2022 - A Look Ahead

[Fortitude]

DE VRIES AND MARKO ARE SAID TO HAVE “AGREED” ON DE VRIES GOING TO ALPHATAURI
Auto Hebdo have reported that Helmut Marko met with de Vries in Graz in Austria. According to their reports, the Red Bull advisor met with the Dutchman to discuss his move to AlphaTauri.
12:54, 17th Sept 2022.
Abby Bathurst
FormulaNerds

De Vries impressed the paddock whilst racing in Monza for Williams. Auto Hebdo stated that Marko and de Vries are said to have: “agreed on a move of [de Vries] to AlphaTauri next season, where he is expected to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda.”

This would be an interesting move for the Dutchman as he is currently the Mercedes Reserve Driver and has raced for Mercedes in Formula E. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ Team Principal, said earlier this year that Mercedes “can’t really tell any team to look” at de Vries because it would “be felt as interference.”

De Vries also commented on his future after Monza, saying that getting on the Formula One grid is “out of [his] control”. But many thought he was likely to have secured his seat at Williams after out-performing Latifi. However, with the potential of a seat at AlphaTauri, de Vries’s future is now up for more speculation.

‘Agreed on a move of [de Vries] to AlphaTauri’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/de.../?nowprocket=1


Nyck de Vries set to be rewarded with Formula 1 seat as Alpha Tauri are ‘close’ to agreeing move for Italian Grand Prix debutant star, allowing Pierre Gasly to complete Alpine switch
17th September 2022, 4:45 pm
Connor Andrews

The 27-year-old decimated fellow Williams driver Nicholas Latifi in both qualifying and the race, and with only Albon signed for next season, the Canadian’s seat appeared to be in jeopardy.

De Vries outscored Latifi’s point tally for the season in just a single race, while his two points make up 33 per cent of Williams’ 2022 total in the constructors standings.

However, Williams’ inactivity in nailing down De Vries has been pounced upon by Alpha Tauri, with reports in the Netherlands claiming a deal is ‘close’ to completion. De Telegraph report that once current Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly has sealed his move to Alpine, De Vries will step in as his replacement.

‘Nyck de Vries set to be rewarded with Formula 1 seat as Alpha Tauri’;

https://talksport.com/sport/motorsport/1197348/


AlphaTauri contract for De Vries ready
Today, ‎15‎:‎45
Author Rory Mitchell
Co-author Ruud Dimmers

Dutchman looks set to join AlphaTauri in 2023 after meetings with Helmut Marko in Austria. Nyck de Vries has been a man in demand for several teams including Alpine and Williams, however it looks like Red Bull will snatch up the Formula E world champion RacingNews365.com has learned.

After meeting with Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, the Dutchman looks set to join AlphaTauri for 2023 and pair with Yuki Tsunoda. Things still depend on whether Red Bull will enable Pierre Gasly to make a switch to Alpine to replace Fernando Alonso, as previously reported.

‘Dutchman looks set to join AlphaTauri’;

https://racingnews365.com/alphatauri...de-vries-ready


De Vries linked to possible AlphaTauri agreement
17/09/2022 at 13:49
Andrew Lewin

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Saturday morning that the Dutchman paid a visit this week to the Graz office of Red Bull motorsports consultant Dr Hellmut Marko. This has subsequently been confirmed by RacingNews365.com

Now French publication AUTOHebdo has gone further than that, and stated that the discussion was more advanced than originally thought and that an agreement has already been reached on the move

In a tweet (translated from the original French), AUTOhebdo said it was "able to confirm the information that de Vries and Helmut Marko have met in Graz, and they are said to have agreed on a move of the 27-year-old Dutchman to Alpha Tauri next season, where he is expected to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda."

‘An agreement has already been reached’;

https://f1i.com/news/454609-de-vries...agreement.html


Nyck de Vries to replace Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri – report
Saturday 17th September 2022 3:10 PM
Jon Wilde

How would Mercedes view Nyck de Vries joining the Red Bull camp? It does beg the question of how Mercedes would feel about seeing a driver who has been immersed with them for three years, winning a Formula E World Championship, to up and leave for Red Bull.

Toto Wolff has said more than once he is extremely limited in what more he can to do help De Vries fulfil his F1 dream, for which he has been waiting since he won the Formula 2 title in 2019.

“I can’t really help him,” said the Mercedes head of motorsport after De Vries drove in FP1 for the Silver Arrows at the French Grand Prix in July.

‘How would Mercedes view Nyck de Vries joining the Red Bull camp?’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/nyck-d...i-link-report/

[Fortitude]

Alex Albon will 'aim high' for Singapore return after health scare.
After his health scare in Italy, Alex Albon will "aim high" for a return at the Singapore Grand Prix.
17 September 2022
Ben Issatt

Last weekend at Monza, the Williams driver was sent to hospital with appendicitis on Saturday morning and underwent successful surgery.

However, it was later revealed Albon suffered complications following the operation that led to respiratory failure and saw him moved into intensive care and briefly put onto a ventilator.

By Tuesday though, Alex's progress was such that the returned home to Monaco to continue his recovery.

‘Albon will 'aim high' for Singapore’;

https://www.insideracing.com/formula...r-health-scare


Alex Albon back home after release from hospital
September 17, 2022
By Joe Briley

There have been further updates today that have said the Thai driver has been released from the hospital back to his home in Monaco, after he spent a further two days in hospital after he was released from intensive care. It is also rumoured that Albon is planning to race in Singapore on 2 October.

A Williams Racing Statement on Monday read: “Following surgery, Alex suffered with unexpected post-operative anaesthetic complications which led to respiratory failure, a known but uncommon complication. He was re-intubated and transferred to intensive care for support.”

“He made excellent progress overnight and was able to be removed from mechanical ventilation yesterday morning. He has now been transferred to a general ward and is expected to return home tomorrow. There were no other complications.”

‘Alex Albon back home’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...from-hospital/


‘The goal is to be ready by Singapore’ – Albon provides update to fans on recovery from appendicitis complications
16 September 2022
Formula 1.

Alex Albon has addressed his fans on social media following his release from hospital after contracting appendicitis, with the Thai driver saying his goal is now on getting fully fit for the Singapore Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.

Ahead of final practice for last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, it was announced that Albon had been diagnosed with appendicitis – with the Williams driver then suffering “unexpected post-operative anaesthetic complications which led to respiratory failure” according to a statement from his team, with Albon transferred to intensive care and put on mechanical ventilation.

However, having been discharged from hospital on Tuesday, Albon addressed his fans on Friday night, telling them that he was working to get fit for the Singapore Grand Prix – with Dutch driver Nyck de Vries having stood in for Albon at Monza. “I feel pretty good, I feel okay,” said Albon, in a video posted on his social media accounts. “Obviously on Saturday I had a slight issue and the doctors did an amazing job, and I’m very grateful that they got me in good health and out of the hospital by Tuesday.”

‘The goal is to be ready by Singapore’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...pOzb4Otsk.html


Albon: It will tough to be ready for Singapore
17 September, 2022
Reuters

Williams driver Alex Albon said he hoped to race in the Singapore Grand Prix after missing last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix with appendicitis but recognised it would be tough. The 26-year-old Thai was replaced at Monza by Dutch reserve Nyck de Vries, who finished ninth on his debut, while Albon was hospitalised and receiving treatment.

Albon was released from hospital on Tuesday and is recovering at home in Monaco ahead of the Singapore round which starts with practice on Friday, 30 September. “I feel pretty good, I feel OK,” he said in a video message on social media. “Obviously on Saturday I had a slight issue and the doctors did an amazing job. I’m very grateful that they got me in good health and out of the hospital by Tuesday.

“I have been in Monaco since then. I’ve started to walk around and the goal is to be ready for Singapore, which is going to be tough. It’s one of the toughest races that we go to, so it’s not an easy one.

‘It will tough to be ready for Singapore’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/09...re-grand-prix/


Jost Capito thinks Abu Dhabi crash has affected Nicholas Latifi’s driving.
Jost Capito believes the negative response to Nicholas Latifi’s Abu Dhabi crash has affected his driving this season. Latifi became the accidental star of the controversial season ending when his late crash brought out the Safety Car which would go on to dramatically alter the title race.
Sunday 18th September 2022 7:45 AM
Sam Cooper

Despite the unintentional nature of it, that did not stop some social media users from sending the Canadian death threats online. The abuse got so bad that Latifi said he beefed up his security and came off of his social media platforms. Williams team boss Capito has said that the team felt it was important to not push him too much following the abuse as they believed it was only going to make things worse.

“We had to keep giving him the confidence,” Capito told the High Performance Podcast. “We said that there is was nothing wrong, everything was fine but it’s very difficult to up them because that was the end of the season, they all went on vacation, they said they have to take the time off. So he was not around here every single day and it’s also we didn’t interfere there too much as we knew what was happening, we knew was going on that he switched his social media off but if we would have interfered too much, I think we would have made the situation even worse.”

“That’s something everybody has to get over himself. He was fully aware that he had our backing, that were absolutely convinced he didn’t do anything wrong. The crash, of course, it shouldn’t have happened but if you’re racing, you know, crashes can happen. And when we never blame a driver for that, it’s possible to crash. Because otherwise you have to stay at home if you don’t want to crash.”

‘Abu Dhabi crash has affected Nicholas Latifi’s driving’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jost-c...tifis-driving/


CAPITO: SARGEANT IS “READY” FOR F1 BUT HE JUST “NEEDS SOME POINTS”
Jost Capito has given his thoughts on Logan Sargeant
13:35 Sat, 17 Sep 2022.
Abby Bathurst
FormulaNerds

Jost Capito has spoken about Logan Sargeant as potentially replacing Nicholas Latifi at Williams for next season. Logan Sargeant joined the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2022 for his rookie season. He’s racing for Calin and has partnered with Liam Lawson.

With only one round left of the F2 season, Sargeant is third in the standings. He has 135 points, but those behind him aren’t too far away. Recently in the past five rounds, since Le Castellet, Sargeant has suffered at least one DNF over a race weekend. However, the American has had some great performances this year, notably his back-to-back feature race wins at Silverstone and in Austria.

At the end of last year, Sargeant joined the Williams Driver Academy. For Sargeant, this has given him the opportunity to drive the Williams at COTA during the FP1 session in front of his home crowd. It has also meant that he could potentially be up for Nicholas Latifi’s seat next year on the F1 grid. The Canadian, along with Niko Hulkenberg, has failed to score points this season.

‘CAPITO: SARGEANT IS “READY” FOR F1’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ca.../?nowprocket=1


WILLIAMS WILL LOOK ELSEWHERE IF SARGEANT CAN’T GET THE POINTS
With Nicholas Latifi not performing, a replacement for the Canadian is highly anticipated
19:43 Sat, 17 Sep 2022.
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

A replacement for Nicholas Latifi at Williams for next season is more than likely, as the Canadian continues to struggle. Formula 2 driver Logan Sargeant is the latest to be rumoured replacing Latifi but only if he gets the points.

Williams are open to taking a rookie. Logan Sargeant currently finds himself third with 135 points in the Formula 2 championship in his rookie season. The American has impressed many during his debut season. The move for the 21-year-old would make sense for Williams as the American is part of their academy system.

Last weekend at Monza, Williams boss Jost Capito made it clear that the team are open to taking a rookie for next season. He said that “there’s a good choice of drivers”. Within that pool, Sargeant is a strong candidate. Capito said he thinks Sargeant is “ready” to make the step up to Formula 1. The American has just entered his debut season in Formula 2, but the German is still “confident”.

‘WILLIAMS WILL LOOK ELSEWHERE’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wi.../?nowprocket=1

[Fortitude]

Bottas – Slow upgrade production a ‘weakness’ of Alfa Romeo.
In the round-up: Valtteri Bottas says that development speed is “one of the weaknesses” of his Alfa Romeo team.
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 18th September 2022, 0:01
Written by Will Wood

Valtteri Bottas says that improving how quickly Alfa Romeo produce upgrades for their car is a “high priority” for the team. Alfa Romeo currently sixth in the constructors’ championship on 52 points, but have only scored a single point in the last eight races after scoring 51 over the first nine. Bottas admits the team have been unable to maintain the development pace of some of their fellow midfield teams.

“I think the rivals – like for example, McLaren and Alpine – they have made more development than us and they’ve had more constant upgrades than us,” said Bottas. “We still have some things to come, I think it’s probably maybe Austin or Japan, some things, but I guess that’s going to be more or less it.”

“I think we were one of the very few teams in the beginning of the year who were at the weight limits. I think many teams were overweight, but as they’ve come down now, so maybe that has made an effect as well. We know one of our weaknesses is the production speed, which is a high priority for the team for the future. We’re definitely aware of that.”

‘Slow upgrade production a weakness’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/09/18/...nd-up-18-09-5/


Zhou: Lack of upgrades hiding my improved performances
18/09/2022, ‎18‎:‎00
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Jesse Janse

Guanyu Zhou believes that his development over the season has been hidden by Alfa Romeo's drop-off in competitiveness. Guanyu Zhou believes that his own performances have improved over the course of the season, but a lack of car performance has prevented better results.

A tenth-place finish for Zhou at the Italian Grand Prix gave Alfa Romeo their first top ten finish since the Canadian GP back in June. The Chinese driver benefited from the numerous grid penalties applied after qualifying at Monza to line up ninth, but was powerless to prevent the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez from storming through the field.

Speaking after the Italian GP, Zhou believed that his own points tally would be much higher had Alfa Romeo kept up with the development pace of the other midfield teams. "I think in every weekend it's important to score points, but it [performance deficit] is more to do with what [pace] we have," Zhou told media, including RacingNews365.com.

‘Lack of upgrades hiding my improved performances’;

https://racingnews365.com/zhou-lack-...d-performances


Bottas reveals Hamilton battle with Mercedes
Sunday 18 September 2022 12:59
Sam Hall

The pair raced alongside one another at Mercedes for five years between 2017-2021, helping the German manufacturer clinch five constructors' titles in each season, while Hamilton won four drivers' crowns. Such domination was achieved by the entire team working as one cohesive unit to such an extent the drivers were often refused the set-up direction they requested as the data suggested more favourable routes.

"It is just how a top team works," said Bottas. "I feel like Lewis felt the same as well. He sometimes wanted to go in his direction but the engineers would be like ‘No, the computer says this’. So it was sometimes a bit of a battle but it is good to discuss those things and it's just the way it is.”

"They have pretty advanced technology and simulation tools that allow it and quite often the computer was right but not 100 per cent."

‘No, the computer says this’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/91...lton-mercedes/


Zhou Guanyu reveals why he didn’t try to overtake Nyck de Vries
Zhou Guanyu scored points for the first time since the Canadian GP.
15 September 2022.
by Nick Golding

The Alfa Romeo driver had a look at making an overtake several times; however, De Vries was very late on the brakes on a number of occasions and was moving in the braking zone. This made any attempt to overtake the Dutchman extremely dangerous for Zhou, who prior to Monza hadn’t scored points since the Canadian Grand Prix all the way back in June.


Zhou was asked by F1TV how it felt to be back in the points, with the driver saying it felt “amazing”. “It’s amazing, I think it’s the best place to do it for the team, home race,” said Zhou.

“A lot of pressure coming into it because starting top 10, we knew we had the chance of all the races here. It was quite a tough one of course behind the DRS train, the Williams is super-quick on the straight, but very happy to be finally back in the points [for the first time] since Montreal.”

‘De Vries was very late on the brakes’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/zhou-guan...nyck-de-vries/


Alfa Romeo’s Frédéric Vasseur: “There’s no denying we wanted more from Spa and Zandvoort”
September 8, 2022
By Paul Hensby

Vasseur, the Team Principal at Alfa Romeo, feels the Monza track should see Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu be more competitive than they have been in recent races, and they will be looking to break their pointless run on Sunday afternoon. “We head to Monza this week for the final part of the triple-header and, more importantly, for our home race,” said Vasseur.”

‘As predicted, they did!’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...and-zandvoort/


Zhou insists there’s ‘no hurry’ on 2023 Alfa Romeo deal, as Vasseur says decision will be made this month
16 September 2022
Formula 1.

Alfa Romeo’s rookie Zhou Guanyu says there’s “no hurry” to renew his contract with the team for 2023 after Team Principal Fred Vasseur revealed the team will made a decision on Zhou's future by the end of September.

At Monza, Zhou ended his and Alfa Romeo’s run of six point-less Grands Prix with P10 finish, but with the season now into its final third, the Chinese driver was inevitably asked about his future. The 23-year-old’s contract runs out at the end of this season.

“Yeah, we're talking about it,” said Zhou. “And there's no hurry, myself and the team are very happy with each other, the job we've done so far. It wasn't an easy season, let's say, for the rookie campaign. But for my side, I'm quite happy working with everyone in the team. And yeah, we're talking about it. Nothing has been confirmed but hopefully I get more information soon and I get it all done.”

‘There’s ‘no hurry’ on 2023 Alfa Romeo deal’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...emv1aUXKI.html

[Fortitude]

Fernando Alonso jokes about El Plan as he’s quizzed on racing with Aston Martin in WEC.
Last season, Alonso coined the phrase, “El Plan,” which essentially entailed coming back to F1 and returning to the top step of the podium.10 September 2022
by James Clifford

Fernando Alonso is joining Aston Martin in 2023. Last season, Alonso coined the phrase, “El Plan,” which essentially entailed coming back to F1 and returning to the top step of the podium. It became a popular meme, but he does not want to get caught up in that gimmick again. His ambitions, though, have not changed.

“Let’s not start that again, because there was already enough trouble with El Plan. These things are always created in social media,” joked Alonso. “If it has to be the mission, then it’s the mission. Do I believe in it? We all have to believe.”

“But what happens in F1 is that you start in one position and you are going to finish in that position. It’s not like football where a small one can beat the big one. In F1 everything is too exact and mathematical for that. There are few moments of surprise. That’s the big problem. You can create an illusion but then in the 24 races it can be very monotonous to keep doing the same thing and frustrating for the fans.”

‘El Plan: Where a small one can beat the big one!’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/fernando-...martin-in-wec/


Fernando Alonso has James Bond request for Aston Martin after ditching Alpine
FERNANDO ALONSO raised eyebrows with his move from Aston Martin to Alpine
12:09, Thu, Sep 8, 2022
By Andrew McLean

Fernando Alonso has asked Aston Martin if he can feature in a James Bond film after making the eye-catching move to the team from Alpine. The British car manufacturer is best known for making the cars driven by the fictional secret agent and now the Formula One icon wants to take advantage of that to make his way on to the big screen.

The 41-year-old is considered to be one of the best drivers in the history of the sport having ended Michael Schumacher’s F1 dominance in 2005 with two consecutive title wins for Renault. He has won 32 races during his two-decade-long career with many believing he could have challenged the statistics put up by Lewis Hamilton if he made different career choices. Moves to traditional frontrunners Ferrari and McLaren went pear-shaped as the teams failed to offer him a vehicle capable of regularly performing at the front.

Now it appears he has set his sights on further fame by taking advantage of his move to Aston Martin, steeped in history with the beloved 007. Speaking on Instagram live in his native Spanish, Alonso joked about getting onto the silver screen, stating: "I would like to be featured on a James Bond movie, now that I signed for Aston Martin.”

‘EL PLAN: James Bond’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...rmula-One-news


Aston Martin envisage extended partnership with 'racing machine' Alonso.
Aston Martin believes "racing machine" Fernando Alonso could stay beyond his initial two-year deal.
31 August 2022
Ben Issatt

Alonso pointed to a greater desire from Aston Martin to sign him as his main reason to join from Alpine, with team boss Mike Krack denying any special incentives were included. “There's been talk in the media of him being offered things like number one status and a huge salary, but I can assure you Fernando is not doing it for either the status or the paycheque," he said.

“Of course, the package has to be commensurate with a driver of Fernando's calibre and experience, but the speed with which the agreement was made tells you that things like salary or the detail of the deal were not the prime motivators for Fernando. What convinced Fernando is the opportunity to be part of a team that's progressing and where he can make a real impact.”

Krack also claimed the Aston Martin project is one that matches Alonso's passion and motivation. “Fernando is a machine – a racing machine. He's totally focused on racing,” he continued. "He's determined to perform and compete at the highest level and sees Aston Martin F1 as the team that will enable him to do that.”

‘Racing Machine Alonso’;

https://www.insideracing.com/formula...machine-alonso


Aston Martin want Fernando Alonso to ask them ‘uncomfortable’ questions
Sunday 18th September 2022 3:00 PM
Henry Valantine

Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack wants to see Fernando Alonso challenge the team to try and help push them forward next season. The two-time World Champion will head to the team next season on a multi-year deal to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel, after the Spaniard and Alpine reached a sticking point in their negotiations regarding the length of his deal. Aston Martin were quickly willing to offer Alonso what he had been after, agreeing a move in a matter of days after Vettel’s retirement announcement.

Despite staying at Alpine being Alonso’s initial preferred option, he will want to hit the ground running with Aston Martin next year, and the team principal hopes to see the team challenged to make the most of their potential. Krack said to Sky F1: “Well, he’s a champion. There is a reason why they are [champions] and it is because they are very competitive.”

“They are asking the right questions, they are pushing the teams to the limit, and we feel, for us, it’s important to have someone like that to ask some also uncomfortable questions. And it pushes us one step further. So I think for the team, it is the right thing to have people like that.”

‘Want Uncomfortable Questions’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/aston-...ble-questions/


Aston Martin: Alonso can help to drive us forwards
14 September, 2022
Paul Velasco

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough explained why they chose Fernando and what it means for the team: “Watching him from the outside this year and last year, he’s particularly competitive and really wanting to do well. We see the job he’s doing at Alpine week-in, week-out.”

“Really looking forward to getting him into our team,” continued McCullough. “To see what we can learn with him and how he can help continue to drive us forwards. I expect him to be there, week-in, week-out, getting the most out of the car in qualifying, racing really well.”

“He’s a very tenacious racer: you saw last weekend in Zandvoort, at one point, the way the timing of the Virtual Safety Car and Safety Cars had gone, he found himself in the middle of a tight midfield bunch on older Soft tyres than others – but he still comes out looking pretty good.”

‘Drive us forwards’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/09...e-us-forwards/

[Fortitude]

Next two months of development “crucial” for Mercedes’ 2023 chances – Wolff.
“We lacked the tools, the simulations and the understanding of uncovering the problem that we would create with the way the car was developed,” said Wolff.
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 19th September 2022, 0:01
Written by Will Wood

In the round-up: Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says that the next two months of development work on their 2023 car are “crucial” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says that the next two months of development work on their 2023 car are “crucial” to their hopes of being race winning and championship contenders for next season.

The eight-time consecutive constructors’ championship winning team will almost certainly lose their crown to Red Bull this year after failing to secure a race win so far in 2022, with Mercedes’ W13 often performing differently on track to how the team’s simulations predicted. Wolff says that the coming weeks are critical to their work on making sure their 2023 car performs more predictably.

“We lacked the tools, the simulations and the understanding of uncovering the problem that we would create with the way the car was developed,” said Wolff. “That we couldn’t run it where we wanted to run it. Aerodynamically and mechanically, it was never in the sweet spot. It took us months to undo some of the steps we’ve done. It’s not like that I believe we’ve discovered the Holy Grail and we understand everything and it’s going to be a blast next year. This is now a crucial period. Literally over the next one-to-two months we need, with a certain degree of precision, to understand what needs to be done for next year.”

‘Next two months of development crucial’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/09/19/...nd-up-19-09-5/


Wolff: Engine penalty points won't solve "problem" of grid penalties
19/09/2022, ‎12‎:‎33
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Qualifying for the Italian GP was marred by confusion over the final grid after penalties. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff does not believe the idea of penalising Formula 1 penalty points is a good deterrent for those taking engine grid drops.

The recent Italian Grand Prix featured nine drivers taking grid drops for exceeding their allocation of engine components and also confusion about the provisional starting grid. It took nearly four hours for one to be drawn up, with extra doubt about Max Verstappen's place after a five-place grid drop from second.

Some thought he was set for seventh - the standard drop - but as others behind him also had drops, it could have meant he was shuffled back up to fourth.

‘Penalty points won't solve problem’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-engi...grid-penalties


Wolff defends 'complicated' grid penalties for new engines
17/09/2022 at 12:37
Andrew Lewin

Eight drivers were hit by penalties for taking additional power unit elements at Spa, with Max Verstappen among those receiving a 'back of the grid' sanction after having won pole position in qualifying.

And in Monza the figure was up to nine drivers, with Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton this time sent to the back of the grid while Verstappen served a 'mere' five place penalty for the start of the Italian GP.

The situation was so complex that it took four hours for the race officials to publish a provisional starting grid, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly jokingly asking Twitter whether anyone could tell him his starting position. It's left many fans fuming about how it's made qualifying into a farce, with the starting grid bearing no resemblance to the order at the end of Saturday's session.

‘So complex that it took four hours for the race officials to publish a provisional starting grid’;

https://f1i.com/news/454584-wolff-de...w-engines.html


Toto Wolff: Grid penalties needed or teams will ‘blow an engine every race’
Friday 16th September 2022 6:00 PM
Sam Cooper

Toto Wolff believes grid penalties are necessary in order to stop teams using 20 engines in a season. As the 2022 season has worn on, there has been an increasing number of drivers taking penalties as a result of new parts being fitted to their car. At the Italian Grand Prix, a total of nine driver received penalties with the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz all starting further back than they qualified.

This trend is only set to continue as teams battle against the wear and tear suffered each race and the confinements of the FIA regulations. Mercedes boss Wolff has pointed out that these penalties are a necessary evil as, unlike on the chassis, there is no cost cap for the engine.

“On the chassis side, we are cost capped, and we weren’t before,” Wolff said, as per Motorsport.com. “On the engine side, we are not cost capped yet. If there were no grid penalties, we would have qualifying engines. And not five of them, but 20! The big teams and the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) would spend what they want in order to have an advantage.”

‘Penalties needed or teams will ‘blow an engine every race’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...alties-needed/


Mercedes’ Toto Wolff: “I hope that we can continue our trend of better race pace than single lap”
September 11, 2022
By Jamie Partis-Nelson

After another qualifying performance that once again failed to pass Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s lofty expectations in the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Toto Wolff is left once again hoping that the W13’s race pace will push his team back into contention for a strong result at the Italian Grand Prix.

Mercedes finished qualifying in their usual place in the pecking order, as Hamilton originally qualified fifth fastest, while Russell was placed directly behind his Mercedes team-mate in sixth-place. Speaking after qualifying, Wolff was keen to praise Ferrari for their efforts at their home Grand Prix at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

“Overall, that session was probably a little worse than we had hoped for – not in terms of our final positions, which were probably our maximum today, but with respect to the gap to the front of the grid. We started the weekend well and haven’t been able to continue that momentum through the weekend – and on the flip side, Ferrari did an awesome job here in qualifying.“

‘Hope that we can continue our trend of better race pace than single lap’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...an-single-lap/


Toto Wolff: ‘Niki Lauda would have taken his hat off to Nyck de Vries’
Friday 16th September 2022 11:59 PM
Sam Cooper

Toto Wolff has heaped praise on Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries after he scored points on his F1 debut. Having driven for Aston Martin in FP1, De Vries was parachuted into the Williams ahead of FP3 after Alex Albon had been taken ill, suffering from appendicitis.

Wolff, who has spent a significant amount time with De Vries as boss of Mercedes, was very complimentary about the 27-year-old and said that no one else could have done a better job. “I like him,” the 50-year-old Austrian said.

“He is just a good young man. He’s not only fast and has shown that in the junior categories, but he is also intelligent and a good team player, that is why he deserved it here. “I don’t think that anyone else could have possibly done a better job in what he did.”

‘Niki Lauda would have taken his hat off to Nyck de Vries’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...nyck-de-vries/

[Fortitude]

Russell: Narrow sidepods not off the table for 2023.
George Russell revealed that, despite the W13 being a woeful piece of Formula 1 kit, its narrow sidepod design is not off the table as the team designs the 2023 Silver Arrow.
19 September, 2022
Jad Mallak

The W13 turned heads when it showed up at Bahrain’s pre-season testing at the start of this season, with its innovative non-existing sidepods, but the positives ended there, as the car turned out to be a Silver disaster on four wheels.

Mercedes kept the faith with the design, and made good use of the opportunities that came their way, as at least one of their drivers – Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – made it to the podium 11 times on 16 races. George Russell in particular has seven podiums to his name in 2022 and – except for the 2022 British Grand Prix, where he caused a first-lap pileup sending Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu into the barriers in spectacular fashion – was in the top five for all the races so far.

“But ultimately whether we have the wide sidepods or the narrow sidepods that isn’t the performance differentiator, there is more to it,” the Briton pointed out. Mercedes have shown inconsistent flashes of speed at some F1 venues this season, and Russell commented: “I think we understand exactly why at circuits like Zandvoort and Budapest why we were competitive. “We understand why at circuits like this [Monza] and Spa we were uncompetitive. That doesn’t mean that we can solve the issues overnight.”

‘Despite the W13 being a woeful piece of Formula 1 kit, its narrow sidepod design is not off the table’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/09...able-for-2023/


George Russell says Mercedes could stun Formula 1 with radical design.
George Russell currently sits higher than team-mate Sir Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship.
19 September 2022
by Nick Golding

Nobody could’ve predicted that Mercedes, the team who have won the Constructors’ Championship eight years in a row, would currently be sitting behind both Red Bull and Ferrari in the championship. The German team are comfortably the third best team this season; however, thanks to Ferrari’s inability to deliver a good strategy, they are in a fight with the Italian’s for second place.

Mercedes are desperate to win a race this season, with second place currently being the best they’ve managed. The team are continuing to develop the W13; however, Russell has revealed that the Brackley-based side have a “totally clear direction” on how to make next year’s car stronger than this season’s model.

“I think nothing’s off the table,” Russell told the Formula 1 website during the Italian GP. “For sure we’ve got a pretty unique design with the sidepods. It’s not off the cards that we will continue with that design, but it is equally not off the cars that we will completely change philosophy. But ultimately whether we have the wide sidepods or the narrow sidepods that isn’t the performance differentiator, there is more to it.”

‘Mercedes could stun Formula 1 with radical design’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/george-ru...adical-design/


'Nothing's off the table' for 2023 Mercedes design, says Russell
17 September 2022
Formula 1.

Mercedes’ W13 turned heads at the beginning of this season with its striking, slim sidepods and radical design, but according to George Russell the team are exploring numerous options for their 2023 car.

Asked whether Mercedes will change their radical design for 2023, Russell said: “I think nothing’s off the table. For sure we’ve got a pretty unique design with the sidepods. It’s not off the cards that we will continue with that design, but it is equally not off the cars that we will completely change philosophy. Mercedes did not expect to perform well at low-downforce, high-speed circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, and while Russell said the team knew the underlying reasons, he explained that there’s no “overnight” solution.

“I think we understand exactly why at circuits like Zandvoort and Budapest why we were competitive, and we understand why at circuits like this [Monza] and Spa we were uncompetitive. That doesn’t mean that we can solve the issues overnight. “But we’ve got to keep on developing this car and next year will sort of be an evolution of this and I think now we do have a totally clear direction of how to develop the car.”

'Nothing's off the table' for 2023 Mercedes design’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...WJpPsMpu9.html


Russell offers theory on Mercedes' lack of qualifying pace
‎18‎ ‎September‎ ‎16‎:‎50
Author Luke Murphy
Co-author Dieter Rencken

George Russell has given his thoughts on why Mercedes have offered more of a threat in race conditions, rather than qualifying. George Russell believes that tyre management issues are the reason Mercedes generally struggle to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari in qualifying.

In a turbulent season for the reigning Constructors' Champions, Mercedes have increased their competitiveness versus Red Bull and Ferrari in the second half of the season. They have occasionally been outside challengers for race wins, and frequently claimed podium finishes.

Despite this, they have generally struggled to compete with the top two teams on 'qualifying' pace, and usually have to fight back in the race. Russell took his first Pole Position - and Mercedes' first of the season - at the Hungarian GP, but this has been an outlier in a below-par season for the team.

‘Russell offers theory on Mercedes' lack of qualifying pace’;

https://racingnews365.com/russell-of...ualifying-pace


Carlos Sainz warns Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell threat.
Ferrari have six races remaining to defend second place from Mercedes.
18 September 2022
by Nick Golding

With Red Bull having cleared off in the lead of the Constructors’ Championship, the Austrians now boast a 139-point lead over Ferrari with six races remaining. Ferrari have been left with no choice but to defend second place from Mercedes rather than attack Red Bull for first, with the Scuderia currently sitting just 35 points ahead of the Silver Arrows.

Sainz remains confident that despite all the issues at Ferrari, they can still beat Mercedes “fair and square”. “I think we know they’re going to be there pretty much in every Sunday, especially Sundays they seem to pick up a lot of pace compared to qualifying and they are always there,” said Sainz to reporters at Monza.”

“I’m always surprised how in qualifying they can be maybe one second off sometimes and suddenly come race day your engineer comes on the radio, and they tell you the lap times of Lewis and George and it’s like sometimes they are even quicker. We know they’re going to be there but I think we can still beat them fair and square.” Whilst reliability problems can’t always be avoided, strategic errors can.

‘Ferrari have been left with no choice but to defend second place from Mercedes’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/carlos-sa...ussell-threat/

[Fortitude]

Red Bull admits altering set-up for Perez costs it performance.
The admission comes after a run of Perez’s performances dropping off relative to team-mate Max Verstappen over recent months.
Sep 15 2022
By Edd Straw

Red Bull has conceded that if it modifies its 2022 Formula 1 car set-up to better suit Sergio Perez it will usually “lose a bit of performance”. Perez started the season strongly, taking his first F1 pole position in Saudi Arabia and winning the Monaco Grand Prix, and giving Verstappen a hard time on the street circuits in particular.

But from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – where he started ahead of Verstappen but proved off his pace and finished a distant second – in June onwards Perez has struggled and has now taken just two podium finishes in the last eight races. Speaking ahead of July’s Austrian Grand Prix, Perez talked of the development of the Red Bull RB18 was “going away from me in terms of how comfortable I was in the beginning”.

Since then, he and the team have been working to improve matters but with limited success. After the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August, Perez said he was keen for Red Bull to “run the cars slightly different” in order to unlock more performance from him.

‘Red Bull admits altering set-up for Perez costs it performance’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-b...t-performance/


Red Bull: Development path of RB18 not to Perez's benefit
16/09/2022 at 17:03
Michael Delaney

Red Bull admits that the development this season of its RB18 has come to the detriment of Sergio Perez whose confidence has declined with the winning car's evolution. With eleven wins this season so far, Max Verstappen is on track to equal and perhaps surpass the record jointly held by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel of 13 wins achieved in a single season.

But the onslaught of the Dutchman's dominance was gradual in the first part of the season during which Perez was very much a match for Verstappen, with the Mexican snatching a pole in Jeddah and winning outright after a brilliant race in Monaco. However, as the season unfolded, and Red Bull's 2022 car evolved, Verstappen came into his own while Perez helplessly lost ground relative to his teammate.

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache says the development path chosen by the Milton Keynes-based outfit, as much as it has benefitted Verstappen by producing a more 'pointy' car, clearly hasn't suited Perez. "It is multiple factors, but the main factor is clearly the car balance and the confidence with the car compared to the beginning of the year when the car was a little bit more balanced for him and a little bit less for Max," Wache explained at Monza last weekend.”

‘Benefitted Verstappen by producing a more 'pointy' car, clearly hasn't suited Perez’;

https://f1i.com/news/454554-red-bull...s-benefit.html


Red Bull admit that car development has had impact on Perez form
‎16‎ ‎September‎ ‎11‎:‎35
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Dieter Rencken

The Mexican started the season strongly but has struggled to match Max Verstappen over recent races. Red Bull have admitted that its Formula 1 car development in 2022 has hampered the form of driver Sergio Perez compared to Max Verstappen.

Perez started the season strongly in the RB18, including a maiden pole in Saudi Arabia and a win in Monaco as Verstappen was not comfortable in the new ground effect machine. However, Verstappen, who likes a car to be strong on the nose and can live with oversteer, has subsequently hit a purple patch of form, winning the last five races from France to Italy and is on the cusp of a second world title.

Perez, who has been running a slightly different floor to his teammate, has struggled to match him, hauling 96 points since winning in Monaco to Verstappen's 210. And Red Bull have now admitted that its development plan in 2022 has cost Perez performance.

‘Perez, who has been running a slightly different floor to his teammate, has struggled to match Verstappen’;

https://racingnews365.com/red-bull-a...-on-perez-form


‘Danger zones’: Red Bull reveal cause of Sergio Perez brake fire
Sergio Perez finished sixth at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
17 September 2022
by Rob Kershaw

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, has revealed that debris got caught in Sergio Perez’s brake duct at the Italian Grand Prix. The Mexican went into the weekend with a 10-place grid penalty for taking too many engine parts, and he started 13thhaving initially qualified fourth, lifted up one place by the back of the grid penalty for Carlos Sainz.

Perez had started to make some progress at the start of the race, but he had locked up on the opening lap, so he had to box early. When he did, smoke could be seen emanating from the front right corner as the mechanics put on the fresh set of tyres.

‘Red Bull reveal cause of Sergio Perez brake fire’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/danger-zo...ez-brake-fire/


The problem that led to Perez's Italian GP comeback drive
‎13‎ ‎September‎ ‎12‎:‎30
Author Rory Mitchell
Co-author Dieter Rencken

Red Bull has revealed that a damaged tyre is what caused Sergio Perez's early pitstop during the Italian Grand Prix, triggering his comeback drive to sixth place. The Mexican had to pit early on after locking up into Turn 1 battling with Carlos Sainz on the opening lap, which caused damage to his Medium tyres.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner confirmed that Perez suffered from vibrations from the tyres and elected to pit him on safety grounds for a set of Hard tyres, with the attempt to run him until the end. "On the first lap he had a big lockup and then he had a massive vibration as a result, and we were started getting into danger zones in our thresholds. So that's why we we pitted him onto the Hard [tyre]" said Horner to media, including RacingNews365.com.

When he emerged from the pits, smoke started to appear out of front right wheel which the team later determined was a piece of debris that got lodged in the brake ducts. Horner added: "Some debris also gone into the [brake] duct, which was why that front right was smoking quite a lot. "Obviously it was gonna take a little while for that to burn off for the next couple of laps and the temperatures came back under control."

‘Perez's Italian GP comeback drive’;

https://racingnews365.com/the-proble...comeback-drive


Red Bull warned of ‘snowball effect’ hurting Sergio Perez
Sergio Pérez is currently 125 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen in the World Championship.
12 September 2022
by Nick Golding

Sergio Pérez is enduring a difficult spell at Red Bull currently, with the Mexican having arguably struggled for form ever since he won the Monaco Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver has gone from being a title contender, to suddenly being 109-points behind team-mate Max Verstappen, who is cruising to his second consecutive Drivers’ Championship.

The Mexican qualified fourth for the Italian Grand Prix but found himself nine-tenths of a second behind his team-mate, who qualified second. Pérez actually started the race from P13, following a grid penalty for a component change.

“You could see [the DRS] oscillating on a Red Bull,” Brundle said on Friday to Sky Sports F1 after FP1. “It can’t be helped with the downforce but you don’t need a whole lot of downforce there. What you don’t need either is a whole load of drag, so if it’s creating drag then it’s slowing it down. Sergio has definitely lost his way a little bit with the Red Bull car at the moment.”

‘You could see [the DRS] oscillating on a Red Bull’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/red-bull-...-sergio-perez/

[Fortitude]

Ferrari to investigate Red Bull pace deficit after discovering weakness.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has vowed to investigate the reason behind the Scuderia's sudden race-pace deficit to Red Bull which has resulted in the hoped-for F1 title challenge slipping through its fingers.
Wednesday 21 September 2022 07:00
Ian Parkes

Asked as to where Ferrari had gone wrong with its development compared to Red Bull, Binotto said: “In the last few races, the performance of the Red Bull has been better than ours. Not in qualifying, because in quali we still have good pace, so we can see the pure performance is still there.”

“But then in the race pace, we are suffering tyre degradation and in that respect, the Red Bull is a better car. They have been capable of developing their car for a better balance but certainly as well, for a better car in terms of tyre degradation that we haven’t.”

Suggested to Binotto Red Bull had also made gains in weight saving with its RB18 compared to Ferrari with its F1-75, which for both teams has proven problematic his year, Binotto was sceptical. He added: "I don’t know what they are doing, where they are with the weight. I can only see what I read on the internet and not much more than that, so the comparison is certainly not the right comparison.”

‘Ferrari to investigate Red Bull pace deficit’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/91...tion-weakness/


Mattia Binotto gives Red Bull weight assessment
Red Bull are running away with the 2022 titles.
21 September 2022
by James Clifford

Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, has conceded that he is not entirely sure what Red Bull have been doing to improve their performance, or save weight. The cars are heavier than ever this year, with the minimum weight set at 798kg due to the reintroduced ground effect aerodynamics under the new technical regulations.

“They have been capable of developing their car for a better balance but certainly as well, for a better car in terms of tyre degradation that we haven’t. The reason is something we are looking at because we need to address it, if not for this season then certainly for the next.”

It is difficult to emulate the success of your rivals when you do not actually know what they are doing, and Ferrari are not sure whether Red Bull have made minimum weight yet, or whether they are still getting there.

‘Difficult to emulate the success of your rivals’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/mattia-bi...ht-assessment/


Carlos Sainz begs Ferrari to "be more like Red Bull" in 2023 and hails Max Verstappen.
Ferrari have had a car fast enough this year to challenge Red Bull and should have created a close title race, but reliability woes and strategy errors have allowed their rivals to run away with it.
22:52, 20 Sep 2022
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer

Ferrari "have to learn" from Red Bull this year in order to challenge them more convincingly next season, Carlos Sainz has declared. The Italian team started the 2022 season strongest, with a one-two finish in Bahrain. Charles Leclerc followed that up with victory in Australia to make it two wins from three, while Max Verstappen suffered some early-season reliability problems.

"I would like to have a steady end to the season, especially with the amount of things that have happened to us this year," he told Mundo Deportivo . "I would like to have a quiet last part of the season, with less things happening to us and to be able to get into a rhythm for next year, which will be a new opportunity."

In order to make the most of that chance, Sainz believes Ferrari have the perfect example to follow – that of Red Bull, who have shown them how it is done with their control of the championship this season. "We have a solid base from this year with a very good car and the team is making progress," the Spaniard added.

‘Carlos Sainz: "Be more like Red Bull"!’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...appen-28041656


Inside Ferrari’s 133-point disaster as brutal blunders put F1 boss firmly in the firing line
September 21st, 2022 1:45 pm
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports

Max Verstappen is on the cusp of claiming a second drivers championship with surprising ease, and Red Bull Racing will return to constructors title glory for the first time in almost a decade. With six races still to run, these are the cold, hard facts of what’s become an unexpectedly one-sided season. Those facts also state unequivocally that Ferrari has let them off the hook.

Elkann’s tenure at the head of Ferrari has been characterised by relative serenity compared to past leaders, who have often preferred to insert themselves into the running of the team — and this is despite the last two years of turmoil before the 2022 breakthrough. But with the full support of the board issued, the screws are now being gently turned. This butchered championship campaign must surely be the first and last of Ferrari’s missed opportunities.

THE PRESIDENT’S CHALLENGE: “Our first goal was to be competitive,” Elkann said. “If you are not, then you have nowhere to go, whereas you can always work on reliability. “That’s why I believe that before 2026 Ferrari will once again win the constructors and drivers titles, with Charles Leclerc in pole position. We are lucky to have two great drivers, probably the strongest pairing in Formula 1.”

‘With the full support of the board issued, the screws are now being gently turned’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...5a5065e00f5e9e


Ferrari employees are ‘terrified of reprisals’
Ferrari are 139 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship with six races of 2022 remaining.
20 September 2022
by Nick Golding

Former McLaren employee turned broadcaster Marc Priestley simply believes that Ferrari aren’t ready to win the title, something they haven’t done in over a decade. “I don’t want to say Ferrari have stumbled across a great car because they haven’t,” Priestley told the Pit Stop podcast.

“They have built a fantastic car, the best car on many occasions this year, but they don’t have all the ingredients. They don’t have…I suspect and I know this to some extent, a lot of people I know work or have worked at Ferrari, and it feels like the culture isn’t right. You see it in races, you see it when they are a little bit hesitant on the [team] radio. A team like Red Bull or Mercedes, it feels like the people in that team have the freedom to make a decision that might be a little bit out there, a little bit outside the box, might be a risk.”

“But everybody’s trusted to just make that and if it goes wrong, that’s fine, you took the risk. You pay the price, but you learn from the mistake and all that. I think at Ferrari, if they take a risk, if anyone’s going to take a risky decision, they are terrified of the reprisals that are going to come from that.”

‘Terrified Of Reprisals’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/ferrari-e...-of-reprisals/

[Fortitude]

Jacques Villeneuve: George Russell ‘quickly developing into the leader’ at Mercedes.
Jacques Villeneuve believes George Russell’s proactive strategy call at Zandvoort showed he is “quickly developing into the leader” at Mercedes.
Tuesday 6th September 2022 7:30 AM
Jon Wilde

Russell finished second to Max Verstappen in the Dutch Grand Prix, passing his team-mate Lewis Hamilton on track to secure that position. But it was not exactly a level playing field at the time because Russell had stopped for fresh tyres during the Safety Car period at a decisive point, whereas Hamilton had not been given the opportunity to do likewise because the team wanted him to keep track position in the lead.

It worked out badly for Hamilton, who had earlier been compromised by a Virtual Safety Car period, and he took out his ire on the strategists with an expletive-ridden blast over the team radio. Russell, meanwhile, had urged the team to call him into the pits and his plea was the right one as he finished two places above his colleague, extending his advantage over Hamilton to 30 points in the World Championship.

In terms of their race head-to-head record for the season – Russell’s first with Mercedes – that now stands at 9-6 to the younger of the two Britons and, according to Villeneuve, the internal balance of power is very much shifting towards the 24-year-old. “I see a change within Mercedes,” said the 1997 World Champion in his column for Formule1.nl. “George Russell is quickly developing into the leader of the team.”

‘Proactive strategy call at Zandvoort showed he is “quickly developing into the leader” at Mercedes’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/jacque...ussell-leader/


George Russell assesses "opportunity" Lewis Hamilton has given him to shine at Mercedes
• 22:23, 21 Sep 2022
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer

Dubbed 'Mr Saturday' for his eye-catching qualifying results in an uncompetitive Williams car, this season he has morphed into 'Mr Consistency'. Mercedes have not been able to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari for pace, but still he has been a regular sight towards the front of the pack.

Those impressive results have seen him climb to fourth in the drivers' championship, just 16 points behind second-placed Charles Leclerc. Russell also has a 35-point advantage over team-mate Hamilton, but insists he would be nowhere near where he is had it not been for the seven-time world champion's support.

Russell is optimistic for the future and believes the team will soon be in a position to offer him the chance of the race wins he wants. "I think we understand exactly why at circuits like Zandvoort and Budapest why we were competitive, and we understand why at circuits like Monza and Spa we were uncompetitive," he told the F1 website. "That doesn’t mean that we can solve the issues overnight. But we've got to keep on developing this car and next year will sort of be an evolution of this and I think now we do have a totally clear direction of how to develop the car."

‘Dubbed 'Mr Saturday', morphed into 'Mr Consistency';

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-2022-28050372


George Russell to become Mercedes team leader after Lewis Hamilton’s ‘insulting outburst’
Sir Lewis Hamilton finished fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.
10 September 2022
by James Clifford

1997 Formula 1 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, believes that Sir Lewis Hamilton should have made the call to come into the pits towards the end of the Dutch Grand Prix. When Hamilton saw Russell pit behind him, he thought it would be in a bid to attack leader Verstappen, but it then dawned on him that the reigning champion had come into the pits for fresh tyres of his own.

The 37-year-old fumed over the radio and told the team that they had “screwed” him, and he was passed by Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc as he fell from first to fourth. Villeneuve, known for his hot takes, suggests that Hamilton ought to have made the call to pit himself. “I see a change within Mercedes, George Russell is quickly developing into the leader of the team,” the Canadian wrote in his Formule1.nl column. “He took the decision to go for the soft tyres himself. Hamilton, with all his experience and championships, could have done the same.”

Hamilton later apologised for the radio communications that were made in the heat of the moment, but the former Williams, Renault and Sauber driver criticised the way the Briton spoke to his team. “I was astonished by Lewis Hamilton’s outburst in the race and especially by the way in which he did it,” added Villeneuve.

‘Insulting Outburst’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/george-ru...ting-outburst/


Winging It F1 Podcast | Is Russell ready to lead Mercedes and when will Lewis Hamilton retire?
In the latest episode of the Winging It F1 Podcast, Nigel Chiu, Adam Dickinson and Freddie Coates discuss all things Mercedes for the rest of the 2022 Formula 1 season and beyond.
September 17, 2022
By Nigel Chiu

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been forced to watch Red Bull and Ferrari fight or the win at nearly every Formula 1 Grand Prix this year, as Mercedes are set to not win the constructors’ championship for the first time since 2013.

Overall, the battle between the Mercedes pair has been close but has Russell done enough to how he can lead the Silver Arrows when Hamilton retires. When will Hamilton retire is another big question in itself and what will happen if both drivers are fighting for the title.

‘Podcast Links’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/win...milton-retire/


Lewis Hamilton judgement made by Damon Hill in George Russell comparison
LEWIS HAMILTON has struggled to match his Mercedes team-mate this season.
13:54, Tue, Sep 20, 2022
By Luke Chillingsworth

Lewis Hamilton has defied expectations for the wrong reasons as Damon Hill suggests he would not have predicted George Russell to beat the seven-time champion. Hamilton has secured just six podiums this season compared to Russell’s seven top-three finishes.

Former Williams star Russell has also finished in the top-five at every race this season when he has reached the chequered flag. His consistency has left him 35 points ahead of Hamilton in the championship with just six races remaining. Hill made the comments on the F1 Nation Podcast when he was asked if anyone would have predicted Russell to have more podiums than Hamilton. Hill replied: “No one. I wouldn’t have done. It's incredible.”

“If you come into F1 and you get a big crack at it and you come into a big team like that, he has definitely held his head way above water. Pretty solid.” Hamilton has only been beaten by teammates in the championship twice in his entire F1 career with both coming against world champions.”

‘Definitely held his head way above water. Pretty solid’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...e-russell-news


Mercedes may have another George Russell on their hands who can replace Lewis Hamilton
MERCEDES could be planning to use Nyck de Vries as a long-term replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
05:30, Tue, Sep 13, 2022
By Joe Krishnan

Thousands of F1 fans had packed into the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit on Sunday expecting to see another thrilling race at the 'Temple of Speed'. But as Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated once again with an 11th win from 16 races, it was the Mercedes reserve Nyck de Vries that left fans beaming with delight after a sensational debut drive.

Some would have expected the Williams novice to struggle to stay in the points given that Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez were all starting at the back of the grid. But he showed his composure in the cockpit that he had developed from his years racing in other driving categories and brought home the Williams in one piece to collect two world championship points.

It may just be the first step towards something greater in the future too. De Vries, as a Mercedes reserve, will be dreaming of one day putting on the Silver Arrows as one of their two drivers. Hamilton's contract expires in 2023, meaning he may need to bide his time with Williams for next season.

‘Another George Russell on their hands’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ian-GP-F1-news

[Fortitude]

Yuki Tsunoda keeps his F1 seat at AlphaTauri next year.
Tsunoda is in his second year in F1 with AlphaTauri and has a best finish of seventh this season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April.
23/09/2022, 11:55
FOX Sports

He is 16th in the 20-driver championship with 11 points. His best result for the team overall was fourth at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP last December.

“Having moved to Italy last year, to be closer to the factory, I really feel part of the team and am glad that I get to carry on racing with them in 2023,” Tsunoda said on Thursday. "Our season isn’t over yet and we’re still pushing hard ... so I’m fully focused on finishing it on a high.”

‘Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri in 2023’;

https://www.foxsports.com/articles/f...auri-next-year


Formula 1: Another seat confirmed in 2023 driver lineup.
23/09/2022, 11:32
Beyond the Flag (Weblog)

Yuki Tsunoda is officially set to remain with AlphaTauri for the 2023 Formula 1 season, leaving just five seats without confirmed drivers.

Yuki Tsunoda is officially set to return for a third Formula 1 season with AlphaTauri in 2023, the team confirmed on Thursday morning. The 22-year-old Japanese driver is the 16th driver to be confirmed as part of the 2023 driver lineup, and he is the 15th driver whose seat is solidified.

While AlphaTauri have struggled in 2022 compared to 2021, Tsunoda has been much closer to teammate Pierre Gasly in terms of points, average starting position, and average finish throughout the year than he was throughout his rookie season a year ago.

‘Another seat confirmed in 2023’;

https://beyondtheflag.com/2022/09/22...driver-lineup/


Yuki Tsunoda Is Staying with AlphaTauri for the 2023 Formula 1 Season
The much-contested second AlphaTauri seat is now officially taken.
22/09/2022, 11:30AM
By Elizabeth Blackstock

The fact that AlphaTauri is keeping Tsunoda is also telling in other ways. The driver has occasionally shown some stellar race craft, but that success has often been tempered by impulsivity and fiery moods.

Tsunoda has been working closely with a sports psychologist to help keep his temper in check, and he’s admitted that he had to stop looking at I due to their impact on his mental health.
In his first season with AlphaTauri, Tsunoda finished 14th in the World Driver Championship with 32 points to his name while his more experienced teammate Gasly finished in ninth.

This year has been far more difficult — Tsunoda has only scored 11 points so far thanks to a series of retirements or finishes outside of the top 10 that began in Monaco. With six races left in the season, he’s sitting in 16th in the Championship, while Gasly sits in 11th.

‘Much-contested second AlphaTauri seat now officially taken’;

https://jalopnik.com/yuki-tsunoda-is...-fo-1849567756


Beneath the swearing and silliness – a real racer exists within Yuki Tsunoda.
On Thursday, AlphaTauri announced a contract extension for Tsunoda, as team boss Franz Tost asserted "a driver needs at least three years to fully get to grips with Formula 1"
20:22, 22 Sep 2022
By Daniel Moxon F1 Writer

The announcement of a new contract for Yuki Tsunoda was met with a rather predictable response on social media. Many were pleased to hear the news – after all, the Japanese driver's fun-loving personality makes him an extremely likeable person, especially when taking part in silly challenges. The social media and content creation teams at Red Bull must be chuffed to bits.

There's no denying Tsunoda comes with baggage. The main takeaway from his first season in Formula 1 was that he was no stranger to a spin or crash in some pretty bizarre circumstances. Plus, as viewers of Netflix docu-drama Drive to Survive found out, he really is not a fan of Milton Keynes.

Sadly, his second season in the sport is also not likely to be remembered for anything he did specifically on the track – other than shout and swear a lot. Tsunoda's hot-headed actions under his racing helmet saw him labelled as a "problem child" by Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko earlier this summer.

‘A real racer exists within Yuki Tsunoda’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...eason-28059238


Franz Tost tells ‘problem child’ Yuki Tsunoda to get his emotions ‘under control’.
Yuki Tsunoda has been retained by AlphaTauri for 2023 but has been warned to improve.
22 September 2022
by Nick Golding

AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has called for Yuki Tsunoda to “get under control his emotions”, after a recent run of avoidable incidents.

Tost’s comments came prior to the team announcing that the Japanese driver will be retained for a third season by the Faenza-based team, with Tost believing that “a driver needs at least three years to fully get to grips with Formula 1”.

2023 will, of course, be the 22-year-old’s third and potentially last season, especially if he repeats some of his 2022 antics. Tsunoda was handed a grid penalty at the recent Italian Grand Prix following his fifth reprimand of the year, after he ignored yellow flags during FP2 at the ‘Temple of Speed’.

‘Warned to improve’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/franz-tos...under-control/