Ferrari’s Beganovic wins FRMEC thriller as last-lap confusion costs Mini

In brief

Ferrari’s Beganovic wins FRMEC thriller as last-lap confusion costs Mini

Ferrari academy driver Dino Beganovic won the opening round of the Formula Regional Middle East Championship in Dubai yesterday after confusion over the finish of the race appeared to cost Gabriele Mini a chance at victory.

Beganovic had been locked into a tense battle with Hitech driver Mini on the penultimate lap, as time expired, TV graphics displayed in error that the race was on the final lap. As the pair battled at the end of the lap, Mini tried to squeeze Beganovic to the pit wall on the run to the line, only for both drivers to be shown a board by marshals indicating they had one more lap remaining.

Mini appeared to back off while Beganovic took the lead and completed the final lap to win. Matias Zagazeta finished second and Taylor Barnard third after starting 27th on the grid. Mercedes junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli took fourth, while Mini fell down to sixth by the end of the race.

Verstappen starts fourth in Virtual Le Mans

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen will start fourth on the grid for the Virtual Le Mans 24 Hours race today after his number one Team Redline team were unable to take pole position in hyperpole.

Verstappen’s car – shared with team mates Luke Browning, Jeffrey Rietveld and Diogo Pinto – were almost four tenths of a second slower than the pole winning Porsche Coanda number 20 of Laurin Heinrich, Ayhancan Güven, Joshua Rogers and Mitchell deJong and a tenth slower than their fellow Team Redline team mates of car number two in third.

The 24 hour endurance race, held on the rFactor 2 platform, will start today at 1pm GMT.

Ugochukwu starts F4 season with victory

McLaren junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu kicked off his racing season with victory in the first race of the UAE F4 series in Dubai.

Ugochukwu converted pole position to beat Valerio Rinicella by two seconds, with James Wharton completing the podium in third. In his first ever car race, Ferrari academy driver Tuukka Taponen took the fastest lap on his way to finishing ninth after starting third on the grid.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Las Vegas Formula One centerpiece begins to rise from the ground (Las Vegas Review Journal)

"The first columns are in place for what will be a 300,000-square-foot, four-story paddock facility, located on the northeast corner of Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane. The area will feature the start/finish line, driver pits, ultra VIP spectator zones and a rooftop terrace. Plans are for F1 to utilize the space year-round, not just for race weekends."

Jennie Gow: BBC F1 broadcaster suffers serious stroke (BBC)

"The 45-year-old, who covers Formula 1 for Radio 5 Live, wrote on social media that she had been treated at hospitals in London and Surrey, and her recovery "might take some time". Ms Gow said the stroke two weeks ago had affected her speech."

2001 Ferrari F1 Authorized 'Michael Schumacher' Show Car - US$500,000-$700,000 (Bonhams)

"Arguably one of the most iconic F1 machines of all-time, the F2001 was designed to satisfy a slew of rules changes, one of which necessitated its signature 'droopsnoot' downforce-reducing front wing. This assembly, along with many other very clever tricks, endowed the F2001 with aerodynamics far superior to that of main competitors Williams and McLaren, and greatly contributed to the car's knockout success."

'Most Of The Drivers Are Bloody Boring!' - David Coulthard On Drive To Survive (Balls)

"I do see an ongoing interest in this...not scripted, but edited version of the reality. Some of the drivers spoke about that, some of the conversations being placed in places they weren't entirely happy about. The reality is if it wasn't done like that it wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting or as fun. It's part of the show and it's part of the entertainment. It makes them all seem more interesting than they are. Most of the drivers are bloody boring, to be honest! Netflix makes them seem quite interesting!"

Max Verstappen wants to win Le Mans – virtually, that is (Washington Post)

"We treat this like a real, live race. We’re fine-tuning the car’s setup and testing it in the hottest and coldest conditions, in rainy and dry weather, and in both night and day. There are weeks of preparation that go into this, and a lot of people don’t realize that."

Scuderia Ferrari announces Harman Automotive as a new Team Partner (Ferrari)

"Scuderia Ferrari is pleased to announce a multi-year partnership with Harman Automotive as a Team Partner to the Formula 1 team. Harman Automotive is an electronics technology company and subsidiary of Samsung Electronics focused on designing consumer experiences at automotive grade that will develop a multi-faceted partnership with Ferrari focused on bringing the next-generation of in-cabin experiences to market."

Levente Révész joins Arden Motorsport for 2023 Formula Regional European Championship (FREC)

"I am happy to have found the agreement with Arden for 2023 FRECA season – said Révész – I did several winter test days with Arden and the feeling with the car and the team was great. I look forward to start my second season in FRECA and I’m sure that together with Arden we can get good results."

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Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

pic.twitter.com/M4AAib5tOm

— Jennie Gow (@JennieGow) January 13, 2023

James, it’s George. Congratulations on your new role, thoroughly deserved. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Mercedes and the support you’ve given me along the journey. See you in Bahrain! https://t.co/Svmlk1Av4q

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) January 13, 2023

Congratulations to James Vowles, new team principal at Williams. Top guy and a really exciting appointment for the team

— David Croft (@CroftyF1) January 13, 2023

2023 FIA crash tests? complete ✅ 👊 pic.twitter.com/6jHj3bC7v7

— Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (@visacashapprb) January 13, 2023

The pieces are coming together. 💚

Bring on 13th Feb. pic.twitter.com/g55oAfUsjN

— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) January 13, 2023

Yes! That’s P1 for @UgoUgochukwu in Dubai! 🏆🇦🇪 Starting the year as we mean to go on. Keep up the good work! 👏 pic.twitter.com/3rabqcRQ9S

— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) January 13, 2023

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

Comment of the day

Williams’ announcement that they will hire Mercedes strategist James Vowles as their new team principal surprised many, including @bernasaurus…

I read the headline twice, I didn’t see that coming at all. I think it makes a lot of sense though, he’s probably quite a coup for Williams. I’ve no idea what he’s like as a person, he seems to sit in the shadows a bit. But when he does crop up, I’ve always been impressed. I don’t know if he knows how to run an F1 team, but his resume would suggest that he might actually be a brilliant choice.

F1 is full of odd appointments and dismissals, but this makes a lot of sense to me. He might think ‘Well you can’t do worse than last’. And if Dorilton are actually keen to properly invest, it ticks plenty of boxes.

The challenges he must have come across between BAR / Honda, Making Brawn a thing with no budget, or anything really….. to the dominance of Merc. He’s seen a bit. I might be wrong, but I think Williams have done well here.
Bernasaurus

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Nick, Koolkieren and Alexandre Araujo!

On this day in motorsport

• Born today in 1973: Giancarlo Fisichella