Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Imola, 2022

Ocon expects “good gain” from first run with Alpine’s new floor in Miami

RaceFans Round-up

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In the round-up: Esteban Ocon says he is excited to have the updated floor Alpine ran on Fernando Alonso’s car in Imola

In brief

Ocon “looking forward” to updated floor in Miami

Alonso received an updated floor in Imola, qualifying fifth on Friday and starting ninth in the grand prix, until damage from contact with Mick Schumacher led to his early retirement. Ocon says he keen to try the new specification floor himself this weekend.

“I look forward to testing this new performance part that Fernando had this weekend,” said Ocon. “I think it seems to be a good gain from what the team is looking at.

“I think it’s a missed opportunity for us [in Imola]. We were supposed to get good points and good performance from that. So yeah, it’s a shame, but we will bounce back and bounce back better.”

Formula E announces first race in Brazil

Formula E will add a new round in Brazil next year, the championship has announced. It has agreed a five-year deal to race in Sao Paulo.

Lucas di Grassi, the 2016-17 season champion who has participated in the series every year since its inception, said the opportunity to compete in a Formula E race at home was “music to my ears.”

“There is nothing like the pride and incredible energy of the Brazilian racing fans so it would be a dream come true for me to race in this game-changing championship in front of a home crowd.”

F1 “booming” in United States says Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton believes Formula 1 is enjoying popularity growth boom in the US ahead of the first ever Miami Grand Prix this weekend.

The seven-time world champion appeared on ABC television’s Good Morning America on Monday morning to promote this weekend’s race. Asked if F1 had now arrived in the US, Hamilton said “I think so, yeah.”

“I’ve been coming out here for a long, long time,” Hamilton continued, “but I never quite understood why people weren’t into Formula 1. Everyone knew NASCAR and obviously you’ve got such huge sporting fans out here.

“But this Netflix show [Drive to Survive], particularly through the pandemic, has just brought massive awareness to the sport. And now it’s booming.”

Barber performance a “big confidence booster” for VeeKay heading into Month of May

Rinus VeeKay described his performance at Barber Motorsports Park last weekend as a “big confidence booster” heading into the all-important Indy 500 phase of the season.

The Ed Carpenter Racing driver took pole position for the Grand Prix of Alabama and led 57 laps before eventually finishing third for his first podium of the season. VeeKay says the performance puts him in a “good position” ahead of the Indy 500.

“It’s a big confidence booster,” said VeeKay. “Coming here, first road course of the season – just very happy. We were very fast in qualifying. Just in the race also we had the pace to win the race.

“I think coming into the month of May, I know Indy road course is going to be good for us. The Indy 500. I think we’re in a good position.”

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Comment of the day

With Daniel Ricciardo admitting he’s still for DRS remaining in the sport, @roger-ayles does not expect F1 will make sensible adjustments to the divisive overtaking system in future…

They have had a decade to get it right and never have so I don’t expect much to change now.

For example it was plainly obvious after 2011 that DRS wasn’t needed at Spa yet it’s been in the same place at Spa with the zone been just as long and just as overpowered every year since. Same with the boringly long straights on every other track where they always put a DRS zone and where it always produces boringly easy push of a button highway passes that are completely devoid of any tension or excitement.

Even at Imola we saw on Saturday just how overpowered DRS still is in many scenarios and I don’t think we saw a single really exciting real overtake in the sprint, They were all push of a button highway passes. At least in the GP without DRS we actually got to see some proper racing, some good defending and some real overtaking that took place away from the ‘Highway pass zone’.

DRS is a horrible artificial gimmick that producing boring push of a button passes which a majority of fans have never and will never like (go back and look at every poll on every website and the several conducted by F1 themselves over the decade).
@roger-ayles

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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32 comments on “Ocon expects “good gain” from first run with Alpine’s new floor in Miami”

  1. Will Buxton’s comments just makes me want to vomit. Utterly disgusting. I bet he wishes to say otherwise but he is just censored jeez.

    1. You could also have done like the person with the mask, and give us the reasons why you disagree.

      I bet your physical discomfort is just as real as the marina.

    2. I’d rather get Alex on f1tv, Will is another cynic and the only alternative to the mega chad of f1 cynics, David “much rather be a west ham fan” Croft. Tv journos wanted or happened to land an f1 job, they don’t like f1, they like the life.

    3. Will was also particularly zealous in attacking anyone who complained about fans being shut out of the pre-season test in Barcelona, and said fans should be grateful that the teams were kind enough to allow for some media coverage of the event. It suggests that he doesn’t have an issue with keeping to the usual corporate line.

      1. Or perhaps he’s just providing a counter argument to ensure some balance?

        If his opinion just happens to align with those of his employment interests, does that mean he’s just corporate stooge, or that he can actually form his own opinion with thought and consideration?

  2. Once again, Bob Varsha proves just how poor he is at commentating; totally misreading the entire story. There is a big difference between an permanent artificial lake like what is in Albert Park, and the faux water lake that is only on display for the Grand Prix and isn’t even filled with water. It’s some sort of reflective surface designed to resemble water. Comparing one with other is a false equivalency. And what does the sculpture at the Red Bull Ring have to do with a fake lake at all?

    1. I’d better go tell all the wildlife that their wetland at Albert Park is a prop…

  3. some racing fan
    3rd May 2022, 2:13

    Apparently Ayrton Senna took one of his parents’ cars out for a joyride when he was 8.

  4. some racing fan
    3rd May 2022, 2:16

    Also that MP4/5B… one of the prettiest racing cars ever made.

  5. I don’t think we are ready to completely remove DRS. I think we need an intermediate step…say 30 DRS uses a race weekend. Drivers knocked out in Q1 and Q2 will have more at their disposal during the race. Drivers can use to defend or attack. Want a quick in lap, out lap…go for it. Leave it up to the drivers.

  6. I don’t understand how you can defend the fake lake idea, and then compare it to a man made lake in a park at Australia or a sculpture…

    What the heck does it have to do with anything that the Albert Park lake is waist deep? Honestly, what kind of argument is that?!?

    I also think that if this fake lake was done in Saudi or whatever, the same people now defending it would be complaining about it…

    1. What the heck does it have to do with anything that the Albert Park lake is waist deep?

      Both comments are sarcasm, pointing out that people get upset about almost anything.

      Agree or disagree with the millionaire’s marina, but at least I had a laugh (and continue to be amused reading how these things upset people).

      1. It’s honestly bollocks that people are “faux outraged” as Will Buxton says. It’s a tactic he employed to posit “the other side” as insane, while he and his are the normal people.

        People are rightfully mocking the fake marina for what it is, a fake marina. They’re having a go at it with jokes, it looks ridiculous even if they had added a bit of water, made even worse by having fake water. It has nothing to do with parking lots or other nonsense. It’s just a super dumb thing that people can have a laugh at.

        Buxton somehow always finds himself defending his employer whenever they do random funny stuff, should’ve just stayed quiet about. I bet he’s had a chuckle at the ridiculousness of a fake harbour in a cardboard pool when he saw it, just as we did.

        1. It’s honestly bollocks that people are “faux outraged”

          Only if you miss the sarcasm and word play.

        2. It’s honestly boIIocks that people are “faux outraged”

          Only if you miss the sarcasm and word play.

  7. @fer-no65 I hadn’t really thought about that idea (what if the fake harbour was done in Saudi Arabia), but I think you might be right, the criticism would probably be from a different angle. ‘Middle East country that does ‘Fakery’ so it can legitimise itself’.

    Regardless, it’s a daft idea. My favourite Italian restaurant has painted scenes (child standard) of Venice on the windows (it isn’t in Venice), but I think it’s done in ironically. Looking at the ticket prices, I doubt the organisers are doing it in a ‘I don’t take myself too seriously’ sort of way.

    1. How much cheaper do you think tickets would be if they didn’t, @bernasaurus?
      $2? Maybe $5. Certainly not more than that.

      Seriously – if anyone wants cheaper tickets, tell F1 directly. They set their sanctions fees that each promoter needs to recover. The cost of some temporary props and landscaping is laughable in comparison.

      1. I’m not suggesting the ticket prices are linked to the painted marina thing, and I don’t think anybody is upset by it. Just peoples response to it might be coloured by where it is (thanks Andrew for that phrase).

        If the BDRC painted an airfield with Spitfires in the middle of Silverstone to commemorate the Battle of Britain it’d probably get a very different reaction.

        I guess it’s a historical / culture / authenticity thing, Florida is perhaps perceived as ‘Disney / Gimmicky’. And you can go down a rabbit hole with what is ‘authentic’. So I’ll not to, but Albert Parks lake aside, the grass on the side of track is there because Europe settlers wanted lawns like back home.

        F1 I think is in unique position in that it’s a sport visiting 20 plus countries, and the it should be celebrated that they’re all different (I’m not). Silly fake harbours are probably good for the promoters and Liberty. Though I can see someone at Liberty asking Baku not to copy it.

  8. Why is everyone getting so upset that Miami is decorating the surrounding area beside their track?
    What does it matter to you? What business is it of yours?

    After all the complaints about Paul Ricard looking so utterly mundane and every other modern track being a ‘soulless carpark with its sea of tarmac’ – Miami are actually doing something to address your concerns here, and you complain about that too. A little bit of off track theatre doesn’t affect anything on the track.

    F1 is certainly the pinnacle of something, but it isn’t racing. It’s got a lot more to do with fans’ attitudes.
    This is exactly what I know F1 for most, and it hasn’t improved in the 35+ years I’ve been watching it. It’s got a lot worse recently, actually.

    1. I’m used to people getting faux upset and Twitter/FB/IG/TikTok-vocal about almost anything.

      It’s just a pity that this site (editorial and comment section) is becoming more like those social media channels.

    2. Just type in fake marina into Google and there are some hilarious meme’s though. It’s good for something…

    3. They could place a tribune there so tickets could be cheaper …..

    4. I think saying everyone is upset is exaggerating the issue but I do agree it’s such a non entity to be angry about. A lot of races are used as a shopping window to the world for their destination so it only makes sense that the organizers would want to paint Miami in the best light possible. You can be certain that every track F1 visits has significant beautification work prior to the circus arriving and this is really no different.

    5. Because it’s fake. People hate that word. Everything needs to be authentic and real. It’s like those girls on commercials they are fake and their bodies have been manipulated. Reality is a racing track in the middle of the woods with a grill next to it where you can buy beer and burgers. It doesn’t look great but it is the real thing. Of course if your local go kart track would get an artificial marine it would be the best looking go cart track in the world but it’s pointless.
      If something looks good there is a downside to that but if something doesn’t look good it doesn’t look good enough for some people.

      1. Reality is fake, @qeki. Our daily lives are all manufactured and timed according to man-made constructions and schedules.

        F1 is as fake as it gets, regardless of some props beside the track. Nothing is authentic.
        You are watching a huge advertisement in a travelling marketing festival, where one of the side attractions is some fake cars going round and round a track that somebody made up.

        I’d love to know where this ‘real’ track in the woods with the naturally occurring burger bar is. If you can give me a clue it’d be appreciated.

        1. I think you’re confusing manufactured and fake. The cars are most definitely real and functional. A model of them could be considered fake. In much the same way this constructed marina is non-functional and therefore fake (ie it’s not really a marina). No outrage though, just amusing.

        2. Well I don’t know eather where that track is but what I meant is the track where 90% of people will go is not located next to billioners yacths and casinos

  9. A nice dedication by Pato.

    I like Haas’ GTA-inspired image.

    I don’t have an issue with a fake Marina or racing past a fake Eiffel Tower.
    People make a fuss out of anything, no matter how trivial.

    Good joke by BBC or whoever initially reported the story, but entirely impossible something like this could literally happen as described, considering everything.
    Too short to even open the car door or get on the driver seat, let alone reach the pedals or the keyhole + insufficient strength to lift the hand-brake, etc., but most importantly, the first one, so either made-up or dramatized.

    DRS is still necessary, but I’m sure it’ll become redundant over time, be that for next season or later.

    The following compromise is/should be doable: DRS available on Kemmel straight (perhaps also Montreal’s back straight, Baku’s longest full-throttle section, & Interlagos’ equivalent) in FPs & QLF, but not race & or Sprint anymore.

  10. The Miami fake marina is just indicative of the direction F1 is taking. A fake show rather than a real sport.

    The Miami Gp (Just as the Las Vegas One next year) with all the promised flashiness, pomp & circumstance with this fake marina & other trackside decoration is all for the rich celebrity social media types rather than for the actual fans of the sport who can just see through it all.

    You know over this weekend that all the distractions are going to get just as much focus as the actual track action with many shots of the ‘marina’ & the various rich & famous who will be on these boats. You know that on social media many of those rich & famous will be posting more images of the partying than the cars because I bet many of them don’t even know or care what F1 is & are only there for the party.

    And yes I know it’s the same with such people turning up to other venues but this is an event that is coming across as been 100% built around them & the spectacle they are seen to bring rather than a race on a great racetrack built around the actual fans of the sport.

    Stealing a comment I saw elsewhere.

    That’s why USA have three races now, Miami is for the rich, Vegas is for the ultra rich, Austin is for the enthusiast/fans. How else you gonna justify three races in a country.

  11. The main issue with DRS has always been the rather low tech way they seem to guess on the strength for each weekend. It feels like the race organizers could simply run 2 identical models of last years cars through the DRS zones and tune the window accordingly so that there is far less chance of it being over powered. The guesstimate system they use at the moment just fails too often yet they’ve seemingly done nothing over the years to improve the process.

    Sure that might not be 100% accurate as a measure this year but it would be better next year and certainly be better than comparing raw data and guessing. I suspect the issue for why it’s so hard is linked to how you measure relative car performance, top speeds, offset tyre wear impact which can also contribute to an easy highway pass.

  12. I don’t remember any gains for Alpine with their new floor in the spring race. They barely finished in top 10 after starting in top 5. They might get their 5th place back in the constructors, but that’s the most they can hope for.

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