Points = money, and Danny Ric’s performance has been unfortunately awful this year thus far. I’m surprised he hadn’t already been replaced by Lawson in order for the team to (at least) try and grab points and head up the team leader board.

 

Danny = marketing dollars
Points = F1 dollars

Which one is worth more at the moment?

I think Lawson is the better bet.

 

Have to agree. Dani's on borrowed time right now as both Yuki and Checo are performing well. RBR is usually quick to pull the trigger, but RIC is a personal favorite within the team so that will go some ways to give him an extra chance or two.

Back to China, something to look for, Williams STILL doesn't have an extra chassis and are working with 1 of their chassis that have been repaired multiple times now. If either driver bins it, we're back to having 1 or possibly 0 Williams drivers on grid for Sunday. I don't understand how a team can be in F1 and not have a spare chassis! Especially since you couldn't race 1 of the 2 cars over a month ago. Alpine is the other team without a spare chassis... this one seems more head scratching as it's a factory team and they don't have a spare. Perhaps they're not going fast enough to have a real chance to crash it? LOL

 

Red Bull probably have their own valid reasons for keeping Ricciardo … in my view he’s only a good marketing tool and as far as points= money , it’s like Stroll junior at Aston where the only reason he’s still there is because daddy owns the team, he doesn’t score points and doesn’t earn valuable points or money for the team !
In the meantime Lawson is wasting a season in the background as well as Drugovich who surely can do better than Lance who hasn’t proven anything in his now eighth season.
My feeling is Alpine will be future Andretti team if they can lower their expectation for the buyer to use their under performing engine until 2029, their whole operation is a s**t s**w

Cheers
Phil

 

New chassis for Ricci in China?
If he doesn't absolutely spank Tsunoda with it, he'll be dust after Miami.
Just my guess.
Practice might actually be worth watching. We'll see which cars are quick to set up, and who struggles with it.
MB out in Q1?

 

Everyone loves RIC as a person but I feel like he's lost his mojo. I too wouldn't be surprised if they move Lawson into his seat.

 

I wonder how the cost cap has factored in the Williams and Alpine spare car situations? Were either of the teams gambling on getting by without to potentially save funds for development down the road?

James Vowles was off to a great start at Williams, but this situation has probably dented that impression a little, but I am sure he and the team will internalize these lessons.

 

Williams and Alpine are nowhere near the cost cap.

Both teams have the same two major problems hampering their performance. Ownership appears to be clueless to the necessary human resources a Formula 1 team needs to be successful and they also starve the organization of money.

 

An F1 version of Blades of Glory!

 

Talladega Nights also applies,...."like a son, only better."

 

About that new formula.... unlike Horner, Newey isn't one to talk very much so when he does speak, people listen.. and what he's revealed about the new regs doesn't sound (no pun intended) all that great.


Adrian Newey criticizes the "strange" engines of 2026: "They will act as generators almost all the time"
"It will be a strange formula. The engines will act as generators almost all the time. We'll have to get used to it,"
“I don't know if we should talk about 'extended range electric', but it seems that the new engines of 2026 will work the other way around a traditional hybrid. The propulsion will be electric, supported by the thermal motor when necessary. The opposite of now, when the electric power is a 'plus' to be used on occasion.”

 

So will the cars be like Formula E with an ICE as the secondary PU?

 

Sounds kind of lame. The cars are already too big. I think they are 16 ft long

 

We all want louder cars. Formula E is a failure and they are trying to make F1 more like FE. That doesn't sound like a winning formula for success.

 

Unfortunately, that's what it looks like.... I'm pretty sure it's universal that everyone wants that old V10/V8 sound back, but this isn't the way to do it IMO. Another way would be to have higher RPMs, but with the limited fuel as well as fuel flow restrictions, that is no longer possible. I'm at a loss for what F1 is thinking given they are heavily promoting the new synthetic fuel they will be using. That's a starting point with getting the ICE engines back, but this??

For the 4th time, I tried to watch a Formula E race the other week and just could not get past 4 laps. It's awful - slow, no where to pass and the sounds is that of a sowing machine. Robert Kubica once said that racing in Formula E was like saving sex with a rubber doll... LOL