#Whats #Christian #Horner
1:29 p.m
Analysis: Who should beat Verstappen & Red Bull?
You’ve never analyzed Formula 1 tests in such detail before: Alex Bodo, CEO of our technology partner PACETEQ, uses tools that only the teams themselves use to analyze what can be gleaned from the three days in Bahrain!
Also in this video: An interview with Alex Bodo about what PACETEQ actually does and what role artificial intelligence plays in evaluating data in Formula 1 and motorsport as a whole.
Analysis: Who should beat Verstappen & Red Bull?
You’ve never examined Formula 1 tests in such detail before: Alex Bodo, CEO of our technology partner PACETEQ, analyzes the data. More Formula 1 videos
1:12 p.m
Glock: Sainz will “move aggressively” in 2024
We’ll stay on the subject of contracts and come back to Carlos Sainz. Expert Timo Glock believes that the Spaniard “will not take any losses into account” in 2024, he tells Sky.
“He will be completely aggressive, even within the team against Charles Leclerc. He will want to show that it was a bad decision to send him out the door,” predicts the German.
“He also wants to position himself for top teams and everyone knows how good Sainz is, he showed that, no matter which team he was in. Sainz performed everywhere and delivered a very consistent performance,” said Glock.
“So he is in a very good position as far as his future is concerned,” he believes.
12:47 p.m
Bottas: Focus is on Audi
And so back to the driver market: Valtteri Bottas’ contract also expires at the end of 2024. And the Finn emphasizes that he would like to stay with his current employer.
“The people behind me are of course already working on finding the best options,” he says with regard to his future and explains that he would like to remain loyal to Sauber.
“My priority, as I have already said, would be to participate in the Audi project. I think that is very, very tempting for me,” said Bottas, for whom it would be “ideal” to stay in Hinwil.
Now he wants to concentrate on performing well in order to recommend himself for further tasks.
12:08 p.m
20 years of Bahrain
In 2004, exactly 20 years ago, the Bahrain Grand Prix was held for the first time. In my personal opinion, the route is still one of the “newer” courses on the calendar.
But the fact is that Bahrain has now become almost a “classic” compared to other Formula 1 tracks. More about this in our photo gallery:
Photo series: New Formula 1 tracks since 2000
11:53 a.m
Das Rennpace-Ranking …
… after the test you can watch it again here. For me personally there are still some question marks. For example, I can’t imagine that Alpine is really doing so badly.
But let’s wait for the weekend. As we all know, numbers don’t lie…
11:39 a.m
Krack: Bahrain is an “outlier”
We already heard from Red Bull that Bahrain is not necessarily a representative race track for the rest of the season. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack sees it very similarly.
When asked what result he wanted in Bahrain, he replied: “We don’t focus too much on the results from race to race, but we want to close the gap to the cars in front of us.”
“Let’s wait two, three, four races to see where you really stand, because the tracks are very different, especially Bahrain is an outlier compared to other tracks,” he emphasizes.
It is also important to do better in the development race in 2024 than in 2023. Because Aston Martin fell behind over the course of the season.
11:21 a.m
Jordan finds Red Bull situation “absurd”
Former team boss Eddie Jordan spoke to his colleagues at #F1-Insider#i about the situation at Red Bull and explained: “I’ve seen a lot of wrong decisions. But the Red Bull situation is the most absurd thing I’ve ever seen have.”
“Of course, there is a presumption of innocence for Horner. But does anyone seriously believe that the employee made up her mind about the allegations? If Horner is innocent, is she guilty?”
“Red Bull’s loss of image is already huge. Someone has to pull the ripcord now,” demands Jordan. Pretty harsh words, although he’s probably not alone in the paddock with this opinion…
11:01 a.m
Vowles: Goals achieved with the new Williams
Team boss James Vowles is not completely satisfied with the Bahrain test because Williams repeatedly struggled with reliability problems on the first two days. But there is also positive news.
Vowles emphasizes: “I would definitely say that the balance of the car is significantly better than last year. The predictability for the drivers is better than last year.”
He recalls that the FW45 reacted very sensitively to external influences, “and we have not seen that so far in the three days of testing or in the simulations. So there is good news in that regard,” says Vowles.
The goal in 2024 is to have a car that is good for all 24 races of the season “and not just five or six, like last year’s car,” he emphasizes. Let’s see if this wish comes true.
10:46 a.m
What awaits us in Formula 1 2024?
The big Sky season preview with Ralf Schumacher: Who are the big favorites, why the Christian Horner affair is a burden for Red Bull, what are Nico Hülkenberg’s chances at Haas and what is the probability that Mick Schumacher will be in a factory in 2026 -Audi will sit.
The Sky season preview was recorded on February 26th as part of an online media event in Unterföhring. The show was moderated by Sandra Baumgartner. Of course, it was also about how Sky will report on Formula 1 in 2024. And with some innovations!
10:38 am
First media rounds
Maybe as a refresher or to explain to our new readers what actually happens on a media day in Formula 1: As the name suggests, the focus is on the “media”, including us.
There are various media rounds for the writing journalists throughout the day, starting with the two Haas drivers at 11:00 a.m. CET (1:00 p.m. local time).
There is also a one-hour press conference with selected drivers on every media day. Today it starts at 1:30 p.m. our time with the following guests:
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Alexander Albon (Williams)
The drivers also have other activities planned for them, such as interviews with various TV channels. Here in the ticker we provide you with the most important voices that our colleagues collect directly on site until late in the evening!
10:05 a.m
Driver market
By the way, you can find out which cockpits will be available in 2025 in this photo series. And let’s put it this way: Because cockpits are available at both Red Bull and Mercedes, there have certainly been worse years for pilots who are looking for a (new) employer…
Photo series: The contract terms of the current Formula 1 drivers
9:56 a.m
Chandhok: Sainz shouldn’t go to Audi
We already spoke briefly about Lewis Hamilton’s situation earlier. With his move to Ferrari, Carlos Sainz will have to look for a new cockpit for 2025, and some suspect he could be drawn to Hinwil.
Background: From 2026, Sauber will become an Audi works team, and the Sainz family has good relationships with the Ingolstadt team. But expert Karun Chandhok doesn’t really believe in this scenario.
Opposite Sky he explains: “I don’t think he wants to go there.” A move to Audi at a later point in his career is certainly a possibility, says Chandhok.
“But Audi will not win the championship in 2026, 2027 and probably 2028,” he predicts. Sainz therefore cannot “afford” to “waste” the best years of his career on development work.
His advice: “He has to try everything to get the place at Mercedes.”
8:55 a.m
Season opener
The new Formula 1 season begins in Bahrain for the fourth time in a row. The start in the desert has now become a tradition. But it wasn’t always like that! More about this in our photo gallery:
Photo series: Melbourne and Co.: The Formula 1 season opener took place on these tracks
8:46 a.m
Red Bull isn’t putting champagne cold yet
We already heard from Toto Wolff that he sees Red Bull at the top of the field again in 2024. And he is not alone in this opinion, the Bulls are going into the new season as almost everyone’s favorite.
Only Red Bull itself warns against planning the next title celebration now. Pierre Wache emphasizes that Ferrari, for example, was “very fast” during the test. He therefore doesn’t know whether we’re really going into the 2024 season with a big lead.
“The main concern is that this track is very specific,” he explains with regard to Bahrain, emphasizing that completely different things matter on other tracks. For example, the asphalt in Bahrain is “very specific”.
He is therefore “not sure whether it will be easy” to consider winning both world titles again in 2024.
8:34 a.m
Szafnauer: Up to 30 Formula 1 races possible
With 24 races, the biggest Formula 1 calendar in the history of the premier class awaits us this year. According to ex-Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer, the end of the road has not yet been reached.
“I think if you plan it correctly, a number between 25 and 30 is the right one,” says Szafnauer and explains it like this: “If you go to 30, you really have two teams [innerhalb eines Teams] and each team makes 15.”
“It’s a simple life compared to what you have today,” he emphasizes. The only catch: The plan only works if all teams agree to have two complete racing teams.
And would that really work? Especially since Szafnauer is forgetting the numerous people in the paddock who are not part of the teams themselves. Because you can’t just rotate completely everywhere.
8:23 a.m
Brundle: Mercedes will focus on Russell
Expert Martin Brundle suspects that Mercedes will focus more on George Russell this year. Opposite Sky He explains: “The team will want to show their sponsors and fans that George is capable of leading the team into the future.”
“So that will be their priority,” he suspects, explaining: “I see Lewis [Hamilton] and Mercedes on a kind of farewell tour. It will get testy from time to time, but I think they’re all adults.” So there won’t be any big problems, says Brundle.
“But George will step out of Lewis’ shadow and I think that will do him a lot of good, to be honest. I think the whole situation will also boost Mercedes because they can bring in a young driver and build for the future .”
“I expect they will do that in 2025, but who knows,” Brundle said. In keeping with the topic of who will be in the second Mercedes next year, I can recommend this article by Christian Nimmervoll!
