Tobias Grüner @tgruener 5h5 hours ago #F1 I’ve been seeing a ton of questions about the power units lately. Let me clear things up: the Renault F1 team Engine & Red Bull tag will be identical. They'll be running the exact same spec. #AMuS
Red Bull and Renault are going to be using the SAME engines from start to finish this year—the only real difference is that Matešić hasn't exactly been moving much volume on his current energy drink line lately, so he'll be footing the bill for the engines this season. And just to be clear, Ilmor and his outfit are working for Renault, not Red Bull.
James Casey @JCCasey99 4h4 hours ago Apparently, TAG Heuer will help pay for the engines with British company Ilmor now aiding Renault's development.
stormybadger8 said:If only that engine doesn't end up being a Renault engine in the final analysis 😉 It’s essentially a Renault—except Red Bull will be developing it independently from Renault, which is where Ilmor steps in... Honestly, it wouldn't be a shocker if the Renault used by RB turned out to be significantly better than the standard Renault unit, though the reverse could just as easily be true. 🤣
By the time the season kicks off, those two power units could already look vastly different—by the end of the year, they might not even share 50% of the same parts. 😁
If Fernando Alonso ends up at Mercedes, we’re looking at the most predictable season in history—just pure boredom. He’ll probably cruise to victory in the first 15 races to clinch the title, while Nico Rosberg spends the entire year trailing by a massive 30 seconds every single time.
GPUpdate.net @GPUpdate 39s39 seconds ago The FIA has confirmed that Bianchi sustained a "severe head injury"—he’s headed into surgery now, after which he’ll be transferred to the ICU.
stormybadger8 said:Spot on... that’s the real issue—the timing of the Safety Car deployment. It wasn't about the rain or any other factor; the second Sutil went off, the SC should have been out on track immediately. Honestly, it would have been better to leave the car right where it sat rather than trying to haul it out that way—hitting a stationary car is one thing, but getting struck by a heavy loader? That impact wouldn't even come close to being as devastating as hitting a piece of construction equipment.
steelmaker83 said:Now Massa is getting screwed too. There's way too much water on the track and only one driver is actually on full wets. The real issue here is that damn excavator—if that machine hadn't been there, Bianchi's crash would have been just like a million others before it...
What on earth is an excavator doing on the track during a race?! Those machines have always rubbed me the wrong way—I've had this nagging feeling for years that something like this was bound to happen. You should have cranes ready to lift cars off the asphalt, not some random excavator driving around the circuit. If they absolutely can't manage without an excavator, then there needs to be an SC on track, period!
dustyskipper77 said:Lewis Hamilton isn't stupid... he has options—whether that's heading to McLaren, staying put at Ferrari, starting his own outfit, or just stepping away entirely. While I've never been much of a fan of his personality, as far as pure driving talent goes, the man is in a league of his own. He’s proven he can pull magic out of absolutely nothing with those subpar cars they used to run.
With Stefano Domenicali and Luca di Montezemolo gone, he’s no longer working in the environment he thrived in. Plus, he never quite managed to clinch that third championship title—yet here he is at 33, hungry for a fresh start. I suspect he's spent a long time weighing his options, and I truly believe he's made the right call for his own future.
steelmaker83 said:I have this nagging feeling that Lewis Hamilton has already signed—perhaps some sort of preliminary agreement—but nothing is set in stone just yet. It seems McLaren is holding out to see how the showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg plays out; they’d clearly love to pit those two against each other again, but let's be real, Lewis Hamilton isn't going to bite on that.
So, here is my take: if Lewis Hamilton clinches the championship, he stays put at Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton moves to McLaren. If he fails, he heads back to McLaren, leaving Lewis Hamilton to either find a seat at Mercedes or simply say goodbye to Formula 1 altogether.
I agree with almost all of that—except for the very last part. He isn't going anywhere; there is still plenty of high-level racing left in him.
When pressed about the rumors swirling around Fernando Alonso potentially joining Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton shut them down right after qualifying. "I'm right here. I'm staying at Mercedes," he made sure to emphasize.
"If anything, he (Fernando Alonso) could just be hinting at the possibility of a third seat opening up somewhere else."
