In the round-up: Carlos Sainz Jnr says he felt “very weak” while driving with an illness
In brief
Sainz feels “very weak” following illness
Carlos Sainz Jnr admitted he does not feel at full strength while he is battling the affects of an illness.
The Ferrari driver did not attend media duties on Wednesday due to a stomach bug but participated in both practice sessions yesterday, ending the day seventh quickest.
“It has been a very difficult day for me as I haven’t fully recovered from the sickness that has kept me in bed for the last 24 hours and I still feel very weak,” he said after the day’s running.
“Even though I couldn’t push to the limit today, at least we completed the programme and hopefully tomorrow I will be fully recovered and we can focus on qualifying and the race.”
Stroll gets new race engineer
Lance Stroll will have a new race engineer from the Japanese Grand Prix after his current engineer, Ben Michell, was promoted to Aston Matin’s head of performance optimisation.
Michell has been the voice in Stroll’s ear over team radio since late 2021. From Suzuka, Stroll will be engineered by Andrew Vizard who stood in for Michell in Thursday’s opening practice session. Vizard will do another practice session stand ins in Melbourne before the assumes the role full time from Suzuka.
McLaren junior Ugochukwu to race GB3
McLaren junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu will compete in a handful of gorunds in the GB3 championship this season with Rodin, the team has announced.
Ugochukwu, who is racing in the Formula Regional European Championship this season with Prema, will compete in four rounds of the British series – one in Oulton Park, two at Silverstone and the final at Spa-Francorchamps.
“We are excited to have Ugo on board for the upcoming season,” said Rodin team manager Ricky Taylor. “His skills and achievements speak for themselves, and we believe he will be a valuable asset to our team.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Have your name on the Japanese Grand Prix Chequered Flag (F1)
‘Win the chance to have your name on the Japanese Grand Prix Chequered flag, and a piece of the memorabilia sent to you.’
Racing Green takes pole position as the most popular Aston Martin colour choice (Aston Martin)
‘Introduced to the automotive marque in celebration of its return to F1 in 2021, Aston Martin Racing Green proved an instant hit with customers. In its first year of availability, the colour option represented around seven per cent of new car orders and that number has steadily grown in the years that followed. In 2023, that number reached a new height of 12 per cent eclipsing the popularity of all other colours and approaching a figure of double the next most popular option, Xenon Grey at 6.8 per cent.’
‘Fernando Barrichello has been confirmed as one of the drivers of Motopark in the 2024 Euroformula Open. The 18-yeear old Brazilian driver steps up directly from Formula 4, having competed in the Brazilian, Spanish and UAE series in the last two seasons. The son of Rubens Barrichello, known also as Fefo, is the latest son of a F.1 racer competing in the Euroformula, which last year saw in action Enzo Trulli, Charlie Wurz and Juju Noda.’
”I got the pleasure of being teammates with Kurt Busch the last time a Cup driver tried the double, and I was super impressed with how he performed over the month. Kyle Larson is coming in with just as much professionalism but probably even more prep, having done the Phoenix test, and I’m fully expecting him to be a contender at the Indy 500.”
‘As part of the pathway that has now been established – with recommendations that span promotion, sporting and technical – results of the FIA’s WRC Fan Engagement Survey have been a central consideration. Over 11,000 respondents from across the world shared their feedback, providing invaluable insight on several topics including the format of rallies, car types and specification, and further fan focus groups allowed for a targeted review of key recommendations.’
Who to look out for on the IndyCar support bill in 2024 (Formula Scout)
‘Andretti junior Sebastian Wheldon, son of the late IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon, won the F4-spec Skip Barber Formula Race Series in 2023 and that success earned him a $100,000 scholarship to spend on a USF Juniors seat. He has signed with VRD, and their relationship started with Wheldon becoming YACademy WS runner-up.’
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
Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
After fielding questions about the ongoing Red Bull controversy in today’s FIA press conference Christian Horner told the other team bosses: “I’m sorry for these three gentlemen that they’re not here talking about their cars.”
I suspect Bruno Famin was not exactly heartbroken.
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) March 7, 2024
Not many are capable of doing what @OllieBearman has just done, bouncing back from a super difficult week in Bahrain to Pole in Jeddah! The Bear is amazingly talented on track but also super strong mentally… Reminds me loads of Carlos & Max in our Toro Rosso days. Impressive 🐻
— Tabatha Valls (@tabathavalls) March 7, 2024
It revolutionizes reviewing a race, but I do not use it when watching live because it is information overload and I have to concentrate. We’ve had access to that level of coverage in TV trucks for years… ultimately, you trust the director to show you what you need to see. https://t.co/xFySlV3Zlh
— Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman) March 7, 2024
We’ve seen a lot of excitement and a lot of questions about the rain. Here are some of the FAQs with answers!
Let us know what else you want to know about iRacing’s new weather system! pic.twitter.com/hTdKXGxlZj
— iRacing (@iRacing) March 7, 2024
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Icthyes, Les, Preekel, Rebecca, Stig Semper Fi and Mark Adams!