In the round-up: Carlos Sainz Jnr says the early October date for this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix is “extreme”.
In brief
Sainz concerned over Qatar GP date
The positioning of the Qatar Grand Prix is too early in the season due to the intense heat, believes Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jnr.
The race at Losail International Circuit is taking place in early October, rather than late November like the inaugural race there in 2021. Ambient temperatures are expected to sit within the mid-to-high 30s across the weekend.
“I think it’s a bit of an extreme case and I’m hoping it doesn’t repeat itself in the future,” Sainz said. “Obviously the organisers are finding the best possible dates, but the drivers are suffering the heat and the situation and it’s not going to be a comfortable race at all.
“I’m not worried because I know Singapore feels very, very hot. I did well in Singapore, so I’m ready for it.”
Williams announce £46.4m revenue increase for 2022
The Williams F1 team has announced it had an increase of £46.4m in revenue over the 2022 season compared to 2021.
Companies House declarations by Williams Grand Prix Engineering for the 2022 calendar year noted that total revenue was £142.8m, a significant rise over its 2021 revenue of £96.4m.
Williams finished tenth and last in the 2022 season with eight points, however they gained several new sponsors over that season – many of which remained with the team into 2023.
Indy Nxt confirms 2024 calendar
IndyCar’s main feeder series has confirmed a 14-race calendar for the the third-successive season in 2024, including an additional oval race.
The championship will once again follow the IndyCar Series schedule from the season-opener at St Petersburg in March to the new final race venue of Nashville in September. There will be three oval races in the season, at Iowa, Gateway and a return to Milwaukee, with two double-header rounds at Indianapolis in May and Laguna Seca in June.
This year’s Indy Nxt title was won by Christian Rasmussen. Champion of 2022, Linus Lundqvist, competed in three races towards the end of the 2023 season with Meyer Shank, achieving a best finish of 12th at the second Indianapolis road course race.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
AMF1 Team renews landmark partnership agreement with Cognizant (Aston Martin)
‘The renewal and extension of the partnership agreement will build on the success achieved during its current three-year collaboration, including the contribution Cognizant’s data and machine-learning technology and broader digital transformation expertise is playing within the day-to-day operation of the race team, super-charging AMF1 Team’s IT infrastructure.’
George Russell kept injury secret from Toto Wolff after F1 star’s accident on holiday (Mirror)
”Long story short, I was learning to foilboard in Spain, and on my first day I fell off, caught my wrist and sliced my wrist open a bit. I didn’t let Toto know, but he had just sent me a photo of a broken bone on holiday.”
Aston Martin boss urges F1 to stick to 10 teams (Independent)
Lawrence Stroll: ‘I think F1, at the moment, the business is on fire, the sport has never been in a better place and I believe if it isn’t broken you don’t need to fix it. So I’m a strong believer that it’s working really well with 10 teams right now and believe that’s the way it should stay.’
The FIA has approved Andretti’s F1 bid. Now what? (Racer)
Rodin Cars founder David Dicker: ”To be honest, I feel like even though the process they went through, has a facade of transparency and all the other stuff that it was always going to be Andretti. I mean, some of the statements from personnel from the FIA just really made you think ‘Well, yeah…’”
iRacing to develop NASCAR console game available in 2025 (iRacing)
‘NASCAR, iRacing and Motorsport Games Inc. announced today that iRacing has acquired NASCAR Team Properties’ exclusive simulation-style console racing games license from Motorsport Games. The sale, approved by NTP, will see the license transfer from 704Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Motorsport Games, to iRacing, which will begin developing a NASCAR console game expected in 2025.’
Exclusive Simulation-Style NASCAR Video Game License Sold to iRacing (Motorsport Games)
‘Additionally, as part of ongoing efforts to achieve long-term financial sustainability and growth, Motorsport Games has committed to redefining its product and development strategy and will start with a comprehensive commercial review of all projects in its portfolio, which may result in additional restructuring efforts to those already implemented under the previously announced 2022 Restructuring program. This includes a detailed review of the IndyCar game project, which is under development by the Motorsport Games Australia studio and Traxion.GG, a UK based media website and community focused on racing games and related esports.’
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.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Gaston_Pdu!