In the round-up: Charles Leclerc thinks Ferrari may struggle for performance at Zandvoort in dry conditions.
In brief
Ferrari “could struggle” at Zandvoort
The Ferrari driver does not expect his team to be notably stronger this weekend in Zandvoort than they were before the summer break.
“I think we can have a similar weekend to the last two ones,” Leclerc said yesterday. “Just because, before that, I think we haven’t optimised our weekends, just by doing some extreme changes to the car and trying to find what was wrong with the car. Once we understood what was wrong, we decided to focus on just optimising our weekends, and from that moment on the results followed. That will be the objective and the goal for this weekend – to just maximise everything.
“However, I feel like on a track like this, we might struggle a bit more. But if we do absolutely everything right, considering the wind conditions of tomorrow, the rain on Saturday, I believe that there will be an opportunity.”
F1’s US viewership back up after minor 2023 dip – ESPN
ESPN, who hold the rights to broadcast Formula 1 in the United States, say that television audiences have increased so far this season.
The network claims that F1 averaged 1.2 million viewers across its live race broadcasts over the first 14 rounds of the season, an increase of 100,000 viewers per race from last year.
ESPN also say that June’s British Grand Prix fetched the highest viewership figured ever for a British Grand Prix broadcast in the USA, with 1.3 million average viewers, as well as it being the biggest audience for a live race on its ESPN2 channel.
Major Schumacher memorabilia auction
Over 250 pieces of F1 memorabilia made up most of items owned or worn by seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher will go up for auction next week with no reserve price.
Auction house RM Sotheby’s are offering 284 lots in the ‘Schumacher and F1 Legends Collection’, featuring several signed helmets, overalls, hats, visors and more belonging to Schumacher and several of his rivals such as David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jarno Trulli, among others.
The bidding will open on 28th August and run until 4th September.
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Links
Can Formula 1 be entertaining and sustainable? (Forbes)
‘The largest contributor to sport’s carbon footprint is travel and logistics, and Formula 1 is not an exception. Despite its considerable reduction in air freight usage, and smart block calendar scheduling, the reality is that travelling across the world year after year generates an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, as in any sport, fans travelling long distances to watch race weekends contribute to the championship’s Scope 3 emissions. And finally, unlike other sports, in order to race its lightning fast cars, Formula 1 burns fossil fuels every race weekend.’
Formula 1 Austin returns with new Cotaland amusement park (My San Antonio)
‘As Formula 1 gears up for its return to the Circuit of the Americas this fall, the Central Texas racetrack is making progress on its new highly-anticipated amusement park that was reportedly set to open later this year. Circuit of the Americas, Austin’s Grand Prix race track for Formula 1, NASCAR, and Moto GP, will also be the new home of Cotaland, poised to become a year-round destination for thrill seekers beyond the track. The park is planning to build 27 rides including the first tilt coaster (Circuit Breaker) and Gertslauer Infinity Coaster (Palindrome) in the US.’
FIA expands Women in Motorsport Mentorship programme for 2025 (FIA)
‘The FIA has announced that it will expand its Women in Motorsport Mentorship programme, following significant interest in the first application cycle. Over 850 women applied for the mentorship programme, after it was launched in June. As a result, the Women in Motorsport Commission will offer 500 mentorship places for the second application cycle, starting from 2025. This represents a 200 place increase against this year’s cycle.’
Top pit crews to compete for $50,000 in downtown Nashville (IndyCar)
‘The fourth annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race weekend kicks off with the action-packed Freedom Friday, a free event, where IndyCar and country music stars converge for Nashville’s most thrilling street festival. The showdown begins as the Hy-Vee Battle On Broadway features world-class pit crews and their precision and teamwork as they compete to be the quickest crew. Teams will compete for a share of a $50,000 purse.’
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