The tyres have been selected for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
The chosen tyres are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft). They are the softest compounds in the Pirelli range.
The Alternative Tyre Allocation will be tried again at Monza, after the first test in Hungary. Each driver will have just 11 sets of slick tyres (three hard, four medium and four softs) at their disposal this weekend. In qualifying, drivers can use only one type of compound per session.
Last year, there were no fewer than eight different strategies deployed by the top 10 finishers. Max Verstappen and George Russell first and third respectively opted for a single stop, while Charles Leclerc who finished second had already made two stops before a safety car at the end of the race allowed all three drivers to stop again.
Monza has produced different winners over the past five years. Lewis Hamilton in 2018, Charles Leclerc in 2019, Pierre Gasly in 2020, Daniel Ricciardo in 2021 and Max Verstappen in 2022.
As usual, the European Formula 1 season draws to a close in Monza: which is also Pirelli’s home event as our headquarters are just a few kilometres away from this iconic circuit. Monza is synonymous with speed, as its nickname of the ‘Temple of Speed’ capably demonstrates. To this day, it’s where the fastest race in the history of Formula 1 was held, with Michael Schumacher setting an unbeaten average race speed of 247.585 kph back in 2003.As a result, teams use the lowest possible aerodynamic downforce levels to favour top speed by reducing drag. Stability under braking and traction coming out of the two chicanes are the two key factors that challenge tyres most on this track, as well as the lateral loads exerted in the fast corners such as Parabolica (named after Michele Alboreto) and Curva Grande.After Hungary, Monza will be the second time that the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) is trialled, which uses two fewer sets of tyres than the standard format. This offers a benefit in terms of CO2 saved both during production and transport, as well as giving teams and drivers a wider range of strategic option. For this reason as well, we have chosen the trio of softest compounds for Monza – C3, C4, and C5 – which has already been nominated five times this season.
Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of Motorsport.
Everything you need to know about tyres for the #ItalianGP 🇮🇹
AlphaTauri have confirmed that Liam Lawson will continue to race for the team until Daniel Ricciardo is ready to race again.
Ricciardo broke his hand in a crash during second practice for the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday, with Red Bull junior, Liam Lawson drafted in as a last minute replacement.
Lawson qualified 20th, but acquitted himself well in the Grand Prix, as he managed to stay out of trouble and finish 13th, despite wet weather, red flags, Safety Car restarts and a penalty making his F1 debut harder than others.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo flew to Spain on Sunday to have surgery on his hand. Red Bull boss, Christian Horner confirmed after the race that the eight-time race winner would be out of action at least after this weekend.
We are delighted that Daniel’s surgery went well and that he is now on the road to recovery. We hope to see him at the track again very soon, but until he is fully fit, we can confirm that Liam, who did a good job in difficult circumstances in Zandvoort, will continue to drive alongside Yuki, starting from our home race this weekend in Monza.
The team on the news.
It was good, it was a lot going on. When I was rolling up to the grid and it was starting to rain, it wasn’t the best feeling but the race was okay. I think the second half of the race was not so bad, once we got clean air and also on the inters at the end was not too bad. Just happy to survive.
Oliver Bearman returned from the summer break and hit the ground running at Zandvoort, topping Free Practice for PREMA Racing with a 1:22.715. The Brit ended up 0.396s clear of MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger in second, and his teammate Frederik Vesti in third, just 0.073s further back.
Looking to get some dry laps under his belt after a wet Spa-Francorchamps debut, PHM Racing by Charouz’s Joshua Mason got some laps in early.
The track continued to rubber in quickly, with Jak Crawford going half a second clear in P1 on his next lap. His Hitech Pluse-Eight teammate Isack Hadjar displaced him before Bearman, Ayumu Iwasa and then Martins took over.
Vesti was next to set the quickest time, going one tenth clear with 20 minutes to go until Hauger put home team MP Motorsport on top with a 1:23.111. Martins had another minor off after running deep at Turn 11 but carried on without issue.
Qualifying-
Jak Crawford proved to the other drivers, how you start the session matters as much as how you finish, as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver secured his maiden Formula 2 pole position.
As the American driver laid down a 1:21.210 on his second attempt of the Circuit, as three red flags denied the field a chance to improve.
Dennis Hauger looked to have the pace but couldn’t complete his final two runs and was forced to settle for second by just 0.034s. Frederik Vesti bounced back after his disappointing weekend in Spa before the summer break by securing third.
After the field pitted for their second sets of softs, disaster stuck for provisional pole sitter Crawford, the Hitech driver was forced to pit as he had a damaged front wing after contact with Novalak.
Jehan Daruvala brought running to a halt with seven minutes remaining, spinning off on the exit of Turn 3 to trigger the Red Flag.
After another red flag, it was a one lap shootout with less than four minutes left and Hauger continued to improved, but nobody could record a final time, as Novalak brought a red flag where he hit the barriers at Turn 3.
Day 2, Sprint Race-
Drama already began to unfold before lights out, as the expected rain fell on the Circuit Zandvoort. Championship leader, Pourchaire wasn’t able to take the start from reverse grid pole after a mechanical issue, forced the ART driver to being from the pit lane.
Hadjar left it late on the rolling start, bolting off down the main straight to fend off Martin’s advances. Bearman pounced on Juan Manuel Correa, sliding past the Van Amersfoort Racing driver sliding past at Turn 1 for third.
At the end of the top 10, contact between Kush Maini and Jake Crawford sent both cars spinning off at Turn 5, with Ralph Boschung unable to avoid colliding with his Campos Racing teammate. The Safety Car was deployed before being switch out for a Red Flag on Lap 3, as all three drivers clambered out of their cars.
Following the lengthy break due to barrier repairs, the race was expected to resume with 22 minutes left on the clock, but the heavy downpours returned as Hadjar led the field back out behind the Safety Car.
Given the torrential conditions, the Red Flag was waved for a second time, and it was swiftly confirmed that the race will not be restarted.
The full top 10 are- P1: Hadjar, P2: Martins, P3: Bearman, P4: Correa, P5: Maloney, P6: Doohan, P7: Vesti, P8: Novalak, P9: Hauger and P10: Daruvala. However, no points were awarded due to the lack of racing and not going past the halfway mark.
Day 3, Feature Race-
Racing got underway with a rolling start in slipper conditions and Crawford got a perfect launch to retain the lead. Behind him, Championship contender Vesti suffered a spin at Turn 1 to fall from third to 19th position, while PREMA Racing teammate Oliver Bearman was tagged by Juan Manuel Correa and ran wide into the gravel at Turn 1.
Victor Martins followed him off the track and both resumed in 14th and 15th respectively. Jack Doohan was another driver to hit trouble early, spinning in the last corner to bring out a Safety Car before the completion of Lap 1.
Maloney was the first of the leading pack to make their mandatory pitstop from fourth position, switching from softs to mediums on lap 8. That pulled in leader Crawford, Dennis Hauger from P2 and Correa in third on the following lap.
Championship leader, Pourchaire spun off the circuit whilst on his outlap after pitting, which caused him to crash out of the race at Turn 7. It then brought out the Safety Car but not before PREMA double-stacked their drivers. Vesti’s hope of retaking the lead of the Championship were dashed almost immediately though, losing both rear tyres on his outlap and he was too out of the running.
After all the drama, Novalak led the pack having stopped just prior to the Safety Car intervention. Crawford followed ahead of Maloney, Verschoor, Martins, Bearman, Hauger, Fittipaldi and Cordeel in the top 10.
Maloney had the momentum into Turn 1 and passed Crawford around the outside to take second. Behind them, Bearman looked to have a move done on Martins for fifth but the pair made contact on the exit of Turn 3, sending the PREMA driver into the barriers.
With the Safety Car interventions, the race ran to time rather than the original 40 scheduled laps. With under 10 minutes to go, Maloney began to hunt down Novalak, closing to within two seconds and bringing Crawford in third along with him.
The full top 10 are- P1: Novalak, P2: Maloney, P3: Crawford, P4: Verschoor, P5: Hauger, P6: Hadjar, P7: Fittipaldi, P8: Cordeel, P9: Martins and P10: Correa.
Round 14 is over, as we now take a look at a very action-packed and rain hit race.
Max Verstappen stormed to victory for a third year in a row at the Dutch GP, making it 9 victories in a row, equalling Vettel’s. Fernando Alonso was back on the podium in P2 and Pierre Gasly, yes that’s right brought it home in P3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Gasly, P4: Perez, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Norris, P8: Albon, P9: Piastri and P10: Ocon.
Fernando Alonso, back on the podium? We love to see it! He also bagged driver of the day, so hopefully himself and the team are recharged and ready to fight for some more podiums!
Piereeeee Gaslyyyyy, P3! Wow, if you asked me if I thought he’d be on the podium I’d say no, but I wasn’t expecting an overly crazy race. His first podium with Alpine, and Alpine’s second one this year. The team will be hoping for one or two more so they can bring the fight to McLaren in the Standings.
Now a mixed day for the Ferrari boys, Carlos finishing 5th so a decent amount of points. But Charles… first was the pit stop where there were no tyres ready for him? (Are we surprised? No.) And then he had to retire the car due to floor damage. When will they get a break?
Not a good day for Sargeant, started in the top 10 which is good! However… it didn’t stay that way, the American lost control of his Williams at the exit of Turn 8 and slammed into the barriers which prompted a VSC and then a full Safety Car.
Now looking at a certain New Zealanders Debut… what a brilliant drive from Liam Lawson! He finished 13th, ahead of Tsunoda, which say’s a lot.
We don’t have long to wait, as it’s race week again, and we head to Monza!
Qualifying is now over and we most definitely had a few surprises along the way, lets take a look at how it went…
Max Verstappen made it three pole positions in a row at the Dutch Grand Prix with another dominating display. The Dutchman managed to pull a stupendous final lap to beat Lando Norris and George Russell at the end of a crash-filled session.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Albon, P5: Alonso, P6: Sainz, P7: Perez, P8: Piastri, P9: Leclerc and P10: Sargeant.
Just the result Max wanted, however I think it would of been better having his teammate with him in the top three, rather than 7th…
A great result for Williams! Albon has his best qualifying result in F1 so far joining Russell on the 2nd row. Not only this, but Logan Sargeant got into his first Q3 session! Unfortunately he crashed which meant he couldn’t get no better than 10th.
Not the best result for Lewis, qualifying 13th. Everyone was improving each lap and with Yuki impeding Lewis so he couldn’t get a decent lap in before the chequered flag so he was just a sitting duck waiting to be pushed down.
A mixed result for Ferrari, both drivers in the top 10, but they would have been hoping to get a bit of a better result. Sainz starts 6th, and Leclerc 9th due to crashing out aswell, which put his session to an end aswell.
Predictions-
My top five predictions for the race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Russell, P3: Alonso, P4: Norris and P5: Sainz.
I feel like the race win we know who is going to grab it unless there’s a costly mistake which will never really happen. But the chaos behind him? Now that’s what is going to be entertaining.
Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix due to a broken hand sustained in a crash during Free Practice 2, which hands his spot to Liam Lawson as he has his F1 Debut with Alpha Tauri.
Ricciardo followed Oscar Piastri into the barriers at Zandvoort’s Turn 3 in the early stages of FP2, which automatically put him out of the session.
Replays later showed Ricciardo’s hands being thrown around in the cockpit due to him still holding the steering wheel when he impacted the wall, with the Australian visibly in discomfort when he stepped out of the car.
Having been taken to the medical centre and then a local hospital, news then came from AlphaTauri that Ricciardo broke a metacarpal on his left hand, and will not be able to take part in what would have been the third race since his F1 comeback.
In his place steps Lawson, the 21 year old reserve driver for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri who has been competing in the Japan-based Super Formula championship this year.
Lawson sits second in the Super Formula standings ahead of October’s season finale double header at Suzuka, with the break in the calendar leaving him free to substitute for the Australian driver.
He is set to become the 10th New Zealander to contest a Grand Prix, with the most recent being Brendon Hartley raced for Torro Rosso.
With the Italian Grand Prix directly following this weelend’s round at Zandvoort, it also casts doubt over Ricciardo’s ability to contest the Monza event.
The summer break is officially over and we are headed for Round 14, where it is the home Grand Prix of Max Verstappen so be prepared for lots of orange this weekend!
Will it be another Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominated weekend? Or will Mercedes and Aston Martin or even McLaren bring the fight this weekend?
Who needs to shine?
Sergio Perez has a lot to prove this second half of the season. He has had a rough season so far, and with rumours always going round about the Red Bull seat he will be wanting to have a impressive second half to show he should keep the seat.
Ferrari as a whole need a good weekend with some big points there fourth in the constructors and Aston Martin are only ahead by 5 points, so the fight will be on between the two teams.
Another interesting fight is between Williams and Haas as they are currently tied on points in 7th and 8th respectively, not only this but Alfa Romeo are in 9th with just only 9 points, two points away from the teams above.
Predictions for qualifying-
My top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Russell and P5: Piastri.
I still think McLaren are still going to be on form, hence why both drivers are in my top five. At the time of writing this aswell, it is meant to rain tomorrow so we all know how Lando likes the rain!
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal has revealed that reserve driver Robert Shwartzman will get behind the wheel of the SF23 in both the team’s allocated rookie FP1 sessions this year – starting with the Dutch GP this weekend.
Shwartzman has been a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2017, and since leaving Formula 2 at the end of 2021 – where he finished runner-up to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – he has been serving as Scuderia’s reserve driver.
Ferrari’s decision comes of the back of the rule that was introduced at the start of 2022 that requires all 10 teams to give a minimum of two FP1 sessions to a young driver throughout the season.
Shwartzman has plenty of experience in F1 machinery, having taken part in both FP1 sessions for Ferrari last year, as well as having driven in the post-season young test for the team in 2022 and 2021 – where he also drove for Haas.
And with Ferrari having two academy drivers in Formula 2 – Oliver Bearman and Arthur Leclerc – Vasseur explained why the decision was made not to give either a run out in F1 machinery this year instead of Shwartzman, due to wanting the drivers to focus on the championship.
Robert will do Zandvoort in Carlos’ car, and he will do another one – probably Abu Dhabi in Charles’ car. Because (Zandvoort) was the choice of the driver. I gave them the choice to do it, where they want to do it. I know that it is not an easy situation but Carlos… it’s not so easy to decide. Because for sure you can’t do it in Singapore, in Japan, in Las Vegas. Also, you have some Sprint events in Austin, Qatar, also that you can’t do it. Then you have the races with tyre allocation, a bit different, so it is also tricky to do it, meaning at the end of the day you don’t have so many options.
Haas have opted for continuity next season, as they have announced that Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will continue to race for them for a second successive season in 2024.
Hulkenberg has been impressive on his full-time racing return to Formula 1 this season, the German driver had reached Q3 six times in 12 races and scoring the team’s best finish of seventh in the Australian Grand Prix.
Magnussen has scored two of the team’s three points finishes – a brace of 10th places in Saudi Arabia and Miami – in his sixth season with Haas.
Between the two drivers, they have 346 Grand Prix starts, and it is that experience Haas will hope can help take the team to the next level. The American team currently sit eighth in the constructors’ championship, the same position they ended in 2022 season.
I think it’s safe to say that we’ve had an extremely solid driver pairing this season in Formula 1 and ultimately there was no reason to look to change that moving forward. Kevin is obviously a very well-known quantity to us, and I’m delighted he’ll return for what will be his seventh season in Haas colours. With 113 starts for our team alone, we know where his strengths lie and his knowledge and experience of our organisation pairs very well with that too.On the other side of the garage, Nico’s simply slotted in without fuss or fanfare and proved himself to be a valuable member of the team. He’s approaching 200 starts in Formula 1 and we’re very happy to be the beneficiary of that experience behind the wheel. We’ve had to tackle our issues this season with regards to the VF-23, we don’t hide from that, but we’ve been extremely fortunate to have had two drivers whose feedback is invaluable in assisting our engineering objectives. Kevin and Nico gelled well right from the get-go and together they’ve both scored points, and in particular, Nico has excelled in qualifying – getting into Q3 on six occasions. In turn, now it’s down to us as a team to look ahead to 2024 and ensure we have a car that’s capable of scoring points consistently.
Team Principal, Guenther Steiner.
I’m obviously very happy to see my relationship with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team extended once again. My return in 2022 had been unexpected but was filled with numerous highlights, and although this season hasn’t gone quite as we’d hoped, we’ve still managed to get into the points and shown potential in the package we have. There’s plenty of racing remaining in 2023 and we’ve got a lot of work to do to continue to understand the VF-23 – that learning can be applied into the 2024 car. My thanks, as always, go to Gene Haas and Guenther Steiner for giving me the opportunity to keep racing in the sport I love.
Magnussen on the news.
It’s nice to get things sorted early for next season to just keep the focus on racing and improving performance. I enjoy being part of the team and share Gene and Guenther’s passion for it. We’re competing in a very tight midfield and I’m looking forward to building on what we’ve done together so far and taking that forward into 2024.
NEOM McLaren has announced that Sam Bird will be lining up for the team in the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Bird will be competing alongside Jake Hughes, who extended his stay at the outfit last week, McLaren will now have an all British line-up.
The 36 year old has raced in Formula E since the very first campaign and Season 1. He is one of the most successful drivers on the grid, claiming 11 wins, 26 podiums and six Julius Baer Pole Positions over the nine seasons.
He left Jaguar TCS Racing after a three-season spell at the end of 2022/23 and says his move to McLaren – one of the most recognisable and successful names in motorsport history – is a “special” one.
Bird began his single seater racing career in Formula BMW in 2004, coming runner up in the series in 2005. He has competed in Formula Renault and various Formula 3 and GP2 Series seasons, before holding a number of Formula 1 roles including Williams Racing and Mercedes AMG Petronas.
Since 2014, he has also competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Highlights including winning the LMP2 class in 2014 with G-Drive Racing and finishing second in the LMGTE Pro Class with AF Corse in 2016.
I’m super excited to get going with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Becoming part of a team with so much heritage and prestige as the McLaren Racing family feels special. We know there is some work to do ahead of Season 10, to ensure we get to where we want to be, which is at the front of the Formula E pack. It feels great to be part of the team and I can’t wait to kick off the season preparations, I’m super motivated and driven to deliver success with the team in Season 10.
Bird on the move.
It’s great to be able to share the news that Sam will be joining the team for Season 10, alongside Jake. Sam is a proven force in Formula E, as well as other categories of racing, and his experience and determination will fuel the team ahead of an exciting season to come. As soon as the deal was done, his first question to me was when he could come into the office to start the preparations for Season 10 – this clearly shows his hunger and commitment to making Season 10 a success for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Having both Sam and Jake on board has already instilled confidence in the team.
Ian James, Managing Director and Team Principal.
It is a pleasure to welcome Sam to the McLaren Racing family. Throughout his time in Formula E, Sam has proven himself to be an impressive talent, and we are eager to leverage his experience and expertise to help bring the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team further success in Season 10. Alongside Jake, I’m confident that we have one of the strongest pairings on the Formula E grid. Bring on Season 10!
We are back racing this week and we head to Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix and the tyres have been selected!
The chosen compounds are: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft). This is the same choice as the last two years (since it returned) with the difference being that the current C1 compound is softer than its predecessors.
There has been 32 Formula 1 Grands Prix held at Zandvoort since 1952, with F1 returning to the track in 2021 after a 35 year absence. With the most successful team at the track being Ferrari with eight wins while the driver with the most is Jim Clark with four.
Most drivers made three pit stops last year. On paper, the best and fastest strategy is a two-stopper, but it’s possible to stop just once with careful tyre management.
Overtaking is quite tricky because of the narrow track and constant sequence of corners. This makes qualifying even more important in terms of the end result.
The second half of the season gets underway with a unique race. The Dutch Grand Prix takes place in Zandvoort: one of the most traditionally demanding tracks on the calendar that returned to the Formula 1 schedule three years ago on the wave of all the local support for Max Verstappen, who repaid his fans amply with a pair of victories from the last two races. It’s a very twisty track with two banked corners – Turn 3 and Turn 14 – that are steeper than Indianapolis, by way of comparison. On corners like this the stress on the tyres is greater than it would be through normal corners, as the vertical forces increase with the much higher speeds due to the banking. We’ve brought the same tyres as 2022, at least as far as the names are concerned: C1, C2, and C3. However, the current C1 is actually a new compound for this year, positioned between the C2 and the previous C1, which is now called the C0. Last year, in a race that was characterised by two neutralisations, no fewer than 14 drivers – including the top three – used all three compounds, underlining the wide variety of options available to the strategists on the pit wall.
Mick Schumacher has been named as the ‘obvious contender’ for replacing Williams driver, Logan Sargeant if there is no improvement in his performances.
Williams, currently hold seventh place in the Constructors Standings with Alex Albon accounting for all 11 points being scored this season.
Sargeant hasn’t had the best start to his rookie season, and has failed to score points 10 races in, and struggled to match his teammates performances. This has now led to speculation of where his future lies.
Earlier on in the season, there was speculation of a mid-season swap with Schumacher replacing Sargeant, however Williams chose to support their drivers development and provide him with an opportunity to improve his performance first.
Schumacher, currently holds the position of Mercedes’ reserve driver, also recently testing for the team. Not only this he is also an active presence in the garage during grand prix weekends.
With the strong partnership and share engine between Williams and Mercedes, the possibility of Schumacher taking over Sargeant’s seat for the 2024 season is certainly credible if the current conditions persist.
Rookie Logan Sargeant has had a solid but unspectacular start to life in Formula 1, and knows he needs to up his game to stick around for another season. Williams have thrown their collective arm around the American’s shoulders and tried to keep the pressure off him in a bid to help him find a rhythm. They are backing him to succeed and earn a second campaign in blue – but he needs to not only find consistency but also close the gap to Albon, particularly in qualifying, and get himself on the scoreboard. If he doesn’t, his seat is under threat. Mick Schumacher would be an obvious contender, having briefly had talks with the team last year and having kept his hand in through his Mercedes reserve role, where he has earned public praise for his efforts from [Lewis] Hamilton and [George] Russell.
Lawrence Barretto, F1 Correspondent in an article for Formula 1.
Photo by Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
NEOM McLaren has announced that Jake Hughes will extend his stay with the British team for the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Hughes stepped up from his reserve and development driver with Mercedes-EQ in Season 7 and 8 into an impressive rookie campaign in Season 9.
Jake qualified third on his debut at the Mexico City E-Prix back in January where he went on to finish 5th. He then went on to secure the team’s first Formula E podium in Diriyah before doubling his pole count in Monaco.
While Hughes remains, McLaren announced the other day that Rene Rast will not be hanging around for Season 10 – which will leave Hughes with a new teammate for the approaching season.
I’m really happy to be remaining with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team for Season 10. The team has been my home for a number of years, and I have loved every minute of it. We had a bit of a mixed season, but I had a lot of personal highlights which I’m hoping to build upon next year with the team and fight for wins and podiums, which I have no doubt we’ll be able to achieve together. I can’t wait for Season 10.
Hughes on staying in papaya.
I am excited to be able to share that we will be continuing our relationship with Jake. Even though we never had any doubts about his performance, he impressed the team and the wider paddock with a great rookie season. Jake’s commitment to the team and to Formula E is outstanding. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Jake and the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.
Ian James, Managing Director and Team Principal.
I am delighted that Jake will remain with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team for Season 10. As we expected, Jake has proven himself to be an exceptional talent, delivering some strong results for the team in 2023, including two pole positions. As we look forward to Season 10, I’m excited to see what Jake and the team can achieve.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali wants the FIA to be handing out sporting sanctions, not financial ones to any team found to be in the breach of the cost cap, amidst rumours of further transgression’s.
Last season (2022), the FIA handing out certificates of 2021 cost compliance for the 10 Formula 1 teams. Seven passed with flying colours, Aston Martin and Williams were called out on procedural breaches, while Red Bull were found guilty of an overspend breach and fined $7 million as well as being docked 10% of their allotted wind tunnel time.
Should the FIA find any fresh breaches this time around in the 2022 figures, which could reportedly come to pass with three teams said to be heading for a breach, then sporting penalties, like the wind tunnel time portion of Red Bull’s punishment is the route which he wants the FIA to go down.
The range of penalties on the sporting side available to the FIA is rather broad, including a reprimand all the way up to points deductions or a reduction in the cap ceiling for the offending team.
And while it claimed at the time Red Bull would feel the pinch of their 10% reduction in wind tunnel time, that has certainly not yet manifested on track. But the impact is expected to show up towards the end of the season.
If the FIA then is to set a proper deterrent for breaking the boundaries of the cap, then it seems like they made need to dig deeper into penalties to make sure that happens.
Do you think the FIA needs to hand out sporting sanctions? Let me know!
I would like the penalty to be sporting in case of infringement, it is something we asked for very clearly. There are three regulations to be respected: sporting, technical and financial. Any infractions must be punished with sporting measures. You can’t go in other directions. Control is in the hands of the FIA. Personally what I have asked is to anticipate as soon as possible the publication of the investigations made by the staff of the FIA.
NEOM McLaren and Rene Rast have parted ways after a season together at the start of Formula E’s GEN3 era.
NEOM McLaren had signed Rast at the close of Season 8, with the German the first of the team’s driver line-up to be announced ahead of its Formula E bow in Season 9.
Rast made his return to Formula E after a full time spell with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler back in Season 7, with a best result of second in Puebla.
The Minden-born driver’s first appearance in the series came back in 2015/16 and was followed by a stint with Audi back at the Season 6 six race nine-day finale in Berlin that earned him a full-time seat a year later. Rast scored his first Formula E silverware on home soil in the German capital, having impressed with his combative driving style.
The triple DTM champion went on to score McLaren’s only podium of the season in Diriyah, and finished just eight points behind rookie Jake Hughes in the sister car – winding up 13th in the Drivers’ World Championship. A tough run through the second half of the season from his home E-Prix in Berlin onwards saw him fail to finish higher than 12th.
Rene has been an integral part of the team’s successes and learnings as its first season as the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Rene has taken the difficult decision to pursue other opportunities, and the team fully supports his decision. We can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done for the team over the past year. Having said that, the team has been working in the background to secure the best possible driver line-up for Season 10, and we are excited to announce the full driver line-up for the 2023/24 season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in due course. Thank you again, Rene – you will be missed.
Robin Frijns will be returning to Envision Racing for Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The Dutchman, twice a Formula E race winner, enjoyed a four season spell with the team between Seasons 5 and 8.
He then spent this season with ABT CUPRA, with the Spanish manufacturer’s first foray into the championship at the start of the Gen3 era and on ABT’s return to competition in the world’s top tier electric racing series.
It’s a return which makes sense, with the new that Nick Cassidy will be replacing Sam Bird at Jaguar TCS Racing – and Frijns is wasting no time in stating his intentions of steering the team to further title silverware in Season 10.
Frijns’ two E-Prix wins came at Envision Racing in his inaugural season with the squad at the Paris E-Prix and the season-finale New York City E-Prix – helping the team to fourth position in the teams standings.
In Season 7, Frijns ran right at the sharp end throughout, winding up fifth in the Drivers’ running having challenged for the championship for much of the season.
Season 8 saw the 32 year old turn in ever more consistent performances – once again running right at the front for much of the campaign with seven second-placed finishes and three further podiums.
I’m really excited about getting started again with Envision Racing after a year away from the team, it really does feel like coming home. It will be great to be joining a championship-winning team. Envision Racing have been fighting at the top pretty much every season, and I can’t wait to get started. We have a great car, and the aim is to be competitive, which I am sure we will be, and I am driving to win the championship.
Frijns coming back.
It is great to have Robin back with the team after one year away. He enjoyed some memorable moments with Envision Racing over the years and was always pushing at the front and regularly fishing on the podium. The combination of Robin and Sébastien will be a strong one, and we can’t wait to get started for Season 10.
Sylvain Filippi, Envision Racing’s Managing Director and CTO.
Jaguar TCS Racing have announced Nick Cassidy will join the team’s driver line-up for Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The Formula E race winner and title challenger will join fellow New Zealander Mitch Evans, who has been with Jaguar since they joined the Championship in 2016.
The two Kiwi’s will arguably be one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid, with 15 wins, 37 podiums, 11 pole positions and 1076 championship points between them.
Cassidy joins Jaguar TCS Racing off the back of his most successful season to date, having finished the 2023 season runner-up in the Drivers’ World Championship, bringing the title fight to the final weekend of the season. He was also instrumental in winning the Teams’ World Championship with Envision Racing.
I’m very excited to be joining the Jaguar TCS Racing team for the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and I am looking forward to racing for a team like Jaguar that has such a successful motorsport history. This season has been my most successful to date, so I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and fight for points, podiums and wins. Looking forward to having Mitch as a teammate, we have known each other since we were kids and have raced against each other for years, so I’m proud that we will be racing together and hope to continue to put New Zealand on the map in motorsport.
Nick Cassidy on the move.
We are thrilled to announce that Nick Cassidy has joined Jaguar TCS Racing. Nick’s track record speaks for itself and is someone we have always had our eye on back to his time racing in Japan. Since joining Formula E he has gone from strength to strength and his 2023 season was very impressive. Nick was highly motivated to join the team and we are proud to welcome him into the Jaguar family. We head into the new season with one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid and paired with the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and our talented team we will be looking to once again challenge for both the Drivers and Teams World Championship titles.
FIA Formula 3 has announced the calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Next season includes 10 rounds, which all support the Formula One World Championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
The 10 teams and 30 drivers will contest a total of 20 races, across three different continents, with no new tracks being added for next season.
F3’s sixth season will kick off again at the Bahrain International Circuit on February 29th – March 2nd and the season concludes in Monza, Italy on August 30th to September 1st.
Round
Date
Location
1
29th February – 2nd March
Sakhir, Bahrain
2
22nd – 24th March
Melbourne, Australia
3
17th – 19th May
Imola, Italy
4
23rd – 26th May
Monte Carlo, Monaco
5
21st – 23rd June
Barcelona, Spain
6
28th – 30th June
Spielberg, Austria
7
5th – 7th July
Silverstone, Great Britain
8
19th – 21st July
Budapest, Hungary
9
26th – 28th July
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
10
30th August – 1st September
Monza, Italy
We are all excited to announce the 2024 Formula 3 calendar that brings huge anticipation and excitement after an already thrilling season this year. The intensity on the track is delighting all our fans and once again shows the talent in the system and the pipeline we have for the future. I want to thank the FIA, Bruno, his team and all the competitors for the incredible job they do and also pay tribute to our longstanding partners Dallara, Mechachrome and Pirelli for their continued support of the series. We are all looking forward to the rest of the season and an exciting 2024.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of F1.
The FIA junior single-seater categories are of vital importance to the success of motor sport at the very highest levels, and for the young drivers to develop on the global platform of Formula 1 is without doubt the right pathway. The calendar that we are very pleased to confirm today provides a broad range of circuits, including some of the most challenging and iconic racing venues anywhere in the world, on which the potential stars of the future will give the drivers the best possible preparation for the next step up the ladder to the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
In 2023, we introduced two new circuits – Melbourne and Monte Carlo – which held extremely successful events for Formula 3. I am very pleased to include them again in the 2024 calendar. We will have 10 rounds, across 3 continents, starting in Sakhir and ending in Monza, all events running alongside Formula 1. In a matter of five years, the FIA Formula Championship 3 has become a decisive category that features the best up-and-coming talents on their way to the top steps of motorsport.
FIA Formula 2 have announced their calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship. With next season including a total of 14 rounds, all support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The eleven teams and 22 drivers will contest a total of 28 races across 13 countries with a new venue added to the calendar as Formula 2 head to Qatar for the first time.
The eighth season of Formula 2 will open at the Bahrain International Circuit on February 29th – March 2nd, with the season concluding at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on December 6th – 8th.
Round
Date
Location
1
29th Feb – 2nd March
Sakhir, Bahrain
2
7th – 9th March
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3
22nd – 24th March
Melbourne, Australia
4
17th – 19th May
Imola, Italy
5
23rd – 26th May
Monte Carlo, Monaco
6
21st – 23rd June
Barcelona, Spain
7
28th – 30th June
Spielberg, Austria
8
5th – 7th July
Silverstone, Great Britain
9
19th – 21st July
Budapest, Hungary
10
26th – 28th July
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
11
30th August – 1st September
Monza, Italy
12
13th – 15th September
Baku, Azerbaijan
13
29th November – 1st December
Lusail, Qatar
14
6th – 8th December
Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
It is fantastic to announce such an exciting F2 calendar for 2024, following on from the 24 race calendar we announced for Formula 1 a few weeks ago. The breadth of venues and the addition of Qatar is another sign of the strength and interest in F2 globally and the talent we have in the Championship is very positive for the future. The Championship is delivering exciting racing at every event for all our fans and that is a tribute to the work of Bruno, his team and all the competitors across the grid. I would also like to thank the FIA for their collaboration on this fantastic championship, and our long-standing partners Pirelli, Dallara and Mecachrome for their continued support. We are all looking forward to the rest of the season and crowning the 2023 Champion.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of F1.
The 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship calendar, which has today been approved by the World Motor Sport Council, ensures another exciting season of racing on some of the most iconic and challenging circuits around the world. As the final stepping stone before the pinnacle of single-seater motor sport, Formula 2 is a hugely important championship that creates intense competition, and its success is the result of the strong collaboration between the FIA team, the promoter and all of the teams, which I look forward to seeing continue into 2024 and beyond
FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The 2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship calendar, which has today been approved by the World Motor Sport Council, ensures another exciting season of racing on some of the most iconic and challenging circuits around the world. As the final stepping stone before the pinnacle of single-seater motor sport, Formula 2 is a hugely important championship that creates intense competition, and its success is the result of the strong collaboration between the FIA team, the promoter and all of the teams, which I look forward to seeing continue into 2024 and beyond.
Jaguar TCS Racing have announced that Mitch Evans will return to race for the British team for the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and beyond, with the New Zealander singing a multi-year contract extension.
The deal means Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing’s relationship will become the longest-standing driver and team pairing in Formula E history.
The partnership is also one of the most successful since the inception of the all-electric World Championship. Evans made his debut with Jaguar Racing in 2016 in his inaugural Formula E campaign and has since become widely accepted as among the quickest and most talented drivers on the grid.
In 2019, he translated his promise into a first race win for the team in Rome. Together, Evans and the team have formed a formidable pairing achieving 10 wins, 25 podiums, eight TAG Heuer Fastest Laps, six Julius Baer Pole Positions and 733 championship points over the least seven years.
The New Zealander, finished Season 9 in third, achieving his biggest points haul to date – where he was apart of the title fight to the final weekend. Evans also helped Jaguar TCS Racing to secure second place in the Teams World Championship.
Also, Evans is one of the most successful drivers to have represented the iconic British Marque, joining legends of the sport including Norman Dewis, Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn to name a few.
Having been with Jaguar TCS Racing since 2016, it was the natural choice to continue our successful partnership. We’ve had some incredible moments over the last seven years and I’m looking forward to writing our next chapter together. I am proud to race for Jaguar and play my part with the team in JLR’s Reimagine strategy.
The 29 year old on the news.
It’s an absolute pleasure to confirm that Mitch remains a key part of Jaguar TCS Racing for the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and beyond. Mitch has been one of the founding members of the team since Jaguar returned to racing in 2016 and is now one of the longest serving drivers in Jaguar’s history. The fact that our future remains together for a new chapter is an accolade we are both proud of. Mitch has time and again demonstrated that he is one of the most talented drivers in the world, so we are pleased that our formidable partnership continues. I’m excited to build on the successes we have enjoyed to date and challenging for more championships together.
Mercedes junior driver and F2 championship contender Frederik Vesti will take part in an official F1 session for the first time later this year, during Free Practice 1 in Mexico.
Vesti, 21, sits second in the F2 standings – 12 points behind Sauber-backed Theo Pourchaire with three rounds remaining, having claimed four wins and seven podium finishes so far this season.
Having made his F1 test debut with Mercedes at the end of 2022 season in Abu Dhabi, the Danish driver’s next step will be the opening 60 minute session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Each Formula 1 team is required to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions across the season, defined as a racer with less than two grand prix of experience.
Toto Wolff believes that with Vesti impressing in Formula 2, this FP1 outing will now serve as the next key step in his progression.
I’m incredibly proud to be doing the FP1 session in Mexico City with the team – it’s a dream come true. To think in less than two months that I’ll be doing my first official Formula 1 session with Mercedes, who have won eight consecutive constructors’ championships, is amazing. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for through my whole junior career. It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. I want to thank Mercedes for this incredible opportunity, as well as my sponsors and manager for always believing in me. I can’t wait to be driving W14 for the first time.
Vesti on the test.
Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity. Fred has executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season. Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity.
Jaguar TCS Racing has confirmed after the London E-Prix weekend that Sam Bird will be moving on to new pastures.
Bird has spent three seasons with Jaguar, where he took two wins, seven podiums and a total of 233 points.
The Brit wound up eighth at the end of the inaugural Gen3 campaign, with the team praising his contribution as “fundamental” to its Formula E efforts. Bird hit his Formula E century of race starts this year in Race 1 in Diriyah.
As the Brit alluded to, his season had its peaks and troughs. Colliding with his team mate Mitch Evans in Hyderabad with both looking capable of the race win and a podium at the very least. The two came to blows again in Jakarta, with Evans running eighth at the time; costly again, and with the margins so fine at the end of the season in both Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championship – those incidents could have proven the difference makers.
We gave it everything and did what we could but unfortunately, we just had too much of a deficit coming in at the beginning of the weekend. Congratulations to Envision for their World Championship win. On the whole, this season has been fairly disappointing for me, with a lot of wasted opportunities early on but I have to take the positives – the pace has been strong, I’ve had four podiums, scored nearly 100 points and finished eighth in the championship ahead of some big names. It’s bittersweet to be leaving the team, the past few years have had their fair share of ups and downs, but I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to the team for everything, and I look forward to what the future holds.
Bird post London.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to Sam. It’s been an amazing three years together and he has contributed to the success we’ve seen as a team. Sam joins an illustrious list of drivers that have raced for a Jaguar line-up, and I know he’s proud of that, as are we. Sam is an extremely talented racing driver who has been a privilege to work with and I know he will see great success in the future.
ABT CUPRA have confirmed that Robin Frijns will be moving on from the team after spending the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with the returning squad.
Just before Round 16, at the London E-Prix, Team boss Thomas Biermaier confirmed to ProSieben – Formula E’s German broadcast partner that the Dutchman will be moving on.
The team added that it expects to decide who will take over the cockpit alongside Nico Mueller – who outscored his teammate and indeed managed a top eight finish in the final round of the season – in the coming weeks.
The experienced Dutchman’s 2022/23 didn’t go as well as either party would have hoped. The ABT CUPRA’s Mahindra powertrain lacked pace and efficiency at times but Mueller comfortably outscored his teammate on his return to the series.
Frijns did of course, miss four races after fracturing his had at the season-opener at the Mexico City E-Prix. He wound up Season 9 with just two points scores and six total to Mueller’s 15, though Julius Baer Pole Position on home soil for ABT in Berlin was a real highlight.
Robin will be leaving us. His plans for the future don’t quite match ours, and you’ll have to ask him where he’s heading! After an open discussion, ABT and Frijns have agreed to terminate the contract so that he can concentrate on his future tasks. Robin was, is and will always remain a friend and member of the ABT family. He played an important role in our comeback with his great experience, although it was a difficult year for him after the accident at the start of the season. Now we wish him all the best for the new challenges.
Formula 1 and F1 Academy have announced that, as of the 2024 season, all 10 F1 teams will have one driver and their livery on one car competing in the all-female racer series.
F1 Academy boasts five teams – ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing, MP Motorsport, PREMA Racing and Rodin Carlin – who each have three cars and three drivers, making a total of 15.
From next season, 10 of these drivers will be nominated by F1 teams and each team will have livery on one car, with details on the drivers and liveries to be confirmed by the F1 teams at a later time.
The remaining five drivers in the series are set to be supported by other partners, with announcements surrounding these also to be made in due course. The final 2024 driver line-up for each team will be revealed at a later date.
First and foremost, I want to thank the Formula 1 teams for their support and vision as we embark on this journey together. This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realise the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport. As we join the F1 calendar for next year and host F1 Academy Discover Your Drive events in the lead up to our races, I am confident that we will have a positive impact across our sport in the long term.
Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy.
We created F1 Academy to bring about real and lasting change to ensure young female talent have the right system in place to follow and achieve their dreams. Today is a very important moment as it shows the impact the project is having and the support it is receiving from across the F1 community. Susie, the teams, and everyone involved are working tirelessly to ensure we go from strength to strength and continue to deliver on the important objective we have set out together. In 2024 the F1 Academy will join our race calendar, raising the awareness and profile of the series globally and to have the F1 liveries on the grid will be something very special.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
Alpine have made some changes as team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane leave the team, whilst chief technical officer Pat Fry has left to join Formula 1 rivals, Williams.
The exits are confirmed with the French team who currently sit sixth in the constructors’ championship after 11 rounds of the 2023 season, following successive double DNFs for both drivers at the British and Hungarian Grand Prix.
Alpine Motorsports vice president, Bruno Famin will take over from Szafnauer as interim team principal, while Alpine academy director, Julian Rouse is named interim sporting director and technical director Matt Harman takes leadership of the “technical team”.
Fry, the only member of the trio who appears to have chosen to exit, will be able to work at Williams in November after taking up the same role with the British team. He replaces, Francois-Xavier Demaison, who left Williams in December amid a shake-up that also saw James Vowles replaces Jost Capito as team principal.
The Alpine exits come little more than a week after Laurent Rossi was replaced as brand chief executive by Philippe Krieft, amid apparent infighting at the Enstone-based team.
Szafnauer, has paid the price for Alpine’s disappointing first half of the 2023 season, which sees them sit 134 points adrift of Ferrari, who currently hold the fourth position in which the French team finished last year.
BWT Alpine F1 Team announces today it will part ways with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer by mutual agreement following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. Otmar will continue his duties as normal for last weekend’s race in Belgium, before leaving the team ahead of the summer break. The team would like to thank Otmar for his hard work over the past 18 months and for leading the team in achieving fourth place in the 2022 Constructors’ Championship. The team wishes him the best for the future. The team can also confirm it will part ways with Sporting Director Alan Permane by mutual agreement. Alan will also continue his role last weekend in Belgium before departing ahead of the summer break. After 34 distinguished years at Enstone, the team extends its thanks to Alan and wishes him the best in his future endeavours. The team also announces that Pat Fry will leave the team to continue his career in Formula 1 elsewhere.
The Drivers’ World Champion may have been crowned, but there was still lots to play for in the final round. All 22 drivers took to the track for the last Free Practice session of the weekend, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans topping the timesheets.
The dry session on the half indoor-outdoor circuit was the final chicane to get some laps in before qualifying and the race later on.
Evans became the first man to set the fastest time of the weekend, locking in a 1m 10.152s lap which remained the best of the session. Sebastien Buemi and Nick Cassidy of Envision and Sam Bird also had their own moments as the quickest guys on track. By the time the chequered flag fell it was a Jaguar powertrain 1-2-3. As Evans led Bird in second and Buemi in third.
Several drivers found themselves going down the run-off at the chicane, pushing their cars to the limit whilst they could and get away with it during practice.
With 11 minutes on the clock, 21 drivers were all within a second of each other which shows just how close this field is in the new era.
Qualifying-
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy will start from the first place slot for a second consecutive race as he secured the Julius Baer Pole Position by just 0.010s in London. The Kiwi also picked up the important three points for pole to help Envision in their fight with Jaguar in the Teams Championship.
As the rain started to fall during the final qualifying of the session, several of the championship’s big players fought for their places on the grid.
Cassidy topped Group A with a time of 1m 10.521s, with Dennis a tenth behind in second, Buemi finished third and Bird also made it through. Mitch Evans topped Group B, at one point in the session, Nico Mueller set an identical lap time to the thousandth of a second. Norman Nato finished third with Season 8 Champ, Stoffel Vandoorne in the final spot.
The full top 10 are- P1: Cassidy, P2: Evans, P3: Nato, P4: Dennis, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Bird, P7: Buemi, P8: Muller, P9: Ticktum and P10: Wehrlein.
Round 16-
Nick Cassidy led the charge from the front for Envision Racing amid ultra-tricky, wet conditions in a delay-hit London E-Prix Round 16 – leading lights to flag for a fourth win of the season to ensure his outfit secured maiden Teams’ World Championship honours.
After delays for the wet weather to recede to allow a safe race, Cassidy composed himself to stride to a comfortable race win – where he headed home fellow New Zealander, Mitch Evans and new champion, Jake Dennis.
The race started behind the Safety Car, with eight laps waiting for things to get started properly. Stoffel Vandoorne and Sam Bird immediately jumped for their first of two mandatory Attack Mode on Lap 9.
On home soil, NIO 333’s Dan Ticktum made a move stick on Maserati MSG Racing’s Edoardo Mortara on Lap 15 as the Swiss-French-Italian got sideways out of Turns 4 & 5 opening the door for 10th and some points.
On Lap 19, the best racing was between three champions between Vergne in 16th, di Grassi 17th and da Costa in 18th as the former got a nudge from di Grassi with the trio inseperable as they looked to climb the order – just 0.8s between all three of them.
Four laps were added on for a 38 lap total but it wouldn’t change the result as Cassidy led Evans and Dennis home – with five seconds in hand.
The full top 10 are- P1: Cassidy, P2: Evans, P3: Dennis, P4: Nato, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Buemi, P7: Bird, P8: Mueller, P9: Ticktum and P10: Wehrlein.
The Formula E grid got their first taste of the indoor-outdoor London circuit in Gen3 as free practice got underway.
Nissan’s Norman Nato set the quickest time with a 1m 10.765s in the first practice session of the season finale weekend in London. His teammate, Sacha Fenestraz joined him in the top three. Sandwiched between the two Nissans was Season 2 champion Sebastien Buemi and just 0.006s of the top spot.
Teams were getting to grips with the newly-modified circuit, pushing their cars to the limits early on. Jake Hughes and Maximilian Guenther both explored the track limits with both of them going down the escape road at the chicane.
The Envision Racing and Jaguar TCS Racing cars are expected to be strong this weekend and started well with Sebastien Buemi topping the timesheets for most of the first 15 minutes. Soon enough his teammate Nick Cassidy went faster.
FP2-
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy let his championship rivals know he means business, as he set the fastest time in the final free practice session before the London E-Prix qualifying.
The Kiwi went over three tenths quicker than the next guy, NIO 333’s Dan Ticktum. All four championship contenders, Cassidy, Dennis, Evans and Wehrlein all finished in the top six.
Typical British weather came and heavy rain made for a wet track for Free Practice 2. Even though we have had wet conditions in Gen3 before, with the ABT Cupra’s putting on a masterclass in Berlin. The London circuit is half indoor-outdoor design means drivers won’t have the same consistency throughout a lap which proves a challenge.
Robin Frijns had a little moment, going down the run off at the chicane – something we have seen several times over the weekend so far. However, this unfortunately wasn’t his only off, as he brought out a red flag with a minute left on the clock. The Dutchman lost his car at the hairpin, clipping the wall and ending up in the barrier, also preventing any final flying laps from others on the grid.
Two-time champ, Jean-Eric Vergen also ran off at Turn 1 during the session, but he managed to master a quick turn around to join the track without any issues.
Qualifying-
Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing sealed Julius Baer Pole Position in London in a square fight against title rival Nick Cassidy in a nail-biting Duels Final. But Cassidy will take to P1 on the gird after Evans was served with a five place grid penalty for a collision in Rome.
Both drivers in the final, were pushing to the limit so much so Cassidy appeared to kiss the wall on his lap. Lining up alongside Cassidy will be Dennis, a copy of the Rome grid but in the opposite order.
The Envision duo of Cassidy and Buemi, the first time that both Envision’s have reached the Semis in the same race this year. Nick was sent through as his teammate made a crucial mistake.
There was a dramatic moment when championship leader, Dennis complained of a “huge power cut at Turn 9” whilst getting some laps in, in addition to mentioning that he’d hit the wall on a different lap.
Recent podium finisher in Rome, Norman Nato suffered a massive lock up on one of his laps and then went down on a run off.
The full top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Cassidy P3: Dennis, P4: Buemi, P5: Ticktum, P6: Rast P7: Wehrlein, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Bird and P10: Nato.
Round 15-
Jake Dennis navigated a crazy Hankook London E-Prix to come home second; enough to make sure of a sealing the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Drivers’ Championship, as Mitch Evans took the chequered flag first.
Dennis survived two missed trips through the Attack Mode loop, heavy pressure from his closest rival and polesitter Nick Cassidy as well as two red flags to become Formula E’s first British World Champion and the first to take it on home soil.
Cassidy led the early stages before ceding top spot to eventual winner and countryman Evans on lap 11 and second spot to teammate Sebasiten Buemi. Dennis had made it by Cassidy with an opportunistic move at the final corner just a couple of laps before, with Cassidy immediately fighting his way back by the Andretti car.
However, with Cassidy running in formation, close behind the Swiss, the Envision drivers came into contact. Loose bodywork from that clash caused a brief spell under the Safety Car bunching the pack up. Dennis meanwhile was not impressed over the radio with Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein the German hanging onto fourth.
Wehrlein’s challenge then also fell by the wayside in a shunt just before a red flag was flown for the recovery of Sacha Fenestraz’s Nissan. He and Jake Hughes tangled into Turn 1.
On the restart Evans led away, with Dennis working his way into third – enough to seal the title as it stood. An over-optimistic move from Norman Nato at the penultimate turn on Lap 34 caused a chain reaction behind with several cars unable to avoid the mess enforcing another spell under the red flag conditions.
It was a three lap sprint to the flag at the restart with Dennis having only to hold fast to ensure he’d take top honours.
The full top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Dennis, P3: Buemi, P4: Bird, P5: Mortara, P6: Di Grassi, P7: Ticktum, P8: Nato, P9: Wehrlein and P10: Hughes.
The last race before summer break is officially over and we had a mid race shower with a few different strategies going on.
Max Verstappen recovered from a five place grid penalty to claim his eighth successive victory in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix with teammate Sergio Perez adding to the celebration as he completed a one-two result. Charles Leclerc held on to the final podium spot, denying seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Alonso, P6: Russell, P7: Norris, P8: Ocon, P9: Stroll and P10: Tsunoda.
Lando Norris had an up and down race, as initially he lost a host of positions after starting on medium tyres and then switched to hards, but a move to softs as spits of rain began to fall proved inspired and he gobbled up the competition and eventually managed seventh.
A clash between Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz led to both drivers retiring – the McLaren driver clipping the inside wall at La Source as he had no where to go and Carlos went into him, which led to him having damage to his sidepod.
Aston Martin secured another double points finish, with P5 for Alonso and P9 for Stroll, I think Aston would be happy with that considering past couple of races.
Finally a good result for Perez, a podium! And it’s about time too, the last time he was on there was back in Miami, so he will be hoping to keep this good form going after we come back after summer break.
Mercedes, had a pretty good race, double points again and George had to work his way through the field after dropping a few positions. They go into the break on a high and will be hoping for more good results next month.
Round 14 isn’t until 25th to 27th August where we return to the Netherlands for Max’s home race, can he make it nine in a row?
Max Verstappen was at his best again, as the Red Bull driver narrowly beat the McLaren of Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to take pole for the Sprint Race.
Verstappen left it late to put a time down as he took the chequered flag with four seconds to go, but he went straight to the top of the timesheet’s with a 1m 49.056s.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Norris, P6: Gasly, P7: Hamilton, P8: Perez, P9: Ocon and P10: Russell.
The drivers were met with worse conditions yesterday, than the day before as the Shootout got postponed by 35 minutes. Once it got started, with each lap the times were beginning to drop as track conditions continued to improve.
Aston Martin made a bold call during SQ2, as they put Lance Stroll on a set of medium tyres. However, the decision proved costly as Stroll ended up in the barrier at Turn 9 which saw a red flag. The session was unable to be restarted, Ricciardo narrowly missed out on a place in SQ3 along with the Williams duo and Aston Martin duo.
It was good enough. Just tricky conditions, you don’t want to make big mistakes so I think the lap was okay – I just didn’t risk too much in the second sector where it was still a bit damp, and it was just enough for first so that’s good. If it’s going to be wet, dry, also if it’s wet, how you’re going to survive with the wet tyres or the intermediates. So a lot of question marks still but we’ll figure it out along the way.
Verstappen on getting pole.
Sprint Race-
Red Bull’s, Max Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Saturday’s Sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix, as he claimed back the lead from McLaren rival, Oscar Piastri after the two opted for different strategies.
Amid plenty of action at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly made the most of the conditions to round out the podium. Lewis Hamilton was demoted from fourth to seventh after the Mercedes man clashed with Sergio Perez and picked up a penalty.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Gasly, P4: Sainz, P5: Leclerc, P6: Norris, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Ocon and P10: Ricciardo.
With a rain theme of the weekend so far, the heavens opened up again just before the 17:05pm time scheduled start of the Sprint – officials decided to push it back by 30 minutes to allow the latest downpour to pass by.
By the time the formation lap began on mandated full wet tyres and behind the Safety Car which became several laps.
After a lot of near misses in the pit lane as drivers squabble for position after changing tyres to intermediates. Gasly found himself running third behind Piastri and Verstappen, with Perez up to fourth, Hamilton in fifth and Sainz rounding out the top six from Leclerc and Norris.
As the race started to settle down, Verstappen took his chance to gain into Piastri’s lead which stood at just under two seconds after their stops.
But on Lap 4, Fernando Alonso lost control of his Aston Martin at Pouhon and spun into the gravel which then triggered a Safety Car just before Verstappen was about to make a move on Piastri.
Hamilton and Perez dramatically banged wheels through Blanchimont as they battled over fourth position the seven time world champion managing to work his way through around the outside of La Source a few moments later.
I think [staying out on wets at the start] was just a safer call. I could come in first, but then I might be blocked by other cars. There might be a Safety Car and then you lose out massively. I didn’t to stay out, we lost one position, but we know that we are quick. I think you could see that when we put the inter tyres on we were flying, so it was OK!
Day one of the weekend is complete, let’s take a look at how qualifying went yesterday ahead of the Sprint today!
Max Verstappen claimed pole position in a thrilling session, however he won’t be starting from pole due to having a five place grid penalty, which means Charles Leclerc is set to start from P1 tomorrow.
The full top 10 from qualifying are – P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton, P5: Sainz, P6: Piastri, P7: Norris, P8: Russell, P9: Alonso and P10: Stroll.
A good result for both Ferrari’s, Charles starting P1 and Carlos P4, they haven’t had the best result recently so they will be wanting to capitalise on other’s misfortune during the race.
Finally a good result from Perez where he starts in the top 3! With his teammate starting 6th, Perez will be relied on to take the lead at the start, will he be able to do it? Or will Max breeze his way through the field again?
A great result from Piastri, out-qualifying Norris, and starting 5th on the grid. So far the rookie is having a great season, from being towards the back of the grid, to scoring big points almost every weekend as well as showing off his skills we all know he has. The Aussie will be hoping to get his first podium this season.
Alpine is still having a rough time at the moment, they would of been hoping for a clean weekend, but that disappeared when Ocon damaged his front wing after crashing into the barrier at Turn 9.
Jordan's Track Talk 