Formula One had a weekend away from racing
Formula One had a weekend away from racing, but the sheer enormity of the much-hyped Miami Grand Prix meant stories from the USA continued to follow the sport in the week following the race. Off-track racing has also continued with the development race between Red Bull and Ferrari in full swing and both teams exploring options to improve their car. Elsewhere, the idea of a new team joining Formula One was met with a frosty reception by the existing constructors, even though one will be contesting Formula E next year as a new entry themselves. There are all these stories and more in another busy week for F1.
1. The discussions about what changes the Miami International Autodrome should have after its first F1 outing at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix have continued to rumble on. Several drivers, including world champion Max Verstappen, have criticized the Turn 14-15 chicane in particular. The weekend saw many drivers lose time as they hit the chicane's high kerbs, but reducing speeds at that section of track was necessary for FIA safety approval. The Miami GP COO Tyler Epp explained to Autosport that they are looking for modifications: "We are having internal meetings all this week and next week to recap everything and see where we need to make changes to improve." — Autosport
2. Although the scale of the Miami Grand Prix has had some liken the event to being F1's Superbowl, winner Max Verstappen claims it won't replace Monaco as the 'jewel in the crown' anytime soon. "I don't think you can replace Monaco," the reigning champ said while he was in Florida over the race weekend. Other drivers echoed Verstappen, with Estaban Ocon calling the Monaco GP "special" and Valtteri Bottas stating, "Monaco is still always gonna be in Monaco ... because of the history." However, a question mark hangs over the future of the famous race as it is still unconfirmed for 2023 and beyond. — PlanetF1
3. Jacques Villeneuve believes George Russell has surpassed Lewis Hamilton as the team leader at Mercedes in 2022. The 1997 world champion believes that Hamilton's championship loss to Max Verstappen in 2021 has left the Brit with a "heavy burden" to carry over the winter. When writing in his column at formule1.nl, Villeneuve believes Russell's choice to stay out and wait for a safety car in Miami shows that the newcomer to Mercedes is in the ascendency. Meanwhile, Hamilton is "trying not to drown" as luck eludes the seven-time champion this year. Russell sits fourth in the championship with 59 points, while Hamilton is sixth with 36. — Motorsport Week
4. Speculation over how significant Ferrari's upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix grew after the Italian squad's secrecy over a filming day at Monza. Security was tight at the Milanese circuit, with the team setting up barriers on entry roads to prevent fan access. Although in-season testing is banned, teams are permitted two 100km filming days each year. As part of the fallout from the war in Ukraine, Ferrari parted ways with its Russian sponsor Kaspersky. Their previous filming day at Barcelona in pre-season testing has the cybersecurity brand heavily featured on the Ferrari SF-75. Although the need for another filming day is clear, the classified nature of the day suggests they used the opportunity to test parts they don't want their rivals to see. — Motorsport
5. Red Bull is looking at weight reduction to extract more performance from their 2022 challenger, the RB18. Team Principal Christian Horner explained that losing weight will improve tire degradation during the races. His team continues to seek ways to improve their performance, particularly in slow corners, although they now face an unexpected foe. Inflation is increasing the cost of any new developments, and with the budget cap in place, Horner says everyone has "got to pick when you want to introduce your components." — Formula 1
6. Ex-F1 driver Pastor Maldonado reflected on his single F1 triumph, ten years after winning for Williams in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix. The Venezuelan driver will return to the scene of his success this year to watch his first Grand Prix in person since the Covid pandemic began. Maldonado said he "feels like I'm getting old" when he considers he's amongst drivers like Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost, who also took wins for Williams. However, he says that it is "very, very special" to have given Frank Williams his last victory in Formula One. The controversial driver remains the only person from Venezuela to have ever reached the F1 podium. — Williams Racing
7. Charles Leclerc's poor run of luck when racing at home has continued at the annual Historic Monaco Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver damaged the early 1970s Ferrari 312B when he crashed at La Rascasse, the circuit's final corner. Although Leclerc leads the Formula One World Drivers Championship in 2022, the streets of Monaco haven't been kind to him. The Ferrari driver even tweeted about his "bad luck" after losing the brakes in Niki Lauda's former car. Last year Leclerc took pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix before a crash in the final moments of qualifying, irreparably damaging his gearbox and causing him to miss the race. — RacingNews365
8. Mario Andretti remains confident about entering Formula One as a new team despite other constructors being wary about further splitting the prize money. The American 1978 world champion told Sky Sports UK that he has the "budget and engine supplier", and if he is unsuccessful in his bid, "it's not for the lack of trying". The problem facing Andretti or any new team is how additional entries would dilute the prize money pool. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has suggested that commercial rights holders Liberty Media should be the ones to take any financial hit. Horner stated he felt it would be "unfair" for his or other teams to lose out on income should a new entry join F1. — Sky Sports
9. Sebastian Vettel admitted he is a hypocrite for racing in F1 while campaigning for environmental issues. The four-time world champion swapped his race suit for a shirt when he appeared on the BBC television show Question Time. Vettel gave his opinions on multiple subjects, including the war in Ukraine and the cost of living crisis. However, when speaking of his stance on the climate, the host asked whether racing F1 cars made him a hypocrite. The German said he questions his job "every day". Although it's not possible for the so-called 'flyaway' races, Vettel did say he tries to limit his impact: "Do I take the plane every time? No, not when I can take the car." — BBC
📅 10. Next year, McLaren will continue their expansion out of Formula One by joining Formula E for the 2022-2023 season. After purchasing 75% of the Arrow McLaren SP Indycar team in 2021 and starting an Extreme E team this year, the move represents more of McLaren's ever-widening reach as a race team. They will replace the outgoing Mercedes-EQ, who will exit the championship after three seasons. Although McLaren and Mercedes have a successful history in Formula One, the McLaren Formula E outfit will use Nissan powertrains for its first two years. Rumours have also suggested that McLaren is looking to enter the World Endurance Championship after CEO Zak Brown spoke about joining the series in 2024. — The Race