Max Verstappen defended his controversial pass on Charles Leclerc in the Austrian Grand Prix, saying it was “hard racing”. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Red Bull driver is under investigation for the collision between the pair which occured when Verstappen overtook Leclerc to win the race. Vettel made two attempts to pass Leclerc at turn three. He succeeded with his second attempt, though only after the pair tangled and Leclerc ran wide. “I think the second one I braked a bit deeper into the corner,” said Verstappen. “We had a little contact of course, mid-to-exit of the corner but from my side I think it’s racing.” “It’s hard racing,” he said. “It’s better than just following each other and having a boring race, isn’t it?” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto told Leclerc after the race “the win could be yours, the win should be yours”. Leclerc told the team: “I was on the outside, he has to leave one car space, just as he did the lap …
Racing
F1 to shrink Monaco GP to three-day race weekend from 2022
Monaco has traditionally spread its race weekend over four days, holding the opening two practice sessions on Thursday before using Friday as a rest day for the F1 paddock. The tradition dated back to the race’s original scheduling on a bank holiday weekend, but was maintained to allow traffic to flow through the area and assists businesses in preparing for the weekend. But as F1 plans for next year’s calendar, which is set to be revealed in mid-October and finalised at the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting, the Monaco weekend will now switch to a traditional format. It is anticipated that the addition of the Miami Grand Prix to the schedule in May will force Spain and Monaco to go back-to-back. While this has been achieved in the past with a four-day Monaco weekend, the switch to the normal three-day format will ease some logistical pressures. “Monaco will be in three days, straightaway,” F1 boss Domenicali said in an interview with CNN . “So [it will be] …
What to expect from the all-female Richard Mille Racing Team at Le Mans
A trouble-free run where the Signatech-ran car encountered no reliability problems and its all-female trio of Le Mans rookies Tatiana Calderon, Beitske Visser and Sophia Floersch made no mistakes to bring the car home without damage was as much as could feasibly be hoped for given the unusual circumstances that surrounded the year. The COVID-induced cancellation of the traditional pre-Le Mans Test Day and heavily-condensed nature of the schedule during the event itself, reducing opportunities to digest data and perfect set-up with the engineers, was only the tip of the iceberg. An accident prior to the squad’s debut in the first European Le Mans Series round of the year had ruled out designated team leader Katherine Legge through injury, while a constantly changing lineup due to clashing commitments for Calderon (in Japan’s Super Formula championship) and Floersch in FIA F3 meant Le Mans was their first race together with Legge’s replacement Visser as a trio in the same car. …
Haase, Companc to race Starworks Audi in IMSA
The new signings will campaign the #8 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo in the GT Daytona class with Parker Chase and confirmed full-season driver Ryan Dalziel. “I am really happy to join Starworks Motorsport with Peter Baron,” said Haase who also has 24-hour wins at Spa and Nurburgring to his name, as well as Petit Le Mans victory. “The 24 Hours At Daytona is a prestigious race, and I already participated five times there. It is a race that every GT driver wants to be part of. The race is competition, strategy, and racing at its best. With the Audi we will have a great car that can always fight for the big trophies.” Companc, who tested with the team Daytona early this month, last year competed in the Blancpain GT series, earning two podiums, and took a win in the ADAC GT Masters. He said: "It's a new challenge for me to do all of the IMSA North American Endurance Cup with Starworks next year. Everything will be new for me except the Rolex. “I felt really comfortable with my new …
F1 Mobile Racing’s 2021 season update is out now on iOS and Android
All your favourite drivers, teams and liveries from the real F1 season – currently in the middle of a nailbiting head-to-head between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – are now included, replacing their 2020 equivalents. Alongside the updated season, the gameplay has also been refreshed. The main core of the experience is the PvP Duels that allows you to design your own F1 car and compete against other real players from around the world online. The aim is to work towards the Elite Leagues, unlocking new content and rewards as you progress. The visuals and sounds have also been boosted when compared to the 2020 season, thanks to more detailed environments and a revised lighting system. The last of the big-ticket items is a facelifted research and development system. You still unlock parts as ‘cards’ and then switch out the cards depending on how many resource points you have available for part upgrades, but the user interface has been completely overhauled. …
Netflix would ‘think about’ F1 buyout to stream races
With streaming services getting more involved in bidding against traditional television channels for live sporting rights, there has been speculation that F1’s broadcast plans could shift in the long term. Amazon has shown recent deals to stream exclusive football and tennis can work in attracting interest beyond movies and series, and F1 would be a logical sport to further drive up viewers. But while Netflix has enjoyed great success with its ‘F1 Drive to Survive’ series, the company is more cautious about areas of broadcast that move away from its traditional core. In particular, it is sceptical about wanting to broadcast news or live sports because there is no guarantee that the end product will be good enough. It wants full control over any content it produces. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Der Spiegel, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings said: “News is by its nature political, and it varies greatly from country to country. “It is difficult to produce news as a …
Experience teaches you to “be smart” in risky moves – Hamilton · RaceFans
Lewis Hamilton says he has learned from experience when not to risk an overtaking move which is unlikely to succeed. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free He made the remarks following his second collision with championship rival Max Verstappen this year. The pair tangled at Monza while the Red Bull driver was trying to overtake the Mercedes. The two drivers previously collided at Silverstone. The seven-times world champion suggested Verstappen’s lack of experience in championship contests is leading him to take more risks. “I’m putting all the energy into moving forwards,” said Hamilton. “Naturally we’re battling for a championship. I remember what it was like battling for my first championship and obviously I’m fighting in my tenth battle, something like that. But I remember what it was like and I know the pressures that comes with it and the experience that go with it so I can empathise with that. “I think what’s important is that we continue to race …
F1: Haas confirm Mazepin and Schumacher as 2022 drivers · RaceFans
Haas have announced an unchanged driver line-up for the 2022 F1 season , retaining the two rookies which joined the team this year. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The team has confirmed a second season for Nikita Mazepin on the eve of the Russian driver’s home race. Mazepin’s father runs the Uralkali company which joined Haas as its title sponsor this season. Mazepin will remain alongside Ferrari-backed team mate Mick Schumacher . Relations between the pair have been strained following a series of near-misses on-track, notably at Baku and Zandvoort. The duo tangled collided during the last round at Monza. Team principal Guenther Steiner said he valued consistency in their line-up after replacing both drivers 12 months ago. “We knew we wanted continuity behind the wheel in 2022 and I’m happy to confirm exactly that with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin competing for Uralkali Haas F1 Team next year,” said Steiner. Haas has consistently been the …
F1: Ferrari will not protest “wrong” decision on Verstappen | RaceFans
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the team does not agree with the stewards’ decision to clear Max Verstappen over his collision with Charles Leclerc, but they will not protest it. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Speaking after the stewards confirmed Verstappen’s victory, Binotto said: “We still believe that this is a wrong decision. That’s our own opinion.” The stewards ruled neither driver was to blame for the collision. “We believe that Charles [left] entire space, he had no fault,” said Binotto. “A collision has happened and he has been forced off the track. “So we believe these are clear rules, which we may appreciate or not, and these are exactly the same rules which have been applied in past races.” Ferrari has been on the wrong side of two stewards’ decisions in the past three races which determined the winner of each. Binotto questioned why Verstappen had been cleared when Sebastian Vettel was penalised and lost a potential …