Formula 1

[charlierc]

So it is official. Not quite as extreme as Hamilton going straight to Maranello for 2024, but still a bit of a holy sh*t moment.

[charlierc]

Presumably this means any talk of moving the British Grand Prix to a street track in East London is back in the box for a few years.

[Guest]

You mean there’s not gonna be the 67th street circuit or the calendar, a real shame.

All the new F1 liveries have been dreadful so far. 

[charlierc]

18 hours ago, Ozanne said:

You mean there’s not gonna be the 67th street circuit or the calendar, a real shame.

All the new F1 liveries have been dreadful so far. 

The Madrid one was kinda remarkable to me. Barcelona's track is usually boring - though the last few 3 visits have been better than usual - but announce you'll replace it with a tight-looking single file street track and suddenly it's up there with Sepang, Istanbul, Hockenheim and all the other fun tracks F1 no longer visits.

The thing is around IFEMA and where Mad Cool Festival used to be, and having visited both - IFEMA held an F1 exhibition last year, which tbf was really good - I didn't exactly think of it as picture-perfect F1 backdrop.

And I think in isolation one mostly-black car might be cool but a whole grid of it guarantees commentators are going to get frequently confused. Clearly if we want the paint we have to go to IndyCar.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

A very odd thing happened to me, while on a school trip to Twycross Zoo, while at primary school. I had no fascination then with Formula 1 ( and still don't now)  but did talk myself into committing theft. I stole one of these (only a far superior model than that one)from their tourist shop;

 

No idea why. Not a notion of what was going through my brain, at that time.*

* - I didn't, fortunately, choose a life of crime. 

There were bits in between.

 

[charlierc]

Reminds me of a real one of that era I saw at the F1 Exhibition in Madrid last summer.

Still got it?

[charlierc]

So, Verstappen on pole for the GP later. Again. Although saying that, his pole time was slower than Leclerc's Q2 time, so maybe there is potential this won't be a walk in the park for him.

Certainly there's the charms of elsewhere too. Mercedes, Aston and McLaren look closely matched, as does Checo in the other Red Bull, the second RB team seems to still be understanding their car and Alpine falling from best of the midfield to bottom is a sign they've done something wrong.

... much as I'm aware the F1 attention for this weekend has been on that other thing.

[DareToDibble]

What does everyone make of this Max to Mercedes talk? Don't believe it for a second personally.

I'm also a bit confused as I always thought it was Christian Horner that Max was really close to but now it seems like it's Helmut Marko?

[DareToDibble]

The race - was really excited for the new season but it turned into an incredibly dull race pretty quickly. Max running away with it aside, not much happened lower down either. Hope that isn't a sign of things to come for the season.

[Crazyfool01]

9 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

What does everyone make of this Max to Mercedes talk? Don't believe it for a second personally.

I'm also a bit confused as I always thought it was Christian Horner that Max was really close to but now it seems like it's Helmut Marko?

He’s distancing himself from Horner isn’t he , with all the talk about his behaviour 

[charlierc]

10 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

What does everyone make of this Max to Mercedes talk? Don't believe it for a second personally.

I'm also a bit confused as I always thought it was Christian Horner that Max was really close to but now it seems like it's Helmut Marko?

 

41 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

He’s distancing himself from Horner isn’t he , with all the talk about his behaviour 

Personally I don't see it happening, but the fact that Max's dad has piped up about Horner and was seen chatting at length with Toto raises the possibility a lot more than last week, when the chances really were zero. Certainly, if its possible, Mercedes should investigate it.

It's pretty clear that for all they have a car capable of making the competition irrelevant again, Red Bull have some serious behind the scenes issues. It's also a curiosity if the Verstappens are allied to Marko, who at age 80 isn't going to be around forever. But even then, this was mentioned when there was a real campaign from people for Red Bull to fire Marko when he made a racist comment about Sergio Perez last autumn after one of Checo's stinkers. 

Indeed, these could already be an issue if it hurts their plan to make their own engines in house from 2026 as prospective engine partner Ford look to be deeply unimpressed with how the Horner investigation has been handled.

Edited March 6 by charlierc

[Crazyfool01]

Not a good look from Redbull today 

[charlierc]

Obviously one element is to hope Sainz gets better, especially given Alex Albon had a really bad case of it and spent a few nights in hospital a year and a half ago.

Berman, it's safe to say, is getting quite the deep end throw - third youngest F1 debutant ever, and doing so for bloody Ferrari. Will start P11 tomorrow but nearly made it into Q3 looking at the times, so be nice if he can make a good impression in his push for a seat (maybe at Haas, where he's previously done a few practice sessions) next year.

[charlierc]

On 3/7/2024 at 8:07 PM, Crazyfool01 said:

Not a good look from Redbull today 

That suspension yesterday has gone down exceptionally poorly in the court of public opinion. But the sense that they're extremely dysfunctional behind the scenes is growing stronger, with this the latest twist:

[charlierc]

On 3/8/2024 at 6:40 PM, charlierc said:

Obviously one element is to hope Sainz gets better, especially given Alex Albon had a really bad case of it and spent a few nights in hospital a year and a half ago.

Berman, it's safe to say, is getting quite the deep end throw - third youngest F1 debutant ever, and doing so for bloody Ferrari. Will start P11 tomorrow but nearly made it into Q3 looking at the times, so be nice if he can make a good impression in his push for a seat (maybe at Haas, where he's previously done a few practice sessions) next year.

Points on debut on what is basically a Monaco/Monza hybrid and managing to outlast Norris & Hamilton to finish 7th is pretty good going. And given how much Red Bull is crushing the field, the sport needs stories like this.

Much as it makes me feel old to think a kid that is younger than The Killers' Mr Brightside or Franz's Take Me Out is driving the Ferrari F1 car. Or indeed someone who was born on the day of the 2005 Spanish Grand Prix, a race where Alonso got a podium on his way to that year's title ffs.

[DareToDibble]

Drunkenly last week placed a bet that Max and Lewis would finish in the points in every (normal, not sprint) race this season. Somehow only got 80/1.

Still. 2 down...

[charlierc]

On 3/10/2024 at 10:10 PM, DareToDibble said:

Drunkenly last week placed a bet that Max and Lewis would finish in the points in every (normal, not sprint) race this season. Somehow only got 80/1.

Still. 2 down...

Guessing you didn't think it would be that quick for that bet to be written off.

Naturally slept through the race and it's the first time in 2 years Max fails to finish, Sainz has another win to add to his CV - and impressive given his less-than-ideal surgery-induced prep - Mercedes have a first double DNF in a very long time, Haas getting double points, Sauber again taking forever to do pit-stops and Alonso getting in trouble. Maybe not an all-action all-chaos party, but plenty to talk about. 

Indeed, maybe I should sleep through Japan & China as well if it guarantees more drama.

I enjoyed this opportunistic Tweet from Alpine...

 

Edited March 24 by charlierc

[DareToDibble]

10 hours ago, charlierc said:

Guessing you didn't think it would be that quick for that bet to be written off.

Naturally slept through the race and it's the first time in 2 years Max fails to finish, Sainz has another win to add to his CV - and impressive given his less-than-ideal surgery-induced prep - Mercedes have a first double DNF in a very long time, Haas getting double points, Sauber again taking forever to do pit-stops and Alonso getting in trouble. Maybe not an all-action all-chaos party, but plenty to talk about. 

Indeed, maybe I should sleep through Japan & China as well if it guarantees more drama.

I enjoyed this opportunistic Tweet from Alpine...

 

At least both retired. It would have been sh*t if the bet came in with the exception of 1 of them in just 1 race. This is why you don't bet drunk!

Missed that tweet from Alpine but fantastic 😄 

A long way away yet but seems most drivers are out of contract at the end of this season so we should be in for a lot of changes. You would assume a lot of teams will be in for Sainz.

Only confirmed drivers for 2025:

Red Bull: Max Verstappen & ?
Mercedes: George Russell & ?
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc
McLaren: Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri:
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll & ?
Alpine: ? & ?
Williams: Alex Albon & ?
Stake (Sauber? Alfa?): ? and ?
RB: ? & ?
Haas: ? & ?

 

A long season left but so far I'm not sure Danny Ric is as nailed on for that Red Bull seat as most of us probably thought. Alonso to Mercedes? 

Genuinely exciting to see who will end up where.

Apologies if I've missed obvious rumours, bound to be loads!

[charlierc]

21 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

At least both retired. It would have been sh*t if the bet came in with the exception of 1 of them in just 1 race. This is why you don't bet drunk!

Missed that tweet from Alpine but fantastic 😄 

A long way away yet but seems most drivers are out of contract at the end of this season so we should be in for a lot of changes. You would assume a lot of teams will be in for Sainz.

Only confirmed drivers for 2025:

Red Bull: Max Verstappen & ?
Mercedes: George Russell & ?
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc
McLaren: Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri:
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll & ?
Alpine: ? & ?
Williams: Alex Albon & ?
Stake (Sauber? Alfa?): ? and ?
RB: ? & ?
Haas: ? & ?

 

A long season left but so far I'm not sure Danny Ric is as nailed on for that Red Bull seat as most of us probably thought. Alonso to Mercedes? 

Genuinely exciting to see who will end up where.

Apologies if I've missed obvious rumours, bound to be loads!

It's kinda remarkable how quickly it went down as well. Max said the car felt alright on the formation lap, then on lap one, one of his brakes got stuck and it just got worse & worse until the car went bang.

I think Hamilton was on his way to points until his Merc went pop, and given Russell had a DNF late on - Alonso interference or otherwise, depending on who you believe - it means 4th but barely ahead of Aston rather than challenging Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. Given how dominant Merc were in the 2010s, it's crazy how much they're having bother in this era.

The driver market is interesting too. I think we'll start to see more movement closer to the summer break but there's a lot of things in play and a few things looking more in flux. Pre-season, for instance, the narrative was Ricciardo to Red Bull, but I don't think that's going to happen based on his poor first 3 races of 2024. Opens the door wide as I'm not convinced they believe in giving Yuki a promotion either.

[charlierc]

So it does now seem like we a hierarchy of F1 teams in 2024. Red Bull pissing the field (again), then Ferrari, then McLaren, then Mercedes/Aston Martin, then RB junior & Haas, then Sauber & Williams (when the former is able to do pit-stops and the latter can actually finish) then a largely hopeless Alpine.

 

Suzuka was alright tbf. Not the best raciest race in the history of racing, but I wasn't bored.

[charlierc]

On 3/25/2024 at 12:11 AM, DareToDibble said:

Only confirmed drivers for 2025:

Red Bull: Max Verstappen & ?
Mercedes: George Russell & ?
Ferrari: Lewis Hamilton & Charles Leclerc
McLaren: Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri:
Aston Martin: Lance Stroll & ?
Alpine: ? & ?
Williams: Alex Albon & ?
Stake (Sauber? Alfa?): ? and ?
RB: ? & ?
Haas: ? & ?

 

A long season left but so far I'm not sure Danny Ric is as nailed on for that Red Bull seat as most of us probably thought. Alonso to Mercedes? 

Genuinely exciting to see who will end up where.

Apologies if I've missed obvious rumours, bound to be loads!

Well the news that has just broken that Alonso has signed an Aston Martin contract extension means the first domino has fallen.

 

I actually thought Red Bull might try to sign him if Verstappen broke his deal in the wake of allegations that his management & Horner had fallen out, but that was always a very long shot.

Edited April 11 by charlierc

[DareToDibble]

8 hours ago, charlierc said:

Well the news that has just broken that Alonso has signed an Aston Martin contract extension means the first domino has fallen.

 

I actually thought Red Bull might try to sign him if Verstappen broke his deal in the wake of allegations that his management & Horner had fallen out, but that was always a very long shot.

 

No chance Max would have done that when Red Bull are so dominant. If he's going to do it then it will be just before the regulation change.

Surprised Alonso is staying at Aston, they're not really showing promise of progression so I would guess it's a nice paycheck for a year or 2 to help develop the car.

Sainz is without a doubt the best option for every team. Incredible driver. Would be surprised if Mercedes don't try and sign him.

No idea who RB will get for next year. 

Perez to Kick Sauber (assuming 1 of their drivers is out of contract). Bottas/Perez would be a great lineup.

[charlierc]

16 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

No chance Max would have done that when Red Bull are so dominant. If he's going to do it then it will be just before the regulation change.

Surprised Alonso is staying at Aston, they're not really showing promise of progression so I would guess it's a nice paycheck for a year or 2 to help develop the car.

Sainz is without a doubt the best option for every team. Incredible driver. Would be surprised if Mercedes don't try and sign him.

No idea who RB will get for next year. 

Perez to Kick Sauber (assuming 1 of their drivers is out of contract). Bottas/Perez would be a great lineup.

I guess a lot of the question is what we might see in 2026. There's widespread changes to both engine and car concept, with talk of active aerodynamics and active suspension in a way not seen in F1 since the Williams super-computer-powered cars of the early 90s.

 

Aston Martin might actually be a great option for this - has Honda as works engine partner when they split with Red Bull, has hired a lot of Red Bull and Mercedes' success-creating backroom staff. Disadvantage imo in a title fight is that Lance just doesn't seem to have the X factor.

 

Only change of Verstappen joining Mercedes was if he had a full rupture behind the scenes at Red Bull, but talk of that now seems to have calmed down. Sainz as a replacement for Perez is being rumoured a lot, however. If that doesn't work, Sainz to Mercedes is likely unless Mercedes is willing to throw it's teenage prodigy Antonelli into the race-seat.

[charlierc]

Well, Chinese race was alright but was a variation on usual themes. Namely that Verstappen and Red Bull are basically racing in a different category to everyone else, Mercedes' car isn't as good as they need it to be, some team's strategists are easily overtaken by events and that Stroll is getting worse.

 

Norris getting a podium was impressive work by McLaren tbf.

[DareToDibble]

Newey leaving Red Bull then it seems: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/apr/25/red-bull-designer-adrian-newey-to-leave-over-christian-horner-allegations

 

Way too early to make any difference to any teams cars next year but a great time to get him in for the next major regulation change.

 

Aston Martin or Red Bull do we think?