In the round-up: Toyota have been given a suspended fine after their team manager criticised the FIA’s Balance of Performance system.
In brief
Toyota committed “serious breach” with BoP comments
The FIA has fined Toyota €10,000, suspended for the remainder of the year, over comments made by team director Rob Leupen regarding the World Endurance Championship’s Balance of Performance system.
The WEC’s regulations state “manufacturers, competitors, drivers and any persons or entities associated with their entries must not seek to influence the establishment of the BoP or comment on the results, in particular through public statements, the media and social networks.”
Leupen was reported to have criticised the FIA’s change to the BoP prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023, which was the only round of that championship Toyota did not win, and described the 2024 BoP process as “not transparent,” adding that “in the future, honesty is required.”
The stewards ruled Leupen’s comments “call into question the impartiality of the FIA, cast suspicion on its integrity, and thus causes moral harm” and “have the direct consequence of casting doubt on the integrity of the sporting results of the championship and damaging their credibility.”
They chose to impose a suspended fine as the rule prohibiting discussion of the BoP has not previously been applied. However the stewards advised other competitors to bear their decision in mind.
“The stewards consider this a serious breach of the regulations, but given that this is the first application of these regulations in the championship, chose to suspend the fine for the balance of 2024 subject to there being no further violations of these regulations by anyone associated with the competitor,” they stated. “All competitors are put on notice that future violations may not receive a suspended penalty.”
Leupen requested the stewards consider his comments as they were reported in Dutch, but due to the absence of a translator an English translation was used instead, and Leupen was invited to submit corrections to it.
IndyCar has same weight problem as F1 – Power
Will Power says IndyCar faces the same problem as Formula 1 in that its cars have become too heavy. The series added hybrid power system to its cars two rounds ago at Mid-Ohio but drivers have warned the heavier cars do not race as well as they previously did.
“I just wonder if the car is simply too heavy now,” he said. “Then when we add the downforce, it overloads the tyre. That’s sort of the predicament.
“I feel like if we were 200 pounds [90 kilograms] lighter, you could run more downforce, run a softer tyre. There’s a lot of things that would go toward being able to.
“I think that should be and probably is a big focus of the new car coming in a couple years, to knock a lot of weight. It’s hard to, but I think they really need to focus on that.
“Formula 1 is trying to do the same thing, trying to knock a lot of weight out of their car. If you saw the racing at the beginning of this year, which is the lightest we’ve been for a bit, a lighter gearbox casing and bellhousing, it was pretty fierce, good, hard racing. It was a lot more moves and closer racing.”
He says the series can’t wait until its next chassis arrives to make changes. “We’ve certainly got to do something for next year. We went from the best oval race we would have all season to potentially the least amount of passing.”
Audi confirm BP as fuel supplier
Audi has confirmed BP (previously British Petroleum) will supply fuel and lubricants for its power unit when it enters Formula 1 in 2026. Audi Formula Racing CEO Adam Baker predicts “strong competition” when F1 switches to sustainable fuels in two years’ time.
“In view of the high performance potential, it was important for us to start our fuel testing at the end of 2022 with BP as our partner,” he said. “The combustion process is highly complex and can only be optimised by developing the engine in combination with the fuel properties.
“That’s why at Audi Formula Racing, where we are well advanced with Audi’s F1 power unit development, we use all three single-cylinder test benches allowed by the FIA regulations intensively for fuel development. It is impressive how many different fuel variants we have developed to date as we prepare for our 2026 race season. I am convinced that we are perfectly positioned with BP and Castrol.”
Ralf Schumacher reveals he’s in a gay relationship
Ralf Schumacher, who won six Formula 1 races between 1997 and 2007, thanked supporters for their positive reaction after revealing he is in a gay relationship in a social media post earlier this week. “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything,” he said.
His son David, from his previous marriage to ex-wife Cora, said in response: “I am very happy that you have finally found someone with whom you really feel that you feel very comfortable and secure, no matter if you are a man or a woman, I am 100% behind you dad and wish you all the best and congratulations.”