December 1, 2024 · 8:11 am

Verstappen: Russell “got excited” in grid penalty incident

Verstappen and Russell have swapped pole position

Max Verstappen says that George Russell “got excited” during the qualifying incident that triggered a one-place grid penalty for the Red Bull driver and led to him losing pole.

Russell came across a slow-moving Verstappen as both drivers were on their prep laps prior to their final runs in Q3.

The Mercedes driver was obliged to run wide, and subsequently was not able to improve his time.

However the stewards investigated the incident and deemed that Verstappen was “driving unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances.”

“There were two cars in front of me also making a gap, so I had to make a gap,” said the Dutchman before the penalty was confirmed.

“And I knew that everyone was on a slow lap, not on a push lap. And then I think George got excited. He wanted to pass and get around. That’s fine. I mean, everyone, of course, tries to get their position to have the best possible start to the lap.”

The fact that Verstappen was in the fight for pole came as a surprise after his team had made significant set-up changes following the sprint.

“It couldn’t have been worse,” he said. “So we just looked at it. It’s not all super clear, but we’re like, well, we have to go and try this direction. We put it on the car and it worked. And of course a lot of people back at the factory analysing a lot of stuff already throughout the whole weekend.

“But at the end of the day you have to make the decisions also on track if you want to do it or not. Simulator is running in the background as well. And yeah, a miracle happened!”

Verstappen said consistency was the key to the improvement.

“Just felt a bit more hooked up on entry, mid-corner,” he said. “Like everything that was bad before improved quite a lot. So I felt it straight away from lap one that it all just felt a bit more consistent. And that’s exactly what we needed to be a bit more competitive.
 
“I think from the first lap in Q1, it felt a lot more promising, but then to get the tyres in the right window is very tough. So then it went away a little bit, then it came back again. And then, yeah, luckily for Q3, I think it was there. And yeah, very happy with how we turned it around.”

He added: “I felt confident in the car, so I was pushing it,” he said. “And honestly, the whole lap was hundredths here, then two hundredths and then the last corner a little bit. It was not a lot compared to the previous lap, but it was just everywhere a little bit better.

“Of course, naturally there is a little bit less feel in the car because I only did one run. That helps. So yeah, it was all pretty close, but it felt just a lot more connected for me.

“And that was definitely necessary. And then you can attack the corners a bit more. And that gave us pole position.”

Regarding prospects for the race he said: “It’s still a bit of a question mark. I did feel that yesterday we were not too far off in qualifying, and then I felt like we were quite far off in the Sprint.

“So this is great, to be on pole, but I’m not sure yet if it’s going to be enough to really be the outright fastest, but we’ll find out tomorrow.”

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December 1, 2024 · 7:42 am

Russell: No surprise that Mercedes W15 is fast in Qatar

Qatar is another perfect storm for Mercedes

George Russell says it’s not a surprise that his Mercedes Formula 1 team is fast in Qatar given the smooth nature of the track.

Russell initially qualified second, having gone wide when he came across a slow moving Max Verstappen just before he started his lap.

Having earned pole the Dutchman was later given a one-place penalty for moving unnecessarily slowly, thus swapping the positions of the two front row men, and giving Russell his fourth top spot of the season.

Speaking before that decision was made Russell suggested that the Verstappen incident had prevented him from earning pole on merit.

“To be honest, my first lap was really strong,” he said. “I was really pleased with that. I think it was a couple of tenths clear. And then I just didn’t improve on that last lap.

“Obviously, I had a really scrappy out lap with the near collision with Max, and I ended up going through the gravel two corners prior to opening my lap. So it was not a good start. So that was probably the 55 milliseconds.

“It’s great to be in this groove at the moment, four front row starts in a row, which has been really pleasing considering where we were three or four races ago.

“And the race pace this morning looked great. So Max did a great job. Red Bull seemed to turn it around a little bit since yesterday, but let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
 
Russell had a clear idea why Mercedes has been so fast recently.

“Well, I think these last two races, the circuits have played in our favour,” he said. “We know when we can get the car low and stiff on a smooth track, it works pretty well.

“Brazil, we didn’t actually have the pace. We were very slow in the sprint, in the sprint qualifying, but of course it was a wet qualifying on the Sunday morning, so that evened things out a little bit.

“So I think we flattered ourself a bit in Brazil, but these last two races, when we really, analyse it. I don’t think it’s a surprise the car is performing as well as it has shown.”

Regarding the race he said: “I think it’s going to be a really close fight between all four teams. Ferrari looked on the same pace as Lando and myself this morning. I hope it’s going to be a good one, but the tyres seem pretty resilient. Maybe we’ll see another DRS train, I don’t know.”

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November 30, 2024 · 4:19 pm

Norris “made up my mind in Brazil” to repay Piastri with sprint win

Norris helped his team mate out in the Qatar sprint

Lando Norris says he made up his mind in Brazil to pay back McLaren Formula 1 team mate Oscar Piastri for his help by handing him a sprint win should circumstances arise.

Race leader Norris moved over coming out of the final corner of Saturday’s sprint in Qatar and gave the win to the Australian, while successfully keeping George Russell in third.

Piastri had let Norris past at Interlagos when the latter was still in the hunt for the World Championship.

However with Max Verstappen confirmed as champion in Las Vegas Norris was able to sacrifice a victory and a point in Qatar without worrying too much.

“I made my mind up in Brazil when it happened,” he said. “So it’s a sprint, I only care so much more about the Grands Prix, as does everyone. After that happened in Brazil, I made my mind up that I needed to do something to give it back.”

Norris said that the wider McLaren team wasn’t aware of what he planned to do.

“No, it wasn’t something that was really discussed,” he said. “I didn’t have to do it, if I didn’t want to. I told my engineer that I would do it. So he was the main one that probably knew about it, and I told him before the race, if we have a bit of a gap and we’re first and second, then I would try and do it.

“So he knew, and he was telling me not to do it, because I think the gap was to George was probably a bit too fine for their liking. But Oscar did his part in trying to help me win and win, or help me get closer to Max in the championship, and give that opportunity a go.

“I deserve that right to have a chance, and that’s how we have to work as a team when one of us has that opportunity, and I returned the favour today.

“I don’t think any of us are proud of necessarily winning a sprint race, or we’re also not too unhappy on giving up a sprint race win, but we work together well as a team, and I think that’s probably one of our biggest strengths.

“So for everyone is how well we work together. I don’t think any other team would do such a thing and help each other as much as we’ve done this year for one another. And yeah, it’s our strength, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Norris tried to help Piastri pass Russell at the start of the race, and later he let Piastri have DRS in order to stay clear of the Mercedes driver.

“Having clean air is a beautiful thing,” he said. “So I could control things quite a lot, and I did as much as I could to help Oscar. I knew George was going to be quick this race. I tried, in Turn 1 already, to stay quite tight. I knew George was on the inside. So instead of running wide and giving Oscar the dirty air I tried to stay tight and give George the dirty air. So that seemed to work.

“And then we got a one-two from there, which was lovely. I think I could build a gap, probably not a big gap, but I could slowly make some progress. But George was still very fast in the middle part of the race and towards the end.

“So I backed off a few times to try and get Oscar the DRS again, because our target was to finish one-two today, and that’s exactly what we did.”

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November 30, 2024 · 9:41 am

Connelly: “No finger pointing” at F1 driving guidelines meeting

Connelly says that the meeting with the drivers was positive

Chairman of the FIA F1 stewards Garry Connelly says that there was “no finger pointing” in Thursday evening’s meeting at Qatar to discuss the Driving Standard Guidelines and overtaking.

The drivers met with Connelly and other key FIA personnel to discuss ways of improving the guidelines following recent controversies.

The drivers were keen to point out that circuit layouts and the availability of run-off areas are a key issue.

“The meeting was the most productive one we’ve [ever] attended,” said Connelly in a lengthy statement on the FIA website. “The drivers were fantastic with their input. Very constructive. There was not one negative comment. There was no finger pointing.

“It was very inspiring to see the world’s best drivers, communicating clearly and speaking constructively on how we can improve the Driving Standard Guidelines to the benefit of the drivers and to make all of our jobs easier.

“As stewards, we are not here to inflict pain on drivers. We’re here to provide a level playing field. It’s not us against the drivers, it’s the drivers against the drivers and we’re here to make sure everyone gets a fair go.

“We have an open door policy. The door to the stewards’ room is always open to any driver who wants to come up and talk to us about a decision that’s been taken either in relation to them or in relation to any other driver. We think Thursday’s meeting emphasised that open door policy.”

Connelly stressed that the Qatar meeting was not a one-off, and rather part of an ongoing process.

“The Driving Standard Guidelines are a living document, so every year, as the F1 stewards we try to meet with the drivers, sporting directors and FIA representatives, to see if we need to tweak the guidelines to use the experience of the last 12 months and see what improvements we can make to ensure consistency. The goal of the guidelines is consistency.

“As stewards, if drivers and teams and the FIA agree that they want rules or guidelines to allow more aggressive driving, we’ll apply those rules or guidelines. Likewise, if they want stricter driving standards, we’ll apply those.”

FIA’s single-seater sporting director Tim Malyon, who has played a key role working with race director Niels Wittich and his replacement Rui Marques, agreed that the Qatar gathering was a positive one.

“We will always try and facilitate such meetings,” said Malyon. “Because gaining the feedback, the insight of the drivers, is extremely important in allowing us to evolve the guidelines in the right direction.

“We’ve had some very constructive driver meetings at the last few races, and this was a specific meeting set up to provide the space for that dialogue to continue, so that we can have the open exchange that we need with the drivers in order to be able to evolve the guidelines for next year

“We typically hold a meeting like that at least once a year, sometimes twice a year, depending on the topics that arise. This year we’ve timed this meeting following the constructive discussions in Mexico and Austin.”

Malyon also addressed the drivers’ concerns about run-off areas.

“As the FIA, we work continuously with circuits to evolve in many ways,” he said. “Obviously, we are working on the safety aspect of circuits. But what that meeting highlighted is that there are a number of considerations on the sporting side, which we can prioritise for circuits going forward.

“As we have done this year, we introduced the gravel traps, starting in Austria, and obviously, with this weekend being perhaps the most obvious with gravel traps added in a in a number of places.

“We continue to work with circuits on all topics, but it was very useful in yesterday’s meeting to get the insight of the drivers and see how they prioritise the gravel trap concept, not only for track limits, but also for managing some of the situations that have arisen with overtaking during the course of the last four or five races.

“In all, there was a commitment to work together to find solutions that work for everyone.”

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November 30, 2024 · 9:27 am

Sanchez: Alpine F1 upgrade performance “a nice surprise”

Alpine has been a regular Q3 contender in recent races

Alpine executive technical director David Sanchez admits that the team’s recent jump up the grid after a series of upgrades has been “a nice surprise.”

Sanchez says the team knew that it was improving the car but didn’t know how successfully the changes would move the cars up the order.

The car has been well inside the top 10 in qualifying in several recent races, with a high of P3 for Pierre Gasly in Las Vegas, and Esteban Ocon earning P4 in the wet in Brazil.

The car’s inherent pace also helped the team to take advantage of the tricky conditions at Interlagos to secure a double podium finish.

Asked by this if the car’s form was a surprise Sanchez admitted that

“Yes and no,” he said. “No, because the package we brought to Austin, we had our simulations before, we knew the sort of performance we wanted to see, and we saw all of it, nothing more, nothing less.

“We were quite happy. Then the interesting point which we asked ourselves beforehand was, if we deliver the performance, where does that bring us? And this was the nice surprise, that that performance clearly lifted us in a decent place.”

Crucially the recent changes have made the car easier to drive as well as faster.

“That’s something we’re trying to do,” said Sanchez. “The car became a little nicer to drive with the upgrade. It’s true, whenever you keep adding more and more downforce, at some point you have to ask the question, is it too much?

“Are we making it too peaky? But for now, let’s say the upgrade has improved drivability, and driveability is indeed one of our objectives for our development.”

Sanchez agreed that the improved form has been a boost for the team after a difficult start to the 2024 season.

“For everyone at the factory, it’s been quite satisfying, because this year we’ve seen a few hits and misses from a few teams in terms of upgrades,” he said.

“We had our question marks, and seeing everything translating well on the track, understanding why, and being confident about the direction, was good.”

He added: “It’s been a big boost. I have to say, there’s a good buzz in the office since the last few races, mostly because, after the start of the season, a difficult start, lots of questions to answer about why and what happened then?

“Then across the summer, everyone worked really, really hard to deliver that package, let’s say, between Singapore and today, pretty much a brand new car.

“There was a lot of belief that this upgrade was going to lift our performance, and it did. And everyone is finding a lot of motivation into it.”

The team now has a good direction for the 2025 car.

“That’s what we hope,” he said. “We don’t want to be overconfident, but so far, it’s given us quite a bit of confidence.

“Understanding the struggles and picking the right direction was key. Now it’s a matter of continuing.

“We have a new front wing and a new nose for this weekend, which should be another step in the right direction, preparing us for next year.”

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November 30, 2024 · 9:06 am

F2 star Aron lands Alpine reserve role for 2025

Briatore and Oakes have signed up Aron

Alpine has confirmed that FIA F2 frontrunner Paul Aron will be its reserve driver in 2025, replacing the promoted Jack Doohan.

The 20-year-old Estonian currently races for the Hitech team run by Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes.

Aron, who was a Mercedes junior from 2019 until 2023, lies fourth in the F2 standings heading into the final rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

He finished third in the FIA F3 Championship for Prema in 2023, behind Gabriel Bortoleto and Zak O’Sullivan, and just ahead of Franco Colapinto.

“There is a generational shift in F1 at the moment, as we see with many young drivers coming into the sport and making an impact,” said Alpine’s Flavio Briatore. “We believe Paul is one of the best talents and we look forward to developing him into an F1 driver.”

“It’s incredibly special to be joining BWT Alpine F1 Team,” said Aron. “It is clear that this is a great place to be for any young driver and I’m really pleased that Flavio and Oliver have given me this opportunity.

“Before 2025 and the hard work that will come with being the team’s reserve driver, I have a championship to focus on for the remainder of this year and I will be giving it my all to compete for the title. I’m looking forward to really beginning the work and continuing my career pathway in motorsport.”

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November 29, 2024 · 4:31 pm

Aston Martin: Teams have to “trust F1” on Cadillac entry compensation

The renamed Cadillac team will have to pay a hefty dilution fee

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack says that the current teams have to “trust F1” to come up with the right financial package to reflect the arrival of the Cadillac entry in 2026.

Under the current Concorde Agreement a new team was obliged to pay a dilution fee of $200m to compensate the incumbent competitors for the potential loss of prize money over the course of that agreement.

The Andretti team won an entry bid to start in 2025-’27, and having missed the first date the renamed Cadillac outfit will start racing under a new Concorde Agreement in 2026.

The complication is that it is going through the entry process with the current Concorde in place, and the new one yet to be agreed by all the stakeholders.

However sources have indicated that while the current Concorde is theoretically in force the new team will pay a renegotiated fee, rather than the $200m.

A figure as high as $600m was mentioned as appropriate by some teams earlier this year. Some reports have suggested that $450m has been agreed between F1 and General Motors, which would give each current team a $45m bonus.

Krack indicated that the current teams do not know how much of a windfall they can now expect.

“Well, this came a little bit by surprise, or came a little bit unexpected,” he said when asked by this writer about 11th team entry and the dilution fee.

“And I do not have so much information about it, to be honest, so I think we have to trust F1 there, FIA, how this is going to go.

“I don’t know about what payments are being made, or have to be made. I think this will have to be defined going forward. So, yeah, I can’t say much, except that we will have to trust F1 that this is going the way it should go.”

Williams boss James Vowles, who has previously expressed concerns about how much current teams will lose out, also said that he’s relying on the F1 organisation.

“I think first of all it’s a sign of how well the sport is doing that we have a major OEM like GM joining us,” he said.

“I think it’s just a sign of the growth, a sign of where F1 is going. I don’t think there’s actually any defined amount of dilution fee. I think that’s a part of the ’26 Concorde, which hasn’t been ratified at this point.

“What I’ve said all the way through is it will have financial loss for existing teams. What we have to do now is grow the sport sufficiently, and FOM need to be aware of that in order to make things good for everyone.”

He added: “This will have a large financial impact on the existing teams, but F1 are aware, and it’s down to them to put forward a correct proposal.”

VCARB team principal Laurent Mekies indicated that there was a bigger picture in that all teams could potentially have a slice of a larger pie that GM can help to grow.

“I think all together it’s a fantastic sign for the sport,” he said. “It’s going to be pretty much all car manufacturers, probably, except for Williams and us. Even Haas is also linked to a car manufacturer now.

“So it’s a battle of giants, and it’s another sign that the sport is going towards the direction of a battle of giants.

“And the details of the financials, they are still under discussions, and hopefully they become small in the big pictures of where the sport can go for its next level.”

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November 29, 2024 · 2:36 pm

Audi confirms Qatari investment in F1 team

The team now known as Sauber has new Qatari investment

Audi has formally confirmed that the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar has acquired a “significant minority stake” in its Formula 1 team, which is currently still running under the Sauber name.

The Qatar Investment Authority has a wide range interests around the globe, and it has owned a chunk of the VW Group since 2009.

The deal ensures that Audi no longer has full responsibility for funding the entire operation. Audi says: “QIA’s investment will provide a substantial capital injection and pave the way for increasing infrastructure and team buildout, positioning the team for long-term success in Formula 1. The investment is consistent with QIA’s focus on investments with long-term growth potential.”

The new arrangement mirrors that at the works Mercedes team, where only a third of the team is owned by Stuttgart, and the rest by Ineos and Toto Wolff.

“The investment by QIA reflects the trust and confidence the Audi F1 Project has already garnered, underscoring unwavering commitment of Audi to the initiative,” said Gernot Döllner, CEO of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG.

“This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy. QIA’s involvement further energizes the dedicated efforts at both the Hinwil and Neuburg facilities as they work towards the entry of Audi in 2026.”

QIA’s CEO Mohammed Al-Sowaidi added: “Audi is a premium partner of choice with a rich motorsport legacy. As a long-standing investor in the Volkswagen Group, we believe in Audi’s vision and direction when entering Formula 1 and our investment will support the realization of this goal.

“QIA believes that Formula 1 is a sport with significant untapped investment potential. The increasing commercialisation of professional sports as an entertainment offering globally, and the increasingly global popularity of Formula 1, has made for an exciting opportunity for our first major motorsports investment.”

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November 29, 2024 · 1:19 pm

Sainz: Ferrari has “turned the page” on Las Vegas frustrations

Sainz says all is well at Ferrari after the troubled Vegas race

Carlos Sainz insists that he and Charles Leclerc and the rest of the Ferrari team have “turned the page” on a frustrating Las Vegas GP.

The team had a messy race as the two drivers swapped positions several times and Leclerc was left furious by the end of the race after Sainz finished in front.

There were also communication issues that led to Sainz losing time when asked to stay out just as he was heading for the pitlane.

The Spaniard insists that everything has now been resolved.

“No one was happy with the outcome of that race,” said Sainz. “I think that one of the predominant reasons is that we were just not fast enough to win that race. And we thought before Saturday, that we could actually win it, and probably all that disappointment or that frustration started to build through the race, and we didn’t execute our best weekend.

“At the same time, even without having executed our best race, we couldn’t have finished better than third and fourth, and we still finish third and fourth, and we can put that behind us.

“We’ve learned our lessons. We’ve learned that there were mistakes done all around. We had our discussions, internal discussions, and we managed to do a good job to conclude and to turn the page, which I think is always important.”

Sainz says its inevitable that there are regular issues with Leclerc, but they always get resolved.

“It always happens with us,” he said. “We go through some misunderstandings that in the heat of the moment, we obviously are quite vocal about, and we feel very frustrated about.

“And after a couple of days have gone by, and you can see everything with a bit more perspective, relativise everything a bit more and give yourself a bit of time to analyse things and to conclude what happens, and you realise when you talk through things, you can actually understand them, and put them behind, and that’s the exercise that we’ve been having to do for four years.

“Because we’re always sharing the same piece of tarmac and we’re always fighting each other on track because we’re driving the same car, and we are equally on pace, and we’ve gone through this so often that we know how to talk and then move on from it.”

Sainz insisted that his friendship with Leclerc is genuine.

“I keep seeing sometimes in social media that people believe it’s not true, and it’s all PR,” he said. “And then, honestly, it disappoints me, because people cannot sometimes understand that we have a professional relationship, and in that professional relationship, we go through ups and downs, and as competitive as we are, we always going to have some issues on track.

“Because again, if he would be P1 and I would be P8 or vice versa, we would never have issues. But unfortunately, or let’s say fortunately, for the team, we’re always in the same point at the track and we’re having our little issues here and there.

“But then we also have a personal relationship, and as much as the professional one goes through ups and downs, the personal one, I can tell you, it’s always been really, really good.

“It’s one of those guys that I know in the future, when I’m not in F1, I’ll look back and say, I’m glad I met him, and I’m glad I raced with him, and I’m glad I can have a lot of good memories with him.

“And in these four years in Ferrari, I’ve enjoyed every single moment with him, even the tough ones, as much as they’ve been tough. I’m pretty sure in 20-30, years, I’ll laugh about them, and look back with being proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

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November 29, 2024 · 10:22 am

Williams splits FW46 suspension specs due to crash damage

Colapinto has gone back to the old suspension spec

The recent run of major crashes has led the Williams Formula 1 team to split the specification of its cars for the Qatar GP, with Franco Colapinto obliged to run an earlier version.

The team introduced a front suspension upgrade at the Singapore GP, along with associated brake ducts.

After Colapinto’s heavy qualifying crash in Las Vegas he reverted to the older brake ducts as part of the effort to build up the spare car for his pitlane start.

In the wake of six major crashes for Alex Albon and Colapinto across the Mexican, Brazil and Las Vegas weekends the team does not have enough examples of the revised front suspension to provide both drivers with a raceable set and a spare.

It was thus decided that for Qatar Albon should stick with the Singapore suspension upgrade while Colapinto goes back to the previous version in order to ensure that both drivers have a back-up should they have another accident.

It’s understood that the older spec leaves Colapinto at a 2.5kgs disadvantage to his team mate.

“My car is not going to be in the last spec,” he said when asked by this writer about prospects for the Qatar weekend. “So that’s already a point where you don’t want to start like that already the weekend, but it’s part of it.

“So you’re going have to live with that, the old upgrades in the car. We are going to see how it goes. We’re going try to understand quickly the car, what it does, what we need from this different suspension, and we’re going to try to maximise what we have.”

Expanding on the changes for Qatar he said: “There aren’t enough parts. So it’s part of the crashes we’ve been having the last two races.

“We are changing the suspension, the front suspension is different. So that’s the old spec, and some other things. But that’s what it is, and we have to deal with that, and try to our best to maximise the car.”

Meanwhile Albon conceded that 2024 has been a difficult season for the team.

“I think it’s a known story now,” said the Thai/British driver. “The car wasn’t on weight and we were on the back foot from the beginning, and then we missed out on capitalising when we should have.

“Teams like Alpine, they’re on their third, fourth upgrade now. We did one major one, I would say, this year, and let’s say where we are now is kind of expected in terms of pace. but I think we’ve just missed out a little bit.

“All for good reasons, though. I really think that a lot of the reasons why we’ve been on the back foot is just because we’ve made so many big changes back at Grove, which are going to help us definitely in the future, but possibly a little bit of short-term pain for now.”

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