After a driveshaft failure in qualifying relegated Verstappen to starting 15th in Jeddah, the two-time world champion climbed the order in the race but had to settle for second behind team-mate Perez, who had a free run to pole. That means Verstappen and Perez head to Australia with one win each and just one point […]
Year: 2023
Honda “not a title contender” on eve of 2023 MotoGP season
The 2022 season marked Honda’s second winless campaign in three years in a spell that has been dominated by bike problems and injury woes for Marquez. Despite numerous changes over the winter in terms of personnel, with Ken Kawauchi coming from Suzuki to replace Takeo Yokoyama as technical director, Marquez ended the final pre-season test […]
Alpine “can’t be satisfied” with current F1 pace
Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly were both left asking for more performance after they finished eighth and ninth in the Saudi Arabian GP. The two cars ran a few seconds apart for much of the race, with the drivers enjoying a brief fight after the safety car restart. The A523’s pace clearly indicated that it […]
Bagnaia must “respect” #1 plate to defend his MotoGP crown in 2023
Bagnaia made history in 2022 when he bounced back from a deficit of 91 points midway through the season to become Ducati’s first MotoGP world champion since 2007. The Ducati rider has elected to swap his #63 plate for #1 for 2023, marking the first time a champion has carried that number since Casey Stoner […]
Why McLaren’s revamp is not just about its 2023 F1 car struggles
It often happens in F1 that lacklustre performance from a new car triggers the departure of the senior technical figures that pulled it together. But in McLaren’s case, the exit of technical director James Key and the appointment of a new technical executive team has been a long time coming, and the wheels were set […]
Yamaha “still far away” from what it needs from 2023 MotoGP engine
Top speed has been a key deficit Yamaha has had to endure in recent years, with a lack of engine power seriously impacting Quartararo’s hopes of defending his world title last year. Yamaha enlisted the help of former Formula 1 engine chief Luca Marmorini to help with development of its 2023 engine, and the speed […]
No shame in copying Red Bull F1 car concept says Mercedes
The team is currently evaluating a change of direction for its W14 car after realising that its ‘zeropod’ idea is not going to deliver the performance levels hoped for. Having settled on a change of path, Mercedes has talked of there already being promising results from its CFD and wind tunnel work which it hopes […]
Honda set to test Kalex MotoGP chassis prior to Americas GP
The Japanese manufacturer has endured a tough 12 months as it suffered its second winless campaign in three years, and is coming into the 2023 campaign – which starts this weekend in Portugal – off the back of a tough pre-season. Eight-time world champion Marc Marquez admitted after testing that the 2023 RC213V is currently […]
Key out, Sanchez in as McLaren restructures F1 team
Off the back of a disappointing start to the 2023 campaign, with the squad having yet to score a point in the opening two grands prix of the season, McLaren has revealed a revamp of its technical department. As Key, who joined the team in early 2019, departs the outfit with immediate effect, McLaren has […]
McLaren F1 boss plays down Baku GP upgrade package
From the February launch of the MCL60 car, which is an evolution of the 2022 design that Stella said McLaren was “not entirely happy with”, the prevailing sentiment has been that the team must be “realistic” in the early races. While Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both hit reliability problems in the Bahrain season opener, […]