2023-10-02 11:30:21
8:19 a.m
Is Max Verstappen the best driver of all time?
At least that’s what Bernie Ecclestone believes. The former Formula 1 boss explains in conversation with the Daily Mail: “Max is the best driver of all time. Without a doubt. I used to say Alain Prost. Now I would say Max. He is the greatest.”
Ecclestone explains: “He is the smartest when it comes to getting the best out of the car. […] In my list he is above Lewis Hamilton.” The record world champion is also “super talented,” said Ecclestone.
“Lewis understands people and gets the best out of them, while Max gets the best out of the car. He is completely different to Max. When Lewis stops racing, he can immerse himself in a different world.”
While Hamilton might be drawn to the world of “entertainment or whatever,” Verstappen is not interested in such topics, according to Ecclestone, who explains: “Max is one of us.”
And for him he is also the best driver of all time.
2:05 p.m
Quitting time!
It’s going to be a long week, so we’ll take it easy on Monday and turn our ticker down for today. Tomorrow – despite the holiday – we’ll be back at the start with a new issue for you!
Have a nice rest of your Monday, have a good start to the new week and see you then!
Billion dollar deal: Will F1 soon be on Apple TV?
Formula 1 will continue to run on Sky in Germany until 2027. But now one of the big US tech companies is also showing interest in the broadcasting rights: Apple. More Formula 1 videos
1:59 p.m
Pirelli: C2 tires will probably stay the same in 2024
Pirelli actually wanted to revise the C2 tire compound a bit for the coming year. But nothing will come of it. Originally, the C2 was supposed to be a little closer in terms of performance to the softer C3 tires.
A prototype was tested in Japan, but Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola reveals: “When I look at the data […]I think the prototype doesn’t have the grip we wanted.”
“So we will probably stick with the current C2 next year,” says Isola, who explains that if there is no significant improvement, then there is no reason to change anything in the mixture.
Another test is no longer planned.
1:41 p.m
Lawson: Cockpit for 2025 already sure?
Speaking of AlphaTauri: Red Bull doesn’t say this officially, but between the lines it sounds like the New Zealander will get a cockpit with one of the two Red Bull teams in 2025.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently stated: “I think there is currently only one place in Formula 1 [für 2024] is free, and that seems to be Williams Square [von Logan Sargeant] to be.”
And then it gets exciting: “It would be unlikely that they would take a driver for a year,” says Horner. It sounds like Sargeant could only be “loaned” for a year because they are already planning for him in 2025.
But perhaps we are reading too much into this statement…
1:22 p.m
AlphaTauri: Selling is no longer an issue
It is still unclear what the second Red Bull team will be called next year. But it is now clear that it will not be sold. This plan is “now off the table,” CEO Peter Bayer recently explained Sky.
“Formula 1 is booming like never before,” he emphasizes and reveals: “We actually had offers worth more than a billion euros for the team. We are all very, very grateful for the trust of the shareholders who decided not to sell the team .”
“On the contrary,” says Bayer, because Red Bull has decided to “reinvest, rebuild, find these synergies and move into the future together with Red Bull Racing.”
So all that’s missing is the name for 2024!
13:00 ‘O clock
2024: McLaren has Mercedes on the bill
Will Mercedes strike back in 2024? At least that’s what McLaren team boss Andrea Stella suspects. “At the moment we are happy with the development of the car for the coming season,” says Stella.
“But that will be the case for everyone, because now some concepts will be clearly visible in the paddock. We don’t know whether we are developing faster than other teams, especially not whether we are faster than Red Bull.”
“But we must never forget Mercedes, because I think the team now knows which areas they need to work on,” warns Stella and emphasizes: “I think the racing team will make a big leap.”
You can find his complete statements here!
12:52 p.m
Seven years ago today…
…Lewis Hamilton had one of the most famous engine failures in recent Formula 1 history. At the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix, his Mercedes engine burned out while he was in the lead.
At the end of the year, Nico Rosberg became world champion – just five points ahead of Hamilton. The defect in Sepang ultimately played a decisive role in the outcome of the World Cup.
You can find out more about this and other incidents of this kind in our photo gallery:
Photo series: Technical dramas that cost race victories
12:34 p.m
McLaren: Aston Martin as a warning example?
Aston Martin made a huge leap over the winter. But as the season progressed, the team fell behind again. The racing team could therefore be a warning example for McLaren. The team from Woking has also made great progress recently.
Team boss Andrea Stella emphasizes that they are “very careful” and explains that they do not want to take “shortcuts” in development and “skip” important steps just to be able to further develop the car more quickly.
Because that brings with it the risk of making mistakes. “But I think everyone at McLaren, especially the technical management, is aware that the pace of development is already high,” said Stella.
We therefore want to continue at exactly this pace.
12:12 p.m
Which cockpits will be available in 2025?
Almost everything is already closed for 2024. But which Formula 1 contracts end after the coming season? You can find out in our photo series:
Photo series: The contract terms of the current Formula 1 drivers
12:01 p.m
Danner: Teams are not interested in Schumacher
And so back to Mick Schumacher and his future. Expert Christian Danner explains opposite ntvthat he no longer believes the German can make a comeback in the premier class.
“A racing driver is not just made up of data. But in the two years that he drove in Formula 1, Mick left an impression on the team bosses: ‘Well, we don’t actually need that,'” believes Danner.
“And of course that has long-term consequences. There is no team boss who would have much confidence in him now,” fears Danner. And therefore Schumacher will probably not have a regular cockpit again in 2024.
11:39 am
A little foretaste
This is what the Formula 1 Cups will look like this weekend in Qatar. But this time probably without the kiss function 😉
11:25 a.m
Williams: Back up Sargeant
Logan Sargeant is currently under a lot of criticism, but Williams team boss James Vowles is now demonstratively supporting him. In a video he emphasizes: “Logan has very clear goals that he has to achieve by the end of the season.”
And you work closely with the rookie. “That’s the important point: We’re working with him. We want him to be successful and we want to have him in the car next year. That’s also very much up to us,” he clarifies.
He recalls: “We took someone straight from Formula 2, without any significant testing, spent a day and a half in Bahrain in this car and then wished him all the best for a season that was very difficult for rookie drivers.”
He therefore announces: “We will continue to work with Logan and invest in him because we want him to be successful.” However, the internal team duel at Williams currently speaks for itself.
Alexander Albon has already scored 21 World Cup points – Sargeant hasn’t scored a single one yet. And in the long run, Williams simply cannot afford this gap between the two drivers.
11:02 a.m
Fallen Formula 1 major powers
Mercedes is not the first team in Formula 1 history to crash after a period of dominance. In this photo series we look at which ones made it back on their feet afterwards – and which ones didn’t.
Photo series: Tears instead of titles: Eight fallen Formula 1 superpowers
10:51 am
Hamilton: We have to develop better than ever before
Clear announcement from the record world champion, who is at Sky explains: “The next six months have to be the best six months of development we’ve ever had around this gap [zu Red Bull] close.”
This year, McLaren provided proof that such big leaps are possible in Formula 1. “We can’t close our eyes to it,” said Hamilton about his former team.
You have to look at “what they did” and then “in that direction,” he demands. “But I firmly believe that my team can do it,” explains the Mercedes driver.
“We are still a great team. I have absolute trust in everyone, but the decisions made during this time are crucial for our path,” emphasizes Hamilton.
10:29 am
Will Verstappen win the title on Saturday?
We promised at the beginning of our ticker day that we would talk about the World Cup situation. Because Max Verstappen can actually win the title in the sprint in Qatar on Saturday!
Because teammate Sergio Perez didn’t see the checkered flag in Suzuka, the Dutchman left Japan with a lead of 177 points over Perez. That wasn’t enough to win the title because a maximum of 180 points are currently still up for grabs.
After the sprint in Qatar there will still be 172, and it is therefore clear that Perez would have to score at least six points more than Verstappen there in order to postpone the title decision to Sunday at least once.
A sixth place and the associated three points would be enough for Verstappen to win the title. In the opposite case, he would also be world champion early, regardless of his own result, if Perez does not finish at least third.
Team boss Christian Horner says about the possibly unusual timing of the title decision opposite Sky: “We don’t care when we win it – the main thing is that we win it.”
Winning the title on Saturday “would [für Max] on Sunday will make it even more enjoyable to go into this Grand Prix as a three-time world champion if he manages it. So I don’t think it really matters,” Horner said.
By the way: If Verstappen actually wins the world title in the sprint in Qatar, he would not be the first “Saturday world champion” in the history of Formula 1. You can read everything here!
10:08 am
What happened over the weekend…
As is well known, there was no driving in Formula 1, so the drivers had to occupy themselves elsewhere. For example, golf fans Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz were guests at the Ryder Cup in Italy.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas was once again active on his bike and took part in a gravel race, i.e. a race on mostly unpaved surfaces. Incidentally, his partner Tiffany Cromwell won the women’s race.
Impressions can be found here:
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