8FWD: Motorsport Looking Forward

This is the temporary home of the motorsport musings of Jordan Hoffstetter, former Hooniverse editor

[8fwd]

When Lewis Wins, It’s Like We All Do

I don’t like to dwell on the passage of time, like wondering if anytime I do something if it’ll be ‘The Last’ time. However, as a fatalist, and a profound worrier, it’s a natural point to dwell on, agonize over, and generally fret about nothing but the times gone by, and the times yet to come. Sport, for the most part is one of those things that always feels like it’s separate from that worry, always there to look forward too, that endless opportunity and possibility that it will be different, better, and that your hero; and by extension you will triumph again. 

A lot has happened between Sir Lewis Hamilton’s 103rd and most recent, 104th win. Two long years since the nightmarish results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, two long years of floundering through the new rules, Mercedes finally falling after eight years as a juggernaut barely facing a challenge for their team’s title. It’s been an odd sight to those of us who have never known a season without at least one win from the man from Stevenage since his stunning debut in 2007, and one that lead me to wonder if I had already seen the last win in that incredible career. 

Not to say I had always been a fan of the man, hell, there were a few years there as a bruised McLaren fan that I hated that he had betrayed us for the greener pastures of the works team, abandoning the Woking team that had rescued his career as child. But, through the early hybrid years, I realized that the McLaren of my Youth, and his, was gone, and needed to be remade anew before any glory could return. And through his years of fighting his childhood friend Nico Rosberg, I felt like we saw a tense, lost Lewis, desperately trying to stake the claim on what he felt like was his. 

But, it was those years post the turmoil of Rosberg that I feel like we got to know the real Lewis, and through his friendship with Sebastian Vettel, I truly felt like the grid had the first real role-models we’ve ever had. And, after their battles faded, and Lewis was left unopposed, he started winning not just for himself, and individual glory, but he started winning for causes, people, and for Us. 

It was that record breaking 2020 season that I will always think about when the day does finally come that Hamilton hangs up the helmet for good. A year of turmoil, uncertainty, and a lot of pain, from a lot of places. 

But, throughout all of it, the bright star of F1 decided to rise above, and use his place as the greatest of our time to demand space in the sport for those that it had been so hostile to for decades. Getting Project 44 off the ground through sheer force of will and star power, and speaking honestly about the racism he faced, all in the midst of the George Floyd uprisings of the summer of 2020 is still awe inspiring. 

And personally, as a trans woman who was living in deep red Texas, seeing Lewis take the progress pride flag to the top step of the podium in almost every country that F1 raced in that would criminalize my existence was important. He didn’t have to do that, and the fact that he did it over and over again, and still continues to wear a rainbow lid just means the world. 

This is a lot of words to say that it just felt natural, correct, good! watching him extend his records even further, and while I have my own deeply held problems with the United Kingdom, seeing him get that record 9th win at his home race, in front of his crowd, his adoring audience, it felt like we were home, it felt like we were back, and F1 will never forget what He Did. Still We Rise. 

[8fwd]

hi hi! thanks for all the love on my first post! I have more coming soon, and I thank yall for being patient as I had some crazy life stuff!

[8fwd]

McLaren's 2024 Pumpkin Can't Be a Lemon

McLaren got the jump on everyone this year by being the first team to officially launch; while not a car, their 2024 livery. While not the most colorful F1 machinery McLaren has ever produced; I find myself missing their beautiful 2020 challenger, the new Papaya and Black scheme leads to a menacing almost Halloween vibe, while still being true to the modern McLaren brand of the Zak Brown Era. 

And speaking of the brand, I cannot help but feel this surprise mid-january reveal was down to the fact that all McLaren factory racing efforts this year look to be standardized in terms of livery, and getting that first bit of F1 news out for the new year, and with their new ‘Whatever it takes’ mantra seemed like a no brainer if the cat was already out of the bag with the start of the Formula E season in Mexico a few weeks ago. 

And on that new motto, I can’t help but feel this sense of confidence from every move McLaren is making right now. Compared to last year’s funeral of a car launch, where expectations were dashed and heads were hung low, the team feels excited and confident with every move they make. 

Despite a slow start last season, 2023 turned into a beautiful year for McLaren, becoming the second fastest team on the grid post-summer break. Lando Norris continued to show brutal speed and consistency across races, and rookie Oscar Piastri showed exactly why he was worth all that fuss in 2022, all while avoid pitfalls we’ve seen other rookies hit in their maiden seasons

Now, after a grueling start and spectacular end to last year’s campaign, the Woking outfit looks to carry that momentum forward to 2024. And they have shiny new toys to try to help, like their brand new wind tunnel, freeing them from using TMG’s excellent, but outdated facility in Cologne. Combine that with new simulators to better help correlation before hitting the track with new upgrades, and McLaren’s new technical team looks to have the right tools to fight at the front. 

While a shock Monza win in 2021 broke broke an almost decade long winless streak, and with a few close calls later that season, the 2022 ground effect regulations threw a wrench in the team’s recovery, and big promises came with reinvestment in the team that followed that disappointing first year of the new rules. And while 23 came good in the end, continued growth must be shown, even if the team isn’t immediately challenging for the title this year. 

McLaren now needs to deliver, and keep showing that any upward ticks in form aren’t just solely the result of other teams missing their mark. They cannot repeat last year, and they also cannot afford to slid backward throughout the season like Aston Martin did last time out. If any team is to escape the F1 midfield, McLaren needs to not just show they’re ready, but show that they are capable of capitalizing on the new, more equitable F1 landscape.