Charles Leclerc believes his Ferrari team will be at a disadvantage compared with rivals Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix. F1 heads to Melbourne this weekend to a revised Albert Park which is estimated to be around ten seconds a lap faster than the last time F1 raced here in 2019.<\/p>\n
Leclerc currently leads the championship by twelve points from Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a further eight points behind. He told BBC News, \u201cOverall the track characteristics here are not fitting very well with our [car], but everything is to play for. I still think we will be in the mix – it will still be very close\u201d<\/p>\n
This season after two races Red Bull has appeared to have an advantage on the straights compared with the Ferrari, so Leclerc and Sainz believe the modifications to Albert Park – which include removing a chicane and widening some of the remaining corners – will favour Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Speaking about the new layout, the Monacan says from driving on the simulator the circuit was \u201cmuch, much quicker.\u201d However says he believes the old circuit would have suited the team better, but they would as always try and maximise everything hoping as always to try and maximise everything and that Imola would suit them better.<\/p>\n
Sainz said: “Our car has been strong in all the circuits we have been to so far, but it’s true in Jeddah with more straight-line [speed] the Red Bull looked like the better car, and the better balance in terms of top speed and corner speed. So, given how long the straights have become here, maybe they are a bit more up for it. But I think we can still do a good job\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening two races have already seen close battles between Leclerc and Verstappen, in Leclerc, managed to fend off the world champion in Bahrain before Verstappen’s retirement, but in Jeddah, the Red Bull’s straight-line speed advantage compared with the high number of DRS zones eventually paid and Verstappen was able to make a pass stick a few laps from the end.<\/p>\n
In both races, Leclerc played tactically with the DRS detection points to ensure he was behind at key parts of the track and could benefit from the subsequent overtaking zone to repass Verstappen.<\/p>\n
Leclerc added, \u201cWe have seen in the past two races this strategy with DRS and I am petty sure we will see it even more here because basically all the straights have a DRS zone so overtaking will be a thing and clever racing can make a big difference here.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mercedes say there is no “magic fix” for their underperforming W13 car for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. This weekend the eight times constructors champions have set the focus on maximising points rather than expected upgrades.<\/p>\n
The German manufacturer after dominating the sport since 2014, but have had a difficult start to the season following the regulation changes and appears to be in no mans land slipping behind Ferrari and Red Bull while comfortably ahead of the rest of the field.<\/p>\n
Mercedes have been one of the teams most affected by porpoising, and it now looks like Mercedes will be waiting. CEO and team principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports, \u201cThere won’t be a magic fix for the next race weekend, but we’re pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.\u201d Mercedes are currently second in the constructor’s championship, forty points behind Ferrari, that\u2019s only thanks to Red Bull\u2019s double retirement in Bahrain. Wolff sees that as learning, with plenty more to be learned, accepting that the performance on track is not meeting expectations.<\/p>\n
Adding \u201cEveryone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions. There are various challenges ahead of us, but that’s something we relish and is when a team really shows its true spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLewis and George [Russell] are making an important contribution to the overall effort, providing feedback, spending time in the simulator and working together to help push us forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Red Bull says its championship hopes are not being helped by Carlos Sainz so far failing to match Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc\u2019s form. Leclerc has had the edge over his teammate in the opening two races, after finding the right driving style and set up for the new 2022 cars.<\/p>\n
After a 2021 campaign where there was little to separate Leclerc and Sainz, Red Bull had been counting on the two drivers taking points away from each other. Speaking to Formel1.de, Marko said that the early performance of Sainz was not the best of news for Red Bull.<\/p>\n
Marko said, \u201cI was pleasantly surprised last year that he [Sainz] was on the same level as Leclerc, and I was actually hoping that it would be the same this year. But you could already see it in the tests, and you could also see it in the race, that he’s missing about three to four-tenths.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a disadvantage for us because we believed that the two [Ferrari drivers] would take points away from each other. That is not the case at the moment. But Sainz is an intelligent, fast man. I assume he will sort things out accordingly and then hopefully get a boost.\u201d<\/p>\n
While last year Red Bull could have countered Leclerc\u2019s advantage by throwing all its weight behind Verstappen, Marko says that at the moment the team is giving both it is drivers the opportunity to go for wins.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where Sergio Perez took his maiden F1 pole, Marko said that both its drivers were still currently free to race for wins. He added, \u201cThat was made clear before the [Saudi] race, that at such an early stage, when both still had zero points, there would be no team orders whatsoever. There was this theory that Ferrari forced us to make an early pit stop, but that wasn’t the case \u2013 it was just the tyre wear on Perez was significantly higher than on Max.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Austrian says the initial pace was three seconds ahead at times, saying that Verstappen\u2019s speed was significantly higher than Perez’s at times. But, Marko however believes that Perez is much more comfortable with the new generation of cars than he was with last year\u2019s design.<\/p>\n
Asked if he felt Perez was closer because of the new cars, Marko said: \u201cIf you look at teams, it’s different. Some drivers have gotten closer, with Ferrari it’s the opposite.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave two reasons for this were, the car suiting him better and knowing the team better.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Organisers of this weekend\u2019s Australian Grand Prix are hoping that the changes to Albert Park end the days of single-lane racing. This weekend’s race not only marks the first race weekend since the abandoned 2020 race but the twenty-fifth anniversary since the race moved back for the first time since becoming a world championship round.<\/p>\n
Until this year, the circuit had stuck resolutely to the layout of the first race in 1996 despite the vast evolution of the cars. Though one of the more visually pleasing tracks on the calendar, it drew criticism for lacking passing opportunities, gripes that only grew in volume as the cars sped up.<\/p>\n
The circuit has been resurfaced and shortened by twenty-eight metres. One of the more significant changes is the widening of Brabham (Turn One) the scene of some memorable crashes as cars jostled for position in a narrow funnel after taking off from the grid. The corner is now 2.5m wider, giving drivers more racing lines in the crucial opening moments.<\/p>\n
Turn Six has been widened by 7.5m, which is expected to see speeds increase by fifty-five miles an hour, as well as the Clark Chicane (Nine and Ten) which has effectively been turned the section from Turn Seven to eleven into a straight. The changes have paved the way for four DRS zones, where drivers can adjust flaps on their rear wings to reduce drag and improve their chances of overtaking.<\/p>\n
The pitlane has also been widened by two metres with the intention that its speed limit will be raised from 60kph to 80kph. This could lead to more strategic options for teams due to the reduced time spent pitting.<\/p>\n
The organisers are hoping the changes to the circuit will prove a hit with the drivers and a thrill for returning motorsport fans.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Valtteri Bottas believes having four DRS zones at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix could make for a \u2018tactically interesting\u2019 race at the redesigned Albert Park. Two years after the aborted 2020 race as the pandemic started to take hold the third race brings F1 back to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
The layout of the Albert Park track has been tweaked in a bid to improve overtaking opportunities and create a better spectacle after criticism from drivers about the lack of action in previous races. But the FIA has opted to put four DRS zones in place for this weekend, marking a first in F1.<\/p>\n
While there are still only two detection points, the DRS zones will run on the main straight, from Turn Two to Turn Three, through the kink between Turns Eight and Nine, and from Turn Ten to Turn Eleven.<\/p>\n
In the opening two races, DRS played a key role in the cat-and-mouse battle between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen as they tried to deliberately avoid being ahead at a detection point, in both Sakhir and Jeddah.<\/p>\n
Asked by Motorsport.com about the decision to have four DRS zones in Melbourne, Bottas felt there would be a degree of gamesmanship from drivers to ensure they kept an advantage. Bottas said, \u201cI think it’s going to make the race tactically quite interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you’re fighting with other drivers, you need to make sure that you will have the upper hand when it really comes to the overtake itself, and especially if it’s a battle towards the end of the race, you need to time things right. It just makes it different in a way, and there will be opportunities to overtake. So I’m fine with four zones, it’s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bottas\u2019s teammate Guanyu Zhou believes through Turns Nine to Eleven, a fast-flowing left-right section there would be a lot to play with. The Chinese driver added \u201cManaging your battery is also a key, you don’t want to overuse that, end up attacking and not making the move stick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think with the new layout, especially with high-speed, it’s not helping, but with our new car generation, it’s easier to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen felt it was important to get a “balance” when using DRS, and that it would take time to work out just how well the new cars were working to facilitate more overtaking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Haas go into this weekend without a spare chassis following Mick Schumacher\u2019s heavy crash in qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prin. The German\u2019s huge crash in qualifying last month meant he didn\u2019t start the race, because the team felt it was better to take its time in building up the spare chassis for Melbourne.<\/p>\n
That job has now been completed, with the team playing one of its curfew jokers and working late on Wednesday night at Albert Park. The crashed chassis is on its way back to the team’s UK base for repairs, before it can be returned to frontline use.<\/p>\n
Haas team boss Gunther Steiner told Motorsport.com, \u201cIt was pretty tough for the guys. Last night we broke the curfew because the guys wanted to get ahead for this morning, so tonight we don’t have to go over it\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBreaking one curfew was worthwhile to get to a good point. You need to bring as many parts as you can in the moment. You cannot bring more, there is nothing in stock anymore. All what you’ve got, you bring here. But there’s no spare chassis, no safety net here, so they need to be careful. Otherwise, we’ll start again with one car!\u201d<\/p>\n
Steiner however says that when it’s properly checked over the chassis will be returned for Imola. He explained at the moment the one heading back to the UK is in Singapore because for customs it had to go via Melbourne. Haas are hoping that they will be using the chassis, if its structurally ok, as the spare chassis once it has been repaired.<\/p>\n
Although he\u2019ll have a new gearbox when he takes to the track on Friday, Schumacher will still be using the complete Ferrari power unit installed in his car at the time of the Jeddah accident.<\/p>\n
Steiner is confident that there will be no issues with it, despite the heavy impact: “They need to fire it up now, but they pressure checked everything, and Ferrari is very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin has branded sanctions on Russian sportsmen and women competing in events as “cancel culture against my country”. The Russian driver was dropped by the team as countries and governing bodies placed sanctions on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Mazepin’s contract drive for US-owned Haas was terminated ahead of the 2022 season along with the title sponsorship deal the team had with Uralkali, the company owned by his father Dmitry. Since then both men have been placed under UK and EU sanctions because of their links to President Vladimir Putin<\/p>\n
In his first interview since being dropped by Haas, Mazepin told BBC News in an interview on HARDtalk, \u201cI don’t agree with being in the sanctions, I’ve said previously that I intend to fight it. Perhaps now is not the right time because if you look at the whole situation that’s happening against athletes in the general case, it’s cancel culture against my country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The EU sanctions list describes Dmitry Mazepin as “a member of the closest circle of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin”, while Nikita is described as a “person associated with a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation”.<\/p>\n
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the FIA issued a ten-point commitment which includes racing under a neutral flag and not voicing any direct or indirect support for the military action taking place in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Mazepin once again kept his counsel on his views over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although he admitted the images coming out of the country make for uncomfortable viewing.<\/p>\n
Adding, \u201cMy feeling obviously changed as a human being and as a person who wants to live in a very peaceful world. But I see tremendous risks in saying anything at all about this case because I will never satisfy everyone and therefore I will keep myself publicly quiet.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Alpine is hoping that a water pump fix will prevent a repeat of the failure that stopped Fernando Alonso in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The two-time champion ground to a halt because of a water pump issue, which in turn caused damage to his internal combustion engine, and led the latter being lost from his pool for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
The ICE was new for the Jeddah weekend after the Spaniard suffered an apparent engine issue in the latter stages in Bahrain. That power unit was returned to Viry for examination and has now been passed for future use. This meant that he moved onto his second unit in Jeddah, while only the V6 has been damaged, this means that he will face a grid penalty well before the end of the season, as drivers are only allowed to use three for the year.<\/p>\n
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer told Motorsport.com, \u201cThe two issues are not linked. In Bahrain, Fernando finished the race, and it was precautionary that we had to take it back to Viry and run it on the dyno. It’s fine, and it’ll go back into the pool.\u201d Alonso\u2019s retirement was one of three during a few laps in Jeddah.<\/p>\n
Following, the Jeddah race Alfa Romeo discovered that the overheating issue that stopped Valtteri Bottas was caused by a blockage in the cooling system. Alfa Romeo stopped the car before there was any damage to the Ferrari power unit, so no elements were lost, and the issue that caused the blockage has been addressed.<\/p>\n
Yuki Tsunoda was also affected by power unit issues which prevented him from completing a flying lap in qualifying, and then stopped on the circuit on a lap to the grid and thus didn’t start the race. It’s believed that Tsunoda has lost the V6 concerned from his pool for the year.<\/p>\n
Alpha Tauri technical director Jody Egginton said \u201cThe qualifying issue was not a terminal issue at all, that was something that was relatively straightforward to correct. In the race, we suffered another PU-related issue with Yuki. The engine is still under inspection, and we’ve got to understand exactly what’s gone on. We’re still diagnosing exactly what it was, but there was no way to take part in the race with that issue.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ferrari is at disadvantage in Melbourne Charles Leclerc believes his Ferrari team will be at a disadvantage compared with rivals Red Bull at the Australian Grand Prix. F1 heads to Melbourne this weekend to a revised Albert Park which is estimated to be around ten seconds a lap faster than the last time F1 raced<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[51,99,115,116,122,124,125,126,207,208,369,664,675,707,709,869,877,882,885,902,1046,1111,1283,1295,1296,1298,1330,1434,1479,1584,1637,1642,1733,1808,2031,2105],"class_list":["post-10445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-analysis","tag-51","tag-albert-park","tag-alfa-romeo","tag-alfa-romeo-ferrari","tag-alpha-tauri","tag-alpha-tauri-red-bull","tag-alpine","tag-alpine-renault","tag-australian-gp","tag-australian-grand-prix","tag-carlos-sainz-jr","tag-f1","tag-f1-today","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-ferrari","tag-guanyu-zhou","tag-gunther-steiner","tag-haas","tag-haas-ferrari","tag-helmut-marko","tag-jody-egginton","tag-kevin-magnuessen","tag-max-verstappen","tag-melbourne","tag-melbourne-grand-prix-circuit","tag-mercedes","tag-mick-schumacher","tag-nikita-mazepin","tag-otmar-szafnauer","tag-prixview","tag-red-bull","tag-red-bull-racing","tag-russian-invasion-of-ukraine","tag-sergio-perez","tag-toto-wolff","tag-valtteri-bottas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}