In the round-up: McLaren look forward to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, fresh from making the podium in Singapore on a less favourable track.
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In brief
McLaren “curious to see” how quick their car is at Suzuka
McLaren matched their best race result of the last two years in last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix as Lando Norris finished second. He was the fist of the team’s drivers to get his hands on their latest update last and Oscar Piastri will get the same this weekend.
While the team is not talking up their chances of winning this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, they expect Suzuka will suit the McLaren MCL60 more than the Marina Bay street circuit did.
“On the paper, it should be more suitable than Singapore,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. “The high-speed section and smooth track” are “the main two reasons really why it should be more suitable than the circuit in Singapore,” he explained.
“There’s a couple of corners which are a bit tricky, which is the hairpin and the last chicane, and I’m really curious to see how we do there. It’s two very important corners for lap time. But I would say sector one should suit our car. So from a genuinely technical point of view, the absolute level of competitiveness will depend on how we do in the hairpin and the chicane.”
Vettel brings bee houses to Suzuka
Four-times Formula 1 world champion and biodiversity enthusiast Sebastian Vettel has returned to Suzuka delivering bee houses to the track. The kerbs at turn two have been painted black-and-yellow to celebrate the bees’ arrival, with their houses located on a grass mound behind the barriers on the inside of the corner.
“I’m very, very excited. We are launching a new project called Buzzin Corner. We’re at turn two at Suzuka, my favourite track,” said Vettel. “Together with the title ‘Buzzin Corner’, we are racing for biodiversity. I want to with this project create awareness around the importance and subject of biodiversity.”
Vettel says “the bee is the perfect ambassador” for his project. “We will have an activation tomorrow [Thursday] with drivers, without taking too much of the surprise element away. But we will be having these insect hotels that I installed, and it will be tomorrow at 4pm.”
Haas praise Hulkenberg
Haas’ director of engineering Ayao Komatsu has praised Nico Hulkenberg’s impact this year for enabling the team to find the performance level of its VF-23 car.
“The VF-23 has weaknesses but one good point to start with is that our qualifying performances have been good. Nico brought such an amazing baseline, so we knew the limit of the car in qualifying, but at the same time it was clear that our long-run race pace was the issue,” said Komatsu.
“So, we’ve been really focused on that and even on the driver’s side, they’ve been open to it from day one. Of course, when the car is not great, it’s so important that the trackside team, the design office, and the aerodynamics team communicate with each other really well and understand what we need to improve.”
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Tsunoda’s racing career turned into comic series
AlphaTauri F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda has had his racing career chronicled in a trilogy of comics which is available to buy for a limited time.
Online auction company Catawiki is behind ‘The Yuki Trilogy’, which chronicles “the life and adventures of the Scuderia AlphaTauri driving star, from his unexpected race beginnings to deeply personal off-grid moments”. Tsunoda will sign the printed editions, that will be on sale in an auction running to 1st October.
Award-winning manga artist Inko Ai Takita collaborated with Tsunoda on the writing and drawing of the comic series, with Tsunoda introducing his fondness for his mother’s chicken recipe into the storyline.
“To witness my story through the lens of manga feels both nostalgic and exciting. It is a new glimpse into my journey,” said Tsunoda. Catawiki will also auction Tsunoda and Max Verstappen’s old race suits, as well as a Toro Rosso STR5 car from the 2010 F1 season.
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
IndyCar expansion, IMSA upgrade means a hiring spree at Chip Ganassi Racing (Racer)
‘The new IndyCar champions at Chip Ganassi Racing are heading into the off-season with a lot of new job positions to fill. They aren’t alone in that endeavour in the paddock, but the sheer volume of job openings — 10 have been posted to start, and there are more to come — speaks to a team that’s growing with a addition of a fifth IndyCar entry for Kyffin Simpson and the need for more talent within its Cadillac Racing IMSA GTP programme.’
No truth to Adelaide IndyCar race (Speedcafe)
‘There has been no official comment on the matter, and that is because, according to multiple sources, it’s simply not true.’
Lindblad starts Italian F4 test on top, Euroformula leader Leon in GP3 car (Formula Scout)
‘Formula 3 teams Jenzer Motorsport and Trident ran their old GP3 cars, and Euroformula points leader Noel Leon set the pace over Charlie Wurz, son of Alex.’
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Texas put on one of IndyCar’s best shows in 2023. It could be off 2024 schedule (IndyStar)
‘After 27 consecutive visits, dating back to the Indy Racing League’s 1996-97 campaign, and 36 races overall, there’s a legitimate chance Texas Motor Speedway will be absent from IndyCar’s 2024 schedule.’
Igor Fraga’s driver column: There’s no way it won’t get heated in the final race! ️ (Super Formula)
‘In round seven at Twin Ring Motegi, Liam Lawson gained points for his qualifying position (second place) and as a result, he led the series standings and started the final from a good position. He made a good start and accelerated well and jumped into the first corner alongside Tomoki Nojiri, but spun on the exit. This resulted in a huge crash involving four cars.’
People of the Paddock: Introducing Trident’s Alexia Rizzi (Formula 2)
‘From getting the entire Trident team from their base in Milan to every race weekend to keeping track of the drivers and ensuring guests have the best time possible, here is one of the real characters in the F2 and F3 paddock.’
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On this day in motorsport
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