2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

Car launch dates

Haas - February 2

Sauber - February 5

Williams - February 5

Alpine - February 7

Visa Cash App RB - February 8

Aston Martin - February 12

Ferrari - February 13

Mercedes - February 14

McLaren - February 14

Red Bull - February 15

F1 2024 car launches: When will F1 teams unveil their new cars?
01 Feb 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104281...their-new-cars


When is F1 testing in 2024? Full Schedule and times
From February 21-23 inclusive, the annual pre-season testing puts F1 cars properly through their paces, finally revealing the truth about those off-season whispers.
We have three days of testing, with two four-hour sessions running each day.
Here are the key dates and start times:
Wednesday February 21: 10am - 7pm local time (7am - 4pm UK, 8am - 5pm CET, 2am - 11am EST, Tue 11pm - Wed 8am PST)
Thursday February 22: 10am - 7pm local time (7am - 4pm UK, 8am - 5pm CET, 2am - 11am EST, Wed 11pm - Thu 8am PST)
Friday February 23: 10am - 7pm local time (7am - 4pm UK, 8am - 5pm CET, 2am - 11am EST, Thu 11pm - Fri 8am PST)


F1 testing 2024: Dates, times and how to watch live
Wednesday 31 January 2024 15:57
Yara Elshebiny
GPFans

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...v-live-stream/


2024 F1 calendar

Date..........................Event............... .........Location

29 February–2 March.......Bahrain GP...............Sakhir

7–9 March......................Saudi Arabian GP......Jeddah

22-24 March...................Australian GP............Melbourne

5-7 April.........................Japanese GP.............Suzuka

19-21 April.....................Chinese GP...............Shanghai

3-5 May.........................Miami GP..................Miami

17-19 May......................Emilia Romagna GP....Imola

24-26 May......................Monaco GP................Monaco

7-9 June........................Canadian GP.............Montreal

21-23 June.....................Spanish GP...............Barcelona

28-30 June.....................Austrian GP..............Spielberg

5-7 July..........................British GP................Silverstone

19-21 July......................Hungarian GP...........Budapest

26-28 July......................Belgian GP...............Spa

23-25 August..................Dutch GP.................Zandvoort

30 August–1 September...Italian GP................Monza

13-15 September............Azerbaijan GP...........Baku

20-22 September............Singapore GP...........Singapore

18-20 October................United States GP.......Austin

25-27 October................Mexican GP..............Mexico City

1-3 November.................Brazilian GP.............São Paulo

21-23 November..............Las Vegas GP..........Las Vegas

29 November–1 Dec.........Qatar GP.................Losail

6-8 December.................Abu Dhabi GP..........Yas Marina


2024 F1 driver line-up

Team Drivers

Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas Zhou Guanyu

AlphaTauri Daniel Ricciardo Yuki Tsunoda

Alpine Pierre Gasly Esteban Ocon

Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll

Ferrari Charles Leclerc Carlos Sainz

Haas Nico Hulkenberg Kevin Magnussen

McLaren Lando Norris Oscar Piastri

Mercedes Lewis Hamilton George Russell

Red Bull Sergio Perez Max Verstappen

Williams Alex Albon Logan Sargeant



Who are the 2024 F1 reserve drivers

Team Drivers

Alfa Romeo Theo Pourchaire

AlphaTauri Liam Lawson

Alpine TBC

Aston Martin Felipe Drugovich

Ferrari TBC

Haas TBC

McLaren Ryo Hirakawa Pat O’Ward

Mercedes Mick Schumacher

Red Bull TBC

Williams TBC


2024 F1 season driver line-up and calendar: Everything you need to know
DEC 1, 2023, 5:54 PM
AUTHOR: Rebecca Braybrook
Motorsport.com

‘2024 F1 calendar, F1 driver line-up, F1 reserve drivers’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/2...ndar/10553574/

Verstappen: 2024 F1 calendar unsustainable ‘for the human body’.
Max Verstappen has voiced a negative opinion towards Formula 1’s 2024 schedule by saying it’s “not very sustainable for emissions” or “for the human body.”
16:55 Thu, 23 Nov 2023
by Dan Lawrence
Motorsport Week

Next year, two more races will be added to the calendar and Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi will form a triple-header to end the season, shortly after an extensive period of races in the Americas, which is cause for concern for this year’s World Champion.

“It’s a bit tough to understand what time zone that you’re in,” Verstappen admitted. “I think what does help here is that it’s all a bit later, like you try to have a good night’s sleep and stuff.”

“I definitely think for the future – of course for next year it’s not possible – but it’s a little bit odd that we are on the other side of the world basically before getting here.”

‘Unsustainable for the human body’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...he-human-body/


Everything we know about the three F1 teams changing their names for 2024 season
Three F1 teams will change their identities for the 2024 season after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
08:45, Sun, Nov 26, 2023
By Charlie Malam
Daily and Sunday Express

Perhaps the most significant change on the grid is with Red Bull's sister team. Previously known as Toro Rosso from 2006 and 2019, they have been Scuderia AlphaTauri since the 2020 season. They act as a first chance in F1 for young talents from the Red Bull Driver Academy such as Sebastian Vettel, Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. But the team will undergo another change this offseason. AlphaTauri, which is a fashion brand that operates under the Red Bull umbrella, has not seen as much commercial success as they had hoped from the partnership.

Aston Martin: Currently known as Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team, the British team will drop Cognizant from their name for 2024. Cognizant had been a title sponsor ever since Aston Martin returned to the sport three years ago. The technology and consulting firm will still sponsor Aston Martin but as a strategic partner instead. A spokesperson for the F1 team confirmed recently: "This was always planned as phase two of that relationship (with Cognizant).

Alfa Romeo: Another complete name change will occur at Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake. Alfa Romeo have had a six-year partnership with Sauber Motorsport and are sporting a commemorative livery in Abu Dhabi. But the team will race under the Audi banner from 2026. For the next two seasons before then, Sauber are expected to go it on their own. Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the main face alongside Andreas Seidl, has confirmed Audi will have no part to play before 2026.

‘Three F1 teams changing their names’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...nge-Alfa-Romeo


F1 REGULATORS MANDATE EXTRA COOLING MEASURES FOR 2024 SEASON
The FIA are determined to avoid the health risks experienced at this year's Qatar Grand Prix
November 28, 2023
James Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

All Formula 1 teams will be required to run extra weight for cooling equipment from next year when temperatures are deemed “extreme”. A scoop fitted underneath each driver’s race seat has already reached approval for the 2024 season, but there has been further developments to prevent overheating inside the cockpit.

The FIA have now revealed that they have the power to trigger an emergency declaration when conditions are considered too dangerous. This will increase the minimum legal weight of all cars, incentivising teams to provide ice vests and other cooling equipment to their drivers to withstand the heat.

FIA single-seater Director Nikolas Tombazis explained the new rules: “This will give an extra bit of weight for the cars, something like probably two kilos, which will be mandatorily put on and mandatorily used for the purpose of cooling the driver. So, that will enable solutions such as cooling vests.”

‘MANDATE EXTRA COOLING MEASURES’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/f1...r-2024-season/


Stefano Domenicali admits there will be changes to one key event during 2024 season
Mon 27 November 2023 19:00
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has admitted there will be changes made ahead of the 2024 season to the Sprint Race format. Domenicali was speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Asked what changes he foresees in the Sprint Race format, the F1 CEO said: “We will do something. But I cannot spoil anything that we are discussing! I think that what we’re going to do is to consider all the lessons learned from this year.”

“I think that what we will see is something that you will appreciate and what is great is that all around the world the fans love this format. And we have the duty to consider also people and fans that are not really in love with the format and that will change because they’re getting smaller.”

‘There will be changes’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ste...g-2024-season/


F1 announce sprint race format update for 2024 season
F1 sprint weekends will take a different form in 2024
November 24, 2023
By Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

The exact nature of the future sprint format remains unconfirmed, but it appears F1 is acting on teams’ complaints that parc ferme has applied at the start of the sprint shootout on Friday evening, blocking them from setup changes for grand prix qualifying.

“The Commission gave overall support for an update to the Sprint Format for 2024 to further rationalise the weekend by separating Sprint activities from those for the Grand Prix,” an F1 media statement said. “The final calendar for the 2024 Sprint events will be published in the coming weeks.

“The Sporting Advisory Committee will work through specific details, particularly regarding timing and the parc ferme regulations, for a final proposal to be presented to the F1 Commission for the first meeting of 2024.”

‘Different form in 2024’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...e-2024-season/

Horner: 'Red Bull's year was insane… and we started early on our 2024 car'.
Christian Horner says… …he can't dwell on the past. There's a title to retain in 2024; an engine to build for 2026; but firstly, a pile of appraisals on his desk
November 29th 2023
Author: Chris Medland

“Christmas will be off, but between now and Christmas is flat out,” he (Chritian Horner) says. “There’s always a lot to do in the factory this time of year. You have a lot of appraisals and reviews and other commitments as well — sponsor commitments. But by the time everybody breaks up, I think I finish on the 21st or 22nd, I think everybody will be ready for a well-deserved shutdown, which will be official this year.”

“We’ve had so much going on behind the scenes, particularly in Red Bull Powertrains. And they’ve been achieving some milestones throughout this year. And let’s not forget 2026 is not that far away, and the size of the challenge that we have ahead of us is massive. So of course that consumes an awful lot of time when I’m back in the factory. Horner’s mind is already on 2026 and the challenges that will provide, and rightly so seeing as Mercedes hit the ground running so strongly when the last significant power unit changes were introduced in 2014.

But it’s not to the detriment of the shorter-term, with Red Bull able to take full advantage of its dominance this year to focus on the 2024 car at an early stage. It’s something that Horner believes was particularly important given the cost cap penalty it received a year ago that reduced how much time it could spend in the wind tunnel this year. Thankfully, we had a good base to start because if we’d have been consumed with the very limited amount of wind tunnel we had in terms of developing RB19, it would really compromise us very badly on to RB20. But because we had a great starting block with ’19 enabled us to apply the limited amount of resource that we had available to RB20 reasonably early for us, while spinning both plates. That’s why development has been very frugal on this car really since the middle of the year.”

‘We had available to RB20 reasonably early’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...?nowprocket=1#


Christian Horner confirms Lewis Hamilton’s fears about 2024 Red Bull F1 car
29 Nov 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Christian Horner has seemingly confirmed Lewis Hamilton’s biggest fear about Red Bull’s 2024 F1 car development. "At this moment, I don't really know [about next year]. For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds and they haven't developed their car since August is definitely a concern," seven-time world champion Hamilton told Sky after finishing ninth in Abu Dhabi.

Red Bull team principal Horner has since revealed that his side were indeed able to start work on their 2024 challenger - the RB20 - early, backing up Hamilton’s big concern. “Thankfully, we had a good base to start because if we’d have been consumed with the very limited amount of wind tunnel we had in terms of developing RB19, it would really compromise us very badly on to RB20,” Horner told Motorsport Magazine.

‘Fears confirmed’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104243...ed-bull-f1-car


Christian Horner confirms Lewis Hamilton fear over Red Bull's 2024 car
15:55, Fri, Dec 1, 2023
By Matthew Abbott
Daily and Sunday Express

"Red Bull won by 17 seconds and have not touched the car since August. So, you can pretty much guess where they're going to be next year.” Hamilton added: “[Red Bull] haven't even developed their car since August. It’s definitely a concern."

Horner confirmed Hamilton's concerns. “Thankfully, we had a good base to start because if we’d have been consumed with the very limited amount of wind tunnel we had in terms of developing RB19, it would really compromise us very badly on to RB20. But because we had a great starting block with ’19 enabled us to apply the limited amount of resource that we had available to RB20 reasonably early for us, while spinning both plates. That’s why development has been very frugal on this car really since the middle of the year.”

'RB19: Very frugal’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...n-red-bull-car


Red Bull’s dominance isn’t guaranteed for 2024, says Horner.
November 30, 2023
Abby Bathurst
FormulaNerds

Horner has likened Red Bull’s dominance in 2023 to that of Mercedes in 2020. Three years ago, the Silver Arrows won all but four of the 17 Grands Prix. Lewis Hamilton, much like Verstappen this year, won the majority; the seven-time world champion took 11 victories in 2020.

The following year, however, Mercedes didn’t dominate as much. In 2021, Red Bull were able to battle at the front and Hamilton and Verstappen were level on points ahead of the season finale. As reported by Motorsport.com, Horner related this to Red Bull’s current dominance saying: “We saw that in 2020 with Mercedes. If you remember, that was their most dominant year ever and yet, we were able to beat them in ’21.”

“There is a subtle rule change but I think that nothing stands still. We’ve seen competitors coming closer at different venues and I’m sure concepts will converge. Stable regulations always concertina. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to repeat the season that we’ve had, but hopefully, we can take the lessons from RB19 and apply them to RB20 and come up with a car that we can defend these titles with.”

‘Dominance isn’t guaranteed’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/re...4-says-horner/


Domenicali expects rivals to close Red Bull race pace gap in 2024
13:37 Wed, 29 Nov 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali expects Red Bull’s rivals to reduce the reigning champion’s consistent advantage in race trim next season. “I would say congratulations to Max,” Domenicali expressed to Sky F1. “He has set something impressive in terms of maturity – in terms of standards – to Red Bull.”

Despite Red Bull’s relentless supremacy in race conditions, the Austrian outfit was usurped for pole position on eight occasions – including at three of the last five rounds. “You see Saturday in qualifying, 20 cars [covered] in less than one second,” Domenicali acknowledged. “So in qualifying, we are very, very close. Of course, race pace is different and I think that this will be the major thing that we’re going to see different [about] next year.”

‘Race pace gap’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...e-gap-in-2024/


Verstappen shares weakness Red Bull must eradicate in 2024
03 December 12:00PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Despite near perfection in 2023, Max Verstappen is keen to see his Red Bull squad make improvements to fix weaknesses from the RB19 in 2024's RB20. "Of course there are," Verstappen replied when asked by media including RacingNews365 if the Red Bull package had any weaknesses. "Look at our race weekend in Singapore. In general, on street circuits, I think we struggle a bit more, like in Las Vegas also.”

"Low speed is definitely not our strongest point in the car; bumps, and kerbs as well, so that is an area we can improve. We are working on our car to try and make it better. I think we know our weaknesses, and that's what we'll try to work on plus trying to make our strengths even stronger."

‘Verstappen shares weakness’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...dicate-in-2024


Red Bull chief shares Sergio Perez "failed" admission as 2024 F1 plan becomes clear
15:53 Fri, 01 Dec 2023.
By Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer
The Mirror

Despite how dominant Red Bull were in 2023, technical director Pierre Wache thinks Sergio Perez's struggles meant the team still "failed". "A fast car is a car that allows the driver to perform to the maximum," he told the Dutch Formule1 magazine. "We failed in that respect because only one driver, Max, in this case, could handle it well.”

"That is Max's talent, that he managed to use the car well throughout the season and under different conditions. On the other hand, we in turn may not have properly understood Checo what he needs to get the potential out of the RB19."

Wache's frustration hints that it will be an area of focus for him and his design colleagues as they continue to work on their 2024 car. If there performance gap between Red Bull and their rivals is closer this team, they may need both of their drivers to be firing in order to mount a successful title defence.

‘An area of focus’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-sergio-perez/


Marko reveals F1 plans amid 'changed' 2024 Red Bull role
Friday 1 December 2023 09:57
Anna Malyon
GPFans

Red Bull director Helmut Marko has insisted he has the strength to continue in his leadership position, noting a more positive demeanour than others during demanding race weekends. Marko also expressed his perspective on whether the team would pursue similar goals during the 2024 season.

“That we can do this is illusory,” Marko said. “But let's see if all 24 races can be driven at all. As you know, Imola failed this year because of the natural disaster. When I look at how things are going in the world, you have to be very optimistic that everything can be carried out as planned.”

‘Strength to continue’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-sergio-perez/

Wolff warns F1 rivals that 2024 car will make MASSIVE step.
…asserting that the upcoming Mercedes W15, slated for the 2024 season, will wield a two-and-a-half-second advantage over its predecessor, the W14.
Saturday 2 December 2023 09:57
Jay Winter
GPFans

The Mercedes team principal outlined their ambitious plans for the W15, emphasizing a substantial two-and-a-half-second improvement. "So we're going to make a two-and-a-half second step," he concluded.

Mercedes' star drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be eagerly awaiting the W15 capabilities as F1 regroups over the winter period before heading to Bahrain on March 2nd for the first race of the 2024 season.

‘Wolff warns F1 rivals’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-2024-car-w15/


Toto Wolff makes Lewis Hamilton F1 title prediction - if one condition met by Mercedes
4 Dec 2023
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

Wolff has “no doubt” the 38-year-old Briton remains at the peak of his powers and just needs a car capable of challenging for the championship in order to deliver a record eighth world title.

"From Lewis's perspective, he had a bad weekend," Wolff said of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished ninth.”

"That doesn't do anything about him being the greatest driver in the world, and if we are able to give him a car, then he will be fighting for a World Championship. I have no doubt.”

‘If one condition met’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/104249...n-met-mercedes


'Is it me or the car?': Lewis Hamilton after a second straight year without a win.
Lewis Hamilton has gone two Formula 1 seasons without winning a race. It comes after dominating the sport for seven years
November 30, 2023 15:09:34 IST
FP Sports
Firstpost

Lewis Hamilton admitted to wondering if he ‘still has it’ after Mercedes had another disappointing Formula 1 season. For Hamilton, it was a second straight season without a Grand Prix victory to his name. “Ultimately,” Hamilton told BBC Sport, “when you have difficult seasons like this, there are always going to be moments when you’re like: ‘Is it me, or is it the car? Do you still have it? Has it gone?’

“Because you’re missing that, you know… when the magic happens, when everything comes together, the car and you, and that spark, it’s extraordinary. And that’s what you’re in the search for,” he added. “I’m only human,” says the 38-year-old. “If anyone in the world tells you they don’t have those things, they’re in denial. We’re all human beings.”

Hamilton admitted that it would be a tough season the moment he drove this year’s car back in February. “I remember it feeling exactly the same,” he says as he compares it to last year. “And that definitely was not a great feeling. I really had high hopes. In February, when we do a download of where the car is going, I was a little more apprehensive, because the previous year it was like: ‘The car is amazing, it’s unique, no-one’s going to have anything like it.’ And then we get to the first test…

'Is it me or the car?';

https://www.firstpost.com/sports/for...-13449322.html


Lewis Hamilton explains why he publicly scolded Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton was disappointed to find that Mercedes' 2023 car felt identical to their woeful 2022 challenger in the pre-season test.
30 November 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

The seven-time World Champion recalls how his first thoughts of driving the W14 were that it felt “exactly the same” as the team’s 2022 car, which he failed to claim a single victory or pole position in. This frustrated Hamilton, as he became aware that changes to the car that he asked for following 2022 “weren’t done”.

Given that Hamilton’s feedback wasn’t listened to ahead of 2023, it would’ve been very easy for the 103-time race winner to become annoyed; however, he instead opted to work hard with the Brackley-based squad to solve their problems. Reflecting on 2023, the 38-year-old believes he’s remained a “lot more positive” and has helped push the Silver Arrows forwards.

“I’m sure there were frustrations, because I had asked for certain changes, and they weren’t done. No one knew exactly what the problem was, no one knew how to fix it. Having the experience of the previous year, I just applied myself, in terms of digging down, sitting with the guys. We were having much better meetings.”

‘Publicly scolded Mercedes’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/lewis-ham...lded-mercedes/


Toto Wolff makes major admission as Mercedes take big W15 gamble
01 Dec 2023 11:30 AM
Sam Cooper
PlanetF1.com

Toto Wolff has admitted Mercedes “could get it wrong” as they plan a total overhaul of their car. Mercedes went back to the drawing board after the W14 proved to be just as problematic as its predecessor and the team will now spend the winter building an entirely new car for the 2024 season.

But Wolff has admitted that despite the success that has come out of their Brackley base, there is no guarantee they will get it right. “We are changing the concept,” he told media, including PlanetF1.com, in Abu Dhabi. “We are completely moving away from how we laid out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow.”

“I mean, literally, there’s almost every component that’s being changed because only by doing that, I think we have a chance. We could get it wrong also. So, between not gaining what we expect, catching up and making a big step and competing in the front, everything is possible.”

‘Big W15 gamble’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...des-w15-gamble


Wolff downplays Mercedes’ chances of beating Red Bull before 2026
07:05 Fri, 01 Dec 2023.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
RacingNews365

Toto Wolff has suggested that any hope of Mercedes being able to overhaul Formula 1 rivals Red Bull before 2026 is “against the odds”. Mercedes boss Wolff was full of praise for Red Bull’s efforts this year, but doesn’t see it being dethroned in the current era.

“Red Bull started these regulations in 2022 with a massive advantage and was able to maintain it,” Wolff said, as quoted by RacingNews365. “You got to have a lot of respect for their achievement from the engineering side and the driver. Beating them under the current regulations is against the odds, that’s clear.”

‘Wolff downplays Mercedes’ chances’;

https://readmotorsport.com/2023/12/0...l-before-2026/


Beating Red Bull before 2026 'against the odds' - Wolff
01 December 8:00AM
Author Fergal Walsh
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has claimed that beating Red Bull before the 2026 season is “against the odds”. The 2026 campaign will see fresh technical regulations introduced, including the debut of new Power Units.

'Against the odds';

https://racingnews365.com/russell-wa...-with-2024-car


Mercedes working on brake issue for 2024 F1 season
Friday 1st December, 2023 - 12:52pm
By Ian Parkes
Speedcafe

Mercedes is looking to rectify a brake issue ahead of the 2024 F1 campaign that almost led to Lewis Hamilton retiring from the end-of-season Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. head of race strategy Rosie Wait said, “Lewis was managing brake issues throughout the race, which was a real reliability concern.”

“So, our number one priority was making sure that we got that car to the finish and didn’t have to retire it. That will have affected his performance to varying degrees throughout the race and is something that we are certainly working on to improve for next year’s car.”

‘Brake issue’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/12/01...p-brake-issue/

F1 team bosses angry over Toto and Susie Wolff's 'conflict of interest' and make complaint.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his wife Susie have reportedly been accused of a conflict of interest, with Susie in her role as the managing director of the F1 Academy series.
20:32, Sat, Dec 2, 2023
By Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express

Business F1 Magazine claim that several team chiefs around the paddock have been questioning whether Toto and Susie Wolff should be employed in both roles. Those bosses have insisted that Toto, via his wife, has access to information that other teams on the grid are unable to obtain.

Suspicions were initially raised when Toto allegedly had information in advance of a meeting, which led to several of his peers being surprised that he was aware of the topic. He was said to have realised that he overspoke as his rivals were able to work out that the information only could have come from someone at the Formula 1 Group (F1G).

This has led to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem holding informal discussions with team chiefs regarding the issue, though it remains to be seen whether any action will be taken. Ben Sulayem is said to be unsure over whether this is typical politics in the paddock or whether intervention needs to be taken. He has been keen to avoid adding another issue on the plate of the FIA and F1G, but there is increasing pressure to step in.

‘Accused of a conflict of interest’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...cedes-complain


F1 team bosses OUTRAGED over Wolff's alleged 'conflict of interest'
Saturday 2 December 2023 17:57
Matthew Hobkinson
Daily and Sunday Express

Formula 1 team principals are reportedly up in arms over what they believe to be a conflict of interest that enables Mercedes chief Toto Wolff to access confidential information.

According to the latest issues of the Business F1 Magazine, there is trouble brewing within the paddock. They report that a possible conflict of interests exists between Wolff and his wife, Suzie, who is managing director of the F1 Academy series.

'Conflict of interest';

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...t-of-interest/


Wolff’s risky connections: Wife’s F1 role triggers potential scandal
07:13 Mon, 04 Dec 2023.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

Mercedes team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff finds himself under the spotlight once again, as unnamed rival team bosses raise concerns over a new alleged conflict of interest. This accusation follows earlier claims of Wolff leveraging his connections with former lawyer Shaila-Ann Rao, who later held a prominent position as the interim secretary general of sport at the FIA.

This time, Business F1 magazine suggests that team bosses are uneasy about Wolff potentially gaining access to privileged information through his wife, Susie Wolff. Susie is now a prominent figure in Formula 1’s new female-only F1 Academy series, and according to the magazine, team principals fear that Wolff may have access to confidential information that they do not.

‘Wolff’s risky connections’;

https://grandpx.news/wolffs-risky-co...ntial-scandal/


Wolff backs 'transparent F1' over Red Bull-AlphaTauri links
04 December 7:30AM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Toto Wolff has issued his backing for the "transparency" of Formula 1 after concerns from some teams over the increased closeness of Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Already the junior squad to Red Bull, AlphaTauri is set to undergo huge changes in 2024, including a new name, livery and title sponsor as long-time team boss Franz Tost departs with Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer taking over.

Bayer has been clear that the team will take as many transferable components (formerly non-listed parts) as it can, with late-season upgrades propelling the team from the bottom of the Constructors' to just missing out at overhauling Williams for seventh.

"I have to be honest, I only saw that [Yuki] Tsunoda was sixth in [Abu Dhabi qualifying] and they've come on strong which makes me happy for the fans of AlphaTauri to go out on a high," Wolff told media including RacingNews365. "But this is a transparent world. I haven't looked at any components, and am sure that others will and then we will take it from there. But honestly, I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about it."

‘Toto Wolff has issued his backing for the "transparency" of Formula 1’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-back...phatauri-links


Brundle challenges Wolff over Andretti F1 opposition amid rookie complaint
15:05 Sun, 03 Dec 2023.
by Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle has challenged Toto Wolff over his continued opposition to Andretti’s entry amid the Mercedes Team Principal’s complaint that there is a “blockage” for upcoming drivers.

“You must be keen then to have Andretti on the grid and two more seats for these young drivers?” Brundle remarked to Wolff. “Yeah, that would be amazing,” Wolff immediately responded. “Then we could put the young drivers in there.”

‘Brundle challenges Wolff’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2023/...kie-complaint/


Wolff defends Mercedes' controversial Ferrari incident stance
Monday 4 December 2023 22:57
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Having been accused of vetoing a penalty waiver for Ferrari in Las Vegas, Toto Wolff believes every other team boss would have followed the same course.

"As a team principal for a rival team that is fighting for P2, I need to look at the regulations and at the full scope of possible actions of ourselves in order to finish P2 in the championship," Wolff told RacingNews365. "If the regulation says so, I need to act for the benefit of the team and 2,500 people.”

"If we lost the championship by five points because I have acted in sporting fairness, and the rules would have allowed me to actually penalise the car, I need to do this. Every other team principal will do it as much as it's unfair.”

‘Wolff defends Mercedes';

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-carlos-sainz/


Toto Wolff reacts to ‘idiot’ Michael Masi returning
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has lashed out at ex-FIA race director Michael Masi returning.
4 December 2023
by Nick Golding
Formula1News

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is against ex-Formula 1 race director Michael Masi making a remarkable return, and recently labelled him as an “idiot”.

Wolff’s strong feelings for Masi are as a result of his ‘human error’ in the 2021 season finale, where his failure to following the rule book resulted in Lewis Hamilton losing an unprecedented eighth Drivers’ Championship.

Masi letting only some cars un-lap themselves after initially stating that nobody would un-lap themselves, followed by ending a late Safety Car a lap early resulted in the FIA investigating his handling of the race.

‘Toto Wolff has lashed out’;

https://formula1news.co.uk/toto-wolf...asi-returning/

Report offers juicy details on 2024 Ferrari amidst Red Bull copy speculation.
Ferrari’s 2024 F1 car – currently codenamed ‘676’ – will reportedly be a mix of Red Bull “solutions” and the Scuderia’s own “innovations and choices.”
10 Nov 2023 12:00 PM
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

In year two of Formula 1’s ground-effect aerodynamic era, Ferrari found that instead of making inroads into Red Bull’s advantage, their deficit to the World Champions grew. Having realised in pre-season testing already that their SF-23’s concept was flawed, the Scuderia made a change mid-season that included dropping the baby bath sidepods for a more Red Bull-styled downwash concept.

According to Formu1a.uno, the ‘676’ project will “see solutions inspired by the Red Bull project, with innovations and its own choices, not limiting itself to copying what was introduced by Adrian Newey in these two years of new regulations.”

Going into more detail, the Italian publication reported that while the “aerodynamic appearance is not defined” with Ferrari continuing to update the ‘676’, the team’s goal is to maintain flexibility between “existing features and new technical innovations. The revised and enhanced concept is an interim version between the SF-23 and the Red Bull philosophy, incorporating unique solutions,” it added.

‘Juicy details’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/2024-f...-red-bull-copy


Vasseur urges Ferrari to be ‘more efficient’ in 2024
10:31 Thu, 30 Nov 2023.
Hamilton Lyndon-Griffiths
Read Motorsport

Team boss Vasseur insists the Italian outfit must make more of its opportunities next year having made a lit of all the points it dropped over the year. “We started on the wrong foot in Bahrain when we had to stop, we were P3 and [got] the penalty for the second race. It meant for Charles it was almost 25 points of penalty,” Vasseur said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“Plus the points that we were giving to the others with the two Mercedes that were behind us. But again, it is not only this one – you can do the list. Trust me, I have done the list a couple of times and have it in my head the classification without the issues and overall, I think that you have ups and downs during the season.”

“For sure, we gave up more points than our competitors and that means it is another topic that we need to work on for next year, to be more opportunistic and more efficient.”

‘Must make more of its opportunities’;

https://readmotorsport.com/2023/11/3...cient-in-2024/


Vasseur: Maximising opportunities an imperative for Ferrari in 2024
30/11/2023 at 14:08
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur says the Scuderia suffered a significant points shortfall this year because it failed to exploit too many opportunities that came its way. In a season marked by its inconsistencies and performance fluctuations, Ferrari finished its campaign P3 in F1’s Constructor’s standings, but just three points short of runner-up Mercedes.

From the outset, Ferrari's campaign was marred by struggles. The car, which lacked the raw pace to challenge Red Bull, failed to deliver the expected results, leaving the team on the backfoot in its season-opening race in Bahrain.

Compounding Ferrari's woes was a litany of self-inflicted setbacks and unforced errors, including reliability issues and strategy mistakes. Vasseur admits that these missteps cost the team precious points throughout the season.

‘Maximising opportunities an imperative’;

https://f1i.com/news/495722-vasseur-...i-in-2024.html


Ferrari needs to make more of its F1 opportunities in 2024 – Vasseur
13:00 Wed, 29 Nov 2023.
AUTHORFilip Cleeren
Motorsport.com

Ferrari Formula 1 chief Fred Vasseur has urged his team to make more of its opportunities in 2024 after having "made a list" of all the times it let valuable points slip. Things started off poorly for Charles Leclerc, who had to take an engine penalty in Saudi Arabia after retiring from the opening race in Bahrain.

Leclerc also retired in Australia and the Netherlands, was disqualified for excessive plank wear in Austin and failed to make the start in Brazil after crashing out with a hydraulic issue on the formation lap. Sainz also failed to start a race, due to a fuel system issue in Qatar, and retired following contact with McLaren's Oscar Piastri in Belgium.

Vasseur called on his team to stop giving so many points away to rivals in 2024, saying he has made a list in his head of all the points dropped through unforced errors.

"Made a list";

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...2024/10553179/


Vasseur reveals mistake Ferrari can't repeat in 2024
03 December 5:00AM
Author Fergal Walsh
Co-author Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Speaking to media including RacingNews365.com, Vasseur has admitted that Ferrari's expectations were too high ahead of the year. "For sure, I think the level of expectation was a bit too high at the beginning of the season," Vasseur said.

"We understood quickly the situation after a couple of laps in Bahrain and even a couple of laps into the simulator before Bahrain. But what I would keep in mind this season is the reaction of the team. We had a tough moment but remember after Jeddah, Miami, Spain or Zandvoort, Zandvoort is not so far away and we were almost lapped.”

"I think that we, compared to Zandvoort, collectively made a huge step forward and this is good for the future. It's on this progression that we can build for next year.

‘Expectations were too high ahead of the year’;

https://racingnews365.com/vasseur-re...repeat-in-2024


Juicy details emerge on 2024 Ferrari as ‘biggest problem’ identified – F1 news round-up
10 Nov 2023 10:00 PM
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

2024 Ferrari will not just be Red Bull copy. But, while Mercedes and Ferrari have since abandoned their routes to gravitate towards the Red Bull concept, it has been reported that Ferrari’s F1 2024 challenger will feature some unique characteristics, alongside Red Bull-inspired “solutions”.

Christian Horner identifies “biggest problem” for Ferrari. The Scuderia will very much be hoping that their 2024 challenger can finally end their baron spell without title glory, ongoing since 2008.

And Horner, boss of F1’s dominant Red Bull outfit, believes Ferrari’s status as the Italian national team and associated scrutiny does them no favours. “I think the biggest problem for Ferrari is that it’s a national team,” said Horner on the Eff Won podcast. “It needs to get back to being a race team.”

‘Biggest problem identified’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/2024-f...iggest-problem


VASSEUR: FERRARI MUST BE MORE REALISTIC FOR 2024
The Scuderia had a more difficult season than 2022, finishing third in the constructors' championship and achieving one race victory
December 3, 2023
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Managing expectations is essential. It was no secret how much it hurt the team with the SF-23, having high expectations after their 2022 season. Vasseur believes that the team can take courage from the improvements throughout the season. However the Frenchman has stressed not to set too high expectations after what happened this season:

“For sure, I think the level of expectation was a bit too high at the beginning of the season. We understood quickly the situation after a couple of laps in Bahrain and even a couple of laps into the simulator before Bahrain.”

However, Vasseur praised the reaction of his team after such a poor start, regarding the development of the car. “But what I would keep in mind this season is the reaction of the team. We had a tough moment but remember after Jeddah, Miami, Spain or Zandvoort, Zandvoort is not so far away and we were almost lapped. I think that we, compared to Zandvoort, collectively made a huge step forward and this is good for the future. It’s on this progression that we can build for next year.”

‘Team can take courage from the improvements throughout the season’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/va...stic-for-2024/

McLaren F1 boss makes bullish title prediction ahead of 2024.
Zak Brown is confident in McLaren's ability to challenge in 2024 but admitted that Red Bull will still be the team to beat at the front of the Formula 1 field.
Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:57
Shay Rogers
GPFans

Aside from a floor update in Hungary, Red Bull brought forward very little and were still incredibly successful in 2023. McLaren, on the other hand, have been in constant pursuit of the stopwatch, having brought multiple upgrades to date. This may have affected how much time they have spent on their 2024 car, however.

Brown: We’re feeling really good. But team boss Brown is in positive spirits ahead of next year's challenge, though he did concede that Red Bull are the favourites to retain their crown. "Well it's probably going to be Red Bull but I would not want to rule anybody else out," he told Sky Sports F1.

"There’s a lot of great teams on the grid. We're feeling really good about our car for next year. [It's] hard to kind of know when Red Bull maybe stopped developing this year's car to get going on next year's. But we definitely feel like we will take a step forward but so will the entire grid and we’re just going to have to wait and see."

‘Bullish title prediction’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...-bull-f1-2024/


Why Brown feels McLaren's full potential won't be seen in 2024
05 December 8:05PM
Author Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Despite huge steps forward in 2023, the McLaren CEO feels his team needs another season before its maximum potential can be delivered. Brown: Still work to do: "We have everything we need, but we need a little bit more time," Brown told media including RacingNews365.

"The upgrades were not done with some of our latest technology, and we're now in our wind-tunnel, we have our new simulator, our new manufacturing unit so that is quite exciting for us because we haven't benefited from those. We've got great people back at McLaren but we do have a couple of big hires that start in early January but of course, our 2024 has already been started.”

"We will have everything in place come January but 2024 has already started, so I think it will be 2025 before we've fully maximised everything, but I feel good about the '24 season. It’s been an awesome effort by Andrea and the entire team. The upgrades have been fantastic. The drivers are doing a great job, we’ve got great power coming out of our Mercedes power unit, so it’s been a wild ride."

‘We need a little bit more time’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-brown-...e-seen-in-2024


Can McLaren challenge Red Bull in 2024? | Zak Brown: We have two great drivers
21:49 Sun, 03 Dec 2023.
Sky Sports

McLaren boss Zak Brown is hoping for a strong start to the new season as they aim to narrow the gap on the Red Bulls in 2024.

‘We have two great drivers’;

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...-start-in-2024


Lando Norris makes 'strongest in a decade' claim as McLaren look to 2024
After securing his highest single-season points tally in 2023 Lando Norris is confident that his McLaren team has what it takes to be a significant threat in 2024
16:10, Tue, Dec 5, 2023
By Liam Llewellyn
Daily and Sunday Express

F1 star Lando Norris believes McLaren is set to have a strong 2024 season. The team finished fourth in the 2023 Constructors standings with 302 points, 205 of which were earned by the 24-year-old.

McLaren was immediately put on the back foot after failing to score a single point in the first two races of the year. But Norris steadily improved and was world champion Max Verstappen's most consistent challenger during the second half of the campaign.

After ending the season in a far better position than in which he began, Norris thinks McLaren can take this momentum into the 2024 season. “I hate ever being confident or overconfident about things, I'm never that kind of guy," he told Sky Sports F1 when asked if McLaren is set for a big year. "But I think so, because of what we have.”

'Strongest in a decade';

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...cLaren-f1-2024


Lando Norris says McLaren should be more confident than ever heading into the 2024 F1 season
Lando Norris led a remarkable McLaren turnaround in 2023 as the team recovered from a terrible start to the season to finish fourth in the constructors' standings; the Brit says he is "100 per cent" confident of claiming first F1 victory in 2024
Last Updated: 05/12/23 12:00pm
Sky Sports

Lando Norris says McLaren have more reason than ever to be confident going into the 2024 Formula 1 season and is "100 per cent" confident of claiming a maiden race victory.

‘Brit says he is "100 per cent" confident of claiming first F1 victory’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...2024-f1-season


F1 champion backs McLaren to challenge Red Bull in 2024
Wednesday 29 November 2023 15:57
Anna Malyon
GPFans

Former Formula 1 champion Damon Hill believes McLaren may be the top contender to challenge Red Bull next year. Despite (Red Bulls’) the record-breaking season, Hill has tipped McLaren to become a genuine contender at the front of the grid when the action resumes.

"I really do think [that]," Hill said. "The only thing that could be flattering that is that Red Bull has stopped developing their car and allowed people to catch up, so it looks like it might be closer than it really is.”

"But it's harder and harder to wring the last drops out of a set of regulations and I think McLaren are doing a fantastic job and I really do think that they can keep that going. They've already cracked most of the problems and brought out a competitive car this season anyway."

‘Damon Hill believes McLaren may be the top contender’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...rstappen-2024/

Alonso: F1 not a ‘charity event’ - Aston has to have pressure.
Aston Martin will approach 2024 with heightened expectations and therefore with intensified pressure lingering over the team, but it’s a state of affairs that Fernando Alonso hopes his team will embrace.
05/12/2023 at 11:24
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Aston Martin F1's 2023 campaign was a tale of two halves, with the Silverstone-based outfit enjoying a remarkable start to the season, Alonso securing six podium finishes in the opening eight races. The surge in performance positioned as Red Bull's closest challenger and raised hopes of an outright win.

However, the second half of the season proved less successful. Despite Alonso adding two more top-three finishes to his tally, upgrade-related issues hindered the team's progress. As a result, Aston was overtaken by Ferrari and Mercedes in the constructors' championship and ultimately finished the season in fifth place.

“This is Formula 1, not a charity event,” commented the Spaniard. “We have to have the pressure to deliver. The fifth in the constructors’ [standings] hurts a little bit because I think we were better than that. We were hoping for better than that at the beginning of the year.”

‘Alonso: F1 not a ‘charity event’;

https://f1i.com/news/495946-alonso-f...-pressure.html


Why Aston Martin’s resurgence is crucial for the 2024 F1 season
11 November 2:00PM
Author Paolo Filisetti
RacingNews365

Aston Martin enjoyed a strong weekend in Brazil with Fernando Alonso returning to the podium after a challenging run of races. Here's why it was a crucial event as it looks towards next year's car.

The biggest problem that the engineers, directed by Dan Fallows, encountered was not completely resolving and identifying the problems that had prevented the AMR23 from being competitive throughout the season. In essence, if there had not been a demonstration of improvement in the performance and behaviour of the car in the last races, this would have represented the worst-case scenario for the team with a view to 2024.

However, it is equally correct to consider that the limits of the car could have been hidden precisely by the type of Interlagos track which already on paper was favourable to the F1 cars with a high-medium downforce configuration, such as the AMR23. The positive fact that’s worth considering is that Aston Martin’s engineers have understood what mistakes not to make in identifying the basic concept of the next year’s car.

‘Aston Martin’s resurgence is crucial’;

https://racingnews365.com/why-aston-...2024-f1-season


Fernando Alonso outlines Aston Martin weak points to iron out for 2024
Fernando Alonso finished fourth in the 2023 F1 drivers' championship, his best result since 2013
November 30, 2023
By Roman Brock
Total Motorsport

They lost out to McLaren by 22 points but it’s still a major step forward from Aston Martin‘s seventh places in the constructors’ championship from 2021 and 2022.

“I think we need to find some consistency,” said Alonso to the press. “One of the weak points is that the car has to operate in a very narrow window. It is the same for everybody but it seems that we struggle a little bit and it will be a nice if we can perform always at the stable level next year.”

“Also we can improve the straight line speed. Our weak point always is a little bit too slow on the straights and if we want to be as fast as the others, we need to drop too much the rear wing and then we ended up slowing in the corners as well. So that was probably the loop that we could not get out of this season.”

‘Weak points to iron out for 2024’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/f1-...eak-iron-2024/


Stroll's plan is to stay at Aston Martin in 2024
NOVEMBER 4, 2023
GrandPrix.com

The struggling Canadian driver is back in the Formula 1 headlines - but this time for the right reasons after a solid but in many ways lucky top-3 qualifying performance in Brazil.

Stroll, who has been accused of lacking the speed and motivation for F1 and only enjoying the support of his billionaire father Lawrence, admitted: "I still really felt like crap in the car. But I think we did a good job getting both cars, me and Fernando, at the front of the queue”, he added.

Stroll said in Brazil: "I mean, the plan is I'm staying next year. "You know, it's been a challenging season at times for sure. Some great highlights but also some really frustrating days recently. But the plan is to keep going next year for sure.”

‘Stay at Aston Martin in 2024’;

https://www.grandprix.com/news/strol...n-in-2024.html


Eddie Jordan admits he’s changed his mind about 25-year-old F1 driver he never used to rate
06:36 Tue, 05 Dec 2023.
F1 Oversteer

Tue 5 December 2023 06:30
Ben Evans
Former F1 team principal Eddie Jordan has admitted that he’s changed his mind on Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll this season. Jordan was chatting with David Coulthard on the Formula For Success Podcast. Lance Stroll struggled compared to his more experienced teammate but saw a late resurgence towards the end of the campaign. Eddie Jordan has admitted that he has changed his mind on Stroll after initially writing him off as a Formula 1 driver.

Speaking about Aston Martin’s fortunes this season and how they used to be Eddie Jordan’s team, he said: “It is a pity, it’s a very, very difficult job. I remember having one of the few rocks that I’ve had, I remember Lawrence Stroll coming to me to say, why did you say on Channel 4 I think I said would Lance Stroll get a drive without his father’s help or influence?”

“And he wasn’t happy about that. I’ll now come back to that and I’ll say that he does warrant and justify his position in Formula 1. But he’s never going to be a number one driver from what I can see at the moment.”

‘Changed his mind’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/edd...-used-to-rate/


Aston Martin eager to extend Alonso’s contract beyond 2024
Formula 1
Posted on 24th November 2023, 12:22
Written by Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Aston Martin are keen to extend Fernando Alonso’s contract to drive for the team beyond the end of next season. Team principal Mike Krack is therefore keen to extend his stay at the team into the 2025 season, when the two-times world champion will turn 44.

“I think I don’t have to answer that question,” said Krack when asked whether he wants to keep Alonso in the team. “Absolutely, yes.” Aston Martin caused a stir last year when they pounced on the opportunity to sign Alonso when his former team Alpine hesitated over extending his contract. Krack said he had “no concern” about offering a new deal to the oldest driver on the grid.

Krack said there’s been “only positives” from Alonso’s arrival at the team. “We were blown away from the first day until today actually,” he explained. “To be honest with you, I always thought it was a bit of a honeymoon, the months in the beginning. But I’m quite happy that we have managed to extend the honeymoon a bit longer. I think we have received a remarkable team player, constructive at all times, especially when it was difficult.”

‘Aston Martin eager to extend Alonso’s contract’;

https://www.racefans.net/2023/11/24/...t-beyond-2024/

It will be another season where Max and Red Bull are gonna finish on top but we should see more competition from the teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes in the upcoming season.

F1 rocked by bombshell investigation into Mercedes boss Wolff over alleged confidentiality breach.
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff and wife Susie are under investigation by the FIA for alleged conflict of interest and transfer of confidential information.
December 6th, 2023 10:56 am
Michael Lamonato from Fox Sports
Fox Sports (Australia)

Mercedes has denied the allegations on behalf of its boss. Susie Wolff and Formula 1 have also rejected the claims. Susie Wolff is managing director of the Formula 1-owned F1 Academy series, an international Formula 4-level category open only to women and girls aged 25 or younger. She reports directly to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

The FIA’s compliance department has opened its investigation following allegations made by unidentified team representatives published in the Business F1 magazine that Toto has access to confidential information on Formula 1 Management (FOM) activities via Susie’s high-level appointment.

According to the magazine, rival team principals were made suspicious by recent comments made by Toto that they believe could only have come from information from internal F1 channels to which he should not have been privy. The magazine further reports that rivals are concerned that information from their confidential team principals meetings could be made available to F1 executives via the Wolff couple.

‘Bombshell investigation’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...566df54c41f4e6


What next in FIA/Wolff case and the wider F1 implications?
Dec 6, 2023
by Scott Mitchell-Malm, Edd Straw
The Race

The Formula 1 off-season has begun with a surprise early controversy, with the FIA looking into allegations about the conduct of Toto and Susie Wolff that have been emphatically rejected.

The FIA’s compliance department is looking into an allegation of “information of a confidential nature being passed to an F1 team principal from a member of FOM personnel”, which subsequently led to the Wolffs being named as the subjects, along with more specific allegations about them being detailed too.

F1, Mercedes (in lieu of a personal one from team principal Toto Wolff) and F1 Academy boss Susie Wolff herself issued stinging responses to not just the allegations but the FIA’s conduct, with Mercedes inviting "full, prompt, and transparent correspondence from the FIA compliance department regarding this investigation and its contents". So what happens next, and what's at stake?

‘What next?’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/f...-implications/


The Wolff scandal: F1’s power couple under spotlight
07:03 Wed, 06 Dec 2023.
Andrew Maitland
Grandpx.news

A brewing storm in the Formula 1 world has placed Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal and co-owner, under intense scrutiny. Allegations of a potential conflict of interest have emerged, centering around Wolff’s wife, Susie Wolff, who recently took the helm as managing director of the F1-run female series F1 Academy. Business F1 magazine’s December issue has been the catalyst for this controversy, suggesting the possibility of confidential information being shared not just between the Wolffs but leaking to other key stakeholders in the F1 community.

The situation took a turn for the worse following a recent meeting of team bosses where Toto Wolff allegedly let slip sensitive information, accompanied by what observers described as noticeably “uncomfortable” body language upon realizing his mistake. This incident has propelled the FIA to initiate a formal investigation, with their compliance department now actively delving into these serious claims.

‘Let slip sensitive information, accompanied by what observers described as noticeably “uncomfortable” body language upon realizing his mistake’;

https://grandpx.news/the-wolff-scand...der-spotlight/


FIA opens conflict investigation into Mercedes head Wolff and his wife
Published Dec 05, 2023 at 04:54 PM ET
TSN

On Tuesday, the FIA said it was investigating the Wolffs following allegations of a conflict of interest and whether they have shared confidential information. The FIA said it was “aware of media speculation” about whether confidential information was exchanged, and that its compliance department was “looking into the matter.”

The probe began after a report in BusinessF1 magazine that rival team executives raised concerns about whether Toto and Susie Wolff passed on information discussed in private meetings. Susie Wolff reports to F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

The BusinessF1 report said team officials were alarmed when Toto Wolff made comments in a recent meeting that included details they felt could only have come from F1. The report did not detail what was discussed.

‘FIA opens conflict investigation’;

https://www.tsn.ca/auto-racing/fia-o...olff-1.2044974


What exactly is going on with the FIA's investigation into Toto and Susie Wolff?
06 December 7:11PM
Author Jake Nichol
Co-author Jesse Janse
RacingNews365

To make sense of why the FIA's investigation into Toto and Susie Wolff for an alleged conflict of interest matters, first we must go back to basics. Under the so-called 'franchise model' that has become the buzzword in recent times, the 10 teams on the grid are suppliers, who provide their product to the Commercial Rights Holder (Liberty Media, and by extension, Formula One Management (FOM)).

This product is then packaged and spruced up and passed on to consumers, broadcasters and fans. By this, Toto Wolff provides his product to F1 which is then sold on, but he retains control of the product, with Mercedes a separate entity to F1. Susie Wolff is a senior executive within F1 who reports to President and CEO Stefano Domenicali through her work running the in-house F1 Academy series, which launched earlier this year.

The claim against Toto Wolff is that in a recent meeting of Team Principals, he spoke of matters that the other bosses had no knowledge of, and which could only have come from within FOM. Toto Wolff, in theory, could then use any information he has, that he should not, to his and Mercedes' advantage over rivals. It is also suggested that Susie Wolff is also privy to information from team bosses that is advantageous to FOM - again a separate entity from the suppliers, the teams.

‘What exactly is going on?’;

https://racingnews365.com/much-more-...e-wolff-family


Wolff ‘deeply insulted’ by ‘baseless allegations’
Wednesday 6th December, 2023 - 10:35am
By Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Susie Wolff has issued a statement angrily refuting claims of a conflict of interest over information allegedly shared with her husband, Toto. As managing director of F1 Academy, Wolff is privy to confidential information from Liberty Media, Formula 1’s commercial rights holder.

A magazine article has alleged Toto Wolff shared information at a recent meeting of the Formula 1 team principals that could have only come from someone with inside knowledge of Formula One Management. On Tuesday evening, the FIA issued a statement acknowledging the allegation and revealing the FIA Compliance Department was investigating.

That was followed by a statement from F1 itself, which rejected the suggestion that one of its staff had leaked confidential information. Given that Toto Wolff shared the information, attention has centred on Susie. “I am deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised by the public allegations that have been made this evening,” she declared.

‘Deeply insulted’;

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/12/06...s-allegations/


Susie Wolff labels allegations ‘intimidatory and misogynistic’ in fiery statement
05 Dec 2023 9:29 PM
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

Susie Wolff has issued her own statement to respond to the unsubstantiated allegations linking her and husband Toto Wolff to an FIA investigation.

“It is disheartening that my integrity is being called into question in such a manner,” she said. “Especially when it seems to be rooted in intimidatory and misogynistic behaviour, and focused on my marital status rather than my abilities.”

“Throughout my career in motorsport, I have encountered and overcome numerous obstacles and I refuse to let these baseless allegations overshadow my dedication and passion for F1 Academy.”

“As a woman in this sport, I have faced my fair share of challenges but my commitment to breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations to succeed remains unwavering. In the strongest possible terms, I reject these allegations.”

‘Intimidatory and misogynistic’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/susie-...ia-allegations


Who Framed The Wolffs? F1 teams clamour on UNPRECEDENTED day of drama.
Thursday 7 December 2023 08:27
Cal Gaunt
GPFans

All Formula 1 teams have now refuted claims that they lodged official complaints with the FIA regarding the alleged exchange of confidential information between Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, and his wife Susie Wolff.

‘Who Framed The Wolffs?’;

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ations-framed/