⚡ AlphaTauri's Bold Changes

Hey there, F1 enthusiast 👋

Buckle up because we've got a lot to unpack this week!

🔧 Marina Bay Shakes Things Up: Marina Bay has made some tweaks that could really spice things up at the Singapore Grand Prix. What does this mean for our racers? Well, word on the street is that these changes might give Verstappen a run for his money.

🚀 AlphaTauri Gears Up: The buzz is REAL! AlphaTauri is heading into the next race with some significant upgrades. We've all noticed how Liam Lawson seems to be outpacing his predecessors—even though he hasn't put a point on the board yet. If these upgrades are as big as we hear, Lawson might just surprise us all.

👑 Schumacher & Hamilton: A Title Twist?: Could we see Schumacher join the Hamilton drama in possibly missing out on a championship title? We never thought we'd say this, but it's 2023, and here we are.

As always, in the world of F1, expect the unexpected! See you on the grid!

📈Championship standings

🏆 Top three have remained unchanged throughout the season

🔵Lawson surpassed two fellow AlphaTauri drivers, Ricciardo & DeVries

🔴Bottas dropped significantly

📊Teammate point battle

⭐AlphaTauri and Williams are relying on just one star player

⚖️Ferrari and Alpine seem super balanced.

🧮Verstappen and Hamilton’s percentages are pretty neck and neck.

🔀Overtaking boost with Singapore's track changes?

Despite changes to the Marina Bay track, it's still going to have that high-downforce vibe. However, these changes will definitely shake things up a bit.

What's changed? Due to some construction, they’ve ditched four nearly 90-degree corners near the end of the lap. Instead, cars will now zoom down a new 397.9m straight before hitting the last section.

Why does it matter? Faster lap times, for one. Plus, it'll be easier on the brakes and tires. Tom McCullough from Aston Martin points out that tires, especially the rears, used to get super hot on the old layout. But now, they'll cool down a bit and last longer.

Esteban Ocon believes that the new Turn 16 could be a game-changer.

On a side note: with the quicker laps, teams will have their hands full making strategy calls, especially during safety car situations, which happen a lot in Singapore. - Read more

👀Big changes for AlphaTauri in Singapore

Watch out for AlphaTauri this weekend in Singapore—they're getting a major upgrade! This upgrade is inspired by the Red Bull RB19, which has been the standout car in 2024.

A bit of a flashback: when the new regulations started in 2022, every team tried their own approach to car design. However, it's now clear that Red Bull's direction with the RB19 was a winner. Most teams couldn't keep up.

Many teams now realize that just making small tweaks here and there won't do much for them. They're now aiming to emulate the successful RB19 design.

AlphaTauri hasn’t had the best of years. They're currently at the bottom of the championship with just three points. But this upcoming upgrade might be a game-changer for them.

Franz Tost, their team principal, will be stepping down. Laurent Mekies and CEO Peter Bayer will be taking the lead. - Read more

📝Liberty Media expects an easy Concorde update

Greg Maffei, the CEO of Liberty Media, believes the upcoming discussions about the Concorde Agreement will be smooth.

This agreement is essentially a contract between the F1 teams, the FIA, and the Formula One Group. It lays out the rules for how the teams race, how TV revenue is distributed, and the prize money. The current agreement, in place since 2021, is set to expire in 2025.

Teams have been discussing what they'd like to see in the new agreement. One big talking point is the anti-dilution fund. This is an entry fee for new F1 teams, which then gets shared among the existing teams. With F1's rising popularity and the current $200 million entry fee, there's a debate on whether this fee is fair.

Maffei is confident that the new deal will be a lot like the current one.

🔧How many power units have F1 drivers used?

With just eight races left in the 2023 Formula 1 season, drivers are nearing their power unit limits. And this year, there's a twist: The F1 Commission increased the allowed number of certain power unit elements per driver after some incidents early in the season.

Remember when Charles Leclerc took a 10-spot grid hit at the Saudi Arabia GP for using an extra Control Electronics unit?

That's why the F1 bosses agreed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to bump up the number of allowed Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), Turbo Chargers, MGU-Hs, and MGU-Ks from three to four for each driver.

Between the lines:

• Sergio Perez is leading the pack in using his Energy Store and Control Electronics.

• Some drivers, like Lando Norris, faced early engine problems. Norris had a pesky pneumatics issue in Bahrain.

• Haas is wrestling with some reliability issues as only Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg have needed a fifth ICE, Turbo Charger, MGU-H, and MGU-K

• Liam Lawson and Daniel Ricciardo are going to use the power units Nyck de Vries ran in his ten races at the start of the season for AlphaTauri.

Check out the full scoop here.

🔦Schumacher's '94 victory under the spotlight

Lewis Hamilton's 2008 championship is still in hot water because of Felipe Massa. Now, there's talk about stripping Michael Schumacher of his first F1 title, too.

Well, Schumacher's first win in 1994 at the Australian Grand Prix had its drama too. He bumped into Damon Hill, and they both had to bow out. But with neither of them earning any more points, Schumacher won the title by a single point.

Schumacher is undoubtedly an F1 legend. After that, he went on to win six more titles. But like all great stories, his career had its controversies. Think about that 1997 collision or that 2006 qualifying mess-up.

Recently, famed journalist Roger Benoit dished some shade. In an interview, he said he only counts Schumacher as a six-time champion because of that '94 drama with Hill. - Read more

When you think about Formula 1, the first things that come to mind might be roaring engines, daring overtakes, and tire-smoking pit stops. Yet beneath the spectacle lies a world governed by precision, technology, and a relentless quest for speed.

One of the crucial factors in this equation? Car weight. In F1, every pound matters, and finding the right balance is an art as much as it is a science.

The early days: From light aluminum to carbon fibers

The genesis of Formula 1 racing in the 1950s was markedly different from today. Back then, the quest was for lighter vehicles, often achieved through the use of aluminum bodies. Lighter meant faster, and in those days, racing was all about raw speed.

But as the sport evolved, so did technology. By the 1980s, F1 teams transitioned to using carbon fiber composites, an innovation that combined strength and lightness. This allowed for faster speeds without compromising the car's structural integrity.

A heavier trend?

Ever noticed how F1 cars have gotten heavier in recent years? Thanks to the introduction of safety features like the halo system in 2018, the minimum car weight jumped again. In fact, it’s been on a steady rise for a while.

In the 70s and 80s, F1 car weights bobbed around between 500kg and 580kg. There were times when teams played sneaky games to keep their cars light. Remember Tyrrell in '84? They got booted for cleverly adding weight. And BAR faced a ban in 2005 because of a secret fuel tank trick.

But here's a shocker - until 1995, the driver's weight wasn’t even factored into the car’s total weight. After that change, there were tales of drivers rocking up to the annual weigh-in wearing heavy helmets to save some kilos on their cars. Now, they're weighed more often to avoid such tricks.

From 1995 to 2009, car weights crept up just a tad from 595kg to 605kg. But from 2009 onwards, it soared, reaching 798kg in 2023.

Why Are F1 Cars Getting Heavier?

Let's break it down simply. F1 cars have gained some pounds over the years, and here's why:

1. More gear inside

Modern F1 cars pack a lot more equipment than before. The engine and gearbox are chunky, but don't forget all the safety features like crash structures and the halo - they add weight, too.

2. Bigger cars

Put a 2000s F1 car next to a recent one, and you'll spot the difference. They've become broader and longer, making them naturally heavier.

3. Tech upgrades

Those new 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrid engines? They're smaller but weigh more than old-school engines because of all their complex components. Also, the battery storage unit alone weighs 20 kilograms.

4. Fancy wheels

In 2022, F1 switched from 13-inch rims to heftier 18-inch ones. Bigger wheels mean more weight.

5. Safety first

We've seen safety improvements like the Halo added in recent years. Though the Halo itself is light, integrating it means beefing up the car's body, making it heavier.

6. Rule changes

The FIA, the sport's governing body, has set weight rules that have evolved with time. For instance, by 2022, the minimum weight limit for F1 cars was 790 kilograms.

How weight rules shape F1 car design and performance

The FIA has a weight rule for Formula 1 cars: for 2023, it's 798 kg (that includes the driver but not the fuel). This rule means design teams have to work hard to make cars that both fit this weight and perform brilliantly.

But hitting that weight isn't always easy. Tech advances might mean heavier parts, like new hybrid engines or safer tires. If a car's weight is close to the limit, teams can add ballast, or extra weight, to boost balance and performance. This ballast can go anywhere on the car, letting teams adjust how the car handles for each race.

Tech has both helped and hindered F1 car weights. Cool things like new manufacturing techniques and materials like carbon fiber make parts lighter and stronger. For example, carbon fiber has seriously cut down the chassis weight.

But some tech adds weight. Safety gear like the halo and hybrid engines are good examples. Teams have to juggle these tech gains with the push to keep cars light and speedy.

Lighter F1 cars in the future?

There's a buzz about making Formula 1 cars lighter. Some even say they might cut 50 kilograms, which would mean the cars wouldn't be as stiff.

While 2026 engine rules are set, chassis rules are still to be decided. Both Stefano Domenicali (CEO of F1) and Mohammed Ben Sulayem (FIA president) agree that lighter cars could be safer and use less fuel.

Teams are curious about the idea but wonder if it's really doable.

🟠McLaren's team boss in Canada, Andrea Stella, feels that cutting 50 kilograms without huge technical changes might be a stretch.

⚫James Allison from Mercedes adds that, over the years, cars have just been getting heavier. He thinks setting a strict weight limit might be a solution but admits it's tricky.

🔵Pierre Waché from Red Bull points out that the new power unit for 2026 is already much heavier than the current one.

Everyone's on board with lighter cars, but no one wants to sacrifice safety. - Read more

📺 Guenther Steiner team thinks that more people having to pay for TV has led to fewer fans watching F1 in Germany lately. - Read more

😱 Pierre Gasly is asking F1 fans to chill out a bit in the paddock after some disturbances in Monza. - Read more

⭕According to Pirelli's boss Mario Isola, Formula 1 and the FIA are looking into making the 2023 Alternative Tyre Allocation a standard rule. - Read more

🇩🇪 Sebastian Vettel took F1 racing back to Nürburgring. - Read more

📱F1 fans are lighting up social media, upset with what Helmut Marko said about Sergio Perez. They're saying it's time for him to go. - Read more

👀Felipe Drugovich might be heading to F1 in 2024! After a surprising move in IndyCar, people are buzzing that he could secure a full-time spot with Aston Martin. - Read more

🥇Red Bull is aiming to win all the 2023 F1 races. - Read more

💸Zhou Guanyu addresses buzz about sponsorship issues, possibly booting him out of F1. - Read more

💰 Guenther Steiner speaks out on the chatter about a $900m lawsuit against Gene Haas. - Read more

🇸🇬 Scheduled 15-17 September

Marina Bay Circuit

1️⃣ Circuit length: TBC
2️⃣ Number of laps: 63 (TBC)
3️⃣ Lap record: N/A because the track was overhauled
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 19 corners with 3 DRS zones

⛈️Singapore Grand Prix Weather Update

Friday

Possible light rain during the first practice (10% chance), but the second should be dry. With temps above 30°C, any rain won’t stay long.

Saturday

There is a 10% rain chance for the third practice.

Some early thunderstorms are possible, but the track should dry in time for the night race.

Sunday

It's going to be hot at 31°C with a 45% chance of pre-race thunderstorms and a 22% rain chance during the race.