In the round-up: Toto Wolff believes it’s too early to tell whether the FIA’s flexi-wing technical directive has affected Red Bull.
In brief
Too early to tell if TD hurt Red Bull – Wolff
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says there is not enough data to be able to tell if Red Bull’s performance has been impacted by the FIA’s flexi-wing clampdown.
The FIA has issued a technical directive beginning from this weekend that aims to target teams skirting the regulations restricting moveable aerodynamic bodywork. But after Red Bull had both cars eliminated from Q2 in yesterday’s qualifying, Wolff feels it is too early to tell if their rivals have been affected.
“It’s so difficult,” Wolff told media including RaceFans. “We have one set of data now – Friday and Saturday in Singapore, tomorrow is a race and then we’re going to move it a different track where that plays a role. So let’s wait.
“We’ve seen those one-offs with Mercedes in the past and that’s why I’d rather now concentrate on what we can deliver tomorrow than think too much about whether that could have had an effect yet.”
Lawson praised by rivals after first Q3
AlphaTauri rookie Liam Lawson has been praised for his performances over his first three grand prix weekends by some of his rivals at the front of the field.
The 21-year-old reached Q3 for the first time since standing in for Daniel Ricciardo at the Dutch Grand Prix before qualifying tenth on the grid for today’s race in Singapore.
“I think he’s been doing a really great job to be honest,” said Mercedes’ George Russell. “I followed him a little bit through his F3, F2 career. I saw he was doing a great job in Super Formula and it’s never easy to be thrown into Formula 1 as a rookie mid-season, no experience. So he’s doing a good job.”
Pole winner Carlos Sainz Jnr congratulated Lawson on his Q3 appearance as “to be Q3 in Singapore is not easy, especially jumping in the car halfway through a season”, while Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc said Lawson was doing an “impressive job.”
“Already after Zandvoort we spoke a little bit and I was telling him how impressed I was because to do your first race in those conditions is probably a nightmare for anybody,” said Leclerc. “So yeah, he’s doing a great job and again, confirming it weekend after weekend, so congratulations to him.”
‘Active F1 driver’ to race in Daytona 24 Hours
Wayne Taylor, the owner of IMSA team Wayne Taylor Racing, says that a currently active F1 driver will compete in next year’s Daytona 24 Hours with his team.
Fernando Alonso has previously competed in the event with the team in 2019 with the team, but Taylor says that the active driver will not be the Aston Martin racer.
“We’ve announced the four [full season drivers],” Taylor told Sportscar365. “We’ll announce another two, then we’ll announce the final driver after the last Grand Prix.”
In a post on social media, driver Filipe Albuquerque said that the current F1 driver “is doing really well this year.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
‘But the underlying takeaway is this: as a child, all you want to be is treated as a grown-up. The best way of learning about the intricacies of a sport like Formula 1 is to immerse yourself in the usual feed on a regular basis, creating a curiosity gap to discover more. As a one-off, F1 Juniors was worthwhile and undoubtedly a commendable initiative.’
How our drivers keep cool in Singapore (Williams)
‘It wouldn’t be Singapore without some ice bath content, so here’s Logan’s Performance Coach Ben Jacobs talking about everything that goes into getting our drivers prepared for this battle in the heat.’
‘Despite its short-lived presence on the Formula 1 calendar, with only three editions of the Indian Grand Prix held, the races left an indelible mark on the memories of motorsport enthusiasts. Sebastian Vettel, driving for Red Bull Racing-Renault, emerged as the dominant force, clinching victory in all three Indian Grand Prix events.’
Alex Palou on His Winding Path to Becoming IndyCar’s Leading Man (Road & Track)
‘In ’21, after the ’21 championship, the door to try an F1 car opened up. I thought it was, and I still believe it is, a train that goes really fast and opens the door only slightly for you. You take it or you lose it. I didn’t want to feel like I didn’t take that chance or didn’t take the chance to drive an F1 car and show what I would be capable of. I took it, we tested the old cars, we ran at COTA in ’22 after the (IndyCar) season was done. I gave everything I had, showed what we could do, but a real door never opened up fully.’
Alfa Romeo in talks about a 2024 racing programme for Pourchaire (Formula Scout)
Alunni Bravi: ‘We are looking at the best options. The second part of the season we have still a sprint format weekend or new circuits like Qatar and Las Vegas, so opportunities are quite few but we think that we are targeting Mexico and Abu Dhabi. So we will decide in the next few weeks the best programme for him.’
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