F1 Today – 18/01/2023
Nielson appointed as FIA F1 sporting director
Steve Nielsen has taken a new role with governing body the FIA with the aim of fixing the sport’s race-management problems. Nielsen has left his current job with Liberty Media to join the governing body as F1 sporting director.
The Brit will oversee race control which has in recent years been at the centre of several controversies in recent years. Nikolas Tombazis, formerly FIA single-seater technical director, has been promoted to single-seater director.
In a new management structure announced by the FIA, Tombazis has been given a new position that puts him in overall charge of the FIA’s F1 operations under president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Former McLaren technical director Tim Goss has been promoted from deputy technical director to technical director.
Nielsen has been sporting director for commercial rights holder F1 since 2017, under former motorsport and technical managing director Ross Brawn, and before that had a long career as sporting director for a series of teams. Nielsen’s move comes with the blessing of F1, which believes he is the right man to fix issues that have been the subject of concern within the sport for some time.
Ben Sulayem said, “We have dedicated a lot of time and effort to making significant, informed changes to our F1 team to create the right structure with the right people to oversee the future regulation of the sport.”
“By developing and empowering people within our organisation, as well as bringing in expertise and experience from the outside, I am confident that we are in the best position possible to move forward together with our partners at F1 management and the F1 teams.”
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali added, “I want to thank Steve Nielsen for his hard work and dedication over the past five years at Formula 1. He is a highly respected professional in our sport, and we fully support his move to the FIA.”
The move has been widely welcomed by the teams following the controversy around last year’s Japanese Grand Prix, and the scandal involving then-race director Michael Masi at 2021 title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Masi incorrectly applied the rules.
Nielsen’s decision to accept this time is founded in his belief that it is in the wider interests of F1. He has long recognised the problems in race control and believes he can make a real difference in resolving them. His new role will be to oversee the race directors and guide them in difficult circumstances.
Mercedes urges caution about gap to Red Bull in 2023
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff insists his team remains cautious about its hopes for 2023 and is even braced for not having closed the gap to Red Bull yet. The German manufacturer spent much of last year in ‘no man’s land’ between the top two and the midfield after struggling with porpoising in the first half of 2022.
However, an intensive in-season effort to get to the bottom of the problems helped deliver a good step forward and take their only one-two in both the sprint and Grand Prix in Interlagos. The winter break has given Mercedes the opportunity to rethink its design, and there have been hints of a change to its concept.
Wolff has suggested that the team is pushing on with a similar design for 2023 because it is convinced there remains a lot of unleashed potential in it. But rather than anticipate Mercedes will be able to start the campaign with dramatically better performance than it ended last year, Wolff is eager to play things down.
As Wolff always does, he says Mercedes remain realistic about the challenge it will take to close the gap to Red Bull, who dominated much last year. He told Motorsport.com, “I think we have understood how we fell back, where the shortcomings are, and where we have gaps in understanding.”
“We’re working hard on putting a car on the ground that has addressed all of that. But we will only see when starting testing whether we have unlocked the potential that we believe has always been in the car.”
“We have no doubt, when you’re starting behind by half a second, that it’s going to be difficult to catch up to such great organisations like Red Bull, or Ferrari. Now, having said that, we are super determined in doing just that. But we need to set our expectations at a realistic level.”
Last year Mercedes chances of fighting for the title were hampered by much of the first half of 2022 problem-solving rather than chasing performance gains. It was only in Austin at the end of the season that the gains started to show the team’s true performance.
Wolff is hoping that Mercedes are able at least mix it with the frontrunners from the start of 2023, and thinks that would then give it the platform it needs to push forwards.
he added, “If we perform in the way we hope, then we’d like to be part of the racing at the very front. I think that would be a starting point. But we don’t take that for granted. It could well be that the gaps are like they were at the end of last season.”
Wolff still believes that Mercedes still at least mix it with the frontrunners from the start of 2023, and thinks that would then give it the platform it needs to push forwards.
he added, “If we perform in the way we hope, then we’d like to be part of the racing at the very front. I think that would be a starting point. But we don’t take that for granted. It could well be that the gaps are like they were at the end of last season.”
China will not be reinstated or replaced in 2023
F1 has confirmed it will not replace or reinstate this year’s Chinese Grand Prix. The race was due to return to the calendar following a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and the country’s zero-covid policy.
There had been reports that Istanbul and Portimao, which filled gaps at the height of the pandemic, could fill the slot or the race being reinstated following the country’s relaxation of Covid restrictions in late December. This creates a four-week ‘spring break’ covering the easter weekend and follows the flyway races in the Middle East and Melbourne.
An F1 statement read: “Formula 1 can confirm that the 2023 season will consist of 23 races. That means the season will kick off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5, and finish up in Abu Dhabi on November 26, with the brand new Las Vegas Grand Prix joining the calendar a week before the season finale.”
At the time the race was cancelled the country was continuing to implement a zero-Covid policy, which has led to heavy restrictions and continued lockdown, F1 decided it was not feasible to hold a race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
F1 2023 starts with pre-season testing on 23-25 February before the first race of the season followed by the opening weekend 03-05 March in Sakhir.
Bottas want “quite early” talks on future
Valtteri Bottas is keen to discuss his future with Alfa Romeo “quite early” as he looks for continued stability. The Finn joined the team after five one-year deals with Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, and helped the team to sixth in the constructors championship.
He has previously spoken about the importance of the stability offered by the multi-year deals, having only getting one-season extensions at both Williams and Mercedes. Bottas is therefore keen to ensure discussions about his future at Hinwil take place early this year to maintain this stability.
Bottas told Motorsport.com, “I’ve been in that situation so many times where it’s become a distraction. So yeah, for sure, it’s going to be a talking point hopefully quite early [in the year] on what’s going to happen. It is important to me to have that stability after ten years of not so much stability.”
This season will be the final season where the Sauber run team, races under the name Alfa Romeo before being taken over by Audi in 2026. Bottas has already expressed a desire to stick around for when Audi’s works support arrives at Hinwil, and noted the boost it had already given the whole operation. He says its an opportunity bringing stability and something new.
Bottas added “I think probably next year, things are going to start changing. But for now, it’s pretty stable and everyone is just focused on their job.”
Bottas emerged as Alfa Romeo’s team leader quite early in 2022, scoring 49 of its 55 points through the year, as well as helping it clinch sixth in the championship ahead of Aston Martin on countback thanks to his fifth-place finish at Imola. He has spoken about how enjoyable it has been without the pressure of Mercedes, and adjusting what is success.
Sargeant looks ahead to debut
Entering the F1 paddock comes with an immense amount of pressure for any driver, none more so than Williams’ newest star Logan Sargeant. The American was announced as the replacement for Nicolas Latifi in Austin, he knows that there will be eyes on him as he takes the next steps in his career.
Sargeant will team up with Alex Albon as he becomes the first American to race in the sport since 2015, the last American to win a race was Mario Andretti in 1978
He told Sky Sports, “Obviously it is super special to be the first American driver in a while. With three Grand Prix’s [in America], that is going to be fun. Miami is just on my doorstep so I am really looking forward to that one.”
“It is maybe a little bit of extra pressure, but, at the end of the day, I put a lot of pressure on myself and the expectations are high. We just need to get the job done.”
Pressure will mount on Sargeant as the season get nearer, but he has always made sure to remember to live out his dream with a team which has supported him for years. He described it as a dream come true with sixteen years of hard work lifting a weight off his shoulders.
He added, “Williams has supported me so much since the end of last year and they gave me so much confidence throughout the year that this seat was up for grabs if I did my job. Going into that last round, I needed to get my super licence and the pressure was on to maximise the weekend and we did.”
Miami plans F1 track resurfacing and new paddock
Organisers of the Miami Grand Prix have revealed plans for a major upgrade of its facility this year, which includes resurfacing its track and moving the paddock inside the Hard Rock stadium.
Last years inaugural race saw minor teething problems with organisers committing to big investments to improve the circuit. One of the biggest changes is the decision to move the F1 team paddock hospitality area to inside the football ground and on the pitch, rather than crammed around the outside of it like last year.
Fans will get a chance to purchase tickets for a unique vantage point to watch the goings on inside the paddock. The circuit will also have a 190,000 square foot Paddock Club hospitality building built for this year’s race.
After problems with the track surface at last year’s first Miami GP, the circuit has signed up the renowned Tilke company to lay fresh asphalt ahead of this year’s race.
Miami GP managing partner Tom Garfinkel believed that the new surface would help deliver improved overtaking opportunities, even though last year’s race already produced 45 passes.
He explained, “We could have just come back with the race track that we had last year. The goal we set out was to have great racing and a lot of overtaking side-by-side racing. The track we had last year, there were parts where there was one line where there should have been a possibility to overtake. We weren’t happy with that.”
While there had been some debate after last year’s race about whether or not the Miami track layout could be improved, especially around the tight chicane area, it has decided to leave things unchanged for now.
The only modifications that are being planned are to some run-off areas, to help bring hospitality areas closer to the edge of the track.