2024 Formula 1 Season thread

[The-Real-Deal82]

I didn't watch and the world didn't end...

I kept up with it on the radio and the live timing, but knew enough not to bother watching the highlights. I won’t be watching much of it this year unless it’s worth watching as Sundays are busy for me and it feels like a bit of a waste of time. Fair play to Red Bull though, they’ve accomplished what every team sets out to do, it’s just not that entertaining for the fans or casual viewers like me.

 

[pachyderm]

I kept up with it on the radio and the live timing, but knew enough not to bother watching the highlights. I won’t be watching much of it this year unless it’s worth watching as Sundays are busy for me and it feels like a bit of a waste of time. Fair play to Red Bull though, they’ve accomplished what every team sets out to do, it’s just not that entertaining for the fans or casual viewers like me.

Same.

I took a look at the app a couple of times.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I watched the highlights. 7:30 in the evening kind of suited me. Nowhere else to be on a Saturday night these days. Plus it finished before MOTD which was a bonus!

 

[pachyderm]

1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	57	1:31:44.742	26
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	57	+22.457s	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	FERRARI	57	+25.110s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	FERRARI	57	+39.669s	12
5	63	George Russell	MERCEDES	57	+46.788s	10
6	4	Lando Norris	MCLAREN MERCEDES	57	+48.458s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	MERCEDES	57	+50.324s	6
8	81	Oscar Piastri	MCLAREN MERCEDES	57	+56.082s	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	57	+74.887s	2
10	18	Lance Stroll	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	57	+93.216s	1
11	24	Zhou Guanyu	KICK SAUBER FERRARI	56	+1 lap	0
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	HAAS FERRARI	56	+1 lap	0
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB HONDA RBPT	56	+1 lap	0
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB HONDA RBPT	56	+1 lap	0
15	23	Alexander Albon	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	56	+1 lap	0
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	HAAS FERRARI	56	+1 lap	0
17	31	Esteban Ocon	ALPINE RENAULT	56	+1 lap	0
18	10	Pierre Gasly	ALPINE RENAULT	56	+1 lap	0
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	KICK SAUBER FERRARI	56	+1 lap	0
20	2	Logan Sargeant	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	55	+2 laps	0

 

[laptech]

I didn't watch and the world didn't end...

No but if people are paying a monthly/yearly subscription to watch F1 on a pay to view channel then I expect they would want value for their money which is something they will not be getting if Max has another dominating F1 again.

 

[laptech]

I think we’ll have news in the coming weeks that Horner and Red Bull have agreed to part by mutual consent. Not sure how much of the report can be published as it likely contains personal information of both parties. It’s unusual for something like that to be anything other than confidential. It depends whether the leaker gets a hold of a copy of course. I think Red Bull have been very naive if that evidence was real as they’ve tried to save face at the expense of the person who filed the grievance. I think a lot of companies do this hoping the outcome will just be accepted, especially by someone who is exhausted by the stress of it all. I hope it goes to court (if the leak was real) and the lady gets the outcome she deserves. Horner would have nobody else to blame but himself.

.......

The problem for a huge majority of sports people and their teams is that if they want to court the public's attention to help them achieve sponsorship and other financial advantages and gains then they need to understand that they also need to be open and honest with the public when things go wrong. They cannot say 'Give us your attention, give us your money but everything else we do is private'. It does not work like that. Red Bull in all their arrogance chose to put Horner in the public spotlight ever since they started doing well in F1 but what they should have done is left the spotlight only on their drivers because lets face it they are the face of the sport and thus are expected to do interviews and promotional work for the team but everyone else should be in the background with a team spokesperson being the face of all those who work behind the scenes.

Red Bull have allowed Horner to face the public and the press for many many years and now when there is too much of the wrong kind of media attention and focus on Horner with the press pushing and pushing for information suddenly Red Bull clam up saying everything is private. As the media have pointed out many many times before, people in the public spotlight cannot have it both ways, court the publics attention then turn round and say we will only give the public what we want to give them.

As for the racing, another dominant face by Max, looks like it is going to be much of the same this year as it was last year. Many fans will turn away from the sport, just like they did when Michael Schumacher was being dominant and then when Lewis Hamilton was being dominant.

 

[Aggedor]

Will be another boring season if Max wins it all again.

I didn't watch and the world didn't end...

IndyCar starts next week, and it's actually good racing (exceptionally good racing), unlike F1. Try it out!

I used to be a huge F1 fan, but it's absolutely unwatchable now. A ridiculous circus surrounding the very worst open-wheel racing in the world.

 

[sunapple]

My F1TV subscription ends in May and my interest in watching every single race might end there as well. Bit cynical to call it already but it looks a lot like last season. And I was already considering quitting then, so why keep up other than out of pure FOMO?

It’s been a good run, wishing Max all the wins this season, it’s been great watching him grow and win titles. May the Dutch national anthem sound many times over 🇳🇱🇳🇱

 

[Glideslope]

IndyCar starts next week, and it's actually good racing (exceptionally good racing), unlike F1. Try it out!

I used to be a huge F1 fan, but it's absolutely unwatchable now. A ridiculous circus surrounding the very worst open-wheel racing in the world.

Indy has come a long way over the last few years. I enjoy all the tracks that have L and R turns. 😉

 

[Glideslope]

After the big photo of Toto and Jos in the shadows last night a reporter asked Toto if Max could join Mercedes. Toto: “Anything is possible.”

Would be ironic…….

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The problem for a huge majority of sports people and their teams is that if they want to court the public's attention to help them achieve sponsorship and other financial advantages and gains then they need to understand that they also need to be open and honest with the public when things go wrong. They cannot say 'Give us your attention, give us your money but everything else we do is private'. It does not work like that. Red Bull in all their arrogance chose to put Horner in the public spotlight ever since they started doing well in F1 but what they should have done is left the spotlight only on their drivers because lets face it they are the face of the sport and thus are expected to do interviews and promotional work for the team but everyone else should be in the background with a team spokesperson being the face of all those who work behind the scenes.

Red Bull have allowed Horner to face the public and the press for many many years and now when there is too much of the wrong kind of media attention and focus on Horner with the press pushing and pushing for information suddenly Red Bull clam up saying everything is private. As the media have pointed out many many times before, people in the public spotlight cannot have it both ways, court the publics attention then turn round and say we will only give the public what we want to give them.

As for the racing, another dominant face by Max, looks like it is going to be much of the same this year as it was last year. Many fans will turn away from the sport, just like they did when Michael Schumacher was being dominant and then when Lewis Hamilton was being dominant.

I don’t know how it’s possible to make details public whilst maintaining the rights of the complainant in the grievance by keeping their side confidential though? I wouldn’t want the details of my complaint public and we have the right to an unbiased and confidential process when complaints are made to our employers. Horners fame and Red Bulls image to sponsors is irrelevant to the person who has made the complaint, that’s their problem to deal with. I have no doubt it’ll be handled poorly for a second time though and all the details will come spilling out.

Driver dominance does have a negative effect on the sports image and that combined with pay per view greed, often sees viewership fall off dramatically. I got bored when Lewis was dominating and rarely watched races then, and I’ve supported him for years. I’d imagine even Verstappen fans are starting to get a little bored. It feels like we’ve had two 2002’s and are about to have a third. The type of dominance we’re seeing now is like nothing we’ve seen for 20 years and I’m not sure if I can dedicate the time for it until dramatic regulation changes are made to close up the performance advantages.

 

[CWallace]

IMO, Max is the best driver on the grid at the moment with the best car and best team behind him. So if he is pre-ordained to win the WDC again, then I kind of want to see if he can actually win every single race and take every single Fast Lap because it has never been done before.

I have lived through multiple "dominations" in F1 so to keep my interest I watch how the other teams and drivers develop over the season.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

IMO, Max is the best driver on the grid at the moment with the best car and best team behind him. So if he is pre-ordained to win the WDC again, then I kind of want to see if he can actually win every single race and take every single Fast Lap because it has never been done before.

I have lived through multiple "dominations" in F1 so to keep my interest I watch how the other teams and drivers develop over the season.

The thing about being the ‘best’ is you lose the mantle as soon as the car isn’t good enough for wins and championships, Lewis has that now and all his memorable drives throughout his career are soon forgotten now he’s struggling with his car. Doesn’t mean he’s not one of the best of course but it’s a fickle sport. Max will have that at some point and a younger driver will come along in the future and win and suddenly he’ll/she’ll be the best ever.

Alonso for me is a benchmark and one many of the newer fans probably don’t appreciate. He hasn’t won a title since 2006 and a race since 2013, but is without doubt one of the best drivers ever to have raced in the sport. I have never seen him struggle to get the best out of a car, ever. He always outperforms his teammate, even in his 40’s and I have no doubt he would be winning titles now in the best car and be classed as the best, based on his abilities. I just wish we had some racing and personally I don’t want to see a driver win every race and get every fastest lap as I don’t think that is healthy for any form of competitive motorsport. Drivers who do that also become the forgotten leaders during races as you see them at the start and at the finish with the odd glimpse of a pit stop and a corner here and there. That was one thing when Lewis was winning, he wasn’t really shown much unless he was fighting for position, although that was more often than we see now with Red Bull.

 

[Pezimak]

Just watching now but I can guess who will win lol. Oh dear I thought we would have a battle this year, the other teams will have made faster cars. Ho hum, maybe Horner will be fired or quit and it'll turn upside down. Or Max's dad will force Max to move to Mercedes 😅😂.

But I'll tell you lot what, that Kick Suaber livery 🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍🥰

 

[Pezimak]

Ignore double post.

 

[Pezimak]

IMO, Max is the best driver on the grid at the moment with the best car and best team behind him. So if he is pre-ordained to win the WDC again, then I kind of want to see if he can actually win every single race and take every single Fast Lap because it has never been done before.

I have lived through multiple "dominations" in F1 so to keep my interest I watch how the other teams and drivers develop over the season.

You lot know what I think of RB but good grief that'll be dull and boring. We want to see battles surely? Max having to push till last literal lap to win with others pushing right up his backside. I want to see Max LOSE races, and have to scrap it out to win the championship.

 

[Pezimak]

I don’t know how it’s possible to make details public whilst maintaining the rights of the complainant in the grievance by keeping their side confidential though? I wouldn’t want the details of my complaint public and we have the right to an unbiased and confidential process when complaints are made to our employers. Horners fame and Red Bulls image to sponsors is irrelevant to the person who has made the complaint, that’s their problem to deal with. I have no doubt it’ll be handled poorly for a second time though and all the details will come spilling out.

Driver dominance does have a negative effect on the sports image and that combined with pay per view greed, often sees viewership fall off dramatically. I got bored when Lewis was dominating and rarely watched races then, and I’ve supported him for years. I’d imagine even Verstappen fans are starting to get a little bored. It feels like we’ve had two 2002’s and are about to have a third. The type of dominance we’re seeing now is like nothing we’ve seen for 20 years and I’m not sure if I can dedicate the time for it until dramatic regulation changes are made to close up the performance advantages.

Yeap, Schumacher was boring, Lewis was boring, and Max is fast going the same way. Because they just always win year in year out. None of us want that, I don't think?

 

[CWallace]

We want to see battles surely? Max having to push till last literal lap to win with others pushing right up his backside. I want to see Max LOSE races, and have to scrap it out to win the championship.

Sure I'd love to see that, but we're not, are we? While everyone else was copying the RB19, Red Bull was raising the bar out of reach with the RB20.

But "domination" has been the rule, not the exception, for the past two decades in the sport. Of course, those exceptions were pretty exceptional with 2007 and 2008 determined by a single point and 2010, 2012 and 2016 by just a handful of points. But I don't see any chance of that happening before 2026 and even then...

 

[laptech]

With Max dominating the first GP race again, I wonder if news media editors are telling the print teams to focus on reports involving Horner and anything/anyone surrounding him because they know some or even many fans of the sport are getting fed up with Max and RB dominating again that the news editors want to take the fans minds off what is going to be another boring start to the season (RB dominating again) and thus give them something else to read about that is still related to the sport.

I watched highlights of the face and read many of the sports pages of the papers the following day and you know what, there was very very little news written about Max winning but lots and lots of news about his wife appearing along side Horner at the GP and how much the TV camera crews were following them around the GP and also about an alleged argument between Max's father and Horner which has prompted some news outlets to report that Max could leave RB.

The ONLY reason why Horner, the investigation and now the leaked whatsapp messages are getting so much air time is because news editors are making sure it stays in the news

Who ever leaked the whatsapp messages, I wonder if they did so in the hope the all the negative media attention on Horner would pressure him to resign because that tactic is something that has been used time and time again to remove someone from their position. Over the years it has happened to lots of people such as politicians, football managers, managers and coaches of other sports and CEO's of companies and they all have one thing in common, they resigned because they said the constant negative media attention about them is distracting from the sport, the club, the team, the business/company. So could this happen to Horner because we can already see it is taking the focus away from the racing, the drivers and cars. Those that sponsor the sport and the cars will not be happy that focus is being taken away from them and cars and the sport and being directed at Horner, the investigation and the leaked messages.

 

[pachyderm]

IndyCar starts next week, and it's actually good racing (exceptionally good racing), unlike F1. Try it out!

I used to be a huge F1 fan, but it's absolutely unwatchable now. A ridiculous circus surrounding the very worst open-wheel racing in the world.

indycar has lost all appeal to me ...

 

[Pezimak]

With Max dominating the first GP race again, I wonder if news media editors are telling the print teams to focus on reports involving Horner and anything/anyone surrounding him because they know some or even many fans of the sport are getting fed up with Max and RB dominating again that the news editors want to take the fans minds off what is going to be another boring start to the season (RB dominating again) and thus give them something else to read about that is still related to the sport.

I watched highlights of the face and read many of the sports pages of the papers the following day and you know what, there was very very little news written about Max winning but lots and lots of news about his wife appearing along side Horner at the GP and how much the TV camera crews were following them around the GP and also about an alleged argument between Max's father and Horner which has prompted some news outlets to report that Max could leave RB.

The ONLY reason why Horner, the investigation and now the leaked whatsapp messages are getting so much air time is because news editors are making sure it stays in the news

Who ever leaked the whatsapp messages, I wonder if they did so in the hope the all the negative media attention on Horner would pressure him to resign because that tactic is something that has been used time and time again to remove someone from their position. Over the years it has happened to lots of people such as politicians, football managers, managers and coaches of other sports and CEO's of companies and they all have one thing in common, they resigned because they said the constant negative media attention about them is distracting from the sport, the club, the team, the business/company. So could this happen to Horner because we can already see it is taking the focus away from the racing, the drivers and cars. Those that sponsor the sport and the cars will not be happy that focus is being taken away from them and cars and the sport and being directed at Horner, the investigation and the leaked messages.

IF the messages are real, which no one reliable has confirmed or denied, but yes the media will trial Horner, the girl who made the complaint and the verdict, and Horners marriage, Red Bull, F1 in general across their papers like usual. 🙄 damage done doesn't matter as much as papers and subscriptions sold.

 

[laptech]

IF the messages are real, which no one reliable has confirmed or denied, but yes the media will trial Horner, the girl who made the complaint and the verdict, and Horners marriage, Red Bull, F1 in general across their papers like usual. 🙄 damage done doesn't matter as much as papers and subscriptions sold.

The bit in bold is an interesting point you make. As far as I am aware, even with the leaked messages, all Horner keeps on saying is he denies the allegations against him. He has not actually denied the messages are fake, he just keeps on saying he denies the allegations against him. So, if the leaked messages are alleged to be fake, why wouldn't Horner come out and specifically say so? because that's what a person would normally do wouldn't they if they know messages/pics against them are fake, you'd say so wouldn't you?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

With Max dominating the first GP race again, I wonder if news media editors are telling the print teams to focus on reports involving Horner and anything/anyone surrounding him because they know some or even many fans of the sport are getting fed up with Max and RB dominating again that the news editors want to take the fans minds off what is going to be another boring start to the season (RB dominating again) and thus give them something else to read about that is still related to the sport.

I watched highlights of the face and read many of the sports pages of the papers the following day and you know what, there was very very little news written about Max winning but lots and lots of news about his wife appearing along side Horner at the GP and how much the TV camera crews were following them around the GP and also about an alleged argument between Max's father and Horner which has prompted some news outlets to report that Max could leave RB.

The ONLY reason why Horner, the investigation and now the leaked whatsapp messages are getting so much air time is because news editors are making sure it stays in the news

Who ever leaked the whatsapp messages, I wonder if they did so in the hope the all the negative media attention on Horner would pressure him to resign because that tactic is something that has been used time and time again to remove someone from their position. Over the years it has happened to lots of people such as politicians, football managers, managers and coaches of other sports and CEO's of companies and they all have one thing in common, they resigned because they said the constant negative media attention about them is distracting from the sport, the club, the team, the business/company. So could this happen to Horner because we can already see it is taking the focus away from the racing, the drivers and cars. Those that sponsor the sport and the cars will not be happy that focus is being taken away from them and cars and the sport and being directed at Horner, the investigation and the leaked messages.

I personally don't think the ontrack bore is influencing the media coverage of Horners HR issues. Tabloids love this sort of thing, much like they did with Mosley and his shinanigans back in 2007/08 even though it was separate to the sport and during an exciting period on track. Christian is an outspoken personality and loves the camera and married to a Spice Girl, so he is already on the tabloids radar. The Daily Fail love a lifestyle feature on his life with him walking his dogs in his Cotswold mansion, so I think any sniff of scandal and they will be all over it. Sky Sports also offer the main coverage for the UK and around the world, and they are as grubby as anybody in their field, hence why they are obliged to question him whenever they get the chance. People not necessarily interested in racing will find this sort of story interesting too, and F1 and its media will use it to at least put F1 on the radar to a wider audience. It might make up for the drop in viewership too lol.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The bit in bold is an interesting point you make. As far as I am aware, even with the leaked messages, all Horner keeps on saying is he denies the allegations against him. He has not actually denied the messages are fake, he just keeps on saying he denies the allegations against him. So, if the leaked messages are alleged to be fake, why wouldn't Horner come out and specifically say so? because that's what a person would normally do wouldn't they if they know messages/pics against them are fake, you'd say so wouldn't you?

I would imagine he has been advised to say nothing at all about the messages. They may be fake and there may be an investigation into finding out who is behind it. If that is the case, there will be a substantial defamation suit coming that persons way. They will find out where the email was sent from I am sure, even with a VPN. A silence from him on the matter also means there is less for the media to go on as undoubtedly there would be a body language expert from the Jeremy Kyle Show giving a bulletproof account on whether he is telling the truth or not.

 

[Glideslope]

Sure I'd love to see that, but we're not, are we? While everyone else was copying the RB19, Red Bull was raising the bar out of reach with the RB20.

But "domination" has been the rule, not the exception, for the past two decades in the sport. Of course, those exceptions were pretty exceptional with 2007 and 2008 determined by a single point and 2010, 2012 and 2016 by just a handful of points. But I don't see any chance of that happening before 2026 and even then...

Correct. Others need to step up. RBR is not using a magic wand. They are not allowed to spend tens of millions more than others. RBR success is from the skill level of those who make up the team.

Trying to have F1 change the rules package every time RBR leaps ahead is not a solution either. Yet it's always the easy way for many.

RBR is not going anywhere in 24, 25, and most likely 26.