Jordan's Track Talk

Category: Formula One

  • Azerbaijan stays on F1 calendar until 2026

    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.

  • Luke Browning joins Williams Academy

    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.

    Sven Smeets, Williams Sporting Director.

  • RND 4 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix

    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.

  • RND 4 – Azerbaijan Sprint

    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.

  • RND 4 – Azerbaijan Qualifying

    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.

  • Mekies to replace Tost as Alpha Tauri Team Principal

    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.

    Mekies on the news.

  • Azerbaijan Tyre Selection

    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.

    NominationsAZ-EN

  • F1 confirms Sprint changes for 2023

    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.

  • Penalty Points

    Formula 1’s penalty points system is designed to punish drivers for on-track misdemeanours, with 12 points on their Super Licence within a 12 month period resulting in a race ban.

    Seeing as we are now three races in and have a few weeks break until the fourth race, lets see how the 20 drivers sit.

    10 points-

    Pierre Gasly

    • Two points: Expire 22nd May 2023. Causing a collision with Lance Stroll during Spanish Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expire 10th July 2023. Causing a collision with Sebastian Vettel during the Austrian Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expire 10th July 2023. Exceeding track limits during the Austrian Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expire 9th October 2023. Speeding under red-flag conditions at the Japanese Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expire 23rd October 2023. For falling more than 10 car lengths behind the car in front during Safety Car period at the United States Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expire 30th October 2023. For forcing Lance Stroll off the track and gaining an advantage at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

    Six points

    Fernando Alonso

    • Two points: Expire 8th May 2023. For causing a collision with Pierre Gasly during the Miami Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expires 8th May 2023. For cutting the track and gaining a lasting advantage during the Miami Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expires 19th June 2023. For weaving whilst defending during the Canadian Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 12th November 2023. For causing a collision with Esteban Ocon during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    Five points-

    Alex Albon

    • One point: Expires 22nd May 2023. For exceeding track limits during the Spanish Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expires 29th May 2023. For gaining a lasting advantage by leaving the track during the Monaco Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 9th July 2023. For forcing Lando Norris off the track during the Austrian Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expires 23rd October 2023. For going off track and holding onto position during the United States Grand Prix.

    Lance Stroll

    • Two points: Expires 23rd October 2023. For causing a collision with Fernando Alonso during the United States Grand Prix.
    • Three points: Expires 12th November 2023. For a dangerous manoeuvre on Sebastian Vettel during the sprint at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    Four points-

    George Russell

    • Two points: Expires 10th July 2023. For causing a collision with Segio Perez during the Austrian Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 23rd October 2023. For causing a collision with Carlos Sainz during the United States Grand Prix.

    Yuki Tsunoda

    • Two points: Expires 3rd July 2023. For causing a collision with Pierre Gasly during the British Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 9th September 2023. For failing to slow for yellow flags during FP2 for the Italian Grand Prix.

    Three points-

    Esteban Ocon

    • One point: Expires 29th May 2023. For causing a collision with Lewis Hamilton during the Monaco Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 23rd July 2023. For causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda during the French Grand Prix.

    Kevin Magnussen

    • Two points: Expire 8th May 2023. For causing a collision with Lance Stroll during the Miami Grand Prix.
    • One point: Expires 11th September 2023. For overtaking by leaving the track during the Italian Grand Prix.

    Lando Norris

    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. For exceeding track limits during the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 13th November 2023. For causing a collision with Charles Leclerc during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    Zhou Guanyu

    • One point: Expires 10th July 2023. For exceeding track limits during the Austrian Grand Prix.
    • Two points: Expires 23rd July 2023. For causing a collision with Mick Schumacher during the French Grand Prix.

    Sergio Perez

    • Two points: Expire 2nd October 2023. For failing to stay within 10 car lengths of the Safety Car at the Singapore Grand Prix.

    Carlos Sainz

    • Two points: Expire 2nd April 2024. For causing a collision with Fernando Alonso during the Australian Grand Prix.

    Max Verstappen

    • Two points: Expire 13th November 2023. For causing a collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

    One point-

    Charles Leclerc

    • One point: Expires 9th October 2023. For leaving the track and gaining an advantage during the Japanese Grand Prix.

    Zero points-

    Lewis Hamilton

    Valtteri Bottas

    Oscar Piastri

    Logan Sargeant

    Nyck de Vries

  • Ferrari have petitioned for a right of review from Australia

    Ferrari have sent a petition to the FIA with the hope of securing a right of review regarding the penalty handed out to Carlos Sainz during the Australian Grand Prix, team boss Frederic Vasseur has revealed.

    Sainz tipped Aston Martin rival, Fernando Alonso into a spin during a dramatic late restart at Albert Park, which also saw Logan Sargeant run into the back of Nyck de Vries and the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon come to blows.

    While the order was reset to the previous restart ahead of a final lap to the chequered flag behind the Safety Car, news of a five-second time penalty came through for Sainz, prompting a string of frustrated messages from the Spaniard over the radio.

    Sainz initially crossed the line 4th, but with the 5 second time penalty he dropped down to 12th.

    We did a petition for a review of the case – we sent it to the FIA. As we are discussing with the FIA… I don’t want to discuss any details of this discussion. The only thing is [the] Gasly/Ocon [collision], for sure we had also Sargeant/De Vries [colliding] into Turn 1, and the reaction of the stewards was not the same. The process is that first they will have a look on our petition to see if they can re-open the case, then we’ll have a second hearing a bit later with the same stewards for the next meeting, about the decision itself. What we can expect is at least to have an open discussion with them, also for the good of the sport to avoid to have these kind of decisions when you have three cases on the same corner and not the same decision.

    Vasseur on Thursday.

    As per Article 14 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code, the competitors can request a right of review up to 14 days after a ruling from the stewards if “a significant and relevant new element is discovered which was unavailable to the parties seeking the review at the time of the decision concerned”.

    It could be [at the next race] in Baku or it could be before, but [we] prefer to do it before. You have 14 days to do the petition, the request for review, then it’s up to them to decide. They have to do it in a short period, [but] it’s true for once that we have four weeks between the two races [in Australia and Azerbaijan] and it’s a bit more flexible. We have our argumentation, for sure, and I will keep the argumentation for the FIA, as a first step. For sure, we are expecting [a] review of the situation, because it’s a petition for a review. We are not going there to get the same decision.

    Vasseur continued.

  • RND 3 – Australian Grand Prix

    What a race that was yesterday… from red flags and safety cars to a rookie getting his first points, teammates taking each other out and a great recovery drive by a certain Mexican.

    But it was Max Verstappen who won the Australian Grand Prix for the first time in his career, Lewis Hamilton claimed Mercedes and his first podium of the year in P2, and Fernando Alonso takes P3 (which is not a surprise anymore).

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Alonso, P4: Stroll, P5: Perez, P6: Norris, P7: Hulkenberg, P8: Piastri, P9: Zhou and P10: Tsunoda.

    George Russell of the United Kingdom drives the Mercedes alongside Max Verstappen of the Netherlands who drives the Red Bull Racing during the 2023 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne on the 2nd of April, 2023. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

    First up, Mercedes! A strong weekend overall for them, and it looks like they definitely have made an improvement to the car. But it wasn’t all happy, after Russell and Hamilton overtook Verstappen at the start of the race, Russell ended up on Lap 18 pulling over to the side on the start/finish straight as he had flames from the back of the Mercedes which brought out a VSC.

    On the first lap there was contact between Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc, which saw the Ferrari driver go off into the gravel and him out of the race. A quick stewards’ investigation and they settled on no further action. Poor Charles though, not having the best start this season and he only has 6 points to his name…

    A good race for the McLaren duo, obviously Oscar’s first points in F1 and what a place to do it at his home race! Norris aswell scored points, so hopefully this is a turning point for McLaren now and we can see them near the top 10 and getting points in the races.

    A good recovery for Perez, he originally was meant to start 20th but ended up starting in the pitlane due to taking some elements. But he did damage limitation, as he climbed all the way up to 5th so grabbed some good points, especially if he wants to fight for the championship this season.

    The Championship-

    Max Verstappen leads the Drivers on 69 points, with his teammate just behind on 54 points. Fernando Alonso is 3rd on 45 points and is followed closely by Lewis Hamilton whose in 4th on 38 points. To round out the top five is Carlos Sainz who is on 20 points.

    Looking at the Constructors, Red Bull is leading on 123 points, Aston Martin are in 2nd on 65 points so a big gap between 1st and 2nd already… 3rd is Mercedes on 56 points, so not too far away from Aston. Now there is a 30 point gap between Mercedes and Ferrari, the Italian team with just 26 points so far this season. And rounding out the top five is McLaren who have 12 points so far.

    All ten teams have now scored points already this season! I can see the order changing quite a bit this season, so keep your eyes peeled. On the drivers side of thing, 18 have scored points and its only Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries who are seeking their first points of the season.

    Now, we have a few weeks break until Round 4, which see’s the first sprint race of the season, and it is happening for the first time at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the 28th April – 30th.

  • Australia Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been selected for Round 3, where we go down under at Albert Park. Where Formula 2 and 3 join us this weekend making their debut!

    But more importantly the tyres which have been selected are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    The FIA has confirmed four DRS zones at Albert Park. So this year could feature the fastest even seen in Melbourne, which in theory could reach 340kph.

    The Albert Park street circuit, was resurfaced in 2022 with some metallic elements included in the aggregate, improving the grip from the tyres. The asphalt is smoother than other tracks on the championship, with peak grip only achieved after several sessions of on track running.

    The energy demands on the tyres at the Grand Prix are about average for the season. The new layout inaugurated last year favours overtaking, especially in the second sector.

    We’ve made the same tyre choice as we did back in 2019 for the Australian Grand Prix. Following a two-year absence from the calendar due to the Covid pandemic, we went for a gap in the nominated compounds last year: selecting the C2, C3 and then the softest C5 compound. That race was a one-stopper won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with all the teams using the hard and the medium tyre, while the soft was just used for qualifying. This weekend, the teams will have the C2, C3, and C4 at their disposal, which means that they have more options for the race in terms of strategy: on paper at least. We’re expecting a high degree of track evolution throughout the weekend, as is normally the case in Melbourne, while the energy demands on the tyres are about average for the season. It’s a flowing track with corners that are faster following last year’s modifications, which benefit overtaking as well as the overall spectacle.

    Mario Isola, Motorsport Director.

  • RND 2 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    What a race! I think before Verstappen’s problem in qualifying, we expected a pretty standard race with not much happening but it was the other way round.

    Sergio Perez managed to convert pole position into victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as his teammate recovered from P15 to P2, which makes it a second 1-2 for the Red Bull team in two races. Fernando Alonso put his Aston Martin on the podium again, before he was stripped of P3 and then having it reinstated after a stewards’ review.

    The Mexican driver, overcome an attack from Alonso at the start of the race, a nervy Safety Car period and Verstappen’s charge from the midfield to make up for the potential win he lost at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit a year ago – kick starting his championship hopes in the process.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Perez, P2: Verstappen, P3: Alonso, P4: Russell, P5: Hamilton, P6: Sainz, P7: Leclerc, P8: Ocon, P9: Gasly and P10: Magnussen.

    McLaren are having a tough time at the moment, after an early front wing change for Piastri who clashed with Gasly at the start and Norris who hit the debris, saw them at the back of the grid. Piastri ultimately crossed the line in P15, after clearing Sargeant on the final lap. Norris narrowly avoided repeating as he settled for 17th, with Valtteri Bottas the last of the finishers amid apparent technical trouble in his Alfa Romeo.

    Alex Albon and Lance Stroll were the two retirements from the race; Albon encountering terminal brake problems aboard his Williams and Stroll being told to stop his Aston Martin in the early stages.

    All eyes turn to Australia in just under two weeks time, where it will be Piastri’s first home race, but most importantly will it be the battle of the Bull’s? Or can Fernando Alonso grab the win?

  • Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

    The second race of the season is here and we return to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

    Will Ferrari have any luck with reliability this time round? Leclerc already has a penalty this weekend, so are they already out of luck? Will Red Bull be making it a second 1-2 in a row?

    Can Alonso, grab another podium? Will Mercedes be any closer to the front and potentially get a podium aswell? Or will they optimise on Leclerc’s penalty, and try and take as many points away from the Italian team?

    Who needs to shine?

    McLaren will be hoping to have a better weekend, as having Lando Norris battle problems throughout the Grand Prix and Oscar Piastri having to retire didn’t start them off well.

    Esteban Ocon, will be hoping for a better weekend as he retired last time out in Bahrain. Not only this his new teammate Pierre Gasly finished in the points so, Ocon will be wanting to hit the ground running this weekend.

    I think Ferrari as a team just need a better weekend, hopefully better reliability as a whole and then the points can be scored as Leclerc is also on catch up.

    Mercedes will also be hoping for a better weekend, as we all know they aren’t were they thought they’d be or want to be, I think the determination is there for the Silver Arrows team, and they’ll be pushing to be up further on the grid for the race.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Alonso and P5: Hamilton. (Before penalties)

    I think it will be the same teams fighting for pole as last time out, obviously Leclerc has a penalty so, other teams might benefit off that.

    I could see an Alfa Romeo and a Haas be in the top 10 for qualifying, maybe the Williams of Albon aswell? With Jeddah being such a tight circuit, drivers have to be somewhat careful as they are on the limit for the majority of the lap.

  • Ferrari confirm Leclerc grid penalty

    Charles Leclerc will be having his work cut out in this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after his Ferrari team were forced to fit another control electronics power unit component which in turn triggers a grid penalty.

    Ferrari replaced the Energy Store and Control Electronics on Leclerc’s engine before the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Monegasque then retired when in contention for a podium behind the two Red Bulls.

    As teams are only permitted to use two control electronics components per season without penalty, Leclerc’s move to a third for race two in Jeddah ensures he will have at least a 10 place grid drop this Sunday. And potentially more if they replace any other parts and increases the chances of him taking a further penalty later in the season.

    After Baku, last year Ferrari were forced to run their engine at a lower power to reduce the risk of failure. However a lot of work went into durability over the winter and while they encountered problems in Bahrain.

    Leclerc heads into the weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 25 points adrift of championship leader Max Verstappen – and while he was understandably down after failing to score in the season opener, Vasseur said he has no worries about the Monegasque’s mindset and motivation.

    On Sunday, we had two different issues. The first one was on the Sunday morning, when we did the fire up, and the second one was in the race. Unfortunately, it was two times the control unit, the ECU. It’s something that we never experienced in the past. I hope now it’s under control, but we have a deep analysis on this. Unfortunately, we’ll have to take the penalty in Jeddah, because we have only a pool of two control units for the season. Charles was with us after the tyre test day on Tuesday, was at the factory on Wednesday morning. We had a speech with the employees, where we were all together on stage. It’s obvious Charles is motivated, we have done one race of 23. He’s full push with the team, trying to get the best for everyone. The penalty is not good news, but it’s not the end of the season. Let’s see what happens in Jeddah, and what could be the outcome, even with the penalty, but don’t imagine for half a second he could be demotivated. He’s fully convinced, he’s working with us, pushing the team, pushing everybody in a positive way. And nothing else.

    Fred Vasseur, Team Principal.

  • F1 to race in Austria until 2027

    It has been announced that Formula 1 will continue to race in Austria until 2027, after a new four-year agreement was reached.

    The Austrian Grand Prix returned to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2014, an since then the Red Bull Ring has welcomed millions of fans, with 303,000 supporters in attendance at last year’s sold-out event.

    The last race under the current agreement, set to take place 30th June to 2nd July, will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Austrian Grand Prix’s return to the Formula 1 calendar, and feature an F1 Sprint for the second consecutive year.

    And now fans can now look forward to at least four more Grand Prix at the historic track.

    The Austrian Grand Prix brings together the perfect mix of a challenging track, high-speed racing, and a beautiful venue for our fans, so I am delighted that we will be coming back to the Red Bull Ring until at least 2027 under this new agreement. As we celebrate the 10th year since our return to Spielberg, I would like to thank everyone involved in this renewal, especially the promoter and Red Bull and I want to pay tribute to Dietrich Mateschitz for the love, passion, and vision he brought to Formula 1 that has ensured the continued success of the event and the huge enthusiasm for our sport in Austria and around the world.

    Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.

    We are proud of the special partnership we have with Formula 1, and we are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the top class of motorsport to the Red Bull Ring for a further four years. In signing this contract extension, Formula 1 has made a strong commitment to Austria, Styria and the Murtal region. As we enter the tenth year of our partnership with Formula 1, we want to celebrate this milestone with all the great fans of the sport and to thank them for their loyalty and the tremendous atmosphere they help to generate. Everyone is invited to experience another great race weekend at Spielberg in 2023.

    Erich Wolf, General Manager of Projekt Spielberg GmbH & Co KG.

  • Saudi Arabia Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been chosen for the second round out of 23, lets take a look.

    For the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the middle of the range has been picked which are: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft).

    Jeddah is the fastest street circuit of the year, with the track having been designed three years ago and has continually been improved since.

    This year, there are some new rubble strips on the escape roads whilst some of the kerbs have been smoothed. A number of the walls have been repositioned, such as those at Turn 8 and 10 to improve visibility and Turn 23 to slow the corner down.

    The circuit offers a medium level of grip but the sand blown onto the surface can influence this on low-abrasion asphalt. The track, is not especially demanding in terms of traction and braking with lateral forces predominantly affecting the tyres.

    For the rapid Jeddah track, we have confirmed the same compound choices as last year as they showed very good consistency throughout the race weekend. In the two races held up to now, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been quite unpredictable because of the frequent safety cars and neutralisations, being a typical street circuit. A one-stopper was the fastest option in 2022, when a safety car led to an early pit stop for most of the drivers, who went on to finish the race on the hard tyre. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc fought hard on this strategy thanks also to the durability of the tyres, with the Red Bull driver winning by less than a second at the end of a great race. The teams will also have to work hard on car setup because they will only have free practice to fine-tune the balance on this track with the latest tyres. The first race in Bahrain was all about traction and braking but Jeddah instead focuses on lateral forces, with completely different characteristics to Sakhir.

    Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

  • RND 1 – Bahrain Grand Prix

    The first race of the season is complete, let’s take a look at how it went…

    Everyone bar hard-shod Kevin Magnussen began the race on soft tyres and Verstappen had a solid getaway, but teammate Perez fell back and lost second place to Leclerc.

    The reigning champion stretched his legs in the lead and eventually won by more than 10 seconds. Perez made it a one-two with both drivers on similar soft-soft-hard strategies.

    Whilst Fernando Alonso, went on a warpath as on Lap 45 he passed Sainz after a stunning battle to get on the podium, his first since Qatar 2021 and his first with Aston Martin.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Alonso, P4: Sainz, P5: Hamilton, P6: Stroll, P7: Russell, P8: Bottas, P9: Gasly and P10: Albon.

    A good start to the season for the reigning constructors champions, it’ll be interesting to see if any tracks maybe don’t suit them and if they have any reliability issues.

    Aston Martin have made a big improvement from last year, hopefully they can keep the momentum running and keep the streak going.

    Not the best race for Ferrari, with Leclerc having a problem and retiring it isn’t the best start to the season especially if they want to challenge for the Championship.

    A little shout-out to the highest placed rookie. Logan Sargeant finished 12th on his debut, not a bad first race for the American.

  • RND 1 – Bahrain Qualifying

    The first Qualifying session is complete at the Bahrain International Circuit, as it was an intense and hotly contested session under the Sakhir lights.

    Max Verstappen took pole position, with his teammate, Sergio Perez making it an all Red Bull front row lock out. Charles Leclerc rounds out the top three.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Leclerc, P4: Sainz, P5: Alonso, P6: Russell, P7: Hamilton, P8: Stroll, P9: Ocon and P10: Hulkenberg.

    Lando Norris missed out on Q3 by a couple of tenths as he started to make up for a tricky pre-season test. I think it will be interesting to see how he can do in the car whilst on race pace.

    Rookie, Logan Sargeant almost joined his teammate in Q2 for the first time of asking, but he set an identical time to 15th place Norris towards the end of Q1, as the American set it second it meant to he was out.

    Something I didn’t expect to see was Pierre Gasly out in Q1 but the Frenchman starting P20 on the grid, as he had a lap time deleted.

    A shoutout to Hulkenberg though, starting P10 on his first race back, he already looks comfortable in the car so if he can keep this going for not just the race this weekend but throughout the season, Haas shouldn’t have a problem with being in the midfield.

    Predictions-

    My top five predictions are: P1: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Alonso, P4: Sainz and P5: Hamilton.

    I feel like we all know roughly the four teams that are at the top for this first race, but we won’t get a true idea for race pace until later on.

    There’s always some drama on the first race so if some drivers are clever they will optimise on the misfortune of others.

  • Bahrain Grand Prix

    The first round is here, and we are at the Bahrain International Circuit for Round 1 out of 23.

    This season we have three rookies joining the grid, and a lot of changes within the teams and the drivers as well as having the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    But who will be the world champion? Can Max Verstappen make it 3 in a row? Or will Ferrari finally end their 16 year drought and grab the championship? Will Mercedes be back on form and fight at the top?

    Who needs to shine?

    Guanyu Zhou is going into his second year as an F1 driver, he will be wanting to prove a lot more as he was quite unlucky last season.

    This year we will be having three new rookies to the grid, Oscar Piastri for McLaren, Logan Sargeant for Williams and Nyck de Vries for Alpha Tauri. Three different cars for three different drivers, it will be interesting to see how they do as Piastri comes from a year out of racing, Sargeant from racing in F2 and de Vries from Formula E.

    And we have Nico Hulkenberg who is returning to the sport after leaving at the end of 2019, but making several appearances since then as well as being a reserve and development driver.

    Predictions for Qualifying-

    My top five for qualifying are- Pole: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Alonso.

    I think we all know that it’s going to be Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes fighting at the top but I think it will be even closer in the midfield.

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 3rd-

    Free Practice F3: 07:55am – 08:40am, Free Practice F2: 09:05am – 09:50am, Free Practice 1 F1: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Qualifying F3: 13:00pm – 13:30pm, Free Practice 2 F1: 15:00pm – 16:00pm, Qualifying F2: 16:30pm – 17:00pm (GMT).

    Saturday 4th-

    Sprint Race F3: 09:15am – 10:00am, Free Practice 3 F1: 11:30am – 12:30pm, Sprint Race F2: 13:15pm – 14:00pm Qualifying F1: 15:00pm – 16:00pm.

    Sunday 5th-

    F3 Feature Race: 08:50am, F2 Feature Race: 10:20am and F1 Race: 15:00pm.

  • Vandoorne & Drugovich added to McLaren’s reserve pool

    Aston Martin have announced that their reserve drivers, Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Drugovich can be used by McLaren for the majority of the 2023 season.

    Vandoorne was announced as an Aston Martin reserve in November, the former McLaren racer will be sharing duties with reigning F2 Champion Drugovich, who had earlier joined the team’s development programme.

    Aston Martin stated that McLaren will have access to Vandoorne and Drugovich for the first 15 races of the 23 race 2023 schedule.

    It follows a similar announcement that Mercedes reserve, Mick Schumacher will also be part of McLaren’s pool for the upcoming campaign.

    Both Aston Martin and McLaren head into the new season with revised driver line-ups: Fernando Alonso has joined Lance Stroll at the Silverstone squad and F3 and F2 Champion, Oscar Piastri links up with Lando Norris at the Woking squad.

  • F1 Pre-Season Testing

    F1 pre-season testing has come to an end after three days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit.

    It’s not long until we have the cars back on track, but whilst the paddock is taking a breather lets take a look at how each team fared with their new machines.

    AlphaTauri

    Total Laps – 456, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.261s (Yuki Tsunoda)

    Alpha Tauri topped the mileage charts in Bahrain as Nyck de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda complete 456 laps of Bahrain. The Italian team have more reasons to be happy as Tsunoda sets the sixth-fastest time of the whole test, and De Vries was second in mileage charts as he readies for his maiden season.

    Williams

    Total Laps – 439, Fastest Lap – 1m 32.549s (Logan Sargeant)

    With a combined total of 439 laps of Bahrain, or 2,376km Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon notched up the second-highest lap count of pre-season testing. Bar an unusual issue with the car’s electrical system, Williams’ three days of testing were trouble-free.

    Ferrari

    Total Laps – 416, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.024s (Charles Leclerc)

    The Scuderia had a positive three days, with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc occasionally finding themselves at the top of the timesheets, and matching Red Bull. They did contend with a few issues, such as bouncing and the degradation of their tyres.

    Haas

    Total Laps – 414, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.381s (Kevin Magnussen)

    Kevin Magnussen set the seventh-fastest time of testing on Friday and the Dane notched up 95 laps as the team had a smooth three days. Returnee Nico Hulkenberg also got useful mileage – a minor throttle issue on Day 1 was the only hurdle they faced in reliability.

    Red Bull

    Total Laps – 413, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.305s (Sergio Perez)

    It was a strong pre-season test for Red Bull that ended in Sergio Perez setting the fastest time of the week on the final day. They enjoyed a trouble free three days with limited reliability woes, putting them in a good position ahead of the season.

    Alfa Romeo

    Total Laps – 402, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.827s (Valtteri Bottas)

    It was a mixed pre-season for Alfa Romeo. They managed a good haul of laps, and Zhou Guanyu topping the timesheets on Day 2. But they also caused two red flags, the first when Zhou stopped at the end of the pitlane and the other when Valtteri pulled over with a power unit problem.

    Mercedes

    Total Laps – 398, Fastest Lap – 1m 30.664s (Lewis Hamilton)

    Mercedes, endured a mixed pre-season as well, as they were able to go through their programme on Day 1, George Russell stopped on track on Day 2 with a hydraulics issue. They were able to get the car fixed for Day 3, with Lewis Hamilton ending the day 2nd, although they seemed to struggle with the balance of their 2023 challenger.

    Aston Martin

    Total laps – 387, Fastest Lap – 1m 31.440s (Fernando Alonso)

    While Felipe Drugovich did an admirable job in the two sessions he drove as he stepped in for Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso was the one to watch. The Spanish driver settled in well at his new environment, with the car seemingly responding to his every request.

    Alpine

    Total Laps – 353, Fastest Lap – 1m 32.762s (Pierre Gasly)

    Alpine had a low-key three days of running in Sakhir, with both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing towards the bottom the combined timesheets. Ocon was keen to talk up the A523 as a clear step forward, with the general feeling that there is more to come.

    McLaren

    Total Laps – 312, Fastest Lap 1m 32.160s (Lando Norris)

    McLaren had another challenging pre-season in Bahrain after their brake related woes 12 months ago, with aerodynamic efficiency – or rather an apparent lack of it. Add in the need for temporary strengthening work on the front winglets between runs on Saturday, McLaren ended the test with the least mileage out of all 10 teams.

  • Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to feature new configuration

    Spanish Grand Prix venue, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will feature a revised configuration for this year’s race – the eighth round of the championship.

    Furthermore, the track will feature new safety features and renovated paddock facilities.

    The circuit just outside Barcelona, first hosted the Spanish Grand Prix in 1991 – where Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell went wheel to wheel for championship glory – and has undergone several changes since.

    In 2007, a chicane was introduced before the final corner in Barcelona but this year, the chicane (currently Turns 14 – 15) will be removed to return the section to its original layout.

    New TECPRO barriers will be introduced in the last two high speed corners and the official length of the track for the Spanish Grand Prix will be 4.657 kilometres which is 18 metres shorter than the previous track.

    The Spanish track will also make other changes, with a widening of the run-off area in Turn 1, including 70 more metres of gravel plus a slope of 5% and a new fence protecting Turns 1 and 2 to improve the safety of the drivers.

    The scoreboard at the pitlane exit will be remodelled for 2023, including a more modern signalling tower.

  • Bahrain Tyre Selection

    The tyres for the first round of the 2023 season have been chosen as the new C1 makes its debut this weekend.

    This year, Pirelli has expanded the range of available compounds to six, with three still chosen for every race. The brand new C1 compound fills the gap between the hardest C0 (used as the C1 in 2022) and the C2 which is unchanged from last year.

    The selection is: C1 (Hard tyre), C2 (Medium tyre), C3 (Soft tyre). The teams will have at their disposal two sets of hard tyres, three sets of mediums and eight sets of soft per car.

    The Bahrain International Circuit, features some of the most abrasive asphalt of the year while the track – consisting of low to medium speed corners – mainly places traction and braking demands on the tyres. The layout also requires a good level of stability at the rear of the car.

    The Bahrain Grand Prix, takes place on a circuit surrounded by the Sakhir desert. Wind can sometimes blow sand onto the track, which can affect the grip levels during the sessions.

    The support races include Formula 2 and Formula 3, with them resulting rubber laid down influencing track evolution.

    Tyre degradation will be a key factor when it comes to deciding the strategy. Last season, all the drivers bar one stopped three times (rather than the anticipated two-stopper) due to a late race safety car.

  • Doohan becomes Alpine reserve

    Alpine have announced that Jack Doohan will be acting as the squad’s reserve driver during the upcoming F1 season. As it marks the next step for the Aussie after his recent test and practice outings.

    Doohan joined the Alpine Academy from Red Bull’s junior programme in 2022, combining work for the F1 team with a second F2 campaign which yielded three wins, three pole positions and sixth in the standings.

    In the closing stages of the year, Doohan also made his official Grand Prix weekend debut with FP1 outings in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. Now, having also taken part in the 2022 post-season test in Abu Dhabi, 20 year-old Doohan has been given the official title of Alpine reserve driver.

    It means he will be called upon should regular Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly – the latter arriving from AlphaTauri to replace Aston Martin bound Fernando Alonso – be unable to compete.

    Alongside his F1 reserve duties, Doohan will be continuing to compete in F2 for a third campaign in 2023, sticking with the Virtuosi Racing squad as Alpine set him the target of claiming the title.

  • Schumacher joins McLaren’s reserve driver pool

    McLaren have announced that they have reached an agreement with Mercedes which will see them add Mick Schumacher to their pool of reserve drivers, for the 2023 season.

    Schumacher joined the silver arrows as a reserve driver in December last year – after two seasons racing at Haas – where he scored 12 points in 43 starts.

    This means, Schumacher joins IndyCar Champion, Alex Palou in McLaren’s list of reserve drivers for the 2023 season, with the German able to step in if one of Lando Norris or the team’s newest recruit, Oscar Piastri is unable to take part in a race weekend.

    McLaren shared an image of Schumacher getting accustomed to their cockpit and getting the seat moulded around him in Woking, so the German will be ready to step in if needed.

    Schumacher, will be on hand for the squad which is led by Team Principal Andrea Stella who was his father, Michael’s Performance Engineer at Ferrari from 2002 to 2006 – during which they won three drivers’ titles together.

  • Abbi Pulling signs with Rodin Carlin

    Abbi Pulling will be racing with Rodin Carlin this season in the F1 Academy, as well as becoming a fully-fledged member of the Alpine Academy driver programme.

    Pulling was an Alpine Affiliate last season during which she achieved a seventh place finish in the 2022 W Series campaign.

    The British driver began her career at nine, racing in karting before graduating up to Ginetta Juniors. In 2020, she moved to British Formula 4 where she took four podiums on the way to P6 in the championship.

    A second British F4 campaign and a further three podiums followed. She also completed her maiden season in W Series, finishing the 2021 season seventh. The following year, she climbed to fourth place overall, achieving four top five finishes in 2022.

    It is great to be competing in the first season of the F1 Academy, especially to be working with such a successful team as Rodin Carlin. Having spent time with the team before, I can’t wait to get the season started, working alongside some incredible people. I have lots of trust in them and know they will push me to be the best I can be. I’m very thankful for the continued support of the Alpine Academy for a second season and the great work of Gazing Performance and Alice Powell behind the scenes. I’m also excited to welcome My First Alert who are supporting my programme for the first time this year.

    Abbi Pulling on her F1 Academy seat.

    We’re delighted to welcome Abbi to the team for this first season of F1 Academy. Our paths have crossed in the past before and Abbi is a driver we’ve wanted to work with for some time now. We’re really excited that we are able to work on this programme together and have no doubt that Abbi will be a huge asset to the team. Thank you to the Alpine Academy for entrusting us with this next stage of Abbi’s career. We can’t wait to get on track.

    Rodin Carlin Team Principal, Stephanie Carlin.

  • Stroll to miss out on pre-season testing

    Aston Martin have announced that Lance Stroll will be missing out on this week’s pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, after he had an accident whilst training.

    Stroll was involved in what has been described as a “minor” incident but the injuries will rule him out of the the three-day session.

    Aston Martin also added that they expect Stroll to make a quick recovery and return to driving duties in due course, and his fitness will be assessed daily. And an update will be issued ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix which is scheduled for March 3rd to 5th.

    It is not clear whether Aston Martin will call on their reserve driver Felipe Drugovich jump in the car for testing as Stoffel Vandoorne is in Cape Town for Formula E or let Fernando Alonso do all 3 days.

    I’ve had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season. I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible.

    Stroll explaining the situation in a press release.

  • A523

    Alpine have become the final team to reveal their 2023 challenger, pulling the covers off the A523 during a ceremony in London.

    Following Monday’s shakedown at Silverstone, the team gathered on Thursday evening for their official launch, which saw them unveil the new car in their now traditional blue livery. As well as this, a pink-themed version in the colours of the team’s title sponsor BWT, which will run at a handful of selected races this year, which are Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia.

    The car will be driven by Esteban Ocon, who is preparing for his third season in Alpine colours, and new teammate Pierre Gasly, who comes from AlphaTauri.

    Alpine 2.jpg
    A523_White_Studio_Pink_03.jpg

    Alpine will be hoping they can yield the next step in their push towards the front of the F1 grid, with the top three now the target after finishing fifth in the constructors’ standings in 2021 and fourth in 2022.

    Ocon and Gasly have already shared positive words about their first runs in the A523 on Monday – the latter reporting a ‘very good’ feeling while the team noted that the day was issue-free.

    It’s been another milestone ticked for the A523 with our shakedown at Silverstone and I’m pleased the day ran so smoothly. Esteban drove first in the morning to check all the systems were working properly as well as completing the usual install programme for the car. Pierre was then in the car in the afternoon for the first time in the A523 and completed eight stable laps to get an initial feel in his new surroundings. These days are of course limited and not representative, but we’ve certainly had a great day and we now look forward to testing in Bahrain where we expect to continue our learning of the 2023 car.

    Alpine Technical Director, Matt Harman.

  • W14

    Mercedes became the penultimate F1 team to launch their 2023 challenger – taking the covers off the W14 where they sport an all-black livery.

    A day after rivals, Ferrari presented their new challenger, Mercedes showcased the car in which they hope will move them back into regular race wins and title glory.

    Mercedes’ latest creation marks a return to black – a colour they ran in the 2020 and 2021 seasons – after they returned to their more traditional silver scheme.

    Merc-4.png

    Team boss, Toto Wolff, continuing drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as well as new reserve Mick Schumacher were all present at the launch at Silverstone.

    One change inside the Mercedes camp for 2023, is the absence of James Vowles who recently left his strategy focused role to take the role of team boss at Williams.

    Our hopes and expectations are always to be capable of fighting for a World Championship. However, our competitors were very strong last year, and we are playing catch-up. Racing at the front requires resilience, teamwork, and determination. We face up to every challenge, we put the team first, and we will leave no stone unturned in the chase for every millisecond. This year, we are going all in to get back in front. We were overweight last year. This year we have tried to figure out where we can squeeze out every single gram. So now, history repeats itself. You will see that the car has some raw carbon bits, along with some that are painted matte black. Of course, when we changed the livery in 2020 the main driving factor was to support the diversity and equality causes which are always close to our heart. The colour black became part of our DNA at that point, so we are pleased to return to it.

    Toto Wolff speaking at the W14 launch.