Albon questions track limits call which cost him place in Q3

In brief

Albon questions track limits violation

Albon is not convinced he breached track limits at turn two on his final qualifying lap in Q2. The Williams driver was set to progress to Q3 after setting the ninth-best time in the second stage of qualifying but had his final push lap deleted for exceeding track limits at turn two, the left-hand section of the opening chicane, leaving him in 14th and out of qualifying.

However, Albon is unsure whether he actually had all four wheels outside of the white lines. “I don’t think it was track limits, however I might be wrong,” he said. “Based on the external view of the shot, it looked to me that my rear tyres were still on the white line. However, it is what it is.

“It’s really frustrating but what’s more frustrating is the lack of pace in qualifying – I was four of five tenths slower than I was in FP3, losing a lot of grip, so I almost had to do tyre management to keep the tyres alive into sector three. It was the same from FP1 to FP2 and now FP3 to qualifying, so we really need to look into it.”

Alpine improvement “still too little”

“We are still not where we want to be,” he continued. “Last year we were fourth in the championship, today we are sixth and there is no perspective to improve this position until the end of the year. We need to really progress.

“I’m happy with the improvement of the team on the track side. But we still have a lot to do to really improve our level. That’s why we’re working hard in improving the things at the factories and trying to get the best out of our next car.”

Mexican GP donates aid to hurricane victims

The Mexican Grand Prix organisers have contributed to a collective effort to donate 50 tons of humanitarian aid to those affected by Hurricane Otis in the Mexican state of Guerrero.

Dozens have been killed and thousands have been left without power from the hurricane, which struck at the start of the week. Red Bull driver Sergio Perez has also called on his fellow Mexicans on social media to donate in support of those affected by the storm.

Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Who is Bearman? Essex boy with Italian twang making F1 history in Mexico (Independent)

''A lot of people have told me my accent has changed even if I don’t notice it. I spend a lot of time with Italians and to communicate with people where English is not their first language is not easy, so I have changed my word order and ended up with this everywhere accent.''

Tiroteo con una victima mortal al lado del Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Soymotor)

'A 35-year-old man who had fled after stealing a vehicle has died in a shootout with the police near the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which hosts the Mexican GP this weekend.'

Piastri: ‘Racing guys you grew up watching on TV can be daunting’ (The Guardian)

''Even though I got a podium in Japan I was not particularly happy with certain aspects of what I did in that race. Trying to separate the result from the feeling of how you have driven is very important. So I am critical but it’s also key not to beat yourself up too much, recognising what you need to improve on and actioning it.''

Ferrari 499P Modificata (Ferrari)

'To celebrate the company’s historic return to the top class of endurance racing in the 2023 season, Ferrari introduced the 499P Modificata, a strictly limited-series car for non-competitive track use. The 499P Modificata is a substantially modified version of the 499P that triumphed in the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the goal of setting a new benchmark for track driving thrills.'

Martins: My greatest influences (F2)

'Anthoine Hubert has been and remains a great influence to this day. He was always the one to beat. The goal was to be like him. He was good at school, the teachers always said he was the example to be like. You ask a question to Anthoine about how to manage school and the races – I remember he was doing reports to send to Renault at the time – all those things I learned from him.'

Ericsson rolling with changes in new home at Andretti (IndyCar)

''I think you can definitely feel that excitement from the organisation and the team for me to get (to Andretti). I’m excited to get going and get working. I think the potential is really big in the team. They are ready to really push hard to be at the top. I’m excited to be part of that journey that we’re going to do together.''

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 X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and more:

Austin trophy swap in the Mexico paddock. 🔄🏆

Over to you @McLarenF1. pic.twitter.com/E5qh7eeXRS

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 28, 2023

Gary Gannon explains the alterations to the VF-23 due to Mexico City's unique high altitude conditions, and the affect that has on car aero performance 🇲🇽 #HaasF1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/PovUnKIG4j

— MoneyGram Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) October 28, 2023

Things just didn’t align for us today. I’m glad both drivers are okay after the crash. Tomorrow will be tough, but I’ll put it all out there and see what we get.
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.@redbull | @RodinCars | Giltrap Group | @Cumulo9 | Tony Quinn Foundation | Turners Cars | Porter Group CE pic.twitter.com/HRXA6HeiYh

— Liam Lawson (@LiamLawson30) October 28, 2023

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

Comment of the day

After Christian Horner admitted F1 needs to be honest with itself about the shortcomings of the sprint race format, Jonathan suggests making Friday that day of sprint activity…

I think they should do it all on a Friday. Have a practice, a sprint shootout then a sprint and also make it a separate championship. Then on Saturday practice then qualifying then grand prix on Sunday. This way they could test all the ideas they want to try e.g. reverse grids and those who want to watch it can do and those who like it the normal way of practice, qualifying then race and just tune in for that.

The only reason I have watched the sprints is because it has points for the championships. Although I have to say the sprint shootout is better than a waste of time FP2 stuck under parc ferme rules.

As I have always said: I don’t mind when it’s a sprint weekend and I don’t miss it when it’s not.
Jonathan

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Gavin Brown and Striay!

On this day in motorsport

• 40 years ago today Teo Fabi won the penultimate round of the CART IndyCar season at Laguna Seca, continuing his remarkable late-season run which gave him a shot at the title in the finale