I started a new thread just on this issue. If it is more appropriate in this thread then ignore my post. Rick
Every week it's something else. Mercedes accuses Red Bull of cheating with their rear wing, and it was false Mercedes accuses Red Bull of having an illegal floor, and it was false. Mercedes accuses Red Bull of cheating in Zandvoort, and it was false. Now Mercedes accuses Red Bull of having spend too much money. Starting to spot a trend here... Mercedes whenever they had a problem, they took all their money, threw it at their problems, and see what would stick. Now that they can't spend all that money any more, they just start flinging accusations every week and see what sticks. This is all based on Mercedes having done some personal accounting on Red Bull's behalf by the way. FIA has had Red Bulls documents since March. It's taken them 8 months to open up the folder and take a peak at them? My guess would be Mercedes and Red Bull would be the very first 2 teams they looked at. Image Unavailable, Please Login We'll have Hamstergate next week! What will those crazy people at Red Bull dream up next...stay tuned, Mercedes will tell us soon... PS Don't think that Mercedes is singling out red bull here! In 2018 Mercedes couldn't figure out why Ferrari was so fast, so created a conspiracy, fueled it in the media by their deranged fanbase, and the FIA acted instantly and fitted a bunch of sensors to the Ferrari engined cars. When that wasn't enough, they simply fitted more sensors until they finally crippled the Ferrari's. When in 2019 Ferrari found a new, very clever trick, it was done again and yet again the Ferrari's where crippled. FIA seized several Ferrari engines but couldn't figure out what they where doing. That's when the deal happened and Ferrari told the FIA what they where doing so the FIA can stop others.
The FIA didnt flinch in knee capping SF with there engine a few years back and basically screwed their whole season thereafter..........same principal, both were viewed as cheating? Tony
That's the upgrade package...When everyone has caught on with their own hamster powered power plant, there comes Red Bull with their Capybara spec.
Mario Isola has clapped back at drivers criticising Pirelli’s “junk” extreme wet tyres, saying they cannot improve the rubber if the teams don’t test it.
Gotta love Pirelli. It's never their fault. 2 years the drivers have been saying the full wets(blue banded tires) SUCK which is why they immediately changed to intermediates.
Its not anyone's fault in F1 ever lol. But his point is a good one. Testing is not a bad idea to improve things if the drivers are not pleased.
but...doesn't Pirelli OWN their very own F1 car they can test with? An old renault or Toyota I believe? At the very least they have access to obsolete chassis and an incredible amount of recently retired F1 drivers that would be more than happy to do a bunch of testing. Here's an idea pirelli. Go to Paul Ricard, mount some of your development tyres to whichever chassis you have access to, fly a driver in, turn the sprinklers on and tell him to start f'in driving.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/singapore-track-changes-to-drop-f1-lap-time-by-more-than-20-seconds/10386294/ Singapore gets track changes for 2023, lap times to drop by around 20 seconds Singapore’s Formula 1 track layout is being changed temporarily for 2023 to help accommodate the construction of a new events venue. By:Jonathan Noble Oct 19, 2022, 10:20 AM Image Unavailable, Please Login Work on redevelopment of The Float area at Marina Bay into a new entertainments and stage area means the previous section of the circuit from Turns 16 to 19 cannot be used next year. This is the section of the circuit that is most famously known as the scene of Nelson Piquet Jr,’s deliberate crash in 2008 that helped teammate Fernando Alonso win that’s year grand prix. Work on what is to become ‘NS Square’ will begin in March next year and it means for next year’s Singapore GP, the track will miss the entire section in front of the famous grandstand. Instead, the circuit will now feature a flat-out section from the right hander at Turn 14, which will incorporate a new 379.3 metre long straight from Turn 15 to the new tight Turn 16. Early simulations of the changes to the track estimate that the lap time will drop dramatically down to 1m27.7 seconds. At this year’s Singapore GP, Charles Leclerc took pole position with a lap time of 1m49.412s. The conditions in qualifying were not ideal though, with the track having started out damp, and practice times in the dry had been more than five seconds per lap quicker. As the result of the revisions, which will reduce the track length to 4.928 kilometres, the number of laps for the race will be increased to 63 from its current 61. While the changes have been sorted with local architects and approved in principle by F1, they are still subject to formal approval from the FIA’s world motor sport council. It is anticipated that the track will revert to its traditional layout for 2024 once the new NS Square area is complete.
They need to update something. Its Monaco-esque BORING. Enough of both of them. The design is looking a touch better. Be interesting to see how it plays out passing wise.
FIA introduces new F1 grid penalty rules - https://f1i.com/news/457371-fia-introduces-new-f1-grid-penalty-rules.html
At least we have an ordered algorithm on which the stupid grid penalties can be calculated and allotted.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-set-to-reduce-the-use-of-black-and-orange-flag-warnings-after-2022-controversies/10391932/ FIA set to reduce use of black-and-orange flag warnings after 2022 F1 controversies FIA officials are likely to reduce the use of the black-and-orange flag warning following controversy over its use in several incidents during Formula 1’s 2022 season, Autosport has learned. By: Alex Kalinauckas Oct 29, 2022, 12:56 AM Image Unavailable, Please Login Instead, the onus will be on the teams to ensure their cars remain operating in a safe manner even after sustaining damage in incidents and then prove this is the case to in-competition enquiries raised by the governing body. The black-and-orange flag is used as an instruction to competitors ordering them to pit for repairs if they suffer damage and their continued participation is deemed unsafe, with drivers required to come in at the end of the lap after they receive the warning. Its use in the 2022 season has made headlines since the 2022 US Grand Prix after the Haas team protested the results of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Alpine driver Fernando Alonso because it believed they had each finished the race while running with damage, contravening safety rules. This followed Haas driver Kevin Magnussen receiving the black-and-orange flag instruction at three races earlier in 2022 – Canada, Hungary and Singapore – after he sustained damage to his front wing endplate in each of those races that left the part waving loose. This was deemed unsafe by the FIA officials at those races and he duly came in for repairs. But Haas was incensed, feeling it is being treated differently to other teams in this matter, when this did not happen for Perez in the race at Austin (his damaged endplate fell off five laps after his opening tour contact with Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas) and Alonso finished the race despite running for several laps with his right-side wing mirror bouncing loose and then falling off. Haas’s protest against Perez was dismissed because Red Bull had supplied photos to the FIA to show the shorn endplate damage was not moving unsafely, which the FIA accepted and the stewards’ agreed with that call. But the American squad’s protest against Alonso was initially found to be admissible and he was later handed a 30-second time addition that cost him his seventh-place finish last weekend. That was later rescinded following a long saga into the decisions around why Haas’s protest was allowed to proceed in the first place. Image Unavailable, Please Login Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522 Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images In the announcement that Alonso’s Austin penalty had been annulled, it was revealed that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had initiated a review into the future use of the black-and-orange flag. Autosport understands that this has been enacted in unanimous agreement with the F1 teams and follows the Austin stewards declaring that they were “concerned” that Alonso was allowed to continuing circulating with his wing mirror hanging loose. This is central to the controversy of the use of the black-and-orange flag in 2022, as the incidents involving Magnussen follow the wording of the rule around its usage in the FIA’s sporting code, but confusion and anger has followed after it was not shown to Alonso at the Circuit of the Americas. The FIA’s International Sporting Code on the flag’s usage states: “This flag should be used to inform the driver concerned that his car has mechanical problems likely to endanger himself or others and means that he must stop at his pit on the next lap. “When the mechanical problems have been rectified to the satisfaction of the chief scrutineer, the car may rejoin the race.”
F1 teams discussing winter shutdown to aid staff wellbeing Formula 1 teams are in talks to introduce a new winter shutdown to the sporting regulations as early as next year to aid staff well-being. By: Luke Smith Nov 1, 2022, 11:29 AM F1 currently has a two-week shutdown during the summer break that is enshrined in the regulations, ensuring staff get time off through the busy season by making teams pause their operations. Although all teams do ensure staff members get time off over Christmas and through the winter, there is nothing set in the sporting regulations that requires them to shut down through the off-season. But as part of talks in Formula 1's Sporting Advisory Committee, where teams are represented by their sporting directors, it has emerged that a winter shutdown has now been proposed. This would see a similar approach be taken to the summer shutdown, putting a fixed period in the rules where all teams must pause operations and staff members will get time off. Autosport understands that discussions about a winter shutdown in the Sporting Advisory Committee have not yet reached an advanced stage, nor is there total unanimity among the teams. But the indications have been positive, according to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff, who felt it would be an important step to protect staff well-being. "There are many of us team principals that would like to replicate what we have in the summer, at least starting at Christmas and going into the new year for two weeks," explained Wolff. "Obviously that's still up for discussion. But there was a positive indication, for the well-being of the people." https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-teams-discussing-winter-shutdown-to-aid-staff-wellbeing-/10393670/
A smart move. Too many accidents potentially. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-set-to-abandon-plan-to-lower-tyre-blanket-temperatures-for-2023/10393914/ F1 set to abandon plan to lower tyre blanket temperatures for 2023 The plan to lower Formula 1 tyre blanket temperatures from 70°C to 50°C for 2023 is being re-evaluated and is likely to be dropped. By: Alex Kalinauckas Nov 2, 2022, 5:58 PM The move has been planned as part of an additional change for 2024, where tyre blanket use is set to be totally abandoned within the championship’s sustainability drive. But lowering tyre blanket temperature alone has proved to be unpopular with the drivers and has been in the headlines in particular since the recent United States Grand Prix, where the first of two in-event 2023 tyre tests took place, before the second test occurred in Mexico last weekend. Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen said the move would lead to “a lot of crashes”, while McLaren’s Lando Norris felt “everyone's going to shunt their car at some point”. In response to the driver’s comments after the Austin test, Pirelli conducted an experiment for the Mexico test where the tyres were heated in blankets at 70°C but only for two hours and not the usual three, which would have remained the operation for the 50°C limit being brought in. Pirelli apparently discovered that this change used less energy overall and would soothe the drivers’ concerns at the same time. Pirelli motorsport boss Mario Isola explained to Autosport that while for 2024 “the plan is still not to have a blanket, for next year the investigation said that if you warm the tyres at 70°C for two hours and not three hours, you save more energy than the blankets at 50°C for three hours”. “Because this is the period of blanket that is using a lot more energy – it’s like the oven at home,” he continued. “So, if you switch it on, you have a first phase where you go up to the required temperature and then it's stabilised. “But to keep the temperature at the level you want, you need to use energy. So, that's the point.” Image Unavailable, Please Login Tyre heating system, Ferrari F1-75 Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz Photo by: Erik Junius Isola presented Pirelli’s findings to the drivers in their Mexico City GP post-FP2 regular briefing. He said that the drivers agreed they would prefer F1 to adopt the approach of heating the tyres hotter for a shorter period. “For me it's a sensible solution,” said Isola. “As I said, we also save more energy. Now, we have to analyse all the data [from the heating approach ahead of the Mexico test] because the test was [only last] Friday. “The [rest of the] plan is to find the five compounds we want to homologate for 2023. “[Then] bring the final version of the tyres to Abu Dhabi for the post-season test, so the drivers can test the final range of compounds. “And to propose a full 2023 strategy of [tyre blanket heating] two hours at 70°C. That's the plan for the moment.” It is understood that Pirelli has also presented its 2023 tyre blanket idea to the FIA and the F1 organisation and has received positive feedback to the new approach. Isola also suggested that the in-event tyre testing conducted in Austin and Mexico could return at certain events next year.
F1 is lining up a new airline sponsor as Emirates talks break down. The Emirates deal ends this year and F1 is understood to be asking for around twice the previous figure. Qatar Airways is being touted as a possible replacement. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/63592550 Sao Paulo Grand Prix: F1 drivers pushing for changes to the penalty points system Formula 1 drivers are pushing for a change in the penalty points system to prevent drivers being banned from races for frivolous offences. Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly said before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix that he was "a bit embarrassed" to be two licence points off a mandatory one-race ban. Mercedes driver George Russell said: "The penalty does not fit the crime, especially in Pierre's case." The Briton added: "The rules aren't in the right place". Governing body the FIA's approach to various administrative matters has come under the spotlight this season and Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, said it had told the drivers that it was going to hold a review over the winter. "They have expressed that were going to have the conversation in the off-season and review all of this. "There is a lot to review this season in many different regards, so the FIA are definitely going to have a busy off-season. "In sport, you have to be ready and able to adapt, you have regulations in place and it only takes one incident to recognise maybe the regulation isn't quite right. We need to have the capability to change things and take penalty points away afterwards if we all agree it was incorrect." Gasly is on 10 penalty points after a series of incidents this season, ranging from collisions with other drivers and speeding under red-flag conditions to exceeding track limits and not staying within the required distance of the safety car. The rules dictate that any driver who accrues 12 points in any rolling 12-month period will be given an automatic one-race ban. Gasly has even discussed whether it would be advantageous to deliberately get the extra two points in Brazil this weekend so that he can serve out a ban at the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend, rather than have it hang over him when he moves to the Alpine team next year. Gasly said: "It is a very unpleasant situation and quite delicate and in some ways also a bit embarrassing to be standing in a position where I could be banned for a race. "After the season I have done, I don't particularly feel I have been particularly dangerous and that would be a very harsh penalty. There have been a lot of discussions with the FIA to avoid the penalty. There is a lot at stake. "No-one knows what could happen in 2023. I could have an amazing car and be fighting for the championship. I can't take the risk to miss a race. It is a very tricky situation. "I have been discussing quite a lot with the FIA to try to find a solution. "The way the regulation is written it is quite strict as it is not always related to dangerous driving. "I hope we can avoid the situation where I end up being banned for a race. I can't go into next year with only two points and that risk over my head but at the same time there is no clear solution." Russell added: "He has some for safety-car infringements, incidents in practice sessions. If anything were to result in a race ban, it needs to be for something pretty reckless and dangerous. I personally don't associate Pierre with being a reckless or dangerous driver." An FIA spokesman confirmed to BBC Sport that it would hold a review of this and other matters over the winter but added that Gasly would have to serve a ban if he exceeded the points limit this season. Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Williams driver Alex Albon also said the system needed to be reviewed and that Gasly did not deserve to be on the brink of a ban.
