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Max Verstappen blames F1 race control for ‘creating own problems’ in Australian GP restart chaos.
Max Verstappen believes race control only have themselves to blame for the chaos and confusion seen at the end of a messy F1 Australian Grand Prix.
3 Apr 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
The reigning world champion won Sunday’s triple red-flagged race which ended in bizarre fashion to increase his early championship lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen described the conclusion in Melbourne as a “mess” and accused race control of bringing the chaos on themselves. “I think it's quite clear, I just didn't understand why we needed a red flag,” the Red Bull driver said.
“I think if you would have had a Safety Car and then just had a normal rolling start we wouldn't have had all these shunts and then you have a normal finish. So they created the problems themselves at the end of the day.”
‘F1 race control’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102374...-restart-chaos
Horner pleased with Verstappen response: 'He made short work of Hamilton'
03 April 8:50AM
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Christian Horner praised Max Verstappen's response to the first lap battles with the Mercedes drivers, after the Dutchman fell to third on the opening lap. Christian Horner was pleased with Max Verstappen's reaction to falling behind in the opening corners of the Australian Grand Prix.
"The two Mercedes were fast starting, they were both very aggressive on the first lap. Max showed great patience to not really get embroiled," Horner told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"They [Mercedes] started having a go at each other, and then they pitted George, the red flag came out, and then it was just a straight fight between Max and Lewis, and he made very short work of that. Then it was a question of controlling the race from that point onwards."
‘Great patience to not really get embroiled’;
https://racingnews365.com/horner-ple...rk-of-hamilton
Perez happy to 'limit the damage' after going from pit lane start to P5 in Melbourne
03 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Sergio Perez took the chequered flag in fifth position at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, and the Red Bull driver was pleased with his work on Sunday, as he managed to “limit the damage” following his early exit from qualifying.
Perez came into the weekend one point off his team mate Max Verstappen in the championship, but after his qualifying ended with him in the gravel, the Mexican started the race from the pit lane – after Red Bull opted to fit his car with a raft of new PU components under parc ferme conditions.
“I had to back out of it, otherwise I wouldn’t finish. When we looked where we started and how difficult it was to pass with the DRS train that we ended up [in], we managed to limit a bit the damage from yesterday.”
'Limit the damage';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KWfUm4OHm.html
Horner reignites battle for Red Bull number one driver
Monday 3 April 2023 11:57
Ronan Murphy
Christian Horner has responded to questions around who is Red Bull's number one driver this season. “Max and Checo have the same car, it’s up to them, to what they do on the track," Horner told Sky Sports Italia.
However, Horner said that what other teams and drivers do will have an impact on what his own team and drivers do on the track this season. Let’s not underestimate the Ferrari that will react, Mercedes will arrive and Aston Martin that has a great car," he continued. "It’s not all about our drivers.”
‘It’s up to them’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...stappen-perez/
Mark Hughes: Red flags hid Verstappen’s Melbourne margin
3rd April 2023, 07:30
By Mark Hughes
The Race
Safety car, rolling restart, Russell, Hamilton and Verstappen. Max had not been his usual no-compromise self on the opening lap, precisely because he knew he had no need to.
“I could have been a bit more aggressive,” he said. “I knew I had a quick car and knew losing a position at the start wasn’t end of the world.” Not only a quick car but a quick car in all the right places. Its advantage over Hamilton’s Mercedes – with both deploying DRS – was in the order of 9km/h and he was onto them.
‘Verstappen’s Melbourne margin’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...bourne-margin/
The single lap when Verstappen revealed some of Red Bull’s true pace in Melbourne
2023 Australian Grand Prix interactive data
Posted on 3rd April 2023, 14:35
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
For lap after lap, the Red Bull pair produced lap times in the order of a second or more quicker than their rivals. Race leader Sergio Perez put 19 seconds on the team’s closest pursuer, Fernando Alonso, in 18 laps. Where was that performance advantage during yesterday’s Australian Grand Prix?
No doubt the scale of Red Bull’s superiority will vary to some degree from track to track. Nonetheless on outright one-lap pace in qualifying the story was little changed. Red Bull were quickest by 0.292s in Bahrain, 0.155s in Saudi Arabia (where Verstappen did not take part in Q3 due to a technical fault) and 0.236s in Australia.
‘Red Bull’s true pace’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/03/...-in-melbourne/
Ferrari floundering, cracks appear at Red Bull: What we learned from the Australian Grand Prix
Monday 3 April 2023 12:57
Jim Kimberley
GPFans
As F1 leaves Melbourne under the cloud of questions about the FIA's handling of the restart process at the Australian Grand Prix, we still found answers that we didn't know before the weekend.
From Ferrari tensions to a closing up of the running order, here's what we learned from F1's time Down Under...
‘Leclerc is Low, Red Bull isn't impervious, This is Alonso's Aston Martin, FIA Feel Cautious, Bottas in Bahrain was a blip, Alpine's volatile lineup explodes’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rned-analysis/
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Toto Wolff: Mercedes needed ‘a little bit of happiness’ before Australian GP breakthrough.
Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes were in need of “a little bit of happiness” before the team’s breakthrough performance in Australian Grand Prix qualifying.
02 Apr 2023 4:00 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Having targeted a return to regular race-winning contention in 2023, Mercedes were aghast to find themselves six tenths away from pole position – the same deficit with which their started last season – at the season opener in Bahrain.
With Wolff admitting the race the following day was one of the worst days of his career, the team boss ordered sweeping changes to the W14 car after acknowledging the team had pursued the wrong development path.
‘A little bit of happiness’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...australian-gp/
Toto Wolff breaks silence on rumoured W14 upgrades
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that the team are working on a W14 upgrade, but it will not be coming anytime in the immediate future.
1 April 2023
by Mitchell Wilks
Formula1News
While all the focus is on Mercedes’ desperate attempts to find a way up the pecking order once again, Wolff has maintained that he is satisfied with how the team are working to find solutions, claiming they are ‘going in a good direction’. “We shouldn’t expect like a miracle: suddenly we are on pole by half a second.”
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, though, the team principal insisted that the changes will not be immediate, when speaking to Sky F1: “We’re doing good steps, good developments, but you’ve got to run them, confirm them, produce them. So, I think we’re not looking for introduction before Imola. We want to do it right also.”
‘Rumoured W14 upgrades’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/toto-wolf...-w14-upgrades/
Mercedes poke fun at ‘Darth Toto’ as Michael Masi returns
Lewis Hamilton recently said he has no intention of speaking to Michael Masi, following his return to the Formula 1 paddock.
1 April 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News
The Mercedes F1 Team has embraced the return of Toto Wolff’s iconic hooded look, much to the delight of fans. Nicknamed ‘Darth Toto’ in reference to the Sith Lords in the Star Wars series, some have speculated that this personality could allow the Mercedes boss to use the force to secure an eighth world title for Lewis Hamilton.
“Lewis being told Masi is in the paddock. Darth Toto: Let the anger flow through you!” a poster on Reddit joked in reference to the former race director’s return after his controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi decision.
‘Darth Toto’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/mercedes-...-masi-returns/
F1 'needs Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari' as Toto Wolff ready to approve Brit's exit
Lewis Hamilton has been urged to join Ferrari, with Toto Wolff ready to sanction a move to shake up F1.
05:50, Tue, Apr 4, 2023
By Alex Turk
Daily and Sunday Express
F1 needs Lewis Hamilton to ditch Mercedes for Ferrari just as much as the Scuderia need the Brit, according to Eddie Jordan. Speculation about Hamilton's future refuses to go away as he nears the end of his Mercedes contract while driving a car incapable of winning him a record eighth world championship.
Jordan believes Hamilton leaving Mercedes to replace one of the drivers would be the best outcome for F1. He told OLBG: "Formula One needs Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari, and Ferrari needs Lewis Hamilton. "Hamilton should look to go to another Championship-winning team, but the drama is who is going to move aside?”
“Formula One needs Lewis Hamilton in a Ferrari’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ari-Toto-Wolff
WOLFF: F1 MUST BE MORE CLEAR WHEN TO USE RED FLAGS
Three red flags were needed during an incident-packed Australian Grand Prix, with the first being delayed after dong laps around the safety car, which cost drivers who pit under the safety car
April 3, 2023
Nathan Hartley
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that Formula 1 must be more clear when using a red flag after losing out during the Australian Grand Prix with George Russell. The headlines from last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix came from the three red flags shown during the race. This caused many drivers to crash, causing a lot of controversy and disgust.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that Formula 1 must better identify when to use a red flag, as the incidents during the Australian Grand Prix only required a safety car or virtual safety car in the opinion of many drivers.
“We just need to understand going forward when are red flags being put out, and what is a safety car or VSC? I think in those incidents you could have applied either. I’m fine whether you call a VSC or safety car, or you red flag it, as long as we understand in terms of us being able to plan a little bit. Let’s define all together what is a VSC, what is a safety car and what is a red flag.”
‘Formula 1 must better identify when to use a red flag’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wo.../?nowprocket=1
Mercedes boss dismisses Verstappen complaints about Hamilton
The Mercedes chief gave his take on Hamilton's first-lap pass on Verstappen
April 3, 2023
By Andrew Wright
Total Motorsport
Verstappen was quick on the team radio to complain, saying Hamilton forced him off track, but the stewards wasted little time in deciding no further action was necessary. Wolff was asked about the incident after the race, in which Verstappen recovered to win ahead of Hamilton, and absolved his star driver of any wrongdoing.
“We have lots of discussion around racing rules,” Wolff told the media after the 2023 Australian GP. “I don’t think that was a bad one. They [Red Bull] have a straight line speed advantage with the DRS open that is just mind-boggling,” Wolff added.
“But this is the meritocracy of the sport and if you have a car that’s that quick on the straight and you’re doing the right things, then it’s up to us to find the tools to improve the straight-line performance.
‘Mercedes boss dismisses Verstappen complaints’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ints-hamilton/
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15 seconds of despair – Aston Martin’s (reversed) implosion.
What was lost in 15 seconds took about 15 minutes to be regained as the FIA finally communicated that the very last restart, rolling round to the flag behind the safety car, would return to the order for the previous start.
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
Apr 3 2023
The Race
In less than 15 gut-wrenching seconds of Formula 1 chaos, Aston Martin’s Australian Grand Prix descended into despair. After Fernando Alonso lost third place being pitched into a spin at the first corner, his team-mate Lance Stroll picked up the baton by pouncing on Alonso’s aggressor Carlos Sainz to hold third himself on the run to Turn 3.
“We had a rollercoaster of emotions,” was Alonso’s summary. Team principal Mike Krack used the same word. If anything, it doesn’t quite do it justice. “We lived it the way you live it on TV as well,” said Krack. “You have the restart, and then there was all these incidents.” Alonso was no fan of the red flag in the first place – it was met with a sharp “What?!” at the time – so that would no doubt have fuelled the sense of injustice he felt at being nerfed out of another podium.
In the car, seconds after the red flag was thrown, Alonso recalled what happened last year at Silverstone, when a stoppage after the start necessitated a restart in the full original order: “Check it immediately,” he insisted after mentioning it. “That’s typical,” said Krack. “He remembers every race he’s done, and what happened where, and what we should look at! That’s pretty impressive. We were pretty confident it would be ordered like that, but you never know.”
‘Reversed implosion’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/15-se...sed-implosion/
Alonso on a high after 'rollercoaster of emotions'
02/04/2023 at 13:49
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Fernando Alonso was back on the podium again after a chaotic finish to the Australian Grand Prix, with his third consecutive third-place finish from the first three races of the 2023 season. "I was pretty sure that I could be second, to be honest, in the last start, because we've been very good, very strong on the starts. It was good again, I was side-by-side into turn 1.
"[But] you also sometimes have to realise there are a lot of risks as well. Every time there is this kind of restart, and maybe you end up with a DNF - which was very close for me this time. We had a rollercoaster of emotions today," he admitted, concurring with the suggestion that he'd rarely seen anything like Sunday's chaos in his 358-race career in Formula 1.
"It was probably my craziest race here in Melbourne, but it’s great to come away with another podium," he said. "We have to be pleased with this start to the season and three podiums in as many races Many things going on at the beginning [of today's race], but then also at the end now, you know - the last half an hour it was difficult to understand what's going on!”
'Rollercoaster of emotions';
https://f1i.com/news/470872-alonso-o...-emotions.html
Fernando Alonso sends message to Lewis Hamilton as pair share Australian GP podium
12:33 Sun, 02 Apr 2023.
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport
The three world champions on the current F1 grid stood on the Australian GP podium on Sunday. Fernando Alonso has taken the opportunity to praise Lewis Hamilton for his performance at the Australian Grand Prix.
The two old rivals shared the Australian GP podium with Max Verstappen on Sunday, with the Dutchman coming home ahead of Hamilton and then Alonso.
Taking to social media after the race, Fernando praised Lewis for his performance as the Merc man took P2, in what was a nice gesture from the 2005 and 2006 world champion:
Mega drive @LewisHamilton ������ https://t.co/gi1xLgEveH& mdash; Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) April 2, 2023
‘Message to Lewis Hamilton’;
https://www.givemesport.com/fernando...ian-gp-podium/
EXCLUSIVE: 'It would be nice to end our careers together. I'd love that': Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton once despised each other, but now Aston Martin's golden oldie says reuniting with the seven-time world champion would be perfect
• Fernando Alonso struggled to gel with Lewis Hamilton at McLaren back in 2007
• Now the Spaniard thinks the Mercedes star would make the perfect team-mate
• Aged 41, Alonso is looking the closest to rivalling Red Bull's pace this season
Published: 22:30, 31 March 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy for the Daily Mail
Mail Online
So would Fernando welcome his old sparring partner Lewis to the team? ‘It would be nice to end our careers together,’ says Alonso, despite currently partnering the owner’s son, Lance Stroll. ‘I’d love that.’
Really? They hardly gelled last time, in Hamilton’s rookie season at McLaren in 2007. The Hamilton retinue sat one side of the team hospitality area amid the hostilities, Alonso’s on the other, in a dispute flamed by the fuel of the Spygate scandal. In British eyes, Alonso was Dick Dastardly, plotting in Spanish against innocent young Lewis.
‘Alonso was Dick Dastardly’;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-perfect.html
Fernando Alonso quips ‘no three Red Bulls on the podium’ as F1 pecking order assessed
02 Apr 2023 7:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Perez had joked in Bahrain about him, Max Verstappen, and Fernando Alonso ‘all being Red Bull drivers’ and that ‘it was nice to see three Red Bull cars on the podium!’
“No more three Red Bulls on the podium, if Checo was here,” Alonso remarked.
“But no, I think Mercedes were also strong in Jeddah, to be honest. I think all race on Sunday, I was within one-tenth of George [Russell], you know, fighting to get this extra five seconds or whatever at the end. So it was very, very close.”
‘No three Red Bulls on the podium’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...-bulls-podium/
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Fred Vasseur blasts FIA inconsistency: ’30 laps for Alonso, five seconds for Sainz decision’.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has hit out at the FIA after Carlos Sainz was slammed with a five-second penalty at the Australian Grand Prix, one that dropped him fourth to 12th.
03 Apr 2023 5:45 PM
Michelle Foster
Informed of the penalty, an anguished Sainz pleaded: “No, it cannot be, Ricky [Adami, race engineer], this will put me out of the points. No, it’s unacceptable. Tell them it is unacceptable, tell them they need to wait until the race is finished and discuss with me. Ask them please, please, please, please, please, to wait and discuss with me, clearly the penalty is not deserved, it’s too severe.”
“My job is to take the positive and the negative,” Vasseur told Channel 4, “but just like this, it’s more the negative because I think we did overall a good job. Carlos had a very good recovery after the unlucky pit stop just before the red flag, and to get penalised like this at the end is very harsh. For sure you are emotional in this kind of situation because you are not far away from the podium, you are P4, coming from nowhere when all the others got a pit stop for free. He did a mega good job.”
“I think we can discuss [for] hours about the penalty if it’s harsh or not. Depending on the position of your team, the analysis will be different, but I think what is a shame for me is that considering it was not impacting the podium, at least the stewards could’ve listened and had a look at the data.”
‘FIA inconsistency’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/fred-v...sainz-penalty/
Sainz penalty harsh after F1 ‘changed rules twice in 10 minutes for Alonso’ – Vasseur
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 4th April 2023, 0:013rd April 2023, 23:29
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said the Australian Grand Prix stewards should have heard from Sainz before penalising his driver for his collision with Fernando Alonso on Sunday. Vasseur pointed out the stewards had reversed a decision which went against Alonso at the previous round.
Vasseur confirmed Ferrari would not appeal against the decision, but questioned why it had been taken so quickly. “They took 30 laps before to decide if Alonso was into the box or not and today took five seconds.”
‘Would not appeal’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/04/...nd-up-04-04-6/
Ferrari baffled by Sainz decision after Alonso rulings
Wednesday 5th April, 2023 - 12:19am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has been left baffled by the decision-making of the Australian Grand Prix stewards after a penalty that knocked Carlos Sainz out of the points. Vasseur, speaking to UK television station Channel 4, then referenced what had unfolded with Alonso during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Alonso was punished for a grid box infraction at the start of the race in Jeddah, serving a five-second time penalty at his first pit stop. It was not until shortly before the end of the race, however, that the stewards dished out an additional 10-second penalty for what they perceived was a further misdemeanour during that stop.
A further three hours after the race had finished, they overturned their decision on the basis of mitigating circumstances coming to light. “(In Saudi) They took 30 laps to decide if Alonso was in the box or not, and this (the Sainz incident) took five seconds,” added Vasseur.
‘Ferrari baffled’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/05...australian-gp/
Vasseur identifies key flaw in FIA handling of Sainz penalty
Tuesday 4 April 2023 17:38
Harry Smith
GPFans
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has criticised the FIA's handling of Carlos Sainz's time penalty at the Australian Grand Prix, insisting the governing body should take more time to think about their decisions. Now that the dust has settled, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has weighed in on the penalty debacle.
"His pace was very strong and very consistent," Vasseur told Motorsport.com, "and he came back not far away from the podium. And then to lose it like this, not from nowhere but before the end. I can perfectly understand the emotion and the fact that he was in shock with that."
Vasseur went on to support the FIA's handling of red flags in the closing stages of the Grand Prix. "I'm not complaining because it's always difficult to take decisions when you have to do it live. But coming back to the decision about Carlos, they had time to take the decision. In this case, they have to take time."
‘Vasseur identifies key flaw’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/
Rob Smedley: Ferrari progress under Fred Vasseur will take months
Thursday 30 March 2023 17:57
Andrew McLean
GPFans
Ferrari’s performances may not improve for months according to former engineer Rob Smedley, as Fred Vasseur takes time to get his revolution into full swing at Maranello.
Smedley is confident that the improvement Ferrari followers crave will come but it could take until the middle of the season as Vasseur takes time to work his magic. “I’ve got a rule that yo good people who are effective and can just get on will see changes within six months,” Smedley told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
‘Six months’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-fred-vasseur/
Ferrari make worst start to a season in 14 years while Hamilton breaks a record
2023 Australian Grand Prix stats and facts
Posted on 5th April 2023, 7:23
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Just three years ago, Ferrari produced their worst season in four decades, slumping to sixth in the championship. So it will be cause for alarm that, three races into the new season, they’re on course to do even worse.
Ferrari left Australia point-less after a race bookended by misery. Charles Leclerc went out in a racing incident on lap one while Carlos Sainz Jnr, having overcome an unfortunately-timed pit stop, copped a five-second time penalty on the penultimate lap. This might ordinarily cost a driver one place, if that, but as the race finished behind the Safety Car the luckless Sainz dropped from fourth to 12th.
Ferrari hasn’t started a season as badly as this since 2009. They scored no points over the opening three races that year, though only the top eight places scored at the time. Even so, with two retirements and finishes of ninth, 10th, 14th and 15th they would only have taken three points under today’s scoring system.
‘Worst start to a season in 14 years’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/05/...eaks-a-record/
"Blockbuster" F1 move would see Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc swap teams
Mercedes star Hamilton has been tipped by many to consider a Ferrari switch to give him the best chance of another title before retiring, in a move which could see Leclerc come the other way
17:14, 4 Apr 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The long-term futures of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc with their current employers appear uncertain given the situations they find themselves in. With their individual scenarios in mind, it has been suggested that a possible swap could take place in the near future. Hamilton would be taking one final gamble in a bid to secure that eighth world title, while Leclerc would star afresh alongside George Russell in what would be a young and exciting driver line-up for Mercedes.
Matt Gallagher and Tom Bellingham, two of the most recognisable F1 content creators thanks to their success with WTF1, agree that such a move would be "blockbuster". But they also share the opinion that it is very unlikely to happen.
"No-one has any idea when [Hamilton] is going to go and where he is going to go," Gallagher, a long-suffering Ferrari fan, told Metro. "If he wants to win an eighth world title, does he want to move away from the team that's provided him with six of those championships? Probably not."
"Blockbuster";
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...cedes-29629672
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McLaren’s Andrea Stella: “It was good to see that we were in condition to race well”.
Andrea Stella was able to oversee the McLaren F1 Team’s first points finishes of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season in Sundays Australian Grand Prix.
April 5, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag
Stella says that even without the three red flags in Australia, the team were showing good pace, and they can return home for the four-week break before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with confidence that they are heading the right way in the development of the MCL60. “An eventful race today in Melbourne,” said Stella. “We managed to stay out of trouble and were able to score our first points of the season.
“Even without the three red flags, it was good to see that we were in condition to race well and make good overtaking moves, so there’s plenty of positives. At the same time, we know we have to stay realistic and have a lot of hard work ahead.
“Both trackside and back at the factory, we’ll use the energy from this double points result to make us even more determined to deliver a quicker car. Thank you to everyone trackside, at the MTC and our colleagues at HPP for their hard work.”
“In condition to race well”;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-to-race-well/
McLaren realistic after Australian adventure
Wednesday 5th April, 2023 - 10:03pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe13:06
Andrea Stella is refusing to get carried away with McLaren’s result in the Australian Grand Prix despite the importance attached to the crucial points that were scored. For the first time since 2019, McLaren emerged from the first two races of a season without a point, as a result of a number of factors, some unfortunate, others of its own making
Wary team boss Stella, however, said: “We don’t get carried away. We know it was a very eventful race. But it’s good to score points after having some difficult races at the start of the season in which we were in a condition to score points, but for various issues, we couldn’t. So it’s good now to come out of these first few races with some good points.”
‘Realistic’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/05...australian-gp/
Lando Norris believes penultimate Aus GP stoppage was for entertainment purposes
03 Apr 2023 7:15 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Lando Norris is unsure the red flag caused late on in the Australian Grand Prix was fully necessary, with Kevin Magnussen’s crash having prompted a full stoppage of the race.
Serious questions for Australian GP officials after fan hit by debris in Magnussen’s crash “I don’t see everything obviously, I see what I see in the cockpit,” Norris told Channel 4 after the race.
“I don’t feel like the second to last red flag was needed. The last one, I’m sure it was because there was a lot of people in the gravel and things, but the one before, possibly not. Maybe to put on a bit of a show.”
‘Entertainment purposes’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...red-flag-show/
Norris speaks out against late standing restarts 'for the show'
03 April 11:40AM
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
"It's tough. I feel like you can just be so unlucky. I kind of hate it. I feel like a rolling start is better in these situations," Norris told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"I don't like the restarts, I guess maybe [a standing restart] in the first quarter of the race I [would] understand it. But in the second half, and especially with four laps to go, I feel like you ruin a lot of things.”
"I don't feel like it's fair for a lot of people who have done a good job and get taken out and it's race over. I don't feel like the second to last red flag was needed. It just caused a bad end to the race. I think if we just finished behind the Safety Car then it would have been a bit more straightforward."
‘Against late standing restarts’;
https://racingnews365.com/norris-spe...s-for-the-show
Australian Grand Prix ‘our best weekend so far’ says Norris after double points finish for McLaren
02 Apr 2023
PlanetF1.com
Lando Norris said he didn’t have high hopes for the race in Melbourne but eventually finished P6, a result he party attributed to “staying out of trouble” in a chaotic Grand Prix at Albert Park.
‘Our best weekend so far’;
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1/McLaren
McLaren go on massive hiring spree amid early season woes
McLaren announced the signing of former Ferrari head of vehicle concept David Sanchez last month.
4 April 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
McLaren’s dramatic push to return to the front of the field is certainly ramping up in pace, with the Woking-based side having announced the signing of Aston Martin’s head of aero performance Mariano Alperin.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is certainly wasting no time at all, after announcing that a huge restructuring would be taking place at Woking. It’s understood by Motorsport.com that McLaren have agreed deals with 15 new employees, all of which will work under the team’s aero department.
Reports state that the British side have signed key figures from Aston Martin, Red Bull and Ferrari, demonstrating Brown’s intent on turning 2023 around.
‘15 new employees’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/mclaren-g...y-season-woes/
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Kannapolis-based Haas F1 team survives wild finish to score points in Australian Grand Prix.
The Kannapolis-based Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nick Hulkenberg finished p17 and p7, respectively. The Haas team is protesting that final result that saw Hulkenberg dropped form p4 to p7 prior the last restart. The order for the final restart was reverted to before the previous restart had begun, dropping Hulkenberg from p4 to p7 in the provisional classification.
Sun, 02 Apr 2023.
By David Whisenant
WBTV11:11
“It was wild and a bit messy at times,” said Hulkenberg. “We’ll have to look through everything that happened as there were a lot of things happening. I had a super start the third time around on softs and came through to P4, so it’s a shame there were a few incidents and then the race was red flagged.”
“There are a lot of positive learnings again and I feel there are a lot of good things happening. I’m refreshed, in a very positive mindset and really enjoy working with the team and experimenting with the car. We have very good momentum and that’s what we want to take into the next races.”
‘Positive learnings’;
https://www.wbtv.com/2023/04/02/kann...an-grand-prix/
‘Unsafe’ Haas central to scathing F1 track invasion report
14:52 Sun, 02 Apr 2023.
By Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race
The FIA stewards have published a ruling over the “unacceptable” Australian Grand Prix Formula 1 track invasion that posed “significant danger to the spectators, race officials and the drivers”. Of particular note in their ruling was the finding that Nico Hulkenberg’s stranded Haas car, which he had parked up post-race, proved reachable for spectators while it was in an “unsafe” state.
The security measures and the protocols, which were expected to be in place for the event, were not enforced, resulting in an unsafe environment for the spectators, drivers and race officials. “Furthermore, spectators were also able to reach Car #27 [Hulkenberg’s Haas], which was parked at exit of Turn 2 and which still had its light flashing red (i.e. the car was in an unsafe condition with possible electrical discharge).”
The Australian GP had issued guidelines for a post-race track invasion in the lead-up to the race, imploring attendees to “wait for the course car with the green flashing lights on and siren sounding” before entering the track.
‘F1 track invasion report’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/unsaf...vasion-report/
Haas Files Protest in Wild Red Flag-Filled F1 Australian GP
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg dropped from fourth to seventh place, due to red flag confusion in the final lap.
PUBLISHED Apr 2, 2023 11:20 AM EDT
By Nico DeMattia|
The Drive
The 2023 Formula 1 Australian grand prix was possibly the messiest F1 race I've ever seen, from beginning to end. Red Bull's Max Verstappen got off to an uncharacteristically bad start, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc crashed out of the race barely a kilometer into the first lap, and Williams' Alex Albon was shunted from behind and crashed out in the ninth lap. The latter of which drew a red flag, causing a standing restart. However, none of that compares to the absolute mess that occurred within the final laps, which caused the Haas F1 team to file a protest.
In lap 55, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen crashed out of the race, sending debris all over the track and forcing yet another red flag and another restart. Moments after the restart, chaos once again ensued, as several drivers immediately crashed. Both Alpines crashed out, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz shunted Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso off the track, and Williams' Logan Sargeant crashed into AlphaTauri's Nyck de Vries. All of which drew yet another red flag and another standing restart. However, that was actually good news for Haas F1, as those crashes moved Nico Hulkenberg to the number four spot for the final lap.
‘Possibly the messiest F1 race I've ever seen’;
https://www.thedrive.com/news/haas-f...-australian-gp
F1 stewards reject Haas protest over Australian GP result
14:32 Sun, 02 Apr 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com
Haas lodged a complaint in the aftermath of the Melbourne event after feeling that the regulations had not been correctly applied in determining the order for the final safety car restart that decided the finishing positions.
This was based on Article 57.3 of the Sporting Regulations that states the order for restarts: "will be taken at the last point at which it was possible to determine the position of all cars."
The FIA felt that this could not be established for all cars based on that restart as not everyone completed a timing sector. However, Haas argued that it should have been possible to do it from Safety Car line 2, which is at the exit of the pits before Turn One, as all cars had got through there on the run away from the line.
‘F1 stewards reject Haas protest’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...sult/10452333/
Australian GP protest result leaves F1 team boss furious as FIA refuse to change stance
The Australian GP was embroiled in chaos with DNFs, red flags and safety cars galore.
16:55, Sun, Apr 2, 2023
By Alex Turk
Daily and Sunday Express
Haas' protest about the result of the Australian Grand Prix has been unsuccessful, leaving team principal Guenther Steiner furious after a chaotic race in Melbourne. Nico Hulkenberg scored Haas six points Down Under, but Steiner felt aggrieved that it should've been more.
The basis of Haas' argument was that all cars had passed the Safety Car 2 line just before Turn 1 in Melbourne, so it should've been used to determine the order. If the FIA had agreed, Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsonoda would've joined Hulkenberg in profiting from that ruling.
However, the governing body determined that the SC2 line was an unreliable reference due to its location in the braking zone. It meant cars could move ahead of others by carrying in too much speed and exiting the track, which Perez did. For that reason, the stewards supported race director Niels Wittich's decision, leaving Haas unsuccessful in their efforts to maximise their points haul.
‘SC2 line was an unreliable reference’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-news-FIA-Haas
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F1: China's Zhou hits career-high 9th as Verstappen extends lead in Australia.
Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu hit a career-high ninth finish at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, earning two points in the drivers' standings, at Albert Park in Melbourne.
17:35, 02-Apr-2023
CGTN
Chinese racer Zhou Guanyu hit a career-high ninth finish at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, earning two points in the drivers' standings, at Albert Park in Melbourne.
Zhou was also ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who finished 11 and had no points.
Last year, Zhou finished 18th with six points in his rookie season with Alfa Romeo, with his best result being a 10th-placed finish during his debut Bahrain race.
‘Career-high 9th’;
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-04-0...JoQ/index.html
Finnish pundits believe Valtteri Bottas has every right to be ‘a little worried’
04 Apr 2023 4:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Failing to score a point in Australia despite only 12 cars reaching the chequered flag, Finnish pundits say Valtteri Bottas’ pace around the Albert Park circuit was “not acceptable”.
Finnish pundits Toni Vilander and Ossi Oikarinen agree with the driver that there is cause for concern after his lacklustre weekend in Melbourne. “That’s not acceptable,” Oikarinen told Viaplay. “As Valtteri himself said, at this point you have to be worried.”
“If you change the settings of the car well before the race and test the new one, and it still doesn’t work, then there is a fundamental fault somewhere. It is necessary to sit down with the team and think about what to do. Such a race is not acceptable for Valtteri or the team. You have to press the reset button.”
‘A little worried’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/finnis...ottas-worried/
Zhou pleased to get first points of the year in Melbourne – but Bottas calls on Alfa Romeo to 'figure out' their lack of pace
05 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
There were contrasting fortunes down at Alfa Romeo in Melbourne, after Zhou Guanyu finished in the top 10 for the first time this season, while team mate Valtteri Bottas endured a “lonely” race to the chequered flag in 11th.
With Bottas and Sergio Perez starting in the pit lane, Zhou started in what became the back row of the grid – alongside Logan Sargeant – in P17. But the Chinese racer then produced some strong overtakes, while benefitting from the red flags, to make his way through the field.
'Figure out';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Ebj1t1GdJ.html
Bottas confused by pace-hit Australian weekend
Thursday 6th April, 2023 - 8:13pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Valtteri Bottas has conceded to feeling confused following an Australian Grand Prix weekend in which he was far off the pace in his Alfa Romeo. The Finn missed out on a place in Q2 by a quarter of a second, and was 0.157s behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant, who was next ahead of him on the grid.
After starting from the pit lane, Alfa Romeo gambled by pitting Bottas at the end of lap one and switching him onto the hard tyres in a bid to run to the chequered flag. The plan was scuppered, however, by the chaos that unfolded with the three red flags throughout the event, resulting in Bottas enduring what he has described as “a lonely race”, finishing 11th, whilst team-mate Zhou Guanyu was ninth.
‘Plan was scuppered’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/06...australian-gp/
Bottas urges Alfa Romeo to 'find answers' over 'confusing' situation
06 April 6:20PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Valtteri Bottas has called on Alfa Romeo to "find answers" after being left "confused" by his lack of pace in the Australian Grand Prix. "It was disappointing that after the [penultimate] restart I was P9, but then they put me back to P12, because the timing cut off before or something like this," Bottas told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"So it wasn't my lucky day. [The race] was quite lonely, to be honest. We obviously started from the pit lane, but then with the [first] red flag everyone was more or less on the same tyre. The pace felt a bit better than yesterday, but even with many things happening it just didn't quite [help me]."
'Find answers';
https://racingnews365.com/bottas-urg...sing-situation
How new front wing can make whole Alfa Romeo F1 car better
6th April 2023, 16:34
By: Matt Somerfield
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Motorsport.com
The new nose and front wing have been aimed at both ramping up downforce and also helping give the team more options to better balance the car in future races. Alfa Romeo's head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar said the downforce gains from the updates had wider benefits for the whole car.
"We thought that front wing would bring a bit back the car balance," he explained. "I don't think we have particular weaknesses at the moment. With the front wing, for example, the whole car is working better together. So I would say it's just overall development."
‘Make whole Alfa Romeo F1 car better’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...tter/10453707/
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Tsunoda left wanting more despite taking first point of 2023 in Australia.
Yuki Tsunoda has finished the last three races – including the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – in 11th place. At times in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, it looked like he was going to set a new record for consecutive finishes in the same position, until a late penalty for Carlos Sainz jumped him one place forward into P10 and ensured he picked up his first point of the season.
03 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
The Melbourne race’s final standing restart saw Tsunoda – who’d spent the majority of his Sunday hovering around the points – pass a host of cars, including Pierre Gasly’s Alpine after it had run wide, before Gasly and Esteban Ocon came together and ensured another red flag was needed.
That overtaking prowess left Tsunoda in fifth place and on for a very decent haul of points – until the stewards ruled that a countback was required, which demoted Tsunoda back to 11th at the chequered flag, only for Sainz’s penalty to push him up to 10th.
‘Left wanting more’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...YKzEBxKsz.html
Nico Hulkenberg swears in surprise at what Yuki Tsunoda did during F1 Australian GP.
In a radio message to his Haas team, Nico Hulkenberg could not hide how impressed he was with what AlphaTauri star Yuki Tsunoda had managed to achieve in one of the restarts in Melbourne
22:59, 3 Apr 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
Nico Hulkenberg was blown away by the way Yuki Tsunoda made up several places during the third and final standing start of the Australian Grand Prix. The Melbourne race was littered with incidents and several crashes – evidenced by the fact only 12 of the 20 drivers finished. Four of those eight who retired did so after that last standing start on the penultimate lap of the race, before the red flags were waved for the third time.
Amid all that chaos, the rest of the drivers had to be very quick to react to all the danger around them and pick the small gaps they needed to find to avoid being taken out themselves. Tsunoda did that expertly with a superb display of his skill. After getting an excellent launch off the line, the AlphaTauri ace roared past two other cars before he even reached the first corner and managed to get clear of Ocon moments before Gasly veered across the track and into the side of his team-mate.
The race was red flagged again and all the cars still running made their way back to the pit lane. While sat there in his Haas, Hulkenberg spotted that the AlphaTauri was behind him and couldn't believe that the Japanese racer had managed to make so much progress in the few seconds they had been racing. "Tsunoda is behind me for real?" the German asked his race engineer over the radio, with the note of surprise in his voice unmistakeable. After that was confirmed to him, he added: "S***, so he made up a lot of places too, didn't he?
‘Could not hide how impressed he was’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...nberg-29622826
AlphaTauri’s Jody Egginton: “We leave Melbourne with a lot of data to go through”
April 6, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag
Jody Egginton says Scuderia AlphaTauri have a lot of data to go through ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after failing to extract as much performance from their AT04 as they had hoped they would during the Australian Grand Prix weekend.
He praised the drivers for doing everything they could to maximise their result, but Egginton says the team still have work to do to unlock the AT04’s potential and bring both Tsunoda and de Vries into regular top ten contention.
“It was a very difficult race for us,” said Egginton. “Both drivers pushed hard to extract all they could from the package, but we couldn’t manage to get the cars moving forward as required. The pace of the car was not there on all compounds, and we struggled for straight-line speed, as such, we weren’t able to attack nor hold position in some phases of the race.”
‘Leave Melbourne with a lot of data’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...to-go-through/
How AlphaTauri F1 floor updates helped address a core weakness
17:05 Wed, 05 Apr 2023.
By: Matt Somerfield
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Motorsport.com
After a disappointing start to the campaign, with its AT04 not making the step forward hoped for, the squad has worked hard to address areas where it felt it was especially lacking.
The first fruits of that labour appeared in Melbourne, where the team brought some key developments that it hoped would start it on a journey back nearer the front of the midfield pack. These were focused on the floor body, the floor fences, the floor edge and the diffuser.
Some of these new features cannot be seen easily, as they are hidden away underneath the car. However, the team said the central section of the floor, upon which the plank is mounted, was made wider in two places along its length, while the transition around the rear crash structure has also been altered.
‘Floor updates’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...ness/10453266/
Red Bull co-operation with AlphaTauri has ‘intensified’ under FIA’s watchful eye
06 Apr 2023 6:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Blasting his engineers after the AT04’s lap times failed to live up to expectations, Franz Tost says he can’t follow Aston Martin’s path and “poach capable people” from Red Bull but that the co-operation with the senior team has “intensified”.
Tost has revealed they’ve already reorganised the aerodynamic department. “The aero department was reorganised,” he told Sport1.de. “We have separated from some employees and I am now expecting an increase in performance from the new people. I don’t want to name any names just yet, just this much – the responsibility is now divided between three people.”
‘Red Bull co-operation’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bu...n-intensifies/
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Hill claims Albon 'lucky to be walking' after scary Australian GP crash.
he Williams driver spun out of the race on lap seven, hitting the barrier at turn six before his car fired back onto the tarmac.
Tuesday 4 April 2023 19:11
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion, was with many F1 fans in hoping that nobody would collect Albon's stricken Williams as their vision was limited by a cloud of dust.
Thankfully, all drivers involved avoided a potentially awful incident, and Hill said after the race that Albon was very fortunate to have walked out of the paddock that evening. “He’s lucky to be walking, because if he’s a little bit more into the track it would have been a side-on T-bone with Nico Hulkenberg,” Hill said on the F1 Nation podcast.
Hulkenberg himself described the incident as a "code brown" moment after the race, but he did manage to bring home points for Haas with a seventh place finish.
‘Very fortunate’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...x-crash-lucky/
Albon 'very angry with myself' as he explains Melbourne crash
05 April 2023
Inside Racing
Alex Albon was left "very angry with myself" after crashing out of the Australian Grand Prix. "It’s obviously disappointing," he said. "Firstly it’s my mistake and apologies to the team.”
"It’s one of those things that clearly looking at the results today and seeing where everyone is at, there was a good chance for points. We need to score points when we can, especially when there are opportunities to score points.”
"There are a few cars out of place, out of sequence. That’s when we need to do well. Everything was looking up until my mistake. So I’m very angry with myself."
'Very angry with myself'
https://insideracing.com/formula-1/1...elbourne-crash
Albon pinpoints reason behind Turn 7 crash
Alex Albon crashed out of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix
April 3, 2023
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport
Alex Albon believes a sudden change in tyre pressure caused him to crash out of the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. Albon, who had out-qualified an impressive eighth on the grid, was running strongly until a spin at Turn 6 caused him to hit the wall putting him out of the race and bringing out the first of two red flags.
“I was going through there slower than a lap before,” said Albon to the media. “But went a little bit wider in turn five went on the exit curb didn’t think too much of it, if I am honest.”
“But looking at the data briefly, the tyre data spiked a bit, and with these tyres, you get punished, so we think that’s the cause. Everything was lining up until my mistake. [So] very angry with myself.”
‘Reason behind Turn 7 crash’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ash-australia/
Williams confirm Albon’s “tyre temperature spike” theory for crash
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 3rd April 2023, 0:013rd April 2023, 7:28
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Alexander Albon claimed his crash at turn six during yesterday’s race came about because his tyre temperatures rose when he ran wide at the previous corner.
“When I lost the car, I was going through slower than the previous lap,” he explained after the race. “I went wide on the corner before and spiked the tyre temperatures, losing grip and [went] into the next corner a bit hot, so I think that’s what happened but we need to look at it.”
The team’s head of vehicle performance Dave Robson affirmed Albon’s explanation. “Unfortunately, touching the kerb at high speed in turn five led to a small snap and a spike in tyre temperature, which led him to lose the car at the next corner,” he said.
“Tyre temperature spike”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/03/...nd-up-03-04-6/
Sargeant apologetic over unpenalised restart collision
06 April 12:50PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
While Carlos Sainz was handed a penalty for a collision at the penultimate race restart of the Australian Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant also had an incident which resulted in retirements for himself and Nyck de Vries. The Williams driver has explained what happened.
"It just felt like when I hit the brake nothing was up to temp[erature] – tyres, brakes," Sargeant told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"I just touched the brakes and locked both fronts immediately. Apologies to Nyck, I hate to end the day like that, but I have to look and see what happened. It definitely felt strange because I felt like I had braked in a similar spot [at] the previous two starts."
‘Sargeant apologetic’;
https://racingnews365.com/sargeant-a...tart-collision
Logan Sargeant apologises to Nyck de Vries: ‘There was nothing I could do’
05 Apr 2023 9:00 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Logan Sargeant has issued an apology to Nyck de Vries after the Williams driver speared into his fellow Formula 1 rookie during the controversial Australian Grand Prix restart.
Sargeant admitted to being surprised to find such little grip at the restart, telling F1 TV: “The last restart was pretty weird.
“I felt like I braked like I did on the previous two restarts but it seemed like nothing was up to temperature, brakes, tyres. [I] hit the pedal and it was immediate both fronts locked and there was nothing I could do from there.”
‘Nothing I could do’
https://www.planetf1.com/news/logan-...nyck-de-vries/
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Alpine undertaking ‘huge effort’ to stockpile spare parts ahead of Baku.
Otmar Szafnauer says that Alpine plan to use the four-week break before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to stock up on spare parts.
17:35, Thu, 06 Apr 2023.
by Sam Tomlinson
Motorsport Week
“The break wasn’t planned but it is a welcome break from both getting ample car parts, spares as well as when we do bring developments,” Szafnauer said, prior to last Sunday’s race in Melbourne.
“You know there’s a huge effort to make enough of those parts to ensure that you can really push hard – so that definitely helps.”
“And also the break allows you to plan further upgrades that you find through your simulation tools, and knowing that the break is there, you plan them a bit differently – but it definitely helps.”
‘Huge effort to stockpile spare parts’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ahead-of-baku/
Alpine using spring break to stock up on spare parts for Baku
07/04/2023 at 14:07
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer says the French outfit squad is taking full advantage of the three-week break between Melbourne and Baku to stock up on spare parts for the next round in Azerbaijan.
Szafnauer confirmed the high-risk nature of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint weekend. "There is more jeopardy because it’s a street race and some of the walls are pretty close," he said.
"Like I said the nice thing is we’ve got this three-week break to make some spares in order to be prepared for both the sprint race and the race in Baku. Hopefully it’ll all be okay and we won’t suffer in Miami."
‘More jeopardy because it’s a street race’;
https://f1i.com/news/471174-alpine-u...-for-baku.html
‘It’s a shame’ – Szafnauer reveals how Ocon and Gasly reacted to their race-ending crash in Australia
05 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
It was shaping up to be Alpine’s best race of the season so far, with Pierre Gasly running fifth and keeping within DRS range of a Ferrari ahead whilst Esteban Ocon had climbed into the points after qualifying just outside the top 10. But then it all went horribly wrong...
“Well, they each apologised, so they each thought they played a role in it,” said their Team Principal after the race. “It was just chaos out there; had Pierre not gone wide in Turn 1 – but a lot of people did – then I think he would have been further up the road. Esteban at the same time just followed Tsunoda through on the racing line and Pierre didn’t see him and came over to the racing line and just hit him. Which is… unfortunate.”
Szafnauer was keen not to apportion blame too quickly, the Team Principal having plenty of experience in overseeing team mate clashes – including with Ocon – in his time at Force India/Racing Point.
‘Each apologised’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...mpwzU0GCc.html
Otmar Szafnauer not playing the blame game after Alpine’s double DNF in Australia
04 Apr 2023 9:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Otmar Szafnauer says there’s no point “trying to blame one or the other” of the Alpine drivers for Sunday’s race at the Australian Grand Prix, rather he sees it as something to “learn from”. While Ocon lost out on a point for 10th, Gasly lost out on ten as he had been running P5 at the second restart.
“I think Pierre deserved fifth place thanks to merit and good pace,” said his team boss. “When we told him to push, he tried to keep up with Sainz and he did it. He wasn’t as fast as Sainz, but not much.”
“And then at the end we told him to push to make sure he stayed ahead of Stroll and he did it. So the pace was really good.”
‘Not playing the blame game’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/otmar-...e-game-aus-gp/
Alpine and Ferrari’s F1 success: The Australian Grand Prix we didn’t see
April 3rd 2023
Author Ekagra Gupta
PlanetF1.com
There was the race we all saw: Charles Leclerc in the gravel, three red flags, a late chaotic restart with two wrecked Alpines and a penalty for Carlos Sainz. But there was also the race that you can see in the data and it looks very different.
It’s why Alpine and Ferrari can walk away from Albert Park with a spring in their step, why McLaren will count itself lucky, and why Aston Martin will be anxiously looking over its shoulder and hoping that its upgrades deliver.
Bahrain saw Pierre Gasly start from the back and Esteban Ocon slide back there after a series of bizarre penalties. Gasly’s ninth-place finish hinted at the Alpine’s pace, but there was little chance to show it in Saudi Arabia when the team — like Ferrari — lost ground due to the safety car.
‘Australian Grand Prix we didn’t see’;
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#
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Ex-F1 driver ponders Hamilton to Ferrari move.
With speculation remaining over Lewis Hamilton's future in F1, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has given his take on the options that the seven-time World Champion might consider.
08 April 9:05AM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
"I suppose it’s down to what happens at Mercedes," Herbert told Standard Sport. "Can they turn it around? If that doesn’t work and Lewis still has the fire in his belly and thinks this is not the place for him where does he go?"
In terms of his other options, Herbert feels that time – or a lack of – could be a possible hindrance in any possible switch to Ferrari. "Would he go to Ferrari? Does he want to go there as he feels that's where he gets a championship?" Herbert continued.
"Would he feel he could take his energy and people from Mercedes there like Michael Schumacher did and actually change and steer it in a positive way? The problem with that is time."
‘Speculation’;
https://racingnews365.com/ex-f1-driv...o-ferrari-move
Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari rumours: ‘Problem’ identified with late career switch
07 Apr 2023 8:15 AM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com
Amid renewed suggestions that Lewis Hamilton could move to Ferrari to restart his quest for a record-breaking eighth Formula 1 title, Johnny Herbert has said that the 38-year-old faces a race against time.
With the young drivers of today, including the reigning two-time World Champion Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris, brought up on a staple diet of sim racing, Herbert believes drivers of Hamilton’s generation are being put at an immediate disadvantage.
He added: “The biggest difference now is that the majority of the young generation of great drivers on the grid have something that Lewis has never been comfortable with and want to put all their energies in, which is the sim stuff. It adds a sixth sense.”
‘Immediate disadvantage.’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...umour-problem/
Toto Wolff details clear stance on 'plan B' should Lewis Hamilton suddenly quit F1
Lewis Hamilton is in the final year of his Mercedes contract raising fears that he could walk away from the Silver Arrows as he trails behind rival Max Verstappen.
11:24, Sat, Apr 8, 2023
By Benjamin Goddard
Daily and Sunday Express
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff has detailed his clear stance on 'Plan B' if Lewis Hamilton decides to walk away from F1. The seven-time world champion has been highly critical of the Silver Arrows' W13 and W14 cars and claims that engineers failed to listen to him over this year's model.
"It may sound naïve, but I have the greatest difficulty in coming up with a plan B. Plan A is my favourite plan," Wolff told Autosport. "I don't want to negotiate with other drivers because I'm happy with my current duo. That's for sure. At the moment there is no plan B. Lewis is the plan.
'Plan B';
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...is-Hamilton-F1
No Mercedes Plan B if Hamilton leaves, says Wolff
8/4/2023, 15:12
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted that there is currently no Plan B in place in case Lewis Hamilton elects to walk away from Formula 1 at the end of 2023.
“I think it may sound naive, but I really struggle to think of a Plan B, if my Plan A is still the one that is my favourite,” Wolff told Motorsport.com.
“I don’t want to engage in discussions with other drivers, because I’m happy with the ones that are in the team, that’s for sure. At the moment, there is no Plan B. It’s Lewis.”
‘No Mercedes Plan B’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...es-says-wolff/
Hamilton pleased to see Bottas ‘flourish’ with personal life
8th April 2023, 12:30
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
When asked about his former team-mate and the level of comfort that he is expressing, Hamilton said: “It’s great, I just saw Valtteri in flip flops right now with his tan lines around his socks, his sock line!
“It’s great to see him flourish and feeling more and more a part of himself and knowing where he wants to go. I think just for everyone, it’s a whole discovery process, isn’t it? Compartmentalising and just making space for happiness away from the track.”
“I think probably the same applies to everyone here, all of us work so hard, we’re all travelling so much, we’re all away from our families and friends so much that we’re missing out on a lot of things. What are you doing to make time for yourself, and for something that makes you happy?”
‘Hamilton pleased’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...personal-life/
Will ‘disconnected’ Hamilton get key Mercedes change he wants?
Apr 8 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
Mercedes has indicated it will revise the further-forward cockpit position of its Formula 1 car that Lewis Hamilton dislikes because it is “important to listen” to the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton said the cockpit position “100% has to change” and when asked by The Race if that will happen next year, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: “We’re looking at the big concept and the driver position obviously is one of the things that’s most important.
“Not only in terms of the rational reasons like weight distribution or aerodynamics but also where the driver has the best feeling in the car. That’s something that Lewis was pretty vocal about. A seven-time world champion has an opinion and that is important to listen to.”
‘Cockpit position “100% has to change”…’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/will-...ange-he-wants/
I still love F1 but don’t like driving ‘not-great’ cars – Hamilton
2023 F1 season
Posted on 7th April 2023, 21:28
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t enjoy driving cars that aren’t “great” but is ready to fight for the championship if the Mercedes W14 comes good. “I really do love it,” he said. “I don’t like driving not-great cars.” Mercedes has already said it intends to change the design concept of its W14 after failing to significantly close on the reigning world champions during the off-season.
“I don’t like driving a car that’s not the car that we had meant to have,” Hamilton continued. “But I love that challenge of ‘what can I do with it?’ Okay, wins are not possible right now so what’s the maximum we can get?”
“Can we be a little cheeky and if fifth is the best we can get, can we get a fourth or a third? Can we just make sure we’re consistent and make sure that you’re fit and ready so that when the car does all of a sudden switch on and it is the car that you dreamed of having you’re ready?”
‘Love that challenge’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/07/...cars-hamilton/
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Why Marko believes Perez proved a point in Australia.
Sergio Perez started at the back of the grid in Melbourne after crashing out in qualifying, but Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was impressed by the Mexican's recovery.
05 April 1:40PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
Perez battled his way through the field in the race and managed to stay out of the chaos at the end, eventually finishing in P5 and taking the fastest lap, something which Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes the Mexican had been targeting.
"This wasn't his weekend, but he took that fastest race lap and that will feel like a kind of reparation after Jeddah. There, of course, he also wanted the fastest lap," he said to ServusTV.
"In the race [Australia] he got the most out of it. We knew overtaking here isn’t easy, or even very tricky, and prior to the race we already took seventh or sixth place into account."
‘Proved a point’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-marko-...t-in-australia
Perez happy to 'limit the damage' after going from pit lane start to P5 in Melbourne
03 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site.
Sergio Perez took the chequered flag in fifth position at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, and the Red Bull driver was pleased with his work on Sunday, as he managed to “limit the damage” following his early exit from qualifying.
Asked whether Sunday’s outing was all about limiting the damage, Perez said: “Yeah, I think it’s as much as we could do, I mean, when you’re sat in those positions. I had a really good start at the restart, the first standing start I did. I had that really good one, I jumped like, three, four places, but then it was a massive mess.
“I had to back out of it, otherwise I wouldn’t finish. When we looked where we started and how difficult it was to pass with the DRS train that we ended up [in], we managed to limit a bit the damage from yesterday.”
'Limit the damage';
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KWfUm4OHm.html
Sergio Perez's eventful Australian Grand Prix
04 Apr 2023
Official Site (Video)
From a disastrous final practice session to finishing P5 on race day, it was an eventful 2023 Australian Grand Prix weekend for Red Bull's Sergio Perez.
‘Disastrous final practice to an eventful 2023 Australian Grand Prix’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...998299519.html
What’s more alarming for Perez than his costly points loss
14:54 Wed, 05 Apr 2023.
By Josh Suttill
The Race
Sergio Perez started the Australian Grand Prix weekend insisting he was ready to fight for the Formula 1 world championship and Red Bull was now ready to give him “every single opportunity” to challenge for it. Multiple offs in final practice – where setting a representative laptime proved a struggle – perhaps inevitably translated into a crash just five minutes into the first segment of qualifying. “We had a bit of a technical issue from FP3 and we thought we fixed it but we obviously didn’t,” Perez said after qualifying.
Perhaps more disconcertingly, there seemed to be a continuing disconnect between team and driver when it comes to exactly what had gone wrong on Saturday. Team boss Christian Horner didn’t confirm the presence of an issue in the wake of qualifying, instead saying the team would conduct further investigations. And that hadn’t changed 24 hours later after Perez had charged from the pitlane to finish in fifth place and secure the fastest lap bonus point.
Perez’s loss of 14 points to Verstappen opens the gap at the top of the drivers’ championship to 15 but it’s the circumstances around that points loss rather than the tally of points lost itself that is worrying – after all, a reliability problem in Baku for Verstappen would reverse those positions. The ambiguity around the cause and the disconnect between Red Bull and Perez’s reasoning don’t absolve fears of a repeat.
‘Continuing disconnect’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/whats...y-points-loss/
Perez not happy with 'unacceptable' Red Bull problem
05 April 7:10PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
Sergio Perez was left frustrated by "unacceptable" problems with his RB19, which prevented him from challenging for the Australian Grand Prix win. "It was really bad, very bad weekend. What happened on Saturday, it's totally unacceptable," said Perez to media, after the race. We have to get to the bottom of it because I felt that we had a really good weekend up to yesterday [Saturday]."
Perez says the issues that the team experienced set their confidence back, despite having superior pace over the competition. "We worked so hard preparing the Grand Prix and then that just put us back completely we lost all the confidence," he said. "And then I think definitely we had the basic fight for the victory today, but finishing in P5 is damage limitation."
He managed to climb back up to P6 in the race and stay out of trouble during each of the stoppages, which became P5 at the end with Carlos Sainz's time penalty. This was effectively the same level of progress as Verstappen managed in Saudi Arabia when he drove to P2 after starting from P15 on the grid.
'Unacceptable Red Bull Problem’;
https://racingnews365.com/perez-not-...d-bull-problem
Christian Horner downplays Sergio Perez’s claim RB19 issues behind Melbourne woes
06 Apr 2023 12:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Christian Horner has downplayed Sergio Perez’s comments his RB19 was to blame for his qualifying disaster, the team boss saying it was more a case of “all the bits and pieces together weren’t quite perfect”.
Perez had a nightmare Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix where he seemed to be off the track more often than on it during the weekend’s final practice session, only for it to go from bad to worse in qualifying. The Mexican driver lost it at the start of Q1 when he went straight on at Turn 3 and into the gravel where he beached his car, his qualifying session over without a time on the board.
Perez blamed the car, saying that “already in FP3 we had this issue, we thought we had fixed it, but obviously we didn’t.” Helmut Marko, though, blamed the driver as he felt he was “insecure and impetuous”. He added that Perez’s earlier “problems were actually gone from practice.”
‘Christian Horner downplays Sergio Perez’s claim’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...elbourne-woes/
Fernando Alonso hoping for more tensions between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
Tensions are building in the Red Bull camp, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez do everything they can to get the edge.
6 April 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Double World Champion Fernando Alonso has admitted that himself and Aston Martin are going to be paying “attention” to the current situation at Red Bull, after Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez disagreed ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Alonso knows that Red Bull are currently too strong for Aston Martin to compete with but that a “hot environment” at the Austrians could spice things up, especially if Perez and Verstappen “touch”.
“We know that the Red Bulls are too far ahead now,” Alonso told DAZN. “But hey, anything can happen. A reliability problem, a touch between them. We know there has been a lot of talk about them having a hot environment so we will pay attention,” he smiled.
“Hot environment” at the Austrians could spice things up (EL PLAN)’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/fernando-...-sergio-perez/
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Toto Wolff rejects radical F1 reform which could see Max Verstappen quit the sport.
The Red Bull man has pledged to walk away from F1 but Toto Wolff may help keep Max Verstappen in the sport.
15:15, Sun, Apr 9, 2023
By Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff could help keep Max Verstappen in F1 if he rejects new proposed changes to the sport. The Red Bull star has hinted he may walk away prematurely if the format of race weekends are altered - as the number of sprint races continues to be increased with more attention placed on them.
After the race format was introduced in 2021, now as many as six Grand Prix will feature the event which could be set to gain even more prominence in the schedule. Haas boss Guenther Steiner explained there could be a second round of qualifying for the sprint race in the Azerbaijan GP this month, which has since been confirmed.
He said: “In Baku we are talking about having a second qualifying in the moment. We don’t know how we do it and if we do it. Instead of FP2 on a sprint event on Saturday morning, we do our qualifying. Then we are in a situation to evaluate would one FP1 be enough to get out what we want and go from there?”
‘Radical F1 reform’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...cedes-Red-Bull
Verstappen warns against F1 DNA changes – but they seem inevitable
9th April 2023, 13:35
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Max Verstappen, who has never been one to mince words and shy away from saying what he thinks, provided another eye-opening comment at the recent Australian Grand Prix.
Amid a debate over sprint races, a concept that Verstappen has publicly been against since their arrival in 2021, the Dutchman suggested that he would be willing to walk away from the sport should further changes be implemented.
“Even if you change the format, I don’t find that is in the DNA of Formula 1 to do these kind of sprint races,” he said. “I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long.”
‘F1 DNA changes’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...em-inevitable/
Wolff: F1 must shape rules with 'Stanley knife' not 'baseball bat'
9th April 2023, 11:16
By: Matt Kew
Motorsport.com
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says Formula 1 bosses should resist taking a “baseball bat” to the weekend format and instead make more precise rule tweaks with a “Stanley knife”. The timetable of a race weekend has been thrust into the limelight following comments from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali that he is in favour of scrapping free practice sessions.
The Austrian, who placed his trust in F1 chiefs to use data to shape decisions, said: “I think we all share the same objective that we want the sport to continue to develop well and grow its audiences. We just need to find a common denominator what the best principle is. I’m more on the conservative side, I like qualifying, I like the grand prix, the great prize.”
“But we have to also be open minded about where the sport is going to go and some of the sprint races have been fantastic. So whatever Stefano decides is good, I think he will have all the data on the table what is good for the audiences, what is good for the brand and then we just want to maybe try and tweak things without using a baseball bat, but a Stanley knife… a more precise way to cut it.”
'Stanley knife' not 'baseball bat'
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...-bat/10454425/
Is F1’s latest sprint race format a change worth making?
Debates and Polls
Posted on 9th April 2023, 8:309th April 2023, 0:05
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
Formula 1 plans to introduce a new version of its sprint race format for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.
It follows F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali’s comments earlier this year about his desire to cut the amount of practice sessions to one per weekend, and ensure every other time the cars appear on track they have something to compete for. The revised sprint format moves closer towards that idea.
Instead of using a Friday qualifying session to set the grid for Saturday’s sprint race, Friday would decide the grand prix grid. A second round of qualifying on Saturday, replacing the second practice session, would set the sprint race grid.
‘Latest sprint race format’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/09/...-worth-making/
Kelly Piquet WILL NOT let Max Verstappen pile on pounds after F1 retirement.
Saturday 8 April 2023 19:57
Graham Shaw
GPFans
The life of an F1 driver is often a tough one with a brutal exercise regime just one of the sacrifices the stars of the 2023 grid have to make - and reigning world champion Max Verstappen is no different.
But if the 25-year-old current king thought he might be able to loosen his belt a little in retirement - quite literally - he was wrong. The Dutchman admitted earlier this year that he had gained a few pounds as he took time out to properly enjoy the fruits of his second world title win in late 2022. Before the grind to get back into shape for the 2023 season.
During the recent Viaplay documentary 'Max Verstappen: Anatomy Of A Champion', Max was quizzed about his fitness regime, and looked ahead to the future as he admitted: "When I am forty, then I will no longer race. Then I will eat what I want." That is the moment where 33-year-old model and influencer Kelly interjects with a firm and simple answer - "No".
‘Pile on pounds after F1 retirement’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...t-gain-pounds/
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Ferrari address rumours of poor atmosphere after horrific start to F1 2023 season.
Fred Vasseur has denied that there is a poor atmosphere at Ferrari and insisted he has the support of the team’s senior figures.
09 Apr 2023 1:15 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
After a poor end to the 2022 season, Ferrari would have hoped to come out of the traps in 2023 much quicker than they have done. They are currently fourth in the Constructors’ standings, 97 points adrift of leaders Red Bull, and Charles Leclerc has failed to finish in two of the opening three races. It would be fair to guess that the atmosphere within the corridors of Maranello is less than ideal…
“The mood within the team is incredibly good,” the Frenchman told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com. “Everyone is very motivated, very concentrated and the drivers also provide maximum support. If the question is about the relationship I have with John and Benedetto, trust me, it’s very positive. We certainly didn’t get the results we expect, but we are all working together to improve the situation.”
‘Ferrari address rumours of poor atmosphere’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...1-2023-season/
How does Ferrari’s awful start in F1 2023 compare to previous seasons?
9 Apr 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Since F1 changed the points system in 2010, Ferrari have never had fewer points than they do now in 2023. Ferrari have endured a miserable start to F1 2023 with just 26 points scored in the opening three races.
Charles Leclerc has two DNFs to his name - in Bahrain he retired due to an engine issue; in Australia he was involved in a Lap 1 collision with Lance Stroll.
‘Ferrari’s awful start’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102383...evious-seasons
Vasseur denies Sainz request as Ferrari development plans revealed
Saturday 8 April 2023 14:42
Harry Smith
GPFans
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has shut down Carlos Sainz's calls for the Italian team to change their development path, claiming that he is 'sticking to the plan' despite a rocky start to the season. "We are sticking to the plan," Vasseur said when asked about Sainz's calls for a change of concept.”
"We have made some adjustments in terms of balance and behaviour, and it was much better in Melbourne, and we'll continue in this direction. It's not a B-car if that is what you want to say. Ferrari's team principal was quick to shut down any speculation of a B-spec car, claiming that it would nigh-on impossible to pull off.”
"We won't come with something completely different. We will continue to update this one and we'll try to update massively. To do a new project during the season, to start from scratch, to do a new car with the cost cap, but also considering the restriction of the wind tunnel time, I don't want to say that it's impossible, but it's very difficult."
"We are sticking to the plan";
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...lopment-plans/
Ferrari to stick with update plan, no concept change for SF-23
08/04/2023 at 10:33
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has ruled out the possibility of the Scuderia fielding a B-spec car later this season, insisting the team will stick with its scheduled update plan to evolve its SF-23. Ahead of the start of its 2023 campaign, Ferrari was earmarked as a favourite to hit the ground running in Bahrain.
"We have a flow of updates that will come, not for Baku, because we have the aero package for the level of downforce, and with the sprint race it is not the easiest one, but for Miami, Imola, not Monaco, and Barcelona," Vasseur explained in a call with the media this week. At each race, we'll have an update on the car. We are sticking to the plan.”
"We have made some adjustments in terms of balance and behaviour, and it was much better in Melbourne, and we'll continue in this direction. It's not a B-car if that is what you want to say. We won't come with something completely different. We will continue to update this one and we'll try to update massively."
‘Ferrari to stick with update plan’;
https://f1i.com/news/471200-ferrari-...for-sf-23.html
Ferrari upgrade boost as fast-track plan revealed by Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari principal Fred Vasseur says the team has managed to “speed up” their development process, meaning upgrades for the SF-23 will arrive ahead of schedule.
08 Apr 2023 8:21 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Fred Vasseur has denied that there is a poor atmosphere at Ferrari and insisted he has the support of the team’s senior figures. After a poor end to the 2022 season, Ferrari would have hoped to come out of the traps in 2023 much quicker than they have done.
Toto Wolff confirms ‘layout’ of Mercedes W14 ‘will change’ at Imola. “Surely the start of the season wasn’t what we wanted and what he wanted to have, there was the retirement in Bahrain, the penalty in Jeddah and the retirement in Melbourne, which was certainly not in the plans, but the motivation is intact,” Vasseur said.
“I have a good relationship with Charles, and I’m sure of it. When we talk in the heat of the moment, a few minutes after getting out of the car, both Charles and Carlos [Sainz] can’t be happy, and I should add that I would be very frustrated if I saw them relaxed and happy with the car.”
‘Team has managed to “speed up” their development process’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...1-2023-season/
Ted Kravitz explains Carlos Sainz's feelings as Ferrari star left crying over injustice.
Sainz was given a penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso which knocked him out of the points in Melbourne, and was so upset that he shed a few tears in his Ferrari.
20:28, 7 Apr 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
Ted Kravitz voiced his sympathy for Carlos Sainz, who was emotional to the point of tears over the penalty he received at the Australian Grand Prix.
Kravitz, speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, said he understood why the Spaniard was so upset given Alonso had suffered no consequences and that the lap, technically, never took place. "Maybe Sainz's thoughts about this was that it never happened," he said.
‘Ted Kravitz explains Carlos Sainz's feelings’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...avitz-29658210
Ted Kravitz on why crying Carlos Sainz was so upset by Aus GP penalty
07 Apr 2023 6:30 PM
Thomas Maher
Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz has opined on why Carlos Sainz was upset to the point of tears after being given a five-second time penalty late in the Australian Grand Prix. Appearing on the Sky Sports F1 podcast after the Australian Grand Prix, Ted Kravitz explained the thinking behind Sainz’s position and said it was perhaps understandable why the Ferrari driver was so upset.
“Maybe Sainz’s thoughts about this was that it never happened,” he said. “You’re putting the Astons back in, like what happened with Sainz never happened. Yet you’re penalising Sainz for the thing that happened, but didn’t happen, because the Astons are still there.”
“And there’s no foul. So, if there’s no harm, Sainz is thinking there’s no harm to Fernando, then there’s no foul on me. He was in tears. If you listen to the team radio at the end of the race, he was crying on the radio after the race.”
‘Why Carlos Sainz was upset to the point of tears’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ted-kr...-time-penalty/
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Alonso: Upcoming upgrades make for 'interesting' races ahead.
Fernando Alonso says that with upgrades set to kick in, teams are heading into an "interesting" period of the season during which the pecking order could change from race to race.
10/04/2023 at 14:37
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
"It seems that qualifying is quite important now, because race pace is very similar and I think now we enter into a part of the season that is going to be very interesting: which team is developing the car faster?" commented Alonso in Australia recently.
"I think the first three races being away from Europe, it’s difficult to bring upgrades and things like that. But from now on, maybe we see the level of the teams changing a little bit, race-by-race, depending on who brings an upgrade that is good enough."
"I don’t know, for us, it’s all happy days at the moment," he said. "We never expected to be on the podium, maybe even throughout the season and in three races we have three. So everything that comes now is a plus and as I said today, third and fourth is a lot of points so we take every opportunity."
‘EL upcoming upgrades PLAN’;
https://f1i.com/news/471324-alonso-u...ces-ahead.html
Alonso urges Aston Martin humility in 'unexpected' podium streak
Saturday 8 April 2023 15:21
Sam Hall
GPFans
Fernando Alonso has impressed on Aston Martin the importance of remaining humble during an 'unexpected' podium streak. The Spaniard has finished third at each of the opening three grands prix of the season. "So we take this 2023 in a very humble manner and let’s see how it's going."
Across the opening rounds, jokes had been made that the podium had consisted solely of Red Bull drivers given the similarities between the two cars. But this changed in Australia, with Sergio Perez missing out on the top three places as Lewis Hamilton finished second. Referencing these jibes, Alonso said: "No more three Red Bulls on the podium, if Checo (Perez) was here!
‘EL humility PLAN’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...dium-humility/
Fernando Alonso amused by Mercedes pessimism over W14 car
10 April 2023
Inside Racing
Fernando Alonso has called out Mercedes over their pessimistic comments about the W14 car. “If you read their comments, it seems that they have a car that is not in Q3, but I don’t think that is that bad," he said.
“It’s not as good as Red Bull – no one has a car close to Red Bull – but they are getting better and they will be a contender for wins soon.”
“They did last year and they won a race after a very bad start, so I think this year they are also showing the potential they have.”
‘Called out Mercedes’;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...m-over-w14-car
Alonso reveals ambitious goals for resurgent Aston Martin
Monday 10 April 2023 11:57
Harry Smith
GPFans
Fernando Alonso has reiterated that he believes he can win a third world title in F1, and that he believes he can do it with Aston Martin.
The veteran Spaniard raised some eyebrows when he announced his switch to Aston Martin in 2022, but the move has proved an inspired one with Alonso picking up three consecutive podiums to start the 2023 season.
"Well that's the aim for sure," Alonso said in an interview with sponsor Bang & Olufsen. "But I think at the moment we have to keep the feet on the ground.
"The aim for the team is just to have a good season. They were struggling a lot in 2022, so I think we have to - let's say walk before [we] run.
"Hopefully we have more podiums, hopefully we fight for race wins, but I think to fight for the championship, I think we need to, as I said, set the team a little bit before doing that."
‘EL ambitious goals PLAN’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...d-world-title/
Alonso ‘happy days’ but interesting F1 period now looms
Monday 10th April, 2023 - 1:08am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Fernando Alonso has declared it to be “happy days” with Aston Martin at present but he is fully aware the F1 landscape could quickly change once racing resumes after the spring break. Alonso is wary of what the European portion of the season will bring that follows the current spring break and the double-header in Azerbajian and Miami at the end of April, start of May.
“It seems that qualifying is quite important now because race pace is very similar,” said Alonso, in comparing his AMR23 to the W14. Now we enter into a part of the season that is going to be very interesting – which team is developing the car faster?”
“With the first three races being away from Europe, it’s difficult to bring upgrades and things like that. But from now on, maybe we will see the level of the teams changing a little bit, race-by-race, depending on who brings an upgrade that is good enough.”
‘EL ‘happy days’ PLAN’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/10...ing-f1-period/
Krack credits Aston Martin success to Vettel’s involvement
14:37 Sun, 09 Apr 2023.
by Sam Tomlinson
Motorsport Week
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack has credited Sebastian Vettel’s involvement with the team to their 2023 successes. “I think he has his merits in where the [AMR23] is today,” Krack told the media in Australia.
“We had many, many meetings last year where he gave us a hint: do this, or do that, or do not do this with the new car, so I think he has his merits in here. He brought a lot of energy, a lot of positiveness when he arrived,” Krack added.
“He [was] leading by example at all times. He’s there early, he’s working really hard and it is this leading by example that everybody just sees and grabs on and gives an extra level of motivation.”
‘Lot of energy’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...s-involvement/
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Toto Wolff reveals strategy change after U-turn on Mercedes retirement.
“Yes, this is what I do and this is my company,” he affirmed. “The ‘problem’ is that I can’t leave.”
11 Apr 2023 6:45 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff previously could not have imagined himself as Mercedes principal at 50, but now cannot foresee himself selling up. “In 2020 there was a moment of reflection,” he told Motorsport.com. “My plan in a way was to finish at 49. The idea I had before was to do something else, I wouldn’t have imagined myself beyond 50 as team principal.”
“But something in me has changed, in the past each of my projects was based on a clear guideline: buy shares in a company, develop it, and then sell the shares, and that was the plan when my adventure in Formula 1 began. But in 2020 I came to the conclusion that for the first time in my life I wanted to stay where I was, and I changed the strategy.”
“I thought about other scenarios, even the possibility of moving to Thailand, changing my business, basically changing my life. But in the end, here I am, I’m in my company. I’m one of three shareholders and honestly I think I had a great opportunity to be where I am. It is important to remember that especially when there are ups and downs.”
‘Strategy change’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...es-retirement/
Wolff reveals new mindset about own future in Formula 1
09:23 Sat, 08 Apr 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Roberto Chinchero
Motorsport.com
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has revealed a totally different mindset about his own future in Formula 1, which means he will never turn his back on the Silver Arrows. In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Wolff has said previous ideas of cashing out on his investment in F1 have been banished.
Wolff said the decision he took to wed himself to the Mercedes team, rather than treat it as a simple investment tool, means he has can now no longer turn his back on F1. Instead, he feels a great duty to lay foundations to ensure the F1 outfit has a secure future.
“It’s my company. It's my team,” he said. “The problem is I cannot even walk away. I can only bring up talent and change the scope of my activities to go in a way. It's not a project anymore. It's my company. I'm one of three shareholders and I need to pinch myself every day of this opportunity. It's important with all the up and downs.”
“It’s my company. It's my team”;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/w...la-1/10454312/
Wolff 'cannot walk away', more committed than ever to F1
09/04/2023 at 10:33
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that he did briefly consider walking away from the sport in 2020 when his previous contract expired. "When I really enjoyed it, I signed another three-year deal, and I really enjoyed it," he explained. "It was 2013/14/15, plus 2016/17/18, and then I signed another one - 2019/20/21.”
"And then came the crucial moment," he declared. "In 2020, I didn't know if I wanted to continue doing this or not. In 2020, I was thinking [about it],” he admitted. “My plan in a way was that when I'm 49, I'm going to stop doing this. Because as a 50-year-old, you're grown up, you're not being team manager anymore."
"I wanted to become a real entrepreneur and keep this forever," he said. “It took me one year to digest that - that I don't want to go back into the industry where I have been doing that for 25 years. That was the moment to keep on," he stated. "It was always previously linked to a contractual term, whereas now it's not anymore."
'Cannot walk away';
https://f1i.com/news/471259-wolff-ca...ver-to-f1.html
Toto Wolff confirms ‘layout’ of Mercedes W14 ‘will change’ at Imola
09 Apr 2023 7:45 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff has elaborated a little further on what changes can be expected for the Mercedes car at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. It almost seems like Mercedes’ 2023 season is being split into two parts, pre-Imola and post-Imola as a significant upgrade package is being readied to be installed onto the W14.
“I don’t want to change the goals yet,” he told the Italian edition of Motorsport.com. “I always want to think that we are here to fight for a world championship, even if it doesn’t seem realistic. We are only at the beginning, and I want to keep the team motivated to do the best possible job.”
“There are many innovations in the pipeline, the layout of the car will change at Imola and we will see what this step entails.” But even after just three races, winning the world championship already seems like a tough ask with Red Bull 58 points ahead of second place Aston Martin.
‘Layout of Mercedes W14 will change’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-mercedes-w14/
Toto Wolff goes viral after snooping on Red Bull car to try and fix Lewis Hamilton woes
Mercedes continue to struggle in 2023 as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate at the front of the field.
07:01, Sun, Apr 9, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
Toto Wolff has gone viral on TikTok after a clip emerged of him spying on Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix. The Mercedes boss was spotted walking past Sergio Perez’s car during a red flag stoppage in Melbourne. Instead of walking back to the Silver Arrows garage, the Austrian decided to hang around a bit longer. The 51-year-old is then seen to pirouette after peering at the rear right tyre and comes in for a closer look.
To add to the bizarre video, the clip has been dubbed with the Pink Panther theme tune music. Over 214,000 people have liked the clip since last weekend with 13,000 sharing it. Wolff was also spotted talking to Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur during the stoppage. TikTok user @brunomiguelsaraiva said: “RBR living rent-free in Toto's head.”
@just_bant3er posted: “Red Bull did the same, there all at it. That Bull is a rocket ATM, not long before the FIA change the rules like they did to Mercedes.” @bethanysloane111added: “I like Toto and George but I’d rather they sent engineer over to know what they are looking at.”
“RBR living rent-free in Toto's head.”;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-grand-prix
George Russell in scathing blast at Mercedes car as Toto Wolff backs Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes chief Wolff backed Hamilton over the seven-time world champion's criticism of his team's work on their W14 car, and now Russell has spoken his mind about it
17:49, 7 Apr 2023
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer
The Mirror
George Russell compared the Mercedes W14 to "a lame horse", following on from previous criticism of the car by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. He said: "It is comparable to riding a horse. A Mercedes is a faster horse than a Williams. But it's not just about speed. Riding a horse from A to B and it doesn't zig is like sitting in a Formula 1 car that suits your driving style. One merges into another.”
"At the moment, however, we have a lame horse. We know that it has a lot of performance in it, but it is not happy that someone wants to ride it and the way of riding style does not suit him either. It still has its own head, which sometimes runs the risk of throwing you off. We still have to get used to each other and develop it so that it becomes fast and tame."
Last month, Hamilton called out his team in public, accusing them of not listening to his input on the design of the car. He later said he probably should have used different words, but is still "miserable" about working with a car with which he says he has no connection.
‘Still has its own head, which sometimes runs the risk of throwing you off’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...wolff-29657294
-
Coulthard reveals MASTERFUL qualities that make Horner an ALL-TIME great F1 boss.
David Coulthard has opened up on what makes Christian Horner such a successful team principal, having worked with the Red Bull boss in his time racing for the team.
Tuesday 11 April 2023 07:00
Chris Deeley
GPFans
"The reality is Christian's a racer," Coulthard told the Inside Line podcast. "We came up through the British karting system, so I was aware of him, I knew of him, I'd watched him progress into cars behind my journey, and I knew of his Arden Formula 3000 team which was winning championships.
"To then see that Christian parachuted in as the new team principal was not at all concerning, because you need someone who understands the dynamic of racing...I had no doubt that Christian had the managerial skills to operate the team. But that's just part of the story. What was lacking at that time was the technical skills to develop and build a really strong car."
"His human skills," he said. "Christian is a nice man, you know exactly where you stand with him. You know what he expects, and you know when he expects it. He's also got a sense of humour and compassion that means when we're not working all the time, there is a time to relax, reflect, and celebrate. Some people are just on all the time. But it's [that, which] a lot of the time you don't see, that are some of the strongest human skills that people like Christian have."
‘MASTERFUL qualities’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...great-podcast/
Christian Horner on pit fence celebration ban: ‘We’ve done it 94 times without injury’
09 Apr 2023 6:30 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Red Bull’s Christian Horner was surprised to see the FIA putting a stop to teams celebrating the success of their drivers on the pit fence. “I was surprised it was an issue, to be honest with you,” Horner told reporters. “But I think anything that relates to safety, obviously, one has to take very seriously.
“But it’s a fairly iconic moment when you see a Grand Prix car finishing a Grand Prix and its team celebrating on a fence, and so long as it’s done in a manner that is safe… I personally have never seen an issue with it.”
“I’ve thought it’s been a part of Grand Prix racing and we’ve achieved that 94 times as Red Bull Racing, and not once have we ever had an injury or looked like there being an issue, but you know, if they’re the rules they’re the rules.”
‘94 times without injury’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...lebration-ban/
Horner slates 'LUDICROUS' sprint race decision
Monday 10 April 2023 08:00
Harry Smith
GPFans
F1 will trial an exciting new sprint race format at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but not everyone is pleased with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner labelling the decision 'ludicrous'. "The reality is it’s absolutely ludicrous to be doing the first sprint race of the year in a street race like Azerbaijan," Horner said.
"But I think from a spectacle point of view, from a fan point of view, is probably going to be one of the most exciting sprint races of the year." Horner was apprehensive about the prospect of incidents at the upcoming races in Baku.
"From a cost gap perspective, all you can do is trash your car and it costs a lot of money around there. So one race is enough in Baku. The fact that we’ve got two... yeah, there could well be some action there. But that's part of the challenge and it's part of the task that we've got."
'LUDICROUS';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/
Horner explains impact of Ricciardo's return on Red Bull
08 April 5:00PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Christian Horner feels that having Daniel Ricciardo back in the Red Bull garage at the Australian Grand Prix had a positive impact on the team.
The 33-year-old made his first race weekend appearance in 2023 in his new role as a reserve driver for the squad and – while he didn't get behind the wheel – was a visible presence throughout the event.
Horner believes that Ricciardo's presence has been positive for Red Bull, and hopes that the experience will continue to help the Australian to find his love for the sport again. "For us, it’s just positive to have him in the team, contributing to the team, to the drivers, to the engineering team," Horner said.
‘Ricciardo's return’;
https://racingnews365.com/horner-exp...rn-on-red-bull
Horner hails KEY Ricciardo trait after F1 paddock return
Monday 10 April 2023 10:59
Harry Smith
GPFans
Christian Horner has praised the positive impact that Daniel Ricciardo's return to the Red Bull garage had on the team at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix. Speaking to the media after the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Horner said: "It's great to have him back in blue and be back in the team. This is the first Grand Prix he’s attending this year, and he's really throwing himself into it.
"Sitting in all the briefings, he's been working hard on the simulator as well in the UK doing some race support and some development work on that." Horner was also keen to highlight the improvements Ricciardo has made to the atmosphere since returning to Red Bull.
"Daniel's just a positive energy to have around and it's great to see him getting his mojo back, to see that big smile on his face, and he lights up a room when he walks in."
‘Mojo back’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/
Verstappen patience lauded after Hamilton ‘missile’
Thursday 6th April, 2023 - 2:00am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has praised Max Verstappen for the patience he displayed during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after being forced to avoid Lewis Hamilton’s “missile” on the opening lap.
Hamilton and Verstappen have offered differing views on the manoeuvre that culminated in the RB19 being forced wide off track in order to avoid a collision with his long-time nemesis. In the past, Verstappen may well have held his line, but on this occasion, Horner felt he showed restraint, knowing that despite Hamilton taking second place, he had the pace in his car to reclaim the lead.
“The two Mercedes were fast starting,” said Horner. “They were both very aggressive on the first lap, (with) Max showing great patience not to get embroiled. George got a blinder, and he just sent it down into the first corner so Max got out of that, and by getting out of it to allow him through, that then compromised him through T2.”
‘Verstappen patience’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/06...australian-gp/
-
Hill: Hamilton 'instinctive' speed may have started to leave him.
Damon Hill questions whether Lewis Hamilton's "instinctive, unconscious speed" has started to wane, leaving the seven-time world champion exposed to the rise to prominence of his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
12/04/2023 at 12:51
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
"You have to be aware of rising forces or empires," Hill explained on the latest F1 Nation podcast. "George has to work very hard to make himself a valued asset of the team, which he’s doing. He has to do the hard work. Lewis doesn’t have to.”
"They know what they’ve got with Lewis – they know, given half a chance, he’ll be back on top form and can deliver extraordinary races. They know George can do that too, but he’s yet to prove it. Lewis is very good at sussing this out – he’ll be thinking: ‘I’ll let you do the hard work, George, because it’s exhausting’.”
"As president of the GPDA he’s got a big workload, George. Lewis’ strategy is to remove distractions and leave time for downtime. Even with Valtteri Bottas, Lewis took a relaxed approach to the start of seasons. He lets things unfold and, eventually when he sees an opportunity, he steps on the gas and disappears into the distance."
'Instinctive speed’;
https://f1i.com/news/471401-hill-ham...leave-him.html
George Russell 'doing what Lewis Hamilton doesn't' as Mercedes driver looks to prove point
Mercedes stars Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have struggled to match Red Bull so far this season.
13:04, Tue, Apr 11, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
George Russell is doing the opposite of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes as the 25-year-old aims to secure his future at the Silver Arrows. Damon Hill has stressed Russell has to do “all the hard work” as a junior with Hamilton no longer needing to.
Because of this, the Mercedes duo have different roles within the team despite Russell’s success. Hill made the remarks after analyst Tom Clarkson noticed Russell was almost acting like the “spokesperson” for the team at press conferences as Hamilton “sat back”.
‘Opposites’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...rcedes-f1-news
Lewis Hamilton’s “instinctive, unconscious speed has possibly left him” says Damon Hill
11 Apr 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Damon Hill has described the process an older driver like Lewis Hamilton must go through when battling a fast, talented teammate.
Hamilton was out-performed by George Russell last season, and didn’t win a single race in 2022 for the first time in his F1 career.
Now 38, he has been out-qualified at the first three grands prix of 2023 by the ambitious Russell.
‘Unconscious speed’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102396...sibly-left-him
Suspicions raised over Lewis Hamilton ‘mind games’ against George Russell
11 Apr 2023 11:30 AM
Mark Scott
PlanetF1.com
FIA press conference host Tom Clarkson has suspicions that Lewis Hamilton is playing “mind games” with George Russell at Mercedes. Clarkson, like many others, is fascinated by the Hamilton-Russell dynamic at Mercedes and there is a bubbling desire to see the partnership descend into similar scenes of chaos last seen when Nico Rosberg was in the opposite side of the garage.
And Clarkson wonders if Hamilton is already planting the seeds by lulling his team-mate into a false sense of security. “In the press conference [in Australia], after qualifying, they’d qualified second and third in Melbourne. Max, of course on pole,” Clarkson said on the F1 Nation podcast. “And every time a question was posed to both of the Mercedes drivers, Lewis was quite happy for George to answer the question.”
“Is he trying to sort of give him a sort of false hope of being the dominant person, and then he’s going to really hit him hard where it matters most on the stopwatch later on? I don’t know what his thought process was. But it was interesting anyway, to observe that he very much let George be the man.”
‘False hope’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...mercedes-mind/
George Russell complains about Lewis Hamilton’s behaviour
Mercedes returned to the podium in Australia for the first time since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
8 April 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News
Mercedes had a better than expected start to the Australian Grand Prix, as both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton raced past Max Verstappen to seize P1 and P2.
While it might be thought the start would spark joy in the Mercedes garage, it actually left Russell frustrated with the team, as he demanded over the radio to know why he was being attacked by his teammate.
Despite the row between the drivers, Mercedes managed to hold off the charging Dutchman, holding onto the lead in the opening stage of the race. With a poorly timed pitstop pushing Russell back to seventh, the race would get worse for the Brit when his car caught fire, forcing him to retire.
‘Complaints’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/george-ru...ons-behaviour/
Mercedes will 'never' let Hamilton/Russell partnership 'degenerate into a conflict'
07 April 2023
Ben Issatt
Inside Racing
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will "never" let the Lewis Hamilton and George Russell partnership "degenerate into a conflict".
“A good dynamic between the drivers also depends on what the management sets them,” he said via Auto Motor und Sport. “I think we are in a good starting position because both drivers respect each other. Respect each other humanly.”
“We accept that there can be a rivalry between our drivers. But this rivalry must never degenerate into a conflict that could damage the team. I would never allow that. I have never allowed that either.”
"Never";
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...nto-a-conflict
F1: George Russell's performances will ‘make life difficult for Lewis Hamilton’
12th April 2023, 12:10
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport
Former F1 race winner Johnny Herbert believes George Russell will only continue to make life difficult for Lewis Hamilton with his performances at Mercedes.
"George is going to be getting stronger and stronger and it's going to make Lewis’ life more difficult," he said to GIVEMESPORT," just because George is like Max [Verstappen,] like Lando [Norris,] like Charles [Leclerc,] where they're all that next generation coming along. It still shocks me and surprises me - they always seem to get better, always by a little bit.
"Looking back to Ayrton [Senna] or Alain [Prost] people were like ‘wow,’ but there was always something better. Michael [Schumacher] came in and Mika [Hakkinen] came in. Then Lewis and Seb [Vettel] came along, and now we've got Max. So this new generation is going to be stronger than what it was with Lewis. And so he's got to think does he want to end the latter part of his career potentially being beaten by his team-mate?”
‘Getting stronger and stronger’;
https://www.givemesport.com/f1-georg...ewis-hamilton/
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KRACK: LAWRENCE STROLL IS DEMANDING MORE FROM ASTON MARTIN.
While Aston Martin is having an incredible start to their 2023 season, Lawrence Stroll has his sights set on Aston Martin’s first win says Mike Krack.
April 7, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds
Aston Martin finished the 2022 season seventh in the constructors' championship having scored 55 points. Only three races into the 2023 season, the Silverstone-based team has already scored 65 points and three podiums
Although Aston Martin saw both of their drivers finish in the top five in Australia, the Silverstone-based team is hunting for their first victory. While speaking to Formula One, Aston Martin Team Principal Krack outlined Stroll Sr’s expectations for his team. He revealed:
“The [team’s] mission is very clear. [Stroll] has not been having any delay in telling us ‘When are we going to win the next one?’ Obviously, he is happy we have made a step, but this is not enough for his ambitions.”
‘MORE FROM ASTON MARTIN’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/kr.../?nowprocket=1
IMPATIENT Stroll makes Aston Martin demands, asks just one question
Wednesday 12 April 2023 16:10
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Lawrence Stroll has already begun to question when Aston Martin are going to win races in Formula 1, team principal Mike Krack has revealed.
The billionaire owner of the company, and ergo race team, has high expectations and ambitions and is not going to settle for second despite his team's impressive start to 2023. "He has not been having any delay in telling us ‘when are we going to win the next one!’
"Obviously he is happy we made the step but this is not enough for his ambitions. The good thing with Lawrence is you know where you’re standing. He wants more and we will have to deliver more."
‘One question’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...mike-krack-f1/
F1 NATION: Damon Hill answers your questions on Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Mercedes and more...
11 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
As the Formula 1 paddock pauses for a breather after a thrilling start to the 2023 season, it seemed an appropriate time to roll out a special episode of the F1 Nation podcast – with Damon Hill and Tom Clarkson on hand to answer your questions…
Why is Max Verstappen so at one with his Red Bull? What can Lance Stroll achieve alongside Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin? How long will it take Mercedes to work through their current issues? And what’s the best venue to visit on the F1 calendar?
‘Can Lance Stroll achieve’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...pauQUv0KW.html
Hill highlights BRUTAL thing Stroll must do to become world champion
Tuesday 11 April 2023 17:40
Harry Smith
GPFans
Damon Hill has outlined the brutal thing that Lance Stroll must do if he wants to achieve his dream of becoming a Formula 1 world champion. The Canadian driver had shown glimpses of his abundant talent during his six seasons in F1 to date but has really impressed with his performances in 2023.
“He’d have to set his goal as ending Fernando Alonso’s career," Hill said when asked by host Tom Clarkson. “Now that sounds brutal, but that’s what George Russell is trying to do, that’s what Nico Hulkenberg is trying to do with Magnussen.”
“You have to establish yourself as the undisputed king, [the] number one in that team. Hill also suggested that Stroll's commitment to the sport could no longer be questioned. This has to be it, to the exclusion of everything else - Formula 1.”
‘Sounds brutal’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...orld-champion/
Hill questioned Stroll's commitment to F1 prior to accident
13 April 9:50AM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
Hill believes that Stroll – whose father, Lawrence Stroll, owns the Aston Martin team – has discovered an increased enthusiasm for being in Formula 1. "It's the ups and downs that are difficult, isn't it?" the former F1 driver said.
"It's the down bits where you're kind of going, 'Oh, God, maybe I don't have to be doing this'. It's no secret that Lance's family is very well off, and maybe he doesn't have to [be in F1]. He could get a job in the business maybe.”
"But he likes his outdoor sports. He's an outdoor active type, and I think he's a very good skier as well and talented, but this has to be it, to the exclusion of everything else, Formula 1.”
‘Stroll's commitment’;
https://racingnews365.com/hill-quest...or-to-accident
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Gasly reflects on Alpine's 2023 start: We're in no man's land.
Pierre Gasly has a pair of ninth place finishes to his name in 2023 as Alpine have made a slow start to the new season.
13 April 4:15PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
"I wouldn't say that I'm pleased [with where we are] because we obviously want to fight higher up the grid and it feels like we’re a bit in no man's land behind the top four teams," Gasly explained to media, including RacingNews365.com, in Melbourne.
"Even though it's really close, we are still chasing and trying to get closer to those front runners. Generally, I think it's been an OK start, a decent start, but as a team we want to be fighting for bigger points."
After years of not being able to develop their car through a season, Alpine made a breakthrough in 2022, with most of the updates brought to the A522 working as the team intended, with Gasly banking on this track record to help propel the team closer to the big four and away from the midfield.
‘Slow start’;
https://racingnews365.com/gasly-refl...n-no-mans-land
Alpine hopes two-part upgrade can match 'huge leap' by Aston Martin
13 April 2023
Inside Racing
“Obviously, Aston has made a huge leap, and we’re the fifth-quickest team, which is not where we want to be,” team boss Otmar Szafnauer said.
“Our target was to be closer to third place but that isn’t the case at the moment. Actually, it may be, because if you say Mercedes is the third-quickest team, maybe we’re closer to them than we were last year.
“But it’s not good enough. It’s not where we want to be, and I think Aston has caught everyone by surprise by the jump they’ve made.”
‘Alpine hopes’;
https://www.insideracing.com/formula...y-aston-martin
Szafnauer makes BOLD Azerbaijan GP prediction with Alpine upgrades on the way
Wednesday 12 April 2023 21:40
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Alpine is confident it can challenge Mercedes at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix thanks to some incoming updates. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer has hinted that the new upgrades set to go on the car on the streets of Baku could be worth three-tenths of a second per lap.
“We have put together a great package of updates for the race in Azerbaijan," said Szafnauer. "If our progress is as great as we think, we can compete with Mercedes in Baku, for example.
“We take a lot of updates, but of course, we don't know what Mercedes and others will do. What I do know: our further development is more intensive than last year, and that should pay off on the track.”
‘BOLD Azerbaijan GP prediction’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...grand-prix-f1/
Gasly confident over Alpine F1 gains with upgrades
15:25 Wed, 12 Apr 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Pierre Gasly has expressed confidence that Alpine will make substantial gains throughout the 2023 Formula 1 season with the upgrades it has planned.
That strategy enabled it to beat McLaren to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, with Gasly believing that approach stands Alpine in good stead for 2023. “Yeah, I’m confident,” he said of Alpine’s development plan for the remainder of the campaign.
“I think the team definitely showed last year they were probably the best team in terms of development through the year, so there’s a good understanding and correlation between the upgrades they’re bringing on the racetrack.”
‘Gains with upgrades’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...with-upgrades/
Watch out for Alpine? Six-tenths gain expected from new F1 upgrades
12 Apr 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net
Alpine could bridge the gap to Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari if their upgrades improve their 2023 F1 challenger as they expect. According to a report in German publication Auto Motor und Sport, Alpine have an “aggressive” development programme in place to improve their fortunes in F1 2023.
Alpine saw both of their cars crash out of the Australian Grand Prix following the final standing start of the race. Szafnauer conceded that spare parts, rather than upgrades, might have to be the immediate focus now.
“It’s not yet a problem for the cost cap, even though the accident cost us dearly,” he added. “But the accident has shifted the priorities. For now, we need spare parts for Baku. You don’t just rebuild things like a front wing in a fortnight. We still have to check whether that has an influence on whether we can bring our development package to its full extent.”
‘Six-tenths gain’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102400...ew-f1-upgrades
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Eddie Jordan: ‘I bet McLaren wish they had Ron Dennis back’.
Eddie Jordan believes the current McLaren outfit wishes their long-time former owner Ron Dennis was still working at the team.
14 Apr 2023 6:45 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Jordan, a team owner himself in the 1990s and early 2000s also praised Dennis and described him as the “unsung hero” to staff members and commented that McLaren would love to have him back nowadays.
“Ron was a perfectionist wasn’t he? He just had everything planned. He wanted the [Ayrton] Sennas, he wanted the [Alain] Prosts. To be fair, we all laughed and joked, we took the mickey out of Ron a little bit because of how clinical he is, both in cleanliness and the way he prepares the car and the people, but I bet they wish they had him back.”
“Because McLaren now are nowhere near where they were. You can say what you like, Ron Dennis was just fantastically dedicated and committed to his team and [he was] the unsung hero to the staff members and people [who worked there.]”
“Ron was a perfectionist”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/eddie-...en-ron-dennis/
Jordan: McLaren F1 must wish it had Ron Dennis back
14 April 2023, 11:15
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Ex-Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes McLaren wishes it had former boss Ron Dennis back running the team. Dennis worked at McLaren for several decades and oversaw several championship-winning years during his reign.
Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, ex-F1 driver David Coulthard, who has vast experience working under Dennis, claims that the 75-year-old was misunderstood during his time in the sport. “Ron Dennis was, I think, misunderstood to the outside world,” Coulthard said.
“He took care of them quietly, but in a great way because he understood the importance of the team.” Jordan, who owned an F1 team that bore his name for almost 15 years, says that McLaren probably wishes that he was back running the team.
‘Misunderstood’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...n-dennis-back/
Ex-F1 team owner Eddie Jordan says McLaren "nowhere near where they were" and must 'wish they had Ron Dennis back'
14 Apr 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has suggested McLaren would be better off if Ron Dennis was still in charge. Dennis transformed McLaren into an F1 powerhouse of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, leading the Woking-based outfit to win seven constructors’ championships and 10 drivers’ titles.
He also famously handed Lewis Hamilton his F1 debut in 2007. Hamilton won his first world title with McLaren in his second season in 2008 and remains the team’s most recent world champion.
"Nowhere near where they were"
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102406...on-dennis-back
Coulthard recounts Dennis 'FAVOURITISM' in McLaren heyday
Friday 14 April 2023 11:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans
David Coulthard has claimed that he did not get full support from Ron Dennis for years for much of his time at McLaren. The 13-time Formula 1 race winner was team-mates with Finnish star Mika Hakkinen, and he has admitted that he felt Dennis favoured the more senior driver.
“Do I think I got a fair crack of the whip at McLaren?” asked Coulthard. “From the team, 100%, in terms of machinery, 100%. Emotionally from Ron? It took quite a long time, maybe three, four years of my relationship there, and I was there for nine seasons.”
"Ron would walk in the office, and this happened in the beginning, and I’d instinctively get up – he’s the boss – to shake his hand, and he wouldn’t look, he would walk round and he would sit up next to Mika and his engineers and go: ‘What are we doing?’ And then I’d watch them talk about what they were doing and then he’d say, ‘What are they doing?’. I was they."
'FAVOURITISM';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...mika-hakkinen/
How far away are McLaren's facility updates?
14 April 11:55AM
Author Michael Butterworth
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says several of the team's major Formula 1 infrastructure upgrades are about to be delivered. "Our wind tunnel is just about ready to come online. The belt's rolling, the air is going, so it's been calibrated," Brown told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"Our new manufacturing unit, with all-new state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, you can walk in and you can see the buildings and a lot of other infrastructure that we were quite far behind on that we invested in.
‘Brown hints at more to come – "We're just getting started"!’
https://racingnews365.com/how-far-aw...cility-updates
Brown explains McLaren technical restructure
Thursday 13th April, 2023 - 8:06am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has explained why he asked team principal Andrea Stella to look at a restructure the squad’s technical department. Stella’s model sees the technical department effectively divided in three, with Peter Prodromou heading up the aerodynamics team.
David Sanchez, who will join from Ferrari at the start of next year, will oversee the car concept and performance, with Neil Hudley promoted to look after engineering and design. “At the time, which is when I joined McLaren in 2015, there were three technical directors,” Stella explained of his new model.
“I think the separation of competence was very confusing. Even for internal people, it was quite difficult to understand, like, who was doing what. “We want, in the structure that we have deployed, to have clear leadership in relation to the three fundamental areas to make quick cars in the modern Formula 1, which is aerodynamics, car concept, and engineering.”
‘Technical restructure’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/13...l-restructure/
-
Gunther Steiner: Haas plan to copy Red Bull to improve 2023 F1 car.
The Haas team principal made no secret of the team's intentions to copy Red Bull in some departments.
April 14, 2023
By Joe Ellis
Total Motorsport
Gunther Steiner has revealed that Haas are hoping to copy Red Bull in an attempt to close the gap to the Formula 1 championship leaders. Haas have bought parts direct from Ferrari since they joined F1 in 2016 but Steiner admitted that they would be trying to copy Red Bull’s designs moving forward.
“I would say they (the rules) work,” Steiner told Motorsport.com. “Obviously, at the moment Red Bull has an advantage, but I wouldn’t say they’ll keep that advantage now for the next 20 races. I’m not so sure about that because everybody will catch up, and hopefully we find out how Red Bull came to this advantage and we can copy it, or do something similar.”
‘Haas plan to copy Red Bull’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/gun...e-2023-f1-car/
Steiner wants Haas to COPY 'fantastic' Red Bull 2023 car
Wednesday 12 April 2023 11:50
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Guenther Steiner wants his Haas team to copy the 2023 Red Bull car in an attempt to climb the leaderboard over the course of the season. The RB19 has proven to be a dominant car so far this season having claimed all three grand prix victories so far in the hands of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“Obviously at the moment Red Bull has an advantage, but I wouldn't say they’ll keep that advantage now for the next 20 races.”
“Everybody will be working hard and then you never have to forget Red Bull has got the penalty they got last year, they can do less development in the wind tunnel this year so they cannot move a lot ahead anymore in theory.”
‘COPY 'fantastic' Red Bull’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-haas-copy-f1/
HULKENBURG: ‘GOOD THINGS HAPPENING’ AT HAAS F1 TEAM AFTER FIRST F1 POINTS FINISH SINCE COMEBACK
The German driver scored his first points since his Formula 1 return for Haas at the chaotic Australian Grand Prix
April 11, 2023
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds
Nico Hulkenburg believes there are “good things happening” at his Haas Formula 1 team after a decent start to his 2023 comeback campaign. Hulkenburg returned to Formula 1 full-time after spending three years out on the sidelines. The German joined Haas, replacing fellow German Mick Schumacher to partner Kevin Magnussen for the 2023 season.
The Haas driver has now had three races on his comeback season. He has managed to outqualify teammate Kevin Magnussen significantly, managing to make Q3 twice this season. The German also managed to achieve his first points finish for Haas during his third race with the team.
A strong drive at the Australian Grand Prix earned the 35-year-old a seventh place finish, However, the team protested the results, believing Hulkenburg should have been on the podium. Despite the team’s attempts, their protest was unsuccessful.
‘GOOD THINGS HAPPENING’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/hu.../?nowprocket=1
Off to a good start as Nico Hulkenberg's reunion with F1 proves a shrewd move from Haas
14th April 2023.09:58
TEAMtalk media
Wheels24
Hulkenburg returned to F1 this season after three years away after Haas signed him to replace Mick Schumacher as Kevin Magnussen's partner.
The decision shocked many around the Formula 1 grid, given the testy past relationship between Hulkenburg and Magnussen, but that appears to be water under the bridge.
Hulkenberg, who has outqualified his teammate in every race so far, has proven to be a shrewd signing for Haas. It's a long way from where they were last season, with Schumacher struggling to get around the track in one piece.
‘Good start’;
https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...-haas-20230414
How Hulkenberg is already repaying Haas F1’s faith
12:56 Thu, 13 Apr 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
When it was announced that Nico Hulkenberg would be taking a spot on the 2023 Formula 1 grid at Haas it raised many an eyebrow and brought detractors in their droves – but the German’s storming drive to a brilliant seventh-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix has gone a long way to silencing any remaining critics that he had.
Having out-qualified his respected new team-mate Kevin Magnussen at all three rounds in 2023 and simultaneously maintained a flawless streak of starting inside the top 10 places – something Magnussen has failed to do once – Hulkenberg has demonstrated that he has required very little time to dust off the cobwebs and get up to speed.
However, after an opening two rounds where poor luck and an indifferent race package cost him the chance to convert solid starting spots into a haul of points, everything finally came together for Haas and Hulkenberg at the third time of asking in Melbourne.
‘Repaying Haas F1’s faith’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...aas-f1s-faith/
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Hill compares Vowles to Brawn: It's what Williams have been crying out for.
Damon Hill believes that James Vowles will "sort out" Williams, with the new team boss being compared to former F1 stalwart Ross Brawn.
09 April 12:50PM
Author Anna Francis
F1i.com
Positive noises have come out of Williams since the start of the 2023 F1 season, and Damon Hill believes that new team boss James Vowles is exactly what the squad needs.
"They've got James Vowles, who's got such a lot of knowledge from Mercedes, the dominant Mercedes team," Hill told the F1 Nation podcast. "He will be putting ducks in a row." Hill feels that Vowles bears similarities to Brawn, who the former worked with during the Mercedes team's championship-winning Brawn GP period.
"I listen to him and I think he sounds very like Ross Brawn," Hill added. "[He has a] measured way of talking. He never sounds flustered at all, and he's clear in his own mind as to what he's doing. I think he will sort out [the team]. I think it's what Williams have been crying out for for years."
‘Positive noises’;
https://racingnews365.com/hill-compa...crying-out-for
“HE SOUNDS VERY LIKE ROSS BRAWN,” DAMON HILL ON WILLIAMS PRINCIPAL JAMES VOWLES
April 9, 2023
Sam Jones
FormulaNerds
1996 Formula One World Champions Damon Hill has spoken highly of new Williams team principal James Vowles, claiming the former Mercedes man “sounds very like Ross Brawn.”
Vowles joined Williams ahead of the 2022 season, having previously worked as Motorsport Strategy Director at Mercedes, being with the Silver Arrows for 21 years, including the time when the team went under the mantle of British American Racing, Honda, and Brawn GP.
The team are currently sat in last in the constructors championship, however, driver Alex Albon spoke highly of the work at the team and where they are now compared to last year.
‘LIKE ROSS BRAWN’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/he.../?nowprocket=1
Hill believes Vowles is right man to revive Williams
09/04/2023 at 16:54
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Former f1 champion Damon Hill has backed new Williams team principal James Vowles as the right man for the job, who will succeed in restoring the team to the top of the pile.
Vowles himself recently spoke of a positive vibe at the Williams base at Grove. "The best word that I could use is ‘spark’. There’s a spark and it’s fascinating to see; there are shoulders lifted, and there are heads held high now.
"There is direction, they can see where we’re going and how we’re moving forward," he said last month. It’s a team that clearly have had a difficult winter and a difficult few years prior to that, but they can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the direction we’re going in."
‘Spark’;
https://f1i.com/news/471287-hill-bel...-williams.html
Vowles reveals biggest 'rude awakening' since joining Williams
13 April 8:00AM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
After joining Williams as their new Team Principal ahead of the 2023 F1 season, James Vowles admits that there was an aspect of the team that both surprised and impressed him. "It's a mixture of rude awakening and how impressed I am," Vowles told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"There were some very much what I would consider basics that are in place in other teams and have been since almost 15 years – especially for example around certain software systems, software systems that allow you to properly understand where all your parts are – [that] simply doesn't exist [at Williams]."
"As a result of that, what impresses me is that, before I joined, they built the car you see in front of you," Vowles explained. "15,000 pieces coming together, fitting, working and seemingly going down the track fairly quickly. That's an incredible accomplishment, but clearly not how we can move forward. So we need systems in place and structures in place, and that was probably the one [aspect] that took me aback the most."
"15,000 pieces coming together’;
https://racingnews365.com/vowles-rev...ining-williams
The sacrifice Williams will make for its long-term F1 goals
Apr 14 2023
By Josh Suttill
The Race
Williams won’t hesitate to “sacrifice” some of the development of its 2023 Formula 1 car to ensure it achieves its goals of becoming a “step more competitive” in 2024 and 2025. Every F1 team factors in the development of the following year’s car when allocating its budget for the year and since the introduction of the cost cap it’s become an ever more important balance for every team to strike.
“We’re three races in and what’s clear is that of the first three races, we have been in a position to fight for points at all of them,” Williams team boss James Vowles reflected. Vowles has his long-term ambitions for the team at the forefront of his planning for a Williams revival, so he’s not afraid to make short-term sacrifices for the sake of that goal.
“We’re doing our utmost to develop [our 2023 car] but by also keeping an eye on the future,” Vowles continued. “We cannot lose the target that we want to be a step more competitive next year and the year after. The only way you can accomplish that is to sacrifice [some of] what you have this year in the cost cap.”
“Sacrifice”;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-s...term-f1-goals/
Williams’ Formula One rise is another sign the ‘backmarker’ era is ending
Apr 14, 2023
By Madeline Coleman
The Athletic
Alex Albon’s Q3 appearance in the 2023 Australian Grand Prix arguably wouldn’t have happened several years ago. Still, fans may have done a double take when watching qualifying as his blue FW45 stayed in the top 10, edging past Alpine’s Esteban Ocon by a skinny 0.007 seconds. Meanwhile, his teammate Logan Sargeant qualified for P18 but was just 0.086 seconds off of making it to the second round of qualifying.
As Albon put it in Melbourne that Saturday, “We’re in the fight.” The surprise is not a knock on the driver’s talent. Albon competed for Toro Rosso before his promotion to Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s teammate until 2021. He rejoined the grid last year with Williams and is part of their push to climb from F1’s basement. Albon can drive an F1 car and drive it well.
The surprise is that he did it in a Williams car. As team principal James Vowles said recently, Williams has “been in the position to fight for points” during the first three races. After all, the Williams’ FW45 recorded several purple sectors during qualifying, which are the driver’s best out of the rest of the grid, and showed flashes of competitiveness.
‘Backmarker era is ending’;
https://theathletic.com/4409799/2023...ld-backmarker/
Williams’ Dave Robson: “We leave Melbourne frustrated.”
April 13, 2023
By Joe Briley
The Checkered Flag
Williams’ Racing Head of Vehicle Performance Dave Robson felt the team missed an opportunity to score good FIA Formula 1 World championship points in Melbourne after chaos throughout the Australian Grand Prix.
Alex Albon qualified excellently on Saturday, but ultimately failed to convert it into any points in the race. The Thai driver was running as high as sixth on lap seven, when he lost the car and crashed into the wall at turn seven ending his race.
Logan Sargeant had an equally frustrating race as his teammate and was forced to retire after an incident on the red flag restart with Nyck de Vries. The American driver also struggled with strategy throughout the race and was caught out by a red flag, which saw his early pit stop lose him a big chunk of time.
“We leave Melbourne frustrated”;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ne-frustrated/
-
AlphaTauri planning 'probably five or six' floor upgrades.
AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton has revealed the team's thinking behind a multi-stage programme of upgrades to the AT04 for 2023, with improvements to the car's floor a central focus.
15/04/2023 at 13:09
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
"The updates we're bringing now, amongst some other things they're intended to improve low-speed entry stability," he said. "If we've improved the rear load on the entry phase, if you've got more rear load, you've got more stability. Obviously low speed aero performance is a target in every team," he said. "And that's one of the targets we didn't quite nail pre-season.”
"We're looking to make the car more stable on low-speed entry into corners so then the drivers can push harder at late entry, and there's performance to come from that. The changes we've made with floor fence camber - trying to control the strength and position of the floor vorticities and diffuser expansion and reducing tyre wake loss - it's all part of that.”
"At the end of the day, put in very simple terms, we're looking to carry more load into the corner, so the driver can push harder. It gives us a balance advantage as well, if we can carry a bit more aero balance into the corner, at high stability," he commented.
‘Five or six' floor upgrades’;
https://f1i.com/news/471548-alphatau...-upgrades.html
Jody Egginton downplays Franz Tost’s ‘I don’t trust’ AlphaTauri engineers comment
15 Apr 2023 10:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
AlphaTauri technical director Jody Egginton insists the Faenza-based team remains “united” even after team boss Franz Tost’s scathing criticism of his technical department. Egginton has downplayed his boss’s harsh criticism. “Franz has known the engineering team for a long time,” he said as per motorsport-total.com.
“It’s the same team whose cars made it onto the podium in 2019, 2020 and 2021. “Franz issued a statement that was probably taken a bit out of context and doesn’t show the exact picture. We work as a team, sit down with Franz, discuss things and just keep going. It is what it is,” he added.
“Franz gave a few interviews and said a few things, but we’re going to keep going. That doesn’t change anything, everyone is still united in what we have to do. Ultimately Franz’s disappointment as team principal is that the car isn’t well established enough in midfield to be where we want to be. And he’s expressed that in a way.”
‘Faenza-based team remains “united”’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/jody-e...-tost-comment/
De Vries: No AlphaTauri atmosphere change after Tost’s ‘no trust’ comment
09:56 Wed, 12 Apr 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
F1i.com
Nyck de Vries says there hasn’t been any changes to the atmosphere at the AlphaTauri Formula 1 team after Franz Tost said he had “no trust” in its engineers. But de Vries, who has joined AlphaTauri as a full-time driver for the 2023 campaign, says there are no overhanging concerns or bitterness within the team after Tost’s remark.
“I honestly think the vibe within the team is great and I felt no difference post certain comments that have been made,” de Vries said. “I think things can be taken a little bit out of context and I think we were all kind of scratching our heads and we all want to be as quick as Red Bull that is currently winning and dominating.”
“So we’re all trying to improve and work hard to make that progress and so are we and we are racers and we are passionate about what we do. But I felt no change within the ambience and atmosphere within the team. So I’m very happy where I am and I’m sure that we’re all very keen to continue to push forward.”
‘No AlphaTauri atmosphere change’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...trust-comment/
Aero reshuffle and more Red Bull parts in 2024 for AlphaTauri
Apr 15 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
AlphaTauri has made changes to its aerodynamic department and will take more parts from Red Bull next season in an attempt to address its faltering Formula 1 form. “The disappointment from Franz’s side as a team principal is that the car’s not established well enough into the midfield to be where we want,” said Egginton.
“And he’s expressed that in a certain way. But at the end of the day, we’ve hit some of our targets – they were valid targets, they’re good targets – and we’ve not quite hit some of the others yet, but we will.” AlphaTauri already has an aero team of more than 100 people in Bicester but relocating more of the team in the name of efficiency has been speculated since pre-season testing.
With the performance contrast between the two Red Bull teams arguably greater right now than it has ever been, it is no surprise that the parent company has taken a closer look at AlphaTauri, the purpose it serves and how it works – especially in the wake of Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz’s death.
‘Aero team of more than 100 people in Bicester’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/aero-...or-alphatauri/
Trouble for AlphaTauri? No ‘game-changer’ upgrade in the works
14 Apr 2023 2:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Nyck de Vries concedes there’ll be no “game-changer” in AlphaTauri’s 2023 upgrades, rather the team will focus on the “little details” as they try to avoid this year’s wooden spoon.
That weekend AlphaTauri introduced a new floor for the AT04, one that De Vries feels is a step in the right direction. “I think it definitely helped us a little bit,” he said, “being a little bit more competitive. It’s so tight in the midfield, a little difference, it can swing so quickly.”
“So it definitely helped. And that’s encouraging. But we will need to continue to push the team to get close to the top 10.” However, the Dutchman admits there’s no silver bullet or miracle upgrade coming any time soon.
‘No ‘game-changer’ upgrade’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/troubl...anger-upgrade/
De Vries: Vibe at AlphaTauri still great after Tost 'no trust' comment
12/04/2023 at 09:17
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Nyck de Vries says there has been no change in the positive "vibe" within the AlphaTauri team in the wake of the brutal comments expressed by team boss Franz Tost who called into question his engineers' competence.
"We struggled in Bahrain," he acknowledged at the time. "We have to do a lot of things to make the car faster, and especially on the aerodynamic side. There are different programmes going on, but the engineers tell me that we make some good progress. But I don't trust them anymore.”
More upgrades are set to follow, but the Dutchman noting that the Faenza-based squad is following an incremental development process. "I think that all the little things we are constantly bringing - it's not like there is a game-changer, you're not going from P15 to P8 - all the little details are making a difference," he said in Australia.
‘Vibe at AlphaTauri still grea’;
https://f1i.com/news/471385-de-vries...t-comment.html
Helmut Marko: The Red Bull motorsport boss with a fearsome reputation
11 Apr 2023 10:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Helmut Marko has developed a reputation for being one of Formula 1’s most feared, yet successful personalities in the paddock. Like Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner, Marko has also been on the scene since the team joined the grid in 2005, while his duties also extend to Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri.
Marko has been a key pillar behind Red Bull’s glittering F1 record, the team having won five Constructors’ titles and six Drivers’ crowns, while their sister team is also a multi-time race-winning squad, one success under the Toro Rosso name, another as AlphaTauri, yet both wins came at Monza.
For any driver who has experienced the tutelage of Marko, a common observation has been his very stern approach. If a driver is looking for a comforting shoulder and encouragement during their learning process, then they will not get that with Marko.
‘Fearsome reputation’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut...career-quotes/
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Zhou believes stronger result was possible after first points finish of year.
Zhou Guanyu feels that an even better result was possible after claiming his first points of the year at the Australian Grand Prix.
10 April 2:25PM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
Zhou Guanyu was left feeling happy with his progress over the Australian Grand Prix weekend after claiming his first points of the 2023 F1 season.
The Alfa Romeo driver ended the day in P10 after starting back in P17 on the grid, before being promoted up to P9 following Carlos Sainz's five-second penalty for colliding with Fernando Alonso at the penultimate race restart.
"Obviously at the end of the day it was a good result for me to grab my first points of the season," Zhou explained. "But, if the red flag didn't come, we could have finished maybe P8, P7.”
‘Stronger result was possible’;
https://racingnews365.com/zhou-belie...finish-of-year
Guanyu Zhou: “Ninth at the chequered flag is a good result”
April 13, 2023
By Joe Briley
The Checkered Flag
Guanyu Zhou and Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake scored their second points finish of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in Melbourne as they capitalized on a number of retirements and a late red flag.
The Chinese driver went on to make some impressive overtakes while taking advantage of the red flags to move through the pack.
“Ninth at the chequered flag is a good result, especially considering where we started and the challenging weekend we had. There are positives to take – we had a really good start, which is something we worked really hard on, and we didn’t do any mistakes in a race where there were plenty of spills.”
‘Ninth good result’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...a-good-result/
Zhou reveals changes in approach following Silverstone shunt
Zhou Guanyu has revealed his approach to racing slightly changed following his startline crash at last year's British Grand Prix
April 10, 2023
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport
Zhou Guanyu has admitted his approach to racing did change slightly following his crash at the 2022 British Grand Prix. Zhou, who had secured his second consecutive Q3 appearance, was the victim of a multi-car pileup which saw him flipped into the air, narrowly avoiding injury before returning to duty a week later at the Austrian GP.
“It did a little bit, but not how I approached the weekend,” said Zhou exclusively to Total Motorsport.com. “Coming into Austria, I was trying to ensure I returned to where I was. But then straight after everything was new from the car and [going into] a sprint qualifying in Austria, that wasn’t an easy weekend for me, so I had to adapt.”
‘Changes in approach’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...ne-2022-shunt/
Valtteri Bottas calls for Alfa Romeo investigation as pace concerns increase
08 Apr 2023 8:00 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Valtteri Bottas is hoping Alfa Romeo utilises the break between races to discover the reason for the so-far lack of performance. “It has [been a difficult weekend],” he said of the Australian Grand Prix, as per GPFans.com. “Definitely off the pace from where we thought we should be.”
“So, something to look into. I’m actually glad that there is a bit of time before the next race so we can figure out something. [We have] some ideas [on how to improve], we need to make sure we fully understand everything.”
‘Calls for Alfa Romeo investigation’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/valtte...investigation/
Bottas urges Alfa Romeo to 'find answers' over 'confusing' situation
06 April 6:20PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Valtteri Bottas has called on Alfa Romeo to "find answers" after being left "confused" by his lack of pace in the Australian Grand Prix.
"It was disappointing that after the [penultimate] restart I was P9, but then they put me back to P12, because the timing cut off before or something like this," Bottas told media, including RacingNews365.com.
"So it wasn't my lucky day. [The race] was quite lonely, to be honest. We obviously started from the pit lane, but then with the [first] red flag everyone was more or less on the same tyre. The pace felt a bit better than yesterday, but even with many things happening it just didn't quite [help me]."
'Find answers';
https://racingnews365.com/bottas-urg...sing-situation
The peril Alfa Romeo risks with stalling F1 progress
13:30 Fri, 14 Apr 2023.
By Edd Straw
The Race
In the early stages of last season, Alfa Romeo was flying high with a place in the top five of the constructors’ championship for the first third of the Formula 1 season and points finishes in seven out of nine races. But while 2023 has produced points in two out of three events for Alfa Romeo, it has on average the second-slowest car and has yet to reach Q3.
Alfa Romeo’s start to the season has been disappointing, but not overwhelmingly so. The team still has a long way to go to build up to being able to threaten the leading teams, so being a handy midfield competitor is an acceptable level for the team.
There are still upgrades in the pipeline that will be needed to ensure it consolidates its position as a Q2 regular that can pose a Q3 threat, rather than the Q1 faller it was in Australia. These will likely include changes to the floor, and perhaps even adjustments to make the DRS effect more powerful given Pujolar isolated that as a weakness.
‘The peril’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/the-p...g-f1-progress/
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Ferrari told to WAKE UP by key figure in ASTONISHING outburst.
"Ferrari ��️ needs ❤️ Seriousness and Winning Team in the Pits and Outside it's time to WAKE UP enough with politics and games like this WE WILL NEVER WIN ‼️ ‼ ‼ ‼ ‼" Lapo Elkann.
Sunday 16 April 2023 10:57
Graham Shaw
GPFans
All is clearly not well at Ferrari, and the miserable times at Maranello have fans of the Scuderia ringing their hands in anguish. A further sign of the turmoil at the Scuderia came this weekend from a notable figure - none other than Lapo Elkann, brother of Ferrari president John Elkann.
La Ferrari ��️ ha Bisogno di ❤️Serietà e Squadra Vincente nei Box e Fuori è ora di darci una SVEGLIATA basta con politica e giochini così non si VINCERÀ MAI ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/rKu8sdNR5d
— Lapo Elkann (@lapoelkann_) April 15, 2023
Despite his stunning outburst, Elkann clearly does not have much belief that things will change soon - when a follower responded by saying this might be a turning point he replied "Unfortunately not but things have to be said".
‘ASTONISHING outburst’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...olitics-games/
Key Ferrari figure urges team to ‘wake up’ and end the ‘politics and games’
A former key member of Ferrari’s board of directors has lashed out at the team’s current state, urging an end to the ‘politics and games’. 45-year-old Lapo Elkann is the great-grandson of Giovanni Agnelli, the founder of Fiat S.p.A. He is also the grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former CEO and controlling shareholder of Fiat.
16 Apr 2023 1:15 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Lapo Elkann shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s current state of competitiveness with the 2022 runners-up having failed to score a podium in the opening three races of the 2023 season. Following the departure of prior team boss Mattia Binotto, who himself was a ‘recent’ promotion to replace Maurizio Arrivabene at the end of 2018, Fred Vasseur has assumed the role of team boss at the Scuderia.
In a follow-up exchange to his tweet, a Charles Leclerc fanpage wrote to Elkann saying: “The only person in Ferrari who will always be there in difficult times for Charles. Thank you Lapo Elkann, you deserve to be the president of Ferrari instead of your brother.” Elkann’s response to this was “I don’t even want to be president.”
One fan, replying to Elkann’s initial tweet, wrote: “Lapo the truth is that in the eyes of us fans, the presidency is ABSENT. “I have never read a press release, a letter, or something from the president or other delegates. FERRARI needs passionate people like you and many other people like you.” Elkann’s succinct response was: “I know, unfortunately.”
‘Wake up’ and end the ‘politics and games’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...l-lapo-elkann/
Formula 1: Ferrari must figure things out before it’s too late
11:39 Wed, 12 Apr 2023.
by Siddharth Bharani-Dharan
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)
Things are not looking good for Ferrari so far in the 2023 Formula 1 season, and they must fix their issues before losing out on their hopes. Like some other teams, Ferrari have brought a car this season that is not up to their standards. If anything, it is a regression from the F1-75 used last season.
The clock is ticking for Ferrari, as they have fallen behind the pack this season. It has been quite surprising to many, given the fact that they were one of the best teams in Formula 1 last season. Some of their issues from last season have bled over into this one, and it is definitely not what they had hoped for.
Additionally, reliability has been quite an issue for Ferrari this season. They are already using their spare parts, which are supposed to be for the duration of the season. Things have turned out quite poorly for Charles Leclerc especially, as the 25-year-old has endured two DNFs through the first three races of the year.
‘Must figure things out’;
https://beyondtheflag.com/2023/04/12...e-things-late/
Ferrari boss reaffirms 2023 F1 title aspirations despite slow start
Sunday 16 April 2023 20:58
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Ferrari chairman John Elkann still has his eyes on the 2023 Formula 1 title despite being so far behind Red Bull after just three races. The Scuderia have scored only 26 points at present having had both cars out of the points in Australia while Red Bull won their third race in a row.
Elkann had to reassure employees of the company that they were still aiming to win the title this year having fallen so far away from the front of the pack over the winter.
"In 2022 we improved from the point of view of competitiveness," Elkann said. "But our goal has always been to win, and Vasseur and the whole team are fully concentrated to achieve it."
‘2023 F1 title aspirations’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...f1-2023-title/
Norris and Leclerc told to ‘knuckle down’ amid struggles
11:33 Sun, 16 Apr 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have been told to “knuckle down” and help improve McLaren and Ferrari’s dire situations by Formula 1 journalist Tom Clarkson. “Everything about the first two races makes me feel that Ferrari are a little bit undercooked at the minute,” Clarkson said on the F1 Nation podcast.
“They’re just not getting anything quite right. The car isn’t quite fast enough. Charles is already expressing a little bit of frustration over the radio as he did in Saudi. It just feels that they’re half a step behind Aston Martin and two steps behind Red Bull at the moment. Such is the relentless pace of Formula 1; can Ferrari make up the difference?”
“So what do you do if you’re Charles? What do you do if you’re Lando? I think you’ve just got to knuckle down and try and help motivate the people around you to do everything they can to improve the car,” he exclaimed.
‘Knuckle down’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...mid-struggles/
Charles Leclerc 'upset' with Carlos Sainz as tension builds between Ferrari team-mates
Tensions are reportedly rising at Ferrari after Charles Leclerc was left unhappy with his team-mate Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix.
06:11, Mon, Apr 17, 2023
By Joe Krishnan
Daily and Sunday Express
Ferrari could be heading for a civil war between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz after it emerged there is tension between the two drivers following the outcome of the Australian Grand Prix. Reports suggest the Monegasque was 'unhappy' with his team-mate's conduct in qualifying and it has added to the frosty relations between the pair, with team principal Fred Vasseur facing a potential intervention to cool the war of words.
F1 pundit Peter Windsor, a former Williams and Ferrari team manager, was surprised by Leclerc's tetchy response and called the driver "naïve" for thinking Sainz, 28, would step aside for him after claiming he was "unhappy" with the tow incident.
Speaking via his YouTube channel, he said: “I thought it was odd that he made that public, that he was upset about that, because you’ve got to live in your own world and you’ve got to be very cocooned when you’re at Ferrari. You’ve got your guys and and you’ve got to work in a very apolitical way, so it was quite a political reaction I think he had to it all.
‘Could be heading for a civil war’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...errari-F1-news
SAINZ: ‘WE’RE THE ONES WHO AREN’T HAPPY,’ AS HE CALLS ON THE TIFOSI TO STICK BY THEM
Ferrari find themselves on just 26 points after three races this season.
April 15, 2023
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds
Carlos Sainz has called on Ferrari’s loyal supporters to stick by them as he suggests that they are not the only ones who are disappointed with the team’s start to 2023. “We’re the ones who aren’t happy,” said Sainz to Motorsport.com
“You have to realise that nobody is more upset or angry or unhappy about the situation than every single [team member] here. We’re the first to not like the situation. And we’re the ones who are going full throttle to turn [the situation] around because it’s also about our egos, our performance.”
“We’re proud to be Ferrari and we want to take Ferrari forward. And sometimes the comments [in the media] are more of a distraction and drag us down rather than helping us.”
‘CALLS ON THE TIFOSI’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/f1.../?nowprocket=1
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F1 chief explains stance on new race venues and fires axe warning at "historical" tracks.
Established F1 venues such as Monza, Monaco and Silverstone will need more than just historical significance to guarantee their places on future race calendars, Stefano Domenicali warned.
11:06, 17 Apr 2023
By Anna Malyon
The Mirror
Venues such as Silverstone, Monza, Spa and Monaco have been a part of F1's rich history since the 1950s and are much loved by fans. But their places on the calendar are potentially under threat with cities around the world vying for a slice of the ever-growing F1 pie.
When asked about the possibility of new venues, Domenicali said: "Today, the money is huge, but we need to protect the quality of the events and the sport. When 'historical' is only connected to looking behind, that is a problem.”
"When 'historical' is a value, if you are focused on developing the sport for the future, it's a great value. That's our duty – to make sure that, for example Monza, it's an incredible place but they need to make sure [they invest in] the future infrastructure, in services for the fans."
‘Axe warning’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...icali-29729539
Formula 1 CEO eager to bring F1 to Africa
11:07, 17th April 2023
CAR Mag
In a recent investor call, Domenicali confirmed that Formula 1 is exploring the potential of adding a race in Africa to the 2024 calendar, making it the only continent where the iconic championship has yet to make its mark in the modern era.
Domenicali’s enthusiasm for the idea is evident as he expresses his eagerness to expand the sport’s global reach. He acknowledges the significance of having a race in Africa to make Formula 1 a truly diverse and inclusive world championship. He even flew to South Africa from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to hold talks with local stakeholders, showing his commitment to exploring the possibility of hosting a race at the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, which last hosted a Formula 1 race in 1993.
The anticipation among South African fans is particularly high, with hopes soaring that Formula 1 will return to the country in 2024. The prospect of witnessing the world’s most prestigious race on home soil once again is nothing short of thrilling. Fans eagerly await further developments and keep their fingers crossed for a positive outcome.
‘F1 to Africa’;
https://www.carmag.co.za/news/formul...rica/undefined
Stefano Domenicali fires stern warning against being ‘arrogant’
The future of the Italian and Belgian Grand Prix has been thrown into doubt.
16 April 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali has revealed that “historic” Grands Prix can’t just rely on their history to gain a slot on the calendar, with the likes of Monza, Spa and Silverstone needing to “look ahead with a different future”.
2024 will be even bigger, with next year set to see 24 races take place across the globe. 24 is a number which Domenicali believes is “right” for F1, with the calendar currently including every possible continent except Africa. Africa is looking increasingly likely to join, though, with a return of the South African Grand Prix on the cards.
“Pretty good – I would say in terms of number, 24 [events] is the right number, and the mix of continents we have today is looking good,” Domenicali said during a Liberty Media investor call. It’s no secret we are still seeing if there’s a chance to go to Africa [because] it’s the only continent missing.”
‘Stern warning’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/stefano-d...eing-arrogant/
F1 boss reveals potential new races
16:25, 17th April 2023.
Ryan Sidle
SPORTbible
Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali has revealed where the next new Grand Prix could be added to an almost packed out F1 calendar. This season is one of the longest on record, with 23 races taking place, although it would have been 24 if the Chinese Grand Prix hadn't been cancelled.
There can only be 25 races at a maximum, thanks to the agreement between the teams, but the F1 boss has quite a few potential new locations in mind, meaning some of the 'classic' courses could be removed.
"Today, the money is huge, but we need to protect the quality of the events and the sport," the former Ferrari team principal told Sky Sports. When 'historical' is only connected to looking behind, that is a problem."
‘Potential new races’;
https://www.sportbible.com/formula-1...18819-20230417
Domenicali: Red Bull F1 dominance ‘not important’ to new fans
09:14, 17th April 2023.
by Danielle Van Wittmarschen
Motorsport Week
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has dismissed the idea that new fans are being put off by the early dominance Red Bull has shown early in this season. But Domenicali isn’t worried and congratulates the team on their current form.
“First of all, if a team is faster than the others, congratulations, they did a better job than the others,” he said. He also addressed the possibility of the FIA stepping in to halt Red Bull’s current form.
“It’s the duty of FIA as the regulator to make sure that they check the compliance of the car with the regulations. If you look at the others, the other teams are very close, very, very close. I’m very confident that with the budget cap, the situation will evolve in the best way for the better competition.”
‘Congratulations’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...t-to-new-fans/
An F1 Grand Prix in Madrid? Stefano Domenicali on tantalising prospect
Friday 24 March 2023 08:57
Oli Lawrie
GPFans09:04 Fri, 24 Mar
Stefano Domenicali has provided an update on the possibility of Madrid one day hosting an F1 Grand Prix. The F1 supremo was talking at the launch of the F1 Exhibition in Madrid, when he confirmed that there are groups looking to make a race in the Spanish capital a reality.
"They are working to bring a race here and F1 is delighted to have so many contenders," he said per Marca. [F1] is becoming more and more popular around the world [and] we know the passion [for F1] in Spain," he added.
"It is a pleasure to see how the interest keeps growing. We know the interest from Madrid and Barcelona and it's great news for us."
‘Tantalising prospect’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...no-domenicali/
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Wolff shares honest message for Mercedes fans: It's not been easy.
"I just wanted to tell you that we are really grateful for how you have supported us this season so far," Wolff said in a video message shared by Mercedes.
17 April 8:00AM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
After a challenging start to the 2023 season for Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff has taken the move of addressing the squad's fans directly. "It's not been easy, but if it was, it wouldn't be as exciting, and it wouldn't be Formula 1 – the pinnacle of motor racing."
"Everyone here at the factories has been super busy and flat out over the last few weeks preparing to return to the track," he explained. "We're excited for that and to have all of you cheering for us as we race for our next podium, win or championship."
‘Honest message’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-shar...-not-been-easy
Toto Wolff says Mercedes working ‘flat out’ over break to return to F1 summit
14 Apr 2023 5:07 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Toto Wolff has assured Mercedes fans that the team is working “flat out” to recover performance during this four-week break.
Even if there is no racing, that does not mean teams have got their feet up and one constructor hoping to use this break to their advantage is Mercedes. While their performance last time out in Melbourne was encouraging with Lewis Hamilton securing P2, their results in the first two races were a cause for concern.
Keeping the faith with their unique concept, Mercedes’ lack of speed in the Middle Eastern races prompted the team to return to the drawing board and work on a heavily updated W14, set to be rolled out for the race at Imola. Wolff though has thanked fans for their support and reassured them that work was going on at both the Brackley and the Brixworth bases in order to return the Silver Arrows to the top step that they occupied for so long.
‘Flat out’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...out-f1-summit/
Toto Wolff decides to stay with Mercedes indefinitely
The Mercedes team principal had a tough decision to make and chose to remain
April 14, 2023
By Joe Ellis
Total Motorsport
Toto Wolff has revealed that he chose to “go on indefinitely” in Formula 1 back in 2020 after the birth of his son.
The Mercedes team principal welcomed a baby son in 2017 with Susie Wolff just months after committing to another three-year deal with the German manufacturer. 2020 saw Wolff contemplate walking away from F1 to not only have more family time, but also focus on business ventures elsewhere.
Eventually, the Austrian chose to remain with Mercedes and he now intends to do so for a very long time despite a tough couple of years competitively.
‘Indefinitely’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-indefinitely/
Russell names the trait that makes Wolff an 'UNBELIEVABLE' leader
Sunday 16 April 2023 19:58
Chris Deeley
GPFans
George Russell has opened up on his relationship with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, calling him an 'unbelievable' leader.
"He’s been an integral part of my career," he said of the Mercedes boss. "Highly intelligent, a charismatic bloke, he’s been a huge part of the success of the team and is going to be a huge part of the return of Mercedes after what’s been a difficult season.”
"A huge motivator, an unbelievable leader, he gives everybody his time. It doesn’t matter if they are a chief aerodynamicist or working on the shop floor, he respects everybody. I think that’s why he still has such a team around him and so much trust. I feel fortunate to work with such a great guy."
'UNBELIEVABLE';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ader-mercedes/
Why Mercedes must listen to Hamilton's latest criticism
17 April 11:50AM
Author Ewan Gale
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Wolff has been forthcoming in highlighting Mercedes' upgrade plans in the early stages of the season, with visible change promised from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Addressing Hamilton's criticism directly, Wolff told media including RacingNews365.com: "We are looking at the big concept of the driver position, [which] is obviously one of the most important [things].
"Not only in terms of weight distribution, aerodynamics, etcetera but also [it is] where the driver has the best feeling in the car, which is something where Lewis is very vocal. And when a seven-time World Champion has an opinion, it is important to listen to it."
‘Must listen’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-merced...en-to-hamilton
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Ferrari 'disappointed' FIA rejected Australia GP penalty review.
The team has responded on social media to the ruling from the FIA to throw out their right of review for Carlos Sainz's penalty at the Australian Grand Prix.
18 April 2:34PM
Author Rory Mitchell
RacingNews365
The statement in full published on their social media reads: "We acknowledge the FIA decision not to grant us a right of review in relation to the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.”
"We are naturally disappointed, and felt that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision especially in the context of the particular conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the final restart.”
"We are however respectful of the process and of the FIA decision. We are now looking forward to entering broader discussions with the FIA, F1, and all the Teams, with the aim of further improving the policing of our sport, in order to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency that our sport deserves."
'Disappointed';
https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...i/Carlos+Sainz
Ferrari’s frivolous case shows right of review being exploited
Apr 18 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race
The dismissal of Ferrari’s petition to review Carlos Sainz’s Australian Grand Prix penalty illustrates a growing problem with Formula 1. This is not the first time Ferrari has lodged a frivolous petition that has fallen flat on its face – and predictably so. Remember the attempt to get Sebastian Vettel’s 2019 Canadian Grand Prix penalty for rejoining unsafely overturned?
Then, it submitted no less than seven reasons for the review. It was a scattergun attempt and not one of its justifications for reviewing the penalty stuck. That included the ridiculous contention that Karun Chandhok’s Sky Sports F1 analysis was relevant. While well put together, it didn’t come close to ticking the boxes required for a review.
Ferrari also tried to get a 10-second penalty from the 2016 Mexican GP for Vettel overturned, but again failed to submit new and significant evidence and the petition was rejected. It’s important at this point to underline what the right of review is. It is enshrined in the FIA sporting code that covers all its championships and allows cases to be reopened if new and significant evidence unavailable to the stewards at the time is discovered.
‘Ferrari’s frivolous case’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...ing-exploited/
Why Ferrari failed to get Sainz's Australian GP penalty overturned
18 April 2:25PM
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365
Ferrari were required to bring 'new, significant and relevant' evidence to the hearing, with the team choosing to bring the following elements to the table for the meeting:
1. The telemetry data of Sainz’s car after the second restart.
2. Sainz’s witness statement; and
3. Other driver’s witness statements, which amount to records of post-race interviews given by Alonso as well as other drivers.
The Stewards noted that Ferrari claimed there was a precedent for all of these elements being used when reviewing a penalty after the Grand Prix.
‘Why Ferrari's new evidence was rejected: Telemetry, Sainz's witness statement, Other driver's statements’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-ferrar...lty-overturned
Ferrari call for F1 ‘policing’ improvements after Carlos Sainz penalty review dismissed
18 Apr 2023 1:55 PM
Henry Valantine
Ferrari have responded to the FIA’s dismissal of their ‘right of review’ request into the five-second penalty given to Carlos Sainz in Australia, saying they were “naturally disappointed” with the outcome.
Upon dismissing the case, the FIA said there was “no new significant and relevant” evidence that would force them to change their mind, in fact stating that seeing the telemetry presented to them by Ferrari strengthened their viewpoint that he was to blame for his collision with Alonso.
‘Policing’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...lty-dismissed/
Ferrari want talks to ‘improve policing of F1’ after bid for review of Sainz penalty fails
2023 F1 season
Posted on 18th April 2023, 13:41
Written by Keith Collantine
Ferrari has accepted the stewards’ decision not to review Carlos Sainz Jnr’s penalty for causing a collision during the Australian Grand Prix.
However the team says it wants to widen talks between the FIA, Formula 1 and its rivals over the standards of policing in the championship.
‘Talks to improve policing’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/18/...penalty-fails/
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Poaching Newey would not fix Ferrari – Alesi.
“Today, if Adrian Newey decided to go to Ferrari, we wouldn’t see his car until 2025 because of the clauses in all the contracts. So it will take time.” Jean Alesi.
19th April 2023, 07:57.
Grandpx.news
Even poaching Adrian Newey from Red Bull would not solve Ferrari’s current performance problems. That is the view of famous former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi, responding to former Ferrari tester Daniil Kvyat’s view that the Maranello team needs “a technical revolution”.
Alesi also insists that the only “number 1” at Ferrari is Vasseur. “That’s not the problem,” he answered when asked if making Charles Leclerc the clearly prioritised Ferrari driver over Carlos Sainz would be a wise move.
“If at the next grand prix they said ‘Charles, you are the first driver and Carlos is the second’, it would not help in the process to develop the car, especially the lack of performance and reliability. That’s not the problem, frankly,” Alesi said.
‘“Number 1” at Ferrari is Vasseur’;
https://grandpx.news/poaching-newey-...ferrari-alesi/
Don't blame the sun! Ferrari request to review Sainz penalty in Australia rejected by FIA.
18 Apr 2024.
Wheels24
Ferrari's petition to review the penalty handed to Carlos Sainz at the Australian Grand Prix earlier this month has been rejected by race stewards, the FIA announced on Tuesday.
Sainz had claimed the sun shining in his eyes was a reason why he should not be considered at fault. "Logic would dictate that the position of the sun would have equally impacted other drivers too," the FIA statement continued. "It is not a justifiable reason to avoid a penalty for a collision."
"We are naturally disappointed, and felt that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision," Ferrari said in a statement.
‘Don't blame the sun!’;
https://www.news24.com/sport/motorsp...ected-20230418
Sainz hits out at FIA after Ferrari penalty appeal rejected
19 April 8:50AM
Author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365
A bitterly disappointed Carlos Sainz has called for talks about inconsistencies in the wake of Ferrari's failure to overturn his Australian Grand Prix penalty. Writing on his Instagram page shortly after the announcement, a disappointed Sainz said he accepted the decision, but called for discussions about inconsistencies in decision-making.
"Very disappointed that the FIA did not grant us a right to review," Sainz wrote. "Two weeks later, I still think the penalty is too disproportionate and I believe it should have at least been reviewed on the basis of the evidence and reasoning we presented.”
"We have to continue working together to improve certain things for the future. The consistency and decision-making process has been a hot topic for many seasons now and we need to be clearer for the sake of our sport. What happened in Australia is now in the past and I am 100% focused on the next race in Baku."
"Very disappointed”;
https://racingnews365.com/sainz-hits...ppeal-rejected
Sainz disappointed by FIA rejection of Ferrari right of review
19/04/2023 at 07:48
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Carlos Sainz has expressed his disappointment with the FIA's decision to deny Ferrari the right to petition the penalty handed to the Spaniard in the Australian Grand Prix.
On Tuesday, the Stewards rejected the Scuderia's request for a right of review of the sanction, deeming that no new evidence had been introduced by the Italian outfit as required.
While Ferrari acknowledged in a post-hearing statement the FIA's decision, it felt that it had "provided sufficient new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision". In a post on social media, Sainz logically echoed his team's stance.
‘FIA rejection’;
https://f1i.com/news/471707-sainz-di...of-review.html
‘For the sake of our sport’: Ferrari calls for debate on stewards after Sainz appeal thrown out
April 19th, 2023 12:56 pm
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)
Ferrari says it wants high-level discussions on the consistency of stewarding in Formula 1 after failing to have Carlos Sainz’s late-race penalty at the Australian Grand Prix overturned. Sainz was handed a five-second penalty for hitting Fernando Alonso on lap 57 of 58 after the final standing restart. It was one of several crashes that suspended the race for a third time and forced a formation finish.
The punishment is the most lenient time penalty available to the stewards, but because the race finished with the cars bunched up behind the safety car, it dropped Sainz from fourth to 12th and out of the points. The Scuderia took exception to the punishment both for the severe effect it had on the result and also because other drivers who caused more serious crashes on the same lap weren’t punished.
In the days after Australia Ferrari presented the stewards with three pieces of evidence it argued warranted the penalty being re-examined: telemetry data from Sainz car, a witness statement from the Spaniard and also post-race comments from some other drivers, including from Alonso, who said he thought the five-second penalty was harsh.
‘For the sake of our sport’;
https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...b7d125c387c65f
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Schumacher: Race Control should be ASHAMED after 'bad joke' restart.
"You can’t ask the drivers to slow down if you give them another chance like that. I’m sorry, but that’s a bad joke." Ralf Schumacher
Friday 7 April 2023 11:19
Dan Davis
GPFans
Ralf Schumacher has savaged Race Control for their "bad joke" of a restart during the Australian Grand Prix, a decision that resulted in multiple collisions. "Rules are one thing, foresight is another," he told Sport1.de. "They could have used a Safety Car to prevent chaos.”
"In Australia, chaos at the start is simply programmed so late in the grand prix. The first chicane is extremely fast, everyone wants to improve their position and goes into the dangerous first corner with over-motivation. I know what I’m talking about.
'Bad joke';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-joke-restart/
Schumacher feels FIA should be 'ashamed' in vicious attack over Australian Grand Prix call
Ralf Schumacher has aimed fire at the FIA for the red flag drama in the Australian Grand Prix, causing a multi-car late crash.
07:47, Fri, Apr 7, 2023
By Alex Turk
Daily and Sunday Express
Ralf Schumacher has slammed the FIA's decision for a second standing restart in the latter stages of the Australian Grand Prix, labelling it a 'bad joke'. Red flag drama threw the Melbourne race into chaos, and the former F1 driver believes a Safety Car could've helped avoid the late carnage that saw several cars crash out.
Schumacher has pointed to the first chicane in Melbourne being 'very fast', suggesting such a late restart was asking for trouble. In Australia, you can expect chaos on a restart this late in the Grand Prix. The first chicane is very fast. Everyone wants to improve their position and go for dangerous moves in the first corner due to too much motivation. I know what I'm talking about. Race management should be ashamed.”
'Ashamed';
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...d-Prix-F1-news
Ralf Schumacher: ‘Race Control should be ashamed of itself’ for ‘bad joke’ restart
06 Apr 2023 2:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Ralf Schumacher has lambasted Race Control for what he called a “bad joke” of a restart at the Australian Grand Prix, one that ended in carnage with multiple cars crashing out. Sport1 expert Peter Kohl agrees with the German.
“In the end, the race management is responsible for a million dollar bill, which is likely to tear huge holes in the limited budget,” he said. “The level of anger and frustration is correspondingly high. Was the last red flag necessary?”
“The race management has to put up with the criticism that part of the field was burned up because of the show. A rolling start would also have been possible, which certainly would not have left nearly such a mess. The Show Must Go On! – but because of the show you shouldn’t and shouldn’t throw any rational thought overboard.”
‘Million dollar bill’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ralf-s...ntrol-ashamed/
Guenther Steiner predicts chaos with proposed new sprint format
15 Apr 2023 3:30 PM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com
Guenther Steiner has warned F1 teams to prepare for “chaos” as Baku gets set to host two races in two days. The Azerbaijani capital is the venue for the first of six sprint races to be held in 2023 but unlike the other five host circuits, Baku is a street track and home to the narrowest section of any F1 circuit.
Haas team boss Steiner predicted there could be “chaos” at the race which is the next stop on the Formula 1 calendar. “It could be [chaotic], but that makes it interesting,” he told RACER. “Hopefully there is no chaos, but it could be. Baku is always a race…If you think in Australia we had three red flags can you imagine how many red flags we will have in Baku in two races?!”
“Absolutely, I brought it up last year for the first time,” Steiner said. “I said Saturday morning is just like watching grass grow basically because you are out there and you cannot do anything on the car, you just go round. Yeah, you learn something about tires, but is it worthwhile to do it? No. It will be much cooler like this.”
‘Prepare for “chaos””:
https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...sprint-format/
Boredom no reason to change F1 rules says Steiner
APRIL 12, 2023
GrandPrix.com
Gunther Steiner says Formula 1 must resist the temptation to react to Red Bull's dominance by changing the rules. "The sporting aspect is the most important thing to safeguard," he told motorsport-total.com.
"And I am confident that the others will catch up with Red Bull sooner or later anyway. I don't think they will have the same margin in the next 20 races," Steiner added.
"Everyone works hard and we must never forget that Red Bull received a penalty last year, the which will oblige them to have fewer hours of development in the wind tunnel, so theoretically they can't progress that much. Everyone will catch up, try to understand what Red Bull's advantage is and then copy it or do something similar," he predicted.
‘Boredom…’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/bored...s-steiner.html
-
Former F1 driver SLAMS idea of fourth US race and says Las Vegas is 'too glitzy'.
“Vegas is too glitzy for me. Maybe I am old fashioned but I want to go to Spa, Monza, Budapest. I even want to go to Monaco but now that isn’t even glitzy anymore compared to what’s going on here.” Gerhard Berger.
Thursday 20 April 2023
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Formula 1 should not have so many races in the United States, according to former F1 driver Gerhard Berger. 2023 will see three races in the USA, with the addition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November – with Stefano Domenicali hinting that a fourth could be added down the line.
F1 already visits Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix and Miami, which will be the fifth race of the 2023 season. Berger, whose best F1 result in America was a fourth in the 1987 Detroit Grand Prix, admitted he would prefer to see the pinnacle of motorsport race at traditional tracks he was accustomed to.
‘SLAMS idea of fourth US race’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...usa-las-vegas/
F1 targets 24-race schedule in 2024 but accepts calendar “does drain people”
2024 F1 season
Posted on 20th April 2023, 8:1320th April 2023, 7:04
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans
“We have a calendar, some of which [for] historical reasons, [has] gotten to 24,” said president of F1 owners Liberty Media last week. “It does drain people and there’s a lot of travel.” However F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said achieving that is not straightforward due to the competing needs of different race promoters. “Of course every single promoter has some reasons to have a certain weekend, a certain opportunity,” he said.
“We try to make sure that in the year after year we have a quite leaner approach, as much as we can, in order to minimise the movement. Because of course we have a very ambitious target with our carbon neutrality 2030, that has a big effect. We are a world championship, we are not doing it in the one single region, we’re moving it all around the world. So we take that very seriously.”
“Does drain people”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/20/...-drain-people/
F1 aiming to minimise travel as it targets 24-race calendar in 2024
20th April 2023, 11:02.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says it is “no secret” that a 24-race schedule is the target for 2024 but insists reducing travel between races is also under consideration. “Of course every single promoter has some reasons to have a certain weekend, a certain opportunity,” said Domenicali, as quoted by RaceFans.
“We try to make sure that in the year after year we have a quite leaner approach, as much as we can, in order to minimise the movement. Because of course we have a very ambitious target with our carbon neutrality 2030, that has a big effect.”
“We are a world championship, we are not doing it in the one single region, we’re moving it all around the world. So we take that very seriously.”
“No Secret”;
https://readmotorsport.com/2023/04/2...endar-in-2024/
Fans MOCK 'ridiculous' official F1 Instagram video.
Wednesday 19 April 2023 18:57
Chris Deeley
GPFans
The cartoonishly-styled video explains the basics of Formula 1 for newcomers, running through what a pitstop is, the qualifying and sprint race setups, and that the champion at the end of the season gets a trophy.
The comments weren't especially kind, not least to the American narration, one particularly heavily-liked comment just reading 'This is purely made for Americans'.
"Very bold of F1 to categorize Miami as an 'exciting street circuit'," read another, while a third joked that the video was clearly only made for fans who had come into the sport via Drive to Survive.
‘Fans MOCK’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...plainer-funny/
Williams expects F1 sprint format in Baku to cause ‘mayhem’
15:30 Wed, 19 Apr 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
The upcoming Formula 1 race weekend from Baku will see “mayhem” amid the sprint format, believes Williams Team Principal James Vowles. New plans that are being discussed would see two qualifying sessions, one each for the two races during the weekend.
As that would bring less practice time and more opportunities for teams around a circuit that has caused havoc in the past, Vowles believes that it could be a chaotic weekend. “Irrespective of whether the rules change or not, a sprint race weekend at that tight, twisty track where you go through the castle section is going to cause a little bit of mayhem.”
‘Mayhem sprint format’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-cause-mayhem/
Michelin CEO explains why they 'CANNOT AGREE' F1 return
Thursday 20 April 2023 13:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans
Michelin and Formula 1 have discussed a return to the sport for the tyre manufacturer, according to Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux. Menegaux has come out and vehemently denied any imminent Michelin involvement in the sport because organisers demand a 'good show'.
"The question is, how do we leverage technology to have a good show?" Menegaux said. "And that’s where F1 comes into play, because we have been discussing with them for a very long time and we are not in agreement.”
"Because they say to have the show, you have to have tires that destroy themselves. And I think we don’t know how to do this. So, we cannot agree. Teams should be understanding tire performance and capitalising on the fact that the tire is going to be performing from the first lap around the circuit to the last.”
'CANNOT AGREE';
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-talk-problem/
Michelin not interested in F1 tyres that “destroy themselves”
20th April 2023, 10:53.
Tyrepress
According to comments from Florent Menegaux, we shouldn’t expect to see Michelin in Formula One from 2025. Speaking to US-based automotive site The Drive, the chief executive stated that Michelin isn’t interested in supplying tyres to F1 unless the FIA alters its view on how they should perform. In short, the French firm doesn’t want to make tyres that liven proceedings by falling apart.
“Destroy themselves”;
https://www.tyrepress.com/2023/04/mi...oy-themselves/
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Alonso Giving Aston Martin ‘an Extra Level of Motivation’ in 2023 – Mike Krack.
“He is leading by example at all times. He’s there very early, he’s working really hard, and it is this lead by example that everybody just sees and grabs on and gives an extra level of motivation.” Mike Krack.
April 18, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag
Mike Krack says Fernando Alonso has brought a lot of ‘positiveness’ to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team since his arrival at the Silverstone-based team ahead of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.
Alonso made the surprise move from the BWT Alpine F1 Team to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin and has started the year with three consecutive podium finishes, which sees him also sit third in the Drivers’ Championship behind only the two Oracle Red Bull Racing drivers.
Aston Martin also sit second in the Constructors’ Championship thanks to his performances, and Team Principal Krack says Alonso has led by example since his arrival and has given everyone a lot of motivation. “I think it was a confirmation basically, of where he’s standing in the team,” Krack is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “He brought a lot of energy, a lot of positiveness when he arrived.”
‘Extra Level of Motivation’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...23-mike-krack/
Alonso ‘leading by example at all times’ says Krack as he reflects on Aston Martin’s journey to podium contenders
20 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Aston Martin Team Principal Mike Krack has heaped praise on driver Fernando Alonso for the leadership he has brought to the team – as he also reflected on their 12-month journey to currently sit second in the standings.
“He brought a lot of energy, a lot of positiveness when he arrived. He is leading by example at all times. He's there very early, he's working really hard, and it is this lead by example that everybody just sees and grabs on and gives an extra level of motivation.”
“I think the singing of the name was like a confirmation also for him that he really brought a lot into the team. And it was the 100th podium for him, so I think that is also a nice way of celebrating it. I think we were the only team who had not scored any points, with a car that was difficult to drive, very slow, and with drivers that were starting to lose confidence in the team, in the car,” said Krack.
‘Leading by example at all times’
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...3TdZHNkmA.html
‘Sebastian Vettel could not motivate Aston Martin like Fernando Alonso has’
19 Apr 2023 12:15 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Fernando Alonso does bring more to the Aston Martin party than Sebastian Vettel did, but Christian Danner says that’s based on motivation with the Spaniard all-in. Speed, though, isn’t the only thing Alonso has brought to the Aston Martin table, team boss Mike Krack recently talking up his “enthusiasm and seemingly inexhaustible energy.
He added: “He is truly fascinating to work with, he sweeps us all away like a powerful wave. You just have to listen to his comments on the radio. They are proof of his enthusiasm. [Alonso] says very clearly: I don’t have a plan B, I’m a racing driver, that’s it. That’s a big difference.”
“You just have to talk to Tom McCullough. It’s amazing how Alonso electrifies people. He has energy and can always implement what needs to be implemented. That’s something that Vettel could certainly be in the beginning, but he was so far away from Formula 1 last year with all his bee hotels and all the things he did there, that as a result he was no longer as good at [motivating the team] as Alonso is still.”
‘Inexhaustible Energy: “I don’t have a plan B”;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebast...rnando-alonso/
ASTON MARTIN SET TO CHANGE ENGINE SUPPLIERS FOR 2026?
The Silverstone-based team, currently known as Aston Martin, has run Mercedes engines since the 2009 season. But could they switch to one of Mercedes's competitors for the 2026 Formula One season?
April 18, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds
Aston Martin could become Honda’s exclusive partner for the 2026 season onwards. Aston Martin has had a dream start to their Formula One 2023 championship campaign. They currently sit P2 in the constructors’ championship and have scored a podium at every race this season so far.
While the Silverstone-based outfit is experiencing unprecedented success, owner Lawrence Stroll is still demanding more from his team. Although the team doesn’t look able to challenge Red Bull on race day at the moment, they could be championship rivals in the future.
Along with building Formula One’s first smart factory, Aston Martin could be set to make more significant changes in the future. The Spanish edition of Motorsport.com is reporting a potential partnership between the Silverstone-based team and Honda for the 2026 season. They have said: “According to information collected by Motorsport.com, Honda’s leadership is currently only moving in one direction, and that is Aston Martin.”
‘Silverstone-based team and Honda’;
https://www.formulanerds.com/news/as.../?nowprocket=1
F1 rumours: The only F1 team that could facilitate Honda’s official F1 2026 return
19 Apr 2023 11:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
A surprise name has entered the running to partner Honda come 2026, Aston Martin said to be the team that the Japanese manufacturer “wants” to join up with. Honda have had an erratic return to Formula 1, winning the World title with Red Bull in 2021 only to withdrawn as their official engine supplier.
But they then did a U-turn, signing a one-year deal with Red Bull to support the Red Bull Powertrain division in powering the team and AlphaTauri for 2022, only to then extend that until 2025 with the teams effectively running rebadged Honda engines.
In the midst of Honda’s in or out, the company then went and signed up for Formula 1 2026, the year the new engine regulations come into effect, but Red Bull had already committed to Ford with Honda’s indecisiveness cited as the cause. Now Aston Martin is being named as the Japanese manufacturer’s likely destination.
‘Honda’s official F1 2026 return’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-rum...1-2026-return/
Could Aston Martin switch to Honda power in F1 2026?
Could the team that we currently know as Aston Martin be the recipient of a Honda power unit when Formula 1’s new rules arrive in 2026?
14:05 Wed, 19 Apr 2023.
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com
That possibility is one of the more intriguing stories to have emerged during the sport’s April break, and while it may sound a little far-fetched, history has shown that anything can happen in F1, especially when it comes to juggling team identities and PU suppliers. Back in December, Aston technical director Dan Fallows stressed that there are no plans in place at the moment to reduce the reliance on Mercedes, but he left the door open for future changes.
“Honestly, what we look at in the future is all open, really. Lawrence is very open about his ambitions for this team, and I think we always have to evaluate what is the next thing that will help us become more competitive.” The key consideration is that once you have your own in-house gearbox capability, switching PU suppliers becomes much easier, as you are no longer relying on a package deal. It also gives you total freedom in terms of the car design and concept.
The above steps could happen even with a Mercedes PU in the back of the AMR26 in 2026, but a bespoke engine would be the ultimate step towards independence for Stroll. If anyone can find a way for an Aston chassis to run a Honda engine – with or without official badging from the latter – then surely Stroll is the man who can make it happen.
‘One of the more intriguing stories’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...2026/10458254/
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F1 media accused of staging tension between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
While claiming the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez has been grossly exaggerated by the media, Dutch driver Michael Bleekemolen concedes Perez’s own words haven’t helped.
21 Apr 2023 1:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Both drivers have insisted several times that all is well, as too has their team boss Christian Horner, and yet the niggles over fastest laps, team communication and deleted tweets saying “I want to be a champion” have kept the media interested.
But it’s tension that Bleekemolen feels has been grossly exaggerated. “There is always a battle between two drivers in every team,” he told GPFans NL. “Not only in Formula 1, but everywhere. It is one thing that you have to be faster.”
“I also think that the media is a bit guilty of it. Everything is just thrown together with exciting statements. Phrases are cut out to stick it together differently. Then they suddenly turn into hateful comments towards each other. I think it’s not that bad. Still, I think they both want to finish for each other.”
‘All is well’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/media-...-sergio-perez/
Long-time F1 driver makes BOLD Perez prediction
Friday 21 April 2023 13:27
Harry Smith
GPFans
Ex-F1 driver Pedro De La Rosa has made a prediction about Sergio Perez's future in Formula 1 with Red Bull, suggesting that the Mexican could be around beyond the end of his current contract. Perez's current Red Bull contract carries him to the end of the 2024 F1 season, but the rumours regarding his future with the team have already begun.
These rumours have been further fuelled by Daniel Ricciardo's return to the Red Bull setup, while Yuki Tsunoda's impressive performances for AlphaTauri have also heaped the pressure on Perez.
Signs of this pressure were on show in Melbourne when Checo beached his Red Bull car into the gravel during qualifying, leaving him at the back of the field for the Grand Prix.
‘BOLD Perez prediction’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ro-de-la-rosa/
Pedro de la Rosa explains why Max Verstappen could retire before Sergio Perez
21 Apr 2023 6:45 AM
Michelle Foster
Racing for midfield teams for most of his F1 career, Pedro de la Rosa believes Sergio Perez will have more desire to prolong his time in the sport than his team-mate Max Verstappen.
Verstappen, 25, has often spoken about the longevity of his Formula 1 career with the double World Champion making it clear he won’t be doing a Fernando Alonso and racing into his 40s.
In fact his current Red Bull deal, which runs until 2028, could be his last with the driver keen on pursuing other racing activities outside of Formula 1. That’s in sharp contrast to Perez, 33, whose father recently stated he “will be in F1 for the next 10 years” such is his desire to succeed with Red Bull.
‘More desire to prolong his time’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/pedro-...-sergio-perez/
Red Bull 'definitely catchable' despite F1 clean sweep fears
21 April 8:55AM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley believes Red Bull is surmountable despite a dominant start to the new Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have shared the opening three pole positions and race wins with the RB19 proving too quick for rival teams, the duo untouchable on their way to victory.
Two-time champion Verstappen made light work of working his way through the field from 15th to second at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix having beaten nearest non-Red Bull rival Fernando Alonso to the chequered flag in Bahrain by 38 seconds.
Such has been Red Bull's performance in the opening rounds that rivals have warned each of the 20 remaining races could be won by Verstappen and Perez - a feat that is yet to be completed by any team in F1 history.
'Definitely catchable'
https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-d...hitewash-fears
Christian Horner suggests six teams have broken Formula 1 cost cap
21st April 2023, 10:05.
Kieran Jackson
The Independent
Red Bull were found guilty of a minor overspend breach of the 2021 financial regulations – but Horner says teams have stated in meetings that they are worried about breaking the 2022 budget cap. As many as six teams could be in breach of the Formula 1 cost cap for 2022, according to Red Bull chiefs Christian Horner and Helmut Marko.
Controversy overshadowed Red Bull’s double world championship triumph last year when they were found to be guilty of a minor overspend breach of the 2021 F1 budget cap – the first year such regulations were enforced. Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10% of their car development time
Yet there is now concern growing amongst the paddock about last year’s sums, which were submitted to the FIA on 31 March. As a result of the tough economic climate and inflation, Horner revealed that as many as six teams have made it known at F1 Commission meetings that they are at risk of missing the 2022 cost-cap figure, which stands at £111m.
‘Formula 1 cost cap’;
https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2324125.html
F1 CEO ‘more than nervous’ as Red Bull says ‘six teams’ over cost cap
08:57 Thu, 20 Apr 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says he is “more than nervous” in anticipation of last year’s budget cap findings. A cost cap was first introduced in 2021 with the aim of reducing the spending gap between teams and making the sport more competitive in the long term.
It was issued a fine of $7m as well as docked time allocated to development at its factory. Final submissions of the 2022 accounts were submitted last month and are due to be reviewed by the Cost Cap Administration. “I’m more than nervous,” Domenicali told Sky Sports.
‘Six teams’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...over-cost-cap/
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Wolff makes big promise: We will consistently bring upgrades.
"The machine is continuing to run in Brixworth and Brackley at a fast pace," continued Wolff.
21 April 8:00AM
Author Luke Murphy
RacingNews365
When discussing the four-week break and the upcoming events, Wolff shared his excitement at the number of developments being brought to the race weekends, but fired a warning to keep expectations "realistic".
"But there is no such thing as a magic bullet that transforms the car, and it's about being realistic with your expectations. Hopefully we will see a steady improvement. What you see on track is only the tip of the iceberg, but the performance of the car and Power Unit is made in these two factories. The mindset is great, the spirit is there and I see a lot of buzz.”
"I believe 100 percent in our organisation, because our perspective is not always on a single race weekend, not even a single season. It's on trying to build our capability so we are successful over multiple years, while recognising the fact you are never going to win every single season, because no sports team has ever done it."
‘Lot of buzz’;
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-make...bring-upgrades
Lewis Hamilton may get what he wants as Toto Wolff issues update on Mercedes development.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has spoken out on what supporters can expect when Lewis Hamilton and George Russell return to the track.
22:58, Thu, Apr 20, 2023
By Charlie Gordon
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton may finally get the competitive car he desires as Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has talked up recent behind-the-scenes developments. A four-week break from competitive action has given the Silver Arrows a chance to work intensively on this year's W14, which is still some way off Red Bull in terms of pace.
Thankfully for Hamilton, who has pulled no punches in publicly calling for engineers to take drivers' recommendations more seriously, Wolff believes that the team are on the 'right trajectory' from what he has seen at the factory.
"In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go and I believe we are on the right trajectory," Toto Wolff told Mercedes' official website.
‘Pulled no punches’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...rcedes-f1-news
Toto Wolff says Mercedes are now on 'right trajectory' with W14 car but prepared for more setbacks
Last Updated: 20/04/23 6:34pm
By Jonathan Green
Sky Sports
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes are now on the "right trajectory" with their car although acknowledges there will likely be further setbacks in 2023.
However after an improved display at the Australian GP, in which Hamilton finished second to claim the team's first podium of the year, Wolff believes the team now know what is required to improve the W14.
'Right trajectory';
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...-more-setbacks
'No sense of entitlement about top spot' at Mercedes
20/04/2023 at 4:04
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has scotched suggestions that his squad feels any sense of entitlement to a top spot on the grid in Formula 1. "We realised we weren’t coming out of the blocks where we expected to be," he acknowledged. "Having said that, we don’t feel any sense of entitlement.
"We [have been] successful over multiple years, while recognising the fact you are never going to win every single season, because no sports team has ever done it.
“This is the toughest competition in the world," he pointed out. "It wouldn’t be such a fantastic challenge if it was easy ... It’s about being realistic with your expectations. Hopefully we will see a steady improvement."
'No sense of entitlement’;
https://f1i.com/news/471776-no-sense...-mercedes.html
Wolff offers hope for 2023: We've 'defined a clear direction'.
Despite a "difficult" start to 2023 for Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff is feeling hopeful about what is to come from the car in the next few races on the calendar.
20 April 12:15PM
Author Anna Francis
RacingNews365
With ups and downs expected along the way, Wolff hopes that the team can "stay rational" throughout the process.
"It's also important to keep on track and not oscillate too much between exuberance and depression; to stay rational and believe in our trajectory, believe in the capability of the team," he added.
"There will be setbacks but there will also be upgrades and plenty of work that will help us get closer to the front."
'Defined a clear direction';
https://racingnews365.com/wolff-offe...lear-direction
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Brown says both McLaren drivers are now ‘pushing each other’ as he praises Piastri’s motivation.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes his team have a driver line-up capable of “pushing each other” this season, with the American revealing that he expects rookie Oscar Piastri to soon match the pace of his six-time podium sitter team mate Lando Norris.
21 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes his team have a driver line-up capable of “pushing each other” this season, with the American revealing that he expects rookie Oscar Piastri to soon match the pace of his six-time podium sitter team mate Lando Norris.
Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix – Piastri’s first race in Formula 1 in his native Melbourne – Brown was asked what Piastri had brought to McLaren. He replied: “What we want to have… is two drivers that are pushing each other. And I think early indications are that Oscar will be on the same pace as Lando, and the two of them will push each other hard.”
“And that's what you want out of your two drivers, to know that it's kind of down to you, as a team, to provide them with a car to get to the front. So, I'm confident when you look down the list of things you need to have a winning team, having two Grand Prix drivers is critically important and I think we've got that.”
‘Pushing each other’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...W9srVKWDw.html
Norris highlights benefit of Piastri over Ricciardo
Sunday 23rd April, 2023 - 6:00am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe
Lando Norris feels he and Oscar Piastri are providing a consistency of feedback that is proving a benefit to McLaren in contrast to what he previously experienced with Daniel Ricciardo. The season so far has been a difficult one for both drivers given the limitations of a car which is forcing Norris to overdrive as he has been unable to get into a rhythm with the MCL60.
“I think he’s understood the car well,” said British driver Norris. “It’s obviously not an easy car to drive. I think that’s been made clear by past drivers and with comments I’ve made over the years. He did a very good job in Saudi (Arabia). He got into Q3 – the only Q3 this year so far (for McLaren). With regard to feedback and everything, our comments are probably a little bit more in line than what they have been in previous years, which again is a good thing.”
“Just because it’s a better dynamic for keeping the focus for the engineers, the aerodynamicists, and the rest of the team back at the MTC (McLaren Technology Centre). We kind of want the same thing in general, and I think that’s a good thing, It’s clear from our side. So yeah, from both sides – off track and on track – (it is) good stuff, and yeah, he is keeping me on my toes.”
‘Consistency of feedback’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/23...iel-ricciardo/
Nowhere near as bad as it seems - McLaren 2023 season review so far
Saturday 22 April 2023 14:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans
McLaren were perceived as perhaps the slowest car on the grid before the Bahrain Grand Prix, yet they find themselves fifth just three races later. In actual fact, the papaya presence has been so common at the front of the midfield that it came as a surprise to see them struggle to make Q2 in Sakhir. But their problems are nowhere near as bad as anybody is trying to make out right now.
Just looking at Bahrain, Oscar Piastri's debut Formula 1 race ended with him having electrical issues and Lando Norris' progress was curtailed by a persistent engine issue. Despite the need to pit every 10 laps as a result, Norris was still keeping up with the podium battle, albeit a lap down, which proved the speed in the car.
Despite being fifth in the standings after three rounds, McLaren won't be satisfied with their performance so far, and big upgrades are expected in Azerbaijan. Luckily for them, they know the main issue that needs to be resolved and they can focus a lot of their attention on it to get it solved. The car is just far too draggy right now, and it means they get little impact from the DRS when they get the chance to use it.
‘The papaya presence’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...season-review/
Why McLaren’s sure overhaul is no ‘wretchedly unworkable’ repeat
Apr 20 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race
McLaren’s overhauled technical organisation looks on the surface quite similar to a problematic and much-derided structure from the Formula 1 team’s not-too-distant past. An aerospace-inspired ‘matrix’ arrangement was adopted by McLaren under Martin Whitmarsh, sharing leadership responsibilities across multiple departments.
It led to patterns of three among the technical leadership – Adrian Newey, Tim Goss and Paddy Lowe, for example. Or latterly Goss, Peter Prodromou and Matt Morris. But the ‘three technical heads’ set-up was picked apart as Zak Brown assumed more control in the late-2010s and overhauled the structure.
But team principal Andrea Stella, who experienced the final years of the old, flawed arrangement, insists “the only common thing in that organisation and this one is the number three”. “The rest is completely different,” he says. “At the time, when I joined McLaren in 2015, there were three technical directors.”
‘Wretchedly unworkable’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-m...-team-blunder/
Brown reveals McLaren technical leadership changes were ‘in the works’ since late 2022
19 April 2023
Formula One - Official Site
McLaren boss Zak Brown has admitted that change was on the agenda inside the team from the closing stages of the 2022 season, with their rate of car development failing to live up to expectations.
“We had a Team Principal change at the end of the year and the first thing I did with Andrea was kind of help figure out, ‘Why aren’t we developing at the pace that we need to?’ He’s come up with a restructure, a model that really puts the three departments that you put together to build a fast race car: aero, concept and engineering.”
“Fortunately, Andrea’s very technical himself, so we have a technical Team Principal. Those three groups will come together and work hard to give us a fast race car, and I think they’ll have some impact yet this year.”
‘In the works’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...qFzGA6SUg.html
Stella: McLaren structure "completely different" from confusing 2015 F1 era.
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says that the Woking outfit's three-way split of technical director responsibilities is not the same as a previous model that was deemed unsuccessful.
11:58 Thu, 20 Apr 2023.
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com
Stella insists that the current arrangement cannot be compared with the earlier version. "I think the only common thing in that organisation and this one is the number three," he said.
"The rest is completely different. At the time, which is when I joined McLaren in 2015, there were three technical directors. I think the separation of competencies was very confusing. Even for internal people, it was quite difficult to understand who was doing what.”
“And the first difference is that now we know exactly what the criteria are for this separation. In the structure that we have deployed, we want to have clear leadership in relation to the three fundamental areas to make quick cars in modern F1, which are aerodynamics, car concept and engineering.”
‘McLaren structure "completely different" ’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...-era/10458605/
Brown slammed for axing Honda, Ricciardo at McLaren
16:23 Thu, 20 Apr 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been criticised by former Ferrari and Williams team manager Peter Windsor for the decision to remove Honda and Daniel Ricciardo during his time at the helm. With McLaren struggling early in the 2023 season, Windsor, now an experienced F1 journalist, has questioned several of the calls Brown has committed to during his time in the hot seat at Woking.
“He got rid of Ron Dennis’s MP nomenclature, which upset Ron a bit. He’s got ‘MCL’ now,” Windsor began on his YouTube channel. “I think that was quite a big thing. It was a bigger thing than we realised at the time because Ron has taken that quite personally, because Ron likes to think MP4/1 was the start of the real McLaren.”
“Then, when he went in, he got rid of [the] Honda engines pretty quickly, which were free to McLaren, and replaced them with Mercedes, which he had to buy, and I think the number is £23million that he suddenly had to go from what they weren’t paying to what they suddenly had to pay as a Mercedes customer team. So he got rid of Honda. And Honda went on to win World Championships and he’s a Mercedes customer team. You have to say, looking back now, it was a pretty dodgy decision,” he remarked.
‘Slammed - Honda went on to win World Championships’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...do-at-mclaren/
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Lewis Hamilton branded a 'spoiled little boy' in vicious attack over 'whining' F1 antics.
“He’s a whiner, you know. The tyres, the strategy, he questions everything, and he has screwed up. When you have a [teammate] who is faster than you, it is normal to be quiet and put your head under your wing.” Joan Villadelprat.
14:22, Sun, Apr 23, 2023.
By Stuart Ballard
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton has been labelled a "spoiled little boy" by former McLaren and Ferrari employee Joan Villadelprat for being a "whiner" about Mercedes' lack of pace once again this season. It's been a disappointing campaign so far for the Silver Arrows after promising so much in the build-up to the 2023 season.
But Villadelprat believes Hamilton has voiced his opinion too much in a scathing attack on the British racing superstar. "Hamilton is fed up and, if he doesn’t win, he’s like a spoiled little boy: you either win or you break the toys,” he told El Confidencial. “I think he hasn’t lost but, after seven titles… What motivates you? Well, win another. And you’re not going to risk your skin if you don’t have that car.”
"What is evident is that Hamilton is not the same as his first or second championship.” Hamilton finished behind team-mate George Russell in the Drivers' Championship last year.
‘Vicious attack’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...lprat-Mercedes
'Leclerc talking to Mercedes' and the truth about Hamilton and Ferrari - F1 insider.
Sunday 23 April 2023 12:57
Graham Shaw
GPFans
The future of Lewis Hamilton is likely to be the biggest domino to fall in F1 in 2023, and what he does next will have a massive knock-on effect. If Hamilton does decide to end his love affair with Mercedes after claiming six world titles during a glorious run with the Silver Arrows, it will leave a prized seat to be claimed.
According to respected F1 insider Leo Turrini, the man who appears most likely to step into the breach is none other than Charles Leclerc, currently enduring a very frustrating time at Ferrari. Turrini then says current Ferrari president John Elkann enquired about Hamilton's contract situation in 2019, but the British star was very happy winning titles at Mercedes.
Turrini claims that Leclerc, contracted to the end of 2024 at Maranello, is already in contact with the Silver Arrows, explaining in his latest blog for Quotidiano Nazionale: "That Leclerc is talking to Mercedes is the open secret. Everyone knows it, from the remote garage in Maranello to the Indian Ocean.”
‘Massive knock-on effect’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ni-f1-insider/
‘Fed up whiner’ Lewis Hamilton ‘not the same driver’ any more
23 Apr 2023 11:30 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
A former F1 team manager has dubbed Lewis Hamilton a “spoiled little boy” and that he is no longer the same driver as when he won the title in 2008.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Spanish publication El Confidencial, Villadelprat, who worked for McLaren and Ferrari during his long F1 career as well as Benetton, Tyrrell and Prost, appeared distinctly unimpressed by the seven-time World Champion when asked about whether he feels Hamilton is struggling to match his new teammate George Russell.
Russell has out-qualified Hamilton on three successive occasions and had seized the lead of the Australian Grand Prix ahead of Hamilton in the early stages of the race in Melbourne until an engine issue took him out of contention.
‘Fed up whiner’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...e-same-driver/
Jordan urges Hamilton to consider Ferrari switch in ‘nonsense’ claim.
Pundit says “every great champion” needs to drive for the Scuderia
23rd April 2023.10:27
By Marc Mayo
Evening Standard
Lewis Hamilton risks going “stale” at Mercedes and should therefore consider a move to Ferrari, according to Eddie Jordan.
“I think he would like to win his eighth title but I have a passion in that I think he should go to Ferrari - but that’s just me talking nonsense,” Jordan told talkSPORT.
“I think if there’s an opportunity to go somewhere he should go to Ferrari because every great champion should at least have a spell at Ferrari because it just oozes with style and grandeur.”
‘Needs to drive for the Scuderia’;
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/b1076068.html
Lewis Hamilton’s public criticism has angered Toto Wolff
Mercedes is failing to keep up with its Red Bull rivals for the second season in a row, as it struggles to adapt to the new era of regulations.
22 April 2023
by Edward Hardy
Formula1News
Lewis Hamilton has not been afraid to be open about his thoughts on the performance of the Mercedes W14 so far this season, criticising the design. In front of reporters, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff supported Hamilton’s view, highlighting that he is also “not happy where the team, where the car has been developed to.”
However, former Formula 1 team boss Eddie Jordan believes that the comments from Hamilton will have caused a rift back at the team’s base between himself and Wolff. “As a team owner you wouldn’t have liked it,” Jordan told Express Sport.
“However, if I was a driver and I heard the team owner saying that ‘I think the engineers have let us down and they have missed something here, and they have missed something there’, I’m critical of Toto and I’m critical of the team.”
“Rift back at the team’s base”;
https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...ed-toto-wolff/
Lewis Hamilton has ‘gone stale’ at Mercedes says Eddie Jordan who compares star to David Beckham and says ‘it’s time to move on’
22nd April 2023, 1:43 pm
Connor Andrews
talkSPORT
Lewis Hamilton has been told to leave Mercedes to avoid ‘going stale’ by former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan – who want him to join Ferrari. Jordan Grand Prix founder turned F1 pundit Eddie Jordan spoke to talkSPORT’s On Track show, and explained why he thinks it’s time for a move.
“I think he would like to win his eighth title but I have a passion in that I think he should go to Ferrari but that’s just me talking nonsense,” Jordan began. “The reason why is I don’t want him to become stale, and I think when he was at McLaren he did well but he moved quickly to Mercedes.”
“I was one of the people with Nikki Lauda who helped that happen, and then there was a refreshed, rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton, and we know what he’s done since then, however, I think it’s time he moved on. I think if there’s an opportunity to go somewhere he should go to Ferrari because every great champion should at least have a spell at Ferrari because it just oozes with style and grandeur.”
‘Gone stale’;
https://talksport.com/sport/motorsport/1402155/
Why Mercedes adversity will make Hamilton more dangerous
22 April 12:05PM
Author Ewan Gale
RacingNews365
Lewis Hamilton has been unable to avenge his 2021 defeat to Max Verstappen as Mercedes battle issues. But will the adversity faced by the seven-time champion make him a more dangerous rival when given competitive machinery? There have been so many moments in which Hamilton has overcome on-track adversity to secure success.
Who can forget the complete turnaround from disconsolation in the wake of prematurely giving up on his British Grand Prix qualifying attempt in wet-dry conditions in 2014, slipping to sixth on the grid? The dejection stoked emotion in anyone watching the post-session interviews on television, yet on race day Hamilton roared back to secure the victory.
What about the 2021 sprint event at Interlagos where Hamilton was controversially dropped to the back of the grid after qualifying when the FIA discovered his DRS slot gap did not conform to regulations? He put the disappointment behind him, despite the tension of battling for the title with Verstappen, to surge through the field in the sprint to finish fifth, before overcoming a further five-place grid penalty for an engine change to secure victory from 10th on the grid.
‘More dangerous’;
https://racingnews365.com/why-merced...more-dangerous
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Felipe Massa 'follows lawyer orders' after launching bid to strip Lewis Hamilton of title.
Lewis Hamilton could be stripped of his maiden world title after Felipe Massa launched a bid to bring legal proceedings into the Crashgate scandal of 2008.
12:57, Sun, Apr 23, 2023
By Benjamin Goddard
Daily and Sunday Express
Brazilian ex-F1 star Felipe Massa is reportedly 'following lawyer's orders' by keeping silent and refraining from making public statements after launching his bid to strip Lewis Hamilton of his 2008 world title. The 41-year-old finished second and a single point behind Hamilton in the 2008 Drivers' Championship - but that could now be overturned.
Comments made by F1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone could mean the result of the world championship being overturned 15 years after Hamilton won his maiden world title. The incident being challenged was during the Singapore Grand Prix when Massa dropped vital points after a pit stop error resulted in the Brazilian finishing 13th while Hamilton took third.
'Follows lawyer orders';
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...milton-F1-news
Bernie Ecclestone blamed for causing Lewis Hamilton title row as legal options discussed
Lewis Hamilton is at the centre of a surprise move from Felipe Massa to get the result of the 2008 F1 World Championship overturned.
09:08, Tue, Apr 11, 2023
By Stuart Ballard
Daily and Sunday Express
Bernie Ecclestone has caused a "fire" with his claim that Felipe Massa was 'cheated' out of winning the 2008 World Championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton. That's the opinion of Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel, who believes there is "zero" chance the title gets overturned.
Ecclestone caused a stir last month when he claimed the result of the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix should have been cancelled after learning of Nelson Piquet Jr's deliberate crash. The former F1 supremo decided against taking a stand at the time, admitting he found out about the deliberate crash during the 2008 season, before the story eventually came out a year later.
‘Caused a "fire" ’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-legal-options
Ex-F1 driver tells Felipe Massa ‘there’s a time limit’ on Lewis Hamilton title dispute
18 Apr 2023 10:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Felipe Massa should stop all talk of seeking legal action over the 2008 World title with former British F1 driver Tiff Needell saying it’s too late for that. He told Express Sport: “You can’t cancel it now. From that race on people ran tactics from the points that were on the board.
“If he’d appealed for the race to be null and void but I guess they didn’t know it was deliberate. As soon as they had announced it, if they had put an appeal in then, then maybe. There’s a time limit.”
‘There’s a time limit’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ex-f1-...-2008-dispute/
‘Crashgate’ cost Ferrari that F1 title. So did a familiar fault
Apr 15 2023
By Mark Hughes
The Race
If the only races which counted towards the 2008 world championship were those which had not been illegally subverted, then Felipe Massa would be Ferrari’s most recent Formula 1 world champion. The defrauding of the outcome of Singapore that year lost Massa a race he would otherwise almost certainly have won and in hindsight it lost him the title.
Ferrari and Massa elected not to pursue legal resolutions at the time, when the scandal made its way out into the open. But Singapore 2008 has been in the news again as of late, due to Massa publicly reconsidering that stance.
‘Crashgate’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/crash...amiliar-fault/
Massa could have won title despite ‘Crashgate’ – Piquet Jnr
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 15th April 2023, 0:0114th April 2023, 20:12
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans
Nelson Piquet Jnr says the crash he caused during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix needn’t have cost Felipe Massa the world championship that year. Massa is seeking legal action over the race, which Fernando Alonso won after Piquet, his Renault team mate, deliberately crashed in order to cause a Safety Car period. During that period Massa pitted but suffered a botched pit stop which ended his chances of scoring any points.
Piquet insisted his crash wasn’t done “to affect a person directly – it was a team order to help someone within our team. It wasn’t to disturb Felipe,” he told the Pelas Pistas podcast. “It was nothing like that. We don’t know what happened, you know? Felipe could very well have won that race if that hadn’t happened at the pit stop.”
“It wasn’t to disturb Felipe”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/04/15/...nd-up-15-04-6/
McLaren brutally troll Felipe Massa on TikTok after threat to Lewis Hamilton's title
Felipe Massa is looking at taking legal action over Lewis Hamilton's 2008 F1 World Championship.
12:05, Thu, Apr 13, 2023
By Stuart Ballard
Daily and Sunday Express
McLaren have poked fun at Felipe Massa's plea to have the result of the 2008 F1 season overturned for being in 'denial' at Lewis Hamilton's title. Bernie Ecclestone sensationally revealed recently that he "decided not to do anything" to protect F1 from a "huge scandal" after learning of Nelson Piquet Jr's intentional crash at the Singapore Grand Prix.
‘Brutally Troll’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ton-2008-title
McLaren aim dig at Felipe Massa amid dispute over Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 title win
Thursday 13 Apr 2023 11:52 am
Callum McAvoy
Metro.co.uk
Sir Lewis Hamilton’s former team McLaren have jokingly slated Felipe Massa’s claim that the 2008 Formula One title belongs to him. It remains to be seen whether Massa, who retired in 2017 having never again challenged for an F1 title, will actually take the matter to court but the 41-year-old seems adamant that he should be considered a world champion.
‘I think if you’ve been punished for something that wasn’t your fault, and it’s the product of a robbery, a stolen race, justice has to be served,’ the 11-time grand prix winner told Motorsport.com. ‘In fact, the right situation is to cancel the result of that race. It is the only justice that can be done in a case like this.’
‘McLaren aim dig’;
https://metro.co.uk/2023/04/13/lewis...o=newsnow-feed
McLaren pokes fun at Massa as he considers action over F1 2008 title outcome
13:26 Thu, 13 Apr 2023.
by Motorsport Week
Ecclestone recently claimed that Max Mosley, then the president of the FIA, knew about the situation during the 2008 season but “decided not to do anything for now”. Massa said that he was “very sad” to hear that Mosley was aware of the incident, and understands that it is unlikely anything will change.
“There are rules, and there are many things that, depending on the country, you cannot go back after 15 years to resolve a situation,” he said. “But I intend to study the situation; study what the laws say, and the rules. We have to have an idea of what is possible to do.”
Amid the situation, McLaren has opted to post a TikTok using a viral sound that contains ‘Denial is a river in Egypt’ (a play on the words ‘The Nile’). Almost 24 hours after the video has been posted, it has over half a million views as well as over 100,000 likes.
‘McLaren pokes fun’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...title-outcome/
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All talk and no walk - Alpine 2023 season review so far.
The drivers are holding up their end of the bargain right now, they need the team to start doing the same and deliver on the hype they drummed up themselves before a wheel was turned.
Friday 21 April 2023 15:28
Joe Ellis
GPFans
All the talk coming out of Enstone before the 2023 Formula 1 season suggested that this year's Alpine car would be even better than 2022's edition. Podiums and fights with Mercedes and Ferrari were the aim for the French manufacturer, with a car below the minimum weight limit which would allow them to use ballast to gain a performance advantage.
But that extreme focus on weight loss has seemingly caused them to neglect the other fundamentals they need to be successful. They are still probably the pick of the midfield, but Alpine were hoping to be out of that conversation and among the big teams this year, similar to how Aston Martin have progressed.
‘All talk and no walk’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...season-review/
‘No Point Racing’ if Alpine Do Not Believe they can replicate Aston Martin-like Progress – Ocon
April 18, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag
Esteban Ocon has full belief that his BWT Alpine F1 Team can contend at the front of the field much like the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team, and if he didn’t, he says there would be ‘no point in racing’.
Aston Martin made a big jump in performance ahead of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season and currently sit second in the Constructors’ Championship after the first three races of the season, three races where Fernando Alonso has finished on the podium. Ocon says that Alpine’s engineers should have the same kind of belief that they can make a big leap forward after seeing what Aston Martin have done, and they should give up in they lose that belief.
“We have to in our mind think it is possible, otherwise there’s no point racing,” Ocon is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “If you think about it, we finished the season in December and when we restarted it was end of February, beginning of March. So it’s about three, four months.
‘Think it is possible’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...progress-ocon/
Alpine dismiss concerns over impact of 'costly' Australia crash
23 April 8:55AM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
The Australian Grand Prix ended in disaster for Alpine, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon making contact at the penultimate race restart which resulted in both retiring. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer has explained whether this could affect the squad in terms of the cost cap. When asked about the ramifications from this on the budget cap, Szafnauer voiced his confidence that the team would not be too greatly affected.
"From a budget cap perspective, I think we are going to be okay, from everything I know," the Team Principal explained to media, including RacingNews365.com. "So I don't think there's any concerns. It will be costly so, from a money perspective, it probably would have been a lot less costly had it not happened."
‘Dismiss concerns’;
https://racingnews365.com/alpine-dis...ustralia-crash
Alpine boss reveals COSTLY issue ahead of Baku
Monday 17 April 2023 21:17
Sam Hall
GPFans
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed Alpine is battling to have enough parts ready for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon collided following a late-red flag restart at the Australian Grand Prix, with both drivers retiring as a result of significant damage sustained.
While the pair have apologised for the contact and moved on, Alpine faces a race against time to simultaneously build a parts store and manufacture upgrades ahead of the Baku weekend. Asked how tough it will be to be ready in time for Azerbaijan, Szafnauer said: "From getting parts ready for the next race, I don’t know yet. It’s a little bit too early to tell. But we will pull out all of the stops to get ample spares to the next race and the upgrade we have coming.”
‘Pull out all of the stops’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...stralia-smash/
Alpine expects Baku F1 upgrade to be a ‘reasonable step’
10:36 Wed, 19 Apr 2023.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport
Alpine chief technical officer Pat Fry says the team’s first major upgrade of the year at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix should be a “reasonable step”. The Enstone-based outfit has acknowledged it needs to begin making strides with its in-season development and is planning to introduce its first significant car updates for Baku.
“As last year, we’ve got a reasonable upgrade plan running,” said Fry, as quoted by The Race. “We should have a reasonable step for Baku and then more coming through, so at race four and race six [Imola] there should be some reasonable steps coming.”
‘Reasonable steps coming’;
https://readmotorsport.com/2023/04/1...asonable-step/
Alpine confident of challenging Mercedes in coming F1 races
10:41 Sun, 23 Apr 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer is confident the addition of some upgrades will enable it to take the fight to Mercedes in the coming Formula 1 races. Alpine is planning to debut an extensive upgrade package at the next round in Azerbaijan – plus further new parts a week later in Miami – and Szafnauer is confident the developments will bring the team nearer to its 2023 target of closing on the top three.
Asked if he is wary of Mercedes’ planned major upgrade for Imola in May taking the German team beyond Alpine’s grasp he said: “No, we think we can fight with them. Yeah, we too have a decent-size upgrade coming for Baku and then a little bit more only a week later in Miami, so we continue to push the upgrades out.”
‘Take the fight to Mercedes’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ming-f1-races/
Alpine boss in favour of early F1 season break
Saturday 22nd April, 2023 - 11:49am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has suggested that the current three-week break early in the F1 season has merit. F1 was last in action on the opening weekend of April and will be back on track at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Round 4 of the championship, at the end of the month.
“Although not planned, in a calendar that has 23 races and some back-to-backs and triple headers, it’s nice to have a three-week break now, a three-week break in August, and a break for Christmas,” said Szafnauer. “Maybe, if it’s just so by luck that we gain the knowledge that it’s good to do it this way, maybe it should be by design in the future.’
‘Current three-week break early in the F1 season has merit’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/04/22...-season-break/
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Baku WOES expected for Ferrari after upgrade REVELATION.
Ferrari's upgrade package for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is not expected to solve the major issues with the car.
Monday 24 April 2023 12:57
Harry Smith
GPFans
Reports in the Italian media have suggested that Ferrari's upgrades for Baku will not allow the drivers to extract maximum performance from the car. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari's impending upgrades are not enough to unlock the car's maximum performance.
The report states: "The developments that will be seen in a week's time in Baku do not form part of the package of modifications defined to solve the problems that have so far prevented us from extracting the full potential from the Ferrari SF-23."
"The targeted development plan will unfold between Imola and Montmelò, with perhaps a sort of preview in Miami with regards to the wings." This will be a source of frustration for Ferrari fans, who will likely have to watch their team chase down Aston Martin and Mercedes once again in Baku.
‘WOES expected for Ferrari’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...prix-upgrades/
The Baku blow for Ferrari which could make them more vulnerable to rivals
24 Apr 2023 6:45 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has confirmed the team will not bring upgrades with them to Baku this weekend, but reassured “a flow of updates” will come to the SF-23 soon.
As the team are lagging behind Red Bull, along with the rest of the field, Vasseur also ruled out the possibility of the team running a full concept change this year – instead opting to try and “massively” upgrade what they already have.
“No, I don’t think so,” Vasseur responded when asked if Ferrari will take a different approach with their car design as 2023 progresses, as per Formula1.com.
‘Baku blow for Ferrari’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...-upgrade-blow/
Azerbaijan GP: Frederic Vasseur hands Ferrari fans a huge blow
Ferrari are set to introduce upgrades at several consecutive races, starting from the Miami Grand Prix.
24 April 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has dealt fans of the Italians a huge blow, after revealing that the Maranello-based team will not be taking any upgrades to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s aim is to “update massively” the SF-23 in the coming races, in a bid to at least return to second in the pecking order. “I think that we will have a flow of updates that some will come,” Vasseur said, as reported by GPFans.
“Not at Baku, because Baku we have the aero package for the level of downforce, [and] with the Sprint race it’s not the easiest one. But from Miami, Imola, not Monaco, but Barcelona – each race will have an update on the car.”
‘Starting from the Miami Grand Prix’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/azerbaija...s-a-huge-blow/
Ferrari poach Red Bull engineers as Charles Leclerc eyes Maranello exit
Ferrari recently lost head of vehicle concept David Sanchez to McLaren.
23 April 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
It has been revealed by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport that Ferrari have signed two engineers from rivals Red Bull, with the duo set to join the Maranello-based team next year.
The two engineers that Ferrari have signed are required to enter a “full gardening” leave, meaning they won’t be able to work with the Italians until 2024. This is fairly common when an engineer moves to a rival team, something Ferrari certainly are for Red Bull.
“Two engineers have just been hired and have ceased their activity at Red Bull, they are in full gardening [leave] and will be in force in Maranello in 2024,” reports Corriere dello Sport. “But their names are not yet known, nor is it known how much difference they can make. After all, the Cavallino has hired thirty technicians in the last three years – even from top teams like Red Bull and Mercedes”.
“Full Gardening” leave’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-p...aranello-exit/
Charles Leclerc in Mercedes talks as F1 paddock's "open secret" may impact Lewis Hamilton
12:22, 24 Apr 2023
By Anna Malyon
The Mirror
Rumours regarding the futures of both Hamilton and Leclerc have been rife in recent weeks, given the looming expiry of their respective contracts with Mercedes and Ferrari. It is an "open secret" in the Formula 1 paddock that Charles Leclerc has been speaking with Mercedes amid speculation over his Ferrari future.
The Monegasque's contract with the Scuderia expires at the end of next season and, at the moment, there are no signs that a renewal is imminent. He has been heavily linked with Mercedes as a result, especially given the future of Lewis Hamilton is also far from set in stone.
According to renowned Italian F1 journalist Leo Turrini, if Hamilton chooses not to stay at the Silver Arrows the vacant seat would likely be taken by Leclerc. With both Ferrari and Mercedes not close to be competing with Red Bull this season, the two racers have been considering their futures.
"Open secret" may impact Lewis Hamilton’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-2024-29793844
