Pit Wall of Ferrari at Silverstone 2023

 

 

 Thanks f1clips676..fantastic footage as always

 https://youtu.be/YBbkW4GVVbw

 

Happy Memorial Day! Happy Race weekend, Formula 1 at Monaco and the Indy 500

 Few weekends throughout the year are as star studded as this for racing action, tradition and the ultimate highest-level of professional racing. 

 

 Memorial Day USA May 30, 2022

 

In the US, we remember the fallen of our armed services, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country; my country the United States. We are still a work in progress, and we strive to be better but we will always revere those who came before and gave their lives in the pursuit of freedom, which we know is not free. But to them, we owe a massive debt of gratitude. 

 

 

 2022 Monaco Grand Prix had changing weather conditions

 

Formula 1 visits the prestige of Monaco this weekend every year. The race is considered one of the crown jewels of open wheel racing in the world. Those who've won it are secured in history as the winner of one of if not the most sought after trophies out there. 

 

 

 Sergio Perez wins his first Formula 1 Grand Prix. Vamos, Checo!

 

This year, Charles LeClerc a Ferrari driver of French heritage who is a resident of Monaco starts from pole. Ferrari has been a threat for the lead at every race this season, proving the engineers in Marenello have put together their car better than the rest of the paddock with regards to the regulations newly enacted this year. Regulations which meant every team built a new car and all would start from the same ground level. Well, Ferrari got it right. Red Bull is also fast, but Mercedes has faded into the mid pack battle and it is a pitched one!

 

 

Monaco is notoriously hard to pass as a race track, and it is being bandied about as vulnerable to being left off the F1 schedule for the first time ever. It's one of the oldest races in the F1 season year in and year out. This year rain at the start had the teams scrambling to adjust to the changing conditions. Cars were sent to the grid with Intermediate tires when it became clear rain would hit before the race was due to start and would continue for at least 30 minutes. This meant teams scrambled to get full wet tires to the grid, some distance from the pit and garage areas at Monaco. If you can imagine men from each team running behind a set of tires on a dolly from the pit lane onto the grid to get their cars shod properly. Only to find out the rain was severe and F1 would then require the extreme wet tires to start. More chaos, more running.

 

 Carlos Sainz takes 2nd place

 

With the cars idling on the grid in the rain, F1 decided to circulated the course behind the safety car, to inspect the conditions and possibly begin to clear the track of water. Nothing doing, the rain intensified and F1 put out the Red Flag and the Safety Car returned to the pit lane with the field behind. 

 

 

Max Verstappen takes 3rd place

 

Conditions would eventually improve and the Safety Car would retake the track, the field would take the green on the second lap with Charles LeClerc leading Carlos Sainz, Checo Perez and Max Verstappen all on full wets. As the cars circulated the racing line dried and the rain seemed to stop. Pierre Gasly in the Alpha Tauri decided to gamble and pit on the opening lap for Intermediate tires, and was the first to show speed as the line dried. He quickly caught the back of the field and begin passing cars. Competition noticed and several more cars pitted early for Intermediates while the leaders stayed on wets.  

 

 

Changing conditions are what makes Formula 1 great. Without them, the fastest cars get out front and stay out front. There is no mystery or unknown aspects to this as time and time again, the fast teams (Ferrari, Red Bull, etc) don't make mistakes and for the most part the Grand Prix winner is decided during qualifying, the teams start in order of fastest car up front, then the race is run and the fastest car wins, with predictable results according to well known order of power or speed. 

 

 Charles LeClerc gets ready to restart

 

But throw rain into the mix and watch what happens. And that's what happened Sunday in Monte Carlo during the Monaco Grand Prix. Although LeClerc, in the fastest car started up front, rain made the team commit several mistakes that cost him the lead and the race win. LeClerc was called into the pits for his first pit stop well after he should have been called in, probably 3 laps after he should have come in to cover the pit stop of rival Sergio Perez driving the lead Red Bull car. But no, with the conditions in flux, the Ferrari braintrust delayed their order to pit the leader letting Checo get two or three laps on his new tires while Charles circulated on his old tires, several seconds slower. When LeClerc did pit, he came out behind Perez. Red Bull copy cat strategy had Verstappen pit with LeClerc, and both cars switched to Intermediate wet tires on the drying track. In the Ferrari #55 car, however, Carlos Sainz was sizing up the conditions for himself. When told the other leaders were pitting for Inters, Carlos said he wanted to go straight to slicks. Ferrari left him out to allow the track to dry more, then pitted the Spaniard for dry tires. Regrettably, as Sainz was pitting, Ferrari decided to pit LeClerc for slicks as well, and he came in at the same moment and had to wait for his service behind the sister car. He was not happy. Having led the early part of the race, he came out of the pits behind his teammate, then one lap later Red Bull pitted both their cars, stacked them and put slicks on, and got them out with Perez in the lead and Verstappen ahead of LeClerc. 

 

 

Mick Schumacher was having a mixed day when it all went south. Coming into the Swimming Pool chicane, Mick spun and contacted the barriers heavily. So heavily in fact that the car split in two! This was a scary moment until he came across the radio and was ok. 

 

 Mick Schumacher walks away from the wreckage of his Haas

 

Lewis Hamilton had to be said to have had a very shitty day as the Mercedes pace problem is not better, and the mid pack cars he's battling with are prone to dirty moves. IMO Ocon drove into Hamilton an several occasions and caused Hamilton to go nowhere. Ocon received a 5 second penalty post race but that doesn't repair Lewis' race or really dissuade them from continuing to drive in this fashion. Ocon's teammate Fernando Alonso never misses an opportunity to block and disrupt Hamilton as he tries to get in front of them every race weekend. Sportsmanship is unknown to the French team.

 

 

 Hamilton and Ocon clash

After the Red flag shown for the Schumacher crash was lifted, the cars eventually finished a slightly shortened timed-race in the exact same order. Perez his first F1 victory, Sainz 2nd and Verstappen 3rd.

A new winner at Indianapolis

The Indianapolis 500 is perhaps the most famous race of the season each year due to the history, the glitter and the build up. No other event can match the size and scale of this race and the build up begins early in the month of May and culminates with the race on the Sunday before Memorial Day. 325,000 people convened on the Greatest Spectacle of Motorsports on race day to witness the Ganassi team in it's most dominating performance in years. It has been clear for the several weeks that teams began testing and practicing for the 500 that the 4 car team was the pace setters this year. 

 

 

 Dixon leads the start of the Indy 500, May 29, 2022

 

 

Led by 6-time series Champ and prior Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon in the #6 car, the Ganassi team was top of the charts frequently during the month of May and qualified 4 cars in the top 6. Also in the Ganassi stable was the defending Indy Car Series Champion Alex Palou in the #10 car, as well as Marcus Ericcsson who came over from Formula 1 several years earlier in the #8 car. Joining the team this year was the grizzled veteran Brazilian legend Tony Kanaan in the #1 car and last but not least, Jimmie Johnson, the 7-time Nascar Cup champ turned Indy car driver in his first Indy 500.

 

 

 Scott Dixon, #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

 

 

 2021 Indy Car Series Champion Alex Palou, #10 car

 

 

Much respect to Pato O'Ward and Felix Rosenquist in the two McLarens who made up the other two cars in the Fast 6. Notably absent from the front were any Penske cars. Will Power and Joseph Newgarden were seemingly flummoxed during qualifying and Andretti drivers Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta had nothing for the top 10.

 

Pato O'ward for Arrow McLaren SPM #5 Chevrolet

 

 

 Marcus Ericsson

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the super pace and reliability of the entire Ed Carpenter team. Conor Daly and Ed himself had great qualifying efforts and last years' Indy winner Reenus Veekay was a threat and a fast car the whole day. 

 

 

Tony Kanaan in the #1 American Legion Honda for CGR

 

 Jimmy Johnson in the #48

 

But in the end it was Marcus Ericsson who won for Ganassi in the #8 car. Scott Dixon seemed to have the race well in hand when he was sanctioned for speeding on pit lane during a late-race pit stop. This left the door open for Ericsson and after holding off the competition on a late restart, he took his second race win of the year. 

Ericsson drinks the milk

-katykarter

Mega Weekend of Racing! Whew, here we go!!

*Formula 1 visits Bahrain and Ferrari comes out on top

 

*Indy Car goes roundy-round in Texas and Penske takes a 1-2

 

*The Sebring 12 hour brings sports car racing, American-style to the world and does not disappoint!

 

 

Bahrain Grand Prix

There is intense joy in Maranello, Italy with the Ferrari 1-2 victory at Formula 1's first race of the season. With a new set of regulations and a brand new car, Ferrari seems to have made the most of all the teams' efforts to utilize to the maximum the latest regulations issued by the governing body of F1, the FIA. Although a solid 3rd place last year behind Red Bull and Mercedes, this season they have leapfrogged both teams to take a massive points lead in the constructors championship

Charles Leclerc held off several furious charges by the wildman Max Verstappen, who attempted to pass the Ferrari driver after both had pitted, and Leclerc had rejoined the track just ahead of the Red Bull car. Once past after a late-brake, Verstappen could not hold the position and Leclerc re passed to take P1 back. On the next lap, with DRS help, Verstappen once again "sent it" in deep under braking but a lock-up forced him past the apex and the Ferrari once again pounced and retook the lead. A third try led to a failure and Max spun out, relieving the intense pressure he was exerting on Leclerc, and also giving the Maranello based team another 1-2 finish

Max and Lewis seemed cordial to each other, but they and their teams are slated to collide again in the 2022 season although figuratively only we hope! Some things are inevitable, but from this early spot in the season, RBR seem to have a distinct pace advantage over Merc, though not in reliability.

Last years points champion Max Verstappen just missed out on pole and again showed strong pace in the race but finished down the order due to a failure that led to a spin during the final laps of the grand prix and a dnf awarding zero points. His team mate, Sergio Perez  dnf'd also with mechanical problems late in the race. All in all a terrible outing, though Red Bull Racing will once again be a force upon solving their reliability issues

Likely the biggest mover from last years standings were the two cars from the American team Haas F1, with newly returned driver Kevin Magnussen having a great weekend qualifying 7th and finishing 5th. Mick Schumacher, the young star in his 2nd season of F1 and returning for Haas had his best result also just missing out on the points by finishing 11th

Lewis Hamilton was all smiles as he took his place on the unlikely podium. Lewis and Mercedes' team management had been downplaying their pace coming into this 1st race of the year, and it seemed accurate. Mercedes' pace was a distant 3rd coming into the weekend. Hamilton and Mercedes teammate George Russel started 5th and 9th, respectively

Indy Car Expel 375 at Texas Motor Speedway

The Expel 375 was held at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday. The Indy Car series' 2nd race of the season was a burner. The presence of PJ1 traction compound on the track was a familiar problem however. The dark-colored compound is applied to the track to help the taxicabs of the Nascar series but it is "like driving on snow" according to commentator James Hinchcliffe, and he would know.  Penske driver and former champ Will Power organized a "rubbering" session prior to Saturday practice, and was joined by only 6 other cars to try to "rubber-in" a 2nd groove on the speedway's banked turns. It appeared to have worked, as some drivers utilized at least a part of the 2nd groove from time to time during the race.

Pole Sitter Felix Rosenquist had bad luck during the race in his Arrow McLaren SP #7 Dallara but started in P1 with his pole-winning qualifying speed of 221.110 mph

Josef Newgarden gets the W in the Penske #2 car, his 21st career victory after making a late- last lap- last turn pass on teammate Scott McLaughlin

Ed Carpenter was on hand as the driver of the #33 car and loves racing at Texas. Also in the field were two other cars owned by ECR, #8 driven by Reenus Veekay and the #16 driven by Conor Daly who finished 10th and 18th respectively. Notably, Veekay was a consistent challenger for the lead through much of the race

Scotty McLaughlin in the #3 Penske finished 2nd just missing back to back wins to start the 2022 season. And he didn't miss by much: 0.669 seconds

The 12 Hours of Sebring

 

The third race of the weekend was the longest, the oldest and quite possibly the most exiting. The 12 Hours of Sebring was held at this venerable WWII airfield that saw it's first race in 1950. All 3 prototype classes were won by Cadillac powered entries. 

The #01 Cadillac Racing Dpi pole sitter driven by Sebastian Bourdais did not finish

 

 

 

#62 Risi Competizion Ferarri 488 GT3 EVO driven in GTD Pro class by Daniel Serra, Davide Rigon and Eddie Cheever III. By the way, this Ferrari factory-supported racing team is based in Houston, Tx.

 GTD Pro winner the Corvette Racing's #3 Corvette driven by Jordan Taylor, Antonio Garcia and Nicky Catsburg

 

 

 

 

 

 Alex Lynn, Neel Jani and Earl Bamber pose with their winning car and team owner Chip Ganassi

 

 

 

 Overall winner, the Calillac DPi #02 driven by Earl Bamber at the checkers and owned by Chip Ganassi

-katykarter

 

Time for Wicked Karting Crash Videos Again lol!

My take from Twit ter

 

 

News in Racing from Katykarter

 

 

 

 

 

 Edward R. Murrow, famous news man

 

 

So we're a news outlet now, huh?  I'll leave that to the Edward R. Murrows of the world.

 

 Kimi Raikkonen retires from Alfa Romeo in 2022

 

Anyway, the news today is that longtime Formula 1 driver and 2007 Champion Kimi Raikkonen is retiring from Formula 1, giving up his seat in the Alfa Romeo, the Italian Brand associated with Ferarri with whom Kimi won his world title. 

 

 

 

 Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus

 

Already searching for a new ride, it's rumored he's in talks with Indycar. He's already raced in Nascar, why not the open wheelers?

 

From Kimi on Instagram:

This is it. This will be my last season in Formula 1. This is a decision I did during last winter. It was not an easy decision but after this season it is time for new things. Even though the season is still on, I want to thank my family, all my teams, everyone involved in my racing career and especially all of you great fans that have been rooting for me all this time. Formula 1 might come to an end for me but there is a lot more in life that I want to experience and enjoy. See you around after all of this! Sincerely Kimi

 

 

 

Now for the Domino Tumble:

 

Wild speculation is abounding and has been for some time, most being Mercedes has to find a way to clear a seat for George Russell,  the Brit,  Mr. Saturday- maybe the Biggest upcoming star in Formula 1. 

 

 

 

 George Russell

 

But the pesky competitive Valtteri Bottas is currently occupying the 2nd Mercedes seat (Hamilton's seat is his for as long as he wants it, but who knows how long that is, especially if he wins he 8th Driver's Championship this year), and is under contract, although it's unclear how well this or any F1 team will honor contracts when the nuts come a-cutting. 

 

 

 

 

Valtteri Bottas

 

 

If Russell was available, which can be made to happen since he drives for Mercedes partner team Williams, and Bottas agrees to leave, which Alfa Romeo (and it's close ties to Ferrari) may be appealing to the Fin, a shift in the matrix may occur having far-reaching ramifications. 

 

 

 

 Guanyo Zhou

 

 

 Dan Ticktum

 

 

With Russell out at Williams who will move up for that? Two GP2 standouts are Guanyo Zhou and Dan Ticktum. Nick De Vries' name has been out there. It's rumored Antonio Giovannizi may not return to Alfa Romeo in 2022. Haas F1, the American team is also partnered with Ferrari and the contract of Mick Schumacher may be up for grabs in this seat dash. Clearly, Schumi2 is a supremely hot commodity, being the 2020 GP2 champ and a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy so it's fairly good bet at some point he will either fill a vacant Ferrari seat or be dealt to a partner team.  

 

 

Mick Schumacher

 

 

 Callum Ilott gets the Call-up

IndyCar is adding new talent seemingly every day and today it's Juncos Hollinger Racing, fielding a full time car in IndyCar in 2022after being competitive in Indy Car, Indy Lights and Weather Tech Sports Car Series for some time. 

 

 

 

 Callum Ilott

 

 

Ferrari Formula 1 Test Driver and Formula 2 Runner-up Callum Ilott will drive the #77 Indycar in the upcoming race in Portland and for the two remaining races in the 2021 season. He will face a steep learning curve. Judging by other Euro drivers recently entering IndyCar, it should pose little to no problem. 

 

 

 

 

Callum Ilott and Ricardo Juncos

 

 

 

Max Verstappen was awarded the win and 1/2 points in a rain ambushed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, George Russel placed 2nd and Lewis Hamilton 3rs in  non-race which was made official by two laps of following the Safety Car. 

 

 

 

 Not Well Done, Formula 1!

 

 

-katykarter

 

 

 

 

Belgian GP sees rain out on Sunday but magic on Saturday

Qualifying was truly the story 

 

of the 2021 Belgium Grand Prix.

 

Sunday's rain was relentless so the FIA, 

 

after a 2 hour and 50 minute delay, 

 

put the field of cars behind Safety Car for 

 

2 laps thereby making official a non-race, 

 

with 1/2 points awarded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Mr. Saturday"

 

 

 

Drama was high on Saturday.

After an epic qualifying lap in the wet 

that narrowly missed pole, "Mr. Saturday", 

George Russel earns Williams' first podium 

in 4 years by outqualifying all except a 

last lap dramatic lap for Verstappen 

to snatch the pole and eventual race win.