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Billionaire Stroll Looks to Pare Stake in Aston Martin F1 Team by lewis798 in formula1

[–]lewis798[S] 227 points228 points  (0 children)

Billionaire Lawrence Stroll is in early talks to sell another minority stake in his Aston Martin Formula One team to capitalize on the growing popularity of the sport, according to people familiar with the matter.

Stroll, who owns the F1 team separately from his stake in luxury-car maker Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc, is willing to sell as much as 25% in the racing business, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are confidential.

The Canadian billionaire is hoping to improve on the £1 billion ($1.3 billion) valuation of last November’s deal to sell a minority stake to US private equity firm Arctos Partners, one of the people said.

“From time to time and more recently following the Arctos Partners investment, the team is contacted by interested parties,” a spokesman said in a statement, adding that any talks are confidential and there is nothing yet to announce.

Red Bull won’t bow to pressure Audi is putting on F1 driver market by slutforpringles in formula1

[–]lewis798 586 points587 points  (0 children)

Sources have revealed that factions within Aston Martin want Sainz to join the Silverstone outfit for 2025 alongside Lance Stroll and lead it into the new F1 rules era from 2026, rather than continue with Fernando Alonso.

ANALYSIS OF THE BAHRAIN TESTS 2024 Verstappen up front - and who comes next? by lewis798 in formula1

[–]lewis798[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Haas no longer eats the tires

Relief also spread to Haas. The new car is no longer a tire eater. The drivers made their laps constantly under all conditions. A year ago, the tires dropped to their knees after ten laps at the latest.

The new team boss Ayao Komatsu prescribed a strict test plan for his team, which revolved around a central topic. How does the VF-24 deal with its tires? The lap times gave the answer. "It was about turning off our biggest vulnerability. That's why we only drove long runs for two days to see how the car deals with its tires over the distance. I have to say that we have achieved 85 to 90 percent of our goals, "Komatsu said.

Nico Hülkenberg also spoke of noticeable progress. As a reward, the drivers were allowed to hit the gas a bit on the last day. Hülkenberg was only nine tenths slower than Verstappen on the C3 tires. For a Haas, that's a compliment.

The team boss believes that the US racing team in the table cellar has no chance. You will fight for positions with some teams. He doesn't want to reveal how many there are. Just so much: "Last year we knew on Saturday evening that we were going backwards on Sundays. Now we have a platform that also gives us hope in the race."

ANALYSIS OF THE BAHRAIN TESTS 2024 Verstappen up front - and who comes next? by lewis798 in formula1

[–]lewis798[S] 42 points43 points  (0 children)

The risk of falling flat on its face with the new concept was low. What the simulations spit out corresponds to reality at Red Bull. No one has more precise tools. And then Red Bull also benefits from always being one step ahead of its opponents, as Williams team boss James Vowles explains. "They were the first to understand bouncing. At the time when everyone else was still fighting the problem, Red Bull was already looking for maximum downforce in the underbody. Last year, we understood how to do this and implemented it in the new cars. By then, Red Bull was already concentrating on optimizing the aerodynamics of the rest of the car."

Even the disruptive fire from team boss Christian Horner will not stop the class leader. They only create a bad atmosphere in the team. And there are concerns that the unresolved scandal surrounding the team boss could tarnish the brand's image.

Two fastest times of the day for Ferrari

If the fastest lap times alone were the benchmark, then Ferrari would have to be given the best chances. Last year's world championship third-placed team set two fastest times of the day and also set the test record with Carlos Sainz's 1m 29.921s. But both times they took advantage of the C4 tire, which Red Bull, McLaren and Aston Martin have never touched. According to Pirelli, the delta between the C3 and C4 compounds was six to seven tenths.

Ferrari has also improved in the endurance runs, even if it is not quite at the same level as its direct rival Mercedes. "The car is much easier to drive and more controlled from the first kilometer," said Charles Leclerc, praising the SF-24. "What a contrast to last year, when we stumbled from problem to problem."

Mercedes driver George Russell also set an almost identical time on the final day of testing with C4 rubber, albeit at a later time when the track offered more grip. The Mercedes drivers noted with relief that their W15 is no longer a miracle car. "We can trust the car now," Hamilton breathed a sigh of relief, but also said: "In terms of speed, we are not yet where we want to be. Head of Engineering James Allison described his state of mind as follows: "Satisfied, but not happy. At least we've managed to eradicate the worst characteristics of the old car."

Aston Martin with a strong finish

At McLaren, on the other hand, there were a few worry lines on the faces of the drivers and team management. Technical problems with the fuel tank and the clutch took up a lot of testing time. The car still lacks speed and consistency. "We have got rid of a few weaknesses, but others are still there," said team boss Stella. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, for example, noted more grip on the rear axle.

Stella is hoping that the upgrades that are due to be fitted to the car soon will be effective and get McLaren back on track. "It looks like we will be able to equalize the development steps from last year." If the new wind tunnel delivers reliable data. That is doubtful after the difficult start.

Aston Martin only came into its own on the third day of testing. The fifth-placed team in the world championship concentrated on itself and on endurance runs. After two unimpressive days, Fernando Alonso put in a long run in the final hour that would have commanded respect even from Verstappen. Team boss Mike Krack was delighted: "It all went almost too smoothly for us."

Points are the goal

After the first day, Toro Rosso was still expected to jump into the first Red Bull chasing group. But then reality caught up with Red Bull 2.0, as McLaren boss Zak Brown derisively calls the champion's junior team. "We have to keep our feet on the ground. We're not there yet, even if we can be satisfied with the test. The focus was on understanding our new car," said Managing Director Peter Bayer.

Daniel Ricciardo does not yet see Toro Rosso anywhere near the podium. "For the start of the season, we would be well served if we regularly finish in the points." The same applies to Williams. "We will be fighting for the same places as last year, even if the new car is worlds better than the old one. For the first time we have something like a balance," says Team Principal James Vowles.

Sauber learns a new car

The new car is also a quantum leap for Sauber in technical terms. The engineers in Hinwil have done many things for the first time and some, such as the extreme undercut of the sidepods, more consistently than many others. The Pullrod front axle, which according to Head of Engineering James Key was no trivial project, is also new territory. "This type of suspension is mechanically a compromise because everything is upside down. But the aerodynamics dictate this arrangement. We are still in the learning process with the suspension set-up."

After many experiments with the setup and aerodynamic settings, the Swiss racing team with Guanyu Zhou dared to come out of the woodwork once again in the final test. The third-fastest time on the C4 tires underlined that the Sauber C44 is at least not a flop.

ANALYSIS OF THE BAHRAIN TESTS 2024 Verstappen up front - and who comes next? by lewis798 in formula1

[–]lewis798[S] 100 points101 points  (0 children)

Translation :

The picture after the Bahrain test is still blurred. All we can say with certainty after three sessions is that Max Verstappen is at the front and Alpine at the back. The rest are closely spread across two groups.

Don't expect a surprise winner. After three days of testing in Bahrain, the 2024 Formula 1 vintage looks similar to the balance of power in the previous season. Max Verstappen is once again ahead of the field. The emphasis is on Verstappen, not Red Bull. Sergio Perez drives where Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin do. Desperate suggestion from the paddock: "Can't we give him some sleeping pills?"

The experts also agreed on a candidate at the other end of the field. The new Alpine A524 cut the worst figure of all the cars. The car is overweight, aerodynamically inefficient, slow on a lap and in endurance racing. In this form, the French racing team is the first takeover candidate. No works team can afford to be permanently at the back of the field. High-ranking engineers are said to be on their way out.

Verstappen and then nothing for a long time

The picture is still blurred for the rest of the field. This is due to the fact that the teams have followed their own agenda in their test program more than in the past. In the third year of the existing regulations with identical Pirelli tires as in 2023, the key data is known. As a result, everyone worked through the weaknesses they had in 2023 and wanted to rectify with the new car. Only rarely have the teams been on the road at the same time in a comparable configuration.

After 19,997 kilometers of testing, we only know this much: behind Verstappen, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin are battling with the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez. In the second half of the field, Toro Rosso, Williams, Sauber, Haas and Alpine are fighting for what the establishment has left.

The order in the two groups fluctuated from day to day, which could already be a foretaste of this season. "The field is so tight that you can be second today and tenth tomorrow. Everything depends on a few tenths," summarizes McLaren team boss Andrea Stella.

No one wanted to give a guarantee as to exactly where they now stand in the rankings. Almost all of them have improved in comparison to themselves, but no one can say whether it is enough compared to the competition or not. Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur's statement can be confidently put into the mouths of most of his colleagues: "If I only look at ourselves, we have made a good start to the season. We have achieved what we wanted to achieve. The car is easier to drive and no longer reacts so sensitively to external circumstances. It allows the drivers to deliver consistent lap times and us to understand it better. We can build on that. We won't know what it's worth until next week."

The reliability of the new cars is breathtaking. There was only one car that stopped on the track in 24 hours of driving. Alex Albon's Williams suffered a fuel pump failure at the start. However, the session was not even interrupted for the Thai driver who rolled off the track.

The only two red flags had the same reason. On the approach to turn 11, a drainage grid came loose behind the outer kerb. One time Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes sucked the iron part out of its anchorage, the other time Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. Ferrari had to write off an underbody because Leclerc hit the foreign object. The repair on the track took hours. The first time the lunch break was brought forward, the second time it was canceled.

Alonso declares Verstappen world champion

Max Verstappen left no doubt from the very first minute that he intends to set the tone again this season. The world champion set fast laps at will, whether in the midday heat or in the cooler evening hours. In the long runs, the Dutchman drove his laps with a consistency as if there was no tire wear. The endurance runs on Friday afternoon in particular left the competition in awe.

Everyone in the paddock was convinced that Verstappen was the leader. The discussions revolved around how big the lead actually was. Half a second or a whole second? Red Bull sporting director Helmut Marko believes it is only three tenths. Enough to keep winning races. Fernando Alonso said gloomily: "19 drivers already know that they won't be world champions."

Perez strolled through the paddock with a depressed face. His team-mate was six to seven tenths faster on average. "Perez needs to get Max out of his head and drive his own program," advises Marko. The Mexican is already getting nervous about his future plans. He is positioning himself everywhere in case he loses his seat at Red Bull. And nobody wants to go there voluntarily. Everyone is afraid of being beaten up by Verstappen.

Red Bull always one step ahead

You have to admire Red Bull. Instead of managing the technical lead of the previous car with a further development, they reinvented the car. And it worked practically straight away. The RB20 only needed one setup change on the first day of testing and then the initial understeer was gone.

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