Formula One

It makes sense Lewis and Toto were not at the event, they've been back in the UK, Lewis was knighted, and the French have since banned people from the UK from entering (it was in Paris).

...without good reason.
They had a contractual obligation to attend, it was not optional, as they were in the top three.

Mohammed bin Sulayem has been nominated as the new FIA President. He is going to have a difficult inbox, but already hinted that their could be a punishment for Lewis for missing the event. Link

And Max has been voted as the outstanding driver of the year by the team principles. Link

I have to agree with that, over the season Max has driven the socks off the Red Bull, and made the fewest mistakes.

rob666 said:

...without good reason.
They had a contractual obligation to attend, it was not optional, as they were in the top three.

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Is to attend a party a good reason?

Merc's non-attendance is evidence further still of the distain they have for the sport and fans other than those supporting them specifically.

They have to de-escalate this, stop the ridiculous talk of what a court would have judged (as if this is a matter any court would do anything other than throw out!) and start co-operating with the FIA.

Or they could just bugger off if that's what they really want.

WillPS said:

Merc's non-attendance is evidence further still of the distain they have for the sport and fans other than those supporting them specifically.

They have to de-escalate this, stop the ridiculous talk of what a court would have judged (as if this is a matter any court would do anything other than throw out!) and start co-operating with the FIA.

Or they could just bugger off if that's what they really want.

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Yes, because the fans really care about a millionaires gala.

I’m a Horner fan but not a Max. A Lewis fan but not a Max

What I feel on this situation is that the two team principles should be pulled together and told this can’t continue.

Whilst I can see why Merc missed the event it is a bit petty. What next where does this end?

I feel Lewis is sensing this and will move out the sport.

Rob said:

Yes, because the fans really care about a millionaires gala.

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Of course not - but they do care about their ability to watch an event, enjoy the spectacle and get a result.

The last part is contingent on teams accepting results when they are achieved, even if they don't perceive them to be fair. And yes, that includes attending a stupid gala if that's the conventional manner in which teams and drivers accept the result.

Aston Martin are the first out of the gates to confirm their new car will be revealed on 10th Feb. They've also appointed the unfortunately named Mike Krack as the new principal to replace Otmar.

Red Bull have also teased the reveal of their new car, and are allowing you to stream your own version of the reveal, which includes selecting the driver and team leader you wish to speak, as well as the language of the stream. No date, however.

Danny said:

Aston Martin are the first out of the gates to confirm their new car will be revealed on 10th Feb. They've also appointed the unfortunately named Mike Krack as the new principal to replace Otmar.

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Crofty: "And now let's go to the pit wall to see what Mike Krack has to say."

Call me immature but I need to get the puns out of my system!

McLaren's car reveal is the 11th Feb, with Ferrari on the 17th.

Design reveals are going to be really interesting this year. Less than a month to go until we see the cars, and just over a month until we see the cars on track. Mercedes having a longer car than most last season, is going to be shorter, so going to be interesting to see how that impacts their design.

Sadly no Fans will be allowed from what I understand, but hopefully Sky will have live coverage of the testing at Barcelona.

IanB said:

Mercedes having a longer car than most last season, is going to be shorter, so going to be interesting to see how that impacts their design.

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The aerodynamic concept is so different this year I can't really see last year's bodies being particularly relevant.

Far more pertinent is how good teams are at aero generally, which is likely good news for Merc/RBR but less good for the likes of Williams and Sauber - of course nothing to stop anyone knocking it out of the park or getting it horrifically wrong but just going on recent history...

I think it'll be a 3 way fight towards the top, Ferarri seem pretty confident and gotta assume Mercedes and Red Bull are gonna be up the top too, as much as Id love McLaren to be fighting for wins, I think once the wind tunnel is ready, they will be so 2023 / 24 before any real challenge from them

Not long to go until we find out, interesting article by Zak Brown - Link

I thought the quote below was interesting. Feels like he has a go at everyone in this article but is sticking up for Masi.

It is the teams who applied the pressure to avoid finishing races under a Safety Car at all costs.

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Its interesting the media seems to have calmed down a bit, although social media can still be painful to follow.

I take it with a pinch of salt that the Mercedes team and Lewis are demanding Masi be sacked, otherwise Lewis wont race, but the fact that some parts of the media are starting to talk about this is not a good look for the team or Lewis and fits with the narrative that Zak was talking about with the teams having to much influence. Rumours of Mercedes wanting to sell their 30% stake in the team are interesting as well, I assume they would continue to make and sell the engines, but the linked article also suggests RedBull my sell their engines to other teams. I don't think we will be seeing a McLaren Redbull any time soon, but Williams or Sauber could be potential clients for RedBull Engines. - Link

Positive news is that the Sprint Races might not go ahead as the teams can not agree on them.

And finishing on sad news, it sounds like race promoters might be banned from putting on Military Air Shows to improve the Carbon image of F1 - Link

I thought the plan was for Volkswagon to go in to business with Red Bull, meaning the Red Bull (nee Honda) engine would end up having an Audi or Porche badge.

Williams already have strong links to VW so are thought to be a likely customer if it happens.

Red Bull have just invested heavily in their Non-destructive testing and the abilities to make engines. So I think if they were going into business with VW it'll be by name only like Infinity did with RB.

The rumours Audi want McLaren seem to be bubbling away still so I wonder if they will take some steak in the team.

As for Mercedes, F1 is relatively cheap advertisement for them in comparison to other forms - but if they aren't winning then I can see them pulling the team. However if VW are getting involved, I think they will want to stick around

I can see VW entering there own team personally

30 Days to go until pre-season testing starts. Wait is nearly over

Haas are first out of the gates to give us a look at their 2022 car:



Disappointing the livery remains the same. Hopefully they can be much more competitive this year!