In the round-up: McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the delays the team suffered on Thursday were not due to any failure on the car
In brief
McLaren’s delays in testing not due to car failure – Stella
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says that the delays the team suffered on Thursday were to avoid potential failures from occurring.
The team had the lowest mileage over the opening day of testing than any other team, covering fewer than 100 laps. However Stella, who has recently taken over as team principal of McLaren, said their day had gone “largely to plan”.
“Despite a few very minor issues, which are common at testing, we’ve got a lot of information and were able to complete a lot of test items,” Stella said.
“There were some short delays caused by the team wanting to reinforce the bodywork in some places in order to prevent a failure. These were preventative measures, but we thought they were useful to make so we could run safely and reliably for the remainder of the day. Overall, a positive day. We hope to continue like this for day two and three so we’re ready for the first race of the season.”
Drugovich describes sudden testing call up
Aston Martin reserve driver described how he was called up out of the blue to travel to Silverstone and prepare to step in for Lance Stroll during testing in Bahrain.The reigning Formula 2 champion was summoned by the team to take over for Stroll in the three day test after Stroll injured his hand in a cycling accident.
“I was just walking in the centre of my city,” he explained. “I was in Italy. I was in Milan. Just relaxed.
“I got a call from [Aston Martin F1 CEO] Martin Whitmarsh saying that something had happened to Lance and I needed to go straight to the simulator. So I bought a flight for I think less than 12 hours later and I was already on a plane to the UK to do one day of simulator. So everything was quite interesting.”
IndyCar to run guayule tyres at all street races
IndyCar will race using alternate compound tyres made from guayule desert shrub at all five of its races around street circuits this season.
The series ran using Firestone tyres made with rubber derived from the shrub at the Nashville round last season. The shrub is farmed and used in the construction of sidewalls. This season, the material will be used in the alternate compound tyres for this season’s five street races.
“We are driving sustainability in every area of our business, and we’re thrilled to be advancing guayule and other sustainable practices in America’s premier open-wheel racing series,” said CEO of Bridgestone Americas, Paolo Ferrari. “Firestone has a tremendous legacy of innovation and performance in racing, which we will continue to build upon as we move into this new era of cleaner, safer and more sustainable mobility on and off the track.”
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
F1 Academy: Is Formula 1 finally taking women seriously? (BBC)
"I've been involved in motorsports since I was eight years old and the price just goes up and up the further you go. So it ends up making it quite hard to actually end up affording (to go) up and ends up being more money driven than talent driven. I think it's something that needs to be addressed and it is being addressed. They're providing opportunities to women that couldn't afford going into the championships."
F1 Arcade: New simulator experience in heart of London catches public imagination (Independent)
"The take up has been phenomenal, the space of competitive socialising is so hot right now.I’ve seen a much bigger pick up on this than anything I’ve done before. The fanbase is fever-pitch level of excitement at times. We typically like to be in profit in month one and we’d expect something similar here."
AI Innovation Drives Mercedes F1 Team Partnership With Abu Dhabi-Based G42 (Forbes)
"The Mercedes-G42 partnership will also play a role in aiding talent development, training, and innovation programs. By identifying areas and opportunities for converting data into information, the Mercedes-G42 collaboration can create new knowledge for boosting efficiency, effectiveness, and performance across both enterprises. "
MotoGP ‘30%’ the size of Formula 1, but ‘real fans’ (Crash.net)
"MotoGP ‘30%’ the size of Formula 1, but ‘real fans’. MotoGP has a more consolidated fanbase than Formula One, in our opinion. That means a fan who really understands the sport – rider names, numbers, history, bike brands and at least some team achievements.On the other hand, if we look at Formula One, some of the newly built fanbase is there for the status."
Campaign launched to safeguard the FIA’s Volunteers and Officials (FIA)
"We are indebted to our volunteers and officials in ensuring the safety of competitors and spectators at FIA events over the world over. They give their time freely and selflessly to ensure motor sport can take place in a safe and protected environment. Through the Keep Watch. Keep Safe. campaign we are turning the spotlight to the volunteers themselves to remind them that they have a duty to protect themselves as well as protecting others."
"Team Principal Greg James has signed up sports presenter Betty Glover, broadcast journalist and lifelong F1 fanatic Christian Hewgill and a rolling cast of some of the biggest drivers in the world. It’s a podcast for die-hard fans as well as those who are curious to find out more about this fascinating world and the characters that inhabit it."
CITY GUIDE: 10 things you didn’t know about Cape Town (Formula E)
"The promising combination of GEN3 car and open track layout (including bumpy braking zones, a tight chicane at Turns 4, 5 and 6 and a pacy, eye-of-the-needle section midway around the lap) means that there’s a significant chance to see Formula E’s fastest lap and fastest race records broken."
"McLaren Applied has announced a new trackside services partnership with SRI Performance, one of North America’s largest motorsport distributors. The agreement will see a McLaren Applied presence at all 37 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023. In partnership with the Trackside Services division of SRI Performance, the renowned British firm’s cutting-edge components will be available from SRI’s 53-foot parts hauler, located infield at all NASCAR Cup Series events."
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 to us via the contact form.
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Feels great to be back! We've got two more busy days ahead, lots of work to do. Bring it on. 👊 pic.twitter.com/7cA0ead5cQ
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) February 23, 2023
Felipe’s thoughts. 💭
Fresh out of the car after #F1Testing in Bahrain, @FelipeDrugovich debriefs the session.@xpinvestimentos pic.twitter.com/Ff4s6oSk24
— Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) February 23, 2023
K-Mag's satisfied with his first full run in #F1Testing and thinks that there's plenty more to come from the #VF23 ⬆️#HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/PFMBDnz7WS
— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) February 23, 2023
Feels good to be back! Loved every second of it. Plenty to work on tomorrow. Let’s go @WilliamsRacing 💙 pic.twitter.com/2kd4jVus4E
— Logan Sargeant (@LoganSargeant) February 23, 2023
I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my friend Roger Peart. A passionate supporter of motor sport in his native Canada, Roger selflessly served as an FIA steward for a remarkable 38 years. My thoughts and those of all at the FIA are with his loved ones at this time.
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) February 23, 2023
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- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
If Lance Stroll is unable to race in the season-opening round this week, who should replace him> The answer is obvious, says @jerejj…
Should Stroll need substitution for the GP as well, Drugovich would be the most logical choice, given he’s the only non-regular driver to have any real-life experience driving the relevant machinery, so overlooking him for someone without any prior testing and who hasn’t raced in F1 for four seasons would be questionable, not to mention, Vandoorne’s previous F1 racing experience is from the last aero cycle, so the lack of relevant car generation experience combined with rustiness would be risky.
Even Mick would be a safer option in this regard, given his most recent active F1 racing is from last season and thus from the current GE generation.
Jere
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Georgedaviesf1!
The Dolphins
24th February 2023, 1:10
Prefacing with the usual: testing doesn’t tell us much in terms of performance. I was nonetheless disappointed to see so little running from McLaren on day one. This is a team with great resources and arguably a champion-worthy driver in Norris. I hope they at least make progress in form compared to last season and we see Lando on the podium a handful of times. However judging from today’s performance they seem on the back foot.
elvira
24th February 2023, 3:08
I think the subtext to Andrea’s comment is “Not ideal sure but overall we’re really quite chuffed to have working brakes this year”.
playstation361
24th February 2023, 6:15
I think Moto GP is also something which I see improvement since they also use FIA tracks. I also like the brands in which some are irrelevant to FIA.
I think FIM also deserves a special status in terms of quality.
We have to exactly wait and watch where racing is heading. There is definitely going to be a competation and not a one way sweep talking about FIA.
I know views reduce when things get segmented but I think that has been taken into consideration talking about F1.
I think other racing events will have its place and we have to wait and see the amount of attention it might generate to compare the views of the so called more viewed one.
Since we have not seen complete loss of fear from the pandemic yet I am unsure about time factor. Exiting times ahead.
Jere (@jerejj)
24th February 2023, 6:17
So no worries after all.
F1 Arcade simulator experience, I might go there during my next London visit in April, even if arcade sims are less realistic than proper ones.
I’ve never heard of Roger Pearth, but RIP.
Another COTD.