Tag Archives: formula-1

Max Verstappen admits that the lack of an ultra low drag rear wing for the Red Bull RB20 has been “a bit of a handicap” in Las Vegas.

The team opted some time ago not to devoted limited resources in terms of both the cost cap and aero testing into making a wing that would only be used at fast circuits like Vegas and Monza.

The team realised early in Thursday’s practice session that rivals had a much more effective package for the street circuit.

Some modifications to the wings of the cars for Friday by trimming away some carbon.

After a difficult start to FP3 managed to find some performance, with Verstappen eventually taking fifth on the grid.

“We know that with our wing naturally you lose top speed, especially with DRS open,” said the Dutchman. “It’s a bit of a handicap. We knew that, and that’s something, of course that we have to deal with on a track like this, a track like Monza.

“But also besides that, I always felt like the tyres were a bit of a struggle for us to get them in the right operating window. I do think that we did the best we could in qualifying with what we had, and then P5 is the result.

“I mean, we got a bit lucky of course with Lewis [Hamilton] not putting a lap in, otherwise it would have been P6. I think we really maximised what we could.”

Verstappen confirmed that the team had made a strategic call not to produce an ultra low drag wing.

“We opted to not make one,” he said. “We don’t have one. So this is already from 2022. I think we just never thought that we would run it that low, and then with the budget cap you choose your priorities.

“Would I have liked to have a lower wing, a lower downforce wing? Yeah for sure, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape. It’s something that we’ll look at.

“But on the other hand there’s only one more year left with these rules, and I don’t know if it makes sense. For me, at least, it feels a bit like we throw away two race weekends like this, because you definitely lose too much on the straight.”

Verstappen admitted that the wing will make his life harder in the race.

“Naturally of course, the wing is not the most efficient,” he said. “Hopefully with everyone’s DRS closed it’s a little bit better, because when you trim your DRS you have less of a DRS effect. And that’s what is quite painful in qualifying.

“In the race, when you try to pass people, you have less of an effect. So that will be a bit more difficult.

“But yeah, hopefully we’re just decent on tyres. My long runs haven’t been really that good, but we also made some changes to the car, and hopefully that will help the tyres out as well.”

Regarding RBR’s main rivals he said: “Well, hopefully, of course, I can fight really hard. I don’t think at the moment I can fight with Ferrari or Mercedes, they have been too quick.

“And of course, Lewis is starting P10, so he will move forward. And with McLaren, I don’t know, both of us were struggling a bit in the long run, but they made some changes. We made some changes. So we have to wait and see how that will how that will go.”

Charles Leclerc says that the Ferrari Formula 1 team’s collective mindset is the key to the Italian outfit’s strong form in 2024.

Leclerc believes that under Fred Vasseur the team has learned to ignore “outside noise” and work in a more disciplined way.

The team has won five races this season, and is chasing McLaren in the battle for the constructors’ World Championship.

“I think the mindset is a big part of why we are much stronger as a team now,” said Leclerc. “In F1, and especially around Ferrari, there are always rumours, there are always things that are being said.

“There’s obviously very deep analysis on why we are not performing at this race, or why we are really good at this race. And all this outside noise in the past used to affect us a little bit, and in the way we worked.

“And I think since Fred got within the team there’s been a big step forward in that, and I think that helps the whole team to work better, to work in a more disciplined way, without being affected by the outside perception, which is very, very important. So that was a that was a big step forward.”

Leclerc remains confident that Ferrari can still catch McLaren in the championship fight.

“I think the target is to beat McLaren, and we really think that we have a shot at it this year,” he said. “We’ve been particularly strong in the last three races, but we are also aware that we cannot rely on the good results of the last three races.

“We’ve got to focus step-by-step, as I was saying. And the mentality is super important in those times, and not let yourself be carried away with the positive environment we are in at the moment, and just work as hard as whenever we were in a tough time.

“And that’s what we are trying to do, to try and put everything together, to first of all focus on this race and try to maximise everything. There are still lots of points to grab this weekend, but in Qatar, there will be a sprint weekend as well, so quite a lot of points. So we’ve just got to stay on it and stay focused until the end.”

Ferrari is expected to be strong in Las Vegas this weekend in terms of its overall aero and mechanical package.

However Leclerc acknowledges that tyre warm-up could be a problem in the cold conditions.

“I do still think that this could be the case,” he said. “However, we don’t exactly know how much that did change from last year. I mean, it’s very difficult to compare obviously a completely different car.

“However, we know that we are better on tyres, that we are less aggressive on them, which means that the temperature builds up a little bit slower, and on track like this, where tyre warm up is going to be an issue, it was the an issue for everybody last year, I expect it to be a bit more of an issue this year.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still think that is going to be a positive weekend for us. I think on paper, it seems that our car characteristics are fitting this track, and I think we should be fast.”

Pierre Gasly says his record of not sustaining any crash damage with his Alpine A524 Formula 1 car this season is “a great stat” and important for the Enstone team.

Damage has become a key factor in the budget cap era as teams have to account for all parts used over the season, and resources put into making replacements can have an effect on car development.

Crashes have had a huge impact on Williams, with the team having five major incidents over the Mexican and Brazilian GP weekends.

Gasly’s statistic became a talking point on social media in recent weeks, and the Frenchman is keen to maintain the record to the end of this season.

“It makes it easier to insure my cars back home!,” he joked when asked by this writer about his feat. “It’s a great stat, and at the end of the day, it’s also a very, very, very important for the team, because this money is also something which goes into the budget cap.

“So it does play a factor in the development throughout the year, and what it offers the team in terms of parts and money available.

“So obviously, we’ll try to keep it that way until the end of the year. You go into every race trying to fight at the limit. And I must say, on a season like this year, I was most of the year in the middle of the pack, so I’m not too sure, but I managed to keep it clean.”

Asked how he’s managed to stay out of trouble he said: “I think you’ve got to have a look at when is it coming from a driver mistake and error from a driving point of view, and sometimes it’s just racing incidents, and you’re not so much involved.

“At the end of the day, since the budget gap came into play, this is something we discuss a lot with the team, because it does play a big factor into the resources of the team. So I think it’s actually very positive and important to keep it that way.”

Gasly noted that Alpine’s double podium in Brazil had had a positive effect on a team that had been struggling in ninth in the championship and has now jumped up to sixth.

£I was very pleased just to see the impact of such a result on the motivation, the energy,” he said. “I spent a couple of days back at the factory, and just the smiles on everybody’s face, and just the feeling of the pride of all the guys of achieving such a result on such a difficult season.

“So big motivation, especially going into next season. I think we needed it after the season we’ve had. And I mu say every single person I came across at the factory was absolutely buzzing. So great to see.”

Gasly qualified fifth in Las Vegas last year, before dropping out of the points with tyre issues in the race. He’s hopeful that that can be addressed.

“I think last year was a fantastic quali,” he said. “The first stint, I was fighting with George [Russell] for top three, and then I fitted the hard and I had a terrible graining on the hard, and I just dropped back the order the last 30 laps.

“So I know exactly what I need to work on for this weekend. It’s a track I like, it’s a street track, it offers the usual challenges of a street track. Obviously we’re coming here with some confidence, and at the same time knowing on my side what I need to really work on.”