New title sponsor at Ferrari
Yesterday the sparrows were already whistling it from the roofs of Maranello, and it has just become known. HP becomes the new title sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari.
The American company Hewlett-Packard is returning after a few months of abstinence from Formula 1 as an official part of the team name Scuderia Ferrari HP. They were previously on board with Red Bull as a sponsor.
“Our founder passed on to us his constant will to progress. From this comes our pursuit of innovation on the road and track, as well as our commitment to a sustainable future, from carbon neutrality to educating the young generation,” said Benedetto Vigna, CEO of Ferrari.
“In HP we have found the same values, which makes the company an ideal partner. We look forward to starting our collaboration and facing new opportunities and challenges together.”
Quitting time
The Formula 1 live ticker for this Wednesday ends with this entry.
It was a pleasure to accompany you through the day. I’ll leave the baton for my esteemed colleague Ruben Zimmermann, who will welcome you here tomorrow.
Have a good time after work and see you in the next few days!
sincerely
your Kevin Scheuren
Pink and Blue in Miami
Esteban Ocon, the next driver, showed off his special helmet for the Miami Grand Prix.
Very pink from the front, more dark blue at the back with the US flag on the roof of the helmet.
I like it!
The first time
The Chinese Grand Prix has always been special for Red Bull, ever since they won there for the first time in 2009. Back then, even with a one-two victory for Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
For this reason, last week they also had retro caps from the season in tow and commemorated this first time in a social media video.
In memory of Rolf Stommelen
Today is also a sad day in German motorsport history, because on April 24, 1983, Rolf Stommelen died fatally driving a Porsche 935 during the 1983 Riverside 6-hour race at the Riverside International Raceway in California.
Stommelen was in Formula 1 from 1970 to 1978 with the exception of the 1977 season. There he drove for Brabham, Surtees and Arrows, among others. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Stommelen finished third in his Brabham BT33 with starting number 11. His only podium finish in his Formula 1 career.
Today we remember Rolf Stommelen.
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Long dry spell
Did you know that today marks 4,000 days since Fernando Alonso’s last win? Most recently he won his home race, the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix.
A damn long dry spell that could perhaps have ended in Monaco last year. Maybe he’ll make it to the top of the podium again this season?
No comeback
Nico Rosberg was often with his colleagues last weekend Sky Germany to see and hear. As an expert, he is known for his razor-sharp analyses, but isn’t he sometimes tempted to return to Formula 1?
The 2016 world champion has a clear answer:
“No. I’m done with the topic. Even if there might be an opportunity at Mercedes (fun). No, that’s over. But it’s remarkable: Fernando will be 43 in a few months. Drive him at the best level It’s really incredible because he’s one of the best drivers of all time. Six months ago, Lewis was probably the best driver in the current starting field. The start of the season was a little more difficult for him. But I trust him to do the same and compete at a high level until his mid-40s. No problem.”
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Homage to Guido
Okay, I now have to show you a tweet from our colleagues at Motorsport.com.
Do you have the film? Cars seen? The little mechanic Guido is an ardent Ferrari fan, a real hero and the team clothing for the Miami Grand Prix can really be seen as a tribute to Guido.
Praise for Lando
Second place for Lando Norris certainly couldn’t have been expected at McLaren, which is why team boss Andrea Stella praised him for his performance, especially in qualifying, when he was able to put everything together:
“Last year he was fast. But we had several situations like in Qatar where he could have been on pole position and he had both laps canceled in Q3. There was a lot to take away from that and some other situations. He has a really good one Job done by working with his engineers and the support of the factory and making some small adjustments to better exploit the potential of the car. So that’s his credit.”
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Power through cold?
I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside, my general performance isn’t great. Things seemed to be different at McLaren in China.
The MCL38’s pace was probably better than expected due to the cooler conditions. The data also shows that McLaren was actually doing really well, and it was not for nothing that Lando Norris secured second place.
Kevin Hermann has summarized further information and also the opinions of team boss Andrea Stella for you.
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Immerse yourself in history
Would you like to know more about the background story of the paint and look for Miami at Ferrari?
You’re welcome, you provided us with a nice video about it.
Austria’s next F1 star?
Around 20 years after dad Alex Wurz’s resignation, his son Charlie is now in the starting blocks. Does he have what it takes to make it to Formula 1? At Sports and talk from Hangar-7 the 18-year-old Formula 3 driver spoke about his big goal.
In this video Wurz Jr. tells us. Not only does he talk about how things are going for him at the Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport, but he also talks about fried chicken with potato salad at his grandmother’s in Austria and what it’s like to wake up in Monte Carlo as the son of a Formula 1 star.
Also to be seen: Mathias Lauda with a few anecdotes about his unforgettable father Niki, who died in 2019.
Now on the Formula1.de YouTube channel.
Charlie Wurz: The next Austrian in Formula 1?
Around 20 years after dad Alex Wurz’s resignation, his son Charlie is now in the starting blocks. More Formula 1 videos
Legendary duel
On April 24th, 2005 we were able to experience a duel that is still legendary today at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher really gave it their all for large parts of the race; there was no way for Schumacher to get past Alonso, who was able to win the race and the World Championship this year. Tough but fair, on a knife edge, but always at the limit. That was pure racing.
By the way, a certain Alexander Wurz in a McLaren-Mercedes, whose son Charlie is currently also in Formula 3 and is making a name for himself, ended up in third place, probably forgotten by many. Wurz inherited third place after Jenson Button’s disqualification in the BAR Honda.
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Looking forward to Miami
Let’s stay briefly with Christian Horner, who also expressed his anticipation for the next race weekend in Miami to our colleagues in China:
“I think Miami is a great event. It’s not the best race track in the world, but it’s a fantastic event. And Miami is a very special place to have a race. I found the second year in Miami better than the first. I “I have no doubt that the third year will be even better. And with the sprint format it’s a different dynamic. I think it will be a very well attended race.”
But he would still have one wish if he could choose something:
“It would be great to go to the stadium too. That would be something very special.”
I think that would be really cool too.
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Fully on schedule
A new era will begin at Red Bull Racing in 2026. Gone are the days with engine partners like Renault or Honda, because then you do everything yourself. The team’s big Red Bull Powertrains project with technology partner Ford arouses a lot of interest because you build everything yourself and of course you’re in the dark, what for team boss Christian Horner, however, is not a problem, as he announced during the China weekend:
“We have a great group of people. We apply the same philosophy as with the chassis to the engine. With the engine it’s a different challenge. There are no guarantees. We also don’t know where the others stand with these new regulations. It is a completely blank sheet of paper. Plus, we don’t have the advantage of being able to learn from an existing engine, which is a disadvantage from a cost perspective.”
“So we probably won’t see it until 2026. But at this point in time we are achieving our targets. And when I look at the progress we have made spontaneously over the last two years, it is very impressive,” praises Horner Crew in the highest tones.
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