In the round-up: Ferrari’s Enrico Cardile believes the team’s computer modelling makes them strong in sprint weekends.
In brief
Ferrari’s virtual tools key to sprint success
The strength of Ferrari’s virtual development tools help make them strong during sprint weekends, according to Cardile.
“I’m happy with the level of correlation we’ve achieved, whether it’s CFD, wind tunnel or the driving simulator,” he told AMuS. “They also help us understand. The harder part is finding a solution to the problems that arise. If you ask your tool the right questions, you will get the right answers. Since it’s a lab test, you have to test the right things. Exactly those as they appear in reality.
“On a sprint weekend you only have one hour to set up your car. You are much more dependent on your preparation, and that is the result of your simulations. We recognize that on average we perform better on sprint weekends compared to other teams. That is one of our strengths.”
Hamilton showed greatness ‘immediately’ – Trulli
Lewis Hamilton showed he was destined for greatness in the sport from his very first grand prix, says his former rival Jarno Trulli.“I raced against Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Hamilton – all champions,” Trulli told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Lewis immediately made it clear that he could win in F1, on his debut he already had a world championship McLaren with which to highlight his talent. We put on great fights. There’s a reason he won seven titles.”
Tsunoda and Ricciardo ‘pushed each other’
Daniel Ricciardo says he and younger AlphaTauri team mate Yuki Tsunoda helped to motivate each other to be faster in the second half of the season.
“I wasn’t on board for the first part of the season, but the way the team turned it around, and the updates – I would like to think Yuki and myself pushed each other a little bit and that was positive for the team,” Ricciardo said.
“I think there’s a lot that the team can kind of be excited for moving into next year. Seventh would be nice, but a few races ago we’re talking about not finishing tenth. So the seventh was kind of a bonus. And it gives us a little bit more to fight for next year.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
The Top 10 F1 drivers of 2023 – as chosen by the drivers (F1)
'Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max Verstappen has been voted driver of the year for the third time in a row by his peers in our exclusive poll.'
'F1 world champion Alan Jones has admitted he's losing interest in the series, saying it's full of 'prima donnas' and 'ridiculous' regulations. Jones – who remains Australia's last world champion having done so in 1980 driving for Williams – said he still attends two or three grand prix events a year, but is losing interest in the sport he once conquered and is instead turning his focus to two wheels. 'I have a lot of interest now in Moto GP,' he told Wide World of Sports.'
Sushi with Schumacher: Ex-F1 chef on catering for sport's big names (BBC)
'For about 20 years, that was the life of Dave Freeman, an ex-Formula 1 chef who now owns a golf course in Norfolk. During his distinguished career, he looked after the culinary needs of some of the world's top drivers, working for Tyrrell, Jordan, BAR, Force India, Brawn, McLaren, Red Bull and Toro Rosso.'
Verstappen: 'It can improve: farewell to F1 when I'm no longer at 100%' (Autosprint - Italian)
'Between Max and F1 the story will go on at least until 2028 inclusive, the year in which his current contract with Red Bull will end, then we'll see. There is no expiry date, but a clear idea: to stop when he is no longer able to give 100%.'
Junior single-seater stars head off to sportscars for 2024 (Formula Scout)
'Several junior single-seater stars are headed into the world of sportscars next year, and some have already made the move in the Asian Le Mans Series. Indy Nxt champion Christian Rasmussen will join Era Motorsport for the Daytona 24 Hours, with runner-up Hunter McElrea driving for TDS Racing in the race while their rival Toby Sowery has joined Algarve Pro Racing in ALMS.'
Bruno Michel's Debrief: A fight to the very end (F2)
'What a season we’ve had! 2023 saw thirteen different drivers take a win – that’s the highest number of race winners in a season since 2017. There have been 17 different drivers who stepped on the podium – again, we’ve never had that many before. The same can be said about the number of pole sitters, with a total of seven different drivers, including three rookies. In fact, two of them – Martins and Bearman - are topping this statistic, with 3 apiece.'
True facts from the Ferrari movie with Piero Ferrari (Ferrari via YouTube)
'Uncover true facts from the Ferrari movie by Michael Mann. Get ready for an exclusive interview with Piero Ferrari, delving into game-changing moments, intriguing encounters, and the most profound curiosities surrounding his legendary father, Enzo Ferrari.'
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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Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Part of our history now. 🧡
The 2023 trophies take their place in the MTC cabinets. 🏆#F1 pic.twitter.com/NDXB9HgCaa
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) December 28, 2023
Our favorite Guenther moments of 2023 😅#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/ocbXeoPxH8
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) December 28, 2023
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
After Red Bull team principal Christian Horner spoke exclusively with RaceFans, Red Andy believes there’s a key reason why he’s been so successful…
Ultimately a lot of Horner’s success is down to his skill as a politician, which is a reflection of the era of F1 we find ourselves in now. As with all politicians, that makes him very popular with some people, but also very unpopular with many others whose political interests are different. The same is true of Toto Wolff, who is an equally competent politician and just as polarising, for exactly the same reasons.
Red Andy
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Jsc, John Graham and Dynamite Clock!
Coventry Climax
29th December 2023, 1:07
Ferrari: Sounds more like they’re searching for positives actually. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t bode well for F1 if teams start concentrating on Small Prix success.
Ofcourse Ricciardo ‘would like to think’ they pushed each other. Whether it’s true is another matter. Both needed to prove they’re worthy of the seat, which is not the same as pushing each other, but anyway neither has actually really impressed me.
Agree with Alan Jones.
I think Verstappen might also quit when he thinks F1 has deviated too much from what he thinks motorracing should be about. That might not be all that far off into the future and well before his inability to give a 100%.
True facts and Ferrari; somehow that combination never seems real.
COTD: Sure, both are in part politicians. That’s also due to how contemporary F1 is run and the slack, space and possible result it’s giving them. It requires other measures than shutting everyone up for the FiA to solve the polarisation. Still, politics may bring success regarding external factors, things to settle with the outside organisations, but to be a successful teamboss, internally, for your personnel, requires quite a different skillset. Both show a big difference there, to my opinion. To the point that I must say I’d rather work for Horner than for Wolff. Actually, I’d decline working for Wolff alltogether.
Anthony
29th December 2023, 1:13
Hey Will and Keith, can you stop promoting the Nazi bar that is Xitter these days?
Jay
29th December 2023, 2:02
This comment is ignorant and should be removed! Actually, it should be left up as an example of ignorance. I hope you find peace and happiness.
SteveP
29th December 2023, 10:14
As far as I can see from general reports X-was-twitter does have something of a reputation for hosting the less savoury elements of society these days.
I say “general reports” as my info comes from news reports and former users rather than personal experience.
Let’s just hope that X-was-twitter fails to live down to its owner’s standards.
Coventry Climax
29th December 2023, 11:49
I second that request.
Musk should not be given any platform at all.
Moi
29th December 2023, 12:07
It will fail on its own (lack of) merits.
‘Cancelling’ it will merely make it more appealing to many and is counterproductive as well as morally dubious (free speech goes both ways, like it or not)
notagrumpyfan
29th December 2023, 12:42
I don’t mind a ‘platform’ for Musk as he seems to be quite good at it. But maybe it should be limited to a launching platform for rockets, an electric car platform, and maybe a revival of his financial services platform.
Musk doesn’t seem able to distinguish between ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘echo chamber’.
IMO he was on the right track to ‘verify’ users before they could share their opinions. The problem is that verification is merely a way to monetise the platform, verification (i.e. check that people are who they claim they are) is gone, and the hard divide between ‘opinions’ and ‘falsehoods’ is almost totally gone.
I cannot wait for Bluesky (or another service other than Threads) taking over the position which Twitter held for so many years.
sam
29th December 2023, 16:44
Nor should you.
Coventry Climax
29th December 2023, 19:11
Make my day: See me removed from RF and Musk from all of the platforms he’s on.
Tristan
29th December 2023, 4:11
I hadn’t thought of CFD for set-up, usually it’s brought up in terms of development. I wonder if this cuts into the limited CFD hours for car development or whether it’s outside that. Is there really statistical significance to that claim though I wonder? Or just PR fluff good job team kinda stuff? McLaren were the standouts for me when it came to extracting the most out of sprint weekends.
Cotd is interesting, skill as a politician, I guess so? No more than ever in F1 though, and still, a great deal of work goes into it from all the teams that I’d be hesitant to say that’s the ultimate factor. “Ultimately a lot of” straddles the fence though…
notagrumpyfan
29th December 2023, 9:04
Nice story about Sushimacher.
Zann (@zann)
29th December 2023, 18:14
old fart ‘it was better in my day’ Aussie doesn’t realise, or care perhaps, that calling men prima donna is sexist :)
of course back then men were men, can’t be denied, tough and rugged, while these days the wdc can’t even grow a proper beard
SteveR (@stever)
29th December 2023, 19:56
In the sense of opera, you’re right, but the term has an expanded meaning nowadays that doesn’t designate a gender.
Zann (@zann)
29th December 2023, 20:53
donna is female tho, it’s the same as ‘diva’, part of the insult is calling a male feminine. It can be used against men or women fair enough, but against men it’s sexist, like being called girlie. Nobody insults anyone by calling them a Loud Tenor do they? :)
SteveR (@stever)
29th December 2023, 20:59
Here in the U.S. the term is used interchangeably with both sexes to mean someone with an inflated ego, etc. and doesn’t indicate femininity; Oz just might be the same. Be aware that English, unlike Spanish or French et al, doesn’t assign gender to nouns.
Zann (@zann)
30th December 2023, 9:27
there’s a Macclesfield in America? I never knew that! Oh yes, North Carolina :) But you’re mixing up articles and pronouns with nouns I think, as Donna means Woman, you can’t just change it by saying ‘il donna’, or ‘un femme’ can you?
So our old fart is calling Max and everyone women, as an insult, which is sexist and not fair, it’s not like Max isn’t trying as hard as he can with his beard
SteveR (@stever)
30th December 2023, 15:38
Oz is a term for Australia and is used by this ex-Kiwi and others. Sure, ‘donna’ means woman is Italian. So what? Usage in English doesn’t attach a gender to nouns and the term ‘prima donna’ is applied as a genderless descriptor. Are you a native English speaker? You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill; Jones is describing persons with inflated ideas of their worth.
Zann (@zann)
30th December 2023, 16:43
it doesn’t matter what country you’re in and which Macclesfield, Woman(f) is feminine. The old aussie fart knows this and it’s part of how he’s so superior to the donnas that F1 has sadly got doing the driving these days, with girlie causes and empathy and wokery, instead of the real men that they had in his day when men were men going for a few beers after a race. He’s a competitor and he’s still competing
If the accusation was just self importance then he’d be struggling wouldn’t he, with Senna and who knows else. But the prima donna insult is about being a self important woman. Not a man. Yes it’s used a lot, but it’s about in that world a man might actually be important, but being a donna means it must be a pretension