Ferrari

Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the Formula 1 paddock at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in his new role as Red Bull’s third driver. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free After losing his McLaren seat for 2023, Ricciardo signed to rejoin Red Bull last November. So far the team has only shown him acting in a promotional capacity, including recently driving a Red Bull RB7 around Australia. But when he is trackside he will serve the same function as Liam Lawson and Dennis Hauger, the two Red Bull juniors sharing the reserve driver role and doing simulator work at the team’s F1 base in Milton Keynes, in that he will be ready to race should Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez be unable to. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Ricciardo will attend several races this year as reserve, and “probably do a bit of tyre testing” in the current RB19 car as well as simulator work. But his main duties, due to Ricciardo now being based in the USA, will be … [Read more...] about Sabbatical or retirement? Ricciardo returns to F1 paddock – and questions over his future · RaceFans

Red Bull left Australia 12 months ago at a low ebb after seeing rivals Ferrari claim another win while both their cars lagged off the pace and one didn’t even reach the chequered flag. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free But the team transformed its fortunes over the remainder of the season and now finds itself in a position of clear superiority. In the 21 races since the last Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull has only been beaten three times. Max Verstappen recalled how challenging last year’s race was for the team during today’s press conference in Melbourne. Following last year’s race the eventual champion languished sixth in the standings, 46 points behind Charles Leclerc, who had just scored his second win in three races. “Last year our car was very heavily overweight at this stage of the season, so that didn’t help,” said Verstappen. The team was also grappling with handling problems. “We had a big shift in balance between qualifying and the race, so … [Read more...] about “Very frustrating” Australian GP showed where Red Bull had gone wrong – Verstappen · RaceFans

Listen to this article In the wake of penalties given out to Alonso and Alpine's Esteban Ocon in the opening two races of the season for starting outside their markers, the FIA has widened the grid boxes in Melbourne. But despite an extra 20cm of space, plus the trial of a new guidance line to help drivers line up, Alonso is sceptical of them being enough to assist with the difficulties being faced. In particular, he says that drivers face the double whammy of seeing very little as they line up in position while also having to be totally focused on a separate yellow line that they cannot start in front of. "It is difficult and we are very concentrated on the yellow line to not go too far forward," he said. "So, you approach not looking at the box, you are looking on one side of the cockpit. So maybe that's a bit of a distraction." Asked if the new dimension and sighting line would be a help, Alonso said: "The central line? I don't think so. "Because, as I … [Read more...] about F1 grid box tweaks will not eradicate problems, says Alonso

Listen to this article Just like in any other sport, in Formula 1 if drivers don't follow the rules set out by the FIA, then they can be penalised for it. However, it isn't rare for drivers to find themselves victims of bizarrely harsh penalties which sometimes don't even seem to make sense - like the infamous 65-grid penalty Stoffel Vandoorne suffered in Spa in 2017. F1 can be a complicated form of motorsport and sometimes penalties confuse viewers because of their technicality. What is the reason behind a penalty? Why are there different types of penalties? Here's what penalties occur in F1, what different punishments drivers are given, how teams may also be penalised and how it can lead to a race ban. The FIA stewards dish out the penalties Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images What are F1 penalties? There are a range of F1 penalties, depending on the severity of the driver's or team's action. Warnings Starting with warnings, which are the … [Read more...] about F1 penalties: What penalties can drivers receive and how do they get banned?

Listen to this article What a story it would be if the Le Mans 24 Hours produced a grandstand finish — perhaps the closest ever in its history — in this the centenary year for the French enduro. I reckon there’s a decent chance of its happening as the clock strikes four on 11 June, and I’m not making that prediction because the sell-out crowd is going to be watching one of the best fields in the top class in years with Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche et al. I’m saying it because there has been a rule change for 2023 that makes it all the more likely. A close finish would be great for the spectators massed in the old stands and on the terracing opposite the pits, and equally great for TV and the profile of the race as the World Endurance Championship kicks on into what is sure to be a halcyon age. But what if it is totally artificial? Is that what we really want to be talking and writing about on Sunday evening of the second weekend of June? The reason the odds have shortened on … [Read more...] about Why an ‘artificial’ Le Mans finish is more likely in 2023

Listen to this article Erstwhile technical director James Key has departed McLaren , leaving a three-pronged new arrangement headed by three technical directors, namely Peter Prodromou (aerodynamics), Davide Sanchez (car concept and performance) and Neil Houldey (engineering and design). Stella suggested that under the previous structure the contribution of Prodromou in particular had been restricted. "I think there were some limitations somehow associated with the model," said Stella. "In aerodynamics, we wanted to have a technical director that leads aerodynamics. Full empowerment to this technical director. "And we wanted to unleash a very strong resource that we had internally, and that, for some reasons was under-utilised, like Peter Prodromou, one of the most competent experts in F1 in relation to aerodynamics. "And this wasn't happening as efficiently as it should have happened, let's say, so this is something we wanted to fix. "And it perfectly fits the … [Read more...] about Stella: New McLaren technical structure will “unleash” potential

Former F1 driver Anthony Davidson has urged Lewis Hamilton not to make a rash decision over his future with Mercedes. Hamilton is out of contract with the Mercedes team at the end of F1 2023, and while in the build-up to the season it seemed almost a matter of time before Hamilton signed fresh terms, now the situation is not so clear. The 2022 campaign was a story of recovery for Mercedes as they battled back from a poor start to the new regulatory era, but rather than taking that next step into F1 2023 and returning to the conversation for wins, the team has instead slipped all the way back to scrapping for a podium spot. They have not achieved that honour yet two rounds into the campaign, with P4 for George Russell the team’s best result so far. And Mercedes have written off the unique concept for their W14 already, while Hamilton has been critical of the team, as he believes they did not listen to his feedback on last season’s issue when creating this new challenger. … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton told not to make Fernando Alonso-style ‘knee-jerk’ team swap

Sergio Perez was left confused and rather unhappy with Red Bull’s radio communication in Jeddah, but Max Verstappen feels there was no communication breakdown. In the closing stages of the Saudi Arabian GP at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Perez was leading and was on for the fastest lap bonus point as well, and with team-mate Verstappen in P2, it meant Perez was on course to lead the World Championship for the first time in his career. Perez was managing the pace to bring home that win and head the one-two finish, but Verstappen, having been told by Red Bull that the fastest lap was not of interest as he had complained about further driveshaft issues, nonetheless went on to set it on the final lap, thus ensuring that he goes into the Australian Grand Prix as Championship leader. Perez was understandably frustrated and felt that different information had been given to him and Verstappen, though by the time he arrived in Melbourne, his stance had changed. “[Things] are great, we … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen clear there was no ‘miscommunication’ with Red Bull over Sergio Perez

McLaren’s Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have revealed how identifying weaknesses in their technical structure has led to their re-organisation. Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, McLaren confirmed a full re-organisation of their technical leadership with executive technical director James Key removed from his role. Instead of a single person in charge, McLaren will be turning to an ‘F1 Technical Executive Team’, which will comprise three separate divisions, with all three divisions reporting directly to team boss Andrea Stella. Additional reporting by Michael Lamonato Technical Director for Aerodynamics will be Peter Prodromou, while the team have also signed David Sanchez as Technical Director for Car Concept and Performance – he will join Woking on 1st of January 2024 after a period of gardening leave from Ferrari. McLaren have also internally promoted Neil Houldey to Technical Director for Engineering and Design. Aside from the restructuring, McLaren have also embarked … [Read more...] about Weak and underutilised: McLaren lift the lid on major technical shake-up