Arena FIA Formula 1 Racing

Just realized the above may not be showing for everyone. Anyway, it was just this:

 

Mick Schumacher lands with Mercedes as a reserve driver:

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...e-driver-for-2023.4jZSgiaWq55MerCrPv9ueX.html

 

Red Bull is ****posting on main:

 

Yikes! Talk about globetrotting.

Perhaps they should consider consolidating events in continent/regions to certain parts of the calendar.

March/April: Southern Hemisphere/Asia

May/June/July/August: Europe

September/October: North America

November: Middle East

Save some jet fuel and jet lag on your teams.
Make good PR on a "green initiative" to reduce carbon footprint with reduced travel.

 

Some events are where they are for good reasons. For example, the Miami track surrounds a stadium used for NFL and NCAA football games, so that race necessarily must be scheduled for the spring to avoid conflicts with football games since temporary circuits can take some time (on the order of weeks) to construct and deconstruct.

I don't recall the precise reasons, but I do recall reading that COTA, Las Vegas, and Montreal all have reasons for being exactly where they are as well. Basically, IIUC, it's not possible to clump those four races together, or even any two of them, at any time of year.

 

@jcgoble3

I'm sure they have reasons, schedules, preferences for everything, and so the schedule comes together. But I suspect it is a schedule designed for maximum accommodation to the venues. Let's face it, why else is Monaco on here?

I just wonder if F1 wanted to, it could flex some muscle and try to avoid hemisphere hopping, just to hop back 2 weeks later, and so on. I think with enough consideration, I bet a few of those journeys could be limited.

As is, most of the European stops already happen over the summer...tradition plays it's part there.

Austin, Mexico, Brazil, Vegas is a decent enough cluster. I am sure if they wanted to, they could make arrangements with the NFL/Miami to keep teams on the road for a specific fall weekend to allow for the Miami race in that set (If they maintain that location...I don't see it lasting there if the event proves popular long term...probably get a dedicated circuit...maybe Homestead gets retooled).

Don't know...just a thought that sticks out when you see the calendar...and I suppose most of these teams fly home between races anyway, so changing the schedule isn't stopping a bunch of flights to Germany or Italy etc every week.

 

It's not as simple as "put both teams on the road for one weekend". I don't have exact figures, but I've read in multiple places that the track requires several weeks to construct and a comparable time to properly tear down. The stadium wouldn't be able to host any events for potentially a two-month block. There's zero possibility of an NFL team playing seven to eight consecutive games on the road (the schedule makers try to limit it to three in a row on the road), and it's totally out of the question in the NCAA because with the shorter season (relative to the NFL), eight games is two-thirds of the regular season and the Hurricanes would end up with only four or five home games, thereby losing massive revenue.

 

Miami track improvements to include moving part of the paddock inside the football stadium:

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...-stadium-for-2023.1Oei1J5s4KM2IDWY1YhTdC.html

Further highlighting how this is not an operation that can be set up, run, and torn down in the space of a week (referencing the above discussion).

 

Granted.

But the schedule streamlining idea is not doomed because of an NFL parking lot.

Maybe they cluster some of the North American events in the spring instead.

Austin, Miami, Vegas, Montreal...then head back to Europe for the summer.

-----

Honestly...I think they like hopping around. If they can hit regions randomly, it keeps the product in the media and on people's radar.
If they moved to a regional/seasonal schedule, they fear the risk of people being less interested once the circus leaves.

I think that is nonsense, and their biggest obstacle to fan growth are media paywalls, not when and where a race happens.

 

I don't recall specifics, but there are also practical reasons for having Austin and Vegas in the fall. IIRC they mainly have to do with weather and climate patterns.

 

Vegas in the summer months is ridiculously hot, I would imagine Texas would not be far behind. Montreal's best weather is in summer, so that spot also makes sense.

Montreal is a great time Pointy. You'll love it.

 

I can understand wanting to stay out of Vegas in the summer. Austin too. But the end of April, beginning of May is not the hot season. Montreal would be the only concern for weather, so you make it as late in the spring as you can.

I could picture a schedule where you start in Vegas around Easter, followed by Austin and Miami in whichever order, then do Montreal in Mid-May, just before the teams pack up to fly to Monaco to kick off the summer in Europe.

----

Dunno. I suspect as long the money is good, there will not be impetus to change. The shift to more fuel efficient vehicles will be the token to environmental consideration. And as far as travel fatigue...money makes 18 hours easier to handle.

 

Livery reveals actually began yesterday with Haas.

 

Yes...

 

Ford is returning to F1 from the 2026 season, via an agreement with Red Bull to work with them in the Red Bull Powertrains division that powers both of their teams (to be renamed Red Bull Ford Powertrains at that point) . It sounds like this came about when Red Bull's talks with Porsche fell through. That also means that Honda won't be returning to that particular team if they do re-enter F1 at some point, even though Red Bull Powertrains was created by merging some of Honda's tech and resources into Red Bull when Honda left F1 in 2021.

 

So we now have an American team (Haas), American engines (Ford), and American driver (Logan Sargeant). The only thing missing is The Star-Spangled Banner playing over the podium.

 

That will play if Sargeant wins any races. Also, three races in the US now instead of just the one in Austin. The only other country to have more than one is Italy.

 

The Duracell battery air intake is a really cool way to include a sponsorship logo placement. This and the Haas changes look good, while Red Bull was barely any different from before. I think overall we won't see many changes from last year as far as livery goes. A lot of cars changed that more last year because the cars themselves were changing pretty significantly; the cars this year are largely unchanged. But it does look like a few have redesigned their sidepod air intakes quite a bit.

 

New Alfa Romeo livery... looks good. A lot of the dark gray or black parts are actually unpainted carbon fiber.