Racing Doesn't Start This Week!!

Good morning. This is a corrected version of the August 11, 2024 newsletter. I accidentally wrote the wrong intro to this one as I was stacking newsletters for the coming weeks. Before this correction, I went on and on about the Dutch GP which is not happening for another week LOL.

So, for lack of a wittier version of an intro - welcome to the newsletter 🙂 

-Jake Williamson

🌎 8 Sprints Next Year?

We may see a third of the F1 calendar filled with sprint races as early as next year.

That will excite some of you, anger others, and cause confusion in the remainder. So, let’s start with the latter. 

What is a sprint race?

A sprint race is a short race. It covers 100km, about a third of the typical Grand Prix length, and lasts about 30 minutes. There is no mandatory pit stop during a sprint but they are allowed. Furthermore, sprint races provide additional opportunities for championship points. See the point breakdown below. 

Why was the sprint introduced?

Frankly, it provides more “bang for your buck”. Spectators don’t always enjoy watching cars run around the track practicing on Friday and Saturday morning. Although it may be helpful for engineers, the free practice sessions aren’t exciting bits of track time. So, the sprint race was introduced to give the fans more action throughout the weekend. 

As of 2024, there are 6 sprint races on the calendar, and they are all held at tracks that encourage overtaking and spicy racing. 

Will we see more spicy racing?

The fact that sprint races add excitement to an otherwise “boring” weekend of practice is pressuring the top levels of F1 to make some changes. F1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali, has some ambitious ideas for spicing up F1 for new and existing fans. One of which is relying more heavily on the sprint race format. Although he doesn’t expect F1 to become more like motoGP with a full calendar of sprint races, Domenicali does like the idea of adding 2 more sprints for 2025. Furthermore, he is “open minded” about the idea of at least a partial reverse grid sprint format.

What is a reverse grid sprint?

A reverse grid sprint race would be one in which the fastest qualifying cars start the sprint race at the back of the pack and the slowest qualifiers start at the front. 

So why does Domenicali like this?

This goes back to providing action for the fans. One could argue that the new commercial interest in F1 from the Drive to Survive series on Netflix and the upcoming F1 movie starring Brad Pitt may be influencing these major changes. Only new, more casual, fans consider the practice sessions “boring” so crafting new ways to add racing outside of the feature race may be a way for F1 top brass to keep fans engaged. 

“And then, of course, there are certain topics that are always quite debatable. We can really once again discuss if there is the need to reverse the grid, or half of the grid like what F2 and F3 is doing. So these are always things to keep the mind alive, if I may say, with the intent to keep something always interesting.” 

- Domenicali

What’s not to like?

From the driver perspective - this is more racing and less rest. Many drivers (usually at the top of the pack) will complain that the organization is squeezing too much out of the teams. Other drivers (bottom of the pack) may see these sprint races as more equal opportunities for points.

From a fan perspective - There are two opinions here. The casual or just general racing fan should love more racing. This is why we watch in the first place. The second opinion comes from the F1 purists. People who want to watch the slow buildup of strategy and setup before watching one big race on Sunday. This group considers the sprint format “fake racing”

Whether you think this format is a cheap ploy to keep new fans or an exciting way to shake up the championship, these sprints seem to be here for the long term.

🚀Headline Sprint

🏎️Alex Palou could be tapped: Audi is set to take over for the Sauber F1 team from 2026 and their journey hasn’t been without its setbacks. From changes at the top of the management ladder to their recent loss of Carlos Sainz as their second driver, Audi is struggling to start their F1 sojourn with a bang. The latest development is the rumor that IndyCar double champion, Alex Palou, could join Nico Hulkenberg as early as 2024.

💸Haas is on a recruitment tear: Haas team boss, Ayao Komatsu, says the team is on a recruitment drive that has “never been seen before”. The small American F1 team employs roughly 300 people and will likely see that number increase by 10% in an effort to boost team performance. This drive kicked off after Komatsu, who replaced Guenther Steiner, has ushered in 56% more points for the team than 2023.

🛞 F1 vs. USA

So, the Andretti saga continues…One starts to wonder if Andretti is playing a little dirty here. This time, they seem to have had a hand in bringing the full weight of the US government to bear on the F1 organization. 

Let’s back up a bit. 

For those who don’t know, Michael Andretti and Dan Towriss co-own Andretti Global - a racing organization that takes part in many series including the NTT IndyCar Series. Andretti Global put in a bid to enter Formula 1 under their own racing team that would be supported by the American auto giant General Motors and their Cadillac brand. This bid was evaluated for financial and technical validity by the FIA and subsequently approved. However, F1 (owned by Liberty Media) rejected the bid. Andretti wasn’t pleased with this. 

Fast forward to just after the Miami Grand Prix. Mario Andretti, Michael’s dad and racing legend, visited US Capitol Hill for unknown (but also known) reasons. Two days later, Ohio’s Jim Jordan, chairman of the United States House Judiciary Committee, opened an investigation into Liberty Media. The reason, potential violation of Antitrust (monopoly, laws. 

All we know from Liberty Media for now is that they intend to stand by their decision and will fully cooperate with the investigation. 

“Looking at Andretti, as you saw this morning, we announced that there is a DOJ investigation,” Maffei told Wall Street business analysts on Thursday, as reported in Autosport. “We intend to fully cooperate with that investigation, including any related requests for information.

“We believe our determination, F1's determination, was in compliance with all applicable US antitrust laws, and we've detailed the rationale for our decision, vis-a-vis Andretti in prior statements.”

This is a fresh story so we will see how it pans out, but this does stick a sharp thorn in the side of Liberty Media management for the time being.

🏎 101: What is DRS?

We are introducing a new section of the newsletter here. This section will focus on more evergreen Formula 1 rules, strategy, technology, etc.. By arming you with short bits of information on the more technical aspects of the pinnacle of motorsport, we believe we can elevate your enjoyment of the races while giving you the ability to impress your F1 friends.

These sections may evolve into more long form articles but for now, the down and dirty.

So, the first topic: DRS - otherwise known as the overtake button 🙂 

What does it stand for?

Drag Reduction System (DRS)

What is it?

DRS is a controversial, driver-controlled, device that open a flap on the rear wing to reduce drag and change the aerodynamics of the car on long straights. Seen in the picture above, the flap opens which effectively reduces precious down force that keeps the car stuck to the track. The result of reducing down force is increased top speed down the straights, which makes it much easier to overtake the car in front of you.

So, can any drive use it?

Nope, there are limitations. The biggest limitation is that a driver can only activate DRS when trailing another driver with a gap of one second or less. The second limitation is that the DRS can only be used in designated DRS zones. See the green hash marks alongside the track below. Lastly, DRS can’t be used in the first two laps of a race or after standing or rolling restarts following safety cars or red flag periods.

Why was DRS introduced?

DRS was introduced in 2011 to combat the dirty air that the cars were leaving behind them. Dirty air refers to the air that has been pushed aside by a car and left behind. This air is burbly and turbulent, which makes it difficult for a following car to use. You see, these high down force cars need clean air to make all of the aerodynamic features of the car work. Otherwise, these cars don’t stick to the track very well and can’t corner worth a damn. So, DRS was introduced to give the chasing cars a slight advantage that would counteract the dramatic improvements in aerodynamic design.

Why is DRS controversial

Frankly, people think it is too overpowered and a bit of a cheat code. According to Juan Pablo Montoya – the former F1 driver and double Indianapolis 500 winner, DRS is comparable to “giving Picasso Photoshop”.

Will it be around forever?

No. F1 bosses intend on eliminating DRS when the time is right. Some thought DRS would be dropped with the latest reductions in dirty air, but this tech sticks around for now.

💨 Hot Laps

Oscar Piastri keeps impressing: Apparently, he suffered from a broken rib going back to Silverstone and has raced all the way to the Summer Break with the injury.

Speaking of Piastri, Mark Webber, who is acting as the young Aussie’s Manager, has this to say about the talented McLaren drive.

Stefano Domenicali has some interesting, and controversial ideas, for more adding “excitement” to the race weekends, but Bernie Ecclestone’s track sprinkler idea may take the title of wildest idea!

🛞Marbles

Random links from the authors not always car related

✅Only 10 companies own the majority of the world’s food and beverage brands…

✅US Basketball at the Olympics is always a blast to watch, this year may have been one of the best!

✅Paris Olympics closing ceremony in photos

✅Top 10 road trips around the globe will have you wanting to rent your fave GT and drive all 10.

✅I think I found my new daily driver…

🤯Brain Food

Can you identify this famous image from F1 days gone by?

📖Answer

This is the image of Kimi Raikkonen entering his Yacht after retiring in Monaco in 2006.

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