[Other Sport] F1 2024

[Flounce]

I subscribe to a much simpler explanation: the Mercedes strategists got too excited about possibly using the soft tyre advantage off the start line to jump ahead of Max Verstappen. It didn't work.

I subscribe to the opinion that you listen to the tactics a seven time world champion wants when he has put the car in third place, especially given how short the run to the first corner is

Scrubbed softs is the icing on the cake though.

Call me a cynic but I don’t think they would have done the same if Russell had been in third at the start. Mercedes do not like the no 2 driver, who is leaving, beating the no 1 imo and fixed it so that he probably wouldn’t. They are winning nothing this season and are not going up or down in the constructors championship either.

 

[Audax]

TBH that was exactly what I thought, only I thought they might be trying to jump both Max and Lando with softs. I wasn't aware at the time they were scrubbed though!

Sometimes scrubbed is better. I think it was Aston Martin a couple years back who would deliberately scrub tyres during practice / qually because they were seeing that they got better in-race performance (mix of speed vs longevity) from scrubbed sets.

 

[A1X]

Probably hoping to get track position then get an early safety car, which almost always happens in Singapore

 

[Audax]

I subscribe to the opinion that you listen to the tactics a seven time world champion wants when he has put the car in third place, especially given how short the run to the first corner is

Maybe. But then, I can remember multiple occasions in the past where Hamilton has been on the radio questioning strategy calls and then been proven wrong and apologising after the race.

 

[Flounce]

Sometimes scrubbed is better. I think it was Aston Martin a couple years back who would deliberately scrub tyres during practice / qually because they were seeing that they got better in-race performance (mix of speed vs longevity) from scrubbed sets.

Interesting, did anybody start on scrubbed, by choice, from the front couple of rows when drivers used to start on softs? i seem to recall new softs was the preference of all teams back then.

 

[Flounce]

Maybe. But then, I can remember multiple occasions in the past where Hamilton has been on the radio questioning strategy calls and then been proven wrong and apologising after the race.

Often proven right too in fairness

 

[Audax]

Interesting, did anybody start on scrubbed, by choice, from the front couple of rows when drivers used to start on softs? i seem to recall new softs was the preference of all teams back then.

Starting on scrubbed tyres does happen occasionally. TBH it does seem very odd to start on scrubbed softs when the goal is use the extra grip that softs give you. Scrubbing the tyres does take away a little of the max grip (trade off being better longevity). It's possible that's all they had, though - I didn't check what sets each driver had available pre-race.

 

[Audax]

There's a (low quality for now) rumour emerged that Perez is seriously considering retirement. Most likely at end of season, but possibly as soon as after the Mexican GP. The rumour suggests this is why Red Bull are handling the Ricciardo / Lawson situation so poorly. Theory put forward is that they might still need to put DR in a seat.

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

Seems like Red Bull has resolved the Ricciardo / Lawson situation.

Daniel Ricciardo replaced at RB by Liam Lawson for remainder of 2024 F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo is replaced at RB by Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 season.

www.bbc.com

 

[Audax]

Seems like Red Bull has resolved the Ricciardo / Lawson situation.

Daniel Ricciardo replaced at RB by Liam Lawson for remainder of 2024 F1 season

Daniel Ricciardo is replaced at RB by Liam Lawson for the remainder of the 2024 season.

www.bbc.com

Yes, and I suspect re: that rumour I posted about this either confirms the rumour had no basis or, if it did have some basis, that Perez has made a decision that means RBR no longer need to keep DR available.

So I think where we are with red Bull drivers is the following:

1. Verstappen's future has questions marks. Looking increasingly likely he won't stay for the full 2028 contract, but how and when he leaves them remains to be seen. I think he stays for 2025. But 2026 ... I think he leaves (to go to Mercedes, Aston Martin, or out of F1 entirely).

2. Perez stays until the end of 2024 at least. His future beyond 2024 depends on two things: his own performances over the remainder of the season, and Lawson's performances.

3. Ricciardo is no longer needed. If he stays in F1, it'll be in some form of non-driving role such as driving coach for the juniors (I think he'd make a fantastic replacement for Helmut Marko long term).

4. Tsunoda is only being retained to use as a benchmark for other drivers. He's good, he's quick ... but I do not think Red Bull have any interest in promoting him. First, he's not a Red Bull driver originally (he's Honda backed). Second, I believe they think he doesn't have the right mental approach to excel in the main team and to fill the role they need from a #2 alongside Verstappen (assuming they can keep MV).

5. Lawson ... Red Bull aren't sure about him. He needs to beat Tsunoda over the next 6 races or he may find his time in F1 doesn't last long. If he does best Tsunoda, though, and Perez' form continues to suck, he might find himself in the frame for a 2025 Red Bull seat.

6. Red Bull also have doubts about Iwasa and Hadjar. But one of them will get a VCARB opportunity if Lawson does get promoted to RBR for 2025. If they do, they will need to smash it because RBR have Lindblad coming through and he's the junior they're expecting to be their next star in F1 (assuming his collapse from title contender with 3 rounds to go to distant 4th in F3 wasn't a warning).

 

[A1X]

Interesting post…

 

[Audax]

Interesting post…

Checo felt the need to speak up and deny the rumours he'll be announcing his retirement soon. Although I think the way he went about it was interesting ... essentially saying when he does retire it'll be on his terms, that he wants to carry on another 2 years, but probably not much longer than that. Reading between the lines though, it sounds like he's not interested in being "shown the door" like Ricciardo was. So if Lawson comes in and excels and it looks like the door is being unlocked, he could well jump (even if he's saying right now he wants to continue for another 2 years).

 

[Audax]

Some interesting comments from Horner recently:

• Helmut Marko wanted to get rid of Ricciardo already for the Barcelona round. Horner kept him in until Singapore.
• Ricciardo wasn't given Perez' seat because he wasn't consistent enough. Reading between the lines, it seems that at times (eg Miami sprint) Ricciardo was back to his best, but other times he was a bit "meh".
• Lawson is explicitly placed at VCARB for the same reason Ricciardo was: it's an audition for the 2025 Red Bull seat to replace Perez (unless Perez re-finds form).
• Perez' seat is most definitely not secure. Again, reading between the lines the reason he's still there is because Ricciardo didn't do enough to remove him, not because Perez did enough to prevent removal.
• Horner still considers Ricciardo an option for a Red Bull 2025 seat if both Perez and Lawson stink over the remaining 6 races. My assumption there would be put him on a race-by-race contract, with Hadjar in the VCARB, and both with very clear performance clauses around when / if Hadjar might be promoted.
• Tsunoda doesn't get a mention. My view is that at this stage Horner does not consider Tsunoda good enough to promote. Think that's both in terms of mentality and speed - Ricciardo has shown that he has a higher ceiling than Tsunoda, while Tsunoda has been more consistent but at a lower level than Ricciardo's peaks. That makes Tsunoda a good benchmark for the juniors coming in (Lawson, Hadjar, Iwasa, or even Lindblad if they need to fast track him).

 

[JackB247]

I know it's not necessarily Red Bull's responsibility to do this as he's a McLaren junior driver but it would be criminal if Bortoleto doesn't end up in F1 next season after the year he's had.

Not only is he leading the championship with consistent performances but to do a literal real life last to first challenge at Monza was amazing and if that was a British young driver much more would of been made of the achievement.

In comparision to how drivers like Bearman/Colapinto who have/will end up in F1 he's looked head and shoulders above them.

Hadjar is fast but not any better on the attitude front that Tsunoda.

 

[Audax]

I know it's not necessarily Red Bull's responsibility to do this as he's a McLaren junior driver but it would be criminal if Bortoleto doesn't end up in F1 next season after the year he's had.

Hadjar is fast but not any better on the attitude front that Tsunoda.

Bortoleto is still in the frame to take Bottas' seat at Kick/Stake/Sauber/Audi/Kermit or whatever it is they're going to be known as next season. Apparently so is Colapinto. Both apparently available for 2 year loans from their current teams. Meanwhile Bottas is fighting hard to try to get a deal, but the longer it drags on the less I like his chances.

Hadjar is a difficult one to read. He's had periods of looking very, very good. But he's never put a whole season together and thus no titles yet. This season looks more of the same ... it wasn't that long ago he looked a shoe-in for the F2 title, but now Bortoleto is in front off the back of two rounds where Hadjar has scored nothing at all.

 

[Vankleek Hill Seagull]

F1 to drop fastest lap bonus point from 2025 season

Formula 1 is to drop the award of a bonus point for fastest lap from the 2025 season.

www.bbc.com

 

[A1X]

 

[Flounce]

It will end up “nothing to see here”

 

[dolphins]

It will end up “nothing to see here”

Quite. It will be interesting to see how their performance changes in the remaining races though.

 

[AstroSloth]

MPH: Red Bull caught cheating? It absolutely, categorically, was not

F1's rumour mill has been buzzing with suggestions that Red Bull could secretly, and illegally, change the height of its car's floor. Mark Hughes has the real story

www.motorsportmagazine.com

This mechanism has been on all Red Bulls of the last three years at least – and is on the FIA open-source parts list, ie the list of parts which teams must supply drawings of so that other teams can copy if they wish. It was a regulation introduced as a cost-saving measure at the beginning of the hybrid regulations.

The question raised by McLaren’s Zak Brown was what would there be to stop the mechanic with his head in the cockpit ‘making adjustments to the seat belts’ in front of the FIA observer to actually be changing the floor height? Well, the answer to that seems obvious. The FIA observer would surely be questioning why the other guy was standing there with his adjusting tool!