In the round-up: Mercedes are still analysing whether an update they introduced three races ago upset the balance of their car in some conditions.
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In brief
“Difficult to assess” upgrade impact – Mercedes
Mercedes’ head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin admits their performance in the last two races hasn’t been as good since they started using their new floor on Sundays.
“It’s important to note this was not a very large gain that we were expecting, it was quite a small package that we introduced, but we’re confident that it is generating that load,” he said in a video released by the team. “The more difficult question that we need to answer is: Is there anything subtle in the handling characteristics that this package might be doing that we haven’t anticipated?“That’s quite difficult to assess because the car will perform differently track-to-track. At some tracks it’s been working very well, other circuits we’ve struggled with the balance of the car regardless of the aerodynamic spec. And, yes, the last two races haven’t been as good as some of the ones that preceded it.
“It may well be that’s just the normal variation from track-to-track, but that’s what we’re going to be looking at over the next few days.”
Pirelli test at two venues
RB ran at Monza, where running began on a damp track which dried out. Liam Lawson was limited to 76 laps by a technical problem.
Santander switch to F1 sponsorship
Ferrari sponsor Santander, which will sever its ties with the team at the end of the year, has agreed a multi-year deal to sponsor Formula 1 from 2025.
Grenfell report names ex-Mercedes sponsor
Building insulation manufacturer Kingspan, whose logos appeared on Mercedes’ cars throughout the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, was named yesterday in the official report into the deaths of 72 people in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire. Survivors of the catastrophe and relatives of the dead criticised Mercedes for agreeing a sponsorship deal with the company four years after the fire, leading to the deal’s cancellation shortly after the race.
The report said Kingspan made misleading claims about the limitations of a product used for around 5% of the insulation on the tower. Similar products manufactured by other companies were also found to have contributed to the blaze.
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Links
Meyer Shank closing on 2025 IndyCar line-up (Racer)
'We’re not making a hasty decision, right? I put Tom (Blomqvist) in there because I thought Tom deserved it and earned it. I think the world of Tom, but it didn’t work out in IndyCar. So it’s got me a little shellshocked.'
Ferrari has 'work to do' to catch Toyota despite COTA win (Sportscar 365)
'They recovered from the drive-through quickly and easily. They were able to overtake everyone without losing time. This is something we need to fix for Fuji.'
The stars align to celebrate the unveiling of Aston Martin’s Vanquish in Venice (Variety)
'Illuminated by the lights and surrounded by the quiet laguna, the new V12 flagship model was revealed by Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.'
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Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Looks like Alonso's hit trouble with his new motor.
That's his first technical retirement since last year's United States Grand Prix.#F1
Video: doriannmc via TikTok pic.twitter.com/zLpXLc4kKJ
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Comment of the day
Even if Aston Martin produce the car to beat in 2026, @David-BR sees one significant obstacle to Lance Stroll becoming world champion:
How exactly does Stroll beat Alonso to a title in the same hypothetically title-winning car? Maybe when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. Otherwise, don’t see it happening.
If Alonso is kindly asked to leave after 2026, what then? Aston Martin look for a replacement who definitely won’t beat Stroll over plus-or-minus 24 races in this hypothetically title-winning car?
@David-BR
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Maciek, Us_Peter and Dominikwilde!
On this day in motorsport
- 25 years ago today Juan Pablo Montoya shrugged off contact from CART IndyCar championship rival Dario Franchitti to win in Vancouver in a race which began on a soaked track
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 1:31
I love how even for his street car there was a team of green shirted AM personnel to do the pickup. Never seen more people to get one street car on a flatbed truck before.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 1:41
PS/RE: COTD – Seems obvious what would happen if they’re actually built a winner for the new spec. FA wins a title and duly retires. They then sign Yuki with the understanding he can’t beat Lance for at least the first season. lol
mantresx (@mantresx)
5th September 2024, 3:05
I think Lawrence is so shameless that he would offer any driver who is faster in the other car (Alonso or someone else) a substantial amount of money NOT to beat Lance and help him as much as possible if the car happens to be that competitive…
If the other guy says no and prefers to take the title for himself then he’ll get second class treament from the team, like worse strategies, no new updates on the car, slow pitstops, etc and forget about signing a new contract for next year.
This would obviously create huge fractures within the team and could jeopardize the whole operation, so it’ll be very interesting to see how that plays out both internally and with the fans.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 5:05
There’s no way Lawrence is going to force Alonso out for the first season they have a title capable car and there really wouldn’t even be time if really does happen to be the 2006 season. Alonso and Stroll go back a long way. He’s also helped Lawrence a lot. Newey isn’t going to AM if Alonso had never signed him (Newey cited FA and LH as the two drivers he most regretted not having got to work with). That also means AN likely quits if he does something like that. Also, don’t think it needs to be said, but no amount of $ is going to buy Fernando off.
I don’t think he’ll be willing to outright cheat or would even want Lance to be remembered for winning a title in a blatantly shameful manner. However, I’m sure he’ll engineer a situation to give Lance the best possible chance to win. I see this as pairing a driver w/him who is about the same level like Check or is not a ton better like Yuki, tailoring the car exactly to Lance’s preferences and offering the other driver a long term deal if he’ll actively help Lance get his first WDC.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 5:06
signed for him*
SteveP
5th September 2024, 8:54
Available time = about minus 18 years and counting? :)
notagrumpyfan
5th September 2024, 7:35
Or just replace him mid-season.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 14:48
@SteveP
Adrian’s new design is going to be so revolutionary it will be contesting both the 2026 and 2006 seasons at the same time. First quantum F1 chassis. Lance is a real quant himself…
Iosif (@afonic)
5th September 2024, 7:15
You never know if a winning car in one season is also in the next. Lance will just getter a better spec car it’s easy to do he’s not that off the pace.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 14:51
Once again, beyond the fact that you’d never slip that by Fernando, Adrian wouldn’t do that and Lawrence can’t control spec without AN’s blessing / aid. I also think that’d leak in about .5 seconds because there’s no rank-and-file who are loyal to Lance/there to help him.
Shimks (@shimks)
5th September 2024, 12:45
I bet it’s in Alonso’s contract: Once Fernando wins one driver’s chamionship with Aston, he must help Lance win one.
SteveP
5th September 2024, 19:37
Outdo Magnussen?
FA can be so much more artful in doing things that you wonder whether they are legal for so long that the time for penalty has gone.
Jere (@jerejj)
5th September 2024, 7:56
So Santander will reappear in trackside advertisement & GP title sponsor form like they used to in the first half of last decade.
Nice-looking Valkyrie & he apparently lives in Monaco these days, after all, after many occasions of hearing & reading Monaco references, but still being unsure whether he’d relocated from Switzerland or not.
COTD: Maybe Yuki briefly wouldn’t outright out-perform him.
Craig
5th September 2024, 10:48
Lets hope they don’t bring back those ugly trophies
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
5th September 2024, 10:00
Re-Cotd – In the scenario that Alonso wins the 2026 title in a dominant car and then retires, I think they would hire an average rookie who they would call ‘promising and talented’, who they would be confident enough that Stroll could beat for at least a season or two. They could then credit Stroll as the experienced driver who helps to develop this young talent, and if the car is sufficiently dominant, then maybe he could win a title with them. However, I think that’s a pretty unlikely scenario. Maybe Lawrence would be satisfied with building a championship winning team and be happy enough that Lance could pick up some podiums and wins, and a constructors title, even if he doesn’t have the consistency to challenge for the drivers title.
Craig
5th September 2024, 10:56
AM’s junior drivers that could likely end in their team (if they choose to use them, of course) include Felipe Drugovich and Jak Crawford, who I’d be confident could at least match Lance Stroll out of the gates. They also have Stoffel Vandoorne who I doubt would be a willing number 2 to Stroll while I’d doubt Jessica Hawkins or Tina Hausmann have the super license points. Pedro de la Rosa is also listed on their website but I think he’s a bit old to make a return now.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
5th September 2024, 14:15
You could be right, but in this day of very limited real life testing, experience does count for a lot. Especially when it comes to the preparation and management of the Pirelli tyres, which is such a huge component of overall pace. I think Stroll could well be competitive against even a fairly highly rated rookie in their first season, and if it was close enough then the team can always swing things in Stroll’s favour with questionable strategy calls, poor positioning on qualifying laps etc.
I don’t know to what lengths they are willing to go to. I don’t think they would want to do anything that was blatant bad sportsmanship or outright cheating, because Lawrence has a tonne of business interests outside of F1 and he wouldn’t want his reputation tarnished, but there are likely things they could do on a more subtle scale that could influence enough to swing a close championship.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 15:23
You may be on to something, Craig. Pick a weak teammate in either the guise of some “breaking barriers” driver that the media is terrified to criticize or some rustier than rusty driver like their reserve driver or former F2 winner who’s been on the sideline for four seasons. They’d do anything to get on the grid and unlikely to be able to beat Lance in their first season regardless even in 100% even equipment. I’d say the latter is more like since super license points is likely to prevent the former.
David BR (@david-br)
5th September 2024, 12:37
[thanks for COTD] @keithedin That was my thought: in the unlikely scenario that Aston Martin have a dominant car in 2026, Alonso wins undoubtedly through talent and sheer determination to get that third title. I suspect he’d then want more titles, whatever his contact says, so I’m not sure how peacefully he would go (and maybe Aston Martin would accept or even want him to continue, there are a lot of variables, including how close the other teams are or will be). But say he does leave, there is a lot of talent on the grid and waiting to enter Formula 1. Were AM to choose a seasoned driver known to be relatively slow or limited, I think they’d be a lot of negative reaction. So – presuming Lance did OK against Alonso, finishing second or even first a few times and finishing second in the WDC – they could sign a rookie with a reasonable argument that Stroll Jr had proven he’s capable of winning a title. But it would have to be a perfectly judged selection, too good and he could beat Lance, too bad and AM look pretty risible.
All that said, with all due to respect to Fernando Alonso, I’m not sure how competitive he would now be in a title race in roughly even cars against the younger generation of drivers. I know he’s good still, but as sharp as a Verstappen, Piastri or Leclerc? Still it would be fantastic to find out.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
5th September 2024, 13:41
An interesting point. It all depends how dominant this theoretical 2026 car is. I admire Alonso and he’s still great but his talents are going to start to decline sooner or later. If there was a close battle for the title, it would be disappointing for him to miss out and come second yet again. I am sure we and he would enjoy the opportunity though.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 15:02
He’s still worlds better than Piastri and still better than Leclerc. Will he still be in 2026 when he’ll be, by far the oldest F1 driver in the sports history (not counting black and white days)? I don’t know. If he has a car halfway as dominant as Max last year or Lewis had for essentially his entire Mercedes title run, I think it’ll be a foregone conclusion. If it’s the best car, but only by a tenth or so and it’s Max in the next best car, it’d easily be the most amazing F1 WDC.
Nick T.
5th September 2024, 15:16
@DavidBR – Though even a season ago the idea of FA retiring with a car he thinks he can get more titles would be comical, I think Alonso’d be so relieved to have finally gotten a good car and an opp to win again, he’d happily ride off into the sunset.
…unless his title run was a cake walk. In that case, I can definitely see an unhappy ending to the happy ending. Who knows? This is still all so far away and theoretical, but it sure is fun to speculate.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
5th September 2024, 18:41
Even if Newey started at AM tomorrow (which he can’t/won’t) I doubt they would be able to build a championship worthy car for 2026.
Newey is a genius in a class of one, but turning AM from the mess it’s in now to being a Championship contender in 15 months… can’t see it.
Perhaps that’s the plan, build the team up with Newey and Alonso, and then shuffle an aging Alonso out the door just in time for Lance to have a crack at the title 2028ish. Not sure how Newey would take giving Lance a title, maybe it would be the best accomplishment on his CV!!!