❤️ F1 Rollercoaster in Singapore

Hey there, podium-sitter! 👋

Singapore GP was nothing short of a rollercoaster, and if you're still catching your breath, you're not alone!

🏎️ Smooth Operator Sainz! Briliant pole & victory for Carlos after showing his great strategy skills while taking corners at 150 mph.

🌟 New Faces, New Races! With three vacant grid slots for 2024 up for grabs, the competition is fierce! And what about Lawson? His first ever F1 points are taken, but his future is still doubtful.

😢 Russell's Heartbreak. That final lap error cost him dearly, and the image of him in tears post-race is a stark reminder of the razor-thin margins in this sport.

Strap in and gear up because, beyond the on-track drama, there's plenty more!

😮 Crashes and surprises during qualifying

🔴 Sainz secured pole position for the second race in a row
🟠 Piastri had bad timing luck
🔵 Both Red Bulls out in Q2
📈 McLaren matches Red Bull
🔝 Russell (P2), Maggnussen (P6), and Lawson (P10) made it into the top 10!
✅ Great performance by Ferrari and Haas, thanks to their low drag and fantastic grip.

👀 Drama unfolds during the race

Victory: Carlos Sainz won, keeping both Lando Norris and the Mercedes team behind.

Between the lines:

⚫ Mercedes had an extra tire set, which gave them an advantage. The double-pit stop strategy contributed, giving Russell and Hamilton a fresh tyre in the last laps (and the fastest lap point, too)

🔴 Sainz was the fastest 1-stopper

🔵 VER and 🟠 Norris were matched

🔴 Sainz's Tactics:

Used Norris as a shield against Mercedes.

Controlled the race pace, especially during safety car periods.

🌟Standout performances:

• Norris kept Hamilton at bay, securing second place.

• Max Verstappen started behind but finished fifth

• Liam Lawson earned his first F1 points, finishing ninth.

💥Notable incidents:

• George Russell crashed on the last lap.

• Logan Sargeant's crash brought out a safety car.

• Sergio Perez and Yuki Tsunoda had a first-lap clash.

• Perez retains P8 despite penalty for 'divebomb' on Albon

Singapore GP Teammate Race Pace Gaps

🟠 Norris-Piastri was the highest gap difference out of all. Norris had the upgrades, Piastri did not.

🪽 Flexi parts stir up F1 drama

At a glance: Singapore GP's new flexi wing directive has F1 fans wondering if team ranks might shuffle.

Why this matters:

Red Bull, the 2023 leader, is on the defense. Christian Horner, their boss, denies any team struggles relate to the new FIA wing rules.

Although the fuss is about flexi wings, the bigger mystery might be the floors. They're a game-changer for car performance.

Recent emphasis isn't on "skid blocks" but on the "plank" part of the car's floor. Teams seem to exploit its flexibility.

There's a cheeky 2mm tolerance in the regulations. Teams might be using this for bonus flexibility, essentially "sucking" the floor down at high speeds.

🛑 Stopping the flexing:

The FIA's not playing. Their updated documents are looking to halt the flexi floor tricks.

Their message? Keep that floor solid, no "elastomeric" or wiggly stuff.

🔄 Shaking up the grid:

Teams adapting to these rules could see a dip in performance.

However, Red Bull and McLaren bosses suggest Singapore's race outcomes might just be a one-off.

📅 What's Next:

Eyes on Japan's Suzuka circuit. It'll reveal if any teams were skirting the rules to get an edge. If results there mirror Singapore’s… well, get the popcorn ready. - Read the in-depth article here

🤝 Who Gets the Chair When the Music Stops?

AlphaTauri has a juicy problem - three rockstar drivers, but only two seats for 2024.

Between the lines:

• Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda seemed like the dynamic duo set for 2024.

• Enter Liam Lawson: Subbed in for an injured Ricciardo and absolutely SLAYED.

• Highlights? Survived a tough debut, nearly beat Tsunoda in Italy, shined in Singapore, and upstaged champ Max Verstappen. Mic drop! 🎤

What We're Hearing:

• F1 enthusiasts, including the cool peeps like Matt Gallagher and Karun Chandhok, are all in with the #GiveLawsonASeat vibes.

• Rumor mill says Tsunoda might have a seat-lock soon, to be unveiled at the Japanese Grand Prix.

• Throwback plan from 2005? Sharing seats? Worked once, but kinda tricky.

• Williams has one seat to spare for 2024. Could it be the saving grace for the third wheel in this AlphaTauri love triangle?

You can read the in depth analysis by Steven Walton here.

🔴 Sainz overtakes Leclerc in team leadership

Looks like Carlos Sainz is stepping up as Ferrari's team leader, overtaking Charles Leclerc.

Sainz showed impressive leadership, snagging a win and managing the pace from start to finish. Meanwhile, Leclerc ended up in fourth place, seemingly playing a supporting role to Sainz.

A standout moment came when Leclerc wanted fresh tires during a race segment, but Ferrari asked him to hold off. When Mercedes did opt to change their tires, their drivers, Russell and Hamilton, zoomed past Leclerc to battle for a top spot.

While Leclerc listens to his team's decisions, Sainz isn't afraid to voice his own opinions, even if they go against the team's recommendations. Take, for instance, when Leclerc was given hard tires (which didn't work out well), Sainz boldly refused the same tires, suggesting a different approach instead. - Read more

🟢 Stroll's mistake costs Aston in Singapore

Lance Stroll's mistake in Singapore messed up qualifying big time. - Watch here

The Canadian driver felt the pressure, especially with traffic issues and a stop at the weighbridge. Sadly, he lost it on the final corner. Aston couldn’t fix his car in time for the race, and Stroll was still feeling the crash's effects.

Aston's team principal, Mike Krack, tried to put a positive spin on it, saying it shows Stroll's commitment. But let's be honest: Stroll messed up, and because of that, the team had one less car in the race.

This year, it's clear that Stroll's struggling, especially compared to top-notch drivers like Alonso. Some people are starting to wonder if his dad keeping him in one of Aston's F1 seats is holding the team back in the championship race. - Read more

👑 Red Bull's reign interrupted

Ferrari just broke Red Bull's winning streak this year! Carlos Sainz took the top spot in Singapore, making him the first non-Red Bull winner of the year.

Toto Wolff said it's like a "breath of fresh air" for F1.

This was the first time in 15 races that Red Bull didn’t clinch the win. That's since last year's final race in Abu Dhabi!

Red Bull had a tough time. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had issues during qualifying. Though they made it to the points on race day, they weren't battling for the top spot.

Wolff feels it’s great for F1 to see someone other than Red Bull taking the win. - Read more

Ever wondered how your favorite team manages to make split-second decisions during a race? Or how they tweak their car's performance every millisecond? The answer lies in a word you've probably heard thrown around but might not fully understand: telemetry.

What is telemetry in F1?

Telemetry is the real-time data transfer from the racing car to the engineering team.

Let's break it down with a simple analogy. Imagine driving your car with a hyper-intelligent co-pilot. This co-pilot doesn't just help with navigation but also constantly tells you how your engine's performing, how much pressure is in your tires, and even if your left foot is a tad too heavy on the brake pedal. In F1, telemetry plays the role of that super co-pilot.

Why does it matter? It gives teams immediate insights into the car's performance, the driver's behavior, and other crucial aspects, allowing them to make lightning-fast decisions in a sport where every millisecond counts.

What are teams monitoring?

You can monitor every single thing on a car now. If a car part does something, you can track it with data and fine-tune its performance.

Here's a quick rundown of the basics:

• Car speed

• Individual wheel speed

• Understeer and oversteer

• Steering angle

• Acceleration

• Braking (both front and back)

• Gear choice

• Brake balance

• Engine revs

• Tire pressure (and if there's a puncture warning)

• DRS status

• Engine mode

• Fuel level

• Time difference from the previous lap

• G-forces

• Clutch position

• Downforce

• Hydraulic and oil pressure

• Engine and transmission temperature

Why it matters: This information helps teams determine pit stop timings and strategies during a race. For instance, if the tires are still good, the driver can push harder toward the end, while his opponent might have to go easy to make sure they don’t wear out. These details also come in handy during practice and pre-season tests to ensure the car performs as expected.

How is telemetry being used in Formula 1?

Telemetry in F1 has a few key jobs:

👀 Keep an eye on the car. Sensors track everything, ensuring the car's running smoothly. For example, if the engine gets too hot because a car's right in front, engineers can tell the driver and increase the gap or push for an overtake.

🆘 React to problems. Notice the brakes getting too hot? At the next pit stop, engineers can check if something's stuck. If pressure drops, they'll quickly tell the driver what to do.

📈 Improve performance. It's not just about avoiding problems; it's about getting better. While a chart might not give the same feel as driving the car, it can show if it's drifting in turns or how it's handling bumps.

Telemetry is like having an open book on performance. Engineers can see what both team drivers are doing, right from how they take turns to when they hit the brakes. This helps them guide their driver on where they can speed up.

FIA regulations and limitations

Every car needs to have a telemetry system that lets the team receive data from the car. The system must be made by a supplier chosen by the FIA, following their specific guidelines.

This telemetry system should work on frequencies that the FIA approves.

Teams aren't allowed to send data back to the car through telemetry. However, there are two exceptions:

👉 The car can use the FIA's Marshalling System.

👉 Basic handshakes or connections needed for the car-to-team telemetry

How do F1 teams keep data safe?

F1 is a tech fest. Everything, from the car designs to engine performance, relies on tech. But where there's tech, there's the chance of cyberattacks.

These attacks range from simple phishing emails trying to steal passwords to outright sneaky spying. And if any of these attacks succeed, we could see chaos on the racetrack because everything is connected.

F1 teams are going all out to defend against these cyber threats. For instance, when hackers tried to target McLaren's CEO with a fake email, their cybersecurity tech caught it instantly.

👨🏻‍💻 Some notorious cyber mishaps in F1's past

Spygate (2007): McLaren got caught using stolen data from Ferrari. Result? A whopping $100 million fine and some big names resigning. - Read more

Hamilton's Twitter Oops (2012): Lewis Hamilton tweeted some inside info he shouldn't have. Jenson Button wasn't too pleased. - Read more

Marussia's Virus Woes (2014): An engineer's mistake led to a major data loss. - Read more

Mercedes's Data Drama (2015): An engineer tried making a sneaky move to Ferrari, but not without some data theft. - Read more

Honda's Ransomware Setback (2017): A ransomware hit caused Honda to pause production, including for their F1 engines. - Read more

Renault's Hack Attack (2017): Hackers managed to snoop around Renault's F1 team data. - Read more

Racing Point's Copy-Paste Problem (2020): Accusations flew about them copying Mercedes's brake designs. - Read more

Williams's Big Reveal Fail (2021): A cyberattack messed up their fancy car launch. - Read more

Ferrari's Rough Patch (2022): They faced both a ransomware attack and a scam after a key partnership change. - Read more

❤️ ICYMI: Ice baths, rock stars and reptiles all feature in the best social media from Singapore - See the posts

🔴 THE STRATEGIST: Did one split second decision cost Ferrari a 1-2 in Singapore? - Read the analysis

😬 Oscar Piastri plans to meet up with Martin Brundle after an awkward moment during Sky's grid walk. - Read more

🔝Fernando Alonso set a major record at the Singapore Grand Prix. - Read more

👍 Mika Hakkinen gave Mick Schumacher a straightforward tip for his comeback to Formula 1. - Read more

☝️Helmut Marko says there's one condition for Sebastian Vettel to come back. - Read more

🔀 Fernando Alonso thinks we need to tweak the qualifying rules to avoid too much traffic on the track. - Read more

🗯️ Aston Martin wants the FIA to be consistent with penalties, especially after Max Verstappen seemed to get a mild punishment during the Singapore Grand Prix qualifiers. - Read more

🏆 Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, thinks if Felipe Massa wins his court case to change the 2008 championship results, it'll cause chaos in Formula 1. He's worried others might try the same thing. - Read more

🇯🇵 Scheduled 22-24 September

Suzuka Circuit

1️⃣ Circuit length: 5.807km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 53
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:30.983 Lewis Hamilton (2019)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 18 corners with 1 DRS zone

🏆 Most succesful drivers:

• Michael Schumacher (6 wins)

• Sebastian Vettel (4 wins)

• Lewis Hamilton (4 wins)

🎖️ Most succesful constructors:

• McLaren (7 wins)

• Ferrari (7 wins)

• Mercedes (6 wins)

🥇 Wins by grid position

Almost 50% of races were won from Pole.

• Pole - 16 wins

• 2nd - 11 wins

• 3rd - 1 win

• 1 win from 17th place. Kimi Räikkönen won the race after starting from 17th place.