In the round-up: Carlos Sainz Jnr is in no rush to determine where he will race in the future after losing his Ferrari drive for next year.
In brief
Sainz will “take time” to decide future
Sainz, who will leave Ferrari at the end of this year, says he is in no rush to commit to his next Formula 1 team at this early phase of the year.
“I feel prepared and ready to take my fourth year as a good challenge here in Ferrari,” Sainz told the official F1 channel. “Obviously next year the team will be different and I will be moving somewhere else, but I still have no idea where.
“I’m going to take my time to take the decision. The right decision for me, for my career, for the next three or four years that I might be in the next place that I go to. In order for that I need time to see the whole situation of all the teams and see who is offering the best chance for me to be world champion in the future.”
New Mercedes “much nicer to drive” – Hamilton
After Lewis Hamilton notched up 123 laps and the third-fastest time of pre-season testing so far in his first full day of running in Mercedes’ W15, the seven-times world champion says he has a good first impression of the car
“It was a productive day out there,” Hamilton said. “We gathered lots of learnings about the W15, both in our long running and single lap work.
“We’ve clearly made an improvement with this year’s car and it’s much nicer to drive. We’ve still got progress to make of course. But this is a good foundation for us to build on. We’ll keep our heads down and continue to work to find improvements, both over the rest of the test and into next week.”
Croft to sit out three rounds in 2024
Sky F1 lead commentator David Croft will sit out of three rounds over this season and will be replaced by Formula 3 commentator Harry Benjamin.
Croft has been Sky’s lead commentator alongside Martin Brundle since the British satellite broadcaster took over exclusive rights to all live F1 coverage in the UK in 2012. Croft has commentated for all 243 grands prix in that time, but says he is choosing to miss three of this year’s 24 rounds.
“So, here’s a little bit of news for you all – 24 races this season, but I’m going to miss three of them,” Croft posted on social media. “Will be a bit strange as it’s been a while (2007) since I last missed one. Good luck and welcome to the team to Harry Benjamin who’s standing in for me.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Max in Bahrain: ‘Impressive that the team pulled it off’ (Verstappen)
”Last year’s car was obviously very good, but it was not fast on street circuits and in slow corners, and those were areas we sought to improve on. From the first moments here in Bahrain, the car felt good. We were able to work through our entire test plan flawlessly. We experienced very few problems. The balance was in the right range from the start, so then you can try out a lot right away, because you don’t have to waste time looking for the right balance.”
A stone-cold Silverstone masterclass: Senna’s greatest F1 performance? (Motor Sport)
‘Instead of a duel for the ages, we witnessed a stone-cold (mostly cold!) Senna masterclass. The win in Portugal 1985 and that perfect first lap at Donington ’93 tend to pop up first in the lists of his greatest performances, but Silverstone ’88 for me is right up there.’
UWTSD welcomes McLaren Applied chairman Nick Fry (University of Wales)
‘Through his talk, Nick, a graduate of the University of Wales, gave students real-world perspectives, lessons, and inspiration, helping them to understand the complexities and opportunities within Formula 1. He was also given a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities in our IQ building.’
The FIA once again awards the circuit the three-star environmental accreditation (FIA)
‘The FIA has renewed the three-star environmental accreditation granted to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by its sustainability programme. The Catalan track continues to show a pioneering environmental involvement in the world of sport and circuits, after eight years of recognition. In 2015, the circuit became the first Formula 1 track to obtain the Excellence level accreditation of the FIA Sustainability Programme. This project aims to improve sustainability in motorsport worldwide and provides a framework for the environmental management of the different stakeholders and offers initiatives to advance in this field of action.’
Button (JOTA): ”I think I’ll be in the WEC for the next couple of years” (Daily Sportscar)
”I don’t see this as a one-year deal. I don’t want to be jumping around now. I am 44, I won’t be racing for many more years. I’m fully on it in wanting to achieve over the next couple of years. I don’t want to be switching championships.”
Vista AF Corse Ferrari’s’ livery supports Princess Charlene Foundation (Monaco Tribune)
‘Gareth Wittstock, General Secretary of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, attended the presentation, along with Charles Leclerc and world high jump champion Mutaz Barshim, both ambassadors for the Foundation.’
Behind the Scenes of our 2024 Car Launch Video! (RB via YouTube)
‘Join us behind the scenes for our 2024 car launch video, which was filmed in Faenza and revealed to the world at the start of February.’
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