Two sides to Alonso’s Australian GP penalty argument

It was a bit of a bizarre end to the Australian Grand Prix when it came to the incident involving George Russell and Fernando Alonso. But while I’m going to stand up for Alonso to some degree, I’m also not against the fact that the stewards issued a …

It was a bit of a bizarre end to the Australian Grand Prix when it came to the incident involving George Russell and Fernando Alonso. But while I’m going to stand up for Alonso to some degree, I’m also not against the fact that the stewards issued a penalty for what happened.

The first viewing hadn’t caused me to raise any eyebrows, and my focus was instead on Russell losing control and his car ending up on its side in the middle of the track.

The summons for both drivers to see the stewards was issued shortly after the checkered flag, and as that meant an investigation was being launched it genuinely took me a moment to work out if it was for that incident, or something that might have happened away from the television cameras on an earlier lap.

Sure, Russell appeared to get close to the back of Alonso’s car, but from the serene perspective of a stabilized on-board camera on the Mercedes roll hoop it didn’t appear overly erratic.

Since I was running around the paddock and unable to check which lap corresponded to the time of the incident mentioned in the stewards’ summons, I even asked an Aston Martin press officer if there was something I was missing. You won’t be surprised to hear they said no, and were similarly perplexed at that stage.

But what those on-board cameras show and how it actually feels to a driver behind the wheel — from a much lower vantage point and far less stability in their vision — are two very different things.

It was telling that the hearing involving the two drivers lasted for almost a full hour. Had it been a 10-minute visit, it would have suggested a quick and simple resolution one way or the other, and the initial expectation of no further action being taken. I actually thought they had both long since returned to their respective teams by the time they actually emerged; Russell walking alongside Mercedes sporting director Ron Meadows, and Alonso following a few paces behind next to Aston Martin’s Andy Stevenson.

There were stern expressions on their faces, and no words being spoken. At the very least, it suggested there had been some serious discussions going on.

And that’s when telemetry started surfacing, and previous lap to later lap comparisons, as fans did their own usual excellent investigatory work while waiting for the FIA to make its own decision.

By the time a penalty was handed out to Alonso because the stewards felt “he drove in a manner that was at very least ‘potentially dangerous’ given the very high-speed nature of that point of the track,” it had felt like one was coming. And the reaction seems to overstate the significance.

“A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars,” Alonso wrote soon afterwards. “In F1, with over 20 years of experience, with epic duels like Imola 2005/2006 or Brazil 2023, changing racing lines, sacrificing entry speed to have good exits from corners is part of the art of motorsport.”

Add to that Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack’s comments and you’d think Alonso had just been banned from driving (as some fans calling for a particularly draconian penalty had suggested).

“I want you to know that we fully support Fernando,” Krack said in a message to the team’s fans. “He is the most experienced driver in Formula 1. He has competed in more grands prix than anyone else and has more than 20 years of experience. He is a multiple world champion in multiple categories.

“To receive a 20-second time penalty when there was no contact with the following car has been a bitter pill to swallow, but we have to accept the decision. We made our best case but without new evidence we are unable to request a right of review.

“Fernando is a phenomenal racer and he was using every tool in his toolbox to finish ahead of George — just like we saw in Brazil last year with Sergio [Perez]. This is the art of motorsport at the highest level. He would never put anyone in harm’s way.”

While accepting the judgment of the stewards, Mike Krack (second from right) stayed fully in his driver’s corner. Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

I’ve got issues with almost all of the comments from Alonso and Krack, but also agree that you could argue that the penalty was on the harsh side.

Just because Alonso is so experienced, does not mean he cannot make mistakes or misjudgments. The results he has secured in different categories are impressive, but there are also different driving styles and standards that are allowed by the regulators in each that need abiding by and adapting to. Every driver has got something wrong at some point.

And when it comes to the penalty itself, it’s not removing the art of defensive driving. Just like overtaking, it’s attempting to make a call on when that art might be taken just slightly too far.

In the stewards’ decision, it explained how Alonso had lifted much earlier than usual and downshifted, then accelerated again and upshifted, adding: “Alonso explained that while his plan was to slow earlier, he got it slightly wrong and had to take extra steps to get back up to speed.”

Right there is the crux of the issue: “Alonso got it slightly wrong.” It doesn’t have to have been his intent to cause an incident at all, and I’ll back him that it certainly wasn’t. The intent will have been to disrupt Russell behind to create a bigger gap on the exit of Turn 6 to protect himself from attack using DRS. And in trying to do so, Alonso slightly overdid it.

Alonso’s apparent claim that there was an issue with the engine on the following lap did not make it as far as the stewards’ room, in another suggestion that he perhaps knew he might have just crossed the line, particularly given where Russell ended up.

The outcome was dramatic, but the crime was far from egregious. Lift slightly later and not need the acceleration again, and Alonso likely brings Russell just as close to him at the apex but in a less erratic way. Even if the outcome had been the same, it’s more understandable that Russell could have been expected to be prepared for Alonso to do something different in that corner, and needed to take care as the following car.

The stewards’ decision makes clear that the Spaniard was entitled to try and drive in a defensive manner and get creative:

“Should Alonso have the right to try a different approach to the corner? Yes.

“Should Alonso be responsible for dirty air, that ultimately caused the incident? No.”

But it says in doing so he took it slightly too far and created a “potentially dangerous” situation. It’s the same as when attacking, you can try a different approach to get past a car but you don’t need to make contact to receive a penalty for the way you positioned yourself and impacted a rival.

Krack was keen to highlight that Alonso is the most experienced driver on the grid, but as such he’s more likely to have more opportunities to be involved in incidents. He’s raced more laps and been involved in more battles, and the law of averages is that for all the brilliant racing that is just the right side of the line — like Brazil last year — there will be the odd occasion that the mark is marginally overstepped.

That doesn’t make Alonso a dirty driver, and doesn’t necessarily make the penalty fair. Alonso had every right to try something clever to hold Russell off, and the stewards had every right to work out if he took it that bit too far on this occasion.

They’re extremely fine margins, and Alonso doesn’t need vilifying for getting it wrong, but also needs to acknowledge that his immense experience and skill doesn’t preclude him from misjudgments.

Alonso surprised by post-race Melbourne penalty

Fernando Alonso says the way drivers have to get creative to try and defend positions at times is “part of the art of motorsport” after being surprised by the penalty he was given after the Australian Grand Prix. The stewards handed Alonso a …

Fernando Alonso says the way drivers have to get creative to try and defend positions at times is “part of the art of motorsport” after being surprised by the penalty he was given after the Australian Grand Prix.

The stewards handed Alonso a retrospective drive-through penalty – converted into 20 seconds being added to his race time – for driving in a “potentially dangerous” manner when defending against George Russell on the final lap of the race in Melbourne.

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Alonso lifted more than 100 meters earlier than he had at any other stage of the race on the run to Turn 6, downshifted, then accelerated again and upshifted, before again slowing for the corner. Russell lost control coming close to the rear of Alonso’s car and encountering a loss of downforce, suffering a heavy crash and leading to the stewards investigating the incident and penalizing Alonso.

“Double points for the team and a better race pace than the rest of the weekend allowed us to cross the finish line in 6th and 7th place,” Alonso wrote of the outcome. “A bit surprised by a penalty at the end of the race regarding how we should approach the corners or how we should drive the race cars. At no point do we want to do anything wrong at these speeds.

“I believe that without gravel on that corner, on any other corner in the world we will never be even investigated. In F1, with over 20 years of experience, with epic duels like Imola 2005/2006 or Brazil 2023, changing racing lines, sacrificing entry speed to have good exits from corners is part of the art of motorsport.

“We never drive at 100% every race lap and every corner, we save fuel, tires, brakes, so being responsible for not making every lap the same is a bit surprising. We have to accept it and think about Japan, to have more pace and fight for positions further up the field.”

Aston Martin has the right to appeal the penalty – that dropped Alonso to eighth in the final result and ultimately cost the team two points – but has suggested it is unlikely to do so.

Alonso dropped to eighth after penalty in Melbourne

Fernando Alonso has been given a 20-second time penalty after the Australian Grand Prix for driving in a “potentially dangerous” manner that caused George Russell to crash. Russell crashed at Turn 6 on the final lap of the race, closing in rapidly …

Fernando Alonso has been given a 20-second time penalty after the Australian Grand Prix for driving in a “potentially dangerous” manner that caused George Russell to crash.

Russell crashed at Turn 6 on the final lap of the race, closing in rapidly on Alonso towards the apex and then sliding wide into the gravel and hitting the barrier, sustaining heavy damage. The pair were then summoned to the stewards where it emerged Alonso had lifted off more than 100 meters earlier than he had at any stage the race and created a significant difference in closing speeds.

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“Alonso explained to the stewards that he intended to approach Turn 6 differently, lifting earlier, and with less speed into the corner, to get a better exit,” the stewards’ decision read. “Russell explained to the stewards that from his perspective, Alonso’s maneuver was erratic, took him by surprise and caused him to close distance unusually fast, and with the resulting lower downforce at the apex of the corner, he lost control and crashed at the exit of the corner. There was no contact between the cars.


“Telemetry shows that Alonso lifted slightly more than 100m earlier than he ever had going into that corner during the race. He also braked very slightly at a point that he did not usually brake (although the amount of brake was so slight that it was not the main reason for his car slowing) and he downshifted at a point he never usually downshifted. He then upshifted again, and accelerated to the corner before lifting again to make the corner.

“Alonso explained that while his plan was to slow earlier, he got it slightly wrong and had to take extra steps to get back up to speed. Nonetheless, this maneuver created a considerable and unusual closing speed between the cars.”

Article 33.4 of the FIA’s F1 Sporting Regulations states: “At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.”

The stewards stated they did not have sufficient information to know if Alonso intended to cause Russell problems or was solely trying to get a better exit as he claimed, and also disregarded the outcome of the incident, saying Alonso has the right to try a different approach to the corner and is not responsible for dirty air that causes an accident.

“However, did he choose to do something, with whatever intent, that was extraordinary, i.e. lifting, braking, downshifting and all the other elements of the maneuver over 100m earlier than previously, and much greater than was needed to simply slow earlier for the corner?” the stewards asked in summary. “Yes, by his own account of the incident he did, and in the opinion of the stewards by doing these things, he drove in a manner that was at very least ‘potentially dangerous’ given the very high-speed nature of that point of the track.”

While the baseline penalty for such driving is a 10-second time penalty, the stewards noted that a drive-through is recommended when there is “an aggravating circumstance” involved.

“In this case we consider that Alonso affirmatively choosing to perform an unusual maneuver at this point to be an aggravating circumstance, as opposed to a simple mistake.”

As the penalty is handed out post-race, it is converted from a drive-through into a 20-second time penalty, dropping Alonso from sixth in the final classification to eighth, and promoting Lance Stroll to sixth and Yuki Tsunoda into seventh. Alonso also receives three penalty points for the incident.

Alonso warns Aston’s practice pace regularly deceiving

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin will not be overly impressed with topping the times in practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, because it is regularly quicker in FP2 than in qualifying. The Spaniard was nearly a quarter of a second clear of the …

Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin will not be overly impressed with topping the times in practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, because it is regularly quicker in FP2 than in qualifying.

The Spaniard was nearly a quarter of a second clear of the field in the second session in Jeddah, leading George Russell and Max Verstappen. Alonso was third fastest in FP2 in Bahrain a week ago — behind the two Mercedes drivers — and says it has become a regular occurrence that Aston Martin finishes higher up in the classification in practice than the competitive sessions.

“Obviously it’s only free practice — as we saw last year and also in Bahrain, we are faster in free practice than in qualifying, ” Alonso said. “I think we run a different strategy in terms of fuel loads, engine modes and so on. But we keep our program ahead — not really any issues with the car, setup possibilities also quite open for tomorrow. But definitely a good Thursday for us.”

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While Russell was second, Verstappen’s long-run performance caught they eye with Red Bull again showing its advantage in race pace, and the championship leader was similarly unconcerned by Alonso’s headline lap time.

“The pace has been all right,” Verstappen said. “FP2, long run, short run, overall we learned a lot again. There are always things you look to do better over one-lap performance, but also some teams I think they already use a bit more power, like they did in Bahrain, so we also take that into consideration. When we went into the long runs it looked quite nice again, so quite happy with that.

“I feel quite good, but it will again be very tight. I think that is where other people are a bit better than us — over one lap — and our car probably comes a bit more alive on the long run.”

Alonso tops delayed FP2 amid near-misses

Fernando Alonso set the pace in the second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a number of drivers experienced near-misses in traffic. The start of the session was delayed by 10 minutes while pit lane checks were carried out, with …

Fernando Alonso set the pace in the second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as a number of drivers experienced near-misses in traffic.

The start of the session was delayed by 10 minutes while pit lane checks were carried out, with concerns over loose drain covers. One that was resolved, the FIA simply pushed the session back and still allowed the full hour to take place given the relevancy of the conditions under the lights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

There was a close call between Logan Sargeant and Lewis Hamilton early in the session, with the Williams driver coming across the Mercedes and Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at the high-speed Turn 10. Hamilton was in the middle of the road, and Sargeant had to take evasive action, going over the exit curb and off track. The stewards opted to investigate the incident after the session, but it was far from the only such moment.

With multiple drivers encountering traffic in the first sector — where sight lines mean visibility is restricted but many of the corners are high speed — Alonso stated the situation was “a mess” and it’s likely to be discussed during the driver briefing. At present there is no maximum sector time in place in the first sector, that would mandate a minimum speed.

Alonso still topped the session with a 1m28.827s, leading George Russell by nearly a quarter of a second in the only representative session ahead of qualifying and the race. Much like Bahrain, FP1 and FP3 take place in the heat of the day, before the night sessions.

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Max Verstappen was third fastest after setting the pace from Alonso in FP1, this time over 0.3s adrift of the Aston Martin. Fourth was Charles Leclerc, who was just 0.022s slower than Verstappen, with Sergio Perez in fifth.

Lance Stroll ensured both Aston Martin cars were in the top six, with Carlos Sainz managing to compete in both practice sessions despite an illness that led to him leaving the track early on Wednesday and had put his ability to drive in Thursday practice in question.

It was a tough session for Hamilton, who not only faces the investigation into the incident with Sargeant but ended up nearly 0.7s adrift of Alonso and over 0.4s slower than teammate Russell. Hamilton complained of a lack of rear end stability, and then had to end his running early when he reported a loss of power after a big slide to run off-track at Turn 22.

Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10, with McLaren searching for answers to setup issues as Lando Norris — 12th fastest behind Yuki Tsunoda — complaining that the car was bottoming out badly during his running.

1.3 seconds covered the entire field during the second session, with Valtteri Bottas slowest for Stake Sauber and suffering a spin at Turn 1 early on once running had belatedly begun.

Alonso predicts ‘very intense’ fight… behind Verstappen

Fernando Alonso had good news and bad news for Formula 1 fans following the opening days of pre-season testing. While the Aston Martin driver expects the competition will be “very intense” behind Max Verstappen in 2024, he thinks every other driver …

Fernando Alonso had good news and bad news for Formula 1 fans following the opening days of pre-season testing. While the Aston Martin driver expects the competition will be “very intense” behind Max Verstappen in 2024, he thinks every other driver on the grid already knows they won’t win the championship this season.

Verstappen set the pace on the opening day in the new RB20 that marks a clear departure from last year’s design, and although Carlos Sainz then comfortably bettered it as lap times dropped on day two, the consensus among the teams was that Red Bull has at least maintained last year’s advantage. Alonso says that means the drivers know they can’t fight for the title, including Sergio Perez in his opinion that Verstappen is a certainty to win the championship.

“I don’t have a crystal ball to know what the others are doing,” Alonso said. “I think Max is the world champion and Red Bull is dominating the sport. The concept that they presented this year, it’s also a surprise. At the moment, we just have to watch them and see how they perform.

“I think 19 drivers in the paddock now will think that [they] will not win the championship. It happens 99% of the time in your career. This is a brutal sport.”

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Despite that assessment, Alonso believes Aston Martin has made good progress with its own car this winter and is set to be part of an extremely close fight behind Verstappen.

“It’s always an incredible feeling when you are behind these cars and you test, for the very first time, your team and your car for the next 11 months of this year. It’s very intense at the moment because everything is compressed into one day and a half for each of us, and you try and figure out where you are in terms of order. Lots of things going on — it’s good fun.

“Definitely the car is a step forward; the car feels better, more performance, so yeah we are happy with the data and we are happy with the feeling but I think everyone made a step forward this year. I think we also see the concepts of the cars and some of the ideas are now more or less the same for everybody, so I think it’s going to be very tight and very intense.”

Hamilton’s Ferrari move ‘was not his childhood dream 12 months ago’ – Alonso

Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton was not openly talking about driving for Ferrari being his dream until his move to Maranello was announced, but believes the Briton could be fighting for a championship with the team. Hamilton announced his …

Fernando Alonso says Lewis Hamilton was not openly talking about driving for Ferrari being his dream until his move to Maranello was announced, but believes the Briton could be fighting for a championship with the team.

Hamilton announced his decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari at the start of this month, exercising a break clause to make the switch at the end of 2024. Alonso drove for Ferrari from 2010 until 2014, and says Hamilton will need to win to get the best experience with the team but also allowed himself to joke about claims he had always wanted to race for the Scuderia.

“It was not his childhood dream 12 months ago or two months ago, I guess, because it was a different dream,” Alonso said. “Nothing really to comment. I hope he enjoys the experience. I think it’s a very special team, but it is more special when you win. That’s the thing – you need to win, and it’s a few years already that they have a very fast car and they were fighting for big things, and maybe Lewis can bring that extra to fight for the championship.

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“As I said, the car is there. At the end of last year, even with a very dominant Red Bull car, Ferrari was still able to match the lap time and be faster than them in most of the [qualifying sessions]. I think the car should be fast enough.”

The Spaniard admits he was surprised by Hamilton’s switch because of how integrated at Mercedes the seven-time world champion has been.

“I didn’t spend too much time (on the news),” he said. “I was training…that day, so I missed all the stress from everybody. I was just one day late on the news. I don’t know, probably it was a surprise, I will not lie, but not because [of] the change itself. It was just because, from the outside, it seemed like he was very linked with Mercedes and very loyal to them and things like that.

“It was a little bit unexpected. I don’t know the reasons behind [it]. I don’t know anything, the stories, so it’s more a question for him. But yeah, I didn’t pay too much attention, and probably next week it’s going to be more of a theme because, still, one year ahead, I didn’t spend much time thinking.

Alonso eventually tired of speaking about Hamilton’s move, when the topic of big name engineers from rival teams – including Aston Martin – potentially joining him was brought up.

“Ummm, I don’t know. I have no info and I don’t care what Lewis Hamilton is doing.”

Medland’s 2024 F1 wishlist

Happy New Year everyone! As the calendar ticks over into 2024 it’s already under five weeks until the new cars will start to be unveiled, and given the earlier start to the new season we can also say that the first race weekend kicks off next month, …

Happy New Year everyone! As the calendar ticks over into 2024 it’s already under five weeks until the new cars will start to be unveiled, and given the earlier start to the new season we can also say that the first race weekend kicks off next month, too.

And as you may have picked up on by now, the opening week of January is the time when I like to dream a little bit and come up with some ideal scenarios that I want to see unfold over the coming year.

Some of them are totally serious hopes, and others are slightly less realistic, but they’d all make for a great season ahead if they came true. Let me make it very clear, though, this is not a set of predictions. Otherwise I’d have been fired long before I could make this feature a tradition…

SOMEONE, ANYONE, GETS ON TERMS WITH RED BULL

Sorry Red Bull and Red Bull fans, but the past two years of dominance have been more than enough. I found myself slipping into the camp of wanting to seen a clean sweep by the time we got into the second half of last year, because there was nothing riding on the championship battles. But that just shows how repetitive it had become that I started showing an interest in nobody else winning.

What Red Bull achieved in 2023 was extraordinary, don’t get me wrong, but it was helped slightly by Mercedes and Ferrari failing to make real gains. McLaren and Aston Martin added the most intrigue each weekend in my opinion, and for that reason I really don’t mind who it is but please can one of the chasing pack make a fight of each race weekend?

A year ago I said I wanted Mercedes to get on terms, and I still think another Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton championship fight would be amazing for the sport, but there are too many other great talents on the grid to restrict the wish to that.

2023 still delivered some brilliant moments, but it’s always clear that without a true fight for the win there’s a dent in excitement and interest. And along those lines…

NORRIS TO GET HIS FIRST WIN, ALONSO TO GET HIS 33RD

Two of those talents that I feel really deserve race-winning machinery are separated by 18 years but victories feel long overdue for both.

In Lando Norris’ case, there have been only a few true opportunities to win a race, with Sochi in 2021 standing out as the big one. And while there were a few too many small errors during qualifying last season, there were some brilliant drives in the massively improved McLaren, including where he recovered from one such Saturday error with a stunning climb through the field in Mexico.

Norris appeared the most likely to take the fight to Verstappen on many occasions in the second half of the season, and their friendship adds a fresh level of intrigue to what a proper battle would look like, but in the most simple terms the McLaren driver has delivered performances that warrant a race win against his name.

While they are near opposites on the F1 experience spectrum,  Lando Norris and Fernando Alonso both head into 2024 with realistic hopes of contending for wins. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

And so too has Fernando Alonso, who came alive with the most competitive car he’s had in a decade thanks to Aston Martin. That level dropped off as the season went on, but even Alonso himself admitted early in the year that a win felt on the cards given the starting point.

One of my highlights of the season was Alonso’s fight with Sergio Perez in Brazil, and for him to be still at the top of his game at 42 is so good to see. Having gone more than 10 years since his last win but still produced such standout moments, let’s see him on the top step again this year.

DRIVER MARKET CHAOS

Part of me isn’t really sure why I want this, because it means extra work trying to get on top of what’s going on, and I actually quite like the balance of a lot of the teams at the moment. If you look down the grid, seven of the 10 teams have race winners in their lineups, and of those that don’t, McLaren has an excellent pairing while Alex Albon’s reputation has skyrocketed as the Williams leader.

But after the stability through this winter, there’s a huge amount of promise when it comes to drivers moving teams in 2025 given the number that are out of contract.

Obviously relative competitiveness would play a big part to who I’d like to see on the move, but someone like Albon deserves another chance at a front-running team, while there are some exciting talents in Formula 2 — Ollie Bearman and Kimi Antonelli springing to mind of the young crop — who could also do with some shuffling opening up opportunities.

Plus, it always feels like you learn more about a driver when they are tested in a new environment.

ALPHATAURI HIGHLIGHTS

I’m still calling it AlphaTauri until any new name is officially unveiled, but this is one particular team that I want to be right in the mix near the front on occasions. As an overall picture, a more competitive midfield would be great, but there’s a lot to be found out still about both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo.

Has Tsunoda made that big step that would see him deliver on every big opportunity and be worthy of a better seat? It appears Red Bull doesn’t see a chance for him alongside Verstappen at any stage, but the same can’t be said of Daniel Ricciardo who it feels like can muscle out Sergio Perez with a quality season. Has Ricciardo still got the capability to win regular races for Red Bull?

Both only get a chance to answer those questions if the AlphaTauri is performing more like the second half of 2023 than the first.

DIRECTION AT HAAS

As good as it was to see Williams making progress under James Vowles, it put into stark contrast what is lacking at Haas, and that’s direction. Guenther Steiner appears to be working with limited ambition from team owner Gene Haas compared to rivals if you look at the investments being made elsewhere, and in such a competitive era that led to an underwhelming slide to the bottom of the constructors’ standings.

In Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen, Haas has a very dependable lineup for a team that wants to be targeting regular points, but wouldn’t it be great if there was extra investment from a new avenue, or Gene Haas stated he wanted to push the team further and backed that up with resource?

ANDRETTI APPROVAL

Obvious one this, but give me an 11th team on the grid, and give me it soon. On a very base level the interest around a new entrant would be a welcome storyline if dominance at the front was continuing, but there are so many great aspects to the Andretti Global project. The Cadillac name and General Motors as a power unit supplier would be awesome, as would two extra seats on the grid for more drivers to get their chance, let alone an American crossing over from IndyCar.

Add in the Andretti name on the F1 grid and the further cementing of the series’ growth in the United States and it would be a huge win in my book.

The downside is the existing teams might well lose some money, but luckily — as long as it isn’t hugely damaging to anyone — I don’t have to worry about that.

Las Vegas at night? Awesome. Vegas in the early morning hours, not so much. Andrew Ferraro/Motorsport Images

VEGAS TO CHANGE ITS START TIME

Yeah, this one’s a little more self-indulgent, but I don’t think there are that many people who would disagree with this either. An earlier start time benefits the U.S. on the whole — even if 10pm was a fun start time for the West Coast — but it’s the practice and qualifying sessions that hurt so much.

From a personal point of view, working until 5am (or later thanks to last year’s Friday drama) was immensely tough in a windowless room, as was teaching your body when to eat. And it was even worse for team members tending to the cars well into the early hours as they face a more physical workload.

It was exhausting enough as the first of back-to-back race weekends paired with Abu Dhabi, but as a tripleheader of Las Vegas-Qatar-Abu Dhabi this season there needs to be a concession to shift the start times forward by a few hours to make it that tiny bit more manageable.

TO GET TO TELL YOU WHAT DRIVING AN F1 CAR FEELS LIKE TO A MERE MORTAL

OK, I’m finishing with the most self-indulgent of the lot, but there’s a chance I’ll get to do this in 2024…

Since 2022, Alpine F1 Team has kindly put on a media karting championship each year. Consisting of five races over four rounds (the final one in Abu Dhabi featuring a reverse grid sprint before the final race), I finished as runner-up to the immensely quick Stephane Kox in the first edition. And her reward was to drive the 2012 E20 at Paul Ricard.

Last year, with Kox no longer working in F1, the path was kindly cleared for me to win the championship, but the prize has yet to be officially confirmed. Now, this entry is here because hopefully the same E20 experience is on the cards, but if I get to explain to you all how it feels then it also means I lived to tell the tale.

Alonso denies Hamilton brake test accusation

Fernando Alonso says he did not brake test Lewis Hamilton during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and that it was both drivers using their experience in a fight he came out on top of. Hamilton claimed Alonso had brake tested him into Turn 5 – the hairpin …

Fernando Alonso says he did not brake test Lewis Hamilton during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and that it was both drivers using their experience in a fight he came out on top of.

Hamilton claimed Alonso had brake tested him into Turn 5 – the hairpin before the longest straight on the track – and the stewards did look into the incident but opted against a full investigation. Alonso says he was trying to make sure he wasn’t vulnerable to Hamilton having DRS at that point on the track having recently made a pit stop but that there was nothing dangerous about his move.

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“Nothing,” Alonso said. “Lewis is obviously very clever and understands the sport really good and has a lot of experience but I have more.

“Yes and no [the comments weren’t surprising]. We did the same in Canada in 2012, so 11 years after that episode, we tried to give the DRS to the other guy, braking for Turn 5 but in both cases I won so it is OK.”

Alonso kept Hamilton at bay and went on to overtake Yuki Tsunoda to finish seventh on Sunday, earning himself fourth place in the drivers’ championship as a result. However, having complained to Aston Martin about how slow the car was in a straight line compared to its rivals, he says it’s an area that needs addressing over the winter.

“Occasionally fast on the straight, but we need a lot more pace to overtake. We were a little bit slow on the straights, we noticed it [on Saturday] but obviously that was the best compromise for us in terms of total lap time but it is something that has been our weakness all throughout the season, the top speed, and it is something that we will work on for next year’s car.

“It was tough because of that and because of the tire degradation. We expected to be on the high side but it was higher than expectations. By lap 16 or something like that we made the first stop and we knew that the race was long from that point.

“But at the end the pace was only good for seventh or eighth and as I said [after qualifying] the lap in qualifying was very good for the position but the pace was a concern. That’s what we saw. We were just quick enough to beat AlphaTauri but that is not enough.”

Aston Martin’s Krack says Brazil show of strength answers team’s critics

Aston Martin demonstrated the strength of its Formula 1 team with its performance in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after facing doubts due to its poor run of form, according to team principal Mike Krack. Fernando Alonso’s third place – after a thrilling …

Aston Martin demonstrated the strength of its Formula 1 team with its performance in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after facing doubts due to its poor run of form, according to team principal Mike Krack.

Fernando Alonso’s third place — after a thrilling battle with Sergio Perez — was Aston’s first podium since Zandvoort and only second in 12 races after its impressive start to the season faded. Lance Stroll backed that up in fifth place to secure a haul of 25 points over the weekend, marking the second-highest score for the team this season, and offering a response to a run of 21 points across the previous six rounds.

“It’s good that you spotted it, what a strong team we are,” Krack said of the post-race celebrations. “We have kept together in the difficult times; after Zandvoort we had a couple of races that were not strong. We had the tripleheader (of races on consecutive weekends), which is brutal in terms of workload, in terms of being away, timezones, heat, a lot of work with not so many results. And then to come back like we did, I think it’s a great credit to everybody involved.

“Teamwork at the track, teamwork with the factory, our campus… the lights didn’t go off — this you can believe me — in all that time. It shows that if you are a strong team and if you trust each other and believe in each other that you can do amazing things or manage amazing turnarounds.

“One week ago we were on the other side of the grid and to see how sometimes things can go. But I think after Mexico, the reaction that we have shown as a team shows that we are really gearing up for more.”

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While Alonso’s battle with Perez received the majority of the attention, Krack says the pace shown by Stroll — who finished just over six seconds adrift — highlights what is possible when Aston Martin gets its car working properly.

“You never know how much everybody still has in their tires. This is really dictating how it’s going to end. And then going for the last time down the back straight to Turn 4, I think Fernando prepared it really, really well on the exit of Turn 1 and Turn 2 and managed to overtake.

“But one thing that we shouldn’t forget — and we know the cameras were obviously always on that fight — I think for the last 20 minutes or something, what we did not see is how Lance closed on that package. So if we race maybe another 10 laps, it’s a fight for three, not a fight for two.

“So that is very, very strong for the team, very important for the team, and it’s very important for Lance. I think it showed if we provide the right car with the right behavior then both drivers can achieve incredible results.”