K stand monaco grand prix

Fernando Alonso has played down his own chances of victory at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, with the Aston Martin man predicting a one-two finish for Red Bull in Barcelona. Alonso has emerged as the dominant Red Bull team’s closest threat in the early months of the 2023 season, finishing on the podium at all but one of the six races held so far. His best start to a season since his penultimate year at Ferrari in 2013 has raised expectations that his decade-long wait for a grand prix win could end soon. Alonso’s last F1 triumph came at his home race in Barcelona, but with Red Bull making a perfect start to the season – and Ferrari and Mercedes introducing potentially game-changing upgrades – he does not expect a win to come this weekend. He told the official F1 website: “It feels good. Obviously there is a special energy every time in Spain when I come here and I see all the fans. “I don’t think, realistically, we can fight for the victory. Let’s be clear. “Red Bull … [Read more...] about Fernando Alonso makes worrying Red Bull prediction for Spanish Grand Prix

Sergio Perez has revealed his focus is now on maximising each individual race weekend after falling 39 points behind Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen in the F1 2023 standings. The Mexican made his best-ever start to a season this year, winning convincingly in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan to emerge as a potential threat to two-time World Champion Verstappen. Perez spoke optimistically of his title chances after winning the second race of the campaign in Jeddah and boldly declared: “I really believe that I have the full support of the team as much as Max does and I will have every single opportunity to win the Championship as much as he does.” He went on to suffer an embarrassing Q1 elimination at the following round in Australia and suffered the same fate last weekend in Monaco, where he started last after hitting the barrier at St Devote in the first stage of qualifying. Perez endured a bruising race in Monte Carlo and finished 16th after being lapped twice by Verstappen, who … [Read more...] about Sergio Perez renews F1 2023 approach amid rising Max Verstappen points gap

Charles Leclerc is urging Ferrari to work on their communication after a number of costly errors compromised the team’s weekend in Monaco. The Scuderia were competitive at times in Monte Carlo, where Leclerc set a lap fast enough for third – behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin – at the climax of qualifying. However, the local hero was handed a three-place grid penalty in the hours after the session for impeding McLaren driver Lando Norris in the tunnel in Q3. Leclerc finished where he started on race day having pitted to switch from hard to medium tyres a matter of laps before a mid-race downpour, while team-mate Carlos Sainz slumped from fourth to eighth in a race in which he was heard angrily criticising Ferrari’s strategy choices over team radio. Having seen his 2022 title challenge crumble through a series of avoidable errors, Leclerc is keen for Ferrari to learn quickly from their Monaco mistakes. Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of … [Read more...] about Charles Leclerc calls for better communication at Ferrari after latest blunders

Tony Kanaan cherished every moment of his final Indianapolis 500 start, and his final race as an IndyCar Series driver – but reaffirmed he has no plans to reconsider his retirement after the race. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free “The coming back part? I don’t think I want to spoil the moment that I had,” Kanaan said after a 16th-place finish in his 22nd Indy 500 start. “I’ll come back, but as a spectator.” Kanaan summed up his feelings, saying he was “grateful, relieved, happy, sad at the same time.” “There are so many emotions right now,” he added, “but one thing is for certain. I sat here three years ago, and I said I’m not retiring because I don’t want to race in an empty stand.” Kanaan planned to retire from IndyCar after the 2020 season when he was driving for AJ Foyt. But he revised his plans after the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic forced several races – including the Indianapolis 500 – to be held behind closed doors, with no spectators in … [Read more...] about Kanaan doesn’t want to “spoil the moment I had” by returning to Indy 500 · RaceFans

As high as the stakes are in modern Formula 1, the battle for the sport’s future which raged at the dawn of the eighties was fought with particular ferocity. The political fall-out even led to some races being cancelled. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free But, as a trove of documents unearthed by @DieterRencken reveals, this fraught period in the sport’s history played a unique role in shaping modern F1. In early 1980 Formula 1 was a battleground. The lines were drawn between the mostly British teams, dubbed ‘garagistes’ by Enzo Ferrari on account of building cars using proprietary components from suppliers (Cosworth engines, Hewland gearboxes), and their opponents headed by FISA, then the sporting arm of the FIA. The FISA-aligned teams ‘grande’ teams included manufacturers Ferrari, Renault and Alfa Romeo, who surveyed the ongoing skirmishes nervously, and periodically switched allegiances according to their agendas. The ‘garagistes’ battled under the … [Read more...] about WPDC: Ecclestone’s breakaway threat which set the template for modern F1 · RaceFans

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Mercedes’ understanding of their major Formula 1 upgrade was compromised in Monaco due to weight-saving necessities, with the team hoping for a clearer understanding at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. Despite being restricted to just a single victory last season, Mercedes committed to retaining the controversial zero-pod car concept for the start of 2023. However, after a bruising performance at the season opener in Bahrain, team boss Toto Wolff was forced to admit the eight-time Constructors’ Champions had pursued the wrong development path for the new season and ordered sweeping changes. A heavily revised W14 was originally set to appear for the first time at the Emilia Romagna GP earlier this month, but the cancellation of the Imola race due to extreme weather in the region saw Mercedes to debut their new look in Monte Carlo instead despite the unique nature of the circuit making it a less-than-ideal place to bring a significant update. … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton reveals data compromise with true Mercedes pace still unknown

Can Red Bull win every race of the F1 2023 season? Max Verstappen thinks it is possible, but detailed why it is also unlikely. Reigning Constructors’ champs Red Bull and defending World Champion Verstappen have made a dominant start to their respective title defences in F1 2023. With six rounds of the season gone, Red Bull have hoovered up all six victories on offer, four of those going the way of Verstappen. And the latest outing in Monaco failed to offer any suggestion that Red Bull will be within reach anytime soon, Verstappen’s final margin of victory over Fernando Alonso standing at 28 seconds. Even rain which arrived to cause chaos around the two-thirds mark of the race could not halt the Verstappen charge. It was after the season-opener in Bahrain that Mercedes’ George Russell tipped Red Bull to win every race this season, and that is a prediction which could still yet prove to be true. But will it come true? Verstappen was asked for his take on the matter ahead of … [Read more...] about Can Red Bull go the entire F1 season unbeaten? Max Verstappen has his say