All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

The article is written awkwardly. I don't think that's quite it.

The current "Red Bull" engines are essentially Honda engines that Red Bull is maintaining and branding as its own now that Honda is no longer involved. The engine formula will be changing significantly in 2026 so at that point the Honda history will be moot. I would assume that Porsche would be heavily involved in developing and building those new engines and not simply branding them with the Porsche name.

 

Vettel is out of F1 at the end of the season, even though Aston Martin owner Larry Stroll says they wanted him to stay.

 

Pulling a Mika Hakkinen?

 

Mein Gott, muss das sein?! Seriously, Vettel has managed to become steadily more likeable as his career has gone on, to the point that though I don't exactly 'stan' the guy, I suspect Vettel might be the current driver I'd most like to have dinner or spend a day with. I suspect he might be on the Alonso plan (sit out until he gets a ride that doesn't suck), but hey if you can retire at 35, more power to you.

 

Bottas would be that guy for me but I fear I might not survive the night.

 

Now that we've seen many of them on Drive to Survive, at least from that we have a few context clues about the grid in "real life."

Ricciardo is my favorite driver. He's got to be either the most fun or biggest asshole to hang out with, and I can't figure out which one it is. There is no f'ing way I'd be able to keep up with Hamilton. As someone said when the race is announced, Hamilton participated in the Vegas announcement with the distinct tenor of someone who doesn't want to shit where he eats. Regarding Bottas, I've crossed paths with a lot of Finns (well, Finnish-Americans) in my life. They are too metal for me. My opinion of Verstappen is well-known.

As for the British guys, Lando seems to have a personality but may be a bit of a boy king. Still I think he's probably got more depth than Russell.

I'm not sure I have strong opinions on most of the rest. Latifi's folks are just as rich as Stroll's but Latifi seems to act a little more like a typical Canadian.

 

So I am finding this Chip Gannassi-Alex Palou-McLaren love triangle to be quite interesting:

https://racer.com/2022/07/28/palou-focusing-on-title-race-amid-legal-challenge-from-his-own-team/

 

I'd be pretty surprised to see him return. (Honestly, I thought he would retire when he left Ferrari.) He seems like his concentration level kind of dropped the past several years -- he's a dad now and his priorities have shifted, and that makes it pretty damn hard to stay at the top in F1.

Happy for him. He seems like a really good dude.

I'm curious to see who replaces him. I've seen a lot of talk about Mick Schumacher moving there even before Vettel's announcement. Fernando Alonso's out of contract at the end of the year and that would solve a problem for Alpine -- they have Oscar Piastri waiting for a seat and nowhere to put him.

 

It's hard to know exactly what's going on from the outside... but it sure looks to me like Palou is trying to weasel his way out of a contract with a bullshit argument.

He's not going to F1. He can pretend that it's an option for him but good luck using it in court.

 

It would be a shame if Alonso loses his seat. Guy is driving his ass off. Every time I see a Red Bull or Ferrari trying to make up ground after a pit stop or something and it comes up behind Alonso, I think, “well, this is going to hurt his chances.”

 

Ricciardo seems like a blast to hang out with, but yeah, it will always be all eyes on him. Fine by me. Agree on Hamilton and Vegas. Bottas had a similar vibe. I’d love to hear the story of what the hell happened “last time I was here.”

 

Glad to see Rossi break that long winning drought today, particularly at the Brickyard. Leaving Andretti without at least one more victory would have been bittersweet.