The 2023 F1 season has drawn to a close after Max Verstappen capped off a championship-winning year with victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – but has the 2023 season actually finished? Teams and drivers have not packed up just yet, as they are staying in Abu Dhabi for this week’s post-season test at […]
Year: 2023
Miller “smoking cigarettes” before crash ended Valencia MotoGP win chance
Miller inherited the lead on lap 14 of 27 when KTM team-mate Brad Binder ran wide going through Turn 11 and dropped to fourth. The Australian was able to open out a lead of over a second and was eight tenths clear of eventual winner and world champion Francesco Bagnaia when he crashed going through […]
Strategy gamble not reason Ferrari lost second in F1 Abu Dhabi GP
The Italian outfit went into the race four points shy of Mercedes, but while Charles Leclerc took second place behind Max Verstappen, his team-mate Sainz failed to log any points. With George Russell earning third and Lewis Hamilton taking ninth, the Brackley team stayed in front by three points. After a frustrating Q1 session saw Sainz […]
MotoGP rejects RNF’s entry for 2024 over “repeated infractions and breaches”
The team issued a lengthy statement over the Valencia Grand Prix weekend denying reports that its place on the grid was in jeopardy due to financial issues. In a press conference on Saturday night, representatives of CryptoDATA called the rumours “fake news” and insisted all was well within the team. It said that a takeover […]
“Impressive” to crash with Perez after letting Red Bull pass deliberately
In a mostly unspectacular season finale, Perez attempted to dive up the inside of Norris under braking for the Turns 6-7 chicane in a scrap for fourth place on lap 47 of 58. But the Red Bull driver appeared to need two goes at turning in to make the apex, with the later correction sending […]
Honda signs Marini as Marquez replacement in MotoGP
Marquez announced in October that he would be leaving Honda at the end of the 2023 season to join Gresini Ducati, ending an 11-year partnership that has yielded 59 victories and six world titles. Honda initially highlighted Miguel Oliveira as favourite to replace Marquez, but this went nowhere when it originally insisted on only offering […]
“Lady Luck” Perez penalty made up for unfortunate F1 2023 races
Perez earned a five-second penalty for clashing with Lando Norris at Turn 6, where the Red Bull driver appeared to block off the corner to stop Norris from turning in. This ensured a frantic showdown between Russell, Perez, and Charles Leclerc – who was hoping to deliver a swing in the constructors’ championship to help […]
Marquez approached Honda MotoGP farewell “like I was fighting for the championship”
The eight-time world champion took part in his final round with Honda in Valencia after 11 years with the Japanese marque and six titles in the premier class. Ahead of his move to Gresini Ducati next year, Marquez was able to finish on the podium in the sprint race and felt he had pace to […]
Alonso explains DRS ploy behind Hamilton ‘brake test’ in F1 Abu Dhabi GP
The Aston Martin driver secured fourth place in the drivers’ championship with a seventh place finish at the Yas Marina Circuit, but was noted by the stewards for an incident following his second pitstop in the season finale. As he rejoined the circuit, with Hamilton’s Mercedes closing behind, Alonso moved to the right-hand side of […]
Ducati did “everything perfect” to defend MotoGP title
Bagnaia and Pramac title rival Jorge Martin came into the championship decider in Valencia split by 14 points after the latter won the sprint on Saturday. But the championship battle came to a halt on lap six of the grand prix when Martin collided with Honda’s Marc Marquez, on the eight-time world champion’s final appearance […]