Auto Motor und Sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cBut if it\u2019s eighth or tenth place, you\u2019d better put all your energy into next year,\u201d Briatore added.<\/p>\n
The frank admission underlines the split in the second half of the Constructors\u2019 Championship, where Racing Bulls, Aston Martin, Sauber and Haas are locked in what journalist Michael Schmidt calls a \u201cmillion-dollar four-way battle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between sixth and ninth, only 24 points separate the four teams \u2013 a difference worth roughly $20 million in prize money.<\/p>\n
Schmidt noted that while Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari are following a more cautious approach at the front, \u201cthe real action is in the midfield,\u201d where a single upgrade or pitstop can mean big money.<\/p>\n
Haas arrived in Austin with a new floor and revised rear brake ducts that produced more downforce. \u201cThe car is faster but a bit more nervous,\u201d said boss Ayao Komatsu. \u201cEsteban is a driver who adjusts the car until it suits him, then puts his foot down. Ollie isn\u2019t as sensitive; he just keeps going. That\u2019s why he has more accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rookie Oliver Bearman said the changes will pay off once the team adapts: \u201cThe car\u2019s characteristics have changed. It\u2019s faster, but we need more time to get used to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Haas earned two points for its effort, which Komatsu hailed as proof \u201cwe can make the car faster \u2013 and that gives everyone confidence for 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sauber sporting director Inaki Rueda observed that the Swiss-made car and the Aston Martin are \u201cvery similar \u2013 they like the same type of circuit\u201d.<\/p>\n
As for Williams, with five races and two sprints left, Williams looks secure in fifth, but behind them the battle remains wide open. \u201cEvery detail now counts even more,\u201d wrote Schmidt, \u201cbecause the difference between sixth and ninth could decide who gets the big payday.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(GMM) Flavio Briatore says Alpine has already stopped caring whether it finishes eighth or last \u2013 but for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-234198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}