How to get a driver

Even before a single lap has been run in the 2023 Formula 1 season, never mind a race result decided, Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has twice been asked to pin his colours to the mast – Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz. He went with neither, adamant it’s too early to back one driver over the other. “But,” he wrapped up the first time around, “if at one stage we have to take action, I will take action.” The second time, he ended with “and if at one stage I have to take action for Carlos or for Charles, I will do it.” It’s an action that, should it come, will have long-term consequences. Team-mates at Ferrari for the first time in 2021 it was widely-speculated that Leclerc could have the measure of Sainz, but that wasn’t to be with the Spaniard winning the first round – although only by 5.5 points. However, that was a season in which Ferrari were still trying to get their horse (powers) into order in the wake of their 2019 engine scandal. Once they’d sorted that out, … [Read more...] about Ferrari need to pick Charles Leclerc as No.1 driver, or risk losing him to a rival team

Mercedes’ new reserve driver Mick Schumacher will also be made available to their customer team Mclaren this year as part of a long-running arrangement between the two. Schumacher, the 2020 Formula 2 champion, raced in Formula 1 for Haas over the past two seasons and scored two times. He lost his drive at the end of 2022, as well as his place in the Ferrari Driver Academy, and was then signed by Mercedes. Mercedes’ previous reserve drivers have been shared with their engine customers – Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams – over the past few seasons, and last year Nyck de Vries was called up to race for Williams for a race as a result of this arrangement. “McLaren will be able to call on Mick as a reserve driver during the 2023 F1 season as part of our arrangement with Mercedes. Welcome to the family, Mick,” McLaren posted on social media. “Full circle. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella worked closely with Mick’s father, the legendary Michael Schumacher, as his performance … [Read more...] about Mick Schumacher to be reserve driver for McLaren too · RaceFans

Former Red Bull and Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat will make the switch to endurance racing in 2023, after landing a seat with Prema. Daniil Kvyat has landed his first full-time racing seat since the end of his Formula 1 career in 2020, with the Russian racer landing a seat with Italian team Prema for their LMP2 efforts in the World Endurance Championship. Kvyat lost his seat with AlphaTauri at the conclusion of the 2020 Formula 1 season, and switched to Alpine as a reserve driver for the 2021 season. The Russian driver was due to make the switch to the WEC in 2022, having signed a deal to race with Russian team G-Drive. But, following the commencement of economic and sporting sanctions on Russian competitors in the wake of Russia’s commencement of military action in neighbouring Ukraine, G-Drive withdrew from the championship. PlanetF1.com recommends George Russell and Lewis Hamilton kick off 2023 track action with tyre test Former F1 engineer questions Nico Hulkenberg’s … [Read more...] about Ex-Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat makes the switch to WEC after landing Prema seat

Did anyone manage a perfect weekend in Canada? Here’s F1 Fanatic’s verdict on the drivers. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton – Having been comfortably quickest on Friday Hamilton looked less assured on Saturday and admitted his fifth pole in Canada was not one of his finest laps . He made another indifferent start, losing out to Vettel, and kept Rosberg behind firmly but legally. When Ferrari let victory slip through their fingers Hamilton was perfectly placed to collect it. Nico Rosberg – Well off Hamilton’s pace on Friday (with, curiously, a much higher top speed), but after scrutinising his team mate’s data Rosberg ran him close for most of qualifying until he got too greedy in the turn one braking zone on his final run. He left himself vulnerable to Hamilton at the start and should have expected his team mate to give him as little room as he did two years ago. After that his progress was hampered by a puncture and a penultimate-lap spin while trying to pass Verstappen. … [Read more...] about 2016 Canadian Grand Prix driver ratings · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton won a close Driver of the Weekend poll over Valtteri Bottas in the Canadian Grand Prix. How close? There was just one vote in it. Lewis Hamilton’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend Hamilton was in fine for mas usual at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where he won his first race eight years ago and is usually spectacular and fast. With no power unit problems in qualifying he netted pole position for the fourth time this year. However his biggest mistake of the weekend again came at the start, dropping him behind Sebastian Vettel and forcing him to defend firmly – but legally – from his team mate. From there on Hamilton kept Vettel in sight and was perfectly placed to take advantage when Ferrari erred with their strategy. He never put a wheel wrong, even in the closing stages when his tyres were getting increasingly worn. Hamilton won the poll with just 28.5% of the vote. This is the fourth-smallest winning percentage we’ve seen in Driver of the Weekend, the lowest … [Read more...] about Hamilton edges Bottas for Driver of the Weekend win · RaceFans

The 2023 Formula 2 field contains a wide array of experience. At one of the spectrum is Roy Nissany, who is entering his ninth year at this level, while nine others are new to the series. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free There’s one sixth-year driver who has actually only completed one full season, and even the third-year drivers are trying to prove they haven’t missed the F1 boat and can emulate last year’s champion Felipe Drugovich by using their experience to take the title. There’s a lot resting on the shoulders of several of this year’s competitors, but it’s an especially critical season for a handful of those seeking promotion to Formula 1 in 2024 . Theo Pourchaire The driver who needs a big season more than anyone else is actually the one who has already achieved the most in F2 from this year’s entry list. Theo Pourchaire went without a pole in 2022, but with three feature race wins he still did enough to be championship runner-up. However the … [Read more...] about The F1 hopefuls who need big results in F2 this year · RaceFans

Listen to this article Alonso returned to F1 with Alpine in 2021 after taking a two-year break to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the Indy 500 and the Dakar Rally. Alonso's third stint at the Enstone outfit got off to a slow start but once he got back up to speed the Spaniard re-found his old form, frequently suggesting he was driving at his best-ever level in 2022, a season which was blighted by reliability issues. For 2023, Alonso jumped ship to Aston Martin, which struggled last year to finish seventh in the constructors' championship. While the team is a step down from Alpine in the short term, the Lawrence Stroll-led outfit managed to convince Alonso with its long-term project, answering to Alonso's desire to stay in F1 for years to come. And the 41-year-old says he wouldn't have accepted to continue if he didn't think he was still capable of performing at his peak, or if he wasn't convinced that Aston can close the gap while he is still around. … [Read more...] about Alonso “wouldn’t accept” continuing in F1 at less than 100%

Pedro de la Rosa has told Spanish F1 fans to stop living in the past and appreciate that they have two drivers on the F1 grid in Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. And while they aren’t winning World titles at the moment, there are still race wins and podium results. The last time Spain celebrated a World Champion was back in 2006 when Alonso won his second successive championship with Renault. He went onto record runner-up results in 2007 with McLaren and twice with Ferrari in 2010 and 2012 but wasn’t able to add a third title to his tally. This season Spain could be in the hunt but with a different driver, Sainz. Last year the 28-year-old clinched his maiden race win, P1 at the British Grand Prix, while overall he managed nine podium results. De la Rosa says Spanish fans should appreciate that they have two drivers rather than lament the 16-year draught for World Championship titles. PlanetF1 recommends ‘Charles Leclerc is Ferrari’s key man, like Max is in Red Bull … [Read more...] about Pedro de la Rosa tells Spanish F1 fans to stop living in the past and embrace ‘golden age’

Mercedes have offered a unique demonstration of how the pedals and drinks systems work in a Formula 1 car. Over the course of a dramatic Formula 1 Grand Prix, it’s easy to forget that the modern-day gladiators piloting the Formula 1 cars are mere humans and, as a drawback of that, have human needs such as basic hydration. During a tough Grand Prix, particularly in the hot sweaty climes of the likes of Singapore, drivers can lose several kilos during the race – it’s critical that drivers are able to have as much fluid as they can drink during the ordeal. Kimi Raikkonen may have become a meme in the final years of his F1 career after suffering a few ‘drinks bottle’ failures, ie. “No, Kimi, you will not have the drink”, but it’s a potentially serious failure if a driver was to suffer from complete dehydration. Of course, the cars aren’t literally fitted with a drinks bottle, nor with refrigeration. The fluids are put into what is essentially a bag, with a tube linking the bag to … [Read more...] about Mercedes give fans rare insight into how F1 pedals and drinks system work