In the round-up: Alexander Albon expects to rack up fewer track limits infringements in 2024
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In brief
Albon expects fewer track limits penalties in ’24
Alexander Albon says he expects that Williams’ new FW46 will be less wind sensitive than last year, which will help reduce his track limits infringements.
Albon had 60 track limits offences in competitive sessions throughout the 2024 season – at least ten more than any other driver. Asked by RaceFans how he will reduce that figure this upcoming season, Albon feels it should be easier with the team’s new car.
“I mean, none of the track limits cost us positions – if you want to put it like that,” Albon said. “So as much as track limits might be seen as a bad thing and a ‘bad boy’ kind of behaviour, it’s just part of the game – pushing it to the limit.
“I think the tracks themselves aren’t obviously forgiving for this. Our car was very wind sensitive. That was one of the bigger ones, you would say, that kind of triggered it. Gusts of winds and little snaps here and there just made it difficult, especially on tracks like Austin, for example. Truthfully, it’s not really something that’s on the top of my agenda to focus on for this year. But at the same time, of course, I’m hoping we’re going to be in more races where track limits will matter because we’re going to be in the points in those races.”
Ferrari junior Taponen wins FRMEC title
Ferrari academy driver Tuukka Taponen clinched the Formula Regional Middle East Championship title in commanding style with two races to spare in the first of three races in Dubai.
After heading into the final round of three races with a fifty point lead, Taponen dominated the first race of the weekend, winning from pole in commanding style to lead home Zachary David by two seconds with McLaren junior Ugo Ugochukwu completing the podium.
There will be two further races to finish the championship today.
Sceats forces FROC title showdown
The Formula Regional Oceania Championship title will be decided today on the last day of the final weekend of racing.
Roman Bilinksi, who has dominated most of the championship, held a 56 point lead over Liam Sceats heading into the final weekend of three races at the Highlands circuit. Sceats dominated the opening race of the weekend on Saturday, winning with Bilinksi third behind Callum Hedge in second.
With the final two races of the season today, Sceats will likely need to win again with Bilinksi failing to score a point to force a title decider in the third and final race.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
GM’s plan to join Formula 1 had one thing wrong that Ford got right (Detroit Free Press)
‘Ford supplied F1 engines for decades, winning championships with everyone from Jackie Stewart to Michael Schumacher before exiting due to costs in 2004. Its engineers are working with Red Bull on the engines and hybrid systems, including high-power electronics and turbochargers. The synergies are clear: Ford’s working with F1’s best team, associating itself with a proven world champion. The proposed GM sortie into F1 didn’t have any of that going for it.’
Every Williams Racing season opener ever (Williams)
‘The opening round to a Formula 1 season is commonly a fascinating affair, with new machinery being pushed to levels it has never been pushed to before. As we prepare for our 47th season in the sport, join us as we take a look through all of our appearances at the opening round of an F1 World Championship season, highlighting some of the more notable results.’
Two Malaysians embrace roles as fluid engineers for Mercedes F1 team (Bernama)
‘Wan Mohd Saifullah, 36, assumed his role as PTFE for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in May last year, while Emil Johan Bernstein, 26, started his career in May 2022. Sharing insights with Bernama, Wan Mohd Saifullah said he and Emil are generally tasked with providing technical support and conducting chemical analysis for approximately 150 samples of fuel and lubricant oil used in the team’s racing cars before and after each race.’
Jaguar XJ220-C Le Mans car for sale (Piston Heads)
‘What’s especially sad is that the XJ220 has all but been wiped from the Le Mans history books. A pair of XJ220-Cs returned to Le Mans in 1995, but by then the competition had caught up and the McLaren F1 had arrived on the scene. The three LM-spec chassis (plus a spare for the 1993 Le Mans race) were sold to private collectors shortly after, with the Brunei Royal family purchasing the number 50 car that won (albeit briefly) in ’93. It came up for auction recently, while the spare chassis is often bought out for demo runs at events.’
A day in the life with IndyCar driver Linus Lundqvist (IndyCar via YouTube)
‘Chip Ganassi driver Linus Lundqvist offers a guided tour of the team’s factory.’
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to _Ben_ and Mike!