In the round-up: Yuki Tsunoda apologised for spoiling one of Pierre Gasly’s qualifying laps after both drivers failed to reach Q3 in Melbourne.
In brief
Tsunoda sorry for spoiling team mate Gasly’s Q2 run
Tsunoda apologised to AlphaTauri team mate Gasly for compromising one of his hot laps in Q2.Tsunoda made a mistake at turn 11, running wide onto the gravel and bringing out a brief yellow flag. Gasly came across the scene on his hot lap and had to take avoiding action, ultimately abandoning his run.
“Fucking hell, Yuki,” Gasly exclaimed in reaction on the radio before beginning his final run. He and Tsunoda failed to make the cut for Q3.
“Between Q1 and Q2 I lost complete performance from the car,” Tsunoda explained. “Just completely different and we struggled to adapt it and went outside.
“I’m sorry for Pierre, but also the same time, I just also struggled a lot to control the car.”
Sainz wary of Ferrari’s ‘lack of experience’ in fighting for titles
Carlos Sainz Jnr says he is conscious that Ferrari are lacking in experience of fighting for titles in recent years.
Ferrari currently lead the constructors’ championship after two rounds, with Sainz’s team mate Charles Leclerc on top of the drivers’ standings and starting on pole for today’s Australian Grand Prix. Sainz says that he is remaining cautious about the team’s prospects for the season despite their strong start.
“We keep saying that Red Bull and Mercedes are the favourites, because we haven’t been in a title fight in the last few years,” said Sainz.
“In the previous years, these teams have out-developed Ferrari, so we are still super cautious, because we know we have a great car and we have put together on track a great car – but these two teams have been in the title fight for the last two or three years, they know how much you need to improve, they know exactly what they need to do. And we maybe, are lacking that bit of experience. I think we have great people, and we are prepared – but we don’t know. So, we are still cautious and are expecting a bit to see what happens.”
Dennis unimpressed with inconsistent Formula E penalties
Andretti Formula E driver Jake Dennis, who received a five-second time penalty for contact with Antonio Felix da Costa during the first Rome race, said driving standards are being inconsistently enforced in Formula E.
“There’s just so much contact in the race and it seems like you can get away with almost anything unless you make the position,” explained Dennis. “You can smash into people and if you both come out the corner in the same position then they don’t do anything, but if one of you gains a position or loses a position then you get a penalty.
Dennis was particularly critical of several drivers he considered repeat offenders. “You’ve got people moving into braking five or six times in the super difficult bump at turn seven and it takes so much skill from the driver behind not to just rear-end the guy in front. But if he did, if the car behind did hit him and knocked him off, he would get the penalty, which is just stupid.”
Quotes: Hazel Southwell
De Vries was just “trying to hang on” during slide down the order in Rome
Mercedes Formula E driver Nyck de Vries says he was simply “trying to hang on” as he fell from as high as second in the first Rome EPrix down to ninth before retiring.
De Vries started from third on the grid and was competitive in the early stages, battling with team mate Stoffel Vandoorne and the other cars around him. However, from mid-race De Vries slipped down the order, ultimately retiring in the final minutes with bent steering
“Ultimately, when you don’t have the pace, you’re trying to hang on,” De Vries said. “Then the real effect is only visible from kind of mid-race onwards because then the energy [saving] starts to hurt you, the tyre temperature starts to hurt you and everything is just magnified a little bit more,
“We were not quick enough and we were trying to hang on, but ultimately that was not enough, that is a kind of short summary of our day.”
Quotes: Hazel Southwell
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) April 9, 2022
I’m sorry, but we’re working our asses off to give our drivers a bloody good car. We’ll keep on doing so too despite negative comments. https://t.co/rsSwndobIp
— Mark Lane (@MarkLaneF1) April 9, 2022
The two top-performing Aston Martin drivers around Albert Park this morning. #F1 #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/abclNhsUkd
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) April 9, 2022
Getting ridiculous the lighting at the #AusGP – just run it at a proper time locally. If you’re getting up early for the #F1 in Europe you’ll get up an hour earlier anyway
— William Esler (@WilliamEsler) April 9, 2022
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Hamilton ‘uncomfortable’ as FIA members fail to wear masks at briefing (Independent)
"No-one in the drivers’ briefing were wearing masks. Some of the drivers were but most of the FIA were not, which for me was uncomfortable."
Penske not feeling threatened by F1's American expansion (Racer)
"I think it will bring more race fans. But we’ll have to compete. We have the diversity in IndyCar. We have high-speed ovals; there’s no Formula 1 race where they qualify at 230 miles an hour for 10 miles like we do at Indianapolis, so that’s point number one. Number two, we’ve got street circuits, we’ve got road courses, and we’ve got short ovals and medium-size ovals. So I think the differentiation, the diversity of IndyCar, is what makes us a different product."
‘Better than some drivers racing F1’: Alpine boss hails Piastri as future world champion (The Age)
"Melbourne youngster Oscar Piastri has what it takes to be a future Formula One world champion, says his team boss Laurent Rossi."
Automobilista 2 V1.3.5.1 released (Automobilista 2 via Steam)
The latest updates for Autombilista 2 introduces the 'Formula Ultimate Gen 2' vehicle, modelled after the 2022 Formula 1 regulations.
PURE SOUND | V10 Era F1 cars scream round Goodwood (Goodwood via YouTube)
"F1 cars from the 1980s and 1990s screamed around Goodwood with their high-revving V10 and V8 engines making incredible Formula 1 music as they went. Included in this awesome display was the sight of Bruno Senna, back in his uncle Ayrton's McLaren MP4/5."
Formula 1 Steering Wheel Explained (Romain Grosjean via YouTube)
"Here is everything you need to know about Romain's Formula 1 steering wheel. From full power to brake temperatures, everything is controlled by the steering wheel and Romain is here to break it down for you."
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Comment of the day
After the FIA removed the fourth DRS zone from the Albert Park circuit on “safety grounds”, @pja questions why they even felt the need to add one in the first place…
It is too soon to judge the new rules so why are they adding DRS zones to circuits already, it seems like an admission of failure to me.
I could understand F1 deciding to keep DRS the same as previous seasons so they can judge what impact the new car designs have on the racing.
If the evidence said the new rules worked and racing did improve they could reduce the number of DRS zones or even get rid of DRS completely.
So I don’t understand why at only the third race of the season they are adding another DRS zone to a circuit.
I accept the reasons why DRS was originally introduced, in my opinion it was a necessary evil in F1, but for me overtaking in general is just not as exciting or impressive since DRS was introduced.
On paper I should have thoroughly enjoyed the last race in Saudi Arabia with the battle between Verstappen and Leclerc, but I didn’t and my thoughts when watching was that DRS is still king.
I fear Formula 1 is now addicted to DRS and they won’t get rid of it no matter what.
@Pja
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Roberttty and Browny!
On this day in motorsport
- Born today in 1929: Mike Hawthorn, who won the world championship in 1958, retired immediately, but was killed in a road car crash the following year
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Proesterchen (@proesterchen)
10th April 2022, 0:04
I wonder who Porsche would like to place in that car if that tie-up happens.
Kribana (@krichelle)
10th April 2022, 0:37
Think we need to stop overhyping that Alonso lap. He still had the final sector to complete, a 33 second sector. I am really doubtful he would have gotten pole inspite being two tenths up. Verstappen and Perez were almost similar in Q3 in terms of their 2nd sector split times but ended up still behind Leclerc or even only just ahead. We are not even sure if he pushed the tyres too much and if the tyres were still cool in the final sector. He would have definitely been ahead of Hamilton and Norris, but ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen and Perez? Maybe the latter two yes considering the three-tenth gap.
BasCB (@bascb)
10th April 2022, 5:52
You do have a point @krichelle, we had seen earlier in the session that the Ferrari’s were so much faster than many others in that last sector, didn’t Alonso set a very fast time through the first 2 sectors earlier in the weekend too, only to lose a chunk vs. Sainz/Leclerc in the last sector?
Gusmaia
10th April 2022, 0:37
Penske is right, and here is another element: ROI – return on investment.
Sure, racing teams are not public companies with shareholders expecting dividends, but the entire field budget in Indycar might be covered by what 2-3 teams spend in F1. One does not hear a lot about Indycar teams going broke, as we have seen almost once a year in F1. Plus if Indy wanted new teams, there would be a couple of people willing to put $10-20million to run a race team there. In F1, even a well funded household name as Andretti has trouble getting a slot on the pit lane. Indycar also has no problem finding new venues, meanwhile F1 had been losing traditional tracks and adding mostly controversial ones.
In summary although F1 global audience can be 20-30x what Indy has, possibly it makes more economical sense to invest in a Indy racing team and, maybe, also more competitive sense as and Indycar team budget can afford some wins with the money F1 teams use on their hospitality facilities, while a F1 can spend $100mil before it gets a single podium.
Yaru (@yaru)
10th April 2022, 2:07
Of course Indy is cheaper, it’s a spec series.
S
10th April 2022, 15:41
F1 could be cheaper too, if they set their budget cap accordingly.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
10th April 2022, 4:43
There’s a simple answer for Gasly if he has an issue with Tsunoda’s driving. Start your run in front of him rather than behind him.
I would expect Albon to come out before Latifi, Bottas before his team mate every single time because each is prone to making errors which would compromise a hot lap.
Just astounds me why they don’t plan better.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
10th April 2022, 5:45
Carlos Sainz jr doing his psychology thing. Twisting reality, and perception nd people fall for it, every time.