Tag Archives: formula-1

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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May 6, 2024 · 1:17 pm

Horner: Verstappen slowed by bollard strike damage

Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner says that Max Verstappen’s pace in the Miami GP was hampered by floor damage sustained when the Dutchman hit a bollard at the chicane.

Later in the race after a safety car period gave Lando Norris a free stop and the lead Verstappen was unable to challenge the McLaren driver, and gradually fell back.

Horner insisted that the consequences of the earlier incident played a role in allowing Norris to make his escape and consign Verstappen to second place.

“I don’t think we had a great balance all weekend, and then obviously he hit the bollard around lap 20,” he said. “And that’s actually done quite a lot of damage to the underside of the car. So we’d have to look at exactly what the effect of that was.

“He had enough pace at that point, he was he was pulling clear of Oscar [Piastri] behind, and Lando, before we picked up that damage. And then obviously thereafter we then pitted. And the safety car came out at the best time for Lando, it gave him essentially a free stop.

“But obviously not great for us, because then you’re on tyres that are six laps, seven laps older. And with the damage, I think that actually second place was actually still a pretty decent result.”

Expanding on the extent of the damage he said: “It’s a reasonable amount – the area around the left rear floor, there’s a reasonable amount that’s missing, and you can see it will be flexing as well. So it certainly wouldn’t be helpful.”

Asked if Norris had the pace to win without the aid of a safety car intervention giving him track position Horner said it was impossible to know.

“I think what we saw today was it was very difficult to come through the traffic,” he noted. “Who knows? That’s something that we won’t be able to answer, because there wasn’t a huge amount of overtaking in the top 10.

“So it would have all depended on where he came out after his pitstop, which would probably have been third or fourth.”

Horner insisted that with Verstappen’s Saturday sprint win taking into account it had still been a successful weekend for Red Bull.

“I think we have to congratulate Lando on his first victory,” he said. “It’s always a big moment for any grand prix driver to win their first race.

“So congrats to him and to McLaren. But we’ve still managed to score the most points in the drivers’ this weekend with the sprint race yesterday, and the most in the constructors’ as well. So it’s still been a very strong weekend.”

Regarding McLaren’s form he added: “They had good pace in the second half of the race. They were quick on the medium in the sprint race quali.

“We still managed well two poles here this weekend, a sprint victory and we were leading the race had it not been for the safety car. But you can see they’ve definitely made a step forward. So it will be then interesting to see what happens over the next few races once we head back to Europe.”

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May 6, 2024 · 12:44 pm

Stella: Miami F1 win a weight off shoulders for Norris and McLaren

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says that Lando Norris’s first GP win in Miami is a weight off the shoulders of both the Englishman and his team.

Norris scored his first victory early in his sixth season in F1, and in his 110th start at the top level, having previously earned 14 podium finishes.

Stella admits that there’s a collective relief at the team team now that it has provided him with a truly competitive car, helped by an upgrade package introduced in Florida.

“Realistically, I think it was a bit of a weight on his shoulders,” said Stella. “But it was some weight on our shoulders as well. Because we knew that as soon as we had made winning material available to Lando, he would have delivered, so we felt the responsibility.

“And I think I said that many times. We feel like it’s up to us, it’s not up to Lando. But credit to Lando that he kept developing. I think we already talked about how he developed over the winter, especially looking at for instance improving in qualifying, delivering laps that sometimes don’t have to be 100%.

“When you have a fast car, just be there. And I think he’s doing that. And also I have to say his race management is now very mature. As soon as he saw that there wasn’t much to do after the first lap, he started had to save tyres, because he knew his race would come at some stage.

“And then the pace he was able to pull off once the cars ahead of him pitted, then that was quite incredible. So fast in qualifying, even sometimes pacing himself, and very mature in the race in terms of getting the most out of the material he has.”

While a safety car period gave Norris a break in terms of track position Stella insisted that he was competitive in his own right.

“I already had early on some important clues, like when we saw Oscar [Piastri] overtaking a Ferrari,” said the Italian.

“Max was opening a gap, but he wasn’t as fast as usual, let’s say. And then when the cars ahead of Lando pitted and we saw what kind of lap times Lando was able to do, then even without the safety car, we thought like, if we keep Lando out, and we build a good gap, then we’re going be fast at the end with a fresh set of hard tyres.

“I think the victory sort of came with a little bit of help from the safety car. But I think we were in a strong position even independently, because the pace of the car was strong.

“We couldn’t necessarily see it in the other sessions, but we had spells of very strong performance at times. But we were uncertain whether the truth was the strong performance, or some of the disappointment like we had in the sprint qualifying three, for instance.”

Stella admitted that while Norris built up a handy lead in the closing laps the fear was that a safety car would allow rivals to switch to fresher tyres for the restart.

“The last laps, the main concern for me was the safety car,” he said. “Because it would have been difficult to make a decision when you leave the race as to like, do we stop or not to put some new rubber?

“And also you don’t know how long there’s going to be the race after the restart. So that was the main reason of concern over the final laps, and there were many battles. So anytime you see an overtaking, please don’t crash! So those were the thoughts at the end of the race.”

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May 4, 2024 · 11:42 pm

Stella: Magnussen’s Miami F1 blocking tactics “completely unacceptable”

McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andrea Stella says that Kevin Magnussen’s blocking tactics in the Miami GP sprint race were “completely unacceptable.”

Magnussen picked up a string of penalties for going off track while trying to keep Lewis Hamilton behind. In so doing he prevented the Mercedes driver from attacking the other Haas of Nico Hulkenberg up ahead.

Hulkenberg eventually finished seventh, and while Hamilton was eighth on the road he lost his point for a pit speeding offence. Magnussen’s penalties dropped the Dane to 18th. He was also subject to an unsportsmanlike behaviour investigation.

Although the tactics made no difference to the races of his own drivers Stella questioned Magnussen’s sportsmanship and suggested that penalty in such a case should see the driver banned for the race.

“For me, it’s actually relatively simple this case, because we have a case of a behaviour being intentional in terms of damaging another competitor,” he said.

“This behaviour is perpetuated within the same race, and repeated over the same season. How can penalties be cumulative? They should be exponential. It’s not five plus five plus five equals 15.

“Five plus five plus five equals maybe you need to spend a weekend at home with your family, reflect on your sportsmanship, and then go back. And if we see that you’ve become loyal, fair, and sportmanslike to your fellow competitors, then you can stay in this business. It’s completely unacceptable.”

In addition to four time penalties Magnussen picked up three penalty points, taking his running total to eight.

“I guess the penalty points are still is in place,” said Stella. “So I don’t know exactly the situation for some drivers, I have to confess. But definitely it may mean that the metrics might have to be adjusted, damaging intentionally the race of competitors just makes no sense from sportsmanship point of view. And this should be addressed immediately.

“Because if you are out of the points, you get 20 seconds or whatever, at the end of your race, it doesn’t make any difference. But for the competitors you have damaged, you have put them out of their race, again, in a deliberate, perpetuated and repeated way. This is completely unacceptable.”

Asked about the reaction of the FIA stewards he added: “I think they just potentially they were surprised themselves from the fact that this was repeated. And I’m sure they are going to look into that. And by offering a strong opinion, I think I want to reiterate that these values of being fair, it’s a sport, it’s a competition, we need to give everyone a fair chance to compete.

“These values need to be taken into account in creating the appropriate set of regulations. But I’m sure the FIA will look into that. And we’ll come with sensible proposal for the sporting advisory committee to evaluate, and hopefully this will become soon either rules or guidelines that the stewards can apply.”

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May 3, 2024 · 9:04 pm

Vowles makes public pitch to lure Newey back to Williams F1 team

James Vowles has made a public pitch to Adrian Newey in an effort to attract him back to the Williams Formula 1 team.

Newey worked at Williams from 1990 to the end of 1996 before moving to McLaren, winning titles with Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Damon Hill.

While rival team bosses are being coy about any potential interest they might have in hiring him after he leaves Red Bull Vowles made it clear in an FIA press conference that he sees Williams as a realistic potential home.

Vowles downplayed a chat he has already had with Newey, but suggested that a smaller team without manufacturer support might have its appeal.

“I mean, it was a light conversation more than anything else, saying it can’t have been an easy decision, and fundamentally wanting just to have an additional chat about things,” he said.

“But from a Williams perspective, obviously, that’s where Adrian really cut his teeth for the first time. And I think we’re a team without politics. It’s a small team that’s trying to make our way back to the front.

“And I think it could fit very perfectly for someone that wants to potentially dig into a challenge like that. More than that, I mean, what is great about Williams is that it has retained the family feel to it. We’re not driven by an OEM. We’re driven by just a group of individuals that want to be there. And it’s all about racing.

“And hopefully some of that plays to his strengths. And then finally with Adrian, you have someone with his accolades, with his touch.

“There’s not a team he hasn’t been to – and that includes McLaren, ourselves, Red Bull – where he hasn’t made a significant difference. And I think anyone here would be foolish not to at least open some conversation with him at that stage.”

Expanding on what makes Newey so special he said: “He’s an incredible character that has huge accolades behind him in the sport, well known for being the best designer really in his field. And that will have an impact, there’s no doubt about it.

“How much he was involved in Red Bull or not, I couldn’t say. We’re not buried within there. But what I can say is it [his departure] will have an impact. Of course it will, someone of his character and his strength.”

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May 3, 2024 · 7:23 pm

Zak Brown: Newey “not the last” domino to fall at Red Bull F1 team

McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown says that Adrian Newey is just the first domino to fall at Red Bull Racing, and won’t be the last.

Brown suggested that Newey’s departure will trigger an exodus of talent from the Milton Keynes organisation, while indicating that McLaren has already received interest from its current employees.

He also made it clear that the Christian Horner controversy triggered Newey’s decision to leave the team.

“Am I surprised?,” said Brown when asked about Newey’s departure. “Six months ago, I would have been surprised. I think given everything that’s gone on since the start of the year and knowing Adrian pretty well, and he’s very high integrity individual. I’m not surprised.

“He’s moving on. I think the stuff that’s going on there is a bit destabilising. It’s probably the first domino to fall. I guess it’s not the last, based on the resumes that are flying around.”

Asked to elaborate on that claim he said: “Yeah, we’ve seen an increase in CVs coming our way from the team.

“I think Adrian is the most successful designer of all time. So in addition to the technical that he brings to the racing team, people want to work for people like Adrian Newey and work alongside him. So I think they’ll be missing what he brings to the team from a pure technical point of view.

“And then I think the leadership and the excitement people get from working with him will be missed.”

Brown insisted that McLaren is not in the race to sign up Newey.

“And as far as McLaren is concerned, I’m very happy with all the work the men and women at McLaren are doing,” he said. “I think we’ve started to show since last year, the second half of last year, that they know how to put performance on the car.

“So I’ve got all the faith in the world with the team that we have. We’re on a quest to get back to the front. And I think we have the people, the talent, the equipment, the drivers to get there. So we’re going to just stay the course.”

However Brown conceded that Newey would be a valuable catch: “With a resume and a track record like Adrian Newey, Adrian is going to add value to any racing team. But we’re very happy with the trajectory that we’re on.

“Never say never. But I’m very happy with the team, the technical leadership, the way Andrea [Stella] is running the racing team. And we’ve got a plan and we’re going to keep our head down.

“And of course, we always look for opportunities to make additive additions to the racing team.”

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May 2, 2024 · 8:25 pm

Leclerc: Newey at Ferrari would be “amazing”

Charles Leclerc says that it would be “amazing” if Adrian Newey joins the Ferrari Formula 1 team after leaving Red Bull.

The Maranello outfit looks to be the most likely destination for Newey, with some Italian media reports suggesting that the deal is already done.

If it is eventually confirmed it would put Newey at Ferrari just as Lewis Hamilton joins as Leclerc’s team mate.

“I will obviously be very happy,” said Leclerc when asked about the possibility. “I think Adrian is one of those guys in the paddock that you hope to be working with one day in your career.

“We have an incredible team in Ferrari at the moment. And in the last seven to eight months, we are the team that have progressed the most. However, adding Adrian to a team like this will be amazing.”

Asked if Newey’s departure would weaken Red Bull Leclerc said: “I was surprised, I did not expect it. So it was an interesting news, and one of those news that makes a lot of noise once it’s out, as I had it everywhere on my social media.

“But yeah, will it weaken Red Bull? I mean, obviously every team’s there are lots of people involved, but some figures of a team make more difference than others. And I think Adrian is definitely one of them, as he has shown it with his path, that’s every time he’s been in a team, they’ve been very, very successful.

“It’s difficult for me to comment, because I don’t know how exactly it works within the team. But obviously Adrian being on the market of the engineers is definitely someone to watch, and someone that everybody in the paddock will want in their team.”

Leclerc is adamant that even without Newey Ferrari has made good progress under team principal Fred Vasseur.

“I think I’ve said it, in the last eight to nine months already, I think we’re in a very good moment for the team. And we are in a good spiral. Fred has always shared with me what was his medium to long term vision of the team, I have shared with him what I thought also was the right thing, and it’s going really, really well.

“I’m really happy with how it goes. And I think we are in a good place to attract the best people in the world. However, I have said it already, but we are really, really good team already.

“And in the last seven to eight months, we’ve done incredible progress. But whatever and whoever can come to make it even stronger, is super important. And Adrian is one of those guys that can make a difference.”

Leclerc stressed that getting the right people on board is one of Vasseur strengths.

“I think Fred’s vision and his ability to put the people in the right environments in order to extract the best out of everyone is something really, really amazing,” he said. “And that has made the difference, together with a very clear vision on which are the main points on which we need to focus.

“Again, it’s very, very clear, which are the points that needs to be improved, and tackled in the next few months.

“And that helps the team to have a clearer vision, and to really put all the energy on one or two things only. But then you really see the gains straight away, which is a good thing. So clarity, and putting the people in the best environment possible to extract the best out of them.”

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May 2, 2024 · 6:15 pm

Hulkenberg: Audi F1 team can be competitive “straight away” in 2026

Nico Hulkenberg says that Audi will have “a good opportunity to be competitive straight away” when it joins the Formula 1 grid in 2026.

The German is the first driver with a confirmed seat at the team, which will switch to full Audi identity after one more year in its current Sauber guise.

Hulkenberg, who drove for the Swiss outfit for a single season in 2013, believes that the new chassis and power unit regulations will give Audi a chance to get off to a flying start.

“It’s really difficult to tell, it’s really a white piece of paper,” he said when asked about his expectations for 2026. “And on one side, I think that’s good. It’s not a new team, but it’s going to be labelled a new team, because probably the know-how and advantage that current teams have, it’s wiped away a little bit.

“And it’s more of a level starting playing field for everyone. So, I think that offers a good opportunity to be competitive straight away. But expectations are always to be as successful as quickly as possible. I have no numbers for you on that.”

Hulkenberg says that the interim season in 2025 will give him a chance to find his feet at the team after over a decade away.

“It buys us some time, getting to know each other,” he said. “Still some faces I know from 2013, but also a lot of new faces.

“It’s still going to be a Ferrari power unit, so that’s not going to be foreign to me, but obviously to get to know the team, the infrastructure there, and then already try to help and steer certain things. But that’s then. Now I’m still pretty much in the season, and focused on what’s ahead.”

Although Hulkenberg achieved some good results with Sauber in 2013 he stayed for just a single season, reflecting the fact that it was not an entirely happy experience for him.

“It was obviously very different set of circumstances,” he said when asked by this writer for his memories of that year.

“I think the that with the team, everything was fine. It was only with one person, it was difficult. And that was the team principal, Monisha [Kaltenborn] at the time, which was a bit difficult, and a tricky situation.

“But everything else was fine. Every team I work with and race for I’ve never had problems with the team, with the mechanics, with the engineers. I’ve always enjoyed working with all the team members and working as a force, as a team, pushing for performance. So obviously now that’s quite different from back then.”

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April 28, 2024 · 1:32 pm

Ocon: Too early to judge Alpine F1 upgrades

Esteban Ocon says it is too early to judge the upgrade package trialled on his Alpine A524 Formula 1 car at the Chinese GP.

The Enstone team was able to fast track one set of new parts for Ocon’s use in Shanghai, while his team mate Pierre Gasly stayed with the standard car.

Ocon started 13th and had a solid race to 11th in the main event, while Gasly was not far behind him at the flag.

Ocon conceded that it was and the team’s his best race of 2024 thus far, but he remained cautious on the overall impact of the changes.

“I think happier and a bit disappointed at the same time not to be in the points,” he said when asked by this writer about his race.

“We ended up through 2.3 seconds away from the points, which is difficult to swallow, given the job that we’ve done this weekend.

“I think it was fully maximised. I feel like this race has been my best driving race of the whole season, I was very happy with how I managed everything.

“And there was clearly nothing left on the table. So to not have that reward is a little bit sad, but it’s going in the right direction, a small step at a time.

“I think both cars made a good step forward, well inside the top 15. Of course, a lot has happened this race. So difficult to give conclusions exactly on where we would have ended up if everyone was there.

“But we will keep pushing, and hopefully we have one more shot of being close to the points in Miami.”

Ocon stressed that the team would have to conduct a proper analysis of how the upgraded car compared to rivals in the Shanghai event.

“I think we need to dig in exactly on what has been better,” he said. “I think for sure the weight has been an improvement.

“On the rest, I think we need further analysis to exactly see if it has brought a clear performance advantage, because I think both cars were in good shape in that weekend on that side.”

Regarding future prospects he added: “At the moment, we haven’t scored one point this season. So it’s early to say. But it’s our best finish of the year with both cars.

“We need to be careful what we read into it, we need to be careful also, who was there in that race? There’s been many things happening, and lot of contenders that are in the back.

“So that’s the other thing, that we need to be careful on. But on the same time, I feel like it’s been a very strong weekend on the operational side, and on my side driving, and I’ve been happy with that. So we keep going.”

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