Schumacher onboard monaco

With more retirements than any other team, Fred Vasseur admits Alfa Romeo are leaking points they cannot afford to drop. Valtteri Bottas has failed to finish three grands prix this season, all the result of reliability issues, while his team-mate Zhou Guanyu is up to five, only one of which was a crash . From cooling problems to gearboxes to power loss to fuel system failures, the Alfa Romeo team-mates have recorded a range of reasons for their DNFs. Team boss Vasseur concedes that has cast a shadow over what he believes is progress from the Hinwil-based team. “I think we did a step forward,” Vasseur said as per Autosport. “We did a good step in terms of pure performance, due to the different factors. “As always, it’s never one thing. “I think the Ferrari engine did a step forward. We did the same job on the chassis side also. And I think that Valtteri and Zhou are performing. Altogether, it’s a good step. “Now, in terms of results, we had also some issues … [Read more...] about Reliability issues have cost Alfa Romeo a ‘fortune in terms of points’

Team boss Otmar Szafnauer has “absolutely no worries” about Fernando Alonso mentally checking out of Alpine before the end of the season. Alonso shocked many in the paddock when he announced, as he headed off for his summer break, he would be leaving the team to take Sebastian Vettel’s vacant seat at Aston Martin. His decision surprised Alpine too as the team thought they had been closing in on a one-year extension with the double former World Champion, Szafnauer previously revealing he had no warning. But despite the untimely announcement, at least on Alpine’s part, the team are confident Alonso will be fully committed through to his very last lap as an Alpine driver. “I have absolutely no worries about the rest of the season,” Szafnauer said, quoted by Autosport. “Our goals are pretty clear. We want to finish at least fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. I think third is a step too far. “ Fernando realises that too. He’s a professional. He’s a … [Read more...] about Otmar Szafnauer has ‘absolutely no worries’ about Fernando Alonso’s focus

The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has today approved the first draft of the new Formula 1 power unit regulations due to come into effect in 2026. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The 2026 F1 season will see the introduction of a new power unit formula – the first since the FIA introduced the current V6 turbo hybrid engines that are still in place today back in 2014. The revised power units will increase the electrical power generated by up to 50% over current levels, with the FIA claiming the power units will maintain “similar performance” to existing engines. The power unit introduced for the 2026 season will continue to use the current 1.6 litre V6 internal combustion engine, but with a decreased fuel flow limit that will produce around 400kW of power. The current MGU-H component of the hybrid system will be entirely removed, as expected, while the total power generated by the power unit’s energy recovery system (ERS) will increase to around 350kW. … [Read more...] about F1’s 2026 power unit regulations approved by FIA’s World Motor Sport Council · RaceFans

There’s always talk of which Formula 1 junior driver will be next in line for a promotion at their respective team, whether that be to a test, reverse or race driver role. And there is also plenty of attention drawn whenever juniors are dropped or part ways from their backers too. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Junior drivers don’t have to be realistic contenders for future F1 seats, they’re another tool in the marketing arsenal more than anything else (see Ferrari’s F1 struggles while their juniors swept everything before them). It’s only once you get to the highest level of junior single-seater racing when the expectation emerges to reward strong performances on track with F1 opportunities. Alpine have struggled in that regard with reigning Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri. His private F1 test programme initially happened only because a fellow junior driver’s finances enabled it, then his free practice debut was held back for so long that he’s now on his … [Read more...] about Academy outsiders – the best young drivers who lack F1 team backing · RaceFans

While the raw numbers show a wide gap between Zhou Guanyu – the only rookie on the grid this year – and team mate Valtteri Bottas, this is far from the whole story. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free While Zhou wasn’t able to match the one-lap pace of his considerably more experienced team mate at first, he’s shown improvements on Saturdays and his race day performances have been solid. Unfortunately, it’s his car which has proved the weak link. Zhou’s C42 let him down in Miami, Catalunya, Baku and Paul Ricard, giving him the worst retirement rate due to technical failures of all 20 drivers. His only other retirement came at Silverstone, in a spectacular and terrifying crash for which he was completely blameless. It was also unfortunately-timed, as it came after he achieved his best starting position to date and in the third consecutive race in which he out-qualified Bottas. He hasn’t been able to recapture that form since his shunt. Zhou vs Bottas … [Read more...] about Poor luck limiting Zhou’s points-scoring in his F1 debut so far · RaceFans

An 11th-hour change to the sporting regulations for the 2019 F1 season could see drivers score a point for setting the fastest lap during a race. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free RaceFans understands that due to the limited time available before the opening round, a proposal outlining the rationale for the change will be presented during tomorrow’s FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Geneva, with approval in principal for the change being sought. Should the WMSC be in favour, then a majority vote from F1’s Strategy Group and unanimous F1 Commission approval will be sought via e-votes before the WMSC is requested to rubber-stamp the regulation change. According to sources, research undertaken by F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media shows that fans favour such a change as it could potentially ‘spice up’ a race towards the end, particularly where front-runners have dropped out of contention. Awarding a point for pole position was also considered … [Read more...] about F1 bosses plan to award a point for fastest lap in 2019 · RaceFans

Guenther Steiner has revealed Haas hope to have new sponsors on board within the next couple of months. Haas have not had the best of luck with their title sponsors over the last few years, starting with the Rich Energy debacle in 2019. For 2021, they joined forces with Uralkali and as a result, took on the son of a key shareholder in that company, Nikita Mazepin, as a driver. But that partnership, on both counts, ended earlier this year as a direct consequence of the horrific events in eastern Europe. Maintaining a white livery nonetheless, Haas’ VF-22 cars have since been comparatively bare of sponsors’ branding alongside their rivals. The most obvious exception is 1&1, a German internet technology company who have a deal with driver Mick Schumacher and their blue logo appears both on team apparel and just above the number on the nose of the car. Steiner has previously said the team would take their time to ensure any future sponsorship agreements were the right … [Read more...] about Haas took a “kick in our nuts” over sponsorship, better news may be imminent