#bahrain 2019 sunday

[umgeorge]

george russell and alex albon during the drivers parade, bahrain - march 31, 2019 📷 james moy / alamy

[beardedmrbean]

A former Trump-era adviser to the U.S. ambassador to Israel is calling on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to resign after she "embarrassed herself" while responding to the terrorist attacks on Israel.

In an early morning post to social media on Sunday, Aryeh Lightstone, who served as a senior adviser to former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman from 2017 to 2021, took aim at Whitmer for her comments following the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.

"I have been in touch with communities impacted by what’s happening in the region. It is abhorrent. My heart is with all those impacted. We need peace in this region," Whitmer wrote on X, with no mention of Israel.

"I hosted you for Thanksgiving in Israel just a few years ago. I am embarrassed for you and by you & disappointed that I opened my home and my family to you," Lightstone responded to Whitmer.

GOV. WHITMER ROASTED OVER SLOW, 'GOBBLEDEGOOK' RESPONSE TO HAMAS ATTACKS ON ISRAEL: 'SAY THEIR NAMES'

Elaborating on his comments, Lightstone — who's in Israel witnessing the conflict as it unfolds — told Fox News Digital he was shocked by the "fraudulent nature" of Whitmer's response.

"The job of a leader is to know the difference between right and wrong. The job of a politician is apparently to say nothing, and she demonstrated that she's a politician," he said.

"She watched this happen in real time. And to watch women and children be kidnapped and raped and murdered, and to not be able to say something? She should resign immediately," Lightstone said of Whitmer.

Lightstone said he hosted Whitmer, her husband, and 25 other Michigan residents at his home in Israel for a Thanksgiving meal in 2019, when the governor had the opportunity to witness first-hand the ongoing conflict taking place in the country.

"She was in Israel. She saw what happened. She went to the border. She saw the people," he said. "I'm a Republican… but she wanted a place for Thanksgiving and every American should have a place to go for Thanksgiving. So I welcomed her into my home and I invited 25 Michiganders at my expense to host them."

Lightstone said he and the governor spoke about the U.S.-Israel relationship and ways to strengthen it.

Following the pushback she received from the tweet, Whitmer made another post on Saturday in which she included Israel's name.

"The images that continue to come out of Israel on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War are devastating. The loss of lives in Israel –children and families – is absolutely heartbreaking and appalling," the governor said in her follow-up post on X. "There is no justification for violence against Israel. My support is steadfast."

Asked about Whitmer's follow-up tweet, Lightstone said he believes she only shared it because she was "embarrassed for herself."

"There's only two sides of this. There's a right side and a wrong side. She chose the wrong side," he said. "I don't think she's a bad person. I just think she's a politician."

Whitmer's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

During his conversation with Fox, Lightstone also underscored his work to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship while serving with Friedman. Specifically, he touted the Abraham Accords, which were negotiated by the Trump administration and first signed in 2020. The agreements secured diplomatic relations between four Muslim-majority countries with Israel, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

"Israel is resilient, Israel is strong, but Israel is going through the worst day in its history. Saying anything short of that is mischaracterizing the day. It's the worst day in Israel's history," Lightstone said.

"Israel has never asked for and never will ask for a single American troop on the ground here," he added, highlighting the need for other means of support for Israel. "Every one of these people chanting 'death to Israel' finishes the sentence with 'death to America.'"

Lightstone also attempted to throw cold water on reports that suggested Israel was not united in its efforts to combat terrorists in the region.

"It was reported that in the last nine months that Israel is deeply divided. Israel is not deeply divided. Israel is fully and totally united," he said. "The people of the United States of America, I believe, strongly love Israel."

He also noted that there "can be no whataboutism" about the situation taking place in Israel.

"There is no parallel. This is not a competition between two sides that both have merit. One is a side of animals and the other is the side of democracy. This is the clearest distinction I've seen in my life since 9/11," he said.

[brookston]

Holidays 12.17

Holidays

Accession Day (Bahrain)

Australian Christmas (in “Team Fortress 2”)

Clean Air Day

Cork Day (French Republic)

Day of Ancient Briton

Declaration of the Rights of Peasants Anniversary Day

Depp Movie Night

Druk Gyalpo National Day (Bhutan)

Flag Day (Kurdistan)

International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

International Jewish Book Day [5th Day of Tevet]

International Talk with a Fake British Accent Day

John Greenleaf Whittier Day

Kurdish Flag Day

Loki’s Birthday

MegaMan Day

National Day (Bahrain, Bhutan, Qatar)

National Device Appreciation Day

National Heroes and Heroines Day (Anguilla)

National Pensioners Day (India)

Pan American Aviation Day

Revolution and Youth Day (Tunisia)

The Simpsons Day

Sow Day (Orkney Islands)

Take a New Year’s Resolution to Stop Smoking

Wright Brothers Day

Yuletide Lad #6 arrives (Askasleikir or Bowl-Licker; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cookie Cutter Day

National Growler Day [dates varies]

National Maple Syrup Day

3rd Sunday in December

Hammock Day (Australia) [3rd Sunday]

Hang the Mistletoe Day [3rd Sunday]

3rd Sunday in Advent [2nd Sunday before Xmas] (a.k.a. ... 

Advent Sunday

Detinjci (Serbia)

Gaudete Sunday

Joy Sunday

Rose Sunday

Zoology Day [3rd Sunday]

Independence Days

Altavia (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

El Dorado (Declared; 2007) [unrecognized]

Ellesmere (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Zenrax (Declared; 1999) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Barbaras (Christian; Saint)

Begga (Christian; Saint)

Bergmann (Positivist; Saint)

Daniel the Prophet (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Babalu Aye (Healer of Deadly Diseases; Yoruba/Santeria)

Feast of the Fairy Godmothers

Hagoita Ichi (Sensoji Temple, Japan)

Josep Manyanet i Vives (Christian; Saint)

Lazarus of Bethany (Cuba; Christian; Saint)

Little Bird (Muppetism)

Martyrdom Day of Sri Guru Tag Bahadur Ji (Punjab, India)

Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemeh (Iran)

Olympias the Deaconess (Christian; Saint)

O Sapientia (1st O Antiphon or Great Advent Antiphon; Christian) [O Wisdom; 1 of 7]

Paul Cadmus (Artology)

Paul César Helleu (Artology)

Procession of Agnios Dionysios (Greece)

Wivina (Christian; Saint)

Sacco & Vanzetti Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Saturnalia begins (Ancient Rome) [thru 12.23]

Saturnalia Day 1: Day of Saturn (Pagan)

Sloth Day (Pastafarian)

Sturm (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Friday the 17th (Unlucky Day; Italy) [Friday the 17th]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [32 of 32]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

All That Glitters or Baby, It’s Gold Outside (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 239; 1963)

An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser (Novel; 1925)

Behind the Green Door (Adult Film; 1972)

Boris Wheels and Deals or A Profit Without Honor (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 240; 1963)

Bosko’s Woodland Daze (WB LT Cartoon; 1932)

Chicken Little (Disney Cartoon; 1943)

Count Me Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

The Dark Crystal (Film; 1982)

Diamonds Are Forever (US Film; 1971) [James Bond #7]

The Front Page (Film; 1974)

Heart of a Dog, by Mikhail Bulgakov (Novel; 1925)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Film; 2014) [Hobbit #3]

Hunky Dory, by David Bowie (Album; 1971)

King Kong (Film; 1976)

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight (Short Story; 1938)

Laughter in the Dark, by Vladimir Nabokov (Novel; 1932)

Life on Mars, by David Bowie (Song; 1971)

Lighter Than Hare (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Magnolia (Film; 1999)

The Man Who Would Be King (Film; 1975)

Monster (Film; 2003)

Mother/Android (Film; 2021)

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (TV Special; 2008)

Nightmare Alley (Film; 2021)

Pappy’s Puppy (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Porky the Gob (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

Rabid Rider (WB LT Cartoon; 2010)

Radio, Radio, by Elvis Costello, performed live on SNL instead of the approved Less Than Zero, getting himself banned (Song; 1977)

The Return of the King (Film; 2003) [Lord of the Rings #3]

The Simpsons (Animated TV Series; 1989)

Sleeper (Film; 1973)

Spanglish (Film; 2004)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Film; 2021)

The Stand (TV Mini-Series; 2020)

Stuart Little (Film; 1999)

Symphony No. 8 (a.k.a. the Unfinished Symphony), by Franz Schubert (Symphony; 1865)

The Tender Bar (Film; 2021)

Tobacco Road, by Erskine Caldwell (Novel; 1932)

Tootsie (Film; 1982)

Trail of the Pink Panther (Film; 1982)

Iron: Legacy (Film; 2010)

The Wanting Seed, by Anthony Burgess (Novel; 1962)

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Film; 1989)

Wind & Wuthering, by Genesis (Album; 1976)

Yes Man (Film; 2008)

Yogi Bear (Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Jolanda, Lazarus, Viviana (Austria)

Dana, Danail, Danaila, Daniela (Bulgaria)

Hijacint, Lazar, Modest (Croatia)

Daniel (Czech Republic)

Albina (Denmark)

Rahel, Raili (Estonia)

Raakel (Finland)

Adélaïde, Gaël, Judicaël, Olympe (France)

Jolanda, Lazarus, Viviana (Germany)

Daniel, Dionysis, Iakhos (Greece)

Lázár, Olimpia (Hungary)

Lazzaro (Italy)

Brunhilde, Hilda, Teiksma (Latvia)

Drovydė, Jolanta, Mantgailas, Olimpija (Lithuania)

Inga, Inge (Norway)

Florian, Jolanta, Łazarz, Olimpia, Warwara, Żyrosław (Poland)

Daniel (Romania)

Varvara (Russia)

Kornélia (Slovakia)

Lázaro, Yolanda (Spain)

Stig (Sweden)

Daniel (Ukraine)

Eleazar, Lazar, Lazaro, Lazarus, Olympia, Orval, Orville, Storm, Stormie, Stormy, Wilbert, Wilberta, Wilbur (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 351 of 2024; 14 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 50 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 20 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 5 (Ji-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 5 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 4 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 21 Zima; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 4 December 2023

Moon: 28%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 15 Bichat (13th Month) [Bergmann]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 85 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 26 of 30)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 12.17

Holidays

Accession Day (Bahrain)

Australian Christmas (in “Team Fortress 2”)

Clean Air Day

Cork Day (French Republic)

Day of Ancient Briton

Declaration of the Rights of Peasants Anniversary Day

Depp Movie Night

Druk Gyalpo National Day (Bhutan)

Flag Day (Kurdistan)

International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers

International Jewish Book Day [5th Day of Tevet]

International Talk with a Fake British Accent Day

John Greenleaf Whittier Day

Kurdish Flag Day

Loki’s Birthday

MegaMan Day

National Day (Bahrain, Bhutan, Qatar)

National Device Appreciation Day

National Heroes and Heroines Day (Anguilla)

National Pensioners Day (India)

Pan American Aviation Day

Revolution and Youth Day (Tunisia)

The Simpsons Day

Sow Day (Orkney Islands)

Take a New Year’s Resolution to Stop Smoking

Wright Brothers Day

Yuletide Lad #6 arrives (Askasleikir or Bowl-Licker; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cookie Cutter Day

National Growler Day [dates varies]

National Maple Syrup Day

3rd Sunday in December

Hammock Day (Australia) [3rd Sunday]

Hang the Mistletoe Day [3rd Sunday]

3rd Sunday in Advent [2nd Sunday before Xmas] (a.k.a. ... 

Advent Sunday

Detinjci (Serbia)

Gaudete Sunday

Joy Sunday

Rose Sunday

Zoology Day [3rd Sunday]

Independence Days

Altavia (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

El Dorado (Declared; 2007) [unrecognized]

Ellesmere (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Zenrax (Declared; 1999) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Barbaras (Christian; Saint)

Begga (Christian; Saint)

Bergmann (Positivist; Saint)

Daniel the Prophet (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Babalu Aye (Healer of Deadly Diseases; Yoruba/Santeria)

Feast of the Fairy Godmothers

Hagoita Ichi (Sensoji Temple, Japan)

Josep Manyanet i Vives (Christian; Saint)

Lazarus of Bethany (Cuba; Christian; Saint)

Little Bird (Muppetism)

Martyrdom Day of Sri Guru Tag Bahadur Ji (Punjab, India)

Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatemeh (Iran)

Olympias the Deaconess (Christian; Saint)

O Sapientia (1st O Antiphon or Great Advent Antiphon; Christian) [O Wisdom; 1 of 7]

Paul Cadmus (Artology)

Paul César Helleu (Artology)

Procession of Agnios Dionysios (Greece)

Wivina (Christian; Saint)

Sacco & Vanzetti Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Saturnalia begins (Ancient Rome) [thru 12.23]

Saturnalia Day 1: Day of Saturn (Pagan)

Sloth Day (Pastafarian)

Sturm (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Friday the 17th (Unlucky Day; Italy) [Friday the 17th]

Perilous Day (13th Century England) [32 of 32]

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

All That Glitters or Baby, It’s Gold Outside (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 239; 1963)

An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser (Novel; 1925)

Behind the Green Door (Adult Film; 1972)

Boris Wheels and Deals or A Profit Without Honor (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S5, Ep. 240; 1963)

Bosko’s Woodland Daze (WB LT Cartoon; 1932)

Chicken Little (Disney Cartoon; 1943)

Count Me Out (WB MM Cartoon; 1938)

The Dark Crystal (Film; 1982)

Diamonds Are Forever (US Film; 1971) [James Bond #7]

The Front Page (Film; 1974)

Heart of a Dog, by Mikhail Bulgakov (Novel; 1925)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Film; 2014) [Hobbit #3]

Hunky Dory, by David Bowie (Album; 1971)

King Kong (Film; 1976)

Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight (Short Story; 1938)

Laughter in the Dark, by Vladimir Nabokov (Novel; 1932)

Life on Mars, by David Bowie (Song; 1971)

Lighter Than Hare (WB MM Cartoon; 1960)

Magnolia (Film; 1999)

The Man Who Would Be King (Film; 1975)

Monster (Film; 2003)

Mother/Android (Film; 2021)

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (TV Special; 2008)

Nightmare Alley (Film; 2021)

Pappy’s Puppy (WB MM Cartoon; 1955)

Porky the Gob (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

Rabid Rider (WB LT Cartoon; 2010)

Radio, Radio, by Elvis Costello, performed live on SNL instead of the approved Less Than Zero, getting himself banned (Song; 1977)

The Return of the King (Film; 2003) [Lord of the Rings #3]

The Simpsons (Animated TV Series; 1989)

Sleeper (Film; 1973)

Spanglish (Film; 2004)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (Film; 2021)

The Stand (TV Mini-Series; 2020)

Stuart Little (Film; 1999)

Symphony No. 8 (a.k.a. the Unfinished Symphony), by Franz Schubert (Symphony; 1865)

The Tender Bar (Film; 2021)

Tobacco Road, by Erskine Caldwell (Novel; 1932)

Tootsie (Film; 1982)

Trail of the Pink Panther (Film; 1982)

Iron: Legacy (Film; 2010)

The Wanting Seed, by Anthony Burgess (Novel; 1962)

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Film; 1989)

Wind & Wuthering, by Genesis (Album; 1976)

Yes Man (Film; 2008)

Yogi Bear (Film; 2010)

Today’s Name Days

Jolanda, Lazarus, Viviana (Austria)

Dana, Danail, Danaila, Daniela (Bulgaria)

Hijacint, Lazar, Modest (Croatia)

Daniel (Czech Republic)

Albina (Denmark)

Rahel, Raili (Estonia)

Raakel (Finland)

Adélaïde, Gaël, Judicaël, Olympe (France)

Jolanda, Lazarus, Viviana (Germany)

Daniel, Dionysis, Iakhos (Greece)

Lázár, Olimpia (Hungary)

Lazzaro (Italy)

Brunhilde, Hilda, Teiksma (Latvia)

Drovydė, Jolanta, Mantgailas, Olimpija (Lithuania)

Inga, Inge (Norway)

Florian, Jolanta, Łazarz, Olimpia, Warwara, Żyrosław (Poland)

Daniel (Romania)

Varvara (Russia)

Kornélia (Slovakia)

Lázaro, Yolanda (Spain)

Stig (Sweden)

Daniel (Ukraine)

Eleazar, Lazar, Lazaro, Lazarus, Olympia, Orval, Orville, Storm, Stormie, Stormy, Wilbert, Wilberta, Wilbur (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 351 of 2024; 14 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 50 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 20 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 5 (Ji-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 5 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 4 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 21 Zima; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 4 December 2023

Moon: 28%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 15 Bichat (13th Month) [Bergmann]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 85 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 26 of 30)

[f1]

Next F1 season will be longest calendar of 24 races in sports history

Formula One bosses have announced the longest calendar in the sport’s history with a record-breaking 24 races scheduled for next season. The campaign will open on a Saturday in Bahrain on 2 March and end more than 10 months later in Abu Dhabi on 8 December. The British Grand Prix will take place at Silverstone on 7 July, avoiding a clash with the Wimbledon men’s singes final, and the concluding day of golf’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. The Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai is also pencilled in for its first F1 race since 2019. F1 races traditionally take place on a Sunday, but next year’s schedule kicks off with back-to-back Saturday night races, first in Bahrain and then in Saudi Arabia, to accommodate Ramadan. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula One, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues. “Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment. “We have plenty of racing to look forward to in 2023, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our fans can look forward to more excitement next season.” via Formula One | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone

[umlewis]

race winner lewis hamilton celebrates in parc ferme, bahrain - march 31, 2019 📷 mark sutton / motorsport images

[chasingpegasus]

[babysdrivers]

i think about this goddamn scene every single time i see seb’s moustache 

[umgeorge]

george russell in the paddock on race day, bahrain - march 31, 2019 📷 glenn dunbar / motorsport images

[sebastian-vettel-fans]

[lewishamiltonsource]

[formula365]

Even the longest droughts have an end - Bahrain GP review

The 1994 German Grand Prix was held in party mode. The grandstands at Hockenheim were filled to the brim of people and enthusiasm: the local hero, Michael Schumacher, was in total control of the championship, and was the favourite to win his home race. Germany could finally have another F1 world champion, and Schumi-fever was reaching new highs. But the party ended up transferred to another capital of motorsports: Maranello.

The unlikely victors that day would be Ferrari. The scarlet cars were the third fastest that year but didn’t come close to threatening the dominant Benetton and the Williams; nevertheless, this season had seen an improvement over recent years, that had been some of the worst of the Scuderia’s history. Their last win had come at 1990 Spanish Grand Prix, almost four years earlier.

But the long straights of the old Hockenheim favoured the mighty grunt of the Ferrari V12s and Berger and Alesi locked out the front row. On race day, we didn’t get to see if they could hold on at the front, as one by one their main contenders fell to the wayside. On the first lap alone, 11 drivers were knocked out of the race. Schumacher retired on lap 20 and Hill suffered a puncture and a broken front wing on the first lap, and never recovered from that. Gerhard Berger cruised to the checkered flag, almost a full minute ahead of the Ligier of Olivier Panis. It was the end of the longest winless drought of Ferrari’s F1 history: 59 races later, they were back on top.

On Sunday in Bahrain, Charles Leclerc ended their second-longest drought, 46 races after Vettel’s win in Singapore 2019, but the feeling this time around must have been of an even higher elation. Even though the wait in the early 90s was longer, and potentially more painful, that time around there were no illusions about the significance of the win. Hockenheim 94 had been a one-off, a consequence of the track’s characteristics suiting their car and the attrition that knocked out most of their rivals at the front. It would take almost another year for the next win, and it was only in 1996, with the arrivals of Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher, that Ferrari would be regular winners again.

Sunday’s win, however, happened purely on merit. Throughout pre-season and the practice sessions, Ferrari had shown pace to be contenders. The feeling was that Red Bull was perhaps a step ahead, but the red cars looked mighty nonetheless, and when Leclerc took pole over Verstappen, with his teammate Sainz right behind them, it wasn’t a major shock. The way that Leclerc was able to race away from Verstappen on multiple occasions throughout the race were another demonstration of the quality of their car. The 1-2 might have been fortuitous, but the win and double podium were not.

And this is what makes this win even sweeter than Berger’s must have been: it is a translation of the genuine promise of constant race contention and – whisper it – title challenge. Ferrari have not been regular challengers at the front since the last major regulation change in 2009. There were good runs in 2010 and 2012 with Alonso, and then 2017 and 2018 with Vettel, but that is very little to show for in over a decade of work. 2020 saw them reach a particularly painful nadir, but that also brought with it an opportunity that they could not squander.

With the new sliding scale for wind tunnel and CFD usage, Ferrari knew they had a major advantage over their rivals. They could use these tools far more than Mercedes and Red Bull, and with the added bonus of not being in the title fight, they could focus sooner and harder on the 2022 cars. With the level of resources Maranello has at its disposal, this was their chance to get back on top.

It is very early to tell whether their pace will translate into other type of circuits. Their PU seems to have taken a major step forward as well, so tracks like Jeddah, where we will race this week, could be favourable to them. The development throughout the year means that upgrades from one race to the next could shake things up. All teams will have to be on their toes to not fall down the pecking order.

But the Bahrain evidence is very encouraging for Ferrari. They had the measure of Red Bull in both qualifying and the race, and then benefitted from the Austrian outfit’s reliability issues to open an early massive gap in the championships. They are in a privileged position that will be the envy of the other top teams. This makes this win all the sweeter: it’s not just about what it meant this weekend – it’s about what it might mean for the season.

Talking points

- For all the talk of a potential shake-up at the front, we are back to the top 3 that we saw dominate the sport for 3 years. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes were significantly ahead of everybody else, and with McLaren, the only team that threatened to be close to them, languishing at the very back, I fear we might be about to witness another sweep of wins and podiums for the big 3.

- The new generation of cars offered some promise. It’s too early to draw any significant conclusions, and we need to see the cars in different tracks to make a proper judgement, but the one aim of this rule change – to allow cars to race closer – seems to have been achieved. Whether that will translate into better racing in tracks like Melbourne or Imola is an entirely different story. Nevertheless, cars were seen following each other close for longer than we have been used to, and that Leclerc / Verstappen battle was a hell of an appetiser.

- What on Earth is happening at McLaren? They showed a good turn of pace in Barcelona testing, but completely disappeared for the first race of the season. Overheating brakes will not be the only reason for their underperformance this weekend. The team itself has said they are very much off the pace and that this was not just a bad race. Coming back from this will be the biggest test of the Zak Brown era.

- Interestingly, all the teams struggling at the back were Mercedes-powered cars. In fact, the only team with those PUs to make to Q3 and to score any points was the works team. The Mercs themselves were struggling in terms of straight-line speed, so it is only natural to wonder whether there is something amiss in the engine department. No one is making that kind of noises for now, but it sure seems like a hell of a coincidence.

- Mercedes won’t be the only ones with concerns about their PUs. The only retirements from the race were from Red Bull Powertrains cars, although Pierre Gasly’s problem was quite different from the works team. There is currently no indication that there is something really wrong with the fuel pump that cause Verstappen and Perez’s retirements or if it was a one-off, but surely there must be some concerns for the near future.

- All the midfielders came into this season hoping that they could revert their luck and leapfrog their competition by taking advantage of the total reset in the cars. As the dust settles, two teams seem to have made the jump forward: Haas and Alfa Romeo, the bottom two of last year’s championship, put their cars in the top 11, with the Swiss outfit managing a double points finish. For the American team, in particular, this was a moment to celebrate, as they scored more points in this race than they had managed in the last two seasons. No F1 fan was indifferent to the absolute joy emanating from their garage. After a couple of difficult years, and with the shadow that the Mazepins had brought over them removed, there is finally some reason for hope.

- Alfa Romeo got a double points finish, but their drivers had to work hard for it. Start problems derived from a known issue with the clutch meant both Bottas and Zhou went nowhere fast in the first lap, ending up in P14 and P19, but clawed their way back to the front. The Finn was particularly impressive to climb all the way to P6 with some cool overtaking manoeuvres. Zhou, on the other hand, benefitted from three retirements ahead of him to make it to P10, but throughout earned a debut in the points. If they can solve that clutch issue, that Alfa looks like a real points contender.

- Mick Schumacher almost broke his points duck. After a difficult year bringing up the rear, no one deserved that more than him, but both his and the car’s pace means it’s only a matter of time.

- Kevin Magnussen P5 in Bahrain? Try explaining that to an F1 fan who had been in a coma for a month. The absolute feel good story of the weekend.

- F1 debuted new TV graphics this weekend and, well, they’re a mess. There are so many problems with them that I am actually considering writing a quick article on it. One simple question to the design team: small fonts with low contrast against its background, in italics to make it even worse? What did they teach you in design school? Even for the regular user it made the graphics much harder to read; for those with impaired vision, it is an absolute nightmare. There was some backlash on Twitter and I hope they were reading because that mess needs fixing.

[f1]

Three key stand outs from the 2024 F1 calendar

The 2024 Formula 1 World Championship calendar has broken cover, with a run of 24 races that begins in Bahrain and finishes in Abu Dhabi. So what are the main differences for this upcoming campaign? The season begins with two Saturday races For the first time since 1985, a full World Championship Grand Prix will take place on a day other than Sunday this year when the lights go out for the much-anticipated inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix at 10pm local time on Saturday 18 November 2023. READ MORE: Formula 1 announces calendar for 2024 In 2024, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will join Las Vegas in making it three Saturday races on the calendar, the former two accommodating Ramadan, a period of fasting, prayer and reflection observed by Muslims around the world, which begins on Sunday March 10 – one day after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It means everything will shift forward a day for the opening two events, with the media day taking place on Wednesday, the opening two free practice sessions on Thursday, FP3 and qualifying on Friday and the main event – the Grand Prix – on Saturday. The Bahrain Grand Prix season opener will take place on a Saturday Races move position to support regionalisation Formula 1 calendars are complicated things, with some races needing to be at certain times of year otherwise it’ll be too hot or too cold to go racing. It makes slotting each race into the calendar an interesting challenge. In the pursuit of a more regionalised calendar, which in turn will make the sport more sustainable, three races have moved position for 2024. The Japanese Grand Prix is the biggest mover, switching from a September date to April – in the heart of the country’s beautiful cherry blossom season. READ MORE: How logistics experts DHL are helping Formula 1 hit their Net Zero by 2030 target The Japanese Grand Prix will take place in April 2024 Freight can now move from Australia to Japan and then onto China to improve the efficiencies of travelling. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix moves from an April slot to September and is the first of a back-to-back with Singapore. And finally, Qatar shifts from October to the first weekend of December as a stop-off from Las Vegas on the way to Abu Dhabi. READ MORE: 'It's the next revolution' – Tech chief Pat Symonds explains why Formula 1 is leading the push for sustainable fuels Formula 1 set for bumper 24-race calendar China is set to make its first appearance on the F1 calendar since 2019 – its absence down to the ongoing difficulties presented by Covid-19. That means F1 will have a bumper 24 races – with the traditional three-week summer break remaining in August, plus an additional three-week pause between Singapore and Austin and a two-week breather between Brazil and Las Vegas. Check out the full calendar below… 2024 F1 calendar Date Grand Prix Venue February 29 – March 2 Bahrain Sakhir March 7-9 Saudi Arabia Jeddah March 22-24 Australia Melbourne April 5-7 Japan Suzuka April 19-21 China Shanghai May 3-5 Miami Miami May 17-19 Emilia Romagna Imola May 24-26 Monaco Monaco June 7-9 Canada Montreal June 21-23 Spain Barcelona June 28-30 Austria Spielberg July 5-7 United Kingdom Silverstone July 19-21 Hungary Budapest July 26-28 Belgium Spa August 23-25 Netherlands Zandvoort August 30 – September 1 Italy Monza September 13-15 Azerbaijan Baku September 20-22 Singapore Singapore October 18-20 USA Austin October 25-27 Mexico Mexico City November 1-3 Brazil Sao Paulo November 21-23 Las Vegas Las Vegas November 29 – December 1 Qatar Lusail December 6-8 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[umlewis]

lewis hamilton on his way to the drivers parade, bahrain - march 31, 2019 📷 mark sutton / motorsport images