[Team] … begat Alfa Romeo begat Audi: is their best ever season coming?

[steve_r]

https://twitter.com/ValtteriBottas/s...64938813984782

Bottas is my new favourite driver.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by steve_r

https://twitter.com/ValtteriBottas/s...64938813984782

Bottas is my new favourite driver.

[chillibowl]

hahaha amazing!

[Greem]

That's BRILLIANT. Especially the "I'm very rich already"

[GTRMagic]

Why would a team such as Sauber come all the way to Australia without a spare front wing of the same spec as the two race cars.

Mr Zhou is starting RoG for needing to swap to an older spec front wing..

Is this caused by the cost cap?

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why would a team such as Sauber come all the way to Australia without a spare front wing of the same spec as the two race cars.

Mr Zhou is starting RoG for needing to swap to an older spec front wing..

Is this caused by the cost cap?

It may be the reason although I think that unlikely. I think the reason is that the season has started so early with only 3 days of testing, followed a few days later by the first race of the year, a week's break before the next race and now two weeks later, the third race taking place on the other side of the world from your base.

Teams only have a limited space on the 747 freighters and so they would usually send things such as spares by sea, but with the time pressures this season, it is quite possible that there was just an insufficient period in which to create spares. This may also have affected Williams as well with their lack of a spare tub.

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Why would a team such as Sauber come all the way to Australia without a spare front wing of the same spec as the two race cars.

Mr Zhou is starting RoG for needing to swap to an older spec front wing..

Is this caused by the cost cap?

We have seen this before from other teams when new upgraded parts are introduced at quite short notice. These are flyaway races, so perhaps understandable, although of course not ideal.

The bigger issue is the wheel nut problems which keep causing lengthy delays during the pitstops, which makes the potential 0.05 seconds per lap from any new upgraded lightweight left hand flange adapter rather redundant.

[Skam85]

I had the privilege of being in the Oath Lounge (VB's gin brand) all weekend, met Valtteri all three days, great bloke.

I said on Sunday to him, "Points today I reckon, P8". He gave me a little smirk and said thanks.

Without the lengthy pit stop, I reckon P8 would not have been far off. Bottas and that Sauber would have finished ahead of the Haas' at least.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Skam85

I had the privilege of being in the Oath Lounge (VB's gin brand) all weekend, met Valtteri all three days, great bloke.

I said on Sunday to him, "Points today I reckon, P8". He gave me a little smirk and said thanks.

Without the lengthy pit stop, I reckon P8 would not have been far off. Bottas and that Sauber would have finished ahead of the Haas' at least.

Sounds like you had a great time!!

Hmm VB not too chuffed with the pitstop aggro. There are suggestions that Audi may not be as interested in employing him as he is in wanting a drive.

However he would still be a solid banker for them in the first couple of years development. After all when he was at Merc,they had winning equipment, systems and procedures...

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

It may be the reason although I think that unlikely. I think the reason is that the season has started so early with only 3 days of testing, followed a few days later by the first race of the year, a week's break before the next race and now two weeks later, the third race taking place on the other side of the world from your base.

Teams only have a limited space on the 747 freighters and so they would usually send things such as spares by sea, but with the time pressures this season, it is quite possible that there was just an insufficient period in which to create spares. This may also have affected Williams as well with their lack of a spare tub.

The challenge is made simpler by having a drop dead date.
In these new fangled production scheduling softwares, a signed off piece of kit should be able to be reasonably forecast for the various stage gates so the issue doesn’t happen.

I am interested that the team put in a 2023 wing into the spares cache.
The logical me would wonder how it might fit if the front nose bulkhead seems to change in size and shape more often than not from season to season.

Unless of course Sauber evolved last seasons chassis instead of swinging for the fences….

[GTRMagic]

What is the attraction of Mr Hulkenberg?
Stake Sauber Audi clearly sees something beyond this season and last’s outcomes..

[steve_r]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

What is the attraction of Mr Hulkenberg?
Stake Sauber Audi clearly sees something beyond this season and last’s outcomes..

German driver for a German team. He's a solid performer. Dragged what seems to be a rather mediocre Haas into the points this season. Generally out performed his teammate. I would say that it is an upgrade on at least one of the two current Sauber drivers.

But it is not a signing that particularly gets the pulse racing. If they can get Sainz alongside him, then that is a good, solid line-up. But I would expect that Sainz would have more appealing options elsewhere?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

What is the attraction of Mr Hulkenberg?
Stake Sauber Audi clearly sees something beyond this season and last’s outcomes..

He's had seasons where he's out preformed Perez and Sainz. They got chances in top teams, Hulk has not. So I'd say it's worth a shot in a factory team.

[Richard C]

I had written Hulkenberg off prior to him driving for Haas. And I was proven wrong. As posted above, German driver for German team and he may surprise in a good car. Question is... Can Sauber/Audi provide that car? Right now they seem to be generally stinking it up.

Richard

[chillibowl]

funny coincidence!

https://x.com/PHortonF1/status/1783776063656435753

Every time Lewis Hamilton changes teams in #F1, Nico Hulkenberg joins Sauber.