Ferrari headlines the upgrades brought to the Bahrain Grand Prix as the Scuderia looks to close the gap to McLaren at the front of the field.

McLaren has one new part submitted for this weekend, with a new front brake duct winglet that the team says is aimed “at better flow conditioning, resulting in an improvement of overall aerodynamic performance.” But it’s Ferrari that has brought a wider-reaching set of updates.

There’s a new floor package for the SF-25 that incorporates changes to the fences, floor body, floor edge and diffuser, and the team says it is targeting an improvement of the losses traveling downstream. Ferrari is already 76 points adrift of McLaren in the constructors’ championship, after a tough start that has yielded a best result of fourth place in a full grand prix.

Ferrari says “the reshaped boat and tunnel expansion have been subsequently reoptimized, together with the floor edge loading and vorticity shedding into the diffuser,” as it chases better rear end stability and performance. There’s also a new rear wing pillar that is designed to improve efficiency.

Red Bull has a new front wing evolution that is performance-focused, while additional cooling louvers are available to accommodate the high temperatures in Bahrain.

The only other upgrade this weekend is a similar cooling tweak at Haas with a wider engine cover exit, although the team will also be comparing its updated floor from Suzuka with its initial design that ran in Melbourne and China during FP1.

When a pack of Formula 5000 cars bellowed into life on Friday, Sept. 26, 1975, somewhere around 1:15pm PT, then rumbled out of the pits to embark on their 80-second, 90mph route around the streets of downtown Long Beach, it was the penultimate step in a dream sequence initiated, devised and delivered by California-based Englishman, Chris Pook.

The growl of those 302cu.in Chevys (and a couple of Dodges) rattled the glass of pawnshops and (somewhat disguised) porn shops, and by the end of Sunday, a run-down Southern California city whose main claims to fame had been harboring a 40-year-old ocean liner and building brand-new airliners now also had itself an auto race. This noisy curio, not quite in the shadow of the Queen Mary and not quite under the flightpath of McDonnell Douglas, attracted 65,000 people over the three days, according to the media. And this was a mere curtain-raiser. In six months, the same temporary track would host the third round of the 1976 Formula 1 World Championship.

Pook had moved to Southern California in 1963, and by ’73 was a high-flying travel agent, with the accounts of the San Diego Chargers, California (now LA) Angels, Oakland Athletics and LA Sharks sports franchises. And when he also landed the account for the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau (LBCVB), he swiftly learned that the city was in need of a major boost.

“Long Beach was in trouble in the late ’60s and early ’70s,” says Pook (above). “Having lost its oil revenues, it decided to become a tourist and convention destination. The problem was that it had no decent quality hotels. It had motels for the Navy and ship-building boys, but that was it.

“I said to the LBCVB guys, ‘It’s going to take you years to establish this as a trade show and convention area. You’re a hidden destination.’ They agreed and asked what could be done, and I said, ‘You need to do something outrageous like Monte Carlo did to compete with Nice and Cannes: they came up with the Monaco Grand Prix. Why don’t you just copy them?!’ And the long and the short of it, that’s how the race came about.”

If that was a wild idea, Pook was also a realist: to get people even vaguely interested, he would need support from someone with the credibility and status to make skeptics listen. So he approached Dan Gurney, only recently retired from driving and neck-deep in team ownership and overseeing engineering at his All American Racers outfit. Pook couldn’t have picked a more suitable figure: of course the ever-adventurous Dan was intrigued by the idea of a SoCal street race.

A chapter of Gurney’s as yet unpublished autobiography, “The Passion of Former Days,” written with his wife Evi, is dedicated to the Grand Prix of Long Beach’s origins. The late legend recalled telling Pook, “It’s bold, it’s risky, it will probably never happen, but I like it, I like it a lot. Damn the torpedoes, let’s go full steam ahead like in the pioneer days!”

He went on: “I asked for a legal opinion from my attorneys… They wrote a letter back, outlining the pros and cons, ending with the sentence, ‘Considering all the facts, we cannot recommend your involvement.’ Evi has reminded me through the years that I read this letter to her in my office, then tore it up…while lamenting the lack of courage, vision and pioneering spirit in our country.

“To me, a race through a city was not a lunatic idea as some characterized it, but maybe exactly the right and innovative thing to shake up the establishment and capture the hearts and imagination of racing fans worldwide. We were businessmen, but we still had a soul and a bit of romanticism in our DNA. To try and create something against all odds appealed to my nature.”

Gurney was so enthusiastic that on his and Pook’s first meeting with the LBCVB, he designed the course, which they later drove to confirm its viability.

Wrote Gurney: “Considering the layout of the city, it was very important in my view to make Ocean Blvd. the long main straight of the circuit. We’d make the two shorter sections downhill on Linden and uphill on Pine Street part of the track as well. These two sections proved to be spectacular, praised by drivers and spectators alike. To see an F1 car racing there at speed, sliding sideways down the hill, remains etched in my memory as an unforgettable experience.”

Gurney would recruit Les Richter, the former LA Rams linebacker who’d been running Riverside International Raceway since 1959, to provide advice and impetus when tackling city councilors, who were initially among the skeptics. But Pook really started to believe the event was going to happen when Gurney got Tom Binford onboard.

“Tom was chairman of ACCUS [Automobile Competition Committee for the United States],” says Pook, “and they were the liaison between the FIA and the U.S. racing scene. He came out here with Dr. Nino Bacciagaluppi, who was operations director at Monza and chairman of the safety commission; when they got excited, the project really gained momentum. That was the summer of ’74. I’m not saying all the hurdles had been jumped and all the red tape cut through, but that was when it really felt we had the right people on our side.”

One of those hurdles was that new F1 tracks needed to be at least 2.5 miles long, and Gurney’s Long Beach layout for Long Beach was 2.02 miles, but Monaco, too, was barely more than two miles in length, which cooled that potential hot potato.

Also, any new track on the F1 calendar needed to be proven viable by running another professional race beforehand. Again, no problem: both the SCCA and USAC were supportive, and their headline act, F5000, would prove ideal as a headliner in ’75. Then, in late ’74, Gurney drove one of his F5000 Eagles up a closed stretch of Shoreline Drive to pass the decibel test. All good.

The necessary pieces seemed to be clicking into place. Even when the relationship with Richter soured and he quit his role as director of racing, Gurney was able to replace him with 1961 F1 world champion and three-time Le Mans winner Phil Hill!

“That said, it was honestly touch and go until about July 1975, when we got clearance from the Coastal Commission for the race to go ahead,” notes Pook. Which is partly why, in the last couple of months before the inaugural race, the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach was still scrambling to get everything ready. But, gradually and/or suddenly, the grandstands, concrete blocks, catchfencing and tire walls were set in place. A little more than three hours behind schedule, Vern Schuppan in Gurney’s gorgeous Jorgensen Eagle led the F5000 field out on track for practice on that historic Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, Mario Andretti took pole ahead of his Vel’s Parnelli Jones teammate, Al Unser, with Tony Brise third for Theodore Racing ahead of the Shadow-Dodges of Jackie Oliver and Tom Pryce. Given that 44 cars had entered, heat races were necessary to determine the 28 starters for Sunday’s main event. In Heat 1, Brise’s Lola led home Andretti’s similar car and Pryce, while Unser beat Brian Redman’s Carl Haas-run Lola and Hogan Racing duo Jody Scheckter and David Hobbs in Heat 2.

The following day Gurney, Phil Hill, Graham Hill and Bob Bondurant ran demo laps in Toyota Celicas before the serious business began. Al Unser, Andretti and Brise all took turns leading the F5000 race, but each fell by the wayside, opening the door for Redman to win by a half minute from Schuppan.

Meanwhile, Pook could breathe a sigh of relief: the first Grand Prix of Long Beach was in the books, but he had learned several lessons, the most important of which was, “Never ever run an event like that off of my radio! Going forward, I would have a gameplan, and over the winter of ’75/’76, I developed a literal minute-by-minute schedule that answered all the countless questions I’d been asked over my walkie-talkie during race weekend. It’s generally not the racing that causes headaches; it’s all the peripheral stuff.”

In which case, Pook gave himself a few more headaches, because that “peripheral stuff” was embellished beyond measure the following March: he had to make a big first impression on the F1 circus. On the Tuesday before the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix West (to distinguish it from the U.S. GP at Watkins Glen), the cars were parked on Pine Avenue as if at a concours display, accompanied by team members with whom the public were allowed to mingle, and pose with cars and their drivers. Come the weekend, there were parachutists, drag boat displays, a Toyota celebrity race, motorcycle stunt teams, and flypasts. And the historic F1 race featured Juan Manuel Fangio, Gurney, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jack Brabham, Phil Hill, Denny Hulme, Richie Ginther, Innes Ireland, Rene Dreyfus and Carroll Shelby. Dan won in a BRM.

After a weekend like that, it hardly mattered that Clay Regazzoni’s Ferrari left everyone behind and dominated the headlining F1 race, leading home defending world champion Niki Lauda in a Ferrari 1-2. In the event’s infancy, the sight and sound of powerful open-wheel race cars howling and slithering through the streets of a slightly shabby port city in Los Angeles County may have still seemed incongruous, but it was spectacular.

And by then – in fact, after the 1975 F5000 race – Pook had a Bernie Ecclestone-signed contract in his pocket for at least three editions of the U.S. Grand Prix West. In ’77, the first year of the event being sponsored by Toyota, Mario Andretti won, and in the words of Pook, “the event took on a life of its own.”

There have been circuit layout changes; there were switches from F1 to CART Indy cars, and then from CART/Champ Car to IndyCar; Jim Michaelian, the original CFO, took over from Pook as CEO of the GPALB; Toyota withdrew after 40-plus years and was replaced by Acura; and 2020 saw an enforced sabbatical for the event due to restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic. But a half century after its first edition, the Grand Prix of Long Beach remains North America’s greatest, biggest street race.

As Gurney (above) wrote in 2016, “It has been very gratifying for me to hear many young people say they got hooked on motor racing because of Long Beach… Now when I look out of the window from the Hyatt Hotel and see the changed landscape of the city, the skyscrapers and the aquarium, the white sails in the marina and the many new restaurants and hotels, it fills my heart with great pride that a motor race played a part in this transformation. I am proud that we were risk takers.”

And we are grateful still.

• Reset. Restart. Those are the underlying themes of the latest issue of RACER magazine, The New Challenges Issue. We’ve always celebrated the spectacle – the color, the speed and the drama – showcased the stars and cars, and told the stories that take you inside the sport, but now we’re delivering it in a bigger, better and more vibrant way. With its stunning photography, leading-edge design and engaging writing, RACER’s been leading the field since 1992, and now we’re elevating the magazine experience once again.
  
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The race weekend in Bahrain was already set to be a political one after confirmation there would be discussions relating to future power unit regulations on Friday.

Bringing together the power unit manufacturers, interested parties from teams, the FIA and representatives from Formula 1 to discuss the direction the sport heads in can be intense at the best of times. But when some are describing the meeting itself as “a complete waste of time” — to quote one expected attendee — there could be some significantly opposing views.

The discussion will center around the length of time the incoming set of V6 regulations run for, against a backdrop of certain stakeholders pushing for a return of a V10 engine running on sustainable fuel in the near future.

There’s a clear split between manufacturers that are and are not interested in such a discussion, but the topic was floated — in public anyway — by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and could become a key point of contention.

Not that Ben Sulayem and the FIA need any more of those right now.

24 hours before that meeting was due to take place, FIA deputy president for sport Robert Reid announced his resignation, citing a “governance crisis” that he could no longer be associated with. The press release from Reid described “a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within motorsport’s global governing body,” in perhaps the most powerful message from a departing member of Ben Sulayem’s team so far.

One of the reasons it was so powerful is because of where Reid stood within the organizational structure. He had been a significant figure within Ben Sulayem’s campaign and extremely senior within the FIA alongside Senate president Carmelo Sanz de Barros and deputy president for automobile, mobility and tourism, Tim Shearman.

But just before Ben Sulayem was set to make his first appearance of the year at a Formula 1 event — a high-profile platform for the president — he was seeing his leadership come under attack.

Only a day earlier, David Richards, the Motorsport UK chairman who had already publicly voiced his concerns, had used stronger language in claiming that “the governance and constitutional organization of the FIA is becoming ever more opaque and concentrating power in the hands of the president alone.”

The topic of infighting within the FIA naturally become a topic throughout Thursday, but George Russell — a spokesperson for the drivers in his role as Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) director — seemed almost apathetic towards the situation.

“Unfortunately, I think every time we hear some news from that side of the sport, it’s not really a big surprise,” Russell said. “It’s clearly a real shame to see, somebody who’s very well respected within the sport and been there for so long — as we keep saying, it’s like, ‘What’s next?’ So, it’s a shame to see, and hopefully we get more stability sooner rather than later.”

But as is often the case with Russell, he was still willing to elaborate. The Mercedes driver stated his apathy is shared with a wide number of his peers on the grid who feel like their involvement is not having an impact in many scenarios, but also — whether intentionally or not — suggesting there is a line that has the teams and F1 on one side and the FIA on another.

“He [Reid] did reach out — he sent a letter to the drivers just explaining his decision,” Russell said. “We’ve yet to talk with him; obviously it was news to us this morning. That’s at least when I found out about the news, and it was sort of shared among the drivers.

“Ultimately, it’s getting to a point now where these things are happening so often, and as drivers we were trying to get involved in the past, we didn’t really make much headway, and things seemed to continuously be going in an unstable direction.

“So I’ve got to be honest: We’re getting to a point now where our actions are having little impact with those guys, and we’ve got to trust in the teams and Formula 1 to work with the FIA to come to a common ground. If we can help, we want to be there, but often it just seems like things are going in their own direction.”

Russell’s stance extended to the situation Carlos Sainz finds himself in, having received a fine for being late to the national anthem ceremony in Japan while struggling with stomach discomfort. Sainz could face another fine heading his way after then swearing in the FIA press conference discussing the topic, and Russell made a very pointed comment about where the “trust and faith of the drivers currently sits.”

“It’s a pretty expensive poo,” he remarked. “Look, we’ve been talking about this on and off for six months now. In all honesty, I don’t even want to give it any more airtime. From my own personal perspective, because we’ve sort of said everything we had to say over these months, unfortunately it has had little or no impact.

“All of the drivers have 100% trust and faith in Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] and F1. We know that they work together with the teams. It’s in all of our interests to make something come out of all of this and just see stability and collaboration. Moving forward, we just want collaboration. It doesn’t make any sense to be fighting on these topics.”

But as has been pointed out, the fighting has been going on for a number of months and many on the drivers’ side feel they are not listened to, in much the same way the likes of Richards and Reid also criticize the governing body’s approach to decision-making.

Ben Sulayem’s presence in Bahrain will allow the president a right to reply as we move deeper into an election year, but it’s certainly shaping up to be a weekend where the off-track politics could threaten to overshadow the on-track competition. And that’s not a good place for either the FIA or F1 to be in.

Six rookie drivers are set to take part in the first practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as part of a change in regulation that increases track time for inexperienced drivers.

In previous years, teams were obliged to run a rookie in Friday practice on two occasions across the season, with each of their race drivers having to give up one session. That number has been doubled to four in total this year — two per car — and the majority of teams have opted to make their first such change in Bahrain.

The reason the Bahrain International Circuit is utilized is due to the familiarity the race drivers have with the track as a result of pre-season testing, but also because rookies often have former experience of the circuit through other categories. FP1 is also not a particularly representative session as it takes place in the heat of the day, compared to the sunset sessions of FP2, qualifying and the race.

Ferrari is giving a first outing to F2 racer Dino Beganovic in place of Charles Leclerc, while at Red Bull reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa will take over Max Verstappen’s car for the first session.

Mercedes is running Fred Vesti for FP1 in place of George Russell, while Aston Martin has given Felipe Drugovich (pictured, top) an outing, replacing Fernando Alonso.

At Haas there will be a second appearance in two race weekends for Ryo Hirakawa as he takes over from Oliver Bearman, although Hirakawa’s run last time out at Suzuka was for Alpine. Williams is also giving track time to one of its junior drivers in Luke Browning, who will drive in FP1 in place of Carlos Sainz.

McLaren, Alpine, Racing Bulls and Stake are the only teams not running replacement drivers this weekend in Bahrain, with Alpine already having completed one of its allocation through Hirakawa.

Carlos Sainz is at risk of further punishment from the FIA after swearing when discussing a five-figure fine he was assessed for being “five seconds late” to the national anthem at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Spaniard was given a €10,000 ($11,120) fine for failing to be in position on the grid for the start of the national anthem at Suzuka, the first driver to be fined for such an offense this season. Sainz explained to the FIA that “he experienced discomfort due a stomach issue which delayed his appearance on the grid,” which was verified by a doctor and was accepted as a mitigating factor that saw a reduction from the amount of €60,000 ($66,710) given in the penalty guidelines.

Despite the fact the stewards reduced his penalty, Sainz was still frustrated by both the amount he was fined and the lack of clarity over where the money will go.

“I think I’m the biggest supporter of being a gentleman, being punctual to things, especially a national anthem with all the authorities there,” Sainz said. “So I was the first one to put my hand up and say, ‘I’m late, I’m sorry for that.’ At the same time, I was five seconds late. And to be five seconds late and have to pay 10,000 Euros or whatever… For me, it’s out of the question that we’re having to pay these fines.

“But yeah, I don’t know if I’m going to get another fine for saying this, but s**t happens! It’s the way it is. It’s the way it goes sometimes. It is 10,000 Euros. I mean, you guys know what 10,000 Euros is here. And for five seconds, it’s disappointing.

“As I always said, I hope someone tells me where this 10,000 Euros goes and I can say, ‘OK, at least they went for a nice cause’ and I will be looking forward to see where they go.”

Drivers have been reminded about their language in official press conferences, with Max Verstappen required to accomplish some work of public interest for swearing during FIA media duties ahead of last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) has also since voiced its concerns relating to the punishments being handed out, and how significant financial sums generated by fines are spent.

Robert Reid, the FIA’s deputy president for sport and one of the most senior members of Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s presidential team, has resigned from his position with immediate effect over what he calls a “governance crisis” within the governing body.

The Scot (pictured at left, above) was a key part of FIA president Ben Sulayem’s election campaign in 2021 and has served as deputy president for sport since that time. However, following a number of controversies and departures from the governing body that cited a lack of transparency under Ben Sulayem, Reid has now become the most high-profile figure to resign, as the most senior sporting member working under the president.

In his announcement, the decision for Reid to resign is attributed to him “citing a fundamental breakdown in governance standards within motorsport’s global governing body,” while adding that Reid “expressed growing alarm over critical decisions being made without due process or proper consultation, both internally and with FIA members and the FIA governance bodies; Senate and World Motor Sport Council.”

Although he does not name Ben Sulayem in any of his own comments, Reid references FIA leadership requiring greater accountability, as well as the recent decision to internalize the promotion of the World Rallycross Championship (WRX) without Senate or World Motor Sport Council approval.

Reid called the latter change “the final breach of trust and due process,” as he believes it could leave the FIA at legal risk under European Union competition law.

“When I took on this role, it was to serve the FIA’s members; not to serve power,” Reid said in a statement. “Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold. Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to represent.

“My resignation is not about personalities; it is about principles. Motorsport deserves leadership that is accountable, transparent, and member-driven. I can no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that does not reflect those values.”

In December, changes to the statutes concerning the ethics and audit committees were voted through despite criticism, while on Wednesday there was a further update from Motorsport UK chairman David Richards, who published a second open letter voicing his concerns about Ben Sulayem’s leadership.

Richards described his focus as being on “the very real concerns that have been expressed, not just by myself, but a growing number of people, that the governance and constitutional organization of the FIA is becoming ever more opaque and concentrating power in the hands of the President alone.”

Richards added that, while there are many achievements for the FIA to be proud of over the past three years, “we cannot allow a shift of the moral compass of our leadership to simply dismiss any request for transparency and open discourse.”

While Richards continues to call for a resolution to his concerns relating to confidentiality agreements, Reid also says he will remain involved in trying to influence change within the governing body.

“This is not the end of my service to motorsport,” Reid added. “I will continue to advocate for reform, transparency, and governance that respects the FIA’s members and the integrity of our sport.”

Ben Sulayem is due to make his first appearance at a Formula 1 race this season at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where a meeting relating to future power unit regulations has been scheduled.

The FIA has been approached for comment.

A statement from Haas Automation regarding a slowdown of its activities due to tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration “does not have any impact” on the Formula 1 team’s operations.

Haas Automation issued a statement on Tuesday night that outlined the initial fallout as a result of severe tariffs on demand for the company, saying it is in the process of studying the full impact.

“In recent days, we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in demand for our machine tools from both domestic and foreign customers,” the statement read. “Out of caution, we have reduced production and eliminated overtime at our sole manufacturing plant in Oxnard, California, where we employ 1700 workers and have been in operation since 1983. We have also halted hiring and put new employment requisitions on hold.

“While tariffs will have a significant impact on Haas Automation’s business, we’re optimistic that the Trump Administration will come up with solutions to provide relief for U.S. manufacturers — solutions that will allow us to continue manufacturing Haas CNC machines in the U.S. while employing thousands of workers at our factory in Oxnard, California, and indirectly at Haas Factory Outlets across America.”

Going on to explain areas of concern that could have a “catastrophic” impact on the U.S. machine tool industry, the Haas Automation statement led to interest relating to the F1 team, that is owned by Gene Haas and has raised awareness of his machine tooling company globally. However, a team spokesperson confirmed the issues being spoken about by Haas Automation currently do not extend to the F1 outfit, with no change to its operation.

“The statement put out by Haas Automation today with regards to tariffs and the Trump Administration does not have any impact regarding MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” the spokesperson said. “It’s business as usual regarding the team and there is no change to our development plan, recruiting process and other projects.”

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to [email protected]. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week. 

Q: I have read eight or nine articles about Thermal in the last couple of weeks, including last week’s Mailbag. Below every article in the reader comments section, everyone is complaining about the absence of fans on the television broadcast. The main set of spectator bleachers were set high up on an embankment, about 20 feet above the track surface. The TV cameras are set up at track level. As the cameras pan around the track to catch the racing action, there is no way they will catch a view of the spectators because the bleachers are so high.

The bleachers at Thermal were packed, and it looked like there was more fans than Portland and several other races. At the beginning of the broadcast there was a brief drone shot of the bleachers and they looked full. Not sure what can be done to catch shots of the fans, but they were there – just high up and out of sight of the cameras.

Bob Gray, Canoga Park

MARSHALL PRUETT: There weren’t more people at Thermal than ‘Portland and several other races,’ unless we’re talking about Portland and other tracks and their non-IndyCar events. In that case, yes, the recent SCCA Regional at Portland had fewer fans than the Thermal IndyCar event.

The was indeed a small stretch of stands at Thermal that weren’t in a great location for TV cameras to catch, but we don’t need to dip into ‘alternate facts’ to start a narrative that it was well-attended. I wish we were talking about lots of fans, but I was there, all three days, and no false impressions were given due to camera placement. I’d happily say so if that was the case.

Q: Since it was April Fools last week, can you share any good pranking (or similar) stories from your time in the paddock?

I remember watching a Grand Am race and chuckling to myself when the broadcast team reported that a European manufacturer, Volvo maybe, was building a Daytona Prototype after reading a ‘report’ about that on April 1st.

Kyle

MP: Yeah, those were our friends at DailySportsCar who cooked up the thought-it-was-obvious-it-was-a-joke Volvo piece that was errantly raised as something real.

No April Fool’s stories to share from my days as an IndyCar or IMSA crew member, and that’s because the date was meaningless — at least in my era — because there wasn’t just one day where such things were tolerated; most days were spent messing with each other, making up nonsense to see who we could deceive, and practicing general asshattery to amuse yourselves or each other.

Don’t leave your car keys sitting out because they will end up hanging from the ceiling or tied in the middle of 20 feet of string that will take an hour to untangle. Don’t leave your car unlocked or something will get disconnected — nothing obvious and easily solvable — and leave you stranded for an hour. Don’t leave you phone untended, or your laptop unlocked…

Hell, it still goes on today. One colleague left his laptop/email open at the Nashville season-finale last year and we had plenty of fun. One person mentioned sending something, so at my urging, another colleague sent me an email from the person’s work account, saying they were burned out, tired of the company, looking for a change, and wanted advice. I replied (and copied in the owner of the company) that I was really disappointed in them for going to me first instead of the owner, chided them for the poor decision-making, and so on. All while they were out shooting and oblivious to the fake email exchange about wanting to quit. The owner, who’d grown accustomed to seeing fake and inflammatory emails when laptops were left open, knew it was a joke, but played along.

Failed to heed my own advice at Thermal in 2023 when I went for a few hot laps with Stefan Wilson. Put my phone and whatever else I had in my pockets on the pit wall, donned my helmet, strapped into the passenger seat, and off we went for 10 minutes. Sadly, Anders Krohn, who loves finding untended phones, knew that while he couldn’t unlock my phone, there was (still is?) an exploit where you can access and use the camera from the lock screen.

Stef pulls in, I hope out, and Krohn has that big dumb smile on his face. I knew I’d been ‘Krohn’d’ and found at least 100 obnoxious selfies he took — maybe more — during our lapping session. I’ve kept them on my phone as a reminder.

Yes, we’re all a bunch of idiots. But we do have fun…

Q: I’ve seen this on RACER comments: If IndyCar is going to lose both manufacturers, which means their marketing money is also gone, why not adopt IMSA’s model of fuel flow and torque limit to cut development, with manufacturers free to supply engines to as many teams as they want? If they want to have a factory team only, fine. If they want to supply it to more teams, fine too. Everyone would still build a V6. And Ilmor could be used to supply engines for teams that can’t make a deal with an OEM or some other independent engine builder (if it’s financially viable for them to join). Charge the same fees as IMSA and see where the series goes this way.

I mean, what else does IndyCar have to lose (in a scenario where they are already losing Chevy and Honda)?

One more question. How much did it cost to lease the Honda V8 back then? Did Honda subsidize the whole grid?

William Mazeo

MP: Honda supplied CART engines for many years, so there’s no single answer. In many cases, the engines were free, or free plus a lot of cash, which was a common practice for every manufacturer with its best teams (or teams that had a driver whose national origin was the same as the manufacturer) during CART’s best days in the 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, millions for the select teams without the right ties or driver, or ran towards the back.

It’s a question that was on so many lips even before Red Bull opted to swap Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda after just two races of the new Formula 1 season.

Comments made by Helmut Marko after the opening round in Australia had already put him firmly in the crosshairs of many fans, such was the overt display of his approach to handling young drivers.

Marko called Isack Hadjar’s tears – after the rookie crashed out on the formation lap in Melbourne – “a bit embarrassing”, in contrast to the widespread support that the Racing Bulls driver had received. Stefano Domenicali and Anthony Hamilton both consoled Hadjar at the time, and that was soon followed by supportive messages from fellow drivers.

To many on the outside, Marko’s remarks suggested that he’d lost touch with how to manage up-and-coming talent, although it must be noted that Hadjar himself defended the Red Bull advisor a week later in China.

Still, it’s hardly been a quiet start to the year for Red Bull’s driver management. Marko recently explained why Lawson was dropped and Tsunoda promoted so soon into the year, saying that part of the logic was tied to boosting Max Verstappen’s title chances.

The 81-year-old is certainly extremely close to the Verstappen camp, and that is where a lot of his influence now lies.

Marko was a close friend and confidant of former Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and was regularly called upon to offer advice about drivers prior to Mateschitz’s death in 2022. As an employee of Red Bull itself – rather than Red Bull Racing – Marko’s responsibilities were to be an advisor to the racing team, and that largely related to drivers but extended to whatever Mateschitz wanted Marko’s counsel on.

Mateschitz always had the final say on driver line-ups, and most of the options that Red Bull would be picking from would come from its famed young driver program, over which Marko had full autonomy.

However following Mateschitz’s death, a power struggle ensued and Marko has seen his influence within the company wane.

There are two sides to the Red Bull GMBH ownership: Thai businessman Chalerm Yoovidhya, and Mateschitz’s son Mark. The younger Mateschitz honors Marko’s role due to his historical relationship with his father, his importance when it comes to Verstappen’s position, and his track record at advising on a team that has been so successful in its time in Formula 1 so far. But Mateschitz does not have autonomy, and Yoovidhya generally backs Christian Horner’s leadership.

It was Horner who placed experienced engineer Guillaume Rocquelin into a new position to work with the junior drivers on the program back in 2022 in an effort to establish some influence over the way drivers were developed. That was very much Marko’s domain and remains so to this day: Marko has complete power over which drivers are selected to be part of the program.

The Austrian also has control over deciding which teams drivers are placed with, and the categories they compete in, but Rocquelin has started to introduce other aspects to the program – including the reintroduction of a training and benchmarking program at Jerez – that has started to erode Marko’s total ownership.

Once it becomes a decision about the F1 seats – whether that is to promote a driver into Racing Bulls from the junior program, or to hand someone a Red Bull Racing drive – the final say still comes from the shareholders, and Horner and Marko are only in a position to offer their opinions.

In the case of the Lawson and Tsunoda swap, sources insist it was a unanimous agreement, even if that meant Marko going against Verstappen’s wishes for the New Zealander to be given more time to adapt to a tricky car.

The reason that’s surprising is because Marko has become ever-more aligned with Verstappen in recent years, including helping to negotiate his contract extensions with the parent company in Austria. The Verstappen-Marko relationship has become extremely tight, particularly in 2024 when the Dutchman emphasized the importance of Marko’s presence amid team infighting.

“I’ve always clearly indicated that he has to stay, so I can’t continue without him,” Verstappen said. “Helmut is very important for the team and for me to continue, for the future of the team.”

There was even a clause in Verstappen’s contract that would allow him to leave should Marko be removed from his position, and while it is understood that has since been amended, their respective futures remain closely intertwined. Marko erecently suggested he will leave Red Bull should Verstappen move elsewhere, and performance clauses could potentially allow the four-time world champion to do so before the end of his current contract in 2028.

But what to make of the some of the headline-inducing comments relating to current drivers or the team if Marko doesn’t have jurisdiction over them?

The former F1 racer has never been one to withhold an opinion, privately or publicly. It’s in keeping with how he has always approached his advisor role, and allows him to exert his point of view even if he doesn’t have an official say on certain matters.

His distance from the actual team itself also means he doesn’t have to be diplomatic, because the buck doesn’t stop with him. Some with close knowledge of working with Marko also suggest that some of his comments are geared towards helping him remain relevant.

Marko’s certainly seeing his influence in many areas of Red Bull Racing come under threat. But since he provides a direct line between Verstappen and the team’s ownership, he remains important to Red Bull’s most valuable asset. And while he’s important to Verstappen, he’s important to the team.

Yuki Tsunoda says his confidence changed massively through the Japanese Grand Prix weekend but he will need to reset ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Red Bull swapped Liam Lawson and Tsunoda ahead of the race at Suzuka, demoting Lawson to Racing Bulls after just two events. While the move looked to be paying off as Tsunoda enjoyed a strong set of practice sessions and Q1 outing, he failed to escape Q2 and was stuck in traffic that prevented him from scoring points, something he admits was a big disappointment at his home race despite the experience he gained.

“It’s tough because I wanted to at least finish in the points,” Tsunoda said. “I am happy with the race in terms of what I have learnt but not in terms of result, so it’s mixed feelings. I was feeling a lot of support from the crowd, every lap it felt more and I wanted to give something more back to them.

“At least I know I did the maximum I could in the race and these 53 laps gave me so much to learn about the car. I now know what kind of things I need to work on. I was stuck behind cars all day in traffic so it’s hard to know the full race pace of this car but, every lap of the 53, I was building up my confidence in the car.

“That confidence level is now completely different from the beginning of the weekend to now, I feel positive about that, but I am still disappointed because it is a home grand prix and it’s only once a year.

“I need to reset before Bahrain and I am sure compared to what I was feeling, in terms of car and in terms of confidence it will naturally be better there. I will understand more about the car, and I am excited for the next one, I just need to do better in qualifying.”

Team principal Christian Horner agrees with Tsunoda that he is capable of better results based on the performance he showed at times during the Suzuka weekend, and says he’s impressed with how the 24-year-old has settled into the team.

“He’s given very good feedback,” Horner said. “His P1 was very strong, P3 was fine, Q1 he was only a tenth away from Max… Q2 he made a mistake – he was 15ks quicker than he’s ever been into Turn 1, had a moment and then you’re chasing the lap the rest of the way.

“So qualifying 14th dictated his race. He made an overtake and had an undercut on Pierre Gasly. And then spent the rest of the afternoon looking at Fernando Alonso’s rear wing.

“But in a race where there was… I can’t remember seeing any overtakes, at all … I think that had he qualified higher he would have finished naturally higher. I think he’s given good feedback. And I think that now he’s finding his feet in the team, we’ll see over the next few races that performance will step forward.”