In the round-up: Alfa Romeo are helping Zhou Guanyu improve the poor starts he made in his first two Formula 1 races.
In brief
Alfa Romeo to work through anti-stall problems with Zhou – Pujolar
Alfa Romeo’s head of trackside engineering, Xevi Pujolar, says the team will work through Zhou Guanyu’s anti-stall problems before the Australian Grand Prix.Rookie Zhou has triggered his car’s anti-stall mode at both starts in his fledgling F1 career so far. Pujolar says that the cause is not car-related.
“This anti-stall is something that we need to go through with Zhou,” Pujolar said. “Nothing wrong with the car.
“I think he’s got the feeling that the revs are still okay, but it’s actually not okay because it’s too low. We need to see what can we do to mitigate that issue in the future as now, it’s twice.”
Haas has retained over half of its staff since debut race in 2016, says Steiner
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says over half of the team personnel at their debut race at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix are still with the team.
Speaking ahead of Formula 1’s return to the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Haas’ 125th grand prix, Steiner described the the team’s six seasons in F1 up to now as a “rollercoaster”.
“Yes, it was a rollercoaster and we’ve had a lot of downs on the rollercoaster ride over the six years but quite good ups as well,” Steiner said. “I’d say more than 50 percent of the people that were there at the first race are still with us, so that for me is an achievement.
“It’s been a very good ride, there’s been some challenges in the ride, but it’s been fantastic. The most memorable moment for sure was the sixth-place finish in our first race and second, the fifth-place finish in the championship in 2018 which we will try to replicate hopefully soon.”
All drivers love Australian Grand Prix – Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo says “every” F1 driver loves the Australian Grand Prix ahead of the return of his home race next weekend.
The McLaren driver has been unable to race in his home nation since 2019 after the 2020 race was cancelled on the morning of practice due to the initial outbreak of Covid-19.
“I’m excited to go home, definitely,” Ricciardo said. “It’s been a while and I’ve heard sales have been nuts and it’s going to be an awesome atmosphere. So yeah, I cannot wait.
“Obviously it’s personal to me, because I’m Aussie and it’s a home one and that’s a privilege. But every driver I speak to about Melbourne, they love it. They love it as an event. It’s exciting to go through the track changes as well this year, see what kind of racing that produces.”
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
To all those celebrating around the world, Ramadan Mubarak, from all of us at @AstonMartinF1. 💚 pic.twitter.com/hBaErb5gvl
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) April 2, 2022
hanging with @PierreGASLY in L.A. ✌️ see how Pierre spent his pre-season from training in @redbull's High-Performance Centre to exploring California 👌
full video 👉 https://t.co/vUVEcTdA7R pic.twitter.com/CLiqHg5X8W
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) April 2, 2022
On #WorldAutismAwarenessDay, we highlight one of the #INDYCAR flagmen, Aaron Likens.
Aaron is not only an important part of the INDYCAR paddock, but he's an advocate for awareness in the autism community.
Read more of Aaron's story at the link below.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 2, 2022
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
McLaren Racing CEO on F1: ‘I’ve never seen the sport stronger’ (Yahoo Finance)
"The commercial side of the sport— in my 20 years being around Formula 1 and six years running McLaren, I've never seen the sport stronger."
F1 Pit Building no longer a Covid-19 treatment facility as cases in Singapore dip (Straits Times)
"The Ministry of Health told The Sunday Times on Saturday that the facility was stood down at the end of March due to fewer Covid-19 cases and sufficient capacity at other Covid-19 facilities. MOH said about 760 Covid-19 patients had been treated at the F1 Pit Building before it was stood down."
"O’Sullivan has been making a name for himself in the junior single-seater categories. Last year he won the GB3 title at his first attempt, with seven wins and 14 podium finishes to dominate the field."
The Main Differences Between F1 and IndyCar Racing (Romain Grosjean via YouTube)
"Having had experience racing under both mantles, I feel like I can give you guys a fair take on the main differences between both types of series' and offer a complete breakdown of the mechanical and vehicle changes."
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 in via the contact form.
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Comment of the day
After Gran Turismo 7’s microtransaction controversy, @hunkulese isn’t worried about the official F1 games potentially being more monetised in the future…
It’s not going to be an issue. Haven’t people enjoyed the battle pass in the past few games?
F1 isn’t about collecting anything so there’s no way to have problematic microtransactions like GT7 and I don’t really see anyway they can turn it into a card game. There’s no way to stain the game with microtransactions any more than they already have with the battle pass.
I think microtransactions/DLC could actually improve the game. I’d pay a few bucks if they added more classics drivers and tracks throughout the year.
@hunkulese
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Jt19, Shreyas Mohanty, William and William Olive!
On this day in motorsport
- 45 years ago today Mario Andretti made it four different winners from the first four races at Long Beach.
Kribana (@krichelle)
3rd April 2022, 0:13
COTD: Before monetizing, they should focus on making the handling as Iracing. I refuse to buy from ea codemasters unless they make it “Iracingesque”. Even on F1 mobile, the grip feels a bit more realistic than codemaster games. Codemaster F1 games do not even have the mechanic of grip properly. Putting on soft tyres only has more rotation angle rather than grip. Especially at the rear, I have barely felt any difference in rear grip when switching tyres in all codemaster games. In order to feel more rear grip, I have had to adjust the setup. In F1 mobile, it’s a bit better, if not way better feeling even though it is just a mobile game. Monetizing the games should be the lowest priority. It’s funny that the official game has bad car performance mechanics, while non official games of the sport are way better in that area.
pastaman
3rd April 2022, 1:23
The difference is that F1 is released on consoles and you need to design a game that can be played with controllers, which means it will always be a bit arcade-y
SaMa (@f1g33k)
3rd April 2022, 6:07
It is not only about the games being played on consoles with gamepads but the fact that it has to be fun to play. The intersection between Sim racers and F1 fans is not as much as you imagine and hardcore racers will not be catered to as it will ruin the experience for most players who just pick up and play now and then.
It will only ever be simcades and that is fine. Even F1 drivers had fun with it during the lockdown broadcasts. The fact that there are building narratives and stories in the games should also indicate that it going to be even more focused on casual users who don’t take the game mechanics as seriously.
pastaman
3rd April 2022, 1:21
Once I purchase a game, that’s all the money I will ever spend on that game
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
3rd April 2022, 3:02
Microtransactions, Loot boxes, Season passes & DLC are one of the main reasons i never buy games at release anymore as i don’t like spending as much as games cost now only to have content drip fed to me for additional cash over time rather than been the unlockable reward you used to get for playing the game. A lot of it as well Just doesn’t suit how i like to play games as I don’t really like going back to something every few weeks/months just to play with new content. Hence why i don’t play any of these games as a service type games.
I love playing fighting games, Have done since i first played Street Fighter 2 as a kid but I can’t stand the way they have been carved up now with content you would once play to earn/unlock now hidden behind additional purchases. It’s why i tend to hold off buying them for a few years now and buy any deluxe edition that comes with everything. Although even then those editions get DLC & multiple additional season passes now.
It’s like buying an F1TV subscription or something to find your only getting access to half the races & then need to pay extra to get access to the rest in 3 race packages or something.
I love video games but I can’t stand a lot of these elements we have seen creep in over the past 10-15 years when consoles got the digital storefronts.
Miane
3rd April 2022, 4:40
You picked a very fun example, Capcom sold a lot of versions of the same game (Street Fighters 2) you had to buy a whole new game to play with some additional characters. I get what you’re saying and I myself hate microtransactions, specially free games full of things you need to pay.
SaMa (@f1g33k)
3rd April 2022, 6:15
On the contrary you have games like Forza Horizon unlock almost everything upfront and many don’t like the fact that there is absolutely no career progression. That too doesn’t end up being satisfying as playing online becomes the only real variable.
Micro transactions are hell but games also need a proper structure to be engaging. Unfortunately, game time has become the only metric now and hence all games end up with grind mechanics.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd April 2022, 7:58
Alfa has to get on top with the start issues as otherwise, they’d continue losing possible higher point chances.
An interesting note about revs.
Good for Haas & replicating P5 in the WCC could well happen this season (partly depending on the development race between different teams), or even better, P4.
I also generally like the AusGP as an event & the track even more following changes that have improved lap flow.
I’m perfectly okay without classic tracks (+ cars, for that matter) & definitely drivers on the official games.
MaxAttack
3rd April 2022, 10:12
GT7 slaps and will only slap harder over time. People who wanted an 18.5m McLaren F1 road car (not even a particularly useful car in gameplay terms) in week 3 are the kinds of people who were always going to be disappointed with the game.
Yeah it has MTX, but it really isn’t pushed any harder than in GT sport (where you could buy individual cars direct with cash in the store). Sure the game is somewhat thin in early days as Sport was… That’s regrettable.
What’s also regrettable and much less discussed is the lack of patience from users and reviewers, wanting a nail in the coffin score in month one for a game with a planned lifespan running into the years…
…I won’t touch the ultra ropey comparison to known MTX vampires EA’s yearly F1 franchise which already has a well established and balanced way of shaking children upside down for their money with the season passes that have been in the game for how long now?
It’s really astonishing to me that this game is where a lot of people are drawing the line, I really don’t see GT7 as particularly offensive in this case and to have the situation directly addressed by the director (famed for his alleged silence and indifference) is something people haven’t paid enough mind – again this game is intended to have a long lifetime and shelf life.
Patience is a lot more applicable to GT7 than to Codemasters’ yearly attempt to get away with not modelling the entire Las Vegas strip for as long as they possibly can.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
3rd April 2022, 10:29
Rather than bemoaning a “lack of patience” among players, perhaps they should have finished the game before releasing it.
S
3rd April 2022, 13:19
Every game is released ‘unfinished’ these days, @red-andy.
It’s always a balance for game developers and their publishers – to release early and update as issues are found, or delay the release even further.
Both require patience.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
4th April 2022, 2:06
Zhou has got a case of premature starts.