Losing is winning quotes

As he prepares for his first F1 season in charge at Ferrari, Fred Vasseur reckons his “close” relationship with Charles Leclerc will be an “advantage”. For the third time in his motorsport career, Leclerc has Vasseur as his team boss. The two first teamed up back in 2016 when the Monégasque driver raced for ART Grand Prix in the GP3 series. Leclerc won the title before moving onto Prema in F2. But after just one year apart, the driver and Vasseur were collaborating once again as he stepped up onto the Formula 1 grid with Alfa Romeo where the Frenchman had been appointed team boss. This year they’re again working together, this time at Ferrari. Vasseur believes their “close” relationship with benefit both of them. “I’ve been following Charles since his karting days,” he told Canal+. “After a period at ART in F3 [GP3 as it was then known], he made his F1 debut with Sauber, so we’ve always been close. “It’s an advantage for me, because I know him well, and it’s an advantage … [Read more...] about Fred Vasseur sees ‘close’ relationship with Charles Leclerc as an advantage for Ferrari

Max Verstappen’s chance to score a stunning victory in the Spanish Grand Prix became real when Red Bull switched his race-leading team mate to a three-stop strategy. After the race said team mate was unimpressed. “We threw the win away” lamented Daniel Ricciardo following his mid-race tactical switch. Did Red Bull make a tactical mistake? Red Bull facing a Ferrari threat On lap 16 at the Circuit de Catalunya Red Bull’s cars were running first and second but it was clear the chasing Ferraris had the potential to beat them. Before the race Christian Horner had said he was surprised his team had out-qualified the red cars, who lost their way with set-up in qualifying, but that Friday had shown Ferrari’s race pace was at least as good as Mercedes’. Sure enough, after Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen emerged from behind Carlos Sainz Jnr’s Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s lead was eroded. Vettel had cut Ricciardo’s six second lead to two, and the pair had Verstappen between them. … [Read more...] about Why Red Bull’s strategy was a success – but not for Ricciardo · RaceFans

Listen to this article On-screen graphics are regularly evolving to aid fans’ understanding of F1, while fresh camera angles and techniques are constantly explored to bring the on-track action alive. But no camera angle has got as close to giving fans a true feeling of what it is like inside the F1 cockpit than Driver’s Eye. Through a small 9mm x 9mm camera fitted to the padding of the helmet, fans are able to get a closer understanding of what the drivers can see through the visor, offering some spectacular footage. One of the finest moments last year came at the opening race in Bahrain, when Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen duelled for a series of laps for the lead. The F1 TV directors were able to switch to the Driver’s Eye camera in Leclerc’s helmet throughout the scrap, giving some incredible insight into how a race-winning overtake is executed from the cockpit. Designing a camera that is capable of delivering broadcast footage while fitting within the … [Read more...] about How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger

Pat Symonds says as soon as he saw the floor of the Red Bull RB18 back in pre-season testing last year, he knew they were “on top” of F1’s porpoising problems. Last season Formula 1 welcomed the arrival of brand new cars onto the grid, the new generation feature simpler wings and using ground effect aerodynamics to create downforce. Instead of the car being pushed onto the ground, by using ground effect aerodynamics it is effectively sucked. And that, well, sucked for some teams. Mercedes led the way when it came to porpoising, their W13 suffering with more bouncing then most of their rivals. That had team boss Toto Wolff calling for changes, citing the long-term effect of the bouncing on the health of his drivers. One team that was opposed to the FIA stepping in was Red Bull, Christian Horner saying each individual team should resolve their own issues . It was easy for him to say, Red Bull had no bouncing at all. Symonds, F1’s chief technical officer, wasn’t surprised by … [Read more...] about Pat Symonds spotted an early sign that Red Bull were ‘on top’ of porpoising problems

Nico Rosberg had gone 217 days without losing a point to Lewis Hamilton in the world championship. And he looked set to continue that streak as he led his team mate in the opening stages of last week’s Monaco Grand Prix. But when the call came from the Mercedes pit wall to let Hamilton by Rosberg didn’t hesitate to comply. Mercedes praised Rosberg’s willingness to let Hamilton through but it cost him dearly in the championship. His team mate went on to win the race, reducing Rosberg’s advantage over him from 43 points to 24. World championships have been won by far less. Will Rosberg regret not being a bit more ruthless? Was he right to follow Mercedes’ team orders? For The drivers are the teams’ employees and they are expected to do as they’re told. Rosberg knows this well: he had to sit behind Hamilton for lap after lap in the closing stages of the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix despite potentially being quick enough to pass his team mate. Arriving in Monaco this yer, the … [Read more...] about Was Rosberg right to let Hamilton pass? · RaceFans

Ahead of his first season on the F1 grid, Nyck de Vries has spoken about the “fine” line between focusing on the details and “overthinking” them. This season De Vries’s dream of racing in Formula 1 will be realised, the Dutchman signed by Red Bull to AlphaTauri. He caught the attention of Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, and the rest of the paddock too, with his points-scoring one-off appearance for Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. That led to talks with Marko, the 79-year-old committing De Vries to a multi-year deal although he’s only confirmed as a AlphaTauri driver for the 2023 season. That means the pressure is on for De Vries, but he can’t let it get to him. Speaking about his strengths on this week’s AlphaTauri’s podcast, Tauri Talk , the driver acknowledged that often strengths can also be a weakness and that’s something he has to watch out for. “My commitment, determination but also my perfectionism is a great asset and a strength,” the … [Read more...] about Nyck de Vries on the mental conundrum he faces in his first full F1 season

It now seems inevitable that Honda will announce in a few hours’ time that it is going to sell its F1 team or close it . F1 could be left with only nine teams, drivers will be left without seats, and the continued participation of other manufacturers may be in doubt. How will Honda’s departure affect Formula 1? Three-car teams? Formula One Management is understood to be required to bring at least 20 cars to each Grand Prix (there is some doubt over the exact figure – some suggest it could be as little as 16). If no buyer for the Brackley team is found, F1 will have only nine teams with 18 cars. Therefore it may be necessary for some teams to field three cars. This potentially creates all kinds of complications: How would it be decided which teams run three cars? Would all three be eligible for championship points? Are the FIA and FOM able to demand teams run three cars if they have to? The commercial deal that governs F1, the Concorde Agreement, lapsed some time ago. … [Read more...] about How will Honda quitting affect F1? · RaceFans

F1’s aerodynamics overhaul failed to deliver “significantly” closer racing, according to Mercedes’ technical director, who believes cars capable of tighter battles are “very different” to the 2022 machines. The FIA rolled out the first major update to its F1 technical regulations since 2014 last year, aiming to shake up the grid and appease fans’ demand for more overtaking action. The new cars took inspiration from the 1970s and 80s for their marquee modification, utilising ground effect to stick them to the track, instead of relying on the wings for downforce. This would decrease the influence of ‘dirty air’ on racing and allow drivers to follow each other more closely. Two rounds into the season, fans couldn’t believe their luck. The new regulations were setting the stage for a thrilling 22-race title battle, after Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Their Red Bull and Ferrari machines were visibly more comfortable racing at … [Read more...] about Mercedes tech chief questions theory that new regulations have led to ‘significantly closer racing’