#Shaman's "Worst To First" Career Challenge - Current Team: Alfa Romeo - Season: 2030

1254 messages · Page 2 of 2 (latest)

nova pagoda
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Aw

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That sucks

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So if I get a double podium with Zhou and Fred, it’ll skip it cause of Fred?

young otter
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Yep

nova pagoda
# young otter Yep

That sucks. In F1M22, they showed the podium but put the helmet over their heads

keen dagger
nova pagoda
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No they did, all of my podiums with Oscar showed it

keen dagger
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Mine didn't

young otter
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MEXICO QUALIFYING REPORT

Lando Norris may be out of the hunt for the drivers championship, but he's looking to prove to Williams there's no one better to keep the team's competitive edge. With the remaining races acting as an open audition for the future, Lando swiftly took pole position in dominant fashion, well ahead of championship leader Esteban Ocon.

Ocon has a chance to clinch the drivers championship should he get a strong result today over teammate Theo Pourchaire, who has his work cut out for him with a seventh place start for the grand prix.

It was a mixed bag for qualifying conditions today. Rain compromised many drivers' hotlaps and caused confusion on the grid early for Kelly Newland and Pierre Gasly, with both drivers getting the changing conditions horribly wrong and being left unable to get a final flier on slicks.

The rest of the qualifying went as we've seen in a few weekends this year: drivers were counting on one true hot lap to advance to the next session, and in Lando's case, his best lap was saved for last.

With the 2029 season coming to a close, it's full steam ahead with several drivers auditioning for their future and racing for pride!

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Norris
2: Ocon
3: Verstappen
4: Zhou
5: Leclerc
6: Stroll
7: Pourchaire
8: Russell
9: Tsunoda
10: Sainz

11: Piastri
12: Sargeant
13: Drugovich
14: Magnussen
15: Giovinazzi

16: Hauger
17: Iwasa
18: Lawson
19: Gasly
20: Newland

young otter
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MEXICO RACE REPORT

Well, that'll do it.

Esteban Ocon is officially the World Champion in 2029.

It wasn't a strategic blunder or even an unforced driver error that killed Theo Pourchaire's race. It was Zhou Guanyu, the lone man to start on the hard tyre, turning into Pourchaire as Pourchaire was set to overtake him early. It killed Pourchaire's front wing and relegated him to the back of the order. The fact Pourchaire still managed to finish P13 is a heroic effort in itself.

But it cost Theo any chance at making a late run for the title.

But hey, that's how it goes with racing. Sometimes you get everything to go your way, and sometimes the best laid plans get ended with one costly blunder.

Nevertheless, Ocon was simply the better driver this season. He came in and took the job with gusto, proving beyond any doubt that Theo still has a bit to learn before he's fully ready to become the World Champion.

We'll take a look at Alfa Romeo's current situation as we head into Interlagos.

MEXICO CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Ocon [Haas]
🥈 Norris [Williams]
🥉 Stroll [Williams]

4: Hauger [McLaren]
5: Tsunoda [Red Bull]
6: Leclerc [Red Bull]
7: Verstappen [AlphaTauri]
8: Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
9: Lawson [Alfa Romeo]
10: Magnussen [Aston Martin]

11: Piastri [Alpine]
12: Gasly [Mercedes]
13: Pourchaire [Haas]
14: Russell [Ferrari]
15: Drugovich [Ferrari]
16: Sainz [Mercedes]
17: Giovinazzi [Alpine]
18: Newland [Alfa Romeo]
19: Iwasa [Aston Martin]
20: Zhou [McLaren]

young otter
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ALFA ROMEO STAFF OVERVIEW

DRIVERS:
Kelly Newland - through 2031
Liam Lawson - expiring 2029

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR:
Neil Houldey - through 2034

HEAD OF AERODYNAMICS:
Alessandro Cinelli - through 2033

RACE ENGINEERS:
Pierre Hamelin (KN) - expiring 2029
Jorn Becker (LL) - expiring 2029

SPORTING DIRECTOR
Aurelien Pallier - through 2033

So, they're in a similar situation that Haas were in when I started my tenure. Their technical director on the lower end - only ours is lower - while their Head of Aero and Sporting Director are in the middle of active staff on the F1 grid. Whatever their facilities look like, I have no clue. What I do know is that they have a huge asset with Kelly Newland under contract, and I would intend to prove that Alfa Romeo as they exist are wasting her exactly how Haas were wasting Theo Pourchaire.

On pace, Kelly is a very rapid driver. Her major weaknesses now come are accuracy (struggling to following the optimal lines without running wide) and overtaking prowess. This is a very different driver than the one I found several seasons ago. She still has the potential to go very far so long as the race simulator is up and running.

Whether or not they keep Liam Lawson or move on is anyone's guess. I would hope they would be willing to cut bait. At 28 years old and with pace stats that leave a lot to be desired - along with his inability to take care of his tyres - Lawson is simply not a driver worth keeping in the long term. He just hasn't developed well enough to justify a seat in my view. This may be a Daniel Ricciardo situation where we have to keep Lawson until we get the rest of our team situated before we can make a move.

It would be a killer if we couldn't keep Hamelin and Becker. They are two very solid engineers to have around, and we could facilitate a quick turnaround with those two in our team. They are assets as they sit and I would hope they stick around.

But there's a real chance we're not here for 2030.

young otter
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INTERLAGOS QUALIFYING REPORT

Well, now with both titles locked up, we can officially breathe a little easier and just get through these last three weekends.

In any other situation, I'd normally be panicking if Lando and Max started ahead of our drivers since they normally have enough points to be competitive. It's kind of nice to feel like I'm not under the gun for once.

So, all we need from our drivers is just clean results. Nothing crazy, nothing risky, just get our cars to the line.

Would we like more wins? Absolutely. But we have a cost cap to think about, and our final ATR period starts after this weekend's conclusion.

I'll break down more results with the teams as we keep moving forward, since I officially care more about the races than I do about the qualifying efforts.

The one thing I will say: I still hate mixed conditions in qualifying. Traffic can easily kill your runs and put you on the bubble when in any other situation, your car easily makes Q3.

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Norris
2: Verstappen
3: Ocon
4: Stroll
5: Tsunoda
6: Russell
7: Pourchaire
8: Drugovich
9: Giovinazzi
10: Hauger

11: Sargeant
12: Leclerc
13: Magnussen
14: Piastri
15: Sainz

16: Zhou
17: Lawson
18: Gasly
19: Iwasa
20: Newland

nova pagoda
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I think whatever team you go with, get Russell

young otter
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Russell's locked in til 2030

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Ferrari are the only team who won't be changing

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Funny thing you mention Russell...

young otter
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INTERLAGOS SPRINT RESULT

The rain brought on an insane sprint for the viewing audience.

Our team especially had a howler of a day. Lando Norris attempted an overtake on Esteban Ocon out of the Senna Chicanes, and slammed Ocon off the road to put him down the order with no chance to get back into the points.

That's when Theo Pourchaire soared to the front, held on to the lead, and took the checkered flag, right?

Not so fast.

The rain forced everyone on the grid to switch for intermediates. Pourchaire was the first man in...however, a poor stop put Theo behind a swath of traffic and extinguished his chances at winning the sprint. The fact that Ocon had a poor stop behind that is just another cherry on top of this s#!t cake.

So that left GEORGE RUSSELL at the front, as Russell took the sprint win, becoming the first non-Haas or Williams driver to claim victory this season (No, seriously!)

Unfortunately, Russell won't get to enjoy the win that much for tomorrow's race, as he'll be relegated down the order for a grid penalty with new engine components.

That will put the former champion, Max Verstappen, at the front with Lance Stroll.

Thankfully, this is the last of the rain so our race should be okay.

SPRINT CLASSIFICATION:

1: Russell
2: Verstappen
3: Stroll
4: Drugovich
5: Pourchaire
6: Tsunoda
7: Hauger
8: Leclerc

9: Sargeant
10: Zhou
11: Sainz
12: Lawson
13: Giovinazzi
14: Gasly

15: Piastri
16: Iwasa
17: Ocon
18: Newland
19: Norris
20: Magnussen

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INTERLAGOS RACE REPORT

Well, our race went about as well as it could have.

Lance Stroll was excellent today. He had the pace through several stints combined with brilliant strategy to help him pull away from the pack and cruise to the win. Theo Pourchaire certainly gave him trouble through two stints, but Stroll's final stint was a masterclass in tyre management and the art of the undercut.

We couldn't get Ocon to the podium simply because I tried to overcut Stroll with him, when I would have been better off having Ocon race Norris directly. We may have cost ourselves the double podium with it. But it was already going to be a tall task considering the comedy of errors that took place on the final sprint of the season.

Thankfully, with both titles locked up, we can feel relieved that this race didn't mean what it could have had this thing been going down to the wire.

Here's a huge update in the important battle for P9 in constructors:

Liam Lawson once again pulled the Alfa Romeo to the points, finishing ahead of Carlos Sainz. That p10 finish for the Spainard may be a huge save if the Alfas or the Mercs can't finish inside the top 10 at Vegas or Abu Dhabi. Now the gap is down to four between Mercedes and Alfa Romeo.

It's very much in the air on who we see at the start of the new season, and remains an interesting battle to keep eyes on.

INTERLAGOS CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Stroll [Williams]
🥈 Pourchaire [Haas]
🥉 Norris [Williams]

4: Verstappen [AlphaTauri]
5: Ocon [Haas]
6: Russell [Ferrari]
7: Leclerc [Red Bull]
8: Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
9: Lawson [Alfa Romeo]
10: Sainz [Mercedes]

11: Gasly [Mercedes]
12: Giovinazzi [Alpine]
13: Magnussen [Aston Martin]
14: Hauger [McLaren]
15: Piastri [Alpine]
16: Drugovich [Ferrari]
17: Iwasa [Aston Martin]
18: Zhou [McLaren]
19: Tsunoda [Red Bull]
20: Newland [Alfa Romeo]

young otter
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LAS VEGAS QUALIFYING REPORT

Well, we've got two weekends left. Fortunately they will go by quickly.

Esteban Ocon continues his magnificent season with another pole position, ready to put the misfortunes of Interlagos behind him. He'll be joined by Yuki Tsunoda on the front row, with Theo Pourchaire not too far behind.

Everywhere else you look on the grid, most everyone is secure in their positions as far as constructor battles go. Obviously, 1-3 are locked up. The battle for P4 looks like it may have some life, although I'm sure AlphaTauri have a much better chance at stealing it from McLaren than Ferrari does, for example.

Alpine and Aston Martin look very safe in P7 and P8, but there's the off chance Alfa Romeo or Mercedes can have a great result. So nothing is certain yet, and Alfa Romeo are presently fighting like hell to not be last place.

It wouldn't surprise me if, somehow, we ended up seeing Mercedes. And it would complete their total collapse should that happen.

After I finish this weekend, we'll discuss Mercedes' staff situation further.

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Ocon
2: Tsunoda
3: Zhou
4: Pourchaire
5: Verstappen
6: Giovinazzi
7: Sargeant
8: Leclerc
9: Norris
10: Sainz

11: Hauger
12: Magnussen
13: Newland
14: Russell
15: Stroll

16: Piastri
17: Lawson
18: Drugovich
19: Gasly
20: Iwasa

young otter
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LAS VEGAS RACE REPORT

Excuse me while I be a bit unprofessional here.

SERVES YOU RIGHT, LANDO NORRIS! NOW YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS WHEN YOU GET SCREWED OVER BY THE SAFETY CAR!

Lando was cruising away with the victory ahead of Theo Pourchaire and Yuki Tsunoda. And then with about five to go, Yuki got too aggressive going for a dive on Theo, lost control of his car, and binned his race entirely. That brought on the full course safety car and bunched the pack up together.

With enough laps in the race, I figured we may have one final lap to race Norris. We got it. And Theo Pourchaire went full send, making sure to get the move done down the Vegas Strip and coming away with the most exciting win of his career!

The final lap was some of the most electrifying racing I've seen on this game in a long time. Theo and Lando had an amazing duel without DRS, and it really could have went either way. Theo just managed to pull ahead down the stretch and held off one last slipstream charge from Lando to take the victory.

Esteban Ocon could have been in this position, but a poor stop killed his chance of taking one more victory. He'll get another go at it for Abu Dhabi as we look to end the 2030 season on a high note.

As far as the battle for P9 constructors, no movement either way. So the advantage still lies with Mercedes, but a four point gap is not safe.

We'll find out who our next team will be down at the gorgeous Yas Marina circuit!

LAS VEGAS CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Pourchaire [Haas]
🥈 Norris [Williams]
🥉 Ocon [Haas]

4: Russell [Ferrari]
5: Verstappen [AlphaTauri]
6: Leclerc [Red Bull]
7: Giovinazzi [Alpine]
8: Zhou [McLaren]
9: Drugovich [Ferrari]
10: Stroll [Williams]

11: Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
12: Newland [Alfa Romeo]
13: Sainz [Mercedes]
14: Magnussen [Aston Martin]
15: Lawson [Alfa Romeo]
16: Hauger [McLaren]
17: Piastri [Alpine]
18: Gasly [Mercedes]
19: Iwasa [Aston Martin]

DNF - Tsunoda [Red Bull], crash

young otter
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MERCEDES STAFF OVERVIEW

DRIVERS
Pierre Gasly - through 2030
Carlos Sainz - expiring 2029

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Simone Resta - expiring 2029

HEAD OF AERODYNAMICS
Dirk de Beer - through 2031

RACE ENGINEERS
Antoine Okla (PG) - through 2030
Pedro Matos (CS) - through 2030

SPORTING DIRECTOR
Laurent Mekies - through 2030

This doesn't feel real.

There's just no way Mercedes can really be this bad, can they?

I don't want to hear excuses about their engine being poor. I've won a championship with the same engine, and their most notable customer team will finish P2 in constructors with it back in their car again.

The only spot this Mercedes team is truly bad in is their choice of race engineers. Both leave a lot to be desired, as they're on the bottom end of active F1 staff there. But they are also callups from F2, so I'll take it a little easy.

Having one of the better Head of Aeros and the best Sporting Director not named Jonathan Wheatley gives this Mercedes team two incredibly talented staff members to have a very fast turnaround out of the gate. It's almost certain they will lose Simone Resta in free agency, and there's no telling who the team will pair with Pierre Gasly.

If I were in control of this team? I would be looking at doing what I can to get one of Verstappen, Leclerc, or Norris if I viewed this team to be in a "win now" atmosphere, which is typically the case with Mercedes' vaunted reputation. It would also make the most sense in pairing with a veteran like Pierre Gasly, who will be gone after 2030.

But let's suppose I wanted to stay here for a few years and give Mercedes the sustained success back that they were known for. There's currently not a driver who will give me that right away, not unless I chose to poach Kelly Newland from Alfa Romeo at the end of 2030.

There are five prospects I see in F2/F3 that may have an extended audition in a full seat.

In any event, Mercedes have the best landing spot if they're p10.

little ingot
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mercedes is bad after 25/26

young otter
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See, that's odd to me. Talented staff, good drivers

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I could see sliding down to the P5-P7 range. P9???

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In fact, that will be...

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What, 2 seasons? That Mercedes have finished at the bottom of the order since I've posted my save here

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If they finish P10, I'll look it up

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But I doubt (so in other words, it's happening) Alfa Romeo will magically beat Mercedes in Abu Dhabi

little ingot
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lets go ez worst to first in merc i think

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for 2030

young otter
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In any event, @nova pagoda would be happy that I'd get to control the end of his GOAT's career

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🤣

nova pagoda
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ALFA GET POINTS!!!!

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BEAT MERCEDES

nova pagoda
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YOU MADE ONE FRENCHMAN A WC, now it’s the other’s turn

young otter
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||prepare to be disappointed at Gasly's inevitable regression||

nova pagoda
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YOU BE QUIET

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MY MAN

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HE HAS BEEN HIBERNATING

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Waiting for the second coming

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He is prepared

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He is speed

young otter
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WELL IN ANY EVENT I'M GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE YOU IN SUSPENSE FOR ABU DHABI

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Sleepy time

nova pagoda
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HUH

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Wait what time is it there?

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It’s 1:10 pm here

young otter
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It was 7:10 AM and I literally wake up in the afternoon v0oidKEK

nova pagoda
young otter
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Southeast US

nova pagoda
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Ngl

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😭

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Just assumed

young otter
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We playin Dhabi

young otter
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ABU DHABI QUALIFYING REPORT

Well, this is going to be the first race in a long time that I've run with a damaged engine in both cars.

Even despite that, our car is still strong enough to make the top 10 shootout and get two cars in the top five on merit. And of course, Lando Norris serves to exist as a thorn in our side even when the championships are decided. (We love you too, buddy.)

So it's Lando starting on pole, with our World Champion Esteban Ocon joining him on the front row.

We're still trying to beat Williams even if I'm not taking these races as seriously as I would in any other event. Why not? They're the first team I took to the title, and apparently whatever I did for them in 2025 set them up for long term success, as they've won two Constructors titles and one Drivers title since I relinquished control of the team. And through it all, they've still been the most relevant contender even as I've taken two different teams to the top of the order.

So on that front, we've succeeded in creating a formidable contender with Williams. The jury is out on AlphaTauri on that front, as they've regressed down to the midfield this year, even with two of the better drivers on the grid. But hey, I'll take them stealing the drivers title from Williams, creating the first split championship since 2021.

In this race, we find out our fate. It's most likely going to be Alfa Romeo or Mercedes we see in 2030, unless by some miracle both teams get well enough into the points to eclipse Aston Martin.

It's Formula 1, so anything is within the realm of possibility.

But that doesn't mean it's going to happen 9 times out of 10.

Onward to the finale!

FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Norris
2: Ocon
3: Hauger
4: Pourchaire
5: Zhou
6: Leclerc
7: Stroll
8: Verstappen
9: Russell
10: Tsunoda

11: Drugovich
12: Giovinazzi
13: Piastri
14: Sainz
15: Newland

16: Lawson
17: Gasly
18: Sargeant
19: Magnussen
20: Iwasa

nova pagoda
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COME ON LAWSON

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COME ON NEWGUARD

young otter
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ABU DHABI RACE REPORT

We were off the pace of Lando Norris and Zhou Guanyu today. The engines just didn't have enough juice to hold up front. Those two had a magnificent day at the front of the pack. We weren't ever close to being in contention for the win.

Oh well. Lando Norris notches the final win of the 2029 season. But that doesn't take away the excellence our team had down the stretch.

Our performance faded as we focused most of our attention on the 2030 car, but throughout the season we were just the most consistent on merit. Several front row lockouts, several 1-2 finishes - there were exactly zero races where at least one Haas didn't finish on the podium. We secured 17 of 23 race wins and 19 of 23 total qualifying poles. That's a historic season for a team that infamously waved the white flag on their season almost a decade ago.

Haas have come a long way since then. It's on them to stay at this level moving forward, but they have every capability of doing that since they will have several vastly upgraded facilities - the one upside of having several sponsors bringing in several millions of dollars.

We've completed three runs to the top with three teams that were at the bottom of the order. One has remained a championship contender, while the other has started to regress.

Well, that's it for the 2029 racing.

Oh, and as for where we're going in 2030?

We're officially headed to Alfa Romeo, reuniting us with our beloved prospect, Kelly Newland.

I can't wait.

ABU DHABI CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Norris [Williams]
🥈 Zhou [McLaren]
🥉 Ocon [Haas]

4: Russell [Ferrari]
5: Pourchaire [Haas]
6: Tsunoda [Red Bull]
7: Leclerc [Red Bull]
8: Giovinazzi [Alpine]
9: Hauger [McLaren]
10: Piastri [Alpine]

11: Verstappen [AlphaTauri]
12: Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
13: Drugovich [Ferrari]
14: Sainz [Mercedes]
15: Newland [Alfa Romeo]
16: Lawson [Alfa Romeo]
17: Gasly [Mercedes]
18: Magnussen [Aston Martin]
19: Iwasa [Aston Martin]

DNF - Stroll [Williams], crash

nova pagoda
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FUDGE

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I HATE NEWLAND

young otter
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HEY

nova pagoda
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AND LAWSON

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STUPID GAME

young otter
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THERE WILL BE NO KELLY SLANDER IN THIS TIMELINE

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ALFA ROMEO SIMPLY WASTING HER LIKE HAAS WASTED POURCHAIRE

nova pagoda
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CHOOSE GASLY

young otter
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THAT'S AGAINST THE RULES THO!!!

nova pagoda
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RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN

young otter
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Here's the worst part of this whole season as far as the bottom of the order

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Aston Martin on true merit have the worst car on the grid

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But somehow they scored 20 points

nova pagoda
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Who drives for them?

young otter
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KMag+Iwasa

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AND GUESS WHO DID ALL THE SCORING

nova pagoda
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Kevin?

young otter
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LITERALLY ALL 20 POINTS

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ARE KMAG

nova pagoda
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Yea he cooks in low teams for some reason

young otter
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Iwasa is straight buns

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In fact, if I remember right

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Iwasa is the first to not score in a season since...

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Theo Pourchaire

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FINAL 2029 CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

🥇 Haas - 959 points
🥈 Williams - 606 points
🥉 Red Bull - 352 points

4: McLaren - 210 points
5: AlphaTauri - 168 points
6: Ferrari - 158 points
7: Alpine - 66 points
8: Aston Martin - 21 points
9: Mercedes - 13 points
10: Alfa Romeo - 9 points

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FINAL 2029 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

🥇 Esteban Ocon [Haas] - 525 points (13 wins, 3 sprint wins, 21 podiums, 11 poles)
🥈 Theo Pourchaire [Haas] - 434 points (4 wins, 1 sprint win, 20 podiums, 8 poles)
🥉 Lando Norris [Williams] - 374 points (5 wins, 15 podiums, 3 poles)
4: Lance Stroll [Williams] - 232 points (1 win, 1 sprint win, 7 podiums)
5: Charles Leclerc [Red Bull] - 200 points (3 podiums)

6: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull] - 152 points (1 podium)
7: Max Verstappen [AlphaTauri] - 135 points (1 pole)
8: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren] - 132 points (2 podiums)
9: George Russell [Ferrari] - 132 points (1 sprint win)
10: Dennis Hauger [McLaren] - 78 points

11: Antonio Giovinazzi [Alpine] - 40 points
12: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri] - 33 points
13: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari] - 26 points
14: Oscar Piastri [Alpine] - 26 points
15: Kevin Magnussen [Aston Martin] - 21 points

16: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes] - 9 points
17: Liam Lawson [Alfa Romeo] - 7 points
18: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes] - 4 points
19: Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo] - 2 points
20: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin] - 0 points

young otter
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Before I officially end the season and move on to 2030, there's a few bits of housekeeping I'd like to attend to.

I said we'd talk about our reserve driver, Taskeen Gomastha at some point.

https://i.gyazo.com/fcdd23a169c8df7fb02ceac0ba6d3f6d.jpg

The link above shows what kind of progress she's made with the team. I put her in the fold because I wanted a young driver with a high development trait and some decent upside. Her accuracy and smoothness were high enough to warrant a look with decent developmental pace.

After a full season, her pace is absolutely acceptable for an F2 driver, but her car control and racecraft make a lot of work for improvement.

However, this is not a Kelly Newland situation because Taskeen has already regressed to average development. Because of that, she will not be joining us at Alfa Romeo. It's unfortunate because she will not get much better than this moving forward. Maybe with one more year of high development, we could be looking at a driver that could join the grid.

But that's just simply not the case.

nova pagoda
young otter
# nova pagoda Lawson did better than Midland 🤣

Kelly got screwed by Verstappen when she was at her best this season. She was faster than Lawson through several practices, faster on average in qualifying, and made more Q3s than he did.

She was running in the top five on merit in Barcelona. Then Max decided to bin her race by slamming his car into the back of her (good ol 2016 Max rearing his ugly head several years later), and she lost all her confidence.

Not only that, the Alfa Romeo just simply slid backward for whatever reason.

That's rough.

nova pagoda
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Excuses excuses

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Lawson is the future of Alfa 🤣🤣🤣

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Joking

young otter
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@ me when Kelly wins a race before Lawson

nova pagoda
young otter
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She won't have a Theo level rise where she's suddenly P2 in drivers after backmarking for years

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But she's way better than where she's at

nova pagoda
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I keep coming on here to put stuff in my one and your shenanigans are distracting me 💀

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LMAO

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I hope she does good

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And I hope the second seat goes to Pierre Gasly

young otter
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So, I said there were five prospects we could take a look at when I was discussing Mercedes.

Unfortunately, most of those prospects - on top of being unable to race in F1 since they have not completed their second season in F2/F3 - have already regressed to average development.

There's simply not a dominant driver with dominant traits in this crop of talent coming up. But there are still three to keep eyes on.

One driver I'm going to keep eyes on is Simone Buccheri, who you can see here: https://i.gyazo.com/d49bc7e1fa486c8089ee9cd4a93c375f.jpg

He's one of the few 19 year olds still with high development, and he has some decent takeaways for a young prospect in F2. His pace needs work, but it isn't bad for a prospect we could put on a reserve contract. His appeal is with his accuracy and control already being high, so that would make fixing his tyre management and his pace the main priority - which is a huge plus.

My personal favorite I'll being paying the most attention to is Hotaru Sakamoto: https://i.gyazo.com/3ea99505fc8f52b84e9df34427ab460c.jpg

I got lucky enough to get a chance to sponsor her a few days after Abu Dhabi. That will keep her at high development for a little while longer. If you see her pace, she's already in a good spot, which makes fixing her control and tyre management a top priority should she remain at high development.

That's a Kelly Newland-type situation if I've ever seen one.

And here's one final prospect who is just so good already, even if he regressed to average development: https://i.gyazo.com/b16821a4b1e6d924557d667ab452945f.jpg

Romain Muller may not get much better than this because of that fact, but I'm hoping he gets a sponsor opportunity because there's enough to like here to warrant a further look. I was hoping he wouldn't regress this fast, because he'd be a dominant prospect.

But there's a lot of great traits to build on already here.

Still, my favorite is Sakamoto. She might be the best since Kelly.

young otter
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HAAS OFFICIALLY EXTEND ESTEBAN OCON AND THEO POURCHAIRE

In a move that surprised no one on the grid, Haas have extended their star driver pairing of Esteban Ocon and Theo Pourchaire. The French duo will remain teammates through the 2031 season.

Ocon's contract, however, will end with the 2031 season. Pourchaire will remain with the team until 2032.

2029 was a remarkable season for the duo, and we can't fault the team for extending the drivers that brought them their most success since their inception. Rather than break the bank for notorious drivers like Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, Haas have doubled down on their pairing.

Esteban Ocon quickly put a forgettable Ferrari stint behind him by becoming the World Drivers Champion with Haas, and the team have rewarded his efforts with a long term extension. The two-year contract may see Ocon through to the end of his career.

Theo Pourchaire has spent several years developing with the team. His first three seasons were rough, but his last two were especially remarkable. Still just 26 years old, it was a logical decision to keep Pourchaire in the fold for the team's immediate future. He remains one of the best young drivers on the grid, and he's proven he has the talent to compete for World Championships. The rest now lies on him to continue improving. Haas' future is counting on Pourchaire to deliver with higher expectations.

Pourchaire's race engineer, Amaury Loudon, was also extended for three years, keeping the pair together through the remainder of Theo's contract with Haas.

In a surprising move on the low end, Haas handed a one-year renewal to their reserve driver, Taskeen Gomastha. The team report they are pleased with the former F3 prospect's progress and would like to see what another year within the team can do for her continued development.

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Well, that's going to wrap it up for my time with Haas.

Before I leave the team, I have upgraded their Car Part Test Centre and Suspension Simulator to the max level, on top of having a level 4 Factory and Design Centre, and maxed out Team Hub/Race Simulator. Mostly everything in their operations is maxed out with exception to a few buildings, so this team's infrastructure is much better now than it was two years ago.

They stand a good chance to compete at the front from here. Whether or not they do that is entirely on them.

Let's move forward to Alfa Romeo and see what the new season gives us, especially with many driver changes fixing to come.

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Shaman's "Worst To First" Career Challenge - Current Team: Alfa Romeo - Season: 2030

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Okay, so we know Haas have extended their drivers - obviously. Let's take a look at the rest of the grid and see what else has happened. We'll follow in order and then I'll post the official grid lineup like usual...

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WILLIAMS ACQUIRE MAX VERSTAPPEN, EXTEND LANDO NORRIS

And right away, we see this bombshell.

This is easily the most elite pairing on the grid.

Five-time champion Max Verstappen joins perennial contender Williams. This wasn't a shocking move to see coming as AlphaTauri simply failed the Dutchman the same way that Red Bull before him failed. Both teams improperly developed their cars at the end of Verstappen's contract, doing everything they could to push the generational talent away from the team.

With Williams consistently at the front of the grid over the past four seasons, it made sense for the team to go get the best driver available. And that's exactly how to describe Max Verstappen, even after all this time.

Lando Norris, unsurprisingly, wanted to stay with Williams after hearing news that Verstappen was in the fold. Williams are clearly not fooling around as they intend to get back to their championship ways in 2030.

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RED BULL WELCOME DENNIS HAUGER BACK HOME

The Charles Leclerc experiment simply wasn't working for Red Bull.

Leclerc was brought in with the promise of championship success. Instead, Red Bull failed to deliver on those aspirations and watched as Max Verstappen left them behind. The team has remained in a state of flux ever since.

After a moderately successful stint with McLaren, a reunion with Dennis Hauger was a move that no one saw coming. Red Bull now have two former juniors that grew within their program, gained valuable experience on the grid with other teams, and have now come back home to form an rapid, aggressive duo that can dazzle the grid at their best or be costly crash magnets at their worst.

A P3 result was the team's best finish in some time.

Yuki Tsunoda and Dennis Hauger will be asked to build on that and carry this team back to championship contention.

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MCLAREN STUNS WITH ADDITION OF LIAM LAWSON

It's safe to say Liam Lawson's late season form earned the intrigue of McLaren. Lawson almost single handedly carried Alfa Romeo out of the abyss, very nearly beating Mercedes and scoring four times as many points in two races as Mercedes had scored in one following the summer break.

Perhaps the papaya faithful see something in the former Red Bull prospect that many pundits haven't seen, but he will create an intriguing pairing with Zhou Guanyu. Zhou has matured into one of the top drivers on the grid, being the only man not affiliated with Haas, Williams, or Red Bull to finish on the podium in 2029.

That puts Liam Lawson under immediate pressure to deliver top results now, especially since McLaren have clawed their way back up the order.

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ALPHATAURI COUNTING ON CHARLES LECLERC, LOGAN SARGEANT TO REGAIN FORM

Talk about another move no one saw coming.

We remain shocked that Charles Leclerc was sent down to Red Bull's former junior program, AlphaTauri. But it was clear the team valued the veteran skill that Max Verstappen brought to the team, and it remains a great opportunity for Leclerc to recollect himself and be in play for a top drive as he enters the twilight of his career.

Max Verstappen's championship victory in 2028 with this unit was good enough to earn the Dutchman another run with a championship contender. The Monegasque will be expected to lead AlphaTauri back up the order and recover his lost momentum along with former drivers champion, Logan Sargeant.

AlphaTauri have the make of a team with two drivers who quite simply haven't looked themselves in some time, and it stands as a good chance for both to redeem themselves in an effort for one final drive at the front.

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FERRARI LOOKING TO SHAKE OFF RUST THROUGH CONTINUITY

Ferrari were the only team whose entire staff were locked in for 2030, drivers included.

A P6 finish is not what is expected from the Scuderia, and the faithful Tifosi have been calling for change. Instead, Ferrari have blazed their own trail as they always do, choosing to go against the grain and trust their current team to pull them back up the order.

Felipe Drugovich remains a long-term gamble for the team's immediate future, and his success will largely determine this team's fate. George Russell is a free agent after this year and remains a threat to win a race from any position on the grid.

Ferrari will need the best version of George Russell to get this team back on the right track. But even if they get that, will it be enough to secure the British star for another contract?

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ALPINE PAIRING DRIVING WITH CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDERS

It's safe to say that the men behind the wheel at Alpine are drivers with something to prove.

Oscar Piastri showed the most promise of talent he's ever had on the F1 grid in 2029 with his reunion at Alpine. He's joined by former Rookie of the Year, Alex Galata, who was unceremoniously dismissed from Haas in favor of Esteban Ocon and spent 2029 without a drive.

Alpine clearly favor the story behind both of these men, hoping it will fuel both drivers to push the French outfit to heights it hasn't seen in several years. The team are expected to compete near the front of the order to start the season, so that puts these drives especially under pressure to deliver with heightened expectations.

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ASTON MARTIN WELCOMES F2, INDYCAR CHAMPION JAK CRAWFORD TO F1

Aston Martin are no longer concerned with drivers of the present and are instead choosing to take a look into their future, hoping to finally identify a driver worth building around.

After failing to score any points in 2029, Ayumu Iwasa will be driving with his F1 career on the line as he faces former F2 champion, Jak Crawford.

The young American has spent the past few years developing with through several reserve programs, but spent 2029 in IndyCar. His unexpected success with Andretti Autosport resulted in him besting Pato O'Ward, Alex Palou, and Josef Newgarden on several occasions to win the IndyCar championship, and earned him a full seat back into Formula 1 with Aston Martin, but with a proper drive this time.

The American looks to build on his success at the highest level of motorsport and hopes to prove to Aston Martin, and the F1 grid, that he is worthy of a full seat.

nova pagoda
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Crawford at Aston is so funny and such a coincidence

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As he is now part of their junior program

young otter
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MERCEDES KEEP SAINZ AND GASLY TOGETHER

It seems shocking - yet unsurprising - that after another lost season, Mercedes elected to keep Carlos Sainz in the fold rather than move in a different direction.

Clearly, Mercedes are no longer an attractive option for drivers. Their attempts to secure another big name driver failed while Carlos Sainz seemingly had no attractive offers on the table. In that sense, a reunion made the most sense - even it remains the most disappointing option for Mercedes fans.

But we've seen what happens with Mercedes twice in instances like this one. A bounce back season could be expected here, and may bring the team back up the order in quick fashion. But with Father Time working against their talented pairing, exactly how much juice can Mercedes get out of Sainz and Gasly?

A rebuild may not be too far off the horizon.

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AND NOW THE IMPORTANT ONE...

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ALFA ROMEO ADD FERRARI JUNIOR OLLIE BEARMAN TO BEGIN REBUILD

While Alfa Romeo look toward their future with Kelly Newland's continued development not going according to plan, they have taken an opportunity to give one driver a much needed audition. It can't be said enough that Ollie Bearman's debut on the F1 grid is long overdue, and remains confusing to many pundits that it took this long for Bearman to find a full seat.

Whether or not Bearman will be a part of their plans moving forward remains to be seen, but as we've seen with their new team principal - the same man responsible for the success of Williams, AlphaTauri, and Haas - it will take months before the team have a clear vision for the future.

When we spoke to their new principal, he made it abundantly clear that he will continue to support Kelly Newland and still sees her as a potential champion. He will give Ollie Bearman due diligence and allow Bearman the opportunity to earn a long-term seat - as he did with Alex Galata before him - but stressed that he is not afraid to make a move should it be warranted.

That sends a clear message to Ollie Bearman: he must deliver results, or Alfa Romeo will find someone else that will deliver.

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2030 DRIVER GRID

HAAS RENAULT
Car 1: Esteban Ocon
Car 2: Theo Pourchaire
Reserve: Taskeen Gomastha

WILLIAMS RENAULT
Car 1: Max Verstappen
Car 2: Lando Norris
Reserve: Claire Arnaud

RED BULL
Car 1: Yuki Tsunoda
Car 2: Dennis Hauger
Reserve: Zak O'Sullivan

MCLAREN RENAULT
Car 1: Liam Lawson
Car 2: Zhou Guanyu
Reserve: Karen Dolan

ALPHATAURI MERCEDES
Car 1: Charles Leclerc
Car 2: Logan Sargeant
Reserve: Sebastian Montoya

FERRARI
Car 1: George Russell
Car 2: Felipe Drugovich
Reserve: Hugh Barter

ALPINE RENAULT
Car 1: Alex Galata
Car 2: Oscar Piastri
Reserve: Antonio Correia

ASTON MARTIN RENAULT
Car 1: Ayumu Iwasa
Car 2: Jak Crawford
Reserve: Lothar Ziegler

MERCEDES
Car 1: Carlos Sainz
Car 2: Pierre Gasly
Reserve: Takeshi Yoshida

ALFA ROMEO RENAULT
Car 1: Ollie Bearman
Car 2: Kelly Newland
Reserve: Irmgard Vogt

young otter
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IN WHAT WORLD DOES HALF THE GRID GO TO RENAULT ENGINES LMAO

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Apparently, this one

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Only AlphaTauri are running Mercedes

Ferrari and Red Bull are running their own engines with no customers

Everyone else is Renault...what the actual hell

nova pagoda
nova pagoda
young otter
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Okay, so assessing Alfa Romeo on first glance:

Ollie Bearman is in a much better spot than Alex Galata was for comparison. Pace is much better, his issue is going to be that he chews through tyres. So I'd put him on par with Logan Sargeant's early development, although Sargeant was better in quite a few more areas at the same point. I'm counting on him to fix his tyre management to make his five (!) year deal worth keeping. Fortunately, the Race Simulator is in a great spot already - so we will prioritize fixing that ASAP to give him plenty of opportunities to improve and develop.

I love seeing what's become of Kelly on progression. She's going to be a great asset for us. Now the priority remains fixing her accuracy so she'll quit going wide and having silly errors on race day...which means one way or another, we're fixing her pace even further.

The car is actually not in a bad spot compared to the rest of the grid. I have a feeling this will make a quick turn around for the team, although I'm very convinced Ollie and Kelly's engineers are suspect.

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There's a bunch of facilities in bad condition, but they won't be too difficult to fix as long as we get the race results we're looking for. Fortunately - and also unfortunately - Alfa Romeo don't have many sponsors, so that leaves my options wide open as far as how we can attack this team.

I essentially have a blank canvas that should allow this team to progress naturally, which makes identifying a driver of the future an absolute necessity. Irmgard Vogt might be worth a reserve contract on another team, but there's two drivers I saw before I closed the book on Haas that could absolutely be in her spot.

And while I was not smart enough to take a screen cap of them ahead of time, I can look back at the Haas save to make sure I have the correct drivers in mind.

young otter
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AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

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NO WAY BRO

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NO WAY DID ALPINE ALREADY REPLACE ALEX GALATA WITH LANCE STROLL

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OH MY GOD THEY ACTUALLY DID!!!!

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🤣🤣🤣

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Well, that's actually a significant upgrade to Alpine's lineup.

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Stroll is still one of the best drivers on the grid, and he's probably got an even bigger chip on his shoulder than Galata did

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But holy moly man, Galata getting dumped after one month. What happened there??

nova pagoda
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Also what rating is Oliver Bearman for you?

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For me he’s 84/85

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He’s one of the contenders for the second seat next season

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I’m going to use you as an experiment to see how he does 🤣🤣

little ingot
young otter
young otter
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I get Stroll to Alpine. He was a free agent in January, and Alpine quickly wanted to improve their situation to the point they were willing to immediately cut bait with Galata to make it happen.

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Now this part to me, is stupidly crazy.

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When I went to switch team, you see six expecting to win the title, three expecting to contend for podiums, and only one expecting to just be happy to score

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In what world does a p6 finishing Ferrari think they have title aspirations?

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And where does p9 Mercedes get off expecting podiums?

little ingot
nova pagoda
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When first race ?

young otter
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soons

young otter
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BAHRAIN QUALIFYING UPDATES

ELIMINATED IN Q1: LAWSON, SARGEANT, CRAWFORD, IWASA, SAINZ

Liam Lawson may have a new suitor in McLaren, but he will start 2030 from a too familiar spot. This is not the result McLaren were expecting from their new driver, as he finishes six hundredths off the mark. In his defense, he appeared to have been hindered by a swath of traffic fighting to get their final fliers in before the checkered flag.

That much is true for former champion Logan Sargeant, but the American hasn't been the same since his championship win in 2027.

Mercedes' struggles continued with Carlos Sainz failing to get out of Q1 once more. It looks like more of the same for the struggling unit to start the new season.

Aston Martin seem clearly invested in 2031, as Jak Crawford and Ayumu Iwasa are simply off the pace. Whether that's through their skills, their car, or a combination of both will remain to be seen, but it's certainly not looking bright in 2030 for the rebuilding team.

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ELIMINATED IN Q2: ZHOU, STROLL, HAUGER, DRUGOVICH, GASLY

Perhaps McLaren are simply not up to their usual pace to start the new season. Team leader Zhou Guanyu simply didn't have the magic to put together a flier he's become known for to bring himself into Q3. It's not the start McLaren were looking for.

Lance Stroll was a late addition to Alpine, so we can understand if there's an adjustment period for the former Williams rear gunner. He still appears to have put together a respectable time with the limited preparation. Perhaps with more time, he would be in Q3 with teammate Oscar Piastri.

Dennis Hauger is making a similar transition getting reacclimated to driving for Red Bull, but his familiarity simply should have given him a better result than P13 today.

Felipe Drugovich will be under more pressure to deliver now for Ferrari with the team confidently staking their future in his development. Finding himself out in Q2 and well off the pace of George Russell is not going to do that.

Mercedes will have another long season ahead of them if they cannot get more desirable results in qualifying from their star drivers. Pierre Gasly could not do any better than P15 once more, and so Mercedes will have another tough day ahead of them. This is a very far cry from the Mercedes team that dominated the grid just a decade ago.

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Q3: VERSTAPPEN, BEARMAN, TSUNODA, OCON, POURCHAIRE, LECLERC, RUSSELL, NORRIS, PIASTRI, NEWLAND

Max Verstappen is storming back up the order with a fury, taking pole in the resounding fashion he's become known for in his storied career. Less than a tenth separated the top three times, one of which was set in stunning glory by Alfa Romeo's sensational rookie, Ollie Bearman. Bearman will start on the front row alongside the five-time champion, with Yuki Tsunoda in third.

Defending champion Esteban Ocon starts his title defense from P4 while teammate Theo Pourchaire sits in P5 alongside new AlphaTauri ace Charles Leclerc on the third row.

George Russell continues to fly the Scuderia's banner high, bringing home a strong qualifying result for the Tifosi in P7. We will see if Russell has the pace to push further.

Lando Norris and Kelly Newland were well off the pace of their respective teammates, finding themselves impeded on two separate occasions that all but decimated their final flying laps.

Oscar Piastri starts his second year with Alpine on the right foot, marking his first Q3 appearance for the team. The French outfit will be counting on their new ace to take important steps forward to keep this team competitive. So far, so good.

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FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Max Verstappen
2: Ollie Bearman
3: Yuki Tsunoda
4: Esteban Ocon
5: Theo Pourchaire
6: Charles Leclerc
7: George Russell
8: Lando Norris
9: Oscar Piastri
10: Kelly Newland

11: Zhou Guanyu
12: Lance Stroll
13: Dennis Hauger
14: Felipe Drugovich
15: Pierre Gasly

16: Liam Lawson
17: Logan Sargeant
18: Jak Crawford
19: Ayumu Iwasa
20: Carlos Sainz

young otter
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BAHRAIN CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
🥈 Max Verstappen [Williams]
🥉 Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]

4: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
5: Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
6: Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]
7: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
8: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
9: Lando Norris [Williams]
10: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]

11: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
12: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]
13: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]
14: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]
15: George Russell [Ferrari]
16: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
17: Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
18: Lance Stroll [Alpine]
19: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
20: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]

young otter
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BAHRAIN RACE REPORT

The 2030 season has started with complete and total chaos on the grid.

We witnessed several battles for the lead, saw several overtakes all around the order, and had some huge controversy happening every other corner.

Lando Norris appeared to be feeling the pressure of driving with Max Verstappen on his team, making several uncharacteristic errors that left him dealing with several time penalties throughout the race. A squabble with Ollie Bearman very narrowly destroyed Bearman's race for Alfa Romeo's first podium in years, but fortunately not resulting in a retirement.

Kelly Newland very narrowly saw her day end after an odd blunder ahead of the third DRS zone, having a spin that graciously did not cause any damage to herself or to the grid. However, it left her in the back of the pack until a red flag for impeded traffic caused by a spin from Yuki Tsunoda allowed the grid to reset.

That paved the way for an electrifying second half of the race as Felipe Drugovich soared to the front and pulled away from Max Verstappen to claim his first victory in three years, along Ferrari's first proper race win in a year.

Logan Sargeant also enjoyed his finest result in years, bringing AlphaTauri back to the podium for the first time in a year, and for his first since - you guessed it - 2027, which also happens to be the same year that Felipe Drugovich was his teammate.

If this is what's in store for the 2030 season, we can't wait to see how the rest of the year plays out. This was easily the best Bahrain Grand Prix we have seen in some time, which bodes well for the season ahead.

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FERRARI: TRIUMPH FOR DRUGOVICH, HEARTBREAK FOR RUSSELL

For better and worse, we saw the complexities that make Ferrari compelling for every Formula 1 fan, casual and diehard alike.

They gambled on the one stop strategy for Felipe Drugovich, using the red flag to put Drugovich on the soft tyre. Drugovich not only extracted the most pace of any soft runners down the stretch; he displayed excellent tyre management to make them last to the checkered flag.

Ferrari wisely hedged their bets with medium tyres for George Russell, but his race was ruined through no fault of his own as another five second penalty was handed down to Lando Norris for an incident that forced Russell to pit for a front wing replacement, effectively ending Ferrari's best day since 2028.

Still, the victory for Drugovich is exactly what the Scuderia need to see. They've bet the house on Drugovich living up to the potential he displayed in AlphaTauri, and Drugovich has delivered.

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WILLIAMS: VERSTAPPEN'S STRONG EFFORT OVERSHADOWED BY UNCHARACTERISTIC ERRORS FROM NORRIS

For much of this weekend, Max Verstappen looked much more confident in his abilities, looking much like the driver we saw from 2021 to 2024. It wasn't a dominant race for Verstappen, but he ran near the front and made several great moves to keep himself in contention.

However, he simply waited too long to start pushing his medium tyres to chase down Felipe Drugovich for the win, instead being forced to settle for P2. There should be no question that Max Verstappen should be considered to be firmly back in championship contention.

But more of the talk for Williams this weekend belonged to Lando Norris, and not in a great manner.

On more than one occasion, Norris was involved in squabbles with several drivers - some more serious than others. Some anonymous staff members commented that Norris was "racing a NASCAR" today with how much contact he was inviting and creating.

It may be just one off weekend for Norris, but it's not the start he surely wants after Williams broke the bank to extend his contract while bringing in Verstappen. Williams will be expecting Norris to clean up the mistakes and focus on staying incident free at Jeddah.

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ALFA ROMEO: NEWLAND, BEARMAN SEIZE TWO BRILLIANT RECOVERY DRIVES AFTER RED FLAG

The Alfa Romeo of old would have waved the white flag after two race killing incidents all but ruined Ollie Bearman and Kelly Newland's days.

But the red flag gave both drivers a sliver of hope that they could turn their luck around.

And so, they did. Bearman and Newland started from the back of the grid and finished firmly in the points, giving the team its best start since 2025.

Kelly Newland was especially impressive on the red flag restart, quickly gaining five spots to catch up with Ollie Bearman. Both drivers waited patiently after that, working together masterfully to get themselves to the points and finish in the top six.

This is a much improved Alfa Romeo that should be considered threats to win from any spot on the grid.

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ALPHATAURI: SARGEANT STEPS UP WHEN LECLERC FALLS DOWN

Charles Leclerc had the pace to win. He just couldn't keep his car on the road when it mattered most.

Leclerc's unfortunate lock-up sent the Monegasque out of the points, while also setting the table for Logan Sargeant's final charge to his first podium since winning the drivers championship in 2027.

Sargeant timed his final push wonderfully, displaying his much improved tyre management to pass the drivers who gambled on making the soft tyres last to the end with the red flag stops and latching on to the back of former teammate Max Verstappen to pull away from the pack.

In any event, AlphaTauri are much improved from 2029 and look poised to get back to their winning ways. Efforts like the one from Logan Sargeant will do just that.

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ALPINE: PIASTRI STARTS HOT, STROLL STARTS COLD

The fourth-place finish like the one Oscar Piastri got are exactly what the Renault works team expect moving forward.

It took several years for the Australian to find his confidence, but this version of Piastri looks determined to lead Alpine back up the order. He secured the team's strongest result in years with his P4 effort.

On the other hand, Lance Stroll's struggle to adjust to the Alpine is not what the team were expecting from the skilled veteran. He was brought in with the promise of giving the team their best lineup since Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were together, and he did not live up to that promise to start the new year. Worse still, Stroll remains the same error prone driver he's been for most of his career.

We have little doubt that Stroll will find the pace, but an 18th place finish is not what Alpine wanted to see from their last minute acquisition.

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RED BULL: HAUGER SOLID, TSUNODA UNSPECTACULAR

Dennis Hauger had a solid effort in his official return to Red Bull. The qualifying result may not have been up to par, but the race pace was an encouraging sight. The team are happy with the Norwegian's drive, but they're very unhappy with Yuki Tsunoda.

Through several laps, Tsunoda was at the center of major incidents. He was the cause of the red flag that set the table for the race's exciting events. He managed to battle back up to the podium places, only to suffer a major puncture that destroyed his race and nearly forced him to retire. He limped home in last place. The over aggressive tendencies may be beginning to wear thin on Horner and company.

Solely in possession of the best engine on the grid, Red Bull will need Tsunoda to clean up the errors and become the driver they thought they were getting from Alfa Romeo. That will be Red Bull's best chance to find themselves back in championship contention as they expect to be.

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MCLAREN: LAWSON, ZHOU COME ALIVE DURING THE RACE

Liam Lawson and Zhou Guanyu acquitted themselves decently during the race, using solid strategy and pace to pull themselves into the points after qualifying outside the top 10. Part of that may have come with the red flag, sure, but the team's call to send both drivers out on fresh mediums allowed them to fight their way into the points as many teams were having buyer's remorse during the final laps.

This is not the start the papaya faithful were expecting from their new pairing. But if nothing else, they can hold their heads high knowing that both drivers, Lawson in particular, enjoyed a strong race to bring the team valuable points to start 2030.

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HAAS: RED FLAG MISFIRES ERASE STRONG START FROM DEFENDING CHAMPION

Esteban Ocon and Theo Pourchaire ran near the front for the majority of the race before the red flag. Pourchaire in particular was in contention for the race win. It certainly looked to be a strong day for Haas' title defenses until their questionable calls during the red flag eliminated the team's chances at a strong result.

Ocon in particular struggled to make the soft tyre last to the end, forcing him to limp home nursing extremely worn tyres to the line as the team frustratingly chose to have the defending World Champion stay out. To make matters worse, Pourchaire was the lone driver to run the hard tyre on the red flag restart. For a moment, it appeared the gamble might work should Pourchaire manage to take care of his tyres and push at the right moment - as he did wonderfully last year in Suzuka.

Instead, Pourchaire hemmoraged positions left and right, clearly several seconds off the pace and caught out by the drivers who came in for fresher tyres.

Bahrain marks a disastrous start for Haas, who must be better on all fronts for their superbly talented French duo.

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MERCEDES: GASLY FIGHTS HARD, SAINZ INVISIBLE

That's another goose egg for the German team to start 2030, but the team have to be pleased to see there's still some life left in Pierre Gasly.

He may not have been able to find his way back into the points - the team's car is simply not where it needs to be for that to happen - but he displayed great fight to remain ahead of the better-than-expected Aston Martins in P12. The team can build some momentum from this result, although they may be reconsidering their decision to return Carlos Sainz after the Smooth Operator was anything but that all weekend.

That may be mostly due to the team's decision to gamble on softs with Sainz, while staying safe with Gasly, but it's not a great sign when aggressive strategies are no longer working for the Spaniard.

In any event, this Mercedes remains very much a work in progress. It's unfair to pin all of the team's woes on their drivers. At some point, Mercedes will have to look within to solve their ongoing car issues.

#

ASTON MARTIN: IWASA, CRAWFORD DELIVER INSPIRED EFFORT

It's no secret that Aston Martin are fully focused on the future ahead, and part of that comes with allowing their drivers to develop while they work on improving the team's car and infrastructure further.

On that front, it was nice to see Ayumu Iwasa and Jak Crawford enjoy a solid start to the 2030 season. Many pundits did not expect the Aston Martin to be competitive. Iwasa and Crawford may not have finished in the points, but they showed great fight to get themselves two respectable finishes, wisely finishing their race on medium tyres to outpace many of their direct competitors.

2030 will be a trying season for both drivers, but results like this are exactly what Aston Martin will hang their hat on as they prepare for the future rebuild ahead.

nova pagoda
young otter
#

No races just yet! I'll probably be back Sunday.

While I'm thinking out loud, seeing Kelly take 5 spots on a restart is some alpha energy that I was expecting to see from her when she started on the same tyre as most of the grid around her. That probably means well if I want to try more aggressive strategies with her.

Ollie has some tyre management problems I'll have to address. But until I can get the car going and get Alfa's several facilities back in order (and that will take several millions of dollars) the race sim upgrade will have to wait.

Fortunately, it's already at level 4 and there are no sponsors that cripple our driver development.

#

And I'll keep the positivity on Ollie so I don't keep fawning too hard over Kelly:

He's got pace worth keeping around. I think we are set with our 2 drivers, pending any sudden regression.

#

We have 2 of the youngest drivers on the grid, one of which is a Superstar in the making and one who probably got unfairly left waiting while other drivers (WHO ARE NO LONGER ON ANY TEAM THANK GOD) stole spots that should have gone to him

little ingot
#

Yooo 1 question for u shaman. When u team switched and 1 of ur drivers contract was over. Did u renew it or just buy a high rated driver? Because i have rn S2 Williams Hamilton and Alonos contracts are ending and im gonna switch to an lower team. Should i buy an low (80-84) and high (90+) rated driver?

nova pagoda
#

And then the drivers at Haas had multi year contracts

little ingot
#

ahh okay

nova pagoda
#

Charles is always a great shout

little ingot
#

okay, because im going to team switch to a lower team

#

then i'll buy russell

nova pagoda
young otter
# little ingot Yooo 1 question for u shaman. When u team switched and 1 of ur drivers contract ...

I play from the aspect of what makes sense for the team.

On 2/3 teams one contract was up and the other expired. In those teams I signed best available free agent because an upgrade just made sense. (Although, I could have easily kept Drugovich in AlphaTauri and now wish I would have, but Verstappen struggling on a bad Red Bull team while still being the best driver on merit? You make that signing 10 times out of 10 and never look back)

On the other I retained both drivers.

Ultimately do what you think is right. I like keeping two great drivers on a team I just won it all with to see how the car/team do without me controlling them.

Williams are contenders, AlphaTauri remains to be seen where they stand in the long run. Haas goofed the strategy in Bahrain so no idea where they will go

young otter
young otter
#

I'll be back at it tonight or tomorrow for sure!

nova pagoda
young otter
#

JEDDAH QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Esteban Ocon
2: George Russell
3: Yuki Tsunoda
4: Theo Pourchaire
5: Kelly Newland
6: Logan Sargeant
7: Charles Leclerc
8: Max Verstappen
9: Oscar Piastri
10: Ollie Bearman

11: Dennis Hauger
12: Carlos Sainz
13: Zhou Guanyu
14: Liam Lawson
15: Lando Norris

16: Lance Stroll
17: Ayumu Iwasa
18: Jak Crawford
19: Pierre Gasly
20: Felipe Drugovich

#

JEDDAH QUALIFYING REPORT

World Champion Esteban Ocon set a final flier that sent a strong message to the paddock: He's ready for a proper defense.

No driver has successfully defended the drivers championship (or, in other words, won it consecutively) since Max Verstappen in 2024. Ocon is looking to change that, along with Haas' fortunes, with a strong qualifying performance that puts the defending constructors champions at the front of the order.

George Russell looks to continue Ferrari's forward momentum, putting together an excellent qualifying that has him on the front row with Ocon.

Mark a second straight appearance in Q3 for both AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo, as both teams display much improved cars in 2030. Kelly Newland in particular secures her career best start in P5 for the long race ahead, while Logan Sargeant looks to continue an excellent start from P6.

Almost anywhere you look on the grid, you notice teams falling short of expectations, but you also notice drivers such as Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Oscar Piastri attempting to carry their respective teams with strong qualifying efforts.

One driver who had a forgettable session is Felipe Drugovich, who will face a tough drive from the back of the order after a miraculous victory at Bahrain to start his second season with Ferrari.

Will the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix produce as many sparks as the Bahrain Grand Prix did last time? We'll find out shortly!

young otter
#

JEDDAH CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]
🥈 Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
🥉 Max Verstappen [Williams]

4: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
5: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
6: George Russell [Ferrari]
7: Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
8: Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]
9: Lando Norris [Williams]
10: Lance Stroll [Alpine]

11: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
12: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]
13: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
14: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
15: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
16: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
17: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
18: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]
19: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]
20: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]

#

JEDDAH RACE REPORT

Red Bull finally found their way back to the top step of the podium as Yuki Tsunoda delivers the team's first win in several years. With Dennis Hauger's P4 result, the former champions have enjoyed their strongest result since the first year of their dream pairing of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

It was a return to form for the defending champion Haas. Theo Pourchaire and Esteban Ocon looked more like themselves, with Pourchaire just nearly being held off in a close finish to the line with Tsunoda and Ocon finishing in the top five.

Williams once again got a mixed bag with their drivers. Max Verstappen starts off 2030 with back-to-back podiums while Lando Norris is struggling early on. Another finish below expectation for the former champion leaves the team wondering what exactly they'll need to do to get the Brit back on course.

Alfa Romeo were the only other team to get their team fully into the points. It was a solid drive for both Kelly Newland and Ollie Bearman, although not the day either one would have expected following another strong qualifying result. Still, 2030 is off to a good start for the improving unit.

George Russell and Lance Stroll round out the points, as both drivers are purely auditioning for their future. Every weekend is critical for both drivers as they aspire for one more drive with a top team.

young otter
#

POST-RACE THOUGHTS

Alfa Romeo TP: "Well, it's two weekends down and I think we have a better picture of what our car's general performance is. We have great one-lap pace, but the car seems to struggle in DRS trains like the ones we saw today. That's on me for not finding a way to make the drives better for Kelly and Ollie. Perhaps I could have ordered them to stay in clean air or I could have started them on a harder tyre to give them more runs with less traffic. But I can't help but be impressed with their talent. We have the youngest drivers on the grid, and they're fighting in the midfield on merit. That's all credit to them, and to the team in the factory for working tirelessly to help reverse our fortunes. There's still plenty of room for improvement, but I'm impressed overall with what I've seen."

Kelly Newland (P7): "It's always a disappointment to start in the top five and not be able to finish there or higher. Just a struggle all day with dirty air and tyre degradation. The first stint went about as well as it could have. The final stint was tough. But when we pushed with four laps to go, I felt the car come alive in a way I hadn't seen in three years. So I know we've got the pace. We just need to find a way to get the car where we need it to be in long DRS trains. But I know it starts with me trying to take advantage of every stretch of clean air I can. It's tough in Jeddah with the tight circuit, but I could have had a better day. I definitely left points on the table."

Ollie Bearman (P8): "Yeah, just unfortunate what happened to us in qualifying. It was definitely a let down to not be able to find my way back into the top five in the shootout, but I ran inside or near the top 10 all race long. I know I have to work on managing my tyres better, but I was glad to feel the car's full pace at the end, made a few solid overtakes to finish P8. It's only two races, but so far I feel like I belong. Thanks to my team and the factory for their work."

nova pagoda
#

Oliver for me has 100 control

young otter
#

i'll screencap Ollie's stats next I see

young otter
#

MELBOURNE QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Kelly Newland
2: Dennis Hauger
3: Zhou Guanyu
4: Lando Norris
5: Logan Sargeant
6: Theo Pourchaire
7: Max Verstappen
8: George Russell
9: Carlos Sainz
10: Ollie Bearman

11: Pierre Gasly
12: Yuki Tsunoda
13: Charles Leclerc
14: Liam Lawson
15: Lance Stroll

16: Felipe Drugovich
17: Ayumu Iwasa
18: Jak Crawford
19: Oscar Piastri
20: Esteban Ocon

young otter
#

MELBOURNE QUALIFYING REPORT

Kelly Newland's initial lap in Q3 was the only one she needed to claim a historic pole position. This is truly a bright mark on Kelly Newland's talent and the work she's put in. In her third season on the grid, Newland has not only proven she deserves a seat; she may, in fact, be a dark horse championship contender. And she's only 24 years old with plenty of room to grow.

This is also a mark toward Alfa Romeo's quick turnaround. With a team principal who has captained three impressive stints in Williams, AlphaTauri, and Haas, it doesn't surprise us that Alfa Romeo is off to a similarly strong start.

Also off to a strong start - and now the only other team aside from Alfa Romeo who have started 2030 with full appearances in Q3 - is Williams, who finally got a quality session from both of its highly valued drivers. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen start well inside the top 10, and both should be viewed as strong candidates for the win, let alone the podium.

Dennis Hauger is proving to be very worthy of his seat in Red Bull. Following a strong P4 effort in Jeddah, he joins Newland on the front row to start the Australian Grand Prix.

Logan Sargeant has made back-to-back appearances in Q3, looking to have regained the confidence he seemed to have lost after his 2027 title victory. He missed the points in Jeddah, but he looks poised to have a great race.

Theo Pourchaire and George Russell continue strong qualifying efforts, and Zhou Guanyu and Carlos Sainz finally make their way into Q3 for the first time this year.

young otter
#

MELBOURNE CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
🥈 Lando Norris [Williams]
🥉 Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]

4: Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
5: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
6: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
7: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]
8: Max Verstappen [Williams]
9: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
10: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]

11: Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]
12: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
13: George Russell [Ferrari]
14: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]
15: Lance Stroll [Alpine]
16: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
17: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
18: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
19: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]
20: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]

young otter
#

MELBOURNE RACE REPORT

Kelly Newland soared past Lando Norris in a drag race to the line, claiming her maiden win in a historic achievement for herself and for her team. She gave Alfa Romeo its first win as a constructor since the 1951 Spanish Grand Prix.

Lando Norris has to be gutted with the result, but his P2 result helps contribute to Williams' strong start in 2030, as they reclaim the lead in the constructors' title fight. So far, a Williams driver has finished on the podium in all three weekends - and in Norris' case, the podium could not have come at a better time. He was excellent on a day when Max Verstappen was simply not on the pace, which makes Williams a very formidable race threat on any weekend.

Zhou Guanyu had an impressive race today to claim the podium, displaying strong pace and sound racecraft to go along with his excellent qualifying. McLaren's Chinese Sensation continues to answer the call, giving the papaya a glimmer of hope to one day be constructors champions. New McLaren driver Liam Lawson also continues to answer his critics with a solid outing, finishing in the points to supplement a good weekend for his team.

Haas and Red Bull continue displaying strong race pace from its drivers. Theo Pourchaire just barely missed out on the podium but still delivered a strong P4 result while defending World Champion Esteban Ocon had an incredible recovery drive from P20 to finish P6 in the race. Dennis Hauger collects another top five finish while Yuki Tsunoda shook off an underwhelming qualifying effort with a strong race to finish P7.

Logan Sargeant rounds out the points in P10, continuing a solid bounce back campaign while teammate Charles Leclerc yet again failed to finish in the points. It's suddenly not looking good for the former Red Bull junior program, as their title window appears to be closed.

#

POST RACE THOUGHTS

Alfa Romeo TP: "First off, congratulations to Kelly Newland for her incredible drive today. She was simply outstanding all race long. There have been many people out there who've all said that she's a publicity stunt, she's a cash grab, she's this, she's that - in any case, she's proven beyond any doubt today that she's the real deal. I've known what Kelly could do since I was at Williams watching her drive in F2 and F3. You can't teach the kind of pace and confidence she has with it. But I have to look at the entire picture, and on that front we failed. We should have two drivers in the points today, and that blame solely rests on my shoulders. We micro managed Ollie too much, and it cost us. We tried to make the same aggressive two-stop I've valued in Melbourne work for him as it did for Kelly, and in the end it didn't net him a great result. This was one time I wish I would have ordered a split strategy and trusted Ollie to make it work. I'm ecstatic about the race win, but the end result is not where we want to be. We were so focused on Kelly's race that we unintentionally sacrificed Ollie. I owe Ollie a sincere apology today. He deserved better than P11."

#

Kelly Newland (P1): "Lovely drive today, and one that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Lando did an excellent job defending for those final three laps. I gave everything on that last lap, and I just managed to get the move done down the pit straight. Once I made the dive at Turn 11 and got on the inside, I knew I had a pretty good chance to get him, but he battled back. Fortunately, I managed to slip behind him just enough to get the DRS and pull away for the win. It took all my battery, my fuel - I'm just so happy to be standing right here, and that feeling to hear your homeland's anthem, to stand on the top step with the man who's believed in me since he took me in at AlphaTauri, to be alongside two top drivers in Lando Norris and Zhou Guanyu, it means the world to me. I'm not going to get too sensational about the win and what it means, because I'm not here for that. It's nice to break down barriers and eliminate some fans' perception of me and what they think I represent, but at the end of the day, I'm just one of twenty drivers with the opportunity to compete at the top level of motorsport. My intention isn't just to prove I belong here, it's to be a World Champion. One race win isn't enough to justify that. I'm going to celebrate this win tonight and tomorrow, and then I'm going to get right back to work to prepare for Baku."

#

Ollie Bearman (P11): "It's a frustrating result today, but it's my fault and no one else's. I knew my team felt confident with the two-stop strategy overall and that confidence spread across to me. I felt we had a good opportunity to go for it, and I thought our race pace was great. I'm aware that my team principal's had several drivers use the two-stop to great effect in the past, so to finish outside the points shocked me. But that's not his fault. I watched Kelly win the race with the same strategy so it's clearly my fault. I just didn't get the pace I needed because I was spending most of the race taking care of my tyres. The way I raced today, I should have spoken up and asked to go on the one-stop. But considering how well Kelly and I were running all race, I thought the two-stop was still the right call. I just didn't make it work today. I know my team principal said he feels he owes me an apology. Frankly, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I have to be better, I expect myself to be better. I may be a rookie, but I know I have the talent to be right at the front like Kelly was. I just have to do a better job making the aggressive strategy call work. We have plenty of race weekends left to get on the same page and take this team where we want to go. If there's one positive takeaway from this weekend, it's that we're not a punching bag for the rest of the grid. We're a much different, much more dangerous team, and we're only going to get better from here."

nova pagoda
#

HUH

#

KELLY WON

#

WHAT

#

😭😭😭

young otter
#

Based Kelly

#

That's three different winners, eight different drivers on the podium, and the only repeat so far is Max

#

Not posting the full standings, but so far it's important to note

Williams are p1 ahead of Red Bull, us, and Haas.

Kelly is now leading drivers with the win

young otter
#

MORE RACES SOON JUST BEEN PLAYING OTHER GAMES

nova pagoda
young otter
#

Oliver needs to get that smoothness up to snuff before he can start beating Kelly full on!!!

#

His pace stats are all past 85 so he's got the goods

#

His smoothness is as bad as Logan's was around the same age 🤣

nova pagoda
#

My Oliver has 100 control

#

And everything is at least 85 ish

#

Except his overtaking

#

That’s 72

keen dagger
#

Overtaking and defending are more important in this game because it contributes to error chance when doing the respective move

#

Don't want a penalty or a dnf

young otter
#

That explains why Kelly's had more incidents than usual

#

(On the whole, she's actually kept it to a minimum so far since I've been Alfa's TP)

young otter
#

FIA ANNOUNCES MAJOR TECHNICAL REGULATION CHANGES FOR 2031

The FIA have just informed all ten Formula 1 Team Principals that there will be major regulation changes for the next season.

After five seasons in the current regulations, the board have decided that some teams are gaining significant advantages due to their superiority in DRS and clean air, specifically noting some teams' designs and updates to their rear wing. While all modifications and updates have been ruled legal, there have been some teams that have gained significant advantages from their car's ability to cut through dirty air. Some - like Haas and Williams - have gained major advantages from their rear wing's ability to reduce drag.

Therefore, in an effort to create parity in the field, the FIA have decided to rethink how teams will design their cars' aerodynamics, namely around the rear wing. This, too, will affect the aerodynamic development of the 2031 car, forcing teams to dedicate their resources to refining the car's aerodynamics to compensate for its drastically changed philosophy with rear wing development.

With teams battling for championships in 2030, it becomes critical for the grid to focus on 2031 while not getting too lost in the current moment.

young otter
#

BAKU QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Kelly Newland
2: Lando Norris
3: Max Verstappen
4: Oliver Bearman
5: Theo Pourchaire
6: Zhou Guanyu
7: Dennis Hauger
8: Felipe Drugovich
9: Logan Sargeant
10: Esteban Ocon

11: Charles Leclerc
12: George Russell
13: Liam Lawson
14: Lance Stroll
15: Carlos Sainz

16: Pierre Gasly
17: Yuki Tsunoda
18: Ayumu Iwasa
19: Oscar Piastri
20: Jak Crawford

#

BAKU QUALIFYING REPORT

It's a Pyrrhic victory on the day for Kelly Newland.

After claiming her maiden victory at the Australian Grand Prix, Kelly Newland followed up with an impressive flier that held for pole position. Unfortunately, she lost her car in a freak accident during her cooldown lap. A brake failure sent her car throttling into the barrier at Turn 1, and her car was engulfed in flames. Fortunately, Kelly was able to escape with no visible injuries.

Kelly Newland's first, and most important, remark when asked about the incident: "I'm thankful to be alive."

It was a horrifying moment for the paddock, but the 24 year old rising star was taken to a local medical facility and cleared to return to competition for the weekend.

Alfa Romeo have to be frustrated with the result, as they have been forced to scramble to replace Kelly's car following the incident. She will be forced to take new engine components as a result of the repairs, but for no grid penalty - not yet, anyhow.

Williams' superstar pairing of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen line up in 2nd and 3rd, with Newland's teammate Ollie Bearman right behind in 4th.

Haas had a strong showing from Theo Pourchaire and Esteban Ocon, with both drivers making the top 10 shootout. Pourchaire starts the sprint in 5th while his World Champion teammate starts from 10th.

Zhou Guanyu, Dennis Hauger, and Logan Sargeant continue to show impressive form in qualifying and look to keep their strong starts going, while Bahrain winner Felipe Drugovich has quickly found his form once more with an impressive qualifying performance that has him starting P8 for the sprint.

Here's to wishing good health not just for Kelly Newland, but for the rest of the grid through the weekend.

young otter
#

BAKU SPRINT CLASSIFICATION:

1: Kelly Newland
2: Oliver Bearman
3: Max Verstappen
4: Theo Pourchaire
5: Zhou Guanyu
6: Logan Sargeant
7: Dennis Hauger
8: Lando Norris

9: Charles Leclerc
10: Esteban Ocon
11: George Russell
12: Yuki Tsunoda
13: Lance Stroll
14: Liam Lawson

15: Felipe Drugovich
16: Pierre Gasly
17: Carlos Sainz
18: Oscar Piastri
19: Ayumu Iwasa
20: Jak Crawford

young otter
#

BAKU SPRINT REPORT

Kelly Newland may have had a brush with death, but she certainly didn't show it with a dominant sprint victory to officially start the race on pole. Alfa Romeo have to be thrilled with their team's performance today, as Ollie Bearman's two crucial overtakes on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have given Alfa Romeo a critical front row lockout.

Improbably, Alfa Romeo may perhaps be looking to challenge for the title this year.

That optimism is clearly coming from its team principal, who had this to say after his team's impressive day: "Honestly, the car has had this much potential within it. It just took the team buying in and working hard to see it through. We may have what it takes to go all the way, but it takes everyone working toward that goal for this to work."

It is too early to call, however the Alfa Romeo has displayed impressive pace in qualifying and in race conditions. Whether that pace will be on display when it counts is anyone's guess, but it's clear Alfa Romeo have the pace to finish this weekend on the top step.

Max Verstappen continues another brilliant bounce back campaign with a P3 finish, while Theo Pourchaire looks to get in the drivers' title mix after a strong P4 result. Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant, and Dennis Hauger all displayed great pace - Sargeant in particularly having an impressive day to climb into the points. Lando Norris rounds out the points, albeit in disappointing fashion. His pace seemed to diminish down the stretch, leaving him far from where he started the sprint and putting Williams in a troublesome position for the race.

young otter
#

BAKU CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
🥈 Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
🥉 Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]

4: Lando Norris [Williams]
5: Max Verstappen [Williams]
6: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
7: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
8: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
9: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]
10: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]

11: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
12: George Russell [Ferrari]
13: Lance Stroll [Alpine]
14: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
15: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]
16: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
17: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
18: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]
19: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
20: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]

young otter
#

BAKU RACE REPORT

Kelly Newland has made it back-to-back race wins through a tough race. Two slow stops nearly ended her chances at taking the win. That forced Newland to get aggressive behind the wheel and make several high-risk overtakes to fight her way back to the front. Newland dazzled on her way to her second career win, albeit through difficult circumstances.

Yet after her frightening crash in Q3, it may have been the most appropriate setting. 13 seconds for two pit stops is quite a painful experience, but Kelly Newland took a crucial step forward in her development by fighting through the adversity to a statement victory.

Theo Pourchaire's approach to the race almost paid off. As the lone man to run the one stop medium-soft strategy, the young Frenchman soared ahead of the pack, fending off two lunges from Newland and Ollie Bearman on their medium stints. Bearman followed suit with the two-stop, making it work despite a clear weakness in tyre management.

Alfa Romeo's bold call gave the team an important double podium as they look to challenge Williams and Haas for the Constructors Championship ahead of major regulation changes for the following season.

Williams enjoyed a solid race with Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both finishing in the top five; however, this is now the first race in 2030 that a Williams did not finish on the podium.

World Champion Esteban Ocon had a solid drive today, climbing four places to earn a respectable P6 result and give Haas solid points to go with Pourchaire's podium finish.

AlphaTauri enjoyed a good weekend with Charles Leclerc battling back into the points and Logan Sargeant holding serve in the top 10.

McLaren almost enjoyed a full points weekend from Zhou Guanyu and Liam Lawson, but Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda played spoiler on the last lap to take P10.

#

POST-RACE THOUGHTS

Alfa Romeo TP: "We're very pleased with the weekend we've had. I believe we've shown we're a tougher team now than we were a few seasons ago. We're fortunate that Kelly's crash didn't go as horribly as it could have, even more so that Kelly could - and wanted to - get back behind the wheel as soon as she did. For her to qualify on pole, win the sprint, and win the race is a fantastic result. Of course, we're not thrilled that the pit crew didn't have their best day with her stops, but Kelly responded with a championship quality drive. We're also very ecstatic about Ollie joining her on the podium today. We got him in the right position to make the two-stop work and he displayed some of the best pace we've seen from him yet. We still have work to do getting him to take better care of his tyres, but he did a great job given the circumstances. We'll celebrate this effort today and get right back to work prepping for Miami."

#

Kelly Newland (P1): "It was a terrifying moment in qualifying. You don't expect to lose the car on your cool down lap, and it was certainly scary there to feel the fire and see the smoke coming from the car. I was surprised to learn that first flier was somehow good enough for pole position, and that was enough to get the adrenaline back and motivate me to keep fighting. We had a fantastic sprint, followed by a tough race. Those two stops were some of the most deflating moments I've ever experienced, but I knew I had to get my head down and keep fighting. I don't want to say I was the fastest driver on track with all respect to Theo, but I feel I proved all weekend that I had the best pace and that was more than enough to get the win today."

#

Ollie Bearman (P3): "Yeah, it's not the 1-2 result I was hoping for after getting the job done in the sprint, but to finish on the podium with Kelly...I'll always remember this moment. The factory, the team, everyone has pulled together with one goal in mind. Weekends like this show when everyone on the team is firing on all cylinders, we're one of the best teams on the paddock. It's too soon to call us proper challengers, but I don't think anyone will sleep on us after this weekend. It was fun to be able to challenge Williams, Haas, McLaren, Red Bull - these teams we couldn't challenge a few seasons ago, and to just come off the start being able to fight them on merit says a lot about how much this team believes in the moment and believes in the future. If we keep this momentum going forward, there's no telling what we'll achieve from here."

young otter
#

NOT DEAD JUST HAVEN'T PLAYED MORE RACES SOON

young otter
#

👋

Finally decided to get back on the game. Got busy with life and other games, especially when I noticed exactly what a few of y'all might have noticed...and that's the fact that this Alfa Romeo team suddenly going from p10 on the previous season's merit to suddenly at the front of the pack is a bit jarring.

I expected part of that to be because the car's performance in the previous season was nowhere near as bad as the team's performance indicated. That spot belongs to Aston Martin, who only finished above p10 because somehow Kevin Magnussen decided to pull that tractor into the points.

I left the settings alone for the first four races because I wanted to see what happened, what with Kelly Newland having some on-track troubles and Ollie Bearman's tyre management not being where we want it to be. The issue now is that the car is just simply too good during the races even with both drivers' weaknesses.

Now sure, I've had to be a bit crafty to get them to the front, and I'm always opting for the aggressive strategy where I can to get my drivers ahead with fresher, faster tyres - that's the effect of soft tyres in this game in tracks where you can get away with a two stopper. But there's just no way this team should be this far forward.

For now, I've finally decided to bump the car development difficulty up to the max so the AI will now use their slots more effectively, and they will always be developing/researching. It's been some time since I needed to make this decision, but I wanted to wait and see what multiple races did before I pulled the trigger. At least in the early seasons with AlphaTauri and Haas, I could tell the cars were truly in poor spots - and those cars were the worst on the grid.

This time, however, I took the worst team on the grid who just...underperformed rather than earned p10 by simply being the worst.

We'll see what happens with the races before I make a decision on the difficulty there.

But, finally, I'm back.

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https://i.gyazo.com/dc490dc4cfe77c093d0aae373adad9ed.jpg

The link above shows the two drivers I have with Alfa Romeo, with all stats side-by-side for full comparison.

They're actually both very similar in skill, but Kelly is further ahead in her racecraft than Ollie is - and that's because the AI is simply dumb about choosing what drivers to develop and keep on the grid. There's no way Bearman should be this low when there are several saves out there that prove the talent is there with Ollie (helps he actually proved it IRL this year too!)

We'll have to manage Ollie's races a little more carefully, but Kelly is to a point I don't have to give her very much instruction.

This is where we are heading into Miami. Full points standings come after this.

young otter
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MIAMI QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Ollie Bearman
2: Kelly Newland
3: Lando Norris
4: Max Verstappen
5: Charles Leclerc
6: Theo Pourchaire
7: Zhou Guanyu
8: Yuki Tsunoda
9: Logan Sargeant
10: Dennis Hauger

11: Esteban Ocon
12: Liam Lawson
13: Lance Stroll
14: Felipe Drugovich
15: Carlos Sainz

16: George Russell
17: Oscar Piastri
18: Jak Crawford
19: Ayumu Iwasa
20: Pierre Gasly

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MIAMI QUALIFYING REPORT

Alfa Romeo put together another fine qualifying effort to claim another front row lockout, carrying their strong momentum from Baku. Rookie sensation Ollie Bearman won the day with the fastest time in the top 10 shootout, with his initial flier on used softs getting the job done ahead of current championship leader, Kelly Newland.

Theo Pourchaire had the fastest qualifying time across all three sessions, but he couldn't put it together when it mattered most. He'll line up P6 for the race in what has to be a disappointing effort after his near-win in Baku. Haas in general seem to be struggling early, not appearing to be in position to compete at the front with Alfa Romeo and Williams clearly ahead of them at this time.

Speaking of Williams, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen finally put together a sterling effort their garage has been looking for. They start right behind their championship rivals in the second row, and they'll look to get it done on track and steal momentum away from the surging Alfa Romeo outfit.

It was a good day for Red Bull and their junior team, AlphaTauri. Both teams found themselves full participants in qualifying, which can only mean good things for their immediate future. If they can put together a solid race tomorrow, both teams will be in much better positions than they have been to start the season.

Ferrari and Mercedes were once championship rivals; they now find themselves firmly in the back of the grid. This has been happening for some time with Mercedes as they've been unable to restore themselves to their former glory. What's more shocking is Ferrari's sharp decline, which makes for difficult decisions ahead for the Scuderia and for George Russell, who will become a free agent at the end of the year.

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ALFA ROMEO EXPECTED RACE STRATEGY

Ollie Bearman [P1] - 2 stopper
Soft ---> Medium ---> Medium

Kelly Newland [P2] - 2 stopper
Soft ---> Soft ---> Medium

young otter
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MIAMI CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
🥈 Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]
🥉 Lando Norris [Williams]

4: Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
5: Max Verstappen [Williams]
6: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]
7: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
8: Lance Stroll [Alpine]
9: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
10: George Russell [Ferrari]

11: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
12: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
13: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]
14: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]
15: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
16: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
17: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]
18: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
19: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
20: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]

young otter
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MIAMI RACE REPORT

Mark three in a row for Kelly Newland, who increases her championship advantage while Ollie Bearman's solid drive for P2 pushes Alfa Romeo further ahead of the pack. Both drivers went with separate two-stop strategies, using them to perfection to guarantee the team's best finish in quite some time.

Lando Norris opted for a risky one-stop strategy from softs to mediums, and had the pace on merit to challenge Newland and Bearman at the front. Williams' gamble paid off, as Norris found himself on the podium while Max Verstappen's more conventional two stopper produced another finish in the top five. Williams are opting for consistency, and it's working.

Another strong day for Theo Pourchaire in Haas, who followed up a podium in Baku with a P4 result in Miami. Pourchaire continues to provide hope for the defending world champions.

AlphaTauri are finding their feet in 2030, as Charles Leclerc and Logan Sargeant both finished inside the top 10, enjoying solid campaigns thus far.

Another solid drive for Zhou Guanyu as he continues to provide consistent results for McLaren, while Lance Stroll and George Russell produced two quality efforts for Alpine and Ferrari.

little ingot
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lets go back

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this grid is still insane

wicked citrus
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This actually sounds fun

young otter
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Sometime this week I'll be playing a-gane

Kelly Newland is just insane in this current car. Pace was clearly good and her tyre management was superb. She's a weapon.

Ollie had a great race too! We had to micromanage him a tad more, but the alternate strategy worked well to get us ahead of Lando.

Lando caught us by surprise to start the race, but our long run pace was better than his short runs could put together.

I'll see what the grid looks like with a few more weekends of development for the teams. But as it sits, the car is currently the best in class. I'd be less worried if it was earned on merit after the team was p10, but we inherited a team that just couldn't put a good race together, rather than a team that was truly bad.

young otter
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OKAY WE'RE FINALLY FINISHING THIS RUN OF ALFA ROMEO BEFORE THE NEW GAME COMES OUT AND I'M DETERMINED TO DO IT

Current bit of an update as far as car strength goes (and if you're not familiar with this save - there's a bunch to go after, and I'll kind of summarize things when I'm officially at an ending point)

We're probably the strongest on the grid, but the three closest to us are not worth ignoring: Haas, Williams, and McLaren.

Haas are the team I just took to the top after they finished P10 two seasons ago. On merit, their car is comparable in cornering with us - but they should have better handling/durability with their cooling advantages, and they have much better top end speed than we do. Esteban Ocon/Theo Pourchaire are a formidable pair, and I can't ignore them. Only reason they're not higher at the moment is because of a mix of bad strategy and bad luck. If they get their act together, they're going to be the toughest competitor.

Williams are the team I started with. They took quite a while to get to their peak, then the 2026 regulations left them in a superior position compared to the rest of the grid. They were in rockets while everyone else was playing catch up, which prompted them to bring in Max Verstappen to pair with Lando Norris - Norris was the driver who replaced Sargeant (who is actually a good driver in this save!) after our 2025 championship run, and he's consistently been competing near the front with Williams. Their driver pairing is the best on the grid in actual ability; however, their car leaves a lot to be desired. But with the best top speed on the grid, it can be argued that Verstappen/Norris have the talent to make up for the fact their cars aren't quite as nimble as ours.

McLaren have taken a long while to get back into the fold here. Their car is competitive; the only thing that could be holding them back is that they still can't find a proper 2nd driver to pair with rising superstar Zhou Guanyu. True dark horse.

young otter
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IMOLA QUALIFYING RESULTS:

1: Kelly Newland - Alfa Romeo
2: Ollie Bearman - Alfa Romeo
3: Theo Pourchaire - Haas
4: Esteban Ocon - Haas
5: Lando Norris - Williams
6: George Russell - Ferrari
7: Liam Lawson - McLaren
8: Carlos Sainz - Mercedes
9: Charles Leclerc - AlphaTauri
10: Pierre Gasly - Mercedes

11: Oscar Piastri - Alpine
12: Lance Stroll - Alpine
13: Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
14: Logan Sargeant - AlphaTauri
15: Felipe Drugovich - Ferrari

16: Dennis Hauger - Red Bull
17: Max Verstappen - Williams
18: Zhou Guanyu - McLaren
19: Ayumu Iwasa - Aston Martin
20: Jak Crawford - Aston Martin

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IMOLA QUALIFYING REPORT

It's another front row lockout for Alfa Romeo in what's expected to be a one-stopper across the grid, so track position is key for the surprise contenders. Kelly Newland claims an extra championship point with yet another pole position, and she looks to make it four wins in a row. Ollie Bearman continues to have a stellar rookie campaign, slotting in beside the surging Newland.

Defending champion Haas are finally living up to their promised glory, as Theo Pourchaire and Esteban Ocon slot in behind the rejuvenated Alfa Romeos. Ocon in particular looks poised to find his way back into the drivers' championship picture as the defending champion, but Pourchaire has been the team's most consistent driver; will that continue being the case on race day?

Lando Norris was the fastest through two sessions; however, he couldn't put it together in the top 10 shootout. Williams have to be frustrated with the result, even more so with Max Verstappen's shock exit in Q1.

George Russell and Liam Lawson saw updates applied to their cars for the weekend; both updates are working well as the Ferrari and the McLaren drivers made their way into Q3.

It's especially a good day for the Scuderia faithful as former Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc put on a stellar performance in the AlphaTauri to make Q3.

Mercedes seem to be getting back on the right track and proving their decision to re-sign both Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly was the correct one. The talented duo have brought Mercedes back into Q3 for the first time in what feels like years.

young otter
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IMOLA CLASSIFICATION:
🥇 Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo]
🥈 Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo]
🥉 Lando Norris [Williams]

4: Esteban Ocon [Haas]
5: Theo Pourchaire [Haas]
6: George Russell [Ferrari]
7: Max Verstappen [Williams]
8: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren]
9: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes]
10: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes]

11: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri]
12: Lance Stroll [Alpine]
13: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull]
14: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri]
15: Oscar Piastri [Alpine]
16: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull]
17: Liam Lawson [McLaren]
18: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari]
19: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin]
20: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin]

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IMOLA RACE REPORT

It's four in a row for Alfa Romeo, but not for Kelly Newland - it's instead the scene of Ollie Bearman's maiden win in his maiden season in Formula 1, and he did it in daring fashion. The Ferrari junior made a bold move before the long straight with two laps to go and held off the dominant Newland to the line for a memorable victory.

Newland may not be too fussed at the result right now - she maintains her championship advantage after six weekends - but this may be an interesting development within the team. Still, this was another sterling performance for Alfa Romeo, who have emerged in 2030 as an unlikely championship contender.

Lando Norris continues to claw his way back into the championship conversation, claiming back-to-back podiums with another solid result for Williams. Max Verstappen had an excellent drive to help Williams hang on to P2 in the constructors as they chase after Alfa Romeo and attempt to fight off the surging Haas.

Haas went with an alternate strategy compared to the majority of the field, opting to run long on hards to have the faster mediums in their final stints - however, they failed to find the pace to make the strat work. Esteban Ocon just fell short of the podium, while Theo Pourchaire was left to fend off the feisty George Russell to cling onto a top 5 result.

Speaking of Russell, it was a good day for the Scuderia as they saw Russell in contention for the win at one point in the race - however, it became clear that Russell couldn't quite make the undercut work, and he was forced to limp home for P6. It still marks a good result in what's been a troubling year for Ferrari.

Zhou Guanyu continues to show why McLaren have committed their future to him long-term with a drive just as impressive as Verstappen's, gaining 10 places to finish p8.

Hats off to Mercedes for their best weekend in some time - both drivers found themselves in the points, a relief for the struggling team.

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2030 CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 6

🥇 Alfa Romeo - 198 points
🥈 Williams - 135 points
🥉 Haas - 114 points

4: Red Bull - 62 points
5: Ferrari - 42 points
6: McLaren - 40 points
7: AlphaTauri - 37 points
8: Alpine - 17 points
9: Mercedes - 3 points
10: Aston Martin - 0 points

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2030 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 6

🥇 Kelly Newland [Alfa Romeo] - 120 points (3 wins, 4 podiums, 1 sprint win, 3 poles)
🥈 Ollie Bearman [Alfa Romeo] - 78 points (1 win, 3 podiums, 1 pole)
🥉 Theo Pourchaire [Haas] - 75 points (2 podiums)
4: Max Verstappen [Williams] - 70 points (2 podiums, 1 pole)
5: Lando Norris [Williams] - 65 points (3 podiums)

6: Esteban Ocon [Haas] - 39 points (1 pole)
7: Zhou Guanyu [McLaren] - 34 points (1 podium)
8: Yuki Tsunoda [Red Bull] - 32 points (1 win, 1 podium)
9: Dennis Hauger [Red Bull] - 30 points
10: Felipe Drugovich [Ferrari] - 25 points (1 win, 1 podium)

11: Logan Sargeant [AlphaTauri] - 25 points (1 podium)
12: George Russell [Ferrari] - 17 points
13: Oscar Piastri [Alpine] - 12 points
14: Charles Leclerc [AlphaTauri] - 12 points
15: Liam Lawson [McLaren] - 6 points

16: Lance Stroll [Alpine] - 5 points
17: Carlos Sainz [Mercedes] - 2 points
18: Pierre Gasly [Mercedes] - 1 point
19: Ayumu Iwasa [Aston Martin] - 0 points
20: Jak Crawford [Aston Martin] - 0 points

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The very thing I'm thinking as I control Alfa Romeo here: Don't hate the player, hate the game.

There's just no way I should be controlling Alfa Romeo at this point. Aston Martin is far and away the worst team now, and that was exactly the case in 2029. The only issue is that Aston Martin had a driver capable of dragging a tractor to the points, while the Alfa Romeo somehow couldn't stay on the road long enough to bring out the consistency that I knew Kelly Newland had - she absolutely had the talent to pull that car out of the mud, and it kills me to see the AI control some of these drivers so poorly.

I would love to be in the situation that Aston Martin appear to be in. They have the worst drivers on the grid, the worst car on the grid, worst aero director/tech chief, and if I had to bet - they probably have the worst facilities on the grid. And I'm sure it won't be long before they have the worst pit crew - although their fastest pit stop is an entire five tenths faster than our best, which might help explain some of why Alfa Romeo couldn't get on the board in 2029.

Only their engineers - the ex-AlphaTauri duo of Hamelin/Spini are serviceable.

That situation is what I love about playing this kind of save. Rebuilding a team with no direction, making them champions, and then seeing if they can sustain that success.

It's worked for one team, slightly worked for another (although they've regressed), and the jury's out on if the same can be said for the third.

You'll excuse me if you can see why I ghosted this save for a long time. There's just no way I should have been playing as Alfa Romeo, because I knew there would be a very fast turnaround since their car was in a decent spot, they had a driver worth building around, and they actually had some upside worth marking.

Their direction is literally just fixing their facilities, getting them a driver to develop, and keeping Bearman/Newland for the long haul. They're set.

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I can only hope F1M24 helps fix some of these issues with the AI logic, but I'm not going to hold my breath over it.