The 2022 Formula 1 Thread

[harrybarracuda]

No China.

[Backspin]

Australia's last chance.

According to the 2022 F1 calendar, Australia is set to host the third race of the season on April 10, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to open the season.

But one of the world's leading Formula One journalists, Joe Saward, who has attended more than 500 consecutive races, says Melbourne is on its last chance.

"Some F1 folk are cynical that the race will once again be called off," Saward wrote on his blog.

"If this happens, I am told that the contract will be cancelled and Australia will lose its race, because F1 is bored with dealing with the way the Australian authorities are behaving.

"There is considerable pressure for places on the F1 schedule and while Melbourne is a popular venue, the Victorian state government under Daniel Andrews – and the federal government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison – have made it impossible to run a race.

"The world is opening up – for better or worse – and Australia needs to understand that it must stop being a fortress.

"Viruses don't respect fortresses, so it is a failed policy."

[David48atTD]

Australia's last chance.

According to the 2022 F1 calendar, Australia is set to host the third race of the season on April 10, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to open the season.

But one of the world's leading Formula One journalists, Joe Saward, who has attended more than 500 consecutive races, says Melbourne is on its last chance.

"Some F1 folk are cynical that the race will once again be called off," Saward wrote on his blog.

"If this happens, I am told that the contract will be cancelled and Australia will lose its race, because F1 is bored with dealing with the way the Australian authorities are behaving.

"There is considerable pressure for places on the F1 schedule and while Melbourne is a popular venue, the Victorian state government under Daniel Andrews – and the federal government under Prime Minister Scott Morrison – have made it impossible to run a race.

"The world is opening up – for better or worse – and Australia needs to understand that it must stop being a fortress.

"Viruses don't respect fortresses, so it is a failed policy."

Here is a link to the story ... F1 2021: Australian Grand Prix could be lost for good, according to reports

[harrybarracuda]

As F1 embarks on its new rules era in 2022, with all-new car regulations aimed at improving the racing, the sport's owner Liberty Media is also finalising plans for a revised weekend format.

With the planned schedule compressing Friday practice into the afternoons, it means Thursday's regular media day is being ditched in a bid to squeeze events to three days.

F1's chiefs are eager to ensure that the changes do not restrict the media's coverage, and managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn has revealed that it is planning a unique open session on Fridays where teams will have to explain tweaks to their cars.

Revised sporting regulations for next year already stipulate teams have to declare a 'reference specification' for each race weekend ahead of opening practice, which must then be used from final free practice onwards.

With teams needing therefore to declare new components to the FIA each weekend to comply with the new scrutineering requirements, Liberty sees no reason why any tech developments cannot be made public.

Speaking on Monday, Brawn said that a core element on Friday mornings in 2022 would be of teams making personnel and their cars available to go through any updates.

"What we're doing on a Friday is a big session for you guys [the media] to have a look at the cars and talk to the personnel," explained Brawn.

"We're pushing on with initiatives to get greater engagement and a greater insight into what's happening.

"So next year, on a Friday morning, the cars will be presented to you. The teams will explain the changes they've made for that weekend and they'll declare to the FIA the changes they've made.

"It will create another nuance and other interest in the sport, because the technical side of the sport is quite fascinating to a lot of fans."

But while teams may be asked to explain their latest car updates, the nature of secrecy in F1 would make it unlikely for personnel to be fully transparent about everything they have done for fear of it offering valuable information to rival teams.

As well as trying to offer more technical insight next year, Brawn has also said F1 is looking at trialling new tyre rules at a few races in 2022.

As F1 embarks on making itself more sustainable in the future, F1 wants to see if reducing the number of tyre sets available would negatively impact the show.

F1's sprint race trial this year having shown the value of experiments, and Brawn is confident that looking at rule tweaks this way for tyres could be a positive thing.

"We're all trying to improve our footprint, in many ways, and logistics and usage of tyres is one of them," he said.

"We hope in 2022, we're going to have some weekends where we have a reduced number of tyres available.

"We think we can do that without impacting the show. But, as you know in F1, there's always the chance of unintended consequences.

"Tim Goss at the FIA in particular has been working very hard with Pirelli and the teams to come up with a proposal of how we might assess a different way of using tyres over the weekend to reduce quantities. And that looks quite promising.

"I think that's something we will do a few weekends during the season in order to evaluate it. If it works, then it's something we can adopt for the future, or we can tune it a little bit and move forward."

F1 plans 'show and tell' sessions on car updates in 2022

[harrybarracuda]

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Every Formula One grand prix promoter wants to hold a sprint race but only six are likely next season after the experiment of three this year, F1's motorsport head Ross Brawn said on Monday.

Next year's F1 calendar is due to feature a record 23 rounds.

Britain's Silverstone, Italy's Monza and Brazil's Interlagos were the circuits chosen to try the format this year and Brawn, speaking to reporters by video conference, did not say which would get the nod in 2022.

Further talks with teams and stakeholders will be held after this month's Brazilian Grand Prix, the final stage of the evaluation process.

"We've in principle agreed with the teams that we will look toward six (sprint) events for next year," said Brawn. "Our view is that we should take some progressive steps for next year but not radical steps.

"That's partly because we have the new car coming along and everyone needs to settle down with the new car ... we need to see the impact of the new car."

Every F1 grand prix promoter wants a sprint race, says Brawn | Reuters

[harrybarracuda]

A report has revealed which six circuits Formula 1 would like sprint qualifying sessions to take place at next season.
The new format, consisting of a traditional qualifying session on a Friday that determines the grid for a Saturday sprint ‘race’ which then sets the starting order for the main event on the Sunday, was introduced this season.
It was used on three occasions, at Silverstone, Monza and Sao Paulo, and while it was not universally popular among the drivers and fans, the sport was generally happy with how things went.
So much so that, long before the end of the current campaign, they began to state their intentions to double the number of sprints for 2022.

<snip>


Exactly where they will take place has remained unclear, even with the confirmation of the 2022 calendar, but a report from Autosport has now revealed which venues F1 wants to play host to them.
If they get their way, the race weekends in Bahrain, Imola, Canada, Austria, the Netherlands and Brazil will all feature sprint qualifying sessions.
Should the Bahrain Grand Prix be used as a sprint qualifying weekend, it means the format will be used to open the 2022 campaign.
Brazil is the only venue on F1’s wish list that hosted a sprint in 2021, which would mean Bahrain, Imola, Canada, Austria and the Netherlands all staging sprint qualifying for the first time.

Report names 2022's six Formula 1 sprint qualifying venues

[Shutree]

I see Max will race with car #1 for 2022.

Verstappen will use #1 for 2022 F1 title defence

[harrybarracuda]

I see Max will race with car #1 for 2022.

Verstappen will use #1 for 2022 F1 title defence

Obviously the "33" brand isn't worth much.

Albon using 23 though....

[Troy]

I don't like the sprint race, it certainly shouldn't have any points associated. I don't like the extra point for fastest lap either, just a bonus for pole position.

[harrybarracuda]

I don't like the sprint race, it certainly shouldn't have any points associated. I don't like the extra point for fastest lap either, just a bonus for pole position.

Ultimately it has made no difference to the title, but points at the lower end of the table can make a huge (to lower teams) difference to their share of the pot.

[harrybarracuda]

Good to see the Silver Arrow back.

[Backspin]

New wheels/tires.

[Backspin]

Haas released an official rendering of the 2022 car

[Backspin]

RB livery reveal

[Backspin]

👀 | Mercedes offered a tour of their F1 factory in a charity auction recently, highest bidder wins.

The highest bid, came from no other than their biggest rival, Christian Horner, leader of Red Bull.

Horner paid £4,000... 🤣 https://twitter.com/PlanetSportcom/status/1492132563241947141/photo/1

[Switch]

 | Mercedes offered a tour of their F1 factory in a charity auction recently, highest bidder wins.

The highest bid, came from no other than their biggest rival, Christian Horner, leader of Red Bull.

Horner paid £4,000... 藍 https://twitter.com/PlanetSportcom/status/1492132563241947141/photo/1

He will probably be obliged to leave his tape measure/mobile phone/camera, be strip searched for bugs, at reception.

[harrybarracuda]

He will probably be obliged to leave his tape measure/mobile phone/camera, be strip searched for bugs, at reception.

He's pissed four grand away and he knew it, but fair play, it was for charity.

[VocalNeal]

 | Mercedes offered a tour of their F1 factory in a charity auction recently, highest bidder wins.

The highest bid, came from no other than their biggest rival, Christian Horner, leader of Red Bull.

Horner paid £4,000... 藍 https://twitter.com/PlanetSportcom/status/1492132563241947141/photo/1

[harrybarracuda]

[Backspin]

New Mclaren

[Backspin]

New Aston Martin

[Backspin]

AT03

[harrybarracuda]

FINALLY Masi has been sacked.

Good fucking riddance.

Michael Masi sacked as F1 race director after last season&#39;s Abu Dhabi title-decider chaos

[Backspin]

FINALLY Masi has been sacked.

Good fucking riddance.

Michael Masi sacked as F1 race director after last season&#39;s Abu Dhabi title-decider chaos

Not a good sign. Caving to a mob and pouting bitches

[Shutree]

Not a good sign. Caving to a mob and pouting bitches

Most people who screw up badly in public and embarrass their employer can expect the boot.
I know people who were sacked on the spot for lesser offences.
He's lucky to have been offered another position in F1, although if he has any shame at all he'll go out and find something new.