In the round-up: Alpine team principal Bruno Famin insists his team’s drivers are content at Enstone
In brief
Gasly and Ocon “happy” at Alpine
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin insists that both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are happy to be with the team despite their woeful start to the 2024 season.
Neither driver has scored a point so far over the opening four rounds of the season as Alpine sit bottom in the constructors’ championship. However, Famin is confident they both share his long-term vision for the team.
“We are happy with our drivers, and our drivers are happy with us,” he told the official F1 website. “We are talking to them regularly. Let’s see what we can do in the future. There are ups and down, we are in a down but we have a strong project with a long term vision.
“We have a project which doesn’t need to convince them [to stay]. I would like to use this opportunity to thank them. We are in a difficult position. It is not the start of the season we wanted and I appreciate how constructive they are with the team, not only in communications with journalists but also internally. When trying to find solutions with the car, both of them are very helpful.”
Scheckter’s title winning Ferrari under auction
Jody Scheckter’s 1979 world championship title winning Ferrari 312T4 is expected to fetch at least €5,250,000 (£4,497,500) when it goes under auction next month.
The car, which won the Belgian, Monaco and Italian grands prix with Scheckter at the wheel, was bought from Ferrari by the driver himself in 1982 and driven only once during the Italian Grand Prix weekend in 2019.
It will form the centrepiece of a series of auctions with RM Sotheby’s in Monte Carlo over the 10th and 11th of May.
Woods-Toth assumes early FRAC lead
Reigning US F4 champion Patrick Woods-Toth took an early lead in the Formula Regional Americas Championship following the opening round at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Woods-Toth won the second race of the weekend on Sunday morning, following a late red flag after passing for the lead just before the race was neutralised. He added two second places in the opening race, won by Cole Kleck, and the third won by Ryan Shehan.
The results see Woods-Toth assume the lead of the championship, with 61 points, after the first three of 21 races in the series.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Woman at centre of Horner sexting scandal set to be quizzed by investigators within days (Sun)
‘The woman, who has been suspended from her job at the team’s UK headquarters, challenged the independent report into her claims. A new barrister has been appointed for the appeal and is due to speak to her within days.’
Sainz facing F1 reality after Alonso contract decision with just two options (Mirror)
‘Of those, his two best options are the Audi project, and Williams. Audi enters F1 in 2026 when the German carmaker takes over the Sauber team that finished ninth last season. Realistically, it will take years for them to fight at the front – if they manage it at all. And Williams, though they have a glorious past, haven’t won a championship since 1997 and have finished last in four of the last six seasons. That’s the reality facing Sainz, despite his impressive form so far this year.’
Bellagio replacing trees that have died since December, Las Vegas GP (Fox 5)
‘The trees were monitored weekly after they were installed. In January, an arborist evaluated the trees in January and said they were healthy. Come March, the trees were evaluated and their health worsened. A consensus was reached with an expert to replace the trees.’
‘He’s had chances’ – Worrying verdict issued on Ricciardo amid F1 concerns (Planet F1)
Boutsen: ”If you’re driving in Formula 1, you have to give 100 percent of yourself all the time. If you’re affected by confidence, affected by a physical problem, affected by anything, you’re not doing a good job. You can see today, that he is making mistakes and is not as quick as he should and what he has been in the past. That means that his mental(ity) is not as strong as it was when he was winning races in the past.”
Exclusive: Lola aiming for competitive results within two years, says Preston (Motorsport Week)
Lola motorsport director Mark Preston: ”And we also see that the majority of motorsport in the future is going to go towards some level of electrification – F1’s going to 50 percent electrification in 2026 and other series like WEC are also electrified, so it makes sense to start here as the electrified pillar and then move on to the other aspects.”
Bosnian Formula 1 superfan builds replica ‘Schumacher’ racer (CGTN)
”When you drive Formula 1, you feel like you are flying. It is not like a cart is the only one in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There are no others. I sometimes put it on a trailer to take it to other places in the country. People come, photograph it, and ask questions. The feeling is indescribable.”
Formula E round 6: Misano (Formula E via YouTube)
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Two crazy and hectic races in Misano for the NEOM @mclarenfe Team.
Jake finished Race 1 in P16 as Sam took a DNF.
On Sunday, Jake started on Pole but was unable to convert, finishing in P8 after receiving a time penalty. Sam finished just inside the points in P10.
Great… pic.twitter.com/m7HZ3yKUDf
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) April 14, 2024
Formula 1 has messed around with its race weekend format and nomenclature so much in recent years the TV guides are full of errors now. I see some sessions for next weekend listed under old names at the wrong times. #F1
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) April 14, 2024
A master at a different type of driving 🤣 Swing and a miss ⛳ pic.twitter.com/CAxfMy2X88
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 14, 2024
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Davidnotcoulthard and Dave W!
On this day in motorsport
- 40 years ago today Tom Sneva won the second race of the IndyCar season on the Phoenix oval despite stalling during a pit stop. Race one winner Mario Andretti retired after running low on fuel then breaking a driveshaft.