In the round-up: Williams has a major update coming for its car but it won’t arrive until after its home race.
In brief
Williams explain upgrade plans
Williams has a significant upgrade coming for its FW46, said team principal James Vowles, with the largest part expected to arrive after the upcoming trio of rounds in Spain, Austria and Great Britain.
“There will be performance adds across the next few race weekends with a very substantial package probably post-triple header,” he said in a video released by the team. “That doesn’t mean we won’t be adding performance. There’s quite a bit to come over the next few races.”
Verstappen condemns social media trolls
Max Verstappen has attacked claims made about his relationship with Kelly Piquet on social media.
“This has to stop,” Verstappen wrote in response to a post by Piquet. “These false accusations by certain individuals on Instagram and TikTok are insane and ridiculous at the same time.
“Hate has no place in this world. We know what’s true within our family and we are very happy together.”
BMW first, Toyota last in Le Mans qualifying
BMW led qualifying practice for the Le Mans 24 Hours, though only the pace-setting M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello and Marco Wittmann will participate in today’s Hyperpole session to decide who will start the race at the front. Both works Cadillacs and Ferraris will join them, along with the number 35 Alpine and one Porsche 963 each from Penske and JOTA.
Neither of the Toyotas made the cut. The number seven car of Nyck de Vries, Jose Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi did not register a time after the latter spun and caused a red flag, meaning their runs were invalidated. The car will start at the rear of the Hypercar field.
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Ferrari collect Le Mans penalty three days before race
Ferrari and their customer team AF Corse have been given penalties for two of their cars which will be applied during their first pit stops at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The stewards found the number 51 works Ferrari and number 83 AF Corse machine failed to respect the pit lane procedure as each was “not correctly stopped in its dedicated stopping area.” They have been given 10-second time penalties.
Hybrid power pleases Power
Will Power expects IndyCar’s new hybrid system will help drivers overtake when it is introduced following the next round of the championship.
“You do feel it’s probably going to assist in passing,” said Power, who was quickest in a test for the hybrids at Milwaukee this week. “If you’ve got a run on someone, I think it will work.”
GB3 reveals new car with DRS
GB3 has revealed a new chassis for its 2025 season which it says will offer more power, more grip and more downforce in addition to introducing the Drag Reduction System to the series for the first time. The Mountune engines will produced 280bhp, a 12% increase on this year, while front and rear tyres will be 50mm wider.
The chassis will confirm to FIA safety standards for Regional Formula 3. GB3 says the chassis has also been designed to better accommodate taller and shorter drivers.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Ferrari confirms Spa protest appeal; wants rules ‘clarity’ (Sportscar 365)
‘Ferrari’s global head of endurance Antonello Coletta has confirmed the Italian brand has filed an appeal against its rejected protest following the Spa round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, as it seeks ‘clarity’ for what will happen in the future.’
Sargeant highlights life as the only American F1 driver (Forbes)
‘It’s not always easy. It’s a bit hidden from the outside sometimes, but there’s some disparity between cars on the team. I’m trying to get the most out of my package. If I’m doing that, I’m happy, and I feel like I’ve done that over the last couple of rounds and I want to continue to do so and try to keep improving.’
‘One employee of the city of Montreal’s fire department has been suspended and the city has launched an internal investigation after fire prevention officers ordered four Peel St. establishments to clear their packed terrasses of clients on the first night of Grand Prix weekend for fire code breaches.’
We spent $20,980 to see the Formula 1 (Monaco) Grand Prix live (Business Insider)
‘On Saturday, we boarded a coach bus to Monaco and headed to the Ermanno Penthouse to watch the race. There, we climbed up 12 flights of stairs for a taste of Monegasque luxury.’
The results of round three have been officially confirmed (Formula Regional European)
‘The results and standings of Zandvoort race two were initially provisional, pending further technical inspections of car number 15 (Brando Badoer) at the constructor’s facility. Following these additional verifications, which included comprehensive checks on specific components, it has been confirmed that all parts are in full compliance with the 2024 FRECA technical regulations.’
Aron: My greatest influences (Formula 2)
Paul Aron: ‘Saying the wrong things to the wrong people can end your career and at the same time saying the right things at the right time can give you a chance that normally you wouldn’t have. (My brother) is very helpful on that side, and I am sure I have avoided many mistakes and done many good decisions just because of him.’
First ever sporting organiser working group held at FIA conference (FIA)
‘The meeting facilitated knowledge-sharing between ASNs who already organise F1 races, with the overall goal being to create an ever-stronger network of organisations that deliver consistently at the highest level of motor sport, ensuring an improving experience for competitors and fans.’
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Social media
Notable posts from X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:
P4 in Qualifying… untill I went off in another push lap and caused a red flag. All times taken away so we start last 🤷🏻♂️
First of all apologies to the team and for the extra work that they have to put in now… 🙏
It will just make the job a little harder but I am sure we can… pic.twitter.com/cImI4VyaKl
— KAMUI KOBAYASHI (@kamui_kobayashi) June 12, 2024
There’s a @24HoursOfLeMans winner in their somewhere.
Who will it be?#LeMans24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/rC2vPT4qHh
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) June 12, 2024
Canadian security confiscating every single DRS board / brake marker / marshal post sign swiped by the fans on the way down to the podium. I didn’t realise those bits of cardboard were so valuable! #CanadianGP 🇨🇦
— Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman) June 9, 2024
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Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Trayambak Chakravarty, Scunnyman, Artanonim and Jackson!