Heavy rain with thunder and lightning sound effects

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?

Mirage, the Autobot from "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," and its Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8 alter ego are coming to Rennsport Reunion 7. The iconic event runs from September 28 to October 1 at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and will feature a display of legendary cars in addition to the rare 964 series Carrera RS 3.8. Fans and enthusiasts alike will have the opportunity to see the latest Transformers hero car along with 15-foot-tall versions of Mirage, Optimus Prime, and Optimus Primal Autobots. Additionally, attendees will be treated to a special screening of the action-packed film, which grossed $439 million worldwide at the box office this summer. 12 Photos Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Marketing of Porsche Cars North America , expressed her excitement about showcasing the hero car at the Rennsport Reunion in Monterey this September. She commended … [Read more...] about Mirage Porsche 911 Carrera To Be Featured At Rennsport Reunion 7

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

Suzuka’s high-speed corners amplified a weakness of Mercedes’ car and left their drivers on the fourth row of the grid over a second behind pole-winner Max Verstappen . Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Lewis Hamilton said he made strides with his car’s set-up after a difficult Friday but could not overcome the shortcoming of its lack of rear-end grip. “Yesterday was a nightmare, not the kind of balance that you want on a track like this,” said Hamilton. “But we did some great work overnight, the car was feeling much nicer to drive today like it’s as good a balance as we could possibly get. “It’s just massively down on rear downforce, so we can’t carry anywhere near the speeds as these guys are carrying through that first sector.” Mercedes have found it consistently difficult to dial their car in from track to track this year. “We have a very peaky car,” said Hamilton. “When we talk about knife-edge [handling], it’s literally like trying to balance … [Read more...] about Suzuka layout ‘punishes’ Mercedes’ weakness in high-speed corners

Nissan's Sentra gets several significant changes and a slight bump in price for the 2024 model year. Now in its eighth generation, the revisions include updated styling, improved fuel economy, and a price that's up $430 over the 2023 model. The Sentra lineup comprises three trim levels. The base S starts at $21,725, including $1,095 in destination fees. The mid-level SV begins at $22,655 and is available with an SV Premium Package that includes features like an eight-speaker Bose sound system and integrated side-mirror turn signals. At $24,815, the top-level SR gets dark chrome trim and 18-inch wheels. Inside, the SR includes heated front seats and a red-orange stitching accent similar to the Altima SR and Frontier PRO-X . Gallery: 2024 Nissan Sentra 43 Photos Most noticeably, the 2024 Sentra sports a revised front fascia with a revamped V-motion grille, new … [Read more...] about 2024 Nissan Sentra Priced From $21,725, Up $430 From Last Year

After a delay of almost two hours due to rain, the very first MotoGP race on Indian soil got underway on Saturday with the shortened sprint contest. Run in dry conditions over 11 laps, Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martin dominated the race by 1.389 seconds over championship leader Francesco Bagnaia . It has cut the factory Ducati rider's lead down to 33 points and marked Martin's fourth sprint success of the 2023 season. It also allowed Martin to pull further clear of VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi in second in the standings, with this gap up to 36 points. Read Also: MotoGP Indian GP: Martin dominates chaotic sprint, Marquez third Bezzecchi was forced into a recovery ride having gotten a bad launch from pole position in the sprint. Team-mate Marini got a better launch from fourth and was able to draw alongside Bezzecchi into Turn 1, but outbraked himself and collided with his team-mate. Marini was taken out of the race on the spot while Bezzecchi … [Read more...] about Marini fractures collarbone in MotoGP sprint race crash with team-mate

Introducing TD039 at the Singapore Grand Prix, Anthony Davidson says he’s heard rumours some teams have been using their skid blocks to run their cars lower to the ground. And with Formula 1 running ground-effect aerodynamic cars, that means they were able to gain additional downforce. Last time out in Singapore, motorsport’s governing body introduced not one but two Technical Directives. Anthony Davidson: These rumours are out there, they don’t come from thin air The first technical directive was aimed at flexible wings, the FIA taking steps to clamp down on that, while the second related to the floors and eradicating the tricks teams are said to have been playing. In the latter, the FIA outlined specific points regarding the planks and skid blocks with suggestions some could be using insulating material between the chassis and the skid block while there was also talk of fastening screws that protrude slightly only to disappear into the plank when they come into contact … [Read more...] about Anthony Davidson reveals ‘skid block’ rumours the led to FIA floor TD

Christian Horner believes it’s “unlikely” that Liam Lawson will head to Williams next season to replace the struggling Logan Sargeant. AlphaTauri confirmed Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will drive for the team next season with Lawson as reserve driver, though the young New Zealander has impressed with his stand-in performances in Ricciardo’s injury-enforced absence, taking his first F1 points in Singapore last time out. He has performed to a degree that had put him in the conversation about whether he deserved a full-time drive at AlphaTauri next season, but the team opted for their known quantities in 2024. Christian Horner addresses Liam Lawson to Williams rumours Pundits such as Karun Chandhok believe Williams, now the only team with an uncontracted seat available for next year, would be a good fit for Lawson, given the problems Sargeant has had to match Alex Albon at the team this year. And when asked directly if a full-time drive at Williams could be on offer for … [Read more...] about Christian Horner quizzed on Liam Lawson Williams rumours as AlphaTauri duo confirmed

Logan Sargeant will start today’s Japanese Grand Prix from the pit lane and is required to serve a 10-second time penalty during the race following an error by his team. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Williams failed to follow the correct procedures when it began work on a replacement chassis for Sargeant following his heavy crash in Q1 at Suzuka . Formula 1’s rules allow teams to have no more than two cars ready for using at any one time and forbid them from having completed spare available in order to control costs. They may have spare survival cells ready to be built up into replacement cars. The rules tightly define how complete these survival cells may be. The stewards found Williams broke that rule when they began work on a replacement car for Sargeant after his Saturday crash. FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer informed the stewards Williams began work on their spare chassis, number three, on Saturday night. He noted “chassis three was … [Read more...] about Sargeant to start from pits with 10-second penalty for team’s crash repair error