Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[coinlocket$]

News of the day:
Alpine is going so bad that it is rumored that they leave F1 from next year according to Jordan.

we also have some news regarding the next grand prix.
The weather forecast for the race is sunny but wet tests are expected, even in qualifying the possibility of rain is not excluded.

Nothing is known yet about Sainz, he will probably leave for Australia and if he doesn't receive the OK from the doctors it will be the second time for the young Bearman driving Ferrari.

[Republikcoin.com]

This weekend, MotoGP will return to Portimao, which is located in Portugal, and from the shape of the circuit and the current development of MotoGP motorbikes, I think there will be fierce racing there. Moreover, home riders like Miguel Oliveira also often get very good times there, although I am still quite confident that the Ducati riders will still dominate the race on Saturday and Sunday. Because Ducati motorbikes are currently very difficult for other manufacturers to stop, even though KTM could also be a threat this season.

[Distraction]

More progress on the Redbull issue.
Horner has just been reported to the ethics commission from the girl.
I think the best possible scenario for him at the moment is a suspension.
At the moment he appears to be firmly in his position while the girl appears to be suspended from Redbull.

Things are getting more complicated at Red Bull when there are new details about the contracts risen to the surface. It looks like there is a condition about Helmut Marko - Verstappen similar to Christian Horner - Adrian Newey. I mean if one of Marko and Verstappen leaves Red Bull the other one is also doing so because of having such term on their contracts.  

This means Red Bull could be affected substantially in case departures start to be seen among these people. This could cause Red Bull to lose their dominant look even next season.


We are in a new race week, Australia GP! I have missed F1 after a break of one week. The last winner here was Verstappen and I don't expect this to change this year either. Maybe we might see another VER - PER - LEC podium.  

[tokeweed]

^  I think with Horner's contract at Red Bull expiring at the end of 2026 and Verstappen's contract expiring at 2028, there's really nothing both camps could do if Red Bull doesn't allow them to leave right?  Between Horner's camp and Verstappen's camp, I think the more likely to be given to boot is Verstappen.  And I do I mean I think...  So if anybody tells me I'm wrong then I wouldn't take it against them.  :/

I do hope Horner is given the boot tho and he goes to Ferrari.  Horner, Newey and Hamilton with the Prancing Horse would be the most ideal 2025 season for me.  Please F1 gods, make it happen.

[joniboini]

Because Ducati motorbikes are currently very difficult for other manufacturers to stop, even though KTM could also be a threat this season.

I read that the reason why Ducatis bikes are generally faster for the last few seasons is because they've been developing aerodynamic tech to compete with other manufacturers[1]. Not sure how true that is, but at the very least they seem to put more focus on that front based on what I've read so far. Makes sense for them to do it though, especially if other aspects have been heavily optimized based on decades of racing data. On the other hand, this trend seems to be frowned upon and some are suggesting there should be a new rule to limit how far manufacturers can modify their bike to gain aerodynamic advantage.

[1] https://www.the-race.com/motogp/ducati-radical-motogp-aero-2024/

[boty]

Because Ducati motorbikes are currently very difficult for other manufacturers to stop, even though KTM could also be a threat this season.

I read that the reason why Ducatis bikes are generally faster for the last few seasons is because they've been developing aerodynamic tech to compete with other manufacturers[1]. Not sure how true that is, but at the very least they seem to put more focus on that front based on what I've read so far. Makes sense for them to do it though, especially if other aspects have been heavily optimized based on decades of racing data. On the other hand, this trend seems to be frowned upon and some are suggesting there should be a new rule to limit how far manufacturers can modify their bike to gain aerodynamic advantage.

[1] https://www.the-race.com/motogp/ducati-radical-motogp-aero-2024/

Yes, in terms of aero technology, the Ducati manufacturer is a manufacturer that has experienced very good development and no other manufacturer can compete and currently we can see that other manufacturers are continuing to try to develop their aero devices to be able to compete with Ducati's dominance and in last week's race they could We see that the KTM manufacturer has been able to compete on straight tracks with Ducati, those who suggest limiting the developments that have been made by other manufacturers have of course admitted their inability to be able to compete with the developments made by the Ducati manufacturer.

[Pulsar77]

This source named Sportskeeda claims that Aramco wants to buy Aston Martin and bring Max Verstappen - Adrian Newey both to play bigger to achieve championships. 



As you know Aramco is a Saudi Arabian oil and natural gas company. They want to do more in F1 than just sponsoring Aston Martin. If this deal really comes true then I would be really excited about what comes next. 

There is no such thing like Verstappen wouldn't leave Red Bull in the near future. As long as Aston Martin offers better conditions to him for the future I think Verstappen would seriously think of joining them.

[joniboini]

those who suggest limiting the developments that have been made by other manufacturers have of course admitted their inability to be able to compete with the developments made by the Ducati manufacturer.

Some fans also have the same belief though. If I remember correctly, the reasoning is that it makes the race less entertaining since it is difficult to overtake if the rider has an aerodynamic advantage. Not sure how true this is, since I don't watch MotoGP that often nowadays. I find it hard to believe though, I think the safety reason is more believable (more aerodynamic spots reduce the bike strength, etc). Let's see if anything changes next season, hopefully, it will still be a competitive sport instead of one manufacturer winning everything easily.

[coinlocket$]

More speculation for Redbull in case Horner does everything by buying the team.

The driver and engineer market could change F1 and 2025 quite a bit.
If Horner will manage to buy the team, the chosen driver would be Alex Albon to replace Max Verstappen for 2025.

It is no coincidence that rumors have come out with Mercedes, based on Jos Verstappen's talks with Toto Wolff.
Aston Martin is also trying for it since it could be bought by Aramco.

Aston is also trying with Adrian Newy but Ferrari seems to be ahead in this negotiation.

[Republikcoin.com]

I read that the reason why Ducatis bikes are generally faster for the last few seasons is because they've been developing aerodynamic tech to compete with other manufacturers[1]. Not sure how true that is, but at the very least they seem to put more focus on that front based on what I've read so far. Makes sense for them to do it though, especially if other aspects have been heavily optimized based on decades of racing data. On the other hand, this trend seems to be frowned upon and some are suggesting there should be a new rule to limit how far manufacturers can modify their bike to gain aerodynamic advantage.

[1] https://www.the-race.com/motogp/ducati-radical-motogp-aero-2024/

This is indeed true and the Ducati manufacturer was the first manufacturer to introduce this in MotoGP, so that other manufacturers followed suit after seeing the speed of Ducati motorbikes which had developed quite well in the last few seasons and succeeded in making them world champions in the last two seasons. Even though other parties don't like this because it may not look very good in their eyes and it can also take away from the beauty of the motorbike in general, what every MotoGP manufacturer is looking for now is the speed and stability of their motorbike so they can win in each series. So this is indeed true and was born from Ducati before other manufacturers followed suit like now.

[coinlocket$]

It is not yet official but Ferrari has said in a communication that Sainz should be able to participate in this week's Grand Prix in Australia.

However, Bearman is with the team and will take his place if needed.

The team manager also spoke and declared that Ferrari will adopt a very aggressive strategy this week, will they be able to fight with Max?
Ferrari historically does well on this track.

[FanEagle]

This source named Sportskeeda claims that Aramco wants to buy Aston Martin and bring Max Verstappen - Adrian Newey both to play bigger to achieve championships. 



As you know Aramco is a Saudi Arabian oil and natural gas company. They want to do more in F1 than just sponsoring Aston Martin. If this deal really comes true then I would be really excited about what comes next. 

There is no such thing like Verstappen wouldn't leave Red Bull in the near future. As long as Aston Martin offers better conditions to him for the future I think Verstappen would seriously think of joining them.

There are smaller teams that they could just buy, why Aston Martin? I mean Aston Martin is already owned by a rich owner with Stroll, and he is making his kids dream with that, if they can win a title that would be the greatest legacy he leaves behind for his kid, and that is all that great.

However, if he sells the team, he will ask a lot, because that means you are not just buying his team, you are buying his dream with his son, so he will charge a lot more. Not that Aramco can't afford it, of course they can, but just don't see the point in it, why would they want to do that? Go buy Haas if you want, much cheaper, plus you can afford to hire Newey and Max if you want to, pay them more money than they normally get, and that way they can also bring in any engineer you want when those two are there.

[Pulsar77]

It is not yet official but Ferrari has said in a communication that Sainz should be able to participate in this week's Grand Prix in Australia.

However, Bearman is with the team and will take his place if needed.

The team manager also spoke and declared that Ferrari will adopt a very aggressive strategy this week, will they be able to fight with Max?
Ferrari historically does well on this track.

I have seen on Sky Sports that Sainz is returning as of this race weekend. Bearman will return to F2 then.

With Sainz's return Ferrari can play bigger this time. Sainz has started this season really competitively with a podium. I'm looking forward to seeing ambitious performances like this more from him. Although he is aware of the fact that this is his last season at Ferrari he is able to concentrate on his work very nicely. I got really sad for him too when he finished the Bahrain GP on podium and there was nobody from Ferrari crew to celebrate it with him. 

There are smaller teams that they could just buy, why Aston Martin? I mean Aston Martin is already owned by a rich owner with Stroll, and he is making his kids dream with that, if they can win a title that would be the greatest legacy he leaves behind for his kid, and that is all that great.

I also wonder the reason why. Maybe they have a special sympathy for Aston Martin.    If this deal happens Lance Stroll had better start looking for a new job. 

[swogerino]

It is not yet official but Ferrari has said in a communication that Sainz should be able to participate in this week's Grand Prix in Australia.

However, Bearman is with the team and will take his place if needed.

The team manager also spoke and declared that Ferrari will adopt a very aggressive strategy this week, will they be able to fight with Max?
Ferrari historically does well on this track.

This track in the last race of 2023 was impacted by heavy incidents.This is about to happen again in this season although drivers complained about low sun light in the closing stages of the race so now the race will be even one hour earlier and us Europeans will suffer to watch the race a bit as we need to sacrifice some sleep.Nevertheless one thing is sure in this track and that is this is not going to be boring like the first two races,Safety Car should have an odd of 1.03 or something like that in this track.

[tokeweed]

This source named Sportskeeda claims that Aramco wants to buy Aston Martin and bring Max Verstappen - Adrian Newey both to play bigger to achieve championships. 



As you know Aramco is a Saudi Arabian oil and natural gas company. They want to do more in F1 than just sponsoring Aston Martin. If this deal really comes true then I would be really excited about what comes next. 

There is no such thing like Verstappen wouldn't leave Red Bull in the near future. As long as Aston Martin offers better conditions to him for the future I think Verstappen would seriously think of joining them.

I don't think Newey would work for another team principal at this point of his career except one guy...  Christian Horner.  Both of them go way back and I think after Newey's Red Bull stint if there's not gonna be a Ferrari stint with Horner, then he'll prolly just retire and call it a career. 

And Newey is at the point of his life that he needs to go higher, not lower.  And that's working with Ferrari, not with oiler money infused Aston Martin.

[coinlocket$]

It seems that Sainz will participate in the race but that he probably won't be at 100% fitness.

I believe that the doctors must be 100% sure to give the OK to the pilot as he runs with enormous efforts under centrifugal force.
rain expected for Friday's practice

About Newey, he will leave if Horner will leave it is a known thing.

[FanEagle]

It is too early into the season for any upgrades, so I do not see that we are going to see any big changes. The most likely problem is that Aston Martin had a much better start last year and Mclaren had a much worse one, so it looks like that is not going to be the case this time around, and I am believing that we are going to see the same top five. Rest do not matter to me that much, it's surely fun to see the 14th overtaking 13th and all that, but that's about it, just the overtake not the result.

We are going to see the top ranks fighting, not counting Max, but Perez can't keep this up, I am sure that he will be passed eventually at the rankings and for that to happen it will require him to have a few bad races, maybe that will be the thing this race.

[Distraction]

These are the FP2 results and you can find the detailed data so far by visiting the image link, Motorsport.com.  

Ferrari and Aston Martin drivers looked really solid in this session. It is good to see Sainz back. FP results might not be a healthy source for race performance maybe but it can give us some idea about qualifying at least. I don't have big expectations from Aston Martin in the race though. Because they have started much weaker than the previous season.    Maybe Alonso might get a decent result if he keeps up the good work from the Saudi Arabia race.

The qualifying and race times are very early in the morning in my country so I hope I can get up on time. 

[coinlocket$]

As predicted Ferraris are very competitive in this track.
The timers are still slow.

The pole position for 2023 was from Verstappen win 1.16.7, so we are almost 0.5 sec behind now.
With the improvements of cars and no changes in the track is easy to expect a poleposition for 1.16.0 or maybe even under.

[tokeweed]

It seems that Sainz will participate in the race but that he probably won't be at 100% fitness.

I believe that the doctors must be 100% sure to give the OK to the pilot as he runs with enormous efforts under centrifugal force.
rain expected for Friday's practice

About Newey, he will leave if Horner will leave it is a known thing.

I hope Sainz could race.  Bearman couldn't defend Leclerc's rear like Sainz can imho.  Ferrari will need to make Leclerc finish second at almost every race to keep the driver's championship close then maybe car development improves mid season.  That's when we'll see an interesting season.  As you guys may have already noticed that I'm mostly an RBR fan but the seasons after Verstappen won his first championship have been sooo boring I find myself rooting for Leclerc and Ferrari.  

Anyway both practice sessions doesn't really show anything.  Let's see how FP3 goes...  

Some highlight vids from FP1 and FP2.

2024 F1 Australian GP FP1 Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzvFaPdvcHo

2024 F1 Australian GP FP2 Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP9pMgYBtOY