Answering your F1 mailbag questions on Ocon to Haas, strife at Crimson Bull, and extra

We’ve got reached the halfway level of the 2024 Components 1 season.

This weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix kicks off what might be a second half for the ages. Will somebody actually problem Max Verstappen within the Drivers’ Championship? Will considered one of Crimson Bull’s rivals actually put the stress to them within the Constructors’ Championship?

Take into account this: Already six completely different drivers have received a Grand Prix. In simply 15 seasons within the historical past of F1 have greater than six drivers received a Grand Prix. Ought to two extra drivers win a race — say Oscar Piastri and Sergio Pérez, for instance — that might convey the entire to eight, placing the 2024 season right into a tie for third on this particular class. (The 1975 season noticed 9 completely different winners, whereas the 1982 season stands alone with 11 completely different drivers having received a race).

Given all of this, we right here at SB Nation thought it was time to open up the F1 mailbag. Due to the unimaginable group that’s “F1 Threads,” we solicited questions from a implausible fanbase.

Listed below are the questions, and our solutions.

Our first query comes from my buddies on the Soiled Aspect of the Observe podcast.

I feel what we’re seeing in F1 is sluggish progress in direction of going totally sustainable. The vehicles underneath the present laws use E10, a gas that’s 10% sustainable ethanol, and 90% fossil gas. The upcoming laws will use a 100% totally sustainable gas, which I feel is a vital step.

The opposite factor to think about is that underneath the present laws, the ability manufacturing between the interior combustion engine and the hybrid system is round 75/25, whereas within the upcoming laws that break up might be nearer to 50/50.

So finally I feel we’re seeing evolution with sustainable gas applied sciences in F1, simply not at an excessively fast tempo.

A bunch of questions had been despatched in by Adam, let’s sort out the primary three earlier than transferring on to the subsequent three he despatched in.

On Esteban Ocon to Haas

Thursday’s information that Haas and Kevin Magnussen had been parting methods opened the door to such a pairing.

That is a kind of strikes I might want to see in motion earlier than I should purchase in. Let’s simply say I’m skeptical of pairing Esteban Ocon with Oliver Bearman. Ocon has actually endured an, as you say, attention-grabbing historical past with teammates.

The “glass half full” view is likely to be that lately Ocon was paired with a dwelling legend of the game (Fernando Alonso) who he was attempting to check himself, after which lately he was paired with a peer with whom en loved one thing of a spotty historical past.

Maybe in additional of an “elder statesman” function, Ocon can lastly really feel comfy throughout the crew, and as such thrive?

That’s the wildly optimistic strategy, but when that is actually the trail Haas goes down, that is likely to be what they’re considering as effectively.

On Crimson Bull drivers

There’s a motive the second seat at Crimson Bull is sometimes called the “second seat of dying,” and it has little to do with what power drinks can do to the physique …

However sufficient about my heart specialist.

Nyck de Vries may need been final yr’s instance — and the jury could at the moment be deliberating concerning Sergio Pérez — however the crew’s historical past has extra examples. Each Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly got their possibilities to drive alongside Max Verstappen, and each had been proven the door. And let’s not overlook that Verstappen slid right into a seat as soon as occupied by Daniil Kyvat, who himself was benched after a collision with Sebastian Vettel on the 2016 Russian Grand Prix.

Components 1 shouldn’t be a sport recognized for persistence, and that actually is the case at Crimson Bull. In some ways, their historical past helps gas the continued hypothesis about Pérez.

On De Vries

Actually, I feel De Vries was put in a troublesome scenario. Christian Horner mentioned as a lot following the transfer to sack him mid-season, calling him one thing of a “stopgap” strategy.

As somebody who additionally covers the Nationwide Soccer League, I at occasions discover myself making comparisons between drivers and quarterbacks. And if you happen to consider the 2 positions, there’s some vital overlap.

One of many classes in quarterback analysis that has all the time caught with me is one thing that Invoice Walsh, one of the crucial sensible minds in soccer, mentioned about quarterbacks within the NFL. It takes three years for them to determine it out.

Franz Tost, the previous boss at AlphaTauri, mentioned the identical about Components 1 drivers.

Nevertheless, fan bases and possession teams aren’t precisely affected person on the subject of younger quarterbacks within the NFL, and the identical might be mentioned about F1. Within the NFL there are simply 32 quarterbacks, however the sphere of F1 drivers is even smaller. There’s not a number of persistence given to youthful drivers, given the expertise within the decrease ranks, and Crimson Bull/AlphaTauri had a number of choices.

May De Vries have figured issues out ultimately, if given three years? Maybe. However given his age coming into the game, and the choices Crimson Bull/AlphaTauri had behind him, the leash was all the time going to be quick.

Now let’s sort out the subsequent three questions from Adam.

On F1 books

The one I’m ending proper now’s The Components, by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg. It’s a superb “large image” view of the game as an entire, and of a number of the twists and turns in Components 1 which have formed it into the game it’s right this moment.

How you can Construct a Race Automobile by Adrian Newey can also be a must-read, each for the technical perception the legendary designer affords, but additionally for his writing type. As somebody who writes professionally, I typically discover myself extra in awe of his writing type, than his sensible engineering thoughts.

This low season I’ll completely be tackling Driving to Survive by Guenther Steiner. As a result of it’s Guenther. Sufficient mentioned.

On SB Nation overlaying F1 Fantasy

Examine again within the low season …

On the subsequent younger driver to get an FP1 shot and whether or not that’s Paul Aron

Nicely, apparently Aron is getting an FP1 session with APXGP this weekend in Budapest:

(I wildly vacillate between the social media marketing campaign for “F1” — which features a social media account for the crew relationship again to final season, the place they apparently moved on from Nyck de Vries on the finish of the yr — being superb or exhausting, however I digress.)

The straightforward reply right here is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, proper? Not solely is his 18th birthday arising after the summer time shutdown, however the adjustment of the Tremendous License necessities means the door is open to Antonelli a minimum of getting an FP1 session quickly.

It is a implausible query. I want I may provide extra in method of a response.

Nevertheless, I’ve simply been to Miami, so I can solely communicate to that have.

Which was unimaginable.

In speaking with followers who had been on the Miami Grand Prix one of many cool points is the flexibility to enter Laborious Rock Stadium, the place the paddock is positioned. You’ll be able to sit or standing the 300-level of the stadium and have a fowl’s eye view of the paddock. As somebody fortunate sufficient to be down within the area itself, the roar of the group when a driver, crew boss, or different F1 character confirmed up was an incredible second.

The opposite factor in regards to the Miami Grand Prix is that given it’s held at an NFL stadium, the facilities out there to followers and media members alike are phenomenal. And the race organizers have actually tried to cater to each degree of fan. On the morning of the Miami Grand Prix, I used to be in a position to chat with Tom Garfinkle, the Managing Associate of the Miami Grand Prix and the CEO of the Miami Dolphins. He outlined the extent to which race organizers had been attempting to make the race accessible for all ranges of followers.

“I imply, we had, it was actually enjoyable as a result of for the third yr it was all the time type of the imaginative and prescient and yesterday it occurred greater than the primary two years. At one level I walked out, and the 300 degree [of Hard Rock Stadium] was most likely half full. So the campus go holders can go on the highest of the stadium,” described Garfinkel.

“They will go, you recognize, if you happen to look proper throughout the way in which right here, you see these stands proper right here the place there’s folks standing, these are campus go holders, they’ve risers that they will stand on them. As soon as the vehicles go by, that’s $450 for 3 days.

“It’s $150 a day to face on a riser proper subsequent to the racetrack. Get every kind of meals, go throughout the bridge. You’ll be able to go up within the stadium, stroll across the high of the stadium, see virtually the entire racetrack, look down within the paddock. The concessions up there are the identical as they’re for Dolphins video games.

“So for $150 a day, you recognize, I feel you’ll be able to have an incredible expertise after which there’s $15,000 for the very best finish. You recognize, lobster from Carbone, so we’re attempting to run the spectrum up and down. We wish it to be a spot the place everyone can come and have a superb time.

“And if you’re a star or a dignitary of some type, your potential to get out and in simply to be safe with out folks asking you for a selfie each two steps you’re taking and to be with your folks and be capable of get pleasure from effective eating or one thing and check out to try this as effectively.”

Garfinkel’s aim is to show each attendee right into a fan of F1 by the point they depart.

“Nicely, hopefully by the point they depart, they’re all race followers,” mentioned Garfinkel when requested if he had an excellent break up in thoughts between race followers and celeb followers.

“I feel on the finish of the day, the racing comes first. We wished to supply a racetrack that delivered high quality racing and the place there was overtaking and the place there’s thrilling locations to observe the racing,” described Garfinkel. “After which after that, we need to create an incredible expertise round that and hopefully whether or not you’re a hardcore fan or whether or not you’re only a informal fan that desires to return out right here and have a superb time, you recognize, you’ll be able to have each.”

I’ll be heading to a minimum of another Grand Prix this season, if no more, so watch this house for added ideas. However I’d say that Miami was an incredible expertise for myself, and people I used to be in a position to discuss to who attended.

F1 Threads is stuffed with fantastic folks, and Helz completely tops that listing. Helz is a implausible advocate for what a optimistic social media group might be and wears many hats in F1 Threads, from their function because the official greeter in addition to serving to run the P10:DNF contest every race weekend. Cheers to you Helz

Nevertheless, Helz introduced the warmth with this query.

One of many items I’m proudest of since beginning out on this motorsport journey is that this, whereby I attempt to summarize simply what it takes to be a race automotive driver. My foremost takeaway from all of the drivers and motorsport figures I’ve been fortunate sufficient to talk with and listen to from by way of the previous year-plus?

Being a race automotive driver is extremely arduous.

Whether or not F1 drivers, F1 Academy drivers, IndyCar drivers, NASCAR drivers, crew principals, crew homeowners, or others, the primary level I took from each interplay is that driving a race automotive is tough. From listening to Abbi Pulling describe a lap at Monza to Alexander Rossi speaking about every thing that goes right into a lap on the Indianapolis 500, it’s an extremely arduous job.

After which Jack Doohan affords up the reminder of simply what’s at stake if issues go awry …

One factor that, in my thoughts a minimum of, suggestions the scales in direction of F1 being the harder collection is the schedule. 24 races, all throughout the globe, with some brutally troublesome stretches. The latest tripleheader is one such stretch. Then there’s the tripleheader that can come on the finish of the season the place the grid will go from Las Vegas to Qatar after which to Abu Dhabi to shut out the yr, all inside three weeks. That’s powerful on the drivers and the groups.

However this could not take something away from IndyCar. In any respect. It takes a totally completely different type of human to hit a few of these speeds you see throughout qualifying on the Indy 500. After which to have the mentality of “put it within the wall or put it within the present?”

That’s … completely different.

This from Jahl is kind of the query to finish on.

Sportswashing is under no circumstances distinctive to Components 1.

I’m a Newcastle United supporter in spite of everything.

The Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF) continues to widen its strategy, pushing into the world of golf and luring soccer stars to play within the Saudi Professional League. Different nations with massively questionable monitor data concerning human rights have made comparable inroads on the planet of sports activities.

From the place I sit, I feel there’s a perception in all of those sporting leagues in the concept, for instance, bringing the grid to a specific nation — together with the media — will assist to shine a lightweight on a few of these points, and over time enact optimistic change.

Maybe that may be a wildly naive viewpoint. And naturally, the response to that’s to have a look at the dearth of optimistic change through the years and to marvel if these leagues will ever draw a line within the proverbial sand.

I want there have been a simple reply to this query. Maybe an unintended results of the elevated recognition of F1 world wide will open the door to different nations being allowed to host races, and maybe a rotating schedule of kinds would enable the game to maneuver away from a few of these nations with troubling data of human rights abuses.

As I kind this, the world is on the brink of come collectively for the 2024 Summer season Video games. There was a time when the Olympics would function a reminder of our shared humanity, and provide hope of a brighter future for all.

That, too, is a imaginative and prescient that’s maybe too naive for our present world.