Formula 1 2024 – WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

I’ve just raised a support ticket with the VPN provider and they tweak something* behind the scenes, the problem is fixed and I can watch the content again.

Any idea if they work in open plan offices?

Mercedes was back in 12th, sure they’re sandbagging.

Everyone’s just running through a checklist of tests to make sure that the cars are reliable and to understand how the car on track compares to the wind tunnel and simulation data. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Red Bull are looking good, but lap times from the first day of testing don’t tell you very much.

Any idea if they work in open plan offices?

Sensibly, they work from home….😀

Red flag out on day 2, drain cover again.

You can see why Hamilton called it quits….

You can see why Hamilton called it quits….

Mercedes told me “you’re wrong” about 2022 car’s problems – Hamilton

Leclerc getting closer to Max’s time from yesterday before the interruption. Still looks done and dusted though.

Looks like Perez has got the ‘You do the boring trundling around work today, and look happy about it. There’s a good fella.’ job today. 🙂

Sainz is flying at the minute but on one step softer tyres than Max yesterday – but he’s still 1.4s inside Max’s best. Is there hope!?

Alpine look lost – again.

Lando’s beaten Max’s time of yesterday as well.

Jesus, I think this is the same one that came loose yesterday.

If we had a nickel for every time a drain came loose during testing, we’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 23, 2024

Leclerc has just gone fastest for Ferrari, still 2 1/2 hours to go though

So, the riddles and confusion of testing are done. How many races do we think the RB20 won’t win this year? Hopefully more than one, but I doubt it’ll be more than a handful.

All but 3.

There are so many Youtube experts that feel Mercedes still have much more to contribute and are convinced they are only showing about 80% of their true performance.

It didnt look like that to me over the last 3 days, I think we are comfortably at RB, Ferrari/McLaren, Aston/Merc in the front end pecking order, pretty much as you were.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that Red Bull are the team to beat and that Ferrari look closest. Merc made fundamental changes to their car so it’s a less mature design. Hopefully, that will mean that there is more potential to be unlocked through the season. At this stage, it’s just too early to know.

My guess is that Perez is certainly beatable, most likely by a Ferrari and so Leclerc has the possibility of second in the Driver’s. I don’t think he’ll seriously threaten Max.

Not least because if he does, Max will simply drive into him.

Looks like Ford are turning the screw on RedBull to clear up the Karen-gate situation

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/ford-frustration-red-bull-christian-horner-investigation/

Two Options

If he’s totally innocent and the whole thing’s made up, RB would’ve said so hours after the initial investigation. So there’s something. I reckon this is just negotiating how much its going to cost them to get Horner to do the inevitable presser: “deciding to step down so RedBull can concentrate…I don’t want to become the story etc, etc”

Either that or; there is something, and RedBull are desperate to keep him on, and Ford (and some other sponsors) are horrified and the negotiations are all “we don’t want our corporate image to be blurred by having him still in charge after this” sort of thing.

My thinking is there’s something in it and they’re dragging their heals hoping it’ll blow over to some extent, he can ride it out and he can stay on after a settlement in the background.

Either that or; there is something, and RedBull are desperate to keep him on, and Ford (and some other sponsors) are horrified and the negotiations are all “we don’t want our corporate image to be blurred by having him still in charge after this” sort of thing

I’d put money on this option….I reckon they’re trying to find a way to keep the accuser quiet, with money and a watertight NDA.

I listened to “Beyond the Grid” and they said everyone in the paddock (including Andrew Benson at all) knows exactly what the allegations are, and it’s only a matter of time before they come out fully.  Also, they couldn’t see how Horner can survive (or why he hasn’t been suspended pending the outcome)

Yeah, I think if the answer from Red Bull at the end of the investigation is that Horner stays on, I think the story will leak, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it comes from one of the corporate sponsors unhappy at that outcome. I get the impression that RedBull are trying their hardest to keep Horner, but at the same time keep the sponsors happy, and struggling to make that happen.

my completely unevidenced and spurious theory:

Horner does some sleazy (but short of illeagal) stuff, Verstappen (defo senior, poss junior too) get wind of it, use it to settle some kind of grudge. Horner has some enemies back at RB HQ, who allow the smoke to smoulder into a fire rather than just squashing it straight away. Horner has lots of support at the RBF1 team (probably a big olde boys club) and it becomes apparent to RBHQ that if they bump horner, there’ll be a stampede of talent out of the door (including newey etc), killing the golden goose. Rest of the F1 teams doing ‘very concerned face’ publically about the need for transparency etc, while privately making big money offers to key RBF1 players. RB HQ now don’t want the house of cards to collapse so are trying desperately to find a way of making all this go away, but it might well be too late.

it’s only a matter of time before they come out fully

RB HQ now don’t want the house of cards to collapse so are trying desperately to find a way of making all this go away

Yeah, I suspect that Red Bull decided at the beginning that they’d like to try to find a way to keep Horner, and that’s looking increasingly difficult to manage. It could all just fall apart around their ears

Ford, Farley said, first requested further information from Red Bull almost two weeks ago and stated “as we have indicated previously, without satisfactory response, Ford’s values are non-negotiable”

Don’t make us ask again…

Anyway – enough about Karen Horner! 🤣

Chatter over the weekend is that Haas may not have have the slowest car on the grid – what on earth is wrong at Alpine/Renault?…

https://twitter.com/fastestpitstop/status/1761451555998327044?s=12&t=EQoHg-RGok071Fjc15ZHKw

And don’t forget the race is on SATURDAY not Sunday!!!

The Race disagree that the Alpine is the slowest, they rank it second slowest, ahead of Hass. Piastri must be laughing his arse off about how lucky he got. Alonso too.

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/every-f1-team-ranked-after-2024-testing/

orner does some sleazy (but short of illeagal) stuff, Verstappen (defo senior, poss junior too) get wind of it, use it to settle some kind of grudge. Horner has some enemies back at RB HQ, who allow the smoke to smoulder into a fire rather than just squashing it straight away. Horner has lots of support at the RBF1 team (probably a big olde boys club) and it becomes apparent to RBHQ that if they bump horner, there’ll be a stampede of talent out of the door (including newey etc), killing the golden goose. Rest of the F1 teams doing ‘very concerned face’ publically about the need for transparency etc, while privately making big money offers to key RBF1 players. RB HQ now don’t want the house of cards to collapse so are trying desperately to find a way of making all this go away, but it might well be too late.

This almost 100%….except one of the people driving it is Helmet (with Verstappen Snr), who apparently only has a year on his contract and is very unhappy….

Also…Renault to sell up at the of the season?

Also…Renault to sell up at the of the season?

Yeah, selling to Andretti would seem to make sense, Alpine is an embarrassment, they just seem lost and their engine still isn’t competitive.

The new Alpine A524 is currently the worst car on the grid.

It’s overweight, aerodynamically inefficient, slow on a single lap and in long runs.

High-ranking engineers are said to be already on their way out.

Alpine’s engineers:

thols2
Full Member

Yeah, selling to Andretti would seem to make sense, Alpine is an embarrassment, they just seem lost and their engine still isn’t competitive.

Yeah but Mclaren were nowhere until they bought their B-spec car last year.

If the leaked pics of Alpine’s B-spec car for this year are real then who knows?

If the leaked pics of Alpine’s B-spec car for this year are real then who knows?

An award for being outstanding in its field?

Ploughing their own furrow, etc etc…

…sowing the seeds for future F1 domination.

I’m just off to the bookies to bet my house on Ocon being world champ in 2025!

High-ranking engineers are said to be already on their way out.

No, they’ll be attracting big names from RB, clearing cultivating a more productive environment

I don’t follow the theory some of the above are suggesting that someone in the Verstappen camp is (partially, at least) trying to oust Horner. To what end? MV recently signed a long term deal and comfortably trounced the entire field last year…

Why would anyone in that position want to rock the boat so severely? 🤷