In the round-up: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso reveals he raced after breaking bones in both of his hands last season
In brief
Alonso raced after breaking bones in Melbourne crash
Alonso will be reunited with team mate Lance Stroll, who injured his wrists in a cycling accident while training, for practice in Bahrain today.
With Stroll returning, Alonso admitted in yesterday’s FIA press conference that he had raced after breaking both hands when he crashed out of qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix last year while racing with Alpine.
“I think it’s already very good news that he’s here and he will try,” Alonso said. “That shows his desire to win and his motivation to win with this team. So that’s a very good sign.
“In my case, yes, I broke few bones in both hands last year, so until August, I was not fully recovered. I had some pain, but we love driving.”
Low downforce circuits will suit Williams best again – Albon
Williams driver Alexander Albon says he believes the Williams FW45 will be at its strongest at high-speed, low-downforce circuits once again.
Williams took five points finishes in 2022, including best finishes of eighth in Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. Albon says the team’s new car is very sensitive aerodynamically and will best be suited to those circuits this year.
“It was clear with the wind over the testing,” Albon said, “depending on the angle of the wind, it was very tricky for us in a couple of corners – the low-speed corners. If we can get the season better than we started, which we did last year, I’ll be happy.
“And of course, taking the moments we can – Monza, Spa – these kind of circuits will continue to be still quite good for us. We just want to be quicker and have the chance more often, basically.”
F3 driver fined before first practice
MP Motorsport Formula 3 driver Mari Boya and his driver coach, former F2 racer Facu Regalia, have both been fined €1,000 by the FIA before the first track action of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend after they walked onto the Sakhir circuit while prohibited.
The duo were intending to complete a track walk together, jumping the turn 11 barrier onto the race track, 11 minutes prior to the circuit officially closing while the FIA medical car was completing a planned test run. The pair returned over the barriers but were summoned to the stewards, where they admitted their error. Both were fined €1,000 (£886) and will have their paddock credentials revoked if they commit any similar infractions.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Read the all-new digital race programme (F1)
“Check out our all-new digital race programme for this weekend’s Formula 1 Gulf Air Grand Prix 2023 in Sakhir, including features on pre-season testing, Max Verstappen’s title defence, and the upcoming F2 and F3 campaigns – plus stats on all 10 teams…”
Piastri explains aim of rookie F1 season (Speedcafe)
“I obviously want to be up to speed as quickly as I can but also I’m aware that firstly, it’s not going to be an easy task. Lando has established himself as a very quick driver as well, so I think for the first part of the year, I don’t want to put a timeline on it too much.”
IndyCar tech download: Decoding the data (Racer)
“In recent years, broadcasters have begun showing such overlays to help describe to fans what drivers are doing inside the car to try and extract as much lap time as possible. But while it may look like a series of squiggly lines to inexperienced eyes, data like this can actually offer valuable insight to drivers, engineers, and of course fans about the relative performance between two cars. A special thank you to McLaren for supplying this overlay from a test day at Sonoma a few seasons ago.”
Russian ex-Haas driver Mazepin cleared to race in Europe (France24)
“The General Court ruled that Mazepin ‘is in no way involved in the aggression suffered by Ukraine and does not exercise any activity in economic sectors which provide a substantial source of income’ to Russia. ‘He has always maintained a neutral position on the war as a professional athlete,’ added the order.”
Does Verstappen ever blink? (Red Bull via YouTube)
“How many times does a Formula 1 racing driver blink over one Oracle Virtual Lap?”
24 hours at F1 testing (Norris via YouTube)
Norris provides his vlog from last week’s pre-season test in Bahrain.
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