F1 Round up: Verstappen blames heavy cars for boring race in Azerbaijan GP

Verstappen blames heavy cars for boring race in Azerbaijan GP

Max Verstappen has pointed to the heavier current generation of Formula 1 cars as the culprit behind recent uneventful races, such as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Although the 2022 regulations were designed to increase overtaking opportunities by improving cars' ability to follow each other, both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have seen fewer overtakes than in the previous year.

Verstappen explained, "I think the more downforce we generate...if you keep the rules the same it will be harder to pass."

The Red Bull driver also noted that the heavier cars make it more challenging to follow closely in low-speed situations, causing increased tire wear.

His teammate Sergio Perez concurred, adding, "I feel this year certainly has become a little bit harder... because they say that they're collecting the data from last year... it's getting harder to overtake than last year already in itself, so it’s something we should review.”

Mercedes' Toto Wolff to teach MBA course at Harvard Business School

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff is set to become an Executive Fellow and guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School.

In January 2024, Wolff will co-teach a course for MBA students titled "Mercedes F1: Leading a High-Performance Team" alongside Professor Anita Elberse.

The pair has previously collaborated on a case study and a Harvard Business Review article.

Wolff expressed his enthusiasm about working with Harvard's students, stating, "Whenever I step on campus, I am inspired by the students' curiosity and ambition, and I leave energized by the special learning environment they create together with the brilliant faculty."

Elberse and Professor Len Schlesinger praised the partnership, with Schlesinger adding, "HBS is fortunate to be able to benefit from this dynamic partnership of Anita and Toto; I am confident it will be a spectacular experience for the students.”

Ferrari to bring upgrades in Miami GP, reveals Vasseur

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has announced that the first upgrades to the 2023 F1 car will be introduced at the Miami Grand Prix, with additional smaller updates planned for subsequent European races.

Despite a third-place finish for Charles Leclerc in Azerbaijan, Ferrari's 21-second gap to the leaders demonstrates the need for significant improvement.

Vasseur commented, "We will start to bring updates on the car from Miami and for the next couple of events and we will see how the car will react to the updates...

The update is one thing but the fact that you are able to extract all of the potential out of the update is another one."

He also discussed the challenges posed by F1's new sprint format, which reduces practice time and makes it harder for teams to introduce updates and extract the maximum potential from their cars.

Red Bull's Marko Denies Team Orders in Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, has refuted claims that team orders were enforced during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen, who dropped back after a pit stop just before the Safety Car deployment, faced tire issues according to Marko.

He stated, "He had complaints about the rear tyres, so that was the right moment to bring him in... Sometimes you benefit from the Safety Car, sometimes not. The damage was limited in the end.”

With Sergio Perez's win, the gap between him and Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship is now only six points.

Marko emphasized that Red Bull allowed both drivers to race, saying, "We gave no team orders. Perez asked five laps before the end if the pace could be reduced, but we just let the two drivers race."