Stopped clock twice a day.

Alpine has a bit of a mess on their hands at the moment eh?

Zak Brown's apparently been a very busy boy!

With Palou apparently not rejoining Chip Ganassi in IndyCar for ´23 because he claims to be going to McLaren, and this Piastri fiasco looking almost like a carbon copy of the Palou business, one does wonder where the Driver Roulette will stop.

Let's hope it never stops haha.

Back at it this week boys! That interminable summer break is finally almost over, and we get back to action at Spa. There are new directives regarding the floor as Mercedes implements their plan to have the field regulated back to them, because they're not the fastest car and this will not do!

An interesting sub-plot here is this may be one of our last looks at Spa for the forseeable future as there are rumblings its place in the schedule is at risk. I hope not, and we will see.

I expect a good show with these new rules, let's hope for no torrential rain this time.

Confirmed.

Ricciardo confirms next years contract is terminated.


https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...will-do-next.7pECuAwj2HxqUPImhmRHJb.html

Even if SPA the race isn't exciting (I sincerely think it will be), silly season is in full force and will go on !

It will be interesting to see where Ricciardo lands. F1, or another series? My money's on Alpine at the moment.

It didn't work out at McLaren for whatever reason. It's difficult to decipher why this is. I don't forget that it wasn't too long ago that Ricciardo was one of the top drivers on the grid, probably the best overtaker out there. Poles, wins, running at the front. Since I got F1 TV Pro before this season I've been rummaging through the archives and have watched again nearly every F1 race going back to 2015. Ricciardo was a force, Why didn't that translate to his time with McLaren? Hard to say, isn't it? So it's not impossible that he could rediscover that form by switching teams again. His problem now is there are no seats open to him in a car that is contending for titles. He should never have left Red Bull. Not saying he'd still be there, but his switch to Renault backfired big time and now with McLaren it's gotten no better really, Monza aside.

As for this race.... remember last year we didn't even run a race due to the rain and half points were awarded. Quite the let down for us fans. Rain is possible again. Eau Rouge and Raidillon have been reconfigured, a gravel trap added and it's been resurfaced. The trap's a good idea, and the new tarmac will ensure it's flat-out I reckon. But it shouldn't have much effect on the race unless grip levels change and there's a slippery track perhaps. There's some patriotic Paul Ricard-style paint now too.

Spa opens a triple header, with Zandvoort and Monza to follow in quick succession. Monza's a sprint race this year I think.

Can't wait for this race, I'm done summer breakin'!

I hope Ricciardo lands in Alpine and they climb the ladder one spot next year, but I wouldn't bet on it. F1 is not nice towards pilots who struggle when their team mate shines, it's a bottom tier seat then out, our straight out, usually. Alonso managed to go out on a low and back on a high, but that's a once in while occurence I'm afraid. I ain't really done summer breaking, let's see if Spa can hook me back !

Yeah, come on back, summer's nearly over anyway and there's F1 on!

FP1 is done and dusted with the Ferraris looking really fast.

A number of drivers will take grid penalties for new powertrain components, including both Leclerc and Verstappen, which really spices things up. It makes a lot of sense to do this here at Spa, where overtaking is much easier than at Zandvoort. Those two should be able to scythe back through the field. And depending on how many cars take penalties then Leclerc and Max won't be all that far back at the start perhaps.

Really good opportunity for Mercedes this weekend.

FP2 and 3 done and dusted and Red Bull look the better package overall, though of course the grid penalties will be shaking up the order. Mercedes not carrying on from Hungary here at Spa. It's a great opportunity for them to get their first win, but the pace hasn't been there. Which means Sainz and Perez both have a fantastic shot at the win here. Of course anything can happen, but they'll need to watch out as I think Max could win this race from the last row (if he starts there), he looks dialed in and on-song this weekend. Can't rule out Leclerc either. Hell, you can't rule anything out as it's Spa and it's almost always chaotic. Any one could win, you just never know.

Come on max!

Max was untouchable today. But he's starting 15th. You never know. He has the pace to win this thing. Spa usually has a safety car or two and if he can avoid disaster near the start I reckon he's in with a shout. In the mean time i need Perez to step it up and challenge for the lead. He has the car to do it. Sainz knows how fast the Bulls are and will be very defensive I think.

Bad operation for hamilton, very risky gamble from Ferrari that ends reasonably well, other than this no real surprise. Not a dull GP though, that double overtake from Ocon alone made it worth, and the desperate grasp on last point from Albon was beautiful too.

Masterclass. To win from 14th is fantastic, and he would have won from 20th I reckon. Supreme pace and confidence. And as good as Max is, the team is nailing it too. Strategy calls, car setup, tire choices, pitstops. That's a big part of the gap to Ferrari, who have not covered themselves in glory in these departments it must be said. After Australia I really thought this was going to be Ferrari's year. And that car is quite rapid indeed. But they've struck an amateur air at times this season and it had cost them dear. But this is how you forge a winning team. You have to be tested at the sharp end. This one-two for Red Bull makes me think the titles are probably wrapped up, but Ferrari's travails should serve them well next year. Identify what works and what doesn't, replace people found wanting and come back better. Of course it's not over mathematically, but it's a mighty steep hill to climb now.

The attempt at the end to get Leclerc fastest lap is a microcosm of their season isn't it?

McLaren were disappointing, expected more of of them. I said a month ago that Alpine were better and they're now pulling away. McLaren have to get it together now if they want to finish in front.

Mercedes just didn't have the pace at Spa, and after their resurgence at Hungary I wonder if this big drop off is a result of the TD? Is it possible the flexiest floors were actually on the Merc? It could be track-specific or any number of things, but I wonder....

Hamilton took the blame for his clash with Fernando, and rightly so. This stuff happens and he was contrite and honest so well done.

The best news, aside from a Red Bull one-two of course, was that Spa is back for next year.

Next up, Zandvoort.

Ah, nice that Spa will remain, it's really THE classic track, on par with Monaco. I don't mind if other GPs rotate in and out of the calendar, but these two must be here every year.

I just looked at the fantasy team results, did I just win for the first time a racing WE predictions ?


Well it's OK I'm still last

Monaco is a classic for sure.

I think it is boring track though. Too hard to overtake.
For my part it could be out of the equation if FIA had to cut out a race.

Yeah, Monaco's a difficult one. Of course it's a terrible racing track for Formula 1 cars. Overtaking is nigh on impossible. I've watched the Monaco grand prix from 2015 through 2022 recently and maybe saw ten clean overtakes between them. Much more likely to come together when the attempt is made. The cars are too wide for such a narrow track. Or the track's too narrow for such wide cars, but whichever way you look at it, the racing's poor.

But it's Monaco. As I've said before I'm OK with keeping it around. History, tradition.

But if it were removed I'd adjust quickly I think. My fear is they remove Monaco and replace it with Nice or some other street course that's no better really. And as we've discussed, perhaps the answer is in some sort of track rotation, where Monaco takes its place every three years or whatever. I wouldn't want to see more tracks like Monaco added, but for one week a year I can live with it and look forward to this rotten race every year

Back at it this week boys. Zandvoort is the venue. It's a great track to drive, but a little tight and twisty for overtaking, except.....

There's an interesting twist this year, with the pitstraight DRS zone now starting in the final turn instead of just after it on the straight proper. This final turn is banked, which helps maintain traction of course. But there's some jeopardy here now with less down force and more speed carried through the turn and potentially a few could get it wrong. Those who get it right will have that much more speed to conduct an overtake down the straight and in to turn 1. Zandvoort is also running out a new gravel concept which will be in turn 12. Last year the gravel ran right up to the kerbing. This year, there will be a one-meter wide strip of faux-gravel, a surface meant to look like gravel, but with no loose elements to be thrown on to the track, but with little grip to aid any car going too far to the inside.

That training left a lot of questions.
What happened to Verstappen? New gearbox with penalties?
What about using DRS in turn 14? Will it be easier to overtake?
Mercedes 1 and 2. Usually they are behind on friday and saturday and improving in the races. Have they done any upgrades?
The drivers love this track, but will it be exciting for us?

Congratulation to Verstappen! He was appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau by the dutch royal family.

Now I am looking forward to the F2 qualification where we have a young norwegian Red Bull Junior driver.