And whilst there are no real surprises in its DNA, there’s plenty of detail for us to pick over when comparing it to last year’s challenger and some of its competitors. At the front, the video showing the VF-23 rollout from the garage has revealed a change to the ratio of static and moveable sections […]
Year: 2023
Ducati has “learned from our mistakes” with 2023 MotoGP bike
Ducati came into last year as the favourites to win the championship, but the early races of its campaign with its 2022 bike were troubled. A strong post-season test at Jerez in 2021 gave way to a difficult pre-season in 2022, particularly with the new engine, with Bagnaia ultimately switching to a hybrid 2021/2022-spec unit […]
Haas will have “stronger” upgrade push in F1 2023
The American outfit has been constrained by budget limits in recent seasons, which left its hands tied in terms of being able to afford regular development steps. In 2021, the team brought only a single upgrade to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix very early in the campaign, whereas last year it focused its efforts on […]
Quartararo believes Yamaha has closed Ducati MotoGP top speed deficit
A lack of engine power dogged Quartararo’s title defence in 2022, with Yamaha forced to abandon its new engine prior to testing last year due to reliability issues and run a specification closer to the 2021 version. Since then, Yamaha has been hard at work to develop a new, more powerful engine, bringing various versions […]
Loss of Latifi’s F1 sponsorship not as big as suggested
Latifi was dropped by Williams at the end of last year after spending three seasons with the team, during which time a number of his sponsors featured prominently on the car, including Lavazza and Sofina. Williams unveiled the livery for its new FW45 car at its Grove base on Monday, as well as announcing the […]
Martin tops rain-hit day two despite crash
Unpredictable weather forecasts affected the entirety of the second eight-hour session of the 2023 MotoGP pre-season, with a damp track greeting the field when the pitlane opened at 10am local time. While all bar HRC test rider Stefan Bradl and Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga would eventually put times on the board, with Pramac’s Martin […]
Ricciardo not looking at racing competitively in 2023
After two punishing years at McLaren, during which he won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix but otherwise struggled to get on par with Lando Norris, Ricciardo decided to take a sabbatical from F1. The 33-year-old is still keeping his foot in the door, signing a deal to become Red Bull’s third driver, a role which […]
New Alfa Romeo C43 takes to track with different floor
Valtteri Bottas gave the car its first track mileage at a filming day at the Spanish GP venue, with Guanyu Zhou due to sample it in the afternoon. It was the first appearance of the real car, previously seen only in show car form and in renders, and also the first track running for any […]
Steiner sees “no upside” for current teams in expanding F1 grid
Last week, the FIA formally started the process to accept expressions of interest from potential new F1 teams, with the Andretti/General Motors entry the most publicly-known push to join the grid. But F1 itself and some of the existing teams have raised concerns about the impact of possibly adding an 11th team, as it would […]
Bezzecchi tops first day of 2023 pre-season
For the first time since November, the entire MotoGP grid assembled for the opening day of three at the Sepang International Circuit as testing got underway. Three days of running had already taken place at the Malaysian Grand Prix venue earlier this week, but was open only to test riders and rookies. There will be […]