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

[Distraction]

Aesthetically I think RB19 is considered to be one of the best looking cars in the history of Formula 1.  But mostly throughout the years Ferrari and McLaren cars have had the best looking ones. 

Was Binotto really the most likely person to replace Newey at one point?  I think they're just rumors at best.  Red Bull could already have one earmarked among their ranks as a replacement...  What I could tell you tho is Ferrari wanted Horner as Binotto's replacement as team principal at Ferrari.  Horner turned them down.

I'm not surprised with Ferrari's wanting Horner in Binotto's place in the past.    Because Horner has really been one of the best team principals in Formula 1 lately. But why would Horner just leave Red Bull for Ferrari, right? It wouldn't have made sense if he did so. Because he has had really successful years with Red Bull.

They have been very dominant over the last a few years. Horner is going to earn $12m a year until 2026. I don't expect Horner to leave the team until that date. But as of 2026 season we never know what can happen in F1.    Because there are many changes to come which could upset the balances quite much.

[swogerino]

Aesthetically I think RB19 is considered to be one of the best looking cars in the history of Formula 1.  But mostly throughout the years Ferrari and McLaren cars have had the best looking ones. 

Was Binotto really the most likely person to replace Newey at one point?  I think they're just rumors at best.  Red Bull could already have one earmarked among their ranks as a replacement...  What I could tell you tho is Ferrari wanted Horner as Binotto's replacement as team principal at Ferrari.  Horner turned them down.

I'm not surprised with Ferrari's wanting Horner in Binotto's place in the past.    Because Horner has really been one of the best team principals in Formula 1 lately. But why would Horner just leave Red Bull for Ferrari, right? It wouldn't have made sense if he did so. Because he has had really successful years with Red Bull.

They have been very dominant over the last a few years. Horner is going to earn $12m a year until 2026. I don't expect Horner to leave the team until that date. But as of 2026 season we never know what can happen in F1.    Because there are many changes to come which could upset the balances quite much.

It would not change much honestly,Horner maybe a great team principal but without his main engineering head Newey he won't have any success at Ferrari or else where.The resource which most teams are missing is a great engineer to create a fast enough car to fight with Redbull,it looks like there is a big shortage of these guys in F1 especially although everywhere we lack this great engineering guys.

It is not about the money anymore for these guys,they have made their fortune,it is all about the winning,glory and prestige now and leaving Redbull would mean to lose all of this,not happening in my opinion.

[coinlocket$]

Alpha Tauri will change theri name, their social are already gone.

the new name could be Visa CashApp RB team

Source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/alphatauri-addio-ecco-il-visa-cashapp-rb-team

[karabiber]

Alpha Tauri will change theri name, their social are already gone.

the new name could be Visa CashApp RB team

Source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/alphatauri-addio-ecco-il-visa-cashapp-rb-team

I want to write something independent of the name change. The Americans have been jealous of F1 for years and have started to take revenge. It started with the new logo. Then the ridiculous tracks, the sprint races, the fake drama created by dts, and a fan base that didn't have a clue about the new sport. Americans have a really strange form of entertainment. Most of it is based on fakery and mediocrity.
The F1 teams are happy right now because of the profits, but it's not all about profits. F1 has never been so far from its soul. I miss the real F1. Constantly changing rules, environmentalism, vacuum cleaners called v6 turbo hybrids, the American-Arabian mix of liberty and drs fetish has killed the sport. The names of the dominations have changed. Actually the real F1 is completely dead after Brazil 2012.

[dothebeats]

Alpha Tauri will change theri name, their social are already gone.

the new name could be Visa CashApp RB team

Source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/alphatauri-addio-ecco-il-visa-cashapp-rb-team

I want to write something independent of the name change. The Americans have been jealous of F1 for years and have started to take revenge. It started with the new logo. Then the ridiculous tracks, the sprint races, the fake drama created by dts, and a fan base that didn't have a clue about the new sport. Americans have a really strange form of entertainment. Most of it is based on fakery and mediocrity.
The F1 teams are happy right now because of the profits, but it's not all about profits. F1 has never been so far from its soul. I miss the real F1. Constantly changing rules, environmentalism, vacuum cleaners called v6 turbo hybrids, the American-Arabian mix of liberty and drs fetish has killed the sport. The names of the dominations have changed. Actually the real F1 is completely dead after Brazil 2012.

Ah, it was actually dead far before that. 2006 was the last time V10s were used and holy hell the sound of those engines is what started my liking to any motorsports. V8s were kinda okay and they still somewhat resemble some form of 'screams' on longer straights. When the transition to V6 started, I kind of felt that there's something missing in these races. Lots of regulations after that which focused on fuel economy, 'safety,' and just working not directly on the engine but the technology on the car to go faster. It's still okay to watch F1 races every now and then, but it's just not the same after the V8s were retired IMO, and I agree with you that it became boring after 2012.

[Distraction]

Alpha Tauri will change theri name, their social are already gone.

the new name could be Visa CashApp RB team

Source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/alphatauri-addio-ecco-il-visa-cashapp-rb-team

Alpha Tauri was a much cooler name than that. Visa CashApp feels like a sponsored football team name.    But the most important point is how much money they will get from this sponsorship of course. Alpha Tauri made good progress in the last races of last season you know. They kept their big updates for the end of the season interestingly or maybe they just didn't have the money to do it earlier.

If a good amount of money comes from this sponsorship deal maybe they wouldn't lose very much from their power in those times.

As far as I know they won't change their engine manufacturer in the new season also. I hope they can be competitive.

[Davian144]

After seeing the launch of the Gresini Racing team livery, which generally did not differ significantly from last season, today I again saw the launch of the Ducati factory team, which in general was not much different from last season. However, I am sure that the Ducati Gp24 motorbike for this season will be more different in terms of performance from last season's motorbike and hopefully the Ducati factory can continue to defend its title in the 2024 season because they still have a lot of young talent for the 2024 season.

[coinlocket$]

Ducati also announced that they will race in MXGP from 2025.

I think it will be their 1st time.

[FanEagle]

Alpha Tauri will change theri name, their social are already gone.

the new name could be Visa CashApp RB team

Source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/alphatauri-addio-ecco-il-visa-cashapp-rb-team

Alpha Tauri was a much cooler name than that. Visa CashApp feels like a sponsored football team name.    But the most important point is how much money they will get from this sponsorship of course. Alpha Tauri made good progress in the last races of last season you know. They kept their big updates for the end of the season interestingly or maybe they just didn't have the money to do it earlier.

If a good amount of money comes from this sponsorship deal maybe they wouldn't lose very much from their power in those times.

As far as I know they won't change their engine manufacturer in the new season also. I hope they can be competitive.

This is what the sport is all about these days, there is a cap for how much teams can spend, and yes there are few teams that can spend way more than that cap for sure, but rest of the teams do not even have that much, so when the cap is 150 million and you have only 70 million, you can't even spend the cap.

This is why teams are looking for any way possible to make money, it could be celebrity visits, it could be name changes, it could be even more ads on the car, it could be anything really, at this point the only thing left would be selling the whole team. We know have Stake F1 team as well, great thing for crypto and gambling, but that is how it is going at the moment. They are selling the name rights as well, to keep the lights on.

[coinlocket$]

Keep also in mind that we have lost Alfa Romeo in F1 this year.

It will be Audi in the coming 2 years but for 2024 they will race with Kick Sauber as name in the 2024 F1 season.

They were rumored to use the "Adidas" but something went wrong I guess.

[karabiber]

F1 2024 Launch is getting closer. With the launch just around the corner, the technical specifications and details that the teams have made on the vehicles have been determined. But some of the details and features are a thing of the past. The new trends this season will be a front wing that directs the airflow outwards, forcing for downward flow, changes to the wing tip vortex. In terms of regulation changes, we may not see too many changes this season as the rulebook is pretty much the same.

But one of the important changes this season is related to the base edge design. The FIA has instructed teams that they can no longer use metallic components or inserts. This means that teams may have to sacrifice performance to generate downforce. For safety reasons, each season is trying to be worse than the last.

[LTU_btc]

Keep also in mind that we have lost Alfa Romeo in F1 this year.

It will be Audi in the coming 2 years but for 2024 they will race with Kick Sauber as name in the 2024 F1 season.

They were rumored to use the "Adidas" but something went wrong I guess.

BTW, Alpha Tauri presented their new name today. They will be called Visa Cash App RB
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.alphatauri-rebrand-confirmed-for-2024-season-as-new-team-name-revealed.4xAWHWI66d5L9mFELLGb6J.html
IMO, it's one of worst F1 teams name ever. I already thought that Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber is already bad, but this one beats them. I know it's all about sponsor's money, but I think it was possible to make name which sounds better and easier to remember.

[Distraction]

Source: F1 X account

And here we go, a new track is with us in Madrid! Formula 1 is going to host another street track in its calendar. However this track is going to be added to the calendar as of 2026 season. Therefore there is still a long time until we start watching another street race.

It isn't one of the fastest tracks though considering the lap time recorded. But it is still faster than some tracks such as Spa-Francorchamps already. The track generally looks good but I wonder what you think about it. 

Detailed information is on Formula 1 official website: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.madrid-formula-1-calendar-2026-spanish-grand-prix.rKwSPJ74MczwzDhHVxdQz.html

[FanEagle]

Adding Madrid is not really a problem, they are trying to make it go a lot harder and bigger, so that is an important thing. However, adding more and more tracks, which is their goal, to reach that 30 race season thing, is all about money and I am not sure if teams will be capable of doing that. Remember, adding more tracks means more income in the future, but it also means more expense, and while there are some teams like Mercedes and red bull which can sustain themselves and do this, there are teams like haas and williams which can't.

There needs to be some financial assistance to the teams that does poorly, I mean something bigger, punishing teams for being bad, makes them only worse and they eventually bankrupt and sell the team to someone else, who will later bankrupt as well.

[coinlocket$]

An now it is official, it was only a rumor until 1 month ago.

Charles Leclerc signed a new contract with Ferrari, even if I don't find out how long the contract it will be.

[Davian144]

After several days of seeing the launch of Valentino Rossi's Ducati satellite team which has brought sponsors from Indonesia, the team's colors and name have now changed to Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. However, what is even more special is that Valentino Rossi said he would go to Indonesia when the Mandalika race starts in the 2024 season.

Apart from that, another news that surprised me a little was about Andrea Iannone who has returned to WSBK racing on a Ducati Panigale motorbike. This can be seen from the test results at the Jerez circuit two days ago where he was in sixth place just below Stefan Bradl, so this will be quite possible to give rise to fiercer competition in the WSBK arena in the 2024 season because Toprak is no longer at Yamaha and Jonathan Rea will no longer be at Kawasaki for the 2024 season.

[joniboini]

Detailed information is on Formula 1 official website: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.madrid-formula-1-calendar-2026-spanish-grand-prix.rKwSPJ74MczwzDhHVxdQz.html

It seems like the track is not interesting for social media fans[1]. Most of them express regret that more street/hybrid races are added to the calendar as opposed to adding permanent races, with the latest rumor suggesting that Suzuka might be replaced with another street race[2]. Some analysts suggest that moving to Madrid is one of the better alternatives considering most races in Catalunya are quite boring, although they also stated that some negatives come from this such as reducing the opportunity for rookies to race in real-time, increasing the gap between racers, fans and the organizer, etc[3]. The current images around the track circulating online certainly don't help to reduce the complaints[4].

Are any F1 lovers here? I don't follow this sport closely but I'd be surprised if they really replace Suzuka or other iconic tracks with street races.

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/19dkrn3/2026_madrid_track_map_satellite_version/
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/19f49is/japanese_city_eyes_f1_street_race_is_suzuka_under/
[3] https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/new-madrid-f1-race-spanish-gp-barcelona-uncertainty-verdict/
[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/1abcbyh/general_views_of_the_madrid_gp_provided_by_getty/

[Distraction]

Detailed information is on Formula 1 official website: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.madrid-formula-1-calendar-2026-spanish-grand-prix.rKwSPJ74MczwzDhHVxdQz.html

It seems like the track is not interesting for social media fans[1]. Most of them express regret that more street/hybrid races are added to the calendar as opposed to adding permanent races, with the latest rumor suggesting that Suzuka might be replaced with another street race[2]. Some analysts suggest that moving to Madrid is one of the better alternatives considering most races in Catalunya are quite boring, although they also stated that some negatives come from this such as reducing the opportunity for rookies to race in real-time, increasing the gap between racers, fans and the organizer, etc[3]. The current images around the track circulating online certainly don't help to reduce the complaints[4].

Are any F1 lovers here? I don't follow this sport closely but I'd be surprised if they really replace Suzuka or other iconic tracks with street races.

..

Yeah there are many complaints about the new track in Madrid. If I don't remember it wrong there must be 5 or 6 street races in the 2024 calendar. As the number of street races increase people are starting to believe this can change the main concept of Formula 1. I understand these people also of course. I also would like to see the number of such races at reasonable level.

However on one hand we should see it first in action. For now the track looks quite nice in general. The number of turns is also satisfying to me.

Besides I guess it would at least be better than the boring Las Vegas track. 

[LTU_btc]

Adding Madrid is not really a problem, they are trying to make it go a lot harder and bigger, so that is an important thing. However, adding more and more tracks, which is their goal, to reach that 30 race season thing, is all about money and I am not sure if teams will be capable of doing that. Remember, adding more tracks means more income in the future, but it also means more expense, and while there are some teams like Mercedes and red bull which can sustain themselves and do this, there are teams like haas and williams which can't.

There needs to be some financial assistance to the teams that does poorly, I mean something bigger, punishing teams for being bad, makes them only worse and they eventually bankrupt and sell the team to someone else, who will later bankrupt as well.

Madrid isn't going be additional GP. They're going to replace Barcelona track. Personally for me, Barcelona is one of the most boring old school tracks, but I don't want to see it replaced by another soulless street circuit. It looks that one day we're going to reach point when in F1 calendar there will be more street circuits than old-school tracks. From business perspective it's logical, rich cities have more to offer for F1 than these tracks. But as old F1 fan, it makes me sad that such great tracks like Istanbul, Sepang, Mugello or Portimao don't get spot in calendar and getting replaced by city circuits or boring tracks in Middle East

[tokeweed]

Aesthetically I think RB19 is considered to be one of the best looking cars in the history of Formula 1.  But mostly throughout the years Ferrari and McLaren cars have had the best looking ones.  

Was Binotto really the most likely person to replace Newey at one point?  I think they're just rumors at best.  Red Bull could already have one earmarked among their ranks as a replacement...  What I could tell you tho is Ferrari wanted Horner as Binotto's replacement as team principal at Ferrari.  Horner turned them down.

I'm not surprised with Ferrari's wanting Horner in Binotto's place in the past.    Because Horner has really been one of the best team principals in Formula 1 lately. But why would Horner just leave Red Bull for Ferrari, right? It wouldn't have made sense if he did so. Because he has had really successful years with Red Bull.

They have been very dominant over the last a few years. Horner is going to earn $12m a year until 2026. I don't expect Horner to leave the team until that date. But as of 2026 season we never know what can happen in F1.    Because there are many changes to come which could upset the balances quite much.

Well it would def make sense if Horner could bring Adrian Newey, Newey's top engineers, Red Bull's race strategist and Red Bull's top driver Max Verstappen with him to build Ferrari back up and win championships again.  Lolol.  Ok that's a tough ask but something like it happened before.  That was when Schumacher went to Ferrari.  It wasn't just him who went to Ferrari, it was also the top Benetton guys behind him.  That's why they were so good at the time.

Günther Steiner released an interview and he basically said if he will come back in F1 he will be in a better team

He doesn't want to be back in a small team but he want something big.

And what team was he referring to?  Top teams are Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.  Midtable teams which I guess could be considered somewhat big are McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine..?  I guess Alpine is the smallest one among the midtable teams and it's a fringe big team.  And there's the rest of the bunch Williams, Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romero and Haas.

So, which team do you think will he go next?

And isn't there gonna be a couple more teams on 2026?  There's Audi and Andretti's team.  Maybe Steiner is gunning for one of them...

I think McLaren as the second best team of all time in F1 is at the bigger level although they have been struggling to win a Championship since the distant time of Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and that is why maybe now is perceived as a mid team but their budget surely fits the bigger ones.They were also the team which had the best performance in the closing stages of last season so they may be are the only chance we have to see a fight against Redbull this season that is approaching fast enough,just 2 months before the first race here.

Williams were also decent back in the day too afaik.  But yeah, as far as historical prestige goes, it's Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.

Here are the dates for when the teams show their cars.

Haas:  February 2
Sauber:  February 5
Williams:  February 5
Alpine:  February 7
Visa Cash App RB:  February 8
Aston Martin:  February 12
Ferrari:  February 13
Mercedes:  February 14
McLaren:  February 14
Red Bull:  February 15