F1 Brazilian Grand Prix: What You Need To Know Before This Weekend
With the Brazilian Grand Prix kicking off today, here is everything you need to catch up on before the race on Sunday.
Haas hit the jackpot with new seven-figure sponsorship
It was announced that Haas F1 team would be getting a new title sponsor for the 2023 season, American company MoneyGram.
Since Haas joined the Formula 1 grid in 2016 they have struggled to keep up with the other teams in terms of budgets. The introduction of the cost cap has benefitted the team by bringing the most wealthy teams down a bit to be more in reach, however, Haas have still not been able to reach the cap.
Now with the multi-year deal with MoneyGram, team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed they will now have the financial support to reach the cap. It is estimated that the team will receive $20 million per season from MoneyGram over three years.
Source: F1Briefings
Helmut Marko gives verdict on Mick Schumacher’s fate with Haas
Haas are still to announce who will be driving alongside Kevin Magnussen next year. Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, has weighed in on the situation, saying:
“The situation at Haas is that they have an experienced driver in Magnussen, and if there was a great up-and-coming talent, I would bet on them [to join Haas]. But I don’t see anyone at the moment who would have these requirements.
“From a team perspective, there’s a lot of money at stake in the Constructors’ World Championship. Whether you’re 10th or 8th, that’s x million dollars difference – I assume Haas will bet on a veteran.
“Hulkenberg has the aura, and he has proven it. He jumps into the car as a reserve driver without any testing, so to speak, directly in the deep end. And he has always delivered. That speaks volumes for him.”
Source: PlanetF1
Mick Schumacher breaks silence on Audi rumours
With Haas currently not confirming whether Mick Schumacher will be driving for them next year, rumours have started to circulate about the possibility of Schumacher joining the Audi team.
Audi will be starting in the sport for the 2026 season. Schumacher commented on the speculation. He said:
“Plan A is the only plan that counts for me at the moment, and that’s what I want to pursue. Of course, it’s nice to hear that such a large group [Audi] is also looking for a German driver. But all that is still a long way off.
“I think it’s great that Audi is getting into Formula 1. It is a global company, a German brand. I hope that this will bring many Germans back to Formula 1 and that we will have a home race again at some point.”
Source: F1Briefings
Red Bull question Mercedes involvement in financial leaks
After the news came out that Red Bull did in fact exceed the budget cap for the 2021 season, the team have raised concerns about how the news was leaked and their suspicions of Mercedes involvement with that.
Red Bull have now asked for an investigation to be carried out to find out how the Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto knew what their rivals accounts were. Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, commented on the suspicions:
“It’s strange. A Mercedes employee switched to the FIA, processed these documents for the cost cap at Mercedes and was then responsible for checking at the FIA. In our opinion, there is definitely a compliance violation or at least an indication of compliance violation.
“The whole thing doesn’t make a good impression… We hire accountants to have the necessary security here.”
Source: F1Fall
Mercedes set to lose major sponsor as crypto partner goes bankrupt
One of Mercedes sponsors, FTX, is now facing bankruptcy. The Crypto Exchange company saw investors withdraw over $6 billion over just three days.
Looking at it from Mercedes point of view, it doesn’t seem likely that the loss of this sponsorship will affect the team too much, especially with the financial backing the team has.
$13.3 Billion Worth NFT Giants Land Haas F1 in Trouble as the American Team Hunts for Much Needed Financial Support
Haas have brought on board an NFT partner in their efforts to bring more funding to the team, but have been hit with backlash.
Fans were quick to reveal their disappointment in the collaboration with the negative side of NFTs and how volatile the market is.
Source: Essentially Sports
Did Ted Kravitz Cross The Line As Red Bull Boycotts Sky Sports?
With the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend, Red Bull will now be conducting interviews with Sky Sports again. The team boycotted Sky Sports at the Mexican Grand Prix after reporter, Ted Kravitz, made comments about the end of the 2021 F1 season which Max Verstappen and Red Bull were not happy with.
Kravitz said:
“[Hamilton] doesn’t win a race all year, and then finally comes back at a track where he could win the first race all year, battling the same guy who won the race he was robbed in the previous year, and manages to finish ahead of him.
“What a script and a story that would have been. But that’s not the way the script turned out today, was it? Because the guy that beat him after being robbed actually overtook him, because he’s got a quicker car, because of engineering and Formula One and design, and pretty much because of [Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer] over there.”
The end of the 2021 season was dramatic and lead to race director Michael Massi stepping down from the role.
To read the full story, go to F1Briefings.
“No Longer About…”: Haas Boss Takes Back Mick Schumacher Promise as Dwindling F1 Future Takes Another Hit
With the ongoing mystery surrounding Haas and Mick Schumacher, team principal Guenther Steiner has backtracked and said it is no longer about points for the German driver, he said:
“For me, it’s no longer about one race, one lap. For me, it’s about what’s best for the Haas team in the medium to long term.
“It’s not like they said that if Mick scores points now, he has the place or not.”
Source: Essentially Sports
Stefano Domenicali flew from Mexico to Colombia for GP talks
Formula 1 CEO, Stefano Domenicali has recently revealed that he would consider bringing an eleventh team on to the grid so long as it doesn’t negatively impact the current ten teams. And now, Domenicali has flown to Columbia for talks about a new Grand Prix.
Source: PlanetF1
The Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying session is later today with the last sprint race of the season happening tomorrow, Saturday 12th November. Sunday 13th will be the full Brazil GP which is the penultimate race of the season.
