Month: December 2023

04 Dec 2023

2021 shows our F1 dominance is no guarantee for next year

Mercedes dominated the 2020 season by winning 13 out of 17 races, including 11 victories for world champion Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull finished a distant second with two wins for Max Verstappen, but caught up in 2021 which led to the most dramatic title showdown in recent memory. Red Bull won all but one race […]

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03 Dec 2023

Alfa Romeo focused on WEC switch after ruling out staying in F1

The Italian manufacturer’s title sponsorship deal with the Sauber team came to an end at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, following a successful six years together.  And while Alfa Romeo was linked with a possible tie-up with Haas instead, and did speak to the American-owned outfit, negotiations never got very far.  Now, Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has explained to […]

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03 Dec 2023

Why Palou’s latest IndyCar contract flip infuriated McLaren

When Jean Alesi entered Formula 1 in the middle of 1989 with Tyrrell, he sought three-time world champion Nelson Piquet’s counsel over what he needed to do to look more professional, so he’d fit in with the F1 paddock. “Get a briefcase,” was Piquet’s sage advice, to which Jean replied: “But I don’t have anything […]

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03 Dec 2023

“Stupid” to consider me a title contender as a MotoGP rookie

The 19-year-old Spaniard has been generating incredible amounts of hype in the grand prix paddock since making his Moto3 debut in 2021, when he scored a maiden win in just his second race and having started from pitlane, before winning the title. After his second year in Moto2 with the KTM-backed Ajo squad, Acosta won […]

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03 Dec 2023

Verstappen mistakes will come if he’s put under pressure in F1

He stressed that the Italian team didn’t push the Red Bull driver hard enough this year. Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races over the course of this season, missing out twice to his team-mate Sergio Perez in early races, and then to Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz when Red Bull had an off-weekend at the Singapore […]

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03 Dec 2023

The long-standing F1 team-mates who crashed Todt’s car

The careers of Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger feel entwined, given their five Formula 1 seasons as team-mates and simultaneous moves from Ferrari to Benetton for 1996. Berger rejoined Ferrari for 1993 after three years at McLaren, having previously spent three seasons at the Scuderia. Ironically, given the genial relationship that lay ahead, Alesi immediately […]

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03 Dec 2023

F1 needs more flat-out races like Qatar

Drivers have increasingly complained about needing to manage overheating from the Pirelli tyres, with the rubber prone to thermal degradation, which forces them to back off in search of cooler air. PLUS: How Vegas thriller exposed the real enemy of racing in Formula 1 Pirelli is aware of an issue it said it is down […]

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03 Dec 2023

Super Formula champion Nojiri completes maiden F1 outing in 2021 Red Bull

Nojiri, who is a factory driver for Honda, got behind the wheel of the 2021 title-winning RB16B at Mobility Resort Motegi on Saturday as part of the Sakura marque’s annual end-of-the-year celebrations. Nojiri’s maiden run in a grand prix car was described by Honda as a “reward” for the 34-year-old, who won back-to-back titles in […]

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