In the round-up: Toto Wolff insists that Red Bull’s dominance of F1 is not a concern for the health of the sport
In brief
F1 should be ‘sport before spectacle’ – Wolff
Mercedes team principal says he is not concerned about reports that F1 viewing figures have dipped slightly in regions such as the USA in second-straight year dominated by Red Bull.
“The numbers that we are seeing are strong,” said Wolff. “We’re growing on social, we see races that are packed and sold out. As a matter of fact, it is an all-around spectacle. If the spectacle is not good, our fans are going to follow us less.
“But what I always say in this sport, I like the ‘honesty’ [of racing]. The spectacle follows the sport. And the sport – this is a meritocracy. Whoever is doing the best job wins. And if somebody is doing a much better job than everybody else, then they’re winning 19 races – and you can’t stop that, as a matter of fact. So it is up to us and Ferrari and all the other teams to have to do a better job in order to compete with Red Bull Racing.”
Japan was Verstappen’s favourite victory
Max Verstappen says that the Japanese Grand Prix was his favourite race weekend of the season.
Verstappen took his third championship title in 2023 with a record 19 race victories. Speaking at the Honda Thanks Day event at Motegi, Verstappen picked the round at Suzuka as his favourite weekend of the season.
“I have to say Suzuka was really good,” he said. “We were very strong the whole weekend, the car was really, really nice to drive there. Also the track layout – it’s so much fun always to race there. It’s one of my favourite ones.”
Lack of early upgrades hurt – Zhou
Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu says his team lost out due to their relative lac of upgrades relative to their rivals.
The team fell from sixth in the championship in 2022 to ninth this season, while rivals Williams and AlphaTauri overtook them.
“A lot of our main rivals from the beginning of the season, they were able just to change massively – completely introduce a new car, or ‘B’ car over the season and made a very good step forward,” Zhou explained.
“We knew we’re going to get that plan for next season, so this year was more about suffering at the last few races. Then it’s been a little bit inconsistent, unpredictable in terms of performance track-by-track. But we definitely, in general, didn’t really have the pace, especially over the race distance.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
”It’s not been a great year in general. There’s not a lot to take from the year. The fact that I survived it (is positive), but probably that’s about it. At this moment I don’t really know (whether next year’s car will be competitive).’
New vehicle adaptation guidelines for disabled drivers released (FIA)
‘The FIA’s Disability and Accessibility Commission has released the latest Vehicle Adaptation Guidelines to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The Guidelines provide general guidance, information and illustrative graphics regarding the adaptation of motor sport vehicles for use by disabled drivers.’
Michael Schumacher Legend limited edition (Mongrip)
‘The new LEGEND collection of Limited Edition bracelets by MONGRIP™, made from a tyre used by Michael Schumacher in the legendary 1996 Monza GP, pays homage to the extraordinary seven-time Formula 1™ World Champion. A first batch of 7 bracelets will be available for purchase on December 7th at 7pm.’
This is Bulgari’s Vision GT Car, coming to Gran Turismo 7 soon (GT Planet)
‘Italian luxury goods company Bulgari has just unveiled its Vision Gran Turismo concept car at the GT World Finals in Barcelona, Spain, as part of a new collaboration with Polyphony Digital. It’s a two-part announcement, consisting of the virtual item — called the Bulgari Aluminium Vision GT — and a tie-in real-world item from the brand by way of a special, celebratory timepiece.’
Honda Racing Thanks Day 2023 (Honda Racing via YouTube)
Archive of the Honda Thanks day at Motegi, featuring Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda, Takuma Sato, Marc Marquez and many more.’
George Russell Reacts to his HILARIOUS 2023 memes! (Mercedes via YouTube)
George Russell takes a look at various fan-created memes from the 2023 season, featuring him.
We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it to us via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
✅ driving once more an AT02
✅ driving a racing car from 1965
✅ meeting champions from the two and three wheels
✅ being surrounded by the love of the Japanese fans
✅ driving Honda GT carsthis and much more is the magic you can only find at the #HondaThanksDay ✨ pic.twitter.com/lYtJTjIcPu
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) December 3, 2023
Taking shape. 🤝
Take a flying look at the relentless progress being made on our new campus, with the wind tunnel and additional buildings well underway towards completion in 2024. pic.twitter.com/KgjIzOLkLT
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) December 3, 2023
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Noel and Sw6569!