2023 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Hamilton concerned Red Bull 'hasn't touched' F1 car since August.
The downbeat seven-time world champion reckoned the scale of Red Bull’s dominance, given it has not brought a performance upgrade since the Dutch GP in last August, should be a “concern”.
27th November 2023, 09:25
AUTHORMatt Kew
Motorsport.com

Lewis Hamilton is ‘concerned’ about the size of the recovery facing Mercedes given Red Bull dominated Formula 1’s 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix despite not ‘touching the car since August'.

“Not great,” he said of his mood. “I just finished ninth; two really bad races [seventh in Las Vegas]. Red Bull won by 17 seconds and have not touched the car since August. So, you can pretty much guess where they're going to be next year… I was just slow throughout the race.”

Addressing the prospect of Mercedes overcoming its ground-effects slump to take the fight to rival Red Bull next season, Hamilton added: “[Red Bull] haven't even developed their car since August; it’s definitely a concern. But we've learned a lot about the car and it's just down to the team now and they know what they need to do. Whether or not we'll get there, we'll see.”

‘Red Bull 'hasn't touched' F1 car since August’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...gust/10552496/


Mercedes and Hamilton admit there is 'Everest to climb' to catch Red Bull next year.
27th November 2023, 10:00
BYRICHARD NEWMAN
TNT Sports

Red Bull are so far ahead that the rest of the Formula One teams have a “Mount Everest to climb” to catch up with them in 2024, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has warned there is a “Mount Everest to climb in order to catch up with Red Bull” in the 2024 Formula One season.

“There is a Mount Everest to climb in order to catch up with Red Bull,” Wolff said after the race. “Red Bull started the new regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and they have been able to maintain it. We have a lot of respect for their achievements, from the engineering side, and the driver. Beating them under the current regulations is against the odds.”

Looking ahead to 2024, Hamilton was downbeat about Mercedes’ chances, even though the team are going through a complete redesign for the next campaign. “Red Bull won by 17 seconds and they have not touched the car since August or July,” Hamilton said. “So you can pretty much guess where they’re going to be next year. It’s not been a great year in general so there’s not a lot to take from it.”

‘A Mount Everest to climb’;

https://www.tntsports.co.uk/formula-...17/story.shtml


F1 2023 season report card: Red Bull flourish while Mercedes flounder
27th November 2023.09:50
Kieran Jackson, Formula 1 Correspondent
The Independent

So that’s that. 22 and out for Formula 1 in 2023. A season dominated, in all but one race, by Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Christian Horner’s team won 21 of the 22 races, with Verstappen claiming his record-extending 19th victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. It has been a near-faultless campaign, with the team securing their first ever one-two in the drivers’ championship too thanks to Sergio Perez’s runner-up spot.

But what about Mercedes and Ferrari, trailing in their wake? Aston Martin and McLaren were in the mix up top at different points of the season – while Williams took big steps in their first year under James Vowles. From 10th in the final 2023 constructors’ standings to first, we hand out the report cards to all 10 teams after another F1 season comes to a close.

‘Report card’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/f1/f1-...-b2453845.html


The incredible records set by Max Verstappen in most dominant F1 season ever
27 Nov 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Max Verstappen capped off the most dominant season in F1 history with a comfortable victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It marked the Red Bull driver’s 19th win in 22 races at the end of a season in which the Dutchman claimed his third consecutive championship crown.

Verstappen broke several records during an astonishing campaign. Here are all of them…
Wins: 19 (from 22 races)
Best win percentage: 86.36% (breaking Alberto Ascari’s record that stood since 1952)
Most consecutive wins: 10
Podiums: 21 (out of 22)
Points: 575 (out of 620 - 92.7% of possible points)
Laps led: 1003 (out of 1383)
Points gap to P2: 290 points

‘Incredible records set by Max Verstappen’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104218...er?language=en


Alain Prost in awe of Verstappen’s record-breaking F1 season
27 Nov 2023, 08:35
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Alain Prost, a revered name in the annals of Formula 1, has expressed admiration for Max Verstappen’s remarkable dominance in the 2023 season. Prost, known for his own era of supremacy alongside Ayrton Senna at McLaren, watched Verstappen and Red Bull rewrite history with an unprecedented 95.5 percent winning rate – 21 wins out of 22 races.

Prost, a quadruple world champion, viewed the 2023 season through the lens of a fan, detached from team affiliations. He recognized the criticism of a single team and driver’s dominance but chose to see it as a testament to Red Bull and Verstappen’s hard work. “When someone dominates like that, it’s the sum of the work that is necessary that you are seeing. And all you can say is congratulations,” Prost remarked.

“If you want to get to that level, you have to work better. I understand if it is frustrating at times, but on a personal level I thought it was great.” Regarding Verstappen, Prost believes the young Dutch driver’s unique blend of dedication, passion, and evolving skill sets him apart. “Max is still very young, but the focus he had on his career from the start and the passion for motorsport are very important,” Prost observed. He highlighted Verstappen’s candid nature and commitment to the sport, factors that contribute to his ongoing success and development as a formidable racer in Formula 1.

‘Alain Prost in awe’;

https://grandpx.news/alain-prost-in-...ing-f1-season/


Max Verstappen and his girlfriend Kelly Piquet share a victory kiss after he wins the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Published: 08:41, 27 November 2023
By Lily Jobson For Mailonline
Mail Online

Max Verstappen shared a victory kiss with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet after winning the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday. The Belgium-Dutch native, 26, completed a record-breaking season after winning an incredible 19th win from 22 races at the action-packed Red Bull race.

And to celebrate his astounding efforts that will go down in history, his model girlfriend, 34, was there to witness his triumph. The couple, who went public with their relationship on New Year's Day in 2021, looked happier than ever. The couple were also snapped seconds after the race finished, as Kelly could be seen reaching over the stands to congratulate Max with a kiss.

The Brazilian model looked sensational in a brown-tied corset top and slipped into a chic pair of white trousers. Max couldn't wipe the smile off his face after bagging another victory to add to his list of wins.

‘Sharing a victory kiss’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...rand-Prix.html

[Fortitude]

‘Absolutely flying’: Martin Brundle was seriously impressed with how quick 33-year-old driver…
Martin Brundle was very impressed with how quick Sergio Perez was during the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
27th November 2023, 08:31
F1 Oversteer

Brundle was commentating alongside David Croft on Sky Sports F1 (26/11 2:12pm) and enjoyed the Mexican’s drive through the pack. Starting ninth in Abu Dhabi, Perez drove very well on the whole to work his way up the standings and Martin Brundle was impressed with his overall pace.

Speaking about the battle for the minor points yesterday, Brundle said: “They seem to be don’t they the Spanish drivers [Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz] but [Sergio] Perez then just 1.3 behind Lando Norris now. He’s only 4.1 behind George Russell, Perez is absolutely flying along on those fresh tyres.”

Perez will take heart from how he drove through the pack in Abu Dhabi and as Brundle suggests, he was flying when he changed his tyres. His penalty cost him a guaranteed place on the podium and although he wouldn’t have finished second were it not for the unique circumstances in the Constructors’ Championship, he’s got plenty to fight for next year including his place in the Red Bull team.

‘Absolutely flying’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...-in-abu-dhabi/


Christian Horner’s quip at Ferrari for doing ‘half the job’ in Abu Dhabi
27 Nov 2023 11:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Christian Horner says Charles Leclerc made the right call allowing Sergio Perez to pass him in Abu Dhabi, but he only did “half the job” as he didn’t back up George Russell. Leclerc deliberately slowed and Perez shot through up into second. It was thought that Leclerc would then try back up Russell by slowing him, but he opted not to.

Horner says that was why Ferrari didn’t beat Mercedes to second place. “Well, it was a logical thing to do from Ferrari’s position,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “The problem is they only did half the job.”

“They let Checo through and I think Checo demonstrated in that section of the circuit, you can hold up quite a bit of time there. So I think Charles needed to hold off George a little more to get that extra second. But it just means we’ve got a different neighbour next year.”

‘Half the job’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...-job-abu-dhabi


Vasseur says Leclerc right not to back up Russell – Perez disagrees
27/11/2023 at 13:19
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says Charles Leclerc was right not to hold up George Russell at the end of the Abu Dhabi GP as part of a last-ditch effort to swing the runner-up spot in the championship into the Scuderia’s camp.

After the race, Perez said that he had realized what Leclerc was attempting to do but admitted to being surprised that Leclerc did not hold up Russell more than he did, and especially through Yas Marina’s third sector.

“I mean, I was surprised that I thought Charles was going to hold back George in the end, you know, a bit in the final sector because I think I finished 1.1 seconds from George and thought he was going to hold him back,” said the Mexican. “It was quite easy to do in the final sector, but maybe he didn’t have the full information.”

‘Surprised that Leclerc did not hold up Russell’;

https://f1i.com/news/495390-vasseur-...disagrees.html


Ferrari ‘only half-did the job’ using Leclerc to keep Perez ahead of Russell – Horner
Formula 1
Posted on 27th November 2023, 8:14
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Ferrari didn’t go far enough in their efforts to use Charles Leclerc to hold up George Russell in their bid to claim second place in the constructors’ championship, says Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Horner pointed out Red Bull had used Perez to delay Lewis Hamilton successfully in the same race two years ago, and said Ferrari should have done the same.

“It was a logical thing to do in Ferrari’s position,” said Horner. “The problem is they only half-did the job. They let Checo through, but then didn’t – I think, as Checo’s demonstrated, in that sector of the circuit you can hold up quite a bit of time. So I think Charles needed to hold off George a little more to get that extra second.”

Leclerc revealed he decided on the gambit “as soon as I was aware about the five-second penalty” for Perez. “Then I was asking constantly the gap between George and Checo. “Then they told me that Checo had passed George, so I knew Checo was behind me and his best chance was obviously to get the DRS from me and try and pull away as much as possible from George. So I knew that there was quite a bit of discussion between my engineer and myself and I let him know as well that this was my plan but it didn’t work out.”

‘Ferrari only half-did the job’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/11/27/...ussell-horner/


Vasseur and Perez disagree on Leclerc’s late Abu Dhabi ploy
27th November 2023, 09:44
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has disagreed with Sergio Perez that Charles Leclerc should have held up George Russell in the final sector at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Vasseur denied that Leclerc could have executed the strategy better, citing how it would have been difficult for him to ensure he also still remained ahead of Perez.

“Too fair, I don’t think so,” Vasseur said when asked about Leclerc’s tactics. “That’s because you could imagine, to block Russell, then you have also to be sure that Perez is in between you and Russell. If you want to block Russell, it’s a matter of hundreds of seconds. I’m not a big fan of this. We did our best in a fair way when we let Perez go, to give him the DRS, to try to help us, but too much would have been too much.”

“I’m not a big fan of this”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...bu-dhabi-ploy/


Under-pressure Perez sets BOLD target for 2024
Monday 27 November 2023 13:42
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Sergio Perez has admitted that he must improve his pace if he is to challenge for the championship next season alongside Max Verstappen. Perez: I was not totally at one, “One more better! I think we need better pace, better consistency,” he told Sky Sports F1. “I think we went through a bit of a rollercoaster this year. Next year we have a new opportunity. To be honest, I felt like I was not totally at one with the car.”

“I hope that next year will be a lot better, a lot stronger. We came back towards the end of the year.’ I think the last few race shave been a lot stronger for us. He’s [Max] has done the best season in the history, he’s been outstanding.”

Perez now has three months to sit down and reflect on the season, as he attempts to find a way to set himself up to beat the formidable Verstappen and the resurgent Lewis Hamilton in 2024. Unless he has a stellar year, it’s unlikely that he will be around in 2025, with a few junior drivers waiting in the wings for a chance at the top.

‘BOLD target for 2024’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rovement-2024/

[Fortitude]

Wolff is wrong - catching Red Bull is far greater challenge than 'climbing Mount Everest'.
If Red Bull are Everest at 29,032 feet then Mercedes and Ferrari must be considered to be Mount Fuji at a lowly 12,395 feet. That is the gulf between them.

You need believe that you have given yourself a stronger platform to launch an attack next time around. But both Mercedes and Ferrari failed miserably at that. Mercedes is in a mess and two years into the rules cycle looks as far away as ever from truly getting its head around ground effects while to its credit, Ferrari did come on strong in the second-half of the season, but it was far too little, too late.

Both squads have effectively wasted a second year trying to catch Red Bull, who will head into year three of ground effects with an effective two-year head start as Mercedes and Ferrari start from scratch with new concepts. The RB20 will be a gentle evolution of the crushing RB19, and has been in development since the middle of the year with Red Bull able to turn the development taps towards 2024 and let the RB19 do its thing safe in the knowledge Mercedes and Ferrari, Singapore aside, were simply not up to scratch.

No wonder then Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed "there is Mount Everest to climb to catch Red Bull." But the challenge is far greater than that…..

‘Greater challenge than climbing Mount Everest';

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-is-w...-mount-everest


WOLFF: ‘WE ARE CHANGING THE CONCEPT’ AS MERCEDES LOOKS AT COMPLETE REDESIGN TO CHALLENGE RED BULL NEXT SEASON
Wolff has claimed that given the right car, Lewis Hamilton “will be fighting for a world championship” once again
November 27, 2023
Oliver Brindle
FormulaNerds

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has labelled Lewis Hamilton “the greatest driver in the world” following a “bad weekend” for the Brit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, the Austrian compared the German team’s chances of overthrowing Red Bull’s domination next season to that of climbing Mount Everest.

“We had to be honest that this car was never going to be good enough to fight for a world championship. We took the decision in April to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different for next year. We are changing the concept. We are moving away from how we laid out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow, literally every component has been changed because only by doing that do we have a chance. You could get it wrong also. Everything is possible.”

‘WE ARE CHANGING THE CONCEPT’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/wo...l-next-season/


Wolff reveals Mercedes will keep 'important' 2023 car
Monday 27 November 2023 22:27
Sam Cook
GPFans

Toto Wolff has said that Mercedes won't just 'push the car into a corner somewhere' after a disappointing 2023 campaign. "I'm torn. Today we ‘won’ second place, but it still reminds you that it's not the first place," he said, speaking to Sky Germany after the Abu Dhabi GP. "That's why I always said that 2nd or 3rd makes little difference to me. It is important for the team that we now take the momentum with us from a positive weekend after so many negative ones. We just have to do a better job next year.”

"My first reaction is always that I want to push the car into a corner somewhere, but these two cars are important. Last year's car was so bold with the radical design we had. On paper it was fast but in reality it wasn't. That was a step that was perhaps important for our long-term development. We stuck with the car because we won in Brazil and we were really good there.”

“But then this year it was clear from the start that it wasn't possible. These cars are important in a way that you remember how quickly you can get it wrong. Well, someone said to us today that if you add up the last ten years, it was second, first, first, first, first, first, first, first, third, second. If we look back in 20 years, it won't sound so bad, but we want to keep fighting at the front for now."

‘Keep 'important' 2023 car’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...car-important/


Toto Wolff wrong about Red Bull as Lewis Hamilton's F1 fate is painfully clear
Red Bull finished the 2023 F1 season with more than double the points gathered by any other team while Max Verstappen alone scored more points than Lewis Hamilton and George Russell combined
12:46 Mon, 27 Nov 2023.
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Toto Wolff compared the Mercedes' challenge of catching rivals Red Bull in 2024 to climbing Mount Everest. You wish, Toto. Scaling the biggest mountain on the planet seems a whole lot more likely for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell than either of them dethroning Max Verstappen next season.

But there are so many factors that are working against them - not least the strength of the competition. Red Bull created a car so fast and Verstappen was on such lethal form throughout 2023 that they could have not bothered fielding Sergio Perez at all and still won both titles at a canter. The performance gap remains massive.

And, as Hamilton pointed out after limping to ninth in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, that's after months of Red Bull not developing their RB19 car at all to focus solely on their next racing machine. A significant head start places Red Bull in pole position when it comes to getting their next challenger ready for the 2024 season. Right now, it's hard to imagine any scenario other than Christian Horner's team rocking up to pre-season testing in Bahrain with another car in a league of its own.

‘Toto Wolff wrong about Red Bull’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...ilton-31537783


Wolff: 'Hamilton will win eighth F1 title' - if Mercedes delivers
28 November 5:00AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

"From Lewis's perspective, he had a bad weekend," Wolff told media including RacingNews365. "That doesn't do anything about him being the greatest driver in the world, and if we are able to give him a car, then he will be fighting for a World Championship. I have no doubt.”

"It is clear that when you have a Formula 1 car like we have now, you will never lead with it and have good and bad weekends. But at the end, every time when we've seen that Lewis has somebody as a target in front of him, and it was about winning the race, then the real Lewis comes alive.”

"We just need to give him a car, that is the first thing. The second thing is that we have board in our factory showing all the Constructors' World Championship titles since 1958, and the table goes until 2050.”

'Hamilton will win eighth F1 title' – if……..’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-hami...cedes-delivers

[Fortitude]

Did Leclerc miss chances to be more ruthless against Mercedes?
The immediate aftermath… …variants of one question in particular: could Leclerc have gone further?
Nov 27, 2023
by Jack Benyon
The Race

Knowing that Perez had passed Russell, Leclerc forfeited what had been a 2.3-second advantage at the start of the final lap by slowing down enough on the approach to the Turn 5 hairpin to allow Perez both to gain DRS for the run down the back straight and to move into second on the road.

It's at this point you ask whether Leclerc could have done more; with the long straight that followed, it’s possible Leclerc could have given Perez DRS while staying ahead on the run to the Turn 6/7 switchback, then done the same on the DRS-assisted run to Turn 9, before bailing out of the way of the Red Bull.

Providing Perez understood this tactic, he’d have had the benefit of both a few km/h extra in the wake of the Ferrari down to Turn 6/7 plus another full dose of DRS to blitz past Leclerc. Maybe it wouldn't have been enough, but it surely would have offered a better chance of finding the extra one second needed to drop Perez in that gap between Leclerc and Russell.

‘Could Leclerc have gone further?’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/c...bi-grand-prix/


How Leclerc missed an unsportsmanlike trick to give Ferrari second in constructors’ championship
Charles Leclerc could have employed some on the limit tactics to deny Mercedes second place in the Constructors' Championship
November 27, 2023
By John Smith
Total Motorsport

Leclerc could have been very cheeky. There was a bit more Leclerc could have done though to try and make the gap between Russell and Perez more than five seconds.

Think back to the famous 2021 Abu Dhabi GP for a moment. Ironically, Perez held up Hamilton with an incredible defence in the middle of the race, costing the Mercedes driver around seven seconds from just over one lap.

He parked his car on the apexes and really slowed Hamilton down. Leclerc could have tried something similar on the last lap with Russell, but would have the problem of needing to finish within five seconds of Perez himself while putting Russell more than five seconds behind.

‘Charles Leclerc could have employed some on the limit tactics’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...-championship/


Leclerc on Ferrari’s battle with Mercedes: ‘We gave absolutely everything, and it wasn’t enough’
26 Nov 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Charles Leclerc said he was desperate to help Ferrari seal P2 in the constructors’ championship ahead of Mercedes, but despite his second place in the season finale, it wasn’t quite enough.

‘Desperate’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...520190805.html


Charles Leclerc’s extreme efforts fail to prevent Ferrari embarrassment
Mercedes pipped Ferrari to second in the Constructors' Championship by just three points at the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP.
27 November 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Charles Leclerc did everything that he could on Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to try and help Ferrari defeat Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, something the Italians ultimately failed to do.

In the closing laps, Leclerc got onto the radio to inform Ferrari that he’d try and give Perez slipstream and then P2, so that he could have clean air and build a five-second advantage over Russell. “Tell me the gap between Checo and Russell!” Leclerc said over the radio.

“If there is less than five seconds I will give him the slipstream and let him past.” This is exactly what Leclerc did, although Russell was still able to remain within five seconds of the Red Bull driver.

‘Extreme efforts’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/charles-l...embarrassment/


Charles Leclerc blast over team radio perfectly sums up his Ferrari frustration
Directly after finishing second in the Abu Dhabi GP Charles Leclerc could be heard swearing on team radio as he continues to show frustration toward Ferrari.
05:11, Mon, Nov 27, 2023
By JOSEPH MCBRIDE
Daily and Sunday Express

Ferrari finished four points behind Mercedes as George Russell made his way onto the podium despite their best efforts to keep him in fourth place. Leclerc allowed Red Bull driver Sergio Perez to pass him during the race as he still had a five-second penalty to serve, and Ferrari hoped their driver could overtake again and leave Russell stuck behind.

Their efforts failed and Leclerc was dejected at the end of the race, with his mood continuing as he stood on the podium next to Verstappen and Russell. It was picked up on the team radio that Leclerc had been denied some fun after racing action had finished for 2023, and the driver swore in frustration.

"I do some burnouts?" Leclerc said after the race, in what would be his final time in the car until next season. "No, no burnouts," the team replied. "For f*** sake, not even this?" Leclerc shouted back.

‘Ferrari frustration’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...dio-Ferrari-F1


FERRARI BOSS BLAMES LECLERC FOR LOSING P2 IN CONSTRUCTORS’
The Italian outfit settled for third in the Championship behind Mercedes
November 26, 2023
James Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

Vasseur puts the blame on Leclerc: Speaking after the race, Vasseur was disappointed to end the season behind historic rivals Mercedes. He believes Leclerc could have done more to swing the results in favour of the Italian team.

He told Sky Sports F1: “Yeah, it was Charles, could have been a bit more aggressive and to try to slow down Russell.” Nevertheless, the Ferrari Team Principal was happy to see the Scuderia achieve another podium.

He added: “But on the other end, I think for the team, it’s also important to finish on the positive tone… Charles P2 in the race and to finish like this, I think it’s a first good step for next year.” Leclerc also commented on his last gasp tactics to help out his team, claiming it was his own decision.

‘Could have been a bit more aggressive’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/fe...-constructors/

[Fortitude]

McLaren F1 boss makes bullish title prediction ahead of 2024.
Team boss Brown is in positive spirits ahead of next year's challenge, though he did concede that Red Bull are the favourites to retain their crown.
Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:57
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Zak Brown is confident in McLaren's ability to challenge in 2024 but admitted that Red Bull will still be the team to beat at the front of the Formula 1 field. "Well it's probably going to be Red Bull but I would not want to rule anybody else out," he told Sky Sports F1. "There’s a lot of great teams on the grid. We're feeling really good about our car for next year.

"[It's] hard to kind of know when Red Bull maybe stopped developing this year's car to get going on next year's. But we definitely feel like we will take a step forward but so will the entire grid and we’re just going to have to wait and see."

McLaren have just under three months to prepare their car for pre-season testing in Bahrain, where they will get a measure of whether they will be able to compete for their first title in over a decade.

‘Bullish title prediction’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-bull-f1-2024/


Domenicali points to McLaren as proof gains can be made in 2024
28 November 1:25PM
Author Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has voiced his expectation that the Formula 1 grid will see closer competition during next year's campaign - and pointed to McLaren as an example. Despite Red Bull's dominant season, Domenicali pointed to McLaren's progress throughout the year to counter the argument after the Woking-based squad rose from back-of-the-grid competition to consistent podium contention by the end of the year.

“With regard to the sporting side of it, I would say congratulations to Max,” Domenicali said. “It was something impressive in terms of maturity in terms of standards, to Red Bull, but also what I would bring home for that is on the sporting side once again, [there are] two elements.”

“One - to the ones that will say with a budget cap you cannot develop the car, I would say McLaren proves that is not right. You saw qualifying [in Abu Dhabi], 20 cars in less than one second. So qualifying, we are very, very close. Of course, race pace is different. And I think that these will be the major things that we're going to see different next year.”

‘McLaren as proof gains can be made’;

https://racingnews365.com/domenicali...er-competition


McLaren left standing in F1’s game of power unit musical chairs
28 Nov 2023 7:30 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

In 2023, the percentage of customer teams on the grid was 60%. In 2026, that number will lower to 40%. The new regulations brought in for that season onwards have already impacted the sport. Audi have secured their place. Honda and Ford were convinced to return to the fold while General Motors will enter as a power unit provider at the very least.

Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Alpine have their own in-house engine supplier with Red Bull’s going fully independent on that date. Aston Martin have secured what stands to be an extremely beneficial works deal with Honda and Sauber will become the works team of Audi.

That leaves, for now at least, McLaren, Williams, AlphaTauri and Haas as potential customers for those engine suppliers to lure. While AlphaTauri will stay with Red Bull and Haas most likely stick with Ferrari, that means just McLaren and Williams were the variables and it was the former that was of most interest.

‘McLaren left standing’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclare...cedes-reaction


McLaren F1 chief admits Mercedes deal was 'no-brainer'
Monday 27 November 2023 12:57
Sam Cook
GPFans

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has given his thoughts on the team's renewed engine partnership with Mercedes, revealing that the deal was never in any doubt. The Woking-based team will continue to use Mercedes power units until at least 2030, after a new contract was recently signed between the two teams.

Now, Brown has had his say on the continued partnership between the two teams. “We were always going to continue with Mercedes," he told Sky Sports at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Of course you do due diligence and see what everyone else is up to, to make a final decision. We’ve got a long history with Mercedes, we got back to our winning ways with Mercedes, they’ve done an outstanding job.”

"We’ve got a really close collaboration and I think we'll be even closer now. It was pretty much a no-brainer but they just had to work through the details. We’re really happy to announce it and have a real focus for the team that we know what we’re doing moving forward.”

'No-brainer';

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...s-engine-deal/


McLaren agrees F1 deal to lure Monster Energy from Mercedes
21:14 Tue, 28 Nov 2023.
AUTHORMatt Kew
Motorsport.com

Monster Energy has partnered with McLaren on what is described as a “multi-year” contract, which will lead to the recognisable ‘M’ logo featuring on the helmets, race suits, caps and drinks bottles (branded in the past by Coca-Cola) of drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from the 2024 season.

While McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has used his vast experience in the commercial and marketing sectors to bring on board an array of high-profile sponsors such as Google, Dell and British American Tobacco (Velo) - moves helped by the Netflix-led popularity boom for F1 - signing with Monster is made more significant since it draws the energy drink company away from rival team Mercedes.

Throughout the Three-Pointed Star’s run of eight constructors’ championship and more recent ground-effects struggles, the ‘M’ badge has featured on the helmet and race suit collar of Lewis Hamilton and team-mates Nico Rosberg and George Russell.

‘Lure Monster Energy’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...edes/10553288/


Brundle shares what really impressed him about McLaren driver Oscar Piastri
Ben Evans
Mon 27 November 2023 18:00
F1 Oversteer

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri capped off a fantastic rookie season in Formula 1 with another strong performance in Abu Dhabi according to Martin Brundle. The young Australian came home in sixth place and had some fascinating battles during the Grand Prix. Brundle hails Piastri defending in Abu Dhabi: The first driver Piastri had to showcase his talent against was George Russell, with David Croft saying:

“As George Russell tries around the outside of Oscar Piastri once again and that was a little easier for Oscar Piastri to fight. Russell’s giving it a right old go here but he just can’t take that fourth place off the Australian driver.” Brundle added: “No, he’s taken a wide, high line into that parabolic corner at the end of the second straight and Piastri’s too wise for that one and too calm.”

Later in the race, Piastri was battling Fernando Alonso and Brundle said: “He’s locked up again in turn six, that puts him out of position for seven and Alonso will again have DRS. But what impressed me there about Piastri is he didn’t go and defend fresh air, he didn’t go and make a defence he didn’t have to. He was confident enough that Alonso wasn’t going to lunge him and therefore he kept his momentum.”

“Piastri’s too wise for that one and too calm”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mar...oscar-piastri/

[Fortitude]

F1’s Messi: Why Aston Martin can’t afford to lose Alonso.
“Yes, yes, yes, and yes for every year he asks for,” de la Rosa said with a grin, showcasing his firm belief in Alonso’s continued prowess.
08:43 Sun, 26 Nov 2023.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Krack also reflected on the unique mindset that sets Alonso apart from other drivers. “I’ve worked with drivers who were not even 30 and said ‘I have achieved everything’, even though they had not really achieved much,” he observed. In contrast, Alonso’s “great mentality and enormous determination” make him a standout figure in the sport.

Toni Cuquerella, an experienced former F1 engineer, concurs with this view. He analogizes Alonso’s significance to having a talent like Messi on a football team. “You have something that is working, it is perfect, who cares about age because he’s still so fast,”

Cuquerella said, stressing the irrelevance of age in the face of Alonso’s performance. His rhetorical question, “Would you renew him? I’d say ‘Are you stupid or what?'” underlines the perceived obviousness of the decision to retain Alonso.

‘F1’s Messi’;

https://grandpx.news/f1s-messi-why-a...o-lose-alonso/


‘My best season since 2012’ – Alonso full of praise for Aston Martin after bagging fourth in the drivers’ championship
27 November 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Fernando Alonso’s shock move from Alpine to Aston Martin for the 2023 season paid off in style as the two-time world champion finished in the points in Abu Dhabi to come home fourth in the drivers' championship, his best finish for a decade.

Alonso finished the Grand Prix where he started, a seventh place rounding out a season that contained eight podium finishes. It was an eventful race for the Spaniard as he found himself going wheel to wheel with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda at times, in the end two-stopping on his way to that P7 finish.

With Lance Stroll gaining places and sneaking home in P10 by the narrowest of margins, the Grand Prix was a decent way to round off the season. "If you’d told me before this weekend that I’d finish fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, I wouldn’t have believed you – so this is a real gift," Alonso said. "I’m really pleased with the way I’ve driven all season – I think this has been my best, most consistent season of driving since 2012. I think I got the maximum from the car all season.”

‘Alonso full of praise for Aston Martin’;

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


Alonso: Aston Martin deserved better than fifth in F1 standings
09:29 Tue, 28 Nov 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Fernando Alonso says he is “hurt” by Aston Martin’s failure to overcome McLaren in Abu Dhabi, insisting the team deserved “better” than fifth in the championship. After successive placings of seventh since morphing into Aston Martin, the Silverstone squad accumulated a record total of 280 points and eight podiums across 2023.

However, Aston Martin had initially begun the year battling for second in the standings, with Alonso scooping six top-three race finishes in the opening eight rounds alone. But the British marque soon got outdeveloped by Mercedes and Ferrari once the pair finally converged to the downwash sidepod solution first pioneered by Red Bull.

Aston Martin was then also overhauled by McLaren, who overturned a 137-point deficit after the eighth round into an 11-point advantage by the time the season ended. “I mean the fifth in the Constructors hurts a little bit as I think we were better than that or we were hoping better than that at the beginning of the year,” Alonso conceded.

‘Aston Martin deserved better than fifth’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-f1-standings/


‘We had opportunities’ – Alonso picks out the races he thinks Aston Martin could have won in 2023
29 November 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin had a shot at winning both the Monaco and Dutch Grands Prix in the season gone by, saying the team deserved to stand on the top step of the podium “more than anyone else” in 2023.

Asked if a race win had been on the cards for himself and Aston Martin over the course of the season, the two-time world champion commented: “I think it was possible. Probably Monaco was the closest, with a tyre call change or something. Maybe Zandvoort if we were in a different position in that restart or something.”

“We probably had opportunities [to win] here and there, and yes, I believe that we deserve it more than anyone else this year.” Pushed to name the biggest weakness Aston Martin must eliminate for 2024, in order to make another step forward, he said: “I think we need to find some consistency.”

‘We had opportunities’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...fLtwUVXu9.html


Our 2023 season in two minutes
26.11.2023
Aston Martin F1 - Official Site

An unforgettable year on our journey and through it all, your support has driven us on. Relive our 2023 season.

Fernando's arrival, the launch of the AMR23, Lance's determined comeback from injury, eight podiums, opening the AMR Technology Campus, bringing fans closer to the sport with I / AM, making a mark beyond the racetrack, and more...

2023 has been an unforgettable year on our journey.

‘An unforgettable year’;

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...in-two-minutes


Thank you, from everyone at Aston Martin F1 Team
25.11.2023
Aston Martin F1 - Official Site

Our drivers and team-mates took the time to express our deepest thanks to you, our fans, for being with us every step of the way on our journey in 2023.

From the first roar of the engines before the season had even started to the final lap turned in Abu Dhabi, you, our fans, have been with us on our journey in 2023 – through 22 Grands Prix and six Sprints. Your commitment to our team and your support has been felt by everyone at the AMR Technology Campus and at the track.

Your passion, loyalty, and energy have been a driving force behind every unforgettable moment we've forged on and off the track. We've seen you fly your flags and wear your colours, and heard your voices cheering us on every step of the way, and for that we're very grateful.

‘Thank you, from everyone’;

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...martin-f1-team


Alonso details Abu Dhabi ‘brake test’ against ‘clever’ Hamilton
08:34 Mon, 27 Nov 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Fernando Alonso explained how his sudden reduction in speed ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stemmed from an intent to protect his position using DRS. The Aston Martin driver exited the pits for the second and final time with Hamilton right on his tail approaching the downhill, left-handed Turn 5 before the back straight.

However, Alonso gradually moved over towards the right-hand side of the circuit and then slowed, prompting Hamilton to radio in that he had been brake-tested by his rival. Following the incident, Hamilton had overhauled Alonso with the aid of DRS, only for the latter to return the favour along the next straight to preserve his advantage.

Asked to clarify his version of events, Alonso said: “Lewis is obviously very clever and understands the sport really good and has a lot of experience but I have more.” Alonso admits that he wasn’t entirely shocked by Hamilton’s protests and also referenced how the episode drew similarities to the pair’s battle in Canada 10 years ago. When asked whether he was surprised by his ex-McLaren team-mate’s remarks over the radio, Alonso replied: “Yes and no.”

“Lewis is obviously very clever…”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...ever-hamilton/

[Fortitude]

Ocon hopes Abu Dhabi test will help fix Alpine issues.
"It's going to be important to fix all of those things for next year, and start [the new season] and be on top of them." Estaban Ocon.
28/11/2023 at 13:44
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Estaban Ocon is hoping that today's test session in Abu Dhabi will have helped Alpine pin down what went wrong with their tyre management in Sunday's Grand Prix at the same venue.

Ocon started and finished the race in 12th place, putting him outside the points. His team mate Pierre Gasly began the race in tenth on a two-stopper and fared even worse, finishing just behind Ocon in 13th after an early clash with Lewis Hamilton.

It's a particular disappointment after both drivers finished the Las Vegas GP in the top ten, but illustrative of how the squad had found it difficult to sustain consistency from week to week.

‘Alpine issues’;

https://f1i.com/news/495496-ocon-hop...ne-issues.html


Ocon quickest in Abu Dhabi test
28/11/2023
NEWS STORY
Pitpass

Esteban Ocon tops the timesheets as 25 drivers pull the curtain down on the 2023 F1 season. All ten teams were represented at the test which was for young drivers and also to try the tyres for next season which in all honesty are the same as this year's.

"We had a very busy day with an important and extensive programme to go through," said pace-setter Ocon. "We ended up doing over two race distances and got through our plan successfully, testing different compounds, fuel loads and set-ups. It's always nice to see your name next to P1 but on test days these things are irrelevant!”

"We say goodbye to the A523 today, a car that brought us some highs and lows this season but which has also served as a base to emphasise the areas we need to improve in order to be better in 2024. Now it is time for some rest before starting our preparations for next season."

‘Ocon quickest’;

https://www.pitpass.com/76827/Ocon-q...Abu-Dhabi-test


‘Changing teams was always going to be difficult’ – Gasly reflects on his first year with Alpine.
26 Nov 2023
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Pierre Gasly says he knows next year he and Alpine will start “with much stronger foundations” after he spent 2023 establishing himself with his new team.

‘Pierre Gasly reflects’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...922674376.html


Gasly blames Hamilton for damage that ruined his Abu Dhabi GP
15:52 Mon, 27 Nov 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Pierre Gasly held Lewis Hamilton accountable for curtailing his hopes of a points finish in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when the Mercedes driver made contact with the Alpine.

The Frenchman was running inside the points ahead of Hamilton on Lap 16 when he locked up into Turn 6, resulting in the Briton tagging the rear of Gasly’s car at the chicane. While Hamilton informed his team that he suspected he had lost some front-end performance, the seven-time champion rallied to secure ninth position by the end.

Meanwhile, Gasly contends that the touch hampered his race prospects more as he slumped to a 13th-place finish after “losing a lot of points of downforce” on his A523. “It wasn’t my day,” Gasly rued. “I think most of the damage was done when Lewis just came at the back of my car and just destroyed the whole diffuser at the back of it.”

‘Gasly blames Hamilton’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-abu-dhabi-gp/


27-year-old F1 driver was absolutely furious with his team over the radio in Abu Dhabi
Ben Evans
Sun 26 November 2023 20:30
F1Oversteer.com

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly was not happy with his team in Abu Dhabi today and made his feelings clear over the team radio. Gasly was one of the many drivers on the grid who still had something to play for going into the final race.

Alpine decided to pit Ocon ahead of Gasly and subsequently leapfrogged him in the pit stops. The 27-year-old quickly contacted the team and said: “I don’t get how you can undercut me with the other car. I’m the leading car, I don’t understand. “You’ll have to explain to me.”

The team radio replied: “So, Esteban [Ocon] is 4.1 seconds ahead, just concentrate on tyre management, there’s a long way to go, we can make this work.” Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz explained: “Not quite sure how they’re going to make it work.”

‘Absolutely furious’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/27-...-in-abu-dhabi/


Pierre Gasly criticises Alpine as Lewis Hamilton damage wrecks Abu Dhabi finale
26 Nov 2023 7:06 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Pierre Gasly made it clear that Alpine’s undercut with his team-mate Esteban Ocon “should not happen”, though Lewis Hamilton did the main damage to his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Gasly was understandably livid with that move from his team, confirming behind-the-scenes talks will take place to ensure there is no repeat.

“It should not happen,” Gasly told media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher. “The leading car always has the priority and we know it should not happen. So, I’m sure we’ll learn from it and I’m sure it won’t happen again. I think the main conversation will happen in the office and I’m sure we’ll have it, but shouldn’t have happened.”

Shortly before that controversial Alpine call, Gasly had taken a whack from behind courtesy of Hamilton’s Mercedes. It was immediately clear that Hamilton had front wing damage, but Gasly revealed that the Alpine diffuser was “destroyed” by the impact, costing him four-tenths of a second per lap. P13 was his final position as neither Alpine driver scored points, Gasly suggesting Hamilton “missed the braking point” and only made the corner by hitting him.

‘Pierre Gasly criticises Alpine’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/pierre...lton-collision


Alpine 'happy' to resume F1 engine talks with Andretti
28 November 5:10PM
Author Fergal Walsh
Co-author Aaron Deckers

Alpine has indicated that it would be happy to re-engage in serious talks with Andretti regarding the supply of Power Units if its Formula 1 bid is successful. Andretti's F1 entry is currently under the consideration of Formula One Management after it passed the FIA's criteria to form an 11th team. Previous discussions were held between Alpine and Andretti over an engine deal but the former explained last month that the pre-contract agreement has since expired.

F1's regulations state that should a team be left without an engine partner, the manufacturer with the fewest customer teams will be assigned to provide engines. Alpine currently only supplies its works team while for 2026 when new Power Unit regulations come into play, while Audi will power its own squad and Honda will return to the grid in partnership with Aston Martin.

Andretti is set to arrive in F1 with General Motors and its Cadillac division, should its bid be accepted. General Motors has already registered as a Power Unit supplier but would only enter in 2028, potentially up to three years after Andretti forms its team on the F1 grid.

‘Happy to re-engage’;

https://racingnews365.com/alpine-hap...s-wth-andretti

[Fortitude]

Albon: Williams did the ‘bare minimum’ to secure P7 in 2023.
Alex Albon admits that the Williams Formula 1 team did the “bare minimum” during the 2023 season to secure seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship.
13:43 Tue, 28 Nov 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Having ceased development on its FW45 challenger earlier than its rivals, Albon is optimistic that Williams’ decision to allocate resources to next season will pay dividends. The Grove outfit’s future prospects have also been boosted by the recent arrival of the experienced Pat Fry, formerly of Alpine, into the position of Chief Technical Officer.

“I mean, time will tell, obviously, he’s just joined the team, and I think he’s getting up to speed very quickly,” Albon said regarding the addition of Fry this year. “I feel like he understands the areas we need to improve in as well, and he will offer that guidance and mentorship to the team.”

“So I’m very excited to have him on board and I think, you know, we’ve sacrificed a lot this year to focus on next year’s car. We haven’t upgraded for much longer than our rivals. That can only be a good thing, I think. We did the bare minimum to finish P7, and now we’re eyes on to next year, obviously having Pat on I think this will be James’ [Vowles, Williams Team Principal] first proper year where he’s had true leadership in the development of the car, so let’s see.”

‘Bare minimum’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...re-p7-in-2023/


‘Lot of catching up’: F1 chief says some of his team’s facilities are 20 years out of date compared to rivals
Ben Evans
Tue 28 November 2023 12:00
F1 Oversteer

Williams chief technical officer Pat Fry has admitted that some of the team’s facilities are now up to 20 years out of day compared to their rivals. Fry was speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast at the conclusion of the 2023 Formula 1 season. However, Fry has admitted that while some of the facilities at Williams are first-class, there are others in desperate need of improvement.

The recently introduced spending cap in F1 makes that more difficult and arguably punishes smaller teams even more than the giants of the sport. Speaking about his first few months with the team, Fry said: “Well we certainly have a lot of catching up to do. Some bits of the company are if anything better than where I’ve come from [at Alpine], there’s other bits that you can could say are 15, 20 years out of date.”

“So, we’ve certainly got a lot of work to do and it’s not just the machinery or the tools as such, it’s also the methodologies we use to actually design a car. So, we need to be thinking about all of those, trying to move to the 21st century of actually designing things.”

‘Lot of catching up’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/f1-...red-to-rivals/


Williams' championship 'never just about money' - Vowles
28/11/2023 at 16:02
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Williams went into the final race of the 2023 season knowing they had a fight on their hands to keep hold of seventh place in the constructors' championship from an in-form AlphaTauri. Despite leading the race at one point, Tsunoda came up short and Williams duly clinched P7 in the final team standings. Not losing the spot is estimated to have been worth $9 million to Williams in prize fund money.

But James Vowles, who moved from Mercedes to take over as team principal at Grove at the start of the year after the unexpected departure of Jost Capito, said that the battle had never been just about the money.

"Probably the most important thing is that it sets the foundations for the team, that they have something to build on now," he told Motorsport.com after the race. "What I wanted to do was to stand up and go: this is the start of our journey.”

‘A fight on their hands’;

https://f1i.com/news/495485-williams...ey-vowles.html


Williams reveal final consideration before confirming 2024 F1 line-up
29 Nov 2023 10:30 AM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Crossing the line in 16th place, Sargeant’s race engineer Gaetan Jego said: “Thank you, Logan. Looking forward to next year buddy.” Vowles then added over the radio: “Well done, I’m sorry we didn’t have the car underneath you today to do more than that. You’re contribution this year has been excellent. It’s been a proud moment to watch you grow across the season so far. Looking forward to the winter together and many more.”

The Briton, though, was quick to tell F1TV that “you’re getting ahead of yourself.” But, he added: “Whatever happens, Logan has been in our academy for many, many years. He will always remain a part of our academy. He’s still an excellently quick driver.”

“But I think also, if we step away from that and look at the last five races and how he’s been improving, I think you can see signs that he’s doing what we need to earn the seat. But we’re not in a position to confirm that at this point in time. The main thing I want him to be aware of, is I’m proud of the steps he’s made.”

‘Final consideration’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/willia...n-2024-line-up


Vowles coy over Sargeant's Williams future
28 November 7:10PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

When asked after the Yas Marina finale to confirm Sargeant, Vowles would not, insisting he would take his time to study Sargeant's case for a second season. "I'm afraid you're getting ahead of yourself, but whatever happens, Logan has been part of our academy for many, many years," he told F1TV when cool-down lap comments from Sargeant's engineer meant a renewal was imminent.

"He always will remain a part of our academy, he is still an excellently quick driver, but I think if we look at the last five races, he has been improving and stepping forward. There are signs he is doing what we need to earn the seat, but I am not in a position to confirm that.”

"The main thing I wanted him to be aware of is that I'm proud of the steps he's taken across this year and we have a lot of time across the winter."

‘Take his time to study’;

https://racingnews365.com/williams-s...geant-for-2024


'It looks fast' – Albon 'excited' by Williams' 2024 car after helping team seal P7 in the championship in Abu Dhabi
27 November 2023
Formula1OfficialSite

Alex Albon has already turned his attentions to Williams’ 2024 car after the team sealed seventh place in the constructors’ championship in Abu Dhabi – while Logan Sargeant reflected on his first season in Formula 1. “Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to a break, I’m dead, I’m very sick right now,” joked Albon. “I’ll use these next couple of months off and enjoy it but like you said I’m very excited for next year.”

“We’ve been spending so much time on the simulator working on next year’s car, I’ve seen the car in the wind tunnel as well – it looks great, it looks fast. I’m no aerodynamicist but if it looks wavy that’s a good sign. And on the simulator, it feels good as well. So, as you said, Christmas is only in a few weeks but for me it’s a bit more in February when we get to shakedown the car.”

'It looks fast';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...KchJOxX1U.html

[Fortitude]

Tsunoda 'unaware' of career-first in Abu Dhabi that equalled Indy 500 winner.
Yuki Tsunoda led several laps during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but the Japanese driver has admitted that he wasn't aware he was heading the field at the time.
26 November 8:30PM
Author Fergal Walsh
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Yuki Tsunoda has admitted that he had no idea he held the lead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at one stage during the race. “I gave it everything,” he told media including RacingNews365.com. “To be honest, I didn't know I was leading the pack, so I'm quite surprised about it. Looking back at the first half of the season, we never thought about leading the pack.”

“So [a] massive, massive improvement and almost every race this year we've had upgrades, it's crazy and they deserve it. I wasn't able to give the biggest gift to Franz [P7 in the Constructors' Championship] but I gave it all and I showed at least my performance as appreciation for him.”

'Unaware of career-first’;

https://racingnews365.com/tsunoda-wa...g-abu-dhabi-gp


Tsunoda didn’t realise he was leading the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Formula 1
Posted on 26th November 2023, 19:37
Written by Hazel Southwell and Claire Cottingham
RaceFans

Yuki Tsunoda spent five laps leading the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but wasn’t aware he was heading the field at the time. The AlphaTauri driver rose to the head of the field as he was the last of the drivers who started on the medium tyre compound to pit. He hit the front of the field for the first time in his Formula 1 career on lap 18 and stayed there until he pitted on lap 23.

He needed to finish two places higher than he did in order to move them up in the championship. He doubted that would have been possible even with a different strategy. He said his long opening stint was intentional: “It was the plan, but we knew that it was going to be difficult. We were listening to what the tyres say and they held on quite well in the first stint. That helped, I think that was a key moment. I think in the end, what we [did] on the strategy itself was okay.”

“We were listening to what the tyres say”;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/11/26/...bi-grand-prix/


No regrets for Tsunoda as AlphaTauri narrowly miss out on P7 in the championship to Williams
26 November 2023
Formula One - Official Site

Yuki Tsunoda came into the final race of the season with the chance to do something incredible and secure P7 in the constructors' championship for AlphaTauri. Having qualified sixth, all he needed to do was finish there and they would be able to leapfrog Williams.

“At some point, I thought we could finish potentially top six but it just didn’t work out,” he said afterwards. “I don’t think we have regrets that we stayed out and tried to go one-stop. Just obviously a shame that we weren’t able to finish P7. At least I gave it all, everything, and happy for it.”

‘No regrets’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Y52irqMkG.html


How AlphaTauri's "crazy" F1 upgrade push helped Tsunoda deliver unthinkable feat
NOV 27, 2023, 4:25 PM
AUTHORAdam Cooper
Motorsport.com

Helped by floor updates to the AT04, Tsunoda qualified sixth at the Yas Marina track, and he held onto the position in the early laps, rising up the order as the frontrunners pitted. When Charles Leclerc came in, Tsunoda took over the lead for five laps, before making his late first and only stop.

He was only the second Japanese driver to lead a grand prix after Takuma Sato enjoyed a brief spell in front at the Nurburgring in 2004. The subplot was that sixth would have been enough to relieve Williams of P7 in the constructors' world championship on team principal Franz Tost's last day in charge. However, Tsunoda slipped behind Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso and ultimately claimed eighth, which was not quite enough.

‘Helped by floor updates’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/h...eat/10552550/+


Franz Tost bows out of F1 with “too stupid” dig at the AlphaTauri strategists
27 Nov 2023
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Franz Tost has hit out at his AlphaTauri F1 team for being “too stupid to choose the correct strategy” after Yuki Tsunoda’s strategy didn’t quite work out.

“I’m pissed because we were too stupid to choose a correct strategy and because I had a lot of discussions on the pit wall because I said, bring Yuki in, we’re closed slowly,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I was told that it would work out. It’s pure arithmetic. I actually realised straight away that it probably wouldn’t work out.”

“I’ll say now: A seventh place was 100 percent realistic for Yuki. Sixth, not so much, because Perez was behind us in qualifying and was simply faster [in the race]. So you had to take that into account that he was ahead. We messed it up because the technicians who sit in front of the computer for hours couldn’t figure out a strategy that would ultimately work.”

“Too stupid”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104224...ri-strategists


THE STRATEGIST: Did the wrong strategy cost AlphaTauri P7 in their constructors' battle with Williams?
28 November 2023
Bernie Collins
Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy
Formula One - Official Site

Tsunoda finished the race just 3.5 seconds behind Fernando Alonso – so had the Japanese racer completed a two-strop strategy instead of a one-stop, the time he would have saved might have gained him a position and two valuable points for AlphaTauri, who only finished three points behind Williams when it was all over.

Daniel Riccardo was of course the other potential points scorer for AlphaTauri, however a visor tear off blocking his brake duct forced an earlier than planned first pit stop and thus forced him onto a two-stop strategy. More importantly for Riccardo this resulted in him emerging on track behind both Williams drivers who were both on a more optimum two-stop strategy.

‘Did the wrong strategy cost AlphaTauri P7’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...VLCbZaT1j.html


Verstappen toasts Tost after 19th win completes dominant season
26/11/2023
France 24

After 18 years as the head of Red Bull's junior team, an operation that has been a conveyor belt of talent for the Milton Keynes-based outfit and others, Tost was on the Alpha Tauri pit wall for the final time.

"Thank you to everyone," said Verstappen on his in-lap after his record 19th win of the season and the 54th of his career. "And thank you to Franz Tost. He has had lots of us under his wings and it is his last race – so thank you to Franz."

‘Verstappen toasts Tost’;

https://www.france24.com/en/live-new...ominant-season


Former F1 driver pays tribute to paddock LEGEND after big exit
Wednesday 29 November 2023 16:57
Sam Cook
GPFans

Former Formula 1 podium-sitter Timo Glock has revealed that outgoing AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost will be missed by the whole of the paddock.

"As far as Franz Tost is concerned, we saw him on his last weekend as he always was: very straightforward and emotionless when it came to his farewell," he told Sky Germany. "Even though you might have seen a little shortly before the race that he was touched and occupied by it.
"This straightforwardness from Tost will be missed in Formula 1. But not just Formula 1, but also Red Bull. The way he worked with the juniors. He has trained many young drivers and many very good drivers have passed through his hands - including Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Verstappen. Therefore it is a loss for Red Bull, Formula 1 and also for us."

‘Missed by the whole of the paddock’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...nt-timo-glock/


‘It was not so easy at the beginning’ – Tost reflects on 18 years in charge of AlphaTauri
30 November 2023
Formula One - Official Site

“[Red Bull co-founder] Dietrich Mateschitz said to me, ‘Look, there are two pillars: you have to first of all use the synergies with Red Bull Technology, and second, to educate the young drivers – they must then come to Red Bull Racing, win races and, if possible, also championships’.

“I thought to myself, ‘OK, it’s clear what you want, boss’, and this is how we started. We got all the materials, the cars from Red Bull Technology, and maybe it worked a little bit too good, because in 2008, when we won at Monza, afterwards the FIA and the teams changed the regulations.

‘Not so easy at the beginning’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...Qz9Vz5AFx.html

[Fortitude]

Alfa Romeo drivers ‘glad’ to see end of F1 season after difficult Abu Dhabi GP.
Both Alfa Romeo drivers have had to endure a tough and uncompetitive season, with the team ending the year ninth in the Constructors’ standings on just 16 points.
15:46 Tue, 28 Nov 2023.
by Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu admitted he was “glad” the 2023 Formula 1 season was over after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix proved to be another difficult race for him and the team. Zhou lined up 19th on the grid for the Abu Dhabi GP, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas having qualified just one place higher as both cars exited in the first segment.

Come the chequered flag, Zhou crossed the line in 17th place with Bottas 19th, and the Chinese driver admitted there was little on offer throughout the entirety of the race. Bottas was also despondent with the team’s race on Sunday at Yas Marina after enduring the consequences of an uncompetitive one-stop strategy.

Both drivers were well aware that a lack of car development was the root cause for the poor form, particularly towards the end of the season. “Let’s say our main rivals from the beginning of the season, they were able to just change massively, probably introduce a new car or B car over the season and made a very good step forward,” Zhou said.

‘Glad the 2023 Formula 1 season was over’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...-abu-dhabi-gp/


Alfa drivers relieved to see the end to ‘very long, tough season’
11:20 Wed, 29 Nov 2023.
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were put out of their misery at F1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi, and not a moment too soon after their long and laborious 2023 campaign with Alfa Romeo.

For Zhou, last weekend’s epilogue pretty much summed up Alfa’s arduous season. “Yeah, didn’t do anything wrong, had a good start against opposition, but then the pace while everybody settled, we just started sliding backwards” he said. “So, unfortunately, it is how it is this year. Glad it’s finished, it’s been a very long, tough season.”

An equally unexcited Bottas pointed to his one-stop strategy as part of the reason for his lacklustre race. “The pace was not great today, I think that was the biggest issue of the race," said the Finn. “We also tried two different strategies between the cars; I went for the one-stop hoping it would work but for us but it just didn’t, the tyres just wouldn’t last and the pace was just way off the window.”

‘Put out of their misery’;

https://f1i.com/news/495656-alfa-dri...gh-season.html


'Alfa Romeo to exit F1 after failed negotiations'
30 November 5:00PM
Author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

It is becoming increasingly likely that we will no longer see Alfa Romeo as a sponsor in Formula 1 next year. The Italian car brand stepped down as Sauber's sponsor after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and does not seem to be able to find a new partner in F1.

Around the Monaco Grand Prix, rumours surfaced that Alfa Romeo would become a sponsor of Haas for next year when its partnership with Sauber expired. However, no official announcement was made as Alfa Romeo itself indicated in early 2023 that it would like to have more clarity regarding its sponsorship in motorsport by the end of the summer.

Following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix there is still no official news on whether we will see Alfa Romeo back as a sponsor in motorsport next year. That, according to multiple RacingNews365 sources, is because negotiations between Alfa Romeo and Haas have stalled in recent months.

'Alfa Romeo to exit F1’;

https://racingnews365.com/alfa-romeo...r-in-formula-1


ALFA ROMEO COULD LEAVE FORMULA ONE AFTER THE 2023 SEASON
After finishing sixth in the constructors' championship in 2022, Alfa Romeo has dropped down to ninth this season which is the Swiss team's joint worst result in the constructors' championship since the Alfa Romeo name returned to Formula One in 2019
December 1, 2023
Rhiannon Temporal
FormulaNerds

But what is next for the Italian car brand? At first, there were plenty of paddock rumours surrounding a potential partnership with Haas. This would have been an exciting prospect. Not only would the Italian brand name be staying in Formula One. But Haas, one of the smallest teams on the grid, would receive some much-needed financial support. However, according to RacingNews365.com, talks between the two parties may have stalled.

Allegedly, Alfa Romeo was hoping to make a deal with Haas, similar to the one they previously had with Sauber. However, the sport has grown incredibly since the Sauber deal. Both as an attractive financial investment and in general popularity terms. Additionally, Haas has recently penned a multi-year deal with MoneyGram to be the American team’s title sponsor. Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes the deal is the biggest in the team’s history.

‘Two parties may have stalled’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/al...e-2023-season/


Harmonious Sauber team is vegetating
NOVEMBER 30, 2023
GrandPrix.com

Alfa Romeo, which will revert to its Sauber moniker for 2024 as the naming sponsor departs Formula 1, is merely treading water in Formula 1 ahead of the 2026 transition to works Audi status.

Highly-experienced veteran Swiss journalist Roger Benoit, a seasoned Sauber observer and critic, he thinks one of the team's biggest problems at present is the harmonious driver lineup. Since 2021, Alfa-Sauber have been the prime example of a driver relationship that is too harmonious, he told Blick newspaper, referring to Chinese Guanyu and his experienced Finnish teammate Bottas.

While other teams' drivers avoid each other at dinner, the Hinwil couple are always seen together, Benoit added. "You can't sense a rivalry at all. There's Leclerc and Sainz, Hamilton and Russell, Norris and Piastri, Hulkenberg and Magnussen. Verstappen is so dominant that he simply ignores Perez at Red Bull, he said.

‘Harmonious vegetation’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/harmo...egetating.html


Sauber’s F1 dilemma: Waiting game or strategic mishap?
07:07 Thu, 30 Nov 2023.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Alfa Romeo, soon to be officially known as Sauber once again, seems to be caught in a peculiar state of limbo. The team, bracing for a major transformation with Audi’s anticipated entry into Formula 1 in 2026, finds itself at a crossroads, according to insights from two distinguished F1 pundits, including Sky Deutschland’s commentator Sascha Roos.

Roos candidly assesses the team’s underwhelming performance, admitting, “The team is vegetating a bit. This wasn’t a good year for them and I’m afraid it won’t get any better in the next few years.” He also highlights the team’s singular focus: “They couldn’t find any bright spots at all. Everything is being put into preparing for Audi’s entry in 2026.” This statement underscores the team’s transitional phase, where current performances seem secondary to future prospects.

‘Waiting game or strategic mishap?’;

https://grandpx.news/saubers-f1-dile...ategic-mishap/


Sauber to run “heritage” identity for two years until Audi’s “big bang” arrival
RaceFans Round-up
Posted on 1st December 2023, 0:01
Written by Will Wood
RaceFans

With the Alfa Romeo team reverting to their original identity of Sauber for 2024, team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi says that the team will not run Audi branding on their cars next season. “With Audi, we enter in 2026,” Alunni Bravi explained.

“Commercially speaking, it’s important to have a big bang in 2026 – not to dilute the Audi involvement with the team. So we will continue as Sauber based on the heritage of the group. Don’t forget that we are here since ’93 – so we will start from this heritage, so we are back to the future next year.”

‘Audi’s “big bang” arrival’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/12/01/...nd-up-01-12-6/