Monaco Grand Prix: echoes from the paddock
This weekend will be the 79th edition of the Monaco Grand Prix, the mythical and spectacular track which still holds a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts. At this time of year, the first rumors are circulating in the paddock.
We arrive at a period of the season, where the first rumors trigger circulars in the paddock and where certain teams use communication to destabilize the opponent.
Echoes of the paddock in Monaco
The unmanageable capped budget for the stables?
The budget ceiling has become a big issue amid runaway global inflation, according to Helmut Marko. “None of the big three teams are currently under budget”, Marko told Sport1. Teams are limited to $140 million this year, $5 million less than last year, despite soaring inflation and transportation costs due to the unstable world situation.
Same story at Alpine: “Transportation costs have increased by 60% in some cases, as have material costs, to an immense extent”said Laurent Rossi. “There has already been talk of some adjustment to inflation”Marko added. “First the pandemic, then the war – these are events that were not predictable and these rates of inflation and growth are not normal either. When normality returns, we will be able to operate normally again in the within the budget limit.”
Gasly does not rule out leaving Red Bull
Pierre Gasly has reiterated his determination to get another chance with parent team Red Bull Racing, but is also not ruling out leaving the Red Bull fold. The 26-year-old Frenchman has established himself as the leader of the Alpha Tauri riders, but is he happy with his current situation? “I would be happier if I could achieve the best results on the track. But we are working on it and I am also happy with the challenge I am taking with AlphaTauri.”
He claims to be a “much better driver” than he was at Red Bull at the start of 2019, and says he and also the Milton Keynes-based team “have both learned from this situation”. But when asked if he will look to leave the Red Bull universe altogether if all he is offered is another deal with AlphaTauri, Gasly replies: “It depends. There are negotiations and we will see what is available and then I will decide what is the best option for me”he added. “Obviously we have to wait and assess all opportunities.”
Red Bull close to breaking a rule in Barcelona
Red Bull admits they made a mistake with their allowed fuel temperature ahead of the team’s Barcelona double. Before taking to the track to settle on the starting grid, the two single-seaters had their engines running in their boxes, in a relatively long time. This was noticed by Mattia Binotto (Ferrari). “I don’t know exactly what’s going on with them, but I can imagine it had something to do with the fuel temperatures in the tank, which can be a maximum of ten degrees below ambient. “
The Italian suspects that simply running the engines on too cold fuel was technically a violation of the rules. “I think the rules should be followed at all times during a race weekend,” Binotto said. “Not only when the car comes out on the track, but also in the box”. Marko admits Red Bull made a mistake. “We had undressed the fact that the temperature had changed”he explains. “But we noticed it in time and left the engine running to warm up the gasoline.”
Tsunoda has changed his lazy lifestyle!
Yuki Tsunoda claims he is making progress in Formula 1 after giving up his old ‘lazy lifestyle’. “It was not good when I lived in England”admitted Tsunoda. “I would get up, play the Playstation, then order something to eat. I would play the Playstation again, then order something to eat again. Of course, we also had practice, but it was a somewhat lazy lifestyle. Then Franz Tost persuaded me to come closer to the team in Italy. It allowed me to improve in a lot of areas.”
“I got into Formula 1 quickly and scored points straight away. I thought everything was easy. Then I also had accidents, that’s also why performance suffered afterwards. I looked around Max (Verstappen) and Pierre (Gasly) I tried to copy things they did Pierre helped me a lot like the way he told me how he approaches the car slowly over a weekend. Before, I had always tried to immediately go for the perfect lap. So I changed that. Alex Albon was also a big help. I’m in control now and I know how to approach the race and the whole weekend”Tsunoda insists.
Ricciardo fails to meet McLaren’s expectations
Daniel Ricciardo has failed to live up to McLaren’s “expectations”, admits team supremo Zak Brown. “Lando definitely has an advantage”Brown told Sky’s Any Driven Monday. “Obviously we would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good fight in the team”Brown continued. “Apart from the win at Monza and a couple of races, he generally didn’t live up to his expectations or ours.”
“And I think all you can do is keep working together as a team, keep communicating, keep pushing and hope that what’s wrong right now can be resolved soon. “
Leclerc will not take risks in Monaco
Charles Leclerc affirms that he will not take big “risks” this weekend to try to end the curse which strikes his last Grands Prix at home, in Monaco. “I like urban tracks and I like to flirt with risk”he told L’Équipe. “Last year I took a big risk to get pole position because I knew I would need a miracle to be on the front row and I ended up in the wall.
“This time I will not take such big risks because I understand that points are very for the championship. But I will not change my approach and I will keep my important traditions including sleeping at home. I want to win the course this weekend, Monaco is my home. This is where I went to school. When I was running as a child, the teachers wondered why I was not in class. It would be great to winning here in front of my family, my friends and everyone who believed in me.”
Wolff denied that Hamilton wanted to stop the race at Barcelona
Toto Wolff has denied that Lewis Hamilton really wanted to throw in the towel last Sunday at Barcelona. Wolff, current Mercedes boss, therefore attacks those who interpreted Hamilton’s radio message to Barcelona as a sign that he no longer possesses the will to fight. “None of this describes a driver who was 38 seconds behind and yet set some of the fastest laps in the race.”did he declare.
“That’s what shows the good attitude and the determination he has. When you lost the race, you always think ‘what’s the point of continuing the race now?’ didn’t take the car out of the race, because it was the most valuable time to compare the two cars and the settings.”did he declare. “In the end, we learned so much that it paid off”continued Wolff.