🎤 Leclerc's Melodious Move?

Hey there, podium-sitter! 👋

This week, it's not just about speed on the tracks but also what’s brewing off them!

🔧 Red Bull's New Arena? There's a buzz in the paddock about Red Bull possibly diving into the engine business! This could be a game-changer, as they might distribute engines to four teams.

🏎️ Sainz Sets the Pace! Sainz has cruised into the history books with a unique F1 record for 2023. We've got all the details on what makes this achievement so special.

🎤 Leclerc Hits a New Note! Hold onto your helmets because Leclerc is making a melodious detour. With Monaco now eligible for Eurovision, Charles is joking about a music career! Will the podium be swapped for a stage? 😜

Strap in and get ready to dive into all this and more.

🏎️🏎️ F1 cars tougher to tail

Drivers are saying that today's Formula 1 cars are becoming as tough to tail as those from 2020 and 2021. Removing Zandvoort from the picture, there was not much overtaking this year.

Despite seeing exciting races like the Italian Grand Prix, there are worries. As teams are constantly innovating to improve their cars, it's causing a change in airflow that makes it harder for one car to follow another.

This might mean F1 will have to depend more on DRS to make sure there’s good competition on certain tracks.

Max Verstappen says his Red Bull's strong DRS has helped him overtake this year, but he also feels today's cars are tougher to race. - Read more

📈Sainz sets unique 2023 F1 record

While Max Verstappen was busy making F1 history with 10 back-to-back race wins, Carlos Sainz was setting his own 2023 record. It's not exactly the kind of record F1 would brag about.

Kicking off the Italian GP, Carlos led for 14 laps. Then Max zoomed past him.

🥈 Now, here's the record: those 14 laps Carlos led were the most by any non-Red Bull driver in the 2023 season.

Check out the lap leaders in 2023 so far so far:

🤯Mind-blowing moment: Red Bull led an incredible 799 of the 847 laps in the past 14 races. - Read more

 🔵 Red Bull's bold F1 engine goals

Red Bull is stepping up its game! After Honda decided to leave F1 in 2021, Red Bull took charge of their own engine department. While they still get some help from Honda, by 2026, they'll be going solo and have even set up a new base.

Why it matters:

Christian Horner says they have the capability to supply engines to four F1 teams. But he's also keen on taking things slow, starting with just their two teams, Red Bull and AlphaTauri.

Currently, Mercedes is the kingpin, powering most teams, including Aston Martin, McLaren, and Williams. - Read more

💰 FIA sharpens scrutiny on F1 finances

After all the buzz and tension about F1's cost cap, the FIA finally gave all ten teams a pass.

But even with this thumbs up, some are still side-eyeing a few teams. The cost cap will only stick if teams trust it's being enforced fairly.

Why it matters:

Trust in the F1 cost cap is crucial for two big reasons:

1️⃣ Teams don't peek into their competitors' financials or know the FIA's reasons behind cost cap decisions.

2️⃣ Once the FIA approves the Cost Cap Compliance certificates, there's no turning back. Teams can report suspected cheats, but only from January to April.

After that? No appeals. The only exception? If an insider exposes a breach, triggering an FIA investigation.

🕵🏻‍♂️ Stepping up the checks

The FIA went all out this year with their checks. They expanded their team, threw detailed questions at the teams, and did some digital snooping to ensure honesty.

Although a bit overwhelming, many teams felt this scrutiny was a good move. And with new rules on the horizon, such as the TD45 directive about non-F1 activities influencing spending, expect even deeper dives in 2024. - Read more

🟠 McLaren shifts focus to 2024

McLaren's boss, Andrea Stella, just shared that they're wrapping up work on their MCL60 and are all-in on next year's car.

Why this matters:

Pretty big deal, especially since McLaren had the most noticeable jump this season with the MCL60 – from barely getting points to often aiming for the podium.

Stella emphasized that the main attention is now on their 2024 beast.

At the moment, McLaren's ranked fifth. Alpine's not too far back. - Read more

🟢 Krack: "Our drivers need better cars."

Mike Krack, the head of the Aston Martin racing team, feels that they need to give their drivers a better car.

After a tough race in Monza, where Fernando Alonso finished ninth, and Lance Stroll only managed 16th, it's clear the team faced some challenges. This particular performance even pushed Aston down to fourth in the Constructors Championship.

Krack emphasized that it's crucial for the team to learn from Monza and ensure they provide a top-notch car, especially for tracks like the upcoming Las Vegas race.

He praised both Alonso and Stroll for their efforts.

While Aston Martin is slowing down its development, Krack confirmed there are still improvements in the works for the AMR23 car. He's hopeful these updates will make a difference in the upcoming races. - Read more

Ever noticed how, before the roar of the engines and the blazing speed, there's a quiet moment where F1 cars are neatly lined up? This isn't just for a picturesque view but marks the start of a tactical dance that's central to every race.

This formation is the starting grid, and it plays a much larger role than you might think. Let's uncover the importance of this alignment.

What is the F1 starting grid?

Think of the starting grid as the kick-off point of an F1 race. It’s the lineup of all the cars in two columns, staggered from each other, based on the order they qualified. So, the fastest car from the qualifying session will start from the very front (pole position), and the slowest one from the very back.

Exceptions from the normal starting grid

There are moments when the starting grid sees changes despite the qualifying results. For instance:

Penalties: Drivers can receive grid penalties for various reasons, like changing engine components beyond the allowed limit or causing incidents in previous races.

Pit lane start: If there's a change in the car's basics or if a driver misses the race start, they'll have to start from the pit lane.

Here are the reasons why a driver might start from the pit lane:

👉 If a car switches up its power unit or gearbox

👉 If a driver changes their PU after the third free practice session kicks off

👉 30 minutes before the formation lap on race day, the pit lane shuts down. If any driver is still in the pit lane, they can start from the end of the pit lane.

👉 If right before the race begins, teams didn’t clear out all their equipment and personnel.

👉 During the formation lap, if a driver is lagging behind and can't get to their starting spot.

How does the pit lane start work?

Once the whole grid has zipped past the pit lane in the Formation Lap, cars starting from there can join in.

But after the safety car gets back to the pits, that driver needs to head back to the pit lane.

The race for them starts from the pit lane exit. If any car comes into the pit lane after the formation lap, they'll queue up and start in the order they came in.

Notable starting incidents

The start of an F1 race is a spectacle. But sometimes, things can go south at the beginning. Here are the top 10 most chaotic startline incidents, according to Motorsport.

1️⃣ 1979 US Grand Prix West - Long Beach: Gilles Villeneuve drove past his grid spot, causing a ton of confusion. This mix-up led to a race restart, but Gilles still won in the end.

2️⃣ 1981 Belgian Grand Prix - Zolder: After a tragic accident in the pitlane, drivers protested the unsafe conditions. But the race started anyway, with cars stranded on the grid and others missing their spots.

3️⃣ 1982 US Grand Prix West - Long Beach: Lotus’ Elio de Angelis parked wrongly and then bumped into his teammate, Nigel Mansell, right as the race began.

4️⃣ 1984 Austrian Grand Prix - Osterreichring: Start lights malfunctioned, causing confusion on the grid. Despite the chaos, Niki Lauda clinched the win at his home race.

5️⃣ 1987 Austrian Grand Prix - Osterreichring: It took three starts to get this race going. First, a crash and then a pile-up caused by Nigel Mansell's slow Williams.

6️⃣ 1994 German Grand Prix - Hockenheim: 11 cars got wiped out in the first lap chaos! Yet, Gerhard Berger still managed to grab the win.

7️⃣ 2001 Brazilian Grand Prix - Interlagos: Mika Hakkinen stalled, but thanks to the safety car, the race continued. Then, rookie Juan Pablo Montoya brilliantly overtook Michael Schumacher.

8️⃣ 2005 US Grand Prix - A field of 20 cars should have lined up for the race, but on that Sunday just 6 were on the starting grid. - See the video

It was the result of a bizarre sequence of events which left fans feeling so shortchanged it nearly drove F1 out of the US for good.

9️⃣ 2015 Italian Grand Prix - Monza: Kimi Raikkonen's car anti-stalled, showing us how technology has changed the game over the years.

🔟 2021 Hungarian GP: All drivers except Hamilton pitted right after the Formation Lap and we had one of the most memorable starts in F1 history, with a single car on the grid. - See the video

First lap strategies

The first lap after the start is crucial:

Defensive Driving: Those at the front, especially the pole sitter, would aim to defend their position by placing their car strategically, making it hard for followers to overtake.

Taking Chances: Drivers in the middle might see this as an opportunity to gain positions by capitalizing on gaps or the mistakes of others.

Safety: At the back, the aim might be to navigate safely through the first few corners without getting involved in any incident.

Role of starting grid in race strategy

Starting position greatly influences a team’s race strategy:

Front Runners: If you start at the front, the aim is usually to maintain the lead. This might mean choosing a tire strategy that emphasizes consistency and long stints.

Middle of the Pack: Here, strategies might vary. Teams could go aggressive, hoping to gain places, or they might opt for a more conservative approach, waiting for opportunities like safety car periods.

Backmarkers: Teams at the back might take risks. They might start on a different tire compound than the rest, hoping to benefit from a unique pit stop strategy.

Lewis Hamilton managed to pull some amazing overtakes in the 2021 Sao Paolo GP. Sure, his car was an outlier, but nevertheless he managed to pull out all the overtakes he needed for a successful weekend. - See video

🔮 Stefano Domenicali gives an update on Monza's F1 future. - Read more

🎲 Aston Martin mechanic paid the price after betting against Fernando Alonso. - Read more

📣 Mick Schumacher was quiet about being let go from Haas after two seasons in 2022. But now, he's starting to speak up about it. - Read more

🔄 Nico Rosberg says Aston Martin needs a stronger second driver to challenge Fernando Alonso and boost the team. - Read more

🏆 Why does Massa's legal team think they can win?- Read more

🔵 Is Lawson joining F1 next year? Horner is watching his progress closely as the 2024 decision approaches. - Read more

🏎️ For the second year straight, the F1 Manager is supporting the contest where students race to make the speediest mini F1 car. - Read more

⚡Daniel Ricciardo reveals a gnarly scar while healing up from hand surgery. - Read more

📝The FIA is expected to approve Andretti Global’s bid to enter F1 - but will Liberty Media and the teams agree to it? - Read more

💬 Helmut Marko stirred the pot by making a not-so-nice comment about Sergio Perez after some rough races in 2023. - 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