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Red Bull and Porsche’s plans to link up from 2026 currently stand as the worst-kept secret in Formula 1, but announcement plans continue to be pushed back.
The two parties are set to enter a partnership under the next generation of power unit rules after the Volkswagen Group advisory board gave the nod for Porsche and its sister brand, Audi, to explore entering F1 earlier this year.
The documents also claimed the deal could be announced as early as today, 4th August, but the green light has still not been given.
Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner said in Hungary there was still a “lengthy process” to go through before any possible deal could be announced, noting the “caveats” surrounding Porsche’s status as a new engine manufacturer and what concessions it may get.
The VW Group has been reluctant to given final approval until the engine rules for 2026 are finalised, meaning so long as the regulations remain unfinished, Red Bull and Porsche’s announcement must wait. Red Bull had hoped to go public with the news at its home race in Austria almost a month ago.
Some of the details include how many hours will be allowed in engine testing for a new entity such as Porsche, as well as the material used for engine pistons. While the existing manufacturers want to use steel given their prior experience, Porsche is understood to be keen on a switch to aluminium.
The haggling over these issues has caused the e-vote planned by the World Motor Sport Council to be postponed. A vote was initially meant to take place on 2nd August, but this has now been pushed back to 8th August. The results may take longer to come through due to the summer break.
Speaking to Motorsport.com’s sister publication Motorsport-Total.com in Hungary, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said the matter was “very simple.”
“VW’s board decision is that if the technical regulations meet the criteria, then they have the mandate to go into Formula 1,” Marko said.
“That primarily relates to cost cap, sustainability, zero-emission fuel, equal opportunity as a newcomer, so more dyno capacity, and so on.
“But in purely formal terms, these new regulations don't exist yet. The FIA president is supposedly going to put it to the vote soon in an e-mail vote. Only then will things officially get underway.”
But Marko said the “established players” in F1 were “trying to get the best out of it for themselves” by eating into the time for any newcomers to prepare.
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Honda would continue to provide technical support for its power units and engines until the end of 2025.
Red Bull formed its own operation known as Red Bull Powertrains at Milton Keynes that was set to take over from Honda at the end of this year following the Japanese manufacturer’s decision to end its F1 involvement after 2021, only for the engine freeze to change these support plans.
The extension of this deal means there is less doubt over the status of Red Bull Powertrains as a new entrant from 2026, when it is poised to work with Porsche.
“They're just working toward the 2026 regulations,” Marko said of the current focus at Red Bull Powertrains. “If a new manufacturer comes along, they can cooperate.”
Marko also confirmed that Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri will continue to use the same powertrains from 2026, paving the way for Porsche to also supply engines to the Italian squad should the regulations be finalised. Ownership of AlphaTauri is set to remain 100% in the hands of Red Bull.
Fernando Alonso made his return to F1 in 2021 with Alpine, but has announced that he will leave them for Aston Martin next year.
Alonso is one of F1’s greatest ever. The 41-year old won two World Titles with Renault (who are now known as Alpine) back in 2005 and 2006. Since then, he’s gone on to race for McLaren and even Ferrari before leaving F1 to compete in Le Mans and Indy 500.
In 2021 he made his return to the team where he became World Champion. His return was successful on track, as he showed everyone that age hadn’t slowed him down. However, things became difficult for the Spaniard off track in 2022.
Otmar Szafnauer joined them as team principal. From the very get go, he did not hide the fact that he wanted young prodigy Oscar Piastri to replace Alonso. Soon enough, Szafnauer almost got what he wanted. Alonso announced he would replace the outgoing Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin next year.
As soon as Alonso’s departure from Alpine was confirmed, Piastri’s appointment was announced. The Aussie however made things embarassing for Alpine after posting on his social media account that he in fact won’t be with the French outfit next year.
Alpine gave Esteban Ocon priority over Fernando Alonso
Alonso’s departure from Alpine came as a real shock to everyone. Most people believed that his return to F1 was going to be, to help Alpine grow as a team. Even at the end of the 2021 season, he insisted that he wanted to return to the front of the grid with them.
As a result, fans wondered what made Alonso choose Aston Martin as his next destination. The main reason behind it could be the money involved in contract negotiations.
Alonso’s contract is running out at the end of the 2022 campaign. His desire is to race in F1 in 2023 and beyond. However, Alpine reportedly offered him a contract that would pay him less than what the team pay Esteban Ocon.
Ocon is a great talent in his own right, and a Frenchman’s presence in a French team is a huge commercial boost. However, offering a two-time World Champion a salary lesser than $5 million was never going to be enough.
This may have forced the Oviedo born driver to look elsewhere for his F1 future.
I remember a few years ago, a coworker (non-F1/motorsports fan) & I were discussing sports salaries.
Pulled up the driver est salaries & the lowest 2-3 were in the $150k range.
I'll gladly show up & drive for $200k
That's not even what I made as an attorney in my prime years, don't think I'd take that chance and live out of a suitcase for 9 months driving an F1 car
Last edited by Chief F1 Fan; 08-04-2022 at 02:22 PM.
I read an article yesterday, that Szafnauer has said they'd be open to him moving to Alpine.
Might be the best option, with Haas [KMag] & Williams [Latifi] being backups.
And they wanted a 1+1 deal where they'd keep Alonso on for that second year,....... if his performance remained high. Looks like they wanted him as a seat warmer/develop the car for a year before putting in Piastri (who'd gain experience next year at Williams??? I think was their plan). Plus comments about how they (Rossi/Otmar) didn't hire Alonso, only pointing out Alonso doing xyz which resulted in lost points vs the boatload of lost points because of the car/bad luck. Glad Alonso got out there. They don't deserve him.
I think Alpine were on a good course until they brought in Rossi, who seems to want to do his own thing vs growing what was started before he came on. Mr. "I don't need advice anymore" being a dick with Prost, getting rid of some good tech/management people, disrespecting Alonso, giving Ocon that ridiculous contract, not spending what they should to compete even with the cap. They are getting what they deserve IMO.
F1 pulled off a major coup earlier this year by getting all the agreements and permissions necessary to use the Las Vegas city streets and run its cars past some of the city’s major casinos.
A letter of intent from Liberty Dice, a new entity created by the sport’s owner Liberty Media, lays out the terms of the five-year deal for the F1 race on a track that includes a section on Vegas’s world-famous ‘Strip’.
The letter is dated March 28, two days before the event was formally announced – when no precise race date was given beyond “November 2023” – and its contents are subject to change.
It reveals the planned inaugural race date next year of November 18, a week before America’s Thanksgiving Weekend, and that the contract runs through 2027.
That opens the door to it being a regular penultimate round of the season, with F1 wishing to end its schedule on the final weekend of November in Abu Dhabi.
The letter commits to keeping this same weekend slot for the five-year duration, and that the schedule for the night race will be planned so that track activity will end no later than 1:30am PT each day.
The document also lays out the commercial terms of the event, as well as the groundwork for the temporary street circuit’s construction and maintenance. It includes guidelines for a requirement of 900 marshals, 1,200 fire extinguishers, 15 cranes and 18 ambulances and tow trucks.
Maffei said: “Notably and differently than most places, F1 and Liberty Media are self-promoting the race in partnership with local stakeholders and Live Nation.
“The build out for this track will require increased CapEx and OpEx to develop. I would note that Liberty Media did enter an agreement to acquire 39 acres east of the strip to lock in circuit design and create capacity for the pit and paddock, among other hospitality and race support venues.”
My parents live about 1/2 between Vegas & St George, nothing but desert around them there. They aren't fond of Vegas either & will likely relocate once my stepdad retires.
I'll make the trip for some VIP F1 tickets though
Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin says the team have eliminated the bouncing problem it had with the W13.
Formula 1 introduced one of the largest regulatory overhauls between seasons in its history ahead of the 2022 campaign, the cars switching to a ground-effect aerodynamic concept designed to reduce the amount of dirty air being created, thus allowing drivers to follow each other without losing as much performance.
But with the change to ground-effect aerodynamics came an associated problem, that being a bouncing phenomenon, termed ‘porpoising’, from which many of the cars suffered in the early stages.
For Mercedes, this issue stuck with them for several races, the team believing it was having an impact on their performance as the only way to reduce the level of bouncing was by raising the ride height of the car, which means a drop in downforce.
The situation became so severe and widespread in Baku that many drivers asked for the FIA to intervene, with a technical directive now on its way for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix to address the problem, with further floor changes lined up for 2023.
But in the races leading up to the summer break, the topic of bouncing has been much less discussed.
Shovlin claims Mercedes no longer have a bouncing issue with the W13.
“Bouncing is no longer an issue at all,” said Shovlin, quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
With the bouncing now under control, Mercedes say they are no longer “going around in circles” and can focus on progressing, the Hungarian Grand Prix having been a very positive sign as George Russell claimed pole position, the first of his career and Mercedes’ first of the season.
“We still have a few things in the quiver, nothing spectacular but things that will take us further,” said a Mercedes spokesperson, quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
“We are no longer going around in circles but are now moving forward continuously. Also with the set-up.”
While Mercedes have scarcely had the fastest car this season, their strategical decisions have been strong and the W13 reliable, the same not ringing true for Ferrari, which has opened the door somewhat for Mercedes.
Despite the Ferrari F1-75 being a consistent match for Red Bull’s RB18, at times its superior even, poor reliability and bad strategy calls have hamstrung the Scuderia, meaning that instead of battling with Red Bull they are now looking over their shoulder at Mercedes just 30 points behind.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton passed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz thanks to pace alone in Hungary, so with the W13 seemingly no longer bouncing and the path clear to focus on pure performance, P2 in the Constructors’ Championship is still very much on for Mercedes.
^ I wonder how much of the MB porpoising solution was due to James Allison (former MB TD) coming back into the F1 development at MB. He was taking another role at MB, but has been back and was interviewed at the British GP about the 2022 MB chassis and it's woes.
Hopefully he finds a new seat & gets a car that suits him.
My first thought would be Alpine, since there's an open seat & Szafnauer already said they're open to the idea.
Williams or Haas to take Latifi or KMag's seat.
Mick's been driving well & put up some good defenses this season.
Williams would be a tough move for DR, I think. Their car isn't keeping up with the field in development, Haas would be a better jump, looking at this year so far.
Alpine probably his best bet, assuming they keep the momentum they have, into next year.
These headers are made out of incolnel (which is very difficult to work with whether bending or shaping)
Close up on #F1 exhausts, these are the primary pipes from engine to turbo.
Each driver gets 8 sets a year, as they're expensive to make and will break from heat/vibration. The assembly weighs about 2.5kg.
The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has today approved the first draft of the new Formula 1 power unit regulations due to come into effect in 2026.
The 2026 F1 season will see the introduction of a new power unit formula – the first since the FIA introduced the current V6 turbo hybrid engines that are still in place today back in 2014.
The revised power units will increase the electrical power generated by up to 50% over current levels, with the FIA claiming the power units will maintain “similar performance” to existing used engines.
The power unit introduced for the 2026 season will continue to use the current 1.6 litre V6 internal combustion engine, but with a decreased fuel flow limit that will produce around 400kW of power. The current MGU-H component of the hybrid system will be entirely removed, as expected, while the total power generated by the power unit’s energy recovery system (ERS) will increase to around 350kW.
All racings fuels used for the new 2026 power units will run on what the FIA claim will be “100% sustainable fuel”, while fuel flow rates will now be measured and limited based on energy, rather than mass or volume of the fuel itself.
The introduction of the new power units will also be met with a change in the sporting regulations. From 2027, all drivers will continue to be limited to just three internal combustion engines for a season, as well as three turbochargers and two control electronics units and energy stores. However, drivers will be limited to three ‘exhaust sets’ – down from the current eight exhaust systems permitted – while they will also be limited to just two MGU-Ks, one less than at present. For the 2026 season alone, all drivers will be allocated one additional element of each component.
In addition, new power unit financial restrictions will come into effect at the beginning of 2023, limiting all power unit suppliers for the 2026 season to total expenditure of $95M (Ł78.6M) for 2023, 2024 and 2025, with the cap increasing to $130M (Ł107.6M) from the 2026 season onwards.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said that the new power unit regulations have been designed with sustainability and road relevance in mind.
“The FIA continues to push forward on innovation and sustainability – across our entire motor sport portfolio – the 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit Regulations are the most high-profile example of that mission,” Ben Sulayem said.
“The introduction of advanced power unit technology along with synthetic sustainable fuels aligns with our objective of delivering benefits for road car users and meeting our objective of net zero carbon by 2030. Formula 1 is currently enjoying immense growth and we are confident these Regulations will build on the excitement our 2022 changes have produced.”
The first draft of the 2026 power unit regulations will likely pave the way for Porsche to move ahead with widely expected plans to join Formula 1 as power unit manufacturers from the introduction of the new formula.
Even less fuel flow, while the current PU don't even use their full potential.
IIRC, the rev limit on current PU is 15k, but the majority of drivers shift around 12-13k because there's no power above that due to not enough fuel.
I suppose only in a long DRS in 8th would you see closer to 15k RPM.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirmed today that next year's event will run from 30 March - 2 April, with Formula 1 on track from 31 March.
That will make the race the third round of the Formula 1 world championship for the second year running.
While having traditionally been the opening round throughout the Melbourne era, the event is now set to float in the first three rounds of each season as part of a recently-signed contract extension.
As part of the new agreement Albert Park is only guaranteed five season-openers between now and 2035.
The AGP will open the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the other three opening slots to be spread across the decade that follows.
The 2023 race, meanwhile, is shaping up as a significant one given the likelihood of there being a Melbourne-born driver on the grid for the first time.
Oscar Piastri is widely expected to end up in a race seat next season with McLaren which, would make him the third Australian to compete in his home race during the Melbourne era after Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo, and the first from Melbourne itself.
Whether there will be two Australians on the grid is not yet entirely clear, given Ricciardo is expected to lose his McLaren seat to make way for Piastri.
The Perth-born driver could land back at Alpine in a straight swap, of sorts, given Piastri's attempt to split from the French manufacturer.
Supercars will also hold a points-paying round at Albert Park, the event likely to be either the second or third round following the Newcastle 500 and perhaps the Tasmania SuperSprint in March.
Beyond that there may not be much room for local supports, though, with Carrera Cup thought to be the favourite if there is a fourth slot available.
F1's switch to ground effect cars as part of its radical technical regulations overhaul for 2022 has seen the return of vertical oscillating – or porpoising – on straights.
The bouncing has caused problems for a number of teams – chiefly Mercedes – sparking calls for changes on safety grounds, which has led to a stand-off for months between outfits over the issue.
Having been previously discussed by the WMSC, those changes have now been approved.
As previously reported, from the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of the month the FIA will monitor the phenomenon and will introduce changes to the stiffness requirements of the underfloor plank and skids.
And from 2023, the edges of the car floors will be raised by 15mm, while the diffuser throat height will also be raised and its edges stiffened.
The FIA will also require an additional sensor to be run on the floor to monitor porpoising, while the governing body claims the floor changes will be implemented in a way that should "avoid any impact on the teams' designs of the mechanical components"
Changes to the roll hoops on cars for next year will also be introduced as a direct result of Alfa Romeo drive Zhou Guanyu's massive accident at the British GP.
Zhou's car was flipped over following contact between George Russell and Pierre Gasly at the start of the Silverstone race, with the Chinese driver's Alfa Romeo sliding upside down until it vaulted the tyre barrier and landed in front of the catch fencing.
After an investigation following the failure of Zhou's roll hoop in the incident, the FIA has ratified changes for 2023.
Changes will be required to the top of the roll hoop design, which is aimed at reducing the chances of it digging into the ground during a similar incident as was the case with Zhou's car.
The minimum height for the point at which the homologation test is applied will also be made, while there will be a new homologation test to better test roll hoops against adverse loads.
It is hoped that for 2024 the homologation tests for roll hoops will be overhauled to further improve the safety of the part. .
Not sure this is the thread to put it in, but felt like sharing.
So finally back from my European vacation. So here's some pics of semi F1 related things I saw.
In Paris, I was disappointed to not see a single F1 showcar. In the past, a lot of the car manufacturers would display their latest racing projects in the showrooms, either F1 or Le Mans. This time, there was nothing. I did drive by the Alpine F1 team headquarters on the outskirts of Paris, so I guess that was semi interesting.
Alpine Obvious A110 art car in the Paris department store.
Alpine A110 in the Renault showroom.
Alpine factory at Dieppe, France in Normandie.
Visited the GH Mumm headquarters in Reims (Champagne region). Had a few drinks there. For those that don't know, Mumm is the official champagne sponsor of F1 right now.
Hoping to provide similar next year.
Wife & I are planning an Italy trip for April, possibly catch the Imola GP, if it falls on the right timing & is in a similar place on the '23 calendar. Probably just go for Sunday, if we can swing it.
Saw an article last week about the Alfa museum in Milan, and if we're in the north, may as well swing through Monza & Maranello as well.
I drove through Bavaria, so I could have stopped at the Audi and BMW factory/museums. However, for some reason, my family weren't interested. Don't know why.
Also drove through western Austria in the alps. Gorgeous. However, not close enough to Red Bull Ring or Hanger.
08-04-2022, 09:03 AM
