Ferrari still in hunt for more F1 wins despite Red Bull’s Suzuka dominance, says Sainz
The Spaniard arrived at Suzuka in a buoyant mood after leading team-mate Charles Leclerc to a 1-2 finish at the Australian GP, and hopes had been high of a strong showing in qualifying after some promising long-run form in practice. However, Ferrari endured a more challenging time in the fight for grid positions, as Sainz […]
Tech images from the pitlane explained
Alpine A524 technical detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola A look at the two front wing specifications available to Alpine in Japan, with the newer of the two being the upper one (splattered with green flo-viz paint). Note not only how the shape of the upper flaps differ considerably different but also how the team has […]
What unusual final F1 practice revealed about true Suzuka race form
After the initial sighter runs had been completed, most teams sent their drivers out for lengthy stints on higher fuel to see how they stacked up on the tricky tyre management task at this demanding layout with its abrasive track surface. Of the typical frontrunners, the two leading teams in that class so far this […]
Pirelli seeks talks with FIA and F1 teams over flawed wet-tyre rule
A new way of allocating wet-weather rubber for 2024 meant teams were reluctant to use any intermediate tyres in Suzuka’s damp FP2 session because they wanted to save them for later in the weekend. It meant that drivers sat in garages for most of the session, with the only major running coming very late on […]
Not penalising Alonso for Melbourne F1 crash would’ve opened a «can of worms»
The F1 pack has been quizzed extensively about the incident late in the race last time out in Melbourne as this weekend’s Suzuka race gets underway, with a notable split in opinions amongst the racing cohort. Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg “wasn’t very impressed with Fernando’s tactics”, while Sauber racers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu both […]
Ricciardo confident RB F1 struggles “not a McLaren situation”
The Australian was dropped by McLaren at the end of 2022 after struggling to come to terms with the car across two difficult seasons in which he lagged behind Lando Norris. Thus far in 2024 he has been overshadowed by Tsunoda, who has twice made Q3 and finished seventh in Australia. However Ricciardo insists that […]
FIA clubs recommend legal action over Ben Sulayem accusations
In the wake of Ben Sulayem having been cleared of wrongdoing in an investigation relating to allegations of interference in two Formula 1 races last year, a selection of member clubs have issued a strongly-worded letter of support backing him. Clearly designed to quell any talk of an internal move against Ben Sulayem in the […]
F1 midfield battle for last tenths will be «brutal» every weekend
The early races have suggested that Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin are set to dominate the top 10 in both qualifying and races, leaving everyone else to challenge for rare opportunities to break into the points. RB now leads that group after Yuki Tsunoda secured seventh place in the high-attrition Australian Grand […]