F1 2023 Season

[skaifeman]

What was the Lewis interview?
I'm neither here nor there on Lewis. Whatever way you want to look at him, he's certainly one of the best three or four to ever do it. And should be an 8-time Champ.

[Sonic]

What was the Lewis interview?
I'm neither here nor there on Lewis. Whatever way you want to look at him, he's certainly one of the best three or four to ever do it. And should be an 8-time Champ.

it was one of the 'fluff' pieces that was on the coverage... the tone of his voice was different... the way he presented himself was different... can't put my finger on any one thing in particular... the arrogance from previous times I have seen him simply wasn't there and I found it very refreshing.

not going to restart the 8 time argument LOL we all have our view so I'll leave it there

[stevo qld]

Sorry wrong thread. Re-entered for info.

have just pasted the whole without tidying, as it is behind a paywall.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/motorsport/australian-gp-news-max-verstappen-hits-out-at-f1-officials-after-messy-ending/news-story/24dcefc6fcd837f6de0e778400c3d88b

Quote
Australian GP News: Max Verstappen hits out at F1 officials after messy ending
FOXSPORTS01:17
SEVEN SENT SPINNING FROM RESTART
Formula One: The restart of action at the Australian Grand Prix couldn't have ended more dramatically after seven...
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 waits in the Pitlane behind the FIA Safety Car during a red flag delay during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 02: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 waits in the Pitlane behind the FIA Safety Car during a red flag delay during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on April 02, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
By REBECCA WILLIAMS AND CALLUM DICK
NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA SPORTS NEWSROOM
8:46PM APRIL 2, 2023
NO COMMENTS
World champion and Australian Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen has hit out at officials after a "messy" and confusing finish at Albert Park, claiming race chiefs created all the late chaos themselves.

After he defied the drama to claim his first Australian Grand Prix victory in a chaotic finish which featured two late red-flags, the Dutch star said drivers were left confused by the decision to stop the race twice in the final five laps instead of using a safety car.

Further down the points pecking order, McLaren star Lando Norris was equally critical of the restart procedure claiming the choice to red flag the race "was just to put on a good show".


Verstappen avoided carnage at the end of the race to see off Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso to take his second win of the year – and Red Bull's first win at the Australian Grand Prix since 2011.

The two-time world champion was charging to victory when the race was red-flagged with two laps to go after debris – and a stray tyre – was strewn across the track after Kevin Magnussen hit the wall.

After the race was stopped for 15 minutes, Verstappen held his nerve on the restart, while chaos unfolded behind him as four cars were taken out of the race.

READ MORE: F1 driver ratings: 1/10 for superstar's epic flop | Piastri the big winner from Aus GP carnage
Another red flag was waved with one lap left after Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon both ended up in the wall.

Officials ruled to revert the grid order to what it was before the chaotic restart and Verstappen led a frustrated train of drivers across the finish line behind the safety car.

The Red Bull driver said a virtual safety car would have helped avoid all the late-race "shunts" and allowed for a "normal" finish.

"I was very happy to win the race, but I think the race itself towards the end was a bit of a mess with all the calls," Verstappen said after the race.

"I don't think we needed that second red flag. I think it could have been done with a virtual safety car.

"It left a lot of drivers confused why we needed a red flag.

"Today it was quite messy."

Pressed on whether there needed to be a rethink of the rule-book and more clarity from race control, and his thoughts on fan theories that the drama had been created for the sport's new Netflix audience, Verstappen said the chaos could have been avoided.

"I think it is quite clear, I just don't understand why we needed a red flag," Verstappen said.

"I think if we would have just had a safety car and then just had a normal rolling start, we wouldn't have had all these shunts and then you had a normal finish.

"They created the problems themselves at the end of the day."

Norris, who finished sixth to claim his first points of the year for McLaren, was also critical of the restart procedures at the end of the race.

"At the end of the day I know it is a show, but we're not here to just put on a good show, we're here to race each other and I don't think (the restart procedures were) a fair thing," he said.

The Briton was ultimately helped into a P6 courtesy of Pierre Gasly's crash, but Norris said his day could have just as easily been ended in similar circumstances.

"I just feel like I could have been so unlucky through no reason – I could have easily crashed with (Nico) Hulkenberg at the end because we have people going off and suddenly swerving and things like that," he said.

"We've come all the way to Australia and it's so much hard work to drive 55, 56 laps perfectly and because they try to put on a show you can just get unlucky and have everything taken away from you all of a sudden.

"I think that side of it ... needs a small rethink."

When questioned whether drivers should take some culpability for the red flag incidents, given it was through their errors that the stops were required, Norris said the Pirelli tyres were to blame.


"Nothing against them, but people making decisions don't know what's going on inside the car. We have a soft tyre that's 65 degrees and I can't describe how little grip there is on-track," he said.

"It's not a bad temperature, but the tyre doesn't work and on this surface with this track temperature I can't describe how bad the grip is – it's why you see people going straight on in turn one and locking up.

"It provides literally no grip so you have to brake so early, which causes chaos and causes incidents.

"We need a tyre that gives us some more grip – a tyre that feels like it should be on a Formula One car at the top of motorsport and at the minute, on a day like today, it feels pretty terrible."

The chaos at the end of the race followed an equally dramatic start that prompted two yellow and one red flag in the opening 10 laps.

Last year's Australian Grand Prix winner Charles Leclerc, the Williams of Alex Albon and Mercedes' hope George Russell were early casualties.

After getting the jump on pole sitter Verstappen off the start line to take an early race lead, Russell's race came to a dramatic and fiery end on lap 18.

The Brit was forced to nurse his car back to the pits as flames poured from the back of his Mercedes after a power unit failure, ending a race full of promise after qualifying second.

In all, eight cars did not finish the race at Albert Park.

Hammo savours 'unexpected' podium
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has hailed his podium finish at the Australian Grand Prix as "unexpected" on a day of mixed Mercedes fortunes after a fiery finish to teammate George Russell's race.

Hamilton claimed the first podium finish of the year for Mercedes when he came in second behind Red Bull winner Max Verstappen, and held off Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso, in a chaotic finish to the Albert Park race.

But there was heartbreak for Hamilton's teammate Russell, whose race came to a dramatic end on lap 18 after an apparent power unit failure.

The Brit was forced to nurse his car back to the pits as flames shot from the back of his Mercedes, ending a race full of promise.

After a tough start to the year for Mercedes, Russell and Hamilton produced a surprise qualifying performance to book second and third place on the grid behind Verstappen.

The Mercedes pair made an encouraging start when they both got the jump on Verstappen off the start line to take the early-race lead before Verstappen took control.

British driver Lewis Hamilton sprays race winner Max Verstappen . Picture: AFP
British driver Lewis Hamilton sprays race winner Max Verstappen . Picture: AFP
After emerging from the late-race chaos on the podium, Hamilton said it had been an "amazing" result for the team.

"It was very unexpected. Obviously getting a second and third in qualifying yesterday really blew us all away and it was a huge boost of energy throughout the team," Hamilton said.

"So that meant today we had a shot at trying to at least overtake Max for a second.

"We both got ahead, which was amazing to have a Mercedes one-two for a second and obviously he came sailing by at one stage.

"I had a really good battle with Fernando, which was awesome.

"(It was) really unlucky for George. From our side, we've got to look into it, our reliability has generally been very good.

"Otherwise, to get those points is really amazing today. I definitely didn't expect to be second, so I'm super grateful for it."

Russell said he felt "something go" on the lap before his car engine blew up, but said he would take the positives from the weekend.

"We did everything right this weekend. We had great qualifying yesterday and today, the start was perfect," Russell said.

"We managed the first stint well and I could have extended it quite a lot more. I've felt comfortable and strong in the car on all three days.

"I see no reason why we couldn't have fought for victory today, so it's disappointing.

"As soon as I came through the high-speed turn 10, I felt something go. Three corners later, I was stopped. When it's not your day, it's not your day.

"We've still got a lot of work to do to catch Red Bull, but we can take the positives from this weekend. Every time we've taken to the track, we couldn't have done any more. We've maximised everything and I'm proud of the job that we have done."
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[skaifeman]

What was the Lewis interview?
I'm neither here nor there on Lewis. Whatever way you want to look at him, he's certainly one of the best three or four to ever do it. And should be an 8-time Champ.

it was one of the 'fluff' pieces that was on the coverage... the tone of his voice was different... the way he presented himself was different... can't put my finger on any one thing in particular... the arrogance from previous times I have seen him simply wasn't there and I found it very refreshing.

I'll give it a watch.

The end of the AGP was bad. They seem to prefer throwing a red flag rather than finishing the race under SC.
I'd prefer if the results went back to lap 54 SC/red flag incident. Alpine would be fuming.

Sainz was also involved in an odd one, grabbing a 5sec penalty for spinning Alonso, which was all but negated when the restart reverted to the previous red flag positions. It was all just too messy.
As messy as it was, Piastri proves to be the big winner, grabbing some points.

[mikeamerica84]

Max will never have a leg to stand on with respect to whinging about messy late-race restarts, but I have to admit, although the officials did not really deviate from the rules as Masi did, this was quite NASCAR-ish with the late red flag.

And the previous one.

And the previous one.

[stevo qld]

F1 must decide if it's serious sport or Netflix fodder


Once again, this time in Melbourne, the words farce and chaos attached themselves to the end of a grand prix like a drag racer's parachute.

Drivers were cursing on their team's airwaves, one crossed the line in tears of frustration. It now transpires that Alpine sent two cars to the scrapyard in a race that didn't exist; that Carlos Sainz received a five-second penalty for what was basically a motorsport mirage. And the suspicion, inescapably, is that it was all done in the name of good television. That instead of the sport feeding its content for Drive to Survive, Drive to Survive now steers the content of the sport.

...
So the race stopped and restarted on new tyres with two laps to go, and the organisers got what they wanted: the spectacular, pretty much a demolition derby. Sainz took out Fernando Alonso; the two Alpine drivers collided. Cars spun into gravel and into each other as the drivers jockeyed desperately for final position. And the red flag came out again. By now the leaderboard no longer showed Alonso in the top three. Yet when the race restarted, there he was again. Back in third place on the grid. Something about the restart not getting to the first sector, so the race had to resume as it began, not as it finished. It's in the rulebook, apparently. The rulebook the sport seems to ignore when it suits.

Meaning it did finish beneath a yellow flag after all, with one lap minus the two Alpine cars destroyed in an irrelevance. Tearful Sainz was bumped down to 12th having committed an infringement in a race that was too short to count.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/f1-must-decide-if-its-serious-sport-or-netflix-fodder/news-story/880c9f59cac3586fc249c462a3cbdbbf

[mikeamerica84]

Something to ponder during the down time between rounds:


FIA Dismisses Ferrari's Request to Review Sainz Penalty
By Chris Medland | April 18, 2023 9:06 AM ET

Ferrari has had its petition for a right of review of Carlos Sainz's penalty in the Australian Grand Prix dismissed by the stewards.

Sainz was given a five-second time penalty for hitting Fernando Alonso on what proved to be the final race restart in Melbourne, with the stewards at the time stating that despite it being the equivalent of a first-lap incident – when such collisions are generally treated with greater leniency – they "considered that there was sufficient gap for Sainz to take steps to avoid the collision and failed to do so".

As the race then ended under a safety car, Sainz was demoted from fourth place to 12th and failed to score a point, leading to Ferrari's petition. That required a significant and relevant new element to be submitted that would lead to the stewards re-opening the investigation. However, the Ferrari petition was dismissed on Tuesday.

Ferrari had argued that the significant and relevant new elements were telemetry from Sainz's car, a witness statement from Sainz and other driver's witness statements including Fernando Alonso's post-race comments.

Reviewing those items, the stewards stated that they "have access to a considerable amount of telemetry data" and that the telemetry showed that Sainz braked harder but couldn't stop due to a lack of grip when racing Pierre Gasly.

The stewards add that "the conditions of the track and the tires was something that every competitor needed to take into account and adapt to. In trying to brake late while racing Gasly, he adopted the risk that he, as a driver, would lose control of his car. In this case, that risk materialized, with the consequence of a collision that ensued, for which a penalty follows."

The comments from the drivers were also not deemed significant or relevant because the stewards reiterated they would have investigated after the race in order to hear from the drivers involved if they thought statements would be relevant.

With the petition dismissed, the investigation will not be reopened and the penalty stands, confirming the result from Melbourne.

https://racer.com/2023/04/18/fia-dismisses-ferraris-request-to-review-sainz-penalty/

[V8SuperRiley]

The decision to keep the penalty, but then hand Fernando his position back absolutely has me perplexed. If the penalty stands, then for me they had to take the position of the cars after that incident.

[skaifeman]

The decision to keep the penalty, but then hand Fernando his position back absolutely has me perplexed. If the penalty stands, then for me they had to take the position of the cars after that incident.

In the procession of events it makes sense, but when you look back at it, it's just wrong given how the restart was taken place.



Imola has been cancelled due to the floods in the region.


https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/05/17/emilia-romagna-gp-cancelled-flooding/

[V8SuperRiley]

Phenomenal drive by Oscar and a huge turn around by McLaren. Hopefully it keeps up!!

[mikeamerica84]

Dan is back in the game:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/ricciardo-to-replace-de-vries-at-alphatauri-with-immediate-effect/ar-AA1dIIAf?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=0a25236cbfc24192982979e23b1a5653&ei=13

[stp01]

Daniel's test must have gone well, great news!

I hope Daniel has driven the AT in a simulator - don't want a repeat of the McLaren years. I guess the team has enough data to know he's still got it. I'm excited!!  Two Aussies on the grid!

[V8SuperRiley]

How good!! So keen to have the two Aussies out there.

All the talk is that Dan all but matched the times that Max got pole with.

I can only see this as another step closer to the RB seat, otherwise they would have thrown Lawson in the seat.

[skaifeman]

Certainly a massive opportunity for him. If he performs and Checo maintains where he's at, I can guarantee that Dan will have the Red Bull seat next year.

...and he's a marketers wet dream - which is what Red Bull do (and easily better than anyone else).

Are we likely to have the two Aussies fire into one another?

[muz]

The last thing we need. F1 Troll would have a field day if Ricciardo ended up tangled with his old car, and the driver who took his seat.

If he can make it to a top spot in Q2 and challenge for, maybe even snag a point, that will be a good debut into the 2023 season.

I do think Yuki will be a hard teammate for him though.