Albon hopeful of avoiding grid penalty after early end to practice

In brief

Albon hopeful of avoiding grid penalty

Williams driver Alexander Albon says he believes he can avoid a grid penalty for a power unit change after he suffered a problem in practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Albon has used all four power units permitted under the regulations this season but completed only five laps in second practice after a suspected power unit problem.

“We think it’s a battery related problem,” Albon said after practice. “I’d just started my lap, it was okay and then just started to lose ERS as I went through it.

“I think we already know the problem, it shouldn’t be too long to solve and replace. But obviously when you’re on a track like here you want the mileage because it’s such a confidence-building circuit. So a little bit on the back foot for tomorrow, but otherwise the car’s not been feeling terrible.”

Asked if he felt he could avoid a grid penalty, Albon said “I believe so, but I’m not too sure to be honest.”

Wolff comments on Verstappen record ‘not my most intelligent’

Verstappen set an all-time wins streak record at Monza. While Wolff said it showed a “great driver in a great car competing on an extremely high level”, he also said such records were “completely irrelevant” to him.

“Obviously when you look at the comments, in the circumstances you can think ‘was it the most intelligent thing that I could have said’ – maybe not,” Wolff admitted on Friday. “But it’s always been my mindset.

“Formula 1 is a meritocracy and I said it often during this year that only the best will win world championships and you need to recognise what a great job is being done there and at the end they will take another big trophy and that is something that’s the most valuable – the best person in the best car wins the world championship.”

“No doors closed for Pourchaire”

Alfa Romeo team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi says Sauber junior driver Theo Pourchaire still has a potential future in Formula 1.

Pourchaire currently leads the Formula 2 standings but Alfa Romeo have confirmed that Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas will race for the team for 2023. If Pourchaire wins the F2 title, the 20-year-old will be barred from competing for a fourth year.

“He will be the reserve driver next year,” said Alunni Bravi. “We are discussing together which will be the best racing programme for him to be ready to jump into the F1 car. No doors are closed for him in the future. We just felt that will be the best choice for the team, to keep our driver line-up also for next year and this doesn’t exclude any opportunity for him in the future.

“We are discussing internally. Of course budget-wise this is something that for a team is quite expensive but we want to see all the opportunities but for a driver like him, the doors are open. We just need to see the best programme to be ready.”

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Marko's xenophobic comment reveals F1's diversity challenge (DW)

''These comments show that the sport is not yet truly welcoming to ethnically diverse people. Even with an apology we can be confident these behaviours will continue until there are consequences and real steps taken to address attitudes. F1 needs to show it is proactively inclusive… If policies are not correct, behaviours won't be correct.''

Lizards of Singapore: Could 'Godzilla's kid' derail Red Bull? (Motor Sport)

'But, if more on-track contact were to occur, it could change the results of the race dramatically. Colliding head-on with one of Singapore’s biggest reptiles would almost certainly cause damage to the front wing, tyres or even the suspension of an F1 car — forcing drivers into extra pitstops and losing precious time. As a result, some may chose to swerve in avoidance — possibly causing even more damage if the field is racing close together.'

F1 drivers ready for the heat and humidity in Singapore, where their drinking water is like hot tea (Washington Times)

'Singapore isn’t always the hottest or most humid F1 track - Miami and Bahrain each have a claim - but it’s on a twisty layout through the city streets. That means less time at high speed when air flows fast over the drivers and cools them, George Russell of Mercedes said. The track has a slightly shorter layout this year which replaces four corners with a straight section. That could make drivers a little more comfortable.'

Down to the details: ASN requirements for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games (FIA)

'All 16 categories that featured in the 2022 Games in Marseille, France will return, joined by at least ten new categories, setting the scene for the biggest event to-date, with more medal opportunities than ever before for drivers and the ASNs they represent. The competition in Spain will showcase all disciplines of the sport, from Circuit Racing to Electric Street – comprising Auto Slalom and Karting Slalom – Karting, Esports, Off-Road and Rally. In addition to the prestigious trophy for the winning nation outright, regional trophies, a NewStar trophy and an AllStar trophy will be awarded.'

Rosberg X Racing set the early pace ahead of Island X Prix (Extreme E)

'During Free Practice 1, McLaren Extreme E Team’s Emma Gilmour was involved in an incident, following which the New Zealander was transported to Cagliari hospital for precautionary checks. The McLaren Extreme E Team have confirmed that Gilmour has undergone additional tests at the hospital, where further examination showed she has a small rib fracture. As per standard procedure, Gilmour will be under observation in the hospital for the next 24 hours.'

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Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

🇸🇬Positive Friday. The car was on the right window from the very first lap so we kept focused on fine tuning the set-up during FP2. I expect the track to gain grip tomorrow, so we’ll see how much our competitors and ourselves can improve for Quali.

👉https://t.co/4MPzPaw8KJ pic.twitter.com/lOkh7C5TTb

— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) September 15, 2023

We still have some work to do, good to see some old friends though 🦎 🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/Tqu39kZP4f

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 15, 2023

James explains Alex's ERS issue…🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zM1n5sxBRN

— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) September 15, 2023

🧊 keeping it cool 🧊#VB77 #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/Af0uReBCnJ

— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) September 15, 2023

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

Comment of the day

After a peculiar incident in the opening practice session, Matthijs spots an error in our practice report…

I see that the lizard’s laptimes are not included in the results. Will that be fixed?
Matthijs

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Adam Milleneuve (F1 Badger), Joao Pedro Cq, Handcart and Discotheque!

On this day in motorsport

• Five years ago today Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix under pressure from Max Verstappen