F1 2022 season - Michael Masi sacked

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Rumours suggesting Fernando Alonso's deal with Aston Martin could be up to 4 years long. 2 years guaranteed. Third year is driver side option and fourth year is team side option.
Alonso might never retire at this rate LOL

Update on overweight cars(minimum weight limit is 798 kilograms):

Mercedes +8  kilograms over the limit
Red Bull +7 kilograms
Haas +3 kilograms
McLaren +3 kilograms
Alpine +2 kilograms

No data for Ferrari and AlphaTauri.

Red Bull has developed a new lightweight chassis which they’ve had to pay the FIA to ratify.

Daniel Ricciardo has been offered a seat at Haas but he must take a pay cut.

Mick Schumacher has reported quit the Ferrari Young Driver setup...

Audi + Sauber deal is basically complete. Announcement due any day. Alfa Romeo deal could be ended early.

Ricciardo confirmed to be leaving McLaren, sure sounds like they're buying him out in full.

Gonna be hilarious if Alpine win the Piastri court case.
McLaren will have to ship in one of those no marks from Indycar

Lowlandbrit wrote:Ricciardo confirmed to be leaving McLaren, sure sounds like they're buying him out in full.

It's apparently around $15m.

Can’t see how Otmar Szafnauer can continue at Alpine. Fernando Alonso savagely destroying the Romanian during the media day at Spa today.

Jeff Navarro wrote:Can’t see how Otmar Szafnauer can continue at Alpine. Fernando Alonso savagely destroying the Romanian during the media day at Spa today.

"Savagely destroying"? Really? Is this YouTube or something?

Alonso obviously has an axe to grind and we've yet to see how the situation will play out with Piastri. Alpine have done pretty well this season and I don't think losing Alonso is a huge deal. They were unwilling to offer him anything multi-year and, given that he's not exactly a team player, it's easy to see why.

I'd hardly say Szafnauer's days are numbered. Seems a little extreme.

Pr4wn wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:Can’t see how Otmar Szafnauer can continue at Alpine. Fernando Alonso savagely destroying the Romanian during the media day at Spa today.

"Savagely destroying"? Really? Is this YouTube or something?

Alonso obviously has an axe to grind and we've yet to see how the situation will play out with Piastri. Alpine have done pretty well this season and I don't think losing Alonso is a huge deal. They were unwilling to offer him anything multi-year and, given that he's not exactly a team player, it's easy to see why.

I'd hardly say Szafnauer's days are numbered. Seems a little extreme.

People in the paddock seem to think otherwise...

And as for Alonso, let’s see what Renault are up to in 2023.

Audi entry into F1 for 2026 has been confirmed

To lose one is probably just about acceptable. both is a bit of a **** up.

Audi buying 75% of Sauber and thus replacing Alfa to be confirmed at some point apparently

Charles LeClerc starts at the back of the grid in Spa after another engine penalty

Max Verstappen also takes complete PU change. Starts at the back

Strange decision imo. Would've thought it made more sense for Max to take one at Monza and try and take out this win while LeClerc is at the bank honestly

Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

GSC wrote:Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

Also a golden opportunity for Perez and Sainz to prove they are worthy of a Red Bull and Ferrari seat respectively.   I think Sainz has shown himself worthy of the seat but appears to be a clear second best to Leclerc.  With Perez he seems to have his ups and downs with some noticeably poor performances - at least in my non-expert opinion (maybe he has been unlucky).

GSC wrote:Strange decision imo. Would've thought it made more sense for Max to take one at Monza and try and take out this win while LeClerc is at the bank honestly

For Red Bull rubbing their asses in Scuderia faces at Monza is more important than Verstappen winning at Spa IMO.

No name Bertie wrote:

GSC wrote:Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

Also a golden opportunity for Perez and Sainz to prove they are worthy of a Red Bull and Ferrari seat respectively.   I think Sainz has shown himself worthy of the seat but appears to be a clear second best to Leclerc.  With Perez he seems to have his ups and downs with some noticeably poor performances - at least in my non-expert opinion (maybe he has been unlucky).

Think the car development at Red Bull has moved away from Checo tbh.

Andretti Global hopes of joining F1 as the 11th team are dead. Stefano Domenicali basically says Andretti name brings nothing to F1.
Stefano my brother you're so wrong...

Alfa Romeo will leave F1 at the end of 2023, probably not to return again.

Checo is just in the Bottas role. Nice guy, understands his role, quick enough to get results but won't ever challenge the lead driver over a whole season

Verstappen 335kph top speed
Hamilton 319kph top speed

Mad

Verstappen
Norris
Ocon
Bottas
LeClerc

Start from the back in that order supposedly.

Schumacher 10 place penalty

Mick's at the back too

Renault states 14 drivers have contacted them over the potential vacancy in the second car.
Seemingly looks like even if Renault wins the contract dispute, they are looking to cut ties with Piastri.

Verstappen looking insanely quick here. Would not be surprised if he made the podium

There's no going back with Piastri. Be best served negotiating a settlement I guess.

Otmar insistent he signed a contract in november

GSC wrote:There's no going back with Piastri. Be best served negotiating a settlement I guess.

Otmar insistent he signed a contract in november

Renault supposedly wants $10m

Jeff Navarro wrote:

No name Bertie wrote:

GSC wrote:Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

Also a golden opportunity for Perez and Sainz to prove they are worthy of a Red Bull and Ferrari seat respectively.   I think Sainz has shown himself worthy of the seat but appears to be a clear second best to Leclerc.  With Perez he seems to have his ups and downs with some noticeably poor performances - at least in my non-expert opinion (maybe he has been unlucky).

Think the car development at Red Bull has moved away from Checo tbh.

Car development was never with Checo, nor was it ever with Danny Ric, which was abig reason why he left. RB have built that car around Verstappen completely.

Pr4wn wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

No name Bertie wrote:

GSC wrote:Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

Also a golden opportunity for Perez and Sainz to prove they are worthy of a Red Bull and Ferrari seat respectively.   I think Sainz has shown himself worthy of the seat but appears to be a clear second best to Leclerc.  With Perez he seems to have his ups and downs with some noticeably poor performances - at least in my non-expert opinion (maybe he has been unlucky).

Think the car development at Red Bull has moved away from Checo tbh.

Car development was never with Checo, nor was it ever with Danny Ric, which was  abig reason why he left. RB have built that car around Verstappen completely.

Considering coming into the season Verstappen carried the #1 and 20 race wins, that's what any top team would do...
Verstappen has subsequently shown he's just better than Checo...

Jeff Navarro wrote:

Pr4wn wrote:

Jeff Navarro wrote:

No name Bertie wrote:

GSC wrote:Golden opportunity for Merc to finally deliver on their talk though

Also a golden opportunity for Perez and Sainz to prove they are worthy of a Red Bull and Ferrari seat respectively.   I think Sainz has shown himself worthy of the seat but appears to be a clear second best to Leclerc.  With Perez he seems to have his ups and downs with some noticeably poor performances - at least in my non-expert opinion (maybe he has been unlucky).

Think the car development at Red Bull has moved away from Checo tbh.

Car development was never with Checo, nor was it ever with Danny Ric, which was  abig reason why he left. RB have built that car around Verstappen completely.

Considering coming into the season Verstappen carried the #1 and 20 race wins, that's what any top team would do...
Verstappen has subsequently shown he's just better than Checo...

Well yes, that's my point. To say that car development "moved away" from Checo is disingenuous. It was never with him in the first place, and it never will be.

Red Bull claimed the RB18 was neutral at the beginning of the season, whether that's true or not I don't know.
But Ferrari, for example, I know 100% confirmed, the car was designed for Charles. Then subsequently there was changes to bring Carlos closer to Charles.

When Mercedes - Hamilton were winning everything it was said that anybody could jump in that car and win.  With Nico Rosberg that seemed to be true - although Hamilton had his number most years.    With Bottas it seemed less true.  

With Verstappen the gap between him and his post Ricciardo team mates have been enormous and then people start talking about driving styles and cars adapted to driving styles and the inability of drivers to adapt.  It just shows that it is a combination of driver plus car that wins as opposed to being overwhelmingly the car.  

I have difficulty appreciating why drivers can't adapt their driving styles to get the most out of the specific car they are driving.  They are expert drivers and have been driving since they were very young.   They are supposed to be the elite of the elite when it comes to driving.  Oxford and Cambridge (or Harvard and Yale) should make them all honorary professors of driving such is their skill and presumably knowledge of driving - except perhaps for the paid seat drivers.

Its more preference. Vettel always preferred an oversteery car where he could slide the rear to get rotation through the corner. Hamilton and Verstappen preferred understeer I think

Slightly on a tangent a bit on Ricciardo:
His salary at Red Bull $6m in 2018.
He joined Renault on a two year $20m per season deal
He joined McLaren on a three year $17m per season deal

So the real question is does Ricciardo value money over success?
Had he stayed at Red Bull, until the end of 2023 he would've pocketed $30m

By jumping to Renault then McLaren(including payoff) he pockets $89m yet his reputation is in the mud.

Don't think it was so much about money as the writing was on the wall that he was never going to be favoured over Max

Spa stays on next year's calendar

Zhou gets 10 place pen for engine parts

LeClerc crashes in FP3…

Red Bull miles ahead after FP3. Perez an eye watering 0.75 faster than Sainz in P3.

No name Bertie wrote:When Mercedes - Hamilton were winning everything it was said that anybody could jump in that car and win.  With Nico Rosberg that seemed to be true - although Hamilton had his number most years.    With Bottas it seemed less true.  

With Verstappen the gap between him and his post Ricciardo team mates have been enormous and then people start talking about driving styles and cars adapted to driving styles and the inability of drivers to adapt.  It just shows that it is a combination of driver plus car that wins as opposed to being overwhelmingly the car.  

I have difficulty appreciating why drivers can't adapt their driving styles to get the most out of the specific car they are driving.  They are expert drivers and have been driving since they were very young.   They are supposed to be the elite of the elite when it comes to driving.  Oxford and Cambridge (or Harvard and Yale) should make them all honorary professors of driving such is their skill and presumably knowledge of driving - except perhaps for the paid seat drivers.

"Anyone could jump in that car and win" is a lazy and thoughtless argument...usually thrown out by people who don't know much about motorsports.

While it is undoubtedly true that a fast / competitive car makes up 90% of a team's success, the empirical evidence shows you can't just put any driver in that car and get wins.

I would say the best drivers can usually adapt their driving styles to get the best out of a car, but quite obviously not all can.

All F1 drivers will have mastered the basics of racing, but what separates the Hamiltons, Verstappens and Leclercs from the rest is that ability to feel how the car responds in any given conditions and grasp how to push it to the limits, without overstepping what its capable of.

Drivers are human and while they will all have a basic level of ability, they also learn or instinctively develop their own strengths and weaknesses and quirks in their driving styles, which in most become hard-wired and very difficult to unlearn. Thus they will struggle to adapt in certain situations. The very best drivers can be more flexible and adapt better.

Verstappen is in a league of his own here. Despite his penalty he will start 14th. With his pace he could still win.

Carlos Sainz pole position
Perez
Alonso
Hamilton
Russell
Albon

Verstappen was miles ahead

Norris shares a cheeky moment with Verstappen
LN: ‘Oh you are 0.6 faster’
MV: ‘Only one run…’
LN: laughs

Well all those grid penalties should make for an interesting race tomorrow.

Still wouldn't rule Verstappen out of the win, but hopefully fortune (and maybe the weather) will conspire to give us a more interesting result.

You still have to make Max favorite I think, as wild as that is starting p15. Looks ominously dominant, flexing floor or not

Rough weekend for Mercedes so far. Talked up how the technical regulation and upgrades would close up the gap at the front, and they're behind both Alpines in quali. Behind both Max and Charles with neither having a setup for qualifying, nearly 2 seconds behind Max.

Sainz got the job done, though not sure hes gonna be able to hold back Perez

Alpine are in talks with Red Bull to buy out Pierre Gasly's contract.
Red Bull are talking to Colton Herta to replace the Frenchman

I have been impressed with Ocon. It seems that Alonso has got all the plaudits so far this season with notable good performances but Ocon has been consistent and is ahead of Alonso in the Drivers championship (58 points to Alonso's 41 points). Stunning qualifying from Albon - seemed to nail his laps in Q1, Q2 and Q3 with very similar times. However in races he seems to get into scrapes and has been a tad disappointing.

Jeff Navarro wrote:Alpine are in talks with Red Bull to buy out Pierre Gasly's contract.
Red Bull are talking to Colton Herta to replace the Frenchman

This is a 3 way deal.
Alpine, they think they will win the contract dispute. Wants $10m for Piastri.
That payment would be used to land Gasly.
Red Bull would pay McLaren for Herta.

If it plays out Ricciardo and Schumacher most likely to be the ones without seats in 2023