Prologue

[René]

Feb 5, 2024 21:41:35 GMT Carl said:

Feb 5, 2024 18:03:44 GMT René said:

... and Christian Horner has a nasty accusation hanging on his pants. Of course we have to wait for the outcome of the investigation, but a company like Red Bull will always put their own reputation above that of an individual, even when it comes to someone like Christian Horner.

The fact that Red Bull has announced this itself does not bode well for Horner and I would not be surprised if the team had to look for a new manager.

As was once said about a right-wing political strategist, "He lies when he says good morning."

Poor Christian, the boy who cries "Woolf" is no longer believed

Brilliant Carl  . 

[René]

Feb 6, 2024 9:45:08 GMT chrisb said:

please forgive if I have missed this but where is Carlos going in 2025? I wonder how he is feeling about it all 

One of the more interesting aspects of Lewis's signing for the red cars, is simply I do think a lot of people forget just how quick he was in the lower formulee's and how bright that desire still burns, for some reason I keep thinking it was once Ayrton's stated desire to drive a Ferrari before he retired, sadly not so, and now Lewis is almost living out his hero's dream?

one thing for certain you will easily spot the Sauber

Good post Chris!

You have not missed anything about Carlos. It's not clear yet where he will go to. It must have been a blow because he wanted to stay at Ferrari but he certainly has options. Most likely and an interesting option would be Sauber that becomes Audi.  An intelligent driver like Carlos is exactly what Audi would need to build the team. But maybe Mercedes or even Aston Martin if Fernando moves to Mercedes. But no-one actually knows.

You are so right about Lewis and his move to Ferrari. This is not about the money but about his desire to drive for the Scuderia, exactly as you say what Ayrton also wanted to do. Had Ayrton won one or two titles with Williams, he most certainly would have gone to Ferrari. He had already had talks with Di Montezemolo.

And even if he doesn't win the title in red, I am sure he will win races and have a good time in Italy. I do hope though that Charles also wins a title soon. That would be fantastic.

With the grounds shaking in Milton Keynes and Mercedes not the force yet they were, there could be good times ahead for Ferrari. 



Always nice to hear Peter Windsor's take on things...

[René]

And another launch, the Alpine A524. They say it’s the real car.





More interesting is the news that Sauber could face legal challenges over its partnership with Stake. Stake.com is one of the most popular gambling websites currently and also owns the streaming platform Kick. Questions were beginning to be raised about the name and how the team would bypass gambling laws in different countries – Singapore, Qatar and Japan are just a few examples.

[René]

More on the Horner saga:

Following the revelation, there have been conflicting reports regarding what the investigation may be related to. AP alleged that the complaint related to Horner’s “aggressive management style.” Whereas Bild reported that the team boss had allegedly “sent photos to an employee,” with the investigation relating to “cross-border behaviour”. Not only that, but the German publication also revealed that the investigation may have “been ongoing for several weeks.” Speculation surrounding the investigation has only continued to intensify over the last 24 hours. According to Motorsport Magazin, the team boss may have already lost favour with Red Bull.

With their team principal under investigation, another aspect to consider if Horner were to leave is Adrian Newey. The Chief Technical Officer is one of the most respected, and in-demand, members of the F1 paddock. Newey’s contract is believed to be closely linked to Horner’s. Could the Milton Keynes-based team lose one of their most valuable employees?

source: FormulaNerds

[robmarsh]

I am sure the Andrettis' will be feeling compassion towards Horner.  With the number of FIA officials leaving and the Horner saga maybe F1 is due one of those seismic resets.

[chrisb]

One can only hope so Rob, this and MotoGP are heading in directions that aren't palatable, talking of which I understand Davide Brivio has left Renault and returned to his happy hunting grounds of Aprilla 'B' team, expect some more victories. 

Not to talk about MotoGP or is it F1 on two wheels as it is fast becoming with more ugly aerodynamics and F1 testing kits perhaps Adrian - or is it Sir Adrian yet? is looking for a berth in the Honda MotoGP team, my word as much as I respect Adrian where on earth will it take the poor benighted series then?

thank you Rene, one thing is for certain it will be an explosive year, maybe shades of Jody and Gilles? just please Ferrari [what am I saying?] give them the tools to compete - just to upset as JC might have said the fizzy drinks apple cart 

It certainly doesn't look good for Christian but as Carl so wittingly says the boy who cries woolf....it is difficult to offer any sympathy - I have always believed there are fundamentally two styles of management - motivate or intimidate - possibly both at the same time, two of the most successful participants in both was of course Enzo and Colin, and they didn't do badly. 

[René]

[mikael]

The Red Bull organization was probably a much nicer place to be when Dietrich Mateschitz was still around. It's not hard to imagine some "power struggles" going on at present.

[René]

RB VCA RB 01 F1




R2 D2



RB YT 22 - RB DR 3

[René]

The new Aston Martin AMR24. Looks sleek.

[René]

Red Bull is burning from the inside. The word is Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache wants to move to Maranello. La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Ferrari looked into hiring Pierre Wache last year, but they failed. But now Wache is seriously considering accepting the offer.”

And what about Newey? Only recently he said in an interview that Ferrari is the only missing name on his CV… and then there is Max of course. 

[Carl]

Feb 12, 2024 19:30:47 GMT René said:

Red Bull is burning from the inside. The word is Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache wants to move to Maranello. La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Ferrari looked into hiring Pierre Wache last year, but they failed. But now Wache is seriously considering accepting the offer.”

And what about Newey? Only recently he said in an interview that Ferrari is the only missing name on his CV… and then there is Max of course. 

For devoted Ferrari fans, that would be an exodus to a motorsport promised land

[René]

Ferrari SF-24












Passione Ferrari! Charles Leclerc gives the SF-24 a shakedown at Fiorano.

[robmarsh]

There are probably more people watching the Ferrari shakedown than you get at the desert GPs!

[René]

Feb 13, 2024 16:32:55 GMT robmarsh said:

There are probably more people watching the Ferrari shakedown than you get at the desert GPs!

There probably are!

And what always strikes me is the amount of young people standing along the track. Some not even twenty years old. They have never seen Schumacher in a Ferrari and probably don't even really remember Räïkkönen. They have never seen a Ferrari driver become world champion! And yet support the Scuderia with full passion.