F1
The issue which cost Bottas many places off the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix was not new to the team, they have been suffering with wheel spin in testing too, and are looking to try and fix it. If it cannot be fixed soon, it could really plague their efforts moving forwards, especially on tracks where it isn’t as easy to overtake.
Hamilton has been fined for not attending the FIA gala to end the year, which whilst I understand the protocol around it, does seem slightly excessive. He has also not accepted the apology in the FIA report, which itself did everything we expected it to do, by allowing Masi to take the blame, and carry on as normal.
Some alterations have been made to the Jeddah circuit ahead of this weekend’s race. This includes both widening the track and the barriers to improve safety. Whilst I don’t believe this will solve the problems that we could see there, it is good to see that they are taking steps to make it better.
Red Bull has apparently fixed the issues that caused neither of its drivers to finish the Bahrain Grand Prix. This problem apparently was to do with the fuel pumps in the car, which sounds as though they weren’t able to reach the last few litres in the tank.
MotoGP
Following his horrific crash in warm up for Sunday’s race, Marquez is suffering from vision problems once again. This is a real worry for Marc, who was only just getting back to full fitness, after almost 2 years of issues. He clearly cannot ride a bike in quite the same way as he did yet, and trying to do so is really hurting him. Crashing 3 times this weekend just shows the problems he is having, and he has to calm it down if he wants to have a career in the future, but I am not sure if he can tone it down.
MotoGP has been able to outlaw the front ride height devices for next season, over safety concerns. Normally, it is almost impossible to get rules like this through, as every team has to agree to it, which is not easy. This time though, thanks to the safety factor, they have been able to mitigate the problem.
-M
Meaning of Motorsport 