The legendary father of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz believes Fernando Alonso has earned the right to decide when he retires from F1. Despite turning 42 in July, Alonso has enjoyed his most competitive season in years in 2023 by claiming seven podium finishes with the Aston Martin team. However, Sainz was the one flying the flag for Spain at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix where the Ferrari star secured his second F1 victory with arguably the greatest drive of his career to date. Fernando Alonso praised by Carlos Sainz’s father Alonso, who became Spain’s first F1 World Champion in 2005, acted as something of a mentor to Sainz in his early career, though it has been claimed in 2023 that the relationship between them has suffered of late . Sainz’s father, Carlos Sainz Sr, is Spain’s original motorsport icon having won two World Rally Championships in the early 1990s. And having won the challenging Dakar Rally event as recently as 2020, the 61-year-old is in awe of … [Read more...] about Carlos Sainz’s father weighs in on Fernando Alonso F1 retirement debate
24 hour watch time
Verstappen sitting pretty but unexpectedly hot track could cook up drama
Reports of Red Bull’s reign of dominance over the 2023 season coming to an end have been greatly exaggerated. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free In a year when competition between their rivals behind has been as unpredictable as it has been gripping, Red Bull have routinely rocked up to paddocks across the globe only to crush all opposition with near-militaristic execution. Then, in Singapore, a rare stumble from the world champions offered hope that the Red Bull giant could indeed be toppled. Yet six days later, Red Bull and Max Verstappen reminded everyone just how powerful a combination they are when they stormed to pole position in Suzuka by one of the biggest margins of the season – and the largest for nearly 20 years at the famous Japanese circuit. Not that it was of any surprise to their opposition. “Our internal messaging was ‘expect them to be back out front when we get back to Suzuka’,” admitted Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew … [Read more...] about Verstappen sitting pretty but unexpectedly hot track could cook up drama
MotoGP India: Capirossi Approves Modified Track at Buddh International Circuit
Home Off beat -Irwin Mills By Irwin Mills Updated: Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 14:37 [IST] Former MotoGP rider, Loris Capirossi has shown his satisfaction with the quality of the altered race track at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida. The special modifications have been done in preparation for the inaugural MotoGP round in India, taking place from September 22 to 24. The track at BIC, which had previously been a host to Formula 1 races between 2011 and 2013, has been adapted to fit the needs of MotoGP. Enhancements include wider gravel traps around the course to provide increased safety for riders in the event of an off-track incident. For the sake of the riders' safety, air fences and foam barriers have also been put into place. The Formula 1 track had 16 turns, but the modified track for MotoGP comprises of 13 turns, keeping intact the longest straight of the calendar which can have the racers touching the … [Read more...] about MotoGP India: Capirossi Approves Modified Track at Buddh International Circuit
DTM Red Bull Ring: Van der Linde takes first win of 2023 in wet-dry contest
The Abt Audi driver recorded his first triumph since 2021, finishing almost two seconds clear of Laurin Heinrich , who led the first phase of the race from pole position. Van der Linde's team-mate Ricardo Feller prevailed in a thrilling late scrap with Rene Rast to take the final podium spot, while championship leader Mirko Bortolotti came home in ninth. The race started on a damp track, with most of the field opting for wet-weather tyres. Team 75 Motorsport Porsche driver Heinrich converted a maiden pole into the lead at turn one, but then was challenged on the climb to turn three by van der Linde. Heinrich managed to prevail in that battle, with van der Linde slipping to fifth after running wide and then getting swamped on the run to turn four by Heinrich's team-mate Ayhancan Guven, Mercedes-AMG driver Maro Engel and championship contender Thomas Preining . Heinrich pulled out a three-second advantage over Engel in the early stages, while van der Linde recovered … [Read more...] about DTM Red Bull Ring: Van der Linde takes first win of 2023 in wet-dry contest
Live: 2023 Japanese Grand Prix
Join us to follow the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix on RaceFans Live. RaceFans Live combines updates from the teams and drivers in real-time via Twitter with comments from RaceFans readers and more. Launch RaceFans Live: 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Watch F1 live in the USA and other regions on F1 TV RaceFans readers in the USA, Mexico, France, Belgium and many other countries can watch all sessions live on F1 TV Pro . As well as access to the live world feed you can watch onboard cameras and hear live team radio from all 20 drivers. And when you buy using the link below you also make a contribution to RaceFans! Find out more and sign up here: Subscribe to watch all F1 sessions live on F1 TV Pro 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Sargeant to start from pits with 10-second penalty for team’s crash repair error Live: 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Verstappen sitting pretty but unexpectedly hot track could cook up drama The “big step” AlphaTauri saw from Tsunoda … [Read more...] about Live: 2023 Japanese Grand Prix
Logan Sargeant hit with 10-second penalty after Williams breach ‘third car’ regulations
Preparing their spare chassis “to more than an assembly comprising a survival cell”, Logan Sargeant has a 10-second penalty even before the first lap of the Japanese Grand Prix for Williams breaching third car rules. Sargeant suffered a big crash in Saturday’s Q1 at the Suzuka circuit when a snap of oversteer through the final corner put him onto the grass. Unable to control the car, he crashed into the barrier causing a significant amount of damage to the left side of his FW45. Williams forced into making extensive changes to get Logan Sargeant into the race He’ll now line up in the pit lane on Sunday as Williams have opted to make set-up changes while he also has a new chassis, gearbox, engine, wings, and suspensions. The changes are extensive, so extensive there was talk of this being a “third car”. The FIA confirmed this with Technical Delegate Jo Bauer saying: “Last night the Williams Racing team worked on car number 02, chassis 03, two hours after the chequered flag … [Read more...] about Logan Sargeant hit with 10-second penalty after Williams breach ‘third car’ regulations
Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential Japanese GP tyre wrecker?
The iconic figure-of-eight track has always been punishing on its rubber, but things could well be a bit more extreme this time around. Race day is expected to be another scorcher, and complaints that George Russell mentioned on Friday about a "strange" sliding have been caused by a track surface that has had a 15% drop in macro roughness (so effective grip) compared to 12 months ago. As Ferrari's Charles Leclerc said: "Especially with the very warm temperatures this year, the overheating is really, really bad. So, I expect that it [the race] will be all about the tyre management and the strategy." A two-stopper looks nailed on then, but it comes with not all teams having the luxury of what appears to be the ideal tyre allocation to get them through without much drama. F1 tyre supplier Pirelli thinks the best approach to the race is to start on the soft, run through until laps 12-18, and then split the rest of the grand prix up into two hard stints. But that is … [Read more...] about Are Red Bull and Ferrari on back foot for potential Japanese GP tyre wrecker?