Williams had “quicker package” than Ferrari, admits Sainz

In brief

Sainz praises Williams pace

Sainz went 11th fastest in Q2, just 0.006 seconds slower than Williams’ George Russell in 10th. Russell went on to qualify ninth, and both he and Sainz move up a spot on the grid due a penalty for Sebastian Vettel.

“You need to take into account that we tried to make it through with the medium,” said Sainz. “And you always expose yourself to this kind of scenario where you don’t make it through.

“I think from my side I’ve made a lot of progress compared to last week. I was on it the whole quali, and by six thousands I’m not super happy.”

It’s the second grand prix in a row that Sainz hasn’t progressed past Q2 and been outqualified by Russell.

“He was running P8 before retiring [last weekend]. I did a few laps behind him and it was impossible to pass. So, good job to George. For sure he’s doing a good job, but it’s not like a Williams is much slower than us. If anything in quali, it definitely looks like the quicker package this week.”

Newgarden pips Herta to IndyCar pole

Newgarden said his pole lap had put him “out of breath”, and it will be the third race in a row he’s started from the front.

Marcus Ericsson was the top Chip Ganassi driver in third, four tenths off Newgarden’s pace. Penske’s Will Power was fourth, with a small margin to Ericsson’s team mate Scott Dixon in fifth and Andretti’s Alexander Rossi in sixth. Dixon went on to set the pace in the final practice session before the race.

Championship leader Alex Palou qualified seventh, 13 places ahead of closest title rival Patricio O’Ward who struggled over the undulations of the circuit. Dale Coyne with Rick Ware Racing’s Ryan Normal will start from last place on the 26-car grid for his series debut.

F1 in talks with new power unit suppliers

Formula 1 and the FIA jointly confirmed a meeting took place yesterday to discuss the sport’s planned new engine regulations. It is believed to have involved Ferrari, Honda, Mercedes, Red Bull, Renault and several companies that could join the world championship in the future as power unit suppliers, including Porsche.

“Very positive discussions took place today with all of the current and potential new power unit suppliers regarding the next phase of the Formula 1 power unit,” was the statement F1 put out about the meeting.

“The discussions will continue over the coming weeks with further news to be announced following those discussions.”

F3 driver visits hospital after Red Bull Ring crash

Kaylen Frederick will miss the final FIA Formula 3 race of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring.

The Carlin driver scored his first points in the series with ninth place in race one on Saturday, which put him fourth on the grid for race two. He was in that position when he clashed with Juan Manuel Correa at turn three, and his race ended shortly after.

He was handed a three-place grid penalty for his part in the incident with the ART driver, but he won’t serve it on Sunday as he went to hospital after race two and was found to have broken his left thumb. That injury has ruled him out of competition until the next round at the Hungaroring at the end of July.

• Hauger keeps win after plank violation as F3 issues 17 penalties in one day

Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

ICYMI, we have a special guest here with us this weekend for the #Honda200! @TataCalde will be doing some @IndyCar testing with us later this week @Mid_Ohio. @rokit | @ROKiTRIDE | #WeAreROKiT | #INDYCAR https://t.co/AeYuniALXU

— AJ Foyt Racing (@AJFoytRacing) July 3, 2021

I f*kd up. Simple as that. Tomorrow we pass cars.

La cague, no hay otra manera de decirlo. Mañana remontamos. @ArrowMcLarenSP pic.twitter.com/v0Spp02bnq

— Pato O'Ward (@PatricioOWard) July 3, 2021

Incredibly grateful. I hope I do a good job this weekend. 🙇🏼 @racefansdotnet @Mid_Ohio #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/0vHjIXwFIo

— RJオコンネル (@rjoconnell) July 3, 2021

The same five drivers have been eliminated in Q1 as were last week at the same track.

Kimi Raikkonen@OconEsteban@NicholasLatifi@SchumacherMick@Nikita_Mazepin #F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/bf8pfUb3YV

— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) July 3, 2021

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arthur Leclerc (@arthur_leclerc)

• Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Max Verstappen: ‘I cannot always be polite and nice, that’s not how I work’ (The Guardian)

"'I am straight to the point, when I think it’s shit, it’s shit. When it’s good it’s good. That’s how I interact with the team,' he says with a gentle ease rather than the faint air of threat that so often accompanies such statements.”"

Triple threat: How McLaren has tackled the first triple-header of the F1 season (McLaren)

"Three grands prix in three weeks. A triple-header in F1 presents a very different kind of triple threat. The Austrian GP marks the final leg of the first triple-header of 2021, so we caught up with Piers Thynne, McLaren Racing executive director, operations, to understand how the team has risen to the challenge."

Hinchcliffe scrambling for results in contract year (Speedcafe)

"The Canadian veteran, who debuted in the top-tier in 2011, is in the midst of a dreadful campaign for Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport. Hinchcliffe is yet to claim a top 10 finish this season and sits 20th in the overall points. Speaking at Mid-Ohio, he acknowledged it’s not the ideal scenario at a time when he’s off-contract."

Indy Pro 2000 round 11: Mid-Ohio (Indy Pro 2000 via YouTube)

USF2000 round 11: Mid-Ohio (USF2000 via YouTube)

We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it in via the contact form.

Comment of the day

Lewis Hamilton‘s new contract extension with Mercedes is read by some as a commitment to the team and the next rules cycle that F1 is introducing. But is it actually just showing his lack of faith in how his 2021 season is going? That’s what Adam thinks:

Cynically I think he just wants the eighth world title and go but this year doesn’t look a guarantee of that. A two-year deal gives him another two shots at it with the new regulations.
Adam

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On this day in motorsport

• 50 years ago today Jackie Stewart won the French Grand Prix, in the race’s first visit to the new Paul Ricard circuit. He led all 55 laps to head a Tyrrell a one-two with Francois Cevert.