British Grand Prix - Silverstone

[René]

Having barely recovered from the events in the Austrian mountains, the British Grand Prix at flat Silverstone is ​​already around the corner!




The aftermath of the collision between Max and Lando will certainly still be felt here. Opinions, including in the motorsport press, are divided as to who was to blame here, but the English public will certainly not be in favor of Verstappen!



There is of course a good chance that they will meet again on track and then we hope they will let each other live. Verstappen is like Schumacher, incredibly talented, but incapable of losing. He will do everything he can, even if it goes beyond the limits of what is permissible. First Senna and later Schumacher made this the new norm for success and Max continues in the same tradition.



Silverstone is fast so that will certainly favor the Red Bull and McLaren and probably the Mercedes. Less so the Ferrari I fear but hopefully I’m wrong.

The news just broke that Oliver Bearman will race for HAAS next season. Now it’s also time to say goodbye to Danny Ric and put Liam Lawson in that RB next to Yuki.

[mikael]

Jul 4, 2024 10:13:05 GMT René said:

The news just broke that Oliver Bearman will race for HAAS next season.

So this may be the end of the Formula One career of Kevin Magnussen ...

Many (Danish) fans probably dreamed of - and even expected - more (success), after his tremendous F1 debut, and excellent debut season, in 2014. But still, 10 years in Formula One (except for one single year "on the bench") is also quite a feat.

But it's interesting to note that the (Danish) journalist's expectations were, in general, higher with father Jan Magnussen than with son Kevin. Most journalists (again, mainly the Danish) agreed that Jan was a future F1 World Champion, and that this was just a matter of two or three years (of waiting), at most. (This was of, course, also fueled by Jackie Stewart's initial praise and high expectations.) With Kevin, journalists were always more careful.

Kevin M., 2014

Jan M., 1995

[René]

Jul 4, 2024 11:17:38 GMT mikael said:

Jul 4, 2024 10:13:05 GMT René said:

The news just broke that Oliver Bearman will race for HAAS next season.

So this may be the end of the Formula One career of Kevin Magnussen ...

Nothing has been confirmed yet, but that could indeed be possible. Unfortunately, a career that never really came to fruition and that certainly also applied to his father Jan.

If Kevin loses his place, I certainly hope he finds a good place in IndyCar or else in the WEC or IMSA. He has already experience in both.

[robmarsh]

Who will be HAAS' other driver? The Hulk is going to Sauber/Audi next year.

[René]

Jul 4, 2024 17:35:30 GMT robmarsh said:

Who will be HAAS' other driver? The Hulk is going to Sauber/Audi next year.

I don’t think this has already been decided so maybe Kevin can stay. Wouldn’t be a bad choice to have Kevin’s experience next to Bearman’s talent and enthusiasm.

[René]

Denmark also has two top drivers in other top classes. Christian Lundgaard is doing very well in IndyCar and has just signed a contract with Arrow McLaren for next season. And of course Nicklas Nielsen who has just won Le Mans with Ferrari. He has been an official Ferrari works driver for years, first in the GT class in which he became world champion several times and now in the highest class, the Hypercars. Not bad for such a small country.    The same goes for the Netherlands by the way with Rinus VeeKay in IndyCar, Renger van der Zande in WEC/IMSA and a guy called Verstappen in F1. 


Christian Lundgaard


Nicklas Nielsen

[mikael]

Thank you, René.

As to Denmark, maybe a driver like Tom Kristensen has had a good influence on the general interest in motorsport. However, the "mechanism" behind "talent production" is complex and hard to understand. Take Sweden as  an example: from the 1950's to the 1980's, Sweden "produced" an uninterrupted string of very good - and even some great - drivers: Joakim Bonnier, Ronnie Peterson, Reine Wisell, Gunnar Nilsson, Stefan Johansson. And then ... no-one (of real significance, at least) until Marcus Ericsson in the mid-10's. And no-one since him. Why is that, I wonder ...?

During my many years in Japan, it always puzzled me why Japan - a country with a population of 124 million - could not ever "produce" a really great GP driver. The racing scene in Japan is very active and extremely professional. And many foreigners who spent time in Japan experienced very hard competition there (e.g, Pierre Gasly in "Super Formula" - it was certainly not a "walk in the park".) So what is missing?

The Netherlands have always been a real "motorsport nation", as far as I understand, with great circuits, like in Zandvoort and in Assen. And Max Verstappen's great success must lighten up the racing-interest of many youngsters!

Pierre Gasly (no. 15) in "Super Formula", Japan, 2017

[René]

Thanks Mikael, it is indeed sometimes difficult to understand why there are sometimes a lot of good drivers from a certain country and then later none at all. Also consider Brazil, Argentina or Finland. And for Germany, a real car country, it took a long time before they had a real winner with Michael Schumacher.

In my experience, the Netherlands has not always been a real motorsport country, to be honest. Certainly not in the public perception. I used to be pretty much the only one at school who liked motorsports and the sports program on TV gave little or only negative attention to it. That's why I always watched Belgian or German TV. There was a bit of enthusiasm when Jan Lammers made his debut in 1979, but after the last Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1985, Zandvoort became a national circuit with the only international event being the annual Masters of Formula 3. There was a little more enthusiasm with the arrival of Jos Verstappen, but also that was limited.

The Max madness we see now is unprecedented, but it is also typically Dutch. You only have to look at fan images of the European Football Championship that is currently underway. Just search for Dutch fans at the European Championship on Google images. Party crowd and success fans. The same fans you saw at the Red Bull Ring wearing an orange army t-shirt... it's not my cup of tea.

But that does not mean that I have anything against the enthusiasm for Max Verstappen. After all, he is the first Dutch Grand Prix winner and also a multiple world champion. That is of course special. I just don't like that mass, uniform hysteria.

[René]

More orange... McLaren looking very fast so far.



FP 2 times

1 Lando NORRIS 1:26.549
2 Oscar PIASTRI +0.331
3 Sergio PEREZ +0.434
4 Nico HULKENBERG +0.441
5 Charles LECLERC +0.601
6 Lewis HAMILTON +0.653
7 Max VERSTAPPEN +0.684
8 Carlos SAINZ +0.700
9 Lance STROLL +0.725
10 George RUSSELL +0.745
11 Fernando ALONSO +0.823
12 Valtteri BOTTAS +0.832
13 Alexander ALBON +1.096
14 Pierre GASLY +1.183
15 Esteban OCON +1.194
16 Yuki TSUNODA +1.196
17 Logan SARGEANT +1.260
18 Guanyu ZHOU +1.264
19 Daniel RICCIARDO +1.367
20 Kevin MAGNUSSEN +1.573

[René]

Wet conditions today so difficult to read the meaning of the times...



FP3 times

1 George RUSSELL Mercedes 1:37.529
2 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.035
3 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.185
4 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.610
5 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing +0.864
6 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.925
7 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +1.125
8 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +1.411
9 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +1.755
10 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +1.811
11 Alexander ALBON Williams +2.074
12 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +2.171
13 Logan SARGEANT Williams +2.173
14 Yuki TSUNODA RB +2.291
15 Valtteri BOTTAS Kick Sauber +2.713
16 Esteban OCON Alpine +2.901
17 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team +3.010
18 Daniel RICCIARDO RB +3.294
19 Guanyu ZHOU Kick Sauber +4.256
20 Pierre GASLY Alpine NO TIME


These conditions reminded me of my visit to Silverstone in 2016. I don't think I shared photos because that was one year before RRT. We were at Luffield, the new complex. Here are a few pictures I made. The cars look narrow! 

[mikael]

Just a thought about the wet conditions: for sure the contemporary GP cars generate an immense level of "spray" in the rain, compared to how it was at the time before wings and super-wide tyres!

[Carl]

René,

          Great abundance of posts spanning several series and oceans!  You deserve a salary bonus and a week's stay at the Red Roof Inn in Lexington, Ohio (Mid-Ohio maestro Bobby Rahal's longtime sponsor), where guests sleep cheap!

                             

On pole 1978 Long Beach Formula Atlantic      First Indy 500 March 82C

(Ralt RT-1)

                                  Fast food nearby    

[René]

The FP3 times were more telling then expected! Front row lockout for Mercedes and three British drivers in the top 3. The fans will be pleased.



Well done to George Russell and Mercedes is back in the game. McLaren is looking fast also and never write off Verstappen who was clearly struggling for grip. Ferrari was lost for the right setup. Charles driving with a setup which he hadn’t tried in the dry. Hopefully they find something overnight. And impressive result for Hülkenberg again, he’s an excellent qualifier. 

Starting grid:

1. George Russell, Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

3. Lando Norris, McLaren
4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

9. Alex Albon, Williams
10. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

11. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
12. Logan Sargeant, Williams

13. Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB
14. Zhou Guanyu, Kick Sauber

15. Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB
16. Valtteri Bottas, Kick Sauber

17. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
18. Esteban Ocon, Alpine

19. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
20. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

[René]

Jul 6, 2024 16:53:45 GMT Carl said:

René,

          Great abundance of posts spanning several series and oceans!  You deserve a salary bonus and a week's stay at the Red Roof Inn in Lexington, Ohio (Mid-Ohio maestro Bobby Rahal's longtime sponsor), where guests Sleep Cheap!

                             

On pole 1978 Long Beach Formula Atlantic View Attachment     First Indy 500 March 82C View Attachment

(Ralt RT-1)

                                  Fast food nearby     View Attachment

Sounds good to me, the FIA presidency and a salary bonus. You have good ideas!

[Carl]

Good for George Russell! A margin close to 2/10ths is excellent. It's always true that success enables more success.

I'm glad to see Lando and Max sharing the third row in the spirit of renewed friendship...

Congratulations to Logan Sargeant for finding a way up from the back of the grid to an impressive 12th.

Also due congratulations is David Croft, who recently married his longtime caregiver