2023 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Why McLaren is suddenly best of rest in F1 - and its chances of staying there.
Even McLaren seemed surprised at the “rocketship” pace that delivered a podium finish for Lando Norris at the British Grand Prix, and what would likely have been a third place for Oscar Piastri without an unfortunately-timed safety car.
July 11th 2023
Author Ekagra Gupta
Motor Sport Magazine

We’ve examined McLaren’s performance from the past two races to identify how it leapt to the front of the Red Bull-chasing pack, and its chances of staying in that position. Using data from practice and the race, we can see how the upgrade affected the car’s performance, but also the other factors at play in the stellar drives from Norris and Piastri at the team’s home race.

McLaren brought a major upgrade to the Austrian Grand Prix, fitting Norris’s car with a new floor and modified sidepods, a reshaped engine cover and altered fairings for the halo and mirrors. Crucially, it only had enough parts for a single car, so Piastri stuck with the old spec, making the race a handy comparison between both versions.

A week later, the factory autoclaves had produced another set of updated bodywork for Piastri’s car, but Norris’s was upgraded further with a new front wing and revised brake ducts. Lo and behold, McLaren took the second and third spots on the grid

‘DETAILED ANALYSIS’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


The 11 changes that have helped turn the McLaren into an F1 rocketship
11:18 Tue, 11 Jul 2023.
By: Matt Somerfield
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Motorsport.com

McLaren’s latest upgrade has transformed its car's pace in Formula 1, as it has emerged as one of the best in high-speed corners. In fact, such was the advantage of the MCL-60 through some of Silverstone's fastest turns last weekend that Lewis Hamilton labelled it a 'rocketship' as he was left powerless to challenge it.

1. Changes have been made to the shape and position of the floor fences…
2. McLaren had already flirted with a sidepod inlet design… …latest update…
3. The upper surface of the floor already had a heavily contoured blister…
4. The changes made to the forward portion of the sidepod and the inlet…
5. The aerodynamic fairing that surrounds the halo now features a vertical blade…
6. The overall change in the shape of the sidepods…

7. McLaren is the latest team to adopt a deeper water slide-style gulley on the sidepod’s upper surface…
8. The upper cooling gill panel has been moved from the traversal position…
9. The shape of the engine cover ‘shelf’ has been optimized…
10. One of the big visual changes to the MCL60’s floor is on the floor edge…
11. The footprint of the engine cover and rear cooling outlet has been reduced…

'Rocketship 11';

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/t...ship/10494587/


British Grand Prix team ratings: Perfect McLaren and sub-par Ferrari
12 Jul 2023 9:00 AM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

The PlanetF1.com team ratings for the British Grand Prix are in, with McLaren enjoying another excellent race.

McLaren 10: If you would have offered Lando Norris a P2 at his home grand prix at the start of the season, he would have bit your hand off.
Red Bull 9: Another example of the ruthless efficiency of Red Bull as they picked up their record-equalling 11th consecutive win.

Williams 9: A fantastic day for a Williams car that just loves straight lines. While Lando Norris deservedly took plenty of the plaudits for his performance, Alex Albon’s was just as impressive.
Mercedes 8.5: They got a little lucky with the timing of the Safety Car especially as Oscar Piastri had just come into the pits but a P3 and P5 is nothing to turn your nose up at.

Aston Martin 6: In the post-race press conference, team principal Mike Krack snapped back that he is not concerned with other teams’ performance but McLaren’s rise would no doubt have been on his radar.
Ferrari 6: While McLaren are on the up, Ferrari took a step backwards in Silverstone, registering just three points between their two drivers.

‘Alpine 5, Haas 5, AlphaTauri 5, Alfa Romeo 4’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/br...laren-ferrari/


McLaren says even more gains to come from latest F1 upgrade package
12th July 2023, 13:03
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com

Speaking about the plans, team principal Andrea Stella said “For Hungary, we have some further updates that will help more from the point of view of trying to improve the race pace. These will be available to both drivers.

“But like any other team, we will carry on delivering some upgrades to the following races. And this is also thanks to the fact that, once we started redesigning the car, we kind of unlocked performance. And, through iterations, we keep seeing the aerodynamic development being quite effective. “

“As soon as you see that a project is mature enough to deliver, you press the go button and you go, so there will be some more stuff coming even after Hungary.”

‘More gains to come’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...kage/10494943/


Jolyon Palmer's Analysis: Why did McLaren choose the hard tyre? | Workday
11 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer looks at McLaren's pit stop strategy at the 2023 British Grand Prix and explains why the Woking team chose the hard tyre instead of the soft.

‘The hard tyre?’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...504289718.html


Ralf Schumacher’s warning to McLaren after Silverstone surge
11 Jul 2023 9:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Having finally made inroads with their upgrades for the MCL60, Ralf Schumacher has warned McLaren cannot let up now to focus on their 2024 contender.

“At McLaren it will also be interesting to see how much resources they are still putting into this year’s car after the major upgrade and how much they are already betting on next year to perhaps be able to close the gap to Red Bull there,” Schumacher wrote in his post-race Sky Deutschland column.

“One thing is clear: the plans for 2024 are in full swing for all teams, but McLaren cannot yet put all their chips on the next car. They are still in the development process and for the first time they have a car that really works. In this phase, however, you have to wait a little and develop further to be sure that you are really on the right track.”

‘Cannot yet put all their chips on the next car’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ralf-s...erstone-surge/


F1 tech podcast: Gary Anderson on McLaren’s rapid resurgence
Jul 12 2023
Gary Anderson
The Race

Edd Straw and former Formula 1 team technical director Gary Anderson have a lot to get into on The Race F1 Tech Show following the British Grand Prix.

After McLaren’s upgrades and its leap from midfielder to race leader, they discuss exactly what’s changed on the car, how the team’s managed to make such big strides forward so quickly, and what it all says about McLaren’s long-term prospects.

‘McLaren’s rapid resurgence’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-te...id-resurgence/

[Fortitude]

Six in a row for Verstappen as he beats Norris and Hamilton to win at Silverstone.
“I’m very happy that we’ve won here again,” he said, having triumphed at Silverstone in 2020 in the 70th Anniversary GP behind closed doors. “Eleven wins in a row for the team is pretty incredible, the whole team can be proud of that.”
Published 10th Jul 2023, 09:42 BST
By Toby Lock
Milton Keynes Citizen

World champion Max Verstappen opened his already ominous lead over team-mate Sergio Perez to 99 points with his sixth win in a row on Sunday, winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Taking place just 21 miles from their Bradbourne Drive factory, it was a home race for the Red Bull Racing team, but despite seeing Verstappen claim pole position in Northamptonshire, it McLaren’s Lando Norris who stole the show, sweeping past the Dutchman off the start line and leading the opening laps, much to the jubilation of the British fans.

Verstappen though would not be held back, making light work of the updated McLaren on lap 4 to retake the lead - one which he would not relinquish. Despite a safety car shuffling the pack on lap 33, Verstappen maintained his lead ahead of Norris and fellow home crowd favourite Lewis Hamilton to claim his sixth win in a row, and the 11th straight for the team from Tilbrook.

‘Six in a row’;

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport...rstone-4212751


Red Bull boss reveals ‘INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT’ at British GP
Monday 10 July 2023 13:57
Shay Rogers
GPFans

11 in heaven for Horner: The British Grand Prix marked an 11th consecutive win for Red Bull, as they matched McLaren’s record from 1988. It’s no secret that Red Bull have been dominant, and it’s astounding to realise that the streak would be 21 wins in a row, if they hadn’t experienced a poor weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix last season.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz after the race, team boss Christian Horner applauded his team for the job they have done to make themselves so formidable. “It’s an incredible achievement. To win here, just up the road from the factory is really very special,” he said.

‘INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...x-achievement/


Verstappen: Red Bull to counter growing competition from rivals.
July 10, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

“The stable factor so far is that every single weekend, it seems like we are on top, which of course is the most important from our side,” world champion Max Verstappen, winner of an incredible six grands prix on the trot, said after picking up yet another victory at the British GP.

For Red Bull, despite Verstappen’s victory there are some reasons for concern at the otherwise dominant team. “The tyres overheated at the end,” admitted Dr Helmut Marko. “It wasn’t as bad as what we saw with Hamilton, but another five laps and Norris would have caught us.”

For Red Bull, meanwhile, the fact that multiple rivals are now apparently closing the gap means in-season 2023 development has definitely not stopped. Despite his almost 100-point lead over his own teammate Sergio Perez, Verstappen said before departing Silverstone: “Hungary is a completely different track. We will put some upgrades on the car there and hopefully they work well.”

‘Counter growing competition’;

https://baylasportsf1.com/verstappen...n-from-rivals/


Brundle insists Max Verstappen ‘DESTROYS’ field like only ONE F1 great could
Tuesday 11 July 2023 09:54
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Max Verstappen is currently enjoying one of the most dominant spells in F1 history and is yet to finish outside the top two in a race this year, helping him to an 81-point lead in the drivers’ championship. Speaking about Verstappen’s approach to F1 weekends, Brundle compared his ability to psychologically get in the head of opponents with a blistering lap to set pace, was similar to that of the supreme Michael Schumacher at his peak.

The Sky Sports F1 pundit said: “Michael Schumacher was like that as well. The confidence you need, the trust in the car and yourself to go out at Silverstone of all places and just put a marker down that pretty much just destroys everybody else's head immediately. The talent and confidence you need to do that through a corner like Copse or Stowe without throwing it in the wall occasionally, which would look really silly on the first lap or two of a weekend, is quite extraordinary,” Brundle added.

‘Psychologically get in the head of opponents’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...cher-f1-great/


Marko blames VERSTAPPEN for critical British GP error
Monday 10 July 2023 19:27
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Although the weekend resulted in a maximum points haul, there was one part of Verstappen’s performance on track that failed to impress his senior Helmut Marko. Lando Norris had the better reaction time of the two drivers, albeit by only 0.03 seconds, but that wasn’t the thing that cost Verstappen the lead into turn one.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Helmut Marko confessed that all the systems were in check, as the Dutchman made a critical error off the line. “He let go of the clutch too intensively," His onboard cameras showed the heavy amounts of wheelspin he had to contend with, as Norris swept by and into the lead through turn one.

With two weeks to go until the Hungarian Grand Prix, you can bet that Verstappen will be working hard in the Red Bull simulator to perfect his starts again headed into the rest of the season.

‘Let go of the clutch too intensively’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...rix-bad-start/


Verstappen confused by changing F1 order
Monday 10th July, 2023 - 8:59pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Max Verstappen has conceded to feeling confused by the changing order behind his current domination of F1. Verstappen is currently on a run of six consecutive victories, over which time there have been five different runners-up.

Assessing what is going on behind him in races at present, Verstappen said: “It’s very confusing to me because every single race weekend, it’s someone else. I think it’s because it’s so close behind that if you get your car in a little bit of a better window, it works on one particular track.”

“So for me, I don’t know what’s going to happen (at the next race) in Hungary, to be honest, who is going to be quick or the second quickest. The stable factor so far is that every single weekend, it seems like we are on top, which, of course, is the most important from our side.”

‘Confused by changing F1 order’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/10...pecking-order/


Marko WORRIED about Verstappen future after Red Bull threat
Wednesday 12 July 2023 08:59
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Helmut Marko is praying that Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull until the end of his current contract. The reigning world champion and runaway championship leader is signed on with the Milton Keynes team until the end of the 2028 season as things stand.

But Verstappen has never been shy to admit that he would happily leave F1 if he no longer enjoyed himself or found it worthwhile to stay. Marko admitted that he would not be surprised if, one day, Verstappen came to him and left of his own accord.

"Max doesn't say something like that just casually," Marko said to oe24. "I hope he fulfils his contract, which runs until 2028, until the end. Who knows, maybe one day he'll come and say, 'Thank you, that's it'."

‘Praying that Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...-bull-concern/

[Fortitude]

‘Ferrari being beaten by Williams at Silverstone borderline unacceptable’.
Beaten by a Williams at the British Grand Prix, Bernie Collins says that is “borderline unacceptable” but offered mitigating circumstances for the latest Ferrari failure.
13 Jul 2023 9:45 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

“For a Ferrari to be beaten by a Williams at Silverstone, is borderline unacceptable from a team performance side,” the former Aston Martin strategy chief told the Sky Sports podcast.

“They stuck, they were one of the few teams along with McLaren who stuck to the medium-hard strategy, despite evidence showing throughout the race that probably the medium-soft strategy in terms of lower degradation was better.

“And I tried to find reasons from my strategy head as to why, why did they stick so strongly to that strategy. And there was a few contributing factors for me.

‘Borderline unacceptable’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrar...le-british-gp/


Alex Albon takes eighth after tight battle in Silverstone: “I wouldn’t have wanted that race to last one more lap”
July 13, 2023
By Ashley Cline
The Checkered Flag

Williams Racing’s Alex Albon converted his stunning qualifying result of eighth place into a season-best race finish at the British Grand Prix, holding onto eighth against strong competition from Scuderia Ferrari behind. “It was a great weekend. When you think about the speed of the car, P8 this week is the worst position from all of our sessions this weekend. We expected the race to be a bit more difficult with Fernando [Alonso] and Checo [Perez] behind us.”

In recounting the events of the Grand Prix, Albon said that he was comfortable and pleased with the car in general, though the lack of grip on the start was difficult. Good fortune came around for him when the safety car was brought out at the “perfect” moment in the race to allow him to leap-frog Carlos Sainz.

“I struggled a little at the start as I didn’t have much grip. Once I was in the rhythm of the race, we were ok, we actually felt quite good with the car. The Safety Car came out at a perfect time. The Ferraris were on the hard compounds and I was able to get past Carlos [Sainz].” By the end of the race, It was a close battle to seal out the final podium positions– after holding out against the Ferraris until the checkered flag, Albon said that he would’ve been in a precarious position had there been more laps to go.

‘Tight battle’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-one-more-lap/


Albon lauds ‘strongest weekend so far’ as more points see Williams leapfrog Alfa Romeo and Haas in standings
11 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Alex Albon described the British Grand Prix weekend as “huge” for Williams after another solid points finish helped the team rise from ninth to seventh in the constructors’ standings. Having been inside the top three in all practice sessions, Albon made it through to Q3 and started eighth, a position he converted on race day via some late scrapping with Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz – beating both of them to the line.

“It’s been a great weekend,” said Albon. “P8… It’s funny that it’s actually our worst position of the weekend, which is crazy to say. It just shows you that points were on the cards.

In some ways, when you know the car’s possible for points, it puts a little bit more emphasis on… I don’t want to say pressure, but expectation to score points. To be able to get P8 for the team, now we’re joint seventh in the constructors’, it’s huge for us.”

‘Strongest weekend so far’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...BCz3WAy4o.html


A glimpse of Williams' F1 recovery, at its spiritual Silverstone home
July 12th 2023
Motor Sport Magazine.

Silverstone marked the arrival of Williams as an F1 grand prix winner, writes Mark Hughes. It witnessed dominant victories in the constructor's glory days and, last weekend, it saw a (temporarily) resurgent team celebrating its imminent 800th GP.

The team has made progress year-on-year, but is realistically still vying – with AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo – not to be the slowest on conventional tracks. But the run of Montreal–Austria–Silverstone, three consecutive drag-prioritising circuits, has allowed Albon to make a real impression. At Silverstone, he was still trying to pass Alonso’s Aston for seventh as they took the flag, having overtaken Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on-track.

This was supposed to be Williams’ 800th grand prix (since its relaunched 1977 incarnation) but the cancellation of Imola has delayed that milestone until Hungary next week. There had been a Williams team before Frank Williams and Patrick Head began their new venture together with a customer March at the ’77 Spanish Grand Prix.

‘Glimpse of Williams' F1 recovery’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Albon ‘super happy’ after another points scoring performance for Williams
09 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Alex Albon said the British Grand Prix was Williams' “strongest weekend” of the season so far after he finished P8 to pick up four valuable points for the team.

‘Super happy’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...485023208.html


Williams: P7 in championship 'a fair reflection' of performance
13/07/2023 at 09:19
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

James Vowles says Williams' joint seventh place in F1's Constructors' standings is "a fair reflection" of the team's current performance level. Williams is enjoying its best campaign in F1 since 2017, its last competitive season among the elite.
"P7 isn’t one lucky result, it’s the accumulation of this update working, and strong results in Montreal and here [in Britain]," the Williams boss said in his post-British Grand Prix debrief.

"We've had luck fall our way, but we’ve also had results that really we had on paper with car performance, but hadn’t achieved everything, for example in Australia.”

‘P7 in championship’;

https://f1i.com/news/480727-williams...rformance.html

[Fortitude]

Alfa Romeo thank Cara Delevingne for "learning the ropes" after Martin Brundle debate.
"Wow, you could nap in here," she joked after sitting in the machine that Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou drive.
10 Jul 2023
F1 Desk
Crash.Net

Alfa Romeo thanked Cara Delevingne - their guest at the F1 British Grand Prix - for "learning the ropes" after her day with the team. The actress and model later became involved in a controversy with Sky F1 presenter Martin Brundle during his trademark grid walk, when she did not want to be interviewed.

But Delevingne is shown in Alfa Romeo's footage in the paddock and in the team's garage, being taught about their F1 car. She also dons a helmet before being driven around Silverstone in the Safety Car. "Great," she beamed after the once-in-a-lifetime experience before later being introduced to Zhou.

‘Alfa Romeo thank Cara Delevingne’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103118...brundle-debate


F1 team leaps to defence of Cara Delevingne after blanking Martin Brundle
10 Jul 2023 5:38 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Alfa Romeo declared “respect goes both ways” in response to the awkward moment between model Cara Delevingne and Martin Brundle on the British GP grid. It was during Brundle’s regular ‘grid walk’ segment for Sky F1 pre-race that he tried to grab a word with Delevingne, an endeavour that did not go very well.

As Brundle attempted to speak to Delevingne, he was warned off by a member of the Alfa Romeo team, Brundle responding: “She doesn’t want to talk, but everybody needs to talk on the grid. That’s the deal now, everybody talks on the grid.”

Delevingne would confirm on social media after the race that she was told by an “F1 representative” not to speak to Brundle, having been seen glancing towards the Alfa Romeo team member when Brundle approached, and that is indeed the advice which she stuck to. “Respect goes both ways: nobody should be placed in an uncomfortable situation or forced to do things against their will,” the team stated.

“Respect goes both ways”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alfa-r...artin-brundle/


Alfa Romeo: Poor Silverstone result masked improvements
13:31 Thu, 13 Jul 2023.
by Taylor Powling
The Checkered Flag

Alfa Romeo Team Representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi believes the side’s poor result at the British Grand Prix masked the performance improvements it has made. After Zhou Guanyu expressed concern over the squad being out-developed by its rivals, Alfa Romeo introduced updates intended to improve its car in high-speed corners.

Alunni Brav is convinced the Italian marque’s qualifying struggles at Silverstone meant the race classification didn’t reflect the step forward it made with its C43 package. “Today, we must pay tribute to our team and drivers for the job done, in a race that wasn’t set to be easy for us: overall, we have recovered ten positions, eight with Valtteri and two with Zhou, as proof that if we carry out a perfect race, we can get into the fight for points,” he said.

“Yesterday was not our day, and of course, starting from the back is never easy, but today we showed an improvement in the race pace compared to previous events, which gives us confidence for the next two races before the summer break.”

‘Recovered ten positions’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-improvements/


Bottas: Alfa not meeting its targets – must 'work harder'
13/07/2023 at 16:42
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Valtteri Bottas believes his Alfa Romeo team needs to burn some midnight oil to bring updates to its car sooner rather than later to boost its disappointing performance. "We made a step but also other teams have made steps, that's the name of the game. So we need to find a bit more,” commented Bottas.

"We don't have anything coming in the next two events until after the summer break. The guys and girls really need to work hard in the factory to bring some new bits. We're approaching halfway through the season and we've not been able to really move up the order," said the 33-year-old. At some point, we need to decide when to focus for next year and I'm sure those discussions are gonna be made soon.”

"We were expecting it [the car] to be better than last year, but just didn't find enough during the winter and the beginning of the season so far. We're not meeting targets we set ourselves, now we just need to work hard."

‘Alfa not meeting its targets’;

https://f1i.com/news/480759-bottas-a...rk-harder.html


Bottas admits Alfa Romeo ‘were expecting to be better than this’ in 2023
2023 British Grand Prix
Posted on 13th July 2023, 13:131
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas says the team are “not meeting targets” they set for the year after failing to score again at Silverstone. He said it had been a “good race” but admitted “that’s where the pace was” at the moment. He doubted points would have been possible even from a higher starting position. Definitely we made a step, but also other teams made steps,” said Bottas. “It’s the name of the game. So need to find a bit more.”

Alfa Romeo’s head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar believes the team can move up the standings, as they are only two points away from seventh place. “Our direct competitors brought upgrades, and comparing with AlphaTauri, Haas, we can be fighting with them, we are faster than them,” he said. “I think the only difficulty is with Williams at the moment. That they were performing very strong, they were fighting with Ferrari and even Aston Martin. They seem to be quite strong the last couple of races, we have to see if that continues like this.”

“But for us, we can see that all the gaps are quite small and from race to race there can be a bit of a fluctuation. So on our side we will just keep pushing and optimising our package and on the driving and everything race to race and it’s only two points to them. So we’re confident still from now until [summer] shutdown, it’s possible to overtake Haas and Williams. That’s our aim.”

“Not meeting targets”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/13/...-this-in-2023/


Alfa Romeo ‘Showed an Improvement in the Race Pace’ after Recent Upgrades – Alunni Bravi
July 13, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag

Despite missing out on points at Silverstone, Alessandro Alunni Bravi says the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake can take confidence from their performance, particularly on Sunday when both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu gained positions from their starting spots.

Alunni Bravi says Bottas raced flawlessly throughout the race to move up the grid, particularly when running the hard compound tyre in the first stint, but he bemoaned an additional stop for Zhou for clearing a tear-off from his brake duct.

But he is pleased that the team had made a step forward in performance thanks to the upgrades, and he hopes they can further improve in the upcoming races so they can fight for points. “What we have learned from this weekend is that each and everyone of us needs to execute every race to the very best and that there is no room for mistakes. Moving forward, this will be our focus, in order to consistently remain in the fight for points.”

‘Bottas raced flawlessly’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...-alunni-bravi/

[Fortitude]

“Alarm bells are ringing” for Haas after spate of reliability problems.
Haas’ reliability woes took a turn for the worse at the British Grand Prix, where Kevin Magnussen’s weekend was ruined by technical trouble.
2023 British Grand Prix
Posted on 13th July 2023, 7:1512th July 2023, 22:44
Written by Ida Wood and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Haas slipped to eighth in the constructors’ championship at Silverstone, level on points with seventh-placed Williams.

It was the latest in a series of setbacks for the team. Magnussen’s team mate Nico Hulkenberg suffered a breakdown during practice for the Canadian Grand Prix three weeks earlier. More trouble struck in Austria. Hulkenberg had qualified eighth for the grand prix but only completed 12 laps before his power unit started smoking and he stopped on-track.

At Silverstone it was Magnussen’s turn to suffer misfortune. His weekend began to go awry when he stopped on-track during Q1 due to a loss of oil pressure, resigning him to 19th on the grid. Following that setback, ahead of Sunday’s race, Haas’ technical director Simone Resta was hopeful the team had put the spare of failures behind it.

“Alarm bells are ringing”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/13/...lity-problems/


Hulkenberg: Haas 'alarm bells ringing' after another engine failure
11/07/2023 at 14:48
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Nico Hulkenberg says another engine failure suffered by the Haas in last Sunday's British Grand Prix have set off the "alarm bells" in the US outfit which needs to investigate the issue.

Asked if the failures this season are a cause for concern, Hulkenberg believes they are. "I think so. I mean, I had a couple this year too, it definitely something where the alarm bells are ringing and it seems to happen more just on our team and car," said the German. "So I think definitely we need to take it seriously and we need to investigate and find out why."

"Alarm bells";

https://f1i.com/news/480620-hulkenbe...e-failure.html


HAAS’ DRIVERS LEFT WITH MIXED OPINIONS AFTER ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING RESULT AT THE BRITISH GP
Haas finished outside of the points once again this season at Silverstone
July 13, 2023
Darius Needham
FormulaNerds

Haas have only scored 11 points after 10 rounds this season. The team has had issues with their car throughout the season so far. Their first major set-back came at the Austrian Grand Prix when Nico Hulkenberg had to retire due problem with his power unit. This meant that the German driver had multiple changes to his engine components ahead of the weekend at Silverstone. However, things would get worse Haas, in particular for his Danish team-mate.

Both drivers failed to impress in all three practice sessions. Then in Qualifying, Magnussen’s car grounded to halt meaning that he would have to be fitted with a used Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) on Sunday. The problems didn’t stop there as Magnussen appeared to suffer with the same issue in the British Grand Prix, which brought out the only Safety car of the race

‘MIXED OPINIONS’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ha...he-british-gp/


Haas’ Guenther Steiner: “We have to regroup and see how we move forward from here”
July 13, 2023
By Paul Hensby
The Checkered Flag

Guenther Steiner says the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team will need to regroup after a disappointing British Grand Prix weekend saw them finish thirteenth with one car and retire with the other. Steiner, the Team Principal at Haas, says the team did not have the pace to be a contender for points at Silverstone, and everyone at the team will be working hard to understand why and come back with a stronger performance in Hungary in two weeks time.
“It’s been a very disappointing weekend,” said Steiner. “We just didn’t have the pace and we’ve now had our third engine failure in three races as well – that doesn’t help us. We have to regroup and see how we move forward from here because we need to get out of this hole. Everybody will be working on it obviously, but today was simply not a good day.”

‘Regroup, move forward’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...ard-from-here/


Guenther Steiner reveals when Haas will announce 2024 driver line-up
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner wants to avoid the saga that dogged his team in the 2022 season.
10 July 2023
by Robert Collins
Formula1News

Guenther Steiner hopes that Haas will be able to make a definitive decision on their 2024 team line-up by the upcoming summer break. This follows last year, which saw plenty of uncertainty for Haas’ driver line-up.

Mick Schumacher was fighting to retain his seat throughout the 2022 season before ultimately losing his spot to Nico Hulkenberg. “I hope before the summer break, I think we can make the decision,” Steiner told media sources.

“You know, we need to obviously do it and we will get our drivers confirmed soon as possible. I mean, as I said before, I mean, it’s nothing new for you guys. I’m pretty happy with our driver lineup now.”

‘Soon as possible’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/guenther-...river-line-up/

[Fortitude]

Silverstone sees EARLY retirement from Ocon after MAJOR issue.
Esteban Ocon's British Grand Prix came to an underwhelming end as the Frenchman was forced to retire his Alpine on lap ten of the race.
Sunday 9 July 2023 16:33
Harry Smith
GPFans

Ted Kravitz provided further insight on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast for the race after checking in with the Alpine pit wall following the retirement. Speaking to lead commentator David Croft, Kravitz explained: "I believe they saw something on telemetry that wasn't gonna last the race.

"So they've called him in and retired him, although there is some action down here as they look at that car [to find out] what exactly the issue is." Ocon's retirement means that all of Alpine's hopes for the British Grand Prix lay with Pierre Gasly, who was running P9 at the time of the DNF.

‘Saw something on telemetry’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...rement-alpine/


‘It was going to catch fire if we didn’t stop’ – Ocon explains his British GP DNF
09 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Esteban Ocon had to retire his Alpine on Lap 9 at Silverstone with a hydraulics leak.

‘Going to catch fire’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...712553770.html


‘All our work is ruined’ – Gasly ‘extremely disappointed’ after collision with Stroll ends his race
09 Jul 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Pierre Gasly cut a dejected figure after the British Grand Prix and bemoaned both his bad luck with the timing of the Safety Car, and the move from Lance Stroll that ultimately forced him to retire from the race.

‘Work is ruined’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...034448208.html


Gasly 'confused' by stewards' lack of action over Stroll move
10/07/2023 at 08:23
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

A very confused Pierre Gasly said that he will be seeking answers from the FIA over the stewards' decision not to punish Lance Stroll for an overtake outside of the track limits in the British Grand Prix. The move by the Aston Martin driver took place on the restart at the end of the Safety Car period in the second half of the race.

The stewards noted the incident as Stroll received a black-and-white flag warning, but he was not asked to give back the position, much to Gasly's ire as he believed that Stroll's move was a clear-cut case of leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

"To me it was quite clear and it's been always in the regulation he can't leave the track and gaining an advantage. On everything that I've seen he had four wheels off the track passing me, and that's gaining an advantage.”

‘Gasly 'confused' by stewards' lack of action’;

https://f1i.com/news/480510-gasly-co...roll-move.html


Carlos Sainz confronted by rival F1 star on TV after British Grand Prix – "Poor baby"
Feisty racing on the Silverstone track threatened to boil over after the British Grand Prix as one F1 driver picked fights with two of his rivals amid his frustration
10:25, 10 Jul 2023
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Feisty racing on the Silverstone track threatened to boil over after the British Grand Prix as one F1 driver picked fights with two of his rivals amid his frustration. Carlos Sainz called Formula 1 rival Pierre Gasly "poor baby" as the French racer interrupted a TV interview after the British Grand Prix.

The pair were involved in an eye-catching battle during the Silverstone race. Gasly got the better of the Ferrari man briefly, before Sainz moved back ahead at Copse. But the Alpine driver was left unimpressed by that move. He felt he had been squeezed unfairly, taking to the radio after losing the place to voice his fury. "He can't push me like that! F***, he didn't give me any space!" he yelled. The F1 stewards, however, did not feel it was a matter worth investigating.

Gasly was still smarting after the race and made sure Sainz knew about it. In the paddock TV pen, the latter was giving an interview to Spanish-language broadcasters when his rival appeared to fulfil his own media duties. Before doing so, Gasly prodded Sainz's arm and said: "Don't squeeze me like that, Carlos." In response, the Ferrari driver simply smiled while still looking at the reporter he was speaking to and replied: "Pobrecito," which translates as "poor baby".

"Poor baby";

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...al-f1-30428425


Alpine must ‘find solutions’ amid slump – Gasly
07:51 Tue, 11 Jul 2023.
Grandpx.news

Pierre Gasly says Alpine has to "find solutions" to the Renault-owned team's stalled progress in Formula 1. The Frenchman left the Red Bull family to replace Fernando Alonso at Alpine this year, but the British GP basically summed up the result so far: P10 in qualifying, contact and DNF in the race.

“We know where we're losing time and we clearly have work to do”, he said. “What McLaren has done to improve must serve as an example to us, so we have to keep working. We know our weaknesses and we have to find solutions to solve them.”

‘Must serve as an example to us’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/alpin...ays-gasly.html


Szafnauer not expecting 2026 power unit rules to change
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 15th July 2023, 0:01
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says that he does not expect F1’s new power unit regulations set to be introduced in 2026 to be changed despite criticism from some. “Speaking to the powertrain guys, we want to keep it as is,” Szafnauer told media including RaceFans. “I don’t deeply follow it – I wasn’t involved in the negotiations and the reasons why – but I asked them those questions and we’re happy to keep it as is.”

Asked if he expected that there would be enough appetite to change the regulations, Szafnauer said “I would imagine it’s going to be unlikely to be changed.”

‘Not expecting 2026 power unit rules to change’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/07/15/...nd-up-15-07-6/

[Fortitude]

Revealed: The Christian Horner-Helmut Marko phone call which sparked Daniel Ricciardo return.
‘Sources have told ESPN that Horner called Marko an hour or so into it just to tell him just how impressive the pace was,’ their report states. ‘Marko called back shortly afterwards to tell Horner he had just fired De Vries.’
12 Jul 2023 12:24 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

A report has emerged detailing how the Daniel Ricciardo Silverstone tyre test so rapidly turned into an immediate return to the grid with AlphaTauri to replace Nyck de Vries

Having been hard at work behind the scenes with Red Bull following his return to the team for F1 2023, Ricciardo was given his first outing in the real-life RB19, which has won all 10 grands prix so far, on Tuesday at Silverstone as part of Pirelli tyre testing duties.

According to a report from ESPN, their sources have detailed how this chain of events moved so quickly, with Red Bull principal Christian Horner having called the team’s advisor Helmut Marko to inform him of Ricciardo’s impressive pace being the first domino to fall.

‘Phone call’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...iel-ricciardo/


JONATHAN McEVOY: 10 races and you're out... rookie Nyck de Vries now knows just how ruthless F1 can be after being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri
• Nyck de Vries was axed by AlphaTauri after just 10 races in his first season in F1
• Australian Daniel Ricciardo, 34, will return to the cockpit in Hungary next week
• Alex Albon is showing his strengths at Williams after being jettisoned by Red Bull
Updated: 00:43, 14 July 2023
By Jonathan McEvoy For Mail Online
Mail Online

Never was Formula One’s ruthless streak more apparent than in the sacking of Nyck de Vries, fired this week after just 10 races. Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko said of De Vries: ‘We expected him to be at least equal to his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda this year, but that was not the case. He was always three-tenths of a second slower. We didn’t see any improvement.’

So poor De Vries is cast adrift in his rookie season. He has hardly set the world alight, and been culpable for unforced crashes. Azerbaijan was a conspicuous case in point: he encountered the tyre barrier in practice and then retired from the grand prix when he broke his suspension in contact with the wall. But surely he should have been granted longer to prove himself?

‘10 races and you're out...’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ess-F1-be.html


Red Bull has killed de Vries career says Ralf
JULY 14, 2023
Grandprix.com

Red Bull's sudden axe is a "death sentence" for Nyck de Vries' Formula 1 career. That is the view of Ralf Schumacher, who nonetheless admits that it's understandable team owner Red Bull decided to oust the struggling Dutch rookie from its junior outfit Alpha Tauri.

The decision may even be understandable, former F1 driver Schumacher told Sky Deutschland. But you also have to say that, in the middle of the season, it's not exactly the finest style from Red Bull.

And he says that while Alpha Tauri can also certainly afford a driver change given it is dead last in the constructors' standings, de Vries' career cannot. Of course it's an absolute death sentence for the boy, said the German. After this, he won't be able to gain a foothold anywhere. That's my opinion.

‘Absolute death sentence for the boy’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/red-b...says-ralf.html


Marko on de Vries’ Axing: “he never once did a super lap that amazed us.”
July 12, 2023
BaylaSportsF1

Helmut Marko has shed light on the rationale behind the decision to part ways with Nyck de Vries after a mere 10 races into his debut F1 season. “We signed Nyck because he performed great at Monza last year,” said Marko when speaking to de Telegraaf.

“We expected him to be at least equal to his teammate this year, but that wasn’t the case. Actually, he was always three-tenths slower. We didn’t see any improvement. He is 28 years old, has a lot of experience and also a lot of knowledge as a test driver in various F1 cars. I don’t think you can compare him to a young rookie.”

“At the end of April in Baku, he started the weekend well and I thought he was going to perform better, but then he crashed again. Unfortunately, he never once did a super lap that amazed us.”

“Never once did a super lap that amazed us”;

https://baylasportsf1.com/marko-on-d...hat-amazed-us/


Toto Wolff pictured with Nyck De Vries just hours after Red Bull sacking
13 Jul 2023
James Dielhenn
Crash.Net

Toto Wolff was spotted with Nyck de Vries, soon after the driver was axed by Red Bull. The Mercedes F1 team principal and the ex-AlphaTauri driver were pictured at a cafe in Monaco on Wednesday, a day after Red Bull made their decision.

Wolff and De Vries have obvious history together so their meeting is interesting. It remains to be seen if Wolff's influence can help De Vries find another seat on the 2024 F1 grid.

Mercedes' close ties with Williams might be his best bet. Albon is contracted for 2024 but Logan Sargeant is not yet tied down. Marko had expressed doubts that De Vries will get another shot in F1 and recommended he try a career in endurance racing.

‘Wolff's influence’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103129...d-bull-sacking


Martin Brundle: F1 ‘a better place’ with Daniel Ricciardo | ‘Absolutely got to beat Yuki Tsunoda’
14 Jul 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

F1 commentator Martin Brundle has welcomed the return of Daniel Ricciardo, but admitted the Australian’s decision to return “surprised" him. Earlier this week, AlphaTauri announced Ricciardo’s sensational return to F1 as Nyck de Vries’ replacement.

“I'm really pleased to see him back, but just my honest reaction was, 'wow. Daniel's going to do that, is he?' It surprised me,” Brundle told Sky Sports News. “Daniel's always talked about he's lost his mojo and he needs to get his enthusiasm back, and so I didn't think he'd take that, unless there's another deal that goes with it, a 'you do this and then down the road we'll do that'.”

“I'm sure he's had six months of sim-work and not being a Formula 1 driver and that will have hit him very hard. And so I can fully understand the attraction of being one of the 20 on the grid. My overriding feeling here is Formula 1 feels a better place when Daniel Ricciardo's on the grid, and I hated seeing him having to loiter around all weekend."

'Wow. Daniel's going to do that, is he?';

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/103133...t-beat-tsunoda


Ricciardo "not scared" of AlphaTauri F1 return challenge
15th July 2023, 14:29
By: Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com

Daniel Ricciardo says he is "not scared of anything" ahead of a challenging mid-season Formula 1 comeback with AlphaTauri in place of Nyck de Vries. "I'm excited about it - it's a challenge for sure to jump in and try to hit the ground running," Ricciardo said in an interview on F1's YouTube channel.

"But also, I feel like I've been through a lot the last few years where I'm not really scared of anything that's going to be thrown my way. I appreciate the car is going to have its limitations. It might not have as much grip as the Red Bull I drove a few days ago but, if it feels relatively balanced, then that's something I can work with.”

"They expect results, performances, but I think until I get in the car, it's hard to define what that is. Is it a P8? Is it a P14? I don't think there's pressure until the summer break. But I also don't expect to get off to a slow start. I want to hit the ground running and try and also use what I've learned in this time off to put it to use."

“Try to hit the ground running";

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/r...nge-/10496052/

[Fortitude]

Gerhard Berger scathing assessment: Ferrari fired the wrong people.
“They lost their nerve and knocked out the wrong people,” he told oe24.
14 Jul 2023 10:30 AM
Michelle Foster

It was yet another strategy blunder from Ferrari that led to their demise with the Scuderia insisting on sticking with a medium-hard strategy even though it was evident to everyone else on the grid that degradation was minimal on the day.

While it could be argued that a late Safety Car for Kevin Magnussen’s stricken Haas didn’t help the situation, Sunday’s British Grand Prix will go down as yet another race in which Ferrari’s strategy team dropped the ball.

With that being a continuation of last year’s weakness, Berger believes Ferrari made the wrong call in allowing former team boss Binotto to leave the team with the Italian having fallen on his sword in the weeks after the season concluded.

“They lost their nerve and knocked out the wrong people”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/gerhar...-wrong-people/


Ferrari boss accused of 'knocking out the wrong people' as Charles Leclerc problems grow
Ferrari bosses have been accused of sacking the wrong people as the Scuderia continues to struggle.
13:46, Fri, Jul 14, 2023
By Luke Chillingsworth
Daily and Sunday Express

Former Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger has called out top bosses days after Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz clashed at Silverstone. The Monegasque has so far suffered a season to forget with Ferrari miles away from Red Bull and internal fighting.

Earlier this season, Juan Pablo Montoya admitted signing Vasseur may have been a mistake. The Colombian instead felt that ex-team principal Jean Todt would have been the perfect replacement to sort out the Italian marque’s issues.

It’s the latest in a series of issues for Leclerc to contend with as Ferrari continues to drop further towards the midfield. The team lacked race pace at the British Grand Prix with Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing P9 and P10 to score just three points. The result was described as “borderline unacceptable” by Aston Martin’s former strategist Bernie Collins after both cars qualified inside the top five.

‘Sacking the wrong people’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...c-carlos-sainz


ITALIAN MEDIA REPORT TWO TEAMS EYEING CHARLES LECLERC
Rumours surrounding Charles Leclerc potentially moving to Mercedes have recently diminished, however, according to Italian media sources other teams are looking at signing the Monégasque
July 13, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

Italian media sources are reporting that Aston Martin and Red Bull are eyeing Charles Leclerc for a potential move following the conclusion of his current Ferrari contract. While plenty of 2024 driver announcements are still pending, it seems certain teams are looking forward to future seasons.

Italian media outlet formu1a.uno is reporting that two teams are looking to win Charles Leclerc away from Ferrari at the end of his current contract. The first of these two teams is Red Bull, with the outlet reporting alleged talks between the two parties: “Talks with the Monegasque [and Red Bull] that took place at the end of May, to understand if there was any possibility that the paths with Ferrari could separate.”

The Italian source goes on to name the second team as they continue, “Something that Aston Martin has also done [had talks with Leclerc], in search of a top driver for after [Fernando] Alonso [leaves]. That is how Frederick Vasseur has put the renewal of the Monegasque at the top of his agenda for a few weeks, leaving that of Carlos Sainz on standby for now, who at least unofficially does not seem to have taken it very well.”

‘Rumours surrounding Charles Leclerc’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/it...arles-leclerc/


Leclerc labels Ferrari fans 'IMPATIENT' amid title bid.
Sunday 16 July 2023 06:57
Joe Ellis
GPFans

Charles Leclerc has revealed that he does not feel the pressure from what he calls "impatient" Ferrari fans. “My mentality has always been to push at the maximum and not leave anything on the table,” Leclerc said to The Guardian.

“When you have a trickier car to drive, as is the case for the first part of this season, mistakes happen. I know this. I am the first one who wants to be in a title fight, but it’s not frustrating, it motivates me a lot.”

“I don’t feel the outside pressure but I am putting myself under a lot of pressure in order to succeed, the responsibility of bringing Ferrari back to the top. The passion people have for the team is like nobody else. This comes with the good side that there is so much enthusiasm but it comes with things more difficult to manage, that because of this passion people are quite impatient.”

“The passion people have for the team is like nobody else”;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/11...-f1-impatient/


Ferrari face conundrum in Red Bull chase
14 July 4:08PM
Author Jake Nichol

Carlos Sainz has conceded that the continuously changing pecking order "is a good thing" for Formula 1 but not for Ferrari. Ferrari is entangled in a battle for second with Mercedes and Aston Martin behind runaway leaders Red Bull, although McLaren is harbouring hopes of gate-crashing after the upturn in form.

Addressing the race for second, Sainz told media including RacingNews 365: "It is going to be very tricky to predict and I think that is a good thing for F1. It is not a great thing for us because we are very dependent on the wind, track conditions and the track temperature for our own performance which will leave us exposed on some weekends.”

"But track to track, we might be as strong as we were in Canada or Austria, and then we will go to a track like Silverstone and not be as strong. We just need to focus on our upgrades and developments where we are weak and keep making progress."

‘Conundrum’;

https://racingnews365.com/sainz-iden...red-bull-chase


Vasseur hopes Ferrari can bounce back in Hungary after being ‘far too conservative’ at Silverstone
14 July 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur believes the squad’s lacklustre showing at the British Grand Prix was made worse by them being “a bit scared” about tyre degradation and subsequently playing it safe. However, Vasseur also feels there was some hesitation from the team in terms of tyre life – an area they have been pushing to improve after a spate of early-season struggles relative to their main rivals.

“Starting P4 and P5, we had the feeling after quali that we could have done a much better job than this,” Vasseur reflected. “We can’t be happy finishing P9, P10, but now we need to have a deep look on the weekend, not just on the race. I think we didn’t do the long stint on Friday, we [only did a] long stint on only the soft compound and Charles was stuck in the garage [with technical problems], and we were a bit scared with the deg.”

‘Vasseur hopes…’;

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


Leclerc: Extending development of SF-23 will benefit 2024 design
15/07/2023 at 10:57
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari's ongoing efforts to iron out the weaknesses of its SF-23 aren't to the detriment of the development of its 2024 car as any improvements will benefit the latter. "We are still mainly focussed on this year’s car because we’ve got clear weaknesses and we know that we need to address those, and when we will have addressed those, then it goes together: next year’s car will be much better – so, yeah.”

"But again, what gives me confidence in this time is that we have a very clear plan in what we want to improve. We’ve already done steps forward in the last three races. There are many more things coming in the next races, in order to not only be in front of Mercedes and Aston [Martin] but to be fighting the Red Bulls as quickly as possible and we are on the right track, I’m sure."

‘Extending development of SF-23’;

https://f1i.com/news/480836-leclerc-...24-design.html

[Fortitude]

Alonso reveals meaning of 'El Plan'.
Alonso explained 'El Plan' was "a way of saying 'Fernando came back to F1 just with a plan to win again'."
14 July 2:33PM
Author RacingNews365 Staff
RacingNews365

Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has revealed the meaning of 'El Plan'. The two-time F1 World Champion's tagline since returning to the sport began at Alpine and has transferred across to his current team as he aims to return to winning ways after a wait of 10 years.

In a fan Q&A supported by Aston Martin sponsor Peroni, alongside Ambassador and former rival Pedro De La Rosa, Alonso explained 'El Plan'… De La Rosa added: "Maybe it was El Plan, but now it's La Mission."

‘EL PLAN: La Mission’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-rev...ing-of-el-plan


Alonso: Aston Martin need ‘two years’ to maximise new factory
Monday 17th July, 2023 - 1:20am
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Fernando Alonso feels it will be another two years before Aston Martin maximises the potential of its newly 0pened factory. “It was fascinating to see the facilities, the people there in the same room, manufacturing our own parts of the car,” said Alonso.

“Until now, third parties were making our car, our chassis and everything. It’s a step forward. “But I think we will need a couple of years to settle everything down and to maximise the potential. Obviously, it shows the ambition of Aston Martin, and we have to be proud.”

‘EL PLAN: Two year plan’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/07/17...n-new-factory/


Fernando Alonso reveals how he ‘got better’ as a driver during Formula 1 sabbatical
14 Jul 2023 1:13 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Fernando Alonso has said trying new racing categories in his time away from Formula 1 meant he “got better” when he stepped back into the sport.

“The most incredible thing about you, Fernando, is that you are the leader, you lead by example,” De la Rosa said to his compatriot. “It’s a key – this is not easy. And now when he has arrived at Aston Martin, I think he’s such a complete athlete.””

“I got better,” Alonso added with a smile. “Better endurance, and I have experience in different categories, not only Formula 1. I think you understand many other important things as a driver that you need to put in the team.”

‘EL PLAN: Got better during sabbatical’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...f1-sabbatical/


The real reason behind Aston Martin's unique action
16 July 3:20PM
Author Jake Nichol

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has explained the reasoning behind how the team use their Formula 1 tyres. Frequently over recent seasons, the team have headed into Sunday of a Grand Prix weekend with no new sets of tyres available, as defined by Pirelli.

However, some tyre sets only have one lap on them, with the team being unique in following this strategy, despite rival squads and indeed Pirelli unsure as to why Aston Martin were persevering. But McCullough has now explained the rationale. "We started off doing it for live pitstop practice," McCullough told media including RacingNews365.

"We can do a lot of other simulations, but when a car comes in hot, you have to get your gun onto the wheel, you have to get the jacks up, get the tyres off and on and off you go. We're doing it at the end of every session. We also don't think that if you trundle around, it doesn't really hurt the tyre. It maybe takes the top off them, but we don't think that's a bad thing."

‘EL PLAN: Car comes in hot - Live pitstop practice’;

https://racingnews365.com/the-real-r...-unique-action


Krack: Pundits' raised expectations for Aston 'a complement'
14/07/2023 at 14:48
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack says the scrutiny his outfit is receiving for not finishing among the top three in recent races is "a complement" that shows that Team Silverstone is actually doing its job this season.

Aston Martin hit the ground running at the start of the year, with Fernando Alonso delivering consecutive podiums in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia. The Spaniard added two more top-three finishes in Miami and In Monaco, and another runner-up spot in Canada.

"I think that is the interesting or the nice part of it. The level of expectation has risen from six podiums," commented Krack, quoted by Motorsport.com. "I think we sit here now with six podiums in 10 races. It's normal, that the expectations are high. And we will continue to try and fulfil the expectations.”

‘EL PLAN: Fulfil the expectations’;

https://f1i.com/news/480806-krack-pu...omplement.html

[Fortitude]

Gary Anderson: Red Bull’s right, 2026 rules will be bad for F1.
“It’s difficult to disagree with Horner about the direction F1 is heading in. For me, it doesn’t seem to be the right one.”
Jul 17 2023
By Gary Anderson
The Race

The team that’s dominating the 2023 Formula 1 season has been very vocal lately about the 2026 F1 rules. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and world champion driver Max Verstappen’s criticisms of those regulations, particularly the power unit part, might be motivated by self-interest. But I agree with Horner that F1 is going in the wrong direction, albeit for very different reasons.

The current regulations are very restrictive. If anything, we’re lucky Red Bull has found openings within the rules to build as superior a car as it has. Those opportunities are there for everyone to take but it’s simply about recognising them – something Adrian Newey is very good at – optimising your research around them then incorporating them into your car.

It’s therefore no surprise that Horner is pushing back against the 2026 rule changes, particularly those increasing the hybrid power from 120kW to 350kW, although perhaps that stance is also down to question marks over Red Bull’s new powertrain company’s capabilities, as Toto Wolff suggests.

‘2026 rules will be bad for F1’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-...be-bad-for-f1/


F1 chiefs say 2026 rules fears prompted by old data
14:28 Fri, 07 Jul 2023.
By: Jonathan Noble
Motorsport.com

Concerns have emerged in recent weeks about the risks of a wrong step with the new cars in 2026 ruining the spectacle. But while Verstappen’s Red Bull team is pushing for changes to be made to help improve matters, F1’s own senior technical figures are far more sanguine about the situation.

In fact, F1’s chief technical officer Pat Symonds thinks team alarm bells about the 2026 situation are far too premature – as he suggests their fears have been triggered by out-of-date data and regulations that are in the process of being refined.

Symonds and his team at F1 and the FIA, making the most of the massive computer power available to it through a partnership with AWS, have been accelerating computer simulations on the 2026 project over recent months. And it has emerged that the latest car model F1 has is a huge step from what teams have been basing their findings on so far, and is performing in a completely different way.

‘Fears have been triggered by out-of-date data’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...data/10492687/


‘Zero chance’ F1 will tear up 2026 rules – Wolff
07:29 Tue, 04 Jul 2023.
ANDREW MAITLAND
Grandpx.news

Toto Wolff says there is “zero chance” Formula 1 will hit reverse gear on the all-new regulations for 2026. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, said he will stridently oppose any moves to tinker too seriously with the 2026 rules.

“All the manufacturers were involved in the process of developing these regulations,” he said. “A compromise was reached which means Audi finally joins our sport and Honda stays. Do our chassis designers say ‘How are we going to do this?’ Yes they do,” Wolff admitted. “But there is zero chance that these rules will change or be delayed.”

“The world needs to show innovation related to ecology and we are looking forward to it.” What Wolff does concede, however, is that F1 must work not to add too much to the hefty weight and size of the cars. But he says Horner’s position is basically “alarmism”.

‘Toto Wolff: Horner’s position is basically “alarmism”.’;

https://grandpx.news/zero-chance-f1-...6-rules-wolff/


Verstappen raises concerns over ‘pretty terrible’ 2026 F1 rules
09:59 Mon, 03 Jul 2023.
by Fergal Walsh
Motorsport Week

Max Verstappen says he is worried that Formula 1 cars in 2026 will be “terrible” after carrying out work on the simulator. F1 is set to introduce new technical regulations in three years’ time, with new power unit rules agreed upon in 2022.

During the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner highlighted that there were concerns over increasing weight and the ratio between combustion power and electrical power.

Verstappen mirrored Horner’s comments, stating that he found himself downshifting while flat out at the end of long straights due to it being faster. “I’ve been talking about that as well with the team and I’ve seen the data already on the simulator as well,” the two-time World Champion said.

‘Pretty terrible 2026 F1 rules’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...2026-f1-rules/


Mercedes make ‘mammoth’ prediction about F1’s 2026 rules revolution
08 Jul 2023 2:00 PM
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Hywel Thomas, the managing director of Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains engine division, is anticipating a “mammoth” amount of development and innovation by manufacturers ahead of F1’s next rules reset in 2026.

“I would say a mammoth amount [of innovation is possible]. If we want to be successful – and we do want to be successful – we’ve got some huge challenges and we’re going to have to do some special things to deliver on those in much the same way that when we had that run up in 2013.”

“There was still some stuff that needed fixing and still some performance needed finding until the last minute, so I think we’ve gone a long way to go and it’s very exciting. We’ll develop some ideas that I’m sure will be relevant for the industry.”

‘Mammoth prediction’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...f1-2026-rules/