In the round-up: Max Verstappen explained why he believes McLaren have the most promising driver line-up.
In brief
McLaren pair impress Verstappen
Asked who he would pick to drive for a Formula 1 team – excluding himself – the reigning world champion named McLaren team mates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“I would take Lando and Oscar,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “So the McLaren pairing. Both are good.
“Lando is just a little older than Oscar. I think Oscar is a fast rookie. He still has things to learn, such as improving his racing pace. But from what I see, he’s a smart guy. He will win his races.”
De Ferran family pays tribute to Gil
The family of Gil de Ferran has paid tribute to the multiple IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner who died at the end of last year. His daughter Anna de Ferran wrote in a social media post also thanked those who had sent messages about her father.
“It is truly heart warming to see the words respect, champion, intelligent, humble, deep connection and integrity come up so often,” she wrote.
“While my father left us too young, he died the way we believe he would have wanted – driving a race car with my brother at his side. He left us without pain with his last act being to place his foot on the brake so my brother was able to come home safely with us that evening. That story in itself is testament to the level of thought, care, selflessness and love he put into everything he did.”
Ferrari pass crash test, Red Bull not cleared yet
Ferrari have already passed the first crash test for their new chassis, codenamed 676, according to Autosprint. The same publication reports Red Bull’s new RB20 did not pass its test first time. However the development is unlikely to prove a significant setback for the world champions.
Wharton to FREC after Ferrari exit
Former Ferrari Driver Academy member James Wharton will stay with the Prema team as he moves up from Italian Formula 4 to compete in the Formula Regional European Championship. “We have had a great relationship with James so far, and we look forward to having him with us for 2024 as well,” said team principal Rene Roisin. “He always fought for wins and podiums in every championship, so we trust him to be able to do the same in FRECA.
“We know this is a particularly tricky series, but we are confident we will manage to make all the steps we need to maximize our potential together and have a successful learning experience.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
‘The stuff I struggle with is, the TV have a lot less data with them than the teams do in general, and a lot less insight than what the teams do, so I struggled initially with sort of feeling like I’d not done my homework, you know, that was the feeling of going there and being not quite sure about a few things.’
No stopping for selfies — or anything — on Strip bridges, Clark County decides (Las Vegas Sun)
‘It comes almost two months after the Las Vegas Grand Prix — where pedestrians crowded on bridges to catch a glimpse of the event — and only six weeks before the Super Bowl in February, which is set to draw hundreds of thousands of people for those events.’
Castroneves holds ‘big brother’ De Ferran close in his heart (IndyCar)
‘“That’s so perfect, so Gil. On his last day he was doing what he loved with the son he loved so much. That’s the way any of us would want it to be when it’s our time.’
US prosecutors allege senator Bob Menendez took bribes to help Qatar (Financial Times)
‘Members of Menendez’s family were also given tickets to an F1 race in Miami, they alleged.’
Ambitious Aston Martin eager to build on last year’s F1 promise (The Guardian)
‘Alonso may have cause to be buoyant once more come testing in February with a team as lean and hungry as the double world champion himself.’
The American Dream: Jake Dennis’ Quest for Formula E Glory – Unplugged Episode 1 ()
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Great to be back in the MTC after the winter shutdown. Our teams and I are flat out in preparation for the start of our seasons across series.
We enter the year sadly without our beloved friend and colleague, Gil, but he is very much with us in spirit. We’ll draw inspiration… pic.twitter.com/T1SNgSWfP4
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) January 3, 2024
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Anne Lambert, Timi, Bosley and Gitanes!