In the round-up: Following McLaren’s strong showing at Suzuka, Carlos Sainz Jnr expects Ferrari will be back on terms with them in coming races.
In brief
Sainz sees McLaren as a threat to Ferrari
Sainz anticipates a closer battle between the Ferrari and McLaren at coming races, but predicts his former team will be fighting for podiums at “high-speed circuits” following their latest upgrade.
“When we go to places like Mexico, even Austin, with more low-speed content, we will be very equal to them – we will have a race with McLaren,” said Sainz after finishing sixth, over 13 seconds behind the second of the McLarens, at the Japanese Grand Prix.”
Lando Norris was “a couple of tenths quicker per lap” at Suzuka, Sainz admitted. “I think Piastri, whenever I had clean air, actually I had some very strong laps comparable to him. It’s just that I never had clean air.”
Norris to do demo at Sonoma Raceway
McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris will join his IndyCar counterparts Tony Kanaan, Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi at Sonoma Raceway on 10th-12th November to demonstrate classic McLaren race cars.
The quartet plus McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown will drive laps of the track as part of the Velocity Invitational event. The array of cars they will drive include title-winning F1 chassis and a Can-Am sports car. In addition to the fleet of McLarens, there will be demonstrations from modern-day hypercar prototypes that race in the World Endurance Championship.
Lucas di Grassi splits from Mahindra
Lucas di Grassi has split from Mahindra after just one season with the team in Formula E. The 2016-17 champion joined them at the start of 2023 and kicked things off on a high with pole and a third place finish in the Mexico City EPrix. But he only scored twice more over the 16-race season and sank to 15th in the standings.
“I want to express my gratitude to all our team members for the experiences we shared during what proved to be a challenging year,” said di Grassi. “This decision ultimately benefits us both, as our perspectives and visions have diverged. I wish Mahindra Racing the brightest future ahead.”
Di Grassi, the series’ most experienced driver, has not indicated that he will leave FE. The 2016-17 season champion has the joint most wins (13) as well as the most podiums (40), fastest laps (11) and points (1,041). From 2014 to 2021 he raced for Audi Sport Abt, but when Audi left FE he moved to Venturi for 2022. That team then became Maserati for 2023, prompting di Grassi’s move to Mahindra.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
F1’s forgotten classic: Gilles Villeneuve’s genius in mangled Ferrari (Motorsport Magazine)
‘Gilles Villeneuve wrestled the Ferrari 126C to two grand prix wins in 1981, but his podium finish at that year’s Canadian Grand Prix in torrential conditions, with a damaged car, should be celebrated too.’
Gold staying with HMD Motorsports for 2024 season (Indy Nxt)
‘After competing for a partial season with HMD Motorsports, Reece Gold will return to the team for the full 2024 Indy Nxt season. Gold joined HMD at the third race of the 2023 season, after competing in the first two with Juncos Hollinger Racing. He earned his first win with HMD in the first race of the double-header on the streets of Detroit.’
Notice of driver change (Nakajima Racing)
‘Nakajima Racing will change driver for the Super Formula races held on October 28th and 29th at Suzuka as Naoki Yamamoto is currently recuperating from injuries sustained in the accident at Super GT round six at Sugo, so Hiroki Otsu will be appointed in his place. This season, Otsu has already been a stand-in for two other drivers.’
Euroformula reveals its 2024 calendar in full (Formula Scout)
‘Euroformula has revealed the eight-round calendar for its 2024 season in full, having previously published dates for seven rounds in August. The newly announced round is Hockenheim, which has only once featured on the calendar back in 2019. Yuki Tsunoda won on that occassion.’
Take on Max Verstappen’s Lap Time at Suzuka (EA Sports F1)
‘Take your place on the starting grid for the next Pro Challenge in F1 World! From September 26, F1 23 challenges you to beat Max Verstappen’s lightning lap time at Suzuka circuit. Travel to Japan and cross the line before Red Bull’s record-breaking racer to land Max’s Japanese Grand Prix helmet in-game.’
Askew, Rasmussen both encouraged after ECR IndyCar test (Racer)
‘Oliver Askew, the 2019 Indy Nxt title winner and Christian Rasmussen, crowned two weeks ago as the 2023 champion, were given their own Chevy-powered Indy cars to drive at the high-speed and high-commitment Barber Motorsports Park road course in Alabama, and according to multiple sources, Rasmussen was the faster of the two at the 2.4-mile, 16-turn facility.’
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to David!