of course they did. large parts were placeholders. the front wing, the floor edge etc. i wouldn't worry too much about it. However it would be utter futile to release a car design to the world then back track a week later. why? a) no team is going to pivot strategy in a week. b) not team can afford to completely update their car having seen a car launch c) the real race is 2 weeks away. Why bother? d) test is a week away, why bother? e) if you piss off fans playing games then you lose credibility. Most of the cars will have a few bits and bob here and there but the cars are complex bits of engineering that are not that reliant of window dressing on top. the floors, suspension, engines, tubs etc etc are all locked in. nobody is gaining 2 seconds off the top of their car aero package anyway. we will see some stuff tomorrow. The only question in my mind is how to red bull convince the brat to not do stick in a massively quick hot lap out of ego. this race is the one time of year that you've a fair shot at getting a legality hearing in having seen the opponents car a week in advance. off course some stuff is hidden. Its just that its a lot easier hide the under side of cars and under the body work for a while longer compared to the obvious stuff.
So what's all this chatter about RBR apparently adopting a zero pod during the season? Anybody heard anything about this?
From the fourth race in Japan,I heard. The plan is to get the hot countries out of the way fiirst, that`s Bahrain ,Saudi Arabia and Australia,and then in the cooler weather of Japan ,go for a zero pod design. Don`t know how true it all is,I take everything with a pinch of salt from now on. I suppose if it doesn`t work they can just go back to the RB19 and clean up everything again.
I dont really know as this all has to be about the air flow. the floatation device makes sense as it channels losses from the cockpit and halo away so that must be real. the sides pods shown are directing air to power the rear of the car over thr top and creating a big flow of air outwards. the zero pod would have to flow air cleanly to the rear elements and thst was not possible for merc. only time will tell.
Perez signs two year extension at Red Bull Perez signs new two-year deal with Red Bull please log in to view this image IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Sergio Perez signed for Red Bull in December 2020 Andrew Benson F1 Correspondent Sergio Perez has signed a new two-year contract to stay at Red Bull in Formula 1 until the end of 2026. The world champions have decided to stick with the Mexican, who joined the team in 2021, rather than switch him for Carlos Sainz, who is available following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Ferrari from 2025. Team principal Christian Horner said: "Continuity and stability are important for the team and both Checo and Max [Verstappen] are a successful and robust partnership." Horner’s decision comes despite a dip in form for Perez in the past three races in Miami, Imola and Monaco, where he finished fourth, eighth and crashed out on the first lap after qualifying 16th. Horner said: "The past few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we are confident in Checo and look forward to his return to proven form and performance, that we so often see." Perez said: "I am delighted to be staying here to continue our journey together. Being part of the team is an immense challenge and one I love. "We have a great challenge this year and I have full trust in the whole team that the future is bright here, and I am excited to be part of it." Verstappen won three of the first four races of the season and took pole position at the first seven grands prix. But the Dutchman, who produced the most dominant season in F1 history in 2023, has won only once in the past three races as Red Bull have faced a renewed challenge from McLaren and Ferrari. McLaren’s Lando Norris beat Verstappen in Miami and the world champion could finish only sixth at the last race in Monaco, where Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari. Perez has not won a race since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April 2023, despite Red Bull winning all but one race last season. He went into this season under pressure to provide more consistent back-up to Verstappen. Perez managed to do that in finishing second to Verstappen in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan early in the season. But he failed to step up when his team leader retired in Australia, where Sainz won for Ferrari, and could finish only third, behind Norris, in China, before his recent slump. Horner said: "Last year was a unicorn season and we will need to work hard to retain our titles. "But we are assured in our line-up and with the team as a whole, which is imperative in what is shaping up to be a close-fought championship this year." Horner’s decision to stick with Perez means Sainz will have to look elsewhere for a seat. He is said to be deciding between offers from Sauber, which will become Audi’s works team in 2026, and Williams. And keeping Perez comes despite the possibility that Red Bull could lose Verstappen in 2026. Perez staying - but could Verstappen go? Mercedes have used the destabilising effect of the allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made against Horner by a female employee last December to try to tempt Verstappen away. Horner denies the allegations and an initial investigation dismissed the complaint, but the turmoil caused has led to the decision of design legend Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer, to negotiate an early end to his contract. Newey, who had been committed to Red Bull until the end of 2025, is now believed to be free to join another team from March next year, early enough to play a significant role in the design of their car for the new engine and chassis regulations coming into force in 2026. Verstappen has also been unsettled by the allegations - his father Jos said in February that the team would fall apart if Horner stayed in his role, and Jos Verstappen and Horner are currently at loggerheads. Verstappen is not expected to leave Red Bull for 2025, but the possibility remains open for 2026. Although his contract with Red Bull is until the end of 2028, BBC Sport has been told Verstappen has a contractual mechanism by which he can leave whenever he wishes. This is tied to the position of Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko, an ally of the Verstappens. If Marko leaves Red Bull, Verstappen is contractually free to go, too, and the Austrian is said to have pledged to act in whatever way Verstappen wishes for his future .
Bit of a dull decision from Red Bull, but presumably means they're confident of keeping Verstappen, unfortunately.
Mrs J wonders if they have kept him partly for marketing reasons ? Obviously they need him to be quick enough for their needs , but she thinks globally Max isn’t that well liked , but Perez is liked far more , and is more marketable . FWIW , I agree.
It`s the perfect situation really,the brat won`t want anyone to serious challenge him and the team won`t let them anyway,so may as well be Checo to stay.
With all respect to yourself and your partner - Globally Max is the second most marketable F1 driver (behind Hamilton) - there are numerous publicly available and F1 internal surveys that support this, but from a viewer’s perspective you just need to see how much orange is present in pretty much every grandstand round the world. His popularity is much lower in the UK and Mexico than elsewhere for obvious reasons. Checo is very marketable - especially considering he’s never really had a sustained period of success that has thrust him into the limelight and especially in a large Market where Max isn’t. I’m sure that has contributed to his retention especially when you consider he’s more popular than Sainz or any other driver who might have been up for the seat. Ultimately however, this seems very much a marriage of convenience to me. Riccardo failed his audition, Albon was sounded out and wasn’t interested, Sainz is “been there, had problems with that” and no other available driver is a compelling upgrade on Perez. Most moves now are about 2026/7 and a Neweyless RedBull, with a power unit without pedigree and perhaps no Horner is a sizeable risk. If they smash it, they’ll have their pick of drivers again and keep Max. If they’re good but not dominant Max might move on, but other good drivers will be available and won’t have two years of being crushed on their minds. If they’re into a rebuild they won’t struggle to fill the seats, but it won’t really matter who they have.
Fair comment and I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for those kind of surveys , I’m not sure there is that much orange at all the races knot that matters . I will just tell MRS J that I said I didn’t agree with her and I was right Ref Albon not being interested , are you someone who is genuinely ITK , or someone who does a lot of research . Must admit when I saw your opening comment “ With all respect to yourself and your partner “ I thought oh hell
In the context of the Albon story, I don’t think I have any special knowledge that really changes the picture. There was a story in the public domain back in February that RedBull were looking to get a first option on his services for 2026. The comments from Albon at the time where he’d stated his primary desire was to continue the project with Williams providing he saw signs of progress, suggested that was true. He has recently re-signed there for several more years, which indicates it wasn’t something he was interested in/chose to persue - unless RedBull walked away. What I don’t think was ever in the mainstream press, but was rumoured at the time amongst people I know in F1 circles was that had he been interested and Perez/Riccardo not been appealing as options for 25 that they would have looked at buying him out of the last year of his Williams contract and that Williams would have been receptive to that if they could find a suitable alternative. If that was true (and unless you’re working on something yourself in F1 you should doubt everything that comes from it’s rumour mill) it seems it never even got that far.
I think Red Bull just lacked good options. Sainz has history with Verstappen (or more embarrassingly, it's their dads that would fight...). Ricciardo is washed up. Ocon is the worst wingman in the sport. That leaves Tsunoda? Yuki is looking decent in the midfield, but no better than Perez, Albon or Gasly looked before they joined Red Bull. I think you've got to be a genuinely top talent in your own right to not be embarrassed in the 2nd Red Bull
Checo’s performance clause in Clyde’s this year according to Autosport . Red Bull says Perez form ‘unsustainable’ with F1 contract clause set to kick in Sergio Perez’s F1 future increasingly in doubt as performance-related clause set to kick in on his contract please log in to view this image Jonathan NobleJul 8, 2024 at 8:41 AM Upd: Jul 8, 2024 at 8:44 AM 30 please log in to view this image Red Bull thinks it is “unsustainable” if Sergio Perez continues performing as he is, with the Mexican now at risk of a performance-related clause getting activated in his Formula 1 contract. Perez has been under pressure over recent weeks to lift his game and deliver more for Red Bull, with the Milton Keynes-based team facing an ever-stronger threat from rivals. With McLaren and Mercedes making constructors’ championship gains, Red Bull is well aware that its healthy lead right now could be wiped out in the second half of the season if it does not have both its cars delivering strong points. Another non-score for Perez at the British Grand Prix means he has brought home just 15 points in the last six races since the Miami Grand Prix – with team-mate Max Verstappen having contributed 119 in that same period. The team remains hopeful that Perez can rediscover the form that saw him deliver podium finishes at the start of the year, but it is clear that patience is beginning to run out. The situation in the constructors’ championship and the risks of it getting overhauled if things do not change has brought matters to a head – and left the team pondering its next step. And matters are now close to a critical point with it understood that, despite Perez having a contract in place for next year, he could still be dropped – potentially as early as the summer break – if things do not change. Sources have suggested that Red Bull has the right to terminate Perez’s contract if he falls more than 100 points behind Verstappen at key points of the championship – which are the summer break and the end of the season. Right now, after another non-score at Silverstone, he is 137 points adrift and has just two races to get himself within that 10-point range if he is not to expose him to the risk of Red Bull electing to look at other options. Asked after the British Grand Prix about Perez’s continuing failure to contribute to Red Bull’s constructors’ championship tally, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said: “He knows it’s unsustainable to not be scoring points. “We have to be scoring points in that car and he knows that. He knows his role and his target, so nobody is more eager than Checo to find his form again.” One of the headaches Red Bull has with regards to the fate of its second car is that there is no obvious option to slot in if it decides that it needs an alternative to Perez. The experienced Daniel Ricciardo still has question marks over his potential after an up-and-down season for RB, while the team does not feel that Yuki Tsunoda is the right candidate for promotion. One possibility that has emerged is reserve driver Liam Lawson, who is scheduled to conduct a filming day in a 2024 Red Bull car at Silverstone later this week. The New Zealander showed well during his stand-in appearances for Ricciardo at AlphaTauri last year, and senior management are said to be hugely impressed with his mindset and approach to the job. Horner has played down the significance of Lawson’s run, saying it is a long-planned aero test, but it is obvious that Red Bull management will be looking closely at how well he shows in a car that Perez is struggling with. “The Liam aero run has been planned for a couple of months now and for Checo, of course, he’s under pressure. That’s normal in Formula 1," he said. “And when you’re under-delivering, that pressure only mounts. He’s aware of that, he knows that and this weekend nothing has gone his way." Lawson’s run in the RB20 is not the only test he has scheduled this month, with RB having announced weeks ago that he will also get a run in one of its 2022 cars. This is understood to be scheduled for the final week of July at Imola, which will be a further chance to evaluate his form.
You`ve made your bed Horner,lie in it. You have created this mess,so now sort it out. Whoever the next driver is will not be allowed to challenge the brat but will be under crushing pressure to perform.
Interesting article in Autosport today , about who should replace Checo . a few journalists pick one driver each . usual names crop up . There is one journalist who agrees with you Push ( if I’m reading this right you want him to stay , apologies if I have that wrong ) . He says they should stick with Checo at least until the end of the season . Replace Perez with... Perez - Jake Boxall-Legge Wait, hang on. Are we seriously suggesting that Red Bull should just stick with its luckless underperformer? In this entry, yes, and we'll show our working. Motorsport is a famously unsentimental discipline, especially when it comes to the drivers owned by a manufacturer of caffeine-laden and ambiguously flavoured canned beverages. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are equally guilty of viewing drivers as disposable; instead of backing them when times get tough, they're shown the door at the slightest hint of trouble. Just ask Daniil Kvyat, Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi, Nyck de Vries, Jean-Eric Vergne, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, Sebastien Bourdais, et al. Perez has gone through the same post-Miami sudden loss of form before, losing his mojo last year at the same point in the calendar. Ideas that have been previously touted include car development moving away from him, a confidence-crippling defeat meted upon him by Max Verstappen, Mercury in retrograde, getting out of bed on the wrong side...but evidently, neither Red Bull nor Perez has really understood it. And that's a failing on Red Bull's part, in that it couldn't help Perez get through his 2023 rough spot until late in the year and is considering ditching him now. Perez, as a driver, isn't this bad. Sure, he's responsible for the biggest average finishing gap to a team-mate since Michael Schumacher's rotating cast of team-mates across 1994-95, but much of that relates directly to these mystifying declines. And he managed to bounce back at the end of last year, so it must be reversible. Yet, something has created this situation again, and Red Bull is busy giving Perez's measurements to the undertaker rather than finding a solution. Red Bull made the decision to extend Perez's contract earlier this year, seemingly in a bid to calm Perez down, but it hasn't worked. In that, the team has fundamentally misunderstood the issue and at least owes it to him to see the season out. And if neither party can find a way to get the Guadalajara-born racer fit and firing again, then it might be time to part ways - but for now, there's no reason to change, unless Red Bull really has tried everything to get Perez feeling comfortable. And, given its track record with drivers, one doubts that it has.
You look at the list in that article and it makes you realise what a difficult problem to solve this is. Other than the friction element, I suspect Carlos - similar to Perez - would not get on with the pointy car that Verstappen likes. You have to assume that they’re right about Tsunoda, as they know him well and they’ve seen other drivers suffer similarly. The only option that looks sensible therefore is Piastri, but unless Verstappen moves on - it wouldn’t make any sense from his perspective. If it were me, I’d be looking at Bottas on a one year deal - he’s a subservient number 2 and the closest equivalent on the grid to what Perez is meant to be.
I always thought an F1 teams priority was the constructors championship. Yes, it’s great having the individual world champion driving for you, but that’s the bonus, Why when Sergio is absolutely dreadful and is costing them constructors points that with the way the season is panning out with the improvements in the Mercedes and especially McLaren could cost Red Bull the constructors title would you not look for a better option?
Pretty sure you’re right about the CC is where the big money is . I don’t think it’s very likely , but CHECO might get his mojo back . who’s to know for almv b ost certain that any of the others will do better than Checo ? FWIW I think they will drop him during the summer break , I hope they stick with him , he gets his mojo back and come the end of season , what will be will be .
Constructors title brings more prize money, but I suspect the amount of money you can make in brand deals, etc when you have the WDC driving for you more than makes up for it. Nobody remembers who won a WCC. That said, having Perez (or a replacement) taking podium spots would help with both championships. I really want RB to take a run at Alonso, however temporarily. You'd think this season he'd be a supportive teammate knowing next season he would have to give Max a headstart in the championship.
