Of the three main teams, two of them have drivers fully committed for the next four seasons. What about Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes? The silence is deafening. Read full article
2 commentsIn a parallel universe in 2019, Alexander Albon had a middling season in a Nissan E.Dams Formula E car, while Dan Ticktum was racing for Red Bull Racing in F1.
At this stage, I wonder how Helmut Marko gets away with this. His driver/vanity programme is a monumental failure. Pierre Gasly’s demotion to Toro Rosso after only 12 races is just the latest in a trail of destruction wreaked upon drivers ever since Red Bull Junior Team’s inception.
At Toro Rosso he joins Daniil Kvyat, who has also been rejected by Red Bull’s programme multiple times, only to be invited back due to the scheme’s utter dearth of talent.
Meanwhile, Red Bull lack the patience required to build their drivers’ confidence and skill.
Luke Smith’s tweet sums it up neatly:
This means a driver once dropped by Red Bull's junior programme replaces a driver dropped by Red Bull, who himself becomes teammates with a driver dropped by Red Bull's team and programme before being re-signed by Red Bull's programme #F1
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) August 12, 2019
Since 2014, Formula 1 has been in a state of equilibrium, with Mercedes in full control. But these past four exciting races suggest that equilibrium is shifting. Read full article
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Max Verstappen’s comeback from a poor start will surely go down as one of the great drives. Yet, the threat of a penalty hung over him for hours after the race — and it didn’t really need to. Read full article
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As usual, Christian Horner seems to be talking bull.
On the one hand, he’s bemoaning the damage being caused to cars by the kerbs. On the other hand, he’s saying they are “too inviting”. It can’t be both.
Horner believes they are “too inviting” for drivers. “They know they’re there, I just think the angle that they’re at, I think that’s what they really need to look at.”…
“It needs something either more substantial that is a real deterrent because the invitation is there for the drivers to try to use it.”
Damaging your front wing isn’t a deterrent enough?
Given this, and other recent events in Canada and France, I’m starting to wonder if F1’s biggest problem is that drivers have formed a sense of entitlement that they should be allowed to leave the circuit without consequence.
Formula 1 has its new wunderkind in Charles Leclerc. His performance has immediately raised questions about Sebastian Vettel. Should this in turn make us ask questions about Daniel Ricciardo. Read full article
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For all the intrigue, the evidence of winter testing and the first race of the season actually suggests that not much has changed in F1’s pecking order. This shows how the influence of power units over a team’s performance has been grossly overstated. Read full article
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There were four stages of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari career. Sebastian Vettel has so far matched the first three stages. The fourth stage is one he'll want to avoid. Read full article
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How lessons from how Formula 1 teams are managed could apply to other businesses. Read full article
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Esteban Ocon's links with Mercedes have closed off opportunities for him to develop in the midfield. Read full article
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The Monaco Grand Prix wasn't as dull as most people are saying. Certain media outlets are simply failing to tell the story. Read full article
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BrewDog's latest marketing stunt has generated predictable outrage. As the company grows, its usual controversial approach may become unsuitable, and it might lose some friends. But here is why I still love BrewDog. Read full article
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Red Bull have been unprepared for Carlos Sainz's departure, even though it has been telegraphed for months. For all the hype, Red Bull's driver programme is remarkably thin on F1 talent. Read full article
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There was a very new look to the podium for the first race of the new look Formula 1 for 2014. The two podium newcomers came from Formula Renault 3.5. Two of the other stars of the race came from GP3. So what is the point of GP2? Read full article
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The world knows that Sebastian Vettel is the 2013 Formula 1 World Champion. So why don't the fans get to see him collect his trophy? Read full article
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There are many people who reject the idea that Sebastian Vettel's phenomenal success might be down to talent or skill. Most of these explanations are bunk. Read full article
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The problem today at Sepang was not about team orders. What the teams did was natural. The controversy goes to the heart of what makes Formula 1 as a sport today: conservation. Read full article
4 commentsI don't have any prediction to make about the coming Formula 1 season. But for each team, I have some hopes and fears. Read full article
1 commentMy assessment of the four best teams in F1 in 2012. Read full article
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