In the round-up: Max Verstappen has raised the bar for Formula 1 drivers by using simulators to perfect his racecraft, former grand prix driver Gerhard Berger believes.
In brief
Verstappen “probably the best” – Berger
Berger, who shared teams with the likes of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell during a career in which he won 10 grands prix, says Verstappen should be considered the greatest of all time.
“Senna and [Michael] Schumacher benefited from racing karts from an early age and doing nothing else in life other than racing,” said the former Ferrari and McLaren racer told Auto Motor und Sport. “This applies to all drivers today.
“But Verstappen still drives virtual races on the simulator in his free time. Sometimes three a day. So he is always busy with this topic. He thinks through where you can overtake and where you can’t. Neither Senna, Schumacher nor [Lewis] Hamilton had this tool.
“It’s just noticeable that Max is always in the right place. At the start, in the first corner, in a duel. I can’t think of anything that could be done better than him. That’s why Max Verstappen is probably the best we’ve ever seen in Formula 1.”
Ferrari pair concluded Pirelli test
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr concluded a two-day tyre test for Pirelli at the Circuit de Catalunya yesterday. Their work was focused on developing rubber for the 2025 season “with the aim of reducing overheating”, according to Pirelli.
Sainz logged 90 laps, Leclerc 72, the latter setting a best time of 1’15.068 to his team mate’s 1’15.802. Between them they covered 1,400 kilometres of running in last year’s SF-23 at the current Spanish Grand Prix venue. Ferrari will continue running at the track tomorrow with a 2022-specification SF-22.
Capito moves into Nitrocross
Former Williams team principal Jost Capito has joined the electric rallycross series Nitrocross as a senior advisor. Capito, who also previously headed up Volkswagen successful World Rally Championship team, said “our collective vision is to not only push the boundaries of motorsports but also inspire a new era of competition and innovation.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
Ready for 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣#ToyotaGAZOORacing #GR010HYBRID #WEC #LeMans24 #GoHyper #PushingTheLimitsForBetter @fiawec @24hoursoflemans @mikeconway26 @kamui_kobayashi @nyckdevries @sebastien_buemi @BrendonHartley @ryohirakawa pic.twitter.com/skmmt3qrbW
— TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC (@TGR_WEC) January 30, 2024
It’s alive…#WhateverItTakes pic.twitter.com/crqsFsMaGh
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) January 30, 2024
‘He should be disqualified for the season’ 😂
See what our drivers had to say post #DiriyahEPrix in the Drivers’ Room. pic.twitter.com/28QqH1StQI
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) January 30, 2024
Hello @HomesteadMiami 👋 #hybridtestin’ pic.twitter.com/xkENccYMCU
— Kyle M. Kirkwood (@KKirkwoodRacing) January 30, 2024
I want to personally thank @GanassiChip for his apology to myself, my parents, my siblings and Katie. Nothing will be able to bring Lucky back or make the pain go away but I would also like to say thank you to Chip for his donation to the Humane Society of Indianapolis. In…
— Devlin Defrancesco (@DevlinDeFran) January 30, 2024
PERSONAL NEWS: After 10 years at The Times and 7 seasons in F1, I’ve made the decision that now is the right time for me to step away.
To (sort of) quote my favourite Liverpool manager of all time, Jurgen Klopp, I am looking down the barrel of this season and 24 races and….— Bec Clancy (@becclancy) January 30, 2024
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Sharan!