In the round-up: Valtteri Bottas says his power unit retirement at the Brazilian Grand Prix was terminal for that unit
In brief
Bottas loses Brazil power unit for final races
Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas says he has lost the use of the power unit he ran at the Brazilian Grand Prix before retiring.
Bottas was called in to retire after 39 laps in Interlagos with his team not disclosing the cause of his problem. His team mate, Zhou Guanyu, had also retired earlier in the race after Alfa Romeo detected a problem.
“They were different issues,” Bottas explained. “I had a technical issue and I can’t use the engine any more. That’s all I can say.”
Crawford leaves Red Bull junior team
Formula 2 racer Jak Crawford has confirmed he will compete in a second season of F2 in 2024, but will not do so as a Red Bull junior driver.
The 18-year-old has competed in Red Bull colours since 2020 and currently sits 13th in the F2 standings with one round remaining, with five podium appearances. Crawford currently races with Hitech, however, he has not confirmed which team he will compete for 2024.
“I truly appreciate everyone at Red Bull, especially Rocky [Driver Academy chief Guillaume Rocquelin],” Crawford said. “I really enjoyed the last two years with him at the factory.”
Mini on provisional Macau pole
Gabriele Mini sits on provisional pole position for the Macau Grand Prix after the opening qualifying session.
The Prema driver posted a 2’05.521 to sit on provisional pole by almost half a second from Hitech’s Luke Browning, with Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic third and F2 racer Dennis Hauger in fourth. IndyCar racer Marcus Armstrong was seventh fastest, with two times grand prix winner Dan Ticktum tenth.
A second qualifying session takes place today before Saturday’s qualifying race sets the grid for the Formula 3 World Cup on Sunday.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll sells F1 team stake at £1 billion valuation (Bloomberg)
‘The investment by Arctos, which has a stake in the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club owner Fenway Sports Group, values the F1 team at about a £1 billion ($1.2 billion) valuation, according to a person familiar with the deal.’
‘But while looking far forward there is key to the future, Horner has managed to juggle keeping his eye firmly on the present, too. It’s all about focussing on what you can control, prioritising, and keeping everyone focused on their objectives. About as restful as napping on a railway track. Surprisingly, the stresses of managing such a massive empire have yet to carve themselves on his face and he retains his boyish looks and usually manages, in Right Stuff parlance, ‘to maintain an even strain’ and a generally agreeable manner.’
Tsunoda is steering AlphaTauri in the right direction (Sports Illustrated)
‘I tried to change our approach a bit last year, and I think also some of the team recognized it. From both sides, we will learn from each other and give our opinion on how we can improve each other. It’s a really good environment, and so far I think we’re happy with what I’ve done and also able to achieve. There are lots of places still to improve, but I’m happy so far.’
Bill Burr on overdrive as he mixes F1, stand-up show (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
‘I’m an F1 fan, and to watch those cars come flying down the Strip it’s going to be sick. I’ll be in the grandstand, and I like hearing the cars and being with the fans. What’s really funny to me is the level of sophistication going on in the pits versus the animals in the crowd screaming, ‘Go faster! Go faster!’ and the guys in the pits are dealing with physics on an Einstein level.’
My night in an $18 hotel room on the F1-broken, traffic-choked Las Vegas Strip (The Messenger)
”This race has made our lives a living hell. They started road work in April. They’re telling us they might not be completely done with the teardown until just before New Year’s Eve. And then what? Las Vegas is going to be back to normal for a few months before they get ready for the next race? Is this our new reality?”
Will Andretti exit rejuvenate Grosjean’s IndyCar career? (ESPN)
‘I told Juncos, ‘I’m not perfect. I’m someone that you need to manage like a racehorse. You can always slow down a racehorse, but you can never make a donkey faster. I say, strap yourself in. But if you get the right side of me, we are on for a good ride.”
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Mujahid Rahman!