In the round-up: Former Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo is disappointed the team are no longer championship contenders.
In brief
Ferrari shouldn’t be ‘extras’ – di Montezemolo
Di Montezemolo joined Ferrari in 1973 and ran the team during its championship-winning years with Niki Lauda. When he returned as president in 1991 he appointed Jead Todt to his former role which led to the team’s dominant success with Michael Schumacher in the early 2000s.
But having left his position nine years ago, Di Montezemolo is disappointed the team has not come close to winning a championship since. “As a fan I dream of a Ferrari not that always wins, but that fights for the title until the last race,” he told Quotidiano Nazionale. “As in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2010, 2012. You can lose, but as protagonists, not as extras.”
he said the team should retain the services of Charles Leclerc, whose contract is due to expire at the Hend of next year. “He’s good and I don’t think there are free riders stronger than him. But in the present who drives the red is the least of the problems. As president I had built a dream team, from Schumi to Todt, from Brawn to Byrne.”
Legal row ‘must have been hard’ for Palou – McLaughlin
IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin, who lies 142 points behind championship leader Alex Palou with four races remaining, says fortune has been on his rival’s side this year.
“I would just like to have some of the luck he’s had,” said McLaughlin. “If he can drop some of that off here, that’d be fantastic.
“But he’s doing a phenomenal job. He gets the opportunity and he takes it. You can’t be angry about that or whatever is what it is. We’ve seen Dixie do it over the years, we’ve seen Josef [Newgarden] have it, Will [Power] had it last year. When things are going right, you’ve got to take control of it and he’s done that and you can’t be upset about that, you’ve just got to work harder and be better.
“I really enjoy trying to be better and try to make my team to be better. I think he’s making us do that. It’s a good thing.”
Palou is on course to regain the title he first won in 2021 but lost last year, during a season dogged by a dispute between Ganassi and McLaren over his services.
“We always knew he was going to be strong after he got through all this sort of legal drama and whatever was going on last year,” said McLaughlin. “That must’ve been pretty hard on the head. We always knew he’s going to be really strong.”
Ex-Raikkonen McLaren up for sale
A McLaren MP4/21 driven by Kimi Raikkonen during the 2006 season will be offered at auction by Bonhams during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. The chassis Raikkonen used to score three podium finishes during his final season at McLaren is expected to fetch up to $3.5 million (£2.75m).
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Interview with Koji Watanabe, President of HRC (Honda)
‘A new corporate organisation has been established to carry out F1 activities, which is very significant. Until now, our activities have been projects, gathering people and money, disbanding when the project was over, and repeating. However, going forward, we (HRC) will be responsible for the racing company’s activities.’
Stella interview: ‘Throughout the entire team, everyone is stepping up’ (McLaren)
‘We want to do some urgent work on low drag, as part of a parallel smaller workstream to see if we can cash in some low-hanging fruits for Monza. This activity will be alongside what is the main development of the car, which will benefit us at the entirety of the tracks.’
‘The rumour I’ve heard a few times now is Palou’s headed to McLaren, but with Norris and Piastri in position for at least another year, Zak Brown is willing to loan Palou to Williams where he’d gain experience and be ready to take one of McLaren race seats if Norris does leave in the near future or if Piastri does not develop into what the team is looking for by the end of 2024. ‘
‘I crashed a car in practice two, then went straight out to qualify and crashed another car. Destroyed two cars in four laps, and we were out of cars. Chip sent me home. That was a wild year, man. I think I had like six or seven team mates in one year.’
Tickets go on sale for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix 2024 (Miami Grand Prix)
‘It’s also incredible to see the significant economic impact the race has had on the local area with $449 million directly benefitting the Greater Miami region, and we look forward to building on that in 2024 and beyond.’
Edgar ready to leave the F1 support paddock at the end of 2023 (Formula Scout)
‘GT cars or LMP2 is I would say the most likely for next year, but not too sure yet what it will be. I just need to look at what the options are and what’s the best to do, and then decide after that. I think I’d be happy to do either.’
Norris returns to Moto GP (Quadrant)
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Glue and Leah Kernahan!