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).

One of the things I heard from the commentary on Sky F1 was that it wasn't very close (at the front) and it is hoped that next year it'll be closer.

I actually disagree with that statement because if you take Max out of the equation, it was VERY close (3 points between 2nd and 3rd place teams). If only RBR hadn't exceeded the budget cap to develop the car they did for the past 2 years and sure where would they be without Michael Massi in the first instance.

Anyway, roll on 2024!

I agree the racing for P2 and all down the grid has been close with some interesting changes of which team was strongest.

I don’t think the Mercedes was the second fastest car over the season, the fact Lewis finished P3 shows how he can drag performance out of a relatively average car. He does need to improve qualifying as he definitely could have got more points.

Another thing that the TV producers have to get sorted is the actual coverage of the races.
Far too many 'glory' shots from miles away in the helicopter in Abu Dhabi and then zooming in on the cars as they drove past, when there was action on the track. Having the action covered by the red button only isn't any good either. Also the replays of the start of the race just as the DRS is enabled is also crazy.
I'm not sure how they can improve things but as coverage goes, there is plenty of room for improvement.

I agree about the TV coverage, they often don’t use the small second screen when there is more than one on track battle.

What has really gone on behind the scenes regarding Susie Wolff? Very unusual for 9 teams to put out the same statement. It appears to be a targeted attack with no actual evidence.

It's really weird. I can't find a straight story about it. Seems to be F1 vs the FIA.

@Brazilianadventure Says it all, doesn’t it, that all the teams have taken the same stance rather than taking advantage of the chance to have a pop at Mercedes. Outrageous of the FIA to have publicly announced the investigation only to then close it rapidly thereafter on the basis that, well, there was no basis! The governance of this sport is an absolute joke.

@burblish I have consistently stated there is an undercurrent of racism within the FIA and that contributed to the AD2021 rule breaking not being resolved fairly.

There is similarly an undercurrent of sexism and sadly despite being the last woman to drive an F1 car on a race weekend, her successful leadership of a formula E team, setting up her own initiatives to support women and girls etc. Susie is still judged by some to have only got the job because she is married to Toto. Plus look at the abuse and questioning of Naomi’s credibility to be a presenter, commentator and analyser for SkyF1.

Lewis has had to drag the whole of the paddock, including FOM and the FIA, to look at diversity, not just race but also women etc. It is interesting the names from F1 he has managed to get involved in Mission 44.

In my view this incident goes back to AD2021 and the FIA’s desire to discredit Toto, Lewis etc. Remember Susie posted an incredible message at the time.

I think it says a hell of a lot about Lewis that he hasn't walked away. Not only has he stayed the course, he's always gone high when they go low, and refuses to quit trying to improve diversity across the sport.

Absolutely depressing that he has to be the one to do it, and that it seems to be his burden to carry.

@Brazilianadventure @HotGirlInHell Yep, I agree 100% with both of you re the racist and sexist undercurrents and how hard both Lewis and Susie have had to (and continue to have to) fight, with a shameful lack of support. I’m a non-white, female F1 fan and the complete lack of diversity in this sport/industry is depressing.

@HotGirlInHell I nearly stopped watching F1 after AD2021 and I’ve been a fan for well over 30 years. It was Lewis continuing to race that made me want to keep watching as I really want him to get number 8.

Yeah - I can't see it happening but it would be absolutely lovely to see.

Both me and DH came close to stopping watching after 2021 and we have been fans for around 50 years.

If Lewis had walked away we would definitely have stopped watching, at least for one season, if not longer.

We both really want Lewis to get number 8 and neither of us want Verstappen to equal his record or, horror, beat it (petty I know but we both dislike Verstappen and RB).

I can appreciate Max’s achievements and that he is an exceptional talent. I still think he oversteps the rules and I have no doubt he races Lewis harder than anyone else -and will still go over the line.

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are a different issue, I have never liked how they treat young drivers e.g. Gasley, Albon, Kyvat etc. I also sense a real dislike of Mercedes that is not just friendly rivalry.

If you compare Fred and Toto disagreeing In Las Vegas it wasn’t personal, Zac and Gunther are also able to disagree but Christian seems to have a real chip on his shoulder.

Anyone know anything about this story? I either can't read it on my phone or it's a headline attached to a different story maybe.

It's a bit click bait-y for my liking. Horner is talking about Ricciardo returning to F1 for AlphaTauri:

Christian Horner has played up the form that Daniel Ricciardo showed upon his return to F1 this season with AlphaTauri on an appearance on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“Well it’s great to see Daniel back in Formula 1,” he explained. “I think it was something I was very keen to bring him back into the fold over the winter and when he came to us you could see he was pretty much done with Formula 1.
“He wasn’t enjoying it, but slowly that smile came back, that energy came back and certainly the test he did in Silverstone for us mid-season was truly, truly impressive and the work behind the scenes on the simulator.
“So, he deserved the chance in the AlphaTauri, he was unlucky then to break his hand in Zandvoort but I thought he drove very well this year. And most importantly, he put some engineering direction into the team with the experience he had and I think that really benefitted the AlphaTauri team.”

There is actually no mention of Checo being replaced or anything along those lines. The positioning of those photos side by side gives the impression that Lewis might be moving to RBR. I seriously would stop watching if he did that.

Regarding the Toto and Susie allegations, according to Kym Illman’s latest YouTube video it appears the allegations are Toto was in a meeting of Team Principles and said something that implied he had information from FOM. The suggestion is it was allegedly Christian Horner who made an unofficial complaint.

Christian was clear he has not made an official complaint.

I’m not sure we will ever get a full explanation.

I’ve set up a thread for 2024 - 44 days to pre-season testing.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/sports/4980705-f1-2004-watchalong-thread

Ooh yay! 44 days 😱