2024 F1 Schedule is Out

[ZoWie]

Too many races, but then as we know only too well, quantity equals quality in the minds of sports administrators.

For the first time ever, the driver lineup is the same as last year. However, two teams changed their names. Alpha Tauri, the Red Bull development team, has drank the Kool-Aid and now it's Visa Cash App RB. Really. As if Red Bull needs the sponsorship money.

Alfa Romeo, which is really Sauber until 2026 when Audi takes over, will be calling itself Sauber again, for now.

Let's hope this long schedule doesn't just prolong the agony that was last year..........

Bahrain Grand Prix - 29 February-2 March

Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - 7-9 March

Australian Grand Prix - 22-24 March

Japanese Grand Prix - 5-7 April

Chinese Grand Prix - 19-21 April

Miami Grand Prix - 3-5 May

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - 17-19 May

Monaco Grand Prix - 24-26 May

Canadian Grand Prix - 7-9 June

Spanish Grand Prix - 21-23 June

Austrian Grand Prix - 28-30 June

British Grand Prix - 5-7 July

Hungarian Grand Prix - 19-21 July

Belgian Grand Prix - 26-28 July

Dutch Grand Prix - 23-25 August

Italian Grand Prix - 30 August-1 September

Azerbaijan Grand Prix - 13-15 September

Singapore Grand Prix - 20-22 September

United States Grand Prix - 18-20 October

Mexican Grand Prix - 25-27 October

Brazilian Grand Prix - 1-3 November

Las Vegas Grand Prix - 21-23 November

Qatar Grand Prix - 30 November-1 December

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - 6-8 December

[ZoWie]

Everyone's been running with the story that the driver lineup stayed the same for the first time in generations, but now that might not be the case. The rumor mill is cranked to 11 on the story that Hamilton will soon be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, replacing Sainz, since they've already signed LeClerc to a multi-year contract.

Why Hamilton would want to leave a team that once had a fast car but now has a lead bucket for another team that once had a fast car but now has an only slightly different lead bucket is one of life's great unsolved mysteries.

https://www.bbc.com/sport

[ZoWie]

It's now definite that Hamilton goes to Ferrari at the end of this season, and replaces Sainz next year.

Crazy.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/68169534

[ap215]

Formula One's invitation for in-person meeting with Andretti Cadillac went to a spam email folder

Formula One's invitation to Andretti Cadillac for an in-person meeting about its application to join the motorsports series was sent via email and landed in a spam folder, which is why Michael Andretti and General Motors representatives never answered the request.

The junk email revelation came Friday as Andretti Global sought to clarify two points in the sharply critical document F1 released earlier this week in rejecting the Andretti Cadillac application.

https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory ... -106902590

[ZoWie]

Wow, hadn't heard that one. I thought Andretti getting rejected was just more FIA politics.

Cadillac is quietly taking over the position Ford once had in racing. You don't hear about it, because right now racing is passe in ad departments, except of course Dodge and the Fast/Furious movie franchise. Even a cursory look at TV commercials suggests that fantasies about driving off the road seem to be what sells cars.

In the past decade or so, though, Cadillac has come up with a new mission. Their cars that they advertise to you and I are junk, but under the radar they have quietly designed the world's fastest production car. I'm sure they have the technology and cubic money to do F1.