In the round-up: AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost explains what Liam Lawson must do this year to earn a shot at Formula 1, and who will join him in the team’s practice sessions this year.
In brief
AlphaTauri have two drivers lined up for F1 practice this year
Lawson has moved up to Super Formula after taking five wins over two seasons in Formula 2. Tost said he needs to “win in Japan” to stand a chance of progressing to F1 in the near future.
“That’s important,” Tost said to media including RaceFans. “He has to show that he can do it. When he was testing for us, he did a reasonably good job.
“We have to give him time, we have to prepare him, and then we will see. At the end, I always say every driver has in his hands the career, whether he can come into F1 or whether for whatever reason he can’t do it.
“A driver must live very professional, must do a lot of training, and must be then prepared in a real good way because nowadays F1 is really very competitive, and I could not tell you any driver who does not deserve to be in F1. And this has changed [from] the past.”
F1 teams are required to run drivers who have made fewer than three starts in practice sessions at two grands prix. Tost said his team’s plan plan is “currently Liam and [Isack] Hadjar, both of them” when it comes to calling up young drivers to drive for AlphaTauri in those sessions.
Hadjar finished fourth in Formula 3 last year and is stepping up to F2 for 2023. He has never driven an F1 car before.
Domenicali proud of F1’s “soft power” on human rights
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali says he is proud of the changes the world championship has been able to influence in the various countries it has raced in around the world.
The political influence of F1 has been a topic of intense scrutiny this winter, with the FIA restricting competitors’ ability to make political statements at events while the championship itself has come under pressure for choosing to race in countries with concerning human rights records.
Domenicali says he “takes pride” in being able to “open up the discussion on issues in these places.”
“I know it is easy to criticise me but I have no fear because with soft power, I believe in the right context, in the right way, I can achieve results,” he told The Guardian.
Spanish talent heads to Japan for next career step
Junior single-seater racer David Vidales, who is managed by the same Monaco Increase Management (MIM) company that guides the career of 2021 IndyCar champion Alex Palou, has finalised a deal to move to Super Formula Lights for this year.
The 20-year-old made a stunning start to car racing by debuting in Formula Regional, rather than an entry-level formula, and winning his first race at Imola from pole position. He also won his second race, and came sixth in the 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup.
He remained at that level for 2021, and once again won at Imola en route to 10th in the Formula Regional European Championship standings. He stepped up to Formula 3 last year with Campos Racing and took a home win for himself and the team at Barcelona.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
MPs want F1 to look into links between races and human rights violations (BBC)
‘UK MPs have urged F1 to set up an independent inquiry into the links between grands prix and human rights violations. The move comes before the first race of the 2023 season in Bahrain on Sunday. Lord Scriven, chair of the parliamentary group concerned with human rights in the Gulf, wants F1 to urge Bahrain to release political prisoners and death-row inmates.’
The Test (The Players’ Tribune)
‘During my year away, I had a lot of time to think. Like really think. I was the reserve driver for Red Bull Racing during the ’21 season and I tried to keep my mind focused on one thing: How do I get back into an F1 seat?’
F1 and Tottenham Hotspur FC join forces to find the next generation of F1 drivers (F1)
‘F1 has agreed a 15-year strategic partnership with Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur to help identify and foster a new generation of motor sport talent. The partnership will also see the delivery of the world’s first in-stadium electric karting facility and London’s longest indoor track, at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.’
In conversation with: Aston Martin’s Matt Bishop (Exepose)
‘As he points out, these governments are aware of the paddock’s values when they invite F1 to their country, and drivers will not shy away from campaigning for human rights. Indeed, an employee of Aston Martin sponsor Aramco recently told Matt there had been ‘a ton of positive change’ in Saudi Arabia in the last five years.’
The business of Formula 1: inside McLaren HQ (Financial Times)
‘F1 is undergoing a kind of revolution, with new rules, new tech, new teams, and new fans – boosted by the Netflix show Drive to Survive. Ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain, the FT goes behind the scenes at the McLaren Technology Centre, where the team is competing to get their cars back to the front of the grid.’
Exclusive sneak peek into painting Max’ helmet: ‘Very important to me’ (Verstappen)
‘Since the very beginning of his F1 career Max Verstappen wears helmets painted by Jens Munser Design. At the entrance of the factory, located near Salzgitter in Germany, a massive collection of F1 helmets is on display. The experienced helmet painter has been making beautiful helmets for years for numerous F1 drivers such as champions Michael Schumacher, Sebastien Vettel as well as Verstappen.’
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
The first demo installation in preparation for the #LasVegasGP is complete, thanks to Las Vegas Paving and @PentaBG.
A third of the concrete barriers have already been produced, ready for the battle on the Strip later this year.#F1 @F1LasVegas pic.twitter.com/euuTMw4rDx
— Geobrugg Motorsport (@GeobruggM) February 28, 2023
|@JensonButton has set a new world record in reaction-testing game Batak, hitting 58 lights in 30 seconds, beating the previous record by two lights.
“I set my unofficial record in my 20s, so it’s great to see that I’ve still got it, 20 years later,” he said.#F1 pic.twitter.com/BLX47vGyNW
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) February 28, 2023
Not long until lights out! 😁🧡 #OP81 #F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/aWXC3C7NHT
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) February 27, 2023
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Jose Arellano, Becca Blue, Robert and Penny!