In the round-up: Ferrari admit they had to reduce the power their Formula 1 power unit produces following the the reliability problems they encountered earlier in 2022.
In brief
Ferrari “had to slightly lower the power”
Both Ferrari drivers used a total of six power units over the course of the 2022 season – twice as many as the maximum permitted by the regulations. The failures suffered by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr led Ferrari to reduce their engine performance to improve their reliability, team principal Mattia Binotto admitted.“We had to slightly lower the power,” he told media including RaceFans following yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Yes, we had to do it.”
People “struggle to appreciate what I’ve achieved” – Verstappen
Max Verstappen dismissed the controversies relating to his two Formula 1 championship wins, claiming some people can’t respect his successes.
“So last year it was ‘rigged’. It was ‘stolen’. Well, if you look over the whole season, because it’s not a one-race championship, I think I did pretty well,” he told The Sun.
“This year, it’s all about the car. And then the budget cap stories. I feel like, for some people, it’s a bit of a struggle to appreciate what I am achieving.”
“Ricciardo has done a very good job for us” – Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo’s head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar said he was ‘very impressed’ with Daniel Ricciardo’s defending against Sebastian Vettel in the final stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which helped secure Alfa Romeo sixth in the teams’ standings.
“Well, I don’t know what they were trying to do,” Pujolar said, of Aston Martin’s strategy. “But I think for us, the only thing I can say is that Ricciardo has done a very good job for us.
“I’m very impressed. He’s very impressive because he didn’t have the DRS for many laps with Vettel behind. He was defending really well. So today he has been part of our strategy.”
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Drugovich “wanted that win so much” for F2 record
2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich sealed the title in Monza two months ago but continued to battle for points in both Abu Dhabi races, taking third and second place finishes.
Ayumu Iwasa denied him in yesterday’s season-closing feature race, leaving Drugovich to take second place. “I think it was very close, I wanted that win so much,” said Drugovich.
“Someone told me that if I won one more I would be the one that had the most wins in F2, but it didn’t happen so I’m level with [Nyck] de Vries or something like that. I also wanted it so much for the team, to close up the teams’ championship with a win, but I didn’t manage to do that.”
MP Motorsport did seal the teams’ title, Drugovich having earned 87% of their points during the year. “My tyres were burning hot behind Ayumu, and I was pushing every lap trying to get a little bit closer. I think it was about five laps that I was pushing so much to get into DRS and I just couldn’t open it until one lap I got it.
“Then the VSC came, and I got close again after the VSC and then the yellow flag in the last sector. Those VSCs didn’t help me a lot but I only had one proper attack at the end on the last lap but I couldn’t make it. Well done to him and very happy for the team.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Ricciardo's time at McLaren simply 'disastrous' says Jones (Nine)
'Daniel is a really good race driver, but I'm of the opinion that a race driver should be able to hop into anything and drive it.'
ART rues bad timing of engine issues for Pourchaire’s F2 title hopes
(Formula Scout)
'We shouldn’t forget that we broke three engines with Theo in three crucial moments,' he said. While accepting that in an engineering-based sport like motor-racing 'sometimes things can happen' for Philippe, 'clearly this year was too much.''
China Formula 4 Macau Grand Prix race two (Macau Grand Prix 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:
The 2022 season is over.
The 2023 season is go!@alo_oficial heads into @AstonMartinF1…
Pic: @Cla_Cottingham #F1 #AbuDhabiGP #RaceFans pic.twitter.com/AoSZmvAHw7
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) November 20, 2022
My first experience of Seb was Abu Dhabi 2017
Sebastian was out on a track walk and we was doing filming for the F1 esports program, Unsurprisingly he ultimately got swarmed by a crowd of people.
He reacted respectfully, Took his time and was a class act 👌 Bravo Seb 👏
— Brendon Leigh (@BrendonLeigh72) November 20, 2022
I do have to laugh at how much the Sky F1 broadcast struggles handling Max Verstappen winning everything.
— Nick Yeoman (@NYeoman) November 20, 2022
A special delivery. 😆 On loan to @AlphaTauriF1 ‘till the end of the season! 😂 pic.twitter.com/xgeCtDJkns
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 20, 2022
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Simon says if Red Bull have competition next year it won’t come from Ferrari:
Seb, Lewis, Max and others before them have all made it look very easy when they’re dominant. In Max’s case, he doesn’t even have a team-mate capable of getting within a few tenths of him most of the time, so it really does become a one-horse race sometimes. Max is very good at consistently maximising his advantage though.
I’m also hoping for next season to be down to the wire, like 2021. Needs Mercedes to have nailed their development for next year’s car. Don’t trust Ferrari to maintain a challenge for a whole season unfortunately.
Simon (@Simon999)
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Polishboy808, Piyush Arya and Square Route!
Kribana (@krichelle)
21st November 2022, 0:25
COTD: Don’t see Red Bull winning constructors if Mercedes have a car that matches them. Russell and Hamilton were too much for them in Brazil. I reckon in Brazil, Verstappen could have fought them. But if that was the case, I think they would have been ever further ahead than Perez. I mean Hamilton and Verstappen caught him even though they lost time by crashing into each other. Still I believe 2 alpha drivers like Hamilton and Rosberg/Hamilton and Alonso are the best pairs to have if a team wants to be dominant. They will just push the team to its limits. Imagine having a Hamilton and a Verstappen in the team together. No team will have a chance against two drivers of their caliber.
Leroy (@g-funk)
21st November 2022, 2:18
I don’t think there are many people who fail to appreciate Max’s talent as a driver. But he has unquestionably benefited from the misapplication of the rule book (by both the team and the FIA) as well as a dominant car and top notch team. And that’s not really too different than many other past champions who have dominated seasons. Welcome to the club, Max. Maybe we’ll see him move to a different team sooner rather than later to try to prove his talent outshines the car and team at Red Bull.
BasCB (@bascb)
21st November 2022, 7:33
I am pretty sure we’ve read almost the same kind of words from the likes of Hamilton, Senna and probably many other F1 champions @g-funk
bosyber (@bosyber)
21st November 2022, 9:26
Indeed @bascb, it is a bit funny how for years Verstappen and RBR talked about Hamilton only being able to do it with the super engine and car for example and now they are in that situation.
Again in the case of the team after their Vettel years I might add. I wonder a bit about how they haven’t been able to relay that experience to Verstappen to help him deal with it.
Grapmg
21st November 2022, 10:14
I think he has nothing to prove when it comes to talent. But this is F1 you need a compatative car you need some luck and you have to beat your teammate. I guess its the same for all the World Champions.
grat
21st November 2022, 14:39
The problem is, Max has spent the last couple of years taking cheap shots at Lewis for having the best car and an uncompetitive teammate. Then he gets a free win courtesy of Masi, and Red Bull manages to prove that for a multi-billion dollar company, they suck at reading financial regulations.
There’s something else, too– Hamilton rarely wins a race, let alone a championship, without thanking the team for their hard work, their support, and the fantastic car they built him. He’s even thanked them for their hard work developing this year’s car.
Listening to Max, you’d think he won the championship without anyone’s help. Especially Checo, who would be 2nd in the WDC if Max hadn’t been a crybaby.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
21st November 2022, 3:31
Nick Yeoman, thankfully I have boycotted Sky the whole season, only f1 tv pro for me this season, even practice sessions without Croft are not worth it to me
Cotd when Max destroyed Sainz jnr, rb went to find more verstappen type drivers, in the end it is not that sainz jnr is that terrible max is just quick, they kept trying but ended up settling with Perez for now though I’m sure they are always going to try to find someone quicker, Riccardo did challenge him from time to time and he’ll be lurking, Lawson is promising, they have De Vries and they won’t be shy to snap up a pourchaire or even approach Leclerc. Rb is not the type of team that only sign a driver if they are forced to it.
MacLeod (@macleod)
21st November 2022, 7:50
If you know they even talking with Lando .. before he signed for McLaren for several years. If he is aviable they would sign him in a heartbeat.
UNeedAFinn2Win (@uneedafinn2win)
21st November 2022, 6:25
It’s over, next up: IMSA 24h, Daytona Internationa Speedway, Saturday, 28 January.
Time to disengage, deflate and relax. Everyone have a good holiday season and as always, support your local tracks and series.
M
21st November 2022, 6:32
Supercars 3-4 Dec
M
21st November 2022, 6:34
“So last year it was ‘rigged’. It was ‘stolen’. Well, if you look over the whole season, because it’s not a one-race championship, I think I did pretty well,”
Yes, “pretty well’ but not good enough.
S
21st November 2022, 8:19
Good enough to be champion.
But enough now, yeah? It’s never going to change.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
21st November 2022, 20:56
He wasn’t good enough to be champion according to the FIA’s regulations. Arguably not good enough in 2022 either, given the 2022 Red Bull was largely developed under the regulation-breaking 2021 budget.
Ultimately, the FIA has two options: change it as its own regulations require, or accept the risk of its being changed for it by force – with the negative consequences to the FIA that would thereby result.
S
22nd November 2022, 1:29
Apparently that’s not enough….
It’s not going to change. Accept it. Get over it. Or at the very least, stop arguing it.
Please.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
21st November 2022, 6:36
“I feel like, for some people, it’s a bit of a struggle to appreciate what I am achieving.”
It is hard to appreciate a walk in the park this year.
15 wins new record, wdc lead also near record levels..
Whenever some team and driver combo perform on a level this much higher, it is hard to appreciate.. But only because his main competitor many times this year was tyre wear.
Last year it was Lewis Hamilton, win was by no means certain.
This year one could predict Max win eith great accuracy before teams landed in the venue.
Great drivers bring 2-3 tenths to the table.. But if the team provides 4-5 tenths, then that Greatness becomes invisible.
SteveP
21st November 2022, 7:42
Driving what is far and away the fastest (and officially over cost) car, better than your team-mate. Not really much.
I do wonder whether Max will ever achieve a clean and clear title. If Ferrari can sort out the engine reliability and run it at full power, that’s two cars for him to finish behind. If Mercedes can sort out the negative aspects of the car when they produce the W14 that’s another two.
MacLeod (@macleod)
21st November 2022, 7:52
Ferrari is allowed to make Engine upgrades for reliability so expect a repeat of this year engine wise but without the fails.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
21st November 2022, 9:24
I do hope Ferrari can put together a better challenge next year. If they can get their engine up to full/more power and sort out the rate at which the car uses it’s tyres then they ought to be a strong challenger. Improve the strategy calls as well of course.
The trouble is that Red Bull and especially Merc will improve as well. I cannot see Merc making the same mistakes again so I think next year could be much tighter between the three teams. Logic would suggest this but who knows? One of these three might take another leap forwards again.
tielemst
21st November 2022, 10:57
I thought in Brazil that Mercedes had it sorted. Then, in AD, they were pretty far off the pace again and the bouncing was back. That could be troubling. If they have indeed made a massive design error which they’ve spent all their budget on to correct but still fails it could seriously affect next year’s performance too.
Jere (@jerejj)
21st November 2022, 12:28
Like COTD, I’m more hopeful of Mercedes than Ferrari.