In the round-up: AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost believes Isack Hadjar has a future in Formula 1.
In brief
Tost says Hadjar ‘will be in F1 soon’
After F2 driver and Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar took part in Friday’s opening practice session in place of Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost says that he sees an F1 future for the 19-year-old.
“He did a good job, I must say,” Tost said after Hadjar ended the session 17th-fastest, “We were all impressed by him.
“He was out with three different sets of tyres; the prototype tyre, the medium and the soft. And with all these different compounds, I must say that he really did a good job. His technical feedback was also quite good because if you compare it to the data, it’s a very high correlation. We are really impressed and I think that he will be soon in Formula 1.”
Tsunoda to start from back of grid
Yuki Tsunoda will be forced to start tomorrow’s Mexican Grand Prix from the back of the grid after AlphaTauri took his fifth power unit of the season as well as his fifth gearbox.
Teams are restricted to just four power units for the 2023 season, as well as two energy stores and control electronics. Due to exceeding the 15-place combined grid penalty threshold, Tsunoda will be made to start from the back of the grid no matter where he qualifies in today’s session.
Horner confirms Red Bull Friday practice plans
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that the team will run both their Friday practice young driver allocations together during the opening practice session of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Due to the first practice session at Yas Marina taking place in the day with the race starting at twilight and finishing in darkness, Horner said the opening practice session would be the best option as it offers “not a great deal of car set up value.”
Jake Dennis and Isack Hadjar will step into Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s cars for the opening hour-long session.
Cassidy ends Formula E test on top
Nick Cassidy ensured Jaguar were the quickest team across all three days of the pre-season Formula E test in Valencia by setting the fastest time in the last session.
After team mate Mitch Evans set the pace over the first two days, Cassidy was quickest over the day, less than half a tenth faster than Maximilian Guenther’s Maserati with Evans third.
A 27-lap mock race held in the morning to simulate a full EPrix including fast charging in the pits was ‘won’ by Envision driver Robin Frijns ahead of Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Wolff on Las Vegas Grand Prix, F1 Future: Business Beyond the Game (Sportico)
‘Wolff joined Business Beyond the Game to discuss the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix, the sport’s growing interest in the U.S. and the wave of F1 investment from celebrities.’
Back on the Formula 1 grid, Ricciardo wants to prove he can win (Forbes)
‘As a driver, it’s very easy to go too far down a rabbit hole and over complicate what might be a more simple situation. As a person, the biggest lesson is don’t burn your bridges. There was a world where, five years ago, people would’ve said he’s never going back to Red Bull. Look where we are. It’s crazy how things work. You can be emotional at times, and it’s good to show some of that.’
CNBC documentary ‘Inside Track’ will explore Formula One’s business side (NBC)
‘While the Drive To Survive series on Netflix focuses on the competitors and the drama of F1, the CNBC one-hour documentary will analyse the finances, revenue, and expansion of the series, as well as the role of sponsors. CNBC anchor and documentary host Sara Eisen said the the program is a ”true passion project for me.”’
Increased presence in 2024 season will accelerate female driver development, says Abbi Pulling (Sky)
”It’s going to be a lot of pressure for the drivers of course, but it will help them also mature a lot quicker, become well-rounded drivers a lot quicker, and develop. They are in front of the right people, I think that’s the main thing.They are all in front of F1 teams and are showing what they can do on a world stage.”
Hamilton creates alcohol-free agave ‘spirit’ (Spirits Business)
‘There’s a huge appetite for quality alternatives for those times when people don’t want to drink alcohol but also don’t want to compromise on flavour, which is why it was important that our product includes agave to reflect the taste of conventional tequila. I think it tastes amazing and what we have created is unlike anything else on the market, so I can’t wait to see what you all think.’
Why do F1 cars perform differently in Mexico? (Mercedes via YouTube)
Chatting with Bottas at the Mexican GP (Nailing the Apex via YouTube)
O’Ward talks in-depth about up and downs of 2023 season (IndyCar via YouTube)
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