Tag: WDC

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F1 2024 Season

What to Expect from the Austrian Grand Prix

Circuit Facts

  • 4.3km circuit 
  • Race consists of 71 laps
  • Total distance of 306.452km 
  • Sprint consists of 23 laps 
  • Distance of 99.314km 

When can I watch the Austrian GP?

Friday

Practice 1 – 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Sprint Quali – 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm

Saturday 

Sprint – 11 am – 12 pm

Quali – 3 pm – 4 pm

Sunday 

Race – 2 pm

We expect a strong McLaren challenge at the Red Bull Ring. The team from Woking have closed the gap to Red Bull considerably, and have arguably the fastest car on the grid – Lando Norris is the only driver to be placed within the points in every race in the 2024 season (Grand Prix only).

Max Verstappen and Red Bull will be wary of Mercedes as well, who produced a very strong performance, with Hamilton grabbing the last spot on the podium and Russell taking P4 at the Spanish GP. 

Ferrari’s performance was below par at Sainz’s home race, with both drivers out in Q2 of qualifying and both drivers unhappy with each other after the race. However, Frederic Vasseur has a hopeful outlook heading into Austria and will aim to catch up to their rivals. 

Track History

This track has been on the calendar since 1964, but there was a gap between 2004 to 2013, when the circuit was taken off the calendar for a couple of years.  

Famously called the Red Bull Ring, this circuit is a fan favourite for both Red Bull supporters and Visa CashApp RB fans. Let’s hope Danny Ric and Yuki Tsunoda score some points around this track after the weekend they had in Barcelona.

Max Verstappen is a four time winner around here, taking victory in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Lewis Hamilton has won the Austrian GP twice in 2016 and 2020. 

Who will add to the tally this weekend? 

Written by Frankie.

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Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: Hungary 2014!

Taking a look back to one of Daniel Ricciardo’s finest hours in his F1 career, this week we head back to the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix which saw a drying track cause chaos and a charging Daniel Ricciardo come through to take the win!

Source: F1Madness.com

The starting grid saw Nico Roseburg on P1 for Mercedes with Sebastian Vettel in P2 for Redbull. Ricciardo started P4 for Redbull behind Valtteri Bottas in the Williams. The cars started out on intermediate tyres as the track was still very wet from rain earlier in the day. Despite the clean start, many drivers quickly had issues with Lewis Hamilton, Marcus Ericsson, and Romain Grosjean spinning off the track. 

Source: Pittas.com

On lap 23, Sergio Perez in the Force India hit the barriers down the start/finish straight bringing out the safety car. It was under the safety car that Ricciardo’s team made the tactical decision to swop to a two-stop strategy. Drivers continued to spin with Vettel being the next to take the long way down the straight!

On lap 54, Ricciardo made his second pitstop and began to place race leader Fernando Alonso under pressure in his Ferrari. Hamilton was also chasing Alonso for the lead, but his tyres began to fade making an overtake easy for Ricciardo. Ricciardo went on to win the race, claiming his second podium of the year! Ricciardo finished 5 seconds in front of Alonso making it one of the most impressive drives of his career.

Source: SCMP.com

Ricciardo would go onto win again in Belgium and claim his best finish in the Driver’s Championship, finishing the season in 3rd. Despite the intense chaos of the race and multiple drivers spinning and going off track, Pastor Maldonado in the Lotus Renault was the only driver to not finish the race!

Do you remember Hungary 2014? What were your thoughts!?

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2024 Season

Guenther Steiner Leaves Haas!

On the evening of Wednesday 10th January, Haas announced to the world that Team Principal Guenther Steiner would be leaving the team, effective immediately. The news came as a shock to most of the racing community as Steiner has been team principal of Haas since 2016 and was a vital part in the formation of the team as he worked hard to get the team into the F1 team roster.

Source: SkySports.com

The teams best result came in 2018 when they finished 5th in the Constructors Championship with 93 points and had a 4th and 5th place finish at the Australian Grand Prix! The achievements of 2018 have not been replicated in recent years with Haas slowly making its way down the championship table and having inconsistent results. The team’s biggest moment, however, was at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020 when driver Romain Grosjean survived one of the biggest crashes in modern F1 history where his car was ripped in half, bursting into flames, and he walked away with minor injuries to his hands. Steiner referred to the incident in his book, Surviving to Drive, released in 2023, as one of the most terrifying things he had ever witnessed. 

Source: RacingNews365.com

Ayao Komatsu has been promoted from Director of Engineering to Team Principal ahead of the 2024 season with owner Gene Haas saying this “fundamentally [has] engineering at the heart of [their] management”. In a statement to F1 Gene Haas also stated that Steiner’s removal was “about performance” as he had “no interest in being 10th anymore”. There were a few harsh words from Gene Haas given the commitment Steiner made to the team however drivers Magnussen and Hulkenberg both expressed their gratitude and sentiments towards Steiner on Instagram.

Source: HaasF1Team.com

The understanding, at the moment, is that Steiner and Haas had very different visions of the future with Steiner arguing that a bigger investment into the team, factory, and equipment needed to be made in order to see higher performances from the cars and drivers. Haas however, decided he needed to see the team moving in the correct direction before he invested heavily in new equipment and buildings.

In 2023 Haas struggled, producing another lacklustre season with very few points scored. Despite Steiner’s departure coming as a shock, it was the result of his contract coming to an end and not being renewed rather than his contract being terminated. Given the fact that his contract was due to run out in early 2024, Steiner can’t have been altogether surprised at the decision to shake up the team. Speculation has started about what Steiner’s next career move will be. With the wealth of experience he has, he won’t be out of work for long! There is one suggestion that he could be joining the team for Andretti Cadillac who are working towards a spot on the 2026 F1 grid.

Source: GBNews.com

Guenther Steiner was one of the biggest personalities in the F1 paddock as well as the star of the Netflix documentary “Drive to Survive”! He will definitely be missed by F1 fans and journalists as so many of his words have become infamous over the last few years. Is this the last F1 will see of Steiner, or will he be back with a bang!?

Written by Cesca.

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F1 2023 Season

THE BEST OF THE REST!

RedBull Racing and Mercedes are clear front runners when it comes to F1 with both teams being the only winners of the Constructors Championship since 2010! Ferrari have mounted a number of attempts to reclaim their top spot, but it has not been possible when faced with the technology and drivers of the RedBull and Mercedes cars. With the dominance of RedBull in the 2023 season it could be said that it was 2nd place Mercedes who were “the best of the rest” but let’s first consider those further down the table!

Source: F1Chronical.com

In 2023 Aston Martin made a comeback through the first half of the season with driver Fernando Alonso putting them on the podium multiple times. It was clear the upgrades brought to the car through the second half of the season were not up to the same standard allowing McLaren to claw themselves back into the fight with Ferrari for third place. 

There was a clear divide in 2023 between the top 5 in the Constructors Championship and the bottom 5 with 5th place Aston Martin scoring 280 and 6th place Alpine scoring 120. Alpine could be considered “the best of the rest” as they were consistently in the lower end of the points and began a good fight with Aston Martin towards the end of the season, it just came a bit too late!

Source: Goodwood.com

However, a strong contender for this title is Williams. Williams had a much better season in 2023 than they have had for a while with Alex Albon scoring 27 points landing himself 13th in the Drivers’ Championship and securing 7th place in the Constructors Championship. It is clear that Albon has huge potential as an F1 driver and would score even more consistently in a car that could keep up with him.

With Alfa Romeo rebranding themselves for the 2024 season as Stake F1 with new sponsorships it will be interesting to see if there is an elevation to the standard of the car. Despite having experienced point scorer Valtteri Bottas as a part of their team in 2023, the best they could achieve was 9th in the Constructors Championship. 

Source: MotorsportWeek.com

Overall, Alexander Albon’s hard work in the Williams takes the win for the 2023 season as he proved himself as a brilliant driver worthy of a place in a top team. It appears under the management of James Vowels and the driving of Albon, Williams have managed to break their downward streak and have started heading back up the tables of both the Drivers’ World Championship and the Constructors World Championship. We can only hope for move improvement from this historic team.

Who do you think will shine in 2024? Leave a comment below!

Written by Cesca.

Categories
Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: Monza 2020!

Source: MostlyF1.com

With 2023 coming to an end, it is time for our last Flashback Friday of the year! Monza 2020 was an epic event with an unexpected podium after it was the first race since Hungry 2012 to not have a Mercedes, RedBull, or Ferrari on the podium! Pierre Gasly accomplished his first Formula 1 race win and emotions were high for everyone involved. 

It was Mercedes teammates, Lewis Hamilton and Valteri Bottas who sat on the front row of the grid with eventual race winner Gasly starting in 10th for Alphatauri Honda. It was an exciting first lap with Hamilton getting a good start and heading into the lead of the race. Bottas on the other hand had an awful start letting both Mclaren’s of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz past him.

Source: F1.com

Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari had a break failure in lap 6 sending him through the polystyrene barriers but coming to a stop safely off the track. On lap 19 the Haas of Kevin Magnussen experienced engine issues, coming to a stop on the side of the tack. The safety car was brought out to allow for its safe removal. The pit lane was closed at the same time the safety car was deployed however Hamilton and Mercedes still came in to change tyres. On lap 22 the pit lane reopened with all cars except Hamilton coming in to change tyres and the green flag to go racing again came on lap 24.

Lap 25 saw Charles Leclerc send his Ferrari into the barriers at the Parabolica in a huge accident, bringing the safety car straight back out. Due to the immense damage to the tyre barriers, the race was red flagged to allow for necessary repairs. Hamilton received a 10-second stop-go penalty for entering the pitlane while closed.

Source: GrandPrix247.com

The race resumed with a standing grid start on lap 28 with Hamilton still in the lead and Lance Stroll for Racing Point close behind him. Gasly restarted the race in third but overtook Stroll on the restart putting him into second place. When Hamilton pitted on lap 29 and served his penalty it sent him tumbling down to the back of the grid in 17th place. Lap 31 had Max Verstappen in the RedBull retire due to engine issues. 

It was a close race the end end with Sainz and Stroll fighting hard against Kimi Raikkonen for podium places. Hamilton began to move back through the field, and it was close, tight racing all the way through. The battle for first was intense with only 0.3 seconds being between Gasly and Sainz during the final lap.

Source: TheRace.com

In the end it was Gasly who prevailed, finishing 0.4 seconds in front of Sainz. It was Stroll who took the last podium place of Monza 2020. Fastest lap went to Lewis Hamilton who had worked his way back up to 7thposition. It was an emotional day for the Gasly and the Alphtauri Honda team and not one they would forget any time soon.

Written by Cesca.

Categories
F1 2023 Season

TFS Quiz of the Year!

Test your knowledge with our 2023 Formula 1 quiz! Can you remember everything that took place this year?

  1. At which race did filming for the APX F1 movie start?

A. Silverstone

B. Monaco

C. Monza

Source: Formu1aUno.com

2. Which race did Pierre Gasly score a podium?

A. Hungry 

B. Zandvoort 

C. Austria 

3. Which race was cancelled days before the event due to huge storms?

A. Australia

B. Canada 

C. Imola 

4. At which race did Liam Lawson make his F1 debut?

A. Silverstone 

B. Zandvoort

C. Baku

5. How many red flags were there at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix?

A. 4

B. 3

C. 2

Source: GrandPrix247.com

6. When did Oscar Piastri win a sprint race?

A. Austin

B. Singapore

C. Qatar

7. How many races did Red Bull win this season?

A. 21

B. 22

C. 20

8. At which race did Logan Sargent earn his first F1 point?

A. Vegas

B. Miami

C. Austin

Source: Carscoops.com

9. How fast was McLaren’s world record pit stop?

A. 1.9 seconds

B. 1.8 seconds

C. 1.7 seconds

10. How many drivers took part in the F1 2023 season?

A. 22

B. 21

C. 20

Let’s find out how you did? Are you an F1 fan with a great memory, leave your score down below!

Answers!

A, B, C, B, B, C, A, C, B, A

Written By Cesca.

Categories
F1 2024 Season

Sprint Season!

Once again, the F1 Sprint is back for 6 of the 24 weekends in 2024, but which countries have been given the honour?

“F1’s Sprint calendar is designed to feature circuits which encourage overtaking and make for close and entertaining racing” according to F1.com. Brazil is set to host its fourth Sprint weekend, with Austria to host its third, Austin and Qatar returning for a second year, and China and Miami joining the line-up for the first time. The returning circuits have held successful sprint events before and are set to be strong weekends once again.

Source: SkySports.com

China and Miami are interesting addition to the sprint calendar as F1 goes racing in China for the first time since 2019! There are still reservations amongst fans that the weekend will go ahead given the strict covid measures and current political climate that have resulted in the race being cancelled for the last 3 years. Miami will be entering its third hosting weekend in F1 history and has been improving every year. As a circuit it has had several successful overtakes that have been great to watch so is a good choice for Sprint weekend. Will someone be able to make history by winning two Sprint races in the same country!?

Source: MotorsportTickets.com

It is Azerbaijan and Belgium who have not had their Sprint contracts renewed for the 2024 season and given the difficulty drivers have with both circuits this is a positive move.

The Sprint calendar for 2024 is as follows:

China – Shanghai – April 19-21

United States – Miami – May 3-5

Austria – Spielberg – June 28-30

United States – Austin – October 18-20

Brazil – Sao Paulo – November 1-3

Qatar – Lusail – November 29-December 1

Source: FIA.com

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA said: 

“The addition of Shanghai will be a challenge for the teams and drivers as Formula 1 heads back to China for the first time since 2019, while a Sprint in Miami will add a new dimension to an enthralling weekend. We must continuously develop and adapt to ensure we are doing what is best for the sport, and as such we are working with FOM and the teams to define the future direction of the Sprint format.”

F1.com

Written by Cesca.

Categories
F1 2023 Season

F1 2023: The Year of Max Verstappen

2JW99R4 ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 4: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing after the Race ahead of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Cicuit Zandvoort on September 4, 2022 in Zandvoort, Netherlands (Photo by Marcel ter Bals/Orange Pictures)
Source: PlanetF1.com

The 2023 Formula 1 season will go down as a season of records as Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team had an almost perfect campaign from start to finish! The team were unstoppable throughout the season as teams around them made upgrades to try and catch up but it was an impossible challenge for this season. 

Verstappen’s 19 wins moved him up in the all-time wins to be the third most successful driver in F1 history, surpassing Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Sebastian Vettel by the end of the season to bring him to 54 victories overall. Although this wasn’t a record breaker itself, Verstappen’s dominance has moved him significantly up the list. But if that wasn’t a record breaker, what was?

Most Wins in a Season: Verstappen broke his own record that was set in 2022 with 15 wins in a season to go 4 better this time around and take 19.

Highest Win Percentage: An impressive 86%-win rate in 2023 broke Alberto Ascari’s 1952 benchmark of 75%. In 1952 Ascari won 6/8 races whereas in 2023 it was 19/22 making Verstappen even more impressive.

Most Consecutive Wins: Vettel won the final 9 races in 2013 and left people believing it could never be done again but Verstappen went on to win 10 in a row!

Most Points Scored in a Season: 575 championship points.

Biggest Difference Between 1st and 2nd: There was a 290 point gap to teammate Sergio Perez in p2.

First Driver to Lead Over 1000 Laps: Finishing the season on 1003 laps led, surpassing Vettel’s record of 739 laps led in 2011.

Most Consecutive Wins from Pole: 16 (starting from the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix)

Most Wins from Pole in a Season: 12

Most Consecutive Races as Championship Leader: 39 (starting at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix)

Most Consecutive Points Scored

Most Pit Stops by the Winning Driver in one Race: Dutch Grand Prix

Most Sprint Wins in a Season: 4 (lets remind ourselves of that Piastri win while we are here!)

Lastly, by winning in Miami, Austin, and Las Vegas this year, Verstappen became the first driver to win in the same country 3 times in the same year, how about that!

Will the record-breaking streak continue in 2024 or will anyone be able to keep up with Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team?

Source: FIA.com

Written by Cesca.

Categories
F1 2023 Season

The Best Battles of the 2023 F1 Season!

It’s hard to believe that the F1 season is officially over, it feels like just yesterday we were still hopeful for a competitive championship battle. The season was one of incredible predictability and extreme dominance but, there were still some battles that kept us on our feet throughout the year, with all of that being said here are my top five!

5: Ocon vs Leclerc, Austria

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. 01.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 10, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Sprint Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Batchelor / XPB Images

This first battle was one that stuck out to me because it was a picture perfect example of what is the appeal of the F1 Sprint. Two drivers putting it wheel to wheel for a sprint point and providing excellent racing in a shorter more condensed version of the main event. This battle had everything needed to be a top 5 battle from the late braking to the near contact and the line selection, the only thing keeping it from being higher on this list is that it was very short in length and didn’t really change the outcome of the race.

4: Piastri vs Perez, Hungary

This battle is still hilarious to me because it shouldn’t have ever been a thing given the equipment and experience levels. Yes, the McLaren was great in the second half of the season but it was nowhere near the same level as the Red Bull at this point if at all especially with a rookie behind the wheel no matter how generationally talented that rookie is. Perez should’ve never had to have this battle in that car but thankfully for the sake of this list, he did. Piastri battling to maintain 4th in this battle showed just how bright his future in this sport is by fearlessly going wheel to wheel with a driver as accomplished as Perez and never backing down. Even without DRS Piastri was keeping it close with Checo and overall just making it a pain to attempt the move. It would have been higher up on the list if it were longer and had a more significant impact on the overall result.

3: Sainz vs Perez Austria

(L to R): Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull Racing RB19 and Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari SF-23 battle for position. 02.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 10, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Coates / XPB Images

Now we get to the podium places and what is more fitting than a battle for the podium in Austria. This is the Perez I wish we got more of in 2023, he battled ferociously with Sainz and overall just looked like himself again. Sainz had unreal misfortune this year but here it was the opposite, both drivers gave it everything. This battle brought the best out of both drivers and made for an excellent visual or fans who by this point were embracing the fact that the season was decided, but this battle gave us hope for next year.

2: Alonso vs Hamilton, Bahrain

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Aston Martin F1 Team AMR23 leads Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W14. 05.03.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, Bahrain, Race Day. – http://www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com © Copyright: Moy / XPB Images

This battle was special. This was nostalgia overload, it was like we were back in 2007 again, Fernando Alonso and Sir Lewis Hamilton battling for a podium place under the lights will never get old and this was no different. The Aston Martin was among the worst cars on the grid the previous year so when we woke up and saw it running down a Mercedes for P3 we couldn’t help but look away. This battle had longevity and overtakes galore, it took everything we missed about close racing and compiled it into one segment of a race. Seeing Alonso without DRS close in on and overtake Lewis was jaw dropping and then Lewis came back and once again you needed to pick your jaw up from the floor, I didn’t want it to end but was glad we got something out of it.

1: Leclerc vs Perez, Vegas

WHO SAID VEGAS WAS GOING TO BE A COMPLETE FAILURE!? I did… but I take it back a thousand times over, this was the race of the year. I could’ve done a top 5 battles from this race alone and it would’ve been sufficient. Vegas proved that America deserves multiple races especially if they’re going to deliver these results, but I digress. This battle was incredible, it wasn’t just Leclerc vs Perez it was Leclerc vs Red Bull and it was the first time in a long time that it was actually competitive to the end. Once Verstappen pulled away it kind of dampened it but then we got Leclerc vs Perez and all was right again. Perez overtook and was pulling away with only a handful to go and we thought it was another RB 1-2 when all of a sudden on the LAST LAP Leclerc from out of nowhere dives in to take P2 and would go on to finish there, it was spectacular and it wins battle of the year in my eyes.

Thank you for reading and here’s to hoping this is a harder list to make next year! (In a good way)

Written by Andy

Categories
F1 2023 Season

The 2023 season comes to a close!

Source: SkySportsF1.com

With the last race of the season coming up this Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, what is left to decide in the World Driver’s Championship and the World Constructors Championship!? Red Bull successful wrapped up both championships with races to spare so the winners are not in doubt going into the final race, however it’s still all to play for further down in the championship. 

With Hamilton failing to score points in the penultimate race of the season in Vegas, Sergio Perez has secured second in the WDC with Hamilton remining being him in third. Unlike the Constructors Championship wherever position matters, after 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship, there are no prizes or money on offer, so they are competing for personal pride and Instagram bragging rights!

Source: SkySportsF1.com

Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso are tied on 200 points in fourth and fifth places respectively, with the Ferrari driver officially ahead of his Aston Martin countryman by virtue of his race win in Singapore. McLaren’s Lando Norris is five points back from Alonso with Charles Leclerc close behind. George Russell remains comfortably in front of Oscar Piastri and Lance Stroll, the Canadian could still switch places with the Aussie if Stroll scored big and Piastri does not. The other close battle is for 11th and 12th places which are occupied by Alpine team-mates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon who are separated by just four points after the latter’s fine drive to fourth in Las Vegas. There are 12 points separating the drivers between 14th and 21st with Liam Lawson outscoring Logan Sargent to come 20th despite only driving in 4 races this season. However, every full-time driver has already scored points this year too, something that doesn’t always happen in a season!

Source: X.com/LiamLawson

Mercedes and Ferrari head to Abu Dhabi in a fight for what is a distant second-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship for the second successive season. Four points separate the two historical giants with Mercedes’ 392 points playing Ferrari’s 388. Only champions Red Bull and sixth-placed Alpine are absolutely guaranteed to finish in the places they start the weekend. Although it’s relatively small consolation for Mercedes and Ferrari, given their grander ambitions in F1, finishing second compared to third does come with a useful additional prize-money boost, which is thought to be around $10m.

McLaren remain strong favourites for fourth but their difficult outing in Vegas has given Aston Martin, who finished fifth and ninth last weekend, an outside shot at overhauling them in the last round. McLaren’s advantage is 11 points. Williams also look well set for seventh in what would be their best placing since 2017. AlphaTauri would need to score at least seven points to overhaul them, which they haven’t done since June 2022.

Source: McLaren.com

However, AlphaTauri do have a useful five-point cushion over Alfa Romeo, whose advantage over last-placed Haas is four points. Despite a good start to the season, Haas have scored just one point in the last 12 events.

Where will everyone finish the 2023 season, tune into Sundays race to find out!

Written by Cesca.