The Roar
The Roar

Jawad Yaqub

Roar Guru

Joined November 2013

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Motorsports writer, photographer and sometimes podcaster on Hit The Apex Podcast. Catch me on Twitter @Doctor46th and @HitTheApexMedia.

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Talking points for the season have been bang on Ben.
I just wanted to add in the matter of Andretti, the argument of the enormous potential value that they’d bring to the sport than say compared to what someone like Haas currently does. Their customer model was great for the first two seasons, but in such an environment where development and evolution is key – they’re still stuck trying to figure out tyre management in a race stint. So how could F1 not have interest in a major global motorsport figure, who’s now got genuine manufacturer backing in GM (who’ll also be developing their own PUs in the future)? Not to mention the plethora of American sponsorship that Andretti would foster, while Haas continue to promote their own CNC machinery.

Pure annihilation, supreme closeness and a call for new racers: Five F1 end of season talking points

Yeah, I’m of the thought too that it was fair game. As for bump and runs, always great to look back to Perth earlier in the year.

Supercars Gold Coast 500 Talking Points: A couple of last lap thrillers, a title deciding duel beckons... and what's a 'Bathurst SuperFest'?

What’s sad in all of this, is you can’t blame GM teams in not wanting to allow a change at the eleventh hour to assist their rivals. They’ve done a great job worthy of all the praise etc. It’s Supercars who should have egg on their faces to have allowed this to reach the point it has.

60 glorious years of an iconic race: Supercars Bathurst 1000 talking points

At this point, the P word shouldn’t be taboo. Supercars is meant to be a parity formula yes? 100% on the cost saving proposition and promise of better racing. And hopefully with the post-season transient dyno and wind tunnel tests, the data will be transparent unlike all the other tests including their archaic VCAT.

Supercars talking points: Erebus vs Triple Eight, Master & Apprentice win and we relish the return of the Sandown 500

Because its Sandown and how much I love the place, it’ll always be great in my eyes – but I understand and have been vocal in past talking points here about the disparity and unmitigated disaster that Gen3 has proved to be this year.

Heading into now the biggest race of the season with the Bathurst 1000, it is concerning that a marque who’s invested heavily in the category will likely be racing in its own division on the biggest stage.

Supercars talking points: Erebus vs Triple Eight, Master & Apprentice win and we relish the return of the Sandown 500

Supercars will have you believe the contrary about crowds, because there was almost 70,000 in attendance across the weekend for Sandown. But overall I agree with your sentiment Damo, the whole year has reeked of disparity – which while it is great to see two teams fighting out the front, it is not good that the other manufacturer is racing in its own class.

Supercars talking points: Erebus vs Triple Eight, Master & Apprentice win and we relish the return of the Sandown 500

He’s far better than some make him out to be. Only if he becomes a liability for Red Bull’s constructor points, will they ditch him I feel and that’s far from reality at present.

And yeah, Oscar on track is demonstrating a calm head and off track too. It’s great he’s got Mark Webber in his corner, so if he does continue his stellar rise and rival teams come fishing – he’ll be able to make a mature and calculated decision as he did in 2022.

Unbeatable Verstappen, Red Bull still has wings and Lewis Hamilton's revival: Formula 1 midseason recap

Seemed fine back in Perth during Race 7 😂

Supercars Sydney SuperNight talking points: A night of penalties, tirades and fines

On track for nothing more than fourth in constructor’s really. I don’t believe their ‘do it on the cheap’ attitude is never going to see them ever become regular winners regardless of who is driving the car. Look too at where Honda were 2015-17, yet they still persisted and invested heavily to get their engine to where it is – unlike Renault who had more lead time and development ahead of 2014.

As for Andretti, yes it is a gossip line as you say – but I’d love to see them given the opportunity, as I reckon there’d be more commitment and less of a mess than what the Renault Group have created for themselves with their F1 team.

Infighting, arrogance and a Formula One exodus - what's happening at Alpine?

Thanks as always Andrew for your IndyCar content.

I’m fascinated with the silly season at the moment, given that Chip Ganassi could potentially be without two of his spearhead drivers next year and realistically how more years will Iceman Dixon drive on for? Big fan of Tom Blomqvist from his GT3 exploits in the past and it would be great to see him in IndyCar. Likewise pleased at Christian Lungaard getting a win.

IndyCar, while I don’t get to watch enough live races due to timing and commitments to that other open-wheel series 😂 is something next time I’m fortunate enough to visit the US will be hoping to attend any race, if not the Indy 500. That along with an IMSA event and a Knicks game.

Mid-season talking points from the 2023 IndyCar Series

Welcome Hannah!
The timing of this is pretty brutal and for the interim, Dan was the only available choice as they’d probably not want to pull Lawson out of Super Formula midway through his season. But for 2024, you’d hope the Kiwi gets the call up. It wouldn’t surprise me either, pending how Dan fares now for AlphaTauri, if Red Bull taps Checo on the shoulder and come to an agreement to end his contract a year early. That would see Dan back at the main team for a season or two, while the next crop of juniors get properly blooded at whatever AlphaTauri will be called next year. An ideal hypothetical, but then again it is the ruthless Red Bull empire 😂 Anything could happen.

Ricciardo makes shock return as De Vries sacked with immediate effect, but do other drivers deserve the opportunity more?

Yeah no disrespect or taking anything away from the likes of MSR and Team 18, they’ve earnt their wins. It will be interesting to see the outcomes from this parity trigger having been initiated and if Supercars will finally be more transparent with the data between teams. The situation overall is pretty pathetic for a premier motorsport category.

Supercars Darwin Triple Crown talking points: Frosty and Le Brocq take first wins and another Mustang on fire

Yeah we haven’t seen an SVG vs Brown encounter yet this season. Great to see consistency from them though to be at the pointy end of the field.

Supercars Tasmania SuperSprint talking points: Cracking teammate battles, frustration for key contenders

A bit Mansell-esqe seeing him mixing it with the young guns. Yeah, there was no doubt about his ability or his talent – just shocking career choices. Alpine were a bit foolish to let him go, but we all know how good they are with driver retention… And after the lambasting from Laurent Rossi recently, they’re an organisation that anyone would probably want to stay away from.

I like being proven wrong (maybe not completely) about Aston Martin and Alonso’s decision to go there. Overall it is down to the teams to get their acts together and take the fight to Red Bull and none of this ‘have F1 or the FIA to intervene and nerf them’ malarkey. Aston Martin is the proof of a team getting their act together and making those gains organically.

The renaissance of Fernando Alonso

Thanks Stuart. I’d have been happy for SVG either way, he’s already penciled in to be one of the all-time greats as Scott McLaughlin had in recent years. But if he can pick up another title or two, then good on him. I’ve also felt for years he’d be awesome overseas. Loved it when he was doing Blancpain GT racing and IMSA, so I hope he will still do that or NASCAR as he wishes and be successful like Scotty has been in IndyCar.

Supercars Perth SuperSprint talking points: Epic Race 7 scrap between hardheads, van Gisbergen signs on

Reynolds made some remarks about parity after the Sydney test and SVG in Newcastle said it was hard to follow in these cars because the tyres get cooked too quickly.

Supercars talking points from the Melbourne SuperSprint

It was real nice being there to see the RB7 demo with Lawson at Bathurst. Stood on the outside of Turn 1 and you could hear the V8 as it blasted down Conrod Straight 😱

What a successful year looks like for each F1 team in 2023

Considering how fast last year’s car was by seasons end, the ATR penalty ain’t going to hurt them any time soon.

Everyone's a winner in the Formula One team boss merry-go-round

It was getting the board/shareholders to sign off and invest in the wind-tunnel that comes online through the middle of this year and will begin impacting design and development for 2024. If that doesn’t see them up there by 2026, then you can say the revival has failed. 2022 was an odd stumbling block and yeah I hope Oscar does well this season. He kind of has to, given the publicity from last year around the McLaren deal.

As for Andretti, I would love to see F1 give him a crack. He is making a lot of noise, which isn’t the best – but when you’ve got premium sponsors/investors lined up from the US, OEM support from one of the biggest manufacturers in the world (even if they’re not going to be making PUs straightaway) and readiness to build a new state-of-the-art base – the gatekeeping from the existing teams needs to stop and let the talking happen on the racetrack.

Everyone's a winner in the Formula One team boss merry-go-round

A total brain melter of a situation.
It’s a shame for Max, as barring yesterday’s reprimand, he’s driven like a champion this season and has been a league above the rest.

But come on, there’s so much that the FIA have to answer for from this race, as well as whatever their 2021 cost cap findings are.

Bizarre finish to Japan GP sees Verstappen crowned F1 champion again

Yeah I’d love for them (Sky/Merc) to put a sock in it too, but inconsistency after inconsistency I just want the FIA to actually put their foot down and show they’re not a joke of an administration. I’d have the same stance of punishing cost cap infringement if it was Haas, so the fact Red Bull is mentioned makes no difference to me.

F1 cost cap breach sanctions will be the FIA's litmus test

Given the payout he’ll be getting from McLaren, he should drive on a cut price deal or for free if he gets a seat next year.

What are Daniel Ricciardo's options in this F1 silly season?

Is there a better candidate than Binotto out there though? They’ve moved Team Principals on in the past, yet the same issues persist.

This year's Formula One title is the peerless Max Verstappen's to lose

Gutting for Pato to be out of the mix after ‘Crashville’ in his own words. I’m curious though how the points system works in IndyCar and if Scotty McLaughlin is still in with a reasonable shot, being 58 points behind?

2022 IndyCar series: Music City Grand Prix talking points

I saw it as Shane absolutely humiliating the competition. ‘Oh thank you kind sir for offering the redress, but I’d rather you take the penalty,’ even though either way he was going to win that race.

Talking points from Supercars' Townsville 500

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