The lack of practice time ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, due to the Sprint format, isn’t a concern for the Mercedes team. The return of the Sprint format for this weekend’s race at the Lusail Circuit means that the Formula 1 teams have just one hour of practice to nail down their setups before entering parc ferme conditions for the remainder of the weekend. It’s the fourth Sprint weekend of the year, following on from the Azerbaijan, Austrian, and Belgian Grands Prix, which means a standalone day on Saturday for a ‘Sprint Shootout’ to decide the grid for Saturday’s Sprint race. Mercedes unconcerned having ‘learned quite a bit’ about W14 With the lack of practice time meaning deciding on a setup can be a daunting task for the teams, given there’s so little time to refine the setup before it’s unchangeable, Mercedes say they aren’t unduly concerned about having only 60 minutes to nail it down. This is due to Mercedes having a fundamentally better understanding of their W14 … [Read more...] about Mercedes explain fearless approach despite Qatar sprint-induced compromise
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Shock as rookie wins 100th Indianapolis 500
The 100th running of the famous Indianapolis 500 saw a former Formula One driver becoming a surprise first rookie winner since 2001. Elsewhere both Super Formula and the Nurburgring 24 Hours were affected by abnormal weather conditions while the World Touring Car Championship encountered tyre dramas at the Nordschleife. Indycar Round 6 of 16: Indianapolis 500 Alexander Rossi took victory on his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500 with a brilliantly calculated fuel-saving drive. In just his first season of Indycar Rossi has had a tough start to the year but has showed signs of improvement, and eleventh in qualifying was another step forward. He never looked like a contender though until he was left out during a late caution to clear the wrecked cars of Mikhail Aleshin and Conor Daly, and despite falling out of sync with everyone else and pitting 36 laps from the end for fuel, he nursed his car to the finish. Carlos Munoz finished an equally surprising second to complete … [Read more...] about Shock as rookie wins 100th Indianapolis 500
Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?
For the 30th time in 71 seasons of the Formula 1 world championship, the drivers’ title was decided in the very final race of the season. But what was F1’s best ever final showdown? Recap all thirty of the final race title deciders below and then let us know which one you feel was the best climax seen in a Formula 1 season. 1950: Fangio vs Fagioli vs Farina The first world championship produces the first title showdown at Monza. Fangio needs a win or second place to become the inaugural world champion, but Fangio retires twice in two separate cars, opening the door for Farina who takes the win and the first ever world title. 1951: Fangio vs Ascari vs Gonzalez The next year, another threeway showdown for the title at the season-ending Spanish Grand Prix around the streets of Barcelona. Going into the final round with the lead, Fangio holds off Ferrari’s Jose Froilan Gonzalez to take the chequered flag and secure his first of five titles. 1956: Fangio vs Collins Peter … [Read more...] about Which was F1’s best down-to-the-wire title fight?
New Asian-based team LKY SUNZ reveals bid to join F1 grid in 2025
Another potential new entrant to the Formula 1 grid has announced its intention to join the series. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free LKY SUNZ says it has secured backing from US sports fund Legends Advocates Sports Group and other Asian investors. It plans to submit an entry ahead of the FIA’s deadline for new applications, which were invited earlier this year. The project was co-founded by Benjamin Durand, who was previously involved in another attempt to enter a team in Formula 1. His Panthera Team Asia project was announced in 2019. Its other co-founders are Andrew Pyrah, who has been named chief commercial officer, and Paul Fleming, its chairman. LKY SUNZ – which takes its name from a combination of ‘Lucky’, which it calls a “nod to the Asian heritage of the team”, and ‘SUNZ’ representing the sun – intends to operate from a location in Europe. However it intends to construct a “state-of-the-art net zero green energy-powered factory complex” in the … [Read more...] about New Asian-based team LKY SUNZ reveals bid to join F1 grid in 2025
Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari
In the early phase of the season, the Mercedes would have the edge in races because its W14 car was much less harsh on its tyres than the Ferrari SF-23. However, as Ferrari has made gains in understanding why its 2023 challenger was so hard on its rubber early on, its race pace has improved dramatically. And with the two teams now locked in a fight for runners-up in the constructors' championship, the switch in car characteristic could prove critical as their fight plays out over the remaining six races of the campaign. At the recent Japanese Grand Prix, where tyre degradation was a critical factor in deciding the pace on Sunday, Ferrari showed how on top of things it was as Charles Leclerc finished ahead of the Mercedes lead car of Lewis Hamilton . This was a result that Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believed proved that Ferrari was no longer behind with its management of tyre degradation. Shovlin reckoned that Mercedes' lack of … [Read more...] about Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari