Yes both are proper Gentlemen. Button comes out quite a bit to our kart track. Driven with him a bunch of times. Really nice guy.
Gastao real pleasure to meet you. Your were a bad ass driver. Winning a world championship in Karting is one of the toughest things to achieve in racing.
Catalunya update This morning we have installed a double hydrocarbon separator in the paddock that will improve the drainage system. Thus, we increase protection of our environment according to our mission "Driving for a better future" Image Unavailable, Please Login
Miami update https://www.tiktok.com/@f1miamigp/video/7051675123769937199?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESPgo8ROmgQoNXjWJDcB18ILhsnDNN9dfRwxxsg2rQzH%2F6h0MgbZCbRiy%2FKxlC7WOpR6XIEmyEAhKC1tGQz%2B2hGgA%3D&checksum=d8fd78b52470675545362f60dd3e3392d7427ebda312234e7eb8c93387d281e3&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAc-xzwcUr72yVUu9FZYYFM4woTN4OdU7D7zlgtes_82gysOpROl4o_90xOu6QE8Oo&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=7051675123769937199&share_link_id=B44ADEB1-3352-41CC-A293-AFE121D7FE9F&source=h5_m×tamp=1642011681&tt_from=copy&u_code=db768c7d6cbief&user_id=6800467176052458501&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&_r=1 Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Rim update: OZ out, BBS in for 2022 BBS set to become F1's official wheel rim supplier as 18-inch era begins Image Unavailable, Please Login https://racingnews365.com/bbs-set-to-become-f1s-official-wheel-rim-supplier-as-18-inch-era-begins
I lost track of BBS... They went bankrupt at least three times, and then you have BBS Japan that seems to be an independent entity and the one who used to supply the F1 wheels.
A bit late to announced wheel supplier especially if some teams are keen on them. What wheels have they been testing with and designing to?
Will F1’s 2022 rules revolution work? Our verdict- https://the-race.com/formula-1/will-f1s-2022-rules-revolution-work-our-verdict/
Catalunya update: The new protection wall at Turn 4! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Tyres Tires lol Will be interesting to see the affect of the new tires as FA brings insight to here, who likes them/adapts well etc. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/alonso-oldest-driver-tag-now-gives-me-an-advantage-in-f1/7310539/ He cited the knowledge of low-profile racing tyres gained in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota in 2019 and 2020 as a specific example of the benefits of his extended career. “On the age, I feel good, honestly I feel an advantage,” he said when asked by Autosport about his new position as F1’s senior driver. “When I come to a circuit, I know the circuits. Now everyone is testing this 18-inch tyre, and I know very well these tyres from the WEC. “There is exactly the same behaviour on the tyres, and the same way you have to drive the tyre, which is very different. So all the things that I am facing, for other people are live for the first time, and for me it's a second or third time. So this is good.”
So of course there was nothing to the absurd amount of RedBull complaints about the Mercedes wing lol. The only noted wing forced to change last year were the loud mouth propagandists of RedBull lol!! https://www.autospot.com/f1/news/fia-plans-to-further-tweak-rear-flexi-wing-tests-despite-all-clear/7384171/ FIA plans to further tweak rear flexi-wing tests despite all-clear By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Giorgio Piola Jan 18, 2022, 4:17 AM The FIA says it uncovered no 'monkey business' with its increased rear wing flexibility tests in Formula 1 last year, but it wants to further improve its checks for 2022. Image Unavailable, Please Login The closing stages of the F1 campaign were marred by accusations from Red Bull that its title rival Mercedes was using flexi-wings to increase its straightline speed. The suspicion was that Mercedes had found a clever way for its main plane to flex down at high speed to help reduce drag. Red Bull even went as far as suggesting that marks seen on the Mercedes endplate were evidence of the wing moving, even though its rival was always adamant the marks were a red-herring. In response to Red Bull's concerns about the situation, the FIA launched a fact-finding mission from the Qatar Grand Prix to better investigate the behaviour and characteristics of the rear wings of all the teams. While the new tests had no regulatory value, so were not to check on the legality of cars, it was hoped that they would provide some answers about whether or not the regulations needed to be tightened up for the future. Speaking about what the FIA found in those examinations, F1's head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis explained that nothing out of the ordinary was uncovered. However, he suggested that the governing body would be looking at ways to improve the manner in which wings can be checked going forward to help ensure teams were not finding clever ways to make wings flex.
So of course there was nothing to the absurd amount of RedBull complaints about the Mercedes wing lol. The only noted wing forced to change were the loud mouth propagandists of RedBull lol!! https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-plans-to-further-tweak-rear-flexi-wing-tests-despite-all-clear/7384171/ FIA plans to further tweak rear flexi-wing tests despite all-clear By: Jonathan Noble Co-author: Giorgio Piola Jan 18, 2022, 4:17 AM The FIA says it uncovered no 'monkey business' with its increased rear wing flexibility tests in Formula 1 last year, but it wants to further improve its checks for 2022. Image Unavailable, Please Login The closing stages of the F1 campaign were marred by accusations from Red Bull that its title rival Mercedes was using flexi-wings to increase its straightline speed. The suspicion was that Mercedes had found a clever way for its main plane to flex down at high speed to help reduce drag. Red Bull even went as far as suggesting that marks seen on the Mercedes endplate were evidence of the wing moving, even though its rival was always adamant the marks were a red-herring. In response to Red Bull's concerns about the situation, the FIA launched a fact-finding mission from the Qatar Grand Prix to better investigate the behaviour and characteristics of the rear wings of all the teams. While the new tests had no regulatory value, so were not to check on the legality of cars, it was hoped that they would provide some answers about whether or not the regulations needed to be tightened up for the future. Speaking about what the FIA found in those examinations, F1's head of single-seater matters Nikolas Tombazis explained that nothing out of the ordinary was uncovered. However, he suggested that the governing body would be looking at ways to improve the manner in which wings can be checked going forward to help ensure teams were not finding clever ways to make wings flex.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-pirellis-emergency-f1-fixed-supply-rule-looks-set-to-stay/7391305/ Why Pirelli’s emergency F1 fixed supply rule looks set to stay Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli doubts teams will go back to having a free choice of compounds for each race weekend, with supply choices to be fixed again for 2022. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Jonathan Noble Jan 18, 2022, 10:03 AM Since the start of 2016, in a bid to add variability to each grand prix, teams were able to choose how aggressive they wanted to be with their tyre selection for grand prix events. While they were limited as to the total number of tyre sets they had available, teams were able to vary the spread of compounds within that – either opting for softer or harder rubber depending on their strategy choices for each individual track. But, as part of the emergency cost-saving measures introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, that free choice was stopped and instead Pirelli handed out the same compound selection to each team. That rule stayed the same last year and will also now carry over in to 2022, when Pirelli will introduce its new 18-inch tyres for the first time. While the possibility of opening up the compound choices remains something Pirelli is happy to consider in the future, it seems that teams are actually not especially eager for it to happen. Speaking at a Pirelli pre-season launch in Monaco on Tuesday, the Italian tyre manufacturer’s head of F1 and car racing Mario Isola explained why he thinks the days of free choice may be over. “We had to find this solution for the pandemic to be quicker in reaction,” explained Isola about the current fixed supply stance. “But then the teams came back to us saying, actually the system is quite good. We want to keep it for the future. So it was not our decision at the end to continue with this fixed allocation.” Isola explained that the teams felt much more comfortable being told what tyres were being picked for them, than having to devote resources to working out the best option themselves. Image Unavailable, Please Login Pirelli tyre on the car George Russell, Mercedes W10 Mule Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images “They told us that if they have a fixed allocation, and it is the same for everybody, so there is no advantage for one or the other, they can start planning on this fixed allocation instead of spending time and resources and people to think about one set more of medium, or one set less of soft. They have that allocation [fixed now], and they have to work around this. “So in 2020, they said we want to continue for 2021. In 2021, with the new product for 2022, nobody was confident in deciding on the compounds and breakdown and so they want to continue [for now]. “I don't know if in 2023 they want to change but for the moment, this is the answer.” Pirelli’s new 18-inch tyres will get their first proper run on 2022 F1 cars at the first pre-season test at Barcelona in Spain next month. Isola was confident already, however, that the new rubber should allow drivers to push harder than they were able to on the previous generation of tyres. Reflecting on what was learned from the post-season Abu Dhabi test, Isola said: “There is less overheating. Drivers had the possibility to push more, and that was important in Abu Dhabi, because in Abu Dhabi, we had also some traffic. “That is something we cannot simulate during our tyre development tests, where we have only one car that is running on track, or two cars maximum. “This improvement in reducing the overheating, this improvement with degradation, it means less degradation.”
Interesting. A few thoughts on this: Tombazis still employed (?) No issues with the wings but they will probably revise testing? Ok. No mention of the the DRS gap test so obviously this was a cut and dry DQ in Brazil for Merc and so the 0.2 mm BS by Toto was just that: BS.
Zak Brown: McLaren boss says no sprint events in 2022 a possibility https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/60036659
More Sprint Race data/report - https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-money-dispute-could-scupper-2022-sprint-race-plans/7397123/ Grand Prix racing’s chiefs are hoping to push on with plans to hold six sprint races this year, following the success of the experiments at Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos in 2021. However, the green light has not yet been given because teams have yet to agree with F1’s commercial rights holder on a funding package for the races. It is understood teams were paid an extra $100,000 per event for each sprint in 2021. They were also given a cost cap allowance of $450,000 for the three events, plus scope for an extra $100,000 per car for accident damage in the event of a serious incident. For this year, it is understood that F1 does not want to offer any extra allowance for crashes. Instead, its initial offer was a straight $500,000 payment per team for the first five events, plus an extra $150,000 for each event above that. This effectively meant an extra $2.65 million for each team for the six races in 2022. It is understood that this offer has not gone down well with the bigger teams who are at the limit of the cost cap and are worried it is not enough. They fear that the addition of extra sprint costs could force them to compromise in what they can devote to pure performance improvements in the event of crashes. According to Brown, one unidentified team wants the cost cap limit raised by $5 million dollars instead of what is on offer. However, the smaller squads believe that calls for the cost cap to go up by such a margin are simply a cover for the bigger squads to spend more on making their cars go quicker rather, than being necessary for the sprint races. The ongoing failure to find a middle ground is a problem for F1 because, with just a few weeks to go ahead of the first F1 race of the season, the dispute over the money risks derailing the sprint race plans entirely.
