Hot Topic

Flavio Briatore’s return to Formula 1 with Alpine is going to be interesting to watch. He is a big character, a successful businessman and someone who knows Formula 1 very well. He was Team Principal at Benetton and Renault when the team won championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, and of course he has also been an important driver manager, particularly with Fernando. He’s a player.

A lot of the media coverage will focus on what happened in Singapore 2008, the ‘Crashgate’ scandal, but Renault’s boss Luca de Meo is looking for someone who can give clear direction to Alpine’s F1 programme and it’s fascinating that he has turned to Flavio. You need a clear strategy to become successful in Formula 1, Flavio will help identify the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

One thing is for sure, he will tell Renault very clearly what they need to do!

Although I never raced for Flavio in F1 I did test for Benetton at Silverstone South Circuit, part of my prize for winning in Formula 3 in 1990. I remember it very well, it was my first time in an F1 car. Benetton’s driver Alessandro Nannini did the initial test and then handed over to me. I couldn’t believe how much grip and power it had, but the test went well and I really enjoyed it.

Benetton was a major competitor throughout my career at McLaren, so it’s good to see Renault is still ambitious to turn Alpine into a winning team. As everyone knows, F1 is incredibly competitive and complicated. Finding the right formula to beat Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari is not going to be easy, requires a lot of hard work, investment and attention to detail across every aspect of the team. But it’s not impossible!

Take Note

We have a Sprint Race format this weekend so that means you really have to hit the track in good shape, there is no time to waste. Any reliability issues in Friday practice will be punished and it puts a lot of pressure on the drivers, engineers and mechanics to deliver a perfect weekend.

The circuit has a very short lap time of just over one minute, the qualifying lap record being held by Valtteri Bottas, and three of the 10 corners are just flat out. The good news is that there are also three good overtaking opportunities, into Turns 1, 3 and 4, so we should see plenty of action. It’s really important to get your car working well through Turns 9 and 10 in order to defend, if you are leading, or to overtake.

The temperatures can be high at this circuit, and the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is around 30 degrees which means a track temperate in the 50’s. With Pirelli bringing their softer compounds of tyres that means tyre management could be a factor. The circuit is abrasive, but although there are not a lot of lateral loads on the tyres, temperature management will be important and running them too hot has to avoided.

Mika’s Tip

Max Verstappen has had to work very hard for his recent wins, so although he will go to Red Bull’s ‘home circuit’ as favourite, expect a big challenge again from McLaren and Ferrari. Lando Norris drove brilliantly in Spain last weekend, he has a lot of momentum and that’s important as it gives you confidence. I won in Austria in 1998 and 2000, and I would not rule out a McLaren winning in 2024. Lando’s hungry and the car has the speed.

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