Tag Archives: formula-1

May 14, 2024 · 8:15 pm

Liberty boss believes “goodwill” of F1 teams will ease Concorde negotiations

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei believes that the goodwill of Formula 1 teams will make for “easier” Concorde Agreement negotiations ahead of a new deal for 2026.

The current Concorde, which runs to the end of 2025, was negotiated during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by then F1 boss Chase Carey.

Since then the teams have boosted their incomes as the sport has expanded, and their earnings from F1’s overall revenue have increased.

Maffei believes that the financial health of the teams in the Liberty era will encourage them to be co-operative as the new Concorde is discussed with Stefano Domenicali.

“We’ve just sent out the new draft of our proposed Concorde Agreement,” said Maffei. “There’s been some discussion with some teams about it, and where it will go. And so we have reason to think it should be relatively easier.

“I’m sure there are teams who will want more money than we want to give them. There’s always that tension.

“But I do believe the goodwill that we have created, and the general fact that they’re all not only making more money remember off of F1, but also their own sponsorship deals have been tremendously stronger – go look at the success of sponsorship at Red Bull, McLaren, even Ferrari now, with their new HP deal.

“The teams are doing very well to where they were before we got involved. So I think that hopefully that goodwill carries forward.”

Maffei made a comparison with the philosophy espoused by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who spoke to the teams at last year’s Canadian GP.

He told them that a sports league and its participants both benefit from working together.

“Prior management, before Liberty, went out of their way to basically have the teams kind of screw each other,” said Maffei. “That was the whole attitude.

“And we’ve tried to take more of the – and full credit to Roger Goodell – fight on Sunday, but on Monday, we’re all together, this is one league, and we do better if we rise together. And I really do think there’s much more of that attitude.

“That doesn’t mean there’s lessened competition. But I think the teams appreciate that Liberty is playing the long game and trying to grow the sport, because that’s how we all profit.

“So in general, the sentiment around the teams towards Formula One Management is very good. And very positive.”

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May 14, 2024 · 5:17 pm

Wolff: Mercedes W15 updates can’t be rushed

Toto Wolff says that further W15 updates are on the way – but they can’t be rushed

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff is adamant that the team knows how to improve the difficult W15 and is waiting for parts to come through the system.

The team currently lies fourth in the World Championship having scored just 64 points thus far this season.

Early optimism about the potential of the W15 quickly evaporated, and as in 2022 and 2023 the team has faced a huge challenge as it attempts to improve a tricky car.

“I think we understand much more what is needed to get the car in a better space, because it’s so clear now what it does, and why we struggle, and where we struggle,” said Wolff.

“The design offices is all in, the production and operations are flat out, the race team has been doing a good job. So all of the factory is really sixth gear in order to bring stuff to the car that we believe can be very helpful.

“I think we know what we do, and in terms of what we’re bringing to the car, you can’t really rush it, because you’ve got to develop to the point where you say now it’s good to be released into production.

“And once that part comes, or once these bits come, they need to be solid. So this is a matter of many weeks.”

Wolff reiterated that low-speed performance remains a key weakness of the W15.

“I think the car is not bouncing anymore, which is good, it was really bad the last few years [in Miami],” he said.  “The car is very strong in high-speed, the ride has been better, although not on the level of the other ones.

“The car just doesn’t turn in low-speed, and you don’t want to have a car that is either good in low-speed or in high-speed, you need the two of them, and that’s why it points in points us in some of the right directions.

“It’s been a painful learning curve, and it’s still not satisfactory, but the situation is more encouraging now.”

Wolff noted that there was some good news in Miami, although he wasn’t happy with the overall outcome. 

“In terms of the positives for the team, we were quicker than [Sergio] Perez at the end on the same tyre, probably quicker than the bunch ahead, but they were on the hards, so you need to see that in a relative way. On the hard, we struggled a lot.

“I wasn’t happy on Friday at all and with the sprint race, and then we put in some solid work, very structured, for the Grand Prix qualifying, accepting that this is the base level at the moment, and then just carrying it over into the race.

“And finishing sixth and eighth is not something to be proud of. But it’s a step in the right direction.”

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May 14, 2024 · 1:16 pm

Stella: Piastri “in a strong place” after Miami

He didn’t win the race but Oscar Piastri impressed McLaren in Miami

McLaren Formula 1 boss Andrea Stella says that Oscar Piastri is “in a strong place” after the Miami GP despite his performance being overshadowed by the victory of team mate Lando Norris.

Piastri went into the weekend with what Stella described as “50%” of the upgrade package that Norris has on his car,

While the Australian had the new front wing and revised suspension, he didn’t have the floor and sidepods that were used by his team mate to such good effect.

After running second in the early stages and briefly leading the race after Max Verstappen pitted Piastri’s Miami race was ruined by contact with Carlos Sainz that damaged his front wing. He finished outside the points.

“I think Oscar comes out of this weekend even more conscious of his strengths as a driver,” said the Italian.

“We sort of knew already how fast he is on a single lap. Consider that he didn’t have the full package. And let me pay proper credit to Oscar, the gap he had to Lando during qualifying is smaller than the difference of the package he had.

“So he was really pulling off a strong performance over a single lap in very difficult conditions, like all drivers said with the soft tyres.

“His performance in the race was again very strong. Lando said something really nice, he said, by looking at Oscar overtaking a Ferrari, he got like, ‘Wow, we are actually there today.’

“So it was a realisation for Lando himself. And Oscar could keep a strong pace in the first stint.

“I think he comes away from this weekend with these sort of convictions, which, especially in terms of race pace, is something that we wanted to improve, having looked at Japan, having looked at China. So for me, he is in a very strong place.”

In addition Stella praised Piastri’s reaction after learning that he wouldn’t have the full update package in Miami.

“He also comes off this race having proven once again how strong a team player is,” he said. “Because clearly when I told him, ‘Oscar, we’re going to give the sidepods and the floor to Lando,’ he wasn’t the happiest in the bottom of his heart.

“But at no point he made this decision difficult. At no point he said, ‘But why?’ He understood the reasoning, and he was immediately supportive, like all the entourage around Oscar.

“So I think he comes away with a lot of positives. And the fact that it was the collision with Carlos actually, I think that he was a little late in braking, he had a bit of an overseer, contact with Oscar, but I think that was a really racing incident, and it doesn’t detract anything of the weekend that Oscar has been able to pull off.”

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May 14, 2024 · 10:08 am

Gasly: Alpine F1 upgrades allow drivers to be “more pushy”

Pierre Gasly says that Alpine Formula 1 team’s latest upgrade package allows its drivers to be a “more pushy” as they fight in the midfield pack.

The new parts were used by Esteban Ocon in China before Gasly received them in Miami, where the A524s finished 10th and 12th, with Ocon logging the team’s first point of the season.

As well as aero benefits the package created a valuable weight saving, the cars having been over the limit since the start of the season.

“I think weight is true lap time, you can quantify like roughly 10 kilos is three-tenths per lap,” said Gasly. “So it’s quite easy to quantify. But then even when you’re talking about a few kilos over a full race distance in terms of energy you put in the tyre, it does affect it.

“So it helps you in performance, degradation, all around. In terms of car balance, not a huge difference. You see with the floor, it’s a bit more downforce as well.

“It’s just like a tiny bit, but at the moment in that midfield just a tiny bit allows us to race a bit more, be a bit more pushy sometimes, be able to overtake or defend.

“And I think that was the whole point of the race. We had some great battles, I managed to even pass [Fernando] Alonso at some point when I didn’t really expect to fight with him. We just seem to be a bit more in the mix.”

Gasly conceded that Ocon’s point was a boost for the whole team.

“I think we are just showing we’re making a lot of progress,” he said. “Very positive for the team to open the account and get a get a point out of that race. The whole weekend was positive, I finished ninth in the sprint, as well.

“So yeah, a lot of positives, and great motivation for the guys now, I hope we can keep pushing that direction, and hopefully things can start coming a bit more our way on our side of the garage.”

He added: “We keep trying things, and it feels like at the moment the car is not really quite giving me the stuff that I like. But we’re slowly getting in the right direction. So yeah, it’s slowly coming, but hopefully we can see us fighting for top 10s a bit more consistently now.”

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May 9, 2024 · 2:39 pm

Piastri: McLaren’s Miami F1 race form was “unexpected”

Oscar Piastri showed great pace in Miami before his race “unravelled”

Oscar Piastri admits that his McLaren Formula 1 team’s impressive pace in the Miami GP was “unexpected” after the cars showed mixed form over the previous two days.

While team mate and race winner Lando Norris had the full update package Piastri had what Andrea Stella called only 50% of it, and was notably missing the revised floor and sidepods.

Despite not having all of the new kit Piastri ran third in the early laps of the race after jumping up from sixth on the grid, before passing Charles Leclerc for second.

However his afternoon was spoiled when he was hit by Carlos Sainz while battling with the Ferrari driver, and he had to pit for a new front wing. He eventually finished 13th.

“I think in these conditions on this track, the pace we had today was unexpected,” he said when asked by this writer about the value of the upgrades.

“I think we don’t fully understand why, we were a bit up and down on different days. But I think the fact that we can win a race on pace is a very, very encouraging sign for the rest of the year.”

Although obviously disappointed by the outcome of his own race Piastri was encouraged by Norris’s win.

“I think definitely a lot of positives to come from today,” he said. “I think, for both of us the car was really strong. I think for Lando to win the race on pace, and to pull away from Max [Verstappen] after the safety car, I think that’s a very, very encouraging sign.

“So very happy for him, and for the whole team. I think we deserve it. Our trajectory in the last 12 months has been towards this moment. And yeah, also for Lando, I think it’s been a long time coming. So I’m happy for him.”

Regarding his own race he noted: “I was happy with the start. And then the fact that I could get past Leclerc as well was unexpected coming into the race.

“So from that point, I was quite happy and was reasonably comfortable with him behind me there. Just the timing of the safety car wasn’t ideal, and it unravelled from there.”

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May 9, 2024 · 12:31 pm

Domenicali: F1 will announce “attractive” new venues

Domenicali says that further “attractive” venues will join the likes of Miami

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says that the organisation will announce “some new venues that could be very attractive” in the next couple of years.

F1 continues to insist that the schedule will not increase from the current 24 races, which means that established races will have to make way to allow new venues in.

While many promoters have been signing long term deals that go beyond 2030 some events, mainly in Europe, still have shorter contracts.

Thailand is the countries that has emerged as a potential future F1 host.

“In the course of the last few years, because of the strong demand of our product, and because of the standard we are asking to work with our promoters, we have seen everything going up in terms of quality of demand, of course economical input for both the promoter and our side,” said Domenicali.

“And the strong demand we are receiving just shows really the strategy is right. Now the point is to keep the balance between the different counties that are requesting the different Grands Prix.”

He added: “Race promotion, before COVID, everyone was worried about the fact in terms of revenue stream, this could have been a very flat line. 

“And actually, the fact that we have a lot of demand, of course, is pushing up also the possibility of maximising in the best way that we can the race promotion fees.

“But it has to be connected to our strategic development in different markets. So everything is progressing very, very well. And I would say in the next couple of years, I’m expecting to see – and we are expected to announce – also some new venues that could be very attractive to grow the business of F1.”

Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei admitted that strong demand from competing venues allows F1 to generate more income from race hosting fees.

“I think for a long time it was perceived that the growth and promotion would come from incremental races,” said Maffei. “And we obviously went from 18 or something to up to this 24 level, which is where we do not anticipate growing any more races.

“But it actually creates a great incentive, scarcity, to be able to play promoters off against each other and not to try to, not take advantage of them, but just given the amount of demand we have both among fans to attend and among promoters to host an event, we’ve been able to find attractive pricing and good uplifts.

“And we continue to find new venues and new locations which find it very attractive, given the amount of demand we have and given the opportunities they’ve seen others pursue. So far, so good on promotion, and I do think it continues to remain a growth area.”

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May 8, 2024 · 7:09 pm

Alonso: “Nice kid” Norris deserved Miami debut F1 win

Fernando Alonso says that “nice kid” Lando Norris deserved his debut Formula 1 win in Miami, especially after logging a string of podium finishes.

Alonso got to know Norris when the Englishman was a McLaren junior, and especially when he ran some Friday FP1 sessions at the end of 2018.

The following year they shared a car for Zak Brown’s United Autosports team at the Daytona 24 Hours.

Norris’s victory came 21 years after Alonso’s own debut win with Renault in the 2003 Hungarian GP.

“The first win after so many podiums,” said Alonso. “I’m really happy for him. Hopefully he remembers this day. The first of many wins.

“He’s a nice kid, he’s a nice man and a very talented driver. I know him very well. We did the Daytona 24 Hours in 2019 together. He started in McLaren as a test driver when I was there. We both live in Monaco, we see each other sometimes there in the city, travel together sometimes as well.

“And after so many podiums, I think he deserved his win. As I said, hopefully he enjoys this day, because sometimes you forget quickly, because you’re so focused on the next event. But yeah, I’m very happy for him. And for McLaren as well.”

Regarding the Woking team’s Miami form he said: “Well, they were close, and I think they were second in China.

“And they were again fast here, especially on the sprint qualifying, they were very fast. They brought a lot of updates here. Let’s see what will happen in the next few races in the championship.”

After a disappointing qualifying session Alonso enjoyed a charging race in Miami for Aston Martin, starting on the hard tyre and eventually working his way from 15th on the grid to ninth at the flag.

“I think we were lucky with the [virtual] safety car today, that really helped our race,” he said when asked by this writer about his afternoon.

“Starting on the hard, maybe we were thinking to stop a little bit later, but the safety car came in that lap, and we took the opportunity.

“And then the full safety car bunched everyone else. And we were with the mediums, the others were with hards. So we had a little advantage there.

“So all-in-all, we were lucky with the strategy and with the safety car, a little bit better on the race, compared to quali but we still need to improve and find more pace.”

Alonso enjoyed his fights on the way through the field, notably the one with former Alpine team mate Esteban Ocon for ninth place.

“Good battles, Esteban very hard fighting, as well,” he said. “As always, he’s a racer, but always with respect. I really enjoyed today the fight with him. It’s the first point for Alpine, I’m happy as well for them. But I think Esteban drove really well to take that point. So well done to them.”

Alonso created a stir in Miami by suggesting that nationality sometimes played a part in penalties. He subsequently had a conversation with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

“He’s always on board on every opinion that the drivers have, he knows that we are the ones driving the cars, and that we can have some suggestions on things.

“There are a couple of points that we need to address as a sport. And yeah, he always listens to us. Let’s see between if we make F1 a better sport, and a little bit more consistent.”

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May 8, 2024 · 5:34 pm

Russell: Mercedes can only target P5 “on a good day”

George Russell admits that his Mercedes Formula 1 team can currently only target P5 “on a good day” and is generally only the fourth best team in the field.

Russell finished the Miami GP in eighth place, losing out to the VCARB of Yuki Tsunoda, having complained about a lack of grip at various stages during the race.

His team mate Lewis Hamilton only fared a little better, earning sixth place after starting on the hard tyres.

“Something didn’t quite feel right with the car,” said Russell when asked about his race by this writer. “I just had no grip, no pace. I was slower than Yuki for the whole last stint. So just need to go and see what was going on.

“I don’t really know to be honest, it’s swings and roundabouts for us at the moment. On a good day we’re P5 and on a bad day we’re P8. Today was a bad day, and we finished P8.”

Russell insisted that Lando Norris’s victory indicated that teams can make progress through upgrades.

“McLaren qualified P17 and 18 12 months ago in Miami, and today they won,” he said. “So it shows what’s possible when you get things right. But right now we don’t have things right, and we need to make changes quick.”

Asked if there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Mercedes he said: “There’s definitely direction.

“And we do have a few things coming in the short term, but nothing that’s going to transform us into race winners right now.

“I think we have to accept that we are the fourth fastest team at the moment, the lap times don’t lie, the championship doesn’t lie. This is where we are.

“And as I said, I think we’re fighting for the P5 to P8 region, week-in, week-out now.”

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May 8, 2024 · 2:47 pm

FIA’s first CEO Robyn leaves organisation

Natalie Robyn has left the FIA CEO role after just 18 months

The FIA’s first ever CEO Natalie Robyn is leaving the organisation after just 18 months in the job.

She will leave the FIA at the end of this month by “mutual agreement”, and a process to find a replacement has already begun.

The CEO role was created by created by president Mohammed Ben Sulayem as part of a modernisation process.

Robyn was named in the job in September 2022, and officially started that November.

She had previously worked in senior roles in Daimler, Nissan and Volvo, and was heading the Swiss division of the last named company before moving to the FIA.

“Performing in the role of CEO at the FIA has been an enormous privilege and I am grateful to have directed a programme of restructuring and reform,” said Robyn.

“Now is the time to step away in the knowledge that the organisation is better placed for the challenges which lie ahead.

“I take great pride in my role in advancing the FIA’s transformation across both Sport and Mobility, and I am pleased to leave an organisation comprised of a wonderful team of talented and dedicated individuals.”

Confirming her departure the FIA noted: “Throughout the past 18 months, Natalie has spearheaded a comprehensive overhaul of the federation’s operational structure, playing a pivotal role in modernising the FIA, enhancing governance, and securing sustainable financial stability.

“Natalie’s appointment to the role of CEO in November 2022 marked a milestone, leveraging her 18-year career encompassing roles within both the automotive and finance sectors.

“Her decision to pursue opportunities outside of the FIA has prompted her departure from the organisation by mutual agreement, effective at the end of May.”

Ben Sulayem said: “Natalie’s appointment was notable as the first CEO in the history of the FIA. She has contributed greatly to a wide-ranging reorganisation of our operational and management structure. On behalf of the FIA, I wish her well in her future endeavours.”

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May 7, 2024 · 2:56 pm

Perez admits he “nearly took Max out” at Miami F1 start

Sergio Perez locks up on the inside line at the start in Miami

Sergio Perez admits he was fortunate not to take out team mate Max Verstappen after what Red Bull team boss Christian Horner called an “optimistic start” in the Miami GP.

Perez took the inside line on the way into the first corner as he battled with Charles Leclerc and then locked up and went straight on, just missing the rear of Verstappen’s car.

He then ran wide and had to find his way back onto the racing line without making contact or losing too many places.

“I had a good start, Charles had a really bad start,” he said. “But as soon as I braked there was no grip, like with Lewis [Hamilton] yesterday. Offline there was no grip and I ended up locking. I nearly took Max out, so I had to come off the brakes.

“It was quite close. But as soon as I saw he was so close I came off the brakes, and I ended up going straight, and I couldn’t keep the position.”

Horner admitted that it was a tricky moment for the team.

“His start was optimistic,” he said when asked by this writer about Perez’s start. “I think that obviously Charles didn’t have a great start ahead, I think that caused Checo to lift for Charles.

“And then [Leclerc] left him a window into the first corner, he went for it, and then obviously got in very deep and was lucky not to collect Max at the first turn, and then collect the Ferrari coming back onto the track after the first turn. So I was pleased to see both cars survive that.”

The Mexican eventually finished fifth on the road, but he then gained a spot from a time penalty for Carlos Sainz.

“I think we were struggling for some pace today,” he said. “We just couldn’t manage to get the pace when we needed it. It’s something that we’ve got to work on to try and understand why.

“I was a bit too much front limited in the high speed, and then rear limited in the low speed, so there was such a big trade-off between low and high speed.”

He also lost time when stuck behind Esteban Ocon after his pit stop: “Yeah, on the hard it took me a few laps to warm up the tyre.”

Perez conceded that McLaren showed impressive pace over the Miami weekend.

“They were very strong already in qualifying,” he said. “I think they just messed up a bit their qualifying, they couldn’t make the soft tyre work. But I think they’ve been the fastest this weekend. And we were probably a little bit behind them. Lando [Norris] put me on a lot of pressure on that first stint towards the end.”

Regarding the future threat from McLaren he added: “It would be track dependent, in some places we will be a bit stronger, in others not so strong.  But yeah, certainly I think it will be a very close fight with them.”

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