2023 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Winners and Losers from the 2023 F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Dominance with a capital D, light at the end of the tunnel, a harsh penalty and an out-of-sorts Spaniard. It's the Winners and Losers from the 2023 F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
04 June 9:50PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Whereas a couple of races ago, there were questions as to whether there would be a Formula 1 title fight in 2023, that notion has now been firmly shut in crushing style by Max Verstappen. A 14-point lead after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has now turned into 53 in just three races after the World Champion delivered three wins on the trot and, for the first time this season, a Grand Chelem.

Verstappen will be the 2023 World Champion, and match Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton as the only drivers to win three titles on the trot - and with Red Bull's advantage seemingly going to be locked in until the end of 2025, it would take a brave person not to declare the Dutchman as favourite for '24 and '25 before the rules reset comes in.

‘Winners and Losers’;

https://racingnews365.com/winners-an...ish-grand-prix


Alonso´s long wait for 33rd F1 win goes on after disappointing Spanish GP
Published: 18:37, 4 June 2023
By Associated Press
Mail Online

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) - The prospect of Fernando Alonso ending a decade-long wait for his 33rd Formula One win in front of tens of thousands of fans at his home race proved too good to be true on Sunday. Alonso turned in his worst performance of the season when the two-time former world champion finished the Spanish Grand Prix in seventh place, one spot behind Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll.

Spanish fans had packed the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hoping to witness their idol finally return to the top of the podium. The last time Alonso won, he did so right here on the same track back in 2013 with Ferrari when he claimed victory No. 32. He also won the Spanish GP in 2006 with Renault.

But the Spanish driver was unable to recover from a mistake in Saturday´s qualifying when he drove his car into the gravel and damaged its floor. He could do no better than an eighth-place start and only managed to move up one spot through 66 laps. "We didn´t have the pace of other race days," Alonso said. "In reality, it all started with qualifying on Saturday, which was our weak point. Mercedes has taken a step forward and was too much for us. But I am not worried, we will (try to) beat them in Canada."

‘Wait for 33rd F1 win goes on’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...panish-GP.html


Red Bull’s Max Verstappen not paying attention to Mercedes improvement
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen dominated the 2023 Spanish GP
June 4, 2023
By Ed Spencer
Total Motorsport

Max Verstappen has played down Mercedes’ level of progression after taking a dominating victory in Sunday’s 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Mercedes, who brought a new upgrade package for the Monaco GP, secured their first double podium of 2023 in Barcelona, with Lewis Hamilton second and George Russell third.

However, both were over 20 seconds adrift of Verstappen, who cruised to his fifth win of 2023 and his third at Barcelona. “I think they had a very strong race, to be honest, they’re improving,” Verstappen told select members of the press, including Total-Motorsport.com. “But from our side, it’s not about being worried we just have to focus on ourselves.”

“At the moment, it all looks great, but you can’t stand still in this world. [We’ll] keep on trying to find things on the car [and] try [to] understand why the hard [tyre] wasn’t working with the car. We’ll see what happens in the coming races. I don’t know if there are going to be tracks that are better or worse [for us].”

‘Played down Mercedes’ level of progression’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...3-improvement/


Christian Horner: George Russell 'got away' with Spanish GP corner cut | Mercedes driver: I gained no advantage
4th June 2023, 19:51
Sky Sports

George Russell was not penalised for cutting the first chicane on the opening lap of the Spanish GP but Christian Horner says the Mercedes driver "managed to get away" without receiving a penalty; Russell held off Sergio Perez to take third place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

Christian Horner believes the decision not to penalise George Russell on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix was "the difference" in ensuring Sergio Perez missed out on a podium finish.

‘Corner cut’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...d-no-advantage


Perez’s fourth place was better than Red Bull’s simulation forecasted
2023 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 4th June 2023, 19:00
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said their simulation “said on a clean race P5, he did one better than that in P4.” Although Perez lost a place to Russell who started behind him, he got ahead of Carlos Sainz Jnr who lined up on the front row of the grid. Horner said their simulation “felt that maybe the Ferrari would have better race pace than it had.”

“The fact that he was getting within a couple of seconds of the podium as well at the end there and hunting down George, it was a very good recovery particularly the second half of the race for Checo,” Horner added. Perez said he “had to be quite patient, especially in the first lap of the race. Not taking unnecessary risk for us was important. Just being patient and try to go long and then the race was later on. But unfortunately, we just finished a bit further behind than George.”

‘Simulation forecasted 5th, one better at 4th’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/04/...on-forecasted/


Horner’s Fiery Response to Nico Rosberg: Defending Sergio Perez’s Spanish Grand Prix Performance
June 4, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

In his post-race interview with Sky Sports F1, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner wasted no time in delivering a swift response to Nico Rosberg’s comments regarding Sergio Perez’s performance at the Spanish Grand Prix. Rosberg implied that Perez’s lap times were lacking in the initial stages of the 66-lap competition, a notion that Horner seemed keen to challenge.

“You were just saying he did a good race but I thought it was quite a lack of performance, especially during the early part of the race,” began Rosberg. “Isn’t that true? I mean, comparing to Max there were some laps where there was quite a gap.”

Horner showed no interest in engaging in criticism towards his own driver, instead choosing to respond to Rosberg’s remarks with a cleverly veiled retort of his own. “You’re a critical kind of guy, aren’t you? You’re tough on these guys. Now you’re out of the car you have to criticise all the guys,” replied Christian Horner.

‘Fiery Response’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/horners-fi...x-performance/


Ferrari are “struggling more than I expected” this year, Leclerc admits
2023 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 4th June 2023, 17:19
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham

Charles Leclerc admitted Ferrari’s season is going worse than he feared after failing to score in the Spanish Grand Prix. He went into today’s race at a disadvantage as he started in the pit lane following set-up changes to his car. Leclerc qualified a lowly 19th after reporting a strange handling problem in qualifying which led his team to replace the rear end of his SF-23.

“To be honest we are struggling more than what I expected,” he admitted in response to a question from RaceFans at Circuit de Catalunya today. “We’ve had quite a few disappointing days this year, so unfortunately it’s just in line with the rest of the year,” he added. “But still overall we are lacking a lot of performance especially in the race again.”

“I think where we really need to put all our focus is to try and be more often at the peak of our tyres and know how to manage them better,” he added. “Two or three degrees makes a huge difference on balance, and this weekend we’ve been struggling getting completely in the window and be happy with the car. So there will be a lot of work on that.”

‘Ferrari are struggling’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/04/...eclerc-admits/

[Fortitude]

Wolff claims Mercedes gap to Red Bull a LIE after 'MEGA' Spanish GP result.
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes are much closer to Red Bull than the Spanish Grand Prix may suggest.
Sunday 4 June 2023 19:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

'Mega' Mercedes making progress. “We had a good race car. Lewis probably came out a good five or six seconds behind Max when he cleared Carlos,” Wolff told Sky Sports. ”I think we are just much closer. You see where the benchmark is. It’s at the end, more than 20 seconds, maybe it was 15 in reality, but that’s just not where we aim to be.”

“We just need to chip away. We are really good at grinding. Once there is a setup direction and a development direction, we just go for it and we have that advantage in terms of aero time.

‘Wolff claims Mercedes gap to Red Bull a LIE’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...sh-grand-prix/


Toto Wolff’s Candid Remarks: The Performance Gap Between Mercedes and Red Bull Revealed
June 4, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

According to team principal Toto Wolff, the team’s progress in terms of performance is noteworthy, but even more significant are the insights gained regarding the areas requiring further enhancements to unlock additional speed.

“But I think it is a new baseline. It is from where we can continue to work with a certain stability, and without needing to question certain parts of the car, whether it’s the bodywork, the floor, or the front suspension. It is now established, and this is what we are taking forward now.”

‘Toto Wolff’s Candid Remarks’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/german-man...ng-maiden-run/


Wolff: Double Spanish GP podium vindicates upgrade decision.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third in Spain for the team's best result of the season.
04 June 5:20PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

"Let's keep our expectations real, there's such a long way to go in order to catch Red Bull, and we just need to grind away," Wolff explained to Sky Sports F1 after the first podium for the team since Australia.

"It's a good moment to see that the development direction is right. We just need to chip away and as you know from our lap times, we are really good at grinding. Once there is a set-up direction and a development direction, we just go for it and we have that advantage in terms of aero time, but we also need to be realistic.”

“Podium vindicates upgrade decision”;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-doub...grade-decision


Toto Wolff warns of ‘mega window’ behind sudden Mercedes resurgence
04 Jun 2023 4:32 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Toto Wolff was understandably pleased to see Mercedes take their first double podium of the season at the Spanish Grand Prix, but warned the conditions in Barcelona opened up a “mega window” that allowed the W14 to perform at its best.

While both Mercedes drivers made it onto the podium, Verstappen still took a dominant victory at the front of the pack, earning a third career Grand Chelem of pole, fastest lap, race victory and leading every lap on his way to leading Hamilton home by 24 seconds come the chequered flag.

‘Mega window’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...-spain-window/


Mercedes boss warns team to stay realistic after double podium
Issued on: 04/06/2023
France 24

Barcelona (AFP) – Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff on Sunday thanked his engineers for a successful upgrades package -- but warned the team to stay realistic after a double podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix.

A happy Wolff said he was keen to keep their big improvement in perspective and for the team to keep their feet on the ground. "I'm very happy for the hard work that has been done," said Wolff. "We took some decisions to go in another direction. We changed so many parts, with many variables we don't understand. And it was a risky move...”

‘Stay realistic’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...-double-podium


Toto Wolff happy with Mercedes progress after 'risky move'
17:31 Sun, 04 Jun 2023.
By George Dagless
Give Me Sport

"I'm very happy for the hard work that has been done," Wolff said to Sky. "We have to be realistic today, the conditions were perfect - not too hot, not too cold, the car was in a mega window. Let's keep our expectations real. There's such a long way to go to catch Red Bull but it's a good moment to see the development direction is right."

A positive result indeed for Mercedes, and they'll be hoping there's plenty more to come with us heading to Montreal up next.

‘More to come’;

https://www.givemesport.com/toto-wol...er-risky-move/



Mercedes issue glowing review of W14 upgrades: “From here we seek performance”
4 Jun 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Mercedes have revealed their delight at the early impact of the new upgrades to their W14 - a welcome revelation to their legions of fans. The developed parts which first appeared a week ago in Monaco have received their first proper run at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix, and have left team principal Toto Wolff beaming.

“I think it's solid,” Wolff said about the upgraded W14. “It is from where we can continue to work with a certain stability. And without needing to question certain parts of the car - whether it's the bodywork, the floor, or the front suspension.”

“We seek performance”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102773...ek-performance


Wolff gives Mercedes WINNING verdict after new W14 upgrades
Sunday 4 June 2023 13:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

The Mercedes team principal has been encouraged by the progress the W14 has made since the radical new upgrades were brought to the Monaco GP, where the team finished fourth and fifth.

No huge leap expected. Wolff is expecting to see an improvement, especially in race trim, for Mercedes with these new upgrades but can't see how they will completely close the gap to Red Bull.

‘WINNING verdict’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rand-prix-bet/

[Fortitude]

Ferrari upgrades did nothing for its confusing main weakness.
After a chastening Spanish Grand Prix in which Ferrari’s upgraded Formula 1 car exhibited much the same limitations as its predecessor, its biggest confusion clearly remains unresolved.
Jun 5 2023
By Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Carlos Sainz qualified on the front row at a time Ferrari’s chief rivals Mercedes and Aston Martin have each introduced upgrades. Ferrari reckons its new sidepods and floor, plus a circuit-specific rear wing, brought it two or three tenths of a second of laptime – if so, then this qualifying result would not have been possible with the old-spec SF-23.

In the race, though, Sainz went backwards. And Charles Leclerc, starting from the pitlane, barely went forwards. Sainz slipped from second to a limp fifth while Leclerc failed to make it into the points, finishing 12th on the road and 11th after a time penalty for Yuki Tsunoda.

“The global picture is the same,” admitted Vasseur. “We are there in quali and we are not there in the race. We are inconsistent on the same car between compounds and sometimes between the same compounds.”

‘Confusing main weakness’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...main-weakness/


Ferrari struggling to understand consistency issue with F1 car
5th June 2023, 10:16
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com

The car has regularly been fast over one lap, which was evident once again at the Spanish GP, where Carlos Sainz qualified second. However, the team continues to struggle in races, with the car behaving differently from stint to stint. In Barcelona, Sainz slipped down to fifth place at the flag, while from a pitlane start following his qualifying issues, Charles Leclerc could not rise higher than 11th.

"I think the main issue for us is not the potential on the lap, or this type of corner or this other," said Vasseur. "The main issue is the consistency. Charles's car for example, between the first and third stint with the same compound, the first one the balance was out of the place, and the last one was okay-ish.”

"And Carlos he did a decent first stint, a good last stint, and in the middle he lost 15 or 20 seconds on the competitors." He added: "It's very difficult to understand and to fix it, because it's not always the same, not always the same problem." Vasseur said it wasn't a matter of tyre degradation in Spain. "I don't think that it was tyre deg. It could become tyre deg if you push more. But it's not the main issue.”

‘Ferrari struggling to understand’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...ssue/10478965/


Ferrari weaknesses ‘came alive’ in Spanish GP despite upgrade
16:40 Sun, 04 Jun 2023
By Josh Suttill and Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Carlos Sainz says the “weaknesses of the car came alive at a circuit like this” after a torrid Spanish Grand Prix for Ferrari. Home hero Sainz stuck his SF-23 on the front row in Barcelona – but while he briefly challenged poleman Max Verstappen for the lead at Turn 1 on the opening lap, he’d spend the rest of Sunday looking in his mirrors and desperately managing his rubber.

“Honestly I just spent the whole race managing tyres because we know we are very hard on them,” Sainz said after the race. “With this high-deg circuit I just couldn’t push, we know it’s a weakness of our car and coming to a high-deg circuit and a two-stop race we were just managing the whole way, trying to make it to the target laps of the stint and still falling short of some of them.”

“The weaknesses of the car coming alive at a circuit like this, with the high-speed corners and how hard we are on tyres. Also shows yesterday we must have done a pretty good lap, I think today was again a bit back to where the car is in race pace. Probably this sort of track is not great for us.”

‘Weaknesses came alive’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/ferra...spite-upgrade/


Mystery surrounds Ferrari over Charles Leclerc’s ‘undriveable’ SF-23
05 Jun 2023 9:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Fred Vasseur has revealed Ferrari have yet to conduct a full examination of Charles Leclerc’s SF-23 after a troubled weekend at the Spanish GP ended with a distant P11. “I don’t understand what we are doing wrong, but we are doing something wrong,” said a dejected Leclerc.

Ferrari will now examine Leclerc’s car with Vasseur revealing they weren’t able to do an in-depth search after qualifying. “We don’t know about Charles,” he told Sky Germany. “We weren’t allowed to search because of the regulations so we modified the car so that he could race.
“We have to examine the car in the factory.”

‘Undriveable SF-23’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...-mystery-sf23/


Sainz DOUBLES DOWN on Ferrari criticism after 'worst possible' home race
Sunday 4 June 2023 21:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Sainz: We know our weakness. “Unfortunately, this is our situation exactly what I was talking about yesterday," Sainz said to Sky Sports.

"We know race pace and high-speed corners is our main weakness and unfortunately Barcelona has a high degradation tarmac, a high degradation configuration and a lot of high-speed corners which is our main weakness and that’s why today we were struggling so much out there.”

"Also, with the predictability of the car and everything, we were just, I did everything I could, I did the most optimal driving and stint that I could do but unfortunately P5 was the best I could achieve.”

'Worst possible home race’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ing-home-race/


Leclerc: Disappointing Spanish GP ‘in line with the rest of the year’
Monday 5th June, 2023 - 8:15am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Charles Leclerc has admitted the struggles he endured during the Spanish GP were indicative of a tough season, which has proved an even greater challenge than expected. The Monegasque started from the pit lane on Sunday after the team opted to change the rear end of his car, before finishing 11th.

Such have been Ferrari’s woes this season, Leclerc sits only seventh in the drivers’ standings with 42 points from seven races, 128 down on points leader Max Verstappen – a competition he led heading into last year’s Spanish Grand Prix. “To be honest, we are struggling more than what I expected,” he confessed of 2023 to date. He added: “We’ve had quite a few disappointing days this year so unfortunately, it’s just in line with the rest of the year.”

‘Tough season’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/05...t-of-the-year/


Ferrari duo lament more disappointment
19:14 Sun, 04 Jun 2023.
France 24

Leclerc, who had hoped to mount a title challenge this year, is 128 points adrift of defending champion Max Verstappen in seventh place and on Sunday struggled to make any impact after starting from the pitlane. He said: “For some reason we seem never to get in the right window of the tyre and when we do, it’s a bit of a surprise to us… So, there’s a lot of work we need to do.”

Team-mate Sainz, who was unable to take advantage of starting from the front row of the grid alongside Verstappen, said the team had embarked on using a package of upgrades without first understanding them. “We’ve identified our weaknesses and we know exactly where we are lacking,” Sainz told Sky F1.

“The feedback is there and the intention is there, but we need time. Mercedes proved they’ve done a good step and that’s a good reference. We have to try our best and push flat out back at Maranello. We probably put on our upgrade at the worst possible circuit for us.”

‘More disappointment’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...disappointment


Sainz 'couldn't push' as Ferrari's tyre woes exposed in Spain
04 June 2023
Ben Issatt
Inside Racing

Carlos Sainz admitted he "just couldn't push" his Ferrari due to continued tyre wear woes at the Spanish Grand Prix. Speaking afterwards, Sainz admitted there was nothing he could do to stop Lewis Hamilton or George Russell due to Ferrari's limitations.

While Mercedes' performance rebounded thanks mostly to a raft of upgrades introduced in Monaco, Sainz explained how Ferrari's tyre problems disguised the true potential of their own new package. "Difficult to tell," he said on if the upgrades had worked.

"So probably we haven't seen the best of them yet. I still believe with the bouncing and the high-speed weakness we have we were never going to be very competitive around here. So, it's too early to tell but I think they did a tremendous effort to bring it, so hats off to all the factory, let's keep pushing and let's keep improving."

‘Ferrari's tyre woes exposed’;

https://www.insideracing.com/formula...posed-in-spain

[Fortitude]

Alonso admits Aston 'didn't have the pace' in Barcelona.
For only the second time this season, Fernando Alonso failed to score a podium in F1, a shortfall due in Barcelona to Aston Martin's relative lack of pace.
05/06/2023 at 08:42
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Alonso lined up P8 on Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix grid, ran as high as fourth thanks to the pit stops gyrations and finished his home race seventh, just one position behind Aston teammate Lance Stroll.

It was a relatively uneventful afternoon for the two-time world champion who relied on a soft-soft-hard two-stop strategy to reach the checkered flag. "We didn't have the pace, so that's the biggest problem," Alonso admitted.

"It was not that we were unlucky or on differing strategies or anything like that, I think we were slow compared to the Mercedes – slow on the soft, slow on the hard.”

'Didn't have the pace';

https://f1i.com/news/476755-alonso-a...barcelona.html


Alonso: Aston Martin "didn't have the pace" in Barcelona F1 race
18:48 Sun, 04 Jun 2023.
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com

Fernando Alonso admits that his Aston Martin Formula 1 team simply “didn’t have the pace” with which to challenge at the front in the Spanish Grand Prix.

"We didn't have the pace, so that's the biggest problem," Alonso noted. "It was not that we were unlucky or on differing strategies or anything like that, I think we were slow compared to the Mercedes – slow on the soft, slow on the hard.”

"And we just concentrated on the Alpines, AlphaTauris, and kept up the pace with the Ferraris. At the end, I think we outscored the Ferraris this weekend because they only scored with Carlos [Sainz]. And we lost points with the Mercedes, but they have done a better job this weekend. So let's try the next one."

‘Outscored the Ferraris’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...race/10478748/


Alonso: Aston Martin must understand reasons for ‘tricky’ Barcelona race
5th June 2023, 10:36
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Fernando Alonso: “I think sixth and seventh positions were the maximum for us. I thought our performance seemed better in qualifying, so I think we need to look at why and aim to bounce back for Canada. We still scored some solid points and we had no risk at the end of the race.”

Like Alonso, Stroll asserts that Aston Martin will need to ensure it identifies the reasons for the issues that hampered the side’s competitiveness in Barcelona to avoid a repeat in the coming rounds.
“It was a fun battle with Lewis [Hamilton] on the first lap; I’ve pulled that move off before so I knew there was a gap and figured Lewis would leave me a bit of space, which he did,” he explained. “That put me in a good position going into Turn Five and I could hold the place.

‘Must understand reasons’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...arcelona-race/


Fernando Alonso explains Aston Martin’s stark loss of form at Spanish GP
The Spaniard endured a scrappy weekend at his home F1 Grand Prix
June 4, 2023
By Andrew Wright
Total Motorsport

Fernando Alonso admitted Aston Martin simply didn’t have the pace to do any better than sixth and seventh at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. The British team have been Red Bull’s closest challengers this season but lost second place in the constructors’ championship to a resurgent Mercedes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Alonso added: “Yeah, I mean it was 10 laps to the end I was with a little bit fresher tyres but like one or two tenths faster than him, no more than that and I will you know not get crazy. I damage one floor yesterday I didn’t want to damage another one today or he damaged the floor or anything. Just tried to secure the place.”

‘Not get crazy’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...rm-spanish-gp/


Alonso in Aston Martin revelation: We had no plan
04 June 7:35PM
Author Ewan Gale
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Fernando Alonso has revealed Aston Martin entered the Spanish Grand Prix without a strategic plan. Assessing the strategy battle, Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com: "We didn't have a plan, to be honest.

"We were not sure about the degradation. George was so fast on the first stint, when he overtook me, we changed our minds a little bit - we didn't want to run too close to the cars in front and extend the first stint.”

"By doing so, we also extended the second and we knew our opportunity was in the final 15 laps of the race, but not enough to fight at the front, just to fight the midfield."

‘Without a strategic plan’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-in-...we-had-no-plan


Alonso: Aston Martin ‘didn’t have a plan’ in Spanish GP
Monday 5th June, 2023 - 10:43pm
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Fernando Alonso has admitted that Aston Martin “didn’t have a plan” in terms of strategy when it came to executing the Spanish Grand Prix. Strategically, Alonso revealed the team had no firm plan heading into the race, and instead reacted to events of the opening laps.

“At the beginning, we didn’t have a plan, to be honest, because we were not sure about the degradation,” he explained. “We just concentrated on the Alpines, AlphaTauris, keeping up the pace with the Ferraris at the end. So we have to work a lot during the weekend to be happy with the car. We were always happy from FP1 where here (Barcelona) we had to work.”

“The upgrades, from the other people, I think maybe they didn’t show the full potential in Monaco, Miami – a street circuit – so here we saw that maybe they [Mercedes and Ferrari] are a bit stronger, but I’m not worried. There’s going to be better weekends and worse weekends, and we will have our opportunity.”

‘Reacted to events’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/05...in-spanish-gp/


Fernando Alonso reveals Aston Martin upgrade plan to ‘crush’ F1 rivals
05 Jun 2023 2:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Aston Martin appeared to take a step or two back in the pecking order in Barcelona, but Fernando Alonso warns of Canadian GP upgrades that can allow them to “crush” the competition. “I’m happy because qualifying was the Achilles heel of the whole weekend,” Alonso began as per SoyMotor.com.

“After starting from so far back, I was able to come back but only so far and both [George] Russell and Checo [Sergio Perez] were faster than us today, so there was a lot to do. Then we saved points. In terms of Constructors, it’s true that Mercedes took some important points from us, but we took points from Ferrari again.”

“In Canada we will bring more stuff, in Silverstone too… It will depend on who brings the improvements. Even with a normal time, we would have been on a par with Hamilton and maybe we would have had a better chance. I think it’s a race and in Canada we crush them.”

‘Crush the competition’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...-crush-rivals/

[Fortitude]

‘Starting from fourth would have been a very different race’ – Gasly laments grid penalty that dropped him to P10 in Spain.
Pierre Gasly qualified fourth – but two grid penalties dropped him to P10 on the grid, and he lost another four places on the opening lap, meaning he faced an uphill battle to make it back into the points.
04 Jun 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Two grid penalties’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...885384761.html


Gasly expects Alpine to be “fighting for the top five soon” after Spanish GP
2023 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 5th June 2023, 17:08
Written by Ed Hardy and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Pierre Gasly was encouraged by the progress Alpine have made despite his disappointing result in the Spanish Grand Prix. “We definitely made a step forward,” said Gasly, who is tenth in the championship. “We need to fight to get that consistency and show we’re able to maintain that pace regardless of the tracks we’re going to. But I think we did it in quali and today there were clear signs that the pace was there.”

“It was always going to be more messy from the middle of the pack,” added Gasly. “By lap one I’m 14th, 10 positions behind where we qualified, and it changes your entire race. The pace when we were alone was good, but spending all your time in a DRS train, traffic and overheating the tyres, you can’t really maximise the package. It feels like an underachieved result compared to the pace we had. I believe we had the pace for Aston today.”

“Fighting for the top five soon”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/05/...er-spanish-gp/


Ocon says Alpine have made ‘huge step forward’ as he insists they can keep progress going
05 June 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Esteban Ocon is keeping the positives of Alpine’s recent progress at the forefront of his mind despite the team failing to make the same impression on race day as they did in qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Ocon remained buoyed by Alpine’s upturn in results at recent events, bringing the team back up to fifth in the constructors’ standings to head the midfield group. Asked if Alpine understand the difference in their qualifying and race pace in Spain, Ocon added: “I think we know, yes. Making it a change, that’s going to be more tricky.”

“But what we have to remember from the last two weeks is we’ve scored… I’ve scored 19 points in two races – this we can be extremely proud of. We’ve made a huge step forward in terms of car pace and I’m sure we can keep that going and find an extra [step] in the race.”

‘Buoyed by Alpine’s upturn in results’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...DmLaDseM0.html


Ocon frustrated after Alpine’s Saturday pace falls off ‘significantly’ on race day in Spain
04 Jun 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Esteban Ocon says the team knows why their pace dropped off between qualifying and the race, but admits fixing it will be easier said than done.

‘The team knows why’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...016996923.html


Ocon: Alpine drop off in pace in Spanish GP 'significant'
05/06/2023 at 16:21
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Esteban Ocon was unable to mix it up with the front-runners in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix after Alpine suffered a "significant" drop off in pace between qualifying and race day. Ocon was coy on the reason for his A523's performance slump in race trim, but suggested that Alpine had a clear understanding of the issue.

"It was my only chance to try and keep him behind," commented Ocon on his short but tough battle with Alonso. He was too fast so I had to defend quite hard, but I backed off because I thought I would not be able to do it."

"For two laps I managed to keep in front but the pace we had today compared to qualifying had dropped off significantly and we were not as fast as Saturday as the good group in front, and that's what we need to work on and understand."

‘Alpine had a clear understanding of the issue’;

https://f1i.com/news/476822-ocon-alp...gnificant.html

[Fortitude]

Lando Norris admits McLaren are 'NOWHERE NEAR as quick' as the top five teams after falling from third to 17th in a miserable Spanish Grand Prix, claiming the car's been 'slow all year'.
• Lando Norris finished 17th in Sunday's Spanish Gand Prix despite starting third
• He was forced to pit on the first lap after a collision and never recovered
• The driver has admitted his McLaren is 'nowhere near' as fast as the top teams
Published: 22:30, 4 June 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy for the Daily Mail
Mail Online

Asked what went through his mind on the point of impact with Hamilton, the 23-year-old revealed: ‘F***. 'Everybody checked up and I was too close to Lewis to react and brake, so it was just unlucky, a racing incident. Lewis didn’t do anything wrong. I touched his wheel, nothing happened to him. Maybe it made him quicker today.’

Norris was full of doom and gloom as he surveyed the wreckage of an afternoon that left him with a meagre 12 points from the opening seven rounds and 11th in the standings. That is a poor state of affairs for Surrey-based McLaren, the second most successful team in F1 history, after showing signs of recovery in recent years. ‘Our pace today was as expected – bad,’ said Norris.

'NOWHERE NEAR as quick';

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ive-teams.html


McLaren laments ‘one-lap wonder’ as both drivers out of top 10 at Spanish Grand Prix.
June 5th, 2023 6:14 am
Matthew Sullivan from News.com.au
Fox Sports (Australia)

It was a case of so near yet so far for Oscar Piastri and McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix. McLaren put together an excellent qualifying, with Lando Norris setting the third fastest lap and Piastri putting his car in P9.

So there were hopes both cars might be able to finish in the top 10 in the race, but it was disappointment for a weekend that showed much promise. Norris was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap and was forced to make a very early pit stop to replace his front wing after he and Hamilton made contact.

David Croft said in commentary on Sky Sports: “It’s the worst possible start for him. Absolute disappointment for Lando Norris. He’s gone down to the bottom of the pack.”

‘McLaren laments’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...08a30a74e4964c


Why McLaren’s Spanish GP qualifying pace was a lie
Jun 6 2023
By Edd Straw
The Race

The Spanish Grand Prix weekend was the first test of the recently upgraded McLaren Formula 1 car on what could be called a ‘pure’ aerodynamic circuit. Lando Norris’s third place in qualifying suggested a dramatic step forward, but the race proved that, in his words, “we’re slow”.

“Because we’re slow, we have been all year,” he said when asked why he was so pessimistic about being able to score points without the first-lap incident. “There’s nothing else to say. Yesterday the cars weren’t any different, and yesterday was a special day.”

“Some good teams struggled a lot and some of the worse teams did a better job, so it was just an odd day, people making a lot of mistakes and we capitalised on that. Apart from that we’ve been off the pace all season, struggling to finish in the points in half the races.”

‘Qualifying pace was a lie’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/why-m...ace-was-a-lie/


‘It was just racing, I was just unlucky’ – Norris philosophical after Lap 1 clash with Hamilton that ruined his race.
04 Jun 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

After making contact with Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap, Lando Norris was forced to pit for a new front wing and eventually finished 17th – though he said afterwards he would have faced a tough battle to finish in the points anyway.

‘Just racing, just unlucky’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...646103726.html


Norris rues 'unlucky' first lap collision with Hamilton but says Spanish GP went 'as expected' after lowly P17 finish
04 June 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Lando Norris finished this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix down in 17th, but the McLaren driver insists his race went “just as expected” believing his team are not yet quick enough to battle for points on a Sunday.

“Obviously Lap 1 cost us everything but, at the same time, we would have been unlikely to finish in the top 10 today. I guess everyone’s expectations were too high after yesterday.”

“We tried to manage as much as we could but, at the same time, today was the pace that we’ve had all year and we were just normal paced. Yesterday was, I don’t know, unknown, a special day for us. As expected today.”

'Unlucky';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...ntFopyz21.html


Piastri: Spanish GP struggle brought McLaren 'back to reality'
06/06/2023 at 09:41
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

"A long afternoon, just didn't have the pace to really do anything," he commented. "It was a pretty poor first lap from myself, which didn't help things, but I don't think we really had the pace to stay in the points anyway."

"I don't think we're in normal circumstances able to put the car that high up on the grid," he added. Today was maybe a bit more back to reality, probably a more difficult day than what we would have hoped." McLaren's current woes appear to be linked to a disparity between how the MCL60's tyres react in different conditions.

"We seem to switch on the tyre very well when it's cold and difficult conditions, like Monaco on the Intermediates was the same story as qualifying here," Piastri explained. "So we need to try and work on that with the team and see what we can do to make our lives easier on Sundays."

‘How the MCL60's tyres react’;

https://f1i.com/news/476840-piastri-...o-reality.html

[Fortitude]

Zhou: Points in Spain a 'massive relief' for Alfa Romeo.
Zhou Guanyu delivered a top-ten finish to Alfa Romeo in the Spanish Grand Prix, a result the Chinese charger described as "a massive relief" for the Swiss outfit after three pointless races.
05/06/2023 at 17:39
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Zhou launched his race from P13 in Barcelona but the Alfa driver clocked in ninth at the end of an impressive opening lap. Zhou opted for a two-stop strategy during which he used all three available compounds, eventually stabilizing his race just inside the top-ten.

However, a fierce battle with AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda in the second half of the race resolved in Zhou's favor after his Japanese rival was handed a five-second penalty by the stewards for running the Alfa off the track.

"That feels like a massive relief for us, and for the team here and back in Hinwil," commented Zhou whose only points finish this season before Spain had been in Australia. It was a tricky start to the season for the team. We finally got some points that we deserved, and the car was mega.”

'Massive relief';

https://f1i.com/news/476827-zhou-poi...lfa-romeo.html


Alfa Romeo upgrades 'improving' our performance - Zhou Guanyu
03 Jun 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Zhou Guanyu suggests the Alfa Romeo upgrade package has improved the team's performance ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

'Improving our performance’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...027311162.html


2023 Spanish Grand Prix - Sunday
18:34 Sun, 04 Jun 2023.
Alfa Romeo Racing - Official Site

Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK brought home two precious points from the Spanish Grand Prix as Zhou Guanyu delivered a flawless race in Barcelona. The Chinese driver made a leap forward at the start, settling into the top ten during his first stint: a good strategy saw the team react to the unfolding situation on track and, by the end of the afternoon, this resulted in Zhou crossing the line in tenth place – and immediately promoted to ninth, following a penalty to Yuki Tsunoda.

Valtteri Bottas’s race was compromised at the start, as damage to the floor of his C43 from some debris had a severe impact on his car’s performance. In a race with no yellow flags, on-track incidents or retirements, Valtteri, starting in 16th, had no chance to recover to the points. The Finn ran line astern with Zhou for a few laps in the middle of the race, eventually playing the team game and providing a good rear guard action to his team-mate before finishing in 19th.

‘Brought home two precious points’;

https://www.sauber-group.com/motorsp...d-prix-sunday/


Bottas reveals ‘significant damage’ after Spanish GP
Tuesday 6th June, 2023 - 2:27am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Valtteri Bottas has revealed to Alfa Romeo discovering “significant” damage on his car during its post-Spanish Grand Prix inspection. After struggling for pace throughout the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Bottas finished 19th of the 20 cars that took the chequered flag. It was only the 15th time in F1 history an entire field has finished a grand prix.

Team-mate Zhou Guanyu, meanwhile, finished ninth to score two valuable points for the team, highlighting the difference between the two cars. Post-race, Bottas suggested there was something wrong with his C43 when speaking to the media.

“For me, it’s pretty clear there was something not right with the car, because I was more than one second per lap off, just sliding around,” he said. “Whether it was a mechanical or aero issue I cannot say, because the balance was not, like, way off, but there was just a lack of overall grip. So, we’ll see if there’s something damaged in the car.”

‘Significant damage’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/06/06...er-spanish-gp/


BOTTAS EXPLAINS ‘SIGNIFICANT FLOOR DAMAGE’ AS REASON FOR 19TH PLACE IN BARCELONA
The Finnish driver already had a feeling that something was wrong with the car after qualifying
June 6, 2023
Lena Ferle
FormulaNerds

Problems with Bottas’ car since qualifying. The Finnish driver struggled to keep up with the pace of the rest of the field. His teammate, Guanyu Zhou, also managed to score two points for Alfa Romeo in ninth place. Bottas suspected something was wrong with his C43 immediately after the race, according to speedcafe.com.

“For me, it’s pretty clear there was something not right with the car, because I was more than one second per lap off, just sliding around,” Bottas said. “Whether it was a mechanical or aero issue I cannot say, because the balance was not, like, way off, but there was just a lack of overall grip.”

“So, we’ll see if there’s something damaged in the car.” At that point, however, it was not sure what had caused these problems with Bottas’ car – let alone whether it was damage to the C43 at all.

‘SIGNIFICANT FLOOR DAMAGE’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/bo...-in-barcelona/


"Something not right with the car," says Bottas
09:39 Mon, 05 Jun 2023.
Pitpass

Even the presence of his mum couldn't help Valtteri Bottas achieve a points finish in Spain, as he struggles with car that didn't feel right. Joined on the grid by his mother, that was about as it got for the 10-time grand prix winner, who ended the day 19th.

"For me it's pretty clearly there was something not right with the car," he told reporters at race end, "because I was more than one second per lap off, just sliding around. With no realistic hope of a points finish himself, Bottas was at least able to assist his teammate, the Finn holding off Kevin Magnussen for a few precious laps allowing Guanyu Zhou to build a decent gap.

"It's good to see that my team-mate was up there, he could fight in the top ten, so that's positive," said Bottas. "But, first of all, we need to find out what was wrong with my car. I had a chat with Zhou and he was saying the pace was quite good... it's good, but not for me," he added. "It's good to see that the upgrades are doing the job."

‘Car that didn't feel right’;

https://www.pitpass.com/75321/Someth...ar-says-Bottas


How the first team to fit intermediate tyres in Monaco got the call right
2023 Monaco Grand Prix
Posted on 31st May 2023, 14:51
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Alfa Romeo were the first team to react to the rain in the Monaco Grand Prix by switching to intermediate tyres, and the wet weather was in their race strategy all along. Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu started 15th and 19th respectively, and were running 13th and 17th prior to their pit stops when the rain came. Alfa Romeo’s well-judged strategy moved them up to 12th and 14th, and they each gained another place before the end of the race.

Xevi Pujolar, the team’s head of trackside engineering: “Initially we were prepared like it will rain, maybe even for the start of the race,” he told media including RaceFans. “And then we had our dry configuration for the race. “When we were on the grid – and now actually we spend quite a lot of time on the grid – we were getting gradual updates. In he 15, 20 minutes before the race start we thought if it rains at all, it will be in the last part of the race. So then we said ‘okay, we stick to our dry plan, and then we’ll see if the rain is coming or not’. So our race tyre choice was based on a dry forecast, and then take it from there, we’ll see if the rain comes.”

Being ready proved crucial as the rain arrived earlier than that, on lap 51 of the 78-lap race, and Bottas was the first to react. “We could hear our drivers [and] also some other competitors saying there is some drops at times. So we were ready. It was difficult to know the intensity of the rain, but Valtteri was quite good on that and quite clear on his call. It was strange because when he was calling that it was getting very wet in sector two, the pit lane was completely dry. So that’s why probably it made a bit of confusion. Some of the teams were struggling to commit to the rain because the pit lane was completely dry.”

‘The call right’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/05/31/...he-call-right/

[Fortitude]

Haas drivers suffer from the same costly problem as they leave Spain empty-handed.
Haas team mates Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in 15th and 18th respectively, leaving both drivers to lament the high degradation of their tyres that hampered their hopes of scoring points.
06 June 2023
Formula One - Official Site

When asked to describe his Sunday in Barcelona, Hulkenberg replied: “Tough. Difficult. Unfortunately, the deg was really high for us. And we had to three-stop the race, where I think the competition two-stopped, and still the pace is similar to them.”

“At the beginning of every stint, we were very competitive, but our tyres just fell off so quickly, and we had to do a three-stop which wasn’t that optimum,” said Magnussen.

“Hopefully, we can try and learn about what caused it and improve, but certainly it was a tough race. When you have a bad weekend like this, you tend to find some interesting answers and that’s what I’m hoping for now. Onto the next one."

‘Same costly problem’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KXTgCb3VK.html


Haas must ‘find a solution’ to tyre wear issues – Steiner
13:15 Tue, 06 Jun 2023
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Haas must “find a solution” to the tyre degradation problems that hampered both cars in the Spanish Grand Prix.

“Quite a disappointing result today, we just couldn’t get the tyres to stay alive,” Steiner acknowledged. “We did one more pit stop than everyone else, but even if we hadn’t stopped, we would’ve gone slower and ended up there anyway. We need to go back to the drawing board and try to find a solution to our tyre degradation.”

Hulkenberg, who crossed the line a disappointing 15th, echoed Steiner’s comments, underlining that Haas has work to do to translate its searing one-lap potential into race trim. “It was tough,” Hulkenberg added. “Unfortunately, the degradation was really high for us and we had to three-stop whereas the competition didn’t.”

‘Find a solution’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ssues-steiner/


Haas desperately in search of solution for tyre deg issues
07/06/2023 at 08:13
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

A taxing three-stop strategy, imposed by the excessive tyre wear on his VF-23, left Hulkenberg a lowly P15 at the checkered flag. "Tough. Difficult. Unfortunately, the deg was really high for us," commented the Hulk after his race.

"And we had to three-stop the race, where I think the competition two-stopped, and still the pace is similar to them. It looks at first glance that over one lap obviously we are competitive, but in the long runs we still have some homework to do, and some pace and deg to find."

And Steiner suggested that those answers will only be found by the team starting its tyre wear investigations from scratch. "Quite a disappointing result today, we just couldn’t get the tyres to stay alive," Steiner acknowledged.

‘Three-stop strategy’;

https://f1i.com/news/476891-haas-des...eg-issues.html


Steiner pleased with Hulkenberg's impact on Magnussen
07 June 4:55PM
Author Anna Francis
Co-author Dieter Rencken
RacingNews365

Following Nico Hulkenberg's arrival into the Haas team for 2023, Guenther Steiner has enjoyed seeing the "healthy competition" that has developed between the German and teammate Kevin Magnussen.

When asked about the impact of Hulkenberg on Magnussen and whether the Dane has had to raise his game, Steiner told media, including RacingNews365.com: "It's difficult [to say]. "That’s a better question for Kevin than for me – but I think he puts an effort in and for him it's good to have a benchmark. That's what I think.

"Healthy competition";

https://racingnews365.com/steiner-pl...t-on-magnussen


Hulkenberg: Haas has to switch focus from qualifying to race
7th June 2023, 17:13
By: Adam Cooper
Motorsport.com

Hulkenberg acknowledged that good one-lap performance was welcome, but says the team has to get its car working more effectively in races.

"I'd rather have it the other way around,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com about the qualifying pace. ”But that's the trend and the characteristic we see so far this year, and we need to try and balance it more between Saturday and Sunday.

“Because obviously whilst it's nice to bang out a nice quali it always then raises expectations, and you get a downer on Sunday which is not so easy to cope with and to explain to people all the time. So some work for the longer-term future, I think."

‘Get the car working more effectively in races’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...race/10479734/

[Fortitude]

James Vowles Opens Up About Williams FW45’s Floor Design.
James Vowles, the current team principal of the Williams F1 team, has passionately come to the defence of their F1 challenger in response to the viral photos showcasing the floor of the FW45.
June 7, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

“There were photos taken of our floor this weekend after Logan went off in FP3 and obviously those have been compared to photography taken of our competitors just a few weeks ago,” the team principal (James Vowles) said.

“I think one thing to point out is that it is a little bit deceptive. What happened here is it’s very focused on that rear diffuser ramp unlike the other photos that perhaps focus more on to the floor and the mid floor where you can actually, within the regulations, add more detail.”

“All that said and done though, we are clearly lacking detail relative to our competitors but you wouldn’t have needed the underside of the floor to know that, you can see that from lap times.”

‘Passionately come to the defence’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/james-vowl...-floor-design/


Vowles discusses key Williams feature after Spanish GP EMBARRASSMENT
Wednesday 7 June 2023 20:57
Harry Smith
GPFans

James Vowles has touched on the state of the Williams floor in a recent address to fans of the team, following a weekend in the spotlight at the Spanish Grand Prix. The issue came to the forefront after Logan Sargeant crashed less than ten minutes into Saturday morning's FP3 session.

After the floors of Mercedes and Red Bull's challengers were exposed in Monaco, Williams became the latest to suffer this fate after Sargeant's car was lifted out of the gravel. The result was shocking with fans getting a sneak peek at the seemingly basic look of the Williams floor compared to their front-running competitors.

Speaking during the 'Vowles Verdict' segment for the Williams F1 website, Vowles explained: "There were photos taken of our floor this weekend after Logan [Sargeant] went off in FP3. And obviously those have been compared to photography taken of our competitors taken just a few weeks ago. I think one thing to point out is they're a little bit deceptive.”

'Vowles Verdict';

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...sh-grand-prix/


Williams: Lack of FW45 floor detail shouldn’t come as surprise
15:12 Wed, 07 Jun 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Williams Team Principal James Vowles says that people shouldn’t be surprised by the lack of detail on the floor of the FW45 Formula 1 car. At the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, imagery of underside of the car was taken after Logan Sargeant crashed out of the final practice session. The photos were directly compared to those taken one week prior in Monaco when the Red Bull and Mercedes challengers were hoisted into the air.

But Vowles insists that copying Red Bull’s design and attaching it to Williams’ chassis won’t benefit the car’s pace. “Understanding what you’re competitors do by giving an image of it and simply copying it won’t help you,” he said.

“So the clues behind it all, the key behind it all, is actually understanding why have they developed the floor in the way they have, what can we learn from it and apply it to where we are today to advance our learning and understanding.”

‘Copying it won’t help you’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...e-as-surprise/


Williams admit F1 floor “clearly lacking detail” despite ‘deceptive’ images
8 Jun 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Williams F1 team principal James Vowles has admitted the floor design of their car is “clearly lacking detail” compared to rivals. Images of the floor of the Williams FW45 emerged following Logan Sargeant’s crash during final practice at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, prompting comparisons to their competitors.

“We are clearly lacking detail relative to our competitors but you wouldn't have needed the underside of the floor to know that," he explained. "You can see that from lap times. That's fundamentally a feature of balance characteristics and the car's performance, and downforce as well at the same time, and a lot of that is being generated by the floor.”

"You can see that from lap times”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/102813...ceptive-images


Williams admit images show their floor ‘clearly lacks detail’ compared to rivals
2023 Spanish Grand Prix
Posted on 7th June 2023, 13:55
Written by Keith Collantine
Crash.Net

James Vowles: “Furthermore, whatever you’ve seen on a competitor is at least six to eight weeks out of date, and where they are now is further forward. So the clues behind it or the key behind it all is actually understanding why they develop the floor in the way that they have and what can we learn from it and apply to where we are today to advance our learning and understanding.

“That is going on all the time. But what you can’t do is go away [with] some deep-rooted methods and systems that you need to actually understand how to generate downforce in an efficient manner for the car you have. So our prioritisation is [to] learn from others where we need to but make sure we carry on developing on our build cycle the way we know we’ll develop over time into a faster and faster car.”

Vowles indicated the team plans to bring new parts for its FW45’s floor over the next month. “We will introduce upgrades sometime over the next three races or so, potentially in one go or spread out across those. Some of them you’ll see, some of them perhaps less visible.”

‘Six to eight weeks out of date’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/06/07/...red-to-rivals/


Williams floor catches Adrian Newey’s eye for Red Bull upgrade
06 Jun 2023 2:15 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey has been looking up and down the grid for solutions that will improve the RB19 even further, and even the team at the back of the pack have helped make their car faster.

And when Red Bull arrived in Barcelona with changes to their edge wing and diffuser on the floor of the RB19, these were elements that became more reflective of their competitors, with chief engineer Paul Monaghan revealing that a small element of the Williams FW44 was analysed and replicated on their car.

“It wasn’t necessarily going to work on our car, but we looked at it a couple of times and it turned out that it could give a small advantage. And when the solution was fitted, the result was bigger than we had actually thought. It’s certainly not the most influential thing, but it helps a bit.”

‘Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/adrian...oor-influence/


Red Bull car taking inspiration from F1 backmarkers Williams
Red Bull owe part of their last two Formula 1 race wins for Max Verstappen to Williams
June 7, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Red Bull revealed they took inspiration from the unlikeliest of sources for their latest upgrade package that helped Max Verstappen storm to victory at the 2023 Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull arrived in Monaco with a new floor that was particularly altered towards the rear of the car, and the team’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan said they’d first spotted the design on the Williams before adapting it to their machinery.

“That piece of floor design that was out in early 2022,” Monaghan told the media in Spain. “The Williams had it quite early on and some other people had it. “It didn’t necessarily work for us, we’ve looked at it a couple of times, and it’s a small benefit. It looks like a slightly larger change and than has actually been realised.

“It’s not going to be the most influential thing you do, it helps a little bit and we’re quite constrained, height-wise where we can do it.” The upgrades were set to arrive in Imola for the first of Formula 1‘s scheduled triple-header, but extreme flooding in Italy pushed those arrivals back to the Monaco GP.

‘Inspiration from the unlikeliest of sources’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...kers-williams/

[Fortitude]

‘If you do a bad job, you get sacked’: The arguments behind Steiner’s stewards take-down.
Guenther Steiner: “F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people that invest millions in their careers.”
June 7th, 2023 4:57 pm
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)

Guenther Steiner has been reprimanded by the FIA stewards for his spectacular call to overhaul Formula 1’s umpiring system, but debate over the way the sport is adjudicated continues rumbling along. Steiner put himself into hot water at the weekend by slamming the decision to penalise his driver Nico Hülkenberg for a first-lap incident with Williams rookie Logan Sargeant at the Monaco Grand Prix. Hülkenberg dive-bombed Sargeant down the inside of Mirabeau and was slapped with a five-second penalty for being out of control of his car and causing a collision.

But Steiner is adamant that there was no contact, and on-board footage from Sargeant’s car is inconclusive as to whether contact was made or whether Sargeant reflexively turned out of a potential crash. The idea that his driver would be penalised based on what he believes is non-definitive proof rankled Steiner, and the clearly frustrated Haas boss used the opportunity to launch into a broader argument over the consistency of decision-making among the FIA’s rotating stewards panel.

Steiner said it all amounted to evidence that the FIA needed to overhaul its stewarding system to professionalise it. “Every professional sport has got professionals being referees and stuff like this,” he said. “F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people that invest millions in their careers. It’s always a discussion because there’s no consistency.”

“We still have laymen”;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...de5746fba190c2


Ralf Schumacher backs Guenther Steiner amidst
04 Jun 2023 9:00 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

As Guenther Steiner waits to hear his fate after a stewards inquiry into his comments about F1’s stewarding, surprisingly it is Ralf Schumacher who has defended the Haas team boss.

He was subsequently called to see the stewards in Spain with the team boss alleged to have breached three parts of the FIA’s International Sporting Code – acting “prejudicial to the interests of any competition or to the interests of motorsport generally”, causing “moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motorsport and on the values defended by the FIA” as well as “misconduct towards” officials.

The hearing took place on Saturday afternoon with the outcome set to be announced on Sunday before the start of the Spanish Grand Prix. As Steiner waits to hear his fate, Schumacher has weighed in with the German warning against Formula 1 becoming a “police state”.

‘Police state concerns’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ralf-s...tate-concerns/


Steiner reacts to being called to stewards following CONTROVERSIAL comments
Saturday 3 June 2023 17:57
Harry Smith
GPFans

Speaking with Sky Sports F1 after FP3 Steiner, explained: "I don't know what I've done this time. "I mean I'm gonna see them and then I will let you know afterwards.”

Steiner was cautious of revealing too much in case he picked up another trip to the stewards. "I think if I talk now I get the code a second time. So no, I take these things seriously and I will have to tell them my opinion about it."

‘CONTROVERSIAL comments’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...sh-grand-prix/


Steiner reprimanded for FIA F1 stewards' criticism
12:40 Sun, 04 Jun
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com

Haas Formula 1 boss Gunther Steiner has been given a reprimand by the Spanish Grand Prix stewards for comments he made regarding the FIA's handling of events in Monaco.

In a statement issued on Sunday morning, the stewards said: “Mr Steiner’s word “laymen” and his reference to other sports having “professional” personnel could be, and indeed were, perceived to cause offence and in our view reasonably did cause offence not only to the Stewards in Monaco but also to other FIA personnel and many motorsport volunteers.

“However, the Stewards accept Mr Steiner’s statement during the hearing, that his reference to professionalism was meant to refer to people who worked in a role as their profession and not that the Stewards were acting unprofessionally. Further Mr Steiner stated his reference to “laymen” was meant to refer to people who worked occasionally and not meant to refer a lack of qualifications or specialisation.”

‘Steiner reprimanded’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...ism-/10478463/


Haas principal Steiner reprimanded, apologizes for calling race stewards `laymen´
Published: 13:15, 4 June 2023
By Associated Press
Mail Online

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) - Haas team principal Guenther Steiner was reprimanded by the FIA on Sunday for calling the race stewards at last weekend´s Monaco Grand Prix "laymen" after he disagreed with their decision to penalize one of his drivers. The reprimand will not incur a penalty or fine.

Steiner apologized to stewards in a meeting on Saturday. He made that apology public in a statement released by Haas on Sunday before the Spanish GP. Steiner attracted the attention of race officials when he said on Thursday: "F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world, and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people who invest millions in their careers."

Steiner was angry about a penalty given to Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg at Monaco. On Sunday, he said that he had apologized to the stewards if his words had been "misunderstood." "I had not intended to offend anyone and that my use of certain words could have been open to misinterpretation or misunderstood by some people," he said.

‘Steiner apologized to stewards’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap...ds-laymen.html