New arrival on F1 2026 calendar as Mercedes W15 drivers face nervy wait – F1 news round-up.
Mercedes technical director James Allison has said both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are in a pattern of keeping in touch with the team where they can, but all they can do for now is keep ‘observing’ until the W15 is ready to drive.
23 Jan 2024 10:00 PM
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

“Both drivers, their role over the winter is very largely to look after their physical condition,” he said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. “[To] make sure that they’re mentally prepared, and just stay in touch with us about our successes and failures as we are going through the hoops of getting the car specified, built, tested, and ready for them.”

“It isn’t really a part of the year where they can have other than an observing role with what we’re doing. Once the car is running and once the car is talking to us, the person that is the interpreter is the driver, and then their voices start to have much greater weight. So over the winter, it’s just getting themselves ready for the new challenge.”

‘New arrival on F1 2026 calendar’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-new...es-drivers-w15


F1 expert says one team’s aero department aren’t putting their drivers’ best interests first
Tue 23 January 2024 16:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Speaking on The Race Podcast, F1 expert Gary Anderson is concerned with the team’s aerodynamics department and the progress they’re making. Anderson is now concerned that Alpine are producing results in the wind tunnel that might be pleasing the management team but not the drivers. Speaking about Alpine’s development, Anderson said: “These cars don’t just go in straight lines, they do go around corners and I’ve never heard of a driver complain of understeer and oversteer in a straight line, it’s usually around a corner. So, you need to get your aerodynamic package to cope with all of that stuff. And that’s where I think that I’m a bit cautious in saying that Alpine seem to not be able to take in the big picture so much.”

“I think they run under a little bit of a strange thing where it’s more important to find points of downforce in the wind tunnel to make their management happy than it is to find points of consistent downforce in the wind tunnel that will make the driver happy. There are teams that are like that, you’ve got to go back and show your big boss, look at how good we are in the wind tunnel and it’s wrong. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards and it’s very important to do that.”

“The driver can only drive what is the confidence the car gives him and if it gives him confidence he will push harder. I question I suppose, Alpine’s aerodynamic ability to lay out an aero profile that they try and pursue in the wind tunnel. I think they go at it just week in, week out trying to improve the car but it’s very easy to dig a bigger hole for yourself than the one you’re in by just making your problems bigger.”

‘Producing results in the wind tunnel that might be pleasing the management team’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/f1-...terests-first/


Racing ID: Palmer dissects the driving styles of the 2024 F1 grid
23 Jan 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

In this new F1 TV show, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer jumps in the sim to dissect the driving techniques and styles of the 2024 F1 drivers.

‘Racing ID: Palmer dissects the driving styles’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...826282386.html


The Drive to Excel: Top Five F1 Teams Facing a Crucial 2024
Posted: Jan 23, 2024 | Updated: Jan 23, 2024
By Aaron Teasdale
World In Sport

This season is crucial for several teams who are under the spotlight to demonstrate their capabilities. Let’s delve into five teams that are particularly under pressure to prove their worth this year.
Aston Martin: With substantial investment and a state-of-the-art facility in the making, Aston Martin is expected to break out of the midfield and challenge the top teams.

McLaren: The 2024 season is pivotal for McLaren to re-establish themselves as a top-tier competitor.
Alpine: h a strong driver lineup and a renewed focus on technological advancement, the team is under pressure to return to the forefront of the grid and live up to its name.

Williams F1 Team: The 2024 season is crucial for Williams to demonstrate that they can recapture some of their past glory.
Haas F1 Team: The 2024 season is a crucial year for Haas to prove that they can be more than just an occasional points scorer.

‘F1 Teams Facing a Crucial 2024’;

https://worldinsport.com/the-drive-t.../?nowprocket=1


F1 chiefs ‘green light’ sprint race changes: Will we see reverse grids?
January 23, 2024
By Joe Krishnan
Total Motorsport

Formula 1 chiefs are ready to make further changes to the current format of the F1 Sprint to ensure the divisive race format is accepted on a wider scale by fans, drivers and teams. Sprint races have changed the face of F1 to bring in more racing action for the new influx of fans, but not everyone is satisfied with the way the format has altered the fabric of motorsport’s most esteemed racing series.

According to German magazine Motorsport Aktuell, the idea of swapping the F1 Sprint to Saturday morning and scheduling Qualifying for Sunday’s race on Saturday afternoon has received the green light. Under this proposal, teams would be allowed to break parc ferme rules without receiving a sanction and offering spectators some variety in the main event.

This will please Max Verstappen, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the format, despite amassing the most points from the sprint since its inception in 2021. The Dutchman believes that practice is more important for teams to set up their cars and thinks sprint races should be abolished completely. “We should just get rid of the sprint weekend and then everyone can just set up their cars normally,” Verstappen told reporters in October.

‘F1 chiefs ‘green light’ sprint race changes’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-green-light-sprint-race-changes-reverse-grids-2024/


VIDEO: Whatever it Takes, the AlphaTauri F1 documentary
The world of motor racing is all about speed, adrenalin and incredible stories and our team is no exception.
24 January 2024
by Speedcafe.com
Speedcafe

Franz Tost, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Jody Egginton and Peter Bayer talk you through the beating heart of the AlphaTauri F1 team in the ‘Whatever it Takes' F1 documentary. Going behind the scenes as never before in Formula 1, the film delves into the secrets of the Faenza factory in Italy and the Bicester wind tunnel in the UK.

It's a story that goes back to the Scuderia Toro Rosso days, which included its first-ever win at Monza in 2008 and the challenges it faced in the years that followed. It also features the team's drivers over the past 20 years, such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, as well as covering the change to Scuderia AlphaTauri in 2020, with new facilities, more ambitious goals and another win.

‘Speed, adrenalin and incredible stories’;


https://speedcafe.com/video-whatever...1-documentary/