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

[LTU_btc]

As anticipated the past week.
Perez and Bottas will be back in F1, with Cadillac.
The American team confirmed their line up for the next F1 Season.

Both drivers are 35yo, but the team is new so 1 year contract for both to bring their experience is a valid strategy IMHO.

This is the news that most of us have been waiting for. For new team signing such experienced drivers is probably best decision that they can make. Can't wait to see them on track again.

Finally it's race week. For now weather forecasts shows rain on all 3 days. Probably again we will remember that if you'll ever feel useless, remember about full wet tyres in F1.

[coinlocket$]

new rumor ongoing today.
It is rumored that Redbull is considering Indycar Alex Palou champion as possible driver for 2026.
He is a multi indicar champion and he may take the spot of Tsunoda.

I mean...I think that if it will happen, it will be the 1st time for a Indy driver to F1, usually is the other way.

[retreat]

Bottas and Perez are officially back as F1 drivers after Cadillac officially announced their appointments. This officially ends the rumors surrounding Cadillac's driver for the 2026 season.

Bottas and Perez are not new to F1. Both are experienced drivers who have spent several seasons with top F1 teams. The selection of these two drivers is a perfect fit, as they can bring their experience to Cadillac and gradually improve their performance from season to season. Furthermore, Cadillac is also considering the potential sponsorship that Perez will bring. As with his previous team, Perez brings a significant amount of sponsorship money from major Mexican corporations, perhaps $30 to $40 million per season, or even more. That's a significant amount of money for developing their car in the early seasons.

It's great to see these two drivers back on the grid.

[Distraction]

Finally it's race week. For now weather forecasts shows rain on all 3 days. Probably again we will remember that if you'll ever feel useless, remember about full wet tyres in F1.

The weather in Zandvoort is shown like this on BBC.

The race day looks clear for now if their report is reliable.    Some rain would make it more interesting in fact. Even under rain McLaren stays dominant of course.

But at least we would watch more action. The cars won't have any upgrades. I hope it doesn't become a boring race.

[swogerino]

Finally it's race week. For now weather forecasts shows rain on all 3 days. Probably again we will remember that if you'll ever feel useless, remember about full wet tyres in F1.

The weather in Zandvoort is shown like this on BBC.

The race day looks clear for now if their report is reliable.    Some rain would make it more interesting in fact. Even under rain McLaren stays dominant of course.

But at least we would watch more action. The cars won't have any upgrades. I hope it doesn't become a boring race.

I remember it was this race where Sergio Perez were totally asleep after a Safety Car restart so I doubt this race is going to be boring, it is a super speedy race from what I remember if I am not confusing the track so chances will be there for a good race, of course excluding one-two which under normal conditions always remains the McLaren cars. That is the beauty of this Championship, much differently from Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen times both drivers of McLaren are very good and are battling a battle that will mostly last until the end in the final race, we have not seen such F1 season in a long time where two drivers despite in the same team fight to the end.

[tokeweed]

As anticipated the past week.
Perez and Bottas will be back in F1, with Cadillac.
The American team confirmed their line up for the next F1 Season.

Both drivers are 35yo, but the team is new so 1 year contract for both to bring their experience is a valid strategy IMHO.

Yup, their priority surely is gonna be on developing the car with both drivers giving their inputs to their engineers.  The experience of both drivers will def translate to the next seasons on how they go about proper F1 car development after those drivers leave to make way for the new.

I think Caterham will use the same strategy too.  So I think drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and other familiar faces could make a comeback.  Wanna see Vettel back in there too but that's a long shot.

[coinlocket$]

Minor change in F1.
Mclaren will change the team name from the season 2026.
They will ad a sponsor in the name, they will be officially called Mclaren Mastercard Formula 1 team.

This will a multiyear multi-million deal for the naming, we don't know the amount yet.

[retreat]

-snip-

I think Caterham will use the same strategy too.  So I think drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and other familiar faces could make a comeback.  Wanna see Vettel back in there too but that's a long shot.

It's certainly more advantageous for the team to employ an experienced driver than a completely new driver, as experienced drivers already possess proven racing instincts, eliminate the need to adapt to the more competitive F1 environment, they can provide feedback to the team, and offer various other advantages, making it easier for the team to design racing strategies and develop the car throughout the season. Then, after a few seasons have passed and the team's condition has stabilized, they can consider recruiting young drivers with potential. So if Caterham (or another manufacturer) joins as the 12th team, they will probably take the same approach as Cadillac, and it is very possible that we will see names that were previously in F1 racing again.

[coinlocket$]

1   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m10.278s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m10.570s
3   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.779s
4   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.841s
5   Alex Albon   THA   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m11.171s
6   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m11.218s
7   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m11.386s
8   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m11.458s
9   Gabriel Bortoleto   BRA   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m11.509s
10   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m11.613s
11   Liam Lawson   NZL   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m11.753s
12   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m11.772s
13   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m11.875s
14   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m11.951s
15   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m11.960s
16   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m12.126s
17   Esteban Ocon   FRA   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m12.144s
18   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m12.276s
19   Oliver Bearman   GBR   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m12.564s
20   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m14.275s

source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1080278/1/2025-f1-dutch-grand-prix-friday-practice-results

s1 completed.

Looks like it will be another interesting weekedn for Aston Martin, if no rain will happen.

[tokeweed]

^  I think it's a bit early to start thinking that Aston Martin will the great this weekend just because it timed well 8n FP1.  And this is FP1...  The other teams haven't done the proper tweaks and adjustments yet.  We'll prolly see Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari improve their times by FP3.

And don't discount Max Verstappen just yet,  This is his home track after all.   

What do you guys think of Verstappen to win the race at 9.00 in this spot?  I think that at least deserves a small bet. 

[coinlocket$]

^  I think it's a bit early to start thinking that Aston Martin will the great this weekend just because it timed well 8n FP1.  And this is FP1...  The other teams haven't done the proper tweaks and adjustments yet.  We'll prolly see Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari improve their times by FP3.

And don't discount Max Verstappen just yet,  This is his home track after all.   

What do you guys think of Verstappen to win the race at 9.00 in this spot?  I think that at least deserves a small bet. 

Well, Aston Martin is only 0.09s behind after fp2
I think they can't compete with Mclarens, I'm expecting that the papaya is holding back some hidden power.
Also rain will probably happen so everything will shuffle.
If not rain then Aston can compete for the second row for sure.

[Velvet78]

Ferrari looked really weak today in both sessions. Do you think they are saving power for qualifying? They don't do that often though. We usually see them doing impressive work in FP.

Well, Aston Martin is only 0.09s behind after fp2
I think they can't compete with Mclarens, I'm expecting that the papaya is holding back some hidden power.
Also rain will probably happen so everything will shuffle.
If not rain then Aston can compete for the second row for sure.

I don't know... FP results can be really tricky or misleading sometimes.    Let's wait for how FP3 goes. Its results would tell us more about the potential results of qualifying.

But I wouldn't still expect a poor performance by Aston Martin. At least by Alonso.

[coinlocket$]

Ferrari is a disaster on this track.
I don't even think that they need to hope for the rain.
They have no grip on the dry track, on the wet track it will be probably even worse 

Sad time to be a Ferrari fan

[tokeweed]

^  I think it's a bit early to start thinking that Aston Martin will the great this weekend just because it timed well 8n FP1.  And this is FP1...  The other teams haven't done the proper tweaks and adjustments yet.  We'll prolly see Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari improve their times by FP3.

And don't discount Max Verstappen just yet,  This is his home track after all.    

What do you guys think of Verstappen to win the race at 9.00 in this spot?  I think that at least deserves a small bet.  

Well, Aston Martin is only 0.09s behind after fp2
I think they can't compete with Mclarens, I'm expecting that the papaya is holding back some hidden power.
Also rain will probably happen so everything will shuffle.
If not rain then Aston can compete for the second row for sure.

I usually wait for FP3 before judging if a team or a driver really is competitive against the leading team.  And true enough, FP3 has shown that Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari are more competitive than the guys at Aston Martin.  

Surprisingly Sainz in that Williams looked really good in FP3.  This could be an interesting qualifying imho.

Here are the results for FP3.

2025 F1 Dutch Grand Prix FP3 Results

1   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m08.972s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m09.214s
3   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m09.858s
4   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m09.913s
5   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m09.925s
6   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m09.938s
7   Alex Albon   THA   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m10.099s
8   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.103s
9   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.166s
10   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.232s
11   Liam Lawson   NZL   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.300s
12   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m10.349s
13   Gabriel Bortoleto   BRA   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.361s
14   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m10.373s
15   Oliver Bearman   GBR   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.595s
16   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.599s
17   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m10.697s
18   Esteban Ocon   FRA   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.801s
19   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m10.963s
20   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m11.054s

And I'm now starting to think that Hamilton might go bald again.  Lolol.

[coinlocket$]

I usually wait for FP3 before judging if a team or a driver really is competitive against the leading team.  And true enough, FP3 has shown that Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari are more competitive than the guys at Aston Martin.  

Surprisingly Sainz in that Williams looked really good in FP3.  This could be an interesting qualifying imho.

1   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m08.972s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m09.214s
3   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m09.858s
4   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m09.913s
5   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m09.925s
6   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m09.938s
7   Alex Albon   THA   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m10.099s
8   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.103s
9   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.166s
10   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.232s
11   Liam Lawson   NZL   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.300s
12   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m10.349s
13   Gabriel Bortoleto   BRA   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.361s
14   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m10.373s
15   Oliver Bearman   GBR   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.595s
16   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.599s
17   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m10.697s
18   Esteban Ocon   FRA   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.801s
19   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m10.963s
20   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m11.054s

And I'm now starting to think that Hamilton might go bald again.  Lolol.

Yep this is a weird pattern.
When Aston is good also Williams is not so bad in the same track-day.
We got dry practice 3, and no rain in day 3 so far.
This is quite fun to see since rain was almost sure 3 days ago for the entire weekend.

[retreat]

McLaren did it again, securing pole position like last year, except this time Piastri secured it after a decent qualifying run. Max, however, really pushed his own game and secured third, which wasn't bad considering Red Bull's recent poor form. But Hadjar, quite surprisingly, really pushed hard and secured fourth, his best finish since his F1 career. This is quite funny too, because with that car he was able to make the Ferrari duo be behind him, which was quite embarrassing for Ferrari.

It looks like we'll be racing in fairly favorable weather conditions. Hopefully, the race won't be boring.

[tokeweed]

I usually wait for FP3 before judging if a team or a driver really is competitive against the leading team.  And true enough, FP3 has shown that Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari are more competitive than the guys at Aston Martin.  

Surprisingly Sainz in that Williams looked really good in FP3.  This could be an interesting qualifying imho.

1   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m08.972s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m09.214s
3   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m09.858s
4   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m09.913s
5   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m09.925s
6   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m09.938s
7   Alex Albon   THA   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m10.099s
8   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.103s
9   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.166s
10   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m10.232s
11   Liam Lawson   NZL   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m10.300s
12   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m10.349s
13   Gabriel Bortoleto   BRA   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.361s
14   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m10.373s
15   Oliver Bearman   GBR   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.595s
16   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.599s
17   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m10.697s
18   Esteban Ocon   FRA   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.801s
19   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m10.963s
20   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m11.054s

And I'm now starting to think that Hamilton might go bald again.  Lolol.

Yep this is a weird pattern.
When Aston is good also Williams is not so bad in the same track-day.
We got dry practice 3, and no rain in day 3 so far.
This is quite fun to see since rain was almost sure 3 days ago for the entire weekend.

It's Verstappen and Hadjar in the second row, with Russell and Leclerc in the third.  This should be a good and exciting first 10 laps.  

I wouldn't be surprised if Russell or Leclerc could get on the podium.  But would I bet on it?  Nope.  Not with Verstappen at the second row.  He'll be a man possessed in there.  He'll go for it or get a DNF.

2025 F1 Dutch Grand Prix Qualifying Results

1   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m09.338s   1m08.964s   1m08.662s
2   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m09.469s   1m08.874s   1m08.674s
3   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m09.696s   1m09.122s   1m08.925s
4   Isack Hadjar   FRA   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m09.980s   1m09.439s   1m09.208s
5   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m09.676s   1m09.313s   1m09.255s
6   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m09.906s   1m09.304s   1m09.340s
7   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Scuderia Ferrari HP   1m09.900s   1m09.261s   1m09.390s
8   Liam Lawson   NZL   Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team   1m09.779s   1m09.383s   1m09.500s
9   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m09.980s   1m09.472s   1m09.505s
10   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m09.950s   1m09.366s   1m09.630s
11   Kimi Antonelli   ITA   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m09.845s   1m09.493s   
12   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m09.954s   1m09.622s   
13   Gabriel Bortoleto   BRA   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.037s   1m09.622s   
14   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m09.894s   1m09.637s   
15   Alex Albon   THA   Atlassian Williams Racing   1m09.792s   1m09.652s   
16   Franco Colapinto   ARG   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m10.104s       
17   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m10.195s       
18   Esteban Ocon   FRA   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.197s       
19   Oliver Bearman   GBR   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m10.262s       
20   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   No time set       

[Velvet78]

It's Verstappen and Hadjar in the second row, with Russell and Leclerc in the third.  This should be a good and exciting first 10 laps.         

And it is a podium for Hadjar!    What a day for the 20-year-old French driver...

Norris was really unlucky today. While pushing for the win one last time his car broke down. Now he is much farther away from Piastri as the gap has become 34 points.

No luck for Ferrari either... Hamilton again made a simple mistake. Antonelli killed Leclerc's race and he also couldn't get any points because of a 10-second penalty.

[coinlocket$]

Crazy race.
Hadjar with once in a life time podium with Norris DNF.

Incredible what happened to Ferrari today, especially with Charles collision.
Hamilton what a mistake he did.

Finally this track will go out of the calendar in 2 years. Incredibly boring with no possibility of overtakes.

[tokeweed]

It's Verstappen and Hadjar in the second row, with Russell and Leclerc in the third.  This should be a good and exciting first 10 laps.         

And it is a podium for Hadjar!    What a day for the 20-year-old French driver...

Norris was really unlucky today. While pushing for the win one last time his car broke down. Now he is much farther away from Piastri as the gap has become 34 points.

No luck for Ferrari either... Hamilton again made a simple mistake. Antonelli killed Leclerc's race and he also couldn't get any points because of a 10-second penalty.

Yeah, it's a nIce consolation that despite not winning the Dutch GP this year, Verstappen still got on the podium and still got the second best spot up there.  

Not a bad result for him imho.  He better relish everything he could get this season as the next one might be very good for him without Horner and Newey at the helm.

Anyway, would be entertaining if Horner went to Aston Martin and make a winner out of Lance Stroll.