Weekly News Roundup - Sept. 22nd, 2023

Happy Friday, friends! Did you remember that last night was the 21st night of September? I hope everyone dusted off their Earth, Wind & Fire vinyls/CDs/cassettes for a delightful 3 minutes and 34 seconds just to stuff them back into storage until next year.

We’ve had an eventful week of news, all covered for you below, along with a preview of the race weekend at Suzuka ahead. Let’s get into it!

News Roundup

• Oscar Piastri signed a multi-year extension to remain with McLaren through 2026

  • The first-year driver from Australia had previously been under contract with the Papaya through 2024. This early extension is well-deserved after the rookie has posted impressive performances with a podium in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint Race and a P4 in Silverstone.

  • Piastri currently sits in eleventh in the championship standings, just three points behind Pierre Gasly and five points behind Lance Stroll. Anticipate Piastri making a jump in the standings this week at a track that is likely to favor the MCL60.

• Red Bull is expected to return to its season-long dominance after a minor blip in Singapore

  • Though there were conspiracies circling around about the Red Bull’s struggles with the ‘flexible wing’ technical directive issued by the FIA, the RB19 is expected to return to its winning ways at Suzuka.

  • A bumpy Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore forced the team to raise the ride height of the RB19, therefore reducing the downforce and causing the car to be ‘twitchy’ under braking. This might explain Checo’s bumper car performance this past weekend.

• Logan Sargeant’s seat at Williams may be at risk after underwhelming performances during the 2023 season

  • It’s no secret that the American rookie has struggled to keep up with his teammate at Williams this season. Alex Albon has been exceptional this year, capturing all 21 of Williams’ points, raising questions about Sargeant’s ability to keep up with the best of the best.

  • The rumor mill has put out that Williams have been meeting with Aston Martin reserve driver and former F2 champion, Felipe Drugovich, as a potential replacement for Logan Sargeant.

• Sebastian Vettel returns to the scene to raise awareness for biodiversity issues

  • Sebastian Vettel back in the news is a welcome sight for anyone! The four-time world champion has long admired the Suzuka Circuit, so it is no surprise that he chose this weekend to make an appearance.

  • With his most recent project, Seb and his team have painted the turn 2 kerb black and yellow and renamed it the ‘buzzin corner’ to raise awareness for biodiversity.

Race Preview: Japanese Grand Prix

The Japanese Grand Prix has been a long-time fan and driver favorite, as the figure-8 Suzuka Circuit never fails to deliver an entertaining race. I dug into the archives in preparation for this weekend and came across some thrilling and historic races:

• 1989: Aryton Senna and Alain Prost collide with the championship on the line. Prost DNF’d due to the collision, while Senna was DQ’d after finishing P1. Prost would go on to win the championship.

• 1990: Senna and Prost collide again! Both drivers DNF’d, and Senna would go on to win the championship (and again in 1991).

• 2005: The Iceman, Kimi Räikkönen, passed the Renault of Giancarlo Fisichella (teammate of that year’s world champion, Fernando Alonso) on the final lap after starting in 17th.

Let’s hope for another historic race this weekend! Here’s what I’m anticipating:

1. A big weekend for Aston Martin (specifically for Alonso). After a disappointing finish in Singapore, expect to see the Spaniard fighting back near the top. We will see if Lance Stroll can keep up with the old dog…

2. Red Bull back on top at a track that suits the RB19 performance. The Suzuka track is a little more balanced between power and downforce (more high-speed corners and longer straights, see here to learn more), and I expect to see Max back on the podium.

3. Haas to drop back down the order after a glimmer of hope last weekend. The American team has struggled with tyre degradation all season, and Suzuka’s high speed corners will not be friendly to the VF-23.

4. Alpine and Alpha Tauri to both drop back in the order. Suzuka favors power significantly more than Marina Bay, so expect a tough weekend for the hometown hero (I’m still rooting for you, Yuki!).

5. Alfa Romeo and Williams to pick things back up this weekend. Suzuka is vaguely similar to Silverstone with its higher speed corners - Williams posted a strong performance at the British Grand Prix with P8 for Albon and a season-best P11 for Sargeant. Alfa Romeo are more confident in the upgrade package they brought to Singapore - the team is hopeful for a points finish this weekend at a track where Bottas finished P1 in 2019 with Mercedes.

6. Ferrari to remain near the top after a strong weekend in Singapore. The tifosi should be hopeful for the rest of the season as the team seems to have figured something out with the aerodynamic package after struggling with tyre degradation early on. Ferrari has also brought a new floor this weekend that may further improve the package. However, Charles Leclerc was a sitting duck when Mercedes came charging at Marina Bay, so the team will need to be careful and potentially hope for a well-timed safety car to give them an extra boost.

Way too Early Bold Predictions

Quali

1. NOR

2. VER

3. SAI

Race

1. VER

2. NOR

3. PIA

With McLaren’s significant updates, the MCL60 is expected to be a star performer this weekend. I’m predicting a double podium for the Papaya after Lando claims pole position on Saturday. Despite the new upgrades, I still suspect it will be impossible to hold off Super Max from the top of the podium.

Social Media Post of the Week

Fernando Alonso’s helmet for the Japanese Grand Prix - what an absolute beauty! Apparently, Alonso is a longtime admirer of Samurai culture and is paying homage to that with this new design.

Thanks for reading The Grandstand Gazette! As always, I hope you enjoy the race this weekend! If you want a chance at naming this Monday’s newsletter, send me your race review thoughts on Sunday with a catchy/funny/relevant phrase that will be considered for the name. If you’d like, we will also give you a shoutout as the winner. Just drop us a note with your name and state/country of residence (it can be fake, or you can remain anonymous).

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