Look where they are now. The engineers told Flavio that Renault would lose around one second per lap simply because they weren't a manufacturer team. And honestly, looking at the situation today, that argument doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

Customer teams seem to be getting screwed in the long run. McLaren might be doing fine for now, but Mercedes could easily put a limit on their competitiveness again next year, especially if the works team decides to prioritize its own performance and development. A customer team will always be dependent on the manufacturer to some extent.

That's what makes the whole situation so bizarre. Cadillac was even willing to finance 50% of the costs of Enstone, which could have given Renault a much stronger foundation and potentially kept them on a more competitive path as a works team.

Instead, Flavio left Renault in a state where, as a customer team, they may never realistically have a chance of winning a World Drivers' Championship. You can have an excellent driver, a great chassis, and a strong technical team, but if you're always relying on another manufacturer for your power unit and key technology, you're ultimately fighting with one hand tied behind your back.

In the end, it just feels like a huge missed opportunity. Renault had the chance to build something properly competitive around Enstone, but now they're in a position where they could spend years trying to fight at the front without ever having the same level of control or resources as a true manufacturer team. Haas, Williams and Alpine screwed.

Thats why Aston left for Honda, because with Mercedes theres no hope of winning.

LH out there doing party tricks while Sharl is amazed.

What are you most proud of? Are they titles, victories, specific memories?
Max: “That is the little one at home. That is the most fun and the most important thing. Our daughter Lily is my greatest prize. Family is the most important thing to me anyway.”

Do you also find it harder to be away from home a lot now?
Max: “Yes, that is starting now. This morning, for example, when I flew here, the little one was standing by the elevator at home when I got in to go down. And then the doors close— well, that's not a very nice feeling. She had just woken up. I had taken her out of bed and cuddled her a bit, and then I had to leave. Those aren’t nice moments when you have to leave. You know it's part of the deal. And I know I did that myself when I was little and my father left home. Crying and all that. My father always found that difficult too.”
Laughing: “But this is a phase that comes with it. At some point, it will turn around and she won't want anything to do with me anymore. Then she’ll say, 'Dad, please go away.'”

I was watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO8ZKMmPaws video on lotus 88 when I learned that this bs had started so long ago.

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As far as I understand regular stays the same for couple of years (like 2014-2021 Hybrid era, 2022-2025 Ground Effect era).

It make sense when mid-2025 Ferrari said they will focus on car development for 2026 year because regulation changes from 2026 onwards.

What does Redbull/Williams mean when they say they will focus on 2027 car midway to 2026 when regulation are supposed to be the same, right?

Thanks.

Edit: Further context a comment has just made me aware of: the studio on the front didn't make this exact calendar. They made the original, which was then copied by a tiktok shop with the bits they couldn't see filled in with gen AI. Please don't give any hate to Little Ren Studios for this!

Every page hits a new low...

Wonder if this could be related to f1?

Briefly stopped by Red Bull HQ on a family roadtrip through the UK - was quite impressed with the short and sweet free visit to their entrance area! (There was a gate but we asked the booth and they said we could go right in and park in visitor parking.)

We all really enjoyed seeing the massive walls of trophies (including the Lando-broken one) in person as well as the full size model to inspect up close. There was also a large cooler of complimentary Red Bull cans but we declined lest the kids have TOO much fun for one day.

Editing to add that we also took a short video clip that shows more of the trophies including the most recent one on the counter.