Round 7 is now complete and we had some late drama in the race due to a rain shower where chaos ensued.
Max Verstappen kept Red Bull’s 2023 winning record intact by keeping his cool overcoming the rain and the chaos in the final stages of the race. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso came home in P2 and on the final step of the podium is Esteban Ocon in P3!
The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Ocon, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell, P6: Leclerc, P7: Gasly, P8: Sainz, P9: Norris and P10: Piastri.
A really good day for Mercedes, and I think the upgrades for the W14’s have improved a little bit, but we won’t know how well until we get to another circuit. With Russell’s five second time penalty for clashing with Sergio Perez when he rejoined the track from an off in the slippery conditions not affecting his finishing position.
A really good result for Alpine, finally what they need and it’s a podium aswell, which makes it even better for the team. Hopefully this is them on the up as they had pace all weekend and they can keep the good results coming.
Obviously a bad day for Sergio Perez, started plum last due to his crash in qualifying and we all knew it was going to be a hard race for him. Which means the gap between Max and Sergio in the Drivers standings has gotten bigger.
A decent day for the McLaren boys, both in the points, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to be close to Alpine.
Now we don’t have to long to wait, as the next race is this weekend! We are in Spain for Round 8 the home grand prix of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz!
Ayumu Iwasa ended a frantic Free Practice session fastest of all as the DAMS man set a 1:22.081 to lead the grid. The Japanese driver got his best lap in prior to the third Red Flag of the incident session.
Next to him was Victor Martins for ART Grand Prix, whilst Richard Verschoor ended up third for Van Amersfoort Racing but found himself in the barriers in the closing minutes.
The first Red Flag came early into the session, as we saw contact between Ralph Boschung and Roman Stanek, with both cars having to be recovered.
The second Red Flag of the session came out with just over 20 minutes remaining after Bearman lost the rear of his PREMA at Turn 8 and nosed into the barriers.
Day 2-
With Monte Carlo Qualifying split into two groups of 11, the random ballot allocated the even numbered cars into Group A and odd numbered cars going second in Group B.
The first 16 minute segment began with several warm-up laps but it was Victor Martins who set the initial benchmark. But it didn’t stay that way for long as Richard Verschoor was next to hit the top spot just before a red flag was waved due to home-hero Arthur Leclerc who tagged the barriers and saw him out of the session.
With a 1:21.231 to beat, group B headed out for their turn and Dennis Hauger laid down the first effort. His 1:22.979 was bettered by several, but it was Theo Pourchaire who went quickest overall.
Plenty of personal bests followed but the ART Grand Prix man remained on top with a 1:21.354 ahead of Zane Maloney and Frederik Vesti by a tenth with less than five minutes to go.
The Dane put in three purple sectors on his following attempt to go top with a 1:21.053 ensuring Group B was fighting for pole. It was enough for pole as on the final attempts, Clement Novalak hit the barriers at Portier to bring out the Red Flags, ending the session early.
Monaco qualifying is complete and the grid is set for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix, with a few shocks and surprises along the way.
Max Verstappen took pole position for the first time in Monaco, he pipped out rival, Fernando Alonso in P2 and hometown hero Charles Leclerc in P3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Alonso, P3: Leclerc, P4: Ocon, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Gasly, P8: Russell, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Norris.
But, things are never easy especially for Charles Leclerc, who has been given a 3 place grid drop for the race meaning he will start P6, which bumps up Ocon to P3, Sainz P4 and Hamilton P5.
However, one Red Bull driver might have been on pole but the other… was down the other end of the grid. Sergio Perez will be starting in P20 due to crashing out in Q1.
A really really good result for the Alpine’s P3 and P7, obviously it means they should be scoring some good points if they don’t loose out on strategies etc tomorrow.
A good result to see Yuki in the top 10 also, some good pace there and for his teammate aswell who starts just outside the top 10 in P12, hoping to get his first points of the season…
Not such a good result for Zhou Guanyu who is starting P19, the Alfa Romeo driver needing to score points but his teammate isn’t starting from the best place either in 15th, a lot of work to do if they want to get further up the constructors.
Predictions-
My top five for the race are: P1: Alonso, P2: Verstappen, P3: Sainz, P4: Hamilton and P5: Ocon.
Obviously with such a mixed up grid it will definitely be interesting but it will be all about strategy and if it works out with safety cars etc, but i’m hoping it will be an exciting one.
Gabriele Mini made the most of a drying Monte Carlo circuit to head the field in Formula 3’s first session around the Principality. The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver put his previous experience to good use, clocking in a 1:26.686 in the final jam packed seconds of Free Practice.
Fellow returnees, Franco Colapinto and Gregoire Saucy benefited from a late switch to the slicks to round out the top three.
Before the session started, a heavy downpour threw a curveball the drivers’ way, making the challenge of learning the Monaco streets even more difficult. Campos Racing’s Christian Mansell was the first to get a representative time on the board, but they continued to tumble with every lap of the 3.337km circuit.
Although a dry line had begun to form, there were still plenty of areas to catch the field out. Browning brought the time to beat down to a 1:39.879 before the Red Flag appeared, a spin for Jonny Edgar left the British racer facing the wrong way and in need of recovery.
Day 2-
For the Championship’s first appearance in the Principality, the 30 car grid was divided into two groups with 16 minutes each. Group A consists of even-numbered cars and Group B the odd.
Gabriele Mini put together a masterclass to claim his second pole position of his rookie Formula 3 season. Waiting until the last second of Group B, the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver wrestled pole away from Group A’s Dino Beganovic by over six tenths.
The full top 10 for Sunday’s Feature race are: P1: Mini, P2: Beganovic, P3: Aron, P4: Browning, P5: Collet, P6: Montoya, P7: Bortoleto, P8: Colapinto, P9: Barnard and P10: Fornaroli.
Shall we try this again? It’s Race week and we are in Monaco for Round 7! Obviously last week was meant to be race week but due to the flood in the Emilia-Romagna region it got cancelled, so drivers will be wanting to get the best position possible this weekend.
We all know qualifying is the most important part of the weekend at the circuit as we know you can’t really overtake on this track…
It’s Charles Leclerc’s home race this weekend, but will he finally end the Monaco curse he has and take the win?
Who needs to shine?
The Alfa Romeo’s need to do a bit of work, they had a better start to last year’s season than this year’s so they will be wanting to get the ball rolling and score some more points as soon as possible.
McLaren, rough season so far for the team but this weekend they will be hoping to get some points in the bag especially if other teams/drivers have a close moment through the tight corners of Monaco.
Alpine still have a bit of work to do in the next couple of races, they currently sit 6th in the Constructors’ but tied on points with McLaren who sits in 5th on 14 points. That’s both team’s main competitor at the moment until other teams start scoring a bit more and making a mid field fight.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Verstappen, P4: Alonso and P5: Hamilton.
As I said at the beginning of the post qualifying matters, so drivers will be going even more full out and getting the best position available. In the top 10 it will be the top 4 teams, unless we have a few shock appearances…
McLaren will be running a one-off ‘Triple Crown’ papaya, white and black livery in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations.
The special livery, which will also adorn the MCL60 at the following race at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, is a nod to McLaren’s achievement of winning motorsport’s three most known races, known as the Triple Crown, which includes F1’s Monaco race, Indycar’s Indy 500 at Indianapolis and the endurance showpiece – the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The rear of the car which is driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – will be bedecked in papaya, to celebrate the team’s maiden INdy 500 – winning M16C/D that Jonny Rutherford guided to victory in 1974.
The centre of the car is what the team call “sharp ice white” from Alain Prost’s 1984 Monaco Grand Prix win, running a red and white colour scheme on the MP4/2 that became synonymous with McLaren in F1.
The front end of the car is black, in tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR that won the 1995 Le Mans 24 Hours with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya in McLaren’s first attempt at the endurance race.
Having achieved the greatest accomplishment in motorsport by completing the Triple Crown, we are proud to celebrate the rich history of McLaren Racing with a special livery at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. In line with our 60th anniversary celebrations and honouring the legacy of Bruce McLaren, the unique livery pays homage to the three victories which form the Triple Crown accolade.
Zak Brown, McLaren CEO.
It’s a privilege to be involved in McLaren Racing’s 60th anniversary celebrations and to combine three iconic race-winning McLaren liveries into one for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix is going to be a special moment for the whole team. McLaren have an impressive record in Monte Carlo and on a personal level to have experienced a podium at the 2021 race was a huge honour. We’ll be racing hard in a great looking car to celebrate Bruce McLaren and the team’s amazing legacy.
Lando Norris added.
The Triple Crown livery looks incredible, and I can’t imagine a better way to experience my first Monaco Grand Prix as a Formula 1 driver with McLaren Racing. Bruce McLaren was a winner in Monte Carlo in 1962 and the McLaren team have such rich history at the Monaco Grand Prix. I will feel incredibly proud lining up on the grid in the MCL60, carrying the same colours as the three Triple Crown-winning race cars.
Japanese manufacturer, Honda will launch a full-scale return to Formula 1 in 2026 as the works power unit supplier to Aston Martin. Honda left F1 at the end of 2021, after a seven-year stay in the sport that culminated in a drivers’ World Championship victory through Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
They continued their relationship with Red Bull through a power unit support deal, which is still set to run until the end of 2025.
When F1 first unveiled its new engine regulations for 2026, Honda were enticed by the requirement to use 100% sustainable fuels and the greater focus on electrical power, as it delivered synergies with the automotive company’s goals.
But with Red Bull pursuing their own path with an in-house power unit devision, aided by their new partner which they announced at their car launch, Ford. Honda then had to look somewhere else – and so they signed a deal with Aston Martin.
Mercedes who have been a partner of the Silverstone-based team since 2009, will continue to supply Aston Martin with power units, plus the gearbox and rear suspension, until the end of 2025.
One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies. Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology. We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development. Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which made a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula 1 Group, which has been enhancing the brand value of F1 and ensuring F1’s evolvement as the most prestigious automobile racing in the world.
Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe.
We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is longstanding and incredibly impressive.
Aston Martin owner, Lawerence Stroll.
The new 2026 F1 power unit regulations are a huge and important change, but one which we are confident we can navigate successfully together. Jointly with our strategic partner Aramco, we can look forward to open collaboration towards a common goal. Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula 1. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our current power unit supplier who we will continue to partner with for the next few seasons.
Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, Martin Whitmarsh.
The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Grand Prix, where we are in Monaco, where qualifying really matters…
The three softest compounds in the Pirelli F1 range have been chosen, those being: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft).
The total length of this historic track is just 3.337 kilometres with 68 races having taken place and the most successful driver (in terms of wins) being Ayrton Senna.
Monaco has the lowest average lap speed of the whole championship, which is around 150kph. With very little grip and limited wear. The softer compound offer a good level of adhesion when it comes to traction but mechanical grip is limited.
All types of tyre brought to Monaco were used in the variable weather of last year’s grand prix: Blue full wet, Green intermediate, and all three slick compounds. On a dry race track, the race is nearly always a one-stopper for everybody but last year most drivers stopped three times.
We’re heading to a Monaco Grand Prix that’s somewhat different to what we expected. It should have been the second race of a European triple-header but instead it’s going to be the first due to the cancellation of Imola. Those images of devastation are still fresh in our minds and we want to express our solidarity once more with the families of the victims, as well as all those who have suffered such huge losses. Monaco has written its own chapter in the history of Formula 1. The characteristics of this unique circuit, largely unaltered for more than 60 years, make it a true one-off that has often sprung surprises. No other track can allow a driver to compensate for any technical shortcomings of their car in the same way, and just one incident can shake things up entirely. The difficulty of overtaking can sometimes detract from the spectacle in the race, but that only makes Saturday’s qualifying all the more exciting, as grid position assumes a particular importance to the final result on Sunday. As is often the case on street circuits, Pirelli has nominated the softest tyres in the range. One of the peculiarities of Monaco is the fact that the track is opened to normal traffic every evening, which means that it’s very hard for rubber to build up on the racing line, making the surface even more slippery. With Imola having been scrubbed, Monaco could now become the debut for the new Cinturato Blue full wet without tyre blankets, obviously depending on weather conditions: another potential random factor this weekend.
🐌 The slowest track on the calendar 🚗 Open track during evenings makes rubber build-up difficult 🔵 A belated debut for the new Cinturato Blue full wet possible#Fit4F1#F1pic.twitter.com/xlbxaq2WMd
Formula 1, the FIA and organisers of the 2023 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix have agreed to cancel the race which was scheduled for this weekend, due to severe flooding in the Italian region.
The decision has been taken because it is not possible to safely hold the event for our fans, the teams and our personnel and it is the right and responsible thing to do given the situation faced by the towns and cities is the region. It would not be right to put further pressure on the local authorities and emergency services at this difficult time.
F1 instructed paddock personnel setting up garages and hospitality units to leave the circuit on Tuesday afternoon as a precaution amid a threat of flooding from the adjacent Santerno river.
They were also instructed not to return to the venue at all on Wednesday. Meanwhile, some teams opted to relocated staff members to different hotels.
Italian deputy prime minister and transport minister, Matteo Salvini had called to postpone the race in order to “dedicate ourselves to relief work”. It is thought very unlikely that the Emilia Romagna GP will be rescheduled for later in the year due to the congested calendar.
It means the schedule for 2023 has been reduced by two rounds following the widely expected cancellation for the Chinese GP, which was set for 16th April but lost due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in the country, which created the four week gap between the Australian and Azerbaijan rounds.
It is such a tragedy to see what has happened to Imola and Emilia-Romagna, the town and region that I grew up in, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the flooding and the families and communities affected. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible emergency services who are working tirelessly to help those who need help and alleviate the situation – they are heroes and the whole of Italy is proud of them. The decision that has been taken is the right one for everyone in the local communities and the F1 family as we need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
The tyre selection has been chosen for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.
Pirelli has opted to bring its softer range of compounds, which means the C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), will be made available to the teams throughout the weekend. Imola is only the second race on the 2023 calendar after Baku to feature the three softest tyre compounds.
The greater softness of the compounds could open up more racing strategies. Imola traditionally is a one-stop race but with a trio of tyres that are likely to degrade less than those used in the past, the teams will have more alternatives.
The Autodrom Enzo and Dino Ferrari celebrated its 70th birthday this year. Having been completed in 1953, Imola is an “old-school” track, narrower than many modern ones. For this reason, overtaking is also particularly challenging but at the same time more spectacular.
A new qualifying format will be tested during the Imola weekend. In each of the three qualifying sessions, teams will be required to use only one type of compound:
Q1 the hards
Q2 the mediums
Q3 the softs.
The so-called “Alternative Tyre Allocation” (ATA) will make it possible to reduce the number of sets of dry-weather tyres supplied by Pirelli to 11, compared to the 13 per car on race weekends where an F1 Sprint is not held.
These will be divided into three hard, four medium and four soft. The number of sets of wet tyres remains unchanged: four sets of intermediate and three sets of full wet.
Each driver will have a total of seven sets of tyres available for Sunday’s race, including at least one of each of the mandatory compounds: hard and medium, as usual. Of the remaining four sets available, one will be returned after FP1, one after FP2, and two after FP3.
The first round of the 2023 season in Europe will feature two important innovations in terms of tyres, both aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of our sport. The first centres around qualifying: at Imola we will be testing a new regulation that requires teams to use a different type of compound for each of the three sessions, with the hards fitted for Q1, the mediums for Q2, and the softs for Q3. This means a reduction – from 13 to 11 – of the sets of dry tyres that each driver has available for the entire event, therefore decreasing the environmental impact generated by the production and transport of the tyres. Then, with the same aim, starting from this grand prix, a new compound of full wet tyre will be introduced which will not require the use of tyre warmers beforehand. Track tests have shown even better performance than the previous Cinturato Blue full wet, even without the electric heating of the tyre. The result of studies carried out by Pirelli, it is the first concrete step towards the use of dry tyres without preheating. Finally, we have chosen to bring our range of softer compounds (C3, C4, and C5) to Imola, which could offer the teams a wider range of strategic options ahead of the race.
Daniel Ricciardo is Red Bull’s third driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season; with the eight-time F1 race winner targeting a return to the grid next season; with Ricciardo and several team principals addressing his future during the Australian Grand Prix.
Ricciardo was let go by McLaren at the end of last season after a hugely disappointing two year spell with the papaya team, and rather than taking a 2023 seat towards the back of the grid, he opted for a year out of sorts by re-joining Red Bull.
The Australian driver, established himself as one of the sport’s top drivers by winning seven races for Red Bull between 2014-2018 but decided to leave for Renault before moving onto McLaren two years later.
His popularity and commercial value alone could almost guarantee him a seat at some teams, but with Ricciardo holding out for a drive in a competitive car, it remains unclear whether an offer to tempt him back onto the grid will be forthcoming.
Is a Red Bull return possible?
Red Bull have had a dominant start to the season, with them winning five out of five races so far this season, and Max looking to take a third consecutive world championship, where as Checo looks to battle him on that hoping to take his first.
There has also been speculation that in the event Verstappen or Perez were unavailable to drive in a race this season, Red Bull would promote Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri rather than put Ricciardo in the season.
While that could be related to contractual obligations rather than performance expectations, it feels like Ricciardo is a long way from driving a Red Bull in competitive circumstances.
Where else could Ricciardo go?
While the Australian driver appears to be adamant he will only return in a competitive car, the chances of a seat becoming available at Red Bull or one of their main challengers – Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari appears highly unlikely.
The most realistic scenario for a permanent Ricciardo return would appear to be a team convincing him that they can follow in the footsteps of Aston Martin and take a big step forward to contend at the front.
Haas were reportedly linked with Ricciardo last season, but a deal failed to materialise before Guenther Steiner filled his second seat with Nico Hulkenberg. After Oscar Piastri was confirmed as Ricciardo’s McLaren replacement, there were talks over a possible return to Alpine, the team which Ricciardo had ditched two years earlier.
They ended up signing Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri, who is contracted until the end of the 2024 season, along with team-mate Esteban Ocon.
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 06: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the Paddock prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 06, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
With the season being underway and we are heading to the time where ‘silly season’ normally starts as summer break will be just around the corner before we know it, lets take a look at whose contract will be running out this season.
7 drivers contracts are running out at the end of the new season, do we think all 7 of them will be renewed?
I think one of the biggest contract talks at the moment is Lewis Hamilton, but he himself has said he wants to sign another contract and not just one year, so hopefully in the next few months something will be confirmed with the Mercedes team.
Two of this year’s rookies, are on one year contracts, Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries. I think the latter has a lot more to prove especially being under the microscope with Helmut Marko and we know how ruthless they are under the whole Red Bull/ Alpha Tauri umbrella.
I think Yuki Tsunoda has got a lot to prove this season too, there’s talk of him going to Red Bull IF Sergio Perez left next season, so all eyes on him especially as he has a rookie teamate too.
K-Mag and Hulkenberg, I don’t see why they won’t get their contract’s renewed, both drivers pushing to bring the team forward so will be interesting how the Haas’ boys do the rest of the season.
Below is a list of all 20 drivers, and their contract lengths, the longest contract out of all 20 drivers, is Max Verstappen until the 2028 season.
Pirelli are set to bring a new specification of slick tyre to the 2023 British Grand Prix at Silverstone – with teams to the test during Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The new specification of tyre will introduce new materials planned for the 2024 specification of Pirelli tyre, deemed necessary by the tyre suppliers because current F1 cars are faster and induce more downforce than previously estimated.
Pirelli are also anticipating greater speed and downforce from the current F1 cars as development continues across the season.
The new slicl tyres will come into use for the 2023 British Grand Prix on July 7th-9th but teams will be able to test them, with two extra sets supplied during FP1 and FP2 at the Spanish Grand Prix one month prior to the race at Silverstone.
We’ve seen how much more performance the 2023 cars have compared to last year throughout the opening races of this season, and that is thanks to the extraordinary pace of development shown by all 10 of the teams. In Miami, for example, the pole time was nearly two seconds faster than last year, but the same sort of progress has been seen during races as well. Pirelli’s simulation work has always been aimed at not only supplying a product that hits the performance targets specified by stakeholders, but also anticipating any potential problems and reacting to them quickly. The new specification contains materials that we have already developed for 2024, which will make the tyres more resistant without affecting any of the other technical parameters or their behaviour on track. To allow all the teams to test the new construction on a level playing field, Pirelli will supply two extra tyre sets per car to be used during FP1 and FP2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mario Isola, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director,
Race start 01 Max Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing, RB18, action 55 Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari, F1-75, action during the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone circuit from 31st of June to 3rd of July, 2022 in Northampton, England. (Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Well Round 5 is now complete, lets take a look on how it went in the States.
Max Verstappen charged his way from 9th to take the win for a second time at the Miami Grand Prix. Sergio Perez comes in 2nd making it a 4th one-two this season for Red Bull Racing. Fernando Alonso joins them on the podium in P3.
The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Alonso, P4: Russell, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Leclerc, P8: Gasly, P9: Ocon and P10: Magnussen.
Another good result for the Bull’s, I personally thought it would’ve been harder for Verstappen to get through the field and Perez would’ve been hoping so to.
A good result for the Mercedes considering how their Saturday went in qualifying, they’ve now closed the gap down to Aston Martin in the constructors with a decent points haul.
A turning point for Alpine yesterday as they managed to get a double point finish, they just need to consistently manage that as they’ll then move up further in the constructors.
A bad day for McLaren, both drivers having quiet races, with Norris getting hit from behind on lap 1 and then Piastri with brake issues it was just a disaster for the Woking team.
It was a good race. I stayed out of trouble at the beginning and then just had a clean race, picked the cars off one by one. Then I could stay out really long on the hard tyres and that’s where I think we made the difference today. I had a good little battle with Checo at the end. We kept it clean and that’s the most important – it’s a great win today. Yesterday was of course a bit of a setback, today we just kept it calm, kept it clean, and for sure winning a race from P9 is always very satisfying.
Verstappen on the win.
Now we have a little break before we have a triple header, we will be back on track from the 19th to 21st May for Round 6 at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Well, what a qualifying session that was… a few shock surprises and a very mixed up grid for the Miami Grand Prix later today! The top 10 shoot out saw seven teams represented!
Sergio Perez took his third career F1 Pole Position for the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, as he avoided all the chaos behind him. Alonso will be joining him on the front row in P2, with Carlos Sainz rounding out the top three.
The full top 10 are: Pole: Perez, P2: Alonso, P3: Sainz, P4: Magnussen, P5: Gasly, P6: Russell, P7: Leclerc, P8: Ocon, P9: Verstappen and P10: Bottas.
A very mixed session for the Bull’s, it was no secret that Perez wasn’t happy with the car but they managed to do a few tweaks before qualifying which seemed to hook it up, where as Verstappen he had to abort his flying lap due to a snap of oversteer and was scrambling to set another lap…
A mixed day for Ferrari aswell, a good result for Sainz, he is in the perfect spot to be in the mix for the podium today. But Charles… Whilst Leclerc was on a quick lap, he lost his car at Turn 4 and spun into the barriers, which brought out a red flag and that ended qualifying. A big mistake from the Monegasque, which is happening quite a bit recently, he just needs to get his head in the game and concentrate a bit more.
Lewis Hamilton suffered his worst ever qualifying performance in the United States and first Q2 elimination since Monza last year with P13, having struggled with Sector 1 in the second segment of qualifying.
Q1 saw both McLaren’s eliminated with Lando Norris 16th and team mate Oscar Piastri 19th, a lot of work for the papaya boy’s to do today if they want to score some points, could it be possible?
Predictions-
My top five are: P1: Perez, P2: Alonso, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Hamilton.
I feel like it’s going to be a crazy race, a few safety cars and maybe even a red flag, and a possible shocks to come?
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans went fastest in the first session of the day, with a time of 1m13.361s. Stoffel Vandoorne was 0.126s behind him. Maximilian Guenther finished in third.
The session was quickly under yellow flags as the Avalanche Andretti of Andre Lotterer had an unusual off at Mirabeau. The car and driver were unharmed, all Porsche-powered cars were grounded for the first half of the session, which quickly got resolved.
Regular running resumed most of the session, with the drivers wanting to get as much track time as possible around the iconic circuit.
However, Mahindra Racing’s Lucas di Grassi brought out yellow flags as he spun at Sainte-Devote. As well as locking up and damaging his front wing, di Grassi struggled to get going but eventually limped back to the garage.
FP2-
Maximilian Guenther kept Maserati MSG Racing’s home crowd happy in the final session before qualifying. With a time of 1m.29.269s, which was already six-tenths quicker than Mitch Evans times needed for the Julius Baer Pole Position here last year.
Behind Guenther was Evans, who topped the timesheets in FP1 the +0.007s difference just shows how tight the competition is. Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis finished in third.
Unlike Free Practice 1, all cars were quickly out on track for the day’s second session. Berlin race winner, Nick Cassidy had limited running after he complained about massive vibrations under braking on the radio. He eventually got back out on track but finished the session in 21st.
Qualifying-
It was a battle of the rookies for the finals, as Fenestraz and Hughes went up against each other for Julius Baer Pole Position. It was Sacha Fenestraz who grabbed pole as the McLaren driver made a mistake coming out of the tunnel, but the Nissan driver had his lap time cancelled for power usage, so Jake Hughes will be starting on pole position.
The DS Penske duo of Jean Eric Vergne and Vandoorne went quickest at the start of Group A. However, both were placed under investigation for a technical infringement and pitted soon after. In the end, neither of them made it through to the Duels and eventually their lap times were all cancelled as a result of a tyre pressure violation.
Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa, the winner here in Monaco in Season 7 had a disastrous start to his session, after reporting front left damage, which resulted in him making a quick stop in his teams garage.
The full top 10 are: Pole: Hughes, P2: Fenestraz, P3: Nato, P4: Guenther, P5: Ticktum, P6: Evans, P7: Mortara, P8: Sette Camara, P9: Cassidy and P10: Lotterer.
Round 9-
Nick Cassidy, Envision Racing fired to the top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Champiosnhip with a storming drive from ninth on the grid to the race win in an absorbing 2023 Monaco E-Prix.
Cassidy led home Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) having fended off his countryman until a late race Safety Car made the win certain for the Envision racer. Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) couldn’t quite live with the lead pair, but he drove from 11th on the grid to grab the final podium spot.
Long time Drivers’ World Championship leader, Pascal Wehrlein could only improve to 11th from 12th at the outset – the Porsche 99X Electric still has the performance within but unlocking it consistently over a lap and in qualifying appears to be an ongoing and potentially costly issue.
With 21 laps in the books, Guenther’s car came to a halt at Casino Square – Ticktum having moved to defend in front of the Maserati MSG Racing driver and the German driver running squarely into the back of the NIO 333.
The full top 10 are: P1: Cassidy, P2: Evans, P3: Dennis, P4: Fenestraz, P5: Hughes, P6: Ticktum, P7: Vergne, P8: Buemi, P9: Vandoorne and P10: Bird.
We now have a little wait until the next race, with just under 4 weeks till the Jakarta E-Prix for Round 11 & 10 on the 3rd and 4th of June.
Round 5 is here and we are in Miami for the 2nd Grand Prix, not only this it will be Logan’s first home race!
Will it be another win for Red Bull this weekend? Or will the tension be rising between the Bulls? Will Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mercedes bring the fight this weekend?
Can Aston and Mercedes make it back on the podium? Will Charles get another pole position?
Who needs to shine?
Nyck de Vries has got some making up to do, last weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix he crashed out and he knows it was his fault and took full blame, so he will be wanting to make up for it this weekend, whether that’s a good qualifying result or race result.
The Alfa Romeo’s are having a rough ride at the moment too, Zhou peeled into the pits during the last race and retired and Bottas finished 18th, hopefully this track this weekend will be a better fit for the team.
The Alpine’s are not where they want to be either, two races in a row where no points have been scored for either driver. So this weekend, going back to the normal race format the drivers will be wanting to optimise on other drivers miss fortune and score some points.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Alonso and P5: Hamilton. I don’t believe there is any penalties to be taken this weekend.
We could possibly see a McLaren in the top 10 and maybe an Alpine aswell, with a stop and start qualifying session to come.
The tyres have been selected for the Miami Grand Prix, which will be the first of three grand prix to be held in the United States this year.
The chosen compounds are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft). The track with 19 predominantly slow corners and three straights, is moderately demanding on tyres. The choice of three compounds from the middle of the range, rather than softer sets, is mainly due to the usually high track temperatures which reached 59 degrees celsius last year.
The most used compounds in the 2022 race were medium and hard. Most of the drivers completed the grand prix with just one pit stop. With the race having been neutralised twice by a safety car and virtual safety car, which allowed some teams to make a second stop.
The organisers of the grand prix have had the 5.41 kilometres of track resurfaced for 2023. The previous surface, composed of limestone and granite, had been treated with powerful jets of water.
The weather on the coast of Miami is very changeable. In 2022, the race was spared by rain, which fell only when the starting grid was being assembled with the high temperatures meaning that the track died out before the race started. The possibility of downpours has to be taken into serious consideration.
This weekend, Formula 1 will race in Miami for the first of three rounds in the United States on this year’s calendar, along with the now-traditional event in Austin and the much-awaited race in Las Vegas. It is not the first time that the championship has had three grands prix take place in the US in the same year, but never before have we seen our sport make such an impact with the American public, and this is largely thanks to the commitment made by Liberty Media. In the first race held on the track around the Hard Rock Stadium last year, the tyres behaved as expected on asphalt which had rather particular characteristics, above all due to a very high “micro-roughness”. We know that the track has now been completely resurfaced and we will have to check during the usual inspection that precedes the start of the weekend if there will be any significant changes in its characteristics. The Miami track requires average downforce levels, as it features a wide variety of corners but also a very long straight. We have brought the middle tyres in the range (C2, C3, and C4), also due to the fact that we can expect very high temperatures: last year the asphalt reached almost 60°C.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship makes its sixth visit to the most iconic street circuit in motorsport, we are in Monaco this weekend for Round 9.
The streets of the Principality have played host to some of the biggest moments in motor racing history and Formula E itself has arguably showcased the best of motorsport in Monte Carlo since it switched to the Grand Prix circuit a couple of years ago.
Season 6 champion Antonio Felix da Costa claimed victory in season 7 in an absolute classic – undoubtedly one of the most exciting races in the history of Formula E, capping a first outing on the full Monaco circuit with an audacious overtake at the exit of the tunnel on the final lap of the race for the win. The race saw 28 overtakes between the top six runners alone, with the lead changing six times.
If this season is anything to go by, with almost 400 overtakes over the Berlin double header weekend, and a record eight different race leaders in Round 7, then we’re in for a classic…
The Circuit-
La Rascasse, Casino Square and Grand Hotel Hairpin – there are few corners that evoke motorsport legend than the winding streets that line the Monaco circuit, its steeped in motorsport tradition and all-electric street racing is made for these streets.
For the last two seasons, the field has put on a stunning display around the Principality. We’ve seen overtakes galore, battles right up the finish line and some spectacular passes in unexpected locations, passing within inches of each other up the hill at Beau Rivage.
Take in the energy zapping hill by Mirabeau and the famous Casino Square, round the Grand Hotel Hairpin and through the inimitable Monaco tunnel ahead of the harbourfront chicane. The full 3.3km with its steep hill and high speed sections will again put the field’s energy management skills to the test.
Formula 2 was back at the weekend for Round 4, lets take a look at how the weekend went/
Day 1, Practice-
Oliver Bearman wasted no time getting up to speed on his first visit to Baku, topping the opening session of Formula 2 weekend and ending Free Practice fastest of all.
The PREMA driver went quickest late on gaining a nice slipstream down the main straight to set a 1:54.063. Fellow rookies, Isack Hadjar and Kush Maini followed in second and third places respectively.
The early laps in the session were tricky with the freshly resurfaced circuit offering little grip. Ralph Boschung was the first driver underneath the two minute barrier, but times continued to fall with every lap on the board as the surface continued to clean up.
With just over one minute left of practice, Arthur Leclerc spun in his DAMS out of the first corner, bringing out the Red Flags and ending the session early.
Qualifying-
Oliver Bearman turned his fortunes around in the final seconds of a tense Qualifying session in Baku to claim his first Formula 2 pole position. Utilising the slipstream from the train of cars ahead, the PREMA Racing rookie stole first from Rodin Carlin’s Enzo Fittipaldi by just 0.012s at the chequered flag.
Less the a tenth of a second separated the front-runners, as Theo Pourchaire and Frederik Vesti benefitted late on to seal their spots in third and fourth.
After a delayed start to running, an early Red Flag halted the session inside the opening seven minutes before any representative laps could be put on the board. Brad Benavides overshot the entry to Turn 1 and planted the PHM Racing by Charouz car into the barriers.
With the tow around the Baku City Circuit proving so powerful, drivers squabbled for track position entering the final stages. Punching in a 1:53.271, Vesti went 0.085s clear of Pourchaire on his penultimate lap, just as PREMA Racing teammate Bearman brushed the barriers at the exit of Turn 2, bending his steering in the process.
Day 2, Sprint Race-
Oliver Bearman demonstrated that to finish first in Baku – first you have to finish, as the British rookie claimed his first Formula 2 victory in a dramatic Sprint Race.
Off the back of his maiden pole position, he lined up 9th on the grid and carved his way through the field to snatch the win from teammate Frederik Vesti.
A late restart with only three laps to go brought drama, as race leader Dennis Hauger and second-placed Victor Martins crashed out. The PREMA pair were there to pick up the pieces as the race concluded behind the third and final Safety Car. HiTech Pulse-Eight’s Jak Crawford also kept himself out of trouble to take his second podium in third.
Reserve pole sitter Verschoor didn’t hold the lead for long. Contact with the wall at Turn 1 left the Van Amersfoort Racing driver with damage and forced to retire.
After making his way up into the points, Ralph Boschung’s race came to an end on Lap 3, clipping the inside wall at Turn 11. His retirement triggered an early Safety Car appearance.
Locking up his front left tyre, on the approach to Turn 15, Roy Nissany found the wall on the exit, which brought out the Safety Car once again.
The full top 10 are: P1: Bearman, P2: Vesti, P3: Crawford, P4: Maini, P5: Fittipaldi, P6: Correa, P7: Novalak, P8: Stanek, P9: Cordeel and P10: Benavides.
Day 3, Feature Race-
Oliver Bearman made it a clean sweep in Baku, adding the Feature Race victory to his Sprint win from Saturday. The PREMA Racing driver put together a controlled race at the front, managing the gap to rivals behind him after losing the lead briefly early on,
Enzo Fittipaldi secured his first rostrum visit of 2023 for Rodin Carlin with second place, pulling off a move around the outside of Theo Pourchaire in the closing stages.
Martins’ charge continued as Frederik Vesti became the first driver to peel into the pits and swap the supersofts for mediums on Lap 7. He was followed in by Jehan Daruvala, Arthur Leclerc and Ralph Boschung, kicking off the first of the mandatory pitstops.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed briefly after Brad Benavides found the barriers at Turn 4. His PHM Racing by Charouz car was quickly recovered and racing resumed on Lap 11.
There was a few close calls for Bearman during the middle phase of the race, almost scraping the wall at Turn 15 on multiple laps as he began to drop Pourchaire to the tune of 2.3s by Lap 20.
The full top 10 are: P1: Bearman, P2: Fittipaldi, P3: Pourchaire, P4: Vesti, P5: Maini, P6: Hauger, P7: Hadjar, P8: Verschoor, P9: Crawford and P10: Leclerc.
Formula 1 has announced that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will remain on the calendar through the 2026 season, with a new three-year agreement being signed.
Conceived by legendary F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke, the 6 kilometre, 20 corner Baku City Circuit is one of the fastest on the F1 schedule, which gives the drivers a unique challenge.
This was underlined by the fact no driver has triumphed on the streets of Baku more than once: however with Sergio Perez, doing the double first in 2021 and now 2023 that has now changed.
In 2023, Azerbaijan hosted the first of six F1 Sprint events scheduled for the season, and the first under a new format which saw the whole of Saturday dedicated to Sprint.
The Baku City Circuit has become a hugely popular venue for Formula 1. It is an incredible circuit which always delivers huge drama, and has played host to some of the most exciting races in recent memory. We are delighted to extend our relationship with the country of Azerbaijan and look forward to continuing our growth together.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
We are thrilled to confirm our continued partnership with Formula 1. Ever since we first hosted this event in 2016, the economic, social, and cultural impact of the sport on our city and country has been remarkable. The FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX will now continue to inspire and excite our fans for a further three years. The past six races have been some of the best and most dramatic in the sport’s long history and we look forward to creating more magical moments for F1 fans at home and abroad over the next three years – starting with this weekend. Moreover, today’s agreement has come during a weekend that sees us hosting a record number of fans from over 100 countries, which only serves to make this moment even more special.
Farid Gayibov, Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan.
Williams Racing has announced that British racer, Luke Browning has joined the team’s Driver Academy.
Following on from the signing of Franco Colapinto earlier this year, Williams have bolstered their Driver Academy by signing the Formula 3 racer.
The 21 year old, is currently racing in F3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight squad and has scored 14 points from the first two round in Bahrain and in Australia.
Browning has been signed after he won the GB3 Championship in 2022, scoring five wins and a further eight podiums while race with Hitech. He also won the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.
His signing means the Williams Driver Academy now consists of five members – four of whom are currently racing in Formula 3.
Browning is set to work on the Williams simulator in Grove throughout the year, taking part in a personalised programme, as well as embedding with the team trackside at select race weekends.
I’m really looking forward to being a part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy. A huge thank you to everyone at the team for the opportunity to shoot for the stars. To be welcomed into the family is a dream come true, the heritage of this team is phenomenal. I can’t wait to see where we can go, our journey starts here.
Browning on the signing.
We’re pleased to have Luke join the Driver Academy. He’s a highly talented driver with several major achievements already under his belt, including the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, the 2022 GB3 Championship, and the 2020 British F4 Championship. Everyone at Williams Racing is looking forward to working closely with Luke throughout the year as he competes in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech Pulse-Eight. He’ll have the opportunity to develop his abilities while providing useful feedback through simulator work at Grove.
Round 4 is complete, lets take a look at how it went.
Sergio Perez took victory on the streets of Baku, adding to his Sprint race triumph and being the only driver to win twice at the Azberaijan Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen made it a 1-2 for Red Bull Racing, and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three, grabbing his first podium of the season.
The full top 10 are: P1: Perez, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Alonso, P5: Sainz, P6: Hamilton, P7: Stroll, P8: Russell, P9: Norris and P10: Tsunoda.
It wasn’t the usual Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as normally we expect a bit more drama than what we had, there was only one safety car during the race, which was for Nyck de Vries who stopped on track at Turn 5 as he hit the wall, which caused terminal damage.
Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg both started from the pit lane to hold points-paying positions for most of the race as they extended their first stints on hard tyres but the late mandatory pit stops meant they were banking on another Safety Car to get an easier pit stop.
It was an important win for Checo as it now puts him in the title fight and only 6 points away from Max who is the Championship leader, both drivers have a big gap to Alonso in third so nothing to worry about too much.
Looking further at the Driver standings, Leclerc and Russell are equal on points with the Monegasque being 6th and Russell 7th, they also have Stroll behind them who is in 8th one point behind…
Looking at the Constructors, Red Bull obviously are in the lead, almost 100 points clear of Aston Martin who are in P2 but the Silverstone based team need to watch out for Mercedes as they are only 11 points away from them. Ferrari are close behind in 4th on 62 points, still a bit of work to do for the Italian team.
We don’t have to wait too long until the next race, as Round 5 is only next week and we are back in the US, for the Miami Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez claimed the first Sprint race victory of the season at the Baku City Circuit on Saturday afternoon, where he beat Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to the chequered flag.
With F1’s Sprint format being revised for 2023, a new ‘Shootout’ qualifying session set the grid for the 17 lap dash.
One driver did not take part, it was Logan Sargeant as he crashed during the Shootout and was withdrawn from the Sprint due to significant damage.
Meanwhile, the grid was another car lighter after Alpine made suspension changes on Esteban Ocon’s car under parc ferme conditions.
The full top 10 are: P1: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Sainz, P6: Alonso, P7: Hamilton, P8: Stroll, P9: Albon and P10: Piastri.
A good result for Perez, he took Charles Leclerc spot for the lead and didn’t look back, and left the drama behind him too.
There was a little tangle between Russell and Verstappen on lap 1. With the pair going side by side through the opening sequence of corners, before the Mercedes nosed ahead of the Red Bull at Turn 3.
Verstappen was not happy though, as he jumped on the radio and accused Russell of barging his way through – replays confirmed contact and a thump of the wall for reigning two-time world champion.
Charles Leclerc claimed pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after getting the better of reigning world champion, Max Verstappen in a thrilling qualifying session, with the Monegasque making it three poles on the bounce at the Baku City Circuit.
Incredibly, Verstappen and Leclerc posted identical 1m 40.445s lap times during their first Q3 runs, only for Leclerc to step forward with a 1m 40.203s on the decisive final laps.
The full top 10 for the race are: P1: Leclerc, P2: Verstappen, P3: Perez, P4: Sainz, P5: Hamilton, P6: Alonso, P7: Norris, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Stroll and P10: Piastri.
Finally! The Ferrari’s are back fully (hopefully) a good result for Charles him taking pole position, which hopefully can be turned into a win on Sunday, not only this Carlos Sainz starts fourth aswell, so there’s a big opportunity for the entire team to score wekk.
Shout out to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both in the top 10! A really good result for the McLaren team, hopefully they’ve turned things now and can continuously score points or be close to the points.
A good result for Tsunoda aswell, starting P8 in the thick of it all, as we all know there’s always a bit of drama at Baku so some drivers like Tsunoda, Piastri etc they will be hoping to benefit of others downfall.
Was a shock to see George Russell out of the top 10, but its all to play for on Sunday, and if he wants to score big points tomorrow then he will need to put in the work.
Predictions-
The top 5 predictions for the race on Sunday are: P1: Perez, P2: Leclerc, P3: Hamilton, P4: Sainz and P5: Norris.
It’s been announced that Laurent Mekies will succeed Franz Tost as AlphaTauri Team Principal, with former FIA F1 executive director Peter Bayer set to become the new CEO for the team.
Mekies, the current Assistant Team Principal and Race Director at Ferrari, will make the move from Maranello back to his former team, to succeed one of F1’s longest serving team bosses in Tost.
Having turned 67 in January this year, Tost had put a loose timeline on when he was ending his F1 career, which first started back in 2000 when he followed Ralf Schumacher to Williams.
Tost then took the reins at AlphaTauri – then Scuderia Toro Rosso – in 2005 and retained his position as Team Principal when the squad was re-christened in its current guise. But the team has now confirmed that Tost will leave his role at the end of the 2023 season, taking on a consultancy role for 2024.
The changes don’t stop there, with Bayer also coming in as CEO for the team later on in the year – with AlphaTauri set to benefit from the Austrian’s wide-ranging experience in the sport.
First of all, I would like to thank Dietrich Mateschitz, who gave me the incredible opportunity to be Team Principal of Scuderia Toro Rosso and Scuderia AlphaTauri for the past 18 years. It has been a true privilege to lead the Team for such a long period and a great pleasure to work with so many motivated and skilled people, who share my passion for Formula 1. [At] 67 years old it is time to hand over and with Peter as new CEO and Laurent as Team Principal, we found two very professional people, who will bring the Team to the next level. I want to thank everyone for the good cooperation.
Tost on the news.
Firstly, I’d like to pay tribute to Franz for the great job he has done over almost two decades in charge at Faenza. I wish him well for the future and I know that both Peter and I will rely on his input and advice in times to come. Looking forward, I am honoured to take on the role of Team Principal and to return to the team where I spent a large portion of my early career. Scuderia AlphaTauri has all of the ingredients necessary for greater success in the future and in tandem with Peter I’m looking forward to making that happen.
We are back with another race week, but this time we are going around the street of Baku! Where Formula 2 will also be joining us.
The tyres which have been selected are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft.
This is the softest trio of compounds in Pirelli’s range, which are well suited to the tight corners on this city circuit as well as the long straights where the cars can reach a maximum speed of 340kph.
The most common strategy for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a one stopper, although some teams stopped twice last year to take advantage of a virtual safety car before the chequered flag.
The race was held at the beginning of June in 2022, with thermal degradation becoming a factor due to the high asphalt temperature.
With having such technical sections, especially around the famous Turn 9 in the old city centre. The teams tend to go for a low to medium downforce set up in Baku.
Formula 1 has confirmed adjustments to the F1 Sprint format for the six events that will be staged across the 2023 season, beginning with this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
F1 Sprint first made its debut back in 2021, with the original format seeing qualifying shifted to Friday and setting the grid for a new 100- kilometre dash on Saturday, which in turn determined the starting order for the main event on Sunday.
However, the changes this year means that F1 Sprint will effectively become a standalone feature of race weekends when the format is used – with the outcome bearing no impact on the grid for the Grand Prix itself.
Fridays will now include an FP1 session and standard qualifying session to set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while Saturdays will include the continuing 100km race with an additional preceding qualifying session called the ‘Sprint Shootout’.
The shootout will be a shorter session than the tradition qualifying with SQ1 set to run for 12 minutes, SQ2 for 10 minutes and SQ3 for eight minutes, and replaces the previous FP2 seen on the Saturday morning of Sprint weekends. New tyres are also mandatory for each phase, with Mediums for SQ1 and SQ2, and Softs for SQ3.
Given that the F1 Sprint is now contained within the race weekend, and any incidents will not compromise starting positions for the Grand Prix, drivers should now have more incentive to push across the 100km race.
To remind you of the six venues of Sprint this season are, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, the United States and Sao Paulo.
Penalties-
The process for applying penalties at F1 Sprint events has been set out as follows:
Any grid penalties incurred in first practice or qualifying will apply to the race; any grid penalties incurred in the Sprint Shootout will apply to the Sprint ; and whilst any grid penalties incurred in the Sprint will apply to the race.
In addition, a breach of parc ferme will result in a pit lane start for the Sprint and race, whilst power-unit related penalties will only apply to the race, unless they are also a parc ferme breach.
Not only has the Sprint format changed but also the power unit usage, with approval given to increase the number of internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K elements for 2023 only from three to four.
Elsewhere, they updated definitions of ‘working on a car’ while serving a pit stop penalty, which was recently issued in a Sporting Directive, will now be included within the Sporting Regulations.
Mitch Evans led the way in a wet Free Practice 3 ahead of the SABIC Berlin E-Prix Round 8, with Gen3 seeing its first outing in rainy conditions, with Saturday’s race winner on it right away.
Rain fell overnight with a light drizzle in the morning creating a slick track surface for the 22 car field to contend with.
NEOM McLaren’s Rene Rast required recovery early on with technical issues, other than that brief Red Flag stoppage, it was a valuable, busy session as teams gathered data.
Mitch Evans put in a 1m 15.955s – some 10 seconds down on FP1’s dry pace – with teammate Sam Bird down in 12th. More encouragement for Jaguar TCS Racing, with its car looking quick in all conditions.
Qualifying-
Robin Frijns and ABT CUPRA pulled off one of the shocks of Season 9 so far in Berlin as the Dutchman headed an all-ABT front-row lockout in the first wet qualifying session.
We saw the ABT CUPRA cars hook it up and finally find their feet, with the stunning front-row lock out in front of the team’s home support. That was Frijns’ second ever Julius Baer Pole Position and a first for the team since its return to the series as well as for partners CUPRA.
Sam Bird couldn’t replicate his pace from yesterday and failed to make it through to the Duels – a big change from being on the front row the day before.
Maximilian Guenther also had a poor result, and will start his race towards the back of the grid after finishing last in the Group B qualifying. With it being the first time in five races that he has failed to progress into the qualifying Duels.
Round 8-
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy picked his moment to hit the front and went on to seal the race win in the SABIC Berlin E-Prix Round 8, as he got the best of a tight field to clamber from eighth to the top set of the podium.
The unique Berlin Tempelhof Circuit threw up a second intensely tactical race in as many days, brimming with overtakes – 172 in total making for 362 over the weekend.
The Kiwi started eighth and hit the front on Lap 25, he drove supremely to stay there – setting the pace, given the okay from his engineer on Lap 33, and mastering Formula E’s tightrope of ultimate pace, racecraft and energy.
Jake Dennis was in striking distance come the chequered flag, just half a second back at the flag but not close enough to topple Cassidy – who now has four podiums on the spin and draws to within four points of standings leader Pascal Wehrlein.
Wehrlein started sixth, in a stronger position than recent races having complained of poor one-lap pace in qualifying. He did lead a couple of times – the first on Lap 15 – but ultimately couldn’t live with the leader and found himself shuffled to seventh at the race’s end.
The standout drive was arguably Maximilian Guenther’s from 21st on the grid. The Maserati MSG Racing driver followed up on securing the team’s first podium in Round 7 with a sixth a day later – climbing 15 positions through the pack.
The full top 10 are: P1: Cassidy, P2: Dennis, P3: Vergne, P4: Evans, P5: Da Costa, P6: Guenther, P7: Wehrlein, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Muller and P10: Ticktum.
We are back racing in just under two weeks, with our next race being in Monaco on the 6th May for Round 9!
DS PENSKE’s Stoffel Vandoorne set the early pace in Free Practice 1 at the SABIC Berlin E-Prix. The reigning Drivers’ World Champion popped in a 1m 05.803s at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit which has held the most races in Formula E history.
A second split the top 20 drivers, with the top nine being separated by only three tenths!
Behind Vandoorne, it was Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis in second place, with Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther in third.
The Maserati of Edoardo Mortara brought out a brief yellow flag around ten minutes into the session as his Gen3 car went into the barriers. Later on in the session, Robin Frijns went for a little spin in his ABT Cupra.
FP2-
Maserati MSG Racing continued to look strong at the SABIC Berlin E-Prix, as Maximilian Guenther delighted his home crowd by going fastest in Free Practice 2 with the quickest time seen around the circuit – 1m 05.301s.
Behind Guenther was Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy in second who is currently on a streak of three consecutive podiums. Double Formula E Champion, Jean-Eric Vergne slotted into third.
Edoardo Mortara, almost had a repeat of his FP1 incident yesterday. However, only moments later Mahindra Racing’s Oliver Rowland sent his M9Electro into the barriers after a hefty lock up at Turn 1.
Qualifying-
Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi took a Formula E record 16th, and second Julius Baer Pole Position of the season, much to surprise after making two mistakes on his final qualifying lap and dealing with a recently broken bone in his hand.
With both Buemi and Bird being powered by the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, it was always going to be close, but it was Buemi who snatched pole by over a tenth to second place Sam Bird.
NIO 333’s qualifying went from strength to strength after Dan Ticktum joined his teammate into Quarters, who have never had both their cars in Duels stage since it was introduced at the start of Season 8.
For home heroes, TAG Heuer Porsche, Antonio Felix da Costa ended Group A in 10th, his worst performance in the Groups this year. His teammate, Pascal Wehrlein, could only manage eighth in Group A too – the same he did last time out in Brazil.
Round 7-
Jaguar TCS Racing played a blinder with their race strategy to seal a Mitch Evans, Sam Bird one-two in a beautifully chaotic SABIC Berlin E-Prix Round 7 that saw 190 overtakes and a record 20 at the line lead changes and eight different race leaders.
Throughout the entire race distance, some 43 laps, the field never mind the top 10, proved to be completely inseparable. Dan Ticktum had launched himself into the lead in style with a stunning move around the outside of Turn 1 right by Sebastien Buemi, Sam bird and Stoffel Vandoorne.
Glancing at the timing screens yielded a different race leader at almost every stage as positions changed left and right, with the first of two spells under the Safety Car compounding things further and seeing the field split by just over five seconds at a little over the halfway stage.
The Jaguar pair and Buemi then clambered to fill out the top three spots after Guenther had briefly taken P1 as the race headed into its closing stages. The Jaguar powered cars went on to stretch their legs, with Guenther looking to pick up the pieces as the front three squabbled for the race lead.
The full top 10 are: P1: Evans, P2: Bird, P3: Guenther, P4: Buemi, P5: Cassidy, P6: Wehrlein, P7: Vergne, P8: Lotterer, P9: Mortara and P10: Rowland.
Jordan's Track Talk 