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In the time it has taken you to read this sentence, teams will already be close to changing an entire set of tyres on an F1 car. Formula 1 pit stops truly are a sight to behold. Some of the world’s best mechanics complete a highly orchestrated choreography that somehow sees 42kg of rubber lifted off and replaced with a fresh set within seconds. Such is the highly competitive nature of pit stops, something like three seconds can be seen as a slow stop and anything nearing 10 seconds is an unmitigated disaster. While such a small amount of time may not seem like a lot in the outside world, it is crucial in the world of F1 where races or positions can be won or lost by a matter of seconds. Quick pit stops are also key in ensuring you come out ahead of your rival, especially if you are going for an overcut. Red Bull have become the undisputed kings of the pit stop, recording the fastest every year since 2018 and also the fastest in history at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix when Max … [Read more...] about Fastest F1 pit stops: Red Bull top of the tree in Singapore in the pit lane

The Woking-based squad produced another strong podium finish in last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix , as Lando Norris came home in second place behind race winner Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari . The result was especially encouraging because it came at the high-downforce Marina Bay circuit that had not been expected to play to the strengths of its 2023 MCL60 package. But a raft of upgrades (analysed below) aimed at improving its low-speed performance appeared to pay off as the team continued to build up the strong progress it began at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With Norris himself admitting that there were still some inherent characteristics in the car that were not to his liking, team principal Andrea Stella has echoed suggestions that there is a lot more to do. “I think we have gained a good understanding of where the limitations in low speed are coming from,” he said. “They have to do with some mechanical aspects and some aerodynamic aspects. “On the … [Read more...] about McLaren not achieved even 50% of what it wants from MCL60 F1 car

Before we got here this week Yas Marina Circuit was hit by a powerful sandstorm, which bent the trees backwards and dumped tonnes of sand on the track. This being Abu Dhabi they have a machine for sucking up the sand, so the racing will not be affected. I've been at plenty of championship showdowns over the years. There is nothing like being here to look the contenders in the eye and see how they are coping with the pressure. There have been some stormy ones, I recall Jerez 1997 for example and ten years later the acrimony at McLaren in the final race. But today we had a phoney war between the contenders in the press conference. Perhaps it is because this is not a duel for the title, but a battle between four contenders (albeit one with a slim chance) it seems to diffuse the tension. None of the drivers was giving anything away. Webber was subdued, not about to hand any more hand grenade quotes to journalists. Vettel was relaxed and bouncy, he has nothing to lose and he's … [Read more...] about Phoney war between drivers during calm before storm in Abu Dhabi

The French duo have been evenly matched in their first season as team-mates at Alpine , but amid a season where the Enstone outfit expected to consolidate on its fourth-place finish in last year's constructors' championship. Gasly admitted the season had not lived up to expectations in that regard, and added that he was not able to feel entirely at ease with the overall balance of the car. Asked about which particular elements of the car he'd like to see improved and if Ocon had provided similar feedback, Gasly stated that the two had offered similar wishlists for next year's Alpine, except with regard to cockpit space. Expanding further, Gasly stated that he wished for a narrower cockpit to improve aerodynamic performance marginally, but Ocon's taller frame had necessitated more elbow room to drive comfortably. "We're kind of going in the same direction, apart from very long arms that he has! I'm requesting a tighter cockpit for obvious gains and he's not so keen," Gasly … [Read more...] about Gasly wants smaller cockpit on 2024 Alpine F1 car compared to “long arms” Ocon

Max Verstappen caused a sensation when Red Bull launched him into F1 at the age of 17 with just a year’s racing experience under his belt. While pundits and ex-drivers fumed at Red Bull’s plans to put someone so young in a racing car, the FIA hurriedly rewrote the rulebook to prevent it happening again . It’s therefore certain that, for the time being at least, no new driver will have a shorter route to F1 than Verstappen, nor claim their first points at a younger age than he did in Malaysia last week. Verstappen is the latest of F1’s second generation drivers, and was born not long after father Jos made his F1 breakthrough. Ironically, his father was also considered somewhat inexperienced when he made his debut for Benetton in the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix as a stand-in for JJ Lehto , aged 22 and with just 53 starts to his name. The older Verstappen continued in F1 driving for largely uncompetitive teams until the early 2000s. By the time he bowed out of F1 following a … [Read more...] about Max Verstappen’s Route to F1

Following an initial reveal for EA SPORTS WRC, further information has been revealed. Gameplay has been shown for the first time in a preview video hosted by World Rally Championship journalist Molly Petit – who it transpires will also be a voice within the title. It's previously been confirmed that it uses the Unreal Engine technology platform for the graphics paired with an evolution of DiRT Rally 2.0's physics for the car handling, plus the entire car list is now complete . But now we understand more about the included locations, driver assists and a first glance at the stages in use from a driver’s perspective. Stage design steals the show The main reason for using Unreal, as opposed to developer Codemasters’ proprietary Ego, is to create larger stages. The new game will feature over 600km of unique roads and more than 200 stages. In theory, the longest stages are significantly larger than forebearer DiRT Rally 2.0’s longest effort of ~13km, over double the length … [Read more...] about First EA SPORTS WRC gameplay showcases expansive locations

Andretti-Cadillac are reportedly the final remaining contender to join the Formula 1 grid, with governing body the FIA having thrown out three further applications. While existing teams are far from comfortable with the idea of a new outfit entering the equation, it is no surprise that interest is high for prospective teams with Formula 1 business booming to a level right now arguably never seen before. And it seems the FIA has now whittled down the contenders, with only one left standing. Andretti still in contention to join F1 grid With the FIA having launched an ‘Expressions of Interest’ process for new teams looking to join the grid, Motorsport-Total.com are reporting that now only one team is left standing, that being Andretti-Cadillac. Meanwhile LKYSUNZ, along with current junior category outfits Hitech and Rodin Carlin, are said to have failed to convince the FIA to take their applications any further. It is said that Southeast Asian team LKYSUNZ has submitted … [Read more...] about Andretti handed major FIA boost in battle to join F1 grid – report