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Japanese GP Preview, Vegas Numbers, and Liberty Acquires MotoGP
Matthew Bailey
April 05, 2024
PLP Season 2 Edition 14
Itās Race Weekend!
Ok Iām going to apologize right off the line for this weekās email title, but I sat here for quite some time with Chamillionaire stuck in my head, so thatās what it is. Thanks for opening in spite of the bad pun. Now we can all move on.
Itās another late night for us east coasters, and since the race is across an ocean that means FP1 and FP2 will have already completed by the time this hits your inbox. Hereās the schedule for the rest of the weekend in EST:
FP3: Friday, April 5th @ 10:30pm
Qualifying: Saturday, April 6th @ 2:00am
Race: Sunday, April 7th @ 1:00am
Anyone else going to watch live? In 2022 I stayed up to watch only for the race to be delayed 1.5 hours due to rain, then fell asleep. Could be a risk this year as well to looking at the weather forecast.
Also, fun announcement for premium subscribers: Scroll to the bottom for the first PLP Bingo: Japanese GP edition. Send a pic of you hitting 5 in a row to our email, and weāll have a prize for whoever has the most at the end of the season.
Quick Quiz!
Which constructor has the most all time wins at Suzuka? |
Answer revealed at the bottom š½
Japanese GP Preview
It has a bridge! The original plans actually included 3 šø formula1.com
Round 4 heads around the world to Suzuka International Racing Course in Japan, about a 5.5 hours southwest of Tokyo and 1.5 hours east of Kyoto, if you happen to find yourself in a car in Japan this weekend and need to get to the race. This high speed track features quick snaking āEssesā from turns 3-7 (which inspired a similar section at COTA), the commitment-testing Degner curves of turns 8-9 (named after motorcycle racer Ernest Degner), 130R (turn 15, named for itās metric radius, reminds me a bit of Vegas turn 17), and that neat little 180 at turn 11 are all highlights among what is routinely included in many driverās short list of favorite tracks.
High downforce is crucial in the fast tight turns, but with only 1 DRS zone excessively draggy cars will be punished. The track is tough on tires and combined with potential rain in the forecast this weekend, we could be in for a frantic multi-stop race. Rain is always funā¦ āthe great equalizerā as they say.
Gearing up for his home race, Yuki Tsunoda said āI really love the track, Iāve driven there a lot ā more than 10,000 laps and I never get bored of it! I love the layout because itās really challenging. You feel that when youāre driving fast there, youāre able to maximize the performance of the carā¦you can feel the car and how it behaves.ā Look out for some creative Yuki supporters this weekend - the Japanese fans are known to go all out.
Upgrades On the Way
The major thing to watch for this weekend (aside from like, you know, the regular race stuff) is who moves up and down in the current pecking order based on upgrades being brought to Japan. Thereās nothing too major yet (with many teams planning for those round 7 in Imola), but a bunch of teams are bringing something new:
The RB20 is getting an aero update to get more flow to the rear wing, could see a new floor, and has a rumored altered side pod design
Ferrari is making an aero change to the upper triangle of the rear suspension
McLaren with a new livery (Ok this doesnāt help performance, but it looks cool)
Mercedes with a sweet new racing stripe. The internet had fun with this one
Aston Martin has a side pod update and a new floor in hopes to improve high-speed corner performance,
RB and Kick Sauber were also invited to the new floor party, and plan to attend
Expect Red Bull to bounce back this weekend, though Ferrari should still be able to put up a fight. Yuki will look to continue his strong start in front of the home fans, and hopefully Williams can keep their cars in one piece and get two into the race. I have a feeling that this will be a good one, so no falling asleep!
Last-minute-late-night FP1 Update: Sargeant spun into the gravel and hit the wall half way through the session š². Not at all what Logan or Williams wanted to see. It was a decent hit, but looks like the chassis should be okā¦
Vegas Economic Impact Numbers: Jackpot
Clark County in Nevada has released a full report of the economic impact associated with hosting the inaugural Las Vegas GP last November. Strictly looking at the numbers - this race isnāt crapping out anytime soon. Some of the highlights:
$1.5B in total economic impact including $884M in visitor spending
$77M in tax revenue - more than any other Las Vegas event in history
F1 spent $88M in public infrastructure improvements
Visitors spent 3.6x more than the average traveler, $4,100 on average
Local workers earned $52M in wages
7,300 jobs created
2nd busiest airport in the country the day after the race with 2,200 operations
The largest sporting event with the largest global audience in Las Vegas history
If you absolutely love in depth text based powerpoint presentations on economic data, youāre in luck - you can get the full report here.
Also supporting Sin City aside from F1? Triple zero roulette wheels. Can you believe thatās a thing now? First 6:5 blackjack and now triple zero roulette?? Did I do several spins before I even noticed? Yes. And did I then continue to play more anyway? Also yes. š¤·āāļø
F1 Owner Liberty Media Takes Over MotoGP
In other vroom vroom news, the parent company that owns Formula 1, Liberty Media, is taking over 86% of the parent company of MotoGP, Dorna - with the sale representing a value of $3.6B for the series. Liberty CEO Greg Maffei said the league has a āloyal, enthusiastic fan base, captivating racing, and a highly generative financial profile.ā He added that they intend to expand the potential audience, saying āThe business has significant upside, and we intend to grow the sport for MotoGP fans, teams, commercial partners and our shareholders.ā Donāt worry, the article also references āfinancial and commercial synergiesā. Business tip: Itās all about synergy, baby.
Liberty has seen their F1 investment grow massively through savvy moves such as Drive to Survive. Can the give MotoGP the same treatment? Iāve heard great things about the action, but Iām really hesitant to get sucked into another series. I resisted starting the Nascar Netflix series the other night too because I just KNOW that my Sundays would end up with more appointment T.V.
Down the Grid
š„Max Verstappen [51]: āNo need to panicā over 2026 F1 power unit - of which the in-house-Ford-partnered versions for 2026 are rumored to be behind schedule. āWith so many well-established engine manufacturers, we also don't think it's going to be easy to beat them.ā 2026 engine equalization incoming?
š„ Charles Leclerc [47]: Marks 10th anniversary of Jules Bianchiās passing with helmet painted in colors used by his late friend, saying āhe's always in my heart, and it's going to be very important to do well this weekend.ā Jules, who passed away from injuries sustained during the Japanese GP in 2014, was a mentor and friend to Charles growing up.
š„ Sergio Perez [46]: Eyes potential to be āvery closeā to Max by āfocusing on myselfā and observing how his teammate āgets the maximum out of the carā
4ļøā£ Carlos Sainz [40]: Heās a hot property after his Melbourne win - but where will he be racing in 2025? Heās in the mix for all the potential top landing spots- Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, with Sauber reportedly wanting to pair him with Hulkenberg in preparation for Audi in 2026.
5ļøā£ Oscar Piastri [28]: Wholesome alert: Spending some time enjoying Japan before the race
6ļøā£ Lando Norris [27]: F1 will have to āwait for 2026ā for big shake up. For a big shake up, agreedā¦ but weāve already seen the gap close this year. Red Bull is the favorite no doubt, but expect some tighter battles throughout this year and next.
7ļøā£ George Russell [18]: Expects Mercedes to give equal treatment to new teammate, whoever it may be. Having withdrawal from no Jesus-like intro pose this season? Perhaps this chic beach shoot for Tommy Hilfiger will tickle your fancy.
8ļøā£ Fernando Alonso [16]: Eyeing a decision on his future before the summer break, says āI will not follow what others doā¦ I will do it on my own, for good or for bad, itās the way that I am.ā
9ļøā£ Lance Stroll [9]: Looking happier than weāve ever seen while hangin ten, brah š¤
š Lewis Hamilton [8]: Mercedes provides update on his engine failure in Australia, revealing a rapid loss of oil pressure caused the engine to shut down in a protective measure to avoid a āload of molten metalā
11. Yuki Tsunoda [6]: Profile on the Japanese driver ahead of his home race. When asked to describe himself in 3 words, he responds āOhh, okay, describe myselfā¦ I love food, I love activities andā¦ Ohh, this is difficultā¦ Sing well!ā We love activities too Yuki š
12. Oliver Bearman [6]: A seat at Haas next year is very realistic at the moment
13. Nico Hulkenberg [3]: Thinks Alonso picked the āwrong cornerā to play defense against Russell, saying āI think whilst that tactic is quite a common one in F1, in that particular corner, with that speed, with a blind exitā¦ it produced quite a dangerous situation.ā
14. Kevin Magnussen [1]: Ayao Komatsu agrees with him that the teamās strategic errors hampered his race two weeks ago despite the teamās double points finish, noting āwe let Albon undercut us - for no reasonā
15. Alex Albon [0]: The team will have to be āsensibleā during upcoming races due to their chassis shortage
16. Zhou Guanyu [0]: Instructor says he āabsolutely killed it on level 1ā as he learned how to drift during Aussie race weekend. I feel like thatās something a professional driver could pick up quicklyā¦
17. Daniel Ricciardo [0]: Explains why RB struggles are different to his time at McLaren when he was running on very little confidence, saying āI was kind of confused with the carā¦That was a completely different thing and this isnāt that.ā
18. Esteban Ocon [0]: Being out of points contention is the āworst feelingā, adding āItās tough to go into a weekend and push as hard as you can also mentally you know, to be doing the maximum knowing that there could be no reward in the end. But itās part of the job.ā
19. Pierre Gasly [0]: Driving ālike an animalā to compensate for difficult 2024 car
20. Valtteri Bottas [0]: āSlowly getting the ball rollingā on F1 future talks beyond the 2024 season, saying āI think we need a few more [races this season] under our belt, and hopefully with a good few resultsā in order to get more interest
21. Logan Sargeant [0]: Looking to turn the page after a ādifficultā Australian GP, saying āIām looking to put this challenging moment behind us, learn from it and continue pushing together this season.ā Logan is also using Albonās damaged chassis this weekend while Albon gets the good one. Ouch.
Constructorās Corner
š„Red Bull [97]: Chief mechanic Lee Stevenson is leaving after 18 years to join Kick Sauber, but itās unclear what his role will be. He worked on the very first RBR car, the RB2.
š„Ferrari [93]: Vasseur: Thinks Australia showed that the team can bring the fight to Red Bull, saying āwe can put them [Red Bull] under pressure, and when they are under pressure they can make mistakes, so we need to continue in this direction.ā Sainz says that upgrades brought to Imola later this year will be the best chance to close the gap.
š„McLaren [55]: Stella: Team will need āanother 12 monthsā to fix remaining weaknesses like long corner performance and DRS efficiency. Itās been almost 12 months since their last big leap, and while this seems disappointing at face value, the fact that they are close to fighting at the top now means they could really push to be top banana papaya in 2025.
4ļøā£ Mercedes [26]: Protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli a.k.a. the 17 year old that Toto Wolff is banking on to become the next Max Verstappen will complete his first F1 test at the Red Bull Ring in Austria later this month. Calling it now - With Merc slipping over the past few seasons, they will have nothing to lose and will give this young fella a seat over a current vet on the grid.
5ļøā£ Aston Martin [25]: The team hopes to make Alonsoās decision on F1 future āas difficult as possibleā while the two-time champ weighs his options for 2025. Another prediction: With Aston rumored to be chasing Adrian Newey as well, I think they continue to show Fernando they are investing in the team - and he will return. Plus, at this point I donāt think Red Bull or Merc are landing spots - so staying put is likely his best option.
6ļøā£ RB [6]: CEO Peter Bayer hopes for notable improvement by mid-season, as the team focuses on āgetting everyone into the right positionā amid heavy turnover
7ļøā£ Haas [4]: Komatsu: Australia wasnāt āperfectā despite āamazingā double points finish, noting that Magnussenās early pit stop wasnāt the right strategy call
8ļøā£ Williams [0]: Vowles: Confiedent that the team will have two cars āwithout too many issuesā ready to go this weekend after the chassis shortage two weeks ago. Work was reportedly started in Australia via ānon-destructive testingā, where they can evaluate the damage without destroying serviceability.
9ļøā£ Kick Sauber [0]: Bravi: It was āimportantā to apologize to Bottas after pit stop issues continue to plague the team, especially after he showed good pace early against Alonso and Tsunoda in Melbourne only for the slow stop to derail his day.
š Alpine [0]: Bringing their first upgrade to Japan, including the āfirst step of weight reductionā
Tech Talk
Lewis Hamilton said the W15 went from being the ābest car in 3 yearsā to āundriveableā between FP3 and Quali in Australia. There were no setup changes. The only difference? A 5 degree change in track temperature. The Mercedes enigma continues. Toto is now attending the race after a planned absence, which shows how āserious modeā heās going amid the teamās struggles.
The lights going out to signal race start are controlled byā¦ some guy? To prevent an unfair advantage for drivers or teams who could optimize their launch procedures to automatic timing, the lights are controlled by the race director to provide equal opportunity for drivers to react to the start of the race from visual cues only. File that under I had no idea. I suppose robots arenāt taking all the jobs after all.
To pile on Williams while their downā¦ when he took over the Team Principal job, James Vowles was absolutely stunned to learn that their entire inventory was managed through a single Microsoft Excel sheet. No wonder they canāt get back up chassis (though itās reported other teams donāt have a backup either). I do believe Vowles will turn this around though. And to be fair, I guarantee other teams rely to heavily on Excel too. You see it all over corporate America. Going to pitch this motto to Bill Gates - Microsoft Excel: āThe Worldās Most Unfortunate Glueā. Yea Iāll keep brainstorming.
Off the Grid
Australia will return as the season opener in 2025, as Bahrain and Jeddah are moved to accommodate Ramadan. The last time the season started down under was in 2019.
A look inside Bostonās F1 Arcade, opening April 22nd. Ok Iām excited. Iāll be up there later this year, definitely making a pit stop.
Maybe youāve seen go kart tracks in someoneās backyard, but this takes the cake: A private racetrack built into a mountainside outside Tokyo, commissioned by some rich fella, with views of Mt. Fuji (not the restaurant) š½
Add this logistical nightmare to the calendar šø @espnf1 on Instagram
Quiz Answer
A. McLaren with 9 total wins. Williams may seem out of place, but they have a rich history. They will return to greatness, one dayā¦
Excited for some potential wet weather mayhem across the globe. Also, check this youtube comment on the famous Verstappen-Leclerc āinchidentā video from 4 years ago. If it comes true, good chance that means back-to-back P1s for Carlos. What an inchident that would beā¦
Potential time traveler alert @f1trollofficial on X
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