2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

**Fortitude** · 25th March 2024, 15:49

Fernando Alonso clashes with FIA over strong Australian GP punishment – F1 news round-up.
Alonso was given a drive-through penalty, converted into 20 seconds added to his race time, plus three FIA Super Licence penalty points after Russell ended up sideways in the middle of the track following a late-race battle.
24 Mar 2024 10:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

The stewards found Alonso guilty of “potentially dangerous driving” as telemetry showed he had slowed before Turn 6 on the penultimate lap with Russell in pursuit, though Alonso argued that he defended in a manner that “any racing driver would do” and was disappointed by the severe penalty issued.

‘Alonso clashes with FIA’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...-gp-punishment

Why Fernando Alonso’s Australian GP penalty is simply wrong
Fernando Alonso and George Russell's incident has been a major talking point after the Australian GP
March 25, 2024 - 14:50
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Fernando Alonso was given a 20-second time penalty and three penalty points for potentially dangerous driving against George Russell at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. The incident has caused huge controversy and Alonso has continued to hit back at the stewards’ decision which demoted him from sixth to eighth.

Immediately after the penalty, Aston Martin released their usual post-race press release where Alonso reiterated he was focusing on getting as good an exit as possible. “That’s what any racing driver would do, and I didn’t feel it was dangerous,” said Alonso. “It’s disappointing to get a penalty from the stewards for what was hard but fair racing.”

He didn’t stop there though as the two-time world champion took to Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, and listed examples of previous battles where differing lines and speeds were taken to defend and attack. “A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars,” explained Alonso. “At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds.”

‘Penalty simply wrong’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/why...-simply-wrong/

Alonso indignant over penalty as stewards highlight the limits of his explanation
25th March 2024, 13:14
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Whether or not you agreed with the call (which has proved divisive here), all sides of the debate should appreciate the stewards taking the time to explain their reasoning. It’s certainly preferable to the days when, following hours of deliberation, their decisions were announced in single-sentence statements with no accompanying explanation.

The decision was likely to provoke controversy whether it came down on Alonso’s side or that of the driver who crashed in his wake on the penultimate lap, George Russell. It appears the stewards realised that and took the time to detail why they had sanctioned a driver who had seemingly done nothing more than lift his throttle, and issued a drive-through penalty rather than the more common and less severe five- or 10-second varieties.

Alonso was given a 20-second post-race penalty for decelerating suddenly in front of Russell as they approached turn six. The pair made no contact, but the stewards called Alonso’s abrupt reduction in speed an “extraordinary” piece of driving which “was at very least ‘potentially dangerous’.”

‘Limits of his explanation’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/25/...ritten-ruling/

ALONSO: ‘I DIDN’T FEEL IT WAS DANGEROUS’ AS THE SPANIARD GIVES HIS VERDICT ON RUSSELL’S CRASH
Alonso was demoted to eighth after being penalised following a last-lap incident in the Australian Grand Prix
March 25, 2024
Oliver Brindle
FormulaNerds

Alonso was being chased down by Russell in the final stages of the Australian Grand Prix when the British driver lost control of his Mercedes, spiralling across the gravel into the wall and eventually ending up in the middle of the circuit.

At first, it was assumed that the Briton had simply lost control of his Silver Arrow, but after the FIA reviewed the telemetry, they discovered that Alonso had broken 100 metres earlier on the lap in an attempt to slow Russell’s progress.

As a result, the two-time world champion was handed a 20-second time penalty and given three points on his license. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Alonso said: “George caught me quickly; I knew that he was coming. Then he was in DRS range for five or six laps, so I was just doing qualifying laps to stay ahead. I wanted to maximise my exit speed from Turn 6 to defend against him. That’s what any racing driver would do, and I didn’t feel it was dangerous.”

‘Maximise my exit speed from Turn 6 to defend’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al...ussells-crash/

Explained: He made no contact with Russell – so why did Alonso cop a 20-second penalty for his part in the crash?
Russell said that “from his perspective, Alonso’s manoeuvre was erratic, took him by surprise and caused him to close distance unusually fast, and with the resulting lower downforce at the apex of the corner, he lost control and crashed at the exit of the corner”.
12:36 24-Mar-24
Formula One - Official Site

The stewards went on to state that telemetry showed Alonso lifted “slightly more than 100m earlier than he ever had going into that corner during the race”, as well as braking “very slightly at a point that he did not usually brake (although the amount of brake was so slight that it was not the main reason for his car slowing)” before downshifting at a different point to usual.

He then upshifted again and accelerated to the corner before lifting again to make the corner. Alonso explained that his plan was to slow earlier but that he had got it "slightly wrong" and “had to take extra steps to get back up to speed”, but the stewards said that this manoeuvre had “created a considerable and unusual closing speed between the cars”.

The stewards concluded that they did not have “sufficient information to determine whether Alonso’s manoeuvre was intended to cause Russell problems, or whether, as he stated to the stewards, that he simply was trying to get a better exit” but that, “whatever intent”, he had driven in a way that was “potentially dangerous” given the high-speed nature of that point of the track.

‘Explained: He made no contact with Russell’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...iJqk4P7624Qkqu

Were stewards right to penalise Alonso over his driving before Russell’s crash?
Posted on 24th March 2024, 10:42
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Russell was closing on Alonso as the race entered its final laps. On lap 56 he got close enough to the Aston Martin in the DRS zone approaching turn nine for Alonso to move off the racing line to defend. The next time around Russell was slightly closer again. Approaching turn six, before the next DRS zone began, Russell suddenly drew closer to Alonso, lost control of his car as he turned into the corner and crashed. Russell was uninjured.

Speaking after the race Alonso said he was trying to lap as quickly as he could to keep Russell behind while coping with a problem in his car. “I had some issues for the last 15 laps, something on the battery on the deployment,” he said. “So definitely I was struggling a little bit at the end of the race. But I cannot focus on the cars behind.”

Russell said he was surprised by how suddenly Alonso slowed in front of him. “I was half a second behind him approaching the corner and then suddenly he slowed up very dramatically and got back on the power,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting it and it caught me by surprise.”

‘Were stewards right?’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/24/...ussells-crash/

Fans deliver Alonso penalty verdict
Fernando Alonso was penalised for his actions as George Russell crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix.
25 March 1:00PM
Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

RacingNews365 readers believe Fernando Alonso's penalty at the Australian Grand Prix was incorrect.

‘Fans deliver verdict’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-pen...-driving-harsh

Fernando Alonso ‘knew what he was doing’ with George Russell battle tactics
It has been claimed that Fernando Alonso was trying to exploit a "grey area" in his late battle with George Russell.
25 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Ex-F1 driver Timo Glock has claimed Fernando Alonso knew exactly what he was doing with driving that ultimately earned him a penalty at the Australian Grand Prix. Former grand prix racer Glock believes Alonso was trying to exploit a “grey area” of the regulations in order to “gain an advantage”.

“Alonso brakes very early and allows Russell to catch up,” Glock told Sky Deutschland. “Alonso’s idea was to catch Russell off guard, slow him down, and then accelerate early to open a gap.”

“It was so extreme that Russell didn’t expect it at all. He got way too close and lost downforce. Alonso extends his elbows and uses the grey area to gain an advantage. He already knows what he’s doing with his experience.”

‘Battle tactics’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104622...battle-tactics

**Used to be Starter** · 25th March 2024, 22:44

Originally Posted by Fortitude

Fernando Alonso clashes with FIA over strong Australian GP punishment – F1 news round-up.
Alonso was given a drive-through penalty, converted into 20 seconds added to his race time, plus three FIA Super Licence penalty points after Russell ended up sideways in the middle of the track following a late-race battle.
24 Mar 2024 10:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

The stewards found Alonso guilty of “potentially dangerous driving” as telemetry showed he had slowed before Turn 6 on the penultimate lap with Russell in pursuit, though Alonso argued that he defended in a manner that “any racing driver would do” and was disappointed by the severe penalty issued.

‘Alonso clashes with FIA’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fernan...-gp-punishment

Why Fernando Alonso’s Australian GP penalty is simply wrong
Fernando Alonso and George Russell's incident has been a major talking point after the Australian GP
March 25, 2024 - 14:50
John Smith
Total Motorsport

Fernando Alonso was given a 20-second time penalty and three penalty points for potentially dangerous driving against George Russell at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. The incident has caused huge controversy and Alonso has continued to hit back at the stewards’ decision which demoted him from sixth to eighth.

Immediately after the penalty, Aston Martin released their usual post-race press release where Alonso reiterated he was focusing on getting as good an exit as possible. “That’s what any racing driver would do, and I didn’t feel it was dangerous,” said Alonso. “It’s disappointing to get a penalty from the stewards for what was hard but fair racing.”

He didn’t stop there though as the two-time world champion took to Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter, and listed examples of previous battles where differing lines and speeds were taken to defend and attack. “A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars,” explained Alonso. “At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds.”

‘Penalty simply wrong’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/why...-simply-wrong/

Alonso indignant over penalty as stewards highlight the limits of his explanation
25th March 2024, 13:14
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Whether or not you agreed with the call (which has proved divisive here), all sides of the debate should appreciate the stewards taking the time to explain their reasoning. It’s certainly preferable to the days when, following hours of deliberation, their decisions were announced in single-sentence statements with no accompanying explanation.

The decision was likely to provoke controversy whether it came down on Alonso’s side or that of the driver who crashed in his wake on the penultimate lap, George Russell. It appears the stewards realised that and took the time to detail why they had sanctioned a driver who had seemingly done nothing more than lift his throttle, and issued a drive-through penalty rather than the more common and less severe five- or 10-second varieties.

Alonso was given a 20-second post-race penalty for decelerating suddenly in front of Russell as they approached turn six. The pair made no contact, but the stewards called Alonso’s abrupt reduction in speed an “extraordinary” piece of driving which “was at very least ‘potentially dangerous’.”

‘Limits of his explanation’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/25/...ritten-ruling/

ALONSO: ‘I DIDN’T FEEL IT WAS DANGEROUS’ AS THE SPANIARD GIVES HIS VERDICT ON RUSSELL’S CRASH
Alonso was demoted to eighth after being penalised following a last-lap incident in the Australian Grand Prix
March 25, 2024
Oliver Brindle
FormulaNerds

Alonso was being chased down by Russell in the final stages of the Australian Grand Prix when the British driver lost control of his Mercedes, spiralling across the gravel into the wall and eventually ending up in the middle of the circuit.

At first, it was assumed that the Briton had simply lost control of his Silver Arrow, but after the FIA reviewed the telemetry, they discovered that Alonso had broken 100 metres earlier on the lap in an attempt to slow Russell’s progress.

As a result, the two-time world champion was handed a 20-second time penalty and given three points on his license. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Alonso said: “George caught me quickly; I knew that he was coming. Then he was in DRS range for five or six laps, so I was just doing qualifying laps to stay ahead. I wanted to maximise my exit speed from Turn 6 to defend against him. That’s what any racing driver would do, and I didn’t feel it was dangerous.”

‘Maximise my exit speed from Turn 6 to defend’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al...ussells-crash/

Explained: He made no contact with Russell – so why did Alonso cop a 20-second penalty for his part in the crash?
Russell said that “from his perspective, Alonso’s manoeuvre was erratic, took him by surprise and caused him to close distance unusually fast, and with the resulting lower downforce at the apex of the corner, he lost control and crashed at the exit of the corner”.
12:36 24-Mar-24
Formula One - Official Site

The stewards went on to state that telemetry showed Alonso lifted “slightly more than 100m earlier than he ever had going into that corner during the race”, as well as braking “very slightly at a point that he did not usually brake (although the amount of brake was so slight that it was not the main reason for his car slowing)” before downshifting at a different point to usual.

He then upshifted again and accelerated to the corner before lifting again to make the corner. Alonso explained that his plan was to slow earlier but that he had got it "slightly wrong" and “had to take extra steps to get back up to speed”, but the stewards said that this manoeuvre had “created a considerable and unusual closing speed between the cars”.

The stewards concluded that they did not have “sufficient information to determine whether Alonso’s manoeuvre was intended to cause Russell problems, or whether, as he stated to the stewards, that he simply was trying to get a better exit” but that, “whatever intent”, he had driven in a way that was “potentially dangerous” given the high-speed nature of that point of the track.

‘Explained: He made no contact with Russell’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...iJqk4P7624Qkqu

Were stewards right to penalise Alonso over his driving before Russell’s crash?
Posted on 24th March 2024, 10:42
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Russell was closing on Alonso as the race entered its final laps. On lap 56 he got close enough to the Aston Martin in the DRS zone approaching turn nine for Alonso to move off the racing line to defend. The next time around Russell was slightly closer again. Approaching turn six, before the next DRS zone began, Russell suddenly drew closer to Alonso, lost control of his car as he turned into the corner and crashed. Russell was uninjured.

Speaking after the race Alonso said he was trying to lap as quickly as he could to keep Russell behind while coping with a problem in his car. “I had some issues for the last 15 laps, something on the battery on the deployment,” he said. “So definitely I was struggling a little bit at the end of the race. But I cannot focus on the cars behind.”

Russell said he was surprised by how suddenly Alonso slowed in front of him. “I was half a second behind him approaching the corner and then suddenly he slowed up very dramatically and got back on the power,” he said. “I just wasn’t expecting it and it caught me by surprise.”

‘Were stewards right?’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/24/...ussells-crash/

Fans deliver Alonso penalty verdict
Fernando Alonso was penalised for his actions as George Russell crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix.
25 March 1:00PM
Ewan Gale
RacingNews365

RacingNews365 readers believe Fernando Alonso's penalty at the Australian Grand Prix was incorrect.

‘Fans deliver verdict’;

https://racingnews365.com/alonso-pen...-driving-harsh

Fernando Alonso ‘knew what he was doing’ with George Russell battle tactics
It has been claimed that Fernando Alonso was trying to exploit a "grey area" in his late battle with George Russell.
25 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Ex-F1 driver Timo Glock has claimed Fernando Alonso knew exactly what he was doing with driving that ultimately earned him a penalty at the Australian Grand Prix. Former grand prix racer Glock believes Alonso was trying to exploit a “grey area” of the regulations in order to “gain an advantage”.

“Alonso brakes very early and allows Russell to catch up,” Glock told Sky Deutschland. “Alonso’s idea was to catch Russell off guard, slow him down, and then accelerate early to open a gap.”

“It was so extreme that Russell didn’t expect it at all. He got way too close and lost downforce. Alonso extends his elbows and uses the grey area to gain an advantage. He already knows what he’s doing with his experience.”

‘Battle tactics’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104622...battle-tactics

Apparently it's not a grey area anymore.

**Fortitude** · 26th March 2024, 05:29

Horner: Perez race impacted by tear-off lodged in RB20 floor.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says a visor tear-off lodged in the floor area of Sergio Perez’s RB20 impacted the aerodynamic performance of the Mexican’s car during the Australian GP.
25/03/2024 at 13:09
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Perez admitted to having struggled early on but reckoned that his car was no march for his direct rivals. While this was true, unbeknownst to the Mexican, his RB20 had suffered a significant loss of downforce during the race when to a tear-off likely discarded by Fernando Alonso found its way into his car’s floor.

"We went long on the first stint," Horner explained. "And his actual pace when he was coming through the field on the hard tyre as he closed in on Fernando was strong, and matching that of the leaders. And then literally as he's passed Fernando, he's picked up a tear-off underneath the floor and it's got lodged in an area that's caused significant load loss.”

"So as he's then passed Fernando, the car's not working as it should. And so then you start to see degradation on the tyre, and again at the end of the second stint, which has been unusual for our cars." Horner estimated the aero loss to have been “in excess of 20 points”. “So it's a significant amount,” he added. “It just shows how sensitive these things are."

‘Visor tear-off lodged in the floor area of Sergio Perez’s RB20 impacted the aerodynamic performance’;

https://f1i.com/news/503692-horner-p...b20-floor.html

HORNER EXPLAINS SERGIO PEREZ’S UNDERWHELMING AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
After three races, Sergio Perez currently stands P3 in the drivers' championship behind his teammate and Charles Leclerc. But could the Mexican have gotten more out of the race his teammate didn't finish?
March 25, 2024
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

After securing two 1-2 finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Australian Grand Prix offered quite the turn of fortunes for Red Bull. With Max Verstappen out of the race with a “brake problem”, all eyes turned to Sergio Perez to keep up the team’s winning streak.

Perez couldn’t capitalise on his teammate’s misfortune, finishing P5 behind the two Ferraris and two McLarens. Following the chequered flag, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner revealed the reason behind Perez’s halted charge in Melbourne. The team boss explained:

“When he was coming through the field on the hard tyre as he closed in on Fernando [Alonso, his speed] was strong and matching that of the leaders. Then, literally, as he’s passed Fernando, he’s picked up a tear-off underneath the floor, and it’s got lodged in an area that’s caused significant load loss.”

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner revealed the reason behind Perez’s halted charge’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ho...an-grand-prix/

Red Bull identify the culprit behind Sergio Perez’s dramatic pace drop in Australia
25 Mar 2024 4:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Sergio Perez wasn’t able to join in the fight for the podium in Australia, due to a mid-race incident that caused a significant downforce loss. Perez started the Australian Grand Prix from sixth on the grid after picking up a three-place grid penalty, but failed to make significant progress after a mid-race incident sapped his Red Bull of downforce.

In a ground-effect era that means the cars utilise the underfloor effect to generate much of their downforce, the obstruction sapped Perez of downforce and confidence. “We went long on the first stint,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner told media after the race. And his actual pace when he was coming through the field on the hard tyre as he closed in on Fernando was strong, and matching that of the leaders.”

“Then, literally as he’s passed Fernando, he’s picked up a tear-off underneath the floor, and it’s got lodged in an area that’s caused significant load loss. So as he’s then passed Fernando, the car’s not working as it should. And so then you start to see degradation on the tyre, and again at the end of the second stint, which has been unusual for our cars.”

‘Red Bull identify the culprit’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...ian-grand-prix

Red Bull 'have already made a decision' on replacing Sergio Perez with Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz proved unbeatable at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, but the Ferrari ace still needs a drive for 2025.
10:14, Mon, Mar 25, 2024
By Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

F1 journalist and former team manager Peter Windsor believes that Sergio Perez’s contract with Red Bull has already been extended beyond the end of 2024, according to rumours he has heard in the paddock. If these rumours are correct, this will end Carlos Sainz’s chances of moving there when he leaves Ferrari at the end of the season.

Discussing the murmurs he heard in Melbourne, Windsor said: “I heard in the paddock area from various sources that are pretty reliable that Sergio has already renewed his contract for next year. In which case, you'd say, well, what was the rush?" If correct, this would be a huge vote of confidence for Perez, who last year was subject to constant speculation regarding whether or not he would be driving for Red Bull beyond the end of the 2023 season, let alone beyond the end of his contract in 2024.

‘Huge vote of confidence for Perez’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...arlos-Sainz-F1

Was Perez right that even a reliable Red Bull wouldn’t have beaten Ferrari?
25th March 2024, 17:04
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

After two consecutive Red Bull one-twos at the start of the season, few might have expected yesterday’s one-two for Ferrari in Australia. The SF-24s of Carlos Sainz Jnr and Charles Leclerc led the field home thanks in part to Max Verstappen’s surprise retirement – his first in two years. But the two drivers believe their car’s long-run pace was strong enough that they could have won even if Verstappen had stayed in the race.

Charles Leclerc, who was the quicker of the two Ferrari drivers until qualifying, said the team felt victory was within its reach from the start of the weekend. “It’s been a long time since we have had the genuine pace to have Red Bull – I wouldn’t say under control, because we don’t know what was the real pace of Max today – but I will say that from FP1, we knew that pole position and the race win was possible because we had very good tyre degradation, very good pace, and that is a very encouraging sign.”

Even Perez echoed that view, saying he felt it was “absolutely” the case Verstappen’s retirement did not cost him victory. However Red Bull later revealed Perez’s pace was compromised by a visor tear-off which became stuck to his car’s floor, ruining its aerodynamics. That may have given the Ferrari drivers undue optimism about their performance compared to Red Bull last weekend.

‘Ferrari SF-24 long-run pace was strong enough’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/25/...eaten-ferrari/

Helmut Marko disagrees with Sergio Perez over Ferrari with “relatively easily” remark
Helmut Marko has rubbished Sergio Perez's claim that Ferrari would have won even if Max Verstappen didn't retire from the Australian Grand Prix.
25 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh

Helmut Marko has disputed Sergio Perez’s claim that Ferrari would have won the Australian Grand Prix even if Max Verstappen didn’t DNF. After the race, Perez, who finished a lacklustre P5, felt that Ferrari were going to win irrespective of Verstappen’s issue.

“As a team we just didn’t have the pace today,” the Mexican told Sky Sports F1. “We didn’t have the pace throughout the weekend. We were struggling already from Friday and we never got on top of the management of tyres. I think we just have to understand and make sure we are able to improve.”

Marko feels that the outcome of the Australian GP “would have been completely different” as Verstappen was able to keep up with Sainz “relatively easily.” “I spoke to Max and he said that despite the problems, he kept up with Sainz’s pace relatively easily,” Marko told Sky Germany. “With Max in the race, the outcome would have been completely different.”

“We were struggling already from Friday…”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104621...-easily-remark

**Fortitude** · 26th March 2024, 14:15

Fall of a giant: Is this the end of Toto Wolff’s Mercedes reign?
In Melbourne, he stated, “I would be lying if I said at any moment I felt positive about the situation and optimistic.”
March 25, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Wolff’s unique position as a one-third owner of the Brackley-based team complicates any potential departure. He humorously compared his situation to sports management, saying, “If you ask the manager question, it’s not like I can go to Chelsea or Liverpool or over to Ferrari. I am not a contractor or an employee who can say ‘I’ve had enough of this’. My hamster wheel keeps spinning and I cannot jump out.”

Entering 2024, Hamilton harbored hopes of challenging Red Bull, only to face disappointment once again. He observed, “Then you think ‘ok, maybe second or third’ and then it cascades even further down and you’re just going through the motions.” Hamilton candidly expressed, “It’s challenging.”

Observers, like former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, suggest Hamilton may have lost faith in Mercedes. Doornbos noted, “Hamilton does not have off days, he has off seasons,” pointing out Hamilton’s series of setbacks from qualifying to race day and a noticeable dip in motivation.

“My hamster wheel keeps spinning and I cannot jump out”;

https://grandpx.news/fall-of-a-giant...ercedes-reign/

Discord between Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff over ‘cursed’ W15 highlighted
Do Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff disagree with each other about Mercedes' 2024 F1 car?
25 Mar 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff appear to be at odds over the potential of Mercedes’ 2024 F1. The apparent disconnect between Hamilton, who will move to Ferrari next year, and Mercedes team principal Wolff was noted by Sky F1’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz as he analysed Mercedes’ ongoing performance woes after the Australian Grand Prix.

“Toto when I spoke to him said, ‘I still think we can make it right’. But Lewis pretty much wrote off this year’s World Championship. I know you’re going to say to me, ‘Yeah, anyone not in a Red Bull is not going to win this year’s World Championship’. But there are 21 races still to go.

“Okay it is obvious Lewis is not going to win the championship and it might not be the golden goodbye to Mercedes before he goes to Ferrari but he can still score podiums and win races.” Following his shock Q2 exit in qualifying, the seven-time world champion said inconsistencies with Mercedes’ W15 car “really messes with the mind”. "I think our car is on a bit of a knife edge," Hamilton added.

‘Cursed W15 highlighted’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104622...15-highlighted

Wolff admits double DNF in Australia highlights ‘super tough’ time for Mercedes
Toto Wolff acknowledges "very brutal" weekend as he speaks about Mercedes woeful season start
March 24, 2024
Theo Gayle
FormulaNerds

Early in the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton had to retire his car due to a power unit failure during lap 17. The practice sessions weren’t so kind to Hamilton either and after Free Practice 2, Hamilton branded that as one of his “worst sessions”. He also had to navigate drastic changes to his set-up after a handling issue saw him and Russell come off the track.

During the race, Russell managed to get within touching distance of the chequered flag, giving Mercedes fans a glimmer of hope. However, a late crash took him out of the race on the final lap. The British driver believed the crash occurred due to Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who was ahead at the time.

Wolff’s comments: Speaking on Mercedes’ display in Melbourne, Toto Wolff quickly highlighted the areas he picked up on, focusing on the W15’s distinct lack of pace. “There were times in the race where we massively lacked pace. And then there were times at the end when you compare like for like, we were doing OK. Still not where we want to be.

‘Very brutal weekend’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wo...-for-mercedes/

Toto Wolff to miss Mercedes' next F1 race after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell disasters
The Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will not be in attendance at the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks' time.
14:36 Mon, 25 Mar 2024.
BY GAVIN BERRY
Daily Record

Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes team, won't be at the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks after a tough weekend for the Silver Arrows in Australia.

Wolff won't be in the garage at the Suzuka International Circuit. But this was decided before the season started and isn't because of Mercedes' rough start to the year. This is the second year in a row that Wolff won't be at the Japanese GP. He missed the races in Suzuka and Qatar in 2023 because he had knee surgery.

‘Won't be at the Japanese Grand Prix’;

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/...-next-32436241

Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes W15 roadmap after being quizzed on Lewis Hamilton ‘experiments’
26 Mar 2024 6:00 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes “probably need to experiment every single race” to get the most out of the W15. Speaking to Fox Sports Australia, Wolff was asked if Mercedes would be likely to continue experimenting with the W15, particularly for Hamilton’s car.

He did not specify whether or not one driver would run more experimental changes than another, but did confirm that the Silver Arrows would be likely to run changes throughout race weekends to try and address the issue of their fluctuating pace throughout race weekends. “I think we are coming to a point now that we probably need to experiment every single race,” Wolff said.

Addressing the performance of the W15 more widely, Wolff said he has not lost his belief that there is a strong-performing car within the chassis Mercedes have built this year, and praised the drivers’ influence in the potential turnaround this year. “I haven’t lost that feeling that there is a good car,” he explained, “because there are sessions in throughout the weekend, and also the last two ones, where we are absolutely right up there in terms of performance, and then we lose it again.

‘Mercedes W15 roadmap’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...lewis-hamilton

Wolff issues update on 2025 F1 driver hunt
Toto Wolff is looking for a new Formula 1 driver at Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton's decision to join Ferrari next year.
26 March 6:30AM
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has stated every candidate for a 2025 Formula 1 drive at the team “all have arguments" in their favour. Carlos Sainz, the driver Hamilton will replace at Ferrari, has also been mentioned as a contender. With no shortage of options available for the team, Wolff asserted that all viable candidates have compelling cases.

“The ones that are available, or that could be interesting for us, they all have arguments in favour of them,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365. “Be it the very young ones, be it the very mature ones in the best years. Or Carlos.”

‘Update on 2025 F1 driver hunt’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-wave...river-decision

**Fortitude** · 27th March 2024, 06:42

Fred Vasseur shuts down Carlos Sainz talk as Spanish media cries foul over exit.
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur says he will “not talk” about Carlos Sainz’s future after the non-renewed Ferrari driver won the Australian Grand Prix.
25 Mar 2024 12:00 PM
Michelle Foster

Sainz, now in the hunt for a new team for next season, put all that – and his appendectomy – behind him to win the Australian Grand Prix ahead of Leclerc raising questions about whether Ferrari have made the right call. Vasseur refused to be drawn on that when speaking to DAZN, saying: “I’m not going to talk about next year. We reached an agreement with Carlos a few weeks ago to focus only on this championship and not talk about the future. There are still twenty races to do, which are twenty opportunities to win. We have to focus on that.”

The Spanish press have let Ferrari know their thoughts on that. Writing for Marca, Maro Canseco reckons Ferrari are swapping a driver worthy of a “documentary” for one who is in “clear decline”. “Sainz’s feat would deserve a complete documentary if he were British like Lewis Hamilton, with a victory days after undergoing surgery for appendicitis and with three incisions still in his abdomen, which must have bothered him on the torture rack for the body that is F1,” he said.

Soymotor’s Raymond Blancafort believes Ferrari have to be questioning their decision. “Surely, once the euphoric rush of adrenaline has passed, Frédéric Vasseur and Elkann will have their brains rumbling with a question: ‘Have we made a mistake?'” he said. “At Ferrari, they promised them very happily by announcing the signing of Lewis Hamilton with a chequebook, sacrificing Carlos Sainz. And now perhaps they are wondering if they have signed a name more than the man they needed – who they had at home, surely much cheaper, and who wanted to continue.”

‘Fred Vasseur says he will “not talk” about Carlos Sainz’s future’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fred-v...ish-media-foul

Are Ferrari regretting letting Carlos Sainz go at the end of the 2024 season?
Sunday 24 March 2024 08:49, UK
Sky Sports

Sky Sports' Craig Slater discusses Carlos Sainz's future following the Ferrari driver's victory in Australia and looks at the current World Drivers' Championship standings.

‘Are Ferrari regretting letting Carlos Sainz go?’;

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...he-2024-season

Ferrari boss stunned by Sainz: 'Nobody expected a result like this'
Carlos Sainz secured victory at the Australian Grand Prix, just two weeks after undergoing surgery for appendicitis.
24 March 2024, 3:13PM
Nick Golding & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has applauded Carlos Sainz's never-give-up attitude after claiming a famous Australian Grand Prix victory. Sainz's third F1 win comes just a fortnight after undergoing an appendectomy during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, forcing him to miss qualifying and the race, and leading to a superb debut for 18-year-old Oliver Bearman.

"I was not expecting any less than you [the media], but overall this winter we agreed together to push until the last lap of the season," said Vasseur. "He did a fantastic job in Bahrain pushing the team, for sure, Jeddah was a tough weekend - a tough weekend for Carlos, tough weekend for the team. The recovery is mega, you have to keep in mind that two weeks ago he was in the hospital.”

"I think even Friday he was not 100 percent sure he'd be able to drive. After a couple of laps, he was on the pace, this was part of the success too. You can't give up one lap into free practice if you want to perform. For sure, it's amazing, and looking where he's coming from nobody expected a result like this."

‘Ferrari boss stunned by Sainz’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-ap...ve-up-attitude

Carlos Sainz pushing Ferrari towards buyer’s remorse after Lewis Hamilton swap
24 Mar 2024 5:47 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

At the time of the announcement, Lewis Hamilton taking Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari spot in 2025 was universally accepted as a smart move. Ever since the Spaniard arrived in Maranello, there has been an assumption that he is a step behind team-mate Charles Leclerc and yet, he has once again outperformed the Monegasque. Since that announcement, Sainz has been like a driver possessed but that is not to say he has not been in good form for a while now.

But what of Ferrari? When was the last time a team willingly gave away their best performing driver? The universal love-in for Hamilton and the kissy faces Fred Vasseur has made to the seven-time World Champion over the years will have no doubt rubbed Sainz up the wrong way. The lack of a goodbye in the team’s announcement was telling of how much they value their most recent race winner.

The professionalism of Sainz meant he said all the right things but his actions in the season opener showed he meant business. Permission to overtake Leclerc was not sought and instead, Sainz took what he deemed was rightfully his. Saudi Arabia was a blip but only Verstappen can claim to have started the season brighter than Sainz. Ferrari will maintain they are happy with their decision and Hamilton may well prove to be a success but right now, Sainz is making himself impossible to ignore.

‘Carlos Sainz pushing Ferrari towards buyer’s remorse’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/ca...-hamilton-swap

Vasseur: Nobody expected Sainz’s ‘amazing’ recovery
26/03/2024 at 18:11
Michael Delaney
F1i.com

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur admits that Carlos Sainz performance in Australia last weekend, fresh off an appendectomy that forced him to miss the previous race in Jeddah, was nothing short of “amazing”. Vasseur admitted to being astonished by Sainz’s tenacity and quick recovery, especially given the context of a season at the end of which the three-time Grand Prix winner will depart Ferrari.

"This winter we agreed together to push until the last lap of the season," commented Vasseur. "And he did a fantastic job. He was there in Bahrain, pushing the team also, and for sure Jeddah was a tough weekend, a tough weekend for Carlos, a tough weekend for the team.”

‘Vasseur admitted to being astonished by Sainz’s tenacity’;

https://f1i.com/news/503799-vasseur-...-recovery.html

Sainz thought Australian Grand Prix return was “not going to happen” after surgery
25th March 2024, 17:05
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Carlos Sainz Jnr feared he would not recover from his appendix surgery in time to compete in the Australian Grand Prix, which he won yesterday. “As soon as I got my appendix removed I went on the internet and started talking with professionals and said, ‘Okay, what helps to speed up recovery?’

“From that point onwards I started doing all the sorts of things that you can do to speed up recovery: The wounds, the scar tissue, what you can help to be faster on that, talking to other athletes, talking to other doctors in Spain, internationally. And then I put together a plan with my team. The reason why athletes recover faster is because you can dedicate 24 hours per day for seven days to recovery. And that’s exactly what I did.”

Sainz spent two hours a day in a hyperbaric chamber which is intended to accelerate healing by exposing wounds to higher concentrations of oxygen. He also used an Indiba radio frequency therapy machine, which is endorsed by his world rally champion father, to reduce his recovery time. “I was programming my time in bed, my time to go for a walk, my time to eat, the kind of food that you have to recover,” he explained. “Just everything was centred around recovery to try to be ready for Australia.”

‘Okay, what helps to speed up recovery?’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/25/...after-surgery/

Behind Sainz’s victory: The job application F1 teams cannot ignore
March 25, 2024
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

“Still without a job for next year,” Sainz candidly admitted, underscoring his current predicament. Yet, his triumph in Melbourne served as a compelling testament to his prowess on the track. Robert Doornbos, a former Red Bull racer, hailed Sainz’s performance as “the best possible job application, if that’s what he needed.”

Sainz himself seemed unfazed by the swirling rumors, asserting, “For sure it does no harm, but I think everyone already knows more or less what I’m capable of. I don’t race to prove something to team principals, or prove to people my value.”

His skill was on full display when he overtook Max Verstappen before the latter’s Red Bull succumbed to a brake failure, extinguishing what could have been a riveting duel for the top spot. “A pity,” Sainz remarked, lamenting the missed opportunity for a showdown, “because I think we would have had a good fight for P1 today.”

‘The job application F1 teams cannot ignore’;

https://grandpx.news/behind-sainzs-v...cannot-ignore/

**Fortitude** · 27th March 2024, 13:29

Williams’ Disastrous Weekend In Australia.
This was probably Williams‘ most disastrous weekend ever. Thanks to Alexander Albon’s accident, the team found itself forced to make an important decision. This resulted in Sargeant being excluded from the race to try and maximize points as much as possible.
March 25, 2024
Siria Famulari
Last Word On Sports

Williams found itself having to face a fairly complex and unexpected weekend. In fact, during the first free practice session, Alexander Albon ended up heavily against the wall. This caused great damage to the car. The situation then worsened when Williams deemed it impossible to repair the car. This is because Williams found itself without a new spare chassis.

Alexander Albon risked seeing himself sitting on the bench, without the possibility of being able to compete. Instead, the opposite happened. Williams, in fact, after a difficult and controversial decision, decided to entrust Logan Sargeant’s FW46 to his teammate Alexander Albon. Thus leaving Sargeant on the sidelines.

This was perhaps one of the doubly painful races for Alexander Albon. On one hand, the media pressure pointed out that the driver not only made a mistake by destroying the car but also found themselves lucky enough to be able to drive anyway, leaving his teammate on foot. On the other hand, the pressure from those who believe he could bring points home after the team has bet everything on him, sacrificing his teammate Logan Sargeant.

‘Williams’ Disastrous Weekend’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...-in-australia/

Alex Albon admits Williams atmosphere ‘not pleasant’ amid fallout of Logan Sargeant swap
23 Mar 2024 9:19 AM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

Alex Albon acknowledged a “not pleasant” atmosphere in the Williams garage, after team-mate Logan Sargeant made way for the weekend with the one remaining chassis at the team.

“So, obviously the atmosphere and the environment that we’re in is not pleasant. We don’t want it to happen again. Obviously, we’re still waiting on that spare chassis. Hopefully the tracks that are coming up aren’t as difficult or let’s say punishing.”

‘Waiting on that spare chassis’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/alex-a...ere-unpleasant

Williams took the Brawn GP 'no spare chassis' gamble — and lost
March 27th 2024
Author: Mark Hughes
Motor Sport Magazine

Honda had pulled out in the wake of the global financial crisis, when car sales had dropped off a cliff. But this coincided with its F1 team finally having a world-beater in its wind tunnel after years of under-achievement. Brawn and Fry had negotiated the continuation of the team so that car could see the light of day – and in the process had given it a better engine. But it was running on little more than the promise of the future.

Over 40% of the staff had been made redundant, there was a small amount of Honda continuation money (essentially the money saved by not paying 100% of the staff redundancies) in the pot and Fry was busy pulling in race-by-race sponsors. But there was no development budget, no business class flights, no frills whatsoever. Button had agreed to a cut on the big Honda retainer he’d been on, Rubens Barrichello signed a very cheap new deal. And there would be no spare car for at least the first third of the season. Parts were in super-short supply.

Brawn’s race strategist was James Vowles, who’d been with the team since its BAR days beginning 10 years earlier. From only rarely having had a competitive car to race, to facing redundancy, he was now looking at being the strategy chief over a car so good the challenge was not to lose the race. Vowles referred back to that lack of spare chassis last weekend. Now team principal at Williams, he has overseen a revolution in the ancient working methods of the team. Doing so seriously delayed the building of the cars pre-season.

‘Brawn GP 'no spare chassis' gamble’;

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

F1 Australian Grand Prix Notebook: No Quick Fix to Williams Car Shortage
Nikita Mazepin, Formula 1 exhibition in North America, Oliver Bearman and more in this week's wrap-up.
MAR 25, 2024 1:24 PM EST
PHILLIP HORTON
AuotWeek.

Williams Will Be a Car Short in Japan, Too. Williams will again be without a spare chassis at the next round of the season in Japan. Formula 1 teams are permitted to have a third chassis available at each Grand Prix, which can be built up into an operational car if one of the two race chassis are written off in practice or qualifying. But Williams has not been able to take a third chassis to a grand prix so far in 2024.

“There’s a finite amount of resource and as we were going through an inefficient structure and making transformation at the same time, we started to cause problems,” he said. “In this particular case, the third chassis started to get delayed and delayed and delayed, and I think one of the things were transparent about is we were very late with these cars.”

“Very, very late. We pushed everything to the absolute limit. The fallout of that is we didn’t have a spare chassis. Now even then it was intended to be coming here at round three, but it got delayed and delayed again as other items got pushed back as a result.”

‘No Quick Fix to Williams Car Shortage’;

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...prix-notebook/

James Vowles grilled on ‘damaging’ Logan Sargeant call in spiky Ted Kravitz interview
23 Mar 2024 3:42 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

James Vowles admits his decision to give Alex Albon Logan Sargeant’s car not only hurt the American driver, but it may not be the last time as Williams still won’t have a spare chassis available in Japan. Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz grilled Vowles in the Albert Park paddock on Saturday morning, asking if the potential damage was worth a point.

“For the benefit of maybe, maybe one point, if nothing happens to the RBs or anything like that, to hurt Logan’s confidence and his credibility, to undermine your decision to keep him for this year anyway, to maybe damage your relationship with your US owners and your US sponsors, and maybe damage your relationship with the fans as well, who many don’t think this a fair decision, is it really worth it?” quizzed the pit lane reporter.

“I wouldn’t have made this decision if it wasn’t, Ted,” Vowles replied. “We hurt an individual whose job it is to perform [at] the highest level, and anything that stops you from that puts you on the back foot, there’s no doubt about it.

‘Spiky Ted Kravitz interview’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/james-...vitz-interview

Max Verstappen jokes he would ‘flatten’ his car and leave in Logan Sargeant’s position
23 Mar 2024 1:46 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen sympathises with the sidelined Logan Sargeant, saying he “would be on the plane home right now” if he were in the Williams driver’s position.

Red Bull’s three-time World Champion Verstappen said he would be catching his flight home early in Sargeant’s situation, joking he’d also wreck his car before it could be given to his team-mate. From the performance aspect, I understand it of course, but that does not take away from the fact that this obviously sucks for Logan,” Verstappen is quoted by AD.

“I am obviously not in that position, but I would be on the plane home right now. If that happened to me I would also completely flatten mine, nobody can drive [laughs]. But in my situation, of course, that’s really not going to happen, which I think also makes sense.”

“On the plane home right now”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/max-ve...eant-situation

**Fortitude** · 28th March 2024, 05:34

Lewis Hamilton’s ‘worst start to a season’ proves Ferrari move was ‘right decision’.
Lewis Hamilton’s underwhelming start to the 2024 Formula 1 season is proof his bombshell Ferrari signing was the “right decision”, according to former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner.
March 28th, 2024 9:23 am
Fox Sports from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)

The seven-time world champion stunned the F1 community earlier this year by ending his successful 12-year tenure at Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. Over the weekend, Ferrari secured a 1-2 finish at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne while neither of the Mercedes drivers completed the race.

Hamilton, who failed to qualify for Q3 the previous afternoon, retired on Lap 17 due to engine problems while teammate George Russell crashed out on the penultimate lap. Ferrari is currently second on the constructors’ standings after three races with 93 points, comfortably ahead of fourth-placed Mercedes with 26. Hamilton’s best result of the season to date has been his seventh-placed finish at March’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

“This is the worst start to a season I’ve ever had … it’s worse than 2009,” Hamilton said on Sunday. It’s tough on the spirit. I think for everyone in the team, when so much work has gone on throughout the winter for everybody and you come in excited, motivated and driven, and then you’re with the mindset that you’re going to be fighting for wins, and then obviously that’s not the case. It’s challenging, but I continue to be inspired by the people I work with. They continue to put in the effort and show up, and that’s the most important thing.”

‘Worst start to a season’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...2320baabd0cddb

The stats behind Lewis Hamilton’s worst start to an F1 season
Lewis Hamilton has endured his worst start to an F1 season - but how does it compare?
27 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

It’s been a miserable start for Lewis Hamilton in his final season with Mercedes. With just eight points on the board, it’s statistically the worst start to a season in his illustrious F1 career. It continues a lacklustre run of form which stretches back to Mexico last year.

Irrespective of his own results, Mercedes simply don’t have a great car, with George Russell’s best finish being fifth in Bahrain. On the whole, it makes his decision to join Ferrari to be the correct one with the Scuderia returning to winning ways last time out in Australia.

Hamilton’s best to worst F1 seasons: Points taken from after three races. 2007-2009 have been converted to the modern day points system.

SEASON POINTS
2021 69
2015 68
2019 68
2020 63
2017 61
2007 51
2014 50
2011 47
2012 45
2018 45
2013 40
2016 39
2023 38
2008 35
2010 31
2022 28
2009 14
2024 8

‘The stats’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104627...tart-f1-season

Hamilton: Worst start ever to F1 season is ‘tough on the spirit’
08:40 Wed, 27 Mar 2024.
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Lewis Hamilton is facing once again an F1 season far removed from his usual brilliance, with a disastrous start that is proving “tough on the spirit” for himself but also for the entire Mercedes team.

“I think it’s tough on the spirit,” said the 39-year-old. “I think for everyone in the team, when so much work has gone on throughout the winter for everybody and you come in excited, motivated and driven, and then you’re with the mindset that you’re going to be fighting for wins, and then obviously that’s not the case.”

“And then you either get maybe second or third, but that’s not the case and it cascades a bit further down and you just go through the motions.

‘Tough on the spirit’;

https://f1i.com/news/503809-hamilton...he-spirit.html

Question marks remain over Lewis Hamilton’s W15 engine after ‘catastrophic loss’ detected
27 Mar 2024 6:46 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes technical director James Allison said Lewis Hamilton’s power unit suffered a “catastrophic” failure in Melbourne, though the trigger for it remains unknown. Asked as part of Mercedes’ Australian GP debrief whether the cause of Hamilton’s engine failure had been discovered, Allison confirmed: “We do not.”

“The power units will return to the safe hands of the guys at Brixworth, who will be able to figure out what let go. All we know is the symptoms at the time, which was a rapid loss of oil pressure followed by a shutdown of the engine to protect it because when you know you’ve got catastrophic loss like that, the best thing you can do for the future is kill it there and then. And then you have not just got like a load of molten metal.”

‘Lewis Hamilton’s W15 engine’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/merced...-cause-unknown

Mercedes make Max Verstappen 'No 1 target' but have three back-ups if Red Bull block move
Mercedes are ready to make their move and poach Max Verstappen away from Red Bull.
11:01, Wed, Mar 27, 2024
By Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is his number one target to replace Lewis Hamilton at the end of the season, when the Brit leaves for Ferrari. However, the Silver Arrows do have a number of options they are considering if the defending world champion cannot be prised away.

Wolff previously claimed that he and any other team principal would do “handstands” to sign Verstappen and now insisted that the Dutchman’s move to Mercedes “needs to happen” in the future. “It’s the kind of relationship that needs to happen at a certain stage,” Wolff told Fox Sports. “But we don’t know when.”

‘Mercedes make Max Verstappen 'No 1 target' ’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Red-Bull-Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff reveals Carlos Sainz is on his list to replace Lewis Hamilton with the seven-time world champion joining Ferrari at the end of the season
• Carlos Sainz won the Australian Garnd Prix after fighting back from surgery
• Sainz is the only driver not called Max Verstappen to win in the last 21 races
• Inside Sainz's insane recovery from appendix surgery to the top of the podium
Published: 15:58, 26 March 2024
By Dominic Hogan
MailOnline

With Mercedes among the most prestigious names in Formula One and indeed sport in general, it is understandable that almost every driver would want to sign on with them for next season. 'Those who are available, or who could be interesting for us, all have arguments in their favor,' Wolff admitted. 'Whether they are very young, whether they are very experienced in their best years... Or Carlos (Sainz).

'It's a difficult choice. There are reasons to sign each one. I just want to take a step back and simply monitor the situation. Some of the guys mentioned can sign for other teams and that's why, right now, I'm just looking at it ,'

‘Or Carlos (Sainz)’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...n-Ferrari.html

Revealed: Toto Wolff names four drivers on Mercedes shortlist to replace Lewis Hamilton
27 Mar 2024 6:00 AM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Mercedes’ Toto Wolff has revealed Max Verstappen is his number one pick to replace Lewis Hamilton for 2025, but has other names on his shortlist. “I think it depends also on what Max does. Then we have a young kid that is very promising and I don’t want to put more extra pressure on him, but it looks like he can be one of the great ones.”

“But we also don’t want to drown him by jumping so quickly in an F1 car at 17. So there are a few options that we play with him. Obviously, there’s Fernando [Alonso] who is very exciting, and Carlos [Sainz] is very good. So there are a few ones. I’m gonna make the play like a bride – difficult to get!”

‘FOUR drivers on Mercedes shortlist’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...pen-number-one

Toto Wolff’s “picture our rear wing” warning to Lewis Hamilton over Ferrari move
Toto Wolff's warning for Lewis Hamilton ahead of his move to Ferrari.
27 Mar 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Toto Wolff has revealed he told Lewis Hamilton to “picture our rear wing” when he makes the move to Ferrari from Mercedes for the 2025 F1 season. Reflecting on Hamilton’s decision to leave, Wolff told Fox News Australia that he warned the seven-time world champion that he’d be seeing a lot of Mercedes' rear wing in 2025.

“I think first I can’t imagine him in red,” he said. I don’t think it suits him, but I think that picture is going to be interesting. And then I told him, you’ve got to really picture our rear wing because that’s the perspective you’re going to have.”

“Picture our rear wing”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104626...r-ferrari-move

**Fortitude** · 28th March 2024, 14:04

Williams began fixing Albon’s wrecked car at 2am on Monday.
Team principal James Vowles said the damaged FW46 was returned to their base as quickly as possible in order to repair it in time for transportation to Suzuka.
28th March 2024, 12:02
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Williams say the efforts to repair Alexander Albon’s car for next week’s Japanese Grand Prix will not prevent them bringing minor upgrades to the race. “I’m confident we’ll be able to fix the chassis,” he said in a video published by the team. “We put measures in place to make sure the chassis was back here very early on Monday morning.

“It arrived around 2am or so and since then there was already crews inside the building working on that, stripping it down and doing repairs. We’re in a good place for having the chassis back early enough for Suzuka.” The team at the track ensured those back at the factory were ready to begin the repair work immediately, said Vowles. “A lot of the work was done back in Melbourne.

There was photographs and techniques called NDT, which is non-destructive testing, there’s various ones you can do that [which] allows us to fully understand how big the damage is and what we have to do. “That preparation was key. What it meant was already at 2am on Monday, work could start. It wasn’t then a reflection on what was happening, it was more ‘this is what we’re doing and this is how we execute it’. So in Suzuka we’ll have two cars without too many issues.”

‘Fixing Albon’s wrecked car at 2am’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/28/...2am-on-monday/

F1 Tech Show: Williams's production issues exposed
Mar 27, 2024
The Race

How does a Formula 1 team such as Williams find itself in a position where it can only field one car? That, and the question of what can be done to prevent a repeat, is the focus of this edition of The Race F1 Tech Show, as host Edd Straw and former F1 technical director Gary Anderson unpack Williams's major predicament after Alex Albon's crash in Australian Grand Prix practice forced the team to withdraw its second entry.

As well as considering how Williams goes about repairing the damaged chassis in time for the Japanese GP, Straw and Anderson also discuss whether McLaren - which took its first podium of the season in Melbourne last weekend - is being held back by DRS issues and how encouraged Ferrari should be by its start to the 2024 season.

‘Williams's production issues exposed’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...-show-podcast/

Williams in race against time to rebuild Albon chassis
Williams faces a race against time to repair the chassis Alex Albon damaged during opening practice of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
27 March 2024
by Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The damage sustained in the crash was significant. “The gearbox was cracked in two, the engine mounts were completely bent, and the engine’s done, fundamentally,” Vowles admitted. “The chassis, on the front-right corner where the suspension goes in, is torn apart, is the best way to describe it. I can put my finger into the chassis – which you shouldn’t be able to do, just for clarity.”

“The team’s been brilliant in working with the structures and stresses department and with the [Design Office]. The team here have been able to get the car back for about Monday 2 am, so we have teams already working on it for Monday onwards in order to get it repaired. Until they see it in person, it will be very difficult, they’re doing things by photo that we’ve done here, but there’s four or five mitigation plans in place for it.”

“It’s hard until I get the chassis physically back there to give you a full acknowledgement of how difficult it would be,” he conceded when asked by Speedcafe about the timelines for the repair, and having it ready for Japan. “It should all be achievable. The car [had] to leave by Saturday to make it back on time, which gives us near enough a week, and that’s a sufficient amount of time. No one can give you 100 percent certainty,” he added.

‘Race against time to repair the chassis’;

https://speedcafe.com/williams-in-ra...albon-chassis/

Sargeant unlikely to be sidelined again at Suzuka
James Vowles says he's "confident" Williams will have a car at Suzuka for Logan Sargeant to race.
MARCH 28, 2024
GrandPrix.com

The decision to eject Sargeant from his car to give it to the other side of the garage following Alex Albon's practice crash in Melbourne was highly controversial.

The fact that Williams still has no spare chassis so deep into the new season, however, is arguably less forgivable - especially as a third monocoque will still not be ready in time for the Japanese GP. It has even been rumoured that Williams will not even be able to repair Albon's original chassis for Suzuka - logically sidelining Sargeant yet again.

“I'm confident we'll be able to fix the chassis”, team boss James Vowles insisted late on Wednesday, revealing that the damaged car got back to the Grove factory at 2am on Monday morning. He said it's now being stripped down and repaired - and the damage is extensive.

‘Unlikely to be sidelined again’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/sarge...at-suzuka.html

Williams will have two cars but still no spare in Japan
Thursday, 28 Mar 2024 8:47 PM MYT
Malay Mail

LONDON, March 28 — Williams are confident they will be back up to strength with two cars at next week’s Japanese Grand Prix, after having only one in Australia last Sunday due to crash damage, but will still have no spare.

Team principal James Vowles said in a debrief posted on the www.williamsf1.com website that both drivers would be racing at Suzuka. “I’m confident we’ll be able to fix the (damaged) chassis,” he said. “We put measures in place to make sure the chassis was back here (at the factory in England) pretty early on Monday morning, I think it arrived at around 2am.”

He said prioritising Albon over Sargeant in Melbourne had been by far his hardest decision in Formula One but the correct one on performance. “The whole world has seen where we are in reality and how far behind we are and what work we have to do to move forward,” he added of the Melbourne situation.

‘Williams WILL have two cars’;

https://www.malaymail.com/news/sport...n-japan/126067

Vowles issues update on Albon's chassis ahead of Japan
Williams has been trying to repair Alex Albon's damaged chassis ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
28 March 3:00PM
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

After a race to return the damaged chassis to the factory, Vowles has offered an update on the state of the repair ahead of the trip to Suzuka across the weekend of April 5-7th. "I am confident that we will be able to fix the chassis," Vowles explained during his in-house team video debrief.

"A lot of the work was done back in Melbourne. There were photographs and techniques called NDT, which is non-destructive testing, so, there are various [tests ]you can do. But it allows us to fully understand how big the damage is and what we have to do.”

"That preparation was key. What it meant was, already at 2am on Monday, work could start. It wasn’t a reflection of what was happening. It was more: 'This is what we’re doing and this is how we’ll execute it.' So, in Suzuka, we’ll have two cars without too many issues."

‘Confident that we will be able to fix the chassis’;

https://racingnews365.com/vowles-iss...ahead-of-japan

**Fortitude** · 29th March 2024, 05:03

Damning indictment of ‘laughing’ Daniel Ricciardo who ‘just doesn’t have it anymore’.
Spending too much time laughing, and not enough focusing on racing, Christijan Albers is irritated with Daniel Ricciardo who “just doesn’t have it anymore”.
28 Mar 2024 12:30 PM
Michelle Foster
Planetf1.com

Three races into this season, Ricciardo has been overshadowed by his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda... …at Ricciardo’s home race in Australia where he qualified P18 while Tsunoda made it into the top ten in eighth place. Even Ricciardo’s deleted lap from Q1 was not a match for his team-mate’s lap time.

Telling the media he “got everything out of” the car, the Honey Badger admitted it “still wasn’t good enough, let’s say compared to Yuki. “Looking at the time he’s doing in Q2, I could tell you now, I can’t get seven more tenths out of it than what I got in Q1.” Tsunoda went on to finish the Grand Prix in seventh place, matching the team’s best result from 2023, with Ricciardo P12 and a lap down.

Former F1 driver Albers has laid into Ricciardo, saying he should focus more on the racing than the off-track laughs. “What irritates me a little bit is that he keeps laughing and doing activities around driving,” he told De Telegraaf podcast. “Just focus on the racing. Only then can you start being funny again. As a driver you want to go into hiding until you have beaten the rest, and then you can show yourself again. With him it is the other way around. All those activities are just painful.”

‘Spending too much time laughing’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/laughi...cism-f1-future

Is history doomed to repeat itself for Ricciardo?
For the second time in as many teams, the eight-time F1 race winner finds himself struggling to match a less experienced team-mate. With hopes of reclaiming his previously discarded seat at Red Bull, is the Australian now closer to losing his seat at RB?
28 March 6:30AM
Samuel Coop
RacingNews365

How did we get to this point? The Australian was once the budding star of the Red Bull family. A driver who came in and beat reigning four-time champion Sebastian Vettel at the first time of trying, paving the way for the German to leave for Ferrari after just one season as team-mates. But if his stints at McLaren and now RB show anything, it is that sometimes you become the very thing you swore to defeat – or actually did in Ricciardo’s case.

It has not all been bad for 34-year-old after leaving Red Bull for the first time. Despite a relatively slow start to life at Renault, two podiums for the Enstone-based outfit during the Covid-19-shortened 2020 season underwrote his already-confirmed move to McLaren for 2021. Even when struggling to get to grips at McLaren, that first season with the team was punctuated by his most recent grand prix victory, in Monza, where he led team-mate Lando Norris home for an unlikely one-two.

Destined for a year on the sidelines with Red Bull in 2023, Ricciardo found himself back in a race seat following the unceremonious sacking of AlphaTauri’s De Vries. But that is where the root of Riccardo’s current issue began. Following his hand-breaking practice crash at Zandvoort – caused by trying to avoid Piastri – Lawson stepped in, impressing immediately. Whilst Ricciardo did return to the AT04 for the final five rounds, scoring points in Mexico, his substitute had left his mark.

‘Now closer to losing his seat at RB’;

https://racingnews365.com/is-history...-for-ricciardo

Ricciardo explains why 2024 struggles with RB are different to his time at McLaren
17:36 Thu, 28 Mar 2024.
Formula One - Official Site

RB driver Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about his difficult start to the 2024 season, while explaining why he is optimistic that he can turn things around and avoid the same fate as his previous stint at McLaren.

Speaking after his home race at Albert Park, and what he needs to unlock from the RB package going forward, Ricciardo said: “It’s a two-part process now. Obviously I look as much as I can into myself, into data, into onboards, how I’m driving, what’s making me do certain things.”

“Then is that self-induced or is that something coming from the car which isn’t giving me the feeling I want? Then I’m asking the engineers lots of questions, because the car is pretty much the same as last year. Obviously it’s a different car but it’s not that we’ve changed the whole philosophy – the handling and the characteristics are fairly similar.”

‘Turn things around’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...PpAv7N0FrMz352

Fresh details emerge over Ricciardo's McLaren exit
Daniel Ricciardo endured a difficult shortlived campaign at McLaren, exiting the team in 2022 after just two seasons as part of the organisation.
27 March 2024, 7:45AM
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

Daniel Ricciardo's ex-Formula 1 race engineer Tom Stallard has provided fresh insight into the Australian's exit from McLaren. Ricciardo departed the Woking-based squad at the end of the 2022 campaign, bringing an end to two challenging seasons with the team.

The 34-year-old was replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri and returned to Red Bull in a third driver role before being promoted back to the Formula 1 grid with RB. Ricciardo struggled alongside team-mate Lando Norris during his term at McLaren but worked closely with race engineer Stallard in a bid to improve his form.

‘Fresh details emerge’;

https://racingnews365.com/the-frustr...s-never-solved

Ricciardo: “I just need to focus on myself” amidst media unrest
Three rounds into the season and rumours are already flying about Ricciardo being replaced mid-season, much like his predecessor at RB, Nyck de Vries
March 28, 2024
Morgan Holiday
FormulaNerds

After some time out of Formula 1 (less than a season), Ricciardo returned to a team he drove for back in 2012 and 2013, now called Visa CashApp RB but casually known as Red Bull’s second team. The public has been quick to judge his inability to match Tsunoda in the opening rounds of the season. It didn’t take long for rumours to pop up about him being replaced mid-season. It would be easier to dispel those rumours were it not for the fact that Ricciardo only raced last season because he took the spot of Nyck de Vries, sacked mid-season for failure to perform.

But Ricciardo isn’t focused on what the media is saying, or that’s what he says at least. “I came into this weekend, really, honestly, deep down believing like we were going to have a very, very good weekend,” he told Autosport in Australia. “In terms of the noise, people tell me like in the media, they’re like, ‘Oh, so and so said’ – it’s the first I’ve heard.”

“It’s obviously no disrespect to you guys, but I know that I’m on this little kind of process or journey at the moment. And I just need to focus on myself. And I think if I let any of the noise in, it’s going to kind of distract me from the path I’m on. I haven’t let any of that negative stuff creep in.”

“I just need to focus on myself”;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ri...-media-unrest/

**Fortitude** · 29th March 2024, 12:00

‘This year we wake up knowing we can fight’: Haas pair hail double points finish.
Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg said the team has been reinvigorated this year after their double points finish in the Australian Grand Prix.
25th March 2024, 8:20
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Before the season began new team principal Ayao Komatsu, who replaced Guenther Steiner in January, predicted they would be “towards the back of the grid, if not last.” Three races in they have scored four points and lie seventh in the championship. He said Haas’ first double points finish since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix was the product of a “great team effort.” However he saw room for improvement in their performance.

“After yesterday’s qualifying I said we expected to have better race pace but to be able to get double points is better than expected, so it just goes to show that you need to be there,” said Komatsu. “You need to do everything perfect to be able to pick up those last available positions. It wasn’t perfect today, there’s some things that we need to improve, but overall, I’m so happy for the team. Both drivers drove a brilliant race, and the pit stop crew, when it was critical, they delivered, they got our drivers out in front of the competition.”

‘Knowing we can fight’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/03/25/...points-finish/

Magnussen cautious over declaring Haas problem 'fixed'
The Dane scored his first points finish of the 2024 season in Australia with 10th place.
26 March 3:08PM
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365
FormulaNerds

Kevin Magnussen is cautious over Haas' start to the Formula 1 season, believing it is too early to declare its tyre issues "fixed" but believes the hard work over the winter is starting to "pay off". "The performance this year in general has been encouraging," Magnussen told media including RacingNews365.

"We were able to get both cars in the points, and okay, we were helped by a few people crashing out, but that is part of the game too. We beat some of the cars that we're in the constructors' battle with, we started behind one [Stake] and one Williams - and finished ahead of those.”

"The virtual safety car [for Hamilton's retirement] didn't help me, but we worked as a team, and finished with two cars in the points and with decent pace. The car has a bigger window, it has not necessarily got more downforce, it's just more usable downforce and it is now good in more than just one condition.”

‘Magnussen cautious’;

https://racingnews365.com/magnussen-...g-cool-pay-off

Hulkenberg warns it could ‘take very little’ to derail Haas progress
29th March 2024, 08:21
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Nico Hulkenberg is happy with Haas’ early progress in the young 2024 season, but cautions against complacency, warning that it could take very little to disrupt the team’s fortunes.

“I think we’ve made very good progress in a very little amount of time, actually, in December, where the aero guys found a lot of performance and somehow straightened out the aero map problems we had last year,” commented Hulkenberg last weekend in Australia, quoted by MotorsportWeek.

“And that just means much more consistency on Sunday and therefore better tyre life and characteristics.” Despite the progress, Hulkenberg says Haas must not get carried away as ongoing challenges remain. “I think you’ve got to be careful with all these conclusions,” he cautioned.

‘Take very little’ to derail Haas progress’;

https://f1i.com/news/503901-hulkenbe...-progress.html

Hulkenberg explains the key to his points finish in Australia
07:15 Sun, 24 Mar 2024.
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Nico Hulkenberg scored points for the second race on the bounce this weekend in Melbourne – but admitted afterwards he was helped by a couple of DNFs, as well as a timely VSC.

‘Key to his points finish’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...979667763.html

Magnussen praises the ‘encouraging’ pace shown by Haas following design woes of 2023
Magnussen admitted that despite there being an improvement in performance for Haas, their season isn't "fixed"
March 27, 2024
Oliver Brindle
FormulaNerds

Haas leaving the past behind them. Haas finished bottom of the Constructors’ Championship in 2023. However, following the conclusion of the third race of the season, the US-based team sit seventh ahead of three teams, all on zero points. Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu also stated that their pre-season testing in Bahrain programme would focus on fixing their tyre management issue.

The improvement for Haas has seen a boost in their race pace, with Magnussen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg scoring a point at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. “New tyres, low fuel last year was okay, but we really struggled in the race, so the team has focused in that direction over the winter,” added the Dane.

“So it is really cool to see it pay off and we just need to continue like that and go further in that direction. I don’t think we can say the whole season is fixed, but it is encouraging so far and we want to keep going.”

‘An improvement in performance for Haas’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/ma...-woes-of-2023/

Haas ‘happy’ to take Oliver Bearman for 2025 F1 season on one condition
Thu 28 March 2024 19:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Haas are willing to hand Oliver Bearman a full-time F1 debut in 2025, but journalist Joe Saward says there are conditions attached. Bearman won the driver of the day award when he stood in for an unwell Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this month.

And Saward, writing on his personal website, says this could help secure the Ferrari junior a drive for next year if they meet the terms. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu regards him as a ‘total package’ and knows both Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are approaching the end of their contracts. Saward says that Haas are ready to put their faith in Bearman and will likely favour Hulkenberg over Magnussen as his partner.

However, they will want a ‘discount’ on their Ferrari on power unit before they agree. “In any case, Bearman is definitely in the picture as Ferrari will be keen to train up a youngster to be ready to replace Lewis Hamilton when he retires. That might not be until 2028, but that would give Bearman time to learn F1, as Charles Leclerc once did with Sauber, back in the day.”

‘Haas want engine discount in exchange for hiring Oliver Bearman’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/haa...one-condition/

Steiner not surprised by Haas’ scoring start to F1 season
Thursday, 28 Mar 2024 9:08 AM MYT
Malay Mail

LONDON, March 28 — Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner said he was not surprised by the team’s stronger than expected start to the Formula One season and suggested they had deliberately talked down their prospects.

“The team and (former technical director) Simone Resta, they did a good job because the car was done last year. It was done before I left,” Steiner told a video call on Wednesday after being announced as an ambassador for May’s Miami Grand Prix. “The car was finished, it was in assembly already,” added the Italian, who was replaced by Komatsu in January.

“I actually had it right, where they ended up to be, because I knew the numbers from the wind tunnel where the team should end up. I think at the beginning they played it down to have an excuse for it to start off with, and then it was better than they expected. That is for me wrong to do.”

‘Deliberately talked down their prospects’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...Steiner#search

Guenther Steiner hits out at former team Haas over their ‘wrong’ F1 2024 approach
28 Mar 2024 8:00 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Guenther Steiner has said he believes the mentality taken by Haas into the 2024 F1 season was the “wrong thing to do”. He believes that his former squad shouldn’t have moved to downplay expectations coming into 2024 and that their current form hasn’t come as a surprise to him.

“They did a good job and I always told Gene Haas [team owner] that I actually had it right on where they ended up to be, because I knew the numbers from the wind tunnel,” Steiner said. “I think, in the beginning, they played it down to have an excuse to start off with and then it was better than they expected.”

“That is, for me, wrong to do. And I think everybody was convinced it was this path, I was convinced that’s what it was. But, in my opinion, it’s not about this year, it’s about the mid-term. You can go from year to year and every year you can say: ‘Oh, we are bad’ and then you do better than you are. I’m not saying I… I say the team and Simone Resta did a good job because the car was done last year, it was done before I left,” he said. “The car was finished, it was in assembly already.”

‘Mentality taken by Haas into the 2024 F1 season was the “wrong thing to do”!’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...-2024-approach

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