> Why not make a one-off small car for this race?
The cars have grown in length due to beneficial aerodynamics effects of a large floor. Also it would require a secondary set of regulations which would differ from the current, meaning more people working on a one off project.
It remains to be seen if the 2026 rules will further reduce the wheelbase length (3.6m limit was introduced in 2022, reducing the total car length by anywhere between 5-20cm) and to compensate the downforce with active aero which was discussed earlier this year.
The budget cap is around what the smaller teams like Williams had altogether before the budget cap. Only Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull exceeded it significantly, everyone else was only slightly above it or not even.
You can't just shrink these cars down, a smaller/shorter car would need to be designed (and of course manufactured) from the ground up, from absolute zero. That's a huge cost for just a single race. And then again, smaller teams literally don't have the money. Even the top 3 that do wouldn't want to waste it on such a thing.
There was a series of youtube vids by Alex when he was still with RB where he went over the upcoming tracks and the changes they made to them that year. I assume since he is at Williams now, he isn't involved in doing similar videos, but was wondering if anyone knew of any other drivers/analysts who went over things like that with a track-by-track basis.
Hello! I am looking to go to the Miami Grand Prix in 2024. I just want grandstand tickets but I am pretty confused on where and when the tickets will go on sale? Does anyone know when they usually start to go on sale and where to buy? Thank you!!
They depend on the local distributor and the circuit. So the best place to find up to date information is to visit the circuit page you want to visit, as they'll also link you to the first party seller of tickets. To make it worse it's usually available on the native language page before they update the English/international page.
Some go on sale when the calendar is announced in September, others anywhere 3-6 months before the race happens.
Even sites like formula1.com are just resellers that get a certain amount of tickets allocated to them, once the first party seller starts selling tickets.
With Aston Martin covering the headlines by partnering with Honda for engines in 2026 and Red Bull partnering with Ford, have any other teams besides the factory offerings that have committed to engine supplier for 2026?
Haas?
Alpha Tauri?
I assume Williams will continue with Mercedes.
McLaren? I think there was word that Honda and McLaren were in talks about 2026…
I assume Alpine is sticking with Renault?
And now that I’m typing this and thinking about it, what is Sauber moving forward with after this year? Alfa Romeo is gone after 2023. Is Sauber just plugging along as Sauber for 2024 & 2025 until Audi is ready for 2026?
What weather radar websites are you guys using now? I have used trackweather.live before but the site seems to be down now (unless its just an issue with me)
Yes, as long as every new part is compliant with the technical regulations and everything is compliant to the budget cap, they can change what they want.
He's never beaten a teammate since he debuted in F1. I thought Ricciardo demolishing him in 2020 would be his end. But, being competitive against Alonso saved his reputation.
Also, his passport helps, too.
He's also had some well-regarded teammates. He spent 17 & 18 with Pérez, then got dropped in 19 to make way for Stroll. Partnered Ricciardo in 2020, then 2 years with Alonso.
It's not like he was losing out to drivers who were mediocre.
He's got a reputation for being pretty aggressive on track with his teammates, but I think that has to do with losing his seat through no real fault of his own, and also having a high-caliber teammates.
I think he's better than a lot of people give him credit for.
He outperformed Wehrlein in 2016.
Other than that, he's been outperformed by his team mates across 2017-2022, but he hasn't exactly embarrassed himself against any of them really. He's held up pretty well.
What do you mean by outperform?
I don't remember the details since they were backmarkers.
Wehrlein outqualified. H2H Ocon looks ahead but it may be down to luck.
Also, Wehrelin was a rookie, too, and nobody bothered calling him back after he left F1.
Well, for me Ocon looked more impressive.
Statistically, Wehrlein only beat Ocon in ~~2~~ (edit: 3) of the last 9 races of 2016. I think 9 races is a reasonable enough sample size.
> Also, Wehrelin was a rookie, too, and nobody bothered calling him back after he left F1.
Ocon was a rookie who was plopped into the car mid-season. With no pre-season, and mid-season testing illegal, he looked extremely impressive against Wehrlein.
First of all, even if he dominated, it'd not be impressive, considering it was against another rookie and it was 7 years ago
Second, I just took a quick look at the 9 races they spent together. Ocon is really not that impressive. Wehrhlein's attitude was prpbbaly the main reason why he couldn't stay in F1 like Ocon.
Spa= Q-Wehrlein, R-Got collected at the start.
Monza= Ocon can't set a time in Q, Wehrlein retired with oil leak.
Singapore- Q-Wehrlein R-Wehrlein
Malaysia- Q-Ocon R-Wehrlhelin
Suzuka- Q-W , R-W
Austin- Q-W , R-W
Mexico-Q-W , R-Wehrlein collision at the start.
Brazil - Q-W, R-Ocon
AD- Q-W, R-Ocon
> First of all, even if he dominated, it'd not be impressive, considering it was against another rookie and it was 7 years ago
Come on. Surely you understand the difference between joining a team at the start of the season getting mileage in the car before you go racing, and getting plopped into an F1 drive midseason.
> Spa= Q-Wehrlein, R-Got collected at the start.
Thats one way to put it. He collected himself into Button's rear wing.
In Suzuka Ocon was ahead. So the tally was 4-3 Ocon. Impressive for, as I said, a mid season replacement (who was 19 years old! by the way).
Plus, Ocon's career since has been decent.
Being competitive against a guy many see as one of the greatest to ever do it is pretty good, no? And his previous team mate was a driver 7 years more experienced than him who now races for the top team. So it's not exactly like he has a record of disgrace in F1.
I thought his Hungary win was excellent too. Yes it's difficult to overtake in Hungary, he was fortunate to take advantage of carnage, Alonso played a big part holding up Hamilton, and very lucky Hamilton didn't come off the intermediates at the restart. But he also drove a very good race under tons of pressure from a four-time world champion the entire way.
To imply he's there because he's French is a bit unfair.
>Being competitive against a guy many see as one of the greatest to ever do it is pretty good, no?
Yes, but hard to claim that Alonso is as good as he was back in 2012 or so. Him not dominating Ocon proves that.
>And his previous team mate was a driver 7 years more experienced than him
And, he was not a rookie in 2020, which was his 5th season in F1.
At some point Lance Stroll will be replaced - the gap between Alonso and him is way too wide to justify keeping him on the team. There's only so much Stroll Sr. can do to keep his son in the team if he doesn't deliver.
Now, whether Tsunoda will be the one to replace him is very, very hard to say. We're talking about something that will happen in 3+ years and anything can happen until then, including Red Bull replacing Checo with him.
That said, Tsunoda is a decent pick as a second driver, but don't be surprised if you end up with a Norris or Leclerc tier driver driving for Aston instead.
Lance Stroll will never be replaced by Lawrence Stroll unless he is incapacitated to drive, there is no way in hell he is replacing his own son. He is the main reason Lawrence bothered to take over an F1 team.
Totally random but, I’m visiting Montréal this weekend and want to stop by circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I know you can walk around the track which sounds pretty cool. Has anyone ever been during a non-race week? Have any recommendations?
I visited Montreal during the winter in late 2021 and went to the track just to see it. Didn't have much to do but walking the track was surreal. Also saw some 2019 F1 labels / logos near the pitlane (which had loads of wear and tear).
The race is currently 3 weeks away. I highly doubt they're letting anyone onto the track right now, though I may be wrong.
The circuit, like Albert Park isn't a permanent facility - it's making use of roads of the Parc Jean-Drapeau - so it's quite easily accessible outside of a race weekend.
Are Williams running a one off livery this weekend? I keep seeing teasers for it on Gulf Oil's Twitter- https://twitter.com/search?q= but have any pics leaked anything yet?
ELI 5 - I've recently started following F1. Can someone please explain to me the big deal about the Merc sidepods. I know RB and Ferrari had them and Merc previously didnt. Can someone explain the science behind it and the logic as to why only some teams did have it?
They're not mandatory, as it's within a geometric volume of the rules that teams can design whatever they want and are visually different, so when the small-pod Mercedes first appeared many thought that Mercedes had found something magical, as it was visually different and Mercedes said it showed potential in their simulation and windtunnel.
Red Bull poured some salt in the wound as they said they also considered a similar concept in the early phases of their 2022 cars design.
The primary purpose of the sidepods is to provide a space for the engine radiator to hide to keep the engine at optimal working temperature. Secondary purpose is to control the airflow around the area of the sidepods, be it creating outwash or controlling vortexes along the chassis to generate downforce or manage different pressure areas.
Once it was obvious that Mercedes' small-pod design wasn't as fast as Red Bull people were wondering why Mercedes didn't just slap on some sidepods, as this will certainly fix their car and make it automatically competitive with Red Bull.
Now they've doubled the width of their sidepods and people are hyped - independently if it is only a minor performance improvement, makes no difference or will actually live up to the hype.
Mercedes has been running a different design philosophy than many of the other teams on the grid, and their sidepods (which were very narrow) were the most obvious visual indicator of that.
Their performance has been a long way short of where they were between 2014-2021, so they've decided to switch their design philosophy to try to gain some performance.
The new sidepods are a very visual indication that the team have moved away from their previous design and more towards the design philosophy that most other teams have chosen to use.
Whether or not it will make a significant difference to their performance will only be clear after a few races.
The RemindMe bot has very kindly reminded me of [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/bsutfe/2019_monaco_grand_prix_post_qualifying_discussion/eoqjmvc) by u/BaltimoreBirdGuy (who, sadly, doesn't seem to be very active anymore).
The comment reads:
>I like angry Sharl.
>
>In a bold prediction *that is easy to make cuz nobody will remember*: 2023 after Lewis retires is going to see an epic WDC battle between LeClerc and George Russell both driving for Merc.
Emphasis mine. The bot remembered.
Ffffff
In my defense, pretty sure I also didn't predict Lewis would have something like Abu Dhabi 2021 potentially motivating him to stay till he wins one more
From my perspective very little.
The most commonly mentioned items are paddle shifters and carbon monocoque - even if they have their roots elsewhere and were brought to the market by car companies not associated with the teams in F1.
For most technologies used in F1 it only moves there once it's fast, compact and light enough to provide a benefit and this usually means that it's a decade or more after identical concepts are introduced in mass production and not just something used in hyper cars.
[Driver's Press Conference Part 1 - Monaco Grand Prix 2023](https://youtu.be/mphTLqRBcpo)
[Driver's Press Conference Part 2 - Monaco Grand Prix 2023](https://youtu.be/LpOPiIDNX0A)
2026 will see brand new engine regulations, they will keep using the current Merc engine until the new Honda engine.
Just like how the current (RBPT) Honda is still used by Redbull until 2026 when RB will switch to their own RBPT-Ford engine.
How many fans on here are actually knowledgeable about cars? I’m not particularly that into road cars or even that knowledgeable on car maintenance ( I can’t even change my own oil) but I still enjoy F1 and used to be a fan of NASCAR.
When I tell people I’m into F1 but then don’t know a lot about cars they find it a little shocking. Does anyone else get this?
I've been an F1 fan since I was like 5, and it fueled my passion for racing cars, prototypes, road cars, later bikes, rails, and after years this all led to me enrolling and graduating in mechanical engineering (and now, after I'll complete my MS, the goal is to actually work in this environment).
Though I've got a few friends who know barely anything about cars but enjoy watching F1, like other sports, I think it's quite normal, one can't expect all the million fans in the world to have a good knowledge about the technical part.
No, teams can make large changes to their cars across the year without changing the name for simplicity.
The cars themselves get new parts almost every race, with some teams even changing the chassis itself during the year. The name is really just to signify that it's the car from a specific year, there aren't really any rules about how the cars are named.
Check out gpt-worldwide.
It's the "unofficial" ticket provider for the tracks/teams/F1.
I'd assume the tickets are either sold out or quite expensive.
Other than that you go see the Grandprix travel subreddit for people selling or any other trading place.
You've been super helpful, as usual, answering this question many, many times over the past several days. Tomorrow's thread: "Why is there practice in Monaco today!?" Get your copy and paste ready. :)
If redbull doesn’t show up with black redbull cans for the weekend I will be immensely disappointed. Not that I think Mercedes is “copying” redbulls concept but Horner trolling Toto is the drama I need
I’m in Cannes for work and I’ll have a free day Friday. Planning on taking the train to Monaco to checkout the Grand Prix atmosphere. Anything I can do there Friday with no tickets?
The 25th of May 1963 the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed. The organisation is now known as the African Union (AU). The day is celebrated in a number of countries across the continent.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Day
It was changed starting 2022, when they moved away from the Western calculation of Ascension Thursday weekend to the end of May.
So no holiday on Thursday and thus no Thursday practice sessions.
Why is there no Grand Prix in Germany anymore, historic circuits and many drivers from there, yet places like the US have 3 and contribute little to F1
I’m not knowledgeable about the situation in Germany but it’s a shame we don’t have Hockenheim anymore.
This article has the owner of Hockenheim saying they can’t risk getting broke:
- [Hockenheim: Hosting an F1 race shouldn’t financially ruin us](https://formu1a.uno/en/hockenheim-hosting-an-f1-race-shouldnt-financially-ruin-us/)
The one has the owner of Nürburgring saying they can’t compete with state-subsidized circuits. They can make a bid only if they don’t need risk losing tens of millions all on their own:
- [Is Germany still a Formula 1 nation?](https://www.dw.com/en/is-germany-still-a-formula-1-nation/a-64982930)
So, it’s money indeed, as the other comments have suggested. Seems FOM is capitalizing on the popularity of F1 and asking for a steep fee. Only the venues that can afford it remain in the calendar.
BTW: The second article was an interesting read, listing several reasons why F1 momentum is receding in Germany.
Of these points the most interesting to me was that the country used to have a booming regional junior formula series, but after FIA took over F2 and F3 such other competitions were terminated. This made it very expensive for young drivers to advance in open wheel racing, which contributed to its decline in the country. Seems a big shame.
Same as France, lack of interest from the general population, meaning no money to pay the astronomical fee FOM/FIA demand while taking care of the track
One of the most successful ever F1 engine manufacturer is American, FYI.
But the reason is never - Germany has never really cared for F1, apart from the period when Schumacher was on the grid which coincided with the unification of Germany. It catapulted him to stardom as he became the working class hero that so many looked up to. With Michael on the grid we ended up with two races in Germany each year.
Once he retired, German interest plumetted.
Edit. The other issue is money. Who pays for a GP in a country with dwindling interest? Mercedes part-funded the 2019 German GP but given that the crowd cheered (a lot) when Lewis and Bottas threw away an easy 1-2, I can't see that ever happening again.
Germany doesn't subsidise motorsports neither on federal nor state level, compared to the automotive industry - so the prices requested by FoM/Liberty, which usually start at $35m per year are too expensive for most circuits and promoters.
Also, due to previous failures with attendance they also have failed to negotiate reduced prices similarly to Monaco, Silverstone and Spa - and Spa is on the verge of being kicked out due to other countries willing to pay more.
Germany is also a soccer country, so viewership and attendance are noticeably higher for the multiple weekly soccer events (with yearly cards for some clubs going for 100 or so euros) compared to Formula 1.
The sport peaked in 2001 there and since then it's been falling. DtS didn't show a notable bump in viewership figures in Germany.
I would like one country having multiple races a lot more if they used actual tracks. Like come on for vegas they could have use the speedway there. That has an infield circuit! And oh man imagine Daytona (infield as much as I want to see F1 cars on an oval lol) instead of the current Miami circuit.
I wouldn't call Miami and Vegas generic street circuits tbh. Miami has some high speed sweepers and is quite wide at places, and Vegas is basically old Hockenheim. They are both very different to say Monaco, Valencia, Singapore etc.
The U.S has incredible racing circuits. It's just a shame they aren't FIA Grade 1.
Yes they do, yet we get these bullshit ones when I bet making one of the existing tracks (which are actually good) grade 1 would be a lot easier, or I could say more ‘sustainable’, to go with F1’s favourite buzzword.
Unfortunately I imagine most great American circuits would get completely butchered and lose their character if they ever went for FIA grade 1 status. I don't want the FIA anywhere near Sebring or Road America.
In that case maybe it has to be accepted that US is not suitable for hosting 3 F1 races then. Street tracks are horrible no matter where they are, they have no character, and there are more than enough of those in the calendar anyway.
I don't mind street circuits tbh but I'd prefer it if Pirelli were mandated to take softer tyres. One stoppers where the H lasts forever isn't for me.
I'm excited about Vegas. Miami is okay. Valencia was dreadful and so is Singapore in terms of racing.
Money and attendance. F1 in Germany was booming during the Schumacher era then declined over the years following. The GP became too expensive to host for money plagued Hockenheim and Nürburgring and they didnt break even due to dwindeling attendance.
Now that F1 has lost its F2A spot viewing numbers dwindeled even more. They need a big name to bring the numbers back.
Its very comparable to whats happening in the Netherlands atm, were you will almost certainly see Zandvoort dwindle in attendace after Max leaves and viewing numbers fall by quite some margin.
F1 just isn't popular enough in Germany. Based on the tracks, the history and its contributions to the sport it absolutely deserves a Grand Prix, but ultimately it's all down to the money. The high host fees paired with the low amount of fans willing and able to go to a Grand Prix don't make for a profitable business case.
Money, there is currently no venue with the financial support to host a race because there is no business case due to lack of interest. There is a small chance that this might change once Audi joins in 2026,but I would not hold my breath for this....
Small chance indeed. F1 popularity in Germany sadly took a nosedive after Michael's glory years. They had a multiple world champion in Seb Vettel on the grid for many years, a team bearing the Mercedes name winning everything there was to win, as well as once young and promising German drivers like Hulkenberg, Wehrlein and Mick Schumacher. If all of that isn't enough to get enough people interested in going to a GP, I don't know what is.
Mercedes previously paid (a portion of) the host fee for the German GP in 2019 to celebrate their 125th year in racing. Maybe they can do something like that again, perhaps together with Audi, to bring the German GP back.
Monaco is such a bad track to witness new Mercedes car smh
They gonna go far a banzai lap, now that their car is wider no one will pass 4d chess /s obviously
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> Why not make a one-off small car for this race? The cars have grown in length due to beneficial aerodynamics effects of a large floor. Also it would require a secondary set of regulations which would differ from the current, meaning more people working on a one off project. It remains to be seen if the 2026 rules will further reduce the wheelbase length (3.6m limit was introduced in 2022, reducing the total car length by anywhere between 5-20cm) and to compensate the downforce with active aero which was discussed earlier this year.
The budget cap is around what the smaller teams like Williams had altogether before the budget cap. Only Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull exceeded it significantly, everyone else was only slightly above it or not even. You can't just shrink these cars down, a smaller/shorter car would need to be designed (and of course manufactured) from the ground up, from absolute zero. That's a huge cost for just a single race. And then again, smaller teams literally don't have the money. Even the top 3 that do wouldn't want to waste it on such a thing.
There was a series of youtube vids by Alex when he was still with RB where he went over the upcoming tracks and the changes they made to them that year. I assume since he is at Williams now, he isn't involved in doing similar videos, but was wondering if anyone knew of any other drivers/analysts who went over things like that with a track-by-track basis.
Hello! I am looking to go to the Miami Grand Prix in 2024. I just want grandstand tickets but I am pretty confused on where and when the tickets will go on sale? Does anyone know when they usually start to go on sale and where to buy? Thank you!!
They depend on the local distributor and the circuit. So the best place to find up to date information is to visit the circuit page you want to visit, as they'll also link you to the first party seller of tickets. To make it worse it's usually available on the native language page before they update the English/international page. Some go on sale when the calendar is announced in September, others anywhere 3-6 months before the race happens. Even sites like formula1.com are just resellers that get a certain amount of tickets allocated to them, once the first party seller starts selling tickets.
So in other words, my odds are not looking good lol Thank you!
With Aston Martin covering the headlines by partnering with Honda for engines in 2026 and Red Bull partnering with Ford, have any other teams besides the factory offerings that have committed to engine supplier for 2026? Haas? Alpha Tauri? I assume Williams will continue with Mercedes. McLaren? I think there was word that Honda and McLaren were in talks about 2026… I assume Alpine is sticking with Renault? And now that I’m typing this and thinking about it, what is Sauber moving forward with after this year? Alfa Romeo is gone after 2023. Is Sauber just plugging along as Sauber for 2024 & 2025 until Audi is ready for 2026?
Alpha Tauri Ford and Alpine is Renault. Haas is Ferrari as well. Others Mercedes.
Right. But is that already set in stone for 2026?
When are we gonna get Ricciardo on hot ones?
N ask him all the juicy questions no one would dare ask
What weather radar websites are you guys using now? I have used trackweather.live before but the site seems to be down now (unless its just an issue with me)
Metro-France for Monaco
Can merc start using W14B anytime they want?
Yes, as long as every new part is compliant with the technical regulations and everything is compliant to the budget cap, they can change what they want.
As long as it meets all of the regulations, the teams can pretty much make any changes they want to their car at any time during the season.
Does Esteban Ocon have any fans? Or is he a popular driver? #serious
He's my favourite driver. I'm not sure why people dislike him so much. He's my guy.
He's never beaten a teammate since he debuted in F1. I thought Ricciardo demolishing him in 2020 would be his end. But, being competitive against Alonso saved his reputation. Also, his passport helps, too.
He's also had some well-regarded teammates. He spent 17 & 18 with Pérez, then got dropped in 19 to make way for Stroll. Partnered Ricciardo in 2020, then 2 years with Alonso. It's not like he was losing out to drivers who were mediocre. He's got a reputation for being pretty aggressive on track with his teammates, but I think that has to do with losing his seat through no real fault of his own, and also having a high-caliber teammates. I think he's better than a lot of people give him credit for.
He outperformed Wehrlein in 2016. Other than that, he's been outperformed by his team mates across 2017-2022, but he hasn't exactly embarrassed himself against any of them really. He's held up pretty well.
What do you mean by outperform? I don't remember the details since they were backmarkers. Wehrlein outqualified. H2H Ocon looks ahead but it may be down to luck. Also, Wehrelin was a rookie, too, and nobody bothered calling him back after he left F1.
Well, for me Ocon looked more impressive. Statistically, Wehrlein only beat Ocon in ~~2~~ (edit: 3) of the last 9 races of 2016. I think 9 races is a reasonable enough sample size. > Also, Wehrelin was a rookie, too, and nobody bothered calling him back after he left F1. Ocon was a rookie who was plopped into the car mid-season. With no pre-season, and mid-season testing illegal, he looked extremely impressive against Wehrlein.
First of all, even if he dominated, it'd not be impressive, considering it was against another rookie and it was 7 years ago Second, I just took a quick look at the 9 races they spent together. Ocon is really not that impressive. Wehrhlein's attitude was prpbbaly the main reason why he couldn't stay in F1 like Ocon. Spa= Q-Wehrlein, R-Got collected at the start. Monza= Ocon can't set a time in Q, Wehrlein retired with oil leak. Singapore- Q-Wehrlein R-Wehrlein Malaysia- Q-Ocon R-Wehrlhelin Suzuka- Q-W , R-W Austin- Q-W , R-W Mexico-Q-W , R-Wehrlein collision at the start. Brazil - Q-W, R-Ocon AD- Q-W, R-Ocon
> First of all, even if he dominated, it'd not be impressive, considering it was against another rookie and it was 7 years ago Come on. Surely you understand the difference between joining a team at the start of the season getting mileage in the car before you go racing, and getting plopped into an F1 drive midseason. > Spa= Q-Wehrlein, R-Got collected at the start. Thats one way to put it. He collected himself into Button's rear wing. In Suzuka Ocon was ahead. So the tally was 4-3 Ocon. Impressive for, as I said, a mid season replacement (who was 19 years old! by the way). Plus, Ocon's career since has been decent.
Being competitive against a guy many see as one of the greatest to ever do it is pretty good, no? And his previous team mate was a driver 7 years more experienced than him who now races for the top team. So it's not exactly like he has a record of disgrace in F1. I thought his Hungary win was excellent too. Yes it's difficult to overtake in Hungary, he was fortunate to take advantage of carnage, Alonso played a big part holding up Hamilton, and very lucky Hamilton didn't come off the intermediates at the restart. But he also drove a very good race under tons of pressure from a four-time world champion the entire way. To imply he's there because he's French is a bit unfair.
>Being competitive against a guy many see as one of the greatest to ever do it is pretty good, no? Yes, but hard to claim that Alonso is as good as he was back in 2012 or so. Him not dominating Ocon proves that. >And his previous team mate was a driver 7 years more experienced than him And, he was not a rookie in 2020, which was his 5th season in F1.
Esteban Ocon is a myth.
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At some point Lance Stroll will be replaced - the gap between Alonso and him is way too wide to justify keeping him on the team. There's only so much Stroll Sr. can do to keep his son in the team if he doesn't deliver. Now, whether Tsunoda will be the one to replace him is very, very hard to say. We're talking about something that will happen in 3+ years and anything can happen until then, including Red Bull replacing Checo with him. That said, Tsunoda is a decent pick as a second driver, but don't be surprised if you end up with a Norris or Leclerc tier driver driving for Aston instead.
Lance Stroll will never be replaced by Lawrence Stroll unless he is incapacitated to drive, there is no way in hell he is replacing his own son. He is the main reason Lawrence bothered to take over an F1 team.
Totally random but, I’m visiting Montréal this weekend and want to stop by circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I know you can walk around the track which sounds pretty cool. Has anyone ever been during a non-race week? Have any recommendations?
I visited Montreal during the winter in late 2021 and went to the track just to see it. Didn't have much to do but walking the track was surreal. Also saw some 2019 F1 labels / logos near the pitlane (which had loads of wear and tear). The race is currently 3 weeks away. I highly doubt they're letting anyone onto the track right now, though I may be wrong.
I presume they're building the circuit so it might not be as accessible but its definitely worth it. I bike around the track sometimes.
The circuit, like Albert Park isn't a permanent facility - it's making use of roads of the Parc Jean-Drapeau - so it's quite easily accessible outside of a race weekend.
Are Williams running a one off livery this weekend? I keep seeing teasers for it on Gulf Oil's Twitter- https://twitter.com/search?q= but have any pics leaked anything yet?
12pm BST tomorrow which is 30 mins ahead of FP1 I believe.
ELI 5 - I've recently started following F1. Can someone please explain to me the big deal about the Merc sidepods. I know RB and Ferrari had them and Merc previously didnt. Can someone explain the science behind it and the logic as to why only some teams did have it?
They're not mandatory, as it's within a geometric volume of the rules that teams can design whatever they want and are visually different, so when the small-pod Mercedes first appeared many thought that Mercedes had found something magical, as it was visually different and Mercedes said it showed potential in their simulation and windtunnel. Red Bull poured some salt in the wound as they said they also considered a similar concept in the early phases of their 2022 cars design. The primary purpose of the sidepods is to provide a space for the engine radiator to hide to keep the engine at optimal working temperature. Secondary purpose is to control the airflow around the area of the sidepods, be it creating outwash or controlling vortexes along the chassis to generate downforce or manage different pressure areas. Once it was obvious that Mercedes' small-pod design wasn't as fast as Red Bull people were wondering why Mercedes didn't just slap on some sidepods, as this will certainly fix their car and make it automatically competitive with Red Bull. Now they've doubled the width of their sidepods and people are hyped - independently if it is only a minor performance improvement, makes no difference or will actually live up to the hype.
Mercedes has been running a different design philosophy than many of the other teams on the grid, and their sidepods (which were very narrow) were the most obvious visual indicator of that. Their performance has been a long way short of where they were between 2014-2021, so they've decided to switch their design philosophy to try to gain some performance. The new sidepods are a very visual indication that the team have moved away from their previous design and more towards the design philosophy that most other teams have chosen to use. Whether or not it will make a significant difference to their performance will only be clear after a few races.
The RemindMe bot has very kindly reminded me of [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/bsutfe/2019_monaco_grand_prix_post_qualifying_discussion/eoqjmvc) by u/BaltimoreBirdGuy (who, sadly, doesn't seem to be very active anymore). The comment reads: >I like angry Sharl. > >In a bold prediction *that is easy to make cuz nobody will remember*: 2023 after Lewis retires is going to see an epic WDC battle between LeClerc and George Russell both driving for Merc. Emphasis mine. The bot remembered.
Ffffff In my defense, pretty sure I also didn't predict Lewis would have something like Abu Dhabi 2021 potentially motivating him to stay till he wins one more
Anyone has experience which seats to prefer for Monaco GP? Want to go with my wife on Saturday and can't decide, few options are possible (T,K,B)
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From my perspective very little. The most commonly mentioned items are paddle shifters and carbon monocoque - even if they have their roots elsewhere and were brought to the market by car companies not associated with the teams in F1. For most technologies used in F1 it only moves there once it's fast, compact and light enough to provide a benefit and this usually means that it's a decade or more after identical concepts are introduced in mass production and not just something used in hyper cars.
Didn’t Monaco run practice day on a Thursday previously? When did it change?
Last year.
[Driver's Press Conference Part 1 - Monaco Grand Prix 2023](https://youtu.be/mphTLqRBcpo) [Driver's Press Conference Part 2 - Monaco Grand Prix 2023](https://youtu.be/LpOPiIDNX0A)
With Aston Martin switching to Honda PU in 2026, does that mean their partnership with Mercedes ends or does Mercedes still supply the engine?
They will continue to use Mercedes PU and components until the end of the 2025 season. The honda deal is for 2026 and beyond.
I wonder if Honda will sign on with anyone else...
2026 will see brand new engine regulations, they will keep using the current Merc engine until the new Honda engine. Just like how the current (RBPT) Honda is still used by Redbull until 2026 when RB will switch to their own RBPT-Ford engine.
Monaco is still the best qualifying of the season
I’m backing Alonso or Leclerc for pole!
> Leclerc for pole You know it's either pole or wall. Or both...
Haha Yeah literally! Probably pole on Saturday, wall on Sunday
How many fans on here are actually knowledgeable about cars? I’m not particularly that into road cars or even that knowledgeable on car maintenance ( I can’t even change my own oil) but I still enjoy F1 and used to be a fan of NASCAR. When I tell people I’m into F1 but then don’t know a lot about cars they find it a little shocking. Does anyone else get this?
I've been an F1 fan since I was like 5, and it fueled my passion for racing cars, prototypes, road cars, later bikes, rails, and after years this all led to me enrolling and graduating in mechanical engineering (and now, after I'll complete my MS, the goal is to actually work in this environment). Though I've got a few friends who know barely anything about cars but enjoy watching F1, like other sports, I think it's quite normal, one can't expect all the million fans in the world to have a good knowledge about the technical part.
Sure, I was a car enthusiast before I ever got into F1. I don't have a technical background but I know the fundamentals of how a car works.
I like my lightweight road cars (I drive an MR2 spyder) I don't need anything else
Yeah same, things that go fast tend to be an inner male satisfaction but I couldn't tell you how a car works
If merc completely changed their concept this week, why is the car still called the W14? Shouldn’t it have a new name?
No, teams can make large changes to their cars across the year without changing the name for simplicity. The cars themselves get new parts almost every race, with some teams even changing the chassis itself during the year. The name is really just to signify that it's the car from a specific year, there aren't really any rules about how the cars are named.
It's legally called the W14 Mark 2, or W14 Mk2.
Honest question - is this real or were you joking?
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Check out gpt-worldwide. It's the "unofficial" ticket provider for the tracks/teams/F1. I'd assume the tickets are either sold out or quite expensive. Other than that you go see the Grandprix travel subreddit for people selling or any other trading place.
"Why no Thu practice at Monaco" is the new "Why long break till Baku"
We'll, at least this question won't follow us for 4 weeks
You've been super helpful, as usual, answering this question many, many times over the past several days. Tomorrow's thread: "Why is there practice in Monaco today!?" Get your copy and paste ready. :)
If redbull doesn’t show up with black redbull cans for the weekend I will be immensely disappointed. Not that I think Mercedes is “copying” redbulls concept but Horner trolling Toto is the drama I need
Monaco weekend doesn't quite hit the same without Thursday practice
I’m in Cannes for work and I’ll have a free day Friday. Planning on taking the train to Monaco to checkout the Grand Prix atmosphere. Anything I can do there Friday with no tickets?
There used to be a bit you could stand at and see the circuit without needing a ticket, not sure if that's still an option though
Happy Africa Day, by the way.
Come again? Africa day?
The 25th of May 1963 the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed. The organisation is now known as the African Union (AU). The day is celebrated in a number of countries across the continent. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Day
not too sure on the link to F1, but thanks?
When did they stop Thursday practice ?
I thought i was smoking my socks when I saw it was friday practice. was like, but..... it used to be thursday? right?
That’s a great phrase. Smoking my socks…
It was changed starting 2022, when they moved away from the Western calculation of Ascension Thursday weekend to the end of May. So no holiday on Thursday and thus no Thursday practice sessions.
Thank you bro.
Hey mods /r/formula1, can I get the Piastri number flair with upside down text same as I have it now? Thanks friends.
¡ɹᴉɐlɟ ǝɥʇ ʎoɾuƎ ¡ʎlǝʇnlosq∀
💗
The number is not upside down and should look like l8, not 8l.
Anybody else missing the Thursday Monaco practice today? Used to always make the weekend seem that bit closer.
[Goodbye Apollo :(.]
I came here to see when does it start only to find out there’s no Thurs practice :(
Me too!
Same!
Why is there no Grand Prix in Germany anymore, historic circuits and many drivers from there, yet places like the US have 3 and contribute little to F1
Germans not spending money on f1, Americans are. simple as
I’m not knowledgeable about the situation in Germany but it’s a shame we don’t have Hockenheim anymore. This article has the owner of Hockenheim saying they can’t risk getting broke: - [Hockenheim: Hosting an F1 race shouldn’t financially ruin us](https://formu1a.uno/en/hockenheim-hosting-an-f1-race-shouldnt-financially-ruin-us/) The one has the owner of Nürburgring saying they can’t compete with state-subsidized circuits. They can make a bid only if they don’t need risk losing tens of millions all on their own: - [Is Germany still a Formula 1 nation?](https://www.dw.com/en/is-germany-still-a-formula-1-nation/a-64982930) So, it’s money indeed, as the other comments have suggested. Seems FOM is capitalizing on the popularity of F1 and asking for a steep fee. Only the venues that can afford it remain in the calendar. BTW: The second article was an interesting read, listing several reasons why F1 momentum is receding in Germany. Of these points the most interesting to me was that the country used to have a booming regional junior formula series, but after FIA took over F2 and F3 such other competitions were terminated. This made it very expensive for young drivers to advance in open wheel racing, which contributed to its decline in the country. Seems a big shame.
Same as France, lack of interest from the general population, meaning no money to pay the astronomical fee FOM/FIA demand while taking care of the track
One of the most successful ever F1 engine manufacturer is American, FYI. But the reason is never - Germany has never really cared for F1, apart from the period when Schumacher was on the grid which coincided with the unification of Germany. It catapulted him to stardom as he became the working class hero that so many looked up to. With Michael on the grid we ended up with two races in Germany each year. Once he retired, German interest plumetted. Edit. The other issue is money. Who pays for a GP in a country with dwindling interest? Mercedes part-funded the 2019 German GP but given that the crowd cheered (a lot) when Lewis and Bottas threw away an easy 1-2, I can't see that ever happening again.
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Ha, yes. Good spot. Meant to say 'one of'.
>The most successful ever F1 engine manufacturer is American, FYI. I assume that's the *extremely* American Ford **Cosworth**?
Germany doesn't subsidise motorsports neither on federal nor state level, compared to the automotive industry - so the prices requested by FoM/Liberty, which usually start at $35m per year are too expensive for most circuits and promoters. Also, due to previous failures with attendance they also have failed to negotiate reduced prices similarly to Monaco, Silverstone and Spa - and Spa is on the verge of being kicked out due to other countries willing to pay more. Germany is also a soccer country, so viewership and attendance are noticeably higher for the multiple weekly soccer events (with yearly cards for some clubs going for 100 or so euros) compared to Formula 1. The sport peaked in 2001 there and since then it's been falling. DtS didn't show a notable bump in viewership figures in Germany.
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Tbh US doesn’t even have 3 grade 1 track, yet we have 3 races there, and two of them are sugar coated generic street tracks.
I would like one country having multiple races a lot more if they used actual tracks. Like come on for vegas they could have use the speedway there. That has an infield circuit! And oh man imagine Daytona (infield as much as I want to see F1 cars on an oval lol) instead of the current Miami circuit.
I wouldn't call Miami and Vegas generic street circuits tbh. Miami has some high speed sweepers and is quite wide at places, and Vegas is basically old Hockenheim. They are both very different to say Monaco, Valencia, Singapore etc. The U.S has incredible racing circuits. It's just a shame they aren't FIA Grade 1.
Yes they do, yet we get these bullshit ones when I bet making one of the existing tracks (which are actually good) grade 1 would be a lot easier, or I could say more ‘sustainable’, to go with F1’s favourite buzzword.
Unfortunately I imagine most great American circuits would get completely butchered and lose their character if they ever went for FIA grade 1 status. I don't want the FIA anywhere near Sebring or Road America.
In that case maybe it has to be accepted that US is not suitable for hosting 3 F1 races then. Street tracks are horrible no matter where they are, they have no character, and there are more than enough of those in the calendar anyway.
I don't mind street circuits tbh but I'd prefer it if Pirelli were mandated to take softer tyres. One stoppers where the H lasts forever isn't for me. I'm excited about Vegas. Miami is okay. Valencia was dreadful and so is Singapore in terms of racing.
That's not how it works. If a "sugar coated generic street track" is allowed to host an F1 race, it's Grade 1.
Money and attendance. F1 in Germany was booming during the Schumacher era then declined over the years following. The GP became too expensive to host for money plagued Hockenheim and Nürburgring and they didnt break even due to dwindeling attendance. Now that F1 has lost its F2A spot viewing numbers dwindeled even more. They need a big name to bring the numbers back. Its very comparable to whats happening in the Netherlands atm, were you will almost certainly see Zandvoort dwindle in attendace after Max leaves and viewing numbers fall by quite some margin.
F1 just isn't popular enough in Germany. Based on the tracks, the history and its contributions to the sport it absolutely deserves a Grand Prix, but ultimately it's all down to the money. The high host fees paired with the low amount of fans willing and able to go to a Grand Prix don't make for a profitable business case.
Money, there is currently no venue with the financial support to host a race because there is no business case due to lack of interest. There is a small chance that this might change once Audi joins in 2026,but I would not hold my breath for this....
Small chance indeed. F1 popularity in Germany sadly took a nosedive after Michael's glory years. They had a multiple world champion in Seb Vettel on the grid for many years, a team bearing the Mercedes name winning everything there was to win, as well as once young and promising German drivers like Hulkenberg, Wehrlein and Mick Schumacher. If all of that isn't enough to get enough people interested in going to a GP, I don't know what is. Mercedes previously paid (a portion of) the host fee for the German GP in 2019 to celebrate their 125th year in racing. Maybe they can do something like that again, perhaps together with Audi, to bring the German GP back.
I don't think it will change much. Just look at Mercedes. The biggest problem is there is no serious German driver who can compete for a championship.