[Other Sport] F1 2024

[Audax]

So is it safe to say that, bar unexpected twists, Lawson will be on the grid next season, it’s just a question of which team?

Personally: yes, safe assumption. Think he's done enough already in the 3 races so far.

My prediction:

- Perez sees out the season.

- Post-season announcement that he's leaving the team and won't drive in 2025. Red Bull will give him the opportunity to frame it as retirement, but if he doesn't take that they'll axe him.

- I think Red Bull have negotiated a deal with Williams for Colapinto that just needs signatures. I think those signatures appearing on the deal will depend on what Lawson does in the remaining races:
a) If Lawson clearly bests Tsunoda, he gets the Red Bull seat; IMO this is probably written into his current contract (based on what was said in the aftermath of Lawson replacing Ricciardo, and what was said about Ricciardo's contract when he replaced De Vries). VCARB seat goes to Hadjar, and Colapinto deal doesn't get signed.
b) If Tsunoda ahead of Lawson, Lawson stays at VCARB. Colapinto deal is activated and he gets the Red Bull seat. Hadjar misses out.

I don't see Red Bull buying out Colapinto to place him at VCARB. Not for the sums of money that have been rumoured ($20m).

 

[Audax]

F1 is having an active news day:

1. Alpine have confirmed they will use Mercedes power units from 2026 onwards, with Renault's PU program being shut down.

[Aside: it's been rumoured that Cadillac have bought the IP for the 2026 Renault unit and may seek to use that as leverage in the ongoing Andretti Cadillac team entry fight with the FOM].

2. Dan Fallows, Aston Martin Technical Director (who was poached at great effort from Red Bull 2 years ago), is being removed from his role with the F1 team. He'll remain "part of the group" but won't continue with the F1 team after this month.

3. F1 FIA Race Director Neils Wittich has stood down with immediate effect and will be replaced by a former F2/F3 race director from the Las Vegas race onwards.

... and David Croft is hinting that there's more to come, suggesting there's embargoed news yet to drop.

 

[Audax]

And the embargoed news was confirmation of a poorly kept secret: there will be an F1 season launch event in London on February 18, attended by all 10 teams and all 10 race drivers. Tickets will be available for fans (bet those won't be cheap).

 

[JackB247]

F1 is having an active news day:

1. Alpine have confirmed they will use Mercedes power units from 2026 onwards, with Renault's PU program being shut down.

[Aside: it's been rumoured that Cadillac have bought the IP for the 2026 Renault unit and may seek to use that as leverage in the ongoing Andretti Cadillac team entry fight with the FOM].

2. Dan Fallows, Aston Martin Technical Director (who was poached at great effort from Red Bull 2 years ago), is being removed from his role with the F1 team. He'll remain "part of the group" but won't continue with the F1 team after this month.

3. F1 FIA Race Director Neils Wittich has stood down with immediate effect and will be replaced by a former F2/F3 race director from the Las Vegas race onwards.

... and David Croft is hinting that there's more to come, suggesting there's embargoed news yet to drop.

Wittich says he was sacked not stood down. There's a story there for someone to find...

The FIA have been a total shambles under Bin Salayem - starting from the Abu Dhabi 21 cover up.

 

[Audax]

Wittich says he was sacked not stood down. There's a story there for someone to find...

The FIA have been a total shambles under Bin Salayem - starting from the Abu Dhabi 21 cover up.

Yep. From what I saw last night (after I posted) it sounds like the relationship between Wittich and MBS has been sour for a while, and MBS has simply been waiting for an opportunity to get rid. Brazil weekend gave him the opportunity potentially - the delay to getting the VSC out in the Sprint race might have given a justifiable reason to sack.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Did anyone get any tickets for that F1 75 thingy at the 02 in Feb?
In the queue for over a bastard hour then to be told it sold out(I felt like an Oasis fan)

the wife n boy really want to go, so as the old Scousers used to shout on Wembley way “I’ll take any spares”

 

[Flounce]

Wow, what a race, can Lewis do it?

 

[Flounce]

Listening to Russell’s celebration on the win I reckon he’d be a perfect contestant on Strictly

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Great race gonna be good next season, lots of interesting moves

 

[A1X]

Formula 1: General Motors agrees in principle to enter F1 in 2026 with Cadillac brand

US car giant General Motors reaches an agreement in principle to enter Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac brand.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Audax]

Formula 1: General Motors agrees in principle to enter F1 in 2026 with Cadillac brand

US car giant General Motors reaches an agreement in principle to enter Formula 1 in 2026 with its Cadillac brand.

www.bbc.co.uk

For anyone not paying full attentions, this is the Andretti Global team that got rejected earlier this season. Michael Andretti has stepped aside, his business partner Dan Towriss has taken over, and GM have (yet again) increased their commitment to the team. The Andretti name has been removed (Towriss' TWG Group mentioned in the article is now majority owner of Andretti Global), but under the hood it's still Andretti Global that will be getting this team running. Mario Andretti will remain involved as a non-executive director / advisor / ambassador.

As such ... expect Herta to be in the frame for one of the 2026 seats if he can replicate his Indycar form from this season again. He needs a top 4 finish in next year's title to get an F1 superlicence, after finishing 2nd this season.

Edit: all a bit messy, but I think this fully ticks off the 10th of my 10 pre-season predictions. Shame some of my other predictions were a bit rubbish, but I think my final scorecard will be better for 2024 than it was for 2023.

 

[A1X]

Absolute FIA clown show going on in Qatar, debris on the main straight and a yellow flag left out with nobody getting it cleared until several cars had hit it and got punctures, then the safety car is called for

Like WTF? Were they just going to do the whole race with a yellow in the only overtaking section on the track?

 

[AstroSloth]

Absolute FIA clown show going on in Qatar, debris on the main straight and a yellow flag left out with nobody getting it cleared until several cars had hit it and got punctures, then the safety car is called for

Like WTF? Were they just going to do the whole race with a yellow in the only overtaking section on the track?

The race direction this week has been diabolical starting with the penalty for Max last night after qualifying.

Then with the penalties today, two drive throughs and arguably punishing the more dangerous offence without the stop and go.

 

[Triggaaar]

Absolute FIA clown show going on in Qatar, debris on the main straight and a yellow flag left out with nobody getting it cleared until several cars had hit it and got punctures, then the safety car is called for

Like WTF? Were they just going to do the whole race with a yellow in the only overtaking section on the track?

F1 being run badly? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

 

[Flounce]

My biggest take from that GP is that George Russell is a f***ing weasel and no way will he ever be a World Champion, not good enough. I dislike him more than any other Brit driver in the decades I have been watching F1. I loved how he lost two places at the start.

Lewis had a mare and most of it was self inflicted, the puncture was just how his season has gone.

Bring on a motivated and backed LH in a Ferrari.

I am starting to warm to Max, didn’t see that coming!

 

[zefarelly]

The Fia have been sinking for a while, faster since they appointed a gold laden twunt . . . Even the decent people in historics I know have left.

F1 is just a Santa's grotto in February for a few weeks until it finally gets put out of its misery . . .just in time for christmas. It should have finished after Interlagos.

 

[A1X]

One other interesting thing for today, Ocon has been released early (going to Haas next year) by Alpine and Jack Doohan (next year’s driver) will race in Abu Dhabi

A small part of me wonders after today whether Mercedes might consider similar with Lewis and parachute in Antonelli? It’s clear Hamilton’s head is no longer in the game there.

 

[Audax]

One other interesting thing for today, Ocon has been released early (going to Haas next year) by Alpine and Jack Doohan (next year’s driver) will race in Abu Dhabi

A small part of me wonders after today whether Mercedes might consider similar with Lewis and parachute in Antonelli? It’s clear Hamilton’s head is no longer in the game there.

I had an initial "WTF?!" moment on that Ocon / Doohan news, then a moment of "Yay!" (because I followed Doohan snr on bikes as a youngster). And then remembered that earlier this season there were rumours that Alpine had tried to oust Ocon in favour of bringing Doohan in but the move was shot down by Ocon's lawyers who pointed out his contract was watertight and would cost a fortune to remove him.

I suspect Hamilton will still race, even as down as he seems to be.

Re: race direction. It's unsurprising it's been messy. Mohammed ben Sulayem appears to be clearing out nay-sayers. Ahead of Vegas the race director was removed and replaced on short notice, and then between races a couple of the stewards were cut. The Yellow flag vs safety car issue lands squarely on inexperience in race direction IMO, while the messiness around penalties will be on the stewards.

I see Red Bull are now giving it large over the McLaren "mini DRS" rear wing that a technical directive outlawed post-Baku. I say: suck it up. They've operated in those grey areas for far longer than McLaren have and it's about time they were on the receiving end of a team being given lenient treatment for exploring grey areas.

 

[drew]

So a president who got elected promoting transparency is seemingly trying to dismantle the very structures in the organisation that are there to try and ensure transparency!!

BBC - Trouble in the FIA

Led by a seemingly corrupt Ecclestone only to be taken over by some that are also seemingly corrupt!

 

[Audax]

So a president who got elected promoting transparency is seemingly trying to dismantle the very structures in the organisation that are there to try and ensure transparency!!

BBC - Trouble in the FIA

Led by a seemingly corrupt Ecclestone only to be taken over by some that are also seemingly corrupt!

Ecclestone never led the FIA (although he did seem to have Max Mosley on puppet strings at times).

More to the point ... the FIA was always corrupt even before Ecclestone and Mosley. Balestre's leadership of FISA (= FIA) and what happened in 1989 with the Senna / Prost Suzuka incident being pertinent (Balestre would later admit to using his position to manipulate matters so that Prost would win the title).