Welcome to Monday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
Many of your suggestions for this week’s Caption Competition featuring Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali raised a laugh but An Sionnach’s nod towards Colin Chapman is this week’s winner:
“Complicate, then add heaviness!”
An Sionnach
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Russell G., Varun, krtekf1, Muz and Tez!
On this day in motorsport
- 40 years ago today Manfred Winkelhock and Marc Surer won the World Endurance Championship race at Monza which was shortened from its 1,000km distance after a tree fell and blocked the circuit,
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An Sionnach
28th April 2025, 1:13
Things to hope for in 2026…
* The return of Lewis Hamilton (if it hasn’t happened already).
* Toto is bluffing about the engine and there is a competition beyond the Mercedes team or teams.
* Aston Martin not to be rubbish (the return of Alonso?).
* Lando back on form and ready to challenge his world champion team mate…
* Perhaps a win for Lance Stroll to thwart the critics (but he would have to earn it!).
* Briatore with a good car and new “evil” protégé worthy of Schumacher or Alonso(!)
* Might be too much to hope for competitiveness from almost all teams, but why not if the rules are engine-bound… and this time no manufacturer cracks it (is it even possible?).
Lapov Onor
28th April 2025, 13:21
And in all the above I note you didn’t put “Marko to keep his ill advised opinions to hmself” because lets face it, everything you did list is possible and HM will never keep quiet ;-)
Patrick (@paeschli)
28th April 2025, 20:29
There are some rumors Marko will retire soon and Vettel is tipped as a potential replacement.
An Sionnach
28th April 2025, 22:59
I read the Marko article and he just said that he was probably waiting for next year, where the ground effect cars would be gone. Didn’t think there was anything really to comment on, particularly since Ralph Schumacher said something similar (were they both asked was he desperate?). That’s why I ignored this and wrote what I thought was a more interesting comment. I’m not interested in any talk around Lewis this year any more and think it would be foolish to write him off as ground effect will be gone next year. I don’t like partisanship so I’ll read what someone actually says. Don’t think Marko was out of order. A lot of the Lance Stroll vitriol is over the top. He may never win a race. If he does, perhaps one is enough and he can retire knowing he did all he could in F1.
Lapov Onor
29th April 2025, 13:37
Totally agree on Lance. He gets bad press and yes, he has made some strange moves on track but he is pretty quick, they all are! Historically there are many drivers who merely had money and got to F1 purely through payment and were nothing other than a mobile road block (I changed Gaston Mazzacane to Gaston Max-chicane in Geoff Crammond’s GP series when it let us edit driver names) and I truly believe none of the current crop are that bad.
No, they won’t all win a race and yes, someone has to be considered the least talented of the current field. However they all seem pretty much limited by the equipment they drive rather than ability. When the car suits the circuit, they all move accordingly.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
28th April 2025, 14:18
If no manufacturer cracks it, will they have to slow Formula 2 down, like they did with LMP2?
If Max isn’t off to Mercedes (can’t see it, anyway) and Alonso is digging in so there’s no seat there, I like the idea of him as Flavio’s evil driver. Mercedes powered, of course.
An Sionnach
28th April 2025, 23:12
Very funny, but a very interesting idea! The Alpine must be quite a car this year. What would it be like with a decent engine? Since Flavio will do what’s necessary to win, and the Alpine could be good enough to win some races this year if it had a Mercedes engine, why not?
I think Toto is looking for something. Probably Max. They have already conceded that Monza will be a problem for the new engines if they’re 50-50. I think Toto will bide his time a bit longer before pretending to concede on the engine for the good of the sport. I’m not saying it’s impossible, it’s just that we have Honda, Ferrari and Audi not able to achieve this. What secrets do only Mercedes engineers know that nobody else in the industry knows? Do they have as-yet unknown battery technology that they’re sitting on and not exploiting commercially because they want to decimate the opposition in F1 in 2026? I can’t imagine that this is the case.
Even if Toto has given up on Max, he is sowing discord and panic amongst his opponents. Mercedes have a number they know they can hit. I don’t think it’s 50-50, but if they only concede on this very late, it gives the others less time to focus on getting that right.
bull mello (@bullmello)
28th April 2025, 14:35
All.the other drivers could win a race before Stroll.
An Sionnach
28th April 2025, 23:15
Maybe. If Aston somehow do it, he may be able to get a win. It’s about the best car and driver combination. He won’t become a seven-time world champion.
El Pollo Loco
28th April 2025, 2:58
Marko, for some unknown reason, gleefully reported that Vettel had been turned away by multiple teams when looking for a seat for 2025 or 2026. So, I’m assuming Vettel realizes he’s been gone for too long and the field is too strong to expect to get a seat now even at the back of the field and I doubt he’d have any interest in returning with a back marker. It would have been somewhat interesting to see how he’d get along with a ground effect car though.
Diez Cilindros (@diezcilindros)
28th April 2025, 5:23
Vettrl drove during the first year of the ground effect era (2022).
Jere (@jerejj)
28th April 2025, 5:28
That claim or the whole speculation of him attempting to return & being turned away by teams couldn’t be more false simply turning down a chance to sign a multiple world champion is something no team would realistically do voluntarily.
All in all, he hasn’t attempted or intended to return at any point anyway, let alone said anything along these words himself, so speculation has been pointless since the get-go.
He’s clearly been fully okay with his decision, not to mention he definitively meant it to be permanent in the first place like Nico Rosberg.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th April 2025, 6:18
How do you know it’s false? Who really would want a out of shape Vettel, who really wasn’t that good the last time he raced?
The field is full of talent now. I bet a lot of teams would turn him down if he tried to return.
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2025, 7:07
@fer-no65 Short answer: Some things are just easy to tell for anyone.
Longer answer: A multiple world champion is a multiple world champion regardless, so if he truly wanted to return, I’m positive at the very least one team would welcome him with open arms.
S Arkazam
28th April 2025, 7:22
Yet you it in this post and most others :P
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2025, 7:08
S Arkazam I’m simply realistic with my expectations & things generally unlike many people in F1.
Ferdi
28th April 2025, 9:10
Vettel is unable to evaluate himself nor put himself in perspective apparently. The man has achieved nothing without starting from the front row. Fast over 1 lap on an empty track is all he has to bring. People really need to get their emotions out of the way when assessing F1 drivers. A WDC achievement needs context in order to be valued.
SteveP
28th April 2025, 9:27
So, you’re saying that without a dominant, or front running, car, Vettel is a nothing?
Ferdi
28th April 2025, 11:42
That is exactly what I am saying. Midfield driver at best. Under PAR at wheel to wheel. Flattered by his car and a small talented team mate. Great character by the way, good to have around etc.. but no WDC material. He should praise himself very very lucky everyday.
SteveP
28th April 2025, 12:47
I have another driver from the RBR school in mind when you say that
Edvaldo
28th April 2025, 13:57
To this guy everybody is a midfield driver flattered by the car, the only exception is the greatest never was of all time: Fernando Alonso.
Sure, then, Vettel achieved more with less talent, which makes it even more impressive.
Ferdi
28th April 2025, 17:14
I have actually on the current grid lots of non midfield drivers, so top-tier, in mind that are able to outdrive their cars: Max, Charles, Lewis, Fernando, Lando, Oscar. As for former champions all were top tier drivers of which only a few imho were flattered by their car and more mid-field drivers: Sebastian, Jenson, Jacques, Damon. And a special case is Lewis. He is certainly a top tier driver and multiple WDC material, but his overall nr of championships I deem flattered by the car.
MichaelN
28th April 2025, 14:10
Winning from lower positions just means a driver did bad in qualifying or the race was generally a mess.
Not sure why that’s a mark of greatness.
Jonathan Parkin
28th April 2025, 20:00
What about winning a WDC without a front row start all season. Niki Lauda managed this singular feat in 1984
Ferdi
29th April 2025, 12:39
According to MichaelN it is because he was such a poor qualifier. Some have answers for everything. Like the ‘the car is developed especially for him’ argument that is used conveniently but not consistently. Hilarious stuff.
Femke
29th April 2025, 8:05
Like verstappen in canada. Getting a free pitstop under red flags. It was hailed as a master class but both alpines were on that podium from even way lower starting positions and surely with weaker cars.
Patrick (@paeschli)
28th April 2025, 20:31
Damn Webber truly must have been terrible to lose 5 years in a row to him.
Jere (@jerejj)
28th April 2025, 5:34
Seb already said that at one point last year, so simply a matter of getting asked the same thing separately again rather than something new.
Anyway, he’s clearly been content with his decision this whole time, so claiming that he’d intend or desire to return has been contradictory.
People really have an obsession to speak on behalf in F1, even the relevant individual or party hasn’t even said anything along certain lines at any point.
BasCB (@bascb)
28th April 2025, 7:16
Yeah, I really don’t see any good reason to keep asking him. He seems perfectly fine with his life, and while it might be fun to do a few WEC events if the opportunity arises, that is something completely different than looking at a season or 2 of F1.
MichaelN
28th April 2025, 8:30
Some people base their entire personality on being or doing something, in this case hiring people for F1, and they cannot imagine someone walking away from that and being perfectly happy. A few even get resentful, as though it were a slight against them. You saw this with Rosberg as well. To justify this, they’ll claim it wasn’t really their choice. It’s all a bit silly, especially in this case when Red Bull has so many driver problems already.
Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2025, 7:05
MichaelN Ikr
Jay
28th April 2025, 13:20
Beyond comical.
MichaelN
28th April 2025, 14:13
Sure it is small, but as a proof of concept and experiment to further research the potential it is not exactly expected to have output similar to the main business.
anon
28th April 2025, 14:49
Even if you want to claim that is the case, it really isn’t that ground breaking.
The basic production cycle is just the Fischer-Tropsch process, which has been in use for just under a century now, so most of that side of the process is established off the shelf technology.
There are several other facilities already operating at an experimental scale – several of which already produce more than those facilities will. It’s not even new for Aramco, as they already announced this project two years ago – it’s just rehashing the same claims from back then.
MichaelN
28th April 2025, 16:30
It’s not meant to be innovative for Aramco, but as Ahmad Al-Khowaiter goes on to state in the article, they’re making these for the purposes of having “a supply of fuel to meet the needs of carmakers to test it”.
So Spain makes sense as location. It has plenty of renewable energy and is, as a country, Europe second largest car manufacturer.
anon
28th April 2025, 17:14
MichaelN, why exactly are you continuing to regurgitate exactly the same information that was provided two years ago ad infinitum?
It was already announced two years ago that they would be building a facility there to provide fuel for testing purposes. We also know that you are wrong with your claims for why it’s being built there too – it’s because it’s a joint proposal with Repsol, and the facility is being built at an existing Repsol refinery.
SteveP
28th April 2025, 15:40
I suspect that ethanol would be somewhat cleaner, and cheaper.
Edvaldo
28th April 2025, 14:03
Vettel left on a pretty low note, and he would hardly get any of the better seats, so what would be the point? Just having some fun?
Even Alonso, i don’t see why he, at 44, stays there without any short-term perspective, driving for nothing with a bad team. He must really like the competition. And the money, off course.
Patrick (@paeschli)
28th April 2025, 20:34
In Fernando’s delusional mind, it’s always his next team or the next regulation change that will magically give him the next car capable of winning a championship again.
Of course in hindsight he should just have stayed at Ferrari or – even better – McLaren this whole time instead of brining every possible bridge.
Leo B
28th April 2025, 15:36
As a former McLaren driver and local resident, I’m expecting to see Montoya on the grid at Miami. Also in the garage. Maybe even a Sky Special: Montoya At Miami. If they take up the idea I hope they will pay a due fee.