Tag Archives: formula-1

June 9, 2024 · 12:06 pm

Ricciardo answers critics on 10th anniversary of “effortless” debut F1 win

The Ricciardo smile was back after Montreal qualifying…

Daniel Ricciardo says the 10th anniversary of his “effortless” first Grand Prix victory helped to provided extra motivation ahead of his charge to P5 in qualifying in Canada.

The performance came after a disappointing run of races of the Australian, whose maiden victory for Red Bull came in Montreal on June 8th 2014.

Although he qualified fourth and finished in the same position in the Miami sprint last month Ricciardo has usually struggled to match team mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Inevitably he has faced some criticism in recent weeks, with former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve making negative comments to the UK’s Sky F1.

“I’ve obviously been highly motivated to do more than I have been this year,” he said when asked by this writer about his Montreal qualifying performance.

“Obviously Miami was a bit of a one-off, but I know how good those results feel, and that’s why I do it, to fill those highs. So I think just coming into the week, I don’t know, everything felt right.

“I was really happy just to come back to this circuit and drive here, because I love it. And today’s 10 years to the day of my first win, and that day changed my life. So there’s a lot of nice emotions coming into it. And I just felt like I was ready to do some good shit!”

Regarding Villeneuve’s criticism he said: “I still don’t know what he said, but I heard he’s been talking shit, but he always does.

“I think he’s hit his head a few too many times. So I don’t know if he plays ice hockey or something! Anyway, I won’t give him the time of day.”

Ricciardo said his Montreal qualifying form was down to a combination of the car and his personal approach to the weekend.

“There’s I would say, two parts. Firstly, the car from when we put it down yesterday on track, I just had confidence in it. The car felt good, I was able to kind of slide it, and drive a little bit more aggressively. I just felt like I was getting on top of it. So yeah, I felt like the car was good.

“But also part two is we’re always going to be trying to perfect the car, but I also have to look at myself, and make sure that I’m in a good place to be able to do results like this.

“It’s obviously been a bit harder for me to find that sweet spot this year. And I look back at 10 years ago, I think it was kind of effortless.

“After Monaco, I tried to just understand. I was always looking at the on-track stuff, I can brake later here, or do this and that, but it was like, ‘Okay, what’s maybe some other things that are affecting my performances. Am I coming into a race weekend not feeling energised, or not feeling this or that?’

“So yeah, I think I just had a little bit of good, probably like self-therapy after Monaco, and just sat back and had a look at maybe the things I’m doing wrong away from the track, or maybe giving too much of my time to people, and by the time I get to race day or something, I’m a little bit more flat.

“Because I know it’s in me. So as I said, we’re always going to be trying to fine tune the car, but deep down, I know what I can do, and it’s just making sure that I’m in this spot to be able to do it more often, so trying to take as much accountability as possible. And yeah, just think a little bit broader.”

Ricciardo says he asked people for advice on what he could do differently.

“Basically just everyone around me, the team, engineers, my inner circle as well, just like, ‘Guys, open book, constructive criticism, give it to me. What do you think I can clean up? Where do you feel I’m maybe missing something?’

“A lot of it was kind of just probably energy management over the course of the weekend. So it’s not even what I’m doing in the car. It’s just what gets me into the car feeling like I’m fucking ready to go!

“So it was just trying to clean up some of those things. And if there was anything on my mind, try to just get it off my chest.

“And I just got into this weekend feeling certainly a bit lighter. And yeah, just hungry and happy and ready to say fuck you to people!”

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June 8, 2024 · 7:43 pm

VCARB confirms Tsunoda for 2025

Tsunoda will stay in Faenza for a fifth season in 2025

The VCARB Formula 1 team has taken up its option on Yuki Tsunoda and the Japanese driver will stay with the Italian outfit in 2025.

It will be his fifth season with the former AlphaTauri team, all of them conducted with Honda power.

The team will switch to the RBP/Ford engine in 2026 when Honda hooks up with Aston Martin.

Tsunoda has enjoyed a strong start to the 2024 season, regularly making Q3 and scoring points five times in eight starts.

Although there had never really been any doubt that he would continue his confirmation ticks another box as next year’s F1 grid continues to fill up.

“I’m very happy to be staying with Visa Cash App RB and it’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year,” said Tsunoda.

“For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so. The team has a big development project ahead, and I’m excited to be part of it.

“It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid. We have already made clear progress this season and that really motivates me to always give of my best and that’s what I’ll continue to do with VCARB.

“For the moment, I’m concentrating on the remaining races this season, with the aim of bringing home as many points as possible, always growing with the team, laying the groundwork to do even better next year!”

Team principal Laurent Mekies highlighted Tsunoda’s “more mature approach” in 2024.

“I watched Yuki’s progress in F1 with interest even before I returned to Faenza and it’s been impressive, year after year,” said the Frenchman.

“The step up he has made this year is simply phenomenal, and he keeps surprising us all, race after race.

“There’s no doubting his natural speed to which he has now added a much more mature approach and this combination makes him a very quick and consistent performer, and a great team player.

“We continue to get a better understanding of what he needs from us and vice versa, so we are progressing together. We share the same ambitions, so there are several good reasons to continue our journey together. He still has a lot to give!”

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June 8, 2024 · 5:31 pm

Tombazis: 2026 F1 regulations will need refinement

The 2026 rules could change before teams start aero work in January

FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis insists that the 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations are not yet set in stone, and there is plenty of scope to make changes before they are finalised.

The FIA has given the teams the draft rules, and on Thursday the governing body issued the main details to the media.

Under the International Sporting Code the regulations have to be approved by the World Motor Sport Council by June 30.

Refinements can be made by the end of October, while in reality on the aero side the deadline for detailed changes is the end of the year, as teams cannot start work until January 1.

Teams and drivers have expressed doubts about some aspects of the draft regs, notably the 30kgs weight reduction, the low downforce and hence reduced speed in the corners, and the higher speed on the straights.

Teams are also on happy at how little freedom they have initially been given in terms of aerodynamic development.

However Tombazis made it clear that their views will be taken into consideration in the coming weeks.

“There’s clearly some concern expressed by some drivers or some teams,” he said. “First of all, these regulations are not yet approved.

“We are presenting them to the World Council on Tuesday in a very extensive manner, the aim being to have them approved by the World Council towards the end of the month. But that’s still not the case.

“Additionally, I would say that we clearly wanted to share these things with the media earlier, because we didn’t want things to leak from teams, we just wanted the media to get the full picture early on.

“But finally, most important of all, I would say, the World Council discussion, and hopefully the approval is the first step, we’re not in the final set of regulations yet.

“We do have quite a few things that we need to refine and discuss with the teams. We are fully conscious of some of the concerns over the level of downforce of the cars, or straightline speed, and these are things that are weak class as the refinements that still need to take place.

“So between, let’s say, the end of the month, when these regulations would hopefully be published, and the start of 2025 when teams can start aerodynamic development, because they cannot start earlier, we do expect a reasonable amount of extra work to be done – in full consultation with the teams, with FOM, and everybody else.

“And hopefully that will then lead to some refinements that would be submitted to the World Council maybe bit later in the year, and hopefully approved.”

Tombazis acknowledged that teams believe that as the regulations stand 2026 F1 cars will be potentially matching current F2 speeds.

“I think the fears are accurate because people are taking a snapshot of what the regulations on a piece of paper are now, and are making comments on the basis of what they see,” he said.

“So I don’t have any concern about these issues raised by people, but clearly as I explained at the start, we have full expectation to make some steps up for performance, and that’s exactly why we’ve set the bar reasonably low to start with, so we can build up on that, with collaboration of the teams.

“And to increase the downforce of these cars, is actually quite easy, if you have the regulatory freedom, I mean, and that’s exactly the step we want to take. 

“So I understand the comments. I don’t think there’s any concern these cars will be not faster than F2 or anything like that. I think that would be 100% resolved by the time we are in the final regs.”

FIA single seater technical director Jan Monchaux insisted that the views of the teams are being taken into account.

“We are still in discussion, and we are always in discussion with the teams,” said the former Sauber technical director.

“They have expressed concerns. Typically, teams are always a bit reluctant at implementing large changes, so it’s a bit of an ongoing compromise that needs to constantly be found.”

Monchaux stressed that it’s better to start with restrictive regulations, especially on the aerodynamic side, and then give the teams more freedom.

 “As Nikolas said effectively the approach we had since we needed to respect the framework, in terms of date of publication,” he noted.

“The regulations as they have been presented now, and which hopefully will be voted, are probably the most restrictive teams will be seeing, because we think also it’s going to be far easier in the next months to start increasing the freedom, and review some aspect of the regulation, which potentially currently are far too constrained, then the other way around, because they will all agree on having more freedom.

“If we had gone the other way around and effectively, let’s say, have something like providing a lot of freedom in their ability to design the cars, we would potentially realise in October or November on that one we don’t necessarily want, because it might put at risk some of the targets we want to achieve with these new regs.

“So it’s simply the approach we think is more reasonable to effectively now, step-by-step, since we have, I think, a solid basis to start discussion, to review some areas where, for the moment, we offer little or no freedom.

“Then if we convince ourselves, with the active support of the teams, to potentially say, ‘Okay, in this area, you can do more, it’s okay for us, you have more freedom,’ because we are convinced, through work they will have to do that it’s not going to put at risk all the high level objectives – the nimble car, which comes with reduction of weight, which comes with some reduction of downforce.

“And I think the process like this will be working, because it’s pretty much straightforward, because they will always say yes for more freedom.

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June 7, 2024 · 2:01 pm

Verstappen: Why Monaco was a “wake-up call” for Red Bull

Verstappen remains confident that RBR can improve kerb riding within this season

Max Verstappen admits that the Monaco GP was a “wake-up call” for his Red Bull Formula 1 team as the RB20’s weakness over bumps and kerbs was highlighted.

The Dutchman admits that the issue has been a characteristic of the team’s package since the start of the ground effect era in 2022, and that the increasing competitiveness of rivals has now exposed it.

Verstappen had a poor weekend in Monaco, qualifying and finishing sixth, and the Canadian GP could also be challenging for the team.

“This is something that we know is not our favourite thing in the world,” Verstappen said of the issue.

“But it’s something that we’re working on to try and make better. And this takes time. This is not something that is solved from one to the other week, but for sure, we’ll try to optimise things.

“It’s been a problem since day one of the new regulations. And this is something that we haven’t been able to fix it yet. I do think that after Monaco, it gave us another wake-up call. And yeah, we had a lot of good meetings, I think at the factory, and discussions. I feel like there’s a bit more focus on that now to try and improve that.

“Because I feel like of course with everyone catching up naturally you can’t rely on your advantage anymore, even though your kerb riding is bad, or whatever. So it definitely needs to be fixed.”

Verstappen admitted that it’s not easy to address such issues during a season, but he remains confident that it can be improved.

“It just takes a bit of time to really make, let’s say, big changes on the car, because some things are designed, and they might need to get redesigned or whatever,” he said. “You can’t do that with the budget cap within one or two weeks.”

“I still think that we can do a good job this year if everything works out. But at the moment we have to try a few thing, see what works best, and then for sure.

“I think maybe some things will be different next year that maybe are a bit more difficult to let’s say redesign this year, but I’m still hopeful and confident that we can do a better job already this year.

Asked if the Red Bull simulator doesn’t recreate bumps and kerns accurately enough he said: “Maybe on the simulator, they are probably too good. And yeah, it gives you a bit of a wrong idea of how to set up the car. But some tracks I think we do a better job than others.

“But honestly, I think if you ask everyone, that’s the same, it’s very hard to nail it all the time. But it’s still a good tool, I think. And it does help us, and we can try a lot of stuff on the simulator. But yeah, some tracks work a bit better than others.”

Verstappen says he’s paying no attention to suggestions that Ferrari and McLaren are now in the title fight.

“I just try to focus on what we have here,” he said. “I think we have plenty to work on. We knew that already. But naturally after Monaco I think we have a good direction to work in. And that’s actually quite exciting.

“I’m not focused on what the others are doing, because it’s just a waste of time and energy. And we know that from our side, there are things that we can do better, and that’s what we’ll focus on.

“And I’m sure that if we do those things well we still have a very, very strong team.”

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June 6, 2024 · 7:18 pm

Alonso: 30kgs F1 weight cut for 2026 is “impossible”

The FIA released the first images of its take on the 2026 regulations today

Fernando Alonso says that trimming 30kgs from the 2026 Formula 1 cars currently looks “impossible” – however he expects the teams will be able to manage it by the time the new designs actually race.

As part of the package the minimum weight limit will be trimmed from the current 798kgs to 768kgs.

While the cars will also be shorter and narrower Alonso believes that battery weight will be major factor, and make it harder for teams to slim their cars down.

“From a driver point of view, what we want is just close competition, multiple race winners, opportunities for everyone,” he said when asked by this writer about the 2026 regulations.

“We don’t want to have domination of three, four years, where only one team, one driver or two drivers can win. So hopefully 2026 can kind of help on that, which is the only thing that F1 is missing. The rest is great.”

Regarding the active aero package intended to improve speed on the straight he said: “It looks complicated. At the end of the day, the fans are the ones that need to say their point of view, I think, for us it is just extra maybe work on the steering wheel or different buttons to press.

“Definitely the technology and complexity of the cars are quite high at the moment. It doesn’t look that it will be less in 2026. Also the engines, obviously, they are very ambitious in terms of targets.

“And maybe some of these aero devices and things that you need to change on the straights and things like that are just to compensate the maybe too ambitious power unit targets.”

Alonso made it clear that making the weight limit will be a challenge for the teams.

“I think it is impossible probably to achieve 30 kilos already,” he said. “The thing is that if you put the power unit being 50% electric, and you need the batteries to support that, the cars and the tyres I think are heavier as well. Cars will just increase 20 or 30 kilos because of the power unit.

“And then you want to reduce 30, you need to drop 60 kilos of the current car, which is it seems at the moment probably to the teams an impossible target.

“They have two years to achieve that target, and as always in F1, what is impossible in 2024 will become reality in 2026, because there are very clever people in the teams. But I think all is a consequence of something else that is in the car.”

Alonso says he welcomes the “manual override mode” that in effect replaces DRS as a way to create overtaking opportunities, and gives the drivers an extra took with which to play.

“It was the same before where we had the KERS active for six seconds, and you had to choose where in the corners and in the lap you use those six seconds, and sometimes you used in different places than the car in front and vice versa, and created some overtaking opportunities.

“So I tend to agree with having kind of freedom to the drivers to use you the power here or there, and create alternative strategies, which now we are all deploying in the same places, at the same time, and it’s a little bit more routine.”

Overall Alonso believes that teams should have more freedom.

“I think it should be more simple,” he said. “It should be maybe more just pure racing and just more down to the drivers and to the team and the specific setup at the specific racetrack, while remembering in the past more freedom into the design of the cars – some F1 cars had six wheels, just to give an example. And in some tracks maybe benefits you in some others you know you will get hurt.

“Same when we had Michelin and Bridgestone tyres in 2005. Maybe a difficult season for Bridgestone if Michelins were better, maybe rain here in Montreal and the Intermediate tyres are great for Bridgestone, and all the Bridgestone cars, they can win the race, or be on the podium.

“So I like that kind of freedom that you can choose something. And it’s not just dictated everything by the regulations. But this is a personal point of view, and everyone will have theirs, and I’m happy, I will adapt.

“And the most important thing is that you have the fastest car. And that’s what we need to work on.”

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June 6, 2024 · 1:48 pm

FIA reveals new look for 2026 F1 cars

The 2026 cars will be lighter and smaller than the current ones, albeit not by much…

The FIA has released the first details of the 2026 Formula 1 technical rules package, which is set to be ratified by the World Motor Sport Council at the end of this month.

While the power unit spec has been available for some time the chassis regulations have been under debate.

Significantly the new cars will be 30kgs lighter – with the limit cut from 798kgs to 768kgs – and they will be 100mm narrower, and shorter, with the wheelbase trimmed by 200mm. The floor will be 150mm narrower.

As Pirelli requested 18-inch tyres have been retained, although they will be reduced in width by 25mm at the front, and 30mm at the rear.

The cars will also have active aerodynamics, with moveable front and rear wings. The FIA says that the system “will result in greater cornering speeds with standard Z-Mode deployed. On straights drivers will be able to switch to X-Mode a low-drag configuration designed to maximise straight-line speed.”

Expanding on the aero package the FIA notes the following changes: “A three-element active rear wing will be adopted, while the lower beam wing has been removed and end plates have been simplified.

“The front wing will be 100mm narrower than currently and will feature a two-element active flap.

“In contrast to the current cars, front wheel arches will be removed, and part of the wheel bodywork will be mandated, to help achieve optimal wake performance.

“In-washing wheel wake control boards will sit on the front of the side pods to assist with the control of the wheel wake.

“The cars will feature a partially flat floor and a lower-powered diffuser, which will reduce the ground effect and the reliance of the cars on ultra-stiff and low set-ups.

FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem is bullish about the prospects for the new cars, which will use sustainable fuel.

“Following the publication of 2026 power unit regulations two years ago we have taken the opportunity to redefine the chassis regulations to match the energy requirement of the new power units,” he said.

“Collaborating with our partners at Formula 1 and with the assistance of the sport’s 10 teams and all our stakeholders this represents a unique revision that will ensure our premier championship is even more relevant to what is happening in the world.

“The power unit regulations have already resulted in a record number of PU manufacturers committing to the sport. And now, in tandem with chassis regulations that provide for lighter, more agile cars featuring innovative aerodynamic solutions, we have created a set of regulations designed to not only improve racing but also to make the championship even more attractive to PU manufacturers, OEMs and existing competitors.

“The key features of the 2026 F1 regulations are advanced, sustainability technology and safety. Our aim, together with Formula 1, was to produce a car that was right for the future of the sport’s elite category. We believe we have achieved that goal.”

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali added: “These regulations mark a significant moment in the future of our sport as we look forward to a new generation of car and power unit that aims to give our fans closer and exciting racing.

“The new sustainably fuelled hybrid power unit presents a huge opportunity for the global automotive industry, the drop in fuel has the potential to be used by cars around the world and dramatically cut emissions. Its potential is one of the key reasons why we will have a record number of engine suppliers in Formula 1 in 2026.

“We enter this new regulatory cycle with the sport in the strongest position it has ever been, and I am confident that the work done by the FIA to create these regulations will further strengthen the position of the sport around the world.”

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May 30, 2024 · 3:14 pm

Ricciardo: Alpine drivers were in “strong-arm competition” before Monaco clash

After seeing the Gasly/Ocon clash up close Ricciardo spent the restarted race behind Alonso

Daniel Ricciardo says that Alpine Formula 1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were having a “strong-arm competition” when they clashed on the first lap of the Monaco GP.

The pair collided just before the tunnel having already come close together at the first corner and again up the hill into the lefthander at Massenet.

After the red flag caused by the Perez/Magnussen accident Gasly was able to take the restart and claim 10th place, while Ocon was forced to retire after his hard landing led to suspension and gearbox damage.

VCARB driver Ricciardo – who was separated from the battling Frenchmen by Lance Stroll – said the Alpine incident reminded him of his own clash with then Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP.

“Yeah, it was close,” he said when asked by this writer if he’d nearly become caught up in it.

“I mean, Lance was definitely closer, so I had a little bit more time to react, but there was wheel touching I feel like three times before that happened, or probably including that one.

“Honestly, it reminded me of Baku 2018, where obviously Max and I touched I think twice or three times before then the accident. Obviously that one brewed in a lot shorter amount of time, but I could see it happening, where I was like, ‘Okay, I feel like tension is rising very quickly!’

“And yeah, sometimes with teammates, it sparks even more. When I saw it happen, I wasn’t surprised, because it felt like neither of them wanted to give in, and they were having a strong-arm competition. I’m sure the team – and I know how that one goes –  I’m sure they’re not happy.”

Ricciardo spent most of the restarted race behind Fernando Alonso, with the Spanish driver backing off to create some breathing space for Aston team mate Stroll up ahead. Ricciardo eventually finished 12th after what he admitted was frustrating afternoon.

“I’m trying to find some good things,” he said. “But I wish I was staring at the back of Fernando last year, because that would have made a podium! He finished second from memory.

“Most times actually you’re behind Fernando it’s not a bad day, but unfortunately this one was. Honestly, if you’re not on pole here there’s a highly likely chance that your race is being dictated by someone else’s pace.

“I tried to put pressure on him, also because it’s fun to try and force someone into a mistake. I knew he had mediums, so I was trying to make him use the tyre, and just keep some pressure on him.

“So there were definitely laps where I was enjoying a little bit of cat and mouse, and there were a few little looks, but with his experience and around this track, you need to make a pretty catastrophic error to leave the door open.

Asked about his own tyre life he said: “I definitely felt it probably the last 10 laps. There wasn’t that much left in the tyres. Even my engineer was saying, ‘Look, give yourself some room to give your tyres a break.’

“But I just knew if I gave myself room, he was just going to give himself room. His pace was just going to slow with mine. And we were already driving so slowly. I didn’t really feel like lapping in the 1m25s! I just said I have a hard, he has a medium. I’ll just push, and if anyone loses the tyre first, it’s probably him.”

VCARB has been working on starts recently, and on a positive note Ricciardo suggested that there were signs of improvement.

“The first one actually was one of our best of the year,” he said. “But that’s the shortest and probably the tightest run to Turn 1. So I had a bit of a run on Gasly, but then the space tightened so much into one I had to come out of it, and then that allowed Stroll to come through with a bit more momentum.

“So he got me there, and then the second one he covered the inside, and that allowed Fernando room on the outside. That was that. I two laps today of clear air. Those two laps were fun. The rest, just very patient.”

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May 29, 2024 · 12:52 pm

Norris: Why red flag reprieve for Sainz was “frustrating and unfair”

Sainz was able to reclaim his third place for the restart in Monaco

Lando Norris says that the red flag reprieve for Carlos Sainz after his first lap incident in Monaco was “frustrating and unfair”.

Norris was the main beneficiary when Sainz stopped at Casino Square with a puncture after contact with Oscar Piastri at the first corner, moving up from fourth to third.

The Spaniard resumed with only Zhou Guanyu – who had to thread his way through the aftermath of the Sergio Perez/Kevin Magnussen accident – behind him.

The red flag then came out, and after the timekeepers and FIA reviewed the situation it was decided to take the restart order with Sainz still in third place.

That demoted Norris to his original fourth, where he would stay for the duration of a race that saw most drivers running non-stop after taking a free tyre change at the red flag.

“It’s always fun to drive around here, but at the same time there’s just nothing you can do,” said Norris when asked by this writer about his race. 

“Especially with the red flag at the beginning, I think that ruined any other opportunities that might have come our way with strategy and tyre saving and stuff like that.

“A bit of a shame, and even Carlos got quite lucky there was a red flag, because he was out, or last, and that was his own fault. But yeah, for him to get back was obviously annoying, because it put me back down to fourth.

“You win some and lose some in those situations. A red flag, sometimes it helps you out, sometimes it hurts you a bit. Today, we lost out from it. And Carlos was the lucky one.

“But otherwise just nothing you could do, because there were no pitstops, nothing, it was just driving slowly until the end.”

Norris accepted that nothing can be done about the red flag situation, given that the provision for a free tyre change has been in place for many years.

“That’s the rules,” he said. “It’s the same as Pierre’s win back when he won [at Monza in 2020]. He won because he got a free pitstop onto some different tyres. So, unless you want to say you’re taking that win away from him all of a sudden, it’s the same situation.

“I guess this one was more that he made a mistake himself, he ran into Oscar [Piastri], and gave himself a puncture.

“So just very lucky. I don’t think it’s the most fair thing, but I’m sure there’s been moments in the past when maybe I’ve been fortunate from it, and they fixed the car a little bit, or something like that.

“So when you think of it in just a blunt way, it is frustrating and unfair, because someone makes a mistake and because of a certain amount of cars or whatever the rule is didn’t cross the line before the red flag, and blah, blah, that he gets to undo that mistake, and gets a free pitstop.

“But this is not my job. I just drive cars. I don’t like doing all of these rules, things like that’s not what I’m here for.”

During the race Max Verstappen called the race boring and wished he had brought his pillow. Norris agreed that it was not an exciting event from where he was sitting.

“To be honest, the red flag made everything more simple and less action-packed than it ever would have been,” he said. “I think there would have been at least some kind of [action] at the pitstops, and see what things might happen then, and at least you’re judging tyre wear and all of these things to that point.

“But the fact we lost the only opportunity in a Monaco race that something might happen, then it kind of throws any fun out the window, or any action out of the windows. You’re still mentally driving hard, and you’re still doing everything you can to save the tyres here, and do this and that, and be close when opportunities arise.

“Max is always just very honest in his opinions of things! But it’s clear, and I can happily say it’s not the most exciting race and you’re just kind of driving around in no-man’s land doing nothing.

“You don’t feel like there’s a lot of things to target, or aim for on a day like today. But it’s also how it’s always been.”

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May 27, 2024 · 7:47 am

How Russell eyed Monaco podium before red flag ruined Mercedes strategy

Russell finished fifth in Monaco after the red flag spoiled his strategy

George Russell thought he had a shot at a podium finish in the Formula 1 Monaco GP before the early red flag ensured that it would be a race of no pit stops for most drivers.

Russell qualified fifth and went to the grid on the hard tyre with a view to running a long first stint, while all those ahead were on the medium.

That gave him some encouragement, and when Carlos Sainz stopped at Casino on the first lap he moved up to fourth.

However the red flag for the Perez/Magnussen incident gave everyone a free tyre change, and obliged Russell to make his mediums last the distance.

With Sainz regaining his third place for the restart Russell eventually finished where he started in fifth, having held off Max Verstappen.

“Yeah, definitely felt like I had it covered,” he said. “I really thought we were in for a good shot today when I saw everyone starting on the mediums in front of me.

“And especially when Carlos had that puncture, I thought we’ve got a minimum chance to fight for the podium here, and maybe even more.

“We were going to play a bit of a team game to boost our chances. As soon as that red flag went out, everything went out of the window.”

Russell was told early on in the race to slow his pace, essentially to preserve the medium tyres fitted after the red flag for the 77-lap run to the flag. While he initially questioned the decision, he accepted it.

“No, it was definitely the right call,” he said when asked by this writer if it was the correct strategy. “We all know how difficult it is to pass here in Monaco, there was nothing to gain by going faster.

“But actually when I looked at the pace at the end, I think the gap was up to 30 seconds behind Charles at one point, and then we brought it down to 12 seconds, and only four seconds behind the McLaren. So yeah, a lot of positives to take away.”

Like other drivers Russell said that changes should be made to make the Monaco GP more entertaining.

“It’s so great racing here in Monaco, but we need to change something to make it more interesting on a Sunday.

“I think if we only brought soft tyres, a soft tyre wouldn’t last the whole race. And you may even need to do two stops, somebody might try a one-stop. I think just having the whole weekend on softs would solve a lot of problems.”

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May 27, 2024 · 7:43 am

Magnussen: Perez “squeezed me into the wall”

The RB19 of Sergio Perez sustained huge damage after contact with Magnussen

Haas Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen says that Sergio Perez “squeezed me into the wall” when the pair clashed on the run up to Casino on the first lap of the Monaco GP.

Magnussen looked for a gap on the right of the Red Bull driver, and the cars touched and speared into the barriers.

Magnussen’s team mate Nico Hulkenberg almost squeezed through on the left, but was clipped by Perez, ensuring that both Haas cars were eliminated.

The FIA stewards looked at the incident but neither Magnussen not Perez was penalised, much to the Mexican’s frustration.

“I think the move was unnecessary, we sustained a lot of damage, and it was a very dangerous incident,” said Perez. “I was disappointed it didn’t get investigated, it was an immense crash and my car is completely destroyed.”

Asked by this writer about the collision Magnussen was adamant that Perez was at fault.

“Well, he clearly wasn’t leaving space, but I thought he would,” he said. “I had a good part of my front – my whole front wheel was ahead of his rear wheel – so I did expect him to be leaving room for one car on his right, especially since he didn’t have anyone on his inside.

“On his left there was a completely clear track. He just went and squeezed me into the wall. It’s not good to see both cars in one crash. It sucks. I mean, it’s a shitty situation.”

A frustrated Hulkenberg indicated that both drivers were to blame.

“Well, I saw them racing up the hill, I saw a very sharp, narrow gap,” said the German when asked by this writer about the contact.

“And I saw that Kevin stayed and that Checo also didn’t move. I don’t know if Checo saw him or not. I think unnecessary from both really, it could have been avoided easily. Obviously, for me, who wasn’t directly involved, it’s even the shittiest from all.

“I missed it probably by two-tenths. If I would have been two-tenths further up the road, he would have missed me. But as it was, he hit me with a small margin of his car, but enough to end my race as well.

“Nobody has won Monaco Grand Prix on lap one. You have to take calculated risk and risks that make sense. And it’s always that risk reward question that you have to question yourself.

Regarding the lack of penalties he added: “To some extent, it is definitely a racing incident, lap one, street circuit, narrow, visibility poor, drivers not always exactly knowing where the other car is. And these things happen, unfortunately.”

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