In the round-up: Max Verstappen names the Miami Grand Prix his favourite race of 2023 so far.
In brief
Verstappen names best race of 2023 so far
Having won 10 of the 12 grands prix so far this year, Verstappen said it was “difficult to choose” his highlight of the season so far. “There have been a lot of nice ones, some of them more straightforward.
“I think the one actually which I really enjoy was like back in time in Miami,” Verstappen decided, picking a race he won from ninth on the grid after passing his pole-winning team mate Sergio Perez.
“It’s a tough track, also to get through the field, but we managed I think that whole race quite well – after, of course, the tough qualifying. So probably for me, that was a very enjoyable one.”
Verstappen was speaking after his latest win of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, where he started sixth. “But also today, the last one in Hungary – there are a lot of nice ones,” he said.
“I think also throughout the first part of the season, we have improved as a team. And also from my side, I feel more comfortable in the car. It’s all about little details. So a lot of enjoyable moments. It’s tough to pick one.”
Armstrong: Results reflect performance in IndyCar more than F2
Former Formula 2 driver turned IndyCar racer Marcus Armstrong says results in his current series give a better indication of performance. Armstrong had as many top-eight finishes in his first eight IndyCar races as he did in the first eight races of his best Formula 2 season.“We won three races last year in F2 [and] obviously I haven’t won three races this year but I feel like getting a result in IndyCar, your performance directly correlates to your results,” he said in response to a question from RaceFans.
“Many times in F2 I’ve had races where I felt like I was the fastest on track and I ended up finishing P12 just because of some massive tyre degradation in the last 10 laps or something like that. Being top 10 I think in IndyCar cars is one thing, being top three is another.”
Armstrong has impressed in his debut season and is the top rookie despite not running the oval rounds. Nonetheless he believes “there’s still a big step to be made to be to be consistently with” his Ganassi team mates. “There’s a step to be made to be inside the top three.
“You can’t understate how high the level is right at the very pointy end of IndyCar. So I’m just going to keep trying to find bits and pieces to get there.”
Pirelli conclude F1 tyre test
The second day of Pirelli’s latest Formula 1 tyre test took place at Spa-Francorchamps on Wednesday, with Lando Norris driving for McLaren while Aston Martin called up their reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
Rain through the morning and also the afternoon meant all running was done on intermediate and wet compound tyres. Vandoorne set 53 laps and managed to break into 1’57 on lap times on his return to an F1 cockpit, while Norris set 40 laps and was three seconds slower.
BMW signs Robin Frijns as works driver
Two days on from leaving the Abt Cupra Formula E team, Robin Frijns has been announced as a works BMW driver.
The 31-year-old was previously a works driver for BMW’s fierce rival Audi, and represented them in touring car racing, sports car racing and FE. He also has a past relationship with BMW, having won the 2010 Formula BMW Europe title.
Frijns’ first duty as a works driver will be helping to develop the brand’s new M Hybrid V8 prototype sports car for the top class of the World Endurance Championship. The development is being done by W Racing Team, who Frijns became Blancpain GT Series champion with in 2015 and GT Sprint Cup champion in 2017. He last raced for them in 2021.
“It’s fantastic to return to BMW M Motorsport after so many years – the place it all started for me in FBMW Europe,” said Frijns. “I am looking forward to the new challenges, which will include being part of the test programme for the WEC entry in 2024 with the BMW M Hybrid V8. The prospect of driving this car and, in doing so, becoming part of a new golden era of motor racing is great motivation.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin driver on 'the dark side', Max Verstappen and Alpine (BBC Sport)
'Fernando Alonso is discussing perception and reality, the difference he sees between his wider public image and his assessment of himself. 'This,' he says of Formula 1, 'is a great show - inside, and off track as well. And you need to play a character, you know? Whatever is assigned to you.''
Ganassi in no rush to lock down 2024 IndyCar drivers (Racer)
'Chip Ganassi Racing has more decisions to make about its next IndyCar series line-up than any of its rivals. Across its four cars and the five drivers signed to its open-wheel roster, only Scott Dixon and the number nine Honda are sorted for the future. Figuring out who will steer the rest of its fleet has been a time-consuming process for Ganassi and his managing director Mike Hull, and the number 10 operates like Dixon’s number nine entry in that the team and its sponsors hire their preferred driver.'
"Singapore Police Force and Attorney-General’s Chambers have 'proactively shared relevant information' with their UK counterparts, which helped them develop their case against the British tycoon."
"To ask the Prime Minister in relation to the UK trial of Bernie Ecclestone that allegedly involves undisclosed assets of USD 650 million in a Singapore bank, whether MAS is satisfied with the anti-money laundering precautions that have been put in place at the bank."
Is George Russell right that 'F3 shouldn’t be allowed 30 cars on track'? (Formula Scout)
'GPDA director George Russell said last Thursday at a wet Spa-Francorchamps that he did not believe FIA Formula 3 should not keep its current 30-car grid size due to safety concerns. But what did the F3 drivers make of his comments?'
Tennessee declares 'Newgarden Day' as Nashville race nears (IndyCar)
'The state of Tennessee proclaimed July 31, 2023, as 'Josef Newgarden Day' around the Volunteer State in recognition of the Team Penske driver becoming the first Tennessean to win the Indianapolis 500.'
'Our consultant, former managing director of Renault F1, looks back on the hectic weekend behind the scenes at his former team as several key members departed.'
Mid-season test key to Doohan Formula 2 turnaround (Speedcafe)
'Jack Doohan singled out a F2 a test at Barcelona as the turning point for his 2023 campaign. The Australian has catapulted himself back into title contention with three rounds of the F1 feeder series remaining after back-to-back feature race wins in Hungary and Belgium. It’s a stark contrast to his fortunes at the start of the year when he struggled with an underlying issue with the car.'
I Want What They Have: Michelle Yeoh and Jean Todt (Vogue)
'One example of this kind of cast-iron love, i.e. the type you could cook a really good steak on (am I belabouring this metaphor?), is the relationship between actress Michelle Yeoh and her partner of nearly two decades, former Ferrari head Jean Todt, who finally got married in Switzerland this past weekend, a full 19 years after Todt first proposed.'
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.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
A different kind of onboard view… 😅@LandoNorris is at Spa ready for his day @pirellisport tyre testing! 👊#F1 pic.twitter.com/YluziMYcGo
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) August 2, 2023
Some super pics from a sensational Season 9️⃣ 📸@Hankook_Sport #LondonEPrix pic.twitter.com/Monn9hOtrR
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) August 2, 2023
How do you transform the ExCeL into a Formula E race track?
Here's how! 🏎️🏁#formulae @ExCeLLondon #ExCeLLondon #london pic.twitter.com/wpCklYWPYJ
— BBC London (@BBCLondonNews) August 1, 2023
.@AgustinCanapino is closing the gap with 5 races to go 👀 pic.twitter.com/0JyKUg70CG
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 2, 2023
Green suits you, @svandoorne! 💚
Stoffel is piloting the #AMR23 for the first time in today’s @pirellisport F1 Tyre Test at @circuitspa. pic.twitter.com/TV8iNEg9IL
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) August 2, 2023
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Verstappen’s remarkable dominant run continued at the Belgian Grand Prix, even though he didn’t get to start from pole. He did start from the front in Saturday’s sprint race, but did not lead lights to flag as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri got past him on lap two.
Oscar Piastri led for the first time in F1, even if not yet in an actual race, and more notably, he became the first rookie to lead a racing lap since Esteban Gutierrez in the 2013 Spanish GP, where he temporarily led for two laps (11-12), something I’d totally forgotten and probably more or less everyone else too.
Jere
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Soren Kaae!
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd August 2023, 5:33
Formula Scout: Not really, because 30 has never been dangerous per se, especially in dry conditions, so an over-exaggeration by him when he suggested otherwise.
A COTD nomination after a little while but more relevantly, I was surprised when I got that reference on Saturday.
I could’ve never figured out without that, although at the time, the reference was only about Gutierrez leading in 2013 rather than specific race, so I checked that separately by looking through all race leaders in that season.
CarWars (@maxv)
3rd August 2023, 10:35
Miami is where he seems to have crushed Perez’ spirit