2023 Discussion Thread

[Paul Hayes]

What a strange qualifying session. Not often you see a team suddenly come from nowhere with both cars like Ferrari did today.

[dr-baker]

A number of IIDOTQ in Mexico:

- A Ferrari front row lockout
- Ricciardo in fourth
- two Alfa Romeo Saubers in the top 10

[Spectoremg]

Were any penalties dished out for blocking at the pit lane exit?

[dr-baker]

Were any penalties dished out for blocking at the pit lane exit?

No, they all escaped penalty, because it was safer to wait for a gap in the pitlane than slowing on track.

In their verdict the stewards wrote: "The stewards consider that the entire set of incidents occurred as a direct result of the implementation of the minimum lap time between SC2 and SC1, which is designed (correctly so, in our view) to avoid dangerous backing-up of cars on the circuit during qualification.

"We note that there are contrary requirements on drivers in that they must respect the minimum time, they are attempting to create manageable gaps to cars in front, yet they are also required to avoid unnecessarily stopping at the pit exit or driving unnecessarily slowly."

The stewards agreed that slowly driving out of the pitlane is much less dangerous than backing up cars elsewhere on the race track, which leads to much bigger speed differences.

[sswishbone]

It really is not good enough, we saw the near miss with Tsunoda this must be stamped out, all three should have had a grid penalty on my opinion. Can't wait for someone to do this at Monaco and cry SAFETY as a defense

[Paul Hayes]

Poor old Perez. He saw a chance of glory opening up ahead of him there, but all the way down the outside it seemed likely that was what was going to end up happening to him.

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

Just out of interest...without Max this year's podiums would have looked like so far:

Bahrain:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Sainz(Ferrari)
Saudi:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Russell(Mercedes)
Australia:Hamilton(Mercedes),Alonso(Aston Martin),Stroll(Aston Martin)
Azerbaijan Sprint:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Russell(Mercedes)
Azerbaijan:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Alonso(Aston Martin)
Malaysia:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Russell(Mercedes)
Monaco:Alonso(Aston Martin),Ocon(Alpine),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Spain:Hamilton(Mercedes),Russell(Mercedes),Perez(Red Bull)
Canada:Alonso(Aston Martin),Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Austria Sprint:Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari),Stroll(Aston Martin)
Austria:Leclerc(Ferrari),Perez(Red Bull),Norris(McLaren)
Britain:Norris(McLaren),Hamilton(Mercedes),Piastri(McLaren)
Hungary:Norris(McLaren),Perez(Red Bull),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Belgium Sprint:Piastri(McLaren),Gasly(Alpine),Sainz(Ferrari)
Belgium:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Netherlands:Alonso(Aston Martin),Gasly(Alpine),Perez(Red Bull)
Italy:Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Singapore:Sainz(Ferrari),Norris(McLaren),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Japan:Norris(McLaren),Piastri(McLaren),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Qatar Sprint:Piastri(McLaren),Norris(McLaren),Russell(Mercedes)
Qatar:Piastri(McLaren),Norris(McLaren),Russell(Mercedes)
US Sprint:Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari),Norris(McLaren)
US:Norris(McLaren),Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari)
Mexico:Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari),Sainz(Ferrari)

[Row Man Gross-Gene]

Just out of interest...without Max this year's podiums would have looked like so far:

Bahrain:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Sainz(Ferrari)
Saudi:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Russell(Mercedes)
Australia:Hamilton(Mercedes),Alonso(Aston Martin),Stroll(Aston Martin)
Azerbaijan Sprint:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Russell(Mercedes)
Azerbaijan:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Alonso(Aston Martin)
Malaysia:Perez(Red Bull),Alonso(Aston Martin),Russell(Mercedes)
Monaco:Alonso(Aston Martin),Ocon(Alpine),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Spain:Hamilton(Mercedes),Russell(Mercedes),Perez(Red Bull)
Canada:Alonso(Aston Martin),Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Austria Sprint:Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari),Stroll(Aston Martin)
Austria:Leclerc(Ferrari),Perez(Red Bull),Norris(McLaren)
Britain:Norris(McLaren),Hamilton(Mercedes),Piastri(McLaren)
Hungary:Norris(McLaren),Perez(Red Bull),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Belgium Sprint:Piastri(McLaren),Gasly(Alpine),Sainz(Ferrari)
Belgium:Perez(Red Bull),Leclerc(Ferrari),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Netherlands:Alonso(Aston Martin),Gasly(Alpine),Perez(Red Bull)
Italy:Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Singapore:Sainz(Ferrari),Norris(McLaren),Hamilton(Mercedes)
Japan:Norris(McLaren),Piastri(McLaren),Leclerc(Ferrari)
Qatar Sprint:Piastri(McLaren),Norris(McLaren),Russell(Mercedes)
Qatar:Piastri(McLaren),Norris(McLaren),Russell(Mercedes)
US Sprint:Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari),Norris(McLaren)
US:Norris(McLaren),Perez(Red Bull),Sainz(Ferrari)
Mexico:Hamilton(Mercedes),Leclerc(Ferrari),Sainz(Ferrari)

That would have made for a very exciting season, but almost certainly a Red Bull would have still won, development would have gone towards Perez's driving style etc.

Just noticed you wrote Malaysia instead of Miami!

[dr-baker]

Although the DRS made overtaking down the main straight in Sao Paulo very easy, I enjoyed that drivers were able to fight and retake their positions shortly afterwards. It may still be a false fight, but it gets rid of the impression of Trulli trains forming.

[dr-baker]

On the leaderboard graphic during the Brazilian Grand Prix, why has Leclerc been listed as 19th ahead of Albon? Surely by taking the start, Albon should be listed as ahead of Leclerc who didn't take the start?

[Wallio]

On the leaderboard graphic during the Brazilian Grand Prix, why has Leclerc been listed as 19th ahead of Albon? Surely by taking the start, Albon should be listed as ahead of Leclerc who didn't take the start?

While you are correct about a DNS being worse than a DNF, I do wonder if, like grid penalties, retirements go in order? Leclerc was arguing with the marshalls well into the red flag period to try to get the car back, while Albon had showered, changed and returned to the garage before the ten minute warning. It wouldn't surprise me if Albon officially retired "first". Although then the Ferrari should also have been ahead of the Haas......

[dr-baker]

. It wouldn't surprise me if Albon officially retired "first". Although then the Ferrari should also have been ahead of the Haas......

This ie exactly what is so confusing about it. So what is it that we are missing to explain this?

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

And how is it decided who retires 'first' when there's a multiple collision at the start and two or three cars are out? Is it the car who gets hit first or who hits the wall first or the driver who hops out first?

[Wallio]

It actually all appears to be moot, as the official F1 app lists Charles as P20 and as a DNS.

[dr-baker]

And how is it decided who retires 'first' when there's a multiple collision at the start and two or three cars are out? Is it the car who gets hit first or who hits the wall first or the driver who hops out first?

In that situation, where everything appears 'equal', I assume it goes back to qualifying order?

[mario]

And how is it decided who retires 'first' when there's a multiple collision at the start and two or three cars are out? Is it the car who gets hit first or who hits the wall first or the driver who hops out first?

In that situation, where everything appears 'equal', I assume it goes back to qualifying order?

I think that the regulations state that the drivers would be lined up in the order that they were in at the last point in time that they could work out the running order.

In the case of a start line crash, I believe you are right that qualifying order would be used, since the order that the drivers lined up on the grid would be the FIA's last point of reference before the crash.

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

After a meeting, and a deferral and another meeting, finally it's been decided-the results of the US Grand Prix will stand....

[Har1MAS1415]

After a meeting, and a deferral and another meeting, finally it's been decided-the results of the US Grand Prix will stand....

Hardly surprising.

[dinizintheoven]

All the FIA need to do now is tell Felipe Massa to get knotted and reaffirm the results of every Grand Prix and every World Championship since 2008. Seriously, haven't they yeeted this one onto the pavement yet?

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

After a meeting, and a deferral and another meeting, finally it's been decided-the results of the US Grand Prix will stand....

Hardly surprising.

...but given some of the FIA's decisions, not beyond the realms of probability that they would have done something daft...

[mario]

All the FIA need to do now is tell Felipe Massa to get knotted and reaffirm the results of every Grand Prix and every World Championship since 2008. Seriously, haven't they yeeted this one onto the pavement yet?

The FIA was able to negotiate an extension until Nov 15th with Massa's legal representatives, so they should be issuing a response in the next couple of days. Perhaps notably, that also means that their response is coming after the Brazilian GP. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/massa ... /10532395/

On a different note, the FIA has also announced that Dieter Rencken is being appointed to lead the FIA's Formula 1 Commission. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-a ... /10545158/

Dieter has been working for the FIA since June this year, when he was formally appointed as a motorsport advisor to Sulayem; now, in his new role (which Sulayem appears to have directly appointed him to), he will be reporting directly to Sulayem with recommendations on improvements to Formula 1 on behalf of the FIA. Similarly, it appears that Sulayem wants Dieter to lead negotiations between the FIA and Liberty Media when the commercial agreements (i.e. what's usually termed the Concorde Agreement, even if technically that team isn't applicable now).

The decision to appoint Dieter into that role does seem a bit peculiar - for a start, the fact that such a role is deemed necessary is a change in position itself, since the FIA had previously concluded that the role wasn't necessary.

Secondly, although I have seen some references to Dieter Rencken having held management positions in the motorsport sector in the past, I am not sure if he has held any management positions since 2000 (which is when he became an accredited journalist). Considering that there are a great number of individuals from across the motorsport spectrum who could potentially have taken up the role, Dieter is not the first person I would have thought of for that role - wouldn't somebody with recent experience in leading a commercial or legal team be far better suited to a role that involves handling commercial and contractual negotiations?

Asides from that, given the rather close nature of the working relationship between Dieter and Sulayem and the way in which Dieter has been parachuted into such a senior role by Sulayem, it does start to raise some questions about how close a relationship those two figures have had in the past and whether that might have influenced the way in which Dieter has reported on issues. There have been times when his writing did seem to have a rather pro-Sulayem and pro-FIA position, and that might be viewed rather differently in retrospect now.

[Wallio]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/gene ... /10546412/


GM has formally joined F1 as an engine partner committing to build works engines for Andretti starting in 2028.

Interesting. But will it be enough?

[mario]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/gene ... /10546412/


GM has formally joined F1 as an engine partner committing to build works engines for Andretti starting in 2028.

Interesting. But will it be enough?

It's an interesting development indeed, particularly given that GM originally wasn't committing resources to an engine programme - though, given that we saw Porsche's programme fail to come to fruition despite also getting to a prototype phase, and given it'd be several years away, I think some will take the attitude of "we'll believe it when we see it".

That said, it does beg the question of what Andretti would do in the meantime if he were to enter in 2025, which is his original target date - which manufacturer would supply him?

I do also wonder what pressure that might put Andretti under in turn when it comes to performance expectations - Michael's talk of believing he will be competing for championships in five years time does put me in mind of more than a few teams who made similarly bold predictions and resolutely failed to do so. Will GM still be quite so keen if, a few years down the line, the Andretti's are nearer the back of the field than the front?

[Wallio]

I do wonder if it has something to do with James Vowles's comments recently saying that if GM applied as a works outfit (and not with Andretti) they would face no opposition. GM's longer, more formal statement today reiterates that they will ONLY join with Andretti. (Bold words, we'll see). Mario is right to remind us of Porsche's failure to materialize (and if you believe the rumors, ditto Audi), plus the failures of PURE and Cosworth (who both claimed to have designs and/or prototypes) and Honda's recent struggles.

I am very much torn on the legitimacy of this. GM itself is moving towards an all-EV future for the most part, but Cadillac does still build and sell high-performance cars (with both V8s and TTV6s). GM has knowledge of high revving, small displacement turbo 6s with their Indycar engine (which they have won 8 out of 11 manufacturers' cups with) but an Indy engine is an entirely different beast to F1, and if the stories from the test are true, their attempts to add hybrid systems to the Indy engine went.....poorly. GM isn't on the soundest footing fiscally right now, but they were in just as bad a shape (or even slightly worse) circa 2015 when they were spending millions on Indy engines and aero kits (remember those?), Daytona Prototypes, Corvette GTLMs, and all their NASCAR efforts. Of course, all those combined are probably less than what they will spend now.

FOM/F1 itself has not commented on it. Sulayem of course has, praising it on Twitter.

There is a rumor going around that that this is all a giant PR exercise. That Andretti has already been told they aren't getting in, and this announcement is just to poison the well with fans when the word officially leaks. And to do it at F1's new showpiece venue too. Pretty cunning and brutally cutthroat if true.

[Row Man Gross-Gene]

Let's hope it works. Like Mario, I'll believe it when I see it. If Andretti gets in, everyone is saying it will be the Renault PU until a GM unit comes on line. Makes sense, they have no other customers, seems they could defray some of their R&D cost that way.

It was funny that there was part of the article where James Vowles saying GM is totally welcome, but basically Andretti can bathplug right off!

[Row Man Gross-Gene]

There is a rumor going around that that this is all a giant PR exercise. That Andretti has already been told they aren't getting in, and this announcement is just to poison the well with fans when the word officially leaks. And to do it at F1's new showpiece venue too. Pretty cunning and brutally cutthroat if true.

That would be pretty wild. I think he wouldn't want to burn bridges in that way. A couple of years of lower viewership and reduced prize money and the teams might be more than open to accepting Andretti's buy-in money, but they'd be less likely to if he tossed a molotov cocktail on his way out the first time.

[Wallio]

That would be pretty wild. I think he wouldn't want to burn bridges in that way. A couple of years of lower viewership and reduced prize money and the teams might be more than open to accepting Andretti's buy-in money, but they'd be less likely to if he tossed a molotov cocktail on his way out the first time.

Michael has been known to harbor a grudge. He still believes to this day Ron Dennis shut off his timing beacon at Magny-Cours in 1993. Would he do it? Yeah.....probably. But would GM? Eh, maybe? They have never had any interest in F1 before (aside from a V12 engine concept Al Melling claimed to be working on in the early '90s) and this could possibly explain the jump from "we just want to badge a motor" to "we're all in" seemingly overnight. Do I think its phantom hail mary? No. But would I be surprised if it actually is? Also no.

[mario]

I am very much torn on the legitimacy of this. GM itself is moving towards an all-EV future for the most part, but Cadillac does still build and sell high-performance cars (with both V8s and TTV6s). GM has knowledge of high revving, small displacement turbo 6s with their Indycar engine (which they have won 8 out of 11 manufacturers' cups with) but an Indy engine is an entirely different beast to F1, and if the stories from the test are true, their attempts to add hybrid systems to the Indy engine went.....poorly. GM isn't on the soundest footing fiscally right now, but they were in just as bad a shape (or even slightly worse) circa 2015 when they were spending millions on Indy engines and aero kits (remember those?), Daytona Prototypes, Corvette GTLMs, and all their NASCAR efforts. Of course, all those combined are probably less than what they will spend now.

GM probably has limited knowledge with that type of engine - whilst the IndyCar engines might have the Chevrolet name on them and GM's racing division does contribute to their development, the engines are actually designed and built by Ilmor Engineering.

There is a rumor going around that that this is all a giant PR exercise. That Andretti has already been told they aren't getting in, and this announcement is just to poison the well with fans when the word officially leaks. And to do it at F1's new showpiece venue too. Pretty cunning and brutally cutthroat if true.

That would be pretty wild. I think he wouldn't want to burn bridges in that way. A couple of years of lower viewership and reduced prize money and the teams might be more than open to accepting Andretti's buy-in money, but they'd be less likely to if he tossed a molotov cocktail on his way out the first time.

Michael has been known to harbor a grudge. He still believes to this day Ron Dennis shut off his timing beacon at Magny-Cours in 1993. Would he do it? Yeah.....probably. But would GM? Eh, maybe? They have never had any interest in F1 before (aside from a V12 engine concept Al Melling claimed to be working on in the early '90s) and this could possibly explain the jump from "we just want to badge a motor" to "we're all in" seemingly overnight. Do I think its phantom hail mary? No. But would I be surprised if it actually is? Also no.

Even Mario Andretti has been talking about how Michael has a tendency to nurse a grudge, particularly when it comes to the failure of his racing career in Europe during that period.

I do agree that, whilst I could see Michael wanting to do something to undermine the race in Las Vegas, given how much effort and money Liberty Media has put into that venture, as a possible act of revenge if negotiations between himself and Liberty Media were to fail, I agree that it's more difficult to see what GM might get out of such a move.

I could potentially see an angle where GM might make that sort of announcement for the purpose of contract negotiations with Liberty Media. Registering with the FIA as a supplier from 2026-2030 doesn't actually carry any risks for GM - the registration process only counts as an expression of interest, with no financial penalties for withdrawing or any sort of enforcement mechanism requiring a manufacturer to actually provide an engine.

However, whilst there's zero risk in submitting the form to register with the FIA, it does create quite a bit of public pressure on Liberty Media for their negotiations with the Andretti's, especially if GM's got Sulayem also publicly sucking up to them.

[sswishbone]

Early 'reject of the race' for the Vegas Circuit drain covers. Nice to see the return of F1's rarer issues

[CoopsII]

FP2 at 2am? I know Vegas is the city that never sleeps but...

Edit - 2.30am. Grandstands empty.

[dinizintheoven]

Early 'reject of the race' for the Vegas Circuit drain covers. Nice to see the return of F1's rarer issues

When was the last time this happened? I can't remember at this point whether it's a race I've seen or one from the 1980s that I've only ever experienced on a season review video. But if I had to put a Vegas-style bet on it, I'd have said it was either Detroit or Dallas.

[Alextrax52]

More modern examples I can think of are Montoya in China 2005 and I think it happened in the early days at Baku but can’t remember what year

[dr-baker]

More modern examples I can think of are Montoya in China 2005 and I think it happened in the early days at Baku but can’t remember what year

This echoes the abandonment of the opening practice session at the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when George Russell's Williams sustained heavy floor damage after hitting a loose drain cover on the run to Turn 3.

Russell had to miss FP2 during that weekend as he was issued with a new chassis, and the errant drain cover was understood to have been an anomaly compared to the others around the circuit.

Haas also received compensation for a drain-related incident in 2017, as a "welding failure" on a drain at Sepang pitched Romain Grosjean into a crash in the Malaysian GP FP2 session.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-la ... /10547401/

[Wallio]

FP2 at 2am? I know Vegas is the city that never sleeps but...

As James Hinchcliffe correctly pointed out during the delay, that was/is/always will be New York City. Vegas is/was/always will be Sin City, but they are trying to rebrand, by lazily stealing another city's title.

Early ROTR for Toto Wolf for angrily telling a reporter he needs to thank Liberty "for everything they have done for the sport" and claiming the Vegas GP has "reset every standard there is" after a whopping 8 minutes of running. I always knew he was the school kiss ass.....

[dr-baker]

If I remember reading this correctly, there were no spectators for FP2, not ecauseof the delay or time of day, but because all the security staff had finished their shifts and gone home...

On any other weekend, I would think this would be a slamdunk for ROTR, but this weekend, i'm not so sure?

[Wallio]

If I remember reading this correctly, there were no spectators for FP2, not ecauseof the delay or time of day, but because all the security staff had finished their shifts and gone home...

On any other weekend, I would think this would be a slamdunk for ROTR, but this weekend, i'm not so sure?

It actually was a complicated issue. The contract F1 signed with Clark County means that the roads have to be open most of the day. The latest a car can run is 4am (like today) and the roads MUST be open by 4:30. To aid this, they banned spectators so there would not be traffic snarls, large groups crossing streets, etc at 430.

However, there also was a very contentious near strike of various unions in the hospitality industry that just ended on Monday. The settlements reached have VERY strict work-hour limitations set in them. It's the reason why, in probably an F1 first, EVERYONE was made to leave. The Paddock Club and VIP corner posts were all empty too, because they had no bartenders to work it!

[MyHamsterRacedAnOnyx]

Add to the shambles with the manhole that Carlos has now been given a 10-place penalty for replacing the parts and because they are over the cap Ferrari have to pay for the replacement parts themselves...

Also wasn't it Barrichello who nearly got obliterated by a manhole at Monaco years ago?

*checks-ah yes 2010* when negative pressure sucked a manhole cover out of the ground and onto the car...

[mario]

Early 'reject of the race' for the Vegas Circuit drain covers. Nice to see the return of F1's rarer issues

When was the last time this happened? I can't remember at this point whether it's a race I've seen or one from the 1980s that I've only ever experienced on a season review video. But if I had to put a Vegas-style bet on it, I'd have said it was either Detroit or Dallas.

The most recent examples are as follows:
2020: Vettel in Portimao (car was fortunately undamaged, but the drain collapsed and forced the cancellation of part of FP3 and qualifying had to be postponed whilst they repaired the drain)
2019: Russell in Baku
2017: Grosjean at Sepang
2016: Russell in Baku
2016: Button in Monaco
2011: Perez at Sepang (probably - there is some uncertainty on whether it was a drain cover that punched through the chassis, or if it was ballast that had dropped off another car)
2010: Barrichello in Monaco

FP2 at 2am? I know Vegas is the city that never sleeps but...

As James Hinchcliffe correctly pointed out during the delay, that was/is/always will be New York City. Vegas is/was/always will be Sin City, but they are trying to rebrand, by lazily stealing another city's title.

Early ROTR for Toto Wolf for angrily telling a reporter he needs to thank Liberty "for everything they have done for the sport" and claiming the Vegas GP has "reset every standard there is" after a whopping 8 minutes of running. I always knew he was the school kiss ass.....

Whilst the response was over the top, there may be a kernel of truth in Toto pointing out that the level of vitriol being directed at this circuit does seem to have been motivated by some of the older members of the fan base who have been very vocal about the circuit representing "everything that is wrong with modern F1".

After all, Portimao was not condemned as a colossal failure or hopelessly inadequate for the Vettel incident, and the failure there was very similar to what happened in Las Vegas (i.e. a failure of the concrete supporting the frame that the cover was attached to). Similarly, the rage vented at Baku disappeared not long afterwards, whilst a similarly low key approach was taken to the various incidents in Sepang and Monaco too.

[Wallio]

Similarly, the rage vented at Baku disappeared not long afterwards

You and I go to different forums obviously

Toto would have a point, if he made it after FP2, not after 8 minutes. And while I don't hate the circuit itself personally (the track and the event itself are two different issues) it did not "reset any standards." If anything, this argument hurts his case. Sure Monaco, Baku, etc could have these issues, but Vegas? The new gold standard? Shouldn't happen.

Its much ado about nothing. Toto just wants his clip for the trailer for DTS season....... what the hell number they're up to.
"No Mikey, No!"
"I printed it out!"
"Go Thank Liberty!"

Dude knows memes sell. He's not dumb.

[dr-baker]

If I remember reading this correctly, there were no spectators for FP2, not ecauseof the delay or time of day, but because all the security staff had finished their shifts and gone home...

On any other weekend, I would think this would be a slamdunk for ROTR, but this weekend, i'm not so sure?

It actually was a complicated issue. The contract F1 signed with Clark County means that the roads have to be open most of the day. The latest a car can run is 4am (like today) and the roads MUST be open by 4:30. To aid this, they banned spectators so there would not be traffic snarls, large groups crossing streets, etc at 430.

However, there also was a very contentious near strike of various unions in the hospitality industry that just ended on Monday. The settlements reached have VERY strict work-hour limitations set in them. It's the reason why, in probably an F1 first, EVERYONE was made to leave. The Paddock Club and VIP corner posts were all empty too, because they had no bartenders to work it!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-ex ... /10548000/

Autosport have written an article explaining why spectators were ejected. Apparently all the Thursday one day pass holders have been given a $200 voucher to spend in the official F1 merchandise store.

EDIT: