Nuts & Bolts -- September 21, 2022

• Nikita Mazepin has said he won't race under a neutral flag. Well, I suppose that ends the very unlikely danger that we were going to see him back in Formula 1.

• The FIA has released the 2023 schedule--a record 24 races. It thankfully retains some classic tracks like Monaco and Spa, but it also has races in places where there aren't even tracks at all, like Miami and Las Vegas.

• It is a bit odd that F1 is soooooo anxious to have races in the U.S.A, at, weirdly, places like Vegas and Miami, where there isn't a track, yet if a great young American driver, like Colton Herta, or a fantastic team administration, with a legendary name--Andretti-- want to join F1, they cut them off at the knees before they get too comfortable with the idea.

• The Formula 1 World Championship is NOT a world championship, and has not been so for some time. It is an exclusive league. The winners are the best of those allowed to compete, and not all those who want to--and are capable of--competing.

• There was an article in a lesser website about Fernando Alonso bribing his own mechanics. None of the major Formula 1 sites carried this, so it is best left ignored.

•  There are some rumours that Nyck de Vries may end up at Alpha Tauri, if Pierre Gasly moves on to Alpine. I find it surprising that Mercedes can't find room for him somewhere. They may regret letting him jump ship to the Red Bull camp.

• Max Verstappen could clinch the championship at the next race in Singapore. Let's hope he does not. No one wants 5 lame-duck races to follow.