In the round-up: The Miami Grand Prix is said to have excellent prospects of joining the F1 calendar in 2022, three years after it was originally supposed to appear on the schedule.
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
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Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Sources 'Definitely' Expecting an F1 Miami Grand Prix for South Florida in 2022 (AutoWeek)
"'Chances are excellent that we’ll see an F1 race in Miami in 2022,' said Tavo Hellmund, the promoter who brought Formula 1 to Austin in 2012 and back to Mexico City in 2015. 'It’s always a question of making the numbers work, but with the clout Stephen Ross carries in the Miami area, his support will definitely work in the race’s favor.'"
Government puts brakes on £150m McLaren loan plea (Sky)
"The owner of the McLaren F1 team has been snubbed by the government after requesting a £150m loan to steer it through the coronavirus pandemic."
IndyCar season kicks off June 6th at Texas Motor Speedway (IndyCar)
"Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, IndyCar will run a condensed schedule with practice, qualifying and the race taking place on the same day."
IMSA, ACO Found 'Compromise' for LMDh, LMH Convergence (Sportscar365)
"(IMSA president John) Doonan confirmed that both LMDh and LMH will run with combined power outputs of 670 horsepower and at a minimum weight of 1030 kg."
Toyota still keen to take its hypercar to IMSA (Daily Sportscar)
"We’d have an open mind to do more than the (Daytona 24 Hours), we wouldn’t be fixed on one race. We’d have a look to do other IMSA races, it would just depend on calendars and budgets."
Vergne: I dream of F1, Formula E hybrid series (Autosport)
"Do 10 races and 10 races with the same drivers both in Formula E and in Formula 1, and that would be amazing. This is something I would love to see. I don't know if that is ever going to happen. But that's my dream as a driver."
All-new Esports League launched for female drivers only (W Series)
"A brand-new initiative, the W Series Esports League aims to inaugurate, publicise, promote and empower a shared commitment to raising female sim racing visibility in order to encourage more women and girls everywhere to take up eracing, thereby opening up a new world of equality and diversity in what has previously been seen as a predominantly male-dominated activity."
New Asian team still targeting F1 2022 entry (Motorsport)
"A tender inviting applications for potential new F1 teams was last issued in 2015, but the two proposals received were not deemed to have met the FIA's required criteria."
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Comment of the day
Time to restrict the Virtual Grand Prix to racing drivers, says @Maisch:
More real racers would definitely add “value” and make the race series more serious, and also maybe show some upcoming future F1 drivers names from F2-F3, which could be a great thing.
I understand that they want to “broadening” the F1 brand, but that could be a seperate race with eSporters, footballers etc.
@Maisch
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Neil (@neilosjames)
8th May 2020, 0:52
It hadn’t actually occurred to me until I saw the W-Series esport story – has there been a female driver in the F1 e-series yet?
Not paid that much attention but don’t think there has been… would rather see Jamie Chadwick or someone taking part instead of random footballers, and it wouldn’t reflect badly on F1 either. Lack of interest/equipment or contract issues, maybe.
Exediron (@exediron)
8th May 2020, 2:40
Not in the official series, no.
Jamie took part in two of the ‘Veloce Versus’ head-to-head competitions. In the first she was woefully unprepared and lost to some YouTube influencer, but in the second after she had practiced she took on Lando Norris and actually outpaced him despite narrowly losing 1 race to 2.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
8th May 2020, 3:49
That a blunder, how is it F1 hasn’t invited some of the professional women drivers to drive in some of the virtual Grands Prix? F1 needs to update their image and invite some to drive in the next simulated GP.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
9th May 2020, 8:11
You are right but I can only assume that they couldn’t find anyone serious enough.
Leroy (@g-funk)
8th May 2020, 1:15
If anything, having Ross associated with the Miami GP makes it even more controversial. He is not exactly beloved in Miami and has been the subject of boycotts and criticism from players on the team he owns.
Andy
8th May 2020, 1:17
McLaren is majority owned by Bahrain – a rich country – why can’t they bail them out?
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
8th May 2020, 8:18
Oh, I’m sure they can, but why would they if they can find someone else to do it.
In the same way that all companies could pay tax, but why would they if they can find a way not to.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
8th May 2020, 1:35
McLaren have been trying to take advantage of the pandemic crisis at all levels. First by furloughing their staff then their marketing guy (or CEO) was giving moral lessons free of charge to lobby a further budget cap reduction and now they are requesting government support through the tax payers money to fund their failed business. Machiavellianism at its best…
Glad that their request was rejected by the British government. What I find amusing about all this is that McLaren (or Luxury automotive, motorsport and technology company McLaren Group as they call themselves) in recent years have always indicated how successful they are, how financially stable they are in their financial statements.
If they are so successful as they claim, they should stop being hypocrite and start taking care of their staff by paying them. They just have to leave the tax payers money for those most in need. Mumtalakat (Properties in arabic) & Mansour Ojjeh can handle McLaren’s spending for a decade without concerns.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
8th May 2020, 7:47
Glad to see that McLaren is finally relevant again to trigger Ferrari fans. By the way, what’s wrong with lowering the budget cap as much as possible? I get that Ferrari is and has been all about unfair advantages (hypocrisy strikes back), but it’s not that they could use it to win something…
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
8th May 2020, 8:49
Well said @pironitheprovocateur.
I wonder if Ferrari are paying all their staff in Italy then at 100%. Or is the Italian tax payer bailing them out?
I don’t know the answer to this. I am just curious.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
8th May 2020, 14:21
@pironitheprovocateur,
Arrêtes de provoquer Mr le Provocateur ! The issue is about using the tax payers money, try to stick to the subject.
There is no problem with lowering the budget cap at all, the problem is their opportunism and using a global pandemic crisis to take away an advantage from the big teams make it sound like it is the end of the road for them while it’s not. C’mon, The team is owned by rich oil billionaires and they used to be a big spender in the past.
@phil-f1-21
Ferrari are indeed paying their staff 100 % in Italy, and they didn’t rely on the Italian tax payers money (Cassa Integrazione) to do so.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
9th May 2020, 8:16
And the comment section went below toilet level. Tifoso if you are on the markets you are always doing well, as soon as you have stock you can’t act anything but confidently.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
9th May 2020, 12:54
@peartree
If you are talking about technicality, they can announce the placement of let’s say a 150 million £ non-convertible bonds due on May 2025 (5 years) reserved to qualified investors (Mumtalakat & Mansour Ojjeh….) with a reasonable fixed annual coupon rate (3%). The settlement of the aforementioned bonds will be on the 20th May 2020.
They can dig in their massive pockets and still act “confidently” with regard to the market.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
10th May 2020, 10:52
@tifoso1989 I was agreeing with you. Pironi though, he was doing his thing.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
10th May 2020, 13:21
@peartree
That’s exactly what I thought too, that’s why I replied to your comment with regard to the market.
Jere (@jerejj)
8th May 2020, 7:53
I agree with the COTD even though I don’t really care for the series.
Also on this day in F1: Mark Webber took pole position for the 2010 Spanish GP.
baasbas
8th May 2020, 9:11
RE:COTD
Before the Indy-incidents I would have said the same. But that showed that as an organisation you can try really hard to make it as real as possible. In the end, it’s not. It’s as real as the contestants allow it to be. It takes only a few ‘players’/actions and despite all efforts and all other players efforts, the bubble pops. In that regard, maybe the F1 approach is better. Yes, it’s an arcade game and yes, questionable contestants take part. But as a viewer you know what to expect, it doesn’t pretend to be something it is not (there must be some irony in saying that about F1) and therefore you won’t be disappointed…
That said, I’m not watching it, I don’t care for other people playing a game.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
8th May 2020, 14:04
That image in the Miami article from Sebring suggests Formula E is still decades behind Formula 1
mrfill (@mrfill)
9th May 2020, 3:04
When I saw the front page of the site and in the round up precis read that “Government denies McLaren £150 loan” I thought they must be in real trouble….