Drivers like Drugovich “need to be patient” for F1 seat – Aston Martin boss

In brief

F2 champion Drugovich must “be patient” with F1 dream

Reigning Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich is spending this year as Aston Martin’s reserve driver in Formula 1, and has already been passed over for a race seat at the team for 2024.

Only three of the last 11 champions of F2 and its predecessor GP2 went into full-time F1 seats the following year. Drugovich may now be facing two years on the sidelines having also missed out on a move to Formula E with Maserati who he had tested for.

Krack said the challenges young drivers facing breaking into F1 is a “difficult topic” for the sport. “Even if you don’t make this step immediately, or even the year or the year after, I think there is always some constraints where there’s regulation changes, teams wants consistency with their drivers.

“Whereas in the junior categories you move up every year, or every second year, in F1 people stay for long so it’s natural that you don’t have so many places. I think at the end of the day, people like Felipe or now the next champion or the previous one, they need to be patient, and they need to try and keep themselves in the game as much as possible.”

Drugovich is set to drive for the team in at least one practice session later this year, having made his F1 race weekend debut in practice at the Italian Grand Prix.

F2 racer Jehan Daruvala gets Maserati FE seat

The Maserati and Mahindra Formula E teams have done the equivalent of a driver swap for 2024, with Edoardo Mortara leaving Maserati after six years to race for Mahindra while the latter’s reserve driver Jehan Daruvala has left them to land a race seat with Maserati.

Daruvala is in his fourth season racing in Formula 2 and is currently 12th in the standings with three podiums. The former Red Bull junior came seventh in the championship the last two years, and has four race wins to his name.

He has Formula 1 test experience with McLaren, and after becoming Mahindra’s reserve driver at the start of 2023 he got to participate in FE’s Berlin rookie test and rookie practice session at the Rome EPrix.

New Aston Martin supercar inspired by F1

The consulting arm of Aston Martin’s Formula 1 team is working with the manufacturer’s road car division to develop the mid-engined Valhalla supercar.

It will have a fully active aerodynamic system – currently prohibited in F1, though under consideration for introduction in 2026 – including multi-element front and rear wings. The front wing “can lie flat in a DRS position to reduce drag or can be angled up to generate huge downforce directly ahead of the front wheels”, and a ground effect design technique is used in its under-floor surface.

“Inspired by F1 vortex generators and aero features, small slotted louvers on the sill, just ahead of the rear wheel, act as mini diffusers to pull airflow out and upwards from under the car, increasing downforce,” Aston Martin explained in an announcement. “A roof-mounted snorkel feeds both the engine intake, as it does in F1, but also serves to feed cooling ducts for turbo intercoolers and to cool the engine’s Hot-V turbo configuration.

“The Valhalla is powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine, which Aston Martin call “the most advanced, responsive and highest-performing V8 engine ever fitted to an Aston Martin and, when mated with three e-motors, creates a 1,012ps all-wheel drive hybrid powertrain”.

The Valhalla has twin electric motors on its front axle for four-wheel-drive and allow gives torque control at all four corners. A third electric motor provides additional power to the rear axle and serves as the starter for the conventional engine.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Young drivers’ first thoughts about Formula 2’s new car (Formula Scout)

'F2’s new car for 2024 was unveiled in the Monza paddock ahead of the penultimate round of the F2 season and FIA F3’s finale. Drivers in both series shared their thoughts about the Dallara F2 2024 with Formula Scout'

Habsburg at Alpine in Hypercar? (Autohebdo)

'Will Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi meet in the Alpine hypercar in 2024? They won the 24 Hours of Le Mans together as well as the LMP2 category title in 2021 with Team WRT. Both were then associated with Robin Frijns, who should compete in the hypercar category for BMW with the Belgian team. The destiny of his two former friends seems to be headed with another manufacturer: Alpine.'

IndyCar's real worry for 2024 is not the schedule. It's the broadcast package (Racer)

'In 2023, 76.5 percent of IndyCar’s races were aired on NBC, the one place where its best ratings are delivered. In 2024, that percentage drops to 53 percent, and while it might be a one-time thing due to the Olympics, it’s hard not to be uneasy when the costs of competition are rising due to change to hybrid engines.'

Can‑Am monsters to roar in Goodwood 81st Members' Meeting demo (Goodwood)

'The Canadian-American Challenge Cup was a sportscar racing series held initially from 1966-1974 for Group 7 cars. It garnered competition initially between Lola, McLaren and Chaparral, before taking the interest of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Porsche, before Shadow dominated in 1974.'

Slater joins VAR in Italian F4 championship (Van Amersfoort Racing)

'The British driver was Ginetta Junior champion this season and recently made his single-seater debut participating in both the British F4 and Euro 4 championships. He impressed many as he won in Monza just under two weeks ago, taking his first win in Formula 4.'

Damage limitation at Suzuka (Mercedes-AMG F1)

'Some strong racing and a split strategy for Lewis and George helped us maximise our points in the fight for P2 in the championship in Suzuka. Head of race strategy Rosie Wait joins us for this week’s race debrief to answer your questions on the Japanese GP.'

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Comment of the day

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris broke the record for the most points in F1 without a win. He finished second, and his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri claimed his first podium in third place.

The streak of most races passed without a maiden podium ended with Piastri finishing 3rd – he is the 216th driver to score a F1 podium. Russell was the 215th to do so 48 races ago (756 days) at the Belgium 2021 race. For reference Alonso was the 184th in 2003, Lewis was 192nd in 2007 and Perez was 199th in 2012.

The previous longest dry spell of maiden podium was 41 races long but in days this holds the record with 924 days. It started on Sept 8th 2008 after Vettel took his shock maiden win/podium at Monza and ended March 27th 2011 when Vitaly Petrov scored his maiden and only podium in his F1 career.

All of the last ten maiden podium scorers are still in F1 today – if Liam starts in Qatar there will be 15 drivers with at least one podium, if Ricciardo starts it will be 16 – not sure if that is the record or not.

Max extended his own record of most wins in a 36 months period from 38 to 39 wins. Red Bull increased their own record to 44 wins but are still trailing Mercedes who holds the record with 51 wins in 36 months.
Jimmy Cliff

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Brian Munene and Spencer Ward!

On this day in motorsport

• 15 years ago today Fernando Alonso won the Singapore Grand Prix. A year later it emerged his team mate Nelson Piquet Jnr had crashed deliberately to bring out the Safety Car and help him win