[Other Sport] F1 2023

[Iggle Piggle]

We're all hoping Perez will make a fight of it but he is highly unlikely to sustain it over a season or will be nobbled from within if he does. I caught the end of qualifying and saw nothing of the race this weekend. Watching Horner's smug face or listening to Max moan about everything or everyone on the way to a dominant win holds little interest for me. It's like watching Palace piss the premier league.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I am now fast forward zipping through the highlights!! It's killing the race. Celtic have also become champions.......................................

 

[Bold Seagull]

I didn’t think I’d fall out of love with F1, but some of these circuits are just killing the sport.

 

[Creaky]

Regarding F1 as boring, lacking excitement etc. very much depends imo on whether or not you are at the track or simply watching it on TV.

As a comparison neutrals watching our match against Man U on TV would have found 99% of the match boring and/or lacking excitement. I wonder how many turned off before the end.

A totally different experience for those who were at the match, Man U supporters included. Likewise a totally different experience for the 80-90 thousand who were at the race.

 

[Audax]

FWIW I think Verstappen and Red Bull lucked into an inspired choice to start on the Hards. Who would have predicted it would be the faster tyre at the start of the race and have the longevity to still be good enough even after everyone else switched?

In theory with Perez on Meds and Max fighting through others on Meds while Hards Perez should have been gone. We should have been waiting for a Max charge through the field on Meds in the 2nd half of the race to take 2nd behind Checo.

 

[Creaky]

FWIW I think Verstappen and Red Bull lucked into an inspired choice to start on the Hards. Who would have predicted it would be the faster tyre at the start of the race and have the longevity to still be good enough even after everyone else switched?

In theory with Perez on Meds and Max fighting through others on Meds while Hards Perez should have been gone. We should have been waiting for a Max charge through the field on Meds in the 2nd half of the race to take 2nd behind Checo.

Well demonstrably the Red Bull team did.

They couldn’t risk putting Checo on the hards as they were taking three or four laps to light up by which time Leclerc, on mediums, would have a substantial lead and certainly be out of DRS range.

Checo unfortunately made a number of mistakes when he was in second before Verstappen pitted which meant he came out of the pits much closer to Checo than he should have been.

 

[Audax]

Well demonstrably the Red Bull team did.

Or did they? As a strategy it made sense even if they weren't aware yet how strong the tyre would be from lights out. It offset him compared to the rest of the grid, and would have given him a really good shot at slicing through the field late in the race when on the Meds vs others on the Hards. Instead the Hard proved to be the quicker race tyre and off he went. That could, possibly, have been a product of the pre-race rain that cleaned the track. A "green" track surface will have presented a different challenge to the tyres that may have favoured the hards.

Anyway ... I expect Verstappen was always finishing either 1st or 2nd regardless, it's just the manner of how it was accomplished that is remarkable.

Been reflecting a bit more on the season so far (and looking back on my pre-season predictions so far). Few thoughts have sprung to mind:

Red Bull have nailed it, in terms of adapting to the revised floor height rules and getting the best out of their package early-season. I have a feeling they're far enough ahead they'll be able to shift focus to the 2024 car early and reduce the impact of the wind tunnel / CFD penalty they're carrying.

Ferrari have done what Ferrari do so well: taken what was a strong car last year let down by a weaker PU and turned out a worse car now the PU is fixed. In a lot of respects they're a bit Spursy. Just when you think they might be able to achieve something, they contrive a way to drop the ball. Anyway: last year we were denied a big title fight by an unreliable Ferrari PU, this year we're being denied by a tricksy Ferrari chassis.

Mercedes clearly made the wrong decision to retain the "zero pods" for this season, and likely other design decisions beneath the skin of the car. If we're to have competition for wins this season, a lot would appear to rest on how strong the Imola update for the car is.

McLaren - not seeing the improvements from their upgrade package that they needed so far. Even when the car is quick, they're being hampered by reliability issues (eg Piastri ran nearly the whole of Miami with brake issues).

Aston Martin - the only team other than Red Bull who appear to being doing a great job. But will daddy Stroll finally wake up to needing a stronger second driver than his son? Stroll junior is an F1 capable driver, but no more than that - he's not at a standard to justify a #2 seat at a top 3 team, and that's where he finds himself now. They need a driver who can be closer to Alonso in the races.

---

Next up ... what's in the F1 news?

Aston Martin + Honda tie up for 2026? Talk is emerging that Honda are ready (if they haven't already) to commit to a full return to the F1 grid for the 2026 engine regs reset, and that they're planning to do it with AM.

What of Ricciardo? Early season talk that he was struggling in the RBR simulator has evaporated, with the latest word being that he's getting back to what he was before he left RBR. Meanwhile, De Vries' struggles at Alpha Tauri have opened the door for (what are currently) wild rumours to start that De Vries is on notice that Ricciardo is available to take his seat. All started off the back of Ricciardo having a seat fitting for the Alpha Tauri car recently.

How about Leclerc? Bit of noise floating about that he's rather unhappy with Ferrari. But where would he go? (Maybe he should give papa Stroll a call?)

---

How have my pre-season predictions gone so far?

1. Red Bull will start the season with the fastest car, but their windtunnel / CFD penalty for overspending in 2021 will affect their development rate and they'll be caught in the second half of the season.

Part 1 is confirmed. Part 2 - yet to be seen.

2. Hamilton wins races (multiple) and is in the title fight deep into the season.

Not looking likely, is it? A lot rests on the Imola updates, but they'll need to be stonkingly good to get them back in the fight.

3. Ferrari are right in the hunt on pace, but continue to drop the ball operationally and Leclerc gets increasingly frustrated leading to rumours that he'll jump ship.

Off the pace (except occasional flashes such as Leclerc's Baku pole). But there's been plenty of rumours doing the rounds

4. The threat of Ricciardo taking his seat hangs around like a bad smell that Perez just can't get rid of. Rumours begin swirling as soon as Perez has a few bad races.

Perez doing enough so far to stave off any thought of a Ricciardo threat. As long as he remains the only potential title thread, I think he's safe.

5. Williams become regular points contenders, constantly on a pace (with Albon) for finishes in the 8th-12th range.

They've shown flashes of having the pace to achieve this, but ultimately it's only produced 1 point so far. Having said that, however, Albon has 2 DNFs, a 10th, 12th, and 14th. Of the DNF's, Jeddah was from 17th on the grid but Australia was from 8th. So for now, I think the jury remains out on this one.

6. Aston Martin take a step forward (with Alonso) and become a genuine P4 WCC contender alongside Alpine.

P4? Turns out to have been overly conservative so far - they're clear second best with Alonso.

7. McLaren's struggles from 2022 carry over into 2023 for at least the first 5 races. Norris and Piastri both complain of strange car characteristics that hamper the handling.

Bingo, got this one right. Complaints have been heard, car is not good enough, even after the upgrades (so far).

8. Sargeant struggles and is replaced by Mick Schumacher mid-season.

Pleasantly surprised by Sargeant's efforts so far. Not up to Albon standard as yet, but certainly not the washout I'd expected. He might just keep his seat.

9. De Vries handily beats Tsunoda, resulting in the latter losing his seat at the end of 2023 (if not before the end of the season) and is replaced by whichever Red Bull junior aces F2 (or possibly Mick Schumacher if prediction 8 doesn't happen).

How wrong could I have been? a) De Vries is floundering. b) If an Alpha Tauri driver gets jettisoned mid-season it'll be either Danny Ric or Liam Lawson (racing in Japan's Super Formula this year), not an F2 hot-shoe.

10. The WDC title fight goes down to the last race. Verstappen has an early lead whittled down during the second half of the season, with Horner constantly moaning about the impact of the wind tunnel / cfd penalty on their in-season development.

Going to take a mega turn around from Ferrari and Mercedes for part 1 to come to fruition. Part 2, though ... Horner and co have already laid out the excuses (although it's gone a little quieter more recently).

 

[Audax]

Imola race this weekend currently in limbo, due to extreme wet weather in the region yesterday/today. Currently unknown whether the circuit itself has been badly affected by flooding, however team staff have been told to stay away from the circuit. More here:

Imola still off-limits to F1 personnel - what happens next?

As devastating floods hit the Emilia-Romagna region, the F1 world waits to find out whether this weekend's race is viable - and in what form.

the-race.com

 

[Bozza]

Imola race this weekend currently in limbo, due to extreme wet weather in the region yesterday/today. Currently unknown whether the circuit itself has been badly affected by flooding, however team staff have been told to stay away from the circuit. More here:

Imola still off-limits to F1 personnel - what happens next?

As devastating floods hit the Emilia-Romagna region, the F1 world waits to find out whether this weekend's race is viable - and in what form.

the-race.com

There's been some horrendous weather at the Giro over the last few days.

 

[Audax]

Guardian now reporting it has been cancelled:

F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix cancelled due to flooding in northern Italy

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix has been cancelled due to flooding and severe weather in the region, and is not expected to be rescheduled

www.theguardian.com

 

[dolphins]

Confirmed:

 

[Audax]

Honda announce full return to F1 in 2026 with Aston Martin

Aston Martin and Honda announce 2026 F1 engine partnership - The Race

Aston Martin will use Honda engines in Formula 1 in 2026, as the team becomes the works partner of Red Bull's outgoing supplier

the-race.com

Immediate rumours have surfaced that Honda might push to get Tsunoda signed up.

Speaking of rumours ... lots of them doing the rounds this week that Ferrari are set to chase Hamilton's signature. A lot could hinge on how well Mercedes' B-spec aero package works, and whether Ferrari can show signs of improvement as the season progresses.

Also, De Vries remains under pressure. Especially as one of the most likely contenders for his seat, Liam Lawson, is doing very well in Super Formula over in Japan and won his second race of the season last weekend (from 4 races run) and currently leads the points table. The original rumour that De Vries might not last out the season that emerged last week was that he had the run of 3 back-to-back-to-back races in which to prove he deserved to keep the seat. Imola was cancelled, at the moment I've not see anything on whether or not he'll get an extension until after the Canada race.


Edit: Found this after I posted. Worth a watch - demonstration of how the Monaco circuit has evolved since 1929 using simulator footage. Shame they've used a modern Ferrari car for all of it instead of period-accurate cars, which would have made it even better.




Edit 2:

And McLaren are running a special "Triple Crown" livery for the next 2 races:

 

[Audax]

Some photos of the Mercedes aero design update are starting to emerge today. The Zero-pod concept is definitely a goner. Looks more like they're heading towards something more Aston Martin-ish:

 

[A1X]

Urgh, hate Monaco, easily the worst race of every season (although it will have to go some to beat that this year, I accept)

 

[Bold Seagull]

Some photos of the Mercedes aero design update are starting to emerge today. The Zero-pod concept is definitely a goner. Looks more like they're heading towards something more Aston Martin-ish:

What's it taken them, 18 months to figure out the zero-pod concept was a pile of steaming...

I'm trying to work out if my falling out of love with F1 is a dislike of MV, or the new boring tracks finally grinding me down, or what, but for the first time in 35 years, I'm completely......meh ....

 

[Audax]

What's it taken them, 18 months to figure out the zero-pod concept was a pile of steaming...

I'm trying to work out if my falling out of love with F1 is a dislike of MV, or the new boring tracks finally grinding me down, or what, but for the first time in 35 years, I'm completely......meh ....

I'm surviving this season on the back of:

a) I almost love the goings on between and around races as much as the races themselves.
b) there's plenty of decent racing and intrigue if you ignore Red Bull. So I've just been pretending they don't exist as much as possible.
c) I'm hoping (but it's fading) that RB's advantage will diminish as the season goes on.

Anyway, here's a run down of all the changes Mercedes have made (includes some better pics of the new aero package):

Mercedes explains the six upgrades on its W14 F1 car

www.motorsport.com

 

[VAL1850]

I like Sunday afternoon TV sport but combine the most uneventful F1 race with the most uneventful season for a long time zzzzzzzzzz. Thank god Albion are on TV and the sun's shinning.....

 

[Audax]

First practice is done. Could there be some interest for race day? It is dangerous to read too much into Friday practice, and especially FP1, but:

* Ferrari appear to have 1 lap pace.
* As does Alonso.
* Hamilton might have a car more to his liking with the upgraded Mercedes ... but Russell appears to struggling with it.
* Verstappen (and Red Bull in general) haven't found a setup they like yet.

FP1 order:

1:13:372s - Sainz
1:13:710s - Alonso
1:14:035s - Hamilton
1:14:038s - Perez
1:14:093s - Leclerc
1:14:244s - Verstappen

I was watching times early in the session, and Alonso in particular looked to have some pace on the Hards setting times quite close to the early Meds times set by the Ferrari's and easily quicker than the Red Bull's at the same time.

 

[AstroSloth]

Could there be some interest for race day?

No.

Monaco is the most boring race day on the calendar, incredibly dull race.

The best part of the weekend is qualifying as it's an incredible track for time trialing.

 

[Icy Gull]

My interest is somewhat spiked by Lewis' performance in Practice one, quite likely another false dawn though.

Alonso's best chance for a race win for years