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Hamilton receives FURTHER FIA punishment after Perez collision.
In addition to the five-second penalty he received, Hamilton was also given two penalty points on his licence, his only points on his super licence in the last 12 months.
Sunday 30 July 2023 12:27
Matthew Hobkinson
GPFans
The Ruling: "The Stewards reviewed video and in-car video evidence," their report stated. "Hamilton was attempting to pass Perez on the inside at Turn 15. While Perez was giving little room on the inside for Hamilton, Hamilton drove onto the kerb and subsequently understeered into Perez in the wet conditions. The Stewards consider that Hamilton was predominantly at fault for causing a collision and order a five second penalty."
In addition to the five-second penalty he received, Hamilton was also given two penalty points on his licence, his only points on his super licence in the last 12 months. Alongside time penalties, driving infringements issued by the stewards – who act independently from the FIA – also carry penalty points to ensure driving standards are maintained. These points expire after 12 months have elapsed, but will result in a race ban should 12 points be accrued during this period.
‘FURTHER FIA punishment’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...pa-belgian-gp/
Lewis Hamilton fumes at F1 stewards at Belgian Grand Prix after double punishment
Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated at F1 officials after the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race.
12:35, Sun, Jul 30, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton has called out F1 stewards after he was hit with a double punishment at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton was slapped with a five-second time penalty moments after making contact with Sergio Perez in Saturday’s sprint race.
Perez refused to accept responsibility for the incident as he laid the blame firmly at Hamilton’s door. The Mexican commented: "Lewis just crashed into me and took the whole right-hand side of my car off so we basically lost all of the load. Unfortunately, that meant no points today.”
Hamilton is not pleased with the punishment as he declared it, in his opinion, a racing incident. The penalty demoted Hamilton from P4 at the line to seventh, costing the Briton three world championship points. He said: “As Ayrton said, if you no longer go for a gap that exists, then you are no longer a racing driver.”
‘Lewis Hamilton fumes’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-grand-prix
Lewis Hamilton claims he was listening to Ayrton Senna after Sergio Perez incident
Lewis Hamilton was demoted to seventh after his penalty was added to his finishing time in the sprint.
30 July 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Lewis Hamilton: “It’s tricky conditions out there, we are all trying our best. Of course, it wasn’t intentional. I went for a gap, he was going slow through [Turn] 14, I went up the inside, more than half a car length up the inside.”
“If you are not going for a gap, you are no longer racing, as Ayrton [Senna] once said. That’s what I did. When I watched it back, it felt like a racing incident to me. We don’t want to be deterred from racing.”
‘Listening to Ayrton Senna’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...erez-incident/
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost's Championship Deciding Crash | 1989 Japanese Grand Prix
Oct 22, 2019
FORMULA 1
The moment Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost's rivalry was cemented into F1 history. Senna had to win to beat his team mate Prost to the 1989 title, but despite crossing the line first after a collision between the two - the story didn't end there...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBForKcFWoA
Japan 1990 - Senna and Prost's first corner accident
Apr 16, 2020
Norkeys
Murray on Senna Prost collisions 1989: This is fantastiiic!
1990: This is amaziiing!
Great commentary by Murray and James. And I think everyone knew that Senna was gonna punt Prost off the track regardless if Senna himself would be out or not
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbeBnn0Ufsc
Hamilton in brutal Perez dig as Verstappen warned
01 August 10:45AM
Author Michael Butterworth
RacingNews365
Lewis Hamilton has insisted he would run Max Verstappen a lot closer than the Dutchman's teammate Sergio Perez is currently managing to do in the same car. Red Bull's RB19 has proved the class of the field so far in 2023, with Verstappen and Perez winning all 12 Grands Prix and three Sprint events this year.
"At the moment, it's impossible to beat the Red Bull unless they don't finish. They're eight-tenths to one second faster per lap than everybody else," Hamilton told Belgian outlet Sporza.
"It is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it. Do I want to be as fast as them? Of course. Would I like to have a car that's as fast as them? Of course. If was in Sergio's car, Max would not be having the same time he's having now. But it's not the way life is."
‘Hamilton in brutal Perez dig’;
https://racingnews365.com/hamilton-i...e-so-far-ahead
F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton in Toto Wolff 'divorce' meeting as Russell replacement lined up
13:24, Tue, Aug 1, 2023 |
By Joe Krishnan
Daily and Sunday Express
Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes still looks no more certain as the F1 drivers and teams head into the summer break, with the seven-time world champion's new contract not yet finalised.
The 38-year-old was said to be only a signature away from extending his deal after holding talks with Toto Wolff, but at the halfway stage of the 2023 season, his plans beyond the current campaign are unclear.
It certainly makes sense that the Briton would consider all options available to him, with speculation linking him with Ferrari refusing to go away, although it is widely expected Hamilton will eventually sign to take his time with Mercedes beyond a decade.
'Divorce' meeting’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Max-Verstappen
Martin Brundle’s Mercedes accusation will alarm Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton's future at Mercedes beyond 2023 remains uncertain, with him not yet signing a new contract.
31 July 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
Brundle thinks this will have left the team “confused”, with them once again simply “surviving the season”. “I think they will be very frustrated,” Brundle told Sky Sports F1. “Their car is on a knife-edge to set up, to understand, to drive. “Then they suddenly promise a great result, get something a little bit special, go to the next race with upgrades – and fall off the pace. I would imagine they are confused with this car. ‘Diva 2’ I think they call it already don’t they?”
Mercedes were arguably third or fourth in the pecking order, with McLaren’s pace having been better than their race result. Despite the Germans inconsistent performances racing driver and pundit Naomi Schiff believes Mercedes are “going forward”, but that their “biggest concern” could become Ferrari’s progress in Spa.
“I think for them the bigger concern today was the Ferraris, they had fantastic pace this weekend whether it was dry or wet, their car is in a window where it’s really working. Lewis was between 2-3s behind Charles the whole race, and just didn’t have enough in the end it chase him down.”
‘Diva 2’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/martin-br...ewis-hamilton/
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Alonso says Aston Martin corrected “a few faults” as improved pace yields fifth.
Fernando Alonso said Aston Martin successfully addressed some of the problems they identified with their car in recent races after scoring his best result since the Canadian Grand Prix.
31st July 2023, 12:55
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
After climbing from ninth on the grid to finish fifth yesterday, Alonso told media including RaceFans: “I felt definitely more competitive than the last few events.” Alonso gained places when Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jnr tangled at the start. At the time he was concerned he would drop back over the course of the race.
“I was lucky at the start before Eau Rouge, I made a few places there,” said Alonso. “I was a little bit worried we will fall back and the pace will not be good enough to keep that position. But it was good, today the car felt fast. We kept one Mercedes behind, one McLaren behind, so we were in the mix and that’s good news before the summer break.”
The mixed conditions over the course of the rain-affected sprint race weekend presented difficult set-up choices for the grand prix, which was expected to remain dry. “It was not an easy weekend to go into the rhythm and the wet qualifying and the track changing all the time,” said Alonso. “So not much experience on dry.”
“EL PLAN: Corrected a few faults”;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/31/...-yields-fifth/
Alonso encouraged by Aston Martin set-up discovery
Tuesday 1st August, 2023 - 7:04pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
Changes to how Aston Martin sets up its cars left Fernando Alonso enthused following the Belgian Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were fifth and ninth respectively in Spa-Francorchamps, following another double-points result in Hungary a week earlier. Aston Martin started the 2023 season with a bang, Alonso recording six podium places in the opening eight grands prix.
“I think today the car felt more normal,” Alonso said on Sunday. We had a few thoughts after Hungary, after Silverstone, so the team was making few set-up changes also to the car. I think it paid off today; the car felt much more normal, more competitive. So yeah, happy. A good boost for summer.”
‘EL PLAN: Alonso encouraged’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/08/01...-up-discovery/
Alonso says 'fast' Aston Martin felt 'more normal' at Spa
01/08/2023 at 09:42
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
"I think the car felt fast today," Alonso said after last Sunday's race. "The guys did an incredible job again on the strategy, also on the pitstops. We made a few places also yesterday, even if we didn't finish the race. And yeah, I think today the car felt more normal.”
In such precarious and changing conditions as those encountered last weekend, Alonso acknowledged that his vast experience as an F1 veteran remains a prime asset.
"I’m nearly 43 you can say now!" he joked, having turned 42 last Saturday. "I think people already saw that it's not a big change when you're 41 or when you're 25. It's more in your head, in the motivation, how you approach the weekend. So it's not about youth, it's just about going fast!"
‘EL PLAN: Vast experience as an F1 veteran remains a prime asset’;
https://f1i.com/news/483089-alonso-s...al-at-spa.html
Revealed: The “answer” to “where Aston Martin’s pace has gone”
1 Aug 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net
Ted Kravitz has delivered the answer to why Aston Martin have dropped away from the podium positions. “I have an answer for you about where their pace has gone,” Kravitz told Sky. “[Performance director] Tom McCullough and [team principal] Mike Krack has both confirmed this. It was the Canada upgrades that confused the team.”
“The chief engineer said that sometimes when you put an upgrade package on the car, it might work. It came at the worst time. The upgrades came in Canada. Where were they in Canada? P2. Second only to Max Verstappen so obviously that gave them a false steer that these upgrades were great, and weren’t actually unbalancing the car.”
“When they got to Hungary and Silverstone, they found that the upgrades were, in fact, unbalancing the car. But they know that now. They are not confused. They are backing out, or rather adapting, the upgrades to make them work.”
“EL PLAN: Where Aston Martin’s pace has gone”;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103259...-pace-has-gone
Alonso makes HUGE claim about current F1 grid
Monday 31 July 2023 13:12
Lauren Sneath
Fernando Alonso has suggested that any team on the grid today would be superior to the best teams in the 2000s, thanks to advances in technology. The Spaniard, now a driver for Aston Martin, won two world championships in 2005 and 2006 with Renault.
Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, he told Sky Sports F1: “Now everything is driven by simulations, computers, super sophisticated technology, wind tunnels. I think the teams of today will beat any of the teams of the 2000s very easily. Even the last one [most recent team] today [Aston Martin], is a super mega team.”
‘EL PLAN: HUGE claim’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ay-beat-2000s/
Fernando Alonso Denies Obstructing Hamilton at McLaren: “No-one heard my version.”
August 2, 2023
BaylaSportsF1
In a gripping qualifying session, Alonso incurred a penalty for a delay in the pits, leading to vocal complaints from Hamilton’s side of the garage. Allegations of intentionally preventing Hamilton from completing a final lap stirred the air, but the Spanish driver has since come forward in an exclusive interview addressing the incident.
“No-one heard my version, or the truth, or the facts,” said the Spanish driver. “I said that I never hold anyone. They just gave me old tyres when it was qualifying. So there is the radio transcript, the decision from the stewards, where it is written that they put me a penalty on an article that didn’t exist. They just put the penalty but clarified it was not for any article, and things like that.”
“And it was my team putting a protest against myself, which is the first time in the history of the sport. So when you put all these kinds of things and you don’t see the facts, obviously it is difficult to clarify some misunderstandings.”
“EL PLAN: No-one heard my version”;
https://baylasportsf1.com/fernando-a...rd-my-version/
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‘I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a weekend like this’ – Russell ‘glad’ to put Belgian GP behind him.
He concluded: “And from my own personal side, just a really challenging weekend.”
31 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Assessing his race, Russell said: “It was alright. I was very unfortunate at the beginning. I made a really strong start, and then I saw Oscar [Piastri going slowly]. I thought it was a puncture, but didn’t realise he’d lost his steering.
“I decided to go to the left, he was just drifting to the left, I got boxed in, and I lost four positions. That probably cost me one position at the end of the race. I should’ve been ahead of Fernando [Alonso]. [But I’m] glad this weekend is over.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a weekend like this in my whole career. One, in terms of the weather changing so often. Like [Saturday], I don’t think I’ve lived a day of my life like [Saturday], it was just unbelievable.”
“It was alright”;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...NKYgcPvnZ.html
Russell: 'Misjudgment' behind Piastri thwarted top-5 result at Spa
01/08/2023 at 08:17
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
George Russell says a "misjudgment" while running behind Oscar Piastri's stricken McLaren at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix compromised his race and a potential top-five finish at Spa. Launching his race from P8, Russell enjoyed a clean get-way and exited La Source with a clear path ahead.
But on the run down to Eau Rouge, the Mercedes driver unassumingly moved into the path of a slow-moving Piastri, who had collided with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz at Turn 1, boxing in Russell who was then overtaken by several cars left and right.
Russell completed the first lap a lowly 11th which compelled Mercedes to extend its driver's first stint on the medium tyre to 22 laps, or exactly half the race, which carried the Briton to sixth at the checkered flag.
‘Thwarted top-5 result at Spa’;
https://f1i.com/news/483084-russell-...lt-at-spa.html
George Russell issues demand to F1 bosses as Mercedes star insists 'that shouldn't happen'
Old issues returned to hinder George Russell and Mercedes in Belgium.
13:35, Wed, Aug 2, 2023
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express
George Russell has urged F1 bosses to address the issue of porpoising and told them that it 'shouldn't be happening' at the pinnacle of motorsport after he and Lewis Hamilton were hampered by the phenomenon during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
The problems returned in Belgium last weekend, prompting Russell to call for a solution once and for all. "We suffered with a huge amount of bouncing today,” Russell explained in the aftermath of the Belgian GP.
“A number of teams did, maybe not as severe as we did. It's still obviously a bit of a shame to see that, as a sport at the pinnacle, the majority of teams are still struggling with bouncing. I hope something can be solved in that regard in the future."
‘Demand to F1 bosses’;
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...l-FIA-Mercedes
Anderson casts doubt on Mercedes bouncing
01/08/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass
Former designer, Gary Anderson has cast doubt on Mercedes bouncing issues at Spa, suggesting that all might not be as it appears. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell complained of the phenomenon which plagued Mercedes and several other teams throughout 2022, but which has been absent for much of this year. For someone who spent much of the early part of the weekend warning on safety issues, even suggesting that the race should be cancelled if the weather worsened, one should not dismiss Russell's lobbying skills lightly.
Jordan and Jaguar designer, turned pundit, Gary Anderson certainly doesn't. "We never really hear about other teams suffering from it," he adds. "They all seem to have accepted that bouncing will be there at certain points and they just react to it and know what to do. The Ferrari drivers' heads were bouncing up and down in the high-speed Blanchimont towards the end of the lap, and that can only come from porpoising or bouncing. I am not sure whether Mercedes keep talking about it because they want the FIA to step in and change the regulations."
"We never really hear about other teams suffering from it," he adds. "They all seem to have accepted that bouncing will be there at certain points and they just react to it and know what to do. The Ferrari drivers' heads were bouncing up and down in the high-speed Blanchimont towards the end of the lap, and that can only come from porpoising or bouncing. "I am not sure whether Mercedes keep talking about it because they want the FIA to step in and change the regulations." A-ha!
‘A-ha!’;
https://www.pitpass.com/75856/Anders...cedes-bouncing
Russell SLAMS 'pointless' F1 feature and demands 'improvements'
Sunday 30 July 2023 11:57
Matthew Hobkinson
GPFans
George Russell has lashed out at Formula 1's 'pretty pointless' extreme wet weather tyres after drivers were mandated to start on the most cautious set of rubber during Saturday's sprint race. After a substantial downpour fell over Spa just minutes before Saturday's sprint race was set to take place, the FIA ruled that all cars were to start on full wets behind the safety car.
Safety no doubt at the forefront of their minds, with good reason, but the performance of the extreme wet weather tyre has left F1 drivers somewhat frustrated. “The extreme [wet] tyre is a pretty pointless tyre, it's really, really bad,” Russell told media including GPFans.
“It's probably six, seven seconds a lap slower than the intermediate. And the only reason you'd ever run the extreme wet is because you'd aquaplane on an intermediate. So that needs to be substantially improved. The aquaplaning with fairly little water is really substantial. I remember watching the old onboard videos of 2007 with [Felipe] Massa and [Robert] Kubica in Fuji, so much water, they were still pushing flat out.”
‘George Russell has lashed out’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...an-grand-prix/
George Russell and Charles Leclerc unhappy with Pirelli
Pirelli are trying to make "improvements to the Extreme Wet tyre following several complaints.
31 July 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News
All the drivers started the race on the full wets but pitted in the opening two laps of green flag racing for the Intermediates. The drivers have therefore called for Pirelli to make “some significant improvements” with the full wet tyre, given that nobody wants to use it even in dangerous conditions.
“I remember watching the old onboard videos of 2007 with [Felipe] Massa and [Robert] Kubica in Fuji,” George Russell said. “So much water and still [able to] push flat out. I remember doing test days here in F3 on Michelin and Hankook and aquaplaning wasn’t really as thing. I appreciate we are doing over 200mph and it’s not straightforward, but there needs to be some significant improvements.”
Charles Leclerc also insisted that “some work” must be done by Pirelli, with the tyre only being suitable for when the track has rivers across it. “There’s some work that needs to be done because we’ve got extreme tyres that are really slow, but really good for [avoiding] aquaplaning, but we never drive in those conditions because of visibility,” Leclerc said.
‘There needs to be some significant improvements’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/george-ru...-with-pirelli/
Mercedes explain what happened between Hamilton and Russell in SQ3 squabble
02 Aug 2023 3:37 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com
Mercedes chief technical officer Mike Elliott says the team will take “learnings” from the situation which saw George Russell compromise Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the Belgium sprint. Asked as part of Mercedes’ Belgian GP debrief what happened to the communication with Hamilton and Russell, Elliott replied: “In order to explain that I think I first need to explain how difficult it is to get right in the first place.”
“When you’ve got a track that is drying it is nearly always the case the quickest lap is going to be the very last lap of the run and so your first laps are about getting a banker lap in, and then as you get to the end of the session you want to be at the right place so you are just about crossing the line at the end of the session with your tyres in the right window.”
“So in 18 and 19, where you get to open the lap there was a lot of queuing, a lot of cars there, and so we were worried about getting over the line before the session ended. And we were asking our drivers to speed up, they thought they had less time available than they really did and as a result of that we ended up with our two cars too close together.
‘SQ3 squabble’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...cedes-spa-sq3/
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The ‘psychological challenge’ facing ‘spiralling’ Lando Norris during Belgian GP.
Andrea Stella: It was psychologically challenging for Lando Norris. Having had to listen to Norris complaining to his interim race engineer, Stella praised his driver for successfully managing to keep his head down and concentrate once the opportunity arose for a turnaround in fortune.
01 Aug 2023 9:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com
Team boss Andrea Stella explained that Norris had been “spiralling” negatively during the opening stint as he complained about his lack of pace and pleaded with his team for an alternative strategy as he was eaten up down the straights.
“So we were expecting the vulnerability but, indeed, when we were in the mix of the other cars, he was starting to spiral negatively, quite rapidly,” Stella told media, including PlanetF1.com.
“We have to very frankly admit that, while this configuration gave us an advantage in the previous days, [Sunday] it was starting to be a significant issue. Then we didn’t help ourselves, in a way, by trying to give Lando free air and fitting hard tyres.”
‘Psychological challenge’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...an-grand-prix/
Lando Norris brands McLaren strategy ‘terrible’
Lando Norris was the only driver to use the hard tyres at the Belgian GP on his way to seventh
July 30, 2023
By Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport
Sunday’s race was largely carried out in dry conditions as Norris, who was the only driver to use the hard tyres, initially fell down the order due to a lack of straight line speed. “We had to try something so we went onto the hard [tyre] but it was worse,” Norris said to the media.
“No-one has used the hard all weekend. We thought it normally kind of suits us so I think it was the right decision to try, but it was still terrible. I just didn’t have enough laps to get the tyres into the window and to be able to push and I got overtaken on my first lap out of the box.”
“Then I got put behind one car so I couldn’t push in the middle sector and then I got overtaken two or three more times. Then we put the softs on and everything came back to us, I don’t know how we ended up seventh. Honestly, I felt like I was last for the most part and I ended up in seventh so I am a bit surprised.”
‘Only driver to use the hard tyres’;
https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...tegy-terrible/
McLaren admit to hard tyre mistake with Norris
Monday 31st July, 2023 - 7:16pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe
The decision to run Lando Norris on hard tyres during the second stint of the Belgian Grand Prix was a mistake, according to McLaren boss Andrea Stella. Having started sixth on the grid, Norris plummeted down the order in the opening stages.
That prompted some to question whether the Englishman was struggling with an issue with his car, only for the team to confirm that it was an inability to get the tyre working that was blighting his pace.
‘Hard tyre mistake’;
https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/31...e-with-norris/
Norris surprised to finish seventh after “terrible” Belgian Grand Prix
2023 Belgian Grand Prix
Posted on 30th July 2023, 17:27
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans
Lando Norris summed up his Belgian Grand Prix as “terrible” and said he was surprised to finish seventh after running near the back. “We need to rethink how we approach the weekend with the wing level and stuff like this, especially on a different circuit,” said Norris. “It might work on one, but it doesn’t work on all of them and we clearly got it wrong this weekend.”
He said his car felt much better during the brief period of rainfall in the middle of the race, though it never grew heavy enough for anyone to pit for intermediate tyres. “It was lighter than I was hoping, but obviously it still helped us,” he said. “I think everyone got a bit scared and I was on the soft at the time the rain came, which I think was a perfect thing to have done which is why we boxed I think.”
‘Surprised to finish seventh’;
https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/30/...an-grand-prix/
Lando 'stuck in a circle' - but somehow still ends up P7!
30/07/2023 at 19:01
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com
Lando Norris was as confused by anyone as to what exactly happened to him in today's Belgian Grand Prix. He started from seventh on the grid and crossed the line in P7 after 44 laps - but in between, he was all over the place.
"It was terrible," he told the media afterward. "That's an honest answer. We were just stuck in a circle of not being able to push enough in the middle sector because of the cars ahead. People [behind were] having to lift in Eau Rouge, we were that slow," he said. "I was getting overtaken before the DRS zone even started.”
“I was barely making eighth gear,” he continued. “I was that slow on the straights. I just couldn’t defend, I couldn't attack. It was impossible to overtake. I didn’t overtake one person on the straights, I was too slow. Honestly, I had a run on Alex [Albon] out of turn 1: I had new tyres, he had old tyres, and I think by the end of the straight he pulled three or four car lengths from me!”
'Stuck in a circle';
https://f1i.com/news/482838-lando-st...nds-up-p7.html
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Ocon: Alpine took “very noticeable” forward step with Spa F1 upgrade.
Esteban Ocon has praised the “quite impressive” and “very noticeable” performance step taken by the Alpine Formula 1 team in time for last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
3rd August 2023, 10:46
Motorsport.com
Despite setting a pre-season target to retain fourth place in the 2023 constructors’ championship while closing the gap to Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, the Enstone team has fallen to sixth behind midfield rivals McLaren and Aston Martin come the summer break.
Given the drop off, Alpine owner Renault Group has sought to replace company CEO Laurent Rossi while allowing team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane to leave by mutual consent. Chief technical officer Pat Fry has also accepted an offer to head up the design department at Williams.
Amid the turmoil, Pierre Gasly climbed from sixth to second place in the rain-affected Saturday sprint race at Spa, while Ocon rose from 14th to eighth in the full GP on Sunday. This competitiveness prompted Ocon to say, “It’s very encouraging that each time we bring an update, the car seems to take a step forward. Clearly, I dedicate that [Sunday result] to Viry and Enstone, because it's really encouraging that what we bring to the track really makes us step forward.”
“Quite impressive” and “very noticeable” performance step’;
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/o...rade/10503675/
‘We flew through the field!’ – Ocon beaming after battling drive to P8 at Spa
30 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Esteban Ocon said after the Belgian Grand Prix he really enjoyed the race, as he pulled off a series of overtakes to fight his way up into the points.
‘We flew through the field!’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...225422249.html
Ocon pleased to ‘save our weekend’ with run to points in Belgium
08:39 Wed, 02 Aug 2023.
by Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week
Esteban Ocon says he was happy to “save” Alpine’s weekend with a run to eighth place at the Belgian Grand Prix, a week that proved to be tumultuous for the Enstone-based squad.
“One more lap, one more lap. That’s what Lando could have said for many occasions when we raced together,” said the Frenchman, acknowledging prior battles with the McLaren ace. I enjoy the last lap battles with him all the time, it always seems to happen together. But not this time, unfortunately.”
Despite his battle with Norris not having the best outcome, Ocon was happy with how he and the team performed. “[I’m] glad we saved our weekend in a way,” he said. “Friday, Saturday didn’t go to plan, we didn’t put everything together. But clearly that race, we could show the real pace of the car, and how it was working, and yeah, had some really good battles out there.”
‘Happy to “save” Alpine’s weekend’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...tone-and-viry/
Ocon happy to 'save Alpine's weekend', in a way
02/08/2023 at 08:19
Michael Delaney
F1i.com
Esteban Ocon believes his run to P8 in last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix brought a bit of comfort to Alpine in the midst of the team's off-track turmoil at Spa. On Friday, the Enstone squad lobbed a bombshell in the paddock when it announced that it had parted ways with team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane, not to mention CTO Pat Fry's move to Williams.
Ocon speculated on what his performance would have been had Spa's manic weather remained dry. "What if it was a dry weekend on the rest? "Because I think we had clearly that pace in the race," he said.
"It’s very encouraging that each time we bring an update, the car seems to take a step forward. Clearly, I dedicate that one to Viry and Enstone, because it’s really encouraging what we bring to the track really makes a step forward."
‘Enstone squad lobbed a bombshell’;
https://f1i.com/news/483143-ocon-hap...-in-a-way.html
Gary Anderson: Lessons from my own ‘Alpine vs Otmar’ F1 moment
3rd August 2023, 07:14
By Gary Anderson
The Race
Even by Formula 1 standards, Alpine’s sudden announcement that team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane – who has been at the team for 34 years – were on their way out during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend was a jarring one. They even had to see out the event in their current roles, something that departing personnel usually get to avoid when a team’s ownership decides there must be change.
For me, there was a sense of deja vu. I have been there and suffered the consequences of the actions of a car manufacturer when Ford took over Stewart Grand Prix and named it Jaguar. I had a stand up ‘discussion’ with one of Ford’s top management, which I hoped would clear the air. Unfortunately, things were said that couldn’t be retracted so I suffered the consequences.
Ever since Renault took over what’s now the Alpine team ahead of the 2016 season, there has been a revolving door of leadership with Fred Vasseur, Cyril Abiteboul, Marcin Budkowski and Szafnauer all having key roles at the top and leaving or being moved on. In fact, that’s been the case in many of these roles, as this table shows us.
‘Had to see out the event in their current roles, something that departing personnel usually get to avoid’;
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...mar-f1-moment/
Fernando Alonso tells Otmar Szafnauer to ‘be quiet’ as he tears into sacked Alpine F1 boss
3 Aug 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net
Fernando Alonso says his former F1 boss Otmar Szafnauer “should be quiet” considering the contrasting fortunes between Alpine and Aston Martin. The two-time world champion launched a scathing verbal attack on the now-fired Szafnauer for his “slow” and poor handling of contract negotiations last year.
Fernando Alonso: “After the results of Aston Martin and the results he's achieving, he's still talking and still proud of the decision, which is incredible, amazing. Asked whether he thinks Alpine underestimated what he brought to the team, the 42-year-old replied: “100%. And still do.”
Fernando Alonso: "When you are doing the best you can every weekend, when I did so many things for Renault as well, you take a little bit personal when someone is doubting your performance or your age or these kinds of things. And you just want to prove even extra hard that you are in the best moment of your career. The results, they speak for themselves, and that's the best way.”
‘EL PLAN: Be quiet’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103266...ed-alpine-boss
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Aston Martin silly season rumour starts as Lance Stroll exit prediction made – F1 news round-up.
August 2 also marks a special day in the calendar for everyone who happened to be on social media and witness Oscar Piastri single-handedly blow up Twitter (and Alpine’s best-laid plans to replace Fernando Alonso) in one fell swoop.
02 Aug 2023 11:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Silly season starts with ‘Hulkenback’ to Aston Martin rumour: Nico Hulkenberg was spotted entering the Aston Martin motorhome as the Spa weekend unfolded, with the German having served as the team’s reserve driver for several seasons during his time off the grid and fulfilled a few stand-in appearances during the Covid-interrupted seasons.
Crofty predicts Lance Stroll may choose to leave Aston Martin: Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft made a prediction that Lance Stroll may in fact decide that Formula 1 life may not be for him come the end of next season, and move into “something that fulfils him more.”
Sandbagging questions sent Max Verstappen’s way after huge pace advantage: After biding his time to climb up the field from sixth, Max Verstappen was able to fly clear of the rest of the field when he was able to get into the lead on Sunday.
‘EL PLAN: Silly season rumour’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-new...season-rumour/
Alonso still determined to help Stroll lead Aston in the future
04/08/2023 at 15:09
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Fernando Alonso says he knows "what his role is" at Aston Martin, and it involves multiple objectives, one of which is to help Lance Stroll pick up the baton in the future to become the team's "leader".
Alonso's priority with Aston Martin is to help the team grow to allow it to fulfil its big ambitions. But a by-product of that commitment is to ensure that Stroll is able to lead the charge once the 42-year-old Spaniard decides to call it a day on his driving career.
"I know what my role is," Alonso said. "Try to help the team to grow in all these areas, try to help Lance as well in anything that I can bring to the team. Because I will race for a few more years but I don’t know how many – not so long. And he will race for many more years, and he has to lead the team into the future. So I am happy to help."
‘EL PLAN: "What his role is".’;
https://f1i.com/news/483284-alonso-s...he-future.html
Alonso wants to help Stroll grow into F1 team leader
4th August 2023, 10:00
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week
Fernando Alonso says he wants to help Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll grow into becoming a team leader in Formula 1. Stroll is currently competing in his seventh F1 campaign, while Alonso is the most seasoned driver in the sport’s history, with 367 starts and counting to his name. The duo paired up this year at Aston Martin following Alonso’s decision to depart Alpine at the end of 2022.
Stroll’s seat is seen as safe at Aston Martin, as his father Lawrence took over ownership of the team midway through 2018, several months before Lance was signed to the squad.
“I don’t think there is much more mystery on this,” Alonso added. “We have a good relationship now. We are not fighting for the championship. If we were fighting for the championship, maybe there would be less communication or a little bit more tension, between the team or drivers. But right now we have very clear goals and we work together in that direction.”
‘EL PLAN: Help Stroll grow into F1 team leader’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...1-team-leader/
Lance Stroll tipped to quit: ‘F1 wasn’t the sport he wanted when he was young’
3 Aug 2023
Harvey Orgill
Crash.net
Formula 1 commentator David Croft has suggested Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll could leave the sport in 18 months time. “I do wonder, he’s the one driver on the grid that you think ‘you are guaranteed a job as long as your dad is there’. We’ve never actually talked about contracts for Lance Stroll." said Sky Sports commentator David Croft on their podcast.
“We’ve never looked at his future elsewhere, but I just have a little feeling that in about a year and a half’s time, Lance Stroll will race his last race in Formula 1 and go off and do something else”, said Croft. “I just think he’s losing his mojo. I don’t think Formula 1 was the sport he wanted to go into when he was younger.”
‘SILLY SEASON: Lance Stroll tipped to quit’;
https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103268...n-he-was-young
Stroll says Aston Martin ‘have work to do’ to recapture early season form
30 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)
Lance Stroll finished in ninth place in the Belgium Grand Prix, but says Aston Martin need to put the work in to claw their way back up towards the front of the grid.
‘Have work to do’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...090379823.html
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Yuki Tsunoda surprised at Daniel Ricciardo's "behaviour" after F1 return with AlphaTauri.
"I already know he is fast but also how he's behaving in the team is like probably the opposite as me," he told reporters. "So, lots of things to learn, a lot from him.”
18:08, 4 Aug 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror
Ricciardo is back on the grid with AlphaTauri, partnering Tsunoda who has to get used to racing with a team-mate with a wealth of F1 experience for the first time.
"It's also a bit of pressure for myself and probably that made me rush and a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races. But I was able to put it all together in the last race. It was not easy. But just happy and feeling ready for a fight with him in the second half of the season."
‘Surprised at Daniel Ricciardo's "behaviour".’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-2023-30632413
Belgium Points Finish proof that Aero Development ‘Going in the Right Direction’ – Franz Tost
August 4, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag
Franz Tost says it was pleasing to see one of his Scuderia AlphaTauri cars finish inside the top ten in Sundays Belgian Grand Prix, with Yuki Tsunoda ending a run of seven races without a point for the Faenza-based squad.
Tost, who will leave his role as Team Principal at AlphaTauri at the end of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, feels the development of the AT04 appears to be heading in the right direction as they were able to finally break their run of pointless races and show themselves to be competitive amongst the midfield in Belgium.
“We started the race with Yuki in P11 and Daniel in P19, so we decided to split the strategy between the two cars: Yuki started on the medium compound, and Daniel on the soft tyre,” said Tost. “Yuki managed a fantastic start and ended up in P8, keeping his position for a very long time.”
‘Going in the Right Direction’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...on-franz-tost/
Tsunoda challenged by 'fast' Ricciardo but 'ready to fight'
03/08/2023 at 17:12
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com
Yuki Tsunoda says Daniel Ricciardo's arrival at AlphaTauri last month has forced him to raise his game, but the Japanese charger is ready for the challenge that his new situation has delivered.
"It's challenging. But at the same time, I know that this current situation is completely new for me," he said at Spa last weekend. "I'm learning a lot, especially getting challenged by an experienced driver. And not only is he an experienced driver, he’s a top driver and we know that he's fast.”
"I already know he is fast but also how he's behaving in the team is like probably the opposite as me," said Tsunoda. "So, lots of things to learn, a lot from him."
'Ready to fight'
https://f1i.com/news/483240-tsunoda-...-to-fight.html
Yuki Tsunoda on Spa Point: “I’m happy I could extract and maximise the car’s performance”
By Paul Hensby
August 4, 2023
The Checkered Flag
Yuki Tsunoda was delighted to end his run of failing to score points by taking tenth place in the Belgian Grand Prix, his first top ten finish since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April.
“The team did a fantastic job today; the car was flying and I’m happy to finish in the points before the summer break,” said Tsunoda. “A huge well done to the entire team: the mechanics, people in Bicester and Faenza, and trackside engineers.”
“It’s been a long time since I scored points, and I’ve been struggling in the last few races, so I’m very happy now. We were slightly lucky with a couple of cars retiring in front of us, but I felt really comfortable during the race.”
‘Extract and maximise’;
https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...s-performance/
Tsunoda relishing 'fight' as Ricciardo pressure applied
02 August 8:15PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
"It is actually quite challenging but at the same time, I know this current situation is completely new for me," Tsunoda explained to media including RacingNews365 after a third points finish of the season at Spa.
"I'm learning a lot especially being challenged by an experienced driver, and not just a normal experienced driver. "[Daniel] is a top driver and we know that he is fast but also how he is behaving with the team is opposite to me.”
"There are a lot of things I've learnt from him. It has also put a bit of pressure on myself and that probably made me rush and make a couple of mistakes in the last couple of races.”
‘Relishing fight';
https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-re...essure-applied
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Former F1 champion unleashes BRUTAL Ricciardo criticism in scathing rant.
Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve is not impressed with Daniel Ricciardo's return to the sport, suggesting that no other driver would secure a return based on his performances at McLaren.
Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:57
Harry Smith
GPFans
The popular Australian's stint with McLaren was hyped up on announcement in 2021, but Ricciardo never felt comfortable with his machinery and was routinely beaten by team-mate Lando Norris. McLaren ultimately decided to part company with Ricciardo a year prior to the end of his contract in 2022, instead recruiting his rookie compatriot Oscar Piastri for the 2023 campaign.
Speaking about Ricciardo's return during the Canal+ broadcast of FP1 for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Villeneuve provided a scathing review of the Aussie's career. "He's been resting for several months," Villeneuve explained. "He did some political background work with [Helmut Marko] that [Nyck de Vries] didn't see coming, well done.”
"On the other hand, it's impressive, for a return to Formula 1, a big smile and Instagram are enough to drive these magnificent cars, it's incredible. No [other] driver after four pitiful seasons was allowed to return to Formula 1.”
‘BRUTAL Ricciardo criticism in scathing rant’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...sm-alphatauri/
DAN AND OUT: Ex-F1 champ Jacques Villeneuve blasts Daniel Ricciardo’s career claiming that almost half of it has been ‘terrible’
Published: 14:06, 13 Jul 2023
Etienne Fermie
The Sun
DANIEL RICCIARDO'S Formula One career was blasted as "terrible" by former champ Jacques Villeneuve - or at least, half of it. Racing legend Villeneuve, 51, last year blasted Ricciardo, telling F1 TV: "He had two terrible years at Renault and two even more terrible years at McLaren. That's four years. Almost half of his Formula One career was bad.
"Alpine have no reason to take him, especially when he's driven there before. The modern cars just don't seem to suit his driving style. He was impressive at Red Bull. He showed amazing overtaking manoeuvres. He was ahead of Max at the beginning. But in the end Max started to get a handle on him.”
"Then he switched. And after the switch something seems to have happened that he never managed to get a handle on. He never recovered from that."
‘Modern cars just don't seem to suit his driving style’;
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/19803...iel-ricciardo/
Ricciardo holds McLaren responsible for career slump
July 28, 2023
BaylaSportsF1.com
Daniel Ricciardo on Thursday appeared to directly attribute the slump in his career over the past two seasons at McLaren to the Woking based team. The implication from Ricciardo’s remarks about Alpha Tauri is that McLaren’s engineers may not have been as receptive to his input.
“I don’t really want to talk about the time at McLaren anymore,” he expressed. “But back then, during the first summer break, I realized that we were going about things the wrong way, although obviously everyone was acting in the team’s best interest.”
‘McLaren responsible’;
https://baylasportsf1.com/ricciardo-...-career-slump/
F1 champions split over Ricciardo comeback
Two former world champions are divided over Daniel Ricciardo's handling of his return to the Formula 1 grid.
JULY 27, 2023
GrandPrix.com
For his part, 1997 title winner Jacques Villeneuve thinks the 33-year-old Australian played a masterstroke prior to Hungary by filling the suddenly-ousted Nyck de Vries' place at Alpha Tauri. “Daniel rested for a few months and did some political work that de Vries didn't see coming”, the Canadian told the French broadcaster Canal Plus. “It's impressive to return to Formula 1 and drive these great cars with a big smile and working social media. Incredible,” Villeneuve added.
While 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg agrees that it was an impressive return for Ricciardo, he is less impressed with some of Ricciardo's messaging. “The only thing I would like to say is that it was unnecessary for Daniel to make it so clear that he is here to come back to Red Bull”, said the German. “It's unnecessary additional pressure that he's putting on himself. I would have handled that a bit differently and downplayed it a bit.”
‘Daniel Ricciardo's handling of his return to the Formula 1 grid’;
https://www.grandprix.com/news/f1-ch...-comeback.html
Nico Rosberg’s controversial take on Daniel Ricciardo declaration
Daniel Ricciardo made his return to racing with AlphaTauri last weekend at the Hungarian GP.
by Nick Golding
26 July 2023
Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of 2018 whilst alongside Max Verstappen, with Rosberg believing that the eight-time race winner simply “didn’t feel comfortable” anymore with the Austrians. “I think he just didn’t feel comfortable in the team anymore,” Rosberg said.
“There was this rising star in Max Verstappen who was getting more and more support in the team and he just saw an opportunity to go to another team and be the star there and open up a new chapter and that was his decision at the time. I don’t think he would call it a mistake looking back, I’m not sure.”
The Aussie is keen to race for the Austrians again, something which Rosberg wants the AlphaTauri driver to play down a “little bit”. “The one thing I will say, it’s unnecessary, that Daniel makes it so clear that he is here to get back into the Red Bull Racing team,” Rosberg said. “It’s unnecessary extra pressure that he has set himself. I would have played that a bit differently and downplayed it a little bit.”
‘Controversial take on Daniel Ricciardo declaration’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/nico-rosb...o-declaration/
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F1 silly season in full swing as SEVEN drivers out of contract including Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo are among seven drivers who don't yet know what their 2024 plans are as they look to iron out their Formula 1 futures during the summer break.
13:15, 3 Aug 2023
By Samuel Meade Sports Brand Writer
The Mirror
The F1 summer break is often when future decisions are made - with just shy of half the grid unsure of their 2024 drives. Known as 'silly season' - one driver move can often lead to a domino effect, as we've seen previously.
Lewis Hamilton is the biggest name on the grid whose futures is undecided, while some teams have both seats currently vacant heading into next season. The Mercedes driver has been with the Silver Arrows since 2013 but no deal is yet signed for next year with the German manufacturer still not providing a car capable of challenging for the title.
Daniel Ricciardo is back in F1 with AlphaTauri for the rest of this season. He was recalled following the brutal axing of De Vries and has immediately targeted a seat with Red Bull for 2025.
‘F1 silly season in full swing’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-30620016
F1 silly season: Driver linked with sensational return to Aston Martin
02 Aug 2023 11:15 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com
Seen walking into the Red Bull hospitality, but that was explained away as travel, it’s now being claimed it’s Aston Martin, not Red Bull, who could be the ones to sign Nico Hulkenberg.
According to former driver turned pundit Timo Glock, it’s not Red Bull who are leading the charge, rather it’s his former team, Aston Martin. Although he expects Hulkenberg to remain at Haas next season, Aston Martin having Fernando Alonso and their team owner’s son Lance Stroll on the books, he reckons the German could be in line for a 2025 seat with the Silverstone team.
“I think he will still be driving with Haas next year because there is no other option,” Speedweek quotes the Sky Sports commentator as having said. “After that, I’m sure that the teams have him on the radar, for example, Aston Martin. “Mike Krack saw what Nico Hülkenberg can do in the car without any preparation and how he drives at the moment. He’s definitely on the list and I trust him to be able to show everything in a top team.”
‘Sensational return to Aston Martin’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/nico-h...tin-2025-move/
F1's blockbuster silly season transfer story with long-lasting effect on three teams
A year has passed since Alpine tried and so publicly failed to promote junior driver Oscar Piastri to an F1 race seat, but the Aussie and his new McLaren employers had other ideas
06:00, 2 Aug 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror
It will forever remain an iconic silly season story among Formula 1 fans on Twitter. "I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year."
That post is still live on Oscar Piastri's account, a year on from when he first pressed send. That was about an hour and a half after Alpine had indeed released a statement 'confirming' that the Aussie had been promoted to a race seat. The warning signs were there straight away. The press release gave the impression it had been written hastily, as a response to the previous day's news that Fernando Alonso would be leaving for Aston Martin.
I remember, as I wrote the breaking news story for the Mirror Sport website, thinking it was odd that there was no quote from Piastri himself included in the release. A little over 90 minutes later, it became obvious why it was missing.
‘F1's blockbuster silly season transfer story’;
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-saga-30606818
Aston Martin silly season rumour starts as Lance Stroll exit prediction made – F1 news round-up
02 Aug 2023 11:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft made a prediction that Lance Stroll may in fact decide that Formula 1 life may not be for him come the end of next season, and move into “something that fulfils him more.”
With the Canadian struggling to compete against Fernando Alonso in the first half of the 2023 season, Croft wonders about where his motivation may be at the moment, following a sterling start to the year after recovering from broken bones in his hand to drive to a P6 finish in Bahrain.
“I do wonder, he’s the one driver on the grid that you think: ‘You’re guaranteed a job as long as your dad is there’, and we’ve never actually talked about contracts for Lance Stroll,” Croft told the Sky Sports F1 podcast. “We’ve never looked at his future elsewhere, but I just have a little feeling that in about a year and a half’s time, Lance Stroll will race his last race in Formula 1 and go off and do something else.”
‘Aston Martin silly season rumour’;
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-new...season-rumour/
F1 'Silly Season' is already heating up: Here is what we know and what is still rumored
15:57 Sat, 22 Jul 2023.
Cork Gaines
INSIDER
The 2023 Formula One "silly season" is already heating up as rumors are flying about the 2024 driver lineup. This year's driver shakeup was supposed to be quiet, but Daniel Ricciardo is back, and with Lewis Hamilton's contract still in doubt and struggles at Ferrari, there are an unusual number of rumors surrounding the top teams.
1. Red Bull: Verstappen has won two championships with Perez's aid but shows little reciprocation, particularly now as Perez had emerged as the strongest title challenger. With Perez failing to reach the podium in four of the past five races, rumors are heating up that his seat is not secure.
2. Mercedes: The Daily Mail had reported that Ferrari could be making a move for Hamilton with boss John Elkann in direct contact with Hamilton and prepared to offer him $49.3 million (£40.0 million) per year to switch teams.
‘F1 'Silly Season' is already heating up’;
https://www.insider.com/f1-drivers-s...contracts-2023
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Gasly: Alpine must use summer break to ‘process’ F1 team changes.
Pierre Gasly says Alpine must use the summer break to “process” the major changes that were made at the Formula 1 team in recent weeks.
12:16 Wed, 02 Aug 2023.
Motorsport Week
Gasly, who joined Alpine at the start of the 2023 campaign, suggested the situation for him as a newcomer has been far from ideal. “Personally I’ve got to focus on what I do on the track and try to bring the best I can from every single session,” Gasly said.
“That’s what I’ve been focussing on, obviously everyone is disappointed with the start of the year, we didn’t perform straight from the start as well as we should have. There hasn’t been the progress that we all would have liked. Obviously, I’ve just joined six months ago, I don’t know what the past history.”
“It’s quite a lot of changes just for me coming in the team and relying on new people and then all these changes. Everybody needs to sit down and process what’s happened and just refresh and start fresh in Zandvoort.”
‘Use summer break to ‘process’ F1 team changes’;
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-team-changes/
‘I just want to say thanks’ – Gasly pays tribute to departing Alpine bosses as he lets news ‘sink in’
01 August 2023
Formula One - Official Site
Pierre Gasly has offered his initial reaction to the various Alpine leadership changes that were announced over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, admitting that he needs time to “let everything sink in”.
Asked about the various changes, and how he is staying focused on driving, Gasly said: “My part of the job is trying to extract every single hundredth and millisecond out of this car and that’s what I try to do.”
“Obviously there have been a few changes [to the management structure] and I haven’t really had time to sit down and let everything sink in. But I think the most important [thing] for me to say right now is I just want to thank Laurent, Otmar, Alan and Pat for their effort and their work with me since the start of the year.”
‘I just want to say thanks’;
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...z1nHcGz96.html
Gasly's concession amid huge Alpine changes
03 August 9:06AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Pierre Gasly has conceded that Alpine is lacking 'overall potential compared to rival Formula 1 teams with its A523 machine. Alpine's hopes of closing the gap to the top three teams in 2023 has failed, with the team languishing in sixth place in the Constructors', as Aston Martin took a giant leap forward with McLaren also improving after a sizeable mid-season upgrade.
As a result of the poor performances, Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane left the team after the Belgian Grand Prix, with CEO Laurent Rossi being removed by Renault Group chair Luca de Meo the week before in Hungary. Despite a podium in Monaco and top three in the Belgian Sprint for the team, Gasly feels it has failed to live up to expectations.
‘Gasly's concession’;
https://racingnews365.com/gaslys-con...alpine-changes
Gasly hoping Alpine surprise boosts departing Szafnauer and Permane
01 August 6:45PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
Pierre Gasly hopes his surprise third-place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint will leave "special memories" for the departing Alpine senior management.
After a poor Qualifying session for the Grand Prix on Friday, Gasly was able to secure sixth on the Sprint grid, and by pitting on the first lap when the Sprint started, was able to grab third place.
He was able to stay there and deliver a much-needed boost to the team, with the Frenchman hoping Szafnauer, Permane and Pat Fry - who is to take up the Chief Technical Officer role at Williams - could depart on good terms.
"Special memories";
https://racingnews365.com/gasly-hopi...er-and-permane
Pierre Gasly’s manager admits Alpine ‘frustration’
August 4, 2023
BaylaSportsF1
“The car was born as it was born,” Gasly’s manager, Guillaume Le Goff, told RMC. “A little out of step with what we expected. So yes, there is a bit of frustration on that side,” he explained, after Alpine sacked its team boss Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.
According to Chevrier, the former engine boss at Viry-Chatillon, one problem is quite well known in the paddock at present as Renault is pushing for special dispensation to improve its power unit amid the current freeze. “The few whispers I hear from Viry tell me that they thought they had made significant progress on the engine,” he said. “Both in terms of performance and reliability.”
‘The few whispers’;
https://baylasportsf1.com/pierre-gas...e-frustration/
Manager suggests Pierre Gasly regret over Alpine move
Pierre Gasly finished third in the 2023 Belgian GP sprint race to score his first podium with Alpine.
by Nick Golding
5 August 2023
Ex-Renault team member Denis Chevrier has revealed that the French manufacturer thought they’d made “significant progress” with their power unit; however, they’re learning considerably less about their engine.
Renault are the only power unit supplier in F1 currently without a customer team, something which has seen the side “learn a lot less”. They are currently trying to receive special treatment to increase the power of their power unit, to make them more competitive.
“It seems like a decent power unit. The problem is that it’s only in those two cars. So you learn a lot less and much less quickly than the others. That’s one of the drawbacks.”
‘Only those two cars, so you learn a lot less’;
https://formula1news.co.uk/manager-s...r-alpine-move/
Gasly leads emotional tribute at Spa for Anthoine Hubert.
Thursday 3 August 2023 16:27
L.A. Wilshaw
GPFans
Every year since that tragic day in 2019 at the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly has paid tribute to his friend, Anthoine Hubert, who lost his life in a racing incident during the 2019 F2 Feature Race. Inspiring the paddock with a heartfelt gesture, Gasly sent a letter of invitation to all Formula 1, Formula 2 and Formula 3 personnel and colleagues to join him on a ‘Run for Anthoine’ at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit.
Wearing ‘Race for Anthoine’ t-shirts, Gasly led the group alongside team mate, Esteban Ocon, F2 and F3 drivers Victor Martins, Jack Doohan and Caio Collet, all existing members of the Alpine Driver Academy [former Renault Sport Academy], that Hubert was a member of. Talking to Channel 4’s Lee McKenzie over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Gasly gave an emotional testimony on his tribute for Hubert.
He said, “It was very emotional. I’m really proud of our sport right now. I’ve just seen, in these tremendous conditions, most of the people in the paddock whether it’s Formula 1, Formula 2 or Formula 3 gathered together on the grid. Obviously it was a very meaningful sort of run for me for Anthoine [Hubert] and obviously Dilano [van’t Hoff] as well, who we lost a couple of weeks ago.”
‘Emotional tribute’;
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...thoine-hubert/