Formula 1

[nlogax]

Would you really go to Vegas this weekend if you weren’t interested in the racing? The weekend date was set over a year ago. It’s really up to the city and its burgermeisters To decide if the disruption is worth the $$$. I’m sure they’ll send FOM packing if that’s not the case and there are probably contract out clauses if they really aren’t happy.

Personally no, I can't stand the place at the best of times but that's just me. Never underestimate the all year round draw of Vegas to US residents regardless of the myriad reasons to avoid it.

 

[RailAleFan]

Sounded like a good race on R5L hoping to catch the full reply on sky shortly at the new F1 Arcade in Birmingham if there's any chance of getting in on the first weekend fully open. I was fortunate to chance on a sneak preview last week when they were letting people in during the last few days of staff training with the motion simulators free to play. Very impressive AV/tech setup, virtual pit wall looks like a fun way to enjoy a live race if they show the actual red button timing screen and driver tracker alongside the main feed...

 

[JD2168]

It was a good race after all the talking points before it. Sergio Perez running more downforce than Max Verstappen hurt him in the battle for victory & for second against Charles Leclerc. I found it odd that Perez didn’t defend more into the corner at the end of the Strip.

McLaren have called for the bump that caught out Lando Norris to be removed ahead of next year’s race. Lando is ok after the accident. I also thought that cold hard tyres that Lando was running could have also caused an affect in the incident.

 

[Mogster]

McLaren have called for the bump that caught out Lando Norris to be removed ahead of next year’s race. Lando is ok after the accident. I also thought that cold hard tyres that Lando was running could have also caused an affect in the incident.

Aye, you’d think Norris would be more likely to be hitting the track with low tyre pressures. It was a factor in Senna’s final accident I seem to remember.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Personally no, I can't stand the place at the best of times but that's just me. Never underestimate the all year round draw of Vegas to US residents regardless of the myriad reasons to avoid it.

Indeed. The Western Coatings Show was there in October which I went to. The World of Concrete is there in January which I am going to. Many Trade Shows are held there.

 

[JD2168]

Aye, you’d think Norris would be more likely to be hitting the track with low tyre pressures. It was a factor in Senna’s final accident I seem to remember.

A large factor in the Senna accident for me was the Opel Vectra used as a Safety Car in that race which was completely inappropriate for the job along with the main straight debris after the start line crash. Thankfully the safety car these days is more suitable for the job.

There was around that time in use as safety cars: Fiat Tempra 16v, Renault Clio & a Ford Escort Cosworth.

 

[Mogster]

Vegas seems happy with the event from a business point of view.

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Southern Nevada appears to have had the best week financially in its history, thanks to the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Executives among the estimated 315,000 people who attended the Saturday night spectacle said the event went better than they had hoped, that hotels and casinos were filled on a week that traditionally is one of the worst on the calendar and that they can’t wait to do it all again next year.

 

[DarloRich]

I thought the race was fun, the hype overdone and the typical result delivered

There seem to have been lots of media grumbles about the timings of the race and practice/qualifying sessions. The drain cover issue happens on street circuits and generated lots of moaning. The real issue was the session timings.

 

[Strat-tastic]

I thought the race was fun, the hype overdone and the typical result delivered

There seem to have been lots of media grumbles about the timings of the race and practice/qualifying sessions. The drain cover issue happens on street circuits and generated lots of moaning. The real issue was the session timings.

At least Ch4 highlights weren't at stupid o'clock for once.

 

[DarloRich]

At least Ch4 highlights weren't at stupid o'clock for once.

i find them hard to watch. That Welsh bloke................

 

[PG]

i find them hard to watch. That Welsh bloke................

He's probably all they can afford.......

 

[JD2168]

Max Verstappen has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc in second & George Russell in third. Sergio Perez finished second on the road but dropped to fourth place after a penalty due to contact with Lando Norris who finished fifth.

In the constructors championship Mercedes finished ahead of Ferrari as Carlos Sainz scored no points & Lewis Hamilton finished ninth. McLaren remained ahead of Aston Martin & Williams remained ahead of Alpha Tauri despite an attempt by Yuki Tsunoda to get the points required with a one stop strategy. Tsunoda also lead the race during the first round of pit stops becoming the second Japanese driver to lead a race after Takuma Sato.

The only position on the grid to be decided for 2024 is the second Williams seat, Logan Sargeant was out qualified 22-0 by Alex Albon during the season & in Saturdays session he did not set a lap due to Track Limits.

In winning the Grand Prix Max Verstappen led 1000 laps during the season & won 19 of the 22 races during the season.

The 2024 season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the beginning of March.

 

[sannox]

Max Verstappen has won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc in second & George Russell in third. Sergio Perez finished second on the road but dropped to fourth place after a penalty due to contact with Lando Norris who finished fifth.

In the constructors championship Mercedes finished ahead of Ferrari as Carlos Sainz scored no points & Lewis Hamilton finished ninth. McLaren remained ahead of Aston Martin & Williams remained ahead of Alpha Tauri despite an attempt by Yuki Tsunoda to get the points required with a one stop strategy. Tsunoda also lead the race during the first round of pit stops becoming the second Japanese driver to lead a race after Takuma Sato.

The only position on the grid to be decided for 2024 is the second Williams seat, Logan Sargeant was out qualified 22-0 by Alex Albon during the season & in Saturdays session he did not set a lap due to Track Limits.

In winning the Grand Prix Max Verstappen led 1000 laps during the season & won 19 of the 22 races during the season.

The 2024 season starts with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the beginning of March.

Hopefully a closer battle than this year. The gap seems to have slightly closed (although Verstappen is still winning), but maybe that's wishful thinking.

Is Perez's seat still up for grabs or is it his to lose? Felt Liam Lawson did alright when he came in too.

 

[PG]

The only position on the grid to be decided for 2024 is the second Williams seat, Logan Sargeant was out qualified 22-0 by Alex Albon during the season & in Saturdays session he did not set a lap due to Track Limits.

Is Perez's seat still up for grabs or is it his to lose? Felt Liam Lawson did alright when he came in too.

Think Perez is safe for 2024 but wouldn't count on him being retained after that.

If I were James Vowels, the Williams team boss, I'd ditch Sergeant and see if Red Bull would loan out Liam Lawson for a year?

 

[sannox]

Think Perez is safe for 2024 but wouldn't count on him being retained after that.

If I were James Vowels, the Williams team boss, I'd ditch Sergeant and see if Red Bull would loan out Liam Lawson for a year?

I suspect that wouldn't work financially? I guess it works well having a pay driver next to Albon?

 

[PG]

I suspect that wouldn't work financially? I guess it works well having a pay driver next to Albon?

Does a pay driver bring in $10m which is roughly the difference between positions in the constructors' championship? Albon scored all bar 1 point this year and they only just held onto 7th position no thanks to Sargent...

 

[najaB]

Does a pay driver bring in $10m which is roughly the difference between positions in the constructors' championship?

Depends on who's financing them. Take someone like Mazespin - the sponsors behind him were worth about that much to Haas.

 

[JD2168]

The FIA Compliance Department have started an investigation into an alleged potential conflict of interest around Toto & Susie Wolff. Susie Wolff is the current head of FIA Womens Driver Academy series & reports on this to Stefano Domenicali. The allegations are that the couple are privy to information that would not normally be available in regular channels, allegedly causing a conflict of interest. It is alleged that Toto Wolff is able to hear information regarding FOM.

Formula 1 has said the allegations are wrong, Mercedes has denied any accusations of wrongdoing in the affair & Susie Wolff has said she is deeply insulted by the allegations which she believes are rooted in intimidatory & misogynistic behaviour.

In other news testing of the Spray guards on wheels will not resume until next year as planned late season testing was scuppered on cost grounds.

 

[gabrielhj07]

It was fascinating to watch the 9 other teams launch a coordinated broadside against the FIA with their identical press releases.

 

[Mogster]

The FIA is infested with ex team employees. Although the public source for this story is dubious, it seems reasonable to assume that someone said something. I do wonder if the teams are looking at each other thinking, yes Toto knew about X because he had those widgets made, but if we call him out then he’ll call out Thomas, or Richard or Harriett…

It’s stuff like this that makes me love the sport even more. Even if the on track action is a bit processional there’s always some off track intrigue to chew on.

 

[JD2168]

The investigation into the affairs involving the Wolff’s has now been dropped by the FIA, conveniently just before the Prize Giving ceremony in Baku tomorrow night in which Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is obliged to attend.

The FIA has officially banned wind tunnel & CFD testing of the 2026 spec cars until 2025.

The alternative tyre allocation idea that was tried in 2023 has been officially scrapped & the opening of pit lane before the race has been put back to 40 minutes before, in 2023 it was 50 minutes.

 

[Mogster]

The co-ordinated action by the teams has made the FIA look very stupid. The FIA really needs to say what evidence the investigation was responding to. If it is a report by a senior team member, who have now backtracked, then that needs to be revealed. If as it appears the FIA were responding completely to media speculation then I struggle to see how it retains any credibility whatsoever.

The whole incident has been incredibly badly managed by the FIA, it needs to take a serious look at its self.

 

[JD2168]

The new name for the Alfa Romeo team has been announced. It is:
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber with the chassis called the Kick Sauber C44.

The new name for Alpha Tauri has not been announced.

 

[D365]

Why are we kicking Sauber?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The new name for Alpha Tauri has not been announced.

It's plain "RB" apparently.

‘Kick Sauber’ and ‘RB’ announced as new names for Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri

The team previously known as Alfa Romeo will compete under the name Kick Sauber in the entry list for the 2024 Formula 1 season.

www.racefans.net

The team previously known as Alfa Romeo will compete under the name Kick Sauber in the 2024 F1 season

The change of name was announced by the team as the FIA published an updated entry list for next year’s world championship.

It confirmed Kick “has acquired the naming rights to the chassis of next year’s contender, which will be known as the Kick Sauber C44.”

The logos of streaming platform Kick have already appeared on Sauber’s car this year. It will give full chassis naming rights to the sponsor for the next two seasons before the team is rebranded by Audi in 2026.

Team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi described their rebranding as Kick Sauber as “the latest and boldest display of the philosophy that drives us.”

Red Bull’s second F1 team, AlphaTauri, previously indicated it would rebrand its junior squad for 2024. Its chassis name is listed simply as ‘RB’ on the 2024 entry list. The company previously filed a copyright application for the name ‘Racing Bulls’

Uniquely, all 20 drivers who participated in the final round of the 2023 F1 championship last month in Abu Dhabi will race for the same teams in the opening round of the following season.

All 10 teams will remain on the grid with no additional entries for 2024 as already known.

 

[PG]

It's plain "RB" apparently.

‘Kick Sauber’ and ‘RB’ announced as new names for Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri

The team previously known as Alfa Romeo will compete under the name Kick Sauber in the entry list for the 2024 Formula 1 season.

www.racefans.net

Uniquely, all 20 drivers who participated in the final round of the 2023 F1 championship last month in Abu Dhabi will race for the same teams in the opening round of the following season.

So I take it Logan Sergeant has a seat at Williams then? I note the quote mentions the opening round so wonder if he's confirmed for the full year or not?

 

[birchesgreen]

Sargeant has been signed for the whole 2024 season i believe.

 

[JohnMcL7]

Why are we kicking Sauber?

Kick is a streaming rival to Twitch which is a bit more adult focused as it allows gambling streams and is less strict on the likes of hot tub streams, it makes for a strange team name.

 

[D365]

Kick is a streaming rival to Twitch which is a bit more adult focused as it allows gambling streams and is less strict on the likes of hot tub streams, it makes for a strange team name.

Thanks for the explanation.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Dec 2023 ==

It's plain "RB" apparently.

‘Kick Sauber’ and ‘RB’ announced as new names for Alfa Romeo and AlphaTauri

The team previously known as Alfa Romeo will compete under the name Kick Sauber in the entry list for the 2024 Formula 1 season.

www.racefans.net

BBC reporting that "RB" is simply a new suffix, and thus the team will be renamed to "AlphaTauri RB".

 

[PG]

Haas: Guenther Steiner leaves as team principal after the team decided not to renew his contract which had expired.
Wonder if he'll resurface elsewhere in the paddock?

The 58-year-old Italian will be replaced by the team's former director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu.

Team owner Gene Haas said: "Moving forward, it was clear we needed to improve our on-track performances.

"We have had successes but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organisation."

Technically, Steiner, who built up the team using an innovative business model, was not fired.

His contract had expired and Haas chose not to extend it, BBC Sport has learned.

Haas technical director Simone Resta has also left the team in the wake of Steiner's departure.