In the round-up: Oscar Piastri says he ate little during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he struggled due to illness.
In brief
Baku “very difficult physically” for Piastri
Unwell Piastri skipped McLaren’s media session after finishing 10th in Saturday’s sprint race in order to recuperate. He missed out on the points again in the grand prix, taking 11th, but said he felt in better shape.
“Today’s probably been the best I’ve felt all weekend, which isn’t saying much,” Piastri told media including RaceFans after the grand prix. “It’s been very difficult physically, especially yesterday it was pretty rough.
“I think I had about four pieces of toast for the whole weekend. So I need to get some food back in me before Miami. It’s been been tough, happy to see the end of it, but I still learnt a lot today on tyre management and stuff like that. So we’ll have a look and see what we can do better next time.”
Verstappen “let himself down” – Russell
George Russell said he doesn’t need an apology from Max Verstappen over his outburst on Saturday following the collision between the pair in the sprint race.“I think he’s a two-time champion, leading the championship again at the moment, it doesn’t bother me, but he probably lets himself down a little bit with those sort of comments,” said Russell. “Max is a super good guy, great, great driver it’s just words like that are just a bit unnecessary.”
Following his profane rant at Russell in parc ferme, Verstappen referred to him as “princess George” in interviews with Dutch media.
Russell was unmoved when he reviewed footage of their collision. “To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed at how little everything was,” he said. “I was expecting it to be a lot more. Obviously, there was a bit of contact, as there often is up and down the grid on lap one. So I was expecting a bit more.”
Martins disqualified
The stewards ruled his car was in breach of Article 4.3.13 of the technical regulations, which states no part of car floor fins’ lower edge can be below the reference plane or more than 10mm above. The technical delegate said the floor fins were 3.4mm below the reference plane.
Martins’ disqualification drops him from joint 11th to 15th in the championship. Frederik Vesti gained his fourth place, ahead of Kush Maini, Dennis Hauger, Isack Hadjar, Richard Verschoor, Jak Crawford and Arthur Leclerc, who took the final point.
Crash raises concern over “unsafe” WEC tyre warmer ban
Antonio Fuoco’s crash during Saturday’s World Endurance Championship race has prompted more drivers to speak out over the series’ decision to ban the use of tyre warmers.
“It can’t be ignored that top class drivers have been struggling with cold tyres since testing of these cars began, and is the energy saved on those tyre warmers less than the cost of crash damage that has been accumulated?” asked Jack Aitken on social media.
The former Williams F1 driver said the fact tyre warmers are not permitted in other series does not prove WEC can easily do the same. “IMSA run the same tyres, we’ve just been blessed with hotter ambient temps so far,” he said. “Daytona when it was cold was something. Other series with different tyres and usually much lighter cars cannot be compared, they are not the same.”
“Yes, there are soft and hard [compounds],” he added. “However, if you choose the soft to get an ounce of grip (warm-up was still very, very difficult) you cripple yourself by running a tyre that cannot live with the high energy demands of a track like Spa. Like, unsafe levels of wrong choice.”
New deal for Barber
Barber Motorsports Park will remain on the IndyCar calendar for at least the next four years. The series announced a new contract to continue racing at the venue until 2027.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Drivers and team’s quotes after the race (AlphaTauri)
Franz Tost: 'Generally speaking, we have improved the car performance dramatically since the start of the season, so now I am even more looking forward to the next race in Miami.'
Report: Quiet race sees us leave Baku empty-handed (Williams)
Head of vehicle performance Dave Robson: 'Alex (Albon) suffered some front wing damage on the opening lap, which hurt the car balance and cost him downforce. Despite this, he was able to put together another very strong race; he dealt with the pressure from Gasly and Magnussen brilliantly whilst also staying close to Piastri ahead.'
The Point by Giancarlo Minardi (Minardi)
Giancarlo Minardi: 'It is a very demanding format, especially when run on a street circuit such as Baku where it takes little to compromise the whole weekend or to force the team to make a superhuman effort. With this setting this format did not excite me and it must certainly be revised.'
León (Motopark) takes maiden win in exciting Race 3 at Portimão (Euroformula Open)
'Noel León is the third different winner in the three races that kicked off the 2023 Euroformula Open at the Autódromo do Algarve.'
Baku confirmed as host city for 2023 FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving (FIA)
Mohammed Ben Sulayem: 'I am indebted to Mr Anar Alakbarov and his team for their commitment and dedication in providing a compelling case for the wonderful city of Baku as the host venue.'
AMF1 Team and XP go 'on tour' with Grand Prix showcase across Brazil (Aston Martin)
"The six-month tour will see an immersive Formula One experience visit some of Brazil's largest cities to bring the sport closer to fans."
Engineer on Hamilton's team to give talk in Bradford (The Telegraph and Argus)
'The University of Bradford event, Girls Need Engineering: Engineering Needs Girls, is aimed at school pupils interested in engineering and tech careers and their parents/carers. It will look at what engineers do, the skills you need to become one and the challenges engineers are working on.'
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 to us via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
The best radio exchange of the season 😂📻
Bravo, @enzofitti and @RodinCarlin! #AzerbaijanGP #F2 pic.twitter.com/MxsMVpyOmN
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) April 30, 2023
Hear from Andrea Stella, McLaren F1 Team Principal, after the action at the #AzerbaijanGP. 🇦🇿 pic.twitter.com/863HROAOBg
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 30, 2023
Another incident @BarberMotorPark.
This time @JamieChadwick suffers a broken right front toe link.#INDYNXT // #INDYBHM pic.twitter.com/m2WOZMzvZA
— INDY NXT (@INDYNXT) April 30, 2023
Great effort/drive from @RGrosjean . 💪🏽 The yellow/Letting the 3 stoppers pit under green stacked it against him.
— Marco Andretti (@MarcoAndretti) April 30, 2023
@hamdaqubaisi Just an insight of what i went through after my incident, a lot don’t know about the damage it actually caused to my arm and how bad the injury was. This video shows my progression and determination to get where i am. Hardest weeks of my life but also the best weeks because it has changed my perspective and approach towards many things, i took this challenge with a smile instead of a frown and looked at the bright side, i can finally say that im proud of myself :)
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Verstappen needs to stop letting his temper get the better of him, says Yossarian:
It’s hard to forget Brazil 2022 when Max was penalised for barrelling down the inside into a Mercedes, when there was one driver much more obviously at fault (and the stewards agreed). At the time he said “I immediately felt he was not going to leave space so I just went for it. He didn’t leave me space so I knew that we were going to get together. I thought we could race quite well together but clearly the intention was not there to race.“
Or Italy 2021 “This is what you get when you don’t give space”, another penalty.
On neither occasion was it a street circuit where damage was inevitable around the outside or was Max ahead. On neither occasion did the victim feel the need to resort to name calling.
It’s always someone else’s fault with Max, and his team, who do know better, encourage it.
Until he learns when he is beaten in a battle it will keep happening. He’s greatly improved as a driver over the past couple of years, but his decision making and attitude still need some work.
Yossarian
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Ivan!
JJ Lehto
1st May 2023, 0:32
I presume Lando did the race on 4 fried chickens and a coke then?
Boywonder (@deltas4)
1st May 2023, 2:14
Comment of the Day/Week/Year! (re the movie with more cars damaged due to beauracracy than Melbourne GP 2023)
David (@nvherman)
1st May 2023, 7:32
You, Sir, have won the internet for today
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
1st May 2023, 8:43
:) :) :)
bogaaaa (@nosehair)
1st May 2023, 1:21
Oscar is looking good after his first hand full of races no rookie mistakes.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
1st May 2023, 1:28
There is so much wrong with the Princess George comment in this day and age. What is this, primary school? Max seriously has some growing up to do still.
Elvira
1st May 2023, 2:02
Max is never at fault so there must be another culprit if he was politically incorrect.
David BR (@david-br)
1st May 2023, 3:37
@tommy-c Russell seems genuinely unflustered by it. Verstappen seems desperate to find an insult for someone way smarter than him with a likeable personality and the ability to think about the world outside a Formula 1 cockpit.
David (@nvherman)
1st May 2023, 7:35
As someone from the UK, actually quite close to where Russell grew up, I have to disagree with your suggestion that he is “likeable”.
He was likeable when he was at Williams, up until the point he crashed into Bottas the season before he went to Mercedes.
Now he’s just a Mercedes corporate shill.
David BR (@david-br)
1st May 2023, 14:26
@nvherman I expect drivers to have ‘attitude’ and be totally subjective. There’s a difference in how they deal with inevitable conflict though. Verstappen’s insults for his fellow drivers are too often plain nasty and derived from some fairly ugly and illiberal social attitudes. I thought Russell was just coolly and ironically defusing Verstappen’s complaints (“to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed at how little everything was”), which throws back the problem to Verstappen: why so annoyed? That does two things: it says Russell doesn’t care, he’ll do the same (he should) and points to Verstappen’s overall state. It’s possible he was reacting just to Russell’s driving, but it’s unlikely. More likely he was put out by not being on pole and Perez being ahead of him. Anyhow the point is, I don’t mind drivers working the minds of other drivers that way. True, directly insulting them is an option, but not a good one. It shows you’ve been got at and lack emotional control at critical moments. When Verstappen was properly tested over a season, 2021, we saw how that developed – and arguably only Masi’s intervention saved him from losing the championship because of it.
As for Russell being a corporate shill, what difference was there to how he spoke up Williams? Or the team as a whole? I think you just mean you don’t like Mercedes.
floodo1 (@floodo1)
2nd May 2023, 0:42
this
MichaelN
1st May 2023, 10:43
Russell’s “I never expected him to be upset about this at all!” act is not that convincing. He knows he drove into Verstappen. And it’s also not like this is the first time Russel has bumped into someone at the start. It’s actually starting to become quite a list. He also knows how he reacted when he collided with Bottas, so let’s not pretend he’s any different.
Is Verstappen’s reaction a bit juvenile? Sure, but there’s nothing wrong with calling Russell out. And it’s what Red Bull loves. That’s the attitude they’re selling.
Craig S
1st May 2023, 16:50
I can’t understand why either of them are so upset about the incident. Neither driver seemed particularly at fault for that contact, at least in my eyes. And I don’t think either of them intended for it to happen. Sometimes, rubbing is racing. Really seems to me like they’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2023, 6:52
Piastri did well under the circumstances & hopefully, he’s back to full fitness by the next event.
Regarding Giancarlo Minardi’s point: The slightly altered sprint format is definitely better than the original without a single practice session under parc ferme conditions.
Funny radio comm exchange.
I agree with the COTD in principal, although the Brazil collision was more Hamilton’s fault despite the stewards’ verdict.
Dom (@3dom)
1st May 2023, 10:16
That TikTok from hamdaqubaisi really highlights how dangerous motorsport can be. One small mistake and it can have massive repercussions. After seeing drivers walk away from massive car-splintering shunts (thinking kubica in Canada, Alonso in Australia, Grosjean in Bahrain) we’ve almost gotten desensitised to the injuries drivers could pick up. It’s so difficult to come back from serious injuries, it must have felt so good for her to get the trophy when she got back to racing.
Agree with COTD analysis on Max’s attitude. He’s such a talent behind the wheel, and his hunger to win is huge, but he definitely needs to gain some perspective of what’s right and wrong and it does come across as tho RBR do little to discourage his behaviour
MichaelN
1st May 2023, 10:51
Blaming the lack of tyre warmers for a crash is a bit odd when just about everyone in the nearly 40 car WEC field managed to do fine. It’s an extra challenge for sure, but it’s not like everyone was sliding out of the pitlane straight off into the La Source run off.
lynn-m
1st May 2023, 14:27
It has been something all of the drivers have complained about at every race this year and this is what led the fia to introduce 2 formation laps before the start now.
But I guess fans know better than drivers right?
David BR (@david-br)
1st May 2023, 14:30
Russell clearly had some understeer. You can take the alternative view that battling around the outside with close walls at a race start when you have easily the fastest car wasn’t the smartest option. But Verstappen hates being passed. I mean, I get it. But maybe he also has to ‘unlearn’ that 100% competitiveness over every inch of track at critical moments. TBH, I thought he had learnt that in Melbourne when both Mercedes were aggressive. I think this comes down to poor driver management and coaching.
David (@nvherman)
1st May 2023, 17:05
Verstappen was in front of Russell both on the entry to the corner, and at the point where Russell understeered into him. Hence why it was Russell’s front wheel that made contact with Verstappen’s sidepod. At no point was that Russell’s corner, and he was not in full control of his car
David BR (@david-br)
1st May 2023, 17:46
@nvherman It wasn’t Verstappen’s corner either. It was a racing incident and obviously judged to be immediately so by the race direction. Having understeer means not being ‘in full control’ of the car, i.e. it doesn’t respond how you assumed it might. It’s not comparable to, say, Sainz being out of control of the car in Australia when he braked to late fighting for the corner with Gasly and ploughed into an unsuspecting Alonso.
Alberto
1st May 2023, 15:59
Well you are commenting without having seen the race then because he wasn’t the only one who spun right out side the pitlane due to cold tires….
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
1st May 2023, 21:25
If they want to do better then maybe McLaren should have asked their reserve driver (Mick Schumacher?) to drive this weekend instead of Oscar.