Sebastian vettel

Christian Horner has been speaking for the first time about the appointment of Fred Vasseur at Red Bull’s rival Ferrari. Vasseur made the swap from Sauber to Ferrari at the beginning of the year with the Frenchman charged with bringing the Italian outfit back to the top of the Championship. To do that, Ferrari must topple Horner’s Red Bull team meaning the two team principals could have more clashes in 2023 than in previous years. Horner, never one to miss an opportunity for a subtle dig, has been speaking about Vasseur’s move to Ferrari and pondered whether he would complain about the same things he did when he was at Sauber. “It has been interesting to watch the movement,” Horner told Motorsport Magazine . I have sympathy for Mattia, because ultimately he’d done a good job. Last year, that was a big step forward from where they had been, so that must be tough for him after such long service that he had given to Ferrari. PlanetF1 recommends Exclusive: F1 drivers … [Read more...] about Christian Horner intrigued to see if Fred Vasseur has same views at Ferrari as he did at Sauber

Max Verstappen may have been interviewed for the new series of Drive to Survive but is still wary as to how he will be portrayed. Although the Netflix series has drawn a huge new audience to the sport, frustrations with the way it portrays certain events have grown over the years. A particularly fabricated moment from the series, which premiered in 2019, was a perceived bad blood between team-mates Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris at McLaren when the reality was far from what was being shown. Two-time World Champion Max Verstappen has been the most vocal opponent of the show, going as far as refusing to be interviewed for the previous season which means his title-winning campaign of 2021 featured no words from the Dutchman himself, as he believed the series was “fake” and was unhappy with the way he was being portrayed. PlanetF1 recommends Exclusive: F1 drivers concerned about burnout over extended calendar Exclusive: General Motors confirm FIA entry bid, believe their … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen wary of Drive to Survive return: ‘I hope I will be happy after watching’

After months of speculation, Williams have confirmed a partnership with Gulf Oil and showcased their first car of the new partnership. The FW45, which aims to improve on last season’s P10 finish, is coloured in the traditional blue of Williams but fans may be a little disappointed to not see a more radical change. The iconic light blue and orange colour scheme of Gulf is on the 2023 challenger but, unlike McLaren in previous Monaco Grands Prix, Williams have only added subtle hints of the sponsor’s colour scheme. Instead, the car is predominantly in the Williams blue, a darker shade than that of Gulf, with a new design added to the wheel covers. The team remains in a sponsorship with Duracell and that has led to the engine cover picking up the colours of the famous battery company. The Gulf sponsorship meanwhile is on the rear wing as well as the nose with the light blue and orange tone also featured all around the car. PlanetF1 recommends … [Read more...] about Gallery: All the angles as Williams unveil Gulf-inspired FW45 car

Karun Chandhok believes it is Ford who have got the better deal after the American car manufacturer agreed an engine partnership with Red Bull. Following weeks of speculation, Red Bull confirmed they had partnered with Ford for their power unit department with the newly created subdivision being rebranded to Red Bull Ford Powertrains. Following Honda’s withdrawal for the sport at the end of 2021, although the Japanese manufacturer has since reversed that decision, Red Bull took the bold step of taking everything in house. They began constructing a new factory at their Milton Keynes base and in 2022, the RB18 was powered by Red Bull Powertrains. Although that fact comes with a pretty large asterisk as Honda were still on hand to provide assistance in 2022 with Christian Horner predicting it will not be until midway through 2023 that the first engine entirely built in Milton Keynes will be in a Red Bull car. Red Bull Powertrains will be one of the confirmed six power unit … [Read more...] about Karun Chandhok: Ford got the ‘best deal’ in what is basically a ‘badging exercise’

Alex Albon says that the drivers, Formula 1 and the FIA are at odds over freedom of expression, something which must be resolved. In recent years Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel had demonstrated how Formula 1 drivers can use their platform to speak out on issues of importance to them, while Formula 1 as a whole had committed to the ‘We Race as One’ initiative in support of equality. But a new FIA ruling threatens to put a stopper on drivers speaking out as now, all personnel at FIA-sanctioned events must obtain the governing body’s permission before making any religious or political statements. Albon said this feels like a U-turn on Formula 1’s ‘We Race as One’ stance, and now he wants clarity on what exactly is going on. “I think more than anything, it’s a bit of confusion,” the Williams driver told Sky Sports F1. “Because the way I see it personally is last year, we were focused on a We Race as One initiative and I think we’re doing a good job in addressing certain … [Read more...] about Alex Albon wants discussions over ‘confusing’ FIA political statement ban situation

In the F1 blogs this week grab yourself a complete back-catalogue of the free paddock magazine Red Bulletin in PDF format from the past three years. Just don’t try taking them into the McLaren pit … Plus an Australian F1 fan frustrated with the organisation of the Melbourne race, plenty of thoughts on testing and more. December 2007 huge magazine collection – This blog is offering free downloads of every issue of the Red Bulletin so far. Losing traction and getting sidetracked – An Australian F1 fans complains about the poor marketing of his country’s Grand Prix. Spanish press hail Alonso – Fernando Alonso’s return to Renault is hailed by his countrymen. McLaren to be sold… maybe – Veteran McLaren-watcher Alan Henry doesn’t think Mercedes is about to purchase the extra 11% of McLaren it required for a controlling interest in the company. Gordon Murray’s bright idea – F1 Insight’s Clive looks back at one of Brabham designer’s Gordon Murray’s radical F1 … [Read more...] about F1 blogs review: free Red Bulletin download · RaceFans

One lucky collector will get the chance to own a Championship-winning car as Mario Andretti’s Lotus 79 goes under the hammer. The 1978 challenger was the first car to take full advantage of ground effect aerodynamics and it proved to be hugely beneficial to both Lotus and Andretti’s Championship chances. In the first race in Argentina, Andretti pipped the Alfa Romeo of Niki Lauda to victory and although it would be five races before the American was back on the winner’s step, he then went on a run of form that saw him gain control of the Championship. Wins in Belgium, Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands contributed to a 64-point total, 13 more than team-mate Ronnie Peterson in second place. The Swede would die as a result of injuries caused by a crash at that year’s Italian Grand Prix. In doing so, Andretti became the second, and most recent, American winner of the Formula 1 World Championship, matching Phil Hill’s achievement of 1961. It was also the seventh and … [Read more...] about Mario Andretti’s Championship-winning Lotus 79 goes under the hammer