Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
Max Verstappen seems to have Lando Norris handled – but does he have an answer for Oscar Piastri?
First, what matters more to Verstappen, the points lost or beating Norris mentally for so many laps, frustrating him and provoking the kind of post-race response Norris gifted Max? At this point in the season, probably the latter.
Second, Verstappen did potentially take more points of Norris by denying him the race win. So unless Norris accepts that Piastri is the McLaren lead driver now (?) then it still worked out well for Verstappen. Plus Piastri extending his lead generates more potential friction at McLaren between their two drivers.
Verstappen calculates all of this nowadays, he’s a total racer – not to say he isn’t still subject to blood rushes to the head at critical moments, he has flaws like any driver, just his rivals have more and seldom know how to exploit is. Though perhaps Piastri is an exception, calm and aggressive, it’s not a combination Verstappen has found a way to exploit for now.
@David-br
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Brakius and Elly Parker!
On this day in motorsport
- Born on this day in 1958: Tommy Byrne, future British F3 champion who was tipped as a potential F1 star but only entered five rounds for the struggling Theodore team
- Born on this day in 1964: Andrea Chiesa, who qualified for just three of his 10 appearances in 1992 and retired from all of them
- 25 years ago today Michael Schumacher put his Ferrari on pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.
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CryptidBadger (@ninjabadger)
6th May 2025, 1:29
‘That then led him to vocalize his frustration with the entire cost cap system, in which the FIA must review each team’s annual spending and make sure they are within the budget.’
Oh no. Enforcing major rules takes effort? Better get rid of it.
‘Ben Sulayem said he expects clarification to the driver code of conduct policy to be completed next week, but he was explicit in that he won’t be lifting the ban on profanity.’
Ah, that’s better. Something far more manageable for the FIA.
“I don’t see the point. I really don’t.”
My growing feeling towards Ben Sulayem’s tenure.
BasCB (@bascb)
6th May 2025, 20:13
It’s really so … Sigh.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
6th May 2025, 4:03
@David-br Concerning your quote= well said!
Piastri is the anti-Verstappen in may ways. His totals may involve different weights.
David BR (@david-br)
6th May 2025, 11:57
@ferrox-glideh Thanks! I suspect Verstappen isn’t expecting much from this season and is focused more on making life difficult for the McLarens and grabbing poles and wins when he can. That’s an inversion of last season when McLaren emerged as a potential rival and he responded ruthlessly when the chance arose to confound Norris and exploit his indecisions. So while I expect him to treat Norris the same this season, I’m not sure how hard he’ll fight Piastri if he doesn’t see himself (Verstappen) as a championship contender. Another driver I feel we haven’t seen battle Verstappen in earnest is George Russell (we more or less know MV versus Leclerc and Hamilton). Or Antonelli but as yet the latter isn’t a genuine rival.
Ferdi
8th May 2025, 11:57
Good COTD indeed. I do see Piastri however as the same as Max, not the anti-Verstappen. We will see some great wheel to wheel between the two with little drama since they are alike and we finally get treated to two drivers operating at the same very high level. Plus they are both absolutely not interested in any element of the circus around F1 or any media or fan outings / opinions / whatever. Down to earth anti-drama people. We need more of those in Liberty’s circus to counter all the nonsense going on. What a mess F1 has become through the current leadership at FIA and Liberty Global.. childish media, authoritarian leader, politically driven and incapable stewards. Who thought I would ever miss Bernie!
Mike Davies (@nanotech)
6th May 2025, 4:21
Bit sad to see the Jochen Mass news relegated to a couple of brief mentions in daily roundups. Although not a world champion by any means, he certainly contributed a lot towards motorsports. RIP.
MacLeod (@macleod)
6th May 2025, 7:54
@nanotech indeed a very accesable man and someone who had time even for a kid like me back in time.
Rest in peace and my condulances to his family…….
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
6th May 2025, 11:55
Couldn’t agree more.
There’s a nice one on the F1 site now if you haven’t seen it.
Crawliin-from-the-wreckage- Special Unhinged Edition (@davedai)
6th May 2025, 11:57
Sorry that was to @nanotech but applicable to both
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
6th May 2025, 5:14
Uhhh the point of the cost cap is to prevent teams with deeper pockets spending their way to a championship.
BSM is effectively complaining that something is “too hard, why bother”.
Fair dinkum. How does this guy still have a job? Hopefully the automobile clubs see right through him and he doesn’t get a second term.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th May 2025, 7:24
Yes, not a fan of sulayem either, however “spending your way to the championship” isn’t happening, remember the cost cap is a 2021 news? Ferrari had been trying to spend their way to a championship since 2008, it wasn’t happening, there’s spending money and spending them efficiently.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
6th May 2025, 7:25
They got closer to a championship last year than when there was no cost cap!
David
6th May 2025, 8:45
I’m actually inclined to agree with him, the cost cap is hard to enforce as it requires extensive audit, is open to the exploitation of loopholes (usually by the wealthier teams), and bakes in the advantages of better pre-existing resources (also usually enjoyed by the wealthier teams).
Keeping costs down is better served by regulations that minimise the opportunities to gain from having a big budget. We’ve had a cost cap for 5 years now, all the teams claim to be operating at or close to the cap, and it is still the same teams at the top (McLaren have risen over the period but they were another team that had benefitted from significant pre-existing resources).
This is a racing series. Compliance should be checked during scrutineering at the track and not through forensic accountants visiting the team headquarters.
S
6th May 2025, 9:39
If the participants actually treated F1 like a racing series rather than a business it would never have needed forensic financial analysis. The spirit of sportsmanship is sadly long forgotten in F1.
Coventry Climax
6th May 2025, 14:08
While I agree with you to a certain extent, it’s still silly to hear someone say something is pointless because it is giving them a headache. I’m sure we can all name a few in that area, but noone takes that seriously, including all of us ourselves, generally.
So you can’t take this man serious, even if he has the power. Which reminds me of certain other presidents. Must be a virus or such.
Had he come with your explanations though, that would all have looked completely different.
Too late for that now though; all goodwill already down the drain a long time ago.
bull mello (@bullmello)
6th May 2025, 16:05
So true. Hard to not trust teams at all on the forensic accountants. Possibly shady bookkeeping policed by forensic lookers wasting money on supposed figures. Do the competition on the track! This is what that is important.
BasCB (@bascb)
6th May 2025, 20:16
I would be incredibly surprised though if half of the actual tips where to look for hidden stuff isn’t done by rival teams’ forensic accountants trying to gauge if and how others try to cheat though @bullmello, with the FIA just checking those tips in many cases.
MichaelN
6th May 2025, 11:03
But there are so many loopholes and exceptions that this still happens. The wealthiest teams still have the best drivers, the best high profile engineers, the best facilities, all of which are to a large extent outside the cap.
Disagree with the president, though. It’s good to cap spending, and it’s only been a few years, so it’s only normal that the process can still be improved. That’s no reason to give up on it.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
6th May 2025, 15:23
Why not include driver and engineer remuneration in the cost cap?
MichaelN
6th May 2025, 15:30
The millionaire’s favourite excuse: because F1 will not be able to attract the top talent.
More likely: because the people voting on this are among those whose salaries are outside the cap.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
7th May 2025, 18:46
@justrhysism He still has a job because the FIA are loath to have a repeat of 2008, when the FIA tried to oust Max Mosley in an Extraordinary General Meeting because a lot of them found the reports The News of the World generated about him embarrassing – but then discovered the F1 teams had more power than they did (in that the F1 teams’ proposed breakaway stopped Max Mosley and the anti-Mosley faction in the FIA could not gather enough votes to do so).
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
6th May 2025, 6:17
I can picture Audi being the 2026 version of Toyota when they entered F1. Huge promise, nothing to show for, gone in a few years.
ianhaycox (@ianhaycox)
6th May 2025, 17:52
Looks like there’s a bit of friction in the boardroom. Doesn’t bode well for 2026.
From the article,
and later,
Red Andy (@red-andy)
6th May 2025, 6:21
Man who used his infinite wealth to buy a position of privilege doesn’t see point of rules preventing infinite wealth from buying positions of privilege.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
6th May 2025, 18:02
haha very good
BasCB (@bascb)
6th May 2025, 20:16
Indeed, red-andy, indeed.
Jere (@jerejj)
6th May 2025, 7:30
COTD: He should also be mindful of Piastri because, at the current rate, he’s the clear championship favorite over Norris & while the ever-increasing points lead could create some intra-team friction at McLaren, I’m positive they still wouldn’t totally lose out on a double championship achievement unless their outright performance level drops massively as the season progresses.
AP: I couldn’t disagree more with MBS.
The cost cap came in for a reason, so abandoning it altogether wouldn’t benefit anyone.
Coventry Climax
6th May 2025, 14:11
Spending more wouldn’t benefit anyone?
That’s a very debateable choice of words there.
Wheel Nut (@wheel-nut)
6th May 2025, 11:25
I’m looking at Ben Sulayem and it’s just giving the FIA a headache. So what’s the point of him?’
Ferdi
6th May 2025, 12:35
There is no point for the FIA. There doesn’t need to be a point for the FIA. Ben = the FIA. That is what this is about. The middle eastern countries want a firm grip on F1. In a few years Liberty will sell to a middle eastern party and the plan will be completed.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
6th May 2025, 13:12
The costcap is giving everyone hope, look at Williams who can suddenly be near the front of the midfield. Look at Mercedes/ RBR and Ferrari who cannot just spend 100m more to right a design wrong. Look at the spread of qually times, 1 second between the top 15. That doesnt happen if the big 3 can constantly pour money in. BS is talking BS. WHo knew?
osnola
6th May 2025, 15:38
The FIA giving all fans a headache.
so….
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
7th May 2025, 18:44
@wheel-nut Someone willing to do the job of full-time figurehead for free, who they think will do enough of what they want to not prefer someone else willing to do the job of full-time figurehead for free.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
6th May 2025, 12:06
Most sports these days have some form of the ‘cost cap’. It’s an insurance policy of sorts. Is it hard to enforce? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile? No. Accountants will always be creative, Chelsea have signed basically everybody on long contracts, how? Dunno.
Commercial ventures (which Mercedes, McLaren etc are) will move on as soon as they see the money is going down and not up. You can see F1 as being ‘franchises’, but when the 2008 financial crisis happened, people packed their bags and left.
The cost cap isn’t about limiting teams, innovation, facilities, nor keeping the ‘minnows’ competitive, it’s about protecting the sport.
It’s boring and hard to officiate. But essential for any sport to continue.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
6th May 2025, 12:31
Really good COTD. I even think MAx exploits first lap rules by sliding his car out rather than opening his steering which he would likely get a penalty for.
As for Ben Stupidman, if he doesnt know the why, he shouldnt be the there
lynn-m
6th May 2025, 15:37
If they are going to continue with a cost cap then it should be a cost cap with more open regulations.
The way they implemented a cost cap with the most restrictive regulation set in the history of the sport was never the right way to go in my view as that just completely goes against what F1 is supposed to be about.
A cost cap with more open regulations would take F1 back to what it is meant to be about…. Well what it was about when it was actually a sport.
Velocityboy (@velocityboy)
6th May 2025, 16:44
I agree that the playing field could be to some extent leveled without a spending cap. For example testing limitations are a good way to prevent an abundance of dollars from giving some teams an advantage over others and it’s quite easy to enforce. I’d imagine that if the FIA and teams put their minds to it, they could figure out how to keep things in check without spending countless dollars and hours trying to enforce a spending cap. And for those that think a spending/cost cap is not that hard to enforce, just look at Manchester City and the English FAs attempts to charge them with breaching FFP.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
6th May 2025, 19:42
Audi should have a C♾️♾️.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
7th May 2025, 18:42
The point of the cost cap is that, properly enforced, it makes F1 stable. It ends the boom-and-bust cycle. That does, however, require proper enforcement, and the negotiation with Red Bull in 2022, followed by refusing to levy an appropriate penalty for the actual offence, shows that at least part of the FIA was never that interested in proper enforcement. If Ben feels like he currently has the worst of both worlds, that’s likely why.
Not the part that does the actually hard part of enforcing a cost cap (the people involved with calculating the numbers and sifting through finances, definitions and so on), please understand. They’ve done a grand job so far as I can tell. Rather, the part that worries about the legal consequences of telling the truth is the part threatening to sink the whole enterprise.
Ferdi
8th May 2025, 11:48
I don’t see the point of having Ben in his current position.