In the round-up: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner again denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour after a series of messages purporting to involve him were leaked.
In brief
Horner denies allegation again after leak
Red Bull Austria officially cleared Horner to remain in charge of the team on Wednesday following what they called an independent investigation. However yesterday over 100 people in F1 received what is claimed to be copies of text and image exchanges between Horner and a team member, sent from an anonymous email account.
Horner stated he would not comment on “anonymous speculation” but repeated he has “always denied the allegations.”
Red Bull arranged a “thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister,” Horner continued, “and it has concluded, dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.
Haas look “quicker than I would like” – Albon
After posting the 11th fastest time from the first day of practice in Bahrain, Williams driver Alexander Albon admits he was surprised to see Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg half a second quicker than him.
“I think we were surprised by our pace in FP1,” he said. “We’re actually quite good on the medium tyres and then we lose a bit of pace when we go to softs.
“[We have] some work to do in terms of balance. More so just some cars around us are quicker than I would like – the Haas especially. So we have to look around, see what we can do better.”
Porsche Penske on top in WEC practice
Porsche Penske set the pace on the opening day of practice for the season-opening World Endurance Championship race in Qatar.
The number six Porsche of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor set the quickest time of a 1’39.990, seven tenths of a second faster than the number 93 Peugeot and Jota’s number 38 Porsche.
World champions Toyota were only eighth and 13th fastest for their number seven and world champion number eight crew, respectively.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Formula 1 and FanCode announce new partnership to exclusively broadcast F1 in India (Formula 1)
‘The agreement grants FanCode exclusive rights to broadcast all F1 race weekends, including all practice and qualifying sessions, F1 Sprint events and Grands Prix. There is a growing appetite for Formula 1 in India, particularly amongst younger and female supporters. Nearly 60 million fans follow the sport and one-in-two started following F1 in the last four years. This partnership allows Formula 1 to tap into a rapidly emerging fanbase and invites FanCode’s audience of nearly 100 million passionate sports fans into the world of F1.’
Bortoleto hails ‘special’ opportunity ahead of his F2 debut (McLaren)
”I have very important people behind me, very good engineers who are working in Formula 1, and I can learn from them and from the other drivers at McLaren as well. Having Emmanuele (Pirro) with me, who is the Director of the Driver Development programme, and an ex-driver who has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans five times, is very important as well. He has plenty of experience he can share with me.”
IndyCar to push ‘urban and metro’ event expansion (Racer)
Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles: ”Historically, we’re not talking about jettisoning the races that we have now. But we want to be able to say, ‘We’d like to be in ‘blank’, which is a important, growing, younger metro market,’ and either be the promoter ourselves, in some instances, or be able to really partner and bring investments and bring people and capacity skills to the development of future markets that are urban and metro going forward.”
AVL Racetech becomes official supplier of vehicle simulation software for the FIA (FIA)
‘AVL Racetech lap-simulation expertise is utilised by the FIA across a range of championships including Formula 1, Formula E, the World Rally Championship, the World Endurance Championship and cross-country events. AVL Racetech’s strategic orientation is based on providing cutting-edge solutions for the development of powertrains and vehicle systems. By partnering with the FIA, AVL Racetech will be able to further develop their software and simulation tools to meet the needs of motorsport and automotive industries.’
”How can it be that in Formula 1, the images make you feel as if you are in the cockpit with the drivers, but you don’t ever get that with football?’
Driving Hamilton’s Nissan Skyline GT-R through Japan (Drive.com.au)
‘Okay, so it’s not actually Lewis Hamilton’s Skyline GT-R. But it is the exact car the Formula 1 champion used in a controversial video posted to Instagram in 2021, as reported by Drive, in which he speeds through Tokyo, does donuts, and of course, drifts.’
We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it to us via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
On tomorrow’s front page: Geri Halliwell ‘stunned’ by flirty texts sent by Christian Horner to female staffer as couple locked in crisis talks pic.twitter.com/z0ep6Ccpji
— The Sun (@TheSun) February 29, 2024
Times Sport: Leaks leave Horner’s future in the balance #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/utmGGqsSBw
— George Mann (@sgfmann) February 29, 2024
We’ve got more potential, now we need to unlock it 🔓@LoganSargeant gives his take on Thursday in Bahrain 🇧🇭 pic.twitter.com/x7x3kyR0SI
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) February 29, 2024
✨
From Northern Lights 🇫🇮
To Shanghai Nights 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/yqYNyCajsR— Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) February 29, 2024
#ThrowbackThursday: Road to F1 – Rewinding to 2010, when @Charles_Leclerc & @Pierre_Gasly at the CIK-FIA Monaco Kart Cup shared a podium (with Dennis Olsen, left, now regular GT driver).
Celebrating 120 Years (1904-2024) #FIA120
©FIA Karting / KSP pic.twitter.com/OKKOJ6WXgE
— FIA (@fia) February 29, 2024
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Jose Arellano, Becca Blue, Robert and Penny!