F1 Teardown: Emilia Romagna GP 2023
Rain ruins the weekend for F1 fans, and *not* important notes dump...
Massive Mercedes updates, tensions in the Ferrari camp, and an angry Alpine boss were going to set the stage at one of the most iconic F1 tracks. Alas, mother nature had the last say as the region has been wrecked by massive flooding leading to the GP being canceled.
As an F1 fan, it sucks, but at least 8 have died and many more will be rebuilding their lives altogether; my heartfelt apology goes out to all that have endured loss. Race cars aren’t important in times like these.
The F1 boss and hometown hero said it best.
Yes, there were memes, but in times like this jokes shouldn’t be the center of attention. If you can support the people of Imola do it, and if not at least send good vibes.
Greatest weekend in Racing
This weekend your boy will be glued to the action as Memorial weekend takes root.
Three of the best races in racing collide annually on the same weekend; the famed Monaco GP, Indy 500, and Coca-Cola 600.
A fun fact about the Monaco GP is it’s the only circuit on the calendar where drivers never reach 8th gear. However, it is not unusual for the 1st gear to be used, which almost never happens on other circuits.
I suggest watching qualifying because usually the race is won there, bearing any driver mistakes. There was a time when cars could pass each other with ease but with the size of a modern F1 car being so large it’s really a “follow the leader” type of race; no matter how fast that leader goes. You can be 2-3 seconds off the pace with a faster car behind you and easily defend your position.
The decidence & history of the race is unparalleled, but the “racing action” has declined.
Mercedes will test their big upgrades on the tight, twisty circuit; why I don’t know as data learning will be limited at best.
Also, McLaren is bringing a new—dope as hell—livery to the famed streets based on 3 generations of livery.
If you crave more racing on Sunday check out the Indy 500 as America’s single-seaters battle it out in the “greatest spectacle in the racing” for 500 miles around the flat oval track. It might look like left turns only to many, but at over 220 mph, flat out, it’s a spicey event that already hospitalized one competitor this week; your fate can change in an instant at Indy as you race to “kiss the bricks”.
Later on that night is NASCAR's celebration of the holiday weekend with their longest race of the season; 600 grueling miles of oval racing. It used to be an event that tested the engine builders more than the drivers, but not in today’s modernized NASCAR; regardless, drivers & teams will be exhausted by the end of the night. My recommendation, tune in for the last 50 to 100 laps; you will get a recap at some point and see the most important segment of the race.
*Not* Important Notes
Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine F1, is not happy with the team:
"I am noticing, not only an evident lack of performance and rigour at work, but also with a potential mood that is not up to the past standards of this team."
"I didn't like the first grand prix, because there was a lot of, excuse me for saying it, dilettantism or amateurism, choose the word that sounds better, which led to a result that was not right, that was mediocre, bad."
I will continue to pound this point; this is a “works” team backed by a powerful French automotive manufacturer that lost Alonso, Piastri, and is barely in the fight for the “best of the rest”. They should be embarrassed.
F1 is opening its first F1 Arcade in the United States with a 16,000-square-foot venue in Boston. Think Top Golf but for F1 & racing fans; 60+ F1 simulators& premium food & drinks. My question is why Boston?
Honda looks increasingly likely to have a new Formula 1 engine project in 2026 in partnership with the Aston Martin team with a rumor of an announcement as soon as tomorrow.
It registered its interest in the new rules late last year with the FIA and had approaches from multiple teams about a works deal.
Multiple sources have indicated that Honda will commit to the new regulations after all, with Aston Martin – currently a Mercedes engine customer – tipped to be its partner.
The Madrid Grand Prix proposal is ongoing. the City’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida has confirmed negotiations are ongoing to host the race from 2027 onwards.
Leclerc might be struggling in his Ferrari, but not on the baseball mound.
Michael Schmidt reports that Red Bull campaigned the most for the new sprint format. They believe they can benefit from less practice time because they have better simulation tools. Mandatory tires also minimize the risks and opportunities to make mistakes. Oddly this goes against Max’s comments.
Helmut Marko has reportedly set an ultimatum to Nyck de Vries. If the Dutchman does not improve his performance in the next 3 GPs (Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona), he could already be replaced for the rest of the season.
"Nick got the yellow card, but not the red one yet."
"If the worst came to the worst, we would fall back on our pool of young talent. We're talking specifically about Liam Lawson and Ayumu Iwasa. Ricciardo is not an option."
I understand Marko’s frustration, but rookies should get more seat time. I hope this doesn’t occur.
Toto Wolff on the Imola upgrades that will be debuted in Monaco:
"The upgrade package is a big operation. In the virtual world, it promises a good step in terms of lap time. But we have to rein in our expectations"
A direct comparison test of old versus new would be of no use. "The package is simply too big for that."
While the new sidepods and floor will offer the biggest visual difference on the W14, it is the new anti-dive characteristics of its new front suspension that could actually be more critical to improving the fortunes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Helmut Marko thinks that Sebastian Vettel could "theoretically" become his successor at Red Bull in a few years.
The role of a functionary is "a completely different situation" in Formula 1, he said. "You work more hours, earn significantly less, but have to do just as much," Marko explained. "But I think Sebastian needs to find himself now. He needs to know what he wants in the future."
I would love to personally see this.
RB19's dominance in straight line:
What Red Bull’s rivals are homing in on, though, is the way that the RB19 is able to maintain its aero platform around a lap – which appears to be delivering gains in allowing the car to deliver consistent downforce for the drivers.
Its anti-roll, anti-squat and anti-dive features are something that the opposition are looking to adopt themselves – once they can work out exactly how Red Bull is achieving it.
In an effort to go greener F1 is debuting its first ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ event. Drivers will only be allowed to use 11 sets of slick tires rather than the usual limit of 13 at rounds that do not feature a sprint race or evaluation tire compounds. Each driver can use three sets of the designated hard compound, four sets of the medium, and four sets of the soft. That is half the number of soft tyres available on a standard weekend, and one more set each of the hard and the medium.
“Go greener F1” is such an oxymoron to me; maybe start by not allowing private jet travel.
Driver Intros - Up to eight are expected to take place over the course of the season. More incoming cringe?
F1 Insider has determined that the team from Grove is not completely satisfied with Logan Sargeant. According to German media, Toto Wolff wants to take advantage of the situation inside Williams. The boss of Mercedes is to pressure James Vowles to replace Logan with Mick.
Please don’t let this happen to the only American; again rookies need seat time in the car.
Lawrence Stroll was at a Financial Times event last week and revealed two crazy stats:
70% of Aston Martin’s $1.75 billion in annual sales are because of the F1 team
The company has sold 300+ Vantage F1 edition cars ($60 million) because of their partnership as the F1 safety car
Sergio Perez's father has compared his son's current battle with Max Verstappen to the rivalry between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. "You have to remember when McLaren had Senna and Prost. This is the same. Today we are living it again. So [Verstappen] has a lot of advantage, but Checo can now go at Max' pace. I think there are only a few thousandths between them in Max' favor, but on difficult tracks I see them very even."
My BS meter just redlined; this is a poor take by a passionate father.
Mercedes has announced an ambitious revamp of its Brackley Formula 1 factory that will help turn it into a cutting-edge Silicon Valley-style parkland campus.
“But what we are planning to do is to expand the campus with multiple new buildings and create a modern style campus, with lots of breakout areas, restaurants, state of the art gyms, new marketing buildings, and getting all the cars out.
“We want it to become its own little village, with all the amenities and benefits that you would expect from a Silicon Valley-style environment.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali criticizes 'selfish' drivers and addresses Max Verstappen's quit threats. Domenicali emphasizes the need for drivers to embrace new ideas and formats in Formula 1, asserting that they should not be lazy or complacent. He highlights the importance of considering the broader picture and catering to the fans' expectations during race weekends. Verstappen expressed discontent with recent changes and the increasing number of Grand Prix races. However, Domenicali states that there is no problem with the Red Bull driver and believes he will continue in F1.
After multiple reassurances from both Ferrari and Charles Leclerc’s side, discussions about Charles Leclerc's contract extension are now closer. Certain discussions have also taken place on the competitiveness of the car in the short- and medium-term, with Ferrari President John Elkann being present in Maranello for a few days.
At the same time, there are rumors that Hamilton is talking to Ferrari which Toto Wolff denies. The silly season is starting to warm up.
