Tag Archives: formula-1

July 6, 2024 · 7:20 am

Sanchez says Alpine F1 team has “everything needed” for success

Sanchez is adamant that the pieces can fall into place at Alpine

Alpine’s new executive technical director David Sanchez says that the Enstone Formula 1 team has “everything needed to make a competitive car.”

The former Ferrari man joined Alpine in May after brief spell at McLaren in a role that sees him overseeing a team of three technical directors, divided into the performance, engineering and aerodynamics areas.

The Frenchman, who previously worked at the team starting in the Fernando Alonso era in 2005, has now had time to make an assessment of what he has found.

“They are very good,” he said when asked about the team’s facilities. “Everything needed to make a competitive car is there. So I was very pleased when I joined.

“Coming from outside, there was obviously a few things where I tended to have my own opinion.

“There was a plan in place, we reviewed the plan, we adjusted a few things, and for sure, that car needs a big push on upgrades. We are working on it, and it’s going pretty well for now.

“Some of them were on the pipeline. Now we have a lot more coming up, plenty of ideas, and now it’s trying to pedal as fast as we can.”

Ask about the A524’s weaknesses he added: “I think it’s a bit of a lack of development. We just need more downforce, we need a bit more of everything, especially downforce.

“I think for now, we’re developing around the weaknesses. This year in-season, it’s a lot about aerodynamics and for next year’s car, when we review the hardware, we’ll try and focus on fundamentally changing a few aspects of the car, and that should be another step forward.”

Most teams intended their basic 2024 packages to remain largely unchanged heading into 2025, give the obvious focus on the 2026 rules.

However Sanchez admitted that Alpine will make mechanical changes for the A525.

“For next year, there will be conceptual changes,” he said. “Again, we’re talking on suspensions, mostly. For this year, we’re shifting a big focus on aerodynamics.

“I wouldn’t say it’s going to be big concept changes, because when you look at the car, it will look similar, but when you look at the aerodynamic characteristics, they would tend to be, some of them different, some of them with a just bit more powerful performance.”

Sanchez agreed that the team has done a good job of optimising what has been a relatively stable package recently, with both drivers regularly in the top 10.

“There is for sure at the moment good momentum in the team,” he said. “We’ll try and maintain this until we get more upgrades, and we should build on that.”

“This has been a lot about learning how to how best to run the car set-up wise. There are some aspects to get the car in low-speed corners, which is good, to get the car turning, but in traction, it’s not very good.

“And then it’s about how to combine aero and mechanical sides just to try and get in a different optimum. This is where we seem to be at the moment. We’re trying to go further this weekend, and in the future we will try and have a car bit more adaptable.”

Sanchez acknowledged that weight has been a key issue: “When the car is overweight at the start of the season you know that weight-saving is the most straightforward way to add performance of the car.

“So for us, it was a little unfortunate the extra weight at the start of the season, but there’s been a lot of very good work in the design office to get that car now under the weight limit.”

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July 5, 2024 · 8:37 am

Alonso: Cowell arriving at “crucial time” for Aston Martin F1 team

Alonso believes that Cowell will be a valuable addition to the Aston team

Fernando Alonso has welcomed the impeding arrival of former Mercedes HPP boss in the role of CEO at what he calls a “crucial time” for the Aston Martin F1 team.

Cowell will join in October and replace Martin Whitmarsh, the man who originally hired him for Mercedes in 2004. Cowell remained with Mercedes until his departure in early 2022, winning seven championships with the factory team.

Alonso used Mercedes engines overseen by Cowell at McLaren for a single season in 2007, when he came close to winning the World Championship.

“Very happy,” said the Spaniard when asked about the news. “I don’t know him personally, and I only respect him as an opponent in the past.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Andy and to chat about his view on the team. Obviously, Lawrence [Stroll] has a lot of trust on him, also Martin.

“By the way, I want to say thanks for a great contribution to Aston Martin. When Martin arrived in the team, it was just the transition from its previous name to Aston Martin, and he did a lot for the team and for the organisation. So hopefully before Martin leaves we can deliver something on track to make him happy.”

Alonso acknowledged that given his powertrain background Cowell could play a role in helping to integrate Aston Martin with Honda and fuel supplier Aramco in the build-up to 2026.

“With his background and experience, it’s a crucial time for the team, being with Honda, and having our own gearbox, our own fuel with Aramco, that we are not sharing with other team or any other Honda-powered teams,” said Alonso.

“Definitely, there are a couple of big challenges ahead for our team and this kind of people and great you know, engineers and designers will help us for sure.”

Alonso says that Aston Martin still has appeal to potential recruits despite the difficult 2024 season with the AMR24.

“Aston Martin is very exciting project,” he said. “We are aware of our results on the weekends that are not good enough. We need to get better. We need to get to a position first, to be in the top 10 every race and be in the points, and then fighting for podiums and for victories, as we did last year.

“We are not in that position yet. So everything is a little bit more difficult to express how motivated and how excited everyone is in the team.

“We are still very appealing for talent. And as we see with Andy and some of the big names that are linked to the team, new facilities, every time that I come here for the simulator, it’s getting bigger and bigger, building two and three, are nearly finished wind tunnel at the end of the year coming.

“So this is for sure, very attractive for many people in the paddock and for many great engineers. Hopefully the team is in good shape. We just need to deliver on track on Sunday, which is the most difficult thing.

Alonso’s team mate Lance Stroll agreed that Cowell will have a big impact.

“It’s very exciting,” said the Canadian. “And I think it’s uplifting for the whole team, the while factory to see Andy, come on board and be a part of the project – a legend of the sport, and so much success over the years on the power unit side in Mercedes. Nothing but exciting and positive news.

“He’s going to be I think involved in every department, and overlook and oversee and support everyone’s needs in the entire factory. He’s got a huge ambition to win. And I think he’s very motivated to come back into F1 and has all the same ambitions that we as a team all have. So it’s very exciting.”

Stroll also paid tribute to the departing Whitmarsh: “I think Martin’s been an extremely important part of this team over the last few years, he came in and constructed this incredible factory.

“We saw our performance last year, the uplift, we were the sixth or seventh team in 2022 and then we hit the track the beginning of last year with the second quickest car. And a huge part of that was a big push from Martin.

“And some of the goals that we set as a team were really, really high. And I think a lot of that was Martin.”

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July 2, 2024 · 3:46 pm

Horner: Verstappen/Norris contact in Austrian GP was “inevitable”

Verstappen managed to salvage fifth after his clash with Norris

Red Bull Racing Formula 1 boss Christian Horner believes that it was inevitable that Max Verstappen and Lando Norris would end up in an incident after battling for the lead at several recent races.

The pair made contact in the late stages of the Austrian GP after Verstappen thwarted several earlier attempts to get past, leaving Norris complaining that the Dutchman was moving in the braking area.

The touch left both men with rear punctures and put Norris out of the race, while Verstappen managed to salvage fifth after stopping for a new tyre, despite picking up a 10-second penalty that in the end made no difference to his result.

“I think it’s inevitable given how close they’ve been racing the last few weeks,” said Horner of the contact. “It’s a shame. Lando was already on four [track limits] strikes. He was probably going to get a five-second penalty anyway. And it was a racing incident.

“I thought it was a bit harsh that Max got a 10-second penalty. His race had already been damaged by the puncture that he picked up.”

Horner believes that Norris’s attacking mood was in part a reaction to the previous day’s sprint, when he passed Verstappen at Turn 3 only to lose out not only to the Dutchman but also his McLaren own team mate Oscar Piastri at the following corner.

“I think Max is a hard racer,” he said. “And they know that. I think Lando was trying to make up for yesterday, and it was inevitable, you could see this building perhaps for a couple of races, that at some point there was going to be something close between the two of them.

“He was getting his elbows out. Probably a bit of a hangover from yesterday. Max passed him without DRS down into Turn 4, and then he got mugged by his teammate.

“So there’s probably a little bit of a hangover of that. But it was a shame, because we had everything under control today. And I think the final pit stop put Lando back into contention, and then with the advantage on tyre that he had, that was enough to get him into the DRS.” 

Horner was adamant that Norris wouldn’t have caught Verstappen in the final stint without the pit stop delay, despite having a new tyre advantage.

“The first part of the race was going very well,” said Horner. “We pulled out a six-second gap I think in the first stint on the medium tyre, everything was under control. On the hard tyre, the temperatures with the cloud cover a bit lower, we still got up to an eight-second lead at one point. By the time they’d gone through the traffic, it was about six-and-a-half.

“We then pitted on the same lap as McLaren, and there was a sticking left rear nut, and the gun man just had to go on it twice. I think it was six-second stop, we lost four seconds, and that then put Lando on a fresh set of mediums versus a scrubbed set for Max, he got that new tyre advantage.

“Had they gone out six seconds apart, he’d have probably closed the gap, but I think we’d have had enough to manage it in those final laps.”

Looking at the positives Horner added: “The pace of the car has been very strong, we’ve had two poles, he’s led all but nine laps of the race, the sprint race yesterday. He’s extended his lead in the championship. We’ve extended our lead, I think, in the constructors’ championship. So despite not getting the win, it’s not been totally disastrous.”

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July 2, 2024 · 3:20 pm

Wolff: Hamilton has “reason to be angry” after floor damage spoils race

Hamilton had a difficult race in Austria but still salvaged fourth place

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff says Lewis Hamilton has “all reason to be angry” after a frustrating weekend in Austria.

Hamilton suffered a damaged floor early in the race and could not match the pace of team mate George Russell.

Having passed Carlos Sainz on the first lap Hamilton was obliged to give the position back for going off-track in order to avoid a penalty.

He ran fifth for much of the race but the floor damage on the right-hand side – which the team believes was due to striking the kerbs at Turn 8 – compromised his pace, and left him complaining about understeer.

He also picked up a five-second penalty for missing the pit entry white line when he had a snap of oversteer and lost a place to Oscar Piastri.

The collision at the front of the field between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris that handed the win to George Russell also promoted him to fourth.

After the race Hamilton congratulated the team but downplayed the improvement in the form of the W15.

“I mean, from my side, it’s not feeling massively different,” he said. “But George, you can see he’s doing really well, he’s won a Grand Prix already. So that’s huge for everyone in the team, and a huge boost for everyone.”

Regarding the damage he said.: “I’m not really quite sure. I think Turn 1 a bit of damage, and then the floor was just falling apart. I don’t know when I got the damage,”

Wolff admitted that it had been a difficult race for Hamilton.

“It was one of these bad days, I think,” said the Austrian when I asked about Hamilton’s afternoon.

“A pretty decent start, and then Turn 1, lap one, giving the position back was a harsh thing, but it was pretty clear that we will be getting a 10-second penalty for not doing it.

“And it started a spiral. He pushed it very hard on the entry, you can see how much he pushed and lost the rear end, and obviously the next penalty came about.

“On top of that, we had floor damage because of the kerb ride, which I guess most people had, but his was extensive. It was two and a half tenths in parts that broke off on the on the car. So all reason to be angry about it, or upset about it.”

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July 2, 2024 · 10:45 am

Cowell gives Aston Martin F1 team boost ahead of Honda era

After two years away Cowell returns to F1 with Aston Martin

Former Mercedes AMG HPP managing director Andy Cowell is to join the Aston Martin F1 team as Group CEO.

Cowell will take over from incumbent Martin Whitmarsh, who is transitioning out of the role, in October.

It was Whitmarsh who in his McLaren days headhunted Cowell, then at BMW, to join HPP. The pair had worked together when Cowell was at Cosworth and Ford supplied its HB V8 to McLaren in 1993.

Over nearly two decades at HPP Cowell played a significant role, with Mercedes winning the World Championship with Lewis Hamilton and McLaren in 2008 and then Jenson Button and Brawn in 2009 before Hamilton began a run of success with the works team and the hybrid V6 in 2014.

Cowell left the Brixworth organisation in 2022. While he will have a range of responsibilities it’s clear that he will play a key part in integrating Honda and Aston as the 2026 power unit project is developed.

“I would like to thank Martin who has been instrumental in our growth phase as a business,” said owner Lawrence Stroll.

“In the last three years, he has developed the team and has helped us achieve some significant milestones, including fostering our relationship with Honda, and delivering our state-of-the-art AMR Technology Campus at Silverstone.

 “I am delighted to welcome Andy to our team at a crucial time. Together with our works partnership with Honda, the commitment from our title partner Aramco and Andy’s leadership we are on track to become a world championship winning team. Andy has my full backing and will have every resource available to win.”

Whitmarsh said of Cowell: “He will be an incredible asset to Aston Martin Aramco and will make a significant contribution to the execution of our strategy going forward. Andy’s arrival in October and the completion of the AMR Technology Campus will allow me to step away and focus on other projects in my life, knowing that the foundations have been established with an impressive team, inspiring vision and advanced facilities to achieve success in F1.”

“I am thrilled to join Lawrence’s exciting project and look forward to working with the talented group of people that has been assembled,” said Cowell. “F1 has always been my competitive passion, and I am joining Aston Martin Aramco at an exciting time with the imminent completion of the AMR Technology Campus and our transition in 2026 to a full works team with our strategic partners Honda and Aramco.”

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July 1, 2024 · 11:15 am

Verstappen: “We did everything wrong that we could have done wrong…”

Verstappen wasn’t happy with the way his race unfolded in Austria

Max Verstappen rarely criticises his Red Bull Racing team, which is hardly surprising given the success that they have enjoyed together.

However after his torrid race in Austria, which culminated in a fifth place after his clash with Lando Norris, the World Champion was not shy about referencing mistakes.

His point was that slow pit stops and what he perceived as strategy errors left him more vulnerable to attack from Lando Norris than would otherwise have been the case.

That their battle resulted on contact for which Verstappen was not the fault of the team, but he was adamant that it resulted from the circumstances.

To be fair he used the word “we” in reference to things being done wrong. Nevertheless it was a sign perhaps not just of the increased pressure being applied by Norris and McLaren but also the ongoing tensions in the RBR camp, amid Christian Horner’s feud with Jos Verstappen and the question marks over Max’s long-term commitment to the team.

“I think the first stint was quite good,” said Verstappen when I asked him about his race. “Then, of course, at the end of that first stint, I caught quite a bit of traffic. We should have just boxed, for me personally, because I just gave up free lap time. So we basically did a lot of things wrong today.

“I think for me personally, it started with the strategy. Then the pit stops were a disaster. The first one was already bad, the second one was even more of a disaster. And then, of course, you give free lap time. It’s seconds that you give away, six seconds over those two pit stops. And then, of course, it’s a race again.

“And that’s why, I think also, we put ourselves in a position for unfortunately an accident to happen between us, which you never want to happen. But yeah, we did everything wrong that we could have done wrong today.”

He added: “Today’s has just been off. Everything has been wrong. I mean, I’m complaining about the tyres. We didn’t pit, I was stuck in traffic. Bad execution with a pit stop. So everything just went wrong,”

Verstappen, which switched from intended new hards to a used set of mediums for his finals stint in an effort to find performance, even suspected that there was something wrong with the car.

“I honestly have no explanation why suddenly the car just transformed from an okay balance in the first stint into just undriveable behaviour afterwards, which normally indicates that something was also wrong,” he said.

“But even with that, we should have won today, if you didn’t make so many errors as well, with the pit stops.”

Regarding the medium/hard tyre choice he said: “They both felt bad. So I don’t even think that we did the wrong thing with the tyres.

“My balance in the first stint wasn’t even that bad. But then I don’t know why, but the car just started to become worse and worse throughout the race. So that is also something that we have to look into, maybe that something broke on the car.”

“Today’s has just been off. Everything has been wrong. I mean, I’m complaining about the tyres. We didn’t pit, I was stuck in traffic. Bad execution with a pit stop. So everything just went wrong.”

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June 30, 2024 · 7:37 am

How Aston Martin won the race to test Pirelli’s 2026 F1 tyres

Aston, Alpine and McLaren will be the first to try the 2026 F1 tyres

Aston Martin will kick off the test programme for Pirelli’s 2026 Formula 1 tyres after coming out on top in a draw for teams who wanted to become involved from the start.

The Silverstone team is to run an AMR22 modified to replicate 2026 downforce levels at Barcelona on September 17-18.

Reserve Felipe Drugovich set to drive as the date falls between the Azerbaijan and Singapore GPs, and race drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll will be travelling.

Thus far Pirelli has only been testing the narrower 2026 tyres virtually, with the first physical prototypes due to be manufactured in August.

All teams are expected to participate in the full test programme with mule cars over the course of 2025.

However there were only three spots for the initial running in the latter half of this season, and all the teams with the resources to take part – such as ongoing TPC 2022 car test programmes – wanted to be involved.

To cut the list down to three a draw was made at the last F1 Commission meeting, with Aston, Alpine and McLaren all earning the right to join the early testing within this season.

“We will be the first team to test these ‘26 tyres,” said Aston team principal Mike Krack when asked by this writer about the testing. “There was a selection process or a lottery process because there were a number of teams who wanted to be part of this test programme.

“We were drawn first, so we are the first to do this, between Baku and Singapore, I think. So we’re exchanging with Pirelli obviously what the programme will be and we’re trying to replicate the car that has been defined from the FIA according to a technical directive. I think it’s 54 something like that.

“So we try to replicate as close as possible the figures that are requested and required, and work then with Pirelli on how we go about it.”

After this year’s initial testing Pirelli will have a full programme of 2026 running next year shared between the 10 teams, and culminating in the post-season Abu Dhabi test.

The idea of having a dedicated car provided by one team for the early running was abandoned some time ago.

“That was a proposal that was rejected by the teams,” Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola told this writer. “So we will have mule cars provided by the teams. They have the freedom to decide which car they want to adapt, from ’21 onwards – they can also decide to use an old 13-inches car.

“The first idea for 2026 was to have the 16-inch tyre with much smaller diameter, and the much smaller diameter was more in line with the old 13-inch tyre. So they said, okay, let’s keep open the opportunity to use also the last car with a 13-inch for that. But now that it was decided to stay on 18-inch no one is going to use this.

“They can use ’22, ’23, ’24, and ’25 cars. The idea is that if we test after a race, like we usually do when it’s possible on a Tuesday and Wednesday, they can modify a current car and race car to simulate as much as they can.

“They save money because they don’t have to fly an additional car for testing. For a standalone test it’s different, because in any case, you have to send the car. But for post-race tests it makes sense to use a race car modified for 2026.”

Pirelli has yet to finalise next year’s 2026 testing programme, which as usual is made more complicated by having to work around the busy race schedule.

“We are defining a plan for next year,” said Isola. “But luckily, we have already the calendar for next year, so it’s a bit easier, because we can make some assumptions on post-race tests and so on.

“We will send a draft to the FIA to understand who is available and where. I believe that everyone is going to test, because with this option to use also the current car, the race car is clearly an advantage for small teams. Maybe big teams want to use an old car, because they can work around the car to modify it more. But is their decision.”

The challenge Pirelli faces is to sign off on a tyre that will work for the whole 2026 season as downforce levels increase.

“We based our assumption on simulations we received from the FIA,” said Isola. “So it’s the latest available information, obviously with a bit of margin, because we know how fast the development is, especially during the first year.

“And when you freeze the tyre, you cannot change it for one year. So we need to be aware that our design is for the estimation at the end of 2026.”

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June 29, 2024 · 6:48 am

How the “huge potential” at Alpine convinced Gasly to stay on

Gasly had a look at other options before deciding to stay put at Alpine

Pierre Gasly says that the “huge potential” he sees at the Alpine Formula 1 team convinced him to remain in the Enstone camp after he’d had a look at other options.

On Thursday the team announced that the Frenchman has signed a multi-year deal that takes him into the period of the new regulations that come into force in 2026.

Gasly had been linked with a Sauber/Audi seat should Carlos Sainz turn it down, and he admits that he had looked around before committing to staying with Alpine.

“Contractually, you always need to have a look quite a long time in advance,” he said when asked by this writer about his other options.

“And obviously, when Lewis [Hamilton] announced at the start of the year, it sort of started and triggered the whole market a lot earlier than what we would have anticipated.

“Since the Lewis news there was a lot of talks here and there, obviously always having in mind that I’ve signed with Alpine to be at the top with Alpine, and it definitely hasn’t been the result so far that I’ve dreamt of with the team.

“But I definitely believe there is huge potential. I repeat it, I’ve seen a lot of positive signs happening inside the team, not only at the track, but also back at the factory.

“I followed closely also the development for 2026 which to me, was the most important thing for my next contract, because we start into a new regulation.

“And then it was a constant conversation, very open. And the team obviously showed from day one a lot of interest and the desire to work with me, which is something very important to me – to work with people that are definitely pushing hard to get you, and want to get you on the project.”

The news of Gasly’s contract came shortly after Flavio Briatore was announced as an advisor to Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo, with drivers as part of his job description.

However Gasly says that the Italian wasn’t key to the timing of the deal.

“Flavio didn’t really influence, it was already long conversation over the last couple of months, and it was about time to commit for my future,” he said.

“And I’m very, very happy and very excited to commit to the team, because it’s good to have some stability.

“I think in my career I went through Toro Rosso to Red Bull back to Alpine, but not always with a strong dynamic, and from what I’m seeing from the team, and my relationship with the team, with Luca de Meo, with Bruno, is going extremely well, and we’ve got clear ambitions.

“I really like Luca’s vision and where he wants to bring the team over the next few years. And I trust as well in his management, and I’m just very excited to be part of the project.”

Regarding Briatore’s suggestion that it will take two years to turn the team around Gasly said: “I’m an optimistic person and a positive person. And I definitely welcome anyone who’s coming to contribute positively to the team.

“So he’s got very clear ideas and clear ambitions. He’s been there as well. He’s been working with the team, and he seems very excited to bring all these ingredients to Enstone. And if we can make it in two years, I’ll be more than happy.”

He added: “I don’t think there is a secret person or tool that can really trigger a big change. Obviously, we talk a lot about the main figures of a race team.

“But when you see the amount of people working back at the factory and who are actually providing the performance, finding the gains in the wind tunnel, in the CFD, mechanically, I’ve been going quite deep in the team with all the different departments and giving my inputs and working quite closely with them, trying to lead them to where I want.

“And there is a very good communication, very transparent. Obviously, it will take some time before we were able to correct the slow start of the year we have.”

Gasly says that his faith in the technical structure was the key to his decision.

“I think personally I’ve seen enough in F1 to know that you can’t really rely on a single car concept,” he noted.

“McLaren has proved it in the last two years. Mercedes also has shown that sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you can get it wrong. And it takes some time to get back to the top.

“But it’s mainly in the structure, the facilities and the technical track you are bringing which was the most important to me.

“So that’s why I tried to pay attention over the last couple of months, and trying to see the dynamic going on at the factory, and how, regardless of the performance on track, which is obviously miles away from where we want to be, but trying to see what sort of solutions we’re trying to bring on board.

“Obviously Luca and Bruno [Famin] played a big part, because everyone’s trying to defend what they have, and 2026 is also going to be a big change of regulations. That’s why I took a bit of time before making my own decision.”

Suggestions that the team may use a customer Mercedes or Honda PU in 2026 and abandon the Viry project have added an intriguing twist to the situation at Alpine. However, Gasly sees plenty of commitment from Renault.

“I have constant conversations with Luca, pretty much almost weekly,” he said. “And it’s been very clear, and I think it’s been very clear in the media, that his goal in F1 is to bring the team, and he’s committed 100% with Alpine.

“So it’s never really been a question mark on my side. And I know how committed they are as a brand they are with Renault, with Alpine. no and I know also how much belief they’ve got in the team, and how much belief I have in the guys that that we have in Enstone and in Viry.”

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June 27, 2024 · 7:08 am

Albon: Williams FW46 still struggling with wind sensitivity

Williams endured a frustrating weekend in Barcelona

Alex Albon was left frustrated after a suspected gust of wind sent him off the road in the closing stages of the Spanish GP, exposing the sensitivity problem that has been a topic at Williams in recent years.

Having started from the pitlane Albon was running 18th and chasing Kevin Magnussen when on lap 59 a sudden snap of oversteer sent him through a gravel trap.

The off cost him around nine seconds and any chance of catching the Haas driver ahead, but he managed to resume in front of the chasing Yuki Tsunoda.

He immediately asked his team, “What the hell was that?”, to be told “It’s all OK from our side.”

Not happy with the prompt reply he said, “No it’s not OK, don’t just say that in five seconds.”

Further discussion ensued, and after the flag Albon was told that there was a 17kph gust at the point where he went off.

“The wind’s been up and down all race,” he said when asked by this writer about the incident. “I don’t know how it was for everyone else, but for a car that’s sensitive in the wind, it was not enjoyable.

“Doing our race, I felt like we were on plan to get the Alfa [Valtteri Bottas] and the Haas in front of us. We had a good tyre strategy, I think we were doing the right choices. The main issue was really that off.

“But I know what the limit is on my car, and that wasn’t the limit. And I had a huge off. So I got told there was nothing wrong immediately afterwards, I was there is something wrong, In the end, I think we had a big gust just when I hit the brakes. We don’t like gusts, and it just caught me out. One of those things.”

Albon and Williams knew that Barcelona would be a tough weekend, but nevertheless he was not satisfied with the outcome as the team fell behind rivals.

“I wanted more,” he said. “I look at it two ways. I look at it, compared to last year, the car’s made a huge step forward. So in that sense, I’m happy. At the same time that whole midfield is so much stronger now that that’s not enough.

“And second to that is just when the midfield is getting so tight, and when we are in some ways, catching and we’re getting closer to the to the top, to the leaders, being a bit overweight, lacking a little bit of loads, it adds up, basically.

“And I’m not saying that this weekend exposed us, but I think it just highlights for us a little bit. It was a windy track, a hot track, on a very well-known track for everyone else. To me, just highlights the load, and that’s what’s not quite there. 

“Yet, we’re good on tracks which are a little bit more unique and unconventional, but we come to a track everyone’s been to, drivers have done a million laps, everyone’s confident around the circuit, you can’t really make that difference.”

Albon remains hopeful that the next two races will be better for the FW46.

“Look at Monaco, look at Canada,” he said. “Good pace in the car, real pace as well, nothing odd about it, no weird weather or anything like that. Austria and Silverstone, let’s see.

“I think what was clear about Monaco and Canada, tyres were quite easy, as in they were both kind on the tyres. There was no wind, because they are street tracks. So it kind of played to our advantage a bit more. So I hope for a non-windy Silverstone!”

One positive note was that Williams gave up Albon’s lowly 19th grid position for a pitlane start in order to give him a new energy store and control electronics, thus reducing the chances of a penalty later in the year. 

“It was a race we could in some ways use to sacrifice a little bit, get some components in the pool, and just basically prepare a bit more for Austria and Silverstone, tracks that should suit us much more.”

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June 26, 2024 · 4:06 am

Hulkenberg puts faith in Haas F1 update package for Silverstone

After another frustrating 11th place Hulkenberg expects more at Silverstone

Nico Hulkenberg is hoping that an upgrade package due for Silverstone will help to propel his Haas Formula 1 team back into points contention.

In Spain the German finished 11th for the fifth time in the last seven races in 2024, having chased Esteban Ocon to the flag.

On his in-lap he told the team that the performance was “just not enough” before adding that it had been a positive race and that “with the Silverstone stuff coming we should be OK.”

“We’ll see,” he said when asked by this writer about the about the upcoming changes to the VF-24. “Updates, you always want to verify them and feel them in reality, but I’m hopeful in a way that they will obviously bring something to the car.

“Silverstone is massively high speed, we know that, and that package is aimed more at high-speed, or those improvements. So hopefully they can give us an edge.”

He downplayed any lingering frustration about his recent run of 11th places.

“To be honest, I don’t even remember them,” he said. “They get erased from my mind. So just wipe your mouth, and go again in a few days.

“I need that new point system already. Next year when it comes I’m still going to invoice for this year!”

Although he just missed the points once more in Barcelona Hulkenberg insisted that it had been a good weekend for Haas.

“Positive race generally,” he said. “Obviously, not quite enough. But I felt the pace was pretty strong, especially the final stint did, how I was catching Esteban.

“When I really pushed to put him under pressure, I think the pace was very, very respectable and good at that moment.

“I tried to attack him, but then my tyres started to give up on me, so couldn’t do it. But like I said, all in all, I think I feel we maximised the race. Had a good start, a good lap one. And, yeah, I feel like this was the maximum today.

“Obviously Esteban was my reference, and I was definitely faster than him and catching him, but obviously he has 10 seconds to Pierre [Gasly], but there’s only fast cars ahead after. 

“Definitely positive, probably better than what I, or we, expected. So in a way, that’s encouraging.”

Regarding the 5-second pit speeding penalty he picked up he said: “I locked up quite badly, more than I expected. I had the brake balance rearwards, but I lost the front tyres quite badly on the way in.”

Hulkenberg is hoping for a competitive weekend in Austria, where he enjoyed a rare 2023 high by qualifying fourth and finishing sixth in the sprint.

“It was due to the mixed conditions, wasn’t it?,” he  said. “Especially the sprint, where we scored points.

“Austria I guess can always be a mixed bag in terms of weather, and I hope to be honest for similar conditions. It makes it more interesting, mixes things up, and I guess, more opportunity for us.”

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