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In brief
Ricciardo braced for year out
After agreeing with McLaren to cut his tenure at the team short by a year, Ricciardo says he’s prepared for next year to be the first time he’s been absent from the F1 grid since he made his debut for HRT in 2011.“I’ve certainly accepted, if I’m not to be on the grid next year, I’m okay with that,” said Ricciardo following Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. “So I’ve accepted that I’m not going to do everything, or my [management] team’s not going to do everything just to put me on the grid if it’s not right or it doesn’t make sense.
“Obviously this year’s been challenging and if I am on the grid, I want to know that it’s a place that I can enjoy it and feel like I can thrive. An environment I feel I can thrive in. I don’t want to just jump into a car for the sake of it.”
Last year’s Italian Grand Prix winner retired from Sunday’s race while running in eighth place, having started fourth. “Days like this certainly are pretty frustrating,” he admitted.
“But give it 24, 48 hours and I’ll get over it and try to understand what’s best for next year. Not in an overconfident or cocky way, but it’s not meant to be, then I’m totally okay with that. I’m not going to be too proud. We haven’t certainly given up on it, but that’s kind of where my head’s at, at the moment.”
F1 invites views on sprint races
A survey on the official F1 FanVoice website indicates the series is considering yet more changes to its sprint race format, which was introduced last year to a mixed reception from fans. The poll invites respondents to indicate what they like most and least about the format.
It also seeks to gauge viewers’ attitudes towards potential changes to the format, including making them “‘stand alone’ races not related to defining positions on the starting grid” and “providing an opportunity for reserve [or] younger drivers to compete in F1 cars.” Reverse grids, touted again by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in a recent interview, are not mentioned.
Blakely wins F1 Esports opener
McLaren Shadow’s Lucas Blakely won the opening race of the F1 Esports championship in his first apperance for the team. He resisted a last-lap charge by reigning champion Jarno Opmeer, who passed the other McLaren of Bari Borumand on the penultimate lap. Opmeer was incorrectly shown as the winner on the official timing screen after the race.
The series continues with a race at Imola today followed by Silverstone tomorrow.
Upcoming F1 tyre choices confirmed
Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli has confirmed its compound selection for the upcoming two races. It will bring its softest tyre selection for Singapore (C3, C4 and C5) and its hardest for Suzuka (C1, C2 and C3).
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Sergio Sette Camara joins NIO for season nine (Formula E)
'Sergio is making his track debut in the team’s NIO 333 ER9 electric challenger at the Autodromo di Varano in Italy this week.'
Pivotal summer test paved path to rookie title for Lundgaard (IndyCar)
'Lundgaard’s performance over the course of the season led the team to again invest in his future, restructuring a new, long-term contract announced August 16th. Terms weren’t revealed, but last week the team announced it has added more strength to its engineering group, hiring Stefano Sordo as technical director. Sordo has had considerable Formula One experience working with the Jaguar, Toro Rosso, Red Bull and McLaren teams.'
Martins' Guest Column: Journey to the title made me a better driver (Formula 3)
'When I was crowned champion, the team was trying to get a French flag because we have a bit of a superstition. So, everyone, even me, I was not thinking about it. I think the team wanted to find one, but they also didn’t want to bring one from the workshop because of that and you always think if you bring it, it will not happen. We had to find one and I think someone in ART went to Alpine to get one.'
Race Of Champions returns to Sweden’s snow and ice in 2023 (Race Of Champions)
'Multiple Formula 1 World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Mika Hakkinen will be in action, alongside double W Series Champion Jamie Chadwick'
NBC tops its IndyCar viewership records in 2022 (Racer)
'The 2022 season averaged a Total Audience Delivery (including streaming viewers) of 1.30 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms, up from 1.24m in 2021. TAD is based on data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.'
24 women from around the world selected to be part of the Singapore Grand Prix race officials (FIA)
'Out of 300 applications, 24 were selected (list below), representing 6 regions and 24 nationalities. They will attend the Singapore Grand Prix with least one year’s experience of officiating in any roles in their home country. The programme will give them their first experience both abroad and at a world championship event.'
Safety car Q&A: How can Formula One prevent a repeat of Italian Grand Prix farce? (The Times)
'That uncertainty is part of sport, and the Safety Car has its primary role to perform, too, keeping drivers out of harm’s way. It should definitely not be discarded. But if the regulations are not quite working, and the races frequently affected, then they should be reformed, because no one wants this argument to drag on.'
Italian GP race analysis (LinkedIn)
'The Safety Car held Russell for five minutes, crucially three laps behind then. This ate up much of the remaining laps of the race.'
Safety Car Choices, Tyre Strategy and More (Mercedes via YouTube)
We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it in via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou are taking part in a closed test in the MCL35M at Barcelona this week with our Testing of Previous Cars programme. pic.twitter.com/Sde5QtPyQS
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 14, 2022
‼️NEWS‼️
Proud to finally announce that I’m a @MercedesAMGF1 simulator driver!
Read more about the role, and how the simulator supports track activities over an @f1 race weekend – https://t.co/Yr4HAxir2d#simulator #sim #virtualtoreality #mercedes #mercedesamgf1 #f1 pic.twitter.com/RZ06fYECOC
— Charlie Eastwood (@ceastwood28) September 14, 2022
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
McLaren’s latest sponsor acquisition has a certain irony about it:
Jack (in) Daniel’s (job) at McLaren.
Electroball76
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Siy, Butch27, Warfieldf1 and Sudhi!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Rubens Barrichello led Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari one-two at Monza
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
15th September 2022, 0:37
We know that, mate. You took the money.
Oh well, enjoy your life.
The Dolphins
15th September 2022, 2:12
I don’t understand this bitterness toward Daniel taking the money; McLaren had made their mind up about who they wanted to drive for them. I’m not sure how the budget cap would fit into it but if Daniel did not take the money it’s possible McLaren would have retained him but sat him out for the season, a much worse outcome for him.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
15th September 2022, 2:41
It’s the internet. Everyone is bitter round here :P
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
15th September 2022, 7:05
Max’ fan–boys !
Nm
15th September 2022, 7:41
Ah yes, more bitterness
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
15th September 2022, 12:45
Bitterness?`
This person had a contract for a race seat and was -just a few weeks ago- rather adamant about fulfilling said contract.
Then this person took money to go away.
Of course, he’s “okay with” not being in Formula 1. That is self-evident in his actions.
Corsair
15th September 2022, 15:31
Wow. That’s not how it went at all.
anon
15th September 2022, 20:24
So, what was he supposed to do when McLaren told him that they no longer wanted him and were withdrawing from the contract?
If McLaren were telling him that they will exercise their right within the contract to terminate the deal early and pay him the remainder, there is no legal mechanism for Ricciardo to force McLaren to keep the seat open for him.
It’s not just his decision – McLaren have to agree to a deal as well, and in this case they made it clear that they were not going to agree to keep him however much he might want to stay.
Deep Sky
16th September 2022, 6:26
@proesterchen , it sounds like you’re thinking this is what has happened:
McL: DR, you haven’t in the last 1.5 years delivered the results we were hoping for and it’s costing us a lot of points and prizes with no little hope for turnaround in sight. We want to cut you loose end of the year and we aren’t going to pay for your next year coz you have under-delivered while we’ve already paid you handsomely for two years.
DR: Give me the money for next year or I won’t walk, I’ll sit in this car seat right here next year.
When in reality, this is what has happened:
(back in mid-2020)
McL: DR, we want you in our car next year and we’re willing to pay this hefty salary for you to walk away from Renault.
DR: Guys, in this Renault, I’m beating your drivers and am almost ‘best of the rest’. And McL has been floundering the last few years. How do I know this car has performance potential? It may very well make me look like I’m underperforming. What incentive is there for me to take this downward step?
McL: Fair points. Ok, we’ll exclude any performance clauses for you, we’ll give you a three year contract which only you can choose to terminate, we can’t fire you, and we’ll up our cash offer. That’s guaranteed pay for three years unless YOU decide to leave. Please please, we desperately want you here next year.
DR: I love F1! Deal!
DR is getting paid for next year not because he didn’t perform for McL, it’s because of the contract he had gotten to walk away from a superior car (for his style) and gamble his reputation for them.
Lucky Milo
15th September 2022, 5:34
He’s a professional driver & his management has a job to get him the highest salary they can
It seems you are a fool if you think it’s Daniels fault for taking the money, it’s been reported before he took less money leaving Renault to join Maclaren thinking Maclaren would give him a better chance of winning races, it didn’t.
You don’t seem to be down on Alonso who leaves teams & takes the money (allegedly more than Daniel) so I can only guess it’s jealousy because it’s not you
Also Maclaren were the ones to agree with the contract & no one held a gun to Zac Brown’s head to agree & sign it
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th September 2022, 8:29
His problem was that his management was working NOT in his favour but for a other driver…. Taking money when you get booted out is a good thing but he should fire Mark Weber too.
Waiting for a Mercedes seat he can forget as Lewis want to contine after 2023.
Jason (@jasonj)
15th September 2022, 9:25
It isn’t possible for Ricciardo to fire Mark Webber as he is not managing him. Mark actually managed his own driver Piastri into Daniels seat, so if anything Ricciardo should hire someone like Mark to find him a highly sought after seat. Maybe someone schooled from the Machiavellian stable to that Flavio trains would find a suitable drive for him
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
15th September 2022, 12:47
What is this, a creative writing class?
Daniel had a contract for a seat. He took money to go away. Of course, he’s “okay with” not being in Formula 1. His actions demonstrated that perfectly.
Nick T.
15th September 2022, 14:12
You’re intimating that he CHOSE not to drive? Oh my sweet child.
F1 pundits and fans of the memory of fleas. I know JV likes to stir the pot. So, it’s hard to know when he’s being serious, but a guy who was given nearly a decade of poor driving to try and turn it around after 1 decent season (in which he only needed to be better than HHF) said DR has been driving badly for half his career.
Well, that’s an odd statement considering DR has only had 1 terrible year and never finished a WDC below 9th since 2014:
3 – 8 – 3 – 4 -6 – 9 – 5 – 8.
DR has had 1 terrible year: 2022
DR did not have a terrible ‘21: 8th in the WDC. Disappointing, but not terrible.
Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
15th September 2022, 16:28
No need to intimate anything. Daniel had a contract for 2023. Daniel chose to take a pay-off to give up that contract.
Corsair
15th September 2022, 15:32
You need to go back to school. Clearly.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th September 2022, 7:39
& he should, although a Team Enstone return could still be on the cards, depending on Gasly’s situation but more likely a reserve role than returning to where he was in the 2019 & ’20 seasons.
SteveP
15th September 2022, 7:52
Rename them as “F1 Lite”, run them in the morning (any day, I’m not dictating) before any of the proper F1 schedule.
All drivers are F1 test or academy drivers, so it’s experience for the potential rookies.
There you go, all the established F1 fans are happy and the people with a short attention span also have an event they can relate to, plus potential new drivers get to drive an F1 car competitively – probably best to use last year’s to keep costs down.
Not an old fossil, I’ve even gone trendy with the use of “Lite” :)
jff
15th September 2022, 8:00
You must give it to the Americans, those clever people being able to cut one letter from the word ‘light’.
But I guess they still trail the French who have been using ‘lait’ for centuries ;)
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
15th September 2022, 8:03
What is this sudden fascination with Indycar drivers? Is the quality of current drivers in the F1 feeder series that bad? Or is it just the desire to have American drivers on the grid because of new tracks?
anon
15th September 2022, 9:46
Just look at the comments that Zak Brown has made about the possibility of major sponsors from the US for an explanation (and you can add to that the fact that Liberty Media has explicitly stated that they want to expand the sport in the US).
MichaelN
15th September 2022, 13:20
Nobody cares about them because they’re Indycar drivers. The F1 world – or at least parts of it – cares about Americans with superlicense points for the same reason they care about anything: they see it as a path to getting even more money for themselves.
Joseph Newgarden is by far the best (Danish-)American in that sense, but he has no real interest in racing in F1, though he didn’t outright reject it earlier this year when he commented: “I think IndyCar is really where you’re going to get the most competitive product as a racing driver. When you’re a driver at the top level, you want to have an opportunity to compete, to win the championship, to win big races regardless of your situation. I think unfortunately that’s not present in Formula 1. So from that standpoint, it’s not as appealing. But I’d never say never on anything. You just never know how this stuff shifts.”
SteveP
15th September 2022, 8:52
Yes, but “new owners” not “new tracks”, although two new are American and that’s probably due to the new owners
baasbas
15th September 2022, 12:31
I like the race of champions, yes, but I prefer what they did in the nineties. They held the Elf masters in Bercy, on a temporary indoor kart track. It gave us Senna and Prost, but then in karting. Of course many more big names and also cross overs. Amazing to watch, youtube has some footage. It’s just great to watch the big names go back to their roots. And I just want to see the current F1 grid duking it out in the same karts.. badly
baasbas
15th September 2022, 13:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XRz5s0nhE
Have to add a small sample. Shame Senna’s engine gave up.
Still, I’ll repeat: I want the current grid dong this…
superman
16th September 2022, 13:04
Agree, I remember it well. Think I still have a video tape of it.
The excitement of seeing Senna, Prost and many other top drivers competing in karts was utterly mind blowing. Still to this day watching those clips it looks so surreal!
dot_com (@dot_com)
15th September 2022, 13:52
I think if Daniel takes a year out after this disastrous spell at Mclaren, he won’t be back. Honestly he’ll be lucky to get a seat for next 2023, and F1 moves on quickly. If he were an Alonso or a Hamilton then maybe, but his stock is not great at the moment. IMO he would be better off taking a one year contract at Williams or Haas and building his reputation up again.
Mayrton
17th September 2022, 8:00
I agree. This is the exit. There is not going to be a seat after a year off for Ricciardo. We’ve seen the fantastic smile, but we haven’t seen an ambitious self learning driver.
Wellbalanced
15th September 2022, 14:23
I see today’s reports that Alpine are looking for a driver capable of bringing big points to the team- hardly surprising.
In 2020 Ricciardo came 5th in the championship, with 119 points (behind Ham, Bot, Ver and Per). Ocon, his Renault teammate, came 12th with 62 points.
Pride and salary negotiations should not get in the way of Alpine taking the best available driver on the market- Ricciardo.
SteveP
15th September 2022, 19:26
ROFL. This is Alpine (Renault) F1 we’re talking about, they lost 2x WDC by stalling and mucking about, they lost a promising newbie by stalling and mucking about.
In both cases, they were surprised that the driver in question looked elsewhere.
You couldn’t make it up and have it any funnier.
Qeki (@qeki)
15th September 2022, 18:58
Sette Camara (as well as the other drivers) have the best seat to look those FE cars. From the outside they look hideous but I bet they are fun to drive and the view is amazing too
Ajaxn
15th September 2022, 23:57
A shoey too far? With Ricciardo on a podium no celebrity in his proximity was safe.
JMDan (@danmar)
18th September 2022, 15:33
Let Lewis retire and get Danny. Save 10s of millions of dollars a year while you’re at it. Let’s face it, by 2030 or sooner (if you’ve been listening carefully) Mercedes won’t have much of a client base left. Neither will any other car manufacturer for that matter.