Welcome Drivers!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I am back up and running with more F1 content. Since my last post a lot has happened in F1 so lets do a brief recap for those needing the update

• It is clear that Red Bull is unbeatable this year especially with Max Verstappen behind the wheel. Five straight pole positions for Max and they have won every race this season.

• Perez has fallen off the wagon and there are now talks of his time coming to an end if he can’t turn around his quali performances.

• The battle for 2nd in the championship is heating up with Ferrari and Mercedes improving their cars and Aston Martin holding strong but taking a step back from how they started the season.

• A glimmer of hope for McLaren (will touch on this later) with a strong performance by Lando Norris in Austria and both drivers in the top 3 to start the race at Silverstone tomorrow.

• AlphaTauri will be undergoing another name change as Red Bull looks to align its sister team with the main team.

• Mercedes has ditched their no sidepods look with a different development path and it appears to be paying dividends. They currently sit P2 in the championship.

• DeVries is definitely on the hot seat as he has underperformed at AlphaTauri albeit the car is an absolute nightmare. Potential Danny Ric appearance next season?

So much more has happened this season but there is too much to discuss here so that is the gist of the recap. Lets get into the qualifying results and some race predictions for the 2023 British GP!

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2023 British GP Qualifying

McLaren Enters the Chat

After a rough start to the year it looks like McLaren finally gave their drivers a worthy car. I am not sure if Silverstone just suits their car but based on Lando’s performance in Austria last week it looks like they have put together a stellar package.

Both drivers were very competitive throughout mixed conditions in qualifying on Saturday. Ultimately Lando slotted in at P2 in front of his teammate Piastri in P3. Far and away their best team quali result since Monza 2021. Lando stuck it on pole late and for a few seconds looked as if the British driver would start on pole for his home GP. Verstappen did them dirty with a final run that pipped Norris but McLaren should be elated with the result. The bigger question is how they will fare in the race with both Ferrari and Mercedes on their tail.

Its been a tale of race woes for Norris this year. It seems like every time he starts near the front of the grid something ridiculously unlucky happens and he falls back fast. Last week in Austria he started in P3 for the Sprint Race but got caught up in the squabble between the Red Bull teammates and finished P9. The British fans are hoping this isn’t the case this time and maybe we will see a McLaren driver on the podium this week.

Max Max Max Super Max

Can anyone stop Max Verstappen this season? So far no one has been able to sniff him. He has started on pole the last 5 races including Silverstone and has also won the last 5 races. At one point Verstappen had led 248 consecutive laps, placing him 3rd on the all time list of most consecutive laps led. That is just an absurd stat in the modern era.

He has mounted a commanding 81 point lead over his struggling teammate and is considered the clear favorite for the Driver’s championship for his third straight season. Other teams have gotten close on occasion but it seems like Verstappen always bides his time and gets it done when he needs to.

I think everyone is wondering if Red Bull can do the unthinkable this season…. win every race. If Max takes it home tomorrow it will be their 10th win of the season and 11th straight dating back to Abu Dhabi last year. It a new era of dominance in F1 and time will only tell if they are up for the task.

Williams Making Strides

Williams was another surprise during Free Practice and Qualifying. In FP1, FP2 and FP3 Albon was able to crack the top 3 in each session. This type of performance was turning heads all across the paddock. The car is an absolute rocket ship in the right conditions.

Unfortunately for Williams, quali had largely mixed conditions which did not suit the set up for their car. Rookie Logan Sargeant was not able to make it into Q3 but his teammate Albon was able to finish P8. A solid start for a team that needs any points they can get.

I think the past two tracks have really suited the Williams car as it is lightning fast in a straight line. The sunny weather on Friday suited their setup and they were able to keep their tires in the right window. That all went out the window in the wet but they are showing some very promising signs of improvement.

Race Predictions

McLaren Podium

I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here but I really do think McLaren can convert their strong quali performance into at least one of their drivers making it onto the podium at the end of the race. That being said it will take a mighty effort from both of their drivers as Ferrari look like they have a very strong package at this track. I believe Lando has the talent to get it done and I think Piastri will be able to hold the Ferraris off long enough for Lando to build up a lead.

Mercedes Can’t Find Performance

Mercedes has been bringing a ton of updates at such a rapid pace. On paper they should be faster but in reality it may take longer than people expect. In Austria the car did not perform as expected with both drivers struggling for grip throughout the entire race. It is possible they could suffer the same fate in Silverstone.

They have brought even more upgrades to the car. While this is good it will take time for the drivers and the time to find the correct setup for the race. This week they have the luxury of all three practice sessions, something they didn’t have last week in the Sprint format. I expect Mercedes to finish P2 at the end of the year but with all the new upgrades in such a short timeframe I think the Lewis and George will need time to get up to speed with the car.

Perez Doesn’t Crack Top 5

This isn’t that big of a stretch given that he is starting in P16 but he was able to claim P3 after starting 15th last week. I just think this track suits a bunch of teams much better than Austria did. The Red Bull is so fast but having to overtake 10+ cars on a track where everyone is fast will be tough.

That being said the DRS on the Red Bull is otherworldly so if it comes down to a DRS train I think advantage Checo. Unfortunately I think it will be too tall of a task. Perez has been on the back foot so much recently and I think it will finally catch up to him this week. It will open up the door for more criticism of Perez given his performance vs his teammate.

Upcoming Posts & Reader Feedback

Exciting time to be back and maybe we will see a 4th team throw their hat in the ring for P2. I will be back with a race recap tomorrow and more posts come as well as a Youtube channel which I am beginning to create content for now! As always, I appreciate all of the support I have received so far with this newsletter and hope to bring more exciting F1 content this season!

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