F1 Today – 30/11/2022
Ben Sulayem plays down delays in 2026 engine sign off
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has downplayed the significance of delays in current manufacturers committing to 2026 engine rules. The regulations for F1’s new era of fully sustainable fuel-powered cars were published earlier this year, and potential entrants were originally given a 15 October deadline to sign up.
While Audi was the first to sign up, many of the other potential manufacturers have found their plans stalled and the revised deadline of 15th November has also been missed. But the matter needs to be resolved by 31st December as all manufacturers will need to comply with a new power unit cost cap that comes into force on 1 January 2023.
The delays have prompted concerns that some of its current entrants elect not to continue, but Ben Sulayem thinks there is nothing major to worry about. He put this down to teams needing to seek legal clarification over specific wordings before they could commit, while bigger issues involving rules had been resolved.
When asked about the delays, he said, “There was a bit of an issue when it comes to the compression ratio and the boost pressure, but this was sorted by the teams. But honestly, at the beginning, when you have somebody new [like Audi], the old ones will always resist it, and they will have a much more powerful way with the FIA to discuss. But once one is signed, then the second then the third, then you will see it’s done.”
Many of the current teams are satisfied that the FIA has things under control and will get everyone signed up.
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff said in Abu Dhabi, “There was no formal deadline. I think there is nothing in the regulations that said it needs to be the 15th of October, it was discretionary for the FIA to decide when that is.”
“We have entered, that has happened. And now it’s about the FIA to talk to everyone else. These discussions are progressing as far as I understand, so we are on course for 2026.”
His Alpine counterpart, Laurent Rossi said that while Renault had not committed as of yet, he was sure it would do swiftly. He said, “We had some points we wanted to discuss on the legal side, to make sure that we fully covered as much as possible, which we did, We just kept on discussing those points as far as we could.”
“At some point, when we reach a level in discussions where we think we’re all in a good position, we sign – or we’re going to sign. I think it’s imminent.”
While Red Bull’s Christen Horner added “The deadlines were extended but there’s an awful lot of discussion about governance and tidying up some of the technical regs and obviously financial regs as well.”
“So, as a newcomer for 2026, Red Bull Powertrains has entered. It’s an exciting moment for the group, for the company, a new challenge to take on, and a lot to do between now and 2026.”
The biggest uncertainty at the moment remains on Ferrari, which has been distracted by the departure of team principal Mattia Binotto, and newcomer Porsche that had been considering an F1 entry with Red Bull before talks collapsed
Wolff urges Mercedes to be “careful”
Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff has urged his team to be “careful” to avoid the post-title slumps suffered by Red Bull and Ferrari but has reiterated that 2022, which he insists was less painful than 2021, was necessary to “re-energise” the Formula One powerhouse.
After eight years of championship wins the team dropped to third after getting this year’s regulation change wrong. This naturally has led to questions about whether Mercedes can avoid a similar slump like Ferrari who has not won a championship since 2008 and Red Bull who went seven years without a championship.
Wolff told Sky Sports, “Of course, we are talking about it, we are analysing what are the reasons the teams that dominated in the past suddenly lost performance? You can see with Ferrari, they lost the whole top leadership and a key driver… I think that’s something you can trace back.”
“With Red Bull, it was a fundamental situation that the power unit regulation changed upside down, and no works deal. So fundamental parameters changed.” The Austrian says Mercedes needs to be careful but confident the team would avoid the same mistakes despite a ‘bitter season.’
The team haven’t seen this as a bad year, but rather a stepping stone to achieving success in the future. Wolff believes that was necessary to “re-energise and re-motivate the team.” Saying it made them appreciate how difficult its to win and recover. Mercedes will be aiming to bounce back next season, particularly against Red Bull after their whopping 205-point title victory.
Despite the difficult season, Wolff was insistent it was ‘less painful’ than the way Lewis Hamilton lost last year’s championship controversially on the final lap to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last December.
Asked which of the two seasons were more painful, the team principal said: “Last year, without any doubt. Last year was strong and how it ended… it’s out of control. It was the first time I had lost control since I was an adolescent and in my sense of fairness, that was totally against my values.”
He admitted the team got it wrong this year and they are “conscious others did a good job, and this is an absolute meritocracy how it worked out.”
Alpine was “in shambles” before recovery this year
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says the team arrived at the first test of 2022 “in shambles” before recovering to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. The French manufacturer had their best finish in the constructors since 2018 finishing fourth fourteen points ahead of McLaren.
Reflecting on the season, Rossi was impressed by the team’s ability to out-develop its rivals throughout the year and turn things around, conceding it was not in good shape at the initial pre-season test. He told Motorsport.com, “We started the season in bad shape – I mean, we arrived in Barcelona in shambles, I could say.”
“Then the idea was to develop as late as we can, because it was a brand new car, and then from there, to try and make our way up the grid. Nobody was seeing us anywhere above eighth position, I remember back then, and McLaren had a very fast car. So I’m quite pleased that we managed to catch up and then hopefully overtake them to get where we are now.”
Although neither Fernando Alonso nor Esteban Ocon finished on the podium, both were regular finishers in the points and finished eighth and ninth in the drivers. It was a successful season for the team under its new more traditional but modern management structure with Otmar Szafnauer as team principal rather than no direct team principal in 2021.
Rossi explained that the new team structure was always intended to pursue an aggressive upgrade approach through the year, contributing to its fourth-place finish. Rossi said, “At the beginning of the season, the goal was to put a new structure in place, which we did. That structure was supposed to deliver innovations, upgrades throughout the entire season, to be more competitive, which we did, which culminate ultimately in a better position.”
He reiterated the importance of finishing fourth, not just financially but for momentum, describing it as an important step.
Aston Martin on target with long-term goals
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says that the team is on target after recovering from a poor start to the 2022 season. ta stressed the team needed to make progress with next year’s car, which will be the first built under technical director Dan Fallows and a number of signings from Red Bull.
When Racing Point was rebranded as Aston Martin in 2021, owner Lawrence Stroll set them the target of challenging for the championship within five years. But the team had a difficult start to the season, with the cars regularly finishing just outside the points. However, in the final races of the season, the team jumped from ninth to seventh in the world championship, narrowly missing out on sixth place.
Krack told Motorsport.com about the teams 2022’s progress, “From the way we started the year, I think we were behind schedule. But I think we caught up quite well. I think in year three, we need to see a clear improvement, a clear step in terms of performance, and yeah, I would say we’re on target.”
“I think it’s a very impressive recovery. You clearly see the impact of people like Dan joining and others, mixing with the people who were there already. I think we have a lot of momentum, and you feel that spirit when you come in here. I think honestly, we have reason to believe we can continue on that path. So all good from that point of view.”
The German admitted he was wary about making big changes after joining just before the start of the season. He says its sometimes is difficult not to come in and radically change things but analyse and look at the weaknesses first.
Krack said improving the feedback from the car to the driver was the key starting point. Saying “I remember very well that we were sitting together in Melbourne for very long. And we decided the first thing, we have to give the feedback to the driver, so that they can feel what the car is doing before we can identify, what do we do next?”
Sargeant chooses number two as car number
Logan Sargeant has announced he has chosen number two as his permanent number ahead of his rookie Formula One season with Williams in 2023. The American will make his debut next year moving up from F2 after finishing fifth thus securing enough super licence points to move up to F1.
Sargeant will be the second driver to use the number since drivers were first allowed to pick their career numbers since it was introduced in 2014. The team made the announcement in a short social post on its channels on Wednesday with the hashtag #LS2.
The team made the announcement in a short social post on its channels on Wednesday with the hashtag #LS2.
Williams team principal Jost Capito revealed over the United States Grand Prix weekend in October that Sargeant was in line for a seat in 2023 so long as he gained the required superlicence points. Sargeant passed the threshold by taking fourth place in the F2 championship at the Abu Dhabi season finale, leading to his formal confirmation the day after the race.
Williams aided Sargeant’s push to get up to speed by four FP1 sessions at the end of the season, as well as handing him a full day of running in the post-race test in Abu Dhabi. Following the test, the American said his goal was to “get comfortable in the car and really push the limit” without the pressure to keep to a practice run plan and look after the car for the full-time driver.
Sargeant said, “In the FP1s, it’s touch and go because you need to get your 100km and you don’t have much time. Whereas today, I could really find the limit and get comfortable with it, as well as just really learning how I can change the car balance to my suiting just through the steering wheel. That’s obviously work in process, it will be for a while. But it’s a good understanding of what those tools do.”
He will also do some private testing with Alpine over the winter to further his development before getting a day-and-a-half in the 2023 Williams through pre-season testing.
Albon F1 helmet auction raises £84k for Thai orphanage
The auction of Alex Albon’s helmet for the Singapore Grand Prix has helped raise £84,000 to support an orphanage in Thailand. Earlier this year Albon vested the Wat Sakaeo orphanage near the Thai capital Bangkok, which is run by Volker Capito, the brother of Williams team principal Jost.
Albon dyed his hair red after visiting the orphanage back in March and later encouraged the F1 paddock to do the same as part of a fundraising push, which was furthered by a decision to auction off his Singapore helmet design that was designed by the children he met.
The helmet was eventually auctioned off for £84,075, pushing the overall fundraising for the orphanage through the Iceman Charity close to £100,000 for the year.
Following the conclusion of the F1 season in Abu Dhabi last weekend, Albon returned to Thailand to visit the orphanage to see the impact of the fundraising, which had allowed for the construction of a new sports hall that is set to be named after him.
He told Motorsport.com, “When I visited the orphanage in Thailand earlier this year I was determined to help in any way I could. With 2022 being my first year back racing in Formula 1, I wanted to use my platform to do good and give back to the Thai community.”
“I was amazed to see the quality and creativity from the children when they started designing my Singapore helmet, and the results were super impressive. I wasn’t going to let my health scare in Monza stop me from racing that helmet in Singapore and I’m totally overwhelmed by how much money we have raised to help improve the facilities at the orphanage.”
He also thanked his fans for donating and the “generous bidder that won my helmet.”
Albon told Motorsport.com in an interview in May that he felt working with the orphanage was “an opportunity to do the right thing.”