In the round-up: Liam Lawson says he always knew he’d return to a Formula 1 race seat this season.
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In brief
Waiting for F1 seat “a bit horrible” – Lawson
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Lawson he would have the chance to drive for one of their teams last year, following his successful stint as Daniel Ricciardo’s substitute.
“The idea of me jumping in is something that Christian told me a year ago,” Lawson told the official F1 channel. “When I stepped out of the car, that was one of the things he said to me that, he said ‘I give you my word I’ll basically have you in a race at some point next year’. So I always knew that was the intention and it had been talked about.”
However Lawson said he was unsure who he would end up replacing until the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when he learned Ricciardo would not complete the season at Red Bull’s second F1 team, RB.“As you know Formula 1 is a rollercoaster and every weekend things change. So one minute it looks really good and then it doesn’t look good and it’s all depending on how the guys are actually going.
“It’s a bit horrible to be honest because you’re sitting there wondering what your chances are of driving and it completely depends on how the guys that are currently driving are doing. And you don’t obviously want somebody’s downfall to be your way in but for me to drive somebody has to leave, obviously.”
Wharton to F3…
Former Ferrari junior driver James Wharton will make his debut in Formula 3 next year with ART. Wharton finished runner-up to Ferrari Driver Academy member Rafael Camara in the Formula Regional European series this year, winning three of the final four races.
…while Leon joins Prema
Another ex-F1 team academy driver, Noel Leon, formerly of Red Bull, will remain in F3 and join the top Prema team next year. Leon drove for Van Amersfoort this year, taking 10th in the championship, though he was not among the 12 race winners.
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'It will feel like a totally different track to the drivers. We'd done quite a few patchwork things over the years, but I know the big repave was overdue. This should lead to really fast lap times and some records.'
Hy-Vee departs Rahal Letterman Lanigan (Racer)
'Hy-Vee will, however, continue to sponsor its home state Iowa Speedway doubleheader, but vehicle sponsorships and sponsorships of other races – as it did with IndyCar’s return to Milwaukee – will not go forward.'
The Ineos Effect: hit and miss as Jim Ratcliffe’s tentacles have gone global (The Guardian)
'Financially, Ratcliffe and Ineos will have few complaints. Last year they took a share of a £75m dividend from the team, largely through healthy sponsorship revenues. On the track it has been downhill since Hamilton’s controversial loss to Max Verstappen in 2021.'
Las Vegas businesses brace for impact as F1 bridges return, roadblocks begin (Fox 5 Vegas)
''They put like a wall in front of our business, and nobody can come, nobody can see,' said Jimmy Singh, owner of Las Vegas Souvenirs and Gifts. 'This year, they don’t have that much construction, but still, I know like 3 or 4 months, we have to go through the struggle.''
Our new home: Silverstone (F1 Grand Prix Drivers' Club)
'For the past three years, Grand Prix Drivers Club President, Emanuele Pirro, Club Secretary, Theo Huschek and vice-Presidents Mario Theissen and Tim Schenken have been in discussion with Silverstone Circuits Limited with a view to moving the Club secretariat to our own office at Silverstone in partnership with the British Racing Drivers Club.'
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
I expect a race trophy to reflect the place the event is held at.
This has no apparent connection to the USA. It's not even obvious how it relates to the sponsor. It looks like a cheap knock-off Lego minifigure.https://t.co/cP2OZlWoMq#F1 #USGP #RaceFans
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) October 14, 2024
https://twitter.com/HailieDeegan/status/1845904814015725604
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Comment of the day
MichaelN says the real talking point for this weekend’s race is:
Has Red Bull managed to recover its form?
They need to be ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes to take the fight to McLaren, in which case Verstappen’s superior form should be enough to stave off any threat from Norris through the end of the season. Norris has wasted so many opportunities this year, it’s hard to imagine him suddenly getting things together for the final set of races. But it’s also not impossible, so he still has a realistic chance at the title. And if Norris keeps winning races and Verstappen ends up behind the likes of Leclerc, Hamilton, and Piastri things in the championship table can turn around quite quickly.
It’s quite inconceivable that Red Bull gets back ahead in the constructors’ championship. But if they also lose the drivers’ after such a dominant start to the season, this campaign has to rank as one of the biggest flubs in F1 history.
MichaelN
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Fer No. 65, Sebastiaan Huizinga and Carlos!
Mooa42
15th October 2024, 2:01
When I saw the trophy I thought it was either being sponsored by Daft Punk or Disney!
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th October 2024, 8:10
Checking Micket Mouse lego figures this is Mickey Mouse in a F1 suit!
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
15th October 2024, 6:19
Since I saw that photograph of the trophies, I have had great difficulty uncringing.
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th October 2024, 8:12
Question will be who is the sponsor Lego or Disney or both….
SteveP
15th October 2024, 10:54
I looked and thought that they were designed for the “Sprint” – because they are both a bit Mickey Mouse…
SteveP
15th October 2024, 15:22
Thinking further, the Mickey Mouse aspect is perfect for the Pirelli tyres
AlanD
16th October 2024, 2:23
I scrolled past them thinking it was some sort of toy robot figurine. It was only when I looked at the comments that I realised they were the trophies.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th October 2024, 6:54
So, the matter was only about ‘when’ precisely, which eventually proved to be the Singapore-COTA interval.
I’m skeptical about records, although, as Spa-Francorchamps received a new official lap record & in all likelihood, would’ve also received a new outright track record had qualifying been dry, maybe COTA might receive these, we’ll see.
I think the only way Lando could have a realistic shot at the championship is if he wins & Max suffers a DNF or DNS simultaneously, as even if Lando won all remaining races & sprints (which is unlikely, given the tightness between top teams), the championship would still be in Max’s control by finishing with the top 3 or even top 5 consistently.
notagrumpyfan
15th October 2024, 7:20
For ‘control’ he needs to do quite a bit better. With 52 points between them, and Norris scoring maximum points (180), Max will need to do better than just a place in the ‘top 3 or top 5’ to stay in control of the WDC!
To beat a perfect scoring Norris, he will need 129 points, which is second places in all upcoming races and the sprint events.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th October 2024, 8:49
Good point, although within the top 5 without winning another race would certainly be enough without Lando winning all remaining.
notagrumpyfan
15th October 2024, 18:32
Certainly not ‘certainly’.
An Sionnach
17th October 2024, 11:42
Is there tightness between the top teams and Mclaren? McLaren has been head and shoulders above the rest. Lando is looking comfortable and knows he has enough margin to take the pressure off. Other than some heart in mouth moments last time around due to Lando pushing so hard to get the fastest lap, he looked unbeatable for the win. It sounds like McLaren has resolved the issue with Piastri and he will not be shoving Lando aside and taking wins from him again this season. I would say that Max coming second all the time is less certain given how close the chasing three teams are. Max needs to beat Piastri every time and ensure he also doesn’t finish behind Lewis, Russell or Leclerc. Out of the four who might most likely take second places from him, only Leclerc has a soft underbelly when push comes to shove. That could easily add up to damage or penalties for any of them.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
18th October 2024, 5:21
The sprint races should favor Red Bull, if the tires are really the factor. So yeah, McLaren have a big problem on their hand.
S
15th October 2024, 12:10
If there were no BoP measures, that would probably be a reasonably accurate description of the situation – but F1 has introduced such measures to create exactly this effect and prevent the repeat of Mercedes’ 7 year domination/decimation of the championship.
Thankfully.
SteveP
15th October 2024, 15:43
What in-season (or out of) regulation changes have the FIA introduced that have negatively affected RBR?
ludewig
15th October 2024, 17:40
I guess that you don’t understand what BoP is, since your response doesn’t make much sense. Red Bull gets less wind tunnel time that the competition, due to BoP rules.
SteveP
15th October 2024, 19:36
The wind tunnel restrictions have been in place for a number of years, and made no discernable difference.
Did anyone notice a severe dropoff in RBR performance in 2022 or 2023 following a combination of “punitive” restrictions on their aero time?
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
16th October 2024, 21:43
No, I didn’t notice a dropoff for red bull indeed in those years, I wonder if the budget cap is actually helping, we have 4 teams that are quite competitive now, who knows if that would’ve happened without budget cap in place.
Francesco (@schivo69)
17th October 2024, 8:18
BoP can be bypassed if you have a sister team.
MichaelN
15th October 2024, 15:30
Horner said just a week or so ago: I kept Ricciardo in, Marko wanted him gone earlier!
Now Lawson says: Horner was always going to give me a seat.
Mekies said… nothing, because he’s not a real team principal.
What a team.
AlanD
16th October 2024, 2:32
I think an interpretation of Horner’s comment is that he has four seats in his extended team, and only one of them, MV, was safe, and he had decided that one of the other three would go, based on performance, finance, politics, health, etc, but one was going one way or another with Lawson as his driver in reserve, though not with a nailed on contract, so Lawson might have thought he was guaranteed a drive, but he had no leverage.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
16th October 2024, 21:48
It could also be interpreted as in horner trying to keep ricciardo in as long as possible to give him a red bull seat, had he proved himself far superior to tsunoda, but that didn’t happen: if ricciardo had been promoted to red bull, lawson could’ve been tsunoda’s team mate without ricciardo being dropped.
But as that didn’t happen, horner was left with no choice.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
18th October 2024, 5:10
Don’t ever for once thing that anyone owes the media the truth.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
18th October 2024, 5:10
*think
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
15th October 2024, 20:59
The very worst thing about the trophies is their description, which can be seen in some of the pictures released. I couldn’t find it anywhere else. I’m quoting here, it’s just unbelievable:
“Heroo is not just a designer toy, but an icon that celebrates the perfect fusion between art and speed, representing the quintessence of the winner happiness. The Heroo concept was born from its Italian Deisgner Matteo Macchiavelli desire to create a refined, limited series collector’s item and rare one that embodies the essence of competition and technical perfection; Heroo wants to gratify with its easily recognizable features of extreme design, handcrafted with love and passion showcasing extreme high artisanal quality.
Every detail of Heroo mirrors the precision of F1 car design, featuring sleek, aerodynamic contours and a dynamic silhouette. Its surface is decorated with a mix of fine materials, such as shiny jewell or technical metal and carbon fiber, which evoke the advanced technology of F1 single seaters. The design is further embellished with artistic details that recall the strokes of painting, creating a union…” (and it continues)
I swear more imagination went to the description and justification for that thing, than actually designing it! What a load of…!
SteveP
17th October 2024, 15:31
Looks like an extra “L” crept into jewel to match the extra “O” of hero
I’m particularly impressed by the way they matched the helmet colours as 1st = Gold, 2nd = Silver and 3rd = Black??
Obviously the artist has an eye for detail – which is kept in a box in a dark room.
Nick T.
16th October 2024, 1:00
It’s time for there to be some guidelines for trophies. While I think it’d be cool as an accessory token for the podium winners, this and many trophies in recent times are just not up to the image or tone of F1.