F1 2023 - Watchalong thread

[LookItsMeAgain]

At the moment it's pre-season testing and they are in Bahrain as that is where the first race happens

Is anyone watching the preseason testing at the moment?

Anyone follow the WTF1 personnel change over the past few weeks (social media channel) and that Tommy & Matt have set up P1 with just Matt & Tommy as co-owners?

I'm really looking forward to seeing what progress the other teams have been able to make since RBR had their wind tunnel time reduced due to their overspend in 2022 (that was their punishment for doing that).

Please for Lando and Oscar. George did well.

It’s concerning how unwell the drivers were. Logan having to retire, Ocon being sick lap 15, all look completely drained.

That race was dangerous because of the heat. Sargent was dehydrated, Occon threw up in his helmet on lap 15. Alonso's seat was burning him. Stroll staggered out of his car straight to an ambulance and Albon couldn't get out by himself

Russell said post race he felt faint, and that it was nearly 50c in the cockpit. That's insane! So damn dangerous!

I know they are racing here later next year but whose idea was it to race here in October!

Great race by both McLarens and Russell.

But what the actual hell is going on with Perez?

I missed that Ocon threw up in his helmet, that's absolutely horrible.

Unfortunately it seems Perez is just playing into Helmut Markos hands. It just goes to show how much pressure does affect them. It's the same with Daniel last year.

Saw Christian Horner saying he'd never bring in a Hamilton or Alonso, as two alpha male egos would tear the team apart.

True, but who wants the other seat then, knowing very well you're always going to be number two?

I'd reckon Piastri, for example, knows he is better off at McLaren - for now while the car is driving well anyway.

Piastri won’t go to RBR in the short term, his manager is Mark Webber. Remember multi 21, Mark said something like he had a good relationship with Deiter but he didn’t with Christian.

Mark knows CH favoured Seb and now Max.

I was confused by Perez going off track so much last night. Turns out like other drivers he was struggling with the heat and opened his visor up for air and sand blew in. I think that explains the track limits issue for him in the last part of the race.

For Red Bull, I think it has to be Riccardo who replaces Perez or Tsunoda. Lawson is an option but I think he needs time in Alpha Tauri first. Red Bull is too tough an environment for a rookie mentally.

@Sulusu I agree DR to RBR and Liam into AT.

What is interesting after this weekend is that there maybe a seat at Aston Martin. Lance may just call it quits or Lawrence may decide he wants to progress and Lance just isn’t going to get them to the top.

Just seen this BBC article about new teams - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/67051341

FOM - Liberty Media, have shot themselves in the foot. They are saying circuits don’t have infrastructure for more than 10 teams but The FIA president has pointed out FOM has allowed Brad Pitt’s film to run an 11th pit garage this year. 😂

I'd like to see Alex Albon
move to a better seat

Breaking news on the BBC is that ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone pleads guilty to fraud after failing to declare more than £400m of overseas assets.

How on earth does someone under-declare that amount of assets??? Even someone as well known throughout the world as Bernie??? I can't wrap my head around it.

I also saw that for the Las Vegas F1 race, they won't have a paddock for the F1 drivers and crew, as the name 'paddock' or Paddock is associated with a mass shooting event back in 2017 where a man named Stephen Paddock shot and killed 60 people and a further 867 were injured.

While I understand that the mass shooting event was a terrible thing, I think renaming something that is known the rest of the world over as a paddock (gets the name from where you take horses out to train them and ride them, so it's a known thing the world over), is not going to help matters.

Bernie Ecclestone please guilty to fraud. Well I'm not exactly surprised, to put it mildly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67088503

I think it's quite respectful to the families of the victims who still live there actually. Good decision from them I think.

I cannot believe they finally got Bernie Ecclestone and the evidence was so overwhelming he had to plead guilty. He must have known jail was a real possibility if he pled not guilty.

At least the Treasury get £652,634,836. Well done HMRC, I bet that was a lot of difficult investigating.

Death and taxes are the two certainties in life.

WRT Las Vegas it is respectful but I suspect there maybe some branding $$$ as compensation.

The whole virtual dome thing in Las Vegas is spectacular, but it's massive. It will be looming over the track. I think it might be distracting for the drivers if they are projecting things onto it during the race. I am easily distracted though so maybe it's just me that would hate it.

@Sulusu given the drivers watch the screens I would think it is ok.

It is huge and I would love to go and see it and possibly attend a concert.

I don't even really like big sat navs in cars as I find it distracting. I don't know how the drivers can drive and watch the screens but they do. I remember Alonso making a comment on the radio about an overtake he watched on the screen Stroll did, while cornering at 150m an hour!

@Sulusu I know, several drivers say they saw it on the screens.

I really don't think that the FIA are doing themselves any favours with their chopping and changing of their rules and the haphazard manner in which they apply them.

I'm talking about the most recent incident where Lewis Hamilton walked across the Qatar track (under safety car conditions) and now the FIA is revisiting the investigation they carried out at the race due to Lewis' position as a 'role model'. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/15/fia-revisiting-investigation-into-lewis-hamilton-walking-across-qatar-track-formula-one

They clearly didn't think that Max was a 'role model' when he walked on the track in Monza in 2021 following his accident where he drove his car on top of Lewis' car. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hamilton-surprised-verstappen-didnt-check-he-was-okay-after-crash/6666710/

What are your opinions on this evolving situation?

I have read the FIA are not looking to punish Lewis further but to make sure the rules and penalties going forward are appropriate.

WRT Max at Monza, you also need to consider if the Safety Car had already been deployed, as that makes a difference about being on the track.

I am all for appropriate and consistent application of rules and penalties. Since the start of 2021 the FIA, Race Director etc. have been so inconsistent it is impacting the sport.

Afaik, the safety car had been deployed in both situations.

Then they are going to look like idiots and biased if Lewis and merc bring evidence.

I honestly believe that if Lewis was a white man he wouldn't have a fraction of the hassles he has had to bear over the years. I am starting to believe that would be the case.