ROUND 17: 🇯🇵 FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2023

Circuit stats
First Grand Prix 1987
Number of laps 53
Circuit Length 5.807 km
Race Distance 307.471 km
Lap record 1:30.983 Lewis Hamilton (2019)
2022 winner Max Verstappen

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  • Dmian@lemmy.world
    27·
    1 year ago

    Williams needs to be bold and get rid of Sargeant asap. I have nothing against the guy, but he’s constantly crashing, sometimes more than once in a weekend. Mechanics must be fed up of constantly having to rebuild the car, and it’s costing a lot of money. Amazing he’s got a seat, and Lawson doesn’t.

    Edit: and their reserve is Mick? Ouch!

    • Mateoto@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      To be fair, Mick Schumacher did show improvement in the second half of the season, scoring points, reducing crashes, and closely competing with Magnussen.

      Logan Sargeant’s did nothing of these.

      While Lawson shows promise, it’s doubtful he’ll secure the Williams seat. Red Bull’s decision to keep him in their development program after just three races suggests they’re avoiding a “de Vries moment.” Ricciardo’s selection for AlphaTauri’s race seat might be due to his marketability, crucial during the rebranding. Lawson’s role as a reserve driver for two teams positions him for future opportunities in 2025.

      • Dmian@lemmy.world
        3·
        1 year ago

        Yes, I’m not suggesting Lawson should replace him. It’s pretty clear he’ll stay in RB’s orbit, just in case.

        Williams has Mick as reserve, but I’m not sure he’s the best option for them.

        I don’t know what other options they have. Maybe asking for a loan from another team, but that’s a risk for the team loaning the driver, if something happens to one of their drivers. Or taking a gamble with a rookie.

        But it’s clear they won’t improve and develop the car with Logan.

        Now that I think of it… what if they ask Sebastian Vettel to help them? His experience could be great to try to make a competitive car.

      • Dmian@lemmy.world
        5·
        1 year ago

        I have no idea about money. I was under the impression that he was there mostly so Americans had someone to cheer for. But maybe he has some financial support. But with current rules, that’s not as important as it was in the past, considering the caps.

    • Photographer@lemmy.worldM
      3·
      1 year ago

      James made it quite clear that the number of crashes were having a detrimental impact on the teams ability to develop the car

    • JCPhoenix@kbin.social
      31·
      1 year ago

      Yeah, he’s like a Mazepin or Mick level of driver. And I had no idea Mick was their reserve! I assume he’s shared with Mercedes, kinda like how DeVries was last year.

      Like I get he’s a rookie. Rookies make mistakes and should be allowed to. But this is too much.

      I wonder who could get that seat. The Williams Drivers Academy is pretty thin. Mostly F3 drivers, none in F2. Their most experienced Academy driver seems to be their F1 development driver, Jamie Chadwick. She won W Series twice and now is in Indy NXT. (part of IndyCar’s ladder). If not her, they’d have to look outside their organization. Would Mick really make a come back? Seems less than ideal.

      • Dmian@lemmy.world
        31·
        1 year ago

        The thing is, you expect rookies to make mistakes at the beginning, but keep improving as the season progresses and they adapt to the category.

        But in my opinion, he’s getting worse, making more mistakes than he should at this point, constantly making excuses, and looking totally defeated.

        It’s similar to what happened to Mick at Hass. And I think the only reason why Mick is still at F1 is because of Toto’s support.

        If I was Vowles, I’d ask McLaren to loan Alex Palou, considering he won’t have an opportunity to get a McLaren seat for a long time.