2023 Discussion Thread

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

So if Checo doesn't come up to expectations(or retires,since he's been in F1 12 years) and Danny Ric takes his place at Red Bull, then who would be up for the Alpha Tauri seat?

[Rob Dylan]

I think the question really should be "will there be a seat there at all next year?" We know that AT is gone as of 2024, while Marko is getting on in years and there were multiple comments made following Mateschietz's death last year that he would be gone before long.

If my theory is correct (entirely from my own head) and RB are selling AT, then the Ricciardo move may be a kneejerk reaction to find a suitable replacement for Perez if the worst happens. This way they find out asap whether Ricciardo really isn't coping with the new rules anywhere or whether Yuki really has come into his own as a driver.

It also puts pressure on Sergio to get his arse into gear asap.

[tBone]

So if Checo doesn't come up to expectations(or retires,since he's been in F1 12 years) and Danny Ric takes his place at Red Bull, then who would be up for the Alpha Tauri seat?

Liam Lawson seems to be the obvious candidate. He's doing pretty well in Super Formula and Red Bull are rating that class highly as we've seen with previous juniors.

[mario]

I think the question really should be "will there be a seat there at all next year?" We know that AT is gone as of 2024, while Marko is getting on in years and there were multiple comments made following Mateschietz's death last year that he would be gone before long.

If my theory is correct (entirely from my own head) and RB are selling AT, then the Ricciardo move may be a kneejerk reaction to find a suitable replacement for Perez if the worst happens. This way they find out asap whether Ricciardo really isn't coping with the new rules anywhere or whether Yuki really has come into his own as a driver.

It also puts pressure on Sergio to get his arse into gear asap.

Whilst we know that the Alpha Tauri name will go next season, Red Bull have also confirmed that some of the operations of Alpha Tauri will be integrated into the main factory at Red Bull. https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-bull ... pus-share/

Whilst it's not impossible that they might still sell up, it would seem a little counter intuitive for Red Bull to make such an effort to integrate the junior team into their own production facilities for 2024 in that situation.

[Paul Hayes]

I did not expect a Mercedes pole in Hungary for the second year in a row!

[mario]

I did not expect a Mercedes pole in Hungary for the second year in a row!

There are a few surprises up and down the field there - for a start, as you say, I doubt many were expecting anything other than another comfortable pole for Verstappen (and Norris has also managed to get surprisingly close to Verstappen too).

The other big surprise has to be how far up the grid the two Alfa Romeo entries are - they've flown under the radar here, but not only is this the first time both cars will start in the top 10 this season, Zhou's 5th place puts him ahead of Leclerc (and Bottas was only a few thousandths behind Leclerc too).

[Alextrax52]

People have spoken at length about Perez’s Saturday struggles and rightly so but when do we start having a conversation about George Russell? Because that’s now a Q1 exit today (while his teammate gets pole) to add to Q2 exits in Azerbaijan, Spain and Austria.

[Paul Hayes]

This season is turning into a real kicker for Alpine, isn't it?

A second double-DNF in a row, this one cause by their cars hitting one another - albeit the incident wasn't entirely their drivers' fault.

The season began with the team their star driver had left them for taking all the plaudits, and now the team suddenly shooting to the podium from nowhere is the one their wonderkid replacement embarrassed them by choosing instead.

[Wallio]

Here's something to put into perspective just how impressive current F1 is (top to bottom):

On a recent podcast, Gary Anderson explained that averaged out, the gap from pole to stone dead last in 2023 hovers around 1.7%.

The opening race of 1991 (Phoenix), which also saw Jordan debut saw a 1.4% gap from pole position to second place.

[mario]

This season is turning into a real kicker for Alpine, isn't it?

A second double-DNF in a row, this one cause by their cars hitting one another - albeit the incident wasn't entirely their drivers' fault.

The season began with the team their star driver had left them for taking all the plaudits, and now the team suddenly shooting to the podium from nowhere is the one their wonderkid replacement embarrassed them by choosing instead.

What's perhaps more surprising is how rapidly McLaren have improved their form, given that, until Canada, Alpine was fairly thoroughly beating them - Alpine had finished twice as often in the points and had 44 points to 17 for McLaren. If you'd have looked at McLaren's form in the opening half dozen or so races, some might have questioned if Piastri had made more of a sideways move in switching to McLaren.

The major in-season upgrade has helped quite a bit, but it does seem that a few people are wondering if the change in tyre construction Pirelli introduced, which strengthened and stiffened the tyre carcass (particularly for the front tyres) might have also played into their hands.

[dinizintheoven]

On a recent podcast, Gary Anderson explained that averaged out, the gap from pole to stone dead last in 2023 hovers around 1.7%.

It reminds me of 2008 - once Super Aguri had gone to the wall, the gap between first and last in Q1 would be under two seconds. But within that, there was a strict pecking order, usually resulting in the animals going in two by two. McLaren and Ferrari at the top, Force India at the back, Honda just ahead of them, and everyone else falling in where the cars were at the time. Toro Rosso moved up the grid during the year, BMW Sauber fell back.

If anyone ever questions why I watch Formula E - more likely to happen in Normie-Land than here - it's because it will never, ever be the case that the driver called Max only has to turn up to win. FE's Max has only one win, the kind of demolition job that F1's Max is doing is unthinkable, and the eventual champion can have at most five wins - or only four if it turns out to be Jake Dennis.

[Wallio]

It reminds me of 2008 - once Super Aguri had gone to the wall, the gap between first and last in Q1 would be under two seconds. But within that, there was a strict pecking order, usually resulting in the animals going in two by two. McLaren and Ferrari at the top, Force India at the back, Honda just ahead of them, and everyone else falling in where the cars were at the time. Toro Rosso moved up the grid during the year, BMW Sauber fell back.

Now see, I would argue that this year, we DON'T have that. Red Bull is far and away #1 yes, but Aston, Ferrari, Mercedes, and now Mclaren have all been number 2, and shift up or down week to week. Alpine had a few bright spots early on, and Williams is consistently a points threat (with one car anyway). Even at the back, Alfa Romero can surprise in qualis, and the worst car on the grid by far, the Haas, has scored enough points based off good Saturday results and sprints that they may hold off Alpha Tauri.

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

Just to ponder... if George hadn't won Brazil last year, Red Bull would have had 22 consecutive wins...

[Wallio]

I hate to keep hijacking this thread, but you lot are the only other people who would "appreciate" this.

I just recently (a few hours ago) was contacted by a friend of a friend. "I hear you like F1. I'm running a VIP trip to Vegas, would you like some info?" He has arranged a weekend in the Mercedes hospitality/garage. This includes a private meet and greet with the drivers, a garage tour, meals in the team hospitality unit, a " live timing and scoring with link to the garage" (headset, maybe?) three days of open bar, and tickets to the races and a shedload of concerts. I did make some calls, this is actually legitimate.

All for the bargain price of $18,000 a person. Keep in mind this DOES NOT include flight or hotel. Out of curiosity, I looked. Most rooms are between $700-$1000 a night, with the Bellagio coming in at $2200 a night! So roughly $21,500 and you still need to fly there. To put this into perspective, I bought a running, driving, in very nice condition Camaro not long ago for $9500.

[dinizintheoven]

Just to ponder... if George hadn't won Brazil last year, Red Bull would have had 22 consecutive wins...

Don't tempt fate.

I would say "that's the last thing we need", but if Red Bull gets a clean sweep of wins that even the McLaren MP4/4 couldn't manage (merci, Jean-Louis), that might snap The Management into some action before the TV audience nosedives like it did in the Schumacher Years (outside Italy, at least).

I just recently (a few hours ago) was contacted by a friend of a friend. "I hear you like F1. I'm running a VIP trip to Vegas, would you like some info?" He has arranged a weekend in the Mercedes hospitality/garage. This includes a private meet and greet with the drivers, a garage tour, meals in the team hospitality unit, a " live timing and scoring with link to the garage" (headset, maybe?) three days of open bar, and tickets to the races and a shedload of concerts. I did make some calls, this is actually legitimate.

All for the bargain price of $18,000 a person. Keep in mind this DOES NOT include flight or hotel. Out of curiosity, I looked. Most rooms are between $700-$1000 a night, with the Bellagio coming in at $2200 a night! So roughly $21,500 and you still need to fly there. To put this into perspective, I bought a running, driving, in very nice condition Camaro not long ago for $9500.

That's £16,633 at today's exchange rate. For that, you could buy a flat...

...in a dilapidated block on Schooner Street, Barrow-in-Furness. A quick look on The Evil Empire's Street View shows rubbish dumped everywhere, and some of the flats have boarded-up windows. An all-round nice place to live, then, where the local feral yoof who know they're under the age of criminal responsibility certainly won't try to stab you on a daily basis.

Alternatively, there's one in Washington - no, not DC, or the state with Seattle in it - it's jammed in the gap between Sunderland and Gateshead. It's a studio flat in a block that wouldn't look out of place in Belarus, it needs to be gutted and refitted from top to bottom, and there's only 56 years left on the lease which will set alarm bells ringing long and loud for anyone who knows how leaseholds work. It could be yours for £17K - though probably another £10K of work needed to make it habitable again. Then there's the definite possibility of your neighbours being real-life characters from Viz. Better hope it's the relatively harmless Finbarr Saunders, rather than 8 Ace... or Biffa Bacon!

And yet, buying either of those flats... at least it's something permanent, though the block in Barrow might get condemned as unfit for human habitation (and I wouldn't bet against that). Do it up, sell it quick, and you'll probably just about be in the black. Take that trip to Vegas, admire Lord Lewis' gold teeth, and all that money has just gone up in smoke before you've even looked at the casino.

Who in their right mind, whose first name isn't "Sheikh", would take that option?

[dr-baker]

Three out of the five most expensive races have something in common, that being they take place in the country of inexpensive, affordable heathcare! Where prices are comparable with Monaco...

And Australia is one of the cheapest, yet offer an extra day on top...

[mario]

Just to ponder... if George hadn't won Brazil last year, Red Bull would have had 22 consecutive wins...

Don't tempt fate.

I would say "that's the last thing we need", but if Red Bull gets a clean sweep of wins that even the McLaren MP4/4 couldn't manage (merci, Jean-Louis), that might snap The Management into some action before the TV audience nosedives like it did in the Schumacher Years (outside Italy, at least).

I just recently (a few hours ago) was contacted by a friend of a friend. "I hear you like F1. I'm running a VIP trip to Vegas, would you like some info?" He has arranged a weekend in the Mercedes hospitality/garage. This includes a private meet and greet with the drivers, a garage tour, meals in the team hospitality unit, a " live timing and scoring with link to the garage" (headset, maybe?) three days of open bar, and tickets to the races and a shedload of concerts. I did make some calls, this is actually legitimate.

All for the bargain price of $18,000 a person. Keep in mind this DOES NOT include flight or hotel. Out of curiosity, I looked. Most rooms are between $700-$1000 a night, with the Bellagio coming in at $2200 a night! So roughly $21,500 and you still need to fly there. To put this into perspective, I bought a running, driving, in very nice condition Camaro not long ago for $9500.

That's £16,633 at today's exchange rate. For that, you could buy a flat...

...in a dilapidated block on Schooner Street, Barrow-in-Furness. A quick look on The Evil Empire's Street View shows rubbish dumped everywhere, and some of the flats have boarded-up windows. An all-round nice place to live, then, where the local feral yoof who know they're under the age of criminal responsibility certainly won't try to stab you on a daily basis.

Alternatively, there's one in Washington - no, not DC, or the state with Seattle in it - it's jammed in the gap between Sunderland and Gateshead. It's a studio flat in a block that wouldn't look out of place in Belarus, it needs to be gutted and refitted from top to bottom, and there's only 56 years left on the lease which will set alarm bells ringing long and loud for anyone who knows how leaseholds work. It could be yours for £17K - though probably another £10K of work needed to make it habitable again. Then there's the definite possibility of your neighbours being real-life characters from Viz. Better hope it's the relatively harmless Finbarr Saunders, rather than 8 Ace... or Biffa Bacon!

And yet, buying either of those flats... at least it's something permanent, though the block in Barrow might get condemned as unfit for human habitation (and I wouldn't bet against that). Do it up, sell it quick, and you'll probably just about be in the black. Take that trip to Vegas, admire Lord Lewis' gold teeth, and all that money has just gone up in smoke before you've even looked at the casino.

Who in their right mind, whose first name isn't "Sheikh", would take that option?

The approach being taken by both Miami and Las Vegas seems to be to intentionally lean into the idea of selling the perception of ultra exclusivity and exorbitant excess.

The sort of person they are aiming to attract is the sort of person for whom the outrageousness of the fee is perhaps more important than the experience, as the very act of buying that package is to demonstrate your wealth and prestige to others. It is a case of very deliberately not trying to be affordable, as they are trading on the image of exclusivity - indeed, shutting out the majority of fans is the point, as it emphasises the fact that the select few they cater to have been able to do something others can only aspire to.

[Klon]

The approach being taken by both Miami and Las Vegas seems to be to intentionally lean into the idea of selling the perception of ultra exclusivity and exorbitant excess.

The sort of person they are aiming to attract is the sort of person for whom the outrageousness of the fee is perhaps more important than the experience, as the very act of buying that package is to demonstrate your wealth and prestige to others. It is a case of very deliberately not trying to be affordable, as they are trading on the image of exclusivity - indeed, shutting out the majority of fans is the point, as it emphasises the fact that the select few they cater to have been able to do something others can only aspire to.

Though now that you have spelled it out like that, I cannot help but feel a certain sense of irony. Bernie Ecclestone once was ridiculed for saying that he has no need for the kind of fans that cannot afford a Rolex and now here we have an event tailor-made to keep out that type of fan. The more things change...

[Rob Dylan]

Both times I went to Silverstone it was somewhere around £250 for the whole weekend including a grandstand seat and our area of the camping site.

I didn't think it was too outrageous considering what some of these music festivals can cost upwards of in the present day (while half the artists are just singing (or doing absolutely nothing in the case of house or DJ artists) over a laptop, but that's a personal gripe). However, I went 2014 and 2018 when F1 was relatively struggling. Goodness knows how the prices have changed since the Great Leap Forward occured.

[Wallio]

Miami and Vegas are....well Miami and Vegas so that is par for the course. Austin surprises me, however. When it was built COTA promised reasonable tickets, comparable to Indy's famously affordable prices (Indiana hotels on the other hand.....). Supposedly part of the reason for such large Latin AMerican crowds in the pre-Mexico GP years, was even with the exchange rate, tickets weren't bad. Guess all those concerts have added up.....

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

Just to ponder... if George hadn't won Brazil last year, Red Bull would have had 22 consecutive wins...

Don't tempt fate.

I would say "that's the last thing we need", but if Red Bull gets a clean sweep of wins that even the McLaren MP4/4 couldn't manage (merci, Jean-Louis), that might snap The Management into some action before the TV audience nosedives like it did in the Schumacher Years (outside Italy, at least)

At least in '88 you had a genuine inter-team battle. You knew that McLaren would be winning the race, but you didn't know which driver it would be..

'92,'02 and '04 were worse when you had one dominant team with one dominant driver.

[rachel1990]

The years above at least had a different winner by now (strangly it was Monaco for all those years)

This for me feels so much worse than ever. Maybe it's because Red Bull have been the biggest whingers for so long about Merc Domination and now that they are dominating they are just saying that it was worse when Merc were dominating. Which is rubbish. Even in 2019 and 2020 there was at least some threat from other teams and 14, less so in 15 and defo 16 there was an inter team battle.

(Just my take)

[James1978]

I'm kind of thinking the season is obviously over so that clean sweep could actually be something that keeps interest up. Though I do think in 1988 had McLaren done it without Schlesser's contribution it would have been a far bigger achievement as reliability wasn't half as good as it is these days, especially the turbos!

The only way I see RB losing a race now is Max has some kind of reliability problem (doubt he'll have an accident as he can afford to play the percentage game knowing he'll win the war eventually like Australia for example) and Checo isn't there to mop up as he's messed up qualifying and a McLaren or Mercedes or Ferrari manages to hold him off.

[Wallio]

I'm kind of thinking the season is obviously over so that clean sweep could actually be something that keeps interest up. Though I do think in 1988 had McLaren done it without Schlesser's contribution it would have been a far bigger achievement as reliability wasn't half as good as it is these days, especially the turbos!

Eh, the MP4-4 actually had zero real competition though. Here's one of many great articles: http://8w.forix.com/dominators.html

What definitely helped the McLaren's cause was that, simply stated, it had no opposition worthy of the name. 1988 was a transition year in which the 1.5-litre turbos were still allowed but on a fairly low boost level, a near minimal amount of fuel and a minimum weight of 540 kilos. The alternative was a 3.5-litre atmo engine with unlimited fuel, in cars of 500 kg. But the new brand of atmos weren't ready yet, with only the enlarged and reworked Cosworth and a similarly designed Judd engine available. New chassis regulations were introduced as well, mandating the driver’s feet behind the front axle. All new 1988 chassis had to meet that rule. Elderly designs were saved the modifications as long as they were approved for use in 1988. Therefore, a number of teams remaining with the turbo merely presented slightly modified 1987 chassis as a stop-gap solution. Just two of turbo teams (coincidently both teams with Honda V6s) built brand new cars for this one season: Lotus and McLaren, the latter extracting the opportunities offered by the improved low-line Honda V6 to the maximum by designing a car entirely to the 1988 rules.

[mario]

And Australia is one of the cheapest, yet offer an extra day on top...

The reason why the Australian Grand Prix ticket prices are so low is because the state of Victoria are subsidising the event very heavily, which means the tickets are sold at a quite substantial loss.

Whilst I can't find the figure for 2023, the figures quoted for 2022 state that the race cost the state of Victoria $153 million to run, but only brought in $75 million in revenue. It means that income from the 2022 race only covered 49% of the cost of holding the race, with the state of Victoria giving a subsidy of $78 million to cover the deficit in funding. https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 5c831.html

The approach being taken by both Miami and Las Vegas seems to be to intentionally lean into the idea of selling the perception of ultra exclusivity and exorbitant excess.

The sort of person they are aiming to attract is the sort of person for whom the outrageousness of the fee is perhaps more important than the experience, as the very act of buying that package is to demonstrate your wealth and prestige to others. It is a case of very deliberately not trying to be affordable, as they are trading on the image of exclusivity - indeed, shutting out the majority of fans is the point, as it emphasises the fact that the select few they cater to have been able to do something others can only aspire to.

Though now that you have spelled it out like that, I cannot help but feel a certain sense of irony. Bernie Ecclestone once was ridiculed for saying that he has no need for the kind of fans that cannot afford a Rolex and now here we have an event tailor-made to keep out that type of fan. The more things change...

I suspect that there may be a couple of factors that are encouraging those circuits to take that particular marketing tactic.

As temporary venues, their mobilisation costs are likely to be higher than those of a permanent circuit, whilst the potential capacity of the circuits isn't quite as high due to the need to work around other existing infrastructure. If you potentially have reasonably high mobilisation costs and may not be able to pack in as many spectators as a permanent venue, it does create an incentive to appeal to higher margin customers. Still, as you note, those venues do indeed seem to be taking a few pages out of Bernie's book...

Both times I went to Silverstone it was somewhere around £250 for the whole weekend including a grandstand seat and our area of the camping site.

I didn't think it was too outrageous considering what some of these music festivals can cost upwards of in the present day (while half the artists are just singing (or doing absolutely nothing in the case of house or DJ artists) over a laptop, but that's a personal gripe). However, I went 2014 and 2018 when F1 was relatively struggling. Goodness knows how the prices have changed since the Great Leap Forward occured.

That tweet quoted an average price of $556 for a three day pass, which would be about £435, although their website suggested that the cheapest three day grandstand seats were $445 this year, which would be about £348.

That same site also quoted a figure of £119 for camping for three days at the official campsite - so, if somebody was able to bag a cheap grandstand ticket and camped for three days, the combined cost of the campsite and the ticket would be somewhere around £470, whilst the average ticket price would put that at around £555.

I've used the Bank of England inflation calculator to estimate what £250 in 2014 would be worth today, and the figure I got was about £330 - so, if we use the cheaper price of £470, the price is about 42% higher than inflation alone might suggest, whilst the average price would indicate an increase of 68% over and above the inflation rate over that time.

Miami and Vegas are....well Miami and Vegas so that is par for the course. Austin surprises me, however. When it was built COTA promised reasonable tickets, comparable to Indy's famously affordable prices (Indiana hotels on the other hand.....). Supposedly part of the reason for such large Latin AMerican crowds in the pre-Mexico GP years, was even with the exchange rate, tickets weren't bad. Guess all those concerts have added up.....

One aspect that might have hurt the circuit a bit is that, in 2015, the subsidies that the circuit was receiving for the race were cut by around 20% after the estimated benefits to the state from the event were downgraded.

[Row Man Gross-Gene]

Those prices make Montreal a pretty attractive option for US residents.

[Ataxia]

Those prices make Montreal a pretty attractive option for US residents.

...before you factor in hotel costs. Montreal prices get jacked up for F1 weekend, crazy money.

[IceG]

It is not just F1.

Last year Monza was on the same weekend as a five-day motorcycle rally by Lake Como - hotel prices went through the roof so I blamed F1.

This year they are on different weekends but the hotel prices for the motorcycle rally are just as exhorbitant. How about €600 for Saturday night in a crappy room in a barely 2 star hotel?

Capitalism + greed + desire = €€€$$$£££

[IceG]

This shake-up at Alpine is seismic.

Szafnauer, Permane and Fry all out on the tail of Rossi.

Stroll over at Aston Martin seems to understand that building a championship winning team takes time, patience and lots of money. Renault seem to have forgotten that.

I wonder if this all started after the Alonso and Piastri debacles? And what did they know then to make them make the (as it turned out correct) decisions to go elsewhere?

Gasly and Ocon may well spend the evening going over the fine print in their contracts. Ocon to Williams and Gasly to Aston Martin?

[Wallio]

Ocon to Williams and Gasly to Aston Martin?

Ocon could do worse than a Williams seat. But Alonso has another year on his deal, does he not?

[mario]

This shake-up at Alpine is seismic.

Szafnauer, Permane and Fry all out on the tail of Rossi.

Stroll over at Aston Martin seems to understand that building a championship winning team takes time, patience and lots of money. Renault seem to have forgotten that.

I wonder if this all started after the Alonso and Piastri debacles? And what did they know then to make them make the (as it turned out correct) decisions to go elsewhere?

Gasly and Ocon may well spend the evening going over the fine print in their contracts. Ocon to Williams and Gasly to Aston Martin?

It's also just about 18 months since Marcin Budkowski left the team as well, meaning there have been quite a few changes in the senior management of the team (although, in the case of Fry, Williams seem to have actively targeted hiring him).

There is a suggestion that the departure of Szafnauer and Permane may in part be because Philippe Krief, as a former employee of Ferrari, may be trying to bring some staff from Ferrari into the team to improve their performance (i.e. that he's bringing in staff whom he is familiar with). There has been some ongoing speculation that Alpine were looking at hiring Binotto, with Krief's appointment helping to stoke those rumours.

[IceG]

Ocon to Williams and Gasly to Aston Martin?

Ocon could do worse than a Williams seat. But Alonso has another year on his deal, does he not?

Gasly looks a lot more competitive and consistent than Stroll Jnr....

[Wallio]

Gasly looks a lot more competitive and consistent than Stroll Jnr....

That's not going to happen. Ever.

[IceG]

Thoroughly enjoyed sprint qualy and the sprint itself.

For once things went well with good decisions all round despite the variable and unpredictable conditions.

The tyre changing was very well choreographed and well behaved.

Penalty for Hamilton was a bit harsh, especially as Perez was having tyre issues and was all over the shop.

IIDoTS: Gasly

RoTS: Perez

M2C

[sswishbone]

Bold prediction... Andretti to buy Enstone

[mario]

Bold prediction... Andretti to buy Enstone

I suspect that, with the recent injection of investor capital, Alpine might be content to hold on for now.

It's not that far fetched though - Andretti does reportedly have a contract in place for Renault's power unit, which will have opened up connections to the team. Maybe an alternative option might be Renault selling a stake in the team to Andretti whilst retaining a partial interest, as well as selling their power unit to Andretti?

[IceG]

Renault/Alpine have only ever won the Constructors title twice and that was with Alonso driving in 2005/6. He walked out at the end of last year when he realised he was wasting his time.

The constant lack of focus and changes of management, strategy and purpose (as directed by corporate Renault) is a constant handicap for them these days. It is like they have taken the worst of the Ferrari blame culture and combined it with the worst of Honda's lack of patience.

Best thing for the Enstone team is if they are purchaed by a competent independent constructor with a will to win.

Andretti has the money but has the American car racing handicaps of (i) not understanding the European roots and culture of F1 and (ii) not (yet) understanding the need for a European factory to attract experienced talent...

Vettel has the will, experience, the cultural understanding and is bored...

[mario]

Renault/Alpine have only ever won the Constructors title twice and that was with Alonso driving in 2005/6. He walked out at the end of last year when he realised he was wasting his time.

The constant lack of focus and changes of management, strategy and purpose (as directed by corporate Renault) is a constant handicap for them these days. It is like they have taken the worst of the Ferrari blame culture and combined it with the worst of Honda's lack of patience.

Best thing for the Enstone team is if they are purchaed by a competent independent constructor with a will to win.

Andretti has the money but has the American car racing handicaps of (i) not understanding the European roots and culture of F1 and (ii) not (yet) understanding the need for a European factory to attract experienced talent...

Vettel has the will, experience, the cultural understanding and is bored...

Marko has talked about the possibility that Red Bull might employ Vettel in a senior management role with them, so I suspect it's more likely that Red Bull are lining him up for a role there.

[Bleu]

Vettel has the will, experience, the cultural understanding and is bored...

Marko has talked about the possibility that Red Bull might employ Vettel in a senior management role with them, so I suspect it's more likely that Red Bull are lining him up for a role there.

Helmut is 80 now so probably not out of the question that Vettel could be his successor.

[Wallio]

As you all know I am an American, and as no doubt other Yanks on here have, I have had quite a few friends get into F1 due to Drive to Survive. As such, this is the first real snoozer of a season for most of them, so I have been explaining that yeah that happens, but we are lucky this year (unlike many of the Mercedes, Ferrari, and prior Red Bull years) in that the fight elsewhere on the grid is actually really, really damn good. In fact, this would probably be regarded as highly as 2010 or 1999 or even maybe 1984 (Probably the best comparison, as Mclaren won all but one race, but 2nd-5th in the WCC were separated by only 23.5 points) if it were a 9-team championship. Just ignore Max and Red Bull I tell them, and I'm doing my damnest to follow this advice. Probably why this season isn't (as big) a slog for me.

But Joylon Palmer and Will Buxton had an interesting discussion during FP1 on Friday that made me really think about the leaders for awhile. As of then, Red Bull had tied the record for consecutive wins at 12. But of course, this was across bits of 2022 and 2023. Mclaren won 12 races in a row in 1988 giving them the record for one season (which Red Bull then tied on Sunday). Buxton then dropped a long-forgotten fact. Ferrari won 14 races across 1952 and 1953, and they were consecutive. Sort of. In those years of course the Indy 500 was part of the championship, but not considered a Grand Prix. So Ferrari won every consecutive Grand Prix then, still pretty impressive. Well.....no, as Palmer quickly reminded us, as there were a whopping Forty-Nine! non-championship races during those two seasons, and most of those were called Grands Prix. So Ferrari has the record for most consecutive championship Grands Prix wins. Which is very niche but technically (and especially in a modern sense) correct. Even if in '52 and '53 they were all run to F2 rules. But that's a whole other kettle of fish......

Red Bull is now second with 13 total consecutive in a row (and tied for most consecutive in one season with 12). But if you count the two sprint wins......it goes to 15. Thankfully the commentators rubbished that idea quickly and in all official postings Liberty thankfully hasn't counted them either.....yet. That being said we are witnessing levels of domination not seen since the literal beginnings of the World's Championship. As a fan, I'm disheartened. As a historian? I'm kind of excited. I still don't think they will win every Grand Prix, but I do think they will at least tie Mercedes's record of 19 wins in a single season. Maybe they hit 20?