🏎️ 2024 Motörsports Thread

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

The racing year begins in earnest this weekend with the Daytona 24 Hours, but really most of the chat right now are dumb branded F1 team names... So long Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri, say hello to Kick Sauber and Visa Cash App RB!

Oof.

At least Sauber will eventually get the Audi rebranding in a couple of years, the former Minardi office doesn't have that luxury.

[Burst]

To my complete lack of surprise, F1 has turned down Andretti as a new team, because goalpost moving isn't just for stick and ball sports anymore.

I repeatedly get the sense that the powers that be are fine with Haas as the token American team (particularly with them being as uncompetitive as they've been as of late) but not with the idea of two US teams, let alone one with an established racing organization and with actual OEM backing. Yeah, they've said "maybe 2028", but I can totally see them "maybe later"-ing things until either Andretti or GM just throws up their hands and is like forget it.

[cornettesracket]

Lewis Hamilton will join Ferrari for the 2025 season. That’s huge news.

[Gecko]

With F1 starting in a couple of weeks, Red Bull have officially launched their car. Much of the attention is on Christian Horner instead of the car and the investigation he's under because of allegations of inappropriate and controlling behaviour by him, which came out a couple of weeks ago and which he has denied.

[J Lee O'Brien]

Red flag at Daytona to clean up after an 18 car pile-up with eight to go.

[Burst]

I feel like I said this near-verbatim last year, but what an... impressively anticlimactic finish.

Also not going to help the conspiracy theory folks given how much ballyhoo there was about Hendrick not having won in 10 years.

[J Lee O'Brien]

William Byron takes the Checkered flag under caution to win the 66th Daytona 500.

[Burst]

There'll inevitably be plenty of discourse about why NASCAR decided to end the race this time when they've been known to finesse things towards a GWC even at the expense of following their own rules, but I feel like this time there was the added caveat of having to cram the Xfinity race in immediately afterwards, which I get. Still dumb and my enthusiasm for the 500 shrinks every year, but it makes enough sense.

[FHgrad99]

Here's the finish to the NASCAR Cup race in Atlanta. I don't think there will be a better finish than this anywhere in motorsports this year.

[Gecko]

F1 is back this weekend.

Christian Horner will continue with Red Bull after being cleared of the inappropriate behaviour allegations.

This week (Bahrain) and next (Saudi Arabia) are on a slightly different schedule than the norm: Qualifying on Friday, the race on Saturday. This is due to Saudi Arabia being brought forward to miss the start of Ramadan, and since the rules say that there has to be at least seven days between races, Bahrain gets bumped up too.

[Eunös ✈]

I just hope it doesn't end up being another "Max wins Lol" season.

He's most likely the odds on favourite but I hope other teams make him work a bit harder for it this season.

[Gecko]

Qualifying just about to start. The first chance to get a real idea of how things will be for the first part of the season.

[Gecko]

15 minutes until the first race of the F1 season, in Bahrain.

[Gecko]

Coming up on a third of the way through the race, it's looking like we are continuing on with Max running away out front for the time being.

The Ferraris are having a bit of a fight between themselves.

[Eunös ✈]

Max wins lol.

[Square]

Mar 2, 2024 10:32:44 GMT -5 Gecko said:

Coming up on a third of the way through the race, it's looking like we are continuing on with Max running away out front for the time being.

The Ferraris are having a bit of a fight between themselves.

It was insane. There were parts of that race they showed clips and you could have realistically said they were from a private session. Red Bull are just too good sadly, the only thing I think that could err their season is Horner's sacking.

[Mr PONYMANIA Mr Jenzie]

verstappen = best driver
red bull = best car
would take something catastrophic to stop him winning this year ... and for the years to come!

indycar starts next weekend, will get the highlights package on you tube midweek

[Allie Kitsune]

Come on, no celebrating Rajah Caruth?

I thought I knew y'all.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Carlos Sainz will miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with appendicitis, with Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman coming in as the substitute for his Formula 1 debut. He will be the first Englishman to race an F1 Ferrari since Nigel Mansell in 1990.

(Or Northern Irishman Eddie Irvine in 1999 if you want to use the broader United Kingdom as opposed to just England)

[Gecko]

Before we get to the race in a few hours, here's a catchup on what's been happening off track in the F1 Soap opera this past week.

Alpine's Technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer have resigned after the poor start to the season for the team.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has had allegations made against him by a whistleblower. First it was alleged that he tried to overturn a 10 second penalty against Alonso at the Saudi GP last year. (link)

He has also been accused of telling officials to find a way to not certify the Vegas track before last year's race (link).

As for Red Bull's continuing drama: the woman who made allegations against Horner has been suspended.

Helmut Marko may be getting suspended. Max has backed Helmet and has made it clear he would not be happy if he were to leave.

-------

I don't know how things will end up going at Red Bull, but it's clear that it can't continue as is.