Рубрика: Autosport News

F1 floated idea of wildcard entries for rookie drivers

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The idea of a wildcard system being introduced to Formula 1 to offer race opportunities for rookie drivers was put up for discussion by teams and series bosses this week.

Autosport has learned that one of the items put forward for evaluation at a meeting of the F1 Commission in London on Tuesday was whether a wildcard scheme had merit to be introduced.

The impetus for it was believed to revolve around offering a greater opportunity for young or rookie drivers to get race experience in F1 – and it is something that works well in other categories like MotoGP where extra bikes are entered.

However, introducing wildcards in F1 would be far more complicated, because there is zero scope to allow teams to enter third cars because of financial and logistical considerations.

Firstly, with F1 teams running to cost cap rules, and many teams already battling to stay under the budget limit, there is no financial headway to run third cars.

There would be logistical hurdles to overcome too. Teams only bring two built up chassis to a race weekend, and there would be endless complications to run an extra car — even before any consideration is given to personnel to run them, plus garage space in the pitlane which is already limited.

The only way a wildcard system could work in F1 would be for the young driver to stand in for one of the regulars.

Teams that finished fifth or lower in the constructors' standings were allowed to field a third car on Fridays in the mid-2000s, but this rule was dropped for 2007

Teams that finished fifth or lower in the constructors’ standings were allowed to field a third car on Fridays in the mid-2000s, but this rule was dropped for 2007

Photo by: Gareth Bumstead

This idea, of swapping drivers, is understood to have been the main thrust of the proposal at the F1 Commission. However, there was a swift conclusion that it would not be a good move for teams nor fans.

While big name stars like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris have to sit out one free practice session per year for a rookie to take over their car, it was felt that extending this to an entire weekend would be a step too far.

Although the wildcard idea has been shelved for now, F1 and teams still want to evaluate ways to give rookies more track time. This could come from extra practice sessions.

Teams also agreed that there are occasions during the year anyway, like happened with Oliver Bearman in Saudi Arabia, where youngsters do get the chance to race because one of the team’s established drivers is unwell.

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How MotoGP’s wildcard system works

MotoGP has long had a wildcard system, where extra bikes have been run by manufacturers at selected events over the course of the year.

Long ago the main motivation for this was to give locals an outing at their home events, but more recently the wildcards are test riders.

The system currently in place revolves around a concession system, where different manufacturers are graded according to how many points they scored in the previous season.

For the 2024 season, it means reigning champion Ducati cannot run any wildcard entries, while KTM, Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha get allowance for six entries.

Wildcard riders cannot score for the teams’ championship unless they are the lead rider home, but any points they do score do count for the riders’ championship.

Watch: Why Everyone was So Angry at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix — Race Analysis



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FIA announces F1 teams’ rejection of points system changes

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Formula 1’s points system will remain unchanged in 2025 after all F1 teams unanimously voted against it during Tuesday’s FIA F1 Commission meeting.

In April several midfield teams started a push to re-visit the series’ long-standing points system handing out points to top 10 finishers.

At the start of the 2024 season, the grid was clearly split between a top five and bottom five, meaning that the bottom five teams were locked out of the points unless something happened to the fifth-fastest Aston Martin team or any of the frontrunners.

Some teams argued that extending the points-paying positions to the top 12, top 14 or going even further down the grid would give the lower-end teams more to fight for.

PLUS: Why F1’s points change proposal risks undermining its basic tenet

The proposal was discussed at the previous F1 Commission meeting in April, but it was felt that more time was needed to nail down the exact points structure and think about any unforeseen consequences, so the topic was deferred to the next meeting, with took place on Tuesday in London.

At the meeting, which was attended by all 10 teams, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, it was agreed that the points system would remain unchanged after all for 2025.

«It was unanimously agreed that there would be no changes to the distribution of championship points following a recent proposal to consider expanding the point allocation beyond 10th place in a Grand Prix,» an FIA statement read.

F1 2024’s initial split between the top and bottom five is no longer in place, with teams like RB and Haas regularly outscoring a struggling Aston Martin team.

So far, only Sauber has failed to score points this season, making the reasoning for expanding the points system no longer valid.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR24, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

The Commission also agreed to increase the minimum weight allocation for the drivers from 80kg to 82kg «in the interests of driver well-being». That means the minimum car weight will go up by 2kg too, and rise from 798kg to 800kg for 2025.

It was also agreed that any costs relating to maternity/paternity leave, sick leave, and team entertainment will remain excluded from F1’s cost cap.

Amid plans to increase the current cost cap to around $220m, but move many more elements under it, one consideration was to bring the aforementioned costs under the cap.

But moving paternity/maternity leave under the cost cap faced backlash from teams, as it would have disproportionally affected female employees and could have discouraged teams from hiring women.

The meeting also discusses the 2026 regulations, an outline of which was presented ahead of June’s Canadian Grand Prix to mixed reactions from the teams.

The FIA provided the teams with an update on the timeline of finalising the 2026 chassis regulations, which still need to be finetuned to cope with the demands of the heavily revised power units.

The FIA said an extraordinary F1 Commission meeting on the 2026 rules will take place on 2 October, in time for a meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council two weeks later.

To give the teams more time to shake down their all-new cars in 2026, it was agreed to hold nine pre-season test days divided over three three-day winter tests.

Watch: Why Everyone was So Angry at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix — Race Analysis



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Binotto to head Audi F1 project as part of major management shake up

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Audi has appointed former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto to head up its Formula 1 project as part of a major management shake-up.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Audi announced that Binotto would be joining the team as its chief operating and chief technical officer from 1 August to head up efforts ahead of its 2026 debut.

His arrival comes with Sauber CEO Andreas Seidl and Oliver Hoffmann, previously its chairman of the board of directors, leaving the project.

Watch: Piastri Takes The Win in Tension Filled F1 Hungarian Grand Prix — Race Reaction

The major change of direction comes as Audi ramps up preparations for its F1 entry, with it becoming increasingly clear that the German manufacturer needs to increase its control of the operation and lift the company’s infrastructure. Sauber is the only team that has failed to score a point this season.

Audi recently accelerated its full takeover of the Sauber team in a bid to ensure that it got on the front foot with putting in place what it needed ahead of the 2026 campaign.

In appointing Binotto, who will report directly to the Audi board, it will have someone who can ensure that Audi’s autonomy and independence remains.

Audi CEO Gernot Doellner said: “I am delighted that we have been able to recruit Mattia Binotto for our ambitious Formula 1 project.

“With his extensive experience of more than 25 years in Formula 1, he will undoubtedly be able to make a decisive contribution for Audi.”

He added: “Our aim is to bring the entire Formula 1 project up to F1 speed by means of clear management structures, defined responsibilities, reduced interfaces, and efficient decision-making processes.

“For this purpose, the team must be able to act independently and quickly.”

Hoffmann, left, and Seidl will leave the project as Binotto joins

Hoffmann, left, and Seidl will leave the project as Binotto joins

Photo by: Audi

Binotto has been out of F1 since he left Ferrari at the end of the 2022 season, after failing to win that season’s world championship.

The Swiss-born Italian had been part of Ferrari since 1995, having worked his way up through the ranks to head both the engine and chassis technical departments before becoming team principal in 2019.

Seidl had joined Sauber at the start of 2023 to become the CEO of Audi’s F1 effort, with Hoffmann being part of the Audi organisation that originally committed to join grand prix racing prior to joining the Sauber team this year.

Speaking about their contribution, Doellner added: “I would like to thank Oliver and Andreas for their important work in establishing our entry into Formula 1 and their commitment in preparing it.”



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a brief history of F1 team orders controversies

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McLaren’s bubbling team orders scenario at the Hungarian Grand Prix led many – including Lando Norris, the subject of said on-track shuffling – to suggest that it all could have been avoided if the team had stopped Oscar Piastri first.

A somewhat conservative effort to lock down the victory meant that Norris was pulled into the pitlane for his final stop first, as the team wished to cover off Lewis Hamilton’s undercut strategy, but this meant that the squad needed to enact the switch for Piastri to get his first win, owing to Norris getting the undercut by default.

Norris relented, and conceded that it was the right call to make despite his protestations over the radio. It probably wasn’t the dream maiden victory that Piastri had hoped for given that context, but it now gets the Australian off the mark in the grand prix victory stakes.

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F1 has never been shy to indulge in team orders controversies and, although the McLaren switch appeared egregious at the time, it pales in comparison to some of the prior examples seen throughout the championship’s history. Here’s a run-through of a series of earlier team orders calls.

1998 Australia — McLaren makes first-corner pact, Coulthard forced to make way

Mika Hakkinen, McLaren Mercedes passes David Coulthard, McLaren

Mika Hakkinen, McLaren Mercedes passes David Coulthard, McLaren

Photo by: Motorsport Images

With its Adrian Newey-penned MP4/13, McLaren rocked up to the 1998 season opener in Melbourne with by far the quickest car, and pressure from Michael Schumacher in the opening laps relented when the Ferrari driver’s engine gave up on lap six. For McLaren, which had enjoyed great promise and yet endured a string of reliability issues in testing, the race was simply about preserving the 1-2 positions. Mika Hakkinen, who beat David Coulthard to pole by just 0.043 seconds, led into the first corner to retain the lead.

McLaren had made a deal for the race: the driver that exited the first corner with the lead would receive preferential team orders treatment, to ensure that neither driver was pushing their machinery too hard. By that measure Hakkinen was in the pound seat and, when both drivers did their first scheduled stops, the Finn preserved his position at the front. Then came the ‘phantom’ pit call. Hakkinen received a radio call that he interpreted as a call to stop for fresh tyres, and came into the pits at the end of the 36th lap. Yet, there were no mechanics in sight. Hakkinen drove through the pits and returned to the track, handing Coulthard the lead.

After their final stops, Coulthard had a 12-second lead over Hakkinen, but received calls from the team suggesting that he should reverse the order in light of Hakkinen’s additional visit to the pitlane. Dutifully, Coulthard started to back off to ensure that Hakkinen could close in towards the end, and let his team-mate through with three laps remaining. This brought much in the way of criticism from people who believed fans had paid good money to watch a race, not an orchestrated procession, and the World Motor Sport Council ended up getting involved.

1998 Belgium — Hill calls the shots for first Jordan win

Winner Damon Hill, Jordan 198 on the podium with team-mate Ralf Schumacher, Jordan 198

Winner Damon Hill, Jordan 198 on the podium with team-mate Ralf Schumacher, Jordan 198

Photo by: Sutton Images

A first-lap pile-up had thinned out the field at La Source. Wet weather in the Ardennes had rocked the opening phase of the Belgian Grand Prix, prompting a restart almost an hour after. On this restart, Damon Hill surged into the lead from third on the grid, as polesitter Hakkinen was tipped into a spin at the first corner and collected by Johnny Herbert. In the meantime, Coulthard and Alex Wurz came together to promote Schumacher into second, and the Ferrari driver began to hound his 1994 and 1995 title rival.

Schumacher, somewhat inevitably, took the lead from Hill on the eighth lap. The Ferrari was much stronger in the conditions, and Schumacher’s innate feeling for the car in low-grip scenarios ensured that he could open the taps to gain over three seconds per lap over the Jordan driver. Then came the turning point. Schumacher came up behind Coulthard, who had rejoined after the Wurz incident, and was completely blind to the McLaren into Pouhon. Although Coulthard tried to let him by, Schumacher careened straight into the back of him. Both were effectively out on the spot.

Hill thus reclaimed the lead, but with team-mate Ralf Schumacher rapidly catching him. Feeling the pressure, and worried that the younger Schumacher might try something risky, the 1996 champion put his point of view over the radio in a direct appeal to team principal Eddie Jordan.

«I’m going to put something to you here, and I think you better listen to this,» Hill implored. «If we race, if we two race, we could end up with nothing, so it’s up to Eddie. You’ve got to tell Eddie. If we don’t race each other, we’ve got an opportunity to get first and second. It’s your choice.»

It took a few laps for Jordan to come to a decision. He grappled with the idea of locking in the result, or letting the two race, and eventually decided to preserve the positions. Schumacher’s race engineer Sam Michael was briefed, and the Australian delivered the verdict to his driver – to stony silence. «Ralf, acknowledge» he eventually directed, to which the German replied «yes, Sam».

And that was that — Hill kept the lead, and Jordan chalked up its first and only 1-2 finish in F1. But the Schumacher camp was incensed by the tactics; Michael stumped up the cash to buy his younger brother out of his Jordan contract for 1999, and Ralf moved to Williams.

2002 Austria — Ferrari gets team orders banned after Barrichello slows on final lap

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2002, follows team orders and takes over team mate Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari F2002

Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2002, follows team orders and takes over team mate Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari F2002

Photo by: LAT Photographic

It wasn’t the first time that Rubens Barrichello had been asked to move over for Schumacher in Austria. A season prior, Barrichello gave up second place for his team-mate as Coulthard took victory, but this has gone largely under the radar over the years thanks to the seismic reaction to 2002’s edition of the A1-Ring race.

The decision by Ferrari to swap Barrichello and Schumacher was not only seen as unnecessary given Ferrari’s utter superiority in 2002, but particularly egregious given that the Brazilian had led all but one lap throughout the grand prix. After all, it was Barrichello who had taken pole, and Barrichello who had led the field away and dispelled the threat of Schumacher behind him. And, amid a variety of midfield drama — Olivier Panis’ engine failure, and the monster shunt between Nick Heidfeld and Takuma Sato — Barrichello led through the safety car periods.

Schumacher had a brief period in the lead after Barrichello took his final stop, but pitted to restore the order. Subsequently, Ferrari team principal Jean Todt was seen passing a piece of paper covertly to technical chief Ross Brawn, who nodded affirmatively at the ephemera’s contents. Barrichello was thus ordered to move aside, and he initially resisted. Unfortunately, contractual clauses could not be so easily bypassed. «Let Michael pass for the championship,» Jean Todt barked over the radio.

Barrichello waited until the last moment to lift off, coming out of the final corner at half-speed to make his displeasure patently obvious. Schumacher won, but at the expense of every shred of good will to Ferrari; he was booed on the podium, even after the performative ushering of Barrichello to the top step.

This was the incident that caused team orders to be banned but, eight years later, Ferrari kicked down the door once again.

2010 Germany — Massa gets not-so-coded «Fernando is faster than you» call

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F10 leads Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F10

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F10 leads Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F10

Photo by: Sutton Images

Any direct team orders could not be handed out on the radio, per the FIA’s regulations after Austria 2002. Instead of stamping out the practice, it simply drove it underground — resulting in Ferrari’s barely disguised call to Felipe Massa at the 2010 German Grand Prix.

Massa pounced on polesitter Sebastian Vettel’s sluggish start to cruise into the lead from third on the grid, as the German focused on warding off Fernando Alonso into the first corner. Alonso nonetheless made it through into second, and the two Ferraris began pushing each other increasingly hard throughout, Massa told by engineer Rob Smedley to maintain his defence and not to let Alonso pass. In the meantime, Alonso was on the radio to his race engineer – a certain Andrea Stella – to express his dismay at not being let through.

Eventually, Ferrari had to make a decision as Alonso was the driver in the four-way championship fight, and it eventually delivered its verdict to Massa on the 49th lap.

«Fernando is faster than you,» Smedley delivered in a clear, staccato cadence. «Can you confirm you understood that message?». Massa responded out of the hairpin by backing off to let Alonso through. Smedley added a footnote onto his message when the deed was done, telling Massa «Okay mate, good lad. Just stick with it now. Sorry.»

As team orders were banned, and this was found to be case of transgressing that rule, Ferrari was fined $100,000. However, the FIA conceded that it was going to be impossible to police team orders and lifted the ban at the end of the season.

2013 Malaysia — Vettel defies «Multi 21» message, Webber furious

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing

Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

In a rain-affected start to the Malaysian Grand Prix, Mark Webber found his way into the lead after Vettel arguably pitted for dry tyres too soon and lost time battling with the upper-midfielders on a wet/dry track surface. When the Australian made his stop at the end of the seventh lap, he came up for air with the lead over his team-mate.

In the high-degradation Pirelli era, it prompted a back-and-forth between team and drivers to aid tyre preservation; Vettel complained that Webber was too slow and attempted to ladle on the pressure, but was told to back off to conserve his rubber. Such was the degradation that it led to a four-stop strategy for both drivers, with Vettel briefly holding the lead between stops as the two overlapped across their stints, but first place ultimately settled on Webber’s shoulders after the final round of tyre changes.

Then came the call, one that has been erroneously carried into F1 folklore: both drivers were given the command «Multi Map 21», a code for car #2 (Webber) to remain ahead of car #1 (Vettel). Assuming that didn’t prove clear enough, team principal Christian Horner told Vettel directly to hold position, but his driver defied all incoming commands to let Webber retain the lead. «This is silly, Seb, come on,» Horner added, exasperated by the situation unfolding on track, as Webber did his best to keep first place.

But Vettel made the move on lap 46 into Turn 4, and rather compounded the situation with a dramatic celebratory weave over the finish line. The cool-down room pre-podium was expectedly terse, Webber taking his seat and delivering the «Multi 21, Seb. Yeah, Multi 21» line, barely containing his fury. And, when podium interviews were a thing, added: «Seb made his own decisions and will have protection as usual.» Vettel later reckoned that he made a mistake going for the win, but eventually doubled down on his decision and stated: «The bottom line is I was racing, I was faster, I passed him, I won.»

2018 Russia — Bottas commanded to let Hamilton through

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09, leads Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W09

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W09, leads Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG F1 W09

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Valtteri Bottas had always been a bit of a dab hand at the barely-loved Sochi circuit; after all, he’d taken his maiden F1 win at the circuit around the 2014 Winter Olympics park in coastal Russia in 2017. And, when he parked his car on pole for the 2018 edition of the race, it looked as though he might bag his first victory of the season in a year in which he had struggled relative to Hamilton.

Hamilton was embroiled in a title fight with Vettel at the time, although his chances of clinching a fifth world title had been boosted in the wake of the Ferrari driver’s German Grand Prix blunder at the Sachs Kurve, where he stuffed his car into the wall while leading.

Bottas held the lead into the first corner while Hamilton had to contend with a chasing Vettel, and the Briton ended up behind the Ferrari following their respective pitstops. Eventually, Hamilton held his car through the outside of the long-radius Turn 4 and dove down the inside of Turn 5 to repass his rival, reaching a net second place.

Once Hamilton had consolidated the position, Bottas received a message from engineer Tony Ross over the radio: «You need to let Lewis by at Turn 13 on this lap». The Finn immediately played ball, waving his team-mate through to ensure Hamilton could extend his championship lead to 50 points. Although Bottas protested afterwards, stating that he was going to pick up the pace, a familiar message rung out over the radio.

«Valtteri, it’s James,» then-chief strategist James Vowles began, with the same opening gambit as his German GP command to switch positions. «We had a risk, Lewis against Vettel. He has a small blister. I had to do this to make sure we secured this, I understand.»



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Seven things we learned at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix

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There’s something about the Hungaroring and first-time Formula 1 winners. Perhaps it’s the flowing layout of the course north-east of Budapest, with almost kart-circuit-like characteristics. Allied to the difficulty to overtake, which puts much more value on a good qualifying session, it makes it a happy hunting ground for maiden victories.

Case in point: Damon Hill, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Heikki Kovalainen, and Esteban Ocon have all managed their first F1 wins at the circuit. Oscar Piastri has now added his name to that list, one comprising of a total of four F1 championships, 72 victories and, interestingly enough, two Super GT titles.

But it wasn’t entirely straightforward, even if Piastri had looked relatively serene in the lead for the opening half of the race. An excursion eradicated more than half of his buffer over team-mate Lando Norris, and this enshrined the undercut that the Briton was going to get by stopping two laps sooner. And then began the debate when Norris emerged in front when Piastri stopped.

PLUS: The 10 reasons why the Hungarian GP was so good

Of course, it all played out over the radio. Will Joseph, Norris’ race engineer, assumed the role of lobbyist and attempted to appeal to his driver’s better nature, a discussion that eventually bore fruit as the Miami winner reluctantly conceded at the start of lap 68 and allowed Piastri to restore his lead.

There was more spice among the proliferation of radio chatter, as Max Verstappen spent his race sounding off like a foghorn in a tornado, while the TV feed cut to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase’s countenance of a put-upon father watching his toddler throw a strop in a Tesco.

And, as ever, there were plenty more news nuggets unearthed throughout the weekend that have been overshadowed by events since. Let’s unpack a few things we’ve learned, shall we?

1. Piastri is slowly becoming Norris’ equal at McLaren

Piastri and Norris celebrate McLaren's first 1-2 since 2021

Piastri and Norris celebrate McLaren’s first 1-2 since 2021

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

When it came to Piastri’s first season in F1, he showed great improvement over the season as he began to live up to his prodigious reputation. His racecraft was well-judged, his efforts in qualifying could be spectacular, and he carried himself with a measured approach that suggested that F1’s pitfalls and trappings were water off a duck’s back. The main sticking point appeared to be his tyre management, which paled in comparison to that of Norris over the year.

That has pervaded to some degree in 2024, but the Australian is ever-improving in this area. After picking up the lead of the Hungarian Grand Prix into the first corner, he demonstrated that he was able to ease away from the front-runners. He could extend his opening stint on the medium tyres as a result, even with his McLaren fat with fuel. He had Norris’ number through the first half of the race, and through the first part of his hard-tyre stint — before the lap 33 slip off the road at Turn 11.

Norris, however, was stronger on the final medium stint — and he wanted to demonstrate that advantage. Perhaps the Miami Grand Prix winner is beginning to feel that Piastri is growing in strength, and felt laying down a marker in extending his lead was necessary. The two were separated by just 0.044s in qualifying to boot, albeit Norris did not have the chance to improve in qualifying with the Yuki Tsunoda-produced red flag.

Regardless, Piastri is continuing to build in strength, and he’s going to test Norris a lot more in the following races. At some point, McLaren is going to have to put its chips on Norris as he hopes to challenge Verstappen in an unlikely title battle, and Piastri will be called upon to dutifully play the team game. But when he gets his own chance to challenge, possibly in 2025 if the current order remains, Piastri will have the tools needed to get there.

2. Norris struggled to decide between team player and self-interest

Norris eventually allowed Piastri past after a difficult final stint

Norris eventually allowed Piastri past after a difficult final stint

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

An angelic homunculus metaphorically sat upon Norris’ shoulder in the final phase of the race, encouraged by race engineer Joseph, to coax the Bristol-born racer into looking at the bigger picture and complying with McLaren’s request to let Piastri through. But it was tempered by the devilish being perched upon the other shoulder, insisting that Norris should put himself first and stay out in front.

Norris admitted to being torn between the devil and the deep blue sea as the Hungary race drew towards its final act. «Things are always going to go through your mind because you’ve got to be selfish in this sport at times,» Norris explained. «You’ve got to think of yourself. That’s priority number one, is think of yourself. I’m also a team player, so my mind was going pretty crazy at the time. I know what we’ve done in the past between Oscar and myself. He’s helped me plenty of times. But I think this is a different situation.»

He was probably right that McLaren probably should have stopped Piastri first to avoid the subsequent posturing on the radio. However, it’s understandable why McLaren wanted to take the conservative approach and cover off the Lewis Hamilton/Max Verstappen battle further back, given the race wins that the papaya team has carelessly tossed away this year. Unlikely or not, Norris is thinking about a title here, and a continuation of Red Bull slip-ups could mean that Norris finds himself hacking away at the 76-point advantage that Verstappen currently has.

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And if Norris catches up, if only to lose the title by less than the seven-point swing he took for letting Piastri through, he might feel somewhat aggrieved — to put it lightly, at least. Equally, this might be good for him, and light a fire underneath him for the rest of the season. He’s already shown his maturity in stating; «I didn’t give up the race win. I lost the race win off the line».

3. Verstappen’s temper is starting to fray under renewed challenge

Verstappen's frustration built towards his collision with Hamilton

Verstappen’s frustration built towards his collision with Hamilton

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

It feels like a long time ago that Max Verstappen was in position to pick up from his 2023 season and reel off another season of crushing domination. His points lead is still mighty thanks to that early season form, but the improvements of other teams coincident with Red Bull seemingly hitting the limit of development has riled him up.

That brings us to Hungary, where Verstappen was apparently irked by absolutely everything that existed during the 70-lap affair in Hungary. Strategy? Check. Car? Check. Lewis Hamilton’s defending? Check. The hospitality catering? Inconclusive.

His piss-and-vinegar driving appeared to work for a time, as he was sufficiently riled up by Red Bull’s willingness to accept being undercut to extend the stints, but he did not seem entirely keen to view the bigger picture. The undercut was powerful, but it has limitations; with enough of an offset, Verstappen should have been able to pick past Leclerc and Hamilton and claim third place. It put the onus on him but, with a driver of his talent, there’s always the chance for more.

Leclerc was swept aside, and Hamilton was ripe for the picking while coaxing his car around on the hard tyre, but Verstappen was hardly a paragon of patience when he careened into Turn 1 and locked up. Hamilton, turning into the corner as normal, ended up making contact with the Red Bull.

Red Bull was keen to point out that Verstappen’s 3am sim-racing efforts on Saturday night were not to blame for his foul mood, and accepted blame for the less-than-optimal strategy, but it’s clear that Verstappen’s concerns about Red Bull are starting to grow. An upgrade for Hungary didn’t deliver immediate returns, playing into his fears that the team is stagnating, which probably also explains his irascibility.

4. Hamilton overcomes Mercedes heat issues to show defensive chops

Hamilton earned a 200th podium after fending off Verstappen

Hamilton earned a 200th podium after fending off Verstappen

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

«Not a good day,» was Hamilton’s verdict after Friday’s free practice sessions, as Mercedes proved to be at odds with the sweltering conditions that prevailed around the Hungaroring circuit. The W15 struggles in the heat, as the tyres tend to fall out of their optimal windows, but the conditions never quite approached the 60C track temperatures that turned the Pirellis into burrata in FP1.

Hamilton had only scraped into Q3, with 0.01s separating he and 11th-placed Hulkenberg either side of the cut-off, but he at least grabbed a fifth place. The race was far better, and Hamilton put himself in a great position by staying within two seconds of Verstappen throughout the opening phase of the race. This ensured that Mercedes could pounce upon an undercut over Verstappen with the first stop, prompting the Briton to turn in a clutch of rapid laps on the hard tyre to ensure he was well ahead of the Dutchman by the time Red Bull flicked the switch.

Hamilton perhaps took a little bit too much out of the tyres in those break-building laps, which left him vulnerable to Verstappen at the end of the stint, but the seven-time champion managed to play for time enough to keep his 2021 title rival behind. Having been sufficiently irritating to the Red Bull driver, Hamilton again collected the undercut after being passed for third and once again produced a thorny defence when Verstappen caught up again later on.

It’d be interesting to consider whether Hamilton and Verstappen change their approaches when they come up against each other. Does Hamilton defend more than he would for anyone else? Does Verstappen get more aggressive with Hamilton? On the evidence of Sunday, (and, let’s be honest, various occasions in 2021), it’s certainly possible.

5. F1 gets further flexi-wing monitoring — and in-car aircon?

Front wings have been put under the microscope again this year

Front wings have been put under the microscope again this year

Photo by: Filip Cleeren

Another year, another flexi-wing debate. Elastic aerodynamic devices have long been a rich vein of performance for the engineers to tap into, but the trick is doing it legally so that it satisfies the FIA’s loading and flex tests in scrutineering. It’s also become abundantly clear that a flexing front wing is a must-have with the current formula, a trick that has been employed as the other teams catch up to Red Bull.

The FIA has held off increasing the stringency of its deformation tests for the time being, but it has asked teams to fit cameras and affix small dots to the inside of the endplates at the Belgian Grand Prix as a focus point to monitor the movement of the current wings. So far, the governing body has not shared any particular concerns that teams are surpassing the limits set out in the rules, but instead has introduced it as an information-gathering exercise.

It was also revealed during the Hungary weekend that the FIA is going to trial an in-car air conditioning system at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break, as a further measure to ensure that drivers are less affected by extreme heat.

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This follows from the addition of an extra cooling scoop in response to last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, where numerous drivers were treated for heat exhaustion in consistent plus-30C temperatures. Alex Kalinauckas’ piece [above] delves into the subject further.

6. Perez defiant in Red Bull seat claim; Sargeant a man out of time at Williams

Perez rebounded from another qualifying crash with a strong race

Perez rebounded from another qualifying crash with a strong race

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull handed Sergio Perez a contract extension earlier on this year to tie up his medium-term future at the team, understood to be a one-plus-one deal. It was felt that, if Perez was given a comfort blanket with a secure future, his dwindling performances might start to pick up again. Instead, that hasn’t entirely been the case; the Mexican’s loss of form had continued throughout the following races to pick up a scant 15 points between (and including) the Imola and Silverstone rounds.

This has led to all sorts of speculation about his future. Suggestions that a release clause exists if he does not sit within 100 points of Max Verstappen at the summer break have fuelled the burgeoning fire, and Perez has had to bear the brunt of questions asking if he’ll stick around.

Yet, he remained defiant that he’d be at the team for the duration of his new deal. “I’m not worried,» he said. «I’m fully determined to turn my season around and focus on my performance. It hurts a lot as a driver when you let your team down, but I will not give up. I will really give my very best to turn the situation around and push as much as possible to get the constructors’ Seven things we learned at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix home.”

On the flipside, Logan Sargeant very much appeared to give the impression that his time at Williams was coming to an end. It has long been known that Williams is in talks with other drivers for 2025, putting pressure on Sargeant to produce a miraculous series of results to retain his seat.

However, speculation that Williams may enact a mid-season replacement has rumbled on; it denied that it had supported the drop in minimum age to 17 to help Andrea Kimi Antonelli make a rapid step up to F1 in preparation for 2025, and news of a seat fitting for Esteban Ocon was said to be with a view to 2025 and beyond, rather than prising the Frenchman away from Alpine for the immediate term.

Sargeant seems to know he’ll be gone at the end of the season at the latest, and is already casting his net out for other opportunities in racing. IndyCar perhaps beckons…

7. Magnussen’s time at Haas is over (again)

Magnussen will depart Haas at the end of the season

Magnussen will depart Haas at the end of the season

Photo by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Images

Recent media sessions with Kevin Magnussen have shown that he is much more at ease with the idea of life outside of F1. When he was first let go from Haas at the end of 2020, the situation was different; he’d already lost an F1 drive before with McLaren, and his subsequent four-year spell at the American squad (after a brief stop at Renault) came with few other F1 opportunities.

But he had a year to explore other opportunities. A spell in IMSA with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 led to an IndyCar one-off with Arrow McLaren, and he was set to join Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship return before Haas came calling once again for 2022. Magnussen added much-needed experience when the team dispensed with Nikita Mazepin, helping Haas to a solid eighth in the constructors’ championship, but things have not been quite so stellar of late.

Haas has decided to go in a different direction for 2025, with Oliver Bearman signed for 2025 and Ocon expected to partner him. Magnussen may be an option for the other remaining seats on the grid, but it’s likely that his stay in F1 might be up. And he’s okay with that.

“F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, but I’ve always been of the opinion that racing outside of Formula 1 is also awesome,» he explained.

“My whole life, since I was a little kid, was about getting to Formula 1, and then I had 10 years in the sport. So, it was interesting and kind of exciting to see a different side of life in 2021. And it wasn’t frightening, it was it was actually very positive and fun. I think that changed my mindset in terms of [how] I had a lot of fear before that – of losing Formula 1 because I didn’t know what was on the outside.

“And that kind of showed me, ‘hold on to Formula 1 as long as you can, but don’t fear the outside’. Afterlife is going to be good.”

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F1 heads on to Belgium for its final round before the summer break

F1 heads on to Belgium for its final round before the summer break

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images



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How a McLaren victory felt like a defeat

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Damned if they do. Damned if they don’t. After weeks of missed opportunities and subsequent scrutiny into how it fluffed their lines, McLaren finally did it.

Its 1-2 in the Hungarian Grand Prix should have been the crowning moment to show its opponents and critics alike it is back at the top.

It would have been entirely justified. Brilliantly quick, seemingly at every track and in every weather conditions, under the excellent stewardship of Andrea Stella, the team looks the real deal.

Yes, Piastri’s first victory in F1 will be applauded. As too should the fact the team recorded its first maximum points finish since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix when Lando Norris was again second behind an Australian driver, on that occasion it was Daniel Ricciardo.

But the closing laps of the race around the Hungaroring have raised some questions that require urgent attention at its MTC headquarters. Tackling them head on is the only way it can truly make progress.

At the centre, it must analyse the behaviour of Norris and his race engineer Will Joseph. Norris, who had started on pole before dropping behind his McLaren team-mate on the opening lap, was promoted to the lead as he undercut Piastri in the pitstops. Norris stopped on lap 45 while Piastri was called in on lap 47 and returned to the track behind the Brit.

Watch: Piastri Takes The Win in Tension Filled F1 Hungarian Grand Prix — Race Reaction

The McLaren pitwall issued Norris with an instruction to switch positions with Piastri when he had an opportunity. Only Norris was defiant and hit back on the radio with a rebuttal saying he would only swap once Piastri caught him up, and subsequently sped up.

As the laps ticked down, the messages between Norris and Joseph become increasingly toe-curling, as the latter pleaded to his driver. There is even a hint of emotional blackmail.

«Okay Lando, 10 laps to go,» said Joseph. «Just remember every Sunday morning meeting we have.» This is in relation to the pre-race strategy meeting where the drivers go through each eventuality with the team.

But then things became even more desperate. «Lando, he can’t catch you up,» said Joseph. «You’ve proved your point and it really doesn’t matter.» Norris hit back with: «He’s on much quicker tyres. I mean, I would have tried to undercut anyway, if I didn’t I would have gotten…» Joseph replied: «I’m trying to protect you, mate. I’m trying to protect you… Lando there are five laps to go. The way to win a championship is not by yourself. You’re going to need Oscar and you’re going to need the team.»

PLUS: The 10 reasons why the Hungarian GP was so good

Norris did eventually concede position on lap 68 and allowed Piastri to retake the lead. But it was too late. The damage had been done.

There will be those who say Norris was right to stand his ground. And perhaps he should have done, for it would have shown a ruthlessness that we have seen in multiple world champions, such as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Sebastian Vettel.

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 2nd position, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, the McLaren trophy delegate with the trophies on the podium

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 2nd position, Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, the McLaren trophy delegate with the trophies on the podium

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Then there are those who will say he was right to follow the team and move aside, albeit should have done so sooner. After all, much of McLaren’s strength has come from the harmony within the team. Had he not slowed down and allowed Piastri through, he could have blown a chasm in McLaren.

However, the problem with his defiance and radio exchange with Joseph, the mental strength or petulance (depending on your point of view) he has done the worst of both worlds. He’d undermined Joseph, his behaviour could be perceived to be detrimental to the team’s collective effort, plus one wonders how this could impact his reputation.

Ultimately, Norris’s actions were embarrassing all round but were a consequence of a strategy call that in hindsight was wrong.

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That too needs to be addressed given the focus on its strategic decisions in recent races. Was this another gaff and sparked the chain of unfortunate events? Upon realising its mistake, was it now trying to atone for the error by asking Norris and Piastri to swap places in the hope of a correction?

All of which needs answering, as too does why it put their strategist on the podium as part of the presentation process? This was a victory, but it felt hollow, almost fortuitous, when it should not have done.

Nevertheless, as the debrief begins ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, the positive thinkers will insist McLaren will learn. It is all part of the process as they return to winning ways — on a regular basis — and the pressure that it brings. A learning experience if you like, providing of course, those missed points do not cost Norris a world championship.



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Who’s to blame for Hungarian GP team orders row? Our F1 writers have their say

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


What looked set to be a comfortable 1-2 for McLaren was overshadowed by the controversy over Formula 1 team orders, as Lando Norris appeared set to defy the team.

But was it the driver’s fault or did the team put itself in an unnecessarily difficult position?

Our writers offer their views.

McLaren made it harder on itself — Jon Noble

Life at the front of Formula 1 can be a difficult place at times, because when the battle revolves around wins then there is often this endless conflict between an individual driver’s interests and those of his team.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

But for all the logical explanations about McLaren wanting to ease the pressure on its pitcrews and avoid an error costing it a 1-2, it is hard to come to any other conclusion that the squad made things much more difficult than it needed.

It may have got the outcome it ultimately wanted after the second round of pitstops, with Norris eventually moving aside for team-mate Oscar Piastri with two laps to go, but the price was sowing seeds of doubts in the rivalry between its two drivers.

It can argue all it wants that it fully trusted Norris to eventually do what he had been asked to, but the repeated radio messages to him – which pulled on the emotional heartstrings at times in making references to not being able to win a championship alone – suggests it was not totally convinced.

What appeared to be missing above all else was a crystal clear plan that could be immediately executed.

It is one thing the pitwall knowing what it wanted to do, and asking for positions to be swapped back, but quite another trying to get things sorted without the drivers having a clear picture of what was going on.

Rather than unleashing a direct order to swap the places back, McLaren’s messages to Norris to «re-establish the order at your convenience» left far too much scope for delays and interpretation.

As Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said afterwards, it was situations like what McLaren experienced today – when individual driver and team desires are not totally in line – that prompted his own team to agree on clear rules of engagement for those times when Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Rosberg were fighting for victories. And from thereon in, there was never any messing about.

‘Valtteri, it’s James’ is perfect proof of that.

Norris gave McLaren a bigger headache than it needed — Alex Kalinauckas

From McLaren’s point of view, it had two bad choices to make over the second stops in the Budapest race its drivers were dominating.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, passes Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, as he exits the pit lane

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, passes Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, as he exits the pit lane

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

With even Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in (faint) victory hunt behind, and with a raging Max Verstappen on a tyre life offset to consider around Lewis Hamilton’s perseverance, it was still really feeling the pressure. Also at play was the question of getting the C4 medium to the end on the hot, relentless Hungaroring track on a long final stint.

And so, McLaren opted to keep the pressure off its pitcrew by pitting Norris first – per team boss Andrea Stella – and ensure it covered Hamilton’s second stop and sort things out later.

Jon has covered the merits of that, but afterwards, everyone saw the choice Norris had to make. Being the determined character he is, he pressed on – showing his tyre management skills and dropping Piastri. The Australian blamed being in dirty air for the first time all race as a factor in his pace dropping off from that of his team-mate.

Having experienced the extra sliding the dirty air produces here even a few seconds back, Norris would’ve been well aware that could make his life hard again.

But there was an option that could’ve suited all parties. Norris, having made his point, could’ve given the place back much earlier. He gains sportsmanship points for eventually doing so, but perhaps had he done so much earlier he might’ve been able to re-attack and win on merit.

Falling out of the tyre temperature window is a risk, but from one point of view that would’ve saved McLaren a lot of angst (Will Joseph’s radio calls were packed full of emotion) and it still would’ve got the same result.

Norris feels he’s in the title fight and keeping Piastri happy could become critical later in the year. So, the right outcome was arrived at, but it took too long.

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Hamilton could have “done more” to avoid Verstappen clash, but no action taken

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have avoided a penalty for their collision in Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix after the FIA concluded that neither driver was predominantly to blame.

However, the stewards did conclude that Hamilton could have “done more” to avoid the coming together.

The Mercedes and Red Bull drivers were battling for third place on lap 63 when Verstappen made an attempt to draft past his rival under braking for Turn 1.

As Hamilton moved across to turn into the corner, Verstappen locked up and ran deep — with his left rear wheel tagging the W15’s front right.

The impact pitched Verstappen’s RB20 into the air and he bounced into the run off area before managing to recover and return to the track. Hamilton went on to finish third, with his Dutch rival coming home fifth.

While Hamilton felt that the matter was just a racing incident, Verstappen saw things differently and claimed his competitor had illegally moved under braking – something he was widely criticised for at the Austrian GP.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, collide

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, collide

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“I got a lot of shit thrown at me in Austria with people saying moving under braking, blah blah blah,” said Verstappen.

“I am positioning my car on the initial movement and then I keep it straight. Today, under braking, he just kept turning to the right and that is why I also locked up, because I was going for the move.

“But I saw the car on the outside kept coming at me. Otherwise, we would’ve already crashed before. I had to stop the car so that is why I locked up.”

The stewards did not agree with Verstappen’s criticisms about Hamilton’s driving and, after studying video, timing and telemetry data, concluded that the seven-time champion had driven within the boundaries of the rules.

However, they did note that Hamilton could have perhaps done more to avoid the collision once it became clear that Verstappen was alongside him.

In a statement issued by the stewards, the FIA said: “On the approach to turn 1, both Car 44 [Hamilton] and Car 1 [Verstappen] overtook Car 23 [Alex Albon].

“Car 44 returned to the racing line before the braking zone and commenced to turn into turn 1. Car 1 approached the turn faster than on previous laps (due to DRS) and braked at the same point as previously.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“The driver of Car 1 argued that Car 44 was changing direction under braking. The driver of Car 44 stated that he was simply following his normal racing line (which was confirmed by examination of video and telemetry evidence of previous laps).

“It was clear that Car 1 locked up both front wheels on the approach to turn 1 prior to any impact occurring but missing the normal cornering line for a typical overtaking manoeuvre.

“The driver of Car 44 stated that this was a racing incident, whilst the driver of Car 1 argued that this was a case of changing direction under braking.

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“The Stewards do not consider this to be a typical case of “changing direction under braking” although it is our determination that the driver of Car 44 could have done more to avoid the collision.

“Accordingly, we determine that no driver was predominantly to blame and decide to take no further action.”

Additional reporting by Ronald Vording



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FIA replaces Hungary Turn 5 grass with gravel after Tsunoda’s qualifying crash

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The FIA has replaced part of the grass strip at the Hungaroring’s Turn 5 ahead of Formula 1’s 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix after it contributed to Yuki Tsunoda’s qualifying crash.

The RB driver crashed hard exiting the long right-hander on his final lap in Q3 – smashing the left-hand side of his car against the barriers behind the corner’s runoff and leaving Tsunoda bruised.

While Tsunoda ran out wide pushing at the end of Q3, his position on the grass strip lining the right-hand edge of the runoff meant he was vulnerable to a problem that had appeared at this point of the track.

“It was mentioned in the drivers’ briefing,” RB CEO Peter Bayer told Autosport. “The ground sank a little and there is a wave [created by the bump] that has the effect like a sausage kerb. He found it.”

After an inspection – with Bayer revealing FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had told “his team to take a closer look” at the area – the governing body has now had the last 4m of the grass strip excavated and filled in with gravel.

This means that if a driver were to run wide as Tsunoda did during Sunday’s race, they would still find the track limits deterrent but should be able to carry on without being launched up on a trajectory heading towards the Turn 5 exit barriers.

RB F1 Team VCARB 01 of Yuki Tsunoda after his crash

RB F1 Team VCARB 01 of Yuki Tsunoda after his crash

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Tsunoda ended up qualifying 10th and unable to improve as a result of his crash, while his RB team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was able to nip ahead to ninth in the last-minute scramble when Q3 resumed.

“Both were in Q3 for the second time this year,” Bayer said of RB’s result. “Honestly, after Barcelona, Spielberg and Silverstone, it’s good to be at the front again.

“The car was really well set up here. I think a lot is possible here [in the race].»

When asked if the Hungaroring’s lower-speed layout is boosting RB after its difficult run of races since it introduced its problematic Barcelona upgrade, Bayer replied: «The slow corners here help us.

“Daniel’s car, for example, was completely back to Miami spec. It really suited him there. Everything came together for him here. The high temperature, the soft tyre and then the car in Miami spec, and also our strength in slow corners, which was noticeable here.»



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