In the round-up: Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur wants to keep expectations grounded this year.
In brief
Ferrari cannot be “too optimistic” – Vasseur
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says it is important for his team not to get ahead of itself with its aspirations for the 2024 season.
The team finished a distance second to Red Bull in 2022 but were even further behind in third place last year, Vasseur’s first season in charge of the team.
“I don’t know if it will be better this year,” Vasseur said. “Nobody knows.
“At the end of the day to make comparisons and we are just focused on ourselves and trying to do the best. I don’t want to be too optimistic I think this was one of the issues we had last season. We just have to focus on what we are doing and not to think about the outcome of the championship before race one.”
RB “not a junior team anymore” – Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo insists that his RB team are no longer a junior team heading into the new season.
Ricciardo, a former Red Bull driver, says that the team formerly known as AlphaTauri are “going in the right direction.”
“Honestly, everything I’ve fed back to the team, I feel like they’ve actioned or done their best to make it happen or make it work,” Ricciardo continued. “So I honestly can’t ask for too much more at the moment.
“I feel like this is not a junior team anymore. And I think with a lot of plans for next year, hopefully we can prove that on track and get more points.”
Qatar tyre problems could lead to changes – McCullough
The tyre damage problems that struck last year’s Qatar Grand Prix could result in another in-season tyre construction change, suggests Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough.
Pirelli introduced a new construction of tyres at the British Grand Prix last year. The Qatar Grand Prix in October was marred by damage believed to be caused by kerbs around the circuit.
“What we know at the moment is that the tyres aren’t changing for the start of 2024,” said McCullough. “They can change during 2024, as they did this year. Obviously with one eye on Qatar last year, there’s talk of changing kerbs and stuff – maybe the tyres will change before then as well, who knows. That’s up to Pirelli.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
‘Most need 150km to get used to F1, Verstappen needed a lap’ (BBC)
”I remember Max at the Norisring at 16 years old. It was wet and he was one and a half to two seconds faster than anyone else. I said all other drivers should give back their licences, the only driver in this field is Max Verstappen. During his first test I was really impressed how fast he adapted to the speed and brakes… normally drivers need 100-150km to get used to the enormous power which an F1 car has under accelerating and under braking. But from the first lap onwards he was familiar with everything.”
At home with Horner (Sky Sports)
‘Sky’ Craig Slater joins Red Bull boss Christian Horner at his home to reflect on the team’s 2023 successes, look ahead to the new season and learn how to ride a horse!’
How Schumacher and Benetton beat the rules to win the F1 title (Speedcafe)
‘Michael Schumacher claimed his first F1 title in 1994 in one of the most dramatic, controversial, and sombre seasons in the sport’s history. Schumacher overcame Damon Hill by a single point at the end of a tumultuous season that saw the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna. The controversial conclusion was the final chapter of a moment that had witnessed discontent within the paddock flare-up on multiple occasions.’
How F1 engines make 1,000hp (Motor Authority)
‘Considering that most road-car internal-combustion engines struggle to achieve 35% thermal efficiency, F1 engineers have to employ plenty of tricks. One is pre-chamber ignition—the use of a smaller combustion chamber above the main chamber—which allows for a leaner air-fuel mixture that’s ideally suited to F1’s fuel-flow limits. This feature isn’t racing-specific; it was one of the features that made the original Honda Civic’s CVCC engine so fuel-efficient, and it’s currently used in Maserati’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6. ‘
Race of Champions 2023 (Gran Turismo via YouTube)
‘Every year the winners of the GT World Series are invited to the Polyphony Digital Tokyo Studios for a celebration and cake cutting ceremony with the staff of Polyphony Digital and invited guests. This year champions of previous years starting from the inaugural year of 2018 were all invited to the celebration, where they joined the 2023 champions for a race of Champions!’
2023 sports pictures of the year (Sky)
‘McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on track during practice ahead of the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.’
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Dsob and Michael Hu!
On this day in motorsport
Jim Clark took his final grand prix victory of his career in the 1968 South African Grand Prix. He died in a crash during Formula 2 race in Hockenheim later in the year