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F1 Mexico GP, Fri: Close pack on one lap; rookies run & more

Darshan Chokhani — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 12:15:21 +0000

The Friday in F1 Mexico GP was back to normalcy as Pirelli brought a new compound to test and teams got more track time being a normal weekend.

It was mostly a smooth run on Friday in F1 Mexico GP where the grip levels played a role with drivers sliding but it wasn’t too harmful. The one lap pace showed a tight grid but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led the way comfortably in the front of the pack.

The Dutchman felt good but is wary of the degradation on the long run. His teammate was off him but not too far away. Considering the tight field, he is behind few cars with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the mix.

The Monegasque reckons McLaren to be ahead of them so far which will be the aim to beat. Their teammates did not have a superb run where Oscar Piastri spent time learning the circuit, while Carlos Sainz had his soft tyres overheating quickly.

In the mix, Mercedes seemed a bit off pace with the car sliding a lot in the high speed section. This made it tougher to extract much on one lap and they will have to improve their one lap pace with Lewis Hamilton facing clear difference from Austin.

The two sessions saw surprise entrants too as Williams’ Alexander Albon was second in FP1. He was outside Top 10 in FP2 but completed his one lap run way early than others. Also, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was fourth in FP2 despite missing FP1.

Verstappen: “I mean of course we look competitive so that’s good, but there are always a few things to still improve. But overall, I think it was a positive start to the weekend, probably a little bit better than I expected. But you can see the track is very slippery, tyres are very difficult to manage as well in the long run, so there are still a few things that I think we can work on. I mean McLaren have been close already for a few races now, so for me there is no surprise there. Tomorrow is going to be incredibly competitive over one lap. The race pace again is different story.”

Norris: “Is that the challenge, within one and a half tenths? Many drivers were within three tenths! I think it was a good Friday. A good start to the weekend anyway. It’s close, so it seems it could swing very quickly either way. I did a very good lap, maybe too good for this early in the weekend! We’ll continue to try to improve, but it’s a good start. Not a lot [we could change]. We started the weekend off well. I think we generally always start weekends off well. I think we always have a good idea of where to put the car to begin with, and it’s not far off normally where we end the weekend. There’s not a lot to gain through the weekends. There’s always little things and those little things add up. There’s still stuff to improve, also from my driving, little things here and there, but to challenge the Red Bull I think is going to be tough around here.”

Leclerc: “Yeah, we still have a lot of work to do as the McLaren seems to be extremely strong, obviously the Red Bull and Max seem to be very strong. The Mercedes seem to be a bit difficult to read into now, but focusing on ourselves, we know the areas we need to work on and hopefully that will help us to do a step forward for tomorrow. It will be a huge surprise if we do pole position tomorrow but never say never. It’s a tricky track, it’s difficult to put the lap together but I feel this weekend we are a bit too far away.”

Hamilton: “Not that great. Dodgy, not dodgy, but not the greatest. A bit of a struggle in the car today. I mean the car is night and day different compared to last week. And yeah, I don’t know what to say, you just never know what you’re going to get with this one. Some days she’s great and some days she’s not. I think it’s hard to extract the lap, I think there is definitely performance there. It’s just hard to extract it and it’s quite peaky this weekend with the aero map or whatever it might be. So, we are going to work on it overnight but definitely it wasn’t a fun day compared to FP1 in Austin. We are a bit off but hopefully overnight we can find something and tomorrow the car will be better to drive. I’m not sure. Again, we never know what to expect with this car, maybe we make the changes, and we’ll pick that pace up. I think there was definitely some performance in there to be closer, maybe in the top three. But we’ve got to figure out how to make it easier for us to extract that performance, so that’s what we’ll be working on tonight.”

Albon: “I don’t think we were slow in the FP2, but we obviously had a good run in the first session. We were better than expected but I think we just hit the ground running and optimised the window from the first lap, whereas other teams potentially took a bit longer to get up to speed. We were quick on the Test tyre but my lap on the Softs wasn’t very good. This is a circuit that doesn’t feel great for anyone with the low downforce; you feel like you’re sliding around a lot, however comparing year on year, it’s a big step, so let’s see how we go tomorrow. I don’t think we’re top five or top 10 but I do think we’ll be in a position to fight for Q3 tomorrow.”

Bottas: “I am pleased with how today went: thankfully, we found the issue that affected our car during FP1, and we were able to address it and quickly solve it between the sessions; I would like to thank our mechanics for the hard work put in to get the car back on track. Of course, it was a shame for Théo to miss such an important outing, but I am positive he’ll be back in the car soon. Overall, FP2 has been a clean session, which is important as it was the only practice of the day for me. I got a good number of laps under my belt, and the feeling with the car was generally pretty good. Still, it is only Friday: now our focus will go onto further improving both the setup and my confidence with the track, to fine-tune our car and place ourselves in comfortable positions ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.”

Much like Albon and Bottas, the Top 10 got AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo too who showed good pace and seems confident to make it in Q3. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda will start last after taking power unit elements which is why he focused on long run pace.

Also, Alpine looked to be a good shape especially for Esteban Ocon who was also inside the Top 10 and felt good in the car. Aston Martin, meanwhile, were behind again but they did not do a soft tyre run after a half spin for Fernando Alonso.

They were forced to undertake long run plan while Lance Stroll had a wheel stuck which hampered his session. Haas got more time with their new package but one lap time side, they were a bit behind amid the pack of F1 rookies.

While Theo Pourchaire was unlucky to not get a proper run in the Alfa Romeo, the likes of Haas’ Oliver Bearman, AlphaTauri’s Isack Hadjar, Mercedes’ Frederik Vesti and Alpine’s Jack Doohan got plenty of laps in a trouble-free run.

Ricciardo: “Since the race in Austin, I’ve been hungry to keep going and get back in the car. After last week’s race, we discovered some things that made me want to prove that we have pace. Today was a very good day. I enjoy this place, and the car was solid. From the get-go, I was certainly comfortable, and because it isn’t a Sprint weekend, we have more time to try some things. We continued to chip away and made good progress with our setup, and we look like we’re in a good place, so I’m confident we can carry this performance into tomorrow. The field is close, and you never know what other teams are doing exactly, but I know what I felt in the car today was good, and I believe it’s a top 10 car tomorrow.”

Ocon: “It was a very good Friday for us here at the Autódromo. We got through a very busy programme without issues and made good progress between the sessions. We are, of course, keeping our heads down, debriefing as a team, and focusing on how to best approach Qualifying tomorrow. We’ll be working hard overnight to be in the best position to try and reach Q3 and put ourselves in a strong position ahead of Sunday’s race. I feel good in the car, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Alonso: “Today we focused a lot on race pace and high fuel running. It’s difficult to read too much into the times, but the set up felt good and we will continue to optimise the AMR23 in Free Practice 3 tomorrow.”

Hulkenberg: “It was a challenging day. Obviously, coming to Mexico each year we have the same challenge with the thin air, it has some pretty significant side effects. It didn’t feel too good today and the timesheets also don’t look too good so there’s some homework for us to do to find some performance overnight. We’ve had two solid sessions of work, progress, and exploring things, so that was definitely a positive.”

Vesti: “This is a very special weekend for me, it’s a dream come true and I’m very grateful to the team for the opportunity. Since I’ve joined the team’s junior programme, there’s been a lot of work going into getting the right results and lots of preparations in the simulator to prepare me for today. It was a good session for us overall, we managed to get some useful information from the long run stints and understand the prototype tyres and degradation at this track. I’ve never raced here before and it’s definitely a difficult track with low grip, which you can also really feel in the car. So, lots of learnings for me and the team today in this one-hour long practice session and hopefully good preparations for decent results on Sunday. And I can’t wait to be back in Abu Dhabi and sit in the car for the team again.”

Doohan: “It was a really good session and I felt very comfortable in the car right from my first lap. I was glad to contribute to the team’s programme, which, on my side, focused on a couple of future test items. It was important to get through the session without any issues and tick all the boxes on our run list, which we were able to achieve trouble-free. I’ve been testing throughout the year in the 2021 car, so I definitely felt ready for today and it meant we could be right on it from the start. I’m very grateful to the team for the opportunity and for their trust and support both in the build-up ahead of the day and during the session itself. I’m now looking forward to seeing how the rest of the weekend unfolds for the team and offering my support where I can.”

Hadjar: “It’s the best day of my life! My first ever time in an F1 car was incredible, so I’m happy. There was so much going on with the procedures and traffic that it was overwhelming at first. It was tough, but I got into a rhythm quite quickly, and my confidence grew. During my first runs, I was struggling to get a lap without traffic, but in the last run, the race pace was quite good and consistent, and I could manage the soft compound for a few laps. It was a really good experience, and now I can’t wait to be back in the car.”

Bearman: “My first goal was to have a clean session and we did that, so that was the main thing. Secondly, I got up to speed quite fast, I had confidence in the car – it was my first time on the soft tyres, my first time doing a long run – and I’ll do better the second time, but for my first FP1 I’m happy. The thing that surprised me was how much quicker you arrive at Turn 1 on a quali sim, compared to the race. The guys have given me pointers throughout, especially because the track is so unique due to the altitude. It was over so fast, but I’m going to be back on the sim preparing for Abu Dhabi.”

Pourchaire: “I’m grateful to the team for this opportunity, even though we didn’t get much in terms of laps today. Unfortunately, I suffered an issue on the braking system at the beginning of the session, which prevented me to get any running throughout FP1 – the priority was, rightly, to promptly investigate the problem. Of course, it is a bit frustrating, as I was really looking forward to driving the C43 out on track; still, it’s all part of motorsport, and something like this can happen at any time – and, at least, it was during practice. On a positive note, the team was able to quickly address the issue and solve it between the sessions, so that Valtteri could get some proper track time this afternoon. I am hopeful I will get some more time in the car, but now, I will resume my reserve driver duties, while putting my focus on the Formula 2 finale which will take place in a little less than a month. There’s a job to be done and I want to give 100% towards my objective.”

Pirelli: “After two weekends run to the Sprint format, Mexico City marks a return to the usual one, with Friday given over mainly to an evaluation of the various compounds we have chosen for this event. In addition, we also had a test programme for a new version of the C4, with each driver having two sets available to use as they saw fit. We would like to thank all the teams for their support in this important phase of development, because it’s not easy squeezing something extra in what is always a very busy programme. I think we have gathered a lot of useful data – with significant results from some of the comparative tests between the current Medium and the prototype – which will see us make a decision in the coming days over its eventual inclusion in the 2024 range.”

Here’s how FP1 of F1 Mexico GP panned out

Here’s how FP2 of F1 Mexico GP panned out

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada F1 Mexico GP, Fri: Close pack on one lap; rookies run & more ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Verstappen talks having security in Mexico GP, fan behaviour

Darshan Chokhani — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:27:40 +0000

Max Verstappen talks about having more security in F1 Mexico GP, but plays down any big issues with crowd and Sergio Perez as well.

Ahead of the F1 Mexico GP weekend, Helmut Marko talked about hiring extra security for Red Bull’s Verstappen. It was just done to not disrupt any potential dangers for the Dutchman who could have faced troubles from the local fans.

Red Bull didn’t want any potential problems and wanted to keep the flow of his weekend at a smooth level. Verstappen was fine to have two extra people around him and noted about having no troubles in the marketing events prior to Thursday.

“I mean, why not,” said Verstappen when asked about extra security. “I mean I have, of course, a bit more security here, but there are always a few countries around the world where it is very busy in the paddock. For example, last year here, it was really, really busy to get from your hospitality to the garage and it just helps to make things smoother on-track, off-track, from your hotel and stuff like that.

“We will do it whenever we think it’s helping with the general flow of the weekend. I feel very safe, on [Wednesday], I had a full day of marketing and honestly, it’s been a great reception here like I have always had, so it is good to be back,” summed up Verstappen, who felt the ‘Racepect’ campaign from Mexico GP organisers is a good measure.

He feels it is more in general scenario and is a good awareness tool. But he played down any troubles or rivalry between him and Sergio Perez as has been played about in the lead-up to the weekend in Mexican press. He feels the Racepect is more towards the fans.

He brought about the boos from F1 US GP which didn’t gel well as he felt, even if you don’t like someone, there should be respect at the very least. “That’s made up, Checo and I, we get on really well,” said Verstappen. “For us, I don’t think there is any rivalry. Of course, as a driver on track you always try to be first or be faster, but I think we have a lot of respect for each other, and we appreciate each other’s performances.

“I think it’s a good thing that it maybe starts here now, but it’s not only here. I think in general, the behaviour of the crowd in some places, I think can be a bit better. For example, in Austin, maybe it was a bit towards me, but in general. I think the behaviour of supporting your favourite driver is fine. But then you also have to respect the competition.

“But this is not only in our sport. It is a general problem in a lot of sports that needs to be looked at and needs to be improved. Luckily, I don’t spend a lot of time on social media, because it’s quite a toxic place. People who don’t need to show their face or whatever, they can say whatever they want. And again, this is not only in our sport.

“In a lot of different sports it’s the same problem So I think it needs to be much better regulated, what can be said and done and written to people in general,” summed up Verstappen, as Perez also feels that there is no rivalry with the Dutchman as such.

“I think obviously, we are all rivals but at the same time we are all sports athletes, and we all want to do the best for ourselves,” said Perez. “Max and myself, we are in the same team so we both want to win and we are all giving our best so I don’t think that there should be any rivalry.

“For example, if I’m fighting in the race with Fernando, he’s not my rival out of the track, it’s just that we are just fighting on track. But like I say, the media likes to create this rivalry out of the track which I don’t think is right and it’s important for the fans to understand that.

“And I think it’s important that we give this message, because I think media likes to create this sort of rivalry outside the track and I think we are a great sport. We are a great example for a lot of young generations and we should just be focused on the sport side. And whatever happens on track should always stay there and that’s the best message we, as a country, want to give to the rest of the world. And yeah, there is nothing else going on. The most important thing is that everything stays on track.”

Here’s F1 drivers on post-race checks

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Verstappen talks having security in Mexico GP, fan behaviour ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

F1 drivers in a fix about post-race random checks and its handling

Darshan Chokhani — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:10:37 +0000

F1 drivers discuss about all cars checking post the US GP disqualification where it is just an unfortunate situation where only handful are checked.

The post-race random checks came in question after the US GP disqualification of both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were safe. Only four cars were checked as is the case at several events with such checks.

Considering the back-to-back weekends and also the general lack of time to check all the 20 cars for everything, the FIA selects cars randomly and perform those extensive analysis. All the 10 F1 teams know about this and have agreed to the regulations too.

But considering the track surface in US GP and it being a sprint weekend, the F1 drivers are certain that there were more cars whose plank would have been deemed illegal. And no one has one clear solution to this problem as it can be anyone in the next grand prix.

Here’s what the F1 drivers feel regarding the situation –

Lewis Hamilton: “I just came out of the press conference, got back, and I was about to get in the ice tub. And then Toto came running down and told me. Obviously, I was devastated as it had been such a great day and great race. But yeah, and then I didn’t find out fully until I was back home. Yeah, just a bit deflated after the day, but there were lots of positives to take from it. Firstly I’ve heard from several different sources that there were a lot of other cars that were also illegal. But they weren’t tested, so they got away with it. I’ve been racing here 16 years, there’s been times where there’s been many other scenarios like this where some people got away with certain things, and some people have just been unlucky they got tested. So I think ultimately there probably needs to be some sort of better structure in terms of making sure it’s fair and even across the board. We’ve never had that problem in Austin before. It was just because we had the sprint race as well, so an easy solution, an easy fix for that one, for example, is that we are able to change the floors after the… Well, just approach the weekend differently, where the car is not set already from Friday morning.

“Especially at the bumpiest track that we’ve been on, because that’s really the only reason that there are failures, it’s just because it’s so bumpy, and some cars have better ride quality than others. Look at the Ferrari, look at Charles’ head and my head. We have pretty bad ride, and our heads are bumping around quite a lot because the car is hitting the deck. It’s not because we generally are just pushing the car too low. I think firstly we need to just address the point that last year, our car was best when it was low, super low. So we were low and stiff. Our car works better at high ride heights now. So it’s not that we’re just pushing the car too low. It was just an unfortunate scenario. 0.05 [mm] failure on the rear skid, it’s not going to make the difference between winning and losing. So that error wasn’t the reason that we were as fast as were. So that’s why it’s just been painful for us. Because, you know, if we had changed our rear springs, for example, perhaps we would have had better ride. But anyways, we’re hopeful that the performance will continue this weekend. And yeah, just making sure that guys don’t overreact. I think we’ll be fine.”

Charles Leclerc: “It was a complete surprise. Because on Friday, when we could change the car, there was zero wear – it’s not like we were touching anywhere. Then you get to the race and obviously things had changed, but we were illegal. Rules are rules and they need to be respected whatever, so it’s no excuse to say that Friday we were fine. We need to look into it to try and better anticipate what’s going to be the wear on Sunday. There are so many more things. There’s also kerb riding, there’s different things, but kerb riding also is a thing. But at the end, yes, we should’ve anticipated better and we’ll look into it for the future. I was surprised because, again, also on the Saturday night, we could see more or less where we were touching and we thought there was still plenty of margin. Then we finished on Sunday and it was a big surprise, so we are still in the analysing part of where exactly did we wear the plank more than what we expected – because it wasn’t expected.”

Max Verstappen: “I don’t think anyone does it on purpose. It’s just even more because of this sprint format that you only have one practice session where you try to nail everything and once you are in the wrong, there’s nothing you can do. I think we should just get rid of the sprint weekend and then everyone can just set up their cars normally, because it wouldn’t have happened on a normal race weekend. These things only happen when you have a sprint weekend where everything is so rushed in between FP1 and qualifying and you think: ‘Hmm, we might be okay’. On our side, we were a bit too conservative but that is still better than the other way. The only thing you can do is pump up the tyre pressures, but then you’re driving around on balloon tyres. So it’s of course not what you want to see, I guess also for them, as a team.

“Of course we know that dropping the car, it gives you performance, but I think it’s also just because of that whole format that you put yourself in this position, because normally I don’t think anyone in a normal weekend would run like that. Then you only get the race result on Tuesday if you check every car. The problem is that it’s just impossible to check everything. But the thought process from every team is no one wants to be illegal, so no one sets up their car to be illegal. Then, of course, you have these random checks that get carried out and sometimes it’s the top four, sometimes it’s in the middle of the field, the back, that’s just how it goes, you can’t check every car for every single part of the car, otherwise we need 100 more people to do this kind of thing. I think when you check one car of the team and it’s illegal, then I think you should check the other one as well. That’s for me, the only thing. Because otherwise you DQ one, then the other one moves up one position where normally you always run quite similar set-ups.”

Nico Hulkenberg: “Or I might have been illegal myself! You never know. Obviously these cars are incredibly sensitive to the ride height. The lower you get, the more downforce you get, that’s the constant fight we have, and we need to find the right balance. I think Austin is a bit specific with the bumpiness and also with a lot of apex and exit kerbs where you can run them quite aggressively – but you do use the plank and wear down those shims a lot, so maybe there is something to be to be looked at in a different way. Yeah.

Pierre Gasly: “I think there’s a couple of things which we could do to improve what’s happened in Austin. I think starting with the Sprint weekend when we’ve got only the FP1 session on such a track. You’re doing 15 laps with quite a low amount of fuel in the car. So, to get a gauge of what you’re going to get for the next 70 laps, with two Qualifyings, a Sprint race, a complete Grand Prix of 59 laps, with a lot of fuel. You’re going pretty much blind after FP1 with very few informations on where to base yourself. So, I think it’s a tricky thing. Probably we can improve that process giving us more time to readjust if needed. I just remember my karting days, where you know, all top three cars were always checked. Whenever you finish on the podium, you should be checked every single time, and then on top of that, there could be random checks as well, running down the order. But yeah, I think it’s been always from the past, only in F1, where it’s not a standard to check all top three cars. But it was tricky, and I think the Sprint format made it even more even more tricky, considering we have a very short amount of time to set the car up.

Alexander Albon: “Same as Pierre and Nico. I don’t think there’s too much to add. I think, as Pierre touched on, what the teams have in terms of data and information to set the ride heights for the weekend is very marginal, there’s not even really enough time to fill the cars up in FP1, just to get a feel for where they need to be. But on the same side, I do think, maybe you don’t need to check every car, every race all the time. But, you know, if there’s one, one driver in one team illegal, there’s a very, very high chance that the other car, the teammate of that driver, is going to be illegal as well. So I don’t know how much it would take to check a couple more cars, but I don’t think that would be such an issue. But I don’t know, I’m not a scrutineer.”

Esteban Ocon: “Yeah, I’m rejoining these guys. I think it is an extremely difficult exercise. Just to be guessing, you know, what your ride height has to be. There is a risk and reward, obviously, in that, sort of, exercise – that if you get the car lower you get more performance, but you know, it’s at the risk of are you going to be illegal with your plank. Yeah, I mean, we’ve seen cars changing set-up throughout the weekends because of those things. And yeah, it is just too short in FP1 really to set your car up. So yeah, I’m sure it’s not the first time that there were cars illegal like that on such weekends or such a Sprint weekend. I think on normal format, it’s a lot less likely to happen. But yeah, I’m sure on the other races there was as well.”

Yuki Tsynoda: “Yeah, pretty much aligned to everyone. But we got a prize from the previous race. So, so far, I don’t have to change I think.”

George Russell: “I think it’s a very different layout here. Obviously, with the one session in Austin, we did all of the standard checks after FP1 and the plank looked absolutely fine. So there was no reason after the practice session to make any changes, but obviously we got that very wrong. I expect the nature of this circuit to be naturally more conservative and with the three practice sessions, I don’t foresee any issues there.”

Here’s more from Mercedes on the findings

Here’s Mercedes, Ferrari reacting to DQ

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada F1 drivers in a fix about post-race random checks and its handling ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

FIA shares Mexico GP track limits, DRS, circuit changes & more

Darshan Chokhani — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:51:21 +0000

The FIA has shared details for Mexico GP with regards to track limits, DRS zones, changes to circuit and more.

The white line remains as the track limits boundary as per the FIA Race Directors’ Note for F1 Mexico GP but like we saw in US GP, things can change if deemed so after Friday running. They have added a pointer for safe re-joining though.

It deals with Turn 11 run-off area. “Any driver whose car passes completely behind the red and white kerb at the apex of Turn 11 must re-join the track by keeping to the right of the first polystyrene block arrangement and then wholly to the left of the second polystyrene block parallel to the on the exit of the corner,” stated the FIA.

In terms of the DRS zones, the detection point for the first one is at 70m after Turn 9 while its activation is at 80m after Turn 11. The second and third’s detection zone is at the exit of Turn 15, while its activation zone is at 165m after Turn 17.

At the same time, the third’s activation zone is 115m after Turn 3. Moving on to the circuit changes, they are minimal since the last event. One is ‘removal of TecPro on LHS between Turn 4 and Turn 5’ and other is ‘removal of the combination kerb on LHS at Turn 4’.

As for the FIA stewards, the panel will be led by Garry Connelly, who will have support from Loic Bacquelaine, Danny Sullivan and Alfonso Orgos Trigueros. In other news, Ferrari informed about Carlos Sainz missing Thursday media day due to being unwell.

He will only join Ferrari trackside on Friday for the FP1 session. “Carlos won’t be at the track today as he’s feeling unwell. Nothing serious, so we expect him to be back tomorrow and ready to jump in the car,” a small statement stated.

Here’s the full FIA Race Directors’ note: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2023%20Mexico%20City%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Race%20Director’s%20Event%20Notes.pdf

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada FIA shares Mexico GP track limits, DRS, circuit changes & more ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Norris perplexed by Aston Martin going slower as Ferrari is target

Neil Farrell — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:07:13 +0000

Lando Norris reckons Aston Martin is going slower with their updates, as he says McLaren is on course to catch Ferrari in F1 2023.

Third place on Sunday became runners up spot for Norris in the wake of the disqualification of fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton. Since the British GP where he took second place also, he has in fact been the second best driver in the championship behind Max Verstappen.

Five second place finishes plus a third place at Qatar have seen not just Norris but McLaren as well as rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri’s stock rise massively. Currently now lying sixth in the title race, his target is Carlos Sainz who is just 12 points ahead.

Fernando Alonso is fourth with the gap of 24 points. McLaren, like Norris are definitely on the up and with four races remaining. The team went past Aston Martin for fourth in the US GP and now sit 80 points behind Ferrari with four races remaining.

Norris feels they managed to get Aston Martin because the team went slower and slower with their updates and now they can catch Ferrari knowing the pace McLaren is showing. “I just wish it had got bigger (the gap against Ferrari),” he started. “I don’t know what you want me to say to that! That’s I guess where we’re looking? It’s our target.

“I think we are in a good rhythm. It’s been clear that Aston… I don’t know, they seem to have managed to make the car slower and slower with every upgrade that they’ve bought… They have! I mean they were racing Aston in the beginning of the year and I don’t know where they finished”.

“But you know, they were out in Q1 and then they’ve been struggling, so I don’t know what their issues are. But you know, they were very strong, they had a lot of points in the first half of the season and in the second half they’ve been struggling, and for us it’s vice versa”.

“So I think the main thing is that when you look at where we were, how bad Bahrain was for us, how many seconds off pole we were, you know my six pit stops in the first race of the season, I lost my PU straight away… So there are things that sort of put us on the back foot from the beginning and when you look at where we are now, to be fighting against a Red Bull, which was an unrealistic target for almost anyone, and fighting against a Mercedes”.

“As much as we are disappointed that we can’t go for a race win, when you put it in perspective of where we were and how much we’ve improved, I think it’s still an amazing day for us,” summed up Norris.

As a team, they have really come back majorly strong in the second part of the campaign. As per above, a massive difference compared to Bahrain and having gone above Aston Martin as noted above in the constructors’ championship, it is a very long shot at Ferrari but stranger things have happened and if they keep up their current form, who knows what the remaining four Grands Prix could throw up.

Here’s Lando Norris on leading and duel with Lewis Hamilton

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Norris perplexed by Aston Martin going slower as Ferrari is target ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

F1 Academy champion Garcia secures FRECA seat for 2024

FormulaRapida.net — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 13:16:04 +0000

F1 Academy 2023 champion Marta Garcia has secured a fully funded drive with Prema in FRECA for 2024 season.

F1 Academy has today announced that the winner of its inaugural season, Marta Garcia, will receive a fully funded seat with PREMA Racing for the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA). F1 Academy, PREMA Racing, Tatuus and Pirelli will all provide a financial contribution towards the cost of the seat.

This announcement underlines F1 Academy’s commitment to prepare drivers for a higher level of competition and support their progress up the single seater ladder. Each season F1 Academy will work in close collaboration with the F1 Academy teams to support its winner in progressing up the motorsport ladder.

Launched in 2021, after the Formula Regional European Championship and Formula Renault Eurocup merged, FRECA has quickly become an established and respected proving ground for young drivers looking to develop the skills they need to progress from an F4 level series to the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

As part of a milestone agreement, FRECA will also grant its top teams a season-long fourth entry if they sign a driver who finishes P1, P2 or P3 in the F1 Academy standings. This amendment to FRECA’s sporting regulations reflects a shared ambition to support the progression of F1 Academy’s top drivers while promoting an overall increase in female participation in the Championship.

Change in F1 Academy Driver Contribution for 2024

In addition to supporting its inaugural winner in FRECA, F1 Academy will also reduce the driver contribution from €150,000 to €100,000 for the 2024 season. This reduction further demonstrates the series’ ambition to create a more accessible entry point to the single seater ladder for young women.

Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, said: “F1 Academy is all about progression and creating more opportunities for young women across motorsport, so to offer a fully funded seat in FRECA for our inaugural champion is a significant moment. The fact that she will also continue to race with PREMA, whom she has built a relationship with and are current team champions in this category, will also aid in her future development.

“I am proud of the progress we have made in our first season, and as we begin to build for our 2024 season where we will join the F1 calendar, this announcement, alongside the decision to further subsidise the 2024 F1 Academy driver contribution to €100,000, is a statement of our continued commitment to make motorsport more accessible and break down the barriers faced by female drivers.”

Rene Rosin, Team Principal at PREMA Racing, said: “We are really happy to continue working with Marta for 2024. We were really impressed by her approach and professionalism, and the progress she made throughout the year showed that she is ready to take the next chapter of her career. This step is also a great testament to the work done by F1 Academy in the development and promotion of young woman talent in motorsport.

“The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine is a challenging and competitive championship, but we think that Marta will be up to pace, and we will support her to get there as quickly as possible.”

Marta Garcia, F1 Academy 2023 Champion, and PREMA Racing driver: “I’m so thrilled and excited to be racing in FRECA next year. Coming from F1 Academy, it’s going to be a big step. We know we will have to work a lot with the team to succeed but I’m really determined to do well. I can’t thank F1 Academy enough. It is such a fantastic initiative, and it is the right way to do it, trying to take drivers with the best results to the top level. What an amazing opportunity, I’m looking forward to it and to the work that we have ahead, inside and outside the track.”

Bruno Famin, VP, Alpine Motorsports, said: “Since 2021, the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine has been an essential step in the Road to F1 ladder, enabling promising drivers to develop their skills and race craft. We are happy to welcome the F1 Academy winners within FRECA, creating another entry point for young talent and supporting them in their journey towards the top.”

Here’s 2024 calendar of F1 Academy

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada F1 Academy champion Garcia secures FRECA seat for 2024 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Opinion: F1 could borrow MotoGP’s weekend format to ‘spice up’

FormulaRapida.net — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:18:11 +0000

Other racing series has adopted bits and pieces from F1 in the years gone by but do they need to borrow some ideas from MotoGP?

Since a few years, F1 has tried to spice up the weekend and make it more attractive and exciting for the fans. Their latest gimmick is the sprint race weekend, where free practice and qualifying for the main Grand Prix on Sunday, is already done on Friday. For Saturday, F1 has chosen a stand-alone sprint race, with qualifying in the morning and a shortened race in the afternoon. Many fans are still not warming up to the sprint format and also a number of drivers aren’t really happy with it.

Since the idea isn’t measuring up to the expectations, F1 is now searching for another way to spice things up. Ideas like a reverse grid, a sim race with a prize or even a stand-alone sprint championship are on the table, but I’ve had an idea a long time ago, which never got considered (naturally).

Here’s my idea and it is almost the same as the (old) MotoGP format:

On Friday, FP1, as always, will be used for short runs to tweak the baseline set-up of the car BUT… lap times matter. For a full hour and a half, teams can set-up the car as they want but qualifying runs will be needed at some point as the fastest lap time will be taken into FP2. This way, a usually slower car can do a low-fuel run and set a Top 10 time, which makes it more exciting for the fans to watch. Also the weather conditions can play a part in it because, if it starts raining and the top teams haven’t set a fast time yet, it can make it more difficult for them in FP2.

During FP2, a one hour session, it’s all about fine-tuning the car for qualifying and the classification of FP1 will be used as a starting point for FP2. This means that teams and drivers need to be at their A-game as their position on the timing screen can drop if they don’t set a fast enough time. On the other hand, if a driver during FP1 had trouble with rain or set-up issues, they have a chance to make up places by setting a better lap time. Like in qualifying, a driver with an overall great time can feel safe, but if others do a better lap time on a rubbered track, that driver needs to go out again to improve his time.

This should be more fun and exciting for the fans to watch as well. At the end of the Friday sessions, we have a classification of 20 drivers and their combined times. The 10 fastest times, don’t have to start Qualifying 1 and are straight through to the second part of qualifying. The slowest 10 times will start Q1 on the Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, the morning starts with FP3 and other than FP1 and FP2, the lap times don’t matter. All drivers will get one hour to do their long-runs in order to prepare for the Grand Prix on Sunday. The reason to do the long runs on Saturday morning instead of Friday afternoon, is the fact that the track and air temperature will probably be slightly different to the temperature on the Sunday afternoon, which gives it a slight off-set of what to expect.

It results in a tiny bit of guess work, which makes it also a bit more exciting and unpredictable. The Saturday afternoon is the time for qualifying. Instead of the current Q1, Q2 and Q3, I’m thinking of a session in two parts. Q1 will last 25 minutes and has the 10 cars that had the slowest combined time on the Friday. Of those 10 cars, the fastest two will go through to Q2, which makes Q1 pretty exciting as the slowest car on Friday, can have an awesome Q1 session and is still able to go for a great qualifying result. After Q1 is finished, positions 13 to 20 are set for the Grand Prix on Sunday. Between Q1 and Q2 will be a 10 minute break, not only to get 13 to 20 back in the garage, but also to get the fastest 2 of Q1 ready for Q2.

Then Q2 will also last 25 minutes to give 12 cars the chance to have a few runs to set their fastest time. After Q2, the Top 12 is set and so is the (provisional) grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday. The reason to have two separate sessions for qualifying and have the sessions last 25 minutes is to eliminate the chance of impeding, which is a big issue at times. As for the tyres, I would stay with the allocated amount that the supplier delivered BUT, I would give the teams free choice on what to use in which session. If they run out new tyres by the time the race starts, that’s their own fault. They can use softs for the Q1 session or go with two sets of medium during FP2, it’s all up to the teams. I would like the tyre supplier to keep the fans updated with what the teams have used during the weekend and which sets are still available for the race.

This way the fans can also speculate on what could be possible. On Sunday afternoon, the race will be as always, same time, same length. Difference is, even though the grid might have been shuffled up a bit, the teams have no accurate data about long runs as they have been done in different temperature conditions. So there you have it. My idea on what an exciting weekend might look like. For teams, for drivers but especially, for the fans.

I’m old school and didn’t think there was anything wrong with the old format because, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But… if the way forward is to make a change in the weekend format, then why not make a change for the better to spice up the show, without adding gimmicks like the sprint race, where nobody really asked for.

The opinion has been written by MsportXtra

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Opinion: F1 could borrow MotoGP’s weekend format to ‘spice up’ ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Mercedes explains findings after analysis, adds on US GP strategy

Darshan Chokhani — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:51:46 +0000

Mercedes explains their findings from F1 US GP disqualification and how it came about, as it adds on handling the moment and strategy.

What looked like a promising weekend for Mercedes in F1 US GP with the updates they brought looking towards 2024, it ended up in a disqualification from second for Lewis Hamilton. Although, it helped George Russell gain places but they lost points too.

Hamilton is fighting for second in the standings against Sergio Perez, while Mercedes is defending second from Ferrari in the constructors’ side. The sprint weekend coupled with the bumpy nature of the Circuit of the Americas proved handful for certain cars.

While it is unknown how many cars would have failed the post-race plank test, the FIA found Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s cars to be below the required number from among the four cars they had randomly checked. It was just unfortunate situation.

In their analysis post-race, James Allison noted that post FP1 they checked the plank and it looked all fine and so they chose the set-up they used which eventually wasn’t good enough with the margin and they fell short by the end of the race.

It was disappointing for Mercedes but they had to endure it and in a couple of days they were fine. Allison also discussed the strategy aspect where they went long with Hamilton and Russell with a hope to try one stop but it was clear that it isn’t possible.

Situation with plank and how it came about –

Mercedes: “The skid blocks are basically little discs of metal that are put into the plank material. At the end of the race have to be a guaranteed thickness. They begin the race at 10mm thick and by the time you get to the end of the race they must be no less than 9 mm. You are allowed a certain amount of erosion of that skid block by touching the ground but no more than 1 mm, else if your car is inspected and found to be below that 9 mm then you will have been deemed to running your car too low and you’ll be disqualified. Indeed, that is what happened in our case. The weekend was a very cast-iron vote of confidence in favour of what we put on the car, and that gives us great hope for the races that remain. But, the disqualification had everything to do with the setup and the bumpiness of the track, amplified by the fact that it was a sprint weekend. Normally in a race weekend you have three untimed sessions; Free Practice 1, 2 and 3 in which you gradually hone the setup of the car, getting it ready for qualifying on the Saturday and the race on Sunday.

“In that period of practice you are trying to get the car as fast, reliable, and legal as you can, making sure that you are ticking all the boxes that enable the car to get through to the end of the weekend fast and good shape for when you go into parc fermé. At a sprint weekend, you are under much more pressure, you have just a solitary hour at the very front of the weekend. In Free Practice 1 you have to get the car ready for the next session, which is qualifying, the next session which is sprint shootout, the next session which is the sprint race and then the race itself. After that one hour you have cast your die. You have chosen your setup and you have then got to run the rest of the weekend with the bets you placed in that one hour of running. That means much less time to assess things than normal and much less time to make corrective action ahead of the remaining sessions later in the weekend.

“Austin is a track with a very bumpy surface and therefore you are a bit more vulnerable to bumping the car on the ground. We just simply didn’t take enough margin at the end of Free Practice 1. When we had done our setup we checked the plank and everything all looked fine, untouched after the FP1 running. But the results of the race speak for themselves. We were illegal, so clearly, we should have had our car set a little bit higher up to give ourselves a little bit more margin. It’s of course a mistake, it’s an understandable sort of mistake in a sprint weekend where it’s so much harder to get that stuff right, especially on a bumpy track. But a lesson for us in the future to make sure that we take more margin especially at a track like that with all its bumps.”

Strategy decision to keep Lewis Hamilton out –

Mercedes: We should have done. We should have pitted Lewis, we should have kept ahead and we would have given ourselves a better chance of the win had we done so. But it’s good to understand where we were coming from, and also understand a bit more of the strategists’ dilemma. When we discussed the race that morning, our thinking was roughly this: We knew that we had been pretty pacy during the sprint race the day before, but we also knew that Max just had the edge on us. Austin is the sort of track where generally speaking the track tends to deal out the cars in pace order by the time the chequered flag falls at the end of Sunday, so we didn’t actually think we were in the same race as Max. We thought he would find a way of coming through the field. That’s the first thing, just in the back of our heads as the laps were playing out in that first stint on Sunday.

“The second thing is that when we did our analysis of the circuit and the running of the weekend thus far we thought that it was most likely a two stop race. We thought it would most likely be a race where the tyre degradation was high enough that it would be a two stop race. However, we didn’t discount the possibility on race day that if the degradation and lap time we saw ,it might move us from a two-stop into a one-stop race. The first stint was good. We were able to overtake those two Ferraris, going at a pace that was on par with Max and, a little bit quicker than the McLaren in front of us. When Max came in for his stop, we knew .The would undercut us a few laps later. That wasn’t a surprise. But we were in that period of optimism, looking at the flat lap times Lewis was producing and thinking this might be on. We weren’t going to beat Max just by doing the same thing as him because we knew from the Sprint race that we knew he was quicker than us. We were seeing if we could make this one stop work then we could beat.That’s why we didn’t cover Max off.

“We left Lewis out there and waited to see what would happen, hoping to see , hoping that the flat lap time progression continue. A lap went by and we’d effectively been undercut and we were were crossing our to see whether the pace evolved as we hoped. Unfortunately,Unfortunately, within a very short period of time, we had lost the ability to protect against Max, and Lewis’ lap times , Lewis’started to turn south, and we experienced as we went through the same degradation as everybody else, turning us into a two stop already. We to cover him off because actually the raw pace of the car was good enough to compete on equal terms with him and if we had just done a two stopper against his two stopper it could have been a different race.”

Highs and lows post race –

Mercedes: “Of course the disqualification is a significant blow. It’s a miserable feeling. It hurts and everybody here feels it. Everybody is upset, embarrassed to a degree as well because we absolutely don’t like like being on the wrong side of the rules and just lamenting the lost points. Give it day or two and that will start to wane and be replaced by the much happier feeling, which is we moved our car forward this weekend and that’s hard to do. But we did it and we did it by a decent amount. And with four races left in the championship, four races where I am sure we will stay on the right side of the skid block rules. The initial feeling hurt, disappointment and frustration will pass to be replaced by the sunny optimism of knowing that the car looked bright on this upgrade package and we’ve got four more races to show what we can do with it.”

Here’s Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton on their duel

Here’s Mercedes, Ferrari reacting to DQ

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Mercedes explains findings after analysis, adds on US GP strategy ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Hadjar not under pressure ahead of FP1 drive with AlphaTauri

Darshan Chokhani — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:27:16 +0000

Isack Hadjar has been doing extra work in the simulator as he his gearing for his first FP1 run in F1 Mexico GP, with several others in action too.

With the sprint events and Pirelli tyre rule at two events, F1 teams had limited chances to run young drivers in FP1 session. Now at the fag end of the 2023 season, a lot of the teams are to run young drivers this weekend in Mexico GP.

One of them will be AlphaTauri’s Hadjar who will replace Yuki Tsunoda in FP1. The Frenchman is current racing in F2 as a Red Bull junior and has got a chance ahead of the likes of Ayumu Iwasa and Dennis Hauger with a F1 test chance in a competitive session.

Hadjar has been in the simulator not just preparing for the FP1 run but also filling up for Liam Lawson, who was subbing for Daniel Ricciardo to help them during the weekends. “I’m super excited to be driving in FP1, but at the same time, I’m a bit apprehensive, as I’ve never driven a Formula 1 car,” he said.

“To do so for the first time at an official practice session for a Grand Prix is quite something. The team has not set me any targets, so I don’t feel under any particular pressure, and I think I’m as well prepared as I can be. After Daniel was injured and Liam stepped in, I did a lot more work in the simulator to help the race drivers prepare, so I have a good understanding of how all the controls in the cockpit work.

“I’ve spent time in Faenza getting to know the team, and the engineer who will work with me in FP1 was also with me at the sim, so we know one another already. The altitude in Mexico means this is an unusual track to drive with less downforce than usual, but I can’t wait to get in the car and do my best for the team.

“Since I started karting as a young child, I have dreamed of being in Formula 1, and I want to thank Scuderia AlphaTauri and Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity,” summed up Hadjar, who could get another run with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi.

Hadjar won’t be the only FP1 driver with Alfa Romeo confirming Theo Pourchaire as well in place of Valtteri Bottas. The likes of Frederik Vesti, Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan were already confirmed to take part by Mercedes, Haas and Alpine respectively.

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Hadjar not under pressure ahead of FP1 drive with AlphaTauri ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Colapinto gets Abu Dhabi F2 drive ahead of full 2024 season

FormulaRapida.net — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 14:34:38 +0000

Williams junior Franco Colapinto will make his F2 debut in Abu Dhabi with MP Motorsport replacing Jehan Daruvala ahead of full 2024 season.

Argentinian racer Franco Colapinto will remain with MP Motorsport as he moves up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship for 2024. This year, the tight bond between the Williams Racing Driver Academy member and the Dutch team resulted in a strong run to fourth place in the FIA F3 series. Preceding his 2024 debut, Colapinto will get his first taste of F2 in the final 2023 round in Abu Dhabi.Colapinto has been an MP driver for much of his single-seater career, and by staying with the team, the Argentinian aims to build on a relationship that led to two wins and five podiums in this year’s hotly contested FIA Formula 3 Championship. As part of his preparation, Colapinto will join MP’s F2 squad in Abu Dhabi, where he will take part in the three-day post-season test on the Yas Marina circuit. Before that, he will have his first race experience in F2 by taking part in the final round of this year’s championship already.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be moving up to Formula 2 with MP”, said Colapinto. “MP are proven race winners in the category, and staying with them feels absolutely right. It’s a familiar atmosphere for me, and it will be to our advantage that we know each other so well as I enter my debut season in the category. I very much look forward to the fresh challenge of a new series, with a brand new car to help develop. I can’t wait to get in the car in Abu Dhabi and then work with the team to be ready for a long and challenging 2024 season.”

“It’s great news that we are able to announce Franco’s promotion to our F2 team so early”, said MP’s team principal, Sander Dorsman. “This will give us a headstart in our preparations for an exciting 2024 F2 season in which we all start from zero, with the new F2 car offering everyone a new baseline to work from. Retaining Franco helps us to maintain stability in that transition, apart from the fact that he’s become a member of the MP family and is an extremely quick and talented driver.”

In his first full season in single-seaters in 2019, Colapinto stormed to the Spanish Formula 4 title right off the bat, an accomplishment leading to the Argentinian teaming up with MP for the first time. As a rookie, he went on to grab third place in the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup, taking two wins and nine podiums in the process. Staying with MP for his first season in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2021, two more wins, four podiums and three poles resulted in sixth in the final standings, before Colapinto embarked on his first season of FIA Formula 3, claiming two wins on his way to ninth. The Argentinian then rejoined MP once more for a highly successful second season of F3.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Colapinto gets Abu Dhabi F2 drive ahead of full 2024 season ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Rins will have another surgery as he is ruled out of Thai GP

FormulaRapida.net — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:06:10 +0000

Alex Rins will have another surgery after pain suffered in Australian GP as he will miss this weekend’s MotoGP Thai GP.

LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Rins will not participate in the upcoming OR Grand Prix of Thailand, and is set for surgery having once again encountered injury struggles. A recent round of testing in Madrid uncovered a small hernia near his healing fibula area, causing increased discomfort in his leg.

Having broken his leg in Mugello, the Spaniard returned to action in Japan but only partook in Friday’s runs. He made a full GP return in Indonesia, claiming P9 in the race before pain in his leg forced him out of Australia and it has now ruled him out of Buriram, with another surgery scheduled on Thursday to address the problem.

Despite more setbacks, Rins took to social media to state he is happy with positive progress made: “Happy after our doctor’s appointment today The injury keeps a positive evolution. We’ve identified the cause of the pain and we’ll undergo a small surgery to ease it. We won’t be at the Thai GP but we keep working towards a full recovery.”

LCR have also announced that they won’t be replacing the #42 this weekend, due to the short turnaround between the Australian and Thai Grands Prix.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Rins will have another surgery as he is ruled out of Thai GP ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

FIA releases entry list for 2023 Macau GP as several stars return

FormulaRapida.net — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 09:41:57 +0000

The FIA has released the entry list for the 2023 Macau GP event as several stars return for the F3 and GT races which will take place alongside F4.

F3:

The majority of the 27 drivers set to contest the FIA Formula 3 World Cup – and write their names in Macau Grand Prix history – have been revealed. Representing 20 countries and possessing talent and potential in abundance, the drivers will aim to follow in the wheel tracks of a host of motor sport greats who used the legendary street race as a platform to progress up the ranks.

They include Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Takuma Sato, Felix Rosenqvist and António Félix da Costa. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson, Logan Sargeant and Yuki Tsunoda, who have all raced in the FIA Formula One World Championship this season, took part in the last FIA Formula 3 World Cup to be held in 2019.

Nine teams have entered the 2023 FIA Formula 3 World Cup, which co-headlines the 70th Macau Grand Prix event along with the FIA GT World Cup. They will each field three drivers in identical Mecachrome-powered Dallara cars equipped with tyres from official supplier Pirelli. The star-studded list of drivers includes Richard Verschoor, the winner of the 2019 FIA Formula 3 World Cup, and Dan Ticktum, who triumphed in Macau in 2017 and 2018.

Paul Aron, third in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, and Gabriele Mini, who showed his street-racing prowess by winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship Monaco Feature Race earlier this season, are also entered. Other standout names include Red Bull Junior Team drivers Zane Maloney, an FIA Formula 2 podium finisher this season, and Iasck Hadjar, who won the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race at Circuit Zandvoort in August.

Of the drivers confirmed so far, only Ticktum, Verschoor and Sophia Floersch have raced in the FIA Formula 3 World Cup at Macau, which points to a wide-open battle for victory when the event takes place from November 16-19. Trident Motorsport, which guided Gabriele Bortoleto to the FIA Formula 3 title this season, can count on Czech Roman Staněk, who, like Dutch team-mate Richard Verschoor, steps back from FIA Formula 2 for what will be his first Macau appearance. American Ugo Ugochukwu, a McLaren Driver Development programme member and a former European karting champion, will also fly the Trident flag.

Jenzer Motorsport hands FIA Formula 3 World Cup debuts to New York-born ex-sim racer Maxwell Esterson, Austrian teenager Charlie Wurz, son of ex-Formula One driver Alex, and Peruvian Matias Zagazeta, a regular in FIA Formula Regional events. Estonian Paul Aron, Swede Dino Beganovic and Italian Gabriele Mini form Prema Racing’s challenge, with the three-time FIA Formula 3 World Cup-winning team bringing the famous Theodore name back to the event under the SJM Theodore Prema Racing banner.

Hitech Pulse-Eight can count on its FIA Formula 3 Championship driver Luke Browning and its French FIA Formula 2 racer Isack Hadjar for Macau success. The team’s third driver will be revealed in due course. Having placed fifth in the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship standings, Spain’s Josep María Martí continues his alliance with Campos Racing. Sebastien Montoya, whose father Juan Pablo raced at Macau on his path to the FIA Formula One World Championship, joins Campos for his first Macau start, along with Danish driver Oliver Goethe, eighth in this year’s FIA Formula 3 standings.

Mexican Noel León, the Euroformula Open champion of 2023, will make his FIA Formula 3 World Cup debut with Van Amersfoort Racing, which also features Germany’s Sophia Floersch and Australian Tommy Smith in its ranks. ART Grand Prix’s Macau challenge features Grégoire Saucy, Switzerland’s FIA Formula Regional European Championship winner from 2021, and Australian Christian Mansell, who brings experience from a season in FIA Formula 3 to Macau. Bulgarian 16-year-old Nikola Tsolov completes the ART line-up.

Rodin Carlin, which claimed its first of three FIA Formula 3 World Cup victories with Takuma Sato in 2001, has entered Barbadian Zane Moloney, plus double Macau winner Dan Ticktum from Great Britain. The team’s third driver is to be announced. MP Motorsport, which is bidding for a second FIA Formula 3 World Cup victory in succession, has so far entered its Argentine FIA Formula 3 Championship star Franco Colapinto, who finished fourth in the final table in 2023, plus Mari Boya. The Spaniard raced for the Dutch squad in FIA Formula 3 this season, while an additional driver will be added to the MP Motorsport line-up.

The FIA Formula 3 World Cup is returning to Macau after a break of four years through the joint efforts of the FIA, Macau’s FIA member club, Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC), and the Macau Grand Prix Organising Committee. Using the iconic 6.120-kilometre Guia Circuit, the event features two Free Practice sessions, two Qualifying sessions, a 10-lap Qualification Race, plus the 15-lap finale, which awards the prestigious FIA Formula 3 World Cup title.

Here’s full entry list: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2023_fia_f3_world_cup_-_official_entry_list.pdf

Here’s F4 entry list:

GT:

This year marks the return of FIA racing to the streets of Macau for the first time since 2019 and, therefore, the first edition of the FIA GT World Cup in four years. All five winners of the event held between 2015 and 2019 are due to battle for their second FIA GT World Cup glory, along with a star-studded line-up of some of the world’s best closed-roof specialists, each seeking to triumph on the 6.120-kilometre circuit.

This year’s edition of the FIA GT World Cup will host a grid of 21 cars, with machinery from five different manufacturers and a total of 12 Platinum-ranked drivers, making it arguably the strongest field since the event first ran in 2015. Headlining the entry list and Mercedes-Benz’s fleet of AMG GT3s is the most recent FIA GT World Cup winner, Raffaele Marciello. The 28-year-old is one of the most decorated and formidable GT3 racers of his era, who – in addition to his 2019 Macau triumph – won two GT World Challenge Europe crowns, as well as Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup and ADAC GT Masters titles.

On top of this, prior to making GT racing the focus of his career, Marciello also clinched the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2013. Seeking his second triumph on the streets of Macau, and first with a roof over his head, will be Mercedes’ GT regular, and 2011 Formula 3 winner, Daniel Juncadella. Another vastly experienced racer from Mercedes’ stable who should be in the mix is the winner of the inaugural FIA GT World Cup, Maro Engel, whose relationship with the three-pointed star dates back to his Formula 3 stint in the mid-2000s and includes spells in some of the world’s most competitive closed-roof series such as DTM and Australia’s Supercars Championship.

Jules Gounon will be making his Macau debut, but the Andorra-based Frenchman is a force to be reckoned with behind the wheel of a GT car. His resume includes a hat-trick of Bathurst 12 Hours victories, an ADAC GT Masters title as well as two GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup titles in a row. Seeking its revenge in Macau is BMW, with a pair of M3 GT3s. One car will be operated by Rowe Racing and the other by Team WRT. Both BMW and WRT have been victorious in Macau in the past, but on different occasions.

BMW won in 2018 with Augusto Farfus, while Team WRT triumphed in the memorable 2016 edition but running an Audi and with current Porsche racer Laurens Vanhtoor behind the wheel. The Brazilian was triumphant in the 2018 FIA GT World Cup, taking a win for BMW in a Schnitzer Motorsport-operated M6 GT3. The 2022 DTM champion Sheldon van der Linde will be making his Macau debut driving the Team WRT entry.

Audi’s hopes of winning its second FIA GT World Cup will rest on start driver Eduardo Mortara. The 36-year-old is considered a Macau specialist, having won at the Guia Circuit an impressive seven times, taking back-to-back victories in Formula 3 in 2009 and ’10, and winning the 2017 FIA GT World Cup for Mercedes. He also scored a hat-trick of GT Cup victories from 2011 to 2013 for Audi, before the event earned FIA World Cup status, and won in the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup support race. Now back with Audi, the Swiss racer will be seeking yet another Macau triumph.

Porsche is set to challenge for its maiden FIA GT World Cup victory with a fleet of seven cars. The manufacturer’s challenge will be headlined by a pair of its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class star drivers, 2016 FIA GT World Cup winner Laurens Vanthoor, as well as FIA WEC LMGTE Pro champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Kévin Estre.

Another WEC Hypercar regular, although representing Cadillac in the series, who is set to drive a Porsche in Macau is Earl Bamber. The two-time Le Mans winner will be making his fifth FIA GT World Cup appearance for Porsche, on this occasion driving a car operated by his eponymous Earl Bamber Motorsport outfit, although entered under a D2 Racing Team banner. The New Zealander came third in 2019 but has tasted Macau victory having won a Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race back in 2013, passing rally legend Sébastien Loeb on his way to win.

Porsche’s line-up will be completed by FIA WEC regular and Nürburgring 24 Hours winner Matteo Cairoli as well as Gold-ranked drivers Thomas Preining (this year’s DTM champion, 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany title winner) and Alessio Picariello (European Le Mans Series GTE class title winner and FIA WEC regular), with the latter of the two making his second FIA GT World Cup outing, having competed in a Mercedes in 2019.

Ferrari will challenge for victory with its new 296 GT3, aiming for the first FIA GT World Cup triumph for a non-German manufacturer. The prancing horse’s effort will be led by its stalwart factory driver and two-time Le Mans class winner Daniel Serra, whose career highlights also include a hat-trick of titles in his domestic, but very competitive, Stock Car Brasil series.

The FIA GT World Cup takes place from November 16-19 with two 30-minute practice sessions followed by a single qualifying session of the same duration. Racing action will be held across two heats, with a 12-lap qualifying race followed by a 16-lap title-deciding main race.

Here’s the entry list: https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2023_fia_gt_world_cup_-_official_entry_list.pdf

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada FIA releases entry list for 2023 Macau GP as several stars return ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Leclerc took painkillers in US GP as Vasseur explains strategy call

Darshan Chokhani — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 21:16:22 +0000

Charles Leclerc gone through painkillers and endured a wrong strategy in F1 US GP to disqualification despite pole finish.

It started off well for Ferrari’s Leclerc in F1 US GP after securing pole for Sunday’s main race. It was unexpected result but the sprint already showed the troubles they could face in terms of degradation even though he finished third in the order.

There was optimism but not a strong one. As it turned out, a bit of yes and no led Ferrari firming on a one-stop strategy which didn’t work for Leclerc and he eventually dropped to finish sixth after starting from pole but it was all in vain eventually.

Post-race, Leclerc was disqualified for a technical breach. The weekend which started on a bright not with a pole ended up in disqualification. Post-race, he also revealed about using painkillers after infection in his wisdom tooth which he got at the start of the weekend.

The strategy was the main killer for Leclerc as everyone around him eventually went for a two-stop. The numbers that Ferrari predicted in their briefing wasn’t the numbers that eventually happened on the track. “Straight away from the beginning of the race we thought that the one-stop and the two-stop were extremely close together,” he said.

“After 12, 13 laps I saw the numbers on the dash and they were pretty good for the one-stop, at least in terms of degradation. I wasn’t losing that much time lap after lap. Considering our numbers, this was the right thing to do so I went for the one-stop and unfortunately this was definitely the wrong thing to do.

“For some reason there was something wrong in our numbers today because we were far off the ideal race strategy. In terms of team orders, I actually understood the choice ten seconds later when they reopened the radio and told me that Checo was behind coming back a little bit on Carlos.

“Then I understood that obviously we couldn’t afford to fight between cars. So I completely understand the reason at the end as soon as they told me I got it, and then I just get on with my race. But it was overall difficult as well, I had a tooth infection, which I think is the wisdom tooth.

“So, I was quite a lot in pain on Thursday, Friday then it calmed down and Sunday was okay. I’ve been on really big painkillers since Thursday. For some reason now it’s actually quite fine because I took the painkillers before the race. I’ve had times that were more intense, but nothing that affected me inside the car,” summed up Leclerc.

Team boss Frederic Vasseur conceded that the one stop strategy was eventually wrong for Leclerc. They expected others will undertake one stop as well but as noted above, no one around him did it eventually. “Clearly we have mixed feelings,” he said. “Because on one side of the garage with Carlos, we did pretty well.

“With Charles, who was 10 seconds in front of Carlos after 12 laps, we committed for one stop, and it was not the good choice, it’s obvious. Probably the issue is that we didn’t have a clear picture about this before the race, we were a bit hesitating, and he was a bit hesitating into the first stint, pushing or not pushing. And we made a mistake.

“It was not very clear before the race, as you can imagine. We had the two options. In terms of numbers, it was very, very close. I think where we made the mistake is that we anticipated that the field will be 50-50. And it was not at all. I think that Hamilton was not far away to do one stop, Russell, I think he went for one stop clearly.

“But as he was the last of the group, it’s much easier to change if you are last and you are in the same strategy as the others. It’s better to change and to take risks. It’s not just a matter of tenths of seconds on the tyres, it’s a matter of what the others are doing also. Because what was even more difficult with Charles was that everybody committed for the two stops.

“It means that you have much more traffic around you, because it’s not that everybody’s doing the same race as you, and you have a clean race, as you are not in the sequence, the guys are overtaking you one or two times. And each time that someone is overtaking you, you are losing two seconds. It means that when you have these two times, four guys, you are losing eight times 1.5 seconds, it’s 12 seconds for the traffic, and the picture of what users are doing.

“But it’s a mistake. I think the main issue was that we were a bit in-between. We moved quickly on the two stops with Carlos, because in the fight with Max , I think he had a bit of deg, and we decided to commit quite early on the two stops. Charles, it was less obvious,” summed up Vasseur.

In fact, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly revealed a moment he had with Leclerc ahead of the race when they were discussing strategy and the Monegasque stated of one stop, to which the Frenchman gave a surprise look and a clear no about even trying it.

“No there wasn’t,” he laughed. “The first time it came up was when Charles came up to me on the grid and said ‘Are you also going for a one-stop?’ and I was like ‘There is no f**king way I’m going for a one-stop!’ and he was like ‘OK!’

“We looked at each other and I was a bit confused by what he was saying but I think we did the best strategy we could and, from his face after, I don’t think he liked that one-stop strategy much,” summed up Gasly, who ended up sixth.

Here’s Mercedes, Ferrari on US GP DQ

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Leclerc took painkillers in US GP as Vasseur explains strategy call ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Norris enjoyed Hamilton duel in US GP as he adds on leading

Darshan Chokhani — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 15:37:48 +0000

Lando Norris reflect on his mini duel with Lewis Hamilton in F1 US GP, as he expands on his opening stint leading the grand prix.

After he lost the lead in F1 US GP, McLaren’s Norris had a mini duel against Mercedes’ Hamilton when he got on his tail in the fight for second. The Mercedes driver didn’t have it that easy but eventually got through him at Turn 1 after a slight move.

Norris tried to cover the inside line but went a bit wide and that allowed Hamilton to get through into the lead. “I enjoyed my battle with everyone. I mean, I had the two Ferraris I had to get by and had a little battle with those two,” said the Mercedes driver.

“And then, yeah, the battle with Lando… He came across at quite an angle. And so, then I had dodge to the right side and then cut back. It was pretty cool. I enjoyed it.” His words were concurred by Norris too who always has fun when battling Hamilton.

“I think it was quite an easy one for him, to be honest,” said Norris. “I mean, it’s always good fun. You know, I felt like I was always in the vulnerable position, the one defending, and just clearly didn’t have the pace at the end of any of the stints. Tyre degradation was just not on par with these two guys.

“And I think both Red Bull and Mercedes, always, not just this weekend pace set the standard of tyre degradation and race pace, and that’s probably our biggest weakness at this current point in time. So it was good fun,” summed up Norris.

Before losing out to Hamilton, Norris made a good start against Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to lead F1 US GP for several laps. While a win was a distant thing but the Brit still had his moments. He was undone by degradation which affected his run.

“The battles, controlling the race at the beginning, my start was very good, you know, to get into the lead – that was, let’s say, a podium maker,” said Norris. “I think without that it would have made my race a lot more tough. So a lot of things were great. The pit stops were amazing, again, by the team. So a lot of things were great.

“And that was a good day for us. I think it’s much easier to lead. It’s not often I get to do it, but it’s easier to kind of just control the tyres and look after them and things like that. It comes with the challenge of dictating the pace a little bit and not over-pushing, not under-pushing, but I think it was clear how much quicker Lewis was already, you know.

“As soon as he got past the guys behind. There was a couple of laps where he probably just got the battery back up and things like that and then as soon as he pushed on he was quite a bit quicker. So I think, you know, all weekend, I think we get close in qualifying. I think in qualifying the new tyres mask a lot of our issues.

“But, if you look at the overlays and the GPS of how much time we lose in slow-speed corners, I’m surprised to still be able to race them on a day, so I’m very happy. And yeah, I know I wish for a little bit more when you lead so much of the race, but I didn’t think we could have done much more,” summed up Norris.

Here’s Mercedes, Ferrari reacting to DQ

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Norris enjoyed Hamilton duel in US GP as he adds on leading ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Formula E ends Day 1 early in Valencia after fire incident

FormulaRapida.net — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:43:57 +0000

Mitch Evans ended first day on top in 2023/24 pre-season test at Valencia, as Formula E had to cut short running due to fire.

Test Session 1 –

The 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off in earnest with the opening session of the Valencia test from Circuit Ricardo Tormo, as Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans fired to the top of the times. Mitch Evans flew out of the gates in the opening session of the Valencia test with the fastest time of the morning’s running on a 1m24.474s as the chequered flag approached.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver headed TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa, with the Season 6 champion winding up 0.143s back ahead of third-fastest Sebastien Buemi in the Teams’ title-winning Envision Racing car.

Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing), Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche), Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) and rookie tester Taylor Barnard in the NEOM McLaren rounded out the top seven on the timesheet, all within last year’s fastest time from testing set by Guenther; a 1m25.127s – such has been the pace of development in 10 months since GEN3’s debut outing. We also caught a first glimpse of fast charging in the flesh, with each team trialling the technology for the first time proper in a live Formula E pit-lane.

Early running

Porsche had hit the ground running early on, with Pascal Wehrlein setting a 1m26.167s and da Costa following just a couple of tenths of a second back. The team looked strong throughout GEN3’s inaugural campaign and showed dominant pace through the opening throes. Team Principal Florian Modlinger says that qualifying and one-lap performance has been an off-season focus given their relative struggles in that department as Season 9 wore on.

Rookie Barnard set the timesheets alight to go top at around the half-way stage of the opening session, driving Sam Bird’s NEOM McLaren. The rookie steered to a 1m24.929s, which was well within Maximilian Guenther’s fastest time from the Valencia test last season (a 1m25.127s).

With just under an hour’s running left, Robert Shwartzman at DS PENSKE wound up off-track in Sector 3 required the use of the jib and a precautionary outing from the medical car. The final flurry of times saw Evans the cream rising to the top.

Formula E ends day early due to fire –

Following the incident earlier today, the FIA have advised Formula E and all teams that on-track activities have been cancelled for the rest of the day. This will allow for the area to return to safe working conditions. Further updates will be shared in due course.

UPDATE: Formula E shared an update regarding the person who was taken to hospital, as they have cancelled running on Day 2 with testing action to resume on Thursday once confirmed.

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Formula E ends Day 1 early in Valencia after fire incident ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Fittipaldi joins RLLR for full-time IndyCar season in 2024

FormulaRapida.net — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 10:57:41 +0000

Haas F1 reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi has joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in full-time capacity for the 2024 IndyCar season.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that current Haas F1 Team reserve and test driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, who is also a multiple open-wheel champion and race-winning world endurance championship driver, will drive the No. 30 entry for his first full season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in 2024. Fittipaldi, the Brazilian-American grandson of 1989 INDYCAR champion and two-time Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, returns to the series after having made 9 starts in 2018 and 2021 for Dale Coyne Racing. Details on the sponsorship for the entry will be announced at a later date.

Fittipaldi, 27, made six starts in the INDYCAR SERIES in 2018 — three on oval tracks and three on road courses — with his best start being 10th in Phoenix and best finish of 9th coming at Portland. He had planned to compete in more races, but his program was curtailed midseason after breaking both legs in an accident in the World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in May of that year. In 2021, he split the season in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware entry with Romain Grosjean, running three of the four oval races. His best qualifying effort came in his Indianapolis 500 debut of 13th place, which earned him the “Fastest Rookie Award” and his best finish was 15th in Race 2 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opens Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the 20th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. North America’s premier open-wheel series will crisscross the United States, including a stop for the 108th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, before culminating in Nashville for the championship finale Sunday, Sept. 15. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service or USA Network. For more information about the series or team, visit www.indycar.com and www.rahal.com.

PIETRO FITTIPALDI, driver of the No. 30 Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It’s an honor to join a team of the caliber of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. With the experience I’ve gained over the last few years in F1 and other racing series, I am looking forward to the challenge of racing in INDYCAR, one of the most competitive and versatile racing series in the world. I want to thank Mr. Rahal, Mr. Lanigan, and Mr. Letterman for the opportunity and their trust and confidence in me. I can’t wait to get started.”

BOBBY RAHAL, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to have Pietro join RLL as the driver of the No. 30 car. He has had previous experience in INDYCAR in doing partial seasons with Dale Coyne Racing and impressively qualifying 13th at Indianapolis in 2021. I got to meet him then and since that time he has worked hard to become the reserve driver for Haas F1’s team. And from our discussions, I have been impressed with the maturity and experience that he will now bring to our program. I look forward to seeing what he can do over a full season of INDYCAR competition in 2024.”

MIKE LANIGAN, Co-Owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are proud and excited to welcome Pietro to our team. The Fittipaldi family name has always been associated with winning and competitiveness in our sport. The legacy lives on with Pietro and we welcome the challenges in keeping the tradition alive.”

[Note: The story is as per press release]

L'entrada Fittipaldi joins RLLR for full-time IndyCar season in 2024 ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Alpine adds F2 racer Maini in its F1 driver academy

Darshan Chokhani — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:11:50 +0000

F2 racer Kush Maini is the latest addition in the Alpine Academy in F1 after the Indian came under the guidance of Mika Hakkinen.

Having recently come under the guidance and mentorship of Hakkinen, F2 racer Maini has made another move towards the F1 goal by joining the Alpine driver academy for the rest of the 2023 season and continue on in 2024 as well.

He will get to use the facilities at Alpine to better prepare for his F2 campaign where he likely to continue on in 2024 as well. He is in his rookie season with Campos Racing and sits just outside the Top 10 after promising performances throughout the season.

He has had some unlucky moments in recent races which has dropped him outside of the Top 10. While his elder brother Arjun had joined the Haas F1 programme, the younger one has taken up the opportunity to join the Alpine programme.

The French outfit recently handed Jack Doohan a FP1 chance in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, while F2 front-runner Victor Martins is on the edge of getting a F1 test too. “I am super excited to be joining the Alpine Academy. It’s a dream come true to be associated with a team like BWT Alpine F1 Team, where I can learn and grow to hopefully one day be ready to take the step into Formula 1,” said Maini.

“A massive thank you to Alpine for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.” At the same time, Alpine’s Julian Rouse added: “We are happy to welcome Kush into the Alpine Academy. He is a young talent who we believe has strong potential and will be a great asset to our driver development programme.

“The Alpine Academy will enter its ninth year in 2024 and currently features nine drivers of eight nationalities, spanning four different series from FIA Formula 2 through to European Karting. The continual expansion of the Academy’s talent pool runs in parallel to the expansion of our facilities at Enstone with the development of our new state-of-the-art training and testing facilities, the AHPC, underway.”

Here’s news on Kush Maini being mentored by Mika Hakkinen

Here’s Jack Doohan with FP1 chance with Alpine

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Alpine adds F2 racer Maini in its F1 driver academy ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Verstappen expands on managing brake issues in US GP

Darshan Chokhani — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 23:33:17 +0000

Max Verstappen explains the brakes issues he faced in F1 US GP and managing it while adds on the hard tyre situation.

It was a rare uneasy F1 US GP for Red Bull’s Verstappen. Having had a dominant run in the sprint, the Dutchman had to start from sixth on Sunday in the main race. He made a steady start which wasn’t as quick as he usually does to clear the cars ahead.

But eventually he got through them one by one and got on the tail of McLaren’s Lando Norris. He passed him and kept the lead even after his pit stop. But it wasn’t an easy going for Verstappen who had brake problems from early in the grand prix.

It was hurting him where he had to manage it and the hard compound in the last stint didn’t help either. “I mean, we had a good start, and then the first stint, I tried to be patient but, at the same time, following for so long did hurt my tyres a little bit,” said Verstappen. “But at the same time, I was struggling a lot with the brakes, compared to.

“So, I couldn’t really be that nice on them, and the tyres under braking, and just being very inconsistent. And that basically carried on for the rest of the race, where, compared to yesterday, that was quite a big factor because I never really had a lot of confidence to be consistent under braking.

“Nevertheless, I think as a team we did the right strategy, we pitted at the right time and basically, because of that, I could work my way forward. So, yeah, I think we did everything correct – but I was hoping for a little bit more pace – because in the sprint I think we were a lot more competitive,” summed up Verstappen.

Red Bull and even Verstappen noted that they had changed the brakes from sprint to the main race. It is unclear why he was facing such issues which he had to manage. “Just Lap One,” he stated. “And that was the only thing that we changed from sprint. That made it very difficult. I couldn’t get on top of it. It’s very rare that I have it in F1 – but it did come up, and just made it a bit more difficult.

“I just couldn’t feel the brakes. I very easily locked the fronts and I tried to adjust it and I was locking the rears. And this is something very weird, because normally, I never really have issues with braking. So this is just something that we need to understand, why that was. Because, you know, when you have locking fronts or rears, you’re killing also your tyres.

“So that definitely didn’t help, compared to sprint, because I think yesterday, the feeling I had with the car was really amazing. And today, it was not that great. But nevertheless, you know, we still won the race. So that’s the most important [thing]. And the talking under braking?

“When you’re struggling already under braking and you don’t feel that confident, I politely asked not to be spoken to. You’re laughing but I said please when I asked,” summed up Verstappen, who noted that he wasn’t that worried about losing the race even though the hard compound wasn’t working as the way to his liking.

“Once I was in the lead, I think the gap was OK – but with a few laps to go, there was some backmarkers, and my tyres were not feeling that great,” said Verstappen. “The Hard tyre was not very good today, but I think the gap was just big enough and not too many laps left.”

Here’s how F1 US GP panned out

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Verstappen expands on managing brake issues in US GP ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Sargeant chuffed with first point after challenging US GP weekend

Darshan Chokhani — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:10:10 +0000

Logan Sargeant is chuffed to secure first point in challenging F1 US GP weekend, as Williams ended up with double.

The F1 US GP weekend didn’t started off well for Williams’ Sargeant as track limits and lack of pace plagued his run on Friday and even on Sunday. With the American racing for his future, any positive result against Alexander Albon is good for him.

The Sunday race turned out to be a good one eventually. Sargeant looked on pace all-through and wasn’t too far behind teammate Albon. The American managed to make some moves and positioned himself well in 12th to eventually gain from other’s misery.

The disqualification for both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ended up earning him his first F1 point in 10th. He became the first American driver to score since Michael Andretti after 30 years. The result comes at a time when he needs a confidence boost.

“It’s amazing to score my first point in F1 on home turf after the challenging weekend I’ve had,” said Sargeant. “I’m so proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we’ve been making this season. We worked hard overnight to find a direction with the car that was going to be positive, and we found that.

“We couldn’t change a lot as the car was under Parc Ferme, but we worked on the systems side using the tools on my steering wheel to help move the car in the right direction. The pace was so much better, and I was driving really well. I had a great start but was unfortunate to catch the sausage kerb in Turn 1 and went into anti-stall which cost me a couple of positions.

“That changed the race a little bit, but we fought back, and I gave it my all every lap. We made steps in the right direction that we can build on and move forward as we head to Mexico,” summed up Sargeant, as he was part of Williams’ double points with Albon in ninth. It is their first this year and first since 2021 Hungarian GP.

“I’m very happy for the team and especially Logan for scoring points,” said Albon who ended up ninth despite the time penalty. “We had our luck, but we were there to take it! My race felt a little compromised without any new Mediums, as we used them all yesterday in the Sprint. We also struggled with the Hards, forcing us to run our used Mediums.

“Nonetheless, to walk away with points is great for the team as we close out the remainder of the season,” summed up Albon. There was natural happiness for Williams too as they did not expect to score points, let own double, at the Circuit of the Americas.

“After Leclerc and Hamilton’s post-race disqualifications, we come away from Austin with double points for the team for the first time since the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix,” said Dave Robson. “It’s also Logan’s first point in Formula 1 and he becomes the first American to score a point since Michael Andretti at the 1993 Italian Grand Prix.

“It has been another busy sprint weekend and today went well for both drivers. Conditions were a little different with changes to the wind and track temperature for today but overall, the car still behaved well and both drivers were able to push close to the points. All sprint races are difficult for rookie drivers and this very technical track is one of the worst.

“Logan struggled on Friday but with more laps, he improved rapidly and put in a very strong performance today. We didn’t expect COTA to be a good circuit for us so to come away with double points today represents a good effort from the whole team. Although Alpha Tauri were strong and scored some points, we still head to Mexico in a good Championship position.”

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s how F1 US GP panned out

Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact

L'entrada Sargeant chuffed with first point after challenging US GP weekend ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.

Mercedes, Ferrari react to unfortunate US GP disqualification

Darshan Chokhani — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 11:54:11 +0000

Mercedes and Ferrari were left disappointed after an unfortunate disqualification from F1 US GP for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

It was bittersweet at the Mercedes camp and a mood swing from joy to pain within hours. At the end of the F1 US GP, Hamilton was pumped to have finished close to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second after the updates brought about to their floor.

Hamilton felt that they had a chance to win if they had got the strategy in place on time. But that joy didn’t last long after the technical delegate referred his and Ferrari’s Leclerc’s car to the FIA stewards who eventually disqualified them both from US GP.

It was due to their cars not fulfilling the underside plank requirement. The wear on it was more than the minimum expected number mostly due to the heavy bumps on at the Circuit of the Americas. Such technical breach results in straight disqualification.

The cars of Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris were also checked but they were found to be within the limits. The disqualification meant Hamilton lost second and Leclerc lost sixth, with Norris ending up second and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in third.

Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell gained two places to fifth. The German camp were naturally disappointed but wanted to focus on the performance gain they made. “We can take a lot of positives from the car performance,” said Toto Wolff. “We hate coming so close to winning and falling short.

“But this is a circuit where only a few races ago we wouldn’t have performed well because of the fast, sweeping corners. The upgrade seems to have made the car happier in those areas and it is working well. Directionally, it’s a very good sign. Turning to the race result and the disqualification, set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice – and even more so at a bumpy circuit like COTA and running a new package.

“In the end, all of that doesn’t matter; others got it right where we got it wrong and there’s no wiggle room in the rules. We need to take it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend,” summed up Wolff as his Mercedes counterpart Andrew Shovlin further elaborated on the bump and sprint weekend scenario.

“We are of course naturally very disappointed to lose our podium finish,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is one of the pitfalls of the sprint format where we have a solitary hour of running before parc ferme. Without running at a race fuel load in FP1, combined with a circuit as bumpy as this and the parts of the track where the drivers have to put the car during the Grand Prix, have contributed to the higher than expected wear levels.

“We will go away and learn from this but also take the positives from our experience as a whole.” Hamilton had mixed feeling after the race where he felt he could have won but took the disqualification well enough as he wanted to focus on the progress made.

“We had good pace and I was feeling great in the car,” said Hamilton. “It was tough racing those around me as they were so quick, but we can be happy with many things. I feel positive as we’re moving forward, even if reflecting on it we could have possibly won. It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made this weekend.”

Much like the Mercedes camp, Ferrari too mostly put the miss on the sprint weekend situation. Sporting Director Diego Ioverno noted that they had raised the ride height in FP1 and felt it was enough but eventually it wasn’t where they missed by only few tenths.

“As you may know, it has not been a conventional end of the race for us,” he said in a video. “The decision from stewards was to disqualify for a technical infringement on both Charles and Lewis. It happened that the technical regulation clearly states that at the end of the race, there are some measurements that have to be respected for the bottom parts of the car that are used to protect the car from grabbing of the asphalt.

“At the end of the race measurement, our car was below the minimum threshold for few tenths but enough to bring the stewards to consider illegal our position. The code doesn’t allow anything else that disqualification for the case. The sprint weekend is very peculiar. You have very little time to prepare the car. Basically only one session FP1 and then you go in parc ferme, it means that from that moment onward, you cannot touch the car any longer.

“On top of this Austin is a super nice track but is extremely bumpy. Bumpiness is a difficult topic for drivers and cars. In the past, more or less everyone failed their suspension or chassis. We knew it would have been tricky and this is the reason why we lifted the car throughout FP1 and from our consideration it should have been OK.

“As a matter of fact it turned out we were anyhow too marginal and also because of the wind that turned direction and had a stronger intensity than forecast, this brought our car to not be legal in the end. There is not a lot to say or at this moment we could have done. With hindsight, rewinding the weekend, we may have lifted even more the car, but would have lost performance and we are here to optimise our own performance,” he summed up.

Here’s what the FIA said about the DQ

Here’s how F1 US GP panned out

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L'entrada Mercedes, Ferrari react to unfortunate US GP disqualification ha aparegut primer a FormulaRapida.net.