Author: quyen1

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

After the 2024 Japanese GP, a handful of Ferrari fans suggested that the team shouldn’t have let Carlos Sainz overtake Charles Leclerc at the Suzuka International Circuit en route to the #55 driver’s third podium of the season.

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The argument made was that the team should have asked Sainz to hold position to boost Leclerc’s fallen confidence. Ex-Ferrari and Williams manager, Peter Windsor rubbished these suggestions as “nonsense”.

Speaking to YouTuber, CameronF1, Windsor said, “That’s complete nonsense! Even if they told Carlos [Sainz] to hold station – how would they do that? I mean Carlos was so much quicker at that point of the race, tire-wise.”

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“Why – It doesn’t make any sense at all. I think you need to not know much about F1 to even make that suggestion.” Windsor even said that Leclerc himself would not have accepted such a team order for being so patently absurd.

The Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Sainz were locked in a battle for the final podium position at the Japanese GP last weekend. On lap 46 however, Sainz finally closed up to Leclerc and attacked. The Monegasque even tried resisting the move on the inside, but the tire advantage the Spaniard had meant he had better traction than Leclerc even on the outside and made the move stick.

Outgoing Carlos Sainz has imposed his dominance on Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz has been the leading Ferrari this year. The 29-year-old has comfortably outclassed his teammate and has stood on the podium in each race he has driven in. What’s more, he also won the 2023 Australian GP, ending Max Verstappen’s win streak just days after he underwent an appendicitis surgery.

Leclerc on the other hand has been struggling. He’s finished behind his teammate in all the three races they’ve competed against each other. In Bahrain, Sainz grabbed the final podium position as Leclerc finished 4th.

At Melbourne, Sainz took his third career Grand Prix win, with Leclerc making it a Ferrari 1-2. Last weekend’s race was no different as the Monegasque slotted right behind his teammate once again in 4th.

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Sainz has a point to prove to Ferrari this season. The team opted to retain Leclerc and pair him up with Lewis Hamilton from 2025 onwards. This meant that even before the season began, Sainz was without a drive for next year. Naturally, his performances are also an audition for a top seat for next season.

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Williams had a disastrous start to their 2024 season and it’s unrelated to their development. Four crashes in as many race weekends crippled the British team and jeopardized James Vowles’ all hopes of taking them all the way to the top. According to reports, the crash damages accumulated by the team so far are beyond $2 million, and it’s certainly a roadblock for the team.

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Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant had two crashes each in four races, and the repairing cost? $2 million per Formu1a.uno. That too amidst a budget cap which allows the teams to spend $135 million per season. With the Grove-based team already languishing at the bottom, this has added to their ongoing woes.

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Most teams would hope to sustain lesser damage than Williams, let alone receive as staggering amounts as this. That too with just four races into a season that has 24 races and six sprint races in the calendar. Notably, Vowles and Co. are not new to such expensive predicaments as they had to deal with the crash damage expense of $7 million last year.

Nevertheless, the back-to-back crashes made them doubtful if they would be able to field two fully fit cars for the upcoming Chinese GP. The British team already had to keep Sargeant away from racing in Melbourne after his teammate Albon crashed his car against the barrier. The damage was so significant that Williams failed to repair them and get them ready for the race.

Vowles then took the harsh decision to allow Albon, the best driver hands down at the team, to race with Sargeant’s car. Following that, things took a worse turn for them after the American driver crashed his FW46 in FP1 in Suzuka and saw his car suffering monumental damage. According to reports, it sustained damage in the gearbox, floor, front wing and other components.

Williams in jeopardy after endless crashes in 2024

After back-to-back crashes, Williams are in deep trouble right in the initial days of this season. With Haas and RB, their primary competitors have already put their cars inside the top ten, the cash-strapped team have failed to put their car on the grid once. This not only set the team back but also jeopardized their developmental trajectory.

Speaking about the same, Vowles, the Williams boss said, “To have three [now four] major accidents, where you’ve pretty much taken out all the equipment out of the car, is enormous. Taking that across the season, you can deal with it. Taking across just a few races is difficult. And the impact of it would be what you expect.”

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As the British outfit are dealing with significant blows from two drivers parallelly week-in, and week-out, this also hampered their progress in terms of upgrades. The team is struggling to repair the damaged parts, let alone elevate the performances of FW46.

Ultimately, Williams are currently languishing at the bottom with Sauber and Alpine, and have no points to their name. As things stand, they are unlikely to have any, anytime soon.

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Daniel Ricciardo’s start to the season has been woeful and things turned from bad to worse in Japan, when he crashed out of the opening lap of the race. The Australian driver is now under even more pressure to perform, and accepts that his mistake ruined both his and Albon’s outing in Suzuka.

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“The traction was so much better on the softs that he [Albon] thought there was room, but there wasn’t, so I didn’t see him,” said the Honey Badger to  MotorsportWeek. His miscalculated move against Albon red-flagged the race immediately as well.

Ricciardo has also admitted that he never assumes the blind spot to be empty, that too in the first lap of the race. On the opening lap, cars scramble for traction and fight for places, which makes it even tougher to navigate through the field.

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Speaking about the same, he said, “To be honest, I always assume there’s someone there. It is the first lap so never try to use the full width of the track and not take anything into account. Anyway, I guess there just wasn’t enough room.”

Nonetheless, the 34-year-old does not want to give up. He doesn’t have a lot of time left to prove that he deserves to remain in the sport. Despite that, he won’t let negativity creep in and vows to work harder to get better results in the coming days.

Time is running out for Daniel Ricciardo

There are still 20 races remaining on the F1 calendar this year, but Red Bull could decide on Ricciardo’s future long before that. As per reports, the Red Bull fraternity will make some important calls by the summer break which puts the Honey Badger in a tricky situation.

Ricciardo hasn’t been able to justify his place in the team, whereas his teammate Yuki Tsunoda is doing wonders, to get himself linked to Red Bull. The young Japanese driver has been brilliant this season and claimed seven points already in four races.

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When the season started, Ricciardo was one of the frontrunners for Sergio Perez’s Red Bull seat. But now, he seems to be out of contention and is driving to save his future at V-CARB itself. Tsunoda meanwhile, could become an option for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit in case they look for a change in driver line-up.

Additionally, Red Bull kept Liam Lawson, their current reserve, waiting on the sidelines in favor of Ricciardo. If Ricciardo keeps underperforming, Lawson could end up replacing the Perth-born driver, once and for all.

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Williams driver Alex Albon had a tough couple of weeks after the Australian GP. The British-Thai driver revealed on the most recent Team Torque episode on YouTube that after the race in Melbourne, he flew back home to Monaco, then to the UK for simulator duties, with a trip to Thailand before finally landing in Japan. The 28-year-old also revealed how this has had a massive impact on his body clock and sleep schedule.

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Summarizing the impact of such an extensive traveling schedule packed into such a short period, Albon said, “I look like the Grinch when I wake up.” Endless travel and jet lag are probably the biggest challenges F1 drivers face in the modern Grand Prix racing era.

Things aren’t going to ease up for the likes of Albon either. The sport will now travel to Shanghai for the return of the Chinese GP for the first time since 2019. Right after that, all the teams and drivers will fly across the globe to the United States for the Miami GP – adding to Albon’s jet lag issues exponentially.

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In hindsight, Albon’s rigorous schedule may have had a negative impact on his preparedness and sharpness during the Japanese GP. He never looked quite comfortable with the car, and a lap 1 incident with Daniel Ricciardo meant both drivers had to retire from the race.

Alex Albon gives Williams a massive repair job before the Chinese GP

Albon has suffered two costly race weekends in succession. First, during the Australian GP, the #23 driver binned his FW46 during the practice session. The damage to the chassis was so extensive that the team had to withdraw his car from the weekend owing to no spare chassis being available. The team, however, handed him the reigns of Sargeant’s car instead – a decision which met with a lot of backlash on social media.

Then, coming into the Japanese GP, Albon and the team knew that they still did not have a spare chassis and caution was paramount. Despite this, Albon’s lap 1 crash has damaged the right side of his chassis once again.

The damage endured means that the team will transport the chassis tub back to Grove for the mechanics to attempt a second repair job in just two weeks. This is crucial because if the team cannot get Albon’s car fixed, they might have to field only one car, once again, at the Chinese GP due to be held on the 21st of April.

Credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto

Carlos Sainz snatched P3 from Lando Norris fairly easily in Japan. Charles Leclerc later took P4 from the Briton. McLaren boss Andrea Stella is now keen to make it harder for rivals to get past his drivers after a difficult race for his side at Suzuka. But does he have a plan in place? He sure does and also admits that Ferrari is “definitely not far ahead”.

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Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Stella said, “We should have a good round of developments in Miami. Even if it’s a sprint event, we will definitely attempt to deploy them. So, that’s Race 6. And then, we should have at least one, if not two more rounds of development over this season.”

The Maranello outfit is currently sitting easy in P2 with 120 points in the Constructors’ standings. With just 21 points between them and table toppers Red Bull, the Prancing Horse aims to give them a tough battle.

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The gap to McLaren in third, however, is a rather comfortable 51-point margin at the moment. Despite that, Andrea Stella is confident of closing the gap with the Italian giants as the season progresses.

Is that ambition realistic though? Ferrari’s SF24, barring some negligible flaws, is clearly a force to reckon with. Taking notes from its predecessor, the SF23, the engineers in Maranello have managed to make some course corrections.

The front end of the SF24 is now much more responsive. However, that does not take away the balance, as the rear end is equally stable. McLaren, on the other hand, has started the season with an undercooked car.

Just like last year, the Papaya team failed to meet deadlines for the development of the car. However, the MCL38 hasn’t turned out to be a disappointment that its predecessor, the MCL60, was. Building on the momentum of the latter half of 2023, McLaren has turned out to be quicker than Mercedes.

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What is letting McLaren down?

After coming close on a couple of occasions, McLaren opened its podium account in Australia. Not only did Lando Norris finish the race in P3 but he also beat Sergio Perez easily.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, suffered a DNF after his rear-left brake caught fire. The outing in Melbourne, however, did wonders for the confidence of the Woking team. They are no longer happy just to be on the podium. They want the top step now.

The Japanese GP, however, came as a bitter reminder of the MCL38’s shortcomings. The Suzuka Circuit, which boasts of long straights, hit McLaren where it hurts the most.

Despite that, Lando Norris managed to position himself in P3 on the starting grid. The lack of pace on race day, however, neutralized that herculean effort. While the Briton finished P5, Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren could only manage P8.

The MCL38 is mighty good on medium to high-speed corners, though. It also performs excellently on tracks where the straights aren’t too long. Circuits that match those characteristics are Monza, Interlagos, and the Red Bull Ring, to name a few.

Credits: IMAGO / NurPhoto, IMAGO Sven Simon

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been listed as one of the probable candidates to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. However, former F1 driver Johnny Herbert urges the Silver Arrows to poach Oliver Bearman from the hands of their rivals.

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“He (Bearman) has proven that he can cope with one of the highest pressure seats in F1 if not the highest, in the Ferrari and dealt with everything thrown at him,” said Herbert as per Crash.Net. The 18-year-old attracted the limelight after having an excellent cameo with Ferrari during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix earlier this season.

With Carlos Sainz unavailable due to his surgery, the young F2 driver was an instant replacement. And definitely, he surpassed the expectations which has increased his prospects in F1. And for Herbert, “He would be a perfect fit (at Mercedes). It would be brilliant to see.”

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However, Bearman is not the only name that has been suggested by Herbert. For him, even Sainz would be a good fit at Mercedes. The Spaniard was axed by Ferrari for 2025 to make place for Hamilton. And as of now, he is yet to announce his new destination.

Right now, definitely, Sainz would be the most attractive prospect for any team looking to hire a driver. There are also rumors of him joining Red Bull. And since there is an academy link between the two parties, it could be very plausible.

What if Andrea Kimi Antonelli is ready?

Surely for Oliver Bearman, driving for Mercedes as George Russell’s teammate would be fancier than whatever Ferrari could offer the F2 star for 2025 with the Italian outfit already having confirmed their driver line-up. However, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has an opportunity to deny that option to Bearman by standing taller than him in F2 this year.

Moreover, if Antonelli does well, there is a certain chance that he gets pushed into a Mercedes seat. However, currently, Toto Wolff doesn’t want to overthink about it. On the contrary, he recently felt at fault for adding all the hype around Antonelli even before the Italian could get a chance to prove whether he was ready.

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Meanwhile, with Sainz and then Fernando Alonso on the radar for Mercedes, Antonelli would have tough competition. But one candidate has been missed throughout this article, and that is Max Verstappen.

In recent events, Red Bull boss Christian Horner’s investigation reportedly triggered a power struggle at Milton-Keynes, with Verstappen rumored to potentially leave the team. Nevertheless, there would be a clearer picture once the season develops during the summer. That’s when the future of the grid and driver lineups are sealed.

Credits: IMAGO / PanoramiC

In the high-octane world of F1, where drivers are meant to be portrayed as cool and unapproachable, Max Verstappen is not often perceived to be one of them. He is renowned for his introverted nature and usually finds solace in the virtual realms of racing. Despite his aversion to media obligations, beneath the veneer of aggression on the racetrack lies a sweet and amiable personality.

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Recently, a photographer had the opportunity to peel back the layers and capture a different side of Verstappen. Simon Jessop, who worked closely with the Dutch sensation on a shoot for Honda, shared his experience. In doing so, Jessop shed light on Verstappen’s character.

Jessop’s tale offers a glimpse into the unexpected charm of the F1 prodigy. “Awesome shoot,” he exclaimed, expressing his admiration for Verstappen’s demeanor throughout the process.

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Contrary to expectations, Max Verstappen revealed himself to be a “total gent“, defying the stereotypes often associated with him or even elite athletes. Jessop even found himself chauffeuring the racing star between locations in the back of his Volvo, an anecdote that speaks volumes about Verstappen’s humility and approachability.

When asked about his experience driving Verstappen, Jessop couldn’t help but marvel at the ease of the encounter. But surely there was some pressure with the man who has 57 race wins to his name sitting in the backseat?“

100%, have never driver so smoothly in my life,” he confessed in a comment, highlighting Verstappen’s effortless grace both on and off the track.

Max Verstappen is just a guy who happens to win championships

Max Verstappen has ascended the ranks of motorsport with unparalleled speed. He is a force to reckon with on the track. Yet, amidst the roar of engines and the glare of victory, Verstappen’s off-track person remains a subject of intrigue.

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Christian Horner offers a rare glimpse into the softer side of the racing prodigy. Appearing on the Secrets of Success podcast, Horner painted a picture of Verstappen that diverges from the adrenaline-fueled image seen on race days.

According to Horner, behind the confines of the F1 circus, Verstappen transforms into a remarkably different individual. “Max as a person is just a very sweet 26-year-old young man who has a passion for racing and is not very comfortable with the fame and notoriety he has. He just wants to do his job, race hard, and is very honest and straightforward.”

In a world where perception often diverges from reality, Max Verstappen serves as a reminder that true character transcends the confines of fame and fortune. Behind the wheel, or behind the scenes, Verstappen’s genuine warmth and humility continue to defy expectations, endearing him to fans and colleagues alike.

Credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Red Bull had the perfect return to the Japanese Grand Prix after they bagged yet another perfect result with a 1-2 finish on Sunday. This is the third 1-2 finish for the Milton Keynes outfit this season. Despite that, Helmut Marko believes that the team didn’t have the perfect result because of a huge factor.

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“Only in the race were we right back. That was partly due to the changes in qualifying and partly due to the higher temperatures, which traditionally favor Red Bull Racing,” Marko said as per GPBlog. “The reason why we were not at our best with the set-up was probably the major technical update we applied in Japan.”

Marko further adds that since FP2 was virtually canceled, Red Bull’s woes just got worse. However, in Japan, the reigning world champions had brought their first upgrade of the season. And they surely had an edge over the others.

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Never in the race, it felt that Red Bull would see any problem from Ferrari or McLaren. The win also gave Max Verstappen a 13-point lead in the table. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez, who is fighting for his seat this year, bypassed Charles Leclerc in the standings with an 18-point haul compared to the latter’s 12 points.

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However, the next two best teams predicted that this would be the result in Japan. Ferrari and McLaren openly admit that Red Bull certainly has an edge. But at the same time, there is a shared sentiment that this edge could be leveled. Therefore, giving fans hope for the season ahead.

Red Bull rivals have scheduled their upgrades

While Red Bull has brought their upgrades, McLaren boss Andrea Stella told Tom Clarkson on Sunday that McLaren would present their first upgrade in Miami. Though, it would be more in line to level themselves against Ferrari.

On the other hand, the Tifosi are ready to wait for a while. The Italian team reportedly will instill some new developments before Imola, one of their home races this season. Sainz told the media that there will be tracks where Red Bull and Ferrari would be at par. But he fears that it could be too late then.

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Even Verstappen isn’t behind in showing his team’s caliber. The Dutchman spoke about possible hurdles Red Bull could face ahead. For him, the team could struggle in street tracks with slow-speed corners, and in a forever closing field, this is a concern for him.

But considering the calendar holistically, Verstappen is the favorite to clinch his fourth title. However, more challenging races for the Red Bull star would be highly desirable for the fans. Now, it remains to be seen how the next best teams catch up.

Tyson Fury has put Anthony Joshua on hold as he maps out no fewer than ten more fights which will transform him from a multi millionaire into boxing’s first billionaire.

The much anticipated Battle of the British giants will have to wait until next year as the Gypsy King and Ukrainian war hero Oleksandr Usyk clash twice in 2024 to decide which of them will reign as the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

Fury says: ”Unless the contract between Usyk and me isn’t worth the paper it’s written on – and it’s a double bubble worth a helluva lot to both of us – we will be having a rematch after our first fight next month.’

As for Team Joshua’s insistence that AJ and Tyson will be locking horns soon, Fury says: ‘I’ve lost a few million down the years because of contract disputes and no court in the world can refute the legality of the rematch clause in this one.

‘And why would either the winner or the loser of our first fight want to pull out of a second fight when there’s so much money at stake?’

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Tyson Fury has mapped out ten more fights in bid to become boxing’s first billionaire

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Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18

Neither, is the answer. Not with both men expected to pocket in the region of one hundred million dollars from each fight. Both in Riyadh, the new fight capital of the world. The first on May 18, the second in late October.

On keeping Joshua in abeyance, Fury says: ‘He had his two goes at Usyk and lost both. And he went into meltdown after the second defeat. Now it’s my time.’

Tyson was speaking in his home town of Morecambe as he launched the four week countdown to Usyk 1.

As he addressed the press conference His Excellency Türkie Al Al Sikh, who directs the huge financing of fights in Saudi Arabia, came on a loudspeaker phone to declare: ‘Tyson, you are the diamond in world boxing. You know I want you to be our crown jewel for ten more fights.’

Fury, 35, said: ‘I do know that. ‘ And went on to outline that sequence thus:

‘Usyk twice this year. Joshua twice next year. ‘Then quicker fights against Daniel Dubois, Joe Joyce, a fourth fight with Deontay Wilder maybe in the US.

‘Then Joseph Parker perhaps followed by European champion Agit Kabayal. Then a trilogy fight with Usyk.’

On the timing he said: ‘ I could fight until I’m 40 and I’m happiest when I’m boxing. But I’d like to knock that lot off in three of four fights a year. Then see what’s next. ‘

Fury is anything but deflated by his recent struggle to get up from a knock down to marginally defeat UFC. Legend Francis Ngannou.

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Rivals have agreed a rematch clause in October and there is potential for a trilogy fight

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Fury’s much-anticipated showdown will Anthony Joshua will have to wait until next year

When his promoter Frank Warren and trainer Sugar Hill predicted he would KO the also undefeated Usyk in May to add the WBA, IBF and WBO belts to his WBC title to become the first undisputed champ of the four belt era, Fury joked: ‘I’m tipping Usyk to stop me in the first round!’

Then added: ‘He’s a great champion who deserves all our respect. So don’t say he’s s*** when I bash him up twice. Which I could do every day of the week.’

The sun peeked through the clouds lowering over Morecambe Bay as Fury -looking in host condition for years – began this countdown, to what he calls: ‘My destiny’

All is well again in the Gypsy Kingdom.’

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson received 96,558 TKO shares worth millions on Sunday upon the completion of WrestleMania.

Johnson, who has been back in WWE as The Rock in recent months, played a starring role in WWE‘s biggest show of the year as Cody Rhodes became the new WWE champion.

Adopting a villainous persona, he teamed with real-life cousin Roman Reigns to beat Rhodes and Seth Rollins in the main event of night one, before featuring in the night two main event between Rhodes and Reigns.

In late January earlier this year, Johnson was appointed to the board of TKO, the conglomerate created by WWE and UFC‘s parent company, Endeavor, to unify the entities.

Now, he has been awarded shares worth just short of £7.5million after reaching a series of requirements stated in his January 2024 contract.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has received £7.5million worth of shares in WWE umbrella company TKO

Johnson played a vital role in the production and performance of WrestleMania weekend

Johnson joined the board of TKO earlier this year and has now received 96,558 shares

Given in the explanation of responses, it was stated that Johnson received the shares was ‘vested upon completion of certain services’ from his contract.

It was a year ago that WWE and UFC agreed to a merge to form a new publicly-listed company to be controlled by Endeavor Group, with the move completed in September.

Endeavor, who have owned UFC since 2016, hold a 51 per cent stake in the combined company, while WWE shareholders hold 49 per cent. Former WWE chairman Vince McMahon is one of those shareholders.

The deal valued TKO at more than £17.3billion according to the companies, with UFC valued at £9.8bn and WWE at £7.5bn. The Rock was given around £23.7m in stock when joining the board.

It’s possible that the awarding of shares related to appearances on WWE TV by Johnson, who admitted on Raw on Monday that he was stepping away from programming again for the foreseeable future.

The Rock received the shared ‘upon completion of certain services described’ in his contract

WWE was valued at £7.5billion at the time of the merger, with TKO valued at more than £17.3bn

Johnson continues to receive loud crowd reactions whenever he appears on WWE television

‘I have been lucky to have participated in some cool things,’ Johnson said on Saturday evening in the post-night one press conference. ‘There is nothing like performing at WrestleMania in front of your fellow pro wrestlers and thousands of people.

‘There might be (more matches). I can’t elaborate that much on that but I love what I do. We will see.’

Johnson continues to get loud crowd reactions wherever he goes and whenever he appears, and he was serenaded by a rendition of Steam’s ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’ from the Philadelphia crowd when he revealed he had to step away from WWE.

His Hollywood career calls,  but he will be back soon, and is certain to be more involved now he is working board level in the company.