed P6 at the Bahrain GP and P8 the Saudi Arabian GP through the first two rounds of 2024. But Piastri built on his P8 in Sakhir with fourth place in Jeddah – albeit a distant 13.368 seconds from the podium. Norris fell back in Saudi Arabia due to his strategy.
McLaren may creep closer to the podium positions come the Australian GP as team principal Stella has confirmed that the Woking outfit will take ‘minor’ upgrades to Melbourne. But he also warns Norris and Piastri to limit their hopes as they will likely only deliver ‘milliseconds’.
‘GP upgrades will deliver ‘milliseconds’ ’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/f1-...-milliseconds/
Before Drive to Survive, the Adelaide Grand Prix was one of the biggest shows in Formula One.
Adelaide Motorsport Festival brings back memories of Australian Grand Prix
Posted Sun 17 Mar 2024 at 2:22am
By Rory McClaren
ABC Online
Decades before the Netflix series Drive to Survive delivered Formula 1 legions of new supporters, tens of thousands of motorsport fans would descend on Adelaide for the Australian Grand Prix. Between 1985 and 1995, the race helped boost South Australia's global events credentials as it hosted the final round of the world championship. For world champion Damon Hill, the event proved to be the site of victory and defeat.
He's returned to Adelaide for the first time since winning the city's final grand prix in 1995 for the reborn Motorsport Festival and has fond memories of racing in the city's east parklands. "Either the championship was decided, and we came here to finish off the season, in which case afterwards we'd have a party," Hill said.
Hill was on the wrong end of it in 1994, when he was involved in one of the sport's most infamous title deciders with Michael Schumacher. "Me or Michael could have won the championship, all we had to do was beat each other," Hill said. Hill's Adelaide victory in 1995 came in front of more than 200,000 people, which remains a single day attendance record for an Australian Grand Prix, before he became world champion the following year.
‘Brings back memories’;
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-...urns/103596782
Daniel Ricciardo reveals the moment he became so gutted by his poor form that he didn't care if his F1 career was over - as he prepares for the Australian Grand Prix
• Aussie F1 driver had strong start to his career
• Has endured tough stints at Renault and McLaren
• Admitted that he was falling out of love with the sport
Published: 06:20, 18 March 2024
By Josh Alston For Daily Mail Australia
MailOnline
Daniel Ricciardo has experienced the highest of highs in F1 racing, but he has also plummeted to the lowest of lows - admitting ahead of the Australian F1 Grand Prix that his struggles robbed him of his passion for the sport. Throughout his career, Ricciardo has achieved eight Grand Prix victories and 32 podium finishes, marking him as one of the sport's better competitors.
But those results have become hard to come by in recent years, with podium finishes drying up during stints at Renault from 2019-2020 and a troubled partnership with McLaren from 2021-2022. When Ricciardo split from McLaren, he had no team to go to and faced a major career crossroads.
‘So gutted by his poor form that he didn't care if his F1 career was over’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...low-point.html
Schedule for 2024 F1 Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, March 24th 2024. This is the third race weekend of the season. Check the schedule of the race in Melbourne below.
18 March 8:00AM
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
The Australian Grand Prix 2024 starts on Sunday, March 24 at 04:00 UK time.
Timetable Australian GP
Session
Date Time
Free practice 1 Friday 22 March 02:30 - 03:30
Free practice 2 Friday 22 March 06:00 - 07:00
Free practice 3 Saturday 23 March 02:30 - 03:30
Qualification Saturday 23 March 06:00 - 07:00
Race Sunday 24 March 05:00 - 07:00
What time does the F1 start in Australia?
The F1 Australian GP will start at 04:00 GMT. The race will start very early in the morning for Europeans.
‘The time schedule is automatically adjusted to your time zone’;
https://racingnews365.com/schedule-f...ian-grand-prix
2024 Australian Grand Prix: Circuit Info, Predictions and Timings
March 18, 2024
By Joe Briley
The Checkered Flag
Racing returns to Albert Park for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, this weekend and it will be Verstappen that everyone is aiming to beat. The Dutchman has picked up where he left off in 2023, and has secured both pole positions and both race wins so far this season. Including 2023, he’s on a nine-race win streak.
Circuit Info: Albert Park is a street track, with most of it being used as public roads when F1 isn’t in town and the circuit is very popular amongst fans of the sport, and locals. Overtaking is usually not a common occurrence at Albert Park, but in recent times major layout changes have increased the quality of racing and allowed for more passes. The 2022 changes saw the chicane removed at turns nine and ten to allow for a fourth DRS zone. Changes were also made to several corners, making them wider.
Top Ten Predictions:
1. Max Verstappen
2. Sergio Perez
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Carlos Sainz
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Lando Norris
7. Oscar Piastri
8. George Russell
9. Fernando Alonso
10. Daniel Ricciardo
‘Max Verstappen’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...s-and-timings/
Beloved Australian GP series declares ‘we deserve better’ after alarming F1 demotions
18 Mar 2024 6:30 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
The Supercars Championship is evaluating its future on the F1 Australian GP schedule after losing access to the pit lane and fans. It is a stacked support-race bill for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix with Formula 2 and Formula 3 in action, which has seen Supercars booted out of the second pit lane to make way for F2, leaving Supercars personnel in tents behind the facility with fans not given access to the area.
It also means there will be no pit stops at this SuperSprint round. And this has led chief executive Shane Howard to make it clear that the situation must be discussed with a new deal required to keep Supercars on the Australian Grand Prix schedule beyond 2024. “This year will be a big change for us and we are working through that with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation,” Howard told the Herald Sun.
‘We deserve better’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/superc...stralian-gp-f1
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Sainz health update: Walking without pain in Melbourne.
Sainz was seen “with a calm, unforced walk, moving with ease through the airport.”
March 19, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news
A significant hurdle awaits Sainz on Thursday at Albert Park, where he is scheduled for the FIA’s compulsory medical evaluations. Among these tests, the extraction exercise is particularly crucial. Sanz elaborates, “The most important one will surely be the cockpit extrication test.”
This test demands that “The driver must be able to unbuckle the safety harness and remove the steering wheel in five seconds, then leave the car and return the wheel to its position in another five seconds.”
Passing these tests will be essential for Sainz as he aims to secure his spot on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix, with Bearman ready to step in if necessary.
‘Walking without pain in Melbourne’;
https://grandpx.news/sainz-health-up...-in-melbourne/
48-year-old team principal concerned about tyre compounds ahead of Australian Grand Prix
Tue 19 March 2024 10:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has admitted he’s concerned about the tyre compounds being used at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. After a very difficult 2023 season, Haas are already off the mark this year thanks to Nico Hulkenberg’s brilliant point in Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Ayao Komatsu has explained the team’s expectations in Melbourne in the coming days.
Komatsu has now admitted that the tyre compounds chosen for the Australian Grand Prix might not benefit them. “In Melbourne, the load levels of Bahrain will return but it is a very different circuit, it is mixed compared to a Bahrain more focused on the effectiveness of traction. Tyre degradation will not be as low as in Jeddah nor as high as in Bahrain. Historically we have struggled with the softer compound, the C5, which will debut in Australia. It will be interesting.”
“Another factor to keep an eye on will be graining, in the past we have suffered from it as the main aspect of our tyre degradation. It will be after the first four races that we will be able to draw better conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the VF-24 and how we can manage them.”
‘Concerned about tyre compounds’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/48-...an-grand-prix/
Verstappen's level of dominance not normal says Lobato
MARCH 19, 2024
GrandPrix.com
Long-time Spanish F1 commentator Antonio Lobato doubts Max Verstappen will win every single grand prix this season. Lobato said he fully expects to see other drivers win races soon.
“We have a problem”, Lobato told DAZN. “His name is Max and his last name is Verstappen”, he smiled. “But I'm sure I'm going to commentate on the victory of another driver other than Max. And if it's not this year, it will be next year”, Lobato laughed.
“The other day I saw a statistic”, he continued. "Of the last 20 races, he has won 19. Only Carlos Sainz was able to take one away from him. So a little bit of the morbidity of racing now is to see if someone is capable of beating Verstappen.”
‘Dominance not normal’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/verst...ys-lobato.html
Alonso ‘surprised’ to see Alpine falter, hopes team recovers
19/03/2024 at 12:24
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Fernando Alonso has had some harsh words for Alpine in the past, but the Spaniard admits that it’s difficult to watch his former outfit currently falter at the low end of the grid. “When I was there, obviously I had a great time,” Alonso said when asked about Alpine’s current situation.
“Most of the team when I was in Alpine were the same people as we had in Renault, and is the team that I will always love, and will have on my heart. So, it’s difficult to see when they are at the back. But hopefully they can find more performance.”
“When I was there obviously, the team maybe was different. It was a great atmosphere, it was a good performance as well, especially 2022. We were within the top five, top six in every race of the year. So, it is a bit surprising to see the current results. But hopefully they fix things quickly.”
‘Hopes team recovers’;
https://f1i.com/news/502891-alonso-s...-recovers.html
Stake F1 to change name for Australian Grand Prix
The Stake F1 name will change at a number of events this season.
19 March 12:10PM
Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Stake F1 will change its entry name to Kick Sauber for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
Race location Sauber identity
Bahrain Stake F1
Saudi Arabia Stake F1
Australia Kick Sauber
Japan Stake F1
China Stake F1
Miami Stake F1
Emilia Romagna Stake F1
Monaco Stake F1
Canada Stake F1
Spain Kick Sauber
Austria Stake F1
Great Britain Stake F1
Hungary Stake F1
Belgium Kick Sauber
Netherlands Stake F1
Italy Stake F1
Azerbaijan Stake F1
Singapore Stake F1
United States Stake F1
Mexico Stake F1
Brazil Stake F1
Las Vegas Stake F1
Qatar Kick Sauber
Abu Dhabi Stake F1
"We will be fully compliant with all the local applicable laws and where Stake is permitted. So where gambling advertising is prohibited, we will use a different name”;
https://racingnews365.com/stake-f1-t...ian-grand-prix
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Toto Wolff reveals “major focus” for Mercedes as they look to solve high-speed woes.
Toto Wolff looks ahead to this weekend's Australian Grand Prix with Mercedes looking to solve their high-speed weakness.
19 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Toto Wolff is hopeful Mercedes make “some initial progress” in understanding why they were so poor in high-speed corners at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Mercedes struggled considerably in the first part of the lap in Jeddah, with telemetry showing they were slower than Alpine in some of the high-speed corners.
Speaking ahead of the race, Wolff said... “We've been hard at work since Jeddah building on the learnings from the first two races,” he said. “It's encouraging to see the potential in the W15 but there are also clear areas of improvement. We have looked competitive in low and medium speed corners but high-speed has been a weakness so far.”
“We have been working hard to understand why our performance hasn't reflected our expectations. Improving that is a major focus. We hope to make some initial progress for Melbourne, and that work will guide our development in the weeks ahead. It's great to feel the energy and determination running through the factories as we work to unlock the potential of the car.”
“Major focus”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104572...igh-speed-woes
Wolff lays out simple instruction for Mercedes in Australia
Mercedes has started the season on the back-foot, not scoring a podium in the first two races, but returns to a track it impressed at last season.
19 March 2:35PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Toto Wolff... ...highlighted its biggest weakness. "We've been hard at work since Jeddah building on the learnings from the first two races," explained Wolff. It's encouraging to see the potential in the W15 but there are also clear areas of improvement, we have looked competitive in low and medium-speed corners but high-speed has been a weakness so far.”
"We have been working hard to understand why our performance hasn't reflected our expectations. Improving that is a major focus. We hope to make some initial progress for Melbourne, and that work will guide our development in the weeks ahead. It's great to feel the energy and determination running through the factories as we work to unlock the potential of the car.”
"We left points on the table in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, we started off each weekend strongly, running our usual practice programmes, but couldn't deliver on that initial promise. With the chasing pack being so close, maximising the potential of the car each weekend is key. Albert Park gives us another chance to show what we can do."
‘Simple instruction’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-high...f-new-mercedes
Mercedes reveal ‘major focus’ on W15 with renewed ‘hope’ for Australian Grand Prix
19 Mar 2024 3:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has explained why his team is hopeful... “We’ve been hard at work since Jeddah building on the learnings from the first two races,” he said in his team’s preview of the Australian Grand Prix. “It’s encouraging to see the potential in the W15 but there are also clear areas of improvement.”
“We have looked competitive in low and medium-speed corners but high-speed has been a weakness so far. We have been working hard to understand why our performance hasn’t reflected our expectations. Improving that is a major focus. We hope to make some initial progress for Melbourne, and that work will guide our development in the weeks ahead. It’s great to feel the energy and determination running through the factories as we work to unlock the potential of the car.”
It was in Jeddah that Mercedes encountered the infamous ‘bouncing’ that has blighted previous campaigns, despite the radical departure from the previous design direction – something that’s led Wolff to concede correlation issues may be behind their struggles in low-downforce, high-speed scenarios.
‘Major focus’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...ian-grand-prix
Sainz expected to make F1 return at Australian Grand Prix
20th March 2024, 5:06
Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Carlos Sainz Jnr is expected to race in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. Ferrari indicated the driver will resume his routine media duties from tomorrow at Albert Park, scene of this weekend’s race, alongside team mate Charles Leclerc. Sainz is the second driver in the last two years who was forced to miss a race due to appendicitis. Alexander Albon sat out the Italian Grand Prix in 2022 for the same reason.
He was able to return at the following race in Singapore following a three-week absence, while Sainz has had only two weeks to recover since the Saudi Arabian round. Prior to his illness, Sainz made a strong start to the season in the only other round held so far. He finished third in the Bahrain Grand Prix behind the two Red Bull drivers.
‘F1 return’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/20/...an-grand-prix/
Daniel Ricciardo admits he's treating this year's Australian Grand Prix like it's his last after struggles almost ended his career
• Ricciardo says he's treating Australian GP like it's his last
• Aussie has had an underwhelming start to the F1 season
• Says he is hoping for a top-10 finish on Sunday
23:42, 19 March 2024
James Cooney, Daily Mail Australia
MailOnline
Daniel Ricciardo is preparing for his 10th Australian Grand Prix when he returns to Melbourne this weekend and has admitted that he's treating it like it could be his last F1 race on home soil. 'You can't kind of look too far ahead and predict what is going to happen or what could happen,' he told News Corp. 'I'm obviously in different colours again but honestly really happy with where I'm at. I think just the mindset now of going racing, making every weekend count and putting everything I can into it - hopefully the fans appreciate that.'
Ricciardo is confident he can make his mark. 'I definitely thought about it in 2022 at that time when, let's say McLaren cut short the contract and I was left wondering 'is this next bunch of races going to me my last?' he said. 'At that time I was having a bad year competitively and I wasn't really sure.”
'I thought "maybe I don't love it as much as I used to. Maybe this is it. I definitely went through that but I think sitting here today I'm not of that mindset. I definitely know that there may not be whatever many more years in it. I do kind of treat it like it could be the last every year.'
‘Like it's his last’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...la-One-F1.html
‘Hate to say it’: The Ricciardo call splitting F1 — and why D-day is much sooner than expected
March 20th, 2024 9:50 am
Jacob Polychronis
Fox Sports (Australia)
It takes a lot to wipe the smile off Daniel Ricciardo’s face, but the question did it ever so slightly. As he prepared to board his flight from hometown Perth to Melbourne, a final question came about having “a point to prove” after Australian great Alan Jones said he’s “treading water” in F1. With his beaming smile dropped, and after a moment’s pause, the answer came: “Not at all. See ya.”
A hasty exit with a sour taste to kick off a week that was meant to signal a celebration of sorts for the second birth of his F1 career. Instead, there’s a feeling that Ricciardo is already one of the most under-pressure drivers on the grid with his fresh chance hanging in the balance. It’s an industry that moves at frightening speed — and he’d know that better than anyone.
F1 icon and former team owner Eddie Jordan said he wouldn’t hire Ricciardo on his current form, especially since his three-year McLaren contract was torn up after just two seasons. “I’m just worried that the end of McLaren era was really something that stood out and I couldn’t see where he’d lost it,” Jordan said on the Formula For Success podcast. “There has been nothing since then that convinces me that I would want to invest my hard-earned sponsorship cash to keep Daniel.”
‘Hate to say it’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...cfc7ef51272bd2
Five big Australian Grand Prix questions: FIA, Red Bull and a resurgent Lewis Hamilton?
20 Mar 2024 6:00 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Formula 1 returns this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix and a few days out from the event, we have some questions that need answering. One of the most dominant topics between Saudi Arabia and this race has been the future of Verstappen and as PlanetF1.com understands it, the Dutchman has a contract clause which could cause further tension.
Can Lewis Hamilton shine at one of his best circuits? Lewis Hamilton’s 2024 has got off to a sluggish start with a P7 and P9 putting him ninth in the Drivers’ standings, so it will be welcome news for the seven-time World Champion that the next venue is one he has historically done well at.
How will Australia’s favourite sons perform? Sorry Valtteri, but it is the home race for just two F1 drivers this weekend as Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri return to their native land – but both drivers are heading in with remarkably different feelings around them.
‘Five big questions’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/five-b...lewis-hamilton
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Why F1 will leave Australia with more questions than answers.
The pecking order behind Red Bull has generated intrigue at the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season, but the upcoming Australian Grand Prix weekend may not provide any true answers.
20 March 7:25AM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
The Australian Grand Prix hosts the third round of the 2024 Formula 1 season this weekend, with the event staged around Albert Park.
Whatever the form book may say in Melbourne, teams are not expecting it to present a true picture of the ultimate pecking order. “Australia we know is a very particular track and Tarmac," said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. "It's a Tarmac on which, as soon as you have a drop of rain, it's very slippery."
“In all honesty, the way the calendar is this year, I think four races in, we’ll have a pretty good idea,” said senior Ferrari engineer Jock Clear. “You’ve got Japan in there, which is a hell of a circuit to measure a car. So that kind of circuit, you're going to find out a lot.”
‘More questions than answers’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-f1-wil...s-than-answers
Ferrari issues Red Bull warning ahead of Australian GP
Red Bull has dominated the opening two rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season but Ferrari is eyeing up a closer fight in Australia this weekend.
20 March 3:35PM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365
Ferrari has pledged to adopt an “aggressive” approach at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend in an attempt to beat Red Bull. Ferrari prevailed at the Australian Grand Prix two years ago when Charles Leclerc enjoyed a successful weekend, winning by over 20 seconds.
As it looks to repeat its success from 2022, Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has asserted that his squad is deploying an “aggressive” strategy in Melbourne to best Red Bull. “After a busy start to the season with back-to-back races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, we’ve now made the longest trip of the year to Australia,” Vasseur said. “The Albert Park track is a favourite with the drivers and one where Ferrari has always enjoyed a lot of support.”
“We expect to be front runners on this track which could produce a similar pecking order to the one seen in Jeddah. We intend on adopting an aggressive approach with the aim of putting pressure on the team that’s won the first two races.”
‘Ferrari has pledged to adopt an “aggressive” approach’;
https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-is...-australian-gp
Ferrari provide update on Sainz ahead of Australian Grand Prix with reserve driver Bearman on call in Melbourne
20th March 2024, 12:25
Formula One - Official Site
Ferrari have provided an update on Carlos Sainz’s health ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, after the Spaniard was forced to miss the previous race in Jeddah.
“Carlos Sainz is expected to be back in the car, having had to miss Jeddah with appendicitis,” the team wrote in a pre-race statement. “He and team mate Charles Leclerc will most likely be fighting at the front of the field, as they have done in the first two rounds.”
‘Update on Sainz’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...4DDBgDCzdBVFZu
What is the weather forecast for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix?
20th March 2024, 09:42
Formula One - Official Site
FRIDAY, MARCH 22 – FP1 AND FP2
Conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy with a slight chance of one or two light showers in the afternoon. Light wind increasing a bit and veering southerly in the afternoon with gusts up to 30 kph.
FP1: 17/18°C. FP2: 19/20°C.
Maximum temperature expected: 20 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 10 Celsius
Chance of rain: <20%
SATURDAY, MARCH 23 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING
Conditions: Partly cloudy in the morning before an improvement of cloudiness in the afternoon. Slight chance of light rain/drizzle in the morning. Light to moderate southeasterly wind increasing in the afternoon with gusts up to 40 kph.
FP3: 17°C. Q: 19°C.
Maximum temperature expected: 19 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 13 Celsius
SUNDAY, MARCH 24 – RACE WEATHER
Conditions: Partly cloudy in the morning with a very slight chance of a shower. Improvement in the afternoon with a dry and mostly sunny race expected. Light to moderate southerly wind during the race (gusts up to 25 kph).
RACE: 20/21°C.
Maximum temperature expected: 21 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 13 Celsius
Chance of rain: <20%
‘Weather Forecast’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...wcssL9aX8rqE4c
What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix?
20th March 2024, 10:03
Formula One - Official Site
F1’s official tyre supplier will bring the C3, C4 and C5 compounds to the Albert Park venue, the softest from their range, marking the first time the C5 has been seen this season. Drivers will get two sets of the hard tyre (marked white), three sets of the medium tyre (marked yellow), and eight sets of the soft tyre (marked red), as well as the green intermediate tyre and the blue full wets, should they be required (which they might).
The decision to go with a softer selection was taken after analysing last year’s race, which saw 10 drivers use the C2 compound for 47 of the 58 laps, and three drivers run it for more than 50 laps. While the C5 remains unaltered from 2023, it is the compound that has been used the least on the current generation of F1 cars – only 140 kilometres being completed on it during pre-season testing in February.
‘Tyre Options’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...x0V9XHZxIcpC2d
What time is the Formula 1 2024 Australian Grand Prix and how can I watch it?
20th March 2024, 09:32
Formula One - Official Site
After a couple of rounds in the Middle East to kick off the 2024 season, the F1 paddock heads to Oceania for the Australian Grand Prix – and here are all the timings you need to watch the race wherever you are around the world.
This week’s action at Albert Park gets underway with FP1 and FP2 on Friday, March 22, in preparation for FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, March 23, and then the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, March 24.
Head to the RACE HUB or scroll down for more on how and when you can watch the action, along with the global start times for each session.
‘What time’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...BL8Bty0uWdHW6S
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F1 - 2024 Australian Grand Prix - Thursday Press conference transcript.
DRIVERS – Daniel RICCIARDO (RB), Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren), Esteban OCON (Alpine), Kevin MAGNUSSEN (Haas), Sergio PÉREZ (Red Bull Racing).
21st March 2024, 05:05
FIA (Press Release)
Q: Why don't we start with the home heroes, in fact the hometown hero? Why don't we come to you first Oscar? Great to see you. You used to play footy and cricket just metres from where we're sitting now. Just how special is this race?
Oscar PIASTRI: Yeah, definitely a special race for me. I mean, for any driver, a home race is always good fun and a privilege. But like you said, for me, it's about 10, 15 minutes away from where I grew up. So, yeah, well and truly a home race and excited to be back.
Q: Well, good luck. And Daniel, you didn't line up on the grid here last year. Of all the races you missed in the first half of 2023, was this the one that hurt the most?
Daniel RICCIARDO: Yeah, it was. I mean, I remember being on pit wall here. It was my first race attending and I was watching the cars and there was that, yeah, certainly a bit of envy as I saw them all pull out of the garage. I kind of knew already that I wanted to do it again. But yeah, this was where, I felt it most. And then every race I went to after that, I was, ‘OK, I'm ready’.
Q: And Checo, you said at the start of this year that there were two things you wanted to work on, your consistency and your qualifying pace. How do you feel those two things have gone so far?
SP: I think we are heading in the right direction. I'm really pleased with the first two races, especially with the progress we made after the first one. I feel like as a team we are in a really good momentum. We are understanding a lot of what's going on on the weekends, the way we review the weekends, how we prepare them. I'm pretty happy with how the season has started and I think there is a lot more to come from our side.
‘Thursday Press conference transcript’;
https://www.fia.com/news/f1-2024-aus...nce-transcript
Sainz “won’t be 100%” in Australian GP return after “10 days in bed”
21st March 2024, 6:25
Written by Will Wood
Carlos Sainz Jnr has admitted he won’t be at “100%” as he returns to the cockpit this weekend for the Australian Grand Prix following surgery. Having spent the last fortnight recovering, Sainz will race this weekend at Albert Park. “I feel ready,” Sainz said. “I’ve done as much as possible to recover. You cannot imagine the effort and logistics and things that I’ve done to be fit for this race. I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made and now it’s time to jump in the car and see how I feel.”
However, Sainz acknowledged he will not be at full fitness or at full speed this weekend due to the recovery required for him over the last two weeks to be well enough to race. “It’s not like I’ll be 100% for it, because obviously I’ve been ten days in bed, not ten days training, going to the simulator and preparing for a normal weekend,” he said. “But if I’m fit to race and don’t have any pain or any bad symptoms, I can still put together a strong weekend and the target will be to challenge the Red Bulls.”
“Won’t be 100%”;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/21/...0-days-in-bed/
'We're able to fight around P10' - Yuki Tsunoda on RB's midfield battles as Melbourne GP looms
21 Mar 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
With two rounds of fierce fighting under his belt, Yuki Tsunoda hopes to "maximise" RB's potential in this weekend's Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
'We're able to fight around P10';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...164719127.html
Why has the starting time of the Australian GP changed?
European fans are experiencing an earlier start than usual this year for the Australian Grand Prix.
20 March 2024, 7:30PM
RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365
The 2024 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix will mark an early start for European fans, with the race getting underway at 05:00 CET/04:00 GMT. This marks an earlier start from last year despite the race remaining in a 15:00 slot in Melbourne.
Drivers have complained in the past of the sunset in Australia hindering their vision towards the end of the Grand Prix. There was an extreme version of this last year when multiple red flags caused delays to the race.
However, this year's Australian Grand Prix is being held earlier than the 2023 edition, meaning the clock change to recognise Daylight Savings Time has not yet taken effect.
‘European fans are experiencing an earlier start’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-has-th...ian-gp-changed
2023 absence sparked Ricciardo's desire for F1 return
Thu, 21 March 2024 1:56PM
Oliver CaffreyAAP
The West Australian
Being a spectator at last year's Australian Grand Prix lit the fire in Daniel Ricciardo to go about securing a return to a full-time Formula One seat. Ten years after being stripped of a podium at Albert Park, Ricciardo is intent on making the most of his second chance in F1.
The popular 34-year-old was sidelined for the first 10 races of last season, including his home GP, after being relegated to a back-up driver following his exit from McLaren at the end of 2022. "It was my first race attending and I was watching the cars come out and there was certainly a bit of envy," said Ricciardo, who is racing for Red Bull's secondary team, known as RB.
‘Lit the fire in Daniel Ricciardo’;
https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...urn-c-14033492
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Oliver Bearman may get second F1 drive at Australian GP as driver 'not 100 percent'.
Oliver Bearman could race in Formula 1 again this weekend after Carlos Sainz admitted he may yet decide against competing.
21st March 2024, 13:12
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror
Speaking to reporters in the Melbourne paddock, he admitted he was "not back at 100 percent" said: "I put together a very strong recovery plan since I landed back home to be ready for this race. I will jump in the car tomorrow and see how I feel. I'm feeling positive about it.”
"But obviously, I'm not stupid. If I don't feel good tomorrow, I will be the first one to raise my hand and say that I need another two weeks to the next race. They are monitoring my progress. I'm the first one that doesn't want to be in pain or to suffer, to make it any worse. I'm not stupid, and I will be very clear with how I'm feeling and everything.”
"On top of that, I wouldn't have jumped in the car in Jeddah on Thursday if it wasn't possible. I did 26 laps because I could, not because I was in pain. Yes it wasn't an easy 26 laps per session but I could get them done."
‘Oliver Bearman could race’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...drive-32408305
Oliver Bearman could race again for Ferrari at Australian GP after stunning F1 debut in Saudi Arabia as Carlos Sainz admits he won't take part if he 'doesn't feel good' in practice following surgery
• The Brit, 18, finished seventh at the Saudi Arabian GP after stepping in for Sainz
• Ferrari have confirmed Sainz will return but Spaniard still might not race
Published: 11:29, 21 March 2024
By Liam Morgan
MailOnline
British star Oliver Bearman could race again this weekend after Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz revealed he would not take part in the Australian Grand Prix if he feels unwell during Friday's practice.
Sainz has returned for this weekend's race in Melbourne following successful surgery but admitted he may be forced to pull out again if he 'doesn't feel good' when he takes to the track on Friday.
'First of all, just by seeing me move and the exercises that I'm doing in the gym, everything this tells me I'm fit to jump in the car tomorrow and try,' he said.
‘Oliver Bearman could race again’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-prix.html
Oliver Bearman on standby as Carlos Sainz admits Australian Grand Prix uncertainty
Oliver Bearman stunned his peers during his F1 debut two weeks ago and could be set for another Ferrari outing.
11:19, Thu, Mar 21, 2024
By Sam Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
Oliver Bearman could be set for a late Ferrari call-up with Carlos Sainz admitting that he is unsure whether he will take part in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. Teenage star Bearman stepped in for Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and stunned his colleagues with an impressive seventh-placed finish.
Asked how he expects his body to cope during the race, Sainz responded: “The problem is I don't know. Until you put yourself in an F1 car and feel the forces, it's impossible to know. What I know is that today I am a lot better than yesterday, and yesterday I was a lot better than two days ago.”
“So also with that progress, I'm quite encouraged and positive. And then see how I feel, as I said." Sainz insists he will be honest with Ferrari about his condition. If he feels unable to compete then he will stand aside for Bearman.
‘Oliver Bearman on standby’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Prix-Ferrari
First pictures from the 2024 Australian Grand Prix weekend
F1 Pictures
Posted on 21st March 2024, 10:19
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
‘Pictures from the build-up to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park’;
https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/21/...-prix-weekend/
‘From what I’m told’: Red Bull rivals ‘bullish’ for Australian GP after ‘really good’ sim work…
Thu 21 March 2024 13:30
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer
One of Red Bull’s F1 rivals are quietly confident about their chances at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. Red Bull have made an ominous start to the new season with back-to-back one-two finishes. But speaking on the Weekend Warm-Up show for F1TV, journalist Lawrence Barreto talked up one of their competitors.
Barreto says Red Bull challengers Ferrari are in confident mood. According to Barreto, Ferrari have arrived in the Albert Park paddock in a ‘bullish’ frame of mind. Barreto said: “I think they’re pretty bullish about their chances this weekend. And when I say that I don’t mean that they’re going to take the fight to Red Bull and push Max Verstappen and Checo all the way.”
“But I do think they’re in that area where if a mistake happens, if there’s a pit-stop issue, they can pounce. What Ferrari are seeing is that, from race to race, that car is getting better, their understanding of that car is getting better. They’re in a better spot to push on through the season rather than tail off as they’ve tended to in previous years.”
‘Ferrari are in confident mood’;
https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/red...-on-simulator/
Race guide for the Australian Grand Prix
21 March 2024, 11:44
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical
Round 3 of the 2024 F1 season sees the field head to Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. F1Technical's senior writer Balázs Szabó delivers his race preview. The track has a length of 5.278km, resulting in a 58-lap-long Grand Prix. The circuit sports 14 corners, many of them are named after previous great drivers. The race course has a stop-and-go nature due to heavy acceleration and braking zones.
The 5.278km lap is a tricky one to tackle. Turn One is a tight right-hander but the apex speed is more than 150km/h. The apex is also blind and Turn Two follows immediately after, setting up the long, flat-out run to Turn Three. Located at the end of the first DRS zone, Turn Three is another tight right-hander that provides an opportunity for overtaking.
However, it's easy to lock the front-right tyre under braking into the corner which can put you at risk of running wide into the gravel trap on the exit. Turns Nine and 10 were spectacular corners before to the circuit alterations, but now they are more fearsome than ever. At the fastest point of the circuit, it's a small dab of brake on the entry to Turn Nine, before a second deft touch of the brake before Turn 10 and the high-speed run to Turn 11.
‘Race guide’;
https://www.f1technical.net/news/24444
