In the round-up: Formula 2 team bosses say that sport’s destinations should not be politically influenced but that they would respect drivers’ wishes to sit out a race.
In brief
Formula 2 team bosses argue sport should be separate from politics
Following the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix, where Formula 2 was also due to race, team bosses said they would have respected a driver’s decision not to participate.“I think we only have to respect the choice of the driver if he doesn’t want to to drive,” said François Sicard, of DAMS. “For me, we should separate this from the politics orientation, even when there are serious matters. But we should separate and we should keep the sport going on.”
Rob Niessink from Formula 2 newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing acknowledged that “we all understand that we’re living in a horrible era now” and said that the team wished “all the best” to those suffering. However, since the FIA motion to cancel the Russian Grand Prix by force majeure he said “It seems for us at this moment, it’s not relevant.”
“If we concentrate and focus on the sport, that’s already difficult enough,” he continued. “Politics is something we, as sport, should keep a sort of neutral position [on] as much as possible and focus on helping young kids that need our support. And we do what we need to do and wish the rest of the world all the best.”
Trevor Carlin said “it is very tricky for us, as it’s very tricky for everybody involved from our side” but confirmed “if a race meeting is going on and we are entered to it, we will go.”
“If our drivers choose not to go, we would totally respect that and we wouldn’t run their car,” he explained. Carlin said he hoped for a quick resolution to the crisis in Ukraine and that “the world could start to get back to normal and these sort of conversations – hopefully we won’t be having them for a long time.”
Daruvala fastest on first day of Formula 2 testing
Jehan Daruvala has put in the fastest lap time on day one of Formula 2’s pre-season test in Bahrain. Formula 2 and 3 are holding separate sessions over the course of the three-day test, each running for half of the afternoon and half of the evening session in Sakhir.
Daruvala’s 1’42.074 was set in the evening session, beating second-fastest Calan Williams’s 1’42.590 by more than half a second.
Maloney tops Formula 3 times after day one in Bahrain
After running half-sessions, alternated with Formula 2, for the first day of Bahrain testing it was rookie Zane Maloney on top of the times for Carlin. Maloney’s best lap was a 1’47.614, set during the later session when track temperatures are cooler as the circuit heads into dusk.
Fellow rookie William Alatalo was second fastest on 1’47.783 for Jenzer and returning driver Jak Crawford third-fastest for Prema, setting a 1’47.799, both also during the afternoon session.
W Series first day of testing goes ahead at Barcelona-Catalunya
Of the 10 teams in the series, Jamie Chadwick, Abbi Pulling, Marta Garcia, Nerea Marti, Jessica Hawkins, Bruna Tomaselli, Lena Buhler, Emely de Haus, Megan Gilkes and Tereza Babickova ran the first test day and will continue tomorrow morning, before switching to the other half of the 20 confirmed test drivers from the afternoon session onwards. The majority of the 20 drivers at the Barcelona test are not confirmed for a 2022 race seat yet.
2021 and 2019 runner-up Alice Powell, who returns to W Series this year but did not run during the first day of testing said she had fond memories of the track. “I’ve raced here before, in 2012 – I had a really good result here, from 26th to 11th in GP3 so I like the circuit, good track. I’m looking forward to getting out on track tomorrow afternoon.”
Powell, the first and one of only two women to score points in GP3, has moved to newly-formed W Series team BSM. “I’ve known them for a little while, my first big sponsor when I moved into cars in 2008 in Ginetta Juniors so really nice to be back partnered with them and looking forward to hopefully having a good year with them.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
.@MichaelAndretti tells SBJ that he was trying to line up an American team principal for his prospective @F1 team but lost out on them because he didn't have the go-ahead from the @FIA.
🔳 When pressed, Andretti confirmed that person was Otmar Szafnauer, now with @AlpineF1Team. pic.twitter.com/DE0EUaF9Vf
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) March 2, 2022
We've been busy during the off-season! 🔨
Work is continuing on-track as we connect the #Silverstone Wing to the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel via a short but spectacular walk over the finish line 🏁 pic.twitter.com/IT2TXDqWhW
— Silverstone (@SilverstoneUK) March 2, 2022
Born to race, ready to win! 👊🏼 Say hello to our 2022 @Formula2 livery 📸
3D Licensed by @RaceSimStudio / Livery by @seanbulldesign #F2 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/YzBqTYNppB
— Hitech Grand Prix (@HitechGP) March 2, 2022
Checking out the view at T10… 👀 #wseries #rethinkracing #preseasontesting pic.twitter.com/dxyU2hZLAd
— Sarah Moore Racing (@smgirlracer26) March 2, 2022
Kyle Kirkwood, lid on and primed to pound out his first laps @TXMotorSpeedway.
Was informed JR Hildebrand helped @AJFoytRacing with the shakedown this morning. #INDYCAR #RookieTest pic.twitter.com/SpVqLy74qN
— Joey Barnes (@JoeyBarnes85) March 2, 2022
Here’s my personal opinion, for what it’s worth. The world is in crisis. Sport simply isn’t important enough for us to absolve ourselves of our responsibility to support the international community’s obligation to stand with a sovereign state that’s being illegally attacked.(1/3) pic.twitter.com/efqW60hqDQ
— Matt Bishop 🏳️🌈 🏁 (@TheBishF1) March 2, 2022
#NASCAR: Richard Childress in a call with reporters now says he was inspired by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy when he said "he didn't want to leave, he just needed ammunition."
So Childress called Ammo Inc. and they are sending a million rounds over the next 2 days.
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) March 2, 2022
A few stills from the new season four of Drive to Survive which arrives on March 11th.
Is there anything you want to know about how Netflix covered the 2021 #F1 season?
Ask below and we'll aim to include in our review. pic.twitter.com/3X7RhOQSVq
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) March 2, 2022
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
F1 2022 to feature supercars and cross-play, but no story mode (Xfire)
"In addition, sources also said that the game will be getting the highly requested VR support that fans of the series have long been asking for."
Air pollution and carbon neutrality aren't the same thing (Lucas di Grassi)
We don’t have a silver bullet – a unique all wonder solution – for our carbon neutrality and air pollution problem. A combination of technologies and uses must be developed side by side so we can decrease our impact on the planet and human health while providing faster, better, and improved quality of life for all world’s population.
Esterson 'getting to grips' with GB3 challenge (BRDC GB3)
Esterson: 'We’ve been pretty lucky with the weather so far and we’ve had a mix of wet and dry running so it’s all we could have asked for really as we’re prepared for anything, so it’s been good. The team and I are learning a lot about the car and we’re off to a good start.'
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.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Comment of the day
With Max Verstappen tipped for a new, extremely lucrative and very lengthy contract at Red Bull, Sjaakfoo asks what motivation the current world champion could possibly have to move elsewhere?
Makes sense, no reason to move if you’re happy in the team and happy with the people involved. I’m sure he’ll have some performance clauses in there if need be, he’ll also still will be only about 30 by the time this contract runs out.
Like, unless you have some childhood dreams about driving for a certain team (like Vettel and Ferrari), why move from a team that can give you a race and even championship winning car?
@sjaakfoo
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Seaney_T!
On this day in motorsport
- 20 years ago today Michael Schumacher won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after his team mate and his brother triggered a huge crash at the start
OOliver
3rd March 2022, 1:49
This goes beyond crossing boundaries we don’t want politics in sport, and association with violence.
Many just like the idea of shooting themselves out of a situation when a simple conversation might end it.
The Dolphins
3rd March 2022, 3:24
Richard Childress is a gun nut and has been involved with the NRA in an executive capacity, obviously this would be his response. He does not subscribe to the belief that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Unicron (@unicron2002)
3rd March 2022, 7:41
He’s misquoting Zelenskeyy anyway, who said he needed anti-tank missiles. Not ammo. So it’s a nice bit of promotion on the back of a terrible situation. That’s a cynical take on it anyway.
Aapje (@aapje)
3rd March 2022, 11:01
@The Dolpins
It isn’t. Our laws are ultimately enforced by people who will use violence to enforce it & the legitimacy of states rests in large part on their ability (or the ability of friendly nations like the US) to use violence against those who threaten the power of the state and the citizens within it.
When the government fails at this, like in Iraq after the US destroyed the state and installed a government that couldn’t effectively use violence to enforce the new laws, you tend to see large-scale violence and people resorting to militias to defend themselves. They don’t resort to buying lots of pens…
Your saying comes from a play, where it is attributed to Richelieu, but in reality he was hardly a pacifist. He personally commanded the siege of La Rochelle. Also, Richelieu was very effective in getting more tax revenue from the poor, while the rich were mostly exempt, to pay for the 30-year war. He violently suppressed the peasant revolts that resulted from that excessive taxation (and those peasants weren’t able to reduce the taxes with ‘the pen’ either).
It’s interesting how this historical revisionism turned into a saying that people will use to make a point. It shows how truth is no match to what people want to be true. And you can only believe in it if you live in a society that is so surgical and restrained at using violence, that you can pretend that it’s completely unnecessary.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
3rd March 2022, 7:06
This is the most NASCAR thing that has ever happened.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
3rd March 2022, 8:35
@red-andy – if there is any justice here this will be COTD !
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
3rd March 2022, 1:54
F2 bosses making loads more sense than motorsport uk.
W-K (@w-k)
3rd March 2022, 8:45
Are they, even the International Paralympic Committee has changed its mind and now,
PeterG
3rd March 2022, 2:41
I don’t buy the official F1 game to have to buy/collect pointless items or supercars.
I buy the official F1 game to drive that seasons F1 cars around that seasons circuits.
If i wanted to collect glasses, hats & stuff I’d play The Sims & if i wanted to collect & drive supercars I’d buy Gran Turismo or Forza.
And of course i guess these things been ‘collectable’ will also mean loot boxes & microtransactions.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd March 2022, 8:45
@PeterG Same.
Craig
3rd March 2022, 9:12
I certainly don’t by racing games for a story mode so pleased to see they’re not bothering with one.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
3rd March 2022, 10:00
Who is paying so their character wears sunglasses in a video game? Someone must, or else EA wouldn’t bother, they obviously think they’ve found a gap in the market. I don’t bother buying pricey real ones since I tend to loose them, sit on them, need to rush out the door and can’t find them. Occasionally I find a pair at the bottom of my bag. But not often. I don’t know what EA is charging for these micro-transactions but it’s probably more than Primark, and Primarks’ are real and work (kind of).
Aapje (@aapje)
3rd March 2022, 11:05
@bernasaurus
Plenty of people want to look nice, more than they want purely functionality. This is just as true in real life.
I prefer pay to look good over pay to win games.
A bigger issue is the gambling systems that are put into games, which exploit human weakness, when it comes to gambling.
SadF1fan
3rd March 2022, 7:37
Maybe it’s time that those ethical choices don’t need to be made by the drivers in the first place, but by the FIA not going to these dictatorships or otherwise ethically limited countries in the first place.
Demanding that a driver makes a choice between what is what is considered ethically correct in the West and it’s job, is in fact forcing drivers to do unethical things and in and off itself unethical.
Western companies really need to start reassessing the limit on when they do business and what causes and effects that has, rather than only to think about the money…
hufggfg (@hufggfg)
3rd March 2022, 11:02
Exactly this. It’s a total joke of a thing to say by F2 bosses. Trying to put the issue onto a load of teenagers who are vying for every possible point.
Rather than “respect their decision” if they said “if greater than 50% of drivers vote against a race on ethical grounds, then championship points will no longer be awarded for that race” then it would have a lot more weight.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd March 2022, 8:45
Adam Stern’s tweet: Interesting.
Di Grassi’s writing is excellent.
COTD: 100%.
That infamous airborne image never gets old.
Jonathan Parkin
3rd March 2022, 11:23
The first corner incident in 2002 gave me a bit of a jolt because I was worried someone was hurt bearing in mind what happened the previous year