Adrian Newey referred back to a key early lesson from his Fittipaldi Automotive days to rid Red Bull of their bouncing issues with the very first upgrade. The new regulations for 2022 marked a huge shift in the challengers gracing the grid as Formula 1 returned to ground effect aerodynamics, an era which has been aced so far by Red Bull with Newey at the helm of the design team. The RB18 already set an incredible standard with 17 grand prix wins out of 22, a level of dominance only taken to new heights in F1 2023 with the RB19, Red Bull having accounted for 15 of the 16 victories so far this season. Adrian Newey set Red Bull course with swift porpoising fix A key sticking point for several teams at the start of this new regulatory era was a bouncing phenomenon known as porpoising, a characteristic which held Mercedes back in particular with their W13 through the first half of the 2022 campaign. For Newey and Red Bull though, only one upgrade was needed for the opening race … [Read more...] about How Adrian Newey’s incredible F1 mind fixed Red Bull’s porpoising issues
Long lasting birth control
De Vries ready to fight for Formula E titles again after “hurt” of losing F1 drive
Nyck de Vries’ exit from Formula 1 was watched by those around him with anguish. His childhood dream, which he spent his career working towards, ended far more quickly than he must have expected after starting what was supposed to be his first full season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull made the tough decision to replace him after less than half a season, placing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri before the Hungarian Grand Prix. On paper it made sense: Despite his team mate Yuki Tsunoda having just two points on the board at the time, De Vries was yet to get off the mark and had made some costly errors on-track. The axe fell after three tough races finishing near the back in Canada, Austria and Great Britain. Losing his seat before the halfway mark in the championship, shortly before his home race, seemed particularly tough even for the cutthroat world of Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton , Charles Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon all spoke out … [Read more...] about De Vries ready to fight for Formula E titles again after “hurt” of losing F1 drive
Rossi replaced after two-and-a-half years as Alpine CEO
Renault has replaced the CEO of its sports car division Alpine for the first time since the brand’s entry into F1. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Laurent Rossi became CEO of Alpine in January 2021 ahead of its first season in F1, following the rebranding of its F1 team. Renault announced today Philippe Krief has taken over as Alpine CEO while Rossi will “focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the Group.” As CEO, Rossi’s responsibilities for the Alpine brand extended far beyond its F1 team. However he had a significant bearing on the operation and strongly criticised the team following the shaky start to its latest season. Alpine claimed a surprise victory in 2021, its first season in F1, and went on to finish fifth in the championship. It moved up a place to fourth the following year, but also lost the services of both Fernando Alonso and junior driver Oscar Piastri to rival teams. Its progress has stalled this year as Aston … [Read more...] about Rossi replaced after two-and-a-half years as Alpine CEO
Perez says “rough patch” began when he “lost trust” in car after Monaco crash
Sergio Perez has admitted he is going through a “rough patch” on track after he lost “trust” in his car after his Monaco qualifying shunt. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Red Bull driver continues to hold second place in the drivers’ championship, but is 99 points behind his team mate Max Verstappen . Perez has failed to reach Q3 in grand prix qualifying for the last five consecutive race weekends, a run which started when he crashed out of Q1 during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. However speaking to media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Perez said his poor run of qualifying results are “not a concern” for him. “I think when you look at those bad qualifyings, there’s always been different situations that we haven’t dealt with as good as we should have dealt with them,” Perez said in response to a question from RaceFans. “But there has always been some external factors. It hasn’t been pure pace, let’s put it that way. “Certainly when … [Read more...] about Perez says “rough patch” began when he “lost trust” in car after Monaco crash
Norris warns McLaren’s Silverstone pace ‘won’t happen that often at all’
McLaren are unlikely to replicate their strong performance from the previous race says Lando Norris , who scored their best result of the season so far two weeks ago at Silverstone. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Norris, who qualified and finished second at the British Grand Prix, said “we know it’s not going to happen that often at all” over the rest of the season. A combination of the circuit’s characteristics suiting their car, plus the upgrade the team began to introduce two races ago, contributed to their result. His team mate Oscar Piastri finished fourth, and lost one position due to the timing of a Safety Car period. “We enjoyed the moment, for sure, but we know we’re not competing for wins or even podiums, we weren’t close to that very often,” said Norris. “A lot of things went right for this to happen, even though we should have had a P2 and a P3. “I think the confidence came from knowing that we took a good step in the right direction. I … [Read more...] about Norris warns McLaren’s Silverstone pace ‘won’t happen that often at all’