There was no shortage of action this week on the eve of the 2024 season-opener, as the first and only pre-season test was underway. This was the first real chance for drivers to test out their new machinery over the course of three days. There was also some news in the F1 broadcasting world, a few appointments, and many other stories to catch up on.
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Despite being rejected by Formula One Management (FOM), General Motors is still confident that they can revive their bid to join the sport with Andretti. The company has already requested a meeting with FOM and are still working on developing the car, according to GM vice president of performance and motorsport Jim Campbell. Although the Andretti application was approved by the FIA last year, it was rejected by FOM last month due to concerns over competitiveness, the benefit of adding an 11th team, and the lack of an in-person meeting.
Long-time F1 commentator David Croft has announced that he will be sitting out three races this year for the first time in his career. These races include the Emilia-Romagna GP at Imola, Austrian GP, and Azerbaijan GP. Croft, better known by his on-air nickname “Crofty”, has commentated on every race since joining the Sky Sports team back in 2012. When asked about the reasoning behind his absence, he expressed his desire to spend more time with his family, also citing his upcoming wedding later this year. BBC Radio 5 commentator Harry Benjamin will be filling in for Croft at the three events.
Just a couple of weeks after being dismissed as Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner has entered the broadcasting world. He has joined the German TV broadcaster RTL to work as a pundit at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He will make other appearances with RTL later in the year in Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Azerbaijan, and Las Vegas. On top of that, he will also be making a one-off appearance on Channel 10 for the Australian Grand Prix. Steiner had his first taste of broadcasting in America with Fox Sports during a NASCAR race at the Circuit of the Americas last year.
Netflix’s popular Drive To Survive docuseries was released the week. This is the series’ sixth season following the fast-paced and dramatic world of Formula One. The season consists of ten episodes in the same dramatized non-fiction format seen in the previous years.
Ford has expressed its displeasure over the lack of progress in the investigation against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. Ford is set to become Red Bull’s engine supplier in 2026. All parties involved have remained silent about the allegations that were made against Horner a couple of weeks ago, with no one providing any insight into their nature. In a letter, Ford CEO Jim Farley claims his company’s requests for further information have fallen on deaf ears and has called for “prompt and serious attention” to the matter.
Former FIA sporting director Steve Nielsen has returned to F1 as a consultant. Having worked in Formula One for decades with teams such as Benetton, Renault, Honda, Toro Rosso, and Williams, Nielsen joined F1 as sporting director in 2017 before moving to the same role in the FIA last year. At the end of the year, he become one of many high-profile people to leave the FIA, with Nielsen leaving to start a consultation firm. Now back at F1, he will resume much his previous duties on a part-time basis.
Former F1 driver Takuma Sato has been hired as an executive advisor at the Honda Racing Corporation. According a company statement, he will “provide advice and support in formulating driver development strategies and programmes Honda will pursue inside and outside Japan, race entry plans and the operational structure for racing activities.” Sato raced more than 90 F1 Grand Prix during the 2000s with Jordan, BAR, and Super Aguri.
It’s with a heavy heart that the motorsport world says goodbye to Wilson Fittipaldi, who passed away on Friday at the age of 80. He had been hospitalized since Christmas last year after suffering a cardiac arrest during dinner when he choked on a piece of food. He was the brother of two-time World Champion Emerson and the father of former F1 driver Christian, but he also holds a special place in Formula One history himself. He raced in Formula One during the early 1970s before creating the Fittipaldi F1 team in 1975. It was the only F1 team in history to be based in Brazil, was the first team to offer future champion Keke Rosberg a full-time seat, and was the first F1 team to employ legendary car designer Adrian Newey.
The drivers were in the seat of their new cars for the first time this season for the start of the three-day pre-season testing programme in Bahrain on Wednesday. This was the only pre-season test of the year, with two sessions per day at 4 hours a piece, although track issues changed the format on 2 of the 3 days.
The track surface was slippery for the first day of the test, with many drivers fighting for grip as they worked to find the limit of their new machinery. Williams had the toughest day of the teams. Alex Albon stopped on track at the end of the morning session with a fuel pump issue, while Logan Sargeant spent the majority of the afternoon stuck in the garage with a driveshaft issue after a high-speed spin into the gravel at the tricky turn 9 and 10. They were not the only two drivers to experience some hiccups. Kevin Magnussen had an issue with a loose aero rake in the morning along with a fuel system issue, both of which were rectified by the team. The Aston Martin driven by Lance Stroll also lost some bodywork down the main straight near the end of the day. Max Verstappen was fastest of the day by more than a second over Lando Norris, also chalking up a staggering 142 laps. George Russell was the only other driver to break the three-digit lap count with 121 laps, albeit they were the only two drivers to run the full day.
Carlos Sainz set the fastest time on the second day of the test, becoming the only driver to break the 1m30s barrier during the entire test with a time of 1m29.921s. It was Sergio Perez who racked up the most mileage, logging 129 laps during the day, with Lewis Hamilton and Logan Sargeant also breaking into the triple digits. The morning session was cut short when Charles Leclerc ran over a loose drain cover in turn 11, requiring Ferrari to replace the floor. To compensate for lost time in the morning, an additional hour was added to the afternoon.
The red flag was flown again at the start of the final morning of pre-season testing, for another loose drain cover in turn 11 pulled up by the Red Bull of Sergio Perez. After track repairs were completed, it was announced that the final day of would be extended by an hour, replacing the lunch break. The rest of the session was much less eventful. Charles Leclerc was on the top of the timing sheets when pre-season testing came to a close, giving Ferrari fans some hope that the team could bring the challenge to Red Bull this season. Alex Albon was the only driver in the third day of testing to log more than 100 laps, recording 121 laps because he was the only driver to have the car to himself for the day.
At the end of the three-day test, it was Haas who completed the most mileage with 441 laps but they were the second slowest car by the end. Alpine appeared to be the slowest car of the test. Ferrari recorded the fastest lap time of the test by a significant margin over Mercedes and they were also the only team other than Haas to complete more than 400 laps. That said, we won’t know exactly where everyone stands until the lights go out for the first race of the season in Bahrain, which is scheduled for Saturday March 2.
The Weekly F1 Recap on Racing Clothesline is a series published every Monday. Each article breaks down the previous week's Formula One headlines into bite-sized pieces, perfect for casual fans to keep themselves in the loop.
