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Why Alonso’s El Plan Is Now El Unplanned – The Herbert Column
I do sincerely hope this isn’t an impulse reaction from Fernando, overbalanced, or even contributed to, by his frustration at Alpine and teammate Esteban Ocon in Hungary. Even if it’s just an ill-thought through reaction to Alpine’s somewhat entitled position it truly thought it was in over their star driver’s future, we can be sure…
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The Mercedes Struggles Ferrari May Be About To Replicate
Ferrari will bring its first significant package of upgrades since pre-season testing to the Spanish Grand Prix, with high hopes of clawing back the apparent disadvantage to steadfast upgraders Red Bull. Even though the Italian team continue to lead the drivers’ and constructors’ standings, the team believes it is firmly behind Red Bull at this…
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Should We Be Worried About Williams?
Williams scored its first point of the season last time out in Australia, thanks to a quirky but clever strategy which enabled Alex Albon to make use of free air and make his one-and-only pit stop at the end of the penultimate lap. Embarrassingly for Williams, Albon was forced to start the Australian Grand Prix…
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Did F1’s new aero regulations deliver as intended in Bahrain?
The three lap Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen battle a third of the way into the Bahrain Grand Prix was a clear indicator that Formula 1’s long-anticipated technical regulations overhaul has achieved exactly what it set out to. Two opposing cars following more closely without the onset of dirty air forcing the competitors apart again.…
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I predict how the F1 teams line up going into 2022
I find myself putting my neck on the line as Formula 1’s official test in Bahrain comes to an end, and with it the entirety of pre-season testing is now behind us. To all appearances that means we should have a clear idea as to where everyone will line-up on the grid on Saturday, or…
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I haven’t watched Drive To Survive yet because I know it’s lost its way
The fourth season of Netflix’s Drive To Survive documentary series has landed amid pre-season testing in Bahrain for the 2022 season, with live coverage of the test broadcast all day and everyday of the three days of running. Yet, fans and future fans are indulging in the storylines of the past. Specifically the tales of…
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My thoughts on the extreme Mercedes sidepods
The first day of official pre-season testing in Bahrain was dominated by the early morning reveal of a dramatically different looking Mercedes W13, in comparison to what we saw in Barcelona a few weeks ago. Mercedes are the first team to bring a raft of upgrades to their car, which included an incredibly narrow, shrink-wrapped…
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Nikita Mazepin’s UK Suspension Has Cemented His Fate
The governing body of British motorsport, Motorsport UK, has suspended all Russian and Belarusian licence-holding racing drivers and teams from competing on UK soil. This comes less than a day after the FIA took a different approach by ignoring the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee to ban all Russian and Belarusian competitors. In the…
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Vote: Which is the best looking 2022 F1 car?
Alfa Romeo are the last to reveal their 2022 livery, topping off a very appealing grid of new generation F1 cars after the first three days of pre-season testing. Already we have seen multiple livery tweaks and changes, a camouflage design and even the reveal of a special livery for the first two races of…
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Why ‘concerned’ Alpine didn’t open DRS in Barcelona test
Alpine were the last to unveil their 2022 challenger prior to the first pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. In fact, the car was reportedly finished the day before running got underway, and so partly the reason why the car in the launch was a show car. Despite this the team got off to…
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Why have Alpine unveiled two liveries?
Alpine are the last team to unveil their 2022 Formula 1 car and livery before the pre-season ‘shakedown’ this week. The Enstone-based team were expected to reveal a heavily revised look for only their second season under the Alpine name, having signed a title sponsorship deal with BWT. Pre-eminent in several motorsport categories over the…
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F1 Reveals ‘Automobile Display’ Media Presentations Details
An admittedly small part of the raft of technical and sporting regulations coming into effect for the 2022 Formula 1 season is the brand new ‘show-and-tell’ media presentations, with final details finally revealed by F1. Public car update reveal presentations will put all aerodynamic and bodywork upgrades on display for the world to see before…
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Who are F1’s new race directors, and why did the FIA publish the announcement today?
Michael Masi has officially been removed as FIA race director in a raft of confirmed changes to come into effect from the first pre-season test in Barcelona, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has announced. Included in the announcement is the confirmation of two new “alternating” race directors for Formula 1, supported by former deputy race…
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Opinion: Has F1 launch season got off to a good start?
Formula 1 is entering a new era of car design, whereby technical regulations billed by many as the most prescriptive ever seen are tasked with revolutionising the racing experience for fans and drivers alike. At the time of writing we have been treated to four 2022 F1 car launches – some more genuine than others…
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Red Bull reveals 2022 car and new title sponsor
Red Bull Racing are the latest team to reveal their 2022 championship contender, after Haas unveiled a version of their car last week. The RB18 was launched via an official livestream, and with subsequent images posted to social media. The team has also announced a new title partnership with Oracle, which features more prominently on…
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Analysis: How genuine an insight are the Haas images?
The digital covers have come off for the first of Formula 1’s ten teams, with Haas jumping the gun and beating Aston Martin and subsequently Red Bull to publish images of their 2022 design. The car in the 3D renders is adorned in what looks to be an almost identical livery to the 2021 design,…
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Haas unveils 2022 Formula 1 car and livery
Haas F1 are the first team to reveal their new livery for the 2022 season, in a series of images posted to social media. The team traditionally unveils rendered images of their new livery on a base car before pulling the covers off of the car for real in the pit lane on the first…
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Why are F1’s top teams against more Sprints?
Formula 1’s owners, Liberty Media, planned for a swift expansion of the frequency in Sprint events in 2022, from three to six. After three sprints last season, each coined as trial events to iron out allocation, logistical and financial issues with the meticulously planned restructure of a typical F1 weekend, the championship’s bosses intended to…
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Button ‘hasn’t been able’ to give best inputs to Williams
Williams’ star senior advisor signing of last year, F1 world champion Jenson Button, has provided a good input so far according to head of vehicle performance Dave Robson. Last year Williams acquired the services of 2009 champion Button, who made his F1 debut with the team in 2000, in a senior advisor role to the…
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Alpine and McLaren herald ‘surprise’ FIA checks over cost cap
Alpine’s former executive director Budkowski was full of praise for the FIA’s cost cap regulation nuances, specifically how the rules are enforced and how the lack of clarity over the penalty is a positive for all parties. Alpine parted company with Budkowski amidst a management shake-up which has notably left four-time champion Alain Prost questioning…
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Lewis Hamilton’s F1 future more uncertain than ever
Lewis Hamilton’s future in Formula 1 remains deeply uncertain, over four weeks after his controversial Abu Dhabi defeat to Max Verstappen on the last lap. Hamilton looked set to secure his eighth world championship, what would have been his fifth consecutive title at Mercedes, for the majority of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix until Nicholas…
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Aston Martin Team Principal Szafnauer leaves the team
Otmar Szafnauer exits the Aston Martin F1 team just over a year into the team’s rebrand and transition led by owner Lawrence Stroll. Stroll’s wider plans for the team he acquired in its Force India guise, quickly renamed Racing Point, was to make it the Aston Martin works team after his purchase of the automotive…
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Mercedes releases image of 2022 F1 car
An unexpected surprise at lunch time on New Years Day as Mercedes posts a darkened image of its 2022 Formula 1 car. The caption above simply stating “New Year. New Me-rcedes.” Mercedes’ ambition to frighten its opposition into submission began back in December with an incredibly early pre-season power unit start up video posted to…
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Lewis Hamilton has lost faith and doesn’t understand what happened, says Wolff
Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes F1 Team, Toto Wolff thinks Lewis Hamilton’s silence since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is because the seven-time champion “can’t understand” what happened. Max Verstappen grabbed the title from the grasp of a dejected Lewis Hamilton, after a controversial ruling from FIA Race Director Michael Masi that arguably…
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The driver turned sim racer turned driver competing for a cause
From the age of 6, James Merrills was destined to race. He grew up karting – spending most of his childhood on the track, but his ultimate goal of vaulting the notorious leap to cars looked all but attainable. Hence Merrills began sim racing competitively in 2018 alongside continuing his karting exploits, in particular in…
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Abhorrent social media abuse revealed by Latifi
Williams F1 driver Nicholas Latifi has posted an emotional message on his social media revealing the true scale of the torrent of abuse he has suffered since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Latifi crashed in the closing stages of the race after a tussle with Haas’s Mick Schumacher over second-to-last place. The incident caused the…
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Santander returns to F1 in ‘premium’ partnership with Ferrari
Banco Santander will return to Formula 1 in 2022 as Ferrari’s sponsor on a multi-year contract. The team’s former high-profile sponsor of eight years from the start of 2010, left the team at the end of 2017 leading to Ferrari joining forces with Mission Winnow. This announcement comes at a time of uncertainty for Mission…
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Red Bull’s teamwork masterclass that won Verstappen the title
It’s Lap 53, and Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi are somewhat needlessly fighting over second-to-last place, aggression well and truly above adhesion. Latifi is run wide and into the runoff at Turn 9, picking up a multitude of dust and tyre debris on his own tyres. Five corners later the Williams driver oversteers and slams…
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F1 awaits most important Grand Prix in history
Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton, Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen? Whoever your money’s on in the championship battle, the Formula 1 world holds its breath and awaits a crucial race. Crucial for Hamilton, Verstappen, Mercedes and Red Bull but also for the sport itself. Extraneous variables will always play a factor whether that be VSCs,…
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Honda’s 21st century legacy in F1 as it prepares to exit the sport
The final race of the extraordinary 2021 season not only marks the end for the controversial 2017 regulation model and era of Formula 1, but it also marks the end of the road for one of the sport’s biggest manufacturers. Honda is a name synonymous with F1, winning four drivers championships with McLaren between 1988…
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McLaren unveil special F1 livery for Abu Dhabi
McLaren have unveiled a surprise special livery for the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The team’s colour scheme has been redesigmed with a rainbow effect by UAE artist Rabab Tantawy as part of BAT’s Driven by Change initiative. “This is the first time a female artist from the Middle East has designed a bespoke Formula…
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Why the Jeddah circuit probably won’t change in the face of safety concerns
Major accidents throughout the entirety of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend has led to calls from several F1 drivers for the Jeddah Corniche circuit to have elements of it re-thought in time for its next Grand Prix. Extremely high speed in nature, the brand new Jeddah circuit is one for the brave and only…
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Verstappen’s ‘terrible’ crash in Qualifying sets up a spicy Grand Prix
Max Verstappen looked all set to retake pole position from his fierce title rival Lewis Hamilton in Q3 for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but a small yet costly lock-up into the final corner curtailed his certain attempt at jumping the Mercedes pairing and disposing of their 1-2 on the grid. It was simply ambition…
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Friday impressions of the Saudi Arabia circuit
Formula 1’s inaugural visit to Saudi Arabia has officially concluded its first day of the weekend with Friday’s FP1 and FP2 sessions completed around the spectacularly fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The high-speed, walled circuit of 27 corners sees an average lap speed of around 157 mph, the second highest on the Formula 1 calendar to…
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Operational difficulties delay F2 practice in Saudi Arabia
Formula 2’s first session at the new Jeddah Corniche Circuit on the coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia has been delayed indefinitely and until further notice. “Operational delays” is said to be the culprit that may have disastrous knock-on effects for Formula 1’s Friday timetable and its tight broadcasting schedule. Saudi Arabia’s inaugural…
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The several F1 livery changes at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian GP
Less than a week since the Williams team announced the passing of founder Sir Frank Williams on behalf of the Williams family, the F1 circus arrives in Saudi Arabia for the country’s inaugural Grand Prix. Many have called on Williams to use a special livery this weekend in tribute to Sir Frank, whether that be…
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How Alpine delivered a ‘spot on’ performance in Qatar
Fernando Alonso’s third place and teammate Esteban Ocon’s fifth in the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit cemented a superb weekend for the team in their constructors championship fight with AlphaTauri. Resulting in two-time world champion Alonso’s first Formula 1 podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix, the upturn in form was…
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How and why DRS will stay for Formula 1’s Ross Brawn era
Recently I’ve seen a fair few comments on social media from those curious as to how and why DRS will stay in Formula 1 for the 2022 technical regulations overhaul. The shake-up’s most radical changes will be principally noticeable on the upper body surfaces of the car, and subsequently to the wake sensitivity. The underside…
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Vettel and Schumacher to compete together in 2022 Race of Champions
Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher are the latest drivers to be officially confirmed as entrants onto the all-star list of ROC competitors. Next February’s Race of Champions will move away from the traditional stadium-style circuit to a rally-esque course on the snow and ice of Pite Havsbad in Sweden. The event to be held on…
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Why did a quartet of front-left tyres spectacularly fail in the Qatar GP?
Before arriving in Losail, the engineers from Pirelli and the teams alike expected an enormously demanding Grand Prix on tyres, with the rear-lefts set to endure the greatest loads around the 5.4km clockwise circuit. Even though the majority of circuits Formula 1 visits are of the same clockwise nature, including the likes of Monaco, Britain,…
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The changes made to Qatar’s Losail circuit for Formula 1
Around the time of the announcement revealing Qatar’s shock debut on the F1 calendar, the Losail circuit was heralded as a ready to go facility for Formula 1 to utilise if the championship so required an emergency event in Qatar. This was the one of the reasons Formula 1 began serious talks with the country…
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I’ve spotted yet another strange thing about Rich Energy
[ Posted to DriveTribe by Danny Herbert on the 29th October 2021 ] Rich Energy. A name which to the minds of most in the Formula 1 paddock conjures up one word – pathetic. Be reassured this article is not simply another scathing defamation of the “premium British energy drink.” That would simply be adding…
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Should Hamilton have pitted or stayed out? – Turkish GP
Seven-time Formula 1 champion finished a distant 5th place in Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. To clarify distant – that is in comparison to his title rival Max Verstappen. Hamilton comes away from the race likely disappointed and regretful. What might have been had I stayed out until the end? Or what might have been had…
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You guessed correct or you guessed wrong – The Herbert F1 Column
Hindsight is undoubtedly the most precise of all of the forensic sciences, and in the wake of the chaotic closing stages of the Russian Grand Prix there were those who heaped culpability onto Lando Norris’ shoulders and those who held McLaren responsible. First and foremost amongst the incandescent heartbreak of Lando Norris’ long-time lead being…
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Could F1 cars be designed to race in the rain?
Today I was looking through the comments of a certain Instagram post from a well known publication, which stated Jean Todt’s intentions to create cars “that can be driven even in the rain” in the next technical regulations overhaul in 2025/2026. What I saw was a general consensus of Todt’s comments being nonsense, and perhaps…
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MGU-H to be dropped to allow Red Bull-Volkswagen partnership
[ Posted by Danny Herbert on DriveTribe, 13th September 2021 ] Formula 1’s next-gen power units originally earmarked to be introduced for the 2025 season are now set to arrive in 2026, a year later than currently scheduled. The new power units are intended to further prioritise sustainability and efficiency whilst increasing the formula’s road…
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DRS staying initially in 2022 is a good idea, says Zak Brown
McLaren boss Zak Brown has shown his support for Ross Brawn’s plan to continue with the use of the Drag Reduction System for at least next year. McLaren boss Zak Brown has shown his support for Ross Brawn’s plan to continue with the use of Formula One’s Drag Reduction System for at least next year,…
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Will the ‘sad reality’ that is Daniel Ricciardo’s season continue?
Daniel Ricciardo’s move to an on-the-up McLaren Mercedes team certainly hasn’t yielded the results either party would have been hoping for. Ricciardo himself has stated that the current season has been the most difficult of his lengthy career. Considered by many as a superstar of the future and a guaranteed future champion in his HRT…
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Will Volkswagen actually enter F1, and if so, what would it look like?
Earlier this year longstanding rumours of the Volkswagen Group considering entering F1 resurfaced with the prospect of a new power unit era only a few years away. Ofcourse it’s only natural for manufacturers to be keen to dip their toes into the World’s most famous and prestigious motor racing series, and it’s natural for rumours…
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Overtaking is not the only key to a good F1 race
I’m not for a minute going to argue the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix was the best race of all time, or even a classic – because it wasn’t. However it illustrated a very important factor that many on Twitter and other platforms seem to forget – the fact that Formula One is a sport. And…
Danny Herbert 