In the round-up: The International Olympics Committee is considering whether to include a motorsport event as part of the 2028 games.
In brief
Motorsport considered for 2028 Olympics
Motorsport is among the categories being considered for inclusion in the 2028 Olympic Games, to be held in Los Angeles, USA. The IOC is expected to make a decision on which new competitions to include “in the coming weeks”, according to Reuters. The final selection is due to be ratified in October.
Electric karting was included as a competition for the first time at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. The event, opened by then-FIA president Jean Todt, took place at the karting circuit at the Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez in Buenos Aires, which held 20 rounds of the world championship between 1953 and 1998. Another electric karting event took place at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Other sport under consideration include flag football – a non-contact variant of American football -cricket, lacrosse, breakdancing, karate, kickboxing, squash, baseball and softball.
F1 right to err on “super safe side” at Spa
Formula 1 drivers and team principals largely backed race director Niels Wittich’s call to delay the start of the sprint race during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend due to heavy rain. The shortened race eventually began after five laps behind the Safety Car.“I think you can absolutely understand that everyone needs to play it safe in Spa,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, referring to the crash which claimed the life of Formula Regional European Championship racer Dilano van ‘t Hoff last month.
“We had two terrible accidents, the last one under similar conditions in the rain where drivers couldn’t see because of the spray. So, it was clear that the approach here needed to be on the super safe side and I think that was right. The spray on the new Tarmac is pretty bad and doing these laps was the right thing to do.”
Max Verstappen, who led the queue of cars behind the Safety Car, said the call was “probably quite a safe view on things but I prefer that than risking it and going too early. But other tracks again, maybe it’s a bit different.”
Iron Lynx tests WEC Lamborghini
Iron Lynx, who will run Lamborghini’s entry in next year’s World Endurance Championship, ran a two-day test for its SC63 at Imola last week. It previously shook down the chassis at Vallelunga.
Daniil Kvyat, Mirko Bortolotti and Andrea Caldarelli took turns driving. Team principal Andrea Piccini said the first signs were encouraging.
“Since we drove the car out of the pits in Vallelunga last week, the drivers reported a general positive feeling. We didn’t have any major issue so far, step by step we’re driving longer stints, learning the car and getting faster. Still a long way to go, a lot of debugging and development needed, but the first impression is definitely positive.”
O’Ward “driving my ass off” for first win of 2023
McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward admitted he is eager to score his first win this season after taking his sixth podium finish of the year at Indianapolis last weekend. “A fricking win would be great,” he said on Saturday.
“I’ve been driving my ass off every single race. There is nothing more than I want than to get wins. Obviously there’s been little things here and there that have got us out of contention and out of being able to kind of capitalise on that.”
O’Ward finished third behind Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal last weekend. “I’m very pleased with today, very happy with how the team and I attacked because I was playing around with Graham in the warm-up, and he was just stronger than me. I know he was. I knew it was going to be a tall ask, just from outright pace, to try and beat them.
“But I was very happy with my car balance. I was very happy with every other call. We’ve just got to keep pushing.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Links
Motor racing links of interest:
(La Gazzetta dello Sport - Italian, subscription required)
"'Would he have liked Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz?' 'Definitely yes, because they are both young and very professional, they dedicate a lot to their work. This was a quality that my father liked very much. He didn't appreciate those riders who refused to do tests and only showed up to races to race. Today tests are no longer done, but Charles and Carlos test on the simulator almost every week, helping the team.'"
Marko: Red Bull's engine for 2026 'miles ahead' of Ferrari and Audi (Motorsport-Total)
'The weight is a safety risk. The Silverstone accident that Max (Verstappen) had in 2021 can end very differently with such a heavy battery'
Massa: Verstappen will win everything until 2026 (Marca)
'Until 2026, when we will have the change of regulations, Verstappen wins everything. I think we will have equal regulations and Verstappen is superior, Red Bull is superior. So until 2026 we can expect Verstappen to win all the titles'
Larson to climb 'Mount Everest' with Indy-Charlotte double (IndyCar)
'Busch was the last driver to successfully attempt the double, in 2014. Stewart produced the most successful double in 2001, when he finished sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte. Larson, who started sixth in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday at IMS, is aiming even higher.'
Correa: A race in my words (F2)
'It’s now quite special because I got to share the podium with him. It was a big deal for him. A Frenchman at the French Grand Prix. It was a big podium and now, looking back, it was very special.'
Senior trio to leave McLaren (Racer)
'According to a spokesperson, Vincent’s exit will be preceded by Jeff Darks, McLaren’s (vice-president) of marketing operations, who has been with the team since 2009 and rates among the most respected members of the team. Darks has Sept. 1 listed as his final day, and he’ll be joined by Mark Myers, Arrow McLaren’s director of partnerships.'
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:
Enzo Ferrari left us on 14 August 1988, but his legacy certainly hasn’t.
People, technologies, buildings. Our Maranello factory's expansion stands testament to his vision, enabling us to push boundaries and shape the future of automotive innovation. #Ferrari #RememberingEnzo pic.twitter.com/rJiLvZFFZM— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) August 14, 2023
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
Two names from top teams among our bottom four drivers of the year so far speaks to the quality of the current field, says @Esploratore1:
It’s indeed a high-quality field this year, I always try to guess where drivers would be when I see these rankings and I thought de Vries, Sargeant and maybe Stroll should’ve been in here, I would have expected de Vries and Sargeant in these places, Stroll 17th and was thinking if Magnussen or Zhou had been bad enough to end 18th, but I wasn’t convinced, I thought Perez could’ve been 12th or so, since he had a very good start to the season.
I was surprised to see Perez so low, but can’t say for sure, because of the massive difference in car performance, that Magnussen or Zhou did any worse than him, the potential of the car is huge, so he really left a lot on the table.
In any case, I couldn’t really guess a fourth driver who was clearly bad enough to end up here, so that says enough about the strength of the current field.
@Esploratore1
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Lin1876!
On this day in motorsport
- 30 years ago today Damon Hill scored his first F1 win in the German Grand Prix
Robert
15th August 2023, 0:15
Iron Lynx. COTD right there.
Jay
15th August 2023, 2:41
I see 10 people in that McLaren “Team Building” exercise. How many total showed up, how many were invited? Was Alonso sitting at home on his couch or something else? Where’s Ron? How about the Test Drivers? Lots of unanswered questions and a lot of insinuation.
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th August 2023, 7:44
I think it’s the whole garage crew as it was in the era of enough money for that. No i don’t think it was the whole factory crew that isn’t possible now and then.
S
15th August 2023, 3:21
Would be nice to see motorsports feature in the Olympics – but sadly, I doubt there’d be too many big names interested in participating in it. Most of these ‘elite professionals’ race for money, not for fun.
Imagine if they were thoroughly beaten by amateurs (and inevitably, many would be) – wouldn’t do their image much good, would it. Far more risk than reward involved, and I don’t think many of them would find it much fun, anyway.
And F1 drivers competing in equal machinery would be quite the novelty. Some of the big names might just not be so amazing after all when they are taken out of their big team structures and faster cars…
The list of names who consistently won’t participate in Race Of Champions, despite the repeated invitations, tells a story all of its own about who is likely (or not) to do an Olympics.
Yellow Baron
15th August 2023, 4:43
I agree too that’s possible that they could be beaten by amateurs or even lower category drivers. I think that in part due to what I assume motorsports under the Olympics would look like, very equal.
It’s possible that motorsport under the Olympics could be the most equal competition out there. 100% identical and equal karts. Regulated and checked to be so and therefore equal parts and setup parameters.
I could see it being like olympic boxing, many great fighters early in their careers took Olympics competition.
I’m not sure I can see it being something f1 drivers would be sought after anyway. More like up and comers and even regular karters
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
16th August 2023, 11:12
As a guy who had to move to car racing earlier than I would have liked because of my size and weight, I’d also add ballast to make up for the differences in driver weight.
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th August 2023, 7:47
There were events where F1 driver went racing with the same carts.
But as a ex-carter i know the carts must be the same for the olympics and that isn’t possible or they swap carts after each heat and having as many heats as drivers….
Dex
15th August 2023, 10:31
I actually think that many top rated drivers would be interested, the bigger issue would probably be their teams and contractual obligations and limitations. In any case I don’t like the idea, too much depends on the machine (even if they are equal on paper, they are too complex and many things can go wrong, plus they don’t perform the same even in spec series). Motorsport isn’t “pure” enough to be an Olympic sport, which I don’t see as a bad thing (since I like motorsport more than football etc.). Just different worlds, and I don’t think we should mix everything into one big cacophony of everything only because it could bring more money or spectacle. This would be bad for the Olympics I recon.
Jere (@jerejj)
15th August 2023, 5:31
I couldn’t care less whether motorsport gets involved in Olympics & I wholly share the views about this matter below.
Marko has zero idea of how far other manufacturers are in their development phases as a third-party outsider, so claiming something purely based on guesswork is pointless.
Just typical of him to say all sorts of things publicly.
Massa could be right, but I haven’t lost hope about tighter championship battles before that season.
After seeing that old Mclaren image for the first time yesterday, I wondered if they chose Finland specifically for their 2006-07 off-season Team Building Camp because of Aki Hintsa, but in any case, surprisingly snowless ground, given the image must be from January & not from the south.
MacLeod (@macleod)
15th August 2023, 8:03
I think that is the data which was giving to the FIA which you can compare the engines but that is a moment as those engines will keeping improve till 2026.
I would take what Marko says as entertaintment for as something graved in stone.
If the FIA removes the height increase and install the sensor i think Ferrari will be there with Red Bull and the old Mercedes was there too. The moment FIA comes with that I said Red Bull will be very strong this year and it seems i was right :)
drmouse (@drmouse)
15th August 2023, 13:14
I generally take the view that anything Marko says is incorrect unless I hear something reasonably reliable corroborating his statement. It rarely steers me wrong.
notagrumpyfan
15th August 2023, 8:05
Thank you for your self reflection, again.
MichaelN
15th August 2023, 9:08
The Olympics will do whatever they think gets them money and attention from the demographics all their partners are after. They’ve included BMX, snowboarding, and such in their effort to reach younger people. It’s fair enough, even if having all these dozens of different sports taking place at the same time inevitably forces broadcasters to once more focus on what is already popular, thereby diluting the effect.
The IOC has created some fun Olympics-only events in recent games, mostly to partner male and female athletes. This has been fun, as it gives the Olympics something unique. Far too often, there is little to distinguish the Olympic events from the regular ones that take place regularly.
A driver-swap would be quite easy in motorsport, so there’s some potential there.
Facts&Stats
15th August 2023, 10:23
I’m happy for the Olympics to evolve, rather than just seeing naked men in a pankration fight.
For me the Olympics should only include ‘’athletic’ sports (no chess or gaming), in which the best in the world are eager to participate (probably rules out tennis, golf, and boxing), as individuals (plus rowing), and performance to be objectively measurable rather than juried (bye bye gymnastics, and nice try breakdancing).
Adding all that up there is probably room for go-karting, and let’s go for the electric version to keep it modern.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
15th August 2023, 11:47
@Facts&Stats Just for info, the ancient Olympics originally included non-athletic events such as poetry and town planning, amongst other things.
Of those other sports you mentioned, most top tennis players have been competing in the Olympics for the last few events. This wasn’t always the case, but it would be hard to ever implement new sports into the Olympics if you had to guarantee that the top competitors would consider it as the pinnacle of their sport from the outset. Sometimes it takes time to develop that prestige and interest in a sport which previously hadn’t considered itself an Olympic event.
Facts&Stats
15th August 2023, 14:18
Thanks @keithedin,
Didn’t know about the poetry and town planning.
(Tennis) I understood that half the top-20 men did not participate in Tokyo, of which many because it did not fit into their schedule/(court-specific) preparation. I’d rather see athletes who spend years of preparing and qualifying for the big event.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
15th August 2023, 14:45
It would have to be sprint town planning, if they brought it back today.
I’m looking forward to this week’s athletics world championships more than the Olympics – it does without most of the nonsense events that are professional (golf, tennis, football etc) / all-American / anything to do with “artistic impression” / the IOC’s idea of down wiv da kidz.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
15th August 2023, 20:51
The Olympics should be about physical capability and skill, and maybe teamwork as well. Motorsport? No. We already have arguments over the influence the car has upon the ability of a driver. Maybe if everyone had the same car, e.g. Top Gear’s “Star In A Reasonably Priced Car”, but if not then no. Poetry? Why not singing (without accompaniment) as well? But these sorts of things require someone’s perception. It is much better when you are competing against the clock or each other. As others have said, the Olympics should be upon human ability. Working as a team? I don’t like big teams, smaller teams are okay. I think rugby sevens is about the upper limit.
Alan Dove
15th August 2023, 11:48
Top level karting isn’t electric nor single-spec, so this would be a weird deviation from the actual sport to be an Olympic competition. The idea doesn’t really exist within karting bar a couple of very niché and mostly unsuccessful exceptions, so you’d have to create a ‘new thing’ that isn’t widely participated in. How would drivers be selected? You can’t have qualifying competition without a huge expansion of the concept, and at that point you have to ask how is it all funded?
It wouldn’t surprise me if it happened as that’s the way of the world, but it’d certainly be strange and weird. Then again they have horse stuff which is even weirder.
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
15th August 2023, 15:53
Citius, Altius, Fortius.
Faster, Higher, Stronger (I think) is the Olympic motto – so at a stretch maybe some form of motorsport.
But breakdancing – no chance! Its right up there with rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming. It’s a hobby, but not a sport. These events that require judges rather than a physical measure should not be part of a modern Olympiad.
End of rant :)
PlosslF1
15th August 2023, 19:08
Olympic Break Dancing Champion… That’s one I would keep secret if it was me :-)
For context. a few years ago I showed someone ‘crazy legs’ and threw my lumber out for a fortnight lol…
Dale
15th August 2023, 20:48
The Olympics is already way too bloated, with too many unnecessary sports added recently … sports that have their own pinnacle stages to perform on anyway.
They are making the event completely unsustainable for host cities / countries.
Every team sport they add just balloons the athlete count. Accommodation and facilities for 30 thousand athletes, support staff and officials is a small city on it’s own.
Maybe the IOC should start having Olympics in Haiti or Syria that they and member countries pay for. Accommodation for that many people, and halls / facilities than can be converted into hospitals and schools afterwards would be a far better concept.
Haas Khan (@haas918)
15th August 2023, 21:03
I would really like to see motorsport in Olympics but it looks unlikely.
Kringle
15th August 2023, 22:07
Headline = no. Unless it’s an esport that’s an unbelievably terrible idea.