There was no racing this week but still plenty of news flowing through the Formula One paddock. This included some potential management changes, including those involving a controversial former figure. The latest F1 game was released this week. Plus there was some NASCAR news involving the owner of a current F1 team.
The Haas F1 Team has confirmed it’s “business as usual” at the team, despite the closure of the Stewart-Haas Racing NASCAR team. Stewart-Haas Racing, owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Haas F1 Team owner Gene Haas, has been racing since 2002 but announced they will close the team at the end of 2024. “The commitment needed to extract maximum performance while providing sustainability is incredibly demanding, and we’ve reached a point in our respective personal and business lives where it’s time to pass the torch,” read a statement from the team. However, a representative from the Haas F1 Team has reassured everything that Gene Haas is “fully engaged and committed” to the F1 Team.
FIA president Ben Sulayem has changed sides in the Andretti debate, advising them to “buy another F1 team”. Although he previously supported Andretti’s push to become an 11th team, Sulayem said that having 10 strong teams is better than having 11 teams. “I still believe we should have more teams but not any teams,” he said in an interview with Reuters at the Monaco Grand Prix. “The right teams. It’s not about the number, it’s about the quality.”
The issue of similar-looking car liveries will be discussed in the next F1 Commissions meeting. This problem has been particularly relevant this season with the increase in unpainted carbon fibre cars as a weight reduction measure. This has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between teams on TV broadcasts, particularly in night races. Although the FIA and Formula One management would like to address the issue for the benefit of the fans, they have been hesitant to introduce regulations restricting the appearance of car liveries. The FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis hopes the situation can be addressed by the teams through a collaboration process in which teams will communicate with each other to ensure their liveries look different, without intervention by the governing body.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff insists that both drivers are treated equally, despite Lewis Hamilton’s planned exit to Ferrari. The relationship between Hamilton and the team has been thrust into the spotlight after the Monaco Grand Prix, where Hamilton appeared to question multiple decisions made by the team and claimed that he would not be able to outqualify George Russell for the rest of the season. Wolff insists that, other than the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes has not influenced teammate battles, saying “as a team we are 100% on a mission of giving the two drivers two great cars, the best possible cars and best possible strategies and support”. So far this season, the qualifying battle is 7-1 in Russell’s favour, although Wolff claims there’s no specific explanation for the statistic, saying “we are seven races in and there are another 17 to go. I’ve not seen this as a trend”.
Esteban Ocon has confirmed that he will race at the Canadian Grand Prix, despite backlash from his inter-team collision at the Monaco Grand Prix. Many speculated that the Frenchman will sit out the race, fueled largely by Alpine team principal Bruno Famin’s comments regarding “consequences” Ocon will face after the race. In a long statement on social media, Ocon said he is “deeply saddened by the amount of abuse and negativity” he has faced online. He also fought back against the “misinformed statements and gross distortions” about his ability to work with a team, calling them “inaccurate, hurtful, and damaging” and insisting he has approached F1 with “humility, professionalism, and respect”. He went on to say “I have always followed the instructions I have been given and raced to achieve the maximum for and with my team” and that he respects Pierre Gasly as a teammate. His full statement can be read in the Twitter thread below:
Alpine has parted ways with long-serving operations director Rob White. He is just the latest of many management figures to depart the team as it struggles to turn around its performance. He previously worked for Cosworth on their F1 engine project before moving to Renault’s engine programme in 2004. He moved to the team in 2016. It’s unclear who will appointed to the vacant role.
Controversial former team principal Flavio Briatore has been linked to a role at Alpine. Although neither party has been willing to confirm the rumours, it has been reported that the 74-year-old could become a special advisor for the team, helping to return the squad to its previous performance. Briatore joined Formula One with Benetton in 1988 but became infamous while working at Renault for his involvement in the race-fixing “Crashgate” scandal in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, which earned him a lifetime ban. That ban has since been overturned and he has become a frequent paddock visitor, including at the Monaco Grand Prix last week. If given a role at the team, it’s believed it will be a behind-the-scenes role, rather than a hands-on one.
Reports suggest that Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile has been approached by Aston Martin. This comes as team owner Lawrence Stroll continues his push to transform his team into race-winning contenders. With outgoing Red Bull designer Adrian Newey being heavily favoured for a move to Ferrari, it’s possible that Stroll is hoping Cardile will become unsettled by the potential of being replaced by Newey. None of the involved parties have confirmed or denied these rumours.
The new F1 24 video game was released globally on Friday, receiving mixed reviews from fans. In addition to some revamped circuits, the game now features a new handling model in the form of “innovative EA Sports Dynamic Handling” designed to “increase control” and provide a “more accurate handling performance”. However, some early reviews have insisted that the new handling is too easy and is a downgrade compared to other installments. Another new feature in this year’s edition is the ability to drive as past drivers, expanding the list of playable drivers.
Pirelli has said it’s open to running only the soft tyre compounds in Monaco, although the company’s head of car racing Mario Isola is not convinced it will make a difference. The suggestion was made by George Russell in the aftermath of a fairly uneventful Monaco Grand Prix. While Isola said he would like to see simulation data from teams on how a soft-tyre Monaco race would work, he predicts that it would only cause drivers to reduce their pace further, which is possible due to the overtaking difficulty at Monaco. He also revealed that an older proposal to enforce two mandatory pit stops was discussed “many years ago” but just resulted in the team strategists picking identical strategies.
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