Red Bull: Don’t worry about a new defect
Red Bull appear to have resolved their problems with the Saudi Arabia petrol system. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were both out in Bahrain shortly before the end, leaving Red Bull without points in the season opener. But that should be fixed for Jeddah, reports our colleague Jonathan Noble, who is on site in Saudi Arabia.
While the team does not give an exact reason for the damage, they are confident that there should be no further difficulties this weekend.
However, it remains to be seen whether that will also be the case.
Alpine: ride for two riders
The topic of women and driving in Saudi Arabia has been a much-discussed topic in recent years, because up until four years ago women were not allowed to drive in the country. Alpine has now made it possible for two female drivers to take a ride in a Formula 1 car.
Aseel Al Hamad and W-Series driver Abbi Pulling were allowed to complete a demo drive in the E20 from the 2012 season (then known as Lotus) in the capital Riyadh.
“I hope this inspires more generations to fall in love with Formula 1 and that more women consider motorsport as a future career,” said Al Hamad.
Hamilton: That’s why so much yellow
That Lewis Hamilton owns a yellow helmet this year is not just a reminder of his previous helmets, as the Mercedes driver says. He also wanted fans to be able to better tell both drivers apart in the car.
Because Hamilton noticed that fans on the track have problems really recognizing the drivers in their cars. “That was a problem that I raised with the team,” he says.
After the presentation of the W13, he then sat down with his iPad and looked at how the car could be shown to its best advantage. His suggestion was: yellow. That’s why his race number is in this color on the car.
“Then I realized that you still can’t see the helmets with these halos, so I decided to shed some light on the helmet.” So he too turned yellow.
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Mercedes: Why the pit stops were slow
In addition to the insufficient pace, Mercedes also had a few problems with the pit stops in Bahrain. Some of these lasted quite a long time compared to previous years. Of course, all teams first have to get used to the new, heavier wheels, but according to Mercedes there is another fact.
“It’s also a standard rim and the interface between the rim and the car is standardized accordingly,” says James Allison. “And the lugs, which are the things that stick out of the wheel and help the wheel grip the car when you tighten it with the lug nut, those lugs aren’t really ideal for a nice pit stop like we’ve had in recent years were used to.”
That means you can’t tinker with the standard parts either, you have to get by with them. Mercedes knew that with the new tyres, there were three options: a slightly slower, normal pit stop, a fairly quick one, but also with the risk of going completely wrong.
“In this early race, conservative and safe was the right choice for us,” said Allison.
Review & Preview
I would also like to recommend the latest edition of the Starting Grid podcast to you. There moderator Kevin Scheuren, editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll and picture editor Silja Rulle look back on the Bahrain Grand Prix and of course also look ahead to Saudi Arabia.
You can now listen to the whole podcast of around 1:45 hours.
Mercedes: When will porpoising be under control?
Despite the podium in Bahrain, it was clear that Mercedes still lacked the pace to face the direct competition from Ferrari and Red Bull. Above all, porpoising is a problem for the Silver Arrows that needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
“We’re starting to get a handle on it,” says Engineering Director James Allison. However, the only way to deal with this is to throw away some of the car’s basic performance. That’s the lesser evil.
However, we are working on getting the problem under control without having to sacrifice performance. “Obviously we can’t wait to deliver these solutions. We’re working hard here at the factory to find them, get them on the car and then reap the benefits,” Allison said.
Enrique Bernoldi driver commissioner
Also in Jeddah, as usual, an ex-driver will act as commissioner and support his colleagues Nish Shetty, Matteo Perini and Hassan Alabdali. That will be Enrique Bernoldi this weekend.
The Brazilian is a former Red Bull Junior who drove for Arrows in Formula 1 for two seasons in 2001 and 2002 – with 2022 only being a half year after the team’s early retirement. Eighth place was his best result in his 29 races.
However, his most famous race is the Monaco Grand Prix in 2001, when he was able to delay World Championship candidate David Coulthard for more than 30 laps.
Jeddah: 3 DRS zones
There will also be three DRS zones again in Saudi Arabia, all of which will come relatively late in the round.
Zone 1 starts at the exit of Turn 19, measuring point is the exit of Turn 17. Zone 2 starts at the entrance of Turn 25, measuring point is at the entrance of Turn 22. And Zone 3 starts 170 meters after Turn 27, measuring point is at the entrance of the corner .
Surprisingly, the FIA itself published this vague information, while otherwise it is always accurate to the meter.
Will Vettel ever come back?
Our editor-in-chief Christian Nimmervoll is of the opinion that Vettel should save himself the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for many reasons – and actually the rest of the season.
You can see the explanation in our video on the Formula1.de YouTube channel look at.
Which suggests that Vettel will not return
“Who slept the worst last night” is now available as a video! After Bahrain, Sebastian Vettel is the loser of the weekend for us. More Formula 1 videos
Hulkenberg is ready
Should Vettel not get the green light for Friday, Aston Martin would again rely on the services of Nico Hulkenberg, who was already deployed in Bahrain and had beaten teammate Lance Stroll there in qualifying.
Hulkenberg is already in Saudi Arabia and would step in again, as Aston Martin has announced. The final decision will be made on Friday to give Vettel every opportunity to drive.
Hulkenberg had already revealed that he was going to the Aston Martin simulator in Bahrain to prepare for the route he was unfamiliar with.
Vettel not at the start in Jeddah either?
The big question before the weekend is: is Sebastian Vettel fit again for a mission in Jeddah? We haven’t heard anything about Vettel’s condition since his positive corona test last Wednesday. In theory, the Aston Martin driver could test himself if he was fit.
But Vettel hasn’t been able to do that yet. Vettel would have his first driving appointment tomorrow at 3 p.m. CEST and must be in Jeddah by then. Time is running out, because without a green light he can’t get on a plane to Saudi Arabia.
© Motorsport Images
Good Morning!
We are speeding towards the second Formula 1 round of the season in Saudi Arabia. The race in Jeddah was the penultimate race of the season last year – including a collision between Verstappen and Hamilton, if you remember – but this time it’s already race two.
Tomorrow we will continue with moving cars, before that we will spend another day together here in the ticker. Norman Fisher welcomes you to the “Media Thursday”, which officially no longer exists, but many teams have already set up an extensive program along the route.
Want to be a part and have questions or comments? Then use the contact form or use the hashtag #FragMST on Twitter.