Ferrari the car

Listen to this article The Monegasque still has a mathematical chance of stopping rival Max Verstappen from clinching the crown, but realistically his Dutch rival is likely to wrap things up in Japan this weekend. But rather than feeling that the end of the campaign is now wasted effort with the title gone, Leclerc views the last events as a key chance for Ferrari to make progress on areas it has been weak this year. In particular, he thinks his Maranello bosses can use the opportunity to ensure that their race strategies are perfect, with it having made a few slip-ups over the course of 2022. So while he was disappointed at losing out on victory in the Singapore Grand Prix, he welcomed the fact that it had been a day where Ferrari did time its pitstops right. "I want to use these last few races for us to get better on the execution of the race, especially, and I feel like it's a step forward this weekend," he said. "We need to do other steps forward. It's a … [Read more...] about Leclerc sees final F1 races as Ferrari strategy testbed

Listen to this article Race winner Perez faces an FIA stewards investigation for not sticking to within 10 car lengths behind the safety car rule during a race restart, which means his Singapore GP victory remains provisional until an outcome is reached. But Ferrari boss Binotto says he's "curious" about the investigation because his team feels Perez potentially broke the rule on two occasions, which could result in the Mexican being given the penalty twice. Binotto, who referenced Antonio Giovinazzi getting a similar penalty, wants to wait for the investigation outcome which could hand victory to Charles Leclerc before judging the incidents but hopes for a penalty to hand Leclerc the victory. Perez won the race by 7.595s but if he was given a total penalty of 10 seconds it would give the win to the Ferrari driver. "We need to wait on the stewards' decision which will be at 23.55pm, I am very curious to see, there were two infringements behind the safety car, so … [Read more...] about Ferrari sees two penalties for Perez on Singapore GP safety car infringement

Listen to this article The former Yamaha, Ducati and Honda rider has switched to car racing since retiring from MotoGP at the end of the 2019 season and currently competes in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italy, where he secured his first top 10 finish at Vallelunga in September. After meeting DTM chief Gerhard Berger over coffee on the sidelines of the Qatar Grand Prix earlier this year, the Spaniard got a close look at how the championship is run during the series’ penultimate event at the Red Bull Ring. Having been impressed with what he saw in Austria, Lorenzo is now open to the idea of making a guest outing in the DTM as he continues to “enjoy” his move from two- to four-wheels. "I worked as a commentator at the MotoGP race in Spielberg. That's when I met Eddie [Mielke], who has been my friend for a long time and commentates on the DTM," Lorenzo told German broadcaster ran.de. "I also met Gerhard Berger. They invited me here and I am very happy to get to know this great … [Read more...] about MotoGP star Lorenzo interested in DTM outing after car racing switch

Carlos Sainz Jnr admitted he lacked confidence during the Singapore Grand Prix and was unhappy with his pace. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Ferrari driver finished third in yesterday’s race but fell behind leaders Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc after the start. Before the second Safety Car period, Sainz was over 25 seconds behind Perez at the front of the field. The race was held on a wet but drying track and Sainz admitted he didn’t have the pace to keep his rivals in sight. “It was unfortunately quite lonely for me because I just didn’t have the pace,” he said. “Today on the intermediate tyre I lost a lot on the road to Charles and Checo. I couldn’t keep up with them. “I was struggling quite a lot on these tyres. I think I lost quite a bit the front and I was having a lot of moments, a lot of front locks, and every moment here costs you confidence and costs you the ability to recover that pace.” Sainz’s pace improved towards the end of … [Read more...] about F1: Sainz “not happy at all” with his Singapore GP pace · RaceFans

If the FIA and Liberty set out to ‘make everybody a little unhappy’ with their package of Technical, Sporting and Financial Regulations for the 2021 F1 season , they certainly seem to have succeeded. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free For while the team bosses spoken to by RaceFans after Wednesday’s F1 summit in Paris expressed relief that – as one of their number put it – “at last we have a definitive direction of travel”, another remarked they had “reservations about the exact route ahead”. A delay to 2022 was suggested by a minority of teams, but fell on deaf ears, not least because of the commercial and political implications. For starters, a delay would hit Liberty right in the NASDAQ share price through perceptions it had lost its way, while also complicating F1 chairman/CEO Chase Carey’s employment contract: he is said to be keen on stepping aside from his CEO role (but remaining chairman). Equally, FIA president Jean Todt’s third (and, he insists, … [Read more...] about Have the ‘big three’ teams finally accepted F1’s 2021 rules revolution? · RaceFans

Formula 1 drivers expect the arrival of Super Typhoon Hagibis will prevent them from taking to the track on Saturday at Suzuka. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Final practice and qualifying are slated to take place at the circuit tomorrow, but the approaching storm has cast doubt over whether the sessions will take place. The Formula Four support event has been cancelled in order to give priority to F1’s track time. “I’ve got my speedboat on standby so I’m ready to go on Saturday,” joked Max Verstappen ahead of the race weekend. “It’s going to be very clear if it’s possible or not,” he said. “At the moment it doesn’t really look very likely on Saturday. Sunday looks fine but we’ll see.” Charles Leclerc said “it’s pretty clear if the typhoon is going to come here there’s no way we can drive. “[From] my previous experience, I have only done one year and a half in Formula 1 but they have always been quite safe with the conditions. They’ve always … [Read more...] about F1: “No way we can drive” if typhoon hits, say drivers | RaceFans

Listen to this article Two hours and 31 minutes. That's how much time passed between Sergio Perez taking the chequered flag in the returning Singapore Grand Prix in first place and for the stewards to eventually penalise the Red Bull driver for his repeat safety car infringements. Along with a delayed race start owing to the slippery conditions that eventually bypassed the full-wet tyres, another chapter for the jewellery debate, plus the looming precedent the governing body might need to set if there have indeed been breaches of the 2021 budget cap, confidence in the FIA took a further blow last weekend. That appears to have overshadowed a dramatic, if not thrilling, first encounter around the Marina Bay streets since 2019. One in which Perez delivered superbly to end his protracted poor form to streak away from Charles Leclerc late on, while champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen struggled to master the treacherous, greasy track. All told, Verstappen's … [Read more...] about Ten things we learned from the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix

Listen to this article In a wet-to-dry race, Lando Norris produced an error-free display to move up from sixth to fourth following a duel with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen , who both slipped up. Starting from 16th, Daniel Ricciardo also had a strong race to finish behind Norris in fifth, after delaying a switch from intermediates to slicks until a lap 36 safety car. In stark contrast to McLaren's 22-point haul, both Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon retired due to power unit failures, allowing McLaren to suddenly jump the Enstone team for fourth in the constructors' championship and lead by four points. When team boss Seidl was asked by Motorsport.com if he was surprised to be leading Alpine after generally struggling to match it on pace in recent months, he said the points swing simply shows the fight for fourth will remain an "open battle" until the last lap in Abu Dhabi, with Alpine's huge score in Belgium now undone by McLaren's … [Read more...] about McLaren: Singapore swing showcases “open battle” for P4 with Alpine

Listen to this article Verstappen could have wrapped up his second successive world title in Singapore, but a scruffy race after a poor qualifying left him in last position at one point. He recovered to finish seventh. Read Also: Singapore GP: Perez wins, but faces post-race investigation Perez uncertain on safety car infringement as Singapore GP investigation looms Latifi hit with Japanese GP grid penalty for Zhou clash Who is leading the 2022 F1 World Championship Drivers' points? Red Bull’s reigning champion Verstappen scored six points at Marina Bay compared to Ferrari ’s Leclerc who bagged 18. The lead in the World Championship is down to 104 points. Leclerc is now just two points ahead of Verstappen’s teammate Perez, who scored his second win of the season in Singapore. Perez is now 32 clear of Mercedes ’ George Russell , who suffered a disastrous race and failed to score. Carlos Sainz ’s podium finish puts him just one point behind … [Read more...] about 2022 F1 World Championship points after the Singapore GP