2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Stroll sums up his P14 in Singapore: ‘Difficult day, difficult weekend’.
Lance Stroll came home in 14th place for Aston Martin and said he was struggling for balance and grip all weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit.
22 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Difficult day, difficult weekend’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/st...08322728887689


Stroll: Tricky qualifying ‘the story of my weekend’ in Singapore
21 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Lance Stroll qualified down in P17 for Sunday’s Grand Prix, and branded his Aston Martin AMR24 as “a very difficult car to drive”.

‘Tricky qualifying’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/st...14642585207899


'Difficult day' for Stroll with P14 in Friday practice
20 Sep 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Lance Stroll concedes there is a "a lot of work to do tonight" for Aston Martin after both cars finish outside the top ten in Friday's second practice session in Singapore.

'Difficult day';

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/di...28828981406586


INSIDE: How did sliders save Lance Stroll's life?
26 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Sliders: "The sliders! These actually saved my life in Bahrain that weekend [in 2023], man! I couldn't put my shoes on. I was in a lot of pain. At first, it was just like, 'How am I going to be comfortable walking up and down the paddock?' And then it was like, 'Boom, some big BOSS sliders!' Actually, then I thought it was kind of swaggy, the socks and the sliders. It had a good look to it.

"Recovering from the pre-season cycling accident is one of my biggest life achievements. It was, in my mind, not really a possibility when I was lying on the ground with my broken wrists, hand, toe… I was just kind of thinking, 'This isn't good, this is really not good,' but it was an incredible recovery. I had a great team around me, doctors, physios that helped me get to Bahrain, and to come away in sixth with some points was a great achievement.”

"I showed a lot to myself more than anything else. My tolerance for pain got much higher after Bahrain and some of my ideas of what I think is possible have changed. It was incredible adversity and a very challenging moment in my life that I overcame. It was a big life lesson for me. Courage is part of what we do. To drive these cars on the limit, to face adversity and go out there and compete every weekend takes a lot of courage and that's one of the reasons why the sport is so appealing."

"The sliders!”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/24724


Stroll cities confidence in the car as main factor to performance
28 Sep 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Stroll insists that the most vital thing is to build up confidence behind the wheel as it allows a driver to push the car to the limit. "I think it's always important to have confidence when you're in the car. When you're not confident in the car, that's when you just can't like really push it and lean on it, they're not comfortable to drive."

He added that confidence allows a driver "to lean on it, to come off the brake, carry speed, get back on the power as early as possible. I think that definitely is a factor for sure when you're driving and you're talking about that confidence thing," it's still crucial to find that confidence.” Stroll claims that Aston Martin clearly faces a big challenge to improve many aspects, but he is delighted that the team has been able to capitalize on some opportunities to score points in several races.

"I think I'm happy that we've been able to score points as a team, we capitalized throughout the year and we scored some points. A lot of racing to go and, always trying to just improve in every area. Improve setting up the car to be as good as it can be, improve qualifying, improve the race, it's a never-ending evolution."

‘Confidence in the car as main factor to performance’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25282


Guenther Steiner takes aim at ‘non-existent’ Lance Stroll with ‘weird’ trend identified
29 Sep 2024
Oliver Harden
PlanetF1.com

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Lance Stroll is “just non-existent” with the Aston Martin driver passing “completely under the radar” in F1 2024. And he suggested that the youngster simply goes through the motions when he does not have a competitive car at his disposal, with Stroll waiting to see if F1 2025 brings an improvement for Aston Martin.

He said: “Lance passes completely under the radar. It’s weird. You never speak good or bad about him, he’s just non-existent.” Put to him that F1 fans have just accepted Stroll being around, he added: “Exactly. I don’t think he’s a bad race car driver. I don’t know what it is. Obviously, we all know that he doesn’t need to drive a race car. He alright [financially], so maybe that’s what it is.”

“If the car is not [good enough] to [reach] the podium or something, he’s just like: ‘Yeah, I just get by. Who cares? I wait until next year’s car comes and see if that is better.’ I don’t know. I don’t know the guy, never spoke with him, so I have no idea. But he’s one of these guys who is rarely spoken about when he’s in the points. It’s less spoken about when he’s not in the points. He’s just there.”

‘Non-existent’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/guenth...d-non-existent


Former Williams team boss admits missed opportunity with Stroll “drives me nuts”
25th September 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Williams admitted she regrets missing the opportunity to keep Stroll within the Williams fold when she ran the team. “It drives me nuts because Lawrence was with us,” she told Business of Sport. Lance Stroll made his Formula 1 debut at Williams in 2017, through the financial support of his father. However Williams struggled the following year and Lawrence Stroll took the opportunity to buy Force India, moving his son there in 2019.

He has since spent heavily on the team, funding a massive upgrade of its facilities and hiring a raft of senior staff from rivals including star designer Adrian Newey. Stroll rebranded his team as Aston Martin in 2021, the year after the Williams family sold its team. “There is not one day when I ever, ever have the emotion that I’m pleased that we sold Williams,” she admitted. “No, never. I never, ever think that.”

“Everyone will probably go ‘oh, she’s so dramatic’ and whatever, but I will live with the heartbreak of losing it every single day. Because it wasn’t a decision that we made as a family to sell because we’d had enough of Formula 1 or wanted to cash out. We all wanted to stay in it. It was our life for ever, that was the plan. I wanted to run the team for my son or my nephews.”

‘Missed opportunity with Stroll “drives me nuts”.’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/09/25/...rives-me-nuts/

[Fortitude]

No Formula 1 for Zhou and he can no longer enter this class either!
For weeks, Guanyu Zhou said the same story. In short, his entire focus was on finding an F1 seat for 2025, and he was not looking at options in other classes.
30 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

It is now fairly clear that there is no place for the Chinese driver in Formula 1, as almost certainly Valtteri Bottas will get the seat Zhou was aiming for at Sauber. Meanwhile, Zhou has realised that his F1 adventure is coming to an end for the time being and so he is now looking around. Formula E - long seen as the most logical next step, as China's electric car market is the largest in the world - is also no longer an option for Zhou, according to GPblog.

All seats for next season have been filled, apart from the two seats at ERT. However, this Chinese team plans to extend the contracts of Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum for another season. Time is slowly running out for Zhou anyway, as top seats are currently being filled in most classes. "Wherever I go, I need to make sure that the door in F1 doesn't close at that time because I think a lot of drivers still make their comeback," said Zhou, who realises a decision has to be made.

"I am not worried about my racing career. I'm thinking about my Formula 1 career more than that, which is really nice to have. As a kid growing up, to get other very top teams in other series poaching, I think was a good thing," Zhou added before saying living the dream changed that view. "I want to stay here many more years."

‘F1 adventure is coming to an end for the time being’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30415...formula-1.html


Zhou fielding 'several very good' offers outside F1
Zhou Guanyu has said he has "several very good" opportunities outside F1 if he cannot secure the seat at Stake alongside Nico Hulkenberg for 2025.
29 Sep 2024
Samuel Coop & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Regardless of what subsequently lies in store for Zhou, he claims to have a variety of options to draw upon if he cannot secure his desired contract renewal at Stake.

"At the moment, all I can say is that there's already several very good chances, teams in other series [that have] approached me for a drive for next year," the Chinese driver told media including RacingNews365.

"But, at the moment, of course, I want to still get the Sauber seat, and if by any chance, I don't have that, we have to think about the rest [of the options available]."

'Several very good';

https://racingnews365.com/zhou-expre...ultiple-offers


Sauber seat speculation: Which driver will secure the 2025 spot?
There is one spot open at Sauber for their final full season next year before becoming Audi for 2026
September 26, 2024
Hannah May
FormulaNerds

Current drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas have yet to secure contracts for 2025. The team and drivers have had a difficult season, yet to score any points and experiencing issues with pit stops at the beginning of 2024. According to F1 Oversteer, it is rumoured that Zhou may be offered the role of reserve driver.

Bottas joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season. He signed a multi-year deal and drove alongside Zhou, who was a rookie driver in 2022. Both drivers remained with the team when they rebranded to Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. If the team choose to part ways with Zhou at the end of 2024, will they keep one of their drivers to partner with Hulkenberg for 2025?

‘Zhou may be offered the role of reserve driver’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/opinion.../?nowprocket=1


Sauber's reserve driver quits Formula 2 season early for new challenge
28 Sep 2024
Ludo van Denderen
GPblog.com

Zane Maloney will not finish the current Formula 2 season, after the Sauber reserve driver signed a contract with the new Lola Yamaha ABT team that will compete in Formula E. As the latter class will begin their new season in Mexico on 7 December, Maloney will be present there and therefore will not compete at the Abu Dhabi event in F2.

‘Sauber's reserve driver’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/30383...formula-2.html


Mattia Binotto: Audi will have a ‘gap to recover’ with F1 engine
30 Sep 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Sauber Motorsport boss Mattia Binotto has admitted Audi is braced to have an initial “gap to recover” once it debuts as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer in 2026. “I’ve been visiting Neuberg in the last days and weeks” Binotto said.

“The engine is progressing well, running on the dyno, some long distances so far already performed. I think here as well, it’s a learning process. We are competing with other organisations where manufacturers are settled down,” he accepted. “Certainly, all the experience is pretty important and valid.”

“So while I think the organisation there [at Audi] is great, the facilities are great, the programs are going ahead, still there is a learning curve, which needs to be done. So I’m expecting initially to have a gap to recover. How big it will be, I think that you can never know.”

‘Gap to recover’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...ith-f1-engine/