In the round-up: Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says the addition of Andretti to the grid would ‘spice up’ Formula 1
In brief
Andretti team would “spice things up” in Formula 1 – Rossi
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says that he would welcome the arrival of Andretti to Formula 1 as a new team to add some “spice” to the grid.Andretti are pursing an entry as a new constructor for 2024, with plans for a base in the UK and with Renault power units.
Rossi says that he would be happy to see the Andretti name join the Formula 1 grid if they are able to demonstrate they can add value to Formula 1.
“I think I welcome it if it’s accretive, I think Andretti could have that potential because of all of the US aspect of it,” said Rossi. “We’ll see, I think it would be nice, it would spice things up on the track as well, which is good. It’s better to move the hierarchy a bit all the time.”
McLaren ‘ticked most of our boxes’ during first test
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl says that he is satisfied that the team were able to complete the tasked they set out to do in the first test in Barcelona.
Drivers Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo racked up the most distance of any team in the McLaren bar Ferrari and Mercedes over the three days of testing. Seidl says that the team achieved what they had set out to do when running the car for the first time.
“We have a test programme, which is a good balance, I would say, between making enough mileage to make sure we are robust in terms of reliability when we go to the first race in Bahrain,” said Seidl.
“But, at the same time, you also want to learn as much as possible about your car and have some good quality test points included as well. From my point of view I think we have ticked most of the boxes we wanted to get ticked here at this test and therefore I’m happy.”
Horner clarifies comments on female F1 fans
Christian Horner has clarified comments he made in an interview with TalkSport earlier this week about younger female fans being attracted to Formula 1 because of how good looking drivers are.
After being asked about Netflix’s Drive to Survive documentary series, Horner had said that the show had helped to bring in a younger generation of fans into the sport, particularly younger girls and women due to “all these great looking young drivers.”
Asked by RaceFans about the backlash to his comments, Horner said he thinks younger fans are mainly drawn to the personalities of the drivers.
“I think having an insight to those personalities is something that a show like Netflix has brought to bring out those characters, so you get to know the personalities,” he said.
“My own daughter that’s 15 had very little interest in Formula 1 before a show like Netflix came along, because you couldn’t relate to the characters, you couldn’t relate to the drivers. And I think, whether you’re female or male, it’s great that we’re welcoming such new audiences throughout the globe.”
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) February 26, 2022
Any guesses about what that lunch conversation might be about? pic.twitter.com/oaYT4Qp6as
— Nathan Brown (@By_NathanBrown) February 26, 2022
It’s the first #INDYCAR race weekend of the season for @ArrowMcLarenSP! 🙌🇺🇸
Good luck to @PatricioOWard, @FRosenqvist and the whole AMSP team. Let’s goooo! pic.twitter.com/V6xD49Caba
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 26, 2022
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Horner says running #1 on Verstappen's car has 'energised' Red Bull (Formula 1)
"I mean, sticking that number one on the car after all the pain that we went through last year, the fight that it was in 2021, and now the fight is to make sure we retain it on the car... it’s just energised everyone in the team."
Hauger says that any pressure put on him as F3 champion is a ‘positive’ (Formula 2)
"I don't want to put any main targets on there, but I am obviously racing to win, and I am here to be at the top. That is what everyone wants, but for now, I just want to do the pre-season test and focus on getting the best package that we can. After the first weekend of the season, we’ll take it from there."
Statement on WTCR Race of Russia (FIA)
"In view of the tremendously sad and troubling events in Ukraine, Discovery Sports Events, promoter of the WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup, confirms that in the current circumstances it is not possible to hold the WTCR Race of Russia, scheduled as rounds 13 and 14 of the 2022 season."
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Comment of the day
After Franz Tost expressed his satisfaction with Yuki Tsunoda first day’s running back in an F1 car, reader David hopes the second-year driver has a better season than his rookie year…
Pleased to hear this. More than anything else it seemed like Yuki needed a break to clear his head and reflect on what was going wrong in 2021.
Hopefully we’ll see a much stronger performance this year.
David
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Hedgey, Kolon, Verstappen and Andae23!
RandomMallard
27th February 2022, 0:12
Another “unable to hold the event in the current circumstances” for WTCR. I this can be interpreted in a couple of ways. Either, they are going to try and reinstate it at a later date, or they intend to cancel it but have legal issues/paperwork that has to be completed before they can officially announce it as “cancelled”.
Interesting comments from Horner r.e. the factory staff. I do feel a bit sorry (as I’ve mentioned a few times now) for the staff at these teams (in particular Merc and RB), as they will inevitably get indirectly caught up in controversies they had nothing to do with
They’re just in their dream job at an F1 team.
Agree that Andretti could definitely spice things up, and that McLaren have a lot to be pleased with.
COTD: Agree. Yuki’s shown in F2, and on occasion in F1, that he can be rapid, I think he was just a bit inconsistent last season. He’s mentioned Imola, but does almost seem like every time he began to build up a bit of confidence he had another crash and lost a bit against.
Gusmaia
27th February 2022, 2:02
The Andretti name on F1 would be interesting, but unless the current regulation gets intended goal to make all the field closer, it would be kind of pointless. A new team with a Renault pu and a generic aero/chassis wouldnt be expect to perform much better than the Alpine team.
Maybe this is the point of the FIA comment about “they should show they could add value to F1”.
Eventually FIA even fears that a new US team to be just another Haas.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
27th February 2022, 9:24
Haas beat Renault in their first year in the championship, beat McLaren in their second year and finished fifth in just their third year. They are definitely not a failure of a team. Yes, last year was a disaster, but they did completely sacrifice it for the sake of 2022 and had two rookie drivers, so should improve this year.
What they are fearing with the ‘add value to F1’ is another Caterham, Marussia or HRT, but in all honestly I would love to have equivalents of these teams back. They definitely add value to Formula 1; I think it was great to have teams at the back who almost everybody was cheering on to get a point, particularly when they were also battling with each other, and Jules Bianchi’s ninth-place at Monaco must have been one of the most widely-celebrated results among F1 fans in terms of everyone except Caterham fans (and maybe Sauber fans) being happy about it.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
27th February 2022, 0:50
You can’t crack a joke in the 2020’s.
Gusmaia
27th February 2022, 2:24
A new fan is a new fan.
I would have no problem that a fan arrived on F1 due to a silly reason as good looking drivers.
And if a girl finds F1 because of the charming pilots, I am ok with that.
I dont think that there is a barrier to a enginnering-interested female fan to follow F1.
And many male fans are more attracted to sports based on silly reasons – and that does not diminishes the value of the fan, as a fan or a person.
Just think about the new car designs or even that bigger wheels.
Apart from commercial interests, the 18in wheels are clearly directed to guys who like that.
Teams in mainly male audiences change uniforms every year so they look cooler to these audiences.
Finally, part of the F1 attraction to guys is because they see F1 drivers as someone they would like to be: a rich guy driving a fast car – without even guessing how a Turbo or a KERS unit works.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
27th February 2022, 9:06
@peartree You can crack a joke – as long as you are prepared to deal with those sad people who are simply DESPERATE to be offended by something.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
27th February 2022, 13:45
The joke just has to be funny now.
anon
27th February 2022, 22:10
@ferrox-glideh when you look at the context of that comment from Horner, it doesn’t look as if he was trying to make a joke in the first place. When Horner made that remark, it was in the middle of discussing how he’d been seeing preview clips from the next iteration of ‘Drive to Survive’ and how the show was part of the push that the sport was making in increasing sponsorship opportunities in the USA, as well as driving up revenues and ticket sales for the circuits.
JackySteeg (@jackysteeg)
27th February 2022, 6:08
Sounds like Alpine are getting cosy with Andretti (Mario has now teased a sportscar collaboration between the two) so I think this is a big hint as to whom their F1 engine partner would potentially be. Exciting times.
RandomMallard
27th February 2022, 7:52
@jackysteeg It was reported here a couple of days ago that Andretti do indeed intend to use Renault power units. Agree, it’s very exciting.
Jere (@jerejj)
27th February 2022, 8:29
I share COTD’s view. I hope he gets a decently strong season with consistent pace & results.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
27th February 2022, 13:51
I was disappointed with Tsunoda’s performance last year, especially after such a brilliant beginning. I also hope that he can get it together and bring his obvious talents to bare.
Qeki (@qeki)
27th February 2022, 18:22
If he improves and continues his radio messaging he could become little Kimi.
Zann (@zann)
27th February 2022, 8:55
F1 drivers have always been way hotter than average, and don’t lie it makes a difference to guys too 😝
Being good looking must just make a general difference in your life, relationships, expectations, self esteem and everything around success. But yes combined with personality and that’s part of it too, if people have always smiled at you
Aapje (@aapje)
27th February 2022, 10:19
That it’s controversial to state an obvious truth like that young women like to look at young, fit men, is a good illustration of the 1984 society that we increasingly are forced to live in. I don’t believe for a second that the people who are angry at it actually disbelieve what Horner said. Yet they feel that they are helping society by not just pretending it’s not true, but by trying to silence those who speak the truth.
OOliver
27th February 2022, 11:00
That is where you get it wrong. Not all women are drawn to the physical attractiveness of men. Women also exhibit individual thinking so it was wrong to generalise by Horner.
Aapje (@aapje)
27th February 2022, 11:57
@OOliver
You take something that is true most of the time and then attack it because it is not always true. Nice example of how one convinces oneself that denying the truth is the right thing to do.
I see people generalize all the time and people only tend to take offense to it when it goes against something they hold dear, while they are happy to accept generalizations that fit their own goals…
OOliver
27th February 2022, 12:24
I take it you are a women then if you are absolutely certain of your point.
anon
27th February 2022, 22:12
OOliver, I think it is rather more that he himself is guilty of the complaint that he is throwing at others.
Aapje (@aapje)
28th February 2022, 9:45
@OOliver
I’m extremely certain that most women find pleasure in looking at fit men, just like most men find pleasure in looking at fit women. Just look at the covers of romance books.
It’s honestly amazing how people like you have been so indoctrinated that you even deny basic human sexuality.
Rosa (@ciaran)
27th February 2022, 11:39
@aapje If you or I were a young girl who got into F1 because of the thrilling action, technical complexity, bizarre politics or just the sheer uniqueness of the sport, I think we’d be a bit bothered if one of the senior figures of the sport stood up and said that we only ogled after the boys like we were “supposed” to. Far more so than feeling like its 1984 because there’s consequences for saying dumb stuff.
Aapje (@aapje)
27th February 2022, 12:13
@ciaran
And yet we see that “Drive to Survive” drew in women in a way that the races themselves didn’t. So relatively few women are as you describe. If you actually care about drawing in more women, you should look at what actually draws them in.
It’s honestly ridiculous that you try to paint human sexuality as something that is pushed onto people, rather than an inherent trait.
There being consequences for saying obvious truths like that human sexuality exists is indeed very 1984. But you have clearly made your choice, comrade commissar.
newguy
27th February 2022, 14:48
nevermind the fact that the reason for the influx of new fans (male and female) might be because the series is being produced and hosted on the biggest streaming platform on the planet thus lending more eyeballs to the sport for various reasons, while we’re at it, let’s also throwaway the fact that there’s been an influx of advertising and push in making the sport more accessible, enticing and entertaining. Those points clearly don’t matter, nope not one bit. It’s gotta be a one dimensional biological static reason why we have an influx of female fans. It can’t quite possibly be genuine interest, a desire to learn or a new facet of (sport) entertainment, it’s gotta exclusively be because the drivers are easy on the eyes and anyone who says otherwise male or female is the personification of a 1984 novel and a communist no more, no less. No nuance there.
So I guess brb, on my way to tell females I encounter that the real reason they enjoy f1 is because their labia made that decision and just forgot to tell their brains.
Aapje (@aapje)
28th February 2022, 9:43
@newguy
If easy of access were the only issue, then the gender distribution of new fans before and after this show aired should be the same, and there simply should be more new fans afterwards.
So it’s really very easy to see whether your theory is better than mine and it in fact has been done…and the result is consistent with my theory, not yours.
I never said that, nor did Horner, but please do lie, as facts are clearly not your strong point.
This is a meaningless sentence, clearly influenced by radical feminism (where they hate sexuality and don’t consider it genuine).
Preferring to look at young & fit people of the gender you are attracted to is one of the more genuine things that people do.
Michael
27th February 2022, 14:35
Sorry accidentally pressed report while trying to close an advert.
Qeki (@qeki)
27th February 2022, 18:25
I’m still a bit worried about Andretti. How many teams we really could have if all the teams that tried to form a F1 team would have made it. F1 really needs more teams.
F1 is fixed
28th February 2022, 12:22
Imagine if Toto or Lewis had said this, the comment section would be in the 100+, a Sea of orange as far as the eye could see lol…