The curse of sport is that unless you are number one, you are condemned to live under a cloud of failure. For no matter how many races you win, poles you take or points you score, there can only be one champion. The rest all fall short. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull know this only too well. After being deposed from F1’s Mount Olympus with the onset of the V6 turbo hybrids, their journey back to the top was as frustrating as it was humbling. But that decade of discontent reached its end over the past two seasons, and Red Bull head into a new year as undisputedly and unequivocally the best team in their sport. Emerging bruised, bloodied but victorious from their brutal year-long battle against Mercedes in 2021, Red Bull knew they were vulnerable going into Max Verstappen’s first year sporting the coveted number one on his car. But when Mercedes faltered, Ferrari faced up to Red Bull in their place. However, Ferrari’s implosion as the season … [Read more...] about Will Red Bull dominate again as their development handicap bites in 2023?
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Jordan’s original Formula 1 factory to be demolished next summer
Aston Martin plan to knock down their former headquarters, which has been used by Formula 1 teams since 1991, next year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The old base is being destroyed to make way for the new facility Aston Martin is building at a cost of up to £200 million . Eddie Jordan Racing’s eponymous boss commissioned the creation of the factory, which sits on a road opposite British Grand Prix venue Silverstone , in 1990 when he wanted to take his successful junior single-seater team into F1. It was used by Jordan from his team’s debut in 1991 through to the end of 2005, when it was sold to the Midland Group. The team raced as Midland in 2006, as Spyker in 2007 and then as Force India from 2008 to 2018. When a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium then bought the team after it faced financial struggles, it rebranded to Racing Point and then last year became Aston Martin. Cars designed and constructed in the factory have won five grands prix. The … [Read more...] about Jordan’s original Formula 1 factory to be demolished next summer
Andretti and Cadillac announce plans to enter Formula 1
Andretti has formally announced it intends to submit an entry to compete in the Formula 1 world championship in collaboration with General Motors brand Cadillac. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The two companies plan to submit an Expression of Interest when the FIA begins the process which was announced by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last week. Michael Andretti – former F1 driver, IndyCar champion and son of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti – has long sought an opportunity to enter F1. Andretti Global announced the construction of a major new headquarters in Indianapolis last year. Its F1 operation would be based in the US with a “support facility” in the UK. “We are continuing to grow Andretti Global and its family of racing teams and always have our eyes on what’s next,” said Andretti. “I feel that we are well suited to be a new team for Formula 1 and can bring value to the series and our partners, and excitement for the fans.” Andretti’s team … [Read more...] about Andretti and Cadillac announce plans to enter Formula 1
Sergio Perez points to George Russell crash as evidence of nationality bias
Sergio Perez believes the fact he’s Mexican plays a part in how he is perceived and treated by the F1 media. Perez’s nationality has made headlines in recent weeks, due to the Mexican driver being singled out by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, in which the 80-year-old Austrian alluded to his nationality playing a part in his failure to match Max Verstappen this season. Perez was damned with faint praise by Marko, who told ServusTV: “Let’s remember that he is South American and so his head is not as focused as Max Verstappen or as Sebastian Vettel was, but racing is his forte and he had a very good race.” Helmut Marko apologises for Sergio Perez comments Marko came forward to issue an apology through ServusTV, stating, “Concerning my remark about Sergio Perez, ServusTV Sport and Talk, Monday September 4: I would like to apologise for my offensive remark. “I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not believe that we can generalise about the people from any … [Read more...] about Sergio Perez points to George Russell crash as evidence of nationality bias
Aston Martin admits it must turn around trend of F1 season
The Silverstone-based outfit began 2023 as Red Bull’s main challenger, with Fernando Alonso rolling off five podium finishes from the first six races. He also had a shot at winning the Monaco Grand Prix. But since the midpoint of the season, Aston Martin’s form has fallen back, and Alonso has had just one podium – second place in the Dutch GP – in the last eight races. It has also slipped back to fourth in the constructors’ championship and now runs the risk of falling to fifth, behind the resurgent McLaren squad, if it does not lift its performance over the rest of the year. Team principal Mike Krack is aware of the need for things to improve, as he acknowledged it would be bad for morale if the team ended the year on the back foot. Asked if it was critical Aston Martin did not see out 2023 drifting backwards, Krack said: “Yeah, I 100% agree. This is very important. It's a bit of the opposite of last year. “If you have a good start, and then others are overtaking … [Read more...] about Aston Martin admits it must turn around trend of F1 season
Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari
In the early phase of the season, the Mercedes would have the edge in races because its W14 car was much less harsh on its tyres than the Ferrari SF-23. However, as Ferrari has made gains in understanding why its 2023 challenger was so hard on its rubber early on, its race pace has improved dramatically. And with the two teams now locked in a fight for runners-up in the constructors' championship, the switch in car characteristic could prove critical as their fight plays out over the remaining six races of the campaign. At the recent Japanese Grand Prix, where tyre degradation was a critical factor in deciding the pace on Sunday, Ferrari showed how on top of things it was as Charles Leclerc finished ahead of the Mercedes lead car of Lewis Hamilton . This was a result that Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believed proved that Ferrari was no longer behind with its management of tyre degradation. Shovlin reckoned that Mercedes' lack of … [Read more...] about Mercedes fears it has lost race-day F1 tyre edge over Ferrari
FIA approves Andretti’s bid to enter team, F1 will “conduct our own assessment”
The FIA has formally confirmed it has approved a bid from Andretti Formula Racing to enter a team in the Formula 1 world championship. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In order to secure its place in the series, Andretti must now convinced Formula 1 Management to agree to expand the grid from 10 teams to 11. FOM swiftly issued a brief statement in response to the FIA’s announcement of Andretti’s approval. “We note the FIA’s conclusions in relation to the first and second phases of their process and will now conduct our own assessment of the merits of the remaining application,” it said. The FIA’s announcement concludes the application process it began in February . It said “numerous enquiries” were made in response to its initial call for expressions of interest, following which four progressed to the second phase of examination. Andretti’s rivals included Formula Equal , backed by former F1 team principal Craig Pollock, Formula 2 team Hitech GP, … [Read more...] about FIA approves Andretti’s bid to enter team, F1 will “conduct our own assessment”
Pollock confirms he is planning a return to F1 with new ‘equal-gender’ team
Former British American Racing Formula 1 team principal Craig Pollock has confirmed he plans to return to the sport with a new team in 2026. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Earlier this year the FIA opened applications for new teams to enter F1 in 2025, 2026 or 2027. Pollock plans to submit an application for his new project, named Formula Equal . He intends the team to include an even split between genders at all levels. “The concept and the idea was to try and build a F1 team, 50% male, 50% female, which is extremely hard to do if you have an existing F1 team,” he told CNN . “It’s a lot easier with a clean sheet of paper.” The FIA previously indicated it will confirm at the end of next month which if any prospective new F1 teams have been selected. Among the criteria they will be judged on is “considerations of sustainability, EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion), and societal benefit”. The backing for Pollock’s project is rumoured to come … [Read more...] about Pollock confirms he is planning a return to F1 with new ‘equal-gender’ team
2022 F1 driver rankings #5: George Russell
From the moment George Russell stepped into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and almost drove it to victory, his Mercedes future became inevitable. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Finally, in 2022, Russell received his highly-anticipated promotion into the factory Mercedes seat alongside one of the greatest drivers of all time. Now he could finally fight at the front and be in contention for poles, wins and possibly even a championship title. At least, that was how it was supposed to be. Even Russell had to admit that he expected to have more success than he and Mercedes were able to achieve over the start of the 2022 season. The team’s W13 was radical, rigid but not rapid. And as Russell prepared for his first weekend as a full-time Mercedes driver, he and the team knew they would likely not be fighting for the win, for the first time in almost a decade. Valtteri Bottas qualifying ninth in a Mercedes at Imola in 2021 after … [Read more...] about 2022 F1 driver rankings #5: George Russell