Meaning Of Motorsport

Aspiring Motorsport Journalist

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Spanish Grand Prix Review

It was a scorching day in Spain for the Grand Prix, which meant that tyre wear was all important, as well as keeping engines in check. In the end, it was a chaotic race full of good and bad luck, which has had a drastic effect on the championship.

With both Ferrari and Mercedes bringing upgrades, it was going to be difficult for Red Bull to keep up, so they did well to be in the fight for pole with Ferrari. Come the race, Max’s pace initially was fairly close to Charles, but because of his spin, we will never know if he could have challenged him on pure pace. It was an unusual error by Verstappen, seemingly caused by a gust of wind, which dropped him well behind Leclerc. From there he had a fierce battle with George, eventually getting past through strategy, and went on to win, continuing his strength this season. Perez’s pace was amazing too, even pressuring Max at points when he was stuck behind the Mercedes. A 1-2 is incredible for the team, as they try to win both titles this year. Their ability to conserve tyres could be crucial all throughout the year.

You could argue that Mercedes had almost as good a weekend as Red Bull, simply because of the pace improvement they showed all weekend. Their bouncing is gone it seems, whether it is due to the upgrades, or they understood why it worked at Miami, we probably will never know. Russell had an excellent qualifying up in 4th, which put him right in the fight on Sunday. Lewis could only be sixth, which put him at risk from behind at the start, and sure enough he was tagged on lap 1 by Magnussen, which put him to the back. He fought back incredibly well though, and 5th with the race pace he showed, will be a huge boost for him. Russell meanwhile was up to 2nd after the two spins ahead of him, and his defence against Max was inspired, especially that move around the outside in Turn 1. In the end though he couldn’t hold them off, but 3rd is still great for them. Monaco will be an opportunity for them to make another step forwards.

It was a sobering day for Ferrari in Spain, after Leclerc had an incredible qualifying, coming back from a spin to take pole on his only lap in Q3. His start too was perfect, and was able to control Verstappen early on in the race, then once Max made the mistake, it looked like nothing could stop Charles taking another win this year, however, all of a sudden, his engine gave up on him, and with it went the win and the championship lead. This is something they cannot afford to happen in a title fight, and need to understand it quickly. The other unacceptable occurrence was yet another error by Sainz, I know that Max made the same mistake, but it is becoming common for Sainz now, and also his pace after the spin wasn’t exactly amazing. Carlos needs to get back on it soon.

Bottas is becoming a star of the sport once again, with his consistency in scoring big points for Alfa Romeo. His pace compared to the rest of the mid field was brilliant, and shows how strong the Ferrari engine is. Alpine had a mini resurgence here, following a tough few races, we have seen pace from that car all year long, they just weren’t able to turn it into points. Alonso from last place was a sight to behold as he made move after move through the field.

Norris was in between the Alpines, and considering his tonsillitis diagnosis post-race, his performance is another to shout about. McLaren are another team not able to capitalise on their potential, so these points will be great for the team. Tsunoda has clearly learnt from his rookie year, and is consistently securing pretty good results, with another point for the team here. Vettel was able to come back from a disaster in qualifying to just miss the points, suggesting the new upgrades weren’t a total failure.

After beating Lando in qualifying, Ricciardo ended up falling back in the race, as his tales of woe continue. Gasly is all of a sudden struggling to match his younger teammate, a rather interesting development after last year, he was nowhere near the points all weekend. Things were looking so good for Schumacher for a lot of the race, sitting in 9th or 10th, but other drivers late pit stops meant he was a sitting duck, and eventually fell to 14th. Magnussen couldn’t recover after the collision with Hamilton, it was an unfortunate crash, with no one driver fully at fault.

Monaco is next up for F1, and the new cars may help to produce some overtakes there, although I think the more major issue at Monaco is the size of the cars, rather than the dirty air. The other question is can Charles finally get rid of his demons at that circuit, or will it be another weekend of pain for him.

-M

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Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 20th May 2022

F1

Apparently, the New York mayor has offered F1 a site for a potential race in the future. Yet the boss of Liberty Media then said that having another race in the USA would be too much, and it would be too difficult to get a race to happen in New York. I think it is good that they aren’t going all in on another race in the States, as we are already planning too many as it is!

Haas does not seem phased about its 2 month wait for upgrades, despite the fast paced development of other teams this year. Speaking of upgrades, both Ferrari and Mercedes are bringing major ones this weekend, which could help their overall pace, especially for Mercedes.

There will be no replacement for the Russian Grand Prix, keeping the schedule at 22 races. This is another smart move, as having more races just puts a greater strain on those involved in the sport.

De Vries and Vips will run in FP1 for Williams and Red Bull respectively, with both trying to secure a spot on the grid in the future. The teams are doing this as they have to run a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions each year, a good initiative to help drivers reach F1.

IndyCar

With practice underway for the Indy 500, various teams are looking strong already, including Chip Ganassi Racing and Dale Coyne Racing. Impressively no one has crashed yet, and hopefully that will continue for the next few days. Wednesday was rained out, but that doesn’t seem to have phased many drivers, given how much practice they get.

For the Detroit GP this year, they will return to the usual knockout format for qualifying. For many years, the grid was decided for the double header through two separate groups of qualifying, where one group would decide one side of the grid, with the other group doing the other side. Which ever group had the fastest lap time in it, would start on the inside.

Formula E

Out of nowhere, McLaren has brought the Mercedes FE team once they finish this season. It was expected that Abt would take over the running, but instead the Automotive and Racing giant will take up the reigns. It is unclear who will power them, and indeed who their drivers will be, but this is another sport that McLaren is growing into. They just have to be careful that they don’t get spread too thinly.

MotoGP

Ducati believe that their riders will not want to leave for other teams in the future, and you can understand why, as they are in a really strong position right now. There are 3 riders battling for the second factory seat, and there aren’t really any teams which they can bargain with, as all the others have their weaknesses compared to Ducati.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Grand Prix of France Review

Le Mans always throws up some unexpected surprises, and this year along with the superb weather, there were some shocks right at the front of the field, as the story of the 2022 season starts to develop. It would have been a glorious home win for a French rider, or even a podium, but hopefully the fans won’t go home disappointed.

When you have 8 riders on a bike, it is expected that every weekend some will have highs and some will have lows, but for Ducati those differences are being amplified! On a weekend where Bastiannini had written himself off going into the race, all of a sudden, he had the best race pace of everyone, and fought through to battle Bagnaia. He pressured him well and went on to take another dominant win. If he can build in some consistency, he could truly be a title contender. Miller had another solid day, doing what he needs to do to stay with the team, although his main challenger for the seat won the race. Zarco came back to 5th in front of his home crowd, but probably wants more. As for Martin and Bagnaia, their topsy turvy season continues, which both crashing out on their own. Martin was nowhere, and seriously needs a reset, but Bagnaia made two costly errors whilst battling for the win, and the first should have been a wake up call to not make the second. He didn’t listen though, and the second put him on the deck and out of the race, on a day where he could easily have gained points on Fabio.

Aleix Espargaro is becoming a star of the sport right now, as his consistency is putting him just behind the championship leader. With a few small gains, that bike could easily be contending for wins every weekend, and the paddock better watch out if that happens. Vinales has been running out of excuses for a few races now, and to be 17 seconds behind your teammate is not good enough, especially when we know how good he can be. Yes, Yamaha had some issues when he was there, but so did Maverick it seems.

To be a tenth off your home podium must be gut wrenching for Quartararo, but he lost it all at the start. The launch wasn’t bad, but the power deficit was clear to see, and from there, 4th was the best he could do. He probably had the clear air pace to be close to winning, but he had to pass bikes to do that, which is near impossible. Same old story for the rest of Yamaha, but so much worse than we have ever seen from other teams in the past.

It was a tough weekend for Honda and Marquez, so in some ways 6th isn’t bad, but when they were hoping to be in title contention, their goals are likely to be to far away right now. That bike is just not working for any of them right now. They went away from how Marc likes it, but haven’t nailed it for the others yet, and Marc still isn’t happy. Personally, I think it might be worth putting Marc back on last years bike, until they get the new one working. Nakagami did well to be close to Marc, whereas Pol needed to do better, with his seat under threat.

Binder did his usual thing, making his way through in the race, and 8th isn’t too bad for him. Olivera was with him too, but crashed in the end. Otherwise, they are just a mess right now.

Suzuki weren’t in a mess in terms of pace, but looking at the results, they might as well have been. For both riders to crash out whilst being in the top 5 must be painful for the team, especially for those still reeling from their decision to leave the sport. Both riders needed to be showing how good they are right now, to advertise for seats, especially Rins. At least they had pace, although who knows where they would have finished.

Mugello is next, where it will honestly be a disaster if Ducati don’t win. I am sure that Fabio would love to disrupt their party, but with the long front straight, I can’t see him doing it. Aleix could be a real dark horse, as the tight twisty track may play into his hands.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

GMR IndyCar Grand Prix Review

That was undoubtedly the most chaotic race IndyCar has ever had on the Indy Road Course, mainly thanks to the weather not making its mind up as to what it wanted to do. The various strategy calls left drivers out on slicks when the track was waterlogged, which ended well! Driver skill shone through in the end, and we had some surprising results!

It has been a tough start to the year for Herta, with plenty of potential, but unable to get results from it. In this race though, great strategy calls, car control, and probably some luck, allowed him to get his first win of the year. The car was not good in the dry, but in the wet he looked to be the fastest out there, and the bold call to be the first on slicks elevated him 13 positions, from where he could control the race. His save when battling O’Ward may be one of the best ever. Herta needs to keep this up if he wants to get back in title contention, but at least he now has momentum on his side.

Pagenaud was probably the one driver who wanted rain the most, given his past form here when it rains, and the cars issues in the dry. His wishes came true, and he made the most of it, going from 20th to 2nd. He never looked to have anything for Herta, but going to the 500, he will have confidence once again. Power was a bit in the wars, even having a tough battle with Newgarden, he showed maturity though, and stayed out of trouble to end up 3rd, and take the championship lead.

Ericsson was anonymous for most of the race, until in the closing stages he was one of the fastest cars on the track, which got him up to 4th. His pace is improving in this series, as he tries to get on terms with his teammates. Daly is another with an eventful day. Following his great qualifying, he fell back as he was the only one saving fuel, which probably made it feel like his race was over. Through pit stops though he climbed back up, as well as the chaos around him, including passing some cars. He was cautious in the dying laps, and complained about the aeroscreen making him blind, but still got a top 5, which he desperately needed.

What could have been for Rosenqvist, he was right up at the front in the first half of the race, but got caught up in his teammate’s incident. The change of front wing dropped him to the back, and he could only get back to 6th. It was no surprise to see Sato being aggressive, especially in the wet. At one point, he was getting close to the leaders, but fell back to 7th in the end. It was a superb race for Ilott, to end up in 8th, his European experience clearly helping him here. Juncos are another team on the up right now.

Lundgaard too had a brilliant weekend, bearing in mind his lack of experience. Dixon did what he does best, but qualifying is hampering his season. Rossi had one of the biggest hero to zero races, just through tyre choice. They had to try something, and it didn’t work out, that team needs a result soon. Malukas did well to survive. Harvey was in the mix for a top 5 near to the end, but an incident on pit road put paid to that. His crash with Newgarden was probably his fault, but it wasn’t a clear cut error.

Calderon got her best finish of the year, but was one of the last on the lead lap, nevertheless she did well to keep going, hopefully she can build confidence soon. Rahal and Grosjean both span during the race, which cost them any good results. Grosjean was also being paid back by Rahal’s friends for last race. Palou made an uncharacteristic error, which hurt him for the rest of the race. O’Ward made a bold call to stay on slicks as it kept raining and it didn’t pay off. Mclaughlin did the same. Veekay and Montoya succumbed to the conditions, and Juan did it rather dramatically, but luckily was all fine.

Newgarden was unlucky to be the innocent bystander as the cars either side of him didn’t know they were 3 wide, causing one to tag him, puncturing both his tyres. Kirkwood and Kellett had incidents which ended their races.

Whilst it may have been a great race to watch, there are legitimate safety concerns being raised about the aeroscreen. Remember though that this was the first wet race with it in place, and fixes were already being planned, so it isn’t a disaster yet. The length of yellows was also rather disappointing, especially when it is a great race being shown on US network TV. Indy 500 is next, and whilst there won’t be bumping, I am sure it will still be two weeks full of action!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 12th May 2022

F1

Following two crashes directly into concrete walls during practice in Miami, the questions about Tech Pro barriers, and where they should be installed has come up again. There really should have been some of it where those incidents happened, however, I feel like the FIA and F1 need to look into a better solution for cushioning crashes. The Tech Pro barrier does do its job; however, it is quite bulky, and can easily be ripped apart, which requires plenty of work to be done. Personally, I think tyres should be used more often, as they are effective, and means that car tyres aren’t just being scrapped after use.

Sainz has admitted that due to not doing full race distances at Australia or Imola, he wasn’t fully race fit for the Miami Grand Prix. This along with his practice crash, may have taken a toll on him during the race.

IndyCar

At the Indy GP this weekend, IndyCar will debut an electronic marshal system, just like we have seen in other major racing categories. The screens will be around the track, and hope to increase safety and awareness for all, during on track action. This is a great step forward for the sport, and arguably should have come in sooner, especially given how chaotic IndyCar can be. I wonder if it will be rolled out everywhere, such as for the 500 later this month.

McLaren are soon to confirm a long term deal with O’Ward to continue with them for the foreseeable future. It is a great partnership, despite their rough patches. It is also rumoured that Rossi may leave Andretti Autosport to join the team.

Formula E

Marrakesh will replace Vancouver on this year’s schedule, having hosted the series a few times in the past. It is actually a good venue for Formula E, as we have seen some great races there, along with our fair share of drama.

MotoGP

Both Suzuki riders have not taken the news well that the manufacturer is leaving the sport. This is unsurprising, although the nature in which this has all happened is rather interesting. They are leaving behind two great riders, who may struggle to find a seat, although Mir is already being hinted at going to Honda.

World Superbike star, Razgatlioglu, will test the Yamaha sometime soon, and Yamaha are saying it is an evaluation for 2023. With none of the riders preforming on their current bike apart from Fabio, the door is definitely open for him to join the MotoGP squad.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Miami Grand Prix Review

It was a weekend which delivered on some of the promises, as this was more than just a race, it was an event. It wasn’t just a circuit in a car park either, the facility looked superb, apart from perhaps the fake harbour. The race itself didn’t quite live up to the hype, despite the chaos to end the race, but it was a great first attempt.

Red Bull are becoming an ominous threat for Ferrari, with it looking as though it will be a question of when not if Max takes the championship lead. They were close together on one lap pace for qualifying, with a small mistake costing Verstappen a chance at pole. In the race though, their tyre wear was miles better than the Ferrari, with him crawling over the back of Charles after only a few laps. The late Safety Car put him under pressure, and suggested that on pure pace they weren’t that far ahead, but he got through it, and got another win, to close on Leclerc as we go to Europe. Perez was unlucky to have another reliability issue, which does spark concerns for the future, especially after Max’s FP2 disaster. Without the issue, he probably would have passed Sainz, maybe even before the Safety Car. His dive on Sainz nearly went very wrong.

Once again, Ferrari have been blown away when it comes to the race. There is clearly some issue that is causing them to shred their tyres. Leclerc could do nothing to hold Max back, and did very well to nearly pass him again after the Safety Car. It was a day where he just needed to get points. Sainz was boxed behind his teammate at the start, which allowed Verstappen to pass him around the outside, from there on his pace was again some way off Leclerc, but right now he just needs to score points. His defence of a podium was brilliant too. These upgrades for Spain had better put them back in the fight with Red Bull.

It may not have been the heroics of Friday practice, but this result is surely a relief for Mercedes after the turmoil of Imola, although Russell did finish well there too. They still have a long way to go though, the good news for the team is that they managed to find the window for the car on Friday, they just need to understand how to unlock it every race. Hamilton was not able to make an impression on Bottas for most of the race, and in fact needed a mistake to pass him. His pace was solid though, and a boost after Imola. Russell had a great race, despite falling back early on. The overcut allowed him to jump to 7th when the Safety Car came out, and fly on the new tyres to get another top 5 result. If Mercedes fix their car, he could be a true title threat.

Bottas is a machine right now, just punching out results every weekend. Without the Safety Car, he may well have got 5th, as he looks to be in the form of his life right now. Ocon was another like Hamilton to turn his fortune around since Imola, the Alpine has shown promise all year long, but luck has not been on their side. Albon may well be one of my drivers of the season so far, as he gets another few points for Williams, showing the car has pace for the points.

Stroll was in the middle of the mid-field chaos, but survived it to bag a point, as they try and stay off the bottom of the standings. Alonso was in the points on track, but lost it through a penalty for hitting Gasly. The penalty was deserved, as he was barely alongside when they hit, so it wasn’t his corner. Tsunoda just struggled for pace this weekend compared to his teammate. Ricciardo had a difficult race, not able to improve really from where he started, and a late pitstop further hurt that.

It was looking so good for Schumacher, sitting in the points after the Safety Car, and the Haas looked to have real pace, but with the newer tyres, the cars behind pounced, and he defended too hard on Vettel, ruining both their races. Magnussen was with Mick for most of the race, but retired late on. Vettel was on course for points after starting in 13th, with the Aston Martin continuing to look better than it was, but it wasn’t to be in the end. It was a rather weird crash between Norris and Gasly, who was ailing after the collision with Alonso. In a tight part of the track, Norris followed the curve of the track, but Gasly didn’t, leading to a crash which was a bit scary. McLaren were struggling for points anyway.

Miami can be proud of their first F1 race, it brought in the crowds, and definitely helped to put F1 on the map in America. The track probably does need to be altered for next year, but not much, only really that horrible chicane at the end of the second sector. For me, the definition of this race’s success was not the first year, it is the subsequent years after that, and if they can maintain the hype and growth around the event. That will really show if F1 has broken into the American market!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 6th May 2022

F1

Netflix has confirmed that Drive to Survive will return for another 2 seasons. If they can get it right, and fix the problems with the last season then that is all good, and I have a feeling that they will do just that. At the end of the day, they don’t want to do a bad job, and I am sure that F1 pushed them to make changes following the backlash.

On the eve of the Miami Grand Prix, it is notable that the FIA President attended Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to meet with Roger Penske, who owns the facility, as well as IndyCar. It would be great to see a return to the Speedway, especially if they can get a track layout which will work for F1. However, it would only be a good idea if there aren’t already 3 other American races a year, which is already too many. The IndyCar market around Indy would surely be receptive of an F1 return, despite past events.

IndyCar

The 33rd entry for the Indy 500 has been confirmed, with Stefan Wilson piloting a collaboration between DragonSpeed, Cusick Motorsport and AJ Foyt Racing, who will supply the equipment for the team, as well as probably technical help during the event. It will be interesting to see how this partnership stacks up, and if it has legs to grow in the future.

The possibility of a 34th entry for Top Gun Racing has seemingly fallen through, despite them having a chassis. The issue seemed to come from an engine supplier standpoint, with Honda only willing to give another engine for a ‘special entry’. I am sure they will be back soon; this year seems to have been a tough one for various reasons.

Formula E

Having left the sport at the end of last season, along with Audi, Abt, who ran the Audi operation, will return to the sport as an independent team. They will purchase the Mercedes team when they leave the sport after this year, and will name their engine supplier in due course. Given Mercedes continued strength this season, it is not a bad team to buy for next season, although I am sure a fair amount of the intellectual property will disappear during the handover.

Sao Paulo is the next city to form an agreement with Formula E to host a race in the future. The deal spans 5 years, and could first host a race next year. The race will reportedly not be at the well known circuit at Interlagos, instead being around the Anhembi Sambadrome, where 3 IndyCar races were hosted, which did produce some great racing.

MotoGP

In shocking news, Suzuki has announced it will leave MotoGP at the end of the season after being in the sport since 2015. This is a surprise, as whilst they aren’t winning right now, their performances have been solid, and not the worst on the grid. This suggests that other factors are the cause of the decision, including possibly carbon neutrality. The decision was communicated late to the team itself, with them only knowing on Monday at the test, with the news braking quite soon after. Reportedly Mir could move to Honda alongside Marquez, replacing Pol, which could make an even more fiery combination than they have now. Rins’ future is unclear. Dorna later came out saying that Suzuki could not leave without an agreement, as they have a deal to stay in the sport until 2026. It is possible that Suzuki will buy out the contract, or settle it another way.

Following this news, various teams in the junior series have expressed their interest in replacing them in MotoGP. There is a cap on bikes in MotoGP which is already at the limit of 24, which shows how much interest there is right now in the sport, especially for customer teams. Aprilia has stated they are willing to field a satellite team, which could be where the bikes come from for the new team.

Other News

In unexpected news, Walkinshaw Andretti United in V8 Supercars, has announced it will change to Ford for the next generation cars. Given the team is born out of the Holden Racing Team, this decision is rather bold, and has angered many loyal fans. The decision may have been helped by becoming a factory team for Ford next year, which could help development work. It is unclear the future of Percat, a long time Holden driver, with family connections there. Mostert will likely stay with the team, given he is engrained there, and had 6 years with Ford.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Grand Prix of Spain Review

The two title rivals from last year finally had their first duel of 2022, after they both had rough starts to the year. They truly were in a class of their own once again, and could soon be first and second in the championship. Tyre wear and overheating were major issues on a hot day in Spain.

For the second year in a row, Ducati reigned supreme on a track which shouldn’t suit them. The flowing corners and lack of straights should be the worst case scenario for the turn and squirt nature of their bike; however, they have made it work once again. This weekend may also signal the point where the new 2022 bike surpasses the old bike, in terms of pure performance. Bagnaia had a perfect weekend, his qualifying lap was sublime, 4 tenths faster then anyone else, and from there he could control the race. He never really looked under threat for the win, and this result could build a lot of momentum for him. Miller did what he could to finish 5th, the gap to Pecco will not be nice, although being second Ducati is no bad thing. Bastiannini bounced back from a difficult Portimao, but his title chances are wavering, and with that the factory seat. Bezzecchi had a really strong weekend, as he builds confidence in the MotoGP bikes. Martin needs to get consistent results under him, as he is blowing hot and cold at the moment.

The race was seemingly decided at the start for Quartararo, as his tyre overheated behind the Ducati, so he could never really challenge for the victory. Their pace looked pretty equal anyway, so with the power of the Ducati, it would have been hard for him to stay ahead either way. He now has a grip on the championship, and with him rebuilding belief in the bike, he surely is the title favourite once again. The other three Yamaha’s continue their struggles, with Morbidelli getting only 1 point from the race.

Aleix Espargaro just like last year is able to find consistent pace on most tracks, the difference this year is that he is closer to the front. If he can get a string of podiums this year, and finish top 5 in the championship, it would be stellar for the team. He had to wait for Marquez and Miller to make a mistake in the battle for 3rd, as he didn’t have the straight line speed to pass them. That is the one major weakness of the bike, but he made the most of it when he got into 3rd. Vinales needs to be matching Espargaro soon, as the excuses are starting to run out. The confidence in traffic is clearly still not there, like we saw at Yamaha.

Honda are starting to build pace once again, after their amazing start to the year at Qatar. Marquez was right in the fight for 3rd, although he was clearly struggling in the last few laps. He may have lost some of his edge, but he is still Marc Marquez. Nakagami got the result he needed, with rumours of him being replaced for next year. Pol and Alex were just outside the top 10.

Suzuki yet again, just couldn’t do anything when it counted. Mir ended the first lap in 6th, and stayed there all race long, just off the back of the fight for third. In a race all about tyre wear, to be the fifth best bike is not a good showing at all. I wonder if the straight line speed gains have come at a cost elsewhere. Rins was not able to replicate his heroics from last time out, and actually fell back in the race, to not even score points.

Binder was top KTM, just squeaking into the 10th spot, as they try and find solutions to their problems. This time though, Olivera could keep up with him pretty much too. You have to wonder how much longer KTM will stick around if they are the slowest bike on the grid.

As we suspected last time, Yamaha, Ducati and Aprilia are coming to the fore when it counts, and could set up another fascinating title fight. Le Mans is next, where anything can happen, and usually it does, often with the help of rain!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Monaco ePrix Race Review

After the incredible race we saw here last year for Formula E, it was going to be hard to live up to that this time around. It probably wasn’t quite as good, but was still great to watch, as we did see battles through the field, as well as up front.

It has been a difficult start to the year for Vandoorne, who has shown a lot of pace, without being able to translate it into good finishes. Some of that was down to issues with Mercedes race pace, some was his own doing, but luck also played its part. It all came together in Monaco however, as he gradually made his way forwards in the race, saving energy where he could, and was unstoppable at the end. Even with the Safety Car coming when he had attack mode, he was able to bring it home to win, and kickstart his title fight. De Vries continues his difficult run of races, with him once again falling back from where he started. It is still unclear where the problem is, it could just be that he isn’t aggressive enough. The fact that other teams didn’t execute well in the race, shows that Mercedes still have work to do, if they want to keep going this way.

It was a dominant qualifying for Evans, with him comfortably winning every duel he did, and doing the fastest lap of the weekend. Therefore, bearing in mind the team had incredible efficiency in Rome, there was a fear he could run away with the race. It turned out that their efficiency wasn’t as good here, and leading the first third of the race put him behind on energy, then it took the whole rest of the race for him to recover it. His race pace was probably equal to those around him, but you could see he was gutted to miss out on the win here again. After a poor qualifying, Bird got caught up in the chaos in the mid pack, and was forced to retire with damage. Jaguar still look formidable right now, as Mitch continues to close on the title lead.

Vergne finished where he started, in third, but found himself bouncing around the top 5 all race long. I am not sure if they quite had the pace of the front two, instead they used attack modes to make their way forwards. Nevertheless, he is still well in the title fight. Da Costa had a great race, making a huge amount of progress, and getting close to the podium places. Frijns does what he does best, sitting up front, maximising his results. It did look like he had better pace then the Techeetah’s , especially given he has the fastest lap of the race. He played his attack modes very well, which nearly got him ahead of Evans.

Rather surprisingly for Di Grassi, he had a quiet race, sitting in the front pack early on, before dropping back as the pace heated up at the front. This does hint that the Mercedes powertrain is not the best out there, but I am sure they will rally and come back. As Cassidy himself said, he needs to stop qualifying at the back, as he clearly has the race pace to fight for podiums too, like his teammate. If he can sort that out, the team could have a shot at the team’s championship.

Buemi was able to get a few more points for Nissan, in what is clearly their worst season ever in the sport. At least their efficiency seems to be improving, as this might be the worst track on the calendar for that. Hopefully Sebastien can soon show his skills near the front once again. Andretti looked promising in practice, yet couldn’t bring it together in qualifying, and both started outside the top 10. Askew fell back from a better starting spot, whereas the more experienced Dennis, could climb into the top 10, but his title chances are almost gone.

Sims just missed out on points, as Mahindra try to get back near the front again. Rowland, his teammate, had a promising qualifying and start to the race, but got too bold with Lotterer, and ruined both their races. He needs to calm down in wheel-to-wheel battles. Ticktum was near to yet more points for NIO, as he gets to grips with this series. Dragon Penske too couldn’t get anything from this weekend.

Porsche had an absolute disaster of a race, their pace was incredible, but it all went wrong when Wehrlein, who was leading and pulling away, suffered a complete shutdown, which ended his race. These sorts of issues will curtail any titles chances for them, as he may well have been on to win at that point. Lotterer was unlucky with what happened, as he was an innocent bystander.

With a clear gap emerging in the driver’s championship behind Frijns, the storyline for this season may be beginning to show itself. All 4 of those teams at the front have been quick at Berlin, where we go next, so it is anyone’s game, as per usual in this tight series!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 28th April 2022

F1

It has been a rather interesting week in the politics of F1, as a proposal to increase the number of Sprint races from 3 to 6 for 2023, which was originally meant to happen this year, was blocked by the FIA. The teams were seemingly on board with the idea, given they will receive more money for taking part. It sounds like the reason the governing body blocked the vote, was because they also want an increase in money as a result of the extra Sprints. This apparently annoyed others attending the vote, who believed it was fuelled by greed. There is a valid point there, as with the Sprint race replacing a practice session, the change on the FIA’s part isn’t exactly that big, so is it really worth an increase in pay? With F1 already footing the bill for 70% of the FIA’s ventures, this is quite some statement to make.

With there now being two race directors, one good thing was that surely, they both couldn’t get covid at the same time. Well, it turns out that isn’t true, as somehow both of them have it currently. The first question is, as one of them was at Imola last weekend, does this means that some of the paddock may get it too, including a lot of the FIA? The second issue, which more people are talking about, is if they aren’t better by Miami, what will happen? Chances are Herbie Blash will be asked to do a one off in that role, probably with help alongside him.

As well as Ferrari apparently bringing a low downforce upgrade to Miami, to help their speed on the straights, Mercedes is also targeting the brand new race for some of their upgrades. They are desperately needed, with tyre warm up being a clear issue at Imola, along with the severe porpoising.

IndyCar

The qualifying format for the Indy 500 has been shaken up once again, and to me it seems a little too confusing. Saturday will stay the same on qualifying weekend, with 6 hours of running time, to effectively decide the middle of the grid. If we have more than 33 cars attempt to run, last chance qualifying will also be the same, with the 31st car and below running one attempt each on Sunday to decide who stays and who goes. The biggest change is the run for pole, with now 12 cars getting through to Sunday’s action. We then have another session where the top 6 get through to the shootout for pole. Having two sessions on Sunday to run for pole I think is too much, in some ways it puts less pressure on the drivers, in the second session, as they have already done a qualifying run, and at worst they will be 6th.

Formula E

Formula E has launched its Gen3 car today, which as expected is another radical step in terms of the looks of the car. Personally, I think it is a step too far, although my thoughts could easily change as I get used to it. It just looks a bit silly to me, not only with the cambered in front wing, but also the long side pods that slope outwards. At the end of the day though, if it produces good racing, the looks tend to take a lesser importance.

The Vancouver race on this year’s schedule has been cancelled, as it was not given the permit to take place by the local authorities. This is a blow for the series, as it does give the impression that local government does not view Formula E as important enough to host. The race was supposed to be the centre of a festival in the city, promoting sustainability in the Automotive sector. It is unclear if a replacement venue will step up.

MotoGP

Miller has discussed the tightness of the pack in MotoGP, and how that makes it so hard to pass. With all 6 bikes being competitive in 2022, you can see where he is coming from, although the field spread at the end of a race does suggest there is enough of a pace delta for passes to be made. The introduction of wings to the bike has likely not helped this issue either.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Grand Prix of Portugal Review

It was a crazy weekend for MotoGP at the Algarve circuit, with the only true dry session being the race. This meant the grid was slightly mixed up, at least from previous qualifying form, although that didn’t seem to matter much. In the end, the race showed what a difference two weeks can make in Motorsport, as a rider being almost written off, came back with a vengeance.

Many people including myself, felt that Yamaha were in a really difficult position after the race in Austin, but they came back and showed that on a more European, ‘normal’, track, their bike still works better than anyone else’s. Quartararo got a good start from the second row, and hounded the leader Mir for the first few laps, before passing him and disappearing. It was reminiscent of early last year, when he built a championship lead no one could close down. This will be a great boost for him and the team, and potentially quieten the rumours of him leaving. Yamaha aren’t out of the woods yet though, firstly, it was just one race, and I would wait a few more races before proclaiming it a success. Secondly, and more worryingly, they continue to have the ‘Honda’ effect, as none of the other Yamaha riders could get anywhere near him, and it was only thanks to other riders crashing that they scored points. This means that if Quartararo does leave, they are in serious trouble.

With qualifying being damp, it weakened Ducati’s chances this weekend, as usually starting up front helps their race. Zarco did start the race from pole, but was the only Ducati on the front row. His start was not great, but he held down 3rd for most of the race before passing Mir near the end. This was a weekend he desperately needed, after a lacklustre start to the year, and shows he still has it, which may help to fend off the young guns vying for his seat. Bagnaia struggled in the wet conditions, and could not even reach Q2. At least he made up for it in the race though, rising to 8th by the end. The VR46 boys did brilliantly in qualifying, with both of them in Q2, however, they couldn’t continue it in the race sadly. Miller was well on the way to defying all the rumours of him leaving the factory team, with a strong weekend, until he risked too much on the brakes going for 3rd on Mir. He went down taking them both out, which is a bit embarrassing for Jack. Enea had an even worse weekend, considering he was the championship leader.

After a difficult honeymoon for the team after their first win, Aprilia bounced back at Portimao, with another podium for Aleix. The wet qualifying helped him to start up front on the first row, and despite a bad start, he came back through with great race pace. That bike is really starting to look like the whole package. Vinales didn’t have the same pace in the wet, and from 14th could only climb to 10th, he is making progress, but needs to get on pace soon.

Suzuki looked impressive going into the race once again, but as we have seen so far this year, it is yet to truly translate into results. Mir got a perfect launch off the line, from his best ever qualifying of 2nd, and led the first few laps. Initially, it looked like he could battle Fabio for the win, but when the Yamaha went half a second faster, Joan couldn’t match him, and fell to second. He held off Zarco for a while before he was passed on the straight, and was the innocent party when Miller crashed. An unfortunate end to what looked like a 4th or 5th result, however, that bike is still not quick enough. Rins had a polar opposite day, starting from near last, he gained 10 places on lap 1, and flew into the top 10. His pace got him to 4th, but what could have been if he had qualified better. Another superb ride from him.

Olivera was able to get some kind of result at home, and 5th is not a bad result. Both he and Binder benefited from the wet Saturday, and their race pace was pretty good too. The bike overall though is still lacking in many areas. Binder ended up crashing out, whilst Gardner got a few points.

Just to show how competitive MotoGP in 2022 is, all 6 manufacturers were in the top 6 to end the race. That means that whilst 6th is a good result for Marquez, and Honda had 3 bikes in the top 10, they were on paper the slowest bike in the race. In fact, those 3 bikes had a fascinating battle in the dying laps, with all 3 clearly wanting to be top dog. No one would fight harder than Marc though in the end. It is good to see that the bike is more equal among the riders in terms of pace, although I am sure they are not pleased it is at the cost of raw speed.

Yamaha have shown the field that they are not down and out yet, and with the European part of the season coming to life, these next few races may well define the season, at least in terms of who is in the title fight. Right now, it does look like Yamaha, Ducati, and maybe Aprilia are the ones to beat!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Review

This may be one of the few times where the rain actually hurt the racing spectacle we saw, as there wasn’t too much drama and crashes, and with DRS taking so long to be activated, there weren’t many overtakes either.

This was the weekend Red Bull needed, after a poor first few races overall. They had the pace in all conditions, and their tyre wear was the best out there by far. Verstappen was never really challenged all race, and could push when he needed too, he is not out of this title fight at all yet. He also made up for the bad start in the Sprint, with a good one on Sunday. Perez once again was the perfect No.2 driver, although I am sure he doesn’t want to be called that. His pace basically matched Charles, if not bettered it, and was able to hold him off for the entire race. He was lucky that DRS was not active when Leclerc did get close, but he deserved second place. Going to Miami, with other teams having upgrades it will be tough for Red Bull, but they won’t give up easily.

McLaren have gone from strength to strength with each race so far, showing they can fight right at the front. Their brake issues are still there, as we saw in FP2 from Norris, so the wet race did help them. Other than that, Norris did all he could, making a great start, and once Charles passed him, he settled down into his own race, and was never really seen again. If Mercedes had made the front wing adjustment on Russell, he may have come under threat from behind, but it was still a great weekend for them. On the other side of the garage though, it was an embarrassing mistake for Ricciardo, it wasn’t a huge mistake, but he needed to put some results together. He just touched the kerb at Turn 2 whilst trying to stay away from Sainz, but that had the opposite effect, as he got oversteer, and had to correct into the Ferrari. Can he bounce back in a country he loves?

After the Sprint, this looked like it could be the worst weekend for Mercedes in a decade, in terms of pace. However, thanks to a great start by Russell, the weekend was in some ways saved. We always knew the car would have better race pace than in qualifying, it was just a question of track position. After making it up to 6th on the first lap, George passed Magnussen before settling into 5th, who knows if he could have caught Lando if he had the wing angle change, but 4th is still great. Hamilton was unlucky, although in some ways Russell made his luck this weekend. Hamilton was all over Gasly all race long, but lacked the straight line speed to pass him, so went nowhere. It will be interesting to see how Lewis reacts to this weekend, although I am sure he will bounce back!

At their home track, it was a sombre end to a hopeful day for Ferrari, but in all honesty, they never had the pace to win. Red Bull had brought upgrades here, and they clearly helped. It all went wrong at the start, arguably for both drivers. For Sainz it was clear why, as it put him back into the pack into Turn 2, where Ricciardo hit him and took him out of the race. His luck his terrible right now, and I hope he gets a break soon. As for Charles, the bad start put him behind Perez, who he knew he had to pass, but that was not easy, and eventually he got impatient, pushed too hard, and nearly ended his race. He was lucky to carry on and salvage points, and this will be a learning exercise for him, in his first true title fight.

Bottas yet again is flying in that Alfa Romeo, as he climbed through the field in the race, and nearly got Russell in the dying laps. That battle was close to getting tasty, remembering what happened last year here. I am so glad to see Valtteri back at his best once again, as you could see he was down in the dumps a bit at Mercedes. Tsunoda was another star of the race, and showed how useful the Sprint can be, as he used it to get from 16th to 12th, before then reaching 7th in the race. Normally drivers have a difficult second year, but it seems he got all the bad stuff done in the first year!

The rain may have saved Aston Martin, as they couldn’t make it work in the Sprint in terms of race pace, but could in the main race. These first points for the team are very welcome, and shows Vettel is back to his best once again. Stroll too fought through, as usual in the wet, and also got a point for the team. Magnussen continues to rack up points for Haas, as the team builds momentum this year. Mick seemed to spin off Alonso on Lap 1, which ruined his progress on Saturday.

Albon couldn’t replicate his heroics in Australia, and came up one place short. 18th to 11th is not bad though, as he used an early swich to dry tyres to his advantage. Gasly was stuck behind the Williams with better pace, but couldn’t get past on the straights, and will not like seeing Tsunoda so far up the road. Alpine had a terrible weekend, as Ocon couldn’t recover from his issue in Q1, and Alonso’s collision with Schumacher ended his race.

Momentum has truly swung around into Red Bull’s favour, and the huge title lead of Leclerc and Ferrari is starting to look weaker. Ferrari are reportedly bringing upgrades to Miami, and they need them right now, although not as much as Mercedes do. Can’t wait to see what Miami will bring to the calendar, and see if the event has legs beyond a season or two!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Another Leclerc and Verstappen battle!

We possibly had the best Sprint so far, although there isn’t exactly a long list to choose from, as the cars were able to follow closely here, and make plenty of passes. This shows that the new regulations have done their job, even on a tight track like this. There were still DRS trains, but there is little that can be done to solve that problem. I am still not sold on the Sprint format, as we could easily have seen this excitement in the race tomorrow, and if the race tomorrow is dull, the Sprint has only hurt the event!

Verstappen was not able to convert pole position off the line, as gear sync issues meant he lost out to Leclerc and nearly Norris too. After that though he was super-fast, not letting Charles get further than 1.5 seconds ahead, and as the Ferrari’s tyres wore out, he pounced, and took the lead with a lap or two to go. This suggests that in the main race, tyre wear could be a big strength of that car, as well as the pace it has.

Leclerc said he pushed too hard in the first few laps to try and break Verstappen, which then cost him at the end. There wasn’t really anything he could do, as his tyres fell off the cliff. The team will have to hope that the soft is their weakest tyre, and that the other two work better for them. If not, a second or even third will still be good damage limitation for him. Perez may well be driver of the Sprint, as he got a superb start, flew through the field, and was gaining on the leaders at the end. His pace has been electric all weekend, and could even threaten Max if his race goes well tomorrow!

Sainz did all he could as well, gaining 6 places, and being right in the fight for the race. I wonder if Ferrari will try and put him on an alternative strategy to try and mix up the race. He was lucky on the first lap, as he was right in the chaos at Turn 1, but managed to get out of it unscathed. Norris was a sitting duck against the Red Bull and Ferrari, but could pull away from everyone else. This bodes well for the race, as teams like Mercedes don’t seem to be able to get that far up the grid.

Ricciardo backed up Norris, and had better late race pace than his teammate too. Brake issues were a worry for the team in FP2, but otherwise they look in prime position to bag a lot of points tomorrow. Bottas fought back after his issues yesterday, and could be a threat to McLaren even in the main race. Haas had an alright day, the mediums didn’t work for Magnussen, although that could just be their true pace shining through. Mick on the other hand gained 2 places, and was closing on Alonso at the end, so points could be on the cards for him tomorrow.

Alonso fell back with Magnussen, the Alpine just not having the pace in the race to stay up near the front. Russell ended where he began, the car probably has more potential than 11th, but a poor start, and a DRS train, left him with nothing more to gain. Apparently, a lack of straight line speed also means they can’t take advantage of their speed. It was a similar story for his teammate, who fell back to 15th, but could only gain one place in the train, which will be annoying for Lewis. Tsunoda did the best he could for AlphaTauri after a terrible qualifying, and might get points tomorrow, if he can continue his momentum.

Vettel was leading the train for most of the Sprint, with the Aston Martin not looking that fast, and fell back to 13th in the end. Gasly and Zhou came together on lap 1, it was probably a racing incident, as Zhou came down slightly on the Frenchman. Ocon and the Williams were stuck at the back, lacking pace.

We have a straight duel between Ferrari and Red Bull tomorrow, and it could be very close between the two, especially if Ferrari can improve overnight. The midfield will surely be as chaotic as usual, and the progress of Mercedes will be fascinating to see with the help of strategy. Add into all of that the threat of rain, and everything could be up in the air!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Preview

Imola and rain is a sure fire combination for absolute chaos, as we had a day full of action on Friday for the Sprint weekend. The circuit is seemingly treacherous when wet, and the gravel takes no prisoners, as should be the case at every track. Despite Ferrari seemingly having the pace all day, it was Verstappen who took pole for the Sprint tomorrow, partially due to Leclerc making a mistake on his second lap in Q3, which was when Max took pole, but the Red Bull was also really fast today. They did both try and do other runs in Q3, but multiple Red Flags put paid to that.

The pace of the two cars will likely be close, possibly slightly in the favour of Ferrari going off past form, but with Verstappen ahead it could be a recipe for a great weekend of racing. Max will really want to gain points on Charles if he wants to fight for this title, and Ferrari will want to win at home, so who knows what will happen! Their battle is more likely to play out in the actual race, where strategy is more of a factor.

With the chaos going on around them, Norris and Magnussen were able to make the most of the opportunity to be on the second row of the grid. I doubt that they have the pace to stay there, but especially for the Sprint, they could bag a whole lot of points. There was discussion about whether they should be penalised for causing Red Flags, which undoubtedly helped their cause. I think it is a fair rule to impose, to ensure no foul play, and we see it in a lot of other motorsports.

Alonso was another to take full advantage of the situation, although he will likely have a hard time holding off the Ferrari and Red Bull behind him. He did well to save a moment which almost left him in the gravel too. Ricciardo is building momentum after missing the second test, but he is yet to really get on terms with Lando, and needs to do that soon.

Perez was unlucky to make a slight mistake on his only representative lap in Q3, he had the pace to be on the second row. It will be fascinating to see how easy it is for him to make his way through the field with these new cars. Bottas had an unknown car issue in Q3, but they should be pleased with another top 10 in qualifying. It will be hard for him to hold on to points in the Sprint, with Sainz and the Mercedes behind, so the race should be his main focus. Vettel did an excellent job given his lack of track time all year, this just shows he still has it, despite what happened in Australia.

Moment of the day was when Sainz, on course to go comfortably first in Q2, backed it into the wall at the final corner. He said he was nowhere near the limit, but at the end of the day it happened, and will be gut wrenching for him. The fact he was on pace with Charles is a good sign, but was he pushing too much to do that? At least he will start in the top 10, and has more time to climb through the field.

This may have been an even worse qualifying than Saudi Arabia for Mercedes, as although Lewis was out in Q1 there, George showed their pace was in Q3. Here though, they just had nothing, and even if Q2 had been ‘normal’, I am not sure they would have made it. Their race pace should be better, but I am not sure if they will be able to climb up that far over the two races. Mick Schumacher made a mistake on his one lap in Q2, so missed out, otherwise his pace was pretty much with Magnussen, which is promising for him.

Zhou and Stroll just couldn’t put it together on that one lap either. AlphaTauri had a shocker so close to their factory, with neither car able to progress out of Q1. Ocon seemingly had an issue which kept him in the pitlane, and ruined his day. Williams had another brake issue on Albon’s car, which was spectacular but worrying at the same time. This is something they really need to get on top of.

This Sprint tomorrow could be a really telling factor, in how well these new regulations have worked, as there will probably be no strategy tomorrow, so passes will need to be done on pace. I am still not sold on the Sprint format, it was weird to see qualifying today, and I don’t think another mini race solves anything, apart from making more money for the F1 bosses. Wet or dry it should be a great two days of racing though!

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Mid-Week Motorsport Headlines - 21st April 2022

F1

Leclerc has been robbed whilst attending a Richard Mille event. Whilst in a crowd, the robber was able to steal his $320,000 watch without him noticing. Charles is apparently fine, and has reported the incident to the police.

Sainz has signed with Ferrari for another two years beyond this one, this a smart move for all involved, as it gives the team a superb line up for the future, and will give Carlos some security after a tough weekend down under. The only risk is if team tensions start to build, although with how strong Charles is right now, it isn’t looking too likely.

There is a slight threat against the Miami Grand Prix next month, as a small group of local residents are lodging noise complaints about the race taking place. F1 cars are noisy, creating 97 decibels of noise, however, it may take proper evidence for this case to get any further.

There has been talk about the concessions and help that will be given to Audi and Porsche, on their arrival into F1, which is apparently very close to becoming a reality. The issue becomes further complicated, because it sounds as though Red Bull Powertrains are going to work with Porsche, so each needs to be treated differently, and arguably, Porsche shouldn’t need much help at all. Hopefully the current teams can come to some agreement, about how much dyno work and bench testing each company can do, to make sure they enter the series competitively, but not at an advantage.

Rumours are circulating, that potentially Mick Schumacher could be replaced by Piastri at the end of the year. Obviously, it is still early in the year, and to me, Mick has the pace to deserve a seat. Yes, he was way off in Bahrain, and crashed in Saudi, but his pace until the crash and in Australia has been pretty solid. Time will tell, and if he can’t keep up with Magnussen, then there is an argument for Oscar to come in.

IndyCar

Paretta Autosport is returning in 2022, but not at the Indy 500, instead the team will run 3 road course races, which should be a more manageable role for them. De Silvestro will return, and given her success on road courses, it could go well for them. They will be teaming up with ECR this time, running their third car, which Ed is using for the Indy 500.

In terms of the Indy 500 entry list, it is almost certain that there will be 33 cars, with one team having everything ready bar a chassis, which will be the 33rd entry. Top Gun Racing are also doing their best to return, but do have some hurdles to overcome if they are to do so.

During the first day of the Indy 500 open test, there were some concerning events involving the pit lane exit, and cars spinning out onto the track, which is a truly terrifying thought at IMS. IndyCar hopes to have the issue rectified quickly, with the suspected issue being the track sealer giving the cars less grip.

MotoGP

Miller is not against moving down to one of the customer Ducati teams for 2023, with both Martin and Bastiannini being linked with the factory team. As long as he gets a factory bike, there wouldn’t be much cause for complaint really, especially looking at how well both of the young riders are going.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Is Liberty Media making a mistake with the F1 calendar?

When F1 was brought into new ownership in 2017, it was hoped that the times of chasing money were over, and that the new bosses, who knew a thing or two about marketing, would focus on growing the sport, and not just grabbing cash. In some ways, that has been the case, and the results speak for themselves, but whilst the expansion of the calendar is arguably growing the series, is it actually a net gain overall, or is it just Liberty Media trying to get over the losses through Covid?

For many years, through the 2000s and early 2010s, the F1 calendar was a fairly stable 16, 17 or 18 races, most of which stuck around for a long time, and provided a stable base for the sport. At the time it was the perfect number, as it kept fans interested, and gave them a full season to enjoy, without impacting too much on those taking part in the racing. Towards the end of Bernie’s reign over the sport, we began to see the calendar expanding, and also some classic events being replaced with ones which could pay more.

Races like Sochi and Abu Dhabi, gave us a hint of what was to come, with both tracks not providing great racing, but being safe on the calendar, just thanks to the cash they had. For the most part though, the calendar had good races, and more importantly, wasn’t stretching the participants too thinly across the season. 2019, the final normal year before the pandemic, had 21 races with a good strong placing in Europe, as well as the iconic fly away races.

During the pandemic, it was understandable that F1 did everything necessary to allow races to go ahead, with double headers and new/old tracks hosting F1. Some of the unexpected venues worked very well, with Mugello and Portimao producing amazing spectacles, although maybe lacking the overtaking we would like to see. Turkey and Imola took up more permanent roles, returning in 2021, and would be welcome again in the future, as we will see this weekend for Imola.

So, now we come to the present, where we are beginning to really see Liberty Media’s plans for the future of F1. As I mentioned at the start, some of the circuits that F1 has agreed to go to, are severely questionable, most of all Saudi Arabia. I know that F1 says it is about forcing change on those countries, and that by going there, it may help that process, but it is not a good look for F1 at all, especially after the events around the race in Saudi Arabia this year! Don’t even get me started on Vietnam, which was just a shambles!

The other major change for 2022, was the Miami Grand Prix, a brand new street circuit, around the Hard Rock stadium. In some ways, this is an excellent move, to bring the racing to the fans, and hosting a race in a venue like that will be great publicity for the sport. On one hand, this shows the knowledge of the new owners, of catering to the audience, and opening up the sport for the casual fans. For the most part I am for this event, for exactly these reasons, my only concern is the length of contract, 10 years, for a race that we don’t even know works yet! Which again points to money grabbing.

Where I start to struggle to understand where F1 is going, is the announcement of a second street race in the US, around Las Vegas. Having both these events happen each year surely can’t work, they are both trying to fill the same market, of a flashy event to bring in new fans, and get America talking about F1. So, by having both, they will effectively be hurting each other. Don’t get me wrong, the US market is potentially huge for F1, but is three races worth it? To be fair to F1, and give them some credit, the race at Zandvoort was a huge success, and shows they do listen to the fans.

This leads on to the bigger issue with where Liberty Media is taking the calendar, the number of races. It sounds like 25 races will soon be the norm for F1, with it potentially getting even bigger in the future, to as many as 30! To me, this is simply too much, not just for the sake of the teams and officials, who will have no break all year, but for the fans too! You can have too much of a good thing. I remember at the end of 2020, after having so many races back to back, I was almost getting sick of F1, although that may just be because I watch too much coverage each weekend! If we have 25 or 30 races, each event will be less important, and the excitement will reduce, and most of all the race wins will feel less important to the winner.

NASCAR may have 36 races a year, but that is a national series with no borders or customs, and even then, a lot of the fans complain about there being too many races. It just feels like F1 is making up for the huge losses they had during the pandemic, and using the popularity of F1 to get some money, before the huge calendar hurts the sport again. So, rather than spending this whole article complaining, here is my opinion of what the F1 calendar should be for the foreseeable future:

20 races spread from mid-March to mid-November, grouped to make travel easier, with each event made into a proper event. Emphasis should be put behind making sure the locals know the race is on, and giving them a chance to get involved, and have a party atmosphere. Some events do this really well, but there are also plenty which have room for improvement. One idea I had, was almost a travelling circus (not an actual circus), which goes ahead of the F1 circus, and organises activities in the local area to the track to bring fans together, get them interested, and maybe does charity work to make sure that F1 gives back to the local community. This means that instead of it being a 3 day event, it has a bigger impact, and so is more commercially and economically viable for the hosts of the races.

In terms of the races themselves, in order to bring the race count down to 20, there will be two groups of tracks. The permanent, iconic, or entertaining tracks, and the tracks which rotate on and off the calendar. The rotation may allow those circuits to make each race more of an event, if it isn’t on every year, and save them money too. This constant changing will also keep it fresh every year, whilst having the comfort of the permanent ones.

Most of the permanent ones are hopefully obvious, Silverstone, Spa, Monza, Suzuka, Brazil, Monaco, and for Monaco, it should be a classic livery one off event, to add more interest and entertainment into the race. As well as those 6 which are clearly deserving of a permanent spot, if Bahrain can make the race more of an event it should be permanent, also Austria, Netherlands, COTA, and Mexico warrant a constant spot in my view. There could feasibly be one or two more consistent spots, but no more than 14.

The rest of the circuits on the current 2022 calendar would then alternate on and off, along with Las Vegas, Portimao, Turkey, maybe Mugello too, and if Nürburgring, Kyalami and Malaysia return, it would give the sport a lot of good options for each year. I personally would take out Saudi Arabia, unless they gave a good reason to stay on the calendar.

The direction that Liberty Media is taking the sport is not a disaster, however, the logic behind it is questionable, and could lead to plenty of fans being disappointed, and even bored with the sport. F1 has always been a series about quality, with the best teams with the best minds fighting it out on track, for the best prize of them all. So, in the same way that we don’t want second rate teams or drivers entering the sport, or allow F1 to become oversaturated with teams, why should we allow the calendar to become diluted. If they truly believe this is the best series in the world, they should ensure that every time those cars go out on track, it is an event, a spectacle, and not make it commonplace.

-M

[meaningofmotorsport]

Was Vinales right about Yamaha?

When Vinales joined Yamaha, having had a successful few years at Suzuki which showed his skill on a MotoGP bike, he was expected to be the next big thing, challenging Marquez for titles. In some ways he delivered, winning races and matching Rossi, which is no mean feat! The problem was that the consistency over a season was not there, and there seemed to be a lack of confidence from the rider, especially at crucial points in the season. This theme ran through his Yamaha career, and came to a head when Quartararo come into the fray, first with Petronas and then the factory team. So, it was assumed that his sudden departure was down to Maverick wanting to get away from the challenges he had from his teammate, but signs are starting to show that the problems may have laid within the team as well!

Yamaha, along with Honda, is probably the most iconic manufacturer in MotoGP, with a vast amount of success with many famous riders. Despite both companies being Japanese, the ethos of both teams, and the way in which they work, does differ in certain areas. Yamaha is known for not making big changes, instead creeping up on solutions, in order to not upset the riders, which may be why they have been so rideable in the past. Conversely, Honda has been bold, which has led to dominant patches with Rossi and Marquez in the past, but also has the tendency to leave them exposed if things don’t go to plan, as we saw in 2020!

Another area of difference seems to be in their style of leadership, as with Honda, we often see Alberto Puig working with the riders a lot, and being very hands on, which looks to have been very effective. On the other hand, Lin Jarvis takes a rather differing approach, overseeing the operations, and using the hierarchical channels to speak to the riders, in a more formal way, apart from when the riders have a go at him. One reason for this could well be the longevity of his tenure in that position, and that through all the experiences he has, such as the rivalries across the garage between Lorenzo and Rossi, it has pushed him to take a more hands off role, and leave each side of the garage to do its thing.

The question now is, has this way of working forced Yamaha into a severely compromised position in 2022. Their bike this year does not look like it is that much different to what we saw last year, and you could argue that shouldn’t be a problem, as they won the title last year, however the riders had clear issues last year that were brought up constantly, especially with the power. Secondly, apart from Quartararo, the riders are nowhere, barely making the points, even Morbidelli on the factory bike, who we know is a great rider.

To me, the cause of all this is clear, and does seem to hark back to what Vinales talked about when he discussed his reasons to leave the team, a lack of communication and confidence. This fairly rigid and ordered structure of communication from the bottom to the top, makes it harder for the feedback at the bottom, i.e., riders’ thoughts on how to improve the bike, to reach those who can enact these changes in the factory. Vinales talked about how the team always seems to think it knows what needs to be done, and the riders have limited impact on R&D, which is not how it should work.

This way of working breeds a secondary, and if anything, much more pressing issue, a lack of confidence and trust. These riders are risking their lives out there, and need to have 100% faith in the machines they are riding, and if they don’t have that, they are more likely to either ride tight, or crash. If a team is working solely like a company, and lacking that friendship and camaraderie, it can be difficult for the rider to gain trust with those around him, and as such lose faith in the bike they are riding. I do think that during Maverick’s time with the team, he may well have felt isolated at points, and not supported at the crucial moments, which a team must do for him. This will only wear away at him over time, and make it difficult for him to ride at 100% all the time. This problem would only become exacerbated further if in a title fight, which is likely why he never got to that position.

Rossi seemed immune to this, partially just because he is Rossi, and he has so much self-confidence, he can probably survive in that environment, but he also surrounded himself with friends in the team, which helps you to feel less lonely and isolated. Morbidelli could well be suffering in the same way as Vinales did, because he has never been able to maintain any form since joining the factory team. There has been glimpses of pace, but nothing consistent whatsoever.

For examples of how it should be done, look at how Aprilia welcomed Vinales, and even before that, how they treated Aleix Espargaro. Also, Davide Brivio at Suzuki, who led them to the title in 2020, was able to support a young star in Mir under all that pressure. Ducati do it to a certain extent too, although with so many bosses at that team, it is hard to know what is going on.

So, what do Yamaha need to do now, to fix the issues they are seeing? Personally, I think Lin Jarvis’ time is up, it isn’t like he is a bad boss, but changes need to be made, and it should start at the top, as his method of working isn’t getting the job done. Hopefully, if this is done, and a younger, more personable face is brought into the team, it should lighten up the atmosphere, and allow the rest of the team to work in a better way, especially in aiding the riders on multiple levels. Obviously, I do not know the hierarchy of the team in detail, but if other changes need to be made to allow this process to happen, they should be done.

In terms of bike development, they do not need to reinvent the wheel, especially given the bike has many good areas. Instead, it is about using your area of greatest strength, which will likely be mid corner speed, and using that to fix your weakest area, top end speed. This could be undertaken in multiple ways, whether it be simply building a more powerful engine which brings with it more weight, alternatively a less draggy bike, or working the suspension different. Most importantly, they can’t put limitations on what they will and won’t do to win, and the riders must be a major part of the consultation in that process. At the end of the day, they are the ones who know the bike best, and the ones that decide the outcome. Plus, if they know they are being heard in their opinions of the bike, they will immediately gain trust in what is under them.

The most telling part of this whole story, which proves that Yamaha are in dire straits, is that the newly crowned champion, who was riding high 6 months ago, is already signalling his intention to look for opportunities at other teams for the future. If that doesn’t show a lack of communication and trust for the team he works for, I don’t know what will.

Yamaha have to take this threat from Quartararo seriously, they need to show him they are willing to change their ways, and listen to him. If Quartararo leaves the team at the end of this season, or sooner, Yamaha will very likely be the slowest bike on the grid, just a season after winning the title. Doesn’t that show how if you stand still in this sport, you go backwards. If that does end up happening, Maverick Vinales will look like the smartest guy in the paddock, who took an opportunity to jump ship to arguably the hottest team right now!

-M